Remember me

Remember Me

Remember me when the years have passed,
when wretched aging has taken course
Oh how on rocky banks we’d danced
until our calloused feet were sore.
Laughing in the garden’s perfume,
far away from the bronzed sun.
While admiring the moon kissed tulips bloom,
the quiet calling of the clocks were shunned.
And now, as my ancient flesh decays,
withering into the unknown abyss
I vow to never forget the days,
of which I cannot help but reminisce.
Please, forget me not when I have passed,
for earthly flesh our memories will outlast.

It's been a while

It has been about a month since my last post. AP exams, school, and the thought of finals has kept me most preoccupied. I can't believe that school is ending next Thursday. That's under 2 weeks! Though many are excited for vacation, I am nervous; I only have 2 weeks to bring up my grades. Unfortunately, this semester's grades fall heavily on finals for me. Fantastic.

My Fair... Pygmalion?

I took on the challenge of reading Pygmalion, a play by George Bernard Shaw. It seemed short, easy, and relatively stress-free, so I read it last Saturday. In the middle of Act I, got the brilliant idea of watching My Fair Lady while following the play along in my book. So I opened up My Fair Lady on youtube, hooked my computer up to the TV, and watched. I was surprised by how much of the play was incorporated into the movie. The makers of My Fair Lady really brought Pygmalion to life. However, though there many similarities, some major changes were made to make the movie more continuous and... exciting.

The first major discord appeared in the second act. After Higgins accepts Eliza as a pupil, the movie shows the tedious and rigorous boot camp that poor Eliza is forced to endure. Surprisingly, however, the play does not show her training. Instead, it jumps from Higgins's and Pickering's bet to Eliza's first showcase. I really dislike the play for this. There are random jumps between acts where large chunks of time almost randomly disappear in a void.
This brings me to the next difference. In the movie, Eliza is first tested in high society at the derby. In the play though, Eliza is actually taken to Higgins's mother's house, where she meets Freddy. I personally prefer the derby, for it is far more exciting than tea at the Higgins's. However, it would be rather difficult for a theater to put on a full derby scene on stage. So, for practicality's sake, his mother's house will have to do.
Eliza's second debut also is portrayed differently in the movie than it is in the book. My Fair Lady shows Eliza at a grand ball, dancing with foreign princes. In the play however, Eliza is simply taken to the opera. Oh, and that entire scene where the linguist believes that Eliza is Hungarian royalty? It's not even portrayed in the play. In fact, that entire scene is cut out in the play, which really shocked and disappointed me.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Eliza's choice of men is not the same in both stories. In My Fair Lady, Eliza ends up with Higgins. She comes to love his rude and stubborn ways and ultimately chooses him over Freddy. However, in the play, Shaw informs the reader in the epilogue that Eliza in fact marries Freddy because she does not want to compromise her feminine independence. As Shaw put it, Eliza would "rather have Freddy pick up her slippers than have to pick up Higgins's slippers." I think that the makers of My Fair Lady chose their ending to simply make the viewers happy. To be truthful, I would be angry if Eliza and Freddy ended up together.

In the end, I really liked the movie better. Apart from the catchy show tunes, My Fair Lady had a continuity to it that Pygmalion lacked. The play had major time lapses that made the story seem to lack something important.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading Pygmalion while watching My Fair Lady. It was fun. (:

Watching Star Wars!

I rewatched Star Wars Episode III yesterday. I came by this earlier and thought it was fitting. Enjoy!

This has been a successful spring break.

Things I did over break:

• Sleepwalked


• Watched The King's Speech (again)


• Watched Beauty and the Beast (for the first time, yes I know. Pitiful)


• Watched Peter Pan (both animated and live action versions) for the first time


• Watched Love Actually ♥


• Watched Eclipse (Ugh. Horrible movie)


• Tumbled like there was no tomorrow


• Ordered Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1


• Made it to the final level of my video game


• Went to Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell


• Gained five pounds. : 9

Well, I think that's pretty good considering I was in Fort Fun all week. [:

I think I sleepwalked a few nights ago.

The idea didn't hit me until now though. On Friday, I went upstairs to sleep as usual, but woke up downstairs on the couch. I never go downstairs in the middle of the night, save for the occasional sip of water. I truly have no recollection of ever getting up and physically leaving my room. Weird.

