I'm in the midst of a working marathon. Today is day 3 of a 9 day stint in which I am working every single day. Again now. Every, Single, D-A-Y.
Apart from losing the chance to see my darling Hubbie until practically Sunday morning, and being unable to participate in any social event of any kind, see any friends, and drink copious amounts of alcohol, it actually won't be that bad.
It's due to a new roster at work, which is trying to disentangle the current problem for us of too many workers, and not enough desks (yes, crazy as it is, it's actually true).
Which means having to work 9 days straight, including working through a weekend. Every day I've woken up and compared the days worked to the days left to work. At the end of the day it will be 3-6. I'm desperately teetering on the edge of my seat, hanging for that first number to rise and rise, until it turns into a splendid, curvaceous, 9.
All of this working every day crap would normally be shit, if it wasn't for the light at the end of the tunnel right now.
And that bright, shining, glowing, MAGNIFICENT light is a glorious 4 DAYS OFF.
At this stage, once I pass the hump-mark, the weekend, I'll consider my mini-holiday practically here already.
I've just had a flash forward (In no way promoting that failed, crappy tv show). On Sunday it will be 5-4.
Oh wonderful, blessed Sunday, how revered you are.
The weather forecast is also on my side, as it looks set to be a truly miserable weekend. Rain, wind and cold, cold days. I'm really hoping for the worst possible weekend, because it would make me feel so much better. Is that just a tiny bit selfish? Me think uber-selfish:)
And I'm projecting all my energy into next weekend AND the weekend after being super fine, as that's when I have my four days off, and then the grand event: My Birthday Extravanganza.
Watch this space....
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Train Chronicles #1
I've been travelling on the train and tram to work, since around-about last Summer. Even hopping on just once or twice a week, you see it all. The kooky, bizarre, sad, pathetic, cute, joyful, and everything else in between. This is the first of an ongoing train serial I'd like to explore, based on my commuting experiences. So here you go.
She sits, head resting against the window. Gazing out at the passing sights, whirring past like a theme park ride, she appears to be looking, while not actually looking at anything. Her eyes reflect back the passing scenery: trees, buildings, cars - and it seems that you cannot actually gain an insight into her soul.
She sits, motionless, still. Passengers come on and off the train, and if it weren't for her occasional blinking, you would not think of her as conscious of anything around her at all.
Her bag sits on her lap, her arms resting softly yet securely on her bag. Although her demeanour is unassuming, her arms lie on her bag quite purposefully, and their intention is clear - to protect.
Her brown hair softly frames her face, not quite concealing the ipod earphones she has attached. Suddenly, she sits up. Her eyes glimmer, shine, as they continue their watchless stare out the window. For an instant, it is almost as if you can see through, into her eyes. Like trying to catch a glimpse of a fish beneath water, in the stony waters of her eyes, is a faint, muddled moment of happiness, of pleasure.
The train continues its monotonous trek into the city, swaying commuters within it from side to side. All across the carriage, rocked from left to right, the travellers are swayed like blades of grass blowing in the wind. Including her.
However, there seems to be a bit more sway to her stance. As the train launches her left, she moves left, lingering ever so slightly in that direction, before the unavoidable gravity launches her at once to the right, where again she lingers, before it all begins again. It is as if she is performing a dance, moving from side to side. And she seems to be enjoying all the motion.
When the train reaches yet another stop, the swaying ceases. Reluctantly, she rests her head once again against the window. Her eyes turn glassy, and at once, reflect the outside world and all the morning peak hour travellers within it.
As the train lumbers forward once again, now carrying even more passengers, with all their daily dreams, aspirations, hidden fears and past disappointments, her eyes begin to clear. The reflective gaze dissolves. A warmth begins to brew, and a soft smile hints at her lips. Guitar rifts float over from her ipod, and she closes her eyes ever so slowly, as the familiar Guns n' Roses song begins.
Though her eyes remain closed, her eyelids softly flutter; what could she be thinking? What place has she just been transported to, a place filled with such memory and experience that it has wavered her stone facade ever so slightly?
Soon, her eyes open. The music slowly recedes, to nothing. She warily glances up around her. She removes her earphones, packs it away, and hangs her handbag on her shoulder.
She has reached her destination. She walks out of the train.
She sits, head resting against the window. Gazing out at the passing sights, whirring past like a theme park ride, she appears to be looking, while not actually looking at anything. Her eyes reflect back the passing scenery: trees, buildings, cars - and it seems that you cannot actually gain an insight into her soul.
She sits, motionless, still. Passengers come on and off the train, and if it weren't for her occasional blinking, you would not think of her as conscious of anything around her at all.
Her bag sits on her lap, her arms resting softly yet securely on her bag. Although her demeanour is unassuming, her arms lie on her bag quite purposefully, and their intention is clear - to protect.
Her brown hair softly frames her face, not quite concealing the ipod earphones she has attached. Suddenly, she sits up. Her eyes glimmer, shine, as they continue their watchless stare out the window. For an instant, it is almost as if you can see through, into her eyes. Like trying to catch a glimpse of a fish beneath water, in the stony waters of her eyes, is a faint, muddled moment of happiness, of pleasure.
The train continues its monotonous trek into the city, swaying commuters within it from side to side. All across the carriage, rocked from left to right, the travellers are swayed like blades of grass blowing in the wind. Including her.
However, there seems to be a bit more sway to her stance. As the train launches her left, she moves left, lingering ever so slightly in that direction, before the unavoidable gravity launches her at once to the right, where again she lingers, before it all begins again. It is as if she is performing a dance, moving from side to side. And she seems to be enjoying all the motion.
When the train reaches yet another stop, the swaying ceases. Reluctantly, she rests her head once again against the window. Her eyes turn glassy, and at once, reflect the outside world and all the morning peak hour travellers within it.
As the train lumbers forward once again, now carrying even more passengers, with all their daily dreams, aspirations, hidden fears and past disappointments, her eyes begin to clear. The reflective gaze dissolves. A warmth begins to brew, and a soft smile hints at her lips. Guitar rifts float over from her ipod, and she closes her eyes ever so slowly, as the familiar Guns n' Roses song begins.
Though her eyes remain closed, her eyelids softly flutter; what could she be thinking? What place has she just been transported to, a place filled with such memory and experience that it has wavered her stone facade ever so slightly?
Soon, her eyes open. The music slowly recedes, to nothing. She warily glances up around her. She removes her earphones, packs it away, and hangs her handbag on her shoulder.
She has reached her destination. She walks out of the train.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sudden Noises Hurt my Head
Ouch.
The night after a BIG night is always painful. Big nights are always so spontaneous, never really ever planned out too meticulously, or too far in advance, but somehow, on a night before having to go to work, Hubbie and I end up drinking, and drinking, and singing and partying. Really hard. And now I'm here. At work.
My key strokes are s-l-o-w. The monitors are too bright. My brain thinks of a task, and my body reluctantly follows the instructions, with a via satellite-type delay. Random voices, laughter, that floats to me from other not-far-enough areas of the work area are too LOUD. I flinch. Just shut up, will you? Don't be so loud and happy on a Monday morning. It's annoying, irritating. It hurts my head.
Shhhhhhhhh. Everyone, just shush. Please. Be Quiet.
"Red, red WINNNNEEEEEE. Stay close to meeeeeee." Yes I'm paying for it now.
The night after a BIG night is always painful. Big nights are always so spontaneous, never really ever planned out too meticulously, or too far in advance, but somehow, on a night before having to go to work, Hubbie and I end up drinking, and drinking, and singing and partying. Really hard. And now I'm here. At work.
My key strokes are s-l-o-w. The monitors are too bright. My brain thinks of a task, and my body reluctantly follows the instructions, with a via satellite-type delay. Random voices, laughter, that floats to me from other not-far-enough areas of the work area are too LOUD. I flinch. Just shut up, will you? Don't be so loud and happy on a Monday morning. It's annoying, irritating. It hurts my head.
