Anda Resa

"I am unbroken, a hyacinth who can’t die. I am a spring flower with pink bells Who rises full in the domains of light-hearted triumph. Live unsurpassable, certain, but in opposition to the world."

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My son, your troubled eyes search mine,

Puzzled and hurt by colour line.

Your black skin as soft as velvet shine;

What can I tell you, son of mine?

I could tell you of heartbreak, hatred blind,

I could tell you of crimes that shame mankind,

Of brutal wrong and deeds malign,

Of rape and murder, son of mine;

But I’ll tell you instead of brave and fine

When lives of black and white entwine,

And men in brotherhood combine—

This would I tell you, son of mine.

Kath Walker, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, “Son Of Mine (To Denis)”

Filed under Oodgeroo Noonuccal Kath Walker race aborigine poetry

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Project Runway - Season 8

I felt I should drop a line about Project Runway, Season 8.

Long before the doors of Mood were ever swung open or Heidi ever got a chance to smile her devilish grin at the fresh, new batch of fashion hopefuls, I knew which designers I would gravitate towards and become eternally bound. And on the list are not only my favourite designers of the season, but, quite possibly, my favourite designers of the series. Of course, to paraphrase Chris (one of the talents to whom I refer), I should wait to see how things pan out:

1. Gretchen Jones - She is my absolute favourite designer to date. Her work has been characterized as boring, derivative, and uncreative. But I see it as effortless, referential, and subtle. Her gift as a designer is her ability to elevate inner beauty with a delicate and measured hand, which enables her to push her work into daring directions while retaining control and creating a sense of ease.

When I watched her first dress come down the runway, I did not see a dress, an article of clothing, a product of industry or fevered efforts at innovation. I did not see fear. All I could see was a woman who seemed to walk as though she was on the air. My breathe was taken away. It was a lily of the valley. A Georgia O’Keeffe painting. An Imogen Cunningham photograph . A Diane Cluck song.

And let it not be said that I don’t also love, love, love the fact that her clothing is sustainable and that she exemplifies my own aesthetic taste to a fault. Or the fact that she is shy, gracious, and intelligent.

2. Valerie - Of all the clothing she has made so far, I can only really recall the red dress from Episode 2. It was very nicely made; modern, comfortable, and chic and the pose in the matching photograph was so smart and sophisticated, like Anne Bancroft dressed as Judy Jetson. She shows a great deal of potential and I’m excited to see more from her. But, mostly, I love her sense of humour. She’s able to be funny and honest without becoming cynical or embittered. I admire that quality so much in a person.

3. Chris - Sweetest man on earth. So easy to fall in love with. His aesthetic sense is inspired by nature and art history. His home is completely made of finely crafted wooden furniture and he refers to it as his tree house. His clothing follows a subdued autumnal colour pallet and he chooses flattering silhouettes that retain a level of intrigue. One can get lost in his pattern work just as easily as one can get lost in a forest. Perhaps one may never want to return?

Michael D. and Sarah both have a place in my heart. I’m rooting for you guys!

Anyways, how can I finish this blog without referring to the Infinity dress?

Oh, the infamous Infinity dress….What can be said? Other than I believe Jason must’ve been inspired by a very similar dress Lisa Simpson wore once:

Filed under project runway gretchen jones valerie chris michael d sarah jason infinity dress lisa simpson

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I’m in a sour mood. So: a Fear list.

  1. Vampires, the notion of turning cold and losing empathy for others frightens me like nothing else. I’m completely terrified of it!
  2. Spending the rest of my days in a totally meaningless office job. The one I’m currently holding is designed solely for the production of profit. It benefits nobody in any meaningful way. And all the posturing and lie-ing through one’s teeth at an office is enough to make me want to vomit.
  3. Never finding true love. I’ve given so much love to so many people from the greatest depths of my soul, but it has never been reciprocated back in any real, lasting way. I know others fancy me and they really do love me deeply as a person, but I’ve yet to have found anybody who truly loves the very fact of my existence and will always want to share in it, for as long as life and fate would permit, as I would for their own.
  4. Dying from an STD. Mostly because I would’ve given my love fully to another human being, only to get sick and die, with the likely-hood of not receiving any real, lasting love in return.
  5. Running into the only man I know I’ve ever wronged. I have repeated nightmares about it. And I know, on some level, that I would deserve much worse than what I’ve dreamt. 

Filed under fear

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Porifera Cardia

Porifera Cardia (a.k.a., The Biologist)

Verse I

Though a female hyena may take her mother’s life,

At forty five hundred pounds with each bite.

Its greatness surmounted by but a bay in the night,

A bay of grief that cuts, a chilling respite.

Porifera cardia, from ova and Asteroidea,

Why should any creature taste such tragedy?

Porifera cardia, from ova and Asteroidea,

Our station, it seems, is a haunted reverie.

