Stopping Your Inhibition- Kony 2012

Please! Just watch this above video!!!


What just happened there? You took a moment to think about what you were just asked to do. Your eyes went up the rectangular play button as you gave the thumbnail picture a once over. You instantly doubted the words of a stranger asking you to click on a link. You don't like being bossed around, or suckered into what might be a scam or silly trick. And yet you're still reading this, trying to get more information, trying to decide whether or not to watch the above video.

If you're anything like me, and 99% of the rest of the world, you still haven't watched the video (if you're the 1%, then hats off to you). Why should you, after all? You know nothing about it, and chances are you stumbled onto this page completely on accident. Google Images probably brought you here. But I'm asking you to stay just a while longer. A part of you is still curious, still willing to listen.

We've all dealt with inhibition before: the moment of decision, of weighing pros against cons, of evaluating the risks and benefits of any given situation. It took me about twenty minutes to decide whether to take a chunk out of my night today to write this, if it was worth it to come back to my blog after a month or two of inactivity. But if even one person, out of all the readers who happens upon this (it could be you!), decides to take a leap of faith and watch the video, then it will all be worth it to me. In all seriousness, just do it. Just watch the first few minutes of the video so you know what I'm talking about. You made it this far, so I'll even provide another link HERE. Come back after you know a bit more about what I'm talking about.

Kony needs to be stopped. There is no doubt about that, and I'm sure 99% of you people out there agree with me. But why is it that this conflict has dragged out for so long? It's inhibition. We watch a video, feel sad and enraged, experience a twinge of guilt, decide mentally to contribute... and then what? We go about our day. Our inhibition takes over. It's an automatic process, as we start to weigh the value of the effort needed to DO something. I'll be the first to admit the irony of my situation, but it's something that everyone deals with.

Inhibition prevents things from being done. In a world dominated by Facebook and the internet, why not use that to our advantage? Don't think about what your friends and family will think when they see that you've shared another "chain" link as your status. Don't check to see what the thumbnail will be, and what others will think about you posting it. Don't stop to contemplate whether or not you'll get enough "likes" or comments to make your effort worth it. See? You're inhibiting yourself now.

Until there is instant communication between people and nations, ignorance is the real threat. I only learned about the Invisible Children organization a few months ago, by chance, when our school had an assembly about the conflict in Uganda. There are more than 300 million people in the United States. If everyone knew about Joseph Kony, he would be arrested in a heartbeat for his unimaginable crimes. You are now one less person who has not heard the word. The beauty of "Kony 2012" is that like anything else on the internet, it has the potential to go viral. But let's make it happen.

I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed right now after sharing the Kony 2012 video. I don't care that I've gotten only one "like" since I posted it. What's cool is that I see three more of my friends donating their status to the cause. I scroll down in my history and see others that posted/shared the message even before I did. It's hard to trace it to just one of my friends, but I know it's because of Facebook that I'm writing this post right now. Unlike other chain statuses, I truly hope this doesn't die for a while. Here is one of my friends' awesome, inspiring, summarizing words after sharing the video: (his exact status) This dude Kony is seriously a piece of shit.

The Christmas Story

Merry Christmas 2011 everyone!!

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" Luke 1:10. No matter how many times I go back to the bible and read about the birth of Jesus and the shepherds and the angels, it always strikes me as such a miracle. How miraculous was it that God actually sent his son to be born in the humblest of ways here on Earth! He came as the Savior for us all, and I think it's so amazing that people all over the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus right now. Not only are we celebrating Jesus' birthday, but we're also celebrating the salvation and love that he brought to Earth. It's not even a holiday limited to one country or one culture, but one for ALL the people. That's what I think makes Christmas stand out... it's not all the presents and Christmas trees and cookies, but the meaning of the day to people around the globe, who are celebrating in spite of hardships and financial difficulties. In the end, though, you're never too old or too knowledgeable to hear the Christmas story again. This retelling of the Christmas story by the children of St Paul's Church will make you smile.

Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

This song brings back memories of working out over the summer at LeMoyne college. Great song, but this person takes creativity to a whole other level. Seriously, who has time to think up something like this? Kudos to them I say, I was bored for the first 50 seconds but was smiling for the whole rest of the video.

People are awesome, but God more so

This is both fun to watch and amazing to think about. Can't help but feel a little bit inspired after watching this, huh? You might not be able to do some of the crazy stunts in this video, but every day you are doing amazing things as a human being. Conversing with one another, caring for each other, being able to relate to each other and the other 7 billion people in the world. Every person has amazing potential- just look at all the diverse sports and interests represented in a short 5 minute clip! I personally think that all my talents and abilities were gifts from God- there's no way I would be able to do all that I do on my own. In my mind, this video could just as easily have been titled "God Is Awesome," in the way that He is directly responsible for each and every one of us.

The Lion King- 3D in Theaters

Disney certainly knew what they were doing when they decided to bring back The Lion King to theaters, this time boasting 3D animation for a limited 2 weeks. It was a smart move- I just came back from watching it tonight and the theater was packed, most of whom were teenagers. I mean, the original one came out in 1994. But having it brought back to us made it that much more exciting and epic to go see. The movie was GOOD. Better than I remembered from last watching it five or six years ago, though part of it is the retouched animation and high quality resolution. It's such a classic. All of it- the epic story, the music, the characters... they were brought back with just the added touch of being in 3D. It wasn't eye popping, but it fit nicely and was comfortable to watch. I think most of the awesomeness came from just the movie itself, which is a fantastic movie for all ages.

