Gesu Bambino

Here is the song I will be singing tonight at my church for the Christmas Eve service. :) Except I'm not singing it opera-like and my version is faster. Merry Christmas!

Fourth Week of Advent: Deck the Rooftop by Glee

In honor of the fourth week of Advent- Deck the Rooftop, a mash-up of Deck the Halls and Up on the Rooftop. Christmas is almost here.

Star Wars survey

20 fun questions for all Star Wars fans -- Copy and paste them into your own blog and fill them out yourself!

01 ))
Who is your favorite character from the original trilogy?

Luke, Han, Leia, R2D2, C3PO, Obi-Wan, and Darth Vader, oh and Yoda.

02 ))
How would you rank the original trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

VI, V, IV

03 ))
What are two of your favorite action scenes from the original trilogy?

The destruction of the first and second death star,
Luke against Darth Vader in TESB
Luke against Darth Vader in ROTJ
Battle of Endor
Battle of Yavin 4
Cloud City

04 ))
What do you consider the most emotional scene from the original trilogy?

The "Luke, I am your father!" scene
The scene where Darth Vader defeats the Emperor
Sunset scene in IV
Where Luke and Darth Vader talk briefly
and the end when Luke burns his father, victory celebration begins to play and shows the planets in the galaxy celebrating and we see the three Force ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin together and looking happy(That ending has got to be the best ending of any saga, but Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, and Avatar: The Last Airbender come in as close seconds.)

05 ))
Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the original trilogy?

Luke action figure, and books.

06 ))
Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the original trilogy?
Obi-Wan's! I know he let himself die to protect Luke but still...he's my favorite character in the Prequel films and the EU. :( :(

07 ))
What's your favorite ship or vehicle from the original trilogy?

Millennium Falcon and X-Wings

08 ))
Who is your favorite character from the prequel trilogy?

Obi-Wan Kenobi!!!!!!!!!! and Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Padme. (For the EU I also love Siri Tachi and..well all of the Jedi.)

09 ))
How would you rank the prequel trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

III, I and II

10 ))
What are two of your favorite action scenes from the prequel trilogy?

Obi-Wan verses Anakin, the most intense duel in movie history
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon dueling Darth Maul.
Battle of Geonosis
Obi-Wan v.s Grievous "So uncivilized"
Opening battle of III
Mace Windu v.s Darth Sidious


11 ))
What do you consider the most emotional scene from the prequel trilogy?

The lines Obi-Wan and Anakin exchange throughout the Mustafar scene, especially the last few. "You were my brother Anakin, I love you" -My favorite line ever.
Order 66, both out in the galaxy and at the Jedi Temple
Qui-Gon's death
Yoda's reaction to the Jedi's deaths
Obi-Wan's reaction to the death of the Jedi and of Anakin's betrayal
When Obi-Wan talks to Padme
When Padme dies.
Sunset scene in III
When Bail takes Leia to his home and when Obi-Wan takes Luke to Owen and Beru.


12 ))
Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the prequel trilogy?

Action figures and books

13 ))
Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the prequel trilogy?

Mace Windu :(

14 ))
What's your favorite ship or vehicle from the prequel trilogy?
Jedi Starfighter

15 ))
If you could get a personalized Star Wars themed license plate for your car, what would it say?

The Warrior of the Infinite: A Jedi I shall be.

16 ))
Do you have a favorite Star Wars based video game?

Star Wars Republic Heroes. (I really want to play KotOR)

17 ))
Have you read any of the Star Wars books (expanded universe), and if so, what are your favorites?

Jedi Apprentice series
Secrets of the Jedi
Revenge of the Sith adult novelization
Young Jedi Knights series
Shatterpoint
Jedi Quest series
Junior Jedi Knights series
Legacy of the Jedi
Wild Space
Rogue Planet
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Outbound Flight
Darth Bane Trilogy
Crosscurrent
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

18 ))
Are you a fan of the "Clone Wars" cartoon series?

