I have not read any of the Twilight books, nor have I seen any of the movies. I'm going to check out the first when I go back to school. My sister has the first one. She also has a incredibly messy room. She's (most likely) re-reading Eclipse because of the movie.
Twilight is part of my internet missions - I want people to stop mocking the fans. (Though I have no defense for some of the merchandise - Edward Panties are just... I don't know.)
And when I googled to get that link, the first link was to a site called "Twitarded," oh so cleverly calling the fans retarded. People defend their use of ableist language (lame, retarded) by saying they don't mean that anymore. Then why use them as an insult? They must still mean something bad, or they wouldn't be used that way.
I assume the more common nickname for fans - Twihards, comes from "die hard" - they're die hard fans. That's fine.
Anywho... I don't like the bashing of Twilight fans. (And the hatred for the books seems extreme, especially when it's just plain hatred and doesn't involve a critique - how are the Quilutes portrayed, the problematic relationships - if she picked Jacob, it still would be unhealthy. And the one with Edward is just a mess.)
Small note - my sister would rip me a new one if she saw this - how can you talk about it if you haven't read it? Because I'm curious and now I'm finally thinking of reading the books. (She also could not believe that I knew bits and pieces about Lost, despite never watching the show. It was incredibly popular and mentioned on many sites I visit. Of course I know there's a smoke monster!)
The bashing of Twilight and its fans seems to just be reactionary - if it's popular, it must be bad. Also, more sinister, it is very popular with women and girls, and things that women like are always belittled.
Anyway, the Twilight books do not mean that the books you like disappeared or magically changed into Twilight. Same with the movies. Twilight did nothing to you. So cut it the fuck out. Also, wouldn't your time be better spent doing something you enjoy, like reading a book you love? (I said this on FB and a friend asked how will I feel superior now? That was a puzzler, but you can feel superior to the Twilight bashers now! Problem solved.)
Well, I wrote a novel, and I don't have much about the others.
I cannot stand the endless mocking of Justin Beiber - he's a girl, he's gay. It has nothing to do with his music, just his appearance and age. People are mocking a young boy. Which is so classy.
And something that keeps coming up every time M. Night Shyamalan makes a movie, and since the Village, they've started to really suck, according to reviews. (The Village and Signs scared the crap out of me, though I've never seen Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense.)
People purposely mispronounce his name or write it incorrectly - Shamalamadingdong. Yes, his name is long, but it's not hard to pronounce. On a tangent, I don't mind when Colbert mispronounces Ahmadinejad's name, because he slips a joke in there each time.
I basically hate mispronouncing names after you've been told how to pronounce it. It shows a lack of respect. "You're so unimportant, I'm not even going to bother remembering how to say your name."
One last pet peeve that started when the Saudi prince visited Bush and they held hands. The gay "jokes" never stopped. It's based on xenophobic ignorance - in some cultures, men can be more expressive and friendly with each other - hugging and holding hands, for example.
One last thing - calling Hugh Jackman (or a famous character he plays) gay because he does Broadway and danced and sang when he hosted the Oscars is just gross, and one thing I love about Bollywood - the men lip-sync and dance in the movies... and at the award shows.
Anyway, I want people to stop being racist and to stop mocking Justin Bieber and Twilight fans. I'm more deluded than Don Quixote, aren't I?
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A little thought from a paper I never had to write.
See, I had to write this paper.
Only the pain was so bad I could barely think. And when it wasn't bad, I was sleepy or foggy. I was able to take my final - multiple choice - but not do the paper, which required abstract thinking. Normally, I can BS my way through something, but I couldn't even do that.
Luckily, I got above an 80 in the class without the paper, so I didn't have to do it. (It was my honor's course and to count as Honors, I had to get a B in the class. Honors classes count as my volunteer hours, and well, I can't do 75 hours before June 1st. I just can't do anything.)
Before that, I picked a topic (the Swiss minaret ban) and wrote out some topics while in class. (His powerpoints were always thorough and most of the test questions came straight from there, so I'd copy the powerpoint and then read. Or in this case, work on topics.)
The minaret ban in Switzerland is ridiculous and won't have much effect anyway, I think they had a rule about height in place. And the country only had 4. The imagery pissed a lot of people off - using minarets as guns piercing the Swiss flag, while a woman covered so only her eyes showed looked at you. Except that most of the Muslims in Switzerland are from Eastern Europe and don't wear the niqab or burka.
I also thought of the hijab ban in France and how assimilation is touted as the best way to be an immigrant - by not acting like one at all, forgetting your heritage. Here in the US, we screamed that forever, and now we wonder why the kids (always the kids) don't know about their heritage, oh boo hoo.
But I think that wearing a hijab and going to school or university or working or doing "French" things is a sign of good assimilation - look at me, I'm combining the old and new, a Muslimah can wear her hijab and still be French! Banning it is ridiculous.
Two fictional examples - Rayyan in the Canadian TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie wears the hijab. She's a doctor, she went to medical school. As it's a small town, she treats men and women. Very "Canadian," even with cloth on her head.
I just watched Kurbaan, and ugh, if you're Muslim, AVOID YAAR!!! Except for two women in the movie, they all wear hijabs and big dresses, very conservative. And basically say you can't wear the hijab and be a good Muslimah and work outside the home.
Contrast that with My Name is Khan - Rizvan's sister-in-law wears the hijab, works outside the home, and is more liberal than her husband (she attends Rizvan's wedding to a Hindu).
MNIK and LMOTP are more realistic - you don't have to abandon everything to become a "true" American or Canadian... or French.
Only the pain was so bad I could barely think. And when it wasn't bad, I was sleepy or foggy. I was able to take my final - multiple choice - but not do the paper, which required abstract thinking. Normally, I can BS my way through something, but I couldn't even do that.
Luckily, I got above an 80 in the class without the paper, so I didn't have to do it. (It was my honor's course and to count as Honors, I had to get a B in the class. Honors classes count as my volunteer hours, and well, I can't do 75 hours before June 1st. I just can't do anything.)
Before that, I picked a topic (the Swiss minaret ban) and wrote out some topics while in class. (His powerpoints were always thorough and most of the test questions came straight from there, so I'd copy the powerpoint and then read. Or in this case, work on topics.)
The minaret ban in Switzerland is ridiculous and won't have much effect anyway, I think they had a rule about height in place. And the country only had 4. The imagery pissed a lot of people off - using minarets as guns piercing the Swiss flag, while a woman covered so only her eyes showed looked at you. Except that most of the Muslims in Switzerland are from Eastern Europe and don't wear the niqab or burka.
I also thought of the hijab ban in France and how assimilation is touted as the best way to be an immigrant - by not acting like one at all, forgetting your heritage. Here in the US, we screamed that forever, and now we wonder why the kids (always the kids) don't know about their heritage, oh boo hoo.
But I think that wearing a hijab and going to school or university or working or doing "French" things is a sign of good assimilation - look at me, I'm combining the old and new, a Muslimah can wear her hijab and still be French! Banning it is ridiculous.
