A Night With Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler's Gamer bows in this week for the Labor Day box office battle. It's a futuristic tale about about convicted prisoners used as video game proxies or surrogates by teen gamers in violent virtual reality battles that are real life for the prisoners.

I must confess that Gerard Butler kind of snuck up on me. Though everyone raved about him in 300 and about JJ Abrams' direction of that film, I did not see 300 nor did I want to see it. I dodged him in that movie with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin, and that that chic flick with Jennifer Garner as well as the most recent chic flick with Katherine Hiegel, The Ugly Truth. I was content to continue dodging all Gerard Butler movies because I just didn't "get him".

Now, I have become a reluctant fan of Mr. Butler's after seeing the Guy Ritchie directed film, Rock N Rolla and after listening to him on two panels at screenings of the movie(one at Comic Con and one at the Arclight). He has a very quick wit and bit of a potty mouth but he comes across boyishly incorrigible and his sense of humor is contagious.

Still, I don't know if I will see any of his other movies. Case in point: Though Butler has a ruggedness to him that may work well in Gamer, the reviews are real bad so far. I really don't know if I will risk seeing it or I may just see it at for $3 (yeah, I'm cheap) at my now favorite theater in Pasadena. If you don't mind seeing movies 2-3 weeks after their release date but for a 4th of the price.

Funny thing. At the Arclight screening Gerard sat with the film's executive producer, Joel Silver and fielded questions as a group of women old enough to know better screaming "Gerrie!" throughout the Q&A.

AFI Night At The Movies

More Special Film Screenings and Panel Discussions:

I attended Target presents AFI's Night At The Movies on October 1, 2008, which is a yearly event showcasing movies that made AFI 100 Best Film lists or one of the 400 films nominated for consideration for the list. I wanted to see West Side Story presented by Rita Morena. I have been a fan of Rita Moreno since a child and had sent a hello to her through a friend of hers, who had danced in West Side Story and who I had met the night before the Oscars in February 2008. Unfortunately, all the tickets sold out in a flash so the next best bet for me were The Man Who Would Be King which was being presented by Sean Connery, The Matrix or Glory presented by Denzel Washington but all of these were sold out also. I paid $25 and bought tickets for Something About Mary to be presented by Cameron Diaz. Though I liked the movie well enough I just bought the ticket so that I could at least have a ticket to attend the event. I then went on e-bay and found out why all the tickets had sold so quickly. All the scalpers had snapped up tix to sell online for 2-3X the price but West Side Story tix still weren't available. I got a good seat for The Matrix for $60 that I was very lucky to get especially for the price. I tried to sell my Something About Mary tix the day of but got major attitude at the event from the staff because it's a fundraiser so I just donated the cost.

It was a great night! First, the Austin Powers look-alike flirted with me on red carpet and I was with the crush of photogs waiting to see what Cameron Diaz would be wearing. Then we were ushered into the theater just before the stars appeared for the red carpet. We had a long wait but free popcorn and soda and making new friends made it a bit easier. They had to relocate me because the camera man needed my spot to position the camera to tape the star on stage. I was a bit bummed out with the move but I ended up with the best seat in the house for viewing the movie's intro. Keanu Reeves arrived and did a 15 minute introduction of The Matrix. He spoke mostly about its themes and what drew him to film and he introduced the producer who was in the audience. He took his seat and we all settled down to watch the movie. Boy , that movie still holds up and I even got goosebumps as the opening scenes began.

Speaking of which, I attended the Matrix 10th Anniversary panel and trilogy at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica in March 2009. We watched the fist Matrix movie then heard from the panel with Zach Staenberg (editor, Academy Award-winner), Kym Barrett (costume designer) and Dane A. Davis (supervising sound editor, Academy Award-winner), Owen Patterson (production designer) and moderated by author, Eric Lichtenfeld. The theater was filled with many college -aged students but a large amount of fans in their 40's and 50's.

