What's in a name?

My Chinese professor finally got around to naming me, but I have a couple of options, and I thought I'd throw them out there for opinions. So please leave a comment to tell me what you think.

Pick one option for each syllable, and tell me why (it doesn't have to be long). Keep in mind, this may be the name I adopt for a few years.

First Syllable:
Option #1: peaceful; tranquil; safe; secure; stable
Option #2: favor, grace, benevolence, kindness

Second Syllable:
Option #1: a beautiful lady; a charming girl
Option #2: clean; spotless; pure

lost in Joe Wright's interpretation

I've been able to accomplish very little the last few days after having downloaded Dario Marianelli's brilliant and haunting score to Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice. According to itunes, I've listened to the album more than 20 times in the last week, and each time I experience something new, something liberating, something heartbreaking. It's not unusual to be moved to tears listening to it.

But I wasn't satisfied simply listening to the score. After familiarizing myself with the soul of the film, I wanted to revisit the movie again, but I lent my copy to a friend earlier in the week. Luckily I borrowed a copy from Scott, and spent the weekend watching it three times. I loved this film when I first saw it and think it's the best movie of 2005, but I'm only beginning to see just how brilliant Joe Wright's P&P is.

See it. Listen to it. Fall in love with it.

Is it time again to read the novel?

On days like today

I'm reminded of two things:

1) I'm an unmitigated ass.
2) China is fast approaching, though not soon enough.

I need to be reminded of the first occasionally. The second reaffirms that life always provides opportunities for redefining who we are.

In Southern California?

This morning I had to use an ice scraper on my windshield. No kidding. It's a good thing I kept the one I bought in Ohio and still had it in my trunk.

Some thoughts on Oscar

I've finally tallied up my predictions, and, well, I had a better year last year. This year I guessed only 10 categories correctly and came (tied) for third among my less avid friends attending my Oscar Party. Congratulations to Scott, who guessed 13 correctly and was the winner among the guests! He'll be stoked.


I'm still in shock about the way the Oscars went down this year. It was all sort of surreal. From the way Jack Nicholson announced the winner, to the reaction of the cast and crew of Crash after hearing they've won, to the internet reaction of Brokeback and Crash fans, to the full page ad placed in Variety yesterday by Brokeback fans. It has been strange. I, too, find myself trying to make sense of everything--trying to understand how a film which swept precursor awards, including Best Picture from the Venice Film festival, BAFTA, the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards, Critics Choice (most notably New York, Los Angeles, London) could lose the coveted award.

Now, I'm not a Crash hater. As it stands, it was my #3 film of 2005, but I don't feel it's Best Picture quality. The more I think about the message and presentation of the movie, the more I'm unimpressed by the force-fed manipulation of Paul Haggis' Crash. And making Crash the BEST PICTURE winner of 2005 has propelled me to be more critical of the film, illuminating its flaws. I like Crash less now that's it won Best Picture than before, when I championed it long before there was Oscar buzz about it. Brokeback Mountain was the better choice (my #2 film of the year). But the Oscars rarely honor the BEST film of the year. This is the group, after all, that's awarded equally mediocre films as Best Picture: Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Chicago (just to name a few of the bad choices in the last five years).

Of course, the positive side to this result is that while Crash won't stand up to criticism over the years, Brokeback's legend has been born. Losing Best Picture might have been the best thing to happen to the film. It will live on, both timeless and definitive of this moment in history--a groundbreaking film told with sublime simplicity, beauty, and passion.

Maybe I was Indian in a past life

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Oscar Predictions

Tonight's the last horrah of the movie season. Here are my final predictions in the top 8 categories. You won't find anything super surprising.

BEST PICTURE: Brokeback Mountain
I can't see anything stopping this train. Look for Crash to upset, though.

BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Ang accomplished a thing of beauty AND he's long overdue for a statue. Don't see an upset happening here.

BEST ACTOR: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Though I think Joaquin Phoenix should win the prize, I can't see anyone beating the nearly undefeated Hoffman. Plus, Hoffman's performance singlehandedly garnered a Best Picture and Best Picture nomination for the film. Look for Heath Ledger to upset.

BEST ACTRESS: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
My favorite female performance of the year and most likely to win the award. Felicity Huffman might pull an upset, but Reese will come home with the statue not merely for this performance, but a career's worth of solid work. In my perfect world, Witherspoon and Keira Knightley would both win this award.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: George Clooney, Syriana
George was nominated thrice for this show, and this will be his prize. I'm hoping Jake Gyllenhall will be the night's winner, but don't count Paul Giamatti out either.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, Junebug
This is my most daring prediction and least likely to happen, but I have to go with my gut. Her's is certainly the most deserving performance among the nominees and has managed to keep Junebug in conversation. But perhaps you should look for Rachel Weisz to win in this category.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Crash
This is Crash's consolation prize.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Brokeback Mountain
It won't lose this award. Not a chance.

Last year I went 16/21 overall. We'll see how I do this year.

shower epiphany

We are limited not by our inability to do but our unwillingness to act.

One Irreplaceable Moment

I knew today wasn't going to be easy--work from 4:15 am to 11:30 am and then class from 2:00 pm to 7:30 pm. With the three hours of sleep I got last night, I thought today would be hell. And it started off that way. We were short staffed at work, and I didn't have the energy to be "legendary." Nor was I pleased about the lack of environmental consciousness among my coworkers (that's a long story). When I finally got off of work, I took 30 minutes to relax, using the rest of my time studying for a Russian exam; I didn't even have time to change or shower. When I finally arrived at school, I sat in an empty classworm working of my Russian vocabulary and reviewing the Mandarin I learned on Monday.

I left my Chinese class uninspired, craving sleep and cleanliness, unmotivated to go to Russian, where I knew I'd fail my exam and stress out about a language I have little incentive to learn. But when I left the classroom, I was forced to take in the view: Pasadena supported by a majestic mountain backdrop on a slightly cloudy, 70 degree day. It was sublime--spectacularly unforgettable.