wrong priorities

Am at university and waiting to leave for my German Circle lesson. I just went to a lecture with the first years, a lecture I'm not registered for but that I've been advised to attend cos it's important. And I've discovered another thing that REALLY irks me. People who have a stuffy obsession with the correct pronunciation. Ok, so this lecturer, who is rather new to the university, is delivering a really good lecture about the significance of Shakespeare. He makes a mistake in pronunciation, and the people behind me are laughing their heads off, riding on their ridiculous high horse, just because they caught him out in a mistake. Now, I'm not one to be a lecturer's pet and look up in awe at lecturers just because they're lecturers, but one has to give credit where it is due. This lecturer knows what he's talking about, and is articulating it most eloquently. Yes, ok, he is a lecturer of English. BUT he is Maltese, and like most Maltese, got most of his English through silent reading. So what if his accent is not exactly like the queen's? So what if he says 'rhetoric' not quite right? At least, he's insightful and intelligent, not like the silly people whose most important goal in life is to get the pronunciation right. No writer or artist has touched and moved entire generations of thinkers through his right pronunciation. Joseph Conrad, the Polish born author, had a notoriously bad pronunciation. Yet, he is one of the leading novelists of the twentieth century. You might argue, "but he's Polish". And we're Maltese. Aaaargh. Silly frivolous people. In 1984, George Orwell talks about "the neat handwriting of the illiterate". I think I know what he was talking about. I'd say "the correct pronunciation of the irrevocably dumb". Get. over. it.

Exams. finally. OVER.

Hello there, the exams are finally over!!! And even though I have three considerably taxing assignments, I must say I feel pretty free and floaty. I've been sleeping/wasting time all day long, and so I said, why not continue? Tonight I'm going to watch Elizabeth The Golden Age at the Tal-Lira cinemas with my uncle. I know they' ve said it's nowhere as uppaclass as the first one, but what can be so evil about a film which shares the name with yours truly and stars dearest most beloved Clive Owen (in tights!!! LOL) ? Anyways my reasons for writing this blog are getting slimmer and more depleted every minute, so maybe should put on some music for inspiration. Which brings me to this song, A Certain Romance by the Arctic Monkeys. I'd heard about this band and how absolutely awesome and up'n'happening they are, but being the lazy bum that I am I'd never bothered to listen. It was only a few days ago that I stumbled upon this lovely lovely song in my sister's playlist, and I haven't stopped listening to it ever since lol. And even the lyrics are nice wiii.

Anyhow, what else what else? Yesterday I went to dear old Paceville again after an absence of three long weeks. Must say that despite the fact that I'm pretty fed up of the place, it still has a kind of worn out, shabby, dusty allure. We went to Koyote and it was kind of funny. They were playing a lot of nightclub-by songs and it was kind of nice and pumping, if you know what I mean (don't worry I don't know what I mean either). Besides, I was ecstatic at finally being able to dress up nicely again, and apply make-up and wear lenses and be a young gal all over again after those never-ending days of 150%nerdism. Anyways, I think I'm out of inspiration now. Must say I'm quite looking forward to starting uni lectures again. I know I'm a hopeless nerd but it'll be nice to see everyone again and get back to good old normal life.

ps I've added to links to my dear friends' Andrea and Desiree's blogs, so check them out.

Till next time,
Take care and Happy Carnival
Liz
xxx

RIP Heath Ledger :(

I still can't believe this young, talented, smart, handsome young actor is dead. Probably because of drugs. What a waste! I am truly saddened. Why? Why? Why? I will never forget his heart-wrenching performance in the beautiful Brokeback Mountain. He was such a wonderful actor. Goodbye Heath Ledger, and may you rest in peace.

Listening to: The Wings- Brokeback Mountain OST

ramble ramble

Am trying the whole blogging with music on thing again. Failing miserably. Anyway won't write much cos I've had enough of looking at words all day long, however much i luv 'em little things. Exams start the day after tomorrow. A bit nervous of course but hopefully all will be ok. Please God.

