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What's in RELIGION?

I'm a generally unhappy person. Really. I really am.

Day in and day out, I suffer from (almost) clinical depression and the inability to manage my anger. Well, I can manage them both well enough to maintain jobs & focus in school... but it's been getting more difficult lately because the anxiety that I've been suffering from my entire life: It's gotten worse.

Death is inevitable. It's random; almost impossible to guess when & how it'll happen. You wanna believe that most people will die a comfortable death in old age; preferably while they're sleeping so they'll dream their way into the afterlife but nowadays that has become a pipe dream. With all the violence and disease happening in our day and age, you'd almost be surprised to hear that someone died a normal death. Let me guess what you're used to hearing: Cancer of the ____, Car accident (drunk driving, texting while driving,  etc.) or Criminal activity (wrong place; wrong time or any other form of manslaughter/homicide), right?

It's like we can't get a break... a much needed break.

What the fuck does this have to do with religion?

Getting to that.

When most people die, it's expected... at least to me. If you have cancer, I'm going to be hurt when you die but I'm not going to be surprised. In my heart, it's understandable and it's justified. I take my knowledge and I try my best to cherish the time that I have because it might be snatched from me at any moment. But what if one day, unexpectedly, by surprise, with no indications or warnings, at random you lose someone close to you? I never knew I had to answer that question until the situation was presented to me.

Last year, I lost one of the closest people to me: my cousin. He was only 18 years old and to this day, it doesn't feel like real life. The day I was told is also the day a piece of me became different. I've dealt with serious bouts of anger and sadness, which I believe is normal, but I've also had a new strand of anxiety come out of the situation. It feels like that anxiety controls my life now, which is sad because... it's ruining me.

His death also made me question my religion. I've always been confused about whether I should be Christian because my family is or if I should practice another religion on my own... but now I have doubts for them all. I'm "unofficially" educated on most religions but I've been thinking about atheism. On a flip side of the coin, I've been thinking... "Is it possible to be spiritual, to believe in a God, but not follow any of the written material. Can I believe in a God without a Bible, Quran, etc? Do I have to believe in the folklore?"

The worst part about it is having conflicts with my parents. My mother is Christian but not a strict one. My father is also Christian but his methods seem to be a hybrid between Christianity & Hinduism. Do you know what my mother told me today? My anger, my depression, my unhappiness as a whole is a direct result of my resistance to religion and specifically my rejection of Christianity.

How do you explain to someone so deeply rooted in their religion that you believe in God, just not in the same way that they do?

I believe their is a higher spirit. I believe there is a God. I don't believe in practicing from a book that I've only been told to follow but have no actually proof of it's production. I don't believe in prayer. I don't believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe in the afterlife and I do believe that people can be stuck in "limbo". I don't know what you call my beliefs.

To say that my beliefs are wrong is fine. That's an opinion. To tell me that because I don't share the same faith as you; I bound to be unhappy until I convert? That, my friends, is absolute bullshit.

I don't even know what more to say.

Take Some INSPIRATION!

Sometimes, I wake up & I hate everything about my life. Sometimes, I find it hard to get motivated and I have no drive to move forward... then I find videos like this. It's comedy and encouragement wrapped in a weird, but equally beautiful bow.


Video By: Steve Roggenbuck

OMG Anime FRICKIN' Reviews!

So, let me tell you what I just thought:

"Anime reviews for each individual episode of an entire anime is... hard."

I honestly can't keep up lol. I've been watching Aku No Hana and I can't seem to post a review when I finish... so I'm just gonna do a review for the whole show! Yay! Which means that I can post it when the last episode airs. Double yay!

So now what?

I don't know. It's a blog. A personal blog.

Let's get... personal >=3

Random Thought: I'm starting to hate this blog template for some reason. It's the right color but the format is very lacking for what I wanna display. It fucks up my image quality & size IMMENSELY. I'll figure it out... hopefully soon. Might need to play with the coding.

Shingeki No Kyojin... PJ's?

I looooooooooove Attack on Titan, but I might not be as much of a fangirl as I thought.

