Birthdays and silly things I'd waste my money on

My birthday is coming up soon, yay me. On a related note, a really close friend of mine has her birthday coming up soon too, and it's a 21st. There is potential for a Harry Potter theme, and, my, does this have me all giddy. By the way, I love Harry Potter... But we won't go into too much detail on that, apart from the fact that I've been requested to dress up as Hermione (obviously!), so I've been doing some online shopping.

The first item that would be required is the straightforward outfit: Robes. This keeps the outfit very wizarding and such, and obviously I need Gryffindor robes, because that's Hermione's house (makes sense, right?). If I were to choose which house I would be in, I would probably have ended up in Ravenclaw. Make of that deduction what you will...

Universal studios Gryffindor robes

Those are the real deal right there, but they come with a real deal price tag, so for a more reasonable purchase, this may be considered: Amazon

The next obvious item for a witch (or wizard) would be their wand. So here is Hermione's wand...

Again from Amazon 

... The reviews seem pretty positive too, unlike many of the other items. The box is really cool as well, straight from Olivander's. BUT!!!

But... Then I found this...

Dumbledore's wand... The Elder Wand.
The Death Stick, the Wand of Destiny. Yes, you know the one

So I am faced with the slight dilemma because Hermione can't exactly be going around with Dumbledore's wand, even though it's so cool and who wouldn't want this wand? I do think I'll have to settle for 10¾" vine wood, with a dragon heartstring core. 

And finally, to finish off Hermione's character, even though she no longer has it...

Her Time Turner

I think I could make a great Hermione Granger.

I'm not the only one who is sad that I will never to get to spend hours with her and her friends ever again, but I suppose that's why we have themed birthday parties: living for the dream...

When you lose a friend

I'm the kind of person where, if you aren't willing to fight to have me in your life, then if you drift away from me, I won't fight for you - if I'm not worth your time, then why should I struggle to convince you that you need me around?

I've lost friends in my lifetime, who hasn't? Some have been inconsequential - they had a good run in my life, but we just drifted and had no roles to fulfil in each other's lives anymore, and both parties were okay with that. Once or twice, however, there have been important people whose departure from their position close to my heart has caused considerable pain. This, understandably, has happened in the case of boyfriends - if I'm dating you, you are pretty much guaranteed to be a bestie of mine, otherwise why are we even dating? So break ups have caused lost friendships.

Then there's the cases where you have both have changed, and no matter how hard you try, the friendship isn't the same: you don't have the same interests, you just don't get along and have fun in the same ways that you used to, and I've found that I've just had to move on with life and accept that things and people change, even if you don't want them to.

My latest dilemma: when something has happened that shouldn't be coming between you and the friend, but it does. Kind of like if you didn't know your friend was into some guy, and you end up dating him. It's not your fault that you didn't know she was interested in him, and it kind of leaves you in an awkward position - do you give up on the friendship to be with this new guy? Do you leave the guy and save the friendship because friends will always be there for you, but relationships are more than likely temporary. But what if the damage has already been done to the friendship?

This isn't really my situation at the moment, but the damage has probably been done. I don't want to let go of this friendship, it was important to me, even if it did have a weird dynamic. But then I have to question why I want to save it? If they don't want me around anymore, am I just doing myself and the relationship a disservice by forcing it?

My biggest challenge here, I suppose, is the arrogant assumption that this person needs me, and I want to be needed - if they don't need me, am I needed at all? I don't want to lose them, but maybe it won't make a difference. So, like with all things, time will tell, and time will heal if it doesn't all turn out okay.

(Note: the pictures used in this post are just illustrations of friends, not necessarily friendships that are no more)

A superficial treaty

Over the weekend there was a march, the International Parade. What does this mean? It means that people dress up in the colours of an assigned country, and march carrying that flag down through the streets of town.

Taking over the streets of Grahamstown

Local groups and schools added to the festivities, leading the march in dance

What it's supposed to be is promoting unity of our Rainbow Nation, and rising up against xenophobia. Because xenophobia has been a problem in South Africa in the past, awareness of it and activism against it is a great idea. The problem is that majority of the people participating don't know this, and just grab the opportunity to dress up with their friends and do something different with their weekend. There were some comments of people not even knowing what many of the flags were, understandably, so some educational value of the march was lost there as well.

Going all out for China

What I found ironic was the way in which different countries "mingled". Because the march represents countries standing together and putting aside their differences, these interactions demonstrate how we can all just get along (as countries). The issue, though, was that most of the countries were being represented by people who don't know anything about the country they are representing, so the meaning of this is lost, to a degree.

