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January 20th, 2009
08:35 pm - just a long time in coming
HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/jubilant.gif) jubilant
Current Music: i wrote a poem and that isn't quite enough
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January 13th, 2009
07:51 pm - Fruits Basket, Volume Four (reread)
On to volume four! I am extremely delayed in getting this post up, so I owe a huge apology to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) usomitai and anyone else keeping track of the reread. BUT I'VE FINALLY FINISHED TYPING IT UP NOW.
( Volume Four )
Links to previous volumes:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
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November 14th, 2008
03:30 am - Fruits Basket, Volume Two (reread)
So, usomitai and I began rereading the entire Furuba series recently. Since this is a lengthy task, to say the least, we're posting thoughts on each volume in our LJs and commenting at length accordingly. A couple of weeks ago, we discussed volume one -- now, we're moving on to the next and the onus is on me. XD
All of the content here is full of spoilers, so everything will be carefully placed behind a cut tag.
( Volume Two )
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July 27th, 2007
12:08 am - more notes forthcoming
I bought the book for my brother around 9 PM Saturday night at Borders, then carefully read through it myself from eleven-thirty to four-thirty AM. It’s not nice to read things that you’ve bought for other people, I know, but he’s my brother, and I figured that he wouldn’t mind in this one instance. =_=.
( yet another HP7 review )
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July 4th, 2006
12:47 pm
Cos it looks remarkably fun: "Name a character (or more) from one of my fandoms, and I will tell you my top 3 moments or scenes of them." Taken from Meimi and Bell; seems like a good meme to while away the hours with.
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July 3rd, 2006
09:37 pm - spampost with kingfishers, medallions and sand-castles
Figures that the one day I bring an umbrella, it doesn't actually rain. Being right next to the Fourth of July, work was incredibly slow today. And as such, I spent a coupla hours surfing poetry archives instead. These were a few I liked best (enough to re-post here, at least):
( As Kingfishers Catch Fire )
( Reading a Medal )
( Epitaph for a Darling Lady )
I saw my first ice cream truck speed by in the city today! Good sign of summer, that.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/calm.gif) calm
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July 1st, 2006
11:26 pm - rec of the day
Utena fic: What Color is Your Revolution?
Humor. Could easily see this happening in canon, and the repartee is spot-on. A very special Student Council meeting is drawn to attention -- by Nanami in typical fashion. I like the explanation for why you would, um, conceivably grow designer-colored roses. I guess it explains the green ones. Sort of.
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June 30th, 2006
04:32 pm - synaesthesia:
n.
1. A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.
2. The description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another.
PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT BPALS AGAIN. AND IT MAKES ME *HUNGRY*, OF ALL THINGS. You tell me what I'm supposed to think when people compare them to tangerine, vanilla or fruit punch. Or candy-cherry scents, for instance. Not that I'd drink the oils or anything. They just sound like they'd taste good. ;_;. Having never ordered one, I hope this stuff is well-labeled. Lest someone down them in one gulp without realizing what they've just swallowed. Browsing through the site, now I'm wholly aware of why their Drink Me and Eat Me blends from the Mad Tea Party section are clearly marked "not edible" even on the shopping cart. Although the latter is described as "three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants". Which doesn't help matters much.
I'm probably just thirsty, despite that I tend to drink upwards of three pints of water daily.
Hoping things work out on the time management front. *gestures vaguely*
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June 29th, 2006
07:54 pm - book-blogging
Of other books I've started on: Polite Fictions (in J-interest section of, ironically, Book-Off. haven't made much headway, though couldn't find it the last time I went there. speaking of which, they have The Swimming-Pool Library there for $7: should I pick it up? I've already got my hands full with heaps of other books I'm interested in buying -- aka Jonathan Norrell & Mr Strange especially. $15 is pricey by my standards, but so is a tome half that price. cos it's insanely thick, I can't see myself coming to B&N to read only that: I'd probably get distracted and direct my wanderlust onto some other poor book.) LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness (strangely lyrical), The Leopard and Dracula. The latter two are both for class. Gotta knuckle down and get cracking!
