Why I’m Going to Use ShopWiki Next Time 16 September 2009
Posted by Renette in ShopWiki.add a comment
I’m pretty new to the entire online shopping experience. So far I’ve only bought stuff from two sites – Amazon and eBay. However, I recently discovered this site called ShopWiki, which is basically a search engine for all internet shopping stores.
What I liked about it is that instead of having to check all the other shopping sites out there for some of the hard-to-find items that I want, I only need to log in to ShopWiki and it will search the entire web for me. When I tried to look for the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre Series of The Chronicles of Narnia (one of the items on my wish list), I was routed to a site which sold it for less than Amazon did.
Another nice thing about it is that they have buying guides as well. It’s always nice to read insider tips on what to look for before purchasing the usual stuff I buy, like books, DVDs or movie memorabilia. They also have a pretty comprehensive list of related links.
I wish I discovered ShopWiki earlier so that I could have compared the prices for all my other online purchases. The next time I’m buying online, I’m going to use ShopWiki for sure.
A Christian Book Review on TWILIGHT 14 September 2009
Posted by Renette in Twilight, Twilight (Stephenie Meyer).add a comment
NOTE: This is a book review I did for Squeaky Clean Reviews, a website that analyzes books from a Christian perspective.
Although I did enjoy Twilight, I would have to say that Christians should read this with caution. I would also advise teens to read this with parental or adult supervision, especially the next three books.
You can also read my review here: http://www.squeakycleanreviews.com/review.cfm?review_id=781
PLOT
Following the Romeo and Juliet motif, this is the story of impossible love. Bella Swan leaves sunny Phoenix, Arizona to live with her dad in rainy Forks, Washington. There she meets and gets intrigued by her mysterious Biology lab partner, Edward Cullen. The attraction between them grows, but their relationship is complicated by the fact that Edward is a vampire.
MORALITY
Here are some of the issues raised about the book.
1. There will always be the question of whether romanticizing traditionally evil creatures such as vampires is wrong. Similar to the debate about having good witches in Harry Potter, this series started the debate on the acceptability of good vampires as protagonists.
2. Some of the characters have supernatural gifts. One of them sees visions of the future, which could be considered occultic.
3. Bella is willing to give up her soul to be with Edward for all eternity without hesitation, even though Edward believes that vampires go to hell in the end.
4. Bella lies to her parents repeatedly. She also allows Edward to stay at her bedroom every night without her father’s knowledge.
However, there are also themes in the story that could be good talking points for teens and their parents.
1. Edward (and his family) resists the temptation to kill people despite their thirst for human blood. They go against their very nature in order to do what they believe is right.
2. Even though he loves Bella, Edward doesn’t want her to become a vampire too because he doesn’t want to endanger her soul.
SPIRITUAL CONTENT
There are deeper spiritual discussions in the succeeding books, but in the first book, Edward mentions the age-old question of evolution and creation and even makes reference to the Creator in this quote:
“Well, where did you come from? Evolution? Creation? Couldn’t we have evolved in the same way as other species, predator and prey? Or, if you don’t believe that all this world could have just happened on its own, which is hard for me to accept myself, is it so hard to believe that the same force that created the delicate angelfish with the shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both our kinds together?”
VIOLENCE
There is some violence towards the end, although it is not described too graphically.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL CONTENT
In describing his attraction to the scent of Bella’s blood, Edward makes references to alcoholics and drug addicts. One of the most popular lines from the book and the movie is “You are exactly my brand of heroin.”
SEXUAL CONTENT
The main characters make out, and Bella sleeps in Edward’s arms nearly every night (although nothing happens, since Edward is adamant about keeping both their virginity).
CRUDE OR PROFANE LANGUAGE OR CONTENT
Some of the characters sometimes display disrespect towards their parents. Obsessive, unhealthy love seems to be encouraged.
CONCLUSION
This is an interesting read for people who are willing to overlook the negative points in the story. It’s fast-paced, exciting and quite entertaining. However, because of some of the questionable elements of the story, parents are advised to warn young teens or new believers from reading this book as it may negatively affect their relationship with God.
Beat It 2 September 2009
Posted by Renette in Michael Jackson.add a comment
Once upon a time, there were two rival gangs – the Jets and the Sharks. Tony, the best friend of the leader of the Jets, fell in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. They try to make their relationship work despite the gang rivalry. However, during a violent rumble, Maria’s brother kills Tony’s best friend. Enraged, Tony kills Maria’s brother and runs off. To avenge their leader, a member of the Sharks shoots down Tony, who was about to run off with Maria.
This is the plot of West Side Story, a Broadway musical which was later made into a Hollywood film. It presents the cruel consequences of violence, 
especially among teenagers. It was also the inspiration for the award-winning music video of Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit song “Beat It.”
Composed by Michael Jackson, the song advises the listeners to “beat it” in order to avoid violent confrontations: “You better run, you better do what you can / Don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man / You wanna be tough, better do what you can / So beat it.”
It was not a secret that Michael Jackson suffered physical abuse in the hands of his father while growing up. Being a victim of abuse caused him to develop very strong convictions against violence, which is reflected in his music.
