The Pensieve

adapted from a novel by john grisham, ‘runaway jury’ is about the lawsuit: one woman vs guns industry. now… we all know that in the US, the jury is selected at random, brought to the court and undergo a selection trial in which both sides will agree to allow the person on the jury or decide on a ‘challenge’ instead. u should see all the background checks and bugging the pple hired by the guns industry did to help them decide which of the potential jury would be on their side or would have some kind of dirty laundry they could use to ‘persuade’ them to swing the verdict to their favour. so much for JUSTICE! well, while the two sides battle it out, unknowing to all, there’s someone working WITHIN the jury, a man with a past that no one knew… and on the outside, he has a girlfriend, working with him. both intend to manipulate the trial according to their OWN agenda…
the cool part of this film is the plot… the scheming and the blatant disrespect for privacy… outrightly defying the american constitution! well… it makes pple think… and wonder… how much of their life is really ‘private’… i like the ending, there isn’t really a twist but a relevation which makes this entire film quite humane and lovely… :) the plot’s quite gripping and once more, i’m v guilty to say, i left kumar and clark open and abandoned at the asbestosis… haha… luckily that’s not one of the must-see cases… rite?

starring johnny depp, this film is about a writer who suffers from an impending divorce and a writer’s block, who retreats to his lakeside house, isolated on the hills, alone. as if the stress of his divorce and his book weren’t enough, a texan shooter turns up one day at his doors, acusing him of plaigerism… weirdly enough he hands depp a script identical to the one he himself had written many years ago… ‘the secret window’… from there, his life spirals into a frantic attempt to retrieve the original publication of his story as well as patch up the relationship with his wife. now, all this stress is definitely not going to be healthy for him….

a gripping film with a great twist! keeps you on the edge of your seat, eyes glued to the screen! - that’s me

well before i start… i’d like to say that scarlett johannson, like her name, is really pretty… and that i like her lipstick a lot. heh heh… it’s a really nice film… subtle… yet so charged with emotions. maybe to some they’d say it’s boring, yet i was transfixed to the tiny tv screen (i watched on dvd) while talley/o’connor lay open and untouched in front of me. it’s about how two americans who happen to stay in the same hotel, getting to know each other and spending a wonderful week in tokyo. note that wonderful excludes the usual things like sex and passionate love. there’re lots of soulful looks, sidewards glances and other subtilies and those are the stuff of the film. bill murray stars as a middle aged actor, long past his prime, estranged from his wife and kids, all alone in tokyo, where he’s at least a head taller than everyone in the elevator. he appears worn, jaded, even bored. scarlett, on the contrary is relatively newly-married and has followed her husband, a musician, to tokyo. she’s young but paradoxically looks fatigued, indifferent, lost and so lonely in this alternate culture. it’s beautifully filmed, it’s realistic, and it’s touching, and peppered with little funny turns here and there. i would recommend it for all, especially those who want a change from typical action/love/drama films. watching ‘love in translation’ was like biting into a cool refreshing grapefruit. dun ask me why or how i drew tt analogy…

Genre: self-help

One of the first attractive features of this book is the title. It’s really quite catchy and promises a creative and humorous content. Next up, it’s also quite thin and the words are in LARGE print. It’s a book that’s quite worthwhile to read not solely for entertainment but also because it contains many really interesting messages. As I read, I was consciously asking myself if I was like ‘Haw’ or worse, like ‘Hem’. What I learnt ultimately, is ‘Never to fear change,’ or to reject it. I fear I am guilty of fearing change at times, cuz it seems to shake the foundation of my ideas and my life. And that can be quite a scary thought.

Well, think I’ll write a summary of the ideas from this book:
Change happens – They keep moving the Cheese.
Anticipate change – Get ready for the Cheese to move.
Monitor change – Smell the Cheese often so you know when it is getting old.
Adapt to change quickly – The quicker you let go of old Cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new Cheese.
Change – Move with the Cheese.
Enjoy change! – Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new Cheese!
Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again – They keep moving the Cheese.
I hope that all who read this book gain something from it.

Genre: horror, fiction

‘The Vampire Lestat’ is a very beautiful, intense and thrilling novel. Although the novel comprises of rather disjointed anecdotes of Lestat’s life, it is nevertheless very smooth-flowing, not ‘strung’ along. This book is much better than Merrick, also by Rice. It is likely that Lestat is the most colourful, exciting and reckless of all characters Anne Rice has created. Lestat’s adventures are very fast-paced and not at all like the melancholic ones of Louis de Pointe du Lac.
I would say that Lestat seems to love people, more like he’s obsessed with them. In every part of the story he lives in big cities and towns, amidst scores of humans. Despite his ‘love’ for people, he is just as callous, though less cold-hearted than his mother, Gabrielle. I feel that his search for the meaning of eternity is a rather desperate one. Apart from this, he is also the most unpredictable character in Anne Rice’s works, which makes this book a highly-entertaining read.
Similarly, the main theme of this novel is love. However, the discussion is slightly different from that in ‘Vittorio the Vampire’. This novel shows us how love can at times be a curse, best exemplified by how Lestat bestowed the ‘dark gift’ upon his confidante Louis, damning him to an eternity of suffering as a vampire. It also brings to mind that some people help other or treat others nicely because they want to be loved, respected, remembered, appreciated… I feel that this is a rather pathetic call for love. I think that the greatest man is one who helps others without expecting anything in return.
Two lessons from this novel:
1. Always think and question, as this is the way to knowledge and wisdom.
2. The first step to success is to embrace all challenges and meet them, face to face.

