Ana Pires 2.0

Yesterday I went to the movies to watch Cloverfield, for the third time. You can watch the trailer here if you don’t know what it is. There will be some spoilers in this post, but I’ll try not to say too much.

Now, I don’t usually go to the cinema and watch the same movie three times, but Cloverfield… Well, it was different. First I went with my brother, not expecting too much. Then I really liked it, and I thought my friends might like it, so I went along with them. Yesterday, it was my mother’s turn. It’s been out here in Portugal for about a month now, and will soon be getting off theaters, so I just had to take the opportunity and watch it one last time on the big screen.

Cloverfield, according to Wikipedia, is a hand videotape by five young New Yorkers who throw their friend a going-away party on the same night that a gigantic monster attacks the city.

But it is so much more than that. It’s extremely impressive and realistic. And I’ve read a whole bunch of reviews about it online. Godzilla, King Kong? No. I watched those movies, Cloverfield does not look like any of them at all. I wasn’t scared on any of those either, and with Cloverfield… I’ll admit it, the third time I watched it still managed to startle me.

One of the reasons that I went to watch it three times is that, apparently, I missed a few things the first time. A satellite falling? Dharma’s logo from the series Lost? A whisper? What? Where?!

If you missed all those things as I did, you need to get the DVD once it comes out and look for them. Or you could just go to the movies again, but anyway.

This is the official site for the movie, linked above already. This one, the previous official one, also has some very interesting images, but beware, it roars if you leave it on for a while (exactly 6 minutes after you open it). This really interesting blog, Cloverfield Clues, has some really nice content for you to go read if you wish. Something creepy as well: after the credits, you can hear a really low and weak whisper saying “Help us”. Interesting, yeah. Someone, however, decided to reverse that whisper, and the words “It’s still alive” are clearly heard. Cree-pee.

I’m not even going to mention all the viral marketing and all the connections to Lost and Alias, series also produced by J. J. Abrams. If you want to go further and investigate some more, go ahead, and feel free to let me know what you come across.

I want a sequel!

After an agonizing wait, I finally know all my grades. I passed all the subjects, which means all the stress and sleepless nights were worth it. Coffee and Coca-Cola (Zero, mind you, but that’s a whole different post) became my closest friends for quite a while.

But still, I came out with an average of 12,4 (on a scale of 0 to 20). I left secondary school with an average of 14,8 and got into University with 17,4. And now - with only five subjects and in the beginning, I know, but still - I get 12,4.

I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with myself. I was expecting more.

The next semester starts February 25th, and I have to say I have a killer schedule. It’s really good, and I get to keep my Mondays free. I’m pretty sure I’ll do better, and that my average will rise. I’ll study more. I’ll definitely start working on papers and orals the moment they’re given out to me. Can’t really say I’ll start participating in class (seriously, those people are intimidating), but I’ll definitely be more attentive. And I’ll be getting myself some more Diazepam too.

I kind of feel the obligation to, really. I just recently got my scholarship, and it gets me thinking. I’m being given these opportunities that some people can only dream of, and I’m getting them for free (almost). It seems a bit unfair that I don’t commit to them entirely.

So here I am, ready for the second semester.

Just as a reminder for myself, those three stupid kilos are still here, and I’m getting really tired of them. I’m going into that second semester in my best mindset - and for that I need to go with the weight issue resolved.