My current goals as a writer are to be more creative, captivating, emotional, and productive. I want to be able to approach subjects in a variety of ways. I feel as if my writing is "flat"; there is no shift in mood from the beginning to the end. I even find myself getting bored while looking over my blog posts. I am envious of how bestselling authors are able to get the attention of millions of readers by writing about things that no one have ever thought about. I want to use my writing to express my emotions, but I often find that it is easier to use physical actions as an outlet. When I choose a topic or am given a prompt, I usually take long periods of time to finish. Since the blog post criteria has been raised, I have been struggling to produce 500 words. I have difficulty forming paragraphs since I have to think of more topic sentence and elaborate on them.
The purpose of my blog is to record all the aspects of my life that I have chosen to share. I write this blog mainly for my English class because it is a requirement. I would have never gotten or used one on my own. Even though, I write this blog for school, I also write it for myself. My blog holds alot of treasure memories in each post. In the future, I will be able to look back and think how far that I have come and how I have changed as a writer and as a person in general. I am not sure what topics I will write about for the last quarter of this school year and I don't plan to think too hard about it. With so many things happening daily, I am sure something of interest will pop up. Even though I do not know what I will write about, I do have expectations; I want to write about events that have impact even though I am not sure what they would be. In my posts I realized that most of the stuff that I write about, especially anime, are meaningless.
My goals for the next school year is to do better academically. The classes that I signed up for are 0 period Spanish 3, English 3P, Ap Physics, Ap Calculus, Ap US History, and Contemporary dance. I accidentally signed up for physiology to fill in the extra spot in my schedule, but I realized later on that I can only take one science class. For my alternative electives I chose psychology, careers in heath, and I forgot the other one that I picked. I'm kind of worried that I will not be able to handle the course load toughness, but at the same time I want that challenge in order to polish my diligence and studying skills.
This past year I have spent too much time watching anime. All the hours that I wasted could have been used for meaningful work. Next year, I plan to participate in more clubs. I enjoyed all the community service that I have done with the Red Cross this past year and I want to be able to do even more. I am very excited and hopeful for the 2010-2011 school year and will try hard to make the best of it.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Lovely Bones Book Review
What was the author's purpose in writing the book? How can you tell? How well was the purpose achieved?
Alice Seabold's purpose in writing The Lovely Bones is share her portrayal of heaven, warn others that tragedies do exist, and to give hope to those that have been inflicted with pain from the death of a loved one. George Harvey is put in t he story to caution others of dangerous predators. She shows that there are those kinds of people out there that appear innocent, but are actually criminals or murderers. Children, especially, should be aware of of strangers.
There is a twist in Seabold's heaven compared to most people's imagination of heaven. Most people believe that heaven is a place with God and all the other descriptions of it that are written in the Bible. In Susie's heaven you can look down upon Earth anytime, continuing to be with your loved ones as as they live their daily lives. Also, she does not mention a hell. Seabold probably believes either that humans are ultimate good and are undeserving of eternal suffering, a hell does not exist, or that people that are generally considered moral go to heaven.
In the quote, it is clear of the meaning of the title. Even though tragedies are unavoidable, she hopes that the victims will be able to see a new light and hope for the future. Though Susie's bones and memories of her were symbols of heartache, they were able to result in something good. Through her death, her family and friends depended on each other for support and new relationships were formed. Ruth and Ray, who were loners found friendship with one another. Lindsey leaned on Samuel's shoulder and eventually were engaged. In the end, both the one in heaven and those on Earth learned to let go of each other. Though the story started out horrifically, it was able to end beautifully.
I think that her purposes were well achieved. I think that if someone who has just gone through a mourning period and read this, he would feel less burdened. He would have hope that his loved one is in a better place. Also, thinking that he are being watched by that loved one he would strive to live his life to the fullest in attempt to make that person happy.
Pick a character that interested you. Describe the character in depth.
In my opinion, the most interesting character in the story is Abigail Salmon. She represents how a typical person would respond to the death of a loved one. Being a mother, Susie's death must have affected her the most. To know that the child that came out of her body, that she nurtured, and gave the best to is gone was devastatingly painful. It was a scar that could never heal even with time. She falsely believes that by running away, her problems will vanish into thin air. She takes radical action in traveling thousands of miles to the West Coast to escape what haunts her.