Directors and brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski were not slated to appear but I had seen them up close and personal at the Speed Racer premiere in Summer 2008 so that was okay. Kym Barrett actually didn't make it but the rest of the panel was great. They all remarked that they had not seen the movie in the 10 years since the movie premiered and they were surprised how well it held up and how enjoyable it still was to them. I got to speak to everyone after the panel and ask them questions (especially Owen Patterson). Yes, I asked them many, many questions mostly about how they successfully put the science into sci-fi. I also got to shake every one's hand and to thank them for one of my favorite movies ever. The panel seemed genuinely surprised at the fan response 10 years later but they were appreciative of our praise of their work.

I wore my little cross card pinned to my lapel and it was received well as there were many Christians in attendance besides myself. I asked Mr. Patterson what he was doing so far from home as he lives in Australia and has worked on most of the movies there. He said he was working on a new movie in L.A. and that he had a place to stay here also. He explained to me a bit more about what his job on set is like and his hopes for the new film he was working on. I told him that I was praying that God would continue to bless him in everything. He said thank you and was very touched by my prayer and concern. One college age guy thanked them and wished them "Happy Easter" and "Happy Passover" and everyone concurred.

We were ushered back into our seats and we watched Matrix Reloaded and it's terrific fight scenes. I left half way through Matrix Revolutions as it was nearly midnight and I had been sitting for hours. To tell you the truth, I'm not a fan of the other 2 movies and especially not Revolutions. I felt that Revolutions was confusing and unsatisfying as the conclusion of the trilogy especially because it strayed from the Judeo-Christian themes of the original. I think if the Wachowski's had stayed true to Christian principles, the subsequent movies would have been great. Still, theses films grossed over $400 million each, which is nothing to laugh at.


The blue ray box set of The Matrix trilogy was released to commemorate the original movie's 1oth Anniversary this year. They raffled off 3 free sets to lucky audience members before the panel and the winners looked really stoked to have won.

www.afi.com/video/VideoPlayer.aspx?videoid=MrXCHQBINUc
www.slashfilm.com/2009/03/26/page-2-43/
Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403

The Toronto Film Festival September 10-19, 2009

The 34th Annual Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) 2009 is scheduled to start Thursday, September 10th and run until Saturday, the 19th. I was lucky to attend the 31st TIFF in 2006 and saw many great films there including the premiere of Away From Her starring Julie Christie. She played an Alzheimer's patient in this film and she was nominated for an Oscar for her wonderful performance. I attended the red carpet and screening of this movie for free and I had a lovely time. Ms. Christie and the rest of the cast was in attendance for the premiere. Ms. Christie wore a grayish-pale blue dress with sequences and she looked very lovely. I was sitting directly below her and the cast in the theatre's viewing box and I got to see her reactions as we reacted to her performance.

I was lucky to get a free ticket for this event as I waited in the press of the crowd outside for an earlier movie premiere of Shut Up and Sing, a documentary about and attended by the Dixie Chicks. The film documents all the brouhaha that went on after the chicks made those controversial comments about then president George W. Bush. I knew I would meet some radical people at this event but I had just finished hours of lectures at a medical conference a few blocks away and I needed a diversion. Sure enough, some anti-war and anti-Bush Canadians were cheering the Dixie Chicks arrival very loudly. They carried signs and chanted anti-war slogans and they were trying to get a bit rowdy. It seems that this vocal group were also anti-deodorant and I had to stand down wind from them a bit.

The red carpet arrivals went inside and then it started to rain but a loyal crew of movie fans, like myself, stayed outside hoping to get a glimpse of someone famous. A sympathetic TIFF staffer came out and told us that the event was sold out but she gave us free tickets to the next event because of our commitment.

I also saw Infamous, the other Truman Capote film that had the misfortune of coming out after the Phillip C. Hoffman's take on the role. However, in comparison, I found Toby Jones's performance more realistic since his stature and movements are more in line with those of the actual Truman Capote's. Also, Daniel Craig was real "I wouldn't want to run in to you in a dark alley" scary and Sandra Bullock was her usual delightful self in a uncharacteristic turn as the down home if a bit intense take on the author of To Kill A Mocking Bird and friend of Capote, Harper Lee.


