Watching Nodame Cantabille now. Probably will be the last show i watch before going back next week. It centres around a music academy and thats what makes this show so good. For me,that is. Of course, the storyline and cast are great and it has the right amount of drama and comedy involved but it's the music used in the show that makes it stand out.
I love classical music. It helps me when im stressed out, it's the only type of music i can listen to when im studying and it acts as a great lullaby when i need to sleep. Being centered around a music academy, this show uses classical music as it's soundtrack. And they choose the most awesome pieces. For different scenes, different pieces are inserted and what's amazing is that they always fit the mood and. It actually even gets you in the mood. Like theres one scene where they use Mozart's The Bumblebee and you just feel yourself getting drawn into it.
I get sidetracked sometimes watching it. I'll be listening to what music they choose and i'll forget to actually see what's going on. haha.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Silent Boy II
Silent Boy turned out to be quite sinister and dark. The psychologist gets him to talk surprisingly fast, and reading about that particular process was touching and you felt so kesian for the boy cause he really was trying so hard. But then, it's like by giving him back his voice she kinds of at the same time unleashes this evil, creepy boy. At the early part of the book, Kevin hides himself under tables, he builds wall around himself, literally using chairs and other stuff. At that time you kind of feel like he's really very innocent even though he's actually 15, a young man. But when he starts talking again and starts getting out from under the table and all that you see that he is really cunning and somewhat scary.
The child psychologist while at first ecstatic about getting him to talk becomes uneasy when she listen to what he talks about most of the time - killing his abusive stepfather. He talks about it almost candidly and draws surprisingly accurate gruesome pictures of him lying on roadsides with his stomach slashed open, his guts everywhere and vermin crawling all over him. Kevin even cunningly transforms himself into a nice boy knowing that a fast recovery would help him get out of the institution.
I haven't finished the book yet. So far, i'm at the part where the psychologist is back to treating Kevin after he left the institution for about 4 months. I'm quite curious as to how this story is going to end. The fact that it's a true story means that there may not necessarily be a happy ending.
The child psychologist while at first ecstatic about getting him to talk becomes uneasy when she listen to what he talks about most of the time - killing his abusive stepfather. He talks about it almost candidly and draws surprisingly accurate gruesome pictures of him lying on roadsides with his stomach slashed open, his guts everywhere and vermin crawling all over him. Kevin even cunningly transforms himself into a nice boy knowing that a fast recovery would help him get out of the institution.
I haven't finished the book yet. So far, i'm at the part where the psychologist is back to treating Kevin after he left the institution for about 4 months. I'm quite curious as to how this story is going to end. The fact that it's a true story means that there may not necessarily be a happy ending.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Nobuta Wo Produce
I just finished watching Nobuta Wo Produce, this Japanese drama my brother recommended to me a few years ago. I never got around to watching it before this mainly because i couldn't find it in the stores. Took me a while to realise that they marketed it here using it's English title. Like there's no inkling at all that it's called Nobuta on the dvd cover which is why the store workers couldn't help me. Anyway, this has got to be by far one of the best dramas i watch especially when it comes to dramas dealing with high-school students.
It revolves around 3 main character, 2 guys and a girl. There's Shuji, the most popular guy in school who thinks life is a game, and whose actions portray him as a totally different person than he actually is, which is someone who is afraid of loneliness and the thought of people not liking him. There's Akira, a weird eccentric guy who hangs around Shuji, even if Shuji finds him annoying. The guy who acts as Akira totally makes the show with his weird mannerisms and hand gestures. Then there's Nobuta, a girl scarred from childhood when she is rejected by her stepfather and goes through life being bullied which makes her into this person who doesn't find the it worth living. They make her character have this kind of eerie presence, she's really pale, she talks so little and it's only at the end of the show when she actually smiles...that also in a somewhat weird way.
Basically this story is about Shuji and Akira deciding to bridge forces to make Nobuta into the most popular girl in school. For Shuji, it's just another form of a game for him and weird Akira finds itto be an equally amusing activity. Of course, it's no easy feat and they create all this funny ways of trying to make her popular. At the same time the friendship between the three become stronger and you start seeing that it's not just Nobuta who's going through a makeover but the other two chracters also start unveiling to become who they actually are.
The main theme in this show is friendship, which is why it is so attractive to me. And the way the characters act and how the story moves on is realistic enough that you can see how it could happen in real life. The theme of love (in the sense of between male and female) takes a minor role here. I loved that. Most dramas take the route of creating a love triangle and making that it the main story which i find so overdone and irritating. Most of the times they make it very emotional and the friendship goes through all these unnecessary strains.
In this drama, there is a love triangle but it hardly becomes a main story.Akira falls for Nobuta and realises he loves her. While at first he makes a point to win her heart, he gives up because he realises that he wouldn't be able to make her happy. That part in the drama was particularly touching for me. When Akira tells Shuji his reason, Shuji says that the only important thing should be love and that that would be enough. Akira then replies saying that love was important but to be happy there were other things you also needed. I loved that response, it's exactly what i think. Most dramas just use love as the pretense of getting together and the character go around thinking and exclaiming that just by truly loving that person they were meant to be together.
