Overworked with exams and projects and papers and…
How fun is University? (notreallythatmuchfunwhenyouthinkaboutit)
Soon to come, when I get my life back, moments from:
- Criminal Minds
- Bones
- Fringe
- Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods”
- Songs from Andrew Bird
- Things that make me think of Summer.
I miss my blog. Can’t wait to get back at it.
G. <3
I’m a huge geek.
This next favorite moment is from a book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There are many, many reasons why I hold the Harry Potter series close to my heart, but suffice to say that I’ve been drenched in it for the better part of my life and that the books are full of small wisdoms, like the title of this post. J.K. Rowling is a genius.
******
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – The Mirror of Erised – p. 152-157 (canadian edition, 1997)
“(…) but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn’t look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.
It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.”
“He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. (…) She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes – her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green – exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying.; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just like Harry’s did.”
“The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.”
“That third night (…) there were his mother and father smiling at him again. (…) “So – back again, Harry?” Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was non other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn’t noticed him. “I – I didn’t see you, sir.” “Strange how short-sighted being invisible can make you,” said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see he was smiling.”
“Harry thought. (…) “It shows us what we want… whatever we want…” “Yes and no,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known you family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what is shows is real or even possible.”
“The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.”
*****
The quotes I picked out are some of my favorites. However, just to put it in context: Harry finds a magic mirror where he sees his parents and extended family for the first time. He brings Ron along with him the next night, who sees himself as the head boy. On the third night, Harry is interrupted by Albus Dumbledore, who questions him to find out how much Harry understands the functioning of the mirror, followed by some thoughts of his own about the danger of looking in the mirror for too long.
This passage is one of my favorites because it shows just how inventive J.K. Rowling is. Who wouldn’t want to be able to see their deepest, most sacred desires? It is a thing of wonder that she actualized what most people look for their entire lives.
What is more impressive is that she crushes this revelation with Dumbledore’s great wisdom. And I think this is the first moment where we truly get a glimpse of the grandiosity that is his character. First, he questions Harry about what he thinks the mirror does, not giving away the answer at the beginning. Then, in a completely non-condescending way, explains to him how seeing one’s desire can be destructive.
This little piece of advice disguised in fantasy reminds us all that looking towards the future is not as important as focusing on the present. Dreams are there to guide us, not to overwhelm us. Working towards a goal is not the same thing as contemplating that goal for long hours during the day. We have to act, so as to bridge the distance between what we want and what we have.
In Harry’s case, it is profoundly sad that he will never get to feel his mother and father’s touch or guidance. I think the message he can get out of what Dumbledore is saying is that he has to make his own family. I think he does that pretty well with Ron and Hermione, who will accept him for the rest of their lives for who he is. And isn’t that one of the best things about family?
As an interesting bit of trivia, Dumbledore saw a “pair of thick, woollen socks” in the Mirror of Erised.
Also, the inscription at the top reads: “I show not your face but your heart’s desire”.
Harry and the Mirror. Photo credit to Marie GrandPre via Google Image
“Fair” by Remy Zero
I was first introduced to this song on the movie Garden State. I always loved the part where Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are sitting in front of the humongous fireplace and Natalie Portman starts to tap dance out of the blue. Until I bought the soundtrack, I had no idea who performed the song she was dancing to. I just loved the whole thing; her dancing in clothes too big for her, with a roaring fire behind, and awesome soaring music in the background.
I got the soundtrack (which is excellent, by the way) and figured out that the awesome tap dancing song was performed by Remy Zero. And that was it; I was in love. For those unfamiliar with the awesomeness of Remy Zero, click here.
Fair – Remy Zero ; from 2:37 until the end.
Lyrics:
So what if you catch me,
Where would we land?
