Weight

It seems like a chick lit story, only not of the conventional kind. The protagonist is, to be frank, overweight. But, at the end of the day (literally), she lets herself go and speeds away with Jayme to Baguio. It deviates from the usual formula of the slim, pretty girl getting the guy. Even if the girl is overweight, or ugly, she can still fall in love and she can still have her happy ending. After all, beauty is only skin deep. I think the way Ami and Jayme zooms away into the night end is symbolic of the way she is letting go of all the things that are holding her down like her job, her weight (since she stops herself from eating too much) and just everything that keeps her from living her life.

My Neighbor Totoro (Movie)

I was expecting another Kwaidan-ish movie, or at least another thought-provoking movie about life, and maybe, neighbors. The cheery opening song and the dancing cartoons were definitely a welcome surprise. The movie was reminiscent of the cartoons I watched as a child. I found it a sweet story about growing up. A person's childhood isn't really complete unless he/she has those moments when they completely believe in things like "soot sprites". It shows us the essence of childhood in its innocence and complete acceptance of things.

Generations

The story was quite startling in the way it narrated such dramatic events from such a detached, impersonal point of view. It portrayed the sad realities of Philippine society at the hands of foreign colonizers. The story focuses on the tribulations experienced by the different generations of their family and how they each coped with these.

I think this really does happen in Philippine society, but we just don't want to admit it, or we don't want to admit the full extent of it. Daughters selling themselves for their father's freedom, family members killing each other--you can't help but wonder just how messed up society must be. You see how colonization tears apart not only the country, but families as well.

Run Lola Run (Movie)

Burning questions I had after the movie:
HOW DID SHE RUN ACROSS BERLIN IN 20 MINUTES??
and where the H did she get the energy to do so?
But mostly just the How.
All in all, I liked the movie..Like Einstein's dreams, it revolves around time and alternate endings to a situation. Who knew a person's running speed could mean so much? That a one-second change could cause a person's death?
Manni and Lola kinda gave me that Bonnie and Clyde vibe as well. Lola must have really loved Manni to run across the city to find 100 000 marks for him. Not only that, she robs a bank and a grocery store for him as well. Talk about tough love.

Einstein's Dreams

The whole book reads like a dream, each vignette flowing into the next. The concept of the whole time-future-past-present has always fascinated me and that's probably one of the reasons I liked the book. For some reason, I felt the book had a really dream-like quality, maybe also because of Lightman's language and style. It makes you think about all the possibilities there are, like, what if these kinds of worlds really did exist? Could the small action of kicking up dust actually prevent the creation of the European Union? These minute details snowball over the course of time into something much much larger. Such a possibility is both thrilling and frightening.

Makes me feel very...existentialist.

Manananggrrrrl

Styled like a supernatural version of Tyra Banks, it seems to poke fun at the current talk shows and the many oh so very fake talk show hosts we have. It centers on the story of Yolanda, a manananggal who kills her friend Estrella, after the latter steals her to-die-for ass. Literally.

I thought Yolanda was a little justified in her killing Estrella after the body switching (but then I have always been a wee bit sadistic). But seriously now, I'd probably be mad as hell if I were a manananggal and I come back to find my super toned abs/ass stolen by my ridiculously overweight friend. It would be something like someone cutting off your nose because theirs was as flat as the Central Luzon plain.

A touch I especially loved: Yolanda flashing the audience. Actions speak louder than words. Haha!

Midsummer

My initial reaction to the story: I don't get it!!

The story doesn't seem to have much excitement, much less a climax. It reminds me of that last scene from the Jungle Book, where Mowgli sees this girl carrying a water jug smiling, err coquettishly? at him. It bothered me how the girl was being so flirtatious with the man, staring at him, accidentally (really?) spilling water down her shirt, and letting him get water. In the end, when she invites him to her house, I had to wonder whether everything was just a show to catch the man's attention. Oh boy, this woman has the makings of a Maneater: 1900s version.

I could see this ending as a love story...but for a moment there, I was seriously considering the notion of the woman being a witch, luring the man to her evil lair. *insert manic laughter here*

Persepolis

Of all the readings this semester, this is probably the one I liked best.

It quickly captured my attention with the simple black and white drawings. The unique approach of a graphic novel to a very serious topic was refreshing (On second thought, it might not be unique but this is the first autobiographical graphic novel I've read so it's definitely unique for me). Her narration as the young Marji actually did sound like a child, an endearing touch for me. I found it amazing the way Satrapi was able to narrate such a deep story about the political chaos experienced by Iran, with just the right combination of lightness, humor and heart.

