Lately my brain feels like mush. I haven't been able to think, speak or write in an intelligent fashion, and while a part of me is petrified about my declining mental faculty, another part is happy to slide into early senility. Hence the severe lack of quality blogging these past weeks. I've been meaning to blog about my recent sojourn to New York and Rhode Island, but as with everything at the moment I can't be bothered, maybe I'll get around to to it later.
In line with my mind-zombification, I've been avoiding strenuous thought-processes by watching a lot of DVDs that have been on my "must-watch list". I really connected with the profoundly tragic, soul-crushing, love story of Brokeback Mountain that I watched the other day. It's such a beautifully crafted film, with stunning cinematography and superb acting that made me cry just a tad. The juxtaposition of the heart-wrenching story with the beautiful scenery in certain scenes provides a stark disconnect that serves to hammer home the emotional ordeals throughout the story. Although the epic story drifts towards being too drawn out at times it is constantly redeemed by intense, emotional scenes that ruthlessly pummeled my mind into a state of utter anguish, empathy and despair for the characters. It's not just the two main characters Jack and Ennis that the viewer feels for in this film, as the life of their wives are also developed to make the audience feel for them also, which makes the entire story incredibly touching.
Brokeback Mountain far transcends the "gay-love story" tag, and is a powerful film about love, society and our expectations in life. It's a movie that makes one take a reality-check on the priorities in life. It's confronting, relentless and realistic, go see it.
An equally tragic, severely bleak film that I saw recently, and absolutely loved, is Requiem for a Dream. In contrast to the breathtaking scenery in Brokeback Mountain, there's nothing beautiful about Requiem for a Dream. The film is a naked, harsh, portrayal of drug use, and explores the pressure of societal expectations and the insidious nature of love. It's a film that ironically left me with the desire to pop a Prozac, due to its depressing nature.
Great, I'm all sad now, having pondered about these two remarkable movies. Sigh.
27 August 2007
13 August 2007
Which one was it again....?
In the spirit of all the terrible internet memes floating around the interwebs, here's a picture courtesy of my mate Entrepreneur (guess the whole 'waiting for the PhD thesis result' finally got to him). As in the picture I posted the other week, the aim of the game is to pick: Which one is......gay!
(Note the kid in the gray with the camera phone, cheeky little bastard.)
I'm reminded of the Glazastik (Big-Eyed guy) picture series that I got a giggle out of the other month. The Futurama brain slug one is my fave, although I'm surprised there isn't a Red Riding Hood themed picture. Ah, those crazy Russians.
(Note the kid in the gray with the camera phone, cheeky little bastard.)I'm reminded of the Glazastik (Big-Eyed guy) picture series that I got a giggle out of the other month. The Futurama brain slug one is my fave, although I'm surprised there isn't a Red Riding Hood themed picture. Ah, those crazy Russians.
7 August 2007
Don't Dream It's Over
Well, contrary to my previous post about blogging less about my mundane day-to-day life, and true to my somewhat erratic nature, here I am posting about recent events. The reason I've decided to blog is that Lulu, Bing and myself went to a Crowded House concert on the weekend, which I'm still abuzz about, and it's definitely blog-worthy.
Crowded House broke up in 1996, and their final concert was an outside gig at the Opera House in Sydney, which by all accounts was absolutely, bloody-fucking, spectacular. It was a once in a lifetime event to see Neil and the lads belt out "Fall At Your Feet", "Weather With You" and other classic tunes. This was a concert where attendance earned you bragging rights, and was a momentous occasion in Aussie music that was not to be missed...except by me of course. I don't remember why I couldn't attend, but I do know that I've been seethingly bitter about it. Until now that is.
My feelings of being jipped 11 years ago have finally been put to rest by an amazing Crowded House reunion tour concert at the Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA, USA. I was ecstatic to be able to bask in the sounds of "Better Be Home Soon" and one of my faves "Don't Dream It's Over". Did the concert live up to my 11 year old expectations? Fuck yeah.
OK, since I'm updating the blog, I might as well harp on a bit more about other cultural happenings. The Crowded House concert was a nice complement to another Aussie band we saw the other week. It was the very funky The Cat Empire, and what made it especially sweet, was that the concert was free. Soaking in the sun at Copley Square, grooving to "Sly", "The Chariot" and "The Car Song" in the late afternoon sent my weekly quota of happiness through the roof. The only downer was the pesky alcohol-free situation, but I fixed that by downing a few beers with dinner.