Apparently, Titan pajama's exist! When I say Titan, I mean TITAN. You know: big, scary, smiling, naked men... who wanna eat your flesh for fun? Yea, THOSE GUYS... on pajama's O_O lol. Everybody has their own tastes, so... I figured - why not share it? Somebody might actually wanna buy a pair. I'm not exactly sure how oversea's buying service's work for TaoBao (it's basically the Chinese version of Ebay) but I do have a link!

Shingeki No Kyojin PJ's

From what I know, this buyer is pretty legit. I know a few cosplayer's who buy wigs & costumes from Fantasy Sheep. Have no fear; no sketchy business! I'm sure you wanna see what you're getting yourself into, right? Well, have some cosplay in pajama's!





Aku No Hana - Episode .O1. | REVIEW

This is a warning: I might binge post because I plan on watching as much of this anime as I can and getting my thoughts on each episode directly after I watch it for my initial & most raw reaction (lol, well... I might not be that thorough & in depth). Also, this anime is on Episode 12 - from today (June 26) there is 5 days until the release of Episode 13 (Which is the last episode); I have some catching up to do! Ahhh! Also
I read the manga associated with this anime not too long ago by chance. My boyfriend introduced me to a manga reader app & I decided to browse the genres the same way I do on anime websites: Drama & Psychological first (lol). When I started reading this, I was hooked and by some weird twist of faith, I found out that they were airing the anime on Crunchyroll (when it was new at the time; it's 12 episodes in right now). I finally got the chance to start watching it... like right now... TODAY! Hahaha.

- Episode .O1. -

Original Actors & The Drawing Process
I love how they chose not to go with the normal anime/manga art style for this show. I've noticed from many, many, MANY reviews that I've read on this show that people absolutely hate the way this show looks. Plot versus presentation. You get this same, pathetic argument every time: cheap, lazily made, low budget, and completely different from the manga. I think this art style was a key element in setting the tone for the show. It's strange, experimental on their end and preparing you for what type of disturbed and psychological anime you're getting yourself into. They're also saying, "Hey, this show isn't some cutesy anime style with the classic girl who has big hentai tits and the bookworm, perverted, shy male character constantly getting boners over her - love our shows content, not just the art." Before, I had no clue how they achieved this look but I just found out that the animation is done with rotoscoping... which is filming live actors first and then drawing over them to produce the final animation. To me, that was a genius route to take. How many anime's do you see using this technique? Exactly. It stands out. 
Product of Rotoscoping.

This episode basically introduces us to Kasuga (the main character) and Saeki (his love interest). Kasuga's life seems utterly mundane until he immerses himself in a book. Twice they show him reading and both times it seems like he becomes completely detached from reality. He socializes with his friends, Kojima & Yamada, pretty often which is how we find out that he has this attraction to Saeki. Kasuga is like a secret admirer; he watches Saeki from afar & tries not to make eye contact with her... ever. Everything Saeki does is borderline perfect, so I can see how he could be in love with her. She's pretty, she's intelligent, and she polite. In class, when tests are handed back, Saeki is praised for her perfection again but then Nakamura (the "eccentric" girl in his class) is acknowledged. The teacher not only calls her out for not responding to him correctly, but then he publicly shames her for having a 0% on her quiz (she just left the page blank lol). Before he gets the chance to degrade her some more, she snaps on him.


Boring ass Kasuga with his lame, static life is intrigued by this girl. Her actions go against everything he is used to but he kinda just leaves it at that... After school, when he's walking home with his friends, Kojima & Yamada, they talk about Nakamura's "strange" behavior and  at first they're like, "Damn, she's weird as hell," but it turns into, "I'm glad somebody finally stood up to him (the teacher)". I took a mental note of that. In the manga, this theme is recurring and I hope they address it accordingly in this anime. Anywho, Kojima makes a slightly sexual remark about Saeki (apparently her vajayjay is really bushy) and this is how we learn the magnitude of Kasuga's crush; it's a little more than just a sexual attraction (well, I guess it still could be. I mean, they are in middle school lol). Things get a little too personal for him, so he makes the excuse, "I left my book at school - I have to go".


By some strange notion of fate, as he's saying how Saeki would probably be impressed if she knew that he read books such as the book Flowers of Evil by Baudelaire, her gym bag falls out of her cubby. He's enticed to see further but THE EPISODE ENDS!

