What I Don't Like About Avatar, in summary.
Yes, it's a movie about environmentalism and a warning about materialism, but it's also a movie about imperialism and thus race. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, whether it was epic and visually breathtaking or not, movies are carriers of messages both deliberate and subconscious and they deserve the right to be discussed and criticized.
Moreover, why on earth do we assume all aliens have to be human-shaped with the same kind of inherent values? This bothers me a lot - far more than it bothers other people and I'm not sure why. I'll ruminate on that.
This movie rubs me wrong in so many ways, the above link is only just an introduction into why I'm not sure I can bring myself to see it.
Also, this post. Hello, epic plot-hole.
Caveat: Watch it, enjoy it, like it all you want. Be awed by the special effects. But these issues exist whether or not you want to acknowledge them and they affect MY opinion, which you don't have to agree with. Just don't dismiss either the issues or my opinion, yeah?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
i'm building these castles with words
Looking back over my writing (and comparing it to what I've read of other people's writings), it's unquestionable that I have a fairly distinctive writing style. The problem I have with it at times is that I'm not sure I like it.
I think I have a decent grasp on my strengths and weaknesses, or at least how I perceive them (though I'm not sure how it might come off to others):
I am good with realistic dialogue. I can make a character say something that they would conceivably say in real life, if they were that situation. I am capable of believable vernacular. On the flip side, when I'm writing humor, I apparently have enough witty one-liners and sarcasm that can carry the tone of the scene.
In continuance with that, I am good with comedic timing and punchlines. I do well with short scenes that make an impact, shaping up a few paragraphs of a situation to conclude with an - oh. A revelation, to either the character or to the reader.
I am not good with overarching plots, pacing, subtle transitions (or else I am too subtle and obscure and the reader will totally miss what I'm trying to convey), and natural development. I am impatient with writing because I like to know where I'm going, so I often have a roadmap of where I want a story to go in my head, and I end up forcing things along without taking into consideration the pacing becomes too abrupty. I overcompensate with what I feel is a lack of progression by throwing in too-subtle foreshadowings that I'm not sure people pick up on during the actual read (and may only seem like foreshadowing to me because I know what happens later on).
I get caught up in descriptions of what people are doing or what their body language is expressing when they're speaking. I don't let the dialogue stand for itself because I know, from personal experience, that people convey unsaid things with their expressions or other small gestures - unfortunately, these tend to bog down scenes with excessive description.
I'm also not very good at describing the setting or background environment of a scene in natural, non-conspicuous ways. I tend to infodump when I remember, oh yeah, I should put in some description of this room or that building or the sky. I should give people enough details for them to get a general idea of where things are taking place instead of throwing a paragraph of text at them, because everyone can use their imagination, right? On the other hand, sometimes I want to describe a particular environment that I know readers wouldn't otherwise imagine. It's a difficult balance. I struggle with that a lot.
Another trap I am guilty of falling into is an overuse of adjectives or adverbs. I'm usually pretty good about them when I am paying attention and at editing out unnecessary ones upon reread. This is why I have to reread. I also reread to get a feel of the general flow of things because I do a generous amount of time-skipping in between scenes and sometimes that jump is not obvious, or it's incongruous or confusing.
As for plot: plot is hard. I tend not to write long things because they require having a better idea or grasp of an overarching plot than I tend to; I'm best with scenes and stories developing organically as I write, which the control freak in me does not allow to happen with longer pieces. Longer pieces demand that I know in what direction I'm heading and it all just ends up driving me crazy.
Sometimes I struggle to find new ways to say old things. I'm not averse to idioms or "clichéd" phrases, as long as they fit into the flow of the narrative (or are apt in dialogue). But sometimes I want to be creative and sometimes that just doesn't work out very well, or I am creative with one particular phrase that I like so much I can't seem to ever think of a new way to express the same sentiment, and I feel like I'm rehashing my writing with the same descriptions or metaphors. Not good.
I also tend to meta in my writing, instead of telling a story. It works, sometimes. Other times it makes me grit my teeth in frustration, but if I have to meta, I would rather do it through a thin veneer of storytelling than in essay form.