Mingling... Any suggestions on which countries these two are?
What about the nature of the relationship between the countries?

Zimbabwe of course had a substantial following, with most
of those representing it being from Zimmmmm

The event was a lot of fun, it certainly brought groups together (like residences and societies), and it was a little educational. Unfortunately it wasn't advertised enough, so there was apparently a smaller turnout than in previous years. With their advertising they also would have been able to get more of the messages across about why they are doing it. Within each country/representing group, they probably also could have worked on making sure that people knew at least a little something about the country.

Margaret Smith House (my res), represented Cameroon. We made "traditional" masks as props, because that seemed to be a common trend on Google, but I think we should at least have found out more about what the masks mean. It was all in good fun, though, and I'm glad we participated. Last year our participation was so enthusiastic that we earned a cake for the res. Let's hope we did so well again this year, that cake was delicious.

Margaret Smith House representing Cameroon

Preparations: Chrissi Preuss (RSA)
paints flags onto Jenny Guild (Zim)

Movie catchup roundup #2

My second round of ensuring that I am cultured in the way of movies that I should have seen in my lifetime: completed.

The Last Samurai

This was supposed to be another one of those tear-jerking movies, but it took me a long while to watch it (about 6 hours or so). What I particularly enjoyed about this movie was its commentary on industrialisation and colonisation: civilisations that ran effectively stood no chance against the machines that the arrogant West brought. It was also touching to see the development of a hardened character, such as Tom Cruise (who it was nice to see in a different role), into an empathetic and peaceful individual who now fights for what he believes is right, and he fought for the underdog - doesn't that just make him truly dreamy? I am exaggerating, but it was a nice development of a character. I wasn't expecting the (spoiler alert) months spent in the peaceful Japanese village, but the filmmakers did pull it off quite well, luckily. I'm glad that I can say that I've now seen it, but I don't think it will stand out in my mental movie bank in future.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I loved it. It was wonderful escapism and it had a really entertaining cast. It was beyond weird, yet it didn't seem to be trying too hard to be so. It was almost like a commercialised Dr Who, but without making the viewer feel like a niche nerd. It was funny and it was serious: how would you feel if your planet was demolished? Overall, I feel like I have added a little bit of culture to my life, but only a small amount: I need to read the book because the books are always better. (Maybe one day I'll even watch other versions of it...)

21 & Over

I had not heard good things about this movie, but I don't think it was all that bad. I would say that the quality of our teen comedy movies is declining - this movie was unoriginal, drawing from movies like Project X and The Hangover. I'll also admit that they really do say the main character's name far too much: "Jeff Chan!" It was mindless and stupid, and sometimes that's a good thing. It was pretty far-fetched, of course. I could relate to the "college life" situation portrayed, but not too much, thank goodness. While I've seen a fair amount of bush-diving injuries around campus, we tend to be a lot more conservative here in South Africa, so luckily this Jeff Chan situation is not that likely to happen.

The commentary on friend relationships and the way they deteriorate as we move away from teen years really did hit home: I find myself missing "the good ol' school days" when things were simple and you knew exactly what was going on with everyone's life (I went to a really small high school - less than 400 students). I don't miss being in high school, it wasn't "the best time of my life", but it certainly was a lot simpler back then, and maybe I just miss having so much free and lazy time... And not having to make life-changing decisions, which is where I am right now, and it is seriously stressing me out, eep!

Weekly digest #8

A week of "retirement" : As a Manchester United supporter, news of Sir Alex Ferguson announcing his retirement came as a bit of a surprise. I must admit that I'm not a very big sports follower though (at this time in my life) because I can't see the benefit of spending leisure time watching sport, not when there is work to be done, or more intellectually stimulating information that needs to be consumed in my life. But this is just for the moment: one day, perhaps, I'll be a sports reporter, or perhaps I'll be the friend that hosts weekend get togethers to watch "the game", though I am also excited for that because of the food potential that such occasions call for.

But back to Sir Alex: he's been around forever! News is always reporting a chop and a change of coaches and team members and managers, but he was that one constant. It's really not going to be the same without him. I'm going to join the ManU supporters in watching some stranger, when I finally get around to it.

Something else that is going to change dramatically (should it even continue without her), is 3rd Degree, a show on eNCA, whose anchor (slash main reason for being) Debora Patta has quit her position to move on to other freelance work. While people don't necessarily agree with her methods for investigative reporting, they can be pretty effective, and most certainly entertaining, drawing in a fair-sized audience. It's going to be interesting to see where this leaves the show - does it even still have a future? Will my fellow Journ Students, those specialising in TV Journalism, be there to take over from her? Time will tell...


