Today's been an incredible Monday.
Yes,incredible.I know-I have an annoying tendency to overuse big words like 'fantastic' and 'great',to the point where they lose their original value and succumb to mere normalities.But today-I woke up after having only four hours of sleep,and in such desperate times when it's crucial to stay lucid I had no choice but to swallow every drop of the overwhelmingly strong (3 spoons) and foul-tasting homemade coffee this morning.But things didn't turn out as I expected.
Usually in my management class-with 3 quarters of them being locals,I'd typically feel isolated a bit and choose to remain quiet-in the process getting friendly,but disapproving looks from my tutor who nonetheless accepts my behaviour as typical Asian anti-social-ness.But today I spoke too much,joined in the jokes and talked to my classmates-total humdrum,I know-but it's a big thing for me,especially on moody Mondays when the weather seems worst and emotions run wild.
Lunch was terrific-and Jan-da-jo-peen is in town for a week so few of us went to Esteller (finally getting my Nasi Pecel) for dinner and the night continued crisply.
I seriously forgot why I wanted to write what I wrote-therefore this post will have no particular significance or intention-except maybe to say that some days can change from good to bad,or vice versa,from the miraculous weight of just one small thing.This morning,I smiled-I laughed hysterically loud,alone to myself -careful to not vommit out the coffee,which now tasted like shit brewing in my throat-as the elevator ascended to the 10th floor at the Redmond Barry building-and just like that,the day felt a whole lot brighter.
30.4.07
28.4.07
Histalosteria
Oh,look people-it's Sunday.If someone told me on the previous Monday (which was really sucky,btw) that I would make it to Sunday without anything unfortunate occuring on the way to Sunday actually bothering me,I'd slap them as hard as I could then run away.
I'll begin with anything I feel like talking about,right now at the top of my head are thoughts about this week's LOST episode.Wowee,is was so solid and intense allthroughout-when the final moment came I felt my heart skip a beat.So cliche-will try to not use that phrase ever again.Anyways,any Lost fans who haven't seen this week's should really skip this,major worth-waiting-for-ep-to-finish-download spoiler ahead.
Yes,don't doubt yourself-shoo piggies shoo.
Allright,Lost freakazoids gone?As anyone familiar with the show knows-like any other (arguably-because when it comes to tv,nothing's truly defined) good show on tv,every episode features a series of events that occur simultaneously-the show takes advantage of the time they have and manages to insert a set of different short stories,all different but they personally each contribute something significant to the moving plot.Well,this week's ep dealt with Sun's (she's the Korean hottie) family-related past and Charlie,Hugo,Desmond and Jin stumbling upon a girl whose helicopter had just exploded mid-air-her parachute still attached and her lung pierced with some kind of small splinter.So they all focus on getting her water and the best treatment they can find-some other less interesting things happen yada yada-then the girl finally regains conciousness and when this happens,only fat Hugo's by her side.
Girl Who Looks Like Rosario Dawson:Who are you?
Hugo:I'm Hugo Weres,from flight Oceanic 815-we crashed here 90 days ago.
GWLLRD:What?
Hugo:(Repeats information)
GWLLRD:That's impossible.
Hugo:No,we survived the crash and noone's found us since.
GWLLRD:That's impossible-Oceanic 815,the one from Sydney?
Hugo:Yeah.
GWLLRD:We found the plane.It crashed,we found the plane and there were no survivors.They all died.
Hugo:Omigawd,you're Rosario Dawson.
GASP.....OOOH TASTY TASTY...Oh yes,that last bit was made up.Anyone who loves the show as much as I do should check out the comments here-particularly the last comment (Matrix-comment)-it's really interesting and worth thinking about,although the mere mention of Matrix or so-called actor Keanu Reeves can be an instant turn-off.
If the first few eps of the season had fans pulling out their hair due to the slow-moving development and constant hinting but little and unsatisfying revealing process-the show's really starting to pick up and manages to do this without suddenly shocking us with some sort of irrational,exploitative and unbelievable storyline conjurred out of thin air.The characters are really beginning to come out from the dark and show their true selves-even then we doubt our expectations and feelings about them,because knowing how all of them on the island can be so unpredictably secretive and elusive about the truth-nothing's real unless it's actually said so in the show.Often nothing new is really brought in,it's often the case of revisiting what's been said and told-viewed from another position-like this week's it was how Jin's (Sun's hubbie) 'obligation' to Sun's father wasn't actually due to his poor family or unwealthy origins-but because of Sun's doing.And Sun,as nice and noble and selfless and motherly as she seems-there's something not quite right and doubtful everytime she smiles or sheds a tear.
Okay,my thoughts are moving dangerously at godspeed,I expect it's the tiny chocolate thingy I swallowed an hour ago,or maybe the fact that I'm currently reading 'Everything's Illuminated' (that book's bizzare-no other word would be more fitting to describe the wonderful weirdness of it)-shouldn't really blog now,but I thought I should post something up here just for fun.Got the CYHSY ticks and can't wait to go-four days afetr that will be seeing Jet,so it'll undoubtedly be a huge week for me.I had a huge dinner three hours ago,but like everything homemade and cooked by yours truly-hunger returns pretty quickly.I suspect it's that state-of-mind I sometimes have in restaurants or when eating out,the psychological satisfaction derived from having friends around and service spreads and forms some kind of long-lasting food-craving satisfaction too.Hurm,yes maybe.
Watched I am Sam on Channel 9 yesterday.I actually liked the movie the first time I watched it couple years back,and always wondered why the film was underecognized-but seeing it again I now notice why-the painful overacting (I respect Sean Penn,but he's just bloody awful here-and Michelle Pfeifer-I'm certain this part is mispelled-she doesn't do anything remotely unpredictable with her character-everything from the way she dresses to her mannerisms,it's all D-list acting meant for straight-to-video films)-all in all,a terrible mess of a film-especially when the plot seemed like it ceased from moving,only to again remind us how bloody retarded Sean Penn is (the first few times it did actually inspire sympathy,but by the 600th time it was like-dude,fuck the hell off screen please)-the only hope for this film is Dakota Fanning's performance.Yes,she's annoying,can be pretentious and is infamously overexposed (like Jude Law was at one time when he had a gazillion films coming out in one short period) but in I am Sam,she plays it low-key and doesn't try to be some adorable,compelling social case.
I've been having this crazy craving for Esteller's Nasi Pecel since Thursday,actually went there Friday night but they were closed so my final mission for the week would be to get Nasi Pecel.
Saw this peculiar survey result on Sbs-they asked viewers if HIV positive people should be allowed into Australia (if I'm not mistaken,they currently can't) or not-53% responded with a resounding NO.I understand their concerns that they will spread the disease (being realistic,some of the HIV positive people are probably reckless,irresponsible,emotionally unstable and destructive anyways-aside from the unwillingly infected by rape or something or those from poor,unfortunate countries like Africa and so on-evidently shown in recent cases where some of em go around town having unprotected sex) but I mean,c'mon-to demean and strip off their rights and self-worth so blatantly like that?I pity those people.
Monday,big bad Monday is coming this a-way.I'm gonna savour Sunday like an inmate does with his last meal before facing execution.
Life,at best-is a confusing dramadey.
I'll begin with anything I feel like talking about,right now at the top of my head are thoughts about this week's LOST episode.Wowee,is was so solid and intense allthroughout-when the final moment came I felt my heart skip a beat.So cliche-will try to not use that phrase ever again.Anyways,any Lost fans who haven't seen this week's should really skip this,major worth-waiting-for-ep-to-finish-download spoiler ahead.
Yes,don't doubt yourself-shoo piggies shoo.
Allright,Lost freakazoids gone?As anyone familiar with the show knows-like any other (arguably-because when it comes to tv,nothing's truly defined) good show on tv,every episode features a series of events that occur simultaneously-the show takes advantage of the time they have and manages to insert a set of different short stories,all different but they personally each contribute something significant to the moving plot.Well,this week's ep dealt with Sun's (she's the Korean hottie) family-related past and Charlie,Hugo,Desmond and Jin stumbling upon a girl whose helicopter had just exploded mid-air-her parachute still attached and her lung pierced with some kind of small splinter.So they all focus on getting her water and the best treatment they can find-some other less interesting things happen yada yada-then the girl finally regains conciousness and when this happens,only fat Hugo's by her side.
Girl Who Looks Like Rosario Dawson:Who are you?
Hugo:I'm Hugo Weres,from flight Oceanic 815-we crashed here 90 days ago.
GWLLRD:What?
Hugo:(Repeats information)
GWLLRD:That's impossible.
Hugo:No,we survived the crash and noone's found us since.
GWLLRD:That's impossible-Oceanic 815,the one from Sydney?
Hugo:Yeah.
GWLLRD:We found the plane.It crashed,we found the plane and there were no survivors.They all died.
Hugo:Omigawd,you're Rosario Dawson.
GASP.....OOOH TASTY TASTY...Oh yes,that last bit was made up.Anyone who loves the show as much as I do should check out the comments here-particularly the last comment (Matrix-comment)-it's really interesting and worth thinking about,although the mere mention of Matrix or so-called actor Keanu Reeves can be an instant turn-off.
If the first few eps of the season had fans pulling out their hair due to the slow-moving development and constant hinting but little and unsatisfying revealing process-the show's really starting to pick up and manages to do this without suddenly shocking us with some sort of irrational,exploitative and unbelievable storyline conjurred out of thin air.The characters are really beginning to come out from the dark and show their true selves-even then we doubt our expectations and feelings about them,because knowing how all of them on the island can be so unpredictably secretive and elusive about the truth-nothing's real unless it's actually said so in the show.Often nothing new is really brought in,it's often the case of revisiting what's been said and told-viewed from another position-like this week's it was how Jin's (Sun's hubbie) 'obligation' to Sun's father wasn't actually due to his poor family or unwealthy origins-but because of Sun's doing.And Sun,as nice and noble and selfless and motherly as she seems-there's something not quite right and doubtful everytime she smiles or sheds a tear.
