Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli XII

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live from the Oceanside. Things do not always go according to plan. So I choose to do one of two things: (1) do not plan anything or (2) plan accordingly, meticulously, almost paranoialy. In the end, either the plan did not work or there is a small sense of regret for not planning the affair. True, a good time was had or at least attempted to be had, but the other truth is that the original activity/event/notion/guise did not proceed as prospected, which may lead to an aura of disappointment. How could said aura be avoided? Two ways: (1) go with the ebb and flow and forget the results or (2) do not expect too much, be content with everything and forget the results.

Content with just going with it, let’s continue our journey through the Complete Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 12: Ocean Waves, I Can Hear the Sea, Umi ga Kikoeru, 海がきこえる
Director: Tomomi Mochizuki
Release Date: May 5, 1993

I have a question. How would you talk about something if that something did not fit your fancy? You don’t…so you avoid it like the plague.

It’s like choosing a seat on the train. It takes a rare person to sit next to a stranger. How about a stranger that does not know when to shut up? The kind of stranger that keeps on talking even though you do not show any signs of interest in paying attention, as all of your currency is invested in sleeping on the train. The same sleep which, instead of dreaming, you are slouched over covering half your face with one hand, pretending to be listening to the stranger’s perpetual ramblings, and all you see are flashbacks of the days when you worked at a restaurant while in high school.

I never meant to cause you any pain.
I only wanted to one time see you laughing.
I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain.

Purple rain, Purple rain
Purple rain, Purple rain
Purple rain, Purple rain

I only wanted to see you bathing in the purple rain.

No? That was never you? Okay, how about the times when you believed at love-at-first-sight? You remember the times when you would look out the window and ogle the new student: alone, lost, confused and attractive. At first sight, infatuation. Your infatuation leads to you to the first encounter. The awkward type of encounter where you really do not know what to say, and then s/he does not know how to respond, so the encounter ends up in an awkward silence: only to be kindled by a second encounter when a conversation is had. With this conversation you find that the new student has family problems and is now trying to resettle in this new environment.

I never wanted to be your weekend lover.
I only wanted to be some kind of friend.
Baby I could never steal you from another.
It’s such a shame our friendship had to end.

Purple rain, Purple rain
Purple rain, Purple rain
Purple rain, Purple rain

I only wanted to see you underneath the purple rain.

Not one for meeting new people? Do you remember the time when your high school days were drawing nigh and you had to borrow money from a friend so that you can go on the senior trip? You borrow the money, telling your friend that it will take awhile for you to repay them. But a third finds out about the borrowing and tension begins to build between the lot.

Honey I know, I know, I know times are changing.
It’s time we all reach out for something new,
That means you too.
You say you want a leader,
But you can’t seem to make up your mind.
I think you better close it,
And let me guide you to the purple rain.

Not in to borrowing money? Fine…you definitely remember that time when you tricked the girl or boy that you like to come on a trip with you? The trip that was planned to be a sweet getaway for two: only to have your plans crushed by having your company rendezvous with an past love leaving you stewing in your own hotel room.

Purple rain, Purple rain
Purple rain, Purple rain

If you know what I’m singing about up here.

C’mon raise your hand.

Purple rain, Purple rain

I only want to see you, only want to see you.

Still no? Well, you must have had a friend who fell in love with the same person that you fell in love with, no? The same love that causes so much tension between you and your friend that your friend was left in peril during the last days of the friendship: a friendship no longer had.

Okay. There you are on the train, feigning interest in the stranger’s rambling, hand feeling warm on your face and out of the window you see a person that reminds you of someone that you once knew. The same person that you recall as the person that brightened up your past days, the one you thought about in your sleep, the one that you realize were in love with your entire life. You have to remember that.

General Comments: I honestly did not like Ocean Waves. I’ve tried several times for the movie to capture my attention, but unfortunately it failed to do so. I will say that the movie attempted to bring a glimpse of “real-life” to the animated realm: featuring notions of friendship, love and the development and destruction of both simultaneously.

Until next time (hopefully not as long)! Keep on watching!

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli XI

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live from the third chair of a small town orchestra. Here, no instrument is played, they are just heard. How can that be? Think of it this way: breathing comes natural. No one has to remind us to breathe unless we have become utterly dumbfounded or awestruck. From my third chair you can see the oneness between instrument and instrumenter. It’s almost natural. As they move, the instrument moves. Like breathing…it’s jubilant.

Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

There was once a time where I preferred classic music over my usual funk. The reason: a lack of words. But then…then there was the 9^th. (Not to sound like a London droog.) The 9^th was something else. It’s beauty magnified. While feeling beautiful, we continue our journey through the Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 11: Goshu the Cellist, Sero Hiki no Gōshu, セロ弾きのゴーシュ
Director: Isao Takahata
Release Date: January 23, 1982

Goshu is a young, mediocre cellist who plays for a small town orchestra. The movie opens with a classically-laced vignette: a rainy-day, a rehearsal of Beethoven’s 6^th and our hero struggling. After a short berating from his instructor, a crying Goshu walks home.

Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!

The 1^st night: Tortoiseshell Cat

The cat bears vegetables and offers them to Goshu and advice in how to become a wonderful cellist. Upon offering, he requests that Goshu play Schumann’s Träumerei. Seeing that the vegetables were picked from his garden, Goshu angrily ignores the request and plays Tiger Hunt in India instead. His rendition startles the cat, causing him to run away.

Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.
Vor Gott!

The 2^nd night: Cuckoo Bird

The lessons continue with a cuckoo bird, who literally enough teaches Goshu scale by cuckoo’ing. Goshu plucked “cuckoo, cuckoo” as the bird voiced the same. Feeling that the cuckoo was sounding better than him, Goshu chases the bird away.

