Friday, February 28, 2003
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Finally got halfway through Peter Pan. Now becoming increasingly convinced this story is not really fit for children. Cases in point:

Let us now kill a pirate to show Hook's method. Skylights will do. Then Hook proceeds to stick his hook into poor Skylights who happened to just bump into him. Oh sheep.

After a time, he fell asleep, and some unsteady fairies had to climb over him on their way home from an orgy. I'm getting disturbing mental pictures of kids reading about fairies having orgies. Mannnnnnn. (I'm crossing my fingers they don't know what orgies are. But then when I was a kid, my Mom always told me to go look in the dictionary when I encounter a word I didn't understand. After that, I'm crossing my fingers the kids will not understand the dictionary definitions. Enter the responsible parent... I hope.)

The Lost Boys are also unusually bloodthirsty. Well okay, Neverland isn't exactly Disneyland, and they do need to survive. But then I'd rather little kids read the Disneyfied versions of these tales and then have them read the originals when they are old enough to understand. I just don't feel too comfortable about kids reading things like that. Yikes.

Come to think of it, Alice in Wonderland is the same! <Off with his head!> Sheep!

Oh don't get me wrong. I like the story, no, I LOVE the story and I like the way it was written. I just think it should carry a PG-13 rating with it. Heehee. Next time I go to the Children's section of a bookshop I'll hunt down their versions of Peter Pan and see if at least they are abridged versions. Creepy.

One other thing. I'm having a hard time remembering Peter Pan is just a boy. Sometimes he acts so much like a man.... A man who just... never grew up....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I guess you've heard,
I guess you know,
In time I might have told you
but I guess I'm too slow.
That's overly romantic,
but I know that it's real.
I hope you don't mind if I say what I feel.
It's like I'm in somebody else's dream.
This could not be happening to me....

But you were there,
You were everything I'd never seen
You woke me up from this long and empty sleep
I was alone,
I opened my eyes and you were there.

Don't be alarmed,
No, don't be concerned.
I don't want to change things,
Leave things just as they were.
I mean nothing's really different,
It's me who feels strange.
I'm always lost for words
when someone mentions your name...

--- "You Were There" version by Regine Velasquez



Thursday, February 27, 2003
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Because of Hec's comment about happy thoughts and thimbles, dug up my old copy of JM Barrie's Peter Pan, and decided to reread again. I know it's weird but for some reason, I was never able to get past chapter one of the book, and all I know of the story is based on the Disney cartoon. Hrmmm... But I'm starting to doubt Disney. Heehee. After reading the original Grimm Brothers versions of Snow White and Cinderella and the others... Heheheh. Well, those weren't exactly kid-friendly versions, but.... I demand accuracy! LOL.


"Wendy", he continued in a voice that no woman has yet been able to resist. "Wendy, one girl is more use than twenty boys."

Now Wendy was every inch a woman, though there were not very many inches, and she peeped out of the bedclothes.

"Do you really think so, Peter?"

"Yes, I do."

"I think it's perfectly sweet of you," she declared, "and I'll get up again"; and she sat with him on the side of the bed. She also said she would give him a kiss if he liked, but Peter did not know what she meant, and he held out his hand expectantly.

"Surely you know what a kiss is?" she asked, aghast.

"I shall know when you give it to me," he replied stiffly; and not to hurt his feeling she gave him a thimble.

"Now," said he, "shall I give you a kiss?" and she replied with a slight primness, "If you please." She made herself rather cheap by inclining her face toward him, but he merely dropped an acorn button into her hand; so she slowly returned her face to where it had been before, and she said nicely that she would wear his kiss on the chain round her neck. It was lucky that she did put it on that chain, for it was afterwards to save her life.

***

"And I know you meant to be kind," she said, relenting; "so you may give me a kiss."

For the moment she had forgotten his ignorance about kisses. "I thought you would want it back," he said a little bitterly, and offered to return her the thimble.

"Oh dear," said the nice Wendy, "I don't mean a kiss, I mean a thimble."

