Little luscious tidbits
Drafts are… well, drafts. Sometimes they are not supposed to be published. But these drafts here that I’ve saved on Wordpress, they should be seen by the public, trust me. Enjoy the elaborate look behind the scenes of my life, basically, for here’s what I’ve never ever published:
From an entry I started writing on September 10th, 2008 and continued writing until I stopped on November, 30th, called I know what I did last summer:
Okay, wow. I’m stunned. I forgot all about this crazy entry. I started writing it on September 10th this year. I wanted to write an entry about my summer. When I edited a recent post in the archive I stumbled across the draft that hadn’t been published… as of now. I’d been working on it for about two days back in September, because I really wanted it to be complete and elaborate, but then I guess I’d forgotten about it. Well, now that it’s snowing outside and Christmas is practically knocking on our doors, I kind of like the idea of revisiting my trashy summer experiences, it’s a welcome contrast; so I finally completed the entry, and here it comes, in full glory. Enjoy, people. I hope it doesn’t take you as long to read it as it took me to write it. (But then again it probably will.)
Was my summer that interesting? Nope, actually it wasn’t. Am I writing an entry about it anyway? You’re damn sure I am! And just FYI; it will be one of the most extensive, in-depth installments of this blog to date. Be aware that, at the end of this post, you will probably know more about me than you’d like. Okay, now that we’re done with the formalities, let the games begin. Hmm… so, what did I do in the summer of 2008? Well, let’s start from scratch, shall we?
After what seemed a huge and stressful year of school, which included among other things the most stressful and definitely hardest work we ever had to face and also the greatest developments in other areas such as friendships and everyone’s personal character development, all my friends of class 7.d went into their final traditional summer holidays with rather mixed feelings. 4th of July marked the end of an era, and the following weeks weren’t successful in getting rid of this bittersweet taste. Of course, not all of my friends went on vacation and left me behind. Not right away, that is. Andi enjoyed some funny, flirtastic days in Italy, Bea finally found her luck in the working world as an ice cream girl, and Josef enjoyed his free days sleeping in and lying in the sun. Yannick and I shared some revealing moments on the top of a building, counting the many shining stars while eating McDonalds food. Somehow, my whole circle of friends was split. Of course there was the occasional get-together, watching Lost, playing games, shooting photos, or celebrating Andis 17th birthday, but still everyone was living in their very own world, I suppose. Conflicts arose when I was accused of not treating all my friends the same and preferring some over others. I am human, I make mistakes. So give me a break; I may be human, but that’s exactly why it also takes time to admit to these mistakes. July in a nutshell; I woke up, had delicious breakfast, did whatever pleased me - watching TV, writing something, reading something, meeting my friends - and went to bed, feeling stuck in Graz. I needed a break. Of Graz and my life here. Then came August, of course. The month that changed everything… or, to be slightly less melodramatic, the month that changed a few things.
August started out just like July had. But I desperately counted the days to when I finally could take off for Vienna and get a taste of what life was somewhere outside Graz. Since last year, it’s a tradition that in the summer holidays, I visit my aunt. She’s called Heidi, and actually, today’s her birthday. Let’s take a moment and congratulate her. Happy Birthday, Heidi! May all your wishes come true! Okay, back to business; being the second consecutive year following that tradition means it is still very fresh, but I was looking forward to seeing something of Austria’s huge capital. In the end, what I saw didn’t turn out to be that spectacular. I went on a nice trip with my aunt and her boyfriend - or, as Carrie would prefer to say - manfriend. I took the U-Bahn to explore the city on my own, and I couldn’t resist buying a few nice things at H&M. Including much-needed sunglasses to protect me from Greece’s aggressive sun. Well, I also finished watching the fourth season of Lost, and thoughts like Lost is cool! and God, you’re miserable! You’ve watched four whole seasons in just three weeks! Get a life! flashed through my brain after watching the finale. And after this weird trip to Vienna that still puzzles me a little, the most important time of my holidays could begin; my time in Greece. But if you expected a boring recapitulation of the events that happened in Greece, I’m sorry. That’s not what you’ll get. What you’ll get instead is much better. Jucier, funnier, just better. Here are my summer favorites - which will tell you all about what really did happen during my stay in Greece.
