Personal Monday: Old Weight Journal Entry #1

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Why is it so difficult to give up fast food?

Food will be food, what is the difference? Do we trick ourselves into thinking healthier food does not taste good and thus is not worth eating or even trying?

I have done this before. I know there are some foods I have never tried, but have already determined that I would not like them; and I am the one who has been to Europe twice! I have even tried escargots!

If I can have the courage to go to another country on my own, why can’t I have the courage to try a new meal?

Even in visiting foreign places, I had to be willing to try new things.

I remember when I went to Montpellier, France in the summer of 2004. I stayed with a complete stranger who did not even know English. The woman I stayed with was French; she had been brought up in France; she knew a different culture than I did.

Naturally, the food she offered was very different. I had the courage to try escargots, yes snails, but it took me a while.

However, I could not help but have nutella (chocolate peanut butter) on toast and hot chocolate for breakfast every morning. I found myself sneaking away every once in a while to get a little piece of America, not to mention something that tastes good, at McDonalds.

So, why is changing your eating habits as hard as learning a whole new language? Why are we so stuck on fat foods at time?

Because it tastes good!

But is the good taste worth risking your health over?

I know that I am not healthy. I am fat, plain and simple. I know I need to change; but how?

You would think that with all the pressure I would have changed by now. I am not going to be one of those who overdo it and change way too extremely. I want to still be myself.

Television, movies, ads, and models all imply who we “should be.” Of course, everything has to be “politically correct” as well.

Then there are reality shows such as “Biggest Loser.” I am not going to lie; this show is very inspiring to me. It makes me want to lose weight; but I have not done anything with this inspiration. This show does not “teach” me anything. It is just there for entertainment.

Food businesses and fast food restaurants seem to promote themselves in a such a way that is contrary to the “healthy” image.

Even so, even in their commercials there are “skinny” people.

How often do you see a “fat” person on TV who has a complete positive aspect to him?

I feel pressured in other ways.

I have very few friends. I am not “pretty.” I do not have a boyfriend. I do not have any guys to have a crush on, or any guys who have crushes on me. I have never been asked out. I feel crushed when I go to a school event by myself.

Shouldn’t I naturally desire these things? Isn’t that what society says makes you “happy.” If it is pounded on you long enough, don’t you start believing it.

Don’t get me wrong. It is not always like this. Although these things may contribute to my “negative self talk,” there is more to it.

I want to be healthy! I want to look nice and display myself in a modest way, positively representing my God and those close to me (parents, friends, teachers).

How different life might be for me if I had not grown up to be “horizontally challenged.”

Alas, to my regret, I, like many teens, am lazy.

Laziness is one sole word that would truly describe my life when it comes to exercise. I may be a hard worker in school, but I never have the “strength” to make time for working out.

I have a short that perfectly describes this. It says, “This working out thing isn’t working out for me.”

So, how do I lose weight, lower my cholesterol, and become healthier?

Do an extreme makeover: Harmony edition.

Now it remains for me to change, to do my best to care about my body, to live, to represent those around me well, and to make my best effort in, not just grades, but also in working out and having a balanced nutrition.

Here it goes! I think I am ready. Are you?

Monet Paintings Stolen in Nice, France

Found this to be an interesting story. I've been to France, so it's more interesting to me than it might be to you. I also love art. So there you go. I guess some famous paintings were stole in broad daylight at a museum in Nice. Here's the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070805/ts_afp/cultureartcrimetheft_070805193247

This has nothing to do with Nice or the article, but a memory has been sturred. Do you know where the term "Denim" came from? During may stay in France, I learned that denim was originally created in Nimes, thus the name denim, de Nimes (the city of Nimes). Interesting fact, isn't it?

Morning

There is nothing more wonderful or more beautiful than to watch the sun rise and to listen to the birds twitter God's glory about. I need to go on morning walks more often.

I won't be posting today and maybe not tomorrow. I'm going on a short trip and will be back tomorrow evening or late tonight.

Entertainment Friday: National Treasure - Book of Secrets

Click here to watch the newest trailer for "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

It does not look like it will be as good as the original. The plot seems to be that an ancestor of Nicholas Cage's character turns up as a conspirator in the assaination of Abe Lincoln. To find the truth, Cage's character must solve the mystery by going throug various obstacles, including kidnapping the president.