Two fictional examples - Rayyan in the Canadian TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie wears the hijab. She's a doctor, she went to medical school. As it's a small town, she treats men and women. Very "Canadian," even with cloth on her head.
I just watched Kurbaan, and ugh, if you're Muslim, AVOID YAAR!!! Except for two women in the movie, they all wear hijabs and big dresses, very conservative. And basically say you can't wear the hijab and be a good Muslimah and work outside the home.
Contrast that with My Name is Khan - Rizvan's sister-in-law wears the hijab, works outside the home, and is more liberal than her husband (she attends Rizvan's wedding to a Hindu).
MNIK and LMOTP are more realistic - you don't have to abandon everything to become a "true" American or Canadian... or French.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Some money saving advice
Well, it only applies to Netflix users.
I'm always curious about others' experience with Netflix, and tonight I googled "is netflix worth it."
On this website - A site called Thrifty Fun and page is called "Is Netflix worth it?" - there is a reply from someone who loves the streaming (as do I, though I can't wait until subtitles/CC are available on all of them!) and is thinking of buying the 100 US$ device, but is worried that when technology changes (as is its wont), the box may be useless.
I thought about this (not the obsolescence, but the price) and I realized that our TV is pretty new (bought in Fall 2007 or after) and hey, my laptop has this thing and so does the TV, maybe they can be hooked up!
A quick googling later, and yes, they can. I even called Netflix to make sure it was kosher. (Maybe the wouldn't play, I don't know.)
I bought a TV this week (HD! a remote! CC available!) for only 150 US$. It's not tiny, about 15 inches, but it is easier to carry than the old one Goodwill will probably throw out soon. That one was 3rd hand - my sister's friend had it, than my sister, than I took it. It had 2000 etched on the back, among the other technological info, so it wasn't that old. It had an attached VCR that declared it was dying by, you know, eating tapes (FSM bless CDs and DVDs!). It had no remote. But what was bad was the volume was iffy, and hitting the down button under the word volume could lead to a number of things - making the channel go down, nothing, putting up some bizarre menu or something that required turning off the TV, and sometimes making the volume go down. It did have a major plus (my new one has this too) - I could hook up headphones and watch Bollywood into the wee hours on a screen smaller than my laptop, but dammit, it was on the TV without bothering anyone.
Now your TV needs a VGA port
And I think many new ones do - probably for video games. It also needs a headphone jack or anything saying audio in.
Then you get yourself a VGA cord or cable and an audio cable that goes from the headphone jack on your computer to the audio in on the TV. This is much cheaper than any streaming device (unless you already have the video game system that plays them in which case never mind) - I think I paid maybe $30 at RadioShack, and I needed their help because I got the wrong cord for the audio - the image showed up, but no sound.
I think Netflix is worth it, but I have a relatively new passion in my life that revolves around movies - Bollywood and foreign films. I think Netflix is best if you're a so-called "niche" viewer like me, and the turnaround is so cool. When I get an apologetic e-mail because a movie will be late, it arrives a day later or maybe 2 days later than the other ones. The horror! I send it in on Monday, I get an e-mail on Tuesday, and I have new movies on Wednesday. Even if it took an extra day, it would still be worth it to me because I get to try out so many movies without paying for them and regretting it (looking at you Maqbool and Mohabbatein - at least the latter has SRK, Aish, and pretty songs!). It would not be worth it for my mom, though she "requests" some movies, "if you don't mind" (I don't). If we end up living together as some wacky single ladies in the pacific northwest, we'll probably share the account. Or she'll tell me about some movie she may want to see, can you look it up for me? I've seen posts at BollyWhat from people sharing with non-Bollywood fans and those people are none to pleased with the changed recommendations or the Bollywood all over both Instant and regular queues.
RedBox seems to risky for me - if I didn't want to see it in theaters, I can wait. If I loved it enough when I did see it in theaters, I can buy it. Plus, it's all machine. Too many people have been billed because the machine never read the movie as turned in. And it just seems a waste of money - a dollar a night, what if you forget? Yes, if I hold on to my movies for a couple weeks, I'm not using my plan (3 at a time) to the fullest, but I still get charged the same amount a month.
And RedBox has a shitty foreign selection. Bah.
So my point is, if anyone reads this - I am no computer expert, but I was able to do this. Just some googling and some helpful people at the store is all you need, knowledge-wise. And a laptop, or a TV right next to the desktop.
And they had an adapter if your TV didn't have a VGA port, but it costs as much as a Netflix box. So meh.
One reason I'm really excited about my new TV is that over the summer break, I can watch Instant movies on my TV in my bed (like I'll be up there in that oven!). No, I think what we buy (or inherit/swipe from the house) in college is often our furniture in our first post-college place. And I don't need a big place, I don't have a big TV, but it has a remote*, and can be hooked up to my laptop.
Two shiny toys in one semester. Okay, my laptop isn't as shiny because of fingerprints, and I swear I will either take it with or me or order a cover from HP's site. Or I could do what I did with my old one and slap stickers all over it. The big Obama bumper sticker helped a lot. Also, it was a different material.
ETA - forgot the link, after I went through the trouble of describing it!
And I forgot to finish my thought.
*The TV we had for the longest time did not have a remote. It was huge and I loved it, but remotes are recent things for the TVs in our house - the VCR, DVD players, and cable boxes all had remotes, but you still had to... get up... to turn it on or off. And I don't remember if the cable volume buttons always worked.
So I'm like some stereotypical post-Communism girl going "real blue jeans!" I remember this from some YA book about Romania set pre-dissolution and pre-Ceauşescu's death. (I learned about him from a comic. Nasty fellow.)
Remote controls - despite the fact that I was born in '88 - have not been a big part of my TV life, especially those stretches without cable. The one we had in Iceland in 92-94, we kept until it died a few years back. Or we got rid of it. Anyways, no remote (and not much selection up on top of the world), but hooked up to cable or DVD, remote.
And for the last two and a half years, I've had a remote for my DVD player (only bought last spring) and nothing for the TV. With the shaky volume control, and my laziness/pain, it could make turning on the TV a pain in the ass, because I couldn't just mute it when done. I do have headphones that hooked up like I said, so I could leave it on with them plugged in and turned off (so as to not waste the battery). I spent the first semester (a relatively pain-free one) putting the heavy TV on an old TV table (meant for dinners, folded up nicely beside my bed) and plugging in my mp3 player headphones, so I was a foot away from the TV! Not my brightest moment, considering we had the headphones that let you move at home before then. (You can mow the lawn and listen to pandora if you're like my mom and not comfortable with portable music players. Plus, they could get sweaty or died green, like mowing shoes.)
I'm painfree, should be asleep, and chatty as all get out.
I'm always curious about others' experience with Netflix, and tonight I googled "is netflix worth it."
On this website - A site called Thrifty Fun and page is called "Is Netflix worth it?" - there is a reply from someone who loves the streaming (as do I, though I can't wait until subtitles/CC are available on all of them!) and is thinking of buying the 100 US$ device, but is worried that when technology changes (as is its wont), the box may be useless.
