Huddy (five years old) made this with wooden blocks this morning - he has been writing/drawing the THX logo a lot recently. As a result of his Waldorf/Steiner education, he has barely seen any movies, but he loves the THX logo in the Pixar films.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Amy Weisberg: Listen
Our son started a new kindergarden this week, a big and exciting step for him (and for us), and we find ourselves very fortunate to have him under the care and guidance of a wonderful teacher and writer, Mrs Amy Weisberg, one with great experience, wisdom, kindness and a remarkably open approach both to her role as a "guide" to her children and to the children's own differing sensibilities, levels of awareness and achievement, and the fact that their minds are at a precious and vital turning point between a wonderful acceptance of and unity with the world and the beginnings of "critical thinking," if you like - which brings with it the further growth of both character and the ego, and so is a stage that needs delicate attention and nourishment.
Mrs Weisberg has her own wonderful blog, Between The Words, and I asked her if I might reproduce here a marvelously atmospheric piece she wrote about her classroom, just before the school year begins. It is called, Listen, and one of the things I liked most about it was her appreciation of silence, along with that of the children "unhampered by thoughts of how things should be."
Anyway, here it is, and thanks to Amy Weisberg for letting me reproduce it:
The classroom is mostly quiet now, with the exception of the hum of the blessed air conditioner and the occasional ringing of the two bells indicating the necessity of the plant manager. The chairs are pushed in and the tables almost clear of the materials readied for the new year, a year that will be different, yet the same, as many others. Right now the playground is waiting patiently for the laughter of children that will fill it next week and the dolls in the playhouse wait patiently in their crib, clothing in tact and the plastic multicultural foods await preparation in the labeled bins. The smell of fresh, new crayons is in the air and the computers are happily waiting to begin their whir and hum of activity. For me, even music is not necessary yet; the silence is a giant space, open with possibilities and fresh with optimism. A bigger class this year, 24 or 25 new little students, some scared, some overly confident, most excited to begin an adventure that will last for the next 13 years. They enter the institution in the best of possible ways, a soft landing filled with songs, games, colorful paint and new stories told while they sit in squares on a colorful carpet rapt with attention. Friends wait to be made, blank paper filled with colorful drawings and easels beckon for young artists unhampered by thoughts of how things should be, instead filled with the endless imaginings of how things can be. Soon enough, the rhythm instruments will ting and jingle, sticks will tap and little children will bounce around the room, most unable to sit for long. They will be introduced to letters sounds, counting songs, The Pledge of Allegiance and happy songs of friendship. They will make life-long friends here in this safe place and will tell secrets, whisper, and hug with abandon unable to keep from expressing the simple joy of loving a friend or the happiness of running out the door to play. They will learn to appreciate the stillness of their own breath while in yoga postures stretching their bodies and minds to appreciate the stillness and space that allows for peacefulness. The silence is space, yet it is full of possibilities, experiences yet unknown and the peace of planning for future memories that will resonate in a happy place contained in the hearts of the future residents of Room K.
(Photo above of the parents gathered for the principal's commencement address.)
Friday, August 21, 2009
A Brief Extract from The War Zone: 20th Anniversary Edition
A brief extract from The War Zone: 20th Anniversary Edition, a newly updated (see two posts below) and revised edition now available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com, AuthorHouse and other booksellers:
"There is a moment which is so beautiful it makes everything else
worthwhile. You stand on the cliff above the village, early in the
morning or late in the evening, and you gaze out at the sea – a
huge, changing wash of light and movement, bigger than any of us,
a joker with a patience longer than any one life and an inconceivable
strength that can snap your back against the rocks as easily as you
might flick a fly off your nose.
I can feel how cold it is, even when it’s warm. Even when the water’s
not skimmed with a purple film of oil, and the pebbles and seaweed are
stewed in the sun, I can sense the ocean’s cold heart further out, out
by the skyline. Jessie’s tried to paint it, but she can’t get close. Either
the beauty is there or the darkness, but not both...
It’s not just the color, it’s the color of light, it’s the mood of the sky
and your own cross-wired soul. Down on the beach, it’s the druggy
thunder-hiss of the surf dragging at thousands of pebbles, as if the sea’s
in training for the greatest glue-sniffing contest on earth. Up here, with
a view of the sheep and the cottages and the coastline, there’s just the
image, no sound, and a faint tang of brine in the air, like a taunt or a
memory."
It’s more than a moment. It’s repeatable, though it’s never the same
twice. It’s where I go to stay sane down here, it’s where I go when I
miss London, when I want to work out what the fuck I’m doing with
my life."
worthwhile. You stand on the cliff above the village, early in the
morning or late in the evening, and you gaze out at the sea – a
huge, changing wash of light and movement, bigger than any of us,
a joker with a patience longer than any one life and an inconceivable
strength that can snap your back against the rocks as easily as you
might flick a fly off your nose.
