31.7.07
Showcase: Artist #4
This is currently my favorite song by J.S. Bach, an awesome fugue with the unassuming title "Little" Fugue in G Minor. YouTube does not have a video that does this song true justice - this player is very good, but I find his rendition a tad fast. The magnificence of the song and the beauty of the instrument remedy that, however.
Showcase: Artist #3
Another one of the world's greatest guitarists, a Swedish "metallist" named Yngwie (pronounced "Ingwee" apparently) Malmsteen, was vastly influenced by classical music and especially Bach, which comes through in his playing. Despite having a stroke which forced him to relearn his guitar skills, Malmsteen remains a formidable guitarist. Here, he performs a fugue with an orchestra ... fantastic to watch.
Showcase: Artist #2
One of the world's most talented electric guitarists, Steve Vai, plays with an orchestra, "For the Love of God."
The Muse of Music Comes to Call
Giv has requested that both Clio and Euterpe be more equally represented on this blog. So here's some musical talent to feast on ...
Be amazed.
P.S. ... Er, speaking of Muses, I think the Muse of Supposedly Simple Technology isn't doling out much of her gifting in my direction. I'm still working on the YouTube links ...
Be amazed.
P.S. ... Er, speaking of Muses, I think the Muse of Supposedly Simple Technology isn't doling out much of her gifting in my direction. I'm still working on the YouTube links ...
11.7.07
This past Sunday night our C&Cs met with (most) of our parents to discuss the vast topic of courtship. I found the meeting very helpful ... it was encouraging to see all the vital areas that everyone agreed upon, to hear wise words from both the married and single, and it was instructive to hear the differences of opinion on the smaller details of some areas - each opinion being well-thought out, biblically informed, and empathetic as well as rational ... it is yet another reminder that courtship and relationships are not clear-cut story-book situations; it is largely an area of wisdom that differs in detail from person to person (details bound under general "set" principles that are clearly outlined in the Bible).
There are a couple recurring themes that stood out to me:
The Importance of Input:
Especially from godly parents. The input of both my parents has been one of the main sources of wisdom for me in this area. They provide a biblical perspective for me (often drawing my attention to verses such as Matt. 6:33 and Prov. 3:5-6); they listen to me; they counsel me in small details. I have been saved from some rather foolish choices because of conversations with them, and I trust that God is using them to help me to walk according to His will. I have generally found, in the area of "relationships" (for lack of a better word), if you don't think it's important enough to share with your parents ... it usually is. And if you simply do not want to tell your parents, it's even more important to seek them out.
Also important is the input of wise and godly people in the church. My parents are not infallible - their just wiser and more experienced than I am. Also, as our C&C meeting showed, often people approach the same situation in different ways, and each way makes a lot of sense! There is wisdom to be found in variety.
More and more, I feel my own inadequacy in this area, so I'm very grateful that God has blessed me with outstanding parents and many great people in my church and school, who He uses as a means of wisdom for me.
God is the First Initiator:
The fact is, before the man initiates and the woman responds, God has already been working in both their hearts. I think Scripture shows that God is the one who not only created romance, but continues to create it. Genesis 2:22 and Malachi 2:13-15 show that God brings the two together into one (with a portion of the Spirit - an interesting reflection of the Trinity in the One God). God, whose sovereign influence extends even to the leanings of our hearts (Exodus 10:1-2; Ps. 139) ... His influence extends to romance as well! God plans our romance; God carries out our romance. This is a marvelous thing to think about - if, before or during a courtship, you feel confused and unsure of God's will, know that He cares about your every need and desire and emotion, know that He is good and wise, know that He is sovereign. Know that He will guide the relationship either to marriage (regardless our blunders) or to a God-honoring decision against marriage (to that particular individual, that is) ... and He does this for our good (Rom. 8:28)!
Sometimes "matters of the heart" can be confusing, so these thoughts have often encouraged me. I hope they might do the same for you.
There are a couple recurring themes that stood out to me:
The Importance of Input:
Especially from godly parents. The input of both my parents has been one of the main sources of wisdom for me in this area. They provide a biblical perspective for me (often drawing my attention to verses such as Matt. 6:33 and Prov. 3:5-6); they listen to me; they counsel me in small details. I have been saved from some rather foolish choices because of conversations with them, and I trust that God is using them to help me to walk according to His will. I have generally found, in the area of "relationships" (for lack of a better word), if you don't think it's important enough to share with your parents ... it usually is. And if you simply do not want to tell your parents, it's even more important to seek them out.
