It's 5:17am and I've been working on finishing this picture since I woke up (at about 3:00pm.) Now that its finished I just want to post it, and maybe sleep or something.

It's not accessible yet - I'll fix that later.

I'm on a bit of a creative bender. Been doing a lot of programming at university. Hard cold logical stuff. I come home and I find I just want to make things.
This piece here is me critisizing myself for not really acting out on my thoughts that femininity is harmful. Like the last post I made was in no way deep. I really do like lace, hearts and ruffles and I really do hate femininity and it causes me to have these weird conflicting feelings.
I don't know how other people will read this and I'd be happy for people to take their own meanings out of it, but I want to clarify that whilst I'm taking a jab at myself for claiming a radical label whilst surrounding myself in gendered things, I don't mean to take a jab at any other woman for her choices.
I'm just exploring what I think of my own choices.

The girl in the picture is a representation of me.

Here's the real me, for reference:

There are several contenders at the moment including Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai and many others have been given this title recently. But the question remains. A quick search on Google for 'world's most beautiful woman' returns over 20 million results. With numerous articles on the subject in which authors name their favorites, or cite poll results from such and such publication, all claiming to know the answer. It would seem that with so many sources claiming the title belongs to one woman or another we may never have a definitive answer.

For decades beauty pageants have been held in attempts to discover the world's most beautiful woman and put her in the public eye. The first ever Miss Universe was crowned in 1952, however pageant history stretches back to 1921 with the first ever Inter-City Beauty pageant held in Atlantic City, which would later be re-christened with the more familiar moniker of Miss America (not to be confused with Miss USA). Since then there have been countless beauty pageants crowning Miss this and Miss that. But in the last 30 years these pageants have become repetitive, stale and boring. Not to mention hard to get into. They have strict rules for eligibility that include age restrictions for the Miss Universe Organization you must be between the ages of 18 and 27. You cannot be married (or have children one would assume), you cannot currently or in the past have participated in previous Miss Universe Organization pageants; state, national or otherwise (ie Miss USA or state pageants). Not to mention the entry fees charged just to apply for entry. To get into Miss Universe you have to have won the Miss USA beauty pageant (or equivalent in another country), and you are not allowed to participate in any other beauty pageants while you are entered or while "holding the crown" if you win.

With most of these beauty pageants being held only once a year it is difficult for pageant fans to maintain interest in the "off season". Also consider that the pageant shows themselves remain the same year to year with very little variation or straying from the formula. The same competitions, questions and hosts, the only thing different is the women. Which of course is not a bad thing, however it is this repetitiveness that will be the undoing of beauty pageants as we know them today.

What would be the next logical step? What could someone do to evolve beauty pageants from what we are accustomed to and bring them into the 21st century? The answer is right in front of you, why not take the pageant online and make it available all year long? If you dig deep enough, or look in the right places you may find inklings that a person or two had this idea and there are a small handful of websites claiming to be online beauty pageants. Most of them seem more like afterthoughts or even a jest, but there is one that looks to be a diamond in the rough.

One of the most attractive looking sites on the web today, In Search of the World's Most Beautiful Woman® is a website that will breathe new life into the beauty pageant scene with a fresh take on glamour competitions. Entry to the contest is done exclusively online, costs nothing and is free from most of the eligibility restrictions that prevent a lot of beautiful women from entering. You must be over 18 and have a good digital photograph of yourself to enter. That's it! You can be in your thirties, married with children and still have a chance to participate in a world class beauty pageant. This contest will do away with the majority of stale 'traditions' that major beauty pageants still carry. The primary pageant is taking place online right now as you read this. There are over 50 beautiful Contestants from 14 different countries currently registered at In Search of the World's Most Beautiful Woman® with more Contestants entering all the time. Everyone is welcome to participate either by entering as a Contestant or by becoming a Judge and casting their votes for these stunning women.

With this exciting new concept In Search of the World's Most Beautiful Woman® aims to become the new leader in beauty pageants worldwide. The final pageant, set to take place in 2006, will feature large cash prizes for the winner, all expense paid trips to Las Vegas for the finalists and immense exposure for all Contestants to the world's modeling and casting agencies. There are also plans for a large scale television show and with such innovation in a proven industry; In Search of the World's Most Beautiful Woman® is certainly a name to watch out for.

