中文blog啦~~!

真的不知道写什么，可是还要等一个小时才去打工，太无聊了。我决定要开始把我的中文水平提高，打字也许有一些帮助把。。

上个星期定了去意大利的飞机票，准备和朋友一起去佛罗伦萨和比萨去闯一下。我们只在意大利呆两天，可是我感到非常激动 - 好久都没到欧洲去了。我想应该有很多拍照的机会！真的好想吃一口意大利冰淇淋(gelato)! 听说意大利的生活费是挺高的，刚好把我暑假挣得钱全花光。。 T—T

还有几个朋友在中国，真的希望七月份能在大陆呆久一点儿。图片里就是大连，真想再回到哪儿去坐船玩海！

到开学，没有什么别的计划了，就是挣钱，看朋友，去伦敦(?)等等。哎呀，太想搬出家了。

Windows Live Writer

A bit of a test on blogging, am using Windows Live Writer to blog instead of writing it online, as sometimes it doesn’t save the posts properly which means I have to re-write stuff when it screws up on me. I know you don’t care, thus I have provided a picture of a squirrel that I saw in Green Park for your entertainment.
I also splashed out on some Staedtler fineliner pens.. you know the ones that stack up when you fold the lid back? Yeahhh, those. Though I don’t know what I shall be using them for yet, something multicoloured. But they are so spiffy it hurts. I also bought a calculator after I lost mine halfway through last year. It does matrices for me :) And all other types of fancy shizz. I love shopping for stationery.

Inglourious Basterds (2009).

The spelling of this film's title greatly pisses me off, being a self-confessed grammar Nazi. Ironically enough, this Quentin Tarantino flick is about Nazi-occupied France. Split into 5 chapters, this film follows two sets of characters as they progress towards the same goal - killing Nazis: The Basterds are a group of Jewish-American soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), going around France killing, scalping, branding as many Nazi soldiers as they can find. Shosanna Dreyfuss (Mélanie Laurent), a French Jew who runs a cinema in Paris, in which an exclusive German film prémiere is taking place. She takes the opportunity of this event and plans to kill all the Nazis that turn up by burning down the cinema. Despite sharing aims, Shosanna and The Basterds never cross paths, yet you'd think they planned everything together by the way things turned out. The first chapter is set in rural France, on a dairy farm. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), a detective for the Third Reich convinces a French farmer to give away the hiding place of a Jewish family underneath the floorboards. I think this was my favourite part, as Landa's character is introduced and stays with you throughout the film - he has an uncanny ability to notice tiny details and strike fear into people without at all being threatening. Yet as the film progresses, it is implied that he is somewhat insane - in his laughter, the way he talks etc. Another wonderful scene is when he and Shosanna are in the tea room, having strudels. Unknown to him, Shosanna was the runaway Jewish girl on that dairy farm. Yet his obliviousness makes this almost comical if it wasn't for Shosanna's obvious distress at the situation. However, there are many other laughter-inducing moments in this action-comedy. One of which is Eli Roth's role as "The Bear Jew", 'nuff said. Brad Pitt's performance as the thickly-accented Tennessee hillbilly was hilarious, no matter how much I don't want to like Brad Pitt, roles like this means I can't help but do so. However, Christoph Waltz outshines him by far. His performance as Landa has so far earned him the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award, and I am sure there are more where that came from. Appearances from Mike Myers (posh & british, just how we like him) and Samuel L Jackson (nothing needed to be said) tops off this film perfectly as a wonderful mix of action and comedy.

From the opening credits, it is clear this is Tarantino's doing. Minimalist shots, long drawn out conversations, gorey violence and continuous filming. I think the main feature of this film is the dialogue, and in particular the language. French, German, English and Italian are all spoken (albeit fluently by Landa) throughout, with some non-straining subtitling. I noticed, especially in the first chapter how French words such as "merci" were left in French in the subtitles for some characters, whilst translated in English for others. Just shows how important language and dialogue are for the flow and tempo of this film. The music is also coupled brilliantly - from the spanish western-esque ballads at the opening to the classical pieces for death scenes. One drawback is the length of this film. At just under 3 hours long, I think that many of the scenes could have been cut down to tease the plot along faster, however one may argue that this deviates from the whole point of a classic Tarantino, in which Inglourious Basterds certainly is.

I am now downloading the Kill Bill volumes in HD (it makes a huge difference, trust me) so I can appreciate QT some more.