"What's that?"

"It's like this." She kissed him.

"Funny!" said Peter gravely. "Now shall I give you a thimble?"

"If you wish to," said Wendy, keeping her head erect this time.


Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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Preparations for New Worlds thankfully going well, although it seems that everyone is now starting to get some panic attacks. I've been having panic attacks for weeks so I guess this is nothing new. But I'm really really excited, sometimes I just want to.... bounce. :) TV appearances next week, posters out this week, activities to be finalized this week, SWP stuff starting to at least move. Bounce bounce bounce....

14 days. 14 days. I promised myself I wouldn't think about this, but.... 14 days, 14 days....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Yesterday has got me thinking more happy thoughts. *grin*


Saturday, February 22, 2003
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Today I tried to apply a new strategy for myself. I made a little experiment to see how I would feel about everything. Taking the "live in the present" Jedi adage to heart and learning from the article I posted a few days ago (telling my will to be a little less willful), I set out for today's SWP meeting. I had errands to do before the meeting so I had lunch, ate at my normal pace, went on to run the errands, and then proceeded to walk to SWP HQ. I know it was already past 2pm, but I did not run. I did not prepare an agenda, just reviewed the important issues that I know should be discussed. When I got to the meeting place at around 2:20pm.... no one was there. It seems everybody's late too. I sat down and after setting my initial irritation aside, I suddenly realized that my little experiment is working. It seems my Jedi friends turned into Wizards (arriving only precisely when they mean to). Now if I exerted effort to try to control the situation like I normally do, I would have been at the meeting place 20 minutes before 2pm, then I would have been more irritated that people are late. With my new approach, I saved myself some stress and irritation, as well as the waiting. Good enough for my first try. Now to try to apply to other situations....

 

Went to watch "Hero" with my young but very very tall apprentice last night. (sidenote: my Padawan is 6 ft 4 inches tall so last night, I felt like I was Obi-Wan Kenobi, well, a shorter version of Obi-Wan, heheheh. Now at least I know how tall Hayden will be when I actually see him. Yes, I will see him. Don't raise your eyebrows at me like that. You. Yes. You. Sheesh.).

"Hero" was... well, riveting. Really. I actually only had lapses of attention when I was taking a sidelong glance at my apprentice, trying to see if he's still actually breathing during Zhang Ziyi's scenes. Heheheh. Just kidding, Rain. :) I actually didn't notice the darn... ermmm... well, ah, misbehaving people behind us who were so noisy and who were laughing at the language. Sheep.

I admit that I am easily impressed by films like these, where the action scenes are spectacular and cinematic. But in this film, everything was well executed, and I didn't mind that it was only subtitled instead of dubbed. Hearing the actual voices and the actual language made things more... believable... and grounded, somehow. And the story was intriguing. And unexpected. Plus the philosophical aspects really affected me and made me think.

So who was the "Hero" anyways? I really don't know. In a way, Sky was a hero. He died for the cause that he believed in. Broken Sword was a hero too. He got past his anger and hatred and tried valiantly to help others do so too. He also sacrificed his life for what he believed in... and for the one he loved. Flying Snow is a little hard to place. But then like the first two characters, she fought for what she believed in also. Nameless was the same. In a way, even the Emperor was a hero too. I guess the choice would have to depend on the viewer's point of view of what really makes someone a hero.... Sounds good to me. We all have our own notions about heroism and it's nice to keep it that way because our experiences are different too, and uniquely ours. But the shifts in points of view of the story was a good way to present the film. It makes one think, makes one actually experience some kind of paradigm shift, helps the viewer see things in a different light.

