Friday!

  It is Friday and while the weather here is not fantastic, I will listen to The Yellow Balloon and dream of sunshine and beaches. This week has been somewhat hectic. Saturday and Sunday I have to get up early for two meetings. Ahh, such is the life of a busy worrisome person. I hope Sunday will live up to its name and be sunny all day. I want to wear skirts. Ahhh, poor me.

Wuthering Heights

   I just finished Wuthering Heights. I decided to read it after reading Northanger Abbey. The novel has been on my mind for about a year, ever since one of my teachers assigned the novel as part of group readings. I got Great Expectations instead. I talked to a family friend about it, and I found out that she's in love with Heathcliff. Ha!
  Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, is about two tempestuous lovers and the chaos their love creates. That's a pretty vague summary, right? Specifically, the novel is about a girl, Catherine, and her foster brother, Heathcliff, who love each other, but are torn apart when Cathy aspires to have a higher social status. Heathcliff loves Cathy passionately, but his passion is turn into wrath when she "rejects" him for Edgar Linton.
  It's a cool book. Loads of Gothic imagery and pure "sexual evil" from Heathcliff. But I have to say, everyone in the book is just amazingly miserable. I'd probably want to kill myself if I was stuck in this book. Just saying.Going back to my awesome friend who is in love with Heathcliff, I don't think I would love him. In fact I would be too scared to love him. I'm glad he found his equal in Catherine, but for the refined and shy Isabella, Heathcliff is way too much. And maybe too much for the readers. Just saying.
  Still, I loved the novel. And I love the conflict Heathcliff brings. Is he the romantic hero everybody dreams about or the vindictive villain? And Ralph Fiennes's Heathcliff makes this so much harder to decide. Gosh darn it Ralph, but you're hot. So, which one?

Project Roses, Stage 1

A friend of mine, who I shall rename here as Turtle, and I have decided to create music video. This song:

 

is Elbow's 'Grounds for Divorce'. Before we even saw the official music video, we came up to the conclusion that it sounded like a rough and raw song coming from a saloon in the wild west. Of course though, I realized that I wanted to dig a little deeper with this song. I liked how rough the singer's voice is. There was definitely something very sexy there. It's also got this very strong rhythm and some soulful back up singers. 

   Overall this song just exudes sex and something a bit creepy. It reminds me of 'Goodnight Moon' by Shivaree and 'I'm Coming Home' by Murder by Death. Three very sexy creepy songs.

Before we decided on 'Grounds for Divorce' we had several choices:

• 'Tangerine' by Led Zeppelin
• 'Let It Loose' by Rolling Stones
• 'Ballroom Blitz' by Sweet

I guess I'm starting this new project because I have not really followed through with other things. But I want to start this and create something sexy and creepy.

Miss Austen

 

image from Mastepiece's Northanger Abbey (amazon.com)

Since it is Valentine's Day, I have to reveal something that has been on my mind for a week. I've become a Jane Austen film adaptation fan! That is, I have watched all the adaptations for all her novels in the span of a week. I am also trying my best to read her novels. I have started on Northanger Abbey, because sadly it is the only Jane Austen novel I could I find in the house. So far, it has been a wonderful and witty book. If only I did not need to study for exams!

Snow!

 Last weekend, I went on the most amazing weekend vacation! I went up to Tahoe and played in the snow! Saturday and Sunday were perfect; on Saturday, it was lightly snowing and by Sunday, there was fresh powder, perfect for snowboarding.
  Growing up in a very sunny and mild place, I did not have many chances to play in the snow. I'm glad I finally got the chance to build my first snowman and to sled down a snowy hill. I also learned how to snowboard, thanks to my friends who decided that I didn't need lessons. They asked me to go down the bunny hill, which I did twice, though I was pretty emotional about how the snow resort employees were mean. After that, I went down an actual slope! It took me a while to get up, since I had a giant heavy coat, but I went down that slope twice. I must admit, or brag, I think I did pretty well.
 Thank you my friends! That was an amazing experience!

Sex on Fire

I'm not much into recent music. I prefer classic rock, but lately, I'm listening to catchy pop tunes. One of my friends introduced me to Justin Bieber. Every time I listen to that song, I laugh while rapping Ludacris's lines. One of my favorite songs now is Sex on Fire. Perhaps this song will no longer be my song of choice-- just a month ago I was into Bad Romance. But since it is my song of the moment, I will talk about it and enjoy every moment of it. To be honest, I'm listening to that song as I am writing this post.

Christina Hendricks

Va va voom! Christina Hendricks is red hot. She's talented, smart, and has the most beautiful curves. Ever. She reminds me of Anita Ekberg for some reason. Maybe it's the dress. Hm ... I'm glad she's becoming more popular and well known. Her character Joan Holloway from Mad Men is a firecracker. I love how she is able to turn heads both onscreen and off screen.

