« March 2003 | Main | May 2003 »
On this particularly banal day when you've got loads to do and have to fight with drowsiness, a simple little gesture can bring your spirits up. L captured a rainbow across the sky on her way home from Bartlett; she sent the photo to me after my moaning. It's nice to see through someone else's eyes.
I should be awarded the freaking-out award du jour. As F always says it's another episode of Rachel's panic attacks--my mates in TWN should miss me being around simply for this reason. The day started with a huge disappointment when my second essay correction didn't come through the e-mail. Turned out it was the stupid yahoo e-mail account system which wasn't doing its proper job when I needed it the most. Corrections finally arrived during noon. Started changing the corrections, while doing the third revision at the same time. Then lifesaver S came proofread the last essay... so happy! She's a doll. Of course there's HY having to put off with my complaints and helping me print out the documents. OK, so I'm 80% happy with my first two essays, but the last one was not too satisfactory. If only I had more time, I would have made it better--as there were so many ideas I wanted to talk about. Last-minute handing in the portfolio at the department office and saw everyone there, all looking super tired and half-relieved. *Phew* Got to work on Jacobean discovery lit. and revise exams tomorrow... Is not life fantastic?
Should not be spreading stories about department tutors, yet apparently he has starred himself in this urban saga. Moi is in a state of shock--how could one be involved in such openness? I would suppose that he would invent a fictional character and hide the names and places. No, he choosed to tell-all. Read: He is quite cute, has somewhat great body (for an English tutor that is) and slightly rusty voice, plus a dollop of intellect (specialty is Enlightenment sentimentalism--just to add up to his sexiness). There were speculations of him being gay, but the book has cleared the air. Reveal-all phenomenon reminds me of TWN politicians, writers, and stars, etc. who write about some other big hot shot after being mentally crushed. Biographical writing is now the medium for confessions and revenge, while taking the guise of social case study. Be afraid, don't mess around with someone who can write and publish.
Have completed second revision on the Eikon and the marketing of prayers. *Phew* One of the idiosyncrasies of religion makes you wonder if it's really all about spirit, mind and soul--be it 400 years ago or today. Check out Hello Jesus, Hello Kitty's new rival--'soul stickers'!? What the heck is that?
by way of Geisha asobi
Just to show how pretentious UCL postgrads are, as having afternoon tea in kitchen can lead to a discussion on capitalism. This is how it all began when S asked if anyone wanted to join in the May Day anti-capitalism protest. So I guess it is my fault when I said, "So, what is capitalism? One word", while thinking what's the equivalent term in Chinese.
S: Why do you have to ask these exam questions?
R: No, just one word, what's capitalism anyways?
S: Exploitation.
E: No, it's not. It's about market and rights.
S: No no no... (she explains)
E: No no no... (he explains)
S: She wants one word. You said two words.
Maybe this white wall has the perfect answer?
Being a voyeur that I am, I logged on to that West coast Asian American guy's weblog again. It appears that his radar has sensed that somebody out there is making fun of his daily musings, and today he decided to write his last entry. Hum, the force is strong. Oh, well, can't give myself too much credit. He started writing an on-line journal to get over his ex; now that a new woman has entered his life, there's no need to be miserable anymore. Tip to the lovely stranger: If you want to impress your new gf, do not show her your poems!
Recently I accidentally browsed into some typical West-coast-Ivy-League-smart-ass-law-major-self-important-Asian-American young lad's Weblog--boy, it sure gave me and S a crack out of it. At first he wrote this entry about his recent dating scenario, which was quite cute, then as you read along, his tiny brain cells get more and more amusing. Other than going on shopping sprees for Prada shoes and Armani suits, he actually writes poetry and reads philosophy. (Maybe took some philosophy 101 courses back then) There's something about guys who write poems that makes me want to vomit. If you are a courtier in the 16, 17 century and had never better to do than recite sonnets, I forgive you; but in this day and age, why not hook on the Internet, do sports, play PS2, etc., and stop acting like a melancholic die-hard romantic.