Weddings at Shendish Manor

Are hilarious. The electric glass washer was broken. So to keep the bar stocked up on fresh glasses, we had to wash them by hand. Which meant getting two huge stock pans, one with hot water, one with hot water plus detergent; dunking the dirty glasses in one, then the other. Then out to the bar! It was vile. Disgustingly so.
But it gave us some laughs considering the wedding guests were pretty rude because the hotel charges excrutiatingly expensive prices, teamed with much drinking, made for some swearing and drama. It was fun times. Nothing like that to brighten up a 13 hour shift...

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009).

Just got back from watching this at the cinema.. Orange Wednesdays :). As I read the book a long long time ago, I only had a rather vague recollection of the plot, so watching the film was still mostly fresh for me in terms of the details. This is basically about Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a Chicago librarian with a rare genetic disease causing him to time travel at any time, to any place. Without clothes ;) Cue many shots of Eric Bana's ass. One day he meets Claire Abshire (Rachel McAdams), an artist who claims to have known him since she was 6. Thus begins the story of how their relationship and life evolves around dealing with Henry's condition. After getting past the unrealistic plot, this is a tear-jerking romantic drama which explores themes such as love, loss and absence. The humour which was slotted in, especially at their wedding, delivers some light relief from the more serious issues at hand. As the film progresses, the mood gets darker as the images of Henry's death begins to cast a shadow on his life and loved ones. One thing this film makes you realise is how in a relationship, two people can be having totally different experiences; yet there are moments you both share that bring you closer together. As shown by Claire's memories of seeing Henry when she was younger. Would've been great to see McAdams have some kind of Mean-Girls-esque outburst but obviously asking for too much.. Bana and McAdams had some nice chemistry. I'm not sure whether the CGI did a good job in showing what Henry would've looked like when time-travelling - he kind of just fades from the outside, like he is dissolving. Personally I imagined a more fading-out kind of transition. However, I really liked the cinematography - interesting angles and lovely hues. I think that's what made this film a bit more magical. The scenes in the meadow were always so bright, filled with yellow, depicting the happier times that they spent together. Whereas scenes toward the end of the film are a lot darker, bluer.
This was actually quite a good adaptation of the book, though obviously things were left out. The book also delivers from Claire's point of view, giving a fuller narrative. Though the reviews for this film weren't that good, I found it satisfying enough to have spent time watching it. I'd recommend after reading the book.

This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes.

Firstly, this isn't a self help book. I didn't buy this because I thought it was a self help book (god forbid if I start doing that). Nor do I think my life is in need of saving. It was on 3 for 2 at Waterstones, and look interesting from the blurb, and shortlisted fo Richard and Judy's Book Club (which I decided was a pretty good reason to buy it).
Anyways, this novel is about Richard Novak, an L.A day trader who has cut himself off from life. Divorced, alone, set on a strict routine. After a shocking experience which lands him in ER, he begins to re-evaluate his life and starts taking opportunities to reach out again. A great mix of characters feature, including Anhil, a quirky immigrant doughnut shop owner; Cynthia, a hysterical, depressed housewife; and Nic, a neighbour who he at first doesn't realise is a famous writer because "he is just as fucked up as everyone else". Richard also manages to help a lot of people out, becoming a so-called Good Samaritan in the city.
Despite being set in LA, with all the stereotypical rich lifestyle perks: nutritionist, personal trainer, silent retreat, housekeeper; I can't get over how well the reader can connect with the main character. You can really sense his life changing and his character learning, growing as the novel wears on. Everyone he encounters seems to have benefitted from knowing him. The plot isn't very exciting, but the style in which Homes writes was engaging enough to keep the pages turning. She even throws in some surprising scenes - Richard's estranged son's drunken ourburst about how he is gay and so very angry at Richard for walking out on him, yet wants to fuck him. It was weird. Sick thoughts, but it really emphasised his son's anger and longing to have a normal relationship with his father. Homes has a way of expressing a lot about the characters through conversation. She uses very fly-on-the-wall angle of writing, as if you are following Richard around in his life since he was in hospital. I found this noval really engaging and the slight humour in the dialogue just made it all the more pleasant. I think the aim of this book is to force us to look at our lives and realise that there is a lot more that life has to offer, to accept change, to work with what's happened in the past. Most of all I think that the reconnection between Richard and his son in such a short amount of time was very well portrayed, through their spontaneous trips to Disneyland and whatnot. Another thing I noticed is that this isn't split into chapters or sections, just a whirlwind of prose. Life shouldn't be split up into sections.
In conclusion. This hasn't saved my life. But it was an awesome read.

