Extended hiatus

Life has been extremely busy & somewhat frustrating. I have nothing really exciting coming up, just a lot of tests. AP, SAT II, SAT—a convergence of events, one might say. And so this extended hiatus of mine will continue indefinitely...unless my brain explodes, which it very well could. If not, I'll be back when I can say...

Courtesy of the great Kurt Vonnegut.

[src]

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Pardon my dust.

My posts have been scant and brief lately, but sadly, my life doesn't allow for much time with the blogosphere anymore. The holidays are usually a time for contemplation and relaxation, but I'm finding that I actually have a ton of work to do. :( Thankfully, after the break, I will only have a year and a half of high school to go! (Yes, I am a lowly junior, in case you haven't figured that out yet.)
Christmas was uneventful. I got a new purse, which will hopefully come into good use. My old one was small and well, old. But my favorite presents actually ended up being from one of my best friends and my English teacher, both of whom have great taste in books! The latter was accidental—we played Yankee Swap on the last day before break. Everyone had to bring in a book as a present for someone in the class, and I somehow ended up with my English teacher's book. Coincidence or English nerd telepathy?
Shifting gears to something of personal excitement (!), the Oscar race has quickened its pace—the last few weeks have brought a maelstrom of precursor announcements, summarized well by the folks at InContention.com. As a perennial casual observer, I look forward to the coming weeks, when the season will really get underway (Golden Globes and various guild awards in quick succession). But there's one big caveat: my busy life can't accommodate my cinephilia. I haven't had the time to see many of the films, and like any other year, I run into the problem of simply living in suburbia, where a vast majority of the movies playing at my local multiplex are of little interest to me. But much to my surprise, my most anticipated flick, Up in the Air, is currently playing nationwide as part of Paramount's widespread campaign, and that includes my local multiplex. I'm seeing it this afternoon, so look for a new installment of Reel Brief in the coming days.
Yay! It's fun to be blogging again.

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The Angst-Ridden Inter-Abyss

Today, instead of studying for a test over The Odyssey, I watched PBS Kids with my little brother. An Arthur episode came on. It was the one where D.W. reenacts the story of the Odyssey. I feel adequately prepared. MLIA [src]

Blerg. I'm not a huge fan of those seemingly banal and useless websites devoted to teenage angst (i.e. FML or MLIA), but I sometimes find some clever postings during my occasional visits.

Here's one from yours truly.

Today, I went to school and attended my classes. They were very uneventful, except for AP US History, where we watched a clip of the obnoxious, egotistical Sean Hannity lament the fact that only 1/3 of Americans can identify the Vice President; and lunch, where I discussed Shakespeare with my AP English friends and awkwardly channeled both my strange English teacher and my inner English nerd. I was subsequently a bit embarrassed for sounding like a nerd. MLIA

See what I mean? This is why I think sites like MLIA are just really lame and inane. They're just another way for angst-ridden teenagers to espouse every mundane detail of their lives out into the abyss that is the Internet. But that's what blogs are for too, right? Ever since its inception, I have continually strived to make this blog more than just an routine web diary of an over-stressed, nerdy, peculiar, suburban teenager, but in reality, every blog in the blogosphere is just another "walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more." (Macbeth)
And yes, I'm a nerd for embedding a Shakespeare quote in a sentence on a terribly meager and boring blog. MLIA :)

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Technical difficulties

25 September update: And, we're back! That Blogger template is so bland...

19 September:
Wow. I just noticed that we have a problem. The images do not seem to be showing up, and the embedded videos are shown in their actual size, not condensed within the borders. Please bear with me as I try to fix this; it wasn't like that before, so it will take me a while to figure out exactly what went wrong.
Edit: I couldn't find the problem, and I decided to revert to a more simple, albeit boring layout for the time being because I really don't have time to fiddle with settings and HTML and CSS and such. :( It was nice while it lasted.

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The Times They Are a-Changin'

As you can see, I've conducted a major overhaul of my blog. After a lot of added patience and frustrating HTML and CSS, I'm mostly satisfied with the result. Please bear with me: The fine details still need adjustments. In particular, I'm experimenting with different color schemes to see what I like best. Initially, I thought this was a waste of time, and I always feel guilty about wasting time when I should be doing actual work. But, I think my blog really needed a change, and this layout/template is very original. So...yay or nay? Let me know what you think!
Song time! [insert really tacky segue] I love Feist and her originality; I wish I could see her in concert sometime soon. Here's her song "The Water". It's simultaneously relaxing and stirring. I listened to it at camp on nights when I couldn't sleep.

