As for me, I am in my usual stressed-student
mode. When I was younger, I didn't think school means stress…but now that I'm in college, it seems that stress is an inevitable part especially if you really
want to produce good grades. But I am not complaining. It just proves the
saying that...
“Nothing worth having comes easy.”
With this, I got an idea for an inspirational
book. I would like to do a compilation of the words to live by or words of
inspiration from normal people. Usually, quotes or motivational words came from
your favorite actor, leader or other famous people. So for this one, I’d like
the words of wisdom to come from the words of normal people---which are insightful
and of course, can be inspirational too! Honestly, each person is interesting because they
all have different stories. I believe that by their own experiences, they can
give a piece of advice, motivational words, or life quotes that others can truly
relate as well.
I got this idea because a lot of teens today
are becoming lonesome or stressed or mislead from thinking likes and material
things are the top most necessity. It can also be because of pressure from peers, or
education, or attention and a lot more factors. I believe that they are their
peak wherein they are very delicate and therefore, it’s that time when older
ones really talk to their children or when youths encourage their fellow to be cheered
and empowered. I am thinking of just a simple book or booklet with cute, unisex
designs that contains the most striking words compiled from people.
Like this one, QUOTE OF THE DAY booklet by Candy Magazine:
source: candymag.com
I think this will also become handy for me
since I am also kind of stressed with all the school works. Hahaha
Anyway, I’ll leave you a song from my favorite
band which is about encouraging you to be
the light!
Mina – a die-hard fan and staff
member of rock band The Harlequin.
She’s a twenty-year old something woman who has a crush on the band’s vocalist,
Sean but is painfully shy to admit her feelings that’s why even as a staff of
her crush’s band, she acts stiff around him.
Sean – vocalist of The Harlequin and is a great composer.
He’s trying to write a new material for their next album but is having a
difficult time because of pressure. He’s very professional and treats the staff
with respect.
Brad, Allen and Phil – members of
The Harlequin and Sean’s friends
since their college years at a music school. They also contribute to the song
making process but more on the technical aspects. They sense that Mina likes
Sean because she unconsciously spoil Sean more than the rest of the band.
Story:
Sean throws his compositions into
the trash and seems infuriated that he can’t create any good piece for the past
3 months. Meanwhile, Mina was tasked to clean up the recording room, saw the
pile of trash, read the pieces and kept it in her pocket. Upon returning to her
room, Mina once again read the paper and tried making her own song out of it. She
recorded it in her phone and fell asleep…
The other day, the band finished
their rehearsal when Phil asked for Mina’s help to buy them food and medicine
for Sean’s throat. She hurried outside and the rest of the band noticed that
she forgot her phone. They decided to peek on it and saw Mina’s recordings.
Pleased by Mina’s work, they asked her if they can use the compositions for
their next album. Mina was happy to contribute to her favorite band, but Sean
was happier because he knew the lyrics were the ones he wrote. In other words,
Sean owes Mina for turning his trash into jewels.
One night, Sean called Mina for
an “important talk.” It turns out, Sean wanted to thank Mina by performing an
acoustic version of the song they wrote together. Sean also revealed that the
song is too personal and special for him that it does not fit for the album’s
concept so decided that he’ll not include the song in their list, implying that
he wants to do a separate EP for it. Mina, on the other hand, misunderstood
this and felt like Sean didn’t really liked the song at all. She got angry and
walked out in front of Sean.
Months later, the band is
performing their new album at a huge concert with more than 10,000 fans. Mina
was one of the staff who’s watching from the technical booth and saw the set
list. The place went pitch black when all of a sudden, a light lit at the stage
where Sean was standing. He is holding an acoustic guitar and playing a
familiar rhythm. Mina realized this and starting crying. Before playing the
song, Sean said that this song is “his love letter to fans” which the fans
loved. After the concert, Mina approached Sean and thanked him. In return, Sean
hugged him and the rest of the band followed.
The story ends with the band and
Mina altogether are trying to write a new song only five of them will get to
listen to.
