Movie Date: Big Fish

Art films. Had my sister not learnt that term in college, I would probably never have known about it. Okay, truth be told, I'm not even particularly sure what that means but I think it's a film that consists of so many symbolism that normal human minds can probably barely understand it. Luckily, I am not a normal human being. That being told, I haven't watched many art films in my years -- whoa, why am I writing like an old lady? -- but so far I have watched up to 3 art films that I have learnt to love and obsess with. One of them being this lovely piece directed by the most unique director I know, Tim Burton himself. Without further adieu, I present to you, Big Fish.

This film is, by far, the most ground-breaking, earth-shattering, whimsical and imaginative film I have ever watched. Well, of course it is, TIM BURTON MADE IT! Yes, I'm a Tim Burton freak, so sue me. What more am I supposed to say about this film? The cinematography is magnificent, the costume designs are top-notch and the plot is simple but very one-of-a-kind. I admire Ed Bloom to be so creative  and childlike. This film started my adoration toward Ewan McGregor and became one of the reasons why I decided to watch the remake of Moulin Rouge -- well, aside from Nicole Kidman's magnificent acting. Aside from him, we have got other amazing actors here too, such as Helena Bonham Carter, Marion Cotillard and Danny DeVito. The bonus points here are upon the artistic ones.

Ed Bloom was a father, who through his life told his life stories to people: his friends, family, his son's friends, everyone. Only...it wasn't what people would normally believe as life stories. His son, Will, believed it to be lies. He believed that was what his father was good at. Several years later, Ed got sick and his wife, Sarah, believed that it wouldn't be long for him. So Will came to visit them with his wife, Josephine. Now, Jo has never once heard Ed's life stories so Ed decided to tell her all about it. It began once upon a time when Ed lived in a small town somewhere. Near the town, there was a giant living in a cave. Everyone in the town was scared of him and asked someone who was brave enough to talk to him. Ed volunteered and went to the cave to find the giant who then became his friend. He came back a hero but then decided to venture the world with his new friend, Karl the Giant. They parted halfway because Ed wanted to go through the short but scary way and Karl didn't. He then found himself in a small but infinitely joyful place and met Jenny. Somehow, he then found himself in a circus and saw the love of his life, Sarah. The ringmaster, Amos, knew the girl but refused to give him any information about her unless he worked for him without financial payment for a long time. Being in love and everything, Ed agreed and earned his informations. After the promised time was up, he advanced to see Sarah in person and told her of his love. Long story short, they fell in love and got married.

Okaaaay, there is still a lot more to the story and what I've just shared is just a tip of the iceberg. Like I said, it's an art film and there are probably a gazillion of millions of symbolisms within it. The only you can figure it out is, simply, by watching it yourself. The most wondrously amazing part of this film is the fact that it collects all my favourite aspects and settings and putting them into one huge, creative film. There are circus, witch, make-believe place, reality, war and cabaret. Of course, let's all not forget about the giant. If I could say something, I'd say Ed Bloom has lived a magical and fulfilled life. To be so lucky as to experience all those adventures, well, one has to be thankful. Have a wondrous Friday and a magical weekend, everyone! Cheerio!

New Blog Design + An Artist's Request

Has anyone noticed? I made changes to the blog. I know, I JUST changed the header but I wasn't very satisfied with it. It was made by me, as was this one. I think this one says "me" more than the last one. I changed the layout too, if you've noticed. Now it looks more organized, don't you think? I love the colourful background. A blog full of colours, now that's what I'm talking about.

If you were a frequent reader of my blog, you've probably seen these buttons before. These, along with the buttons below the header, are all my handwritings. I take pride in creating them myself. Personally, I like the colour code and gradients. You know, I've been posting outfit posts so much that people sometimes forget/are ignorant/don't know that I'm actually a designer. Or at least a designer to be. I myself have never published any designs officially but I am working hard to do so.

I would appreciate it so much if you would ever be so kind to check out my deviantART gallery. The link to it can also be found on the button bellow the instagram button on the right of this post. It was one of my most favourite place to be. Aside from that, some of my works can also be spotted on my tumblr gallery. If you're interested to buy any of my works, please do contact me at alivegurl_3ple_as@yahoo.com. Here are some samples that I'm thinking of selling. You may inform me of your interest and the price you are willing to pay for it, in whatever currency you see fit.

If these aren't to your liking, you can check out the links I've mentioned above and browse my works yourself. If you happen to spot one that you like, email me or leave a comment on the page of the work or this post, providing me with the link of the work that you are willing to purchase. I also accept commissions and will be giving you the rates, if you are interested. Thank you for your attention. Have a lovely midweek! Cheerio!

