Your · Artemis

1 - A Bitter Song - Butterfly Boucher
2 - Like A Star - Corrine Bailey Rae
3 - Long Distance - Turin Brakes
4 - One Of These Mornings - Moby
5 - S.O.S. - Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep
6 - You and Me - Lighthouse
7 - Ma Mémoire Sale - Louis Garrel
8 - Mysteries - Beth Gibbons
9 - Tell Me Now - Moya Brennan/Hans Zimmer
10 - Yellow - Coldplay

these aren't technically songs i'm "into right now", in a temporal superficial sense, as i always love listening to them. how sad is it that all tracks except 1, 2, and 10 are fandom-related? 10,000,000 points to whomever can identify the movies/shows, haha. no tagging tonight. love yous!

i'm feeling:

awake

• Casablanca  - THE perfect movie, one i could watch over and over again
• Gone with the Wind
• It Happened One Night - i like Clark Gable? a lot?
• Forrest Gump
• To Kill A Mockingbird - i wouldn't hesitate to say the movie more than lived up to the novel

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - this may come as a surprise to you, but i don't particularly like Spielberg or sci-fi or cutesy Drew Barrymore. i've seen this once, dutifully as everyone should, but wouldn't do so again
• A Clockwork Orange
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - kinda freaky, even for Disney. didn't particularly enjoy any of the songs or characters, though i respect it for its artistic merit and breakthroughs
• My Fair Lady - Higgins rocked my socks, but the  "rain in Spain"-ing? not so much. musicals generally annoy me, as does Audrey Hepburn
• The Wizard of Oz - freaky, a musical, AND one very annoying Judy Garland

• Platoon
• The Maltese Falcon
• The Birth of a Nation - for cultural/sociological/historical reasons. it's American cinema's first huge hit, for one thing. and i'd like to see how adeptly (or not) they argue the side of evil, of the KKK
• Doctor Zhivago - the book is too intense for me right now and will likely rot on my shelf a little longer, so i hope to see this adaptation soon instead
• Citizen Kane - it's true, i've yet to see it. forgive me?

• Chinatown
• Dr. Strangelove - Kubrick? no thanks
• Rocky
• The Silence of the Lambs - i hate horrors, most of all the psychological ones. am also not a fan of cannibalism.
• Psycho - i'd rather not be afraid of shadows behind my shower curtain, thanks.

• Dead Poets Society - you know why i love it, need i reiterate details?
• Before Sunrise and Before Sunset
• Ae Fond Kiss - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
• Across the Universe
• When Harry Met Sally

i'm feeling:

tired

Comment on this post. I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so others can play along.
spacegarden asked me about...

banned books
good one. i first became interested in banned/contested books when i read into the absurd and ridiculous uproar about Harry Potter a few years ago. since then i've paid attention to the ALA's banned book week, and have read several of the books listed. i'm a firm believer in free speech, and the idea that certain literature could be banned in schools and libraries across the world really frightens me. books are meant to be read, to be explored, to provoke. if we didn't have authors and books that made us unsure of ourselves, that made us question the world - i believe the world would be a different place. literature is about ideas, a type of intellectualism that can be spread like rapid fire across continents, generations, and languages. by banning certain books on the basis of their content or supposed "propaganda", we deny ourselves and others the chance to improve themselves, and to change the world for the better.

magic school bus
as a kid, i was only allowed watching PBS, TVO, and CBC television shows. as it were, i'm so glad my parents did this. to this day i can remember information i picked up as a kid (oh my gods - the bee episode comes in so handy nowadays, hahaha) and i believe that those educational shows seriously entered my subconscious. The Magic School Bus was my absolute favourite. i loved Carlos' corny jokes, Miss Frizzle's crackpot ideas, and the general amazing-ness of it all. even if i catch the show on now, i'll sit down and watch it. one of my biggest wishes is for them to boxset the entire series so that i can buy it for my kids to watch someday. it was informative, and it was fun. a huge part of my childhood development, and i'm grateful. as one YouTuber said, "this show was gangster", hahaha.