Sophie – a
popular fan fiction writer under the user name “Ice Crystals.” She’s a college
student who only considered writing as a hobby. Her dream in life is to be a
pre-school teacher.
Alexis – a publishing
editor who’s in search of the next big thing. She’s a frustrated woman who only
got to publish one book but dreams of winning a Pulitzer Prize.
Keith – Sophie’s
friend who’s the first one to read her stories before posting it online. He
believes that Sophie can make it big someday. He’s a fan of pop culture whom
Sophie asks for advice about ideas and life.
Synopsis:
Sophie’s new
fan fiction “Take Me Home” got popular online that it was noticed by her idol,
pop singer Jason McKinley. It got so many views that she’s been receiving calls
from publishing houses asking her to publish her online works into books.
Canvas Publishing’s Alexis was one of the people who called Sophie but in
reality, she’s not impressed at all with Sophie’s writing. She just called the
young lady because her boss told her to do so. Alexis believes that writing
should be taken seriously---an art and science that should be earned with a
degree. On the contrary, Sophie only writes for fun but manages to be
successful for it---which makes Alexis more frustrated since she studied
writing all her life but only managed to write one book that placed 80th
spot on the best-seller list. Sophie’s “mentor” and adviser is her friend Keith
who is always in the know of the latest pop culture trends and they both just
want to enjoy the simple joys of expressing their thoughts.
So when Sophie
tried her luck and accepted Alexis’ offer (out of all people!), their
ideologies collide. Sophie and Keith team up for the ideas while Alexis keeps
on asking them to edit, revise and stick to the basics.
Will they ever
produce a good book? Will they learn something from each other? Will harmony
come unto them or will their circumstances cause more chaos?
Between the Lines
tells you the importance of embracing change and believing in something that
you passionately do.
First of all,
sorry if I only posted one blog entry last week. To be honest, today is exactly
a week after the ONE OK ROCK concert and I still can’t get over it. Anyway,
since it’s the first week after their first visit in the country, my post for
today is an idea blog related to ONE OK ROCK!
source: OOR Official FB page
First idea: A
documentary about their life touring the world
I know that
there’s the FOOL COOL ROCK documentary already, but I want to do a documentary
following how they live up their dream performing in large crowds in the US,
Europe and Asia. In this video, I would like to capture the most natural
interaction among the members, their song writing process, an interview on how
they feel getting this far, their solo activities, the band’s bonding session,
what are they off-stage, how they conceptualize their songs or albums and what
are the dynamics between their interaction with their American producer,
recording label and their local label, management and the members itself.
I’d
also like to present the difference between the crowds of each country or shows
they go to not for comparison on who’s the most energetic crowd but to see on
how culturally diverse their fandom is---which I think is a good sign because
their music is able to transcend beyond language or culture differences. I also
want to see on how they study the English language. To be honest, they improved
a lot in terms of answering interviews in English. Although there are some mistakes
from time to time, they are still quite impressive and who cares if they can’t
speak well or not? Their music speaks greater and it’s more important!
[PS: I ALSO
WANTED TO INTERVIEW THEM ABOUT THEIR TATTOOS---THE MEANING, THEIR REASON FOR
GETTING IT AND WHAT IS THEIR MOST FAVORITE TATTOO]
If you want to
know what I’m talking about, here is a preview of their FOOL COOL ROCK
documentary:
Second idea:
Music Review
I admit I only
knew the band because of the Rurouni Kenshin films so I am pretty much okay
with their change in musical styles every album. I already heard their first
songs (even the demo, live and unreleased ones) up to their current album,
35XXXV. I also listened to Taka’s collaboration with other artists and
basically dig all the discography I could find just for me to know how they
evolve each CD.
And it’s true that 35XXXV sounds different from their initial
style. It’s Americanized but there’s still the ONE OK ROCK touch to it. I
cannot pin-point which aspect it is but definitely, their music is still with
their own personal sound. That is why I’d like to do a music review of their
35XXXV album or the Jinsei x Boku = (read as Jinsei kakete boku wa) since it’s
my most favorite album from them (my second most favorite is Niche Syndrome).
