I have to say, the world is one funny fucked up place. Wars are everywhere and people are dying - DYING. Instead of thinking about those people who died in vain, doing nothing to deserve their lives cut short and their future taken away from them, the remaining people who live [that's us] still have the guts to generalize facts and use the argument of race, religion, nationality etc etc to justify the action.
When someone died and all you can think about is their race or religion, I think something is definitely wrong with your thinking. If people die, they die. Their lives end notwithstanding their religions - Islam, Christian, Jews and so forth. When people died because someone killed them, you blame the people who killed them. You don't generalize stuffs and say - "whoah, your race did this, people of your religion did that." In my honest opinion, most of those who died had no idea what the killers did and how they had to be responsible not for their actions but for representing that 'supposed something' symbolic that justified their killing.
Shit, man, when you kill innocent people because of patriotism, do you think your country would be proud? Here's the honest truth - countries have no brains. They are an artificial entity. They don't care. Instead of thinking too much about what your country feels about you, maybe you should care about other human beings who actually live in it and how they would perceive you after you killed innocent people.
Race and religion don't make up who we are. Some people are not just Indians or Chinese or Christians or Muslims or Jews or Atheists, they are also mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers, protectors and shoulders to cry on for many many other people in their lives.
It is an easy thought. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be present much in the world today.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Time Traveler's Wife - Book Review
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My little bro has been complaining forever about my outdated blog. Classes have begun and my less-than-artistic spirits are back. Most of the time, I am uninspired and passionless. In other words, I am quite bored.
So I decided to read a book, The Time Traveler's Wife. A movie adaptation was out in 2009 starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Although critics disliked the movie, I quite enjoyed how it potrayed the notion of romance. It seemed real, for that 2 hours of screening. Haha, bleh...
Plot Summary:
Despite its very sci-fi title, the story mainly revolves around a romantic relationship between a simple librarian guy called Henry and an artist, Clare who specialized in sculptures. From the outside, it seemed like a normal dating relationship - both were goodlooking, bright young things who loved each other.
However, things were not always easy [since when were they easy anyway...?] because Henry also had an extra gift/curse/weird disease with no explanation - he time traveled and had absolutely no control over it. When he was six, he would suddenly vanish and appear in the time when he was 23 and when he was 38, he'd vanish to the time when he was 25. Confusing and fucked up things, for sure, but he got used to it as he had been preparing for the suddenness of the time travel since he was little.
He met our heroine, Clare for the first time when he was 28, she was 20, at the library. Owwwh... how nerdy. But anyway, he was taken aback by their first encounter as Clare looked at him as if she had known him since forever [which was quite true]. Somewhere in the future when he turned 36, he would time travel to the time where Clare was 6 and it became a routine until he was 43 and she was 18.
So she kinda knew that she would marry him after all even before their first date as normal present persons. Huh. Imagine meeting a stranger for the first time who comes to you and say, "you know what, we are going to marry each other!" and says it so confidently that you somehow believe him/her yet think of him/her as some psychotic escapee from a nearby mental institute.
Yet, since she knew him so well, Henry felt a wonderful sense of familiarity every time he was with her. So they dated and had a lot of sex and decided to get married two years later. They were bound by their fate and enjoyed it. After a while, they decided that they wanted to have a baby. However, it was difficult considering the baby[ies] also inherited Henry's genes and often time traveled as fetuses and unfortunately died. It happened for six times until they finally conceived and gave birth to a healthy girl named Alba.
The main turning point of the story was when Henry traveled to Alba's future and saw Alba as a primary school kid [in his time, she was just a baby]. She was smart, confident and pretty. Sadly, Henry also discovered that at that time in the future, he was already dead. Alba was born when he was 38 and when Alba was five, he died. So clock is ticking and he had not much time left. He went back to the real present and did not tell Clare about it. Instead, he began to make preparations for his loved ones so that they would not grief so much after his passing.
And he died at 43. Even after his death, she kept waiting and waiting. Waiting to see him again in the form of his past self traveling towards her present. Until she was 82.
What I do like about the book:
I like how Henry and Clare were always sure of each other's love. They never really doubted it. They never fought about how perhaps... in some corner of their minds... that.... they did not really love each other. Or maybe they wouldn't if not for Henry's time traveling shit. But they did anyway. So I don't think they gave a damn bout those 'what-if' situations.
I also like how Clare described her romantic relationship with Henry to be quite painful sometimes. Because when he was absent during his time traveling hours/days, there was nothing she could do to bring him back or call him and say, "hey, cut it out. I need you now!" Instead, all she could do was sit and wait. And keep waiting. And she did not like it. But she did not have a choice. It was a price she had to pay for choosing him as her life partner. It's like dating an uncertain thing who kept vanishing and reappearing without warning. That must have sucked, I must say.
But hey... if that Henry looks like Eric Bana, I wouldn't mind either... Ouulala...
Therefore, in a relationship, there are bound to be pains and happiness. She loved her privacy when he vanished, she also loved him over and over again when he returned to her.
See how messed up both of them were...?
So for a few hours spent reading the book, I have to say, I slightly believed in love and romance. That is the purpose of romance novels. If you have no romance in life, go read a romance book. If you have no action in life, go read some action books. Why do you think Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Games of Thrones and the Hunger Games sold so well? Because people are dying to live in adventure but has none.
And Twilight...? Ughhh, don't get me started....
What I don' like about the book:
A delusional shit, I must say. As much as I love how sure they are about their love, I really wanted them to NOT love each other at least once in their messed up relationship, like every other normal couples. But noooo, they never did. They rarely fought as well and everything seemed to happen in such a lovey-dovey mood...
Their dates were great, kisses were great, sex was great and they had lots of money to live on.
People can't be that lucky in life.
Or maybe I am just a bitter b-yotch.
