A First!

I have been professionally certified as an



... or something. Took a test today with (too much) help and passed. Now I'm certified! I finally mean something! Weeee!






... whatever...

She is on CRACK!

Bjork astounds me once again, in her new video The Triumph of a Heart. In this video she is unprecedentedly zany, wild and just plain un-ethereal (so unlike her), but at the same time the whole idea has a subtle undertone of Bjork-like surrealism. Only she could pull it off.

Spike Jonze directed the video and shot it on location in Iceland. It figures!

Go see it wether you're a fan of Bjork or a fan of the insane and silly, you'll LOVE it!

Spat...???

Thanks to Popu for yet another time-waster! :-D

Your Dominant Intelligence is Spatial Intelligence

You've got a good sense of space and how the world around you looks. You can close your eyes and "see" images. You have innate artistic talent. An eye for color and shapes, you're also a natural designer. Since you think in pictures, visual aids and demonstartions help you learn best. You would make a good navigator, sculptor, visual artist, inventor, architect, interior designer, or engineer.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

High School What?

Thanx to Pepe for letting me in on yet another time-waster page which helps me see myself in yet another kind of light (which changes my life in absolutely nothing):

You scored as Drama nerd. Punk/Rebel 69% Drama nerd 69% Loner 69% Stoner 50% Goth 50% Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 25% Geek 25% Ghetto gangsta 25% What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com

Taking Tattoos to the Next Level

"Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening, 1944 32 in. x 24 in. - Salvador Dali"

And I'm wondering why I hadn't though of this before.

This girl is not only an awesome photographer, but also pretty creative, in my opinion... and very cute (I'd do her!) ...

Just wanted to let that out, which has been in my mind for a few months now.

Weyland and the Strip Club from Hell!

... or how I got my groove back in the summer, in the back of a Chevy Van full of tomato crates ... :-S riiiight!



[ x ] Spell your first name backwards: anaiD

[ x ] The story behind your screen name: There is no story... Anais is a twist on "my name spelled backwards" (despite some conspiracy theories).

[ x ] Are you gay: I am pretty, oh so pretty ... yeah, incredibly gay on happy occassions only.

[ x ] Where do you live: at Mom's, which is incredibly sad.

[ x ] Wallet: it's Emily's cat, which reminded me of Cleo. A chance buy at Hot Topic.

[ x ] Hairbrush: a smaller one for my purse, a bigger one for home. They both look the same: same blue design. They're like sister brushes. Fairly distinguishable from the rest of the brushes at home, which was the intention.

[ x ] Jewelry worn daily: silver pendants with reddish embedded stones, plus small silver hoops on the additional 3 ear piercings. Also surgical steel tongue stud and stainless steel navel ring with cherry motifs.

[ x ] Pillow covers: why even ask? Does it matter? YES! I have fabric casings on my pillows to absorb any nightly saliva emissions.

[ x ] Blanket: comforters are way better … they’re more … comfy…yeah…

[ x ] Sunglasses: I’m still in that eternal search for the perfect ones. I’ve let two pairs go without buying for lack of money. Next ones I see are IT!

[ x ] Underwear: a mismatch of second-hand charity and new things mistreated. I need a new collection fast!

[ x ] CD in stereo right now: no stereo, no CD. I’m an iPod follower 100% (and since I’m at work, I’m not listening to it right now)

[ x ] Tattoos: three and in search for some extra money for wings on my ankles.

[ x ] Piercings: ears (3 and 2), navel and tongue stud (used to have my nose pierced, but I let it seal shut when I found this new job)

[ x ] What you are wearing now: work clothes – this button down, short-sleeved shirt, sky blue, with the company logo, brown trousers (kind of spandex-y, not too pretty but here comfort goes first and foremost)

[ x ] Hair: long, black, straight and boring.


WHO or WHAT (was/is/are)

[ x ] In my mouth: cigarette-craved teeth and the taste of freedom touching 5 o’clock

[ x ] In my head: stuck on the right side – a phone

[ x ] Wishing: to get out of here, even if it be for a smoke!

