So after 2 years of saying... "I'm going to learn how to snowboard this year..." and not actually following through with it... I finally took first of the three snowboarding lessons!
Geez! Who knew that snowboarding would be such a workout??? Especially during the lesson. Walking up and sliding down a small hill is much harder than expected... I was sweating profusely and was dying to take off my jacket! Why are the freakin' snowboards so heavy???? Goodness... I realized how much of a scary it is to glide down a hill... can really do this for real? And why the hell are the gear so extensive and SOOO expensive? I bought jacket, pants, socks, and gloves... then i realized that i still need some stupid helmet, special thermal/water wicking/thin under clothing...when does this end????
Recently in the Snoqualmie mountains got like 6 feet of snow with avalanche risk... so I have to have chains for my tires if i want to drive through there... How much more do I have to spend??? I feel like it never ends....
I still have 2 more lessons... can I make it? Will I break something??? Hopefully not... Wish me luck... I definitely need it.
So I attended the Sundance festival for the 2nd year. It was a blast! We had 8 people in 2 bedroom house with 1 bathroom! Yikes! But it went very smoothly! We are such a fine tuned machine! I watched 4 movies over the weekend... 1 bad... 3 great... Not bad!
King of Ping Pong World Dramatic Sweden, 2007, 107 mins, color Director(s): Jens Jonsson In icy Sweden, 16-year-old Rille faces a daily grind, trying to get
through life’s hassles with grace. Plump and moody, he’s the butt of
many a school joke and only an onlooker where girls are concerned. Home
life presents its own challenges: his single mom is dating a nerdy
older man, his absent father (a professional underwater diver) is
charismatic but undependable and usually drunk, and Rille and his
younger brother, Erik, struggle to feel grounded in the domestic game
of musical chairs.
Rille’s one refuge is ping pong. He’s an accomplished player and
supervises a community ping-pong program for kids, acting as mentor
and, okay, a sort of self-appointed king over his younger subjects. The
entire formula of Rille’s life makes for a tenuous equilibrium, and
this is threatened when family secrets are accidentally disclosed,
setting Rille and Erik on an emotional collision course. But in his
pained progress toward the chaotic adult world, Rille occasionally
catches a glimpse of the possibility of surviving and thriving.
Director Jens Jonsson renders this delicate story with finesse and
a quiet humor that infuses everyday drama, and even a few shocking
moments of near calamity, with lightness and warmth. Outwardly quiet,
but abuzz with emotional interest, King of Ping Pong is a lovingly
etched portrait of the awkward years, certain to be familiar to many
filmgoers.
*great coming of age story. A deep look at relationship between brothers. It looked sooo cold! It was snow everywhere!*
Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest, Part 5 New Frontier Feature 2007, 90 mins, b/w
Director(s): Yang Fudong
New Frontier showcases uniquely innovative cinematic visions from the
art world that seldom find exposure in the film world. The powerfully
photographic imagination of rising Chinese art star Yang Fudong are on
display in this rare Festival engagement of his atmospheric and epic
tale, Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest.
This sensual and
poetic five-part series contemporizes a popular Chinese legend of seven
ancient intellectuals who survived the tumultuous transition between
the Wei and Jin dynasties by finding an indulgent refuge in pure
thought and bacchanalian delights within a bamboo forest. Yang’s
affluent intellectuals begin atop the breathtakingly picturesque Yellow
Mountain in Part 1, travel sexualized interior corridors of the city in
Part 2, experience an earthy rural life in Part 3, invent a new world
on a deserted island in Part 4, and finally return to the city,
integrating their experiences to take on the new urban challenge, in
Part 5.
Yang situates his epic exactly where detached intellect
meets extreme sensations. Action carries the same weight as inaction in
this abstract and contemplative work that engages with the operative
that comprehension is often best achieved in a state of immobility.
Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest may serve as a metaphor for the
overwhelming task--evident in China and many other parts of the
world--of keeping up with today’s torrential change.
**Ick! This movie was horrible... more than I can say... too experimental for me!**
U2 3D Premieres U.S.A., 2007, 85 mins, Color
Director(s): Catherine Owens, Mark Pellington
It goes without saying that U2 3D is not merely a concert film; it is a
concert experience—and one that will leave you fumbling around on the
ground for your jaw. An electrifying collage of South American stadium
concerts during U2’s 2006 tour, U2 3D mobilizes digital 3-D and
surround-sound technology to plunge us into almost supernatural
proximity to the musicians. Whether it’s dropping into The Edge’s sonic
orbit or passing over the crowd through a sculptural sea of
outstretched arms, we’re no longer on the outside looking in, but on
the inside looking in—a perspective shift whose novelty is at first
delightfully odd, and then pure revelation. The sense of intimacy with
the audience is uncanny, as if Bono has stepped right off the screen to
spend a moment with us, his extended hand mere inches from our faces.