Nobuta also shows slight feelings for Shuji but never acts on it probably because she values his friendship more and realises that the three of the remaining as friends is the best way to go. Their friendship goes through many adversities through out the show and i like how when they're faced with problems regarding each other they dont jump to conclusions and instead decide to actually listen to explanations and believe in each other. When a vindictive girl gives Akira a picture of Nobuta hugging Shuji while she was comforting him, instead of going all psycho and feeling betrayed he chooses to ignore the picture(which was totally the right to do as the hugging scene wasn't like how it looked) . So the issue of the picture was eliminated and it's only at the end of the show that Shuji finds out that Akira had the picture and realises even more of how he really is a great friends.
The ending is bittersweet,very satisfying. I didnt fast forward once watching this drama. It was too dramatic, so there wasn't any sad too depressingg moments, the cast is great,funny.The chemistry is fabulous. The soundtrack is nice to hear. It has just 10 episodes so it doesnt drag on. All in all, a great show.
It revolves around 3 main character, 2 guys and a girl. There's Shuji, the most popular guy in school who thinks life is a game, and whose actions portray him as a totally different person than he actually is, which is someone who is afraid of loneliness and the thought of people not liking him. There's Akira, a weird eccentric guy who hangs around Shuji, even if Shuji finds him annoying. The guy who acts as Akira totally makes the show with his weird mannerisms and hand gestures. Then there's Nobuta, a girl scarred from childhood when she is rejected by her stepfather and goes through life being bullied which makes her into this person who doesn't find the it worth living. They make her character have this kind of eerie presence, she's really pale, she talks so little and it's only at the end of the show when she actually smiles...that also in a somewhat weird way.
Basically this story is about Shuji and Akira deciding to bridge forces to make Nobuta into the most popular girl in school. For Shuji, it's just another form of a game for him and weird Akira finds itto be an equally amusing activity. Of course, it's no easy feat and they create all this funny ways of trying to make her popular. At the same time the friendship between the three become stronger and you start seeing that it's not just Nobuta who's going through a makeover but the other two chracters also start unveiling to become who they actually are.
The main theme in this show is friendship, which is why it is so attractive to me. And the way the characters act and how the story moves on is realistic enough that you can see how it could happen in real life. The theme of love (in the sense of between male and female) takes a minor role here. I loved that. Most dramas take the route of creating a love triangle and making that it the main story which i find so overdone and irritating. Most of the times they make it very emotional and the friendship goes through all these unnecessary strains.
In this drama, there is a love triangle but it hardly becomes a main story.Akira falls for Nobuta and realises he loves her. While at first he makes a point to win her heart, he gives up because he realises that he wouldn't be able to make her happy. That part in the drama was particularly touching for me. When Akira tells Shuji his reason, Shuji says that the only important thing should be love and that that would be enough. Akira then replies saying that love was important but to be happy there were other things you also needed. I loved that response, it's exactly what i think. Most dramas just use love as the pretense of getting together and the character go around thinking and exclaiming that just by truly loving that person they were meant to be together.
Nobuta also shows slight feelings for Shuji but never acts on it probably because she values his friendship more and realises that the three of the remaining as friends is the best way to go. Their friendship goes through many adversities through out the show and i like how when they're faced with problems regarding each other they dont jump to conclusions and instead decide to actually listen to explanations and believe in each other. When a vindictive girl gives Akira a picture of Nobuta hugging Shuji while she was comforting him, instead of going all psycho and feeling betrayed he chooses to ignore the picture(which was totally the right to do as the hugging scene wasn't like how it looked) . So the issue of the picture was eliminated and it's only at the end of the show that Shuji finds out that Akira had the picture and realises even more of how he really is a great friends.
The ending is bittersweet,very satisfying. I didnt fast forward once watching this drama. It was too dramatic, so there wasn't any sad too depressingg moments, the cast is great,funny.The chemistry is fabulous. The soundtrack is nice to hear. It has just 10 episodes so it doesnt drag on. All in all, a great show.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Silent Boy
I bought a new book today, Silent Boy by Torey Hayden. It's a true story. Torey Hayden is a child psychologist who works with children with special needs. So she writes about her own experiences and covers subjects like autism,sexual abuse and Tourette's syndrome. I read a chapter of Silent Boy while i was in Popular. It's about 15 year old Kevin who is seriously afraid of the world and has not spoken a word in 8 years. Can you imagine that? Not speaking a word in 8 years!!!
Kevin is a boy with elective mutism,which is an emotional distubance that occurs mainly in kids. The kid is capable of speaking but because of psychological reasons refuses to do so.The book is about but how she tries to help the boy even if it proves to be a tough challenge and she realizes that it won't be easy to break the walls he built around himself.
Books like these really interest me whether they are fiction or non-fiction. Both Marti Leimbach's Daniel Isn't Talking about a mother who has an autistic child and the famous Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon who's main character has Asperger's syndrome are favorite's of mine. Reading stories like these is both heartbreaking and fascinating at times.
