just gotta say this...

just can't get this out of my head - just a little while ago, it was at the back of my mind, but it has now graduated to occupy my major thinking - so i'm making an entry out of it (just taking a break from reading various technical studies, hehe). in between talking about the peopling of Asia's different regions, sir Neil asked those who watched what they thought of Jan Dara (which was shown at the UP Cine Adarna last Friday at 10:30 am). after a silent reply and talking about what one of his students (someone who from Poveda) remarked about it, he proceeded to talk about the remarkable directors in Asian cinema. it turns out the director of Jan Dara is the one who directed the smash hit movie Nana, though i've never heard of it - unless it's the one the Japanese anime is based on. anyway, he also talked about three Chinese directors and he was quite aghast that none of us knew them. i actually knew one of them. of course, it's wong kar wai. but he being seated, and i seating second to the last at the end of the row in one corner of the room and with a voice that could barely be heard was not able to express my acquaintance with the famous wong kar wai, even if it was only with watching his films. the other director he mentioned was the one who helmed farewell, my concubine, a title i was familiar with but which i had never laid eyes on. anyway, it really bothers me now that he left the class without knowing that at least one of us knew one of the more artistic people in cinema that he was talking about. looking at it now, the fact that he was seating, the location of my seat which many times obstructs my view of him, and also the observation that he usually directs his view at the other side of the room, would've made any efforts of mine to express recognition of the director quite futile. but still, i could've raised my hand or intensified my voice since he was able to hear me when i expressed recognition of one famous miyazaki and his movie spirited away, but who, unfortunately, was the wrong person and film since he was referring to one of the pillars of Japanese cinema, along with Ozu whom joyce meant to movie-marathon with me (next week, dood). oh well, it's not really that big of a deal. but i have the notion that he thinks his students are not yet open to wider and more alternative cultures like the Asian culture which would be befitting students of asian history. but there's the notion that most, or almost all, of his students are freshies, and since many come from the provinces, one can't expect such influences to pierce the barrier set up by American imperialism. and i couldn't have answered satisfactorily if he asked me what i thought of wong kar wai's films, me being a passionate passive absorber instead of being a critically thinking viewer. one of my many pitfalls, something i was able to enumerate when i was taking a bath. more on that another time. maybe this morning, when i'm feeling like it. anyway, i'm getting back back to the thermal process contaminants.