I was re-watching Remember The Titans last night and apart from the fact that it's the best sports movie ever, Ronnie Bass aka "Sunshine" has got to be the person I aspire to be the most.
For starters, Sunshine defies all existing cliques and stereotypes. He's a jock- and an amazing one at that. He's clearly excellent at some martial art- I, however, can't really figure out which martial art it is. He's easy-going and funny and he plays the best mind games ever. For example, the scene in which PD tries to- not so subtly- find out Sunshine's sexual orientation (after he kisses Gary, which is extremely brave. I would not attempt kissing Gary), watch Sunshine cut PD down with grace and wit. This is who I aspire to be. Playing mind games with charm is definitely an A+ in my book. He's also the smoothest dude- watch how he easily embraces the (some what derogatory) nickname "Sunshine" with humour and easygoing-ness. These are important life lessons guys! Stay true to yourself, be smart and fun, you don't always need to explain yourself, be nice and somewhat naive (that scene in which he clearly hasn't understood how deep the racial tensions are), and do what you love. And be a smooth dude while you're at it.
Sunshine, you're my hero.
Friday 10 May 2013
... I find myself reproducing entire phrases or sentences as if new, and this may be compounded, sometimes, by a genuine forgetfulness. Looking back through my old notebooks, I find that many of the thoughts sketched in them are forgotten for years, and then revived and reworked as new. I suspect that such forgettings occur for everyone, and they may be especially common in those who write or paint or compose, for creativity may require such forgettings, in order that one’s memories and ideas can be born again and seen in new contexts and perspectives.
I don't need anyone else," from "Never Saw the Point", may read as a tossed-off line, but in a strangely positive way, it feels like the record's main message. Even the eternally sunny "Go Outside" ends on the lyric, "I think I want to live my life and you're just in my way." These are teenage sentiments, the kind of things you feel dumb for saying and thinking once you've navigated into your mid-twenties, but they're also universal sentiments during that stage of life when you're trying to figure out what kind of person you're going to be.
If there wasn't a word for it, would we realize our masochism as much?
- The Lover's Dictionary, David Leviathan
When a massive power outage struck southern California in the 1990s, Los Angeles residents reportedly called 911 to express alarm about strange clouds hovering overhead; they were seeing the Milky Way for the first time. (x)
While filming a scene for Season Three of Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke found herself being heckled. The Khaleesi might have been in the process of checking out the Unsullied, a ferocious slave army willing to lose their nipples with nary a peep, but the “very overexcited Moroccan men” playing the soldiers were busy checking out the lovely 26-year-old Brit and her equally lovely co-star Nathalie Emmanuel. And whistling. And catcalling. It was a moment that called for a graceful intervention. “So basically when the cameras weren’t rolling, I made sure that I individually eyeballed every single one of them until they realized that we were a force to be reckoned with,” Clarke says. “Just because we were girls didn’t mean that we couldn’t be badass.” Without her having to say a word, her tactic brought the men to a heel: “They underestimated the intensity and ferocity of a woman’s stare.” Adds executive producer D.B. Weiss in his telling of the story, “Then she came back to the tent and talked for a good 10 minutes about how funny it would be in a later scene if Dany farted in the bathtub. Location
-Rolling Stone
Ever since I was little, I've always looked up to girls (and guys, for that matter) who seem to have their shit together. I've always tried to ape that aspect of the character's (or person's) personality. For example, Kristy from the Babysitters Club Series. She was the toughest chick in the series and she never ever cried.
For the longest time, I associated crying with weakness. I was extremely careful never to cry in public or in front of my friends. I wanted to be thought of as cool and composed and I wanted to be there for the friends who I thought needed me because they cried in front of me.
It's taken me a really long time to realize that I'm a crier. I cry for everything. I cry during movies and songs, I cry when sad and tragic things happen to people, I cry when I see other people get humiliated or embarrassed or rejected, I cried when I saw a lion in a cage during my first visit to the zoo, I cry when people make fun of my cooking, and most of all, I cry every time my parents sit down to have a talk with me. I guess you could call it a lecture or just general reminders that I'm not functioning to my potential or that my general apathy is going to get me nowhere in life or even simple issues like drinking (which, at least in my case, is not simple at all). This is really embarrassing because 97% of the time I end up in tears at the end of these "discussions" and furthermore, it's incredibly frustrating because I want my parents to take me seriously and treat me like an adult, but how the fuck are they supposed to manage that if I end up bawling like a baby all the time?!
I've had time to reconcile the fact that crying isn't actually a sign of immaturity or the fact that you're can't handle life or that you're a pussy. I know several adults who cry for everything, including my grandmother and a distant aunt and I don't think that makes them any less strong or capable. I admire people who are stoic and I think it's a useful trait, but that's just me.
I remember really worrying about the fact that every little thing made me cry but then I'm trying to realize it's just easier (and better) to embrace who you are and work with it instead of trying to be somebody who you really aren't (cool and composed). But then, again, I don't know anybody who is purely stoic or purely a crier or emotional. So basically this whole post is a waste of time, because to my family I'm probably an emotional train-wreck but to my friends I've probably got my shit together so instead of worrying about all these stupid things, I should probably concentrate on doing something productive like writing a novel or learning to play an instrument but look! This is me brushing off feelings and all I want to be is somebody who is in touch with her feelings so where does this leave me?
I've decided I'm going to make a zine on crying because what else am I going to do with my time? Also, crying while walking in the rain and listening to The Moon by Cat Power is probably the best way to get your shit together.
I usually dig MAC's funky pamphlets (or whatever it is they're called. Pamphlets has a very old lady feel to it) because they're really fun and colourful and exciting to look at. I especially love the fact that characters like Wonder Woman or the Evil Queen from Snow White can inspire a whole makeup collection. But am I the only one who's really amused by the new Archie's Girls collection? I spent a minute outside the MAC store today laughing my ass off because this editorial is so incredibly... spot on and funny. I keep forgetting Archie is red head. I was amused but at the same time pretty impressed. Something about the photos from this collection just really gets me.