The sole detriment to having such a busy summer is the lack of time. Namely, to pursue my own interests. Actually, that's a pretty big deal: I'm glad to have a job, earn wages, immerse self in classes on weekends, etc, but the downfall is I don't get to spend much time with family or friends. Or Creative Pursuits. Although I'm steadily plugging away at the latter nonetheless. Plus there's this (gorgeously) huge track field less than a block away, so am trying to make ample use of that. I thought summers were supposed to be relaxing? =_=.
As Anne of Green Gables says, it's completely tragical.
On a tangent: the Anne of Green Gables series loses a lot of its dewy-eyed charm by the second book. The quality of Anne's vivid personality is its initial charm -- because she's so enchanted by the world around her, the reader can't help but be drawn into that as well. Once she's 'grown up' (much as fifteen or sixteen fits that bill), that same draw has been watered-down. If her adolescence had been extended, it could've been an improvement -- but there would also have been the possibility of her growth being *too* drawn out. It's better to have one book that's thoroughly enjoyable, as opposed to a whole series that are only kind of fun. Though I'm not knocking the later books, just noting their relative lack of joie de vivre. Well, The Story Girl was always my favorite of Montgomery's writing anyway.
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April 28th, 2006
12:37 am - inconsequential blather
Possibly, an encyclopedia of these should be formed.
( if words were food-- (or colors) )
This is really short. Nuisance! Botherance! Any ideas? I'm going through my A Word a Day email folder, but the words themselves, while interesting, don't conjure up distinct images. Well, most. (Cos antanaclasis and festschrift are clearly too much for my feeble mind to comprehend.) Godwottery's a good one; gotta work that into my vocabulary some time soon.
This is also one step up from stream-of-consciousness. Though it also reminds me -- I really want to read The Phantom Tollbooth again. Rhyme and Reason, Dictionopolis, the Word Market, the Whether Man: t'was all fantabulous.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/crazy.gif) loopy
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April 1st, 2006
05:38 pm - lists, lists, lists
I make copious lists. In fact, I make copious lists of lists. Not like just a couple of scraps tucked away for later, but lists and lists of individual keywords conjuring sentences that expand to pages. Pages and pages of these things to write down. Schedules to remind me of other schedules. It drives me nuts. It's embarrassing because I hardly need half of them, thus negating my need to write them down to begin with.
For example. One of them I made last week read 'fairytale' at the top. This was shorthand for "make a post about fairytales (possibly relating to another form of media)" along with "finish the reading for next week: oh, and by the way, read Fable ASAP; you'll enjoy it".
My bet is: knowing me, if I ever do read Fable, it'll take me no less than a month to get around to it.
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
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March 15th, 2006
01:54 pm - you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars
Spent the better part of the morning and last night working on calligraphy.
The Gothic script terribly cramps my hand (I like the Chancery Italic one better), and numerous sheets of paper have been wasted. One, two, ten; the ink bleeds through and smudges the surface.
Hours have gone by without me producing anything I’m proud of. The blue-black still looks nice against the white.
I’m happy.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/quixotic.gif) quixotic
Current Music: maybe I should use bristol?
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March 13th, 2006
05:45 pm - temporary freedom
Hurrah for Spring Break! Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last. (Except not quite.) I do plan to get in contact with lots of people and generally be productive, just...not right now. More than content to let the first few days slide by without doing anything. Actually, the first thing I did upon reaching home was to sleep for hours and hours. For some reason, I always get more rest at my house than at my dorm, even unintentionally. ^^;. Other than that, I saw Pleasantville on the bus ride back, and took out a handful of movies to watch with my family from Blockbuster. I've vowed to catch up on my list of "movies I really wanna see but somehow never got around to actually watching" list over break -- this is a good start. I liked Pleasantville a lot; I'm sure there's a lot more resonance if you're a child of the Baby Boomer era, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I did see.
"What I did see?" Well, because the picture went out about three-fourths through. Problematic, but you could still hear the audio and I already knew what happened by the end. So it wasn't all that bad.
Five top things about midterms being over:
1. Waking up early, when it seems like the rest of the world is asleep. During freezing-cold and pouring weather outside, and I'm in a warm bed to wiggle my toes and think, "I don't have to go out in that."
2. Not feeling the urge to bang my head repeatedly against a desk. Often!
3. Edible food that isn't salad or a sandwich (I love them, but it's nice to have a change).
4. Lots of free time and space.
5. Hence having the time to be enthusiastic over new stuff.
6. No tests.
So shoot me, that's six. :D #5 is really an extension of #4: even if you're a stickler, it still shouldn't be too remiss.
