My Ipod
My ipod was arrived on Wendesday. I was so excited to pick it up from my friend's house in the same night. I went home and played with it and linked to i-tune. It was very convenient and wonderful. I was so happy and became one of ipod owners who support monoply businesses. :p
In my life, I try to use Netscape instead of IE but now Firefox that is based on Netscape. I go to local coffee shops instead of starbucks. I love the diner on the corner to get my burger and fries instead of McDonald. But, I still lost in the jungle of Monopoly. And then, I fell into where I purchased all my stuffs. Local expensive shops or Giant cheap shops. My less than 3 digits monthly salary doesn't allow me have so many choices. I only do one thing at a time. And, then I got panic for a while.
Like the movie, Kinky Boots, I saw last night. The movie also dealed with globalization issues. I felt I can really relate with the movie from a person who also works in a small studio that struggle with the same issues as the movie. There are somethings we all fight for to stay in this world. We tried to be a significant individual instead of a vague face covered by thousands of people.
Ipod is definitely one of the best inventions from past 10 years. It got us supersize HD, strikingly chic design. We as modern people feed up with everything supersize. We got supersize meal from McDonald. We got supersize giant TV, even a supersize email account. Everything has to bigger and bigger in a certain way. I used to have a mp3 player that can be loaded with 20 songs only. Songs have to be deleted all the time because there is no capacity for more. I was kind of annoyed with it. The new ipod has a 30 GB HD. I won't need to delete songs anymore. That is very really cool. Just like my Gmail account, I don't need to delete any email unless it's a really junk. It's so funny that we live in this modern world that everyone become so greedy to get bigger and bigger sizes in everything. We all forget how to organize and make life simple.
Apple actually sells the lifestyle very successfully instead of just machine solely. They approach technology very different as their rivals. Podcast was another thing that attracts me very much. Podcast almost cover everything from language learning to cooking shows. It was so fascinating although it might be just a new form of audio books and videos combination. Ipod actuallly tried to dominate our audio and video life. I don't know what else they can do. Maybe wireless downloading songs. haha. Then, Steve Jobs probably wants to have his own wireless network.
Technology evolves so quickly. It's like we don't follow it close. We are way behind. It's the sadness to be modern human beings.
Kinky Boots
I love Kinky boots. Drag shows are always my favorite thing to see in the bars. I always admire those drag queens. They can wear those sky-high heels to walk, dance and still make jokes. It's so much fun to watch their performances. They are usually bitchy but in a good way. And, some of them really know how to dress like a real beauty. It's really a joy to watch they performed.
Simone explained to me the difference between "Transgender" and "Transexual" at dinner last night. It's very hard to distinguish two terms. I used to think they are the same. From my understanding now, they are quite different. One is toward the mental part and the other one is more about physical change. We all have some dimensions of ours that happened to be minor. It could be gender, race, sexual orientation. Or, all of them. It's not very easy to understand the minor part I am not in. Like "trans-", I respect and appreciate who they are and what they do. In my mind, they are most brave people in the world. They are not afraid nor shamed of themselves. I didn't have a clue to understand them. It was always confused to me what gender a transexual or a transgender are attracted to. I mean I still have this my own mindset to think things square. But, if love has no boundary, why do I think too much?
The movie was based on a true story. It was about a handcraft show factory in northampton, england. The owner died unexpectedly. The son, Charlie, took it over and found out that the business is in a deep shit. Because of globalization and monopoly, small individual businesses are all dying. Don't you see grocey stores on the corner, local bookshops, coffee shops are all vanishing. Starbucks, McDonald, HopeDepot and Wallmart are everywhere. That's how giant businesses dominate our life in daily bases now. Globalization as you can see here makes many precious skills fading because those skills are either dispised by young generation or not able to be afforded to go on. The invention is the only way we can keep our treasure moving to the new direction and be kept. Also, globalization bring us so many inexpensive and great products. Let us enjoy what we can't before. There are dilemmas there for me.
Transgender issue is the second main topic in this movie. Charlie accidently found drag queens who are men would break their high heels easily when they walk a lot. I would think it's very true from those years I worked in industry. Men usually have stronger movement and heavier set than women. When they try to fit in something that is not made for them. The boots itself couldn't support the figure. They ended up broken easily. Charlie decided to reinvent his handcraft shoe factory to make boots for "drag queens". I think it's a briliant idea. That's the whole story of the movie is how he is going to make it successful.