Though I did not understand while I was reading this, there appears to be something intriguing about her. Jack calls her "Ocean eyes", not because they are blue, but because once you look into them you seem to drown in emotion. I wonder what she has or experienced that cause her eyes to arouse such feelings in others. While Susie was playing with her camera one day, she captures a picture of her mother sitting on the porch. Susie realizes that her mom looks different; for the first time she looks like Abigail. That means that she normally puts up a mask to not reveal her true self.
Abigail Salmon stirred my emotions by making me angry while I was reading. I could not help but feel disapproval towards her. She has an affair with Len Fenerman using pain to justify her actions. She later returns to her husband without ever telling him of her involvement with the police officer. She also leaves her children for seven years, not taking on the responsibilities as a mother. Her immoral behaviors, though not as extreme as Mr. Harvey's, made her stand out among the other characters.
What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
Though this book is a national bestseller, it has failed to meet my high expectations. It is unable to capture my attention. I was only interested in the first chapter where the murder takes place and then the rest of the book was a drag. I had to force myself to continue; once I actually fell asleep while reading it. Seabold puts in too many unnecessary details that do nothing, but make the story longer. Susie, the main character is not given enough action either; all she ever does is sit at the gazebo and gaze down upon Earth.
Even though Seabold puts a twist in the story, I think that there are parts that are unrealistic. Since the story seemed to be a rational one that could possibly happen in real life, I think that the idea of having Susie return to Earth in Ruth's body is awkward. It is also useless because all she does is make love with Ray; she does not even communicate with her family. The parts where Ruth sees spirits leaving Earth and writing down the descriptions in her diary was weird. It made me think that Ruth was insane.
Though the story begins with suspense, the ending is a flop disappointment. It is not anywhere near what I had expected. I had imagined a scene where the police officers are restraining Mr. Harvey and handcuffing him after finding solid evidence against him. They bring him to the Salmon's house where he is interrogated for his crimes. He confesses of his methods of killing his victims. The sirens attract neighbors that surround the house. In the end though, Mr, Harvey dies by falling on an icicle. That was a pathetic death. Though karma gets him, his one life does not compensate for all those that he had taken.
Alice Seabold's purpose in writing The Lovely Bones is share her portrayal of heaven, warn others that tragedies do exist, and to give hope to those that have been inflicted with pain from the death of a loved one. George Harvey is put in t he story to caution others of dangerous predators. She shows that there are those kinds of people out there that appear innocent, but are actually criminals or murderers. Children, especially, should be aware of of strangers.
There is a twist in Seabold's heaven compared to most people's imagination of heaven. Most people believe that heaven is a place with God and all the other descriptions of it that are written in the Bible. In Susie's heaven you can look down upon Earth anytime, continuing to be with your loved ones as as they live their daily lives. Also, she does not mention a hell. Seabold probably believes either that humans are ultimate good and are undeserving of eternal suffering, a hell does not exist, or that people that are generally considered moral go to heaven.
"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connection- sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at a great cost, but often magnificent- after I was gone." (p363)
In the quote, it is clear of the meaning of the title. Even though tragedies are unavoidable, she hopes that the victims will be able to see a new light and hope for the future. Though Susie's bones and memories of her were symbols of heartache, they were able to result in something good. Through her death, her family and friends depended on each other for support and new relationships were formed. Ruth and Ray, who were loners found friendship with one another. Lindsey leaned on Samuel's shoulder and eventually were engaged. In the end, both the one in heaven and those on Earth learned to let go of each other. Though the story started out horrifically, it was able to end beautifully.
I think that her purposes were well achieved. I think that if someone who has just gone through a mourning period and read this, he would feel less burdened. He would have hope that his loved one is in a better place. Also, thinking that he are being watched by that loved one he would strive to live his life to the fullest in attempt to make that person happy.
Pick a character that interested you. Describe the character in depth.
In my opinion, the most interesting character in the story is Abigail Salmon. She represents how a typical person would respond to the death of a loved one. Being a mother, Susie's death must have affected her the most. To know that the child that came out of her body, that she nurtured, and gave the best to is gone was devastatingly painful. It was a scar that could never heal even with time. She falsely believes that by running away, her problems will vanish into thin air. She takes radical action in traveling thousands of miles to the West Coast to escape what haunts her.