Okay,my thoughts are moving dangerously at godspeed,I expect it's the tiny chocolate thingy I swallowed an hour ago,or maybe the fact that I'm currently reading 'Everything's Illuminated' (that book's bizzare-no other word would be more fitting to describe the wonderful weirdness of it)-shouldn't really blog now,but I thought I should post something up here just for fun.Got the CYHSY ticks and can't wait to go-four days afetr that will be seeing Jet,so it'll undoubtedly be a huge week for me.I had a huge dinner three hours ago,but like everything homemade and cooked by yours truly-hunger returns pretty quickly.I suspect it's that state-of-mind I sometimes have in restaurants or when eating out,the psychological satisfaction derived from having friends around and service spreads and forms some kind of long-lasting food-craving satisfaction too.Hurm,yes maybe.
Watched I am Sam on Channel 9 yesterday.I actually liked the movie the first time I watched it couple years back,and always wondered why the film was underecognized-but seeing it again I now notice why-the painful overacting (I respect Sean Penn,but he's just bloody awful here-and Michelle Pfeifer-I'm certain this part is mispelled-she doesn't do anything remotely unpredictable with her character-everything from the way she dresses to her mannerisms,it's all D-list acting meant for straight-to-video films)-all in all,a terrible mess of a film-especially when the plot seemed like it ceased from moving,only to again remind us how bloody retarded Sean Penn is (the first few times it did actually inspire sympathy,but by the 600th time it was like-dude,fuck the hell off screen please)-the only hope for this film is Dakota Fanning's performance.Yes,she's annoying,can be pretentious and is infamously overexposed (like Jude Law was at one time when he had a gazillion films coming out in one short period) but in I am Sam,she plays it low-key and doesn't try to be some adorable,compelling social case.
I've been having this crazy craving for Esteller's Nasi Pecel since Thursday,actually went there Friday night but they were closed so my final mission for the week would be to get Nasi Pecel.
Saw this peculiar survey result on Sbs-they asked viewers if HIV positive people should be allowed into Australia (if I'm not mistaken,they currently can't) or not-53% responded with a resounding NO.I understand their concerns that they will spread the disease (being realistic,some of the HIV positive people are probably reckless,irresponsible,emotionally unstable and destructive anyways-aside from the unwillingly infected by rape or something or those from poor,unfortunate countries like Africa and so on-evidently shown in recent cases where some of em go around town having unprotected sex) but I mean,c'mon-to demean and strip off their rights and self-worth so blatantly like that?I pity those people.
Monday,big bad Monday is coming this a-way.I'm gonna savour Sunday like an inmate does with his last meal before facing execution.
Life,at best-is a confusing dramadey.
26.4.07
Clap Your Hands
I just got news Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will be coming down to Melbourne for two nights.This is a miracle to me.
This is HUGE.HUGE.HUGE.
Ugh,that looks so fucking gaudy.
Anyways,my head feels like it's about to explode.
I know what you're thinking-I'm like another one of those boring teens who seem to become extremely amused everytime someone comes to perform live.But no.The thing is,yes I would be mildly (a slight understatement,but who cares) excited if any other band I personally/exceptionally loved came to Melbourne-say,the Arctic Monkeys,Camera Obscura,The Decemberists or Fiona Apple (all of those I absolutely go mad for),I'd obviously be excited about it and immediately purchase ticks-but the thing is,Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-they're not just some good band,they're unbelievably good.Put simply,they're on a whole other level.And them coming to Melbourne is just indescribably mind-blowing.I love CYHSY as much as Alanis Morrissette,Radiohead,Oasis and Fleetwood Mac-and if any of those others actually came down to Melbourne,I'd feel equally ecstatic about it.
I will be purchasing tickets latest by Saturday,and for anyone still unfamiliar with the band-I highly,highly recommend some of their songs.I would kill myself if I missed their performance.More info about it here.So far only two of us are planning to go-fyi I'd go alone if I had to (they're that good)-40 bucks for the ticker,May 21st (Monday)-anyone interested in going should contact me ASAP.
Recommended songs-if you're still unconvinced (thou shall be converted into the awesome religion of CYHSY-okay,lmao.Let's move on),download the first few songs at the top of the list.And if those don't work for you,too bad.
Gimme Some Salt
Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away
Home On Ice
The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth
Tidal Wave
Details of the War
Everybody Knows this is Nowhere
They have this really distinctive,unique sound that's just unbelievable-the lost drumbeats,the carefree vocals,the beautiful guitar sounds,the godlike purity of the sound itself-the band's music is best heard at full volume (just up to the point before your ears bleed from pain).It's just so good I've cried many times before just listening to them,even it's one of their songs I've heard a hundred times.
I sound like I'm exaggerating,but I can't help it.Words can't do this-just try out their music-it'll just consume you.
25.4.07
Cookeroo
In the middle of unsuccessfully trying to do my economics essay-it's been 2 hours since I've started,and I've only finished the introduction.I keep writing and re-writing sentences until I'm satisfied-and in theory this sounds good,but realistically this is unpractical and too time-consuming.Had a bad experience with my tutor yesterday-afterclass I went up to him and politely asked if I could as him some questions about the assignment,not realising he was a bit preoccupied with sorting out some documents.Without cue I began to rattle on-doing that crazy fast-talk I unintentionally do sometimes,for about 2 minutes before he stopped what he was doing,and told me to keep quiet.
A good friend told me recently that I take things too seriously-of course I jumped into the usual routine,vehemently denying this with suddenly complex arguments and fake example scenarios meant to show what a happy-go-lucky,all-smiles person I was.And being the obliging,kind person she was,she finally agreed she was wrong to assume and went on to say she didn't really mean it.You see,a comment that would provoke such an unecessarily passionate and enraged response in someone else would either be wholly true or untrue.In this case,it was true,I think.To say that I take things too seriously would seriously be an understatement-sure at times I could be that person smiling and laughing idiotically all-day at the most mundane things,at times being too happy and jovial it's kinda annoying.But most times it's the other way around-a single,trivial and meaningless incident could spoil my whole day and have me cursing to the world and pissing everyone off.But I guess everyone has their flaws,and one of mine is that at times I can be a tad too sensitive-so in the spirit of being more open and less sensitive,I laughed at my tutor.And he laughed too.And five minutes later when the class was empty we continued our conversation,I got my questions answered and we both went our separate ways.
See,no biggie.
Sha came two days ago and it's been enjoyable-although the birthday surprise we had planned didn't go as well as we planned it to be,a single bite of the *awesome* tiramisu (from Brunetti-highly recommended) was enough to make us forget.Syaza came over last night and three of us watched half the first season of Entourage-go google it-it's basically about a rising actor (Adrien Garner,from Crazy About You-or something like that-the one with Julia Stiles) and his group of useless friends who follow him around everywhere.Adrien Garner looks like he's sleepwalking allthroughout and may possibly be one of the worst young actors around,but surprisingly he fits in the show well-and a single episode only runs for about 30 minutes or less,and from what I've seen it's looks entertaining.There are a few guest stars appearing every episode-Jess Alba,Luke Wilson,Jimmy Kimmel,Ali Larter blabla.Plus Jeremy Piven plays the actor's agent-he's like another version of Kevin Spacey,except he's not annoying to watch.They don't play out the characters like some spoiled Hollywood royalty-they do go for parties a bit too often,but somehow they're characters are relatable and human despite having huge mansions,big cars and the whole shebang.
Kaiser Chiefs-Love's Not a Competition
Groove Armada-My Friend
Kings of Leon-Red Morning
Nada Surf-Inside of Love
The Doors-Peace Frog
Eclectic playlist,yes-most of those songs from Entourage.My thoughts are a bit incoherent now,it's Anzac day (I don't know what this is about-but the Anzac cookies they sell at Safeway taste good.So go celebrate by buying some) and I'm dedicating the whole day to my beloved econs essay.Yesterday I experimented with excercising while listening to a podcast.The first hour or so went okay,up to the point in excercising when you're way too tired to even think straight-then the words playing sound like gibberish.But I downloaded few more different audio podcasts,and will try to assimilate them into my excercising regime.But if that fails,I still have plenty of Fatboy Slim songs to run with.
A good friend told me recently that I take things too seriously-of course I jumped into the usual routine,vehemently denying this with suddenly complex arguments and fake example scenarios meant to show what a happy-go-lucky,all-smiles person I was.And being the obliging,kind person she was,she finally agreed she was wrong to assume and went on to say she didn't really mean it.You see,a comment that would provoke such an unecessarily passionate and enraged response in someone else would either be wholly true or untrue.In this case,it was true,I think.To say that I take things too seriously would seriously be an understatement-sure at times I could be that person smiling and laughing idiotically all-day at the most mundane things,at times being too happy and jovial it's kinda annoying.But most times it's the other way around-a single,trivial and meaningless incident could spoil my whole day and have me cursing to the world and pissing everyone off.But I guess everyone has their flaws,and one of mine is that at times I can be a tad too sensitive-so in the spirit of being more open and less sensitive,I laughed at my tutor.And he laughed too.And five minutes later when the class was empty we continued our conversation,I got my questions answered and we both went our separate ways.
See,no biggie.