Featuring songs that have touched fans for years, from “Sunday Bloody
Sunday” and “One” to ”Beautiful Day” and “Vertigo,” U2 3D establishes a
visceral bond that’s completely unprecedented in film.
U2 has always understood the power of multisensory engagement in
conveying its message, in this case, coexistence, so it’s not
surprising that the band would be inspired to explore the immersive
possibilities of 3-D. Call them polarized or rosy, from behind these
glasses, the world may indeed be a place of peace and hope.
**Its out on IMAX now and you should see it! It was amazing! You felt like you were on the stage the the band members... I will totally see it again at IMAX... plus the band was there to present it... sweet!**
Transsiberian Premieres Spain, 2008, 111 mins, Color
Director(s): Brad Anderson
Brad Anderson is a quintessentially independent film director known for
his attention to character psychology and the details and nuance of
place, traits that make the superbly crafted thriller Transsiberian an
uncommonly absorbing experience. One of those legendary train trips
that people used to dream about taking, the Transsiberian Express has
probably seen better days. An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson)
and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), decide to return home the long way from
their recent sojourn in Peking and meet another couple from the West,
Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), with whom they quickly
form that tenuous bond that often unites fellow travelers away from
home. When Roy gets separated from the train at a stopover, Jessie
begins to realize that their compatriots aren’t exactly who or what
they seem to be. But the real dangers of their unforgettable trip have
only begun to surface; Russian cops (Ben Kingsley plays one), mobsters,
and locals are still to come.
As much a psychological puzzle piece as artful suspense, the film
showcases Anderson's newfound skill with dramatic action that meshes
seamlessly with his engrossing atmosphere. Blessed with a engagingly
subtle performance by the always-exemplary Mortimer and a surprisingly
fresh turn by Harrelson, Transsiberian transports us into a new and
different world and creates a unique cinematic experience.
**A great suspenseful movie... great story and well acted... i liked it a lot!**
I was watching Oprah today. I still watch her. Her episode today was on "How would you spend one more day?"
I think this is something I think very difficult for people to deal with... If you had only one more day... one more hour left... what would you do? Have I lived my life to fullest? Did I love hard... Did I laugh enough... Did I make people around me appreciated... loved... that i cared about them? It raises a lot of deep thoughts...
My pharmacy manager during my pharmacy school years... his wife died suddenly from brain aneurysm. He told me that although he was very sad that she was gone, he felt content that there were no regrets. He had said everything he wanted to... they did things together they loved together... he felt that they loved each other openly... I hope that I will feel like that before I die... I want to leave this world with no regrets... no what ifs... I have so much of that right now...
I love the show "How I Met Your Mother". It is the one of the funniest
shows in a long time. I love the randomness of the show! Its hilarious.
Plus Neal Patrick Harris is so funny
First one is a MUSIC VIDEO: one of the character apparently had a secret... she was a one time canadian pop star!
Ah. I am so bored these days... I mean I have stuff to do and places to go... but don't feel like it. I am in this BLAH state... Sadly, I don't have anyone near me that would force me to do stuff with them... Lately feeling home sick and missing close friendships in the same city. All my close friends are living other states... sigh... boredom... zzzzz
Yay! My baby Casey is finally discharged and at home. He is recovering well after the surgery. I felt so bad for the staff at the hospital. Casey has been really bad patient. He was hissing and was a "bite risk"... plus the last 2 days of the hospitalization, he pooped all over himself and wouldn't let anyone (including me) clean his poop on his body... yuck... Yup... right before I pick him up tonight, he diarrhea-ed all over himself when the staff were trying to put him in his carrier... I have to try to get him a bath, but he won't let me... In addition, Haley was freaking out when he came home and was meowing and trying to attack him all night.
Thanks everyone for your concerns and warm thoughts!
My Casey is in the hospital now. He needs to get surgery. Its crazy. I hope that he doesn't have cancer... he keeps peeing blood... Hopefully the procedure will stop the problem. Please keep us in your prayers... So much for a happy and joyful birthday.
My co-worker recently told me about singshot... online karaoke website and you can record your own version or just sing along! Its actually kinda cool! Too bad i don't have a mic or webcam... ha ha... check it out!~
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