My favorite tunes - I love music. Love, love love music. I’m not the guitar playing, drums banging, bass picking kind of guy, no. I consume, I don’t produce. Sometimes I sing when showering, but even that is rare. I usually pluck in my earphones and listen to the many songs on my Creative Zen V Plus while riding my bike in the sun (in Greece, that is). Quite a few kilometers a day, actually. I could really groove when Madonna’s Give it 2 me was playing, and imagined partying and dancing just like a dance king. When sad, I had to listen to Joe Purdy’s classic I love the rain the most, and if I really needed it, it helped me shed some tears (drama queen, anyone?). When in a crazy mood - which happened a lot, in Greece - I usually turned to Digitalism’s Pogo, one of my all-time favorite electro songs. Mia’s Tanz der Moleküle inspired me every day anew when making up scenes for my new movie Aurélie, and finally, MGMT’s Time to pretend and Coldplay’s Viva la vida were with me every step on the way the last few days of my holidays.
Must-Watch-Shows - I’m usually depressed at the end of May, when every single one of my favorite shows goes on hiatus and the production is halted for quite a few months. Usually, September is the month to look forward to, with hopefully all the shows returning with their new seasons and fresh episodes. This year in Greece, I discovered an old favorite of mine; a show of which I’d watched the last few seasons when growing up; Beverly Hills, 90210. Two episodes a day, on the Greek channel Alpha, of course in original English stereo with annoying Greek subtitles. Watching the second season from 1992 for the very first time was a real pleasure; getting to know bitchy Brenda, played by the lovely and even-bitchier-in-real-life Shannen Doherty, was an adventure of its own. Scandals, taboos, ugly & old-fashioned clothes, 90es fever… all that and more, and I dug it! When I returned home, a surprise awaited me; the remake, spin-off or whatever called 90210. A fresh show with a few interesting new characters, unspent actors (give me some AnnaLynne love and I will watch any show!), and the best part about it… Brenda returns! The first three episodes weren’t groundbreakingly amazing, but they made for a solid, fun start for this new series. Let a new era begin! And last year’s favorite Gossip girl returned with the first two episodes of its sophomore season, and looks as stunning as never before; intriguing new storylines, some great new characters, and most of all, an acceptable, speedy pace at which things are happening. I can’t stand series where I have to wait four seasons for the main couple to hook up (Gilmore girls, anyone?) - not going to happen on Gossip girl. Steamy, sexy, raunchy. Sarcastic, cynical, funny. I love it. Ah, and before it slips my mind, add Lost to any must-watch list. You’re missing out on something when you’re not watching Lost. I know… uhm, one, two, yeah, I know three people who started watching Lost this past summer and are now total addicts who can’t believe they had never before watched the show.
Blockbuster-movies - In Vienna, I went to watch the chick-flick Mamma Mia! with my aunt due to the lack of other things to do (ha, that almost sounded like a good excuse or didn’t it?). The movie was said to get about anyone in a good mood, which I desperately craved. And look at that, it did get me into a good mood (temporarily, but that’s another story)! Catchy ABBA songs, lovely Amanda Seyfried and that stunningly beautiful Greek island did the job! And I didn’t even once since then deny that I saw the film. (Okay, maybe once… or twice.) A movie that kind of haunted me was packed up in my suitcase in a nice DVD box, of which I had created the cover. Yep, my own movie, Warteschlange. All had started out with an idea. Then a screenplay -which I wrote. Then the shooting process… phew, exhausting. And then all your relatives who want to see the movie. Of course with you, who can give insightful trivia about shooting the whole thing, and an exclusive look behind the scenes. My aunt. My little half-brother. My brother’s girlfriend. My own friends, even. (I hope they are still my friends now, after seeing it.) I think I have seen it 15 times now. My final night in Greece was surprisingly suspenseful and thrilling. Only because I finally got to watch the buzzed-about The Dark Knight, a movie which I wound up loving. At least the first half. I thought the film was over after that. Well, then came the second half. Still good, but not as stellar as the beginning had been. And last but not least Wanted, a spectacle, if you ask me. Shallow story, certainly not worthy of an Oscar for best screenplay, decent actors, certainly not worthy of the golden raspberry for worst actors. Wonderful, creative and highly stylish special effects. Definitely worthy of an Oscar. The special effects totally outshone everything else in this movie. I don’t know if the makers intended them to, but hey, there’s at least one Oscar nomination that the movie can be sure about (along with quite a few snubs, like Angelina’s performance… being pretty is a good advantage, but it hasn’t raised anyone’s chances of actually winning in the past. Just look at poor Julianne Moore, 4 nominations… no win!). At least if I were a member of the academy, which, as of today, unfortunately I’m not. (But hey, there’s hope… maybe someday!)
