Showing posts with label the social network. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the social network. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

The Social Network & Aphrodisiacs

This week I felt like I spent a lot of time horizontal.

I finally deciding on a school only to find out it will be almost impossible to study and survive and that I'd have to wait until January to apply and by then my VISA would be over so I'd only be able to apply as a Student and I could only work on campus.

I decided to just go back home.

My application for a Green Card is preliminary, anyway. The lawyer wanted to see a bio and my previous application to see whether it would be worth our (read: his) time.

My travel plans also changed. I can't afford Canada. My Mum was right. But Emily in Santiago is still a-once-in-a-lifetime thing, so, yes Santiago.

I saw The Social Network twice. On Thursday with iJustine and MGM - who were in town for a panel for AdWeek and DeStorm shortly before he moved to Los Angeles.

I really enjoyed this film. The Tilt-Shift used in, what I like to call, Part Two, of the film was awesome to see on the big screen, since I've only seen it on Vimeo-sized screens beforehand.

Andrew Garfield was a delight and I knew that he was definitely on his way to being a "Star" - later I found out he was chosen to be Spider-Man in the new series of films, so I have the eye for these folks... like all the hundreds of other no-names in Hollywood. Sigh.

I saw it again the next night with Jen with this big crowd of tech nerds. Jen said Twitter or someone was there with a case of beer. Whatever. A girl lost her phone but it was quickly returned. Afterwards I went with Jen to have an egg cream and we discussed the future. She told me it's all about trial and error, but I told her that because I do not have the convenience of being a citizen, I don't have the luxury of wasting time on trial and error.

Leaving for Australia seems more and more like the best idea. I really want to audition for WAAPA. However, seeing pictures of old friends makes me not want to go back... not because there is anything wrong with them, but because there is something wrong with me.

There's a quiet fear of feeling like a failure for returning, a fear of once again feeling like an outsider. To return when so many of my friends are overseas...

On Saturday I went with Dr. Johnson to St Marks at what became my favourite Japanese restaurant, too. Afterwards we bought cheap bottles of shots and cans of coke and mixed them with our drinks while watching Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas at midnight at the Sunshine Theatre. Afterwards we went to a bar... though I do not remember it.

On Sunday, slightly hungover, we had Big Daddy's for breakfast, though it was probably well after 2 by the time we at there... maybe even near 4! I saw my nails and they were dirty. Fingers get so dirty in New York.

Afterwards I met Molly to go the Museum of Sex, which was interesting and funny and I felt a little immature. The Anime of the threesome was kind of hot in a very... juicy way... I mean a sexist way. Yeah. Ugh.

Afterwards we went downstairs to this Aphrodisiac bar and we each chose a drink with different qualities. Mine was apparently good for productivity and it tasted nice too, but I didn't see any grand leaps in productivity that night or the days that followed.

We meandered around Eataly and the Madison Square Market and decided on Tapas for dinner at this restaurant on 19th that I had always wanted to go too, because of the beautiful chandeliers hanging up all around. Music began to play and people danced and danced, almost a little too wildly.

I vowed no more late nights! My vow was quickly broken.

Friday, 6 August 2010

BEDA - Day Six - The Social Network

After a couple of months of watching the teaser and the trailer, I am definitely very, very, very interested in the film, The Social Network. I love that it's about something so very "now" and I love that it's about figures that I've already read about and discussed with my friends and I love all the scandal behind Facebook and the drama behind the film itself.

I've already discussed Facebook a few posts back, so I'm going to focus on the film.

I love how it is shot; the colour "theme" (if I can call it that, I'm a noob when it comes to critiquing/analyzing/knowing much of anything about film production) during the school years of the film and how it's so dark and almost sepia like, giving Harvard and that "exclusive" life they talk about, that old world touch, making it seem distant and unreachable. The brief snippets of the actors performances seem very likable, and I have noticed that so many of East Coast actors (whether they are born there or playing it) have these lovely, deep, I'm-an-asshole voices (really only when listening to, "this idea is potentially worth millions of dollars" and "let's sue him in federal court"

The trailer is so well done. Whoever edited it deserves an award for Awesome Trailer of Awesomeness. The screen-capture intro matching the words to song is quite literal, yes, but still so well timed, that it makes the song Creep by Radiohead fit this online world so perfectly you wonder why you had not related it solely to Internet Life before (because despite what people I admire say, I like to consider my time on the Internet different to my Real Life, because I like to think that this is just a faze and my real life will begin soon... oh God, that's so depressing and makes those I mentioned so much for right about this... anyway, I'm going off point...).