I sat there at the end of the movie for a few short moments thinking about one aspect of the film that until now I still cannot really decide on. Was the Emperor's decision justified? In his meeting with Nameless, they talked about "all under heaven". The Emperor was happy that Broken Sword actually understood him. The killing must stop, for one person's suffering is insignificant compared to that of a whole town or a whole nation. One must think of the greater good. All under heaven. I actually thought the Emperor would never give the order for execution because Nameless spared him. But then... somehow I think the advisers's collective use of the same phrase, "all under heaven", affected the Emperor's decision. Intriguing, it's like Nameless was actually expecting it. It seemed like a smile flitted across his face when he heard the arrows start to fly towards him.... All under heaven.... *sigh* It will take sometime for me to actually decide on this. :)

My rating? 4.8 / 5 stars. Good portrayals, great great great cinematography, intriguing plot, good lessons, entertaining, thought-provoking. :)

Next movie. :)


 

A retired surveyor (75 years old!!!!!) recently uncovered what appears to be the Egyptian equivalent of Lourdes, near Saqqara, 15 miles from Cairo. Evidence point to the place being inhabited by priests and workers, and the main business seem to be religious objects and charms. Hrmmm.... What I find intriguing here is that the person who found it is a surveyor! Man! I have a chance at this archeology thing. Heehee. Better start saving up for kick-ass surveying equipment. Heheheheh. Of course, Indiana Jones didn't exactly need kick-ass surveying equipment. But then he's ahead of me in education. I'm just a geodetic engineer. Heheheh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Still feels like I'm back in suspended animation.... Well not exactly me, but the situation. This week has also been.... unusual. Hmmmm.... But hey, I'm not complaining. :) Carpe diem. Carpe diem. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I am not pretending anymore....
I am not at home.
I am knocking at your door.
'Cause I am coming home
I am not at home.
I am coming home.....
--- "Toe The Line" by Stephen Speaks


Thursday, February 20, 2003
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I came across another interesting SW article at Suite 101. It's by Paul McDonald (yes, him again) and it talks more about the concept of grace, but I found that the more important aspects actually apply to me. Quoted some excerpts below:

... Eugen Herrigel, a German professor who studied archery with a renowned Zen master in Japan for twelve years. Though the master spoke very little, when he was once directly confronted by his pupil about the right techniques and so on, he replied, "The right art is purposeless, aimless! The more obstinately you try to learn how to shoot the arrow for the sake of hitting the goal, the less you will succeed in the one and the other will recede. What stands in your way is that you have a much too willful will. You think that what you do not do yourself does not happen."

.....

After reading such a story, one can hardly help recalling the training sequence in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke is rebuked by Yoda as he strains with his own exertion to lift his X-Wing fighter out of the Dagobah swamps. He pushes and pulls at the Force until he finally exhausts himself, even as his tiny master chides him and tells him that there simply is no try. As he seeks to draw on the mystical energy that no doubt seems alternately so close yet so far, the very thing Luke must "unlearn" is the habit of relying on his own egocentric brand of power.

And more excerpts:

Of course, such issues have been hotly debated throughout the history of religion. During the fifth century, a series of arguments erupted between the British monk Pelagius and the Christian father St. Augustine concerning whether or not salvation could be attained by personal deeds and good works. The Gothic Church won out, and the orthodox stance ever since has been that it comes only by virtue of divine grace. No amount of trying or personal effort is going to merit salvation, and most sophisticated saints have realized many attempts to do so only build up the worst sin of all, namely spiritual pride. Grace must come as a gift, as it says in Ephesians, "lest any man should boast."

.....

Turning Eastward, the representation of grace also finds form in the mysterious Tao, which its first sage Lao Tzu praises as being feminine in its gentleness as well as in its open and creative nature. Comparisons between the Force and the Tao, or the "Way," have existed since the beginning, and there is also a parallel in that both can be likened to water. Each are transparent, provide great nourishment for those who partake of them, and are immensely powerful. The Force ebbs and flows about the galaxy, and as such, it is obviously something one must ease into rather than fight, a current to be swam with rather than against. As Qui-Gon Jinn puts it, "Just relax. The Force will guide us." It is the bouyancy of the galaxy, for all one has to do is let go and float. On the contrary, the dark side is trying to hold one's self up by their own efforts, and upon seeing how clinging to the water only results in the opposite intended effect, it tries to drown as many others as it can.

