The trailer for Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince has been released,and how do I say this...I don't like it.In addition to a Dumbledore who sounds too young and the consistently wooden Daniel Radcliffe (that stint on Extras could be the only good thing he'll end up doing his whole life,unless he branches out into comedy or at least something less serious),they've also hired a stone-faced kid actor to play young Harry (or was that Voldy?).Well,to be honest I think Half-Blood Prince was when the series really lost it,though the slow downfall officially began after Prisoner of Azkaban (both the book & film).I'll be looking forward to the MAD parody.
Now lets give way to more quality stuff.While Dark Knight wasn't a total bore,the couple trailers they played ahead were pretty interesting especially the Watchmen trailer.I have no idea who these actors are and am completely unfamiliar with the comic but I see a man in a funny cat mask,a Chinese fisherman and a really skinny guy with fake plastic abs.That said,its also one of the best trailers I've seen all year.It doesn't propose a story,but shows a succession of weird people with powers in highly visual settings that look extremely enticing,plus the choice of song fits perfectly and gives the trailer a transcendent,eerie feel.
The Teenagers+Ting Tings+New Young Pony Club=Black Kids
Black Kids-Love me Already (live version here),super tune.I'll bag this under Teen Psycho Theme Songs.
Don't tell me what my problem is
Just tell me what
She's doing at his
Apartment at midnight
I didn't get an invite
Tonight on my birthday
That ain't half right
My best boy Teddy
That skeezer, how could he?
Goddammit girl, just love me already
Can't you LOVE LOVE LOVE me already
Ach,sore throat.
...
30.7.08
29.7.08
Mamma Mia!-Dead Party
This won't be a proper review,because this shit doesn't deserve one.For one,I fell asleep about 40 minutes into the movie-never a good sign.There were times my attention strayed,only to be brought back by a nice number by Meryl Streep.But it came to a point where the story itself took leave and was replaced by a medley of songs that were not only irrelevant but also sung badly.A lot of times the vocals felt detached from the background music-as if the two were recorded separately then strung in the studio by an angry,underpaid amateur.And the casting director must've been tone deaf and/or brain dead because Pierce Brosnan is an awful singer and if this doesn't kill his career,I will.As for the rest of the cast-Amanda "I can put a fist in my mouth" Seyfried has a decent voice and so does Colin Firth but the songs feel half-baked and under-produced,and appear at the most inopportune moments only to die out abruptly.At the side-like a pimple you'd love to ignore but can't stop scratching (because damn thing hurts like a bitch)- there's Sky (Sophie's omnipresent fiance) played by a sleepwalking Dominic Cooper,an actor whose airy presence and distorted face I will forever equate with a fatal sense of boredom.
There were times when the off-pitch Pierce Brosnan would start singing,and the camera would go into close up-and this bizarre thing would happen,where his face starts quivering like a fucking seizure.And Sophie is such a whiny and immature character,you wonder why she's planning a wedding when really she should think about re-enrolling herself in preschool.Amanda Seyfried remains one of Big Love's highlights-in the HBO family drama she admirably holds a very compelling character without much force-but here she's too earnest and naive and aggressively so,and I can easily think of 10 other young actors who could've done a better job.
This is a grand waste because it takes a serious lack of talent to strip the joy off any ABBA song,and if this film was even half-decent Meryl Streep would've no doubt be the talk of town this season.Mamma Mia! is a film I already have trouble remembering,feel reluctant to hate and instead feel sympathy for-because it isn't just dumb,but pointlessly dumb.
...
P.S. I really like the poster above,its so hopeful and summery.Consider me fooled.
26.7.08
Iron Scissors
Saw Iron Man on the plane,didn't do much.Gwyneth Paltrow was hilariously awkward and seemed like a complete fucking tool."My card doesn't work.Oh,does your card open this door" or something.At the end while Tony's battling his nemesis,Gwyneth stands alone in an empty parking lot shouting to the phone."Oh my god Tony,are you okay?".There's something lethargic about Robert Downey Jr,it might be the way he unsuccessfully tries to channel a Clooney but like his character in Zodiac (oh my god,was that a pain in the ass)-comes across as a man with empty charm and a shot for wittiness that feels infinitely unnatural.
