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I'm downloading both Rough Draft and Abiword, because I don't like Word. Also, Wordpad won't work all the time for the course I'm doing.
I'm going to call the necronerdic kid from my course Thursley, after Eric from Discworld. It just seems appropriate. Actually, I could probably name them all after characters from Discworld, really.
Speaking of Discworld, I wrote a drabble. Mostly Death, because I love the character (and he seems to be getting less screen time in canon these days). And an OC, because... most of the other characters have already seen death at least once. Cliche'd, but it was in my head. And plotbunnies have been pretty rare lately.
( 100 words, and as yet untitled. )
Have been checking mail a little compulsively, which is always the way after someone gets my email address. I just need to stop feeling like Bridget Jones about it.
I now have a total of four Pratchett books on my shelf. My sister and mother have the others somewhere, so the section looks very empty. Otherwise they wouldn't all fit.Current Mood:  flirty Current Music: Njosnavelin - Sigur Ros (Vanilla Sky Soundtrack) |
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( Bookshelf post, for lack of positive content. )
This song is now my theme for fridays. It's rather apt, is all.Current Mood:  exanimate Current Music: REM - Stand |
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GIP
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Mar. 10th, 2005 @ 06:52 am
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Just posting to say I took the icon from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ankh_khpt on ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) howdotheyrise. Tried to use another one, but it was two pixels too large. And this computer doesn't have the ability to resize it properly.
Also changed my lj title, because I figured I'd had the other one for a while. This one... I don't know. Partly what this place used to look like, partly my imagination. I might end up redoing my layout at some point.
My vocabulary surprises me sometimes, just randomly.Current Mood:  optimistic Current Music: The jukebox in the corner |
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( Stuff, none of which mentions the subject. Odd, that. )
From fannish5: What are your five favourite characters of colour?
I don't really think of them that way, though. *shrug* In no particular order, as usual.
1. Nobby Nobbs. Whatever you say about him, you can't say he's not a character of colour. Green, probably, but still. Or, if that's not allowed, I'll go with 71-hour Ahmed [5]. The guy who chews cloves to seem more foreign and calls Vimes "Vetinari's Terrier" and gets away with it. It was worth it for the scene at the University. The offering of wives and the doctorate (?) of Sweet Fanny Adams (in doggy Latin, of course).
2. Nirupam Singh. *wonders if being from India counts as colour* Too bad. He was the most sensible out of all the witches, and he actually cared enough to explain to Nan about not being able to please everyone. That being said, he was also a kid, too. And he turned Charles' running shoes into a chocolate gateau... that solved a mystery and made me laugh, particularly since Dan ate them/it.
3. The Marquis de Carabas. I just wish that the story was a little bit more than it is. There has to be a midpoint between LotR, where everything is on the page, and Neverwhere, where you only see a little. And it's not enough to really buy into the world. What I'd love is another book about Islington, or Croup and Vandemar, or the Marquis, or even Door's family. I want more than just what's there.
4. Lance Vance. Or possibly Officer Tenpenny. Both GTA game villains, and both real bastards. Nothing to do with colour. Though Pulaski was worse, and he was voiced by Chris Penn. I've got a lot of love for the real unlikeable bad guys. It saves me from being the kind of person who always wants them to win. I like the bad guys in games that you don't mind about killing as much. I'd have hated to kill Rosenberg, Woozie or Toreno, because they're characters you can understand in a good way. Speaking of which, I should have put Woozie up there. Though it annoyed me that they kept playing up his blindness, sad bastards. Still, the scene with the fake chips was worth all the unfair bits, though.
I don't like singling out characters based on colour. It's a bit unneccessary. I mean, the characters are going to turn up on a favourites list anyway. And race doesn't really apply, a lot of the time, and niether does culture. All you can say is colour, and that shouldn't matter at all. These days, I can probably pass for Maori easily. (I should say Storm, on reflection, but that makes Halle Berry sound good by association. I'm talking old-school cartoon, not the movie. And probably Anamaria, too, because she's the rare strong female character who's mannish enough to make it work. See? I have to actually realise "oh, right, that's another one", and I don't want to do it. Now, had it been kickass female characters, they'd have popped up first thing.)
5. Yo-less. Nicknamed as such because he never says Yo. Though his colour was never a big thing, either. He was the sensible one, more than he was the black one or whatever. The only reason they mentioned it was that he should've said Yo, but he was so sensible and uncool that he never did. There were all the others, who had bags of weirdness, and Yo-less was the one who wore a tie. In a Good Omens comparison, he'd be Wensleydale, no question.
( More stuff. )Current Mood:  calm |
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I had the most screwed up dream. I dreamed that my two favourite authors had died.
It wasn't lucid, but it was so damned convincing. Am still incredibly shellshocked. That was the most evil dream I've ever had.
Feb. 18th, 2005 @ 06:58 am
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| » Movies and stuff. |
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I love it when I have those moments of insane genius. Just call me Vizzini at the moment, as I think I made myself a bit confused.
I also watched Adaptation, followed by a sort of documentary about action movies. You can understand why I'm feeling cynical, I hope.
Also, apparently sex and dysfunctionalia have replaced Pulp Fiction-type movies at Sundance. And then there's Mirrormask, which from the site looks to be fantastic with an expletive prefix.