[ x ] After this: I dunno, hopefully it will keep me entertained ‘til five, and then home it is!

[ x ] Talking to: Mr. Edwin Sierra, from BPPR in Las Catalinas Mall, Caguas, PR.

[ x ] Eating: nothing yet. Too early for lunch, too late for breakfast… brunch maybe? But there’s nothing around.

[ x ] Person you wish you could see right now: my boyfriend, actually … and my Dad. Been missing him since he hopped on that plane.

[ x ] Something you're looking forward to in the next month: to get away from it all with Eze, disconnect from all surroundings and just relax.

[ x ] The last thing you ate: French toast sticks with butter and Aunt Jemima maple syrup

[ x ] Something that you are deathly afraid of: “deathly” is too strong a word. I am very afraid of bees. And death.

[ x ] Do you like candles: is this a trick question? Yes, I like candles… why?

[ x ] Do you like hot wax: hot wax is the momma of candles, so yeah, I do.

[ x ] Do you like incense: ohhh clove, sandalwood, and nag champa are my faves (it used to be strawberry, but that’s beginner stuff)

[ x ] Do you like the taste of blood: in small doses, yes. But it gets tired after a while.

[ x ] Do you believe in love: yes.

[ x ] Do you believe in soul mates: not as in fate-decided soul mates but more as in incredibly-in-synch people (and that can happen with more than one person, although not probably)

[ x ] Do you believe in love at first sight: No, just lust at first sight, and then that sight will probably be impaired by alcohol.

[ x ] Do you believe in Heaven: no, just chocolate.

[ x ] Do you believe in forgiveness: why not? It’s a possibility for everyone.

[ x ] Do you believe in God: no.

[ x ] What do you want done with your body when you die: cut me up in bits, donate whatever organs are useful, burn me, use my ashes as fertilizer, whatever does good for those left behind. When I die my soul goes one way and the shell doesn’t belong to me anymore.

[ x ]Worst Enemy: Fear.

[ x ] If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be: a dog.  Again.

[ x ] What is the latest you've ever stayed up: Once I stayed up all night, right through the next morning and into 3:00PM.

[ x ] Ever been to Belgium: nope. Anyone volunteering plane tickets there?

[ x ] Can you eat with chopsticks: Haven’t tried, but I might be able.

[ x ] What's your favorite coin: the prettiest I’ve seen is the 500 pesos coin from Colombia (two-tone rocks)

[ x ] What are some of your favorite candy: chocolate and mint, but not blended. The combination is rather bland.

[ x ] What's something that you wish people would understand: If everyone understood one thing the same way, we would have the perfect setting for a Brave New World. So no, I don’t want people to understand anything my way. It could be dangerous.

[ x ] What's something you wish you could understand better: how real life works in stead of how I would like it to work.

[ x ] Thing you want to make happen for tomorrow: see my boyfriend before tomorrow, and for tomorrow to go quickly so it can be Friday then! :D

[ x ] What does your name mean: Divinity.. yeah …

[ x ] How old are you: 26 (soon to be 27)

[ x ] How old are you mentally (as in are you mature?): 17, all the time! ^_^

[ x ] What are your worst qualities: I’m too damn emotional for my own good.

[ x ] How long does it take you to get ready in the morning: approximately 45 minutes if I take it easy, 30 minutes if I’m kinda on the run but have breakfast, 15 minutes if my bed kicks me out

[ x ] Do you dream at night: I do! Too much, I would say.

[ x ] Do you remember your dreams : half of the time, I do. But when I do, it’s terribly frightening or confusing

[ x ] Describe one: last night I dreamt I was pregnant (second time in my lifeI dream this). The rest of the time I dream Terry-Gilliam-esque dreams.

[ x ] What time do you go to bed usually: usually at 1AM, but on weekends it doesn’t even matter, I’m too busy to be looking at the clock.

[ x ] What time do you wake up normally: 6:30 or 7AM on weekdays …

[ x ] At what time do you wake up on weekends: around noon unless there are things to be done.

