I am Your Sunshine

It should fun this year cos I’ve watched most of the nominated films.

the ones that I haven’t seen and not intended to see are:
Avatar, Precious, The Lovely Bones, The Hurt Locker, Fantastic Mr Fox, A Prophet, The White Ribbon and District 9.

watched and liked watched but did not like so much wanna watch
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ABC’s new dramedy about 4 (or 5?) first year associates in a prestigious law firm in LA. It’s light hearted and fast paced, but you can’t really tell much from the pilot. As far as introducing the characters, I think it did a pretty decent job. However, it did give a Grey’s Anatomy impression with people sleeping around. For Pete’s sake, it’s only the pilot! I hope it wouldn’t turn out to be a legal version of GA with the lack of mesmerizing voiceover. It’d be the worst of both worlds…

I heard about NBC shuffling Jay Leno’s show yesterday morning on my alarm clock radio, but I didn’t fully understand what was going on, because I don’t give a damn about that stupid fat ass whose popularity over Conan never cease to baffle me, until I came across a statement by Conan O’Brien. As I read on, I realized that Conan is the victim of NBC’s self-proclaimed “genius” move last season. I can even picture the smug grin on Jay Leno’s face as the move doesn’t hurt him at all but Conan. In Conan’s statement, he expressed himself in a dignified way and in this depressing moment, he still insisted to entertain us with his usual self deprecating humor at the end of the statement.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Ah, this is the Conan I so love. I hope he can continue to do what he loves with whichever network that respects the work. :)

We were divided into groups today in our Fiction class. Having had to be face to face with my group members, I was once again stunned by the youthfulness they possess, their forgiven carelessness and their fearless disposition toward the world that is going to devour them. Perhaps it was because I haven’t taken classes that involved interaction with college aged kids for the past six months. (I’ve been in Taiwan and I only hanged with a middle aged graphic designer and a matured looking guy in my drawing class.) I wonder how they see me. That is, if they saw me at all. Nevertheless, I was less self conscious than I used to be. I’ve recently decided that if I’m uncomfortable, or unable even, to present the confident self in front of these bunch of overconfident brats (no hard feelings), in English, I’ll settle to be “the quiet one”, as in the poem “The Quiet One” which I haven’t yet to finish.

But as I was sitting quietly, trying not to be desperately wanting to join the conversation which was honestly quite dull even though spices were added to make it lively, the other quiet girl spoke. “Never used powerpoint in my life.” She paused, savoring the sudden attention mixed with amazement, and then continued with the languor she’d been posing all morning, “We didn’t use that in high school. I’m 24.” I almost bursted out laughing while the others exchanged murmured exclamation like “we thought you’re our age!” and thoughtful declaration like “you get that every once in a while.” oh my oh my…

B

I’ve been wanting to watch this movie because of this poster. It intrigued me somehow. Yeah, it looks lame; nothing more than a bizarre love triangle. But I was curious how it would be portrayed and processed.

But it turned out to be a movie about “love at first sight” and “the one”. It said that there’s the one person for you in the world, and when you meet “the one”, you’d know it right away. Personally I think it’s shit. If you fall for someone and it turns out to be fine, or more than fine, you just get lucky. However, I know those firm believers who never stop looking would argue that I don’t believe because I never have the experience. But honestly, what I think doesn’t have anything to do with you, unless you’re the kind of person who needs constant reassurance from others to keep your feet steady. or… unless I’m the subject of your love at first sight!? But wait, doesn’t this thing have to be mutual?

B+
劇情很簡單, 歌舞很不賴. 演員都是一時之選, 但整體還是比 Chicago 略遜一籌.

(要找 8 1/2 來看)

這幾天吃了…
奇峰閣
大台北
日本料理
聖誕夜晚餐 (蝦鬆, 螃蟹, 油飯… 等等好料)
跨年晚餐 (米粉湯… 等等好料)
有朋自上海來晚餐 (紅燒魚, 蔥油餅, 鰻魚… 等等好料)

我們自己吃了玩了:
SF: Branda’s French Soul Food, 逛 Fillmore Ave.
A Single Man, Nine.
Bill’s Cafe, Santana Row, Valley Fair, CPK.
Sonoma: Cafe Citti, Artesa, Imagery, Chateau St. Jean, Ledson
SF: Lombard St., Le Charm
Los Gatos 逛街, Main Street Burger.

今天餞別晚餐後, 還拿了一盒土雞蛋(叔叔家養的雞)跟手工香皂回家 >////<

(跟狗狗玩了一天, 現在一直覺得狗狗怎麼沒有跑來我腳邊 XD)

I guess the reason why I enjoy staying up late is because it’s all mine. (though I do share it with you from time to time.)

cutting off sweater puffs is not as calming as drawing. my mind wanders.

My top six:
Chicago (2002)
La Vie en Rose (2007)
Nine (2009)
Beyond the Sea (2004)
8 Femmes (2002)
The Music Man (2003)

the rest I’ve seen:
Walk the Line (2005)
Dreamgirls (2006)
Across the Universe (2007)
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
The Producers (2005)
Hairspray (2007)

music oriented movies:
Once (2007)
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
The School of Rock (2003)
Ray (2004)
Shine a Light (2008)
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Hustle & Flow (2005)
Music and Lyrics (2007)

有人在頭上走來走去的感覺真不好
彷彿隨時都會穿過天花板掉下來一樣
還把枝枝葉葉亂七八糟的灑在我們樓梯上
最好要給我清乾淨
不過我覺得不太可能

這個星期六下午還頗有人氣
我寧願它如同以往像全世界只剩我一個人那樣安靜
真是吵死人了!