It's lovely to read about parents who while find it hard to deal with these special children make huge efforts to understand their world. I totally salute them. The patience they have, their dedication is exemplary. At the same time it's sad when sometimes the strain and exhaustion they experience breaks up their lives. A show i watched about autism talked about how 50% or more couples with autistic children get divorced.
So, i can' wait to see how this book turns out. It doesn't say in the back whether she succeeds in getting him to speak or not but it'll be interesting to see what she does to try and help him.
Kevin is a boy with elective mutism,which is an emotional distubance that occurs mainly in kids. The kid is capable of speaking but because of psychological reasons refuses to do so.The book is about but how she tries to help the boy even if it proves to be a tough challenge and she realizes that it won't be easy to break the walls he built around himself.
Books like these really interest me whether they are fiction or non-fiction. Both Marti Leimbach's Daniel Isn't Talking about a mother who has an autistic child and the famous Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon who's main character has Asperger's syndrome are favorite's of mine. Reading stories like these is both heartbreaking and fascinating at times.
It's lovely to read about parents who while find it hard to deal with these special children make huge efforts to understand their world. I totally salute them. The patience they have, their dedication is exemplary. At the same time it's sad when sometimes the strain and exhaustion they experience breaks up their lives. A show i watched about autism talked about how 50% or more couples with autistic children get divorced.
So, i can' wait to see how this book turns out. It doesn't say in the back whether she succeeds in getting him to speak or not but it'll be interesting to see what she does to try and help him.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Nikolai Gogol and IWGP
I've decided to bring back Middlesex and Sophie's World when i start uni. I'm probably going to be real busy so i don't think theres are point in bringing too many. Chose Middlesex cause so many people have recommended in to me and i've read a few pages to know that it's definitely a good read and i'm taking Sophie's World cause i've read it a few times and it's something i can read when i'm too busy too start on a new book but still need some reading material.
I read a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol recently. I heard about it when i watched this movie 'The Namesake' where the main character was named Gogol. His two most popular short stories i think were ' The Overcoat' and ' The Nose'. Both are extremely good. I like how his subject matters are simple yet what he is trying to portray in his work usually covers extensive ground. The Nose is really comical i must say even if the story itself is like crazy.
Also finished the Ikebukuro West Gate Park(IWGP) series. It was really good. Much more edgier, seedier type of Japanese Drama. Acting was top-notch, the plot moved along quite fast, and the ending while it was a bit sentimental for me, it still seemed believable. Towards the end they even killed off one of the main characters and that's not something you usually do in dramas( except for those dramas where the main characters have some illness and find love before they die). I'd give it 8/10.
Watched Made Of Honour that day. It was ok. Nothing great but it wasn't terrible either. But it's no My Best Friend's Wedding for sure.
I read a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol recently. I heard about it when i watched this movie 'The Namesake' where the main character was named Gogol. His two most popular short stories i think were ' The Overcoat' and ' The Nose'. Both are extremely good. I like how his subject matters are simple yet what he is trying to portray in his work usually covers extensive ground. The Nose is really comical i must say even if the story itself is like crazy.
Also finished the Ikebukuro West Gate Park(IWGP) series. It was really good. Much more edgier, seedier type of Japanese Drama. Acting was top-notch, the plot moved along quite fast, and the ending while it was a bit sentimental for me, it still seemed believable. Towards the end they even killed off one of the main characters and that's not something you usually do in dramas( except for those dramas where the main characters have some illness and find love before they die). I'd give it 8/10.
Watched Made Of Honour that day. It was ok. Nothing great but it wasn't terrible either. But it's no My Best Friend's Wedding for sure.
Gateway to Another World
When i was about 13/14, all the shelves in my room were filled with books and i was running out of space. So it was at that time that i decided to pack up all my books into boxes to make way for new books. Also at that time i was kind of moving on to different kind of reading material and books by Roald Dahl, Caroline B. Cooney, Judy Blume and my whole Sweet Valley series made way for the likes of Kazuo Ishiguro, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon and Jostein Gardner.
Anyway, a few days ago i was in my sister's room and i saw that my mum had arranged all those books i had boxed up on some shelves she had had built. I think they had been there for a while but i never noticed. I got so excited seeing all those books, i spent a good part of the evening going through all of them. It was like going through some memory vault. Each book reminded me of a different time of my childhood. Going through our Enid Blyton collection reminded me of all the crazy characters like Mr.Pink Whistle and the magical worlds that she created.
Seeing all the Sweet Valley books arranged in one big pile made me realise we probably bought the whole collection especially the Twins,Junior yr,Senior yr and High School series. I went through reading bits and pieces of some of them and i think they're still some of the best teenage series books i've read. They discussed loads of issues - racism, death, drug, cliques and all that. I think a lot of the books we have nowadays are not as good as they were.
I also loved how the book covers for books meant for children are so coulourful and so yummy if you get what i mean. Even now, when i see the young adults section i always have the urge to get some of them but have to restrain myself.haha.
