And now, at the risk of contradicting myself, I absolutely cannot wait. (Refer to the post before last if you don't get the joke. If you still don't get it, then I should stop trying to be funny.)
I know it's old news by now, but this is my share.
Michael Jackson passed away. I must say I was quite shocked, although the news came in like a looming fog rather than a bolt of thunder, if you know what I mean. I was shocked because it had never occured to me that he would no longer exist. I mean, it's not like he was constantly mentioned or always on my mind and now he's gone or anything like that, it's just that I never thought Michael Jackson would die...just like that. I never really THOUGHT about it, I guess that's what I'm trying to say. And that was the saddest thing about it all really. That it happened so suddenly, so out of the blue. Alas! At least he left us all with music that is pure genius. Music through which he will live on. I hope my kids, if I ever have any, will one day listen to his records and appreciate them as much as I do.
Okay, enough of that. I've been watching some old TV shows from the 50's on YouTube, and they've sparked something big inside of me. A pleasure and a yearning for the past. The charm, the wit, the beauty, the talent, the politeness even...*sighhhh!* More on that in later post. Let this be a tease.
Music that I'm into right now: La Roux. Her music's fresh yet very reminiscent of the 80's. This is her single "Bulletproof". If you like it go ahead and listen her other stuff. Pretty much all of it has the same vibe. Very catchy, dancey...perfect!
Hello again. I don't normally publish a new post so soon after the last one, but I just watched a short film that I thought was absolutely fantastic. I had to share.
"Direcotr Arthur de Pins / France / 2003 Humorous and insightful animation about a blighted species of crabs." - YouTube
What do you make of this movie? What's the moral you take out of it?
So my sister left for school last night...she's probably still somewhere in the skies right now. I just want to say I love her so much, and I'm proud of her strength and will power. The last thing she whispered in my ear before heading towards the gate was to find myself a job already, which made be laugh despite my watery eyes.
It is about time...that I get a job. I've been unemployed since June...I'm just not sure about what I really want...I'm not sure where to start, or where to look...(this is your queue to spill encouraging and full-of-advice comments :P )
My dad thinks I should spend all this free time writing. "It's what you like doing, isn't it? And you've got all this time...use it before it's too late." Okay dad. I'll just have to grow inspiration seeds outside my window sill and everything'll be dandy.
We went to the carboot sale at AUK this morning. I loved the atmosphere...it was so...I don't know...get-togethery! The weather was beautiful, the spirit was fun, and there were some cool stuff on sale. We should definately have more activities like this in Kuwait. Way to go Marketing Club (organizers)!
Here's a GAP ad I really love. I love these two (Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson.)
Question: How many times did I say "love" in this post?
Because it is extremely important for each and every one of us to know what rights we have:
If everyone had all of these things...what kind of world would it be? Would it indeed become a utopia? Or would there still be struggle, hatred, prejudice and discrimination in the world? Watching the film The Invasion a while back, I began thinking about how alien our world would become if we all got rid of our emotions. Ideally, a human race without emotion would mean that there would be no hatred, no fear, no greed or any other negative emotions that may cause conflict and war. But wouldn't that also get rid of happiness, love and all the other beautiful stuff we feel as well? Sure, we'd be a peaceful race but there wouldn't be any difference between us and, say, a bunch of vegetables... Still...I'm not saying I'm against the universal declaration of human rights.
Hello, everyone. Doesn't it seem like the blogosphere's been quite dead lately? Hmm, perhaps it's just me.
I'm sitting out on the window sill. It's cloudy, damp. It has been raining softly on and off all afternoon. The air is cool and the wind feels fresh. Lovely weather.
Today, I thought I might introduce you to a fantastic group of musicians. It is a group of 6 charming French musicians, who sing mostly a capella in a dying out dialect called Occitan, otherwise accompanied only by clapping hands, stamping feet and a few percusion instruments. Their name is Lo Cor De La Plana. I first encountered their captivating music at a small concert here in Kuwait. It was held at Mishref's AbdulAziz Hussain Theatre, and I remember bringing my little brother and my two sisters because I didn't want to go alone. We all did not regret going!
