Every ending is a new beginning: "I can't forget about my heart"
(is the first part of that a quote from somewhere? it just came to me as a sentence, so I don't know)
As always life goes on.
Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality makes sense to me (in regard to his central critique) so I couldn't quite grasp what my philosophy teacher meant about it being hard to grasp (i.e. being indoctrinated into thinking people were sexually repressed and now we're not; Foucault is more along the lines of, yes, in some ways, we are, but more importantly even when people were "repressed" they still talked endlessly about sex even in silences; we've just categorized sexuality; we've made species; people are individual-sexualities rather that defined by their actions). Do I believe any of this? I'm not sure, but I think it's interesting anyway. Some of it may stem from a capitalist mindset, which makes me question of whether this development Foucault claims is inherent only in the Western end of the world (using the terminology Europe+US to distinguish geographical locations -- though I still love the etymology of orient; apparently I love words that reference the east or the middle from μεσος etc i.e. Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia). That taken into account, would the same "perverse" (in the Freudian sense that anything that deviates from the literal object of sexuality is perverse, e.g. heterosexual sex)obsession with discourse on sexuality exist?
Well, that was an interesting tangent. Ah, philosophy, my love of wisdom. ♥
Life in a nutshull (or a pistachio since I like them better; they're from Greece mostly but I associate them with Mexico since I first ate them while visiting back in 1991/1992 or better termed in my head as pre-Aladdin)
* continuing with Ancient Greek. ♥ Just learned the imperfect today. It's like aorist, but expresses a ongoing, progressive past action rather than simple past action
* taking Etymology for Everyone with a Classics Head, so there's going to be a Latin/Greek roots emphasis. Aren't I lucky? I should be making flashcards...
* one of the reason I love PatF is because of regional dialect. Yay for syntax!! ♥♥♥
* taking an Animal/Machine/Human philosophy class; how close are those three and other questions that stem from there? It focuses on a lot of my personal interests. Thanks my forlorn Geography-Anthropology major, and more particularly Biological Anthropology. ♥
* does that mean I actually like Anthroplogy and Geography (well I already knew the later but hmm...)
* also taking a Postmodernism philosophy class; it's the last of the history options. Hence My spiel above about Foucault. I read him earlier in a English Theory class - Gender and Sexuality. Good times, that was.
* working on Book 2 of my AtWL revision (just who is that new horseman?)
* I'm hoping I don't get a cold
* I'm thinking I need to get back into One Piece
* I need to be making more literary contacts
* I went to WDW for New Years to see the Christmas decorations. Magic Kingdom was where I went the most; saw Tiana's Showboat Jubilee three times out of four days. The place was packed like crazy; lines could range up to an hour+ wait. Saw Aladdin and Jasmine everywhere. Apparently Aladdin wants four kids (I asked when I met them with my sister at Epcot). I got my own "carpet" on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin (I love that ride!!) Also, at EPCOT each world had little shows on their winter traditions. Saw China, Morocco ♥, USA (Kwanzaa) and probably something I'm forgetting. I loved Mexico and Morocco the most; the inside of Mexico was...beautiful. And Morocco was lively; I had forgotten that. And Italy was lovely too; I kept thinking they are so gonna have Rapunzel-greetings here. At least they better! Also, stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was quiet and there was authentic African art all over the place. There were also animals and I got to see a giraffe drink from a water hole. Yay!! Its supposed to be hard to do.
* saw PatF 4 or 5 times; got lots of stuff - books, dolls, stickers, coloring books and a stuffed Louis ♥♥
* finally finished Infamous Eve. It was very good but I feel more skeptical about it since I started about a year ago
* did research on Freyja which brought up interesting creative juices
* and I think that's it! Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything.
I'm not sure what is included in the lj-cut but essentially below is a long spiel (perhaps spoiler-ish for The Princess and the Frog) on the subject of the Disney animated films I love. Speaking of which, I'm totally pumped for Rapunzel! Flynn's gonna be a dang thief!! ♥♥♥
I have also been having some thoughts in regard to Disney. Prominently in regard to the most recent animated full-length feature from the Disney Animation Studios -- namely The Princess and the Frog or PatF as I dubbed it to myself before I realized people were actually terming in that.
For itself, its a beautiful, amazing piece. The artwork is gorgeous; the music is catchy and easy to listen to (you wowed me Randy Newman); the characters are inspiring, amusing, heartfelt, silly, amazing, and really lovable. I haven't really loved such a huge hoard of characters in a Disney film since Hercules.