A London Day Trip.

Once more I ventured into London yesterday. Except this time I went to the train station at 7.45am to get my train. The reasoning for this is because a friend and I were going to a free photoshoot/makeover deal, with a morning appointment. After a mild panic over getting lost on the tube, we found each other at Waterloo and arrived fashionably late (30 mins) at the venue in Farringdon. We were rushed to do hair and make up which took us through the first hour. I don't think I've ever worn so much make up, it was kind of disgusting actually, but it was fun being made up. Cool mirrors with lights! After this, we were led to meet our photographers. My friend's photographer was a mega hot guy. Yum. I got a little european girl who was cool, probably early 20s? She was very friendly and had a nice accent. The studio we were in a a number of different props and backdrops etc to shoot the portraits. 3 outfit changes. Following my recent interest in photography, it was a good learning experience going to do a shoot as I could also see the equipment and techniques the photographers used. Definitely a job I'd like to do, it looked so much fun! Not a huge fan of the modelling part, as I apparantly suck at smiling. I'm one of those people who feels like they are smiling but in reality I look like a grumpy shite. There was probably 3 shots I liked best, but the prints and packages were so expensive! We managed to get these contact sheets (all the photos printed small on phot paper) for free instead of £50 cos the consultant who was with us was mega nice :D So I was mega proud of that.
Overall the experience was so much fun. Free food and drinks too! Before we left we were to give them names and numbers of people we knew (females) to recommend the experience to them. So basically if you were on my phonebook then I put you down because I got free stuff for putting down a certain number of people :D Sorry if they bombard you with calls, but it was so much fun, and totally free with no obligation to buy, and you can take a friend along also :)

After the 4 hours we spent at doubletake studios, we went on a mini tour of London. Yours truly being the tour guide. We hit Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminister, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Southbank. Filled with cheap flipflops, cheap shoes, amazingly sunny weather, sore feet, sore shoulders, pearl bubble tea, BBQ pork buns, photos, paddling etc etc. On Southbank I saw the contact juggler from last time, with an even bigger crowd! Still looked impressive :D Here's a video of last time.
There was also a breakdancing crew on Southbank. I'm rather skeptical towards crews on the streets as a previous experience has led me to think they are shit. But admittedly they were pretty good and got a huge crowd around, so there was good atmosphere in the Sunday sunshine. The intro guy was also cheeky enough to say that he thought the show would be worth £2-3 each, at least. It was lols. I'm glad I got an opportunity to shoot some cool pictures though! Ditto for the skatepark at Southbank, though the graffiti is so busy that it makes for such a loud background. And also the skaters at the skatepark were mostly crap and about 10 years old.. har. Made do with some BMX shots.

Met up with some other friends at London Bridge and then we made our way to Dim T, a chinese restaurant near Tower Bridge overlooking the river. 2for1 of course! Catch-up. Wine. Then more wine at Spoon's afterwards. Slight drunken journey back home? No problemo!
Except now I have a horribly painful right shoulder and alcohol aches from it all. Fantastic. Oh, and a blister yet again on my heel. fml.

Saturday Stumbling Session

If you don't know what I am talking about then I suggest you take a trip to StumbleUpon.
Basically you select some interests, install the toolbar, and stumble. It takes you to webpages, blogs, whatever on the internet that may interest you. Much time has been wasted because of this thing.

Here's some random stuff I came across today that I have decided to share.


The Rubix Cubewich. How the hell are you supposed to eat that thing. More food fun on Insanewiches.


One Word. Reminds me of that game where you have to describe something without using the word.

Paprika. A film and director that I will be checking out further no doubt!

Viral Videos. If you haven't seen these.. you're missing out somewhat.

Lots more random crap that wasn't really worth posting here.. I started working out this week. Woohoo. And am very achy right now but no pain no gain, right?
Just realised I have a shit load of stuff to catch up on in terms of.. everything.

Perseids Meteor Shower.