[ x ] Do you find waking late nice or annoying: it’s HEAVENLY!

[ x ] Do you sleep with one pillow or two: one under my head, another pressed up to my chest (I like to sleep hugging something or someone)

[ x ] Do you like school: I wanna go back! 

[ x ] Why/why not: I wanna get my Interior Design degree.

[ x ] Whats ur fave subject: ART

[ x ] Most hated subject: I never understood the need for phys ed.

[ x ] Do you have a fave teacher: The best I met from a professional point of view is Prof. Marta Colón.

[ x ] Ever had a crush on a teacher: let’s not ask these dangerous questions.

[ x ] Are you a maths/science person or an english/drama person: I’m a math/drama person who is fascinated by science and know English very well.


~FAMILY~

[ x ] Do you like your parents: I love them, so it doesn’t matter if I like them or not. We’re beyond that.

[ x ] Ever run away from home: yes. Twice.

[ x ] Ever thought about it: If I ever thought about it, I would end up doing it.

[ x ] Do you have any brothers or sisters: one brother, one sister, two stepsisters, one stepbrother. Too few men in the family.

[ x ] Do you feel your parents spoil you: Never.


~RELATIONSHIPS~

[ x ] Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend: yes, an excellent one at that.

[ x ] If so, are you in love with them: HIM, not THEM. And yes, I am.

[ x ] Do they love you: Yes, HE does.

[ x ]Most romantic thing they've ever done for you: Hear me out even at my worst moments (I know I’m not easy to bear with).


~RELIGION~

[ x ] Do you have a religion: I wouldn’t call pantheism a religion, but more like a way of life.

[ x ] Do you practice it: no, I’m already perfect at it, I don’t need practice.

[ x ] Do you believe in God/Goddess: only as one of man’s oldest inventions (and not a very original one at that)

[ x ] Jesus?: he might have lived, I believe he did. And that he smoked a liiiiittle bit too much weed. God’s son! Pshiia!

[ x ] Satan? A spinoff from Baccus.

[ x ] Hell?: only the one we create in our minds.

[ x ] If you died tomorrow what do you believe will happen to you?: My body will decay, my soul will go wander in a forest or something.

[ x ] Does death scare you?: Only the death of my loved ones.


~MORALS~

[ x ] Have you ever been drunk?: often enough to fill my monthly quota.

[ x ] Taken drugs?: yep, and consumed them too.

[ x ] Stolen?: If I did, I cannot remember.

[ x ] Shoplifted?: Once. A button.

[ x ] Lied to a boyfriend or girlfriend? Yes, and not proud of it.

[ x ] Gotten into a fight?: yes, fistfights by the age of nine, verbal rouses by the age of … uhhh … I don’t know, I don’t have the wit for verbal rouses.

[ x ] Are you more innocent or guilty?: it’s a mix of yellows and grays with me.

[ x ] Would you date a drug addict?: Been there, done that.

[ x ] Have you ever had to look after someone who was a drug addict?: No. He could take care of himself pretty good (except when it came to $$$)

[ x ] Are you racist?: no.

[ x ] Are you discriminatory to anyone?: yes, to intolerant people and those cruel to animals and children.

[ x ] Have you been a hypocrite in the past?: at some point I must have been, but I’d rather call it diplomacy, I only do it to keep civilized “peace”

[ x ] Do you have an open or closed mind to other peoples beliefs and feelings?: I have an open mind just as long as the other part keeps his/her mind open too.


~MEDIA~

[ x ] Do you watch tons of tv?: every once in a while I catch a show, but it’s not mandatory (except for ALIAS, which is sacred)

[ x ] Do you listen to the radio often?: each day I’m more involved…. 89.7 Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico.

[ x ] Do you read the newspaper?: little bits here and there, if and only if I catch it before mom takes it away in the morning.

[ x ] Do you read magazines?: not regularly, but maybe cuz I haven’t found a great magazine.

