Thursday, January 30, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Man! I can't believe I did not blog for two days. Or at least I did not blog here. I was busy setting up the New Worlds blog, and all of my energy seems to have gone into this document that Darth Vader asked me to finish. Ah, well....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Watched "Catch Me If You Can" the other night. Highly entertaining. The script was good, the acting was good, and the music was good of course, I think John Williams deserves the awards he got for this movie. My rating: 5/5 stars. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Excerpts from GiNnY's Secret Diary
One line from Paolo Coelho's "The Alchemist" says: "When you want something, everything in the universe conspires to make your dream come true." Aaaah! So should I scream aloud and say that I want..... *&^#%@&#^@*&!#@#$**&^&%#*%$@*@!^%*@&^$@. There we go. I hope the universe got all that. Let the conspiracy begin!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The news about Janet's passing is making a lot of people sit up and think. Including me. Just how much time does each of us have left? Is this yet another reminder for us to carpe diem, seize the day? Looks like it. Time to go home and rethink my life.

Namarie, Janet. Nai fëalya seruva oialmaresse. May your spirit rest in eternal bliss. You are one with the Force now. Be at peace.

"There is no death. There is the Force."



Monday, January 27, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

French Class Update: As if not coping up with numbers not enough, professeur drove all coherent and happy thoughts from my head yesterday by asking me out of the blue what 56,980 is in francais. Great. Got panicky, but managed to recite correctly. Learned conjugations. Learned new words. Fun fun fun. :) But for the life of me, still cannot construct proper sentence. LOL.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Oh, the thrill of the chase as I soar through the air
With the Snitch up ahead and the wind in my hair
As I draw ever closer, the crowd gives a shout
But then comes a Bludger and I am knocked out.
--- Ingolfr the Iambic (poet), early 1400/2 [taken from "Quidditch Through The Ages"]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I just got notified that "On This Starry Night" has also been published at Harry Potter Filks. Thanks, CM! :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Excerpts from GiNnY's Secret Diary
I've done almost all that I can do. I left a trail. Made sure landmarks are identifiable. Si peliannen i vâd na dail lîn. The path has already been laid before your feet. Wish you would walk the path, follow the trail. The way leads straight to me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

TPTS's radio guesting was a success! You go, guys! You were all great. Now the whole country knows about us. Heheheh. :)


Saturday, January 25, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

(Thanks to Master U-l-a-n and her friend, Migs for the link.) I've registered in BookCrossing, a very very very intriguing community of book lovers. The whole community's concept is founded on 3 Rs. Read a book. You know that feeling that sometimes, you read something and you want to tell everyone else to read it? Then go register at BookCrossing so that you can get a unique ID for your book. Then release the book for someone else to read! Releasing means tagging the book with a unique ID from BC and some other info (or you may print labels from the site), leaving it in a certain place for other people to "find", giving it to someone, donating it, or simply "forgetting" it somewhere. When someone finds the book, that someone can go online and register the book as found and leave journal entries about it, and eventually, release the book again. You can actually track where your books have gone (if the finder bothers to log it in). You can even go hunting for released books in your area because there's info on all the books that are released.

The site also comes with a list of the most popular books, and well-travelled books. Imagine, the book you left will go places! I found info about a book that was left in a cafe in Bohol by someone from Hawaii! A tourist probably. Cool, eh?

Now I wonder what book I will release first.... Hrmmmm....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Another intriguing link from Migs. hinirang.com is a site that features original Filipino fantasy stories and art. The works featured there are great. The site looks really really cool, too, and is a great resource for local mythology enthusiasts. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste....
--- "Come What May" by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge)



Friday, January 24, 2003
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There was a barrage of messages over at TPTS today but one stood out for me. Hector posted a spooky trivia. See, he explained that JRRT "sailed off to the West" (ah, passed away) in the year 1973. If you read the numbers from right to left, you will get 3, 7, 9, 1, right?

3 rings for the Elven Kings under the sky
7 for the Dwarf lords in their halls of stone
9 for mortal Men doomed to die
1 for the Dark Lord in his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie....

What is up with THAT? Oh, sheep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Found more Shel Silverstein, this time, with illustrations. :)



FALLING UP

I tripped on my shoelace
And I fell up -
Up to the roof tops,
Up over the town,
Up past the tree tops,
Up over the mountains,
Up where the colors
Blend into the sounds.
But it got me so dizzy
When I looked around
I got sick to my stomach
And I threw down.



 

Started listening to the BBC Dramatization of "The Hobbit". Transferred about 3 episodes to MD. It's cool. I actually didn't feel the traffic because I felt like I was journeying with Bilbo and the dwarves. Trolls! Ack!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Harry Potter Lexicon contains a lot of very useful information for Harry Potter fans, and I tend to read it when I'm online and have exhausted my usual list of websites to visit and message boards to check. :) My random topic at the Lexicon today is about old magic or ancient magic. Steve Vander Ark, webmaster of the Lexicon, explains that old magic is the type that is not cast using wands or spells from books, but rather, it is more intrinsic, it is part of the universe itself. "It manifests itself from the true heart-felt actions of people and cannot be manipulated to ends other than those to which it is intended." The Lexicon sites the following examples of the use of old magic in the first four books: as long as Harry is with the Dursleys, he is protected, and not even Voldemort can touch him there; Lily's sacrifice created a protection for Harry that Voldemort and Quirrell could not break; when a wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a bond between them, a "life debt". Intriguing. I guess we'll know more about this in the last three books. I hope.

