Mood: pissed off
Listening to: 'Airplanes' by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams from Paramore
Hungry for: pizza
Bella says: 'stupid haircut...'
Do you know how many articles I have seen in women's magazines of '10 Things Not to Say on a Date'? Too freaking many, that's how many. I mean, why are women constantly encouraged to censor who we are for men? Don't talk about periods, don't talk about sex, don't talk about the drama of hair removal. Wear makeup, but don't wear too much, don't let it look like you're wearing makeup, you know? Dress provocatively, but not sluttily, as if there's a difference, do your hair, but don't spend ages because you don't want to keep your guy waiting. We're told not to order a salad because he'll think you're anorexic but don't eat too much either, or he'll think you're gluttinous. Wear lipstick but don't complain when he complains about getting pink frosting all over his lips when he kisses you. Don't criticize, don't complain, just grin and bear it. That is basically what we are told to do when we date. In fact, we're not even allowed to grin - apparently men don't like that either.
Yet I've never seen an article telling men to get a decent suit and deodorant before a first date, I've never seen any journalist say 'shave but don't look like you've shaved, you know?'. We've been told a squillion times that men don't want to hear about your ex broke your fucking heart and humiliated you in front of the entire cosmos, but someone's never gotten around to telling guys that no, we don't want to hear about the cricket our the footy or how spectacular Lleyton Hewitt was in the Hoffman Cup of '07. Someone's never told guys that we don't want to hear how you can burp 'Twinkle Twinkle' or how many girls you've shagged, in order from best to worst. Even if we tell guys these things, they just brush it off, saying things like 'don't be picky', or worse, throw an all out hissy about 'how we're trying to change them' and 'controlling bitch'.
Maybe this is why I don't have a boyfriend. I don't have time to keep up with this shit. I don't have time to pretend to be something I'm not. And I don't have the patience to keep up with a world that preys on my insecurities.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
Pasta Point of No Return
So if you live in Perth, 'pasta' can mean any of these three things:
1) The frozen lasagnes you get in Coles that you shove in the oven when mum's going out and dad can't be bothered cooking
2) The mixed up share plate of goopy creamy yumminess that you share where you try to avoid the revolting pennes and everyone fights over the garlic potatoes (which is not really a pasta, but it is the best bit)
3) The enormous plate you get served at those fancy restaurants with heavy silverware and proper cloth napkins and ridiculous prices, with the tiny knot of noodles in the middle of this colossal Jupiter-sized plate, with a few drops of fancy but inedible sauce drizzled around.
So yeah, that's basically the state of Italian food here in Perth. It could be worse - the French here is non-existant, the Japanese is limited to some seriously good teriyaki and some seriously bad ramen noodles, and the Korean...don't even get me started on the Korean.
But recently, I've found this amazing little place called House of Pasta, which is truly good grub, man. It's a Cafe to Go franchise, but don't judge it on that - it doesn't skimp on quality or quantity. The menu is a mix of old comfort food favourites and weird-but-nice stuff for the eccentric gourmet, and just...I dunno. I'm in lurve. I'm pasta the point of no return.
I watched Eclipse a couple of days ago, and even though I did my usual rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought I should talk about it here.
Eclipse is an interesting movie in that there are normally good movies and bad movies, wherelse Eclipse is really, really, good in some aspects and really, really bad in others.
I'm a self confessed movie freak. I'm also a recovering Twilight addict. To tell you what was hot and what was not about Eclipse, lets talk about the other two movies first:
Twilight
This is the first book of the saga, and also the first movie to be made. The casting, I think, was great, with the exception of Robert Pattinson - as I've mentioned earlier, I reckon there are better actors for the job (see my posts The Perfect Edward Cullen (April 2010) and Just a few...random...notes (May 2010)). The special effects were good except for the 'vampire in the sunlight sparkle' - expolding a bag of Michael's glitter onto Rpattz would have achieved a better effect.
Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, an indie director - indie films meaning the deep and meaningful shit, where the colour of one's shoes shines a whole new light on a deep and meaningful plot. Probably not the best choice for an epic saga of much style and little substance, but it was an interesting take on things. The screenplay is strange, with scenes building up the suspense before disappointing anticlimaxes, and unforgivable plot cuts - I mean, the plot is bad enough already, why make it worse?
New Moon
The second movie, the action and drama and romance is amped up from the suggested themes from the 'deep and meaningful stares' of the indie first Twilight movie. Robert Pattinson goes from half bad to very bad, but the special effects were good and the acting got better from most of the class as Robert Pattinson's acting got worse (I know I'm picking on him - I know it is a hard role to play, but that's really no excuse for being that terrible). Taylor Lautner debuts his brand new abs, but he doesn't blend in too well with the rest of the pack, who are relatively normal looking compared to his glossy hair, smouldering eyes and high Keanu Reeves cheekbones. Bella goes from being a depressingly sad mess to that heartbroken highschooler any girl can relate to, which is great. The trip to Italy is rushed and confusing, and there's no nailbiting suspense leading up to the big scene with the Volturi like there is in the book, which is disappointing.
The director of this film is Chris Weitz, director of the (utter fail) movie adaption of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy - so basically, he's already established himself as a director that is shit at translating books to film. So why do it again!? The screenplay in this is still shit, but at least the script improves ever so slightly.
Eclipse
Eclipse is very good in terms of directing - the director for this installment is David Slade, who is a veteran at old-school horror, which is really cool - the movie gets the whole zombie treatment. Kristen Stewart's acting finally lives up to her reputation as the best actress of her generation, especially in her scenes sans Edward...but there aren't too many of those. Robert Pattinson...well, really, Robert Pattinson is being his usual moronic constipated self. Taylor Lautner ups on the drama without being tacky, although much of the dialogue is extremely tacky and cheesy in this movie, which kind of ruins it. Bella finally becomes a character of substance, intelligence and independence wherelse Edward loses all credibility as the next Mr Darcy and becomes a psychopathic controlling freak. The screenplay picks up a little in that the cuts made are good cuts, and the additions made actually make sense.
