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Miss Universe Pageant

May 30th 2007 09:28
Okay, so Miss Japan won. That everybody knows. But the rest I had to see for myself - in parts, admittedly - cos I didn’t watch the whole thing.

Because this is the land of Oz, we haven’t sent he pageant til it was on today at the same time as Dr Phil. So it was all new to me; who won and who fell over and who had a shaved head.

And my sister asked me an interesting question, actually. She wondered if I was for or against the universe and America pageants at all. And, after thinking about it, I still wasn’t sure. I mean, good looking women are nice to look at, its kind of the point, but is there goodness in it past that? I THINK there is. As far as I know, winners of said pageants tend to do charity events and actually illicit some good changes or movements or fundraisers for various needy and underprivileged people. So, ultimately, it’s a good thing, I suppose you’d have to say.


And I get when people say it’s a meat-market and its misogynistic and wrong and perverse and all these things. I mean, it’s a contest about attractiveness, it makes sense people would say that about it. But my main defense against that argument is: but the women CHOOSE to participate. They’re not forced or pressured (okay, maybe pressured by their scary mums or something), but as far as we can tell it is their choice that they are in the competition.

And I figure if that’s what they want to do with their lives and that’s how they believe they can help make the world better, then good on them. You go girl, sort of thing.

But, okay, so we’re past the ‘should they, shouldn’t they’ portion of the rant, my next point is that although beautiful and amazing-looking, I’m almost always disappointed by the women that get the highest placings. I mean, I get that it isn’t just looks, and I get that it is ENTIRELY subjective and biased and completely dependant on the judges personal preferences, but it annoys me that their preferences on what is good looking never line up with MY preferences.


I mean, like I said, they’re all attractive women, no one is contesting that. But there is that difference when anybody looks at anybody, between thinking someone is good looking, and actually being attracted to them. You know? That difference? Its like being able to appreciate the symmetry or colour of a beautiful piece of art, but not actually wanting to look at it all day. With art you are ATTRACTED to, you feel you could look at it for ages. It’s the same with members of the opposite sex.

And it’s kind of disappointing, but kind of enlightening, because I’m learning exactly what I find attractive in a woman, like the exact kind of look. And I realized the ladies in all the pageant are entirely too OBVIOUSLY good looking. Like, NOBODY could say they weren’t good looking. And I realized I tend to like women who are more the sort of woman who looks pretty girl-next-doorish, attractive but not a stunner, but then you look at her closer and there’s something in her eyes, or her smile, that just grabs you and that’s it – you’re hooked.

But, you know, that’s a very personal thing. And I did think Miss Japan was attractive and good on her for winning. I also thought Miss Tanzania (which I like to pronounce ‘tan-zane-ee-ah’, just cos it’s fun, like all the people there are so much more zaney than the rest of us and they all have tans) was very pretty. It was interesting to see a contestant with so little hair, mostly cos she was still an attractive woman.

Hmm, interesting.

Oh, and if anyone feels I’m being offensive with this post, please point it out to me, cos I’m not meaning to be at all. I just find the idea of a contest based on something as subjective as ‘What’s your favourite colour?’ to be pretty interesting.
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28 Weeks Later

May 29th 2007 09:02
A good movie. I liked the first one pretty much heaps – best zombie movie ever in my opinion. Purists don’t classify it as zombie, I think, simply cos they’re not actually undead, the folks in these movies, but ‘infected’.

I guess, then, I’ll say it’s the best post-apocalyptic movie I’ve seen. Cos it is.

And its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, is very good too. Just as creepy and tension-filled, and full of those horribly intriguing moments where people are being chased by crazy unhealthy bad people.

It’s good. If you haven’t seen it, please do. Unless you’re squeamish about gross blood and stuff. Don’t, then. I mean, I’m not a fan of gore for the sake of gore, but if done well and with intelligence, then I can understand its purpose/existence.


Okay, there are some SPOILERS coming up, for those of you who want to see the movie and haven’t. Stop reading now.

I really quite liked the inclusion of soldiers and a military presence in this one, past a few random soldiers who happened to be holed up together. The whole reaction of the military – and the fact that it was American – was really quite interesting and, as far as I feel, pretty realistic.

I liked the way they tried, as humans do, to illicit control, and really all they had was the illusion of control, which is all humans ever have, really – which I like thinking about. And the idea of a genetic immunity was interesting and not too hackneyed and gimmicky.

I liked the continuation of the idea that these films are really all about – pushing human character to the edge. Like with the father leaving his wife behind to be killed, and then lying to his kids about it. You kind of hate him completely but at the same time, you wonder if you would’ve done the same thing as him. You can’t be totally certain you wouldn’t react in a similar way, and I think that brings up interesting self-analysis questions. It makes us question who we are, which is always good.

And the end was cool too. I’m quite interested to see the next one now, which I hear they are currently writing – 28 Months Later. Cos France means Eurasia. Which sounds frickin massive in scale. Should be very interesting.

Some people say enough is enough, which I can understand. But I like the idea of just seeing how things turn out. Discovering what everyone does next, then discovering it again, and again. Its interesting, the on-going nature of a story of survival.

And if I’m gonna give it a score, which some people like and I’m iffy on….

I’ll say 74/100.

So pretty good.

For comparison, the best movie I ever watched – my favourite – is up around 92 or 93. There’s no such thing as perfect, in other words.

It is art, after all.
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