Stranded Star

This story was a refreshing change from the usual Filipino fantasy stories I come across which usually involve engkantadas, forbidden lovers, a moral lesson and a newly formed object at the end. 

Though the story seemed to me a Filipino version of Stardust, I liked it nonetheless. I admired the story's subtle message about honesty and about how there's more to life than just beauty. Nova was a likable character with her depth, frankness and her good grasp on reality. She combined the beauty and brilliance of a star with the diligence and "realness" of a Filipino man.

Kwaidan (Movie)

A Japanese "ghost story" anthology, Kwaidan is a horror movie of the unconventional kind. While I have been used to shockers and screamers like The Ring, The Grudge and The Eye, Kwaidan goes for the more subtle, eerie approach.

The horror scenes don't just spring on you. All throughout each episode you get the feel that something is kinda off, though you can't quite put your finger to it. The setting and the music are all very efficient at creating an unsettling atmosphere and the storylines are not your usual wronged-woman-lusting-for-revenge-takes-advantage-of-modern-technology plot.

Not my usual cup of tea, but good nonetheless.

Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot

First off, I love the title.

Moving on. Initially, the husband really annoyed me by his petty jealousies. He's the type of insecure person I really just want to tell, "You deserve all the emotional torment you're going through." I mean who climbs a tree while stalking their wives??

However, in the course of the story, when the husband started to, err, talk, or rather, expound on his meager parrot vocabulary, I found my sympathies gradually going out to him. When you see both sides of a picture, only then will you realize how much you've missed and how shortsighted you'd been. While his behavior was still out of line and irrational, I am more sympathetic towards him now. His feelings for his wife, were, in fact touching and I felt a bit sad that he never had the chance to tell her how he felt, and how much he loved her. (Yes, I am a sucker for those eloquent professions of love with that non-conventional Pablo Neruda feel)

A Clockwork Orange

Alex reminds me of a younger, more Russian-speaking Hannibal Lecter. A smooth talker and appreciative of music, with a bit of an IQ to boot, Alex is not your typical goon. He has quite an unorthodox hobby which he deeply enjoys: robbing, raping and just altogether abusing people. In the course of the story, he is arrested and subjected to this "Ludovico treatment" where his mind and body are trained to reject violence. It is inhumane and here I am conflicted with that question of choosing the lesser of two evils.

While Alex did do a lot of horrible things, did he really deserve the punishment he was subjected to? A part of me wants to scream yes at the same time thrusting my fist in the air for added emphasis. A part of me wants to *hesitantly* say, "Maybeee not....." 

The book was a bit disturbing, but held a lot of truths as well. 

Metamorphosis

To be honest, I did not like Metamorphosis all that much. Yes, I know it's some kind of literary masterpiece but I just hated the thought of waking up a giant bug or cockroach. Talk about hassle.

While I appreciate the fact that the story is rich in symbolism about acceptance and the individual, I wasn't a big fan of the plot itself. I got a bit irritated at Gregor by how he was trying to be this martyr, even when he was already a bug. I mean, he could have just up and jumped out the window and been all "Gregor: Bug in the City" instead of wallowing in his own goo of self-pity in his bodega-slash-room. His IQ seemed to drop a few points every day (Well, yes, he is a bug), like that time he insisted on going out of his room when his sister was playing the violin, even if there were lodgers outside.

I know, it was probably not his fault..But the whole thing just really bugged me. Pun intended.

P.S. This does not mean, however, that the family was right to treat him like dirt. They were such jerks!

Getting Better

One of the stories I liked most in our Lit selections (well, I am a girl), it is quick, engaging and entertaining. A pioneer in the Chick Lit category, Getting Better is written in the second person POV, something that is a bit difficult to sustain, as well as slightly less common. Sering does it however, in the clever form of a self-help book. While it follows the typical Chick Lit formula (we all know what that is), what I liked most about the story is the language and its style. It is very Pinoy and very modern--quirky, funny, sarcastic, and sometimes even all three. What is good about it is that it is about the Filipina and aside from being entertained, people can actually relate to it.
Also, as was mentioned in class, the story doesn't really dwell on the characters' physical traits. There is more focus on their lives than there is on their looks or on their Balenciaga/Prada fetishes. I feel this makes the story more real because honestly, it is just so hard to relate to a Western girl with sparkling hazel eyes, lush brown hair, a red heart-shaped mouth, a size 2 body and a Chanel bag draped over her arm.

