It took a couple of Michio Kaku videos on youtube, a full night's rest, ranting to MS, JM, JK, SS, NP and other women, breakfast and a couple of ciggy breaks to finally calm down after watching "The Labyrinth of the Butterfly" last night. I was prepared for it because The Turtle told me about two years ago that the play (and the book that it was based on) totally dissed Michio Kaku.

Now, if you have any clue about me (or had at least traveled with me twice, or asked me about my favourite things in life), you would know that I would lose an arm to be Michio Kaku. And that I absolutely love his work.  I owe this man for bringing physics back to me, who has made me feel less of a Failed Physicist-Wannabe. This man is one of a handful of theoretical physicists who have de-mystified phsyics and quantum mechanics for regular human beings. He is one of the few scientists who actually take a stand against nuclear weapons and war. He is one of the even fewer physicists who write about women physicists and the lack of such women in the world of physics. This is a man who may not necessarily be gender-sensitive or feminist, but is not a sexist.

This is how I've always perceived Michio Kaku, so I was absolutely gutted when last night's play painted him as a sexist loser who designed "Molly" the highly-sexualised female robot straight out of sexist geek fantasy. First things first, Kaku is a theoretical physicist. His life's work is the M-Theory (one of the major strands of the Theory of Everything, whom he also calls "The Mother of All Theories"). He is not an applied physics person. I can't imagine him building a robot at all. I've heard about photos of him and the robot he invented, Molly, who was a mechanical Angelina Jolie of sorts. I have never seen that photo of Molly.

Secondly, here's a clarification of how Kaku wrote about Molly the robot: 2020 Vision (the 4th article on the page). I have to rely on the internet for actual quotes at the moment, I don't have my bookshelf with me (I haven't had it in over a month, in fact). I have read Kaku writing about Molly before, but she had never struck me as a highly-sexualised mechanic representation of the dirtiest male fantasies (of a subservient woman with big tits). It's been a while since I revisited "Visions", Kaku's book around the future of science and tech where he talks about Molly, but I've always thought that Molly was kind of like the voice in your head that reminds you of things and makes your life easier and safer. Not necessarily the sex-bot that was acted out in last night's play. I think our own discomfort at male girl-robot fantasies were assigned to last night's Molly, which resulted in Kaku being totally villified. Which is unfair.

Lastly, I've been thinking about last night's Molly and some of the points that were raised about a year ago when I was doing a gender evaluation training for a software localisation project.

So Nepal, 2007. We were talking about the fact that in text-to-speech software (which was particularly useful for illiterate communities), the male voice was much easier to use. It has to do with the differences in the decibel and frequency ranges of women's and men's voices. According to the geeks, in Asia, we did not have the skills and capacity to work with a female voice in text-to-speech software (the skills are available in the US, they said). This results in the absence of (literally) female voices in software that is localised in Asia.

We, the gender advocates in that meeting, said that it was important for women users (especially those who were dealing with their own fears of tech) to be able to hear voices in their software that they can relate to. Simply put, there must be a way to have female voices in the localised text-to-speech software.

So back to Cape Town 2008. If the premise is that having female voices in technology is empowering to women, why then do we have a problem with female-looking /-sounding robots? Wouldn't such an entity be empowering to women as well? Wouldn't such a creature be something that we can relate to as women (as opposed to a male robot)?

Or is the problem we have with Molly the fact that she was presented as a thing that did household work? That she had big boobs last night? That she was highly-sexualised?

Or is the problem because Michio Kaku is male and he was represented as having created her? Is this a problem even if nothing of Kaku's work point to his sexism?

Would Molly and Michio have been saved from ridicule and mockery if they had switched sexes?

Tags: activist stuff, awid08, awid2008, feminist rambling, geekery, pop culture, reviews of everything, tripping away, women and tech
coordinates: cape town
state of mind: grumpy
background noise: people buzzing at the FTX Hub

Came back from Boracay yesterday. I saw the beach twice -- when I got off the pier Wednesday morning, and when I got boarded to boat to airport yesterday noon. 

