Eastern art

Japanese

Islamic

We study a little of Eastern art for H3 and I'm impressed by the beauty of it.

Ophelia

The first Ophelia painting I saw was done by John Millais. It's a meticulously rendered, striking image of the body of a beautiful young woman floating in the river (after her suicide as depicted in Shakespeare's Hamlet).

Then I saw Odilon Redon's version, and I fell in love with it immediately. It's a much less literal depiction of the same event, but all the more surreal and haunting because of its haziness.

I get a profound sense of melancholy and quite grief from gazing at it. It doesn't have the same theatricality as Millais'. Somehow it seems extraordinarily peaceful as well.

R.I.P. Ophelia

My uncle's house in Japan

It was so cool staying in a wood lodge! Extremely comfortable and cosy.

My favourite films

I wrote yesterday that Spirited Away is my favourite Hayao Miyazaki film. In fact, it's possibly my favourite film ever. It's a tossup between it and Lost in Translation. I also strangely enjoyed Battle Royale, though I hate gore and violence.

Screencaps from Lost in Translation:

It so eloquently conveys the feelings I had being in Tokyo. Wish I could return again...

Hayao Miyazaki films

I visited Ghibli Museum in Japan last year and had the chance to see Miyazaki's sketchbooks containing drawings for his films. He is so wonderfully imaginative! I find his films utterly delightful. Here are screencaps of three of them that I watched.


Kiki's Delivery Service:

The scenery in Tonari no Totoro:

Spirited Away (my ultimate favourite):

Pictures from http://community.livejournal.com/film_stills/

New blog, new beginning...

Exams FINALLY over. Yay! I don't want to say how well I think I did, 'cos my gut feelings are sometimes uncannily accurate. But I feel really good overall. I'm hopeful ;)

So yesterday I went out for the first time in... I don't know how long, with my dearest classmates. And I got my exercise after a long time! I feel like I've built some leg muscles, which of course is good 'cos my prom dress is short (I adore my dress by the way). We ate Indian food, which I like because of its assault on my taste buds!

I want to take the time now to reflect on the year that's almost gone past. Well, according to my mum, this was a bad year for the whole world as the feng shui masters forecasted. But for me, this was a wonderful year, one of the best ever. I feel that my relationships with people reached a deeper level, and I found so many who supported me and put their trust in me. You know, sometimes I think I don't have that many friends unlike some whose social circle is so wide, but that's not a bad thing at all. At least I can call every one of my friends friends. I don't just mean friends, but teachers and my family as well. Do I deserve to be treated so well? I just want to make sure that my gratitude to them is known. I feel like on my part I've accomplished alot and grown alot in the past year also. There's been a change in me that I can't quite put a finger on. Some part of me is asking me to be more open and trusting of people, to share my lives with them. While they have done their part, I have to believe in myself. I once wrote in my journal that my lack of self-confidence is my biggest flaw and that if I could overcome it, I could accomplish anything. I've realised that it's important to believe I'm capable and just ask, and doors would open. I think ultimately it's up to me to choose to make things happen.

No matter the outcome of my exams, I've already gained a tremendous amount from my last year at school, and nothing will change the memories that I take away. I'm a little excited to have independence and the ability to choose my path, but scared as well. I'm still feeling a little down that I'd be parting with so many friends :( So, I've created a new blog mostly because I'm tired with the name. Hopefully this time I won't get tired of it. I don't think I would, I think I've finally found a name I really like. Here it is: http://beautifulinsidemymind.blogspot.com/. There's nothing right now of course, but I'll be posting on it soon.

PS. I wanted to call it Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, which is the name of British artist Damien Hirst's most recent auction. I really like his witty, bombastic use of titles, even if I don't like his works. Anyway, the name was too long, so I had to modify it.

Examples of other Hirst works and titles:

A Thousand Years- flies emerge from the white box in one of the glass chambers, fly to the next one and feed on the rotting cow's head (EWWW), mate, lay eggs, and are unceremoniously zapped by the insect-ocuter. Hypothetically, the life cycles of the flies can go on for a thousand years I suppose.

Beautiful Tick Tock Tickety Boo Painting- Haha.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living

This Little Piggy went to Market, This Little Piggy stayed Home

As you can see, this guy has a rather sick sense of humour.