Of Funerals and Cemeteries

 Culture keeps the world colourful, if you ask me. The parts with all the party and the rituals, with the laughter and the celebrations, and the parts with all the funerals and the farewells, with the tears and the sobs. Funerals I find to be culturally interesting because each cultures has their own ways of saying goodbye to those who move on to the next life -- or for some, who depart from the living. The Hindu and the Buddhists both start the whole cremation culture of the modern world. They believe, by burning the body, it will be purified -- or so I've heard. The Native Americans, on the other hand, bury the body because they believe, that we came from mother earth and to mother earth we must return. I like this idea, pure and simple. Aside from them, the Chinese, Jews, Christians and Muslims all believe in burying the corpse of humans. The Chinese bury the bodies with their most beloved objects, such as jewelry, gold and household goods. The Jews need to be cleaned off tattoos and the likes to be buried in a jewish family burial mound. Christians bury the body with caskets and with perfectly nice clothing, preferably something formal. The Muslims always believe that, before God, we are humble. We clean the body through and through, like cleaning gears, every corner MUST be cleaned. Then we will wrap it with a white fabric -- we call it the Kafan fabric -- and plugged all its holes. Then we bury the body without caskets, just like that. We believe that people will be either punished or rewarded in a world between life and heaven or hell so accessories aren't necessary.

Yesterday I went to the City Cemetery. I've actually gone pass it several times before but I've never gone in. It was the cemetery and I don't know anyone who was buried there. Never once in my life had I gone to a cemetery just for the heck of it. Then, yesterday, I broke that record. I've seen cemeteries in movies many times before and always thought them rather charming. There was something peaceful and inspiring, just sitting in the middle of the cemetery. Unlike back home, the graveyards here are ordered rather neatly and decorated accordingly. I guess it's also thanks to the fact that, these days, people just get cremated or ask to be buried somewhere wild or be thrown to sea. I think it's sad. Less and less people get buried. To me, though, cemetery is one of many beautiful cultural sites. It's one of the biggest distributors to cultures. The other day in Weimar, I saw the graveyard of an apparently famous artist named Lucas Cranach. It was magnificent. It was huge and leaves were sprouting from it. He was buried along with many painters that followed, apparently, because he was such a great german icon for painters back in the days. 

Have I mentioned before how much I adore graphic tees? Threadless is my very favourite graphic tee producer EVER! You should go check them out and now of all times, there's a whole sale going on until May 18th. You don't want to miss that. This tee right here is my very first purchase from them called "If On A Winter's Night  Young Lovers." What so mind blowing about this tee is the way that it looks like a painting but on a tee. The way the night sky twinkles as much as the trees swift is beyond amazing. It's my own version of the blasting cosmic trend these days. Earlier this day, it was kind of cold so I put on a coat. This coat got me the nickname Rotkäpchen (Little Red Riding Hood) in class. It's also from C&A, if you're wondering. I don't know, I guess I'm just a freak of that place. Sure, it's not all that stylish, compared to many other retail stores but it supports Bio-cotton, which I love, and has very reasonable price for such a product. In this country, that's my favourite brand. I love how the red of the coat brings a less boring colour palette into the outfit. Oh, and has anyone noticed that two out of these five pictures have been thoroughly edited, in which I B/W-ed the background? They were inspired from Rebecca's blog but I've edited these myself without the tutorial she gave out, in case you're wondering. Have a lovely Tuesday, all! I had the day off today. Cheerio!

Butterfly in My Stomach

Have you ever been kissed by a butterfly? There is a sort of myth in Indonesia that said, if you were kissed by a butterfly, your day would be filled with joy. That happened to me once a long time ago when I was little. I don't remember what age exactly but I remember I was going to enter a Dunkin' Donuts when this butterfly came to my nose and kissed me there. It didn't feel like much but it just feels like a magical memory, having an animal, which isn't yours, kiss you. Especially a butterfly. There is also another myth of butterfly known in Indonesia. It is said if a butterfly comes into your house and stays on the wall for several days, an unexpected guest will come by. This can be taken metaphorically or literally, I think. Butterflies are mythical creatures, aren't they? I believe they also belong to the same group as unicorns and griffins. But their population must have exploded that people were able to find them and prove their existence.

Yeah, so I went to Weimar this weekend. I will tell you all about it later. It was good to be out of the house, out of town, for a while. Being at home just reminds me of one thousand and one things that I needed to finish, like portfolio, History presentation, studying for midterm, et cetera et cetera. Sometimes I feel like letting go, just...forget about everything. May has been playing tricks with my head, leading me on to think that it was going to be warm then came back with strong winds. The bastard. I can't wait for June to arrive already, especially for the final exam to be done. I want to see Firu again, I want to travel with him some more, I want to be free. Aside from that, I can't wait for next week to come and I will be going to Kassel to visit my friend, Rezy. I don't know what Kassel has in store for me but I want to travel! Of course, the portfolio is still driving into my head at the back of my mind. But, please, I just want to forget for a while.

