New Book Is Greenlit

After careful consideration and lots of praying, I thought I'd let you know that work on my new book is definitely underway. The plot is, of course, still in it's early stages but I have a working title for you: Pangaea (pronounced pan-gee-uh). The final title may take a while to reach you.

Some things I can say:

1. The story will be told from the perspective of two main characters. One from the lineage of sinners, the other from the lineage of 'the pure'. Their paths will be crossed eventually.
2. The world has, like the title suggests, never experienced the flood. Because of this, people will not age like we do. There will still be a layer of water in the atmosphere and yes, get ready for dinosaurs and dragons.
3. There will be a mix of technology and ancient. Throughout the beginning of the book, readers will be brought into a world that is believed to be our own, only to be surprised later on. You have unfortunately been spoiled by me in this aspect and I do apologize, though I am confident that the final work will still be well worth reading.
4. This post will be deleted in a few months to spare others from also being spoiled.
5. Thanks to my fellow Wikipedians, I give you the map of Pangaea:

What if...

It has been a very long time since I have had this happen to me. Too long, perhaps. My first book, Kate's Task, is nearly finished, but has been that way for a while now. It is true that my schedule is often crowded, but another reason has simply been a realization: How does this glorify God? After all, we should bring glory to Him in everything we do, right? I truly believe that. And my book isn't perverted or anything like that, but much of it was written before God had become my ultimate priority. So as a consequence, it has sat in my hard drive, still waiting for me. I do plan to finish it, but something else has caught my attention.
What if...? It is always powerful when a fiction writer sits back and thinks about it. After all, people have probably thought of it before, but has anyone truly taken the step? My most recent 'what if' might take me into dangerous grounds and I would most definitely appreciate your thoughts in comment form. So here it goes...What if Adam and Eve had had a baby boy and girl before eating from the tree that brought sin into the world?
And the answers and ramifications to those questions kept coming to me. Well, we would have a perfect and sinless lineage, wouldn't we? Most of the world would live in sin, but there would be many, perfect people still living in the world today. Then the main question here hit me: Would Jesus still have died on the cross for everyone else's sins? And my answer to that was yes.
There are issues. I do not want to write anything heretical, which would exclude any sort of words from God in this alternate world. But the main message would be what I have said: God is love. He gives everyone a chance. I have other ideas, since this definitely needs building up, but what do you think?

Life...Post #2

Well, because it has been over a month since my last Life Post, I thought I should go ahead and write a new one...got a problem!? Call Google and report me! I'd love to see you try...

In the midst of chaos and confusion brought along by incessant teaching, I have found an unwinding sanctuary... STARGATE!!! Ahh this show has given me so many good nights of sleep now that I simply do not know how to thank it enough. I would like to take this moment to congratulate all producers, writers and directors of Stargate. It doesn't matter if you won't read this, you're brilliant and you deserve it. Huzzah!
Alright, but seriously, I know you may be thinking that this does not deserve a place in my Life Post but it is the only portion of my life that is unrelated to work! Wellll I guess that statement isn't entirely true... I mean, there is Jeffrey and we hang out some...uhh...NO! Because he has also watched it with me!
Ok, now back to the seriousness of life. My documents have been sent to Crossroads! I was worried for a while because they were not answering my emails but they finally did to let me know that my I-20 would be here soon. This means good news. If all goes well, I should be able to get my visa with no problems. I trust you'll be praying for this. You will!? Aww you're so nice and special! I feel like I should buy you a toy!
My sister will be returning from Europe this Saturday! Crazy. It's been an entire year since I have seen her and this feels kind of strange... Is it terrible to say that we'd nearly forgotten we had a sister? But allas, there's a plane heading our way. She already bought her wedding dress and I'll definitely post pictures of the ceremony when it happens. Ooh and I'll get Dr. Pepper! Yes!
To be honest, however, what I am currently looking forward to the most is the arrival of one of my best friends. A certain Seth Bartal, if you must know. He'll be here July 1st and that is only a few days before school finally comes to a close. I cannot ketchuppy believe that I'll be done with school! But there are still three weeks left of that and seminary, so I'm trying my best to finish strong. The Lord is in control, yall. That's all I'm saying. Oh gosh I'm hyper right now. Seacrest out.

Summer Movies - Update : Angels & Demons

I don't know how many of you have noticed, but a trip to the movies this summer will most likely be worth it. As a tough-to-please critic, I thought I should talk about this. I will present below my top 5 choices for the season and edit this post regularly as they get released. Note that I have already seen X-Men Origins, so I have it ranked as my interest prior to the release date.

