So this is Christmas, and what have you done?

Hello all,

I know that it has been a very looooong time...... I unfortunately got really busy with culinary school, and my new job. ( I know that this is no excuse.) This year has flown by me soooo fast, it has been a crazy one. As this Christmas season has rolled around I was feeling very haunted by the John Lennon song, "Happy xmas, war is over." Every time I turn on the radio this song is on.

I finally decided that John Lennon must be trying to tell me something, to quote the late singer.... "And so this is Christmas... and what have you done.... another year over..... and a new one's just begun." Well, this is Christmas, and WHAT have I done. I started culinary school at Washburn Institute of Technology this year. I got my first official job, I cut off my 3 foot long hair.......... but what does all of this mean? What made this year different for me than any other year? As this song continues to haunt me I wonder what I did that was so special, what did I do, not only for myself... but for others. Seeing people this Christmas season that were needy-er than I made me feel very selfish and snobby. The clock is slowly ticking down to midnight, when my family will all pile in the car and head off to Midnight Mass. I wonder as I will set in a dark and quiet church if there is still some time for me to finish this year with the Joy of Christ and to start off next year with a more giving and open heart. It is so unfortunate that I have always been told that Christmas isn't about gifts, or food, it's about Family and Jesus' birthday. But somehow, it has taken me 16 years to see and experience it. As Christ becomes ready to enter our world as a pure-sinless baby, I am hoping He will take my broken, blemished heart and make it new and clean, if only for His pleasure. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good-night!                                                                                                         

Whistle while you work,                                                                                                                                 Emma                                                                                               

My BIG delimma

I like to think of myself as a creative thinker, I like to come up with stories here and there. When I am bored, I simply add more to the story. I have thought about it countless times, and decided, " I should right these down!" But then I encounter a few problems.

1. I start writing in a notebook, and then I lose the notebook. I have at least 20 missing notebooks and stories, where they go? Nobody knows.

2. I start to write, and then I decide that I don't like something, the character's name, the setting, the character....... the entire plot.

3. The story sounds really good in my head, but then really, really, really, really dumb on paper. Like how did I even come up with that in the first place?

4. As soon as I get my pencil and paper ready, I forget everything about the story. It's just completely gone. Where did it go? Nobody knows?

5. My stories are apparently way more dramatic than I thought. Somewhere along the way, the story gets lost and a soap opera turns up. Needless to say, I would make a really good soap opera writer.

6. I decide I should type it up instead of making a paper copy, and I either forget the name of my document, or I only get as far as the title.

7. I feel like I would really enjoy writing, but I am really busy ( A.K.A I would rather take a nap) and just can't find the time to write down an entire book.


Does anybody have any tips? Because I would LOVE  to hear how other people manage to write and have a life at the same time.

Whistle while you work,
                         Emma Mooradian

The reason that I will not be watching Wonder-woman.

As you probably know, DC has decided to make a Wonder-woman movie. At first I was very intrigued. I mean I really liked Wonder-woman when I was little, I liked her not because she was one of the first female super-heroes or because she could perform amazing feats. I just thought she was cool, until I got a little older and started to detest her skimpy little outfit and objectifying fighting style. Now I know that Comics aren't great, in fact they are a gateway to awful, horrible things like pornography. I always thought that female super-heroes were supposed to be role models for little girls.  If I had a daughter, I would never want her to try to grow up trying to get a "perfect super-hero" body or to wear barely covering clothing. I would want my daughter to have this,

                                         
or this,
                                       

or this to look up to.
                                           
Girls today should have something better, something that shows them that they can be both strong and beautiful without having to prance around half-naked.

Another less important, but nerdy reason that I refuse to see it, is that DC is stealing Captain America's story, a new strong super hero who is in the U.S. to fight the Nazis, carries a shield and just happens to wear red, white, and blue. Because Marvel totally hasn't done that before. *exasperated eye-roll and sigh*


Whistle while you work,
                                  Emma

The Last Battle, Aslan and Tash.

For those of you who have read The Last Battle by C.S Lewis you probably know who Tash and Aslan are. ( If you haven't read it, it's the last installment of the Narnia series, also in my opinion the best one.) For those of you who haven't, Aslan is the god or creator of the Narnians, while Tash is the god of the Calormens.
Aslan is a kind and loving god, written to portray none-other than the Christian God. He comes in the appearance of a lion a strong similarity considering that the tribe of Judah's symbol is a lion, and Jesus is that Lion.
                          
