Runaway

Today's song is "Runaway" by Linkin Park. I know it probably makes no sense, but I find Linkin Park a really soothing band; whenever I hear them, I instantly feel reassured and start to relax. This is very strange considering it is an alternative rock/ nu metal band, that is quite heavy at times, but still, I do find Linkin Park as a type of lullaby, literally: when I was on holiday and I was on a plane, and it felt impossible to sleep because of the loud engines, I started to listen to them and I began to drift to sleep, and even to this day, if I find I can't sleep sometimes I listen to Linkin Park and I become closer to that dreamlike state. And I have a weird theory to why this is, which is, that they create a magnitude of different sounds, that it sounds almost artificial, yet so organic- especially the vocals, I find they are particularly raw and brimming with emotion- which allows me to disconnect with the world around me, and instead lets me drift into this 'space-like' void.

Anyhow, despite me sounding absolutely crazy right now, I love this band, and 'Runaway' is from their debut album 'Hybrid Theory,' which is a truly incredible album, with so many different influences for each instrument coming together in a magnificent explosion. The lyrics are also so intense, confronting Chester Bennington's (lead vocalist) experiences growing up: ranging from child abuse, alcohol and drugs, separation and isolation and disappointment, which brings much power to the music. It is a complete release, expressing the complexity of the human psyche.

I wanna run away

Never say goodbye

I wanna know the truth

Instead of wondering why

I wanna know the answers

No more lies

I wanna shut the door

And open up my mind 

So here is this week's Music Monday, 'Runaway:'

"Belle"- a beautiful movie

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful (or 'belle') movie "Belle," which is based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate child of Admiral Sir John Lindsay, to an African mother during the 18th century.  She was brought up by her great uncle, Lord Mansfield, who was described as the most powerful man in Britain at the time- apart from the king- due to his position as the highest judge. I don't really know the technical terms of the legal system, so I'm sorry that I'm going to be sounding pretty amateurish when describing the film. In fact, I'm going to sound amateurish when I say that the style of film reminded me of a Jane Austen type of story, as it is set during those times, with the views of society, the mannerisms and the obsession with finding a husband that is of a suitable rank present.


Because of her being a 'child of colour,' despite her aristocratic background, Belle- or as she is called in the film, Dido- is judged by others in society, as she is caught in between the two worlds of the privileged and those who were considered insignificant. And the film captures this tension perfectly, especially the scenes between the characters Dido (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and James Ashford (Tom Felton), who, like many others of that time, was disgusted by the sight of her in such high society.

It is shocking to think that the injustice brought upon people of African heritage actually happened, their mistreatment was absolutely terrible, so it was reassuring that the movie allowed for the opportunity for the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle to be told. And it was executed in an absolutely flawless way.


The story is not just about Dido's place in society, and of her trying to find where she fit in, as she states in the movie "How may I be too high in rank to dine with the servants but too low to dine with my family?" but also focusses on the 'Zong case,' which is one of the most consequential cases to be brought before a court, as it was the mediator that started the abolishment of slave trading in Britain. The 'Zong Massacre' was in 1781, and (in brief), it involved the murder of slaves on a ship because they were diseased, and the traders thought they would earn more money to send the slaves overboard and to claim that it was due to not having enough water and sacrifices had to be made, as opposed to trying to sell diseased "merchandise." The Zong Massacre had just occurred in the duration of when the film is set, and Lord Mansfield was the judge to decide whether the insurance company should pay for the deaths. And this affected the relationship he had with Dido, who wanted to help prove that what happened was murder and that the insurance company shouldn't pay. And in the process, she becomes close to the man who wanted the slaves to find justice, John Davinier (Sam Reid), creating another complicated relationship between her and what society believes her future should hold.

One of the most powerful and moving scenes for me, was when Dido is looking at herself in the mirror and begins scratching and clawing at her skin, with such frustration and passion, that it makes your heart break watching.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and thought it so exquisite with it's attention to detail, both in story/ script, but also in the set and costumes. I highly recommend watching it, as it is based on a true story, and is so much more intricate in story lines and in relationships, which I haven't even touched on. For example, there is the sweet sisterly relationship Dido has with her cousin, as well as many others. It is an all star cast, and the acting is truly incredible.  It is a must see film.