The CUTEST Thing! ♥

I saw this on Tumblr and absolutely loved it. :'D

Floating Trees

Today, I decided to read the poem of the day on poetryfoundation.org. I found it to be quite enjoyable. Here it is:

Floating Trees

by C. D. Wright

a bed is left open to a mirror

a mirror gazes long and hard at a bed

light fingers the house with its own acoustics

one of them writes this down

one has paper

bed of swollen creeks and theories and coils

bed of eyes and leaky pens

much of the night the air touches arms

arms extend themselves to air

their torsos turning toward a roll

of sound: thunder

night of coon scat and vandalized headstones

night of deep kisses and catamenia

his face by this light: saurian

hers: ash like the tissue of a hornets’ nest

one scans the aisle of firs

the faint blue line of them

one looks out: sans serif

“Didn’t I hear you tell them you were born

on a train”

what begins with a sough and ends with a groan

groan in which the tongue’s true color is revealed

the comb’s sough and the denim’s undeniable rub

the chair’s stripped back and muddied rung

color of stone soup and garden gloves

color of meal and treacle and sphagnum

hangers clinging to their coat

a soft while bulb to its string

the footprints inside us

iterate the footprints outside

the scratched words return to their sleeves

the dresses of monday through friday

swallow the long hips of weekends

a face is studied like a key

for the mystery of what it once opened

“I didn’t mean to wake you

angel brains”

ink of eyes and veins and phonemes

the ink completes the feeling

a mirror silently facing a door

door with no lock no lock

the room he brings into you

the room befalls you

like the fir trees he trues her

she nears him like the firs

if one vanishes one stays

if one stays the other will or will not vanish

otherwise my beautiful green fly

otherwise not a leaf stirs

Watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

There's a Harry Potter marathon on ABC! I just cant' help thinking of Hamlet every time I see Gilderoy Lockhart.

See the similarity? (:

Poem of the day!

This was the poem of the day on poetryfoundation.org. Enjoy! :)

Elegance
by Linda Gregg Linda Gregg

All that is uncared for.
Left alone in the stillness
in that pure silence married
to the stillness of nature.
A door off its hinges,
shade and shadows in an empty room.
Leaks for light. Raw where
the tin roof rusted through.
The rustle of weeds in their
different kinds of air in the mornings,
year after year.
A pecan tree, and the house
made out of mud bricks. Accurate
and unexpected beauty, rattling
and singing. If not to the sun,
then to nothing and to no one.

Rereads.

Recently, I've found myself rereading a lot of books. Most of these we've read in class, but a few have been personal favorites that I read on my own free time. Here's a list:

1. Great Expectations: I've forgotten how much I truly loved this book. The plot is so cynically twisted that it gives me shivers. Of course, like every reread, I've picked on little subtleties that I hadn't picked up my freshman year. For example, at Mrs. Joe's funeral, Pumblechook yells "handkerchiefs at the ready!" and systematically instructs the mourners to wipe their tears in a rather oddly general-like fashion. These fine points slipped my mind the first time through. I also loved noticing the hints to later events that seemed so blatantly evident my second read through. I became excited at my sort of omnipresence whenever I came across these. It felt that I had some secret that no one else knew about.

2. A Man for All Seasons: I came across this in my room while I was cleaning out my bookshelf the other day. I read it all in one sitting (it probably took an hour or so). I was amazed by how much my PoV concerning Sir Thomas More had changed. I had always viewed him as a martyr, but it was only after my reread that I had fully come to appriciate how he stood by his belifs so whole heartedly. I distinctly remember a fishbowl we had about this book in freshman Block. Someone had actually chided More for beign strong and not giving in to King Henry VIII. I think that if we had had the same fishbowl now, this comment would have not been made due to our increased maturity.

3. Little Women: I absolutely adore this book. It is a perfect, cheerful, light read fit for any leisure filled day. I read it in about two hours and fully understood the playful humor in the book this time around. It was definately enjoyable to reread!

4. Pride and Prejudice: I had read this book and Jane Eyre and Robinson Crusoe in 8th grade when I was over at my relatives' house, bored to death by lack of children my age. We were staying over at their house for a whopping month, and luckily, the my relatives' college aged daughter had left a few books in her bookshelf. Due to my boredom and the availability of books, I read for that month. However, as an 8th grader, Pride and Prejudice's full meaning did not entirely enter my head. This past reread has allowed me to understand not only understand the more complicated aspects of 18th century English, but to understand the major themes in the novel. On a side note, I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice more than Sense and Sensibility.

Kindle! :D

I'm now the proud owner of a black Amazon Kindle. Initially, when my mom brought it home, I was skeptical, because I didn't think a machine could ever replace a book. But now, while I do still prefer books, I've come to enjoy the convenience of having multiple books in a compact device. (:

The only problem I see with the Kindle is the fact that it's rather difficult to maneuver through the book. Also, there's a weird black and white transition screen that pops for a split second before the next page shows up. Yuck.