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

The 3^rd night: Raccoon Dog

Wanting to practice his timpani, the raccoon dog requests to play with Goshu: together, they played The Merry Master of a Coach Station, with Goshu on the cello and the raccoon dog beating on the cello with a stick. The song finishes, both leave content.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt
Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muss er wohnen.

The 4^th night: A Mother and Her Son

As Goshu was sleeping, a mother mouse and her sick son pay him a visit. The mother asks Goshu to heal her sick son with his music as his music has already healed a number of animals. Goshu puts the mouse inside his cello and plays. Upon completion, the mouse runs away and the mother thanks Goshu profusely.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt
Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Seid umschlungen,
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Götterfunken!

The movie ends with the performance of Beethoven’s 6^th. Goshu plays well. The conductor asks Goshu to play an encore, where he decides to play Tiger Hunt in India, as he thought he was being made fun of. Goshu plays, the audience roars their approval. In the end, Goshu is in his home at peace with all of the animals with Pastoral in the air.

General Comments: a short movie. I enjoyed the soundtrack. The overall look of the movie was flat compared to the past Ghibli flicks. It’s the simple things that are grand.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere an stimmen,
und freudenvollere.
Freude!  
Freude!

I thank you for reading. Until next time! Keep watching.

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli X

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live from the Adriatic Seaand it’s a soft, wet love that you have for me. When describing the male gender, I once said this to a “good” friend: (1) A through Z, all men are dogs; (2) we have two brains, but only think with one of them during a given circumstance; (3) thus, we are stupid (especially when the stars are aligned and the pheromones are kicking); (4) therefore, we are easily subdues by love, lust, infatuation, intrigue and the like; (5) but, we have little to offer (the main thing being one of #2); (6) that is why we are hunters; (7) thus, we must provide.

I can see the castle
I can see the throne
I can see the beloved and she’s not alone
But it’s cool like that
Cuz I’ll be diggin’ her just the same
I can see the curtain wrestled from the wall
I can see her hands tied
I can see it all
He pulls a gat
This is how they play the game
And I’m ’round the the back
Cuz curiosity it knows no shame

Pheromone, rush over me like an ocean
Pheromone, controllin’ my every motion
Pheromone, I’m helpless as a pet
Pheromone, when your body’s wet

Disc 10: Porco Rosso, Crimson Pig, Kurenai no Buta, 紅の豚
Director and Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Date: July 18, 1992

Ah…the seclusion of an island all to yourself. Crystal clear water and a calming breeze; a lost little hole for you to sleep and ponder on the good things. And the fact that you have been cursed to live as a pig for the rest of your life. Here, we have Marco Pagot, a former ace fighter pilot from World War I, now a freelance bounty hunter chasing air pirates. Of said air pirates, the movie opens with a group of sea pirates attempting to kidnap a group of young girls and burgle a cruise liner, who are more excited about the kidnapping as opposed to scared…it was a playful kidnapping. Marco rescues the girls, leaving behind some of the stolen loot to the pirates so that they can repair their now damaged airship. Afterwards, Marco flies to Hotel Adriano, where we find a group of pirates who are negotiating a contract to kill Marco with a cocky American pilot, Curtis and where Marco meets his closest friend, the owner of the hotel, Gina.

Life is precious baby, love is so rare
I can take the breakup if u say that u care
He had 2 run away, his pride was 2 strong
It started raining, baby, the birds were gone
(I love u baby, I love u so much)
Maybe (Maybe we can stay in touch)
Meet me in another world (Meet me in another world, space and joy)
vous etes tres belle (vous etes tres belle, mama)
Girls and boys (girls and boys)

A short time after, and after a short flight fight, Curtis believes that he has killed Marco. With his plane badly wrecked, Marco goes toMilanto repair his plane. Here, we find Piccolo and his granddaughter, Fio, who is a mechanical genius in disguise…in disguise of a 17 year old girl. Hesitant at first, Marco refuses to have his plane repaired by Fio. He eventually changes his mind. The plane is repaired by Fio and an all female workforce.

If I had a harem like all the papers say
If I had a harem like all the papers say
I’d have me a different girl 4 each and every day

If I had a harem here’s what I’d do
If I had a harem here’s what I’d do
I’d get me 7, 8, or 9 just 2 take care of U
This is true
Yeah

With the plane repaired. Macro leaves to go after Curtis. To his surprise, Fio, who fashioned a compartment for herself in the plane, decides to leave with him. Again, hesitant at first, Marco succumbs to Fio’s and her grandfather’s will. Together they fly escaping the Italian police. Marco flies over the Hotel Adriano, where Curtis is trying to soothsay Gina into joining him toAmerica. At the sight of Marco, Gina reminisces of her childhood days, when her and a then human Marco would fly together. Gina proclaims her love for Marco. Upon their return to Marco’s private island, they are found ambushed by the band of pirates. Curtis then appears and challenges Marco to a duel. If Marco wins, Curtis will pay for Marco’s plane-repair bills. If Curtis wins, he wins Fio’s hand in marriage. Having made friends with the pirates and regretting the decision for not padding the bill, Fio takes a swim.

Hot thing!
Hot thing, barely 21
Hot thing, looking 4 big fun
Hot thing, what’s your fantasy?
Do U wanna play with me?

Hot thing, baby U dance so good
Hot thing, baby I knew U would
Hot thing, tell me what U see
Hot thing, When U smile, when U smile, when U smile
Are your smiles, are your smiles 4 me?