Also important is the input of wise and godly people in the church. My parents are not infallible - their just wiser and more experienced than I am. Also, as our C&C meeting showed, often people approach the same situation in different ways, and each way makes a lot of sense! There is wisdom to be found in variety.
More and more, I feel my own inadequacy in this area, so I'm very grateful that God has blessed me with outstanding parents and many great people in my church and school, who He uses as a means of wisdom for me.
God is the First Initiator:
The fact is, before the man initiates and the woman responds, God has already been working in both their hearts. I think Scripture shows that God is the one who not only created romance, but continues to create it. Genesis 2:22 and Malachi 2:13-15 show that God brings the two together into one (with a portion of the Spirit - an interesting reflection of the Trinity in the One God). God, whose sovereign influence extends even to the leanings of our hearts (Exodus 10:1-2; Ps. 139) ... His influence extends to romance as well! God plans our romance; God carries out our romance. This is a marvelous thing to think about - if, before or during a courtship, you feel confused and unsure of God's will, know that He cares about your every need and desire and emotion, know that He is good and wise, know that He is sovereign. Know that He will guide the relationship either to marriage (regardless our blunders) or to a God-honoring decision against marriage (to that particular individual, that is) ... and He does this for our good (Rom. 8:28)!
Sometimes "matters of the heart" can be confusing, so these thoughts have often encouraged me. I hope they might do the same for you.
6.7.07
Many of you would have seen Tim Hortons commercials advertising the new "Strawberry Shortcake" ice capp, "perfect for a summer day" ... but in truth, this new ice capp leaves a lot to be desired in the "strawberry shortcake" part of the equation. But if the idea itself appeals to you, there is hope.
Have you ever wanted to taste the perfect strawberry ice capp? All it takes is some inside info, a fearless heart, a sweet tooth, and a thirsty person ...
1. Wait for a gap in the lineup, then inform your friendly local Tim Hortons employee that yours will be an unusual order. Be warned: this may lead to a straining-to-be-friendly local Tim Hortons employee; but don't worry - its our job to customize food, if desired, to your preferences, and its an almost certain guarantee that they'll have had stranger orders before.
2. Order one [fill in size] strawberry ice capp supreme, with chocolate milk instead of cream. This, so far, involves a portion of chocolate milk, injected with a couple drops of concentrated strawberry flavoring, then whipped into the ice capp java mix, and finally topped by imitation whip cream (whipped and sweetened oil, really). Make sure that your whipped oil is coming from the fridge and not from standing on a hot countertop. Usually, the employee will then put chocolate syrup drizzled on the top. Let them do this, then prepare for step 3.
3. Ask them to sprinkle shaved chocolate on top of the whipped cream/oil (the same kind that goes on mochas).
4. Then direct them to go into the back fridge with a spoon, and plop a healthy portion of the strawberry gelatin on the very top of the whipped cream/oil (the same gelatin that goes on strawberry tarts). This should be free (mostly because no one has ever imagined they would sell gelatin), but if they looked pained, offer to pay for the gelatin as you would a side order of cream cheese or an extra tea bag - 25 cents.
5. Your truly strawberry shortcake ice capp is ready to drink and be enjoyed.
6. Please, please, please order this drink on storefront, and not through drive-thru. The lineup of cars behind you as this is being prepared would be generally not in a good mood.
There you have it. Join me next time as I explain the art of constructing a chicken-bacon-ranch melt and a "cream cruller" for the perfect Tim Hortons lunch-time experience!
Have you ever wanted to taste the perfect strawberry ice capp? All it takes is some inside info, a fearless heart, a sweet tooth, and a thirsty person ...
1. Wait for a gap in the lineup, then inform your friendly local Tim Hortons employee that yours will be an unusual order. Be warned: this may lead to a straining-to-be-friendly local Tim Hortons employee; but don't worry - its our job to customize food, if desired, to your preferences, and its an almost certain guarantee that they'll have had stranger orders before.
2. Order one [fill in size] strawberry ice capp supreme, with chocolate milk instead of cream. This, so far, involves a portion of chocolate milk, injected with a couple drops of concentrated strawberry flavoring, then whipped into the ice capp java mix, and finally topped by imitation whip cream (whipped and sweetened oil, really). Make sure that your whipped oil is coming from the fridge and not from standing on a hot countertop. Usually, the employee will then put chocolate syrup drizzled on the top. Let them do this, then prepare for step 3.
