SUPERMAN RETURNS!!!

Just a quick reminder:

Watch for it in June, 2006

Also, Check out the really kick ass teaser trailer at this website:

Superman Returns Trailer



(Make sure to watch either the Full screen Quicktime one or the 500k windows media player.)

Heartbreaking? Staggering? Genius? Maybe.

Well, I just finished Dave Eggers "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius."

The verdict?

Well, context first. I got the book quite some time ago due to all the hype surrounding its release. But at the time, I was heavily into the overly literay works of A.S. Byatt and Milan Kundear, and so I couldn't really get into Eggers' hipster-cool prose.

Cut to a few weeks ago, and, after reading Charlotte Simmons, I find myself perfectly able to read this type of thing. And so, on we go.

There is no doubt that Eggers is a terrific writer. Reading the book, I was blown away at how funny, painful, and, yes, heartbreaking it was. Nominally a memoir, AHWOSG read almost like a novel... and a very well written one at that.

But the end was a huge let down.

For me, endings are very very important. They are waht we remember the most... what leaves a lasting impression.

Eggers screwed it up.

Hmmm... I can say more but right now Im reaaaaaallllly tired. So... Later!

Innocence - Burned Again!

Well, it happened. So I read this little book, seduced by its oh so hip cover and oh so Kate Moss-y slenderness. And I was drawn in, sucked in if you will, by its flowery words and post-modernist non-use of quotation marks. Hip, cool, seductive... yup, Innocence sucked me in.

Literally.

Let me explain.

The way the book was marketed was as "a coming of age story meets thriller". Fine, I said. The story is about a young girl named Beckett who moves into a new school and has to deal with all those normal outsider problems that many of us go through. Sex, drugs, jack-asses,inclusion... all well and good, right? Then the thriller part came in when Beckett comes across three murdered young girls. Still good, right? I mean, it's an interesting idea to explore growing up within the context of dealing with a serial killer. The killer, I thought, could symbolize the general overall fear that the teenage years bring. Could the killer be a manifestation of the crab-mentality of teens? Could the killer be a symbol of overcoming our trials?

No. Apparently, the killer is a vampire who comes out and drinks the menstrual blood of virgin girls. I'm not kidding.

Argh! Give me horror stories, fine. Give me comign of age stories, fine! BUT DON'T DISGUISE THEM AS EACH OTHER! ARGH!

You know, I totally hate the fact that the Nazis burned books.

But maybe some of them deserve it.

Innocence

I find myself now in a situation that I haven't been for a long time:

In the middle of reading 2 books.

I know it's no big deal for most people, but for me it feels awfully strange. The first book I'm reading now is of course TV DRAMA. The other is a little 200 pager called INNOCENCE by Jane Mendelsohn.

I first bought the book for about 25 Pesos in a powerbooks sale bin. I thought: "Hm, not bad cover. Good description at the back. 25 pesos... I'll take it!" At the time, I was heavily into Terry Goodkind and other fantasy books where plot overtook style. When I opened Innocence, I found a story with ill-defined characters, large-ish typr font, and all the paragraphs were double spaced. I was not impressed.

It languished on my shelf for another, oh, 3 years or so before I decided to give it another go, and only then because I needed a super thin book. Now, fresh of my Charlotte Simmons phase, I think I finally have the right mindset to finish the book.

I can't put it down.

The language, which I never noticed before, flows with an uncomfortable grace that perfectly mirrors its teenage protagonist. The ill defined characters were ill-defined for a specific purpose: to define them too much, aside from the lead, would be to remove the eerie haze of confusion that the narrator dwells in. And the story... well, I'm only half way but it's chilling.

Let's see how it goes.

Jungian Losers

LIFE:

By society’s standards, Kathy and I could probably be considered losers. Why? Simply because we don’t spend all our time trying to foster relationships with people we wouldn’t want to touch with a dead salamander. Thus, we spend most of our time with small circles of real friends, and maybe just fostering acquaintances. This leads to plenty of time together just reading and watching movies and talking, and not feeling the need to relentlessly attend every party that we can find.

We are introverts. Carl Jung said that people tend toward either extraversion or introversion. Social extraverts focus on the outside world and social introverts focus on an inner reality. Introverts look within rather than without for the center of their lives. Now tell me… which looks more appealing to you? Who do you think is truly happier?

