here's to you 2009

First Snow & Champagne

2009 was indeed a full year. what better way to round up the year than with a list? so here's to you 2009!

-Frankfurt, I'm sure if we had met under better circumstances, we'd be great friends. Note to self: NEVER go to Frankfurt on a Sunday. and NEVER fly delta.

-Edinburgh, I miss you. I miss the fairy lights, the accents, the people, the PIG!

-Friendship. This was a year of friendship, both old and new. Full of laughs and many memories. I rekindled my love for sprigs of lavender, sparkles, and curry. Without you three girls, my life would be all but shambles (well there would definitely be less laughter). To new friends who share the love of all things Asian with me. And to friends who are sorely missed, pig-rabbit, happy squid and chuckles I MISS you all dearly.

-Europe in general. Prague, Venice, Berlin, Giverny, Paris, Rome, I MISS you.

-Traveling. Awkward encounters, meeting characters (nothing like a ukulele wielding Brit), and experiencing new places, food and cultures. All about the experience.

-Internship. Taste of the real world. Ouch.

-Senior year. Rothschild D-1, you simply just make me happy. Real academics, conference hell, racist caricatures...oh Sarah Lawrence i'll miss you.

-You're Beautiful. Best drama I have ever seen.

-Tae Kyung. My life is just infinitely better because he "exists."

-Happiness. No explanation necessary.

Here's to an eventful 2010!

without a word you made me know love

my life in a list...

1. panic
2. panic that leads to no productivity
3. consumed by you're beautiful
4. in serious need of a pig-rabbit
5. watching all the thanksgiving friend episodes
6. secret smiles for imaginary friends
7. being cracked out
8. being the reigning champ of procrastination
9. getting burned by lamps
10. wearing my red flats

simply beautorious

Westlands Gate!

Today I was falling asleep in class when all of a sudden a bee (not just any bee, it was a Queen bee, it was HUGE) landed on my shirt. To say the least it woke me up. But I yelled out in the middle of my class, "HOLY CRAP! NATURE IS ON ME!" As I proceeded to stand up and flail around, swatting my arms in the air in a blind panic. Later someone asked me, "so Alex...not big on the nature, huh?" Nature and I are not friends. I made it pretty damn sure that my entire fiction class knows too.

mysterious as the darkside of the moon

The moon this past Monday night. It was spooky and glorious!

pride and prejudice and zombies

"Mr. Darcy watched Elizabeth and her sisters work their way outward, beheading zombie after zombie as they went." (15).

Seth Grahame-Smith takes the classic Jane Austen tale and turns it into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I was excited to read the book (I mean Elizabeth and Darcy kicking zombie arse? It sounds glorious!) Then I read it. It's not the zombies I have a problem with, oh no, it's his portrayal of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's "Master Liu." Master Liu clearly, is the Chinese master she had while training in Beijing all the ancient arts of weaponry. Who in order to teach her perseverance had her do a handstand for four days...straight.

But what really infuriates me is the conversation Mr. Darcy strikes up with Elizabeth. They are dancing their first dance at Netherfield (one of the most romantic tension sequences in literary history...and Seth ruins it.) when they run out of things to say (Austen gives them tensed banter, Seth gives them ignorant racism.)

I understand that Mr. Darcy was probably a racist given the time period but was that really necessary? Mr. Darcy is someone who I have been in love with since I was eight and now I have the satisfaction of knowing he thinks that my appearance is "strange." Mr. Darcy has been soiled by one man's interpretation that happened to be published AND became the New York Times best seller. It is appalling and unnecessary. How dare Grahame-Smith taint Mr. Darcy for me. Jane Austen did not mention any racial matters, so why then, Seth Grahame-Smith did you proceed to do so?

"'What think you of Orientals?' said he, smiling
'Orientals-oh! No. I am sure we never met the ame, or had the same feelings toward them.'
'But if that be the case, we may compare our different opinions. I think them a strange lot--both in appearance and custom, though having studied solely in Japan, I admit that the opinion may be incomplete. I should be most interested to hear of your time in the company of Chinamen.'
'No-I cannot talk of Orientals in a ball-room; my head is always full of something else.'
'The present always occupies you in such scenes--does it?'
'Yes, always,' she replied, without knowing what she said, for her thoughts had wandered far from the subject--to the pain of Master Liu's glowing brand searing her flesh [...] (75).

chuckles

Apparently I am just doing a list of all my top movies. So here goes the comedy one!