===

Love is good and powerful ancient magic. It conquers all. Even "Avada Kedavra".
--- from "All I Really Need To Know I Learned from Harry Potter: Magical Thoughts on Muggle Things"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



august afternoon and the air's aflame
softly on the breeze, thought i heard your name
this morning i'd have thought that it looked like rain
but these clouds have ways of playing games
--- from "Weather" by Stephen Speaks



Thursday, January 23, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Finally got that Quenya coursebook bound with the help of my brother. Now to start reading....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



whether you are weather like
clouds appear and clouds roll by
but if you stay within my sight,
fall in love I just might
--- from "Weather" by Stephen Speaks



 

Excerpts from GiNnY's Diary

I wonder just how many invisibility devices I actually am wearing that I don't know of? The One Ring? An Invisibility Cloak? Or did I activate some sort of cloaking device? I don't know anymore.... Everything feels weird. I hope I won't be saying "I amar prestar....". I don't adapt to change easily. I survive it, but don't normally accept it. Evolution would probably leave me behind.

I was soaring I was flying, Knowing I had no boundaries, with the heights that now surround. But I was tethered, I was falling, knowing everything that goes up must come down. Quoted this song a few posts ago. A few posts ago, it seemed a given. But now, I wonder, can't one defy the laws of physics, so that one can go up but not come down? Like get wings and fly? Forever? Or be as light as a feather and be just be carried by the wind? Forever? Looks like it can't be avoided. Down you go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Since I soooo feel like I'm about to either crash into a weird depressed state or lapse into a long period of suspended animation, I thought that the Egyptian Book of the Dead will be good reading material today during work breaks. Not depressing, not joyful, just gloomy enough, but hey, the texts talk about eternal life. In fact, the ancient Egyptians call it prt m hrw or "coming forth by day", because they believed that the soul took the whole night to travel through the Underworld, and it shall emerge triumphant by day. Doesn't sound too gloomy, does it? And you never know what lessons you may find.

The Book of the Dead is actually not a book. It's a bunch of papyrus sheets where mortuary spells were written, and some of the vignettes are written in tomb walls. Morbid? Well, probably. But these spells ensured that the soul of the dead would get through the underworld safely and attain a blissful afterlife. The Book also contains hymns of praise to the ancient Egyptian gods.

Most of the text relates the Odyssey of the soul through the Underworld, from the weighing of the dead's heart against the Feather of Truth, to passing trials like going through the Seven Arits, and passing the Pylons of the House of Osiris. After this, he will be ushered into the presence of Osiris, and after a few more spells and trials, into the presence of Thoth. Then he will become god-like and have powers like a deity.

The version I'm reading is "The Book of the Dead" which was translated by E.A. Wallis Budge from the Papyrus of Ani, which is the best preserved version of the book, complete with beautiful illustrations. Will write more about it when I've read a substantial part of the text.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Cause I am barely breathing
And I can't find the air
Don't know who I'm kidding
Imagining you care
I could stand here waiting,
A fool for another day.
I don't suppose it's worth the price
The price that I would pay.
But I'm thinking it over anyway....
--- from "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik



Wednesday, January 22, 2003
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Now this is pathetic. Not only didn't I know about Michael Crichton's latest book, but apparently, the news that "Timeline" will be made into a movie for release this year, escaped me too. Hahahaha! Pathetic fan. :) It's going to be directed by Richard Donner. I'm not sure if it's going to be one of the great Crichton adaptations. I hope it is. And it looks like "Prey" is in the works to become a movie too. Wow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Love this excerpt from "Timeline":

He had a term for people like this: temporal provincials - people who were ignorant of the past, and proud of it.

Temporal provincials were convinced that the present was the only time that mattered, and that anything that had occurred earlier could be safely ignored. The modern world was compelling and new, and the past had no bearing on it. Studying history was as pointless as learning Morse code, or how to drive a horse-drawn wagon. And the medieval period - all those knights in clanking armor and ladies in gowns and pointy hats - was so obviously irrelevant as to be beneath consideration.

Yet the truth was that the modern world was invented in the Middle Ages. Everything from the legal system, to nation-states, to reliance on technology, to the concept of romantic love had first been established in medieval times. These stockbrokers owed the very notion of the market economy to the Middle Ages. And if they didn't know that, then they didn't know the basic facts of who they were. Why they did what they did. Where they had come from.

Professor Johnston often said that if you didn't know history, you didn't know anything. You were a leaf that didn't know it was part of a tree.