I'm amazed at the number of complaints for Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dark Knight.Was she really that ugly?I didn't think so,but sure her hair and face was made to look unflattering-the way they accentuate her weak cheeks and droopy eyes made her resemble a sad cartoon turtle.I think one more reason Dark Knight failed to please me was because it had none of the myth and terror of the two baddies in Batman Begins.Liam Neeson,even though essentially an old-school teacher in robes with nothing more than a rusty sword perhaps-was miles more interesting than either the Joker or Two-Face,and I found the casting choice of Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow a damn brilliant one.I always thought his eyes-confronting,and yes it was a man who donned a sack on his face and sprayed fumes as a tactic but,it they really took advantage of the actor's inherent...darkness.
Read Augusten Burroughs Running With Scissors.Very interesting,though the ending felt abrupt-like all these things were happening at once,and suddenly he called it quits and began to head for the sun with some lesson in hand as if that made for an ending.It feels unfinished.But like Dry (his second memoir about alcohol addiction-which I read couple months back) its a book I found very hard to put down,and could finish in 2/3 days.In Dry he was a bit more self-absorbed (me this,me that) and the humor not as hard-hitting,plus after halfway I honestly thought I wouldn't give a damn if all the characters got on a bus and rolled off a cliff,I just wanted it to be over.But when a key character dies near the end,and the way Augusten himself was affected-I was surprised to find myself remorseful,I admit it took me sometime to recover.
John Mayer's cover of Free Fallin' + unbelievable cover of Why Georgia (that guitar is killing me).
I wanna glide down over mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
Wanna free fall out into nothin
Gonna leave this world for a while
...
I'm amazed at the number of complaints for Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dark Knight.Was she really that ugly?I didn't think so,but sure her hair and face was made to look unflattering-the way they accentuate her weak cheeks and droopy eyes made her resemble a sad cartoon turtle.I think one more reason Dark Knight failed to please me was because it had none of the myth and terror of the two baddies in Batman Begins.Liam Neeson,even though essentially an old-school teacher in robes with nothing more than a rusty sword perhaps-was miles more interesting than either the Joker or Two-Face,and I found the casting choice of Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow a damn brilliant one.I always thought his eyes-confronting,and yes it was a man who donned a sack on his face and sprayed fumes as a tactic but,it they really took advantage of the actor's inherent...darkness.
Read Augusten Burroughs Running With Scissors.Very interesting,though the ending felt abrupt-like all these things were happening at once,and suddenly he called it quits and began to head for the sun with some lesson in hand as if that made for an ending.It feels unfinished.But like Dry (his second memoir about alcohol addiction-which I read couple months back) its a book I found very hard to put down,and could finish in 2/3 days.In Dry he was a bit more self-absorbed (me this,me that) and the humor not as hard-hitting,plus after halfway I honestly thought I wouldn't give a damn if all the characters got on a bus and rolled off a cliff,I just wanted it to be over.But when a key character dies near the end,and the way Augusten himself was affected-I was surprised to find myself remorseful,I admit it took me sometime to recover.
John Mayer's cover of Free Fallin' + unbelievable cover of Why Georgia (that guitar is killing me).
I wanna glide down over mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
Wanna free fall out into nothin
Gonna leave this world for a while
...
24.7.08
Pa's Speech
Its the day before I'm do to return to Melbourne,and that means only one thing.The speech.Pa is scheduled to come to my room a few minutes before midnight,he'll park himself on a chair or the bed and preferably somewhere comfortable where for an hour or so he'll talk about a few chosen topics,occasionally pausing to see if I'm paying attention.Any other person and I would've blatantly projected ignorance-put on my earphones,excuse myself for something,reach for the immediate exit-but Pa's speeches,as much as I pretend to not enjoy them (I'll be grunting and huffing the whole way,pretending to be immersed in packing,cleaning the room or something equally inane) but once he starts the story train its definitely a ride I can't afford to miss.His stories offer glimpses into the man my father really is,this complicated persona obscured behind a tiger-like facade.He tells me about his time as a young adult,tells me that God is the one person I can completely trust and that people are subject to change and temptation-even ourselves-and therefore can't really be depended upon.
He tells me studying business is a fine choice,because money touches everything and you have a lot of options especially at this stage in life,but its also a dangerous place.You could lose yourself,you could turn bad.People will offer you gifts and beg for favors-don't be naive to think that everyone works straight,shortcuts take you places but at the expense of something you might've fought long to keep.You lose a million bucks,you lose nothing.You lose your health,you lose something.But its when you lose your integrity,thats when you finally lose everything.It all sounds trite and obtuse,like something you could pick up from a Parenting handbook.But then he tells me about his experiences,a lot of them are dark and do not have happy endings-having traveled around the world,and met all kinds of people this is a man with a knowledge he learned himself,the hard way.