Delicious dishes - Wow, wow, wow. Boy, was I eating that summer. When I was bored - which happened quite often - I would eat. And eat, and eat. I literally spent 90% of my time eating something. Whether it was still back in good old Graz, where my mother discovered Iglo’s Genießerpfanne - Französische Art (or Paprikahuhn, for that matter), which I got crazy over every single time she made it, or in Greece, where I couldn’t get enough of my grandma’s traditional Greek cuisine. But the hippest and tastiest thing this past summer were the smoothies. An endless variety of luscious smoothies. Whether bought of self-made (oh these self-made smoothies that Andi and I made were so delicious!), these tangerine-honey, strawperry-raspberry, lemon-apricot, bla-bla smoothies were just made in heaven.
Overwhelming creativity - My oh my, not one day passed this past summer without me being somehow creative. I can’t help it, but everything I start or touch turns into something productive and creative, for that matter. When I don’t have anything else to do, ideas just start floating through my head, and I don’t hesitate to write them down or even execute them. That’s how I wrote two of the best episodes of my virtual series Faye to date, or how I planned the exciting last batch of episodes of my other original virtual series, Kawaii City. But I’m a film person, and everyone knows that, so I didn’t miss out on planning my newest screenplay - Aurélie. Now it’s November, and I still haven’t started penning it yet, but the process of researching and collecting ideas is an exciting one, at least for me. The writing… well, when I’ll get to it, I’ll get to it. Aurélie is a girl whose life works out just the way she wants it to; everything happens just as she wishes. But suddenly, she starts to fail. And nothing is like it used to be anymore. Trying to fix what’s still unbroken, she goes out on an exciting journey where she learns a great deal about life and herself as a person. Well, but then again I’m also pretty much a series’ person, aren’t I? And that’s how I got the idea for a new series called Savages. [Note: It’s been renamed Awakening as of now.] A provocative, authentic look at the lives of six young teenage friends. Somehow similar to the movie I just described, one might think, but these are indeed two completely different things. Aurélie is linear, touching and hopeful, while Savages Awakening doesn’t mince matters. With all its twists and cliffhangers it’s probably a little over-the-top, but hey, it’s a drama series that I’ve written, so what else did you expect?
Next up, an extract from a rather serious entry, titled Tomorrow’s a new day too, you know, written on the 4th of January, 2009:
Phew. New year, new luck? Yeah, right. The first four days of 2009 show me it’s still the same old, same old thing. And once again - hopefully for the very last time ever - I’m also complaining about the same old stuff. It’s January now, you know. I had been hopeful - or at least I was truly trying to be hopeful - and this being hopeful and waiting for something to happen in January, the prospect of something changing… that was what kept me going. Some might say this sounds ridiculous, and it does. But it’s nonetheless true. Right now, so many damn thoughts and feelings keep me from sleeping, eating, concentrating; quite frankly put: being myself. I’m torn between the wish that everything hadn’t happened, and that I would still be the same person without these experiences. Then I would have been spared all the hurtful repercussions. Then again I don’t regret anything that has happened last year… why, when the outcome proves to be so devastating? I would like to think it’s because I have the urge to grow wiser and to learn new things. But I know myself as a person, and I don’t like to admit it, but it’s because there’s still hope for me. And this lack of proper closure (like real closure, and some final answers) is killing me. And the thought that I can’t move on while they can (that this is everything on my mind while they rarely ever think about it… only if they ever think about it, that is)… yeah, wow, it’s… I’m stunned, I don’t know how to put it into words what I’m feeling.Okay, there’s nothing much left right now. I just needed to write this down. Once and for all, and for the very last time. I’m not going to ever write about this again - I promise. And I keep my promises. I need to deal with this. It’s not like I haven’t dealt with other heavy stuff before.
[And see, I did keep my promise. Never ever whined again.] And finally, an entry from the 5th of February (so you see, I tried several times to post something!), titled There’s always tomorrow:
- I’m going to Vienna. Next year - or even this fall - I’m really heading to Austria’s vivacious capital. Either on my own, or - more likely, with a few of my close friends. It’s always been a possibility. And a damn exciting one at that, I have to admit. Recently, I had to think about it a lot. And I’ve decided that it’s just the thing to do. I do like Graz. It’s a beautiful city, with a lot of charme and quite a few possibilites, and I love it for that… but it’s just not enough anymore. I want to experience new things, get to know new people… I want some adventures. I do.
- I really want that Oscar. Just kidding. What I do want is study film. It’s the one thing I really want to do more than anything else. I love plotting out twisty and subtle stories, creating complex characters with uncountable nuances and bringing them to life. I love coming up with dialogue - witty, poignant or devastating. I can’t think of anything more exciting than reading through a finished script and having pictures pop through your head of how the final film might look like; the process of evaluating which pictures and frames you will show to convey the emotions you want to convey. I just love it. And I also do love acting. So yup, that’s… [Note: I never finished that sentence, and I have no idea as to how it should’ve ended.]
And that’s about it. No more drafts from now on. Just entries.