[ x ] Are you a couch potato?: on occasions and not more than 6 hours at a time.

[ x ] Do you use the internet too much?: Not as often as I’d like to. I have internet in my job but very little time and freedom to use it.


~MUSIC~

[ x ] Whats your fave style of music?: electronic experimentalism combined with acoustic tradition … or something.

[ x ] Do you play an instrument?: not even my voice qualifies as a musical agent.

[ x ] Do you sing?: in the shower, far away from people.

[ x ] Whats your fave band?: I have a few, but not A FAVE except Bjork (and lately I’ve been getting fed up with her)

[ x ] Whats your fave Song: they come and go, but right now I don’t get tired of hearing Hope vol. 2 by Apocalytica

ALWAYS SAME SHITE!

Your Hidden Power Is Water

You have a rather calm soul, but when tempted
will get pissed off at those who bug you. You
do whatever you can in your powers to help
those of your allies and have a okay taste for
human kind, but you find them rather annoying
on occasions.

Gem Stone: Saphire, Eye Color:Ice
Blue,Hair Color:Dark Blue that's long
that goes to your waist.

Quote:If you wait for me
Then I'll come for you. Although I've travelled
far, I always hold a place for you
In my heart. If you think of me, If you miss me
once in a while, Then I'll return to you. I'll
return and fill that space in your heart


What Is Your True Hidden Power? .::Beautiful Anime Pics::.
brought to you by Quizilla

Forever There... not quite Here.

Don't ask, I dunno who she is but ....


Tuyo Siempre por Andrés Calamaro

Si alguna vez no me vuelven a ver,
porque a mi como a todos se me olvida,
algo va a quedar adentro tuyo siempre,
algo que yo te deje alguna vez.

No importa si no venis conmigo,
este viaje es mejor hacerlo solo,
yo te voy a recordar todos los dias,
porque un amor asi nunca se olvida.

Te seguiria por todas partes y volveria a la ciudad,
si me das, otra oportunidad,

de volver a empezar, porque antes
quiero darte cada uno de mis instantes,
nunca mas voy a mentir de nuevo,
porque no voy a olvidarte nunca mas.

Si alguna vez no me vuelven a ver,
porque a mi como a todos se me olvida,
algo va a quedar adentro tuyo siempre,
algo que yo te deje alguna vez.

Y volveria por todas partes para encontrarte y preguntarte,
si me das otra oportunidad.

Va a ser mejor que empiece a olvidar,
porque queda mucho tiempo por delante,
algo va a quedar adentro tuyo siempre,
algo que yo te deje alguna vez,

porque no voy a olvidarte nunca mas,
porque yo no te voy a olvidar...!!!




Note: The photo just conveys how I see the song: seventy-ish, lovely and bohemian all in one. ;-)

Gift List pt 2

To mom:


A featherbed (on SALE @ Macy's!)

plus some underwear, exercise pants (so she can go have her power walks at the park without fear of being ogled... :-S) and a cute shirt (which she hasn't seen yet)

To Eze: some Koss headphones, but I can't remember the model, they're foldable and he tells me they reproduce the sound just nice :-D

To my Dad:

Copies of the following CDs





And El Viaje a Ninguna Parte by Enrique Bunbury. Hope he likes!

To Martha: some incense, a necklace and earrings set (red, made of some weird fish-skin-like material) and a nice perky sweater (see thru weave, silver gray with white undershirt).

I'll keep posting!

Gift List

What I have already given:

To Chichi:





Soon more! :-D

Smelling the charcoal

Estadio Azteca
por Andrés Calamaro




Prendido a tu botella vacia
esa que antes
siempre tuvo gusto a nada.
Apretando los dedos
agarrondome
dandole mi vida,
a ese par de avalanchas.
Uuuuuh

Cuando era niño,
y conocí el estadio azcteca
me quede duro,
me aplasto ver al gigante,
de grande me volvio a pasar lo mismo
pero ya estaba duro mucho antes
uuuuh.