I thought about this (not the obsolescence, but the price) and I realized that our TV is pretty new (bought in Fall 2007 or after) and hey, my laptop has this thing and so does the TV, maybe they can be hooked up!
A quick googling later, and yes, they can. I even called Netflix to make sure it was kosher. (Maybe the wouldn't play, I don't know.)
I bought a TV this week (HD! a remote! CC available!) for only 150 US$. It's not tiny, about 15 inches, but it is easier to carry than the old one Goodwill will probably throw out soon. That one was 3rd hand - my sister's friend had it, than my sister, than I took it. It had 2000 etched on the back, among the other technological info, so it wasn't that old. It had an attached VCR that declared it was dying by, you know, eating tapes (FSM bless CDs and DVDs!). It had no remote. But what was bad was the volume was iffy, and hitting the down button under the word volume could lead to a number of things - making the channel go down, nothing, putting up some bizarre menu or something that required turning off the TV, and sometimes making the volume go down. It did have a major plus (my new one has this too) - I could hook up headphones and watch Bollywood into the wee hours on a screen smaller than my laptop, but dammit, it was on the TV without bothering anyone.
Now your TV needs a VGA port
And I think many new ones do - probably for video games. It also needs a headphone jack or anything saying audio in.
Then you get yourself a VGA cord or cable and an audio cable that goes from the headphone jack on your computer to the audio in on the TV. This is much cheaper than any streaming device (unless you already have the video game system that plays them in which case never mind) - I think I paid maybe $30 at RadioShack, and I needed their help because I got the wrong cord for the audio - the image showed up, but no sound.
I think Netflix is worth it, but I have a relatively new passion in my life that revolves around movies - Bollywood and foreign films. I think Netflix is best if you're a so-called "niche" viewer like me, and the turnaround is so cool. When I get an apologetic e-mail because a movie will be late, it arrives a day later or maybe 2 days later than the other ones. The horror! I send it in on Monday, I get an e-mail on Tuesday, and I have new movies on Wednesday. Even if it took an extra day, it would still be worth it to me because I get to try out so many movies without paying for them and regretting it (looking at you Maqbool and Mohabbatein - at least the latter has SRK, Aish, and pretty songs!). It would not be worth it for my mom, though she "requests" some movies, "if you don't mind" (I don't). If we end up living together as some wacky single ladies in the pacific northwest, we'll probably share the account. Or she'll tell me about some movie she may want to see, can you look it up for me? I've seen posts at BollyWhat from people sharing with non-Bollywood fans and those people are none to pleased with the changed recommendations or the Bollywood all over both Instant and regular queues.
RedBox seems to risky for me - if I didn't want to see it in theaters, I can wait. If I loved it enough when I did see it in theaters, I can buy it. Plus, it's all machine. Too many people have been billed because the machine never read the movie as turned in. And it just seems a waste of money - a dollar a night, what if you forget? Yes, if I hold on to my movies for a couple weeks, I'm not using my plan (3 at a time) to the fullest, but I still get charged the same amount a month.
And RedBox has a shitty foreign selection. Bah.
So my point is, if anyone reads this - I am no computer expert, but I was able to do this. Just some googling and some helpful people at the store is all you need, knowledge-wise. And a laptop, or a TV right next to the desktop.
And they had an adapter if your TV didn't have a VGA port, but it costs as much as a Netflix box. So meh.
One reason I'm really excited about my new TV is that over the summer break, I can watch Instant movies on my TV in my bed (like I'll be up there in that oven!). No, I think what we buy (or inherit/swipe from the house) in college is often our furniture in our first post-college place. And I don't need a big place, I don't have a big TV, but it has a remote*, and can be hooked up to my laptop.
Two shiny toys in one semester. Okay, my laptop isn't as shiny because of fingerprints, and I swear I will either take it with or me or order a cover from HP's site. Or I could do what I did with my old one and slap stickers all over it. The big Obama bumper sticker helped a lot. Also, it was a different material.
ETA - forgot the link, after I went through the trouble of describing it!
And I forgot to finish my thought.
*The TV we had for the longest time did not have a remote. It was huge and I loved it, but remotes are recent things for the TVs in our house - the VCR, DVD players, and cable boxes all had remotes, but you still had to... get up... to turn it on or off. And I don't remember if the cable volume buttons always worked.
So I'm like some stereotypical post-Communism girl going "real blue jeans!" I remember this from some YA book about Romania set pre-dissolution and pre-Ceauşescu's death. (I learned about him from a comic. Nasty fellow.)
Remote controls - despite the fact that I was born in '88 - have not been a big part of my TV life, especially those stretches without cable. The one we had in Iceland in 92-94, we kept until it died a few years back. Or we got rid of it. Anyways, no remote (and not much selection up on top of the world), but hooked up to cable or DVD, remote.
And for the last two and a half years, I've had a remote for my DVD player (only bought last spring) and nothing for the TV. With the shaky volume control, and my laziness/pain, it could make turning on the TV a pain in the ass, because I couldn't just mute it when done. I do have headphones that hooked up like I said, so I could leave it on with them plugged in and turned off (so as to not waste the battery). I spent the first semester (a relatively pain-free one) putting the heavy TV on an old TV table (meant for dinners, folded up nicely beside my bed) and plugging in my mp3 player headphones, so I was a foot away from the TV! Not my brightest moment, considering we had the headphones that let you move at home before then. (You can mow the lawn and listen to pandora if you're like my mom and not comfortable with portable music players. Plus, they could get sweaty or died green, like mowing shoes.)
I'm painfree, should be asleep, and chatty as all get out.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
An Assamese Song
I'm sorry I don't have any more information.
I think it's Assamese. That's all I've got.
Information about Assamese movies and music is very hard to find. Hindi? A breeze. Tamil? Still easy. Telugu? Yup. Kannada? A bit harder. Punjabi? Not too hard. Malayalam? A bit harder - and it doesn't help that spelling changes a lot, especially for non-Hindi films. (I'm sure they're spelled one way in Tamil/Telugu/Assamese/etc, but when they're transliterated, it all goes out the window. How many letters is needed?
I am feeling a bit stressed, because I am staring down the barrel of my own health insurance in about 18 months. If I go to PT tomorrow and they say yes, they think they can help, I could be seriously SOL. Not because I don't want it to work, but because it takes time, especially with something as murky as "feminine" problems possibly coupled with abdominal wall pain. So 6 months - no more pain! Or, er, try again? Except in 6 months, I'll be a year away from health insurance and the end of college (I hope). I won't have time for alternate ideas, like a hysterectomy. I can do one this summer, no problem. I don't think I'd have time next winter break (only 4-5 weeks), and next summer, I'd still be insured until August, except I can't have a lapse in coverage unless I'm incredibly rich, due to all my prescriptions, which require at least yearly visits to specialists. Oh well, with no insurance, I won't need referrals, so I can go straight to the specialist.