Anyway, a few days ago i was in my sister's room and i saw that my mum had arranged all those books i had boxed up on some shelves she had had built. I think they had been there for a while but i never noticed. I got so excited seeing all those books, i spent a good part of the evening going through all of them. It was like going through some memory vault. Each book reminded me of a different time of my childhood. Going through our Enid Blyton collection reminded me of all the crazy characters like Mr.Pink Whistle and the magical worlds that she created.
Seeing all the Sweet Valley books arranged in one big pile made me realise we probably bought the whole collection especially the Twins,Junior yr,Senior yr and High School series. I went through reading bits and pieces of some of them and i think they're still some of the best teenage series books i've read. They discussed loads of issues - racism, death, drug, cliques and all that. I think a lot of the books we have nowadays are not as good as they were.
I also loved how the book covers for books meant for children are so coulourful and so yummy if you get what i mean. Even now, when i see the young adults section i always have the urge to get some of them but have to restrain myself.haha.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Random Bits
Feeling much better today. Had piano classes just now. Today's class lasted for 90 minutes as i had to replace an earlier class i missed. Because we had so much time, she gave me 3 pieces instead of the usual 2. And i finally got my first Richard Clayderman piece. I've tried a few but they're not very easy and i usually play halfway but this time i'm determined to nail it. haha
I've started reading P.G Wodehouse because with a headache and all a light read is the best choice. Also yesterday i read bits and pieces of Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down because i just got it back. Somehow, i can't resist reading his books over and over again. You can just open any page and you're bound to laugh. A long Way Down is one of my fav's mainly because of the character of misfits in it.
Watching a different J-drama this week - IWGP. It's more of a murder mystery drama and so far it's been interesting.
I'm on an overdose of Jason Mraz these days. I used to listen to him a lot and then i stopped cause probably i wasn't in the mood for his tunes but my sis introduced me to Lucky and i'm into him again.
I've started reading P.G Wodehouse because with a headache and all a light read is the best choice. Also yesterday i read bits and pieces of Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down because i just got it back. Somehow, i can't resist reading his books over and over again. You can just open any page and you're bound to laugh. A long Way Down is one of my fav's mainly because of the character of misfits in it.
Watching a different J-drama this week - IWGP. It's more of a murder mystery drama and so far it's been interesting.
I'm on an overdose of Jason Mraz these days. I used to listen to him a lot and then i stopped cause probably i wasn't in the mood for his tunes but my sis introduced me to Lucky and i'm into him again.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Random
Ive been sleeping for nearly the whole day, waking up just to pray and bathe. I would have slept longer but Petity woke me up by jumping around my bed reminding me that i had to feed her. My fever's coming and going and i've used so many tissues.
Watching Project Runway 2. So cool that i get to see an episode a day. If i could get the DVD set i definitely would. Season's 2 is one of my fav cause i like a lot of the contestants - Daniel, Nick, Chloe even Santino who provides drama.
Reading 'The Tent' by Margaret Atwood. It's a collection of short stories. Really good read. All the stories have a dark weird sense to it.
Watching Project Runway 2. So cool that i get to see an episode a day. If i could get the DVD set i definitely would. Season's 2 is one of my fav cause i like a lot of the contestants - Daniel, Nick, Chloe even Santino who provides drama.
Reading 'The Tent' by Margaret Atwood. It's a collection of short stories. Really good read. All the stories have a dark weird sense to it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sick
Not feeling too well at the moment. My head feels like a ton of bricks. I'm lying on the bed now trying to decide the best amount of pillows i need under my head. hmm...i slalu suddenly2 demam. And always bad timing. Dahlah i have a driving class 2mrw. At this rate i'm never going to get my license. I'm contemplating going eventhough im feeling this way but the last time i did that cause some unwanted things to happen. enough said about that.
Faran followed Maya and Ravin back so i spent some time cleaning up the room just now. The whole 'cleaning is therapeutic' thing really works for me. Felt really relaxed after that. I finished Musashi so i'm still in the process of deciding what my next book will be. I have like about 2 weeks left before i start med and i want to cram as many reading time as possible. During foundation i barely read so i'm guessing the situation during 1st year med will be worse. Some titles that i'm looking at are Middlesex(John Euginides), Sam the Sudden (P.G Wodehouse) and Such A Long Journey( Rohintan Minstry).
I didn't think the poem i put up in the previouse posts would get people so emotional. I've had quite a few messages from my friends telling me how it touched them and how much it made them miss their parents. hmm..i guess being away in college and all you get swept up in whatever's going on but when you get reminded of what's there at home..you get a little homesick.
I don't think i'll be terribly homesick leaving home soon but i'll definitely miss being here. I love that i got to hang out with my parents so much,especially my mum. With my dad, i've talked more than i ever did, even actually having fun when we went out just the two of us for lunch. Maybe not being at home a lot last year made me appreciate them so much more. These past few months my general mood has been happy and contentment. Alhamdullilah.
I'm going to sleep now. Again. That's one thing fever does to you. I've been dozing off so many times today.
P.S : Happy Bday Nad!!! Love you loads.