So there it was: my thoughts on pasta and vampires. They do make a lovely combination, don't they?
Just another thing, something I picked up from my favourite TV series, Gossip Girl. Every blog title from now (including this one) will be a spin on some sort of book or movie title or quote. If you can name the book or movie title or quote (try saying that five times fast ;)), see if you can be the first one to name it in the comments!
1) The frozen lasagnes you get in Coles that you shove in the oven when mum's going out and dad can't be bothered cooking
2) The mixed up share plate of goopy creamy yumminess that you share where you try to avoid the revolting pennes and everyone fights over the garlic potatoes (which is not really a pasta, but it is the best bit)
3) The enormous plate you get served at those fancy restaurants with heavy silverware and proper cloth napkins and ridiculous prices, with the tiny knot of noodles in the middle of this colossal Jupiter-sized plate, with a few drops of fancy but inedible sauce drizzled around.
So yeah, that's basically the state of Italian food here in Perth. It could be worse - the French here is non-existant, the Japanese is limited to some seriously good teriyaki and some seriously bad ramen noodles, and the Korean...don't even get me started on the Korean.
But recently, I've found this amazing little place called House of Pasta, which is truly good grub, man. It's a Cafe to Go franchise, but don't judge it on that - it doesn't skimp on quality or quantity. The menu is a mix of old comfort food favourites and weird-but-nice stuff for the eccentric gourmet, and just...I dunno. I'm in lurve. I'm pasta the point of no return.
I watched Eclipse a couple of days ago, and even though I did my usual rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought I should talk about it here.
Eclipse is an interesting movie in that there are normally good movies and bad movies, wherelse Eclipse is really, really, good in some aspects and really, really bad in others.
I'm a self confessed movie freak. I'm also a recovering Twilight addict. To tell you what was hot and what was not about Eclipse, lets talk about the other two movies first:
Twilight
This is the first book of the saga, and also the first movie to be made. The casting, I think, was great, with the exception of Robert Pattinson - as I've mentioned earlier, I reckon there are better actors for the job (see my posts The Perfect Edward Cullen (April 2010) and Just a few...random...notes (May 2010)). The special effects were good except for the 'vampire in the sunlight sparkle' - expolding a bag of Michael's glitter onto Rpattz would have achieved a better effect.
Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, an indie director - indie films meaning the deep and meaningful shit, where the colour of one's shoes shines a whole new light on a deep and meaningful plot. Probably not the best choice for an epic saga of much style and little substance, but it was an interesting take on things. The screenplay is strange, with scenes building up the suspense before disappointing anticlimaxes, and unforgivable plot cuts - I mean, the plot is bad enough already, why make it worse?
New Moon
The second movie, the action and drama and romance is amped up from the suggested themes from the 'deep and meaningful stares' of the indie first Twilight movie. Robert Pattinson goes from half bad to very bad, but the special effects were good and the acting got better from most of the class as Robert Pattinson's acting got worse (I know I'm picking on him - I know it is a hard role to play, but that's really no excuse for being that terrible). Taylor Lautner debuts his brand new abs, but he doesn't blend in too well with the rest of the pack, who are relatively normal looking compared to his glossy hair, smouldering eyes and high Keanu Reeves cheekbones. Bella goes from being a depressingly sad mess to that heartbroken highschooler any girl can relate to, which is great. The trip to Italy is rushed and confusing, and there's no nailbiting suspense leading up to the big scene with the Volturi like there is in the book, which is disappointing.
The director of this film is Chris Weitz, director of the (utter fail) movie adaption of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy - so basically, he's already established himself as a director that is shit at translating books to film. So why do it again!? The screenplay in this is still shit, but at least the script improves ever so slightly.
Eclipse
Eclipse is very good in terms of directing - the director for this installment is David Slade, who is a veteran at old-school horror, which is really cool - the movie gets the whole zombie treatment. Kristen Stewart's acting finally lives up to her reputation as the best actress of her generation, especially in her scenes sans Edward...but there aren't too many of those. Robert Pattinson...well, really, Robert Pattinson is being his usual moronic constipated self. Taylor Lautner ups on the drama without being tacky, although much of the dialogue is extremely tacky and cheesy in this movie, which kind of ruins it. Bella finally becomes a character of substance, intelligence and independence wherelse Edward loses all credibility as the next Mr Darcy and becomes a psychopathic controlling freak. The screenplay picks up a little in that the cuts made are good cuts, and the additions made actually make sense.
So there it was: my thoughts on pasta and vampires. They do make a lovely combination, don't they?
Just another thing, something I picked up from my favourite TV series, Gossip Girl. Every blog title from now (including this one) will be a spin on some sort of book or movie title or quote. If you can name the book or movie title or quote (try saying that five times fast ;)), see if you can be the first one to name it in the comments!
Monday, July 05, 2010
Book Review: Beastly
Mood: trilogied
Listening to: 'Fall to Pieces' by Avril Lavigne
Hungry for: bavarian coffee
Bella says: zzz, as usual.
Okay, so I've bought this book recently and, as I do, I've read and reread it several times, plus researched everything I can about the up-and-coming movie adaption that's due out in March next year, with Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker, Wild Child) in the lead role of the Beast and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) as his love interest, Lindy.
Beastly is a very interesting book in that it's teen lit, but not normal teen lit. Its brilliant teen lit. Simply written from the narrow-minded perspective of a rich, handsome and selfish boy as he loses his looks but slowly gains a heart, it cuts all the fluffy goo that normally accompanies chick lit romances (think Twilight), but instead cuts to the core of the novel, which is basically a modern retelling of the classic fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast. The book is a rarity in that it is deeply romantic and sentimental, but still every page is enjoyable, with none of the syrupy stuff being the cheesy, cliched, tacky cringeworthy jargon we're used to nowadays.
Because we all know the basic storyline, I'm not going to shy away from spoilers here. Just giving you a notice.
Kyle Kingsbury is a rich, handsome but cruelly selfish boy who has been raised by his image-obsessed father to believe that 'how much people like you is directly proportionate to what you look like', and consequently develops a deep dislike of 'ugly' people - particularly scholarship students in his elite school, Tuttle, as they have neither money, status or good looks, the three things he treasures most in life. One of his favourite pastimes is scheming with his 'evil bitch' girlfriend, Sloane, concocting plans designed to humiliate the 'ugly' people he so detests.
On one of his pranks the victim is a new student, a creepy, eccentric goth girl called Kendra Hilferty, who Kyle cannot describe in any other way aside from 'witch'. When she openly claims that Kyle is 'ugly on the inside, where it matters most' and that he is 'beastly', he seeks his revenge by pretending he has a crush on her, asking her out to a dance but then showing up with Sloane instead. Disgusted that he tried to inflict pain and humiliation on a fellow human being, Kendra, who really is a witch, casts a spell on Kyle to make him a beast with fangs, fur and claws. She tells him that because he exhibited a single act of kindness - he gave a girl who was a volunteer helper at the dance the rose corsage that Sloane refused (because, as a white rose, was considered too plain and cheap and was not the 'purple orchid' she specifically asked for) - Kendra says he can break the curse by making someone fall in love with him within two years, and proving that love with a kiss. Kyle believes this to be impossible, convinced that nobody could look past his horrible appearance and, somewhat truthfully, that aside from his lost good looks he has nothing worthy of love or attention. Kyle is left with a magical mirror, in which he can see anything and anyone he wishes to see.
Kyle's father desperately searches the globe for a cure for his horribly disfigured son, but when his attempts are fruitless, he puts Kyle in a house in total solititude, aside from the family maid, Magda, a blind tutor, Will, and his guide dog. Bored, frustrated and abandoned, Kyle begins to read literature about characters who are ugly and abandoned (The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and changes his name to Adrian King, Adrian meaning 'dark one'. During this time, Adrian joins an internet chatgroup under the name 'BeastNYC', chatting with other people who have apparently been changed by witchcraft as well. Adrian also starts a rose garden at the suggestion of Will, who is partial to roses.
After a year of solitute and several failed attempts to find girls to fall in love with, a robber, who also has drugs, attempts to break in to Adrian's house, only to be caught in the act. Terrified both of Adrian's gruesome appearance and the prospect of being arrested and jailed, the robber offers Adrian his daughter to live with in Adrian's house. Through the mirror, Adrian realizes that the robber's daughter, who's name is Linda 'Lindy' Owens, is the same girl he gave the rose corsage to the day he was transformed. Before she arrives, Adrian decorates a suit for her, complete with a king sized bed with designer sheets, a full private library and a complete wardrobe, eager for her to be impressed with his effort and wealth. Lindy arrives, however, frightened at the prospect of being a prisoner of a man she doesn't know, and is offended and unimpressed at her 'kidnapper's attempts to impress her. She refuses to come out of her rooms for several days.
When Lindy eventually comes out of her rooms and sees Adrian's gruesome appearance, her hostility melts away to a mixture of pity and compassion. They become friends, and Adrian begins to fall in love with her, but it appears that Lindy does not reciprocate. During the winter, Adrian's small household leave the brownstone they have been cooped up in and go to a private ski lodge for the winter.
Shortly before the second year of Adrian's curse is up, he shows Lindy his magical mirror, who sees through it that her father has become homeless and desperately ill as a consequence of drug dealing and excessive drug use. She wants to go back to see him and Adrian selflessly allows her to go, asking her to come back to him 'only if she wants to...as my friend, not as my prisoner'. Adrian believes that she would never return and thus never break his curse, having never shown any sign of loving him, but let her go out of love. Adrian and his household return to the brownstone, where he is resigned to spending the rest of his life as a monster. Using his mirror, he keeps track of Lindy, who has rescued her father from utter destitution but had lost her scholarship to Tuttle, as a result of being absent for nearly a year. Adrian looks on guiltily as she puts up with a rubbish downtown school.
Adrian then sees Lindy being abducted by a man armed with a gun, and rushes to her rescue, getting shot in the process. As he lays dying, he asks Lindy to kiss him, which she does, and by doing so she breaks the spell, causing Adrian to return to his normal body. Confused, she tries to run away from Kyle, not knowing that he is actually Adrian, but cannot escape from him because he is 'taller and stronger than he used to be'. He then explains who he is, and then they live 'happily ever after' in Kyle's brownstone, which is no longer a prison. Because of some selfless requests he made of Kendra as a beast, Will regains his eyesight and is given a temporary job as an English teacher at Tuttle as he studies in a university by night to become an English professor. Magda, the maid, who has been seperated from her family who live in their native land abroad, is reunited with them after being apart for decades. Kendra then reveals that she is actually Magda, having been condemned by the witch community to be a servant to a 21st century American family forever, seperated from her family, but because Kyle requested that if his spell is ever lifted Magda might be able to see her family again, Kendra is reunited with her own witch family, which is represented as a murder of crows which she joins.
Listening to: 'Fall to Pieces' by Avril Lavigne
Hungry for: bavarian coffee
Bella says: zzz, as usual.
Okay, so I've bought this book recently and, as I do, I've read and reread it several times, plus researched everything I can about the up-and-coming movie adaption that's due out in March next year, with Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker, Wild Child) in the lead role of the Beast and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) as his love interest, Lindy.
