a blog about a lot of things

I'm in the middle of exams and as always when I'm closer to the end than the start (one more week to go. finally) I always start thinking of what I'll do when exams are done. Like if there'll be this big change or new era that dawns when I have so much time free that I spend studying before exams. Usually never happens but I figured I'd list them. Maybe if they're visible and not mental I might stick to it more. 1. Sleep at a reasonable hour and for more than four hours a day 2. Eat proper meals at regular times with good nutrition 3. Following from 1&2, go gym regularly with no skipping days. Keep track of workouts. Try to progress. No cheats and slacking off or lazy days. 4. Read more 5. Write more 6. Try to figure out what I want to do, where I want to be in the next 5 years. Where to apply for postgrad research studies. What to apply to study. Do I want to study Creative Writing or Finance? 7. Practice playing guitar until I'm somewhat ...

I did a list pretty similar to this one about three years ago( http://randomnonsenseaboutthings.blogspot.com/2009/10/list-about-romance-movies-post-1990.html ). Time flies, yeah? Good films have been out since then and I figured why not update. Probably put in some descriptions of why it's good too. I'm going to lean more toward the romance than romance-comedy but I'll probably draw from a few genres. I don't think only happy endings deserve mention (I like reality reflected in film), so don't expect romance to equate with successful coupley-ness. I'm going to stick with movies that have one main couple or one clear transition ( Vicky Christina Barcelona  is out but  Midnight in Paris  is in, to stick with the Woody Allen motif), but even that might be not set in stone. Extra: Cause I saw Take This Waltz  between publishing part one and two of this list * Take This Waltz - 2010 Why: I love my home city, Toronto and so I was already likely to lov...

I did a list pretty similar to this one about three years ago( http://randomnonsenseaboutthings.blogspot.com/2009/10/list-about-romance-movies-post-1990.html ). Time flies, yeah? Good films have been out since then and I figured why not update. Probably put in some descriptions of why it's good too. I'm going to lean more toward the romance than romance-comedy but I'll probably draw from a few genres. I don't think only happy endings deserve mention (I like reality reflected in film), so don't expect romance to equate with successful coupley-ness. I'm going to stick with movies that have one main couple or one clear transition ( Vicky Christina Barcelona is out but Midnight in Paris is in, to stick with the Woody Allen motif), but even that might be not set in stone. 18. In Search of a Midnight Kiss - 2007 Why: Possibly another dull and miserable New Year's ahead? We've all been there. Wilson gets talked into posting a personal ad on Craigsli...

I've been irregularly listening to Desert Island Discs since about 2008 (weirdly enough it's my grandfather that put me on to it. Guess he used to talk to the Brits about BBC Radio back in the day). I always thought it was a cool concept (format outlined below) and I was supposed to (try to) determine my picks. So here goes: Format: Guests are invited to imagine themselves  cast away  on a  desert island , and to choose eight pieces of music, originally gramophone records, to take with them; discussion of their choices permits a review of their life. Excerpts from their choices are played or, in the case of short pieces, the whole work. At the end of the programme they choose the one piece they regard most highly. They are then asked which book they would take with them; they are automatically given the  Complete Works of Shakespeare  and either the Bible or another appropriate religious or philosophical work. Guests also choose one  luxury , w...

These are inclined to change order depending on the day, so there's no ranking system. It might not even be these same writers all the time. But that's who it is today. Pretty easy list to make, I just have to look at the bookshelf. Novelists only since I don't read enough non-fiction or poetry these days, unfortunately. 5. Orhan Pamuk - Turkish Reference Novels: Snow; The Museum of Innocence; Istanbul: Memories and the City Why: I have always been of the opinion that love stories cannot be serious literature (in modern times, anyway) unless it's unrequited love. Snow disproved that for me, despite its complex politics and heavy symbolism it's essentially a tragic love story.  The Museum of Innocence ( a book I found accidentally in Shakespeare&Co) I also love because of the emphasis on obsessive love and the importance of things (garbage, really) in fueling obsession. 4. Ian McEwan - English Reference Novels: Atonement; On Chesil Beach; The C...

These are inclined to change order depending on the day, so there's no ranking system. It might not even be these same writers all the time. But that's who it is today. Pretty easy list to make, I just have to look at the bookshelf. Novelists only since I don't read enough non-fiction or poetry these days, unfortunately. 11. Phillip Roth -  American Reference Novels: Portnoy's Complaint; Nemesis; American Pastoral Why: Been good since the sixties and still at it ( Nemesis was released in 2010), I loved Portnoy's Complaint (yes, I'm a perv) and how it sounded like a long novel of standup comedy. First time I'd ever seen that done. He's got character-driven prose down too,  American Pastoral is as cerebral a novel as they come. 10. Salman Rushdie - British/Indian Reference Novels: Midnight's Children; Shalimar the Clown; Haroun and the Sea of Stories Why: Sadly most famous for the fatwa due to The Satanic Verses which isn't one ...