Pretty Persuasion is my movie, so I hope they don't screw it up. By "my" movie, I mean that I wanted a movie about my school. This is probably as good as it gets. And besides, Brooke is that journalist woman. I didn't have the actress in mind, but by gods she's perfect. Only one better would be the actress who played Lindy. The cast seem almost perfect, too. I hope I'm not disappointed.
I just have to wait until Winter. Hopefully they'll show it here. Or at least have it go straight to DVD. I'd buy that, if just for the research.
Bother. Can't remember where this is from, but I copied and pasted it. Film cliches!
"ENOUGH, PLEASE, I'M BEGGIN' YA: Healing. Slumming superstars. Californians in general. Recovery junkie Californians in particular. Movies about making movies. Ordinary people with extraordinary abdominal muscles. Dysfunctional families (is there any other kind?). The 1970s. The Tarantino Factor. Quirk. Handheld. Emo-folky soundtrack music. Freeze-frames. Creative swearing from cute kids."
Movies about making movies = the same as those kids who write about being panicked in an exam while they're sitting an English exam. The first time, maybe it was novel. After the first few, it gets real old. There are only so many variations. And it's not exactly creative. Maybe if the sitting in an English exam led to the kid setting up clues until he eventually can't handle the pressure and shoots his exam advisor, that would make a different story. It wouldn't get high marks, but it'd make one hell of an impression... if the marker got far enough along to actually read the end. And there's the problem.
Dysfunctional families... well, actually, our family isn't. Maybe it's just the media that's to blame, for saying that you have to be corrupt and suicidal and living a lie if you come within a certain threshold of living in Suburbia. And it does get old after a lifetime of it. I didn't think American Beauty was anything too special. And The Simpsons isn't half as funny as it pretends to be.
The 70s... why would someone not like that era? Though it is a bit old by now. Yes, they wore silly hair and suits. No, it's not that big a deal.
Tarantino... Tarantino, Tarantino. I love some of the guy's movies. Reservoir Dogs is just two people talking most of the time, like it's a stage play, and yet it works. Have never seen Pulp Fiction. I tried, but when you start halfway through something, it's hard to keep going. I liked From Dusk Till Dawn 3 better than any of the others, and it had very little to do with him (he was executive producer, apparently). Haven't seen Jackie Brown or Natural Born Killers (he wrote the latter's story). I've seen all of Vol. 1 of Kill Bill and liked it, in a sort of artsy ridiculous way. Saw a fair bit of Vol.2, but not enough for me to want to see it again, except maybe for the theme music. The violence puts me off, yes, as it should when I see a woman crushing an eyeball under her bare foot.
The problem is the imitators. The ones the studios put money into because they think we want to see the same movie a million times over. Well, we might, but we don't want pale imitations. I do want different movies. And the imitators of Quentin Tarantino always use far more violence than he ever did. I think that's why he eventually had to use a lot of violence. He had to be different, so he created something like Kill Bill, which... always seemed like a joke to me*.
Quirk. I don't know what that refers to. Must find out, actually.
Handheld. Uh... I never liked that technique. Not even for Blair Witch project. It looks like "Mel's amazing movies"** brought to the big screen. And it's a cheap substitute for injecting reality into the film. Find some less harsh lighting, some less botox'ed actors, and then maybe it'll look a little more real. The botox is a whole other rant.
What's emo? What's emo-folky? I think I know what the sound they're aiming for is, though. Me, I'd put classic rock in my movies, or that little change from sort of obscure music to top twenty stuff as the girl fits in. Maybe culminating with something like Pink as she eventually loses it completely. Sort of sickly funny.
Freeze-frames... I liked the effect in Casino the other day. I think I noted that down. *goes to check* Yeah, I said that it was cheesy, but it worked. My favourite ever freeze-frame is at the end of The Langoliers, where they all jump up in the air, and the cheesy music plays and the freeze-frame of them in the air is the last shot. Either it's jumping, or a high-five. Either way. So bad that it's good. And that's the thing, really.
Creative swearing from cute kids? Was a bit offended when I first noticed it in a movie. Well, actually, the worst bit was the stealing money and so on, but yeah. But haven't noticed it so much since then.
Oh, this reminds me. Am still up for the rant thing. Any time you like, just leave a comment and I'll rant for or against the subject. Interesting concept.
From the IMDB message boards: "i could say fag whenever the *beep* i want. It's America" No... no, it's not. It's the internet, which has people from America, Europe, Asia... even as far out as little old New Zealand here. *amused* I bet the poor guy thinks it's America when he goes on holidays as well.
I've said it a few times before, but I love the IMDB. So much crazy.
"Not that it really matters. As both the Matrix sequels have now proven, Matrix Uno was lucky to appear (<<== keyword) as intelligent and thought provoking as it did, 'cause all the Dubya Bruvvas were really interested in is coming up with an excuse to shoot guns and blow sh!t up. They're nothing but a pair of hacks that struck it lucky -- ONCE. And going by precedent, my money says that any subsequent projects they take up will only further prove that point. Assassins 2, anyone?"
Please allow me to die now. Seriously. *giggles* I like this person. Besides, The Matrix pretended Alice in Wonderland was deep, instead of a made up dream. Last movie to do that was Resident Evil, and that was dire.
Oh, my dear gods. Rawiri Paratene, otherwise known as Koro from Whale Rider, was the voice for Rangi from Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale. *shakes head* He rules. That is the best animated movie out. Sorry to Nemo and others, but... come on, it's Footrot Flats. And Rangi was the coolest character, besides maybe Pongo and the Dog. And Dave Dobbyn did the soundtrack.