1. My Cousin Vinny
Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio & Marisa Tomei
1992
This is one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen. You have two innocent boys from the East Coast driving through Alabama and accused of a crime they didn't commit. Then you take a clueless relative from Brooklyn come down to be their lawyer and you have a masterpiece. With the support of Marisa Tomei, Joe Pesci's Vinny is hilarity. I absolutely love this movie.
Memorable Quotes:
"What about these pants I got on? You think they're okay?" -Vinny asking about what to wear for hunting.
"Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water, and BAM. A fuckin' bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are lying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I ask ya, would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son-of-a-bitch who shot you was wearing?!" -Lisa

2. Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
John Cho & Kal Penn
2004
There is nothing like a watching a movie about two dudes who get high and go on an epic quest for white castle burgers. It is one of the first Asian-American comedies that has gone mainstream. Both Harold and Kumar have their intoxicating charms and add a slew of wonderful guest stars (NPH!) you have a winning comedy. It never fails to put a smile on my face though I've watched it more times than I can count.
Memorable Quotes:
"I forgot my cell phone." -Kumar
"You wanna run back and get it?" - Harold
[both turn and look at their front door 20 feet from them]
"No, we've gone too far." -Kumar


3. Zoolander
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, & Will Ferrell
2001
I can quote this ENTIRE movie. It makes me laugh so hard that my sides burst! It never gets old even though the comedy is immature. You can't just help but laugh at the ridiculous concept--the conspiracy that male models are trained assassins. It's glorious. With a quirky villain in Will Ferrel's Mugatu and with endearing stupidity, Zoolander charms all.
Memorable Quotes:
"Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?" -Zoolander
"Are you here to tell me what a bad eugoogoolizer I am?" -Zoolander
"I became..." -Matilda
"What?"- Hansel
"Bulimic." -Matilda
"You can read minds?!" -Zoolander
"What is this!? A center for ants? How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read good...if they can't even fit inside the building?!" -Zoolander


4. The Court Jester
Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury & Glynis Johns
1956
This is a ridiculous comedy about one man, Hawkins who holds the fate of the true heir to England's crown. He poses as a jester attempting to infiltrate the castle grounds. And as a jester it leads to different assassination plots, being put under a spell by a witch and falling in love. It is HILARIOUS. Danny Kaye provides much comic relief!
Memorable Quotes:
"I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!" -Hawkins
"Right. But there's been a change. They broke the chalice from the palace. And replaced it with a flagon. With the figure of a dragon." -Grieslda
"But did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?" -Hawkins
"No! The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with a dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true." -Grieslda

5. Young Frankesntein
Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle
1974
One of my favorite Mel Brook's movies. It is pure genius. Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is a scientist ashamed by his grandfather, the original Frankenstein. He prefers his name to be pronounced like, Fronkensteen to separate him from his heritage. With a sidekick like Igor and Peter Boyle playing the creation this movie is spectacularly hilarious!
Memorable Quotes:
"Would you mind telling me whose brain I DID put in?" -Frankenstein
"Then you won't be angry?" -Igor
"I will NOT be angry." -Frankenstein
"Abby Someone." -Igor
"Abby who?" -Frankenstein
"Abby Normal." -Igor.


6. Arsenic and Old Lace
Cary Grant, Peter Lorne & Raymond Massey
1944
Mortimer Brewster has always known his family was a bit eccentric but to discover his two sweet elderly aunts have been killing men catches him off guard. After getting married to the girl next door, Mortimer spends the entire movie trying to handle his aunts and their mercy killings (they only kill elderly men who seem lonely and without homes.) One of his brothers thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt (who digs the "Panama Canal" in the basement for "yellow fever" victims) and his other brother is a deranged murderer who pays a visit (who has the face of Frankenstein). Then you add Peter Lorne as the mousy sidekick to Mortimer's deranged brother you've got a glorious comedy. This is one screwy comedy that sure will elicit some laughs.
Memorable Quotes:
"Chaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggggeeeeeeeeee!" - Teddy