Image from Just Jared. For the rest of the gallery, click here.

Frozen Bubbles!

(from Richard Brayton/naturealbeing @ flickr.com)

Isn't this amazing?! In a gallery at flickr.com are images of frozen bubbles. For some reason, this image reminds me of jellyfish and of rain droplets.

For the gallery, click here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenmate/galleries/72157623107410275/

Planning and Plotting- One Thing Accomplished!

I have finally accomplished one goal I set out to do! I got a Twitter account. I do not know what the impetus was really to get one, since it was so low on the list and since I've been told my status updates on other sites are complete nonsense. But I am now on Twitter, so please do follow!

Follow me here.

Thunderstorms

(from Los Angeles Times)

I could not sleep last night. My mind was in a whirl of confusion and thoughts. By the time a storm had come, I realized I would not get any sleep at all. I can now thank the green tea for doing that. As I sit here quietly, typing away furiously, my roommate not sleeping unhappily, and the wind howling crazily, I realized that tomorrow is going to be the same. Except tomorrow, I have to leave around 7:30 for an 8 am meeting.

Planning and Plotting

I am not the type of person who can easily manage and organize my day. In fact I rely on my planner to help me study, work, and plan. During the two week period I was in my dorm, I did not have my planner with me, thus ruining my time management skills and effectively bombing a quiz which should have been easy. I also blame my roommates for the latter.

Luckily I found my planner and now I am in the process of planning my ten week schedule. I realized that I have this big fat gaping hole in my schedule which I hope to fill with possibly internships and projects. People usually have resolutions around the 1st, but it's never too late.

What I plan to do:

• Make a film! Or at least get involved with some film projects.
• Internships!
• Perhaps get a job?
• Dress better!
• Get a twitter account*

I am very ambitious, yes? The first three are things I strive to accomplish because I know I can! Besides I then have excuses to not be stuck in my dorm room. As much as I love reading the news, it gets tedious after a while.

Why do I want to dress better? Well, for possibly my entire life I love wearing pajama pants and sweats. This and my penchant for suits has made me feel not feminine. I love Katharine Hepburn's look as well as Zooey Deschanel's so I might as well try doing whatever they're doing instead of just opting for comfort.**

* The twitter account! I don't know why I would want to do this. Maybe I will feel closer to my idols?

** Maybe this will help me get flowers! Haha

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

(from Amazon.com)

Set in a candy colored town of France, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is definitely a sweet and whimsical little film. Umbrellas stars Catherine Deneuve as Genevieve and Nino Castelnuovo as Guy, two young lovers who must deal with Guy's absence and Genevieve's pregnancy. All the dialogue is sung allowing the audience an intimate performance of two lovebird's song.
The most striking part of the film is the use of color. During Genevieve's and Guy's courtship, the town is painted with beautiful and delicate colors. The palette includes pinks, blues, greens, and yellows.
Another beautiful thing from the film is Genevieve's clothes. I read a post from Lessons in Cute about Genevieve's style. To read about her style, check it out at Lessons in Cute!

Recent Watches

It's the end of the year and instead of doing a list on my top 10 films of the year or any top ten of anything of 2009, I will just list the movies I have watched this past couple of weeks and review them as well. Review as in putting a smiley face next to my favorite ones from 2009. (I'm feeling lazy)

Casablanca
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Nine
The Princess and the Frog :)
Avatar
500 Days of Summer
District 9 :)
The Hangover
Dangerous Liaisons
Married to the Mob
Star Trek :)

I've seen a few of these before but I felt so compelled to rewatch them. Married to the Mob, though ridiculous, is pretty hilarious. It's strange how Michelle Pfeiffer starred in both Married to the Mob and Dangerous Liaisons in the same year.

2009 had a few amazing films, but overall it was an okay year. I used to be part of the Avatar hoopla, in fact I dragged my friends to watch the Avatar preview and waited two hours in line for a 15 minute show. After I watched the actual movie, I had two thoughts about the film, 1. the effects were amazings and 2. the story was too cliched. The reviews I read for the film were glowing, except most of them focused on the effects and how this was going to change cinema. I heard that before.

Being John Malkovich

Malkovich, malkovich malkovich. It's Halloween, and I need a cop out costume. So, of course, I'm going as one of the Malkoviches John Malkovich sees when he is in his mind. Confusing yes? Well, then watch this scene from Being John Malkovich when John Malkovich sees the Malkoviches inside his head.