Tiana's inspirational, steadfast, dedicated, ambitious, idealistic (that is, she pushes forward for a dream that while it is an ambition for a material gain, is considered to be a little over her head "People down here think I'm crazy, but I don't care" (remind anyone of Herc? Because that's what I thought when I heard it)) but playful and clever underneath all the seeming hard-working ethic. Ray's completely well-adjusted and aware of true love and loyal, strong, sentimental and good-hearted; I loved when he was fighting the shadows at the end. Oh love will find a way!! He probably represents the "ideals of Disney" better than almost any character that came before. Naveen's incredible, just for his sheer seeming deviant from other Disney princes; he's a little brash, fun, musical, flirtatious, but noble underneath. I would like to add that both Tiana and Naveen's "underneath" traits come as a result of their growing love for one another; they are transformed in more ways than one by meeting one another. ♥ Louis is lovable, silly, cute, and just so fun (he's got some of the best lines, but he's so kind-hearted); he can get a little hyper and confused; he's easily freaked out "Hunters! With guns!" *jumps into the pricker-bush*. And then there's Charlotte who is crazy, spoiled, princess-obsessed but an oh-so-sincere friend. And I love her tons just for the fact that her and Tiana are totally true friends, which makes me really happy.
Wow. That got longer tha I intended.
Basically, the movie's brilliant. The message and meaning that's cooked up in it is beautiful, magical, sentimental and totally Disney. It's like Disney-wishing-on-a-star but with a modern, Southern US dialect + history kind of twist. It is completely good times.
So what's with this strange stirring inside me, that no matter how much I adore PatF, I can't give up Aladdin+ just yet. I mean, when I soon after I saw PatF for maybe the third time, there was the question of where will it stand in future in regard to my two other top Disney favorites Aladdin+ (which includes RoJ, KoT and the series) and Hercules (Hercules & the Arabian Night made my inner fan/fandom oh so happy! Ancient Greece + Medieval Arabia = ♥) Ahem, anyway...the difficulty is that I realized in the last few years I had to rate Aladdin over Hercules simply for the sheer length of interest and how much it's been a part of my life. But in that regard, what can ever beat Aladdin? But then, Hercules and PatF have the bonus of narratives that move me deeply and characters I totally adore, while Aladdin is a little...meh, when it comes to that. Though as I've gotten older I'm beginning to wonder, if I re-watched Aladdin how much that might apply.
But then, I came across this entry. And it reminded me, somehow, of my revised Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp that I'm working on (Book of Coming Night & Book of Rising Water (in-progress), etc.) And that made me realize two things. 1. that Disney has an unfulfilled wish to have a young romance in their movies; both Pocahontas and Aladdin suffered from let's-mature-our-heroes/heroines-so-we-have-an-epic/more-appealing-film. And 2. I think I may have Aladdin even more if Howard Ashman hadn't died. There's something really inspiring to me from his demo songs for the movie and the pre-production art. I love the style of art post-the-Tom-Cruise emphasis. He looks more like how I imagine him in my story/in my head. Perhaps part of my love for my Aladdin/Hercules friendship obsession. Either way, there's some invigorating about early concept art for Aladdin in a way I can't quite say exists for the movie.
Be that as it may, the question becomes, for me, so what? What does that have to do with "giving up Aladdin+"? Simply that, I discovered today that, on some level, as much as I don't watch Aladdin (the literal movie) as much as I might Hercules or PatF, there is something to it that I cling to, something I need. I need it of course to write it; how else do you write an elaborate interpretation of a 1001 Nights' tale (even if it was created by a Frenchman, i.e. why it's evokes such lovely familiar pathos, but then, mm, "Cinderella" goes back to China...huh, AtWL is originally in China...hm, hm, hm...) without being aware of it, especially as I'm, apparently, an actual Disney-fan. :P That considered, I think I need the atmosphere of Aladdin+ in a way I never realized. I can't quite place what it is, other than the pure joy of merely being in a magical, awesome place, where "adventure runs rampant, wild in the streets"; where anything can happen and adventure is ordinary. I will say this definition is applicable to my decades old Aladdin-dolls. While they weren't having Arabian adventures (except for that short timespan), they were often doing things or more accurately things happened to them. Things were occur because they happened. It may have been repetitive sometimes but it was spontaneous I think. It was pure creation and I still remember it fondly. (That's not to say recent creations and plots are not recalled fondly but my mind's completely different from when I was 7-10.)