Emotion- Eddy Sara

The other day, my friend and I went to a small gallery tucked away in an alleyway in North Melbourne, called Raglan Street Gallery, where we saw the artwork of local artist (well, local for us) Eddy Sara, and his exhibition 'Emotion.'

Inspired by the works of author and psychologist Abby Seixas, his interpretation was to explore the different emotions and how one would deal with them. It was a small display, but the artwork was interesting, as the artist was "aiming, through my artwork, to be playful, to comment on the world around me, to philosophise, to bring a smile to your lips or start some ripples in your mind. It is my job to start the sentence and your job, if you choose to except it, to finish it."


Eddy Sara's work allowed my friend and I to think about emotions in a different perspective. Each piece of work personified a different emotion (to some extent) and in the title, you could see the underlying message of hope that was present.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' written by April G. Tucholke, is a young adult gothic not-completely-horror novel, written in the voice of protagonist, seventeen year old girl Violet. Set in contemporary times, Tucholke has created an easy reading, yet "darkly romantic, and beautifully unsettling" (according to Marissa Marr) novel.

Violet and her twin brother, Luke are living in their family's mansion, both of their parents have gone to Europe to pursue their art. While they are gone, money is running out, so in order to afford the simple necessities, like groceries, Violet comes up with the idea of renting their guest house. And it so happens that a mysterious teenage boy, River West, turns up and moves in, and since his appearance, strange things begin happening in the town of Echo (where they live). A girl goes missing and the children say the Devil took her away. People are beginning to see monsters, and Violet begins to realise that River has something to do with it.

When I began the novel, I thought it was going to be just a mediocre read, however, I soon realised that my first impression was wrong. The first line is brilliantly spellbinding:

"You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand..."  

 I wasn't able to put the book down. Like Violet, I was captivated by River and the dark phenomenas that were occurring around the town. And I began to agree with Marissa Marr's comment that was on my book's cover. As the story progressed, even though I thought that character development could have been greater, the actual events that were occurring within the story, were growing darker and more terrifying and more gripping. And that was when I couldn't stop reading; my pulse rate was quickening and being so involved in the story, I didn't notice when it was 2am in the morning, until I jumped when the wind outside my bedroom window was blowing so loudly. (On the news report the next day, actually, I found out that the wind was travelling over 100km/hr, so no wonder it was loud and kept me up for the rest of the night) But while I was finishing 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,' I thought it perfectly set the atmosphere of this modern day gothic novel.

My rating: 7/10

Spread your wings

For this week's "Music Monday," I am going to be introducing the incredible song 

"Spread your wings" by Queen.

I absolutely love Queen, and in my opinion- despite Simple Plan and Green Day being my favourite bands- I think the greatest band of all time would be Queen (and The Beatles). Over the past month, I've been listening to their albums from the beginning, so an album a week. Last week I reached their sixth album 'News of the World,' which contains their famous songs "We will rock you" and "We are the champions." But despite these absolutely epic songs, the song that stood out to me most was "Spread your wings," written by John Deacon.

Last week was the first time I ever heard the complete album and also the first time I heard of that particular song. And I'm going to sound absolutely pathetic when I say, that it was a really magical experience, as my wonderful friend and I were listening to the original record on his turntable, while lying on the floor. And I know this is probably really sad of me, but I was so excited to be listening to an actual record, as I'm so used to listening to music on my iPod, but there is something so mesmerising about listening to a record.
Anyway, as soon as this song started to play, I closed my eyes and I didn't even realise that I was crying, because it was so beautiful and I couldn't believe that I never knew this song existed before then. And that is why I really want to share it with others, because it is such a sublime piece of music:

From page to screen: "How I live now"

'How I live now' by Meg Rosoff was one of my favourite novels when I was fourteen. I read it over and over again, drawn in by the utterly horrible scenario that she created. It was horrible, and so real; about Daisy, a fifteen year old girl who from New York who is sent to stay with her cousins in England, during which, the outbreak of World War Three takes place.