I can feel how cold it is, even when it’s warm. Even when the water’s
not skimmed with a purple film of oil, and the pebbles and seaweed are
stewed in the sun, I can sense the ocean’s cold heart further out, out
by the skyline. Jessie’s tried to paint it, but she can’t get close. Either
the beauty is there or the darkness, but not both...
It’s not just the color, it’s the color of light, it’s the mood of the sky
and your own cross-wired soul. Down on the beach, it’s the druggy
thunder-hiss of the surf dragging at thousands of pebbles, as if the sea’s
in training for the greatest glue-sniffing contest on earth. Up here, with
a view of the sheep and the cottages and the coastline, there’s just the
image, no sound, and a faint tang of brine in the air, like a taunt or a
memory."
It’s more than a moment. It’s repeatable, though it’s never the same
twice. It’s where I go to stay sane down here, it’s where I go when I
miss London, when I want to work out what the fuck I’m doing with
my life."
(Image above from Tim Roth's film of The War Zone: the family on the beach)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Twitter Contest: Win a Signed Copy of The War Zone: 20th Anniversary Edition
My friend, fellow blogger and Twitter-ist, Merrel Davis, suggested an exclusive Twitter contest to commemorate the 20th Anniversary Edition of my novel, The War Zone, by offering a signed copy of the book to the person who provides the best answer, in three "tweets" or less, to the question:
“WHAT EXPERIENCE IN ADOLESCENCE MOST SHAPED YOUR LIFE OR WORK?”
To win, simply submit the best answer in three tweets or less to my Twitter account @AlexanderChow (just to confuse things, and for a degree of privacy sometimes, I am Alexander Chow on Twitter) by midnight PST Sunday August 23rd 2009. [Full Disclosure: Merrel is co-judging this Twitter contest. You can follow him at @UncompletedWork.]
Stay tuned for the second part of Merrel Davis' Stepping into The War Zone, where he reviews and compares The War Zone novel to Tim Roth's film of my book.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
More iPhone Dawns
Friday, July 24, 2009
Huddy's Fifth Birthday/Sunset from Griffith Observatory
We had a wonderful time at the Griffith Observatory yesterday evening as part of Hudson's Fifth Birthday Treat. We saw Saturn through the big telescope, we saw twin stars (one white, one blue) through a smaller telescope, and we saw the amazing planetarium show about the origins of the universe.
Huddy loved it all - not least this amazing sunset over the Hollywood Hills (actually over the Hollywood Sign). Happy 5th Birthday again, Hudson xxxxx
Monday, July 20, 2009
iPhone Dawn
Dawn with rare summer cloud (rare for California, anyway). I like the Van Gogh effect of this picture. This is a series of photographs of dawn that I have been taking, using my iPhone camera. I love the quality of pictures the iPhone creates, kind of in the way that Warhol loved Polaroids - although the colors and resolution here reflect more accurately what I see with my eyes:)A friend said that if you look at this picture upside-down, it resembles waves on the sea breaking onto a beach.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pixar's UP - Geniuses of LOVE
I'm repeating what I said on Twitter after we saw UP yesterday: Pixar are geniuses of LOVE.
Who but Pixar could even make a film about the friendship between an old man and a boy – and a floating house?
And without giving too much away, the way the story of the old man’s life is told is sublime…or quite possibly divine.
Wholly original beautiful moving cinema. See it - and see it in 3D if you possibly can, although it would be just as magical projected on a paper bag:)
Friday, June 5, 2009
GATE: Jim Carrey, Eckhart Tolle and John Raatz
I attended an astonishing event last night at 20th Century Fox Studios: the first gathering of GATE, the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment, a creation of John Raatz, Jim Carrey, Eckhart Tolle and others - including the phenomenal Melissa Etheridge and Donovan - dedicated to raising the bar among those of us who create entertainment, so that we think about the impact our work has on people and try to make that impact as positive, meaningful and, ultimately, transcendent as possible.
It doesn't mean avoiding the dark side - that can be addressed intelligently, since it is clearly a part of life and the world - but listening to and watching this group of people was a truly inspiring event. Jim Carrey seemed a thoughtful (and funny) man, and Eckhart Tolle is like a magical, highly enlightened, plain-speaking, extremely moving elf! (He spoke of his mother's death in the most personal yet relevant way.) Melissa Etheridge just made me cry when she spoke and sang - she is extraordinary.
I cannot blog fully about it now as I'm under deadline on a script, but I hope @thecitizen on Twitter will not mind me posting his lively account of the evening here (read from the bottom up!). By the way, I'm with Eckhart re: Groundhog Day - I think it is one of the best and funniest, most illuminating comedies ever...aside from all of Jim Carrey's films, of course:) There is a great chapter on Groundhog Day in a fascinating MoMA book called, The Hidden God.
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