Sunday, November 26, 2006

farewell, O hallowed gold card

Last year about this time, I received the most wonderful prize package a nerd like me could ever wish for - it was the SPADA new filmmaker of the year award, and it came with a whole bunch of stuff - cash, 10K of post, 10K of film hireage, travel. But by far the most hallowed prize of all was from Skycity Village Cinemas - a beautiful shiny Gold Card that promised free movies for a whole year (except after 5pm on Saturdays).

This wonderful, wonderful prize expires on December 10 - a date that I've been dreading since, like, July. No more will I be able to flash the card, and have the staff peer at it suspiciously, and talk in whispered tones into their walky talkies. No more will I be able to chose any crap film at will, watch it to pass the time, and wander out half way through to get to another meeting (yes, Underworld 2, I'm talking about you). No more looking at the film timetable and feeling that rare and satisfying pleasure of having seen all the good ones. No more, sweet gold card, no more.

I feel the need to sing a requiem:
(to the tune of Sinatra's It was a very good year)
When I was twenty-eight, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for B-grade trash and fairly good flicks
I'd skank extra tickets for of-like-mind mates
When I was twenty-eight.

Yes, yes, I would keep the day job, if I actually had one.

Breakfast:
one milo, with melted Dark Ghana (70%) chocolate
Verdict: yes, that was all, I was baking at the time, and had to rush off to a yum cha, so it wasn't like I was going to be hungry long... not too sure about Dark Ghana, think I'm too much of a sugar freak. Dark Block feels just right to me.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

breakfast of note

Nothing of real excitingness to comment on here, just thought my breakfast might be of note:

Breakfast:
Rice and Squid
1 grapefruit
1 small sliver of chocolate cake
Verdict: pretty weird, but then again, it was kind of all there was.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

objects in the rear view mirror...

I just made an alarming discovery while driving home along the dark country road... when I look at myself in the rear view mirror with my headlights as the only light source... I look a bit like the scary blue lady from The Grudge!!!

I completely freaked myself out!

About that time, I also passed an abandoned car along the dark country road... then like 30 seconds later, passed a solitary hunched figure trudging in the dark. Being alone, and recently freaked out, I didn't stop. Later, I felt really bad about it - maybe the person really needed just a lift or a phone call. But I was alone, and it was past midnight... what do you do? From way back, my Dad would make sure I knew all the horror stories about people who stopped to help injured people on the road, then were murdered by enterprising villains who preyed on peoples' goodwill. As a result, I've become paranoid and suspicious of everyone. So much for giving people the benefit of the doubt. This saddens me because I think paranoia and suspicion contributes to the general badness in the world. If I was stuck on the country road with no transport and no communication, I would want help. I wouldn't start trudging down the road by myself in the dark, that's for sure, but I would want help.

Sigh.

And now for something completely without meaning!

Breakfast:
2 boiled eggs, dipped in a sprinkle of salt (I finally learnt how to boil eggs! This is not what you may think - I actually do the bulk of cooking here, including eggs - scrambled, fried, poached - just never boiled! Until now! Thank you eHow!)
A mug of ginger beer
Verdict: I was proud about the boiled eggs. They were mighty fine fresh from the pot. But all in all, a pretty weird breakfast. Wouldn't do it again. Ginger beer first thing makes my tummy a bit funny.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

midnight toilet

Goddamn it if The Grudge 2 didn't get to me. It was such a shitty film, especially the eye candy school girls who must have been given direction like "act really shit so that when you die, the audience will actually cheer". On second thoughts, everybody must have been given the 'act really shit' direction, because I couldn't actually tell if Amber Tamblyn had acting ability, or whether she just looked really good next to everybody she was working with (save Sarah Michelle Gellar of course. That lady can do no wrong!).

Anyway, home I went, scoffing all the way, had dinner, watched TV, what have you. The moment I got into bed and turned out the lights, the spectre of wide-eyed, open mouthed blue lady kept flashing on the inside of my eyelids. Stupid B-grade damn j-horror crap!

The first few nights after seeing the film when I woke up needing to pee, somehow I forced myself back to sleep. Finally, one night when I couldn't stand the pressure (damn soup!), I got up, turned on every light, shut the door, and did my thing with my eyes closed.

That's one thing I'm going to think about next time I choose a house - the aspect of the toilet. Our toilet is such that when you're sitting and the door is open, you're looking straight out into a corridor. When you're half asleep and it's the middle of the night, usually you just pee in the dark with the door open (don't act like you don't know what I mean)! I swear my dream-laced mind takes advantage of my short-sightedness and imagines all sorts of horrible apparitions peeking around the side of the door frame and grinning at me. It doesn't help that Abe the cat sometimes ninjas his way into the toilet and sits there purring at me. I swear one time I just blinked and he appeared there. I almost screamed. I suppose I should be sort of grateful that The Grudge 2 has replaced the usual clowns with the blue lady.

Two things come to mind when I think about the TV series of It (well, apart from being the site of my screaming clown phobia) - the first is sadness about Jonathan Brandis, and how he ended up, and the second is the irrational thought that if I carry my asthma inhaler everywhere with me, then I can vanquish clowns at all times. On second thoughts, no. I want the clowns back. Because what the fuck do I do with the grudge lady? Out stare her? Paint myself blue and put my face millimetres from hers? Hmm. Need to think about this one.

Breakfast:
1 Milo a la Roseanne (ie. very sweet)
half a home grown cherimoya (it was chilled and delicious)
2 meal mates (poppy and sesame seed crackers)
Verdict: not sure about the nutritional value, but I'm continuing digging poppy seeds. And fruit, always fruit.