Though I did not understand while I was reading this, there appears to be something intriguing about her. Jack calls her "Ocean eyes", not because they are blue, but because once you look into them you seem to drown in emotion. I wonder what she has or experienced that cause her eyes to arouse such feelings in others. While Susie was playing with her camera one day, she captures a picture of her mother sitting on the porch. Susie realizes that her mom looks different; for the first time she looks like Abigail. That means that she normally puts up a mask to not reveal her true self.
Abigail Salmon stirred my emotions by making me angry while I was reading. I could not help but feel disapproval towards her. She has an affair with Len Fenerman using pain to justify her actions. She later returns to her husband without ever telling him of her involvement with the police officer. She also leaves her children for seven years, not taking on the responsibilities as a mother. Her immoral behaviors, though not as extreme as Mr. Harvey's, made her stand out among the other characters.
What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
Though this book is a national bestseller, it has failed to meet my high expectations. It is unable to capture my attention. I was only interested in the first chapter where the murder takes place and then the rest of the book was a drag. I had to force myself to continue; once I actually fell asleep while reading it. Seabold puts in too many unnecessary details that do nothing, but make the story longer. Susie, the main character is not given enough action either; all she ever does is sit at the gazebo and gaze down upon Earth.
Even though Seabold puts a twist in the story, I think that there are parts that are unrealistic. Since the story seemed to be a rational one that could possibly happen in real life, I think that the idea of having Susie return to Earth in Ruth's body is awkward. It is also useless because all she does is make love with Ray; she does not even communicate with her family. The parts where Ruth sees spirits leaving Earth and writing down the descriptions in her diary was weird. It made me think that Ruth was insane.
Though the story begins with suspense, the ending is a flop disappointment. It is not anywhere near what I had expected. I had imagined a scene where the police officers are restraining Mr. Harvey and handcuffing him after finding solid evidence against him. They bring him to the Salmon's house where he is interrogated for his crimes. He confesses of his methods of killing his victims. The sirens attract neighbors that surround the house. In the end though, Mr, Harvey dies by falling on an icicle. That was a pathetic death. Though karma gets him, his one life does not compensate for all those that he had taken.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Lovely Bones #3
Finally! I am finished with this book! It took a lot of effort because it was so boring. Alice Seabold puts unnecessary details that make the story draggy. When I am reading I think to myself, " Just hurry up and get to the part where Mr. Harvey is arrested!"
This part took me by surprise. While I was reading, I wondered if Susie would ever be able to see her family again and then this happens. Susie's spirit is inside Ruth's body. However, it is only for a short period of time until she is forced to be among the dead again. Even though it was only for a while, I think it satisfied her longing of earth. I expected that she would call her parents and tell them the details of Mr. Harvey, but all she did was spend time with Ray and make a phone call to Buckley. Susie is always looking down upon Earth which makes me wonder if their are spirits surrounding me wherever I go. This gives me a feeling of self-consciousness and goosebumps.
This was the moment that I was waiting for since the chapter "Snapshots" between Chapters sixteen and seventeen. When Susie's mom left the family to go to New Hampshire and then to California, I had a feeling of disapproval towards her. She goes back to her husband without ever confessing that she had an affair with Len Fenerman. She leaves her children for seven years, not doing her duty as a mother.
I had imagined a big scene in the end with the police restraining Mr. Harvey and taking him to the Salmon's house. They would curse at him and grieve for Susie. My hunches were wrong though. His death turned out to be a quiet one. Karma got him in a way, but I think that he got off too easily considering he was only paying one life for all those that he had taken.
How were you expecting the story to end? Were you satisfied with the ending?
"Then suddenly, Franny and Holiday were gone...I came to realize that the marvelous weight weighing me down was the weight of the human body."(p342)
This part took me by surprise. While I was reading, I wondered if Susie would ever be able to see her family again and then this happens. Susie's spirit is inside Ruth's body. However, it is only for a short period of time until she is forced to be among the dead again. Even though it was only for a while, I think it satisfied her longing of earth. I expected that she would call her parents and tell them the details of Mr. Harvey, but all she did was spend time with Ray and make a phone call to Buckley. Susie is always looking down upon Earth which makes me wonder if their are spirits surrounding me wherever I go. This gives me a feeling of self-consciousness and goosebumps.
