Book: Salt by Nayyirah Waheed

 ★★★/★★★★★

even the small poems mean something. they are often
whales in the bodies of tiny fish.

Well, it took me a long time to finally get around this book but now I know why a lot of people loved it.

This poetry collection is beautiful but it hurts at the same time. It touches the subject like racism, sexism and those are difficult but important topics. Some pieces hit me hard but some I just didn't connect with.

you
are
your
own
standard of
beauty.
–– mirror work

knowing your power
is what creates
humility.
not knowing your power
is what creates
insecurity.
–– ego

Sad Song by We The Kings ♫♪

It was 2013 when We The Kings released the album Somewhere Somehow and it's probably one of the best albums ever! I love all the songs but my favorite is Sad Song. Several days ago, the band released a music video for Sad Song and I tell you, it's beautiful!!

 

You and I,

We're like fireworks and symphonies exploding in the sky.
With you, I'm alive
Like all the missing pieces of my heart, they finally collide.

So stop time right here in the moonlight,
'Cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes.

Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song.
I'm just a sad song.

With you I fall.
It's like I'm leaving all my past in silhouettes upon the wall.
With you I'm a beautiful mess.
It's like we're standing hand in hand with all our fears upon the edge.

So stop time right here in the moonlight,
'Cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes.

Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song.

You're the perfect melody,
The only harmony
I wanna hear.
You're my favorite part of me,
With you standing next to me,
I've got nothing to fear.

Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song.

Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song.
I'm just a sad song. 

-azlyrics

Book: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion

★★★/★★★★★

“I asked you here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

The Rosie Project had been sitting on my TBR for years now and I'm just glad I was finally able to get around it. It's one of those book I read at night, on my bed, before sleeping, which made me smile and sometimes giggle. The first hundred pages were a slow read for me, but enough to entertain and get me glued to the story.

Don Tillman, an Associate Professor of genetics, is looking for a suitable life partner and thinks that the best way to find one is to create a questionnaire. He's socially challenged, awkward around people and lets logic rule his life rather than emotions. Certain that he'll be able to find the perfect wife using the questionnaire, he starts handing them out, posting them on sites and attending speed-dating. He also turns to his friend Gene, a Psychology Professor, for help since he's experienced when it comes to human relationships. Then one day, Don meets Rosie, a strong-minded and cheeky girl who is his exact opposite. Rosie smokes, is always late, drinks like a man and is totally unsuitable for him but something about her makes Don wants to spend time with her.

“I haven’t changed my mind. That’s the point! I want to spend my life with you even though it’s totally irrational. And you have short earlobes. Socially and genetically there’s no reason for me to be attracted to you. The only logical conclusion is that I must be in love with you.” 

This book is actually charming and I don't hate Don but sometimes he annoyed me. I mean, yes, he's socially awkward and all but his actions are sometimes too frustrating! But despite that, I like that he recognizes his talents and uses them. He's smart, logical and though he's a creature of habit, he's willing to change and he tries after meeting Rosie.

“Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others.”


I liked a lot of things about this book but I think I wasn't smitten by it. It was a fun read, the characters are endearing but the plot is somewhat predictable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book. There were times I felt like the story was dragged but nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book. I also read that it has a sequel but I think I'm putting that one aside for now.

TV Series: The Blacklist (2013) Season 2

★★★★/★★★★★

Main Characters: 
James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington
Megan Boone as FBI Special Agent Elizabeth "Liz" Keen
Diego Klattenhoff as FBI Special Agent Donald Ressler
Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen
Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper
Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai
Mozhan Marno as Samar Navabi

The second season continues with Reddington still hunting down Berlin and Liz trying to find out what's her connection with Reddington. And now that Liz knows who Tom really is, she goes through the process of their annulment.

Liz and the FBI, whether they like it or not, also cooperate with Reddington because he keeps on giving them names from the blacklist. Reddington helps them through his connections but of course he's doing it because he knew he can gain from it. They also introduce us to a new character, Samar Navabi. 

I'm loving this series more and more as it continues. The story keeps on getting better and I can't wait to find out what Reddington's real connection with Liz is. I really think he's her father but who knows.

And now that Tom is out of the picture, can I hope for Liz and Ressler to have a little romance? I just love them both and I want them together. :)

But of course, Liz can't let go of Tom that's why when everyone thought that Tom is already after Liz shot him last season, it turned out that Liz actually saved him and kept him somewhere to interrogate. Now because of him, Liz is facing a murder charge she didn't really commit. It was Tom who killed the harbormaster but now Liz will pay for it. Knowing that only Tom can save her, Reddington and Ressler join forces to find Tom so he can clean Liz's name. I prefer Tom gone but then he's the only one who can save Liz and of course him being back means getting close with Liz again. Ugh! 

Anyway, towards the end of the season Liz and Tom have a little romance which sucks because I was really rooting for Ressler to have something with Liz. Tom also reveals to Liz what his connection with Reddington is. It makes Liz furious and now she wants nothing to do with Reddington until he gets shot. 