In somebody’s life
For taking his hands
Sing to me hope as she’s
Thrown on the sand
All of our work
Is rated again
When I was sure you’d follow through
My world was turned to blue (so thin)
When you’d hide your songs would die
So I’d hide yours with mine
And all my words were bound to fail
I know you won’t fail
See, I can tell…
Let’s be clear though; for the moment selected to have an impact, you need to listen to the whole song. I debated choosing the first chorus because it comes a little more unexpected and it has more of a sweeping motion to it, but I find the second chorus more powerful because the guitar is louder. Plus, expecting it for the rest of the song, you’re happy when it gets there. The ending of the song is also very beautiful. The lyrics are sung in a meaningful way; his voice stays in my head forever after the song ends.
For once in my life I didn’t focus so much on the lyrics; lyrics are a huge part of the reason why I love songs, usually. In this case, I like the lyrics at the beginning of the song way more (for the full lyrics, see here). Since the music spoke to me more later on, though, I decided to put the words on the back burner. However, I find that this line: Sing to me hope as she’s thrown on the sand invokes vivid imagery, and I always look forward to hearing it.
I think I need to buy more of their songs. I’ll put it on my to-do list.
If I were to be a Smallville shipper, I would have to say I’m a Clois. This means I believe Clark and Lois are right for each other. This will come as no surprise to a Superman fan; Lois is the woman Clark Kent/Superman *will* spend the rest of his life with. They are each other’s true loves. This is a fact, and I support it on Smallville also; the chemistry between their two characters is palpable and they have great moments together.
However, this Smallville moment is not a Clark and Lois one. It’s a Clark and Chloe one.
Smallville – Fever – 2×16
It is even worth writing out, because Chloe’s letter is heartfelt and beautiful:
Chloe: So yet in another classic maneuver to avoid emotional intimacy, I wrote my feelings down so that I could read them to you, thereby avoiding the embarrasing eye contact. (takes a deep breath) I want to let you in on a little secret, Clark. I’m not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin, I’m surprised you haven’t seen right through me. I’m the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off this façade like I did at the Spring Formal, but I can’t because you’ll get scared and run away again. So I decided that it’s better to live with the lie than expose my true feelings. This is so much easier when you are unconscious. (tenderly caresses Clark’s brow) My dad told me there are two types of girls: the ones you grow out of, and the ones you grow into. I really hope I’m the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I’ll let you go for now, hoping one day you’ll fly back to me. Because I think you’re worth the wait. (again, carefully brushes Clark’s hair) Clark?
Clark: (groans) Lana?
Season 2 solidified for me that Smallville was more than a “freak of the week” show. The episode preceding “Fever” is “Rosetta”, featuring special guest star *Christopher Reeves*. That is no small feat and from then on, I was hooked. They could throw anything at me; weird brothers, Red K, fake pregnancies, anything at all, and I will continue to be a faithful watcher.
With this episode, we are privy to something we had until then never experienced; Clark’s vulnerability. I mean, real vulnerability. Sure, we had seen him affected by Kryptonite many times before but this time was different. He got sick, and didn’t seem to get any better. His mom was also sick, so this added sad icing to the depressing cake.
The fact that Chloe decided to go share her feelings with him the minute he is incapacitated is so her. If she were my friend and recounted her tale, I would say: “You would!”. Nevertheless, it makes for one of Smallville‘s most poignant 3 minutes. Allison Mack’s delivery is flawless. She starts off like a real pro, reciting her lines. But as the message goes deeper into Chloe’s feelings, there’s a catch in her throat that gets to me every single time. Not only that, but even her eyes are speaking in that moment. They are soft and kind, and it makes the viewer fall a little bit more in love with Chloe, adding depth to her character that we may have skipped before.
However, it is Allison Mack’s face upon the reaction of Clark saying Lana’s name that brings us to tears. It is the face of someone who realizes that the one she loves deeply, the one she just poured her heart out to for the first time, will never lover her back. She’s the friend, the sidekick, the confident; she’s one of the most important people of Clark’s life; but she will never be the one he loves. And in less that 50 seconds, we realize all of this with Chloe’s reaction to this revelation. There are no words; just actions. The final look she gives at the end, while getting out of the door, is so sad it would make a cynic want to hug her.
