• Sleep in.
• Don’t do anything in particular. Because you can.
• Go to movies. Watch something profound or entertaining, but not obviously crappy (no romantic comedies, action films or parodies).
• Listen to the music that was popular when you were 14 and that you considered crappy at the time. It’s still crappy, but at least you get to remember your early teens.
• Visit blogs, comment, update your own website.
• Make love to your loved one.
• Eat popcorn. Lots of it.
• Think about your novel. Plan it. Research. Daydream. Then plan and research again. Then daydream. And daydream a little more. It’s good for writing. It’s necessary.
• Go to bed at 4 AM. Because you can.
• Relax, take it easy. Don’t try to do way too many things.

Well, it looks like I did follow those tips this weekend (well, most of it). My husband and I are going to cinema tonight (to get a proper watching of “Sherlock Holmes”, because we decided watching a fun film again is better than giving more money to something we are sure it’s not really our thing (“Avatar”). But I will watch “Avatar” and talk about it- just not at the moment. For now, I want to relax, have fun, do nothing and don’t think about anything really profound… Except my novel.

Bonus track: 25 things I learned reading “Twilight”

This is a long overdue, last (?) installment of “Twilight” spitttings. So I realized it’s best to post them here first, then move them to their appropriate page in the spittings section.

1. Sex with a vampire can kill you, but only if it’s premarital.
2. Abusive, controlling behaviour is ok as long as it’s “true love”.
3. So is pedophilia.
4. Women are inferior to men.
5. If they’re not, they’re infertile.
6. Bad people are ugly, good people are beautiful (even if they don’t find themselves pretty and bitch about that all the time).
7. Kids treat their parents as crap.
8. It’s possible to be non-white and attractive (in a wild, uncivilized way), but it’s not nearly as attractive as being pale and white.
9. In order to know anything about cars and sports, you must posses Y chromosome.
10. If your boyfriend of 6 months leaves you, it’s perfectly ok to become suicidal.
11. Blond females are stupid, bitchy and mean. All of them.
12. Using swear words is bad, but stalking someone isn’t.
13. Desire to have sex is a good enough reason to get married.
14. Girls don’t need any skills apart from cooking, and no ambition apart of finding a man.
15. Clumsiness is attractive. Safety helmets are sexy.
16. People with bad complexion are not worth your attention.
17. In order to feel smart, you should read classics such as Jane Austin and Shakespeare. You don’t have to understand a word of what you’ve read, though.
18. Being forced into a relationship is romantic.
19. Obsession and lust are easily confused for a true love.
20. It’s perfectly ok for a father to hate his own child.
21. Policemen are cowards.
22. Being older than your boyfriend is a major disaster.
23. It’s perfectly ok to neglect your child if you want to have sex.
24. Logic is highly overrated.
25. In order to sell a book, you don’t need any talent, writing skills or an editor.

The irony: I am untalented for singing or playing (not that I don’t try to play bass guitar from time to time), and I am definitely not one of those people who can name every single obscure alternative band from the 80s. Alternative rock (whatever than means exactly) is great, but I don’t have any problem admitting my passion for more “mainstream” stuff, too.

But when I look at my playlist, I do see it’s mostly rock music- some sort of it. As if other genres don’t really work for me. Another thing I notice is the lack of music created in the last-what? 10 years or so. Yes, I am getting old and I can’t stand modern popular music. Apparently.

And yet, there are some songs that I like, against all odds. I try to resist the urge to actually feel ashamed because of it. Only one of these songs could be somewhat categorized in the rock subgenre (perhaps), and most are recent. Some of them are quality songs, but not in a genre that usually gets my attention. Other clearly lack substance, but were overplayed and catchy enough to make an impact.

Right Here, Right Now (Fatboy Slim)

It was a smashing 1999 hit. To my knowledge, this is the only Fatboy Slim song I really liked.

Why this song? I must admit, it’s not so much for the song- it’s the video. I consider this video to be one of the best ever created. It’s certainly my favourite. It must be noted this was the only time I liked the song because of the video.
Why is this surprising? I am not into this kind of music… Whatever “this kind” might actually be.

Sky (Sonique)

Wikipedia defines it as “a trance-house song by singer and DJ Sonique”, released in 2000. It was a big hit where I live, but for some reason people in general don’t seem to remember it.
Why this song? “Oh I wanna touch the sky I wanna fly so high / Oh I wanna hold you I wanna love you tonight”. It’s too catchy to resist.
Why is this surprising? It’s not particularly surprising, considering the fact that I like to dance, even as this clumsy. I do feel rhythm inside me. But I am not usually impressed with this type of songs.