Sha came two days ago and it's been enjoyable-although the birthday surprise we had planned didn't go as well as we planned it to be,a single bite of the *awesome* tiramisu (from Brunetti-highly recommended) was enough to make us forget.Syaza came over last night and three of us watched half the first season of Entourage-go google it-it's basically about a rising actor (Adrien Garner,from Crazy About You-or something like that-the one with Julia Stiles) and his group of useless friends who follow him around everywhere.Adrien Garner looks like he's sleepwalking allthroughout and may possibly be one of the worst young actors around,but surprisingly he fits in the show well-and a single episode only runs for about 30 minutes or less,and from what I've seen it's looks entertaining.There are a few guest stars appearing every episode-Jess Alba,Luke Wilson,Jimmy Kimmel,Ali Larter blabla.Plus Jeremy Piven plays the actor's agent-he's like another version of Kevin Spacey,except he's not annoying to watch.They don't play out the characters like some spoiled Hollywood royalty-they do go for parties a bit too often,but somehow they're characters are relatable and human despite having huge mansions,big cars and the whole shebang.
Kaiser Chiefs-Love's Not a Competition
Groove Armada-My Friend
Kings of Leon-Red Morning
Nada Surf-Inside of Love
The Doors-Peace Frog
Eclectic playlist,yes-most of those songs from Entourage.My thoughts are a bit incoherent now,it's Anzac day (I don't know what this is about-but the Anzac cookies they sell at Safeway taste good.So go celebrate by buying some) and I'm dedicating the whole day to my beloved econs essay.Yesterday I experimented with excercising while listening to a podcast.The first hour or so went okay,up to the point in excercising when you're way too tired to even think straight-then the words playing sound like gibberish.But I downloaded few more different audio podcasts,and will try to assimilate them into my excercising regime.But if that fails,I still have plenty of Fatboy Slim songs to run with.
23.4.07
Harry Pothead
This new trailer (Link) for the upcoming Harry Potter film (HP & The Order of The Phoenix) just came out today,and I thought I'd share it with anyone interested.Having read the book many years back,I can't recall much of the details so saying I'm a thoroughly avid,loyal fan of the franchise wouldn't be too true.The first film was much too kiddy,I liked the third (particularly because Alfonso Cuaron directed it-his Y tu mama tambien remains one of my fave foreign films) but the most recent,HP & The Goblet of Fire is vastly superior in terms of how the actors had matured into their characters and how close the film adaptation came to successfully capture the material's liveliness.Interesting was how the choice of Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldermort,which at first seemed peculiar and felt awkward,turned out to be perfect-and it's terrific how studios often surprise us by choosing actors unaccustomed to certain type of roles take on new challenges-the next big shocker will presumably be Heath Ledger's take on Joker in the Batman Begins sequel,The Dark Knight.And they made the right decision by suitably replacing the reigning queen of superhuman lameness Katie Holmes ("ew"),with Maggie Gyllenhaal in the role of Rachel Dawes.Okay,getting too carried away-back to Harry Potluck....Seeing this trailer for the next installment-the single glimpse of the strangely attractive and resonant Helena Bonham Carter (her performance in Fight Club was part of why the film was so mind-blowingly-freakin' awesome) as Bellatrix Lestrange is enough to convince me that this will be the best.
22.4.07
On Beauty
Just returned from a long evening-met up with 4 others who like me,were practically completely clueless on how to do the QM forecasting assignment due tomorrow.So all of us lazily sat cross-legged with empty faces across Aliya's computer-clicking this and that pretending to be productive,when clearly our brains refused to function.Then the amazing Wai-Chong came with his large boxy folder,showed us how to do it-before actually doing it for us.So while he busily typed in data and calculated all that complex stuff,the rest of us who knew nothing sat back and shared gossip and funny stories.Yes,it's fun being useless.After two questions,we headed off to Red Silk @Chinatown,where the food's reasonably priced and not too shabby.
Watched The Lives of Others yesterday.Having won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (beating front-runner Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth) and a couple other less prestigious awards,I looked forward to watching the movie despite it's strong political themes ostensibly more fitting for more adult audiences to enjoy.While the film featured intriguing characters,a meaty storyline,skillful camerawork and becomes positively absorbing in the latter half-it started off with a pace too slow to be enjoyable (especially the first 30 minutes-big loud yawn-),and the overlong running time just brings the entire film down.I'm no big fan of political drama's:the thing about them is that they never cease to try and enforce some kind of political agenda onto audiences-how the characters are harshly polarized and how things eventually turn out,it all *screams* propaganda.But at least The Lives of Others tries to use its' political themes as a secondary ingredient or background to complement the film's focus on the characters and their conflicts-it's most definitely not as bad as some other political thrillers,like Blood Diamond-where writers were keen on depicting an archetypal white man as some big,selfless and powerful yet emotionally flawed hero (this frail attempt at humanizing doubly functions as the cash cow by attracting the kind of women who seek to find Titanic in every LeoCaprio film) and everyone else either less superior or downright evil.And this film did nothing to make the genre seem any less uninteresting-still an outstanding film,just prepare some coffee,chocolates and patience for the first half.
Finished Zadie Smith's On Beauty today.Essentially it's about the life of an American family-Howard and Kiki Belsey,their children Zora,Levi and Jerome-relating to Howard's long-running intellectual feud with a man named Monty Kipps,the two families intertwine in ways that are first charming and hilarious,but later becomes devastating and heartbreaking.Zadie Smith is exceptionally talented at what she does-balancing humour and drama,but never losing sight of her story's sole tone and feel-she also does this thing,changing the reader's position from behind the eyes and heart of one character to another easily.Hence we're told of what the characters personally think of others and themselves in a fairly uncomplicated technique that doesn't disrupt the flow.The book focuses on the failing marriage of the Belsey's,with few subplots to flesh out the characters-Smith introduces her characters with passionate interest and no neglect for details,often noting us of their motivations and intentions,and how they're sometimes misconstrued by everyone else.But she doesn't pull us to any particular side or makes us favour anyone-as her characters are real and human,none a symbol of absolute good or bad.For example:at first encounter, Victoria Kipps she is profoundly smart and beautiful.She has this nerve wrecking and intimidating presence in the story that invokes admiration,awe and fear-until later on(spoiler),when her disastrous affair with Howard Belsey reveals her talents to be a kind of flaw,something she possesses to make up for the lack of emotional satisfaction and happiness in her life.An amazing novel.
Watched The Lives of Others yesterday.Having won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (beating front-runner Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth) and a couple other less prestigious awards,I looked forward to watching the movie despite it's strong political themes ostensibly more fitting for more adult audiences to enjoy.While the film featured intriguing characters,a meaty storyline,skillful camerawork and becomes positively absorbing in the latter half-it started off with a pace too slow to be enjoyable (especially the first 30 minutes-big loud yawn-),and the overlong running time just brings the entire film down.I'm no big fan of political drama's:the thing about them is that they never cease to try and enforce some kind of political agenda onto audiences-how the characters are harshly polarized and how things eventually turn out,it all *screams* propaganda.But at least The Lives of Others tries to use its' political themes as a secondary ingredient or background to complement the film's focus on the characters and their conflicts-it's most definitely not as bad as some other political thrillers,like Blood Diamond-where writers were keen on depicting an archetypal white man as some big,selfless and powerful yet emotionally flawed hero (this frail attempt at humanizing doubly functions as the cash cow by attracting the kind of women who seek to find Titanic in every LeoCaprio film) and everyone else either less superior or downright evil.And this film did nothing to make the genre seem any less uninteresting-still an outstanding film,just prepare some coffee,chocolates and patience for the first half.
Finished Zadie Smith's On Beauty today.Essentially it's about the life of an American family-Howard and Kiki Belsey,their children Zora,Levi and Jerome-relating to Howard's long-running intellectual feud with a man named Monty Kipps,the two families intertwine in ways that are first charming and hilarious,but later becomes devastating and heartbreaking.Zadie Smith is exceptionally talented at what she does-balancing humour and drama,but never losing sight of her story's sole tone and feel-she also does this thing,changing the reader's position from behind the eyes and heart of one character to another easily.Hence we're told of what the characters personally think of others and themselves in a fairly uncomplicated technique that doesn't disrupt the flow.The book focuses on the failing marriage of the Belsey's,with few subplots to flesh out the characters-Smith introduces her characters with passionate interest and no neglect for details,often noting us of their motivations and intentions,and how they're sometimes misconstrued by everyone else.But she doesn't pull us to any particular side or makes us favour anyone-as her characters are real and human,none a symbol of absolute good or bad.For example:at first encounter, Victoria Kipps she is profoundly smart and beautiful.She has this nerve wrecking and intimidating presence in the story that invokes admiration,awe and fear-until later on(spoiler),when her disastrous affair with Howard Belsey reveals her talents to be a kind of flaw,something she possesses to make up for the lack of emotional satisfaction and happiness in her life.An amazing novel.
21.4.07
Heart It Races
Rose McGowan (more commonly known as that whorish-sounding Charmed Sister whose heavenly slutiness is only surpassed by Alyssa Milano) with some tranny on a recent Grindhouse-based Rolling Stone cover.The 3-hour double-feature film by Hollywood heavyweights Tarantino & Rodriguez premiered in America,and from the many reviews I've seen or heard of it critics have either fallen head over heels for it,or can't really give a damn.In the unfortunate case of Tarantino-having created films like Resevoir Dogs,Pulp Fiction,True Romance and Kill Bill,it's inevitable that everytime one walks in to a new film of his the expectations are insurmountably high and people can't help but think they're about to watch an instant classic.IMDB says no release dates are scheduled for Australia,so I guess I'll have to wait for the dvd to come out to rent it.And that'll probably take a few months.Bummer.
A new (or not?) Architecture in Helsinki single leaked through-no vids available yet (on YouTube,search for it and you'll find short clips of it being performed live-the first on the search result list comes from their opening act for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sometime ago-omfg,Architecture In Helsinki + CYHSY=!!!=unimaginable happiness).Anyways,here's a link to an audio clip of Heart It Races.
