If For No Other Reason Than To Write Something

Autopilot Off - Make A Sound
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Ambulance Ltd. - Stay Tuned
Chingon - Malaguena Salerosa
Beck - Lost Cause
Story of the Year - Light Years Will Burn
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around
Aimee Mann - Ghost World
Paul Simon - The Boxer

Self Trust

It's a hard thing to do sometimes. I've had problems with it before, that's for sure. I trust myself now, though. I can make decisions, and I've made some that I believe in. I'm still here, and I won't fade away, not ever.

I'm going to dream tonight, hopefully, and I'm not scared any more.

Goodnight.

To Distract Me Further/The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth

I've decided to postpone, or just delay for a post, my thoughts and decisions and everything else and just do something fun and silly (re: nerdy/geeky). I just finished watching Kill Bill Vol.2 for the second time, and I can't believe how brilliant Tarantino really is...he's almost a meta version of his meta-self. Uhm, if that makes any sense. Yes, but, I decided to essentially waste some time and have some fun, I'd make a pseudo-list of references and interesting trivia bits and pieces Vol.2 makes (I'd try and do one for Vol.1 too, but my mind's just more fresh on the second one right now...but, i do need to see vol.1 again as soon as possible, just the little snippets of the Crazy 88s in the end credits of vol.2 made me want to rush out and get it right now). As a warning, SPOILER ALERT COMING AHEAD AS MAJOR PLOT POINTS WILL BE REVEALED, plus, uhm, a warning that what is to follow is incredibly, ridiculosly nerdy (*cough* geeky *cough*). Alrighty, here we go:
(oh, yes, before i forget: most of this stuff is from memory so it may be a little fuzzy...)

- The shot of The Bride walking out of the chapel in the chapter "Massacre at Two Pines" is straight out of John Ford's "The Searchers" with John Wayne
- That is of course Sam Jackson playing Rufus the piano player, who apparently played with another Rufus and anyone who passed through Texas
- Bo Svenson, a cult Swedish actor and fave of Tarantino's, plays the Preacher
- The flute that David Carradine's Bill plays throughout the movie is the same kind his character Caine used to play in the old tv series "Kung Fu" and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"
- The actor playing the barkeep at Budd's strip club is Sid Haig, star of various 70s and 80s B-movies and horror flicks, most recently "House of 1000 Corpses"
- Larry Bishop, son of rat-packer Joey Bishop, plays the boss of the club, and was an actor in several exploitation and biker flicks of the 70s
- The Bride keeps a razor in her boot, the same thing Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) does in "Reservoir Dogs"
- Budd (Michael Madsen) says he pawned his Hattori Hanzo sword, and Bruce Willis' character in "Pulp Fiction" eventually exacts revenge with a samauri sword he finds in a pawnshop
- The grave of Paula Schultz is taken from the 1968 movie "The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz", which starred Bob Crane of "Hogan's Heroes" fame
- There's a lingering on the eyes of many of the characters throughout the movie, an homage to the fav technique of Spaghetti western director Sergio Leone, who focused on his characters' eyes all the time, intensely so
- When Bill tells the Bride the story of Pai Mei, he begins "Once upon a time in China...", the same title as the popular Jet Li film from 1991, and its several sequels
- Pai Mei is played by Gordon Liu, who also played Johnny Mo in Vol.1
- Pai Mei is a character that has appeared in numerous Shaw Bros. kung fu movies from the 60s and 70s; his name means "White Lotus"
- The shot of The Bride practicing her kung fu moves in front of a red-dawn background is taken from the opening sequence to the Shaw Bros' "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (aka "Master Killer") starring none other than Gordon Liu
- The multiple zooms and off-kilter subtitles of the Pai Mei chapter are characteristic of the Shaw Bros' type of film making
- Pai Mei dies by having his fish poisoned, and B.B tells a story of killing her fish; is there some sort of symbolism here?
- Bill says being shot in the kneecap is one of the most painful places to be shot; Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) says in "Reservoir Dogs" Aside from the kneecap, the gut is the most painful area a guy can get shot in."
- Bill calls Beatrix a "natural born killer", the title of the Oliver Stone, QT-penned movie
- There are two posters in Budd's trailer: "The Great Escape" (discussed in "Reservoir Dogs") and the Charles Bronson flick "Mr. Mystikal"
- Quentin Tarantino's foot fetish comes out again, as both Beatrix and Bill are barefoot in thier final confrontation
- The tobacco spit, or "snuff", that Beatrix throws in Elle's face is straight out of the movie "Jackass"
- The cigarettes smoked in the movie are "American Spirit", a difference from QT's usual "Red Apple" brand, used in all his movies and Vol.1
- When Vol.1 opens up and we hear the Nancy Sinatra song "Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down", could it be referring to a later scene in Vol.2 where Beatrix gets shot, literally, by her own baby, BB? The kid even says "Bang Bang" before pretend-shooting her in the final chapter
- BB wants to watch "Shogun Assassins" before bed, a movie that contained the character Hattori Hanzo, played by Sonny Chiba in the 1980s
- The line from Vol.1 "trix are for kids" actually makes some sense now
- Michael Parks plays the mexican pimp, but also played Sherrif McGraw in Vol.1 (a character he originally played in "From Dusk Till Dawn")
- Beatrix only actually kills one person in the whole movie (Budd dies from Elle's attack, and Elle is presumed missing in action, so to speak)
- The cartoon playing at the end with Beatrix and BB is apparently Tarantino's first cartoon memory from his childhood; but it's also interesting to note it's about magpie birds, and Tarantino's often been called "the magpie of director's" since he tends to borrow heavily from other filmmakers