It's not as bad is it sounds. For one, I was there to attend some government consultation on a major ICT project. So it was a work trip. A busy one at that. Started at 8am, ended at past 5pm with an hour lunch break in between. And I wasn't up to having a 5-minute lunch so I can spend the rest of my lunch break at the beach. And by they end of the day, I was just too wiped out to do anything but head to my room for long shower.

Besides, I got a new tattoo done a week ago and everyone knows that new tats can't soak in water in its first month. So I wasn't going to swim anyway. And being at the beach when you can't swim is just plain frustrating. So I avoided the beach.

(And I hate sand, by the way.) 

But the real reason why I had no interest in going to the beach in-between work hours was because I spent all my free, alone time (well, as much as I could) reading Warren Ellis' Crooked Little Vein. I got the book weeks ago but I was saving it for this particular trip because: (1) I wasn't looking forward to the trip (have I mentioned that I hate sand?); (2) I wasn't planning on being one of those Party People in Boracay; (3) I needed something to take me away from what I had expected to be a grueling meeting; and (4) I'm a firm believer in delayed gratifications because it builds character.

Well, the meeting wasn't as tedious as I had expected. It was actually very productive. And Crooked Little Vein wasn't as good as I expected it be. It was better.

At most, I had expected it to be novelised version of Transmetropolitan set in more current times and with a burned out private detective named Mike McGill taking the place of Spider Jerusalem as the main protagonist. I would have been happy with something like that.

But Crooked Little Vein takes what I loved about Transmetropolitan -- its political sophistication, grit, wit and hilarious seriously kick ass female characters -- and turned it into something more. Something more current. Something more relate-able. And while it didn't have the amazing graphics of Transmetropolitan, Ellis' writing more than makes up for that. His depiction of the underbelly of American society, and his characterisation of the main characters and the other characters they meet in the course of the story, don't need nifty art work. Ellis' writing is graphic enough.

Mike McGill, the main character and narrator of the story, is one hell of a man. He's a Shit Magnet -- he always finds himself in the middle of the most bizarre situations that never fail to sicken him. Simple private detective cases like a woman asking him to investigate her husband because she feels he's cheating on her leads to McGill finding the husband in the middle of a ostrich farm, performing tantric sex on the ostriches. Or a simple plane ride from Texas to Vegas has him sitting next to a serial killer, who then proceeds to  debate with him about the idea of the "mainstream" and the "underground" in the context of a world where the Internet has a page on just about every kink known to men, women and animals.

I think one of the most hilarious scenes is when he finds himself in a small gathering of Macroherpetophiles (MHPs) -- people who have a fetish for big reptiles. People who want to have sex with Godzilla. That chapter alone had me laughing so hard.

And it gets worse (or better) from there. Mike and his assistant, Trix, travel across America in search for the Secret Constitution of the United States, believed by the current government to be the one thing to bring America back to its roots. An America where deviants of all sorts would no longer exist. Funnily, in the search for that one book to "save" America, Mike and Trix encounter the most bizarre sexual deviants. I warn you, every other person in this book has a kink.

But more than an exposition of obscure sexual fetishes and kinks in modern day America, the story is about power and conservative political agendas. It's also about the potential of the Internet to shift power structures. It's also a story of a man's self-discovery. And interestingly enough, it's also about Love.

And yeah, the references to Bester's Stars, My Destination made me love Warren Ellis just a little bit more.

*****

So, I'm really not so bummed about not spending any time at the beach in Boracay.  I wouldn't have missed reading this book for the first time for anything.

Tags: pop culture, reviews of everything, tripping away
coordinates: manila, philippines
state of mind: content
background noise: the sound of creme brulee baking

So Bumblebee was a Camaro, instead of a VW Bug, which kind of made his name meaningless*.
So Megatron did not have his classic bob with china-doll bangs**, and he was a space craft instead of a gun.
So Jazz wasn't a Porsche but a Pontiac***.
So Starscream was not red and he didn't have that annoying voice that sometimes plays in my head when I'm being a wise-ass.