Peaked last night.
And part of which was witnessed by yours truly. I was only looking out of my window. Outside was mostly dark as my street is only one sided, with the houses facing a shallow valley and a forest. So the brightest source of light was the moon and the nearby streetlamp which I tried to block out my line of vision. At first when I was looking it was just more me hoping to see something... My eyes kept seeing faint streaks but I think it was just my eyes playing tricks on me and me imagining things. But around 1.30am there was a streak of light for a few seconds which was unmistakably a shooting star. It was really beautiful, if only there for a very short while, just long enough for me to register the fact that I had actually seen a shooting star. A nice moment.
I just wish I had been out in the coutryside in a more remote area with my camera and tripod (non-existent) so I could've seen more and taken some night pictures. Next year.
Might watch out for some more later on tonight though they will be less frequent.

How to Say "Economics"

The BBC breaks it down.
And like most stuff which I actually care about, an answer fails to actually materialise as to which one is the "right" way.
Though I will conclude myself that I am in the 38% of the population that says Eh-con-o-mee. I imagine lolcat over there would agree.
Eh-con-o-mee. Eh-con-o-mics.
Not Eeh-con-o-my. Not Eeh-con-o-mics.
kthnxbai~laaaa.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer.

Twlight was a bit silly. New Moon even more so, and way too depressing. Eclipse was a big improvement from the first two. And Breaking Dawn, I admit, was a good finale to the series. However I think that Meyer wanted to fit too much drama into this one, what with the pregnancies, transformations, threats of death and whatnot. Yet I predicted a lot of it as I was reading, thinking how such and such will happen... and it did. So nothing in terms of big surprises. There was a tiny one at the end which was nice but apart from that nothing. I'm more interested to see the film of this once it comes out, as there was a lot of pretty disgusting stuff in here, such as Bella drinking cupfuls of blood when she is still human etc. Ugh, it made me sick reading those bits. And the whole Jacob becoming part of the family was a bit disturbing. But credit to Meyer for thinking of a way to have everyone a happy ending. All in all I think this was a good read, not much thought needed, I wouldn't say it was very challenging (and I like a good challenge). This comes recommended if you have read the series, otherwise you're not missing out on a lot and it would probably be better if you saw the films. I am off to find something with more substance now.

Happy Birthday Abbey Road..

It's 40 years today since The Beatles walked across that pedestrian crossing. And look at all the people going to that famous zebra crossing. The crowds are insane (at only 11am...), the crossing is actually in the middle of the shot (where all the cars are stopping when people cross it). They should've definitely closed the road today - though I can't really picture it - huge crowds get there for the crossing, only to find it's not a crossing anymore but just a street with loads of people on? Maybe they should fench off the actual crossing too and make a one-way system on the crossing so you can actually walk across it without a gazillion other people on it. Also wondering how long it will be until someone gets runover. Personally I don't see what all the fuss is. Much like how I don't see what all the fuss with regarding The Beatles but then that's just me. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of Hey Jude and whatnot, but they are wayyyy too overhyped.

Schmap: Cambridge Photo Inclusion

Hi Ashley,

I am delighted to let you know that one of your photos with
a Creative Commons license has been selected for inclusion
in the newly released eighth edition of our Schmap Cambridge
Guide...

Cool, huh.

Voices of a Distant Star (2002).

Created using only his Mac, Makoto Shinkai conveys a long distance relationship in this 25 minute short film. Living in the future (around 2045), Mikako is a 15 year old girl who is sent into space with the UN Space Army to fight the Tarsians (weird alien monster things). Her closest friend, Noboru remains on Earth, leaving the two to communicate via mobile phone. As Mikako's mission leads her further from Earth and deeper in to the universe, the time taken for a message to reach Noboru increases, from days to weeks, months, years. Noboru decides to wait for her. Mikako experiences hallucinations, emphasizing her longing to return to Earth and Noboru. The film builds up to a war scene between the UN Army fleet and the Tarsians. Inbetween the shots of big mecha machines fighting with these aliens, are images of Noboru and Mikako's life together before she was sent out. Coupled with a soliloquy from both characters, this section really appealed to me as it emphasized the distance between the two, yet it shows how close they were, as both of their thoughts converged around the same subject.

Throughout the short 25 minutes, Shinkai continuously delivers character buliding speech, original ideas, more superb attention to detail and beautiful scenery. In all three films I've seen these past few days by him, his use of light is simply genius, creating an engulfing atmosphere which just captivates the audience. His detailing is also second to none - as Mikak and Noboru stand conversing at a railway crossing, he inserts shots of the passing train, the gleaming tracks, the lifting barriers, all while the two are talking. It's just giving you a view of what you would probably see if you were actually there, with them. Truly magnificent. The drawing style of the characters is yet more blocky and sketchy than in the other two films, yet the scenery and background artwork is still amazing. The theme of time always going on and never stopping I think is something that everyone can relate to, allowing Shinkai to fan out the relationship between Makaki and Noboru. The simplest plot. Yet the script, the colouring, the detail make this a wonderful 25 minutes of anime.