To Watch List:
Came a Hot Friday - Not the best title, but am assured it's good NZ humour. 'Sides, it's got Billy T in it.
"To imagine what Meet the Feebles is, simply take the world of the Muppets, with a spice of Fraggle Rock, and then add a good hard helping of pornography and death, and you'll have Meet the Feebles." - Have got to see this, along with Braindead. Hopefully without needing to throw up or have eyes scrubbed out. Oh, and Bad Taste. Because I think I need to see some really bad Peter Jackson films before I die.
Warlords of the 21st Century - Doesn't the title say it all? Bad scifi, but funny bad. And apparently has a homage to Duel.
I really do need to see Spooked. Really really. I can't wait for it to be out at the movies. It'll be excessively liberal, of course, but still.
Must see Hopeless. Really. It's the original to Love Bites. It has Adam Gardiner in it. *is hopeless fangirl*
Tongan Ninja has Raybon Kan in it. Heh. And some classic quotes. It's possibly better than Americanised parodies, because this one isn't Westernised.
Still wondering about Perfect Creature. Nuovo Zealandia. *dies* And vampires. I hope this comes out in cinemas, so there are reviews.
...How the hell is Heavenly Creatures like Election or Heathers? *curious* It's a lot more serious, I'd have thought, especially as it's partly true. At least they admit it's not like Jawbreakers. Though those seem to be the magic three. I still don't understand. Heavenly Creatures is... sadder, prettier and uglier at the same time, and odder. The other two or three seem like mainstream American movies, and not very well known at all.
I haven't watched all of those three, mainly because I hadn't heard of Heathers, I don't like Reese Witherspoon, and I gave up after the typical High School part of Jawbreakers. Am I missing something? Perhaps. I don't tend to like American satire, because it goes OTT and becomes an extreme version of whatever it was trying to mock. And if you're not supposed to like what they're mocking, then you won't like the movie itself. Same goes for parody, only more so. Scary Movie and Not Another Teen Movie are just like what they're trying to parody, but with a few gross-out jokes thrown in.
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*Seriously. I saw the trailer and laughed my head off, thinking it was some sort of bizarre joke. The whole movie based on the premise of killing someone... and /volume one/? Not to mention the music and the scenes on the trailer. I don't know if it was supposed to be funny, but it was. I didn't believe it was really a movie.
**Not Mel Brooks. Um. It was a programme for kids when I was little. This girl Mel would get her friends to act, while she'd record it with the camera. That's what the whole show was about. It had that sort of inspiration of "yes, that is good, but even I can do better". Blair Witch Project seemed like that, but less entertaining.
Jan. 31st, 2005 @ 11:14 pm
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| » Random stuff. |
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 | You scored as Mindfuck. Congratulations, you scored Mindfuck. You've probably seen a lot of movies, and have grown to hate mainstream shit. You're looking for the movie that will leave you breathless, and with 21 questions to think about. Check out: Donnie Darko, Being John Malkovich, Pulp Fiction, Memento.
Mindfuck | | 85% | Artistic | | 80% | Drama/Suspense | | 75% | Sci-Fi/Fantasy | | 55% | Sadistic Humour | | 35% | Mindless Action Flick | | 25% | Romantic Comedy | | 20% | </td>
Movie Recommendation.
created with QuizFarm.com |
I think they should include Twelve Monkeys with this rec. Otherwise I agree so much that I need an expletive to deal with it. Plus it's got a picture of Frank on it. *grin*
( More silly meme-y quizzes within. )
I really should claim Parvati Patil/Jareth at ithurtsmybrain, because those two are just... they deserve each other.
Student Loan Debt Increases. Shouldn't that be obvious? Our education minister is a fuckwit, if you'll excuse the language. Not only does he introduce NCEA, the method of education no one is happy with, he also has failed to deal with student loan debt at all.
I want to go to the "Snowdrome". Because I want to see if it is really as fake as it sounds. Why not just take a road trip to Mt Ruapehu or somewhere? Granted, it's not the best place in summer, but who wants to ski in summer? The change in temperature could be harmful. Besides, there are no rocks to fall on, no slush to slip in, no real wind to freeze your face into a grimace. Besides, it sounds expensive for snow. At least a road trip would be entertaining.
Screw it. I give up on this voting business. Will pick a name at random. Lesser of many evils. At least that way I won't have any problems with the law, and won't have any guilt if person I voted for actually wins. Elections are ages away yet, I'm sure, but, much as I love Queen Helen, I think it's time for a change. Of course, it won't be any better, but maybe it will. There's always hope, after all.
Found out that the director for Pretty Persuasion also directed Blink 182's All the Small Things and What's My Age Again videos. *grin* They're two of my favourites.
Strange, how our Chaplain and RE teacher could tell of the horrors of Auschwitz better than any article. Because they'd visited there, and they could express what they'd seen without giving a knowledge overload or preaching too much. There was also the other one... Dachau, I think it was. And there were pictures they'd taken, which made an impression.
...
Jan. 29th, 2005 @ 06:02 am
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| » Well, today was weird. Rabbit Hole Day. |
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My once friend was on E! channel. She looked perfectly normal there, talking about how her traumatic experiences were the perfect basis for a movie. Her hair still looked like sheep's wool, though her clothes looked gorgeous.