I knew most these facts before going into the movie because I've kind of been stalking the Transformers Movie website . So I braced myself to be disappointed because Transformers is one of my ultimate favourite childhood cartoon series (insert melodramatic background music here) and as such, my 10-year old inner nerd who has possessive (obsessive) feelings about cartoon series and comic books, had high expectations. So 32-year old self had to brace herself for a let down.

But, man, when I first heard the classic "transform" sounds, I swear I got goose bumps. When Optimus Prime first appeared, I almost cried. And by the time Jazz did his first "transform" and it was in old skool, Jazz style (he kind of jumps then stands on his hands, then twists his lower body and transforms from that position), the 10 year-old was squee-ing with glee and had forgiven the producers for the yellow Camaro and the Pontiac,  and the absence of Megatron's Prince Valiant "wig" and Starscream's annoying voice.

It was that awesome.

I didn't care that the plot was kind of stale. I didn't care that there were only three girl characters. I didn't care that the film was steeped in testosterone. And the acting? Who cares?

The Transformers were slugging it out in the big screen and they looked real. It was like meeting your imaginary friends in real life.  And they were awesome. They were shiny and fierce and graceful and tough and cool and funny and familiar.  And they made the right noises. They were exactly how I had imagined (remembered) them to be.

The movie was so satisfying, I had an adrenaline high hours afterwards. And hours after that, I was basking in the afterglow that only a spectacular roll in the hay, a Johnny Depp movie, a few minutes of staring at Jonathan Rhys-Myers, and sinking the 9-ball can bring.  It was that awesome.

If you were expecting any kind of intelligent critic of the film -- the kind where the story arc and character development are analysed and commented upon. Look elsewhere. The 10-year old Inner Nerd is in-charge today.

And she wants to squee.


________________
*But it's cool, Tom Hanson of 21 Jumpstreet drove a Camaro and I've seen thought of Camaros as being cool cars. Tom Hanson was played by Johnny Depp. That should explain it.

**Which kind of bummed me because I always found it funny that the Decepticon Leader looked like he had a Prince Valiant wig on.

***Personally, I was just happy that Jazz was in the film because he's like my ultimate favourite Autobot ever.

Tags: pop culture, reviews of everything
coordinates: manila, philippines
state of mind: giddy
background noise: kitty cats wrestling on the carpet

So there's no need to spam Mike Carey for the next 10 years after all. He didn't turn Lucifer into a John Constantine type in the final issue of the Lucifer series. He truly ended the Lucifer series -- of course, as with most comic books, endings are usually open to special issues, comebacks and spin-offs. I'm thinking of starting a campaign to have a Mazikeen graphic novel out -- I'd like to know what she does with all that Lightbringer power.

The last issue is a pretty contemplative one. No fireworks, no dramatic action scenes. All of the fighting is over and all that's left to do is for our boy Lucifer to come to terms with who / what he is and to gain ultimate freedom from his Father / Creator.

( Now I think I'm going to have to put the rest of this post under this cut -- because there are people out there who hate spoilers. )

I feel pretty sad about the series ending, but also kind of glad that the story is over. Now I can breathe easy and know that Mike Carey is not some wanker who will string is readers along just for the heck of it. He had a story to tell and while that story was long and winding and  lasted 75 issues (10 tradepaperbacks, I think), he told it very well. I can't wait to get all of my Lucifer books back so I can re-read the series from start to finish.

technorati tags: lucifer morningstar

technorati tags: mazikeen

Tags: geekery, pop culture, reviews of everything
state of mind: calm
background noise: rain hitting the street surface

It's a kick-ass comic book series from Warren Ellis (same genius who breathed life into Spider Jerusalem and his Transmetropolitan). It could have been one of the best tv shows ever (unfortunately, the production of the pilot episode cost so much that it was never aired). It's the current theme of paolomanalo's blog. It was the topic of conversation lastnight with fairlycloudy, slapandpop and paolomanalo. It was the last thought in my head lastnight and my first this morning.

