notes about a weekend

Wicked vs. Wide Sargasso Sea: Notes for myself

Both re-imagine and rewrite a canonical text to expose its inherent parochialism, but to slightly different ends. Wide Sargasso Sea is obviously equal parts postcolonial and feminist because the feminine-masculine and colonized-colonizer dichotomies work together to produce a work that challenges a particular literary tradition. This contestation is quite political in nature.

But Wicked responds to The Wizard Of Oz in a manner that is satiric but ultimately comedic. It approaches postcolonialism obliquely, via general ideas about minority voices and their oppression. It probably can be considered to contain a more mordant feminist agenda by way of its portrayal of sisterhood (and its complexities), consideration of femininity and conventions of beauty, and the political agency of women for emancipation embodied in Elphaba's struggle in Ozian society counterpointing the imperfections in Nessarose's political office (I can't believe I just typed that sentence). But these concerns are merely instrumental in crystallizing some fundamental problems in meta-ethics: that there isn't a perfect empirical basis to determine "the good", and that the determination of "the good" is made by the bases of power.

(OK. I just wanted to share what I thought after watching Wicked yesterday night. BTW do I still have friends?)

I suck at reading books

I suck at reading books because I have no attention span to speak of. At least I can still finish my sentences. But there are too many distra—oh look I have two pdf articles open

CNY "issues"

I have eaten four pineapple tarts today, but have not yet reached pineapple tart nirvana. This happens when the jam has adequate caramelization and the pastry is crumbly but not too crumbly. See also: red chile flakes go quite OK with pineapple jam. 

What is the "right" way to excuse yourself from proper company when you need to zap some bak kwa in the microwave because you want to make crispy bak kwa cones to fill with ice cream? How do I politely refuse a guest's request to try one?

Friends they are jewels twice as beautiful and few

I was reading the handwritten things my bestest friends ever (like, I want to travel into the future and give your offspring hugs and expensive toys) wrote, and I felt pretty OK inside <-- understatement of the century!

Why yes that is an Iron and Wine song, thanks for asking.