Harmony

Ini dia film yang dengan suksesnya membuat mata gue menjadi sembab. Film berdurasi 115 menit (menurut info di internet) bikin gue nangis selama nyaris setengah jam film ini. Or mungkin malah lebih. Entah sudah berapa tissue habis untuk air mata dan juga idung yang beler. Suer dah ini film bener-bener...

Harmony bercerita tentang sekelompok penghuni penjara wanita yang membentuk sebuah paduan suara gara-gara salah seorang dari mereka Jeong Hye (Kim Yun Jin yang main drama seri Lost sebagai istri orang Korea. Inget?), sangat terpesona oleh suara para anggota paduan suara tersebut. Jeong Hye sendiri sewaktu masuk penjara sedang hamil, sehingga ia melahirkan di dalam penjara dan mengasuh anak juga di dalam penjara. Setelah 18 bulan, anak tersebut harus di serahkan untuk diadopsi. Nah, demi supaya ia bisa dapat ijin keluar satu hari, maka Jeong Hye berusaha keras untuk membentuk paduan suara ini.

Jalan ceritanya sederhana, selain tentang paduan suara itu, juga tentang interaksi antara para napi, antara para napi dengan pengawas penjara, dan juga antara para napi dengan keluarga mereka masing-masing. Cukup banyak juga kejadian-kejadian lucu di awal cerita, namun menjelang tengah-tengah film dan akhir film, mau enggak mau air mata dengan suksesnya mengalir dengan deras.

Terkesan cheesy dan agak tidak masuk diakal, tapi meh...who cares? Toh gue tetep nangis dan ikut ngerasain pedihnya perasaan para tokoh-tokohnya.

Film Korea emang paling jago menguras emosi dan air mata para penontonnya hahaha...

Buat yang lagi nyari film penuh air mata...gue rasa ini film bagus dijadikan salah satu pilihan.

Guzaarish - Request

Pernah nonton film India? Suka dengan film India? Gue termasuk yang cukup suka dengan film India. Maklum, punya sahabat orang India mau enggak mau jadi ikut berkenalan dengan kultur dan kebiasaan orang India, termasuk film (dan ya, lagu India).

Gue enggak mau ngomong panjang lebar soal gue yang cukup suka dengan film India, karena udah pernah gue bahas di postingan yang lalu-lalu.

Nah udah cukup lama gue enggak nonton film India, bahkan "My Name Is Khan" pun tidak gue tonton, karena menurut gue ceritanya terlalu sedih, kasian gue nontonnya, jadi sampe sekarang gue enggak nonton. Penasaran, tapi mungkin nanti lah gue tonton.

Dan sekarang, gue nonton film India lagi :D, gara-gara waktu itu ke Mangdu dan Kim langsung menyodorkan ini film yang langsung gue iyain, tanpa tahu filmnya tentang apa, tapi karena waktu itu temen gue yang India lagi ada bersama dengan gue dan dia bilang filmnya bagus, jadilah gue beli. Dan tadi baru gue tonton bareng adek gue.



Judulnya Guzaarish, yang artinya adalah Request. Yang main si ganteng Hrithik Roshan dan si cantik Aishwarya Rai.

Yang gue suka dari film ini adalah...lagu dan musiknya. Yup lagu dan musiknya. Kenapa? Karena musik dan lagunya cukup berbeda dibandingkan dengan film India lainnya. Score music dengan full orchestra, piano, harpa, strings, yang musiknya soothing, tenang, dan juga dramatis. Kalau enggak tahu ini film India, mungkin bisa dipikir film Asia atau film Hollywood lainnya. Lagu-lagunya juga begitu. Enggak ada suara penyanyi cewek dengan nada tinggi melengking, yang ada hanya penyanyi dengan suara 'biasa' dan cenderung pop. Tidak ada indikasi dangdut di film ini. Jadi buat gue cukup mengejutkan dan yah terasa beda aja. Sekarang lagi unduh soundtracknya, cuma music score-nya yang belum dapet.


Guzaarish bercerita tentang seorang magician, Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan) yang cacat, quadriplegic (lumpuh dari leher ke bawah, termasuk tangan), yang selama 14 tahun telah berjuang untuk bisa hidup namun pada akhirnya memilih untuk bisa melakukan euthanasia, dengan mengajukan petisi ke pengadilan. Ethan memiliki seorang perawat yang selama 12 tahun terakhir menjadi perawat pribadinya, Sofia D'Souza (Aishwarya Rai), yang sangat tidak setuju Ethan meminta euthanasia.

Kehidupan Ethan sendiri bisa dibilang cukup berhasil, sebagai seorang guadriplegic setidaknya. Dia menerbitkan buku, memiliki radio show, dan menjadi panutan bagi beberapa orang. Jadi pada saat Ethan memutuskan untuk melakukan euthanasia, tentu banyak orang yang protes.

Pada awalnya, orang-orang di sekitar dia juga melakukan protes, namun pada akhirnya semua menyerah, dalam arti, mereka mengerti apa yang diinginkan oleh Ethan, mereka melihat bahwa ini adalah hidup Ethan, dan Ethan sudah tidak ingin lagi hidup menderita.

Ada beberapa bagian di film ini yang membuat gue mau enggak mau menitikkan air mata, apalagi filmnya dibuat moving backward and forward, dan adegan ketika Ethan akhirnya kecelakaan, gue cuma bisa nonton dibalik jemari tangan gue.

Adegan terakhir menurut gue yang paling cukup menyedihkan dan yah mau enggak mau jadi ikutan berpikir, "what would you do if you know today will be the last day of your life and tomorrow you will die?" Senang juga kali ya kalau bisa menghabiskan hari/malam terakhir lu bersama dengan orang-orang yang memang menjadi sahabat/keluarga lu.

