Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Day Will Return

In a sea of eternal night
When all is lost & desperate
In a time of endless darkness
When the spirit is battered & torn
In a waste of black horizons
When all that is seen is hatred & death

I believe that the day will return

In the moments when hope disappears
In the hours of unending pain
In the instance when suffering abounds
When living no longer is gain

I believe that the day will return

In the desert of infinite thirst
And a wasteland of total desolation
In swampy mires of drowning depression
And arid mountains of rising trouble

I believe that the day will return

I believe
The day will return in all its glory
Bringing hope & change
Relieving all suffering & pain

The day will return & forever stay
With its light & warmth
Healing & rest
Everything good & kind
Like sugar & spice

I believe that this night will not last
And Day will come with the sun
Battling its way through the dark
Ushering in a new dawn, a new Day
For you
For me
For everyone

Monday, March 22, 2010

Percy Jackson & The Olypmians: The Lightning Thief

Based on the novel series by Rick Riordan “Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief”

Synopsis:
The movie opens with Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), walking out of the sea and into NYC. After climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, Zeus (Sean Bean) shows up, and asks Poseidon what he sees. Poseidon says he sees thunderclouds, and Zeus replies that there's no lightning. Zeus then explains that it (Zeus' lightning bolt) has been stolen, and he believes that Poseidon sent his son, Percy, to steal it. Zeus gives an ultimatum. Either Percy returns the lightning bolt within 14 days, before the summer solstice, or else there will be war. Poseidon is furious that Zeus would threaten his son, but realizes he can't change the god's mind. Zeus rips open a doorway, and travels up to Mount Olympus.

We next see Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) sitting underwater for quite some time. When he finally surfaces, his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) comments that he was under for 7 minutes. Percy responds that the only place he can think is underwater. (Percy suffers from both Dyslexia and ADHD)

We see Percy and Grover (Who uses crutches) walking through school to English class. They have a substitute teacher, Ms. Dodds (Maria Olsen), who asks Percy to explain a quote on the board. However his Dyslexia causes the letters to float around, making it impossible for him to read. Percy goes home and talks to his mom Sally Jackson (Catherine Keener) about how school is going terribly. His mom says that things will get better soon, and that one day he'll understand why everything is like this. Then, Gabe Ugliano (Joe Pantoliano), Percy's step-dad gets home. He's a smelly (as in lack of hygiene) jerk, who forces Sally to get him a beer from the fridge and treats her and Percy like crap. Percy gets fed up, but Gabe threatens him and he backs off.

The next day, Percy and Grover go on a field trip to a Greek Museum, which is led by Ms.Dodds and Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) a wheelchair bound Latin teacher. Mr. Brunner asks Percy a few questions about demigods (the children that are born when gods "hook up" with mortals), which Percy is able to answer thanks to his Dyslexia translating an ancient Greek tablet. Ms. Dodds then asks to speak to Percy. She leads him into a closed off exhibit, and teleports to the top of some scaffolding. She then hisses at Percy, asking where the lightning bolt is, before turning into Alecto, a Fury and one of Hades' servants. Percy is freaking out, has no idea what's going on, and is about to die before Mr. Brunner and Grover show up. Mr. Brunner threatens Alecto, and she flies away. Grover explains that he is Percy's protector, and that they have to go to camp.

Percy still has no idea what's going on, but goes with Grover. Mr. Brunner also gives Percy a pen, claiming that it's a powerful weapon. Grover and Percy get to Percy's apartment to get his mom, and Grover proves to be very adept with his crutches, knocking out Gabe when he tries to stop them from leaving. Percy, Sally, and Grover are driving to camp, and Percy still has no idea what's going on. His mom tells him that it has something to do with his father, but doesn't elaborate. However, the group is attacked by the Minotaur, and crashes the car. Grover reveals that he's a Satyr (Half man, half goat) and uses the crutches to help disguise his goat legs and feet. They try to escape the Minotaur by running under an arch that reads Camp Half-Blood, but Sally is unable to enter due to a magical barrier. The Minotaur catches her, and squeezes her into gold dust. Percy gets ticked, and the pen Mr. Brunner gives him turns into a Greek sword. He then battles the Minotaur, eventually ripping off one of its horns and stabbing it, finally killing it. Percy then passes out.