Bruno! or the first time I ever walked out of a movie theater

I like movies. A lot. So, I was quite sad and disappointed when I saw Sascha Baron Cohen's movie Bruno. There was a lot of hype surrounding this movie, especially since it is his follow up to Borat, which I found hilarious.
First off, I am not a homophobe or a bible preaching Christian. I just happen to be a cinephile who can understand how hard it is to make a decent movie. But what makes me angry and disappointed with Bruno is that the movie is a waste of Cohen's talents.
Bruno is not funny. Sure there are some scenes where I giggled, but overall (overall as in the first hour of the movie) I found the movie to be too desperate for my laugh. Sascha is a talented actor; he can fool anybody including Ron Paul! The material is lame. Most of the gags are used to shock the audience. I knew there was going to be a penis showing up, but I didn't expect a different version of meat spin. Sascha Baron Cohen could have come up with a better script.

I knew I should have watched Moon or 500 days of Summer.

My Inner Foodie

Babi Guling (from holihelp @ tripadvisor.com)

I like food. I don't try to hide that. But these past few days, I haven't been thinking (or eating) food. I'm still suffering from jet lag, so my appetite is non existent. That, plus my recent trip to Harvey Nichols. Harvey makes me want to be smaller and richer. It's quite pathetic really. I must admit that it sucks that I love food and clothes. Those two things are best kept at moderation, otherwise I will be crying if I do not get enough of the other.

I decided to plug my usb drive to my computer. What I found were many Word documents that I had forgotten about since arriving home. One of them happened to be a record of where I went to eat and what I ate. I have such amazing memory, I know.

When I went to Singapore, Indonesia, and Bali, there were so many restaurants that I wanted to go to. There are so many places I went to and to be honest, the French restaurants in Indonesia are just as amazing as the local food. Some of my favorites:

Riva, located at The Park Lane in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://www.parklanejakarta.com/ under Dining
Riva is a French restaurant with a "twist". I do not really know about the "twist" since I have not been to France yet (I'm going there eventually) but the food is lovely. Every month, they feature different dishes from different regions. I was there in the beginning of July and had Wagyu beef (Steak au Poivre) while a relative of mine had Dorade, a fish from the Mediterranean. The texture of the fish felt like butter! I am not kidding. It was light and buttery and omigosh-so wonderful. Fortunately, since this is Indonesia and not France, the prices are better. I think I am going to go to France when the Euro is lower than the Dollar.

Babi Guling Bu Oka, located in Ubud, Indonesia
Website: http://thinqbali.com/blogi/babi-guling-bu-oka/
You want a real Balinese experience? This restaurant is known for its pork dishes. I had a rice plate with crispy pork skin, blood sausages, and this sweet and rather crunchy red pig. This place is busy, and definitely be flexible! The sitting arrangements may be uncomfortable and you may have to sit on the floor to eat. However, I really enjoyed the community style. There are rows of tables lined up and you may not know who you are sitting next to. I sat next to a family from Sweden and their translator. It was quite amusing to see the translator teach the family how to eat with their hands. Bu Oka is a great experience!

Block M, located in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://jakartablokm.com/
This place is actually a district filled with night clubs and restaurants. I did not go inside any of the discotheques but I did go to this nice Japanese restaurant. I am quite sad I forgot the name of this lovely place, but really, any Japanese restaurant located at Block M is good. That area is supposedly catered to Japanese businessmen. I had sashimi moriawase as well as a seaweed salad. All the fish is fresh and the service is great and friendly.

Cassis, located in Jakarta, Indonesia
Website: http://cassis-gourmand.com/home.php
Cassis is a French restaurant. Unlike Riva, you should have a great and large (very large) appetite to fully enjoy everything. It's similar to the saying "too much of a good thing." I love red meats. Which is why I should have chosen a lighter appetizer. But every time I read the menu and something new and delicious sounding comes up, I have to have it. So I had this very large salad- could I even call it a salad? It was a mixture of fresh greens with grilled eggplant and sundried tomatoes and thinly sliced raw meats (carpaccio). On top of that was this citrusy balsamic vinagarette and a sprinkling of proscuitto. Yum. Everything is really delicious there. Just ask the wonderful staff there to help you pick out what to eat. Otherwise you might end up like me, full by the end of the appetizer to only realize I still have a main dish of beef fillet with pan seared foie gras. And a chocolate souffle, courtesy of the staff. They do want to indulge me.

I will post more when I feel like it. :)

Otherside

I have just traveled sixteen hours from Singapore back to the States. It is very early in the morning (or very late at night) and I still cannot sleep. I think the reason I cannot sleep is not all because of jet lag. I just found out that I had not completed some work that was due actually, a week ago, so I panicked. I had a meltdown in a sense. Because I felt that a year of what I worked on was wasted. So I cried for a while. Then I called this automated service and had what needed to be delivered. Done right?
No. I am still thinking about whether or not everything will be okay. Because, I am not feeling okay. I had a meltdown. Maybe it was not a meltdown, maybe just a moment of panicking, but since I labeled it as a meltdown, maybe it really is a meltdown. One reason I call it a meltdown-- I have experienced this same panic-induced feeling many times in my life. I have really have many "experiences," but I have experienced meltdowns all too often. In a way, maybe I am being too melodramatic, but I feel a knot inside of myself that indicates that I am stressed and unhappy.
The second reason came out of this indirect, more existential problem I have. After I did my best to sort things through and get rid of my worries, this problem popped up. I felt that if I live my life always worrying about getting things done on time and just surviving, then maybe, what is the point of living? I am not depressed. I feel as though I am just surviving though. There are certain things that I cherish and remember, but maybe those were distractions, or maybe holidays and vacations, from reality? I feel lost. I have no clue what I am doing and where I am going. I know where I want to go, but I do not know exactly how to get there.

