End of winter break

[tarigwaemir]

Lowell House, on the Feast of Ste. Genevieve

I'm back! Here is the monster post that I've been intending to write for the past few weeks at home, while trying to wrest control of the single laptop with a working Internet connection from my parents. (My father is in the habit of following martial arts serials posted on the Korean equivalent of FictionPress.com while my mother is addicted to watching streaming episodes of Korean television programming from KBS and PBC. They've also spent all of winter break lecturing me to cut down on my Internet time, a point that I would be more willing to take to heart if they didn't spend more time online than I do these days. Anyway, that was the reason for the semi-hiatus.)

1. Various observations from church: Whenever I go home, I find myself unable to recognize the kids at my church. It's been especially disconcerting this past year because all the girls and boys who used to be in elementary school and barely at the height of my shoulder are now much, much taller than me. I keep squinting at the altar servers and thinking, "Wait, you used to ride around on that tiny tricycle after Mass and get your cheeks pinched by all the grandmothers for bawling on the floor when your toy was taken away." And now they're all sullen teenagers who stand around with their puffy down coats and fashionable jeans and (of course) suitably bored expressions. Sheesh, I feel old. I feel even older when I remember that at their age, I used to think that the college kids who came back on holidays were all horribly grown up.

Also, is long, shaggy hair the new azn boi trend? Because all the boys in their teens and tweens have grown their hair out. If it was just the college kids, I'd have chalked it up to laziness, but it's the high schoolers too. Ugh, I bet it drifted over from Korea because a lot of the actors in recent dramas have also gone with the long, shaggy look. Do they think it looks bohemian or retro? Please, no! It looks messy and kind of greasy too, when too much gel or not enough washing is involved. Ugh. Well, at least the orange hair trend has finally died out.

This year, we have a new pastor who is much more traditional and ambitious than the previous one (who was Korean-American and had closer ties to the American diocese, unlike the current pastor who is very intent on "mobilizing" the Korean Catholic community). I suspect that may be the reason why our church choir chose for the first time to sing the Mass parts in traditional style for this year's Christmas Masses. By "traditional style", I mean of course traditional Korean music. (In previous Christmases, the choir sang in Latin, which most of the congregation did not understand and hence could not join in singing.) It was, haha, an interesting experience, trying to sight-read music transcribed from a pentatonic scale, not to mention the complicated rhythms.

There was also the second annual Christmas carol-singing contest, where each parish district performs one or two carols or Christmas-related hymns and gets judged on their level of preparation and practice (not on their actual singing ability, thank goodness). Luckily, I was not made to participate this year. The district our family belongs to is one of the smallest but also one of the most, er, competitive, so I was not surprised to see that we won for the second year in a row. A selection of the props and costumes involved: Santa hats, little red bow ties, red balloons and bells. (Our district also won the Miss Greenpoint drag contest a few years back, and it was the same people spearheading the effort that time too. -_-)

The usual round of friendly, well-intentioned lectures, mostly along the lines of how I should take care of my health. One 아저씨 in particular told me quite fervently that it was important to cultivate both the body and mind: take breaks while studying, remember to exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, etc. It didn't help that Mother was next to me, nodding and interjecting with comments about how I skipped meals when I was busy. (Which is true, but I've gotten much better about it this semester. Also, apparently church people don't believe me when I tell them I'm in kendo because they continually tell me that I need to exercise.) There was also the (inevitable) remark about how I should find a boyfriend before I graduate, which quickly devolved into the following hilarious conversation before I could get annoyed:

Mother: She doesn't have a boyfriend because she doesn't meet any boys.
아줌마 1: Stop studying so much and start looking around. At this stage, you can afford to study less!
Me: polite smile and nod *
아줌마 1: Don't be picky. He doesn't need to be Korean; just pick a rich American man.
Mother: But if she marries an American, our grandchildren won't look like us. I don't know if I can handle that.
아줌마 2: That doesn't matter, they'll look prettier!
Me: chokes on laughter
아줌마 1: You should try going to 미팅 or 소개팅! **
Me: Er, I think that only exists in Korea.

* The key to all Korean social interactions with your elders: (1) be prompt with your greetings, (2) keep quiet and nod while they talk to you, (3) automatically deny all compliments, and (4) don't forget to sympathetically inquire after their health.

** Types of blind dates that are very common among the college-age set. My theory is that dating is much more institutionalized in Korea because people are much less capable of forming relationships spontaneously.