20.4.07
Sundowners
Sent a nasty,angry email to the Internet manager of my building yesterday,I can't recall much of what was written but I remember including a description of how the building's services were widely perceived as being "notoriously shoddy and dysfunctional",also in the process urging them to acquire survey statistics about resident/customer satisfaction and how many actually move out/planning to leave after a year.Well,this insensitive email of mine apparently sparked a bit of fire amongst the administrators-this morning a loud knock woke up up,and grinning flirtatiously by the door was the queen demon herself-Belinda,Head of Administration.I was wearing a t-shirt with only boxers,my legs almost totally exposed-but she entered unhesitatingly,and both of us knew that it just wasn't the time for being embarrassed.Belinda was surprisingly polite and jovial about it-willing to listen to my rantings while she took notes in her diary,and by the end she promised "to do something" (i'm telling you,this should be the official motto for College Square-everyone who works here says it).Only after she left I noticed the thick stench of smoke Belinda left behind,which disappeared eventually.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away
Weezer-Buddy Holly
Rushed to the city early this morning,where I gladly met Janice,the Melbourne Central Fitness First manager to finally cancel my membership-it was quick and swift as I wished,within 10 minutes papers were signed and questions were answered by both parties.We even got a bit of personal information shared,she talked about her brother's recent chest infection diagnosis and her plans to take a week off for him,while I told her about my non-existent brother who had just moved to Egypt for a tenure.She had this wicked,stewardess-like smile on her face all throughout,and so did I-before I left I passed her the white envelope,telling her about the fundraising project a few others and myself were doing and our need for sponsorships."I'll be expecting to hear from you",I said and we both laughed as if it were a bloody fantastic joke.She took the envelope kindly,we both smiled and wished each other well before parting.
The Film Soc holds a weekly film screening everyday Thursday,and yesterday the choice of film was 1960's Peeping Tom.It's basically about a reclusive,shy cameraman who lives alone and preys on woman-having a murderous fetish to see them frightened,he lurks on them before killing them with his,urm,his camera tripod.Yes,it's as lame as it sounds-and plenty of times half the audience burst out laughing when we were clearly not supposed to.A lot of unintentional humour,you can say.Even the romantic parts seemed crazily silly,and sillier because the actors delivering the lines were serious as death when doing so.Example:
Mark: Are you busy tomorrow night?
Hellen: No,I'm not.
Mark: Oh,I hope I'm not!
With only 19 reviews and all of them giving excellent ratings,Peeping Tom has a score of 100% on RT-I'll take this as a note to next time do more research elsewhere too and not solely depend on RT for information.Some thrillers bravely stand the test of time and are largely considered classic films-easy examples like Silence of The Lambs,Psycho,Basic Instinct or The Conversation-even before new technologies or filming methods came about,these films surpassed that need for audiences to be wooed with special effects and introduced the kind of horror that went beyond gore or screaming,the kind that goes underneath your skin and plays around with your fear with what most think to be a minimalistic approach.Hence becoming benchmarks for future thrillers.But Peeping Tom is just not that kind of film.
After getting a haircut,I rushed to my QM lecture 5 minutes late but thankfully a fire drill was on so it started much later.For a subject so fatally boring and totally uninteresting,I appreciate the fact that we have a good lecturer.A lot of his jokes go by without receiving any kind of response aside from raised eyebrows and open mouths-occasionally something really funny comes up,but nowadays people just laugh because his jokes are just bizarre,and in some way hilarious.Today,reaching a certain slide with too many graphs on it for anyone with an average mind like mine to comprehend-he said "Solving this involves 8 steps but note that your textbook only gives 6.This means I'm two steps better.Think of it as Dancing With Your Lecturer.We all have to dance,kids".A bit of us laughed,while most just shook their heads at this oddly interesting bald man.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away
Weezer-Buddy Holly
Rushed to the city early this morning,where I gladly met Janice,the Melbourne Central Fitness First manager to finally cancel my membership-it was quick and swift as I wished,within 10 minutes papers were signed and questions were answered by both parties.We even got a bit of personal information shared,she talked about her brother's recent chest infection diagnosis and her plans to take a week off for him,while I told her about my non-existent brother who had just moved to Egypt for a tenure.She had this wicked,stewardess-like smile on her face all throughout,and so did I-before I left I passed her the white envelope,telling her about the fundraising project a few others and myself were doing and our need for sponsorships."I'll be expecting to hear from you",I said and we both laughed as if it were a bloody fantastic joke.She took the envelope kindly,we both smiled and wished each other well before parting.
The Film Soc holds a weekly film screening everyday Thursday,and yesterday the choice of film was 1960's Peeping Tom.It's basically about a reclusive,shy cameraman who lives alone and preys on woman-having a murderous fetish to see them frightened,he lurks on them before killing them with his,urm,his camera tripod.Yes,it's as lame as it sounds-and plenty of times half the audience burst out laughing when we were clearly not supposed to.A lot of unintentional humour,you can say.Even the romantic parts seemed crazily silly,and sillier because the actors delivering the lines were serious as death when doing so.Example:
Mark: Are you busy tomorrow night?
Hellen: No,I'm not.
Mark: Oh,I hope I'm not!
With only 19 reviews and all of them giving excellent ratings,Peeping Tom has a score of 100% on RT-I'll take this as a note to next time do more research elsewhere too and not solely depend on RT for information.Some thrillers bravely stand the test of time and are largely considered classic films-easy examples like Silence of The Lambs,Psycho,Basic Instinct or The Conversation-even before new technologies or filming methods came about,these films surpassed that need for audiences to be wooed with special effects and introduced the kind of horror that went beyond gore or screaming,the kind that goes underneath your skin and plays around with your fear with what most think to be a minimalistic approach.Hence becoming benchmarks for future thrillers.But Peeping Tom is just not that kind of film.
After getting a haircut,I rushed to my QM lecture 5 minutes late but thankfully a fire drill was on so it started much later.For a subject so fatally boring and totally uninteresting,I appreciate the fact that we have a good lecturer.A lot of his jokes go by without receiving any kind of response aside from raised eyebrows and open mouths-occasionally something really funny comes up,but nowadays people just laugh because his jokes are just bizarre,and in some way hilarious.Today,reaching a certain slide with too many graphs on it for anyone with an average mind like mine to comprehend-he said "Solving this involves 8 steps but note that your textbook only gives 6.This means I'm two steps better.Think of it as Dancing With Your Lecturer.We all have to dance,kids".A bit of us laughed,while most just shook their heads at this oddly interesting bald man.
18.4.07
Wasteland
It's 10pm and having braved the lonesome 15-minute walk here to the 24 hours comlab,I totally forgot why I came here in the first place.I first investigate this matter by inspecting the notes I had carried along,the two fat folders burried neatly in my bag and even the tiny reminders hediously scribbled across columns in my diary-few clues are discovered,and the mystery remains unsolved.
Okay enough bullcrap,came here to start research on my econs essay-the thing about it is that it revolves following certain theories we've just learned which I don't really find problematic,it's just that we're required to choose a particular negative object and use the theories learned to elaborate on it.The confusion in that sentence best describes how totally stuck and braindead I am.However,there have definitely been more stressful assignements to deal with and even with the 1500 word count,this econs essay isn't nearly as heavy as those previously-so even if I do encounter such problems like this,I have no doubt I'll be able to manage it.I hate listening to people who whine and moan about every single godamn assignment they have as if they're so miserable and hopeless they'd rather face a life of poverty than attempt to shut up and just do the work-they shamelessly fish for sympathy and admiraton by continuously telling people how hard (or worse,hard-er) their course is,often in doing so they try to make listeners feel smaller as if they're some hero,like a single mother with 60 children,while everyone else mere brainless,lightminded idiots casually surfing life with total ease and comfort as if it were a holiday.Take it to Oprah bitch,she'll give you the Chutzpah award you no doubt deserve-heck,they should even consider awarding you the Nobel Prize and Mother-of-the-year-award (Who gives a fuck for actual mothers?You're the real inspiration!) in the process too.All hail to the new Mother Theresa.
Shit,I know i've made a point to not deal with angry feelings and let them pass but being made of flesh and bone,I can't help but lose my cool once in a while.Honestly though,I've been in a pretty relaxed state of mind for the past few days,even with the workload growing heavy and petty troubles cropping up every now and then-enough about me,Melb Uni's about to launch their new model soon and we've had emails being sent from various important people about it.Personally I have enough on my plate and can't be too bothered about this-and I know some people might take this as ignorance,the way some overly enthusiastic political activists label those who refuse to participate as ignorants.But to each his own,and even with the many hateful opinions people have towards each other everyone finds an individual way to navigate themselves past all the mindless criticism,eventually learning that most of the noise out there isn't worth the time-like the line from The Gossip's 'Standing In The Way of Control' goes:Survive the only way that you know.
Cho was in my playwriting class last fall, and nobody seemed to think much of him at first. He would sit by himself whenever possible, and didn't like talking to anyone. I don't think I've ever actually heard his voice before. He was just so quiet and kept to himself. Looking back, he fit the exact stereotype of what one would typically think of as a "school shooter" – a loner, obsessed with violence, and serious personal problems. Some of us in class tried to talk to him to be nice and get him out of his shell, but he refused talking to anyone. It was like he didn't want to be friends with anybody. One friend of mine tried to offer him some Halloween candy that she still had, but he slowly shook his head, refusing it. He just came to class every day and submitted his work on time, as I understand it.
