Liberation

Only done with half of my exams but I feel so liberated
ah~ haha actually I have begun to feel that way since last weekend with 2 papers already done on the first day woots!

Anyways, when I feel liberated, I start to procrastinate. But I'd like to think that some of the "procrastination" that I do and used to do weren't procrastinating stuff after all! I even think that they are educational, like those nail-art videos! I tried the tuxedo nails =D and it works! just not as nice of course haha but it's a good start! The first photo is my right hand, done using LEFT hand of course, so I think it's good enough though it's pretty obvious that the lines aren't straight, but eh, I wasn't using a striper ya know...AND I did it while skyping my friend till the wee hours, erm 4am? I was just done with a quiz that day and it felt liberating to do this kinda "procrastination-like" stuff *shrugs* haha. The 2nd photo is of my left hand, I found two tuxedos too much (plus the white bowtie doesn't look as nice) so I reduced it and just made the rest of my fingernails solid colours (and still it's not tidy enough for the perfectionist inside of me. I really applaud "cutepolish" for succeeding in doing all (or was it 4 only) her nails ZOMG seriously.

And just now, after waking up from my nap and eating my dinner, I began my journey of learning new stuff again =) I realise one of the good things about just surfing the net looking through these "shallow" stuff like nailart, makeup, or basically anything to do with outer appearances, is that they do help me learn new technical terms! ^^ Previously, I learnt dotter and striper from my nailart videos. Today, I learnt gilet, rat tail comb and tease. It might not seem like much to know these since it seems more important to learn my laws and equations and whatnot right now, but I guess I really do need a real hobby, something that I can hone my skills in, so these seem to be a good direction to go right now, compared to watching kpop mvs and all that.

Come to think of it, I do have some stuff I could hone my skills in - my korean and kpop dancing (?). My korean will grow rusty over time...and there's no more modules for korean left for me to take in school T.T I don't really wanna take lessons outside cuz I don't think they come cheap, and it's also harder for me to keep motivated to learn since there isn't any tangible results (in school I get to see nice As and A-s ^^). As for dancing, haha, I'm a person with two left feet, and hand and leg coordination sucks, so does my sense of rhythm (and maybe that's why I find more comfort in kpop dances because you can dance along to the lyrics, you don't really have to catch the beat). The magic with kpop dances is that certain people are fitted for certain moves (for amateurs I mean, for the kpop stars, obvs their training is more intense and also their choreographers know who dances which part best and arranges them to be in the middle when dancing that part etc etc). So as a noob, you may be able to do a certain move to a T, but totally suck and fail at getting that feel for another move. Sadded.

Ok finally main point, the new stuff I stumbled upon just now! Actually it's new youtube channels. I'm just noting them all down here cuz I don't really want to subscribe (I don't even check the email linked to my YT acct) and since this blog serves as a diary and notetaking device (physical ones get lost or become full or yellowed urgh).
Was gonna watch SISTAR's "Alone" to get it out of my head but ended up finding a cover that I think did a nice job (I would have sucked badly). From one of the comments I saw, I think she's from HK!



Then as usual, thanks to the power of the Internet and TABS (the most wonderful thing that came with the net), I linked from here to there here to there to YT user "SecretLifeOfaBioNerd" where I realise she has ALOT of DIY videos, from clothes to makeup to hair stuff!!! haha now I have something to look forward to during the holidays, apart from internship (bleh)~

The Hunger Games

Finally finally finally got to watch the hunger games after my craziness over it last month and the dying down of my self-created hype the past few weeks haha *bliss*

lesson learnt: really really shld nvr read a book before watching a movie adaptation. its really hard for a movie to live up to expectations that we have after reading a book.

now the spoilers.

overall the movie was pretty good, loved it. like it that it really tried to explain the concept of the hunger games, panem etc so that those ppl who havent read the books, like my friends, didnt feel too lost (i think even those who didnt read the synopsis can understand quite a bit). n the explanations werent lengthy! nor did they come in the form of awkward conversations between characters (explaining to each other for example *rolls eyes*). really kudos to the screenwriter for that (they did the job right...? im not very certain which positions take on which roles in the magical process of movie making though im pretty sure its still group work on the whole) i like the way small but still essential (at least to the readers i guess, i think most of us hardly want any little detail out) details were made available to the audience through different means - like use of the decree of treason at the start of the movie to explain what this whole hunger games is about, and then a short flashback to show how katniss' dad died n how her mum shut off (although for that one im still wondering if everyone got it) then another flashback (actually two) abt how peeta sorta saved katniss (though it still didnt really portray tt he SAVED her life, more of like he simply gave her some food + damnnit they were supposed to be like 12? how come they look the same =-=), n some parts in convos between the characters n etc.

then the acting, it was believable, doesnt make me cringe haha but some parts i guess due to the lack of time n the choppy way the scenes were played out, didnt manage to let the actors shine as much as they did. i already had a prejudice when the casting was announced and all, abt how the "child" actors were all too old for their roles except maybe josh hutcherson n how he is shorter than jennifer lawrence n how she doesnt really fit the kind of katniss i imagined. i really thought she shld have been skinnier, as in not that she is fat inside but that she shld be more of a stature that clove (portrayed by isabelle fuhrman) had. smaller. shes still 16 after all, n pretty malnourished for part of her growing years. but appearances aside acting was good =) cmon even the supporting actors n actresses are well known names, n they also act really good. RUE RUE RUE!!!