I guess this is what I was trying to drive at when I've decided to just "live" and let things be, to not worry about what may happen, but to just live and cope with everyday as best I could. It seems that the more I struggle to try to analyze things and try to gain control, the more I lose control of it. Like the Zen master said, I have a "much too willful will".

Notes to self: Unlearn. Do or do not, there is no try. Exert action without action. Patience is a Jedi trait. Just relax. The Force will guide you. :)

Maybe then I could master aimless, purposeless art and start to gain some enlightenment. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Quote for the Day:

"At the end of all our journeys, we will return to where we first began, and we will know the place for the first time."

This quote reminded me of a scene in "The Hours" when Virginia was watching the little girl, Angelica, make a burial bed for a dead bird. They were talking about what will happen when one dies. Virginia told Angelica that when people die, they go back to where they came from. Angelica replied that she doesn't remember where she came from. And Virginia answered that she doesn't either....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Discovered very intriguing things yesterday. Hrmmmmm.... Hrmmmmmm.... Hrmmmmmmmmmmm.... But will still refuse to assume. The Force will take care of everything. I'll just let it be. He's turning out to be an enigma, though. :)


Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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Went to watch "The Hours" last night, messaged I1 at the last minute to accompany me because R was suddenly held up by her boss. Although I've heard of this movie, I really didn't know what to expect. I haven't seen a trailer or read a synopsis. Turns out it's not the type of movie I would normally prefer to watch. But Nicole Kidman was a gem in this movie and her performance alone made the movie worth watching. But the plot was very interesting too, and it was all in all, a good movie. I hope Nicole wins awards for this. She was fantastic. Her Virginia Woolf character is so far removed from her other roles, but she delivered it very convincingly. So convincingly, it was a little eerie. I sat there not recognizing that it was indeed her. I give the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Had a couple of long talks with a couple of friends last night and discovered something very important that made me feel a little better. It's looking more and more like Cho Chang is out of the way. I hope so. :)

Wasn't able to resist him. Teehee. :) Fool of a Took.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I remember clearly how you looked the night we met
I recall your laughter and your smile
I remember how you made me feel so at ease
I remember all your grace and style.

And now you're all I long to see
You've come to mean so much to me.

Chances are I'll see you somewhere in my dreams tonight
You'll be smiling like the night we met.
Chances are I'll hold you and I'll offer all I have
You're the only one I can't forget....

--- "Chances Are" by Robert Downey Jr. and Vonda Shepard


Tuesday, February 18, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

And still more Shel Silverstein. His poems are addicting....


The Crocodile's Toothache

The crocodile
Went to the dentist
And sat down in the chair,
And the dentist said, "Now tell me, Sir,
Why does it hurt and where?"
And the crocodile said, "I'll tell you the truth,
I have a terrible ache in my tooth."
And he opened his jaws so wide, so wide,
Then the dentist, he climbed right inside,
And the dentist laughed, "Oh isn't this fun?"
As he pulled the teeth out, one by one,
And the crocodile cried, "You're hurting me so!
Please put down your pliers and let me go,"
But the dentist just laughed with a Ho Ho Ho,
And he said, "I still have twelve to go -
Oops, that's the wrong one, I confess,
But what's one crocodile's tooth more or less?"
Then suddenly, the jaws went SNAP,
And the dentist was gone, right off the map.
And where he went one could only guess...
To North or South or East or West...
He left no forwarding address.
But what's one dentist, more or less?
-- Shel Silverstein

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Took the "Immortality Discussion" to the group and got a very interesting and very logical answer from Oneal. "Immortality" from a Christian standpoint refers to immortality for the soul. Eternal life dwelling in the House of the Lord. He says that since "The Last Crusade" is very much based on the Christian beliefs about the Holy Grail, then that explanation is more likely than "immortality" actually referring to the physical aspect. Yes, the Joneses, having both drank from the Grail, may live longer than the average human would due to the healing powers of the Grail, and they will eventually die like the Knights did, but not their souls. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

New Worlds Skywalker Crossovers

• Anakin Skywalker to Saruman: "You will pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku!"
  