Sounds a bit like me I suppose,but I reckon I'm not too bad.From something written by one of his classmates,the link here.Okay I know it's a grave and seriously unfunny matter,but check out the first few comments posted there (Stacy)-hilarious! The VirgTech incident is still pretty disturbing and I wonder what could possibly motivate a teenager to kill 32 people-obviously I've had thoughts about killing people before,but I never once considered actualising them.As officials continue their investigation,two of his plays have been posted online.Equally sad,one of the cats just died-Jerry,thin white fur with beautiful blue eyes.
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland
Taken from The Who-Teenage Wasteland,an exceptionally amazing and timeless song.
It's gonna be a busy week for all of us.
Okay enough bullcrap,came here to start research on my econs essay-the thing about it is that it revolves following certain theories we've just learned which I don't really find problematic,it's just that we're required to choose a particular negative object and use the theories learned to elaborate on it.The confusion in that sentence best describes how totally stuck and braindead I am.However,there have definitely been more stressful assignements to deal with and even with the 1500 word count,this econs essay isn't nearly as heavy as those previously-so even if I do encounter such problems like this,I have no doubt I'll be able to manage it.I hate listening to people who whine and moan about every single godamn assignment they have as if they're so miserable and hopeless they'd rather face a life of poverty than attempt to shut up and just do the work-they shamelessly fish for sympathy and admiraton by continuously telling people how hard (or worse,hard-er) their course is,often in doing so they try to make listeners feel smaller as if they're some hero,like a single mother with 60 children,while everyone else mere brainless,lightminded idiots casually surfing life with total ease and comfort as if it were a holiday.Take it to Oprah bitch,she'll give you the Chutzpah award you no doubt deserve-heck,they should even consider awarding you the Nobel Prize and Mother-of-the-year-award (Who gives a fuck for actual mothers?You're the real inspiration!) in the process too.All hail to the new Mother Theresa.
Shit,I know i've made a point to not deal with angry feelings and let them pass but being made of flesh and bone,I can't help but lose my cool once in a while.Honestly though,I've been in a pretty relaxed state of mind for the past few days,even with the workload growing heavy and petty troubles cropping up every now and then-enough about me,Melb Uni's about to launch their new model soon and we've had emails being sent from various important people about it.Personally I have enough on my plate and can't be too bothered about this-and I know some people might take this as ignorance,the way some overly enthusiastic political activists label those who refuse to participate as ignorants.But to each his own,and even with the many hateful opinions people have towards each other everyone finds an individual way to navigate themselves past all the mindless criticism,eventually learning that most of the noise out there isn't worth the time-like the line from The Gossip's 'Standing In The Way of Control' goes:Survive the only way that you know.
Cho was in my playwriting class last fall, and nobody seemed to think much of him at first. He would sit by himself whenever possible, and didn't like talking to anyone. I don't think I've ever actually heard his voice before. He was just so quiet and kept to himself. Looking back, he fit the exact stereotype of what one would typically think of as a "school shooter" – a loner, obsessed with violence, and serious personal problems. Some of us in class tried to talk to him to be nice and get him out of his shell, but he refused talking to anyone. It was like he didn't want to be friends with anybody. One friend of mine tried to offer him some Halloween candy that she still had, but he slowly shook his head, refusing it. He just came to class every day and submitted his work on time, as I understand it.
Sounds a bit like me I suppose,but I reckon I'm not too bad.From something written by one of his classmates,the link here.Okay I know it's a grave and seriously unfunny matter,but check out the first few comments posted there (Stacy)-hilarious! The VirgTech incident is still pretty disturbing and I wonder what could possibly motivate a teenager to kill 32 people-obviously I've had thoughts about killing people before,but I never once considered actualising them.As officials continue their investigation,two of his plays have been posted online.Equally sad,one of the cats just died-Jerry,thin white fur with beautiful blue eyes.
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland
Taken from The Who-Teenage Wasteland,an exceptionally amazing and timeless song.
It's gonna be a busy week for all of us.
17.4.07
Floater
Am at the uni comlab at 7.30 am,where a few other sleepless souls and a suspicious-looking old man wearing orange-rimmed glasses and a grey wool sweater,sit weary-eyed facing samsung monitors.I suspect this old man isn't even a student and is surfing for free porn,or he might just be a science lecturer with a fashion sense not too different from the homeless.And the more I peek his way the more sympathetic I feel,for him,and myself if I ever become some kind of loveless old man one day.
The internet at home hasn't been working for 2 days and if last time I would've thrown a tantrum directed at the ignorant receptionist (who,without fail,casually informs me 'something is being done' in response to every complain received),I'm not too affected because it's happened too many times-and sometimes you've just got to make do with other resources at hand,which is why I'm at the uni comlab checking emails and stuff.
A week ago my contract with Fitness First ended and when I went over to their office,the two ponytailed girls in their uniforms told me their computers were frozen and they couldn't process any information.Then they advised me to set an appointment with their manager,after drilling me with a series of questions on why I chose to quit-in business world,all of this is a not-too-subtle technique to tell your customers that they're small,powerless units and should obey they all mighty dictating force that is the organisation.Fools.
Yesterday's weekly management tutorial quiz went great-managed to score 3 points (still a bummer if compared to how the locals in my class fare),but the usual performer who missed the first 9 questions scored 6 points with the last one (the only q not related to business news) when he correctly guessed the lyric of a Guns & Roses song.Kudos,clever white mice.
Sometimes,a few days past by in a flurry and hurriedly without my mind registering much-often forgetting details and nothing really significant occurring,but at times there'll be short periods of time where it seems as if so much is happening-especially when stress levels are low,I suddenly notice how cool the weather is,how blissful the day passes and how terrific the music I listen to actually sounds.It's when I'm not overly self-conscious and choose to be tension-free:using the diary to organise my day so things don't feel too hectic,distracting myself from problems with happy music and happy thoughts,choosing to not give a damn about the things I can't control.
But sometimes really bad things happen,like today's news about a shooting in some US uni where 32 students died (the article here).I don't know those people,but when things like that happen you can't help but wonder what the world's come to and when bad things can suddenly happen at times when you least expect them.
Had a heavy breakfast 30minutes ago but am now hungry again.Thank god I brought some peanut butter sandwiches and crackers along.Impulsively chose to wear a bright blue sweater today.
Don't worry if things get a bit heavy,we'll all float on all right
Modest Mouse' Float On
The internet at home hasn't been working for 2 days and if last time I would've thrown a tantrum directed at the ignorant receptionist (who,without fail,casually informs me 'something is being done' in response to every complain received),I'm not too affected because it's happened too many times-and sometimes you've just got to make do with other resources at hand,which is why I'm at the uni comlab checking emails and stuff.
A week ago my contract with Fitness First ended and when I went over to their office,the two ponytailed girls in their uniforms told me their computers were frozen and they couldn't process any information.Then they advised me to set an appointment with their manager,after drilling me with a series of questions on why I chose to quit-in business world,all of this is a not-too-subtle technique to tell your customers that they're small,powerless units and should obey they all mighty dictating force that is the organisation.Fools.
Yesterday's weekly management tutorial quiz went great-managed to score 3 points (still a bummer if compared to how the locals in my class fare),but the usual performer who missed the first 9 questions scored 6 points with the last one (the only q not related to business news) when he correctly guessed the lyric of a Guns & Roses song.Kudos,clever white mice.
Sometimes,a few days past by in a flurry and hurriedly without my mind registering much-often forgetting details and nothing really significant occurring,but at times there'll be short periods of time where it seems as if so much is happening-especially when stress levels are low,I suddenly notice how cool the weather is,how blissful the day passes and how terrific the music I listen to actually sounds.It's when I'm not overly self-conscious and choose to be tension-free:using the diary to organise my day so things don't feel too hectic,distracting myself from problems with happy music and happy thoughts,choosing to not give a damn about the things I can't control.
But sometimes really bad things happen,like today's news about a shooting in some US uni where 32 students died (the article here).I don't know those people,but when things like that happen you can't help but wonder what the world's come to and when bad things can suddenly happen at times when you least expect them.
Had a heavy breakfast 30minutes ago but am now hungry again.Thank god I brought some peanut butter sandwiches and crackers along.Impulsively chose to wear a bright blue sweater today.
Don't worry if things get a bit heavy,we'll all float on all right
Modest Mouse' Float On
15.4.07
Chill
Feist' new vid and song titled 1234 (click on the pic for the link),from her upcoming album premiered a day or so ago,and it's pretty fun stuff.The song feels calmly careless and urges you to not be worried or tensed,and the vid is awesome.Though her music feels a tad unoriginal-the childlike playfulness of Architecture of Helsinki,Camera Obscura vocals,a dash of Neko Case feel-it does possess a certain panache,just not a strong one.Okay,reading the Wiki entry for Feist,I now know why I liked it.Apparently Feist is also a proud member of Broken Social Scene-which is an amazing band,with a much more solid and distinctive sound.And if you haven't checked them out,you should (Recommended:Anthems For a 17 Year-old,Lover's Spit and also Feist-Mushaboom).Maybe not one of my fave bands,but definitely worth listening to-especially on days you choose not to think much or wish to loosen up a little,and feel a bit happy-go-lucky.
And everyone needs to chill a bit,sometime.
14.4.07
Frida-y
I'll talk a bit about last night before anything else.At about 8,we headed over to someone's house for a kind of small gathering-I only knew one person there,and if there's one thing I've learned it's that if people are from a different wavelength and chances of connecting are too slim,I've become one to let it be,enjoy myself and not try to hard.There was homemade lasagne and seafood salad,small talk about the movie playing on tv and just laying back on the grey futon for a long time.Then 4 of us headed off to Lavish,a place I had heard heaps about but never actually visited-it was packed as hell,with plenty of snobbish-looking Asian girls who pass off self-agrandizing little stares as if they're club royalty everyone secretly wishes to rape.But it's a club,so you learn to enjoy yourself and let others do what they do and act however you want.And when the night finally ended,it was all goooood.