The fulcrum is another story in which I think why Reddington is protecting Liz. On one episode, it was revealed that Liz has something that Reddington and his enemies want. It's the fulcrum which later in the season revealed as a device hidden inside of Liz's stuffed rabbit. 

Ending the season, Liz is framed with the murder of a Senator. It's a really crazy season and the last episode made everyone wonder what would happen to Liz now that she's a fugitive.

TV Series: Hostages (2013)

★★★/★★★★★

Main Characters:

Toni Collette as Dr. Ellen Sanders

Dylan McDermott as FBI Special Agent Duncan Carlisle

Tate Donovan as Brian Sanders

Quinn Shepard as Morgan Sanders

Mateus Ward as Jake Sanders

Billy Brown as Archer Petit

Sandrine Holt as Sandrine Renault

Rhys Coiro as Kramer Delaney

James Naughton as President Paun Kincaid

Plot:

Dr. Ellen Sanders' family is taken hostage the night before she is scheduled to perform a surgery on President Paul Kincaid. The kidnappers led by a rouge FBI agent, Duncan Carlisle, orders Dr. Sanders to assassinate the president during the surgery in exchange of the freedom of her family.

The plot of the series is what got me to watch this one. It's intriguing and I like the suspense it gives to the audience. At first I was having a hard time understanding the characters but as the story progresses, everything that's happening starts to makes sense. Why Duncan chose Dr. Sanders, why they want the president dead, for whom they're doing that and everything else. And like most thrilling series that make you want to jump inside the story so you can tell the characters what to do, this one has some scenes where you want to grab the characters and redo what they just did. But I guess it's just normal to have some stupid characters/scenes and pot holes in the story. 

I also love Dylan McDermott that's why I watched this one but the other actors were not that good. Their acting was poor which lessen the series' appeal.

KDrama: I Hear Your Voice 2013

Main Characters:

Lee Jong-suk as Park Soo-ha

Lee Bo-young as Lawyer Jang Hye-sung

Yoon Sang-hyun as Cha Gwan-woo

Lee Da-hee as Prosecutor So Do-yeon

 First of all, I want to say that I loved this drama! Lee Jong suk and Lee Bo young are two of my favorite actors and seeing them together in one drama is a dream come true! 

I Hear Your Voice is the kind of drama you watch over and over again without ever getting bored. The story is a mixture of drama, comedy, thriller, fantasy, mystery and romance, oh my god the romance! It centers on the life of Park Soo ha who had witnessed his father's murder when he was a child and Jang Hye jung who had also witnessed the murder and corroborated Soo ha's story in court. Their lives change when they meet again ten years after the incident. Soo ha is now in high school and Hye sung is now an apathetic public defender who doesn't care about her clients and only does her job for the salary. Soo ha, meeting Hye sung again, gets disappointed of what she's become because she's so different from what he's expected. At first, Hye sung didn't recognize him but there comes a point when Soo ha has to tell her who he really is.

Young Soo ha comforting Hye sung after she testified in court. It was also when Soo ha's crush/admiration on her started and he promised that he will protect her.

The story picks up as Soo ha and Hye sung work together on Hye sung's cases with the help of Soo ha's mind-reading ability that he gained after witnessing his father's murder. As time goes by, Hye sung also becomes more sincere on handling her cases and starts to put her heart on it, making Soo ha fall for her even more. There's also Lawyer Cha who is gentle and geeky and who uses his idealism and empathy on solving his cases. He is a good lawyer and later on will fall in love with Hye sung too.

It continues as the three of them work together on different cases and as the murderer of Soo ha's father eventually shows up again. It's when the suspense and thrill happen. And as they fight their legal cases, they also deal with their personal problems. Another character in the drama is So Do yeon who was the other girl who had also witnessed the murder of Soo ha's father. She wasn't as brave as Hye sung so she didn't testify against Min Joon gook, the murderer. But when Joon gook appears again, Do yeon's beliefs change and now wants to do what she should've done ten years ago. 

From the beginning, Hye sung and Do yeon were enemies but as they work together in revealing and preserving the truth, they began to forgive each other. 

What I loved the most about this drama are the characters. I strongly believed that Lee Jong suk gave justice to his character and the other actors were great as well. The plot and twist were also perfectly made! Now this drama is definitely on my top 5 favorites! 

[Screencaps]

 This is when Hye sung goes to Soo ha's school to gather information for a case she's working on and Soo ha lends her a hand on using the computer. ke ke.

 It was funny when Hye sung thought that Soo ha was the one who was calling her and in fact told him that she knew that he liked her and that he should stop now because he and she would never happen for he is a high school student and she is a lawyer. It was so embarrassing that she had to cover her eyes as she made her escape.

Soo ha: Who likes whom?

Hye sung: You. Me.

 I loved it everytime Hye sung took care of Soo ha because she was always hard on him but deep inside she also cared for him.

Another thing I loved about this drama is the chemistry between Jong suk and Bo young. Aren't they adorable together? :")

And now more of PARK SOO HA and JANG HYE SUNG!