Three days later, Percy wakes up in the infirmary at Camp Half-Blood. After getting oriented, Grover shows him around camp, and points out Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), a daughter of Athena. We also find out that Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron, a centaur and famous teacher of heroes. He reveals to Percy that he is a son of Poseidon, and that the god's are on the brink of war because of the theft of Zeus' lighting bolt. He wants to take Percy to Olympus to show the gods that he isn't the lightning thief. But first, Percy needs to train. Finally, he reveals that Percy's mom made many sacrifices for him, including marrying Gabe, whose pungent smell prevented monsters from realizing Percy is a demigod.

A game of capture-the-flag is going on, ancient Greek style. This includes swords, shields, spears, bows, arrows, daggers, and anything else you can think of. Percy is put on Luke's team. Luke (Jake Abel) is one of the oldest campers, and is a son of Hermes. He loans Percy a helmet, and sticks by him when things get intense. Eventually, Luke is holding 3 of Ares' (God of War) children at bay while Percy looks for the flag. He finds it, but also runs into Annabeth, who immediately starts dueling him. She easily defeats Percy, cutting several of his tendons and forcing him to the ground. But, Percy hears Poseidon's voice in his head, and crawls to a nearby creek. The water heals him, and boosts his strength and reflexes. He is able to disarm Annabeth, and wins the game.

That night at dinner, Annabeth talks to him about how their parents, Poseidon and Athena, hate each other, but that doesn't mean that Percy and Annabeth have to be enemies. However, things get broken up when Hades shows up as a twenty-foot flaming demon. He reveals that he has Percy's mother, from when the Minotaur "killed" her earlier. Hades is willing to trade Sally for Zeus' bolt, which he believes Percy has.

Although Chiron forbids him, Percy sneaks out of camp that night, desperate to save his mother. Grover and Annabeth catch him, and when they realize Percy can't be stopped, they go with him. First, they go to Luke to find out how to get to the Underworld. Luke tells them that all the gods are selfish and cruel, and is more than happy to help. He gives them a map that will lead them to four locations: The gates of the Underworld, and the location of three Pearls of Persephone. Persephone (Rosario Dawson) is Hades' reluctant wife, and often has affairs with other men. The Pearls allow the guys to quickly get out of the Underworld if Hades finds them. Luke also gives Percy a pair of winged shoes he stole from Hermes, and a shield.

The trio of heroes make their way to the first Pearl, which is located in Aunty Em's Garden Emporium, a place full of decorative statues. It appears to be deserted, so they split up to find the Pearl. Grover finds a statue that looks a lot like a relative of his, down to the location of mole. As it happened, that relative was killed by... Medusa! At the same time, Annabeth finds a woman screaming about how someone turned her husband to stone, and how they have to get out of there. Medusa finds them, however, and turns the woman to stone, and traps Annabeth. Percy and Grover try to figure out how to kill Medusa, with Percy using his iPhone as a mirror, since only looking into Medusa's eyes turns you to stone. Long story short: Grover and Annabeth distract Medusa, and Percy decapitates her. Annabeth decides to keep Medusa's head, as her stone gaze still works if you look at her eyes.

After finding the Pearl on Medusa's bracelet, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth hijack Medusa's truck to get to the next location: The replica Parthenon in Nashville. After they stop at a motel for the night, Percy and Annabeth start to grow closer, but this is interrupted when Grover, watching TV, finds a missing person report on Percy. Gabe is claiming that Percy kidnapped his mother and is now on the run. Since they can't do anything about it now, the trio just heads down to Nashville.

When they finally reach the Parthenon, they see the next Pearl on the statue of Athena, but can't reach it. They hide in the bathroom until closing, and then use sleeping darts to knock out the night janitors. Percy uses the winged shoes to get the pearl, but the janitors wake up and reveal that they're actually the Hydra. The Hydra attacks and nearly kills the heroes, but Percy discovers that he has hydrokinesis (He can control the movement of water), and is able to slow it down. However, Grover kills the Hydra by pulling out Medusa's head and turning it to stone.

