Alagaesian

Just lately I have become too preoccupied with You Tube to even watch any program on tv.  I’ve used You Tube for a couple of months now – but only for entertainment; you find all sorts of them there.  But recently, I surfed past videos of some guys who video themselves and share their thoughts to the world. 

It’s interesting to know how people think (and even amazing to realize that some people think alike).  You can find yourself relating to the person, until as if you see yourself in the monitor like you’re the one talking.  Or you might now exactly how the guy feels coz you’ve been there before. 

I enjoyed most the continuous video conversations of these guys (crossmack, dominicjames22, zipster08 and renetto) who are brave enough to share their thoughts to the public.  There’re a lot of insights to their videos – and with the video response features you get the whole string of thoughts of different people on a common discussion. 

It’s like having friends over your flat – without them actually being there.  Which is really nice for someone like me who’s living out alone in a foreign country.   

I could’ve made a video response myself – but I’m more of a writer – so I stick with emails, and comments.  Perhaps in due time – I can muster the courage to make something to post.  And I think I need to buy a new cam – mine is some years old and the resolution’s terrible.

Bottomline, the world has become even smaller with You Tube. 

Technorati Tags: youtube, crossmack, zipster08, dominicjames22, renetto

What if we’ve been doing the same things in our life which we thought we loved doing – and just wake up one day and realize we’re doing it wrong or it’s not really what you would like to do the rest of your life?

I hope this never happens to me, or to anyone I know.  But what if?  The only way out of it perhaps is to diversify (so you don’t end up only knowing one thing) – but not spread yourself too thinly. 

Or rather, it’s not a way out of it – but at least it should prepare yourself in case you get to that point.

Preparation is key and it applies to everything else.

Just got home from the best dinner I had here in Bergen.  And it’s no fancy restaurant. 

I was fortunate to be invited over to Per Bjørnar and Anne Grande’s place this evening.  I was expecting pizza because that was the invite.  It was a nice and welcome surprise to see that Anne changed her menu to something fancy.

Shrimps in avocado and bread topped with pesto or garlic cheese something for starters, chicken breast on beans (my Filipino bean dish favorite) for the main course, and cheesecake for desert. 

The red wine entree was the best I’ve had.  I have to get the name tomorrow.

It has been a busy (and of course – wet) weekend.  It’s officially the start of Christmas in Bergen and the town has never been this packed.  

Shops were open until midnight Friday for the Nattapent (translated – Night Open).  There was also a huge exhibit of Pepperkakebyen (translated - Pepper Cake City) which are made by the school children.  The kids certainly know how to do city planning!  They even have a miniature replica of the Sentrum. 

I was out again last night with my holiday shopping list.  It was one of those nights that you’d want to roam around town (it’s not raining!).  Small programs and gimmicks line the streets – there’s even a reindeer carriage and there was an amazingly long line of kids queued up to have a ride around town.

All these First Advent activities culminate to the Lysfest (translated – Lights Festival).  Thousands of people showed up for the concert and festival braving the chilly wind and rain.   The sight was amazing with the sea of lights from the torches – i still cannot get rid of the smell of the torch from my hands. 

Technorati Tags: Bergen, Lysfest, Pepperkakebyen, Christmas

The guy never chooses the wrong scripts.  Just watched Before Sunset (2004) – only because there was nothing else on TV.  I would have otherwise avoided the movie as I thought such a movie with long, never-ending dialogues would not catch my interest; in other words, boring – at least for me. 

I’m a visual guy and I would usually take things on surface.  Disecting each dialogue is too much work for ‘entertainment’. 

Anyway, I was impressed with the movie.  The script was interesting – so ordinary yet there’s something captivating about it.  The camera never leaves them and the dialogue lasts for the entire length of the movie.  Perhaps after watching the movie once, I would probably watch it the second time while doing something else (like writing a blog).  The conversation between Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) is interesting enough to keep you entertained. 

And I imagine the first movie, Before Sunrise (1995), is just as good.  

Another impressive movie by Ethan Hawke (together with Uma Thurman and Richard Sean Leonard) entitled Tape (2001) is worth seeing.  The entire movie is shot in one motel room.  The camera never leaves the room.  As an IMDB contributor said -

“I loved being brought into the middle of this controversy and seeing that a world can be created and destroyed in a hotel room.”

All three films were directed / written by Richard Linklater.  Tape was written by Stephen Belber.  Watch out for other movies by these guys.

Technorati Tags: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Tape, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater, movies