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You've Been Link'd

• Awards Daily: Positive Up reviews just as it opens up the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. Remember, Up hits US theatres May 29.
• For Dunderheads: things to watch for on tonight's Office season finale. Jennie Tan (Tanster), who runs the awesome fan site OfficeTally, was an extra in the episode!
• Reuters: Offbeat, but interesting. Doesn't she have any family to support her? Poor old lady. :(
• Politico: The extremely biased Chris Matthews of MSNBC (well, it's no secret anymore) is still Obama's #1 fan and finds yet another way to publicly defend him. In the meantime, Sarah Palin seems to be inching her way back into the spotlight. Could Palin 2012 be next?
• CNN: A captivating photo journal highlighting beauty amid the turmoil in Afghanistan.
• The Caucus (NYT): Another reason to turn your phone off.
• Film Experience: Nine trailer, much better than the Entertainment Tonight preview with that annoying lady talking over it like she always does. Like I mentioned before, musicals aren't always my thing, but I must say it looks intriguing, especially with all the talent involved.
Finally, shoutout time! The lovely & talented Cate Blanchett turns the big 4-0 today. My inner cinephile is slightly lamenting this milestone b/c it means that there's one less thespian in the under 40 age group. Nearly all of my favorite actors are over the age of 40, so it frequently begs the question: why is there such a big discrepancy in talent between these generations? I'm certainly not saying younger generations are less talented than older ones. It just seems like being young in Hollywood generally means you have to be the star du jour or splattered on the cover of a tabloid, not a serious, respected actor. Bottom line: I can't name a lot of good actors under 40, only a few. Can you? Rambling monologue aside, I hope Cate has a very happy birthday!

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Twittering

As a CNN junkie, I've been noticing the recent publicity stint the good ol' Cable News Network has staged. It involves the 24-hour news juggernaut, barely an actor Ashton Kutcher, and Twitter, the social networking service frequently touted as the fastest growing site on the Net. Normally, those three things would probably not be uttered in the same sentence, but somehow they have now been connected. (Only in America...) CNN's Breaking News feed and Kutcher, both with a massive load of Twitter followers, pit themselves against each other in a race to 1 million followers. Today, it seems Kutcher, with the help of some fellow celebrity "Twitterers", has won the battle, which surprised me when I saw the headline on my homepage, Google News.
Twitter is undoubtedly a fascinating new phenomenon that has grown exponentially in the last year. Therefore, you've probably heard of it and might even use it, unless you've been living under a rock and/or have no friends. (I don't suppose that applies to any of you tech-savvy bloggers!) For months, I've tinkered with the idea of possibly creating a Twitter account, but I have doubts as to what I would do with it. It seems like it's just another version of Facebook's status update. Basically, you post statements or "tweets" up to 140 characters about what you're doing, how you're feeling, or whatever floats your boat.
Like status updates on Facebook, Twitter seems like it could get monotonous if you don't have anything interesting to say and just post something for the hell of it. I bore myself with my Facebook status updates and waste a few minutes every now and then trying to conjure up something slightly worth reading. I imagine I would have the same issue with Twitter.
A month or two ago, I read an article in Entertainment Weekly about the growing number of celebrities using Twitter. Some of them post incessantly about pointless details, like pooping. (I love John Mayer, but dude, we really don't care when you have to go to the loo.) And yet, people still busily monitor their updates, even with these unfiltered thoughts. Although according to the article, Kutcher once posted ''feels like a slow news day. I have to be careful not to say anything too stupid.'' Apparently, we share the same concern!
All in all, I see why Twitter, like many websites of its kind, has millions of addicted "webbies", and I think it would be worth giving it a shot, perhaps as a fun little experiment. Hmm...I'm not sure just yet.

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Structure for a Non-Structured Person

Snowflakes were flying yesterday morning when I got to school. Snow in April?! Right before spring break?? It didn't even snow during winter break! Weather can be bizarre...
Anyway, I have a lot to accomplish during spring break, but at least I can relax! But for me, relaxing always comes with pondering. Lately, I've been considering: why do I, as a writer, have trouble with structure? This question has come up a lot in English class lately, where I've struggled a bit in perfecting my papers. This year, I've had to utilize textual support extensively into my papers as well as master focused writing. Both of these aspects are challenging to incorporate effectively but are an inherent part of structured writing.
One reason I'm not good with structure: a simple lack of consistent instruction. Now, I'm not criticizing my teachers at all: I've had many good teachers and hope to have more in the future. The problem is these teachers all have differing methods of teaching writing. What you learn one year may not apply the next year. So when it comes to structured writing, I've basically had to adapt to each teacher's method and then start from scratch again. I never know what is right and where to start. Additionally, I've picked up most of the basics in my own ways, which is why I usually end up doing my own thing when I write.
In turn, another reason I tend to stray from rigid structure is because I'm just not a very structured writer. My blog posts are a very lucid example of this fact. Even when I'm actually paying close attention to the fine details while writing, I seem to lack any particular structure, apart from the format for 5-paragraph essays. I write, write, write until I've emptied my disillusioned brain of all my circumventing thoughts, made my point, and feel satisfied (which is never). Then, I go back to make sure everything is connected smoothly and transitioned effectively, my examples match my point, and I have proper conventions, mechanics, semantics, etc. It usually suffices, since my work ethic allows me to finish with an decent paper at the very least. For the most part, I manage to use some semblance of structure, so it's not like my thoughts are completely disorganized. Disorganized writing is a pet peeve of mine.
However I choose to write something, my limited structure makes it difficult to sum up my thoughts accurately, especially when I have a lot I wish to convey. My mentality as a writer is to create originality, not rehash, so I find it hard to implement rigid structure. This is especially true in creating focus, where it is suggested that the writer repeat the same phrases for emphasis. It goes against my style, but focus is crucial to any piece of writing.
I'm making it a goal to practice more structured writing not only because I will need it very soon for AP English and SATs but also for my own good, I suppose. Practice makes perfect...I guess. Hopefully, the non-structured me will become more structured. Only to a point, though: while I think no structure feels empty, too much structure irks my creative freedoms and drives me insane. Perhaps I should aim for half-structured? ;]