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February 19th, 2006
09:37 pm - In the Mood for Love.
I just watched In the Mood for Love! What a fantastic movie. And gorgeous, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it: it especially excels at conveying loads of emotion in tiny gestures. This is harder to pull off than it sounds -- very often, the intended result can misfire and I end up feeling uninvolved. Yet it was powerful instead. A scrap of smoke, foggy windows, and quiet symphony of rain-soaked streets: all of these completely pulled me in. The atmosphere went perfectly palm in palm with the unspoken longing. Very hypnotic, actually. Oh, and did I mention it was really, really gorgeous?
It's not solely about the aesthetics. The reason I'm mostly focusing on that is because it was just so stunning. I found it to be really resonant -- even though the length of the movie wasn't all too long, I felt like I knew Li-zhen and Chow inside and out by the end. It's all about the potent 'almost-maybes' and 'could-have-beens', cliche as that sounds. Definitely want to see it again. I also have a feeling that a second viewing would help me absorb a lot of details I missed the first time.
Watched bits and pieces of Chungking Express as well: I liked what I saw, but didn't see it all the way through, so I'll have to reserve my opinion on that. I'm interested in seeing 2046, even though opinions on that have been decidedly mixed.
This was all in the name of presentation research, by the way.
Though: best part of the evening was definitely when the landlady announced vegetable wontons were being served, and all three of us watching pretty much went, "Mmm," in unison. Result of ordering Chinese previously that took about an hour and a half to come; we were all starving by that point. It's always cruel to watch scenes that elicit food-craving if you haven't eaten for more than ten or eleven hours.
I also have a yearly subscription to Time magazine. :) Not that I agree with everything they say, but it beats not having a good source of concentrated information. IIRC, I do look up articles on the net, but I'm much more compelled to read them all if they're collected together in one group. Granted, LJ probably has a good news feed: should look into that. But despite my net-addiction, I'd prefer to be reading something that's in my hands for once. It'd be a refreshing change. ^^;;.
Current Music: Tapestry (Carole King)
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February 14th, 2006
05:34 pm - Snow, Glass, Apples
Nobody told me that eating ten Eclipse mints in a row led to sugar highs of unrivaled proportion. My breath is minty-fresh, but barely-restrained jumping up and down in the computer lab is not the way to go.
Does anyone have a link to the photography of Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples? It was linked from his blog about a couple of years ago. It wasn't actually by him; just a fan's website. All I remember is that the colors were darkly vivid -- the reds popped out especially. Thought there'd be a good chance that somebody else saved it because they liked it too.
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February 13th, 2006
10:35 pm
I'm not the first (and definitely not the last) to jump on the bandwagon, but: meme me! Can 'meme' even be used as a verb? Doubtful. Yet with my gradual twisting and turning of the English language, this isn't surprising. It'll shift into something wholly different and entirely unrecognizable. At this rate, I might even create a whole new language instead.
REVIEW OF TODAY
productivity: -5
goofing off: +10
failure to contribute anything beneficial to the human race: +1000
All in all, not bad.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/silly.gif) silly
Current Music: Last Secret of the Sea (Cousteau)
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February 2nd, 2006
06:20 pm - a magical dancing guidance counselor
A long time ag--oh, forget it. Watch Princess Tutu, despite its awful title (I think everyone gives this disclaimer when talking about it). How can you not love this series? It's like what you'd get if Hans Christian Anderson collaborated with Kunihiko Ikuhara to make an anime. With BALLET!
Admittedly, the series is probably not for everyone.
Here are some possible reasons to NOT enjoy Princess Tutu:
You suffer from a dangerously low amount of pants in your life.
You hate Love, Happiness, and little yellow ducks.
Your family was killed by a ballerina.
If none of these apply to you, then I'd suggest checking the series out right away.
I've seen one through nine, but I might have to stop here (or resume from episode twenty!) -- I don't know where to get the rest. I've gotta thank usomitai for most of the former, though. :D It's kind of like picking up sticks: I saw the first couple of episodes aaaages ago and as such wanted to download more, but couldn't. Hence I'm struck by deja-vu.
