Book 2014; Page 365 of 365

So are you ready to say goodbye to 2014? Even if you're not, brace yourself because it'll be leaving anyways. 

I can't wait for 2015. Who doesn't like to start fresh? Everything that happened here in 2014, I'll gladly be leaving it behind for new things in 2015. It's already 31st of December 2014. What have I been doing for the whole 2014? It's like everything just went by in a snap. For me 2014, was not that great or not that bad but of course I have made great memories with great people and there are moments that I will never forget. Just wanna thank those who made my year so memorable! Thank you all! Love you to bits as always. <3

It's officially a New Year when the clock strikes 12am tonight, a whole new year to go through again. New moments, new experiences, new memories. Every year, people say "It's a new year, a new me" or people talk about change in their life, changes in them etc and other people say "Why not change now? Why must you wait for 2014" and things like that. Well, to me, it's like there will be a starting point for you. Yeah it's true that you don't need to wait for a new year to begin again but it's entirely up to you on how you wanna see it. Any day and anytime can always be a new beginning, it's whether you're willing to start a new beginning for yourself. I have plans that I've made for the year 2015 and I can always start now instead of waiting but I choose the beginning of 2015 as my starting point so I can have time to prepare for it. This is how it works for me but really, it's up to you. Everyday, every minute, every moment is always available for a new beginning, remember that. You just need to make your first move and one thing will lead to another.

Hopefully, 2015 will be a good year but what's life without up's and down's right? It would be extremely boring. It's like a rollercoaster going straight all the time, that kinda ride sucks. You can hope that every year is a good year but there will always be something that will pull you down for sure, so don't hope to be happy throughout the 365days of 2015. Plus that's really creepy. It's just so wrong to be happy all the time, 24/7. Just isn't natural. Anyway, I have no idea what I'm expecting for the coming year. I seriously have no idea at all, I'll have a lot of things going on though but I hope for the best. If things happen, it happens. I'm just gonna go along with it like how I did for all my years. Just make the best out of everything and try your best not to take things or people for granted because that's what 2014 has taught me and I wanna apply this lesson to my new year. All of you should too! Try to put on a positive mindset, it really helps you to be a better person as it has already done for me but of course, always try to be better than who you already are. It's a new year and a fresh start so just plan things out and write your resolutions maybe for motivation and inspiration.

I know it's not 12AM yet but HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I wish you all all the best for 2015 (: Can't wait to party tonightttt!

yours truly, k

Gone Girl; A Film Review

Gone Girl is the basic definition of, Don't judge a book by its cover. It was a movie filled with twists and turns I never saw coming. Even though the movie brought you on a gripping ride, it wasn't a strong film. As this was an adaptation of a book, director David Fincher and screenwriter Gillian Flynn (also the author of the book) follow the novel’s plot line pretty closely, but the adaptation to film brings a few surprises. Bear in mind, I have yet to read the book. I've only read the summary of it. 

The story is one of marriage, economy, troubled childhood, weakness, psychopathology, and pure evil. Evil wins, hands down. Those who rave about the film seem to miss that point completely. Why is that?

A wife disappears on the morning of the couple's fifth anniversary. The husband is a slacker, the obvious suspect. The marriage was stressed. The wife was the subject of her wealthy parents' children's books based on her falsified childhood. Loss of jobs, bad economy and deteriorating health of his parents leads them to move to husband's home town in Missouri which the wife loathes. Her disappearance becomes a media sensation and the husband is convicted by press.

But in fact, the wife had for many months planned her own "murder "in order to frame her husband. She is a psychopath of the worst, most seriously disturbed kind. The truth of this gradually unfolds to the husband and to the reader/viewer.

The wife's plan to actually kill herself is altered along the way. When she sees her husband lie so effectively and so glibly on television begging for her return, she is excited. She wants him back. She brutally kills a rescuer/benefactor, Neil Patrick Harris, completely miscast in the film. She returns home, blood-soaked, to her media-surrounded home. All those who had pronounced the husband guilty are shocked.

Her parents are relieved and grateful. But now the reader/viewer knows that she is a monster of proportions; a woman so damaged and disturbed that no one in her sphere could ever have a normal life. The husband tries to tell police she is a murderer; they say they have no proof she was not a victim of the "kidnapper" she killed.

And here is where it all goes so wrong. The wife tells the husband she is pregnant so he decides to stay with her. He tells his twin sister who is his rock and best friend that he cannot let her have his baby and raise it without him. The End!

While the husband is weak and unmotivated to achieve, and an adulterer, he is not a narcissist, not a psychopath. Wife clearly presents as both deadly narcissist and psychopath. No remotely sane person would agree to stay with a person so obviously insane, let alone to bring a child into the world to raise with that person. The ending is the most unsatisfying of any book or film in my experience. It is also unbelievable. Normal people, people within the huge range of normal, do not choose to live in a nightmare or to subject children to said nightmare. The ending obliterates all the good writing that came before.

This film, so astonishingly good until the end, is a toxic addition to our contaminated culture.