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As I Am

The last two weeks have consisted of long, stress-inducing days and nights, which explains my absence from the old blog. Spring break is approaching but not before I complete the massive influx of work leading up to it (most difficult PreCalc test of the year, reading The Iliad and Don Quixote at the same time for English, last Forensics tournament of the year, and more).
Chicago was enjoyable but chilly. I suppose it would have been more relaxing if the academically minded (read: nerdy) person in me wasn't constantly considering the boatload of work I was missing in school. We unfortunately did not get an adequate taste of the metropolis since we only visited some main attractions, such as the Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, and Sears Tower. The former two were geared more toward young ones, not us, so those were ultimately a waste of our time. For me, going to the city requires a bit of exploration on foot to get the best metropolitan experience, and that's what I enjoy the most about cities. Essentially, that was the main flaw of our trip. The Wind Ensemble adjudication/clinic was a meaningful experience and helped us learn about what we need to improve.
So that's how I am at the moment: sleep-deprived, anxious, blah. I'm sorry I have nothing else to say, but after all, it is my mundane life. I'll be back when I'm more relaxed for something more meaningful and less snoozeworthy. A mini blogroll after the jump.
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~Friday Mini Blogroll~
•Casting Call: Here's a film worth seeing...next summer. (From Awards Daily and In Contention via /Film)
The Dark Knight director Chris Nolan is back with another "thinking man's" piece (no, it's not another addition to the Batman franchise), this time a "sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind" that boasts an interestingly diverse cast, at least so far.
•Obamamania Revisited (more like Continued): More nonsensical reports of Obama's first overseas tour, like the press' obsession with Michelle Obama's fashion sense. Can we please get down to business? Will we ever?
•April Fool's Day Parade: I didn't know such a celebration actually existed. Oh wait, it doesn't. My bad.

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Afternoon Blogroll

I stole Zany's idea of posting some interesting links. =D I like it because it's quick and easy to do.

Firstly, I want to check out A Powerful Noise if I get the chance. I heard about it from a One Campaign update via Facebook, since it's one of the causes I subscribe to. This is kind of old news, but I think you can still see the documentary at various locations. It is about three women in the Third World trying to improve their live in their troubled societies. It sounds like an extremely informative and empowering documentary, especially for women. Additionally, I am always inspired by ordinary citizens making a difference for the greater good.
Over on The Film Experience, Nathaniel brings back his old Tuesday Top 10 series with an post on "overdue" actors. Now that Kate Winslet is finally an Oscar winner, who's next in line? Surprisingly, Laura Linney only made the honorable mention list, but I do agree on Sigourney Weaver, who unfortunately is not getting the same types of roles she got in her heyday. I also approve of the Meryl mention, who's definitely overdue for her third. In response to Nathaniel's question, I hesitate to raise my hand. :( (Julie & Julia, perhaps? It might be too light for Oscar, à la The Devil Wears Prada.)
The New York Times' The Caucus, our always reliable source for political news, brings us the most essential story of the week. Is this really necessary? I'm not ripping on NYT specifically, but society in general, who can't seem to get over the fact that the party's over. There are more pressing matters in the Obama administration. (I admit I might need to shut up about this topic, so I'll make it brief.) The good news is that swing set company now has a way to drum up sales.
In actual news, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been circling the globe, first meeting with leaders in the Middle East to discuss the ongoing (and increasingly bleak) Arab-Israeli conflict, and then moving on to the NATO conference in Geneva. She also announced President Obama will be travelling to Turkey later this month to meet with leaders there, since they are an important ally in the War on Terror in Afghanistan. I was slightly amused by an anecdote that occurred involving her, the Russian foreign minister, and a reset button. Interesting indeed.
Finally, I wish SNL alum Jimmy Fallon the best of luck on his new late-night gig, which debuted this week on NBC. I haven't watched it or heard much about it, but it's nice to see Jimmy back in his element.
Btw, school needs to go away. It is the sole cause of my never-ending stress and absence from blogging. Between rehearsals for all the musical groups I play in, applying for summer programs (which brings piles of paperwork), and scheduling for next year's courses (already!), not even mentioning the onslaught of schoolwork, the spring tempest has arrived. I'm sorry for these meager posts; they are the result of the deadly cycle of school.
<= P.S.: Thanks to kibberon for bestowing me with a blog honor. She brings up a good point: I need a better pseudonym for myself. Currently, mine is too long and odd; any suggestions? Something short and sweet? Anyway, I nominate Zany, Stefany, Wolfe, and seven imaginary blogs.

