I haven’t written a real post in forever (and probably won’t be able to until this semester is over, sob), but I just wanted to pop in and post this essay I wrote for a writing contest sponsored by the Chinese department at Wellesley. The topic was “What characterizes the personality of a city?” Even now I’m not really sure if I addressed the essay question coherently — it’s been more than a year since I’ve written more than a couple of sentences in Chinese within one sitting — but for all you Chinese readers out there, I hope this isn’t too confusing (or worse, embarrassing) to read. English translation is forthcoming :)
There’s this line in Hamlet where Hamlet advises one of the players on how to act properly, cautioning him of the gravitas of theatre upon its audience. Hamlet describes theatre as a mirror in which the audience is able to see its own vices and virtues; a mirror that reflects “the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.”
I wonder what Shakespeare would think of modern theatre if he were still alive today.
If any of y’all were thinking that my lack of commentary regarding SHINee’s comeback was intentional, know that I am now slowly and tearfully eating my words from my last post. I’ve been keeping an eye on SHINee’s activities from the periphery, but I just haven’t had the time or energy to write about it as much as I’ve wanted to.
It’s currently 1am of the first official day of spring break — aka the first day in seven weeks that I haven’t found myself crying underneath a pile of schoolwork, dirty laundry, and crushed dreams — and because I’m finding it very difficult to English at the moment but still want to get this post out ASAP, here’s a relatively unorganized list of things I’ve noticed during this last round of promotions because that’s all I can really muster at the moment, I think.
Sometimes I ask myself why I still haven’t gotten over my SHINee phase after almost three long years of diehard fangirling. But then performances like this happen and I say to myself, “Why, what a silly question.”
I’ve resisted putting “Keeping Love Again” on my iPod only because it makes it that much more special whenever they perform it live. “1000 Years” was phenom. Minho, there’s hope for you after all :3