Happy with their success, the group goes to the final pearl location: The Lotus Casino in Las Vegas. They make it to the casino, but they find that it is the lair of the Lotus-Eaters. Whenever you eat the Lotus plant, all you want to do is remain there, doing nothing else for all eternity. The group gets sucked into the Casino, but Percy hears Poseidon's voice again, and manages to wake up from his trance. He realizes what's going on when he meets a kid from 1971 playing pinball, and also manages to wake up Grover and Annabeth. They find the last Pearl (being used as a roulette ball), hijack another car, and escape.

Finally, they make their way to the gates of the Underworld. As it turns out, the depths of Hell are located beneath... Beverly Hills! Yeah, I wasn't really that surprised.

After traveling to Hades' palace, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover meet Persephone, who leads them to Hades (Steve Coogan). Hades says that he wants Zeus' bolt so that he can rule Olympus, as he's sick of living in the Underworld. Percy insists that he doesn't have the bolt, but Hades doesn't believe him, and threatens to destroy his mother, who suddenly appears. Percy throws aside his shield to see his mom, but it breaks open, revealing the lightning bolt inside. Yes, Luke stole the lightning bolt because he hated the gods for ignoring him, and wanted them to destroy themselves. He knew that the missing lightning bolt would cause a war, and that he could take over once the gods had wiped each other out.

Hades doesn't care about Luke though; he's just happy to have the bolt. Just as he's about to kill Percy, Persephone betrays her husband, and knocks him out with the lightning bolt. She knew that a war between the gods would cause her to lose any happiness she had left, leaving her only with Hades, who she hated. She gives the bolt back to Percy, but also points out that the group, with Sally now included, has only 3 Pearls for 4 people; someone will have to stay behind. Grover, as Percy's protector, volunteers, and the others use the Pearls to teleport to the Empire State Building to get to Mount Olympus.

However, Luke shows up with another pair of flying shoes and steals the lightning bolt again. Percy then uses his shoes to chase after Luke, which climaxes in Percy using the water from several water towers to pulverize Luke and throw him into the ocean. Percy and Annabeth then travel to Mount Olympus (Sally stays behind since she's mortal) and arrive with the lightning bolt a few seconds after the deadline. Zeus decides to let it slide, however, and peace reigns. Percy and Annabeth both get to talk to their parents, with Poseidon telling Percy that he regrets not being able to stay with him and Sally, but his godly responsibilities forced him to leave. Percy forgives his father, and the two shake hands.

The movie ends with Sally dropping Percy back off at Camp Half-Blood, saying that he belongs there. Percy finds Grover, who was released from the Underworld, and is ecstatic that after successfully "protecting" Percy, he is now a Senior Protector First Class (he also gets some very small horns). Chiron forgives Percy for running away, as heroes can train all they want, but in the end their instinct is what makes them a hero. Finally, Percy and Annabeth have another friendly duel, with Annabeth almost kissing Percy.

Shortly after the credits, we see Sally kicking Gabe out of her apartment. He wants to get a beer first, but sees the fridge is locked with a note on front: NOT TO BE OPENED UNDER ANY CONDITIONS! I MEAN IT! Percy. Gabe ignores the note, breaks the lock off, and opens the door to find the head of Medusa staring back at him.



Review:
If there is one thing I absolutely hate; it is movies that are adapted from books but don’t follow the plot of the book. This movie is a classic example of how Hollywood took a book and trashed its storyline and character plot for the sake of a few quick bucks. The only thing that stuck was the characters. Everything else was just downright bullshit.

You have to remember that this is my personal blog so all opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the views of others.

I would have loved to see the movie follow the plot of the book well, but it just disappointed from the very beginning. The book series has an amazing plot and sub-plots that weave a tapestry of myth and legend with modern day characters. The idea that a dread god of ancient times is seeking revenge on his children is exciting to say the least.

In the movie, the main culprit is Luke, son of Hermes. He only stole the lightning bolt just so he could get the gods to destroy themselves; this because they (the gods) were expressly forbidden by Zeus from seeing and interacting with their children.