Unanswered Questions:
- There's tons left missing in Vol.2, loose threads and hints never explained, which of course leaves plenty of room for Vol.3, but here's some notable ones:
- What happened to Elle? Dead? Snake bite? What???
- Was it Bill who killed O-Ren's parents? The assassin in the anime chapter suggested Bill (long hair, same ring, same figure, same sword) but it never reall came up
- Who was that black guy doing the samauri sword stuff from the trailer for Vol.1? It's the actor Michael Jai White, but it looks like his role was cut from the final version; would be interesting to see what was left out
- Who was Lisa Wong and why was Beatrix sent to kill her?
- Didn't that knife in Kim's arm hurt? It seemed to stay in there for a while
- Who was Bill? What was his past? How did he form DiVAS? Ditto for Beatrix
- Why did Budd and Bill have a falling out?

Ah well, many questions, little answers...i'll probably think of more stuff later (watch for edits), but right now I'm going to collapse, so, g'night anyone who's still reading....

"It's Like A Window To Your Heart..."

I'm incredibly stupid sometimes. I lack all reasonable cognitive senses, it's embarassing, really. This isn't so much a public apology, but moreso just a cathartic admission of general idiocy, some times. I might take it back. Nonetheless, this morning was a pretty clear example of my lack of sense, but at least something sort of good came out of it, when otherwise it's sort of the exact opposite.

I *thought* i started work this morning at the early hour of 10, and me being me, i decided to try and get there a bit early, for a quarter to or so. Of course, after the parents drop me off, and drive far far away, and the rain and wind really start coming down, making it more than obvious my lonely spring jacket is no match for its force, I ring the doorbell to get in. And ring. And ring. And then, after 5 minutes more of this that i should have actually done, I walk around to the front of the store, and realize it's sunday. Sunday the store doesn't open until 11. So, yes.

I decide to head across the street to Starbucks to kill some time, and I got a vanilla-something or other with whipped cream, and sat down. I didn't have any papers with me for some reason, and there was only the NY Times at the Starbucks, but there was a catch: they were charging money for it! Argh. So, yes, i was left there sitting with my expensive frappathingamagingy and my thoughts. Then, the music/soundtrack of the place shifted to Paul Simon, "Graceland" specifically, and everything became very clear. For the first time in a bit, my thoughts sort of just unjumbled themselves, and very little stress permeated them. Of course, I'm hyping this up way too much already, I realize, and really my head is still pretty confused and generally a fucking mess, but for a bit of time there, and it still lingers, I could operate in simpatico with my mind. I think I've come to some decisions, I think, but they are there, there are clear thoughts. And i breathed a sigh of relief, and Paul Simon kept on strumming away, and it all washed over me. I don't feel like I'm stepping on glass anymore, not right now at least.

