The Bow

I have always been a T.V. person and owing to the fact I have the worst scheme from Tata Sky Dish Services, I am only left to watch UTV World Movies and Phineas and Ferb these days.

While the latter happens to be a big hit in my daily scenario, UTV World Movies on the other hand is a once in a while deal for me, given to the fact that they air movies in languages I have never even heard of.

The other day while I was surfing the T.V. scene, I happened to have a brief look at this movie channel randomly. It had chinki looking characters, water, boats, an old man and a 16 year of girl and then I knew that it had to be Kim-Ki-Duk!


It's summary read as follows:

A 60 year old fisherman has been bringing up a girl since she was a baby. Now she is 16 years old and the fisherman has other intentions. But the arrival of a male student changes all their lives.


The intentions about which the summary speaks of is the kinds that would freak out fifty year old Indian house wives.
Ah, nothing extreme.. but you know how Indian home makers are!

The sixty year old man brings up a girl he found when she was six. It's been 10 years since and the old man plans on marrying her on her 17th birthday. He lives on the dough he makes by allowing people from the nearby areas to come for fishing. The old guy would be often misinterpreted as the girl's grandpa by anyone who is clueless about the plot as such. Not to mention, the characters in the movie who come for fishing assume very much the same.
Like all of Duk's movies, The Bow contains very little dialogues. The story proceeds casually, often describing the monotony of the protagonists' lives with great intricacies like how the old man gives the girl her daily bath, does her hair, sets up her bed at night, gets the daily groceries and cancels out each coming day in his calender and then flip a few months off to see and smile at a particular date marked with a red heart shaped design filled with some Korean calligraphy indicating the young girl's birthday and hence, their marriage day.
The days are mostly repetitive with a little everyday humdrum like the fishermen trying to have their way with the young female only to be aimed at by the old man with a bow and arrow.
The Bow's title is based on how the old man tells people's fortunes. The process is rather peculiar. Unlike how usually fortunes are told, the old man has his own style which involves tying of a colorful ribbon around the young girl's wrist, her sitting on a swing tied outside their main boat and the old man aiming at an old Buddha like figure painted on the outer wooden walls of the boat. The girl smiles as she swings, her gaze constantly set on the old man. It has no fear and while she keeps swinging at a constant pace, the oldie aims and shoots three times after which the girl whispers something in his ears and the oldie whispers the same in the client's ear.
Life runs smoothly for the both of them until one day a group of young male students come to their ship for fishing (probably on a group tour). The girl is attracted by a youthful boy and gradually they come closer to each other. The oldie grows overly protective of her and hates it when she goes to him. Suddenly, the girl starts hating the old man for keeping her caged for so many years and starts to get irritated at the very same actions which were earlier liked by her.

(Scenes when she can't allow the old man to give her a bath while she's sitting naked in a tub just like before and when she tries to get away the old man's grip from her wrist while she sleeps, the desperate old man's efforts to win her back and consequences that lead him to make a new double bed to keep her close to himself and how he cancels off a whole week and later rips off two pages (two whole months actually) from his calender to get married to her before it is too late, are brilliantly done!)

The young girl's attraction for the youth grows each coming day and one day she slips from her bed at night and sinks into the young boy's mattress to touch his lips and rub his cheeks. It is when the guy comes closer to her in order to kiss her, that the old man sees them together and with no pause he immediately takes away the boy from his boat. The boy promises to come back after he finds the girl's parents.
And while the boy is gone, the oldie's relationship with the girl remains strained.

Soon enough, the young boy returns with a note from her parents who claim their child. The old man is adamant and doesn't let him take her away. It is then that the guy challenges the old man to read his fortune too and predict as to whether or not he'd be able to take her away with himself or would the old man marry her off and live happily ever after.
The fortune telling process comes into play and the girl smiles at the old man. Her smile revealing a sense of confidence and pride which makes the old man very nervous. Two bows are shot and when he's about to shoot the final bow, the young boy pulls back the ropes of the swing and the girl falls into the water and the bow hits the Buddha in the head.
She whispers something which is passed onto the visitor by the old man.

The next day, the young boy politely asks the old man to let go off the girl because she has to see what the world outside is like, hearing which the old man gets really annoyed and he opens his cupboard and throws off the dresses he got for the girl and himself for their marriage.
The girl leaves and the boy follows and they finally leave the old man's boat. On the other hand, the old man cries his eyes off for the girl meant everything to him. He sees them going away in another boat and it is then that he takes a looped rope and puts it around his neck (ah, typical of Kim-Ki-Duk). The rope is in turn tied to the boat in which the boy and the girl are traveling and as they keep moving ahead, the rope tightens it's grip around the old man's neck. The pain gets unbearable for the man and he grabs hold of a knife kept nearby and tries to cut the rope, while on the other hand the girl realises something and rushes back to the oldie.