I think about the emotional whirlwind my life has been,and wonder if I have the strength to come out a winner at the end of the race.In front of Ma & Pa I might play the role of someone who is opinionated,mature and patient and I take extreme measures to hide the insecurities swimming in my dented soul.I feel inadequate to the man they've recognized me as,the hero they expect me to be-I've become so attached to the person I want to be,that I sometimes lose touch of the person I am.But lately,especially in the past year I can safely say that these two characters have had their paths arrive at some point of consensus,I am slowly growing into my potential and feel good about the direction I'm heading towards.Ma & Pa know about my imperfections,they're not ready to turn a total blind eye in favor of having the ideal son.I am not the ideal son,they love me as a human-someone with strengths and flaws.This is all part of the plan I'm in,things are changing for our family but we've also gained a sense of acceptance for the things we can't change.
Then Pa says things I normally don't expect him to-he compliments Ma with a deep,sincere sense of admiration.In the past year,their relationship has been rocky and they argue over the littlest things all the time and few months ago I mentally prepared myself for the prospect of a divorce.But I now know,things are not always what they seem and life does not come prepackaged like people tell you-its something to be observed and understood,assumptions are almost always incorrect.He tells me what a strong woman Ma is,the pain she's suffered particularly in her early career-I've come to view her as a somewhat entertaining klutz,always misplacing things,wildly disorganized at times and also full of temper but like Pa says,she's built for herself a personal strength many people aspire their whole lives to have.And despite her unpredictable moods and habit of unintentionally hurting others (Pa:"I wish she would just smile sometimes,her face is just so sour") she is a great person to know and is someone who is built like a rock,knock her down a thousand times and she'll get right back up and I don't know how she does it.Here I see the intricacies of their relationship,the twisted way it works and finally know how it has survived through years of constant bickering.
And so,I conclude that people are not paper-thin as they seem but we conveniently make judgments based on what we see.Throughout life,you're only afforded to really know a handful of people-when you're old and weary,the rest will become obsolete.And these people I greatly love,for despite the way I seem cold and unfeeling to most people I have a heart that accepts no boundaries-the love I have for my family travels deep into the centre of me,it is something that even in the darkest of times-when I've turned into everyone's enemy and when I devolve into a fool and a traitor,is something I simply cannot dispute.
I will miss these stories of Pa,and hope one day I'll have the ability to affect people the way he does.With not a flying backhand or silly speeches,but with the very person I am.
...
He tells me studying business is a fine choice,because money touches everything and you have a lot of options especially at this stage in life,but its also a dangerous place.You could lose yourself,you could turn bad.People will offer you gifts and beg for favors-don't be naive to think that everyone works straight,shortcuts take you places but at the expense of something you might've fought long to keep.You lose a million bucks,you lose nothing.You lose your health,you lose something.But its when you lose your integrity,thats when you finally lose everything.It all sounds trite and obtuse,like something you could pick up from a Parenting handbook.But then he tells me about his experiences,a lot of them are dark and do not have happy endings-having traveled around the world,and met all kinds of people this is a man with a knowledge he learned himself,the hard way.
I think about the emotional whirlwind my life has been,and wonder if I have the strength to come out a winner at the end of the race.In front of Ma & Pa I might play the role of someone who is opinionated,mature and patient and I take extreme measures to hide the insecurities swimming in my dented soul.I feel inadequate to the man they've recognized me as,the hero they expect me to be-I've become so attached to the person I want to be,that I sometimes lose touch of the person I am.But lately,especially in the past year I can safely say that these two characters have had their paths arrive at some point of consensus,I am slowly growing into my potential and feel good about the direction I'm heading towards.Ma & Pa know about my imperfections,they're not ready to turn a total blind eye in favor of having the ideal son.I am not the ideal son,they love me as a human-someone with strengths and flaws.This is all part of the plan I'm in,things are changing for our family but we've also gained a sense of acceptance for the things we can't change.
Then Pa says things I normally don't expect him to-he compliments Ma with a deep,sincere sense of admiration.In the past year,their relationship has been rocky and they argue over the littlest things all the time and few months ago I mentally prepared myself for the prospect of a divorce.But I now know,things are not always what they seem and life does not come prepackaged like people tell you-its something to be observed and understood,assumptions are almost always incorrect.He tells me what a strong woman Ma is,the pain she's suffered particularly in her early career-I've come to view her as a somewhat entertaining klutz,always misplacing things,wildly disorganized at times and also full of temper but like Pa says,she's built for herself a personal strength many people aspire their whole lives to have.And despite her unpredictable moods and habit of unintentionally hurting others (Pa:"I wish she would just smile sometimes,her face is just so sour") she is a great person to know and is someone who is built like a rock,knock her down a thousand times and she'll get right back up and I don't know how she does it.Here I see the intricacies of their relationship,the twisted way it works and finally know how it has survived through years of constant bickering.