Faran followed Maya and Ravin back so i spent some time cleaning up the room just now. The whole 'cleaning is therapeutic' thing really works for me. Felt really relaxed after that. I finished Musashi so i'm still in the process of deciding what my next book will be. I have like about 2 weeks left before i start med and i want to cram as many reading time as possible. During foundation i barely read so i'm guessing the situation during 1st year med will be worse. Some titles that i'm looking at are Middlesex(John Euginides), Sam the Sudden (P.G Wodehouse) and Such A Long Journey( Rohintan Minstry).
I didn't think the poem i put up in the previouse posts would get people so emotional. I've had quite a few messages from my friends telling me how it touched them and how much it made them miss their parents. hmm..i guess being away in college and all you get swept up in whatever's going on but when you get reminded of what's there at home..you get a little homesick.
I don't think i'll be terribly homesick leaving home soon but i'll definitely miss being here. I love that i got to hang out with my parents so much,especially my mum. With my dad, i've talked more than i ever did, even actually having fun when we went out just the two of us for lunch. Maybe not being at home a lot last year made me appreciate them so much more. These past few months my general mood has been happy and contentment. Alhamdullilah.
I'm going to sleep now. Again. That's one thing fever does to you. I've been dozing off so many times today.
P.S : Happy Bday Nad!!! Love you loads.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Orange Days
I just finished watching Orange Days..and i loved it!! I actually wrote a post all about it..but i didn't save it and it's lost. So, i'll just leave you with a picture of the main character - who is so adorable and his character in the show ( so baik, selfless) is to die for! The show left me smiling and satisfied.
Musashi
Musashi is a great read and is often referred to as the 'Gone With The Wind' of Japan. For me, i preferred it much more if compared to the latter. It's a historical epic novel and while is a work of fiction, the main character Musashi Miyamoto himself did exist and most of the characters and events depicted in the book happened. The book is about his life as he goes about his ways learning to live the true way of the samurai. A few years ago my brother recommended this book to me. My bro doesn't read as much as my sisters and I do but when he does he really chooses his books wisely so it was only natural that i would pay heed to what he said and get the book. The book is 970 pages long and is written in small print so most people may be turned of from the start, but after the first few pages you'll just get sucked in the flow of the words. When it was first published they would publish it through a syndication with a magazine i think so there would be 1/2 chapters a week so each chapter has like a cliffhanger/coincidental happenings thing going on.
Still, what drew me to read it was the book's subject matter, it's depiction of Japanese History and culture and the samurai's way of life. Watching so many samurai related movies and anime has of course made me a fan of this genre. Reading or watching something related to them, you kind of always get this sense of loyalty, dignity and honour. The book does it wonderfully even adding a subdued but still captivating (for me, at least) story of love. And it even has some bouts of humour.
I read it a 2nd time this holidays because the first time i read it was during a busy period so i tried to finish it as fast as i can. This time around i took my own sweet time. I definitely rate it as one of my favourite books. It's different from the books written by modern Japanese authors like Kazuo Ishiguro or Haruki Murakami. Theirs have a more psychological literature thing going on but this one is written in the way most Japanese stories were written at that time.
Still, what drew me to read it was the book's subject matter, it's depiction of Japanese History and culture and the samurai's way of life. Watching so many samurai related movies and anime has of course made me a fan of this genre. Reading or watching something related to them, you kind of always get this sense of loyalty, dignity and honour. The book does it wonderfully even adding a subdued but still captivating (for me, at least) story of love. And it even has some bouts of humour.
I read it a 2nd time this holidays because the first time i read it was during a busy period so i tried to finish it as fast as i can. This time around i took my own sweet time. I definitely rate it as one of my favourite books. It's different from the books written by modern Japanese authors like Kazuo Ishiguro or Haruki Murakami. Theirs have a more psychological literature thing going on but this one is written in the way most Japanese stories were written at that time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Sutra on the Great Love of Parents.
The book i'm reading now Musashi while it's essentially about Miyamoto Musashi it also touches a lot on the spirituality and talks about the teachings of the Buddha. Anyway, in one of the chapters one of the characters was copying a Buddhist sutra and i found it to be very touching. It's really simple but really really meaningful. The book doesnt publish the whole thing and i haven't found the complete copy yet but here's a part of i
Thus I have heard
Once when the Buddha was on the Sacred Vulture Peak
In the City of Royal Palaces
Preaching to bodhisattvas and disciples
There gathered a multitude of monks and nuns and lay believers, both male and female,
All the people of the heavens,dragon gods and demons,
To hear the Sacred Law.
Around the jeweled throne they gathered
And gazed with unwavering eyes,
At the holy face
At this time the Buddha
Preached the Law as follows:
'All ye good men and good women,
Acknowledge your debt for your father's compassion,
Acknowledge your debt for your mother's mercy.
For the life of a human being in this world
Has karma as its basic course,
But parents as its immediate means of origin.'
' Without a father, the child is not born
Without a mother, the child is not nourished.
The spirit comes from the father's seed;
The body grows within the mother's womb.'
' Because of these relationships,
The concern of a mother for her child
Is without comparison in this world...'
'From the time when she receives the child in her womb,
During the passage of nine months ,
Going,coming,sitting,sleeping,
She is visited by suffering.
