Edumacating Myself with Movies

Dear blogger,

I haven't been making the most out of my holidays. There's a voice in the back of my mind that tells me I should be getting a move on with life but in all honesty, I've just been doing a whole lot of procrastinating. My excuse is that it's the holiday season and therefore my laziness is justified but we all know that when January comes round, I'll still be doing nothing.

I've been watching a lot of movies recently, trying to edumacate myself and stuff. I finally watched The Shawshank Redemption. It was pretty good and I can see why Morgan Freeman is so renowned for this role. I'm not quite sure why it's the number 1 movie on IMDB though - but then again, it is IMDB.

Schindler's List was also crossed off the...list...of movies to watch. Ralph Fiennes is utterly disgusting in that role (a credit to his acting of course). In terms of Holocaust movies, that one felt pretty tame. I remember seeing The Pianist a few years back and that was just really really painful to watch. And The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas, whilst not being on the same level of critical acclaim as the others, hit me on a visceral level that Schindler's list didn't. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

The final one I can check off is The Breakfast Club. It was a great movie and it left me with the warm fuzzies but if you ask me why exactly I liked it, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Also, Tian wasn't kidding when she said it was basically about 5 kids in detention. I thought it would be spread out over the duration of a few days but apparently it is just about 5 kids in a detention session. Imagine what a bitch of a time the continuity editors would've had.

(Source)

So my parents have run off to New Zealand. My sister and I are on day 2 of being left alone in the house. I think we've done pretty good so far. We haven't starved and the house is still relatively clean. Today we turned the music up and just danced around the living room. But that got a bit boring after a while so I went back to couch-hugging. 

Can someone give me something to do? I'm so bored that it's not even funny anymore. I would like to go bike riding but there's no-one to do it with. It feels kind of lame to go by myself and even then I just end up doing laps round the block. 

I've gotten into the habit of taking the kids in my townhouse out to places just for the sake of keeping me occupied. We've gone to the park, to the basketball courts, to the shops for ice-cream and today we went to watch Frozen. Even though it makes me feel like I've run a 40k marathon afterwards, I'm at the point where I would be willing to jump off a bridge just for something to do. Plus the kids are fun so I suppose it's worth it. And they run errands for me afterwards because they're so grateful. I would be lying if I said that wasn't nice. 

I've got a friend coming over tomorrow and I'm supposed to teach him jazz piano. But I lied. I can't actually play jazz piano so.... that will be fun. Apart from that I've literally got no plans until beach house in February. FEBRUARY GUYS. That's like, a million years away. What am I supposed to do till then? Huh? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO TILL THEN?? 

Everything that is wrong with Heirs

A graphical representation of why I am watching the Korean drama, Heirs:

I went into this drama expecting something....more. After all, it had Lee Min Ho AND Park Shin Hye in it. How could you possibly go wrong with a show starring Mr Sexy-Short-Pants (star of City Hunter and the infamous Boys Over Flowers) and the girl-boy from You're Beautiful. It's like, statistically impossible.

While the drama isn't the worst one out there, in my opinion, it's definitely not that great either (and for sure does not live up to the hype). I waited about 3 episodes for that crack-drama feeling to kick in. When that didn't happen, I lowered my expectations and decided to leave my brain at the door while going along for the ride. But then stuff happened and I just ugh.

So without further ado, here are my list of complaints against Heirs. If you happen to like the drama, I apologise for offending you. These are just my thoughts (and usually they're not very intelligent ones).

1. Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Abs Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Money Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Daddy Issues Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Abs Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst  Angst. LIKE PLEASE FUCKING STOP WITH THE ANGST ALREADY.

I have seen dramas where people spent 99% of their time crying. But in most of these cases, the crying was warranted. Lives were at stake. Loved ones were separated. People were betrayed. Revenge was being sought. These are all examples of it being okay to cry and angst your heart out. But in this drama? I don't even know why you are unhappy. Okay fine, you've got Daddy issues, I get it. But that doesn't mean you have to be a psychopathic, in-need-of-a-restraining-order asshole (Young Do, I'm looking at you). Are you all broody because the girl you love is of a different social class? That would be okay if I actually believed your relationship. What do Eun Sang and Tan have that I can't see? I find their relationship neither cute nor believable. Therefore your angst is irrelevant.

2. What does he see in her?

Eun Sang needs to grow a backbone. Or drink a sass potion. 'Cause girl, could you be anymore bland? Geum Jan Di from Boys Over Flowers was an idiot. But at least she was a sassy idiot who stood up to bullies. You? Do you do anything else besides cry and make this face?

 

Stand up for yourself once in a while. It's really not that hard. Just repeat after me: "No. Don't come near me anymore. If you do, I will kick you in the balls and report you for sexual harassment and stalking." See? It's not that hard! Also, if you like a guy, you probably should stop running away from him. It gives the wrong impression.

 

3. Tan. As mentioned over at dramabeans.com, giving a girl some space DOES NOT equate to watching her every move through CCTV footage. Please take notes.

 

4. Choi Young Do, you are an asshole and not the kind of asshole that has redeeming qualities. (Okay fine, the abs are great but still.) Grow up man. There is a difference between banter/teasing and straight out terrorising. You do not purposefully trip a girl just to enforce your male dominance. Neither do you corner her next to her locker and threaten to expose her poverty-status if she doesn't go out with you. That, my dear children, is called sexual harassment and it is frowned upon in most societies.

 

 

 

5. Yes, Eun Sang is bland and has about as much personality as a potato. But that doesn't mean you should treat her like an inanimate object you can drag along with you whenever you feel like it. I get that both the lead guys have issues that they need to sought out but the girl shouldn't have to be a pawn in the game. You don't have to prove your manliness by trying to get the girl. Like just whip it out and measure already. Then we can move on with the story.