Language:
The language of the novel is very simple and easy to understand. And straightforward as well. You won't be using your mind much to indulge in the plot but emotions do run high, especially from Clare's perspective [duhh, who told you to date a time traveler?] The author used first-person narrative, shifting from Clare's to Henry's perspective in describing their relationship. Therefore, we get to see how the story unfolded from two sides of the story.
So it was clearer. There were no mysteries to unfold. The author did not aim to tease our mind but to experience what Henry and Clare experienced in the story.
Conclusion:
All in all, it was a good story. And since the author got her inspiration after a few failed romantic experiences, we are able to catch a glimpse of how she felt in the novel. People are always tired in waiting for their true love but they never give up. Even though it is messy, troublesome and sometimes painful, people keep coming around. And does not seem to stop.
I guess the reward lies in the journey, not the uncertain decisive final stop.
____________________________________
Ruby Jusoh went to her first aerobic exercises yesterday and her shoulders hurt the morning after. Haih... But at least it's better than jogging...
.................
My little bro has been complaining forever about my outdated blog. Classes have begun and my less-than-artistic spirits are back. Most of the time, I am uninspired and passionless. In other words, I am quite bored.
So I decided to read a book, The Time Traveler's Wife. A movie adaptation was out in 2009 starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Although critics disliked the movie, I quite enjoyed how it potrayed the notion of romance. It seemed real, for that 2 hours of screening. Haha, bleh...
Cover of the Book
Poster of the Film
Despite its very sci-fi title, the story mainly revolves around a romantic relationship between a simple librarian guy called Henry and an artist, Clare who specialized in sculptures. From the outside, it seemed like a normal dating relationship - both were goodlooking, bright young things who loved each other.
However, things were not always easy [since when were they easy anyway...?] because Henry also had an extra gift/curse/weird disease with no explanation - he time traveled and had absolutely no control over it. When he was six, he would suddenly vanish and appear in the time when he was 23 and when he was 38, he'd vanish to the time when he was 25. Confusing and fucked up things, for sure, but he got used to it as he had been preparing for the suddenness of the time travel since he was little.
He met our heroine, Clare for the first time when he was 28, she was 20, at the library. Owwwh... how nerdy. But anyway, he was taken aback by their first encounter as Clare looked at him as if she had known him since forever [which was quite true]. Somewhere in the future when he turned 36, he would time travel to the time where Clare was 6 and it became a routine until he was 43 and she was 18.
So she kinda knew that she would marry him after all even before their first date as normal present persons. Huh. Imagine meeting a stranger for the first time who comes to you and say, "you know what, we are going to marry each other!" and says it so confidently that you somehow believe him/her yet think of him/her as some psychotic escapee from a nearby mental institute.
Yet, since she knew him so well, Henry felt a wonderful sense of familiarity every time he was with her. So they dated and had a lot of sex and decided to get married two years later. They were bound by their fate and enjoyed it. After a while, they decided that they wanted to have a baby. However, it was difficult considering the baby[ies] also inherited Henry's genes and often time traveled as fetuses and unfortunately died. It happened for six times until they finally conceived and gave birth to a healthy girl named Alba.
The main turning point of the story was when Henry traveled to Alba's future and saw Alba as a primary school kid [in his time, she was just a baby]. She was smart, confident and pretty. Sadly, Henry also discovered that at that time in the future, he was already dead. Alba was born when he was 38 and when Alba was five, he died. So clock is ticking and he had not much time left. He went back to the real present and did not tell Clare about it. Instead, he began to make preparations for his loved ones so that they would not grief so much after his passing.
And he died at 43. Even after his death, she kept waiting and waiting. Waiting to see him again in the form of his past self traveling towards her present. Until she was 82.
What I do like about the book:
I like how Henry and Clare were always sure of each other's love. They never really doubted it. They never fought about how perhaps... in some corner of their minds... that.... they did not really love each other. Or maybe they wouldn't if not for Henry's time traveling shit. But they did anyway. So I don't think they gave a damn bout those 'what-if' situations.
I also like how Clare described her romantic relationship with Henry to be quite painful sometimes. Because when he was absent during his time traveling hours/days, there was nothing she could do to bring him back or call him and say, "hey, cut it out. I need you now!" Instead, all she could do was sit and wait. And keep waiting. And she did not like it. But she did not have a choice. It was a price she had to pay for choosing him as her life partner. It's like dating an uncertain thing who kept vanishing and reappearing without warning. That must have sucked, I must say.
But hey... if that Henry looks like Eric Bana, I wouldn't mind either... Ouulala...
Therefore, in a relationship, there are bound to be pains and happiness. She loved her privacy when he vanished, she also loved him over and over again when he returned to her.
See how messed up both of them were...?
So for a few hours spent reading the book, I have to say, I slightly believed in love and romance. That is the purpose of romance novels. If you have no romance in life, go read a romance book. If you have no action in life, go read some action books. Why do you think Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Games of Thrones and the Hunger Games sold so well? Because people are dying to live in adventure but has none.
And Twilight...? Ughhh, don't get me started....
What I don' like about the book:
A delusional shit, I must say. As much as I love how sure they are about their love, I really wanted them to NOT love each other at least once in their messed up relationship, like every other normal couples. But noooo, they never did. They rarely fought as well and everything seemed to happen in such a lovey-dovey mood...
Their dates were great, kisses were great, sex was great and they had lots of money to live on.
People can't be that lucky in life.
Or maybe I am just a bitter b-yotch.
Language:
The language of the novel is very simple and easy to understand. And straightforward as well. You won't be using your mind much to indulge in the plot but emotions do run high, especially from Clare's perspective [duhh, who told you to date a time traveler?] The author used first-person narrative, shifting from Clare's to Henry's perspective in describing their relationship. Therefore, we get to see how the story unfolded from two sides of the story.
