salaryman’s Neighborhood

Pets were few inside the hidden cities, but many people kept caterpillars, and helped nuture them from worm, to

chrysalis, to butterfly. The process of transformation gave the people of the hidden cities a sense of promise and hope.

So many animals, and people, had been lost to the change, that a catepillar represented the chance for emergence from the situation. While the change was happening, some species of caterpillars threatened environments and people when the never ending rains, extended from the period of change to longer seasons, created habitats where the creatures thrived. Some over-thrived.

In Liberia, mass breeding of caterpillars, in an exceptionally wet climate, pushed people out of their own homes. The masses of caterpillars devoured plants and food for other wildlife became scarce. Normally, the caterpillars would not all fully develop, but in the extreme damp conditions the creature's multipled, nearly all growing to full adulthood. It became known as the caterpillar crisis of climate change in Liberia, and consideration was given to spraying the country with chemical pesticides to defeat the munching worms. The threat of poisoning the environment made the authorities decide against any pesticide use, and so the people moved away from the caterpillar infested areas, taking shelter in refugee camps.

While Liberia hated the caterpillars, other parts of the world were marveling at the growth of the species, and the

season of the butterfly, which they welcomed. Millions of butterflies would appear in late summer in parts of the world where the caterpillars thrived, and people would travel from far away places to witness the explosion of colour that took place. Butterflies were like the new spring flowers, and unlike the hairy, black and brown beasts that haunted Liberia, other parts of the world saw the Monarch caterpillar increasing in population and bringing beauty to the landscape.

Many people who lived in the hidden cities remembered the seasons of the butterflies with joy, and desired to keep the Monarch caterpillar as pets in their living areas. These pets were hand-fed leaves and grass, and given safe, dark places to build their chrysalis, and time to allow the transformation. When the caterpillar began to break out of its chrysalis, people gathered to watch the butterfly emerge.

When the birght coloured creature spread its wings and flew into the air, the people clapped at the performance.

 

Welcome to Haiはい。my transmedia journey,
-Lisa

*Flickr photos by:

Caterpillar - Brenda Anderson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouskiwi/

Chrysalis - MsEli: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mseli/

Butterfly - dwain77: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwain77/

• 20:58 Am watching X Factor half an hour behind so I can fast forward through the crap bits. Will catch up v. quickly no doubt. #
• 14:43 Time for a bit of george and ewan. #

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• 17:30 Good Bye Lenin! is on BBC 4 tonight. It's a fab film, you should watch it. #
• 20:58 Am watching X Factor half an hour behind so I can fast forward through the crap bits. Will catch up v. quickly no doubt. #
• 14:43 Time for a bit of george and ewan. #

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Slightly disturbed by what appears to be Prince Harry and also Daniel Radcliffe included among these. Do you think there is something subliminal going on which makes certain faces stand out the most? Mine was Jake Gyllenhaal.

• 22:06 Blubbed all the way through Bright Star. Walked past Edgar Wright on way to Leicester Square. #
• 22:10 @adders Hope you got to Guildford OK and had a nice dinner. #
• 22:43 Off to bed. Exhausted by all the excitement #
• 08:44 Right, Bright Star blog post written, pancakes for breakfast I think. #
• 17:30 Good Bye Lenin! is on BBC 4 tonight. It's a fab film, you should watch it. #

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Woke up this morning to bright blue skies so I just had to make the most of it. I've been meaning to try and take some nice Autumnal shots so I walked up to Green Park to see what there was by way of subject matter.
Just a few of my favourites the rest are on Flickr

OK so Bright Star was in a win-win situation:
 
John Keats: check
Jane Campion: check
Ben Whishaw: check

The trailers were promising. Campion was going to have to do something pretty stupid for me not to like this film, for me not to love this film.

For those who don't know the story, it is told through the eyes of Fanny Brawne, the neighbour and object of romantic poet John Keats' affection and some would say muse. The two were unable to marry because Keats didn't have any money as his poetry was yet to gain mass market appeal and then his life was cut short by TB.

Keats wrote beautiful poetry and this is a beautiful film. The setting, showcasing the simple beauty of English nature is like a third character next to Brawne and Keats.

The script is kept simple almost with the attitude that less says more leaving Abbie Cornish who plays Brawne and Whishaw who plays Keats to showcase a more subtle side to their acting abilities.

There is one particular scene which cements Cornish as such a talent, I find it hard to believe that she could have produced such overwhelming emotion for more than one take. It is when Brawne finds out from Keats' friend Charles Brown that he has died in Rome, where he had traveled to for the good of his health to avoid the British winter.

The performance touches on such grief and heartbreak that it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. And it is up there with Juliet Stephenson in Truly Madly Deeply.

If I was to judge this film on tears alone, my tears that is, not the actors, it would get a very damp 10 out of 10 as blubbed the whole way through. And I wasn't the only one in the cinema.

Not that I particularly care but here are what some of the professionals thought:

Daily Telegraph "It’s by some measure the best film she’s ever made. It feels special without being at all precious. Eloquent, too, but not self-consciously lyrical or florid."

Time Out "A combination of unstuffy dialogue, wise casting, unselfconscious performances and sensuous but never pretty photography makes Campion’s version of the nineteenth century feel current but not anachronistic."

• 17:29 At curzon sitting on comfy sofa with a glass of red waiting for my bright star #

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• 21:06 Shhhh...Spooks is on. #
• 07:31 More theatre tonight. This time a bit of Alan Bennett at the National. Lovely. #

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