I don't watch very much anime. Don't have the attention span for long series. I blame fillers for that. So I'm picking my favorite short series (less than 52 episodes) that have been released since 2000. I count series add-ons as separate ( so Hellsing Ultimate is a distinct series from Hellsing). Won't include ongoing series, obviously. So Hellsing Ultimate just got cut. 10. Gurren Lagann ( 2007) - 27 episodes Why watch it: I like mecha anime. And this series is exciting and unpredictable. With giant robots. And if you don't care for robots the comedy,drama and great characters are enough of a draw. It's the kind of show that gives the message 'you can do anything' but you won't roll your eyes on hearing it. 9. Bunny Drop (2011) - 11 episodes Why watch it: Every now and then a good reality-based, slice of life anime catches my attention. Fun to watch for a change (and a little like a travel documentary into Japan life). This one about a thir...

 I listen to a lot of jazz. I'm very indiscriminate hence this list has all types from bebop to free jazz. More serious or more learned jazz fans can probably generate a list for each genre of jazz, but I'm not at that level yet. So this is it for now.  I'll pick one album from an artist and I'm trying to get the ones a particular artist is credited with (ses, I know they're all over each others records). The Jazz at Massey Hall or Getz/Gilberto   will be on another list but I'll include 'X and a quartet'. There's a logic to it, trust me . In no particular order: 1. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme - 1964- Modal jazz/Post-Bop 2. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue- 1959- Modal Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB669XXjnUg 3. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - 1959 - Free jazz/Jazz/Post-Bop 4. Sonny Rollins Quartet - Saxophone Colossus - 1956 - Jazz/Hard Bop 5.   Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin - 1958 - Jazz/Hard Bop ...

10. Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister -1996 -Scotland Why: The Belle and Sebastian indie-pop might be something entirely new or a throwback to 80's music like The Smiths. It was different but familiar. (lack of) Romance and childhood sadness, dealt with by the characters in the form of walks of solitude and reading. It was resonant with many then;as it still is now. Example Tracks: Seeing Other People; The Boy Done Wrong Again 9. The Verve - A Northern Soul -1995 -England Why: Intense and full of songs that can only be described as anthemic. You feel the hurt, the isolation, the drug-filled recording sessions. It's said too much that artists put it all in the record, like catharsis. But The Verve let it out, and it's great to hear all that turmoil of young men feeling so very old. Example Tracks: History, On Your Own 8. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - 1994 -USA Why: A good industrial album that sold enough to go quadruple platinum. S...

Disclaimer: I'm sure there will be many authors I've missed out simply because I haven't heard of them. It is impossible for me to read anything not published or translated into English or French. Or works that I cannot get a hold of even if translations exist ( the book market in Trinidad is a bit limited. It's not a perfect world). I'm making guesses with the material I have and hopefully the guesses are good. In no particular order: 12.  Thomas Pynchon - United States of America Language : English Genres: Short stories; Novels; Essays Reference Works: V. (1963); The Crying of Lot 49 (1966); Gravity's Rainbow (1974); Mason & Dixon (1997) 11. Martin Amis - England Language:  English Genres: Novels; Short Stories, Essays Reference Works: Other People (1981); Money (1984); Heavy Water and Other Stories (1998) 10. Ngugi wa Thiong'o - Kenya Language: English, Gikuyu Genres: Novels, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Children...

Disclaimer: I'm sure there will be many authors I've missed out simply because I haven't heard of them. It is impossible for me to read anything not published or translated into English or French. Or works that I cannot get a hold of even if translations exist ( the book market in Trinidad is a bit limited. It's not a perfect world). I'm making guesses with the material I have and hopefully the guesses are good. In no particular order: 12. David Malouf - Australia Language: English Genre: Novels; Short Stories; Plays; Poetry Reference Works: The Great World (1990); Remembering Babylon (1993); The Complete Stories (2007) 11. Assia Djebar - Algeria Language : French Genre: Novels; Essays; Short Stories Reference Works: Les Impatients (1958); Loin de Medine (1991); Vaste est la prison (1995) 10. Jonathan Franzen - United States of America Language: English Genres: Novels;Essays Reference Works: The Corrections (2001); How to be Alone...