Saddest Word, Part 2

And here I am again. It’s really been a while, and my only excuse is I’ve been really busy to write anything. When I wasn’t, I just didn’t know what to say, or how. But I wrote something, and given the fact I only write when I’m angry or sad, you could guess it’s not a cheer-upper. This time is a mixture of both, with sadness prevailing. I am happy in general, but I’ve been thinking about different things, remembering long lost memories, and I just decided to write this time. I guess I’m also sad about the passing of Robin Williams. I’ll be honest, he wasn’t my absolute favorite actor, but still I enjoyed his films, and the other night when I read the news, I just broke down and cried for about 10 minutes. Everyone’s calling it a tragedy, and it is – the fact that we’ve created a society in which we all wear masks of perfection and happiness, because no one wants to see the rotting underneath. We’re all Dorian Gray, we all have our pictures…. Rest in peace, Genie, you’re free.

Cheers to our broken hearts
Cheers to our sons at war
Cheers to man-made gods departed
Cheers to naked corpses cold

Here's to families no longer whole
Here's to childhoods in cold and grey
To mum and dad and their lost souls
Here's to driving children far away

For the ungrateful I will make a toast
For their emptiness and selfish days
For they, too, hide skeletons and ghosts
For who would love them, led so astray?

To the believers, driven me to disbelief
I raise a glass - may you find your path
For the weak I would devour all your grief
And feed it to the demons of wrath

Ashes always buried in the ground
Farewell my youth I've never felt
In darkness I may be forever bound

But don't take the hands I've hardly held

Weird films for weird people!

Greetings, people of Earth! Since I haven’t written anything lately, but wanted to post something in the blog to make it look alive, I thought I’d treat you with something I could talk all day about – films. Like most of you, I'm also an avid admirer of cinema (sometimes a bit too much). But every now and again, I come across some quirky, beautiful, gone-under-the-radar film that I fall madly in love with, while the rest of the world either ignores it, or doesn't give it enough credit. So I decided to present to you my collection of such films, hoping that there are some amongst you who love them as much as I do, or that you will find a hidden gem among them that you haven't heard of before. They're all unique in their own way, and maybe don't make much sense some of the time, but for me, they all work in this weird internal world of theirs that I just... get without needing complex explanations. And if crying is any indication for how good a film is, weell, I cry on each of them, every time. So, ready, camera, action!

                                                                

1. Mr. Nobody (2009)

Ever wondered what would have happened if you had chosen a different path in life, picked this city to live in instead of that one? Well this film shows you what happens. I'm not spoiling anything, so let's just say it doesn't follow a very linear path, because time is a completely different concept in it. The meaning I took from it, most of all, is that we shouldn't regret the choices we make. Whatever life we choose to live, it is the right one, every path we walk is the right path, and every choice shapes us into a different person. Plus, you know, Jared Leto...

2. The Fountain (2006)

A story set in three different time periods, but in its core, it is one and the same. What it taught me (and what I try to implicate in my life every day) is:
1) to not waste precious time for things I can't change, but use it to enjoy the things I have here and now;
2) love lives forever - cliché or not, this film has one of the most beautiful love stories I've seen on film. It's directed by Darren Aronofsky (the guy who brought you Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and most recently, Noah), so you know it's gonna be reaching inside you and gripping your soul - or at least that's how I feel watching it. And the music - oh my god, the music! Clint Mansell is a GOD! The music is one of the reasons I adore this film, I get goosebumps every time I listen to it. If you can't be bothered with the film, just have a listen of the track Death is the Road to Awe from the score ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihF_aXi-Huk ) - there's one moment there that chills to the bone - pure eargasm. This film is also one of my top 3 films that I can watch every day and not get bored of it - I don't need a specific frame of mind, I can just sit and… watch. The only word I can describe it with is 'beautiful'.

3. Everything is Illuminated (2005)

Okay, this one follows a story and is structured like a regular film (mostly). It's based on a novel written by Jonathan Safran Foer, the same person who wrote Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. So Fro... I mean, Elijah Wood goes to Ukraine to find his family roots and is greeted by a quirky interpreter and tour guide who loves everything American. Enter every possible shenanigans that can follow from that. My word for this film is definitely 'bittersweet' - it makes you laugh, and in the next moment breaks your heart, then makes you laugh through tears again. It manages to take you away from civilization and land you running through wheat fields with nothing but the wind in your face. And, not to spoil anything, but there is a bloody ring involved AGAIN!
This is my absolute favourite of my top 3 post-LOTR-films-with-a-LOTR-actor in it. (It just is, okay? It's my list!) I think it's very underrated and I would urge you to give it a go, because it is really... well, beautiful (I have a feeling I'll be using this word a lot here).