Gue menikmati film Guzaarish ini, ceritanya berbeda dari film India yang pernah gue tonton, musiknya juga jelas berbeda. Hrithik Roshan bermain dengan super keren sekali di sini dan Aishwarya Rai sudah tentu cantik sekali hahaha. Setting filmnya pun juga menarik, terlihat berbeda dan terkesan sejuk dan agak-agak gloomy, mungkin karena banyak warna biru, hitam, dan warna-warna gelap lainnya. Overall..I kinda like this movie. Different.

BURLESQUE

Baru kelar nonton nih film bareng my sister. Pertama agak males juga nonton nih film karena katanya kurang bagus (menurut review majalah) tapi jujur gue penasaran juga lah. Pingin tahu aja kenapa dibilang jelek, lagipula meskipun ini termasuk dalam kategori film musik, kayaknya agak beda dengan film musikal lainnya. Plus diajak nonton sama Tizia...which is quite rare to happen, maka nonton lah gue.

Nonton di blitzmegaplex, murah meriah dan sepi...tapi sayang pas lagi nyanyi teks nya enggak ada. Enggak tahu apakah di semua bioskop juga begitu atau cuma di blitz doang. Soalnya, menurut gue, teks lagunya cukup memainkan peranan di film ini, meskipun tidak sepenting Chicago, ataupun Moulin Rouge.

So .... Burlesque... menurut wikipedia, well you can read on by yourself, tapi intinya sih tentang pertunjukan teatrikal dan musikal parodi. Itu arti awalnya, tapi lama-lama berubah dan berubah dan berubah. Please read wikipedia for further information :)

Menurut gue sih burlesque itu ya seperti itu...pertunjukan musikal, yang berarti singing and dancing, dengan lagu yang menghentak dan baju yang super seksi...nyaris mirip striptease, tapi tujuan nya bukan untuk stripping off your clothes, karena tujuan awalnya adalah pertunjukan teatrikal dan musikal.

Adek gue nanya, kenapa enggak Britney Spears yang main (gue sama adek gue lebih suka Britney dibandingkan Christina hahaha), gue bilang kalo jenis suara Britney gak bisa untuk film ini. Buat yang tau perbedaan suara dua cewek itu pasti ngerti maksud gue. Vokal Christina, as much as I don't like her, harus gue akui lebih kuat, lebih powerful dibandingkan Britney, dan di Burlesque, lebih masuk jenis suara Christina. Menurut gue lho ya.

Ok...back to the movie.

Dari segi cerita yah standard lah, malah cenderung cetek dan agak-agak ketebak. I like the love story, tidak ada yang istimewa tapi enggak terlalu cheesy juga...tokoh antagonisnya dari awal udah ketebak dan permasalahan yang memang sudah dari awal muncul juga enggak gitu terlalu membawa banyak perubahan di jalan cerita. Jadi kalo dibikin grafik mungkin bisa agak-agak flat line, alias garis lurus, enggak ada klimaksnya sama sekali. Bahkan 'musuh'nya Ali (Christina Aguilera) pun juga ya begitu-begitu aja .... hm...kok semakin gue bahas malah jadi berasa nih film standard banget ya hahahaha...well gue rasa para kritikus itu ada benernya juga, nih film emang standard abis.

BUT...I LOVE THE DANCES!!!

Adek gue ngeh nama Steven Antin, sang sutradara, yang merupakan saudaranya (entah adik atau kakak) Robin Antin pendiri Pussy Cat Dolls. Dan somehow, mengetahui bahwa Steven Antin adalah sodara Robin Antin, memberikan sudut pandang baru dalam melihat the dance. Karena satu kata yang muncul di kepala. PCD! Yup! The clothes, the dances is sooo PCD dan gue suka PCD! The clothes and the dances is so sexy :D

Jadi dari segi cerita heh...standard banget...tapi ngeliat dances dan lagu-lagunya mau enggak mau memang bikin tertarik banget.

Mungkin orang banyak menyamakan dengan Moulin Rouge tapi menurut gue sih beda, karena lagu yang dinyanyikan di Burlesque bukanlah bagian dari percakapan seperti di Moulin Rouge. Mirip Fame lah dikit, lagu dan tari-nya not part of the movie, they're just performances. Meskipun ada beberapa yang memang nyambung dengan situasi atau jalan ceritanya, tapi menurut gue sih not part of the conversation.

Gue sih menikmati musik dan tariannya, musiknya sedikit banyak seperti di Cabaret - trompet, piano, dan drum - jalan ceritanya yah gitu-gitu aja...seandainya bisa gue fast forward hahaha.... Untuk yang suka sama Christina Aguilera sih gue rasa film ini bisa dibilang 'wajib' tonton ya...karena aktingnya dia enggak jelek-jelek amat, ok lah dibandingkan Mariah Carey hahahaha. Buat yang suka sama film musikal well...50-50 menurut gue...kalo mengharapkan model Moulin Rouge atau Chicago, yang pasti di Burlesque enggak bakal ada.

Temporary Home

Thanks to MIA for introducing this song to me.

Baru aja main ke blog Mia dan baca postingan dia tentang ini lagu. Tertarik dengan liriknya yang memang menyentuh, mau enggak mau gue jadi langsung mengunjungi 4shared.com untuk mencoba mendengarkan yang langsung berlanjut pada proses pengunduhan dan sekarang lagi gue dengerin. Now it's on repeat mode...I really can listen this song for a whole day!

Dan tiba-tiba terpikir untuk ikutan menaruh itu lagu di sini....hehehehe maaf ya Mia kalo jadi terkesan meniru...eh salah ya? Bukan terkesan lagi, karena emang niru hahaha.....plus mau bikin iri sekalian karena mau masang v-klip nya yang daku temukan di youtube hahaha.... ;)

Lagu Temporary Home dinyanyikan oleh Carrie Underwood dari album Play On (2009). Buat yang tertarik untuk mengunduh, monggo ke 4shared.com aja ya...gunakan search engine dan tinggal ketik judulnya nanti bakal keluar banyak pilihan...dengerin dulu karena ada yang suaranya kurang bagus, baru abis itu diunduh.