That being said, I wonder if Aladdin will ever lose its top spot. It's breathlessly special, even if I think the plot is sketchy, the emotionality of it leaves me moderately dry-eyed, and I completely never got what Jasmine meant when she "knew why [Aladdin] did it" i.e. lied about being a prince, e.g. I didn't know why he lied basically. Oh, but I love the characters, but its in the series and the sequels that alot of my love belongs to. Jas is strong, stubborn and fierce. Aladdin is rash, heroic and easily mad fun-of. Iago is...dang, it's Iago, alright? He's just funny, cynical, but always the one saving everyone's ass. At least its seems that way. And I ADORE Carpet and Genie's always fun and weird but so naive in some ways. Abu total love true. And then there's Eden and Thundra, Sadira, Uncouthma...gah!! What's not to love, in my mind? But I don't want to ramble about all that. Oh, and there's Cassim, who I adamantly believe is a good guy, despite his history. Also, he's part of the "big three" plot relationships in the Aladdin Trilogy. That is, in my mind, movie 1 = Aladdin + Genie's relationship; 2 = Aladdin + Iago's relationship; 3 = Aladdin + Cassim's relationship. His feelings for Jasmine are always a motivating factor in the plot, but its not the crux of what makes the movies tick. Compare PatF; Tiana and Naveen's love (and Ray and Evangeline's) shape the emotional crux of the movie. (Obviously the villains make the movie tick in terms of plot but tha'ts a given, isn't it?)
So in the end, what was my point? I adore PatF; it's totally my new fad right now. But I need Aladdin+ in my life in an incredible way I hadn't realized; need its atmosphere, it's flavor, it's heart even if I don't even know what that heart is. Maybe I just need to believe there's magic out there and there are still magic carpets ready to take you off on a whole new adventure to incredible new sights when you least expect it.
Do you suppose rewriting my version of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp could make me love the Disney film of the same name (Aladdin+) more? And someone tell me how this ended up being an Aladdin+ plug?
Either way, well wishes to all, whether you read this or not. May you truly be as you wish and need to be.
(and happy new year, whenever that change occurs in your calender system.)
As always life goes on.
Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality makes sense to me (in regard to his central critique) so I couldn't quite grasp what my philosophy teacher meant about it being hard to grasp (i.e. being indoctrinated into thinking people were sexually repressed and now we're not; Foucault is more along the lines of, yes, in some ways, we are, but more importantly even when people were "repressed" they still talked endlessly about sex even in silences; we've just categorized sexuality; we've made species; people are individual-sexualities rather that defined by their actions). Do I believe any of this? I'm not sure, but I think it's interesting anyway. Some of it may stem from a capitalist mindset, which makes me question of whether this development Foucault claims is inherent only in the Western end of the world (using the terminology Europe+US to distinguish geographical locations -- though I still love the etymology of orient; apparently I love words that reference the east or the middle from μεσος etc i.e. Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia). That taken into account, would the same "perverse" (in the Freudian sense that anything that deviates from the literal object of sexuality is perverse, e.g. heterosexual sex)obsession with discourse on sexuality exist?
Well, that was an interesting tangent. Ah, philosophy, my love of wisdom. ♥
Life in a nutshull (or a pistachio since I like them better; they're from Greece mostly but I associate them with Mexico since I first ate them while visiting back in 1991/1992 or better termed in my head as pre-Aladdin)
* continuing with Ancient Greek. ♥ Just learned the imperfect today. It's like aorist, but expresses a ongoing, progressive past action rather than simple past action
* taking Etymology for Everyone with a Classics Head, so there's going to be a Latin/Greek roots emphasis. Aren't I lucky? I should be making flashcards...
* one of the reason I love PatF is because of regional dialect. Yay for syntax!! ♥♥♥
* taking an Animal/Machine/Human philosophy class; how close are those three and other questions that stem from there? It focuses on a lot of my personal interests. Thanks my forlorn Geography-Anthropology major, and more particularly Biological Anthropology. ♥
* does that mean I actually like Anthroplogy and Geography (well I already knew the later but hmm...)
* also taking a Postmodernism philosophy class; it's the last of the history options. Hence My spiel above about Foucault. I read him earlier in a English Theory class - Gender and Sexuality. Good times, that was.