I seriously hate this country's medical industry. Health insurance should not be tied to your job (and your worth as a person shouldn't be tied to it either, but that's for another day) and the words "pre-existing condition" should not exist. Yes, I'll cost you money. No profit on the Kaitlyn file!
And since I hate this country, I'd love to move (except no more Netflix, first world sacrifices are hard) but what do I have to offer to Canada or the UK? Or Japan or France? Or any g-d country that takes care of its citizens? The quickest way to immigrate seems to be through work.
Let's look at that - I'd have to get a job and be good enough that they'd consider sending me overseas. I may get insurance (with high premiums) through this job. I can't work unless my pain is stable, and my pain isn't legally stable without insurance (or a lottery pay out).
Yes, I am an ungrateful little socialist brat. Most people have health insurance through work (their's, their spouse's, their parents) so they don't care. "I got mine, Jack, eff off!" I'm also selfish - "I DON'T got mine, Jack, help!" But by helping me, millions of others would get help.
I voted for Obama, so if I vote D in the midterms, I'll get insurance. (Of course Ds in Tennessee makes Rs look Democratic.)
So I've said it - I hate this place, I want to move. A little assistance, please? I mean, you'll be glad to be rid of me, since I'm such an ungrateful little commie.
It's really in all our best interest if I'm deported as soon as possible. My mom was in Canada and Japan before I was born, and I lived in Italy and Iceland as a child - pick one! Canada is my first choice, thanks!
Monday, February 15, 2010
My Name Is Khan partial review
I'm terrible with reviews, we all know that.
And I can't talk about My Name is Khan as a whole without spoiling it, plus I'm never sure what is and what is not a spoiler, so here are my thoughts on what worried me the most going in. (Not terrorism, terrorism in America, or immigrants in America - that's been done so many times in Bollywood.)
The title character has Asperger's Syndrome (AS). The director is Karan Johar - I've seen most of his movies and love them (Dostana is hilarious, though clearly in a parallel America where a man in a military uniform can admit to being gay!), but other people paid to review films don't always love his movies. They are emotionally manipulative, and subtle as a two by four upside your head. But some things don't need to be subtle. Plus, (for me) it was a good cry. I identified with these fictional characters and cried, I didn't have flashbacks to bad times like I did with Taare Zameen Par (which dealt with dyslexia).
Anyways, this will be the third time I've posted these comments. I originally posted them in the Chatterday open thread at FWD because another commenter asked for my thoughts.
Then I c&p'd it for Bollywhat when someone asked in the spoiler thread how AS was treated.
I haven't read professional reviews, but I have read what other members of BollyWHAT have said about the movie. It's not universally loved, but everyone loved SRK's performance and the problems in the movie have nothing to do with AS and how it's portrayed, but other things.
Here is what I wrote soon after seeing it:
And I thought it would be cool to put a kind of review on my blog.
The bolded part is the most important to me - PWD are inspiring just because they have disabilities in most pop culture narratives and movies. Rizvan is inspiring because of what he does, because of what happens to him, but not because he has AS.
And I can't talk about My Name is Khan as a whole without spoiling it, plus I'm never sure what is and what is not a spoiler, so here are my thoughts on what worried me the most going in. (Not terrorism, terrorism in America, or immigrants in America - that's been done so many times in Bollywood.)
The title character has Asperger's Syndrome (AS). The director is Karan Johar - I've seen most of his movies and love them (Dostana is hilarious, though clearly in a parallel America where a man in a military uniform can admit to being gay!), but other people paid to review films don't always love his movies. They are emotionally manipulative, and subtle as a two by four upside your head. But some things don't need to be subtle. Plus, (for me) it was a good cry. I identified with these fictional characters and cried, I didn't have flashbacks to bad times like I did with Taare Zameen Par (which dealt with dyslexia).
Anyways, this will be the third time I've posted these comments. I originally posted them in the Chatterday open thread at FWD because another commenter asked for my thoughts.
Then I c&p'd it for Bollywhat when someone asked in the spoiler thread how AS was treated.
I haven't read professional reviews, but I have read what other members of BollyWHAT have said about the movie. It's not universally loved, but everyone loved SRK's performance and the problems in the movie have nothing to do with AS and how it's portrayed, but other things.
Here is what I wrote soon after seeing it:
Onto the Asperger’s Syndrome. Rizvan Khan (SRK) takes the time in the first half to introduce himself to the people at Mandira’s (Kajol) job – this is what he has, this is who it’s named after, he is not “pagal”, he is smart. At one point, Mandira tells him to stop with this “loop” and the “encyclopedia.”
He takes things literally, which is why he’s doing what he’s doing – he can’t go home until he does what Mandira tells him to do. (which comes after a heart wrenching scene – so quiet in the theater) He hates the color yellow and loud sounds. He also repeats what people say when he can’t come up with something himself (especially related to emotions) or he reverts back to the encyclopedia.
He can repair almost anything, so his “genius” overshadows his brother, resentment, etc, but his mother loves him and gets him a private tutor because the other students at school are jerks.
We see two tools he uses so the world isn’t too much – ear plugs, of course, but a video camera, because as his SIL tells him (she teaches psychology and gets him an official diagnosis), it’s like the world is on TV, so it won’t be so scary. (This is soon after he moves to America, San Francisco, noise people noise!)
What was really touching was the disclaimer at the beginning – something like this is not the definitive behavior for AS, this is a fictional story about one man.
He is not cured, he does not “overcome” his disability, and he is the main character, he does not teach those around him to “live life to the fullest.” He does help people, but not because he’s autistic, but because he helps them. By doing things. Like… *drumroll* anybody else!
So there were some iffy moments (so much jammed in the last 30 minutes) but overall, a great movie and I think a great representation of somebody with Asperger’s.
And I thought it would be cool to put a kind of review on my blog.
The bolded part is the most important to me - PWD are inspiring just because they have disabilities in most pop culture narratives and movies. Rizvan is inspiring because of what he does, because of what happens to him, but not because he has AS.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
"It's from a movie!"
Today I needed a ride to my mom's job because my doctor appointment... blah blah blah.
I had to ride with Becky and her friend.
They watched "The Hangover" last night.
Within a couple minutes, Becky used the word "retarded" (or "retard") in a derogatory manner. ("That's so -" or "You're such a -") I objected and asked her not to use that word.
Her response?
"It was in the movie!"
It wasn't even a clever insult using derogatory, cruel language. Just a plain ol' insult. Used everywhere. (They also said other things from the movie about casinos - nothing funny to me, the third party who hadn't seen the movie. If you're going to quote a movie, shouldn't you use a funny or interesting quote to make somebody want to see it and not just go "Hee hee we have an in-joke!")
I didn't tell her this, because she doesn't care. But I wanted to say it. And hey, here's my blog. (She would see it if I said anything on Facebook.)
If you quote a movie, you are endorsing the use of the language in the quote. If I watched the Hangover and liked it, I would like it despite the use of the word "retarded." I would not go around using it, saying it's the movie. This was a phrase my sister liked and felt comfortable saying.
