Wednesday, November 26, 2008

It's late and I'm a little nostalgic

I miss 90's cartoons.


Darkwing Duck - This is honestly one of the best theme songs ever.



Tale Spin
- One of my favorites back in the day, when the Disney Channel was actually watchable.


Animaniacs - entertaining and informative? Fcking awesome.

There's way more, I'm just lazy to post all my faves.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

That time of year

_Registered for my 2nd to last quarter, one more to go
_6 year anniversary in exactly one month
_Turning 22 yowza. Plus Mom's bday and countless others
_Winter vacation!  Time to catch up on all those books I've collected
_Vegas hopefully *crosses fingers*
_Holiday music all day everyday
_Bust out the coats, jackets, sweaters, etc.
_Old friend reunions!
_Starbucks red cups and Coffee Bean holiday blends
_Decorating the apartment/house
:]  :]  :]

Oh and I'm really feelin my new desktop background
So. Fcking. Dope.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Classroom LOL of the Day

During lecture for my developmental and cell biology lab, our professor showed us a clip that one of the classes put up on Youtube last year showing their results (Keep in mind this was shown on a huge projector in a lecture hall that fits about 300+ people, and my professor didn't realize anything until after it had been up for a good 20 seconds):

Before:


After:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Searching for answers

I know my recent posts have been heavily centered on politics and religious arguments here and there, but with the significance of this year's election and controversial issues on the ballot, these past couple months have really influenced me in how I view the world and why - pretty much because I forced myself to really sit down and critically think about these issues. It's just been on my mind lately, and while all this introspection is very liberating for my mind, it is also very frustrating.

I guess you could say I'm in some sort of religious/spiritual limbo. More so religious I should say, because what I'm not confused about is my belief in God or my stance on "hot topics" between church and society - abortion, homosexuality, abstinence-only education, etc. - it's crystal clear. What I am confused about is what does this mean for me as someone who was raised Catholic. I just feel that I am not able to commit 100% to being what a Catholic "should be" simply because of what I believe. Even if I were to commit 500% and devoted everything to my faith, I feel like no matter what I absolutely cannot be considered Catholic simply because I believe women should have a choice when it comes to abortion. Or that same-sex marriages are not immoral. Or that sex education is very critical and would help to reduce numbers of abortions and teenage pregnancies to begin with.

Some of it has to do with how the leaders of the church have spoken out against prominent Catholics in politics for their stance on abortion. After VP-to-be Joe Biden received communion in Florida recently, one of the bishops from that area suggested that Biden not present himself for the sacrament anymore, simply due to his pro-choice stance. Biden is not the only Catholic politician in the public eye that has been asked to stop receiving communion. I wouldn't have such a hard time balancing my views if the church authority didn't publicly condemn this middle ground where I stand right now.

There's really no arguing with the Catholic church because of the importance of papal infallibility. This basically means that the pope, working through the Holy Spirit, is free of error when he declares something as right or wrong. This is essentially what makes the Catholic church different from others; it does not stress religious interpretation by the individual but by the church universally. Everyone has their own idea of what it means to be a Catholic, but if you disagree with one of the core messages that the church preaches today, can you really still identify yourself as a Catholic?

I'm not so sure.

I'm not at all trying to put down Catholicism because if that's what works for you, then all the power to you. It's difficult to really devote yourself to a particular faith and if you can do it and it makes you happy, I find that pretty admirable. As for me right now, I don't want to characterize myself as a "cafeteria Catholic", picking and choosing what I like about the teachings. What's the point if you don't give your all? For anything? As of now I feel like a huge hypocrite when I proclaim myself as a Catholic then get into an argument on how we need to fight for reproductive rights or marriage equality.

I know there is a balance somewhere. I know that thinking logically and thinking in terms of religion are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary. I just don't know if that entails fully committing to a Catholic faith for me right now. I don't want to distance myself from something I've known my whole life but I feel like there is no compromise...

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Juxtaposed: Religion

I'm going to have this in my house someday...


"The objective of the Juxtaposed series of bookshelves is to give books new meaning by juxtaposing them with other books.  A book on its own is very different than a book in the context of other books." - Mike and Maaik


Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Bittersweet

Amazing. The same night great barriers are broken across the nation, others ones are being enforced in our home state. But you know what, I still have hope. I think marriage equality for all isn't an "if" question, but rather "when"; as disappointed as I am in California today, I know it takes time for people to learn to accept those who are different from them. If America can elect a black president given our ugly history of slavery and "separate but equal" that reigned not too long ago, then nothing is impossible. Exit polls show that voters in the 18-29 age range voted against Prop 8, so let's keep fighting the fight for the future, not just for marriage equality, but life, liberty and happiness for ALL.

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." - Martin Luther King, Jr.