I was at TJ Max and I found the F-Factor Diet book for only one dollar. It was cheap, so I bought it.
This book is written by a nutritionist who has a practice in New York and Miami. She said she talks to a lot of people who struggle with their weight. She hated seeing how they worked so hard, failed and then felt really terrible about themselves.
She said no wonder they fail. They are on impossible diets. No sugar, no carbs. No this or that. A diet is not something you can be on forever. That you would fail is inevitable. Imagine going the rest of your life without eating pasta, or bread, or ice cream or pizza?
Tanya, the author claimed that the amazing thing about this diet is that you have no food restrictions, you can eat anything. In this diet your objective is to add foods, and eat more. Not take things away. She said fiber is the secret ingredient you need to lose weight. Eat more fiber!
The sad thing is that when she gets past the introduction, and actually explains the diet, which has three stages; she gives a lot of restrictions and rules and crazy advice. For example, she says to buy GG crackers and eat 8 of them a day. Was she just saying in the intro, that a diet is bad, because it can't be a permanent lifestyle? I think that all of those weird rules and regimens are not necessary if you have the right attitude or intrinsic understanding with food.
I agree with the beginning of this book......which contradicts the middle of the book. I wish that this book stayed on course, and taught you how and why to eat in a healthful way. I wish it didn't turn into some crazy diet.
Fiber is filling, and has no calories. As long as you eat foods with fiber, you won't be hungry, and you will eat less. I have been trying to eat more fiber. And I find that to be true. I can eat a lot less, by just eating fiber. Fiber also really seems to curve my cravings for food too. I don't have to worry about restricting what I eat, as long as I eat fiber. Because fiber makes me have less cravings and hunger. I no longer feel a strange relationship with food. Or want to overeat, or eat a lot of crazy things. It has the ingredients to make me sane when it comes to food, so I don't have to worry about a strict diet anyway.
Because of my new relationship, I feel free! I don't have to have a neurosis about food. Thinking the enemy food product is just around the corner. The obsession and craziness that food can cause in me seems to go away with fiber. Fiber makes me feel mentally healthy about food. There is no more of a difficult or strained relationship with food.
It also helps foods that are the most healthy for you, plant based foods, that are not processed or industrialized, contain the most fiber. Like fruits, vegetables, and grains. Fiber is part of a healthful lifestyle.
What is truly sad however, is what I read on amazon.com about this book. From some people's reviews of this book, it seems that people are so desperate for a regimen over their food intake to control their weight, they turned this book into a stick diet. Any slight suggestion for improvement they took as one of the ten commandments. It was almost insane to read the reviews these people made. They really had a crazy relationship with food.
It's like they missed the whole point.....this book at least at the beginning, is to free you from a diet, a strange and complex, and hard to do regimen that is close to unattainable, unless you want to torture yourself for a long time. It is meant to teach you to just be healthy, and that fiber can help you do that. Fiber made me feel less crazy about food. It's a freeing thing.
I feel sorry for all the people out there that need to go to extreme lengths with very strict diets. They have an obsessed, unhealthy relationship with food. It's different from anorexia, or bulimia. It's like orthorexia. Which is deadly too. Orthorexia is less well known. It's when someone tries so hard to be healthy...they ironically end up killing themselves.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Something's Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton
I didn't think that this movie would be worth commenting about, except that it put some ideas in my head that I want to remember.
I dreaded seeing this movie because from the cover on the DVD I could tell it would be a "romantic comedy" involving, old people....gross!!!!
It starts out with Jack Nicholson driving a convertible in the Hamptons. He is driving to the beach house of his girlfriend's mother for a weekend together. His girlfriend looks young, and is thirty years old. Jack Nicholson in this movie is 63 yrs. old.
Everyone was wondering why is she with this old man? She says something in the movie that was very telling. She is too afraid to get hurt, so she always chose the wrong man she didn't really want. That way if it didn't work out, she would not be upset or sad.
Later on in the movie, she was talking with her mother, who was crying a lot because of a breakup. The daughter didn't want to suffer like her mom ever, and wanted to be shielded from any possible pain from love. The mom said to her daughter, "What happened to me is not so bad, you can't run away from love." She also told the daughter, "You never really lived and enjoyed yourself have you?"