Here is one of
the song from their 35XXXV album. This is a fan made video from the Japanese movie Eien no Zero. The title is Fight
the Night and it is my most favorite track from the album:
Let me here
your thoughts! Please comment if you have anything to say like suggestions or
corrections.
Truly a ONE, more than OK, ROCK-ing concert
that surged with unyielding energy, hailed Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK performed
for the first time ever in the Philippines last January 19, 2016 (Tuesday) at
the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The concert was one leg of their 35XXXV Asia Tourwith the name derived from the band’s latest album, 35XXXV. It was
filled with anticipation, enthusiasm and screams that can even cause someone to
experience temporary hearing loss. With the band playing hit after hit after hit, their non-stop energy yet flawless
performance delighted Filipino fans and caused them to jump, sing along and
just rock the night away.
Even before the band performed in the country,
their catchy yet edgy and solid songs reached the Philippine soil more than
four years ago mainly due to the influence of Otaku culture, which garners a
huge following in the country. Started in the year 2005, the band got its name
from their practice hour which is One o’clock AM. With a few change in line-up
and released albums, the band started gaining recognition in their home
country, Japan. Moreover, the band gained even more popularity during 2012 when
they sang Rurouni Kenshin live action’s theme song, The Beginning that
sky rocketed them to become of the most in demand rock bands not just in Asia
but eventually in the Western countries as they geared towards rocking the
international scene.
This success was followed by two more songs for the film
franchise with Mighty Long Fall and the slow rock song, Heartache, which
swooned the fans with amazing musical arrangement and Taka’s soulful singing.
In particular, their Manila leg has got to be
the fans’ most awaited event ever. Last year, eager fans spearheaded the
petition for the concert, encouraging other fans to sign and show the Filipino
fandom’s strength in numbers. With a stroke of patience and hard work, this
dream eventually became a blissful reality. The VIP 1 and 2 sections and the limited Royalty tickets were even sold out immediately upon the first few days of selling date! Popularly known for their amazing
live shows, Taka (vocalist), Toru (leader and guitarist), Tomoya (drummer) and
Ryota (bassist) finally got the chance to prove this claim to the Filipino
crowd and give them the epic experience they've been waiting for.
Here are some of the insights regarding their
Manila concert:
Usually, live performances were so raw that
playing the instruments and hitting the notes perfectly as if it placated the
recorded ones were difficult. But, take ONE OK ROCK as an exception. They jumped and ran all over the stage while still maintaining the
superb quality of sound, especially Taka, whose voice is definitely not a
product of auto-tune but a heaven-sent one and Toru, Ryota and Tomoya’s sexy
instrumental part that showcased their expertise with their respective
instruments. Apart from the band’s own efforts, the lights, technical arrangements
and other details for the concert added flare to the experience.
Credits to JulenPhoto (OOR's official photographer for the concert)
The crowd also wowed the band when they opened their
phone lights during Heartache, which made a dreamy sea of lights. They also sang along regardless if the lyrics are in
Japanese or English, proving that they are indeed ready for the ONE OK ROCK.
Before the encore, the fans still can’t get enough that they stomped their feet
and shouted for more in which the band responded with few more songs for the
fans’ delight. Filipino fans showed their overflowing support for the band and it’s not just because their sound is unique or their songs are catchy, but because they also have this angst
and charisma that draws people in especially in live shows. The switch between
the English and Japanese lyrics, paired up with Taka’s powerful vocals and
always improving pronunciation, Toru’s amazing guitar riffs, Ryota’s incredible
bass skills and Tomoya’s double pedal drumming amplify their infectious
energy on stage and awaken the fans starting with the intro track 3xxxv5 followed by the progressive Take Me to The Top. The band also sang hit songs
from their past albums: The Beginning, Clock Strikes and Deeper Deeper from Jinsei x Boku = (Jinsei Kakete Boku Wa), No Scaredfrom the albumZankyo Reference, Wherever You Are and Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer from Niche Syndrome, and songs from their current album, 35XXXV. The band capped off the event with Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer .
The venue hours before the start of the concert. The arena was jam packed with fans! Photo taken by the writer.