 

The Leaky Cauldron reports more casting confirmations for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".... supposedly. I don't know if Warner Bros. has confirmed. But the choices are interesting. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black (which I couldn't quite imagine). I wanted someone who looks like... oh, Hugh Jackman or Viggo Mortensen as Sirius, but they're not British, so.... Then there's Pam Ferris who will play Aunt Marge. Ah, this one is casting genius. Pam Ferris played Ms. Trunchbull in the movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda". I think she's perfect for the role. Then David Thewlis, he'll play Profesor Lupin. Hrmmm.... I can't seem to remember this actor.... Let's wait and see what Warner will announce....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" DVD is coming out on April 11, 2003! The press release lists down the features thus:

The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets loaded, two-disc DVD will cast a spell on fans everywhere with magical features including the following:

- 19 additional/extended scenes, including more Dobby mischief, more flying car adventure, a frightening encounter with the Malfoys in Borgin and Burkes and much more!
- Crystal-clear, self-guided tours, which for the first time include background characters, let viewers have an up-close experience, allowing them to linger on the details of the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore's office and Diagon Alley - including places never shown in the film such as more Diagon Alley shops, the sitting room in Dumbledore's office and more!
- Interviews with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and other cast members who talk about making the film, favorite scenes, what their friends think and more.
- An exclusive interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves about rendering the adventure to the screen.
- Fun-filled activities allow viewers to escape the Forbidden Forest, sneak into the Chamber and more.
- Visit Lockhart's class, and get a closer look at his photos and memorabilia through the use of still galleries.
- Feature film available in English and Spanish; subtitles available in English, French and Spanish.

The DVD-ROM has more than 15 special features including the following:

- The One VoiceDVD technology will allow users to navigate through the DVD-ROM features and access set top features using only their voices, giving kids the illusion of a magical experience interacting with the DVD.
- An animated, interactive Hogwarts timeline provides important dates in Hogwarts history with mini pop-up videos from the Harry Potter films.
- A slider puzzle challenge featuring motion video.
- Printable magic trading cards to collect and share with friends. Jigsaw puzzles, matching challenges, downloadable screensavers and much more!

Cool!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Revelations from GiNnY's Very Secret Diary:
Came prepared, script and all. Apparently mental preparation not enough. With one word, one smile, brain seemed to reset. Had to throw all lines out the window. Courage didn't fail me, though. Got through just fine. Have hope of being true Gryffindor. Glad. Thinking more happy thoughts. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



...
And I feel like I'm falling but it's no surprise....
...
And my voice shakes along with my hands....
'Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea
But I'd rather be here than on land....
...

--- from "Out Of My League" by Stephen Speaks










Tuesday, January 21, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

I can't believe I totally missed the news about MC's new book. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors, been reading his stuff since high school, and I have a complete set of his books.... except for this new one, Prey.

Deep in the Nevada desert, the Xymos Corporation has built a state-of-the-art fabrication plant, surrounded by nothing but cactus and coyotes for miles and miles. Inside, eight people are trapped -- because outside, waiting for them, looking for them, is a predatory swarm of micro-particles that they themselves created. The swarm is getting bigger and more powerful by the hour, and they must find a way to stop it before it gets inside -- unless it's already too late...

Intriguing. Sounds X-Files to me. :) Better go hunt this book down....




 

French class update: Once again, class v. fun and entertaining. Learning to spell and to count. Oh, sheep. Count. Or should I count sheep?

Un! Un mouton! Ah ah ah ah ah! (insert lightning and thunder effects here, and imagine sheep jumping over fences)
Deux! Deux mouton! Ah ah ah ah ah!


Did I just do that? I think I'm going nuts.

Un. Deux. Trois. Quatre. Cinq. Six. Sept. Huit. Neuf. Dix. Okaaayyy.... Feels like kindergarten, this does. A youngling I am again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Found another something by Shel Silverstein...

The Missing Piece

It was a missing piece.
It was not happy.
So it went off in search
of its missing piece....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thinking happy thoughts. But insecure and paranoid me is kicking in again too. Nauthannen i ned l reniannen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



For Mom:

but i wish for all my life you could have been there
when i climbed up high and fell down far below
and i wish you could have seen the fire in my eyes
when i found my dreams and refused to let them go
--- from "Never Knew" by Stephen Speaks





Monday, January 20, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

It's awards season once again. And once again, it seems Star Wars has been overlooked. Even in some awards bodies' technical categories. Ah, well.... What's new? It's always been that way anyways. The Golden Globe results were not very favorable for my favorite movies either. There are some intriguing results from the Broadcast Film Critics' Awards though:

Best Director: Steven Spielberg - Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report
Best Digital Acting Performance: Gollum - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Best Family Film (live action): Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Best Composer: John Williams - Catch Me If You Can, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Minority Report

I knew Gollum would win that award. Now he has another preciousssss. An acting trophy! Heeheehee. :) And should I say anything more about John Williams? No? Okay. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was also reading a recent article about David Salo, the noted Tolkien language expert, and his work in the Lord of the Rings movies. His influence in the movie trilogy ranges from the soundtrack to the inscriptions on Frodo's sword, Sting ("Maegnus is my name, I am the spiders' bane."), even the invention of some Orc language! His work has helped a lot for people who weren't into the books to appreciate the languages more:

My goal was for people who had no knowledge of Tolkien to have an appreciation of the sounds of the languages," Salo said.