Yes, I am still thinking about prayers. Mind you I do not spend my spare time contemplating on God, sin and salvation, it's all for the silly essay revision. Was stuck in the middle of a paragraph and really needed somebody to clear my mind up. Actually, was kind of relying on HY since occasionally he just might happen to send out some insightful ideas. 22:30ish, cell phone rang, "Hello~~~ come open the door~~~" (tone of an extremely 'sober' person) Two bottles of wine, two pints of Guinness, plus another half pint of beer, HY (aka drunkard slash I-brush-my-teeth-for-half-an-hour) was showing signs of tipsiness. When we finally arrived at the kitchen for water, I got the nerve to ask him if he could answer some of my questions about religion. He merrily gave a twirl, "Yes, you can ask me anything". Hum...
Unfortunately the film festival venue is in the Big Apple, otherwise would go see Al Pacino right away. Unlike the awful director wannabe Clooney, Pacino is as talented a director as he is an actor. Ongoing debates about whether Pacino or Dinero is better, I would say the prize goes to the former and E agrees with me. His style of speech--manipulation of tone, stress sounds and rhythm--can make a crappy movie like Any Given Sunday turn out to be pretty well.
A listmania of must-see Al films:
1. Godfather I; III
2. Heat
3. Scent of a Woman
4. Donnie Brasco
5. Looking for Richard
via flyingchair
This is as crazy as it can get.
My very fashion conscious friend Bonnie delighted me with a LV screensaver today. Mind you I'm not one of those "I-got-to-have-a-LV-bag" type of person, but there is something about castilian red that I just cannot resist; oh, it looks so classy on my laptop.
Though deadline for handing in portfolio is next Monday *shudders*, I managed to sneak in some time for Mozart's death lullaby, which was considered quite fit for the occassion, plus my signs of an early stage cold. (Not SARS)
Performance was nicely located in a chuch with hard wooden benches, the cross and stained glass windows--equipped with anything that makes a church look like a church--somehow you sit there hoping to be spiritually elevated. Maybe yes or maybe not. I was only half mesmerised when peering to my right hand side, HY was fiddling with his fingers. He was moving his hands in slight, regular motions. Then in a minute or two, he whispered, "I just came up with an idea".
The piece was merely OK: the trumpet was a bit too loud and some endings were quite abrupt. Other than that, it was a rather pleasant evening. I am more and more convinced that the more you expect something to be really good, it turns out to be mediocre; the less expectations you have, the better it will be. This is why one drizzling evening listening to NY Philharmonic play Bolero was unexpectedly breathtaking, and why Yo-yo, Ma never fails to dissappoint me. Don't understand why TWN media is always so hyped up about his performances.
Just heard through the grapevine, actually from Ben, that a friend from high school is getting married this September. She's not even 25! People, we are not getting any younger. As Ben acutely points out：「我們已經不是那個可以蹺課就為了一場電影的年紀了。」(No longer at the age when we skip classes just for movies.)
Jordan is leaving for good, and this time for real. AC was watching his final game in a bar in LA and said that guys were drinking beer, with tears welling in their eyes as they saw their legendary hero stood up in the stadium to receive one last applause. *sob* What a touching moment. Ever since I arrived, have not yet seen anyone holding a basketball.
Saw this commercial on telly a couple of days ago, and didn't think it was that cool--only successfully made us pause whatever we were up to and have our eyes fixed on the screen. It was a bit of a drag; half way through you just wanted it to hurry up. And, the vehicle... was worth the wait? Apparently this is the recent favourite forward email--got 2 in my mailbox already.
Web site nicked from CSF.
Tomorrow is Easter and HY has bought me my new favourite chocolate Smarties(my old favourite is Snickers), which I have already finished one package. S has seen the chocolate egg and remarked, "Oh, he's so sweet".
It's amazing to see someone treating unplanned events in such a relaxed manner. Not able to get his Brompton bike back and leaving stuff in places (stuff which I would consider important), etc., never gets him in a foul mood. Instead I would get a bit agitated. If his self-claimed grumpiness is anything to go by, then he's bound to be happy all his life.
Dwelling in city London, you can read the local papers and find your department professors engaging in another one of their weekly "in the limelight" rhetorics. This makes me slightly proud. JS usually appears every Monday in G2, JM is Sunday book review king. I haven't been to JS's classes, but have seen JM--always in black, like Hamlet--quite a lot. The truth about celebrity profs., humpf... I've heard if you want to go to Univ. of Manchester just to see Terry Eagleton, dream on. The closest you get to him is through the department Web site. Just think of it: with all that fame, he must be constantly traveling and giving talks. As for 80-something Kurt Vonnegut, somehow students aren't too happy with his hollow lectures--puffing and bashing the entire session. Oh, well. UCL profs are definitely not like that.