Was a bit bored while waiting for my turn to shower yesterday,so took out an onion from the kitchen cabinet and started taking pictures of it.Yes,very random.On a lighter note,Photomouth updated with a couple of less random pics.
Rarely do I manage to find some really,really,really good songs all at once-they usually come in small numbers but yesterday I took in recommendations from some friends,some music mags and started on a downloading craze-and,no kidding,the songs below have done nothing but fucking amazed me over and over again.
Kaiser Chiefs-Ruby
Jamie T-Shiela
Chk Chk Chk-Sweet Life
The Wreckers-The Good Kind
Weezer-Sweater Song
The Klaxons-Golden Skans
Mew-156
Ghosts-Stay The Night
Modest Mouse-Dramamine
Rogue Wave-Eyes*
*Great song,but the band comes off as a poor imitation of Death Cab.Listen to Death Cab for the real thing.
I'm not a huge fan of the Kaiserchiefs,some of their songs are just terribly annoying (Everyday I love you less and less,Na na na) but they do have some awesome songs (I predict a riot) and Ruby's one of the best songs i've heard in a long time.Been listening to a lot of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-they have the kind of great songs most enjoyable when they're played at full volume.Yes,full volume-no less than temporary eardrum damage and head-numbing heights.
A day left for Easter.
Don't let the petty stuff get to you.
Love and forgive.
Be yourself,let noone make you feel any less a person.
12.4.07
The Namesake
We are introduced to Ashoke, a quiet, submissive-looking man who eventually meets Tabu, whom he marries through an arranged marriage.The first part essentially covers how both,especially Tabu,deal with their new surroundings.They move to New York where a child is conceived, and promptly named Gogol. The second part of the film follows Gogol’s growing up, at first with contempt for his Indian name (being often teased by schoolmates,and sister for this), as he slowly comes to terms and begins to understand the reason behind the name, as well the people around him. The Namesake,in short,conveys that our names are merely sets of letters; how our real identities encompass many other complex things including our families, cultures, origins and relationships.For Tabu, her teenage children painfully remind her of the foreign American environment she feels unwillingly confined to-the teenage children with their eccentric clothes and loud English music,both part of the individual ways they express scorn towards tradition-the remaining connection left tying Tabu to India lies within her passive, calm but believably loving husband who, like her, despite years of having to forcefully adapt themselves to the new American lifestyle,strongly refuses to let go of their heritage-from their surviving thick accents, with their house walls lavishly adorned with all sorts of exotic Indian decorations,having stuck to old-age beliefs and silently kept ambitions that their children marry Bengali’s-(spoiler ahead) so when her husband finally dies, she not only loses the man she had learned to love deeply, but also a large part of her home and country-after being informed of her husband’s death,she hastily runs downstairs and tries to find something,unsure what it is she’s searching for,finally having run to the front yard where she falls to the floor and realizes, that her loneliness has finally become whole.
There are three sex scenes that take place-the latter two involve the now grown Gogol,who devours his female counterparts passionately in a way typical of a horny male teenager,while the first is between Tabu & Ashoke,when the newlyweds first arrive in America and finally take it to the bedroom-in the latter two the sex is performed with zero hesitation (with full-on groping and so on) but the first is very much different. Estranged from each other, they first touch each other shyly and reluctantly, almost afraid of each other-and it is in this perfect manner that the first is much more fascinating and meaningful than the latter two sex scenes that occur, which feel empty for having done nothing to compliment nor forward the relationship.
The movie is illuminatingly quiet in the way in uses few words to convey such elaborate messages-at first it seems the movie takes on a worryingly speedy pace, crossing through one event after another as if they were mere petrol stations along a highway-but after a while it made perfect sense and the pace felt just right-while the movie’s events do have important significance and provide life and motion to the ongoing story-there are precious, unspoken subtleties that are sometimes unnoticeably small and brief, yet do so much more for the film, and enriches it-the camerawork itself is a remarkable achievement. In one scene, for example: (spoiler repeat) after his father dies,Gogol recalls having received a collection of stories written by Nikolai Gogol (the explanation of this is a pivotal chapter,and is provided much later towards the end);In the original scene (when the father was still alive) the mood and environment of the scene felt and looked perfectly normal, in the flashback however, both the light and music had been extensively reduced, and the camera focuses solely on the father’s face-after handing Gogol the book,Ashoke walks away from the room and towards the shadows, until fading entirely into the darkness. The messages and ideas here are dwelled with the right amount of time and devotion.More importantly,Mira Nair avoids going over-the-top by hitting our heads repeatedly in the process of doing it, merely touching tips and letting the rest unravel independently.
There are many great things about The Namesake-the cast with their minimalist performances, the lyrical script that ceases to stray off-center, the brilliant use of contrasts, not just in colors and settings but in many other aspects of the film (i.e.: an adult’s harrowing grief,juxtaposed to a child’s innocent unknowing)-but the one thing that holds it all together is Mira Nair’s touch-undoubtedly in someone else’s hands this would have become somewhat a crappy sentimental piece,as there were plenty areas one could’ve exploited to forcefully evoke emotion,but Nair underplays the tone and keeps it at a level where the film manages to be thoroughly interesting,wonderfully compelling and enduringly purposeful at the same time.
9.4.07
RHCP Concert
Pictures from Ali's surprisingly reliable IXUS & shamelessly stolen from Mae.
Well,yesterday three of us headed of to what we hadn't expect to be The Concert of Our Lives.Whichever concert we go to after this,it will inevitably be compared to last night,thus RHCP officially becomes the insurpassable benchmark.
We arrived two hours before gates opened,shocked to see there were already hundreds queuing up near the entrance,most had already dump their old tees in favour of newly-purchased RHCP fan-wear.RHCP only came out after three hours,at 9pm-by this time our legs were painfully sore and the crowd was extremely restless.
They opened with Can't Stop,followed by some other famous hits like Dani California & Snow,very few songs played were from the recent Stadium Arcadium album.But when the better songs came on,the excitement was just unbearable-with the amazing lightshows accompanying and all.
It would be impossible to describe how great it was.Though RHCP may not be my fave band (although I did consider this,but after a while I decided the sound of YeahYeahYeah's were just too hard to beat,though I haven't seen them live.Yet),the performance rocked my brains and organs out.Plenty of jumping and insane headbanging-it was just loose and uncontrollable,though I noticed a large part of the crowd (behind me-those in front of me were like a possessed cult,already screaming and jumping uninhibitedly like animals-and the feeling was freakishly infectious).
Few people around me kept staring across their shoulders,giving me that rude look-yes,they were a handful of Asians there and some felt they were obligated to give us that My God What Are These Stupid Aliens Doing Here,And Why The Hell Do They Listen To English Music? look-for a while I felt a bit disturbed and isolated,but then I thought-God,these people are so full of themselves,fuck it.I was gonna enjoy the experience without being affected by these self-asborbed strangers who felt like they had the duty to isolate us Asians rather than enjoying the concert themselves.Fuckers.
Back to the nicer parts.By the time it ended,we felt esctatic and high,overwhelmed with euphoria and the entire two hours spent was just fucking orgasmic.That's the best I can do to convey how unbelievably great it was.
Well,yesterday three of us headed of to what we hadn't expect to be The Concert of Our Lives.Whichever concert we go to after this,it will inevitably be compared to last night,thus RHCP officially becomes the insurpassable benchmark.
We arrived two hours before gates opened,shocked to see there were already hundreds queuing up near the entrance,most had already dump their old tees in favour of newly-purchased RHCP fan-wear.RHCP only came out after three hours,at 9pm-by this time our legs were painfully sore and the crowd was extremely restless.
They opened with Can't Stop,followed by some other famous hits like Dani California & Snow,very few songs played were from the recent Stadium Arcadium album.But when the better songs came on,the excitement was just unbearable-with the amazing lightshows accompanying and all.
It would be impossible to describe how great it was.Though RHCP may not be my fave band (although I did consider this,but after a while I decided the sound of YeahYeahYeah's were just too hard to beat,though I haven't seen them live.Yet),the performance rocked my brains and organs out.Plenty of jumping and insane headbanging-it was just loose and uncontrollable,though I noticed a large part of the crowd (behind me-those in front of me were like a possessed cult,already screaming and jumping uninhibitedly like animals-and the feeling was freakishly infectious).
Few people around me kept staring across their shoulders,giving me that rude look-yes,they were a handful of Asians there and some felt they were obligated to give us that My God What Are These Stupid Aliens Doing Here,And Why The Hell Do They Listen To English Music? look-for a while I felt a bit disturbed and isolated,but then I thought-God,these people are so full of themselves,fuck it.I was gonna enjoy the experience without being affected by these self-asborbed strangers who felt like they had the duty to isolate us Asians rather than enjoying the concert themselves.Fuckers.
Back to the nicer parts.By the time it ended,we felt esctatic and high,overwhelmed with euphoria and the entire two hours spent was just fucking orgasmic.That's the best I can do to convey how unbelievably great it was.
5.4.07
Marissa
Over the course of one normal day,many things can happen.One short second can irreversibly change your life,and the weight of time is only felt when emotions come to play.Well,today I had my obligatory daily dose of uneccessary embaressment,which wasn't a big thing but I thought it was the most interesting that occured for me today.
I stare at my wrist watch,wondering where the rest of the class was-until one of them comes in.I don't know her name-Australian,a bit on the short side-I manage a halfhearted Hi that is greeted with a friendly invitation to small talk.I don't remember what it was about.
Few minutes later,the tutor comes in.Neil-freakishly white skin,orange bright hair and speaks with his mouth half-closed with the words sometimes lost in quick mumbles,but a really nice guy-he wears a suit today,and proceeds to explain that the past few days he'd been attending job interviews and that he feels sick of the suit somehow.