Shhhhhhhhh. Everyone, just shush. Please. Be Quiet.
"Red, red WINNNNEEEEEE. Stay close to meeeeeee." Yes I'm paying for it now.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Twilight obsessions and the Pez Dispenser
That post title almost sounds like a book in the Lord of the Rings series.
'The legend of Twilight obsessions and the Pez Dispenser.'
LOLOL.
Anyway, thought I might give you a quick follow up on some recent goings-on. The Pez story? You know, ex, former, bestie? Well, after I suggested on her facebook page that we catch up, perhaps on a Monday, she hasn't written anything back. Which is cool. I don't mind. I'm chilling, I'm hip with it all. But oddly intrigued. I know that if she were to respond, I'd be like "Noooooooo!"
Or would I?
LOLOL.
She has "liked" some of my recent status' (totally unrelated either consciously or sunconsciously to her in any way) and I wanted to "like" one of hers recently, however I decided against it, making the decision that if I would "like'' it, I would be tempting her to respond to my earlier question about catching up, out of guilt, like what I think occurred weeks ago (outlined in my post "Oops, I did it again"). And I say I think in reference to the guilt part.
So no interaction unless it comes from her. I wanna see what happens, or doesn't happen.
I ended up watching Eclipse again, with Hubbie. And yes, it was awesome. More awesome than awesome, I loved it. I was watching it from a purely different viewpoint this time. Rather than critical, I was more absorbed, intrigued, even though I knew what would play out on screen. And you know what? I actually change my initial standing, I think the movie does an exceptional job of bringing what we've read to life on the big screen. Considering the length of the book and how much detail goes into it, we get to see a lot of the good, juicy, and integral storylines.
I really loved it:)
And I had tears in my eyes in 3 scenes!
1. Bella and her Mum: when her Mum gives her that quilt, saying that it will keep her warm in Alaska, and maybe one day her children will need it, and Bella gives her that poignant, moving, emotional hug. Ohhhhhhhh! So sweet and sad.
2. Jasper and Bella: After Jasper recounts his back story to Bella, Alice comes up behind him, and one of them says something like "I was waiting for you" in reference to the other coming into their life. And they share the sweetest look and kiss. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So romantic and sweet.
3. Edward and Bella: I'm less sure of this one, but I'm almost certain it's when they are lying in her bed, and he is assuring her that he will love her even when she is a vampire.
Oh, oh, oh! How could I forget the most important Edward and Bella moment, when he proposes to her on bended knee.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Such a girl I know. But it is a beautiful moment, so sweet, romantic, and special. How could you not be moved?
Another highlight was Hubbie's response to it. On the way home, I was asking him what he thought of it. I'm always especially interested in his viewpoint when it comes to the general Twilight series, because:
A) he is a man, and I don't understand how men can be so intrigued by the story (and I say that in the least condescending way possible, I only say it because I believe it is targeted at a female audience)
B) he hasn't read any of the books.
He first stated, quite simply, that he thought the first installment was the best, Twilight. I don't know why that is, but it might have something to do with the hype only just beginning, and in general, perhaps people didn't have many expectations of it.
Then he asked, quite seriously: "Why is Bella so depressed and complaining all the time?"
LOLOL. Story of everyone's Twilight-life, question on everyone's lips after reading the books, is always about Bella. I tried to explain, and I think I did, but I couldn't help thinking of it again and again.
It really made me laugh. Well, at least with a comment like that, you definitely know the film has brought across at least one major theme from the books!
'The legend of Twilight obsessions and the Pez Dispenser.'
LOLOL.
Anyway, thought I might give you a quick follow up on some recent goings-on. The Pez story? You know, ex, former, bestie? Well, after I suggested on her facebook page that we catch up, perhaps on a Monday, she hasn't written anything back. Which is cool. I don't mind. I'm chilling, I'm hip with it all. But oddly intrigued. I know that if she were to respond, I'd be like "Noooooooo!"
Or would I?
LOLOL.
She has "liked" some of my recent status' (totally unrelated either consciously or sunconsciously to her in any way) and I wanted to "like" one of hers recently, however I decided against it, making the decision that if I would "like'' it, I would be tempting her to respond to my earlier question about catching up, out of guilt, like what I think occurred weeks ago (outlined in my post "Oops, I did it again"). And I say I think in reference to the guilt part.
So no interaction unless it comes from her. I wanna see what happens, or doesn't happen.
I ended up watching Eclipse again, with Hubbie. And yes, it was awesome. More awesome than awesome, I loved it. I was watching it from a purely different viewpoint this time. Rather than critical, I was more absorbed, intrigued, even though I knew what would play out on screen. And you know what? I actually change my initial standing, I think the movie does an exceptional job of bringing what we've read to life on the big screen. Considering the length of the book and how much detail goes into it, we get to see a lot of the good, juicy, and integral storylines.
I really loved it:)
And I had tears in my eyes in 3 scenes!
1. Bella and her Mum: when her Mum gives her that quilt, saying that it will keep her warm in Alaska, and maybe one day her children will need it, and Bella gives her that poignant, moving, emotional hug. Ohhhhhhhh! So sweet and sad.
2. Jasper and Bella: After Jasper recounts his back story to Bella, Alice comes up behind him, and one of them says something like "I was waiting for you" in reference to the other coming into their life. And they share the sweetest look and kiss. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So romantic and sweet.
3. Edward and Bella: I'm less sure of this one, but I'm almost certain it's when they are lying in her bed, and he is assuring her that he will love her even when she is a vampire.
Oh, oh, oh! How could I forget the most important Edward and Bella moment, when he proposes to her on bended knee.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Such a girl I know. But it is a beautiful moment, so sweet, romantic, and special. How could you not be moved?
Another highlight was Hubbie's response to it. On the way home, I was asking him what he thought of it. I'm always especially interested in his viewpoint when it comes to the general Twilight series, because:
A) he is a man, and I don't understand how men can be so intrigued by the story (and I say that in the least condescending way possible, I only say it because I believe it is targeted at a female audience)
B) he hasn't read any of the books.
He first stated, quite simply, that he thought the first installment was the best, Twilight. I don't know why that is, but it might have something to do with the hype only just beginning, and in general, perhaps people didn't have many expectations of it.
Then he asked, quite seriously: "Why is Bella so depressed and complaining all the time?"
LOLOL. Story of everyone's Twilight-life, question on everyone's lips after reading the books, is always about Bella. I tried to explain, and I think I did, but I couldn't help thinking of it again and again.
It really made me laugh. Well, at least with a comment like that, you definitely know the film has brought across at least one major theme from the books!
LOL!
I've come across such a bizarre tendency.
Only sometimes, but obviously often enough for me to notice, I will come across something funny, as you usually would. I'll hear something, read something, see something, or think something, that makes me smile and wanna laugh out loud, and you know what my internal response is?:
LOL.
The word actually makes its way towards the tip of my tongue, and just as I'm about to say it, I bite.
I mean, come on. You can't say LOL, out loud, right? It's a common web acronym that should only be used in online communication or sms, where audible words don't exist, to convey the message of someone laughing (out loud).
It is sooooo ridiculous. I think someone would actually hit me if I said it out loud, and they should be allowed to, as well. Anyone should be harmed for saying such an absurd thing out loud. It's not the LOL that doesn't make sense. It's the LOL in the company of audible words. Ahhh, yes.
It makes me wonder if I've been spending a bit toooo much time on facebook, emailing, messaging, chatting..........
You know, at the very beginning of the whole net sensation years ago (gosh how old do I sound?) I actually thought LOL was an acronym for 'Lots of Laughs.'
LOL.
Well, it does sort of make sense. When someone is LOL-ing, they are generally laughing and doing a lot of it, hence the justification to write 'LOL,' and clearly it must be loud, explaining the caps use. (just pretend that acronyms aren't all capped, ok?!)
So I will create a new one: LOLOL. "Lots Of Laughing Out Loud."
LOLOL! Let's see if it catches!