Yes, but I ABSOLUTELY HATE SATINE!!!(AND Taria from some of the books) And I don't like how season three is going.

19 ))
What (or who) do you hope to see in upcoming Star Wars TV series?
Awesome fight scenes. Oh, and I want SIri Tachi to make an appearance. :)

20 ))
If you were stranded on a desert island with one Star Wars character, who would you want it to be and why?

Obi-Wan Kenobi(when he's younger) because it would be awesome :). I'd get to know him really well and he could teach me some combat skills.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Yesterday, my sister and I went to go see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at our local theater. I had seen the reviews and knew it wasn't going to be completely accurate to the book. I have been a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia since I was around six/seven when my dad read the series to my sister and I. The series ended up sparking in me an obsession with fantasy stories which I still love to this day.
Anyway, when the film started the audience was taken to WWII England where Edmund Pevensie and his sister Lucy Pevensie are forced to stay with their Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Eustace who are all pains. The adventure begins when Lucy notices a picture in an upstairs room is moving and she, along with Edmund and Eustace, are pulled into Narnia. They end up being pulled aboard the Dawn Treader, a Narnian ship, lead by non other than Prince Caspian himself, who came into the story during the last movie. The Dawn Treader, Caspian tells them, is sailing off into uncharted waters to find seven lost lords whom Caspian's uncle at chased off after the death of Caspian's father. What follows is a sea adventure filled with strange islands, dangerous monsters, and an evil that is steadily growing and can only be destroyed at its heart. The characters, I was glad to see, each went through a change and learned something, most especially their cousin Eustace. The story, while wandering off from the book's original storyline, was well done and quite chilling, especially with the green mist. Even though there wasn't any large scale battles like in the last film, the fighting that does happen is intense and exciting(especially because Lucy fights!) Another thing I enjoyed as the relationship that built between Edmund and Caspian and when Caspian told Edmund he saw him like a brother I couldn't help but smile since. Brother-like relationships have always been a favorite of mine and this one was handled well.
The actors, especially Skandar Keynes who plays Edmund, Georgie Henley who plays Lucy, Ben Barnes who is Caspian, and Will Poulter as Eustace. Everyone, even the ones that I've seen in older films surprised me in their acting abilities and you can see that Edmund and Lucy they've grown from the two bickering kids who hid in the wardrobe. So if you've enjoyed the books, fantasy, or just want to see a good, well-acted film, then go see Voyage of the Dawn Treader in theaters today!
Cannot wait until the next installment!

Third Week of Advent: My Grown Up Christmas List

In honor of the third week of Advent: My Grown up Christmas List

In honor for the second week of Advent: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Here is Enya singing the song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" which is a song I will be singing at my church soon. :)

Writing Tips: Part 1 : Section B

Writing Tips
Part One: Genres
Section B: Science Fiction.