So it was clearer. There were no mysteries to unfold. The author did not aim to tease our mind but to experience what Henry and Clare experienced in the story.
Conclusion:
All in all, it was a good story. And since the author got her inspiration after a few failed romantic experiences, we are able to catch a glimpse of how she felt in the novel. People are always tired in waiting for their true love but they never give up. Even though it is messy, troublesome and sometimes painful, people keep coming around. And does not seem to stop.
I guess the reward lies in the journey, not the uncertain decisive final stop.
____________________________________
Ruby Jusoh went to her first aerobic exercises yesterday and her shoulders hurt the morning after. Haih... But at least it's better than jogging...
Monday, March 19, 2012
Goodbye TV Romances
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It is getting harder and harder for me to enjoy in romantic fiction - television, books and others - anymore.
I am not sure which factor is a major turn-off - is it the circumstantial coincidences where the guy and girl always meet at the unexpected places, or is it that both parties happen to be super duper good looking and fell in love at the first sight to an extent that a not-so-pretty person like me could no longer relate [I mean, I never fall in love at the first sight, just lust at the first sight.... yeah baby!] or is it because they always seem to fall in love for no apparent reason or logical consequential link?
I don't believe the bullshit-ty saying that goes - "love is blind", "love does not need reason" etc etc. Every attraction has a reason, every love has a trigger. Maybe some people like kind people, that's why they marry kind people. Some people like rich people, that's why they marry super duper loaded guy. Some people love to command and manipulate other people, that's why they marry submissive obedient individuals. See, everything has a reason.
Or maybe.... that's my pessimistic hormone talking.
Either way, it's bad for me. Why? Because it is getting more impossible for me to finish at least one series of South Korean drama this year. And 2012 is supposed to be a great year for TV love. My friends talk about the dramas all the time - the intensity, the happiness, the adrenaline, the butterflies-in-my-stomach romance and last but not least, the HOTNESS of the leads. HOTNESS, you see. I may be lacking in understanding romance but HOTNESS is my forte [watching HOTNESS, I mean, not being one].
So the enjoyment in watching a romantic fiction never last for more than two hours. That's why drama never works and I stick to movies, because they are shorter and it is less likely that I'll get bored before they start the process of falling in love and fighting and falling again and marry or break up or die or move on with their life. But they rarely do the move-on thing.
Why?
Because forgettable love is not commercial. It doesn't sell. It does not cater to the likeness of the general population. The general population wants to believe in that 'one true' love where people are close to dying without each other. The idea that there is someone out there FOR you, always waiting for that 'coincidence' to happen so that he/she could finally meet you and lock eyes, then lips is always an eternally appealing idea.
We believe in love even though we have no idea what it's about and the fact that we may or may not experience it. But we sure love to cling with the fantasy. Ahhhh [cynical inspirational voice coming out]
I think that's why people loves to watch everlasting romance on screen so much. Because it makes them happy and it makes them believe that who knows, the shit happened there could happen to them to. The fantasy may not last once they face reality but no worries, they could always catch another movie that propagates the very same notion. Again and again and again until they cling on the thought of the 'perfect mate, somewhere out there' that they find it impossible to let go - not of the feelings but the thought. Imagine a world without love? Scary, is it not?
Again, bad for me as well. I think I've gone beyond the stage of thinking that lovey dovey stories are enjoyable stuffs.
That's why I stick to sitcom. Like How I Met Your Mother. Ted, the innocent naive douchebag that we all love believes in romance but has yet to experience a real one that leads to marriage - same with most of us. Robin believes in romance as well but often escapes after realizing that she has to give more of herself into the relationship. Marshall and Lily are just a couple who are matchmade-in-heaven but hell, that is one in a gazillion of millions cases. And Barney. Hell, when does ever Barney believes in a relationship that lasts more than six months? So I guess that's why I manage to enjoy the sitcom well - because it is balanced. Not too cheesy and over-dramatic.
And also crime-drama with romances, as I mentioned in my previous post, hehe.
Ruby Jusoh misses writing. And her childhood.
It is getting harder and harder for me to enjoy in romantic fiction - television, books and others - anymore.
I am not sure which factor is a major turn-off - is it the circumstantial coincidences where the guy and girl always meet at the unexpected places, or is it that both parties happen to be super duper good looking and fell in love at the first sight to an extent that a not-so-pretty person like me could no longer relate [I mean, I never fall in love at the first sight, just lust at the first sight.... yeah baby!] or is it because they always seem to fall in love for no apparent reason or logical consequential link?
I don't believe the bullshit-ty saying that goes - "love is blind", "love does not need reason" etc etc. Every attraction has a reason, every love has a trigger. Maybe some people like kind people, that's why they marry kind people. Some people like rich people, that's why they marry super duper loaded guy. Some people love to command and manipulate other people, that's why they marry submissive obedient individuals. See, everything has a reason.
Or maybe.... that's my pessimistic hormone talking.
Either way, it's bad for me. Why? Because it is getting more impossible for me to finish at least one series of South Korean drama this year. And 2012 is supposed to be a great year for TV love. My friends talk about the dramas all the time - the intensity, the happiness, the adrenaline, the butterflies-in-my-stomach romance and last but not least, the HOTNESS of the leads. HOTNESS, you see. I may be lacking in understanding romance but HOTNESS is my forte [watching HOTNESS, I mean, not being one].
So the enjoyment in watching a romantic fiction never last for more than two hours. That's why drama never works and I stick to movies, because they are shorter and it is less likely that I'll get bored before they start the process of falling in love and fighting and falling again and marry or break up or die or move on with their life. But they rarely do the move-on thing.
Why?
Because forgettable love is not commercial. It doesn't sell. It does not cater to the likeness of the general population. The general population wants to believe in that 'one true' love where people are close to dying without each other. The idea that there is someone out there FOR you, always waiting for that 'coincidence' to happen so that he/she could finally meet you and lock eyes, then lips is always an eternally appealing idea.