I should add that the stereotypical injunctives from Korean parents are not to waste time dating when one could be studying and especially not to go gallivanting to 미팅 or 소개팅 when one is in college, so I found it kind of hilarious to receive the opposite advice.

2. Christmas haul: Mother bought me clothes: a green velvet jacket and a dark brown pleated skirt. I hope I'll actually wear the skirt instead of letting it languish in my closet like the other ones I've bought over the years and never worn. I also received a $100 Macy's gift card from some family friends, which I used to buy a new beige sweater and a crimson turtleneck. The first Christmas where I've received clothes instead of books for presents. I kind of wish it had been a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card instead...but no matter, I needed a new sweater anyway.

3. Die Zauberflöte: The highlight of winter break would definitely have to be going to see the Julie Taymor production of Die Zauberflöte (or, The Magic Flute) at the Met Opera. Mother and I dragged Father with us to his first official opera since arriving in the States (if you don't count the Baz Luhrmann production of La Bohème on Broadway).

The Magic Flute is my favorite Mozart opera (with the possible exception of The Marriage of Figaro) because although the story is bizarre and makes less and less sense each time I watch/listen to it, the music is pure Mozartian brilliance. Most people know the Queen of the Night's brilliant aria in the second act, "Der Hölle Rache", where she delivers an ultimatum to her daughter Pamina to kill Sarastro or be "my daughter nevermore". Or the Papageno-and-Papagena duet. My favorite aria actually--the aria that made me fall in love with the opera when I first watched it on video many years ago--is "Ach, Ich Fuhl's", which Pamina sings when she thinks Tamino has rejected her since she does not realize he is under a vow of silence. The soprano who sang Pamina, Isabel Bayrakdarian, had an absolutely fabulous voice and made my heart break when she sang that aria. Alas, I could not say the same of Tamino and the Queen of the Night, both of whom were rather disappointing. It didn't matter much for Tamino, who in addition to being a bit of a weak character who does nothing also has very few interesting arias in the opera. But oh, I'd really looked forward to the coloratura of the Queen of the Night, and while the soprano who sang the role had mastered the technique, she simply lacked the volume to make the aria sound thrilling. ;_;

The production itself--well, Julie Taymor is well-known for her avant-garde set design and costumes, as you'll know if you've seen The Lion King musical on Broadway. The staging and the sets for this version of Die Zauberflöte were really clever and ingenious: the lighting, the mobile set pieces, the hallmark use of puppetry (some of the animal puppets were really brilliant). But I still felt a sense of total disconnect; I mean, I could admire the visual aspects of the production intellectually, but it just didn't match with the sheer Classical quality of Mozart's music. The abstract design might have worked for a more modern composer but not for Mozart. Anyway, it's worth seeing once, even if it's not entirely effective.

You know, when you think about it, many of Mozart's operas are rather sexist. I mean, just look at Così fan tutte. In The Magic Flute, the Queen of the Night turns out to be evil (we're never really told why other than that she hates Sarastro and is supposed to be superstitious instead of rationally enlightened), and Sarastro himself tells Pamina that he kidnapped her so that she could move beyond the confines of her mother's love and experience the apparently superior "love of a man". ::rolls eyes:: Well, the music is beautiful, even if the words aren't.

4. Movies watched: For Christmas, I rented three DVDs and watched them with my parents:

The Devil Wears Prada - Predictable but fun. I think I enjoyed it more because I've been watching Ugly Betty. Also, uh, Anne Hathaway's clothes at the beginning (before she went through her fashion makeover, I mean) were a gazillion times more fashion-conscious than mine.

Once Upon a Time in China - I watched the sequel at tryogeru's house over the summer, so I thought I should watch the first movie too. The action in this movie was fabulous (the ladder scenes especially), which was good because the plot was disjointed and the editing was so terrible that even I noticed. It was also a lot more disturbing than I expected. The scene where one of the bad guys is about to rape Thirteenth Aunt and smears the blood dripping from his wounded eye all over her back completely squicked me out. Still, Jet Li = awesome.

In the Mood For Love - Oh wow, this film was gorgeous. Also, I wish I'd watched it before 2046 because then that movie would have made more sense. You have a much better sense of the main character from this first movie. I found Wong Kar-wai's slow, languid pacing in 2046 to get a little exasperating after a while, but it was tuned just right here. What a beautiful, beautiful movie.

