It's September Already? Wow.

Hello again, everyone, it's been a while! Life's been keeping me busy--mostly battling off one infection after another, it's ridiculous--but I hope to start blogging more regularly again now. If I were back in Hawaii now, this would be my second week of my Junior year; as it is, I am keeping the brain cells busy by writing, dancing, studying for my driver's license, and, of course--reading!

Sadly, I have STILL not managed to snag any new reading material. An entire summer without one trip to the library--I just might explode with the frustration. As a result I STILL have no Book of the Month feature to regale you with. I will, however, list for you all the books that I have been reading. I've read them before, which is why they don't count for my list of new books read this year, but they were good enough for me to read them again--some for the second time, some for the umpteenth time--so perhaps you'd be interested to have a list of titles:

• The Shield Ring, by Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud
• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett
• Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
• The Pearls of Lutra, by Brian Jacques
• The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
• Watership Down, by Richard Adams
• The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander
• The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

So, as you can tell, I've been re-reading a lot, and mostly lighter books too. Perhaps that is what comes from being around kids 24/7 now; I lapse back into enjoying books written for young adults and children instead of centuries-old literature. This is in no way a bad thing, as all the above books are among my favorite books ever (or at least most of them are) and settled snugly on my shelf next to my Iliad and War and Peace and Moby Dick, but it's still interesting. I go through 'reverting back to obsessing over childhood favorites' phases at time. I guess this is one of those times.

Dance is going well, but I'm trying to figure out a design for my new competition dress; mine is about 4 years old now, and in a competitive arena where dresses go out of style in mere months . . . yep, I'm wearing a relic. My family and I always design and sew my own dresses instead of shelling out a fortune on designer dresses like most other people do, so my dress has lasted longer than most, but it does look old now. Sigh. I've also promised my little brother that I'll dress up as Toothless the Dragon for Halloween so he can ride on my shoulders as Hiccup, so I have that to figure out too!

(Absolutely not-relevant side note here: I'm currently watching Star Wars on my computer as I type this, and just realized that one of Vader's officers is the same actor who played that American rocket captain in "Tomb of the Cybermen"! The one with the annoying fake accent who kept calling Victoria 'Vic'! This just made my day.)

I've been writing a lot, and even though it's pretty hard considering I've got a spot of writer's block, this means my novel is coming along now almost despite itself, haha. Yesterday I baked banana bread; my six year old sister was disappointed initially, but now says she loves it, especially with cream cheese. My little four year old brother however loves banana bread, and basically was asking me if he could eat it every five minutes after it came out of the oven until it was cooled enough to be cut. I do like baking! And making soups, too. I really want to make this lentil soup from a recipe I found recently; I like lentils almost as much as I like baking :)

That's enough rambling from me from now, so I leave you now only with a promise that I'll try to post more regularly and interestingly this month. Oh, and I've been drawing and doodling a lot, so I'll start posting those too.

And I'm 19 1/2 today. I should have made a cake or something, haha. Does this mean I get a wish half-fulfilled today? Hm.

Can't think of a title right now, honestly . . .

Tonight's "Lost" episode wasn't bad at all, but I'll only really like it if it turns out Desmond is on the sub (behind the mysterious locked door? Yes? Please?). And I like Charlotte and her cute-awkward romance with Faraday too much for her to get dumped off on Sawyer, grr. Other than that, it was entertaining, but ultimately not my fave. Why? Because it's just an obstacle between me and next week's episode! Yeah, the episode I've been waiting for since forever! Whee! And it'll be Spring Break! Double-amazingness!

I completed the first of my two midterms this week, and I think it went very well. I also am almost finished with "The Caves of Steel" already, which shows you how good it is. Or how bored I am. I don't know. No, wait, I do know--it's very good. I spent two hours or so this evening squinting in the fading sunlight and frantically trying to draw a perspective drawing of the hallway outside the apartment for tomorrow's art class before the sun gave up on me and left me in the dark. I managed it, barely. My eyes still hurt.

I'm seriously worried about my 'Book of the Month' deal this month. I've read so many good books, I don't know which one should merit the top spot. And that's unusual for me, usually the really good ones are few and far between. I guess March is my lucky month, which is only fair, since it's my birth month.

I'm finally starting to break through my writer's block, too. And it feels absolutely wonderful. Like relearning how to breathe. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.

Moon

Yes, I finally watched it. Yes, it's now one of my favorite movies ever. Yes, I have been a fan of Rockwell's since I first saw him in Galaxy Quest (haha), but love him even more here. But yes, "Moon" isn't kidding when it says it's rated R for language. Strong language is pretty much pervasive. Other warnings: Brief nudity, brief sexual scene. So watch at your own risk.