I can analyze a character's use of a word or bigoted thinking without endorsing it. (The difference between agreeing with the sexist BS on "The Simpsons" and analyzing it.) And I think that just repeating it is an endorsement. (Of course, you could be repeating it to go "WTFOMG can you believe they said that?" But that's not what happened.)
Another thing - using song lyrics as a status on Facebook, or anywhere else. My sister and my cousin and some friends do it all the time. I hate it. Some of the lyrics are disturbing, so my mom will ask her about it. "It's just a song!" If you felt comfortable enough to repeat it, you better be ready to explain it.
To sum up - do not hide behind the fact that you are using someone else's words when you say something offensive. You felt comfortable repeating it, that is the problem.
I had to ride with Becky and her friend.
They watched "The Hangover" last night.
Within a couple minutes, Becky used the word "retarded" (or "retard") in a derogatory manner. ("That's so -" or "You're such a -") I objected and asked her not to use that word.
Her response?
"It was in the movie!"
It wasn't even a clever insult using derogatory, cruel language. Just a plain ol' insult. Used everywhere. (They also said other things from the movie about casinos - nothing funny to me, the third party who hadn't seen the movie. If you're going to quote a movie, shouldn't you use a funny or interesting quote to make somebody want to see it and not just go "Hee hee we have an in-joke!")
I didn't tell her this, because she doesn't care. But I wanted to say it. And hey, here's my blog. (She would see it if I said anything on Facebook.)
If you quote a movie, you are endorsing the use of the language in the quote. If I watched the Hangover and liked it, I would like it despite the use of the word "retarded." I would not go around using it, saying it's the movie. This was a phrase my sister liked and felt comfortable saying.
I can analyze a character's use of a word or bigoted thinking without endorsing it. (The difference between agreeing with the sexist BS on "The Simpsons" and analyzing it.) And I think that just repeating it is an endorsement. (Of course, you could be repeating it to go "WTFOMG can you believe they said that?" But that's not what happened.)
Another thing - using song lyrics as a status on Facebook, or anywhere else. My sister and my cousin and some friends do it all the time. I hate it. Some of the lyrics are disturbing, so my mom will ask her about it. "It's just a song!" If you felt comfortable enough to repeat it, you better be ready to explain it.
To sum up - do not hide behind the fact that you are using someone else's words when you say something offensive. You felt comfortable repeating it, that is the problem.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Pain medication
3 Idiots was an almost perfect painkiller - except for some pain from the pants and upright position about halfway through, I was all wrapped up in the story and because it was at the theatre, unable to pause and move around, causing myself more pain.
(3 Idiots is really good - I laughed, I cried, I wrote a cliche.)
But the worst pain killer is my pain medication.
I requested a liver test this year (just another thing to test when the vampires take my blood) and everything was fine.
But.
I react to medications very quickly - within a week or so, what "should" take a month to work, has already worked and stopped working for me. So I build up a tolerance to pain medication quickly.
And run into so many headaches - why are you out of this a week before your appointment?
Because if I followed your directions, I'd be in the ER!
But that's "angry," don't "yell," or "I'm leaving." (Way to be supportive Mom - yes I over analyzed everything, I've been dealing with horrid pain for a week! Because I followed the directions.)
So the polite thing is to just grit my teeth and explain for what feels like the millionth time that "One pill does not last 6 hours."
And of course it's fucking invisible. When I had visible indicators of pain, no one quibbled.
The worst part is that over the last couple weeks, I have been denied the one "safe" place for the people with chronic pain - the bed. Laying down hurts. Taking a deep breath hurts.
I am so tired, and not just because it is 3 am. (Wasn't I going to watch a Punjabi movie a million years ago?)
(3 Idiots is really good - I laughed, I cried, I wrote a cliche.)
But the worst pain killer is my pain medication.
I requested a liver test this year (just another thing to test when the vampires take my blood) and everything was fine.
But.
I react to medications very quickly - within a week or so, what "should" take a month to work, has already worked and stopped working for me. So I build up a tolerance to pain medication quickly.
And run into so many headaches - why are you out of this a week before your appointment?
Because if I followed your directions, I'd be in the ER!
But that's "angry," don't "yell," or "I'm leaving." (Way to be supportive Mom - yes I over analyzed everything, I've been dealing with horrid pain for a week! Because I followed the directions.)
So the polite thing is to just grit my teeth and explain for what feels like the millionth time that "One pill does not last 6 hours."
And of course it's fucking invisible. When I had visible indicators of pain, no one quibbled.
The worst part is that over the last couple weeks, I have been denied the one "safe" place for the people with chronic pain - the bed. Laying down hurts. Taking a deep breath hurts.
I am so tired, and not just because it is 3 am. (Wasn't I going to watch a Punjabi movie a million years ago?)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
I watched Dor last night.
It is an amazing movie! Om Shanti Om introduced me to Shreyas and I can't believe it's taken this long for me to see him in another movie. He was so cute!
Of course the female actors were amazing as well.
Go see Dor! Netflix has it...
A sweet scene from the movie:
Of course the female actors were amazing as well.
Go see Dor! Netflix has it...
A sweet scene from the movie:
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Sex in movies - Crash vs. Amélie
These are just some thoughts.
I saw Crash for the first time on Monday in Culture, Identity, and Politics anthropology class.
It is very interesting, with a few flaws, but overall it is emotionally draining. (Plus family drama and first day back drama... tears everywhere!)
It's rated R, and it should be - the language and subject matter are mature. It's also probably rated R because of the nudity. (All female.) We see one woman's breasts while she's having sex with her partner. And earlier, we see a painting of a nude woman, full frontal nudity. The nude scenes and sex just seemed to be in there because they could. (Though the sex scene is important, we don't need to see her boobs.)
I really think Bollywood has changed my viewing of movies, which is why I'm bothering to think about this. Plus, it was during school, and nudity with the teacher in the room? Never mind it's college, and I'm the youngest in the class at 21, there's still a feeling of discomfort.
I saw Amélie this spring in French 2020. I'm watching it again in French 3301 (conversational French - the textbook is about conversation using cinema). There are some sex scenes and some boobies, yet it doesn't feel explicit. I remember reading that it has an R rating here because of those scenes, while it has a U rating in France.
The sex and nudity in Amélie feel natural, while those in Crash seemed designed to shock. This probably has a lot to do with the differences between French and American culture, especially our Puritan background.
Of course, the Bollyfan in me squirmed internally at the sex/nudity in Amélie as well as Crash, but intellectually, I can see the difference between the two.
I saw Crash for the first time on Monday in Culture, Identity, and Politics anthropology class.
It is very interesting, with a few flaws, but overall it is emotionally draining. (Plus family drama and first day back drama... tears everywhere!)
It's rated R, and it should be - the language and subject matter are mature. It's also probably rated R because of the nudity. (All female.) We see one woman's breasts while she's having sex with her partner. And earlier, we see a painting of a nude woman, full frontal nudity. The nude scenes and sex just seemed to be in there because they could. (Though the sex scene is important, we don't need to see her boobs.)