Gue biasanya enggak gitu suka dengan lagu country, meskipun demikian ada beberapa kali gue menemukan lagu country yang menarik untuk didengarkan, biasanya sih yang udah agak-agak pop. Satu hal yang menarik dari lagu country, menurut adek gue, adalah lirik di dalam lagu tersebut. Lirik lagu country sering sekali berisi cerita, bukan sekedar puisi atau curahan hati. Malah, bisa jadi satu lagu itu isinya murni cerita. Coba aja perhatiin. Enggak semua sih, tapi kebanyakan seperti itu.

So...without further ado...first the lyric and then the video

Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to bein' alone.
Another new mom and dad,another school,
Another house that'll never be home.
When people ask him how he likes this place...
He looks up and says, with a smile upon his face,

"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."

Young mom on her own.
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go.
She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out,
Because a half-way house will never be a home.
At night she whispers to her baby girl,
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world."

"This is our temporary home.
It's not where we belong.
Windows and rooms that we're passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is our
Temporary Home."

Old man, hospital bed,
The room is filled with people he loves.
And he whispers don't cry for me,
I'll see you all someday.
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."

"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know... this was
My temporary home."

This is our temporary home.

Wish List

Still with books....after all the upcoming books...next are some of my wish list...some books that I'm still looking for and really want to read...



From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Wow...the title is long! This is children story and looks like quite old. It was published in 1967 and won Newbery Medal in 1968. It even turned into a movie!

It tells a story about two kids, brother and sister, who decided to run away to the museum to teach their parents a lesson. The museum is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I think it's a little bit like The Night at The Museum 1. Let see if I can find it in here...although I don't think so.



Thanks to Mia for the review about this book...but still I haven't found or even read the book. My friend in Aussie is still trying to find me this book, since the author is Australian. Just hope my friend will be able to buy this book for me.

The Worry Tree tells about a girl named Juliet who is a worrier...she's worry about almost anything, until she find an old painting of an old tree behind the wallpaper of her new bedroom. It's the Worry Tree! And with the help of some Worry Tree animals, Juliet just might be able to solve some of life's big problems!


Next are from Alexandra Bullen. And both have 'wish' on the title :D



The similarity on both books are wishes that comes in form of clothes. Really an interesting story and can't wait to find it in here. Maybe next month, because Wish just released last December on paperback while Wishful Thinking just released this January on hardcover.

Juliet - Anne Fortier

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told that it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giuletta, whose legendary love for a young man named Rome, rocked the foundation of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families immortalized in Shakespeare's unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorius curse-"A plague on both your houses!"-is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Rome-but where is he?


Usually, I don't buy this kind of book. I mean, from the look of the cover I know this book is more than just a romance, more than just "a girl meet boy and they lived happily ever after". I know that this book a little bit like The Gargoyle. But yet somehow...somehow...I felt like I should give this book a chance (halah! bahasanya!!)

So...after a month (or maybe a few week) and after two books later (three if you count "Warna Langit") I finally decided to finish this book. And I'm right. This book is really more than just a romance, it is a love story, but it has some history in it. One of the reviewers told that this book is like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. And I agree!

So where do I begin to tell you about this book without telling it too much of its secret?

Juliet tells a story, an adventure one, of Julie Jacobs in finding the truth about her parents. Now Julie or Giuletta, has a twin sister, Janice or Giannozza, but they have nothing in common. Not just their looks are different, but their personality is also different. So when Julie finally able to go to Siena, Janice decided to stay in America and for a week or two, Julie try to unravel the mysteries about her parents and about the tale of Romeo and Juliet all alone. And when Julie get the box that her mom left her, she begin to discover the truth behind the Shakespeare story of Romeo and Juliet. And then Janice suddenly showed in Siena, makes the adventure more...merrier. I think.

The story told in 1st person pov, which is from Julie's pov, and yet I kinda enjoyed it. It moved from the present to the year of 1340, back and forth for some chapters, especially when Giuletta reading some journal about the history. And like others suspense novel, you never guessed who the bad guys and who the good guys. Even me, if not for the curiosity for wanting to know with whom Julie end up with, maybe I also be like Julie, wondering if Romeo the good guy or the bad guy.

About the story of Romeo and Juliet in this book itself, well...I must say...it's more complicated that Shakespeare's, and it involved three families, not just two. The result is the same. Both were dead, Juliet from sleeping potion (in our time we have sleeping pills), while Romeo stabbed from the back while trying to wake Juliet. And the person who said the curse was a friar.

What I love about this book is the story about Romeo and Juliet itself. The language is beautiful, a little bit like a poet but I still understand. The love between Romeo and Juliet, the strong bond between them, and the tragic loss between the families involved, all of them are just...so real and believable. I really can't put the book down.

And I love Romeo (the ancient and the modern one). Who doesn't?

So if you want to know about the historical background (although it may not be true) about the story of Romeo and Juliet, or want to know more about Romeo and Juliet without the Shakespearean language, this Juliet is good to read. You'll have romance, some mystery, learn some history, and you can also visit Italy and maybe learn some of the language :) Ciao!

"Now why," said Romeo in a voice so low that only Giuletta could make out the words, "would it be such a shame if I died?"

She took a deep but angry breath. "You saved my life."

"And all I asked in return was to be your knight."

"What good a knight without his head?"

Romeo smiled and stepped closed. "I assure you, as long you are near me there is no ground for such fears."