Taka and the rest expressed how thankful they
are for the intense and warm reception of the Filipino crowd. Statements from
them wanting to revisit the country were heard multiple times. They even took a
picture with the crowd and received a huge banner from the fans as a remembrance for
that memorable occasion. Before leaving the stage, drummer Tomoya even
approached the mic and said “Mahal Kita”
that made the crowd roar one last time.
After the concert, fans are still in
cloud nine and expressing their gratitude to ONE OK ROCK for taking Manila to
the top.
If you want to know more about the band, you may check their website at www.oneokrock.com or their official accounts on facebook, twitter, instagram and youtube just by typing "ONE OK ROCK."
Curious about their music? Watch the MV of OOR's The Beginning here:
Photo of the writer hours before the concert.
(Pauleen General is a third year AB Communication student from DLSU-Dasmarinas and is a ONE OK ROCK fan.)
If there are any errors you wish to correct or cite, you may post it as a comment and I'll be glad to revise the article. Also, recording and cameras are not allowed during the concert hours that is why I only got the chance to take a picture before and after the concert. Credits to Rappler and JulenPhoto for the pictures.
So for this blog entry, I’d like to show you my
list of the ideas and stories I wanted to write about. As what I have already
said from previous post, I’m more of the slice-of-life kind of writer. I’m not
really into sci-fi (although I watch it often) and I tend to think about
stories about the simple events in life.
I hope to write individual entries
about the stories from this list. I’ll try to get them all done and let’s see
if I improved or not. Lol. Haha. But honestly, there are so much things I
wanted to write…I just don’t know if I can express them well.
Here is my list, take a look!
1. A story about a genius pre-school kid and a
single mother who tries to make all ends meet for her son
2. A documentary about a shopaholic (following her
shopping escapade, how much she can spend in a week or month and what is the
effect of being a shopaholic to her social life and family)
3. A (fan made) music video for ONE OK ROCK’s Good
Goodbye or Luhan’s Football Gang
4. A short film about an OC girl who lives in a
dorm and eventually will have a disorganized roommate
5. A feature article about Sustainable Development
Goals!
6. A video featuring the places you can visit in
the South (besides Tagaytay)
7. A documentary about the art of calligraphy or
typography (the ones that are popular in the social media nowadays?)
8. A throwback feature article of my first trip overseas
9. A story about a struggling piano student who was discouraged by his family because they are a family of doctors and other professionals
But anyway let me show you a pic I took when I was in Singapore years ago and the thoughts I have every time I look at the photo...
I don't know but every time I look at this photo...it makes me think of a story about a girl who takes photos of herself (in a distinct pose) around the world. It is like a story about someone who really loves to travel and immerse herself with different culture and people. She takes photos from her travels and puts them in a photo album. At first, she will be looking very much happy as seen in her shots but eventually, her smile will lessen as she realizes that she lacks something---something that even though she has the money to buy and travel anywhere---she'll still feel empty and so she goes back home in hopes of finding that one thing that she needs to fill in inside of her.
The photo is actually the alpaca plushie I bought and I am just so happy with my purchase that I thought of taking this photo as a remembrance...and yeah, now that I realized, this is like what Amelie did to his father's gnome right? The only difference between my case and the film is my plushie is not lucky to travel the world. *someday alpaca, someday*
I know this post is kinda short…*guilty* but I’ll
try to post more often after the exam week.
So I’ve been thinking of conceptualizing a
story or an idea in different platforms. I already thought of ideas for a
documentary, feature, music videos and such but I think I want to explore if I
can think of ideas in a different light. And then I realized, I want to come up
an idea about a cartoon!
Most of the cartoon shows I’ve watched have
these bizarre and super unrealistic characters. A fry-cook sponge, a fish, a
talking train and a lot more. But with the idea I have, I’m going to stick with
a human character, with no-so awesome abilities, but will teach values and
health to kids.
Veggie Trooper:
Franco!
