sorry about the lack of posts, I have been in a general state of depression for the past week or so. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I'll be sure to start blogging again soon, because, being the stupidly optimistic person I am, I know I can overcome these obstacles. That being said,
will someone please teach me how to love cleaning? because i truly, truly hate it with all of my body, mind and soul. i would elaborate, but i have to go clean. ugh.
*SPOILER WARNING FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE*
alrightey now.
So, admittedly, I've been counting down the days until tonight, which marked the release of the 6th Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince. Now that I think about it, I'm not nearly as excited (genuinely) as I was for the release of the books. Nonetheless, I either forced myself or actually came to believe that I was extremely excited for tonight.
We lined up at around 9pm waiting for out 12:01 am show. We played cards and gawked at the obsessed fans who dressed up for the big night. Honestly though, I would never do something like this for the Harry Potter movies. The books are so, so much more than the movies will ever be. I had already faced this truth before I saw tonight's movie; I had already expected that the writers of the script took some liberties, I was expecting the lack of Rufus Scrimgeours presence, I was expecting the hurried scenes which, in books are described in much richer detail, and I was expecting an inaccurately cast Horace Slughorn (who is not the ball of jello he is described to be in the books).
What I didn't expect is the following:
The focus on teenage love / drama: I'm pretty sure this is one of the main reasons I took to Harry Potter so much when I was reading it. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Twilight and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but I really did not like how in the movie, teenage romance played such a central role. The development of Harry as a character as well as his and Dumbledore's progress in their journey seemed to take a backseat to all the ridiculous (yet entertaining, I'll admit) drama.
Riddle backstory: So, the book goes into much detail about the history of the Slytherin family, leading right up till the story of the house of Gaunt, which ultimately shows Harry Voldemort's origins. I felt like this was such a crucial part of Harry understanding who he was about to face.
Dumbledore's funeral: MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE 6TH BOOK. IT MOVED ME TO TEARS. This was definitely a disappointment, as was the whole ending scene in the castle, where Harry, Hermoine, some of the DA as well as the Order, were supposed to fight against Death Eaters. Their presence was non-existent. It was simply Dumbledore against all of them, and Harry (NOT stupefied) just looked like a poossaayy standing and gawking whilst they killed Dumbledore. At least in the book he physically couldn't help Dumbledore.
The relationship between Harry/Hermione: It was awkward at times because they made it look like they were going to get together. I guess that's a little suspense the movie makers added to keep those stupid little children who've neglected to actually read the Rowling's masterpieces of books entertained. Sorry, I'm a tad bitter.
Random Cornfield scene: What a waste of 5 minutes of the film! Those 5 minutes could have been used to highlight the Gaunt backstory, but instead it was a pointless 5 minutes of Harry and Ginny running through a cornfield and the Order running to save them from Death Eaters, who, mysteriously disappear. Oh, and the Burrow burns. WTF?!
A couple of regular mistakes that really bother me: His eyes! It's so important that Harry's eyes be green because they are his mother's eyes, which essentially is his means of safety. Also, the fact that he so casually performs magic underage in the movies without even realizing. Two examples from this movie alone: He perfomed the lumos spell on his wand when looking at Slughorn's battered residence, and he was like lighting a levitating piece of burning newspaper at the burrough.
Overall though, I think the movie makers satisfied their audience. They got the bare gist of the plot that the hardcore book fans (like me) were looking for, and they were able to entertain those movie-only fans.
I give this movie 3 stars out of 5; it PASSED, but not by much.
While I find it hard to suppress my excitement for the upcoming Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince movie (which, considering it's 3:30 am on Monday, is only 2 days away!), I feel it is only right to fill you all in on this past week, which I spent in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Wow, the journey there was insane. The 17-hour drive was split between my dad, my mom and me; I think I got at least 5 hours of driving in there. It was kind of beautiful actually, we left home around 11pm and got there around 6pm the next day, and I got to drive the Sunrise Shift, meaning to say that I drove into the sunrise. It was nice, and refreshing. I have become a speed demon of sorts, though. Today, on my 10 minute drive to work, I found myself wanting to drive over that 100km/h speed, but I resisted.
We stayed at a cute little cottage in a private community where everyone drove around in their golf carts wearing only their swimsuits. The beach was only a 5 minute walk, or a 1 minute drive in the golf cart. The best part about the beach? It was private, meaning only the people residing in the community (called Oceanside Village), could enter. Also, there were fireworks every night, and we got there on the 4th of July, so the show was extra special.