Thus, said Salo, Quenya, the formal Elvish, used in proclamations such as Galadriel's farewell and in official histories, should sound noble and sonorous, while common spoken Elvish, or Sindarin, should sound "romantic, Celtic."

Cool. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

More Sindarin excerpts from LOTR:


Arwen: "Renich i l i erui govannem?" (Do you remember the time when we first met?)
Aragorn: "Nauthannen i ned l reniannen." (I thought I had strayed into a dream.)

I thought I had strayed into a dream. Why do I feel that way right now?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I was soaring I was flying,
Knowing I had no boundaries
With the heights that now surround
But I was tethered, I was falling
Knowing everything that goes up must come down.
-- from "February Wind" by Stephen Speaks








Saturday, January 18, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Made reservations for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at the local bookstore. Yippee! :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today I found "A Guide to Tolkien" by David Day, and I must say, this is one of the most useful Tolkien-related books ever. It's like a Tolkien dictionary. I intend to read it straight through, which should help me understand "The Silmarillion" more. And then I could probably graduate to the History of Middle Earth books, and expand my knowledge a little.

The most important Tolkien lessons I learned today are about Iluvatar and the Ainur. I finally understood the story about the creation of Arda, and who the Valars and the Maiars were. Progress is being made. :)



 

Haha! It DOES count down. It works, it works! :)



Friday, January 17, 2003
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SUCCESS! My own "Order of the Phoenix" countdown clock is up! Woohoo! Will work on numbers using the Lumos font, so it will suit the blog more.

Now I just hope it reads "Only 154 days until the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by tomorrow....



 

Because of all these "May the Force be with you" translations that Anakin Malfoy has been dishing out, there was a recent clamor at SWP for a translation in Quenya. I wrote to the TPTS Quenya master, and he kindly translated for us. He says:

"I cannot be sure regarding the context of "Force". There are actually two words in Quenya that denote "power". The first, vala, is actually power as bestowed by an authority, sc. Eru; the second, *melke (unattested, hypothetical, but a logical descendant of stem *mbelek-) is power as attained by force, thus the name Melkor. So by the two ways to interpret this in Quenya is either Nai i vala nauva aselye or Nai i melke nauva aselye."

U-l-a-n suggested that we also capitalize Vala, the word for power, since we use Force as a proper noun in English.



I prefer the first translation, because I believe that the power of the Force cannot be acquired by force. Or is it "should not be acquired by force"? In the case of most Jedi, the power bestowed by the Force is inborn, considering their high midichlorian counts, and then the ability to use it is developed by training. So it is bestowed. I believe, same goes with the Sith. I wonder how it was in the case of Palpatine. Palpatine intrigues me.....

Nai i Vala nauva aselye!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alright. Got that song in my office Winamp now! (Thanks, Oneal, you're a dear for uploading that mp3, but if I go because of that song....) Oh, well. Time to get... acclimatized. (shudder, shudder shudder).

Thursday, January 16, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Thanks, Laurice for that wonderful new comment box and comment box banner. When I change my color scheme, can you do another set for me? :D *duck, Ginny, incoming!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Phoenix" Watch: Only hours after Amazon.com announced that "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is now available for pre-order, following the joint announcement of a June 21 release date by Bloomsbury and Scholastic, the book soared to the top of Amazon's Bestseller list... without even being released yet! Wow! :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thinking very very happy thoughts. :)



Wednesday, January 15, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

I still can't believe today's set of entries have come to run this long, but I guess I have had too much time to think today.... No wonder I've got this terrible headache. I don't even know if my grammar is coherent. But I just cannot let this day pass without posting this wonderful news, though.

===

The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.

===

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses.

‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’

===

Oh. My. Gawd. Those lines are part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc's official press release. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on June 21, 2003! Yup yup. Finally!!!!

Posting the whole article here to make sure I don't miss anything!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to be published on
21st June, 2003 in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia

The world’s most anticipated book is over one third longer than the previous book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

London, England; New York, New York; 15th January, 2003: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling, the fifth in the best-selling series, has been scheduled for release on Saturday 21st June, 2003 in Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and in the English language in many countries, it was announced by the book’s English language publishers, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, to whom it has now been delivered. The companies also announce that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is over one third longer than J K Rowling's extraordinary previous book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

In making the joint announcement, Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury Publishing in Britain and Barbara Marcus, President of Scholastic Children’s Books in the United States said, "We are thrilled to announce the publication date. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is absolutely superb and will delight all J K Rowling’s fans. She has written a brilliant and utterly compelling new adventure, which begins with the words:

"The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four."

Later in the novel, J K Rowling writes:

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses.

‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry.
Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is over 255,000 words compared to over 191,000 words in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The new book is 38 chapters long, one more than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J K Rowling’s fourth Harry Potter book, was released on 8th July, 2000 and was the fastest selling book in history on the first weekend of its publication. All four Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, have been Number 1 bestsellers and are currently on bestseller lists in Britain, the USA, and around the world.