"But as she walked forward into the room, everyone else- her so, her daughter, her mother- fell way... She held his hand and cried silently, letting the tears come freely. " Hello ocean eyes," he said."(p305-306)
This was the moment that I was waiting for since the chapter "Snapshots" between Chapters sixteen and seventeen. When Susie's mom left the family to go to New Hampshire and then to California, I had a feeling of disapproval towards her. She goes back to her husband without ever confessing that she had an affair with Len Fenerman. She leaves her children for seven years, not doing her duty as a mother.
"a moment later the icicle fell. The heavy coldness of it threw him off balance just enough for him to stumble and pitch forward. It would be weeks before the snow in the ravine melted enough to uncover him." (p371)
I had imagined a big scene in the end with the police restraining Mr. Harvey and taking him to the Salmon's house. They would curse at him and grieve for Susie. My hunches were wrong though. His death turned out to be a quiet one. Karma got him in a way, but I think that he got off too easily considering he was only paying one life for all those that he had taken.
How were you expecting the story to end? Were you satisfied with the ending?
Friday, March 19, 2010
summer and next school year are approaching
As the days are getting hotter and the third quarter is ending, I'm starting to think about what classes I want to take next year. Some people have already gotten called down by their counselors. I want to get called down soon and see what classes are recommended for me. The schedule that I had mentally planned out in my head were 0 period Spanish 3, AP Calculus, English 3, APES or AP physics,and regular US history. I don't know what to take for my electives. Art is boring, I already took Current Life, and for dance I don't know how to choreograph a dance to teach the class without a partner. I am not interested in many of the electives that are offered.
I also started thinking about my plans for summer break even though its not that close to the end of the school year. Even though summer is suppose to be a time of relaxation, I want to take classes at Laney College. I plan to take Chinese 2 since I took Chinese 1 last summer. I also want to take Japanese, but it's kind of a hassle having to get a transcript. I had planned to take it last summer, but the lady at the administration's office told me that I would not be able the workload for both classes. In the end, I wished I never agreed with her that I would not be able to keep up. The Chinese class turned out to be one of the easiest classes that I ever took and the homework only took 5 minutes.
The reasons that I want to learn and improve in languages is because it helps me learn more about a certain culture. Being Chinese, I think that it is appropriate that I know my native language. I have had a good experience learning Spanish at school. With the vocabulary words that I learned I can read some store signs that I pass by on my way to my grandma's house; I feel less clueless while looking at foreign words. This makes me feel bad for immigrants that don't know the English language. I wonder how they communicate in a place where everyone speaks English and they can get easily tricked.
During the summer, I like to go on vacation. I love visiting new places because it broadens my world. The past years I have gone to LA and Florida. This year, I know that I will not be going on a trip because my sister told me that we cannot afford it due to the declining economy. But even if we could afford it, I won't be able to go out of the country which is what I really want to do. Having my parent's consent for permission to go out of the country would be a hassle since my dad is all the way in China and my mom is ill. I still hope that summer at home will be enjoyable and so will the next school year that is arriving at such a fast pace.
I also started thinking about my plans for summer break even though its not that close to the end of the school year. Even though summer is suppose to be a time of relaxation, I want to take classes at Laney College. I plan to take Chinese 2 since I took Chinese 1 last summer. I also want to take Japanese, but it's kind of a hassle having to get a transcript. I had planned to take it last summer, but the lady at the administration's office told me that I would not be able the workload for both classes. In the end, I wished I never agreed with her that I would not be able to keep up. The Chinese class turned out to be one of the easiest classes that I ever took and the homework only took 5 minutes.
The reasons that I want to learn and improve in languages is because it helps me learn more about a certain culture. Being Chinese, I think that it is appropriate that I know my native language. I have had a good experience learning Spanish at school. With the vocabulary words that I learned I can read some store signs that I pass by on my way to my grandma's house; I feel less clueless while looking at foreign words. This makes me feel bad for immigrants that don't know the English language. I wonder how they communicate in a place where everyone speaks English and they can get easily tricked.