"Many a man balks at pulling the marraige trigger because he appraises a woman the way he'd size up an applaince and then decides she just doesn't have all the features he's looking for. Well, here are the answers to those questions tumbling around in your head. Yes, she's pretty enough. Yes, she's smart enough. Yes, she's funny enough. Moreover, all those questions are irrelevant. It's like asking if a car floats. Most often, your anxieties are less about her then about how others may view your choice of a partner. A woman doesn't need great beauty or brains or wit to be a fabulous partner and a person very much worth loving throughout your life. Think of it this way: if she's less then perfect, well, that's just something else the two of you have in common. Everthing that's beautiful is cracked, Leonard Cohen wrote, and that's how the light gets in."

Even though I think the overall gist of the paragraph was "it's ok to settle" (which, once you reach a certain point and you're that just-a-little-to-old-to-be-in-the-club guy, I guess it is), I really liked that Leonard Cohen quote; "Everything that's beautiful is cracked, that's how the light gets in."

Weird, the places hope derive.

"Lauren Hutton - Passport to Africa" (Lauren Hutton Good Stuff LLC)

If you were thinking that the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was the only corporation-initiated campaign promoting healthier notions of beauty and self esteem, think again! Because Seventeen, the world's number one young women's magazine has jumped on the bandwagon and joined in the cause!  

Not only has Seventeen developed a Body Peace Treaty which to date 32,042 young women worldwide have signed, it has also hired Jess Weiner, author and self esteem expert, to address the body image questions and concerns of young women from all over the globe! These questions and concerns are posted together with Jess Weiner's replies on the Seventeen Body Peace blog and other young women worldwide can comment on these posts! What's more, the Body Peace Treaty truly appeals to young women by allowing them to share the treaty on facebook, kaboodle and other "hip" websites and applications!

So, what exactly are the clauses of the Body Peace Treaty?

I vow to:

1. Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
2. Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
3. Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
4. Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
5. Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
6. Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
7. Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
8. Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
9. Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
10. Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
11. Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
12. Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.

Want to show support for this movement? Sign the Body Peace Treaty today!

Food for thought:

For so many years, as a leading fashion magazine for young women worldwide, Seventeen has played a quintessential role in shaping young women's perceptions of beauty. And personally, I am very glad that Seventeen has joined in the cause because who better to change existing perceptions of beauty than the very people who had set them in the first place? The very fact that an "authority" for beauty issues is speaking out against existing notions of beauty is a powerful statement, indeed!

But, at the same time, in order to continue attracting advertisers, the magazine cannot afford to do away with the glamorous slim models they have always been using. Would this defeat the entire purpose of the campaign and in fact make young women skeptical about such campaigns in future?

Coming up next:

A ground-breaking Spanish study on female body shapes which may revolutionize the way clothes will be made and offered

and

A look into how perceptions of beauty have evolved over the years!

So, if you haven't subscribed to my blog, subscribe today and stay tuned for the updates to come!

How many dreams of yours had come true? And how many hasn’t yet… My friend, dreams is one of the main ingredients of the best recipe, named “Beautiful Life”

Here’s a poem I wrote to motivate you…

Dreams

How great the feeling is

Dreaming about tomorrow

The person you like to be

Things you need to do

Days are often exciting

When you think of your dreams

You like to start right away

And continue on the following day

Sometimes you get tired

Of following your dreams

Sometimes it seems impossible

But still, it’s totally possible

Don’t say “I can’t…”

But always say “I can…”

Having a positive attitude

Strong determination and patience

Focus and self-confidence

No reason for you to quit

Be a friend to yourself

Never say badly against yourself

Appreciate your beauty

Talent, skills and ability

You’ll climb a mountain high

You’ll need to cross the ocean

You’ll travel a long road

You’ll stumble and fall

But never surrender the battle

Believe in yourself

Trust and have faith in God

For a beautiful tomorrow

Dreams will surely come true…

-a dreamer me-

Joyz

I loved you once. My mom introduced you to me in the form of a grey and pink t-shirt that said "Appreciate Perfection"...with an arrow pointed towards my face. It was subtly saucy, just perfect with the strand of hot pink pearls I bought from you as well. I loved your shirts, your dresses, your adorable flats, and boots that actually zipped up my legs. It was a match made in heaven.

The wonderful honeymoon period was not to last, I fear. When I wrote my Fashion at Every Size post, I had a commenter who mentioned you, and I was sad that I'd not mentioned you and our love in the post. I even told everyone about the cute flats and dress I'd JUST ordered from you. And then...a bombshell from another commenter:

Just so you know, Torrid is now partnering with MTV to do casting calls for a new “boot camp” style weight loss reality show. So they’re about as far from fat-positive as a store that sells to fat girls can be.