Bloomsbury will be publishing their standard children's hardback edition (ISBN 07475 51 006) and in addition an adult hardback edition (ISBN 07475 69 401, the same text but with a different jacket) at the same time, both editions to be 768 pages long and priced at £16.99.

All time zones preceding the UK are embargoed until 00:01 am BST (British Summer Time) on Saturday 21 June 2003.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Oh...boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy! Darn it, that Dumbledore line and that first paragraph of the book gave me goosebumps the first time I read the press release. I'm soooooo excited!!!

I have six months to reread the first 4 books and the 2 supplements.... But first I have to get past Part One of "The Silmarillion". I needed to finish this book... yesterday! LOL.


 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - My Favorite Movie Snippets

Found these courtesy of TPTS members. :)

And there are new sprites up for adoption at Pixel Empire too, so I went and made a home for their new TTT creations. :D

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One of my favorite scenes from the movie!


Gollum: He loves it. We needs it. Must have the precious... They stole it from us, sneaky little hobbitses... wicked, tricksy. False!
Smeagol: No not master...!
Gollum: Yes precious. False. They will cheat you... hurt you... lie...!
Smeagol: Master's my friend!
Gollum: You dont have any friends! Nobody likes *you*.
Smeagol: ...not listening...! Not listening!
Gollum: You're a liar -and a thief.
Smeagol: No
Gollum: *taunts* Murderer...
Smeagol: *sobbish* Go away!
Gollum: Go away!? Hahaha
Smeagol: I hate you I hate you!
Gollum: Where would you be without me?! *gollum* *I* saved us. It was *me*. We survived because of ME!
Smeagol: Not anymore.
Gollum: ...what did you say?
Smeagol: Master looks after us now. We don't need you.
Gollum: ...what?
Smeagol: Leave... now... and never... come back!
Gollum: NOOO!
Smeagol: Leave now...! and Never. Come back!
Gollum: GRRRRRRRR!
Smeagol: LEAVE! NOW! AND NEVER! COME BACK!
Smeagol: ...
Smeagol: W...ww....we told him to go away and away he goes precious! Gone gone gone! SMEAGOL'S FREEEE!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next snippets contain the Elvish dialogues and its translations from this website.

===

In a flashback scene seen by Aragorn on his way from Edoras, Arwen and Aragorn talk to each other, Arwen encouraging Aragorn to go along with Frodo.


Aragorn: Min lû pennich nin i aur hen telitha.
Arwen: Ú i vethed... nâ i onnad. Boe bedich go Frodo. Han bâd lîn.
Aragorn: Dolen i vâd o nin.
Arwen: Si peliannen i vâd na dail lîn. Si boe ú-dhannathach.
Aragorn: Arwen.
Arwen: Ae ú-esteliach nad... estelio han. Estelio ammen.

Aragorn: 'You told me once... this day would come.'
Arwen: 'This is not the end... it is the beginning. You must go with Frodo. This is your path.'
Aragorn: 'My path is hidden from me'
Arwen: 'It is already laid before your feet. You cannot falter now.'
Aragorn: Arwen.
Arwen: 'If you trust nothing else... trust this... trust us.'

===

During the scene between Elrond and Arwen when Elrond tries to convince Arwen to go to Valinor:


Elrond: A im, ú-'erin veleth lîn?
Arwen: Gerich meleth nîn, ada.

Elrond: 'Do I not also have your love?'
Arwen: 'You have my love, father.'

===

As Arwen departs from Rivendell, Galadriel's voice is heard saying....


Galadriel: I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned 'wilith.

Galadriel: 'The world is changed; I can feel it in the water, I can feel it in the earth, I can smell it in the air.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I feel sooooo like Eowyn again.... Eowyn Skywalker....



Ae ú-esteliach nad... estelio han. Estelio ammen.

A im, ú-'erin veleth lîn?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I don't know why but suddenly I'm falling
Was I so blind
I was loving you all the time
Now I'm hopelessly addicted
Helplessly attracted.
-- "Hopelessly Addicted" by The Corrs



 

A POETIC SPELL

The prospect of writing that filk still makes me go "sheep sheep sheep" so I'll set it aside and forget filking for a few hours and think poetry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I found more of Shel Silverstein's poems in my old high school literature class notebooks. Here's another favorite, and one that has become an important part of my personal philosophy:

The Search

I went to find the pot of gold
That's waiting where the rainbow ends.
I searched and searched and searched and searched
And searched and searched, and then -
There it was, deep in the grass,
Under an old and twisty bough.
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine at last....
What do I search for now?
-- from "Where The Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein

I think this poem is classic Silverstein. The style is very light and whimsical and yet, there is an underlying meaning. Ever since I read this poem back in high school, it has become something to live by. It has come to represent a cycle that I go through over and over again. The quest to achieve the goals that I have set for myself, learning through experiences along the way, and when I get to the end of the journey, set another goal and embark on another quest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And while trying to search for my old high school notebooks, I also found my old college binders. Tucked away amidst pages of scrawled solutions to calculus problems, German class notes, and circuit diagrams, I found a paper containing one of several poems that I wrote when I found myself hanging out in U.P.'s Main Library on my ridiculous 4 hour break between classes. It is appropriately titled, I think. Heehee. :)