7. Duck Soup
Groucho, Harpo, Chico & Zeppo Marx
1933
Any movie that takes Groucho Marx and gives him political power is a win. As Rufus T. Firefly is cynical, sarcastic, quirky and just down right hilarious. He delivers his one liners with a punch. With the help of Groucho's comedic family this movie just comes together and you can't help but love its idiocy.
Memorable Quotes:
"I got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it." -Rufus T. Firefly


8. Some Like It Hot
Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, & Marilyn Monroe
1959
When you get two jazz musicians who witness a crime and are on the run from the mob you have the best formula for a comedy. Now you take those two jazz musicians and turn them into women you have one of the best comedies of all time. Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne in order to escape the wrath of the mob, become women and join an all woman jazz tour. Enter Marilyn Monroe as Sugar and you've got yourself a hell of a movie. Josephine befriends Sugar and Joe poses as a millionaire to woo her. Daphne on the other hand may have his eyes set on Sugar, but is being sought after by Osgood Fielding III. This movie is the perfect combination of laughs, romance and action.
Memorable Quotes:
"Oh, you don't understand, Osgood! Ehhh...I'm a man." - Jerry/Daphne
"Well, nobody's perfect." -Osgood


9. The Birdcage
Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Hank Azaria
1996
A gay couple's son wishes to get married to the daughter of a very conservative senator. Thus ensues a clever rouse of impressing the future-in-laws. Robin Williams is the owner of a gay cabaret club and Nathan Lane plays his overly sensitive companion. With Gene Hackman as the conservative senator and Hank Azaria as their housekeeper this movie supplies tons of laughter. It is hilarious.
Memorable Quotes:
"'You look tired' means 'you look old.' And 'you look rested' means 'you've had collagen.'" -Albert


10. Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
1990
This is the BEST holiday comedy. Kevin is the smartest eight year old I have ever seen. He out smarts the robbers and it's not only adorable but it's a touching story about the importance of ones family.
Memorable Quotes:
"Keep the change ya filthy animal!" -Gangster Johnny
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" -Kevin


11. The Pink Panther
Peter Sellers, David Niven
1963
Inspector Jacques Clouseau is a hot mess. He is utterly clueless but somehow he manages to get his job done. Now give Inspector Clouseau a important job of catching a jewel thief and you get some hearty laughs from his bumbling attempts at crime solving.
Memorable Quotes:
"Chase that gorilla!!" -Inspect Clouseau


12. Superbad
Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen
2007
This is just a boy's movie. But I love it. It's raunchy, offensive but damn right funny. I love the bfflie relationship between Evan and Seth and the pure comedy that is McLovin'. With the idiotic and offensive cops, Superbad is too funny to be disliked.
Memorable Quotes:
"I just want to tell the whole world that you're my best friend. I love you man. I want to shout it on the rooftops!" -Seth
"OH SHIT! The Cops!" -Officer Michaels & Slater
"And you landed on McLovin..."- Seth
"Yeah. It was between that or Muhammad." -Fogell
"Why the FUCK would it be between THAT or Muhammed?" -Seth
"Muhammad is the most commonly used name on Earth. Read a fucking book for once." -Fogell

as time goes by

My top romance movies...

1. Roman Holiday
Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck
1953
This is my favorite movie of all time. Gregory Peck as a reporter who has dubious intentions at first, but has a heart of gold. Audrey Hepburn in her first movie ever as a naive Princess who just wants to be free from her societal duties. And a photographer who's there for comic relief and to document Princess Ann's first foray out in the real world. It's a classic romance. Plus, the fact that I love this movie so much that I attempted to reenact it during my own time in Rome (I sought out high and low for the mouth of truth, the photo below.)
Memorable Quotes:
"Hit him again, Smitty!" - Irving
"Your Excellency, I trust you will not find it necessary to use that word again. Were I not completely aware of my duty to my family and to my country, I would not have come back tonight...or indeed ever again!" -Princess Ann's response to someone reminding her of her duty.


