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This afternoon, I asked a friend to come with me to Serendra because I was craving for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Cupcakes by Sonja. She happily came along and before we both knew it, we found ourselves in the newly-opened branch of Fully Booked.
One thing about me being in a bookstore; I take FOREVER.
If I had all the money in the world, I would spend it on books... (Actually, I’d spend it on guitars and gear too, but I’m talking about books here.)
I went around for a long time until I finally decided that I was going to purchase a novel by Oscar Wilde called “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
As soon as I read the preface, I began to experience what a great writer Oscar Wilde actually is. He started off with something he wrote about art. It got me thinking, which is why I decided to post it here.
One line from the preface really struck me:
“It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.”
I found this line particularly interesting because it was rather different from my view of art. Because of this line, I’ve been pushed to rethink how I’ve always described art. I always used to relate it to literature, in terms of both being a reflection of life.
And then I realized that when a person comes face-to-face with a piece of art, they are the ones who decide how that piece of art is significant to them. (Much like our first activity.) When people see a painting, or a sculpture, maybe even hear a song, they interpret that piece of art based on what they are going through, their lives, and basically who they are. That’s why I think this quote by Wilde certainly holds true for me as well. I now realize that the way I see and make sense of the world is affected by the experiences I have had and my own personality. Everytime I look at a piece of art and think about what it means to me, I’m surprised by the new knowledge I gain about myself and about the way I relate with the rest of the world.
Same goes for watching movies. The person’s interpretation, as well as how a movie affects him/her, depends on the experiences that the person has been through. It does not simply convey one message for everyone… At least, that’s what I think.
I find it interesting how a piece of art is able to conform, somehow, to the life and the kind of person viewing it. It’s like being able to shape-shift into something that the spectator can relate to and after that, it leaves a little something with him/her. I suppose a certain positive change occurs; and I really do think a person learns a thing or two after reflecting on a piece of art and like I said, this modifies them somehow- whether it’s a small change or a big change.
I think that’s really cool.
6:20 PM
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I just finished watching a special on the discovery channel about the life of Steve Irwin. His accomplishments, work, family and many other aspects of his life were talked about by those close to him.
Yes, I was, and I still am, a big fan.
It was awe-inspiring for me to see how much effort and passion he actually put into wildlife conservation. His love for animals pushed him to soar to great heights and really change the outlook of many about wildlife conservation.
I remembered our discussion on film, after watching a movie about the brothers August and Louie Lumiere; it was mentioned that all art is a matter of choice. In the case of movies, it is choosing what to frame (something like that, at least).
Steve Irwin chose to frame wildlife. And through this he was able to make a significant difference in the world. In my opinion, he really was able to turn nature into art by using a camera to frame it and show everyone that conservation of wildlife is definitely needed to make the world an ever better place.
It seems he was able to accomplish many things while filming episodes for his show; he was able to express himself, at the same time bringing about some much-needed change by inspiring people to care for the environment and go after what they are passionate about.
I used to think only a few people could make such a tremendous difference in the world but Steve Irwin has taught me to think otherwise:
“Be passionate and enthusiastic in whatever you do in life and you’ll be a winner!”
--Steve Irwin
There may have only been one Steve Irwin in the world, but there’s (most likely) only one Bam Gueco, one Jam Collado, one Roman Tiamson and one (Miss) Jewel Castro in the whole planet.
These are all “small” people, living in a big world but with passion and enthusiasm, they become fully capable of causing a HUGE transformation.
Just like ONE Steve Irwin was able to do.
Yes, I was, and I still am, a big fan.
It was awe-inspiring for me to see how much effort and passion he actually put into wildlife conservation. His love for animals pushed him to soar to great heights and really change the outlook of many about wildlife conservation.
I remembered our discussion on film, after watching a movie about the brothers August and Louie Lumiere; it was mentioned that all art is a matter of choice. In the case of movies, it is choosing what to frame (something like that, at least).
Steve Irwin chose to frame wildlife. And through this he was able to make a significant difference in the world. In my opinion, he really was able to turn nature into art by using a camera to frame it and show everyone that conservation of wildlife is definitely needed to make the world an ever better place.
It seems he was able to accomplish many things while filming episodes for his show; he was able to express himself, at the same time bringing about some much-needed change by inspiring people to care for the environment and go after what they are passionate about.
I used to think only a few people could make such a tremendous difference in the world but Steve Irwin has taught me to think otherwise:
“Be passionate and enthusiastic in whatever you do in life and you’ll be a winner!”
--Steve Irwin
There may have only been one Steve Irwin in the world, but there’s (most likely) only one Bam Gueco, one Jam Collado, one Roman Tiamson and one (Miss) Jewel Castro in the whole planet.
These are all “small” people, living in a big world but with passion and enthusiasm, they become fully capable of causing a HUGE transformation.
Just like ONE Steve Irwin was able to do.
Source:
11:43 PM
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I wasn't able to help myself...