Bored

If time would fly more quickly,
I wouldn't be so weary,
Won't fall asleep in the library
As I would when I am bored.
I do crazy things when I am bored to death,
like recite the Greek alphabet,
compose German phrases about my pet,
sing songs when I am bored.
I think up wild stories,
fantasize I'm in the movies,
crave for chocolate chip cookies,
all that when I am bored.
I want to be somewhere far away,
exploring, travelling, frolicking all day.
Go skysurfing? Why not, I say.
Oh, Lord, I'm really bored.
Ride unicorns amidst the stars in the sky
Cast magic spells on the perfect guy,
Make cuddly, little teddy bears fly,
I wish I could, 'cause I am bored.
Stare at the clock to watch time pass me by
Chant mantras to keep me from closing my eyes
Talk to myself, oh, I could cry,
I could scream when I am bored.
Hey! What do you know? It's almost time!
Oh my gosh, there goes the chime!
But I've got to think of one more rhyme...
Just one more... 'cause I write poems when I am bored.
-- :o)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I live my life,
thankful for each day,
wholly embracing the world
and every challenge it casts my way.
But each day as I go on I find,
I think of solutions to the puzzles
while half my thoughts are of you.
I laugh and cry and feel and care,
but half my heart reaches out to you.
I may find joy in the world around me
but you remain my happy thought.
I may keep searching for a peaceful place
but always feel safe in your presence.
And though I may find courage,
I fear the answers to my questions,
Fear that you will disappear,
Fear the way I feel for you....
-- :o) 01142003


Tuesday, January 14, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Got about 3 filks supposedly in the works. Abandoned them on account of difficulty in writing lyrics. The idea is there, the song is there, but the words don't seem to be. Back to the drawing board.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On account of requests (and sometimes, insistent demands and guilt trips) from Ian (girl, you owe me for bringing this idea up), Laurice (yeah, yeah, I thought you cared about me. Why would you want me to go crazy writing this filk? Hahaha!), Krys, and Oneal (who just had to make a great sales pitch and who went to, as he put it, GREAAAAAT lengths just so I can have a complete "Filk Writing Kit" - with the lyrics and a file of the song!), I am now considering writing a filk to the tune of... yes, the song I abhor, The Ketchup Song. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!! Sheep. May the Force be with me.

Ideas, anyone? I don't even know if it will be HP, LOTR, or SW. I don't even know what it's supposed to be all about.

The really bad thing about this is that, see, when I write filks, I have to listen to the song over and over and over again, until I finish writing. So I copy the songs I'm using to my MD. And the other bad thing is that, I tend to write filks when I am on the bus, on the way to work and back home again, working with my trusty thesaurus and rhyming dictionary. Oh, yeah. That reminds me. I'd better get a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary combined into one book so I won't need to bring two books all the time. (yeah, starting to picture me as a nerd now, eh? LOL). Double sheep. Now I can foresee myself reaaaaallly ending up being, oh, I don't know, maaaadddddd, after I write the filk? Hahahahaha!

Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts........... Ack! Triple sheep. Sheep sheep sheep.





Sunday, January 12, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Here's another poem from Shel Silverstein. It's another one of my favorites. :)

===

ALICE

She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
And up she grew so tall,
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME
And down she shrank so small.
And so she changed, while other folks
Never tried nothing at all.

-- from "Where The Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein

===

And, well, here's one from me...

To Cal

You make me feel loved and protected from harm
When you take me into your arms.
You're always there when I feel alone,
There when all my hopes have flown.
You're there to comfort me when I'm scared of the night,
There to soothe me after a fight.
I see answers to my questions, truth, not lies,
When I look deep into your soulful eyes.
When my day feels so sad and blue,
I know I could always run to you.
I will always treasure the moments we share.
I will always love you.... my dear teddy bear.

===

First day of French classes. Learned introductions. Learned l'alphabet. Learned professions. Learned nationalities. Professeur fun and v. patient. All in all, fun and entertaining. A dimanche.





Saturday, January 11, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Still thinking happy thoughts.

Friday, January 10, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Since I discovered some of his works back in the High School library, a long long time ago, in a school not so far away... (forgive me, I couldn't resist), Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) has become one of, if not my favorite modern poet. His style is unique, giving a certain character to his works that appeal to children and adults alike. I am only familiar with the books he's written and illustrated for children. But during my little expedition in the World Wide Web to try to discover more about him, I found out that he's also a composer and a recording artist, and is great with a guitar! Wow! :)

According to Sely Friday's compiled information about Mr. Silverstein, he was born Sheldon Allan Silverstein on September 25, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Interesting how he says his writing and drawing started....

"When I was a kid-- 12, 14, around there-- I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn' t dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me; not much I could do about that. So, I started to draw and to write. I was also lucky that I didn't have anybody to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30. By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me. Not that I wouldn't rather make love, but the work has become a habit."
-- (Jean F. Mercier. "Shel Silverstein," Publishers Weekly, February 24, 1975).