Also:twelve! I should have mentioned it earlier, but I got your Christmas card! Thanks so much; it's really pretty, nicer than even spring sun in January.
Lastly, my computer in the dorm isn't letting me access LJ. Or rather, letting me log on and access any locked posts. I can see all of the public entries, but the rest won't load. This is, as you can imagine, somewhat infuriating. Especially because this isn't a problem on anyone else's computer -- or in the lab. And also because my computer has no trouble loading any other pages save LJ's. I think it has to do with security and adjusting control settings, but can't figure out for the life of me what.
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January 16th, 2006
06:26 pm - Hail to the Thief
Reviewing any Radiohead CD (or indeed, just listing my opinions) is a thorny task. It's not so much that they're impenetrable: more that many songs aren't very immediate. Also because Hail to the Thief is a mixture of guitars and electronica, balanced pretty evenly between both. The soundscapes take a while for me to piece apart -- I don't identify various instruments quickly. So there's a certain trepidation in voicing off. ^^;. That aside, this is what I think.
I love A Punchup at a Wedding. It doesn't seem to be very popular, and I'm confounded as to why -- the bluesy riffs inject a lot of life; it's great. I also really like There there: lyrically, one of the strongest on the CD. There there's intent is also more readily understandable than the rest. I haven't delved much into Radiohead's concepts behind HttT, but I do have a vague idea -- paranoia and escalating anxiety in a time of confusion, along with a suffocating sense of isolation. Though my description sounds more like a blanket term for a large chunk of their music. I'm sure the more familiar with Radiohead on my flist will seethe at me for this. ^^. I'm kidding. I do hear a distinct change between the lyrics here and on OK Computer (the only other album of theirs I've heard in full). Hail to the Thief sounds angrier, more strained. The anxiety is ever-present, even behind their walls of metaphor. At the same time, there are a couple of gentler songs, like Scatterbrain and I Will. Considering that their lyrics are hardly cheerful, this is relative.
Other favorites: Sail to the Moon, which reminds me a great deal of Pink Floyd. Actually, much of the music on Hail to the Thief does -- there's this startling contrast between listening to it softly and at a high volume. On low, the tiers of instruments are most noticeable. When not, the vocals soar. And both know how to rock out when necessary, despite their penchant for experimentation. Where I End & You Begin. Scatterbrain, which seems quite underrated. A shame; it might be one of my top favorites (ahaha, there is a difference) on the CD. 2+2=5. Maaaaaybe The Gloaming.
Myxomatomis's grunge-y rock sound took a while to grow (almost wrote 'grow up' here) on me, but I thought wrapping Thom's voice in heavy synth (?) and removing it for certain portions was clever. Backdrifts is drowsy, but somehow I don't like this one -- there's a very artificial sound about it. The jazzy freakout in the middle of We Suck Young Blood is great, and the beginning sounded promising; the rest didn't exactly entrant me. Its slow, drawn-out (painful) pace works for the song, but I don’t enjoy listening to it.
The first time I heard I Will, Let Down eclipsed it because I heard that one right after. This was on a mix CD, so it's not like I did anything funky with the CD or bought a bootleg version or what have you. The repetition of 'little baby's eyes, eyes, eyes,' is creepy. Is one of the lines a reference to Hills Like White Elephants?
Most songs don't follow the stereotypical 'verse, chorus, verse' standard. This gives them more room to do what they feel like as opposed to conforming to a set pattern, but the melodies aren't immediate always.
I like that they use the musical equivalent of onomatopoeia for their songs. In, say, Stand Down, Sit Up (a mediocre song otherwise) there's a slight pitter-patter until the end, wherein the synthbeats pour down like a tempest of rain.
This CD isn't really early-morning or summery music: I can only listen to it at certain times. It's great to hear at night and if I'm in a good mood. The last is ironic, considering their reputation in the media.
Several reviews mentioned that HttT isn't very cohesive. I disagree. The lyrics seem to constantly cross-reference one another. Thom whispers, "the sky is falling in", in 2 2=5, which is the subtitle of Where You End & I Begin. Similarly for the phrase of 'snakes and ladders' in both Sit Down, Stand Up and A Wolf at the Door.