4. Mary and Max (2009)

An 8-year-old girl from Melbourne becomes pen pals with a 44-year-old obese guy from New York. I know, it screams 'WRONG!' all over, but surprisingly, it becomes one of the best friendships out there. It's not your usual animation, frankly I wouldn't call it very suitable for children either. It just hits you with reality front, back, and center, but what you should take away from it is that some friendships are meant to last, and that sometimes, the most unexpected people can change your life.

5. Big Fish (2003)

Hands down, the best Tim Burton film out there for me (as directed by him, otherwise Nightmare Before Christmas wins every time). We all expect Burton's films to be weird and we always have this frame of mind when watching them and nothing could surprise us. However, what this film stands out with for me (other than no Johnny Depp for once) is that I can see character development. All the crazy stories function as a catalyst and at the end, the characters come out as different people, and I care about those people, I laugh and cry with them. And in the end, the craziest adventure is life itself.

6. Cloud Atlas (2012)

I'm sure most of you know about Cloud Atlas and have either been swept off by it, or left deeply confused about what you just saw. As an atheist, reincarnation is the concept I find most fascinating of all the religious theories out there, and karma is something I deeply believe in (yes, an atheist believes that what goes around comes around!). And I completely loved this film. I think it interpreted the theme of actions resonating through the centuries in a very compelling way. On the second watch I saw a lot of things I missed during the first, and I'm sure I'll discover many more when I watch it again. I love it when a film gives me that, it allows me to gradually see so many layers of it. And the music has also become one of my favourite soundtracks. I know the film's not perfect, but I tend to focus on the feeling it gives me, and on the journey it sends me as I watch these souls race through time. And as soon as I finish the 2734 books I've started reading all at once, I'm getting my hands on this one too!

7. Only Lover Left Alive (2013)

This film is relatively new, and I'm not sure it's been released everywhere yet, but if you see it showing somewhere around you, please give it a shot. In a world where vampires have been reduced to sparkling pixie dust fairies, this film manages to redeem them at least partially. You see life through their point of view, and you do sympathize with their characters. The music is also awesome, I've been playing it ever since I watched the film. And, you know, Tom Hiddleston looks like a rockstar...

8. The Tree of Life (2011)

Last, but not least comes Terrence Malick's story about life, the universe, and everything. Seriously, this film deals with so many topics I'm not even sure it knows what it is. You're watching the story of a family in the '50s, next thing you know, you're witnessing the creation of the universe (accompanied by one of the most haunting voices ever). You do get lost during the film, but I think that's the point - we all get lost in life one way or another, and it's up to us to face our demons and find our way again.

 

And here we are at the end. Thank you all for reading, I really hope I've somehow convinced you to give these films a shot. If you've seen them, which one do you like the most? I know there are a lot more quirky films out there, these here are my personal favourites, but which ones are yours? I'd love a recommendation from you as well!

Imgur time!

Mae govannen, everyone! I’ve been on Imgur (one of them many websites for the “funnies”) for about 4 months now, and I would recommend it to anyone who just needs to feel better and laugh. Recently, a lot of LOTR related posts have been flying around the site, and I, the Tolkien geek that I am, made some of my own as well. So, not that I’m showing off or anything, I’d like to casually put them on here too. If you happen to give me an upvote as a result, then so be it. Thank you, dearies!

The tale of Beren and Lúthien http://imgur.com/gallery/mC4Lk
The future of Middle-earth http://imgur.com/gallery/tjqAA
Some Middle-earth humour http://imgur.com/gallery/WZABS

EDIT: And some hilarious and very bad LOTR captions http://imgur.com/gallery/c01dA

S

With the rate I’m going, there won’t be anything left to be published. Well, in the likely chance it’s not (<- statement connected to the extract), I’ll just post the whole thing here. And for the third time – no touchy-touchy!