I also met up with lush_rimbaud and went to see Zhang Yimou's The Curse of the Golden Flower. General consensus: er...what? Well, it was very pretty and very gory. Still, it was impossible to really understand the characters. Gong Li is a superb actor but a very opaque one; you could see the Empress' passions and machinations but not the motivations for them. Perhaps something was lost in translation? My general conclusion was that they were all crazy. (Especially the third son, Prince Yue. He creeped me out.)

5. Drama roundup: Watched four episodes of Hyun Bin's new drama, Snow Queen (눈의여왕). Good actors, good dialogue...really stupid storyline. I was ranting about it to schwimmerin earlier but I might as well rant again. The main character, Han Tae-woong (played by Hyun Bin), is attending Seoul Science High School and is best friends with a math prodigy. They both take the national Olympiad, and against all odds, Han Tae-woong places first, ahead of his friend who was slated to win the competition. In despair, the friend commits suicide, and racked by guilt, Han Tae-woong drops out of school and spends the next eight years bumming around.

Um. Excuse me. Who the heck commits suicide because they placed second in a national math competition?! Overreaction, much? Also, who the heck drops out of high school because of guilt? I mean, eight years! I'm sorry, but if this kid was genuinely passionate about math, he would have stayed in school to do the math his dead friend could no longer do. I always get exasperated at characters who are supposed to be geniuses but lack the internal commitment or determination to pursue their calling because it makes no sense to me. Genius isn't just raw talent; you have to care about whatever you're good at in order to be a genius.

By the way, does the Science High School campus really look that nice? -_- I actually know someone who graduated from there (by "know", I mean that I talked to him twice in sophomore year).

Hwang Jin-i, which I mentioned before, ended while I was at home, and it's one of the few dramas where I can really say that the ending was the most satisfying. There are soft subtitles for the first ten episodes on D-Addicts here, although I haven't looked at them at all so I can't vouch for their accuracy. I'm thinking of signing up to do recaps for the series on drama_reboot next month actually, so you'll probably be hearing from me about it for a while. ^_^ Did you know that they filmed the entire drama in a hundred days? Insane. Ha Ji-won received the 2006 KBS Best Performance award for playing the title role.

6. New Year resolutions: Some of these are a little cryptic.

• Be a filial daughter.
  
• Stop living in my head.
  
• (Re)learn the art of concentration.
  
• Stop overcommitting.
  
• Be a better friend.

7. Fic-related memes: First, a round-up of everything I wrote in 2006.

March
Excerpts from the notes of an apprentice mushishi (Mushishi, mile-long pole challenge)

April
An Exorcism, part 2 (Hikaru no Go, for card_mistress)
No more what-ifs (My Girl, for rinslet)

May
No matter what (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, for card_mistress)
Magnum Opus (Full Metal Alchemist, for zauberer_sirin)
Hospitality (The Sandman, for AKung)

June
Jealousy (Bleach, for lacewood)

July
Genius (Prince of Tennis)
Found Notebook (Eternal Sabbath, amanuensis challenge)
Atomizer (Kodomo no Omocha, originally for alphabet_love)
Gift (Mushishi)
Compromise (Gundam Wing, chain_of_fics)

August
How to Ask for Money (Hikaru no Go, for sub_divided)
A Change of Pace (Hikaru no Go, for shinra_lackey)
An Exorcism, part 3 (Hikaru no Go, for card_mistress)

September
Reveille (Hikaru no Go, blind_go)
Call Me Vasya (original, bb_shousetsu)

October
First Love (Hana Yori Dango, for clocklike)
Trio (첫사랑, citynextdoor)

November
Intimacy (original, Kinked)
Paralysis (original, Kinked)
One Strange Afternoon (original, Kinked)

December
Inventor (original, Kinked)
Someday (1999nen 7 no Tsuki Shanghai, yuletide)

To be fair, the pieces I wrote for Kinked are not so much complete fics as fragments, but since I have no plans on expanding them into full stories anytime soon, I might as well include them in the list.

The other end-of-year fic meme, taken from a number of people:

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

About what I predicted, if you balance my predilection to sign up for challenges with my actual ability to follow through on them. Although now that I look back at the list, I wrote more than I thought I wrote.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2005?

I never thought I was capable of writing BL (original or fanfic, and I did both).

What's your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest.

absenceofmind asked a similar question a few months ago, and my answer is still the same: Excerpts from the notes of an apprentice mushishi. I think it's because the fic really connects to how I felt about the canon material.