I attended the red carpet premiere of this movie also and that's how I ran into Sandra Bullock, literally! Actually, we ran into each other as the crowd for the premiere jumped the velvet ropes and mobbed Ms. Bullock mere feet from the theater door. Ms. Bullock and I both thought we were being attacked and we cowered together as the crowd pounced. Minutes earlier, Ms. Bullock was practically glowing in her chocolate and peach silk dress. She was working the crowd like a pro. She was waving and signing autographs real sweetly and she even hugged a few fans and stopped to take pictures with them. Some other fans and I were already inside in the lobby because we had tickets to the event, however we still were very impressed with how nice she looked and how nice she was with the fans. We talked amongst ourselves as we waited for her to enter the lobby.

Ms.Bullock entered the theater lobby to ohs and ahs over how nice she looked and our response only increased the closer she got to us. She waved at us and signed a few more autographs then she walked the last few yards of the red carpet, which was coincidentally directly towards me as I was in the front just behind the velvet rope. As she walked up, the shouts from the crowd increased to a crescendo and they pressed in slowly closer. Ms. Bullock waved cutely, smiled a mega-watt smile and did her trade mark crinkled nose at us and that's when the dam burst. The crowd erupted with a roar and pushed over the ropes to try to touch her, with me the only thing in their path. When the dust cleared and security restored order, a stunned Ms. Bullock stared at me and mouthed "what happened?". I shrugged "I don't know" in disbelief. They announce the beginning of the premier and Ms. Bullock races in to her seat for the introduction of the cast.

I posted a picture of me from that night and I think it shows the exact expression that was on my face when I encountered Sandra Bullock minutes later (lol). I stood next to Jessica Lange(King Kong), Tom Skerrit(Picket Fences) and Kathy Bates as they walked the red carpet at the premiere of Bonneville earlier that night. I cheered in support of Kathy Bates as she is a great actress but gets a bum rap about her size. And about that reported large size; Ms. Bates is very small in height (maybe 5'0") and is definitely overweight but she really was not that much bigger than the other women in the crowd but she is lots bigger than the rest of the women of the cast, especially Jessica Lange and Joan Allen who must be size 0-2.

See the films lined up for TIFF 2009 at www.tiff.net

Learn more about the movie Infamous and watch Sandra Bullock in the slide show with some of the other TIFF arrivals that I saw at TIFF in 2006:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14838000/ns/entertainment-movies/

Disney Buys Marvel Comics For $4 Billion!

September 1, 2009
Breaking Industry News:

Industry sources announce that Disney has bought Marvel Comics for $4 billion dollars. I can't say I'm surprised at this acquisition in light of the plethora of comic book inspired blockbuster movies of summer 2008 and 2009. The slate of proposed films for 2010 proves this trend is likely to continue for a few years more. Still, I have a few concerns that the "House of Mouse" (which gears its films toward kids or tween girls) and Marvel Comics (which usually gears their films toward teen and adult males) might not be a good fit. I especially can't imagine how they will merge the two brands at current Disney theme parks. Then there is the merchandising that comes with each super-hero and movie, the rights of which are tied up in different studios and different amusement parks (Universal Studios). Yikes!

Response to the sale was mixed today, as some fans expressed sentiments similar to my initial fears. In fact, one guy on youtube was having a mini-melt down (stay on your meds bro). Don't get me wrong, I have loved Disney since I cried my way through Bambi and laughed as I watched Mickey kill flies and threaten giants in Brave Little Tailor when I was 6 or 7. Everything Disney film division has done has worked out so far, so I should have a little more faith that they can pull this off too (without watering down or girlie-fying the Marvel brand). Stan "the Man" Lee, the founder of Marvel, was interviewed yesterday and he even raved about the deal. Hey, as a true Marvel Comics fan for nearly four decades, if Stan Lee says it's good then that's good enough for me.

Here's the link to Stan Lee's interview:
www.foxbusiness.com/search-results/m/26119992/stan-lee-on-disney-marvel-deal.htm

Disney's Brave Little Tailor video link
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT5ucWolPhw


Well, "so long sports fans".

When Worlds Collide!