For as much content as there is in the manga, they really drag the episodes out. I think they could have fit a bit more into the episode but I think they did it out for effect... to make it seem more creepy. Overall, I like where they are going with the series. If they try to stay true to the manga & start packing some of the sick & twisted scenes in throughout the 13 episodes, I say we have a quality anime on our hands. This is the type of anime's that I look for: psychological, dramatic, good character development, inventive, awesome plot, all while being unpredictable. This anime should embody the manga: The perverted, lame boy who makes perverse actions will not be the praised and somehow loved by all the gorgeous girls in his class. I hope they also capture how, when you're a teenager, every little thing you do feels like an enormous disaster and in his case... these feelings are crucial to the story.

This reminds me of an anime called Another, but with less horror & gore to it.

Episode One - Pretty slow.

My Prediction For The Series - I won't be disappointed.

Lame | ♥

Lame | ♥


I have an outfit like this & I pretty much wear it anytime that I'm not in scrubs. Overworn, boring, & lame... but somehow - I still love it :]

My Job = HELL

If you've read my earlier post, you know I'm not too fond of my job. Well, it's technically a love/hate relationship. I've been a CNA for, maybe, 3 years now and I've had my current job in homecare for exactly a year. The agency I work for has been pretty lame since the beginning but I deal with it because... I need money & no one will hire me anywhere else! Ugh.
So, to the story.
I'm coming to the end of my lease in my apartment, so I've been taking on any shift that comes my way. That basically means I work hectic, crazy hours with clients who have a plethora of issues that I may be unfamiliar with (I have my usual clients & then there are clients I care for when one of my coworkers calls in sick/vacation time/etc).
During the week, I put in numerous hours with an elderly woman in a nursing home - that was strike one. As a homecare worker, you are given a care plan that explicitly details what you have to do for them & what they need to do (like certain medications for example) but you give your client a choice outside of that. The idea is to help them feel independent although... they pretty much aren't. The woman I was working with was awesome, but on my last day of working with her, she told me that she wanted to wear normal underwear instead of the adult diaper & her socks were hurting her. I looked at her care plan, I didn't see any red flags. I spoke to some other CNA's - I was basically ignored because I don't work in the facility. So I said, "Sure, why the hell not?" Apparently, that was the wrong choice. A caregiver at the facility completely bypassed me & called straight to my office saying that I didn't follow the "guidelines" for this woman. The only grace they gave me was not saying my name. My office sent out an email about it 5mins later. I wanted to point out how it's not in the care plan, nor does it describe any physical problems outside of her need for a hearing aid at all time but I decided to take my loss in silence.
I got a day or so off, then I was supposed to work last night - 11pm to 7am. This sounded simple enough. I read the care plan but this client would probably sleep through my entire stay there. Cake, right? WRONG - strike two. The address proved that this person wasn't far from my own home: awesome! I left 10mins early anyway because I like to get thorough report. As I'm driving to the location, the closer I get; the more rural & vacant the area appears. There was a point where I had to pull over because my GPS stopped working & I lost all signal on my phone. I actually started to panic a little. To me, empty wooded areas with long, narrow streets are the beginning of horror stories. Not exactly the way I pictured my demise. I found a housing complex & assumed it would be in there - nope. So I called for help... and got none. So I called to in home caregiver - she is a fast talking African woman, who speaks broken English AND, to top it off, she explains to me that she didn't drive to this house - she got a ride. I call my office again & they ask me why didn't do a daylight run. Well, excuse me - not everyone has that luxury! I only make enough money to get by, I can't afford to drive out of my way to find a house I may not ever visit. Why wasn't I informed that this house was in the middle of the fucking woods with no street lights, no towers for signal, probably with some private entrance, coming through long, narrow, winding roads? How unbelievably disrespectful with no regard for the amount of panic & disorientation I felt. I was on the verge of tears. I thought I would never find my way out to get home. I burned so much gas, driving around for an hour to locate and leave a place, supposedly, 15mins from my house.
I think it may be time for me to just quit. It's a sign.
- Carmen

Natural Hair: Possible Big Chop

Most of my life I've alternated between natural hair & relaxed hair. When I was 17 years old, I experienced some of the worst breakage in my life. I had to shave my hair so low that I grew an inhuman insecurity. Within a few months, that insecurity turned into self confidence. While every girl was wearing long weaves, I had short hair that had different designs cut into it and I even dyed it a few times. When I stopped playing with my hair, it was breast length. I graduated high school with long luscious hair and I was proud of it, so I stopped relaxing, cutting, and coloring my hair all together. My entire first year of college consisted of me buying and creating my own wigs.