Now that freaked me out. Because any movie based on her life would be rated R18 at least. And she specifically mentioned certain teachers. As well as that the soundtrack would be all R.E.M. songs.
And then... I switched over the channels. Apparently John Banks is our prime minister. It has to be some kind of sick joke. It was bad enough when he was mayor, as he was a bigot. But... I want to know who voted for him. Surely they'd see through him, right?
Still can't get over that. Even Helen Clark's better. Hell, anyone would be better.
One hell of a shock to the system. The one person for whom I can't find any redeeming qualities whatsoever. I think this must be hell, because surely no one would be that stupid.
Also, I saw briefly Johnny Depp in a Maroon 5 video. It was... familiar somehow. And really creepy.
I then noticed that our house was slightly different. Not enough that it was obvious, but there were a few differences. The curtains were a few shades lighter, and the fireplace looked more polished. The bookshelves were neat, which creeped me out.
I looked in the mirror, and I was beautiful. I don't mean pretty, I mean facial surgery makeup and boob-job beautiful. And wearing gorgeous clothes. And no glasses. But at the same time it looked hideous. I'm not sure how, but it did.
I then felt like throwing up, and almost did, but I actually heard a voice telling me to stop, and that the dress would have to be cleaned next thursday.
So I turned around, and standing there was something that looked like a spider. Well, take the legs of a spider and make them claws, make it stand up, and give it some sort of pod on its back, and you'd have it.
At that point, I ran into my room and locked the door, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep. What, like you never expected Alice to freak out instead of just wandering around dazed?
It worked, and thankfully everything appears to be fairly normal again.
(I figured my day down the rabbit hole wouldn't be pretty. It also wouldn't be conversational or jolly. *shrug* It'd be pretty damn twisted. And, oddly enough, this could well be straight out of my dreams. Possible explanation post in the works.)
Jan. 28th, 2005 @ 03:42 am
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| » Bitching, and Picspam. |
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I'm bitter.
I have loved Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones since I was about five or six years old. I still do, and I still read it every so often.
I realised, through the well-meant comment of someone on an lj community, that it is so much better than HP, but it will forever be thought of as inferior.
Fucking hype. And, yes, it does deserve an expletive. Some things just do.
And those people who start comparing Reacher Gilt to George Bush should be shot. Also compared was Lord Rust. It ruined an otherwise interesting discussion. Comparing fictional characters to real people does not make a person intellectual. Maybe if they'd actually gone through and pinpointed reasons for it, but no. The fact is, I'm a little sick of the comments that aren't backed up by anything. I don't mind if someone says that he's stupid and he sucks, because they're entitled to that opinion, but it's annoying when they bring politics into everything else just to show him as the villain, regardless of whether it fits.
Besides, I thought Reacher Gilt was charming. Bush may have some good qualities, but he's not exactly charming. Reacher Gilt knows what to say, while George W Bush is known for not pronouncing words correctly. "Dubya" is no pirate, nor does he pretend to be one. Reacher Gilt is a corporate and PR slimeball, who uses slippery words. Reacher Gilt shows that he is a pirate and is amazed when people trust him and call him a good friend, and think they've outfoxed him. Dear gods, am I getting through to anyone at all? They are different, and one is only a fictional character.
I can handle Bush being compared to Lord Rust a little more, because it does fit, slightly. I just don't think it was meant to be him, but people are sort of projecting him onto any villain in the hope to convince other people. It's ridiculous.
*sigh* Will stop this now.
<a href="http://www.wxplotter.com/ft_nq.php?im">
<img src="http://www.wxplotter.com/images/ft/nq.php?val=5762" alt="I am nerdier than 87% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!"> </a>
Well, that was more than I expected. Am quite pleased with nerd status.
<a href="http://www.wxplotter.com/ft_loser.php?im">
<img src="http://www.wxplotter.com/images/ft/lsr.php?val=0730" alt="I am 84% loser. What about you? Click here to find out!"> </a>
And this one was only to be expected.
Bugger fanfiction. My original story has consumed my head. Am planning it in screenplay format, just to see if it gets written that way.
Time to update my list of unusual but good-looking actors. This is based on movies and not how they look in real life currently, but they do still hold some appeal even then.
( Picspam, because I feel like it. Even though I'm on dialup, others should beware. )
Phew... That was some work. Double-handling, mostly, because I don't like to hotlink, but still.
Jan. 20th, 2005 @ 01:20 am
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| » Another scatterbrained entry. As usual. |
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I should tally up a list of respect points for people in the news. Weigh up the stupid things they do against the smart ones, and what their opinions are compared with how they state that opinion. Having a different opinion to mine and having it make sense is a heck of a lot better than sharing my opinion for a really stupid reason.
And I don't think that anyone is stupid unless they start drooling and mumbling something about brains being tasty. They might not know enough about a certain subject, sure, but their brains still work. Especially the ones smart enough to be loved by the media. They're smart enough to have lots of money.
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I... am going for a walk. "Out to buy cigarettes" as they always say in the movies, except that the only cigarette machine for several miles around is in this building. The only alcohol, as well. So, really, I just went out for a walk. Should have brought alcohol with me.
Unfortunately, it was raining. I walked through someone's backyard, and the long grass soaked my legs up to the knee. My folder got soaked. I was supposed to find a place to be creative, but I couldn't. I have more chance of writing in my cluttered room than in some secluded forest area. Especially when the rain appears to be preparing for a downpour. So I walked up a hill, got soaked and dirty, wet my folder, and walked back again.