That night, Fio wakes from her sleep to find Macro cleaning bullets. At first site, she sees Marco as human. Awakened, Fio asks Marco to tell her a story. He tells her about the last summer of the war when he was still human. Marco’s best friend Bellini married Gina. While flying, Bellini and Marco are attacked by Austrian pilots. Unable to control his plane, Marco gives up and the plane pilots itself into a cloud. Above the cloud there is a convoy of planes. The other planes attacked, icluding Bellini’s, emerge from the cloud and float up to the convoy. Marco proclaims to Belilini that he cannot leave Gina and that Marco should go instead. Bellini, deaf, did not return. Macro returns feeling guilty. This incident caused his transformation from human to pig.

If a man is considered guilty
4 what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
4 all my future crimes-OH!

Let’s take a drive, love
So we can make up our minds, love
2 commit the crimes of passion
That sets us free
Me lovin’ U, U lovin’ me (me lovin’ u, u lovin’ me)

The electric chair

The next day, Marco and Curtis meet for the dogfight. The two fight until their planes can no longer take it. An air duel soon becomes a boxing match in the water. In the climax of the fight, Gina arrives. Upon her arrival, Marco wins the duel. Curtis pays Fio. Marco sends Fio with Gina. In the end, it is implied that Macro returns to human form.

Can U take me home
Where we can be alone?
Can U make me happy
Till my pain is gone?
Can U get me excited?
Excited enough 2 thank the God above 4 the human body

General comments: another good one. A more comical affair: definitely in regards to wordplay and the usage of “pig.” The most comical Studio Ghibli flick yet, thus thoroughly enjoyable.

…Until next time! Keep watching!

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli IX

Good Morning Everyone!

For The Lin Family.

Coming to you live from the other site and I want to apologize for not maintaining a steady stream of Studio Ghibli. So without further ado let me show you how to work.

I’ve had my eyes on you ever since you walked in the room
C’mon & take my hand, don’t try to understand
Oh baby nothing can stop us now,
I’m gonna show you how
Show you how to work
C’mon let’s have some fun, we’ll work till morning comes
Lemme see ya work

I’d love to turn you on, I’d work you all night long
If I could get you in the raw, I’d make you climb the walls
Oh yeah nothing can stop us now,
I’m gonna show you how
Show you how to work

Just because I have not been sleeping does not mean that I have been watching. But it is good to have a break, be it small or long. (In this case, size really does matter.) I do find it particularly interesting how I am taking a break from one of my recreations. Oh, life works in beautiful ways. It’s so beautiful that tonight we continue our journey through the Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 9: Only Yesterday, Omohide Poro Poro, おもひでぽろぽろ
Director and Writer: Isao Takahata
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Date: July 20, 1991 (JPN) (that means I can only watch this movie in Dutch or Japanese…lovely.)

Only Yesterday is an animated movie that attempts to break away from what is deemed as “anime.” There are no magical powers, to evil-doers, no extravagant force that either consumes or is consumed. Only Yesterday presents an animated version of “real (adult) life.”

It seems like only yesterday U said U loved me
U said I was your universe with only God above me
How could U say all those things and lead me on this way?
2 think that I could give U up 4 what some people say
Hold me and we can make it through the rain
Hold me and we can weather any pain
If U and I are lost because of what some people say
Then there’s no justice in this world 2day

As children, we were told to dream. Not only dream, but aspire to become something. Then we progress through the ages of innocence and experience, and some of us realize that what we once dreamt and aspired have not come to fruition, leaving us lost and unsure of what will come next. Here we have Taeko, a twenty-plus, single, office clerk who goes on vacation to the countryside to visit her elder sister in-law and help with the safflower harvest.

 Girl, your ride is bad but U can’t compare
2 my baby black Cadillac, oh so rare
Take a vacation, I don’t care
Cuz I can get some simulation anywhere

Taeko reminiscences of her schoolgirl days; recalling memories of events that took place when she was a fifth grader. Taeko would envy her classmates who would go to their parent’s hometown for vacation while she stayed behind in the city. She also recalled the innocent events of her life; her family’s first taste of pineapple, the star baseball player who had a crush on her and of course the menstrual cycle.

Girl
U excite me so
Oohwee baby, your body’s like no other

Girl
It’s U I gotta know (Gotta know)
Oohwee baby, I bet you’re quite a lover

Reaching the countryside, Taeko is welcomed by family, her brother-in-law’s cousin, Toshio. Toshio takes her to the safflower farm. On the way, Toshio tells Taeko that he used to work in an office but give it up to tend to a farm. Reaching the farm, Taeko helps pick safflower petals. Her work and interactions with the family are interlaced with flashbacks of her childhood: how she hated hand-me-downs, how her father slapped her when she left the house only wearing socks and how she was awful at math and how her mother and sister thought she was not normal because of so.

There was 1 September day that Papa worked 2 hard
First he crucified every dandelion out in the yard
Then he screamed at baby twice 4 throwin’ rocks at passin’ cars
Baby didn’t listen, so like a priceless work of art
He got snatched by his Papa who then opened up the closet door
And pushed the four-year-old down, onto the closet floor
Baby cried “I’m sorry, I won’t do it no more”
Papa said “Yeah, I know, that’s what this here’s 4”
Smack!
Ooh Papa…
Smack! Smack!

Eventually Taeko begins to get comfortable and falls in love with the countryside. As time drew nigh for Taeko’s return to the city, her brother-in-law’s family urges her to stay, asking questions about her future: marriage, life and love. The credits end with Taeko and Toshio.

I’ll see U 2night in all my dreams
All my dreams
My spirit’s in flight in all my dreams
All my dreams
A submarine valiantly conquers a virgin sea
A child is born, a child is born, will U marry me?

 

General comments: an animated movie for a more grown audience. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. But one can easily get lost in it. So it’s good to reminisce, just as long as we are not stuck reminiscing and regretting things that were not meant to be. Getting lost is easy however, as everyone wants a place called home. A place that is always comfortable and welcoming. It is at these places where we do most of our learning: from the past, present and learning of our futures. Overall, the movie seemed to move a little slow but it was a good nostalgia piece.