And so,I conclude that people are not paper-thin as they seem but we conveniently make judgments based on what we see.Throughout life,you're only afforded to really know a handful of people-when you're old and weary,the rest will become obsolete.And these people I greatly love,for despite the way I seem cold and unfeeling to most people I have a heart that accepts no boundaries-the love I have for my family travels deep into the centre of me,it is something that even in the darkest of times-when I've turned into everyone's enemy and when I devolve into a fool and a traitor,is something I simply cannot dispute.
I will miss these stories of Pa,and hope one day I'll have the ability to affect people the way he does.With not a flying backhand or silly speeches,but with the very person I am.
...
23.7.08
Vacation
Finally,the moment we've all been waiting for.Not really,just a new single from Cold War Kids (click pic for Myspace),its good.Recuperating currently,after almost two weeks away from home.I don't get homesick anymore,but its only when on vacations that I do feel it-having to move from place to place without nothing truly your own,hotels and housekeepers and bartenders and strangers on trains.And then there are the skyscrapers and unfamiliar places,all indifferent.And the feelings that I don't talk about but I know are there always appear in the pictures I take,for me photography has evolved from a mere hobby to a very important part of my life.We spent a week plus in Boston,a weekend in NYC and a day in Amsterdam on transit from JFK-KL.New Yorkers were ruder than I expected (some of them have this very offputting "I OWN THE WORLD" attitude,a couple servers were like "What the fuck you buggin' me for?"),but what the hell who wouldn't be pissed what with the extreme congestion (parts of the city feel like a rush hour subway train),hellish summer heat (I swear,one day the temperature went past 40c) and I think I'd be the biggest asshole if I were living there.I'd kick dogs and slap ugly babies,and secretly put gum on the head of tourists-I only do two of those things at the moment.
+Digg the newish (which has been around for a while possibly,I only discovered it days ago while browsing the Virgin megastore) John Mayer live album Where the Light Is-just as good as the ahmazin Any Given Thursday,I've been dying for a new JM album and the live,8+minutes version of I don't trust myself is exactly what I need.
+The Ting Tings album is really growing on me.
+Beach House gig@Curtin House for 20+,big fuckin steal if you ask me.
+Rumoured M.I.A gig at Revolver Upstairs,if this happens I guess we'll ignore the time she said she was ready to retire.
(Entering plane)
R: Smells like tuna.
A: Nah,smells like poop.
R: What kind of tuna do you eat?
P: F is just amazing,for her wedding she planned everything herself.The caterer,the venue,the photo/video man,everything!
V: Well,its her wedding.
I might not be the right one
It might not be the right time
But there's something about us I want to say
Cause there's something between us anyway
Daft Punk-Something about us
...
19.7.08
Dark Knight-Kid Fiction
This time around,the film's main arch comprises two villains-Joker & Two-Face,and it does a pretty good job with holding my interest for a film that runs in excess of 2 hours.I guess the first thing on everyone's mind is Heath Ledger's performance,considering it was the talented lad's last.Ledger communicates all the menace of the Joker-here is a character whose hunger for destruction is virtually limitless,or as Alfred says "someone who just wants to see the world burn".The problem is that the Joker is written as such a generic villain,for all his rich psychotic tendencies there is nothing exceptionally dangerous or complex about him that makes his presence felt.Simply said,Ledger wasn't given much as his character was unchanging from start to end and though he did a terrific job I didn't think it was anything Oscar-worthy.The script wobbles on a series of contrived events,and though the action scenes were pleasing and sufficiently believable for a Batman movie there were two instances in which the story borders on the unrealistic-and in keeping this review spoiler-free,I'll offer instead two keywords:plane & cellphone.For a substantial amount of time,Dark Knight runs on a game of gotcha,the audience constantly having the carpet underneath them pulled as the story unfortunately offers no emotional weight but only a mixed bag of tricks.The biggest comparison to Batman Begins,is that the sequel has none of the psychological affluence of its predecessor.A brittle love triangle between Bruce Wayne,Rachel Dawes & Harvie Dent removes the chance for any real character development,but when the characters do undergo a change of heart or come to an important new realization it is quick and meaningless.The only one given such opportunity to channel some form of complexity is Harvey Dent (played excellently by Aaron Eckhart) whose dubious self makes him a really captivating character.Everyone else is written as too straight,comic-book types.