2. It Happened One Night
Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert
1934
A classic. It is the romantic comedy that all romantic comedies should be judged against. Hugh Grant could only strive to be this good. It has another reporter who will do anything to get a story that is until he falls in love with his subject. Ellie Andrews is an heiress who desperately wants to marry the (supposed) love of her life. She runs away from her father. Her face is spread all over the papers. Peter Warne who drunkenly cursed out his boss is desperate for a front-page story, and comes across her on a bus going to New York. Banter ensues. My favorite scene is the one where she teaches him how to hitchhike. It's a mixture of heart and hilarity, which is why I love it.
Memorable Quotes:
"Do you love her?" - Alexander Andrews (Ellie's papa)
A normal human being couldn't live under the same roof with her without going nutty! She's my idea of nothing!" -Peter Warne
"I asked you a simple question! Do you love her?" -Alexander Andrews
"YES! But don't hold that against me, I'm a little screwy myself!" -Peter Warne


3. Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman
1942
This needs no introduction. It's one of the most beloved romance movies of all time. Love set in wartime is automatically epic and Rick & Ilsa are no exception. This has to be one of the most quoted movies of all time. Just remember, a kiss is just a kiss.
Memorable Quotes:
"Here's looking at you, kid." -Rick
"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." -Rick
"Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake. Play 'As Time Goes By'" -Ilsa


4. Gone With The Wind
Clark Gable & Vivian Leigh
1939
It is a wonderful movie. It is a love story amongst the struggles of the Civil War. I was so in love with this movie that I watched it twice in one day. Scarlett O'Hara is a dynamic character and Rhett Butler is swoon worthy. I even named all my Sims characters after Rhett Butler.
Memorable Quotes:
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." -Rhett Butler
"As God as my witness, I'll never go hungry again!" -Scarlett O'Hara

5. Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson & Doris Day
1959
It's my favorite Doris & Rock collaboration. Sure, Brad Allen is a lying lothario, but damn can he make my heart flutter. Rock Hudson plays a composer who shares a party line (telephone line) with a serious workingwoman, Jan. She complains bitterly because every night she can get her own phone calls because he has tied up the line with his flirtations. When his friend hires Jan as an interior decorator, Brad is determined to be with her. Unfortunately in order to do that he lies. And as with many liars, they get caught. Bottom line, despite the lies, it is an adorable movie that I love.
Memorable Quotes:
"Mr. Allen, this may come as a surprise to you, but there are some men who don't end every sentence with a proposition." -Jan

6. Pride & Prejudice
Keira Knightely & Matthew Macfayden
2005
I love this version because I believe it condensed the novel into a respectable viewing time and because Matthew Macfayden as Mr. Darcy was a welcomed treat. This classic British tale captivates me. I LOVE their love.
Memorable Quotes:
"I love you. Most ardently." -Mr. Darcy


7. Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet
1997
I was nine years old. James Bond's Tomorrow Never Dies was sold out so we ended up watching Titanic. And two days later I owned every magazine that Leo was in. It was love. Jack Dawson remains one of my favorite fictional characters. He was poor, yes, but he was full of life and he had the best hair. Though Rose was full of lies, this movie shows how powerful love can be in the most trying of times.
Memorable Quotes:
"I'll never let go. I'll never let go, Jack." -Rose


8. Beauty & The Beast
Paige O'Hara & Robby Benson
1991
Finally! A Disney heroine who is actually smart! She actually reads! With a mansion full of inanimate objects that dance and talk, how could this not be one of the best romantic movies? Plus the Beast gives Belle the BEST gift, a glorious library (and an AWESOME mirror.) My favorite part of this movie is the fact that she had read about Prince Charming and she finally found him!
Memorable Quotes:
"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand, to have someone understand...I want so much more than they've got planned." -Belle

9. The Sure Thing
John Cusack & Daphne Zuniga
1985
The best John Cusack movie. Hands down. Walter "Gib" Gibson is the best college boy out there. He oozes wit, is beautiful and has a buttery interior. I am so in love with him! The banter is adorable!
Memorable Quotes:
"How would you like to have a sexual encounter so intense it could conceivably change your political views?" -Gib


10. The Princess Bride
Cary Elwes & Robin Wright Penn
1987
I grew up with this movie. My neighbor and I would watch it literally everyday for months. I love the fantasy aspect of it and the fact that is has the cute Wonder Years boy in it! Billy Crystal literally steals his scenes. Cary Elwes is a Sarah Lawrence alum, and the romance between Buttercup and Wesley is unyielding. It is a wonderful story about truuuuueeee loooooveeee.
Memorable Quotes:
"As you wish." -Wesley
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." -Inigo
"INCONCEIVABLE!" -Vizzini

