Back from Toronto. Still alive.:D Though maybe a bit off balance. Emotionally, I mean. Like when you've been looking forward to something for a very long time... and then, all of a sudden, it's over. And you don't even know how that happened. *sigh*

For the record, I did see Viggo. Up close. On the red carpet. For about 30 seconds or so.;) I even scored an autograph.:P But there was no eye contact or anything personal to this encounter, really - thanks to the tall, lanky German woman right behind me, who monopolized his attention by showering him with gifts and generally doing everything short of pushing me out of the way (even though we'd been there - me and namarie120 and willowwing - minding our spots for several hours before she showed up). It was typical, really, and I am not surprised in the slightest - just a tiny bit chagrined, perhaps (I'm really good at the subtle art of understatement, aren't I?...). Though, from a more practical standpoint, it might have been for the best - because if he had actually looked at me or said something, I might not have been able to display any semblance of normal brain activity.;) I was pretty much half-paralyzed, holding on to the railing for dear life and clutching my copy of Coincidence of Memory with shaking fingers.:P

Anyway... he looked absolutely gorgeous, too good to be true somehow - and that could be why it didn't quite register with me that I'd really seen him. I'm still not sure I believe that he is an actual human being.;P

As for the movie, it was every bit as intense as I expected, and managed to surprise me a few times despite the fact that I had read all the spoilers.:P The violence in it is pretty graphic, true; but if HoV wasn't too much for you, EP won't be either. In both films every graphic, disturbing scene serves a purpose in character/plot development; and that is enough for me. There is no lack of psychological depth and interesting nuances. The entire cast is impressive, and the Russian accents sound very real too. All in all, a gripping, believable story that makes you feel for the 'bad' guys just as much as for the 'good' ones; even if they're not played by Viggo.;) I'm really looking forward to seeing it again... and again. Watching Viggo on the big screen is one of my favorite and all too rare pleasures, after all.:P

Another unforgettable aspect of the trip was getting to know willowwing, whom I had never met in person before and who is certainly one of the sweetest, kindest, most warm-hearted people I ever encountered. I don't think I've ever felt that relaxed and comfortable in the company of someone I barely know. It's a gift... and I think people like that were put on this earth specifically for the benefit of the shy and reserved.;) To gently and effortlessly pull them out of their protective shell and let them bask in the warmth of genuine, unconditional approval. The amounts of positive energy I could feel radiating from Willow during those few days have charged my battery for many weeks to come.:)

And that is really all for now. I could say more, but it's getting late and my brain is shutting down.;)

But before I nod off... ( here's the evidence I didn't actually dream up the whole thing )

Yes. I can do it. It seemed nearly impossible at first to stick to Weight Watchers' guidelines without feeling uncomfortable... but now I think it's a question of time and adjustment. Of forming new eating habits to replace the old ones. So that's what I'm doing. It doesn't rule out indulging myself every once in a while; the key is that I treat it as a 'special occasion', a 'reward' for being a good girl and following the plan - not as a regular thing. I will still eat my Mum's Sunday dinner once or twice a month, and I will not angst over restaurant food in Toronto (a vacation is a vacation, and I'm planning to enjoy it) - but my average daily routine is going to be a different story from now on, meal-wise, and I really believe it's going to have an impact. Not only in terms of weight loss, but of general physical health and well-being (I won't ever have to worry about high cholesterol, for one).

And it's exactly like mellacita said: if eating right is important to you, you will find room for it in your life. I actually cook now, on a regular basis - and it's not as time consuming as I feared it would be, because I eat very simple. Too simple for my own taste, sometimes...;)... but again, it's a question of adjustment, and I hope to broaden my culinary horizons somewhat as I strive to stay on track. I'm actually pretty excited about this whole idea of having more control over what goes into my digestive system. It feels good to know I can consciously and effectively stop myself from descending the downward spiral, so to speak. I used to be pretty fatalistic about it, simply because I didn't know enough about proper nutrition and somehow imagined that most people living in the United States are 'doomed' to have serious weight issues. Well... now I think it actually might be more a question of awareness and self-respect than anything else. I was pretty careless and ignorant for most of my life too, so I know what I'm talking about (and if I had grown up here, on fast foods, processed snacks & 'soft drinks' sweetened with corn syrup, I probably wouldn't fit through the door by now). I guess I'm just lucky that I came to my senses before my stupidity caused some major damage...

Just an assortment of unrelated news today.

1) ( A massive, dangerous thunderstorm rolled through the entire Chicago area this afternoon & evening. )

2) ( Weight Watchers - the rude awakening. )

3) On a more pleasant note, I had a most surprising Orlando dream this morning. ( Read more... )

I discovered the Whole Foods store today. Some of my American flisters (especially mellacita ;) will probably die laughing to read this, but I have never been to one before. There just never was one close to where I lived. Now there is, and I have been driving past it on my way to work ever since they started the neverending road construction that forced me to change my route. But it's situated at a busy intersection, and for some reason I assumed it didn't have a parking lot - so I was kinda nervous about going there and trying to find a spot along those crowded streets. However, I decided to check it out today, no matter what - and sure enough, it does have a parking lot, right behind the building (which is why you can't see it from the intersection). A really spacious one, too. *headdesk* Anyway... as soon as I walked in, my jaw sort of dropped and I just wandered around in a daze for quite some time, before I was even able to decide where to start.;D ( Holy cow... that place ROCKS. )

So, tomorrow (or today, in some parts of the world :) is the birthday of Someone Very Special. Someone who opened an LJ account just so she could read my posts.:D (which, of course, is an amazing boost to my fragile ego ;P) Therefore, I would like to take a moment tonight to wish that special person happiness - whatever it might mean to her at any given time.