• Li'l Ani's favorite Hogwarts pastime: Looking into the Mirror of Erised just to see the tall guy clad in black armor
  and helmet, and wielding a red lightsabre.
  
• Quenya and Sindarin are not included in the six million forms of communication that Threepio is programmed to speak.
  
• That awkward feeling attending a 'deathday party' and facing all the Tusken Raiders he's killed.
  
• "Are you an angel?" doesn't work on witches, shieldmaidens, slayers, and skeptical lady FBI agents.
  
• Dobby the House Elf looks too much like Master Yoda.
  

More here. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Had quite a talk with I2 last night. She gave me some more advice. She seems to make sense all the time. Darn. So after that long conversation, decided to start to make an effort to go back to the way things were with Anakin and proceed with caution in other respects.

Yes, it hurts, darn it. It hurts all the time. But I think it only hurts so much because I let it. The occasional wounds cannot be avoided, but maybe I should just stop thinking and rethinking and just... live. Man, I am such a fool. But that is the best solution I can think of right now. The other solution is to enforce Silence forever. That is just not possible.

That whole week in the cave taught me several things. One, I miss him. A day of silence, and I miss him. Two, assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups. Three, no matter how I think I've been hurting too much because of him, I still manage to forgive. Four: long have I avoided admitting that that four letter word applies to my situation. I just realized I was wrong. What the heck is all this if not that? Oh, sheep. Five, Rain said: "do not suppress it or it will blow up in your face". He's right. Six: When everything indeed blows up in your face, run to your friends and hide out for a while under that warm blanket called "friendship". (Thanks I1, I2, Lau, Owl, Rain, and Moriondo). Seven: complete your recuperation by tackling the challenge again.

Mornië utúlië. Believe and you will find your way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Still thinking about not living without it.
Outside looking in.
Till we're talking about not stepping around it.
Maybe...

I don't want to take advise from fools.
I'll just figure everything is cool.
Until I hear it from you.
--- "Till I Hear It From You" by Gin Blossoms



Monday, February 17, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Because my 4 co-members at Pinoy Raiders seem to be hibernating, I went in search of fellow Indyfans, and found a message board called "The Raven". There is an interesting topic going there about Indy and the "immortality issue" brought about by the events of The Last Crusade. The issue revolves around whether Indy and his dad are now "immortals", having drank from the Holy Grail. But we remember the warning of the Grail Knight about "crossing the Great Seal". The Grail may not be taken outside of the Temple for "that is the price of immortality". Does that mean that once Indy and his dad are outside the Temple, they lose their "immortality" too? Or does "immortality", in the context of the movie's mythology, actually just means "a long and healthy life", but not the Highlander-Duncan-McLeod type of immortality? Or maybe it just has the power of healing? Backtracking further in the story, we also find Walter Donovan telling Indy about the story of the 3 Knights of the Crusades who found the Grail and wandered the deserts for 150 years, before finally, only one of the 2 brothers made it and imparted his knowledge to a Franciscan friar. Presumably, the brothers drank from the Grail because they survived for 150 years or thereabouts, wandering the deserts. But the other did still die. It would be interesting to discuss the limitations (if there ARE limitations) to the Grail's powers, as depicted in The Last
Crusade, and comparing it to the Arthurian, and similar Grail legends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

I amar prestar aen. The world has changed. For some weird reason, I'm not sure where I am exactly. It's like that weird state Gandalf was in after he defeated the Balrog. Hopefully I'll get out of this soon with some help. Not as sparkly white as old Gandalf, of course. Where is Faramir when I need him? Hah! As if... Wait a minute.... Who IS Faramir?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?
It's a damn cold night.
Trying to figure out this life.
Won't you take me by the hand,
take me somewhere new.
I don't know who you are, but I,
I'm with you....
--- "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne


Wednesday, February 12, 2003
------------------------------------------------  



CORUSCANT CHASE

Sung to the tune of "Passenger Seat" by Stephen Speaks

Setting (AOTC): Obi-Wan Kenobi, after being thrown off the flying assassin droid by a carefully targeted shot from Zam Wessell, free falls through the crowded Coruscant skies, singing....