Did you take any writing risks this year? (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.) What did you learn from them?

Well, my overall goal for the past year or so has been to attempt to write longer fics with plots. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it, and I definitely feel more comfortable writing the short vignettes and drabbles. I think I've hit a sort of rut with short fics; I notice myself using the same old techniques, same old structure, even the same old phrases...of course, I can keep turning out endless variations on these elements, but it doesn't feel satisfying anymore. Also, a short fic has to hit the exact note in order to be effective, if that makes any sense, and I feel like I'm getting more and more off-key. >_> Anyway, I'm still very uncomfortable with writing long fics, but it forces me to stop using the same gimmicks, which I think is good for me.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

Finish An Exorcism (I've signed up for fic_off to help motivate myself). Write the sequel to Balance. Complete the 31_days theme exchange. Write something that I won't be ashamed of for the third round of blind_go. Um...finish everything else on my writing to-do list.

In other news, my cold has taken the form of a nasty cough that mostly manifests at night. It's gotten a bit better today though. I hope it goes away soon since I'm back on campus and need to study. >_<

twelve, I found your card waiting for me in my mailbox today! (Your handwriting is so beautiful! *_*) Thank you so much!

A belated happy New Year to everyone!

Yours &c.

Comments

[solidark.livejournal.com]

The Zauberflöte used to be my favourite opera, probably because it's so catchy. When I was a kid I was able to play many of the melodies with my own, not-so-magic flute. When I was older I didn't like Mozart anymore because his melodies are so predictable (I can't explain it... I have that problem with many classical composers, that's probably why I dislike most classical music now and listen almost exclusively to Russian or American composers). However, about the story - I think it's not pure sexism, it's mostly about freemason beliefs and their influence shaped the opera. Once I read an interesting article about this (I think it was in a German or Austrian newspaper) and it's actually quite fascinating. To my knowledge, Mozart was a freemason and they are very sexist; there are no women in their lodges. They are sexist and misogynistic and I think this can be seen in many of Mozart's operas (and those of his contemporaries). Or maybe I interpret too much into this.

Hehe. Sorry, I'm babbling. I had to write a paper about them once ^^;;

[troisroyaumes]

Oh, yes, it's definitely true that the opera is based on Freemason imagery, and I do think a lot of the symbolism in The Magic Flute is really neat for that reason. Although I hadn't known that the Freemasons were misogynistic!--that explains a lot about the sexism then. ^_^

I think Mozart has been, hm, co-opted into the public consciousness (into elevator music, into commercial jingles, movie soundtracks, etc.), so I agree that he can sound predictable after a while. Still, I guess I like the "cleanness" and elegance of the melody, which sounds refreshing to me.

[angrybabble.livejournal.com]

I heard you wrote a jojo drabble in a card! ...gimme! XD;

speaking of which, wah, get to parts 5-7 sometime so I can make you beta for me or something. T_T

do you think doing challenges, fic memes, etc helps? I really want to write more this year...I wrote more in the last 6 months than... well... ever... and it felt kind of awesome! So... ^^; I'm afraid to sign up for things though because if I can't follow through I feel horrible, and I'm terrified that I won't think of ideas or something... @_@

[troisroyaumes]

XD I plan on posting the Jojo drabble as soon as sub_divided gets her card, since I sent it to her as well. Also, yes, top on my list of things to do while procrastinating on studying for finals is to read Jojo. XD

I think doing challenges and fic memes helps because it makes me actually buckle down and write. Especially if there are deadlines involved. I also feel terrified of not following through, but the pressure actually does help you generate ideas, though not necessarily good ones. (Sometimes I look at the stuff I write under last-minute pressure and have absolutely no idea how my mind came up with that stuff. XD;;)

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I got the drabble from you as well, are you going to post it? XD

[troisroyaumes]

Yay, you got the card! Yup, I'm definitely going to post it. XD;;

[tsutanai.livejournal.com]

I have not seen Golden Flower yet, but upon watching the trailers with my father, I've come to the conclusion about what the film is really about. Which is: Gong Li's breasts.

Since I've just seen Miami Vice, which was about (1) Gong Li's legs and shoulders and (2) camera filters, I'm pretty confident in this interpretation.

Which is: directors keep making films in order to show Gong Li naked (or partially naked).

[troisroyaumes]

XD Well, that interpretation makes much more sense than the so-called plot of the movie.