… That’s that! Until next time! Keep watching.

Today I Helped Move I

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live from Wilmington, North Carolina sitting in the nitrogen and phosphorus-poor wet savannah. A friend in need is definitely a friend indeed, as a friend is never known until they are needed. I do not have many friends; in fact the number is so small that I a child with a Sesame street education could accurately count them. Until very recently, such a fact has never bothered me. That is not to say that I’m currently losing sleep over the situation. On an outside perspective of the situation, I do see the benefits in not being offstandish, sole and solitary. The first benefit being: a good time and good company. Adventures, jokes and meals are shared with friends (some better than others, some not so good, but friends regardless). Another benefit reaped, friends provide a listening ear. People have something to say. It’s better when someone is listening. A third benefit, a helping hand. Everyone falls. When family can no longer do it, who better to help pick you up and dust you off?

Why can’t we be friends?
Why can’t we be friends?
Why can’t we be friends?
Why can’t we be friends?
The color of your skin don’t matter to me
As long as we can live in harmony

With all this friendship in the air, today, just like (what some may call) the long night before was spent with good company. But with a slight difference; a little more strenuous…the laughs were still there. With the fun-loving company of a “dancing” friend and her “dancing” partner, today I helped move.

I can move you if you let me
Ahh, gettin’ in touch with you
I can move you if you let me
Ahh, takin’ a position
I can move you if you let me
Ahh, I’m trying communication
I can move you if you let me
I’m checking out your signals

Imagine a 14 foot truck driven by a barely 5 foot person. Nice! I’ve always been on the move: 9 years, 2 years, 1 year, 7 years, 5 years, 2 years, 5 or 6 years. That is how I have been going from here to there and sometimes back again. Moving is always an adventure. Make new friends and keep the old: one is silver the other gold. The coincidental thing…It was raining.

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’
Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I’m free
Oh, Lord, through the revolution

The best part, the first move: an island to a smaller island. This was followed by a move from a small island to a mainland; a small town. A small town to a big city. A big city to another island. So it’s only fitting that the move be made from something big to something small. Well, not big, but bigger. The best things in life are temporary: that was my initial thought. But things can change.

 

Dance to the music
All night long
Everyday people
Sing their simple song
Mama’s so happy
Mama starts to cry
Papa’s still singing
You can make it if you try 

I want to thank you for letting me be myself again 
I want to thank you for letting me be myself again

With the rain falling faster, the mattresses were left. The lamb did not seem to mind the rain nor did the company.  It was an exciting time…my back only hurt a little. Everything was moved in. But was she? Of course not, moving in takes time. But the first day was fun. In the end, the sun started peaking through the clouds as I was dropped off at my destination. It’s only coincidental.

My sunshine has come
And I’m all cried out
And there’s no more rain in this cloud

There’s no hiding place
When someone has hurt you
It’s written on your face, and it reads
“Broken spirit, lost and confused”
“Empty, scared, used and abused, a fool”
Oh, ain’t it funny that the way you feel
Shows on your face
And the smile you used to wear
Seems a little bit out of place
People oh, hold on
In time it gets a little better, whoa

Biggest laugh: “My foot can’t even reach the pedal.” Lines of the day: “We be U-hauling!” “Move…get out the way!” “He’s a moving machine!” “Oh, you’re really serious now!” “My foot is killing me.” “There’s a Venus Flytrap on the truck.”

…Until next time! Keep movin’.

Tonight I (We) Dined Thai IV

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live from the Phaya Thai district in central Bangkok where everyone has something to tell but not everyone wants to tell it. Ah, and that is what makes a secret so much fun. Some people have to know it, they have to find out what other people are hiding; they have to find  like that last apple in a bushel of oranges. But is a secret still a secret when that secret is said? Of course it is, it just so happens that the secret is known to another, who now has the power to play with your emotions. And everyone enjoys a little play. So there we sat, in our usual seat, my “flowery, floating, itsy bitsy spider-disliking” friend (whose nickname changes from week to week except for one moniker that remains the same on another site…here, on oflittleimportance, this good friend will be called Tangerine) and I at our usual Friday night dining spot. As always the company is one of pure delight and our discussion was that of a secretive nature. With entertaining company and lively banter, tonight we dined Thai: a 3-course dinner.

This is our secret
Do you promise to keep it
Keep it 

Don’t tell anyone, anybody, anyone
That I love you
Don’t tell anyone anybody anyone at all

Phayathai Restaurant735 Hawkins Avenue
Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
www.phayathai-li.com

 

Several deals were made upon several handshakes: the key agreement, one picture for one piece of paper. Both items seemingly more innocent than the other. Yet, both with the having the ability to create ridicule, mock, badger and ribbing. Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made in order to get what you want. It’s fine to have regret, but in the end, we have to be comfortable with the choice that we made. Hesitant at first, the choice was made. The deal was done…we dined.

1st course: Fried Tofu and Chicken Wings

If there is one thing that can be learned from cooking food, it’s that frying makes good things taste better. Imagine taking a dull and bland block of tofu, cutting it into triangular pieces and then having them dance in a vat of oil. What seemed dull and bland has now become lively and well, still a little bland. But served with peanut sauce…it’s alright. As with other nights, the triangles were spread and some wings flew: we shared.

Entrées:

 Tangerine: Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken

Dined once before, another attempt at a curry soup made with crispy egg noodle, bean curd, bean sprout and red onion all in a spicy coconut milk curry. Though extra noodles were given (thinking that maybe she needed to eat more…a healthy appetite is a good one), they were not partaken, as once again capacity and enjoyment were reached.