I am not lambasting extraverts for, if that is what they want, fine. What I am saying is that is not the life for me, and trying to be too much of either would be dangerous. Unfortunately, too many people seem to think that being an extremely extraverted person is the way to go, while being a slightly introverted person is the way to rot.

I beg to differ.

Extraverts look to without for their happiness, and that is their problem. They fill their world with the attentions and problems of others that they make no room for themselves. This can often lead to identities shaped by outside forces rather than inward contemplation. And, no matter what the church tells you, outside forces such as clergy, teachers, or even parents can’t tell you who to be or how to be happy. They can feed you the information, but once you blindly subscribe to their ideals, you are lost. Ultimately, YOU have to make the choice of what will make you happy. YOU have to make the choice of how to live. It is YOUR life.

Introverts understand this. Our happiness comes not from thoughts like “Oh, will this new pair of shoes make me socially desirable now?” or “Oh, I will like this new band because everyone says I should.” Introverts say: “I like these shoes. They’re comfortable and who cares if others don’t,” and “I hate Hanson. They bite.” Being introverted is not being different for the sake of being different, which is a point many people miss. Being happy is being happy… realizing the truth of your dreams and happiness and making the choices that will lead you there.

But in order to realize your dreams, your true dreams, you have to seek inwards to find them. Don’t rely on what your teacher or your priest or your best friend says. Rely on your “self”… your rational, honest, thinking “self”. Only then can you truly be happy.

But being introverted doesn’t mean shutting yourself off from the world. If the people you meet and befriend can help lead you to your dreams and goals, then go for it. But don’t be friends with someone just because they’re cool. Don’t be friends with someone just because someone says you should. And, most importantly, don’t do anything just because people say you should. Parties, drugs, drinking, smokes, crime… these all pass in time. But your “self”, your true “Self” that comes from introverted thinking… that is the basis of what we call “Forever.”

In this culture, introversion equals “loser.” Fine, if that makes us losers in other people’s eyes, then so be it. But what do you suppose we think of them?

Well, I haven't blogged in a while but that's because I've been busy doing my courseworks. Sigh. But I'm all done for now, so back to business as usual.

BOOKS:

If you look at the little picture on the right, it will say that I'm currently reading Time Traveller's Wife. Well, that's not quite true... I ought to be, but for some reason I find myself re-reading a lot of my writing books such as STORY and TV DRAMA. So Time Traveller, bestseller and near-award winner, just sits there staring at me, accusingly... as if to say "Go on. You've been waiting to read me for so long. Go on. Ignore me. One day... Deva's gonna eat me."

But the thing is, I have this idea for a script. My coursework for television production was to make a script for a 20 min show. Well, the ideas I came up with were just too good for a 20 min thing... so let's see where I can take that.

SPORTS:

So the Yankees lost against the Angels in the first round of the playoffs, right? They seriously need to address some holes in both their lineup and bullpen, and they better do it fast. Needs:

1. Re-Sign Hideki Matsui. If the Yanks don't sign him before the 15th, he becomes a free-agent. Hideki was one of their best players for 3 years. They need him.
2. A Center Fielder. Bernie Williams is gone. And, sorry Bernie, good riddance. Now the Yanks can focus on either signing Johnny Damon (Yuck) or trading Robinson Cano for someone like Andruw Jones. Yeah, right. But if they trade Cano, that let's them bring up Eric Duncan.
3. A Set-up man. Tom Gordon is gone. B.J. Ryan should fit in nicely.
4. Jaret Wright sucks. Sign A.J. Burnett.
5. Sign a D.H. Put Giambi back in first and sign Brian Giles or something.

Oh, and Man U beat Chelsea. YES!

TAGGED

Write 20 Random Facts About Yourself, Then Tag The Same Number Of People As Minutes It Takes You To Write The Facts. If You're Tagged, It's Your Turn.