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Live-writing: The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Sorry for the delay, and I also apologize greatly if I've been boring you with all of this awards/cinema crap. I realize not all of you are interested, and that's perfectly OK. This is why I added a jump to this post, so you don't have to read all of this if it bores you. (Which it might... :/) I added some video clips as well = good entertainment for a frigid Friday.
Live-writing ended up being pretty much an epic failure. I had to eat dinner during red carpet, and there was no way I was going to keep up on typing while eating. Also, from years of mindless red carpet watching, I have developed a habit of not paying close attention to that madness. Unfortunately, I literally bore myself because I tend to either reiterate the obvious or say whatever random remark that pops into my head at any given moment, so my live-writing skills are not adept as others I have read. Boooooring. (Gah, other people make it look so easy!) My ongoing goal is to conjure up more witty and unique things to say. Nevertheless, here is my running commentary from during the show. Sorry, Zany. Some of the clips are from Hulu. :(
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Red Carpet: (as usual, channel surfing between E!, TV Guide, and the NBC pre-show)
-Ryan Seacrest: no one cares about the weather and air-conditioned limos. Is that all you got? This is going to be a long evening.
-One of the first "victims", Taraji P. Henson. She seems so down-to-earth, and I didn't know her name was Swahili! Nice! :)
-The Office crew: charismatic and cheery as always. But, what kind of frock is Jenna Fischer wearing? It looks like too much of a summer, casual dress that washes her out.
-Alec Baldwin: sometimes, he scares me, but speaking the truth never hurts. "Don-tcha just hate when E! asks you dumb questions?" LOL.
-Tina + Amy: Amy recovered really quickly from "Baby Mama" status. And, Tina is just so cleverly classy, if that makes any sense. (I know I will using those words a lot tonight.)
-Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron, etc.: Screaming tweens unite!
-Miley Cyrus: that dress is actually really nice, but she shouldn’t be wearing it. It doesn't look good on her. Also, why can't she ever shut up??? I don't care that her mother won't buy her the car she wants!
-Kate + Leo: 2 things: 1. I know black is incapable of reflecting light, but they look luminous. These "homies" need to stop making us all look like failures. (Just kidding; love them.) 2. They are forced to bear the brunt of one of Ryan Seacrest's dumbass questions: “Leo, you live out here, so you’re not used to the whole domesticated life. How did you handle that?” Umm, dude…it’s called acting.
-Brangelina: this moment of PURE INSANITY, with swarms of cameras & people all around. 'Nuff said. I guess they don't like Seacrest either.
-Anne Hathaway: Lovely blue, strapless dress. She's definitely learned her lesson from two years ago. With her harrowing turn in Rachel Getting Married, get ready for a fruitful awards season, girl!
-Slumdog Millionaire is, to the blogosphere, becoming slightly overrated at this point. Don't get me wrong; people love the movie very much (as do I), but does it deserve "Best" citations from practically everyone? That said, the cast and crew is doing a fantastic job of promoting the film and having a blast! =D Note to E!: "phone a celebrity"? Really? Clearly she hasn't the movie.
-Where's Meryl? That woman always knows what to say. As does Emma Thompson.