On August 6, 2009, I attended When Worlds Collide: The Science of Movies, an Academy of Motion Pictures event in the Samuel Goldwyn building on Wilshire. The event was sponsored by the Academy's Science and Technology Council and it was hosted by Adam Weiner, a high school physics teacher and author. The event included a panel of stunt and special effects experts as they reviewed clips of their respected movies. Mr. Weiner's goal is to see if what we see happening in the movies can happen in real life (i.e. within the realm of science). This is the approach he takes to get his restless teenage students to pay attention in class and maybe eventually to love science.

He reviewed the science and physics of about 20 movies and he even did physics calculation as the audience laughed or groaned playfully. Here's some of what he discussed.

Action Movies:
(1) Speed: How fast would the bus have to be going to jump over the 50 feet gap in the freeway?
or How does a bomb look when it explodes?

John Frazier, the special effects supervisor explained about the different ramps they used to propel the bus upwards with enough velocity (plus a bit of CGI magic) to make the bus jump look real. He also discussed as well the explosives he used to make the explosions and fires look good on film. Mr. Frazier has also worked on (Twister, Armageddon, Spider-man 1 & 2 (for which he received a Best Oscar), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Hancock and Transformers, just to name a few. The guy knows his stuff and he was very engaging to listen to. He especially lauded Keanu Reeves for doing a lot of his own stunts in Speed and the audience gave Mr. Reeves a big ovation even though he wasn't present. I wholeheartedly agreed with them as Speed is on the top of my list of all time favorite action flicks.

(2) Can motorcyclist in XXX do a vertical jump of 20 feet from a standing start?

John Frazier regaled us with a story of how a helicopter and a stunt motorcyclist collided in the air by accident after a miscue during a practice jump on the set of this movie. He said that the helicopter blades were chopping against the stunt man's helmet and the helicopter couldn't maneuver away from him. Gravity kicked in and the cycle plunged back to the ground but the guy never knew what hit him! They thought that he was a goner but thankfully, the stunt man lived to tell about it. After the event was over, I spoke to Mr. Frazier about on film set health and safety issues from a medical stand point. He re-assured me that they do their best to be very careful and that the stunt and effects crew are professionals but I know that they must also pray a whole lot.

Super-hero Movies:
(3) In Spider-man: Can Spidey's weight really be supported by a thin spidery web? Did they depict the Sandman's shape-shifting sand grain body well?
(4) Could the cable wire from Batman's motorcycle in Dark Knight really flip an 8 ton wheel semi truck?
(5) Iron Man: Could Iron Man really fly in a heavy armour suit and how much fuel would he need to carry with him to accomplish this?

I actually got to hold and examine one of the Iron Man masks that Shane Mahan, the sculptor and designer had brought with him. I was too scared to put it on b/c it might get stuck and I'd have to walk around looking like "The Man(Woman) in the Iron Mask" (lol). Mr. Mahan worked on the physical suits for Iron Man but he has worked on special effects on Aliens, Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, Galaxy Quest, and Indiana Jones: Crystal Skull and most recently on GI Joe: Rise of Cobra and the upcoming Iron Man 2. See Iron Man's mask at http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/03/26/page-2-43/

(6) Hulk: Could a human really survive gamma radiation without getting cancer or dying?

The Science of Space:
(7) Armageddon: can noise from drilling into the meteor be heard in space? (Hint; space is a vacuum)
(8) Did Stanley Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey portray space accurately?
(9) Apollo 13: Did the film depict the weightlessness of space correctly and what camera tricks did they use to achieve it?

Todd Hallowell, exec. producer and 2nd unit director and Robert Legato, a visual effects artist on Apollo 13, discussed how the weightlessness of space was simulated. (Hint: Does the name "vomit Comet" ring a bell?) Some scenes were shot upside down or on a see-saw. Mr. Legato was nominated for an Oscar for his work on this film.

Historic Wrecks:
(10) Titanic: Why did it sink?

Mr. Legato also worked on the movie Titanic, for which he won a best visual effects Oscar in 1997. Adam Weiner and Legato discussed the unsinkability of the real Titanic.