11. When Harry Met Sally
Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan
1989
A cynical New Yorker and a neurotic, meticulous woman make the perfect couple. I love how their story spans years and only when they become friends do they understand one another and fall in love. I LOVE the scenes with the old couples discussing their own love stories. It's adorable and adds a certain amount of charm to the movie as a whole.
Memorable Quotes:
"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I got to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Years Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." -Harry

12. Love Actually
Every British actor!
2003
One of the best holiday films that is filled with love and British accents! The stories are original and quirky. This is one romantic comedy that is full of heart and laughs!
Memorable Quotes:
"We need Kate & Leo, and we need them now." -Daniel

love like this

Tonight over dinner Joan and I described Fariha her own Korean drama. It would be epic, of course, a fight between her first love and the best friend that will perpetually only be a friend. Her first love would have come back from studying abroad in America (graduated at the top of his class at a most prestigious business school) after have left her alone for years (but as a bonus he'll come back with glasses!) He won't tell her he's back. She will be eating at a cute cafe with the best friend when she spots him. Intense eye contact will ensue as she pretends not to know him. He will saunter over, self conscious; she was his first love after all (first love is HUGE in Korea, it's a love that will never die). There will be an epic power struggle between the guy you know who's good for her and the one who never stood a chance. And so it goes. But luckily in Fariha's drama there won't be anyone giving his eyeballs to her (or his shaved eyebrows wrapped in a lovely box).

It just got me thinking. Why can't I have my own Asian drama? Well, minus the drama part. I'll take a hot Asian & wickedly cute banter but you can hold the cancer and the messy love triangle (sometimes parallelogram). I am easily lost in the world of drama. Not because their realities (well the realities of those actors paid to make my heart swoon) are anything I would really want to experience but because love in drama comes so easy.

There is the initial attraction, bickering, and mishaps along the way, but after four episodes these characters have found the "one". You take the asshole with the heart of gold give him a good girl and suddenly, like magic, he's reformed.

No drama is complete without the hopeless Jihoo Sunbae (who was willing to fail med school, so he could graduate with the main actress the next year) or the jilted ex-girlfriend (Tennis bitch!) Everything is so cliche. The same formula, reused over and over. Yet I feel like whenever I start a new drama I am going on a completely new journey. I get to experience a perfect love once again without getting my own heart broken.

I have been watching a Korean drama called, You're Beautiful. It is heart wrenching, hilarious and my favorite type of crack. In this scene the girl (who is cross dressing as her twin brother in this popular band) realizes fully she is in love with Tae Kyung (who knows she's a girl). She is being recorded for her solo song except the first attempt at singing it comes off as dry. She has no emotions. She had been apart from Tae Kyung for days and desperately missed him. When he walks in the room the emotions come rushing out of her and she belts it. It's one of my favorite scenes so far in this drama and I wanted to share a portion of their fictional love (forgive me Elysse, indulge me!)

tomorrow is another day, my love

The Sun Set From My Window

My window is excellent to daydream out of. If you ignore the screens and the noise off of Kimball avenue, you could do some serious thinking. The sun sets give an appealing glow that bounces off my dimly lit room. You can't help but recline on my bed and admire how beautifully simple it is.

an affair to remember

Sara, Me & Joan

Yesterday was super classy. I hosted the classy party, a black tie event. Not that we wore any black ties. The table cloth set, ipod playing classy tunes (Nat King Cole, Ella, ol' blue eyes...), and potluck of various yummy things. Sara had made little pies, Ashley's stuffed mushrooms (of pure buttery goodness), Joan's scrumptious fried rice, Christine's delectable pasta & my snazzy dip. We oozed class!

We played the best game ever (the one with charades & swans...ahaa.) Joan's midget was priceless, Fariha's hello kitty was to die for, and my Britney Spears/car crash/apocalypse were extreme. It was classy and a TON of fun. At the end of the evening everyone took home their goody bags and it was definitely an affair to remember.

On a completely different side note, I have a new drama LOVE. Not that it's too shocking. I am in LOVE with the whole cast of You're Beautiful (the BEST Korean drama.) But I had to share this photo. Hello Lee Hongki!