 

6. Cultural Appropriation in the first few episodes. Never thought I would use this phrase when speaking of Americans but that's exactly what happened in the episodes set in California. God, the stereotypes were everywhere. Also, American does not necessarily equal white. There are other races in the US as well you know? (I would mention the Engrish but I suppose the Korean actors can't really help it if they're not fluent in the language).

 

7. Directing and cinematography aren't that great. And don't tell me that there is no such thing as good cinematography in a Korean drama because I could provide you with a whole list right now where this has been done well. The sets in "Heirs" are elaborate but there is more to shooting a drama than having nice locations. You've got to vary your shots, try out different angles. Have smooth transitions that don't look like transitions at all. I really hate it when you can tell it's the beginning of a shot just because of how awkward the line delivery from the actor sounds.

 

8. Everything is so unbelievable. I've heard stories about how Korean high schools are really cut-throat and wealth is a big factor in how your peers view you as a person. But this drama takes it too far. It's almost comical how judgy and arrogant everyone is. I know that dramas aren't supposed to be realistic but you could at least vary your characters a little bit. Not every rich girl has to be a bitch and not every poor person has to have a heart of gold. And I am saying this from the perspective of a girl from the Western suburbs of NSW.

 

9. This drama does that thing where they build up the conflict but when you get to the actual scene, it just seems to... fall a bit flat. For example, most episodes end with the two guys having a stare off and the girl just gets caught in the middle. Am I supposed to feel something here? Are you aiming for suspense? Cause mostly I just feel annoyed that the girl has been objectified again.

 

10. Basically everything is boring and nothing happens.

 

Anyhow, my bitching ends here. Sorry for making you sit through all that. I just have a lot of thoughts and as you can tell, Korean dramas get me all riled up haha. If you're looking for a drama that ticks all the boxes (acting, storyline, directing), I think you should check out Queen In Hyun's Man and maybe even I Hear Your Voice. By far the two best ones I watched this year. They gave me that crack-drama feeling that turned into epic withdrawal after the series had finished. Everything made sense and the characters were believable and kickass.

 

After all that negativity, I feel it's only fair to end on a positive note. So here you go. Have a picture of the abs:

 

 

(Source)

 

You're welcome. 

 

List of Random

Two posts in one day? Gee Cynthia, you haven't been this active on Blogger since your C'sReverie Year 9 days! Speaking of C'sReverie, I recently took a look at the stats on the old blog and it's now got a whopping 36,088 views (of which 50% - I'm pretty sure - came from spam sites and google searches). I posted the weirdest shit on that thing. Maybe I should do something about it.

Onwards to the list of random!

1. Angelfall - that book I blogged about a while ago - is going to be made into a movie. The news was announced on the author's website on Thursday and to be honest, my heart kind of sunk when I heard about it. Brilliant book - don't get me wrong. In fact, it was probably the best Young Adult book I read all year (let's ignore the fact that I only read about 4 in 2013). My heart sunk because I didn't think they'd be able to do justice to it. Nothing is ever as good as the book. Not The Hunger Games and not Harry Potter. I'm excited for The Book Thief and Catching Fire but I doubt they will amaze me. Oh well. Perhaps at least this little indie gem will get the big name exposure it deserves. (It's being produced by the people behind the Spider Man trilogy and the executive producer was at the helm of The Hunger Games movie.)

(Source)

 

2. Flashback time! To that Aaron Carter episode on Lizzie McGuire (because I saw this picture on buzzfeed and it brought back warm fuzzy feelings and now I'm spreading the warm fuzzies to you).

 

 

3. There were dwarves in my garden this morning!

 

 

4. A colour reversed image of that thing I drew. My phone did something strange when I took a picture of it.

 

 

 

5. We tried to be Gossip Girl but failed miserably.

 

6. Saw this on the bbc.co.uk news site (which is supposed to reflect quality journalism). Looks like somebody needs to get their facts straight.

What type of person doesn't know that 'K Pop' is a genre, not a band's name? Come on. Have you been living under a rock these last few years?

 

7. They want to know if I'm willing to have my contract extended. I want to know whether they're going to start giving me an allowance to cover travel and food costs :( Please? I don't ask for anything and I'm there 17 hours a week.

 

8. Nancy, this could have been you.

 

 

9. I wish more episodes of Heirs was out so I can finally start the darned series. Come on... just a few more weeks to go.

 

10. I am officially on holidays! Yaaaaay! First year or uni done and dusted. I have very mixed feelings about this year so I might do a ~serious~ blog post later down the track just talking about my experiences and how this whole year out of high school has done strange things to my mental wellbeing. Okay, it sounds like I'm just joking around when I say it like that but honestly, this year has been so traumatic and confusing, I don't even know where to begin. But we'll save that for later.

 

Cynthia, out!

Captain Hook (OUaT) Appreciation Post

Okay, so apart from the terrible acting, cheesy one-liners and really, really low budget special effects, Once Upon A Time isn't actually that bad. Sure it's got like a gazillion plot holes but who needs logic when you've got Captain Hook?

Let's all take a moment to appreciate this fiiiiiiiiiiine specimen of humanity.

Unnnnfffff.

Last one?

Yeah, okay let's be honest. There is one reason and one reason only that I'm giving Once Upon a Time another go after ditching it last year. And no, it's not because of Henry's fabulous acting.

I think it should be illegal for someone that good-looking to be on a family show. You can tell that the producers are really pushing the boundaries too, judging from those few lines in episode 9:

"Normally, I prefer to do more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back."

And then a few moments later, during his fight with Emma:

"Trust me, if I jab you with my sword...you'll feel it"

Children's show my ass. It's okay kids. He's just talking about....Twister. Funny. Now that I think about it, this could be one of those shows that you watch again as an adult and then realise how many sexual innuendos flew over your head as a child.

So in conclusion, as long as Once Upon a Time keeps delivering on Hook, I will sit through countless hours of cheesy dialogue, tedious lacklustre fight scenes and unnecessary Lost cameos. Yah?
Yah!

