I didn’t read the book, so I can’t join in the debate about whether the movie did the book justice.

Taking the movie as it is, I thought the pacing was kinda slow, and the love story (which is the heart of the story, isn’t it?) rather unconvincing. In the first place, I don’t get how and when Bella fell so deeply in love with Edward. And what is it that Edward feels for Bella? Does he love her because she’s so intriguing (she’s the only mind he can’t read)? Or does he just lust after her as prey (or more literally, food)? I seriously don’t get this part. I liken it to me having an obsession with my ice cream. I SO wanna eat it, but I like how it looks, so I don’t allow myself to do so. And neither do I allow anyone else to eat it, so I protect it at all costs… that’s how I interpreted the “lust” portion. Hardly romantic, but maybe that’s just me.

I did like Edward’s music collection though. And his room is to die for! =P

If I had to come up with a list of books that changed (or will potentially change) my life, this will definitely be one book that’ll appear on the list.

It’s really been a while since I’ve finished a book and actually felt inspired by what was said.

Like another reviewer commented, this book is so NOT trite. If you are expecting superficial pointers on how you should expand your network/improve your social skills etc to become highly effective (I was actually kinda expecting something like that before I read this), this book is not it. Neither is it a book about management per se. The so-called habits are really principles, which are applicable to all facets of life. Actually there is nothing new about these principles that we do not already know, but Covey helps to articulate, or if you like, put your finger on them.

I particularly like the idea about the Maturity Continuum, and how sometimes, in our quest to assert our independence, we actually become counter-dependent. That’s reactive behaviour, and the result is that you actually regress to the less mature end of the continuum, i.e. dependence. Now I know why certain things that we do look so right but feel so wrong.

This is a truly enlightening read.

Fans of Wang Leehom will definitely dig this (I am one, and I enjoyed it). It gives a pretty interesting insight into his life pre-stardom, and also offers a glimpse into his supposed way of life, loosely in his words, sans spotlight/microphone/camera and all.

I don’t mean to sound cynical, but I could not resist using the word “supposed” because, while this biography is described as “accidental”, it reads more like a carefully crafted book of um, PR propaganda for fans. If you’re looking for a more in-depth understanding of this star, this book isn’t it, for almost everything inside reinforces Wang’s positive public image. The author actually attempted to dish out some “dirt”, but these serve only to endear Wang more to his fans… like, did you know he’s so un-particular about his living environment that the curtains he put up himself were too short for his windows, he resorted to using his scores/books to block out the sun? (Useless trivia to most people, but these are some of the things fans will lap up.)

Actually I don’t have a problem with this lack of objectivity, because no one ever said biographies had to be so. And what more this guy is still an A-list star in the scene – he has a public image to protect and nurture. But, I did find the “dirt-dishing” by his college dorm mate at the last part sort of irrelevant, and to some extent, tabloid-ish. I guess the intention was to enable fans to understand the background of some of his earlier works (it seems like many of his earlier works were written for the same girl), and I appreciate that. But the way it was executed reads like a page from some tabloid, and I can’t help but think that there’s the other agenda of portraying him as some devoted boyfriend/ex-boyfriend. This brought down this biography’s credibility by a few notches imo. The propaganda got a bit too obvious here.

That aside, I thought many parts of the biography were really inspiring, particularly the part when he requested to study Jazz Piano when at Williams even though his foundation in piano was elementary. I’ve always known that he picked up the piano proper only when he was 18, but I’ve also always taken for granted that his talent sailed him through the learning process. Little did I know that he sort of “begged” his way into the major, and that he had to put in five to six times more hours than his more advanced course mates just so that he could catch up. The book also talks about his initial coordination problems at the piano. Kinda hard to imagine, because when he performs these days, he makes everything look so easy. Speaking of which, I am so inspired to practise now.

I guess the West will like this. But for someone who grew up watching martial arts flicks, this movie was just laughably overstylised. I mean, what’s with all the falling red leaves, shower of arrows and flailing of arms to fend off those arrows? I actually laughed out loud when Tony Leung was writing the word “sword” for Jet Li (mmm… nice hair, nice enough for a shampoo ad). Much as I love Tony Leung as an actor, that part was just plain ludicrous (apart from the many other lol moments in the movie).

Credit must be given to the script though, which I thought used a pretty refreshing mode of storytelling. I also appreciate the bold use of colours in the various scenes. Very stunning. But… why did Zhang Yimou have to make them fight the way they did? When ancient swordsmen start moving like Neo in the Matrix, they don’t look smooth. They just look like they were wired up by amateurish technicians.

Maybe I’ve missed something, but imho, a masterpiece it’s not.

I used to really dig Tori’s music back in her Little Earthquakes – To Venus and Back days. But after Venus, things just kinda went another direction. Although many say the albums from Scarlet’s Walk onwards are a return to her Little Earthquakes roots, they don’t seem to engage me anymore. (1) Her albums these days are uber long. After some time, every other track just starts sounding like every other track. (2) Her later albums may have returned to her girl-and-piano roots, but they are sorely lacking in edginess. Maybe motherhood has rounded her edges, or maybe age has mellowed her angst and quirkiness. I don’t know.

But I’m not gonna give up on this yet. Who knows, maybe if I spin this when I’m in the right mood, things may just suddenly all fall into place.

My review here: http://10centwings.braveblog.com/entry/23252

I thought she sounds very much like Stacey Kent.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v145/witchazel/?action=view&current=34e1e6fa.flv

I’m not going to pretend that I understood what Auster is trying to tell us through this book. In fact, to be really honest, I am totally clueless as to what this book is about. I had picked up this book thinking it was some sort of suspense novel that will eventually tie up all scattered clues into one satisfying knot (obviously, I’ve not read Auster before). Of course, this was not the case. There’s no denouement to speak of. All the readers are left with are a bunch of clues, and an open ending.

My immediate reaction, upon completing this, was to reread certain parts of the book, in the hope of finding some crucial bits I’ve missed. Of course, I found none. Hence, as of now, I’m still pretty clueless about what’s going on.

It was at Amazon.com that I found out why this book totally lost me. It turned out that many of the characters in this book are actually characters from his OTHER books. So this book works like some kind of inside-joke for his fans, while non-insiders like me are, like how one reviewer put it, left out in the cold.

This book should have come with a warning at the very least.

But that aside, I’ll have to say that the premise is rather interesting. Auster writes brilliantly, so I guess what I’m going to do is to pick up his earlier works, and revisit this novella after I’ve acquainted myself with all the characters that have made an appearance here. Only then will I decide whether or not I like this little novel.

Movies like this make Hollywood blockbusters seem crass and unthoughtful (for lack of a better word). Not everything has to be larger than life or action-packed to be interesting. This movie is about one tiny episode of an ordinary kid’s life, about freezing time (nope, no hollywood styled race-against-time car chases), about magnifying the moment to savour the beauty of it all.

The premise is charming, and the execution well done. It’s thoughtful without being heavy, and there’s daft humour without being overly slapstick.

Imo, much of the beauty lies in Ben’s narration, which reads like a book. While it may be said that a picture speaks a thousand words, beauty may sometimes be more effectively put across through subtler means, like the spoken/written word.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve walked out of a movie theatre feeling truly satisfied with a movie I’ve seen. This movie made me feel good, not in the I-got-high-on-morphine-my-brain-is-numb kind of manner, but more because I was truly enchanted.

This isn’t a good show to catch on the plane. I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud, I had to cover my mouth almost throughout the movie to prevent myself from making any sound.

Thank goodness I didn’t snort.

It’s hilarious.