Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: celebrity, Public Enemies, bed, actors, British, dream, directing, critics, class, We Are Golden, Persepolis, Almost Strangers, teen pregnancy, movie reviews
July 31, 2009
Dear Readers,
Last night I dreamed that I hacked into my mother’s bank account with a few of my buddies and old classmates and got pregnant. The pregnancy was not a result of stealing money, although with dreams you never know. My mother, psych teacher, “Juno”, and Bristol Palin have scared me away from teen pregnancy in the last few weeks more than those teen mothers at last year’s ninth grade retreat. The dream didn’t help, especially not when I had to explain to my mother that I was the one who had hacked into her account and that I was pregnant. Luckily I woke up before I had to confess anything.
I’ve taken to sleeping with my mom because there may or may not be bugs sucking my blood in my own bed. I woke up late because I didn’t have psych this morning, and my mom was getting ready to go to work. My mom just bought one of those memory-foam mattresses, and she put a white sheet on it. In short, I woke up on a cloud. I’m smitten with her mattress and its white sheet.
Today was uneventful. I filmed a bit more of the boring part of my video and cooked some fish. Now I’m waiting for my mom to get home from work so we can maybe go shopping and finish the end of the BBC drama I was watching two days ago, “Almost Strangers”.
The majority of British actors always amaze me. Aside from their talent they seem to possess some sort of class that most American actors don’t have. We say “celebrity” and tabloid images pop into mind, but the people who always appear in tabloids are the ones we don’t care about. Who are the actors we really respect in terms of talent? They rarely appear in your local supermarket aisle.
MIKA’s video for “We Are Golden” premiered today on QASHAIsland. I tried to see it but they told me the video wasn’t available. Whether I see it today or tomorrow won’t matter in the long run, I told myself, which is why I’m not freaking out now.
I’ll admit, just now I snuck back to my mom’s bed and lay in its awesomeness. This sentence is all kinds of wrong.
I’ve been reading movie reviews all day, and I’ve come to the conclusion that you can never please a film critic. I have yet to read a review in which the critic really liked the movie. Ruin the movie for us by pointing out all that is wrong with it, thanks. I get that they are “critics”, but now I won’t be able to watch any movie I’ve just read about without a nagging voice in the back of my mind saying, “the plot is moving much too quickly. That performance is way too campy. This movie is too long.” Heck, even on the topic of “Persepolis” the New Yorker says, “The faces are no more than tapered ovals.” That’s the way it is in the comic, I presume.
Sometimes of course it’s true. I will admit that “Public Enemies” was distant emotion-wise. But reviews never fail to make me feel down. I get the feeling that the only good movies for them are listed on AFI’s list, no room for new additions. What happened to the joy of discovering a wonderful new movie? I would describe them as eternally unsatisfied and self-absorbed. Let’s see you make a movie, Mr. Critic.
To be honest, reading these reviews is starting to scare me away from directing. No worries, give me a few moments with my video camera and I’ll be back on track. But for now I’m freaking out about how I will keep my movies from being “flimsily staged” and “unconvincing.”
They can find fault with anything.
Love,
Grapes
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Arizona Dream, childish, college, dances, death, dream, dreams, fans, financial problems, friends, fun, James Dean, Jerry, Johnny Depp, limits, Miya, money, movies, old, premiere, Public Enemies, raven, reality, road trip, routine, sleep, teenage, theme parks, travel
Okay, enough with the “Alice in Wonderland” thing for right now.
Yesterday, in addition to getting a startling number of views, was the “Public Enemies” premiere. Which I had been planning to go to, but last minute Miya said she couldn’t go. There was no way my dad would let me go alone, so home I stayed. I experienced the premiere through twitter, how revolutionary and exciting. Eventually I ran around my backyard like someone who is mentally ill. My sisters found me and weren’t very comforting. Somehow this led to a game of “cops and robbers”. More like, people trying to be stealthy as they run around the house. It was fun though. Definitely took my mind off the premiere.