Nine

Highly anticipated.
Just look at the cast!
Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren

Nine (AMC, Cine@rt)

另外還有一大堆片, 都在Xmas跑出來了!
包括廣告超久的 Sherlock Holmes (AMC), Isherwood的A Single Man (Cine@rt), The Young Victoria (Cine@rt), 還有好像很厲害的 Up in the Air (AMC)
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three o’clock in the morning
the world is supposed to be quiet and still
but it’s not
music flows not in the serenity of the dark
but in the crowdedness of the world and probably
of my humming mind

I am wide awake

trying to at least create calmness in my imagination
perhaps I should turn off the lights
but still, I know it’s not there
the absence of the night, or the essence that constitutes night, is incredibly immense
where has it gone?
how can I get it back?

not as satisfying as the Lighthouse, which was a page turner and very moving.

the characters in The Private Patient are less likable and hard to identify with, thus are a drag from time to time. The most interesting part is where Emma’s father quotes Wilde and the depiction of Kate.

Thanks to EW

Shows I watch:
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N/A

I decided that it’s a guy thing, just like the much-praised, stupid Field of Dreams, ’cause, quoting Morales in A Chorus Line, I feel nothing.

I’m not saying it’s not good (plus some of the shots are spectacular); I simply felt nothing toward this father and son thing. I wasn’t shocked by what the movie portrayed, and I wasn’t touched. I can imagine some, if not most, guys feel the same way toward films touch upon female identity recognition issue and etc.

Men and their fathers… it’s taking care and depending on each other, it’s passing down the legacy, it’s a power struggle. It’s complicated.

Your 67th Golden Globe nominations

seen / plan to watch
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(if it can still be called a “collection”…)

上次的整理.

Reds:
(Cab)
2002 Robert Mondavi Stag’s Leap Dist Cabernet Sauvignon $55(?)
2004 Simi Landslide Cabernet Sauvignon $40
2005 Ashley Capricious Blue Cabernet Sauvignon $90
三瓶都不會變的東東 XD

(Other)
2005 Masi Campofiorin Ripasso $16 新進(註)
2006 Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo $9 新進
2005 Vicent Arroyo Petite Sirah
2003 Valley of the Moon Estate Old Vine Zinfandel (便宜, 但非常好喝. 2004 VOTM 的 Old Vine Zin 就差很多. 當初買了兩瓶, 這瓶一直捨不得開.)

White:
2007 Karl Joh. Molitor Riesling Spaetlese $14 (喝掉囉)
2008 Hermann J Wiemer Frost Cuvee (from Moni)

Dessert:
2005 Mayo Late Harvest Gewurztraminer $26
2004 Peller Estates Icewine (Vidal Blanc) $$$

註:
Masi Campofiorin Ripasso 這支其實已經買過兩次, 之前都是 2004 的. Ripasso 可說是窮人的 Amarone, 比較便宜 (很多), 適飲期也比較早. 這支 Ripasso 大概是除了 Robert Mondavi 的Stag’s Leap unfiltered Cab 之外 (還有那支西班牙白酒), 唯一一直買的酒了. 每次都喝得很開心. 但也希望有朝一日我可以下定決心買 Amarone. XD (明明跟那些 overpriced的加州酒差不多錢…)

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Paul asked us to bring a photo of someone we feel strongly about (either love or hate.) I didn’t want to take my poster off the wall (it’ll be too big anyways), so I just randomly picked two photos of w’s and brought it to class. Unfortunately, Paul said w doesn’t look man enough XDDDD (nah, he said 4*6 photo is too small.) and asked me to find something else.

And I found one I like online and printed it out in the library.

We were doing a characture drawing. It isn’t meant to be proportional. First we divide the original image into a 4*3 grid. Then, randomly put 3 dots on the left side of another piece of paper and 3 dots (not aligned) on the right, and 2 dots on the top and 2 on the bottom.

so instead of this we have something like this

and this is what I did (it’s unfinished though.)

who do you think this is?

After we did the landscape drawing in the sunken garden, we returned to the classroom. Paul handed each of us a square of a image that was cut out of a larger image. We might not be able to tell from the small pieces that we got what it was that we were drawing, but we were supposed to draw the “values” not the “things” anyways. When we were all done, Paul took our drawings and pieced them on the wall, and voilà. (Mine is the one on the top left corner.)

It looked amazing. And you can tell that different person has different interpretation of what he’s given. I loved this project.

Then we ventured a new medium – crow quill pen + ink. This time, Paul taught us to create different values using hash marks. Our goal is to recreate our breakfast and put it in a setting that makes sense.

Today, we drew small portraits of our classmates on tiny pieces of some fancy paper Paul gave us. We were to make a wash (add some ink to a dish of water to create a shade that we like), make some organic shape on the paper and then draw our partner with a crow quill pen.

Here are some of mine.

Eddie Vedder, like doing the right thing, is an acquired taste.

People are wired differently, mysteriously. Matthew Bellamy’s hell to some’s ears but redemption to mine. Brian Aubert sounds unbearably childish to him while it get me completely and whole-heartedly addicted.

But even though he touched me with lines like you’re my muse with simplicity and desperate sincerity that he’s always good at, I’m intoxicated with your timid smile and persistent gaze and I think that possibly maybe I’m falling for you.