My Entrée: Yellow Curry with Chicken

Similar to the above dish, but contains potato and does not contain noodles. In place of said noodles is Roti served with a cucumber sauce: buttery, flaky and a bit of tangy and sweet (almost like someone that I know…minus the buttery and sweet part…well, maybe, but definitely flaky and tangy). Combining the flavors can be so much fun.

  Tangerine’s Dessert: Fried Green Tea Ice Cream

No sharing this time, as dessert became more of a private affair. Though private, she brought the heat. A ball of flame with a frozen inside. Usually a vivid affair between hot and cold, sweet and fried, green tea and fried dough made for an interesting mix: one almost regretted, but still liked.

My Dessert: Coconut Ice Cream with Sticky Rice

Why change? But change can be exciting. Change can be good. But at the moment I am happy with the skin that I’m in, so no change made tonight.

U’re my little secret, my private joy
I could never let another play with my toy
U’re my little angel from heaven above
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh, I think I’m falling in love

And I ain’t gonna tell nobody nobody ’bout my little pretty toy
All the other kids would love 2 love U but U’re my little private joy
My private joy
U’re my private joy

As always, we sat, restaurant empty minus the family. Questions were asked, and repeatedly answered. Deals were made and some secrets were kept. But such changed as the night progressed into the following day. In such progression, a time well spent with an always enjoyable dinner and a pleasant company with intent to be kept…Last night we dined Thai.

…Until next time! Farewell and fare well.

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli VIII

Good Morning Everyone!

Coming to you live fromSeattle: where it is not as rainy as people think. Thinking is dangerous. Especially when the thought made is based purely on false perceptions. Some folks decide that they could never live inSeattlebecause they think that it rains inSeattleevery day. But if it were to rain so much, wouldn’t the city suffer from constant floods? Yes! The city would become inundated with unwarranted opinions from passerby travelers. Thus, based on a single belief, appreciation is null. That’s the problem with thinking. When people think with a clear mind there is minimal to no problems. But when certain individuals think with clouded thoughts, trouble ensues. Tension breeds, leaving the thinker numb and blind.

Instead she pretended she was blind
An affliction brought on by a witch’s curse
Dorothy made me laugh
I felt much better so I went back
2 the violent room
Let me tell U what I did

I took another bubble bath with my pants on
All the fighting stopped
Next time I’ll do it sooner
This is the ballad of Dorothy Parker

Rain or shine whether you may be shining, tonight we continue our journey through the Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 8: Kiki’s Delivery Service, Majo no Takkyūbin, 魔女の宅急便
Writer, Producer and Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Date: July 29, 1989

If you follow all that is oflittleimportance, then you have already read the untitledincandide movie-night piece. Though a full synopsis was not provided there, a series of questions was provided by the Hands of that affair. Though my “floating flower” of a friend’s questions were left unanswered, they were asked. So let’s attempt to answer…with a little twang of course.

Kiki is a witch in-training. Nice opening scene, Kiki wants to wear her favorite purple dress, but her mother tells her that she must wear a black dress. Kiki rocks the purple. As a part of her training she needs to live alone in the big city by the ocean. Her black cat, Jiji, does provide company however, as nobody wants to live alone. (Well…not nobody, bur people are so much fun. Wouldn’t you agree?) Kiki flies to the town ofKoriko, which does not have a resident witch. Flying through traffic, love-tapping a bus, Kiki lands, introduces herself and Jiji to the stunned crowd, hoping to live there. She was accosted by a police officer for reckless flying, but in the crowd someone yells “thief” to distract the office, leaving Kiki free to roam. While roaming Kiki meets Tombo, who immediately enthralled with her flying abilities, who insists on trying to start a conversation with Kiki. Kiki rejects his attempts.

Shockadelica
The girl must be a witch
She got your mind, body, and soul hitched

As with otherMiyazaki movies, a struggle with adolescence and adulthood rears itself fully.  (In most movies, we are presented with little girls, growing up.) Struggling in the city at first, Kiki finds her bearings and conquers her setbacks. She first found a place to stay, not allowed to rent a hotel room, Kiki encounters Osono, the baker. Kiki offers to deliver a pacifier that a customer of Osono has left behind. Kiki delivers the pacifier to the customer who in turns hands Kiki a letter. Kiki returns to Osono, where she offers Kiki a place to stay.

Shockadelica
You need a second opinion
But she never wears a stitch
So you can’t take her home

The next morning, Kiki helps out at the bakery in exchange Osono would give Kiki free room and board. Kiki and Jiji go shopping for items for their new home. They encounter Tombo, who receives Kiki’s second rejection. As they return to the bakery, Osono tells Kiki and Maki wants to hire Kiki to deliver a birthday present to her nephew. Seeing Tombo, Kiki flies off, heading for Maki’s nephew’s home. Having a little run in with a few birds, a part of the gift (a cat doll) goes missing. Kiki substitutes the doll with Jiji, deliver the gift, returns to retrieve the doll. In her search, Kiki sees the doll in a window of a cabin. Here, we are introduced to Ursula, who gives Kiki the doll, which has been thorn by crows. Ursula says she will fix just as long as Kiki models for Ursula. They agree the doll and Jiji are switched. Tension begins to build between Jiji and Kiki.

She got you tied with a golden rope
She won’t let you play your guitar

And when you’ve cried enough
Maybe she’ll let you up
For a nasty ride in her shockadeli-car

The next day at the bakery, Tombo purchases a pastry and invites Kiki to attend a formal gathering of the Aviation Club that he is a part of. Tombo is ignored, as Kiki helps another customer. She then talks with Osono who tells her that she should attend. Upon their conversation, Kiki is reminded of a delivery that she needs to make and is off running. Kiki arrives at a mansion and meets the madam of the house, who wants a pie delivered to her granddaughter but her oven is not working. Kiki offers to help and in so doing: finishes the pie, delivers it through a storm, the pie was not well received, Kiki becomes drenched and decides not to go to the formal event. Rejection!