"And do I have your word?" Giuletta looked straight into his eyes. "Promise that you will not attempt to engage Salimbeni?"

"It seems," Romeo, very much enjoying the exchange, "you are now asking me a second favor...and this one far more demanding that the firs. But shall I be generous and tell you that my price is still the same."

Her jaw dropped. "Your price?"

"Or my reward, or whatever you choose to call it. It is unchanged."

"You scoundrel!" hissed Giuletta, struggling to quell a smile. "I come here to free you from a lethal vow, and yet you are determined yo steal my virtue?"

Romeo grinned. "Surely, a kiss would not tax your virtue."

She squared her shoulders against his charms. "It depends on who kisses me. I highly suspect a kiss from you would instantly void sixteen years of savings"

"What good are savings if you never spend them?"
(pp 137)

Upcoming Books - Adults version

Now, although I enjoy reading young adults books, I enjoy reading adults books more. So here are some new upcoming books that I found on amazon.com. Hm...maybe I should check Barnes & Nobles too...


From so many authors and titles, the books that me and my mom looking forward to read (and buy) are from Nora Roberts or J. D. Robb. My mom has been nagging me for awhile, asking for a new book from Nora Roberts or J. D. Robb that we know must be already out by now. True, there's one book that should be out by now, but unfortunately I still haven't found the book. Anyway, according to amazon.com, there going to be 3 new books this year. And all of them are in hardcover...*sigh* it means...I have to wait for another months before the paperback edition is out and maybe another months before it finally reached Jakarta.


Indulgence in Death's hardcover edition already out but the paperback edition will be released on March 29, 2011.

Treachery in Death will be released on February 22, 2011, while the paperback edition will be released on July 26, 2011

Chasing Fire will be released on April 12, 2011, along with the paperback edition, but I think the paperback edition will be the large book one, not the mass-market or the small one.



10th Anniversary will be released on May 2, 2011
This is the 10th book of The Women Murders Club. A little bit like J. D. Robb In Death's series, each book has its own story and can be read alone, but you have to read from book 1 to see the development of the characters. And of course, there's a different between the female author and the male author.


The Ideal Man will be released on August 9, 2011 Julie Garwood is another author that my mom and I loves to read. It's just 'another' romance, with some suspense in it. I think I already read all but maybe one or two books of her.



Oh well...I think these are the books that I'm really looking for. I haven't found anythine else worth mention...but I'll keep on looking :)

Upcoming Books

It's been awhile since I look aroung amazon.com :) and lo and behold! There are some interesting new books coming this year (of course this year!)...some are what I've been waiting for or looking forward to buy (and hopefully to read) while others could be for my friend *looking at Mia* or for anyone else


Darkest Mercy will be released on February 22, 2011 (according to amazon.com).
I haven't read any of Melissa Marr books, maybe because I don't like the story (from the summary I read), but my friend Ingrid read the book, and I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know that the book will come to and end hahaha




Passion will be released on June 14, 2011 (again, according to amazon.com)
This is another book that I haven't read and I don't intend to read. I think. I don't know why I'm not interest to read the series. But I think because the story is too teen...oh well I don't know. I guess I'm just not interested.



The Gathering will be released on April 21, 2011. This book is definetely going to be bought whenever the paperback is out. I read Kelley Armstrong before, The Darkest Powers Trilogy, and The Gathering I think will still be in the same universe.



City of Fallen Angels will be released on April 5, 2011. Another book that definetely will be bought whenever the paperback is out. I've read the first 3 books, thanks God that I bought it all in one day (I asked my mom to buy it when she went to Singapore) so I don't have to wait too long. And suddenly Cassandra Clare told us that she'll make another book on The Mortal Instruments Series. Hieh...fortunately, the book 4 is about Simon, not about Jace and Clary hehehe...anyway...I like Simon and can't wait to read about his adventure.



Bloodline will be released on August 23, 2011 This one is for Mia :) Bloodline is spin-off for Vampire Academy, a well recommended series by Mia, and since I've read from wikipedia that the series have a happy ending, I promise I'll try to read the series. Thanks God the Vampire Academy already finished!



The Throne of Fire will be released on May 3, 2011 Since the first book of the series I bought was a hardcover edition, I think I'll buy the 2nd book on hardcover too...just hope it won't be too expensive, like Harry Potter which get expensive every new book....really can't wait for this book.



The Warlock will be released on May 24, 2011 Somehow I don't like the series. I bought the first and second book I think, but haven't finished the first book. I don't like the characters. Althought what they did in the book seems...reasonable but still... I don't think it's what a hero or a heroine should do... so I just stopped reading all the way.


Forever will be released on July 12, 2011
Another book that I didn't read. Again, I'm not interested in the story.




The Iron Queen will be released on January 25, 2011
I also didn't read this book. Again, not so interested in the story. Somehow story about fey or fairies doesn't pique my interest...but I love Tinkerbell...



I know there are many books, many young adults new upcoming books...but so far I only found this on hot new release tab on amazon.com. I don't think I'll looking for another books yet...I'm sleepy :) so...until next time...I haven't got to the adults part :D...

Ice - Sarah Beth Durst

This is another book that caught my eyes and when I read the summary at back cover it hooked me on the spot :)

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a story about her mother who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth - which Cassie now knows was a nice way of saying that her mother died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, and she has no time for make-believe. Then on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face to face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive and imprisoned in the troll castle. He can bring her back-if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

This is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an incredible journey to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Can she survive the brutal odyssey in search of the true love, or will everything she cares about be lost to her forever?


PROLOGUE
The North Wind's Daughter

Once upon a time, the North Wind said to the Polar Bear King, "Steal me a daughter, and when she grows, she will be your bride."