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004).

This piece by Makoto Shinkai was released in 2004 telling the story of three friends (Hiroki, Takuya and Sayuri) from Aomori living in Japan in the 1990s in some alternate timeline. It is suggested that a Separation in Japan meant that the USA occupied the South whilst the "Union" had the North. There is a mysterious tower which stretches to the sky, making for some great scenery. The tower was constructed by the Union, and later revealed to have been designed by Sayuri's grandfather. Like 5 Centimeters, there are defined sections to this film, following the three characters in their childhood and then later on in life. The film starts by showing the friends in eighth grade. Hiroki and Takuya are best friends, and have gotten a job in Emishi Manufacturing factory for the summer. With the help of their boss, they plan to get parts to rebuild a crashed plane that they found. Initially this plane (named Bella Ciela) is kept a secret, but as Hiroki and Sayuri meet and become good friends, she is also brought in on the project. The two also seem to develop feelings for each other. The three children grow close and promise to fly the plane to the tower in Hokkaido. However, after summer, Sayuri mysteriously disappears. We are then brought to 3 years later, where the two boys have also grown apart, and did not continue working on the plane due to Sayuri's disappearance. The three are somehow brought into contact again through the scientific facility that Takuya works for, which researches into parallel universes. There is surprisingly a prominent science fiction genre to this film, as it deals with how dreams are linked to said parallel worlds, all of which are linked to the mysterious tower. The Union is revealed to be attempting to use the tower to replace the world with a parallel universe, and so the Uilta (underground group trying to reunify Japan) plans to destroy it. Sayuri is now hospitalised, in a continuous sleep where she is in an unpopulated parallel universe. It is discovered that she is connected to the Union's tower, and its ability to change the surrounding land into alternate universes. Sayuri's coma seems to prevent the tower from activating, and the closer she is to awakening, the larger the radius of the tower's effect. Hiroki is now in Tokyo at high school, but is severely depressed due to the loss of Sayuri. He gets hold of a letter that Sayuri wrote before she was completely comatose and goes searching for her. The two somehow have brief contact in her old hospital room, leading Hiroki realise that Sayuri will wake up if she is taken to "the place promised in our early days" - to fly to the tower in the Bella Ciela. Thus he finds Takuya to help him finish the plane and get Sayuri, who is now being held at his research facility. However, the whole thing with Sayuri preventing the tower doing its dirty work means that the two must choose between saving Sayuri or saving the world. The film changes perspectives between each of the three characters so you get a really complete storyline. Sayuri's parts are most interesting I think because she is shown in a parallel universe, and it's hard to tell which parts are real, and which parts aren't. The saddest moment in this film is near the end when she realises she is going to wake up soon, and that "the thing that she will lose" is her memories of the past 3 years. Upon awakening, she has lost the memory of her feelings for Hiroki. So sad :( But he promises to start making new memories :)

The ending to this film is much more satisfying than 5 Centimeters. Thea ending montage again takes the conclusion further by giving some fantastic shots to a wonderful song - female vocalist this time! As this was before 5 Centimeters, the character development and character drawing style isn't as complex. Blocky colour is used for many of the scenes for the characters, and only when there is a close up does the art step up. However, the scenery and detail are still amazing. Shinkai continues to use light and detailed surroundings to truly capture the mood. I noticed this especially in the early train rides with Hiroki and Sayuri, where there were just shots of the light flooding in from outside into the train etc. It really emphasizes the moments between the two characters, focusing less on the conversation they are having and more on the details of their surroundings, giving the whole film a more realistic feel. The colour palette is filled with golds and warm light in the childhood parts, truly mirroring the happiness felt by the three friends. Later during Hiroki's depression in the city, grey-blue tones and vignetting is used to build a dark and tuned-out effect. Superb detailing of the city and his room effectively show his loneliness. The water may have been over-sparkled, but it gives a really magical effect to the childhood part of the story. Th sunsets are truly magnificent thanks to some more magenta colouring. I can't really put this film in any specific genre, as it has aspects of drama, romance, war and sci-fi; but Shinkai draws them all together seamlessly. There are dominant themes of dreaming and separation in the film which I found really interesting, especially the one that parallel universes are"dreams" of the current universe.