During the summer, I like to go on vacation. I love visiting new places because it broadens my world. The past years I have gone to LA and Florida. This year, I know that I will not be going on a trip because my sister told me that we cannot afford it due to the declining economy. But even if we could afford it, I won't be able to go out of the country which is what I really want to do. Having my parent's consent for permission to go out of the country would be a hassle since my dad is all the way in China and my mom is ill. I still hope that summer at home will be enjoyable and so will the next school year that is arriving at such a fast pace.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Lovely Bones #2
The book continues to have many boring parts like the first eight chapters. Since the story is told from Susie's perspective, I expected that she would be more involved in the story, but all the action revolves around her family and friends on Earth. The story is getting less draggy though with Mr. Harvey mentioned more now; I feel as though it is getting closer to the climax of Susie's family proving that Mr. Harvey is the murderer. I was horrified by " Inside the house, my sister was the only living being, but she was not alone... I stood in heaven. I called there names... Jackie Meyer. Delaware, 1967. Thirteen... Flora Hernandez. Delaware, 1963. Eight..." (p205) Mr. Harvey had killed six girls and also animals in the neighbors. He must be discreet to have gotten away everytime.
This book expresses immoral events that happen daily around the world. Susie's mom cheats on her husband with Len Fenerman, a police officer that is mainly in charge of Susie's case. Even though she was in pain, it does not justify what she did. Mr. Harvey is a serial killer, who not only kills Susie, but a whole bunch of girls from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Lindsey has sex with Samuel even though she is still in Junior High.
"But he stopped. He saw her running toward the elderberry. The silk-screened number on her back screamed out at him. 5! 5! 5! Lindsey Salmon in her soccer shirt." (p208) After Lindsey breaks in to Mr. Harvey's house and rips out a drawing of the cornfield that night link him to Susie's murder, she jumps out his window to escape him just in time. This part gave me some suspense. I was scared that she would get kidnapped and killed too. Since she escaped and Mr. Harvey saw her, I wonder if he will do anything to silence her.
This book expresses immoral events that happen daily around the world. Susie's mom cheats on her husband with Len Fenerman, a police officer that is mainly in charge of Susie's case. Even though she was in pain, it does not justify what she did. Mr. Harvey is a serial killer, who not only kills Susie, but a whole bunch of girls from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Lindsey has sex with Samuel even though she is still in Junior High.
"But he stopped. He saw her running toward the elderberry. The silk-screened number on her back screamed out at him. 5! 5! 5! Lindsey Salmon in her soccer shirt." (p208) After Lindsey breaks in to Mr. Harvey's house and rips out a drawing of the cornfield that night link him to Susie's murder, she jumps out his window to escape him just in time. This part gave me some suspense. I was scared that she would get kidnapped and killed too. Since she escaped and Mr. Harvey saw her, I wonder if he will do anything to silence her.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Lovely Bones
Considering that The Lovely Bones is a national bestseller, the first seven chapters have been a disappointment to me. I found it to be very boring to the point where I fell asleep trying to read it. I thought that there were too many parts about her family, friends and events of the past. Some parts that I thought were draggy and unnecessary were when she talked about how she used to help her father build boats in bottles and when Ruth ran into Clarisse and Brian. There is little action since all Susie does is sit in the gazebo and look down upon Earth. However, I have to applaud the author that the idea of telling a story in the afterlife is very creative approach.
"After a few days in heaven, I realized that the javelin-throwers and the shot-putters and the boys who played basketball were all in their own version of heaven."(p.18)
I had always thought of heaven as a place where everyone would see and experienced the same things, as Susie thought when she first entered after being killed by Mr. Harvey. The story also did not or at least did not mention of a God in heaven unlike what most people believe. I had never imagined Susie's type of heaven, but it would be nice if everything you liked were there and if you wished for things they would appear, with exceptions to things on Earth.
"After a few days in heaven, I realized that the javelin-throwers and the shot-putters and the boys who played basketball were all in their own version of heaven."(p.18)
I had always thought of heaven as a place where everyone would see and experienced the same things, as Susie thought when she first entered after being killed by Mr. Harvey. The story also did not or at least did not mention of a God in heaven unlike what most people believe. I had never imagined Susie's type of heaven, but it would be nice if everything you liked were there and if you wished for things they would appear, with exceptions to things on Earth.
- What are your interpretations of heaven? and what would you think would be in your heaven just like how there were dogs and peppermint stick ice cream in Susie's?
Should Euthanasia be legal?
The debate topic this week in my modern world history class is "Should euthanasia be legal?".