Four year old Cassie clutched her quilt and stared at her grandmother. Tall and straight Gram looked like a general. She perched stiffly on the edge of Cassie’s bed. She had a mahogany cane in her left hand. Tonight, Dad was away from the station, which meant Cassie would hear a story. Gram never told it when Dad was home. It was the only story she ever told.

“And so, the Polar Bear King kidnapped a human child and brought her to the North Wind, and she was raised with the Norht Wind as her father and the West, South, and East Winds ahs her uncles. She grew into a beautiful, but lonely young woman. One day, while the Winds were gone (as they often were), she met a human man. She befriended him, and it wasn’t long before they fell in love.

“When the Polar Bear King came to claim his bride, she refused him. Her heart, she said, belonged to another. ‘I would not have an unwilling wife,’ he told her. ‘But your father had made a promise to me.’

“Knowing the power of a magic promise, the North Wind’s daughter sought to counter it with her own bargain. ‘Then I will make a promise to you,’ the North Wind’s daughter replies. ‘Bring me to my love and hide us from my father, and when I have a daughter, she will be your bride.’ And so the Bear carried the North Wind’s daughter to her human husband and hid them in the ice and snow.

“Angry, the North Wind tore across the land, sea, and sky. But he could not find them. For a long while, the North Wind’s daughter and her husband were happy.

“In time, the woman had a child. Passing by, the West Wind heard the birth and hurried to tell the North Wind where his daughter could be found. With the strength of a thousand blizzards, the North Wind swooped down onto the house that held his daughter, her husband, and their newborn baby. He would have torn the house to shreds, but the woman ran outside. ‘Take me,’ she cried, ‘but leave my loved ones alone!’

“The North Wind blew her as far as he could – as far as the castle beyond the ends of the world. There, she fell to the ground and was captured by trolls.” Cassie heard the bed creak as Gram stood. Her rich voice was softer now. “It is said than when the wind howls from the North, it is for his lost daughter,”

Cassie blikned her eyes open. “And Mommy is still there?”

Gram was a shadow in the doorway. “Yes.”




At first, I thought it's the story like Beauty and the Beast. Besides, the tag line of the book is "Would you risk everything for a fairy tale". And me, have a weakness for fairy tale, and the only fairy tale that came to my mind while reading the summary was Beauty and the Beast. And boy how wrong am I!!

After reading it for a while, I must confess that I can not wait to know how it will end, so I skipped to the end and...yeah I realize that this is not the story of Beauty and the Beast. So I resumed my reading. In the middle of the reading, there is one scene that I'm quite familiar with it and instantly I remember the story of Eros and Psyche (that's why I wrote the article about Eros & Pscyhe before, so I don't have to tell it again in here). Now I know what this story is based on! Or at least that was what I thought.

But then again....when I wrote this post, I read the book again, the part where praises were given about this book, I read one part where it wrote about fairy tale called "East of the Sun and West of the Moon". I looked it up on wikipedia and guess what...Ice was based on this fairy tale from Norway. WHAT?! BUT on the bright side (to cheer me up), wikipedia ALSO put Eros & Pscyhe along with this fairy tale. So I guess I'm not so wrong hahaha...

About the book. I love the story! It is a love story. I love how Cassie and the Bear relationship grow from distrust to friendship to trust and to love. I love how the Bear show his love for Cassie, how gentle he is and how big his love for Cassie. And when the Bear was captured by the trolls, in turn I see how Cassie will do almosty anything to get Bear back to her.

Althought it's a love story, like any good love story, there has to be more than just love in the story. If not, it will get boring! Ice also tell about munaqsri, or guardian of the souls. Munaqsri are the caretakers of the souls. Every living thing need a soul and everything that dies gives up a soul. Munaqsri are the ones who transfer and transport those souls. The Polar Bear King is a munaqsri for the polar bears. Munaqsri played quite a large part on this book and kind of part of the solution.

And the view...wow! You can almost feel the cold of the ice, the beautiful view, the forest and feel how the wind howl at you :)

And I finished this book just in one day hehehehe....it showed how much I enjoyed this book! You can 'see' how Cassie and Bear enjoy each other company, how they missed one another, how the love between them grow. You can see the fight between them, although not so much, and you can see how Cassie struggle and tried her hardest to get to Bear. It's all in this book, love and the fight for what (or who) you love.

Another wonderful story!

Eros & Psyche

I already had put the picture of Eros & Psyche before this one. But I never tell their story. The picture are from Marta Dahlig.

Oke...at first I intended to told the story itself, but its too long, so I just copy+paste the story.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was jealous and angry because a mortal princess named Psyche had become so famous for her beauty that mere mortals were beginning to say that she was even more lovely than Aphrodite herself.

Aphrodite sent her son Eros, the god of love, to shoot Psyche with one of his arrows, to make her fall in love with the most hideous monster he could find. But the girl's exquisite beauty so enchanted him that he could not bring himself to carry out his mother's command.

Meanwhile, the oracle of Apollo at Delphi had warned Psyche's father that she would never be the bride of an ordinary man, but rather would marry a being who flies through the night like a winged serpent, one whose power was so great that even Zeus, the king of the gods, could not withstand it. The king was told to take his daughter to the mountaintop and leave her there, and the wind would transport her to the abode of her husband.

The next morning, Psyche, her father and mother, and her two sisters made their way sadly to the top of the mountain. Tearfully they bade each other farewell, and then her family returned to the palace, leaving the frightened girl alone on the mountaintop.

As soon as she was quite alone, Psyche felt herself lifted by a gentle breeze, which carried her far away to a beautiful palace built of marble and richly decorated with gold, silver, and precious gems. When she went inside, she found that an elaborate wedding feast had been prepared, but she saw no guests. Invisible servants began to wait on her, and in soft voices they assured her that she was mistress of the palace, and that everything in it was hers.

