Don't Forget to Watch!

Just a reminder that Jonathan Stampf, who was kind enough to send me a copy of his Hear My Voice book for review (click here to read it), will be interviewed live on "This is the Day" on Catholic TV, tomorrow (Friday) morning. If your cable/satellite provider doesn't carry the channel, you can always go to the Catholic TV website to watch it. The show will start at 10:30 a.m. EST, 7:30 a.m. PST. That means I'm getting up at 7 to watch it. :D Good luck tomorrow, Jonathan!

Now, I am going to take a nap (been up since the wee hours of the morning with anxiety) and then continue my movie marathon. (Note to self: Get the Good News DVD. I love June Allyson and Peter Lawford together. :D).

God Bless!

I Caved: Twilight Review; Must Watch!

Alright, so... I caved and I went to see Twilight. I usually don't like to get caught up in fan frenzy/mania of some franchises but I'd heard really good things about it, especially from my Christian and Catholic friends, that I decided to check it out. Also, this was a test for me because it was going to be the first time since I got sick that I've gone to the movies. I'm happy to report that my anxiety last about a minute or so. :D

Anyway, what can I say that other Catholic bloggers haven't said? Nothing really. I think a lot of people covered various topics/themes from the film/books in other blogs. I will just give my impressions of the movie... sort of a mini review.

The one that I loved most was that Edward was actually a gentleman throughout (most of) the movie. Granted, he "died" when society was different and men were actual gentlemen who opened the doors up for their dates, who willingly went to meet the girls' father, and introduced her to his family. Now? Yeah... not so much. I've only had one guy do that... and he's the one that's stuck around in my life the longest. Point being: there are not enough gentlemen in this world and it's a shame!

There was a scene where Bella and Edward could've easily gotten carried away but didn't... because Edward didn't want to. I won't go into more detail but I would like to point out a post Fr. Austin Murphy wrote on this scene and about true love waiting at his Jesus Goes to Disney World blog. I highly recommend you read it because, especially after seeing the film, I completely agree with what he wrote.

I have to admit that Bella and Edward's relationship reminded me of one that is near and dear to my heart. I think the main reason it reminded me of this particular relationship (and I really don't want to say who it is but let's just say it involves myself) is because Edward is so protective of Bella and wants what's in her best interest, and that's how it is in this relationship I've reminded of. He doesn't do or say things to her because he's selfish and he wants to do it. Edward places Bella first... all out of pure love. Okay, so he wants to kill her because her scent is intoxicating... and that's where our similarities end (thank goodness! lol!). How many of you can say that you've had to restrain yourself (either physically, saying something verbally, or even denying yourself something you wanted) because of the love you had for that person? Doesn't have to be romantic love, it can be familial or platonic. Now, THAT is what love is all about, kids. Oh, and getting a "hey... I actually liked this movie!" from your picky (extremely picky when it comes to movies) date is not half bad either. Haha!

Watching this movie from a "This is just a movie, Edward isn't real... snap out of it, girl!" point of view really helps show you things you'd otherwise miss if you were in a "fan-girl" sort of mode.

I won't write much more because I realized I've gotten carried away in my last couple of posts (with the length) so I will just give a couple of announcements... all you must watch! :D

First off, Fr. John (from my parish) is going to be interviewed on CNN between 9 and 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. Wish I would've posted this sooner but I was out almost all day. So, go check it out if you can. He's being interviewed on something that he's doing for the Catholic community, especially those in L.A.

Second: Remember my review of Hear My Voice (which, btw, would be a great Christmas present for any Catholic kids you might know)? Well, the author, Jonathan Stampf, was nice enough to let me know that he will be interviewed on Catholic TV on January 9th. He will be talking about his book (you can find the updated links to it -- and the new coloring page -- on the left side panel under "recommendations"). I hope you can watch it. And, if you're like me and don't have Catholic TV on your cable/satellite provider (darn Time Warner Cable!), I believe you can watch it on their website.

Alright, I won't keep you from enjoying the rest of your weekend. I expect to write at least 2 more posts this week... especially since it'll be this blog's 1 year anniversary on Christmas Day. :D I can't believe it's been a year already! Wow. :D Anyhoo... I will shut up now. lol. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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Hear My Voice Review; Vocation Signs?

Sorry it's taken a while to write another blog. So much classwork, so little time. :D I have a bit of time now, though, so I will get down to business. :)

