When the songbird sings

Reluctance

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question “Whither?”

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

— Robert Frost

I remember that occasion when I told someone that I liked Weezer, to cite an example of some of the musical genres that I enjoyed at the time, he almost had one his many hissy fits if only to show [off] how snob he could get with music. I still don’t get why some people like Sandwich, though. But then I guess cool is as unpretentious does. So let me get my geek on while watching this video which, as of this afternoon, gathered more than 4million views in less than a week.

OK, so this would have been more phenomenal if they didn’t include K-Fed. And where are Lonelygirl_15 and geriatric1927?

Wear Red Shoes

Originally uploaded by Kaye.

No story has been more fraught with so much schism since Romeo and Juliet or friction since Pride and Prejudice. Still, Stephenie Meyer’s conflicted romance between a teenage girl and a handsome vampire managed to dislodge Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from the top of the New York Times best seller list.

Twilight is about the love of the ordinary human, Bella Swan and the beautiful immortal, Edward Cullen. While Bella is common, Edward is in every manner remarkable. Aside from looking breathtaking on his bad day or his wealth, strength and speed, he is gifted with the ability to hear others’ thoughts. Yet the difference between the two characters does not stop there. The real conflict is not even the about the two species as anyone who has been familiar with the lore knows, vampires and humans do not go together except in a predatory relationship where one is the hunter and the other is a meal. This is not lost in Meyer’s story, but what makes the it fascinating is that Bella is Edward’s flavor of choice in a way that if ordinary humans have their favorite food, Edward’s favorite is Bella’s blood. It is against this side of his nature that Edward must struggle as he falls in love with Bella, or as he falls in love for the first time since he turned 17 a century ago. And irony be damned, he falls for the trouble-prone Bella who attracts danger wherever she goes, so no one else can protect her better than him who could break her in a snap of his finger or kill her in one bite.

Except for their immortality and their thirst for blood, Meyer’s vampires do not perish under the sun. Instead of burning, they sparkle like diamonds when exposed to sunlight, therefore they have to choose “the rainiest place on the planet” in order to live in a way that approximates being normal. And as much as these characteristics are unique in Meyer’s vampires, the Cullen coven is still especially unique among their kind for the simple reason that they do not feed upon humans but hunt wild animals for sustenance, unlike their other brethren. Non-human diet and compassion are the ties that bind the Cullens and what set them apart from the other members of their kind.

Maybe because real life and adult issues are tough enough that there is a renewed interest in fantasy genre and young adult literature. According to a New York Times report, recent figures in book sales point to an increase in circulation of titles meant for young readers. A cursive stroll through a bookstore’s shelves also supports this assumption, what with the proliferation of Gossip Girl and Shopaholic series, or the massive sales of the Harry Potter that both children and adults came to embrace. However, Twilight, in its own right has a unique place in popular literature for its author’s ability to put together a not so frightening Anne Rice and a modern Jane Austen that the young (and not-so-young) reader can flip through. And as beautifully ironic enough, Twilight shows that a story can be dangerous without violence or sexy without sex. Just add a healthy does of tension to push the story forward and each page will prove just how hard it is to put this book down. For all the escapism, it is dark, amorous, and exciting.

My interest in the title was piqued when I came across a review of Meyer’s work, purporting that she just might be the next JK Rowling. It is decidedly difficult to top Harry Potter’s popularity, but the windfall from Rowling’s series is expansive. Still Twilight is not fantasy for the geek; it’s almost chick lit. Hard-core horror fans are better off turning to Rice and others. While I have my nerd moments, I am not an avid follower of vampire lore. I have listened to enough bloodsucker stories as a child, ruminated only over how lucky Kirsten Dunst was for getting her first kiss from Brad Pitt in Interview With A Vampire, thought that Wynona Ryder was insane for dumping Keannu Reeves for Gary Oldman as Count Dracula in the ’90s film version of the horror classic, and the only reason why I watch Moonlight is because Alex O’Loughlin could cause global warming. I don’t enjoy the thought of so much blood spilled either. Still, I had to visit Powerbooks Live twice to get a copy of the first book, with the second visit stretching to 9:45PM as I waited for the customer service desk to give me the unclaimed copy at the last minute in case the person who reserved it turned up before closing. At P339 per book, I managed to buy all available titles of the series and reserved the fourth one. Another title told from the point of view of Edward will hit the shelves later this year.

A film based on the book and directed by Catherine Harwicke (”Thirteen”) is slated for release in December in the United States. It stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Bella and Edward, respectively.

Twilight

• Flexible working boosts the bottom line
  (tags: flexitime management executivebrief)

Today’s Chinese Horoscope for the Fire Snake:

“You’ll be assured of success in everything that you undertake if you’re careful about your uncontrolled imagination. Give priority to your love affairs: the joy of being two, important encounter or, on the contrary, separation will be in the program; the events will be to your advantage. You’ll be exposed to an emotional stress, which is likely to disturb your stability. You’ll have a better opinion of yourself, and you’ll have a better estimation of your financial possibilities; learn how to make the right choices that’ll lead you to success.”

Something good’s gotta come from this.

When The Winter’s Gone
(David Benoit)

Pardon me sir, I don’t know who you are.
But I think I see something in your eyes
Though I could be wrong.

Winter is here and all the roses lie deep beneath the snow
That’s where lovers go to hide from pain and sorrow.
Never for sure when your luck will turn
Waiting out that snowy day
Hope for a cure that someday you’ll learn
Why love keeps on going when there’s no one there.

Pardon me sir, I think it’s up from here.
Take this one from me, one day you’ll feel free to
Fly away wherever you want to.
Never can tell where the dawn will break
When you find your shoulder to cry on.
After a spell you won’t feel the ache
And you’ll forget the corner you’ve been living in so long.

You’ll breathe a sigh and see it’s time to move along
Just a little stronger when the winter’s gone.
When the winter’s gone.

Does the image below rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise? It actually goes either way, depending on which side of your brain you are using.

Click here for what it means.

I was still reeling with a rude treatment that I had to deal with lately when I came across this interesting post from Pick the Brain:

“…let rejection roll off your back. The key to this is not taking it personally.

“At least 95% of the time when a person reacts negatively to you it has absolutely nothing to do with you personally. Most likely they’re having a bad day or you caught them at the wrong moment. Maybe they’ve been harassed by people before and assume you have bad intentions. Or maybe they’re just not that cool and you wouldn’t gain much from knowing them anyways.”

Emphasis is mine. The last reason struck a chord simply because there are people who are just plain rude and crude, and associating with them will never be beneficial to you in any way. Let the rude treatment slide, but remember that there are other ways to get even, such as dissociation, indifference, or not patronizing their business (and if you care about your friends–tell them how bad the rude dude’s business’ service is). See, unless you have reached Steve Jobs’ mythical status, there is absolutely no reason to be a jerk.