That night her new husband came to her, but the palace was so completely dark that she could not see him. Still, he was kind and gentle, and his words were loving and sweet. She soon fell in love with him. He promised that he would give her anything she wanted, but warned her that she must never try to see his face. If ever she should look upon his face, they would have to part, and she would then live in loneliness and misery.

For many months Psyche was content to live with the husband she had come to love so dearly, but she never stopped missing her sisters. She began to plead with him to bring them to visit her. He warned her that they would cause trouble, but in the end he could not refuse his bride's request.

The next day, when Psyche's sisters went to the mountaintop, as they did every day, to weep over their lost sister, the wind lifted them and carried them to Psyche's new home. When they were set down before the gorgeous palace, the sisters felt amazed at such wealth. They were even more astonished when their lost sister ran out of the palace to greet them. She explained that the palace belonged to her new husband--and now, of course, to her as well.

Psyche's sisters could not help feeling jealous of Psyche's good fortune. They began to pry and probe, and to ask questions about her husband. Although she did not want to admit that she had never seen her husband's face, Psyche became confused and flustered under their relentless interrogation. In response to one question, she described him as having golden hair, as bright as the sun, but an hour later, she mentioned that his hair was as dark as night. These and other contradictory answers aroused her sisters' suspicion. They pounced on her errors, crying out, "Why, you have never even seen him, have you?"

When she finally admitted the truth, her sisters reminded her of Apollo's prophecy. It didn't take long for them to persuade the confused girl that her husband must be a terrible monster who would kill her as soon as he tired of her. They concocted a plan. Handing her an oil lamp and a dagger, they told her to wait until he was asleep, and then to light the lamp and steal a look at him. If he was, as they assumed, a terrible monster, then she would have to take the dagger and kill him.

That night, Psyche took the dagger from beneath her pillow and approached her sleeping husband. She lit the lamp and gazed for the first time on her husband's face, the face of the god of love! Instead of obeying his mother's command and making Psyche fall in love with a hideous monster, Eros had secretly taken her for his own bride. When she beheld the glory of Eros, Psyche was so startled that she allowed a drop of hot oil to land on his shoulder.

Awakened by the drop of oil on his shoulder, the god said sadly, "Where there is no trust there can be no love." Then he arose and left the palace.

Aphrodite soon learned that Eros had disobeyed her. She sought out his abandoned bride, determined to make her suffer. As soon as she found her, Aphrodite dumped a great pile of tiny seeds on the ground in front of the unhappy girl and ordered her to separate them--and to finish the job by sundown!

Looking at the enormous pile of seeds, Psyche knew that the task was impossible. It would take a hundred years to sort and separate so many seeds. But a large colony of ants, beguiled by the girl's beauty, decided to help her. Scurrying back and forth, they soon had the seeds sorted into separate piles. When Aphrodite returned and saw that the task had been completed, she became enraged and promised Psyche that her next task would be even harder.

She commanded Psyche to collect some wool from a herd of fierce man-eating sheep who lived in a thicket of thornbushes near the river. Psyche knew it was certain death to approach the sheep, but as she drew near to the bushes where they lived, a voice told her to wait until evening, when the sheep would leave the thicket. Then she could collect the wool that had stuck to the thorns. Psyche did this, and once again Aphrodite was angry that Psyche had successfully completed a task that was meant to be impossible.

Aphrodite continued to set impossible tasks for Psyche, but somehow the girl kept managing to complete them. What neither Psyche nor Aphrodite realized was that Eros was still watching over Psyche, sending her help when she needed it.

Zeus was well aware of these events. Finally he decided that enough was enough. He decreed that Eros had proved his love for Psyche, and Psyche had proved her devotion, patience, and obedience. He said that since Eros had chosen as his bride a mortal, who could not reside with him on Mt. Olympus, there was only one course of action. Zeus would have to grant her immortality. Once Psyche had drunk the ambrosial nectar of the gods from the cup of immortality she ceased to be mortal. Aphrodite no longer felt jealous of her, for she had only resented the girl because she felt that mortals had no right to rival the gods. At last she bestowed her blessing on the union between her son and the beautiful princess who had become one of the immortals.


It's been told that this story is the basis of Beauty and the Beast....

The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting

I finally chose to stop doing my cross-stitching for a moment and do some reading. I still have 22 more books to read. Not that I'm goint to read all of that, because some of it I'll just put it right on the shelf and to be read later...way later.

But for other books...I know I just have to read it. Like this one.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

A GIRL WITH A MORBID ABILITY

When a murder is committed it leaves a unique echo...on both the victim and the killer. Most people are unaware of these echoes but Violet Ambrose has always been able to sense them.

A SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE
Now that Violet's town is in the thralls of a serial killer the echoes of the local girls he has murdered are haunting her.

AND THE BOY WHO WOULD NEVER LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER
The only shining light is Violet's best friend Jay. She's started falling for him and his fierce protectiveness gives her hope that he may feel the same...


With the police at a loss, can Violet use her ability to stop the killer or is she in danger of becoming his next victim?

It really is my kind of book. You have some thriller, with romance and of course the part where the best friends turn into lovers. Really my kind of book. So no wonder this book caught my eyes.

The story itself is told using 3rd person pov, told from Amber's perspective; how she feel, what she think, what she see and hear. She's a teenager, 16 years old I think (she just got her driver license for a few months), but I like her. She's not too teenage, at least she knows what she want, she knows who her friends are, she's comfortable with her body, she's not an angsty teenager, and I think she has a good relationship with both her parents and her uncle & aunt. I think it helps a lot, the good relationship, with her 'condition', so I think that's why she doesn't have so much angst in her personality.

Jay...not so much were told about him, other than what Amber told. There are some flashback, some background, about their relationship, but there aren't any from Jay's perspective, so through out the story I'm kinda wondering if Jay feels the same way as Violet or not. But I like the way the chemistry or the relationship between them are pictured.