I loved this film a lot. The story was original, the artwork divine. Shinkai animates in a very realistic style, with his focusing and detailing. The soundtrack is pretty awesome too, done by Tenmon, who has done a lot of work with Shinkai's films/short pieces. More please!


I have learnt that a lot of the beautiful scenes are actually photosourced which makes them less impressive in my opinion.. but they still astound me. Also, "Popsi" is this film's featured branding.

5 Centimeters Per Second (2007).

Named after the speed at which sakura (cherry blossom) fall, this film by Makoto Shinkai is a story made up of three chapters, centred around a boy named Takaki. Chapter 1 (The Chosen Cherry Blossoms) tells the story when he is in middle school, and he is soon moving away. The story telling is mostly through letters between Takaki and Akari, and it reveals how they met in elementary school, and since then have had a strong bond, even after Akari had to transfer away. There are flashbacks, as his memories of their time together returns to him as he recalls the letters that she wrote to him. Very quickly, you get a sense of their special relationship. In the present, he is visiting her a year after her move, as he will be moving even further away. Shinkai really captures the frustration and pain that Takaki feels due to the delayed trains and lateness (almost 4 hours!) of his arrival. He has written a letter to Akari telling her about his feelings etc. Yet the strong wind whisks it away when he reaches in his pocket for money for a vending machine. This scene was truly a "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo" moment as you can really feel the despair as his carefully written letter is lost. In this chapter, Takaki realises that he will never be able to be together with Akari due to their distance, and is greatly saddened by that. They promise to keep writing as his train departs the next morning. There is not a lot of spoken word in this chapter, silence is used to create the mood and shows that you can convey deep human emotions in such a simple way. Throughout Takaki's train journey, there are many shots of his surroundings, which really draws out the scenes, so that you also experience the pain of waiting for the two to reunite. It astounds me how Shinkai can so accurately describe and convey these complex feelings between the two characters with so little effort. You actually know very little about the main characters throughout the film, yet you can grasp a strong impression of their relationships and emotions. Shinkai successfully uses time jumps and changing perspectives to illustrate Takaki and Akari's relationship. The mood is mirrored in the colour palette that is used. The scenes in which Takaki and Akari are together, the colours are bright, filled with light; whereas Takaki's train journey was mostly gloomier blues and blacks. The snow was beautiful, and added to the melancholy tone.

Chapter 2 (Cosmonaut) links Takaki's desire to search for something far away and the space shuttle launch in Tanegashima. He is in high school now, where they have all started to think about college plans etc. Kanae features in this chapter. She is Takaki's classmate and has been in love with him since middle school, though as never confessed her feelings. She often goes out of her way so that they can go home together in the evenings and spend time together, though he is oblivious to her feelings and just sees her as a good friend. It is revealed that Takaki has had dreams with Akari in, and is often writing text messages which he never sends. Initially you are led to believe he is texting Akari, as you see things from Kanae's viewpoint. In the end, Kanae and Takaki are walking home when the space shuttle launches nearby. This is when Kanae decides not to confess her feelings as she realises that Takaki is searching for something which is more than she can offer him. The recurring scenes at the shop, and on the road home really emphasize Kanae's efforts to be with Takaki, truly drawing the audience into the mind of the characters. Visually, this is my favourite chapter. The sunlight gives the scenes a very magical feel to them, especially as this is set near the countryside, so there are some great views. Kanae's surfing scenes are also astounding, with the water so alive and real. However, the most amazing shots are of the sky and stars, especially of the milky way. As Takaki is often looking far into the distance, Shinkai uses this opportunity to really bring the night sky to life, with the soft clouds and glinting stars. The palette is filled with magentas, crimsons and violet tones to give a magical and heart warming feel to this chapter.