Directed by Bob Giraldi, the music video of “Beat It” catapulted Michael Jackson into superstardom and won many awards, including Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Soul Video in the American Music Awards. It was later inducted in the Music Video Producer’s Hall of Fame.
Similar to West Side Story, the music video of “Beat It” shows two rival gangs of different ethnicity. When the leaders of both gangs 
are about to start their one-on-one knife fight, Michael Jackson appears between them, singing “Beat it… / It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right / Just beat it.” He is able to stop the fight from happening, and members of both gangs join him in a group dance choreographed by Michael Peters (who is one of the leaders of the gang).
Movie Connections – Narnia, Harry Potter and Twilight 30 July 2009
Posted by Renette in Harry Potter, Twilight.2 comments
I don’t really consider myself a fan of fantasy, but there are three popular fantasy franchises that I enjoyed – The Chronicles of Narnia (my all-time favorite), the Harry Potter series and the Twilight saga. It’s interesting how the movies caused some movie connections in the sense that an actor that appeared in one franchise appeared in another as well.
I found connections between Narnia and Harry Potter, and Harry Potter and Twilight, but none yet between Narnia and Twilight. Thankfully, the rumors that Ben Barnes aka Prince Caspian himself was lobbying for the role of Aro in New Moon seems to have been unfounded. Anyway, here they are, with a brief description of the roles of the actors. Please let me know if there are others that I missed.
NARNIA and HARRY POTTER
Jim Broadbent
- played the role of Professor Digory Kirke (who owned the wardrobe through which Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy entered the world of Narnia) in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first Narnia movie released by Disney – Walden Media
- played the role of Professor Horace Slughorn (the potions professor who inadvertently told Voldemort about horcruxes) in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Warwick Davis
- played the role of Nikabrik (the black dwarf who lived with Trufflehunter the badger and Trumpkin) in 
Prince Caspian, the second Narnia movie released by Disney – Walden Media. Incidentally, he also played the role of Glimfeather (the owl) and Reepicheep (the valiant mouse) in the BBC Narnia productions of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- played the role of the half-goblin Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies whose appearance changed throughout the series. He also played some extra roles in Harry Potter, such as a goblin bank teller in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and choir conductor in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Kenneth Branagh
- performed The Magician’s Nephew in
the HarperCollins audiobook series of The Chronicles of Narnia. His performance along with Patrick Stewart’s in The Last Battle was my favorite.
- played the role of Gilderoy Lockhart (a foppish celebrity wizard who turned out to be sham) in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Rumor has it that Hugh Grant was initially eyed for the role, but I’m glad they went with Branagh in the end. He was perfect for the role.
HARRY POTTER AND TWILIGHT
Robert Pattinson
- played the role of Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff prefect and Hogwarts champion for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Curiously enough, many believe J K Rowling got the name of Cedric Diggory from Narnia’s Professor Digory Kirke. This is obviously the most well-known movie co
nnection in the fantasy film genre.
- played the role of Edward Cullen, the vampire who fell in love with a seventeen year old girl, in Twilight and the succeeding movies of the Twilight saga. The role of Edward Cullen is widely considered to be Robert Pattinson’s breakthrough role, which he almost didn’t get because some fans were complaining that he couldn’t be Edward since he was Cedric.
Jamie Campbell Bower
- has reputedly been cast in the role of Gellert Grindelward (the childhood friend of Albus Dumbledore) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- will be playing the role of Caius (the lead vampire of the Volturi) in New Moon, the second book in the Twilight saga.
Gone Too Soon 28 July 2009
Posted by Renette in Michael Jackson.add a comment
A lot of people have seen Usher’s emotional rendition of the Michael Jackson classic, “Gone Too Soon,” during the memorial service for the King of Pop last 7 July 2009. The song was sadly appropriate for the legendary artist’s sudden passing: “Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight / Here one day / Gone one night.”
Released in 6 December 1993, “Gone Too Soon” was the 9th single from the album Dangerous. It was composed by Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan, and was produced by Michael Jackson himself.
The music video of “Gone Too Soon” shows video clips of a young American teenager named Ryan White, to whom the song was dedicated. At the age of 13, Ryan White became infected with HIV due to a contaminated blood treatment used to cure his haemophilia. When the fact that he was HIV positive became publicly known, he was expelled from school. This started a prolonged legal battle to allow him to go back to school, which turned Ryan White into a national celebrity and a poster child for AIDS.
White frequently appeared in public to promote AIDS awareness 
with celebrities like Michael Jackson, who became his close friend. The pop star even gave him a red Mustang convertible as a gift. A few months before White’s high school graduation, he finally succumbed to AIDS after battling a lung infection. Michael Jackson attended his funeral, along with other celebrities who have become close to him throughout the years.
A few months after White’s death, Michael Jackson recorded the song “Gone Too Soon” as a tribute to his young friend. He also performed the song for President Bill Clinton’s inaugural ball on 20 January 1993, where he took the 
opportunity to talk about the importance of AIDS research.
Another untimely death led to the re-emergence of the song in 1997 – that of Princess Diana, who died in a car accident on 31 August 1997. “Gone Too Soon” was included 
in the compilation album in her honor, which was called Diana Princess of Wales Tribute.
Although the song never reached #1 in the charts, “Gone Too Soon” will always remind the world of a brilliant artist who was gone too soon.
