A couple of things...

You know. What is a blog anyhow? I see it as a great, big, endless possibility of people who want the world to know their thoughts, their feelings... Basically, to make themselves feel more important. Lol. Anyhow, I find reading these entertaining, and writing in one therapeutic. 

Now that that's off my chest, I have to explain of what I've been doing these past couple of weeks: I've been purchasing nonsensical items for no apparent reason but for pure human entertainment. For example, lots and LOTS of music. If any of you remember this movie, you'll know that it is a loose adaption of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." Just from the title, I'm sure you can guess what it entails. Other than the fairly recently passed Heath Ledger, the music in this movie is amazing. 

Again. Amazing. The music is very 90s... And I love the 90s music. Much better than today's. Grunge and Indie and old school Hip-Hop... Just better, and good for the soul. And speaking of Heath Ledger, I just saw a movie with him in it. "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus." Very... Interesting to say the least. It was most definitely a mind trip, so I would recommend people on medication, (legal or non-legal), to see it. It was about two beings, Dr. Parnassus, and another guy, who are immortal and have two different mind sets on how the world functions and goes on. Dr. Parnassus believes that the world keeps existing because of the story. It could be any story, the story of life, of creation, of romance, of war; someone, somewhere keeps telling it. He believes in the power of imagination and how that, in itself, can set someone free to their full potential. The other guy (his name slips my mind; did he even have a name?) is very cynical and believes in temptation. He believes almost in a rational mind frame. 

Anyhow, there's this mirror you see, and in this mirror is a portal to another dimension; it's your imagination created in reality. But this reality can only be conjured by the immortal Dr. Parnassus who goes into trance to bring it about. Sounds crazy? It gets better. These two immortals make a deal. The deal entails that each must get 5 souls each to go to whomever's side of imaginations: temptation or the pure stuff. If the other guy wins, he gets Dr. Parnassus' daughter (who, by the way, is gorgeous and she is also a model for Vogue). If Dr. Parnassus wins, then he keeps his daughter. 

Dr. Parnassus doesn't win. His daughter is swept up in temptation and is lost to it. But, secretly, she dreams of a normal life and family. At the end, she gets it.

I'm still trying to figure out the moral of the story or the point of the plot. It's definitely a movie that you can't get out of your mind. You know, being a romantic about life itself, you would think that I would agree with Dr. Parnassus, the humanist who believes that imagination makes the world go 'round. Well, I agree with the other guy surprisingly. I prefer rationality over such pretty fantasies. And the other guy made a better case. After all, he did win in the end...

-Louise

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!

The world forgetting, by the world forgot

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;" - Alexander Pope "Eloisa to Abelard"
Pope's epistle: Eloisa to Abelard
Just watched this movie, and I have to say that I found it to be fantastic, and dare I say, probably one of the best films I've seen in my life. (Am I being over dramatic?) Everyone talks of this movie with such high standards. Finally, my curiousity got the better of me and we stopped at the nearest Blockbuster, where our aimless wanderings brought us to.

The woman Kate Winslet plays, Clementine, is extremely eccentric, yet very endearing at the same time. It almost seemed like she changed her hair to the mood she was feeling at that current point in her life. Jim Carrey played this almost painfully boring person, in whom, he only kept his thoughts and feelings in a journal. Finally, the movie goes on to a break-up between the stark crossed lovers, and leads them to extremes to literally erase each other's entire memory of each other.

This got me thinking if one could actually erase a memory. In my research, I found no specific company that would do this, but there are ways of suppressing painful memories, as the movie suggests. One would be meditation, the obvious. The other would be intensive therapy sessions. The other would be to be extremely active in our every day life.

There was one technique that I did however experiment upon, and it actually was quite impressive. It's called the EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping.) What happens is you think of the memory itself, then tap at certain points on your body, repeating an optimistic phrase as you tap three or four times. It surprisingly worked. Of course, I say if you really need help, probably should leave that stuff for the experts.

The end was one that I adored. Even though their minds had no remembrance of each other, they still came together in the end. And even though my ideals on relationships are ideally pessimistic and critical, this one ending I can suffice. :)

-Louise