Another thing that struck me in this movie is a scene where Jack Nicholson was talking to the young girlfriend's mother. The mom says, "I researched you on the Internet too. You started your own business at 29, later you started a magazine. At 40 you sold your business and started a bunch of other businesses. This man tried a lot of different career paths and projects.
Seeing a movie where some of the main characters happen to be old is striking. It gives me perspective about life. I think that I could be more daring to try different career paths, but I am too afraid to try something, because it could be the wrong thing. I could find someone I really like too, but I am also afraid of love and relationships.
I learned from watching an icky movie about old people who fall in love. It's okay to get hurt, and to fail. It's best that you give love a try, and try different things. It's okay if it ends up not working out. Life is a trial and error thing. And it's not going to be so bad if you have to cry. Like the mother said.
I dreaded seeing this movie because from the cover on the DVD I could tell it would be a "romantic comedy" involving, old people....gross!!!!
It starts out with Jack Nicholson driving a convertible in the Hamptons. He is driving to the beach house of his girlfriend's mother for a weekend together. His girlfriend looks young, and is thirty years old. Jack Nicholson in this movie is 63 yrs. old.
Everyone was wondering why is she with this old man? She says something in the movie that was very telling. She is too afraid to get hurt, so she always chose the wrong man she didn't really want. That way if it didn't work out, she would not be upset or sad.
Later on in the movie, she was talking with her mother, who was crying a lot because of a breakup. The daughter didn't want to suffer like her mom ever, and wanted to be shielded from any possible pain from love. The mom said to her daughter, "What happened to me is not so bad, you can't run away from love." She also told the daughter, "You never really lived and enjoyed yourself have you?"
Another thing that struck me in this movie is a scene where Jack Nicholson was talking to the young girlfriend's mother. The mom says, "I researched you on the Internet too. You started your own business at 29, later you started a magazine. At 40 you sold your business and started a bunch of other businesses. This man tried a lot of different career paths and projects.
Seeing a movie where some of the main characters happen to be old is striking. It gives me perspective about life. I think that I could be more daring to try different career paths, but I am too afraid to try something, because it could be the wrong thing. I could find someone I really like too, but I am also afraid of love and relationships.
I learned from watching an icky movie about old people who fall in love. It's okay to get hurt, and to fail. It's best that you give love a try, and try different things. It's okay if it ends up not working out. Life is a trial and error thing. And it's not going to be so bad if you have to cry. Like the mother said.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Kite Runner
This movie is a based on the book, but it has a lot of deviations. It is about people from Afghanistan. It takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan and America. The movie starts out in 1978, when Afghanistan has not been at war with Russia yet. It shows Afghanistan pre-war, and pre-taliban. There was still a lot of political strife though.
The movie was mainly about a young boy named Amir, and his friend Hassan. The beginning of the movie is mostly in Farsi, and you have to read the sub titles to understand what is happening. The dialogue in this movie is really genius, so even though the sub title thing can be annoying, it's worth reading.
You start out seeing the both of them playing together and acting like very good friends. It isn't until later I find out that Hassan is actually a servant in Amir's house. The neighborhood bullies tease Amir and Hassan. They say, if I have a friend, and I pay them to be my friend, is he my friend, or my servant? He is my servant. They said to Amir, "I guess you have no friends." The neighborhood bullies also don't seem to like Amir's father because of his political views. They seem to want to get violent with the boys.
In a scene you hear Amir's father complaining about his son. Saying how much of a coward Amir is, and how he doesn't stand up to bullies, but Hassan has to step up and defend both of them. He says that a boy that does not stand up for himself, will turn into a man that does not stand up for anything. Amir overhears this, and thinks his father does not like him. Amir says that he thinks his father hates him because he killed his mother. His mother died giving birth to Amir. An older friend, who is a friend of the family, says that this is not true, that life is dangerous, being born, and giving birth. He goes on to say your father would do anything for you.
Amir's father won a kite flying contest as a kid, and is very proud of that. Amir enters into a kite flying contest to gain the approval of his father. He actually wins the contest, and is really excited. After the competition, Amir's friend Hassan runs off alone to find the kite for Amir.