I felt as if an icepick had been stuck into my fashion-loving soul. Torrid, the store I considered modeling for when the casting calls came around the country, the store I save money for when the clearance items are 50% off so I can snag great swag, has betrayed me. How could you? When you sold the "Appreciate Perfection" shirt, was that ONLY in reference to my face, as you asked about in your mass email? I always thought of that arrow pointing to me as a whole. Now I get it. Let's take the attention off of my fat body, and let's just focus on what I REALLY have to recommend me: my visage.

How disappointing. How disgusting. You are a store that caters to plus size women. Does this mean that if I still wanted to model for you, my curves and rolls are no longer appreciated? This is the ultimate betrayal. You think its okay to have a boot camp style show, that millions of little girls and young women are going to see, all in the hopes of becoming a model...and its sponsored by a store that CATERS TO PLUS SIZE WOMEN?! The cognitive dissonance...it burns.

But now I know what this is really about. Folks can model for you, but only if we are a certain kind of plus size, much like that MADE show I saw featuring y'all. At the time, I hadn't been enlightened, so I figured that losing weight to model, even for a plus sized store, was par for the course. I now know much better, and I know that if folks want a good representation of what the clothes look like on them, they should be modeled on PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE THEM. Why can't y'all be rebels and put women of varying degrees of fatness on y'alls site? Plus sized women come in different sizes, as do your clothes. But I recognize I'm asking way too much of y'all, as money is the name of the game, and if you were going to let fat women model, there would be no TV deal or advertising for y'all.

I won't be shopping with y'all again. I'd send back the dress and flats, except I can't return clearance items. I won't be recommending y'all to anymore people, nothing. I'm done with y'all. Our relationship, our love, was pure and wonderful, but you have defiled the idea of body positivity by asking women with "pretty faces" to sweat and struggle in the name of a modeling contract. I'm appalled. And I'm done giving you my money. The name that was once sweet to speak has now turned bitter.

Goodbye.

With deepest sorrow and disappointment,

The FashionableNerd

• Eyeshadow Base : Ulta Eye Primer

• Lid & inner crease : NYX Prune eyeshadow

• Outer crease up to the browbone : NYX Deep Purple eyeshadow & Artistry Royalty eyeshadow

• Outer crease & outer lid : Artistry Black Tie eyeshadow

• Browbone : Artistry On The Move eyeshadow

• Upper lashline : Artistry Black Tie eyeshadow & Wet n Wild Mega Line Black liquid liner

• Lower lashline : Milani Color Brilliance Purple eye pencil as a base, MAC Violet pigment on outer lashline, and NYX Prune eyeshadow on inner lashline.

• Lower waterline : NYC White eyeliner pencil

• Eyelashes : Artistry Essentials Black mascara & Artistry Waterproof Black mascara

]]> http://kitlinapai.wordpress.com/?p=585 Sat, 17 May 2008 14:52:17 +0000 kitlinapai http://kitlinapai.wordpress.com/?p=585 She walks into the vacant room that is this blog, tugs open a window and watches the breeze tease the cobwebs hanging on the remains of the last post. The room is empty, except for a shrivelled plant on the windowsill and a stained tea-cup. She imagines the last of the readers quietly drifted off to tend to their lives, cooking meals, weeding gardens, walking their dogs, planning their summer vacations ...

There are so many boxes to unpack in this room, so many weeks of highs and lows, adventures, loneliness, joy, frustrations, love, comfort, uncertainty, hope. Where to begin? She sits on one of the boxes and pulls out some snap-shots, and arranges a few of them on the floor at her feet...
 

He visto algunas cosas en youtube muy buenas, otras no tantas, pero la mejor de todas ha sido la de Greenpeace.

Recordemos el comercial de Dove.

Bien, ahora vean la respuesta de Dove. El que este libre de culpa y cargo que tire la primera piedra.

Y ahora haciendo uso y abuso del famoso bonus de cada post que hace este rosarino en su genial blog, vamos a presentar el primer:

BONUS SINCHIANO:
Esta genial campaña de Foster Farms en donde no solo las mujeres tienen derecho a ser lindas... sino tambien... LOS POLLOS!

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The Derma Wand works to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, dull skin, stimulates loose sagging skin, puffy eyes, and enlarged pores. Interested yet, yeah, I was too! The first things that age you are under the eyes and under the chin and last but not least the smile lines. Supposedly, in an instant you can shave off 10 years or more from your face. Incredible! The Derma Wand states to act like hundreds of tiny fingers working across the surface of your skin, stimulating the skin and adding oxygen.

This product is said to be so great because it increases blood flow to the skin and it helps moisturizers penetrate deeper into the skin. The Derma Wand can help improve skin texture and appearance but it is not permanent. With continued use it can improve the look of the skin, creating a permanent slight improvement. It is a condensed version of a professional tool used by skin care professionals.