Shockadelica
You need a second opinion
But you just can’t leave her alone
As though you got no mind of your own

After a day of rest and ignoring Tombo, Osono tells Kiki that she has another delivery. Lost, she runs into Tombo, who is the recipient of the delivery. They converse, he shows off his flying bike, they take flight, they go to the beach, he meets his friends, Kiki leaves upset, rejecting Tombo’s invitation to join them. The next day, Kiki finds that her powers are gone and that Jiji can no longer communicate with her. Another rejection of Tombo ensues and after, Kiki spends a day with Ursula, who much like Kiki has lost her “gifts”: becoming bored with imitating other artists thus needing to define her own style.

Shockadelica
She must be witch
She got your mind, body, and soul hitched

The next day, the Madam wants Kiki to stop by the mansion; she does. While watching television, at the “Spirit of Freedom” event, Kiki sees Tombo in peril. She rushes over with her powers still weak and saves Tombo from falling. The movie ends with Kiki’s parents reading a letter saying, “Father. Mother. How are you?” Jiji and I are both very well. My work is on the right track and I am confident. It’s been hard sometimes, but I love this town.”

A decent movie in a golden run. I enjoy the innocence and experience theme (thank you romantics). As for Wash Your Hands questions (I once said this): …So at this point, I think both Kiki and Jiji are becoming more and more like a regular person and cat than a witch and her black-witchy cat. It’s similar to the idea of assimilation. For example, some students want to become a doctor to change the field of medicine from what it is to something else. In order to do this they have first become assimilated into the field. But if they are too far assimilated, they eventually forget their original “intentions” and become the doctor that they once wanted to change. All in all, Kiki is struggling to find balance between childhood and independence. Because of the struggle in trying to find balance, there is a loss of focus…Here, you have the concept of in with the new and out with the old. The method that Kiki tried was one she new from her past, but it failed to given a desired result. Being a part of the town was a part of her witch training. To be a part of the town has had to become more like a normal person. The assimilation idea works here nicely actually. She’s not living with other witches, she living with normal folk.

And that would do it! …Until next time! Keep watching!

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli VII

Good Morning Everyone!

For Pat and Frank.

Coming to you live from Koganei. Studio Ghigli was founded by Hayao Miyazaki (director), Isao Takahata (director) and Toshio Suzuki (producer). Though the studio has mainly produced Miyazaki’s films, Takahata has had his share of success, being considered on of the greatest directors of anime who ever lived. Grave of the Fireflies helps prove that distinction. Utterly gripping, sad and human, Grave of the Fireflies captures human agony through animation.

Inside lookin’ out my window
I don’t see nothin’ but rain 
Sun up in the sky just a shinin’ 
Still I’m lost in my shadow of pain

Like an innocent man that’s on death row
I don’t understand what made u go
And wanna leave me baby
Leave me in the dark

Can u tell me, tell me?

Tonight, we continue our journey through Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 7: Grave of the Fireflies, Hotaru no Haka, 火垂るの墓
Writer and Director: Isao Takahata,
Release date: April 16, 1988

Grave of the Fireflies is an animated war drama set at the end of World War II inJapan. This movie is by far the most heartbreaking animated movie that I have seen. The movie opens with Seita, malnourished, destitute and dying, sitting hunched on a post. As he keels over, a janitor takes his possessions and finds a candy tin filled with ashes and bones. The janitor throws it out and the spirit of Setsuko, Seita and fireflies fill the screen (a beautiful red screen), thus, beginning the story of their lives.

Ah, my mind’s such a sweet thing
I want to do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover
Over and over

With bombs soon approaching, Seita and his little sister, Setsuko, are left to secure the families belongings as their mother goes to the bomb shelter. After running through bombs, brother and sister reach the bomb shelter to find that their mother was caught in an air raid and severely wounded. She is transported to a hospital and later dies. With their father fighting in the war, Setsuko and Seita move in with their aunt. The food supply is low. So while living with the aunt, Seita retrieves leftover supplies he buried in the ground before the bombing. To get more rice, the aunt convinces the two to sell their mother’s kimonos. As the food begins to run out, the aunt begins to show her resent to the siblings, saying that they have done nothing to earn the food. Setsuko buys supplies for his sister and himself and decide to cook their own food. But the resent is continual forcing Setsuko and Seita to leave.

Kicked outta my home at 17
A real family, now what does that mean?
Don’t nobody know the trouble I’ve seen
How can I live 4 love?

The siblings decide to live in an abandoned bomb shelter near a marsh. The first night they fill the shelter with fireflies for light. The next morning, Setsuko is upset that all of the fireflies are dead. Again we have a child having to deal with issues of death, as she digs a grave for the fireflies, buries them and asks why they and her mother had to die. Having little supplies, they soon run out of rice, causing both to steal food from the nearby farms and Seita looting homes during air raids. One night, Seita is caught stealing, beaten and taken to jail where he is released. The next day, Seita sees his malnourished sister passed out , and decides to take Setsuko to a doctor. The doctor does not provide any help.

Your father said it was pnemonia
Your mother said it was strep
But the doctor said u were dead
And I, I say its senseless

Wanting to help his increasingly ill sister, Seita withdraws all of the money in his mother’s bank account. While at the bank Seita learns that Japan surrendered to the Allies and that his father may have died. Still distraught, Seita returns to the shelter with food but finds Setsuko hallucinating. Seita gives her a piece of watermelon and begins cooking, but Setsuko passes. Seita cremates his sister and puts the ashes in the fruit tin. We are left with Seita dying, but the spirit of Seita and Setsuko, healthy, look down at Kobe from a bench.