In the book, the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades) had children of their own each with their own problems. In the movie, the only child of a Big Three was Percy. There was no mention of Thalia or even the reason why the camp was called Half Blood Camp (in reference to Thalia’s sacrifice not to the half bloods residing in the camp). Then there’s the whole campsite picture, I would have loved to see Dionysus as camp director and the picture of a modern camp as portrayed in the book. In the bloody movie, it’s just a step into the past; grungy and cramped.

Now let’s get away from my distaste with the plot, and talk about something else for a change. Let’s begin with casting. I’d have to say that the cast for the movie was pretty good. When I saw on Wikipedia that the book was being adapted for film I wanted to find out who was playing what. Pierce Brosnan as the centaur Chiron was pretty good; Uma Thurman played Medusa and she rocked my socks. The casting for the Gods was pretty lame in my books. Poseidon and Zeus looked like middle aged men in the midst of a mid-life crisis. The descriptions in the book gave the impression that they were a little older than that. Now if Pierce Brosnan played Zeus or Poseidon that would have been even way better.

But I guess there’s no crying over spilt milk. As far as an adaptation goes, this movie is good for those who never read the book or even knew that there was a book because the movie just doesn’t give the book justice.

That’s the way I see it.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Questions... about life... about death

Is it today little bird?
Has the time come?
Will today be the day when it all changes?

Am I ready, little bird?
Have I prepared enough?
Will I recognize the moment when it comes?

Time has flown by
Seconds passing into minutes
Then hours and days
Years overtake me
And here I stand
Waiting
With baited breathe

What will it be like, little bird?
What awaits me around this corner?
Will I remain strong or will I faint in its wake?
This endless waiting
For the inevitable
Tears at me
Leaving me hanging by the threads
Of what’s left to my sanity
Yet still I wait
And wait
And wait
And ask again

Is it today little bird?
Am I ready, little bird?
What will it be like, little bird?

Life… death… which is it little bird?

Friday, March 19, 2010

I lie in darkness... listening

I lie in darkness
Listening to the wind shaking the trees

I lie in darkness
Listening to the rain drum on tin roofs

I lie in darkness
Listening to the storm raging round me

I lie in darkness
And all I hear is nature’s fury

No cars running
No horns beeping
No TV’s blasting
Nothing human heard

Just the sounds of the wind and rain
Of lashing trees and creaking houses
Things breaking and crashing
Falling apart

I lie in darkness… listening

Hurricane Watch

So there’s a hurricane in development as I’m typing this post. Probably by the time it’s posted, the whole natural disaster would have passed us over and the relief work would have begun. I’m also hoping that when this post is uploaded, I’ll expect to be in Suva for the Together We Can project training. However it’s dependant on whether the branch can handle the relief work without the peer educators who will be in Suva.

Right now, I’m on standby and awaiting the call from our branch president or from the Labasa Branch for the disaster response team to go out and assess the damage as well as begin the logistical preparations for relief and assistance. This is my first disaster where I will be a part of the disaster response team on the ground. I’ve signed up for administration and logistical support during disasters so that’s where I’ll hope to be of most use since I’m not physically able to help at disaster sites.

Right now, the weather is slowly changing and the wind is picking up speed. What we’re hearing on the radio is that there are two different tropical cyclones headed for Vanua Levu; one from the North East and another from the North West. The danger here is that they could combine into one freak hurricane. Already it’s being predicted that this hurricane would be worser than Hurricane Bebe that hit Fiji in the 1970’s. That hurricane was the worst to hit us so far and this new one could top Bebe in every way.

We’re just waiting and watching. I’m lucky right now that the electricity is still on and that I can spend time typing out posts when I’m bored and in need of stress relief. A bonus for me is that I managed to pen two new poems, one is entitled: Questions… about life… about death; and the other is The Day will return. They are both good poems and I’m seeing a change and development in my writing style. You can be the judge of that when I’ve uploaded them onto this blog. This is it for now in Hurricane Watch; see you on the other side of the storm.

Jinxed

I seem to be jinxing my trip to Suva. The more and more I talk to people about the trip, the more it gets pushed back another week. I called Sevu this morning and he told me that the workshop had to be pushed back a week because the Director General (DG as we fondly call her) wants every branch to have their AGM’s before the volunteers head to Suva for training. And she wants to be present at the AGM’s for some reason… scary. I’ll just play it safe.