This follows the daily life of Franco, a nine
year old boy who lives a healthy lifestyle. Born from a vegetarian father and
an aerobics-addict mother, Franco also got the genes for liking healthy stuff
that’s why he likes staying in the kitchen or gardening crops. His friend, Tibby,
is the opposite and likes desserts and meat. Although with contrasting
personalities, both of them get along well. One day, Tibby and Franco passed by
a weird laboratory when they went to look for a secret hang-out place. Tibby, as
careless as ever, left the remnant of his food, mostly junk food in the place.
When it was night time, Mr. Miggles, the
laboratory owner, was going for an errand to test his first sample in hopes of
creating big versions of food to help end hunger when it spilled all over Tibby’s
trash. The trash grew bigger and wilder, indicating that Mr. Miggles’ sample is
a failure. He tried killing the now human-sized junk food monster when it escaped
and flew away. Frightened, Mr. Miggles immediately created a potion with
extracts from fruits and vegetables that will give powerful abilities to fight
against the giant junk food monsters. He decided that he will sneak it to the doorstep
of the first house he’ll pass by that has crops and plants---which is
accidentally Franco’s house. Franco, was the first to wake up that time and
went outside to harvest some tomatoes when he saw the potion disguised in a
bottle of milk. Franco, not nothing what’s the real thing inside, drank all of
it and eventually gained super powers.
Mr. Miggles introduced himself to the boy and
made weapons and equipment for him. Now with his duty as a hero, Franco begins
fighting with junk food monsters to save the city from the unhealthy effects
and lead them to a healthier and peaceful life!
The following are the list of Franco’s super
powers and weapons:
Carrot Vision – gives him a super sharp
eyesight so that the enemies could not hide easily!
Eggplant Boomerang – a weapon that can slice
the enemy (most effective against Potato Chief and Jelly Mean)
Citrus Belt – a small belt with orange, lime
and lemon slices that acts as pockets that stores Franco’s other equipment and
belongings. Even though it looks small, the pockets can store up to 10 kilos of
things without getting heavy!
String Bean Blast – can shoot rock-solid beans
simultaneously (most effective against Corn Chief and Chase Balls)
Potatorpedo – a torpedo with baby potatoes sautéed
in olive oil and chives
The list is tentative and I’m thinking of
conceptualizing the villains and other information about Franco.
Hello! So I wrote this story (I think it fits for a short story) and figured out that I think it's also good for a full-length film. This story is about a how a misbehaving celebrity who eventually became a do-gooder icon. I don't know if it's too cliche but I like the idea of writing about something that is both very public and private. Both because celebrities have two life --- the character they portray and their real self. They also have this pressure to look good and decent in front of the camera and it must be hard for them when people pinpoint their flaws, mistakes and bad side. I mean, we all have our bad sides and celebrities are no exception. So, in this story, I want to show the perspective of an artist or celebrity and how she deals with the "glamorous" path she chose.
[THIS IS PURELY FICTIONAL. NAMES, EVENTS AND EVERYTHING FROM THIS STORY ARE ALL MADE-UP.]
Diva Syndrome
Diana is a famous pop singer not just in her country.
She’s got all the features a pop icon has---beauty, talent and charm. On stage,
she’s the sweet and very capable Diana. But when the curtain goes down, a
different Diana shows up. The real Diana off stage is bossy, arrogant and
wicked. She doesn’t attend or show herself up to events whenever she feels like
doing so. She yells at her staff out of stress and when she’s in a bad mood,
she throws a tantrum fit for a child but never gets reprimanded because that’s
just how powerful she is as a major contributor to the company’s earnings.
One day, Diana was offered to do her own
reality show. But knowing it will reveal her true image, Diana rejects the
offer. Speculations regarding her attitude spread into the media and haters
began to strike Diana. Feeling helpless, she reconsidered the reality show to
prove to people that she’s not what they think she is. But the problem is,
their claims are true and Diana have to put her acting skills into maximum in
front of the camera. One challenge from her reality show almost revealed her
secret---she has to take care of pre-school children at the day care center
which she doesn’t have any patience at all. Appalled to the challenge, Diana
almost lost her temper when assistant staff, Stephen, helped and covered for her.