The rain kept pouring down, and I looked right through it. Each drop, a new thought. It was an interesting morning.

More Than You Could Ever Possibly Want to Know...(I have to post a real entry sooner or later..)

1) Name: Barry
2 ) Single or Taken: single
3) Sex: Male
4) Birthday: jan. 12/83
6) Sign: capricorn
7) Sibling(s): Paul "do you still leave here?"

8) Hair colour: brownish
9) Eye color: ditto
10) Shoe size: 10.5 (
11) Height: 5'10ish

Fa s h i o n S t u f f
1) Where is your favorite place to shop? Uhm, wherever plaid shirts and jeans are sold on the cheap.
2) Any tattoos or piercings? nope

T h e E x t r a S t u f f
1) What kind of shampoo do you use? Head n' Shoulders, i think.
2) What are you most scared of? lonliness...and spiders...and vampires, which i'm convinced do exist
3) What car do you wish to have? a luxury sedan or sorts...
4) Who is the last person that called you? vern just called earlier tonight
5) Where do you want to get married? doesn't matter to me, the person makes the difference
6) If you could change anything about yourself what would it be? get rid of my many neuroticisms and general apprehensiveness
7) What was your first car?: my mom's mazda 95 protege, but it wasn't really mine, unfortunately...and a minivan that was on its last legs and threatened to explode at the switch of a hat

F a v o r i t e s
1) Color: orange is good...and plaid, if that's a colour
2) Number: 12, maybe...can't go wrong with 7
3) Food: pizza pops, nachos and salsa, nutella, and i'm a happy camper
4) Boys name: Jack
5) Girls name: alicia, samantha, lisa, a couple others that are pretty random
6) Subjects in school : english, now journalism i suppose
7) Animals: anything that doesn't give me allergies...but nothing that slivers or such...
8) Drink: dr. pepper, jones cola, alcohol-wise, can't go wrong with Keith's, stella, or Corona
9) Celebrity: Best actors are Harvey Keitel, Chris Walken, etc...but for favorite, uhm...well...Kirsten Dunst...

H a v e Y o u E v e r
1) Given anyone a birth? nope
2) Bungee jumped?: also nope
3) Broken the law?: i'm sure i've done something illegal, but if i can't remember what it was, it must've not been too-too exciting
4) Gone skinny dipping? nope as well, sounds like fun, though.
5) Made yourself throw up? if consciously drinking until i vomit counts, then yes

FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND
1) Red: roses
2) Cow: brown, as in "hey now"
3) Do you like filling these out? i must, this is my second one in two days
4) How many people are you sending this too? n/a
5) Who will send it back? also n/a, but everyone feel free to post to thier own blog!
6) Gold or Silver?: no opinion, really...both are pretty and expensive...