It was worth it for the nice shower afterwards, though. I now feel refreshed. Still not inspired, but a little bit more presentable, and not like some grunge era reject.
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No matter how wonderful someone is, they're still a person. Think otherwise, and there'll be disappointment. Or delusion.
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I should see Contact, if just because Fichtner is in it. He's not in a lot of movies, but he did some damn good voice work on GTA Vice and San Andreas. He's quite the bit part actor. And he's been an odd sort of background presence in the movies I've seen him in. As weird evil corporate in that serial killer movie, for instance (the one that made me want to hurt Russell Crowe... and that proved he was actually a good actor - much in the same way as Samuel L Jackson in GTA San Andreas).
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You know, my parents are still happily married. That's what marriage is supposed to be, not some big party that you can make null and void three days later (after crying for most of those three). They've been married at least twenty years now. If I were to get married at all, I'd want it to be for a long time, otherwise there'd be no point. Plus, I'd elope, because all that ceremonial bullshit is just some sort of status and a waste of money. My parents joked that I should elope if I ever get married, and I love the idea. Just sneak away, without any need for embarrassing stories or family get-togethers. And have a friend for life, basically.
Maybe I'm out of touch with modern times, but yeah.
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Seeing our Prime Minister referred to as "Miss Clark" cracks me up. I thought she had a husband or something... and she's too mannish for Miss.
*dies* We are offering assistance through our defense force... which doesn't exist. Well, obviously it kind of does, but it has been downsized. A friend was outraged at that fact, and made a speech on the subject once.
"Miss Clark" seemed to speak rather well, with quite a hint of belonging to NZ. Not sure if the latter is good, but a lot of people have become rather patriotic lately. I'm wondering if that's a reaction to the situation in America - New Zealanders can think: "Well, we might have terrible weather and a treaty that should never have been agreed to in the first place, but at least our politics aren't as extreme."
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Also in news, Scribe is part of a charity concert to raise money for the tsunami victims. Pretty good, considering that he probably doesn't have stacks of money to give away. Unlike the worshipped celebrities who can afford to give millions away.
And Steriogram are releasing another single. They had to change the song they were going to release, though, due to an unfortunate title, although they were thinking about it before that. Said song was about relationships, so I'm cool with that not being released yet. I love that a few "white trash" Westie guys can be internationally popular.
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Have been listening to some movie, in between looking at websites, and the guy is damn expressive. Some cop movie or other. Sort of a mother movie*, only not. Creepy soccer ball. And he seems to favour a large shotgun. Not sure what that means, except that he's not the quickest thinker. And the last word of the movie was an expletive. I think I might watch it again, because /dude/. When the last image is of the guy blowing someone's brains out, there's got to be something more there. That's the kind of thing Vince would do. Or Dean, but Dean is just... creepy, even to himself.
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My inspiration seems to have left me. Perhaps I should invent some cutesy little muse to inspire me. Mind you, my favourite characters wouldn't work. They're not exactly the cooperative type. Still, I like the idea of Thalia being my muse by default, because, while my stories aren't funny, they sure aren't tragedy. And she'd have quite the personality. Well, in the 'verse I'm thinking of, she does.
...But no. I can't blame anything on a fictional character. Or have conversations with one. It's just too cutesy, too... "plotbunny". I know of at least one damn good writer who uses the terms, but so many terrible ones do that it's annoying. And it encourages letting the characters and writing get out of control. I will not mention names, because someone else must have done so in that wank thread somewhere. Lately, it has been mentioned at everything to do with fanfiction.
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* Mother movie = movie my mother would watch. Usually involves cops, government agents, Morgan Freeman, some kid, a hostage situation, or all of the above. They would be interesting, I suppose, if there was a little more grittiness to them. I like something that's a little more realistic. Because they always have the same sort of plot that's almost cliche. The good guy wins, the bad guy is either killed or arrested, and there are never any serious repercussions.
Jan. 9th, 2005 @ 01:55 am
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| » A personality test, mostly. |
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My sister and her friends hate Selma Blair in The Sweetest Thing, and it's because she's all pouty. Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, is just... happy and smiling, and sister and co. interpret that as pretty. It's nice that they think that way, actually.
Me, I like Cameron Diaz because she tends to look more natural than fake pretty. I still stand by the statement that she looks weird, but it's pretty because she's not generic. She'd never be a model, because models are just plain, in that perfect-looking way.
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An online test told me that my personality type was Rational. My obsessions are hardly rational. I gave up all personal identity in order to spend time with a guy who was a racist, sexist, fascist, homophobic, patronising and clueless teenager. Was that rational? I broke up with him because of a book that he hid under his bed and never read, and another that only existed in potentia. That's not rational. Of course, he isn't as good or as bad as my first and last impressions of him, but, on the whole... I'd rather have kept the book than started the relationship. Edgar Allan Poe is no substitute for Terry Pratchett.
On the other hand, there is the obsession with research and planning that kills all creative desires. In pinpointing character, I lose any urge to write a story. The political rant (existing only in a hidden file in my documents), in which I decide my opinion on every single point independently and try to figure out which side I would lean to, is also quite rational.
I have no idea what my ability to see both sides means, except that it is a bit of a nuisance, unless it is being used for character insight.
