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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