[angrybabble.livejournal.com]

was it that bad? XD I didn't see Miami Vice at all, but I did snag the soundtrack like the day after it came out, because it's chock-full of AWESOME. Recommended!!

[tsutanai.livejournal.com]

Well, it's Michael Mann, which means that I'll enjoy myself anyway. If only for DEAR GOD DID YOU SEE THAT SHOT? WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR CAMERAS?

There's an awesome, awesome composition very early in the film that includes sound editing, incidentally.

However, Gong Li's character is poorly served. Interesting concept that falls into "she makes stupid choices to fit the role she's been put into" territory. So that was sad. See also: plot holes, bad pacing. (Which is a shame, because the opening set-up was nice, to get the Main Characters into the real plot.)

In sum: prettily shot movie. (Ah, the airplane shots too! Very nice clouds.) With lots of Gong Li body parts. (I kind of visualize that as Mr. Mann going ".... waitaminute, I HAVE GONG LI IN MY FILM! I CAN MAKE HER BE NAKED!")

[issen4.livejournal.com]

Wow, you wrote lots last year! I've been re-reading your stuff with great joy--it just gets better and better. All the best with writing for this year. ^_^

[troisroyaumes]

::blushes:: Thank you, that's really the highest compliment, especially from a writer I respect as much as you. ^_^ Best wishes to you as well!--I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of Next to NetGo.

[issen4.livejournal.com]

You're more than welcome. Lovely fics to read--there is no bad! ^__^

I'm working on Next, and hope to have the next chapter out this weekend.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

# (Re)learn the art of concentration.
# Stop overcommitting.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't know how you felt. ^^;

[troisroyaumes]

The unavoidable result of Internet and college life, I'm afraid. ^_^;;

[lacewood]

Tari! I got your card and it is cute and omg the Rk regency drabble is AWESUMLY cute. <33333 (omg Kenshin as the fabulously rich Earl whose jacket clashes with his hair *cackles*)

[troisroyaumes]

Yay, it got there! Glad you liked the drabble! XD

[thisresonance.livejournal.com]

You read my mind with those resolutions. They match my own (for the most part). ^_^

I think that shaggy haircut for boys has been popular for a while now, though maybe not on the East Coast. Back when I was in California (about two years ago) all my young male cousins sported that look. It's not that bad of a look, but only a few people can pull it off well enough not to look like a shaggy dog. XD

I am so glad I'm spared that line of questioning from my family and elders. Possibly because I have insisted since I was a young child that I was never going to get married or have children. Or possibly it could be because my family thinks I might be gay. O_O

The Devil Wears Prada was an okay movie, but I still prefer the book. However, I still thought the book was much too predictable to be all that interesting. The ending wasn't quite as upbeat as the movie version too.

[troisroyaumes]

Hm, well, I'm not very observant about trends usually; I was just struck by it this time because so many guys had let their hair grow out. It definitely wasn't there during the summer, which was the last time I'd seen them. I think Asian guys look best when they're clean-cut though, and the whole shaggy look definitely does not fall under that label. -_-

I'm not opposed to dating (or marrying and having children, for that matter), but it irks me to get exhorted to find a boyfriend especially because people sound as if the stumbling block is mainly my attitude about it, as if all I have to do is to wave my hand and somehow magically one will appear. "No, Mother, the problem is that interest has to be reciprocated." It was especially annoying when I went back home during the summer, but luckily not so bad this time. -_-;;

[clocklike.livejournal.com]

Welcome back, Tari! <3

AHAHA OMG. I just. The comment on how younger people are supposed to behave in front of adults (Korean)? It's so true, especially (3): automatically deny all compliments. My responses come out of me because of practice, too. "아니에요! 공부 별로 안해요!" XD XD (Not that I do, but er, you know what I mean, right?)

황진이 has been airing here lately~! My parents and I are watching it, though my mom and I honestly think that 하지원 is... charmless. D: But it's not even near the end yet, so we'll see!

Happy 2007, 언니! ♥

[troisroyaumes]

Happy New Year to you too! <3

Haha, yes, I know what you mean (and say pretty much the exact same phrase too!). XD My Korean teacher said that if a Korean ever says that they're a little bit good at something, it means that they're really, really brilliant at it. ^_^

Yay, you're watching 황진이! Yes, I think people tend to either love or hate 하지원...she also does look rather old for the role at the beginning. ^_^;; But I think the last episodes are the best! I hope you like the rest of the drama. :D