Lee Hongki

crack. crack. crack.

"George, I am GAY! If you have to choose, choose me."- An Italian citizen in love with George Clooney.

Right now I'm listening to Korean pop. Fariha is in my room and we are frustrated at blogger. She's rebelling and getting a wordpress (booyahh blogger.)

And we're cracked out.

Energy, why do you leave me?

Sometimes it's just so hard to make sense...like now.

come fly with me

A List

1. Finish watching "Lovely Complex"
2. Actually do conference work
3. Shower
4. Send Caitlin her package
5. Shop for the classy party
6. Learn Korean
7. Refrain from using the words, "epic" & "revolutionary"
8. Start reading the NY Times headlines
9. Get a pet dog named Thor
10. Choose the movies I pay to see more carefully
11. Start looking at my future
12. Fawn over Lee Hongki & the rest of the cast of You're Beautiful
13. Write less letters in class
14. Have my own theme song
15. Think more. Obsess less.

new york, I love you

Really. I do. Do you know who I don't love? Everyone behind the abomination that is "New York, I Love You." It was horrific. There were causalities (mainly our wallets.) We suffered extreme losses, time, money, respect. After "Paris Je t'aime", I thought how a movie about New York love would be wonderful. As a native New Yorker I was genuinely offended. This was most definitely not the New York I know and love. According to this movie everyone in New York smokes. Everyone. Not only do we all smoke, but we always get into a taken cabs. We only go on the subway to think about our recent one-night stands (where virtually, Drea de Matteo is literally the only person in the subway car rethinking her passionate night with a total stranger.) We're not Chinese if we don't own a laundromat. New York apparently has no homosexual love stories, or for that matter any black or Latina women. And bottom line, New Yorkers are just plain weird.

LIES. The movie is full of LIES. It was poorly edited. One of my least favorite story lines (there is heavy competition, since they all are my least favorites.) about a struggling, drug addled artist who goes to Chinatown. There he sees the Chinese herbalist, she's young, she's beautiful, she's his muse. He takes her image in his head, goes to the corner of Henry street and sits in a restaurant. While he eats, he takes a napkin and using soy sauce outlines her face...leaving her almond eyes empty. We now have a Chinese girl drawn in soy sauce...without eyes. He practically stalks her...and prepositions her; he wants her to be his model. She hesitates. He is so inspired that he pops some pills, downs it with Jack Daniels and dies. She goes to find him....but he's dead. She finds her creepy soy sauced portrait, takes a photo of her eyes and PASTES them on the empty outline and stares smugly at it. It is creepy. It is weird. It is gross.

There is a woman who is shown constantly through the movie filming New York on her camcorder. A fake paraplegic who has sex with an (adorable) Anton Yelchin while hanging from a tree (let's not ask questions here...I was beyond disturbed.) A Hasidic Jew & Hindu love story (where she pictures him with the curls and the hat, and he sees her in a wedding sari. Really Mira Nair, really?!) A game of cat and mouse between Rachel Bilson, Hayden Christensen & Andy Garcia (whose screen time gave me a headache because it made ZERO sense.) The strange Julie Christie and Shia LaBeouf dynamic (honestly...what was that ABOUT?) Shia LaBeouf asks her if she is cold...proceeds to tell her he will close the windows...and PLOP, he falls to his death. We cut to a scene of him BLEEDING on the pavement (and why was he crippled?) And let's not forget the struggling writer trying to pick up a hooker. It was discombobulated. It was horrendous. It was NOT my New York. There was so much potential to do something good. To really show the city, but they failed to capture the essence of New York and made us seem like crazies who smoke three packs a day.

The only thing that was adorable was the old couple. Their banter was sharp and romantic. Their celebration of their 63rd wedding anniversary while trying to get to the Coney Island boardwalk was the best thing about this abysmal movie.

Damn false advertising! Never again. I don't need a movie to show me. New York, I will always love you.

blame it on my youth

I need a giant filter for my head. A processor. Something to pull apart facts, details, and the streams of people I meet. I used to be so good with names. Now I'm faltering over people I should know. I want to sound insightful in my everyday life, to make lasting impressions, good or bad.