After the incident, Diana felt she owe something to Stephen. She wants to thank
him by giving anything he wants for a day. So, Stephen showed Diana his sister,
Phina, who is ill and Diana saw how much the little girl idolize her.
Diana realized the responsibility she has to fulfil
and in an instant, regretted what she had done with her career. With this,
Diana wanted to quit her job because of humiliation but of course, her
management wouldn’t let her easily. She tried removing herself from the
industry and the issues resurfaced once again. Feeling lost, Diana went to
Stephen and her sister for comfort. Stephen, willing to help Diana, secretly
recorded Diana’s sweet moments with his sister and sent it to the producers.
One day, Diana woke up to the news that her fans wanted her back, she also saw
the video on-air of her and Phina that urged her went back to the management to
reclaim her career. She also helped Stephen get his promotion as a Producer and
supported his sister’s medication. More importantly, she became an advocacy
icon, won the hearts of many people and overcame the diva syndrome.
This post will be a short one because I haven’t
generated much ideas this week because of other stuff. In all honestly, I’m
losing focus because of our thesis topic approval and an Economic research
paper (yes, they are separate research papers!) but I’ll give the best I can to
produce ideas for this blog.
Since our class is tasked on writing a feature
article, I’d like to write about the upcoming ONE OK ROCK CONCERT here in
Manila. ONE OK ROCK is a Japanese band that just recently signed a music label
contract with Warner Bros. US! For Anime fans or film buffs who already watched the Rurouni Kenshin live-action films and watched until the credit parts, then you’ve
definitely heard some of their songs because ONE OK ROCK sang the theme song
for the three films (The Beginning, Mighty Long Fall and Heartache). Since I’ll be attending the concert (YAAAAY!), I’d like to
write a feature article about their FIRST CONCERT here in Manila and how fans
reacted to it (I’d like to interview my fellow fans so I can interact and make
friends with them).
poster from Philippine One Ok Rockers FB page
or if not, then I'd like to write an article about the Korean chicken restaurant here in Dasmarinas, Cavite. The store is named Yaddlie Chicken and they are located in SM Dasmarinas. Although there are many Korean restaurants and eventually, fast food chains here in the country, I'd like to feature Yaddlie because apart from the fact that it uses a Korean personality who is discovered locally (Korean restaurants usually have Korean celebrities as their endorses, in Yaddlie, they have someone from a segment in Eat Bulaga) and they may seem to have only one branch here in the Philippines (as far as I saw from their FB page). With this, I'd like to do a feature article about them to help boost their popularity as their food is good and affordable. Actually, my brother's fave store in SM is Yaddlie and he's such a picky eater.
So today, I have an idea for a short film.
Basically, I want to show the values of perseverance, positivity and resilience
with this story. This isn’t too complex but it deals with a topic that I know
most of us or probably all of us doesn’t want to talk about. So here’s the gist
for the story titled
“In a World of Rejection”
“Beneath the dark clump of clouds, there’s an
infinite space, beneath the windows in our eyes, there is light and beneath in
the world of rejection, there is love.”
Jason is a simpleton. When he was young, he was
an average kid living an average life---playing with friends, eating out with
parents and having decent grades. But despite living in comfort, Jason was
unhappy. He’s unhappy because everything seemed to be average for him. Although
he’s the reserved type, Jason wanted more. He wants to finish college with
honors, to have a successful job, a beautiful wife, an enormous house, a
highly-respected name, a family whose others envy and a man who achieves the
best. He wants to be successful, to be at the top and erase the “average” life
he has. Jason doesn’t want comfort---he wants to live taking risks. Because of
this ambition, Jason faces a lot of rejection. He cannot have a steady
girlfriend because he’s too busy studying, he has too many smart classmate as
competitors, he’s not rich to buy envy-worthy stuff. In short, no matter what
Jason do, he is still average. But despite the hardships, the quarrels, the
pool of tears, the anguish and anxiety of giving your best, but receiving the
average, Jason continues lives to live a world of rejection, a world he knows
that one day and someday, will change for his best.