She ceases to have customary love for food or drink or clothing
And worries solely about a safe delivery.'
' The months are full,and the days sufficient.
At the time of birth, the winds of karma hasten it on,
Her bones are racked with pain.
The father,too trembles and is afraid.
Relatives and servants worry and are distressed.
When the child is born and dropped upon the grass,
The boundless joy of the father and the mother
Match that of a penurious woman
Who has found the omnipotent magic jewel.
When the child utters its first sounds,
The mother feels that she herself is born anew.
Her chest becomes the child's place of rest;
Her knees, its playground.
Her breasts, its source of food.
Her love,its very life.
Without its mother, the child cannot dress or undress.
Though the mother hungers,
She takes the food from her mouth and gives it to her child.
Without the mother,the child cannot be nourished...'
' The mother goes to the neighboring village to work.
She draws water, builds the fire,
Pounds the grain, makes the flour,
At night when she returns,
Before she reaches the house,
She hears the baby's crying
And is filled with love.
Her chest heaves, her heart cries out,
The milk flows forth, she cannot bear it.
She runs to the house.
The baby, seeing its mother approach from afar,
Works its brain, shakes its head,
And wails for her.
She bends her body,
Takes the child's two hand,
Places her lips upon its lips.
There is no greater love than this.
When the child is two,
He leaves the mother's breast.
But without his father, he would not know that fire can burn.
Without his mother, he would not know that a knife can cut off fingers.
When he is three, he is weaned and learns to eat.
Without his father, he would not know that poison can kill.
Without his mother, he would not know that medicine cures.
When the parents go to other houses
And are presented with marvelous delicacies,
They do not eat but put the food in their pockets
And take it home for the child, to make him rejoice...'
'The child grows,
The father brings cloth to cloth him.
The mother combs his locks.
The parents give every beautiful thing they possess to him,
Keeping for that which is old and worn.
The child takes a bride
And brings this stranger into the house.
The parents become more distant.
The new husband and wife are intimate with each other.
They stay in their own room, talking happily with each other.'
' The parents grow old.
Their spirits weaken, their strength diminishes
They have only the child to depend on,
Only his wife to do things for them.
But the child no longer comes to them,
Neither at night not in the daytime.
Their room is cold.
There is no more pleasant talk.
They are like lonely guests at an inn.
A crisis arises, and they call their child.
Nine times out of ten, he comes not,
Nor does he serve them.
He grows angry and reviles them,
Saying it would be better to die
Than to linger on unwanted in this world.
The parents listen, and their hearts are filled with rage,
Weaping, they say, " When you were young,
Without us, you would not have been born,
Without us you could not have grown.
Ah! how we'
It stops here in the book. I'll try to get the continuation.
Thus I have heard
Once when the Buddha was on the Sacred Vulture Peak
In the City of Royal Palaces
Preaching to bodhisattvas and disciples
There gathered a multitude of monks and nuns and lay believers, both male and female,
All the people of the heavens,dragon gods and demons,
To hear the Sacred Law.
Around the jeweled throne they gathered
And gazed with unwavering eyes,
At the holy face
At this time the Buddha
Preached the Law as follows:
'All ye good men and good women,
Acknowledge your debt for your father's compassion,
Acknowledge your debt for your mother's mercy.
For the life of a human being in this world
Has karma as its basic course,
But parents as its immediate means of origin.'
' Without a father, the child is not born
Without a mother, the child is not nourished.
The spirit comes from the father's seed;
The body grows within the mother's womb.'
' Because of these relationships,
The concern of a mother for her child
Is without comparison in this world...'
'From the time when she receives the child in her womb,
During the passage of nine months ,
Going,coming,sitting,sleeping,
She is visited by suffering.
She ceases to have customary love for food or drink or clothing
And worries solely about a safe delivery.'
' The months are full,and the days sufficient.
At the time of birth, the winds of karma hasten it on,
Her bones are racked with pain.
The father,too trembles and is afraid.
Relatives and servants worry and are distressed.
When the child is born and dropped upon the grass,
The boundless joy of the father and the mother
Match that of a penurious woman
Who has found the omnipotent magic jewel.
When the child utters its first sounds,
The mother feels that she herself is born anew.
Her chest becomes the child's place of rest;
Her knees, its playground.
Her breasts, its source of food.
Her love,its very life.
Without its mother, the child cannot dress or undress.
Though the mother hungers,
She takes the food from her mouth and gives it to her child.
Without the mother,the child cannot be nourished...'
' The mother goes to the neighboring village to work.
She draws water, builds the fire,
Pounds the grain, makes the flour,
At night when she returns,
Before she reaches the house,
She hears the baby's crying
And is filled with love.
Her chest heaves, her heart cries out,
The milk flows forth, she cannot bear it.
She runs to the house.
The baby, seeing its mother approach from afar,
Works its brain, shakes its head,
And wails for her.
She bends her body,
Takes the child's two hand,
Places her lips upon its lips.
There is no greater love than this.
When the child is two,
He leaves the mother's breast.
But without his father, he would not know that fire can burn.
Without his mother, he would not know that a knife can cut off fingers.