Other panelist were:

(1) Scott Stokdyk, a visual and digital effects artist with credits on films like The Fifth Element, Stuart Little, Godzilla, Starship Troopers, and Spider-Man 1 and 2 (for which he won an Oscar) Spider-Man 3 and G-Force which is in theatres now.

(2) Matthew Sweeny, a special effects expert who worked on movies like The Goonies, Lethal Weapon 3&4, The Fast and the Furious (original) and its sequel FF: Tokyo Drift, The Time Machine and Role Models.

(3) Dan Bradley is a stunt coordinator and second unit director who has worked on Bill and Ted Excellent Adventure, Independence Day, Three Kings, Spider-Man 2&3, Superman Returns, The Bourne Ultimatum, and help reboot James Bond in the Quantum of Solace and Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

It was a good night because I love it when my science geek side and my movie geek side can meet! I was even doing some of the physics calculations in my head as we looked at the clips. I have one big problem though. I like my movies with lots of action and realistic science but I'm feeling a little guilty as a health professional, knowing how dangerous these movie stunts are. I'm going to start praying for the safety of the stunt and effects professionals especially during the summer blockbuster movie season chock full of films filled with dangerous stunts and explosions.


For more on the event go to the Academy's website at
www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2009/worldscollide.html

Ceck out Adam Weiner's book Don't Try this At Home: The Physics of Hollywood Movies at
www.amazon.com/Dont-Try-This-Home-Hollywood/dp/1419594060#

I Got Baptized Today!

August 30th 2009

After years of debating the need to actually baptise again after my initial (and totally unrecollected) sprinkling as an infant, I finally took the plunge (literally)! It was a wonderful and truly life changing ceremony which was performed by Pastor Israel at the Living Faith Church in Eagle Rock. You may wonder how someone who proclaims to be a Christian and writes a blog declaring as much, could have the nerve to not be baptised as an adult and you would be right to feel as much because I have felt the same.

For years I had been debating getting baptized since I am now a mature and spiritually aware Christian adult and I know it is what I needed to do, as a sinner, to live a cruciform life with Christ as my example. The problem has always been that I have never had one moment, since I have known myself, that I did not (1) know and love God the Father, (2) know, love and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and (3) love and been aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, I didn't think I was in need of baptism because I didn't have a need of a conversion experience, so to speak, as that's what I've had since age 3 (as my mother can attest to).

However, I have definitely grown in my faith since childhood and l've grown leaps and bounds in my faith and knowledge of God's word in just the past 4 years. In fact, some who know me may say that I am an entirely new person. So, I have been watching and studying baptisms, Christenings and dedication ceremonies at every type of church I've attended (Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, Evangelical) and even home baptisms and I have witnessed the baptism of several infants, children and adults. Recently, the feelings intensified and I felt compelled to attended every single baptism at church for the past 8 months.

I spoke with the pastors at church privately about my dilemma and they encouraged me to search my heart to know when I would be ready. So when the pastors announced the worldwide Day of Decision Event on September 13th, 2009 (which is my birthday, ironically), I knew it was time for my spiritual "rebirth". I reviewed all the scriptures about baptism like "you must be born again from above" and others like Galatians Chap 2:20, Galatians 3: 26-27, Colossians 2:12, Mark 16:15-16, Matthew: 28;19-20 and Acts 2:38-41. However, the ones that did it for me was (1)Matthew; 3-13-17 when Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him and John the Baptist protested that he was not fit to baptize the Christ. Jesus encouraged him to proceed saying "baptism fulfills righteousness" and (2) Romans 6:3-5 " during baptism, we die and are resurrected in Christ" and (3) 1 Peter 3:21 "baptism is the answer of a good conscience towards God".

I also found these two questions to ask yourself before baptism in a book I read online called Understanding 4 Views on Baptism by Tom J. Nettles, Richard Pratt and John Armstrong (page 144).

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Baptism:
1) Have I counted the cost of such a life in which Christ must forever increase and I must forever decrease?

2) Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit duplicate Jesus' cruciform life in my existence?