3. Ask them to sprinkle shaved chocolate on top of the whipped cream/oil (the same kind that goes on mochas).
4. Then direct them to go into the back fridge with a spoon, and plop a healthy portion of the strawberry gelatin on the very top of the whipped cream/oil (the same gelatin that goes on strawberry tarts). This should be free (mostly because no one has ever imagined they would sell gelatin), but if they looked pained, offer to pay for the gelatin as you would a side order of cream cheese or an extra tea bag - 25 cents.
5. Your truly strawberry shortcake ice capp is ready to drink and be enjoyed.
6. Please, please, please order this drink on storefront, and not through drive-thru. The lineup of cars behind you as this is being prepared would be generally not in a good mood.
There you have it. Join me next time as I explain the art of constructing a chicken-bacon-ranch melt and a "cream cruller" for the perfect Tim Hortons lunch-time experience!
1.7.07
Spiderman III
Well, at long last, the followup to the Spidey vs Pirates ...
Spiderman III, in a nutshell, was a lot of fun to watch. It was ambitious: juggling, in essence, three villains (Sandman, Eddie-as-Venom, supersoldier Harry); Peter and MJ's strained relationship; Peter's hosting the alien lifeform; a "love triangle" between Harry and MJ and Peter; Harry's inner turmoil ... you certainly have to be paying attention if you want to keep track of all the different plot twists taking place in this story! But the producers manage to pull all these different points into a near-satisfactory ending, and part of the fun of seeing this movie is watching how they did this.
In a sense, one of the primary antagonists in this movie is Peter himself. From the almost the first ten minutes almost to three-quarters through the movie, Peter's world goes from idyllic to shambles, largely because of his own blunders and pride.
His pride in his own achievements (culminating in recieving the key to the city in a sprawling celebration) is the first thing to turn on him: his overinflated view of himself causes him to loose sight of the people whom he loves the mostly, namely MJ. His conversation with her throughout the first 20 minutes is characterized mostly by references to himself, and an unconscious lack of interest in her. This builds to a "Peter's Dumbest Moments" scene where he invites Gwen to "lay one of him" because the crowd would "love it" ... right in front of MJ. *Slaps head in exasperation* My thoughts were with the little girl somewhere in the crowd - "Don't do it, Spidey!" How clueless can you be? Not surprisingly, this leads to a rather heated tiff.
Sadly, Peter is "infected" by an alien lifeform, which "amplifies" his evil nature, as it were. This slides him down the slippery slope even further, until he gets to a "weird emo" stage (many thanks to my friend Steven for coining this perfect term for the "new" Peter), and does some pretty despicable things. He suddenly gets a new haircut, new clothes, and begins to think of himself as New York City's Sexiest Man. At this point, you're wishing that someone would run him over with a bicycle (after all, he's Spiderman; he could take it). But then he really gets to be a creep, bringing his new "girlfriend" deliberately to MJ's club and humiliating her ... by now, you're kind of hoping one of the bouncers would land a chair on his head. No such luck.
Some people would think I'm being hard on Peter, but after being the hero of two movies, I don't mind giving him a bit of a hard time in this one. Fortunately for him, by the end of the movie he has reverted to his old, nerdy, likeable self, to our great relief.
So much for Peter. But actually one of my favorite characters in this movie is Harry. Seeing his character begin hateful, then come into a temporary amnesia stage where he's genuinely a warm, caring friend, then back into his evil vengeance, finally redeeming himself in saving Peter's life ... it fluctuated a lot, but it worked! You rooted for Harry, even when he was trying to kill Spiderman. You enjoyed seeing him in his normal life, comfortably distant from his amnesia-shrouded vendetta. And if you're like me, you loved every second of screentime featuring his battle technology - a selfguided rocket-board, a katana-like sword, a very cool helmet ... its sad, I know ...
In a way, Harry is more of a hero than a villain. His character - with all its shades - transformed this movie from mere action-adventure into one with more than a hint of tragedy.
Sandman and Venom made for some pretty fantastic fight scenes. Adding the emotional element of Sandman as a hurting father confused his character, though ... its a bit of a stretch to think of the man who mourned his accidently killing Peter's uncle, and who loved and feared for his daughter, as the same one who rather heartlessly smashed policemen through windshields of cars and flung them into buildings (presumably killing them). And though its nice to see Peter forgiving him at the end, its a bit unresolving and unjust to see him drift away (literally) scot-free. You feel sorry for him and his daughter, but it doesn't really justify him robbing banks and killing innocents. Ah, well ... sometimes justice is compromised for a more heartwarming movie end.
