Spoiler Alert: Give it a read only if you have read the book. Oh,and read it with a pinch of salt…
http://books.guardian.co.uk/digestedread/story/0,,2133299,00.html
Hilarious Guardian Review of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Published July 24, 2007 General Leave a CommentHarry Potter and The Deathly Hallows comes out this weekend!
The Harry Potter series has been a massive phenomenon, and has captured the imaginations of millions across the globe.
However, Nick Lazard from The Guardian thinks that J.K Rowling’s writing in the Harry Potter books leave much to be desired.
Read his article about it at http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/07/harry_potters_big_con_is_the_p.html
What do you think?
Our desert island castaway this month is Miss Josephine Lin!
There’s a small twist to this month’s desert island picks, as Miss Lin has decided to share with us her top ten favourite books rather than albums, so here goes!
1. The Holy Bible
If I were really to be marooned on an island, I think I really need faith to sustain me and keep me from falling into depression. Apart from religious reasons, the Bible is a mirror to the reader because it points out his faults and reminds him that he is not perfect. A good way to keep one from being pompous-minded.
2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
My secondary two teacher used to read aloud to us and slowly I was pulled into the 18th century world of social connections, dancing, horseback riding—everything that is so unlike our society today. It is a story of two people who dislike each other at first sight—the man spurns off an offer to dance with the heroine of the story, and the heroine dislikes him because he hurt her pride. He proposes and she rejects. Subsequently they both discover each other’s strengths, and overcome their own weaknesses and they live happily ever after! But not before they had to fight through his aunt’s strong disapproval. This storyline has been the trigger for movies like “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “You’ve Got Mail” and other soapy serial drama which hint at enemies who eventually reconcile. This would probably include “Princess Hours”.
Trivia: I’ve read it over 400 times since secondary school.
3. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
The novel deals with the post-World War survivors and how their lives have changed. They were called “The Lost Generation” and have uprooted themselves from their birthplace to Paris, France. This tale records their excursion to Spain, accompanied by an enchanting description of the Spanish landscape, the bullfightings, and the bourgeois lifestyle in which these people lead, which is both envying and saddening. The war caused different characters to lose some things and because of this, they have somehow lost their sense of direction and they immerse themselves in drinkings and partyings. Remember to look out for their definitions of moral values in this world of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love and vanishing illusions.
4. Persuasion – Jane Austen
By the same authoress, this novel dictates how two young lovers are parted by a rich relation who looks down on the man because he is not financially viable. Seven years later they meet again, she, past her bloom while he has risen to the rank of a respectable captain. It is a true reflection of women in the 18th century, where they are not allowed to work ( work seen as a sign of vulgarity), keep busy and forget their pain while the men forget their pain through their occupational achievements. How true of modern times as well!! The women pine away, while the men harden themselves through work. This time round, however, there are two younger competitors for his attention, and she, no longer as beautiful as she once was, although still loves him, may be in danger of losing him forever.
5. Mansfield Park – Jane Austen
It’s pretty obvious by now whose fan I am. I love her novels because they offer studies of human characters. Here, the heroine is adopted into a rich relative’s family since young, and surrounded by opulence and wealth, she makes wise observations of what happens to people who choose wealth over one’s happiness, or emotions over pragmatism.
6. Evelina – Frances Burney
Hailed as the first novel depicting a young woman’s entrance into the 18th century world, where social etiquette is worth more than one’s personal worth, Evelina is an unfortunate young lady of seventeen who was abandoned by her father and taken in by a country pastor. Written in an epistolary form, her first introduction to the social world of London teaches her to differentiate between rakes and true gentlemen, as well as enduring vulgar relatives who seem determined, through no fault of their own, to ruin her possible future happiness with the man she loves but does not dare to harbour any thoughts about. A good escape from the real world into the world of fictional characters with realistic problems.
7. White Noise – Don Delillo
Enough of romantic novels. This novel visualizes what happens to a family when a chemical spill from a railcar releases an “Airborne Toxic Event” over their home region, prompting an evacuation. Once a highly successful professor pioneering a university course on Hitler studies, the main character, Jack Gladney, fears that he has been exposed to the toxin and is forced to confront his mortality. This novel explores in general the society’s fear of death through the main character while he tries to obtain a black market drug called “Dylar” which is said to have the ability to allay one’s fear of death. An interesting companion for “Brave New World”, just that this is more realistic than just being an utopia gone wrong. Delillo’s use of diction in this novel is really marvelous. Don’t miss out on it, if only to challenge yourself intellectually to interpret what he means.
8. Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller
This is a captivating book which questions what it means to be a Christian. The author shares thought-provoking encounters with the readers to bring his points across. One example which remains in my mind is that he and a few Christians built a confession booth during one of their university’s drinking festivals, but instead of getting people to confess, they confessed to those curious wanderers into the booth, about their not being very Christian-like in behaviour nor attitude. It created a lot of impact on the students in the campus. Definitely for anyone who wonders if the Christian faith is still relevant in our post-modern culture.
9. A Brief History Of Time – Stephen Hawking
In one of the Physics courses which I took in university, I came across this book during the course of writing a paper. This is a good book explaining the theories of the origins of the universe, the existence of black holes, the possibilities of creating worm holes for time travel purposes, basically about the relationship between space and time. Stephen Hawking is very clear and explains everything in details, including drawings, which makes comprehension achievable. The most remarkable thing is that he wrote this and his other books through a personal computer, as well as speak to others using a voice synthesizer as he lost his voice because he contracted pneumonia, apart from ALS. Hawking is truly the epitome of relentless enquiry and the seeking after knowledge. Read to understand this inspiring man, even if science may bore you.
10. A Tale of a Tub and Other Works – Jonathan Swift
I love this book because of one particular tale where book in the library fight against each other, physically and verbally. It is hilarious and exceptionally clever in voicing out his opinions of renowned authors and his society without getting into trouble, and yet get a kick out of taunting them.
We held a competition back in April for you to review “Grandfather’s Breath” by our assembly guest speaker, Mr Ray McNiece, and it’s our pleasure to announce the winners:
1st: Neo Jensen (0741A)
2nd: Andy Cheong (0726B)
3rd: Valerie Champion (0743B)
Well done and congratulations to our winners!
Jensen will be receiving his prize from Ray himself this Friday evening, 25th May, at The Arts House Playden, where Ray is performing a one-man show, An Evening of Monologues with Ray McNiece. The show begins at 7.30pm, so be sure to drop by!
The Victorian Waltz
It was like a waltz in Victorian time,
In a polished ballroom with a silver shine.
Arched ceilings reaching almost to the sky,
And paintings hemmed with rosewood twines.
And then, on one side of the room where the ladies crowded
Soft chatters, the fluttering of fans, and tinkling laughter…
She was beautiful – perhaps a queen in disguise
The porcelain of a face complimented by silk-green eyes
Sun-spun locks of hair swept up, fresh as morn
Revealing the neck of an elegant swan.
Her cream dress was heavy with ribbons, sash and lace,
Yet on her, it looked simple as she moved with exquisite grace.
She concealed her delicate lips, dabbed in pink
Behind a lace-trimmed fan completed with a nacred wink.
Across the room, a handsome stranger strode forth.
“May I have the honour of your hand for this dance?”
She hid her smile and granted him the chance.
She noticed, the mystery of this man
Veiled like a shadow upon a forsaken land
He seemed to have donned an invisible mask
That revealed nothing of him, but eyes of copper dust.
And away with the magic did they go,
Their steps in sync, with the flow.
Bodies, perfectly matched,
A beautiful mould.
It was a rhythm, a melody, a tide, a blind, trusting move
- supposedly, Love.
It was magic, no -
Perhaps it was only a dream.
For dances could only last so long
And when the music ends, she finds herself
All alone.
Interestingly, when I first read this poem, I was reminded of Katharine Mansfield’s short story “Her First Ball” (Read it at www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.2042/). The themes are different, but the poem struck me as rather similar in atmosphere described in the short story in capturing the spririt and magic of balls.
May is going to a busy month for movie lovers! There’s the long-awaited third instalment of Spiderman, and two film festivals.
New Zealand Film Festival (4th – 7th May at Golden Village Grand)
17th European Union Film Festival (9th -7th May at Golden Village Vivocity)
Visit www.gv.com.sg for synopses and further details.
Our desert island castaway this month is Miss Baey Shi Chen!
Hello!
