Lost in translation: The Lovely Bones became The Broken Bones

Caution: Drama King took over the normally sensible gentleman today :-)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have watched the movie purportedly adapted from the book The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
I practically cried (not openly la of course.. :-P) when I watched The Lovely Bones.. In fact, I was practically on the edge of being hysterical over the movie!

It is in short; an utterly, completely, grossly, starkly, egregiously RUBBISH MOVIE.

Watching the movie breaks my heart. I kept wondering how can someone twisted the storyline so badly that it felt like they’ve re-wrote the whole book altogether.
I can’t even explain the magnitude of disappointment rushing thru my veins as I watched the movie; comparing the images captured via my eyes with the make-believe images in my brain gleaned from the book.

Nothing’s right from the start and I was so tempted to stop watching halfway thru the movie but my persistence and being an ever-optimistic person; I braved on.
Up till the end, I thought they will at least let Mr. Harvey die the “right way (as in the book)” but NOOOOOO… they even took that “comfort” away and twisted that last itsy-bitsy part.

I think my aversion on book to silver screen adaptation is rightly justified and concretely cemented after watching this movie.

To those who plan to watch this movie, please don’t read the book before or even after the movie.
Or better still, read the book and discard the intention to watch the movie altogether.

As what my dear friend quoted aptly:

Lost in translation: The Lovely Bones became The Broken Bones

P/s: At least they selected really good and convincing actors and actresses for this movie. Kudos to them.

Earth Day 2010, 27 March 2010 @ 2030hrs

Guess what, I’ve written about the same topic exactly one year ago… and come to think of it, this blog is officially more than 1 year old :-) Yippee!
It has been a sweet journey penning my thoughts in this very blog..
Not about personal stuff but at least I get to share what I like best.. reading and talking nonsense :-P
On the other hand, I do hope that I can find the time to scan, crop and review all the books which I’ve read previously (before blog sphere was created :-P)

Oh.. Earth Day 2010 is back! Date and time? 27 March 2010 @ 2030hrs.
This time with a vengeance because the hype is everywhere.
It’s touted as an event which will help to create awareness on the Earth’s climate change.
For those who “feel/care deeply” about this Earth Day initiative, please visit the following website:

http://www.earthhour.org/About.aspx

On a more personal note, I won’t be switching off all my electricity for one hour. In fact, I’m adamant to stick to what I’ve said last year.
To me, this is a good initiative (as an awareness campaign) but it is a hyped up plan nonetheless.
I refuse to participate in the influx of herd mentality simply because I believe the initiative has lost the real meaning over the years.
People will take it at face value that by switching off electricity for one hour/year, we’re already doing our part.

But the truth is deeper than that. Example of things which you can do to help conserve our Mother Earth can be done via one of the following personal initiatives (I do practice what I preached):

1. Do not use cadmium based batteries. Discard all batteries at allocated recycling centers instead of chucking them in your dustbin.
2. Use your own shopping bags. Minimise/eliminate the use of plastic bags.
3. When buying takeaway food from roadside, bring your own containers or tiffin carriers.
4. Use energy efficient light bulbs and electrical appliances.
5. Use as less resources as possible (water, electricity, food and etc).
6. Et cetera.. et cetera…

Don’t feel bad if you’re not following the “in thing/trend”.
If you feel that you’ve done your part to help Mother Earth on daily basis, then be at peace with your own conscience and so be it.

So there you go. Earth Day is coming and the choice is up to you :-)
Happy Earth Day ladies and gentlemen :-)

The Art of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

People tend to say “do not judge a book by its cover”. But here I am saying otherwise especially for this book entitled “The Art of the Samurai (Hagakure) by Yamamoto Tsunetomo”.
It is a hardcover with cloth material as its cover (nice, eye-catching orange coloured cover); plus there’s a sliver of book marker sewn into the book itself. Notice the bottom right of the end cover :-)

I have to admit that the title is really enticing too as it touches on bygone era when code of samurai rules the Land of the Rising Sun.
To be frank, I haven’t actually finished the book because:

1. It is a non-fiction. So I kinda get bored after some time :-P
2. It touches on the art of being a samurai. So the reader would have to reinterpret the meaning in the book based on their own understanding.
3. Please refer to Item #1 :-D

Okok, I admit that I’m being bias with this book but I can’t help it. I don’t seem to be able to finish any non-fiction book at all.

