Facing Windows
I'm starting to be of the opinion that any film out of Hollywood is good. Take this Italian film for example.
Giovanna is wife to Flippo, and faces all the problems that inevitably comes with marriage. Her husband doesn't listen, her kids don't obey, and her job sucks, though she hangs on for the money. With all the disappointment and discontent going on in her life, it's no wonder she starts to notice the cute Lorenzo, staying conveniently in the building across the street from her. From her kitchen window, she has a perfect view of the going-ons in Lorenzo's life. Does anyone think she's doing it because she has no TV? :)
So one day Giovanna and Flippo run into an old man in the streets, who's completely lost his memory, and mutters the name, "Simone" to them. They take him home, much to Giovanna's chagrin and care for him, while waiting for the police to notify them on any news. While she's totally irritated by the appearance of a stranger-potential-psycho-maniac and hence potential threat to her children, she slowly develops concern for the old man and even becomes friends with him in the end. Through the show, Simone also teaches her the value of life, to cherish what you have and hold no regrets.
Oh, and of course she meets and falls in love and tries to sleep with Lorenzo. :p
One of the things I like about foreign films is that unencumbered by Hollywood standards, they tend to have more originality, and rely more on talent, rather than big names to lure the audiences into the theatres. This is no exception. The age-old story of adultery has been given a few twists here and the ending is not exactly the typical happily-ever-after. [can't give it away. go watch it.] Though the adultery between her and Lorenzo and the old man Simone seem unconnected at first, it turns out that their stories are much more similiar than they thought, and everything is weaved out evenly in the end.
I also liked the parts where the amnesiac Simone appears to encounter spectres from his past as he traipses around in the real world. As he walks through a street, a woman would run to him, imploring him to help save her babies. As he dances with Giovanna, he is transported back in time to another flat, to another person, though he is still dancing with Giovanna. Past and present intertwine in an impossible dance.
Also remarkable is the main soundtrack of the movie, "Historia De Un Amor". [yes, we stayed back long enough to see the title on the credits] How can I describe the strains of the violin? As I sit here, I hear it in my mind once again, that simple refrain, the bow being pulled smoothly across the strings, a passion demanding for release. *sigh* I might just buy the VCD when it comes out just to hear that song again and again. And when accompanied by a very modern, trance beat.... *double sigh*
Without you
The red is not as red
the sky is not as blue
For the incurable romantic, or the hardened heart.
Women and Shopping
Might as well have titled this Fish and Water. Humans and Air. Simon and Garfunkel.
A current Newsweek article has printed an article on women, girlfriends and the bonding hormone once again, oxytocin.
3 cheers for oxytocin. Without it, we'd have no friends, no kakis, and a general collapse of the retail economy in general. Yes, women need shopping. And we need to shop with friends.
Here is the part where all the bemused men need to start reading. Why is it women love to shop? And why must they shop with friends?? Well, 1) Women are genetically engineered to be social creatures. Scientists believe that this is because unlike men, who generally compete for mating rights, [hey I have a BMW. Wanna f**k?] women have to be social creatures in order to make sure their offspring survive. Y'see, once the men've had their screw, they're basically off looking for the next screw, and so it's up to the woman to raise and take care of the child. [boy, this sounds sooooo familiar....] So in order to make sure their offspring survive, women have to band together in groups to take care of all the kids. [think soccer moms...]
2) Face it, there will always be more women than men. It's a genetic necessity in order to facilitate the survival of any species. Hence, in order to attract better mates, the women have to put in more effort in their appearances in order to look more alluring, more sexy, and general more willing to screw. Hahaha, just kidding...... But basically, most of women's fashion and cosmetics is designed to show off the parts of a woman's body that shows off her fertility, ie boobs, butt, stomach.... rouge for the lips, blush for the cheeks... Women need to look good to ensure future reproduction.
Put these 2 factors together and TA-DAH! This is where Taka, Wisma, and all the other shopping centres come to mind.
But other than these, there are definite advantages to shopping with your friends that you can't enjoy while shopping with strange females or guys. [boyfriends included. sorry guys...] For one, because they're friends, they'll choose stuff that'll look good on you, even if you don't think so at first. Common refrain: "Oh God, this will look great on you! Try it! Try it!" The last 2 phrases being punctuated in shrieks. They'll also pick out stuff that you won't normally wear, and encourage you to try new designs. "Oh c'mon! You're always wearing black. Try this shade for a change!" and they can instinctly pick out what they know you'll like. "Hey! They have it in your colour!"
Sound familiar? Read on...
Also, they're your best allies in the dreaded fitting rooms. If it doesn't fit, if the colour sucks, and if the back of your bra can be seen in that backless dress you're wearing, they don't care. The fitting rooms are where the final barriers come down. Even though in front of the rest of the world, you have to make sure your appearance is flawless at all times, in the fitting room, you are vulnerable in a state of half-dress, and naturally your close gal friends are the only ones you're gonna give a view of your unsightly stomach bulge in that shirt you're wearing. [boyfriends and husbands excluded, because most fitting rooms don't allow any men in at all.] Cheers to friends who can look at you honestly and give you truthful, constructive criticism, and who can accept you, bulges and all, in the fitting room!
Side: Though I have to admit, it galls me to have to shop in Singapore where everything to geared to the petite form. I mean dammit! Half the stuff I tried on, I couldn't even pull down past my chest! So while I can take comfort in the fact that I have broad shoulders, and that my waist isn't my biggest problem area, I have to also accept that, like one salesgirl wryly remarked, I am a very wei3 da4 woman. Bleah.
But I did manage to find another pair of XL Thai fishermen pants. Yay! Love those cos they're so casual and slack [hence suiting my present state of mind] and they're cheap and different from the jeans everyone else is wearing, and they're freakin' $10! Mwahahaha... wanted to buy some long-sleeved hippie shirts, but Quetz and Candle pulled me away in time. Phew...
And then later in the night, with Yenn, we found this shop in the Heeren that was having a sale, and everything was $10, and I bought this blue and white hawaiian-flower top. *sparkles in eyes* haha, Quetz, Candle, we should have shopped at Heeren. The Annex is undergoing renovation, so that shop had a sale, and there were some new shops in there as well. Nearly bought more cosmetic jewellery and hairbands, [blue camouflage!] and once again, my bank account was saved by Yenn......
New pants, and new top. Ah, life is good......
No comments:
Post a Comment