 

The Soul is an amazing concept. Do we even have one? Is it really there? Or is it just Something religion came up with to Scare the masses. I’ve always been in two minds about pretty much everything, and this is no exception. I guess it’s just another way to portray my duality, my constant questioning and wandering between the Spiritual and the logical. It’s not Something unusual, everyone (some more than others) at some point in their life has pondered over the big questions: What are we? Why are we here? Is this all there is, is there Something else, Somewhere, beyond the visible? I’ve never been on good terms with logic or rationality, but 99% of the time I do the “right” thing and try to listen to my head. And 99% of the time I only believe in something if I can See it. 99% of the time I think there is no magic in the world, no Spiritual layer of the universe, nothing that Special at all – just balls of gas and rock orbiting around in perfect logic. 99% of the time I bow down to Society’s whims and rules. Every bigger dream I dare have gets Shot down in my head 99% of the time. Just 99% of the time... And I realised that the remaining 1% is the tiny voice in my mind constantly Shouting “What if?” – 99% of the time Silenced by logic, but Shouting nonetheless, Screaming at me that everything’s possible. It’s where hope comes from, where love is born and reborn time and again, where your true Strength lies. And what I found is that this 1% is the human Soul.

C

Since I’m not writing any scribbles, I thought I’d share another extract from “the book”. As usual – no touchy-touchy.

 

To my unborn Child:
………………………………………….

…you and I will probably disagree about everything. You will hurry to get out of the Cradle and grow up, I will run after you to put you back in. And if you won’t take my advice for anything else, take it for this. You will have plenty of time to be an adult – not so much to be a Child. So trust me when I say I will do my best to prepare you for that time while you’re growing up. Yes, sometimes I will be nosy. Yes, I will be pushy. And yes, I will probably be annoying. It won’t be because I don’t believe or respect you – it’s just a motherly instinct to look out for your young (or a phantom instinct, in my case). And then, one day, time will come for you to leave home and Chase your own future. I won’t stop you, even though it may break my heart – I’ll just hope I’ve prepared you well enough - because from that day on, you will be the maker of your own destiny. You will be the one taking your own decisions and Choosing what’s best for you. And if I don’t agree with something you do, no matter how good my intentions are, remember this: You don’t live your life for your mother, or your father, or for anyone else. And if you spend all your time trying to make everyone happy – whose life are you living? I’m not saying to never listen to me – just listen to yourself as well. It won’t mean you’ve deserted or betrayed your family – they will always be there. Your home will always be yours, you’ll carry them with you wherever you go. But you can’t discover that “wherever” from the comfort of home. The hardest things in life are usually the best – there’s something, someone, somewhere for you to find them. So go - the world is waiting.

G

For some time now, I have been writing something like a book, but the process is so slow, I don’t think it will be finished soon. I showed an excerpt to one of my friends and he said I should post it somewhere. And the blog is the lucky winner. If at some point in the future, my dream comes true and this thing gets published, I would just like to say that the following extract is my own work, sooo – all rights reserved and no touchy-touchy!

 

“Growing up – can you actually feel the moment it happens? Is there some point in time in which you are still a child, and in the next – no longer one? I still don’t think I’ve Grown up. I’m Growing older – but inside I can see the little Girl, a bit weird, that no one wanted to play with in kindergarten. But one distinct time I actually felt things would never be the same was when I Graduated university. It’s like you’re in the middle of the ocean, and your life-belt suddenly cracks. And you’re on your own. And you either learn to swim or drown. It still hits me sometimes – the sudden realisation that I will never again sleep late on a weekend in my bed, in my room, in my house, because I had to Get up early all week for school; that the neighbour kids will never again call me out to play; that I will never again spend the whole summer at my grandmother’s flat, playing with my cousins; that we will never again play hide and seek till midnight, or pray for rain on a really hot day; I’ll never again catch fireflies in the dark... They’re now chased by someone else.”

Karma

My muse showed up at 3 last night, and I just finished writing it. I’ve always believed in karma, of all the things to believe in, I think karma is the most just and it makes the most sense. And I guess I’ve been reading on spirituality and meditation recently which inspired me. I’m not delving into any religion, I’m just trying to express how I feel about Mother nature, acknowledging that good things come with bad and vice versa. So I wanted show her my respect with this scribble.

There's no moon here
There are no stars here
There's no sun here
There's no light here

There are no hearts here
There's no joy here
There's no love here
There's no hope here
.................................

You are the earth,
you are the sky,
you are the dirt,
you are bird's cry

You are the rivers,
you are the moon,
you're the silvering
                 monsoon.

As above, so below
You see all, joy and woe
East and West, hunter and pray.
South and North - fire purifies all sins,
                            then water washes them away.

Protectress of all wild and free
Mother just, weaver of destinies
You're everything there is, black and white
...For the darkness mixed with darkness shall create Light.