But first, watch this trailer. I got hooked on this film from the moment I watched this trailer about a year ago--it's simply one of the best film trailers ever. I personally enjoy it as much as the film, so if the above warnings have made you decide that this film isn't quite your cup of tea, just watch the trailer! And Rockwell deserves an Oscar. And Gerty should get best supporting actor :)

If you like brainy, emotional, and tragic-yet-ultimately-uplifting science-fiction--science-fiction that explores the good in humanity, and not the bad, and enjoys messing with your mind while it's at it--then I can just about guarantee you will like "Moon".

"The Waters of Mars": My Review

Note: I'm trying to keep this post spoiler-free. Minor spoilers, such as brief talk of characters and interesting themes, will be discussed, but no significant plot devices or happenings will be given away.

 

I just finished watching "The Waters of Mars", the newest Doctor Who special and the last one before Tennant's final two-part story later this year. Now, I have to say that while I've been eagerly anticipating watching this episode ever since it was first announced last year, I did go into it a bit wary. I absolutely hated the Easter special, "Planet of the Dead". It was really boring, lacked any real substance, and even Tennant's marvelous-as-ever portrayal of the Doctor and a few cute one-liners couldn't save the fact that it was nothing but fluff. So, since "WoM" has been hyped for months now as a super-scary story and a lead in to the Christmas special "End of Time", I was desperately hoping it would be superior to the last special.

Was it? 

I answer with a great, resounding "YES!", thank goodness.

Not that it was perfect. I love a 'base under siege' story just as much as the next gal, but as far as that scare factor goes this one didn't really affect me as much as the classic ones did. The robot was, frankly, annoying (though the fact that the Doctor says as much at one point was enough to make me endure it for the entirety of the episode). And the monsters weren't at all as scary as I had hoped they would be, but that's probably due to the fact that I had watched my own fair share of promos and such in the days leading up to the actual release of the episode, and therefore the shock-factor was gone. I have learned my lesson, and as tortuous as it will be, I will refrain from watching any promotional footage of the Christmas and New Year's specials now.

I did not mind that the monsters themselves were not super scary, though, because I still finished watching the episode with my heart pounding like mad with fear. The monsters were fine, but the real scares here were psychological--the scariness of having to come to grips with difficult moral quandaries, and of suddenly having accepted rules of the character and show I've loved for so long turned briefly on their head in a sense--and the scariness of it still making sense in a horrid way. In the end, what really scared me was the nature of time itself, and most surprisingly, the Doctor himself. Which, in my opinion, is absolutely brilliant. Enormous kudos and applause to Tennant for his breathtaking acting throughout the episode, but especially towards the end.

Because it was the last five minutes that really elevated this story from a regular 'good' episode with slightly superior psychological play to a really fantastic episode. Those five minutes were flawlessly done. I was left on the edge of my seat (figuratively speaking; I watched the whole episode while sprawling on my bedroom floor, haha) and holding my breath and very nearly crying. And I don't cry often for filmed stuff, and certainly not for television. I am left waiting for "The End of Time" with bated breath and am making a mental note to stock up on the tissues, because if merely that last five minutes leading into the final story could sucker-punch me so hard, I'm going to be a bucket case come New Year's, alas. David Tennant, I'm going to hate to see you go.

To put my Tennant-praise aside for a moment, I must add that all the supporting actors did fine jobs as well, and as a second-year Russian student in particular it was rather enjoyable to have a Russian character. Also, that this is not an episode to show your kiddies if you are trying to get them to eat their vegetables. If you watch the episode, you'll see what I mean.

If you haven't already, I insist you go to Combom's Doctor Who blog (which you will find a link to in my sidebar) and follow the link he has there and go watch the episode! It's dark, thought-provoking, and definitely one of the better ones thus far. I am left with both extremely high hopes as to the quality of the Tenth Doctor's final story, and absolutely shattered, because now there's nothing between us poor viewers and the end of an era, and the sense of swift-incoming, crushing doom was beautifully built until it was almost palpable at the end of "WoM".

To sum up: Stellar acting by Tennant, good supporting acting, decent monsters, original and compelling psychological drama, and a killer last few minutes. This doesn't equal my top three favorite classic episodes of all time ("The War Games", "Caves of Androzani", and "Genesis of the Daleks"), but it's definitely among my favorite episodes of the new series. If it had been filmed in the style of the classics, with four separate installments, it would probably have been up there in quality. Sigh . . . a pox on the modern audience's lack of a proper attention span.

And a last note: "WoM" was not entirely a doom-and-gloom episode, it did produce this jewel of dialogue:

Adelaide: "State your name, rank, and intention."

Ten: "The Doctor . . . Doctor . . . Fun."

Go watch, and let me know what you think, mmkay?

Exploring Island History

Hello, all you lovely people, and I hope you are having yourselves a fine weekend.