About all the killings..well since it is a young adult novel so it doesn't have any gory detail about the killing or anything else that related to it, just some thrilling when the killer doing some hunting for the next victim. Even without the gory details, I felt cold whenever the killer begin to hunt for the next victim, or when Amber begin to see/hear/taste the echo, or when the killer try to kill Amber.

And...like any teenage story/movie it ended on the school ground. Talking about cliche!! Hieh...

So overall...I like the romance (obviously!) and enjoy the thriller. Although there are some minus like, the story about the killer or the criminal itself is wayyyyyy too short and too easy to solve; although I like the story is taken from 3rd person pov but everything is told from Amber's perspective, I kinda wish the author told the story from Jay's perspectives or her uncle's or even the killer itself. But still, I enjoyed reading it, can't even put it down!


Can't wait for the next book...



I hope it's as good as the first book...

Warna Langit - Kim Dong Hwa

Huah...thanks to Sufei, gue akhirnya tahu kalo buku Warna Langitnya Kim Dong Hwa udah keluar, dan kemaren gue langsung menuju Gramedia Kelapa Gading untuk membeli buku terakhir dari trilogi Warna. Senangnya!!!

Warna Langit adalah buku terakhir dari trilogi Warna, yang menceritakan tentang perjalanan dan perkembangan Ehwa dari seorang anak perempuan menjadi wanita dewasa. Dengan gambar yang sederhana namun tetap indah, kalimat-kalimat puitis nan cantik, buku ini memang layak untuk dikoleksi dan seperti yang sering kali gue bilang, ini buku cukup pantas untuk dibaca para ibu-ibu yang memiliki anak perempuan.


Warna Tanah
bercerita tentang kehidupan dan dunia dari mata dua generasi perempuan: Ehwa, gadis cilik yang tinggal bersama ibunya, janda di Namwon. Ehwa baru saja memulai perjalanannya menjadi seorang wanita. Bersama setiap musim hujan, Ehwa kecil semakin matang dalam pikiran maupun tubuh. Ehwa dan ibunya sama-sama bertumbuh dan berubah, namun ikatan yang sangat dalam di antara ibu dan anak ini membuat mereka saling mendukung dalam menghadapi dunia dan lingkungan sekitar yang tidak selalu ramah.



Warna Air
Dalam buku ini, Ehwa yang cantik telah bertambah dewasa, sementara hubungan ibunya dengan si tukang gambar semakin serius. Ehwa, yang telah mengerti rasanya jatuh cinta, untuk pertama kali dalam hidupnya menyimpan rahasia dari ibunya. Warna Air menghasilkan kisah memikat tentang kedekatan seorang anak perempuan dan ibunya - dua wanita yang sama-sama bertumbuh dan berubah, namun tetap saling menyayangi.


Warna Langit
Ehwa, yang telah menjelma menjadi wanita muda yang penuh percaya diri, kini berada dalam situasi yang dialami ibunya: menantikan kekasihnya. Ibunya mengharapkan kembalinya si tukang gambar, sementara Ehwa memandang bulan yang sama seperti yang dipandangi tunangannya, Duksam, petani yang pergi ke laut untuk mencari peruntungan agar dapat menikahi Ehwa.


Buku favorit gue jelas buku ketiga, ketika semuanya mendapatkan apa yang mereka dambakan. Dan seperti biasa, di buku ketiga ini mata gue enggak berhenti berkaca-kaca sampai akhirnya emang nangis beneran. Kata-katanya puitis dan meskipun kalau dibayangin di dunia nyata gue bisa muntah-muntah, tapi berhubung ini di dalam cerita bergambar, jadi agak lebih bisa gue terima hahaha...

Warna Langit bisa dibilang buku pertama yang gue baca sampai habis di awal tahun 2011 ini :D

Embrace Your Pink!

Berat rasanya mengakui bahwa ternyata diri ini tidak jauh berbeda dengan orang kebanyakan. Kadang kita merasa bahwa kita berbeda dengan mereka, namun pada kenyataan kita ternyata sama.

Ketika membahas ataupun membicarakan kanker, kita bisa menyebutkan si A, si B, Om ini atau Tante itu yang kena kanker, tapi masih bertahan sampai sekarang, atau dengan sedihnya meninggal karena kanker. Dan di tengah-tengah pembicaraan itu, pasti terselip sebuah doa kecil yang dengan cepat diucapkan secara otomatis "semoga enggak tertimpa pada keluarga gue", atau yang lebih 'ektrim' "it's happened to them, not me". Dan meskipun gue tidak se-ekstrim itu, tapi somehow menyadari bahwa hal tersebut tidak terjadi sama keluarga gue (my closed family: my dad's sisters or brother and my mom's brother and sisters) agak-agak melegakan.

Tapi dunia kecil gue rasanya mulai retak ketika gue menyadari bahwa tante gue, adik bokap, ternyata divonis dokter terkena kanker payudara dan hari itu harus menjalani operasi. Tidak tanggung-tanggun, operasi yang dijalani adalah mastektomi, atau pengangkatan payudara.

Keluarga jelas kaget karena kita tahu pada saat hari operasi, dan gue yang awalnya dateng untuk sekedar menemani sampai sore around 4 or 5, karena gue janji kerumah temen gue yang akan pulang ke Aussie besoknya, enggak jadi pergi karena gue tahu bokap nyokap bakal nyusul, tante dan om gue yang lain juga bakal dateng, dan gue rasa enggak pada tempatnya kalo gue menempatkan orang lain terlebih dulu, padahal keluarga tante gue sedang 'berjuang'.

Thanks to Dito and Ingrid, sedikit banyak jadi tahu apa yang harus dipersiapkan dan akan dihadapi. Perjanalan masih jauh dan panjang, sampai sekarang aja masih belum tahu perkembangan selanjutnya apa. Just hope and pray for the best.

