kids here, kids there, kids everywhere... nothing wrong with it of course, it's just new to me ... probably should get used to my friends becoming parents, since I sure can't undo it! ;) if only I could find a way to be a cool aunt at least, it would make things much more fun. Looks like I can't communicate that well with kids after all...
Read the rest...
... in his latest satire on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy last night, he - while presumably defending the policy - said: "...when you're in combat, the number 1 thought in your head as the bullets are whizzing overhead is : I hope the guy who just saved my a** wasn't saving it for later..." ! I love this guy.
It's no news that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I know all the books by heart and I mean it... I've read them over and over and have listened to the audio books multiple times and still can't get enough of it. It's a little obsessive, I know, but well that's me for you, an obsessive, magic-loving Harry Potter fan.
It's raining in Vancouver again (surprise, surprise!). The city is still beautiful, and very very wet of course... anyway, since there has been not much to do outside, I've watched a couple of the Harry Potter movies again, to get ready for the new one coming out this Friday!!yaaaaay! I've already got the ticket to see it this weekend.
I've also been watching 30-Rock and I think it's a very smart and funny series, which of course occasionally has some lame episodes. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are just GREAT together and if you are looking for something to quickly cheer you up, watch this. Episodes are only about 20 minutes and you don't really need to closely follow the series to enjoy it.
Other than that, not much is going on except for work, and eating! For any of you who's in Vancouver, try the Irish Heather pub's Long Table Series, it's pretty cool and also surprisingly affordable. And although I think it needs a whole separate post on its own, YOU'VE GOT TO TRY VIJ'S. It's the best Indian food you've ever had and is of course nothing like anything you've ever had either! It's considered one of the best Indian Restaurants in the world and for good reason too. Try the Lamb Popsicle, or the Beef Short-rib and see for yourself.
Cut The Rope ... I've spent hours playing this addictive little iphone/ipod game and definitely recommend it! I've finished all the existing levels and can't wait for more levels to be available. The little green frog is adorable and the hairy spiders are cute and annoying in their own strange way... It's also been brought to my attention that I kind of look like the little frog when I'm hungry... :D
On an irrelevant note, I went to watch Lila Downs live in Chan Center a couple of nights ago and absolutely LOVED it... I fell in love with her after watching Frida (she's got a bunch of songs in that movie) and after seeing her live, I love her even more now. Her voice is heavenly and her music penetrates the soul... listen to her and you shall not be disappointed. BTW, the concert was a joint performance with Concha Buika who has a unique voice and style. I don't love her, but if you have a chance to see her live you'll probably enjoy her music more.
This year, the fall in Vancouver is making me sad and nervous and nostalgic and happy, all at the same time. I feel like I've never seen a city so beautiful, as if it's not a part of this world. And then I wish I could be certain of staying here forever. And of course, it's not like I'm even going anywhere else anytime soon... I worry nonetheless! It's probably my fever and the unbearable beauty of the fall that's making me say all this...[excuse the photo quality, I took it with my phone].
yep, looking back at my last post, seems like it took me over four months to come back and post something here, which is just not acceptable! I have been contemplating on putting a "closed until further notice" kind of sign on this blog, but I'm too attached to it to let go, not yet! At the same time, it is obvious with my heartbroken-ness issues at rest for now, and the PhD thesis in focus once more, the chances of me actually posting anything here is not getting any higher either... so I've decided to try and post about movies and TV again, and hopefully more regularly... we'll see if that keeps me (and you, dear reader) motivated. If not, I'll just call it quits and we'll be done!
So, during the past three weeks I have seen a bunch of movies in the VIFF, some of which I absolutely loved. Here they are:
1) Barney's version: AWESOME! I loved loved loved this movie. There is no way to describe the movie since the story sounds so simple: a politically incorrect man goes through a couple of decades of his life, dealing with his personal and social life issues, love, hate, marriage, friendship, and so on. It is based on a Canadian Novel by Mordecai Richler which apparently was loved by many Canadians over the years. I had absolutely no idea what the story was going to be about and was pleasantly surprised. The characters are easy to relate to, and it doesn't hurt either that the acting is absolutely amazing. There are crazy funny scenes and there are extremely emotional ones as well. And somehow it felt like it wasn't made for a certain type of audience, it wasn't too abstract, or too commercial, or too tragic... I think it was the sense of balance in the movie that made it so realistic and relatable. Anyway, see this movie when it comes out, you won't regret it.