They told us it was so we would prepare ourselves for the working world, and so no one would feel lessened by the clothes they wore. They gave us the uniform, but left society to show us how to wear it. Within its guidelines, people found ways of representing their social status. School stopped in the afternoon, and then came the harsher role that clothes played in extra-curriculars, but worst of all weekends.

And the bodies we mask by the clothes we wear? My loose fabric hid the fat I knew tighter clothes would reveal, and my secret would be out. However, it still had ways of expressing itself, all too apparent in photographs. In my face, no make up could hide the chubby cheeks, and the flash of the camera was all too revealing. I felt disproportional. I was able to see everyone, overweight or not, as beautiful, except for myself. I felt rejected by my own body and shunned by society and its standards.

I tell myself that my t-shirts are acts of modesty, that people should and will love me as I am. Anyone who would take the time to disapprove was not worth my time. In the end, I am my biggest critic. How can I love myself when all I see are flaws? It is the ongoing war inside of me.

I am happy to have this place to spill my words. I do not hope for comments or even for others to understand me. Instead, I hope that by relieving such thoughts, I may begin to win one battle at a time.

The latest issue of Vogue Germany features Claudia Schiffer as a totally topless catwoman. Not that posing sans-clothing is anything new for celebrities, but the recent rash of nudie portraits for Vogue in particular has us wondering: is naked the new black? How long before we see C-List celebs trying to keep up by taking it off for lesser known mags? Can we expect to see Courtney Love or Britney Spears reviving their fledgling careers by posing for Mirabella?

P.S. Her nipples appear to be airbrushed out. Unless she suffers from a rare disease where they're invisible. In which case, Claudia, my sincere apologies.

* *
Ardelia intervened between Hans and I.
I will not see Hans.
Hans could jump out the fifteenth floor window, anytime. Suicide.
Ardelia takes up the duty of looking after him.

* *
M took me to a pub.
A hundred people stood, sat around and listened.
Two people read poetry and stories.
The Judges listened carefully.
We applauded.

M and I will work towards whatever "God" gives us.
We did it. Again.
Mistake? We don't talk like that anymore.

* *
Hans broke down and cried for the first time in six years.
I am the cause of it.
I wouldn't shut up about the origin of his depression.

* *
I soak up the central peripheral drama of all these friends.
I never thought I'd have friends to look after.
I thought I was blessed.

But now, I understand how important it is not only to individual growth,
But it allows us into the hallows of human deceit, weakness, hells, & 
The warmth of the garden we gradually build ourselves.

Area:
Philippines is an archipelago of 7,108 islands with a total land area of 300,000 km².
The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
( Luzon - 105,000 km², Mindanao - 94,600 km² )

Major cities:
Capital--Manila, Cebu, Davao

Terrain:
Islands, 65% mountainous, with narrow coastal lowlands.

Climate:
Tropical, astride typhoon belt.

People

Nationality:
Filipino.

Population (January 2008 estimate):
90.5 million.

Ethnic groups:
Malay, Chinese

Religions (based on 2000 census):

Roman Catholic 80.9%,
Muslim 5%,
Evangelical 2.8%,
Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%,
Aglipayan 2%,
other Christian 4.5%,
other 1.8%,
unspecified 0.6%,
none 0.1%.

Languages:
Filipino (based on Tagalog),
official national language; English, language of government
and instruction in education.

Eight Major Dialect:
Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo,
Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

Monetary Unit:
Peso

Industries:
textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products,
food processing, electronics assembly, petroleum refining,
fishing, farming.

Natural Resources:
timber, petroleum, nickel, colbalt, silver, gold, salt,
copper, oil.

Export:
electronic equipment, machinery & transport equipment,
garments, coconut products, mango, banana and etc.

Import:
raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals.

Major Trading Partners:
U.S, Jpan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia,
Netherlands, Germany, South Korea.

Government Type:
Republic

Independence:
1946

Constitution:
February 11, 1987

Branches:
Executive--president and vice president.
Legislative--bicameral legislature.
Judicial--independent.

Administrative subdivisions:
16 regions and Metro Manila (National Capital Region),
81 provinces, 136 cities.

Political parties:
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Nationalist People's Coalition,
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Liberal Party, Aksiyon Demokratiko,
Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, and other small parties.

Suffrage:
Universal, but not compulsory, at age 18.

Economy GDP (2007):
$144.1 billion.

Annual GDP growth rate (2007):
7.3% at constant prices

GDP per capita (2007):
$1,624.