Right behind our little cottage was a lake-river thing, where we counted turtles every morning. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the "Ugly Ducks", as we dubbed them. They were a cross between turkeys and ducks, by the looks of it, and they were butt ugly. Plus, they were annoying. At least they kept us entertained.
To sum up the trip, we spent most of the late evenings at the beach (so as not to tan), and toured the historic areas (including a town 2 hours south of Myrtle Beach called Charleston - yes, that's where the dance came from - , and also a rice plantation), and exploring the town.
The highlight of my trip? That requires a little introduction...
So it was day 4 or so of our trip, and my uncle planned for a few of us to go fishing out in the Atlantic Ocean. So we get up early in the morning, get on the huge boat and an hour later, we're in what looks like nothing but water for miles around us. So we all lower our lines and fish. We went to several different locations; at the first, I caught a red-mouthed gulper (I think that's what it was called); a tiny little fish, no biggie. The next couple of locations were no-go's, but at the very last location I caught another red-mouthed gulper, which I decided to have cut up for bait. So I lower my gulper bait and wait. Soon the captain calls for everyone to raise their lines: we're going home. Just then, I felt a tug on my line. I thought, what the heck, let's give it one last go, and I reeled that baby in. Boy, I must have used all of my upper body strength (especially since my arm was hurting the next day), and all of a sudden I saw exactly what I was pulling up: a shark. Earlier that day, someone had caught a similar creature, and I got really excited. I let out a little shriek and that caught peoples' attention. I kept reeling it in, and my uncle tried to help me, but as soon as it reached the surface, the creature gave one giant kick and ripped the hook right off my rod, and got away. Although I didn't actually get the shark on the boat (we're talking like a 3- or 4- footer here), I was really proud that I had caught a friggen shark! Me, the girl who had, before that day, never caught a single fish before, had just managed to get a shark to bite on her line! Wow, I will never forget that day. The people fishing close to me called me "SThark Girl" for the rest of the day. Here's a picture of the shark that the guy had caught earlier, my guy was similar to this:
hat's the gist of my vacation, so now let me end this short post by saying that, for the first time I am lining up at midnight for the screening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! Here's the preview that sent chills down my spine :
So I'm starting this blog at 6:40 am on a Friday morning, because my mom woke me up so that I can drop her off at the train station, and I just don't see the point of going back to sleep (even though I might fall asleep writing this). I figure, since we're leaving at like 11 pm for Myrtle Beach today (that's a 15 hour drive...17 with traffic), I can spend the first 3 or 4 hours at least, sleeping. Hence I am depriving myself of sleep. Hence this random early morning blog.
Not being a regular blogger, I knew that I wouldn't post my reaction to MJ's death right away on here. That's good in a way, because I've been able to collect my thoughts and calm myself. Last night, my sister and I watched the E! True Hollywood Story of Michael Jackson. The first hour was good, but to be honest the last hour of that program was so, so very painful to watch. Michael's life was so mangled and misunderstood for the past 15 years. This brings up several issues in my mind. Firstly, I am only a few years over 15, meaning that my entire memorable life has been shrouded with negative Michael Jackson media coverage. This being said, I'm not going to deny that I didn't think MJ was a little bit off, how could I not? That's all I was ever exposed to. I wasn't alive during his glory days with Thriller and Bad, I just wasn't there. I am also pretty proud of myself for, despite being exposed to this negative image, remaining a fan of MJ all of my life. It started with the Free Willy song:
I was barely a toddler, but I remember it. After this song I got curious. Somehow I began listening to Black or White, which eventually became my favourite MJ song of all time (even though it was released in 1991, South Asian television was a few years behind anyways). It was followed by "They Don't Really Care About Us" when I was a bit older. I always loved Michael, but I didn't get into his Thriller stuff until I was about 9. Since then, songs like Thriller, Billie Jean, PYT, Beat It, and also songs from Bad, Smooth Criminal etc, have become regulars on my ipod playlists. I'm really upset MJ's dead, but I think, that just like Elvis, dying young will heal MJ's tarnished reputation and he will be remembered as the king of pop.
Secondly, this may be biased on my behalf because I think Bradley Cooper is a total smokeshow...
...but The Hangover is my new favourite funny movie! It was so hilarious! Especially the photos at the end! That made the movie for me! I recommend that all of you go watch it! And stay for the credits!