I guess its true when they say "It can happen to everyone"

I think I have to buy more pink clothes hahahahaha....

Award!

So....this is new :) I don't know if I do it right but anyway...here goes nothing...



1. Thank and link the person who awarded me this award
Thank you for Olivia from Little Red Riding Hood for this unexpected award :) at first I got confused about how this work but after I read and read and read and read...I'm beginning to get the idea hahaha...so thanks Olivia...

2. Share 8 things about my self
Just 8? Can I do more :D

• Love to read, make me love books so much! My kind of books are usually the romance types, sometimes I read a good detective or even fantasy one, but still my favorites are romance. I prefer happy ending in the end of every book I read, unless the author made it better by ending it a sad way, like A Walk To Remember or Romeo & Juliet, or The Gargoyle.
• In love with Disney. I don't know why or since when I realized that I choose Disney over Warner Brothers or even Dreamworks. For me, Disney is the best and everything they do or make is also the best. They're not perfect, of course, but to me they're the best.
• Love to write. Maybe because I love reading so much and sometimes I think that the story would be better if I write it another way. But instead of writing some kind of fan fiction, I choose to write a different kind of story. I don't think I'm good enough to write some fan fiction, using another's person character. Beside, writing your own characters are so much fun :D
• I remember faces. I'm not saying that I remember ALL the faces that I've met, but I remember my friends face, from kindergarten to my university, closed friends or someone I just met. As long as I see them quite often, I tend to remember them, even after a long long time. I'm not good at names, not so good, but I think I'm much better with people face.
• Enjoying cross-stitch. I'm thankful that I can do cross-stitching to pass the time, to kill some time, to do something usefull with my hands. Wish I can do more about cross-stitch than just put it in a frame.
• I'm a perfectionist. I want everything to be perfect, unfortunately I'm not perfect so I tend to look it or expect it from someone else. It's not fair, I know, but hey I compensate :)
  
• For me, Friendship is not everything but without friendship everything is nothing.
  
• I'm a SERVIAM girl. Serviam means to serve, my school motto, since kindergarten through high school. To bad there aren't any Serviam university in Jakarta right now.
  

3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that I have recently discovered
Oh dear...I'm not a blogwalker so I don't think I recently discovered new blogs let alone 8 new bloggers...but I will give it to my wonderful friends that I know they have great blog

miss drama queen's diary
Curious Vagabond
pic-talks!
Dito Gendut

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.
Done!

Happy New Year 2011!!

Happy New Year 20011!!

Kali ini hari terakhir di tahun 2010 dihabiskan di...hm...kemana ya? Oh ya...had lunch with Gerrie at Starbucks Mandala, Kota. Kenapa bisa sejauh itu dari Gading ke Kota? Tidak lain dan tidak bukan karena hari Kamis, tanggal 30 Des, gue akhirnya berhasil memperoleh seluruh cap Starbucks yang dibutuhkan untuk ditukar dengan Starbucks Planner...dan sayangnya planner tersebut tidak ada di Gading atau di La Piazza. Too bad!

Jadi...demi sebuah planner maka mulailah pencarian sebuah Starbucks yang kira-kira masih memiliki planner tersebut. Mengingat gue rada males kalo cuma sekedar pergi ke Starbucks doang nuker planner dan pulang (waste of money too), jadi pikir skalian lunch sama Gerrie juga maka dipilihlah Starbucks Mandala, yang bersebelahan dengan Burger King. Perfect place for having lunch.

Maka ketemuanlah kita berdua di Starbucks itu. Enak tempatnya. Mungkin karena masih baru, or mungkin karena sepi. Anyway, tempatnya memang lebih luas (nampak lebih luas) dibandingkan yang di Skyline Building punya atau malah yang di Gading dan suasananya juga nyaman :)

Berhubung dah lama enggak ketemu Gerrie, jadi cukup banyak juga yang diobrolin, dari soal bola Indonesia vs Malaysia kemaren (yes, I watched the play) sampe soal perkembangan anak-anak yang lain, apalagi kemaren Gerrie enggak ikut Christmas Dinner kemaren. Jadi ya seru aja.

Pulang dari Starbucks, dengan planner baru di tangan, gue langsung ke Mal Gading, karena kemaren nya gue nitip barang di Farmer's Market lupa gue ambil. OMG! Dan berhubung isinya buku, jadi ya sudah kudu diambil. Tidak lupa beli makanan untuk dinner, pizza hut menggunakan voucher yang emang expired hari itu. yeay!

So...in the end...gue menghabiskan malam tahun baru di rumah saja sembari kadang online, kadang baca buku, kadang nonton tv tapi yang paling seru adalah menonton kembang api dari balkon kamar.

OMG!! Gue enggak nyangka malam tahun baru bisa sebegini ramenya, padahal gue cuma di rumah, enggak kayak tahun lalu merayakan tahun baru bersama dengan Rany, Linyuk, Sufei, Yan, dan Imel. Tapi ternyata begitu udah jam 12 teng, tiba-tiba terdengar bunyi dentuman bertubi-tubi, diikuti dengan warna kembang api beraneka ragam di langit. Bukan itu aja, bahkan dari kejauhan pun langit seolah-olah berwarna terang, bener-bener serasa sedang perang! Di depan mata gue kembang api beraneka warna muncul di langit, kemudian liat ke sebelah kana, ada lagi, di sebelah kiri ada lagi. Gue sampe keluar rumah dan ke gang hanya supaya bisa liat kembang api yang ada di belakang rumah gue. OMG!!! I was having a blast!! Way to go to welcome 2011!!

Semoga tahun 2011 juga memberikan banyak warna dan ledakan-ledakan yang menggembirakan!