Had a good chat with Lynsey the make-up artist as she curled my lashes, plucked and preened and smothered my skin in a delicious smelling lotion. With my locks poker straight and my eyes lined with my favourite black kohl, I was given a rail of gorgeous clothes to choose from. I opted for an elegant navy blue dress with chunky beads and three inch high brown strappy heels - any excuse to glam it up!

It was a great shoot. We had a good laugh, gave it everything and the team were incredibly talented and inspiring. Thanks to everyone for a fantabulous afternoon! Look out for the pictures in the August issue of Red magazine, due out in shops at the beginning of July.

"A pair of shoes at a hundred dollars? Do you think I'm crazy? I could buy ten sheets of 300 pound Arches watercolour paper with that! I'll go barefoot first!"

I will also admit that the idea of counting in values other than currency really hadn't occurred to me as a phenomenon until Dara commented on an e-mail from nephew Hugh.

Hugh has an opportunity in front of him. Proud aunt that I am, I am sometimes marveled by his ability to find and seize opportunities and then to make them happen. He's done very well with his studies and has been asked by the Director of School at the University to carry on to his Doctoral degree. In the course of his research which he does during the school year as a part time job and now during the summer as well, he found a course that was being offered in California that was exactly what he was studying. The course would bring together a number of the most important scholars studying the non-proliferation of nuclear arms. Hugh, needless to say, was elated at the idea of joining the course.

Sometimes dilemmas arise when we are presented with such opportunities. He would have to find some way of missing three weeks of his research job. He would have to find money to go there. He's a student, not starving, but not earning big bucks either, and the travel costs alone would be daunting, but the cost of the course was three thousand dollars plus. Hugh was drooling over the computer keyboard in anticipation as he read about the course. He just had to attend it!

In his excitement he sent out an e-mail to a few friends telling them about his absolute joy in knowing that such a pithy course was available somewhere in the North American continent. All the longing and desire was wrapped up in this comment that he finished his e-mail with:

"I'd love to go, but the course is worth at least two brand new, top of the line Mac laptops."

I could just see him weighing the course in one hand and holding up two Mac laptops in the other. Neither was tipping the balance. If only he could have his course and his laptop too! But in fact, he could probably have neither unless.....

He's a smart fellow. I knew I'd be hearing more from him. His e-mail must have been sent to me and his friend Dara and maybe others because she "replied all" with a light hearted comment about him being the only guy in the world that she ever had met who measured the worth of something in units of new laptop-ness.

He's a computer nerdy type of guy and he knows his equipment. As an annual activity, he covets the newest computer hardware offerings. Like clockwork. If there is something new and better, he wants it. Of course, he's the kind of person who will do it justice.

And so there he was stuck on the horns of a dilemma. And there I was, toying with a new concept of worth, value, an equal trade off, and quid pro quo.

The idea was settling in my brain and having a comfy go-around when the phone rang. It was nephew Ron, Hugh's brother, who was calling.

Now there's a miracle. In two days, I'd heard from them both. I keep in touch with Hugh very often. Our academic leanings gave us a somewhat more common ground for bonding while Ron had had more difficulty in accepting his relationships with anyone, not just me, and was more distant. I only heard from Ron about every three months, and even then, it was often due to a prompt from me - like a message left on his cell phone which he never answers. He screens his calls.

Ron announced that he was working in the community next door to the one I'm living in. Ron works in construction as an apprenticing mason. He's graduated to this state after a number of years of being a reliable and dedicated labourer. Ron never liked school; in fact he hated it, and nothing could persuade him that he would be better off with some post-Secondary education and that education in the trades could triple his salary if he could only make himself go back to school. Sometimes, one just has to let a person find his own way. Ron is one of these.

Ron has tremendous talent and intelligence. He's mechanically inclined. He learns more aurally and kinetically than in other ways. He learns by trial and error. He figures things out. Don't expect him to do any reading for pleasure unless it's a mechanic's manual to fix a car or an explanation of a diagram accompanying a piece of machinery.

Add to this that Ron is a hard worker with a great work ethic. He's up at five in the morning to start work at six, hauling cement and mortar, rocks, bricks and other materials pertaining to the masonry trade. He's muscular and active, a bundle of youthful energy.

So it was no surprise when he said to me in a very short phone call:
"I've got fifteen minutes for a coffee break. Can you meet me at Tim Horton's?"

"Which Tim Horton's?" I asked. There were at least two I was aware of.

"The one up by the highway into Maple Ridge, whatever it's name is. You know. It's the highway coming off the Pitt River Bridge. Tim Horton's is up by the Silver Screen there," he added.