I began listening to music regularly in secondary school, tuning in to 98.7 FM. Back then, I relied mostly on making my own compilation tapes (yes, that was still the era of tape recordings) to keep track of the songs I liked. I didn’t start building my CD collection seriously until I was in junior college and began investing in albums. So here’s a list of my enduring favourites:
1. Tales of A Librarian by Tori Amos
I am an enormous fan of Tori Amos. She is as complete an artist as they come, with incredible artistry, power and complexity in her work, dealing with big themes frankly and boldly, and always with great charisma. Her albums are always strong conceptually, and her repertoire is massive. She also has great mastery of a variety of genres, from classical to rock and electronica, and she is capable of being extremely provocative but also wistful and understated.
This is more a best-of album, but it has many of her best songs from my favourite albums such as Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink and From the Choirgirl Hotel. Some of these songs include “Spark”, “Crucify”, “Winter”, and “Cornflake Girl”, which I still enjoy and gain new perspectives from after countless listens.
2. The Red Album by the Beatles (1962-1966)
This album spans the band’s earlier work before they became a bit more experimental with songs like “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”. The thing about the Beatles is that they have the fantastic knack for writing simple songs that are catchy and witty, such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Yellow Submarine”, and these are the hallmarks of most classic pop songs. This is definitely a feel-good album, with plenty to sing along to. I really enjoy the Blue Album as well, which has “Let It Be” and “Here Comes the Sun”.
3. Buena Vista Social Club by The Buena Vista Social Club
A truly beautiful collection of songs, joyous and elegant.
4. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins split up some time ago, but this album is one of the best I’ve ever listened to because of the sheer repertoire it covers in both discs. Meant to reflect the cycle of life and death, it was released in the mid-90s, and it’s a massive tour de force. Their artistry as an alternative-rock band was groundbreaking, and (in my opinion) unparalleled by most bands today.
The album has serious heavy-metal and rock songs like “JellyBelly”, “Zero” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” on the first disc From Dawn to Dusk to whimsical tunes like “Lily, (My One and Only)” in the second, Twilight to Starlight. “Tonight, Tonight” remains one of my favourite songs and truly reflects the moody poetic genius of the band’s frontman Billy Corgan. It also has a great track order, which creates an especially satisfying listening experience.
The cover art for this album is beautiful as well. Although some of the songs have since become a bit too angsty for my taste, it is still an excellent album when I feel like listening to a good rock song.
4. OK Computer by Radiohead
I am a big fan of Radiohead. This is my favourite album of theirs, not only because it has really stood the test of time with me, but because it is very well-crafted and the track order is very well thought-out and the songs are well-textured and dream-like. All the songs on the album are excellent, but “Airbag”, “Subterranean Homesick Alien” and “Karma Police” are the standouts for me, and “Paranoid Android” is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard.
I would also strongly recommend The Bends and Kid A if you are interested in giving them a go.
5. The Best of Billie Holiday
This was a recent discovery when I picked up the CD by chance and decided to give it a go because I’ve heard so much about Billie Holiday. The music is immediately evocative of a more graceful era, down to the faint crackle in the background. Her voice has a plaintive quality that conveys the great emotion in her songs, which mostly mourn lost love, but they also cover grittier issues, such as “God Bless the Child”, and “Strange Fruit”. The bluesy flavour of the songs is good for winding down after a stressful day.
6. Coming Up by Suede
Britpop was huge when I was in junior college. Although it has come and gone, I still revisit bands like Blur and Oasis from time to time for nostalgic reasons. Coming Up was very popular with my friends and I, and it was definitive of the youthful spirit of those days. Most people I knew really like “The Beautiful Ones” and there are some glam-rock tracks like “Film Star” and “She”, but my favourites on the album are actually the ballads, which I feel are tremendously romantic. I especially love “By the Sea”, “The Chemistry Between Us” and “Saturday Night”.
Incidentally, they performed most of these songs during their gig at Fort Canning Green in 2003, and it was really unforgettable because not only was everyone singing along to them, it was also their last gig in Singapore as a band. They have since split up, and Brett Anderson has gone solo after a rather unfruitful stint in The Tears, but I would strongly recommend Dog Man Star as another one of their seminal albums.
8. Tidal by Fiona Apple
An album for quiet days, Fiona Apple’s voice has a languid, nonchalant feel that makes her delivery very evocative and appealing. She’s a very good lyricist as well. Her songs are mostly piano-based, and can be forceful and dramatic, like “Sleep to Dream” and “Criminal” while others are very have a shimmering while autumnal quality, like “Sullen Girl” and “Pale September”. An ideal album to reflect to.