The old bastard on seeing her coming back to him hides the knife and continues to cough. The girl pities the old man, hugs him and you see them dressing up each other for their marriage in the next scene (the young boy has a stupefied look on his face all the while).
Finally they get married and sail off in another boat where the old man takes off the young bride's clothes revealing her in a long, white slip. He plants a gentle kiss on her cheek and plays some soothing music for her and the girl soon falls asleep and while she's still asleep, the old man aims his bow at the girl, then shoots it into the air and jumps into the water committing suicide.
This small boat moves back to the original boat where the dumb struck young boy is still there. He goes to check what's wrong and he sees the girl masturbating in her sleep. The very same arrow which the oldie had shot sometime back hits the boat's deck close to the girl who finally wakes up, smiles and they leave the boat for the 'real' world.

...


Though the movie is neat enough, it is not even close to what I have already seen of Kim-Ki-Duk's but I would appreciate the movie on the following grounds:

1. It was on T.V. and I didn't have to go through the pains of downloading or buying it.
2. The music was cool enough.
3. The young Korean boy was cute.
4. KIM-KI-DUK!
5. I was jobless.

Amossed

When chickens get a taste of your meat, it's time to get mutated.

When the belle of New Orleans tries to show you how to tango, run away.

When he likes killing you after you're dead, he loved you.

When they cut out the flute from the throat of the loon, it's time to sing.

and...

When they think I am a queer, I smirk.


PS: So torrified.

It So Happened..

They entered my room and tried to get me out of my bed in the hopes of seeing a whacked out me. I lay lazily still, looked at them with weary eyes, yawned some then went back to reading a particular piece of literary shit I had in hand that time. For some reason, they seemed irritated, as if they didn't know me at all. Maybe the irritation was the result of them knowing me so very well. I don't know.
My ignoring them led them to getting scattered in different parts of my room. While Freddy was looking for a good read, Hally checked out her new outfit, which she bought on her way back home, yesterday. It's amusing to see how excited she was about a stupid dress.
.
.
.
Okay, damn! No matter how indifferent and cool I try to act, that black dress sure as hell caught my eye. Anyway, moving on, 'Man' (as we call him, contrary to his physique), sat next to me and asked me to get up and get ready for the "ride of my life". I showed no interest whatsoever, which kinda made him, umm.. anxious? Maybe. As it is I am bad with my expression skills. Not that it bothers me, or just maybe.. it does.
So then anyway, Hally shot up suddenly and said: "How about we plan a meeting with Fyodor and make these two talk it out!? That will set her spirits just as we want!"

For some reason, it didn't bother me at all but I think Freddy passed a subtle glare at Hally cause she suddenly cooled down just as she shot up. Man on the other hand was thinking. About what.. I am clueless. I think it was those burgers we had just before Fyodor and I had that huge argument but then again, maybe not.

It's been three weeks since I last spoke to Fyodor, I wonder what he must be doing. I know! It must be his little turtle he must be playing with. Oh I am so sure! With Fyodor, things are constant. He's too typical to be mistaken. 'Predictable' would be the word, I guess... (!?)

And haha, while I gave stuff a thought, I guess it was Freddy who was smirking and Man who suddenly exclaimed "Get up woman! You're not even reading that damned shit." It was then that I think I smiled after quite a while. Not that I am some emo sucker but because I am too lazy to smile back. No, honestly! Hally was kinda relieved seeing me smile. Okay, who am I trying to fool this once, it's just her dress she's in love with currently.

So then anyway, the guys moved out of my room and Hally stayed back. Freddy's got some neat choice when it comes to books, contrary to his dressing sensibilities. He picked up Love in the Time of Cholera, which is kinda new, cause Freddy is hardly the sentimental types. He's more into umm.. let's say Hitler and the Nazis.
So whatever, I kinda got dressed up for a bit. Now, don't get ideas, it was just a black Nirvana T-shirt with my normal blue jeans. But I was kinda conscious cause Hally wore this umm.. sexy (!?) halter neck blouse with a cute little blue skirt. Well, so we all went out of my place, got into a cab and went to this new bar which went by the flashy name of The Zeitgiests, and for wannabe intellectual suckers like us, it was the place to get as hell drunk or.. maybe not!
Freddy kinda seemed a little more serious than the usual, because he ordered coke with chicken strips instead of beer with chicken legs. I wonder what's wrong with these guys.. except that Man is still the dumb old him and Hally.. well, the same old fancy dress woman and hence, basically it was only Freddy who was so very... umm, no, a little weird that day. Except that I get what's bothering him and I don't like what it is but who'd tell him about it all.. not me, for sure.

