Wednesday, March 31, 2004
In other news, I finally have Dreamweaver on my computer! *beams* No more stupid Frontpage! Although Dreamweaver can get pretty shirty with me too... *frowns* Do not like the way it finishes my tags for me.
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Monday, March 29, 2004
Was so worried she'd just give birth in the middle of lecture or something... geez.
The stress must be getting to me... there was some bazaar thing going on at Canteen A, and I just bought the first thing I saw. Siao liao.
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Wednesday, March 24, 2004
I don't know what to do with the hostel accommodation form for the school holidays... to stay or not to stay? Seems silly to pay for a room if there's only going to be choir once a week. I mean even if we end late I could always find someone to bunk in with for the night right? *makes imploring puppy dog eyes at Celine* And what do you do with all your belongings for that time between when they make you move out and when you get your new room?
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Monday, March 22, 2004
by Carol Ann Duffy
What does happiness look like?
You in your red coat.
Where does it go for a drink?
To bed, on Sundays.
What does happiness sound like?
The purr of an unhooked phone.
What does it do for a living?
It has private means.
What does happiness feel like?
The barehanded planting of bulbs.
What is its home address?
Yours, sweetheart.
Does happiness have a scent?
The sea, the air, the earth.
Where did you see it last?
Under the bedclothes, laughing.
What taste does happiness have?
That of a long, slow kiss.
And how does happiness write?
Badly, like this.
Have been surfing the Internet a lot recently (instead of doing my homework), and came across some poems by Carol Ann Duffy. I remember doing one for practical criticism back in JC but they were mostly brooding and angsty poetry, unlike this one.
I miss literature. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't go to NUS Arts & Soci, or tried harder to get the means to leave these shores... and then the choir ppl remind me why I'm glad I didn't *grin*
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Saturday, March 20, 2004
My roomie is a lovely person, but sometimes.... *sigh*
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Friday, March 19, 2004
If you...
1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
The stuff I can cook don't fit into a category. So... steamboat? =P No cooking necessary.
2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
BOOKS. Then I can read also =D
3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?
I tried fantasy, but I suppose a contemporary setting should be ok as well.
4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?
Literature. A school that teaches the joys of reading non-textbook material.
5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
Classical piano, choral music, alternative rock, oldies. It'll be a crazy mixed up album.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Well frankly it's much easier to write them if you don't edit them - just blabber on for as long as you can just to fill pages. I'm trying to unlearn all the condensing and cramming info into the least number of words I learnt last semester, even though it's probably not the point of making us write longer essays. And strangely enough, my source list has gotten shorter instead, which is never a good thing.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
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Monday, March 15, 2004
by Travis
I can't sleep tonight
Everybody saying everything's alright
Still I can't close my eyes
I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of all these lights
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
I can't stand myself
I'm being held up by an invisible man
Still life on a shelf when
I got my mind on something else
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Why does it always rain on me?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
Oh, where did the blue skies go?
And why is it raining so?
It's so cold
I can't sleep tonight
Everybody's saying everything's all right
Still I can't close my eyes
I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of the lights
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong
Why does it always rain on me?
Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?
Even when the sun is shining
I can't avoid the lightning
Oh, where did the blue skies go?
And why is it raining so?
It's so cold
Why does it always rain on me?
Why does it always rain on....
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Sunday, March 14, 2004
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Saturday, March 13, 2004
Hecate
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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Kinda suits me, I think.
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Thursday, March 11, 2004
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
It was mainly about the enstranged relationship between William Bloom and his father Edward. About how William kept feeling all he knew of his father were elaborate fanciful lies. It was a very pretty show... all the images and sets out of a fairy tale. There were some tender moments and the whole idea of the show was very intriguing, despite some cheesy moments... but it was another one of those shows that I felt didn't really live up to it's trailer.
And at the risk of being slaughtered by my fellow Rataliens, I say the main problem was that it had far too much of Ewan McGregor. And in fact, the most touching moment (for me) in the entire movie was between the old non-McGregor Edward Bloom and his wife, when they were in the bathtub. All the Ewan McGregor was like too much of a pretty thing, just part of the beautification and fairytale-ness, just like what William Bloom felt about his father. As it is, all I got was a glimpse into the psyche of a very interesting man. Or perhaps that was the point of it all then - I was left wanting to see more of Edward Bloom, the real one, imperfections and all.
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Tuesday, March 09, 2004
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Thursday, March 04, 2004
You are his... Shexy Stare. This is really
self-explanatory, but I'll admit that those
eyes sure have an inviting look to them! ^_~
SHEXY!
Which Facial Expression of Jack Sparrow's Are You?
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Dark magician. You love the dark because of it's
beauty and just the life that no-one else sees.
Mysterious, calm, quiet... But that doesn't
mean you're not friendly!
Please rate ^^
What kind of dark person are you?
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| Went to watch "Lost In Translation" before the choir performance today. I'd been meaning to watch it after I read the review of it in ST Life!, and it being set in Japan was definitely a plus.
It was very... well, the only word I can think of is subtle. Everything was about nuances - the gossamer-like threads of meaning in language, in culture, in actions, in the things left unsaid. I would have said it was titled very aptly, because so many meanings were just that - lost in translation. It truly explored the inadequacy of words to convey all that emotion and subtle feelings, the kind you can't really explain and you can't really put your finger on because it just is, and there is nothing in any human tongue you can say to do justice to it. And of course Japan has to be the most suitable place and culture to really express those subtleties. I liked the way it portrayed the dichotomy that is Japan - how so much of the traditional culture and language is about those undertones and the various shades of meaning (the chanting Shinto monks, the steps on the lily pond in the shrine, the concept of ikebana, the groom offering his bride a hand... ) that cannot be translated satisfactorily into any other language, yet the modern culture can be absolutely crass and in-your-face and exaggerated at the same time.
And all these fragile and intangible things was very much what the relationship between Bob and Charlotte was about. Two people who seemed to have connected at a level where sex was not really an issue, two lost and lonely people finding solace in each other in that cacophany and the bright-lights of Tokyo... two people trying to find their place in Life. There was this scene where the two were in bed, just talking (reminds me of Philip Larkin's "Talking In Bed", except these two really had something to talk about). And falling asleep talking, with absolutely zero sexual tension, nor a need for it to make that scene seem complete and right. Cynics like me may simply write it off as two foreigners on foreign soil seeking something familiar for comfort and warmth, and frankly in my opinion it probably is why this entire relationship started out anyway. And yet there was something in that relationship that went beyond that... another feeling and nuance I can't put into words.
The ending didn't agree with me however. Somehow I would have found that ending more poignant if it had ended without the kiss... maybe just end with Bob catching a glimpse of Charlotte from his car, and she turning part-way to show that lovely side-profile, her obvious non-Asian-ness setting her apart from the crowd, and she not seeing his car pass. Or perhaps it should just have ended with the hug in the middle of the street as the world around them continued to move and live and breathe, and go about their own business. It just seemed too overt, and spoils the beauty of the nuances in the movie *shrug* Oh well...
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Monday, March 01, 2004
I'm living off your air now
Never knowing when you're cutting off
Oh, you have a way
That makes it hard to sleep alone
Just when the dream gets good
You always seem to have to go
So here I am, alone again
Waiting for the story to finally end
While the world spins around
It's out of my hands
Don't even try to understand
Well I guess it's time to tell you
What you should already know
Oh you know I'm better breathing on my own
All alone
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