Genre: horror, fiction

Of the numerous books by Anne Rice which revolve around vampires, ‘Vittorio The Vampire’ is perhaps the worst in terms of content. Part of this can be attributed to the face that this is merely a narration of the makings and beginnings of this enigmatic vampire and not so much about his adventures. Then again, Vittorio, isn’t among the adventurous ones, unlike Armand, one of the ‘Children of Darkness’ and Lestat, the outcast. However, the book contains beautifully written passages, demonstrating Rice’s literary prowess.
The novel is dominated by the theme of love and of angels. In all her books about vampires, Anne Rice strives to show love among these frequently-termed ‘bloodless monsters’, fiends whom no one thinks are capable of love. The theory is that vampires are more sensitive and passionate about love. However, this is purely fiction, a truth created by words of a powerful imagination. Will anyone ever know?
In this story, I feel that Vittorio has in a way, betrayed Mastula and the other angels who helped him surmount obstacles in order to massacre the members of the ‘Court of the Ruby Grail’ by killing all but one of perpetuators of the hideous crimes in the ‘court’ – Ursula.
Ursula, in comparison to all other female vampires in her other novels, is rather pale and two-dimensional. Her character lacks development and depth. Similar to Vittorio, she can be selfish and deceitful to fulfil her desire for love. Although the theme of love is much glorified in this novel, it is tainted by the deceit – Vittorio’s breaking of his vow and duty to the angels to rid this earth of the vampires and Ursula’s lies to Vittorio. She beseeched him to draw blood from her on the pretext of ridding her of the evilness within, when in actual fact, drinking from her would complete his transformation, turning him into the very thing that he had pledged to kill. I can envision the two of them, living quietly in Florence for years to come, enjoying each other’s companionship.
However, the penning down of his thoughts and story while leading the quiet life he claims he wants is an indication that perhaps Vittorio is curious about his counterparts in New Orleans and in the future, he might seek to join them. I feel that it is only a matter of time before he ventures into the world.
Interestingly, if one looks beyond the contradiction of loving and deceiving in this novel (as in people who love each other deceive each other), one might feel that sometimes, it is better or even necessary to lie to your loved ones instead so as to protect them. Therefore, is it really true that one has to be absolutely truthful, as a means of showing one’s love?

Genre: humour, biography

It’s a very charming book providing an extremely fresh perspective towards people, from the eyes of a dog. Boy is a pure-bred paranoid living under delusions of grandeur. He recounts his various adventures with the plumber, with the neighbors’ chickens, with the neighbor’s dog, with the alley cat… Each is equally entertaining and hilarious.
I lurve the dog cuz he’s quite like me… first, I’m anti-cat! I can’t stand cats, they send shivers down my spine and when I was young, I used to be plagued by nightmares of cats. I’ve taken a paragraph out from the book that describes cats, ‘To this day, after that youthful trauma, I can never look on cats with any genuine enthusiasm. And I never cease to marvel at the popularity enjoyed by Felis domesticus. What is he, after all, but an antisocial fur ball with delusions of superiority? The rot started thousands of years ago, as any historian will tell you, with the Egyptians. For some reason – addled brains due to the climate, possibly, or madness brought on by building too many pyramids – they elevated the status of the cat from common mouse-catcher to religious object, protector of the Pharoah’s kitty litter and icon-in-chief. Cats, of course, being altogether too pleased with themselves from birth onwards, took this as their due and lorded it over the desert sands, taking a front seat at King Tut’s dinner parties, having their paws anointed with sacred unguents, giving up mousing for a life of idleness, and generally being obnoxious. And that has been their lot ever since. When the rule of the Pharaoh’s collapsed – which it was bound to do, given the misguided people in charge – you might have thought that the world would have learned a simple lesson in cause and effect: namely, cat-worshipers come to a sticky end. The best they can hope for is a full-length bandage and parking space in a badly ventilated tomb. And another thing: you won’t find Tiddles curled up at their feet in eternal loyalty. If he’s given half a chance, he’s off looking for the next soft touch.’ And this exemplifies my feelings towards cats. They are too mean for me.
Second, I like to look at ants, and how they move in such well-coordinated lines… like marching soldiers. That’s one of the best things to do at the beach, when you’re tired of cycling, swimming or baking in the sun.
Apart from all the funny twists and turns and quirks in Boy’s character, I recommend this book for all those feeling down. They say ‘laughter’s the best medicine’ and this book sure makes a fantastic cure for depression, ennui or any negative feelings. What better thing to do on a grey rainy afternoon but curl up at a corner of your couch, with a heart-warming book right in front of you?

Breezy reading… finished damn fast compared to ayn rand la… haha it doesn’t chew on yr brain cells as much. :D

Pretty cool, the codes started out still breakable until all those prose/poetry thingies came in and i got rather befuddled.

Had like Sir Teabing (hehehe such an awful name) quite a lot, ha… he’s such a quirky character. but was quite disappointed in the end…

The observations made about the paintings ‘Madonna on the Rocks’ vs ‘Virgin on the Rocks’ as well as ‘The Last Supper’ were highly interesting and controversial of course… The story behind the MONA LISA was hmmmm a bit too insightful. heh heh.

I’m kinda lazy to blog out all of that… haha ask me if u want! i already told the story, with all the itsy bitsy details to one of my friends. :D

If anyone wants the pdf, let me know too!

I WANNA GO VISIT WESTIMINISTER ABBEY!!!!!