On to Tash, he is a horrible looking creature with the head of a vulture, a skeletal body, and four arms.
                              
Not only was Tash awful looking, he was a cruel and awful god, only appeased by human sacrifices.

During the Last Battle the unfaithful Narnians and Calormens begin to call Tash and Aslan the same god just under a different names. They summon Tash, believing that he wasn't truly real. However, Tash came, bringing with him the "stench of death."  He would later kill the followers that mocked him, bringing them to his land or underworld.
When Aslan returns, he doesn't kill any of his followers, but instead offers repentence and a chance to open their eyes and join him in his land ( Heaven.)

Now, I can see how Aslan is God and Tash is Satan himself, but I was thinking the other day, and I was able to make another comparison. Have any of you heard lately of people today saying that  the Christian God and the Muslim god, Allah, the same? We can observe that God is a God of love, He is loving and gentle, offering repentance to all. However Allah is not a god of love, he is cruel enslaving mankind, proclaiming them no better than dogs. It is believed that Allah is pleased by the ( human) sacrifice of taking your own life. While humans are sinners, God never finds pleasure in their deaths or in enslaving them.

I can't help but think that nothing good will come from calling God by the name of Allah, as nothing good came from calling Aslan Tash.

Let me know what other similarities you found in the Last Battle that is something going on today.  C.S. Lewis might have had some kind of insight, but these issues are the same today as they were in Jesus' time.

Whistle while you work,
                                 Emma

Rain, rain go away?

So lately it has been raining all day, every day in Topeka for the last week and a half.  Almost everyone I talk to is hating the weather, but I love it. I can be described as a pluviophile.
                               
 Rain is so relaxing and calming to me. I can understand how people don't like the dark weather, or the fact that they get wet when they go outside, but I love the smell, darkness, and wet factor of rain. I honestly want to go to Ireland just to watch it rain.  
                         
                                             ( This is soooo beautiful to me.)

I also want to go to NYC in the rain.
                                          
The lights, the noises, the people, add some rain and New York is my dream destination.

I think that I like rain so much because I like the night. I am definitely a night owl, I don't normally go to bed until around 11:30. ( on the weeknights) But on the weekends, I stay up until 12:30 or later. This sounds weird, but I feel safe in my dark house, with only a few people awake, a cup of coffee, and a good book.  So when it rains, I do the same, drink coffee and read books while the members of my family nap.
To me rain seems life-giving, you can't have anything grow without rain. I also love the steady rhythm and the sweet fresh smell of the earth after rain.
 Let's just appreciate that someone took time to take beautiful pictures of rain,

                                

                                
                           
                                
                         
                                 
         
                                 

                                  

                                  
                           
                                  

                                  

Summed up in a quote, spoken by some anonymous person,
 " There is a quiet beauty found in nature when heaven weeps."
                                 
whistle while you work,
                               Emma

The Saint behind St.Patrick's day.

What normally comes to mind when you think of Saint Patrick's day? People wearing green, being pinched when they don't? A parade? A beer? A shamrock? Whatever you think of, it probably isn't the kind old bishop for whom the holiday is named.
                                  
It was always saddening to me when people would use St. Patrick's day as an excuse to get drunk, because it is all in the "name of Ireland."  Just like Saint Valentine and Valentine's day, St. Patrick's day means so much more than what people do to celebrate it.  So first, some history......

Saint Patrick was born sometime in the fifth-century in Great Britain. He was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave. After six years of slavery and tending sheep, Patrick ran away and made his way back home. He became a priest, and then a bishop. He felt like God was calling him to return to Ireland and convert his captors. Eventually he was able to convert the druids and his captors.  ( more history here ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick )

There are several legends surrounding St. Patrick, how many of them are true I don't know, but I hope that they are.

Saint Patrick's day shouldn't be about drinking, it shouldn't be an excuse to waste money. It should be a day to remember the Patron Saint of Ireland with a Mass, a Rosary, or maybe even just a short prayer. I don't think one beer is bad, as long as you toast the good old Saint first. Also, while you are at it, offer up a prayer for Ireland because it isn't as Catholic as it used to be. In the true spirit of Saint Patrick, convert your captors and the druids!

