I was reading through the condensed (and I clear: Wikipedia) explanation of Alice in Wonderland (not due to the movie, mind you), and although the literature has yet to give me the required headaches, the elucidations and science of Lewis Carroll’s rather tamely subversive literature successfully elicited headaches out of poor old moi. Ask why.

(because they’re all about freaking math. I kid you not.)

Although it satisfies me that at least it still has a little of wicked fun in the Wonderland context (much to Matrix’s follow the rabbit/down the rabbit hole) and people theorizing that the rabbit hole is in fact a hallucinatory state, it’s curious to note that a lot of Alice’s symbolisms and theoretical ramblings were left out in the movie version which, our beloved Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (she still scares me, but I love her) are on, directed by Tim Burton. Whilst our written Alice is stumbling down wonderland on E, Alice the live-action version is going around wonderland battling with her own concept of maturity versus reality, ultimately following her father’s footsteps in embracing that, in fact, people may be deemed mad by most, but they’re the geniuses who make the impossible possible.

It is also interesting that Alice is seen to be returning to Wonderland now being 19 years old, and has had recollections of wonderland back as a kid. This time she gets a surprise marriage proposal, and after she backs out, she stumbles upon Wonderland in a creepy de ja vu, convincing herself that everything is a dream—her recurring dreams, in fact—while convincing everyone and herself of who she is and what her ultimate role is. While it shows that she is encountering everyone almost for the first time again, therefore providing a different twist of familiarity and vagueness, leaving the audience to think that although it’s almost like the story they know, even if it’s not the story they loved. This whole refreshing twist without fully changing it still compensates for the yearning of the original Alice in Wonderland, therefore completely offsetting the contrast versus the written context, as this is no longer the Alice in Wonderland we really know, but maybe an unwitting sequel to the story.

I have got to reluctantly give another kudos to Tim Burton—he was able to pull this off again. Although I am far from tired from seeing the Burton-Depp-Carter tandem yet again (a package deal, of course), it’s a relief to find that they didn’t leave out the other characters pale, in fact making them step up to the plate. Mia Wasikowska may seem reluctant but brave for the 19 year old Alice, and Anne Hathaway was splendidly…err…spacing out. A disappointment was the lack of character for the Cheshire Cat, though, which would have given more color to the rest of the 3D cast anyhow.

All in all, not bad. Watch it 3D or not, the movie in itself was ostentatious as for the colors. And, well. We all love Tim Burton.

PS. Speaking of which—Cass and I were discussing the possibilities of a Neil Gaiman story converted in to a Tim Burton movie—the Graveyard. Wouldn’t it be lovely? Johnny Depp as Mr Frost, Helena Bonham Carter as Ms. Lupescu, and maybe Freddie Highmore [he’s spooky enough anyway] as Bod. Would work, don’t you think? Tss. Maybe we ought to consider a new career in casting.

PSS. Happy birthday, Marla. I love you lots. *hug* Bakit di ka man lang sa date na ito nag last day?

I found a website which created my prized pendant–something I found while looking for other interesting pendants. See, last week (or two weeks ago) I lost my black dog tag which came with another poorly disguised as dog tag medicine tag, which Dei and Candice call the “totem pole” of smuggled meds. lol. Anyway, Kris went to my station earlier and we were discussing the cool idea of using a USB drive which looked like a memory card, really, (cute idea, btw, and Kris, you have to admit that, too) but she was telling me how stupid it would be to buy a P1k plus “pendant” which I wouldn’t really get to use as a USB anyway. But I have only an old miniature New York plate number / dog tag, and my two house keys (two condos, lol), and I just feel….bare.

Then I realized, I had another pendant, but I kind of can’t have it back. So I looked online to check if somewhere out there, there are stores with stock.