Exciting crime in Grahamstown - shootouts and car chases : The rate at which dramatic, TV-type crime seems to be happening here in Grahamstown lately is ridiculous - the town is only so big! Again, I am confused as to the lack of interest in these stories. High speed car chases just down the road from where we do our groceries, with gunfire exchange? Why aren't people talking about it?!

Maybe one day when I'm part of the bigger world, people will be more interested in life around them than going out partying four times a week. People need to find some balance, but it's also fine that it doesn't happen straight away: we're allowed to be students for a bit. I'm just stressed about the fact that Real Life is just around the corner for me, and I don't know what I'm going to do about it. Any suggestions?

Movie catchup round #1

When I find out that someone has not seen movie greats like Star Wars and Titanic, I am struck down with mortification. Sure, it doesn't necessarily have to be your cup of tea, but how can you not have watched it? Do you want no culture in your life? Then I realise that I am probably pretty uncultured as well. I know and have seen some pretty spectacular movies in my lifetime, but there are those that crop up, and I am horribly embarrassed to say that I have not had the pleasure of enjoying them.

I have thus taken it upon myself to catch up on all these movies, and reflect on them and make recommendations as I go. Join me, if you feel the need: we could all use a little culture.

The mission was inspired by a conversation about which movies have made you cry. Hachi: A Dog's Tale is the first of mine that comes to mind, about a dog and his owner. If you haven't seen it, you should really do yourself the favour. And that's all I'm going to say about that.


Gladiator

A classic featuring Russell Crowe (and some other cool people), who we know can pretty much do no wrong when it comes to epic movies. He lived up to his usual standards, I would say, and the movie lived up to its reputation: it was most enjoyable. I was in the right kind of mood for an action movie, which was lucky - there is a fair amount of blood and gore about, the makings of any great "boy's" movie. There was more to appreciate than the strength of the men as they swung their heavy blades and dodged spears, at least. There was a tragic story of a man who loses his family, of past and forgotten loves, and of fighting for your country and what you believe in. The ending worked well as well: it was not unrealistic, and not hopeless - it didn't leave you feeling that empty sadness deep within your soul, rather an uplifting inspiration where you walk away with a heavy heart, eager to do something meaningful with your life.

Then I had a cup of coffee and a slab of chocolate and went to bed. Sorry, Inspiration, next time, I promise.


Armageddon

I love space and I love end-of-the-world movies. There seemed to be a period in movie-making history where this was quite popular. I think it happens each time there is a long-gone prediction for this, like 2012. That was almost disappointing. And then we realised that we get to carry on living our lives, and that's pretty cool.

This movie had a truly top-notch cast: Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler (every time I saw her face I could only think of Lord of the Rings...), Billy Bob Thornton and some other familiar names graced my screen. I kind of feel like this movie was made before a lot of them were cool, as well, so "hey, waddup, hipster movie?" There was a nice balance of comedy and seriousness in this film, a break in the tension without losing the threat of eminent death. Also, not bad graphics for a 1998 film: some of it reminded me of Star Wars (Episodes 1-3), which kind of made me giggle. I don't know how to explain why...

It was also a tragic film, and I was accused of being a hard-ass for not crying. Sometimes, though, I just get so involved in the story that I don't get caught up in the emotion of it. Which sort of doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's me, sometimes my brain is backwards and doesn't understand what it's supposed to do.


New Movie: Gangster Squad

I also watched a new movie, just to offset the complete old-school nature of my movie-viewing behaviour. Ok, fine, I also watched it because Ryan Gosling is dreamy. Until he opens his mouth that is... He's hot in a David Beckham way, where the voice just doesn't match the face. Gosling's suave, smooth-talking, cheeky eyes thing just works though. He and Emma Stone work really well together as well.

I really enjoyed the way it was filmed. On the whole the movie felt like a combination between Guy Ritchie (directed Sherlock Holmes) and Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge and the latest Great Gatsby), so it was a lot of sensory fun to watch. It was pretty cool as a gangster movie, but at the same time, it didn't really present anything new in the way of story or expectations. I did enjoy it though, and it is definitely worth giving a watch.

The Ogre

My name is Insecurity. I have to be the best because the best is the closest I'll ever get to perfection. Or I'll at least be closer than anyone else is. The problem is that I'm not even good enough to compete for this position. The other problem is that there won't only be one person who is the best. We are too complex as individuals, and then everyone else has a different idea of what that best is anyway! So I guess what I want is to be better than as many people as I can in as many people's opinions that I can. Any shortcomings are seen as a failure.