Dicen que hay.
Dicen que hay
un mundo de tentaciones
tambien hay caramelos
con forma de corazones.
Dicen que hay
bueno o malo.
Dicen que hay
más o menos.
Dicen que hay
algo que tener
y no muchos tenemos
uuuuh (bis).

Prendido a tu botella vacia
esa que antes
siempre tuvo gusto a nada.

Fe de Errata

Re: X-Mas Wishlist

Scratch out the iPod, I already got one!

My new toy!!!



And... drumroll please...



NIKON COOLPIX 3200!!!



AHHH! Ecstasy! VERY precious gift which will prove invaluable sooner than later - THANX Eze!
Already found that it's superior to the one I lost, and I still have a LOT to find out about it ...

So, Xmas already arrived for me... need nothing else ... place your X-mas petition here (hint: Make a comment)... Santa may get generous this year ...

and YOU (yeah you, you know who you are) might just (and maybe more than just "might") get lucky!

Continuando

... por aquello de no dejarlos al aire ...

Se me olvidó mencionar una influencia bastante importante en el aspecto musical de esta travesía y q fue confluente con toda esa mazamorra de pelo y hairspray en el principio de los 90:



Depeche Mode - con el CD (o cassette, en esos tiempos) de Violator fue q le pude tomar aprecio a la música electrónica menos comercial (o al menos sentó las bases para ello) ... aun asi tuve que regodearme un rato en los contemporáneos de ese CD como lo eran Erasure y Pet Shop Boys. Que como se llevaba ese aspecto de mi gusto musical con el lado "metalero"? No me pregunten, pero afirtunadamente estaba rodeada de gente q podía apreciarlo de la misma manera q yo.

Otra influencia que también marcó mis gustos musicales (y sentó base para luego poder disfrutarme la "pesa'era" del punk y otros derivados:



Nirvana - con su single Smells Like Teen Spirit a nivel general marcó el cierre de la era del metal, segun dicen muchos aficionados a la música (y a creer q los géneros mueren por falta de popularidad en la radio comercial), para mí sencillamente marcó una decisiva transición entre la cautela con el ruido y la gula subsiguiente en la cual me tragaba todo lo q tuviese un exceso de percusión y distorsión.

...

luego continúo esto, I'm getting pretty tired of this auto-exploratory shit I'm writing.

How about this?

A little mention of the bands that introduced me to the "heavier" part of rock (yeah, " heavier" but come on! really! they're just bubblegum metal)


Slaughter - their debut album (?) Stick It To Ya, particularly the single Up All Night blew me away at what??? 13 years old? Up 'til then I had been listening to teeny-bopper boy bands like New Kids on The Block and Madonna-wannabes like Martika. Even if these guys turned out to be a screeching flop at the end of the game, they did me the favor of opening a new door to me.


Cinderella - they day I saw the video for Shelter (from Heartbreak Station) I was hooked to Tom Keifer (vocalist) ... not only the beauty but the voice (beauty? yeah, well, questionable taste in men is an excusable flaw at 14 years old).

Basically these two bands were my poster boys for some time, but I didn't limit myself to them. To my cassette collection I kept adding: Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood, Poison - Flesh and Blood, Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet etc etc etc ... then I discovered the angrier side of it all ...


Metallica - I can't really remember how I found out about them but I do remember I started their appreciation with the Black Album and then backwards. Sad it is that the Black Album was their top-notch work, and all that came afterwards was chopped liver in comparison.

After them and (to make some honorable mentions) slight influences by Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer, Sepultura and so on, I jumped straight into electronic/commercial music... yeah, the shit they played in the radio. For a few years and then ...


... these guys saved me. The Cranberries - it was a gradual seeping into the subconscious. First with Dreams (a single I bought in cassette) and then to the full-fledged craze over No Need to Argue and I remained faithful until they Buried the Hatchet (ohmygawd! cheesy play of words, I suddenly hate myself). But they joined me in a period of my life beautiful and unforgettable ... of pine trees and starry nights.