WHAT R U LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? story of the year - light years will burn
WHO IS SITTIN NEXT TO U RIGHT NOW? no one right now
WHO DO U WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF UR LIFE WITH? people i love
WHO DO U ADMIRE? my friends and family
WHAT MAKES U HAPPY? being with people i love and having a good time, basically
HOW MANY BUDDIES ON UR LIST? this survey needs to be more specific...does it mean icq? msn? email? oy vey
WHAT DO U LIKE TO DO? watch movies
DO YOU LIKE YOURSELF? sometimes
U EVER HATED ANY PERSON IN YOUR FAMILY? nope
PLACE TO VISIT: japan
FAV MONTH: january, for purely non-birthday related reasons, of course
NIGHT OR DAY: night, day is for sleeping
SUN OR RAIN? rain...but it depends
SCARY OR HAPPY MOVIE: scary
CAREER: writer of some sort
HAVE YOU EVER.........
LOVED SOMEBODY SO MUCH IT MADE YOU CRY? yes
BROKEN A BONE? my arm...well, it was fractured, but that counts, right?
PLAYED TRUTH OR DARE? yep
BEEN IN A PHYSICAL FIGHT? nope...
BEEN IN A POLICE CAR? also no, but near one
BROKEN THE LAW? please refer to "have you ever, question 3), silly repetitive survey
BEEN ON A PLANE? multiple times
COME CLOSE TO DYING: one time, when i almost got hit by that bus, but didn't notice until my friends said "hey, barry, you almost got hit by that bus!"
BEEN IN A SAUNA? yes
BEEN IN A HOT TUB? yes
SWAM IN THE OCEAN? i think so...hard to remember
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SOAP: i both enjoy and use it regularly
WORST SONG YOU EVER HEARD? anything by celine dion
BEST SONG YOU EVER HEARD? graceland - paul simon
STUPIDIST THING U'VE EVER DONE? how long do you have? i have to choose one?
WHATS YOUR BEDROOM LIKE?: fairly ordinary, but very movie-poster heavy
HAVE A LAVA Lamp? nope
DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? nope
YOUR CRUSH: uhm...well... ms. k dunst....
VEGETARIAN? nope, but i do enjoy a nice salad
GOOD DRIVER? i hope so.
GOOD AT SPORTS? what are these sports you speak of?
Good Dancer? the best. *cough*
SHY? at times
GOOD STORYTELLER? oh, my friends, gather around for a tale the likes of which ye never heard...
CHICKEN POX? so long ago...
SORE THROAT? too many times to count
STITCHES? no, i don't think so.
BLOODY NOSE? well, the doctor said it would stop if i kept my nose out of there.
SURGERY? once
COLD? what's cooler than cool. ice cold, of course.

DO YOU..........
ENJOY PARKS? love the parks. can't get enough of the parks.
LIKE PICNICS?: do i!
LIKE SCHOOL?: at times, not such a big fan of some classes, though
WHAT SCHOOL DO YOU GO TO? Ryerson
COLLECT ANYTHING? used to collect comics, then movie posters, now dvds, particularly asian ones
LIKE TO SHOP? did someone say dvd store? no, oh, well, let's go any ways

IN TROUBLE A LOT? not really
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WANT? happiness
WOULD YOU.....

EAT A LIVE HAMSTER FOR A MILLION DOLLARS? such an odd question
GO TO A HANSON CONCERT IF YOU HAD A FREE TICKET? that's almost three hours i'll never get back...
KILL SOMEONE YOU DIDN'T KNOW FOR 15 BILLION DOLLARS? 15 billion seemes excessive

To Distract Me..

1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write
down what it says: "worked for many directors who had made some very peculiar films, like Yukio Noada..."

2: Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?:
My internet box.

3: What is the last thing you watched on TV? I can't even remember...the news?

4: WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is: 10:45?

5: Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?: 10:49, i rock.

6: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?: "Battlescars" by Ozma

7: When did you last step outside? what were you doing? Around 8, coming back from work.

8: Before you came to this website, what did you look at? What is this website you speak of, survey? This is an email forward, silly survey.

9: What are you wearing? Baseball shirt, jeans, boxers

10: Did you dream last night? Not that i can recall.

11: When did you last laugh? Not more than ten minutes ago or so on the phone.

12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?: Posters, posters and more posters. Specifically, Fight Club, Rushmore drawing from the criterion dvd package, matrix reloaded, ocean's 11, planet of the apes (original), adaptation, kill bill, goodfellas, raiders of the lost ark, memento, snatch, apocalypse now, magnolia, state and main, reservoir dogs, traffic, being john malkovich, minority report, the player, and fargo.

13: Seen anything weird lately?: "Busy" from "Ready or Not" today at work.

14: What do you think of this quiz?: Meh. Dazzle me.

15: What is the last film you saw?: In theatres, Dogville

16: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?: One million tacos. Nah, probably the whole criterion collection. Or shopping spree at Suspect/Bay St. Video.

17: Tell me something about you that I don't know: I've never had shepard's pie, and have no desire to. (i know, pretty boring...all i could think of on the spot...)

18: If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?: Get rid of ignorance and basically push all people who needed to be pushed in the mud in said mud. And maybe push them in again after that.