You read it here first.... :)
Only sometimes, but obviously often enough for me to notice, I will come across something funny, as you usually would. I'll hear something, read something, see something, or think something, that makes me smile and wanna laugh out loud, and you know what my internal response is?:
LOL.
The word actually makes its way towards the tip of my tongue, and just as I'm about to say it, I bite.
I mean, come on. You can't say LOL, out loud, right? It's a common web acronym that should only be used in online communication or sms, where audible words don't exist, to convey the message of someone laughing (out loud).
It is sooooo ridiculous. I think someone would actually hit me if I said it out loud, and they should be allowed to, as well. Anyone should be harmed for saying such an absurd thing out loud. It's not the LOL that doesn't make sense. It's the LOL in the company of audible words. Ahhh, yes.
It makes me wonder if I've been spending a bit toooo much time on facebook, emailing, messaging, chatting..........
You know, at the very beginning of the whole net sensation years ago (gosh how old do I sound?) I actually thought LOL was an acronym for 'Lots of Laughs.'
LOL.
Well, it does sort of make sense. When someone is LOL-ing, they are generally laughing and doing a lot of it, hence the justification to write 'LOL,' and clearly it must be loud, explaining the caps use. (just pretend that acronyms aren't all capped, ok?!)
So I will create a new one: LOLOL. "Lots Of Laughing Out Loud."
LOLOL! Let's see if it catches!
You read it here first.... :)
Friday, July 16, 2010
My flourishing Flower turned to wilt
When I was 12 I first gained you
Smiling shining bright.
You and your crew
Were so happy and new
I placed you both in my flower box,
To watch you grow
I didn't know it yet
But you were my pride and joy
I watered you with love
Fun times and encouragement
You smiled at me each and every day
Your petals bloomed the brightest yellow
Pretty as a picture
Bright as a daisy
Your eyes glistened in awe;
As a baby stared at its mother
And I in turn
Looked at you with care
I nurtured and tended to you both
But you especially, were my pet
I'd always thought of you as one of my own
A Mini-me it seemed; more naive though
And so when it all went down
I felt that Mini-me break off and shatter
When was the moment
That you stopped the awe
When that glisten in your eyes disappeared
Replaced by that fictional matte red?
I nurtured you, I cared
I watered your roots
And you let another
Cut them off, for frivolity's sake
Why do you speak ill of others,
But choose their seeds over mine?
How do you think I feel
When I see you two together: do you speak thoughtlessly of my being?
Why do you say 'I love you?'
I don't care, they're just words
I want your actions to speak louder
To show me that you don't forget
Are you clouded?
Does the sun not shine at your place anymore;
In my window sill it does
However that is a home you don't reside at
Are you confused?
Is your soil not supplemented with rich nutrients;
Mine is
But that is just a distant memory to you now
I didn't realise I cared for you so
And until you left, that is when I learnt
How much of you, you were in me
And now you've uprooted to a new abode
I wish you luck in your new garden
But I hope you never forget
The times and laughs we shared
And you wouldn't be here if not for me
A part of me wishes for your leaves to turn brown
Your petals to wither and fade;
Would you turn to me?
Or keep on going away....
Your memory cannot escape me
The times they will never evade me
And it's sad to think when I hear of you
I sigh, and wonder where it all went wrong.
"The maggot seed that does uproot
It holds with its claws with the tightest of might
It twists and turns and brings about
The darkest shade of night
It takes a little spring of hope
To clear the evil away
The water cleanses, brings fresh air
The dark then turns to Day
Why is it that the maggot seed should ever stay?
When all it does is cause havoc
Why should a thing like this exist?
Malevolence veiled in a shrubbery of smock
The role of the maggot is not to hurt
Or to take all the goodness away
It lives in our gardens, silent and lurking:
It's sole intention - to make us stray."
Smiling shining bright.
You and your crew
Were so happy and new
I placed you both in my flower box,
To watch you grow
I didn't know it yet
But you were my pride and joy
I watered you with love
Fun times and encouragement
You smiled at me each and every day
Your petals bloomed the brightest yellow
Pretty as a picture
Bright as a daisy
Your eyes glistened in awe;
As a baby stared at its mother
And I in turn
Looked at you with care
I nurtured and tended to you both
But you especially, were my pet
I'd always thought of you as one of my own
A Mini-me it seemed; more naive though
And so when it all went down
I felt that Mini-me break off and shatter
When was the moment
That you stopped the awe
When that glisten in your eyes disappeared
Replaced by that fictional matte red?
I nurtured you, I cared
I watered your roots
And you let another
Cut them off, for frivolity's sake
Why do you speak ill of others,
But choose their seeds over mine?
How do you think I feel
When I see you two together: do you speak thoughtlessly of my being?
Why do you say 'I love you?'
I don't care, they're just words
I want your actions to speak louder
To show me that you don't forget
Are you clouded?
Does the sun not shine at your place anymore;
In my window sill it does
However that is a home you don't reside at
Are you confused?
Is your soil not supplemented with rich nutrients;
Mine is
But that is just a distant memory to you now
I didn't realise I cared for you so
And until you left, that is when I learnt
How much of you, you were in me
And now you've uprooted to a new abode
I wish you luck in your new garden
But I hope you never forget
The times and laughs we shared
And you wouldn't be here if not for me
A part of me wishes for your leaves to turn brown
Your petals to wither and fade;
Would you turn to me?
Or keep on going away....
Your memory cannot escape me
The times they will never evade me
And it's sad to think when I hear of you
I sigh, and wonder where it all went wrong.
"The maggot seed that does uproot
It holds with its claws with the tightest of might
It twists and turns and brings about
The darkest shade of night
It takes a little spring of hope
To clear the evil away
The water cleanses, brings fresh air
The dark then turns to Day
Why is it that the maggot seed should ever stay?
When all it does is cause havoc
Why should a thing like this exist?
Malevolence veiled in a shrubbery of smock
The role of the maggot is not to hurt
Or to take all the goodness away
It lives in our gardens, silent and lurking:
It's sole intention - to make us stray."
Public Transport and Rain
It's often an interesting experience to travel on public transport. It's a particularly interesting experience, when you combine public transport, peak hour traffic, and rain.
It turns into a bizarre yet beautiful event.
As you step off the tram in the misty, foggy impending darkness of the evening, you are met by a barrage of damp, cold, impatient commuters, willing you to quickly get off the tram and out into the cold, just so they can be comforted by the stale warmth of the carriages.
Stepping onto the wet concrete, you are suddenly in the midst of a frenzy: travellers climbing on and off the tram, both doing their best to keep their exposure to the increasing rain at a minimum. You hurry towards the pedestrian crossing, moving around the stand still columns of people; like hamsters moving around an obstacle course.
As you enter the throng of people moving steadily across the road like a herd of elephants, you realise you must keep up the pace, for fear of being trampled. You side-step those who seem less destination-oriented, as you pass by slow walkers, and fast walkers pass you, narrowly cutting your path and crossing you in all sorts of directions. The wind picks up ever so slightly, pushing the rain down at a slant; you can feel it now, the droplets cold and big on your hair. You brush your hair out of your face, only to receive further mementos from the sky.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, having almost reached the secluded shelter, you must foucs in order to get to where you want. Here people are not only rushing towards you to cross the road from which you came, but the herd behind pick up their ascent, snapping at your heels, willing you to move faster.
A bit of a skip, jump, and a narrowly missed collision with a wet umbrella, and now you are making your way up the escalators. Inconsiderate souls stand lamely in the middle of nowhere; as you walk up the right side of the moving steps, you deliberately click your heels louder as you approach them, silently forcing them to move to the left and allow you to pass. After idly taking a few steps forward, the numb-ers eventually move aside.
You rush past and begin your walk/run to your train platform. All commuters have chosen the left sheltered side to walk by, however the openness of the wind and rain coming at you from the right does not leave you missing out; a gust of wind brings sprinklings of rain pushing heavily in your direction. You shiver and wrap your coat around you more tightly, and secure that scarf ever so more. Another sudden gust of wind brings further showers of rain towards you, however you are fortunate that others are blocking your exposure to the elements, and they take the brunt of the winter force.
You swipe your ticket through the machine, and almost crash with another traveller on their way in the opposite direction, as you both run to your respective platforms. Reaching the top of the stairs, you look down towards the platform, filled with anxious and waiting commuters. And you see your train.
Departing.
Beautiful.
It turns into a bizarre yet beautiful event.
As you step off the tram in the misty, foggy impending darkness of the evening, you are met by a barrage of damp, cold, impatient commuters, willing you to quickly get off the tram and out into the cold, just so they can be comforted by the stale warmth of the carriages.
Stepping onto the wet concrete, you are suddenly in the midst of a frenzy: travellers climbing on and off the tram, both doing their best to keep their exposure to the increasing rain at a minimum. You hurry towards the pedestrian crossing, moving around the stand still columns of people; like hamsters moving around an obstacle course.
As you enter the throng of people moving steadily across the road like a herd of elephants, you realise you must keep up the pace, for fear of being trampled. You side-step those who seem less destination-oriented, as you pass by slow walkers, and fast walkers pass you, narrowly cutting your path and crossing you in all sorts of directions. The wind picks up ever so slightly, pushing the rain down at a slant; you can feel it now, the droplets cold and big on your hair. You brush your hair out of your face, only to receive further mementos from the sky.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, having almost reached the secluded shelter, you must foucs in order to get to where you want. Here people are not only rushing towards you to cross the road from which you came, but the herd behind pick up their ascent, snapping at your heels, willing you to move faster.
A bit of a skip, jump, and a narrowly missed collision with a wet umbrella, and now you are making your way up the escalators. Inconsiderate souls stand lamely in the middle of nowhere; as you walk up the right side of the moving steps, you deliberately click your heels louder as you approach them, silently forcing them to move to the left and allow you to pass. After idly taking a few steps forward, the numb-ers eventually move aside.
You rush past and begin your walk/run to your train platform. All commuters have chosen the left sheltered side to walk by, however the openness of the wind and rain coming at you from the right does not leave you missing out; a gust of wind brings sprinklings of rain pushing heavily in your direction. You shiver and wrap your coat around you more tightly, and secure that scarf ever so more. Another sudden gust of wind brings further showers of rain towards you, however you are fortunate that others are blocking your exposure to the elements, and they take the brunt of the winter force.
You swipe your ticket through the machine, and almost crash with another traveller on their way in the opposite direction, as you both run to your respective platforms. Reaching the top of the stairs, you look down towards the platform, filled with anxious and waiting commuters. And you see your train.
Departing.
Beautiful.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I feel like Tom Cruise
Now, I don't mean that in the whole Scientology-religion sense. Or the jumping up on Oprah's couch declaring love for Katie Holmes way (although I do like her). I'm talking Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.
One of my all time fave movies.
I've just pictured him: black eye, depressed, with a possible hungover, and wearing glasses, the day after.
I can see him now, all dejected about having his most illustrious and esteemed client move on to his competitor Sports Agent, and having just broken up with his fiance, hence the token of the black eye.
Feeling like his world is about to end. Not knowing where he's headed. Wondering "Why did I write that mission statement? Was my moment of clarity, of spiritual enlightenment, the start of my downspiral, not only in work, but in love, in life? Or is this whirlpool of darkness surrounding me the beginning of something different, good, great?"
He may not have used those words, but I'm sure his character was thinking it. And now so am I.
I'm thinking of his glasses. The day after. The ones he uses to hide his eyes. His black eye, but more importantly, his feelings, his thoughts. His failures, his digressions.
I need them right now. To sit in the cold wintry breeze, and soak in the harsh sunlight. To hide my slowly trickling tears, my worried eyes, my dark thoughts. To sit behind a veil of tinted darkness, and pretend everything is okay, while my mind ticks away, pondering what is to come. What does the future hold, and is everything about to change? No doubt it will. For the better or worse, I'm yet to find out.
Will I get a Jerry Maguire ending? No one knows.
One of my all time fave movies.
I've just pictured him: black eye, depressed, with a possible hungover, and wearing glasses, the day after.
I can see him now, all dejected about having his most illustrious and esteemed client move on to his competitor Sports Agent, and having just broken up with his fiance, hence the token of the black eye.
Feeling like his world is about to end. Not knowing where he's headed. Wondering "Why did I write that mission statement? Was my moment of clarity, of spiritual enlightenment, the start of my downspiral, not only in work, but in love, in life? Or is this whirlpool of darkness surrounding me the beginning of something different, good, great?"
He may not have used those words, but I'm sure his character was thinking it. And now so am I.
I'm thinking of his glasses. The day after. The ones he uses to hide his eyes. His black eye, but more importantly, his feelings, his thoughts. His failures, his digressions.
I need them right now. To sit in the cold wintry breeze, and soak in the harsh sunlight. To hide my slowly trickling tears, my worried eyes, my dark thoughts. To sit behind a veil of tinted darkness, and pretend everything is okay, while my mind ticks away, pondering what is to come. What does the future hold, and is everything about to change? No doubt it will. For the better or worse, I'm yet to find out.
Will I get a Jerry Maguire ending? No one knows.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Random Observations of My Life
I feel like writing, and so here I am, writing about nothing in particular it seems.
And so it looks like I'm cold-y. I was flu-y, a couple weeks ago, with what apeared to be a severe throat infection. I say "what appeared" because I never actually confirmed it with the doctor. I didn't have to. I could feel it. The intense burning was enough confirmation for me. I just went to see him for the drugs. I do not apologise for my gratification from instant pain relief.
So now I've been sneezing, A LOT, I have a very very slight runny nose, and a decent amount of flem in my throat.
Great. My best friend the Flem. How I missed you so.
But I took some drugs last night (otherwise known as doctor prescribed tablets) deliberately left over from the last time I was sick, in the case of an emergency such as this.
I don't know whether it was the tablets, the pasta I ate, or the fact that my body had to wind down after my oh-so-hot shower. Or from the marathon Hubbie and I went through on the weekend which has left me wondering if my internal organs are still intact. And by marathon I don't mean in the sprinting sense.
Great. I just sneezed again. And someone here at work has just sprayed perfume. BEAUTIFUL. Because that is really going to subdue my nose which is becoming runny again. YAY me. And then I will have to go and blow my nose in the toilet again, because I have some unreasonable weirdness about doing it in front of people. I find it embarrassing. Just as I find embarrassing peeing in public toilets when there's someone else in there. I guess it's a case of mild shy bladder syndrome. Mild because I'm only affected when there's only one other person in the toilets. If there's more than one person, I'm not that concerned. So I have a bladder with a numero uno grade parusesis phobia. It's picky too. Seems my bladder takes after me.
I just blew my nose, very quietly. Yes I can't be stuffed going back into the bathroom. I'll just have to wonder forever (or 'til my next toilet break, whichever comes first) if I have snot hanging out my nose. Hey, maybe there's a phobia for that too. Snotaphobia it should be called.
Don't laugh, I just found out my fear of moths is a real one: Mottephobia.
Sigh.
Do you ever wonder why you dream so often at night? And by dream I don't mean the dreaming you do when you're asleep, I'm referring to the conscious dreams and hopes you have, that fly through your head at night when funnily enough you should be relaxing in order to fall asleep. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have an overly active imagination. Maybe it is true that with Neptune ruling my birth number, I am prone to vividly wild and colourful dreams and fantasies.
But things just seem to pop into my head at night, the most interesting and weirdest ideas, but also the most fantastic. The most recent thing I've decided, as a result from laying-in-bed-at-night dreaming, was to start writing books. It's an old idea, which has recently been re-born from a conversation shared with Hubbie about our aspirations in life. It suddenly occurred to me during this discussion with him, that I actually held no current motivations to pursue a higher position in my workplace. When I realised I was happy where I was, and had come as far as I'd wanted to, I had to wonder: Did I have any work-related aspirations left?
For so long I had wanted to be a part of this industry, and now that I'd achieved it, and I was part of a large organisation, I had no desire to move up.
So I thought. And thought. And I didn't have to think much longer until it hit me.
I pictured writing. Creating. Then I pictured writing AND bringing that to the screen.....
And just like that. It was there all along. I'd always loved writing. I gave up the pursuit into that area academically after Martin "bastard" Bashir's disgustingly discriminative and one-sided interview against Michael Jackson during my first years at uni. The fact that he was a journalist, put me off the idea of writing for a living (well that, and also most magazines are published in the adjoining state, and I didn't see myself moving there, or working for a newspaper firm here.)
So instead I had looked to film and television. I never even considered writing an actual book, as I didn't want any time spent on a profession that I believed would not give me many returns, a profession that would be hit-and-miss in terms of success and monetary rewards.
So I just forgot. Forgot about my love, forgot about my dreams. Yes, I was still pursuing one line of interest, in tv/film, but what had happened is that I went through a grown-up phase. It's a phase in which you decide to grow up too fast, be all responsible, and unfortunately in turn, let go of the one thing you do well. Really well.
Until just recently. I had my "life talk" with Hubbie, where he initially put the idea into my head, which was subsequently followed by my discussion with Red, waiting in line for the midnight screening of Eclipse. And since then I've had thoughts running through my mind a mile a minute. Story ideas, characters; all a follow-through on things I've thought before, started before, but never really had time to devote to. And the difference now you might ask? Well now I have the time. I can make the time after work hours. I can work, AND pursue a love of mine. Now, I'm living in ATS rather than BTS. After-The-Secret. I NOW know that there is an abundance of love, happiness, health, wealth and success, available for EVERYONE in this Universe. It's all there only if you believe in it.
And I truly, truly believe in it.
So I guess that brings me back to my prior point. About only dreaming at night, while lying in bed. I find myself imagining things, planning things, and half the time I don't even follow-through with them. It's so annoying. I put it down to time, but really it comes down to lack of motivation and determination. And I hate to admit to being lazy and slack, so trust me this isn't an easy feat. And obviously, my book comes into this. I have so many ideas, but I'm unable to organise everything in my head. Maybe that's the true reason. Because everything is so 'blah' in my head, I find myself lacking a bit of 'POW!' to actually start anything. But I will make that change I tell you!
So, have you ever wondered about shit films? Like, you know, really random, horribly produced, directed and acted movies? I find myself, every so often, after watching a really crap film, wondering who the bozo was to give the go-ahead on such an atrocity? I mean, when something goes straight to video, wouldn't it make sense to NOT let that same guy act/direct/produce again? In this case it's probably a case of money, and money doing the walking and the talking on the way to creating something resembling a film, but falling way far short of it.
So all these points combined, and I will write a freaking fantastic set of books. And it will be full of awesomeness and goodness and inspiredness. Hopefully not including any of those 3 words as it wouldn't get past the draft stage.
Oh yeah, and the getting it to the screen part? Well, I have another dream. And going by my industry contacts.... LOL. I'd love to see it on the screen. My ideas, born from my brain, for all to see, because I truly believe, they can be acted out in a tremendous way.
Yes I know I aim big. It's not my fault. I just dare to dream.
And so it looks like I'm cold-y. I was flu-y, a couple weeks ago, with what apeared to be a severe throat infection. I say "what appeared" because I never actually confirmed it with the doctor. I didn't have to. I could feel it. The intense burning was enough confirmation for me. I just went to see him for the drugs. I do not apologise for my gratification from instant pain relief.
So now I've been sneezing, A LOT, I have a very very slight runny nose, and a decent amount of flem in my throat.
Great. My best friend the Flem. How I missed you so.
But I took some drugs last night (otherwise known as doctor prescribed tablets) deliberately left over from the last time I was sick, in the case of an emergency such as this.
I don't know whether it was the tablets, the pasta I ate, or the fact that my body had to wind down after my oh-so-hot shower. Or from the marathon Hubbie and I went through on the weekend which has left me wondering if my internal organs are still intact. And by marathon I don't mean in the sprinting sense.
Great. I just sneezed again. And someone here at work has just sprayed perfume. BEAUTIFUL. Because that is really going to subdue my nose which is becoming runny again. YAY me. And then I will have to go and blow my nose in the toilet again, because I have some unreasonable weirdness about doing it in front of people. I find it embarrassing. Just as I find embarrassing peeing in public toilets when there's someone else in there. I guess it's a case of mild shy bladder syndrome. Mild because I'm only affected when there's only one other person in the toilets. If there's more than one person, I'm not that concerned. So I have a bladder with a numero uno grade parusesis phobia. It's picky too. Seems my bladder takes after me.
I just blew my nose, very quietly. Yes I can't be stuffed going back into the bathroom. I'll just have to wonder forever (or 'til my next toilet break, whichever comes first) if I have snot hanging out my nose. Hey, maybe there's a phobia for that too. Snotaphobia it should be called.
Don't laugh, I just found out my fear of moths is a real one: Mottephobia.
Sigh.
Do you ever wonder why you dream so often at night? And by dream I don't mean the dreaming you do when you're asleep, I'm referring to the conscious dreams and hopes you have, that fly through your head at night when funnily enough you should be relaxing in order to fall asleep. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have an overly active imagination. Maybe it is true that with Neptune ruling my birth number, I am prone to vividly wild and colourful dreams and fantasies.
But things just seem to pop into my head at night, the most interesting and weirdest ideas, but also the most fantastic. The most recent thing I've decided, as a result from laying-in-bed-at-night dreaming, was to start writing books. It's an old idea, which has recently been re-born from a conversation shared with Hubbie about our aspirations in life. It suddenly occurred to me during this discussion with him, that I actually held no current motivations to pursue a higher position in my workplace. When I realised I was happy where I was, and had come as far as I'd wanted to, I had to wonder: Did I have any work-related aspirations left?
For so long I had wanted to be a part of this industry, and now that I'd achieved it, and I was part of a large organisation, I had no desire to move up.
So I thought. And thought. And I didn't have to think much longer until it hit me.
I pictured writing. Creating. Then I pictured writing AND bringing that to the screen.....
And just like that. It was there all along. I'd always loved writing. I gave up the pursuit into that area academically after Martin "bastard" Bashir's disgustingly discriminative and one-sided interview against Michael Jackson during my first years at uni. The fact that he was a journalist, put me off the idea of writing for a living (well that, and also most magazines are published in the adjoining state, and I didn't see myself moving there, or working for a newspaper firm here.)
So instead I had looked to film and television. I never even considered writing an actual book, as I didn't want any time spent on a profession that I believed would not give me many returns, a profession that would be hit-and-miss in terms of success and monetary rewards.
So I just forgot. Forgot about my love, forgot about my dreams. Yes, I was still pursuing one line of interest, in tv/film, but what had happened is that I went through a grown-up phase. It's a phase in which you decide to grow up too fast, be all responsible, and unfortunately in turn, let go of the one thing you do well. Really well.
Until just recently. I had my "life talk" with Hubbie, where he initially put the idea into my head, which was subsequently followed by my discussion with Red, waiting in line for the midnight screening of Eclipse. And since then I've had thoughts running through my mind a mile a minute. Story ideas, characters; all a follow-through on things I've thought before, started before, but never really had time to devote to. And the difference now you might ask? Well now I have the time. I can make the time after work hours. I can work, AND pursue a love of mine. Now, I'm living in ATS rather than BTS. After-The-Secret. I NOW know that there is an abundance of love, happiness, health, wealth and success, available for EVERYONE in this Universe. It's all there only if you believe in it.
And I truly, truly believe in it.
So I guess that brings me back to my prior point. About only dreaming at night, while lying in bed. I find myself imagining things, planning things, and half the time I don't even follow-through with them. It's so annoying. I put it down to time, but really it comes down to lack of motivation and determination. And I hate to admit to being lazy and slack, so trust me this isn't an easy feat. And obviously, my book comes into this. I have so many ideas, but I'm unable to organise everything in my head. Maybe that's the true reason. Because everything is so 'blah' in my head, I find myself lacking a bit of 'POW!' to actually start anything. But I will make that change I tell you!
So, have you ever wondered about shit films? Like, you know, really random, horribly produced, directed and acted movies? I find myself, every so often, after watching a really crap film, wondering who the bozo was to give the go-ahead on such an atrocity? I mean, when something goes straight to video, wouldn't it make sense to NOT let that same guy act/direct/produce again? In this case it's probably a case of money, and money doing the walking and the talking on the way to creating something resembling a film, but falling way far short of it.
So all these points combined, and I will write a freaking fantastic set of books. And it will be full of awesomeness and goodness and inspiredness. Hopefully not including any of those 3 words as it wouldn't get past the draft stage.
Oh yeah, and the getting it to the screen part? Well, I have another dream. And going by my industry contacts.... LOL. I'd love to see it on the screen. My ideas, born from my brain, for all to see, because I truly believe, they can be acted out in a tremendous way.
Yes I know I aim big. It's not my fault. I just dare to dream.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Dear: Mule Face
Preface
This is for the stupid stone-eyed bitch at work, who doesn't say hello.
Dear: Mule Face
You moved into our work area about a year ago. And from the offset I knew I wouldn't like you.
I was right.
I would walk past you and smile. I didn't know you, but myself not being the most outspoken person, I thought I'd just give you a small smile.
And I got Nothing.
After a few tries I gave up. I would walk right on by you without so much as a glance. Oh, but you would smile and actively talk to other people within my team. Riiiigghhhtttt. Picky, are we?
I thought that maybe I wasn't giving you enough of a chance. I started to think that maybe I didn't know your side of the story. Who was I to judge you? Perhaps you were having a bad day. Perhaps you didn't know how to take me. So I persevered.
A few hello's later, occassional smiles here and there, and I thought you might be ok. Still not my kind of person. But for the sake of the workplace, and sharing the same areas, I thought it best to at least be on "hi" terms.
'Til today.
Who are you, and who gives you the right to be all high and mighty, by choosing to ignore me? Are you deaf? What, cat got your tongue? When I walked into the kitchen, smiled and say "Hi," did you not hear me? Is it due to your donkey-shaped Noddy face that your ears are at odd angles and cannot hear my words? If it weren't for the fact that you actually had skin, I would mistake you for a horse with that stupidly looonnnnggggg face.
Is it your eyes, that look like you've just seen a ghost, every time you see me, that are unable to comprehend my sight? I mean, really, I'm ALMOST fascinated by your stupid gob-smacked, stunned mullet expression every time I see you. What happened to you to make you look like you're in a permanent state of shock 24/7?
Whatever it was, it's really quite unattractive and annoying. Thought you should know.
Is it your "tee hee hee" high-pitched overly girly, flirty and disgustingly grating laugh that makes you immune to hearing more normal and reasonable vocal tones, making you deaf to my greeting?
Or is it just because you are a cow?
Neither. D. All of the above.
So, you stupid mole. Wretched excuse of a person. I refuse to breathe in your presence. I refuse to look at you. And I certainly refuse to acknowledge your company, as I do not condone nor accept your disrespectful ignorant treatment of ME.
Not very kind Regards
Miss S
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Eclipse - The Review
Sitting here thinking about writing this review actually makes me feel quite unsure and confused. I don't know whether it's the fact that I went to bed at 3am after watching the midnight premiere. Maybe it's due to the fact that I went to bed at 2am for the past two nights in a row, and could barely sleep more than 5 hours last night.
I don't know, my tiredness may be contributing to my rather spacier-than-normal state. Just a theory.
However I will try to recall what I can, and perhaps a follow up review will have to ensue when I watch it again.
Bestie Red, her sister and I left home about 9-ish, knowing full well that a long line to watch the movie would be expected if we left it too late. Luckily, we were fortunate to be the second group waiting in line outside Cinema 8, at the wee hour of 9:30pm. The movie was at 12:01am.
Ugh!
It turned out that the cinema we were waiting in front of was already occupied, with Twi-hards currently watching a back-to-back of Twilight and New Moon. One of the ushers told us that the current inhabitants would be made to leave when the 2 films were over, in order to allow the cleaners in, which made us feel momentarily guilty about all those fans having to get out and line up BEHIND all of us as we got first dibs on seating, but that feeling soon vanished at the prospect of getting good seats.
As per usual it didn't feel like we were waiting that long, as we talked a-plenty about life, love, inspirations, dreams and hopes. Our talks can tend to go in the direction of all things meaningful and metaphorical about life, which is nice. Every once in a while, it's nice to just stop and observe, be aware of all that is going on and has been going on, and also to re-evaluate where you are. And every so often, our discussions were dotted with mentions of the time, Eclipse, the Twilight books and the long, LONG line that was developing behind us.
We strategically got ourselves ready earlier: bought all our food provisions (Eclipse themed with a drink bottle nontheless!) and made sure we were all refreshed so that the second the theatre was emptied out of it's occupants and cleaned, we would be ready to roar.
Red had peeked around into the theatre while it was getting cleaned, and she said that there were still a lot of people in there, occupying mainly the middle to top of the cinema mid-section of seats. So it seemed the cleaners hadn't been able to kick them out.
Oh well Plan B. We had decided that were it to come to this point, that the 3 of us would rush into the cinema in 3 directions: one to the far left, one to the middle and one to the far right, and the one with the best 3 seats would quickly claim them and hail the other 2 over.
That had been my suggestion. The measures we go to for the love of Twilight.
Everyone who had been sitting outside the cinema behind us, reading and talking amongst themselves, was now standing up, eagerly anticipating the "let-in." I was feeling nervous, thinking that once we got the go-ahead to go in, that the girls behind us would push and shove and trample all over us like the doors opening at 9am on a Boxing Day sale.
One of the tall ushers who had been milling around in and out of the cinema, was at once standing in front of the open doors. He looked over at us, hesitated ever so slightly and then, without a word, gestured with a wave of his hand as if to say "after you."
We took the cue, quickly.
As we walked/ran in, some of the existing girls in the cinema said "run, quick!" Ha ha so NOT funny.
We got good seats, in the middle section right below the half-way mark, we were practically in the MIDDLE. So it was kewl.
During the ads and previews, I was anxiously wolfing down popcorn, much like I had been while outside waiting in line. It was just the nerves, the anticipation was getting to me. I wasn't even hungry.
Everyone got a scare though, as during the Harry Potter film trailer, suddenly the image was only on the top-half of the screen, as if the projector had been nudged upwards. Girls around us started complaining and yelling, and one ran down to let someone outside know: conveniently there were no ushers around when it happened. It was fixed, but then ended up happening again, during the trailer for the new Cruise/Diaz flick. This was getting us all nervous now. I would rather they have stopped it and fixed the problem, rather than keep showing the previews and risk the next scene change being 'The Feature,' and still having a half-screen image. Luckily, it was fixed, and then right on time too.
It began.
You know what, I can't even remember a lot of it. Which is why I need to watch it again. I think this may be due to the fact that I am in the last 270 pages of Breaking Dawn, and seeing as soooo much happens in the last two books, I actually had to remind myself to go back a book, step back in time, and not think about what was currently happening in the last installment.
So firstly. The whole story with the newborns being created by Victoria, that was done better in the film. I mean, depending on whether you don't mind the 'spoil' factor. With the book, we don't actually know what is going on as we are only reading Bella's perspective, however we can safely make assumptions seeing as more often than not Bella is the last to work things out, whether a deliberate choice by Stephenie Meyer or not. We have the newborn, Riley, being created at the beginning of the film, and then we see the progression of newborns as the film continues. It's much smoother, much more integrated and just generally ties in better together with the other aspects of the film. Quite simply, it's done the way a movie should be done. You don't go through a good film, and then have some unexpected theme introduced, much like the first Twilight book where half-way through Bella learns of the Cullens' efforts to ward off the red-eyed vamps. In the book, you can see how this could be forgiven, but even so, my analytical opinion is that even the first Twilight book could have done it better. But that's another argument. Yes, there are movies that often throw unexpected events or themes at you, but if it is a good film it will have been done so in the most appropriate way in line with the narrative itself.
Much more violence in the third film, than in any other Twilight installment so far. And although the opening scenes of Riley being attacked were a bit full on, I liked it. I mean, come on, this IS a vampire story, and in line with that you need to see a bit of violence, danger, and you want to see the Cullens absolutely ripping each other to shreds when they play fight in front of the werewolves. It makes the fantasy more interesting, intriguing. More plausible. :)
So violence = tick.
Another stand-out scene was when the Cullens minus Edward were chasing down Victoria, at the very beginning of the film. Those scenes were fantastic. The chase, the close-calls, the werewolves chasing in parallel - very action packed. And of course as we didn't read about it in the book, given Bella didn't know about Victoria returning at the very beginning, we weren't to know about the chase sequence. So again, different perspective = good narrative tie-ins.
When I read Eclipse, and came across Rosalie's and Jasper's back stories, I soooooo much wanted them to be portrayed in the film. I love the back story concept so much (as I've discussed in another blog) and was happy to see it had made the cut. As per usual, I did think they could have gone into a bit more detail in regards to Rosalie's story, but then again, with a good chunk of the book being cut, you could understand why they would have skimmed over a lot of the details. Rosalie returning for revenge on her fiance, in a wedding dress, was AWESOME! Just like I pictured it. And I loved Jasper's story too, in particular seeing a bit more of the relationship he has with Alice, that was really lovely, very sweet.
I can't think of a lot more specifics. I know that the story progressed at a really fast pace. I understood it all, but couldn't help wondering how Hubbie would take it when eventually we watched it together, and whether he would understand it as well as I did seeing as he hasn't read any of the books. The way the book progressed, was like counting to 10, but going as slow as counting 1/4s, 1/2s, and so on. For example, 1, 1 and 1/4, 1 and 1/3, 1 and 1/2, 1 and 3/4, 2, etc. However the film, although exploring all the main key concepts, sort of went like this: 1, 2, 2 and 1/2, 4, 5, 7, etc. Although you can follow, a lot of the little details, the things that enrich the book so much, were left out. And again, I will say in this review like I did for my New Moon one, is that when you have a book hundreds of pages long, and when you are in Bella's head, reading her thoughts as much as you do, translating all of that into a 2 hour movie is just impossible. It simply cannot happen, and expecting anything more is not only unrealistic but detrimental to your subjective view of the film. There's no chance but to only be disappointed if you walk into it expecting that.
Having said that, I do believe that there is no way that the final installment can be stuffed up in any way.
I say that because I've heard the last book will be done in 2 parts (because there's no bloody other way they could do it!) and there is so much action, and plot changes, that they cannot be omitted in any way. Omitting them would be narrative murder, it just can't happen, for the sake of the story and the flow of it. Removing it would be criminal. It's just not possible. So I do have high hopes for Breaking Dawn. :)
One thing I particularly liked at the end of the film: when Bella and Edward are sitting in that beautiful field of flowers, after the whole Victoria/Volturi event, Bella says (whether to Edward or in her head I can't remember) that it was never a choice between Edward or Jacob. It was never about who she loved more, or who she should choose to be a permanent figure in her life, because she always loved Edward more, and there was no question about that. It was more of a decision between the old Bella, and the new one. Remaining as Bella Swan, or taking on that new neverending life as Edwards eternal partner. I really loved that quote, how she explained her unfaltering love for Edward. Especially as I was sooooo furious when in the last chapters of Eclipse, she "realised" she loved Jacob too (I was considering ripping those pages to pieces, to forever erase the memory and evidence of her words about him!) and was feeling torn between them. I hated that sooooo much! How could she be so obssessed with Edward, from the moment she saw him, to putting herself in life-threatening situations just to hallucinate over him after going through the greatest depression of her life after he left her, and then proclaim that apparently she also loved her best friend? Argh!!!!!!! Such hipocrisy I couldn't stand it! And my opinion on that is that it is not possible - at all - sorry Jabob fans, but that storyline was only written in to keep you temporarily happy and hopeful. That is all. It's always been Bella and Edward :)
I could be shooting myself in the foot here, I still have 270 pages to go in Breaking Dawn ;P
But I did love the way Bella brought it all together in the film with that quote. It made me happy and easy with the whole triangle thing.
So yes, all in all, those are my thoughts. And once again as with New Moon, I woke up the next day thinking "I have to see it again!" Which I will, hopefully sooner rather than later. It was a great experience, and I did enjoy it. But I will constantly reiterate: I need to watch it again, when I'm not enveloped in a cloud of sleepiness and high on a concoction of sodium stuffed popcorn and sickly sugary-sweet lemonade.
I think the thing I have to remember is not to compare the book too much against the film. I can't help it though. My habitual over-analytical media mind kicks in, and I end up sitting in the cinema, hand frozen and hovering over the popcorn in my lap, other hand resting on my chin, my eyes scrutinizing every little word, detail and action.
However, in the midst of this whole review, I've come across an absolutely hilarious article/comic, written by a guy going by the name of The Oatmeal. He is an absolute genius. Within moments of reading it I was almost crying from laughter. He explains why the whole Twilight series works, and breaks the story down into a formula, accompanying his theories with some very amusing comics. AWESOME!
If you are a hardcore Twi-hard, don't go further than here. However, if like me, you like to poke fun at things, most importantly your own obssessive interests, then click here:
http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight
You'll be smiling at first sight :) Enjoy!
I don't know, my tiredness may be contributing to my rather spacier-than-normal state. Just a theory.
However I will try to recall what I can, and perhaps a follow up review will have to ensue when I watch it again.
Bestie Red, her sister and I left home about 9-ish, knowing full well that a long line to watch the movie would be expected if we left it too late. Luckily, we were fortunate to be the second group waiting in line outside Cinema 8, at the wee hour of 9:30pm. The movie was at 12:01am.
Ugh!
It turned out that the cinema we were waiting in front of was already occupied, with Twi-hards currently watching a back-to-back of Twilight and New Moon. One of the ushers told us that the current inhabitants would be made to leave when the 2 films were over, in order to allow the cleaners in, which made us feel momentarily guilty about all those fans having to get out and line up BEHIND all of us as we got first dibs on seating, but that feeling soon vanished at the prospect of getting good seats.
As per usual it didn't feel like we were waiting that long, as we talked a-plenty about life, love, inspirations, dreams and hopes. Our talks can tend to go in the direction of all things meaningful and metaphorical about life, which is nice. Every once in a while, it's nice to just stop and observe, be aware of all that is going on and has been going on, and also to re-evaluate where you are. And every so often, our discussions were dotted with mentions of the time, Eclipse, the Twilight books and the long, LONG line that was developing behind us.
We strategically got ourselves ready earlier: bought all our food provisions (Eclipse themed with a drink bottle nontheless!) and made sure we were all refreshed so that the second the theatre was emptied out of it's occupants and cleaned, we would be ready to roar.
Red had peeked around into the theatre while it was getting cleaned, and she said that there were still a lot of people in there, occupying mainly the middle to top of the cinema mid-section of seats. So it seemed the cleaners hadn't been able to kick them out.
Oh well Plan B. We had decided that were it to come to this point, that the 3 of us would rush into the cinema in 3 directions: one to the far left, one to the middle and one to the far right, and the one with the best 3 seats would quickly claim them and hail the other 2 over.
That had been my suggestion. The measures we go to for the love of Twilight.
Everyone who had been sitting outside the cinema behind us, reading and talking amongst themselves, was now standing up, eagerly anticipating the "let-in." I was feeling nervous, thinking that once we got the go-ahead to go in, that the girls behind us would push and shove and trample all over us like the doors opening at 9am on a Boxing Day sale.
One of the tall ushers who had been milling around in and out of the cinema, was at once standing in front of the open doors. He looked over at us, hesitated ever so slightly and then, without a word, gestured with a wave of his hand as if to say "after you."
We took the cue, quickly.
As we walked/ran in, some of the existing girls in the cinema said "run, quick!" Ha ha so NOT funny.
We got good seats, in the middle section right below the half-way mark, we were practically in the MIDDLE. So it was kewl.
During the ads and previews, I was anxiously wolfing down popcorn, much like I had been while outside waiting in line. It was just the nerves, the anticipation was getting to me. I wasn't even hungry.
Everyone got a scare though, as during the Harry Potter film trailer, suddenly the image was only on the top-half of the screen, as if the projector had been nudged upwards. Girls around us started complaining and yelling, and one ran down to let someone outside know: conveniently there were no ushers around when it happened. It was fixed, but then ended up happening again, during the trailer for the new Cruise/Diaz flick. This was getting us all nervous now. I would rather they have stopped it and fixed the problem, rather than keep showing the previews and risk the next scene change being 'The Feature,' and still having a half-screen image. Luckily, it was fixed, and then right on time too.
It began.
You know what, I can't even remember a lot of it. Which is why I need to watch it again. I think this may be due to the fact that I am in the last 270 pages of Breaking Dawn, and seeing as soooo much happens in the last two books, I actually had to remind myself to go back a book, step back in time, and not think about what was currently happening in the last installment.
So firstly. The whole story with the newborns being created by Victoria, that was done better in the film. I mean, depending on whether you don't mind the 'spoil' factor. With the book, we don't actually know what is going on as we are only reading Bella's perspective, however we can safely make assumptions seeing as more often than not Bella is the last to work things out, whether a deliberate choice by Stephenie Meyer or not. We have the newborn, Riley, being created at the beginning of the film, and then we see the progression of newborns as the film continues. It's much smoother, much more integrated and just generally ties in better together with the other aspects of the film. Quite simply, it's done the way a movie should be done. You don't go through a good film, and then have some unexpected theme introduced, much like the first Twilight book where half-way through Bella learns of the Cullens' efforts to ward off the red-eyed vamps. In the book, you can see how this could be forgiven, but even so, my analytical opinion is that even the first Twilight book could have done it better. But that's another argument. Yes, there are movies that often throw unexpected events or themes at you, but if it is a good film it will have been done so in the most appropriate way in line with the narrative itself.
Much more violence in the third film, than in any other Twilight installment so far. And although the opening scenes of Riley being attacked were a bit full on, I liked it. I mean, come on, this IS a vampire story, and in line with that you need to see a bit of violence, danger, and you want to see the Cullens absolutely ripping each other to shreds when they play fight in front of the werewolves. It makes the fantasy more interesting, intriguing. More plausible. :)
So violence = tick.
Another stand-out scene was when the Cullens minus Edward were chasing down Victoria, at the very beginning of the film. Those scenes were fantastic. The chase, the close-calls, the werewolves chasing in parallel - very action packed. And of course as we didn't read about it in the book, given Bella didn't know about Victoria returning at the very beginning, we weren't to know about the chase sequence. So again, different perspective = good narrative tie-ins.
When I read Eclipse, and came across Rosalie's and Jasper's back stories, I soooooo much wanted them to be portrayed in the film. I love the back story concept so much (as I've discussed in another blog) and was happy to see it had made the cut. As per usual, I did think they could have gone into a bit more detail in regards to Rosalie's story, but then again, with a good chunk of the book being cut, you could understand why they would have skimmed over a lot of the details. Rosalie returning for revenge on her fiance, in a wedding dress, was AWESOME! Just like I pictured it. And I loved Jasper's story too, in particular seeing a bit more of the relationship he has with Alice, that was really lovely, very sweet.
I can't think of a lot more specifics. I know that the story progressed at a really fast pace. I understood it all, but couldn't help wondering how Hubbie would take it when eventually we watched it together, and whether he would understand it as well as I did seeing as he hasn't read any of the books. The way the book progressed, was like counting to 10, but going as slow as counting 1/4s, 1/2s, and so on. For example, 1, 1 and 1/4, 1 and 1/3, 1 and 1/2, 1 and 3/4, 2, etc. However the film, although exploring all the main key concepts, sort of went like this: 1, 2, 2 and 1/2, 4, 5, 7, etc. Although you can follow, a lot of the little details, the things that enrich the book so much, were left out. And again, I will say in this review like I did for my New Moon one, is that when you have a book hundreds of pages long, and when you are in Bella's head, reading her thoughts as much as you do, translating all of that into a 2 hour movie is just impossible. It simply cannot happen, and expecting anything more is not only unrealistic but detrimental to your subjective view of the film. There's no chance but to only be disappointed if you walk into it expecting that.
Having said that, I do believe that there is no way that the final installment can be stuffed up in any way.
I say that because I've heard the last book will be done in 2 parts (because there's no bloody other way they could do it!) and there is so much action, and plot changes, that they cannot be omitted in any way. Omitting them would be narrative murder, it just can't happen, for the sake of the story and the flow of it. Removing it would be criminal. It's just not possible. So I do have high hopes for Breaking Dawn. :)
One thing I particularly liked at the end of the film: when Bella and Edward are sitting in that beautiful field of flowers, after the whole Victoria/Volturi event, Bella says (whether to Edward or in her head I can't remember) that it was never a choice between Edward or Jacob. It was never about who she loved more, or who she should choose to be a permanent figure in her life, because she always loved Edward more, and there was no question about that. It was more of a decision between the old Bella, and the new one. Remaining as Bella Swan, or taking on that new neverending life as Edwards eternal partner. I really loved that quote, how she explained her unfaltering love for Edward. Especially as I was sooooo furious when in the last chapters of Eclipse, she "realised" she loved Jacob too (I was considering ripping those pages to pieces, to forever erase the memory and evidence of her words about him!) and was feeling torn between them. I hated that sooooo much! How could she be so obssessed with Edward, from the moment she saw him, to putting herself in life-threatening situations just to hallucinate over him after going through the greatest depression of her life after he left her, and then proclaim that apparently she also loved her best friend? Argh!!!!!!! Such hipocrisy I couldn't stand it! And my opinion on that is that it is not possible - at all - sorry Jabob fans, but that storyline was only written in to keep you temporarily happy and hopeful. That is all. It's always been Bella and Edward :)
I could be shooting myself in the foot here, I still have 270 pages to go in Breaking Dawn ;P
But I did love the way Bella brought it all together in the film with that quote. It made me happy and easy with the whole triangle thing.
So yes, all in all, those are my thoughts. And once again as with New Moon, I woke up the next day thinking "I have to see it again!" Which I will, hopefully sooner rather than later. It was a great experience, and I did enjoy it. But I will constantly reiterate: I need to watch it again, when I'm not enveloped in a cloud of sleepiness and high on a concoction of sodium stuffed popcorn and sickly sugary-sweet lemonade.
I think the thing I have to remember is not to compare the book too much against the film. I can't help it though. My habitual over-analytical media mind kicks in, and I end up sitting in the cinema, hand frozen and hovering over the popcorn in my lap, other hand resting on my chin, my eyes scrutinizing every little word, detail and action.
However, in the midst of this whole review, I've come across an absolutely hilarious article/comic, written by a guy going by the name of The Oatmeal. He is an absolute genius. Within moments of reading it I was almost crying from laughter. He explains why the whole Twilight series works, and breaks the story down into a formula, accompanying his theories with some very amusing comics. AWESOME!
If you are a hardcore Twi-hard, don't go further than here. However, if like me, you like to poke fun at things, most importantly your own obssessive interests, then click here:
http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight
You'll be smiling at first sight :) Enjoy!
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