The Show: (Finally, shallowness over.)
-opening montage: Why on earth did they pick the song “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls to use? Lame.
-JLo: “Mama talking.” And the 1st award of the night goes to: a very flustered Kate Winslet for The Reader. Personally, I was rooting for Viola Davis to pull an upset. She absolutely knocks it out of the park in Doubt, and Penelope Cruz, also great in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, currently leads in critics awards. I haven't seen The Reader yet, but it's on my list, of course. Loved Kate's speech even though I usually dislike when people read from prepared lists. She gave shoutouts all the right people, which is sharp. A lot of people forget to mention the author of the source material, but she didn't. Thanking her kids was so cute. Breathe, girl, breathe!
-Memo to Miley Cyrus: we don’t need to see your tongue, dear.
-Original Song: "The Wrestler" is such a beautiful song. Though, Clint Eastwood looks pissed and ready to do the Gran Torino finger-gun thing to Bruce Springsteen: "Get off my Golden Globe!!!"
-Burn After Reading clip: Hey Coen Bros.! Don Cheadle wants to work with you! [/shameless plug]
-liked the speech (or lack thereof) from the HFPA president.
-I’m not as well read on TV, but I’m surprised Jon Hamm (Mad Men) lost for Best Actor in a Drama series.
-My mother (who is complaining) needs to cut the delightful Sally Hawkins some slack. She gave (with some security from the witty Emma Thompson) a decent speech, considering that she is a Hollywood newcomer. Yes, she rambled and paused and did this and that, but she seems like a lovely person. I'm really happy she won, because her performance is quite easily one of the best comedic roles this year and deserved the high praise. I guess maybe there was the chance Meryl would win because: A. She's Meryl. B. Mamma Mia!'s box office clout. C. She gives the best speeches, making for wonderful television. D. She has 2 nominations and they might not want her to go home empty-handed. Anyway, it's so unfair that Sally had such a crappy seat, so it took her forever to get up on stage.
-Ricky Gervais venting about not being nominated. "How rude are you lot?" "Well done, Winslet! I told you, do a Holocaust movie and the awards start coming." [A reference to her self-parody on his hilarious sitcom Extras, starting at 3:25 on the video]
-On the TV miniseries front, HBO's John Adams is doing very well, with wins for the show, Laura Linney, and Paul Giamatti. Tom Hanks is usually pretty awesome, but is he high tonight? Then again, everyone at the Globes seems like that, always. I have a hunch that the spontaneous and unexpected moments are primarily the result of A LOT of champagne being served.
-Of course, a very deserved standing ovation for the late Heath Ledger. It’s going to be so sad on Oscar night. Unfortunately, all this awards buildup for him takes away from the excitement of the rest of awards season.
-Tom Brokaw???? Oh, he’s presenting the Frost/Nixon clip. My bad. He must feel so out of place.
-Foreign Film: I agree with the Waltz with Bashir director's quote on how he hopes children of the future can watch the film and think it's an "ancient video game that could never happen", but the quote is getting ancient. He's used it for every award the film has won.
-Seth Rogen’s cocaine/Mickey Rourke joke really fell through.
-Patrick Dempsey and Amy Poehler echoing: “And-and the-the Golden-Golden Globe-Globe goes-goes to-to: Alec Baldwin!" That guy is hilarious on 30 Rock, as is the entire cast. Unfortunately, he acts like a douche sometimes, detracting from the character he plays.
-Renee Zellweger’s scrunchy face perpetually disgusts me. It always looks like she ate too many lemons before coming. Also, what’s with the see-through dress? Atrocious.
-Awkward presenter pairings: P. Diddy and Kate Beckinsale, Megan Fox and Terrence Howard (btw, why does he over-enunciate his words?) Whoever picks this combinations might have had too much champagne too.
-Best Comedy series: HAHAHAHA! The most random clip for The Office: Dwight giving birth to a watermelon. (1:35 on the video)
-30 Rock wins! YAY! Tracy Morgan’s speech (2:58 on the above video), not so much. Thank God he left before he could say something super controversial. "Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!" (Whaaaat???)
-Argh, I hate when the presenter is biased, like Jane Krakowski presenting Best Actress in a Comedy Series to Tina Fey. Just kidding, I love all the 30 Rock guys! Tina’s speech = short & sweet, excellent as usual. All the haters can just suck it! But seriously, that woman truly does not deserve the hate she's received this year. It's not her fault that most people think she is actually Sarah Palin; the media firestorm behind the phenomenon is partially to blame too. I also find it amusing that she actually reads the blogosphere, but I'm glad she's well aware of the unfair criticisms.
-Steven Spielberg: a very deserved tribute to a man who has contributed so much to the magical world of cinema. You just can’t imagine movies without him. I agree with what he said: "People want to make movies that appeal to broader audiences, but we can't forget that we are an audience of individuals." However, this award always makes everyone snooze. No offense Mr. Spielberg, but I think this is the first time you've nearly made me doze off. zzzzzzzzz
-Whimsical pairing: Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Emma's joke backfired a bit, but she took it all in stride. Dustin, on the other hand: lighten up!
-Colin Farrell winning for In Bruges, another win I didn't see coming. We didn't need to know that he has a cold, though. And, Sandra Bullock's remarks made energy level shoot way down.
-Wow, that energy level is still at low levels with Sacha Baron Cohen’s monologue. The Madonna/Guy Ritchie joke was funny, though. I guess Salma Hayek didn’t agree (cutaway shot).
-Vicky Cristina Barcelona wins! I was actually predicting that. That producer’s speech was too drab though. Random thought: why did no one except Penélope show up??
-By far one of the most unexpected moments: Kate part deux. I thought there was no way she was winning twice, especially if Meryl was gonna go home empty-handed… I WAS WRONG!!! Oh my God, she won 2 awards! (My brain is desperately trying to process this as she hobbles up onstage, with the help of Leo, Emma, and a myriad of other scrambling people, and not one but two guys to escort her onstage. Amid the shock, I accidentally tune out half the speech!) She had absolutely no clue she was going to win for this, so no prepared list this time. Classy shoutouts to her fellow nominees, albeit forgetting Angelina (of all people! LOL, but I don't blame her. She is genuinely shocked.) and acknowledging the gifted author of Rev. Road, Richard Yates. After more rambling and "not wrapping up", she does wraps up...here come the waterworks. Girl, please hold it together. Btw, your husband’s right there, so don’t spill out everything. For the most part, it was a heartfelt, honestly delivered speech (yes, even at 3:59 when it gets awkward maybe). However, that was a lot to digest. One more time: oh my God, she won 2 awards! I have to get it out of my system.
-Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) and Rainn Wilson (The Office): awkward pairing handled reasonably well with an effective joke. Mad Men wins Best Drama series! I was wondering when all the love for that show was actually going to arrive.
-I knew Mickey Rourke had a shot at winning tonight. It was going to be either him or Sean, unless HFPA felt like throwing a curveball. Now, on to the Oscar! Although he seems a little confused (again, I don't blame him. He's not used to all the attention.), he gives a surprisingly contained speech, besides the obvious errors in not thanking the HFPA but thanking his dogs and Axl Rose (??). Censors probably not pleased at Darren Aronofsky, however. Btw, Leo DiCaprio is one classy dude for embracing the Mickster, but we already knew that. Where is Sean?? Mickey's "down and out" speech gives a pretty needed boost to his PR campaign this season. This is truly the comeback of the year: has-been B-list --> Oscar winner, perhaps? Despite prognosticators saying it would be too much of a risk to award Mickey, due to his iffy reputation in the industry, it's looking more and more feasible.
-Slumdog sweeps. Surprise, surprise. Jai ho!
Lastly, here are some brief post-show comments from my eccentric, "quote machine" friend Megan:

KER-SPAZ. SLUMDOG WON EVERYTHING IT WAS NOMINATED FOR. AND KATE WINSLET GOOD LORD WOMAN YOU LOVE LEO MORE THAN YOU LOVE YOUR HUSBAND BUT GOOD FOR YOU GIRL.
I love awards season. And I really love live television, where people in the audience can give presenters the bird and nobody can do anything about it. Love love love.

The spontaneity of live television never ceases to surprise us all. :)

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A World of White

The placid view from my window.

It's been a rough first week back, so the lovely, fluffy stuff gently falling from the sky is quite comforting. Unfortunately, it makes for some dicey driving conditions, especially with freezing rain forecasted for later today/tonight.

Coming attractions: Tomorrow is the Golden Globes, my favorite awards show b/c of the plethora of awards for achievements in both film and television and the laid-back mood of the festivities. This also suits the red carpet watchers (E! News junkies: I'm sure there's a lot of them out there) with the wide variety of celebrities attending, from Tina Fey (=D), to Hugh Laurie, to Brangelina, etc. Those are just some of the nominees; other random people will show up too, either as presenters or just 'cause they were invited. Word on the street is Zac Efron is a presenter (*wince*), so that might even get teeny-boppers ("OMG!") to watch.

After last year's ill-fated effort (annoying entertainment reporters as presenters? C'mon.) due to the WGA strike, this year's ceremony is apparently supposed to be more vibrant and elaborate than previous occasions. Anyway, I will be live-writing/typing the entire event (extravaganza), as I have done a few times in the past. I'll probably get carpal tunnel syndrome, but alas, I will have to deal. Check back during the week; I'll pick some interesting excerpts to post.

P.S.: You guys should try live-writing/typing with something b/c it is actually kind of fun, albeit a bit stress-inducing. I did it as a writer's notebook assignment earlier in the year (a running commentary during The Office season premiere), and my English teacher thought it was pretty creative and suggested it to others. My suggestion is to have a computer/laptop handy; writing at warp speed is never pleasant. :)

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2008 Discoveries

As promised, here are a few of my favorite things I discovered this year. Many of them were not really discoveries in every sense, but rather, they were reiterations of why I enjoy them. You'll see what I mean.
-Hulu.com: From catching up on episodes of my favorite shows, to reliving SNL clips, to viewing hilarious Office outtakes, this site was the place to be in 2008. Everything is perfectly legal, and it's so easy to find and access whatever you want. I'm a busy person and I often feel like I never have time to watch TV when something I want to watch is on. Hulu makes it very simple to watch TV anytime.
-Film Experience blog: I've been reading the clever, offbeat musings of Nathaniel & friends on and off since 2005, but this year, I finally became a regular reader and a big fan. Nathaniel can always be trusted to provide well-needed wit and wisdom about the enigmatic world of cinema. He shares his own opinions and is at times a fanboy, but at the end of the day, his unique analysis overshadows all else. His contributors also bring some spice and flavor into the scheme of things, and his podcasts are very insightful and entertaining. Basically, they're Film Experience on the go.
-the political influence of Saturday Night Live: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin = 'nuff said. That alone became quite a phenomenon. But there are other equally interesting examples of the influence SNL had on American politics this past year. After the primary debate sketch in February, the media finally acknowledged the growing complaints that accused them of giving Obama "a free ride" during the thick of the Democratic primaries. Furthermore, politicians realized they could reach a wider audience, particularly young voters, so they all booked cameos on the show. Before long, there was a presidential candidate appearance almost every week.
-Franklin Covey planners: Where would I be without these things? I think I have a problem with organization because I have the urge to write everything down. If it's not on my list, I most likely will forget it. These spiffy planners allow me to make to-do lists of my assignments, priorities, reminders, notices, etc. and jot down random thoughts. I've used assignment notebooks for years, but there's something I really like about these things. Perhaps, it's the way they pre-organize everything for you (in different categories or slots), and then you can write whatever you want, wherever you please. Writing is an inherent part of me; I write about anything and everything. I often get sparks of inspiration from out of the blue, and I quickly write them down in my planner and make a mental note to return to them later. The planner is a convenient size too; I can shove it in a bag or purse, and it goes with me everywhere. These planners also make great gifts.
Yes, I realize these selections are very random, and I picked them for no apparent reason. However, I hope you can benefit from these items as much as I have. ;)