Fifteen minutes to see Ron wasn't much; but I haven't seen much of him since we all moved away from Mom's house last year. Ron was one of the first to go but he was always back and forth, in and out, coming to repair his car in the back or borrow the rug cleaner or catch a hasty snack on the run. Now I didn't see him at all and I missed him and his exuberance.

"I'll be there," I said and rang off. I was in the car within five minutes and down to the cafe in another seven. Ron and a friend were already there. He came out, tall and atheletically gangly still, his shorter friend following close behind. In one hand Ron was carrying the tallest coffee you can buy at Horton's and in the other, he held a glazed doughnut with a healthy bite out of it.

"Hey, Auntie Kay!" he greeted me in his husky voice. "We got here before you!" He had a huge grin on his face and he came over and hugged me. "This here is Manuel." Manuel, it turned out, was a Mexican lad of about the same age who had come to work for the summer. There were so few labourers available in this hot job market that the Canadian Government was relaxing its rules to allow some foreign workers to come fill the vacancies.

"Are you working as a mason too?" I asked. But Manuel was just starting, at the bottom of the totem pole. He was lifting, carrying, and transporting bricks and mortar around each job site. When the summer was over, he would return home with enough cash to buy a small business and go to school. He wanted to be an Electro-mechanical engineer. I could tell he wasn't the normal labourer. He knew two languages, for instance, and I never heard a swear word out of him, although I could imaging that Ron and his cohorts were probably completing the slang language part of his education for him with glee.

"We're working just down there on Harris Road" Ron explained. It's just down by the Subway." He looked at me expectantly. "Y'know where I mean? I looked a little blank. I'd been in the community for nine months now but I had no idea where he meant.

"It's down by the railroad track. It runs right through there. I thought it might be fun to take the train one day, but the train only goes one way in the morning, so it doesn't work for me. The train station is right there on Harris Road. It's right where MacDonald's is, on the highway. " He was now peering at me, wondering whatever had happened to my education. Didn't his Aunt know where the fast food places were?

'Yeah, yeah, I know where you mean" I said as it clicked in that he was talking about Subway the food place, not Subway the rapid transit train station though it really was the West Coast Express out here in the burbs.

"Well our construction site is the first one just after the railroad tracks."

A light bulb turned on in my mind. Hugh might equate values with laptop computers. Ron equated location with fast food outlets.

I've got a date on Tuesday with Ron. He'll come up and see the house, but not for long, he made it clear. He's on the fly.

I've got an update on Hugh. He took his dream to the Director of his School who agreed that the course was just too juicy for Hugh to pass up. Of course Hugh could go! He could make up the time he missed some other way and they would figure that out together.

Hugh has also inquired about the hint of a scholarship in the course prospectus that seemingly was proposed for tuition, room and board. It was probable that he was exactly the kind of candidate they were looking for. If that were so, then the only thing he needed was airfare and he thought he could manage that himself.

They've both grown up to be independent and useful citizens. I'm proud of them both and I'm a happy Aunt to have had a hand in getting them to this point; and a happy Aunt, to have heard from them both in just this one week.

As we all know, humans are true creatures of habit. This is true with many things in life, and skincare is no exception. We all learn that during our young lives, things like blemishes and acne make it essential that we cleanse our faces every day, and after a decade or two were expected to switch out those former productsfor cosmetics made for more mature skin that are full of vitamins and minerals. We use these products day in and day out in hopes that we will magically fall into some fountain of youth and float, yadda yadda ya, you know the story. In fact it should sound familiar because it could be you! Moral of the story, purchasing Certified Organic Skincare & Cosmetics can not only cover blemishes, but they can clear them up, and for good with regular use . Such products can fight against wrinkles by providing vitamins and minerals that humans cannot possibly squeeze into man made potions. Now I am not saying that you should boycott all non organic cosmetics, but by switching out the products below with Organic ones, you can keep the aging process at its natural speed, and not rush it.

Whats best you can keep your favorite MAC eye shadows (full of heavy metal dioxides) and Lipsticks/Lip glosses. This is because the areas of the face that need Organic Products the most are the forehead area, cheeks/nose, and neck. Put simply; these areas have pores that react differently to unnatural substances. Everywhere else you can cake on the makeup like a street tramp.

Step 1) Cleanse with, Avalon Organics Lavender Wash $12 Drugstore.com

Step 2) Tone with, Avalon Organics CoQ10 Perfecting Facial Toner$12 Drugstore.com

Step 3) Moisturize with, Kiss My Face Organics $19 Drugstore.com

Step 4) Foundation.