We believe in love even though we have no idea what it's about and the fact that we may or may not experience it. But we sure love to cling with the fantasy. Ahhhh [cynical inspirational voice coming out]
I think that's why people loves to watch everlasting romance on screen so much. Because it makes them happy and it makes them believe that who knows, the shit happened there could happen to them to. The fantasy may not last once they face reality but no worries, they could always catch another movie that propagates the very same notion. Again and again and again until they cling on the thought of the 'perfect mate, somewhere out there' that they find it impossible to let go - not of the feelings but the thought. Imagine a world without love? Scary, is it not?
Again, bad for me as well. I think I've gone beyond the stage of thinking that lovey dovey stories are enjoyable stuffs.
That's why I stick to sitcom. Like How I Met Your Mother. Ted, the innocent naive douchebag that we all love believes in romance but has yet to experience a real one that leads to marriage - same with most of us. Robin believes in romance as well but often escapes after realizing that she has to give more of herself into the relationship. Marshall and Lily are just a couple who are matchmade-in-heaven but hell, that is one in a gazillion of millions cases. And Barney. Hell, when does ever Barney believes in a relationship that lasts more than six months? So I guess that's why I manage to enjoy the sitcom well - because it is balanced. Not too cheesy and over-dramatic.
And also crime-drama with romances, as I mentioned in my previous post, hehe.
Ruby Jusoh misses writing. And her childhood.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Holiday Buzz - Castle & Criminal Minds
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I have been pretty useless for the holidays. A good month is spent in... watching dramas and movies again and again, of course. My ass is, sadly, too lazy to move for me to actually get a part-time job - aside from the fact that I am a spoiled middle-class bastard who is too proud to admit that I obtain money by asking and whining for it.
Romance is good but I kinda feel it is sooo overrated these days. Twilight, Bicara Hati, and yeaah, the Korean dramas. All about conflict of feelings that I can't stand to watch anymore. Personal lives of fictional characters no longer interest me. Partly because I have none of my own. Oucch! And all - ALL - of them have to include romance in their plot. Boyfriends, girlfriends, gay or straight. People rarely make films about BEST FRIENDS, not-so-best friend, enemies or people connected with other kinds of relationships...
BUT if the romance is mixed up with murder cases, psychotic killers and hot investigators - whoah baby, bring it on! Romance plus blood is sexayy! [True Blood, anyone??] And hazardously addictive and exciting!
Cool! Seeing people in love sucks but seeing them in love in the midst of upholding justice for innocent victims and trying to catch the bad guy is pure awesomeness.
So, I had decided that my holidays - which are unfortunately ending, btw - were going to be spent in full-fledged blood, gore, mystery and hot HOT investigators trying to figure out why humans are so fucked up...
Is the first drama I got addicted to for the past few weeks. I love LOVE this friggin show! And spent weeks just finishing Season 2, 3 and 4, and reverting back to Season 1.
Castle, like other crime dramas, has a common plotline and form. Someone got killed, investigators have to solve it, they think they got it but they are ALWAYS wrong initially and in the end, discover that a totally unexpected suspect is the actual murderer.
Same old, same old. Haven't we had that before?
But Castle is different. He is different. IT is different. All thanks to the great lead actors who made the not-so-revolutionary-drama-series-with-an-unremarkable-plot so very addictive to watch and yes, enjoy to the fullest satisfaction. With Castle, we don't have two cops trying to solve murders but ONE cop and ONE busybody novelist who loves to bug in during investigations to find inspirations for his next book.
Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle - the writer - is.... CUTE!! I know there's something wrong about being 40 plus and cute but man, he pulls it off well. Rick Castle is a mystery writer who is very talented, intelligent, sharp, positive and rich. But he is also annoying, busybody, loves interfering and super-childish.
The LIVING PROOF that funny guys can be sexy as well. Ahhh, now I believe in romance... Haha
His sense of humour makes him the perfect partner for the heroine of the series, Detective Kate Beckett, an overachiever perfectionist police officer who solve murder cases with toughness and creative clarity. She gave off the vibe of a bitter woman - unemotional, distance and highly-disciplined [needed in the field, duhh] with an unresolved dark past that haunted her for years to come.
So, an overachiever woman with a guy without any care in the world. Castle always managed to crack some absurd funny jokes each time Beckett got too tense in trying to solve the cases.
Puurrrrr-fect!
Who knew crime drama can be this entertaining....
More Castle, please!
While Castle focuses more on the chemistry of the lead stars and comic timing, Criminal Minds is THE crime drama that focuses on... well, the criminals themselves.
A unique aspect to this series, compared to others, is that in every episode, the criminal is revealed from the start. Then the FBI team - whose main function is to analyze the behavioral pattern of the criminal - based on the crime scenes and evidences. So the episodes usually revolve around how the criminal is discovered at last.
The absolute addictive factor of Criminal Minds is in the crime presented itself. It does not contain any heavy romance among the casts. Instead, the horrific, disgusting and shocking aspects of the crime are given more focus. Serial killers are constantly featured. Before finding the killers, the team of FBI agents who specialize in profiling would first investigate the crime scene, background of the victim, comparisons with other victims to check if there's any pattern involved and possible motive for murder.
I have been pretty useless for the holidays. A good month is spent in... watching dramas and movies again and again, of course. My ass is, sadly, too lazy to move for me to actually get a part-time job - aside from the fact that I am a spoiled middle-class bastard who is too proud to admit that I obtain money by asking and whining for it.
Romance is good but I kinda feel it is sooo overrated these days. Twilight, Bicara Hati, and yeaah, the Korean dramas. All about conflict of feelings that I can't stand to watch anymore. Personal lives of fictional characters no longer interest me. Partly because I have none of my own. Oucch! And all - ALL - of them have to include romance in their plot. Boyfriends, girlfriends, gay or straight. People rarely make films about BEST FRIENDS, not-so-best friend, enemies or people connected with other kinds of relationships...