----
I don’t know if I’m doing this right because
with this story, my main character will probably continuously face rejection.
But the reason I want him to have problems over problems if for his character
to develop as a strong, steel-hearted and driven one…and I guess victory taste
sweet if you seriously worked hard and desperately seek for it.
Hello! This is my analysis on the film Amelie
based on the three act structure for writing.
Act 1 – Set Up
The Act 1 started when the parents of Amelie
was introduced. Her father is a doctor and her mother is an educator. Because
her parents thought that she has a heart problem, her parents opted her to be home
schooled by her mother. But the truth is, she’s just excited whenever her dad
makes physical contact with her since she yearned for his attention. Amelie
developed a wide imagination and became shy because of loneliness. Also, her
mother was killed when a tourist committed suicide by jumping from a church and
landed to her mom. Her dad isolated himself and when Amelie grew up, she left
home and took a job as a waitress at a café. She also has simple happiness such
as throwing pebbles at the water and digging her hand into a sack of grains. The
café she’s working at was owned by an old woman and her workmates have peculiar
characteristics. Her co-waitress has a suitor or stalker who always visit the café
to check on her and the other one, who is in charge of the cashier, was very
sensitive especially in terms of health.
It was on the day that news broke out about Princess
Diana’s death that Amelie changed the way she lives her life. Upon seeing an
old metal box filled with childhood memorabilia inside a small opening hidden
by a tile in her bathroom, Amelie decided to bring it back to the owner and if
the owner reacts positively into it, she will start doing good things. She
asked for the information from the land lady whose dead husband cheated on her,
the greengrocer who is mean to Lucien, his assistant and from the greengrocer’s
parents. She tried looking for the owner until one time, her neighbor, the
painter known as glass man, gave her the right information. When she’s at the
train station, Amelie found a guy named Nino who keeps digging photos at a
booth. Amelie returned the metal box anonymously to the owner and when she saw
how happy the man was, she embarked on a mission to be a do-gooder. First, she
urged her father to travel the world which he failed to do so when he was
younger. She also did secret things for the people around her in hopes of
making them happy. One night, Amelie decided to steal his father’s gnome to
give it to her flight attendant friend for her to take pictures around the
world with the gnome for Amelie to send to her father. When Amelie, went to the
train station, she saw the man who’s looking at the photo booth and instantly
fell attracted to him. But he chased someone and lost his photo album. Amelie
took it and gained more interest in Nino. Amelie wanted to return it to him but
she was painfully shy to do so.
Act 2 – Confrontation
Amelie, wanting to know Nino, decided to play a
cat and mouse game with him upon returning the album. She found out that Nino
works at a pornographic shop and at the carnival but only returned the album
after Amelie set up a scheme that made Nino interested to her as well.
Meanwhile, Amelie also set up her workmate, Georgette and the stalker-like
customer together and telling them individually that they both secretly like
each other. She also made letters to the land lady, framing that these lost letters
were from her husband stating his love for her. She also plotted schemes to the
mean green grocer, send recorded tapes to her neighbor and photos to her dad.
Eventually, it seemed like Amelie made everyone around her happy, but Mr.
Dufayel, the painter, reminded her to rethink of her own happiness. With this,
Amelie resolved that she would meet Nino personally. She told him to meet her
at the café but chickened out at the last minute.
Act 3 - Resolution
With this, Amelie got the help of her co-worker
Gina to send him a note. Nino went back to the café and asked for Amelie but
she’s not around, so Gina helped him. But, Josef, the stalker-like guy
misinterpreted it that Gina was hanging out privately with Nino and Amelie
heard it. Amelie became heartbroken. Although Gina and Nino both found out that
they have similar characteristics and interest, Gina still gave Amelie’s address
to him. Meanwhile, Amelie was baking a cake and is still devastated about her
heartbreak. Nino went to Amelie’s apartment but was hesitant to let him in so
Nino slipped a note under her door. Amelie also found a video tape. When she
played it, it was from Mr. Dufayel, urging her to follow and fulfil her own happiness.