2 years later and my hair has broken off again. Can you guess why? A frickin' relaxer gone wrong. I should just stick to getting my hair done professionally but I'm too impatient. Actually... my impatience is probably why my hair broke off. When I do box relaxers and the indicator still shines pink after 4-5 washes, I just move on. So my hair is pretty long in the front and short from the crown back. It looks gross.

I've decided that with this strange occurrence of the hair breakage... I could just get a pixie cut! Right? I honestly think I'm gonna go ahead and get a short pixie cut, dye my hair a honey blonde and then... who knows - this might be the beginning of a natural hair journey. I wanna play with my hair a little before I fully commit to hair care routine.

I'll be sure to keep you guys updated. I'm still in an rut of uncertainty.

[Random Thoughts @ Night]

- Carmen 

R.I.P Vine

If you're anything like me; you're addicted to your iPhone or Android Phone. With everything our cellphones can do now, who even uses it as a phone anymore? Apps, on apps, on apps is probably a major understatement to the amount of downloads I make a day.

Yesterday (June 20th, 2013), Facebook announced video for Instagram. This is a free update to the current Instagram app that'll add a movie icon to the bottom of the screen. Currently you can only shoot from within the app, not upload, but I'm sure that'll change. Video on Instagram will include some pretty awesome features: 15 seconds of video, 13 custom filters, and image stabilization (for those shaky vids).

Most people using Instagram are probably using the Vine app on Twitter. Instagram pretty much blew them out of the water. The only issue here is: it's completely available to iOS users and Android users... who have the Jellybean update. If your phone is still in Icecream Sandwich, you won't see the features of this app for months until they figure out how to "downgrade". The videos will appear as photos to people who can't play them. Beware of the double tap. Lol. I, myself, am in a sort of "cellphone limbo". I can play the videos I see... but I can't make them. It's weird.

What are your favorite apps? I'm stuck between Instagram, Foursquare & Candy Crush (super addictive).

- Carmen♥

Working in Healthcare

I've wanted to work in healthcare my entire life. When my great grandmother was getting homecare; I felt like that was something I wanted to do. The women who were constantly assisting her & empathizing with our family were idols to me. I was only 5 years old at the time but I still attempted to grasp the concept.

Years into the future, I had aspirations of becoming a doctor or nurse at the least. When I finished 8th grade, I enrolled in a vocational high school with the sole purpose of completing their Practical Nursing program (LPN) to make it more simple to become a nurse after graduation. I got my CNA certification in my senior year. I finished the program with average grades (my teachers were awesome people but not awesome teachers). Then when I applied for college... I said, "Fuck it: let's study Psyche."

Working as a CNA & attending college at Temple University opened my eyes. I enjoy healthcare, I'm always compassionate, but something didn't feel right. 2 years out of high school & one year after dropping out of college... I still don't feel right. The work comes easily to me & I know the information like the back of my hand but I'm unhappy. In high school, this used to excite me & I craved for more clinical experiences. Now I feel overworked, burned out, anxious, annoyed, and all sorts of negative emotions. I can't tell if it's me or the field. Do I need to rekindle this love or let it go & move on? Even then, what do I move on to? I'm only 20 years old; I don't know what my passion is...

This makes me think that I should revisit Psychology; too bad it's not a profitable field unless you're a doctor.

It's hard being a young adult in the 21st century.

No More Xbox One Restrictions?!

According to IGN, Microsoft decided to take the restrictions off of the Xbox One. Instead of needing internet to check in once daily; you only need a connection the first time you set up the Xbox. Also, they are allowing the use of used games and trading them (sharing with your friends too). It also says that games that are released on discs can be downloaded from the Xbox One on that same day. Correct me if I'm wrong but... we couldn't do that before with the Xbox 360; we had a waiting period before digital downloads were available.