Why am I freaking out so much? I guess it’s left over residue from my extreme obsession, during which I also managed to miss every event, even if invited. But on top of that I don’t want to keep passing up these opportunities to see Johnny Depp (and even more than that Jerry, his cool bodyguard) until KABLAMMM they’re both gone and I’m one of those mothers who point at old movies and tell their children, “Oh look! It’s Johnny Depp! He was such a great actor!”
To which their children nod but don’t really believe. How sad.
Or, when Miya and I fulfill our lifelong dream regarding the road trip and a certain “Arizona Dream”. But that would be sad as well, befriending Johnny Depp at the end of his life to bury him in a field of corn in Arizona so he can say “This has been…my Arizona dream.” Oh well. I’m sure the opportunity will come. In any case, I really appreciate that Johnny returned to talk to both sides of the line – he really appreciates his fans.
Anyway, running around like a maniac last night was a lot of fun. That is what life should be, but of course it isn’t. Is it just a phase or am I really someone who wouldn’t be happy with a 9-5 job? Who is happy with a routine? Then again, sometimes I worry about ending up struggling for a living, because I’ve experienced – as we all are right now – financial hardship, and it is like a shackle around your foot. How am I supposed to take summer college programs when they all cost thousands of dollars? How can I experience life, when sadly, money really does make the world go round. I can take joy in small pleasures, but there are some things – like traveling and learning, that cost money.
Perhaps the worst time to not have money is when you’re a teenager. It’s the perfect time to go out and experience a bajillion things. I’ve got college looming ahead like a fatteh cliff. Everything is so optimistic and ideal, ideas pouring out of my brain. And yet I’m limited because my parents are low on money.
In addition to that, there are dances and movies and theme parks to go to with my friends, activities that don’t rank high on my priority list but they are my friends, and I do want to spend time with them.
Teenage years are the time of your life when dreams struggle against reality. Goodness, that was deep.
My sisters are pressuring me to play Clue. Sayonara, Japanese goodbye.
EDIT: Last night I had this Hitchcockian dream, which started out as a fatteh food fest. Anyway, James Dean was in it, and he was being a loner weirdo, but actually he turned out to be a creepy evil man. He called this girl and freaked her out with weird questions, and then she screamed. That scream was ungodly. Then he said something again, and she screamed again and again, but at the wrong times. That’s when I started to realize something was going wrong, and I kind of faded back to reality, when I realized it was some fatteh raven outside going “Caw caw caw caw!” Four times exactly each, and he went on like that for ten minutes. Apparently Shannon heard it in her sleep too, because she slammed her window shut. Twas weird.
Gah…have to go play Clue.
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: acting, child abuse, dentist, dilemna, directing, dream, entertainment, giants, Jack Sparrow, movies, orchestra, shots, theater, tuberculosis
Next year is still befuddling me.
Vince, who was in Bottom Locker with me in 8th grade, came around asking us to sign his petition so that he could run for Commissioner of Spirit. Then, offhandedly, he looks at me and says, “Why aren’t you acting anymore?”
Destruction immediately ensued, and now I am in internal turmoil. How can I be in school plays if orchestra is on Mondays? And how do I fit theatre lab into my schedule? I know I’ve decided to pursue directing but that doesn’t mean I have to give up acting.
His comment also confused me. Why would someone take notice of the fact that I had been acting? Was I actually any good? Because I always felt that I sucked. Maybe it was my dad always telling me that I didn’t know how to let myself go. In fact, when I told him that I wanted to act again, he said, “but didn’t you not make it into the third Bottom Locker?” Thanks.
He’s so protective. That’s not a bad thing, but when it comes to the entertainment business you have to start. You can’t wait for things to come to you. And I want to get a head start, but he won’t let me until I’m done with college and all of that. I might get raped at an audition, and shady people are everywhere in my internships.
