Not what I knee-ded...

Excuse the stupid pun. I'm a little annoyed. Mainly with myself. I've gone done it again...

Same leg. Doing the same thing. 'Cept this time it's my knee.

I hurt it, once again, playing the game I love. Basketball. But the pain I felt when I initially did it was hella crazy. Funny thing though. After the initial pain, for the rest of the day it didn't hurt. AT ALL. It was a very WTF moment.

On Sunday. I remember studder-faking to the right. Jumping up for a shot. And then the snapping feeling as I landed (it didn't turn out bad, but it sounded and felt like it was). I immediately knew my knee was fucked.

Friends helped me to the bench. And oddly enough I felt no pain. Bend. Nothing. Stretch. Nothing. I told them to go back to playing. I sat on the bench massaging it, bending and stretching. I felt good enough to get up. Good. No pain so far. Bend the knees. Good. Feels fine. I take a step with my left then a step with my right and BAM! It felt like my knees were either locking up or buckling. Then the shot of pain again.

I hopped back to the bench massage again...and the pain disappears. W.T.F.

Spending 4+hrs in the Alfred hospital was, oh! so much fun (please feel sarcasm here). And after all the checks and x-rays, they ruled it a sprained knee. But the fact that I felt no pain was apparently an 'unusual presentation'. No shit! After spending all the much time, all I got was a pair of crutches.

Monday was bad. The pain began in the wee hours of the morning. It started to throb. Then swell up. Then pain! I could no longer bend nor stretch and definitely still couldn't walk. Much of Monday was spent rubbing ointment and taking painkillers (Panadol).

Now it's the end of Tuesday and knee's feeling fine. It feels a little tight and hurt when I bend it, but other than that I can limp-walk, so it's all good. I should be fine by the end of the week...I hope.

And hey. I made the shot. :P

much love, I.

Impactful movies? ...Part II

It'd be about a month ago now...I was posed a question. "What movie has made the most impact on you?" My first answer was King Kong. Now I've another.

The movie is...Dogville. And this for entirely different reasons to King Kong.

I don't know if any of you have seen it. The entire film is shot on a sound stage. Meaning that there is very limited props and basically chork lines for buildings. It's like watching a stage show. It's an innovative idea, but one that fails miserably in terms of the "feel" of the movie. This isn't why it had an impact.

The impact comes in the story. It explores the ugly side of humans. And what could be interpreted as "human arrogance". I digress. Let me explain.

The movie is about Grace, who wonders into a small village called Dogville. A place with a popluation of 15. She is on the run. The villagers vote to let her stay, in exchange she does chores for them. It begins all rosy, but as soon as it becomes apparent that Grace is more than she seems, the attitudes of the villagers begin to change and they "bare their teeth".

It's the second half that's very impactful. Grace becomes a victim. She gets raped, abused, belittled and basically emotionally attacked. The villagers know about it but they don't care, they in fact act as if it's normal. This is the ugly side of humans I was talking about. The once cheerful and friendly villagers, who are for all intents and purposes "social hermits", become very bitter and vengeful as soon as they discover the danger in keeping Grace around. The turn is quite horrific and hard to watch (not visually, but it's just hard to bare). You get so frustrated and angry, you want to yell or throw something at the screen.

Then there's the other side. Grace's side. She accepts this abuse. Granted, she is in hiding, she doesn't necessarily have to stay in this village but elects to. It eventually gets to a point when she can't leave (they chain her by her neck to a heavy metal wheel so she cannot move freely), but that's later. And you realise why at the end and the key here is "arrogance".

The film explains that she allows all this to happen to her because she is arrogant. You might be thinking "huh?" but hear me out. It explains that she is so arrogant, that she puts herself on such a high peddistal. A peddistal to which she believes no body else can ever reach her level. So in her mind, if people like the villages who don't know any better and are trying their best to survive but do something bad, it's not their fault because that is what they know. That's their best.

It was a very "wow" moment after hearing that speech (delievered by James Caan's character). I probably didn't explain it very well. If you are at all intrigued, I suggest you check it out. Or ask me, I've got a copy of it. :P

By the way, this movie has a very satisfying ending. But it's by no means a happy one. It's not a movie you watch and you get the great feeling after. You've been warned.

much love, I.

A great passion?

What is passion really?

I think this word is thrown out there willy-nilly, like the word 'love', and the meaning of the word is starting to get lost. It's a really strong feeling/emotion for/or about something right? So I think in that case I've got two definite ones at the moment.

One goes without saying. The other...basketball...

Even with my current head-cold, I decided to brave the cold. Strap on my black and yellow sneakers. Pull on my elbow supporter. Grab that round leathery ball and head out for some shoot around. It's a 'kid friendly' park across the street. The ring lower than I remember. The weather cold as hell. The sun slowly fading.

I've just been craving to play. Dribbling. Shooting. Laying up. Wishing I could dunk. =P

Surprisingly, I hadn't lost any of my skills (at least of what I had. =P) but had lost all of my fitness. But I guess it's like the whole 'once you know, you know forever' kinda thing. Like riding a bike. Except I can't ride a bike...lol.

It was just me and the ball. 'Playing' basketball for the first time in who knows how long and as tired as I was getting, I felt so relaxed. So free. It was fun. Maybe because I was craving it so much. Maybe not.

It also reminded me of a lot of the past experiences I've had...

Watching the NBA on TV with dad. Playing basketball every lunch time and after school during primary and high schools. Rolling my ankle three times. Winning the 'B Grade' championship way back in 96. Crying because the training session was so tough. Getting our ass handed to us by a team at least twice our size but in the same age group. Countless jump shots I've made. Even more that I've missed. Always wishing I was taller, more athletic. Trash talking. Remembering when I used to be soft. Nailing a winning basket. Missing potential game winning free throws. Missing our finals because of sickness in 05. The days when a great friend and I played one-on-one for as long as both of us could see...

The funny thing is I don't even know when my love of this game started. But I guess that's what a 'great passion' is. Something you know that is important and means a lot to you, and it's been there since you can remember...

How many of these are you allowed to have?

much love, I.