So we’ll have our branch AGM sometime next week-ish and I’m hoping to meet the other volunteers of the Savusavu branch. Apparently, most of the volunteers are firemen so it’ll be a crucial thing for me to meet and be introduced to them. I’m getting all flustered at the thought. LOL

I just hope I don’t jinx it, cause that’ll make me shitty for the week. A bonus for me this week is that I got to meet Pita (the other volunteer peer ed) and he is cute. He’s very friendly too. Very friendly. (can you sense my grin?)

But like the title says, I’d just as soon jinx it. I hope not. This Saturday we’ll be going to visit clients at Yaroi village and besides visitation we’ll be doing referrals as well. It’s going to be fun. Meanwhile, I was hoping to be in Suva for the Hope Concert but it doesn’t seem like that’ll happen at all since we have to leave on Monday after the Saturday concert. Gawd that sucks big time; the only thing I have to look forward to now is hearing Rhonda’s new song: “Vows go Unbroken” and seeing the choir members all together.

I’m also looking forward to attending at least one practice for the Suva Community Gospel Choir. That’s a good highlight for me; that and PV practice.

There’s so much to do but so little time to do it. I still have things to buy, at least with the money that Dad gave me; I was able to get the earrings I wanted, one pair of black crystal studs and another pair of black with pink stripes studs. Major plus to me. Hehehehe.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Time winding down & i'm going into cruise control



Life seems to slow down for me this week. Since Sevu came and left, I’m so excited about going down to Suva but it seems like forever till I go; it’s TWO WHOLE weeks before we leave. I’ve already got my list of things to buy when I get to town, the first being a new book to read. Then I’m also thinking about getting one pack of Africa’s Best relaxer and asking Frances to help me relax my hair. That’s like the top two on my list. Then there’s black nail polish and polish remover. And finally, DVDs for my aching collection at home.

I’d have to budget my allowance properly so that I can also take Jessica & William some McD’s or Fish & Chips for lunch, depending on which is financially viable for me.

I’d have to budget for meals (bfast & dinner), I was thinking of getting like some Chow noodles, eggs & tinned meat (plus onions) and cooking at the motel room kitchenette. That would erase my need to go and constantly buy dinner. It’s gonna be a labour of love for me to save my money and not spend needlessly. I was thinking of taking like $20 and depositing it into my bank account for emergencies. Just something I could tap into in need. But if all goes well, I wouldn’t even have to touch that money; just leave it for when I come back into Savusavu.

But even before I leave, there’s some stuff I’d like to get; like a pair of black crystal studs and some DVD’s for Rhonda (Who will of course have to pay me back when I get there). So there’s much to do in preparation for that time.

But again, I can’t seem to stress how slow time seems to crawl by this past week. I’m just hoping that I don’t lose my sanity in this preparation for Suva. God knows how excited I am at the prospect of seeing everyone back home again. I’ve also given some thought into job searching in Suva and also house hunting. I wanna be able to find something to take me through and also keep me going. It’s not that I want to leave mum and dad behind, it’s just that I need to begin to take care of myself, in my own way and in my own space. Cause if I keep tagging along, I’ll just keep sacrificing my personal identity to placate them; and that’s not me. Not One Bit.

So this is me, winding down and going into cruise control.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

You would not believe this but it’s an actual word. I mean it… I typed it on Word as the title for my next blog post and the spelling & grammar application told me that I had spelt it wrong and gave me the correct spelling. SHIT. I mean it’s bloody amazing. I’m still speechless. Seriously. Can’t you tell?

I found some really tight fonts and I’m hoping to grab some more pretty soon. Oh and I’ve found a really amazing quote by Catherine Booth I’ve made into a sticker-ish kinda thing, check it:



The mini sticker will go on all letters that I personally send, especially to stuff like my SWY application for this year and my YPF application. I’m sooo in love with it. Now all that’s left is for me to figure out how I am going to occupy my time here in Savusavu more effectively.

Big News. At the time this post goes on-net I’ll be in the new house. Once again, we’ll be living in transition, with boxes everywhere and life a living hell for me. I’m trying to get the message across to mum and dad that I’m not sharing any bedrooms with anyone. Not ever. My time sharing rooms are over. I want my personal space. Look, I’m not a teenager anymore; I’m not in high school. I will not share a room with anyone. Not now. Not ever. Hell to the No.