Those non-fiction books which I managed to finish (I can count using my fingers mind you) is either really thin or highly readable book like “1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies”.
I’m deviating from book review again :-P

For the uninitiated, this book is written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo; a samurai and a former retainer for Nabeshima Mitsushige; one of the countless ruler of ancient Japan.
It is one of the most important works in the era of feudalistic Japan where code of honour is above everything else.

This book captures the essence of bushidō (“The Way of the Warrior”) in which one will have to prepare himself in such a way that it would be an upmost honour to serve and die for his lord.

In the same breath, it can also be noted that the person who embodies the true spirit of bushidō will live his/her life as though he/she was already dead.
Wait, I can hear the song by Kris Allen – Live Like We’re Dying playing in my head now…hehehe..

Back to the book :-P
While the idea of living like a dead man (no pun intended) might seem like a foreign concept nowadays, it should be noted that the concept of bushidō is seen as an honourable practice during the age of feudalistic Japan.

Thus, as with any historical non-fiction book/literature/codes/laws (Example: The Code of Hammurabi which I’ve read but not finished as well :-P), this book capture the ideal and concept of practices which might be relevant on those bygone era and might not be applicable to our modern lifestyles.

So, it would be up to the reader to reinterpret the meaning of the book based on their own understanding (as mentioned in Item #2) ala Sun-Tzu; Art of War.

p/s: I hope I can be spiritually calm enough to absorb the hidden meanings of this book one day.

Personal rating: N/A

Cons:
1) N/A

Pros:
1) N/A

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life."

Notice the bolded, underlined, purplish font at the first sentence? If not, please scroll up now and then scroll back here to read the rest of the reviews :-)

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the much talked book by Alice Sebold entitled The Lovely Bones. When I first started to read the book, I kept wondering on the reason of the title’s selection. The “bing” moment came when I reached page 320 of the book when the actual word “lovely bones” is used. Before I rant on aimlessly, which I wont to do, let me move to the review of the book.

Truth to be told, I was a bit apprehensive when I picked up the book. That’s mainly because the excerpt at the back cover and the opening of the book is exactly the same, word-by-word. No synopsis like usual books. Zero. Nada. However, the story starts earnest once I’ve read thru the first “hurdle”. The storyline gets even more complicated after that as Susie watches her family torn apart and then back again, which can be summarized as follow (I will conveniently mention only the Salmon family members):

· The main character, Susie Salmon who was lured into an underground cabin. She was subsequently raped, murdered, dismembered and chopped up by George Harvey. Her spirit refused to let go and watches over everyone from her own version of heaven where she met the bunch of girls murdered by George as well.

· Her dad, Jack Salmon who couldn’t really overcome the fact that her daughter’s dead. He strongly suspected that George Harvey is the killer but unable to prove it.

· Her mother, Abigail Salmon has an affair with the detective, Len Fenerman. She then moved to a winery at California to cool things off and lives her own life. Only to join back her family when her husband, Jack Salmon had heart attack.

· Her sister, Lindsey Salmon who lost her virginity under an overturned sampan to her boyfriend/fiancé/husband, Samuel Heckler in her bid to grow up. Her dad voiced out his suspicion on George Harvey to her and she broke into the murderer’s house to look for evidence.

· Her brother, Buckley Salmon who gradually learnt that her sister is dead. He sometimes sees Susie’s spirit when she watches over them. Buckley is the only person who has the balls to “screw” her mom when she came back after leaving her family when they needed her the most.

· Her grandma (I like her grandma the most :-)), Grandma Lynn, an alcoholic, fast talker, expert jabber, eccentric mother of Abigail who moved into Jack’s home when Abigail left the family.

· Not forgetting Ruth Connors who was touched by Susie’s soul as she departed the human realm. Susie came back years later to possess her body and make sweet love to Ray Singh; who happens to be Susie’s main crush at the back of Hal Heckler’s motorcycle repair shop.

· Last but not least, George Harvey who murdered Susie and many others with almost similar modus operandi. He moved out of the neighbourhood when he found out that the Salmons suspected him. He was not caught by enforcement officers but was killed when a large icicle dropped on his head and he fell into a ravine as he approached and spurred by his latest victim at a bus-stop. What a way to die for a serial killer.