If only someone could divert my obsessions into something more useful than fandom and politics. I could then make a living from it, and would therefore have a life.
I'm going to dissect it, because it's like most bullshit test answers - they could apply to sixty-five percent of the population on a given day. That's also the reason why horoscopes are often incredibly apt.
Dream interpretations based on the meanings of words are bullshit, though. A dream has to be interpreted with knowledge of the personal implications.
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Here we go... my reponses in bold:
Rationals, are the problem solving temperament, particularly if the problem has to do with the many complex systems that make up the world around us. I'm not terribly good at problem solving. It took me forever to do the boat minigame. And there's a random comma by rationals that shouldn't be there. Rationals might tackle problems in organic systems such as plants and animals, or in mechanical systems such as railroads and computers, or in social systems such as families and companies and governments. Perhaps. Tackling problems like that out of fun is different from doing it in all seriousness. Besides, I'm more likely to rant about it than solve it. But whatever systems fire their curiosity, Rationals will analyze them to understand how they work, so they can figure out how to make them work better. *dies* You've got me there. Analyse the hell out of them, and figure out every possible angle. Not the working better part, as such.
In working with problems, Rationals try to find solutions that have application in the real world, but they are even more interested in the abstract concepts involved, the fundamental principles or natural laws that underlie the particular case. I don't quite understand this part. Yes, I'm interested in the general wide-sweeping idea of something. And I do love natural laws, because they're usually true. And they are completely pragmatic about their ways and means of achieving their ends. Considering my reponse to the muse argument, that's true. I am responsible for what I do, and I'd like others to admit it. Rationals don't care about being politically correct. *snerk* Half the time, being politically correct is regarded as a joke. And they really did get that right. I don't care if I should refer to Maori people as Maori or Tangata Whenua (which they aren't any more than anyone else is - they killed off the real natives) or colour-challenged people. Truth be told, I'm going to describe them as NZers a lot of the time. They are interested in the most efficient solutions possible, and will listen to anyone who has something useful to teach them, while disregarding any authority or customary procedure that wastes time and resources. I will listen to anyone if they have something interesting to say. If not, I prefer the company of my own mind. And I hate pointless ceremonies and systems, yes. Rather unfortunately, I went to a school where I could see through the whole business and feminist side of it.
Rationals have an insatiable hunger to accomplish their goals and will work tirelessly on any project they have set their mind to. Nope. I give up halfway through. I have neither the drive, nor the willpower. I have a brief obsession, and then, when I lose interest, a quick burnout. They are rigorously logical and fiercely independent in their thinking--are indeed skeptical of all ideas, even their own--and they believe they can overcome any obstacle with their will power. I'm skeptical of any idea, and hate it when people are unanimous, because that suggests that there's a major fault. No willpower, though. Often they are seen as cold and distant, but this is really the absorbed concentration they give to whatever problem they're working on.*snort* You think anyone'd buy that excuse? Although I do get bloody annoyed when people disturb my thinking. Whether designing a skyscraper or an experiment, developing a theory or a prototype technology, building an aircraft, a corporation, or a strategic alliance, Rationals value intelligence, in themselves and others, and they pride themselves on the ingenuity they bring to their problem solving. Intelligence is important. It is also difficult to define. And the first thing I think of when I see "ingenuity" is "No. 8 Wire." That's our country's propaganda for you, I guess. I don't really do problem solving, but I probably would bring new ideas to it. Really faulty, badly thought out ideas.
Rationals are very scarce, comprising as little as 5 to 10 percent of the population. The other one's got bells on, yeah? Surely there are more people out there who actually think. I'm not that unique, for all that I'm screwed up in the head. But because of their drive to unlock the secrets of nature, and to develop new technologies, they have done much to shape our world. I take it that this is supposed to be inspirational. It failed. I don't have the drive.
That was... interesting. Some of it applied. Maybe it's just my mood. Heh. I knew there had to be a mood icon for it.
I found some more about the other types:
Artisans value freedom and spontaneity. They want to be without constraint, at liberty to act on their impulses, play, and create. Somewhat true. I want to just be able to do what I want to do... but I do want rules. Too much freedom is not a good thing.
Guardians value belonging to a group or community. They maintain stability through responsible, conservative, traditional behavior. Um. Not particularly me. Mainly because I'm not sociable. I'd rather be on my own, though traditions are good if there is a reason for them.
Idealists value personal growth, authenticity, and integrity. They yearn to develop themselves fully as individuals and to facilitate growth in others. I have no idea what that just said, but it isn't me. I am developed as fully as I'm going to be at the moment, and other people can grow well enough by themselves without my help.
Rationals value competence and intelligence. They strive to learn, know, predict, and control the resources in their environment. Gods, they make this one sound so anal-retentive. I guess it applies. Especially with regards to fandom.
Jan. 7th, 2005 @ 03:31 am
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| » Smoking law that will never get passed, one hopes. Along with random thoughts. |
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NZ Herald link = And, once again, censorship attempts to do the laughable.
Have they considered the number of films that do have cigarettes in them somewhere? I wonder if they include pipes and cigars.
They would have to make 101 Dalmations R18. Well, you've got to admit that those double-barrelled holders do look stylish, and Cruella smokes quite often, as I recall.
Though I'd rather have the R18 on a movie for the infliction of pain, and not because a cigarette was used to do so.