I am usually wonderful with time management but I just can't manage my social time productively. I wish I had the time to spend it with everyone I want to. I feel people slipping away from me like a scenic ending shot of a movie--the camera just pans further and further away. The scenery is beautiful but that's all it is, there's no more depth in it, and if you blink the credits start to roll. I don't want my relationships to be like credits, just rolling on by to key grip #4. I want to be involved with peoples lives. I want to make those lasting impressions and I will.

be careful, it's my heart

I'm going to be Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed, you know, except without Michael Vartan and a horrendous white boa. Well that and millions of other things. My life does not exactly parallel Josie Grosie's life, but it is time for me to fall in love. But where am I to meet my fated one? Like the lesson learned at the end of 500 Days of Summer, I'll leave it to coincidence, happenstance. One day, hopefully soon, I'll have one of those girl meets boy, boy falls in love with girl, and they live happily ever after. I am not asking for a Asian drama, but something real and when that day comes, be careful, it's my heart.

lazy bum

I have not left my house in like three days. It stuns me how lazy I am.

older

They say wisdom comes with age. I am not entirely convinced. Wisdom roots from experience. I would say I have been exposed to many different things this year; being alone in a foreign country (sort of), traveling, having a hellish internship, but with all of these things does it mean that I have become wiser? A truly puzzling question. Yes and no. I know that I like cider. I know how to make a chicken roast. I know why I love traveling. I know that my boss is a horrid, manipulative woman. I know myself better, or I think I do. With all these things that I do know, there is still much to learn. For example, what the hell I want to do with the rest of my life.

I am sick of people asking me that. Yes, I realize that this is my senior year, that I cannot relive the past of my glorious high school days, or shrink in a corner to hide (as much as I want to). I am freaking out a bit. A bit is an understatement of the century. I am engulfed in a blind panic. But people reassure me, "Alex, you have so much talent." "You're such a gifted writer." "You have time, just think about it." The panic still has not abated. This internship has taught me that the real world is a bitch and I am going to end up working somewhere that I'll probably detest just as much, so I better get used to it. I won't resign to that fate, but when I tell myself to rise above that, to become something I want to be, there is a big question mark looming above my head. And until I can figure that out people will just have to live with my answer to that vexing question with, "When I grow up, I want to become an astronaut."

the highline

The Original Highline

A business man & his ukulele

Father & daughter

Looking up 10th ave.

some more highline wild life

A NYC sunset

home sweet home

A NYC sunset over Jersey

New York City has changed. For the better and the worst. I was gone for six months and things are very different. It is still my favorite place in the world (followed closely by Paris, Venice, Prague, San Francisco) and I would never replace it my heart. When I go up to my roof, the skyline is unrecognizable. Buildings have popped out from no where. A luxury condo disrupts my view of the Empire State Building, the monstrosity near the Hudson River is a whopping building that towers over my view of Jersey (Jersey...but still) and another two monstrosities are being built as well. As I walked down the street, I see buildings that were never there before. But with that aside, New York is still the same bustling city. I was walking down the street when I heard, "Hey Mami." Despite it being a gross man in his forties, it warmed my heart to hear, no one in Europe does cat calls like they do in the big apple. I went to Chinatown and died of happiness. I truly missed it.

I am working at a publishing firm called Lifetime Media (not to be confused with Lifetime channel). It's interesting. I do not like it. But since I have so much to say about it, I take that as a good sign. It's a racket operation. There are 9 interns working diligently and only two hired employees (one's the editor, the other the boss lady). The boss lady does not comes in when she pleases, and is never there when she says she will. I have yet to really talk to her because of her nomadic tendencies. The rest of the interns have been here short of two months, and they basically run the company, which is rewarding as it is stressing. I know that I would never find another internship so hands on like this--but there is a fine line between learning and being used. And this is definitely being used. I am supposed to be here for six months, but I know it will be impossible when school starts, so I'm going to have to burst a bubble. Oh well.

Oh and I also got a new Mac (still unnamed, but i'm taking suggestions...) Fabrizio is dead and dying. He served me well. =) Despite my internship and the jutting alterations to the city skyline, home is home. And when I miss Europe, I remember that I am surrounded by family, neighbors, and friends. Without a doubt, it's good to be home.