Off alone, Hassan runs into the neighborhood bullies. They say that they will leave him alone if he gives him the kite. Hassan refuses, saying it's Amir's kite, and I can't give it away. The bullies beat Hassan and rape him. Amir is actually hiding off in the distance, and witnesses the whole thing. He runs off when they start to rape Hassan. He does nothing to help his friend. Back home, things get very awkward between Amir and Hassan. Amir does not want anything to do with his friend anymore, and seems to be too embarrassed to be near him. Hassan sleeps a lot, and seems depressed.
In an attempt to get rid of Hassan, Amir frames him of stealing his watch. Hassan admits to stealing the watch even though he didn't. Hassan and his father say they are leaving, because it is too unbearable here. Amir's father asks, "Why, I forgave you for stealing?" He doesn't understand why his servants are leaving. Amir's father looks confused as to why, and forbids them to leave. The servants say, "We don't work for you anymore, you can't forbid us anything."
In the next year, Amir and his father escape to America to get away from the Russian invasion. Amir's father was too outspoken against the Russians, and he thought that would get him into a lot of trouble. In the next scene, Amir is no longer a young boy in Afghanistan, but an Americanized young adult who just graduated from college. He turns out very nice looking. His father gets sick with cancer. And he refuses treatment, preferring to die at home. Amir takes an interest in a young Afghan woman. According to their tradition, Amir's father has to ask the women's father if he will let them marry. Amir asks his father to ask her father for permission. Amir's father, though sick, goes to the young woman's house to ask her father if his daughter can marry his son. He agrees, and his son gets married. They make a very cute couple.
When things start to seem calm and happy, Amir gets a call from an old friend from Afghanistan who is very sick. He is living in Pakistan now. Amir, who is now a writer, has to cancel his book tour to visit his friend. Amir finds out from his friend in Pakistan, that his childhood friend Hassan was killed by the Taliban, and that his son is now an orphan. Amir reads a letter that Hassan wrote him. The letter was very touching. It spoke of how bad things got in Afghanistan, how peace has left the land, and killing is everywhere. Hassan speaks of a hope for a better day again, when peace is restored. A time when things will be nicer like before.
Amir travels to the dangerous country of Afghanistan to find Hassan's orphan son. He goes to an orphanage, only to find out the orphanage gave Hassan's son to the Taliban. Amir takes the risk, and goes to the Taliban to find the son. He finds out that the son is used as a sex slave by the Taliban. They have him dress fancy, and dance for them. The boy and Amir fight this one Taliban guy, who was actually one of the bullies that raped Hassan, the boy's father. They escape, and go to Pakistan. Then they go to America. The final scene is Amir and Hassan's boy...which is actually Amir's nephew, flying kites together. (Long story as to why Amir and Hassan's son are related. The short version entails Amir's father messing around with the servant's wife.)
I was really touched by the contrasts in the movie. Pre-war Afghanistan vs. the terrible and scary Taliban-Afghanistan. The coward young Amir vs. the brave adult Amir. Hassan's letter really sums it up. His letter made be start to tear up. It talks about the lost prosperity, dreams, and beauty. And the hope of it's return. The movie really hit home the tragedy of the country. I can sense a great loss.
Part of Hassan's letter really demonstrates the loss that can be felt:
I have been dreaming a lot lately, Amir agha. Some of them are nightmares, like hanged corpses rotting in soccer fields with bloodred grass. I wake up from those short of breath and sweaty. Mostly, though, I dream of good things, and praise Allah for that. I dream that Rahim Khan sahib will be well. I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person, a free person, and an important person. I dream that lawla flowers will bloom in the streets of Kabul again and rubab music will play in the samovar houses and kites will fly in the skies. And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you.
The movie was mainly about a young boy named Amir, and his friend Hassan. The beginning of the movie is mostly in Farsi, and you have to read the sub titles to understand what is happening. The dialogue in this movie is really genius, so even though the sub title thing can be annoying, it's worth reading.
You start out seeing the both of them playing together and acting like very good friends. It isn't until later I find out that Hassan is actually a servant in Amir's house. The neighborhood bullies tease Amir and Hassan. They say, if I have a friend, and I pay them to be my friend, is he my friend, or my servant? He is my servant. They said to Amir, "I guess you have no friends." The neighborhood bullies also don't seem to like Amir's father because of his political views. They seem to want to get violent with the boys.