This is the kind of book which I think hardly belongs to any genre. I’m not a categorically correct person but I think it’s NOT a:

Thriller
Example: Susie Salmon was killed and chopped into pieces. The only body part found is her elbow dug up by the neighbour’s dog.

Suspense
Example: Susie’s sister broke into the murderer’s house to look for evidence on behalf of her dad.

Action
Example: When Jack ran to the cornfield when he sees flashlight in the middle of the night, assuming that George Harvey is on the prowl again. Only to be whacked by Brian (Susie’s best friend; Clarissa’s boyfriend) this resulted Jack having to undergone knee surgery.

Whew… I finally managed to finish the review :-P
What do I think of the book? Ummm… do read the pros and cons. Else it will be too long to be considered a book review :-P

P/S: The movie will be shown in Malaysia really soon! Can’t wait :-)

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Cons:
1) Really slow moving book. In fact, I nearly gave up reading the book at the front part of the story.

2) I still can’t grasp the reason Abigail moved away from the family. It might just be me or the reasons are not really solid in my opinion.

3) George Harvey died an easy death. Almost too easy.

Pros:
1) Characters developed over series of life experiences and over time. So patience is a must when reading this novel.

2 )Touching story (certain chapters only). Pity the dad. I get emotional when the dad recounted happier days living with her daughters.

Bragging rights :-P

First of all, let me clarify that I’m not trying to glorify my blog entries nor promote any particular author :-)
BUT, let me soak myself in happy mood and allow me to brag because something exceptional happened on 9 March 2010 @ 10.50pm.

As usual, I will pen my book reviews based on my own personal perception.
However, on this particular day, after I’ve reviewed the book entitled “Hannibal Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham”, something happened to my blog entry in the middle of the night!

To be more precise, I received multiple sms-es from my dear friend on an earth shattering news (at least for me :-P) regarding my blog entry!

I jumped off my bed and when I checked the comment column, I was shocked to read comment from the writer himself!!!

I mean, what are the odds of a prolific and well known author going to a puny “syiok-sendiri” (translation: self-loving) blog like mine to note his appreciation?

I practically jumped and hopped around my study room upon reading those comments. No joke!
I’m still on cloud 9 and it is indeed an honour to be recognised by the author himself :-D

Thanks so much to David for his comments!
And not forgetting... thanks to GracieMei for waking me up in the middle of the night with the breaking news! :-)

P/s: now I have something to brag about… hehehehe

Hannibal Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham

I can’t believe that I’m finally penning my review on this book after years of neglect. The book is slightly yellowish due to environmental exposure. In due time (perhaps after hundreds of years); this book will cease to exist altogether. You might perhaps think what the hell am I talking about here :-) so, let me explain (I sure love to explain and come up with excuses...hehe)

The thing about this book is that it left me with such a profound thought that I can’t help but to marvel at how thorough the Romans are in erasing the very bit of history related to the Carthaginians.

This book is a fiction loosely based on the life of Hannibal Barca; one of the world’s greatest commanders (not Hannibal Lecter; the human steak eater mind you). The Barca family lived during the time when war is the only constant thing in an ever shifting landscape of military supremacy.

Most of the historical novels I’ve read tend to favour the big wigs as the centerpiece. However, with this book, we’re introduced even to the minnows and how the war affected their families, friends and their rise and fall within the war party led by their enigmatic leader; Hannibal Barca.

Hannibal stamped his presence in the face of history by commanding joint forces of various races and beasts, regions and states over the Alps in his attempt to destroy the infant Roman Republic.
He managed to win wars along the way until he was back-stabbed by his own empire’s refusal to commit more resources to complete the annihilation of the Romans once and for all.

The author wrote this book with such clarity that I can “feel” the anticipation before and after the war; even on the way they rouse themselves to face a certain death. Gore and glory intermingle in their quest to remain victorious over their foes.

Carthage’s eventual downfall led to the complete destruction of the very trace of their civilization by the Romans, which brings us back to the reality of the first paragraph.

In other words, how did Hannibal’s name survived through the ages?

