It was a brilliant setup.

Dinner with Alicia and Paul at their home was changed last minute to meeting Kasia and Eric at a nearby restaurant. They were seated upstairs in a private room. I should've saw that coming. I walked in and there was Kasia and Eric.

And Kara. And David. And James, and Jeannie, Stuart, Karen and Michael. And balloons; one hanging by an empty chair in the center of the table screaming "OH NO...THE BIG THREE-OH!"

Were you surprised? I was asked over and over. I was, to quote James, so surprised I entered the room and took a step back. It's one thing to arrange this on the actual day and another to do it a week before. The masterminds at work were Jerry and Alicia, who have been arranging this on the side via secret-agent style phone calls.

There were the presents (a big gift certificate, movie passes, this DVD and a supposedly lost video cable uncovered underneath someone's bed), the big-ass cake, the heartfelt greeting cards (James' was particularly sweet; I would've shed a tear if I wasn't so emotionally guarded), but most of all, the sentiments felt but unwritten or unspoken. That always means more than anything else. 

I was told later that there were some people who should've been invited, but were unintentionally left out due to all these attempts to keep me in the dark. I apologize if you're reading this and going what-the-fuck? It's nothing personal. My friends don't necessarily know or remember all of my friends.

~

I left my party to attend another. This one was for Steven, who turned FOUR-OH, and was hanging out with his friends and other half at this tres trendy joint. I've been warned by reliable sources that it's super snooty and pretentious. By the time I got there however, which was less than forty-five minutes away from closing time, most of the patrons were already too drunk/horny/desperate/fuc ked up to maintain their air of "I'm-hot-shit." It was still a nice club, with cozy seats, good music and no cover. Save for the extremely long line at the loo (powdering faces? Or powder-in noses?), my first visit will warrant a second.

~

David's review of "Goodbye Dragon Inn" sums up very nicely what I felt about the film. Please check it out. Your patience will be profoundly rewarded.

Chris Doyle's commentary on the "Last Life in the Universe" DVD were filled with ramblings that didn't seem to have a coherent point, but was enlightening and inspring nonetheless. I can see why David thought he was a sweetheart at Berlin; he possesses an indescribable charisma that puts one at ease and almost makes you forget that he is the master cinematographer of our time. His approach places more emphasis on the overall effect of storytelling (no dorky-tech brags about using such as such equipment or technology), which makes me appreciate even more of where he's coming from and understand why the man is as talented as he is. It's not just all about the camera, or the frame we're looking at. The story and characters can ultimately be bigger and more meaningful than what we merely see. This reinforces a belief that I've come to embrace: first there's life, then there's cinema. The knowledge we gain from our daily experiences is a natural extension to film. That's why watching movies by itself (or even making them) is barely sufficient. The medium calls for something more substantial, more interactive. It requires our actual participation, our actual "living" in what we'll be creating later on.

~

We're heading to Austin in a couple of days. Scared? No. Nervous? A tad. Reading potentially negative reviews to be published soon? Horrified! I shall stop clicking on this link compulsively.