artemis & mythology
between grades 8 and 10 i went through a big mythology kick. lots of funny things happened. i'm not sure how it started. i've always been intrigued by outer space, so the whole constellation/planet nomenclature may've dragged me in. i also started realizing how much of literature is based on Western mythology, and that fascinated me. embarassing anecdotal sidenote: in the eight grade, my crush Gianni Chiappetta (that's right, him) had a webpage where he called himself "Your Agamemnon". now, i hadn't yet read The Iliad so i wasn't too sure who this Agamemnon man was, but i read up on him and his wife, Clyemnestra. if any of you know anything about the Greeks, this was not necessarily a woman to be idolized, haha. so when i did my own little page (cue laughter) i titled it "Your Artemis" because i'd decided Artemis was a far more likeable character. you see, Artemis had always been my favourite goddess. the moon, beauty, hunt, feminity, plus her temple was one of the most kick-ass of the classical world. (LOL grade eleven history project.) anyway, as you can tell, though the initial reasoning behind that whole "Your Artemis" quickly lost its value, the name stuck. since then, i've always been intrigued by any mention of Artemis (hence my picking up Artemis Fowl, a decision i've never regretted, haha).
so yes, mythology as a whole has affected me. i've longed to take a Latin or Greek course in university, but haven't found the space in my schedule, sad as that sounds. reading The Odyssey with Djordjevic first year was an absolute dream and i'm happy we spent a whole month on it. i feel like we can learn so much about the world from the Greeks (and yes, you'll have noticed - i'm not as interested in Roman or Egyptian or native mythology, je m'excuse) and the way they viewed the world. granted, my respect for mythology has been unfortunate in some ways, as it has given me reason to hate such things as Troy, ahaha.

classic literature
in all honesty, i have no idea where this interest came from. my family is one of readers. i was brought up with books everywhere, and my parents have always encouraged avid reading. even my sister and dad, who are firmly in the "sciencey" realm find time to read incessantly. thing is: none of them are necessarily into old, classic literature. that's most people though, isn't it? they find it dry and boring and pretentionus. (gah, that last one annoys me. classic literature is allowed to be pretentious because it often is the basis of everything else. it's earned the right to pretentiousness!) although nothing can beat the real world, i find that the literary world comes damned close sometimes. i'm in constant awe of authors and their ability to scribble down mere shapes on a page, and have entire universes come alive. as for "classic" literature... i just don't like modern, contemporary crap. i can handle most things written before the 1950s - anything after that (as far as "adult" literature is concerned anyway) i usually can't stand. most old things are fantastic. my favourite area in literature is the 1920s Lost Generation (i adore American literature, it's one of the few things they can do right! and is often better than its Canadian counterpart, ha) but i do read most things willingly. from Homer to Shakespeare to Wilde to Kerouac - i love it all. the summer after grade 9, each year i developed a reading list for myself. most if not all of the books were pre-1940s, and i liked it that way. if i'm to ever appreciate more contemporary literature and films, i believe i have to understand the old stuff. i find it my duty as an English major and a hopeful teacher to read as much classical literature as possible, in order to be well-educated and to best pass on my love for literature.

nationalmannschaft
i'm of German descent. they're the German national football team - what did you expect? a love for them flows in my veins. it helps that they have some of the best uniforms, fans, and best-looking men in the sport, aha. mein nationalelf (national eleven) may not be the best team in the world, but i have such hope for them and will always respect the effort they give. Germany is one of the lucky countries in that we routinely have a well-performing football team - so naturally, this love is a little easier to maintain, haha. i can't wait to see how they do in 2010! here's a snapshot of my favourite player, undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the league, lovely Jens Lehmann:

i'm feeling:

happy

as if the creeper men weren't enough, i've my own boredom to deal with, haha. well, boredom isn't the right word. i love people-watching. people fascinate me. does that make me a creeper?
i wasn't quite awake enough to read (vous comprenez?) so i in my exuberant mood and excitement at being back in Toronto if only for a day, i started compiling a mental list of my favourite Toronto moments. then it got too long, so i narrowed it down to things that happened this year. and thus - if for no other reason than i want to relive my own memories - i present:

Stephanie's List of Her Top 15 (because she couldn't narrow it down any more) Moments in Toronto, September '07 - April '08:
number fifteen: late August/early September: taking Ikea-virgin Nic on his first adventure with us. even sans Danilo, we did manage to have a delightful time, and were able to haul a whole bunch of stuff back via transit. stuff that, at the end of the year, i was so glad i bought. it marked the first of many, many memorable second year outings.
number fourteen: mid-March: dining/drinking at a British pub (at no later than 2pm too) at Keele with the great people i met in my British History tutorial. i'm only sorry that we became friends so late into the year, who knows what could've evolved!
number thirteen: late April: travelling to Keele to meet Danilo after his final exam. being together, then waiting, curled up and reading, for him to get back from the Good Friday service, so that we could eventually go to the Danforth and play pool with Novak, Marko, and Neca. for once, i did quite well, and we ended the evening with a very long conversation in the parking lot. no pressure, all relaxed, laidback fun.
number twelve: early February: seeing Through the War with Danilo, put on by Theatre Glendon. it was haunting and beautiful, and i am so proud to know some of the people involved. excellent production all around.
number eleven: mid-January: first time at Messini! who was to know that we'd have so many dinners at this place that i'd eventually wish i'd made it an LJ tag of its own? Dave, Adri, Danilo and i (without Novak, the shame!) finally made it out to the little Greek restaurant that could, and dining out would never be the same again. we stuffed ourselves with gyros, drank ouzo, met Danilo's crazy friend Bogdan, and generally had a damned fine time.
number ten: March-ish: i loved most Pro Tem meetings, but towards the end of the year, when everyone showed up - they were the best. we were at our most pressured, sure, but by then we were so comfortable with each other and with our positions. applying to work for Ashley was one of the best things i did, and it introduced me to a wonderful group of people. our meetings were often the highlight of my day.
number nine: early December: the whole coincidental haircut/Brian Doyle incident. it was too funny and too weird to be true, and yet it was. who knew that bumping into a Burlington friend by accident in Toronto would happen to lead to my getting a fantastic haircut for free? i still laugh about it!
number eight:  early February: the infamous spontaneous trip to (where else?) Messini. i wasn't even that hungry, but agreed to accompany Danilo to the caf for some dinner on some schoolnight or other. i had no idea he had plans to whisk us both off to the Danforth. thoroughly unprepared, we ate way too much food, wasted time and money on the subway, but had a brilliant, brilliant time. it was one of those hilarious things i still can't believe we were able to pull off. needless to say, even now Dave is upset that he couldn't come with, haha.
number seven: early March: after one very successful reunion with Kit (which would bring forward many more - oh i miss him now!), the two of us decided to invite Gianni out for a yummy dinner at Messini. between the lamb and the wine, we had a freaking blast! i never thought i'd have so much fun with them again, and am so glad i got a chance to reacquaint myself. meeting old friends again is exhilirating, but laughing nonstop with them is even better.
number six: late April: moving out Adri. feels like it was yesterday. me helping her pack up. her joy at Danilo and i's decision to date. her recruiting everyone she knew to help haul her stuff downtown by public transit. the looks we got from people. moving the stuff up to Nic's res by way of tiny elevator. eating a free meal courtesy of Nic's student card at The Ram in the Rye, and generally having an awesome time, relishing our last days together.
number five: late April: the last night out of second year, at The Brunswick House. us, and Dora's group. for once, we were outnumbered. everyone got along fantastically, and we danced our hearts out. yes, even Nic, even me. i wish we had more photos of that evening, because although it really was a sad occasion - it was also a celebration! it lasted for hours and hours, yet seemed to have sped by. it was our last night of freedom, and we knew it!
number four: mid-February: the protest! waiting for this one? oh yes. the hours-long protest against the recognition of Kosovo. marching in the cold, carrying Serbian flags, chanting things i didn't understand. the mass preparation that went into it all. having both my sister and Danilo's to join us. being in a 2000+ crowd of people, all with one thing on their minds. the utter unknown of it all. randomly bumping into Hetal at the subway station! hahaha, another man i'm so happy to have met. and, of course, the delicious, warm dinner at Messini afterwards. if that night, that weekend, didn't make Valerie and Ivana crazy-excited for university, nothing i know would. 
number three: March-ish: first night out alone with Novak. the one that induced so much needless speculation. that led me to realize that he could indeed be a friend of my own, not just Danilo's. i could stay out talking/driving till 3am with someone who was neither a high school friend nor Dave nor Danilo. when i realized how incredibly funny and insane the man is, and how he drives the best freaking car i've seen, haha.
number two: late January: Robynn's 20th birthday party, celebrated all over downtown, but specifically at The BLVD Room. oh. my. gods. the craziness that would ensue. undoubtedly one of the very best nights of the year, of my life. the cold. the painful shoes. our boys failing at dress codes. buying roses to be arranged by Lijing in Heineken bottles. giving up my room to three strangers. hardly finding a taxi. speaking German to a Lithuanian guy. singing "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" at a pub we never did figure out the name of. getting all dolled up. beating the guys at pool only to lose miserably at foosball. being drunk out of my mind with love and happiness and alcohol.
number one: mid-March: alas, this one will be hard to explain. one night, before we dated, before any of that early-April "stuff" went on, before there were any reasons to doubt its sincerity, way before there was any inclination of more pain on the way - there was an afternoon when Danilo and i were alone in my room. he sensed that i was really, really upset about my exchange. it was the closest i've come to cancelling. he offered me what consolation he could, he let me cry on his shoulder, but mostly - he just held me. he knew how afraid out i was, how i needed calming and support - and for once in his freaking life, he gave it to me without a second thought. for about four to five hours, it was just us, it was quiet, and it was honest to gods, the best memory i have of this school year.