When he is three, he is weaned and learns to eat.
Without his father, he would not know that poison can kill.
Without his mother, he would not know that medicine cures.
When the parents go to other houses
And are presented with marvelous delicacies,
They do not eat but put the food in their pockets
And take it home for the child, to make him rejoice...'
'The child grows,
The father brings cloth to cloth him.
The mother combs his locks.
The parents give every beautiful thing they possess to him,
Keeping for that which is old and worn.
The child takes a bride
And brings this stranger into the house.
The parents become more distant.
The new husband and wife are intimate with each other.
They stay in their own room, talking happily with each other.'
' The parents grow old.
Their spirits weaken, their strength diminishes
They have only the child to depend on,
Only his wife to do things for them.
But the child no longer comes to them,
Neither at night not in the daytime.
Their room is cold.
There is no more pleasant talk.
They are like lonely guests at an inn.
A crisis arises, and they call their child.
Nine times out of ten, he comes not,
Nor does he serve them.
He grows angry and reviles them,
Saying it would be better to die
Than to linger on unwanted in this world.
The parents listen, and their hearts are filled with rage,
Weaping, they say, " When you were young,
Without us, you would not have been born,
Without us you could not have grown.
Ah! how we'
It stops here in the book. I'll try to get the continuation.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Politics
Watched the debat between Anwar- Shabery jsut now.It was quite interesting but i think it was not long enough to actually really seriously discuss the issue at hand - increasing oil prices and all that. And there were a lot of moments spent at taking jibes at each other's personal affairs. The debate sometimes went off point i think. Have to give the Shabery dude credit though for agreeing to go live and all that cause Anwar is known to be a seasoned speaker and he being a newbie and all i think did a good job and held his own.
Watched it with my parents.Halfway through my dad had to leave for an appointment so he left me in chargeof taking notes and then informing him later. I was like 'what?'..haha..felt like i was debating again and had to listen to the other team and take down points. At least i didn't have to prepare poi's. haha.
Later, when i was 'reporting' back to him..felt like i was some secretary. I think as usual i was writing too fast and didn't get wth i was scrawling at time
Watched it with my parents.Halfway through my dad had to leave for an appointment so he left me in chargeof taking notes and then informing him later. I was like 'what?'..haha..felt like i was debating again and had to listen to the other team and take down points. At least i didn't have to prepare poi's. haha.
Later, when i was 'reporting' back to him..felt like i was some secretary. I think as usual i was writing too fast and didn't get wth i was scrawling at time
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Doctors
Just finished reading Doctors by Erich Segal. The first time i read it i was in Form 1 i think so it was quite a long time ago. Reading it again was awesome cause there were so many things i forgot and now it hits closer to home(in the sense that i'll be starting medical school soon). The book is incredibly 'real' in the way it depicts the situations and lives that doctor have to go through. I think the fact that Segal himself is a doctor makes the writing all the more accurate.
The novel tells the stories of a class of medical grads from Harvard from the time they start premed to their specialist years and so on. He writes about how they cope with all the pressure and how they handle social relationships while having to work hours on their job. The book was set during the 1950s onwards and in the prolougue the dean of med talks about how they only had the cure for 26 diseases. So at that time basically, there were so many things they didnt know how to treat.
One of the main characters Barney is a psychiatrist and he finds it shattering to find that most of those that need healing are his fellow doctors. So u get to read about all these 'wounded healers' and the pressure the public puts on them and so own. I think the books shows us that even a doctor spending his lifetime studying medicine may never truly understand it's mysteries. Like when the two main characters go through all means possible to save their child and when he survives they're not sure what was it that saved him. Whether it was the chinese healer they met, the new not FDA approved drug they tried or their own love.
" Med school provides perhaps the best substantiation for Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. For here we see it in its cruelest form the survival of the fittest. Not the smartest, as one would expect . But the fittest to cope with the inhuman pressures ,the demands made not only on the brain but on the psyche..." from DOCTORS
The novel tells the stories of a class of medical grads from Harvard from the time they start premed to their specialist years and so on. He writes about how they cope with all the pressure and how they handle social relationships while having to work hours on their job. The book was set during the 1950s onwards and in the prolougue the dean of med talks about how they only had the cure for 26 diseases. So at that time basically, there were so many things they didnt know how to treat.
One of the main characters Barney is a psychiatrist and he finds it shattering to find that most of those that need healing are his fellow doctors. So u get to read about all these 'wounded healers' and the pressure the public puts on them and so own. I think the books shows us that even a doctor spending his lifetime studying medicine may never truly understand it's mysteries. Like when the two main characters go through all means possible to save their child and when he survives they're not sure what was it that saved him. Whether it was the chinese healer they met, the new not FDA approved drug they tried or their own love.
" Med school provides perhaps the best substantiation for Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. For here we see it in its cruelest form the survival of the fittest. Not the smartest, as one would expect . But the fittest to cope with the inhuman pressures ,the demands made not only on the brain but on the psyche..." from DOCTORS
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Trip Down Memory Lane 2
Last Sunday, met up with Hema at CS. I've known Hema since primary school and we were really close during that time and we stayed tight during the early years of high school. We got into different classes after form 3 so we weren't as close after that but we make a point to keep in touch cause you know, there's all those, memories we have. I think she's really different from me which i guess is a good thing. Sitting through lunch, i realised she hasn't changed much and things were just like old times.