And then she looked directly at me.....

Yes it's been awhile, yes I'm apologising again and no I don't think anyone out there really cares but I'll do it anyway. I don't even have a reason for not blogging this time. I can't lie and say I've been busy because whilst everyone has been freaking out over finals, I've been sitting here scrolling endlessly through tumblr. Oh the life of a communications student...

So, a couple of week ago, I went to my first peer networking training session. Did I tell you I made it into peer networking? If you're wondering, it's the volunteer program at university where you don an orange shirt (along with exaggerated enthusiasm for tertiary education) and harass welcome new students on orientation days. If you read my post a couple of weeks earlier, you would've heard how badly I bombed the interview. So as you can imagine, I was very surprised that they took me on.

Well, the mystery has been solved. I now know why they accepted me into the program, and no, it's not because of my superior charm and witty countenance. You see, during the training session, the program coordinator was talking to us about the importance of communication skills and how we had a responsibility to reassure people who had issues at university. At one point in her speech, she said:

"We have chosen you guys because of your confidence , friendliness and clear leadership capabilities. However, I also want to state that some of you were chosen because whilst you may not be as extroverted as most of the people here, we're hoping that shy students will recognise that in you and find you easier to approach and talk to."

And when she said that, I'm pretty sure she looked directly at me.

High five Cynthia. For once in your life, your introvertedness and awkward personality has actually worked in your favour. I hope you know that that's never going to happen again (so you might as well enjoy it now).

I've picked up guitar again and have been learning a few new songs just for the fun of it. Actually, earlier this week, I went through a phase of wanting to play really angry or really bass-heavy songs. Maybe it's because I was sick of doing what I usually do - boring-ass cute pop covers - and I just wanted to experiment with something totally different. Plus I was just angry at the world for no reason (no it's not PMS - you have probably experienced that inexplicable frustration yourself).

I learnt The Pretty Reckless' 'Make Me Wanna Die' and those maaaaaaaaan those low lyrics are like the best thing to belt out, ever. I sound like a total man but I don't even care because Taylor Momsen sounds like a man and she's fucking hot anyway.

And then I learnt that epic rift from Arctic Monkey's 'Do I Wanna Know' and pretended I was totally badass (whilst playing my dad's classical guitar in my pink-coloured bedroom surrounded by furry stuffed animals).

If you haven't seen it, here's the music video:

 

I'm having trouble singing and playing at the same time though. Probably because the lyrics are in such a syncopated rhythm compared to the music.

 

I might try to attempt some Paramore next. It'll probably turn out disastrous though cause my guitar playing still sucks shit and Hayley William's voice is like Hayley William's voice and my voice is like....not Hayley William's voice, y'know?

 

I would like to get a condenser mic sometime in the near future so I can do better covers. I could even attempt some dodgy acapella covers! It'll be fun.  



The Halloween Party

It makes me happy that people had fun at our party. Part of me was a little bit afraid that after all that planning and sacrificing of assignment time, our party would suck, people would be bored and we would be left with heaps of debt. In the end, we didn't get all the money back but it's okay cause Nancy and I are willing to split the cost.

I really liked all the costumes! (Bobina, if you're reading this, my sister and parents thought your costume was the best.) I wanted to nominate so many people for the best costume categories but it wasn't possible and people were getting rowdy anyway (which was to be expected).

So highlights for me were:

• The dance floor. If we ever do this again, I think I've got some lights we could use for inside
• Giving people toffee apples and seeing them smile
• Watching people eat a 'spoonful' of vegemite
• People using our decorations in their photos! It seemed like no one really appreciated the decorations but seeing them appear in photos is enough for me. Thanks again Juliana for your bat-mobile. (Geddit??)
• People using the projector - I seriously thought no one was going to bother with it

Lowlights:

• Washing vomit off the front porch and steps. Fun fun fun fun. Why couldn't you have aimed a metre to the left?
• Not eating any of the food Tian made. Except for half a wand. Actually during the whole night, I ate: 1 slice of pizza, half a cupcake and half a wand.
• Waiting for people to leave up until 1:30pm. Actually I didn't really mind doing this but I was just really tired.
• Clean up duty. Although it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be tbh.
• Not being able to get a group photo... with all 70+ of our guests. Okay that probably would've been impossible anyway.

Anyway, we should totes make this a yearly thing... and get more people on the team to help out as well.

Awkward Cynthia Strikes Again

Thursday and Friday did weird things to my self-esteem. On Thursday, I was told by my tutor in PR that she and the lecturer wanted to use my essay as an exemplar response for next semester. I felt happy because that was my first real academic achievement in university that went beyond just getting a good grade for an assignment. I didn't realise but I've missed feeling appreciated for doing good academically. The lack of recognition you get for doing anything at university kind of killed my drive to produce good quality work (it spat on and decimated it to be honest). Whereas in high school, teachers acted like I shat rainbows whenever I handed in a decent essay to encourage me to keep up the work ethic. I miss high school. Wait no, I just miss being fawned upon.

On Friday, my self esteem died a slow and painful death. Basically, I'd applied to become one of those helpers on orientation day at university. I'd gotten past the first stage (which was sending them your responses as to why you wanted to get in) and was now at the second - a group interview.

Basically I suck at interviews, have no natural charisma and everything that comes out of my mouth sounds fake and contrived. I bombed it epically. It was one hour of internal cringing at myself and admiration for all the other interviewees at being able to talk so confidently about themselves. Go Cynthia! Your awkwardness has once again prevailed.

Um yeah, so that was fun.

Uni aside, I didn't have that bad a week - mostly because of all the Halloween planning I got to do. I am so excited for this party - you don't even understand. It's probably a bad thing though. I've hyped it up so much in my mind but the reality will probably suck. And then Nancy and I will just spend the night in a corner drinking and pegging eyeball chocolates at people who walk past.

