iMedia: Chubby Cuppy Cake Boy (video)

I first came across this video when it was sent to my by a friend. I of course found it cute and humorous; I mean, who couldn't? The image of an exceedingly chubby little boy appearing to sing an adorable little love song would bring a smile to anybody's face. Well, that is, until the real story behind this little boy is revealed. After I had finished watching this video on youtube, another video of the same little boy popped up on my screen, so I decided to watch it. This video was of the little boy being on a talk show and informing people about the disease that he is living his life with. This disease causes him to swell up (hence his chubby cheeks), and is forcing him to live with the support of steroids which stunt his growth. After watching this video, I watched the "Chubby Cuppy Cake Boy" video again, but this time with a new perspective. Yes, the little boy was still cute, but this time I was inspired by him. It takes a brave person, especially a child, to take a life changing disorder and make something positive come of it. To me, this experience was a classic example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover; f you do, you will never know the greatness that could be hiding inside.

Dialectics: Love and Responsibility in "Once"

The other day in class, we watched the movie "Once." It was a very cute film with a lot of artistic and meaningful shots in it. One of the main themes in this movie was love. There were many different types of love, such as familial, romantic, friendly, and sometimes even forced. I think that this "forced" love came about because of a crossing of love and responsibility. One of the main characters in "Once" was a married woman who had a daughter, but often had problems with her husband and lived far away from him. During the movie, she fell in romantic love with a man who wasn't her husband, but felt a responsibility to her daughter to remain married to her husband. I felt like this type of love was forced because she was only staying with her husband because it was the "responsible" thing to do. If she had been following her heart and went with the type of love that would have made her happiest, she probably would have ended up with the man she was romantically in love with. When love and responsibility are both considered in making a decision, one will usually prevail.

Blogging Around

The first blog I commented was Eli's. He wrote his "Best of Week" about the short story writing process that we recently began and how the advice of Mr. Allen and one of his peers really helped him begin his story.

My Comment:
Eli-
I agree with you that hearing that we would be writing a short story was intimidating at first and I was also nervous that I would have nothing to write about or that it wouldn't turn out very well. But, it sounds that by listening not only to Mr. Allen, but to your peers, you found a way start writing what could end up being a really good story! I also agree with Jamie that it is interesting that you had a character in mind before you had developed your plot at all. Did you base this character off of somebody you know or did you completely make them up from your imagination? I found it easier to think of a person I know and then create a character with some similar qualities. I hope your story turns out wonderfully!


The next blog I commented on was by Kate Henning. She wrote her "Best of Week" about a comment that Leanne made in class about how Bub could not "see" until he closed his eyes. I commented on this entry because I wrote my "Best of Week" on pretty much the same thing and it interested me to hear another person's point of view on the same topic.

My Comment:
Kate-
Great post! I wrote my "Best of Week" about a similar concept and found it interesting that you thought it was a valuable concept as well. It makes me curious as to what life would be like if I lost one of my senses. Would I be able to understand things that I can't right now? Would I get to know people on a level that seems impossible? I don't think I would actually like to lose one of my senses, but perhaps just interact with somebody who has, such as the interaction between Bub and Robert that you mentioned. "Cathedral" shows that this can also be very beneficial and can teach people a lot about things they never knew they didn't know.