My favorite book of his should be Where the Sidewalk Ends, where I found some of my favorite poems. Some of them are just downright funny and silly, and some actually seem to have some deeper meaning.... That's part of his charm, I guess.

I remember this as the first Silverstein poem I ever read:

===

Magic

Sandra's seen a leprechaun
Eddie touched a troll
Laurie danced with witches once
Charlie found some goblins gold
Donald heard a mermaid sing
Susy spied an elf
But all the magic I have known
I've had to make myself

===

I'm off to find more poems!




Thursday, January 09, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

I'm Eowyn Skywalker for today, and I'm reflecting my LJ entry here. For some weird reason... Ah, well....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hung up on this new song by Stephen Speaks entitled "Passenger Seat". Somehow I get visions whenever I listen to it. Visions of.... Ah. Never mind.



"I look at her and have to smile
As we go driving for a while
Her hair blowing in the open window of my car and...
As we go, the traffic lights,
I watch them glimmer in her eyes
In the darkness of the evening.

And I've got all that I need
Right here in the passenger seat.
And I can't keep my eyes on the road
knowing that she's inches from me....

We stopped to get something to drink
My mind clouds and I can't think
Scared to death to say I love her.
When the moon peeps from the clouds
Hear my heart, it beats so loud
Try to tell her simply....

That I've got all that I need,
Right here in the passenger seat
Oh, and I can't keep my eyes on the road
Knowing that she's inches from me...."

Sigh. I wish.....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Isn't this alarming. I was in Jedi Council a few hours ago.... and suddenly a thought popped into my very sleepy and confused brain.

He is my happy thought.

Oh, man.... Yes, even though in a day, I may not cross his mind at all... not even for a minute... not even for a second... Ah. I'm a fool....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I'm in the process of rereading "The Wizard of Oz". I don't know why. I have a tall "to read" stack, but some unknown force drew me to Oz. I wonder if it's to keep reminding me that "there's no place like my shower", ehermm... i mean, "there's no place like home". (Nickelodeon overload, sorry). No place like home indeed.

I need some joie de vivre. I need my happy thought....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Our SWP newbie is a comic book artist. Seems he knows some "May the Force be with you" translations too. Is this French? Guess I'll wait till first day of class to find out. I swear, I have to leave that room knowing how to say that in French! LOL.

Che la Force sout avec toi!.

Oh, and as promised. My favorite 2 artworks by Gary Mayoralgo, our newbie:





Wow.





 

Now have 5 X-Wing origami prototypes sitting in front of my home PC. Heheheheheh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks to all those who said kind words about my filks. Am so glad someone actually liked it! LOL.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Still reeling from all that fantabulous fanart that our new SWP member uploaded. Sigh. Posting here as soon as I can upload it to Tripod. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

French classes start on Sunday. Yippeeeee!!!

Tuesday, January 07, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

New Harry Potter filk coming up! *grin*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"ON THIS STARRY NIGHT"
A parody of "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)", version by Josh Groban

Original lyrics can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/joshgroban/song19

SETTING: The Forbidden Forest is not the best place for musicals, but Harry, Hermione, Draco, Hagrid (with Fang), and some centaurs, decide this song merits the right ambience. ;)

This filk is dedicated to the Gryffindors of Hogwarts Philippines, and fellow Josh Groban admirers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Verse 1

Harry:
On this starry night,
We serve detention yet again.
In the forest forbidden,
With Hagrid we'll go search for unicorns.
Hagrid (to the students):
Evil's afoot this night.
Try hard not to scream in fright
Of shadows made by the moonlight.
I hope we'll finish this before daylight.


Chorus

Students (to Hagrid):
We don't understand.
What is happening out here?
Is that unicorn blood? Is evil near?
We're trying hard to hide our fear.
Draco:
I shouldn't be here....
Hagrid (to Draco):
No use fretting now.
We'll get through this somehow.


Verse 2
[Exit Hagrid, Hermione, Draco, and Fang. Firenze gallops into the scene]

Firenze (to Harry):
Mars is bright tonight.
The stars, we know what they portend.
His plans will have an evil end.
Unicorn blood will sustain him for now
His life's cursed anyhow
But the Stone will change all that,
His power, too much to combat.
I hope the stars have been read wrong this time.


Chorus

Harry (to Firenze):
Now I understand
What the clues are telling me.
Voldemort's alive, his spirit's free,
His revenge soon we will all see.
But would they listen to a boy like me,
If I tell Professor D.?


Bridge
[Enter Bane and Ronan]

Firenze (to Harry):
Come and ride back with me,
I'll bring you to safety.
Bane (to Firenze):
Firenze, you're not a simple mule.
Put the boy down, you're no fool.
Don't meddle in what the heavens have planned.
Firenze (to Bane):
But he's the Boy Who Lived, Bane.
On my stand, I'll remain.
I thought that you would understand.