Although I loved the book so much, I have always been slightly disturbed by the fact that she falls in love with her cousin, Edmond. But there are many disturbing things about this books, like the war in itself and the terrible things that occur because of it. It is realistic in that aspect though, it brings a shocking reality of how many countries around the world have to live, by introducing  a fictitious conflict into a relatively peaceful country, which allows the reader to take a moment to reflect and truly imagine how real war is for thousands of innocents around the world. And that is what makes the book so powerful (and worth a read), which is kept in the movie.

I just watched the movie, and it seems darker than what I remember the story being from when I was fourteen. It may be because I'm older and understand what is happening more, or it may that now there is a visual prompt to make the whole story more poignant, or it could be that the film has indeed been written in a much darker way. The scene that affected me the most, and probably affected many other people, was when Daisy finds the pile of bodies at the 'boys camp,' and desperately going through each body bag to find Edmond.

In many ways, the film has remained true to the book; the themes are there. However, the characters have been altered slightly, for example, in the novel the cousins where: Osbert (who was the oldest sibling) who was cut from the movie, Edmond and his twin brother Isaac, (who in the film, Edmond is the eldest, while Isaac became the younger brother) and the little sister Piper (who has remained the same in the film). But despite the altercation of the family tree, I thought the film worked really well and allowed for the relationship between Daisy and Edmond- which is the 'Love conquers all' sort of relationship, that even though separated for the majority of novel and film, will find each other in the end- and the relationship between Daisy and Piper, who, when the family is separated, remain together and run away together to return back to their house and to reunite with Edmond.

With a cast of Saoirse Ronan (Daisy), George MacKay (Edmond), Tom Holland (Isaac) and Harley Bird (Piper), I was not disappointed with this film adaptation.

From page to screen: "The Fault in our Stars"

And finally, I have seen the movie 'The Fault in our Stars,' the adaptation of the much loved and treasured novel written by John Green. About a month back, I wrote a post about the book itself and expressed my absolute adoration to it and my excitement to eventually seeing the movie, and now the day had come and I was not disappointed.

Because this is a story that is so beautiful with a mass fan base, director Josh Boone would have had a hard job to try and satisfy the millions of readers, and luckily he realised the importance this book is to so many people. And the final result is certainly extraordinary; it was well cast, the story stuck true to the novel, the most beautiful lines were kept, and I think all audience members were moved by this film. It is one of my greatest fears that a film adaptation of one of my favourite books turns into an abused and mutilated version of what once was a great piece of literature, so it is a relief to be able to watch 'The Fault in our Stars' and be able to say that it was exactly how I imagined; a complete success.

Shailene Woodley plays the protagonist Hazel Grace Lancaster, and I can't think of anyone who could have played the role better. She became Hazel completely. The audience is drawn in by the narration that accompanies the visuals, which I thought was an enjoyable experience, as it allowed for us to follow her journey; feeling her struggles, joys, love, fears and anger alongside her. With the beginning and ending of the movie shot with her looking up at the sky telling us what happened in that "little infinity" that she shared with Augustus Waters, the film was shaped with much care and love.
Ansel Elgort was a wonderful Augustus; he was charming and- like the book- the audience instantly falls in love with him. The chemistry between the two actors was perfect, which is reflected in their performance when they are together; Augustus is gallant and says the most beautiful lines that make me cry each time I hear them:

"I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we are all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know that the sun swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you." 

And speaking of me crying, I was crying on and off throughout the movie, and I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one in the cinema to be tearing up. When watching a film for the first time, I get really absorbed into it, and the only thing that made me aware of the world that existed outside of the screen, was the sniffling of different audience members (me being one of them). And there is nothing wrong with crying, in fact, I think it would be impossible not to be touched by 'The Fault in our Stars:' both book and movie.


I loved it! So I thank Josh Boone, all the cast and crew for creating an enchanting film, but mostly to John Green, for writing one of the most beautiful novels of all time. In the words of Hazel Grace "I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity," a "little infinity" that is loved by so many and has left a mark in our lives, giving us a chance to fall in love "slowly, and then all at once."