That day went by casually. We were sipping our cokes, fighting over the last piece of the chicken strip and well, talking... about random dreams, some new alternative rock band which Man hated, chicken strips, beer and life in general. It was then that Freddy suddenly spoke of Fyodor, and it was just then that I realised, that it didn't bother me. At all. I suddenly got trapped in this void of introspection and realised that nothing and none meant anything to me as such. It was all so trivial.. Hally, Freddy, Man, Fyodor, my parents, my neighbour, his cat and her blue bell. All of it, all of them.. I wonder what caused me to make up for such a brilliant stone.

So while I thought of the various possibilities of why I turned into a stoic, I felt a hand touch my right shoulder. It was Man. I think he wanted to console me or something. Suddenly, Freddy stepped forward and just hugged me. It was weird to be honest. He has never been that way. Never! I just patted his back. That's my way to tell people off, but Freddy.. he just hugged me, even tighter and even so I didn't feel "warm" as they describe it in shoujo manga.

I said: Freddy, it's alright.
He said: No, it's not.
I said: Okay.. but what exactly are we talking about!?
He said: About you and... Fyodor and..
I said: Fyodor? And...!?
He said: Me.
I said: What about you?

He then pushed me back and I think his eyes were moist or just maybe... it was the disco lights.

He said: You don't have to act in front of us.

Hally and Man just looked as him in great amusement. If I weren't this lazy, I would've laughed back then.

I said: Dude, got fever or something!?
He said: Let's just drop this, okay?
I said: Cool.
He said: FINE!

And just like that he was gone. Just like Fyodor.
Man went after him while Hally stood next to me.

I said: What was that again!?
Hally said: I.. have no clue.
I said: It's cool.

While we spoke of having no clue and being scandalised by Freddy's new avtaar, Man came in panting and said "I'll drop you at Hally's place tonight. Okay by you?" and I said "cool".

That night, while Hally showed me more of her dresses and nail paints and jewelery, I noticed, that no matter how indifferent I am towards my friends, they are the ones I most think about. In moments of introspection, they are my experimental guineas.
I suddenly felt the urge to call both the eff dudes and make up with them but not knowing how to go about it made me all weary and I ended up just sleeping, like any other day. I think, it's my cave to hide in, my way to give in, my way to resent, repent and give way...


..Or, maybe not!


PS: My longest post so far.
PPS: Say "ooh shaa!" XD

The Art Blog

Is up here.

Why so serious?

I seriously need to take some serious actions against my not-so-seriously-serious self.

Seriously, I have come to realise that I can't be seriously serious about even the most serious of issues. Seriousness, could be often related to being seriously focused and/or being seriously ambitious. Seriously, I don't have a fucking clue as to what I am typing but I am shit serious this time. I mean seriously, this is so not the kind of seriousness I wish to seriously see in myself.
I wish I could be serious enough. 'Seriously serious' is what I want to get about art, academics and other serious stuff but man, I can seriously not get serious by the end of the so fucking serious day or rather a damned serious year.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, get me to become seriously serious person soon enough or else I will seriously have to take some serious measures against my so-not-serious self. Help me, Mother, help me get serious, seriously!


*signs*
-Serious enough,
Bejin Serious Hakumei.

Realisations, Resolutions and Resurrection

Reading her last post made her realise the ever so subconsciously known fact that she sucked at writing in the third person and after a rather long and never ending break from the virtual world of the Wired, Bejin Hakumei is now back and she has vowed upon a certain loser's name (not yet known) to never bore her dimwitted blog friends, wannabe blog followers and the general junta with her retarded writing.


And now that she is so over the "third person" disease, she's also willing to make the resurrection of her ever so dead ambitions known to public. Alas, ambition would be too strong a word for a character so astonishingly weak as her, when it comes to resolutions, but it ought to be done.


Bejin looks forward to the day when she will get some serious art done. She is determined to make some hundred doodles everyday starting this July 20th. She has also from a certain Junkie, been inspired to do a little sculpting. She will also start her own art blog wherein she will upload her artworks, designs and other related stuff. She also plans to later make art on demand (i.e., when she has enough knowledge about the human anatomy, animation on paper, sketching, painting etc.)
She also plans to read all of what her brother left at home (part of them are done with already) and watch good cinema. Moreover, she shall watch anime like she never did and hell, she also plans on reading most of the manga up there on OneManga.

She plans to also...

Bejin Hakumei: Just don't keep farting all you like.

. . .