The kicker here is, even with all of those awesome changes... it seems that they are sticking with their $499.99 launch price. Why do you think that is?

To read the article for yourself; heres the link - http://go.ign.com/19jxlcY

Life Goes On + E3 Thoughts

It feels as if the past week completely flew over my head. Somehow, I survived partying, a work week, E3 & Father's Day without a scratch. I have no clue how I made it. Half of the time I, literally, had no clue what day it was! Alas, here I am on a Tuesday morning; fully convinced that today is Monday. My life is probably too hectic for my own good.

With that being said, I guess I need to catch up. It's only fair.

Let's just rewind right to E3:

Honestly speaking, I was disappointed by the overall event. *Gasp* "WHAT?! How could you say such a thing?" Yea, well here's the thing - as a gamer, when I watch E3 I wanna see more than just games & systems; I want cool ass presentations too. This event felt pretty underwelming to me. Obviously, Microsoft was the worst presentation but was Sony's that much better? No. The only thing that made Sony's presentation of the PS4 better is the fact that they made a ballsy move & decided to take direct shots a Microsoft. With all the Xbox vs. PS4 drama and memes floating around the interwebz, people forgot about Nintendo's WiiU & 3DS line up. Granted, that wasn't incredibly better either. So we have the Xbox One, PS4, and WiiU as our new gen systems.

Let's start with Xbox One. This is a system that, in my opinion, is a little before it's time. Everyone is complaining about how it's always online & the limitation on used games, right? Well consider this: Do you remember when all cable went digital a few years back & they announced that if you don't have a cable provider, you wont be able to watch TV? I do. I remember being so broke that the only shows I watched were on FOX because my family didn't have cable, we just had a TV with 2 antenna's on top and just like they said on the news; one day I turned my TV on & it was nothing but static until we got DirectTV. This is the same. We live in a digital age and within a short period of time, we won't be able to live with the internet. Our TV's, cellphones, computers, iPad's, tablets, and everything else are connected to the internet all the time - what makes you think this internet invasion won't spread to our game systems? It's very likey, but I think Microsoft may have jumped the gun; they probably should've waited until the next generation (another 3-6 years) when people could easily adapt to the idea.

This same idea holds strong for their used game policy. They're trying to do what Netflix did to Blockbuster's. Despite the fact that we're talking about games, in the end this is still a business. With most people waiting to play games until it's used or months later when it's marked down in price, how much do you think these company's are generating in revenue? Yet again, Microsoft is still in the right... they're just a bit early. So, Sony won the crowd over because they took Microsoft's ideas & removed the restrictions.

Most of the "good" games are coming to both systems but they don't have too many decent lauch games for me to even care. This goes for WiiU also.

Nintendo seems to be sticking to this "family fun" & multiplayer formula for the WiiU minus games like ZombieU, some fighting games & Bayonetta 2 (which I'm sooooo excited for; it was long overdue). They made a smart move by launching their next gen console first because all the terrible launch games are over - now all the good games are coming out & just in time for the holiday's. Their strategy is impeccable (can you tell that I'm a Nintendo lover?). The only let downs I think I felt from Nintendo was the fact that they don't seem to have too many new games; everything is a reboot, sequel, or continuation in a series. I really wasn't expecting a new Zelda game (Skyward Sword just came out practically) but I was expecting... more? I don't know. I will say I'm excited for Super Smash Bros & I'll add this question: of all new characters, why is the WiiFit lady one? Lol, is she gonna crunch me to death?! I'm interested in learning more about her fighting style, she's been completely ignored with all the hype surrounding The Villager (whom I've been patiently waiting for; I mean, he was in the back of one of the Smash Bros. games... just watching & learning).

To conclude this very long blurb, I can't find myself caring too much about consoles - I'm more about the games. I'm excited for DOA5 Ultimate, Bayonetta 2, A Link Between World's, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Super Smash Bros., and Saints Row IV... I don't remember much else because E3 was pretty meh this year.

What games are you excited for? Are you a Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo fan? *Curveball* OR will this next gen drive you to becoming a PC Gamer? My boyfriend built his own gaming PC & will be making mine too; it's a loophole in the gaming world - buy games, torrent games, use the keyboard or gamepad and with the right videocard you can have the most fluid & pristine graphics you've ever seen.

