Welcome to Gaia! ::

I wouldn't say V for Vendetta is anything like Watchmen. Not just in terms of generic things like hero type, but just in terms of moral and message. I don't particularly like the Watchmen movie (I do love the graphic novel though), I feel the movie lost so much of the point and message that was in the novel. I haven't read V for Vendetta, and I know the author of the novel was displeased with the film. Which I find interesting. Unlike with Watchmen where I can clearly sense where plot is just missing, in V I can't do the same. So my only conclusion (if the author isn't indeed just being a brat) is that the direction behind each media is completely different. In which case I wonder what I'd like more. I didn't care much for the love story in V though, and I do wish the film delved more into V's background specifically. I'll try to pick up the novel when I get a chance.

Yea that's always the worst part. I don't think that issue existed so much at Davis, at least while I was there. Though I do know of (at least lately) Animal Science majors having similar types of problems. My friend is about to finish her last quarter of undergrad though, but it means she delved into a 7th year. All because of an inability to get required courses/courses that are required just not being offered. I'm sorry, but a university at bare minimum should be able to guarantee students finish on time (barring mitigating circumstances not related to things like course avalability).

Yea, haha, that's true. I'd just feel a bit out of place if I was clearly the oldest person at a certain convention. However I'm hoping that doesn't end up the case. Guess it'll depend on the progression of Yaoi in Western culture.

I enjoyed the movie well enough, but it was too hard for me to not compare it with the comic. I don't think I heavily felt connected to most of the characters in the comic (yet it was one of those rare circumstances where, in spite of generally being character based, I didn't mind) so without the solid plot it just felt too hollow to me. Given the intro to the movie it was a given that she'd have to end up loving V, I just don't felt there was anything else that made it believable that she'd fall for V. However I do hope to get to the comic eventually, so if I do I'll let you know if it's worth the read. Shall be when I'm less bogged down in/stressed with phD proposal. Which is also why I haven't gotten back to the roleplay, just too stressed for that kind of creative writing. Really sorry. Shall at least get to it by this weekend if not before though, hoping that since I'll have a free evening tomorrow - in theory - I can sit down and try to will my creativity back then. I miss it!! :'(

See it's not even too many students, they have more than enough students to offer the courses, that's going to be true of pretty much any course that is a major requirement (particularly when no equal requirement course is being offered). They just don't want to pay more faculty to run the courses. I mean it's one thing to drop a course and change the requirements of the major (or keep offering the course only too current students who just need to finish a degree they've already started and have new students start off on a new program structure), but they don't do that. What they are doing is trying to phase out an entire major, but it's pretty shitty to do that while there are still people currently in the middle of it. I mean this almost never happens in basic degrees like English, or financially viable degrees like Engineering. It's specialty degrees they no longer want to keep faculty on hand for, and it's seriously depressing.

Hahaha, here's to hoping the current generation Cons on. ^_~

I do remember really being impressed with the Watchmen trailer. I then however didn't get to anything Watchmen for over a year or two, and when I did it was the comic and then soon after the film. I also went into the film having been told that most people have a hard time following the film who haven't seen the movie first, so I was constantly immersed in trying to discern if what I was following the film or automatically filling plot holes via what I knew from the book. Which had me hyper focused on the book, and the film just wasn't living up in comparison. I think it's entertaining, and I think you could probably follow the film on its own (though you certainly wouldn't get much message wise beyond a thin veil of the central plot theme), but I ended up lamenting what was lost too much to properly enjoy the film I think. On trailers, I remember feeling that way about Nine, feeling the trailer was so awesome and dark. And I liked the film, but I watched it waiting and waiting for this awesomeness promised in the trailer that really never came. I think I felt that movie was a big build up to something, only they forgot to put the something in. Won't say more than that in case you haven't seen it. I think the big problem with the torture was just she too easily accepted fine, it was important, and then even more quickly just left. So she hadn't been with V for months before she returns for the end, and sure she could have fantasized an ideal in that time. I just don't buy it. She really wasn't with him enough, and didn't get to know him as an individual (rather than a symbol) enough to actually truly love him in the sense that we were supposed to believe she loved him (i.e. as man rather than symbol).

I guess my creativity never goes away either, just the energy to express it as you said. And thanks, my adviser has sent back my proposal draft with amendments and suggestions, which he wants me to adapt and send back to him. He says it then should be ready to send off. Haven't opened the document yet, but as long as none of these suggestions involve me needing to go to more research first I should be able to get it in by next week. I think its the stress of this that has me not as motivated to do things creative. I'm too weighted down with anxiety and fear. Even if the proposal goes through I still have to survive loans and then securing another student visa. However once the proposal is in I'll try to calm down until I at least hear back on step 1. No point worrying about the rest, nor worrying about what will then be out of my hands I suppose.