Foundation cosmetics have access to thousands of pinpoint size openings to your body, using non organic products can fill the skin with toxins that lead to breakouts, ingrown hairs, wrinkles etc. Try BARE NATURAL

by L'OREAL PARIS $16 drugstore.com

Step 5 ) To Bronze or to Blush? You decide.

Blush with, Kiss my face sheer color in Ruby $10 Drugstore.com

Or

Bronze- with, Physicians Formula Summer Eclipse Bronzing Face Powder $12 physiciansformula.com

]]> http://amandina.wordpress.com/?p=1361 Sat, 17 May 2008 06:56:28 +0000 amandina http://amandina.wordpress.com/?p=1361

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Nelson Mandela

I went video-streaming over YouTube. After a few songs, I suddenly realized that I felt a special attachment to this one video by Barbie's Cradle. It's the video of their song titled The Dance. I was quite overwhelmed. You may find it less overwhelming but on my standards, the simplicity of the video gave an effect that left me an impression of being satisfied.

The Dance

Would you be interested in dancing with me?
And maybe tell me all your dreams
Talk to me like you would in your sleep
Don't censor anything
Cause i wanna hear everything
There's no innocence left to spoil
You can swear she's not a little boy
We'll fly tonight so far away
Where they will never find us
Use your wings and i will run fast
Cause that's what i do when i'm not afraid
We've got it made up in our heads
We don't have to wait for anyone or anything
Go anywhere we desire
So close your eyes become blind
From the world listen instead to the girl
She'll tell you why she chose to fly
And you're left behind
Just like me alone and free
We can smile when we've filled the void
And treated the burn
But until then i believe
We're gonna have to learn
To discard any disguise we're using
Yes it's hard and it's never amusing

I immediately looked over the lyrics of the song and I found out how creative the writing was. It may actually pass out as an acceptable piece of work (in literary standards, of course). The Dance conversational monologue by a certain person who meets this one problematic figure in a dance.

Starting in a simple question: "Would you be interested in dancing with me?", the speaker offers a friendly approach to this person. The speaker offers to be a confidant, open to everything the other is willing to show. She adds "Don't censor anything".

In the middle of the song, we learn that the person being conversed by the speaker has problems with a certain female character that the speaker herself assures that "You can swear she's not a little boy". It supports the fact that "There's no innocence left to spoil".

My favorite part in the song is the line when the speaker says, "close your eyes, become blind from the world". I suppose it's a saying that would probably strike us directly to the target. It's paradoxical when someone tells you to become blind. But in this case, becoming blind is rather an answer to the problem.

The speaker then shows that she too suffers the same pain she says that "We can smile when we've filled the void and treated the burn" a wonderful image. It's quite innocent like that of a child being hurt. She assures that the other can be like her. She says "just like me alone and free".

It's wonderful how she combines both words. Alone and free.

Oh well, That's Barbie's Cradle for you! I hope you enjoyed my rough analysis to the song. It really is a wonderful song. I probably would make a poem out of it. It's a great material for writing. Till then, ciao!

As I noted in my introductory post for this series, I'm not going to be interacting highly with some of the primary and secondary sources on the theological significance of beauty. I'm mainly concerned with sustaining a right appropriation of the use of Scripture and the exercise of its authority. Since I have always tried to pursue a sound understanding of the relationship between Christ and culture, which by the way is a relationship that does in fact exist, I have inevitably encountered numerous discussions on the role of art in the world for both Christians and non-Christians. Moreover, when the issue of art arises, it is often followed by the reference of Exodus 28:2-3 as biblical support for making "something"--in this case "holy garments"--simply for the sake of beauty. However, after sifting through this text for a prolonged time and at an indepth level, I've come to be wary of feeling completely comfortable in citing this verse as a proof-text thereby justifying any kind of art that suceeds in exubing some sort of "beautiful" quality. It seems that there may be a possiblity for misreading the text which would allow it to become authoritative and permissive in the artistic community no more than it would be incorrect to assume that God's mandate for his people to wear "holy garments" still stands. However, I do believe that Ex 28:2-3 has some major biblical-theological contributions with respect to its application in the art world; we just need to narrow those down some before we take off slinging this text around anytime someone opposes the importance and necessity for Christians to appreciate and be engaged in the arts.

So what does God mean when he tells Moses to have Aaron's priestly garments made "for glory and beauty"? Well, the best way to determine the meaning of this phrase is by examining the purpose of the garments themselves. As we will see later in Ex 28:3, the "holy garments" were a necessary prerequisite for Aaron to be a priest before God. They had a role in his consecration, preparing him to enter into the Lord's service in the tabernacle on behalf of the people of Israel. Aaron's entire wardrobe was specifically articulated by God throughout the rest of Ex 28, culminating in his instruction for adorning his sons with "sashes and caps" also to be made "for glory and beauty" (Ex 28:40).