Also, congrats to my smarty of a cousin Chitra for getting into KYUEM. Really proud of you!! Spent all day yesterday getting stuff for her and buyinh clothers, school supplies,etc.. it was fun...so exciting seeing other people going through the whole feeling of embarking on something new.
At the moment i'm rewatching GTO. I finished S.O.S but it was quite bad,slow and i hated hated the two main characters. It's hard to enjoy watching something when the lead characters piss you off most of the time. And even the part which i liked didn't end in a great way. So i need GTO to make get me out of the melodramatic funk and get me laughing. At the same time i'm watching The Life of Yamado Taro. My friend recommended it to me. It's okay. Very light comedy.
Also, congrats to my smarty of a cousin Chitra for getting into KYUEM. Really proud of you!! Spent all day yesterday getting stuff for her and buyinh clothers, school supplies,etc.. it was fun...so exciting seeing other people going through the whole feeling of embarking on something new.
At the moment i'm rewatching GTO. I finished S.O.S but it was quite bad,slow and i hated hated the two main characters. It's hard to enjoy watching something when the lead characters piss you off most of the time. And even the part which i liked didn't end in a great way. So i need GTO to make get me out of the melodramatic funk and get me laughing. At the same time i'm watching The Life of Yamado Taro. My friend recommended it to me. It's okay. Very light comedy.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Rantings
Yeah, im blogging about J-drama again. Haha. Sorry, but I can’t help it. Usually if I was at college, or my sibs were here I would be ranting to them about it and talking to myself is something I reserve to more perplexing stuff. Yeah, I’m crazy. Anyway, whenever I watch these dramas I always think about the situations these dramas portray and think about how I would react to them if they actually happened around me or to me. I find that most of the times I tend to disagree with the endings given, especially when it comes to love stories. I’m not a big believer in perfectly happy ever after endings. Moving on, coincidentally the last 3 dramas I watched had the theme student-teacher relationship them. I didn’t purposely choose these dramas because of that mind you. Only one of them was exclusively about that, the other two had it as one of the subplots. So I was thing about it, and whether I was against this kind of relationship or not. I came to the conclusion that I think I would have a problem with the teacher having a r’ship with
The student while they were in school but I think I wouldn’t have a problem with them having a relationship after that student graduated. I just think having the whole relationship within the school system is wrong. And anyway if they really loved each other and all that they can wait right. While most people I’ve talked to it about have a problem about the age difference, that factor doesn’t bother me. It never really has I think. If you’re planning on finding your life partner or something why limit yourself to those only in a certain age group. You never know what you’re missing and age doesn’t depict accurately how a person is.
This is on a totally different note but I was going through videos at You Tube and I was watching some Japanese variety shows where various actors and artistes are featured. Their variety shows are so chaotic and I think they’re really good at building the artistes image in the sense that they make a point to show them being all goofy or making a fool of themselves which I think is a great publicity stunt because viewers will then find them endearing. I doubt thought that everything is genuine and I think there’s a lot of play acting involved. Like there’s this vid where one of the members of this J-pop group was reading out a letter to his members and it’s like all sentimental, and it’s about how he feels bad that he got hospitalized and sick at one time and he’s weeping on air. And like his members all crying too. And the viewers really lap it all up. I’m not trying to say that dude wasn’t sincere but why does he have to read it on air. I mean, can’t you just do it when you’re with your group? Does the whole world have to hear? That’s what I find real dodgy. But then again, it’s the entertainment world so what do you expect right?
Walking Down Memory Lane
Finally, finally me up with yana and ee wen. We’ve planned to meet a few times b4 but something always comes up. Went to CS and watched Hancock. I enjoyed it. It was funny, the plot was interesting and will smith was great. Had lunch at Sushi King - Yana had a hard time choosing a place to eat, hehe and talked, which was great cause there’s so many things we had to talk about. It’s great that even though all three of us may have changed in some way or another ( I think ee wen looks like this cute Japanese actor with her new haircut and
Scary World of Science
Finished NEXT last week but havent' had time to blog about it.
One of the issues explored in the book is gene patenting, which I find to be a ridiculous idea. You can’t own a gene - it’s acceptable to patent a test for a gene but the gene itself should not exclusively be the property of a certain establishment. In this book, a court awards a biotechnology company right to a particular type of gene of a patient. When the company needs to acquire more of the genes from that patient they go so far as to try and kidnap the patient’s grandson- their rationale being that since they owned the gene- they also owned it when it’s passed down to his children and so on. Ridiculous right? Gene patenting halts researches and sometimes scientists aren’t sure which genes are patented and don’t to risk getting sued. Did you know that HIV and hepatitis c are like owned by some establishment. Should anyone really be allowed to own a disease?
‘Science isn’t special-not anymore. There are now 3 million researchers in
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