They say a picture's worth a thousand words...I wonder what they have to say about a video...enjoy!
This is them performing "Tant Deman" live (one of my favourites):
This is them performing live at a festival in Paris. They start a farandole (a festive dance):
Isn't it a wonderful setting to fall in love in? You find yourself holding a stranger's hand and then after a frenzy of kicking and turning and jumping you find that you don't want to let go...
I was watching the National Assembly's first meeting today. As usual, they are voting on all the different committees and their members. Something struck me as bizarre and so I just want to comment on the MP's who choose not to vote on any article or committee or whatever they might be asked to vote for/against.
"Mumtani3."(I refuse to vote.)
Who came up with such an option?! What does it tell us when an MP refuses to state their opinion about a certain issue? What's the point of them being in the Assembly if they refuse to vote? They are basically refusing to make a difference, refusing to do their jobs! And what excuse could there be for this kind of behaviour other than the fact that they hope not to displease any party; neither their electors nor their fellow MP's or the governemt. Fear of being blamed for anything that might go wrong later on because of their decision...
If you strive to become a member of parliament, you are expected to have a certain line of thought, and when you get to the "green chair" you are supposed to fight for those beliefs which your electors chose you for (perhaps not in reality, but ideally speaking.) And so you are not doing your job when you sit there and you deny your right, your duty, when the time comes to make the decision.
*Sigh*
On a lighter note, here's a fantastic video for you. It's a commercial for a VW automobile. A remix (by Mint Royale) of the famous "Singing in the Rain" scene in which Gene Kelly is apparantly...poppin' it! Enjoy.
It has been ages since I last posted. I didn't know what to say, or what to write. I suspect that it was my Ramadan routine that was the culprit. Always the same; getting up late, not eating, eating, sleeping late. Basically, my life has failed to provide any inspiration for posting.
But I realise that nothing is going to change if I don't change it myself. Part of what has got me thinking again, is reading and watching The Kite Runner. So here's a book/movie review.
Well, I loved both. The book is a page turner, Hosseini's words flowing right off the page. The plot is greatly woven, the characters perfectly developed. I absolutely fell for Baba. And Amir is just the perfect protagonist. The movie was amazing too. A great adaptaion in my opinion. Although there were events that were ommitted, it was still quite faithful to the novel. Very well acted by everyone...Khalid Abdalla played Amir very well, and Homayoun Ershadi was perfect as Baba. The soundtrack was well chosen as well. I recommend both.
As you can tell, my writing has gone rusty. It needs a little oiling here and there. But it'll hopefully get back to normal soon.
***SPOILERS*** P.S. I cried watching the movie...When Baba died, and when Amir read Hassan's letter. *Sniff*
Exhiliration. Like when you come out from backstage after a great show. I join the crowd going down the stairs. Everyone is all smiles and I cannot keep it in. The happiness, the ecstasy overflows. Met with laughter, pats on the back, I barely stop to catch up with everyone. Thousands of familiar faces, but I am too high, too fast, too happy to stop. Then I see a face, a face I've been searching for for so long. But like a river running downhill I cannot help but pass it by. Yet there it is again. And again. Wanting to be noticed. Not wanting to give up, on me. He smiles, and I smile back. I give him a playful hit on the shoulder, like I always wanted to. He joins me in our plight against the crowd. Going up and down the stairs. He holds my hands and asks: "Would you do life all over again with me?" He looks so handsome in his turqoise shirt. "Of course I would." The exhiliration sweeps us up again, going through the crowd. Up the stairs again. Faces are now blurs of intense colour that swirl around us mercilessly. Our fingers slip and we are again separate. But like him, I refuse to give up. I fight the crowd to where we were only moments ago. But he is'nt there anymore. I look around and the colours begin to fade. I am alone.
