five is the magic number

It was the first day back after the school holidays, and I wasn't super stoked about going back to work, but..

sometimes in the days of malaise, 

the little people surprise me.

My phonics class chock full of 5 year olds tumble in like excited rabbits.

"I went to Taiwan!" 

The happy-go-lucky child in the class today is decked out in rainbows from head to toe.

One of the younger boys in the class rushes to my side. "I also went to a different country!"

"Oh? Which country?"

"Disneyland."

"Disneyland is not a country."

"It's a country!"

 "I used to work there you know... It's a cool place, but it's not a country. Did you go to Hong Kong Disneyland or Tokyo Disneyland?"

"Hong Kong! They had fireworks."

"Oh great!"

(now that I have his attention)

So.... What's the first sound in fish?"

"fff"

"Good! Now, what's the last sound in fish?"

"shhh"

"Exactly! Ok, what's the first sound in.. . "

(under his breath)

"Shhh is a diagraph."

". the first sound in . . Wait. What??"

"Shhh is a diagraph."

"How do you know. . . who told you that?"

He shrugs offhandedly.

"Umm. . . what's the last sound in . .. wait. Ok, can you tell me in your own words. . ..what is a diagraph?"

"A diagraph is when two letters come together to make a different sound."

Whoa.

"Alright. I wasn't going to put you in the next class yet, because I wasn't sure about your ability to share, but you've just demonstrated that you're on an entirely different plane."

Rainbow Brite skips by.

"Let me ask you about your trip! What did you do in Taiwan?" I ask.

"Eat!"

Smart girl.

"What did you eat?"

She thinks for a bit.

"Mmmm. . . Koko Krunch!"

(In case you aren't familiar with Koko Krunch, it's a Singaporean cereal kind of like Frosted Flakes and Coco Puffs combined.)

"That's not Taiwanese food... What else did you eat when you were there?"

"Ummm. . . bread?"

"Now, take a second and think about it. Did you eat anything special when you were there, I mean like special Taiwanese food?"

She thinks again for a while.

"Oh, I know... 

PIZZA!!!"

*sigh*

A girl after my own heart.

on Anomalisa* and creativity

*I wrote the following letter as a response to someone who asked me for my thoughts about the film. It may give a little away, so if you don't like spoilers, watch the film first!

My good friend with whom I saw the film commented during the credits that he liked it and that it was darker than he expected. I agree wholeheartedly; on reflection, I wouldn’t say that it was 'dark-dark' — it just wasn’t a fairy tale movie. 

I enjoyed it for the creative risks taken. It explored the themes of human lonliness and isolation, as well as the very complicated theme of relationships in let’s be honest— this bizarre contemporary culture. And there was no clear resolution at the end— you as the viewer were left to determine what you thought would happen for the characters in the future. . .  really, I felt like the world of the film was a telling depiction of the modern (though I dare to venture, Western) subconsious mindset.

I suppose I liked the film most as it mirrored my own writing style. I’ve been trying to reconcile with the fact that what comes out when I write (whether a screenplay, prose, or poetry) may not be to everyone’s tastes, or worse, to very few people’s tastes. But, why should I care? I am grateful that  A. I found a way to write SOMETHING and B. It’s a pretty sharp life lesson that as much as we want to give to a larger audience, sometimes art has its own plans. And I think looking at it from that angle allows a person a great deal of freedom. 

All that I really need to do is be present, come to the page, and pick up the pen. 

The winds blow and the work is done.