After them, I was basically at a loss for a passion until they handed me a tape recording of these guys:


Cafe Tacuba - They gave me Re in a pirated copy ... I was, to say the least, enamored with the spanish language again... someone else who helped the job:


Ricardo Arjona ... sorry. credit where credit's due.

I got into ska and punk, mostly latinoamerican-made music. latino rock, they still call it. And that made the first half of my college years all the more interesting: concerts and gatherings that to this day are remembered by the people that surround me but that I didn't know back then. This island is small.




(to be continued...)

Still on the lookout

Are we still married?

Spotless, though full-screened

I barely have time to post now, so bear with me if what I post is seemingly banal banter.

I didn't quite grasp what the whole hooplah was about when Eze talked about widescreen versus fullscreen. Well, this movie put it in quite a perspective. A movie in which you KNOW (if you watch the fullscreen version) you're not getting what the director meant visually (and let's not even talk about watching it with default TV-integrated sound system vs. a kick-ass home theatre)... This movie in fullscreen version, watched in a 19" TV set with no sound system to speak of is, for lack of better words, WONDERFUL. I just wish I had seen it for the first time as it was really meant to be seen.

A movie that displays the essence of human relationships at its grittiest, nonetheless conceding that no matter how gritty it gets, when there's love, it's undeniable. And sometimes, even if it's over, it is the memories, the good together with the bad, that make us who we are. Memories: precious jewels (in my own opinion). Sometimes we hang on to them as if to dear life, but I would say that it is our subconscious that realizes that these memories constitute our very being. Without them, we would have no history, we would be a very sad shell rolling around in the winds of life (oh the drama! but it is true!)

And now that I notice, why the hell am I posting this here instead of in the Tangled Emotions blog?! Damn! well ... you may as well enjoy while it's here ...

The tireless rants of someone who mostly lives and feels in the present but revisits the past more often than she should.

Fillip

Fillip

It's happening soon
It's happening soon
It's scent has been blowing in my direction
To me it is new
To me it is new
And it's not gonna change for anybody

And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you

It's got to be here
It's got to be there
It's got to be now
Or I'll lose forever

To me it is strange
This feeling is strange
But it's not gonna change for anybody

And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you

Accuse me
Trust me
I never knew
That you were the one
You were the one
Oh

And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you

And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you

... when just a few notes enamore you completely, even if the whole song is not that good ...

Drama Queen Song Pt. Don't-Know-Which

La Balada - Cuca



Perdí mis manos por querer
tocarte siempre
perdí mis brazos por creer
que siempre estarías aquí

O lo viví o lo soñé
o lo viví o lo viví

Perdí mis piernas por andar
sobre tus pasos
y en el fracaso me quedé
y nunca más me iré

O lo viví o lo soñé
o lo viví o lo viví

¿Por qué cada vez que te alejas
me dejas desangrar?
¿Por qué cada vez que te largas me arrancas
me descarnas?

No, ya no hay más, ya no hay más
ya cortaste mis brazos mis piernas y ya no doy más
ya no hay más
ya mi carne se encuentra contigo
en otro lugar

Perdí la forma de poder
acariciarte
sólo la boca me quedó
para llamarte

O lo viví o lo soñé
o lo viví o lo viví

Sálvame, no me dejes sangrar
ya no queda más
no me dejes sangrar
sangrar, sangrar

¿Por qué cada vez que te alejas
me dejas desangrar?
¿Por qué cada vez que te largas me arrancas
me descarnas?

No, ya no hay más, ya no hay más
ya cortaste mis brazos mis piernas y ya no doy más
ya no hay más
ya mi carne se encuentra contigo
en otro lugar

DONNIE!

Came back home listening to this:



From this movie:






Review by John Ulmer

Date: 23 September 2004
Summary: Fabulous, albeit confusing

If I had to explain Donnie Darko (2001) in one sentence, I would say that it could best be described as Fight Club meets John Hughes. Thankfully, I'm not restricted to just one sentence, because there's a lot more to this movie than just a simple benign remark.