Instrumental
[Harry rides back with Firenze. They find Hagrid, Hermione, Draco, and Fang again]


Verse 3

Hagrid:
Ah, Firenze, I see you've met.
Oh, Harry, what happened to you?
Harry:
Unicorn's dead, I saw it too,
The evil, then Firenze came, off it flew.

Chorus
[While Harry and Hermione walk back to the Gryffindor dormitories....]

Harry (to Hermione):
Now I think I know
What the clues are telling me.
Voldemort's alive, his spirit's free.
And he wants the Stone, you see.
But would they listen to a kid like me?
Let's find Professor D.!

===

GiNnYSkywalker
january 6, 2003


Sunday, January 05, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Someone from SWP posted a link to Star Wars-themed Origami diagrams. Darn. Now I'm folding paper all over the place, trying to come up with an X-Wing! It is a frustrating exercise, and I've tried different papers already. Discovered that art paper works best so far. Now I just have to figure out how to interpret some steps in the directions!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I've been waiting for so long
For a miracle to come,
Everyone told me to be strong
Hold on, and don't shed a tear.
Through the darkness and good times
I know I'd make it through.
And the world thought I had it all,
But I was waiting for you....
-- "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion


 

For the people who follow my LJ (if there are even any! LOL), I have updated my template such that it indicates when my last LJ update is. Since most of you know that I update this blog more often, and check here first, it'll be more convenient. At least, you only have to check the date of the last update to see if you've caught up on the latest entry or not. Same goes for "Magical Melodies". :)

Saturday, January 04, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

I'll go totally off-tangent with the theme of my blog here.

I was going through an old journal of mine. I usually put in quotes or lines from songs after each entry too, like I do here or in my LJ, and I found this after one of my entries:


"Love is not some place that we're in.... Love is not some place that we fall... It's something that we do."
-- Lines from the song "Something That We Do" by Clint Black

I agree. I guess sometimes we tend to get carried away by the emotion, that we forget the actual essence of it. Clint Black once said that the line that sparked that song was: "Love is a verb, not a noun.". Love is defined by our actions, by what we do. Our actions show that we care, and how much we care. Yes, love is an emotion, but our actions are the ultimate expression of it, and what defines it for us, and how the people we care about will define it too, eventually..

*the author pauses from typing and starts to think....* Did I just write that? Sheesh....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Just to keep everyone sporting that green smiley puke face because I'm talking about love and it's not even Valentine's yet.... here's another quote which I read in Headmistress Cherie's (of PHP) signature at the forums:

"To say that I don't love you is a lie.... but to say that I do is too soon."

Darn. I'm thinking that too, right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"Whereever I am, baby, I'm always walking with you.
I'm always walking with you, but I look and you're not there.
Whoever I am with, I'm always, always talking to you.
I'm always talking to you, and it's sad that you can't hear.
So sad that you can't hear...."
-- from "How Can I Tell You" (forgot the artist's name!)





Thursday, January 02, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Ahahahaha! Somebody finally posted a screen capture of the stupid Shaak floating in the asteroid field! LOL. Now I can have some peace of mind.... Thank you, Grilled-Sarlacc! You rock!


Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized pic.

And they found the TIE Fighter/X-Wing in Coruscant too!


Click on the thumbnail to view the full-sized pic.

Bless the Maker! :)


 

Finally! Owl helped me think of a nice name for my Filk Archive site and she came up with "Magical Melodies", which is really appropriate. :) Thanks, Owl. I knew I could count on you! On a related note, it can now be accessed through this URL:

http://www.magicalmelodies.tk



But I thought "To Mangle or Not To Mangle" is funny, though, Lau. Heheheh.




Wednesday, January 01, 2003
------------------------------------------------  

Happy New Year! Let's hope 2003 brings more magic and love and happiness and peace and prosperity and good health to us all. Some things that I hope to accomplish this year (in no particular order):

• learn to speak and read French fluently!
  
  
• make at least one out of town trip
  
  
• read more books!
  
  
• rethink my life and try to improve my spiritual well-being
  
  
• write more
  
  
• do a better job at my job
  
  
• venture forth and have a little adventure
  
  
• take the time to do more volunteer work and give my time to others
  
  
• start saving up for Celebration 3 !
  
  
• spend time with friends and family
  
  
• brush up on more web designing knowledge (and reformat this blog! heheh)
  
  
• love and love more, even if it hurts. As Mother Teresa said: "I have discovered this paradox. It is when I love until it hurts that all the hurt goes away."
  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Too excited for my own good about the Convention! Sheesh!



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Still need help renaming my Filk Archives. Any suggestions?



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Finally got my AOTC Special Edition VHS from my Aunt. The "Star Wars Connections" featurette is cute. :) Watched the whole movie again. Found out that I have misquoted Anakin. It's "I am a Jedi. I know I'm better than this."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Almost finished reading "Star Wars Episode 2: The Visual Dictionary". Interesting fact about astromech droids: if they are allowed to accumulate experiences and are not given memory wipes, they develop a certain personality.... Maybe that's why Artoo seems to be so intelligent and has a will of his own.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wanna see droids dance?

Here's one!



And another!



(images courtesy of LucasKids)