The Chungking Express I shall be seeing a wide range of films in the next three years and many, I fear, will be like Chungking Express. I shall have to reconcile myself to the absence of elements I take for granted otherwise i.e coherence and meaning. For the sake of my own sanity, I shall have to treat certain films like dreams; not bother to look for purpose nor ask silly questions like "Where is this going?!" Alas, such old habits are not broken easily and I would truly appreciate due warning on the lines of "Remember Chungking Express? This is like that..."

Following is my thoughts on this ...ugh, words fail me... wierd, boring, tortuous movie; which I have to collect for a discussion the next class.

The first viewing of The Chungking Express reveals a film with a mix of unconventional narrative structure, parallel as well as consecutive stories, repetition of certain songs, fast camera movements with the attitude of "Who cares where this is going?" that can leave the unsuspecting audience member dazed, rattled and generally scrambling to get off the ride.

The second viewing might help better appreciate the technical aesthetics of the film. The spectrum of colours, the camera cutting through cramped spaces and the various locations portrayed the sheer vastness of the Big City in the global world that its residents might not truly comprehend. The camera shakes, vision blurs and the world flies by during scrambles and chases, immersing the audience in the experience.

The bad aftertaste, though, might be the result of an overdosage of California Dreaming, characters that move in mysterious ways and the void created by lack of purpose. The film starts with promise, splashing glimpses of the main characters of the first story, but feelings of exasperation set in. The entire movie is akin to a dream, held together by delicate threads of reason, zipping through and lingering in parts.

Chugking Express undoubtedly breaks traditions of film-making and deserves to be recognized for it. On the other hand, it may make an audience member recognize the importance of oft taken for granted elements, like plot.
  ¶ 10:40 pm 3 Comments

  Analysing Relationships One of the best topics to tease friends about is the opposite sex (or the same, it depends). It also makes for lengthy analysis'.

The last few years have been pretty dry in that sense, and now I'm back in business! Ah, the pleasure to be derived from picking up a nascent relationship and teasing the hell out of a friend about it.

Also over-analysing it. The friend may either join in or get embarrased; either way its fun. This timepass probably wins over self-analysis (personality tests, zodiac sign descriptions and the kind). It covers airing and forming your opinions on acquaintances, following the course of various hypothetical situations, making predictions...simply designed to appeal to the human flair for drama and gossip.
  ¶ 6:50 pm 3 Comments

  Just Seven Days Its been seven days since college started, but that seems so long ago. No more ragging incidents (I couldn't find green pants but the jury let me be). I've been hanging out with A and R so much, that the phrase A coined - The Three MustBeWierds seems more apt everyday! Just the other day, someone asked me and A where our third companion was.

By the way, this is once where I'm not sure whether I should mention the names of my friends on my Blog. I realize I've provided enough subtle clues here for someone to place me; I'm hesitating to talk too much about my friends, but they figure majorly in my life.

Anyway, It seems as if I've known these guys for so long. Its uncanny the way I've fitted in with them. At times, making friends can be really tedious for me, and then on others it just happens with one click of my fingers.
  ¶ 9:57 pm 3 Comments

  Ragging and so on... College life just hit me like a blast of cold water. I love it!

The second year's rounded us up after the inaugral function, on Saturday, for the inevitable ragging. Pretty decent ragging, though; mostly just a little public embarasment. After volunteering to introduce myself first, I happily realized that they were just getting into the spirit of the whole thing and that they had forgotten about me, so I happily watched the tamasha from the edge. It is funnier when it happens to other people.

Our only order for today was a dress code: pink-green for girls and white shirt, black pants, black tie for guys; oh and a wierd salute where the guys would have to hold their crotch and declare "This is my gun, This is my fun..."

• My class has no desks.
• We have no text books.
• I like the canteen.
  
• I struck it off with two very interesting guys.
• After a double-class of Media Theory, one free hour and lunch break, all classes were declared off.
• Just missed getting ragged by the third-year's.
  
• I took off to a movie-hall, came back because the movie wasn't on, listened to songs in PlanetM, pretended to be prospective employees at Pizza Hut, spent another hour in college before I headed back home.
• I've had so many interesting conversations in the day that my brain's having problems sorting it all out.

I feel like I'm in a MacDonald ad saying "I'm loving it!" And I am, I am, I am!
  ¶ 11:03 pm 7 Comments