1. My new favorite snack is "Clodhoppers"
2. When I was a kid I wanted to be MacGuyver
3. I drive really well... but I really hate driving. At least in this country.
4. I love to read. I try to read a new book every few days.
5. I think the Wendy's Bacon Mushroom Melt is the greatest fastfood sandwich ever made.
6. A skeleton in my closet: I love watching Gilmore Girls. (Thanks Kathy!)
7. Speaking of which: I keep at least one picture or letter of Kathy's in each of my bags, wallets, cars, nightstands...
8. Half of the pictures on my treo are of Deva, our rabbit.
10. I think Comic books are an underappreciated literary form
11. I am a die-hard Manchester United and New York Yankees fan. BoSox sux!
12. I've always wanted to try teaching literature or creative writing
13. Kathy is the love of my life
14. I never cheated on an exam until College. Oh wait... er... I never cheated... yeah. that's right. Nope!
15. I think organized religion is an insidious form of teaching people not to think.
16. My favorite book is probably A Trip to the Stars
17. I used to have a crush on Virginie Ledoyen and Emanuelle Beart. Later, Monica Bellucci and Nicole Kidman.
18. I used to have a medicine called VIDAYLIN which was an appetite enhancer. I used to sneak extra shots of it.
19. I used to hate chinese food. Now I love it.
20. Now, my favorite ethnic food is Japanese.

I'll tag people later.

Finished!

Well, I finally finished "I Am Charlotte Simmons".

Verdict?

I give it a solid 4/5. It's that good. I would love to give it a more in-depth analysis, but I don't wanna spoil it for Kathy. :) After she's done with it though...

Anywayz... Later!

Judging books by their covers

Everyone says it, in fact I usually hear it at least once a week:

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Good, sound advice, right? I mean, this very principle is what racial equality is all based on. It doesn't matter what you look like... what matter sis what's inside. Black, white, asian... we're all the same, right? Regardless of our "covers"? Similarly, this statementr also refers to our comeliness. If you're absolutely kathy-gorgeous, it doesn't mean you're a dumb ditz. Just as if you're the fugliest horseface in the world, it doesn't mean you're smart either.

Yes, this cliche is a venerable one, loaded with truths so fundamental that to ignore it is to show your ignorance.

The thing is...

When it comes to books...

I...

Wait for it...

I...

Completely ignore it.

Yes, I, Mr. Appearances Don't Count for Shit, buy books based on their covers.

Sometimes.

"Heathen!" one would say. "Philistine!" Others would agree. But to hell with that. Some of the best books I ever read were based on their cover illustrations. Granted, I made some terrible mistakes as well, but that's life. I take those awful books, read them, then trash them. But the treasures I find… I treasure them forever. Take a look at these:

1. A Trip to the Stars – This book, by Nicholas Christopher, is currently one of my favorite books of all time… maybe even my ABSOLUTE favorite. I won’t go into the details of the story here, but trust me when I say it is near flawless. I bought it at a second hand bookstore in NYC for $5 on a whim based on, not the summary in the back, but on the cover. Of course I read the summary a bit, but I’ve learned long ago that those can be even more deceiving than covers. So I looked at the cover itself and figured.... Must be good. Pretty, ain’t it?



2. Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Chabon - Yes, it was a Pulitzer prize winner. Yes it’s about comics. Yes, I know Chabon’s a good writer. But when it came out, it was so overhyped that I decided… shit, forget it… (I have hype-o-phobia by the way). And so I blithely went about my business, hearing great things about the book and studiously ignoring it. It didn’t help that the cover art of the version in powerbooks was godawful. But then I went to Australia one Christmas and this caught my eye:



And I fell for it.

Simple, striking, dynamic… this picture completely washed away my hyp-o-phobia, and I snapped the book up like it was the last blueberry pancake in the world.

And now…

Now I re-read the book once a month.

3. Forever by Pete Hamill – I picked this up on the same trip that netted me Trip to the Stars. I had heard nothing about this book… no hype, no drama, no publicized tours… so of course I got interested. But what drew me to it? First of all, it was about NY, the greatest city in the world. Second of all… yup, you guessed it:

The cover:



So there you have it. If I wanted to list all the books I ever bought due to their covers and then subsequently grew to love, Blogger would probably explode.

I am not a racist; I believe Asians are just as great as whites and blacks, and whatever. I believe that beauty is skin deep, and, as Batman cringingly says, “It’s what I do that defines me”.

But with books…

Judge away, baby.