I can’t go on ranting about this to my friends in a whiny, “decide my life for me” voice. But I can’t go to school advisor either until I’ve sorted out my thoughts, because if I don’t they’ll inevitably ask me, “what are you asking me?” My parents would just launch me into another sitting of “I’m not trying to discourage you but the film industry sucks.”
Enough with this “you don’t know what you’re getting into” stuff. I know it’s not glamorous and I’ll probably end up a hobo! Who doesn’t wish they could look into the future and see if they’re making the right choice?
Yesterday I took six shots at the doctor’s office and now my arm hurts like it got pooped on from the inside. My unrelenting doctor made me take another TB test. Of course it’s going to show that I do have tuberculosis, because when I was little I took a TB immunization shot that will forever make me seem like I have TB.
Sometimes I hate having spent my toddler years in Taiwan, because this doctor will not believe that it is just the immunization shot. My other doctor, who is from Taiwan, understands perfectly.
Another problem for Chinese babies is that blue spot we all get on our butts when we’re little. It goes away for most as we grow older, but if some American gets a look at the blue spot, they instantly think: child abuse. And the poor fobby parents never get a chance to prove otherwise. Besides, they’re the suspects and the child is just a little kid whom no one believes. How helpless.
I had an awesome dream last night regarding rebuilding a city, giant people (okay, one of them), the evil sister of Jack Sparrow, and escaping from bullets by running with a giant box held to my back. It was epic, and only getting more epic when Angela called to ask for my dentist’s address.
Dr. Frank, why must you be everywhere?
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: 2000's, birthday party, blog, boring, crafts, design blogs, dreams, fangirl, garden party, girl, hideous floral armchair, Johnny Depp, lace curtains, Lily Allen, Lincoln, Mika, modern, negativity, redecorate, squeal, Whitney, wood
The night before last night, I dreamed about this guy.
Hence the ambiguous musings from my former post.
But! I now realize that what was more important in said dream, what my subconcious, and maybe God, if you believe in him, was trying to tell me, was that – well, they were taunting me with a cool stand that sold the prettiest jewelry and other miscellaneous things ever. I am sad.
Last night, there were more capitalist messages in my dreams. I was in a toy store, and part of the plot was that I had to sail to save Captain Jack Sparrow. But why would I do that?
“Because he’s a lummox, isn’t he? Well we shall have a magnificent garden party and you’re not invited.”
I want a magnificent garden party. Heck, maybe I’ll make it part of my birthday party.
Moving on. A plushie of Wishbone was in my dream too, and I realized that the little stuffed dog I have in my trunk (in real life) is Wishbone’s son…yeah, I doubt it.
Falling asleep last night, I was afraid that my dreams would contain some of the horrors that have recently befallen me. That would have been terreeeebluh.
I came home from Tiffy’s birthday party, actually tired. I’m not one to be tired after a party, but Amanda and I were such party poopers…wow.
I hated myself yesterday. Everything I said sounded freakishly negative, and I realized that I always say negative things – it’s just that my friends have silent knowledge that we all exaggerate and are joking. But gosh! Is there anything I don’t criticize?
And don’t say Johnny Depp.
More negativity – I hate light-colored wood. It makes things seem cheap and sometimes trying really hard to be modern. No.
I hope no one looks back and says “Oh, I love furniture from the 2000’s.” I wouldn’t.
I’ve realized, however, that I want ugly lace curtains to compliment my hideous floral armchair.
Okay, okay. I feel like I’ve contributed nothing in this post. If I were reading it, I would die of boredom.
But what now?
Because Amanda and I decided last night that we have been detiorating into boringness recently. Nothing is happening. Personally, I’m just trying to churn out a finished script and hoping that I will become a successful director somehow. It’s kind of a distant worry, but it’s really my only worry.