These free events are held throughout the summer in Boston and is a pretty cool idea from the City. We also recently went to a free performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the evening at Boston Common (a large park in Downtown Boston) which was funny and entertaining. Last month I was lamenting to myself over how much I missed studying literature, so seeing Shakespeare again hit the spot nicely. Plus I picked up a second hand copy of "Ulysses" by James Joyce at a funky outdoor second-hand book place during one gloriously dreamy, sunny afternoon several Sunday's ago, so tackling this very dense classic is keeping my appetite for literature sated for the moment.
"It's Only Natural" is another top Crowded House song, so if you haven't heard the song before, click on the Youtube link, crank up the volume, give the song a go, and belt out the lyrics karaoke style.
And remember...
"It's only natural that I should want to be there with you
It's only natural that you should feel the same way too
It's circumstantial, it's something I was born to
It's only natural, can I help it if I want to"
Crowded House broke up in 1996, and their final concert was an outside gig at the Opera House in Sydney, which by all accounts was absolutely, bloody-fucking, spectacular. It was a once in a lifetime event to see Neil and the lads belt out "Fall At Your Feet", "Weather With You" and other classic tunes. This was a concert where attendance earned you bragging rights, and was a momentous occasion in Aussie music that was not to be missed...except by me of course. I don't remember why I couldn't attend, but I do know that I've been seethingly bitter about it. Until now that is.
My feelings of being jipped 11 years ago have finally been put to rest by an amazing Crowded House reunion tour concert at the Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA, USA. I was ecstatic to be able to bask in the sounds of "Better Be Home Soon" and one of my faves "Don't Dream It's Over". Did the concert live up to my 11 year old expectations? Fuck yeah.
OK, since I'm updating the blog, I might as well harp on a bit more about other cultural happenings. The Crowded House concert was a nice complement to another Aussie band we saw the other week. It was the very funky The Cat Empire, and what made it especially sweet, was that the concert was free. Soaking in the sun at Copley Square, grooving to "Sly", "The Chariot" and "The Car Song" in the late afternoon sent my weekly quota of happiness through the roof. The only downer was the pesky alcohol-free situation, but I fixed that by downing a few beers with dinner.
These free events are held throughout the summer in Boston and is a pretty cool idea from the City. We also recently went to a free performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the evening at Boston Common (a large park in Downtown Boston) which was funny and entertaining. Last month I was lamenting to myself over how much I missed studying literature, so seeing Shakespeare again hit the spot nicely. Plus I picked up a second hand copy of "Ulysses" by James Joyce at a funky outdoor second-hand book place during one gloriously dreamy, sunny afternoon several Sunday's ago, so tackling this very dense classic is keeping my appetite for literature sated for the moment.
"It's Only Natural" is another top Crowded House song, so if you haven't heard the song before, click on the Youtube link, crank up the volume, give the song a go, and belt out the lyrics karaoke style.
And remember...
"It's only natural that I should want to be there with you
It's only natural that you should feel the same way too
It's circumstantial, it's something I was born to
It's only natural, can I help it if I want to"
29 July 2007
Change
I don't know if I want to continue with this blog in its current format. The original purpose of the blog was to provide a way for my mates back in Sydney to see what I've been up to in Boston. However, email, Facebook and Skype have made this blog largely redundant. Plus let's face it, no-one really gives a shit about my inane ramblings, and frankly, keeping a blog takes a crap-load of effort which I'm no longer willing to give. Yes I'm lazy.
I must admit I've enjoyed writing for this blog, it's a nice outlet and a pleasant change from the tedious scientific writing that I'm usually obligated to produce. Posting stuff online has also been strangely cathartic and personally liberating in a way, but whether I want to continue doing so is another matter. Plus I've got a shitload of other priorities than making sure my blog is up to date.
I do have a few posts that I've drafted which I will post in the future and I think I'll post randomly as the mood strikes, but I think posting regularly about my life in Boston is going to stop. So expect a bit of a change at +61.
I must admit I've enjoyed writing for this blog, it's a nice outlet and a pleasant change from the tedious scientific writing that I'm usually obligated to produce. Posting stuff online has also been strangely cathartic and personally liberating in a way, but whether I want to continue doing so is another matter. Plus I've got a shitload of other priorities than making sure my blog is up to date.
I do have a few posts that I've drafted which I will post in the future and I think I'll post randomly as the mood strikes, but I think posting regularly about my life in Boston is going to stop. So expect a bit of a change at +61.
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