A day in review

This week I propose that we pick one day in our lives and review it. I was inspired by this guy.

winter watchables and other enjoyables

For a little while I've wanted to do posts on here about things I find on the internet that I think other people should see. It's also quite plainly winter and the majority of things that I see are limited to my computer screen. I generally conjure up ideas for the posts at about 4am, but now I find myself with an idea at an appropriate time. Hooray!

First item is of most importance: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. There are a few different versions going around, but m'colleague Stacey was kind enough to alert me to this new version earlier today. I am so invested in the series it's a bit frightening, but not as frightening as the ratio of quality acting to graphics and CGI (1:100). Emma Watson, will your boobs remain consistent throughout in this film (see: Prisoner of Azkaban)? Will you wear Burberry as you fight Death Eaters?



Another thing I found last night is this really cool adaptation of one of Basho's renku. He is one of the early haiku masters, for those who don't know (or at least this is my limited understanding of him). It's a collection of animations called Fuyu no Hi, apparently only released in Japan and France and somewhere else. Sooo if anyone's going there anytime soon, please pick me up a copy. Youtube does have each of the different animations (there are 36) but you know.. I just want it.



Other awesome things I've found over the last couple of weeks include a blog called 'this is why you're fat' (it's not like I was wondering) that just has all these ridiculously obese combinations of food. A bouquet of bacon! A cookie dough cheesecake! The normal reaction should be "oh god how could anyone eat that stuff"!?! But I'm sure I'd find a way.

Another resident favourite is the amaaaahhzing 'what Claudia wore', a breakdown of outfits mentioned in the Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin. As an avid reader of that series and all its spinoffs, I was drooling all over the nostalgia and enjoying the rampant fandom from Kim Hutt, who writes the blog.

While I'm at it, I really like the teatowels that this cool guy from Liverpool makes, this gorgeous site of felt wares that m'colleague featured on her blog recently - oh I do love Kiwis! I wish Australia had a trademe equivalent. I keep discovering awesome things that I want to make, buy, eat or do but I am so poor that the first thing I need to get is a job! In the meantime, there's always cute blogs - my housemate alerted me to this adorable food blog called Epicute. So freakin' sweet.

And also I am in love with everyone at Voiceworks mag and if you live in Melbourne I hope you're going to come to the launch of the next issue on Friday, where I will be pretending to fit in with these really nice people who have foolishly accepted me into the fold (their folds? creepy). I was also spurred on to read this speech by David Foster Wallace. I've wanted to read Infinite Jest for some time now and it seems to be really rather important.

I'm also going to, for the umpteenth time, attempt to begin to crochet. My internet will be uncapped later this week and I intend to indulge myself in various tutorials. Although I find the abundance of exclamation marks and cheeriness wholeheartedly offputting, meet me at mike's is somewhat helpful.

Anyway I think I've got half a pudding in the fridge.

a cold walk

Rugged up and bulky -
truly winter now -
in layers.
Tread carefully
down damp steps
to the concave park
where fog collects,
thick at six.
No runners on Sunday.
Hills, illuminated
by the moon,
breathe in frosty air.

Monday Poem

Nameless, Formless

I don't know what poetry is anymore,
is it meant to rhyme?
What about meter,
or meaning?
Can it simply be
this?

New blog stuff

Monday - We will post a poem that we have written.
Wednesday - We will choose a topic to write about.
Friday - We will write about something music-related.

Starting from next week :)

sawngs

Acoustic version of Gimme Sympathy by Metric. Emily Haines is a good girl.

Second fave song, I'm pretty sure it's the next big thing, by this person called "Ke$ha", I can't BELIEVE she used a $ sign instead of an S! Mind = blown. Anyway here's a video of some really random girls krumping to it.

Songz

At the present time, I cannot stop listening to Sleep by Azure Ray.

It is so dreamy and nice.

You can download it here.

Ok so scrap the last idea, we'll do it sometime later. For now, tell me about a song you can't stop listening to.

psst, your line is...