I recently received a generous pre-release copy of the book Hear My Voice by Jonathan Stampf from the author himself. As I mentioned in the previous blog, I had seen the preview and liked what I saw. I was excited when I got the book and it did not disappoint one bit. The book's official title is Hear My Voice: A Children's Translation of Gospel Readings of the Catholic Mass for 2009... and that's exactly what it is! Mr. Stampf does an excellent job breaking down the Mass readings, from the First Sunday of Advent this year through The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (the entire Liturgical Year). I know when I was growing up, they tried to explain things to me, such as how exactly the three wise men/three kings gave Jesus at His birth, but I just got more confused. "Frankincense and Myrrh"? At 5 - 7, I didn't know what that was. "Perfume" I got. The way things are translated in the book is fantastic. It doesn't take away from the readings, at all. The illustrations in the book help a child's imagination grasp the readings even more vividly so that they'll learn and remember them more easily. One thing: I feel like he didn't "dumb down" the readings or talk down to the intended readers. Sometimes authors try to write books for children and it feels like they have a "I'm a grown up so I'm more knowledgeable than you... so listen to me because you don't know anything" sort of vibe. Not at all with this book. It has a very friendly way of explaining things. Overall, I was very impressed with the book! If they gave me to me as a child, I would've probably paid closer attention and not let my mind wander off so easily. lol. Seriously, though, this is such a great book and I highly recommend it for all. And, hey, both the beginning of the new Liturgical Year AND Christmas are coming up. This would be a great opportunity to get it! Just click here to check it out for yourself (and hopefully get a copy of it). I'll also keep it under "Highly Recommended" in case anyone wants to find it at a later date. :D

I would like to thank Mr. Stampf for being kind enough to send me a copy of the book. Best of luck to you! :D

Now, I have a question for everyone... if you know what your vocation is, how did you figure out what it was? Lately, I feel like I've been getting signs as to what my vocation should be... or at least I think they're signs.

On Saturday, at church during confessions, I felt like I got three signs. First, when I got out of the car and started heading towards church, this gust of wind got me from the back and it made my oversized shirt puff up so that I looked pregnant. I even thought to myself, "I wonder if this is what I'll look like if I ever get married and have a baby." Second, the priest gave me a "prayer for vocations" prayer (written by Cardinal Roger Mahoney; who's the Archbishop of Los Angeles) and asked me to pray it at least once a day or two-three times a week. The prayer is mainly for more religious vocations, though. I've already ruled out the vocation of a nun/religious sister. I didn't know Fr. Juan would give me the prayer but he did. And third, when I came out of the church I saw this young couple who had just gotten married, getting their pictures taken, in the parking lot. The young lady looked a lot like a high school friend of mine, who has the same name I do. I even had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't her. It wasn't.

I also had a dream yesterday, in which I was a mother. I had a sleeping newborn baby boy in my arms. I felt so much love towards that baby. We were in a car so I thought, "I hope he doesn't wake up because I don't have a bottle to give him." I could tell he was hungry so I decided to sing him to him so he's stay asleep until we got home. I started singing a Spanish lullaby (which is specifically a traditional Spanish Christmas carol). The baby cracked open one eye and looked up at the ceiling. He then opened the other eye, turned his attention towards me and smiled. It was the sweetest thing in the world and I thought "He knows I'm his mom, and he's happy to see me." So then I continued singing, and he understood what I was trying to do so he covered himself back up with a makeshift blanket he was wrapped up in. Then I woke up.

I don't know if those were signs or not but it's interesting. There's a vocations thing, for young people, at the parish tonight but with the amount of homework I have, I won't be able to make it.

Alright, well, I actually still A LOT to do before tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be able to write the next blog because my week is insane. My Oceanography final is this coming weekend, I have a math assessment test on Thursday (trying to test into a specific class), my English Lit midterm is coming up and have loads of papers to re-write for it, my History of World Religions class has its midterm (a paper) due soon... AHHH! lol. I need to remember to breathe sometimes. :D

I've taken enough of your time. :D I hope everyone had a great weekend! As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Checkin' In; My Poor Hair; Check this Out!

Just checkin' in here. Sorry it's taken me a while. School's been crazy these last couple of days -- Philosophy of Logic midterm exam (passed!), Shakespeare skit for English Lit class (done!), assignments for History of World Religions, and two papers, one assignment, and one test for Oceanography for this weekend. Lots of reading and memorizing. I did get extensions on some classes because of the fires (schools were closed for two days) but I want to do everything on the original due date because I want to have a social life sooner than later. lol. :D No time for much fun at the moment.

One thing I did get a chance to do yesterday was get my hair cut. Boy, do I regret letting the new lady cut my hair. I said "No Bangs" maybe 4 times while I was there. What happened? She gave me bangs... and cut like an inch higher on one side than the other. She did not listen to anything I asked her to do. My hair looks atrocious. I'm so bummed that it looks that bad. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's just hair and that it'll grow out. For now, bobby pins and ponytails will be my best friends. *sigh* Oh well, that's what happens.

One more thing before I go (so much due this weekend!). I recently got contacted by an author about a book that's being released in the near future. I got to see previews of it and it looks really good! The book is called "Hear My Voice" (A Children's Translation of the Gospel Readings of the Catholic Mass for 2009) and you can check it out here. I will be reviewing it as soon as I get my copy of the book (which will hopefully mean around tomorrow/beginning of next week); as soon as I have free time to do so. :D

Alright, I need to go eat a little more (still hungry -- it's 9 a.m.!) and then study for all that's due tonight and Sunday. Fingers crossed I can handle all of that without anxiety. *crosses fingers*

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless!