I feel like I cheated today or something. I slept in until 10:00 (late for me), had potstickers for lunch, and ate plum tart for dinner. I went shopping late in the afternoon before my mom got back from her hiking trip, and I didn't get back until 7:00, well after my mom ever makes dinner, so all that was left was the plum tart that my brother didn't want for some reason. Because it was delicious.
There's just something about being alone in your house that makes you want to get out and go shopping. No? I'm not one to spend a lot of money or have shopping urges, but that characteristic of mine seems to have changed this year. Really strange.
It might also be because I've realized how drab my wardrobe is. All I ever really wear are plain, solid t-shirts or tank tops (however brightly colored), jeans, converse shoes... the occasional graphic T, or long sleeve v-neck. But nothing really girly or flirty or fun. I never wear skirts or dresses. Or pink. Or heels.
I grew up as a tom boy, playing sports, running faster than the boys, dissing the arts and crafts sessions with Girl Scouts... and in retrospect, I think I was a bully in elementary school, but just to the boys I had a crush on. We weren't allowed to have crushes back in those days--boys were supposed to be icky, still. Nobody ever said aloud that a boy was "cute" until middle school.
So anyway, the last couple of years have been spent trying to change that, little by little, to become more interesting via apparel. I haven't had much progress. But today, I bought a cute white and red floral skirt (so proud of myself), an orange tie dye bandeau top, a flowery blue babydoll top, a plaid red roll-tab shirt, brown and grey leggings, vera wang aviator sunglasses, and two strapless bras, which I am surprised to admit I love more than bras with straps. I thought I would have a hard time with them, thinking they'd slip all over the place, but they fit so well and don't budge at all. Here are just a couple of those items:
The next couple of weeks should be fairly eventful for me. Tomorrow I'll be spending the day with a friend who used to be a coworker nobody could stand. It's rather surprising how much people change in the workplace, because even though she was really annoying to work with, she's a really fun person to be around. We'll probably be going out to lunch and then stay up late with a movie marathon.
For the fourth of July, I'll either be going to Six Flags with two coworkers and their girlfriends or with my mom to a barbeque at my grandparents' house. It depends on what my coworkers want to do, since two others already flaked on us. Flakers.
Also, I'll be attending two plays with my mom. One is called Love Child and the other is Monty Python's Spamalot! I'm looking forward to both. We'll also be going to San Francisco to hang out for a day, taking pictures at the botanical gardens and visiting art museums. Should be a blast!
Sometimes I think about things like how people come up with words in the start of a new language. How could you describe what something is in a dictionary if you have to define those descriptive words first? And yes, you'd have to point and grunt at physical nouns, but what about words like "liberty" and "bravery" and "honesty"? We're such geniuses to be able to do so, I think.
The Leipzig Hoodie from ModCloth arrived... and I can't wait until fall to wear it! That's a picture of the hoodie clothing me, by the way. It fits fantastically... totally true to size. And I found out once I got it that the hood is zipped in a compartment in the collar! Stellar. Also, the breast pockets are not functional. Sad face!
Summer isn't exactly my thing. I own shorts--I just don't like wearing them out of the house. Tanning? Not so much a priority. The heat? Can't really stand it for so long; you can only take off so many clothes. Winter, on the other hand, you can wear as many coats and start as many fires as you want, so long as you don't burn the place down.
I'm starting to get tired of blogging about myself, and that's probably why I started doing those movie reviews. Perhaps I'll just switch over completely to Mix Tape. Who knows.
My mom has a talent for ruining things. Her life, her career, her friendships, her romances, her body. I feel like she has a need to be hated, because that's what she knew and grew up with. She drinks wine, even after I told her I don't want her to drink anymore--no one likes her that way. In fact, I can't stand her whens he drinks. I hate her when she drinks. But I love her when she doesn't, and she has a hard time retaining that information because she gets so caught up in the negative all of the time.
I know she's only looking out for me when she shows her concern for my hanging out with Granma again, but I don't want to hear it. She doesn't know the whole story and I hate that she feels like she knows more than I do about him. There's one thing I know--Granma is not a great boyfriend, but he is a great friend. So that's all I want. And considering that Granma was the one who broke up with me last year, I'm sure that all he wants is friendship, as well. So we're both happy, even with just a dash of angst.
If I had a superhuman ability, it'd be time shifting. I'd want to be able to go back in time to change events, and pause and slow down time to bask in a moment.
I don't need to go into the future... there's no reason for that.
SO happy right now. I had a pretty good day, you see. I got up, made myself some muffins and also made my brother come with me to the park to take some photographs of the flowers blooming this season.
Then I got home, exchanged an email with Granma (we're hanging out on Thursday, uh oh), got the new collab blog almost started, watched Wanted, scarfed down some rice pudding... I may have a food baby soon, but I'm feelin' good.
Also something pretty wicked: I was notified via email from ModCloth that a garment I was interested in is back in stock, so I snagged one from the internet shelf. I'm excited for its arrival in the mail! The Leipzig Hoodie! Apparently it's made out of sweatshirt material, but constructed like a coat. I can't wait to see how it turns out in person, but reviews say that it's a great find.
I've been working a bit more recently, and so am seeing more of Granma around. He's become increasingly more flirtatious, and he came up and hugged me at a really random moment--after not having any hugs whatsoever since last year. I have such mixed feelings. I can't help but like him; he's too charming. But he doesn't deserve any attention from me. Oh, cruds, what shall I do.
You know what all this got me thinking? That whole 'hard to get' idea works pretty well. If you pretend you're not interested, they'll try to get your attention because they miss it. Seriously, Granma is becoming really touchy feely now, it's hilarious. Although, this method probably only works well with attention seekers.
I'm trying to draw some more portraits, but they don't seem to be working out. Then again, I'm not trying so hard and am giving up too easily. Maybe it's because of my headache. Or my sleepiness from my hour and a half long nap today. Or my tiredness from an eight hour work day after getting up at four in the morning. Or by busy little brain.
I've already decided on some topics to write up about art once the collab blog starts up. Or will it?? Go see if you want to contribute; we're looking for some recruitments!
There are more movies to review, but I suppose I'll save them for an upcoming collaboration blog proposed by Lizzie. Now we just need to think up a name for the thing. Among other things.
I've been to visit my dad these past couple of days. Before the drama unfolding today surrounding financial crises, the fam went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and had a total blast on the roller coasters. There's this ride called Tatsu that's beyond awesome. It's one of those dangling-feet kind of rides, but instead of staying vertical, the seats are rotated so that you're facing the ground. Once the ride is going, you feel like you're flying. What a trip that was, especially being in the front row.
I want to move out of the house, but I know I won't last long before having to come back home. I'm not going to leave until I know I'll be able to stay away. But that might not be for a long time considering all the schooling I still have left after I graduate in December. Oh, well.
I'll be going back to work a bunch for the summer. I'm not really sure what I'll be doing for the fall semester. Right now I'll only have one class on campus and one online, but that may or may not change, which will also determine how much I'll be at work during the fall... It's just too much to think about.
Every day at 7:00 PM when I'm sitting on my bed with this here computer on my lap, the light streaks through the window at an angle directly at my face. It's really annoying, and yet I'm too lazy to do anything about it.
Next section of movie reviews are all about foreign films! Including England! Haha, alriiiiight!
Lost In Austen An English film, not surprisingly about Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. However it isn't the exact story of Pride and Prejudice... instead, a modern day girl named Amanda, head over heels for the book, finds herself in the world of Pride and Prejudice replacing Elizabeth Bennet and still trying to make the story take its rightful course. But things don't really go as planned. At all. Really sweet romance, and you end up hating Darcy until you love him, just like you're supposed to. Low-ish budget, but there's a nice scene of Darcy with a wet white shirt on, so... heheheh... 4/5
Love Me If You Dare A French romance, very reminiscent of Amelie with respect to the color and cinematography, as well as the lovely sense of playful awkwardness. Childhood friends Sophie and Julien begin a game of dare that lasts a lifetime. Never backing down on a challenge, the game is eventually played out of spite with really high stakes that could ruin each others lives. Not quite sure what to think of this film. It's very different, and I think I'm impressed about the story, but I can't believe the characters could be so coldhearted. Still, I really enjoyed watching it a lot, and the ending was really sweet, however confusing. 4/5
Priceless A French romance where a poor man seeks the affection of a beautiful woman. Audrey Tautou plays golddigger Irene and unsuspectingly preys upon poor bartender Jean. He falls for her. She realizes who he is and rejects him. He turns into a golddigger himself to get closer to her. ... What! Cute story, pretty pathetic just how in lust this guy Jean is, but I like his character. He tries to do the right thing but ends up doing wrong. Entertaining story, worthwhile to watch. 3.5/5
Tekkon Kinkreet An anime from the creators of Animatrix, orphans who call themselves Black and White take care of each other in a city named Treasure Town. Gangs and corrupt cops rule this city, but the development of an amusement park threatens to overthrow the balance of power. When Black and White are separated, Black becomes uncontrollable and pursued by the strange megacorporation behind the development.
This film makes you want to want crime to stick around and keep Treasure Town the way it should be rather than to clean up the place and make it a family destination. Very creepy and unusual when it comes to the feel of the place, but really heartwarming when it comes to the relationship between Black and White. Not much of it makes any sense, but you want to keep on watching anyway. Kind of like FLCL. 3.5/5
The Science Of Sleep I'll just copy and paste what Netflix says, because I haven't seen this flick in a while: A timid young man can't control the fantastical plots and images of his dream world from intruding into his waking hours in this science-fiction romance from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). After a promising new job sours, Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) finds new inspiration in his neighbor Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), releasing the bolder personality of his dreams to connect with her. I appreciate the indie-ness of this film, the creativity and art, but this isn't at all watchable. I had to stop the movie part way through. I'M SORRY! 1.5/5
How To Be Robert Pattinson stars in this low budget and awkward dry comedy as a musician named Art who is dumped by his girlfriend and moves back in with his folks. Thinking life is over, he delves into self help books and seeks the professional advice of one of the authors, spending $5k for this author to stay with him in his home and help him discover himself. Really terrible movie. I wanted to give Robert Pattinson the benefit of the doubt in terms of acting ability, but I just couldn't. I don't know what it is with me, but I have a hard time watching these dry, dark comedies about patheticalness. 1/5
Dear Frankie A lovely Scottish drama co-starring Gerard Butler! Want to see it already, don't you? Lizzie is a single mom taking care of her deaf son Frankie who longs to know his father. Frankie's mom fails to communicate to him that they had actually run away from his father and Lizzie wanted to protect him, so she concocted a story that Frankie's dad was aboard the HMS Accra and she forged letters to exchange with Frankie. However, a day comes when the real HMS Accra docks in their hometown and Lizzie chooses to hire a complete stranger to act as Frankie's dad for a day, in order to save Frankie's image of his father. A really heartwarming story of family. Plus, Gerard Butler is in it. That makes it insta-good. 4/5
Chocolate A Thai martial arts film whose title hilariously has nothing to do with the movie. A young autistic girl named Zen discovers that she has the uncanny ability to absorb precision martial arts just by watching it. She uses this ability to take back money owed to her mother for costly medical payments and brings up a dark history of her mother and past relationships that should have been left alone. I couldn't help but laugh at this movie, even if it wasn't at all a comedy. It seemed more like a video game, because there included several "levels", goons, mini-bosses, and a super boss. The emphasis wasn't exactly on plot, but morely on martial arts, which took up the majority of the movie. These nearly endless battles were entertaining, but dragged on. Many of the moves were totally wicked, but I wouldn't recommend watching this if you need more than a kick in the face. 2/5
Paprika A fantasy anime film dedicated to the concept of dreams. A device used to record dreams is stolen from its research facility and used against the creators of the device by meshing their dreams together in an otherwordly, mindbending nightmare. This story can be hard to follow at times, but the imagery is so fascinating that you really don't care. There are some animes like this one, Tekkon Kinkreet, and FLCL that don't make any sense but you just want to keep on watching anyway. Take a peek. 3.5/5
On the foreign film queue: The Crimson Rivers, Paris Je T'aime