So I was going out to shop for groceries the other day and I found this pair of jeans on the paper trash can. Truth be told, I've spied it for a while now. It was on the ground right in front of the building near the buzzer last week. I thought, maybe someone dropped it and forgot they left it there so I left it be. Then I forgot all about it until that day. Nobody had taken it for a week. I decided to take it into custody, just to try it on. If it didn't fit, I would bring it back. But it fit and nobody has put up any notice of losing it. So I keep it...at least until someone fess up to looking for it. In the meantime, I searched the brand of this pair and found out it came from India called Bare Denim. Aside from that, remember the heart-shaped necklace I bought off Etsy in my previous outfit post? This necklace is just the backside of that one. I know this might not be the side people would normally wear of it but I think it's pretty fashionable and functional. Don't you just adore the heart-patterned holes? Now, remember the layered dress I wore on this post? Yes, I am now wearing it as a top. Lovely, no?

The gate of the camp. The line reads: "Jedem Das Seine." I think it means: "Every Man For Himself."

Pictures of all the inmates in camp....or at least, those who died.

Two girls of our group dancing to the music of a street musician. When they were done, everyone applauded.

Mimi and I on a well in front of Goethe's house.

Oh, right! I went to Weimar again yesterday with 23 other students from the university, one of them being Mimi. So I woke up real early in the morning, like 06.15, and departed from home at 07.20. We arrived at the train station around 08.00-ish and departed from Halle at 08.22. I was really beat that morning and slept all the way to Weimar. First, we went with the bus to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. When I read the schedule, I thought we were going to rent our own bus to go there. I mean, there were 24 of us, for Pete's sake. But we went with the public bus. Good, actually. We watched a film about it first, which opened up a whole other view of the camp. There were many things I saw at the concentration camp, although, sad to say, I wasn't quite satisfied. After one and a half hours, we went back to Weimar and had our lunch break. Mimi and I went to the nearest McDonald's. I bought something and Mimi took out her big container of salad and made her own sandwich. It was a big meal. Afterwards, we had a city tour with our own native tour guide. We went to see historical graveyards -- found out Goethe and Schiller were actually buried together like lovers, Goethe's summer house, Goethe's and Schiller's monument and Herder's church. Then we arrived at Goethe's house and went inside to look around. It was really huge and tricky! I also bought magnet souvenirs from there, which I think rather beautiful. Oh, I fell in love with Weimar all over again. I hope I can go there time and time again. I hope someone I know lives there so that I have a reason to visit. How was your weekend? Did you have fun? I hope so. Have a bilssful Sunday, all! Cheerio!

Movie Date: Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Although the Americans and the British practically speak the same language, I always prefer british films rather than american ones, especially those derived from musicals or are musicals. Two of them being The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins -- both include Julie Andrews, both about nannies/governors. Since then on, I've loved british films about governors -- a reason why I watched Nanny McPhee. So here is another great british film about governors...well, in a way. Say "Hello, mate!" to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.

 Since it's in English, there is no bonus cultural point here. I mean, I do speak and understand English. But the bonus cultural point comes from the time settings -- which, I think, was in the late 1930s. It was the time around a war. There are two very peculiar actors that I adore in this film -- and how lucky am I that these two play the most important roles. And them being Oscar nominee, Amy Adams, and Lee Pace. Ever since Enchanted, I've adored Amy Adams's performance. Following that, there's also Julie & Julia where she plays alongside Meryl Streep. They both were lovely there. Envy! Lee Pace, on the other hand, just melts my heart. He starred in The Fall, one of my most favourite art film ever! Then he appeared here and, that's it, my heart was officially a puddle. Aside from that, sad to say, I don't recognize any of the other actors.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day starts with Miss Guinevere Pettigrew losing her job as a governor in a family, leaving her out of job, out of money and no place to stay for the night. She went around town, looking for little food that she could afford. In the morning, she went to the job agency to have them find her another job. They refused to do so thanks to her record of failures in the past. But she overheard them talking about a woman in need of an employee. She went to Delysia Lafosse's house and was overwhelmed by the errands she had to run so early in the morning. Apparently, Delysia was seeing three men all at once: Phil, who was the son of a play producer and might be her only chance to be a star; Nick, who gave her her current apartment and job as a cabaret singer; and Michael, a pianist who fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. As a thank you for taking care of her business in the morning, Delysia took Guinevere to a fashion show to meet her friend, Edythe, whose engagement to Joe Blomfield was just called off. Guinevere fell in love with Joe as soon as they met. She was too shy and self-conscious but then Delysia suggested and arranged a makeover. Afterwards, they went home to Delysia's, where Michael had been waiting. He apparently just got out of jail -- thanks to Delysia -- and bumped into Guinevere the previous day. But he was sincerely in love with Delysia and asked her to choose by the end of the day, whether or not she would come with him to New York and marry him.

Like the title promises, this movie only tells of a day that Miss Pettigrew gets to live her life instead of working or looking for a job. She gets to experience a world she was never once a part of. Technically, this isn't a film about a nanny. But what Guinevere was to Delysia was kind of nanny-like. Although the plot was kind of slow, it was very interesting and a lot happens rather quickly you'd forget it has only been a day. Michael is my most favourite character since he is so sincere and hopelessly romantic. Lovely story, incredible ending. What astounds me the most is the costume design. My most favourite is the outfits Delysia and Michael wear at the end. Well, enjoy your Friday and weekend, everyone! I'll be going to Weimar tomorrow. Cheerio!