2)Certified Copy: Kiarostami's latest movie definitely surpassed my expectations, mainly because I was getting ready to fall asleep midway through the film and I didn't... I can't say I followed exactly what was happening, but I definitely enjoyed it, and Juliette Binoche sure deserved the best actress prize in the Cannes film festival for her role. The movie basically spans over a few hours that a french art collector spends with an English author who has just written a book about the value of unoriginal art pieces (copies). I really enjoyed the dialogues, and also the film location which was somewhere around Tuscany, Italy. I recommend this movie if you can sit through two hours of dialogue (in 3 languages with English subtitles, of course) and not get bored.
3)Biutiful: This is Inarritu's latest movie and as much as I loved Javier Bardem in it, I can't say I was impressed. The film has a very dark mood to it, and tries to manipulate the viewer's emotions too much which sometimes doesn't work. The whole intertwined story lines is getting kind of repetitive in my opinion and this movie in particular was trying to cram too many stories in one package. Of course, you'll have to see this one just to see why Bardem got the best actor prize in the Cannes, but don't expect too much of it.
4) The illusionist: an animation from the director of "The Triplets of Belleville". It of course did not even come close to his previous film. I liked "the illusionist" mostly because it was happening in Edinburgh and the setting was beautiful and a little bit magical. The story however was slow and dragged on for a while longer than it should have. It felt more like a tribute to magicians, clowns, acrobats, and others from those lines of professions which are becoming obsolete. You probably want to rent it and watch it on a slow night.
5) Gold and Copper: a good Iranian movie by Homayoon Asadian, not excellent though, with some heart breaking moments. (no imdb link as far as I know)
6) One movie I don't recommend from the VIFF is: the neighbor, urghghgh, so unprofessional, and a lame story anyway. The only good thing it had going was the original score by Namjoo which I still have not found anywhere online.
I have also watched "the social network" and really really enjoyed it. The truthfulness of the story aside, everything else was perfect from acting to cinematography, editing, and the soundtrack. I couldn't help but admire the brilliance of the awkward hero. I think especially for people that have active facebook profiles (hmmmm, virtually everyone!) it is really interesting to see how it all started from a raw idea. Wait for the DVD but watch it for sure!
Man, I've been away from this blog for so long! I've almost forgotten how to write , it used to come so naturally to me, now it's a struggle and I'm sure it will sound forced in the end. But the hell with it! I'm not gonna give up on my blog yet, ... maybe a few more months will do it.
Anyway, where to start?! ...hmmm, oh yes, what about the series finale of LOST?!!! raise your hand if you're not sure how to feel about the finale... I've been swinging between love it/hate it/kinda like it for the past week. Right after watching the show I almost picked a fight with the Boyfriend (huh, bet you never thought you'd see the day!!!) just because he felt the finale was ridiculous! I'm a bit more melo now, and have to admit it wasn't the best ending. But honestly, what else could they do? the show was written into a corner with all the sci-fi/mythology twists and really, who can tell if a religious type of ending was worse than a time-travel or mythological based reveal of the island secrets?! ... so, in the end, I may not be as enthusiastic to recommend LOST for watching to anyone else, but it doesn't change the fact that I loved the series and its characters and will definitely miss it. 
(BTW, the image is from last week's episode of the Simpsons... I thought it was funny!)
I have also seen Shrek 4D, and well, was kinda disappointed... not worth the extra 3 bucks to watch it in 3D... wait for the DVD.
