It’s the Pictures that got Small

“I still am Big! It’s the pictures that got small!”

    Simple words on a screen is nothing compared to Gloria Swanson’s delivery (as Norma Desmond) of that iconic line in 1950’s “Sunset Boulevard”. But since I don’t exactly have the resource to show Ms.Swanson, words on a screen will have to do.

    Isn’t in amusing that most of the “bests” come from the golden yesteryears? Ask film afficionados what the greatest films ever were and they would say “Citizen Kane”, “Casablanca”, “The Godfather”. Ask music buffs what the greates albums of all time are and on top of the heap you’d find Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”, Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” as well as a handful of Bob Dylan and Beatles albums - some could even argue to go as far back as to Mozart and Beethoven. If we look at art, we’d also go back to Picasso and Da Vinci. Best books of all time? There are those by Dickens, Shakespeare and Orwell.

    So why does it seem that nothing that anyone does in our time can match-up to those that came before us? You would think that with all the advancements in technology and the progression of human knowledge, things would be exponentially better. Ironically (and as we take a cue from Norma Desmond), the “pictures” in our time have gotten small. What have we lost that all the advancements in knowledge and technology can’t replace?

    I have no answers. I’m just rambling.
 

Lost In Translation

    I’m a movie junkie. Next to music, film is undoubtably my next favorite medium. As with most movie buffs, I have my set of favorite directors… and somewhere up there you will see the name “Akira Kurosawa”.

    Kurosawa is unarguably the most recognized Japanese director (although Hayao Miyazaki [of “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away” fame] might have a claim at that) with a prolific career that peaked in the 1950s. So far, I’ve seen several of his films: Dreams, Ran, Seven Samurai, Rashomon and Ikiru.

    Of course I rely only on the subtitles to understand the films… and there is where the problem lies. Any Kurosawa film is an experience, but I can’t help but somehow finish viewing and have a feeling that something is missing… that something was lost in translation (I think now I understand the Bill Murray-Scarlett Johansson film better).

    Alam mo yun… yun bang pag minura ka ng “Putang ina ka ah!” (pardon my french) tsaka pag minura ka ng “You’re a motherfucker!” (pardon my french, again) - mas tagos yung pag minura ka sa tagalog… mas dama mo yun poot… mas nakapanlalamig yung nararamdaman mo na galit.

    Language is a funny thing. You can translate all you want, but I don’t think any literary translation can ever capture the essence of what the original was, and how it was meant to be.

Grey’s Anatomy

In the spirit of awesome medical dramas, I’ve started watching Grey’s Anatomy. Unlike my favorite medical TV show - House - it’s a human drama first, and then a medical drama second.

One of the things I like about the show is that it is has this Doogie Howser thing going for it. You that thing about Doogie where at the end of each episode, he types these little reflections on his computer? Grey’s Anatomy has that too, minus the computer. The show always starts with a voice over to this effect, and closes the same way with a resolution of what was said in the start.

Some of my past posts were offshoots of those, and every once in a while, I think it’s ok if I post the actual transcript of what was said during certain episodes.

Here’s an example:

Intro:

We’re supposed to be happy, grateful. For friends, family. Happy to just be alive… Whether we like it or not.

Outro:

Maybe we’re not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we’re thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we’re thankful for the things we’ll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.

What’s the story…

Nenoked from Cami

1. Of your name?
Juan-Paolo: (Mind the dash. There is a dash) From Pope John Paul II.
Emmanuel: Dervied from “Immanuel” meaning “God (is) with us”
(You would think that from my name alone, I should be a religious and holy person. Hehe.)

2. Of your parents?
My dad met my mom through his brother who was my mom’s MBA classmate. Then it’s your typical love story from there.  They’ve been together for 30 years… and counting.

3. Of your last birthday?
Err… I got a year older. Haha.

4. Of your first love?
It’s hard to distinguish love from infatuation… I’ve been infatuated with two different girls in the past six years. Having said that, my first true love is the person I’ve been with for the past four and a half years.

5. Of your room?
You mean the living room?

6. Of last Christmas?
Another christmas, less gifts You always get less gifts as you get older.

7. Of last Valentines day?
We rarely celebrate Valentines Day because everyone else celebrates Valentines Day on Valentines Day.

8. Of your current clothes?
Orange shirt, black jeans. Just came from a dinner out with my family for father’s day. Happy Father’s day!

9. Of the 1st time you saw your crush?
Mwahahaha. No comment.

10. Of you and your best friend/s?
We met in college. We hardly interacted during 1st year, became friends in the first sem of 2nd year, and then became really close the next semester… … ..oh yeah, we’ve been a couple now for four and a half years. See #4.

11. Of the last place you went to?
Burgoo, Gateway mall. See #8.

12. Of the last time you cried?
Can’t remember… it must have been a long time ago. I have many many “near cries” though.

13. Of the last movie you watched?
The Lake House. The plot has a lot of loopholes, but the movie is quite good overall. I heard they were considering John Cusack instead of Keanu for the role… I think that would have worked much better… think Serendipity.

Lines

    People draw lines all the time… some call them ‘rules’… some call them ‘principle’… some just want a system they live their life by.

    We draw lines when we tell ourselves not to fraternize with certain people because they’re “different”. We draw lines when we tell ourselves not to get involved with officemates because that could only mean trouble. We draw lines based on other people’s rules because… well… as they say, rules should be followed.

    There’s nothing wrong about drawing lines. It gives life structure and direction. They can serve like arrows to point you towards the right direction, or the direction you want to go to. But there are times when these lines change… and their effects change… when they become boundaries. Boundaries that can box you in and stop yourself from getting out, exploring, taking risks, and living life.

    Sometimes, crossing the line is not so bad. It just gives you an opportunity to see what’s on the other side, and then what do you know, you might actually like it. Then afterwards, you can step back to your side… and decide whether you should redraw the line as necessary.

    I’ve always thought that nothing in life can be defined and captured by a clear cut, absolute rule. Everything is relative. Lines are drawn, and then redrawn. Lines are viewed differently… seen from different perspectives wherein they form different shapes and varying angles.

    Nothing in life is absolute. Everything is relative. I guess that what’s makes Einstein such a genius.