I'm hard pressed to think of a movie with more vivid and alluring characters. The grandeur of seeing Mufasa on the big screen, the antics of Rafiki, the sheer hilarity that naturally comes with Pumbaa and Timon, the chilling wickedness of Scar... I mean, the stampede scene and Mufasa's fall was just epic. Heart-wrenching, but epic. And just revisiting everything else and enjoying the movie with friends made it special to watch again. I was particularly moved by the songs- partly because my friends were singing along and reciting lines by heart throughout the entire movie, and partly because they were just awesome. The voices are so charismatic. Rafiki and Scar are my two most favorite characters, hands down. Scar's cruelty makes me hate him to death, but I love him as a character and the embodiment of evil. A lot of movies and books are defined by how well the bad guy is portrayed. And Scar's "Be Prepared" song in the movie gave me chills because I always hated that part when I was watching the Lion King as a kid.

Hans Zimmer and Elton John, I applaud thee. The music and voices in the movie are the absolute best. Listening to the soundtrack makes me want to go trek trough the African savanna, find a pomegranate, smear it on a lion cub's forehead and just hold it aloft a giant rock in triumph. Absolutely legendary.

Thought of You- (Film/Animation by Ryan Woodward)

I think this captures human expression beautifully.

Interesting commercials

Some commercials just make me laugh. When I saw the hamster dance commercial for Kia Soul, I just had to go back and watch it again. (Song is Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO.)

It's funny how a popular or recent pop song can really make a commercial stick in your head (successful marketing right there, I guess). And how about this Doritos commercial from the 2007 Superbowl?

But then there are also commercials that are truly inspiring. I remember this one from a while back that I loved watching every time it came on. So much so that I even found it on Youtube. They made the soundtrack into a whole album entitled "The Blue Sky Project." This particular clip uses the song "Pirates," but I still think back to this commercial every time I hear it on my ipod. The boy, the ships, the billowing sails... to me the music captures the essence of youthful imagination. 

What other commercials have you seen that you think are really memorable? Let me know in the comments below!

Youtube has everything

(Rainy mood cont.)
Thanks to a comment on my last post, I can know re-create that peaceful rain patter on the windows anytime I want to... even if it's bright and sunny out like it is right now. AWESOME. I wish I had a computer in my room so I could fall asleep to this every night. It's so peaceful, too, that I think I'll auto-replay it and listen to it if the house is getting loud and I need to focus or just think. (So thanks "anonymous" =] I love when I get interesting comments like this.)

So here's the link so the rest of you can enjoy it too:

This just made me marvel at the variety of things that Youtube has to offer. I mean, I'm a frequent visitor, but I'm still amazed at stuff like this that I can get for free. And there's probably tutorials for just about anything you can imagine. Someone should make a blog and try to post a new (but different style of video) everyday. Now that'd be interesting to browse through.

Bottle.

Haven't you always wanted to try the message in a bottle thing? Take a glass bottle, put a keepsake or message in it, cork it, and let the ocean randomly deliver it to someone who might live far away and might pick it up far into the future. This is a pretty awesome stop-motion vid. I'm definitely gonna keep this and watch it again in the future. I love the comment on the video about them always being together and as one though. =D

My New Favorite Haiku

The picture just makes it that much better.

Kung Fu Soccer.... Volleyball?

Amazing. Just wanted to share how ridiculously good people can get at a certain skill or talent. In this case, it's doing flips and backward high kicks while playing volleyball with your feet. Kung Fu soccer? Most certainly in my book.

California

in-n-out, pinkberry, and dim sum- these are all foreign things to andrew lee. he doesnt even know what a pillow pet is. however, no worries to everyone who reads his blog. andrew is having an awesome time here at his cousins house. not only is he well fed, but also he enjoys every activity we do mostly because he's the one who chooses them. "sure" is the answer he gives each time we suggest an activity. we have yet to go eat boiling crab, go to the beach, and play badminton. in addition, andrew keeps in shape by running to the community center track, running two miles there, and back across a bridge which overlooks an expressway. no it is not 3:33am right now but 12:33am so andrew is still up writing in his journal and the only word i've caught a glimpse of is "esther". although he would rather have fun, he has college essays to write and ap hw burdening his shoulders just like his cousin; plus, he forces her to brainstorm college essay ideas. yes, he is having the time of his life baking oatmeal raisin cookies.

-one of the many cousins of Andrew Lee :))

Parody Trailers

These are really well done, haha all credit to the original makers. Make sure you watch the first trailer first to understand what the parody is about.

Subconscious Spasm

My friends and I were very entertained by this website the other day titled "Silly Mind Tricks." Before I go any further I'd encourage you to check it out for yourself... http://www.ijmc.com/archives/1998/December/02December1998.html

Some of them might be familiar or you've done them before, but the concept is the same: your brain doesn't always think in the same way that you think it does... weird thing to think about, isn't it? I was a bit surprised at some of the results that I got, compared to what some of my friend's saw. It's cool to think about your subconscious and what might actually be churning there when you consciously think or experience something. (Inception anyone??) Maybe it takes a shorter route to arrive at a conclusion, bypassing some thinking paths that slow down conscious thought. Or maybe it's some entirely different way at arriving at thoughts. I'll never know, that's for sure.

But it's kind of weird, knowing that you're actually thinking and computing and brainstorming ideas when you're just resting or watching TV or sleeping. I can just picture the brain waves that are sent out each second out of our skulls that we aren't even aware of. I just hope my subconscious doesn't suddenly malfunction or spasm (though maybe our subconscious is totally responsible for those Eureka! moments...)

Anyways, I thought these examples were pretty cool. Entertaining, at the least. I am very curious about that third one, though... leave a comment or something if these tricks really did work for you. You know your subconscious wants to.... =]