Next topic: I had this spontaneous mini shopping spree last night - I bought a pair of shorts, a couple of things from Future Shop (I'm a bit of a techy sometimes) and, best of all, an awesome dress for just $13 from Winners! At first my sister spotted it and she wanted to try it on, but they only had it in a large so I thought "why not?" and I tried it on. I love it, but I don't think I can wear it out too much because it's a) pretty short and b) figure-hugging, meaning I have to lose a little weight before I got out in public with it. It's royal blue, made of t-shirt cotton (so it's super comfy), and it basically looks like this, except without the waistband:
I'm seeing a lot of photos with a cinched waist, so I think I'm going to by a thin brown belt to go with it! Oh, and it also goes perfectly with my new gladiators (I finally got em! They were less that $20 at Spring with my SPC card and I wear them everywhere!) Here they are:
So here's something unusual: this entire week, I've actually been going out and doing stuff! It's really weird for me because I usually stay home and do nothing all day. That's my kind of summer. But lately I've been shopping and going over to people's houses, and oh, did I mention waiting SEVEN HOURS IN LINE at Mandarin for free Canada Day food? Yup, you read right: 9:40 to 4:40 on one hot day we waited in line for free food. What did we do to pass the time? We tried naming all characters (animals included) in the Harry Potter books and movies. It took us about, 30 mins, I'd say? It was definitely a Canada Day to remember. Oh another weird fact: even though I've been so busy, I haven't taken any pictures! This coming from a girl who "has photo albums coming out of her ass" as quoted by one of my good friends. Guess I was having too much fun to take pictures.
Speaking of Harry Potter (...kinda), I am so, so, so SO excited for July 15! It can't come any faster. Good thing I have a vacation between then and now. I've already finished reading the 6th book again in preparation, and I hope to read the 7th one on the way to SC. In fact, I think (if I have time that is), I'm going to redo my layout to Harry Potter. Either that or MJ. I would ask for your opinion but I know I'll get a total of, oh, 0 comments :), so, I'll just weigh the options myself and you will get to see the result in due time.
sorry about the lack of posts, I have been in a general state of depression for the past week or so. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I'll be sure to start blogging again soon, because, being the stupidly optimistic person I am, I know I can overcome these obstacles. That being said,
more later.
Monday, July 27, 2009
@ 11:50 AM
cleanFREAK.
will someone please teach me how to love cleaning? because i truly, truly hate it with all of my body, mind and soul. i would elaborate, but i have to go clean. ugh.
more later (if i ever finish cleaning, that is).
Saturday, July 18, 2009
@ 8:58 PM
temp post/layout.
harry potter's over so i needed to change it. right now its an ug true blood picture, will make a better one & find a better layout soon.
more later.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
@ 10:59 PM
half-blood WHAT?
*SPOILER WARNING FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE*
alrightey now.
So, admittedly, I've been counting down the days until tonight, which marked the release of the 6th Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince. Now that I think about it, I'm not nearly as excited (genuinely) as I was for the release of the books. Nonetheless, I either forced myself or actually came to believe that I was extremely excited for tonight.
We lined up at around 9pm waiting for out 12:01 am show. We played cards and gawked at the obsessed fans who dressed up for the big night. Honestly though, I would never do something like this for the Harry Potter movies. The books are so, so much more than the movies will ever be. I had already faced this truth before I saw tonight's movie; I had already expected that the writers of the script took some liberties, I was expecting the lack of Rufus Scrimgeours presence, I was expecting the hurried scenes which, in books are described in much richer detail, and I was expecting an inaccurately cast Horace Slughorn (who is not the ball of jello he is described to be in the books).
What I didn't expect is the following:
The focus on teenage love / drama: I'm pretty sure this is one of the main reasons I took to Harry Potter so much when I was reading it. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Twilight and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but I really did not like how in the movie, teenage romance played such a central role. The development of Harry as a character as well as his and Dumbledore's progress in their journey seemed to take a backseat to all the ridiculous (yet entertaining, I'll admit) drama.
Riddle backstory: So, the book goes into much detail about the history of the Slytherin family, leading right up till the story of the house of Gaunt, which ultimately shows Harry Voldemort's origins. I felt like this was such a crucial part of Harry understanding who he was about to face.
Dumbledore's funeral: MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE 6TH BOOK. IT MOVED ME TO TEARS. This was definitely a disappointment, as was the whole ending scene in the castle, where Harry, Hermoine, some of the DA as well as the Order, were supposed to fight against Death Eaters. Their presence was non-existent. It was simply Dumbledore against all of them, and Harry (NOT stupefied) just looked like a poossaayy standing and gawking whilst they killed Dumbledore. At least in the book he physically couldn't help Dumbledore.
The relationship between Harry/Hermione: It was awkward at times because they made it look like they were going to get together. I guess that's a little suspense the movie makers added to keep those stupid little children who've neglected to actually read the Rowling's masterpieces of books entertained. Sorry, I'm a tad bitter.