The screen capture of the Facebook site goes for almost a minute before we see any shots or hear any dialogue from the film, and it's amazing that they were able to fit so much intriguing footage and dialogue into 1 min and 30 seconds.

Also, the shot at 2:01 of a woman (I don't know who she is in the film) with tears of what almost seems like horror or shock in her eyes is really beautiful. I can't wait to find out who she is. I'm refusing to visit the IMDB page or 500millionfriends website because I don't want to get even more carried away.

Plus, that ending, so brilliantly obnoxious. I'm not a part of the Gawker-lifestyle of people who are really interested in that world and invest in the drama surrounding it, and thank goodness, else I'd be even crazier about this film, but I can't wait to watch it. I think I'm so excited because it's based on true events and is now being immortalized in film, and there is something very special about how certain random events can one day be capsulized in a film.

Anyway, blah blah blah, a few people have been making parodies of the trailer. I saw one for eBay and YouTube, both of which were okay, but the best one (and I'm sure it's not just because so many of my pals are in it) is for Twitter by IndyMogul. Check it out here if you haven't see it already. And, so, because it's been in my head for a while now, I thought I'd make a text parody relevant to my life right now. Just to be self-indulgent in the spirit of Facebook. Right?

*This won't make sense if you don't know the Internet-version of me and what I'm up to or if you haven't watched the trailers/parodies... I recommend watching both first. Or just skipping this completely to watch them. Good plan*


**Better yet play the trailer and read my blog at the same time. It fits quite well, surprisingly**

I don't care if it hurts,
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so very special
I wish I was special...

Brain: I need to completely roadblock your life by keeping you up all night on the Internet.
Me: Why?
Brain: Because a healthy lifestyle leads to progress and success and makes you wash your clothes.

But I'm a creep

Brain: I want you to go on the Internet and live your life through other people, and there are a few really great websites where you can do that...

I'm a weirdo

Me: You're talking about completely distracting me from work and keeping me up 'til 4am online?

What the hell am I doing here?

Concerned Friend: You spent twenty-two minutes updating your Twitter feed?
Me: Hours. Twenty-two hours.

I don't belong here.

Brain: That tumblr post could potentially lead to millions of followers.
Me: Millions?

Concerned Friend: She's always on that website.
Me: My friends are saying that I'm on Facebook too much -
Brain: I know what they say.
Me: So am I!?

She's running out again

Brain: One video every month isn't cool. You know what's cool? Thirty videos.

Me: I'm going to get left behind. Life is moving faster than I could have possibly imagined.
Brain: You've already been left behind.

Concerned Friend: Let's shut down her Time Warner account!

Brain: I can't wait to watch your eyes burn up and for you to become a complete insomniac.
Me: If you think that's going to happen... then let me just tweet that that's going to happen.

She's running out

Me: Are there any videos I haven't watched yet!?

Boss: Your actions could have permanently destroyed everything I've been working on.
Me: LOL. "Working on." Right.

She run, run, run...

Brain: Did you like only having 1000 followers? Do you want to go back to that?

Me: SLEEP!!!

Run

YOU DON'T BECOME A DYSFUNCTIONAL HUMAN BEING

Brain: Your life is online.

WITHOUT A TWITTER, FACEBOOK, TUMBLR, YOUTUBE, SKYPE, AIM, DIGG, ETC, ACCOUNT.

Concerned Friend: You're being accused of intentionally sleeping in all day, violating the Internet, lurking on male profiles...

Run

Concerned Fried: Your best friend is traveling the world and you haven't left your basement in 6 days.

...

Me: As for your concern, I believe I deserve a few "likes" from everyone.
Concerned Friend: Uh, I'm sorry?
Me: Yes.
Concerned Friend: I can't "like" something you say out loud.
Me: Then what is the point?

I don't belong here.

Oh, Life. I remember when I accomplished things and felt good about myself. Those were the days...

Totals