* working on Book 2 of my AtWL revision (just who is that new horseman?)
* I'm hoping I don't get a cold
* I'm thinking I need to get back into One Piece
* I need to be making more literary contacts
* I went to WDW for New Years to see the Christmas decorations. Magic Kingdom was where I went the most; saw Tiana's Showboat Jubilee three times out of four days. The place was packed like crazy; lines could range up to an hour+ wait. Saw Aladdin and Jasmine everywhere. Apparently Aladdin wants four kids (I asked when I met them with my sister at Epcot). I got my own "carpet" on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin (I love that ride!!) Also, at EPCOT each world had little shows on their winter traditions. Saw China, Morocco ♥, USA (Kwanzaa) and probably something I'm forgetting. I loved Mexico and Morocco the most; the inside of Mexico was...beautiful. And Morocco was lively; I had forgotten that. And Italy was lovely too; I kept thinking they are so gonna have Rapunzel-greetings here. At least they better! Also, stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was quiet and there was authentic African art all over the place. There were also animals and I got to see a giraffe drink from a water hole. Yay!! Its supposed to be hard to do.
* saw PatF 4 or 5 times; got lots of stuff - books, dolls, stickers, coloring books and a stuffed Louis ♥♥
* finally finished Infamous Eve. It was very good but I feel more skeptical about it since I started about a year ago
* did research on Freyja which brought up interesting creative juices
* and I think that's it! Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything.
I'm not sure what is included in the lj-cut but essentially below is a long spiel (perhaps spoiler-ish for The Princess and the Frog) on the subject of the Disney animated films I love. Speaking of which, I'm totally pumped for Rapunzel! Flynn's gonna be a dang thief!! ♥♥♥
I have also been having some thoughts in regard to Disney. Prominently in regard to the most recent animated full-length feature from the Disney Animation Studios -- namely The Princess and the Frog or PatF as I dubbed it to myself before I realized people were actually terming in that.
For itself, its a beautiful, amazing piece. The artwork is gorgeous; the music is catchy and easy to listen to (you wowed me Randy Newman); the characters are inspiring, amusing, heartfelt, silly, amazing, and really lovable. I haven't really loved such a huge hoard of characters in a Disney film since Hercules.
Tiana's inspirational, steadfast, dedicated, ambitious, idealistic (that is, she pushes forward for a dream that while it is an ambition for a material gain, is considered to be a little over her head "People down here think I'm crazy, but I don't care" (remind anyone of Herc? Because that's what I thought when I heard it)) but playful and clever underneath all the seeming hard-working ethic. Ray's completely well-adjusted and aware of true love and loyal, strong, sentimental and good-hearted; I loved when he was fighting the shadows at the end. Oh love will find a way!! He probably represents the "ideals of Disney" better than almost any character that came before. Naveen's incredible, just for his sheer seeming deviant from other Disney princes; he's a little brash, fun, musical, flirtatious, but noble underneath. I would like to add that both Tiana and Naveen's "underneath" traits come as a result of their growing love for one another; they are transformed in more ways than one by meeting one another. ♥ Louis is lovable, silly, cute, and just so fun (he's got some of the best lines, but he's so kind-hearted); he can get a little hyper and confused; he's easily freaked out "Hunters! With guns!" *jumps into the pricker-bush*. And then there's Charlotte who is crazy, spoiled, princess-obsessed but an oh-so-sincere friend. And I love her tons just for the fact that her and Tiana are totally true friends, which makes me really happy.
Wow. That got longer tha I intended.
Basically, the movie's brilliant. The message and meaning that's cooked up in it is beautiful, magical, sentimental and totally Disney. It's like Disney-wishing-on-a-star but with a modern, Southern US dialect + history kind of twist. It is completely good times.
So what's with this strange stirring inside me, that no matter how much I adore PatF, I can't give up Aladdin+ just yet. I mean, when I soon after I saw PatF for maybe the third time, there was the question of where will it stand in future in regard to my two other top Disney favorites Aladdin+ (which includes RoJ, KoT and the series) and Hercules (Hercules & the Arabian Night made my inner fan/fandom oh so happy! Ancient Greece + Medieval Arabia = ♥) Ahem, anyway...the difficulty is that I realized in the last few years I had to rate Aladdin over Hercules simply for the sheer length of interest and how much it's been a part of my life. But in that regard, what can ever beat Aladdin? But then, Hercules and PatF have the bonus of narratives that move me deeply and characters I totally adore, while Aladdin is a little...meh, when it comes to that. Though as I've gotten older I'm beginning to wonder, if I re-watched Aladdin how much that might apply.
