Saturday, July 10, 2004
Ice Cream Assassin
As I sat on the bus today having a wave of motion sickness sweep over me, I concluded that you don't have to be a surrealist to excel at putting together disparate elements and calling this art. The things that happen in my life every day seem so odd when I do take time to view them as a whole. Who says the whole is better than the sum of its parts?Today for example:
1. Facial rejuvenation with pinching, eyebrow trimming and cold mask treatment
2. Watching a shonen-ai anime episode involving a female toilet bowl, european settings and an heir to the demon kingdom
3. Gawking at American fast-food culture
Like the surrealists, who elaborate on their paintings sculpture theatre and music with lengthy, comical explanations, I will herethereto describe today in presumably less colourful prose:
1. It was a trip down to the facial salon where the lady laughed bemusedly when she saw me spotted face. She proceeded to reprimand me - never eat enough fruits issit? ngek ngek ngek, must use our renewal cream okay? renewal cream! [x5 over the course of the trip] Then it was some poking, pinching and squeezing which was unbearable even if it came a few ticks shy of the hour. The best part was the cold mask! I wriggled me facial muscles and managed to shift it slightly in all directions. Come on, I was masked for 45 minutes in a semi-comatose position.
2. It's called Kyou Kara Maou, and I don't know what's the literal English translation. I think the last word means demon or something. Anyway the animation's average, soundtrack [if any] forgettable and character design typical. So I suppose the rave reviews it received on a blog must be for the dodgy shonen-ai factor. The first episode ends with the lead meeting his future good friend, ie. partner/fiance/doujinshi love interest, and proclaiming 'Bishonen!' [pretty boy]. Those dozens of sexually-deprived yet imaginative teenagers should watch this when craving hormonal stimulation.
3. Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock was interesting though not exactly thought-provoking. Being Southeast Asian, genetically blessed slim and calorie-watching the film didn't inspire me to jam-cram detox sessions. The funniest part was seeing only one out of 5/6 children wild guess the personality on a picture card to be George W. Bush [and have Spurlock say 'That's close'] when it turns out to be the Son. Jesus Christ Superstar indeed. 83 golden marches in Manhatten; 52 litres of soda for a man in a fortnight; and an unbelievable Cheeseburger Bill. America you really shock me. Being bigboned doesn't justify the overly generous amounts consumed in every meal. Not all Asians are petite. Famous Singaporean dishes are ticking cholesterol-bombs [and married Singaporean women tend to get fat in the mids-]. Honestly it's about lifestyle choices.
If I really wrote each entry like I did for the above, listing down in fair detail every significant event for the day it can get quite boring. But it also shows that the strongest links the events share are the choices I make and the cards Fate has dealt for me. Everytime I reflect on the day which has just ended I realise how special my life is to me.
And like the surrealists, pick a title that demands attention and seems so, well irrelevant. A toast to you, Ms Amos.
lux at 12:07 am