Sleep Deprivation - Good or Bad?

If science could phase out sleep, would you be for it or against it?

In today's society, we are generally fast-paced and constantly working. We are trying to attain a better and successful future for ourselves and our families. Yet, we rarely think about our present, in particular the long-term effects our current behavior has on our own health and well-being. Maybe it's a nice idea to be able to retire to a luxurious lifestyle when you're older, but do people tend to forget the health risks and complications that could arise with age as well? We seem to be so focused on reaching that goal that we don't stop to enjoy the present.

And people are trying to find new ways to sleep less so they can work more. Eight hour work days were created so that a 24 hour period could be divided into thirds: sleep, work, leisure. It's obvious that not everyone can adhere to this general guideline but the question is why. And if there was a way for you to sleep less and get more done due to being awake for longer periods of time, would you do it or not?

Five Celebrity Twins

Ever see a movie or a TV show and think you’re watching one celeb when it’s actually another? Did you ever notice how striking of a resemblance some celebs bear with others? I did, and I put together some photos for you to compare and contrast. 

Images courtesy of WireImage.com, IMDb.com, and some others.

Exhibit 1) Topher Grace = Tobey Maguire = Jake Gyllenhaal

Yes, these are not the best pictures to illustrate the resemblance but you have to admit someone’s already thought of it, especially after seeing the latter two in Brothers (2009).

2) Eli Roth = Zachary Quinto

Both bad-asses…with Eli directing movies like Hostel and most recently playing a basterd with a baseball bat (Inglourious Basterds, 2009), and Zachary well-known for his invincible, villainous role as Sylar in Heroes, how can they NOT be related?

3) Ralph Fiennes = Liam Neeson

I don’t know about you, but Voldemort and Aslan to me are one in the same.

4) Jennifer Connelly = Demi Moore

Whenever I see Jennifer, I ALWAYS see Demi. Except for maybe the eyebrows.

5) Terrence Howard = Cuba Gooding Jr.

While watching Iron Man (2008), I had accidentally mistaken Terrence for Cuba for, like, the first 25 minutes. So when Terrence wasn’t returning for the sequel, why hadn’t they cast Cuba to replace him?

 Thoughts? Disagreements? Be sure to let me know below!

Moving Woes - What Not To Keep

Getting ready for a big move soon and trying to look around the house to see what I need to pack and what to leave behind. I spent the majority of today sitting around in the basement unearthing old boxes from back in the high school days. I found old graduation gowns, caps, and tassels with scrapbooks and pictures I kept over the years. I used to have them up on a shelf around my room, but needed the space later on. Old pictures were replaced, especially with friends I no longer keep in touch with, and it got me thinking: How do you decide what to keep and what to throw away?

I found an old trinket that a friend gave me. But I will never use this again, or ever wear it with anything. It was meaningful at the time, but now it's just collecting dust. I realize some things have sentimental value and you can just never part with them, but what about the ones from friends you'll never see again? Or if something's old and outdated, but brings back a few memories? And if you do keep it, why stick it in a box somewhere?

Outsourced (The Movie)

Have you heard of this movie? I sure didn’t. It was a recommend from a friend.

With that being said, I was glad I actually sat down and watched it. I read the description and thought it was going to be an enjoyable, fun flick about cultural differences and language barriers. I was expecting comedy, but I wasn’t quite expecting the storyline.

Josh Hamilton plays Todd Anderson, a call center manager who resides in Seattle, Washington. One day, his supervisor informs him that the call center is being outsourced to India, as this will benefit the company. While this means all that are currently employed there will be fired, Todd will have the very unique opportunity to travel to the new India division and train employees there, along with his new replacement, efficiently enough so that callers will not recognize the recent shift. Todd feels guilty and frustrated about everyone in his division losing their jobs, but has no choice but to head to India for his last job. Once there, he is immediately overwhelmed by the distinct differences of this land versus America, especially when everyone pronounces his name as “Toad.” He spends his days staying at the home of his replacement, Asif Basra (Purohit Virajnarianan) trying desperately to fit in, while heading to the office at night to teach the new employees about American culture. One new employee, Asha (Ayesha Darker) boldly suggests Todd learn about Indian culture first before trying to teach them anything new and Todd decides to take her up on that suggestion. What follows is Todd trying to learn this new culture while getting the call center to be successful.

From what I know about India and the culture there, I was a bit surprised and taken aback by some of the things that were said and done. Overall, it seemed to represent everything in a positive light, but some romantic issues that were touched upon were perhaps more unusual and sometimes a bit hard to believe. I liked the way the film was structured and that it did not rely on any stereotypes one would expect to see included in a film about culture clash. The actors all performed very well, and the ones who didn’t really have any lines contributed nicely to the comedic appeal of the movie.

It is fun to watch and a nice light-hearted movie. The script, the performance, and the respectable humor all combine to give this a 4 out of 5 stars. I also heard it has spun off into a tv series (that I have yet to see). Definitely worth the rent!