I answered yes to all of the above. Additionally, today's sermon in church was for us to seek salvation "while it could still be found" and the pastor implored us over the 1 hour and 45 minutes of the service to confess our sins and to not leave church today without accepting Christ. Still, I was surprised when I got dressed in the baptismal gown that I felt so giddy. When I was asked to describe it, the closest to which I could identify was that of a bride about to walk down the aisle to be married (75% happy anticipation and 25% clenched gut and butterflies) though I've never been married and the baptismal gown looked like a hospital smock. I thought maybe I felt that way because I had been trying on wedding gowns and watching tons of "Running of the Brides" videos on youtube. However, the Bible tells us that we, the church, are to be "like a spotless bride" for Christ, so I guess the feeling was appropriate.

I walked to the 4x6 ft inflatable pool and the pastor helped me in and he calmed me as he could tell I was nervous. What was truly funny was when Pastor Israel was about to submerged me, I had a brief uncontrollable moment when my body refused to let my head go totally underwater. I was surprised at this because I have no fear of water and I am an avid swimmer. I realized that my reaction was a fear reaction not of fear of water but because my life was literally in the pastors hands if he slipped and held me under incorrectly. CPR and life-saving images flashed inside my head for a split-second then I had to let go of control and choose to believe God. So, as Pastor Israel spoke those blessed words over me, I placed both hands over my heart I allowed myself to go under, as if in death, and to rise again in Christ. My church friends smiled and clapped, some even cried. I was crying a bit too, as the water streamed down my face and body. Then I was shaking and the most amazing feeling came over me and I just had to whoop loudly! Amazing God!

The rest of the day was just surreal with 100 plus weather and the smoke of the fires in the hills of the San Gabriel mountains as backdrop to my big day. Some friends from church took me to a Mexican fast food place and we had lunch to celebrate. I kept telling them I felt like I was in a dream or in a slow motion movie. I can't tell if it's from the baptism or the closeness of the smoke plumes or both.

As we were heading home, we drive by large billboards and posters advertising upcoming movies whose plot depictions seem absolutely ridiculous (late August is really a bad time for true movie-lovers). I looked at the hills in the direction of Studio City, where some big Hollywood studios are and reflected on Hollywood's take on Christianity and baptism. Many movies use conventional redemption as a theme for its hero (protagonist) and what he/she desires most as a catalyst for change and the driving force behind the movie but usually they shy away from attributing that change to spirituality and/or God, Christ Jesus (God with us) or the Holy Spirit. I can only think of one mainstream movie off the top of my head in the past 20 years that depicts baptism or a meaningful spiritual conversion among its lead characters and that is The Passion of the Christ. I'll do some research on the topic and I'll review the published movie guides and post my results at a later date. If I can't find another movie that shows an unabashed spiritual conversion then maybe I'll write one myself.

Later, I called my mom to tell her about my baptism and not to worry about my safety among the fires here. I told her how giddy and dreamy I was feeling hours after the baptism and she said, "you feel like you are new". Yeah, Ma, I feel like I'm new!

Resources:
To learn more on Jesus and His baptism:
http://www.redeemergpc.com/sermon-notes/82-matthew-313-17-jesus-baptism.html

To learn more of the Day of Decision Event at www.dayofdecisionevent.com

Learn more about my church at www.livingfaith.org

Film review resources:

2007 Movie Guide by Leonard Maltin

California Wildfires

August 29th, 2009
There are three new forest fires burning in Southern California and it is a sad reminder that this is wildfire country. This reminds me of my first forest fire experience shortly after moving to L.A. in 2007.

The Riverside County wildfire, the biggest of over ten area fires, started on Saturday October 20th, 2007 with a roar! Aided by the gusting strength of the Santa Anna winds it blazed through the chaparral and scrub bush of the nearby mountains. The governor called it a state emergency then the President declared it a national emergency, sending armed forces and national guard troops to help the firefighters. The whole area buzzed with activity as numerous helicopters flew over head, as they deployed to the site of the fire.