My Padawan hasn't arrived.
Hope I get out of this alive.
We're chasing an assassin all over Coruscant and...
As I fall down from the skies,
My life flashes before my eyes.
Hope that I get through this evening.

And I thought I'll hit the streets
Now I'm in the passenger seat.
Oh and I will keep my eyes tightly closed,
Knowing Anakin's flying skills.

We sped away then took a dive.
Anakin's on overdrive.
He's scaring me with his flying.
Suddenly he hit the brakes,
and jumped! Foolish move to make.
Here he left me waiting...

So I looked down at the street,
Climbed right into the driver's seat.
I will fly this speeder and hit the road
I will chase them fast as they flee....

I watched my Padawan's feats,
His saber's in my passenger seat.
The assassin's vehicle crashed below.
Now it can't get away from me.

Oh, I just hope... it won't blow....

* I landed right on the street,
Good thing I did not eat concrete...
Oh, and I ran after them on the road
Now they're just a few feet from me.

(repeat * twice)

I landed right on the street....
Good thing I did not eat concrete.

________________________
:o) ginnyskywalker
february 12, 2003

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

It has been a difficult few days trying to cope with The Silence. The hardest part is trying not to get found. That ends today. Now it's two days of true Silence that I don't know if I can actually survive. On top of that, very anxious about the training, too nervous about the convention, too nervous about family matters, and suffering from Valentine's syndrome. Sheep. I need my happy thought. But I have to prove to myself that I can do this.


Tuesday, February 11, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

"Attack of the Clones" was nominated for a single award at the Oscars. Best Visual Effects. Against "The Two Towers" and "Spider Man". Oh, great....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Trying to get the "passenger filk" done. Hopefully by tomorrow.... If I don't start to get miserable...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

"If your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches."

Decided to impose a Silence, but missing the happy thought more and more. I wonder if....

I need the space, though, but whatever I do, I get found. Maybe that's a sign I shouldn't hide? But then again, pre-Valentine's syndrome is upon me. I should go concentrate on training.



Sunday, February 09, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Since I can't watch the Stephen Speaks concert, went and bought their "No More Doubt" CD. Fuuunnnnnnnnnn. I love this CD. :) Will start to read the pertinent Bible verses also to understand the song better. :)

Know more about the band, download mp3s, get the lyrics, support the band, become a fan. Click here. Heehee. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After an eternity of Filker's Block, the idea machine has finally revved up (with much thanks to Stephen Speaks. LOL.), and has been resurrected as "Filk About Eowyn, the Sparkly White Lady of Rohan". Heehee. Just kidding. Maybe it's because I so love this song, and I feel so much like Eowyn. (sigh). Now Lau will know why this filk was written. (Lau, don't leave my blog. *grin*)