BUT if the romance is mixed up with murder cases, psychotic killers and hot investigators - whoah baby, bring it on! Romance plus blood is sexayy! [True Blood, anyone??] And hazardously addictive and exciting!
Cool! Seeing people in love sucks but seeing them in love in the midst of upholding justice for innocent victims and trying to catch the bad guy is pure awesomeness.
So, I had decided that my holidays - which are unfortunately ending, btw - were going to be spent in full-fledged blood, gore, mystery and hot HOT investigators trying to figure out why humans are so fucked up...
CASTLE
Is the first drama I got addicted to for the past few weeks. I love LOVE this friggin show! And spent weeks just finishing Season 2, 3 and 4, and reverting back to Season 1.
Castle, like other crime dramas, has a common plotline and form. Someone got killed, investigators have to solve it, they think they got it but they are ALWAYS wrong initially and in the end, discover that a totally unexpected suspect is the actual murderer.
Same old, same old. Haven't we had that before?
But Castle is different. He is different. IT is different. All thanks to the great lead actors who made the not-so-revolutionary-drama-series-with-an-unremarkable-plot so very addictive to watch and yes, enjoy to the fullest satisfaction. With Castle, we don't have two cops trying to solve murders but ONE cop and ONE busybody novelist who loves to bug in during investigations to find inspirations for his next book.
Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle - the writer - is.... CUTE!! I know there's something wrong about being 40 plus and cute but man, he pulls it off well. Rick Castle is a mystery writer who is very talented, intelligent, sharp, positive and rich. But he is also annoying, busybody, loves interfering and super-childish.
The LIVING PROOF that funny guys can be sexy as well. Ahhh, now I believe in romance... Haha
His sense of humour makes him the perfect partner for the heroine of the series, Detective Kate Beckett, an overachiever perfectionist police officer who solve murder cases with toughness and creative clarity. She gave off the vibe of a bitter woman - unemotional, distance and highly-disciplined [needed in the field, duhh] with an unresolved dark past that haunted her for years to come.
So, an overachiever woman with a guy without any care in the world. Castle always managed to crack some absurd funny jokes each time Beckett got too tense in trying to solve the cases.
Puurrrrr-fect!
Who knew crime drama can be this entertaining....
More Castle, please!
Criminal Minds
While Castle focuses more on the chemistry of the lead stars and comic timing, Criminal Minds is THE crime drama that focuses on... well, the criminals themselves.
A unique aspect to this series, compared to others, is that in every episode, the criminal is revealed from the start. Then the FBI team - whose main function is to analyze the behavioral pattern of the criminal - based on the crime scenes and evidences. So the episodes usually revolve around how the criminal is discovered at last.
The absolute addictive factor of Criminal Minds is in the crime presented itself. It does not contain any heavy romance among the casts. Instead, the horrific, disgusting and shocking aspects of the crime are given more focus. Serial killers are constantly featured. Before finding the killers, the team of FBI agents who specialize in profiling would first investigate the crime scene, background of the victim, comparisons with other victims to check if there's any pattern involved and possible motive for murder.
The personal lives of the characters - the FBI agents - are not the main focus of the series but they are included occasionally to give us a slight background to their personalities. Other than that, we see the characters mainly as profilers and their skills into determining the perpetrators of the crimes.
Every show always has a break-out character ie the character that stands out the most among the crowd. People may agree or disagree with me on this one BUT the breakout character of Criminal Minds is undoubtedly.... the ever-so-adorable.... soooo cute that you feel like protecting him every time you see him..... Dr Spencer Reid.
Our Spencer Reid joined the FBI team of Behavorial Analysis Unit at the age of 21. What - 21, I said? And already with a PhD? Yes, people, he is a GENIUS. Not that snobbish, overbearing arrogant genius but the totally clueless, innocent, very technical and logic thinking and romantically hopeless type of genius. He doesn't get jokes, fairy tales and silly puzzles. The best of all, he has never heard of Twilight. Good. He can also be annoying at times for being too smart and knowledgable. For example, ask him about how he spent his Halloween and he's give you a not-so-brief Wikipedia-like speech on the history of Halloween and the reasons of celebrating it.
But still, a cute man with a brain is always irresistable.
Compared to Castle, Criminal Minds seem to have better writers. The plots of each episodes are not so repetitive and there have been a few cases that made me cried like a baby. There was one where the killer was actually a man with the mind of a child who killed a couple. There was also one where an eight years old girl was kidnapped to be kept as a lover to a man for seven years. She was raped repeatedly and committed suicide when she was fifteen after discovering that she was pregnant with her kidnapper's baby. Yup, that one was total psycho.
You often question the type of people out there while watching the show. I know the show is meant to be fiction but hey, the crazy shits they show on air could really occur in real life. Who knows....
Also, watching the show makes you feel like learning more about criminology. It makes me interested in becoming a prosecuter all of sudden, or at least somebody who tries to solve a murder and provide justice for the victim's loved ones. Hmm... that doesn't sound like a bad idea....
MOVING ON TO DEXTER!! Which is even more gruesome and psychotic, based on my friend, Palah... Hmmm... hmmm... fucked up humanity, here I come!
Ruby Jusoh's life has been all about trips to hospitals and sending her younger siblings to school and tuitions there days. Busyness sucks but hey, at least she doesn't spend all day on bed watching countless dramas on her laptop... and gaining more unnecessary weight. She is also trying to shed some by starting her diet routine by eating oats, which happens to taste like plastics. Erghhh...
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Acceptance
________________
Acceptance is when you stop feeling hurt. That way, you handle emotions more rationally, unexpected events more calmly.