Apparently, they have other designs. Of course, it doesn’t beat my own (plus, the tag that says “for boys and girls in love and war” was ftw), but it did make me miss my pendant. Hayst. I would have gotten another for christmas, but apart from the fact that I don’t think they sell them retail, I’m not sure I’m willing to buy something which is cheaper than the shipping. *huge sigh* Also another fact that I don’t think the site sells them AT ALL. It was mostly for catalog stuff.

I guess I’m gonna have to be more creative about it. Ah, well.

+++

I left my heart at home today.

I left my heart at home today. I was sitting on the floor, staring at the empty space in front of me. I wanted to leap into the nothingness and float, but something stopped me from jumping–it was, alas, my heart.

It was holding on to me tightly, it hurt. Before, I have been wearing my heart on my sleeve, but I figured it was too exposed, so I placed it back on my chest. But it has been throbbing ever since.

So, I decided, just for today, I’d leave it at home. I thought, heart, you were becoming a burden. You were getting too heavy for me. I keep expecting somehow everyday that you would become lighter, even if I know I should start accepting that we both won’t be happy sharing that breathing space. I keep waiting for you to heal, and bringing you with me everyday keep reminding me that you’re not coming back. I don’t think you are. You would have to heal from that state you’re in and start making yourself different from before. You were almost happy, but you slipped and broke yourself again. Clumsy you.

So I did it. I told myself, just for today, maybe. And so I left my heart at home today, then made the jump into the daily nothingness.

And I felt bare. Not necesarily light, just bare.

I left my heart at home today. Tomorrow…I might, too.

Blame it on my afinity for the British sans the horrible teeth: but when I chanced upon (rather illegally– oops) the Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging movie based on Louise Rennison’s chick lit series Confessions of Georgia Nicolson’s first intsallment, Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging, it kept me up all night (or till the wee hours of the morning) just trying to grab for me self a copy of the soundtrack just for their movie carrier single Ultraviolet, but what I didn’t expect is that the whole album itself would sweep me off my feet.

Although Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging OST can be classified as somewhat Britpop, it’s a slight injustice to classify it SOLELY on such category, as it’s almost bubblegum pop on some instances, rock on the other, mixed in with some household names that have produced rather diverse music–this is LovePopTeenAngstBritPopTechnoRockAlternativeBubblegumFirstLovePuppyLoveAdolesence and so on. I could say that the OST has been pretty much picked to prolong the feeling that the movie has initially offered. While the movie brought us to the earlier days of Bridget Jones  (lol) as a 14 year old awkward teenager who had to go through, yes, the most excruciatingly embarassing scenarios of her youth, Angus OST brings us the sweetest, sappiest, even some nonsense song compilation which, if you’ll listen closely, is in fact an album of adoration to all the bumbling, awkward teen love phase which at some point, we all went through. It may have been British tongue, but it’s the same universal feeling which made the album so endearing.

Album included two versions of some older songs, such as Naive by Lily Allen (oh come on, whotf does not know Lily Allen?) and Stiff Dylans‘ Ever Fallen In love with Someone. I’ve included some songs which pretty much passed as my album favorites; can’t upload the whole, please be kind to my DSL bandwidth. ^_^

Track listing:

1. She’s So Lovely – Scouting For Girls
2. Girls And Boys In Love – Rumble Strips
3. Show – Lenka
4. Naive – Lily Allen
5. She’s Got You High – Mumm-Ra
6. Who Needs Love – Razorlight
7. Your Song – Kate Walsh
8. Mad About The Boy – Ava Leigh
9. Young Folks – Peter Bjorn & John
10. Toothpaste Kisses – Maccabees
11. Sugar Mouse – Oh Atoms
12. Ever Fallen In Love With Someone – Stiff Dylans
13. I Found Out – Pigeon Detectives
14. In The Morning – Coral (The)
15. Pull Shapes – Pipettes (The)
16. Great DJ – Ting Tings (The)
17. Ultraviolet – Stiff Dylans

http://media.imeem.com/pl/z2A5zprnKU/aus=false/

(sorry, wordpress does not allow embedding. :(  )

Tell me your thoughts,
JC