Hye sung thought Soo ha was asking for a kiss so she kissed her hand and pressed it on Soo ha's cheek. HAHA xD

 There are more...

Can't they be more adorable?

I remember this kiss and our reaction when we watched it. We were like, "It's only touch lips" but then Jong suk's mouth opened and then the real kiss happened. HAHAHA. What a good kisser Jong suk is.

Soo ha in a suit is Mmmmm.

This scene was when Soo ha finally went to the aquarium with Hye sung. When he invited her there, I knew something was going to happen and true enough, Soo ha said his goodbye to Hye sung (though Hye sung didn't really realize it). But before that, he told her not to make Lawyer Cha wait any longer because she liked him too that's why she was having a hard time. He then turned to go but Hye sung called out to him, trailing off, unable to finish what she was about to say and instead saying 'thank you' and 'to study hard'. Soo ha just stood there for a while, contemplating whether to go or stay and just before he changed his mind, he turned back to Hye sung saying "There’s one more thing you don’t know." and then ohmygodohmygod, he kissed her! :)

And then the plot twist happened. Soo ha disappeared from some time and when he was found again, he had lost all his memories and his ability to read minds so when he was accused of murder, he can't even help himself. But thankfully Hye sung was there for him.


Have I mentioned that I adore Hye sung and Soo ha? And on this scene I loved them more than ever!
Here, Soo ha already lost his memories but after finding his journal that tells everything about Hye sung, he finally concluded that he liked Hye sung and he also figured out why Hye sung cared for him that much. He went to confess his feelings but Hye sung rejected him, telling him they can't date because of so many reasons blah blah! But of course Soo ha didn't give up and waited for her. I really loved this scene because for the first time, Hye sung finally admitted that she liked Soo ha, too. And I liked the reversal of things, Soo ha losing his memories but still feeling the same way towards Hye sung and Hye sung now liking him, because it just showed that no matter what, they will always fall back to each other. Soo ha will always care and protect Hye sung and Hye sung, no matter how much she denies it, will always care for Soo ha. Gah, too much feels on this episode! :")

Hye sung: It doesn’t make any sense, but… I think I like that kid.

And in hard times, Hye sung was there for Soo ha. :")

 

 Soo ha: When no one else will take my side, you’re the one who will.

 
 Even when Soo ha didn't remember her, even when he can't remember anything about his past, Hye sung stayed by his side, protecting him.






 After a while, Soo ha finally regained his memories, running to meet Hye sung but not telling her about it.

Soo ha: Do you still hate me?
Hye sung: Yes.
Hye sung’s Brain: No. I like you.
Soo ha: Do you want me to go?
Hye sung: Yes.
Hye sung’s Brain: No. I want to ask you to stay with me.

It was hard when Hye sung said something that was opposite of what she really wanted to say but good thing Soo ha can read what was really on her mind.

“In that moment your lips were telling lies, but your eyes were telling the truth. Your eyes were saying the thing I so badly wanted to hear for eleven years… but to stay by your side, I had to pretend not to hear those words.”

 For not telling her that his memories had come back already, Hye sung got mad at Soo ha. She avoided and ignored him for a night that it made Soo ha feel so bad. When morning came, Soo ha apologized and told Hye sung, “I won’t ever look at your eyes again, ever. You can just use my eyes in court. And if… you don’t want that either… if you never want to see me again… I’ll do that too. Just let me stay by your side until Min Joon-gook is caught.” Uhh, what a martyr Soo ha was.

 But of course, Hye sung can't afford to get mad at him for too long so when Soo ha said he'd just come back to pick her up after work, Hye sung finally faced him and told him what she really felt.

“I like you, Soo ha. As a dongseng, as a friend, and… as a man.”

This next scene was also hilarious! It was when Hye sung didn't know how else to hide her feelings for Soo ha. At first Soo ha thought that she was thinking of awful and hurtful things towards him but when he finally read what was on her mind, it was the opposite. Hye sung was actually panicking because she can't stop feeling those things towards Soo ha anymore. I guess she was already deeply in love with him by that time and the only thing she can do to prevent him from knowing it was to cover her eyes. Tsk! It was funny and cute at the same time because Soo ha kept on teasing Hye sung.

Every character has his story and towards the end, we got to hear Min Joon gook's side of story. He told us the reason why he killed Soo ha's father and it actually teared me up. Of course he had his reason but he shouldn't have put justice into his own hands. 

What he did was wrong but I somehow understand why Joon gook did it. Being penniless and feeling like he didn't have a chance to get justice, he put matters into his own hands just so he can tell himself that he at least did something. And I can say that sometimes justice doesn't work the way we want it to especially when we're penniless and no one listens to us. It's sad but it's the truth.

Overall, it was a really good drama! From the beginning to the end, I loved every episode. Now we go back to Hye sung and Soo ha. :")

 Soo ha and Hye sung fought their battles together whether they bring harm or not, in pain and in bed. Tsk.

Their Happy Ending.

I hope you enjoy this drama as much as I did! :)

THE END.

 ♥