Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts

Friday, March 28, 2008

iMiss that little thing we call sleep.


iMiss that little thing we call sleep.

To those of you intimate with the ways of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, you know what I'm talking about. Unless you're *really* devoid of a social life (or studying is your social life).

iAm drawing close to the end of my second term of the IB programme here in England-- it's been one hell of a ride, across borders and cultures.


But let's not get into the tedious process of describing my life changes. I'd like to talk about sleep. Anyone reading this, iWould like you to know that if you get more than 5 hours of sleep on an average
weekday, you're definitely getting more sleep than 40-50% percent of the students at this college (self-included). Am I exaggerating? iKid you not, readers! Over the last four nights, slumber in the land of rolling countrysides has been brief or at least interrupted. No fear however-- the IB student population makes it all up by sleeping for 8 to 10 hours straight on Saturday nights.

iBet you're wondering: "Why is the illiterate blogger telling me about sleep deprivation?" Well, the illiterate blogger tends to ramble about silly things when she's not feeling so awake. Silliness aside, let's talk theater. Show of hands, those of you who have seen "Wicked: The Musical" or a production of Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure"!

Yes, you saw this coming. I'm about to tell you to get off your comfortable reading couch/armchair/bed and go watch one or the other. Or read the book(s), which I've done with the latter and plan to do with the former, in good time. Strong, masculine men may want to sit out on "Wicked" unless they're looking to impress lovely lady friends. Make sure you know your Wizard of Oz before checking it out, however.

"Measure for Measure" is something I'm more interested in on an intellectual level. My classmates and I watched a modern production of the play in Oxford-- it was, to say the least, entertaining. Not a boring moment (some of the bits were cut out) to be seen and lots to ponder afterwards. This is probably the first of Shakespeare's plays iHave read that has caused me to ask myself: where is the line between black humour and mere bleakness? In the audience, we laughed and joked and smirked... yet at the end, there is this strange thought that lingers, wondering if you should have laughed or cried.

In case you were wondering (though iKnow you weren't), these two productions definitely go under the "iLike" category.

Alright, time to hit the sack! iWant to get some of that sleep people have been talking about. God help the person who wakes me up anytime before 9 in the morning.


Sunday, June 17, 2007

Honey, iAm home!


I'm back from BC, Canada. The jet-lag is infuriating!


But let's not go into my personal life.... it's boring. iWould rather talk about my latest read.

It's depressing, it's Shakespeare and it's made easy. Any guesses? I suppose the picture's a dead giveaway.


Macbeth!
I'll be honest about my attitude towards Shakespeare. I don't read him much. The only play of his I've truly enjoyed was Twelfth Night because it was amusing. An old age romance comedy, if you will. Romeo & Juliet was tolerable. And now Macbeth. Having spent some of my younger years watching a Gargoyles cartoon where Macbeth was arguably one of my favourite villians, it was interesting to see him in his original form. It also damprened the experience. iWould have enjoyed this one more if it I wasn't so fond of the bloody cartoon character!
Lady Macbeth is pure evil and her relationship with her husband would make for some interesting analysis if one were up to it. What iFound most interesting however, was the mythical aspect. Double, double toil and trouble? The mysterious glimpses of bloody daggers and ghosts? It made the plot more delicious and I can see why an audience would enjoy its on-stage version.
Ah, well. I'll cut this post short. The Hobbit is next on my reading list. I read the first few pages and knew instinctively that I'm going to enjoy reading it. Has that ever happened to you?
Write you later. Go read something.
-The illiterate Blogger-