Rescuing Snowy--Jacob is Tintin of the day. There are loads of stray dogs on the streets of Taipei, and once they are caught, they are killed. Not that I would cry over a dead animal, but knowing that your friend is doing some heroic act, just makes you want to pay respect.
Was flipping through a book today about Milton and authorship, and accidentally came across Donne's view on 'change'. The Renaissance treated 'change' as cruelty, but Donne valued it, and he gave this cute remark on women:
"the Heavens themselves continually turne, the Starres move, the Moone changeth; Fire whirleth, Aire flyeth, Water ebbs and flowes", so too women "have a motion of their owne" and "cannot be immutable like stockes, like stones," who submit to "the mastery of some over-ruling churlish husbands".
Viva, John Donne. Advanced pro-female thinker equal to our days.
1. Due to family wine-drinking tradition, men after imbibing copious amounts of alcohol are fairly charming.
2. Latent desire of mine to complete all my work by the 21st.
3. Virtual disappearance to Paris to meet M and F.
4. Misconception that I'm in the streets of Taipei because of the sounds of scooters driving by.
5. There is an imminent disaster of examinations.
6. Talking about future tense does not do any help.
Now is the time of the year when the atmosphere reminds you of Robert Penn Warren's Blackberry Winter--a term used to describe a brief period of cold weather that occurs during early summer. It's like winter making one last joke on you, "You're not done with me yet, I'm still here to freeze you".
It snowed this morning in London.
This will take place just 20-minute walk away from my flat. Free nude show, anyone? If the reward is: Get anything for free in Selfridges, might give it a second thought.
Am in a retro mood--listening to「明明白白我的心」these past few days, a song sung by Jackie Chan (back then he could actually sing) and Sally Yeh decades ago. Melodies bring back old memories, yet I live comfortably with them.
Am under mild depression due to onslaught of essay revisions. But when you got to write, you got to write.
Madrid and Man Utd. live--3:1
E says Beckham is a f****** punk.
Urghhh... back to work.
From: HN
Sent: 02/04/2003
To: BB
Subject: Books
Roy Keane's Biography
Plus these:
The Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists
His Masterpiece Emile Zola
The Tesseract
Finbar's Hotel
Heart of Darkness
Inishowen
Unforgettable Fire--The Story of U2
Complete Encyclopedia of Chinese Cookery
God, my gf is a greedy cow. How much? Surely some decent discount is available... I still have my student card.
From: BB
Sent: 02/04/2003
To: HN
Subject: Re: Books
All for fifteen?
She likes Irish stuff? Seems to have picked them all. J O'Connor is a top Irish writer although tends to get embarrassed when asked about his odd sister Sinead...
From: HN
Sent: 02/04/2003
To: BB
Subject: Re: Books
15 pounds
What a con! I was thinking more in the region of 50p
But anyway, she says she does like Irish writers... She is an English Lit. student... so when we went to Dublin, we went to all the literary places... *yawn*
From: BB
Sent: 02/04/2003
To: HN
Subject: Re: Books
Less if you want--I was giving you a discount already. Tenner's fine.
From: HN
Sent: 02/04/2003
To: BB
Subject: Re: Books
Oh, ok... twist my arm!
As long as it is ok with you, tenner it is, gu'vner
:-)
I have just made up my mind that Jason Lee will be my favourite actor for the time being. Call it meanderings or whinging, his 100% adolescent guyish behaviour is so cute. However, I am more used to seeing him in Kevin Smith films--tees, jeans, cap--not the nine-to-five slick type in Vanilla Sky. Must see Chasing Amy and Mallrats. Affleck is gross...
Sort of feeling sorry for the 'plight' of Americans as they are constantly being the target of criticism. I wonder if Romans were laughed at during their prime? Or being filthy rich and big gives you the right to being dumb? See Words of War and check out 'hammer-time':
Alternative to going kinetic (cf) - time to make an attack. As used by US Vice Admiral Timothy Keating on board USS Constellation on eve of war, to strains of Queen's We Will Rock You: "Make no mistake, when the president says go - look out, it's hammer time." Stands in contrast to rhetoric used by UK Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins. Reader David, UK says: "Inspires strange images of parachute-pant-wearing rapper MC Hammer."
