I don't know about you boys, but there are times in life when a girl's hair is a tad silkier and far more dashing than before. When those kind of days are paired with a boosted self confidence -- from none other than a fantabulous pair of jeans, which not only conceals her bodily flaws but also embraces what's not-- there comes another expectation, that those days she is about to stroll on will be lively and full of ectasy.

And there is a day, like today, when a girl finished the last graded examination of her entire MS career, but left, unfortunately, with a bunch of other vocational tasks doomed to be completed. So the girl has decided, instead of posting another of the for-your-entertainment-only entry, she is going home to cook her favorite meals and then to get some decent sleep. Then maybe, maybe, tomorrow, she could tell you her (fried)chicken hunting story and the young lad associated with it.

Until then,
X

Since I was a young'un, movies have been such a personal joie de vivre.

During the late 80s-early 90s, at the company area where we lived in, only several people had access to cable television with channels such as HBO, Star TV, CNN, and the company's own. My father wasn't priviledged enough to such service, so, among others, we usually relied on renting old BETAMAX videos and on programs from the national TV and the Malaysian's TV 3 & TV 5. (Father built our own outdoor fish-strip look alike antenna). When we moved out of the camp area to our own house, we installed a parabole-shapped antenna --like a satellite dish, but much much bigger-- on our spacious backyard. Around this time, the country's private TV networks have been blooming, and thus with the new installed antenna, there were virtually no limit on the amount of channels available to be viewed.

Another way to enjoy movies was to go to the company's own movie theater; the Movie, that's how everyone called it. Almost every Saturdays, one flick was shown at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 PM. Every child in the family had a picture ID, to identify, among others, the child's age. To be given free admittance to the movie, we had to show the said ID, therefore, it was imperative for us to know the category played that week, All Ages, PG 13, or Rated-R.

During my elementary school days, a trip to The Movie involved at least five close friends and enough candy and such to cause severe collywobbles. Not satisfied with watching the movie for only once, we usually went back in for another viewing just hours apart. There were times when we would just stayed inside the theater waiting for the next showtime. This movie deserved a special mention, since we watched it back to back, all 5 showtimes.

In junior and senior high days, I prefered to go alone to the 2 PM shows. The reasons being were that a) there usually only a few people watching and 2) the basketball practice was at 4. The theather was virtually mine. Under the flickering projector, both feet up, it felt like there was no other place on earth I would rather be at.

When this movie was finally played in The Movie, it was inevitably jam-packed. In the scene when the command module with the three astronots were finally arrived safely to earth from the ill-fated unattainable lunar landing, they showed the people in the Apollo control room congratulating each other. I was among the audiences who also exchanged the congratulatory gesture. Definitely one of my fun movie moments.

The Movie's weekly movie showing has been shut down in the late 90s due to the company's budget policy and the ever-convenience way to get the DVD copies of new movies. I'm glad I have this blog to preserve those memories of the good ol' movie watching days.

Out of boredom, Ndoro Yadda (NY) and I decided to take a trip down to a beauty salon, for a haircut, no less. I've been fussing about having to ponytail my hair every single day and how it makes me look more mature (age wise) than what I suppose to, plus now that summer is coming... *Summertime and the living is easy..., Fantasia jazzes (as opposed to rocks)*

Now, NY is the resident stylist-designer in the Ndoro Xinda Institute of Fine Living, CollegeSta. She came up with some hairstyles for me straight from the current women magazines. There is one particular style that I incumbently agreed upon. The one, when equipped with suitable body figure and hair type, will make me look like Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham. Pretty simple, no?

So, there we drove to East 29th St. on a fine Saturday mid-morning. NY was the first one to get her hair cut, then it was my turn.

X: Is it possible for me to get this style of hair, my hair now is just too long. *showing the "barber" a picture from said magazine*

Barber Karen: Oh, no, your hair is not looking like that, it's curly. I can cut it like that, but it won't look like that picture after I'm finished. *Furiously looking at my hair and the picture back and forth* You need to spend a good 4 hour, get your hand straightened, so it'll look like mine. Than you will get exactly like the picture.

She then proceed to start working on my hair with an alien-looking knife instead of the usual scissors. She was doing it in a hasty kinda way.

NY when faced with the same hair-bonding suggestion flatly refused Barber Karen out. "I just don't like straight hair", NY says. In me, Barber Karen saw the insecure-fashion concious, which I am definitely not. She just bombarded the same sugestion over and over. Threaten by her kniving activity on my head and having the urge to play along with her overbearing character, I inquired about this hair-straightening business.

"How much does it cost?" She mentioned some dollar amount, which if not adjusted for deflation, is about a quarter value of a shiny new Model T in 1928.

X: And it will take at least 4 hours?
BK: Yes, but it will be permanent.

X: And how long will it last?
BK: It will last forever, it's permanent.