What else?! hmmmm... I've been very bad in watching good movies... can't seem to motivate myself to sit through a movie that's worth the time... which kind of sucks, hope it's just a phase...I honestly don't want to be stuck watching movies like "clash of the Titans" for the rest of my life (and yes, I actually did watch that one, in the theater!...go figure).
so yeah, this was my half-ass attempt at revitalizing my blog... let's see how long it'll take me to come back this time.
...states that in an isolated society, the total number of topper-ware dishes remain constant in time, even if their individual locations at each time does not... something to ponder upon.
Read the rest......Baking.
and I'm not kidding.I feel completely weird about this one, but recently all I can think about are cookies, pies, and cakes. I think in a few months I'll be 10 pounds heavier, and of course still a student. However, if you could taste the "warm sticky toffee cake" I made today you would know the reason behind this obsession. I'm actually good at this baking thing it seems! :D
...when the building janitor says to his friend (with you standing right there):"when she first came here, I thought she was someone's kid!... she was such a baby!".
shoot me... just shoot me now, please!
getting older... and more cynical... happiness is tainted with guilt when your friends are in trouble. It's my birthday, and I wish the world were just a bit more fair.
Read the rest...... so am I. I hopelessly wish for a peaceful protest... Tehran is just waking up... it's the 22nd of Bahman.
Read the rest...... hmmm, I guess it's considered some sort of a participation if the Olympic Torch goes right by your department, AND your house! :D I am starting to feel excited about this whole thing finally... Vancouver will be very alive during the next two weeks.. or at least we hope so!
(pay attention to the location of the torch around 6:14 and 6:52 p.m.) :D ... this happens tomorrow night by the way! yay...
As any reader of this blog knows, I've spent a good deal of my time, and my nerves, pondering on relationships, and I think I will continue to do so. It's just that when you're heart broken, sad, and angry it's much easier to write a post that can touch another person. On the other hand, when you're relatively happy and calm, as I have surprisingly been in the past few months, you don't get inspired as much!!! pretty sad and pathetic, but true... at least for me. So do I need a relationship that works, or do I need one that inspires me by being dysfunctional? I'm beginning to wonder if I really need the drama... I hope not.
Anyway, I've said all this so you understand why I need to write about movies again and here are some of the ones I watched recently:
Avatar: Well, need I say anything? I think the experience of watching it in "real D" was amazing... even if the story wasn't the greatest. I don't think there is any point in writing about it since everyone will probably eventually watch Avatar. Although I'm not sure how it would feel to watch it on TV. Loved the soundtrack by the way.
Nine: Well, if you ever watched 8 1/2 and thought it was not as interesting as everyone said it would be, then you should watch Nine and reconsider. It is basically 8 1/2 for dummies (like myself) and I don't mean it in a bad way. I think it conveyed the confusion of the uninspired director very well, the soundtrack was great, and of course Marion Cotillard was just a treat to look at. As a musical I thought Nine was great, and if you do like musicals you should definitely watch it sometime.
The Blin
d Side: well, this was a typical well made Hollywood movie. Sweet story with some touching moments, a few jokes, and a happy ending. Of course it was based on a true story which made me really admire the main character, however I felt like something was missing from the movie. It might be just me though! anyway, watch it on DVD.
Paranormal activity: hmmm, it may come as a shock to some people, but I didn't understand what all the fuss was about? I didn't get scared even a little and I was watching it on a wide screen with a good sound system and lights off! Although, it might have been because everyone kept saying it was the scariest movie they've ever watched and how you couldn't sleep at night after watching it... high expectations, very little satisfaction!
9: loved it! great great animation and the little mechanical tricks were really fun too look at. definitely recommend it if you like dark animations.
Mary and Max: a very sad and somewhat depressing animations that you'll either love or hate. I enjoyed it very much... it's a bit more serious than you'd expect an animation to be, but it's worth watching. You'll certainly appreciate all the work it took to create the little hand-made figures and make the animation.
hmm, I watched a few more movies: District 9 (loved it), Bist (liked it a lot), 2012 (lame lame lame), Bandslam (funny and melo, not very well-made though). Ok... I think that would be enough for now. Will be back with more movies soon I hope!