"There are a thousand and one people on the Global Frequency.

A worldwide independent defense intelligence organization with a thousand and one agents, all over the world. Anyone you know might be with them. It's the world's little open secret..."  (from the Global Frequency site)

The premise behind the Global Frequency is so common-sensical, I'm surprised it wasn't explored earlier: everyone has something to contribute to saving the world. Every person has a skill that can potentially help solve a global problem. Forget mutants.  Forget people who have been bitten by radioactive bugs, or have gotten in the way of radioactive isotopes. Forget multi-millionaires with funky gadgets and huge grudge. Forget alien babies who grow up to be symbols of Truth, Justice and the American Way. Forget superheroes with superpowers. The Global Frequency is not about them. The Global Frequency is not the Justice League or the X-men where the pre-requisites for membership are pretty steep. The Global Frequency has 1001 people and counting. And these people are diverse -- from professors to programmers to urban trekkers to ex-soldiers to hobbyists of specific and obscure topics and interests. Anyone can be called upon because everyone has something to contribute.

At the heart of the Global Frequency are two equally kick-ass women. Miranda Zero (give me a moment to drool and just marvel at the coolness that is this woman), who heads this open secret organisation. A very mysterious woman whose life has included experiences that leaves her unflinching and unfrazzled by torture. And Aleph, the operator, the nerve centre of the Global Frequency. A young woman who can multi-task so well, she's practically a poster child for ADHD.

Each issue of the Global Frequency is about a potentially world-ending crisis and various people are called upon to sort it out. Some of them are asked to be physically present in the danger zone, others are connected virtually via the Global Frequency phone to provide advice about the situation. All of them were going about their regular lives when they received a call,  heard Aleph's voice, "Agent 10101, you're on the Global Frequency." and were pulled into something big.

Imagine that. Imagine being part of something like that.

Last night, we kind of did. We imagined ourselves on the roster of Global Frequency agents and imagined what the fuck we were going to contribute. The answers were pretty hilarious. If the solution to a global crisis had to do with shoes, comic books, colour coordination, shopping, skin and hair care, and visa requirements, then I'm their girl.

Tags: geekery, pop culture, reviews of everything
state of mind: nerdy

I thought I'd given up on Charles Bukowski. His poetry has always made me feel a little bit uncomfortable -- for various reasons: his reputation among the "cool" crowd in uni as being a genius (the same "cool" crowd I avoided like the plague and had me avoiding certain authors and poets because I didn't want to have anything in common with that crowd) and how despite that, his work was compelling;  his modern but timeless style that secretly equally impressed and intimidated me because my attempts at anything modern have all been trite and shallow; his unapologetically male (and oftentimes macho) perspective and how that somehow makes his moments of vulnerability pinch at my heart and niggle in my brain more; how his words can make me laugh out loud for their audacity and bluntness.

Of course, there was the whole NY Bastard belief that he was Bukowski reincarnated (or at least the Bukowski of the New Millenium) -- which had totally ruined Bukowski (and other Beat poets) for me. Forever.

Or so I thought.

I was rewarding myself in a bookstore a few days back when I ran across "Slouching Towards Nirvana", a collection (I think his last) of Bukowski poems. I dunno, I think it was because nothing in the bookstore that day seemed interesting and compelling enough for me to spend money on that I grabbed this familiar book and contemplated buying it. The blurb on the back of the book was pure Bukowski:

this is a short
poem at the end
of a
long
life

sitting here
looking at
you
now

then
saying
adios!"