I had no previous personal experience with fires but I remember watching the Griffith Park fire on the news in May 2007, as it burned 600 acres of the park. For those who don't know, Griffith Park is near the L.A. Zoo and besides being a lovely park with all sorts of recreation, it's a popular location for TV, film etc.(the TV show, Monk, films there all the time). The Griffith Observatory is an historic site within Griffith park and it is also a popular location for many TV, film ( Paula Abdul's Rush, Rush video is filmed there as was it's inspiration, Rebel Without A Cause). Believe it or not, I moved to that same area in L.A. a mere 3 months later(lol). No, I'm not crazy, I just choose to believe God. So after lots of prayer and God's guidance about staying "fire-free" in California, I moved out here. At that time, my best and long-time Christian friend told me to believe God about my safety as I move to California and that also after a forest fire it takes awhile before another fire can happen in the area again (she's so wise).

Still, I stayed glued to the TV for any breaking news on how the Riverside County fire fight was going. Thankfully, where I live is many many miles north of the fire so I wasn't in any immediate danger. However, the air was thick and blackened with smoke. I mean it was totally not breathable and this was made worse by the 100 degree weather. Mindful of asthma and allergies, I followed the health experts advice and stayed in doors with the A/C. I ventured out only to the pool and even then I had to be very careful.

By day 5, I had decided that forest fires were just plain scary. The fires were still raging and I was praying constantly for them to go away already. I received worried calls from my friends and family and I reassured them that I was okay even when I was beginning to feel that I was not. Day by day, the skies were increasingly dark and gloomy with the acrid smell of smoke worsening. Over days, the atmosphere was so dark that eventually my mood started to feel dark too.

Amazingly, I even saw burnt embers as they drifted all those miles north then fell on us like dirty snowflakes. At night, the skies lit up with an eerie amber glow and at times I could have sworn I heard crackling sounds. All these elements combined and accounted, strangely enough, for one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen (if I wasn't feeling too scared or too guilty to enjoy it). I slept fretfully on night 6, then I had to use my faith and believe the fire would end.

The fires finally ended early October 27the 2007 after raging through southern California and ravishing over 500,000 acres and destroying 1,500 homes. The TV news was full of tragic stories of people who lost their homes and even some pets. Unfortunatly, there were three human lives lost but many in California publicly thanked God for sparing their lives. Many church services were shown on TV and the Salvation Army representatives were everywhere. Despite the sad circumstances, I am always happy when I see Californians openly acknowledging and thanking God.

That morning, it even rained a little as if God was washing away the embers and the bad memories. I was thrilled that I would be finally able to go out and enjoy the day so I got dressed to go grocery shopping to get some fresh produce. As I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of air, I enjoyed its refreshing smell and I thanked God! In 2008, fire season began again with a whole new slate of fires affecting lives and properties. Now, it's 2009 and we're at it again. Please, continue to pray for us.


For more info on:
Southern California fires go to www. latimes.com
The Griffith Park fire: www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/us/10fire.html
Learn more about Griffith Observatory at http://www.griffithobs.org/.
See films shot on location at Griffith Observatory at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Observatory

See Paula Abdul's Rush, Rush video
www.youtube.com/?watch?v=JbU1fKXxqvY


Update: 8/29/09 10:00 p.m.
It's night out and I just looked outside and saw the mountains ablaze in the distance from the LaCanada Flintridge fire. Let me tell you that it was a very startling sight and my heart started to pound! I know I had smelled smoke but I thought it was from the BBQ grills as everyone was out today in the intense heat trying to wring the last out of the summer. I turned on the news and it said that they have issued evacuation orders for that area.

I first learned about LaCanada Flintridge earlier this year from the wonderful and whimsical float they entered in this year's Rose Bowl Parade in January. The float organizers encouraged me to visit the area and to enter their contest for float design in 2010. Well, I did the latter but my design was not selected. Still, I thought I had all the time in the world to do the former as, by all reports, LaCanada Flintridge is a nice area to live as well as to visit. Now, since I can actually see the flames glowing in the distance, I have started my emergency preparedness. This is way closer than I like to have a forest fire. My prayers go to the residents who live in the area of all the fires especially as the weather is not helping. Please, keep praying for them!