It was shameful and yet, there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Towards the end of the movie, the tears just started to trickle down my cheeks.
I'll admit it, I was indeed touched. I tried in vain to discreetly pull out sheets of tissue from my file case, but my friends apparently noticed.
Cinema Paradiso, in my opinion can be described in many words... Touching, remarkable, interesting, funnny; but to sum everything up, I would have to say that the movie was beautiful.
I was fascinated by the setting of the movie, being in Italy during the war period, the culture back then, the means of entertainment and the kind of technology available. I was captivated by the endearing characters of the film; and most of all, moved by the father-son relationship Toto shared with Alfredo.
I was really touched by the part where Toto went home in time for Alfredo's burial. I guess I was touched mainly because I could relate to the character in terms of losing a loved one. I lost my grandma last year and I would have to say that it was one of the most trying times in my life. Sometimes it still seems like my broken heart and spirit will never be mended.
On the other hand, I was heartened by what Alfredo said (although I failed to take note of it verbatim) about his blindness and being able to see more because of it. I realized that when life tosses certain "calamities" at me, I tend to wish for a better situation (quite frankly, who wouldn't?). But what I learned from Alfredo is that life throws storms at us that seem to shake us to no end, leaving us feeling weak and broken... But if we take it from Alfredo's way of dealing with life, we get to see that even in "blindness" there can be more sight. Beautiful things come out of even the worst situations.
After my grandma passed away, I began to really realize that "getting over" just doesn't seem possible; it's just that moving on is inevitable. It has to happen. And I really do think that once it does, then the person going through it emerges stronger than ever before, ready to take on more calamities and learn new lessons that help enrich one's life and make it more beautiful.
Photo sources:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/cinema-paradiso/title.jpghttp://blogs.hoycinema.com/myfiles/la-reina-del-mando/TotoAlfredohor.jpghttp://blogs.hoycinema.com/myfiles/la-reina-del-mando/TotoAlfredohor.jpg
4:43 PM
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I was viewing the blogs of both my friends (in this class) when I noticed that both of them had written about the first day of school as their first entries while I, on the other hand, had written about a movie that I watched during that weekend. Because of that, I decided to join the bandwagon... It's a tad bit late, but late is better than never, right? so here it goes...
An account of my first day in ARTAPRE class...
It was quite funny... On the first day of class, I remember not even being able to get up on time. I was quite late. And of course, i felt slightly awkward entering the classroom. I felt like I made a bad impression... On the first day! However, the class did prove to be fun and I'm hoping that for the rest of the term, it'll stay that way.
I haven't been disappointed so far. The lessons have been great and engaging. Because of that, I have a little bit more motivation to get up for class and be on time.
8:14 PM
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I watched a movie with my brother and a friend last night. Funny, we intended to go and watch Zodiac but since we were late, we ended up watching Mr. Bean. I wasn’t so eager to watch it since I was feeling disappointed about not being able to watch Zodiac. However, my feelings toward watching the movie changed by the time it was over. Who would have thought I’d be able to gain insights for my blog from a silly movie?
I beg for pardon from the reader, who may be intending to watch Mr. Bean on the big screen… I may spoil it for you. But I really did feel strongly about posting it here.
We were a bit late when it started. By that time, Mr. Bean was in a train station bound for Cannes, France. Of course, it’s already known that he does get himself as well as those around him, into a lot of trouble.
In a nutshell, Mr. Bean is basically trying to get to a beach in Cannes but on his way there, he caused some trouble for a father and his son by separating them (See, I’m trying utterly hard NOT to spoil EVERYTHING…;)). Now, Mr. Bean, along with the son of the man, both have to get to Cannes, where the boy‘s father is. Along the way of course (as is expected of any Mr. Bean film or episode), they encounter mishaps like losing money and other belongings. It was funny how even when times were hard, both the French boy and Mr. Bean worked together and made do with what they had while trying to find creative ways to get by.
They also met a bunch of cool people like an actress and a group of musicians. In the end, the actress, the French boy and Mr. Bean came together and traveled to Cannes because it turns out that actress was going to the Film Festival and the boy’s father was a director who was going to be part of that festival as well. They then worked together to bring the boy back to his father.
I hope I’m making absolute sense.
Anyways, bottom line is… I’ve always heard people say “Life is like a journey” or “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade” plus lots of others. What I’m trying to say is life, in my opinion, just like in the movie Mr. Bean, can throw lots of lemons. Sometimes, in my own life, okay, not sometimes… Oftentimes, I screw up and get into trouble a lot (like Mr. Bean). But it doesn’t make my life meaningless or whatever. It just makes the journey more interesting, or well, that’s how I’d like to think about it. Sometimes, it also seems to take forever to get where we wanna be, but the thing is, it’s not always about the destination, it’s mainly about the road we took and the kind of person we’ve become. Our decisions, screw up’s, people we’ve met and lots of other aspects all come together to paint a beautiful picture.
9:09 PM