Just seeing that brought back old words and memories from / of Bukowski -- and had me craving for more.
What he wrote of writing has always stayed in my head: "often it is the only thing between you and impossibility...and writing laughs at itself, at pain. it is the last expectation, the last explanation." And his clever and matter-of-fact words on alienation and angst -- and possibly my favourite Bukowski poem:

THE ALIENS

you may not believe it
but there are people
who go through life with
very little
friction of distress.
they dress well, sleep well.
they are contented with
their family
life.
they are undisturbed
and often feel
very good.
and when they die
it is an easy death, usually in their
sleep.

you may not believe
it
but such people do
exist.

but i am not one of
them.
oh no, I am not one of them,
I am not even near
to being
one of
them.
but they
are there

and I am
here.

Six years ago, I gave up Bukowski. I lost all my Bukowski books. I avoided his section on the poetry stack in bookstores. I forgot he existed. But I think now, I can handle him. He still makes me uncomfortable -- how he writes of women as nagging, irritating but oh-so-wanted and desired creatures, the memories of people and times he still conjures. But I can set all of that discomfort aside now, and admit to myself that yes, this bastard is a fucking genius -- and despite the fact that he is a self-centred, macho loser (or perhaps because of it), he speaks to me. He resonates.

Tags: pop culture, reviews of everything, tripping away
state of mind: contemplative
background noise: sheryl crow -- first cut is the deepest

If the universe were mine, I would have done the X-men movies differently (of course, after I got rid major global issues like poverty, conservatism, sexism and Paris Hilton). I'd have stayed true to the X-men "canon", first of all. I would have stuck to certain facts and built the story from there:

• The first five X-men were: Cyclops (Scott Summers), Jean Grey, Ice Man (Bobby Drake), Angel (Warren Worthington III), and Beast (Hank McCoy). I would have started the story with this team already in place and looking for new recruits which would be the perfect way to introduce Wolverine, Storm and any other characters that would sell big Hollywood bucks.
  
• Cyclops is the first leader of the X-men. He is not a cardboard figure who can only do constipated facial expressions. His character and history is complex. He is a mutant to reckon with, and not merely a foil for Wolverine's bad boy persona. And the dude who played him in the movies is crap, I'd have fired him on the first day of shooting.
• Cyclop and Jean Grey's relationship is one of the stones on which the X-men franchise has been built on. They were the only X-men whose wedding got (and deserved) a full issue -- that should have told the writers of the X-men movie something about the sanctity of this relationship. I'd have kept this relationship intact.
  
• Wolverine is 5'3". He is not Hugh Jackman. He is not a Hollywood Hunk. His very name suggests that he is a small but fierce creature. And to me, his height has always explained a huge chunk of his angst (Short Man Sydrome). I would have hired Danny de Vito to play him... Kidding... I'd have gotten someone less pretty and tall, for sure.
  
• The Phoenix force is an alien life-form that took over Jean Grey as she tried to rescue the team from crashing into earth from outer space. It is not a split personality issue that's a by-product of years of trying to control Jean Grey's powers. And between Jean Greys first "death" and Phoenix Saga, much time had passed so much so that Scott Summers had married Madelyne Prior (a clone of Jean Grey who eventually became the Goblin Queen) and had a son, Nathan (who eventually became Cable). I would not have included this story line at all in the movie (perhaps only as a backstory to Jean Grey's character), because the Phoenix story line is complicated and it definitely does NOT include Jean Grey becoming part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Magneto's team), but it does include her involvement in a more sophisticated evil mutant group, The Hellfire Club.
  

But the universe isn't mine so I had no say on X-men movies.

I understand that for Hollywood bigwigs, Wolverine is probably the most interesting and mega-million-selling character in the series. I personally have never liked Wolverine all that much. His is a trite "bad boy trying to be good" character. I can name at least 5 other mutants who are far more interesting and complex than Wolverine (Cable, Angel, Domino, Pyslocke, Storm, for starters). But I guess Hollywood always has room for loner-types with a mysterious past and claws. So OK, I've learned to live with the fact that the movies were going to be Wolverine-focused.