Selfless love is almost impossible at the earlier stages. But the time will come when you expect nothing more than to see the person you care for alive, well and content. Other desires that naturally arise from time to time would slowly fade into insignificance.
To reach the stage of acceptance is not easy. Could take months, years or even decades. But I believe it will come to everyone who is seeking for resolution. It sucks. You suffer like hell. Your beliefs in life were shattered into pieces. The process was torturous.
Then you had no choice but to re-evaluate the source of your pain. The source that justified your refusal to accept reality in its most reasoned light. Why do you refuse to bequeath the acceptance? Are you expecting some reward out of your loyalty and filial piety? But if it's love... does the issue of reward comes into the picture at all? Should you even be expecting rewards in the first place?
Love is not a transaction.
Doesn't true love mean that you care for that person so much just to see him happy? His happiness in itself is a reward for you.
The most important relationship in life is between two human beings and how they connect with each other - in example, A and B. What matters in the relationship is that A loves B and B loves A. Now, what if C comes into the picture? Or D? And D hates A? And C hates B? Then how are A and B supposed to love each other when there are so many hatred and misunderstanding around them?
It took me quite a loooong time to figure this out - what matters is only A and B's feelings for each other, how A perceives B and vice versa. If they truly care about one another, then influences from other people could not affect their relationship. If A chooses to love B, then nothing matters so long as B is happy and content. If B loves A as well, then that's great. Their love could be expressed. But what if A loves C, too?
Hmm.... here comes the difficult part - The ACCEPTANCE.
This is the stage where you question everything including the worth of A's love for B and how much it is in comparison to A's love for C? Would the worth of B's love for A lessen upon the knowledge of A's relationship with C and perhaps, other people in A's lives? B would begin to feel abandoned. Betrayed as if his/her love was in vain and overlooked. All the emotions B spent in A had been thrown out of the window just like that. Meaningless.
The rebelling stage then arrived. B tried hard to convince his/her heart that he/she does not love A, or chose to stop loving A. That would be easier. Once you stop loving someone, you stop expecting something in return - ie, his love - and whatever he does to you has no value at all. You'd figure - rather than embracing the possibility that A has no love for B, it would be much safer to train B to not care about A at all. When A ceases to have meaning for B, so does his love.
B tried. And tried. Two outcomes could be produced from the process - 1] B succeeded. A ceases to have meaning in her life. She regains her emotional investment and move on or 2] B realized that she had entered into a stage where B's love for A never ceases. By that time, B realized that her love for A could not be stopped solely because of C's presence and she had been living in denial all along. So B decided to continue loving A, this time, with a more rational voice commanding her actions.
She should not expect A to act in a manner based on her approval. She should not expect anything from A unless he was willing to give it. Imposing duties on him just because of the bond they shared would constitute as unwilling actions. B would love A, without expectations and be happy when B sees A happy.
What about C?
Not much longer than that, B realizes that A loves him/her notwithstanding the fact that A also loves C, D and other letters in the alphabets. And B is happy. Because B has A's love and A has B's. A's love for C or D - it does not matter. If they are A's genuine feelings, then A should not be stopped from loving other people. B could also love other people. Because a human heart has that wide of a capacity.
The fact stands strong that B's love for A is only for A, B's love for a Z is only for the Z, A's love for B is only for B. Humans love other humans differently. People treat other people differently. And the same thing goes with love.
Other people may come around to cause mixed feelings but sooner than later, B would naturally be aware that those have nothing to do with the love she has. Because B knows that the love in her heart is the only thing that matters. It is the core element of her soul that connects her to A. The connection shared by the two of them.
The simple questions on how you should treat a person you love but hate to love are...
1 - Do you love him?
2 - Do you want to see him happy?
3 - Do you feel happy when he is happy?
4 - Do you want him to be surrounded by people he loves?
5 - Would you suffer if he does not behave according to your expectations? [Each human being should be given an independent choice on how to live their lives. If you are against that, then... that is not a very good thing..]
6 - How much more do your need from him to satisfy your heart? [Attention - HEART, not the society, family, culture, religion and other extraneous factors]
7 - If you have one last day to spend with him/her, would you choose to treat him with LOVE or HATE?
Man, this is some serious shit I am writing... Hahaha, quite confusing as well. I can understand you. It took me six years to figure this all out and came up with an almost-reasonable explanation.
Why? Because I need to understand and evaluate how people love and more desperately, how I love the people I love.
To the people I love whom I treat with love - I love you. To the people I love but have difficulties in treating them with love - I am sorry but I really do love you. Just have some troubles with expressing my emotions. Humans make stupid mistakes. To the people I don't love whom I treat with love - well, most likely there are some very dirty intentions behind it. Hehehe *joke*
Ruby Jusoh is reminiscing her younger years. A life-altering incident occured today. Strange and sudden. She was no more a rebellious angry teenager with daddy issues. Instead, she turns into a calmer young lady who tries to face any crisis and real-life drama with good manners, rationality and of course, love and affection she has for the people around her.
I sound old. Duh.
Acceptance is when you stop feeling hurt. That way, you handle emotions more rationally, unexpected events more calmly.
Selfless love is almost impossible at the earlier stages. But the time will come when you expect nothing more than to see the person you care for alive, well and content. Other desires that naturally arise from time to time would slowly fade into insignificance.
To reach the stage of acceptance is not easy. Could take months, years or even decades. But I believe it will come to everyone who is seeking for resolution. It sucks. You suffer like hell. Your beliefs in life were shattered into pieces. The process was torturous.
Then you had no choice but to re-evaluate the source of your pain. The source that justified your refusal to accept reality in its most reasoned light. Why do you refuse to bequeath the acceptance? Are you expecting some reward out of your loyalty and filial piety? But if it's love... does the issue of reward comes into the picture at all? Should you even be expecting rewards in the first place?
Love is not a transaction.