Science Fiction, (which is one of my favorites to read, write, act, or watch) is a large, exciting genre that can be split up into many mini genres such as: Hard Sci-Fi, Soft and Social Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Alternate History, Military Sci-Fi, Superhuman, Apocalyptic, Space Opera, Space Western. The ones I just listed are just the main ones but there are many smaller sub-genres that I could cover but also could fit into the ones listed above.
Science Fiction, generally is a story set up in the future or an alternate past and can include, time travel, aliens, different galaxies, highly advanced technology, dystopias or utopias, faster than light travel and robots/droids.
The first sub-genre of Sci-Fi I will write about is Hard Sci-Fi. Hard Sci-Fi is when the author tries to be extremely accurate on scientific and technical detail so that the advancements are actually plausible. A lot of books in this genre can be either be set in outer space or in the future. Some well known authors are-Isaac Asimov. Greg Bear, and Hal Clement.
Second, is Soft and Social Sci-Fi. Soft and Social Sci-Fi focuses more so on physiology, ecomnomics, politics and character's emotions more than how the science and technology works. Notable authors of this genre include Ursula K. Leguin and Phillip K. Dick.
Next is Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk was first created in the early 1980s by authors who combinded cybernetics and punk. Cyberpunk is normally about dystopias in the near future that include the Internet(cyberspace) and artificial intelligence. Notable authors of this genre are William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Neal Stephenson, and Pat Cadigan.
Time travel is the next genre and by the name you can probably guess what its about-time travel! This genre started appearing during the 18th and 19th centuries, one of the first novels being "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain. Another famous novel is H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" and what started the idea of a machine that could travel through time.
Alternate History is the next genre I will describe. Anternate History novels will take events in history and change them up to show what might have occurred if things had panned out differently. Some popular novels are "Bring the Jubilee" by Ward Moore where the South wins the civil war, and "The Man in the High Castle" by Phillip K. Dick where Germany and Japan win World War II. Another book I read that is from this genre is called "In the Year of the Hangman" where the British win the Revolutionary War.
The next genre I will discuss is Military Sci-Fi. Military Sci-Fi is about war-whether it be between national, interplanetary, or interstellar forces. The viewpoint is generally from a soldier's perspective and describe military procedures, rituals and other such things. Popular books include "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells, and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein.
Superhuman...hmmm...this should be interesting! When you hear the word "superhuman" the first thing you might think about is 'superheros.' Well, this is true since the Superhuman genre is about humans who have strange and different abilities. Some novels in this genre are: "Odd John" by Olaf Stapeldon and "More Than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon.
Apocalyptic, what a cheery subject(sarcasm). Apocalyptic fiction is about the end of the world whether it be by war, plague, astronomic impact, ecological disaster, or the destruction of humankind's self-destruction. This genre typically is depressing and can sometimes scare people but generally these stories are quite good.
Novels include: "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute, "The Last Man" by Mary Shelley, "When Worlds Collide" by Phillip Wylie and Edwind Balmer, and "The Wind From Nowhere" by J.G. Ballard.
Space Opera, and no, I'm not talking about the singing kind of opera but one of my favorite sub-genres of Sci-Fi. A Space Opera is an epic that usually takes place in outer space or other worlds and galaxies. The stories usually emphasize action and heroics and the conflict is generally on a large scale.
Some popular space opera's are the masterpiece Star Wars trilogies, Star Trek, the Dune series by Frank Herbert, and The Ender series by Orson Scott Card.
Space Western, that might sound a little strange but its a real sub-genre, a sub genre to a "space opera" actually. A Space Western is a story set in a futuristic space frontier, mostly stories that include colonies on new worlds that are similar to the American west. Space Westerns include the t.v show "Firefly" and the accompanying movie "Serenity." Others include the Japanese comics and animated t.v. series' Trigun, Outlaw Star, and Cowboy Bebop.
You may ask, can you mix more than one genre in my story? Well, the answer to that will differ from person to person but my answer is yes. Many good stories are a mix of two or more genres or sub-genres. My book series is even a mix of several Sci-Fi genres which are: Space Opera, Military Sci-Fi, and Soft and Social Sci-Fi
So there you have it, a short introduction to the amazing genre of Sci-Fi.
Till next time, where I shall discuss another genre-Fantasy.

Advent week one- Star Wars: Carol of the Bells

In honor of the first week of advent. The song is from Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Watch!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

A little while ago I got back from part 1 of the last installment of the Harry Potter series of movies. These movies have always been a favorite of mine and most of the time VERY well done (with the exception of the fourth which I found lacking).
Anyway, my parents, sister, cousin, and I went to the movie theater and sat in the soft seats, waiting for the first half of the end. The movie opens up, surprisingly with Hermione wiping her parents memories so she can protect them and leaving home, then goes over to the Dursley's leaving Harry so they can be safe and finally with Ron standing outside his house. After this the movie unfolds very closely to the novel (which I very much recommend) and even the dialogue was the exactly the same as the written word. The actors, especially Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter, Emma Watson who plays Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley all execute their roles all most perfectly and with full conviction that is absolutely outstanding. The story is very different from the preceding films, all most alien in its telling, but then, the book was the same way. Gone is the lightness and the innocence that filled the first books and films and finally the story comes into full darkness, with small glimmers of hope that appear every once in awhile. But even with the movies dark undertones there is humor, which is greatly appreciated in such a downing tale. The death near the end, even though I knew it would come, was heart wrenching and I even felt my throat burn which rarely happens in films since I don't cry easily. After leaving the theater I was filled with a desire to see part 2, to see how the story ends and how they will pull off everything, which I have a feeling they just might.
Now, we wait until July!