The Great Potter Debate Updated

If it interests anyone, I have updated my conversation with Lincoln about Harry Potter at http://atthestudy.blogspot.com/2007/07/great-potter-debate.html

Entertainment News Friday: Upcoming and Rumored Movies

The Jane Austen Book Club

I'm rather excited about this one. Of course, it could be that I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with Jane Austen. I predict that I may just have to read the book after the film comes out. The story follows the lives of the members of a Jane Austen book club. They discover that their lives are similar to the Austen books. It's a novel concept. After all, that's what's so wonderful about Jane Austen. We can relate to her novels. Sometimes we just plain get inspiration from them in our own lives. Other times we just need a good laugh or a good chick flick to cheer us up. Looks like this film will have a good cast as well, so it should be good.

Becoming Jane

Speaking of Jane Austen, I can't wait for to see the film "Becoming Jane." I'm not too keen on Anne Hathaway playing Jane, but it should be good.

Snow and the Seven

Disney is in the process of making an updated version of Snow White that takes place in Hong Kong. For more details, go to the link above. If you ask me, this just sounds like a made for the big screen version of Wendy Wu, one of the Disney Channel movies. Not so interesting. The way it looks, though, it'll be a while before anything gets done with this one. No casting has been done and the article makes it look like the script has a long way to go.

The Lost Adventures of Stone Perlmutter Jr.

Not too thrilled about this one. I'm a fan of Jack Black, but I can't stand spoof films. This film is a spoof on Indiana Jones and looks like it will be going along with the style of Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, and Tenacious D. I wish Black would stick to the more serious roles. He's good at the serious roles. I loved him in "The Holiday." I just plain don't like stupid films that gain popularity because they are stupid. It's stupid. What is happening to the intelligence of America? On top of that, I'm just a little offended because the said hero goes in search of the tomb of Jesus. He'll probably never find it, and if he does he won't find a body.

Jack and the Beanstalk

I actually like the cast for this one. They're all character actors. It does not bother me that they are old and not so popular any more. And what do you expect from a low budget film? At least it will be a family film. I wish there were more clean family films out there. There are probably a lot of chick flicks that would make good family films if all the sexual content were cut.

Star Struck

Simon Cowell is making a film (Star Struck) that follows the top ten on a talent show like American Idol. Should be interesting. Considering Cowell's own humor and style I would assume there will be a lot of crude humor elements to it. Looks like a promo for American Idol that will not be very successful.

Opening Today:

The Bourne Ultimatum - I've only seen the second Bourne film, but I might go see this one since I liked the second one.

Bratz - I'm not sure whether to go see this one. It's obviously a promo for the doll line, but if it's similar to Mean Girls I might go see it. I'll probably wait for this one to come out on video.

El Cantante - Not too keen on this one. I'm not a Jennifer Lopez fan and this just looks like another boring feel good biopic film with a bunch of sexual, dirty, R rated content.

Hot Rod - Another one of those stupid films I hate and will never see.

Underdog - I can't wait to see this one. I'll probably go with my mom since she's a big Underdog fan (she's old and grew up with those kind of cartoons). Honestly, I miss the old, clean cartoons. We need more of them and less of the modern cartoons that are dirty and filled with things that kids should not see. The old cartoons are more fun to watch anyway. My only worry about this film is that it's made by Disney. Disney tends to make their films kind of cheesy.

Becoming Jane - I'm very excited about this one.

The Ten - Another stupid movie, only this one makes fun of the Bible and the Ten Commandments. Very offensive. Not sure what else to say. It's just wrong. Good thing it's only coming out limited release.

Creative Thursday: God's Presence

I look up at the stars and see,

A world full of comfort, for me.

When I am near nature,

I feel only one thing,

I feel God's presence,

It is swift with the wind,

And shows me the way.

All the troubles that are on my mind disappear,

And I sing out with praise.

I can’t stop,

The feeling’s so sweet.

I feel the wind,

And see God's creations,

They stare back at me,

And send a message,

That God is watching over me no matter what.

God is everywhere,

His light shines into the darkness,

Protecting all those who seek it,

And I know that no matter what I think,

No matter how much I abandon Him,

He is always there.

And so at night,

I look up high,

Seeing God's presence I make a wish,

The wish upon the first star I see.