But then, I came across this entry. And it reminded me, somehow, of my revised Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp that I'm working on (Book of Coming Night & Book of Rising Water (in-progress), etc.) And that made me realize two things. 1. that Disney has an unfulfilled wish to have a young romance in their movies; both Pocahontas and Aladdin suffered from let's-mature-our-heroes/heroines-so-we-have-an-epic/more-appealing-film. And 2. I think I may have Aladdin even more if Howard Ashman hadn't died. There's something really inspiring to me from his demo songs for the movie and the pre-production art. I love the style of art post-the-Tom-Cruise emphasis. He looks more like how I imagine him in my story/in my head. Perhaps part of my love for my Aladdin/Hercules friendship obsession. Either way, there's some invigorating about early concept art for Aladdin in a way I can't quite say exists for the movie.
Be that as it may, the question becomes, for me, so what? What does that have to do with "giving up Aladdin+"? Simply that, I discovered today that, on some level, as much as I don't watch Aladdin (the literal movie) as much as I might Hercules or PatF, there is something to it that I cling to, something I need. I need it of course to write it; how else do you write an elaborate interpretation of a 1001 Nights' tale (even if it was created by a Frenchman, i.e. why it's evokes such lovely familiar pathos, but then, mm, "Cinderella" goes back to China...huh, AtWL is originally in China...hm, hm, hm...) without being aware of it, especially as I'm, apparently, an actual Disney-fan. :P That considered, I think I need the atmosphere of Aladdin+ in a way I never realized. I can't quite place what it is, other than the pure joy of merely being in a magical, awesome place, where "adventure runs rampant, wild in the streets"; where anything can happen and adventure is ordinary. I will say this definition is applicable to my decades old Aladdin-dolls. While they weren't having Arabian adventures (except for that short timespan), they were often doing things or more accurately things happened to them. Things were occur because they happened. It may have been repetitive sometimes but it was spontaneous I think. It was pure creation and I still remember it fondly. (That's not to say recent creations and plots are not recalled fondly but my mind's completely different from when I was 7-10.)
That being said, I wonder if Aladdin will ever lose its top spot. It's breathlessly special, even if I think the plot is sketchy, the emotionality of it leaves me moderately dry-eyed, and I completely never got what Jasmine meant when she "knew why [Aladdin] did it" i.e. lied about being a prince, e.g. I didn't know why he lied basically. Oh, but I love the characters, but its in the series and the sequels that alot of my love belongs to. Jas is strong, stubborn and fierce. Aladdin is rash, heroic and easily mad fun-of. Iago is...dang, it's Iago, alright? He's just funny, cynical, but always the one saving everyone's ass. At least its seems that way. And I ADORE Carpet and Genie's always fun and weird but so naive in some ways. Abu total love true. And then there's Eden and Thundra, Sadira, Uncouthma...gah!! What's not to love, in my mind? But I don't want to ramble about all that. Oh, and there's Cassim, who I adamantly believe is a good guy, despite his history. Also, he's part of the "big three" plot relationships in the Aladdin Trilogy. That is, in my mind, movie 1 = Aladdin + Genie's relationship; 2 = Aladdin + Iago's relationship; 3 = Aladdin + Cassim's relationship. His feelings for Jasmine are always a motivating factor in the plot, but its not the crux of what makes the movies tick. Compare PatF; Tiana and Naveen's love (and Ray and Evangeline's) shape the emotional crux of the movie. (Obviously the villains make the movie tick in terms of plot but tha'ts a given, isn't it?)
So in the end, what was my point? I adore PatF; it's totally my new fad right now. But I need Aladdin+ in my life in an incredible way I hadn't realized; need its atmosphere, it's flavor, it's heart even if I don't even know what that heart is. Maybe I just need to believe there's magic out there and there are still magic carpets ready to take you off on a whole new adventure to incredible new sights when you least expect it.
Do you suppose rewriting my version of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp could make me love the Disney film of the same name (Aladdin+) more? And someone tell me how this ended up being an Aladdin+ plug?
Either way, well wishes to all, whether you read this or not. May you truly be as you wish and need to be.
(and happy new year, whenever that change occurs in your calender system.)