It’s sad that my happiness depends on the amount of activity Johnny Depp and Mika have, but can you believe my luck: they both are holed away. No new movies from Johnny Depp for certain until July, and Mika…when is the next album coming out? I’ve run out of demos to listen to, so I’ve started listening to Lily Allen.
Huzzah! Mika posted on his blog. Huzzah huzzah huzzah.
I’ll be back soon with something to write about. Not from his blog, but I’ll find a topic.
Valentine’s Day is coming up soon – as evidenced by Miya’s every post being six degreed to it, but why would I, an anemone, post about that?
Lincoln’s birthday, too, is approaching. But why should I subject myself to such frightened suffering?
Browsing through various design blogs, I really really really want to redecorate my room. And make crafts. But I’m lazy and I go to WHS. The two go together like…well they just do.
Last thing: It’s difficult to catch up quickly with your old friends when you tell them you recently got rid of your Johnny Depp obsession and yet you keep six degreeing him for the rest of the day. And when you love Nanalan’ and Wonder Pets.
Just saying that you used to be obsessed with Johnny Depp makes one feel like a girl, a fangirl, and squealy.
All of which, besides the first, I am not.
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: Bandidas, Bicycle, Bleeding Love, Camelot, Christian, comps, CSI Miami, director, dream, finals, Golden books, halloween, Horatio Caine, imposter, inspiration, jazz dance, Mika, movie, Nanalan', oneliners, Penny Rose, private school, scandalous, talent, violin
Mika has updated. Huzzah. About the Golden books illustrator, no less. I found that quite huzzah since last week I posted about the Golden books illustrator imposter.
Tomorrow’s going to be an easy day. It’s the week of finals, but I have French and PE tomorrow. And French I’m prepared for (see yesterday’s slightly awkward post), dance I’m prepared too. To do my penguin jazz dance of DOOOOOM.
I’m not kidding. Why else would it be choreographed to “Bleeding Love”. Thank you, Ms. Flowers, for that subtle hint.
It was stealthy.
They should seal us in while we do our skills test. Quick! Cover up those skylights!
Whitney Blind Wildcats, more like.
What have I been up to…nothing. Our English video, as it turns out, sucked. Well, only Alex and some other people have seen it, but he said it was confusing!!!!! NOOOOO.
Here’s how I feel: my future as a director has been shot down. I should have stuck to violining. At least there I had some natural talent. Which was thrown away when I was nine.
Whatever, I’ll probably get all happy about directing again.
By the way, “Bandidas” is a scandalous/slightly bad good movie.
Also, why do I keep writing one liners? It’s like that guy on CSI Miami with the red hair and cheesy sunglasses who says stupid oneliners even though he’s just a policeman.
Cheesy policeman: Chuck. Check the gate.
No wait, that’s Penny Rose.
Cheesy policeman: When you have everything, sometimes it feels like nothing.
I’m not joking, it’s a quote. Heck, regarde the tagline. “I’m Horatio Caine, and this much I know. At CSI Miami we never Close.”
“Tomorrow’s what you make of it.”
“In the future, if you’re gonna watch somebody’s back, let me know about it so I can watch yours.”
“Justice is not yours to dispense, and now you’re going to pay for it.”
“The next time you want to take a swing at someone, start with me.”
Horatio Caine: The rumour of a dirty cop is far juicier than its confirmation.
Robert Keaton: You just called your own brother a dirty cop.
Horatio Caine: Maybe he was, but he didn’t deserve to die.
Robert Keaton: We all have to die some time.
Horatio Caine: Some sooner than others
By the way, I’m talking about Horatio Caine. Gosh, what a name.
“Whatever that bill says, you will still have to pay.”
He says it in a oneliner way too. I love watching that show because he’s hilarious. My dad hates it. Kind of like “Nanalan’”, but not awesome like Nanalan’. Today I saw a clip of Mona learning to ride a bike and she’s only three. Sushi has nothing compared to Mona.
I’m also very excited about my birthday.