I've been going with my family to play tennis in one of the courts in a nearby district. It feels great to finally be able to get a real taste of what it's like to be on court, having real tennis sensations. (Those who know me will also know that I am a fan of the sport.) Anyway, so we were playing yesterday, and I have to tell you, the court is pretty much neglected. It's in better shape than many others that I've been to, but still, it could be much much better. (I keep going off track!) Right, so we were playing, then along comes the "Hariss" or the ground-keeper (?!) and says that women aren't allowed on the court. Yes, he said that. My uncle, who'd come along to play, went up to him and asked him why women aren't allowed, who came up with such a rule, to go tell on us if he was serious, and that we weren't moving! We didn't leave, rest assured. But I was pissed off at what had happened. I even missed a couple of balls because of it. What has become of us, of this country, of our mentalities?
On a lighter note, here's another movie review for you: Nuovomondo. An Italian film, worthy in my opinion to be called art. It tells the story of an extremely poor Sicilian family which sets to migrate to the New World at the beginning of the 20th century. The story is imaginatively directed, superbly acted out. The characters who in reality are illiterate, simple and poor, are in fact deep, mysterious and sublime. The movie has a mystical quality, sometimes sureal and fantastical. The music is very fitting, adding great deapth to the film. A great one. If you don't mind following subtitles, I definately recommend it. (I personally found the Italian dialogue quite captivating.)
The trailer:
Speech translated:
"We're here to ask you something...Should we part to America, or should we stay here? Give us a sign...a sign."
Director: Guillaume Colomb / France / 2004 A habitual morning, breakfast is being prepared. But this morning, the honey got up on the wrong side of the bed.
"I shall not succumb to your overused attempts at penetrating my strong soul. You might be able to wear others like rings on your fingers, but it's only because they cannot see past your fragile mask. I, on the other hand, let you do your thing, smiling on the inside at your naivety. You're only a boy in a man's body..."
I went to the KU and Primary Education music concert tonight. It was lots of fun. Most of the music was very good if not really great. I had a great time. The evening ended with a surprise first time performance of Jason and Medea a play prepared especially for The English Day. It was very good despite the technical errors with sound and stuff.
So I dragged my sisters along. They didn't want to come, but I forced them. Not a very good idea. They impatiently waited for the songs they knew and were often distracted by other stuff during the songs they didn't know. At a certain point they went into fits of clearly audible laughter at a lady who didn't have a bra on, but desperately needed one...! I tried nudging, pinching, shushing but to no avail. I decided to concentrate on the show (the musical one, that is!) and to never force anyone to do anything...
Okay, I don't think I'm going to stick to that last statement...One has to be practical, and I might need to force one or two people to do stuff still...
Okay...I've made up my mind. I'm not going to trust...it's so easy to be let down. People should seriously learn to keep things to themselves more often! Those who trust so easy, and those who aren't trustworthy...funny how it goes both ways.
On a more lighter note...the weather has taken a fabulous turn ;P Wonder how long this'll last.
Project: Home Theatre has started full speed. I know we're all going to love it once it's done. It's going to be great.
I'm having huge attitude problems...turning SO mean all of a sudden. Problem is, lots of people find it amusing...I'm wondering about what exactly I should do :P
Here's a video of a phenomenal artist. Kaki King plays the guitar like nobody else. Enjoy!
I watched this commercial on TV, and I loved it! It's so energetic, lively, edgy. I dedicate it to a friend, X. Reminds me of you :)
When they say boys can't be only friends with girls for long, I always think they're exaggerating. But it seems in many cases it's true. *sigh* Why can't things be as simple as they are in my head?
A beautiful movie indeed! It was just really beautiful.
Ann Lord, a presently sick old dying lady, hovers between reality and memories from the past. We are swept into an emotional reverie full of love, misery and lost opportunities. Ann's experiences puzzle but give hope to her two daughters who realise that we are all very mysterious creatures.
The cast is truly a line-up of stars. Claire Danes, Hugh Dancy and Toni Collette deliver exceptionally deep performances with remarkable appearances by Meryl Streep and Glenn Close. Dancy was absolutely stunning playing the vivacious yet tragic Buddy, and Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) who plays Lila shows promising talent.
The costumes, set design and soundtrack are perfect and they help the audience enter into the film's atmosphere.
The movie is based on the novel, under the same title, by Susan Minot. I haven't read it but it has surely made it to my "To Read" list.
Special thanks to my dear friend Zooza who thought this was my kind of movie...it was!