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Post Pending...sorry for delaying

I haven't forgotten. The post is coming today; I really don't want to carry into it tomorrow, which means it will have to wait until Sunday, and so on and so forth. So it's coming, I promise! I just have a few things to get done first...
EDIT (10:16pm): Damn. I'm not going to get this done, and I have to get up obscenely early tomorrow, so I hope to find time to finish it tomorrow. Sorry... :(
EDIT (25 Nov., 6:37pm): Sorry for the delay! My week is winding down, and I'll have free time after tomorrow.

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The Swampland

Sorry for being sort of MIA this week. My teachers have been somewhat cruel in piling up the exams and papers, so I've been utterly swamped with work. They want to get everything in before the Thanksgiving break causes us to lose our minds (literally: it happens!). Also, my duties as co-editor of our school's newspaper have kept me très occupée. If all goes well, I should have a new and intriguing post up by tomorrow. The topic I am keeping a surprise, so stay tuned! (I haven't had a film-related post in a while, so one can speculate...) Until then, winter is upon us, so here is a beautiful winter picture of my favorite place on the planet, New York City. This particular snapshot shows the view overlooking Central Park. Lastly, thanks for your responses to the questions I posed recently. I think I'll use that method more often; it stimulates some interesting responses and I enjoy reading them.

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GOTV times infinity

This newly released PSA, created and produced by actor/activist Leonardo DiCaprio (it was supposedly his idea) in conjunction with Declare Yourself, features a myriad of notable names urging us to vote in the upcoming election. See for yourself:

It's interesting that they start out with this sort of reverse psychology ("Don't Vote!"), but later, they list a sampling of the issues we should be concerned about and remind us of the power of voting.
I like the concept, but the message gets slightly redundant when 20 different people (maybe even more) are saying the same thing over and over. However, I have a generally positive opinion of celebrities using their star power to promote causes for the greater good. I especially have a lot of respect for those who devote much of their time as activists for issues they seem to be extremely passionate about and do it all with class and dignity. I could probably write a whole essay on that, as well as the celebrities that are the complete opposite, but that's for another time.
Anyway, it's just a little bit of nitpicking on this rather chilly Friday. It's only October , but it's quite cold already. Nevertheless, I still adore the month of October! (More on that later.) This weekend could potentially be very, very hectic with our school's annual Homecoming Game and Dance. Although I have not attended in previous years, I decided to go this year, mainly through the insistence of one of my friends. As usual, I don't have a date, but I am going with a nice group of friends who, like me, are at the bottom of the social ladder, but we're "cool" in our own special ways. :) (Writing that made me feel happy.) I hope I have fun and don't come to regret spending an entire Saturday doing this. I'm also helping with Homecoming Setup tomorrow morning for volunteer hours, and I'm going to try to be productive!
Before I forget, a little shoutout to kibberon regarding her intriguing post I just read: I understand what she means. For me, I try extremely hard to not make my blog like a journal, mainly b/c I feel my life as a stressed out, over-achieving high schooler isn't all that compelling. I guess there's a ton of other things worth mentioning, so I try to find a variety of interesting topics to rant about. I hope I have succeeded in that and have not bored any of you yet. Although in kibberon's case, I must say that I really enjoy reading about the interesting and the mundane things that happen in her life. So, I suppose it could go either way. That part of it makes her blog unique, and that goes for all of you. Your blogs are about everything under the sun, and it makes for a great read after a long day at school. So, thanks to everyone! Blerg, I gotta go finish everything I have to do, so I'm not swamped with work Sunday night. Have a lovely weekend!

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Just Another Day

Note: sorry about the lack of organization (like always) in this post.
I had a busy weekend, so I only got to see the last 20 min. of the Emmys on Sunday. However, I did get to see "30 Rock" win Best Comedy for the second year in a row! It also won Best Actor and Actress in a Comedy (Alec Baldwin & Tina Fey), as well as Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Tina Fey). For those of you unaware of this, I hardly ever find the time to watch TV, but "30 Rock" is one of a select few shows I try very hard to watch regularly. It is pure comic genius, so check it out when the 3rd season premieres on Oct. 30.
Another week, more busyness. Right now I'm taking a little break from studying for a Pre-Calc test tomorrow, which I'm a little worried about. I mean, compared to the average person my age, I guess I'm good at math, but personally, I would not consider it a subject I enjoy or excel at. It takes me a long time to grasp certain concepts, and I have to study them over and over again to get them right. We had our first Student Council meeting Monday...very routine. I'm on Staff Appreciation Committee this year, so we basically have to plan activities for the staff. Mainly, we organize a monthly breakfast and little things for them during the holidays, birthdays, and such. Even though it's not the most interesting committee, it's another one of my activities and one more way to get involved. The one thing I am looking forward to this week is my journalistic writing apprenticeship on Friday. It's one of the enrichment activities for my school's gifted program. I get to go downtown for half a day every few weeks to take this journalism class with other gifted high schoolers in the area, taught by a college professor. Plus, a super-cool friend of mine takes it with me! She is actually the owner of the last blog on my blog list, but as you can see, she never updates it. :( Blog-wise: I've been tinkering with the sidebar; I'm getting a little bored of the design, so I might change a few things. For now, homework is calling, so have a good week everyone.