Beastly is a very interesting book in that it's teen lit, but not normal teen lit. Its brilliant teen lit. Simply written from the narrow-minded perspective of a rich, handsome and selfish boy as he loses his looks but slowly gains a heart, it cuts all the fluffy goo that normally accompanies chick lit romances (think Twilight), but instead cuts to the core of the novel, which is basically a modern retelling of the classic fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast. The book is a rarity in that it is deeply romantic and sentimental, but still every page is enjoyable, with none of the syrupy stuff being the cheesy, cliched, tacky cringeworthy jargon we're used to nowadays.
Because we all know the basic storyline, I'm not going to shy away from spoilers here. Just giving you a notice.
Kyle Kingsbury is a rich, handsome but cruelly selfish boy who has been raised by his image-obsessed father to believe that 'how much people like you is directly proportionate to what you look like', and consequently develops a deep dislike of 'ugly' people - particularly scholarship students in his elite school, Tuttle, as they have neither money, status or good looks, the three things he treasures most in life. One of his favourite pastimes is scheming with his 'evil bitch' girlfriend, Sloane, concocting plans designed to humiliate the 'ugly' people he so detests.
On one of his pranks the victim is a new student, a creepy, eccentric goth girl called Kendra Hilferty, who Kyle cannot describe in any other way aside from 'witch'. When she openly claims that Kyle is 'ugly on the inside, where it matters most' and that he is 'beastly', he seeks his revenge by pretending he has a crush on her, asking her out to a dance but then showing up with Sloane instead. Disgusted that he tried to inflict pain and humiliation on a fellow human being, Kendra, who really is a witch, casts a spell on Kyle to make him a beast with fangs, fur and claws. She tells him that because he exhibited a single act of kindness - he gave a girl who was a volunteer helper at the dance the rose corsage that Sloane refused (because, as a white rose, was considered too plain and cheap and was not the 'purple orchid' she specifically asked for) - Kendra says he can break the curse by making someone fall in love with him within two years, and proving that love with a kiss. Kyle believes this to be impossible, convinced that nobody could look past his horrible appearance and, somewhat truthfully, that aside from his lost good looks he has nothing worthy of love or attention. Kyle is left with a magical mirror, in which he can see anything and anyone he wishes to see.
Kyle's father desperately searches the globe for a cure for his horribly disfigured son, but when his attempts are fruitless, he puts Kyle in a house in total solititude, aside from the family maid, Magda, a blind tutor, Will, and his guide dog. Bored, frustrated and abandoned, Kyle begins to read literature about characters who are ugly and abandoned (The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and changes his name to Adrian King, Adrian meaning 'dark one'. During this time, Adrian joins an internet chatgroup under the name 'BeastNYC', chatting with other people who have apparently been changed by witchcraft as well. Adrian also starts a rose garden at the suggestion of Will, who is partial to roses.
After a year of solitute and several failed attempts to find girls to fall in love with, a robber, who also has drugs, attempts to break in to Adrian's house, only to be caught in the act. Terrified both of Adrian's gruesome appearance and the prospect of being arrested and jailed, the robber offers Adrian his daughter to live with in Adrian's house. Through the mirror, Adrian realizes that the robber's daughter, who's name is Linda 'Lindy' Owens, is the same girl he gave the rose corsage to the day he was transformed. Before she arrives, Adrian decorates a suit for her, complete with a king sized bed with designer sheets, a full private library and a complete wardrobe, eager for her to be impressed with his effort and wealth. Lindy arrives, however, frightened at the prospect of being a prisoner of a man she doesn't know, and is offended and unimpressed at her 'kidnapper's attempts to impress her. She refuses to come out of her rooms for several days.
When Lindy eventually comes out of her rooms and sees Adrian's gruesome appearance, her hostility melts away to a mixture of pity and compassion. They become friends, and Adrian begins to fall in love with her, but it appears that Lindy does not reciprocate. During the winter, Adrian's small household leave the brownstone they have been cooped up in and go to a private ski lodge for the winter.
Shortly before the second year of Adrian's curse is up, he shows Lindy his magical mirror, who sees through it that her father has become homeless and desperately ill as a consequence of drug dealing and excessive drug use. She wants to go back to see him and Adrian selflessly allows her to go, asking her to come back to him 'only if she wants to...as my friend, not as my prisoner'. Adrian believes that she would never return and thus never break his curse, having never shown any sign of loving him, but let her go out of love. Adrian and his household return to the brownstone, where he is resigned to spending the rest of his life as a monster. Using his mirror, he keeps track of Lindy, who has rescued her father from utter destitution but had lost her scholarship to Tuttle, as a result of being absent for nearly a year. Adrian looks on guiltily as she puts up with a rubbish downtown school.
Adrian then sees Lindy being abducted by a man armed with a gun, and rushes to her rescue, getting shot in the process. As he lays dying, he asks Lindy to kiss him, which she does, and by doing so she breaks the spell, causing Adrian to return to his normal body. Confused, she tries to run away from Kyle, not knowing that he is actually Adrian, but cannot escape from him because he is 'taller and stronger than he used to be'. He then explains who he is, and then they live 'happily ever after' in Kyle's brownstone, which is no longer a prison. Because of some selfless requests he made of Kendra as a beast, Will regains his eyesight and is given a temporary job as an English teacher at Tuttle as he studies in a university by night to become an English professor. Magda, the maid, who has been seperated from her family who live in their native land abroad, is reunited with them after being apart for decades. Kendra then reveals that she is actually Magda, having been condemned by the witch community to be a servant to a 21st century American family forever, seperated from her family, but because Kyle requested that if his spell is ever lifted Magda might be able to see her family again, Kendra is reunited with her own witch family, which is represented as a murder of crows which she joins.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Star Wars, Hayden, and random boy obsessions
Mood: star wars!
Listening to: star wars!
Hungry for: star wars!
Bella says: star wars!
Okay, so every now and again I get in this fangirlish mood and I watch like a stack of Star Wars fanvids - some of them are actually quite good. My favourites are:
An Anakin-Padme shipper, set to 'My Happy Ending' by Avril Lavigne
A vid about Anakin's fall to the dark side, and Obi-Wan's guilt that he didn't know 'how to save a life' - set to 'How To Save A Life' by The Fray
An Obi-Wan/Padme/Anakin fanvid about how Obi-Wan secretly loves Padme and watches from a distance as she falls in love with Anakin, which leads them both to their dooms. Set to 'Love Song Requiem' by Trading Yesterday
A Padme/Anakin fanvid about what Padme is thinking about when she arrives at Mustafar/gets choked to death by her psychopath husband/giving birth to Darth Vader spawn/dying tragically/when dead. Set to 'Please Remember' by LeAnn Rimes.
Another thing I have a habit of watching is entire movies on YouTube, or as many clips as possible, which I also do with TV series (Yi San). So I was watching some clips of Anakin and Padme from the prequel trilogy, who are, of course, played by Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman respectively.
I love Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. I love Natalie Portman because she's a great actress, but I really only love Hayden Christensen because he's great eye-candy. I mean, he's a shit actor, so bad that he drags the stellar Star Wars cast down epically. I mean, I really don't get how you can be that tragic at acting. Even I'm not that bad.
But as I said, Hayden is amazing eye candy, but he's one of a very long list of actor-obsessions - Chad Michael Murray, Orlando Bloom, then my buddy Hayden, Alex Pettyfer, Taylor Lautner, Paul Wesley, Keanu Reeves. Practically all of my crushes have been on actors...and really, really, really bad actors most of the time, but with really, really, really awesome six-packs.
What is it with us girls liking untalented David lookalikes? (David as in the Michelangelo sculpture). I honestly don't know. I mean, all my favourite actresses actually do have talent, but most of my favourite actors, with the exception of the late Heath Ledger and Johnny Depp, are like negative on the talent factor but off the charts sexy.
But you know what? I don't care. I've spent my whole life being smart and nerdy. I'm allowed to have a few shallow obsessions (I love you Justin Bieber!). Several freaky ones, too.
Listening to: star wars!
Hungry for: star wars!
Bella says: star wars!
Okay, so every now and again I get in this fangirlish mood and I watch like a stack of Star Wars fanvids - some of them are actually quite good. My favourites are:
An Anakin-Padme shipper, set to 'My Happy Ending' by Avril Lavigne
A vid about Anakin's fall to the dark side, and Obi-Wan's guilt that he didn't know 'how to save a life' - set to 'How To Save A Life' by The Fray
An Obi-Wan/Padme/Anakin fanvid about how Obi-Wan secretly loves Padme and watches from a distance as she falls in love with Anakin, which leads them both to their dooms. Set to 'Love Song Requiem' by Trading Yesterday
A Padme/Anakin fanvid about what Padme is thinking about when she arrives at Mustafar/gets choked to death by her psychopath husband/giving birth to Darth Vader spawn/dying tragically/when dead. Set to 'Please Remember' by LeAnn Rimes.
Another thing I have a habit of watching is entire movies on YouTube, or as many clips as possible, which I also do with TV series (Yi San). So I was watching some clips of Anakin and Padme from the prequel trilogy, who are, of course, played by Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman respectively.
I love Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. I love Natalie Portman because she's a great actress, but I really only love Hayden Christensen because he's great eye-candy. I mean, he's a shit actor, so bad that he drags the stellar Star Wars cast down epically. I mean, I really don't get how you can be that tragic at acting. Even I'm not that bad.
But as I said, Hayden is amazing eye candy, but he's one of a very long list of actor-obsessions - Chad Michael Murray, Orlando Bloom, then my buddy Hayden, Alex Pettyfer, Taylor Lautner, Paul Wesley, Keanu Reeves. Practically all of my crushes have been on actors...and really, really, really bad actors most of the time, but with really, really, really awesome six-packs.
What is it with us girls liking untalented David lookalikes? (David as in the Michelangelo sculpture). I honestly don't know. I mean, all my favourite actresses actually do have talent, but most of my favourite actors, with the exception of the late Heath Ledger and Johnny Depp, are like negative on the talent factor but off the charts sexy.
But you know what? I don't care. I've spent my whole life being smart and nerdy. I'm allowed to have a few shallow obsessions (I love you Justin Bieber!). Several freaky ones, too.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Book Review: Romulus, My Father
Mood: hungryyy
Listening to: 'Promise' from the OST of...you know the drill...
Hungry for: korean bbq!
Bella says: 'zzz..zzzz'
Okay, so I've been going on a book-buying spree lately: I bought Romulus, My Father and Beastly....okay, so that's not a big book spree, but anyways. Oh, yeah, and I've ordered an e-reader from Borders so I don't have to fork out a squillion bucks every time I get sick of Twilight.
I've watched the motion picture adaption of Romulus, My Father, starring Eric Bana and Franka Potente, so I've wanted to read this book for quite a while.
It's very different to most biographies that I've read, but what remains the same is the seemingly matter-of-fact way that horrors and tragedies are dictated to the reader. Raimond Gaita is a very talented writer in a sense that he can convey his understanding of the thoughts, morals and ideas of the people around him in his childhood as well as his own views as both a child and as an adult.
But the most important thing is that Gaita's book fills in a very important gap in Australian history, a period that we have all-but-forgotten about - the mid-20th century, when immigrants were both welcomed and shunned into the land of plenty that was also the land of nothingness. What I love best about Gaita's book is that it is relevant to all immigrants, no matter who they are, and when and where they come from.
The stupid thing is, this has taken me about ten days to write. I'm going through a bit of a lull at the moment. Sorry :(.
Listening to: 'Promise' from the OST of...you know the drill...
Hungry for: korean bbq!
Bella says: 'zzz..zzzz'
Okay, so I've been going on a book-buying spree lately: I bought Romulus, My Father and Beastly....okay, so that's not a big book spree, but anyways. Oh, yeah, and I've ordered an e-reader from Borders so I don't have to fork out a squillion bucks every time I get sick of Twilight.
I've watched the motion picture adaption of Romulus, My Father, starring Eric Bana and Franka Potente, so I've wanted to read this book for quite a while.
It's very different to most biographies that I've read, but what remains the same is the seemingly matter-of-fact way that horrors and tragedies are dictated to the reader. Raimond Gaita is a very talented writer in a sense that he can convey his understanding of the thoughts, morals and ideas of the people around him in his childhood as well as his own views as both a child and as an adult.
But the most important thing is that Gaita's book fills in a very important gap in Australian history, a period that we have all-but-forgotten about - the mid-20th century, when immigrants were both welcomed and shunned into the land of plenty that was also the land of nothingness. What I love best about Gaita's book is that it is relevant to all immigrants, no matter who they are, and when and where they come from.
The stupid thing is, this has taken me about ten days to write. I'm going through a bit of a lull at the moment. Sorry :(.
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Lord Is Not My Friggin Shepard
I really don't have anything against religion.
Well, more specifically, I don't have anything against religion as long as it doesn't interfere with the impersonal way our world works. People can follow whatever religion they want, as far as I'm concerned, as long as they don't impose things on others. It's just not fair.
I personally don't believe in any religion, but I'm constantly being subjected to doing religious shit against my will. In primary school we had a school prayer, which was a Christian thing, when about 80% of the school was Asian, most of them extremely devout Indian Hindus. They told us we were being disrespectful to God by not saying the prayer, but I don't frigging believe in God! I don't have any problem with people believing in God and I don't impose my irreligious beliefs onto them, so why do they do it to me?
And now, the girl's choir have to sing this song from the Vicar of Dibley called 'The Lord Is My Shepard', which is basically one of the psalms set to extremely tedious music. Religious music should be made illegal in public schools - we should not have to sing all this stuff, it's not respecting our own personal beliefs. I don't want to sing about a religion that is, as far as I'm concerned, misogynistic and narrow-minded, but if other people want to sing it, then go ahead. Just don't get me involved.
I was complaining about this to one of my teachers when she said that I was being disrespectful for refusing to sing the song, which was is totally not fair. I never said anything bad about the song and I don't try to prevent other people from singing it, yet they're forcing me to sing it. Its them that's being disrespectful to me, not the other way around. How can they force me to sing when I don't believe? I go to a public school for a reason, yet religion is always imposing itself on me, and I'm sick of it.
I've learned to live peacefully alongside people of all races and religions. Sure, we have disagreements and debates, but we rub along as comfortably as possible. But I'm sick of trying to be converted by this and that, left right and centre. I can't stand not being in control of my life, which is why I'm against religion in the first place.
I am old enough to make my own decisions. I'm an atheist, and a feminist, and I'm proud of it. So don't try and make me into something I'm not.
Well, more specifically, I don't have anything against religion as long as it doesn't interfere with the impersonal way our world works. People can follow whatever religion they want, as far as I'm concerned, as long as they don't impose things on others. It's just not fair.
I personally don't believe in any religion, but I'm constantly being subjected to doing religious shit against my will. In primary school we had a school prayer, which was a Christian thing, when about 80% of the school was Asian, most of them extremely devout Indian Hindus. They told us we were being disrespectful to God by not saying the prayer, but I don't frigging believe in God! I don't have any problem with people believing in God and I don't impose my irreligious beliefs onto them, so why do they do it to me?
And now, the girl's choir have to sing this song from the Vicar of Dibley called 'The Lord Is My Shepard', which is basically one of the psalms set to extremely tedious music. Religious music should be made illegal in public schools - we should not have to sing all this stuff, it's not respecting our own personal beliefs. I don't want to sing about a religion that is, as far as I'm concerned, misogynistic and narrow-minded, but if other people want to sing it, then go ahead. Just don't get me involved.
I was complaining about this to one of my teachers when she said that I was being disrespectful for refusing to sing the song, which was is totally not fair. I never said anything bad about the song and I don't try to prevent other people from singing it, yet they're forcing me to sing it. Its them that's being disrespectful to me, not the other way around. How can they force me to sing when I don't believe? I go to a public school for a reason, yet religion is always imposing itself on me, and I'm sick of it.
I've learned to live peacefully alongside people of all races and religions. Sure, we have disagreements and debates, but we rub along as comfortably as possible. But I'm sick of trying to be converted by this and that, left right and centre. I can't stand not being in control of my life, which is why I'm against religion in the first place.
I am old enough to make my own decisions. I'm an atheist, and a feminist, and I'm proud of it. So don't try and make me into something I'm not.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
There's Not Much a Girl Can Depend On
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
Nothing in this world makes things go our way.
How can we trust ourselves,
When we're so easily swayed,
Too easily discouraged,
Too vulnerable, I say.
How can we trust that we'll stay strong through it all,
When so many things go wrong?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
No-one in this world does what we say.
How can we trust our friends,
When they gossip that way,
When they backstab,
Lie,
Bitch, as they say.
How can we trust they'll help us through anything,
When they're as likely to shoot us as smile at us?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
Nobody helps us keep our troubles at bay.
How can we trust men,
When they so easily go astray,
You say I'm being unfair,
But I've got history to turn against you,
My only weapon, I say.
How can we trust they'll stay true,
When not even sacred marriage means anything to anyone but me or you?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
The world seems against us,
Our great enemy in this endless fray.
We cannot even help each other,
Let alone ourselves.
We can fight until the end of time,
But when will this injustice end?
Is it an impossible nirvana,
Or a sanctuary just around the river's bend?
These days,
Nothing in this world makes things go our way.
How can we trust ourselves,
When we're so easily swayed,
Too easily discouraged,
Too vulnerable, I say.
How can we trust that we'll stay strong through it all,
When so many things go wrong?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
No-one in this world does what we say.
How can we trust our friends,
When they gossip that way,
When they backstab,
Lie,
Bitch, as they say.
How can we trust they'll help us through anything,
When they're as likely to shoot us as smile at us?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
Nobody helps us keep our troubles at bay.
How can we trust men,
When they so easily go astray,
You say I'm being unfair,
But I've got history to turn against you,
My only weapon, I say.
How can we trust they'll stay true,
When not even sacred marriage means anything to anyone but me or you?
There's not much a girl can depend on,
These days,
The world seems against us,
Our great enemy in this endless fray.
We cannot even help each other,
Let alone ourselves.
We can fight until the end of time,
But when will this injustice end?
Is it an impossible nirvana,
Or a sanctuary just around the river's bend?
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Busy Girl's Bible
It's my belief that people either spend way too much time on their looks, or not enough time at all.
Lately makeup, for me, has gone nearly completely out the window, due to the fact I've weaned myself off daily overuse and the fact I simply don't have the time.
However, that doesn't mean I go to school looking like the hag I do look like when I get up.
I'm a busy chick, I am. School often means getting up before six and leaving before seven thirty, and sometimes I don't get back till five or six that evening. So....
Here is Every Girl's Guide to Looking Decent, Fast.
1. DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR EVERY DAY.
Overwashed hair is difficult to manage, meaning it takes longer to style than older hair. People these days wash their hair far, far, too often - unless you live in an excessively dirty, hot or humid place, or have an excessively hot or dirty job, you really should only wash your hair about once a week with shampoo and every second day with water. If you have greasy or flat hair, a good tip is to use dry shampoo morning and night. If you don't have dry shampoo, tie your hair up in a ponytail, shake a generous amount of baby powder onto your hands and dust it over your roots (the parts of your hair not in the ponytail), then brush out.
2. Resist the temptation to blowdry your hair every day.
Excessive use of heat appliances on hair can really damage it, not to mention it's seriously annoying when a person you live with wakes you up at the crack of dawn with an atomic explosion, sorry, a hairdryer. If your hair is greasy but you're short on time, dry shampoo it instead, or if you really can't avoid it being wet, towel dry as much as possible and french braid, or twist into an elegant bun - these styles are best done when wet, and still look good when your hair dries.
3. How to survive a horrific bad hair day.
If your hair is simply not working, dry shampoo it for a little volume, STEP AWAY FROM THE MIRROR, and proceed to make the messiest knot you can make with a single elastic and lots of bobby pins. Set with hairspray and you're good to go.
4. Keep it simple, stupid.
If you're running late and you simply must put some makeup on, put on a bold lipstick. This way you can skip foundation and eye makeup because all attention will be on your pout.
5. Be prepared.
Keep all your hair products and cosmetics IN ONE PLACE, preferably near your favourite mirror. Also, keep three non-iron, good to go outfits on one hanger in your wardrobe - one casual, one corporate, and one formal - for mad-rush days, complete with accessories and shoes.
6. How to fix yourself up after a good cry/mad crazy tantrum.
First of all, always always always have an eyeliner, concealer, powder, eye drops, lip product, tissues and hairbrush with you if you're wearing makeup. Blot your face with a tissue and re-rim your eyes with eyeliner, then fix up your foundation with concealer. Dust with powder and put eyedrops in your eyes, and SMILE!!!
7. What to do when the wind totally rapes your hair.
On windy days give lipgloss the slip because there's nothing more annoying or unsexy as hair stuck to sticky lips. Unless you're prepared to whip your hairbrush out every time a breeze flutters in your direction, stick to updos or half-updos on gusty days.
8. Feel confident without makeup.
Lets face it, most schoolkids don't have a lot of time in the morning on their face. The best thing to do is just wash your face and strut your stuff, but if you simply can't do that stick to three products maximum - your face, your eyes, and your lips. That's it.
9. Good trims.
Anyone can wear their hair down and proud with a good haircut and colour - your cut and colour should complement your lifestyle, face shape, skin tone and clothing choices. Investing in a good haircut means you can cut all that time wasted on endlessly blowdrying, flat-ironing, and styling.
10. Just be confident.
You know those days when your hair's a mess and you know you've got that huge red zit on your chin? Just smile.
Lately makeup, for me, has gone nearly completely out the window, due to the fact I've weaned myself off daily overuse and the fact I simply don't have the time.
However, that doesn't mean I go to school looking like the hag I do look like when I get up.
I'm a busy chick, I am. School often means getting up before six and leaving before seven thirty, and sometimes I don't get back till five or six that evening. So....
Here is Every Girl's Guide to Looking Decent, Fast.
1. DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR EVERY DAY.
Overwashed hair is difficult to manage, meaning it takes longer to style than older hair. People these days wash their hair far, far, too often - unless you live in an excessively dirty, hot or humid place, or have an excessively hot or dirty job, you really should only wash your hair about once a week with shampoo and every second day with water. If you have greasy or flat hair, a good tip is to use dry shampoo morning and night. If you don't have dry shampoo, tie your hair up in a ponytail, shake a generous amount of baby powder onto your hands and dust it over your roots (the parts of your hair not in the ponytail), then brush out.