Hmm... That's all I can think of to comment on for now, so I'll stop overanalyzing my writing (it comes from writing so much lately...) and actually get back to writing. Ugh, writing is hard. But I write to improve, right?
To paraphrase Stephen King: To be a good writer, you must do two things: read a lot and write a lot.
I think I have a decent grasp on my strengths and weaknesses, or at least how I perceive them (though I'm not sure how it might come off to others):
I am good with realistic dialogue. I can make a character say something that they would conceivably say in real life, if they were that situation. I am capable of believable vernacular. On the flip side, when I'm writing humor, I apparently have enough witty one-liners and sarcasm that can carry the tone of the scene.
In continuance with that, I am good with comedic timing and punchlines. I do well with short scenes that make an impact, shaping up a few paragraphs of a situation to conclude with an - oh. A revelation, to either the character or to the reader.
I am not good with overarching plots, pacing, subtle transitions (or else I am too subtle and obscure and the reader will totally miss what I'm trying to convey), and natural development. I am impatient with writing because I like to know where I'm going, so I often have a roadmap of where I want a story to go in my head, and I end up forcing things along without taking into consideration the pacing becomes too abrupty. I overcompensate with what I feel is a lack of progression by throwing in too-subtle foreshadowings that I'm not sure people pick up on during the actual read (and may only seem like foreshadowing to me because I know what happens later on).
I get caught up in descriptions of what people are doing or what their body language is expressing when they're speaking. I don't let the dialogue stand for itself because I know, from personal experience, that people convey unsaid things with their expressions or other small gestures - unfortunately, these tend to bog down scenes with excessive description.
I'm also not very good at describing the setting or background environment of a scene in natural, non-conspicuous ways. I tend to infodump when I remember, oh yeah, I should put in some description of this room or that building or the sky. I should give people enough details for them to get a general idea of where things are taking place instead of throwing a paragraph of text at them, because everyone can use their imagination, right? On the other hand, sometimes I want to describe a particular environment that I know readers wouldn't otherwise imagine. It's a difficult balance. I struggle with that a lot.
Another trap I am guilty of falling into is an overuse of adjectives or adverbs. I'm usually pretty good about them when I am paying attention and at editing out unnecessary ones upon reread. This is why I have to reread. I also reread to get a feel of the general flow of things because I do a generous amount of time-skipping in between scenes and sometimes that jump is not obvious, or it's incongruous or confusing.
As for plot: plot is hard. I tend not to write long things because they require having a better idea or grasp of an overarching plot than I tend to; I'm best with scenes and stories developing organically as I write, which the control freak in me does not allow to happen with longer pieces. Longer pieces demand that I know in what direction I'm heading and it all just ends up driving me crazy.
Sometimes I struggle to find new ways to say old things. I'm not averse to idioms or "clichéd" phrases, as long as they fit into the flow of the narrative (or are apt in dialogue). But sometimes I want to be creative and sometimes that just doesn't work out very well, or I am creative with one particular phrase that I like so much I can't seem to ever think of a new way to express the same sentiment, and I feel like I'm rehashing my writing with the same descriptions or metaphors. Not good.
I also tend to meta in my writing, instead of telling a story. It works, sometimes. Other times it makes me grit my teeth in frustration, but if I have to meta, I would rather do it through a thin veneer of storytelling than in essay form.
Hmm... That's all I can think of to comment on for now, so I'll stop overanalyzing my writing (it comes from writing so much lately...) and actually get back to writing. Ugh, writing is hard. But I write to improve, right?
To paraphrase Stephen King: To be a good writer, you must do two things: read a lot and write a lot.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
一辈子陪你一起走下去
on virtual friendships
194w.
194w.
Sometimes I would just like to defriend everyone, delete everything, cut off all ties and access, and go live in a real world where people talk face-to-face and you can hear their laughter and feel their presence and the memories live on as more than just words and fading feelings.
People were not made for long-distance relationships. Nor were people made for facsimiles of relationships through the kilobytes and megabytes of technology. I want to feel your arms around me when we hug, without the distance of virtual silence and dead air.