Doesn't true love mean that you care for that person so much just to see him happy? His happiness in itself is a reward for you.
The most important relationship in life is between two human beings and how they connect with each other - in example, A and B. What matters in the relationship is that A loves B and B loves A. Now, what if C comes into the picture? Or D? And D hates A? And C hates B? Then how are A and B supposed to love each other when there are so many hatred and misunderstanding around them?
It took me quite a loooong time to figure this out - what matters is only A and B's feelings for each other, how A perceives B and vice versa. If they truly care about one another, then influences from other people could not affect their relationship. If A chooses to love B, then nothing matters so long as B is happy and content. If B loves A as well, then that's great. Their love could be expressed. But what if A loves C, too?
Hmm.... here comes the difficult part - The ACCEPTANCE.
This is the stage where you question everything including the worth of A's love for B and how much it is in comparison to A's love for C? Would the worth of B's love for A lessen upon the knowledge of A's relationship with C and perhaps, other people in A's lives? B would begin to feel abandoned. Betrayed as if his/her love was in vain and overlooked. All the emotions B spent in A had been thrown out of the window just like that. Meaningless.
The rebelling stage then arrived. B tried hard to convince his/her heart that he/she does not love A, or chose to stop loving A. That would be easier. Once you stop loving someone, you stop expecting something in return - ie, his love - and whatever he does to you has no value at all. You'd figure - rather than embracing the possibility that A has no love for B, it would be much safer to train B to not care about A at all. When A ceases to have meaning for B, so does his love.
B tried. And tried. Two outcomes could be produced from the process - 1] B succeeded. A ceases to have meaning in her life. She regains her emotional investment and move on or 2] B realized that she had entered into a stage where B's love for A never ceases. By that time, B realized that her love for A could not be stopped solely because of C's presence and she had been living in denial all along. So B decided to continue loving A, this time, with a more rational voice commanding her actions.
She should not expect A to act in a manner based on her approval. She should not expect anything from A unless he was willing to give it. Imposing duties on him just because of the bond they shared would constitute as unwilling actions. B would love A, without expectations and be happy when B sees A happy.
What about C?
Not much longer than that, B realizes that A loves him/her notwithstanding the fact that A also loves C, D and other letters in the alphabets. And B is happy. Because B has A's love and A has B's. A's love for C or D - it does not matter. If they are A's genuine feelings, then A should not be stopped from loving other people. B could also love other people. Because a human heart has that wide of a capacity.
The fact stands strong that B's love for A is only for A, B's love for a Z is only for the Z, A's love for B is only for B. Humans love other humans differently. People treat other people differently. And the same thing goes with love.
Other people may come around to cause mixed feelings but sooner than later, B would naturally be aware that those have nothing to do with the love she has. Because B knows that the love in her heart is the only thing that matters. It is the core element of her soul that connects her to A. The connection shared by the two of them.
The simple questions on how you should treat a person you love but hate to love are...
1 - Do you love him?
2 - Do you want to see him happy?
3 - Do you feel happy when he is happy?
4 - Do you want him to be surrounded by people he loves?
5 - Would you suffer if he does not behave according to your expectations? [Each human being should be given an independent choice on how to live their lives. If you are against that, then... that is not a very good thing..]
6 - How much more do your need from him to satisfy your heart? [Attention - HEART, not the society, family, culture, religion and other extraneous factors]
7 - If you have one last day to spend with him/her, would you choose to treat him with LOVE or HATE?
Man, this is some serious shit I am writing... Hahaha, quite confusing as well. I can understand you. It took me six years to figure this all out and came up with an almost-reasonable explanation.
Why? Because I need to understand and evaluate how people love and more desperately, how I love the people I love.
To the people I love whom I treat with love - I love you. To the people I love but have difficulties in treating them with love - I am sorry but I really do love you. Just have some troubles with expressing my emotions. Humans make stupid mistakes. To the people I don't love whom I treat with love - well, most likely there are some very dirty intentions behind it. Hehehe *joke*
Ruby Jusoh is reminiscing her younger years. A life-altering incident occured today. Strange and sudden. She was no more a rebellious angry teenager with daddy issues. Instead, she turns into a calmer young lady who tries to face any crisis and real-life drama with good manners, rationality and of course, love and affection she has for the people around her.
I sound old. Duh.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Mothers & Their Unmarried Daughters
____
My mother, like most mothers, wants to see us daughters happily married off and have our own families with lots and lots of babies. Me and my eldest sister - I am 21 and she 26 - did not feel much pressure until this year. My mom has gone from occasionally bearable to not bearable at all. Everyday, she would go yap yap yap about why we never have boyfriends.
Lots of reason, mum. Maybe we are not ready for it. Maybe we are fugly. Maybe we are scary. Or maybe guys are pretty much extinct in this world.
I am sure you don't want us to end up with married ones. Duh, I have enough family drama for a lifetime. Not interested in any sequel.
Why are people afraid of the prospect of being alone in the future? Some says marriage helps as they provide you with a companion for the rest of your life. I disagree. Loneliness is a core human value that cannot be eradicated even if you belong to the most crowded place on earth. Everybody is lonely at heart, at mind, at soul. Marriage is not going to make it any better.
I am quite anxious for my sister as well. Not for the fact that she doesn't seem interested in marriage. I am just scared that she would give in to the pressures imposed upon her. "Get married. You are not getting any younger. Look at your cousins. Yada Yada Yada," the elders in our family would say.
Being a young person who is quite content with her disbelief in the eternal nature of marriage, I find myself endlessly questioning the worth of it. Of course not in front of the elders but I try to make sense of it - quietly and slowly and indirectly - with my mother and siblings and friends.
And for a woman - with a career, family, friends and independent interests - to get married, is it that easy? I am not trying to say that my sister tried hard, but she must have attempted to like at least one or two guys in her life. It did not work. It did not end well. What can one do about it?
