absolutwillie

Tag: magical realism

  • Snow and rainbows

    Today showed me how very differently one class could respond to a particular L.O. lesson than another. Where the Gr.X C-class nearly yawned the class into Oz, the A- and E-classes loved every detail! Where the first class was decidedly bored out of their skulls the moment they walked in the door – the other classes snapped out of it the moment I started the lesson. They enjoyed what I had prepared for them, and participated to such an extent that the lesson felt less like a class and more like a lively discussion among friends. It was amazing.

    Your preparation as well as the kids make all the difference. The classes who put something of themselves into the lesson, got something more in return. This mix of energy allowed me to pour my whole self into the moment and emerge with my learners, energized and ready to move on at the end of the period (which flew by in no time).

    I have yet to figure out why the first class differed so greatly from the other two, and what I could do to bring their spark out in the former group.

    …

    After school I went to buy my colleague a milkshake for his birthday (which he didn’t want celebrated elaborately). Three of us jumped in a car, drove in the icy rain to the mall, and celebrated with sweets while surrounded by snow capped mountains. From the pay-point, I took the following photograph:

    All was right with the world.

    I also made him this little video as a birthday present :0)

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V8DpEi_33Y?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata&w=320&h=266]

  • Hmmm…

    I feel like having a picnic
    in a library filled with
    trees
    and unknowable
    You
    – DANABAAI, 11 NOV 2012





  • Peugeot Touch Car by Enache Florin

    Peugeot Touch Car by Enache Florin » Yanko Design

    you guessed it – i want one! perfect for driving in Kaohsiung :0)



    Blogged with the Flock Browser

  • So you missed my birthday?

    Here’s how you can make up for under $80

  • Lady GaGa Speechless Royal Variety Performance 16/12/09 HQ

  • is it wrong of me…

    … to want her at my wedding?

  • link-love: Owl City's "fireflies"

    this little gem of a song unceremoniously swept me off my feet today and rooted itself firmly at the top of my list of songs to purchase.
    (fan-generated video below, as the official version can not be embedded)

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO3gg2cVfxg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&w=320&h=265]

    A little bit more about this spoonful of magic, from Associated Press:

    Owl City music turns online popularity into sales
    (AP) – 23 hours ago
    MINNEAPOLIS — A young musician who recorded his album on a computer in the basement of his parents’ Minnesota home is finding success in the music business.

    Adam Young records under the name Owl City. His album “Ocean Eyes” came out at the end of July, and by this month it has sold nearly 100,000 copies. The single “Fireflies” is a top seller on iTunes, and is climbing the Top 40 and alternative music charts.

    Young started out by posting some of his songs on his MySpace page. Now he finds himself signed to a record deal with Universal Music, where he joins the likes of Taylor Swift and Kanye West.

    do yourselves a favor and check out the awesome Owl City website – and then spend some time on Adam’s MySpace blog. i’m intrigued enough to follow him on twitter – for his words – and revisit his MySpace for gifts like this:

    go out and get yourself a (legal) copy of “Ocean Eyes” and other cool merchandise.
    if “fireflies” is anything to go by – you’ll thank yourself forever.

    PS. i’m thoroughly enjoying streaming the other tracks from the official site! wondering if the physical CD (case and insert) is also a sublime adventure of discovery?

  • list: top 10 anime movies


    Ben mentioned, not too long ago, that he still wanted to ask me for some recommendations when it came to anime movies. i was flattered, seeing as how Ben is THE movie buff in my books. i was also a little nervous. true, i love anime – but i’m no buff by any stretch of the imagination.

    anyway, he got me thinking about it and,after a little research, i can finally present what i believe to be the Top 10 Anime Movies:

    10:     5CM Per Second     (2007)

    the movie is really three stories that deal with love between people separated by distance. kids might not get the subject matter – but Makoto Shinkai’s amazing artistry (best.scenes.ever.) makes this one of the best anime films out there.

    9:     Cowboy Bebop     (2001)

    based on the hit tv-series Cowboy Bebop (which has had a cult following since the invention of the term),the movie lives up to all expectations and is a great introduction to newbies.

    8:     Tokyo GodFathers     (2003)

    Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece is really a social comment on Tokyo’s urban minorities. the story follows three homeless friends, who find a baby in a dumpster and try to return it to its parents. did I mention that one of the friends is pre-op M2F?

    7:     Princess Mononoke     (1997)

     Princess Mononoke was Hayao Miyazaki’s breakthrough movie in the Western world. take whatever you know about the genre, go to your warm and fuzzy place and prepare to be enchanted.

    6:     Paprika     (2006)

    you’ve heard of vivid imaginations, right? prepare to experience a visual orgasm. the plot is centered around a “dream machine” — which allows doctors to see a patient’s dreams — that is stolen by a thief who uses it to enter people’s dreams. Paprika and her team set out to recapture the device. shifting between reality and dreamworld continuously, you’ll definitely want to watch it again to get all the details.

    5:     Howl’s Moving Castle     (2004)

    Miyazaki’s second film on the list was developed from the book by Diana Wynne Jones. a girl is cursed with a spell that makes her look old. her only hope of becoming young again lies with a wizard and his giant, walking castle.

    4:     Ghost in The Shell     (1995)

     the Watchowski brothers reportedly showed Ghost in The Shell to producer Joel Silver and told him, “We wanna do that live action”. then they made the Matrix. enough said.