I also realised that on the Friday night before the Halloween party, I'm going to be at uni for one of my club/society parties. That's one less day of preparation I'm going to get. And seeing as how I'm a bit of a last minute person, I will probably regret that so much on Saturday.

Anyhow, here's another picture of how much stuff we bought on Thursday night. I wasn't kidding or joking when I uploaded it onto Facebook. People need to pay us back. Or we will be short a few hundred dollars.

 

Yes we even bought a broomstick. Problem?

The Quest for the Lace Up Belt

Do you know how much trouble and humiliation I endured to get this belt? Well let me tell you about it.

I was at the city today, catching up with some journalism friends who I hadn't seen in a while. And since I was at the city, I decided to do a bit of Halloween costume shopping. My best bet was probably Paddy's Market and sure enough, I came across quite a significant number of stalls selling lace up belts. The only problem? *whispers* They were all slutty costume stalls.

Do you know which ones I'm talking about? I'm sure you do. They're the stalls which sell the 'sexy schoolgirl' and 'medieval pub wench' costumes. There are also some really weird, uncomfortable-looking, lingerie pieces just boldly hanging at the front all like, "Hey, look at me, I'm a red stringy, bedazzled thong-thing".

Okay, I probably sound like such a prude right now. But seriously. The moment you walk into these shops, you get judged. There were people walking past just leering at the shoppers inside. Also, when the lady was testing the fit of the belt on me, a couple of prepubescent teen boys walked in and started pointing and laughing at all the costumes. Yeah, it was fun...

Anyway, I did end up getting the belt at a cheaper price than I would've gotten in a retail store (I bargained for it) so I  suppose it was worth it. And if anyone's still looking for costumes, try Paddy' market. Just be prepared to endure some humiliation if you really want to get the good stuff...

Praise the Lorde!

Today made me happy. Not jump for joy, kiss a baby happy but the type of happiness that comes from knowing that you're healthy, you've got friends and your future may be a bit fuzzy now but hey, it could be worse. I can't even begin to express how much better this semester is. I feel so much more in control of my life and I don't spend every second day cursing journalism to the fiery depths of hell. Oh journalism. If you were a person, you would be Tony Abbott. That's what I think.

Part of my happiness also comes from my walk around the city. After 10 months of procrastination, my friend from PR and I finally ate a proper lunch at a restaurant (instead of just popping over to Market City for sushi and Easyway). It was pretty chill and I could pretend for a moment that I wasn't at uni. We both knew the correct thing to do would've been walk back to the library and work on our essays but when we got back outside, the weather was so good and the city was just....there, there for us to explore.

We ended up walking all the way down to Darling Harbour and just watching seagulls annoy the hell out of people. Sometimes I forget that UTS is in the heart of the city. Usually, my university life consists of taking the train to Central, going to the lectures/class and taking the train home. It can feel so insular at times. But it doesn't have to be y'know? I can walk down to Darling Harbour if I want. I can visit Chinatown if I feel like it. I could even check out the shops on George Street if I didn't have to curl up I the library to study. I realised that today. I don't know why it took me so long to realise that I have freedom.

Anyway, we sat at Darling Harbour for a while before heading back for class. We did try to take some photos but that just made me think about why people take photos in the first place. I get that some people want to preserve a moment or capture a specific place or time but I also think that a lot of people feel obligated to take photos just so they have something to show for it. We're no longer satisfied with just living in the moment or keeping a memory for ourselves. We want gratification from other people, whether it's via social media or whatever else. We want likes and acknowledgement and basically, humans are just a big bunch of attention whores. Just kidding, I didn't really mean that last part.

This is the most random thing but while we were walking back, I thought I saw someone I knew. At least I think it was him. I can't be too sure because I haven't seen this guy in like, a year and a half. But you know what? I almost didn't recognise him because he looked so different. He had like, a billion piercings, a Mohawk and unless I was mistaken, serious ink on his harm. Oh and he wore drug dealer clothes. I sound so judgy but you didn't see this guy okay? I don't know - it was strange.

(Source)

So about Lorde. I have to be honest. I didn't like Royals at first. I do like indie but the song just didn't do anything for me. I listened to Tennis Court as well, which was good but not great. And then a few weeks ago, I heard The Love Club. And that was brilliant. It made me go back and appreciate her other songs all the more. I also stumbled across Lorde's tumblr and well, she's basically just your average 16 year old (albeit a 16 year old who's wise beyond her years).

Have you guys seen this article? I read it and as a Lorde fan, it made me so mad. If you're too lazy to click on it, that's okay. The headline is "Lorde Stands By Her Disses To Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez".

I don't even know where to begin but I'll try. Basically Lorde was quoted as making some statements about these artists to certain media outlets. They weren't mean comments, just observations about the artists and their music and to be honest, I think they were just side comments. However, this reporter has jumped on them and blown it all out of proportion. I hate inaccurate journalism. (Actually I hate all journalism but that's beside the point). You can tell that the writer of this article is 1) American 2) a big fan of the dissed artists and 3) knows NOTHING about Lorde.

Lorde first dissed Justin, 19, on July 18 to MTV News when she said, ”I feel like the influences that are there in the industry for people my age, like Justin Bieber or whatever, are just maybe not a very real depiction of what it’s like to be a young person.” Many Beliebers weren’t happy with that statement!

Girllllll, you don't know what you're writing about. First of all, nothing in that statement can be taken as a purposely vengeful, mean-spirited comment towards Justin Bieber. Second of all, the fact that you just used "dissed" and an exclamation mark at the end of your sentence is proof enough that you need to go back to journalism school. I only did one semester of it and even I know that. And thirdly, LORDE HAS A POINT YOU IDIOT. Justin Bieber does not write music that captures what it's like to be a young person. He writes about love. And getting babes. And nothing else. Whereas Lorde writes 'we count our dollars on the train to the party'. True facts guys. I was broke-as as a teen. Plus, I'm sure Lorde is aware that Beebz is a poser and a dickhead. But she hasn't commented on that. If I was her, I wouldn't have as much self-control.