I want more than different colored letters shaping words I will never hear, more than a proliferation of smiles I will never see and heart-shapes that stand in for real emotion. I want the reality of your voice and the tangibleness of a letter, a card, a photograph, under my fingers.
These words, they will last forever, but they are empty - I want the transience of you at my side, moving, breathing, always changing and never static, alive. Alive and choosing to be by my side, to be my friend.
Will you reach out your hand if I reach out mine?
Saturday, December 12, 2009
what if i get lost in you?
Took my Censorship & Free Expression exam yesterday morning - and I think it went really well. There was only one small part I wasn't sure about so I BSed my way through that portion of the essay, but I think my BS was at least relevant and it wasn't a huge part, so all should be well. :D Then I had lunch with people in the courtyard and it was nice because I haven't seen people in so long, closeted away as I am at home studying for finals.
Took my Korean final without studying for it at all, lol. It went fine. I remember how uni exams were so short...only an hour! Man, I miss that. Law school exams are three, sometimes four, hours long. Ugh.
Now gearing up for cracking down on White Collar Crime and hating the fact that the urge to write always strikes me at my busiest, with the least free time. Typical.
Took my Korean final without studying for it at all, lol. It went fine. I remember how uni exams were so short...only an hour! Man, I miss that. Law school exams are three, sometimes four, hours long. Ugh.
Now gearing up for cracking down on White Collar Crime and hating the fact that the urge to write always strikes me at my busiest, with the least free time. Typical.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
i freakin hate not having a car
Thanksgiving was really, really nice an reminded me that I love my family so, so much. I miss them. I am so grateful for them, and all my friends. I got a slight cold while I was home but I've mostly recovered from it - a two or day thing, that wasn't too bad. Drank lots of fluids and slept - definitely helped. Now time to hunker down for exams, right? Ugh. I should stop being lazy and actually go break out my Christmas music - maybe it'll distract from the doom and gloom.
Did my Christmas cards a few days ago! Should be sent out this week, with appropriate postage. It's ridiculous, I only send cards to Extended Family and my favorite online people, so my cards are all over the place: 12 US, 9 international [4 Canada, 2 Philippines, 1 UK, 1 Singapore (usually more, but J came back to the US for uni!), 1 Australia (usually more here too, hmm) - could potentially send 2 to Korea too...]. No one at law school gets cards because I see them every day, haha, and we are just not ~sentimental~ like that, I guess. I don't know about other people, but I love Christmas cards. Email will never beat out snail mail. ♥ I am sentimental, it's all good!
Spent the past few days (sort of) outlining Transnational Litigation and some time today going over Censorship & Free Expression. I don't plan on taking that until Friday though, so I have more time. I should...review some Korean, I suppose. My oral interview's tomorrow. 저는 한국어를 몰라요... 저녁에 연습할 거예요.
Papercut. D:
Did my Christmas cards a few days ago! Should be sent out this week, with appropriate postage. It's ridiculous, I only send cards to Extended Family and my favorite online people, so my cards are all over the place: 12 US, 9 international [4 Canada, 2 Philippines, 1 UK, 1 Singapore (usually more, but J came back to the US for uni!), 1 Australia (usually more here too, hmm) - could potentially send 2 to Korea too...]. No one at law school gets cards because I see them every day, haha, and we are just not ~sentimental~ like that, I guess. I don't know about other people, but I love Christmas cards. Email will never beat out snail mail. ♥ I am sentimental, it's all good!
Spent the past few days (sort of) outlining Transnational Litigation and some time today going over Censorship & Free Expression. I don't plan on taking that until Friday though, so I have more time. I should...review some Korean, I suppose. My oral interview's tomorrow. 저는 한국어를 몰라요... 저녁에 연습할 거예요.
Papercut. D:
Friday, December 4, 2009
status update
Mei Q. is continually unimpressed by your so-called "friendship". When you never make the first move to talk to me or spend time with me and our entire relationship relies solely on my overtures, I am left questioning whether or not you actually care and whether or not I even want to keep trying.
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