Gravity

Never have I been able to completely loose myself and become entirely engaged in a film before. Gravity's use of stunning 3-D technology and unbelievable graphics literally remove you from your cinema seat and drop you directly into outer-space.

Not only were the visuals absolutely on point, the acting by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock was so spectacular that I was able to experience a new realm of reality that I never really thought about in depth. This film had numerous jaw-dropping moments and I felt as though my heart-rate only increased as the movie continued. I've never been so emerged in a movie before, to the point that I was actually scared, nervous, and filled with anxiety for the characters. It's really as if you're floating through space and experiencing the same turmoils as the characters.

The 3-D aspect of the movie was also incredibly natural and really brought the film to life. As you watch the characters uncontrollably fly through space in zero gravity conditions, you begin to understand the real dangers of space travel. It opened up a whole new respect for the brave souls that take this risk of exploring the unknown, and truly shows how unpredictable and helpless we become in zero gravity conditions.

And if you're wondering how they develop on the actual plot, it's fantastic! I was able to connect on a personal level, mainly with Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock's character). This movie isn't just about the dangers of space travel; it also depicts the idea of life and death and how we struggle to deal with it. Ryan Stone is a complex character who's definitely gone through a lot of struggles in her life. Not only does she have to deal with her space adventure, she also has to come to terms with her personal problems on top of it all.

If you want to see an incredibly suspenseful movie that pushes you to an almost uncomfortable level of anxiety, this is definitely the movie for you. It's also breathtakingly beautiful to see the Earth from an almost unrealistic perspective. The best quote to sum up this film, "Terrifyingly Beautiful".

SS14 KTZ Runway

Its about that time. 

Menswear Fashion Shows.

One of my favorite times of the year.

I was planning on waiting to let the shows sink in while reviewing them, and then start posting. But I really cannot wait to talk about how spectacular the KTZ SS14 collection is. I'm usually a sucker for the basics and traditional looks, but I've recently been forcing myself to explore and experiment with prints and color lately. And I have to say, this collection really caught my eye in a good way. You could describe it as a National Geographic/ Safari/ Explorer/ Traveler inspired collection (if that makes any sense. It did in my head...)

So without further adieu, here are my favorite looks from that collection. And there's quite a lot. 

Happy Mother's Day

Never take your mother for granted.

Just because today is Mother's Day,

doesn't mean it should be the only day

you express how much you appreciate her.

Be grateful.

She may not always be around.

Even if she has passed,

remember that you'll always have her

lessons, wisdom, love and presence with you.

Energy cannot be created, nor destroyed.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

to the most spectacular woman ever,

Christine Michelle Stransky.

Not a day passes that I don't think about,

and miss you.

~ 3/31/2012 ~

No Freedom 'til we're Equal

Anyone who knows me, has known me, or has gotten to know me via my blog or other social media, can probably tell that I'm openly gay. I wouldn't say I'm very transparent or an open book, but I don't go to any lengths to hide who I am, or act differently because of "Societal Norms". I am who I am, and that is that. But oddly enough, I've only been openly gay for about two years now... And I'm 20 years old now. So what about the first 18 years of my life? Well it wasn't easy...

I grew up in a loving family where we didn't make fun of people for being gay. My parents raised me to never disrespect or bully another person because of their religion, race, sexuality, gender, views, or actions. As a little boy I loved to play dress up with my cousins. I loved jewelry and high heels. I also loved hot wheels, batman, spiderman, bike riding, and camping. My parents always supported what I wanted to do (well as long as it was safe.. I was kind of an adventurous child so they had to keep an eye on me). I loved Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and all the 90s Boy Bands. I didn't learn that being gay was "wrong" from them. I learned it from Society.

I got teased a little in Elementary school because of what I liked. But it wasn't anything too harsh. I went to a really small elementary school so there wasn't ever really any problems. I did however learn that little boys liked little girls. That's just how it was, and that was the only way it was. If you didn't, then it was weird. Naturally, I liked the other girls as friends. And I started to assume that I probably "liked them-liked them" too. But I was always a little unsure. But I didn't really talk about it because it was "different".

Middle school is where most of my "lessons" came from. I was bullied right from the beginning. I was harassed by a ton of people. Every gay-bashing term in the book has been thrown at me at least once. That's when I learned that being gay had to be wrong. I stopped being so outgoing. I tried to blend in as much as possible to avoid being hurt again. I repressed all my feelings. And that followed me through high school. I had repressed my feelings so much that it became normal. Being gay was just a "phase" and I had to eventually grow out of it.

Eventually, I realized I never would. My senior year, I started to come to terms. I had to end a relationship with an extremely sweet girl that I was dating. I slowly started telling people. Those people who were truly my friends stuck by my side. Others left. And I'm okay with that now. But I waited until the very end of my senior year to FINALLY stop hiding who I was...

18 years. It took me that long to tell my family and friends. It took me that long to stop "hating" myself and thinking I was "wrong" or "confused". Why? Because that's what society "Taught" me! If other children  had been raised as I was, and laws didn't intentionally discriminate against homosexuals, we would essentially wipe away this attitude that being gay is wrong. It starts with you, and it has to start now. We're only hurting ourselves and hurting other people.

I had to hide from myself for so long because I was so afraid of loosing everyone. It was almost as if I had to decide if I was going to continue hiding, or enter into battle and be publicly out. And today, I'm more than happy with myself. I've never been so comfortable in my own skin. I still feel as though I had to waste so much of my life caring about this though. So much stress, hurt, and conflict.. All of which could have been avoided. And I know many other people share similar stories, and even harder ones. No one should have to go through that.

We're not born knowing how to "hate". We're taught it. So stop spreading this hate. Stop telling people their lifestyle is "wrong" and preaching this idea of inequality. Stop acting as though this whole thing will just calm down and resolve itself. Stop pushing this issue to the back of the agenda because its "not important". It is. Because as long as laws are still in place that prohibit a group of people from doing something that everyone else is allowed to do, we're still training society to believe that it is wrong.

Stop the hate and spread the love. Marriage equality isn't a choice, it's a necessity. Everyone should be free to love who they want, and marry them if they wish. Why restrict love and keep promoting hate? The more love we allow, the more love we spread. One day, I hope I can raise my child in society that teaches them to love whoever they want without judgement or feelings of wrongdoing. I want to raise him/her in a society that advocates love instead of hate and discrimination. Don't you?

No Free Until We're Equal <3

The Dragonfly

So here is my new dragonfly tattoo. I got it in memory of my mother who passed away almost a year ago, march 31st 2012. She loved dragonflies. They were her favorite! And now that she isn't grounded here on this planet anymore, she is able to fly free. Here is the story of the dragonfly too. I think it fits perfectly.

The Dragonfly
Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads,there lived a little water beetle in a community of waterbeetles.  They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pondwith few disturbances and interruptions.Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one oftheir fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad andwould never be seen again.  They knew when this happened; theirfriend was dead, gone forever.Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urgeto climb up that stem.  However, he was determined that he wouldnot leave forever.  He would come back and tell his friends whathe had found at the top.When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto thesurface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt sowarm, that he decided he must take a nap.  As he slept, his bodychanged and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautifulblue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender bodydesigned for flying.So, fly he did!  And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a wholenew world and a far superior way of life to what he had neverknown existed.Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinkingby now he was dead.  He wanted to go back to tell them, andexplain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever beenbefore.  His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.But, his new body would not go down into the water.  He couldnot get back to tell his friends the good news.  Then heunderstood that their time would come, when they, too, wouldknow what he now knew.  So, he raised his wings and flew offinto his joyous new life!
~Author Unknown~