Nevertheless, I've already downloaded Hamlet, and almost all of the classics are free, so I think the Kindle will soon become my portable AP Lit study companion. I'm really excited! I love the screen, which doesn't even look like a screen. It has no glare and kind of looks like a printed sheet of paper. It's really neat.

A poem by me! (:

I wrote this poem when I was suffering from writer's block last week when writing the ATPH rough draft.

Writer’s Block.
By: Me
I’m staring blankly at the paper,
wondering which prompt I should choose.
Should I focus my paper on irony
or allusions of which there are so few?

But of course it must be symbols,
just see how they bounce off the page.
But I can’t think. What is it about McCarthy
that leaves me in such a daze?

I quickly flip through the book
and see horses, blood, and Alejandra.
I stop – my mind is sidetracked.
Suddenly I’m humming Lady Gaga.

I try to put on my best poker face
as I see my mom pass the door.
Can she tell that I’m not working?
I’ve been at this since half past four.

“Crap,” I say as my mom taps the door,
calling me down for dinner.
I guess it’s alright if I skip a meal.
It won’t hurt if I get a little thinner.

“Maybe a little break will do me good,”
I think as I open up internet explorer.
Then an hour later I find myself
still staring at pictures on Tumblr.

I open up a new blank word
(the internet tabs – I close them).
But instead of typing a masterpiece on McCarthy,
I write instead this poem.

It’s a quarter after ten
and my paper still isn’t finished.
But maybe if I show Mr. Hill these thought out verses,
I’ll earn a little extra credit.

Little Women

I recently read Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. I think it's a wonderful book! It is set in the Civil War era and centers around the four March children: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

Here's a quick overview of the characters' personalities:







So yeah. The novel really follows the girls as they grow up. However, it's not a tiring coming of age novel (I really dislike those), but rather a cute, fun, and easy read! I especially loved Jo and Mr. Baher together. ♥

Here is an excerpt from one of Jo's poems that I really liked.
“Hither, hither from thy home,
Airy sprite, I bid thee come!
Born of roses, fed on dew,
Charms and potions canst thou brew?
Bring me here, with elfin speed,
The fragrant philter which I need.
Make it sweet and swift and strong,
Spirit, answer now my song!”

Haikus...

When I'm bored in class, I tend to write haikus. This past week especially, my haiku writing has increased twofold, possibly due to the teacher-in-service on friday (:D)
Here are a few of them.

1. Gnawing at my insides
The loathsome, vile C Lunch
Hunger you devil.

2. Take red and yellow,
Add some orange, green, purple,
and blue: a rainbow!

3. AP Chem:
Delta H sub F,
When will this suffering end?
Oh yes, after May.

4. Soft snow swirling,
Outside, a small brown doe stares
At the breaking dawn.

5. Snow on the windshield
As I am driving, homebound
Through the falling snow

Excited! :D

Ahh~ My friend gave me this fancy bookmark as a (really) belated b-day present! I love it and can't wait to use it! :D

Bird.

Poe-etic, by Joao Lauro

Super Bowl Predictions?

I, quite frankly, couldn't care less about the outcome of the game. Actually, I don't even know which two teams are playing Sunday. However, I do care about the commercials! :DD

This is my favorite commercial from last year:

A Super Bowl commercial is 3 million dollars! :O

I read that GM has five of them this year. Wow.

~xE_Ax

Snowmageddon! How did you spend it?

For the past three days, it seems that I have had all the freedom in the world. However, I don't think I utilized this freedom to the best of my ability. For the first two days of the Snowpocalypse, I actually studied. That's right. Studied. I had a huge chem test and a math make up test to study for, and studying for those tests really took up most of my first two days. By the third day, however, I'd had enough. I woke up, found no one at home, realized there was a closing, and made my way down to the basement where I played video games for the rest of the day. My Wii broke, so I resorted to playing my awesome GameCube. I played Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros, and Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. Yup, I had a Mario-themed day. Classic.

~xE_Ax

The best of the interwebs.

I could never pick one site to be my favorite. If I was forced to be on one site for the rest of my life, I couldn't do it. I could never make the choice. If I was able to pick two sites, however, I think I might be able to do so without much difficulty.

My 2 favorite sites:
1. Facebook
2. Tumblr

Of course I would have to pick facebook. My social life, sadly, pretty much revolves around facebook and facebook alone. Without this paragon of social networking sites, my life would be in ruin. I would loose connections with literally hundreds of people. Dx
My second choice is tumblr. I lovelovelove that site. It's a blogging site that's not quite like blogger. I think they refer to themselves as a "microblogging" site. It's fun and addicting! If you do not have a tumblr, I would definately recommend that you get one. (:

~xE_Ax