Thank you for still being there for me, in a way, despite everything that happened - or didn't.

( Here's a little something you might enjoy ;P )

Just an assortment of unrelated snippets today, because my brain seems completely scattered of late and it's either that or no post at all.:(

1) I've seen the new trailer for Eastern Promises - even more disturbing than the first one. I swear Viggo scares me in this movie. The thought of watching it in a few weeks gives me a thrill, but not necessarily in a good way.:/

2) I've also seen some stills from the filming of Good - and the fact that Viggo looks hot in a Nazi uniform also mildly disturbs me. Even though he's already played a convincing (while sexy) serial killer, as well as a really corny blood-splattered cannibal.:P (but then, that movie was so over-the-top bad you couldn't really take any of it seriously - while the topic of nazism is serious enough, at least for me)

3) I can't order stuff from Amazon, because I had nearly emptied my credit card by ordering the plane tickets for Toronto, and they (Amazon) seem to have removed other payment options (bank account, Paypal etc.) from their website. WTF?

4) My parents were here today, and they saw the sinful A/L manips I have on my wall. And guess what? They didn't even blink. Either they totally missed the fact that these images include: 1) two males, 2) major LOTR characters (which is quite possible), or they graciously chose not to comment (again, in my father's case at least, quite possible). The only thing my mother said was that my room sort of resembles that of a teenager (she probably didn't take a close enough look... LOL).

5) It's been three weeks since my sleep study, and still no-one's called me with a diagnosis or anything so far. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered with the whole thing. Maybe I'm just a hypochondriac, and I imagined I had apnea because I read about it.:/ I don't know. Some nights I sleep OK. Some I don't. I just wish I knew what it depended on, so I could have some control over it. But, apparently, no such luck. *sigh*

So, I just watched another obscure gay movie. A Chinese one this time. It's called Lan Yu. Very touching, despite some annoying hitches in the plot (the love story remains the main focus throughout, while the background is at times way too sketchy). And the main character is played by this gorgeous, brilliant young actor whom I have never seen before (but probably will again, as soon as I figure out what his name is and what other movies he was in ;). All in all, quite a gratifying cinematic experience (with quite a few sweet and not-so-innocent cuddle scenes, I might add ;P). But I have one question. Why do Chinese movies always have to have a tragic ending?... Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against a tragic ending if it results naturally from the story. But sometimes it feels 'pasted on', just like the obligatory happy ending in so many American flicks. It's almost as if the screenwriter was thinking: OK, we're doing a Chinese movie here, so we have to kill off one of the main characters as soon as they finally overcome all the difficulties and have a chance of a happy life together - no matter how stupid and out-of-the-blue the death may seem. It's a requirement. I felt exactly the same way after seeing Farewell, My Concubine (which is still one of the best films ever made - but you know what I mean). I just didn't think the characters deserved to suffer THAT much. I know life is painful etc., but let's not overdo it, okay? I'm all sniffy now and need some happy slash therapy, pronto.:P

As anyone can clearly see from this post, there's not much going on in my 'RL' right now.;)

Just a quick post today, since I will be out of here for most of the weekend. First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, stormatdusk!!! A little late, perhaps, but no less sincere because of that. You are a very talented writer and a very sweet person, and I am very glad to have you on my flist. Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Second of all: namarie120! Did you get my email about Toronto?... Not trying to rush you or anything - just wondering, since it's been about a week since I sent it. I just thought I'd drop a note here, since I see you posting stuff on Adult_Viggo and on LJ all the time.:)

Anyway... not much time to ramble on, as I'll be leaving in about 20 minutes. A friend of a friend has invited us for a trip to the one and only Senegalese restaurant in Chicago. Should be interesting. It's gonna be a longish drive, but my friend assures me it'll be worth it.:) The food is supposed to be poetic. And yes, I took an hour's walk this morning to burn some calories, just in case I'm going to overeat tonight.:P

You Are 44% Girly

You're a little girly, a little boyish, and probably a whole lot indie. You have your own unique style, and it pretty much defies gender lines.

So I am like Orlando, basically? ;P

Um... no. Not really, I guess. Anyone who has seen me knows that I look & dress quite femme. Except for my invincible aversion to high heels (why should my feet suffer for no reason, I ask?...;). But I also hate aggressive or shiny makeup, pink or red nail polish and gossip magazines; so if that makes me boyish, I guess I am.:P

( two more under the cut )

OK. I FINALLY figured out how to send photos from my phone to my computer - or how to email them to myself, basically (it's SOOO freaking easy, I can't believe it took me that long... *sigh*). So today I'm posting some pics of my new place. They aren't particularly good, sometimes quite blurry... but they're as good as I & my phone can possibly make them, and I couldn't resist anyway.:)

( So, if you wish to pay me a virtual visit, come in and take a peek.;) )

In other news, this weekend is the hottest so far in the Chicago area: the temperature during the day hovers between 30-35C (around 100F, is it?... I'm not sure, since I have set my desktop weather forecast for Celsius). Which is nearly unbearable, as far as I am concerned. So I'm staying inside, praising powers that be for air conditioning. *basks in the cool draft*

And that's all I have to say at the moment.