Somehow I managed to take a break from finals and get dragged out for a quick dinner and movie at downtown Santa Monica (Third Street Promenade). Here are the mechanics of my day:
Dinner at Trastevere Trattoria Italiana. Delicious mashed olive-garlic dip. Watched Black Swan, a psycho-thriller about the physical and psychological stress a ballerina goes through as she tries to land the leading role in the classic ballet, Swan Lake.
Natalie Portman showed good balletic form, but I was hoping to see more dancing (a la “Centerstage,” starring San Francisco Ballet soloist Amanda Schull, by far still the best ballet movie out there. Can’t help that it’s a bit cheesy, but the dancing is fab!). Apparently Portman trained with dancers from the American Ballet Theater (one of the best ballet companies in the world, in my opinion), including Sarah Lane and Maria Riccetto, both of whom I met during my trip to New York back in 2005! I got a chance to watch the American Ballet Theater rehearse for their world premiere of Sylvia, take class with Diana Cartier and my ballet idol, Julie Kent. Ah, those were the glory days!! But, back to the movie… The scenes were WAY more intense and psychotic than I expected. It sent chills up my spine constantly throughout the movie! An interesting tip, though: When you go see the movie, don’t try to understand what’s going on. The character herself is lost in time and space, so it’s best to see things happen from her perspective, not from an audience/outsider’s view. It makes for a more interesting experience.
So much for distractions… I’m working on my take-home final once again– a 4-page single-spaced report for my IT Strategy class. (sigh). I’ve got all my ideas out, now I’m working on writing it all out with a touch of professionalism.
Alright, I promise this is my last distraction of the night, but check this out!!! It’s a Tiramisu Pancake recipe that looks absolutely freakaliciously GOOD.
Tiramisu Pancakes. My two favorite things in one.
Because finals have me burnt out, I’ll wait til I get home to the Philippines to whip it up!!! Courtesy of SteamyKitchen.com. Ohhhh I heart food blogs.