Nothing on TV I ain’t seen before
Another murder on the news, I can’t take no more
Evil Incorporated, blowing up bombs and thangs
I have a child, huh, I have a lot 2 explain
I could write a letter, but who would I send it 2?
It was Sunday night, instead of doing what I usually do I..

I scan my computer looking 4 a site
Somebody 2 talk 2, funny and bright
I scan my computer looking 4 a site
Make believe it’s a better world, a better life

This was a very sad, emotionally-driven movie but a very good one. We are immediately introduced to the close bond between Seita and Setsuko and the movie chronicles this bond and the strengthening of the bond with every disparaging event. This film is not war film, it is a film that showcases what happens to the communities that are not fighting the war but those that are living through it: showing the collapse of civilization and community as a product of war.

That’s all for now. I thank you for reading and thank you in advance for continuing to read…Until next time! Keep watching.

Tonight I (We) Dined Thai III

Good Morning Everyone!

For Pat and Frank.

Coming to you live from the basement where napping with the lights-on feels good. Making a slow transition back into the daily grind that is work, I have found pleasure and past my time with good company. Be it with a certain host, dancing friends, little sisters and big brothers, the time is well spent with our passing interactions. Though the commonalities among us may be a few or in one particular case, scarily copious from past days, we all share one common inclination (I dare not say liking, as most of what we do is hate what it is that we do, do). But inclination aside, it is the differences that make us beautiful and perpetually entertaining. And always entertained by the company of one reminding me of a past-life, last night I dined Thai with a “floater” of a friend: 3-course dinner.

Hello My bed Hello Hello

I was sittin’ pretty with a beautiful friend
When this man tries 2 get in the car
No introduction, “How U been?”
Just “Up yours, smile, that’s right, you’re a star!”

U call ’em bodyguards but I call ’em my friends
I guess I’m used 2 havin’ ’em around
And cameras by nature like rewards
That’s the trouble I get when I’m Uptown

I’m not afraid to die
Oh no, there’s a better place
I eat what I want
Whole wheat toast
And I’m happy, and that’s for sure

Phayathai Restaurant
735 Hawkins Avenue
Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
www.phayathai-li.com

As we get comfortable in our seats, we have been known to clear the room. Be it as it may with the smell of work on our clothes, or our cheeky and at times loud banter or the fact that we were seated with 30 minutes before closing, we had the place to ourselves, sitting at the corner table and visited on occasion by the restaurant family, we dined.

1^st course: Chicken Wings

What is now a staple and reoccurring starter, these fried pieces of chicken readily prepare the pallet for the Thai adventure that is soon to be partaken of. Last night there was a different look and texture of each piece, but still delectable. With two flying away and four to stay, sharing makes a meal elegant.

Entrées:

“Floating” Friend: Peanut Sauce with Chicken

This being her favorite dish on the menu: steamed broccoli, carrots and slightly battered and stir-fried pieces of chicken topped with a Thai peanut sauce and served with rice. Though a mound of rice was left, as Saifon originally gave a mountain, the dish was (ful)filling and “good” (her words).

My Entree: Red Curry with Tofu Duck

As stated on another site, entrées are no longer ordered, Saifon takes care of everything. Here, red curry, bamboo shoot, red and green bell peppers, basil and coconut milk with chunks of tofu duck and served with another mountain of rice. Provides the taste of spice without the kick, the coconut milk sauce is gently sweet but mostly savory and subtle enough to mask the sometimes overbearing taste of the tofu duck. A dish enjoyed thoroughly.

Dessert: Coconut Ice-Cream

With every other restaurant dinner, I order dessert. She decided not to but as the dessert was served, the restaurant was far-closed, and every table empty and cleaned, it was just us and two balls of coconut ice-cream: one rolled away and the other stayed. The meal was finished as it was started: shared.

Everybody we’re against hungry children
Our record stands tall
There’s just as much hunger here at home

We’ll do what we can
If y’all try and understand
A flower that has water will grow
And the child misunderstood will go

Our record stands tall, u know
Give us time and love will show

Hello
Hello
Hello

So there we sat, plates cleared from the table, Phayathai family cleaning in and around the kitchen, my “floating” friend and I discussing our usually topics of discussion. We ate, enjoyed the meal, conversed with no sense of time, it was an enjoyable dinner with pleasant company. After, we went back to work.

…Until next time! Farewell and fare well.

Let’s Complete Studio Ghibli VI

Good Morning Everyone!

For Pat and Frank.

Coming to you live from sunny California and suffering from a 3-hour sickness. Sleep is good. Unfortunately for some, sleep is optional. Falling into the optional category, I never thought 3 hours would carry over so many years. But that “so many” is only a few compared to the previous years when I was “3-hours” free. Perhaps in another decade my condition would finally subside. Or perhaps I will become so acquainted with my condition that within one-year’s time I would no longer consider it a condition, rather a means for which to get rest…Perhaps.

Siempre que te pregunto
Que cuándo cómo y dónde
Tú siempre me respondes
Quizás, quizás, quizás

Y así pasan los días
Y yo desesperado
Y tú, tú, contestando
Quizás, quizás, quizás

Before I phantom the idea of sleeping, tonight we continue our journey through Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki Collection 32.

Disc 6: My Neighbor Totoro, Tonari no Totoro, となりのトトロ
Writer and Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Released: April 16, 1988 (exactly 3 days until the release-date anniversary)

Totoro is everywhere! Move over Mickey. Totoro is the Japanese version of Winnie-the-Pooh. Apart from cameos in other Miyazaki films and the Studio Ghibli logo, Totoro has appeared in Toy Story 3 (stuffed doll) and has been given homage on a couple of Comedy Central Cartoons. With a brief introduction, now introducing our neighbor: Totoro.