19: Do you like to dance?: I have been known to occassionally shake it like a certain type of polariod picture capturing device.

20: George Bush: Overwhelming.

21(a): Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?: I've been partial to Samantha...maybe Alicia, or Lisa...or Uma. I like Uma. (i kid!...or do i?)

21(b): Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?: Jack.

22: Would you ever consider living abroad?: absolutely.

23: Will you pass on this survey?: I've already answered all the questions, silly silly survey...

Eventually I'll Get Around...

I promise a post sooner or later..It's been a busy couple of days, and I'm still in the midst of exams insanity and such and everything. But I'll be back, I always will.

My Head is Growing Weary

I'm not sure what that title means...i'm very confused. I have to study so much, and my head just kills, and so does my stomach. I tried to eat lunch, but i just couldn't take another bite after the first. Milk settled me down a bit, but no too much. I'm trying, i really am.

Is Academical A Word?

I don't know if it is, and i'm too lazy to look it up. But, apparently, "Steve@ gov.us" has had the forsight to send me an email about improving my "academical virus protection", by offering me low low prices on software. Awfully nice of the guy. I'm still waiting for Paris Hilton to start emailing me again.

Ah well. I had a really rambling, long post that i typed up earlier this afternoon in between pretending to study and wandering around my room. It got deleted, partly because i'm an idiot and forgot to save it, but i think it may have been a subconscious effort as well. I'm not so stuck anymore, as my last post read, and a lot of good things have happened since. Now, I'm just trying to figure everything out. And wander around it. Get lost in it. And such. Wow, this is more vague than usual. I need to be more concrete in things.

I'm just writing and writing here, largely because i don't want to go back to reading or doing any sort of work, or surfing around, or watching tv, or anything. I don't really know what i want to go back to, but for now writing will do.

What will the next year hold, i sometimes wonder. It's hard to wonder about things like that, mainly because it's guess work, but also because it's hard to imagine things. Argh, this post isn't turning out to be what i thought at all, and i really wish i didn't have to go to class tomorrow. Everybody else is off, and we get stuck going. It's odd...and then exams literally start the next day...while everyone else has been off for so long, and had more time to do this and that. I guess i wouldn't have done anything useful with that time, but, it would have been nice to have, that's for sure. I've been listening to the Kill Bill Vol. 2 Soundtrack all day, on a repeated loop, but i'm better writing in silence for the time being. Normally, though, i'm better with music. Better with words, maybe, and other things. Just in general, music seems to be a big help, a push. Some birds are chirping outside, which i suppose is odd because of the time. At least it stays lighter out longer now, i guess that farmers' almanac is good for something.

My stomach kind of aches right now. But, not like an "i'm going to be sick from something i ate" pain, but more of a general pain. A gut reaction. I'm not sure to what, but it's there. I'd like to lay down for a bit, but also simultaneously get up and walk around. If it weren't so cold out, maybe i would, or maybe i should defy the temperature and go any ways. It's decisions that always get me.

Middle-things

I have to admit, it's true i don't do too many personal posts. Most are about movies, or my love of movies, or which movies i have found to kick so much ass it's incredible. So, yes, that and many a soundtrack of the day, in which i say which songs kick ass and such. Essentially, most of the time it's a ass-kicking blog tribute. That's good, but there are other things i can say too. Well, i mean i have said them. But then i've deleted them. Never posted, really. I always write something down, and then carefully inspect/edit it, and then eventually toss it. Without even bothering to save it as a word document or anything. Lost in the realm of cyberspace.

This may end up there too, for all i know. Depends how i feel about it afterwards. If you're reading it (wow, that sounds cliche...that's another thing i worry about, sounding like a broken cliche over and over...), then i guess it made it. For how long it stays up, who can know. I'm rambling. I tend to do that.

But, i digress. Wow, i hate that word, digress. Or at least, right now i do. Such an awful segue. Argh. I feel like i'm in the middle of a lot of things right now. Like i'm stuck, not really in a rut, but just stuck. Sort of like in pergatory, i imagine. I keep on feeling myself put one way, then the other, then just fucking stuck in the middle. Like i'm helpless with the situation. This may all come off very vague, but i'm not ready for specifics, or i just can't articulate them right now.