Was wondering why pete doherty doesn't get clean once and for all. I used to think he was a stupid jerk but have been listening to some of his songs with the libertines and the babyshambles and I must say they are quite beautiful. He seems to be very poetical and it's not some pretentious pseudo-alternative (learnt a new word- from my sister!) junk that he writes. The songs have a very genuine effortless beauty about them actually. God I just do not know how to blog with music on!!! Am off!

Good luck for the exams
Liz
xxxx

Listening to: Babyshambles- I love you but you're green.

out of the bubble

Have decided to crawl out of my little bubble of endless self-indulgence and look at the world around me and I was horrified. Last night I discovered that students AND PROFESSORS(!!!) at the Sapienza University in Rome protested because the Pope was going to speak at their University, apparently because they felt this threatened the secularism of the state. Ok, so I prevent one of the most important theologians of the 20th century from speaking at my university simply because he's the Pope and it would make the state look too religious (rather than secular). or some such Bullshit. What, indeed, is the world coming to? or what is it going back to? i should say. This question is not a question of whether you have faith in the Catholic religion, not even of whether you respect the Pope's status or not. This is a question of whether today's supposed intellectuals behave like intellectuals and listen to other people say what they have to say, hence widening their perspectives and engaging in civilized dialogue. There is nothing wrong with any religious leader speaking anywhere, let alone at a university, where everyone's supposed to be reasonable and longing to listen, be it the Dalai Lama or the Imamm or the Greek Patriarch or the Pope. Dear me, and this coming from one of the best universities in Europe. They should be ashamed. The decadence. I. am. appalled.

Exam time

I am currently trying to do something which is rather difficult for such a dismal multi-tasker as I am: write a decent blog entry with music with words playing on in the background. These past few days I've been in a rather dreamy, melliferous mood. Yes, the fact that I am holed up with books ALL DAY LONG will result in the occasional burst of anachronistic vocabulary just for the sake of it. Everybody knows that one of the major perks that goes with the studying of English is the ability to sprinkle a blog with lovely glimmering words here and there, just for the kicks. Please note I am attempting to be humorous, or to "say a jowkh", as Achmed would put it. Dear me I really need to get out of the house.

Anyway, this dreamy mood has led me to overdose a little bit on lovely melodious (=melliferous) songs such as Christmas songs and totally soppy love songs. Right now I am listening to Christina Aguilera's lovely voice telling me to have a merry little Christmas. How utterly sweet. Studying is progressing quite well, though I am rather pressed for time, to put it mildly. But at least I've read the poems and plays and "what have you", as our dear ever-absent Victorian poetry lecturer seems to call all literature in general.

My social life is on hold now too so I do not have much else to report. Dear me I think I have just managed to write a blog entry with music on. I'm so utterly awesome. I had it in my mind to write so much more than I did but I just have to start teaching myself Browning, because our lecturer simply didn't. Yet another reason not to love Victorian literature.

Am off now, and since I'm awesome enough to have finally learnt the mindblowing method of writing blogs with music on, I'll add this Livejournal-esque feature: (The next step will be writing a DECENT blog with music on.)

listening to: Nat King Cole- Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Till next time,
take care and (for uni readers) Good Luck for the exams

BTW this is very cool: cool thingie

Liz
xxxxx

Not today

I was supposed to write a major blog entry, shining with quivering drops of pure wisdom, to launch the new year, to promise myself I am gonna be better in every way, to promise myself I shall do my utmost so that this year turns out to be the best of my life.

Alas!

You find me rather sick and weak, with the red area around my nose and lips still...well..red.

I was also supposed to write an account of Christmas and NY, which were quite lovely actually.

Well,

not today.

Today all I could do was remember this depressive quote from 'The Family Reunion'
by T.S. Eliot:

"The world would be unendurable, if you were wide awake."

My brother just asked me when I start my exams. 'Tis depressing. I need to go to sleep.

Bye bye
xxxxx