The Australian girl had been listening attentively,nodding at his every word-she asks some vague question about work life,and Neil responds enthusiatically,in the process telling a short story about something that both of them chuckle cutely too.While this is happening,I stare idly at both of them and try to find a crack in the conversation from which I can suitably enter without looking like a busybody idiot,or an Asian retard.
They continue to talk about things I couldn't be interested about even if I tried-something about classes and fish,but then a golden opportunity emerges for me to crash in-Neil starts to tell us about how he intends to complete his degree here,then continue at UCLA.
''Yea,I didn't know what I wanted to do,until my third year.I'm finishing my science and math course,then I'm going to the University of California,Berkley,where I'm told Marissa goes to''
I look to the Aussie girl,she looks utterly clueless,her eyes scrolling to the floor.My chance!
''YES'',like the way people on tv quiz shows shout their answers after forcibly hitting their beep button,my yes sounded about a hundred times too loud.Shit.Relax Al,keep it cool.
''Urrmm,yea she went there.It was a...'',for a second my left forefinger twitches as I try to find the right word to articulate my point-''yep,Marissa was like,freaking Einstein''.
Both of them seem to have not registered this,their faces a mixture of concern,drowsiness and confusion.Inside i'm reminding myself both of them were total strangers to The OC and it didn't matter that I had lied-in truth Marissa was a whorish idiot who died before she even got into college-but before anyone could say anything a pack of tall,scruffily-dressed boys who dressed like it was still summer entered the room,noisily chatting,and Neil flashed a quick smile to both Aussie girl and me,before turning to the board to scribble down some stuff.
The rest of the class I tried to keep myself busy with the tutorial work,but couldn't help laughing to myself every now and then-for a while considering to give an afterclass session of Know Your Oc 101 to Aus Girl as to try and fix whatever was broken-but nothing was broken,and we all walk on.Forgetting,laughing,surviving.
I stare at my wrist watch,wondering where the rest of the class was-until one of them comes in.I don't know her name-Australian,a bit on the short side-I manage a halfhearted Hi that is greeted with a friendly invitation to small talk.I don't remember what it was about.
Few minutes later,the tutor comes in.Neil-freakishly white skin,orange bright hair and speaks with his mouth half-closed with the words sometimes lost in quick mumbles,but a really nice guy-he wears a suit today,and proceeds to explain that the past few days he'd been attending job interviews and that he feels sick of the suit somehow.
The Australian girl had been listening attentively,nodding at his every word-she asks some vague question about work life,and Neil responds enthusiatically,in the process telling a short story about something that both of them chuckle cutely too.While this is happening,I stare idly at both of them and try to find a crack in the conversation from which I can suitably enter without looking like a busybody idiot,or an Asian retard.
They continue to talk about things I couldn't be interested about even if I tried-something about classes and fish,but then a golden opportunity emerges for me to crash in-Neil starts to tell us about how he intends to complete his degree here,then continue at UCLA.
''Yea,I didn't know what I wanted to do,until my third year.I'm finishing my science and math course,then I'm going to the University of California,Berkley,where I'm told Marissa goes to''
I look to the Aussie girl,she looks utterly clueless,her eyes scrolling to the floor.My chance!
''YES'',like the way people on tv quiz shows shout their answers after forcibly hitting their beep button,my yes sounded about a hundred times too loud.Shit.Relax Al,keep it cool.
''Urrmm,yea she went there.It was a...'',for a second my left forefinger twitches as I try to find the right word to articulate my point-''yep,Marissa was like,freaking Einstein''.
Both of them seem to have not registered this,their faces a mixture of concern,drowsiness and confusion.Inside i'm reminding myself both of them were total strangers to The OC and it didn't matter that I had lied-in truth Marissa was a whorish idiot who died before she even got into college-but before anyone could say anything a pack of tall,scruffily-dressed boys who dressed like it was still summer entered the room,noisily chatting,and Neil flashed a quick smile to both Aussie girl and me,before turning to the board to scribble down some stuff.
The rest of the class I tried to keep myself busy with the tutorial work,but couldn't help laughing to myself every now and then-for a while considering to give an afterclass session of Know Your Oc 101 to Aus Girl as to try and fix whatever was broken-but nothing was broken,and we all walk on.Forgetting,laughing,surviving.
4.4.07
Let Go
Today started of rather gloomily,the skies seemed darker than usual and the weight of a smile felt unbearable-I walked hesitantly with a slight frown stuck on my face,no will to do anything or focus on any single thought,in my QM1 lecture words drifted around the room like butterflies that meant and signified nothing,and it looked to me like I had lost conciousness and tripped into a dreamy world where absolutely everything was obsolete.Enough crap,things started to pick up in the afternoon-beginning with the awesome fish wrap I had for lunch,then I started to laugh for no reason again-while I was walking alone towards the library,still laughing maniacally,oblivious if anyone was staring.The lectures that ran from 2-4 felt slightly painless,the first two hours filled with amusement as the lecturer piled on the laughs.
Where am I going with this.It was a terrific Wednesday.
Well,not really.I won't go into the specifics,but having to plan a certain charity event meant participating in a committee consisting of people who were long-time friends,and being the newcomer I felt isolated,strange and a bit misplaced-like a colourful wet lollipop on the ground of an adult bookstore-but this paranoia and feelings of displacement only becomes whole when I start putting them into words,otherwise they don't bother me much in real life.At that moment when discussions were held and everyone just continued as normal,I somehow managed to put aside my emotions to focus on the task at hand-that is,organising the bloody charity thing-of course I was aware what an outsider I was,these people were tied together by years of friendship and the long time invested in fortifying that bond,whereas I was just plain Al who miraculously appeared when meetings started and disappeared when they were over.And they have lunches,meals,movie outings,and so on-but,the point is,I didn't feel misplaced.I'm sure the bunch of words above sound like contradictory bullcrap and don't make the least of sense-but,I don't know,I was just surprised at myself for having survived such social events,which I normally take great pains to avoid,but when faced usually leaves me down in the gutters-with a newfound grace and strength.
This is a big thing for me.And oh,this is my blog and I can put whatever crap and shit I want so if you feel like objecting to whatever I say here-please,to me,your bitter opinions about how I shouldn't talk like that mean as much to me as Jewish politics.
I don't know where that came from.Well,actually I do but in this case it's best to feign ignorance than give voice to the angry demons desperately calling out-I'm trying this new thing,it's called letting go.I'm sure this surpressing does no good,but constantly giving way to one's anger without any control would be even more destructive.
So,let go people.Let go.
Where am I going with this.It was a terrific Wednesday.
Well,not really.I won't go into the specifics,but having to plan a certain charity event meant participating in a committee consisting of people who were long-time friends,and being the newcomer I felt isolated,strange and a bit misplaced-like a colourful wet lollipop on the ground of an adult bookstore-but this paranoia and feelings of displacement only becomes whole when I start putting them into words,otherwise they don't bother me much in real life.At that moment when discussions were held and everyone just continued as normal,I somehow managed to put aside my emotions to focus on the task at hand-that is,organising the bloody charity thing-of course I was aware what an outsider I was,these people were tied together by years of friendship and the long time invested in fortifying that bond,whereas I was just plain Al who miraculously appeared when meetings started and disappeared when they were over.And they have lunches,meals,movie outings,and so on-but,the point is,I didn't feel misplaced.I'm sure the bunch of words above sound like contradictory bullcrap and don't make the least of sense-but,I don't know,I was just surprised at myself for having survived such social events,which I normally take great pains to avoid,but when faced usually leaves me down in the gutters-with a newfound grace and strength.
This is a big thing for me.And oh,this is my blog and I can put whatever crap and shit I want so if you feel like objecting to whatever I say here-please,to me,your bitter opinions about how I shouldn't talk like that mean as much to me as Jewish politics.
I don't know where that came from.Well,actually I do but in this case it's best to feign ignorance than give voice to the angry demons desperately calling out-I'm trying this new thing,it's called letting go.I'm sure this surpressing does no good,but constantly giving way to one's anger without any control would be even more destructive.
So,let go people.Let go.
3.4.07
A Thought
Had a late dinner which regrettably consisted of six cups of water,had to wake up to pee and now I'm fully awake,having to wither away the next few hours until I feel sleepy again.I just wrote a long,mind-numbingly negative post that was written angrily,and I decided to rub it all of-because it only matters if you choose it to.
Plus I'm in the process of allowing more light into my life,and such unbearable amounts of anger and negativity would have me at the point of emotional recklessness,which is simply no good at all.So let's leave that at that.
Been reading Zadie Smith's On Beauty.I think it came out a couple years back and I proceeded to purchase the book after seeing the author named as one of the 100 Most Important People back then by Time mag,the good reviews I had read also became encouragement.But when I did start to read the book,I found it slightly meatless and dead-about 5 chapters in and the characters had established themselves as the intolerable in their own personal ways,so I put the book down and moved on to something else.I rarely not finish a book unless it's really a letdown and continuing seems not worthy a choice,like Tony Parsons Stories We Could Tell was-his previous books revolving around families were marvellous,but when he wrote about music,rock stars,drugs and so on it became obvious the stuff was rubbish.But about a week ago I started On Beauty again,from the start-this time carefully paying attention,and I realise it's a really fantastic book-though slightly weighed down by the first few chapters that lack any enthusiasm but is full of empty conflict.But once that's over and the attention shifts back to family ties and the author takes time to develop the characters-sometimes through interaction with others and dialogue,sometimes by going behind the character's mind-the story takes on a different form that is much more lively and interesting.And sometimes when I read a book it starts to get tediously dull but I have to finish it,but with On Beauty I read the sentences slowly,a couple of times,until I fully comprehend the going-on's and have a clear idea of what the author tries to say.It's as if,if I finish the book without appreciating the story and the magnificence of the story,I'd be disappointed with myself.I came across the poem below weeks ago and left it bookmarked,and everytime I read it I discover something new once discreetly hidden between meanings.