Bonus points: Superman references. “My disguise is so thin…”? “(…)seen right through me”? “(…)fly back to me”? Awesome.
For the emotional impact, the acting (even of Tom Welling, who only had to say a word), the Superman references and for the plot complications it will later bring, Chloe’s letter to Clark is one of my favorite Smallville moments.
Also, the fact that the letter resurfaces in “Instinct” (8×04) is just too good to be true.
So.
I have a thing for the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. That movie’s been with me for the better part of my life; it’s nothing sentimental or emotional. It’s just always been there. I watch it at least once a year and every time I do, I find something new to like about it. For example, I introduced my Little Sister (from the Big Brother Big Sister program) to the movie last week. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her face light up at the jokes, or squee-ing at Kat&Patrick’s first kiss. Granted, some of the jokes went over her head (she’s only 12, after all) but it was good times. Also, this time I watched it, all the Shakespeare references hit me in the face. And then I look it up online and here I see it’s a re-imagining of “The Taming of the Shrew”. How cool is that? It validated my love for this millennium era rom-com.
Without further ado, my favorite 10 Things I Hate About You moment.
This one was a toughy. It was a toss up between this one, the kiss at the paint ball park (a little too mushy) and Kat backing up into that idiot Joey Donner’s car. Because that was some awesome display of “girl power”.
I picked that moment, that song, for many reasons. It was nice to see Kat smile for a change, and her reaction to the whole thing is priceless. She’s not embarrassed, or mad. She embraces this display of affection, and that makes me happy. I figure if someone were to pay off the A/V guy, sing me a song on speakers, high jack the school band AND run away from security guards, I’d be happy, too. Julia Stiles was too cute for words.
Heath Ledger’s voice (I’m pretty sure it’s his voice, at least Wikipedia says so…) is really good. Like, really good. I was impressed. His glances, and half-smiles throughout the songs seem genuine, and I like to think that he had a good time doing it. Also, movies aren’t like TV shows. In TV shows, you get to see the progression of the character from season to season, a little bit at a time. Movies try to achieve this in a little more than 180 minutes. But somehow, him singing this song in front of everyone? It didn’t see like too much of a leap. The bad boy image of the beginning was exactly that; an image. So for me, this moment is when Patrick embraces who he truly is (albeit a little crooked, since he uses Joey’s money to do it).
I smile every time I see this moment. If you haven’t watched this movie because you thought that it would be corny, I don’t blame you. But I highly recommend it, nevertheless.
Walking by The Dodos
This song is beautiful.
It’s a “train song”. Something to listen to while you’re going somewhere, with a destination. The chorus feels like a warm blanket; the harmonies are impeccable and the feminine voice is a great addition.
However the moment I want to focus on is the one from 1:05 to 1:16
Lyrics:
You can fight the fire that’s in your head
Put it off, tomorrow will come instead
The lyrics are particularly poignant: everyone has a “fire” in their head, but sometimes we just forget about it. It doesn’t matter though, because tomorrow always comes. This is contradictory to the tone of the music in the back; the drums are beating in a rhythmic fashion, inviting us to action. The only thing I want to do after listening to this song IS tend to the fire. I believe it’s a banjo plucking away during that moment. The lick is simple, but very fitting.
Visit their myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/thedodos
When you think about it, life can be resumed in moments.
Your past is gone; you’re not getting it back. It’s not a tangible thing; you can’t taste, smell or touch your past. However, when you encounter something from your past, be it a specific person, certain smells or a particular object, your mind shoots back to the past. Granted, it’s a coloured past, coloured by your own biased eyes. But for a minute, your mind remembers a moment.