Unfortunately, J.J. Jameson had remarkably little screentime, and not so good lines. He did provide some laughs, though, not as clever as in the past. Definitely the funniest point in the movie involved the French maitre d' - the moments where he's mistiming the "right" moment for Peter's springing the question are hilarious.
Well, this review is getting ponderous. Let me close in saying that this movie, though not perfect, was certainly entertaining and engaging. From spectacular graphics to interesting characters to funny moments to weird moments ... definitely a fun watch.
Spiderman III, in a nutshell, was a lot of fun to watch. It was ambitious: juggling, in essence, three villains (Sandman, Eddie-as-Venom, supersoldier Harry); Peter and MJ's strained relationship; Peter's hosting the alien lifeform; a "love triangle" between Harry and MJ and Peter; Harry's inner turmoil ... you certainly have to be paying attention if you want to keep track of all the different plot twists taking place in this story! But the producers manage to pull all these different points into a near-satisfactory ending, and part of the fun of seeing this movie is watching how they did this.
In a sense, one of the primary antagonists in this movie is Peter himself. From the almost the first ten minutes almost to three-quarters through the movie, Peter's world goes from idyllic to shambles, largely because of his own blunders and pride.
His pride in his own achievements (culminating in recieving the key to the city in a sprawling celebration) is the first thing to turn on him: his overinflated view of himself causes him to loose sight of the people whom he loves the mostly, namely MJ. His conversation with her throughout the first 20 minutes is characterized mostly by references to himself, and an unconscious lack of interest in her. This builds to a "Peter's Dumbest Moments" scene where he invites Gwen to "lay one of him" because the crowd would "love it" ... right in front of MJ. *Slaps head in exasperation* My thoughts were with the little girl somewhere in the crowd - "Don't do it, Spidey!" How clueless can you be? Not surprisingly, this leads to a rather heated tiff.
Sadly, Peter is "infected" by an alien lifeform, which "amplifies" his evil nature, as it were. This slides him down the slippery slope even further, until he gets to a "weird emo" stage (many thanks to my friend Steven for coining this perfect term for the "new" Peter), and does some pretty despicable things. He suddenly gets a new haircut, new clothes, and begins to think of himself as New York City's Sexiest Man. At this point, you're wishing that someone would run him over with a bicycle (after all, he's Spiderman; he could take it). But then he really gets to be a creep, bringing his new "girlfriend" deliberately to MJ's club and humiliating her ... by now, you're kind of hoping one of the bouncers would land a chair on his head. No such luck.
Some people would think I'm being hard on Peter, but after being the hero of two movies, I don't mind giving him a bit of a hard time in this one. Fortunately for him, by the end of the movie he has reverted to his old, nerdy, likeable self, to our great relief.
So much for Peter. But actually one of my favorite characters in this movie is Harry. Seeing his character begin hateful, then come into a temporary amnesia stage where he's genuinely a warm, caring friend, then back into his evil vengeance, finally redeeming himself in saving Peter's life ... it fluctuated a lot, but it worked! You rooted for Harry, even when he was trying to kill Spiderman. You enjoyed seeing him in his normal life, comfortably distant from his amnesia-shrouded vendetta. And if you're like me, you loved every second of screentime featuring his battle technology - a selfguided rocket-board, a katana-like sword, a very cool helmet ... its sad, I know ...
In a way, Harry is more of a hero than a villain. His character - with all its shades - transformed this movie from mere action-adventure into one with more than a hint of tragedy.
Sandman and Venom made for some pretty fantastic fight scenes. Adding the emotional element of Sandman as a hurting father confused his character, though ... its a bit of a stretch to think of the man who mourned his accidently killing Peter's uncle, and who loved and feared for his daughter, as the same one who rather heartlessly smashed policemen through windshields of cars and flung them into buildings (presumably killing them). And though its nice to see Peter forgiving him at the end, its a bit unresolving and unjust to see him drift away (literally) scot-free. You feel sorry for him and his daughter, but it doesn't really justify him robbing banks and killing innocents. Ah, well ... sometimes justice is compromised for a more heartwarming movie end.
Unfortunately, J.J. Jameson had remarkably little screentime, and not so good lines. He did provide some laughs, though, not as clever as in the past. Definitely the funniest point in the movie involved the French maitre d' - the moments where he's mistiming the "right" moment for Peter's springing the question are hilarious.
Well, this review is getting ponderous. Let me close in saying that this movie, though not perfect, was certainly entertaining and engaging. From spectacular graphics to interesting characters to funny moments to weird moments ... definitely a fun watch.
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