But c'mon! To make like his and Jean Grey's relationship is the "love" that's so strong it could save the world?!? That's just corny -- and false. Wolverine and Jean Grey did have a passing attraction to one another. To my knowledge (I stopped collecting the series about 5 years ago when the writers fucked with Domino), the only time this "attraction" was ever consummated was in the Age of Apocalypse series, where the entire Marvel Universe was placed in an alternative timeline where Xavier died and Magneto was the one running the X-men. And even in that alternative timeline, even when it started out with Jean Grey and Wolverine being partners and lovers, Jean Grey and Cyclops had a "special connection" that eventually ended in them dying for each other and saving the day. My point is that Jean Grey is not the love of Wolverine's life (it was his Japanese wife, Makiko, if I'm not mistaken), and vice versa.

And I really can't get over what they've done to Cyclops. First, they hired an actor with the facial expression range of a constipated baboon. Then they characterised him as a boring Boy Scout who had a thing for shiny cars. The quintessential high school jock / hunk. Cyclops, to me, has always been a bit of a nerd. A man who has always tried to play by the rules and live up to his responsibilities. A bit of a control freak -- anyone who involuntarily shot out deadly laser beams everytime he opened his eyes would definitely have control issues, I think. Which is why the rare times Cyclops has ever let loose and lost control has always been a wonderful surprise -- not to mention quite impressive.

Aside from the major X-men facts that they butchered in the movie to give more screen-time to Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry, they also managed to mess up a lot of minor details like:

• Pyslocke has never been a member of the Morlocks. You see, the Morlocks are a band of mutants who lived literally underground (in subways) because they were all deformed as a result of their mutations. They couldn't live "normal lives" because of their obvious mutation. Psylocke is one of the most physically-perfect mutatns around. There was no reason for her to be a Morlock. She is alsso British.
• And Callisto, leader of the Morlocks, is not a bodacious babe.  And she does NOT have super speed powers.
• Pyro, the flame-throwing mutant kid, is Australian.
• Kitty Pride (Shadowcat), the girl who can walk through walls, is British.
• Angel has never once thought of having his wings removed. The comic book characterisation of Angel has always been that of a spoiled and vain rich boy (with a kind heart) who has always been a little bit vain about his angel wings. There was no way in hell he would consider having them removed.
• Jamie Maddox (Multiple Man), the mutant who can replicate himself, was never part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. On the contrary, Multiple Man was for a long time associated with X-Factor, the government mutant team.

Now what I want to know is, have any of the writers of the movie ever read a single issue of the X-men series? Or did I read the wrong version of the series?

Tags: geekery, pop culture, reviews of everything
state of mind: nerdy
background noise: jack johnson

My head's still reeling from the latest issue of the Lucifer series. Reeling and blown away.

( Hiding spoiler under the cut. Don't click if you haven't read issue #72 and all this crap matters to you! )

But what does a former angel / ruler of hell / creator of his own universe / one of the most powerful beings in creation do when he's rid himself of all of that? Where does he go?

I can't wait for #75, and yet, I dread the final issue. If he ends up in some city that resembles New York or London or Paris, working as a John Constantine type, I swear, I'll spam Carey for 10 years.

And I can't wait to see what happens to Mazikeen. I think she should have her own series :-)

technorati tags: lucifer morningstar mazikeen

Tags: pop culture, reviews of everything
state of mind: jumpy
background noise: the parlotones: radio-controlled robot

This probably the millionth blog about the movie, Brokeback Mountain. Probably the 500,000th one that raves about it. So instead of doing a full-on review of it, I'll just make a list.

Things I Loved about Brokeback Mountain

1. Obviously, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in one film. Beautiful boys. Yum.
2. And they were cowboys and cowboys are hot. Definitely the stuff fantasies are made of... The movie induced memories of the Seoul Cowboy Dude (a.k.a. Just Another Cowboy Outrageous in Bed) -- and that was a pretty fun wild ride!
3. Ennis' misery. Sheesh, that man's life was miserable in such a desperately quiet way. Made me want to scoop him up and take care of him and just give him a bit of hope.
4. The cinematography was brilliant. It showed Wyoming in all its glory. The landscape, the huge sky, the vastness of it all. It was divine.
5. For film with a very strong gay theme, I was glad to note that the words "fabulous", "sistah!" and "girlfriend!" were not used. But seriously, the film went against stereotypical portrayals of gay men and gay relationships.
   