It would raise eighty-five percent of movies to an R18 level. More, if they actually went through the painful process of finding cigarettes held by extras and so on. So that's a lot of movies that would be illegal for a kid to watch. I've always thought the R18 movies were mostly just excuses to put sex and violence in a movie, much like NC17 fanfic.
...Smoking is inhaling smoke. That is all it is. If you attach negative status to it, you make it more than it is. Yes, it is harmful and pointless. Making that law would make it a far bigger issue than it deserves. Is smoking enticing? I've never smoked and I don't intend to.
The main reason kids start smoking is because of people in /real life/. Parents and family members.
It has been refused to be considered once. Let us hope it does not appear ever again. If it does, Peter Jackson and the Scarfies directors should be the defense. *grins* Possibly with Tem Morrison as well.
There is a law saying that stage actors can't smoke, not even if the play calls for it. In plays, a prop is usually there for a specific reason. So now it is illegal for the actor to use that particular prop.
And why is it that the ones who want censorship are always "mothers"? Or females of a certain age? You are making my gender look bad. Please stop it.
You know, I think this is a sign that we really are turning into Little America... a sort of playing at being a grown up country.
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The news article inspired me to write a story, oddly enough. For a fandom of one, but there's not much that's fandom specific. Just padding out the non-existent backstory.
Also, present tense. Because I started it that way.
( Warning: Scene containing cigarette smoking is within. *grin* You have been warned. )
Dec. 31st, 2004 @ 02:19 am
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| » Xmas spammage |
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Merry Christmas!
Have been surfing mesage boards about San Andreas for quotes, because some of them are killer. Toreno's especially, because he can get away with saying a lot of crazy stuff.
I should make an icon of Toreno. Along with Sands and some others. Because crazy government agents rock my socks.
...Zero is /that/ idiot. *contemplates* The dude from both Men in Black movies who dies in the first one and works at the video place in the second. Wow. I really don't like that guy.
Dec. 25th, 2004 @ 05:15 am
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| » GIP, Interest Meme, and random other stuff. |
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( Interest meme. )
Updated my interests, to find out that no one has Woozie or Mike Toreno listed. How can one not like Mike Toreno?
...Oh, right, the "learn to fly" thing. I forgot. *amused* Still, how can you not love the "motivational speech" he gives when you give up and muck around (and the one after, which had me weak with laughter)? Or the bullshit about people watching him? Or the very last thing you do for him (after the last mission)? It was when the game started to get really interesting, too.
So... yes. Mike Toreno is love. If there were pictures, I'd make an icon. Colourbars have been done to undeath.
And this song is my "learning to fly" song, along with the Foo Fighters song (actually titled Learning to Fly). Those were my soundtrack, because they kept me amused. Being amused is the only way not to get too annoyed with the game.
Woozie was cool, but sadly made fun of. His missions were always fun. Especially the Casino heist. And the whole mascot thing was rather sad. Of course, he didn't often miss a trick, except when his problem was involved.
I bought The Princess Bride for my sister, and sneaked a look at it myself. It is so... good. Why are all the old movies and music so good? And new ones... well, some are good, but most are just tacky and fake and... grr. Low budget movies are so much better than the ones that sell really well.
/angst about teen culture (a bit rich, coming from an eighteen year old, but hey, it's true).
Have stolen icon of Snoop from mimesere, because it is too good not to use. The original idea was of Snoop as a vampire from Buffy, with /a/ soul. Instead, he's a vapire with soul. And, besides, I love Snoop.
Am d/loading the audio book of Secret Window, Secret Garden. I legitimately bought the book of four novellas at least ten years ago and treasured it to the point where the front cover fell off. It was a love-hate relationship. I had the book until my stuff got lost when I moved out of the flat.
Admittedly, Secret Window, Secret Garden wasn't my favourite of the stories, but it was one of the first Stephen King books I read. And it made me think a bit about characters who were crazy, and how maybe imagination could create something.
I've never seen the movie, but I think Johnny Depp would probably make an alright Mort Rainey. I just decided that I didn't want to see it when I heard they changed the ending. The ending was the most important part of the story, really. I think Mort says as much in some part of it.
Mind you, if movies were completely faithful to the books, then they'd be somewhat boring for the people who had read them. Sure, you can argue about the details all you want, LotR people, but if it was exactly as you saw it, it wouldn't be as good. And it can't be configured exactly to your imagination. There are actors, weird complications, and so many other people on a movie that having one person do it all would be impossible. If you want faithful and to your imagination, go read the book again. Maybe draw fanart or write fanfiction.
*cough* Um, yeah. Didn't mean to rant. It just happens. (Note to self: Add something to that effect on user info.)
Dec. 24th, 2004 @ 09:59 pm
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| » Eye-dee-ten-tee, movies, and a compulsive crossover. |
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Random eye-dee-ten-tee (spell it in letters and numerals) moment of the day: I liked the home video movie of Hercules: TLJ, right? Very early in the timeline, before the series was even on properly (comes of being a set mover's granddaughter). I watched it and liked a certain female character, Deianeira. It turns out that she was the same actress who played Gabrielle on Xena. *facepalm* Yes, I am that clueless at times.
( I watched a movie on TV called Best Seller. )
Johnny Depp does not have the Export touch*, yeah? So stop saying that any movie he's in will be wonderful. I got a bit annoyed when he didn't have a bit of a beard, though, as that really was one of Wonka's distinctive features. Depp looks like Marilyn Manson as a lollipop girl. Seriously.
