The M Quarter

I'm reading a Wikipedia article on a topic I know next to nothing about. It's annoying having a million tabs open at once with long Wiki articles explaining a definition. I'm making slow progress down the original article.

I spent maybe an hour tonight tightening, polishing and tuning some of what I've already written; the expression must be satisfactory. I wrapped up the scene in progress, and now I've got nothing. I'm trying a plotting technique called 'storyboarding', similar to the technique used by filmmakers to cement the process of their stories. It's working. I'm actually figuring out content - albeit later on in the story, so I can't advance just yet, but maybe this time, I'll have the length.

HOPE RUNS DEEP.

I've got the Melbourne University Debating Society brochure with me. It's got a cool questionnaire on the back of it.

( What your speaker position says about you )

Post yours.

I just went to the City Library. A woman there was playing Erik Satie's "Trois Gymnopedies" on the piano there. It's in one of the K-movies I've seen.

Koreans favour classical music in their romcoms. Or just roms. Trois Gymnopedies is a popular one. I think it's in Deiji (Daisy). It's appropriate. Delicate. I like it.

... just a little of that funny feeling, where I'm sure that I haven't seen a movie; yet upon watching it, I'm equally sure that I have - or at least, some parts of it.

But I don't recall ever taking steps to go and see it ... but for some reason, I recognize scenes and can even predict, "doesn't she/he - ?". It's not like me to watch only a bit of a movie, if I can help it. This movie is not one I'd only watch parts of.

It bugs me. Not bothers, but it's just wierd. I don't understand. It just is.

Meanwhile, I'm really starting to like Korean cinema. But I can't really say. I've seen 2.5 movies. I'm halfway through one. I like it. All three movies I've seen are good. I hope this standard is consistent throughout the whole industry. It really is refreshing to see a movie I actually like. I've been a bit unimpressed with Hollywood lately. It's just not working. I don't know why. Could be the language barrier.

But the thing is, I'm in the middle of this movie - yet somehow, it manages to make my suspend my disbelief despite the fact that it's raging through my brain. The paradox is, my disbelief is present and rearing its head as well as being suspended at the same time.

No Hollywood movie could ever do this. And I don't know why. I might, actually. I don't know for sure if I do. Here's my guess.

See, (from what I've seen) Korean movies tend to be very melodramatic ... whereas Hollywood movies are generally more 'serious' and perhaps try to emulate real life. For example, you watch a HW romcom, and it doesn't work because romance is a cliche.

However, Korean movies (romcoms, for example) are aware and acknowledge this - and feature characters so absurd that you can't help but laugh. They don't insult your intelligence. They don't take themselves seriously either. They also understand that people see movies to get away. If the viewer wanted real life, they wouldn't be watching. They'd be living their real life.

There's the ending of one of the three I've seen - and it's a cliched ending. By then, my disbelief had been comprehensively outplayed. On hindsight, was it predictable? I guess it might have been. Predictable because it's a cliche, and cliches are always predictable. That's why their cliches. But you know what, by the conclusion, I was so enthralled. When that happens, you stop thinking. You just watch.

Sort of when you're reading a seriously thrilling book. You just want to find out what happens next. You don't predict anymore. You stop thinking, theorizing. You just want to know. And you absolutely must find out as quickly as possible. To do that, you shut down your thinking because that's a distraction and you don't absorb as much.

So at this point I should clarify. I didn't know where this movie was going until it reached the start of the ending (by ending I mean, the last storytelling scene). By then I had realized what was going to happen. But then, the plot finished, and the acting took over.

And it was good acting. I won't go further on that. But anyway, what I will say, is that the ending, even if it was cliched, and whatever, still hit me like a slap across the face. My brain powered back up, and christ, was it reeling. Couldn't believe it.

The cliche ending - among everything else that the movie had to offer - was brilliantly executed. And just so suitable!

So, since I have such glowing praise for this movie, I cannot believe (but I do believe it) that some people do not like this movie. But such people do exist. I have surveyed them. The movie did not silence their disbelief.

Thus, I'm hesistant to recommend movies. I now keep my opinion (which I offer freely) and my recommendation separate, much like a separation must exist between the government and the judiciary. I mean, I want them to watch it, because it's so good, but you can't say for sure whether that person will like it or not. No-one can say. You can know a person well, and make a recommendation based on that knowledge, but it's still just a guess. The randomness of the basis of whether they like it or not trancends a movie's genre or cast. There are more factors than that. Maybe there's something unique or special in the movie which tugs on their heartstrings. Maybe it's just a single scene or expression, development of a character. Maybe they'll just watch it and think that everything fits, like I do. Or think the exact opposite.

So because of this, it's not even about how much you know about a person. It's just the fact that you're not them; the unique combination of their personality, their experiences, their values.

But in a twist of things, this time, I don't care about how much I know or don't know about you. I recommend it. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge. It's not always meant to be. But sometimes it is. I've given you my opinion for My Sassy Girl. It's an old one, but you might be able to get it in Springvale, Box Hill, or China Town. There are other places you can get it. Right, now all you have to do is follow up on my recommendation!

It's a really popular exported film, too. Was huge in South Korea. If you've seen it, leave your opinion! This year, they'll put out an American remake.

Korean sounds nice. It just sounds great. It's a great sounding language. Like Mandarin, Cantonese, or Queen's English.