So how do I avoid failure? I don't try at all. If you don't try, you won't fail. You may say, "but then you'll never succeed either..." To which I respond, "I'd be disappointed in my performance anyway, because I could always have done it better."

You're not overly accepted by those around you, so I'm just here to protect you, to make sure no one has the opportunity to judge you. Who are they to judge you? We judge ourselves enough as it is. We are always right, they don't know us.

I am a sneaky conscience. I sit with you at all times. I'm the Super-Ego making you feel guilty for attempting certain failure, and guilty for not having succeeded at anything and everything. I will show you why you should be guilty by taking you online where you won't get a ny work (or life) done. I will show you who you could be: look at those skinny girls on Tumblr, those entrepreneurs on Mashable, those friends on Facebook who have actually progressed to somewhere. I will even let you get inspired and motivated to be like them! But then you'll realise the time, and you'll have to go to sleep, not having moved any closer to achieving your goals. That's something else to feel guilty about. Sweet dreams on that, my dear...

***

Another day and I continue my job. I've been here, growing stronger as you meet and hear about yet moe people who are better than you. Yes, I make your life difficult, and the goals you want to achieve seem ever-distant in their possibility. But each time you achieve one, each time you manage to ignore me or look past me, hasn't that been so much more satisfying and gratifying? Weren't those achievements even greater because you managed to overcome all the obstacles you faced, AS WELL as beating yourself?

Aren't we so much greater for being "Me" (you).

Commentary on Page One...

Inside the New York Times.

The death of print is near. So says the voices of media institutions world-over, particularly those that have already been put out of business. Page One: Inside the New York Times has a look into these deaths, and takes us behind the scenes of what appears to be a journalistically strong newspaper, one that has a socially-prevalent history, The New York Times.

It was an aesthetically pleasing documentary. It was engaging. This was lucky as I had to spend my leisure time on a public holiday watching it. No harm done: I love hearing about the impending doom of my field of work. But not really. But at the same time it is quite thrilling. 

We've been hearing about it for years: people aren't reading newspapers anymore. When you have access to the same information online immediately, and for FREE, why would you pay tomorrow for something you could have known about long before everyone else. This is why I love Twitter: instant access to breaking news. So we hear a lot about how no one wants to spend money when it's not necessary...

... but this does come at the cost of the quality of journalism. How can you expect a 100% accurate and fully comprehensive story within a few minutes of the event occurring? That is what we expect. In this "Now Generation", we want to know straight away what has happened, like tsunamis in Japan, and the Boston bombings. What I did like was a blow-by-blow account of what was happening on the ground, by one of the online newspapers, but that is still more like Twitter than longer-form journalism, which I would agree is dying out as well, as our attention spans become shorter, and more and more things are competing for that limited attention. 

So "wat do" now? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps by the time I join the ranks of those cut-throat journos, the likes of David Carr, these problems will have sorted themselves out. Speaking of whom, that man has quite the personality, and I would not like to be on the receiving end of one of his interrogations. 

This was definitely a documentary worth watching. Even if it does tell me that a potential career path of mine is going to peter out and die. That's okay, though, at least I have the Internets to keep me busy. I am an online writer now. I have no fear.

Something I couldn't afford

Is it even worth trying to pay attention?

She lost me when she went back to revise the last lecture. So why should I pay attention to something we've already done (ignoring the fact that I didn't get it then either anyway)?

We finally get to the new content and I swear I will pay attention. I'm sitting there, completely (trying to) focus(ed). She get's herself confused with content that I'm already struggling to keep up with, so I get confused again.

"And that's as simple as it is." Yeah, sure it is...

I get caught up trying to figure it out, and then I realise we've moved on to something new. and I have no idea what's going on. By the time I figure out what it is that's being explained, it's over. The only thing I understand about it is that which I am able to figure out using my English Etymology.

(By the way, how the people came up with these methods for statistical analysis is truly beyond me. I think I can confidently say that they sucked the methods right out of their thumb. Honestly, in what world is it OK to just through in a square root sign, just for gees (fun)?)

Possibly, the issue that I'm facing is that a lot of this is being made more complicated than it actually is. Also, keeping track of these abbreviations she keeps mentioning is difficult. It's been so long since I truly did statistics and learnt Maths, that figuring this out is pretty difficult.

Hashtag-BA-kid-for-life