Ya Soshla S Uma (t.A.T.u.)

Yes. That one. Russian (and, I believe, original) version of “All the things she said”, created in 1999. Remember these energetic fake Russian lesbians? (Fake lesbians, not Russians). And yes, their music is too catchy to even make sense. Their Eastern European accents are clearly touchable when they sing in English. They sound better in Russian.
Why this song? Because of the atmosphere at one moment in the song. And yes, that’s about all.
Why is this surprising? You’re kidding, right? Do I really have to explain?

Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)

Yes, they were a rock band… Technically. But I never considered them as such. This song was impossible to escape in 2003. It’s not that I was ever overly impressed with their music, or even the lead vocalist, but out of all the crap that was out there at the time, this one stank a little less than your average Britney Spears song.
Why this song? This damn thing was catchy and impossible to escape.
Why is this surprising? Because even with Amy Lee’s voice and electric guitars here and there, this song (or band’s work a s whole) never managed to make me believe they are a rock band (I have the same problem with Bon Jovi).

Relax, take it easy (Mika)

Seriously, people. We need more quality vocalists in popular music. And Mika is such a great singer, he could make me listen any sugar-high-pitched-song there is. And this one is actually memorable enough. That being said, I hate remixes.

Why this song? Because it’s actually a decent song. Perhaps the best on this list, sung by a really good vocalist. And it makes me feel calm, yet excited.
Why is this surprising? I prefer deeper voices. I don’t particularly like when a man sings that high: apart from concern for well being of his testicles, I can’t really enjoy the velvet beauty of a baritone.

I was in for a surprise.

My first impulse was- “this is ridiculous and it makes no sense”. Well, it doesn’t, does it?- which is exactly what makes this film memorable. Maybe I am giving Guy Ritchie way too much credit, but he didn’t simply made “Sherlock Holmes with many fight scenes”- he actually made a pretty good deconstruction of the story. Ritchie’s reading of Sherlock Holmes might not be close to mine, but he managed to make a memorable story which, against all odds, make sense- the way it is.

Unique reading of the story

First ten minutes or so were predictable, in a way I was almost bored (excessive movie action often does that to me). But restaurant scene with Mary blew me away, and it’s followed by the boxing match- so yes, you could say it got me interested.

Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “The less I thought about Sherlock Holmes, the more I liked “Sherlock Holmes.” Which is a good advice for anybody who likes traditional interpretations of A.C. Doyle’s stories (or anyone who is not crazy about fight scenes). But one must understand this is Sherlock Holmes; it’s not any less “true” because it’s not traditional. It’s Doyle’s world deconstructed, and you can see this in all the little details: allusions to original A.C.Doyle stories (along with quotes), setting (not true to the time, but not random either), and, perhaps the most interesting one, the clues left for the audience to deduct character’s past.

The best thing about this film, however, was Robert Downey Jr. His dirty, sweaty, smelly- but at the same time witty, hedonistic and egoistic Holmes is simply captivating. As interesting Ritchie’s reading of the story might be, not many actors could pull it off. It simply wouldn’t work well- or work at all- without Robert Downey Jr. Just like Johnny Depp is captain Jack Sparrow, Downey is this unique Sherlock Holmes. He completely stole the show- but it’s more than that. There wouldn’t be this film without him. Period.

The bad things?

You can’t really count often incomprehensible action sequences, since they’re meant to be that way. The only thing I really disliked were the female characters. Kelly Reilly’s Mary was so and so, but for some reason I couldn’t stand Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. “She looks and acts too modern!” would be my first complaint, though, in whole honesty, you can say that for all the characters, as well as setting. But I still feel she didn’t belong there; she wasn’t captivating enough, interesting enough, memorable enough. Maybe the woman simply can’t act. But I am so happy they didn’t (spoiler) have wild sex (they didn’t, did they?), that would spoil everything.

The best of

• -Boxing scene with “Rocky Road to Dublin” in the background. Not as amusing as fight scene in “Snatch” with “Golden Brown” in the background, but equally awesome.
• -Art direction and cinematography. They are excellent, and serve the story perfectly.
• -Watson with a brain. I hate interpretations that make him mentally slow (to say the least).
• -Clues left for us to deduct character’s past.
• -Unique vision of the story and setting.
• -Last, but certainly not the least: Robert Downey Jr.