Back to my original topic. Tomorrow’s a stressfree day, but I know that going through tomorrow unleashes hell week, basically. Fun. Oh joy.
I feel so uninspired. Did I tell you about the dream where I read Camelot to an old lady? And then last night my friends and I went to Disneyland but it was still in Halloween decor. There was a guy who grew cauliflowerish things that attach to people who worry. Apparently he was worry-free. Reminds me of that book my kindergarten teacher read to us that was stealthily obviously Christian. Then again, I went to a Christian private school until 2nd grade.
Wow this post sucked.
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: buffalo, cesar chavez, confidence, cookies, dream, family life, floral armchair, italian, king, little italian boy, menstruation, Mika, Miya, period, queen, sex, sex ed, squid, stealthy
My sister’s in sixth grade, the year when they go in depth into “Family Life”.
Why do they call it that? What does “family life” even mean?!?!?! What they teach you in that class is about your period, and…dun dun DUUUUUUUUNNNNN. Sex.
Gosh I’m immature. But I think they should rename it, because your period has nothing to do with family life. I’m still trying to come up with a definition for “family life”. I don’t know what it means! All I keep seeing is a nuclear family sitting around a fireplace, the dad smoking a pipe. Menstruation has nothing to do with that.
And who came up with the idea to put “Have a happy period!” on pads? It’s like it’s mocking you. They should die.
Moving on. Yesterday night (not last night) I dreamed I became a buffalo. I know I’ve gone on and on about this at school but it’s a freaking weird dream! First I was a girl, then I met a buffalo and his herd – he was like, king of the herd of buffali. (I know it’s buffalo – silence!) And he asked me to be his buffalo queen. At this point I sort of want to die. But my subconscious apparently would rather do anything than die. Such as become buffalo queen. So he asked one of the buffalo to take off their buffalo jacket (don’t ask – I’m not so sure either) and I put it on. The buffalo then turned into a girl and I turned into a buffalo. Huzzah?
So then the buffalo king was like, “Hey, why don’t you take a walk through my people?” Excuse me, buffalo. Except he was slightly strangely pompous so he probably said “My queen, why don’t you take a promenade through my subjects?”
Side note: The placement of adverbs is oh so important. For example, if I had written “strangely slightly pompous” it would mean something different from “slightly strangely pompous”. Which is why I changed it.
Grammar lesson over. So I took a walk through the buffalo subjects, who were huzzah-ing over a visit from their new queen (I guess I get my self-esteem boosts from my dreams) I walked up to them and (well first I galloped around for fun – you can’t believe how much fun it is to gallop as a buffalo.) they parted like the Red Sea for Moses. And as I walked through them, they were like, “Oh, you are so great” or whatever. Like I said, confidence boost. And then I got really sick of being a buffalo but I knew I couldn’t change back.
Whatever. That was the night before. Last night I dreamed this horror story/tragedy about a little Italian boy. Bad stuff kept happening to him, and his dad looked like Cesar Chavez and kept spouting bits of wisdom like, “It is more worthwhile to repair boats.” They ate cookies though, but the cookies always got ruined before they could eat them. Like I said, bad stuff kept happening.
I’ve realized that I want one of those hideous floral armchairs. The ones they take material off of to make fob pants. Not really but sometimes it seems like it.
And. Mika’s blog has been updated since I last went there so huzzah!!! We had a good time flashing people with Miya’s MIKA shirt today. I admit, she only flashed me. But still. Blah on the outside, JFKLsdjweicjawklc on the inside is tres huzzah.
PS. stealthy.
made by Hine Mizushi
Filed under: sweet dreams are made of this | Tags: 80's, Between the Lions, dream, Harry Potter, Johnny Depp, Mika, music, Nim's Island, PE Dance/Aerobics, Pirates of the Caribbean, Robert Pattinson, scandalous, Wonder Pets, Yelle
New freaky dream alert.