Thom's vocals are appealing, though I can't always make out what he's SAYING! This is likely due to a combination of his vocal acrobatics and enunciation. I'd say it was my fault, but this isn't a general problem when listening to other artists...Oftentimes I mishear the lyrics as something else: the vowels of 'shadows blue and red' shifted into 'the shadows blurring'; at first 'you are not paying attention' sounded suspiciously like 'meditation'. IMHO, at least. Having the lyrics booklet helped greatly, as I [am lazy and] don't always like looking them up online. The format overall is very funky -- looks like a roadmap full of ominous words and apocryphal headings.
I thought it was a poetic touch to add parenthesized captions to the song titles. Plus the phrases themselves are cool.
A couple of sentences on some:
2+2=5 (The Lukewarm): I'm almost positive this song correlates with the book 1984. Kind of funny (weird-funny, not hahah-funny); I first thought they were talking about the 2000 Presidential election.
Sit down, Stand up (Snakes & Ladders): Regarding this as an add-on to 2+2=5 makes it more tolerable.
Backdrifts (Honeymoon is Over): the 'you fell into our arms' and 'honeysweet, so full of sleep' parts are pretty.
Go to Sleep (Little Man being Erased): the guitar on this is nice, but in comparison to some of the others, this song fades away into obscurity. Do like it, but it'd make more of an impression if it were placed somewhere else on the CD. I'm surprised the band chose to use this one as a single.
Where I End & You Begin (The Sky is Falling in): does this use the ondes martenot? I wish they'd use it more often. Or not: overuse of the instrument might lose its appeal. I read that the ondes martenot was used primarily for sci-fi/horror films -- I've never heard any group use it before. The "I will eat you alive" line at the very end sticks like in my mind like gum.
We Suck Young Blood (Your Time is up): the 'dum-dum-dum' (you know you've decent musical terminology when you resort to this *snort*) moody piano chords remind me of Gankutsuou's intro-minute thing. I really, REALLY like the aforementioned jazz freakout; my only complaint is that it's too short.
The Gloaming (Softly Open our Mouths in the Cold): I like Thom's vocals on this a lot. The stark blipping background noises make the song seem an eerie, isolated marker point. In retrospect, seems better conceptually than musically.
There there (Boney King of Nowhere): a favorite. It's strongly atmospheric, and encapsulates....errr, a lot that I don't feel like writing out at the moment! I've heard the music video is very inspired.
Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury and Executioner): mathematical equation: 2+2=5 > Myxomatosis. Not to bash the latter -- the comparison is due to how I regard them (as the loudest songs on the CD, with possible exception of A Wolf at the Door). Again with the weird comparisons: the first few lines remind me of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, of all things.
A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll): sorta reminds me of Bob Dylan. It's okay. I find it more hammering than powerful, but the chorus is good.
Because of their reputations in the media versus respective fanbase, I drew up a comparison in my mind between Kid A and Boys for Pele. Mostly cos of vaguely-puzzling symbolism/structure and that die-hard fans tend to love each, whereas critics think they're a bit pretentious. Unfortunately, making a Radiohead<-->Tori Amos comparison otherwise is eluding me . :( There are other similarities, but I can't grasp them well enough to elucidate at the moment.
Current Music: High and Dry (Radiohead)
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05:54 pm - with brilliance like this...
Don't you love e-mails that start as:
"Your name was included on a list as someone who wanted information about Growing biologically younger."
How do these weirdos get my e-mail address?!
"Life expectancy. It's an absurd concept, yet millions of people buy intoThat mindset and die right on schedule every year. Life expectancy is Simply the age at which unhealthy, sedentary people tend to die. The new paradigm in aging rejects this notion and focuses on maximum life span, a far healthier approach that right now is 120 years, and will be extended in the near future to about 140 years."
Yeesh.
Current Music: Run (Air)
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December 31st, 2005
09:32 pm - early happy New Year's greetings
Thought I'd give this a shot.
a. Post a list of fifteen fandoms.
b. Have your friends list guess your favourite character from each one.
c. When guessed, bold the line, include the character name, and write a sentence about why you like that character.
( not all *fandoms* as such... )
Ask away!
Nothing against the other meme that's going around, but this one's more my style. ^^.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/neko/kaokitty/tired.gif) tired
Current Music: pandora.com
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