I’m excited about tomorrow (Sunday, 28 Feb)... Sevu comes into town and we’ll be meeting with the Branch volunteers at the Fire Station. I’m sooo excited. I wonder if the guys are cute… oops, too much information for this place… LOL

The humidity here is driving me insane. It’s hot and really sticky. I’m just thinking about getting in to the bathroom for a really long shower. Let me see, it’s five o’ clock now, I’ll be out of the shower by 9pm? Hahaha. Nah, I won’t take it that long. I want it just long enough to cool me down and leave me shivering.

Oh the afternoon breeze is amazing and the temperature is dropping but I still feel sticky and in need of another shower.

Looks like I’ll have to continue this post later, maybe tomorrow after the meeting. Fingers crossed we can have some grog. I’m also dying for a cigarette. It’s been yonks since my last roll. This incidentally was when mum and dad went to Suva and I took a stroll to the shop and smoked by the hot springs… LOL

Wonders upon wonders… it never ceases to amaze me how much can change in the space of a few hours. Since my last typing this post, I had a chat with mum and she said that I get my own space, no sharing. YES!!!! I wanna ask dad if he could find something that’ll work as a book shelf for my books. If there’s one thing I’m looking forward to in Suva is buying a new book (or two… three… four… hehehe). I’m so glad to have a room to myself, and it’s a huge room mum said, so there’ll be plenty of space. I wanna get a rug for my own, oh and I’m definitely saving up for my own laptop.

So many plans and yet no job to make them a reality. God will provide. I’m sure of it. I may be a sinner but I believe in a God who forgives and have faith in His ability to provide for me despite all I’ve done.

I know people doubt my faith and belief but its like I always say, it’s between me and God. What I believe in and how I exercise it is my own prerogative and no one else’s. People need to focus on their own walk with God and stop worrying about how I’m stumbling over mine.

So there you go, update number two on a Saturday night. LOL. This post will undergo more updates until it’s ready for posting on blogger on Monday (fingers crossed).

_
Once again something has taken place that’s changed situations, this time on a global scale in the space of time since my last post. An earthquake has struck the coastal state of Chile (8.8 on the Richter scale) and it has created a tsunami that at the time of this post will have reached Fiji, although I am not sure as to the extent of its damage to us. I pray for friends and family who live in the areas that can be affected by the tidal wave. I’m afraid that people will get complacent with how it will turn out. We’ve had previous warnings that never came to pass yet I fear that this is one that will hit and maybe with disastrous consequences (or not). I’m unsure as to how far the wave has traveled and also its speed, I am sure, however that the reefs around our islands will offer some protection, in the least.

God be with us all.

This is turning out to be a day of much apprehension and fear. I just got news that waves as high as four meters hit Tahiti this morning between 8-10am. Life has yet again dealt a blow to people all over the world. When the world is slowly helping Haiti pick up the pieces of its wreckage, Chile is rocked with an earthquake creating waves that could destroy the livelihoods of countless other people’s in other countries. Makes me feel like penning another poem... now that’s an idea!

Give me a sec and let me try and pen it…

-
The poem is still being penned and it seems to me that in between breaks for this post, things change over and over again.

When we moved into the new house, mum decided to move the office into the first bedroom and have only two bedrooms for us (meaning I’d have to share with someone… yuck). I didn’t kick up a fuss or anything; I just played it cool and bided my time. Meanwhile, Sevu’s flight was cancelled and so I spent yet another night in his hotel room. Somehow, between my stay overnight with Sevu and returning home in the morning, the living arrangements changed YET AGAIN!
This time with Capt Litiana pushing it through, the argument for privacy has won. I get to have my room to myself and the first bedroom can be the visitor’s room. I’m sooo bloody rejoicing right now. The only thing is for mum to start unpacking her stuff and move the boxes out of my room and put them in the back. I will not share my living space with her luggage. HELL NO. That’s the second argument I’ll have to fight and to the bitter end, I will.

So that’s it for this post of many changes. The word has lived up to its name: SUIPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS.