| From :D to :( |
[Fri, Jun 26, 09 / 2:19pm] |
Wednesday. Kayaking on the lake.
So peaceful. The sun made the water look like it was full of diamonds. I was surrounded with beautiful evergreens and hundreds of tadpoles. The cold water felt good dripping on my legs. I raced a dragonfly to the end of the lake.
It was simply a perfect day.
It's a complete myth that the further away you go from Montreal (especially north), the more you'll find Quebecois flags and separatists. On the rural roads, I could see an equal number of Quebecois and Canadian flags. Even my grandparents who lived most of their lives in Lac-St-Jean have always been federalists. A lot of people in their generation (the ones who were raised way before the Révolution tranquille) consider themselves Canadian first. Even though the only English word my grandmother knows is "no".
That was quite a sidetrack.
I'm not myself these days. I feel sad reading that things aren't going great for a lot of you.
It's summer. How come we're not happier and alive?
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| I like to be in America, ok by me in America, everything free in America... |
[Fri, Jun 12, 09 / 6:50pm] |
Watched two comedies and a musical during the past week.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles was quite good. Yet another John Hugues movie from the 80s. But I do love Steve Martin, and John Candy is just so lovable. Next, I really need to watch Spaceballs, Canadian Bacon, Uncle Buck...
I also finally watched Hot Fuzz. What a fun movie. I really liked it. I'm so behind on the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright love. I'll have to watch "Spaced" soon. And Shaun of the Dead? OH, speaking of Edgar Wright, I just found out he's directing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World! And yet, I still haven't read the Scott Pilgrim series. Shame. To those who have, is Michael Cera a good casting choice?
And finally, West Side Story. I know, how can I not have seen it before? Unfortunately, I haven't seen most great musicals. I'm trying to slowly rectify that. The Tonys last Sunday made me want to watch WSS. Unfortunately, the story left me a bit underwhelmed. (I've never really believed in love-at-first-sight, so Maria wanting to go away with Tony after knowing him for less than 24h? Yeah, uh...I'm not buying it.) But I did adore the dancing! Next on my list are Funny Face, On the Town, Guys & Dolls, An American in Paris...you name it! What else should I watch? Yay for library movies. :)
I've joined Tumblr. I'm kiiind of obsessed. I'm already used to bookmarking a dozen links and videos a day, saving countless images to my hard drive and downloading every interesting song I come across. Why not post all of them in one place? Plus, nobody yells at you for spamming over there. Link me to your Tumblr? Here's mine.
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| "I'll be monitoring your frequency." |
[Wed, May 13, 09 / 10:33am] |
I wonder if this has been done before: a stop-motion animation using actual tattoos. That would be insane. And it would take big commitments from a lot of people.
I think the baguette we bought this weekend had a pinch of surprise!cinnamon in it. So good. Ughh, bread. I would marry bread if I could.
Alright. So, my dad and his brother both married Armenian women. Basically, my aunt introduced my mom to my dad, and they hit it off. My aunt and uncle decided to raise their two boys completely in French. My cousins can probably understand Armenian, but they definitely can't speak it. Even their Armenian grandparents speak to them in English. I guess they all thought it would be much easier on the kids. I, on the other hand, grew up completely immersed in Armenian culture, despite living in Canada. From daycare to the end of high school, I hung out with Armenians like myself.
I was never really close to my cousins. We see each other at Christmas and that's about it. However, now that we've added each other on Facebook, I see a different side of them. I really thought they knew nothing of their Armenian side and could care less about it. But I see my cousin James digging articles about the Armenian Genocide, and joining groups like "Montreal Armenians". It actually kind of shocked me. James? Really? I guess it should kind of make sense. He is very much into politics, loves debating (often to the point of hurting his family), and has very strong convictions. I would ask him about all of this, but I don't feel close enough to him. But I still feel compelled enough to write about it. It intrigues me.
I'm curious to hear more about why you decided to use so many lens flares, and exactly when you decided to use them?
J.J.: [Smiles] I don't know what you're talking about. [Laughs] I'm kidding. I know what you're saying with the lens flares. It was one of those things... I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, "Oh that's ridiculous, that was too many." But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn't be contained in the frame. (Link.)
I will be watching Star Trek for the third time soon. Yes, it's ridiculous. But I just love it so much.
Love my new IKEA comforter cover. Love how we changed around all my furniture. Love my new bookshelves. Love my uncluttered drawers. It all feels fresh and new.
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| Written yesterday. |
[Tue, May 12, 09 / 12:42pm] |
Current obsessions: Star Wars and Star Trek. Willing to learn much more about the two. Yeah, I'm a new Star Trek convert, just like most everyone else. However, I did grow up watching The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, because my parents would regularly watch them.
Same thing with Road to Avonlea, for instance. Sunday nights were bagel nights. Bagels with cream cheese, watching Peter Rabbit and Friends on CBC right before Avonlea started. Then it became Wind at my Back, which was okay, and Emily of New Moon which was quite awful. I remember being quite attached to Sarah Polley's character because she had my name, and even spelled it like mine (hey, the show started when I was 3 and ended when I was 9 - that's all I remember from it, honestly).
On a completely different subject... Alex cut off his long hair. He is now back to being a normal guy with a normal haircut. But it really suits him. However, I compared him with Arsenio Hall as soon as I saw him, and I think he's going to chop off the top a little bit more because of it. (Alex, if you're reading this, don't cut any more of it!) He told me he was coming over to my house to surprise me with something. I heard the car door slam and looked outside the window. I saw a well-dressed man with a perfect haircut. I immediately squealed, had the hugest grin on my face, and covered my mouth. As I opened the door, I had tears in my eyes. I've just never dated him with short hair. He had already started growing out his hair when we first started dating. It is such a change for me. He only stayed over for an hour and for that full hour, I still wasn't over the shock. I know, it's just hair! But it changed his face so much. I felt like I was looking at a different person.
Speaking of the boy, he has started his motorcycle courses. I'm super excited for him. He's aiming to drive a cruiser, not a speed bike. He's not a speed freak. It might take me a while to get on the bike with him, but I really want to. I'm just quite jealous that he's getting to do something huge like this on his own. It's going to be his thing and I won't be able to participate in it. ... I do have my own things, but they could all involve somebody else. Riding a bike is a truly solitary activity.
Speaking of solitary activities, I have started playing Legend of Zelda on the DS. I also want to get into Final Fantasy, because I feel like I am missing out. But I'm just so bad at it.
If I posted daily, I wouldn't have a shitload of topics to cover in a single post. Today, I just needed to unload.
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[Wed, Apr 29, 09 / 9:52am] |
I always feel better when I can put a name to it. I don't know why. Maybe because I feel better that I'm not the only one with the condition.
I think I may have some form of agoraphobia. No, actually, I know I do.
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| The geek in me emerges. |
[Tue, Apr 28, 09 / 11:05pm] |
Last Saturday evening, Alex and I watched Revenge of the Sith. After doing a marathon of the original trilogy with Camilia a couple of months ago, I finally finished watching the prequels (which I had already seen in theatres, but didn't remember too well). Now, I am completely invested in the story. That evening, Alex passed out and I proceeded to read almost every Wikipedia entry about the movies: the various planets, the characters, the philosophical aspects, the species, etc. I really went crazy for about two hours. (Good thing I didn't go on Wookiepedia.)
Yes, the obsession phase has started. I'm even thinking of starting reading some of the books. There are over 100 titles, so I'm sure I'll get bored at some point. But...argh. I find it so fascinating right now. I don't even know why.
Of course, I also proceeded to add the entire score to my music library. I had to. It's so epic. (Yes, the use of that word is justified here.)
And then I started linking a lot of stuff to Harry Potter. Hahaha. Bear with me here. Apparently, the lightsabers are made to each jedi's specifications. I kind of linked that to the wands in HP. Each person has a different one (although obviously a lightsaber won't pick its jedi). Also. As a baby, both Harry and Luke and Leia were sent to live with other families because of a dramatic event. Technically, Luke and Leia's parents also died. At the hands of the most evil being there is. DUDE. The similarities! Fine, maybe it's just me. :p
Anyhoo. I'm quite happy that I now understand what the huge Star Wars fans must feel about this story. Let us forget about the bad acting and/or bad dialogue for one second. It's still a pretty badass series.
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| Domains and Hosting |
[Mon, Apr 20, 09 / 7:49pm] |
Could a kind soul possibly help me out with this?
Alex needs an online portfolio and would like me to set up a website for him.
The thing is, I have no idea where to start. I'm supposed to purchase a domain name first, right? But which places are the cheapest? And then I need hosting. I'm kind of lost with that as well. I'm thinking of dreamhost, but I'm not sure.
And what if I wanted to do it all for free? I might be willing to pay for a domain name just for easy access, but is there a trustworthy free hosting website? I don't need that much space. Just enough to put up a couple dozen images. (Speaking of, I can't believe Geocities is still running. Wow.)
I don't want to dump all of his art on Flickr or on DeviantArt. I'd like to design something nice for him. I might be using a script like SimpleViewer to display everything neatly.
I'm so lost. I'd love some guidance from those of you who have dealt with stuff like this. Thank youuuu! :D
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| Voyeurism |
[Thu, Apr 16, 09 / 8:56am] |
When I first joined Livejournal, I needed an invite to create an account! That's how long I've had the same username. Almost 6 years. Sheesh.
And in that time, so many people have vanished or just stopped posting. Do any of you know what they're doing nowadays?
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) starbuck42
deafcarol
igbykat
lauranobaka
nemova
pandalynn
sarcastic_bite
stronglikemusic
fleener
I'm sure I'm missing some, but those were the ones I could remember.
I didn't include people who post rarely, but seem to be still coming on the website.
And I didn't include people I've friended on Facebook, because I could easily ask them why they don't update anymore.
(Yes, I'm getting back to work now, pumpkinwaltz.)
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[Sat, Apr 11, 09 / 1:18pm] |
Rarely will a dream really shake me up and make me think about it all day. But wow. I can't stop thinking about this one.
Alex and I were in China. We were at a harbour and there was a swimming area nearby. While we're swimming with hundreds of other people around, he tells me that he needs to ask me a favour. He asks me if I can set a bomb off for him in that harbour the next day. I would have to carry some sort of duffel bag full of explosives, put it under the water, and trigger it next to these huge oxygen lines. I'm reluctant, but I finally agree. However, I ask him if I'll be able to get away in time and not be killed from the blast. He's not sure if I'll make it (and yet, he's still asking me to do this?!).
The next day, I wake up in a hotel room with 5 other people and we're all supposed to be going to a costume party. So, I wear some awful blue leggings with lace on the bottom, a pink tutu, and a dark green lieutenant's jacket. Alex has put on a full disguise, including a mask for his head. He looks exactly like the PC guy in the 'Mac vs PC' ads. I'm still debating whether or not I'm going through with his plan.
I can somehow see the future, so I see myself placing the bomb underwater, the huge explosion in the harbour, thousands of body parts flying in the air... including mine. I decide I'm not going through with it and Alex tells me he knew I would be chicken and give up at the last second... What the hell?! He didn't care that his girlfriend was going to die in the process? It seems much bigger than that. Mafia stuff.
Um, and I wake up. I'm still stuck with that image of the explosion. Bleh.
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| Welcome...to the...Tragic...Kingdom. |
[Mon, Mar 30, 09 / 10:29pm] |
I change around the music in my 2GB mp3 player once a week. I usually have a nice blend of happy and moody music, but this week I decided to make it all very fun. I put in some Girls Aloud, the Mamma Mia soundtrack, No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom, the first two Spice Girls albums, and the two Aqua albums!
Yeah, as you can tell, I never was a fan of boybands. Well, I became a Hanson fan for a VERY short while, mostly because everyone in my class hated them and I wanted to stand out (typical). However, I did spend an entire summer listening to Bryan Adams' best of CD on repeat... Ahem.
Random: I am terribly unphotogenic, but I bet Scott Loudoun could make me look good. Dayum.
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| N.B. |
[Sun, Mar 22, 09 / 6:20pm] |
To my old Charmed-Boards buddies (jeez, has it already been 9 years?): according to IMDb, Holly Marie Combs (if you forgot, that's Piper on the show - and if you forgot, shame on you) will be on Desperate Housewives tonight and next week. I hadn't looked her up in years. This week, I just felt like seeing if she had done any projects since the show ended and...yeah. My life is full of coincidences. (ETA: Not true. Stupid IMDb.)
You know, as big a fan as I was, I still haven't watched the majority of season 1 episodes and anything after season 5. I don't think I would ever go back and watch them either. Some of the horrible writing just makes me cringe.
I guess my TV fandom chronology would be Charmed > Alias > Gilmore Girls > Veronica Mars. Alias and VM were quite short-lived and not as intense as the other two. Of course, there are a tonne of other shows I've loved like The Office or even Boy Meets World, but never as intensely as the rest.
Um, carry on.
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[Sat, Mar 21, 09 / 9:55am] |
Just some photos. Nothing fancy. I haven't touched the camera for so long. Some of these are even from last summer.
( +6 )
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| Yes, I did. No, you didn't. |
[Thu, Mar 19, 09 / 6:15pm] |
During the last couple of months, Alex has gone crazy with movies. He wants to own as many movies as possible and just build a huge collection. He has pretty decent taste in movies and he is open to my suggestions. Buuuut I'm rather picky with films. So, he ends up watching stuff after his work during the week, often without asking me if I'd like to watch those movies with him on the weekend. I don't blame him; I usually turn down whatever he suggests, so he'd rather watch them on his own. But sometimes there'll be a movie like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas that I'd like to watch. However, he has already watched it. So, we have this discussion:
"You said you weren't interested in seeing it!"
"No, I never said that."
"Yes, you did. I even remember the way you told me."
"Look, I know I don't like war/WWII movies, but that one I wanted to watch!"
"The movie was SO good. There's this scene wher-"
"No! Don't tell me!"
"It's not a big scene, it doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does! I want to see for myself."
"But it won't ruin anything for you!"
"Still."
"Arghhh."
I think we have this exact same conversation once a week. But I smile just thinking about it because it's so silly.
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| These are not the droids you are looking for. |
[Mon, Mar 02, 09 / 8:59pm] |
 My LJ is quickly turning into a movie journal. For those who aren't into movies, I'm really sorry about that.
pumpkinwaltz and I watched the original Star Wars trilogy last week. It was the best ever. I hadn't watched all of them (at least, not in full) and it was so satisfying watching them all in one sitting. Both of us thought that they were pretty great and we never got bored, even during the fight sequences. In that aspect, I think the movies are very well made. So, of course, all week I've been in a Star Wars mood. Looking up cool info about the movies, dreaming about having a lightsaber (will someone buy one for me?), and even looking up Star Wars-themed etsy stuff. In fact, as I was scrolling through my flist this morning, I came across this picture and initially thought it was C-3PO... Yeah. (And yes, people are still talking about the Oscars. What's up with that?)
I'm halfway through reading Watchmen. Yes, I jumped on that bandwagon. But I'm glad I did. I find that it is really well written and the story is very interesting. I really hope the movie will be up to par.
Speaking of the movie, I would just like to point out that, for once, a fitting song was used in a movie trailer. Muse's "Take a Bow" is perfect. I am SO sick of hearing the same old songs used over and over in movie trailers. The ones that come to mind are Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" (wholesome family movies), The Cure's "Friday I'm In Love" (romantic comedies), anything by OK GO (stupid, inane comedy), and of course "Lux Aeterna" from Requiem for a Dream which is used for every single thriller, mystery, or action movie. UGHHH. Enough is enough.
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| "I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight." |
[Thu, Feb 12, 09 / 2:25pm] |
I felt bad for Joaquin during the first half. The audience just kept laughing at him, and I'm sure he didn't feel too great. However, he must have agreed to come on the show, and so I felt bad for Dave in the second half. I did sympathize with him. He may have gone overboard with the jokes (the Farrah Fawcett one was great though - I wasn't expecting that), but he had to carry on the interview and do his show. Also, Dave has said that he absolutely hates it when actors don't know which clip is going to play. They're promoting their own film. The least they can do is know about the clip they're bringing with them.
He might not have been high, but just fed up with the whole farcical process of promoting a movie and talking about your life to complete strangers. Eh, who knows. I sure am curious about what he told Dave right when commercials came on. He took off his glasses and probably blasted Dave for making fun of him.
Then again, maybe the whole thing was a joke. And I'll be the stupid one for actually dedicating an entire post for this.
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| Robert Plant won a Grammy. Odd. |
[Tue, Feb 10, 09 / 12:31pm] |
Spanish-speaking telemarketers have called my house six times in the past two days. It's very fishy. I can sort of tell that they're trying to sell a cleaning product or service, but... why is it in Spanish? Are they accidentally calling long distance? My dad suspects some kind of scam, like they're trying to tap into our phone line. Far-fetched, but I'm beginning to wonder.
Keanu to play Spike in Cowboy Bebop live-action film. I am so not thrilled. Yes, Spike is the epitome of cool and Keanu kind of represents that, but... gah. Can't anyone not mess with a good thing? Why does everything have to become live-action? I just hope they keep the amazing music from the series. Yoko Kanno deserves major props for that.
Coraline was, as expected, amazing. I will be watching it again soon. I just found out that certain articles of clothing in the movie were actually knitted by a woman. Miniature clothing. Knitted. It baffles me. Check out the video here. Also, how awesome is it that Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French did the voices of the sisters? Hee.
Coraline is free to read right here.
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| St-Laurent or St. Lawrence? |
[Thu, Feb 05, 09 / 6:40pm] |
I'm two weeks over a month late, but I decided on a resolution (I normally don't have any). I really want to go to exhibitions more often this year. Last year, I only went to museums in Austria. I missed out on so many great exhibits in my own city: Warhol Live, Sympathy for the Devil, Vik Muniz, Yves Saint Laurent (still kicking myself over missing that one), Reveal or Conceal, etc etc. I really suck. They're very accessible and inexpensive (some are free on certain days), and yet I don't make the time for them. I absolutely loved visiting the MUMOK in Vienna. It was amazing.
I always say that I hate jelly beans, but now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever had any. Not even candy corn. I was never big on candy. I'm a chocolate girl through and through.
I have been watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and I just finished reading David Sedaris' Naked. Now I kind of feel like I'm pumpkinwaltz. :)
But also, as a side note, I am ashamed to say that I have been watching Gossip Girl, The City, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, possibly the most horrible TV programing you will ever find. They are all a great source for comedy. If you don't recognize the last two shows, please, don't even bother looking them up.
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