Not That High

She is still fighting the nauseous, giddy feeling followed by a couple of strong drinks on the rocks. Yeah, she got drunk and it was the elite Johnnie Walker's Black Label worth some 5000 in the Indian currency.

Technically, this was her second attempt and having learnt from her first, that nothing could possibly give a thick skinned brat like her a high, she resort to get drunk a little over the edge this time in order to experiment with the alternative states of her consciousness. It was around six in the evening and she was over the internet and what followed after was something she was not too aware of but she does realise that she had been a major pain in the ass for many people.

The first time she had this acid like shit gulped down her throat, it was at her friend's place. Her friend was struck with the idea of getting high and there was absolutely nothing she could do to change her mind. What the other female did was amusing. She got a huge pile of clothes hiding within which a huge box containing a sealed "scotch whiskey". The idea was to take in some of it and then reviving back the original mark by mixing in some water, then replacing it inside her mom's closet. Hurriedly they opened the seal only to realise that they could fill in some water but they definitely couldn't get the seal fixed. Conveniently they filled in their glasses and laughed at the thought that it'll all be blamed on the servants, if discovered. After a shot followed by the random curses and cribbing over the disappointing taste, they resort to fill it in with water. But soon enough, they realised that there's a cork like valve which doesn't allow water to seep in through it. Now all they were left to do was to get it replaced completely, and how? Well, they could have just thrown it off had they been ignorant of it's damned price but then our very own Bejin Hakumei volunteered to take it back to her place and hide it in her room. Nobody at her place gave a shit so it was okay.

Anyway, so now was their turn to take in the full glass and relax in the room and utter shit and yet stay sane enough to face their parents. In fact, what's amusing is the fact that they never thought it'd get to them. They didn't make any arrangements. So, that was that. And yeah, all this while, they were in the bathroom attached to her friend's room in the first floor. Very safe a place indeed.

So then, Miss Hakumei wanted to get over with it first so she just took in the shit, the little bit that she could without barfing the rest on the floor. She then told her friend to have her share while she would stay in the room in order to shoo off any alien entering it. Bejin watched some T.V., felt her stomach boil, ate some pop-corn, felt it getting to her, watched some more T.V., felt herself getting tipsy, ate some more pop-corn then holding herself straight, she walked into the bathroom to see what the girl was upto and holy shit, she was holding onto the wash-tub uttering random gibberish. Now was Bejin's turn to get shit scared. Now, the intricate details of Bejin's attempts to get her friend to sleep will be skipped but yeah, it was tough for even for the mighty Miss Hakumei.

After getting her to somehow sleep, Bejin packed the bottle and everything, ran down the staircase, told her friend's granny that her granddaughter went off to sleep after a rough day's hard work. Bejin then just rushed back home. Maybe she was scared of getting caught or maybe because she could be accused of stealing an expensive intoxicating drink from her friend's place or maybe it was because her mom was calling her up every two minutes ordering her to come back home cause good girls don't stay out too late (it was 8:30 in the night), or maybe it was because she had her internet connection fixed after so long. Whatever it was, Bejin Hakumei was surely not her cool and calm self. So anyway, she rushed back home, hid in the stuff and thought of how the day went by. Now the crucial thing is, the first half of the day has still not been dealt with, which too was coincidently enthrilling. Anyway, Bejin lay on her bed thinking of how her dull and uneventful life had this rather interesting episode in it and then she pondered over the idea of how her friend got high and she was still sane enough. She was glad about the fact that none of them got caught and it was all thanks to her capacity for if she too had been high then the both of them would have been in deep shit but in the end she was just too upset over the idea that she didn't get to see herself getting high.

. . .

Now, last night's story starts from two days back when Bejin was ridiculed for being a failure, loser etcetera. She was emo, not because of the lame comment but because she too had immense faith in her rather low potential. Her long suppressed and ignored grief was very much felt. She was gloomy over the thought of not making it anywhere decent. She was terror stricken at the idea of going through the shit all over again. She was plain anxious. It was then that she resort to drink and get high on that one bottle kept inside her closet. After her parents left for a little outing of theirs, she immediately took out the bottle and took in a glass full, then another and then yet another! She still felt nothing change in her and she packed the whole thing back again cribbing for not being good at academics, for being a miserable failure, for sucking at art (her only hope) and most of all, for not getting high. Slowly it got to her, oh yes, it so did! And after that... she doesn't remember much of anything, except a friend calling her up to console her, another friend calling her up telling her to have lemon and tea and the ultimate, falling off from her chair, hitting hard on the edge of her bed and getting herself cut in the leg. Best, this time too, she didn't get caught. Man, she's too smooth a rustic!

On being interrogated, all she says is "What an experience!"