She then dissed his ex-girlfriend, Selena, 21, during a Sept. 28 radio interview, when she said she didn’t approve of her song “Come and Get It.” “I’m a feminist, and the theme of her song is, ‘When you’re ready come and get it from me.’ I’m sick of women being portrayed this way.” Ouch!

Again with the 'dissed' and the exclamation mark! Did you even study, yo. And Lorde speaks her words of wisdom once again. SELENA GOMEZ'S SONG ISN'T EXACTLY EMPOWERING IS IT?? I mean it's catchy, but there isn't anything of substance to it besides her wanting to get it on with a dude, amirite?

As for Taylor, 23, Lorde quipped that she was “too flawless and unattainable,” in the Oct. issue of New Zealand’s Metro magazine. 

I'm going to ignore the fact that you just used the word 'quipped'. As to the rest of the quote, um yeah, I am pretty sure Taylor Swift is the embodiment of 'too flawless and unattainable'. The girl's hair is perfect 24/7. Plus, this is what Lorde wrote on her tumblr:

i think she actually uses her other imperfections in an incredibly powerful and relatable way. taylor swift has a very unique vision, which i admire. i think somewhere along the line also there was a misquote where people got the impression i thought writing about love was shameful. i don’t! i just haven’t found a way of doing it which is powerful and innovative, which is why i don’t.

It pisses me off so much that the people who read these articles don't know who Lorde is, what music she makes and therefore jump to conclusions about the artist based on some shitty article they just read. I mean, just look at the comments on the article:

I hate u, and u are never going to make friends in the music biz if u don’t stop, no one is perfect cause ur song isn’t good anyways, every star has a different taste in music so I think u should apologize cause threating people want get u anywhere

If that doesn't make you want to vomit in your mouth, I don't know what will.

Finally, Lorde watches Studio Ghibli movies, Breaking Bad and she loves Beyoncé. THEREFORE YOUR ARGUMENT IS VOID BECAUSE CLEARLY, SHE IS THE EPITOME OF PERFECTION. ALL PRAISE THE LORDE!

Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl, Swirl

Apparently my last post was on the 12 September. Yikes. It might have been because I was busy but if I have to be honest, I think it was more the fact that I just...didn't feel like blogging. I also had tons of other stuff I wanted to do. Like watch Orange Is The New Black.

(Source)

 

When my uni friend recommended this show to me, I kind of gave a half-hearted promise that I would watch it. It was mainly because I hadn't heard much of it and the lack of buzz put me off. Also the fact that she didn't give me much besides "It's about lesbians in prison." Then William suggested it and there was a moment when I was on the train a few weeks ago and I heard this girl behind me gushing about it to her friend. So I caved and watched the first episode.

 

I don't really feel like blogging a whole lot about it so I'll just talk vaguely about some random things. It probably won't make much sense to people who don't watch the show but that's okay. I feel like putting these thoughts down somewhere.

 

First of all, I liked the show. I liked that it tried to give representation to those groups of people who are usually marginalised in American tv shows. The diversity was refreshing although I do feel like it reflects badly on American media that the only time black and Hispanic Americans are given fair representation is in a tv show about prison. I mean, really?

 

 

Let's talk about Suzanne/"Crazy Eyes". She scared the shit out of me at the beginning. Mostly because I thought she was insane enough to want to murder Piper in her sleep. I mean, the woman peed on her floor in vengeance. But then she started to grow on me and when she was talking to Piper about how people tie her down when she's upset so she doesn't float away - that just broke my heart. Also, her poem was one of my favourite parts of the show:

 

Before I met you, the sun was like a yellow grape.

But now, it looks like fire in the sky.

Why? Because you light a fire inside me.
 





So yay, hooray for Crazy Eyes. I can see why she's such a favourite character for so many people.

 

 

Pennsatucky. That bitch is crazy. But then again, so is Piper. Her character intrigues me though - (Pennsatucky - not Piper). I don't even know why but that scene where she walks into the courtroom with the magical Christian defence lawyer was one of my favourites. It's also especially ironic considering she got an abortion just before she committed the crime.

 

Speaking of favourite scenes - here's a list of some other ones that particularly caught my attention:

• The moment where Larry is narrating/talking to the radio host about Piper's gaol experiences. I liked that there was a moment of there where it felt like the show was going all meta on us. I can't remember the exact lines but it might have had something to do with how every person at the goal has got their own story to tell. I thought it was beautifully shot and narrated.
• Any scene with Taystee and Poussey. Speaking of these two... what do you get when you put their names together and say it really quick??
• That scene where the yoga lady talks about her backstory. God, poor woman.
• When Piper lays it down for the delinquent kid. And then crazy Pennsatucky walks in and tackles her for good measure - just in case the kid wasn't traumatised enough.

I also really like Red (although her sabotaging in the last episode wasn't one of her finest moments). Like a lot of the other inmates, she's a very interesting combination of strength and vulnerability. I like that she looks out for the other girls and takes pride in her cooking. I also like that she accidentally popped that other Russian lady's fake boob. Oh and this:

 

 

LOL I don't even know.

 

So in short, Orange is the New Black is a pretty fantastic show and I'm glad I watched it.

"Speeches" by Walk Off the Earth

 

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If Mumford & Sons and Beirut got drunk at a party, fooled around in the backseat of someone's car and managed to conceive a love child, this would be it. I don't even care that it's cheesy. I don't even care that it's full of clichés. All I know is that I fucking love this song and video and if I could, I would bottle it up and go around spraying its awesomeness into people's faces until the whole world was infected with my happiness. Also, 3:22 kicks me right in the gut every time.  