“Ask & answer” feature was a popular trend around 2005, and it’s been used & abused. Not being a trendy girl, I ignored it. But since there are people interested in it, and I am trying to please my visitors, both of you can relax: ask & answer feature is here.

So, here it is…

Ask a question

What to ask? What not to ask?

It’s completely up to you. Hopefully, questions will help me create a decent “FAQ” section and tell me what people think about this site and what they (both) want to see here. Since nobody uses contact form.

As for nasty, offensive and otherwise stupid questions- like I said in the rules, I am not easily offended. But of course I reserve the right not to answer on any questions I choose not to.

I heard people tend to get all sorts of bizarre and pointless questions, but what else to expect?- This is internet after all, and people are bored. So go ahead, make my day.

Not to mention there’s nothing- I repeat: nothing here that would be useful to people searching for, say, “Gary Oldman gay pictures”. Yes, that was an actual search. And no, I have no idea how “they” got here, since, well… You get the idea.

Some of the more interesting recent searches:

• “edward and bella” “lack of chemistry”
• frusciante “social situations”
• Gary Oldman gay pictures (Is there something I should know about?)
• twilight forest scene
• my life is awkward mira mira
• buva can i see you?
• jacob rape hard core twilight (Didn’t you mean: “Edward rape”?)
• black guys do it right
• jeff ament sexy
• freckles dark hair (Really? Me too)
]]> http://jefflion.net/archives/266/feed 10 http://jefflion.net/archives/264 http://jefflion.net/archives/264#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:08:08 +0000 Mira http://jefflion.net/?p=264 As you probably know, I am planning on writing my novel.

This is nothing new- I’ve been planning (and planning) for quite some time now. I don’t usually reveal much about it to people in casual conversations, but some people know about bits and pieces of it.

And while many say they like the idea (maybe they’re just being nice?) those who know about the relationships in the story are often not so crazy about them.

The thing is- almost all of them are interracial.

Some people don’t pay any attention to this fact, but others- especially Americans- do. All the time. They say it’s unrealistic and forced. Almost “too politically correct to be true”.

And I despise political correctness. So naturally, I take this as an insult.

But the thing is- my story is not set on Earth. Characters in my story are humans, but “race” as a category doesn’t exist in their world. That’s right. Race (as we know it) is a social construct and not biological fact. There were cultures who never had race as a category. People in my story belong to such a culture.

Of course, you might say, if there aren’t races, there aren’t interracial romances. Fair enough. But my (potential) readers are humans from Earth, and if I say, for example, that one character has dark skin and kinky hair and another white (light) skin and yellow hair- that’s going to be perceived as an interracial romance.

Most of the relationships in my story are between people who don’t share the same skin colour, hair texture, or eye colour. It’s not so much of an issue for them- it’s like brown haired guy dating a blonde girl in our world. So why do people tell me relationships in the story are “forced”?

Like I said, I don’t reveal much of the plot, so there are all various and logical questions people could ask about my story, even if it’s only about relationships. For example:
- If interracial marriage is the norm in their world, how come not everyone is mixed race?

Which is a good question. To which I have a logical answer. But no, people don’t ask this. All they read is blue eyed guy kissing dark skinned girl, and another example of a couple whose skin shade doesn’t match, and they say it’s “forced”. (Also, people often assume that because I am white, so are my characters, if not mentioned otherwise. Who said, btw, that blue eyed guy must be white?) But even if we forget about this- am I right to feel angry because people perceive relationships in my story as “forced”? (And no, it’s not a romance novel, and it’s not really about who’s dating who, and race is not an issue). And it is “forced”? In a world that is not our own?!?

And just a note- no, I don’t have any personal experience with race issues. But this just makes my position as a writer better in a way: it is much easier for me to write. Without many stereotypes, without learned idea of what’s good and what’s bad when it comes to interracial dating, without shame and guilt (why is always, to some degree, about shame and guilt?)- it is much, much easier for me to write about interracial relationships. Maybe that’s because it’s easier for me to see them as something “normal”, not controversial or unusual.

]]> http://jefflion.net/archives/264/feed 1 http://jefflion.net/archives/260 http://jefflion.net/archives/260#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:31:20 +0000 Mira http://jefflion.net/?p=260 Are you named after anyone?
No. My mother wanted to give me a not-so-frequent name, because she didn’t want me to be one of 7 girls with the same name in the class. Also, she wanted something that can have a nice nickname. Unfortunately, she didn’t pay attention on length, so my name + my maiden name = very long and many people (teachers, etc) used a more frequent name beginning with “M”.