EOWYN'S SONG
Sung to the tune of "Out of My League" by Stephen Speaks

Author's Note: This filk is dedicated especially to friend Laurice and other fellow Stephen SpeakERs and Tolkien fans, Karen and Sunshine. And to all the folks who had different filk requests (ulan, oneal, anakinmalfoy, paolo j., laurice), sorry, but this is what came out of my newly resurrected idea machine, will work on your requests soon (although I still doubt I'll pull off Ketchup). With much respect to Hecman, the Tolkien filker. With apologies to SS, I love the song so much and I identify with it, I just had to filk it. :) Thanks to Master Cholo for "test-singing" the filk. Heehee. :) ...... For my happy thought.

~~~

He rode to Edoras today,
And he just took my breath away.
When I saw him I knew I had fallen in love.
But he can't love me in the same way.
I looked into his eyes and stared,
All the time my brain tells me beware.
But I can't help the feelings he seems to evoke
Even though my dreams look like they'll go up in smoke.

Oh I love him with all that I am.
It seems my fate is out of my hands.
'Cause she's all that he thinks of, Arwen Elf-Princess,
Think I'm out of my league with this man.

He holds on to the Evenstar,
His anchor to her from afar.
As our world goes to war all I feel is despair,
I might lose him in battle but why should I care?

Well, I love him with all that I am.
It seems my fate is out of my hands.
For his destiny calls him to triumph for Men,
And to bring back glory for his land.
Then there's Arwen, Elf-Princess, I'm just a Shieldmaiden.
I'm out of my league with this man.

He rode to Edoras today.
And he just took my breath away.
When I saw him I knew I had fallen in love,
But he can't love me in the same way.
I looked into his eyes and stared.
All the time my brain tells me beware.
But I can't help the feelings he seems to evoke,
Even though my dreams look like they'll go up in smoke.

Oh, I love him with all that I am.
It seems my fate is out of my hands.
For his destiny calls him to triumph for Men,
And to bring back glory for his land.
Then there's Arwen, Elf-Princess, I'm just a Shieldmaiden.
I'm out of my league with this man.

_____________________
:o) eowyn skywalker
february 7, 2003




Thursday, February 06, 2003
------------------------------------------------  



I was never much of a music fangirl, but I'm so hung up on Stephen Speaks and their music that I joined their Philippine fan club and I'm now hanging out on their website. Okay, you may laugh at me now, but what the hey. They're a nice humble group of kids who sing nice songs, most of them based on Bible verses. They aren't under any record label, no managers, just some distributors helping them disperse their CDs worldwide. Their current popularity in the Philippines and Singapore is due mainly to the efforts of someone who ordered their CD and then lent his copy to radio station Magic89.9. Next thing everyone knew, "Passenger Seat" was on top of the charts, and they're holding a series of concerts here. Cool.

But I sooo feel like the universe is conspiring against me yet again. Had 2 chances to get tickets to the concert, but on the first opportunity, I was offered tickets for the date when I couldn't make it, and on the second opportunity, I was.... asleep, and my brother didn't wake me up! Gaaaah!!! You know that poster that's stuck to Fox Mulder's wall in the X-Files that says "I want to believe"? Well, now I DO believe. Conspiracies are real. Sheep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Started trying to filk "Out of My League" especially for Laurice. Someone help me resurrect my idea machine from the depths of Moria!!!!

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Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Am now really confuddled and bebothered. A whole day passed without my happy thought. Resisted the urge not to mind it. Succeeded. But terribly terribly missing it. As a result, had a short emotional teary moment in the bus while listening to "Passenger Seat". Damn. Good thing bus was only half full, was sitting near the back, no seatmates. This is bad. Am predicting am on the verge of admitting I have actually fallen. Oh, sheep.

Update: Happy thought came ringing into my evening of trying like mad to resurrect my idea machine. Glad I didn't start it. But even happier for the intrusion. Oh, but sheep sheep sheep. It looks like I really cannot escape.


Wednesday, February 05, 2003
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Finally was able to really start reading the Quenya lessons. Looks like fun. Wait a minute.... I should be reading my French coursebook! Heehee. =)

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Because of the need to talk archeology and Indiana Jones, me and a couple of friends decided to form a Filipino IJ club called Pinoy Raiders. (cue IJ theme music here.)

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Losing all hope of watching the Stephen Speaks concert. Heard them on a radio interview yesterday though. They did a live version of "Out of My League", and parts of "Passenger Seat". Very cool. :)

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Very sad to hear that John Williams is not scoring "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". In the interview, he says things can change, but as of now, he is definitely not doing it. Oh, man. It wouldn't be the same without his music. If he suddenly reveals he's not doing "Star Wars Episode 3" either, I'll probably cry.