Random Cornfield scene: What a waste of 5 minutes of the film! Those 5 minutes could have been used to highlight the Gaunt backstory, but instead it was a pointless 5 minutes of Harry and Ginny running through a cornfield and the Order running to save them from Death Eaters, who, mysteriously disappear. Oh, and the Burrow burns. WTF?!
A couple of regular mistakes that really bother me: His eyes! It's so important that Harry's eyes be green because they are his mother's eyes, which essentially is his means of safety. Also, the fact that he so casually performs magic underage in the movies without even realizing. Two examples from this movie alone: He perfomed the lumos spell on his wand when looking at Slughorn's battered residence, and he was like lighting a levitating piece of burning newspaper at the burrough.
Overall though, I think the movie makers satisfied their audience. They got the bare gist of the plot that the hardcore book fans (like me) were looking for, and they were able to entertain those movie-only fans.
I give this movie 3 stars out of 5; it PASSED, but not by much.
>
more later.
@ 12:46 AM
amg.
i'm excited. that is all.
more later.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
@ 12:07 AM
the beach.
While I find it hard to suppress my excitement for the upcoming Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince movie (which, considering it's 3:30 am on Monday, is only 2 days away!), I feel it is only right to fill you all in on this past week, which I spent in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Wow, the journey there was insane. The 17-hour drive was split between my dad, my mom and me; I think I got at least 5 hours of driving in there. It was kind of beautiful actually, we left home around 11pm and got there around 6pm the next day, and I got to drive the Sunrise Shift, meaning to say that I drove into the sunrise. It was nice, and refreshing. I have become a speed demon of sorts, though. Today, on my 10 minute drive to work, I found myself wanting to drive over that 100km/h speed, but I resisted.
We stayed at a cute little cottage in a private community where everyone drove around in their golf carts wearing only their swimsuits. The beach was only a 5 minute walk, or a 1 minute drive in the golf cart. The best part about the beach? It was private, meaning only the people residing in the community (called Oceanside Village), could enter. Also, there were fireworks every night, and we got there on the 4th of July, so the show was extra special.
Right behind our little cottage was a lake-river thing, where we counted turtles every morning. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the "Ugly Ducks", as we dubbed them. They were a cross between turkeys and ducks, by the looks of it, and they were butt ugly. Plus, they were annoying. At least they kept us entertained.
To sum up the trip, we spent most of the late evenings at the beach (so as not to tan), and toured the historic areas (including a town 2 hours south of Myrtle Beach called Charleston - yes, that's where the dance came from - , and also a rice plantation), and exploring the town.
The highlight of my trip? That requires a little introduction...
So it was day 4 or so of our trip, and my uncle planned for a few of us to go fishing out in the Atlantic Ocean. So we get up early in the morning, get on the huge boat and an hour later, we're in what looks like nothing but water for miles around us. So we all lower our lines and fish. We went to several different locations; at the first, I caught a red-mouthed gulper (I think that's what it was called); a tiny little fish, no biggie. The next couple of locations were no-go's, but at the very last location I caught another red-mouthed gulper, which I decided to have cut up for bait. So I lower my gulper bait and wait. Soon the captain calls for everyone to raise their lines: we're going home. Just then, I felt a tug on my line. I thought, what the heck, let's give it one last go, and I reeled that baby in. Boy, I must have used all of my upper body strength (especially since my arm was hurting the next day), and all of a sudden I saw exactly what I was pulling up: a shark. Earlier that day, someone had caught a similar creature, and I got really excited. I let out a little shriek and that caught peoples' attention. I kept reeling it in, and my uncle tried to help me, but as soon as it reached the surface, the creature gave one giant kick and ripped the hook right off my rod, and got away. Although I didn't actually get the shark on the boat (we're talking like a 3- or 4- footer here), I was really proud that I had caught a friggen shark! Me, the girl who had, before that day, never caught a single fish before, had just managed to get a shark to bite on her line! Wow, I will never forget that day. The people fishing close to me called me "SThark Girl" for the rest of the day. Here's a picture of the shark that the guy had caught earlier, my guy was similar to this:
hat's the gist of my vacation, so now let me end this short post by saying that, for the first time I am lining up at midnight for the screening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! Here's the preview that sent chills down my spine :
more later.
Monday, July 13, 2009
@ 12:20 AM
Morning / MJ / New Dress / The Hangover / HP !
So I'm starting this blog at 6:40 am on a Friday morning, because my mom woke me up so that I can drop her off at the train station, and I just don't see the point of going back to sleep (even though I might fall asleep writing this). I figure, since we're leaving at like 11 pm for Myrtle Beach today (that's a 15 hour drive...17 with traffic), I can spend the first 3 or 4 hours at least, sleeping. Hence I am depriving myself of sleep. Hence this random early morning blog.