The biggest conundrum for me was the heaviness of the good vs bad discussion,the entire film dense with quotes and ideals that by the time the movie closes with a dreadful analogy on Batman as "the dark knight" everything said can be summed up as tedious and old-fashioned.Every line of dialogue dispenses some sort of protracted message that I personally feel that the characters were barely communicating but were more so engaged in a parliamentary debate.Yes,I'm definitely aware its a comic book adaptation and I should be expecting it to be,well,comic-like on some level.But after Batman Begins (a movie I especially loved despite never being much of a Batman fan),a film that was very mature and chose to avoid being too black n' white-this feels like one big step down.
I'm not saying the hype surrounding the movie (before and after its release) is entirely undeserved,because there are still some things worth all the praise.If I haven't stressed it enough,Aaron Eckhart gives a brilliant performance and director Christopher Nolan has obviously grown more ambitious since the success of the first film,as the action scenes are much more epic and satisfying this time around.There's a prolonged shot of the Joker hung upside down towards the end that I particularly like.Concluding,I honestly expected Dark Knight to be a heroic success-after the first 30 minutes,I could imagine standing to clap and cheer as the credits rolled (the only time this feeling has ever struck me was after last year's Death Proof) but sadly I walked out not quite fulfilled,somehow waiting for the sequel that never came.
...
17.7.08
Boston
So,I've become increasingly quiet and have almost completely lost interest in talking.Everytime I pull myself to say something,what comes out sounds irrelevant and doesn't change a single thing.Like my own existence has become pure air and things like talking,eating and everything else seems so dull and the people I still do find interesting are constantly unreachable but when we actually do communicate nothing remarkable happens.I'm waiting for something big,something different and I fear this life has settled into its mold and become permanently fixed to what it is but all of this is self-indulgent talk and I do sound like a character on Grey's Anatomy "Oh,look at how bad my life is pity me please" and its absolutely pathetic.
Been in the US for a while now,and though my initial ideas of Boston weren't too great I've come to love this place for exactly what it is.Bostonians have a sense of genuity that is not at all forced-when they do come across as helpful and approachable,its a warm and personal thing and it doesn't feel like a big tourism gimmick as if to repeatedly declare "Hey,I'm nice!Now love me!".More than once I've had random strangers come up to me,and not always because they think I'm a tourist-and the sense of community is strong in a way that is inherent to the society itself,they haven't simply adopted some idea of unity for the sake of it.I think you get the message and I'm not exactly being subtle,so I'll cease banging you on the head with a saucepan now.
Okay well I've only had one bad experience so far and that was the big fight before dinner with the hostess of Union Oyster House who taught she was the Big Ol' Queen just cause she had mic & her own dandy corner.We had a booking for 830pm and only got the table at 850 after I pestered her about 3 times,the 3rd time I threw this wild bitch fit and she said Calm down everyone here knows you have a booking and I said Well,then? and she said Lower your voice sir,I'm doing the best I can why don't you wait at the bar and be patient and I of course accidentally went of course because I hate it when people talk down to me like I'm some bloody subordinate so what ensued was me shouting a bit and a couple dramatic hand gestures and we got our table in 2 seconds and it was JFK's favourite booth or whatever and the lobsters were good and the service was excellent but by the end I still wanted to shove a shovel up that old fugger's ass.
I care for a lot less nowdays,so when Ma said this and that Auntie thinks you're rude (these aunties,sometimes they expect me to be some Brad Pitt spectacle) I can't manage to muster the littlest bit of interest so I say Oh well,they have a point I guess.So I think this has evolved somehow,or taken a new route-into some kind of patience,a stronger will and newfound optimism that is both interesting and good for the soul (ha?),but also something obsolete because at the end of the day,I still don't give two shits about whatever.Anyhu,R & I went for whale watching and it turned out to be a really hot day and R neglected to wear sunblock before leaving so she was telling me a couple sunburn experiences and later the trip to the whale watching spot was a 2 hour cruise and she fell asleep on the deck and looked so peaceful except two hours later ended up with a really bad sunburn with only the area around her eyes an odd shade of white due to being behind the sunnies all day.And later she pointed to the whale watching brochure with this picture of a whale leaping excitedly from the surface in this crazily dramatic fashion and said Now this is what I expected and I said I'm sure they photoshopped this because what we saw was nowhere near this the whales must've been dead.They "logged" around and the tour guide made this genormous issue about how every spring they named the whales and they gave really silly names like Salt & Pepper and I think to myself haven't those whales suffered enough already.And at the Isabella Gardner Museum I opted to take the audio tour and I was shocked to find that they've included,as part of the audio tour,opinions from random 6 year olds and teenagers who were approached out of the blue and the whole audio commentary reached a level of amateurishness that was unprecendented and extremely frustrating.On a lighter note,the Gardner Museum was stunning and I helped this man with a cane carry his food tray out and he said You're a kind young man and I thought I wish this was the truth,helping old men carry food trays is the least I can do but someone with my health and opportunities should be able to do so much more and I suddenly think how depressing it would be for this very old man to die.Also,over lunch I was an active listener to a conversation between two queerly dressed women who were talking about calorie counting and how their grandkids were bringing back boys and whether they liked these boys and I wonder at that age,would I be at museums doing the same thing at what would I think about the creepy youngster at the next table who was pretending to read his guide book but was obviously eavesdropping,would I be contented with the way things were or would I be suffocating in regret for my own wasted youth?