Well not so much freaky as strange and vivid. Among the freaky points: the phonograph-obsessive guy from the Taiwanese documentary “Viva Tonal: The Dance Age” stealthily got into the house of the lady who gives me free stuff/my old neighbor and attached eight more strings to my violin. Naturally I screamed at him. Coincidentally, Shannon heard someone outside yelling, “What color toga are you wearing?!”
I don’t think that was me…
Also among the odd points: Shannon refused to eat chicken mixed with corn (an odd combination) because apparently in Chinese culture it’s the equivalent of eating your ancestors. Keep in mind this was a dream. Yeah, I’ve never heard of that in my life.
I also almost got kidnapped/raped/killed by this creepy mustached man. Even subconsciously I’m always trying to get on Oprah.
Mika was in this dream but he was just really odd. He asked me if I wanted to see “Bolt” but I really didn’t. So I was like, “No…I don’t really want to waste my time.” Please, fangirls, don’t kill me for turning down watching a movie with Mika. And then he was like, “It’s okay, I’ve got a CD player.” Okay…..
He appeared again later but I’m feeling too lazy to describe the entire dream. But just one more point:
There was also this little rich girl with a german shepherd named Ella (who was so freaking cute even though she was hugemongous.) Now I want a german shepherd. But isn’t Ella the name of the golden retriever in Mika’s studio tours? Gah…stupid subconscious.
I rewatched Harry Potter 1 this morning and realized how good of a movie and yet how horribly cheesy it is. Basically, I realized the epicness of Harry Potter and his story in general but the acting and meaningful looks that peppered the movie like the pizza of someone who really likes pepper (bad simile) couldn’t save it.
Although I want to watch #4 just to mull over why Robert Pattinson always looks so much thinner in movies than in real life. His face widens in interviews.
The other day I suffered through “Nim’s Island” expectantly. I was bribed into it by my sisters, who promised that I could watch “Wonder Pets Save the Beetles” after. The whole movie built up and then ended. There was no climax. Quel scandalous. And how many people could guess that Alexandra and Jack were going to fall in love? And there was even a hint of love when they first saw each other, but soon they’re walking down the beach hand in hand while Nim flies around giddily.
Wonder Pets certainly made up for that horror. It’s one of my new favorite shows, and not because Mika mentioned it in one of his interviews. It’s almost funnier than “What’s Cookin’ With Theo and Cleo”. I’d like to sit down one day and watch “What’s Cookin’” with Sushi. She’d love it. “Squished Fish on a Dish”, “Rammed Ham without Yam and Clam”. Huzzah huzzah.
Also, PotC 1 was on last night, and I “couldn’t resist mate”. My suspicions were confirmed – I did first hear “Huzzah” from PotC. And I thought it was a strange sounding word too. Now it’s completely switched. “Hurrah” is the weird sounding one. Ooh…but it looks prettier…at the moment.
In “Wonder Pets Save the Sheep” they put on liederhosen for the entire episode. And then they prance on sheep, especially the bald one which I later realized was a lamb.
And I think I’ve solved the mystery of the pink sheep in CatCF. When Willy Wonka goes “I’d rather not talk about it.” I still have to investigate, but I think I know why. I’m not going to say any more until it is confirmed.
Okeeday. Sayonara. Japanese goodbye. (I have to say that now everytime I say “Sayonara” thanks to my dad singing and Marlon Brando). “Very good, John”. Huzzah for fart jokes.
I’m watching “Je Veux Te Voir” by Yelle because I’m desperate for new music. But even though it is tres tres scandalous I can’t help but notice that some of those moves we’ve done in dance class. Why………
I noticed recently that since becoming a Mika fan my musical tastes have begun to stray from “quiet” or “normal”. In fact, I’m beginning to like more 80’s music. Not that his music is necessarily 80’s, but it’s definitely not Ryan Cabrera. It’s definitely opened up what I tolerate musically. Huzzah huzzah huzzah.
Okay now really. Sayonara. Japanese goodbye.