The next blog task requires effort! Don't know why I insist upon effort..but it's worth it (I hope).

So, this Thursday, I demand that you write a line every hour (be judicious, it doesn't have to be ON the hour) about anything that you choose. Just one sentence! For all of your waking hours. Post them up at the end of the day to receive further instructions.

Excerpt

Susie recently lent me Jean Rhy's autobiography and here is an excerpt from her diary:

Do you believe in God?
I do not know.
In human love?
Yes.
Still?
Yes.
In humanity?
No.
How can you believe in human love and not in humanity?
Because I believe that sometimes human beings can be more than themselves.
What you really mean is that human beings can be taken over, possessed by something outside, something greater, and that love is one of these manifestations. Then, my dear, you must believe in god, or the gods, in the devil, in the whole bag of tricks.
No, that is not what I mean.
Than what?
I cannot say it. I have not the words.
Say.
I cannot.
You must.
It is in myself.
What is?
All. Good, evil, love, hate, life, death, beauty, ugliness.
And in everyone?
I do not know 'everyone'. I only know myself.
And others?
I do not know them. I see them as trees walking.

Before Sunset

Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Written by all three.

A movie about two people walking around Paris talking for an afternoon may not be for everyone, but it is for me. The movie is built around these two characters, Celine and Jesse, and the passionate night they shared in Vienna nine years previous (see: Before Sunrise). It is also built around conversations; they talk about love, communism, spirituality, childhood memories, the state of the world, past experiences and so on. It can also be very funny. The brilliant thing about this movie is that it really feels authentic, as if we are really following these two people around Paris. Another thing I noticed when watching the movie, and I wrote it in caps when I was making notes about it, is CHEMISTRY. The connection between these two characters really makes this film into something beautiful.

Here are some of my favourite quotes:

"Happiness is in doing, not in getting what you want."

"Life is hard, it is supposed to be, if we didn't suffer we wouldn't learn a thing."

"I'm designed to be slightly dissatisfied."

The movie ends with:

"Baby, you are going to miss that plane."
"I know."

susan's fave films

Reality Bites



It's about four friends and what happens to them after uni finishes. This movie is directed by Ben Stiller. It's full of awesome nineties-ness. Basically they are worried about aids and 'the man', Ethan Hawke stands around looking hot as all hell but being completely undeserving of Winona Ryder but she gets with him anyway because he is sexy and she is relentlessly hopeless. Great film. Best part ever is where Winona consoles Janeane Garofalo about aids fear. She's all "it's like I'm the aids character on Melrose Place, like I'm just watching myself on some show.." and Winona whispers consolingly, "Melrose Place is a really good show".

The Science of Sleep



Cool film, for a variety of reasons. Michel Gondry is a pretty amazing guy. Story is that Stephan is a bit lost, he wants to be an illustrator but has to draw pictures for a crap calendar company. He moves into the flat where he grew up while his aunt who usually lives there is away. The film plays around with dream sequences and reality - you never really know what reality is. There's heaps of cool cardboard props and stop motion parts. Awesome. Also you totally see Gael Garcia Bernal NAAAAAKEDDD!!!

Into the Wild



Somebody once said to me that Into the Wild was like Twilight for thinking girls. My reason for enjoying Into the Wild is not just the fact that Emile Hirsch is a complete babe, but the fact that the film is just visually stunning. It made me want to travel across America something fierce. And of course there are some good quotes from it that I can't really remember right now. Some cool person did the music. Might be like Eddie Vedder. Is he cool?

Harold and Maude



Cat Stevens did the soundtrack for this film. There's some famous song of his in the trailer that Maude sings, she's so sweet and old. Harold constantly pretends to commit suicide to get the attention of his mum and he attends funerals, where he meets Maude. They become buds. Maude is so completely amazing, she constantly steals cars and saves plants in the street and takes them to forests and she poses for sculptors.. etc. I am going to start wearing my hair like Maude. Maybe that's how I'll waste time tomorrow.

Can't think of any more at the moment. That's probably enough though.