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*Export touch: Export gold (beer) ad, based on Midas touch. If powers used improperly, there could be whole new meaning to "golden showers".
Dec. 22nd, 2004 @ 04:05 am
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| » Pirates in Men's Pants* (Ficspam) |
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I mentioned this ficlet in an lj comment, and realised I did still have it on my computer. Was pleased by that, as I like the idea of Will meeting Lupin and befriending him. And some of the ideas here were actually good (like Will being observant). It's nice, and Sparrow and the Commodore aren't really mentioned. I figured I'd never finish this, and it was meant to be a series of drabbles, so... here we are. Put here for posterity, I guess. Unfortunately, though, it isn't finished. I started the dialogue, for most of it, but something happened (I actually think it was closer to being finished on Hades, before the connection bit sucked a Kumara - and it's almost repaired, yay!). So it's a lot of unattributed dialogue really. I /may/ come back to it eventually, if I feel in the mood again. I'm currently in Hack mode (where everything I write sounds like a bloody Peter and Jane book).
( I wish I'd finished this at the time, because I can't go back. )
( PotC rant )
Meh. Feel a bit better now. Possibly PMS-inspired and more bitter than I intended, but yeah. Just needed to say that.
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* Subject text quite possibly belongs to Rockstar Games, because it was one of the casinos on GTA: San Andreas.
Dec. 11th, 2004 @ 12:44 am
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| » In which Christmas and Randominity abound. |
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heh. Some channel was replaying Willy Wonka, so I sat down and watched a few moments of it. My gods, the man is even creepier than I remembered, but he still has that daydreamy look. And, for the first time, I realised that he was actually wanting those kids to get trapped. In a sort of only half there way, but still... it reminds me a bit of afrai's Zirah, and that is creepy. But he still has that bemused smile that I love. I don't care how else he looks, but I love that expression.
Johnny Depp will be able to make Willy Wonka creepy, I have no doubt, but I will still prefer the Wilder version. Even if I have to ignore the half that has the boring bits. Willy Wonka always managed to hold my attention in that movie. And the book is a seperate entity, as all movies based on Dahl's books screw with the canon (the movies insist that everything gets fixed, dammit).
Love Actually is my favourite movie about Christmas. You know why? It doesn't have the obligatory "oh, look at the wonderful snow" scene. You know, there is snow out there, but it's not referred to in any way except in the commentary. There needs to be a movie about Christmas here, and how it is batter than freezing one's donkey off in America just to get a dumping of frozen ice outside your window. It's summer, and there are presents, an extra long holiday from school and uni, and there are always the best music concerts and stuff. *shrug* I can get snow any other time of the year, even if I can't bloody ski (lack of balance. I blame the cut outs of Donald Duck and others on the learners course). And Love Actually mentioned New Zealand on the commentary, instead of just flat-out saying someone was from Australia. That made me like the film a bit more, really, because I like knowing that other countrues recognise that we exist. Even if they didn't know which country it was between the two. At least they recognised there was a choice.
( My Christmas Wish List, because I've seen it around. )
And I wanted to do a list of which aeons equalled which character from FFX, because it occured to me that I was writing Shiva as very like Lulu.
( Aeons )
Dec. 9th, 2004 @ 03:30 am
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| » fannish5 entry. |
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fannish5: Name the five scenes that make you melt in True Fannish Love. Every. Single. Time. You know the scenes, the ones that either pimped you in, or proved to you that you had well and truly fallen.
1. The scene in Labyrinth where Jareth has just finished singing "Within you" and he looks absolutely gutted. He knows he has lost, even before the final showdown. He'll never have Sarah. And I swear it seems better in my memories - even at a very young age, I knew that he loved her. It's just the few shots of his expression. The whole scene, but that expression in particular.
2. Final Fantasy X, where Auron starts to disappear. I was overtired, and I couldn't believe that I'd clocked the game, and I was still feeling a bit upset over the scenes between Jecht and Tidus. That's my excuse for getting a bit emotional. It was such a good ending, because it wasn't perfect. Auron, the mysterious character from the beginning, had finished what he was there for and was no longer a mystery.
3. In Pirates of the Caribbean, when Jack first appears on the scene. He was... everything and nothing like I expected. From then on, nothing could go wrong when he was onscreen. A happy sort of glee that never faded, even when I knew the exact moment the credits would roll. The lovely pirate entrance, then the Captain Jack theme tune, then the business with the ship. Brilliant entrance.
4. In Susan Kay's The Phantom, from the mirror torture chamber to where Erik dies, and even to where Christine becomes reclusive. Completely beautiful. And Nadir's return. I loved the whole book, but that was just the point where it became the traditional story and everything made so much more sense with the backstory she gave. I need that book again. Seriously.
5. In Good Omens, when Aziraphale and Crowley have just been shot at by paintballs, and Aziraphale is a bit miffed about having ruined his suit. The interaction and the humor made me laugh and convert utterly to the genius of Neil Gaiman (as I had loved Pratchett since many years before). Just the dynamic between the two characters, matched by the paintball war going on in the background. Oh, and when the guns are changed to real ones, only to have everyone have narrow escapes. They're not really Good and Evil, are they? For all the talk about sides and so on, they really are quite like humans. Anthropomorphic personification disorder, I suppose.
Dec. 5th, 2004 @ 03:48 am
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complacent