Whistle while you work,
                                Emma

Weird random facts.

I was reading some weird facts, and I thought that I should share some with you.

1) Banging you head against a wall can burn 150 calories in an hour.
                              

2) Kangaroos can not jump if their tails are lifted off the ground.
                      

3) Bananas are curved because they grow towards the sun.
                         

4) The man who invented the Frisbee was cremated and his ashes were made into a Frisbee.
                                 
                                 ( The original Frisbee)

5) An eagle could kill a baby deer and fly away with it.
                             

6) The Titanic was the first ship to ever send out a SOS signal.
                    

7) Around 8,000 people in America alone are injured by musical instruments each year.
                             

8) For one time in your life, you were the youngest person on earth.
                      

9) Apples, potatoes, and onions all taste the same if you plug your nose.


10) A three person duel is called a truel.
                                   

11) Most toilet paper in France is pink.
                              

12) Bananas are the most sold item at Walmart.
                           

13) In order to dig to China, one would have to start in Argentina.

                            

14)  Scientists believe they might be able to bring back mammoths soon.
                           

15) Someone took the time to actually remake the movie Toy Story with real toys, watch the video here,

16)  Scotland's national animal is a unicorn. 

                               

17)  The word oxymoron is an actual oxymoron, the Greek word oxy means sharp or brilliant, while the Greek word moros means dumb. 

                                                                                                                       

I hope that you all enjoyed these as much as I did! 

    Whistle while you work,

                                            Emma    

                                                                     

A tribute to my childhood.

Lately I've been going into nostalgia about all the great things that I had or did as a kid. The older I get, the more I fondly remember little things that probably aren't as great as I remember them.

1) Betty Spaghetty
                                     
Betty Spaghetty, the doll you can take apart everywhere and put back together! I had a Betty Spaghetty when I was little, and it had to be my favorite toy, I remember hiding her in my closet so that my sisters wouldn't play with her. I was going to buy an original Betty a while ago, as a sort of novelty, but the originals are crazy expensive, some up to $100.00. I, in no way have that kind of cash. So if you happen to have an original Betty Spaghetty lying around, I would love it!

2) Thundercats.
                          
This is honestly a TV show straight from the 80's. I wasn't around then, but my dad was, and so I think in a way to connect to his five daughters, he let them watch his old favorite cartoon. And it worked, all five of us slept, ate, and breathed Thundercats. Thundercats is probably 100% better in my memories than it is in real life. I was going to by the first season, but I couldn't really find it at a convent price or place. I was also going to be the figurines from the show, but once again, over $100.00.

3) Star Wars.
                       
I know that Star Wars is still a thing, and that they are still making movies, but it is different now than it was when I was a kid. I remember watching Star Wars for the first time, and instantly falling in love with it. I also remember getting really excited for episodes 1-3, and being able to watch them in theater. The Mooradian kids got so into Star Wars that we had our own characters, with our own species, our own lightsabers, and the such. I wrote George Lucas letters almost every day begging him to let me be in the movies. Unfortunately I never got any letters back from him. If anyone happens to know George Lucas, give him my name! :)

4) Beanie Boppers.
                          
Much like the more commonly known Beanie Babies, Beanie Boppers were the thing in the 2000's. We didn't go crazy like most people did with Beanie Babies, we never bought over 10, but each girl had one Beanie Bopper that slightly resembled them. The ones above are actually the ones I had, how the first one resembled me I don't know, ask my parents.

5) Silly puddy.
                           
I know that Silly puddy is still a thing too, but I remember having so much fun with the original silly puddy, my sisters and I would stick it to newspapers and watch the ink stick to it, we would also throw it on the wall and see if it would stick. There is nothing like good old fashioned silly puddy.

6) Mini Polly Pockets.
                           
If you grew up in the 90's you more than likely had one or two of these mini Polly pockets. Us Mooradian girls LOVED them, and unfortunately we only had one, so we were forced to share one Polly Pocket between five girls.

If I could, I would go back to being a kid, everything was so simple and fun. If only I could be little forever.

Whistle while you work,
                                   Emma