    3:     Grave of The Fireflies     (1988)

    the film that made everyone realize that anime can be used to tell serious, heart felt stories. It centers on a boy and his young sister who struggle to survive in WW2 Japan after their mother dies during a US bombing. Roger Ebert called it “the most powerful anti-war movie of all time”. newly remade as a live feature film, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

    2:     Akira     (1988)

    the movie that pretty much defined the whole genre: from its art style, to its realistic portrayal of violence, to its ability to tell several stories at once. Akira is the hallmark of anime for the past 20 years.

    1.     Spirited Away     (2001)

    in all probability Miyazaki’s masterpiece. this is the story of a girl who stumbles into a land where witches, gods and spirits rule. she struggles to keep her own spirit, while fighting to release the spirits of her parents. the film won dozens of awards, including an Oscar for best animated feature. it even surpassed Titanic to become the highest grossing move of all time in Japan. that in itself is enough to make me grin like an idiot ;0)

    so… the next time     movie night comes around, why not grab a few of these? it’s guaranteed to delight, inspire and educate.

  • spring at the start of fall


    it is september now and back home people are celebrating the return of spring. days are getting longer, nights are getting warmer and all around nature is getting ready to burst with joy. it is a time of renewal, hope and celebration. it is a time to celebrate life – and to fall in love.

    i am lucky. for although i’m oceans away from home – i am with the one i love.
    in Taiwan it is ghost month: a time when the gates of the underworld are believed to open and the dead are allowed to roam the land of the living. spirits without descendants to care for them are prayed to during this time, so that they may also enjoy the warmth of life among the living. those lucky enough to have descendants get to feast on tables laden with food and drink that are offered to them. for others, this is a month of remembering the departed and cherishing those who are still around.

    again, i am lucky. for in remembering my departed friends and family – i am reminded to love fully without restraint. i am reminded that life is unpredictable and short – and that love should be cherished and enjoyed openly and fearlessly.

    fearlessly… that is my achilles’ heel. my terrible burden. for you see – i am still plagued by fear… the fear of my inadequacy.

    this might be a revelation to some, for many believe me to be fearless. in fact, i often make a point of facing my fears head on, to overcome them and to help others do the same. i have often said that this does not make me immune to fear – but that i’m fighting a winning battle. and for the most of it – i am.

    for the most of part.

    tonight, while standing in the rain waiting for the garbage truck, i felt very much like a spirit with no descendants. the switch from the fullness of SA life (with my friends and family) to the total isolation of city life in Taiwan (Peter works – i’m still looking for a job), was suddenly too much for me.

    i’m not going to go into the negative flip-flops my mind was doing – suffice to say i was feeling pretty forlorn…

    then the garbage truck arrived – and a complete stranger huddled me under his umbrella. he walked with me from the garbage truck to the recycling truck and back to our building – even though he only had a small bag to deposit at the first truck. i thanked him profusely as he smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

    the rain eased up and i decided to go for my walk around the museum’s park again. a cool breeze was blowing and i was beginning to feel a lot better. before long, i realized that i was praying as i walked – and for about half in hour i had an intimate discussion with my Lord, who was walking right next to me! i was in Jesus’s company and it felt completely natural, safe and friendly. it was a miracle, just like the stranger with his umbrella. i’ve often felt close to Christ – but tonight was the first time i literally felt him walking right next to me! walking next to me, telling me not to be afraid. telling me that, even though i might not believe it, i truly am a perfect creation and more than adequate for the journey i’m taking. telling me to believe in Love and reminding me that i am never alone.

    none of us are ever alone.

    what started as a dark night of the soul – turned into the promise of a new dawn.
    spring is coming – even here, on the brink of fall.

    wherever you are tonight, and whatever you are going through – may you also experience the promise of a new dawn.
    wether you believe as i do or not – this spring is eternal (and Love believes in you).

    now go hug someone.

  • were the world mine

    one thing i absolutely adore about the Sundance Film Festival, is how it surprises you every time! i happened upon one of the 2008 features to shine at Sundance, quite by accident. to tell the truth, i’m not exactly sure how it came about… maybe the faeries had a hand in it ;0)

    the film that has me glowing from within, today, is called: “were the world mine” and is directed by Tom Gustafson. i got a copy, thinking it was a basic retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – albeit with a queer twist. we watch a lot of movies at home these days, and i was looking forward to watching something a little less shock-shock-horror-horror or skop-skiet & donder* for a change.

    Literally "kick, shoot and thunder" in Afrikaans, this phrase is used by
    many English speakers to describe action movies or any activity which is
    lively and somewhat primitive. Clint Eastwood is always good for a skop,
    skiet en donder flick.

    Peter, however, wasn’t interested in watching it at all. maybe he has opinions about Sundance that i don’t know about… anyhoo – that’s another post entirely.

    suffice to say that i watched it by myself, this morning, while he was still sleeping off his late night session of Taiwanese talk-shows. (which, by the way, look like bucket-loads of fun – if you understand the language.)

    File:Were the world mine.jpg

    but back to the film: it was awesome! i laughed, i cried, i held a pillow for comfort and i felt all sorts of warm and fuzzy. it might not be the best produced musical in the world – but it’s way up there in my books!

    in short, it tells the story of an openly gay teenager in an all-boys school, in a conservative town – who gets cast as Puck in the school’s rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. add a touch of magic and mischief – and voila! you’ve got one heck of a premise.

    oh, and let me not forget the singing! the singing and the dancing… *sigh* i think it’s officially taken the place of Priscilla in my heart. sorry girls, but this time i identify. and i’m gettng the soundtrack!

    *sings: o timothy… timothyyyyyyyy*