Me singing Learn your Lessons Well in Godspell last year!

Thirteen

These are images from the play "Thirteen" I did last weekend with my theater group.
I am the girl with curly honey-blond hair and wearing the black spider web shirt (sometimes a red jacket). The play is about how cliques form and how they can last and how you should be your own person. Sadly, I didn't get a good part in this show but hopefully I'll get a good role in my next show.

Writing Tips Part 1: Section A

Every week, I will post subject topics for novel(and series) writing.
Writing Tips Part 1: Genres
Section A: The Basics

The first thing to think about when writing is what you want to write about.
Do you want to write a story about futuristic dystopias, or a galaxy spanning epic? Or do you want to write about a fantasy land filled with magic, mystic creatures, and battles? Or do you want to write about real life, whether its past or present. Or even history and science.
Whatever you enjoy, you might like to know the names of the different genres-which I will discuss in depth during next few days. So now I will just say the names.
Here are some of the major ones.

1: Science Fiction (which can be split up into many sub-genres)
2: Fantasy (which can be split into separate sub-genres)
3: Historical Fiction
4: Contemporary Life
5: Mystery
There are other genres, such as Romance and Horror, that can be applied to the above and I will talk about them in either this part or in later ones.
So, let us embark on this writing journey my writer friends, for our stories unlock gates to whatever our mind's can imagine. :)

Good Song!

Shattered by Trading Yesterday. P.S. This isn't the whole song but I have the whole thing on my play list.
Good song to listen to when your sad.

An Amazing book I read this month!