As best I can manage, it is a pop culture masterpiece with a dark edge -- a brilliant insight into the minds of troubled youth. At the center of it all is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, playing the titular character, who delivers an amazing performance, so isolated and grim that it instantly brings to mind Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver or perhaps, even, a new kind of screen 'hero' – a snapshot of teenagers across America, and considering how disturbed Donnie is, the fact that he could be a non-rarity is startling.

Donnie exists in our world as a true oddball. 'You're weird,' a girl tells him. 'Sorry,' he says. 'I meant that as a compliment,' she replies.

So, it's a compliment to be weird these days – a good thing to be different. Times have changed significantly; from when being normal was what everyone wanted. I suppose time has progressed far enough now that those who aimed to be like everyone else reached their goal and realized atop their mountains that everyone else wanted to be like everyone else, too, and now they're all climbing back down. It's a paradox only Donnie Darko could welcome. It's one of many.

To actually give a summary of Darko's plot might seem ridiculous, and because of this I'll merely say that it presents an all-new twist on the idea behind Harvey – Donnie is plagued by imaginary (?) visitations by a rabbit named Frank, who talks, and tells Donnie that the end of the world will arrive in no more than 28 days.

Frank saves Donnie's life, after a jet engine crashes in his bedroom. He then commands Donnie to do a variety of tasks to help prevent the end of the world, including trashing his high school and burning down the house of a self-help publisher (Patrick Swayze).

These days I admire any film that is unique – and Donnie Darko is the most original film I've seen since Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or perhaps, even, as far back to 1985's Brazil (also directed by Gilliam). What those two films had, however, was a biting satirical edge – Donnie Darko has it, too, but it's not as blatant. It's far subtler, darker, more dangerous. The movie has its fair share of laughs but to classify it as a comedy would be wrong.

The movie's cast is impressive – Drew Barrymore (who also serves as co-producer), Swayze and other supporting roles are impressive. Swayze in particular is remarkable, having reached that point in his career – like Tom Cruise – where he's capable of abandoning his nice guy image and playing a darker role.

I'm sure many people won't like Darko because of this reason (its darkness), but for me it was a real delight, a movie as complex as anything I've seen in years with a labyrinthine plot that brings to mind the limitless possibilities of the time paradoxes created in Back to the Future. Mere irony, then, that Robert Zemeckis's film is mentioned in Donnie Darko? Perhaps not…

I still don't fully understand Donnie Darko, nor do I need to. Directed by newcomer Richard Kelly, it is one of the most intriguing films of all time – and indeed probably one of the most unique films we'll see for quite some time. In a decade of Michael Bay, CGI, thoughtless standardized 'flicks' and boring, sappy, routine melodramas, Donnie Darko hits the right nerve – all at once it is a comedy, drama, thriller, horror, romance, and one of a kind in each regard. A don't-miss-it sort of masterpiece.

Totally love this movie (and Jake Gyllenhaal along with it)... wish they made more like it!

Space Lullabies and Other Fantasmagore

Dierdre Dubois-Haddab is an interesting singer, no matter what she is singing. Sometimes she sings in English, sometimes French, and sometimes you're not exactly sure what language she is singing in. Like the Evoka's previous album, Space Lullabies and Other Fantasmagore is a jumble of musical styles that works remarkably well. Featuring members from the U.S., Iran, and Algeria, Evoka has a strong Middle-Eastern influence set to an electronic groove. Highlights include the funky dance track "How Sweet Mal" and a rather odd cover of English group Pentangle's "Cruel Sister." Ekova's unique multicultural sound may have you feeling a bit of culture shock at first, but by the end of the album you find yourself right at home. You won't know what language they're singing in, you'll just know that you don't want them to stop.

Heard this CD, still in process of hearing the whole of it, but loving it (more than MacDonald's ... sorry, Ronnie!).

It's in my plans, as soon as I get my first paycheck, to make copy of this CD and this other one:



... to send to my Dad. I am pretty sure he will enjoy them.