Books, songs, movies and TV shows have the same thing; when you read, listen or watch them, most of the time one moment grabs your attention and encapsulates the whole. Whenever you will think back and ponder over a favourite book, a sad song, an epic movie or a powerful episode, the thing you’ll remember the most is that chunk of time that made you feel.
Well, that’s why I’m here. If those moments make a whole, then they’re worth describing and by doing so I hope to create a bank where we can preserve them. You may not agree with the moments I chose, and I hope you don’t, because then you can help me contribute to making these pieces of fiction (and sometimes, non-fiction) more “whole” in our memories.
Now, to start off, I’ll present one of my favourite TV show moments, so important that it’s the title of this little blog.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Amends (3×10)
Transcript:
(We find Buffy and Angel on the hill behind his mansion. They have just been fighting because Buffy wants Angel to come inside; the sun will be up soon, and we all know what happens when vampires get caught out in the sun. But Angel just realized that: “It’s not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy. It’s the man”, so he plans on staying, thereby burning to ashes.)
Angel: Am I a thing worth saving, huh? (He shakes her). Am I a righteous man? (Shakes her). The world wants me gone!
Buffy: (About to cry) What about me? I love you so much… And I tried to make you go away. I killed you and it didn’t help.
(She seems to gain some perspective and shoves him off of her. She’s still crouched on the ground, with Angel a few feet away from her.)
Buffy: And I hate it! (crying) I hate that’s it so hard… And that you can hurt me so much. (sobs, then harshly) I know everything that you did, because you did it to me. Oh, God! I wish that I wished you dead! I don’t. (whispers) I can’t.
(They both get up. Sobs are heard, and Angel looks away, then back again, at Buffy.)
Angel: Buffy, please. Just this once… let me be strong.
Buffy: Strong is fighting! It’s hard, and it’s painful, and it’s everyday. It’s what we have to do. And we can do it together.
(Angel’s determination faltering, he struggles with himself, knowing that Buffy is saying the truth.)
Buffy: (resolvedly) But if you’re too much of a coward for that, then burn. If I can’t convince you that you belong in this world, then I don’t know what can. But do NOT expect me to watch. And DON’T expect me to mourn for you, because…
(As she was saying the last lines, snowflakes start to silently waft through the sky, and gently touch the ground. They look around in amazement, knowing that the sun won’t rise this morning, and that Angel will be safe. As the weatherman later reports: “And while most of Southern California is enjoying a balmy Christmas, an extreme cold front has sprung up out of nowhere around Sunnydale, where they are reporting heavy snowfall for the first time in, well, ever.”)
This moment in the series history represents all that makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer what it is.
Angel is willing to sacrifice his “life” to improve humanity. This kind of thinking will be seen again and again, not only throughout the Buffy series, but also the Angel series. He’s a vampire with a soul, the one who can decide to shun people or help them. Ultimately, this moment marks the start of his long concern for the wellness of others at his expense. Also, the appearance of snow in California being somewhat of a rare occurrence, one could suggest that The Powers That Be (so important in Angel) manifested their power by saving Angel’s life.
Buffy is incredible in this moment, waltzing through a lot of different emotions: hurt, betrayal, helplessness, warmth and finally, resolve. It’s this last one that helps her go on, this inner strength that is so characteristic of her personality. This character trait will come in handy for every hardship that’s to come: Buffy knows that she’s the Slayer, and that she must sacrifice her own happiness for the good of others.
And then, of course, this moment symbolizes all that is Buffy and Angel, together. It’s a hard, intense and, really, beautiful love. I am one of those people that believe that these two will love each other for ever. This moment is the perfect metaphor for the course of their relationship; sacrifices, fights, tears, death but, fundamentally, peace. In the end, they’ll always have each other and no matter how imperfect or impossible their love is, they have it. And sometimes it’s all that matters.
Thanks to AleXander Thompson from www.twiztv.com for inspiration on the transcript.
Thanks to Lau-Elise Larochelle for the beautiful artwork that became my header.