#5: Star Trek

I have to admit that I have never seen the TV show. So do not expect any sort of hard-core fan anticipation. However, my excitement for this movie comes from the fact that it is being produced by a couple of LOST-surrounding names. These are, of course, Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams. And yes, I do love LOST, hence the proper capitalized letters. Star Trek was released today (May 7th).

***Update: Just watched Star Trek last night. 3 words: Go. See. It. This film will come as a great surprise to many people. My expectations were set very low and I was blown away. Stardust is one of the few movies that have had this effect on me. And this is David Moraes, a Star Wars fan! If I had known the kind of treat I'd be walking into at the theater, I would have brought more snacks... Overall, first class summer entertainment.

#4: Angels & Demons

Although in my humble opinion The Da Vinci Code was a flop of a movie (I read the book), I am, perhaps foolishly, hoping they will get it right with Angels and Demons. It is Robert Langdon's first adventure, a prequel to Da Vinci Code. Since I never finished this particular book by Dan Brown, it may stand a chance against my scrutiny. Angels and Demons will be released on May 15th.

***Update: I am writing this just a few hours after seeing the movie, in order to keep it all fresh in my mind. In short, Angels & Demons was everything I did not expect it to be. And that was good! Although the film did drag along in the beginning, it quickly recovered it's pace, restoring much of the key elements found in Dan Brown's novels.
The character of Robert Langdon became enjoyable once again, losing much of his annoying genius trait from The Da Vinci Code. The chemistry in between Langdon and Vetra is just about a million times better than the Langdon/Neveau fiasco. Unlike Sophie Neveau, Vittoria Vetra has a purpose to be following the Harvard symbologist around. Ewan McGregor is also a strong addition to the cast, wrapping up the movie with perfection in an explosive finale. If The Lost Symbol is handled like this, we will have at least two solid Dan Brown adaptations. Until then, my fingers are crossed.

#3: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

So as I have mentioned, this movie has already been viewed by the masses, including myself. It was a good alternative version of the classic Wolverine tale we all know, but was nonetheless an altered one. Even though there were definitely some slow-paced scenes, like the obsession with a car going up Canadian hills, it was well worth watching. I think I may have been spoiled by the likes of The Dark Knight and Iron Man. Overall, a slightly above-average production in the super hero genre. X-Men Origins was leaked onto the internet two weeks prior to its release, on May 1st. I saw it in theaters, though. You have my word.

#2: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

This probably marks the first time in history that a Harry Potter movie is not my ultimate film desire. I have been a devoted fan for six years now and I will admit that Half-Blood Prince is my favorite book. But ever since Deathly Hallows came out in 2007, my Potter craze has been dramatically reduced. Still I was severely taken aback, together with countless others of the fandom, when the release date was pushed back from November '08 to July 15th '09. What Warner Bros. will do for money still makes me want to regurgitate yesterday's lunch.

#1: Up

And here we are at the top spot. As a long-time Pixar fanboy, I may be completely biased. But there cannot be a sane human being in this world who has disliked a Pixar movie. From Toy Story's originality to Wall-E's emotional and technical brilliance, this is the studio that has not disappointed us in any of their nine movies. It is true that Cars isn't exactly up to par with some of their best achievements, but it is still a long way ahead of any other pop-culture filled animation out there. The fact is simple: Pixar films will be watched over and over again by generations.
With Up, we have reached Pixar's tenth offering. The story revolves around Carl Fredricksen, a grouchy old man who decides to live through adventures and his little boyscout sidekick, Russel. Together, they will embark on their floating house for what will truly be an unforgettable journey. I should note that Up has achieved the "funniest Pixar movie yet" status, which is remarkable when we have all seen Finding Nemo. Up will be released on May 29th.

5 Reasons Why This Blog Is Pointless

#1: There are no readers. Why keep posting if no one is going to care if I don't? Not even my friends find this blog to be remotely interesting, despite all my facebook status efforts.

#2: I have no time. School is increasingly demanding and with it goes away my free time.

#3: Even if I did try to write at the end of the day, my brain is completely drained by then.

#4: Have I mentioned that I have no readers?

#5: There is also the whole readers situation...

NOW! Here is the reason why I am determined to keep this blog:

I like writing and I think blogging has inspired me to finish some of my stories. Apart from that? I'm writing for myself. Yes, comments now and then would be appreciated but I am glad to have fun on my own. Who knows? Maybe someone will stumble upon this page and fall in love with flirates... wishful thinking, indeed.