bits and pieces

1. A classmate said this while presenting today: “Hello Anyone….I mean, hello everyone.”

2. Why do some tennis players like to do this when serving: ask for 3 or 4 balls, stare at them for a good 2-3 seconds, and then in the end only keep 2 balls and return the rest. If they need only 2 balls, why ask for 3 or 4? and why do they stare at the balls before choosing one?

3. The way trees and plants GLOW after the rain is truly amazing. Subhanallah.

4. When you hear the word make-up artist, what image do you have forming in your mind? Is it that of a middle aged, bespectacled man with fair hair and medium-large build? No? Neither do I. Interestingly, the make-up artist who won the Oscars this year basically fits the description above.

5. Saw a man wearing a dark green shirt with the words “Greening the world” holding a cigarette and smoked.

(insert another appropriate title here)

Grandma: What’s wrong with you?
Carter: I can’t seem to get it together. I’m 26 years old, I’m healthy, I’m capable I’ve had every opportunity, my friends are getting married and having kids and I’m just so far away.
Grandma: Why did you come here?
Carter: I’ve been trying to write this thing about growing up in LA..
Grandma: How long have you been trying?
Carter: Oh… 11 years, give or take
Grandma: Too long…you’re not trying hard enough, maybe you should think about working on something else
Carter: Yeah, you’re probably right. I dont know, I have this idea that maybe I could figure something out and change my life. But I was wrong.
Grandma: Carter, I’m a hundred and thirty-three years old..
Carter: Oh grandma, that’s not possible
Grandma: I’ve spent my life trying to figure out something, and you know what? It’s not going well. I’ll be dead soon and you’ll still be alive. So stop complaining.

From “In the Land of Women”. Written and directed by Jon Kasdan.

Mornings

“..mornings invaded everywhere by an assertion of new life so determined it is almost comic, like a cartoon character that endures endless, hideous punishments and always emerges  unburnt, unscarred, ready for more.”

……………………………………………………..

“What a thrill, what a shock, to be alive on a morning in June, prosperous, almost scandalously privileged, with a simple errand to run.”

-from “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham.

(insert appropriate title here)

I have too many jumbled up thoughts right now and I have to just spit it out somewhere really quickly so here goes:

(the “you” below applies to me, I dont know if the same can be said for other people)

1. You work fast so that you can get it done and over with, then you realize more work will come your way because people know you can finish it fast.

2. I thought coding was hard, then I read in the news that a 9-year old writes apps for iPhone. So I thought : )&*@&#*(@^(!Buck up!

3. It’s probably not a good idea to consult someone about your brilliant idea when it’s reaaaaaaaaaally half-baked. You’ll end up confusing the poor chap, and worst, yourself. Work on the idea, do the homework THEN talk to someone for suggestions and feedback.

4. Stumbled upon this quote by Picasso: “Ah good taste. What a dreadful thing. Taste is the enemy of creativity”. Saw an exhibit of one of Picasso’s series of drawings. Absolutely hated them. Definitely not a fan of Picasso. But that quote made me think.

5. It’s possible to have a ‘Zen’ and truly happy moment when cutting vegetables.

6. It’s hard to run when you don’t sleep.

7. MTV’s “Why I love the 70s & 80s” should be re-titled “Why I hate the 70s & 80s music. Oops, sorry Michael Jackson.

8. Read Asia! magazine recently and thought the articles were very interesting. Unfortunately it’s only available on print.