In a scene you hear Amir's father complaining about his son. Saying how much of a coward Amir is, and how he doesn't stand up to bullies, but Hassan has to step up and defend both of them. He says that a boy that does not stand up for himself, will turn into a man that does not stand up for anything. Amir overhears this, and thinks his father does not like him. Amir says that he thinks his father hates him because he killed his mother. His mother died giving birth to Amir. An older friend, who is a friend of the family, says that this is not true, that life is dangerous, being born, and giving birth. He goes on to say your father would do anything for you.
Amir's father won a kite flying contest as a kid, and is very proud of that. Amir enters into a kite flying contest to gain the approval of his father. He actually wins the contest, and is really excited. After the competition, Amir's friend Hassan runs off alone to find the kite for Amir.
Off alone, Hassan runs into the neighborhood bullies. They say that they will leave him alone if he gives him the kite. Hassan refuses, saying it's Amir's kite, and I can't give it away. The bullies beat Hassan and rape him. Amir is actually hiding off in the distance, and witnesses the whole thing. He runs off when they start to rape Hassan. He does nothing to help his friend. Back home, things get very awkward between Amir and Hassan. Amir does not want anything to do with his friend anymore, and seems to be too embarrassed to be near him. Hassan sleeps a lot, and seems depressed.
In an attempt to get rid of Hassan, Amir frames him of stealing his watch. Hassan admits to stealing the watch even though he didn't. Hassan and his father say they are leaving, because it is too unbearable here. Amir's father asks, "Why, I forgave you for stealing?" He doesn't understand why his servants are leaving. Amir's father looks confused as to why, and forbids them to leave. The servants say, "We don't work for you anymore, you can't forbid us anything."
In the next year, Amir and his father escape to America to get away from the Russian invasion. Amir's father was too outspoken against the Russians, and he thought that would get him into a lot of trouble. In the next scene, Amir is no longer a young boy in Afghanistan, but an Americanized young adult who just graduated from college. He turns out very nice looking. His father gets sick with cancer. And he refuses treatment, preferring to die at home. Amir takes an interest in a young Afghan woman. According to their tradition, Amir's father has to ask the women's father if he will let them marry. Amir asks his father to ask her father for permission. Amir's father, though sick, goes to the young woman's house to ask her father if his daughter can marry his son. He agrees, and his son gets married. They make a very cute couple.
When things start to seem calm and happy, Amir gets a call from an old friend from Afghanistan who is very sick. He is living in Pakistan now. Amir, who is now a writer, has to cancel his book tour to visit his friend. Amir finds out from his friend in Pakistan, that his childhood friend Hassan was killed by the Taliban, and that his son is now an orphan. Amir reads a letter that Hassan wrote him. The letter was very touching. It spoke of how bad things got in Afghanistan, how peace has left the land, and killing is everywhere. Hassan speaks of a hope for a better day again, when peace is restored. A time when things will be nicer like before.
Amir travels to the dangerous country of Afghanistan to find Hassan's orphan son. He goes to an orphanage, only to find out the orphanage gave Hassan's son to the Taliban. Amir takes the risk, and goes to the Taliban to find the son. He finds out that the son is used as a sex slave by the Taliban. They have him dress fancy, and dance for them. The boy and Amir fight this one Taliban guy, who was actually one of the bullies that raped Hassan, the boy's father. They escape, and go to Pakistan. Then they go to America. The final scene is Amir and Hassan's boy...which is actually Amir's nephew, flying kites together. (Long story as to why Amir and Hassan's son are related. The short version entails Amir's father messing around with the servant's wife.)
I was really touched by the contrasts in the movie. Pre-war Afghanistan vs. the terrible and scary Taliban-Afghanistan. The coward young Amir vs. the brave adult Amir. Hassan's letter really sums it up. His letter made be start to tear up. It talks about the lost prosperity, dreams, and beauty. And the hope of it's return. The movie really hit home the tragedy of the country. I can sense a great loss.
Part of Hassan's letter really demonstrates the loss that can be felt:
I have been dreaming a lot lately, Amir agha. Some of them are nightmares, like hanged corpses rotting in soccer fields with bloodred grass. I wake up from those short of breath and sweaty. Mostly, though, I dream of good things, and praise Allah for that. I dream that Rahim Khan sahib will be well. I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person, a free person, and an important person. I dream that lawla flowers will bloom in the streets of Kabul again and rubab music will play in the samovar houses and kites will fly in the skies. And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you.