The movie touches lots of transgender issues also which are really great. We saw how small conservative town people react with a transgener, Lola. When Charlie pursuaded Lola come to work for him as a boots designer. There are many conflicts happening. What Lola is going to wear when she goes to work. Make-up, no make-up. Wig, no wig. How can she win the respect from those hardcore men's showmakers. I really love British gay movies. Stories usually have more depth. I love the opening scene which is a girl/boy tried to fit in a nice pair of red shoes. And, then she/he wore this cute red shoes to dance on this dock in winter time. The scene looks so chilly and grey. I feel like the movie tried to tell us that life is tough if you are different. But, just like that little red shoes. It's the shinny spot to warm you up from toe to head. Life could be brighter if you have a right shoe on your feet. Later on, I found out, he is a boy who happens to look like a girl. I love photography in the movie. It actually reminded me the last scene in "Beautiful Thing". Ste danced with his boyfriend on this very wide plaza between buildings where Ste lives.
One time, my boss told me. If you were a owner of a business, you have to be reponsible for all your employee. They are like your relatives. They work hard for you. You have to fight hard to stay in the business. I saw the same feeling in the movie. Charlie fought so hard to stay in the business because of his pride and workers.
It's really a good movie.....:)
Brooklyn Bridge from the train window
Art Subjects
Art subjects are always we concern most. And, it is how I would like to express and choose. Everyone might have different angles to portrait this image. But, that's how I would like to shoot. I have been thinking about the subjects for a while. It was because Kitto who commented my image "Brooklyn Bridge" said she never saw Brooklyn Bridge like this before. I started wondering why I decide to take the picture this way instead of that way. I always like to make my life interesting. Also, I am not an autistic person so I would go for different routes sometimes to profound my ordinary walking experience and discover new beauties. When I am taking the pictures, my eyes always try to look the subjects in a new way and interprete it from my unique view.
That's why we have so many greatest artists in the world although I am not even an artist. :)
Working in the couture fashion, we always have to create more striking and exquisite styles than others. We were trained to have perfect eyes and elegant senses. We would try to make fashion toward the art direction, the real outstanding art. It's an excitment. And, that's why I love my work.
My drawing from old times
This is the drawing I did last year. We had an student exhibition for everyone in the studio. This was the first time I had mine on. I was really excited. I had another one in spring too. But, I didn't get a chance to take the picture. Otherwise, the progress can be compared. I will have a photo project coming.
I like this picture. Simply, It wasn't the head involved. I still have trouble to draw a better head now. I draw either portrait or body well but not together. It's a funny fact.
Anyone wants to be a model. Let me know!! It's really a joy to draw a human being.
Station
I capture this image yesterday. It made me think about the station in Japan. Very zen like. It actually is the station in Brooklyn where I live. Green trees and burgendy roof have those effects.
Stairs
The first image I took it today when I was on my way to meet Hk. I like the shaking image a lot because the shaking image always gives some kind of fluid and mysterious feeling. It's very hard to get a right shaking image I like
Long Island Rail Road last summer
These two pictures I took it last summer when I was on my way to fire island. It was the train station where I have to switch train. I upload this one in contrast with the last post that shows the station where I live now. I love summer. It's late now. I will post some more pictures from fire island trip. My friend, Jc, said she likes the pictures I post. I was really happy. hehe. Have a good night. I will work on all my comments in my tribeca films.
The subway station where I take subway
It was one morning in the winter. You can see snow on the train rails. I always like picture that has a long and deep view.
Guys and Balls
I went to see
"Guys and Balls" last night after work. There were only 5 people in the cinema. It was pretty empty. That's what happened with independence movies. Not very easy to find audiences. I generally like independent and artsy movies better. They are not just about entertaining. They always lead you to think and have more depth in the movie. Although I am not against Hollywood big budget movie, I just like to support local small business. :)
The movie is about recruiting gay guys to form a soccer team. It's very much like "Iron Lady" German soccer version with more cute guys in the movie. It was pretty well made. Story was pretty strong. The main character, Ecki, was accidently trying to kiss his teammate and then he was force to come out. And, he wants to challenge his old team because they won't let him back when they found out he is gay. He tried to organize a soccer team in 4 weeks. He wants to beat up his old team. And, he succeeded.