As for the acting, Rosamund Pike turns in a superb performance as Amy Dunne. Pike far outshone Affleck in this movie. She was the perfect “Amy" which I thought would be the harder character to pull off.  But Ben Affleck’s performance as Nick seemed flat to me, lacking the emotional dimension needed for a character under such an immense amount of stress.The one thing Affleck had going for him was the idea that Nick was a regular shlubb with a pretty face. Affleck has a limited acting range, but I do appreciate his work behind the camera. He is after all a director and actor with an Academy Award. This was just one aspect of the film that prevented me from fully entering into Flynn’s otherwise intriguing action mystery. A marginal script and numerous flaws in terms of realism were other features that pulled me out of Flynn’s world. One of the most distracting moments was the soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. In many scenes, the music was jarringly mood inappropriate. When they’re doing their job well, you don’t consciously notice them. It’s only when they fail somehow that their work intrudes on the viewer’s experience. For me, the Reznor-Ross Gone Girl soundtrack was definitely intrusive.

I found the twisted nature of their relationship and its improbability a puzzle to figure out. Can they really be the “perfect match” for one another? Could they come back together after all they put one another through?
It was fantastically spun plot with a disastrous ending.

PS: Special thanks to Nuffnang for the tickets! And thanks to WayShen for the great catch-up. :)
Was also lucky enough to bump into Dennis Yin. *mini starstruck moment*

Till next time..

Yours truly,

K

Big Bad Wolf book sale

Are you a book fanatic like me? Then I'm 100% sure you've heard of this book wonderland. 

Held annually, this is the biggest book sale ever to be organized by Bookxcess, a bookshop in Amcorp Mall (which was the first venue of Big Bad Wolf in history! I was there. ;) ) This year, the sale started on the 5th of December @ MIECC, The Mines, but some people got preview passes so they got dibs on the best books ahead of everyone else. There's every type of book that you can conceive of; from reference books on design/architecture to history books and every type of fictional and non-fictional novels. I went there on the today, 7th and I bought 5 Hardcovers, 4 paperbacks for a cheapass total of RM61! For normal book prices, a RM61 can get you a max of only 2 paperbacks. Tsktsk. Smh. 

My haul of the day. (Bottom 5 are hardcovers, top 4 paperbacks)

So I spent a total of, 3 hours checking out books and it is tiring. But never fear, there are loads of awesome food, one floor above!

 

I had a frozen yogurt ice cream at this stall for RM3. Totally mouth-watering. 

There's also mini carnival and a carousel for kids!

Was going up the escalator when I notice the guy in front of me, had a tail. Wolf in disguise? Haha.

Upon payment for books, you'll be given a super cool looking bookmark!

After the checkouts, a small bazaar is held outside for various posters and other stuff (stationary, badges etc)

Few eye catching posters. (Okay? Okay.)

One of my absolute favorites. 

If you spend above RM100, don't forget to collect a RM5 discount voucher from the Digi counter outside. You have to provide a Digi number before collecting. :)

Overall, it was awesome. The books will be able to occupy my time for awhile. Wiah I could go back for a second of third round but sadly, I don't have the time as I am traveling soon. If you're interested in getting books from the sale don't fret! It's still on until the 16th of December 2014. And it's open 24 hours! For more details check out the Big Bad Wolf website and facebook page:

http://bigbadwolfbooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bbwbooks

Till next time..

Yours truly, 

K

Hop Hop Cafe

Heyyo! What a day.

Had a superb one. Started off with one paper today, Anthropology. Did my paper with uncontrollable happiness. Happiness overload! Do you know the feeling where you could just answer every question (okay fine, minus one or two) and deep down inside you, you just know that its the right answer? Yeah. Anthro was exactly like that.

Moving on to the main topic, had an impromptu mini adventure to Hop Hop Cafe in SS18!

Okay, if you have a soft spot for bunnies, this is the place for you, just like it was for me. :') When I first entered, I was literally overwhelmed with excitement. I've been wanting to come here ever since I heard about it so special thanks to Fiona and Brian. :)

 The interior is kept simple on the inside, with cement flooring and a brick coffee bar. The bunny living quarters is separated from the dining area by glass windows, fully carpeted with artificial grass.

There are designated time for these bunnies to take some nap from the long hours of entertaining guests. Resting time for these bunnies are 12 - 1 pm, 3 - 4 pm, and 6 - 7 pm. Thus, let these adorables rest during these hours and take the time to munch on some Hop Hop Cafe's servings.

Also if you're good at art, draw them some artwork and it just might get displayed!

Hop Hop Cafe is an animal friendly cafe, which means not only bunnies are welcomed here! Patrons are allowed to bring their pets here to hangout with other canine or feline friends in the animal visiting zone, located at the entrance of the cafe. 

So take a day off one day, bring your own pet if you have any, and drop by for an amazing experience!

Unfortunately, me and my mates were short on time so we didn't get to try the food. So this gives me an excuse to go back there. But hey, we don't need an excuse to go there now, do we? 

Hop Hop Cafe

7, Jalan SS18/6, 

47500 Subang Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan,

Malaysia.

Tel: +6 03-7731 1400

Email: smile@thegrumpycyclist.com

Facebook: @Hop Hop Cafe

Instagram: #hophopcafe

Operating Hours:

Monday - Thursday : 10.00 am ~ 10.00 pm

Friday - Saturday : 10.00 am ~ 11.00 pm

Sunday : 10.00 am ~ 10.00 pm

I hope you guys had a great day too. :) That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Goodnights. x
PS: If you go into the rabbit area, don't let them chew any or your belongings! My purse almost disappeared down a bunny's throat. Exaggeration level 99 but you know what I mean.