The "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" DVD Box Art.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" FAQ listing at Bloomsbury's Official Site.

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Where The Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is emasured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

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For U-l-a-n:

Yet another quote from "The Alchemist" says: ...the darkest part of the night came just before the dawn.

Mornië utúlië. But the dawn is coming.

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Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Back to being confuddled, befused, and bebothered. Beginning to believe the conspiracy is against me, darn it. Also experiencing a bad case of Filker's Block and very very very low Filker's self-confidence. I think my brain (together with my self-confidence) just took a jump off the Bridge Of Kazadh-dum and into the depths of Moria.



Sunday, February 02, 2003
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French Class Update:
Learned expressions, negations, and more conjugations. Learned days of the week and months of the year. More conversational exercises. Progressing.

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Because I watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark" yet again, I remembered this little research spree that I went on sometime ago regarding theories as to the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is one of the most important biblical artifacts along with the Holy Grail and there are many beliefs as to what happened to it after the Temple was destroyed.

Quoting Graham Hancock, "There is no report that the Ark was carried away or destroyed or hidden. There is not even any comment such as 'And then the Ark disappeared and we do not know what happened to it' or 'And no one knows where it is to this day'. The most important object in the world, in the biblical view, simply ceases to be in the story.' "

One theory as to the whereabouts of the Ark is based on the book, "The Sign and the Seal", written by Graham Hancock, chronicling his search for the Ark in Ethiopia. He claims to have found the Ark... and its guardian. What follows is an excerpt from "The Sign and the Seal":

'Yes. God Himself inscribed the ten words of the law upon two tablets of stone. Moses then placed these tablets inside the Ark of the Covenant - which afterwards accompanied the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land. It brought them victory wherever they went and made them a great people. At last, when its work was done, King Solomon placed it in the Holy of Holies of the Temple that he had built in Jerusalem. And from there, not long afterwards, it was removed and brought to Ethiopia...'

'Tell me how this happened,' I asked. 'What I know of your traditions is only that the Queen of Sheba is supposed to have been an Ethiopian monarch. The legends I have read say that when she made her famous journey to Jerusalem she was impregnated by King Solomon and bore him a son - a royal prince - who in later years stole the Ark...'

The monk sighed. 'The name of the prince you are speaking of was Menelik - which in our language means "the son of the wise man". Although he was conceived in Jerusalem he was born in Ethiopia where the Queen of Sheba had returned after discovering that she was carrying Solomon's child. When he had reached the age of twenty, Menelik himself travelled from Ethiopia to Israel and arrived at his father's court. There he was instantly recognized and accorded great honour. After a year had passed, however, the elders of the land became jealous of him. They complained that Solomon showed him too much favour and they insisted that he must go back to Ethiopia. This the king accepted on the condition that the first-born sons of all the elders should also be sent to accompany him. Amongst these latter was Azarius, son of Zadok the High Priest of Israel, and it was Azarius, not Menelik, who stole the Ark of the Covenant from its place in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Indeed the group of young men did not reveal the theft to Menelik until they were far away from Jerusalem. When at last they told him what they had done he understood that they could not have succeeded in so bold a venture unless God had willed it. Therefore he agreed that the Ark should remain with them. And it was thus that it was brought to Ethiopia, to this sacred city... and here it has remained ever since.'

'And are you telling me that this legend is literally true?'

'It is not a legend. It is history.'

More Ark theories to follow....

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Watched "The Two Towers" again last night. And after I have had the chance to analyze it more, I guess it's safe to stay that I stick by my original review of the film. :) Gollum still rocks. :)

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Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

Yet another quote from "The Alchemist": It is the possibility of a dream coming true that makes life more interesting. Right. And about the "conspiracy theory"? I now feel as if the universe is conspiring against me, and not conspiring to make my dream come true.

...it seems that all my escape routes are barricaded with things that remind me of him. I cannot escape.

Don't ask me that question. Don't ask me why I even waste my time thinking about him. I don't know why. It seems that this whole thing has gone beyond rational thought.