And all this ranting makes me feel alive again,like I'm part of the world-as if all this anger has ressurected me from a period of numbness and unfeelingness and I'm not concerned if thats even a real word,as if emotions were regarded as sign of human life otherwise you were some insignificant android with a job or something to do noone cared about.Makes me think about the bigger picture,and whether what I'm doing and who I'll become in the next 5 years coincides with that or do I just stay like this,just like this.I won't move a single thing,and forever remain young and stupid.
I have to do something.
...
+This article includes the Isabella Gardner Museum as one of the Top 10 US Places to see Before you die.Honestly though,the place is seriously something special.I'm a step closer to dying happy.
Been in the US for a while now,and though my initial ideas of Boston weren't too great I've come to love this place for exactly what it is.Bostonians have a sense of genuity that is not at all forced-when they do come across as helpful and approachable,its a warm and personal thing and it doesn't feel like a big tourism gimmick as if to repeatedly declare "Hey,I'm nice!Now love me!".More than once I've had random strangers come up to me,and not always because they think I'm a tourist-and the sense of community is strong in a way that is inherent to the society itself,they haven't simply adopted some idea of unity for the sake of it.I think you get the message and I'm not exactly being subtle,so I'll cease banging you on the head with a saucepan now.
Okay well I've only had one bad experience so far and that was the big fight before dinner with the hostess of Union Oyster House who taught she was the Big Ol' Queen just cause she had mic & her own dandy corner.We had a booking for 830pm and only got the table at 850 after I pestered her about 3 times,the 3rd time I threw this wild bitch fit and she said Calm down everyone here knows you have a booking and I said Well,then? and she said Lower your voice sir,I'm doing the best I can why don't you wait at the bar and be patient and I of course accidentally went of course because I hate it when people talk down to me like I'm some bloody subordinate so what ensued was me shouting a bit and a couple dramatic hand gestures and we got our table in 2 seconds and it was JFK's favourite booth or whatever and the lobsters were good and the service was excellent but by the end I still wanted to shove a shovel up that old fugger's ass.
I care for a lot less nowdays,so when Ma said this and that Auntie thinks you're rude (these aunties,sometimes they expect me to be some Brad Pitt spectacle) I can't manage to muster the littlest bit of interest so I say Oh well,they have a point I guess.So I think this has evolved somehow,or taken a new route-into some kind of patience,a stronger will and newfound optimism that is both interesting and good for the soul (ha?),but also something obsolete because at the end of the day,I still don't give two shits about whatever.Anyhu,R & I went for whale watching and it turned out to be a really hot day and R neglected to wear sunblock before leaving so she was telling me a couple sunburn experiences and later the trip to the whale watching spot was a 2 hour cruise and she fell asleep on the deck and looked so peaceful except two hours later ended up with a really bad sunburn with only the area around her eyes an odd shade of white due to being behind the sunnies all day.And later she pointed to the whale watching brochure with this picture of a whale leaping excitedly from the surface in this crazily dramatic fashion and said Now this is what I expected and I said I'm sure they photoshopped this because what we saw was nowhere near this the whales must've been dead.They "logged" around and the tour guide made this genormous issue about how every spring they named the whales and they gave really silly names like Salt & Pepper and I think to myself haven't those whales suffered enough already.And at the Isabella Gardner Museum I opted to take the audio tour and I was shocked to find that they've included,as part of the audio tour,opinions from random 6 year olds and teenagers who were approached out of the blue and the whole audio commentary reached a level of amateurishness that was unprecendented and extremely frustrating.On a lighter note,the Gardner Museum was stunning and I helped this man with a cane carry his food tray out and he said You're a kind young man and I thought I wish this was the truth,helping old men carry food trays is the least I can do but someone with my health and opportunities should be able to do so much more and I suddenly think how depressing it would be for this very old man to die.Also,over lunch I was an active listener to a conversation between two queerly dressed women who were talking about calorie counting and how their grandkids were bringing back boys and whether they liked these boys and I wonder at that age,would I be at museums doing the same thing at what would I think about the creepy youngster at the next table who was pretending to read his guide book but was obviously eavesdropping,would I be contented with the way things were or would I be suffocating in regret for my own wasted youth?