The movie is trying to break the stereotype although they still have some kind of girly gay boys in the team. But It's very diversified. In the centuries, gay has always been described as hairdresser, flamboyant boys, not good at sports. I don't think it's very true. Gay is a sexual preferance. It is not how you can exercise. So what does it mater you can be an good athelete or not. I know lots of gay guys are just athletic as straight or bisexual.
We are caught up by how we would be viewed in the society. And, we constantly have look at ourselves that way. It's very sad. Why can't we all open our mind and listen?
More and more gay sport teams were organized in new york. We see a new generation of gay people who have positive images. Movie is showing that too. :)
Boy Culture
Boy Culture was the movie I saw last Thursday night. It's been for a while. I got in really early so I ran into the producer of the movie. I talked to him a little bit. He said it's not very easy to find a good gay movie script. So, he thinks this movie was a good shot.
The movie is adopted from the novel by Matthew Rettenmund. It's a story about 3 guys who live in a fancy loft in Seattle. You can see from the poster. Hummm, guys are hot in the movie.
I think the movie is kind of dry for me for the first 40 minutes. It's kind of too much monologue. After that, the movie is getting more and more interesting. Love and sex are always two important topics in gay movies. We are horny humand being. As we all know, we often confuse sex and love together.
It got more substances as the movie went by. It's very interesting that escort concepts becomes like shrink sessions. We all know how we fall in love with the person as we discover ourselves.
It's worth to watch.!!!
Anther Gay Movie
"Anther Gay Movie" is an "American Pie" gay version. That's a easy conclusion. It's nonstop laughing. It was great for a midnight. I really had a great time to see the movie with Se. The movie is coming to the theater in July. I hope everyone can go to see it. It really push everything to the extreme. I think it's way more than you can see in American Pie. You know gay people. They are always horny and they always want to be stimulated more. This movie didn't leave any imagination at all to any of us. It's like on a rollercoaster. Very strong.
There are 4 characters, boy loves boy, boy loves older, boy wants sex. hummm, it is so much like "American Pie". It all started with 4 boys who wish they would get laid before go to college.
Really sleepy now......i will write more later.
A Perfect Day
This is the most poetic movie I saw in my Tribeca selection. The movie started with a self-narrated middle age woman caress with her sleeping son (Malek). I found the image very touchy and deep. Originally, I thought they were lovers. hehe. The movie tried to portrait a young man's life in postwar Belruit. Lebanon is the country that is located in west asia right on Mediterranean Sea. I always have some interests to this part of the earth. They are kind of mysterious. I am probably very into anything mysterious. Back to the movie, I understood there was a war in Lebanon 15 years ago. (hummm, that's how great the movies are. we always learn lots of history from the movie.) Malek's father was missing at that time. His mom didn't want to declare her husband was dead even he had disappeared 15 years.
I don't really remember too much about storyline. I will just describe about something that is always in my mind about this movie. First thing is smoking. Smoking is repeated images in the movie. I guess the director must love smoking. There was one old folk said "They can't stop us smoking." The government must just pass the law to stop people smoking before the movie was made. I don't smoke and I am allergied to cigarette pollen. When New York City passed the law to ban smoking in bars and clubs, I was really happy I don't need to smell them and go home with my smelly clothes. Even though I don't go to bars and clubs much.
Malek has a very controlling mom. She wouldn't give up the idea her husband was dead after his absence for 15 years. And, she still kept all his clothes in the closet as he would come back in any moment. She finally went with her son to declare her husband was dead. That was a big step. In the mean time, if she couldn't reach her son, she would call like a crazy. What happens is Malek falls in love with this lovely girl. But, he couldn't be with her. She doesn't think it would go anywhere though she likes him too, because he is a momma boy. It happened a lot in straight relationship. It's a two-women's battle ground, before marriage and after marriage.
Sleeping issue was repeated in the movie too. He has some kind of sleeping issue that he would lose conscious when he was driving in the middle of the street. It's kind of an indication to me. We all have moments we just get lost and no memory at all. The country is also trying to forget the war and the pain from the past.
There are a section Malek was ditched by his ex or not so ex girlfriend, Zeina. He decided to wear her contact lens to drive. Everything becomes so blurry. It was an interesting contrast when we often portrait the near-sight people took out there glasses or contact lens. It has very similar results from very different cause. I love those blurry images. It's kind of rosy and giving the hope for new Lebanon.