"Echo" - Jason Walker

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Hello blog, yes I am still alive and no I haven't ditched you for tumblr. Our relationship is much too deep for that.

 

I still think Australian TV is the shittiest thing to have ever happened to this planet so I started watching The Vampire Diaries again. Is that statement ironic? I don't know. It took me a while to get back into it and no surprise too, considering I stopped watching in like, 2010. It's okay despite being rather tame, and like most teen dramas, the actors are mighty easy on the eyes (like hello Michael Trevino!). However, it also feels a bit like a placeholder show while I wait for something better to come around. Any suggestions? I hear "Orange is the New Black" is worth checking out.

 

My blog views spiked in the last few days and I'm kind of freaked out, especially since I haven't posted anything in two weeks. When I see spikes like these, my mind automatically assumes it's one of two things: 1) either there has been a rise in a particular google search for an image that is on my blog or 2) people/students from either of my workplaces have discovered this space and sharing it around. Oh gosh, please don't be the latter.



What do you mean my first job is to call someone in Perth?

I read somewhere that you shouldn't blog about your job because of the risks involved but I figured that 1) since this isn't actually a job (in the sense that they're paying me), 2) I'm not talking about company policies/whatnot and 3) I'm not going to badmouth them at all, it should be okay? I REALLY JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND I NEED TO DO IT HERE. What if I made a vague list? Would that be acceptable? Okay, so here goes:

• Internship
• 2 days a week
• Corporate company
• Got me own phone, desk, computer and swivelly chair
• Everything is so clean, nice and modern looking
• Handshake, handshake, I hope I remember all these names
• Tour time! Meeting rooms, offices, reception and cafeteria ("Don't buy food there"). Okay, noted.
• Oooh look, a room full of stationary! It's free? No way!
• Nice people everywhere
• I am an awkward person
• Why does everyone here look like a German supermodel??
• I need more professional looking clothes
• I get my own card? Epic! Now I can use the lifts, open doors, print stuff and go to the toilet. Yes!!!
• This is intimidating. Everyone looks so professional and accomplished
• Ahhh, so this is what you do
• Lunch? You guys are inviting me to lunch? *cue tears of happiness at not having to eat alone at my desk*
• Okay changed my mind, everything is too expensive
• Back to office
• Awkward lift moments are awkward
• My first task is to call up a guy in Perth and interview him? Oh yeah sure, nah, I got this.
• (inwardly) AAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGHHH PANIC!!!!!!
• Frantically Whatsapp the girlies for help even though I shouldn't be using my phone.
• Google is my best friend: 'how to make interstate calls', ' how to use an excel spreadsheet', 'what is neo gloss paper?', 'how to stop being such an awkward person' 
• Calls up tech desk to get Chrome installed on my computer
• Waits for someone to turn up
• Mouse on my computer starts to move without me touching it
• Omg I am watching someone install programs onto the computer remotely. Can they see all the retarded shit I've been googling??
• Nothing for me to do, pretty sure everyone's forgotten about the intern
• Swivel, swivel, spin!
• Whoops, I think that guy saw me. Sorry, I'll behave.
• Let's try looking busy and accomplished
• Scribble in my FREE notebook with my FREE pen hehehehe
• Busy people everywhere, making calls and doing important things
• Do I want to see the merchandise basement? Of course I want to see the merchandise basement!
• Stocktake time!
• Complimentary stuff everywhere
• Wait, you're chucking those mugs out?? But there's like, 300 of them.
• Oh? You'll give some to me? Wow, okay. And those notebooks too? And the plastic poncho?
• BEST JOB EVER GUYS.
• Back to ze desk.
• I wish someone would give me stuff to do.
• Continues wasting space for an hour - yep, they've definitely forgotten about me
• Hello! Why of course, I'll draw up the table of contents for you
• Finally, something I feel comfortable doing - I knows how to use ze Microsoft Word very well
• Admin tasks for the intern. I don't even care. I LOVE MINDLESS JOBS.
• Somewhat glad that no one has asked me to make coffee (yet) because...I don't know how. I think I need to learn when I get home.
• Tries to figure out how to structure the email webinar invite
• Pretty sure I screwed something up. Oh god, I'm so sorry, I'll get better I swear
• More phone calls to make. Okay, you can do this. Just be normal.
• Everyone's going home. Office is quiet. This is getting creepy.
• Been sitting in the same spot for like, 8 and half hours
• Yes! Dad's here. Finally time to go home.
• I'm so pooped.

That was actually my first two days mashed up into one but you get the gist of it. I've never been in an environment like that before so it was definitely a big learning experience. I just wish there were people my age I could talk to. Everyone's really nice but they chat about things like, buying apartments, starting families, travelling to Perth, etc. And they're obviously really close-knit. I kind of feel like the lost puppy getting underfoot.

The other problem is that I'm obviously there for quite long hours cause I can't go home until my dad does. That's almost 18 hours at the office over the two days. One week in and I'm already lagging behind in terms of university work. My week schedule now goes something like 2 days interning, 2 days going to uni and 1.5 days working at my real job. That leaves me 1.5 days to get serious work done...

First look at 'The Book Thief' Trailer

 

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Once upon a time, I read a book. And that book reduced me to a blubbering, incoherent mess of a human being. And by blubbering, incoherent mess, I meant that it caused my eyes to tear up a bit at the end (because like Ron Weasley, I have the emotional range of a teaspoon). Now that book has a trailer - and once again I am a blubbering, incoherent mess of a human being. See look, I definitely just blinked a  few extra times.

 

 

List of Random #2

List of Random #2
 

 1.

 

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Mash-up of Primadonna Girl by Marina & The Diamonds and Viva La Vida by Coldplay.