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Blogging Woes & Irony

This is kind of a response to kibberon's enlightening post from yesterday. (http://kibberon.blogspot.com/2008/08/complaining-is-essential-to-my-being.html) I've had some of the same issues with blogging. A lot of times, I post about something else, like current events or movies, but at the same time, I figure it's my own blog, so I should probably write more about myself. And yet, current events and the arts really reflect my interests and who I am, so I guess it's still remotely about me. It's a tough call, since sometimes I'm unsure if I want to write about my personal feelings on the Internet. Other times, I feel like my life is too uneventful to write about, and most of my posts end up being about school and how busy I am. That's the problem I had with my old blog, which I deleted because I wanted a fresh start. Maybe I should post more about myself, even it's mundane. It would help to put my feelings in words, although that can be very difficult. And, I think I should try to post more often, but that will soon become a challenge when school starts.
Onwards to the usual stuff: in Olympic happenings, I was glad last night's coverage only went until midnight. Michael Phelps won the 100 fly by 0.01 seconds! That was an intense race, and he won because of one thing he did. The Serbian swimmer who almost beat him used momentum to glide towards the wall, but Michael added an extra stroke to get there faster. With this gold, Michael has now tied the legendary Mark Spitz, who, up until now, was the only person ever to win 7 golds in one Olympics, at the 1972 Games. Michael came up one gold short in Athens, but did it this time around. And, if the US wins the 4x100 medley relay, Michael will break Spitz's record. So get ready for more history to be made.
At the moment, I'm waiting for the mail, which should have my schedule. Now to some irony: I received the new issue of Entertainment Weekly yesterday, and it was the extensive Fall Movie Preview issue that's gonna take me a good 2 weeks to get through unless I just sit and read everything for a couple hours. It's my favorite issue of the year, besides the very cool Holiday Movie Preview in November. Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliffe graces the cover, in anticipation of the new HP flick. But on Thursday, Warner Brothers announced they were pushing the release back from 11/21 to 7/17/09! (http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/08/news-flash-harr.html) I guess EW didn't get the news in advance, even though both are owned by the same parent company, TimeWarner. Ironic, but minorly amusing. But it means we have to wait 8 extra months. :( I have to end this post now. That's another thing I have to do: make my posts shorter!
EDIT: I guess it wasn't too long compared to some other posts.

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Doubt poster and some changes...

Looks awesome and very "Oscar-y". I love the church steeple shape, the font, the colors (black & white, but with a tiny splash of color at the top), and the basic "subtlety" of it, which really reflects the film itself. To refresh your memory, here's my post from May, #3 of my Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2008. http://mymundanelife11.blogspot.com/2008/05/3-doubt.html
In general, I'm looking forward to this fall, when Oscar season comes full swing, and the studios roll out their contenders. Miramax's biggest chance at Oscar gold is evidently Doubt.
On another note: I added a blog list to the sidebar, promoting a few of the many blogs I recommend. I also changed the color scheme a little bit to fit the blog list, but I'm still tweaking and tinkering with it. Be back later with anything else I can think of...

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Writer's (Reader's) Block

I am need of new ideas for interesting blog posts. From the beginning, my purpose with this blog was to discuss a variety of topics relating to just about anything. I've covered a lot already. So I'm searching my brain right now.
Hmm...I know this is a bit late, but the Wimbledon men's final on Sunday was spectacular. For those of you not familiar, Wimbledon is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments during the year (the others are the Australian, French, and US Open). Wow, what an intense match! 4 hours and 48 minutes of tennis perfection (longest final in Wimbledon history). Congrats Rafa Nadal!!!!! But kudos to Roger Federer as always for such an incredible match and for being a really good sport about (finally) losing to Nadal on grass. The women's match, although not nearly as long, was very well played by the Williams sisters. Go Venus!
One observation: none of my top 5 most anticipated movies have been released. :( But, The Dark Knight is coming out a week from tomorrow, so that's exciting! In addtion to writer's block, I also have "reader's block". Anyone have any good suggestions for books I would like??? Thank you in advance! Now I will return to catching up on episodes of The Office, Heroes, and 30 Rock. (This is what I do during the summer. I hardly ever have time to watch my favorite TV shows during the year, so I have no choice but to catch up on them now.)

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