Hey, let’s go! Hey, let’s go!
I’m happy as can be
Let’s go walking, you and me
Ready, set, come on, let’s go!
Over the hill, across the field
Through the tunnel we’ll go
We’ll run across the bridge
And down the bumpy gravel road
Creep beneath the spider’s web
Ready, set, let’s go!

The Kusakabe family is moving to an old rural home to be closer to the hospital where their mother is being treated for an unknown sickness. Upon arriving at the house, the two daughters, Satsuki and Mei inspect every inch of the small home, finding soot sprites (little black balls of soot…the first incarnation of the Spirited Away coal-throwing soot balls). The grandmother, newly arrived and visiting, tells the girls that the soot balls are soot spirits and that they will leave when once the family is comfortable in the new home: comfort which does not take long.

And if I ever made U cry
All I have 2 do is think about it and I just wanna die
I just wanna break down and die, die, die, die
How I’d ever make it by without U, baby
I don’t know, I hope I never have 2 try, yeah
Oh, listen 2 me
(Ooh my) Friend, lover, sister, mother, wife
(My sweet, sweet friend, lover, sister, mother, wife)
Air, food, water, love of my life

Satsuki leaves for school, thus leaving Mei to play alone. While picking up acorns, she sees a rabbit-like creature (later to be deemed as a Totoro). She chases the creature around, it runs under the house, loses Mei for a bit, only to be seen again with a slightly bigger, grey creature. Mei again, chases both, following them into a cubbyhole nested in a huge tree where she finds a giant creature in slumber. Climbing up onto the sleeping creature’s chest, Mei begins to awaken the giant. (If you watch South Park, you know where Matt and Trey got their inspiration from for Cartman and Cthulhu).  Cuteness ensues, and while asking the creature’s name, the creature yawns and Mei interprets the yawn as Totoro. Falling asleep, Mei is found resting in the cubbyhole by Satsuki.

Call Mr Goodnight
He’ll make U feel alright
Make U throw Ur head back and holla
So nice, so nice
Better not tell Ur girlfriend
U can try with all Ur might
Just can’t keep a secret
‘Bout goodnight, goodnight

The next day, was a rainy day. (That reminds me, they are given an umbrella by young boy, Kanta, who is later seen playing in his room in his underwear like all kids do when it rains. But most memorable, as the family was moving in, Kanta was sent to give them a welcoming gift by his grandmother. He gives the gift with minimal words, runs out of the house and from a distance says, “Your house is haunted,” runs away…classic). Waiting for their father’s bus, Mei falls asleep and is being carried on Satsuki’s back. As it gets dark, the giant Totoro appears standing next to Satsuki, wearing a single leaf on his head (because it’s raining) apparently waiting for a bus also. Satsuki offers the Totoro an umbrella she brought for her father and in return the delighted Totoro gives Satsuki seeds. In the distance a bus appears: a giant catbus. Totoro enters the catbus, which is followed by the father’s bus.

Sanjikan mo matte ita no yo
Watashi neko to issho ni

Sono toki denwa no beru ga
Watashi neko mitai ni shabetta
Terebi no volume sagete
Watashi uso mitai na koe de

Twiggy no mini skirt de
Twiggy mitai na pose de
Twiggy no mini skirt de
Twiggy mitai ni yassepochi no watashi

The next day, the girls plant the seeds. Later that evening the three Totoro do a ceremony where the seeds were planted, the girls join in and a giant tree grows within minutes. Totoro then flies the girls and his smaller compatriots to the top of the tree.

See I picks my friends like I pick my fruit
My Ganny told me that when I was only a youth
I don’t go ’round trying to be what I’m not
I don’t waste my time trying to get what you got
I work at pleasin’ me cause I can’t please you
And that’s why I do what I do
My soul flies free like a willow tree
Doo wee doo wee do wee

The next day, Satsuki receives an urgent phone call from their mother. Running to the nearest phone, Satsuki finds out that their mother will have to postpone a planned visit as a setback from her treatment. Worried that her mother may die, Satsuki is distraught. From her anxiety, she yells at Mei and storms away. Mei, walks home, thinking that healthy food will help cure her mother. With an ear of corn in her hand, Mei, alone, begins to walk to the hospital.

I go out walking, after midnight
Out in the moonlight
Just like we used to do
I’m always walking, after midnight
Searching for you

I walk for miles, along the hyihway
Well that’s just my way
Of saying I love you
I’m always walking after midnight
Searching for you

I stop to see a weeping willow
Crying on his pillow
Maybe he’s crying for me
And as the skies turn gloomy
Night winds whisper to me
I’m lonesome as I can be

Her disappearance alarms the neighborhood causing all to search for Mei. Satsuki goes to the giant tree and asks Totoro for help. Neighborly as Totoro is, he summons the catbus which takes her where Mei is sitting. With Mei safe, the catbus takes the girl to the hospital where their mother is. Perched on a tree, they overhear the conversation between their father, who is already there and mother. Their mother expresses her worry for her daughters and vows to get healthy. The girls leave the ear of corn on the windowsill and the parents find it as the catbus whisks the girls back home.

Totoro, Totoro, Totoro, Totoro,
Someone stealthily
Buries nuts in the path.
When a tiny sprout grows,
[You’ll find] a secret password
The passport to the forest.
A wonderful adventure begins.

General Comments: My Neighbor Totoro is a great movie. There have been comparison made about Panda! Go, Panda! with Totoro, in that the first was a precursor to the latter. If that is the case, then Totoro has every minused element from Panda! Go, Panda! and then some. The family element is stronger in Totoro. The comedy and general innocence is more profound. Nothing is too farstretched. What the viewer is presented with is a charming, warming 3rd person view of two children, the realization of life (and the opposite part associated with it), settling with the harder edges of life and the usefulness of imagination to live life.

Until next time, stay tuned!