We have a saying in Malaysian language (peribahasa Bahasa Malaysia):

“Kalau gajah mati meninggalkan gading, harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama”

Don’t worry, I will translate it word-by-word (without grammar correction… just for the sake of it :-P)

“If elephant die leaves tusks, tiger die leaves stripes, human die leaves name” (grammatically incorrect version)

P/S: There’s unconfirmed rumour that Hannibal’s quest will be adapted into silver screen acted by Vin Diesel... I hope it will come true… yahoo!


Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Cons:
1) It would be a better experience if anyone who bought this book has some basic knowledge on the ancient warfare.

Pros:
1) Realistic point-of-view. It is like you’re looking through the warrior’s own eyes. The anticipation, the pain, the hunger and the eventual release via death.
2) Refer to the review or read the book itself :-)

The BBC National Short Story Award (2009) by Various Writers

After reading countless books depicting various themes and genres on thick; full length novels, I’ve decided to take a breather (another one after the sensual stories earlier :-)) and decided to read short stories instead.

I’ve read quite a number of short stories but the one that I can really recall is entitled “The Minority Report” written by Philip K. Dick. The main reason is due to the adaptation of the short story into full movie starred realistically by none other than the enigmatic Tom Cruise.

To cut the story short (metaphorically speaking); I didn’t want to browse around for short stories for too long. Thus, I bought the collection of best short stories for 2009. And in this case, I’ve selected the winners of The BBC National Short Story Award for 2009.

This book consists of 5 winners/writers and they are:

· Naomi Alderman; Other People’s God
· Kate Clanchy; The Not Dead and the Saved
· Sara Maitland; Moss Witch
· Jane Rogers; Hitting Trees with Sticks
· Lionel Shriver; Exchange Rates

Below are reviews for each of the stories mentioned above; and I promise you it is going to be a short review as befitting the story itself :-P

Naomi Alderman; Other People’s God
Story about a Jew named Mr. Bloom who bought an Indian God idol, Ganesha into his home and started to pray to it. His whole family then followed suit and felt “bestowed” by the newly introduced deity.
However, their neighbourhood rabbi came to know about it and in order to bring Mr. Bloom back to the “right-path”; he smashed the idol into smithereens. Thus, turning the ever gentle Mr. Bloom into angst filled person.

Kate Clanchy; The Not Dead and the Saved
There are no names for the characters. The Son is playing “The Son”; The Mother is playing “The Mother” and so on… if you get what I mean ;-)
It is basically about a terminally ill “Son” and the “Mother’s” tumulus relationship in which “The Son” is trying to live a separate life and “The Mother” is always there by his side to support him throughout his struggle with his illness and his life.

Sara Maitland; Moss Witch
This is a really strange story because at the start of the story, we’re introduced to the legend of the Moss Witches and by the end of the story; even I tend to believe that Moss Witches really exists.
It is about a bryologist who ventured into a moss filled jungle and stumbled upon a Moss Witch live in action. The bryologist was astounded by the knowledge of the Moss Witch as she rattled and muttered common and scientific names of various genera of mosses; from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered species.
However, the sweet story ended when the Moss Witch murdered the bryologist as he attempted to take some moss samples in front of her. She then stuffed the bryologist’s body with various mosses before instructing “them” (the mosses) to overtake the body and to grow as fast as possible; thus erasing the very trace of the murdered bryologist.

Jane Rogers; Hitting Trees with Sticks
I’m taking a really simplistic approach here but rest assured that this is another beautifully written short story from a perspective which I’ve never “experienced” before.
The gist of this funny story is about a suspected senile old lady who ventured out to her garden to check for her shopping items only to be locked out of her own house in the process. Out of place and no place to vent her anger, she grasped the garden broom and whacked the old tree in her garden.

Lionel Shriver; Exchange Rates
What would you do after you’ve dined with your dad? Who will pick up the bill? Is it the son’s responsibility of the father’s?
In this heart-warming story, the dad picked up the bill but then requested the son to provide free service to cash out his check and convert the currency in the process. However, due to currency fluctuation and in-depth anger of the son over the feeling of being short-changed by the currency exchange; the son remitted the conversion rate lower than the dad’s expectation.
His satisfaction over the deal ended prematurely when his dad passed away shortly after he sent a nasty email to his dad explaining about the short change.

Personal rating:

No rating but it is indeed a different set of genre compared to full length novels. A refreshing read indeed.

Cons:
1) N/A

Pros:
1) N/A