I really think Bollywood has changed my viewing of movies, which is why I'm bothering to think about this. Plus, it was during school, and nudity with the teacher in the room? Never mind it's college, and I'm the youngest in the class at 21, there's still a feeling of discomfort.
I saw Amélie this spring in French 2020. I'm watching it again in French 3301 (conversational French - the textbook is about conversation using cinema). There are some sex scenes and some boobies, yet it doesn't feel explicit. I remember reading that it has an R rating here because of those scenes, while it has a U rating in France.
The sex and nudity in Amélie feel natural, while those in Crash seemed designed to shock. This probably has a lot to do with the differences between French and American culture, especially our Puritan background.
Of course, the Bollyfan in me squirmed internally at the sex/nudity in Amélie as well as Crash, but intellectually, I can see the difference between the two.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Some silliness before I lose my mind.
School starting Monday, moving in tomorrow afternoon, packing tomorrow at noon, health concerns, worry over healthcare (my idiot cousin agrees the system is fucked, but we can't have a government option because that's the first step toward communism!), and, of course, the worry over which movie I will watch tonight.
Maybe a trailer will help me decide.
Maybe a trailer will help me decide.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
I love Netflix.
Truly, I do.
Sure, it doesn't have some very popular Bollywood films from the last 10 years, but still, I'm new to the game. I've got time to catch up. (The weirdest missing DVD - they've got the special features disc, but not the disc with the movie on it! D'oh!)
Anyways, I've created some lists about Bollywood and the 3 southern films I've seen so far, but none about the Hollywood movies I've seen.
So here we go -
First movie I ordered was Toy Story 2, to prove my sanity. (Second was Om Shanti Om.) I loved both, but I only bought one. (OSO, of course!) Toy Story 2 - 5/5 stars.
Futurama: Bender's Game - also 5/5 stars. Very funny.
Sweeney Todd - 5/5. Good movie, though the English singing freaked me out at first.
Princess Bride - 5/5, though i was already corrupted by Bollywood and felt that it could have used some singing (in Hindi, natch).
Ed Wood - 5/5. Oh My God! This movie is amazing! Better than Sweeney Todd, not that Johnny Depp did a bad job in that one. It's just this one is a better movie.
Girl, Interrupted - 4/5. Different from the book in some ways, I'm sure. (It's been a while since I read it.) But still good. But not memorable a month later, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Tropic Thunder - 5/5. So damn funny!
Americanizing Shelley - 3/5. Stale jokes, but catchy soundtrack and three good actors.
Bend It Like Beckham - 4/5. Awesome music, great story.
Penelope - 5/5. This is a fairy tale with modern elements, and it works. It's so cute! I recommend it to all Netflix members. It stars Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. Check it out!
Oh, in the non-Bollywood, non-Indian, non-American, non-English category, we have Train Man, a Japanese film my friend begged me to watch after I introduced her to Bollywood with Bunty Aur Babli. (She loved it.) I give it 4/5 stars because it was a great story, but I didn't really connect with it. Plus, as I kept teasing her, it didn't have any songs! And it was a love story! Come ON!
Oh, I forgot The Namesake. 4/5 stars. The story never clicked with me, but Tabu, Irrfan Khan, and yes, Kal Penn were all amazing in it.
Sure, it doesn't have some very popular Bollywood films from the last 10 years, but still, I'm new to the game. I've got time to catch up. (The weirdest missing DVD - they've got the special features disc, but not the disc with the movie on it! D'oh!)
Anyways, I've created some lists about Bollywood and the 3 southern films I've seen so far, but none about the Hollywood movies I've seen.
So here we go -
First movie I ordered was Toy Story 2, to prove my sanity. (Second was Om Shanti Om.) I loved both, but I only bought one. (OSO, of course!) Toy Story 2 - 5/5 stars.
Futurama: Bender's Game - also 5/5 stars. Very funny.
Sweeney Todd - 5/5. Good movie, though the English singing freaked me out at first.
Princess Bride - 5/5, though i was already corrupted by Bollywood and felt that it could have used some singing (in Hindi, natch).
Ed Wood - 5/5. Oh My God! This movie is amazing! Better than Sweeney Todd, not that Johnny Depp did a bad job in that one. It's just this one is a better movie.
Girl, Interrupted - 4/5. Different from the book in some ways, I'm sure. (It's been a while since I read it.) But still good. But not memorable a month later, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Tropic Thunder - 5/5. So damn funny!
Americanizing Shelley - 3/5. Stale jokes, but catchy soundtrack and three good actors.
Bend It Like Beckham - 4/5. Awesome music, great story.
Penelope - 5/5. This is a fairy tale with modern elements, and it works. It's so cute! I recommend it to all Netflix members. It stars Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. Check it out!
Oh, in the non-Bollywood, non-Indian, non-American, non-English category, we have Train Man, a Japanese film my friend begged me to watch after I introduced her to Bollywood with Bunty Aur Babli. (She loved it.) I give it 4/5 stars because it was a great story, but I didn't really connect with it. Plus, as I kept teasing her, it didn't have any songs! And it was a love story! Come ON!
Oh, I forgot The Namesake. 4/5 stars. The story never clicked with me, but Tabu, Irrfan Khan, and yes, Kal Penn were all amazing in it.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A song entirely in English
The Hollies - On a Carousel
I watched East is East on Netflix Instant thingie last night.
The movie is good, though I can't believe it was marketed as a comedy! It did have plenty of comic and touching moments, but it was much more of a family drama than a comedy. On the Netflix scale, I gave it three stars because I'll never watch it again. The ending was happy, but too much back to the same old thing.
Anyways, a bit about Netflix Instant. They don't have a copy of East is East and the distributor removed it from the Instant thing today, so I had to watch it yesterday.
On Monday, I watched Jodhaa-Akbar Instantly on my laptop. It's a long movie by a Bollywood standards - 3 and a half hours. It's quite beautiful. I gave it 4 stars, loved the romance.
However, it was hard to watch because I abuse the pause button when I watch movies on my laptop, especially when I'm not physically just so. The oh so comfy recliner, it turns out, is not suited for passively watching something on your lap. TV watching, surfing the net, reading, sleeping (oh yes, sleeping), those are all fine.
So yesterday, to save myself the trouble (not to mention $99!), I bought a VGA cable and an audio cable thing. I can now connect my laptop to the TV at home. And the sound works. (We got the wrong sound cord at first, when we got the right one I hopped around the living around shouting yes over and over again.)
So I watched East is East (an hour and a half) on the TV. Unfortunately, my dorm TV is analogue, and you need a converter for that that costs about as much as Netflix Instant device! I need a new TV anyway, one with a remote. One where the volume will go down when I hit volume down and not the channel.
I watched East is East on Netflix Instant thingie last night.