It is like a prayer to me,

A silent one from me to Him,

A hope that he will hear,

For the only place that I truly feel God's presence,

Is when I am near nature,

And see his creations around me.

I look up at the stars and make my wish,

Knowing that he heard me.

America's Got Talent?

I missed America's got talent last night. The only reason I regret this is that I was unable to find out if Boy Shakira/Brittney got kicked off. He should have gotten kicked off long ago. It's just disgusting. It's just plain wrong that he would cross dress and dance around the stage flopping his fat everywhere. It's morally wrong and gross. I have nothing against plus sized people, I am one of them, but I still think they should dress tastefully and I'm certainly not for cross-dressing or homosexuality. I'll support any person in their right to choose a lifestyle, but that does not mean I have to support or respect the lifestyle they choose. Honestly, things are getting ridiculous in America! We need to start standing up for what is right and standing against what is wrong! To my relief, I've logged on the America's got Talent website and found that Boy Shakira did get kicked off, something that should have happened a long time ago. Personally, I'm rooting for Terry Fator , the Duttons, or the Glamazons.

I've already written one post on this subject that goes more into detail on my opinions. If you wish to read that article/post, click here: http://atthestudy.blogspot.com/2007/07/americas-got-talent-more-like-americas.htmlot-talent-more-like-americas.html

Bookmobile Wednesday: "The Last Sin Eater"

Rating: four out of five stars

Plot: Cadi Forbes suffers from guilt. The only person who ever made her feel free of that guilt was her grandma, but one day her grandma dies. Thus the adventure that will lead her on a search for the ultimate truth begins. In light of her grandma's death there is need for the sin eater. When the sin eater comes to take away all of her grandmother's sins, Cadi dares to do what no other has the courage to do: look the sin eater in the eyes. Cadi's guilt weighs her down and she decides not to rest until she can find the sin eater and get him to take her sins away. Her plans complicate when a man of God appears at the nearby river, preaching the story of Christ. Many secrets lay waiting to be found and Cadi's quest to rid herself of guilt is only the beginning of it. Much more awaits for you to learn.

IMDB.com Descriptions:

In seeking her own redemption from the one man of whom she is most afraid, 10-year-old Cadi Forbes discovers a secret sin haunting her community of Welsh immigrants in 1850s Appalachia.

In 1850s Appalachia, 10-year-old CADI FORBES feels responsible for her little sister's death, so she searches out the one man she feels can take away her sin -- The Sin Eater. But in her quest for redemption, Cadi uncovers a dark secret that threatens to divide her family and community.

My Comments: My first introduction to this story was through the film. The film confuses those who have not read the book until the very end, but is very inspiring overall. The mystery makes the story what it is, however, and I would not ask the film writers to reveal everything at once at the beginning. I checked out the movie version a while back to view it again. Now that I understood what was going on it meant a lot more to me than it did before. I cried through the entire film. Ironically, the only complaint I have about the book is that Cadi cries too much. The book surpasses the movie immensly. If you're going to choose between the two, choose the book. As usual the book contains scenes, characters, plots, and mysteries that the movie cut. The real attention getter, however, comes from the fact that Francine Rivers writes with such incredible talent. The descriptions she gives are beautiful and full of imagery. On top of that she develops the characters and the plot in a way that will keep you guessing through the entire story and have you attached to the characters by the time you finish reading. What I find most interesting about this book is the way Rivers narrates what the characters are thinking. Readers can relate to all the characters and feel like they are in the characters shoes. Along with that, Rivers inserts the questions and answers of a new believer or even one who already believes.

Links to Articles on Harry Potter

Here are several links to articles on Christianity and Harry Potter. I have not had time to read all of them, but the first of them is a great post on a recent interview with Rowling and what she says about her struggling faith.

http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=144

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/DN-weiss_28edi.ART.State.Edition1.2758dd6.html - a great article on the presence and absence of Christianity in HP

http://www.pres-outlook.com/tabid/1676/Article/5310/Default.aspx - this one is from a Presbyterian point of view

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LaShawnBarber/2007/07/30/harry_potter_and_the_inevitable_end?page=full&comments=true
http://justindburton.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/a-really-really-ridiculously-insightful-dont-forget-long-harry-potter-post/ - discusses several HP themes