Chapter 3 (5 Centimeters Per Second) jumps forward in time to when Takaki is in his mid-twenties. He has a job (some computer programmer?) in the city. This chapter also features images from Akari's life. She is soon getting married and is also in the city. So right now, watching this film, I am led to think that she is marrying him. "Yay, happy ending". However, it is then revealed that Takaki has recently split up with his girlfriend because she seems to have realised that he has his heart elsewhere - still waiting for Akari no doubt. His thoughts and longing for Akari have been detrimental to his work and his relationships, and led him to quit his job as he cannot cope anymore. Again, Shinkai uses changing perspectives, as we see that Akari found a letter that she never gave to Takaki, leading her to feel nostalgic, but it is made clear that she has moved on. So somewhere in that, the ending montage suddenly begins, with some well known Japanese song being sung by a male vocalist. This was so frustrating. Firstly, should've been a female vocalist. And secondly, it just left the film with an unfinished feeling. Nothing like the spectacular ending that has been built up til now. However, the montage features scenes from all three character's lives, leaving the audience with a bit more to think about. Kanae is shown saying goodbye to Takaki when he leaves and by the sea and her surfboard when she is older. The final scene is one of great potential, yet is probably there for romantics like me to feel despair. Takaki and Akari (presumably we are led to believe it is her) walk past each other at a railway crossing, and as they do, both recognise each other. Both carry on walking but then turn to face the other. We are then taken to Takaki's perspective, just as a train rushes past... no wait.. make that TWO trains, one after the other. Of course when the trains pass the lady is no longer standing on the other side of the crossing and Takaki smiling, continues walking. The main plot flaw is that there would be no train, let alone TWO trains, that would be going on those rails so soon after pedestrians had crossed. They would've literally been run over if either character had been a bit slower. Guh.

From this mammoth of an essay, it seems that this film is rather long. Actually it's just over an hour and well worth your time. Despite the horribly frustrating and unsatisfying ending, this film has made me a huge Makoto Shinkai fan. In fact, I have started downloading one of his earlier films already. From the word go, the animation style really caught my eye. Clean lines, soft colouring and dramatic lighting all make for a beautifully drawn and impeccably animated masterpiece. Also, Shinkai's attention to detail and focusing is so effective at building an atmosphere that at times I thought this was shot with a camera. The anime style of a film is something that makes it appealing to me, and I think I liked this style more than new Ghibli! Shinkai really recognises that sometimes less is more in terms of revealing a character's personality and emotions. Everything about the first two chapters totally blew me away. I would say all three but the third's plot just left me feeling disappointed. I guess that is life, and Shinkai has really made a film that captures the essence of reality that is la vie. The music video/ending montage was just too much of a cop out for me to really enjoy but it did have some good scenes in. The train scenes especially links back to when Takaki and Akari where younger, so has a stronger impact on the audience (me). It's all very cleverly done. I highly highly highly recommend this. Watching this in HD made me cry it looked so good.

Oh and on a lighter note, it seems that no companies have product placed in this film, as brands such as "Ocasi", "Starbecks" and "Microsoft Vasta" make some appearances. So there was some lols.

Grey Eyes.

I wanted green, but these seemed to look the best. Purple was pretty awesome though. Blue looked stupid and fake.
This is also horribly scary close up o_o

Everytime I listen to Placebo...

It reminds me of how I won't be seeing them this summer as I have to sell my Reading ticket due to lack of money etcetc.
Of course there are other bands I will be missing, but they are not as important!

Any takers? Nice offers please.
Otherwise it'll be flying onto Ebay soon.

My TV Shows.

Just a personal reminder of new seasons that will start in Autumn :) (In the US of course.)

Gossip Girl. Season 3. 14th September.
Apparantly Hilary Duff joining the cast for a guest-arc. Gross.
Georgina and Blair plot will be pretty good methinks.






Desperate Housewives. Season 6. 27th September.
Weddings. Another set of twins. New bitch in town. New housewife called Angie Vitale - Sounds like some bottled water. Awesomeeee.









Heroes. Season 4. 21st September.
New girl. New partners. New villain. Hopefully it will not disappoint. Despite how shit it gets I still find myself watching it.

This, in addition to Prison Break and the rest of Family Guy. Huzzah. Looks like my second year at uni is gonna start of with notalotofworklols.

I went for a run today.

Albeit not a very long one but living in a hilly place has its drawbacks. I ended up really wheezy. I am hoping to do this more frequently so maybe that side effect shall subside.

Not much has happened in the past week or so since being back in England. Applied to a few jobs, but not expecting any replies. I called Ashridge. Seems they don't have enough shifts for their current casual staff let alone any extra people like me. Ugh. Saw some friends etc etc.

Last night was the first time I went to Lava Ignite. I have never had thre urge to go there. First for everything and all, it was generally an over-priced, under-attenteded venue. Spoons all the way!
My recent boredom has led to much photo editting and whatnot. ;-;

I have sold 12 CDs. :)