Do you like your handwriting?
My handwriting is ugly and messy, and doesn’t look like female handwriting. On the other hand, I like it. It looks like my father’s.

If you were someone else, would you be friends with you?
Not sure. I am an ok person, but I can’t get along with people easily. I am way too shy, a bit antisocial and I lack tact.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Yes. Sometimes way to much.

What is the first thing you notice about people?
The shallow, or not so shallow answer?

The shallow answer is: hair. It’s the first thing I notice on people, specially male people. It’s stronger than me and I can’t help it.

Not so shallow answer: Something- not sure how to define it- something that tells me if I could get along with this person or not. I am not a good judge of character, but I can sense jerks, and people who think they’re waaay better than the others. On the other hand, they sense me, too. I am hardly a person who can make a good impression and get a long with people easily. I don’t do that on purpose.

Least favorite thing about yourself?
The thing that makes me panic about everything.

Favorite smells?
Ocean.

Favorite sounds?
Birds in the morning, waves, deep male voices, crickets in summer nights, bass guitar.

Hair color?
Dark brown. Used to be black when I was a kid.

When was the last time you got a haircut?
A few years ago. I don’t cut my hair.

Eye color?
Brown, with little yellow spots. Not sure if they could be considered hazel.

Do you wear contacts?
No. I used to, but I can’t afford them at the moment. I wear glasses. I am very nearsighted.

What book are you reading now?
Toni Morrison’s “Jazz”. Again. One of my favourite books.

]]> http://jefflion.net/archives/260/feed 7 http://jefflion.net/archives/258 http://jefflion.net/archives/258#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:52:07 +0000 Mira http://jefflion.net/?p=258 The word “tolerance” has different meanings, some of which are pretty valid. In theory, tolerance is great. It makes you respect people who happen to be different than you, or hold different opinions or beliefs.

It’s not this great in reality. In reality, “tolerance” really means being polite to those who are different than you. Polite, not honest. Polite, not loving. Not understanding. Polite.

Being polite doesn’t mean anything if you’re not truly honest. Politeness is something for the outside, to show how great and nice and caring you are. You don’t really have to be- just act. Politeness is that kind of acting. It doesn’t show what’s inside. There could be a genuine great person, or a jerk. There are many polite jerks. I’ve met many of them. On the other hand, there are great people who have no manners and don’t know how to be polite.

I’m not saying we should be rude and mean to people who think differently than we do. But being polite, being nice isn’t enough. It’s practically worthless if you don’t take an effort to really understand other human beings and to love them in your heart for being, well, other human beings. Yes, even if they are different than you are.

I don’t really hate tolerance, but it isn’t my favourite thing in the world.

I want to be loved.
I want to be understood.
I don’t want to be tolerated.

I hate tolerance because it’s just a word. And not particularly great one.

]]> http://jefflion.net/archives/258/feed 6 http://jefflion.net/archives/256 http://jefflion.net/archives/256#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:04:54 +0000 Mira http://jefflion.net/?p=256 I didn’t want my first 2010 post to be like this one.

I am tired, annoyed and slightly depressed. I had a bad day at work (full of small annoying things that, taken together, make a big annoying thing). So, being sensitive as I am, I feel like crap now.

I generally hate routine, but I like it when it comes to my workplace. Change it, and I’m in a mess.

Having at least 10 more things to do doesn’t make things any easier.

I know it’s not such a big deal, but still, I feel bad and uninspired to do anything productive. And I’m tired.

PS-On a brighter side, Johnny Depp arrived in Serbia yesterday. I actually wanted to make a post about Johnny’s visit, but I am just in the mood.

]]> http://jefflion.net/archives/256/feed 2 http://jefflion.net/archives/254 http://jefflion.net/archives/254#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:51:20 +0000 Mira http://jefflion.net/?p=254 Ah! The last day of the year 2009! Do you have some exciting plans for the celebration?

I don’t. Which is pretty exciting to me. All I want is to stay home and relax, for a change.

About year 2010… I want to graduate. It would be about time, really. I am not really into New Year plans and resolutions, but I want this one. Oh, and (finally) changing site layout would be fun, too.

Happy New Year!

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