With this, Amelie let Nino in the moment she opened the door and there began
their relationship. The film ended with clips from the people around Amelie
changed because of her secret acts like her father who’s going to start
travelling, Mr. Dufayel finally moved on from the painting he tried perfecting
for over 20 years and clips of Amelie and Nino riding the motor and is happily
together.
My personal thoughts:
I was expecting an unconventional film with the
likes of Love Me If You Dare but on the contrary, I liked this movie because of
how unconventional yet charming the story is! Amelie is a likeable character
and all the personalities of the characters are eccentric yet the way how they
are established is clear and it what makes the film more interesting. Moreover,
I like the symbolism and representation was used in the film especially the TV
part where Amelie was watching herself when in reality, it was her
contemplating on what to do in life especially to her father. I also like the
dialogue, cinematography and music used in the film. The story development is
also written very well in a way that an audience will not be confused even
though there are many events happening at the side. There is a feel good vibe
to the film that makes you think of whimsical ala Winky Wonka type. Overall,
Amelie is not the conventional rom-com film but is so unique and likeable that
it will be stuck into the minds of the audiences.
First of all, may we
all experience happiness, prosperity, love and a good health this 2016!
To be honest, since
it is holiday season, I cannot really think up of any idea because I’m
pre-occupied with holiday stuff such as family get-togethers, noche buena and
etc. In addition, I am also loaded with case studies, thesis introduction
writing and video tutorial.
Anyway, since I don’t
really have a particular story or idea to share right now, I will just share to
you the anime/manga that I’ve been watching/reading these past few days!
Honestly, there are
times when I take a step back and think about writing my own manga or even
serializing an anime. I know it’s kinda impossible because we don’t have that
kind of industry here in the country. But, what if I’m a manga artist? In
Manga, you are not limited to fact. You can go for fiction and even in a higher
level of it! There are also times when I wish I wrote or thought of the Mangas
I read. I keep asking myself “how do they do that?” since it’s really hard to
put up a story that will last for a long period of time. With that, I
definitely salute all the writers and the Mangakas with the skill and talent
they have and I wish I can be one too someday!!!
Back to the topic,
here’s the manga/anime that keeps me busy right now:
source: crunchyroll
GINTAMA
Set in Edo wherein
the Samurais are looked down because of the invasion of the aliens called
Amanto, Sakata Gintoki, a Samurai who once fought during the Amanto War works
in Yorozuya with Shimura Shinpachi and Kagura, an alien from one of the
strongest clans. Together, they accept and do odd jobs, neglect paying their
rent and following their own “bushido” to protect what they love. (I made my own description for it. hehe)
Honestly, this is a
comedy anime/manga and mostly a parody of other animes/mangas.
What I liked
about Gintama is how the good values are still incorporated with each story.
source: aminoapps
And I must admit, it was hilariously funny whether I watch or read it! I don’t
know what’s with the creator but its puns, sometimes nonsense and deadpan jokes
and plots are really funny that I can watch it the whole day and never get
enough of it.
In addition, the characters and their names are somehow inspired
of either folktales or real-life people. Personally, I cannot pick which is my
most favorite character because they are all funny and lovable in their own
way. All of them are with crack personalities anyway…even the Shinsengumi guys
are so funny, no one’s an antagonist for me. (Did I mention that Elizabeth is a
cutie? Hehe and to be honest, my crush would be Hijikata…although he’s a chain
smoker and has an excessive love for mayonnaise)
So, here are the top
funniest Gintama scenes (in my opinion)!
“IT’S HELP ME”
I know that the jokes
makes no sense…but anyway, they are really funny especially Kagura’s cute
voice so here you go!
“KATSURAP”
Just watch this
please. I cannot explain how funny this is for me. This is life. HAHAHA
HIJIKATA AND THE
MAYONNAISE FACTORY
My anime crush is
embarrassing When reality hits you hard…
KATO-KEN SAMBA!!!
I cannot, Kagura. You are sooo cute!
GINCHAN
Oh Ginchan, you’re Doraemon cover is the fairest of them all...
So, there you go! I
hope you find it funny too! Hehehe or at least, it made you smile even for a
bit.