Filed under biology poetry

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I was having a discussion with Fatima today and we were trying to decide which characters we are most like, and I decided upon Lisa Simpson, along with a few other candidates: Yukito from Card Captor Sakura Wendy Darling from Peter Pan and Phillip Waken from Mill On The Floss But I truly feel the most like Lisa. I’m so often misunderstood and unappreciated by my well-meaning family, often breaking into tears for having my spirit brought down. But it’s quite a spirit, one filled with empathy for others and passion for artistry and inquiry. My favourite Simpsons episodes have always revolved around Lisa: 1. Lisa’s Substitute 2. Moaning Lisa 3. Lisa the Vegetarian (although since this episode, she has become less complex and more of a one-dimensional mouth piece for the activist interests of the staff writers, which, no matter how much I may agree with them, aren’t as inspiring as seeing a passionate human being struggle to find purpose.) Other Simspons episodes are incredibly funny, but none of them are as poignant as the Lisa ones.

I was having a discussion with Fatima today and we were trying to decide which characters we are most like, and I decided upon Lisa Simpson, along with a few other candidates:

Yukito from Card Captor Sakura

Wendy Darling from Peter Pan

and Phillip Waken from Mill On The Floss


But I truly feel the most like Lisa. I’m so often misunderstood and unappreciated by my well-meaning family, often breaking into tears for having my spirit brought down. But it’s quite a spirit, one filled with empathy for others and passion for artistry and inquiry.

My favourite Simpsons episodes have always revolved around Lisa:

1. Lisa’s Substitute

2. Moaning Lisa

3. Lisa the Vegetarian (although since this episode, she has become less complex and more of a one-dimensional mouth piece for the activist interests of the staff writers, which, no matter how much I may agree with them, aren’t as inspiring as seeing a passionate human being struggle to find purpose.)

Other Simspons episodes are incredibly funny, but none of them are as poignant as the Lisa ones.

Filed under lisa simpson simpsons

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Howdie, y’all! So I watched Toy Story 3 and here are my impressions. Negatives:  *Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear shared too many similarities with Toy Story 2’s antagonist, Stinky Pete the Prospector. Physically, the two have the same build, carry the same sort of walking stick/pick-axe, have the same bushy eyebrows, and share many of the same mannerisms. Thematically, the two are both embittered and hardened due to a history of abandonment and neglect, and manipulate other toys using their wholesome, country charm.  vs. *Designs for new toys seemed more like Dream Works animated characters given toy-like texturing than fully functioning toys, with all of their buttons, bolts, stiff limbs, and limited mobility, becoming animated, and seemed out of place among the classic toys and toy story characters. (This may partially be due to the fact that they conflicted with the design philosophy of the previous films by making the characters go bulbous to thin to bulbous, rather than bulbous to pointy.) This is especially true for Stretch, who was given almost unlimited flexibility. And was anybody else bothered by the fact that her second left limb has five suction cups while her second right limb has only three? No toy designer would allow that. And if they somehow fell off, then there should be scratches and left over glue stains there to show it. *I couldn’t help but feel a little irked by the final joke at Ken’s expense about his feminine hand-writing. The expression on the toys’ faces and the laughter from the audience really hurt. Positives: *As a boy who has had very long-standing relationships with his stuffed animals, I know how hard it is to part with them and I found myself choked up more than once. Pixar knows how to deliver emotional scenes with sincerity and integrity. *The plot was very well conceived and delivered, a rarity for second sequels. *Bonnie was just perfect. I loved her completely. *Totoro. All in All: I give Toy Story 3 a B.

Howdie, y’all!

So I watched Toy Story 3 and here are my impressions.

Negatives: 

*Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear shared too many similarities with Toy Story 2’s antagonist, Stinky Pete the Prospector. Physically, the two have the same build, carry the same sort of walking stick/pick-axe, have the same bushy eyebrows, and share many of the same mannerisms. Thematically, the two are both embittered and hardened due to a history of abandonment and neglect, and manipulate other toys using their wholesome, country charm. 

vs.

*Designs for new toys seemed more like Dream Works animated characters given toy-like texturing than fully functioning toys, with all of their buttons, bolts, stiff limbs, and limited mobility, becoming animated, and seemed out of place among the classic toys and toy story characters. (This may partially be due to the fact that they conflicted with the design philosophy of the previous films by making the characters go bulbous to thin to bulbous, rather than bulbous to pointy.) This is especially true for Stretch, who was given almost unlimited flexibility. And was anybody else bothered by the fact that her second left limb has five suction cups while her second right limb has only three? No toy designer would allow that. And if they somehow fell off, then there should be scratches and left over glue stains there to show it.

*I couldn’t help but feel a little irked by the final joke at Ken’s expense about his feminine hand-writing. The expression on the toys’ faces and the laughter from the audience really hurt.

Positives:

*As a boy who has had very long-standing relationships with his stuffed animals, I know how hard it is to part with them and I found myself choked up more than once. Pixar knows how to deliver emotional scenes with sincerity and integrity.

*The plot was very well conceived and delivered, a rarity for second sequels.

*Bonnie was just perfect. I loved her completely.

*Totoro.

All in All:

I give Toy Story 3 a B.

Filed under toy story 3