it was also pretty cool that they added in small parts that werent in the books, but still totally made sense n added some sort of a backstory as well. i especially liked that seneca crane had a more important role here in the movie, as well as president snow, since hes gonna be the main bad guy for the second book, he deserves a good mention in this first part so that moviegoers do recognise him more i guess haha. n the workings of the games, all the behind the scenes by the gamemakers was nice though i tot ALL the gamemakers were supposed to be involved n not just the head gamemaker aka seneca crane acted by wes bentley =-=
 n ohya wes bentley is seriously hot, so come on give the guy more screentime. gosh those awesome eyes. i rmb seeing him in american beauty. he had a very freakish n robotic character but the eyes, the color is so vivid n his stare is scary and dangerous looking yet...i cannot find a word for it.

see see! the eyes arent really obvs here though...

n his beard haha epic - http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/11/15/hunger-games-seneca-cranes-beard/

then the bad parts, i knew frm the trailers that madge was already removed. but i thought they wld like to show peeta's dad appearing to katniss after they were reaped n come to give her candy or sth then link to peeta explaining that his dad had pointed katniss out to him as the daughter of the woman he loved n wanted to marry before his own mother. but i guess well that part COULD have been removed. but madge hmm ive only finished the second book so im not sure how BIG of a role she played but her mum n her were mentioned as much as Mags from the Seam n i dun see why Mags must be shown in the movie n Madge not =(
then, as much as i found the hiding in the cave part in the first book boring compared to the real games part that left me on the edge of my seat, they shortened it quite alot n i didnt really get to see the relationship between the two leads grow n katniss beginning to suspect her feelings, all that wasnt portrayed well enough. hmpfs. they could have done a better job to showcase their skills if the crew had given them more scenes n shots to show the gradual change instead of a sudden change n all that leaves me to wonder if those who nvr read the book see katniss as simply really acting that she cared abt peeta JUST to get supplies. because in the book we really got to see her starting to wonder abt peeta n how much of his words n actions were the truth n also abt her own feelings as she start to care for this stranger that she only just officially met days ago. to me, that seemed to be the only reason why that part of the story sorta slows down n a few days passes without much killing n bloodshed, to allow the readers to see the emotional growth n change in the characters. because all that killing n strategising only shows their brutality n what, street-smartness (in this case erm jungle-smartness? haha n survival skills)? the readers arent sponsors so we dont really care for that. giving the characters emotions is the way it makes us relate to them, of cuz not forgetting the sponsors in the books too.
talking abt emotions, also didnt like the portrayal of the relationship betwn gale n katniss. didnt like it in the trailer, dont find the movie more bearable. bleh. my friend even asked me if she was gonna leave that guy (gale) for this guy (peeta) n im like she wasnt even WITH the first guy in the first place =-= i guess their hugs n little interaction they had portrayed a seriously more than friends relationship. not good. confuses the rest who didnt read the book. then twilight style team gale team peeta is gonna start when if u ask me, i tink theres no such teams cuz its really team peeta all the way hmpfs. gale only confused katniss for tt little once that he kissed her n then he nearly died, n i seriously think her head was pretty messed up during tt period, worried that she wasnt doing enough to contain the possible rebellions. so i shall vehemently insist that peeta is her one n only choice. gale was just a momentary consideration due to her thoughts being clouded by confusion n stress. yes, i will continue thinking that way hahahahaha

another shortened part was the alliance between katniss n rue, totally not well developed, though their parting was heart wrenching (thanks to jennifer lawrence's acting) but still not tear-inducing for me, perhaps cuz i know the story

Rue from district 11

next, the CGI eeyer some parts not neat, can tell its fake. n the flames for her parade costume EEYER!!! damn bad. i was expecting so much for that cuz all they teased was tt little pic of them in black suits then cinna was holding a flame.

the super misleading still

thought they wld actl do some burning =-= turns out no. i must really congratulate the two for acting so good, as if they were really surprised n had their breaths caught when they saw their own reflections (when actl it was all fake) haha but at least peeta's camouflage didnt disappoint me haha it was pretty good =D n tt part was farnie for a little bit
one other thing tt im pretty sure isnt allowed in the Games (the books' Games, the movies' Games may allow it). how can u send messages along with ur sponsored gifts??? the whole point of haymitch consistently sending the gifts to katniss only n not peeta was cuz he realised that she really understood his intentions when gifts were sent or not sent. that was the damn good rapport they have! if he cld send messages, he cld have sent it to peeta too no? =-= i think the screenwriter was thinking it wld be too corny to have voice in the head kinda presentation so just made do with words instead. well i duno how they cld have done it to make us not feel corny n yet stay true to that rule of the Games, perhaps katniss voices it out loud? but really, not this way...

to end off, i have to say that the movie is still pretty well timed. they managed to get the audience who have never touched the books to get the background, along with the actual reaping, training, interviews all done in the first half of the movie (yes i checked my watch) then the second half was all abt the games baby~~~

And now with the end of the hunger games, its time to wonder whos gonna play the awesomely handsome finnick in catching fire. n his costume for the parade that supposedly shows lotsa skin haaha

OH n last thing, i loved effie!!! shes bizarre enough, n all the capitol ppl too!! so colorful haha random: hopefully i can win the hunger games hamper GV seems to be giving away *fingers crossed*

effie in an advert for a real life nail color series by china glaze

ok last last thing, my friend mentioned like during the first half an hour into the movie when josh hutcherson first appeared, that he n jennifer lawrence were a real life couple. i nearly died. =-= WHAT? its bad enough to watch them on screen with a substantial height difference (n shes not in heels). wad abt all those red carpet things u stars do??? zomg max. but thank goodness after i googled ard abit, i realise that there doesnt seem to be any truth to it at all O.o wonder where my friend saw that news

MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN MY FAVOR FOR MY EXAMS DESPITE EXTREME PROCRASTINATION T.T