Furthermore, there is also this constant misconception about people have with unmarried girls over 25 of age. "Oh, I pity her," one would say. "Oh, she must feel lonely all the time," others would add. C'mon, I am sure her loneliness is the same as any other person - say, a housewife waiting for a husband to finish work, a busy career woman who leaves her child to the maid's care and only communicates with her partner a few minutes per day etc etc .
After listening to all of that blabbering elders say about marriage, it is odd for me to discover that they said nothing about love, understanding, preparation etc. They just want you to get married. They did not put the words as to let us find a person who shares mutual love and respect with us - just that they want us to get marrie. Why? Maybe because they know mutual love is not easy to find - quite hard actually. So it would be more practical to dispose of it. Society cares not for mutual love - they just want to support and strengthen the idea that marriage is what young people should pursue in life.
Out of spite, we do tell our parents that we don't want to get married. We are not serious - c'mon, we are in our twenties [and my sister's twelve]. But we never say we don't believe in love. We want love. And that will be great if with it, comes a possible desire for a marriage. It's just that a marriage without love would be an absolute no-no. Some people - like my married cousins - found it and some people doesn't. Not all is lucky. Not all is blessed with that kind of partnership in life.
Destiny - haha, yeah, I believe in destiny, seriously - is a funny thing. Why? It is random. Fucking random. How people turned out to be friends. How people fall in love with other people. How people meet and talk with each other on the streets. Yup, it is random. My mother would say - "but we must make an effort!" Yes, mom, an effort, of course. But still, if the randomness of destiny does not allow for it, that what can we do? Knock on the heaven's door to grant us husbands who are understanding, respectful and love us for what we are?
You know what, if that is possible, I'd do that a loooong time ago without any hesitation. But we can't. So we live. And move on with life. And not obsess over the matter since we have other stuffs to think of. And we, single ladies, would prefer for other people not to be obsessed with it as well.
Ruby Jusoh loves her mother tremendously. She believes that her mother's constant nagging is just a way of showing affections and developing communications, albeit a not-so preferred one. Thank God she is an expert in switching to more controversial topics aka the 'Abah' issue. HAha
My mother, like most mothers, wants to see us daughters happily married off and have our own families with lots and lots of babies. Me and my eldest sister - I am 21 and she 26 - did not feel much pressure until this year. My mom has gone from occasionally bearable to not bearable at all. Everyday, she would go yap yap yap about why we never have boyfriends.
Lots of reason, mum. Maybe we are not ready for it. Maybe we are fugly. Maybe we are scary. Or maybe guys are pretty much extinct in this world.
I am sure you don't want us to end up with married ones. Duh, I have enough family drama for a lifetime. Not interested in any sequel.
Why are people afraid of the prospect of being alone in the future? Some says marriage helps as they provide you with a companion for the rest of your life. I disagree. Loneliness is a core human value that cannot be eradicated even if you belong to the most crowded place on earth. Everybody is lonely at heart, at mind, at soul. Marriage is not going to make it any better.
I am quite anxious for my sister as well. Not for the fact that she doesn't seem interested in marriage. I am just scared that she would give in to the pressures imposed upon her. "Get married. You are not getting any younger. Look at your cousins. Yada Yada Yada," the elders in our family would say.
Being a young person who is quite content with her disbelief in the eternal nature of marriage, I find myself endlessly questioning the worth of it. Of course not in front of the elders but I try to make sense of it - quietly and slowly and indirectly - with my mother and siblings and friends.
And for a woman - with a career, family, friends and independent interests - to get married, is it that easy? I am not trying to say that my sister tried hard, but she must have attempted to like at least one or two guys in her life. It did not work. It did not end well. What can one do about it?
Furthermore, there is also this constant misconception about people have with unmarried girls over 25 of age. "Oh, I pity her," one would say. "Oh, she must feel lonely all the time," others would add. C'mon, I am sure her loneliness is the same as any other person - say, a housewife waiting for a husband to finish work, a busy career woman who leaves her child to the maid's care and only communicates with her partner a few minutes per day etc etc .
After listening to all of that blabbering elders say about marriage, it is odd for me to discover that they said nothing about love, understanding, preparation etc. They just want you to get married. They did not put the words as to let us find a person who shares mutual love and respect with us - just that they want us to get marrie. Why? Maybe because they know mutual love is not easy to find - quite hard actually. So it would be more practical to dispose of it. Society cares not for mutual love - they just want to support and strengthen the idea that marriage is what young people should pursue in life.
Out of spite, we do tell our parents that we don't want to get married. We are not serious - c'mon, we are in our twenties [and my sister's twelve]. But we never say we don't believe in love. We want love. And that will be great if with it, comes a possible desire for a marriage. It's just that a marriage without love would be an absolute no-no. Some people - like my married cousins - found it and some people doesn't. Not all is lucky. Not all is blessed with that kind of partnership in life.
Destiny - haha, yeah, I believe in destiny, seriously - is a funny thing. Why? It is random. Fucking random. How people turned out to be friends. How people fall in love with other people. How people meet and talk with each other on the streets. Yup, it is random. My mother would say - "but we must make an effort!" Yes, mom, an effort, of course. But still, if the randomness of destiny does not allow for it, that what can we do? Knock on the heaven's door to grant us husbands who are understanding, respectful and love us for what we are?
You know what, if that is possible, I'd do that a loooong time ago without any hesitation. But we can't. So we live. And move on with life. And not obsess over the matter since we have other stuffs to think of. And we, single ladies, would prefer for other people not to be obsessed with it as well.
Ruby Jusoh loves her mother tremendously. She believes that her mother's constant nagging is just a way of showing affections and developing communications, albeit a not-so preferred one. Thank God she is an expert in switching to more controversial topics aka the 'Abah' issue. HAha
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