Freearcade.com
I used to play games on yahoo.com. The games used to be mostly free. Then I take a two or three year break from playing games on the Internet. I come back to yahoo.com to play....to find in aghast horror, that a lot of the games are no longer free. And, they are much more of a pain to load. The site also became less user friendly.
Due to my annoyance at the new yahoo games section. I was on a quest to find a better site. I found it! Freearcade.com. It is all free, and it has a ridiculously large amount of games to choose from. The selection is astoundingly huge. It is also a very user friendly site that is super easy to navigate. I think that it is really worth being any one's source for games on the Internet.
Due to my annoyance at the new yahoo games section. I was on a quest to find a better site. I found it! Freearcade.com. It is all free, and it has a ridiculously large amount of games to choose from. The selection is astoundingly huge. It is also a very user friendly site that is super easy to navigate. I think that it is really worth being any one's source for games on the Internet.
People Will Talk with Cary Grant
For me, Cary Grant is one of those names you have heard of, but have no clue as to who he is. I guess I am not an old movie buff. And I am not up on the names of old actors. Or new actors for that matter. I have not had the opportunity to watch that many old movies.
To tell the truth, when I see black and white, I get a little depressed. I'm like...oh, no! Not an old movie....how boring! I think that my mind is used to seeing faster paced bam! wham! It is actually a shame that my attention span is so terrible. It's like a four year old, or a gnat.
This old movie from 1951 was impressive for this reason. It broke through my gnat mentality. It was an old movie that didn't bore me, or have trouble keeping my attention. I was captivated as soon as I started watching it. It had no quick scene changes, and it was not fast paced, but it didn't need all that to hold a person's attention. The movie really held its own. (I was even willing to give up watching Matlock....which was on at the same time, to see this movie. That is saying something. And yes, I am embarrassed that I watch Matlock...and like it.)
I get the impression that this is not a well known old movie, even though Cary Grant is supposed to be famous. I heard it was a movie made before the second part of his successful career. I really recommend watching this movie because it was very interesting, and drew a person into it. I could go on about the plot...which was a little strange is some ways, however I am afraid this will get to be long.
What helped make the movie interesting was Cary Grant's performance. He has a great stage presence. Him, and the interaction of the female star opposite him, made for a performance that was fascinating and enjoyable to watch. Now that I think about it....this film may be classified as a "romantic comedy." I hate romance films, or chick flicks. I hate, or dislike old movies and chick flicks, but I like this movie. I guess that makes this film special.
This film is causing me to reevaluate my dislike for old movies and chick flicks. There may be some special films out there, I have yet to see.
To tell the truth, when I see black and white, I get a little depressed. I'm like...oh, no! Not an old movie....how boring! I think that my mind is used to seeing faster paced bam! wham! It is actually a shame that my attention span is so terrible. It's like a four year old, or a gnat.
This old movie from 1951 was impressive for this reason. It broke through my gnat mentality. It was an old movie that didn't bore me, or have trouble keeping my attention. I was captivated as soon as I started watching it. It had no quick scene changes, and it was not fast paced, but it didn't need all that to hold a person's attention. The movie really held its own. (I was even willing to give up watching Matlock....which was on at the same time, to see this movie. That is saying something. And yes, I am embarrassed that I watch Matlock...and like it.)
I get the impression that this is not a well known old movie, even though Cary Grant is supposed to be famous. I heard it was a movie made before the second part of his successful career. I really recommend watching this movie because it was very interesting, and drew a person into it. I could go on about the plot...which was a little strange is some ways, however I am afraid this will get to be long.
What helped make the movie interesting was Cary Grant's performance. He has a great stage presence. Him, and the interaction of the female star opposite him, made for a performance that was fascinating and enjoyable to watch. Now that I think about it....this film may be classified as a "romantic comedy." I hate romance films, or chick flicks. I hate, or dislike old movies and chick flicks, but I like this movie. I guess that makes this film special.
This film is causing me to reevaluate my dislike for old movies and chick flicks. There may be some special films out there, I have yet to see.
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