9. Different Class by Pulp
Another product of the Britpop era, this is one of the few albums that makes me laugh out loud when I listen to it. A good friend introduced one of the songs to me when we were in junior college and we discovered that we both had the same kind of humour after I listened to it.
It’s as hilarious as it is incisive in its sardonic commentary about the banality of working-class England in the 90s, especially “Common People”, and “Disco 2000” is an absolute heartbreaker of a song. I also like the wistfulness of “Something Changed”, so it’s quite a varied and interesting album.
10. Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14 & 23 by Daniel Barenboim
I really enjoy music from the Romantic era, because of its rich tones and the way it really travels the keyboard, which can convey the grandiose just as it can be restrained. This album contains two of my favourite sonatas by Beethoven, the “Pathetique” and “Moonlight” sonatas, which are interpreted rather well by Barenboim.
Luxury Item (Food): Salmon Sushi
Luxury Item (Book): Twenty Love Songs and A Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
The deadline for the Poetry Review Competition (“Grandfather’s Breath” by Ray McNiece) has been extended to Friday 4th May. Keep the entries coming!
Cinquain, Limerick, Sonnet, Ballad, Haiku… ever wondered which poetry form you resemble? Find out with this short personality quiz!
Do the test at http://quiz.ravenblack.net/poeticform.pl
Poem Review Competition – “Grandfather’s Breath” by Ray McNeice
Published April 20, 2007 Competitions 9 CommentsCalling all Innovians!
You saw it being performed during assembly on Thursday, now’s your chance to tell us what you think about it!
Share your thoughts and impressions about the poem “Grandfather’s Breath” by posting it as a response to this entry, and stand a chance to win a copy of Ray’s book of poems! What’s more, the winner will be handpicked by Ray himself, so be sure not to miss out!
Just a small note:
If you wish to post a response, please identify yourself by name and class so that we can contact you.
Closing date for all responses: Friday, 27th April 2007
Grandfather’s Breath
You work. You work, Buddy. You work.
Word of immigrant get-ahead grind I hear
huffing through me, Grandfather’s breath,
when he’d come in from Saturday’s keep-busy chores,
fending up a calloused hand to stop
me from helping him, haggard cheeks puffing
out like t-shirts hung between tenements,
doubled-over under thirty-five years a machine
repairman at the ball-bearing factory, ball-bearings
making everything run smoother -
especially torpedoes. He busted butt
for the war effort, for profiteers, for overtime pay
down-payment on a little box of his own,
himself a refugee from the European economy,
washed ashore after “The War to End All Wars.”
Cheap labour for the winners.
I hear his youth plodding through the hayfields
above Srednevas, and the train that wheezed
and lumbered to the boat where he heave-hoed
consumptive sister, one-two overboard.
I hear him scuffling along factory smoke choked streets
of Cleveland, coughing out chunks of broken
English just to make it to Saturday morning ballinca -
how he grunted off a week’s worth of grit
hurling wooden balls down the pressed dirt court,
sweaty wisp of gray hair wagging from his forehead,
This is how the world turns. You work hard. You practise.
And I hear his claim as we climbed the steps
of Municipal Stadium, higher, into the cheap seats,
slapping the flat of his hand against a girder,
I built this, Buddy. I built this.
But mostly I hear how he’d catch
what was left of his breath after those Saturday chores,
pouring out that one, long, tall cold beer
that Grandma allowed, holding it aloft,
bubbles golden as hayfields above Srednevas,
before savouring it down and taking up
the last task of his day off – cleaning the cage,
letting Snowball, canary like the ones once used
to test coal mines for poison air, flap clumsily free
around the living room, crapping
on the plastic covered davenport and easy-chair
they only sat in twice a year.
And I’m still breathing, Grandfather, that day
you took me down the basement to the cool floor
to find out what was wrong. Come on, Snowball,
fly. Fly! The bird splayed out on the same linoleum
where they found you, next to your iron lung,
where Grandma mopped for weeks after,
pointing with arthritic fingers, See. There.
There’s where he fell and bumped his head.
See the specks of blood? She can’t work out.
And now I sing “One fine morning when my work is done
I’m gonna fly away home, fly away home.”
Come on, Snowball, fly. Fly…
