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We recently visited the Brooklyn Museum to see the show of John Singer Sargent watercolors. It’s close enough to Montreal that I couldn’t really pass it up. Not and still call myself a serious watercolorist. The exhibit ends July 28, so by the time I post this it’s basically over – however, it comes to the MFA in Boston (Oct 13/13 – Jan 20/14), so that’s another chance for Nor’easterners.
Like most artists, I’ve always admired Sargent’s mastery of calligraphic brushwork in oil. I wasn’t as aware of his watercolors before this show. Which I suppose was the point. The curators have brought together a never-before-seen exhibit.
So, for those that don’t have a chance to get there in person – here’s my report:
I just got home from watching World War Z (do I need to warn you about spoilers? Because there will be some in the next few paragraphs).
For those who have read the book, let me tell you that the film is nothing at all like it. The only similarity they have is that there is that there is a zombie apocalypse. It only focused on a select number of countries– the United States, South Korea, North Korea, Israel, India, and Wales. The protagonist isn’t even in the original story. Almost all of the places and characters that were introduced in each chapter of the book were ignored. To be honest, the name “Brad Pitt War Z” would have been a more fitting name for this movie.
For those who haven’t read the book yet, don’t worry. Just go ahead and enjoy the movie. It’s peppered with a good amount of suspense. My brother got kicked by the girl sitting next to him multiple times (kicking seemed to have been a reflexive reaction to each zombie attack on her part), and I admit to swearing and punching my leg out of surprise.
There is a scene set in Jerusalem where the quaranteed people seemed to be celebrating and chanting praises loudly within the walls around the city. Unsurprisingly, as the noise grows louder, the zombies begin to rise up and climb the walls like a horde of demons being summoned. Eventually they overrun the entire place and people start dying left and right.
That particular scene really made an impression on my mind. What is World War Z trying to say about Israel and religion?
Today I:
- Overslept and don’t regret it
- Bought new shoes
- Found new friends
- Found old friends
- Saw the great-grandson of the Aikido founder in person
- May have accidentally hurt someone’s feelings (I am really, really sorry)
- Walked in the rain
- Watched a procession
- Shared my pew with a little kitten at church
- Saw the biggest moon of the year
Good night!
Recent developments in my work and personal life have turned the past few days into a crazy carnival ride. Things went up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, just like the Konami Code.
Of course, there’s always something to be gained from all kinds of madness, so here are the things I learned throughout the entire course. Let’s start with the heavy stuff and move towards the lighter ones later on. Allow me to elaborate:
- Mortality is always just around the corner. You don’t know when it will be your turn to go, so make the most out of every day. Think about it. When you leave this earth, who and what are you leaving behind?
- Life will go on without you (this is depressing. Sorry).
- In relation to number 2: more often than not, you are just a little cog in a machine called The Corporation. When you disappear, the machine might stall, but they will find other cogs to replace you. It may not run the same without you, but it will still run. As Chuck Palahniuk would say, “you are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.” No one is indispensable.
- Good is innate in all of us, and most people don’t realize that. Not everyone has an ulterior motive. They just have a very strong sense of social responsibility. It may feel like Good Samaritans are a dying breed, but they still exist. Our own desire for self-preservation prevents us from recognizing these people.
- The Filipino society now is more accepting of homosexuality. Proof of this is the new TV show called My Husband’s Lover and the growing number of books under LGTB literature. Unfortunately, close-mindedness towards gender preference is still around and it’s a shame. Take for instance, Charice Pempengco’s outing. They say she shouldn’t have done it and it ruined her career, and it is obvious that they think being homosexual is something to be ashamed of. It’s surprising how openly negative these people are about homosexuality. She chose a difficult path and I admire her for it.
- Fear is a deterrent. It will paralyze you if you let it become bigger than yourself.
- Always make sure everything is in its proper place before you jump in. Keep details in mind because they are important. Forget the details, and you risk getting yourself into weird and inconvenient situations (such as finding yourself sitting inside a truck, stuck in traffic with an angry driver and your senior riding at the back).
- When you’re in the Philippines, never ever schedule a press conference or a meeting that coincides with the NBA Finals. Then we’ll all be happy.
Signing off now. Here’s to another day.
I realize that my blog’s theme is outdated. I’ve been away from WordPress for so long that I only recently found out that theme customization is now very limited and you can’t use your own headers unless you upgrade (this makes me very unhappy).
I’m using Tarski which I discovered is already retired. Meh, I still really like this theme for some reason. It’s very simple. I think I may have grown attached to it.
Unfortunately, I came home late last night and forgot all about it.
“If you want something bad enough, you can do anything in 30 days.”
I recently watched a video on TED about trying something new, or something that you want to add to your life, for 30 days. Here’s what I got out of it:
- Doing something for 30 days increases its success of becoming a habit. 30 days is just enough to add or remove a habit.
- Small, sustainable changes are more likely to stick.
- It makes your confidence grow.
So I’m going to post something on this blog for 30 consecutive days. And then go on to the next habit.
Watch the video below:
It’s really pathetic that I enjoy my job more than I enjoy dealing with my family.
Santuario del Sto. Cristo Parish
Walking around this church always makes me feel like I’m in different era.
A quick sketch that I made on my phone using Freenote. I am loving the app. It’s a nice change to use only one finger for drawing, but I wish I had a stylus that worked on a capacitive screen.
Notes From Shoegaze Sessions 