 

2. Don't you just hate it when, after painting your nails, you're unable to touch anything for like an  hour but then at the 45 minute mark, you decide it'll be okay to grab a cookie from the jar and when you do so, the tip of your pinky brushes against the side and you're like, "Shit!" and while you're trying to fix it, you accidentally botch up another finger so you're like, whatever, I'll just put another layer on it but then the same thing happens again so you just give up and decide to start all over again tomorrow?

 

3. Saw this on buzzfeed and apparently it's all one image?

 

 

4. I've been on an awesome reading streak recently. After I read Angelfall, I moved on to Anna and the French Kiss (which, despite the cheesy title and horrible horrible chick-lit cover, was actually quite a decent book) and 2 days ago, I finished reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

 

 

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It was amazeballs. It hit all the right spots for me. If I went back in time to interview my 15 year old self about what I would have included in a fantasy novel, I would basically have recited this book from front page to end cover. Seriously. Magic, seraphim, chimaera, an art school in Prague, Morocco, mystery, secrets, hidden worlds, necromancy, portals, whimsy, adventure, star-crossed-lovers, monsters - it had everything and more. And also, did I mention: blue-haired protagonist? Blue!

 

5. I really want to go to Prague

 

 

 

Image sources: here, here and here.

 

And for the 178th time, I kick myself for putting down China as my international studies elective when I could have picked a nice, European city to exile myself for one year in. Urrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh. Just when I've managed to convince myself that it won't be so bad and I might actually have made a good decision, I read or watch something that reminds me that EUROPE IS WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DAGNABBIT.

 

6. I wish the power outages at UTS were still unresolved. I really don't want to go to university this week.

 

7. I wish everyday was a party and we didn't have to pursue tertiary education in order to get a job.

 

8. I wish my hair was blue.

 

9. I wish my wishes came true.

 

10. RAMEN BURGER!

 



 

See here: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/ramen-burger-latest-food-mash-up-draw-crowd-article-1.1422911

 



Never Again

So apparently, I'm an affectionate drunk who likes to stroke people's hands when wasted.

I also talk really slow and repeat myself over and over and over again. (Apparently when I came home, I told my sister that I was drunk and then instructed her to ignore everything I said.... at least 8 times).

I pinkie promised Kenny that I would get even more drunk the next time. To which I say,

(And it was only due to Juliana's helpful reminder that I remembered this.)

And while we're laying it all out there, my phone record tells me that I'm also guilty of drunk texting.

I half remember being watched over by Steph and Juliana and given water. Thanks guys, y'all the best. What would I do without you girls?

I remember there being cards, barbecue sauce and Southern Comfort. That part of the night is actually very clear now that I think about it.

I remember smiling at Nancy because her face was so red. Then people started giving me more shots and asking me if I wanted a chaser?

I remember feeling happy though and thinking that it was the best party ever and why couldn't uni and real life be this fun??

And I know I did some other really cringeworthy things but my brain is putting those thoughts in lockdown as an effort of self-preservation.

I am so embarrassed I could die.

So the moral of this story is: I am never drinking alcohol ever again. Never.

I have read Angelfall, and I will never be the same again

It was your average, sucky, weekday morning. I woke up at 6:20am, brushed my teeth, threw on some clothes and walked to the station with Nancy. We waited a bit for Kenny, got on the train and I wedged myself into the window seat in preparation for the not-at-all-depressing 45 min ride to university. I took out my kindle, thinking that I would just do a bit of casual reading. Forty minutes later, as the train slowly pulled into Redfern and I waved goodbye to Kennancy, it dawned on me that I might have found my favourite book of the year.

The book was called Angelfall. *insert dramatic music here*

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Is that not the most  simple but gorgeous cover that has ever been photoshopped in the history of Photoshop? Why can't all books look this nice? Why are things like this allowed to exist?

I have not had good experiences with books about angels. They are like the Regina George of the YA book world - lovely and sweet on the outside but claw-your-eyes-out nasty on the inside. This may or may not have something to do this and this.

Adding to this is the fact that Angelfall, according to some goodreads reviewers, is a self-published novel. What does self-published mean to you? Because to me, it means twilight fan fiction with a healthy dose of whips, chains and ooh Mr Grey, you bring out my inner sex goddess(!!!)

And finally, the last YA novel I attempted to read was Divergent and that was, to be honest, mediocre and wholly unsatisfying. (You could argue though that at times, Angelfall reads more like adult than young adult).

I gave Angelfall a try though because of its stellar rating on goodreads and the fact that, get this, EVERY SINGLE REPUTABLE REVIEWER THAT I FOLLOW ON GOODREADS (who has read this book) GAVE IT A 4 STAR RATING OR HIGHER. The only other book where that has happened was The Hunger Games back in, I don't even know - 2009?

Hello, if you are new to this blog, just know that I have a lot of feelings about stuff I like and when that happens, my posts become 98% gushing and 2% informational. Soz.

 

So Cynthia, when are you going to tell us what the fucking book is about??

 

I am really bad at explaining the plot of things. I will still try but you could also save yourself time and read the goodreads description.

Angelfall starts dives right into the apocalyptic setting. We've got Penryn, a 17 year old who's trying to get her crippled sister and schizophrenic mother to safety. As a character, Penryn ranks all the way up there with Katniss in the kickass department. She has martial arts training, she's smart and she's got an immense will to live.

"I'm Penryn. I'm named after an exit off Interstate 80."

"Nice." They nod as if to say they understand what it's like to have parents like that.

The world she lives in has been overrun by angels and humanity has lost control of everything. The whole survival aspect of it is very much like The Walking Dead. In fact, the gore factor is all the way up there with the TV show because dude, this shit (especially near the end) is FUCKED UP.

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"The streets have turned desolate and empty of people. We are out of the aerie district and in the demolished zone. Miles of burnt-out car husks and wrecked buildings flow by. The wind whips my hair around my face as we drive through the charred and broken skeleton of our world." - Penryn

While she's trying to get her family to safety, Penryn witnesses an angel falling from the sky. This angel is being attacked by group of his own people and Penryn watches as they brutally hack his wings off. By accident, she attracts the attention of the group and in the process of running for their lives, Penryn's sister is kidnapped. She is left with a missing family, a destroyed, dysfunctional society and a wingless angel by the name of Raffe. So shit basically hits the fan.