Yeah, like I will eat that. There is nothing wrong with my hair, except that it has a bit of split ends and grays here and there, it's reddish without the intervention of any colouring product, and is balding in some strategic area. See, I've got more problems of a damaged hair than just a curly/straight situation she has unsubtly perceived.

As I was hurriedly walking upstairs to class, somebody was calling my name from a far back. I looked back and saw, it was a classmate of mine. I then inquired his answers to a few homework problems that have puzzled me these past hours. (This is after the syllabus epiphany, the homeworks for this class have an unusually significant contribution to the final grade, otherwise....) But that's not the point of the post.

As we were finishing the homework discussion, he revealed that he won't be able to attend the class today because of this preliminary project meeting with his other proffesor, and that the demo date for the project is in 2 weeks. I politely asked if it would be possible for us, the public, to come and see the performance. He said, "Sure, come and have fun." But that's not the point of the post either.

Throughout the course of the conversation, I was holding my head up 32 degree (if not more) so that I would be able to see his facial expression, just like a normal talk, no. (See the doodle below for more info). It was then that I realized, how hard it is to keep a physically close stand-up conversation with somebody significantly taller than you. And that's just a plain conversation. What if one involves with a more intimate physical contact with that kind of vertically unchallenged individual? Either one, if not both, will be troubled to the problems of aching neck or back, etc. Hihihi....

I've been meaning to post something along the lines of my being a loner/wallflower and my presence on a certain Easter brunch. But then again, there are still so many school-related works waiting to be completed. You guys will wait, won't you? Meanwhile, I've stumbled upon this and this. Have fun...

X

You know what, as peculiar as it seems, I have this love-hate relationship with blogging/journaling.
Be it as it may, I couldn't afford not to be back again. So, here goes.

Picture this, the scene was last Friday. Ndoro Yadda and I were on the line for the midnight show of this movie. In front of us, was the line for this movie. [So appropriate with the Triduum moment and all. Btw, Happy Easter to folks celebrating. How was the Saturday vigil? Instead of attending the fourhour one at the local church, I opted to go to the other place in the B-city with a twohour service. They had a purdy good music line-up, such as, the usual pipe organ, bells, piano, and trumpet, however, the choir...could have been better.] Ella, was not what I had intended to see in the first place. It lacks that hip psychological X-factor this movie seems to offer. But anyway, it is a perfect addition to the long lines of Princessy-Fairy Tale materials I've encountered so far (The Princess Diary, The Prince and Me, Princess Bride, Ever After, countless childhood readings, bedtime stories, etc...).

I couldn't resist to observe the type of people who would want to stand in line for this kind of movie (Although, kids, you all know that we are not supposed to judge people by the movie they watch). Given that it is a midnight show, in the middle of an holiday weekend, there probably won't be that many people show up. So far, we got, the two of us, of course, and three teenagers, a guy and 2 girls. The girls dress up as if they were two hot clubbing materials. A couple in the early 20s showed up 2 minutes later, followed by a man in the late 30s. The last ones to arrive were another pair in the late 20s. Pretty normal audiences, right, except for the late 30s guy. He was the one who would laugh real hard later inside.

The movie tells a story about the adventure of Ella of Frell to undo the gift of obedience bestowed from her fairy godmother. It was enchanting in the beginning but lost its charm midway through. The movie borrows heavily from Shrek, Cinderella, Snow White, even The Wizard of Oz (Ella's costume had the appropriate blue and white colors, and there was this scene in the middle of yellow flower praire with the city seen on the far side). The use of "modern" music as the soundtracks instead of the grand symphonic of the usual fairy tale movies was kinda kinky, especially the ending, a happy fairy tale ending, of course.

Enough about that. I have another thing to kinda blab about. I've been having this butterfly on my stomach. For a reason so obvious, I couldn't stop to think about it for days. Haven't felt like this for along time now, I kinda forgot how to. Well, maybe I could talk about it later, if anything turn up, ok or otherwise.

Later,

X

Need to take some sort of blogging vacation. See y'all in an indefinite time in the future!!

PS: Just in case I'm not around by that time, Joyeuses Pâques.

"I saw this lady in the bus stop every morning. She was so beautiful and elegant, even more beautiful and more elegant now. I had tried to get her attention in a much more enticing way but the only thing I could come up with was to borrow some money for the bus fare from her for I left my wallet at home, I promised I would return it the next day. We've been the very best of friends ever since, soul mate. Oh, I never gave her back the money."

--A groom's speech on the couple's wedding day

I'm just wondering if you guys would like to share that first moment you noticed your (ex or current) significant other and the things you did to get his/her attention. :)

Sincerely,
Silly X

Last Fall, I was the instructor of three lab sections of this wonderful class taught by this professor. We had so much fun during lab times, despite a few "minor" problem of using the wrong type of mask that cost me two full weekends of reworking each of the kids' sample. Towards the end of the semester, one of the kids in Monday section brought his camera along. This is a picture of us in our version of the bunny suits.

The kids and I