Hum, interesting comparison of pep talks... HY told me that one of their high rank military officers actually shouted, "We will Rock n' Roll!" on national television--Bless them. You would have to admit: Americans love the word, "Rock". Someone told me that the majority of them cannot handle 5-letter vocabulary words or ones with over 2 syllables. As for the self-important elites, their sentences have to lard with meaningless 5-syllables.
Accidentally found some lego porn on the Internet; must explain that I'm not searching for dirty pictures on Google whatsoever. Now they've polluted my favourite childhood toy--those cute little people are doing it! Should go mess up with Barbie and Ken, or maybe somebody has already.
Urghhhh!!! Seriously on the brink of going bonkers... Don't know how on earth did James I see himself as God, what makes him think that he's better than everyone else--only human and liable to sin. Absolutism and Oath of Allegiance are killing me, and its ensuing paper war--endless restatements, point-by-point refutation, paraphrasing and direct quotations--all basically going round in circles. Protestants, Catholics, non-conformists, conformists and Presbyterians are fundamentally the same--playing the noun game. Oh, not to mention the discourse of conscience, meaning my private thoughts are only subjected to God and none other. Hum, I am using a lot of dashes...
Good Lord. Typical Asians--If I must wear a SARS face mask, might as well make it Burberry or Hello Kitty. Otherwise order the not so trendy ones from ebay. Outbreak creates new fashions; this is no laughing matter:
"... one bright spot for Hong Kong businesses - designer surgical masks. An AC Nielson survey last week found that 2 out of 3 Hong Kong dwellers are wearing masks. And that's created a market for personalized face masks.
Hong Kong, long famous for its designer knock-offs, is branding surgical masks with patterns from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Versace. Trendy teenagers sport Nike and Adidas rip-offs. Children wear masks with Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty and Disney characters. The knock-offs cost about two dollars Canadian on the street ... a quarter of what heavy-duty surgical masks cost in drug stores.
One Hong Kong resident wearing a "Burberry tartan" mask said they may be poorly made, but at least he looks good before he gets it."
By way of CBC Radio One
Short of cash, yet still making plans in the air. My two best friends are now and will be in the States this year. Just got the news that Fran got accepted by one of her dream theatre programs, and Alice is still in Maryland doing her linguistic therapy degree. Do fly over to merry old England and visit me! Or, shall we go to Georgetown instead?
My supervisor and I were discussing about scaffolds, and out of the blue he asked me if I supported death penalties. He asked me if my country can take my life. I said 'yes'.
"Rachel, you see, my country cannot take mine."
"But human beings can go to extremes and do horrible things."
"But what if they are innocent? You see, that is Barbarianism."
The Life of David Gale is about capital punishment, and I still don't know what to make of this system. All I know is that in life, the margin for error is so little... And what is the force that keeps us sane?
Studying in the British Library can be great fun: minutes of work punctuated by longer hours of coffee break with coursemates. Plus Sarah and Liam's cute guy and cute gal detector... hum, check out seat no.*^&*
Worriers are tolerable, but constant worrying is down to indulgence.
Shocking news: the concubine, HK actor and singer Leslie has ended his life. A few days ago, I was even searching for his song, Chase. Will never forget his delicate portrayal of this homosexual Chinese opera singer--afterall he is one of them.
I am listening to the soundtrack now; RIP, Leslie.
Hail to American Patrioticism--"Who is smarter?"
Here is Osborne placing her argument on educational background. Usually when you call people "idiots" or "morons", it does not refer to the fact that they are high school dropouts, it simply means that you do not agree with their opinion. Intelligence does not come with impressive listings of Ivy League schools on your CV, and certainly anybody, including postgraduates can misjudge and do silly things. Movie stars being public figures have this illusion that they need to stand up and say something. One, maybe to prove that apart from being sheer gossip or posing in front of fashion magazines, their brains can actually function. Two, any public display can be political. If that's the case, bless them, so be it. Afterall, it isn't the first time for show biz to be involved with the government. However, one thing is made abundantly clear, when Jessica Lange told the crowd in Spain that she is embarrassed to be an American, it indicates that other than the States, many places on the planet don't agree with their attitude. On European soil, the smart Lange maybe made this remark to suit the Spanish appetite. When a nation thinks, "We must make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware of the severe consequences that will befall them", something is seriously going wrong--and has nothing to do with being smart.