Modern people use cell phones a lot. Cell phone were a very important media in the movie. It should call a cell phone movie. Ring tones and text messagings. It's a new way people communicate with each other now. Everyone would have their own ring tone in your cell phone. Everyone becomes so close but also so sparsed. Love and hate with cell phone. Ha.
Men in this movie were portraited as babies. I guess it's probably very true in general. Lot of time men are like growing kids. They need to be taken care of.
I love the way the director controls the lens. The images and color were very natural. I have a chance to see the modern city in Lebanon. They are all high rise buildings. I couldn't really tell what's difference between Belruit and Bogota. Modernism makes everywhere in the world indifference. We should be sad or happy.
Final scene, Malek woke up on a couch near the coast. It's like a new start. He stood up and jumped a little bit and ran. It's a new hope for himself and the country. I think.................
Fat Girls
Everyone has fat girls inside themselves. We are all fat girls. I love the title "fat girl". It's very preciously giving out the measure that gay people is just volunerable as women. We all have this issue we are hard to deal with it.
It's very true gay men and women are two big group to suffer eating disorder. We look at ourselves. There are always something we were not happy with ourselves. It's kind of pathetic but it couldn't be avoided. How can we be happy people? lol.....It's a long progess.
The Big Bad Swim
Tribeca Film Festival is finally over. I saw 6 movies in a row from Thursday to Sunday. There were 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. I had to get up really early to catch 10am movie on Saturday and Sunday. When I got home, it was like 2am in the morning. So, it's really like a marathon competition to test my body and mind . I will start my comments of those movies backwards because I don't have my note with my Thursday night movie, Boy Culture, right now. The last movie I saw was The Big Bad Swim. It's a movie talked about a group of people tried to cope with their fear of water and be able to swim. The movie makes me quite happy and joy but I wouldn't say it's a comedy. It's quite different when the movie makes you smile instead of laughing. I like comedy specially romantic comedy. It might make me like a fool but I do like my life has a hope.
So the big bad swim. A handsome coach, Noah, taught his last adult swimming class in a recreation center. He will go on disability after the class. I saw him on Q&A. He is very handsome in person and has quite a deep voice. Yummy. My friend made the same comment too. This group of people come from the level and different situation. Main story line was about 3 characters, a coach, a girl who works in casino and also a stripper in a club, a high school calculus teacher whose husband who teaches in the same school has an affair with someone in the same school. Their happiness and their struggle with the imperfect life.
It's a small topic and often happened in our life. We all have some sort of fear with subjects. It could be height, water, animal, small rooms. The movie tried to tell us that we are all imperfect. It's fine to have a fear. We just need to make small steps each time.
The movie started with Noah who looks so perfect was in a therapy session. (My favorite part of life hehe)He talked about wanting to have a dog and going on disability. I couldn't figure why he needs to go on disability. Gradually, we found that he was trained for the Olympics game as a diver. He slipped and injured himself and wounded a kid next to him. The accident made him very depressed. That's why he is in the therapy. And, then the teacher who was trying to extend her life circle because her husband was never home any more. The first friend she made was the girl who works in a stripper club and also in a casino. It made me think about Atom Egoyan's Exotica. They have very similar stripper scene but Egoyan's movie is more mysterious. The stripper scenes in this movie are very light and happy. I guessed she, the teacher, was lonely with a broken marriage. And then she started to go to the casino where the girl works. She met a guy and had a fling. Everything changed. The third line was about the stripper girl who is very independent and happy to be a stripper. But, I found even so. She still has an issue about stripper inside her. When the teacher told her that one of her cousin is opening a high end restaurant
and they need a hostess. It pays well. Suddenly, the stripper was so mad and said if you have a problem with my job. Then we shouldn't be friends. And she left. I think words are very funny. People talk in one way but we decided to reinterpret subconsciously in the way we guess or think what it would be. It might be twisted. Or it might be not. The judgment always comes from our inside. Learning swimming is the process to rebuild your self-esteem. We all can be some kind of losers in some way. We have a happy ending.
I never have trouble to learn how to swim. hehe. I knew how to swim since I was 6 years old. I found this movie was very warm. It's the humanity we tried to cope with. Life often get us obstacles. How we can take and deal it. It's an art.
The story is kind of not very thin. But I really like it. It made my Tribeca end happily.