Not being a regular blogger, I knew that I wouldn't post my reaction to MJ's death right away on here. That's good in a way, because I've been able to collect my thoughts and calm myself. Last night, my sister and I watched the E! True Hollywood Story of Michael Jackson. The first hour was good, but to be honest the last hour of that program was so, so very painful to watch. Michael's life was so mangled and misunderstood for the past 15 years. This brings up several issues in my mind. Firstly, I am only a few years over 15, meaning that my entire memorable life has been shrouded with negative Michael Jackson media coverage. This being said, I'm not going to deny that I didn't think MJ was a little bit off, how could I not? That's all I was ever exposed to. I wasn't alive during his glory days with Thriller and Bad, I just wasn't there. I am also pretty proud of myself for, despite being exposed to this negative image, remaining a fan of MJ all of my life. It started with the Free Willy song:
I was barely a toddler, but I remember it. After this song I got curious. Somehow I began listening to Black or White, which eventually became my favourite MJ song of all time (even though it was released in 1991, South Asian television was a few years behind anyways). It was followed by "They Don't Really Care About Us" when I was a bit older. I always loved Michael, but I didn't get into his Thriller stuff until I was about 9. Since then, songs like Thriller, Billie Jean, PYT, Beat It, and also songs from Bad, Smooth Criminal etc, have become regulars on my ipod playlists. I'm really upset MJ's dead, but I think, that just like Elvis, dying young will heal MJ's tarnished reputation and he will be remembered as the king of pop.
Secondly, this may be biased on my behalf because I think Bradley Cooper is a total smokeshow...
...but The Hangover is my new favourite funny movie! It was so hilarious! Especially the photos at the end! That made the movie for me! I recommend that all of you go watch it! And stay for the credits!
Next topic: I had this spontaneous mini shopping spree last night - I bought a pair of shorts, a couple of things from Future Shop (I'm a bit of a techy sometimes) and, best of all, an awesome dress for just $13 from Winners! At first my sister spotted it and she wanted to try it on, but they only had it in a large so I thought "why not?" and I tried it on. I love it, but I don't think I can wear it out too much because it's a) pretty short and b) figure-hugging, meaning I have to lose a little weight before I got out in public with it. It's royal blue, made of t-shirt cotton (so it's super comfy), and it basically looks like this, except without the waistband:
I'm seeing a lot of photos with a cinched waist, so I think I'm going to by a thin brown belt to go with it! Oh, and it also goes perfectly with my new gladiators (I finally got em! They were less that $20 at Spring with my SPC card and I wear them everywhere!) Here they are:
So here's something unusual: this entire week, I've actually been going out and doing stuff! It's really weird for me because I usually stay home and do nothing all day. That's my kind of summer. But lately I've been shopping and going over to people's houses, and oh, did I mention waiting SEVEN HOURS IN LINE at Mandarin for free Canada Day food? Yup, you read right: 9:40 to 4:40 on one hot day we waited in line for free food. What did we do to pass the time? We tried naming all characters (animals included) in the Harry Potter books and movies. It took us about, 30 mins, I'd say? It was definitely a Canada Day to remember. Oh another weird fact: even though I've been so busy, I haven't taken any pictures! This coming from a girl who "has photo albums coming out of her ass" as quoted by one of my good friends. Guess I was having too much fun to take pictures.
Speaking of Harry Potter (...kinda), I am so, so, so SO excited for July 15! It can't come any faster. Good thing I have a vacation between then and now. I've already finished reading the 6th book again in preparation, and I hope to read the 7th one on the way to SC. In fact, I think (if I have time that is), I'm going to redo my layout to Harry Potter. Either that or MJ. I would ask for your opinion but I know I'll get a total of, oh, 0 comments :), so, I'll just weigh the options myself and you will get to see the result in due time.
more later.
Friday, July 3, 2009
@ 3:39 AM
Profile
simply put, i am not a simple person. i've tried this many times, but it is hard for me to describe myself in just a few short sentences. in terms of this blog, i started it as a place to which i cuold channel all of my thoughts, feelings and rants. it may not be your run of the mill blog, but its my blog, and its my thoughts and feelings. if i have offended you i any way, i apologize. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying i don't want anyone to read my blog; in fact, i try my best to make it readable:amidst all my random thoughts i include pictures to keep you as a reader interested. if you have any comments or questions, feel free to add them to my tagboard. thank you!
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