I pulled my first all-night study session of the semester on Thursday night--mainly due to the "Beowulf" essay that simply did not want to be written. I re-wrote the horrid thing upwards of a dozen times, and I still am not happy with how it turned out. Of course, I'm never happy with anything I write, 

but I really wasn't happy with it. Well, anyway. Speaking of Anglo-Saxon gorgeousness, I hope you all were as ecstatic as me when you heard about the immense new find of Anglo-Saxon treasure in England--three times the size of Sutton Hoo's hoard, or so I have read. Unbelievable. There is an incredible magic in old artifacts like that, something that tugs at my heartstrings in a way nothing else quite does. To understand what I mean, read A String in the Harp.

Today I should have spent my time recuperating from the horridness of being awake for twenty-two hours straight, but instead I went to visit a few local museums: the Mission House downtown, which is the original Mission that was built here in Hawaii in 1820, and Queen Emma's palace. (That's Emma and her husband, King Kamehameha IV in the above photograph.) The Mission House was adorable, and it was really strange and sad to see it in old photographs showing it surrounded with miles of green jungle, when now it sits serene and somewhat forgotten in the middle of downtown Honolulu, dwarfed by roadways and skyscrapers. The house was very small, very quaint, and as the guide pointed out, 'It was built by New Englanders, and they built it in the style of a building they would have lived in back home--that is, they built it to keep out a New England winter. They discovered their mistake later.' He was quite right; the place was stiflingly hot. There's a certain special way to build a house in Hawaii; build it in the right direction, and put large windows and doors in the right places, and make the ceilings high, so that the trade winds flow through the place like cooling water. The missionaries did none of this, and even though they've been dead for over a hundred years, I still felt sorry for them, poor chaps.

Apparently they serve high tea at a little set of tables on the grass next to the house, under some spreading green trees. I hope to partake, one day. Oh, and we got to see the Mission printing press, which excited me a lot. I love printing presses. though for some reason I can't see one without thinking of Rab Silsbee from Johnny Tremain. Then again, perhaps that's one of the reasons why I like printing presses . . .

My grandma and I were going to take the bus to Queen Emma's palace, but some of our fellow Mission tour guide-takers were going to the palace also and offered us a ride. They were really nice, a mother and daughter. We toured the palace with them too, and all four of us became relatively chummy by the end of the day. The palace was lovely; it looked like a Southern mansion, all white with enormous windows and enormous rooms. In one room was the Queen's grand piano, which she purchased while in Germany, and apparently she was a very gifted pianist. What is awesome is that you are allowed to play the Queen's piano, as well as take pictures while you do so! I've often wished that I could play piano, but never more than today . . . that didn't prevent me from posing with my hands on the keys though, ha. There were many portraits of royal family members, including a couple beautiful portraits of her son, the Crown Prince, who died when only four years old. He was an adorable child, and always looks so solemn but sweet in his portraits . . .

For those of you who don't know much about Hawaiian monarchy, I strongly recommend you research and learn about it. It was a monarchy recognized and respected all around the world at one point: Emma was given wedding gifts from places as far off as India and China, and Queen Victoria of England was Emma's son's godmother. The story of the monarchy is one of the most interesting, sad, and, yes, controversial in all of history. There are some people out here who regularly storm I'olani palace and lock themselves in to protest the fact that Hawaii was annexed to the US, and there are some who are fiercely devoted to its identity as a US state, so it's a big issue here. I personally don't like to get embroiled in the issue, but I do like learning about it. And the Hawaiian monarchy was a far more legitimate, advanced, and efficient government than most non-Islanders know, with really fascinating members (Queen Emma and Princess Kai'ulani being among my favorites. Kai'ulani was the last princess of the Hawaiians, good friends with Robert Louis Stevenson, an excellent painter, and died extremely young). Ignorance is sad, so learn!

On a lighter note, I have begun (after much urging from friends) to watch 'Firefly', and must say that I'm enjoying it so far. I found the second episode much better than the first, though; the first was okay, but the dialogue wasn't as sparkly as I would have liked. Still, it seems to be a fun show. Mixing western with the space age was a genius move, and I'm sad the show has so few episodes; it seems to be only getting better, so why cut it off?

Anyways, that's all for now, folks! Oh, and I'm beginning to type up all my book reviews for the month (there's quite a few, actually!) so you can start looking forward to them now ;)

Pic

Monday of Finals Week

After studying obsessively all of Thursday, all of Friday, and all of Saturday, my brain gave up on me. I guess it just had enough and abandoned ship, because I suddenly came back to my senses late Sunday night and realized that I had just spent the last five or six hours watching Doctor Who and Star Trek episodes. Six hours of quirky science fiction . . . my brain must have really needed that catharsis. 

As to the exams themselves, I have now completed two--my Russian test (could have been worse) and my first English class' exam (a six-page essay I just sort of frantically scribbled during the allotted time. Thank goodness I'm fairly good at frantic scribbling. It was like an SAT flashback). Now all I have to worry about is my last English exam (piece of cake!), History exam (no problem!) and Economics exam (. . . help?). 

And about preventing any further science fiction binges from sabotaging my studying further.

Speaking of which, I plan to go watch the Star Trek movie tomorrow . . .