Also, I realised I might have put a spoiler for it when I talking about the awesome ending. Sorry about that, if you want to follow it up. I only decided I recommend it when I got to the end of the post.

So I have now formatted my computer. It's an old one and still doesn't run that fast, but it feels good to have a fresh slate. No cluttered files. I think I'll leave those files on my portable hard drive, uncluttered and clean just has that sparkling feel to it.

It's taken a while for me to restore all the updates and software. However now, I've installed more open source software to replace my old commercial ones. Open source is great; generally smaller in size, not bloatware, and can be superior to commercial options.

I find it amazing that plants can covert a toxic gas (CO2) into an important gas (oxygen) and the main source of energy of living things (glucose).

You know you are a nerd when you know about equipment Comic Book Guy is referring to when he says this:

"I'm interested in upgrading my 28.8 kilobaud Internet connection to a 1.5
megabit fiber optic T1 line. Will you be able to provide an IP router
that's compatible with my Token Ring Ethernet LAN configuration?"

As I now know. IT Applications 3/4 has done this to me!

Since other people are posting these..

But we will know! (spoilers)

I've just read it.

I'm reeling. I'm in a kind of shock. If I knew what it was like, I'd liken it to being shell-shocked ... the kind of dimming of the senses of that sensation, at least. I'll try and articulate something ...

Pwoah. I mean, Wow. What a roller coaster ride. That was fast. A little too fast. It just blitzed by - I've had barely any time to truly digest it, the meaning of this. I feel a bit nauseous, yet I'm not sad the ride is over ... more - mourning, if you will. There won't be another book. It's over. She's taken him out with a bang, and they're both not coming back. The loose ends ... we'll never, ever know.

One thing's for certain, though, is that she's done a great job. Fantastic. You can't help but breathlessly admire her work.

I think ... what has made Rowling all these millions, is the strength of the attachment she's created between the reader and the characters. I'm certainly sorry to see them go. Millions of others will be as well. Her technique of prose - brilliant, articulate, flowing as glassy as water over things without speed - is superb. She's reached the right balance between the out and out action, character development and description. As good as she as at actually writing, the way she's done it - the epic scope of the adventure, the characters, the lessons contained in it have wrested, seductively, caressingly, persuasively, the money of millions, who are all too willingly to fork it out - and rightly so.

( Some spoilers )

It was good while it lasted. Like a particularly pleasant dream.

vs.

Some say team sport is an allusion to war, and in a way sport is war, without the political complications, the blame game (although admittedly this does happen in sport), the loss of life (duh), and the comparatively lower stakes.

But we have on our hands, a potential classic.

The finalists of the UEFA Champions League of 2005 MEET ONCE AGAIN, in GREECE.

MOUNT OLYMPUS HERSELF HAS NAE'ER SEEN A CLASH OF (football) TITANS LIKE THIS BEFORE. THIS IS THE STAGE (for clubs; for nations it is the World Cup) WHERE HEROES ARE MADE!

I can't call it. Liverpool are Liverpool, but AC Milan is a great side, also.



No, you won't indeed.

Text a font size usually reserved for football:

YES!


STARCRAFT II!!!!!!!

Watch the announcement trailer:

I've just returned from seeing Spiderman 3.

It's brilliant.

There's no other superhero franchise that does such a good job.

I like the black-suit Spiderman.

As I was walking towards the cinema I saw one of those crane games, you know, the ones where there are a pit of soft toys in a glass cabinet, and a weak-ass claw? There was one full of Spiderman plushies. They had the regular, dependable, red and blue, but they also had the black Spidey. I wanted the black Spiderman, it looks so cool! Superior.

Meanwhile, I've just been alerted to the scale of the movies I want to see. Curse this year! Why couldn't they come out last year! Last year was so abysmally barren of good movies. These movie trailer editors wield extraordinary power.

Fantastic 4 2: Looks sooo good, saw the preview before SM-3.

Pirates of the Carribean: Also saw the preview. I might just watch the DVD though. The second one's first half was surprising boring, even if it was BRITISH.

Ocean's 13: Saw preview. For some reason critics are (were) harsh on the Ocean series. I liked them. It's got an actor line up as star-studded as Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Simpsons: That's a paddling.

Die Hard 4: Classic Willis.

Potter, Harry: BRITISH

Sin City's in there as well, somewhere. Probably some others I've currently forgotten, but damn, is this a bumper year for movies.

All this time I've written Liverpool in Chinese as 利法菩, a clever phonetic invention of my own. But Liverpool, officially, is 利物浦!! Obviously, by the time you sound them both out, you see that my translation is superior. LiFaPu (利法菩) 比 LiWuPu(利物浦) 好.

They certainly didn't.

The last two especially. LOL.

VICTORY.



LIVERPOOL continued their march towards the UEFA Champions League finals delivering a crunching defeat of THREE - NILL to PSV at their home ground! Next week LIVERPOOL play PSV at ANFIELD, the fortress, WHERE YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE.

I have a new favorite Simpsons character. I mean, aside from the regulars like Homer and Moe, etc.

Jasper Beardly.

LOL.



Look at him. Look at that nose!

It's a right little schnozz!

If I ever need to smile I hope picturing Jasper works for many times to come. But unfortunately these things tend to "wear out".

But that schnozz! LOL!

For the next (unspecified) period of time, I'll be putting some JASPER BEARDLY quotes in MSN.