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“Why were the other angels attacking you?"

"It's impolite to ask the victim of violence what they did to be attacked.”



It does sound rather corny when I try to summarise it but Angelfall really is one of the most gripping novels I've read in a while. (I did finish it in a day.) All credit goes to Susan Ee's writing. You know how you can always tell from their writing, the intelligence level of a person? Well, ten pages into the book and I could already tell that Susan Ee wasn't gonna give me the typical wimpy, over-recycled, insta-love recipe that a lot of paranormal, young adult writers tend to do. So yay, high five Ms Ee! You are awesome and I like you (but please write faster).

I loved that the quest for Penryn was a worthwhile and believable one, I loved Penryn, and I loved Raffe in all his intense angel glory, and I loved that the book refused to be pinned down to one genre (it had everything: fantasy, horror, action, science fiction, romance, etc.) There was that aspect of unpredictability that The Hunger Games had and that kept me flipping me pages even though I knew I should've stopped. See, I went into The Hunger Games thinking, oh, this will be just another survivalist story but then all that stuff happened with the tribute's TV appearances and Peeta's confession and all of a sudden it was a book with a strong romance element to it and I was like, I don't even know what genre this is and in what direction everything is heading but I like it.

I never thought about it before, but I'm proud to be human. We're ever so flawed. We're frail, confused, violent, and we struggle with so many issues. But all in all, I'm proud to be a Daughter of Man. - Penryn

And the ending. Oh my god, I can't even absorb what happened it the last portion of the book since I spent most of it doing this:

I believe this book does not yet have the attention it deserves. Self-publishing does have its downfalls and it would seem a limited outreach is it. However, I think due to its success, it was eventually picked up by a major publisher and was only released to countries like the UK and Australia a few months ago. I have no doubt that it will soon blow up though (you can actually start to see it happen now) so hold on fandoms, cause the ride is just about to begin. Oh, and the film rights have been sold as well.

The Verdict

So in conclusion:

This is a good book, and I think y'all should read it.

 

P.S. Even though this book has restored my faith in young adult (if you could call it that) novels, I don't think I'll be continuing on with the category. Mainly because, I think I've reached the pinnacle with Angelfall, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc. so trying to find something else from the genre would feel like regressing.

 

P.P.S. This is the first 5 star read I've had in six months (according to goodreads). It looks like the streak was finally broken. 

FIrst Stills from Vampire Academy

The first three stills from the upcoming movie production of Vampire Academy have just been released, as you can see below:

 

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Yesterday, I mentioned that the guy at the helm of this film directed Mr Popper's Penguins. Today I found out that he also directed Mean Girls and Freaky Friday. So I guess my expectations for this movie have risen just a little bit more. I also appreciate that they're going for a 'sisters before misters' type of vibe with this film (the full title is Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters). Based on appearances alone, I like their casting choices. The guy for Dimitri is played by Russian actor Danila Kozlovsky. The still above doesn't do him justice so you can google him if you want. Or better yet, let me supply you with a picture (consider it my public service for the day).

 

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You're welcome.

This Job Makes Me Feel Powerful

Forgot to mention this in my previous post but I recently had a talk with my students that went something along the lines of "If I still do not receive homework this term, I will personally call up your parents and have a nice chat to them about your progress in class."

Nek minnit:

This job makes me feel powerful. 

How many trees have I killed?

I think my university course overcompensates for its lack of contact hours by giving students 1,472,574 pages of readings to do each week. Besides killing off a couple of my highlighters and turning me into a tree murderer, it hasn't really accomplished much.

I look at these papers and all I see is material for making kusudama flowers.

 

It suppose it isn't 100% a waste of my time. After all, I do occasionally come across phrases such as this, and then my inner 15 year old gets an amusing chuckle out of it.

 

 

In other news, after about three years of procrastination, I've finally gotten around to reading Divergent.

 

 

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I know, I never thought this day would come either. I think I should get an award or something.

 

I finally got around to reading it and . . . I'm not feeling the luuuurve. I guess I was expecting something on par with The Hunger Games (since everyone on Goodreads seems to recommend it on that basis) but I feel neither the excitement nor interest that'd gripped me when I was reading that series. The characters feel a bit bland and the writing is mediocre and rather formulaic. Of course, I'm only 42% of the way through and for all I know, the latter half of the book may be where shit gets real yo. We'll see. This is my first young adult book in about two years so maybe I just need more time to ease back in.

 

There are some images floating around on the net of the upcoming movie. Here they are, if anyone's interested:

 

And yes, that is Kate Winslet (I don't even know). 

 

Sources: here , here, here, here and here.

 

I recently got a new Kindle from Officeworks and I guess that's motivated me to read more. It's a little bit lighter than my Kobo e-reader but it doesn't respond to touch. Instead, it's got these little tabby things on the edges for turning pages. I don't mind it. The touch function on the Kobo annoyed the hell out of me anyway.

 

 

Look how sleek and sexy it is y'all!

 

All this talk of books has just reminded me that a new teaser trailer for the movie adaption of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy is premiering soon (sometime this week I believe). I didn't even know they were making a movie! I read somewhere that the director is the guy who made Mr Popper's Penguins which . . . well okay. That should be interesting.

 

To end this post, I just want to say that I found a new favourite vlogger on YouTube. His name is Troye Sivan, he's Australian and he had a role in one of the X-men movies. Like a lot of other people, it was his coming out video last week that caught my attention and even though I can't really relate to an experience like that, I still admire his bravery in doing such a thing. Plus, his videos are funny. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoL-MnXvK80

 

Okay that is all. Cynthia out!