Random Panser

For a while I have kept my "obsession" with this vlogger to a minimum... but I figure it's finally time to let the cat out of the bag so others might enjoy in her epic randomness!

Meet Panser.

She's my age.

And she has pink hair.

(Though she has been known to change it quite often)

She's also a complete gamer.

(Her favorite games being World of Warcraft and League of Legends)

Who even has a YouTube channel
dedicated to gaming news (Tradechat)

 

Not to mention,
she's a huge Pikachu fan.

Even competing in the TBS series, "King of the Nerds."

So why do I like this girl so much?  She's hilariously funny.  Panser has such an addicting personality.  I can't help it that time seems to slip into another dimension when I watch her videos.  She has brought more smiles to my face than any other YouTuber.

Speaking of smiling, she also promotes making the choice to be happy.  You have to make a conscious choice to have a good day.  I firmly believe in this because I try to do it everyday and it works.  Seriously.  To quote Panser, "You just have to be like, 'Oh wow, that happened and that sucked.  Now I'm going to go eat a cupcake.'"[Source] ^-^

Panser is also a source of inspiration when it comes to doing crafty things.  She makes a TON of things, especially these amazing SpiritHood feather accessories:

The feather accessory I purchased yesterday.
I can't wait for it to come!!!! ^-^

Her creativity has stirred within me a desire to try new things.  I'm quickly becoming a fan of DIY (do-it-yourself) projects.  In fact, I have an entire playlist on YouTube dedicated to creations I want to do sometime.  I thank my own mother for the crafty hobby she had, but I also blame Panser for igniting that spark within me.  I wish it would have ignited sooner, because I could have done so much more with Mom while she was here...

But "No regrets!"

Anyway, even though I don't understand most of what Panser says when she talks "gamer," (aka: mentioning specifics of games I have never played, leveling up a certain character, or why it is difficult, etc.) I do understand enough--and I'm entertained enough--to keep watching.

Aside from gaming, much of what she talks about is complete and utter...
  

 

...but I still enjoy it.

I recently re-watched nearly all of her Vlog videos... (Multiple sittings, of course).  But it has made me appreciate vlogging and the uniqueness of her style in particular.  Maybe I just haven't seen very many good vloggers, but I enjoy hers because unlike the normal vlog, hers are always in one take... so we see everything, even the bloopers.  That's one of the reasons her vlogs are so funny.

So as I was re-watching her videos, I decided it would be fun to create a sort of collage of my favorite parts in some of the videos.  These are the moments where I laughed the hardest; the events that make me appreciate Panser for her unique, spunky personality.  If she lived near me, we would be friends.  Anyway, enjoy!
  

Disclaimer:  She does swear occasionally in her videos (not in the one above, however).  But she's normally pretty good about not swearing too often (unlike some other YouTubers I have seen).

"I love you all.  

I hope you are having a wonderful day.

You're in my ♥ ♥ ♥ (hearts)

And I'll see you so soon!"

~ Panser

Rise of the Guardians & Symbolism

As you already know, I am a huge fan of Rise of the Guardians.

But did you also know that one of the reasons I love it is because of the symbolism I see between that story and the Gospel?  Here, let me share some examples.

(The following should *NOT* include spoilers.  You're welcome.) ^-^

Jack: "Darkness.  That's the first thing I remember.  It was dark, and it was cold... And I was scared.  But then, then I saw the moon.  It was so big and it was so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away.  And when it did... I wasn't scared anymore."

First of all, talk about an awesome opening scene.  Beautifully written.  Now for the symbolism...

This world can be a very scary and dark place.  All you have to do is look at the news and see what's going on.  But, the light (Jesus Christ) can chase that darkness away.  When I turn to my Savior at times when I am scared of the uncertain future, I find peace and hope.

[Image Source]

Continuing along that same thought (of the Man in the Moon symbolizing Christ), later in the movie after longing for something he didn't have, Jack looks up at the moon.
"If there's something I'm doing wrong, can you, can you just tell me what it is?  Because I've tried everything... You put me here, the least you can do is tell me, tell me why..."

When life isn't going according to our plan, how often do we look up at Heavenly Father and say those same words?  How often does He respond with silence or "Patience, my child"?  For me, it's far more than I can count.  Ten years ago, I honestly thought my life would be different; for starters, I thought I would be done with college (still working on it), Mom would still be alive (but she's in a much better place now), and I would be married...  Well, none of those three things have happened yet.  But I have learned to have patience and recognize that the Lord has His timing and we have ours, often they are different.

[Image Source]

And when we don't receive an answer, but someone else does (through the Holy Ghost and inspiration), we then question why we were not told...

Jack to the Guardians:
"The Man in the Moon, he talks to you?  But why, why wouldn't he tell me that himself?"

Sometimes Often the Lord will work through other people in order to bless our life.  If we are too focused on what we want and not what He wants, how could we possibly hear Him?  It takes someone else to speak up and act in His behalf.  When I have had this happen, I stop and question myself, wondering what it was that caused me to be so "unavailable."  However, sometimes it isn't that we are to blame; sometimes the Lord simply has other plans.  Even if, like Jack, we are trying our best but we still can't receive inspiration, perhaps it's because He has a greater plan in store (So-and-so needed to talk to you because they needed it, etc.).

