MOVIE: Love Rosie

  

    Love Rosie is a film adaptation of the book Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern. Generally, the book is about the feelings between two best friends Alex and Rosie who just can't seem to find the right time to reveal their feelings and end up going in such different directions in their lives. Nevertheless, the love buried in their hearts never seemed to fade even when they were with other people and obviously they find their way back to each other.

   An issue that is actually quite important in the movie is teenage pregnancy and I'm glad that the movie was quite realistic with the plot. Rosie ends up pregnant after high school and this puts a stop to her dreams to study in America alongside Alex. Teenage pregnancy is usually an unwanted pregnancy and most teenage mothers usually give their children up for adoption due to the fact that the majority of the birth fathers do not stick around to assume responsibilities for their actions. The movie shows the reality of teenage pregnancy and how it affects the woman carrying the baby.

   Young pregnancy is an even more critical issue in countries like Malaysia because our country has strict cultural and religious views on sex compared to western countries. Teenage mothers in Malaysia are considered an embarrassment to society and are treated very badly by society.

   Even so, there is also a difference between the treatment of society towards children born out of wedlock in Malaysia and western countries. In countries like America or the United Kingdom a love child is not a big deal and are still treated equally because there are quite a few couples in such countries who have children without getting married. Thus, children born out of wedlock can live peacefully without feeling as if they have a heavy burden in their shoulders.

  In Malaysia, there are people who do not even want to marry a person if they found out that their future partners are born out of wedlock. They are seen as impure because their parents did not conceive them in the pure state of marriage. Children born in these conditions are even treated differently and some parents even forbid their children from associating with children born out of marriage.

   As a conclusion, teenage pregnancy is a major issue currently and shouldn't be taken lightly. When you find yourself pregnant when you aren't ready for a child, there are certain things that will change in your life and it won't be the same again. Either you embrace your future and make the best of it or continue denying your past mistakes and let your child be the victim. Your choice.

    SAM CLAFLIN AND LILY COLLINS 

Vocabulary: Week 2

1. Poignant- causing sadness or pity

The accident that occurred two years ago is a poignant memory that I do not like recall.

2. Meander- to have a lot of curves and bends

The meander road heading towards the village is rarely used since there is a simpler route.

3. Incorrigible- too bad to be corrected

His incorrigible behaviour has become so bad to the extent that most people refuse to communicate with him for fear of getting angry and losing hold of their patience.

4. Incite- to encourage somebody to do something by making them angry or excited

In the past, freedom fighters such as Soekarno have been thrown in jail with the accusation of incitement of violence among his more radical followers.

5. Increment- an increase in a number or amount

Wendy was interested in accepting the position offered by Fen Corp. due to the job offer including a high salary with annual increments.

MOVIE: HOW TO BE SINGLE

  If I were in the main character's position in the movie, I would realize that if someone were to just push me aside and throw me away in a blink of an eye, I would try hard not to let him back into my life. The heroin, Alice has been struggling to figure out what is going on in her life and how she should act when she is not in a relationship. She allows other people to push her around, turn her into something different without even her realizing. I would like to think that if I were in her place, I would do my best to stay true to myself and not let others define me just because they think they can. However, I know that things are ALWAYS easier said than done. That's why I hope my friends will be there for me and tell me when I start changing, so that at the very least, I would know that I've changed. In the movie, Alice's friend, Robin told her in simpler words, that she was always changing herself for the man she was with and when she was in a relationship, she was boring and mindless. It might be unfair for her to say that after the fact since she did not attempt to make her realize this during any period Alice was in a relationship.

   An issue I think should be discussed about is the assumption that single people are unwanted, thus lonely. It might be the case, but it also might mean that a person might just prefer to take time for themselves to reevaluate what they want and who they are. When in a relationship, a person will most certainly make changes for their partner and vice versa. Its a very important aspect in maintaining a good relationship. However, when you find yourself out of a relationship I think it would be a good idea to look back at yourself and decide whether you like the person you've become. If not, then who do you want to be? Once you figure that out, you'll be able to realize what you really want to do in your life. Its incredible how being single is perceived as negative even though the majority of people in the world are actually single. Research conducted by Gallup shows that 60% of women and 68% of men are single and unattached. So, why would we call a single person lonely when there are so many single people in the world?

  By the way, I love Rebel Wilson and I really liked Dakota Johnson in the movie. I also appreciated the message, ITS OKAY TO BE SINGLE. Take the time for yourself and don't spend your single time looking for other people to be happy. Find it in yourself to make yourself happy without the presence of others. :D

       

 

VOCABULARY: Week 1

 1.Baloney- nonsense; lies

 Don't give me all that baloney, everyone knows you cheated on the test!

2. Anagram- a word or phrase that is arranged to create a different word or phrase

Throw is an anagram of worth.

3. Accredited- officially recognized or approved

The accounting course in Brinsflen College is fully accredited. 

4. Proximity- the state of being near to somebody or something in distance or time

Andy, a Down-Syndrome patient, has difficulty allowing others to be in close proximity with him at any times.

5. Provisional- likely to change in the future

These two weeks will only be a provisional period for him to be a member of the club if he fails to prove himself.

MOVIE: A Brilliant Young Mind

  Before beginning the review, I just wanted to state that I love the actor who played Nathan, Asa Butterfield. He also played Ender in the sci-fi movie, Ender's Game.

 One issue discussed by the movie is the complexity and challenges faced by an autistic child. The main character, Nathan is an autistic child and on top of his disease, he is also faced by the problems of the average teenager. These problems include peer pressure, relationships and family issues.

   An autistic child has a very complex mind and is also very fragile. The way they think is very different and is on a different level compared to the average human. That level may be above average or below average. Even so, they are still people who have to face problems similar to normal human beings. The way they deal with these problems may be different due to the absolute fact that they are autistic.

  In Nathan's case, he has been extremely affected by his father's death but due to his autism, he deals with the tragic death very differently. While others tend to be closer to family members when facing a death, Nathan has distanced himself from his mother even though his mother is in dire need of comfort from her only son. This may be because he has difficulty understanding other people's emotions and how other people's behavior may actually imply a different meaning.

   An average teenager is also plagued by feelings of attraction towards the opposite gender. Although Nathan is not an average teenager, he is still affected and very significantly influenced by his feelings towards Jhiang Mei, a girl from China. He is confused by the feelings he has never experienced before and is unable to identify what it is even though he senses the changes in himself due to these emotion. This influence is proven when he is willing to hold hands and communicate with Jhiang Mei even though he was strongly unwilling to make any form of body contact or communication in the past.

  Peer pressure also plays a major role in this issue. Peer pressure has succeeded in affecting almost every teenager worldwide. A person may feel the need to conform to what people in his surroundings do with the sole reason to fit in and to be considered a part of the community. Nathan has problems with understanding his peers and therefore has difficulty to be a part of them. He does not conform to what all other children his age are like. It is not the issue of him being unwilling. The issue at hand is that he is unaware of what to conform to and how he should behave in order to be accepted by his peers due to his autism. Proof of this is that he is clearly seen eating alone at recess every day and unable to communicate properly with his schoolmates.

  I am extremely interested to know more about the way an autistic person thinks and how they perceive love and friendship. They have a different way thinking and I believe that this may not be a bad thing.

Beginnings, Endings and Everything in Between

Here's to starting new things and trying to be a better person than we were even a second ago.