a tower raven

Ravens at the Tower of London have a lot of history - mostly ominous.

in Oxford

We came from Paddington Station and arrived at Oxford to visit friends; ate scampis; heard stories about our friends' first visit to the Royal Ascot days before; and showed Meeza around in case she would want to go to an Oxford institution for studies. She seemed interested and I was quite pleased, I just had to cross my fingers.

stonehenge, close-up

the brits showcase

We were on the River Thames Cruise. It's a cold summer. In a little while we were to see the dungeons of old, torture chambers and of course, the Crown Jewels.

state of affairs

There are not many Sundays that you wake up to:

• Hillary bowing out of the presidential race. It is a cause for sad feelings for people in the US of A expecting to see a woman president in their lifetime. The Kenyans from a distance are genuinely happy for their "son", though.
• read that a young man had met his death in a car accident yesterday at dawn. Was he reckless?
• see Stephanie giving Donna an ultimatum, "Give me back my husband and I'll give you your family back." And you are left thinking how Eric can be that irresistible. Eeew!!
• watch Jolie's full lips on the TV screen as she berates Matt Damon for being the ever busy spy that he is. The Good Shepherd tells a boring story of the volatile early 60's and I reckon that they really wore lipstick that red. Those black and white photographs don't really tell the shade.
• Oil per barrel has gone up to almost $140 and might reach $150 by July. Should I cancel the trip to Hua-Ho Manggis then and save my petrol or am I correct to think that we will never get a price increase in our gas because we produce it??? Talk about complacency.
• feel that whatever bad news or bad shows there are, we got to hang on with dear lives and think about the blessings that the day may yet to bring.

westlife's fool again

For people who are kept in the dark, and are fools for love there's a song on the sidebar. The melody is great, the lyrics haunting.

I share Meeza's and Nazeemah's (best of friends) fondness for Westlife's songs. They are twelve and thirteen, and quite retro. No rocking, no metals, please. They're listening to Manilow and Pomeranz! Do I see a sort of renaissance?

top 100 movies

This list would certainly belong to a fifty year old.

Godfather, The (1972)
Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
Schindler's List (1993)
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
Casablanca (1942)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
Star Wars (1977)
Citizen Kane (1941)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Rear Window (1954)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Usual Suspects, The (1995)
Memento (2000)
North by Northwest (1959)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Psycho (1960)
Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Goodfellas (1990)
American Beauty (1999)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Vertigo (1958)
Matrix, The (1999)
Cidade de Deus (2002)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
C'era una volta il West (1968)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Pianist, The (2002)
Third Man, The (1949)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Fight Club (1999)
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Boot, Das (1981)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Chinatown (1974)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
All About Eve (1950)
M (1931)
Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
Se7en (1995)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Rashômon (1950)
Raging Bull (1980)
Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
Alien (1979)
American History X (1998)
Sting, The (1973)
Léon (1994)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
Vita è bella, La (1997)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
Finding Nemo (2003)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Great Escape, The (1963)
Modern Times (1936)
Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
Amadeus (1984)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Ran (1985)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Annie Hall (1977)
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Jaws (1975)
Apartment, The (1960)
Braveheart (1995)
High Noon (1952)
Aliens (1986)
Fargo (1996)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Shining, The (1980)
Metropolis (1927)
Blade Runner (1982)
Sixth Sense, The (1999)
City Lights (1931)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Duck Soup (1933)
Great Dictator, The (1940)
General, The (1927)
Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
Princess Bride, The (1987)
Dogville (2003)