i also scanned through all my LJ entries since August '07. oh wow. (let it be said as an aside: i am stunned by how often i expressed my doubt about this exchange. it's freaky.) i especially loved the earlier entries, reading about how absolutely excited i was for school to begin, to see my friends again! and we really did outdo ourselves, i couldn't be more pleased with how this year turned out, and i can only hope that once we're all reunited in fourteen months that we'll be on the road to an undescribably stellar fourth year. i like to think that i took advantage of every single chance i got to hang out with them. so what if i didn't pass British History with flying colours? so what if i hadn't spoken to my cousins in months? so what, so what, so what? i had the time of my life and would do it all over again.
like, oh my gods. if i just think... think back to all those little nuanced moments and conversations and bouts of laughter. one of my pets died, i kissed more men than i should have, one of my friends was hospitalized, i pulled about twenty all-nighters too many (very few of which had anything to do with homework), i fell in love with my friendships, i got accepted on exchange, watched way too much That 70s Show, i had my heart broken and didn't learn, i alienated some people i shouldn't have, i found out how to be proud of my fangirliness, i ate some of the best damned food on the planet - and laughed and cried more emphatically than i ever thought i could.
the one lesson i might grasp from all that is one i sort of already know: choosing Glendon was the best decision i ever made. through all the crap and nonsense, i have managed to meet some of the best people on the planet, people whose company and support i couldn't give up if you paid me. even though we're scattered all over the place right now, it is impossible for us to forget this year. to know that i chose this family for myself is bewildering but pleasing.
i know this entry may not have been fun for any of you, but it is my journal. i'm not weird, i've just been loved. these memories (new and relived) could only mean so much to me. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - best thing Dr. Suess ever said. that's what i'm doing, that's the philosophy i need to start believing in. besides, heck, if England next year can be one third as incredible as this year - i'm way too lucky. love yous!

ps* they made us sing the anthem when we came in to work today, haha. i decorated the Nature Centre (complete with a flag in the garter snake's tank) and we had a very packed place. Happy Canada Day everyone!

i'm feeling:

touched

feel free to skim this, it was only done for my enjoyment anyway. i'm waiting for my hair to dry, and for the Spain v. Russia game to really get started. though i do like watching them sing anthems. i love days off. 

alright. best go do something productive now. love yous!

i'm feeling:

groggy