6. The stillness of the film. It was quiet. But not boring. The kind of quiet that thinking requires.
7. That not everything was stated. The scriptwriters were able to convey so much in so little words. When Jack said: "I wish I could quit you", it was heartbreaking. Because it encompassed so much. And the th
8. No one over-acted. Everyone was subdued, as subdued as the overall feel of the film. Because the script was so sparse, you had to watch the characters convey what remained unsaid through their faces and bodies. And yet, no one over-acted (which would probably be tempting if you're trying to convey feeling without words).
9. The way the film captured that seemingly-silly little fact about loving someone: mundane things take on the deepest meanings. A bloodied shirt. A postcard. A kiss. A look.
10. The range of homophobia portrayed. From sickening violence to verbal attacks to hinted discrimination to macho assurance that a gay cowboy is oxymoronic.

There you go.

 Cirio and alternated between drooling over Heath and Jake, and getting teary about the story. It was wet, either way.

Tags: pop culture, reviews of everything
state of mind: giddy and giggly
background noise: bo bice album

I've been looking for Tim Burton's short story collection for a long time now. I like Tim Burton. Maybe it's because he's done a lot of films with Johnny D. Or maybe because his films are so unpretentiously imaginative, quite childlike, that suspension of disbelief and that sense of wonderment are easy to maintain.

In any case, when I found out that he had published a short story collection a few years ago, I went on a hunt for it. With no luck. Which sucks. I've already chucked that book in the Maybe in the Next Lifetime / Figment of My Imagination Bin.

But MarcoA to the rescue. Without knowing that I had been wanting that book for years now, he went and got me a copy when he was in the UK. And so last weekend, when I wasn't hanging out with MarcoA, e1camino, FlyGirl, Cirio, and Ate, or baking stuff and doing household stuff, or playing online pool with jhybeturtle, I was reading "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories".

And it's brill. They read like nursery rhymes but with very macabre themes. Imagine Dr. Seuss spliced with Tales from the Crypt. Or Sesame Street taken over by The Addams Family.

Each story is written as nursery rhymes but the themes are surreal / scary/ dark / surreal / magical / melancholic / tragic / sad. Each story / poem is about a boy or a girl. Weird, tragic children with nails in their eyes, oyster heads, tin skins, multiple eyes, who are toxic or turn into beds or are made out of junk. Kids who are out of this world and therefore out of place. For anyone who's ever felt alienated / left out / strange / too weird, this collection would resonate.

One story, in particular, I loved, Voodoo Girl:
"Her skin is white cloth,
and she's all sewn apart
and she has many colored pins
sticking out of her heart.

She has many different zombies
who are deeply in her trance.
She even has a zombie
who was originally from France.

But she knows she has a curse on her,
a curse she cannot win.
For if someone gets
too close to her,

the pins stick farther in."

(If you want to see an illustrated version, click here)

Now, isn't that just a tiny bit heart-rending?

Anyway, the good news is that most of the stuff is online. Silly, stupid me, I didn't even check for it online when I was looking for the book. I think I'm pretty old school when it comes to buying books, I like to go to bookstores and touching / seeing / smelling the books before I buy them, so online book shopping has never been my first option.

Just today, I went and found some of the poems from "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" in one website. Here you go.

But before I head off for bed, here's the funniest poem in the collection, Stick Boy and Match Girl Fall in Love:

"Stick Boy liked Match Girl,
He liked her a lot.
He liked her cute figure,
he thought she was hot.

But could a flame ever burn
for a match and a stick?
It did quite literally;
he burned up quick."

Hilarious and sad at the same time. Brilliant combination.

Tags: reviews of everything
state of mind: almost sleepy
background noise: silent flat