I re-edit my HTML. It's so interesting. I have a little experiment with color and style.
Last year in miami and key west
I was looking for my draping pictures from my digital camera. I found those pictures from my archive. Alright, the truth is those pictures are from last year. I really missed miami and key west. I went there in past two years. This year, my work was kind of messed up and I couldn't find time to match my friend, G's schedule. So, I didn't go at all. Owwww, sunny miami. Hope I get a chance to go in fall.
Can you see me in the first one? I stood in front of a bar in key west. I didn't know what I wondered. lol The second one was taken by my own shadow. That's like every photographer would do. So narcissus!! hehe. The third one is somewhere on the road from miami to key west. I really like the image. It could be anywhere down a tropical place.
I have a thing with photo images since I was in college. I like taking images instead of standing in front of camera. It gave me some kind of security to express myself. I felt like I stop the moment and I can read and watch it over and over again. In the mean time, I also felt like a thief that tried to steal image from people or world expression. I like that.
Photograph really reveals our life unconditionally. Painting or drawing can be arranged by the person who paints arbitrary. I really like taking picutre. But, I also like sketching too. I feel like I take more control when I sketch.
Home Front and Saint of 9/11
I missed like 30 minutes of the show in "Saint 9/11" I was pissed because MTA had this stupid fixing schedule for so called "building another 100 years new york subway". When I got in, the movie already started. It was an interesting movie. I am not religious at all but I do believe religion should be with everyone instead of making enemies to people who are different from them. This is a movie was delicated to New York Fire Department Chaplain, Mychal Judge. The reason why I picked up the movie is I really want to know how they portrait him as a gay priest. I was lucky I didn't miss that part. They said he didn't hide his sexuality but he is not out either. He is an very passionate person and had lots of love. But, I felt like the movie is kind of flat to me.
I like "Home Front" a lot. It is much better than Saint of 9/11. It was more structured. The movie is not about Pro-War or Anti-War. It just simply talked about what happened with those injured veterans and how thier families were affected. Basically, I am an anti-war person. I don't believe violence would get us to go anywhere. The movie didn't talk about that much those soldiers' belief of the war. Do they change after they got injured? Not sure. I could kind of sense that the main charactor and his family have a strong belief in military. But the documentary is trying to limit the subject within injured soldier's life. It's more about humanity not political statement which avoid the conflict. I think it's very positive.
I have 6 more movies come up. Hummmmm, I feel very excited.
1. Boy culture
2. Another gay movie
3. Fat girl
4. A perfect day
5. Mentor
6. The big bad swim
Stay tune....
Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival started last week. I got tickets for 8 different movies. I saw 2 movies in the weekend. One was Saint 9/11 and the other one was Home Front. Both are documentary. They are quite touching and very good movies. I will post how I feel with the movies later.
I live in far end of Brooklyn. Lately, MTA declares they will repair Q train during the weekend. This weekend was totally diaster. I had "Saint 9/11" at 11am. It took me 1 hour and half to get in the city. Originally, it only takes me around like 40 minutes. I ended up missing like 30 minutes movie. I was really upset. I felt like when transportation doesn't run on time, we all have to suffered without any weapon we can fight it back. And, then today. I had movie at 7pm so I left my house at 3:45pm. I got Union Square around 5pm. 2 hours traveling time. Huh. I can fly to Chicago easily. What happened with this subway? They just fixed some part of tunnel last octor. And, then it has to be fixed again now. This is the only time I hate to live so far away. Everything is screwed.
I really like this festival. There are 200 movies showing in the city. I wish I have money and time to see like 50 movies. My budget is kind of tight. The festival is focus on documentary and mid-eastern movies( hummmm, I have thought about this term for a while. It's very european center oriented. Mid-east, Far-east. I feel like I should say "west asia" instead. No one ever said England or France are Far-West..lol) The two movies I saw were documentary. I am always a fan of documentary movies. It's real in some way but they are still scripted in a way. If movie reflects our life, documentary movie would be the image of our life. Through it, we felt thing was really happened. And did tell.
There are not so many chances to see the movies from more remote world. Through west asia movies, we would try to understand more about what they think, what they do. It produce more dialogues. I didn't get any of them this time. When I figure out my time. It was kind of late to get any of those movies. It's sad. Hope next year I will get some thing different. :)
I will post a picture of a dress I draped soon. :)