A thought went up my mind to-day
That I have had before,
But did not finish,--some way back,
I could not fix the year,
Nor where it went,nor why it came
The second time to me,
Nor definitely what it was,
Have I the art to say.
But somewhere in my soul,
I know I've met the thing before;
It just reminded me--'t was all--And came my way no more.
Emily Dickinson
Plus I'm in the process of allowing more light into my life,and such unbearable amounts of anger and negativity would have me at the point of emotional recklessness,which is simply no good at all.So let's leave that at that.
Been reading Zadie Smith's On Beauty.I think it came out a couple years back and I proceeded to purchase the book after seeing the author named as one of the 100 Most Important People back then by Time mag,the good reviews I had read also became encouragement.But when I did start to read the book,I found it slightly meatless and dead-about 5 chapters in and the characters had established themselves as the intolerable in their own personal ways,so I put the book down and moved on to something else.I rarely not finish a book unless it's really a letdown and continuing seems not worthy a choice,like Tony Parsons Stories We Could Tell was-his previous books revolving around families were marvellous,but when he wrote about music,rock stars,drugs and so on it became obvious the stuff was rubbish.But about a week ago I started On Beauty again,from the start-this time carefully paying attention,and I realise it's a really fantastic book-though slightly weighed down by the first few chapters that lack any enthusiasm but is full of empty conflict.But once that's over and the attention shifts back to family ties and the author takes time to develop the characters-sometimes through interaction with others and dialogue,sometimes by going behind the character's mind-the story takes on a different form that is much more lively and interesting.And sometimes when I read a book it starts to get tediously dull but I have to finish it,but with On Beauty I read the sentences slowly,a couple of times,until I fully comprehend the going-on's and have a clear idea of what the author tries to say.It's as if,if I finish the book without appreciating the story and the magnificence of the story,I'd be disappointed with myself.I came across the poem below weeks ago and left it bookmarked,and everytime I read it I discover something new once discreetly hidden between meanings.
A thought went up my mind to-day
That I have had before,
But did not finish,--some way back,
I could not fix the year,
Nor where it went,nor why it came
The second time to me,
Nor definitely what it was,
Have I the art to say.
But somewhere in my soul,
I know I've met the thing before;
It just reminded me--'t was all--And came my way no more.
Emily Dickinson
2.4.07
Crab Mood
Today was not a good day,but,in an effort to insert more optimism and acceptance into my life (albeit forcefully),I'll just go ahead and say it was tolerable-if compared to the lives of others far less fortunate,say the millions of Aids-stricken orphans stranded across Africa or people who have class too early on Monday.Will opt for a point-by-point post because at this ungodly hour (2am),my mind effectively eludes any thought of structure or order.-First frustrating incident of two that had occured:Well,I should start on the quizzes my management class tutor holds as part of the weekly tutorial-people become worryingly competitive and the atmosphere turns strained in this part of the tutorial,and this is how it goes:David asks 10 questions,the first 9 relating to the past week's business news and the last revolving around music-as recent weeks have shown,David possesses an almost unhealthy obsession for Springsteen (who,no doubt,is widely acknowledged as one of those important figures who helped shape a generation.Just not mine) but starting this week he announced that there would be no more mention of Springsteen in the final quiz question (which rewards 6 points,therefore anyone who answers it immediately becomes champion of the week-unless someone else had answered more than 6 of the previous 9,of course).So this week was no different,the last question had everyone looking noticeably nervous except David who eternally has this playful smile stuck on his face-and then he read four lines of a song lyric,and the answer came to me as fast as thunder (the last line-I walk the line-gave it away) but before I could even utter Jo-,the infamously knowledgeable English dude in the second row had zapped in,saying Johnny Cash so quickly it sounded like one syllable.So far,few including myself have accumulated marks around the 7-8 range,whereas this notorious know-it-all (thankfully,he's a pretty cool guy and not the intolerable must-kill nerd kind) has crossed the 20-mark,hence officially declared unbeatable by David,who keeps pestering the two locals in the front row,Darcy (nothing like Mr Darcy from Pride & Prejudice,this one wears brightly-coloured hotpants and carries around a distinctive whiff of unwashed socks) and some other girl who repeatedly finds ways to inject the fact that she's worked at many popular shops (just today,she was telling us how working at Kookai was so boring) into conversations,to beat his British ass.
-In the morning,was supposed meet with Alan & Anal (obviously made-up names) to plan an upcoming event:whereas Alan called 5 minutes before meeting-time to inform that he had accidentally taken the tram back home,Anal had totally forgotten.So it was rescheduled to 4,and at 4.15 I grudgingly called Alan,who had obviously forgotten again-but quickly rushed to come anyways (he arrived drenched in sweat-obviously from the running-and I seriously appreciate the fact that he wasn't trying to be ignorant) but again,no trace of Anal.So this is a kind,sugarcoated note to Mr Anal,whom I know for certain won't be reading any of this bullcrap:Dear Anal,we all know you just broke up with your girlfriend (who,by the way,was quite a catch),but for you to have skipped both meetings and acted so blatantly ignorant without considering the possible fact that maybe Alan and I TOO HAVE PROBLEMS that we don't advertise for the whole committee to superficially sympathise with but we accept that responsibilities are what they are,and don't change even when life sucks.I lied.Your ex was fugly,so get over it.But,being in the forgiving and unusually light mood I have been in the last few days,I will let this go and promise to never use it against you-we all make mistakes,occasionally allow our emotions to affect us too much,and don't worry,if you continue to act this way-Alan and I will simply finish the preparations for the event planned,and dump the horrible task of managing things on the day of the event itself whether you want it,or not.If you refuse,I will kindly and very subtly try to remind you of what an incompetent bastard you have been without making it sound personal,although I admit on certain levels it is.But tomorrow will have been a new day,and I will have totally forgotten about this.
-A lot of the existing negativity here has to do with the fact that the Internet service is quickly deteriorating to the level where I might just give up on cyberspace,but as I always do feel after pouring out my frustrations on this blog,I'll feel a whole lot better.If i dwell to much on the spoiled Internet topic,I might just actually be pissed for quite sometime-so I'll let it pass without bothering me too much.I'm sure some people might be wondering where all this sweetness came from,it's seldom I abandon cynicism and darkness (ooh,what an ominous little word) to display a Dalai-Lama-like state of inner peace.Well,surely this post contains an overload of anger and negative emotions,but here and there you find find rare traces of potential hope.Today wasn't a bad day at all,it started out with one tiny incident that I was more than willing to let pass,the sushi I had for lunch tasted amazing and the weather was simply beautiful-and being totally unaffected by daily predicaments would be uncharacteristic of myself (sometimes,elation-most commonly mistaken for true happiness,can insidiously mess up one's head with denial),and though I did feel slightly pissed for a moment this morning,I surprised myself for being able to let go so easily.
I suddenly think about a film I watched a long time ago,called Mean Creek-where two typical fun-loving teenagers and a couple of 10-year olds go for a trip to the nearby river.It begins harmlessly,showing us the purpose of the trip was to trick one small fat kid and humiliating him,but then he drowns.And gloom takes over the initial humour and harmony,and nothing left feels any bit joyful.In such a small context and the sadness contained to this small group everyday kids,how torn they were-it's just heartbreaking.On a lighter note,my Ipod currently faces an unlikely invasion of hip-hop:lead by Lady Sovereign (Love me or Hate Me-currently most overplayed song in the Ipod),Gym Class Heroes and the Beastie Boys,with ACDC and Sex Pistols struggling to keep it as it is.
Easter coming soon,300 premiering this week.
Chili Peppers on Sunday,can't concentrate on anything else.
Except the thought of having the same sushi again tomorrow.
1.4.07
Fur
It's been a terrific weekend,surprisingly.Went to watch Hot Fuzz at Hoyts yesterday,needless to say it was predictably amusing and a whole lot of fun.Those unfamiliar to Shaun of The Dead wouldn't appreciate Hot Fuzz as much,or the anticipation following the film.I highly recommend renting out a copy of Shaun of The Dead (also known as the second best zombie-flick of all time,below 28 Days Later.I can't care much for Night of The Living Dead or all those supposedly classic but unterrifying films)-and while I find British shows like The Office,Absolutely Fabulous or Fawlty Towers to be of high quality,Shaun of The Dead offers much more.While Hot Fuzz packs many small laughs that had me holding my seat to avoid falling off,it lacks anything big but the huge action payoffs do more than compensate.The sheer violence that unravels towards the end-the countless guns,merciless asskicking (one scene has Simon Pegg sending a flying kick straight to an old woman's face-I was practically biting my hand out of excitement.FYI the old hag tried to blow his brains out) and continuous shooting was awfully camp,but it was no less a 16-year old's wet dream.Overall,Hot Fuzz wasn't nearly as impressive as Shaun of The Dead,slightly forgettable but it certainly was two hours of solid fun.Here are some anti-fur ads that made their debut less than a week back-while Sophie Baxtor looks like she's modelling sweetly for Vogue,Shirley Manson actually does convey the message.Okay,this has something to do with Garbage with being one of my fave bands,but whatever.
Well as far as i'm concerned,any animal-protection ad not involving Pamela Anderson won't face the threat of being percieved as a joke.I hope Shirley Manson appears in more ads,becomes filthy rich and comes out with a new album with Garbage-the last one was 2001?2002?Anyways,animals don't deserve to die simply to end up being one's luxury item,it's fucking inhuman and immoral.
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