My absolute favorite book of the month would have to be the adult novelization of "Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover, which is one the darkest and saddest tragedies I've ever read.
This is it!  The decision that Anakin Skywalker makes now will change the galaxy forever. The book is about darkness and treachery, brotherhood, betrayal and seduction and how a good man can fall farther then he ever imagined possible.
In part one which is titled "Victory", we are thrust into a space battle over Coruscant. As lasers rip through space and starfighters dance against a dark backdrop of stars. In this section, we are shown Obi-Wan and Anakin's camaraderie and we see just how close Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are; like father and son, best friends, and brothers.  It all felt so real, the descriptions are stunning, the fight scenes quick paced and exciting. The author was able to capture the true spirit of the characters.
We follow Obi-Wan and Anakin as they land in the hangar of the Invisible Hand and desperately rush to rescue Chancellor Palpatine, whom General Grievous has captured .
This part of the novel was just amazing,   Matthew Stover completely set the mood of the story, which we know is bound to be dark and emotional, fringed with a shadowy foreboding.  Some may think the author spent too much time on the battle over Coruscant, but I think it fit. It was just the right balance between action and character development, which I love.
The fight between Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin captures Anakin's anger and fear perfectly and you understand why it was so easy for him to kill Dooku, instead of taking him prisoner.
In part two titled "Seduction",  the story starts to get darker. Trust frays and even the steel bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin is tested to the breaking point. Anakin, upon being reunited with his secret wife, Senator Padme Amidala, finds out that she is pregnant. Later, he is besieged by dreams of her dying in child birth. Desperate to save his wife from death, which he'd failed to do with his mother, Anakin begins to unravel.  He doesn't sleep and his mind is filled with doubts in his own abilities and a suspicion of everyone begins to take hold of his heart. Meanwhile, tensions between the Jedi Council and the Chancellor are running high and Anakin, already filled with turmoil, is thrust in the middle of it. It begins with the Jedi Council asking Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, who was a close friend of Anakin's since childhood. This section was wonderfully gripping and dark and the explanation of how Anakin was seduced, slowly and methodically to the dark side, is completely believable and heart wrenching. It also explains why Anakin became so arrogant, why Anakin wanted a seat on the Jedi Council and why Anakin would risk everything to save his loved ones.
It was Palpatine and fear that caused his fall. Over the years Palpatine had planted seeds in Anakin, telling him that he was the most powerful Jedi ever, even more powerful than Master Yoda. It was Palpatine that told Anakin of how a Sith Lord named Darth Plagues had been able to influence the Force to create and preserve life. Hearing this, Anakin was filled with a burning desire to become a Master so he could have access to the Sith holocrons which, he believed, he could find the information he could use to save Padme. Also, when Anakin needs his guidance the most, his greatest friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is sent off to Utapau to fight and defeat General Grievous, which the Jedi believe will end the war. Alone in the tense ocean, Anakin begins to slowly drift away from the Jedi, fed by Palpatine's lies that the Jedi no longer trust him. The emotion and confusion is so strong that I felt sorry for Anakin and makes him very human to me, which is rare because with most authors he comes across as a whiny, immature being.
And when I finally reached the part where Palpatine reveals that he is indeed Darth Sidious, the devastation Anakin feels springs from the page and strikes you like a lightsaber. First Anakin draws his lightsaber then, when Palpatine tells him that if Anakin kills him, his knowledge dies with him. Anakin then collapses into a chair, struggling with whether or not to tell the Jedi about his horrific discovery. Finally he makes his decision and flees back to the Temple. The scene when Anakin tells Master Mace Windu that Palpatine is Sidious is one of the best scenes in the novel. Its extremely more devastating than in the movie and has much better emotion. Instead of just walking up to Mace Windu and telling him that Palpatine is a Sith, Anakin falls against the door frame, telling Mace  that he need to speak to Obi-Wan. Reminding him that Obi-Wan is on Utapau, Mace asks whats wrong. Anakin shakes his head and mumbles incoherently. Then Mace literally has to wrap his arms around Anakin and assist him over to a chair while Anakin, in a state of shock, tells Mace Windu the terrible truth with nine words. "Palpatine is Sidious. The Chancellor is the Sith Lord." Stover is a Master at writing Mace Windu and conveys his reaction truthfully in such a way that it makes your stomach clench in fear, for we know how all this will end.
In part tree, titled "Apocalypse", we watch as four Jedi Masters board a ship, the rain pounding all around them, as they fly to fight the Sith who had the Republic in his clutches for more than a decade. Anakin, whom Mace Windu had stay behind, is struck with fear that the Jedi will kill the Chancellor so he rushes from the Temple to the Senate building. The fight between the Sith and the Jedi is amazingly written, you actually feel saddened and when the end of each Jedi comes you realize that the worst is yet to come.
