Three Weeks!

Well, well. I find myself yet again staring down the sun on a lovely Sunday evening. Which is probably one of the most depressing things to do, really. I mean, Fridays and Saturdays are all good in my book. No classes, no lectures, just the feeling of two days without constraints. Then we come upon Sunday, which means it's the end of the week and the beginning of the next. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, I guess. It's just that time really flies when you're doing something interesting. In a blink of an eye I've just ripped through an entire weekend. Again. C'est la vie.

I was going to post something up on Thursday night, but the fates (or procrastination) decreed otherwise. So it's here now. That night I watched a Takeshi Kitano film. For those who aren't aware, "Beat" Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese comedian/director. You know, the one who had an accident. Yeah. The new Zatoichi guy. Yup. That's the one. The movie's name is Kikujiro, and it was wonderful.

Simply enough, it's the story of a boy, who lives with his grandmother. No parents. One lonely summer's day (and I mean lonely; the first few scenes can be a bit depressing), the kid finds a picture of his mother, with an address written on the back. He goes off, but is accosted by local bullies. The bullies are driven off by her grandmother's former neighbor, and her somewhat deadbeat husband (Kitano). They hear the boy's story, and the ex-neighbor wants to help. So she sends him off with her husband as an escort, telling the boy's grandmother that the man is taking. The husband, seeming to be something of a former crook/gangster, grudgingly agrees, and so the two set off. Quirky characters, interpretive dance scenes, kindred-soul bonding, and a heartwarming twist (after a bitter climax that pretty much anyone can see looming miles away) ensue.

I have to say, they really picked the right kid for this film. Just looking at him makes you feel sorry that he grew up with no parents. His dialogue is also somewhat limited, and most of the time it's only 'mm's and 'uhm's, when people man are talking to him. Kitano, playing the ex-gangster/crook/etc. is pretty good, quirks and all. I find some of his humor to be a bit on the crass side (or overly slapstick), but it mixed well with his character, so that's all good. Kudos to the kind-hearted biker boys (Fatty and Baldy, who come later in the movie) and Mr. Good-Natured Guy (the novelist/songwriter), all of whom really lift the movie up near the end.

Oh, and did I say that Joe Hisaishi does the music? Perfecto. The proverbial icing on the cake, and more. The composer who gave us the music for Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke. Hell yeah. Most, if not all, of the music in the film really took things up a notch. The movie's opening (and main) theme, titled "Summer", is simply beautiful and stuck in my head for days. Bittersweet, hopeful, sad, poignant...it's just one of those songs which prop up stories. Muchas gracias, Hisaishi-sama.

On the home front...

My room has the amazing ability to acquire smells. And I don't mean the kind that can be sprayed out of a can or one of those new-fangled timed-spray thingamajigs. A few days ago I walked in from a date with the library to be greeted by the smell of something quite dead and rotting. After checking the room and the windowsill for anything in the process of returning to Mother Earth (and this took plenty of time, too), I looked out my window and saw the smoking gun. Apparently, having my window (and sole point of ventilation) directly facing the dining hall's trash container meant that downwind airflows carried eau de garbage into my humble abode. Ah. Other than that, some stranger smells emanated from within, including a somewhat refreshing scent of citrus mixed with fried onions. Don't ask me where these things come from. I just smell them. That's me. Chronic sniffer. Hahah. Please, slap me before my jokes get any worse.

Next week's itinerary...

Monday - Hand in Geography essay (oh noes)
Tuesday - ESLA summary test (double oh noes)
Wednesday - Geography presentation (triple oh noes)
Friday - *hopefully* leave for AKL to attend a wedding (oh noes to infinity and beyond)

Heheh. Toy Story reference. I'm just brimming with wit.

Ech.

Anything else to report...

Um...

Had a nice chat with Salty *nama disamarkan* earlier on. Just your basic chit-chat, but a conversation nonetheless. Hoho.

And with that, I'll call it a night (but not before I finish my Geo essay...oh noes!)



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