It's interesting that I once read a newspaper article that in the States, there had been an increasing displeasure among non-Christians (ie, Jews) and they are protesting that by people wishing 'Merry Christmas' to one another is like an insult to them. I thought, this is probably something I may like to agree.
Hello, I am not Christian, you know. What is wrong with that? If you think everyone around celebrates Christmas, you are so wrong. Or maybe I am the one who is ignorant. Because I think by far, this year's Christmas for me has to be the most boring yet. For the very first time, Christmas is like an ordinary day, and so Mother like to think. I almost got into a squabble with her this morning on the way to the market regarding this. Had I came to a stage where Christmas almost means nothing when hitting towards adulthood and means so much to kids and children? One of the signs: I had been trying to shut out from everything Christmas-related.
It even rained this morning, made it all the more 'moody' to me for a Christmas. For me today, it's like almost any other Sunday. Staring at the Internet (and heading to those Harry Potter fansites is one of the things I do) from Dad's laptop in the afternoons because of my parents and siblings out for bowling, but in the case of today since Dad is still in Malaysia till almost to midnight, it's Mother and my siblings out for bowling.
Now speaking of Harry Potter, this gives me the idea of what I want to talk about the events that make up this year in 2005. Going under the entertainment section. In terms of music this year, since I don't listen to the radio ever since Mother kept my Discman (but I listen to habz.net's radio though...hee), I don't really know what defines the music scene this year but I know it had been a rather nice year for one of my favourite singers Kelly Clarkson - 2006 Grammy nominations, VMAs and RMAs (Radio Music Awards) win, favourable Billboard reviews... In terms of entertainment news, unless you want to talk about Michael Jackson's being cleared of all charges of child molestation causing shock and the split between Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston and the like, that is what I remember mostly of 2005's entertainment news.
And at the home front, the local movie scene had been given way overdue recognition with a film festival in August to showcase of local movies long forgotten and never shown to the public. Definitely an eye-opener for me. Unless my parents want to talk about it, I don't think I will know, forever. Other than that, local movies had been doing reasonably well by local standards. Flimaker Eric Khoo's Be With Me became a talking point for the local movie scene at the Cannes Flim festival and was denied of a nomination at the 2006 Oscars for the Best Foreign Film category though the panel had nice things to say of the movie.
So, if there is one thing that really successfully captured the hearts and minds this year, it has to be Harry Potter. The sixth book (I will call it The Half-Blood Prince for easy reference) and the fourth movie (The Goblet of Fire) came out within four months of each other. The book came out in July like days after the July 7 London bombings and the movie was officially being released on November 17 (November 16 over here). There was hype when the sixth book was released and it might had died down a while, but when the fourth movie is about to hit cinemas all over the world, the whole hype came back and it's bigger than ever. New characters, new plots and new analysis of the people we know and we think we know (read: Snape in the case of the sixth book). Definitely paraodies of the real world is still in the world of Harry Potter, especially in terms of The Goblet of Fire movie. About everything and anything whatever a teen may face (school crushes, friends quarrelling at each other, facing the unknown, i.e. death in the movie, knowing more of the outside world beyond what they know). I was there before and still in the midst of it, too. I had crushes (that is obvious from my mentions here), my friends and I never quarrelled (something I am thankful for) but my temper almost came to blows because of trivial matters, my maternal grandfather died when I was Sec 3 and it's the first time I really understood and pondering about death and (gasps) the afterlife (or so I love to think), and still exploring about the world around me.
But the arrival of one person in The Goblet of Fire movie...brought back memories I rather like to remember, forget when I was 14 (coincidentally, that is the age of Harry when he returns to Hogwarts then). It's Cedric Diggory. How many times I want to cry inside me that Cedric's appearance brought back the memories of the innocent and naive 14-year-old Diana (yours truly)?! Because it was like a transition time for me at BPS at that time. I was dreading and anticipating life in the Express stream because I was being promoted to there (and I never wanted to because of my perception of the Express stream but my Sec One results at the Normal Academic stream goes against my way) and bang!, a crush on...Gerard. Eek. And I think there's more of transition periods of life where things does not really, goes as I like and love to think. Almost close to the fourth movie. Things ain't always what they are.
Dad is coming back tonight from Malaysia. Ha, just when we are going to there on Thursday. Hehe.
*attempting to sing The 12 Days of Christmas*