Once Anakin runs in and sees Mace Windu and Palpatine locked in combat, bands of azure joining them together, the choice he makes will alter the fate of the galaxy. And when he makes his choice, he seals his life to the Sith. With the death of Mace Windu, Anakin finally falls into the trap and is anointed Darth Vader and as he rids himself of the name Anakin Skywalker he also destroys his inner self. What ensues is the most heart wrenching of all-Order 66. Clones turn on their Jedi Generals and Darth Vader, along with the 501'st legion, attacks the Jedi Temple, murdering even the younglings in cold blood. Obi-Wan, after defeating Greivous with a laser gun and fighting the remaining droid army, barely escapes Utapau with his life. The story grows darker and even serene Obi-Wan is emotionally damaged by the near annihilation of the whole entire Jedi Order. Reunited with Master Yoda, they travel with Senator Bail Organa back to Coruscant. And more heart break is in store for Obi-Wan when he arrives at the Jedi Temple and sees the dead bodies of all the Jedi-young and old alike-which renders him to tears.
But the worst soon comes when Obi-Wan watches a security holocam and sees Anakin killing the Jedi along with the Clone Troopers. Shuddering in horror at the sight of the man he loved as a brother murdering the Jedi- the only family he has ever known- he falls to the floor and begins to blame himself for the monster Anakin has become. Yoda brings him out of his grief and tells him that he and Obi-Wan must fight the two Sith Lords and restore peace to the tatters of the Republic. Obi-Wan begs to be sent to fight Sidious because he can't-and won't-kill Anakin.
Yoda tells him that he is not yet strong enough to challenge the dark power of Sidious and Obi-Wan realizes that he must even though it will shatter his heart and rip him to pieces. Heavyhearted, Obi-Wan goes to Padme's residence to ask if she knows where Anakin is. While there, he is forced to tell Padme about Anakin's turning to the dark side and his slaughter of the Jedi at the Temple. When she realizes that Obi-Wan is going to fight, and possibly kill, Anakin she grows faint and Obi-Wan has to catch her and lay her down on one of the couches in her seating room. She tells Obi-Wan to leave but before he leaves he sees that Padme is pregnant and asks if Anakin is the father. Gaining no reply he says "I'm so sorry," and quickly runs out of her residence. When Padme secretly leaves the planet to question Anakin, Obi-Wan stows aboard. They fly to the planet of Mustafar where Anakin has already killed the Separatist leaders on order of Darth Sidious.
Darth Vader, putting on his Anakin face and letting Anakin's love for Padme fill him,  goes out to meet the ship as it lands. While Padme and Anakin reunite, Obi-Wan exits the ship. Overcome with rage at the thought that Padme had betrayed him, he grabs her in a mighty Force-choke, while Obi-Wan yells at him to let her go. Once Padme is unconscious he lets her fall to the ground and screams at Obi-Wan, blaming him for everything. The duel that ensues between two men is one of the best moments in the film and the book.
I loved the way it switched back and forth between the two duels- the other being the fight between Sidious and Yoda. I also loved how Mr. Stover described the fights. The ones between the Masters of the Jedi and Sith Orders is a battle between good and evil itself, light vs. dark, winner take all while the duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin is described as a personal, grief-ridden struggle between two beings who love each other. In the end, Obi-Wan manages to best Vader and Vader tumbles onto the banks of a river of lava, with his remaining flesh limbs severed from his body. While Anakin screams his hate for Obi-Wan- his father, his brother, his best friend, Obi-Wan responds with the best line in literature or film-
"You were my brother Anakin, I loved you." Obi-Wan leaves Vader's fate to the Force and departs Mustafar to take Padme,  to a medical center. She gives birth to twins, whom she names Luke and Leia and dies soon after but not before giving Obi-Wan the japor snippet which Anakin had carved for her so many years ago. Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Senator Organa discuss their next move and decide to separate the twins until they are old enough to over throw the Galactic Empire and their father. Yoda goes into exile on Dagobah, Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine to live with his aunt and uncle and lives nearby, to watch over him. Bail Organa adopts Leia into his family and he and his wife raise her as their own. Darth Sidious rescues his apprentice from the lava river and manages to heal him.
The part when Anakin wakes up in his suit might as well be the best scene in the entire book.
"This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker forever" it reads and we see how truly alone Anakin is now and how he must live with the consequences of his actions-towards Padme, towards Obi-Wan, towards the Jedi Order, and towards the Republic. The shadow is all he has left.
This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker..forever.
Luckily, the ending has a glimmer of hope, of good yet to come and even as the surviving Jedi weep, even as twilight descends on the Jedi and the republic and the galaxy is thrust into a dark infinite night, even though it appears all hope is lost Mr. Stover shows us that we still have hope that the galaxy will be set right.
Someday.

"The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins-but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.
Love is more than a candle.
Love can ignite the stars"

Thank you Mr. Lucas and Mr. Stover for your beautiful and tragic well-spun tale.
May the Force be with you.
May the Force be with the surviving Jedi
and May the Force be with us all.
Thank you,
Love can ignite the stars.