The movie is good, though I can't believe it was marketed as a comedy! It did have plenty of comic and touching moments, but it was much more of a family drama than a comedy. On the Netflix scale, I gave it three stars because I'll never watch it again. The ending was happy, but too much back to the same old thing.
Anyways, a bit about Netflix Instant. They don't have a copy of East is East and the distributor removed it from the Instant thing today, so I had to watch it yesterday.
On Monday, I watched Jodhaa-Akbar Instantly on my laptop. It's a long movie by a Bollywood standards - 3 and a half hours. It's quite beautiful. I gave it 4 stars, loved the romance.
However, it was hard to watch because I abuse the pause button when I watch movies on my laptop, especially when I'm not physically just so. The oh so comfy recliner, it turns out, is not suited for passively watching something on your lap. TV watching, surfing the net, reading, sleeping (oh yes, sleeping), those are all fine.
So yesterday, to save myself the trouble (not to mention $99!), I bought a VGA cable and an audio cable thing. I can now connect my laptop to the TV at home. And the sound works. (We got the wrong sound cord at first, when we got the right one I hopped around the living around shouting yes over and over again.)
So I watched East is East (an hour and a half) on the TV. Unfortunately, my dorm TV is analogue, and you need a converter for that that costs about as much as Netflix Instant device! I need a new TV anyway, one with a remote. One where the volume will go down when I hit volume down and not the channel.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Saawariya
Oh wow.
This movie is breathtakingly beautiful. It's so beautiful I thought Salman Khan looked good. (In 2007! I know.)
I can't say much more, just wow wow wow.
Have to get this movie, love it love it love it.
I have now seen 9 Bollywood movies, 10 if you count Kandukonden Kandukonden. (KK is a great movie, but it's Tamil and not Bollywood.)
This movie is breathtakingly beautiful. It's so beautiful I thought Salman Khan looked good. (In 2007! I know.)
I can't say much more, just wow wow wow.
Have to get this movie, love it love it love it.
I have now seen 9 Bollywood movies, 10 if you count Kandukonden Kandukonden. (KK is a great movie, but it's Tamil and not Bollywood.)
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
More on Slumdog
I really want to finish my homework, but you know, I haven't looked at my notes. The internet is such a tempter.
Dev Patel was on the Daily Show last night! His British accent is still so jarring, even though I've seen some of the daytime shows he's been on.
Now AR Rahman needs to go on The Colbert Report. Or you know, whatever. I mean, Stephen has mentioned Bollywood stars before, butchering their names, but he mentioned them. That is something.
Anyways, last night, instead of sleeping (or doing homework), I started reading the Slumdog thread at the Bollywhat forums. (I love this site and the forums and joined last month and will post an introductory post soon, I swear! I just feel like I have a lot to live up to.)
And here come MAJOR ASS SPOILERS, but no one reads this thing anyway, and I just wanted to say my bit.
In the book the movie is based on the character is given an Indian everyman name, so he could be Christian, Muslim, or Hindu. By changing his name to Jamal Malik, they made him Muslim, and his mom died in anti-Muslim violence.
I knew the last bit, that there were the anti-Muslim riots, and his mom died, but I did not know he was Muslim. Ignorant Westerner, to be sure, but I did not see the visual cues. I assumed they were some religion in name only, without "NOT MUSLIM" tattooed on their foreheads during the riots. I saw his religion as I see many Americans, maybe calling themselves something without practicing. (So he could have been Hindu and not had a shrine to the god in his house...)
Yeah, this is a muddle.
Which is why I couldn't just go into the Bollywhat forums as a newbie who's seen three (count 'em, THREE!) true blue Bollywood movies and say something like that.
And yet this hasn't inpsired me to summarize my horrendous Ancient Government class. We're "reading" Plato's Republic, and were supposed to read Book 2 last weekend. Only I had a cold and managed to process Slumdog Millionaire, so there! Ok, so my cold got worse as the weekend progressed, but still.
And Plato really made Socrates out to be an asshole in Book 1. "Come eat dinner with us, Socrates!" "Okay." "Here's my dad." "HOLY HELL YOU'RE OLD!" And it degenerated from there.
Dev Patel was on the Daily Show last night! His British accent is still so jarring, even though I've seen some of the daytime shows he's been on.
Now AR Rahman needs to go on The Colbert Report. Or you know, whatever. I mean, Stephen has mentioned Bollywood stars before, butchering their names, but he mentioned them. That is something.
Anyways, last night, instead of sleeping (or doing homework), I started reading the Slumdog thread at the Bollywhat forums. (I love this site and the forums and joined last month and will post an introductory post soon, I swear! I just feel like I have a lot to live up to.)
And here come MAJOR ASS SPOILERS, but no one reads this thing anyway, and I just wanted to say my bit.
In the book the movie is based on the character is given an Indian everyman name, so he could be Christian, Muslim, or Hindu. By changing his name to Jamal Malik, they made him Muslim, and his mom died in anti-Muslim violence.
I knew the last bit, that there were the anti-Muslim riots, and his mom died, but I did not know he was Muslim. Ignorant Westerner, to be sure, but I did not see the visual cues. I assumed they were some religion in name only, without "NOT MUSLIM" tattooed on their foreheads during the riots. I saw his religion as I see many Americans, maybe calling themselves something without practicing. (So he could have been Hindu and not had a shrine to the god in his house...)
Yeah, this is a muddle.
Which is why I couldn't just go into the Bollywhat forums as a newbie who's seen three (count 'em, THREE!) true blue Bollywood movies and say something like that.
And yet this hasn't inpsired me to summarize my horrendous Ancient Government class. We're "reading" Plato's Republic, and were supposed to read Book 2 last weekend. Only I had a cold and managed to process Slumdog Millionaire, so there! Ok, so my cold got worse as the weekend progressed, but still.
And Plato really made Socrates out to be an asshole in Book 1. "Come eat dinner with us, Socrates!" "Okay." "Here's my dad." "HOLY HELL YOU'RE OLD!" And it degenerated from there.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
I saw this on Friday and hacked around with a cold all weekend.
Instead of doing homework, I looked up the AWESOME soundtrack on youtube and this was on the videos I found.
I can't coherently review Slumdog, which should say something about how good it is. Not that I am an expert on films.
I'm so glad I finally got to see it, and I want to see it again and again. The last time this happened, the movie was on DVD. No such luck. Now I actually have to give a damn about the Oscars!
Man, I hate paying attention to things as they happen.
You never know how it ends.
Like America's Next Top Model. I'd watch the marathons on the weekend, and already know the winner. Then I started watching the "cycle" as it aired last year, and damn, I want to know already.
See, that's why you can't take me seriously about movies. ANTM and Slumdog? Though Slumdog is great great great great. Last year I saw a hyped movie around this time (There Will Be Blood) and it was great, and Daniel Day-Lewis should do a shirtless Bollywood dance scene...
That top video is great for letting you know a bit about the movie, but this one is too cute.
God, that song is addictive!
Friday, January 09, 2009
"Through Heaven's Eyes" and Kal Ho Naa Ho
Okay, I like Bollywood.
