Tree of Life (2011) Director: Terrence Malick

M and I watched this film last night. What an absolute piece of shit film it was. Honestly, I think it is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Really- I mean it. I've seen some bad films, but this is right up there.

Firstly, there is almost no dialogue- and whilst I do enjoy arty films, this was wanking itself so hard I'm surprised it noticed that anyone was in the room.

The premise is interesting enough, a family in Texas (during the 1950s) whose parents are opposites. The mother is grace defleting all negativity and emitting all positivity and the father is nature- imposing himself on all around him. The film starts with the death of one of the three boys. Problem was, I couldn't tell if Sean Penn's character was the eldest brother, middle or youngest because there was no dialogue.

As for Terrence Malick it came as no surprise to me to know that he also produced The Thin Red Line, which is the only film I've ever walked out on.

But back to the so called plot- the movie lost me when it went off on a tangent about the creation of the world- I literally dozed off. I know it is supposed to be experimental, and we wouldn't be where we are if people hadn't taken risks, but this is was just way too out there for me. I'm sorry, I'm actually at a loss to explain the film fully. For a full sypnosis/review click here.

The review though a positive one- I do like this line about how people would reproach him. "They said, it was pretentious, boring and – most culpably of all – Christian. Didn't I realise, they asked, that Malick was a Christian?."

Brad Pitt sunk his own money into the project.

All I can say, is good thing he has a lot of it.

I give 1.5 tomatoes ( in lieu of stars).

The year passes and I want time to stand still

The good news is, yesterday my gorgeous partner and I ate a salad entirely of our garden! I'll take a photo and show you- but it was glorious- our tomtoes, our lettuce and our cucumber....

The tomatoes are coming on now pretty well. Again, I'll take some photos.

Finally Summer is coming on and the days are dazzlingly bright. We have a skylight in the living room and it is almost too bright to sit in the room without sunglasses.

The days are entirely unique to Australia. Such long hot days- especially here in Melbourne where the days don't warm up till later in the day- 4pm, no breeze- just stillness.

Living back in Bayside I have only now started to appreciate how living where you belong can mean contentment. I hope 2012 holds for me some new experiences, more love between my partner and I and who knows, I might even get all I want...

I have come to the realisation about just how difficult my family is and how fucked up. And it makes complete sense to me now- I hope never to be like my parents...and if I am ever a parent, I hope I remember all my lessons learned.

Back pain as a symbol for life pain

I've had lots of back pain of late. I've realised I slump- (a good symbol for life sometimes).

I've never been one not to have some sort of plan- some sort of goal, something to reach for. But since getting into a relationship, I've felt different about that sort of stuff. I'm not nearly as driven as I once was and I like myself a lot more- but I also feel a little lost.

Happy and lost? Yes, it is possible.

I also don't naval gaze as much as I used to and that definitely makes me happy. But I realised something- that the naval gazing was part of the goal setting process. But the goals, when they were reached never felt as good as they did in my imaginings.

I love my personal life now- I love my partner was a fierceness that sometimes overcomes me- but I don't love my job and I feel like I've lost sight of all I was previously- and most of the time I'm so very content.

It is just when I get into funks like this, that I think change = happiness and that is not always the case. It hasn't been an equal occasion in the past- I used to change all the time and I was NEVER happy. So you see, I've been around this corner before and I know what comes next.


What I need, what I want to do is find one thing that I love doing and put just a little more effort into it- like this blog- that only I read.

Anyway- this Saturday night I've taken 10 minutes out of doing whatever I was doing to write something here. It is about discipline and habit.

Sarah Douglass told me that. Oh and I forgot- my favourite writer has cancer.... I don't think she will survive, but she sure as shit won't go out wondering.

And I hope, never will I

See my problem is...

I want to write this blog- but I feel too much like that movie, "Julie and Julia"... and that is NOT what I am about.

I really need to find some form you see.

Anyway M is away at the moment- so I was out at dinner with friends and going out again tonight... I do miss him. H e is truly a wonderful man. it is only a few days, but I have to say it feels little weird him not being around.

Strange how life changes. If you had told me three years ago this is where I would be- I'd have signed the paper to commit you and laughed as I walked away.

Life can truly be surprising.

What a shit arse day...

Honestly, do you ever have days when you wonder why you even bother to care about anything? Do you work with people that worry about such minutia, that not only sweat the small stuff, they bottle it, make it into a pill and take it everyday as a suppository up their arse?

If so, you have a small understand of what I endured today. It's killed my buzz and I haven't even bothered cooking tonight. I ate one scrambled egg, yes one, as we only had one with a little bit of cheese. My lovley boy had "cafe style raison toast"... hardly the stuff of culinary delights.

I'll write again when I don't want to recommend we all put shot guns to our head.

A long time coming...

Greetings cyber space. I'm back. I'm going to share some of my favourite recipes- from my family- my mother especially- recipes that go back quite a few generations where my parents are from (Cyprus and Greece respectively).

I hope if anyone reads this they enjoy them and my commentary.