[Image Source]

North: "I don't know who you were in your past life, but in this life you are Guardian."
Jack: "But how can I know who I am, until I find out who I was?"

No, I am not endorsing reincarnation.  =P

What I love about this is that it doesn't matter what your past is like, you can still become who it is you want to be.  Thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, your past can be healed.  Yes, the scar may still remain for a time, but the pain will be gone, and we can move forward with the life we desire to live.

[Image Source]

Another aspect of this movie that I enjoyed was the concept of "What's your center?"  What's your purpose?  We are all here in this life trying to find our center.  For some it may take longer than others, but eventually I think we all find it.

[Image Source]

And don't even get me started on Pitch...

[Image Source]

This entire movie is also based on the premise of faith and believing in something you cannot see, which of course goes hand-in-hand with the Gospel.  So...

"Believe it."

~ ~ ~

Fear Not

I came across the picture above on FaceBook and shared it.  One of my friends commented and asked, "So what would you let go of?" and it caused me to stop and think...

If I could live my life without fear...

What would I do?

That's a very good question... and I'm not really sure I have the answer to that.  There is so much to fear in this world (especially since I keep hearing about school shootings).

Then, in Institute on Monday, my teacher referenced a talk by Elder Holland entitled, "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast."  This is the section that spoke to me the most:

"I say this because in recent times—post 9-11 times, I suppose—I have heard very fearful and even dismal opinions coming from some in your age group... I have heard some of you say that you wonder whether there is any purpose in going on a mission or getting an education or planning for a career if the world we live in is going to be so uncertain. I have even heard sweethearts say, "We don’t know whether we should get married in such uncertain times."

Worst of all, I have heard reports of some newlyweds questioning whether they should bring children into a terror-filled world on the brink of latter-day cataclysms. May I tell you that, in a way, those kinds of attitudes worry me more than Al-Qaeda worries me.

I have just two things to say to any of you who are troubled about the future. I say it lovingly and from my heart.

First, we must never, in any age or circumstance, let fear and the father of fear (Satan himself) divert us from our faith and faithful living. There have always been questions about the future. Every young person or every young couple in every era has had to walk by faith into what has always been some uncertainty—starting with Adam and Eve in those first tremulous steps out of the Garden of Eden. But that is all right. This is the plan. It will be okay. Just be faithful. God is in charge. He knows your name and He knows your need.

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward, as it says in K. Newell Dayley’s hymn commemorating our pioneers of the past, “with faith in ev’ry footstep.” But like those pioneers, you do have to keep taking them—one step and then another and then the next. That is how tasks are accomplished, that is how goals are achieved, and that is how frontiers are conquered. In more divine language, that is how worlds are created and it is how your world will be created.

God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe."

[I encourage you to listen to Elder Holland's talk and read along with him.  He emphasizes words in such a way that it will touch you on a deeper level.]

I absolutely LOVE that last statement.  We need to believe in the future and have faith that Heavenly Father will help give us strength to face it.  As Elder Holland goes on to say...

"...God not only lives, He loves us. He loves you. Everything He does is for our good and our protection. There is evil and sorrow in the world, but there is no evil or harm in Him. He is our Father—a perfect father—and He will shelter us from the storm."

Fear of the future has been a concern of mine.  In fact, I have expressed it in previous posts.  The future is scary, but it's going to be alright... if we just believe.

We cannot let our fear of the future withhold us from reaching our potential in this life.  We have so much going for us, and we can do it.

So I am going to leave you with departing words from a song by David Hodges (yes, everything does relate back to him somehow).  It is entitled, "Little Juliet."  He is singing as a father (to his daughter), but the song has a much deeper meaning: There's another Father that is telling us (everyone) the words of this song whenever we are going through a difficult time or are scared.  This song speaks peace to my soul.

I can't imagine while you're waking
From a dream, the darkness
Is making you so scared
Honey, I've been there
But I know it won't be long
So baby, hold on

I know you can't understand
I know it's hard to trust these hands
When you're so scared
Honey, I've been there
Please believe it won't be long
So baby, hold on.

[Image source]

Just Because...

[**Disclaimer: This is a fangirl moment.  Thank you.]

TA DA!

Came across this image last night and it made me laugh. XD

Now... imagine that image with the following song:

Video by: FlameyLovesFrank on YouTube

In a way, I can't wait for the DVD release on March 15th (yes, I do know the exact day) because the videos on YouTube will simply explode with good RotG videos.  Currently, most are using bootlegged footage which has horrible quality.  Besides, in the video above, there are shots where Pitch's head is cut off... Sad day!  But the dance he does on the globe is pretty epic... just saying.

Pitch Black is an amazing character and I simply LOVE all the small movements the animators did with him (like a little shake of his head there, the body language and posture here, etc).  Oh yes, Pitch is amazing.

The end.

♥ ♥ ♥

PS:  This video is also pretty cool.  This editor did an amazing job telling a different kind of story.

(**SPOILERS!!** View at your own discretion.)

Video by: AmberSpirit11 on YouTube

And I have to admit, after seeing RotG for a third time this holiday season, it has officially passed Megamind in my top favorite movies.  Rise of the Guardians is my 2nd favorite movie, with Tangled being the first.
 Though that gap is quickly drawing to a close.