Got that.
But I also like the movie Prince of Egypt, especially the songs. (Especially the French and Hebrew versions, though I'd love to get my hands on a Hindi, Tamil, or Arabic copy of the soundtrack. *aural drooling*)
Though I haven't seen it since we got a new TV, because we've just got the VHS. We still have a working VCR, but it's not hooked up, and well, I'm nervous about these kind of things.
Also, I signed up for Netflix, so I can finally see Kal Ho Naa Ho! Though I've already seen (multiple times) the clips making up the video, since they're the songs from the movie.
Something else that may not seem right... I like Gossip Girl, the TV show. The books have been floating around the house for a few years and I kept trying them, but never clicked. My sister got the first season on DVD, and I woke up one afternoon and she was watching the 4th disc and I decided to watch. And got hooked. And then I watched the rest this Sunday and Monday.
And right now, Golden Girls is on. Sadly, it's on Lifetime, and damn, the commercials for their programming (and the many weightloss products) are a pain, but I like the show.
What are you going to do?
Next is Good Eats!
And tomorrow... new Monk and Psych!
Pigeon hole me, I dare you.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
No matter how low my mood gets,
I can still find a way to laugh.
Or drool:
His abs are almost painful to look at. Can you believe the man is 42? And married? And has been since '91? Damn the luck.
You think my science prof would accept a "SRK IS HOT" for all my answers tomorrow? Or perhaps a "why is the rum gone?"
I never hated science until college. So this semester it's a friggin HONORS class. Stupid, right, if I hate it? I figured the class would be smaller and I'd get more one-on-one time with the teacher if I needed it. Well, that's kinda true. The professor is so much nicer and easier to approach than the one I had this spring! But the Honors course? A section of the class. 15-16 of us, I forget. Our big Honors assignment, what makes this Honors? A 5 page paper due in November. It needs to be you know, decent, but the main thing is writing it. At least I get to write about Iceland, which is always good.
Other classes? I love English. We've got a journal assignment due every day (we meet 3 times a week) and so far I'm doing great, I got a smiley face and a lol on my last one. When my brain feels bashed and tossed around by igneous rocks, I can just pull those out and feel better.
Or watch this:
Or drool:
His abs are almost painful to look at. Can you believe the man is 42? And married? And has been since '91? Damn the luck.
You think my science prof would accept a "SRK IS HOT" for all my answers tomorrow? Or perhaps a "why is the rum gone?"
I never hated science until college. So this semester it's a friggin HONORS class. Stupid, right, if I hate it? I figured the class would be smaller and I'd get more one-on-one time with the teacher if I needed it. Well, that's kinda true. The professor is so much nicer and easier to approach than the one I had this spring! But the Honors course? A section of the class. 15-16 of us, I forget. Our big Honors assignment, what makes this Honors? A 5 page paper due in November. It needs to be you know, decent, but the main thing is writing it. At least I get to write about Iceland, which is always good.
Other classes? I love English. We've got a journal assignment due every day (we meet 3 times a week) and so far I'm doing great, I got a smiley face and a lol on my last one. When my brain feels bashed and tossed around by igneous rocks, I can just pull those out and feel better.
Or watch this:
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The Virgin Suicides
I don't remember where I saw the title recently, or why I decided to read it for the first time.
It is a fantastic book, and the movie is equally amazing.
I can't say why it's good, I wish it sucked, so I could rant about that.
Despite their awesomeness, I don't think I'll be reading or watching it more than once a year or so. It definitely changes your mood, and when you're on edge and having some mood swings, well, I wasn't suicidal, but it didn't make me feel chipper.
I do have one minor quibble with the movie, and maybe this will spoil it, but I don't think so.
When the boys come over to the house to see the girls, in the book, Lux is sitting in a beanbag chair, all folded into herself and low to the ground. And all they could see was the lit end of her cigarette. Also, they went into the house. In the movie, she was smoking, but sitting on the couch, not facing them. She opened the door and let them in.
The visual of her in the beanbag is so striking, I wish it had been in the movie.
Other than that, it rocks.
I also watched Bollywood/Hollywood this weekend, and it was pretty decent. I liked 2 of the songs enough to download them, and the rest were good.
However, I watched the "Described Version" of the movie. (I checked out both movies from the library. I could only have them for 3 days and they cost $2 each. But I didn't have to sign up for anything new.)
There was braille on the top of the cover, over the name of the movie. I thought, "Cool, they're helping the blind." And the repetition of "described version" seemed weird. Don't all DVD cases describe the movie?
Also, it was a Canadian film, so I knew it would be weird.
The "described version" of a film is the version for the blind. There is a narrator, describing every action. "He dies," the voice says, as the man dies. For the whole movie. They described the dance moves. Very surreal. And read the credits, but not all, as it said on the back of the case.
I almost didn't watch it, but it wasn't as intrusive or weird as large print is to me. Plus, I didn't want to buy the movie, I just wanted to watch it.
Definitely a surreal experience.
It is a fantastic book, and the movie is equally amazing.
I can't say why it's good, I wish it sucked, so I could rant about that.
Despite their awesomeness, I don't think I'll be reading or watching it more than once a year or so. It definitely changes your mood, and when you're on edge and having some mood swings, well, I wasn't suicidal, but it didn't make me feel chipper.
I do have one minor quibble with the movie, and maybe this will spoil it, but I don't think so.
When the boys come over to the house to see the girls, in the book, Lux is sitting in a beanbag chair, all folded into herself and low to the ground. And all they could see was the lit end of her cigarette. Also, they went into the house. In the movie, she was smoking, but sitting on the couch, not facing them. She opened the door and let them in.
The visual of her in the beanbag is so striking, I wish it had been in the movie.
Other than that, it rocks.
I also watched Bollywood/Hollywood this weekend, and it was pretty decent. I liked 2 of the songs enough to download them, and the rest were good.
However, I watched the "Described Version" of the movie. (I checked out both movies from the library. I could only have them for 3 days and they cost $2 each. But I didn't have to sign up for anything new.)
There was braille on the top of the cover, over the name of the movie. I thought, "Cool, they're helping the blind." And the repetition of "described version" seemed weird. Don't all DVD cases describe the movie?
Also, it was a Canadian film, so I knew it would be weird.
The "described version" of a film is the version for the blind. There is a narrator, describing every action. "He dies," the voice says, as the man dies. For the whole movie. They described the dance moves. Very surreal. And read the credits, but not all, as it said on the back of the case.
I almost didn't watch it, but it wasn't as intrusive or weird as large print is to me. Plus, I didn't want to buy the movie, I just wanted to watch it.
Definitely a surreal experience.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Today's Sally Forth...
I hope I'm not hallucinating. It is 2 something in the morning.
But damn!
This rules:
However, we all have our own bowling alleys now, thanks to the Wii.
Without the league nights.
But damn!
This rules:
However, we all have our own bowling alleys now, thanks to the Wii.
Without the league nights.
Monday, June 09, 2008
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