In one scene of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Harry is lying awake in his sleeping bag, remembering that just a few hours ago, he was at a wedding, having a wonderful time, and now, he is the most wanted criminal in the UK. That is exactly how I feel. Though, more grounded to my reality. It just shows how volatile and unexpected life can be.

A Few More Days Left

I am bored. Very bored indeed. And I think I have a writer's block. Every time I try to think of something to add to the many collection of stories I have, I end up writing useless garbage about what type of food I hope to eat.

I just bought two sheer tops and one jean skirt. I have no idea what to do with those two shirts. Hopefully I will use them. Probably most likely not. What a waste of thirty dollars.

Summer Time

I'm back! I haven't seen this blog for a few months. I guess it comes with the fact that I was being a real slouch and couch potato suffering from senioritis. Well, I decided to walk to the computer and start typing again. However, the walk to the computer is actually a 10,000 mile trip from my nice cozy home to a little place called Jakarta. While looking at food blogs today, I realized that I have a blog as well. And while no one reads it, it's a great place for me to put my ideas in a very organized place. If only I could just include the ideas and get rid of the crap. Oh, shit. The possibility of me just coming up with ideas without some philosophical or absurd shit is really humanly impossible.

So, here I am in Indonesia. Way too cynical for a supposedly relaxing vacation. Well, that's what I was thinking would happen when I was way too bored in California. I am not relaxed. To be honest, a few weeks ago I had a panic attack. Unfortunately and stupidly for me, I informed some of the closest people about what I was panicking about. They too, started to panic with me and it soon became a case of the sky falling. I think I might as well keep my obsession with films a secret as my friends and family will be going apeshit on me the moment I let that truth out.

Every day, I am stuck in my relatives' office space. It's quite big, but it's still a prison. My one escape is the internet and the awesome IPod Touch that they have no idea how to use. I am unsuccessfully trying to teach them about it, though. I am now addicted to Reddit, Fazed, Facebook, My Parents Joined Facebook, We Have Lasers!!!!, and True Blood. My idea of the perfect vacation is thus, ruined.

What makes it worst is that fact my relatives and friends are religious. Since Jakarta is such a really awful place if you need transportation, I am stuck with them. I can't drive here; I will probably crash into a motorcyclist and have massive road rage. So, I have to accompany them to church. While I find the entire idea of having billions of fans who worship and never question their faith to be intriguing, I really am not a church person. I never really grew up with a certain religion or a certain God. My parents left me to decide for myself. I am very glad that at least one of my relatives shares my point of view, however, the rest of my relatives and friends here are quite the opposite. I have had six arguments so far about religion, mainly because my relatives have been trying to get me baptized. Thus the reason I am on the computer or any glowing rectangle.

Vacation blows. I can't wait to go home, get to a pool, and start reading books. And watching movies. God knows how much I love movies.

Binary Sunset

I found this image from NASA's website (link) when I googled Binary Sunset. When I was googling Binary Sunset, I was going through a college fueled mental breakdown. I have a choice. Between the UC system, NYU, and USC. I am not even going to mention Loyola Marymount University because my family has no clue what that is. I am not even trying to enlighten them about it. So, as I was having a panic attack (this happens only when I have a deadline) I turned to John. John Williams. And listened to the entire Star Wars soundtrack to the chagrin of my neighbors (probably) and to the delight of my childhood desire that I would get into USC's film program. I have been fostering a desire to go to USC since I was fourteen. That was when I discovered The Usual Suspects and began to believe in Bryan Singer. That dream really is a "childhood" dream because I held on to it for so long. And besides, four years does change a person a lot. I grew up but some things did stay the same. Fortunately.

I am so glad I moved on from the lame analysis that Bryan Singer does with the "alienation" theme and have grown attached to Charlie Kaufman's style. But that doesn't mean I won't analyze something that is pretty obvious. At this moment in my life, I am going through what Luke went through. I am on Tatooine looking at the two setting suns. I am about to go on this amazing journey and I have no idea where it will lead me. Yeah, cliched. Whatever. All I know is that tuition will be a hem hem- a problem. Not a big problem, but still an annoying problem.

I need Yoda. And cash.