The Bicycle Thief (Movie)

Revolving mainly around a man's wild-goose chase over the city in search of his bicycle, the first thought that entered my mind was: Does the end justify the means?
Antonio, a poor man, goes all over the city with his son to recover the bicycle vital for his job. In the process, he does a lot of things mainly out of instinct and impulse, things that he will most likely regret. He causes chaos and uproar, harasses a man, picks a fight with a whole community of people by falsely accusing one of them, steals a bicycle and worst, hits his son. He seems to be like an animal in a corner, no longer thinking but relying on instinct alone. I can't help but feel sorry for him, though. I see that he does those things because he is driven by desperation to find the thing that will provide him the opportunity to have a better life.

Bread of Salt

A coming of age, rite of passage, initiation, bar mitzvah story of a naive boy fiercely infatuated with a girl whose world he can never be part of. The harsh realities of the world is lost on the boy, who thinks that if he studies hard enough, or plays the violin well enough, he will prove himself to be as good as Aida, the girl he idolizes. His naivete borders on pathetic at times. In a world of indios and mestizos, he is disillusioned, thinking that he can actually be a part of her world when actually, the most he can be is hired help. It is quite frustrating to see him make a fool out of himself countless times, mostly due to the fact that he is too...deluded to perceive the chasm between him and Aida. The story is rich with symbolism which emphasize the sad plight of the boy. I do appreciate however, the very Pinoy touches with the pan de sal and the boy's family and background.

Cries of Children...

Light: pure and infinite as the future. The story revolves around flashforwards to the future of Ricky and some of the important women in his life. There was a sort of existentialist feel to the story, or at least in Ricky's case. Knowing the future makes you dread it for Ricky, somehow hoping he could know about what was to happen to him. But it also brings up all these questions about ethics and the future. Nothing is set in stone. Ricky's knowledge of his future might inadvertently compel him to make it happen. There is a beautiful danger about knowledge--too little or too much is enough to cause chaos for anyone. It also brings into awareness that we are mere pawns in the game of life and fate: we can never have full control over everything in our lives. No matter how hard we try, there will always be times when we will be a wee bit further behind.

Casablanca (Movie)

I honestly cannot remember another time when I was this touched by a movie. It has been a day since watching it, and I still can't get Rick and Ilsa's story out of my head. It surprised me to be so affected by an "old" movie. The beauty and timelessness of the film is quite surprising. Timeless in the sense that even until today, people (or at least me) can still relate to the story. It could be a typical jilted-lover-meets-ex-after-a-long-time-chaos-ensues type of story and yet the ending surprises us in the end. There's all this tension between Rick and Ilsa and even though you only see them together for only a few minutes, you can kind of feel that they really loved each other. (Not to mention those unforgettable lines, "Here's looking at you, kid" and "We'll always have Paris") I have this newfound appreciation for classics and it makes me realize that old movies sometimes have even more substance than the movies we have now. This is one of the very few romance movies I've watched where the story actually defies the romance Happy Ending formula and the lead characters don't end up together (another one being My Best Friend's Wedding). The great sacrifice Rick makes shows that he can go beyond himself and be a bigger person, putting the greater good above his own desires. I guess this is the "inevitable surprise" that we talked about in class--I was a bit surprised they didn't end up together but then, I also think that was the only way or the only right way for the story to end.

Raise The Red Lanterns (Movie)

It took a lot of determination and perseverance for me to finish this movie. Within the first five minutes of the movie, (what with Gong Li delivering that monologue about marriage) I already got the impression that it would be abounding with competition, pain, tradition, and more tradition. It's clear from the start that Gong Li is younger, and probably more intelligent than the other mistresses. However, this does not necessarily mean she can outsmart the cold-blooded, manipulative second mistress. The entire household is a twisted web of deceit, scheming and competition. They are like wild animals, whose only instinct is to survive, even at the expense of someone else. I try to put myself in their shoes and my only thought is this: I would rather die than live in that house.

The Things They Carried

Like we discussed in class, a war story, but not a typical one. It's like reading one of the soldiers' memories: jumbled, scattered, vivid and raw. The story made me wonder about all the excess baggage all these soldiers carry. It makes me think about the agony of war and how all those issues just piling up day after day could do serious damage to a person's state of mind. Staring death in the face day after day, knowing that one day that head with a whole in the forehead could be yours is quite a lot for someone to bear. Not only do they bear physical burdens but emotional ones as well. It is said in the story that they also carry the "burden of being alive". Every moment for them is a struggle and we see how much they detest this in their recurring dreams of flying up, up and away.
I read in the introduction of the story that the theme is a list. Yes, it is, in a sense. Practically half the story just goes on to enumerate the things that the soldiers carry, in the process morphing these possessions into one giant burden that these soldiers have to carry.
I think we're all soldiers, one way or another, each with our own baggage to carry, all on the same trek, trying to find our way back to our "Martha in New Jersey."