The extravagance of their garments was intended to symbolize a number of different things, but most obviously, the vestments pointed towards the glory and beauty of God. Yet, this was accomplished through observing the many layers in which God's design of both the tabernacle and the priest's robes alluded not merely to God himself, but also to his creative handiwork. Thus, just as the OT tabernacle was symbolic of both the earth, the heavens (i.e. stars, cosmic bodies), and the invisible heavenly dwelling-place of God, so also the priest's robes were symbolic of these things since they were crafted with much the same colors and stones as the tabernacle itself. Furthermore, the tabernacle would have caused the Israelites to be reminiscent of a pre-Fall time where the entire universe was God's cosmic temple. For example, just as the tabernacle consisted of three main courts, so also creation in a pre-Fall existence would have included earth, the heavens, and then the Garden of Eden, an inner sanctuary (e.g. the Holy of Holies). Likewise, in a very intricate fashion, the priestly garments were designed in three-layered parts which corresponded to the blueprint of the tabernacle.

There is so much material to mine with respect to the purpose and meaning behind the tabernacle, and more specifically in our discussion, the Aaronic vestments; however, to avoid the bottomless pit which I feel I'm about to step into, I want to transition back into glancing at the theological implications of the priest's robes and their relationship to beauty and how we should look at applying this verse today.

First, we must pay careful attention in the text to who the speaker is, namely, God. It is God who says that the garments are to be "for glory and beauty". In fact, not only does he command Moses to have these vestments made in that manner, but he even equips certain people with the level of skill and craftmanship needed to accurately and satisfactorily perform this duty (Ex 28:3; see also Ex 31 & 38). God had a special purpose in mind when he declared that Aaron's "holy garment" were to be so majestic in appearance. As mentioned above, the most obvious reason was for them to reflect God's own glory and beauty insofar as the priesthood was ministering in God's service. By bearing upon themselves "holy garments" made for the purpose of "glory and beauty" that were handcrafted by those whom God had filled with a "spirit of skill," the Aaronic priesthood, especially the glorious vestments of the chief priest, appear to be "an embodiment, enactment, and representative of the purity and holiness of Yahweh's self  (Brueggeman, Theology of the OT, 665)."

Therefore, the creation of "holy garments" in Ex 28:2 "for glory and beauty" had to do with explicit symbolism ordained by God that would clothe his chosen priesthood with a wardrobe which served not only as a reminder for his people of his creation of the cosmos, but even more so, it would represent the holiness and glory of the God whom they were serving and worshiping. There is much more to say on this part of the robe's theological significance, but bringing the discussion back to how we should apply the verse in today's world, I think we should be careful using it as a proof-text for any kind of art that is beautiful, even though it is done by someone who bears the imago dei.

In this case, the artwork involved in making the garments "for glory and beauty" was not just beauty for beauty's sake; but instead, as designated by God, the extravagant nature of the priestly vestments were meant to intentionally serve the Hebrews in pointing them in particular to the very nature and wonder of the God who was going to dwell among them. Aaron's "holy garments" had a very unique and divinely-appointed purpose. Thus, it is hard for me to enlist Ex 28:2-3 in an apologetic discussion on art in general. A painting or song lyric that is beautiful to the eyes or ears, yet fails to explicitly point the observer or listener to the God from whom all of its admirable qualites are derived is not the same type of creative activity that God tells Moses to oversee in Exodus 28.

On the other hand, Ex 28:2-3 does not in any way speak out against art in general or Christian art per se insofar as the priest's garments were also meant to reflect the beauty of God's creation. This point, whether knowingly or not, testifies to the reality of a Creator. Furthermore, this is so often clearly manifested when a person made in the image of God applies his or her own skill to a certain task whether it be art proper (e.g. paintings, sculptures, music), or say when my friend Bret does something really incredible with welding, or maybe when my friend Will, who is a landscaper, turns a regular yard into a something that looks like it ought to have a permanent place in a botanical garden. But, all in all, if a Christian artist wants to use Ex 28:2-3 as biblical support for his creative activity, then the fruit of his labors ought to, in a very intentional and specific manner, be constructed in order to point the onlookers not just to an unknown Designer or abstract ultimate reality, but rather to the God of the Bible. I would even go so far as to say that if one wanted to rightly set oneself within the artistic framework of Ex 28:2, the art should be clearly gospel-centered, but that's for another post.