It isn't right, I definitely agree. It is one thing I like better about the UK system. You don't seem to get as much tuition for what you pay (though until next year when tuition fees raise massively here, they pay about 1/3rd of what US students pay for education), but you do get a concise structure that is skills/career oriented with completion in mind. Each major is designed to finish in 3. You don't get to take as many extracurricular subjects (at least as part of your degree), but you are on course to get exactly what you are paying for. I do approve of that concise structure. One of my friends home in Hayward has had 2 lectures canceled already this term and 2 more are already scheduled to be missed. It's a 2 day a week class on the quarter system, that means 20% of the class has been cancelled. It's just ridiculous.

I guess with Watchmen people felt there should be a lot more why to the story than was present in the movie. Knowing that the comic has so much why, I think I understand that feeling. And sorry, yes, I meant 9 not Nine.

Yea the lack of organization in many US schools is really disappointing. I do like some of the freedom to do what you like with your degree, but I definitely think it needs a tighter focus both in terms of ability to complete a degree and in terms of adaptability/usefulness of the degree outside of the university. I mean people get college degrees so that they can be applicable to work. Yet so many industries want experience versus degrees, and it is evident most degrees don't give you experience. Like in the UK most of the sciences have a heavier lab or field work requirement. So you get the academic stuff but also the practical learning you'd need outside of the classroom.

I totally remember how Nine and 9 came out at the same time, and it was definitely confusing, especially when talking about them. District 9 came out at the same time as well. All in 2009. It was ANNOYING. And that is exactly how I felt about 9. It was cute, the animation was so much fun, the atmosphere and mood fitting. And the whole time I felt it was building up to some mind-blowing revelation. Which didn't come, and the ending that did come, really didn't seem very fulfilling or resolving. Never saw Nine. District 9 I did see, hated it the first time, liked it better the second time. I generally don't like documentary style movies anyhow, especially ones with serious themes. Comedy (such as Religulous - which I saw yesterday - and Spinal Tap, fine). Serious ones are so trenched in believability they usually hit boring, and generally they do weird things with camera angles. District 9 did neither, however you cannot possibly like ANY of the humans, particularly the main one. So it isn't until halfway through when you get to know a few of the aliens that you can feel any sympathy or connection to anything. So in the second watching, I was viewing knowing eventually I'd be able to connect to something. Which made it more enjoyable than the first time, where I thought nothing redeemable would ever arise. In conclusion, 2009 was confusing. razz

Well I don't think the English are really sentenced to one type of career, they just have degrees that are specified to career application. Plus their degrees are shorter, so going back and changing fields isn't the same commitment it is in the States. I assume you are going for self-fulfilling prophecy, infinite loop, or vicious cycle. Either way I get what you mean, and yes, it's awful.

I figured it was for 2009, but it was still kinda confusing. I don't know what made '09 so special. Guess nobody had an "8" or "10 screenplays lying around, but they had about a dozen "9s" and jumped at the chance to be quirky. razz And yea I was really confused at first with Avatar, because I knew Air Bender was coming out soon and so when I saw the first Avatar preview I was like wait, that's totally not right. I love horror movies too, however so many of them end up seeming like a fake collaboration of a bunch of idiots, and more often than not seem to prove hoax and/or stupid rather than anything truly terrifying. Or conversely, the camera angles just make me nauseous (like with Cloverfield, although I thought that one failed to have a good point, monster and resolution/finale as well) and irritated. Anyhow you might like District 9. It's not exactly horror per se, at least not in a straight forward sense (in a perception sense yes, it arguably is), but it's a similar feel. Even if you are like me and don't like the people, you might find other elements you like about the first half as well that just didn't do it for me.

Conundrum would kind of fit there. Anyhow good luck not being driven horribly insane by the unknown word. xd

It does seem like an ideal horror technique, but I just end up really frustrated watching something in first person perspective. Especially as it's first POV without my having any control. Like in first person video games if I want to look left I can, however with films I'm watching something that's giving me the semblance of "my perspective" without actually letting me look where I might want to look. I personally tend to look around everywhere and constantly, so it's just not my own personal style of looking at the world. So it feels too frustrating and limiting for me personally to enjoy the film.

Haha, no need to thank me, conundrum was originally your suggestion anyhow. Wasn't thinking paradox, but yea, that fits the scenario. Glad your frustration has come to an end. razz