Leave a comment! I really wanna know where everybody is headed now that everything has been revealed last week during E3.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL Bundle ♥

When the 3DS XL was originally launched last year, I was uninterested. Crazy, right? For an avid gamer... I'm actually quite the penny pincher. If I can get a game or console for cheap, borrowed, or free - that's what I'm gonna do before I even think about paying full price for anything.

Then they announced the Pink & White 3DS XL Dec. 9th 2012. That made tickled my inner girly side, but I still stayed away. My boyfriend kept trying to convince me a few months later once the price had dropped... but he had bought his own 3DS (the original) so, I didn't see a need for it. That was until we moved in together.

When you're just visiting somebody, they kinda let the "guest" rule. I could play his 3DS whenever I felt like it, but when we started living together - he started hogging all the games! That triggered a bit of envy inside of me but still wasn't enough for me to invest. Instead, I just giving in... I just took advantage of my boyfriends Gamefly subscription & got massive Xbox games... and I got really into indie/F2P games on Steam.

Dude, when they said Preorders were available in May for the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle (Available June 9th), I was hurt! I'm so broke! I was broke then & I'm even poorer now! My boyfriend said he would buy it... but I hate gifts. I feel like I'm taking advantage even though it was offered.

Whatever the case, I'm excited! I hope I can get it on my own because I really want to experience the opportunity to become the mayor! Also, I heard that the 3DS is getting an update that allows you to visit the homes of other Animal Crossing players through StreetPass, how cool is that?!

My 3DS will probably only have Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time & the upcoming Zelda game - A Link Between Worlds.

What are your favorite 3DS games?

ANIME vs MANGA | Aku No Hana


I've already read the manga up to Chapter 45 (Yes, this is still ongoing & YES - I plan on reading it!). Funny thing is, I haven't watched the anime yet. I actually stumbled upon the anime by accident one day with my boyfriend on Episode 2; now there's 10 episodes out!

Description According To MangaHere.com
The story opens as middle school student Takao Kasuga receives an F on a math test. But he doesn't even seem to notice because he's too engrossed in surreptitiously reading Beaudelaire's The Flowers of Evil. And the day goes downhill from there. In a moment of weakness, he finds and takes home the gym clothes belonging to sweet, pretty Nanako Saeki on whom he has a major crush. Unfortunately for Takao, there's a witness to the theft: Nakamura, who has a huge chip on her shoulder and a sadistic streak. As the saga unfolds, we see Takao struggling to decide whether to confess or cover up his misdeeds at the same time that he tries to win over the girl of his dreams, and avoid the blackmail attempts of Nakamura, his new ”BFF.”
 *I like their description better than any other website for the manga & the anime because other sites fail to include that Nakamura, is in fact, THE DEFINITION of sadistic. They just say some sugar coated bullshit like, "The weird girl of the class witnesses Kasuga's theft & begins meddling with his life". No, no. Tell me why she's jerking him around.

The show appears to be live action with cell shading over top of it, which is a style I've never seen in anime before. From the pictures & clips I've seen, it's a little strange but not hard to get used to.

I'm really interested in seeing how this actress portrays Nakamura; she's my favorite character! Also, I'm not sure how much they're sticking to the manga but I hope they keep everything canon. I plan on watching this soon, I've been working a bit much recently. When I do, I'll keep you updated! I heard they're only doing 13 episodes total which means it's gonna end soon and... well, they couldn't possibly have as much content as the manga nor are they even halfway through the manga.

What anime are you watching right now? I'm honestly apart of the Shingeki No Kyojin/Attack on Titan Fandom.

Testing The Waters

It's probably been about 2 years since I've had a real blog. I originally made a blogger in high school... then I deleted it to use Tumblr. My tumblr was a legit blog for maybe... 3 months before I became the Queen of Reblogging. It's really difficult to post "originally" on Tumblr outside of... connecting your Instagram to it.
I said all that to say, "Hello, World! Have no fear because CarmenTheNinja is HEREEEE! Finally! Unexpectedly..! Ermm, 'kay bye!" Is that a good enough introduction? I think so; for now at least.