It's just a series of scenarios where i'm in the middle of something. Or uncompleted, unfulfilled stuff. I'm halfway between school and the summer, for instance, and i'm scared shitless about a lot of things involved with that. Not necessarily the traditional things, and i'll be really glad when the classes are finally done (i've had enough overheads for one semester's worth of tuition), but it's just other things i don't feel like alluding to right now particularly. I just feel stuck and helpless about why and how to get out of it. It's enough to make me scream, but i don't do that often, if at all. I'm generally not a very angry person, i guess, or i just release it through pent-up neuroticisms. Silent screams, i guess.

Random stuff that just popped into my head:
- I got the "24 Grams" dvd for passover, that was very cool of my parents...i should've known when i saw my mom inspecting my dvd collection very carefully...i thought she was just interested.
- I lent my uncle "Fudoh" and "Battle Royale" after his request for, quote unquote "bloody japanese movies"
- My cousins sure do talk a lot
- "24" tonight was supposed to be awesome...i have yet to see it, but soon
- Hopefully i'm less than an hour away from a new episode of "Sopranos", finally
- The new trailer for "Kill Bill Vol.2" is finally out...looks so bloody amazing
- I want the Japanese cut of the "Kill Bill Vol.1" dvd right now...damn lack of all-region dvd player...perhaps i could also watch this region 2 copy of "Ong-Bak: Thai Warrior" that i hastily picked up in a frenzy of excitment, only later to realize my mistake
- Story of the Year rocks, yes rocks...
- So does Talking Back Sunday
- I should get back to what i was talking about

I'm not really sure what to do about my situation(s). It doesn't seem like a solution(s) will present themselves any time soon...it feels like waiting for something to happen, blindly striking me or something. Which can be a frustrating thing. It is a frustrating thing. This is not to say there isn't incredibly fun and amazing things going on right now, which there are, just these things seem to cloud that, or mask it briefly. I tend to always seek out the next crisis...but i also consider myself an eternal optimist. A wonderful paradox.

What am i going to do? I dunno. I never do. Any thoughts? I'm open to suggestions. I like talking to people. It's just somehting i enjoy, i guess. i have to know the person, of course, because i hate making awkward small talk with strangers. It's weird. But i like talking with friends, good friends. I like sharing stuff and listening. I do, I enjoy other people's company. Not to say i don't like time alone, i do, everyone does, but i generally enjoy other peoples' company. I don;'t know what that really has to do with anything, but it popped into my head as i started typing.

I ran out of momentum...I'm out of things to say, or what i have to say i don't want to at this moment. I think i'm going to let this post go rarely unchecked...unedited, unfiltered. If nothing makes sense, then it doesn't, and there's really no reason. I did enjoy this, this little letter. Goodnight.

Uh-oh...and I'm no fan of yogurt either...


You are an AVERAGE speaker of English.


Not much more to say about you...


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ed Note: Uhm, there's supposed to be a pic of average, plain yogurt there. Hence the title. Damn broken pic links.

One Year Birthday Blog...And the Return of Seinfeld.

Wow, I almost didn't notice this until Eli pointed it out...Happy 1-Year Birthday, Blog! Time went by incredibly fast, it seems. And to commemorate this event, a grande, brand-new, much-in-delay Soundtrack for the Day:

Johnny Cash - When The Man Comes Around
Cauterize - Still Breathing
The Distillers - Dismantle Me
Story of the Year - Burning Years
Taking Back Sunday - Timberwolves At New Jersey
Thursday - Standing on the Edge of Summer

And, some random bits: HELLBOY!!!!! Sooooo good. ("She took his picture!"...who can resist Hellboy complaining to a kid who's serving him milk and cookies while the same film contains crazy nazis and some weird space/hell monsters? It's impossible, really).

Also, as the title indicates, Mr. Jerry Seinfeld is back with Superman (aka Puddy) in tow, check out the funniest thing since the last "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season here: http://www.jerry.digisle.tv/room.html