And all this ranting makes me feel alive again,like I'm part of the world-as if all this anger has ressurected me from a period of numbness and unfeelingness and I'm not concerned if thats even a real word,as if emotions were regarded as sign of human life otherwise you were some insignificant android with a job or something to do noone cared about.Makes me think about the bigger picture,and whether what I'm doing and who I'll become in the next 5 years coincides with that or do I just stay like this,just like this.I won't move a single thing,and forever remain young and stupid.
I have to do something.
...
+This article includes the Isabella Gardner Museum as one of the Top 10 US Places to see Before you die.Honestly though,the place is seriously something special.I'm a step closer to dying happy.
13.7.08
Happy New Year
Well I'm softer than my face would suggest
And at times like these I'm at my lowest ebb
But I know I can confide in you
If I cry to set the mood oh please could you cry too?
Camera Obscura-Happy New Year
...
And at times like these I'm at my lowest ebb
But I know I can confide in you
If I cry to set the mood oh please could you cry too?
Camera Obscura-Happy New Year
...
9.7.08
Meal
Been getting these cravings,wouldn't be a problem except that they come in sets.Two days ago,I set off to get some Decanter Yee Mee,but came back with exactly that plus a bag of rojak,cendol and some kuih.Yesterday afternoon,I felt hungry for Nasi Kandar so drove all the way to Kayu at Curve,along the way buying some cheesecake and dropped by the Taman Tun pasar malam on the way back for some Jenny Hong tau foo fah.With both parents and the sister gone I've had the house to myself,and that allows me to be a complete slob-I'll eat while watching tv,while going up and down the stairs,and also before,during,and after a shower.If it was up to me,there'd be a buffet table that goes all over the house on a moving belt so I'd be able to eat all day and not move an inch.Suffice to say,I've gained some weight and after relating this to S,she tells me to eat all I want and start working out when I'm back in Melbourne and I tell her she is the voice of rightness itself.
All of this got too much,yesterday night.Yearning for a late night snack at 3am,I stepped quietly downstairs and was surprised to find a whole chocolate cake in the fridge.I took a large dinner plate and piled about 3 pieces of it,but somehow messed it up all over the plate so it didn't look like 3 pieces.It could've been 5 for all I know.Returning the cake into the fridge,I then reached for a long spoon and prepared to savor the first bite-the large spoonful melting on my tongue tasted chocolatey,then a bit sour-and this is when I puked it all out onto the sink.I immediately went back to the fridge,took out the cake and began stabbing it with the plastic knife-you disgusting little whore cake,you tried to poison me you fucking bastard child!
I'm a changed person now,its almost 6 and I haven't eaten anything but some donuts and a pepperoni pizza sounds good.I wish I could teach my cat to talk and he'd become my life coach and recommend a suitable diet but Hiro's been looking fat lately so I guess I'll only get a couch buddy instead.Been watching Fred videos,the voice doesn't annoy me at all and his timing on a joke is always spot-on,plus the whole thing is reminiscent of Arrested Development in a sense that entire story is mapped around a limited number of characters,all whom have their own distinctive traits.There's Fred's mum who's actually a man and a prostitute,the one bird and the neighbor's squirrels (who are actually dogs),Judy & Kevin and his use of "Fred-isms" and his constant shrieking an yelling.It's highly childish and immature,but also quite funny.So yeah,watch that.I'll leave you with a boring poster for some movie (how dull does "Nick & Norah" sound?),which I'll watch anyhu because its Michael Cera and he can do no wrong (via FirstShowing).
All of this got too much,yesterday night.Yearning for a late night snack at 3am,I stepped quietly downstairs and was surprised to find a whole chocolate cake in the fridge.I took a large dinner plate and piled about 3 pieces of it,but somehow messed it up all over the plate so it didn't look like 3 pieces.It could've been 5 for all I know.Returning the cake into the fridge,I then reached for a long spoon and prepared to savor the first bite-the large spoonful melting on my tongue tasted chocolatey,then a bit sour-and this is when I puked it all out onto the sink.I immediately went back to the fridge,took out the cake and began stabbing it with the plastic knife-you disgusting little whore cake,you tried to poison me you fucking bastard child!