2. Resist the temptation to blowdry your hair every day.
Excessive use of heat appliances on hair can really damage it, not to mention it's seriously annoying when a person you live with wakes you up at the crack of dawn with an atomic explosion, sorry, a hairdryer. If your hair is greasy but you're short on time, dry shampoo it instead, or if you really can't avoid it being wet, towel dry as much as possible and french braid, or twist into an elegant bun - these styles are best done when wet, and still look good when your hair dries.
3. How to survive a horrific bad hair day.
If your hair is simply not working, dry shampoo it for a little volume, STEP AWAY FROM THE MIRROR, and proceed to make the messiest knot you can make with a single elastic and lots of bobby pins. Set with hairspray and you're good to go.
4. Keep it simple, stupid.
If you're running late and you simply must put some makeup on, put on a bold lipstick. This way you can skip foundation and eye makeup because all attention will be on your pout.
5. Be prepared.
Keep all your hair products and cosmetics IN ONE PLACE, preferably near your favourite mirror. Also, keep three non-iron, good to go outfits on one hanger in your wardrobe - one casual, one corporate, and one formal - for mad-rush days, complete with accessories and shoes.
6. How to fix yourself up after a good cry/mad crazy tantrum.
First of all, always always always have an eyeliner, concealer, powder, eye drops, lip product, tissues and hairbrush with you if you're wearing makeup. Blot your face with a tissue and re-rim your eyes with eyeliner, then fix up your foundation with concealer. Dust with powder and put eyedrops in your eyes, and SMILE!!!
7. What to do when the wind totally rapes your hair.
On windy days give lipgloss the slip because there's nothing more annoying or unsexy as hair stuck to sticky lips. Unless you're prepared to whip your hairbrush out every time a breeze flutters in your direction, stick to updos or half-updos on gusty days.
8. Feel confident without makeup.
Lets face it, most schoolkids don't have a lot of time in the morning on their face. The best thing to do is just wash your face and strut your stuff, but if you simply can't do that stick to three products maximum - your face, your eyes, and your lips. That's it.
9. Good trims.
Anyone can wear their hair down and proud with a good haircut and colour - your cut and colour should complement your lifestyle, face shape, skin tone and clothing choices. Investing in a good haircut means you can cut all that time wasted on endlessly blowdrying, flat-ironing, and styling.
10. Just be confident.
You know those days when your hair's a mess and you know you've got that huge red zit on your chin? Just smile.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
This World
They told me that,
In this world,
Boys were the same as girls.
You're innocent until proven guilty,
Right until proven wrong,
That we want peace instead of war,
The truth instead of a lie.
They told me I lived in a world,
Where everything would be alright.
But I realized that,
In this world,
Boys get it so much better than girls.
You're guilty until proven innocent,
Wrong until proven right,
That they want war instead of peace,
A lie instead of the truth.
I know now I live in a world,
Where nothing is alright.
You know who proved it to me?
You did.
You know who tried to deny it?
You did.
I was so innocent,
But you punished me,
When I was right,
You shunned me.
So I know now,
In this world,
Where boys will always be better than girls,
You're guilty even when proven innocent,
You're wrong, always wrong, never right.
That you want war instead of peace,
You prefer a lie over the truth.
I live in this world,
But I still have hope.
That one day,
In this world,
Boys will be the same as girls.
A world where you're innocent until proven guilty,
Right until proven wrong.
A world where we are at peace, never war,
A world of truth, not a lie.
I want to live in this world...
Do you?
In this world,
Boys were the same as girls.
You're innocent until proven guilty,
Right until proven wrong,
That we want peace instead of war,
The truth instead of a lie.
They told me I lived in a world,
Where everything would be alright.
But I realized that,
In this world,
Boys get it so much better than girls.
You're guilty until proven innocent,
Wrong until proven right,
That they want war instead of peace,
A lie instead of the truth.
I know now I live in a world,
Where nothing is alright.
You know who proved it to me?
You did.
You know who tried to deny it?
You did.
I was so innocent,
But you punished me,
When I was right,
You shunned me.
So I know now,
In this world,
Where boys will always be better than girls,
You're guilty even when proven innocent,
You're wrong, always wrong, never right.
That you want war instead of peace,
You prefer a lie over the truth.
I live in this world,
But I still have hope.
That one day,
In this world,
Boys will be the same as girls.
A world where you're innocent until proven guilty,
Right until proven wrong.
A world where we are at peace, never war,
A world of truth, not a lie.
I want to live in this world...
Do you?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Keanu Reeves
Mood: reeved?
Listening to: 'Promise' from Yi San
Hungry for: kimchi jiggae!
Bella says: 'grrr'
Okay, so I just watched the Matrix in philosophy this week. About ten years late.
Which means my crush on Keanu Reeves is a bit belated, but still, WHAT KIND OF GUY LOOKS HOT WHEN HE'S GOT HOLES ALL OVER HIS BODY? KEANU REEVES!
Oh, and he's got a super sexy trench coat. Phwar.
Okay, so he isn't your traditional Malibu hottie. But still, you have to admit, he'd make an AWESOME HEATHCLIFF.
Listening to: 'Promise' from Yi San
Hungry for: kimchi jiggae!
Bella says: 'grrr'
Okay, so I just watched the Matrix in philosophy this week. About ten years late.
Which means my crush on Keanu Reeves is a bit belated, but still, WHAT KIND OF GUY LOOKS HOT WHEN HE'S GOT HOLES ALL OVER HIS BODY? KEANU REEVES!
Oh, and he's got a super sexy trench coat. Phwar.
Okay, so he isn't your traditional Malibu hottie. But still, you have to admit, he'd make an AWESOME HEATHCLIFF.
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