I'm a changed person now,its almost 6 and I haven't eaten anything but some donuts and a pepperoni pizza sounds good.I wish I could teach my cat to talk and he'd become my life coach and recommend a suitable diet but Hiro's been looking fat lately so I guess I'll only get a couch buddy instead.Been watching Fred videos,the voice doesn't annoy me at all and his timing on a joke is always spot-on,plus the whole thing is reminiscent of Arrested Development in a sense that entire story is mapped around a limited number of characters,all whom have their own distinctive traits.There's Fred's mum who's actually a man and a prostitute,the one bird and the neighbor's squirrels (who are actually dogs),Judy & Kevin and his use of "Fred-isms" and his constant shrieking an yelling.It's highly childish and immature,but also quite funny.So yeah,watch that.I'll leave you with a boring poster for some movie (how dull does "Nick & Norah" sound?),which I'll watch anyhu because its Michael Cera and he can do no wrong (via FirstShowing).
8.7.08
7.7.08
Gelap
Ireen's wedding just wrapped up,I'm relieved/exhausted/happy for Ireen/a bit worried for my own fate/more than willing to continue living in ze bubblez of oblivionz.
There are places I go,where people make me feel like such an outsider I might as well be wearing native rags and speak fish.Its a familiar feeling when I enter a room and feel that certain coldness,this unbearable distance between myself and the others-like I've lost touch of earth and accidentally stumbled into this colony of aliens,some part of me would give anything to fit in but another part tells me that even if I did,it wouldn't be right.This doesn't bug me as much as it did before,and I feel its noone's fault but mine.Part of me feels comfortable being a stranger,anonymity has its privileges.
I think I need a new town
to leave this all behind
This girl Natalie on Parental Control was so entertaining I honestly think she should get her own tv show.
"You guys are a perfect match,you're dumb and she's dumber"
"Cowgirl?More like cow"
"She calls that yoga,I call it last night"
"You can send her back in the box she came in"
Just saw the NKOTB vid for Summertime,do people still do dance routines in matching,one-colored clothes?Is it still 1990?
...
There are places I go,where people make me feel like such an outsider I might as well be wearing native rags and speak fish.Its a familiar feeling when I enter a room and feel that certain coldness,this unbearable distance between myself and the others-like I've lost touch of earth and accidentally stumbled into this colony of aliens,some part of me would give anything to fit in but another part tells me that even if I did,it wouldn't be right.This doesn't bug me as much as it did before,and I feel its noone's fault but mine.Part of me feels comfortable being a stranger,anonymity has its privileges.
I think I need a new town
to leave this all behind
This girl Natalie on Parental Control was so entertaining I honestly think she should get her own tv show.
"You guys are a perfect match,you're dumb and she's dumber"
"Cowgirl?More like cow"
"She calls that yoga,I call it last night"
"You can send her back in the box she came in"
Just saw the NKOTB vid for Summertime,do people still do dance routines in matching,one-colored clothes?Is it still 1990?
...
5.7.08
2.7.08
Glass
I'm resting with my back pressed against the leather chair,toes stretched out with a novel in one hand and a glass of water in the other.For a moment a sharp sound from outside surprises me and my mind slips,then there is a shattering sound.Pieces of glass lay next to the chair,in huge chunks and tiny spears that look fatal.Like they could pierce into the skin,swim through veins to pierce a happily beating heart.And so this is what has become to the world,even pieces of glass has personal vendettas to settle.I should be finding a broom to clean the glass off the floor,but my first instinct is to run upstairs to get the camera.Two minutes later,the maid walks into the living room to find me kneeling on the floor at one corner with my bottom crudely perched in the air.There's a very particular angle I want for the picture I'm about to take.So I bend my body a bit,move the chair slightly and wait until the clouds move as to have ample light,sweating a bit from all this hardcore yoga.I look over my shoulder to see the maid,a worried look across her face-she doesn't turn around,instead she walks backwards and shuts the door until it clicks.
Hancock,the new Will Smith movie-looks terrible,but hey surely some good can come out of a Michael & Rita reunion.Yeay for MRFs.The latest Dark Knight poster (via FirstShowing),this is going to be huge.
...
Hancock,the new Will Smith movie-looks terrible,but hey surely some good can come out of a Michael & Rita reunion.Yeay for MRFs.The latest Dark Knight poster (via FirstShowing),this is going to be huge.
...
1.7.08
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