When I first heard my teacher say euthanasia, I and a lot of other people thought that he said
"youth in Asia." Later on I found out the real word and that it means physician-assisted suicide. I had a hard time reading the information I found at procon.org.;I did not understand this one thing about slippery slope. After spending hours on it, this is what I have:
PROS
Euthanasia should be legal because people have the right to choose death. Right to life includes a right to death. The American Civil Liberties says that a ban on euthanasia interferes with a person's liberties. By granting a person the right to choose death, the person has a choice and can exercise his/her rights and choose not to use it. Also, euthanasia will greatly reduce health care spending. The money saved can be used of other things or for others that have definite chances of survival.
Euthanasia is justified when life becomes excruciatingly painful and is no longer beneficial to the patient. Those that are ill with a terminal disease have torrent ahead of them; the disease will kill them slowly to the point where they lose their identity and can not even be considered alive. They might be brain dead,but yet their heart is still beating with the help of modern technology. Euthanasia is more humane than removing life support. I read this piece of information where it was decided to let this person die. Since euthanasia was not legalized, life support was removed and she died from starvation. A physician-assisted death helps grant the patient an easy death. It is more humane to let people choose how they want to end their life. Physicians know the amounts of dosages of certain drugs to provide a painless death.
CONS
Euthanasia should not be made legal. It interferes with religious beliefs; it is not a natural death as God intended. According to Wesley Smith, a consultant of the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, Euthanasia interferes with the equality-of -human-life ethic, in which the protection of human life is society's primary priority. Physicians should not be directly involved in the death of an individual. It would have them break the Hippocratic Oath they gave to never give poison to a person. Also, it does not make sense for a physician to help a person commit suicide because their primary role is to be a healer according to the American Medical Association.
Euthanasia is usually for patients with terminal diseases and only six months to live. It would be more reasonable to let them live for those months since it is not very long and modern medicine can relieve pain. That way they would be able to spend that time with their family. When the patient has the poison in hand, it encourages doctors to not care for the patients properly. They find no motive to care for the patient since they will die soon.
When I first heard my teacher say euthanasia, I and a lot of other people thought that he said
"youth in Asia." Later on I found out the real word and that it means physician-assisted suicide. I had a hard time reading the information I found at procon.org.;I did not understand this one thing about slippery slope. After spending hours on it, this is what I have:
PROS
Euthanasia should be legal because people have the right to choose death. Right to life includes a right to death. The American Civil Liberties says that a ban on euthanasia interferes with a person's liberties. By granting a person the right to choose death, the person has a choice and can exercise his/her rights and choose not to use it. Also, euthanasia will greatly reduce health care spending. The money saved can be used of other things or for others that have definite chances of survival.
Euthanasia is justified when life becomes excruciatingly painful and is no longer beneficial to the patient. Those that are ill with a terminal disease have torrent ahead of them; the disease will kill them slowly to the point where they lose their identity and can not even be considered alive. They might be brain dead,but yet their heart is still beating with the help of modern technology. Euthanasia is more humane than removing life support. I read this piece of information where it was decided to let this person die. Since euthanasia was not legalized, life support was removed and she died from starvation. A physician-assisted death helps grant the patient an easy death. It is more humane to let people choose how they want to end their life. Physicians know the amounts of dosages of certain drugs to provide a painless death.
CONS
Euthanasia should not be made legal. It interferes with religious beliefs; it is not a natural death as God intended. According to Wesley Smith, a consultant of the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, Euthanasia interferes with the equality-of -human-life ethic, in which the protection of human life is society's primary priority. Physicians should not be directly involved in the death of an individual. It would have them break the Hippocratic Oath they gave to never give poison to a person. Also, it does not make sense for a physician to help a person commit suicide because their primary role is to be a healer according to the American Medical Association.
Euthanasia is usually for patients with terminal diseases and only six months to live. It would be more reasonable to let them live for those months since it is not very long and modern medicine can relieve pain. That way they would be able to spend that time with their family. When the patient has the poison in hand, it encourages doctors to not care for the patients properly. They find no motive to care for the patient since they will die soon.
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Handsome Siblings 小魚兒與花無缺
The Handsome Siblings is one of my favorite Chinese dramas of all time. I remember it aired on channel 26 in the US when I was in sixth grade. I recorded all the episodes and watched them over and over again. There has been many drama versions of this story such as The Legendary Siblings cast in 1999 and The Amazing Twins cast in 2002 with Alec Su and Jimmy Lin. The drama is based on a novel by Gu Long. Even though the plot and the actors were superb, the ending was depressing though because only three of the characters are alive in the end.
The drama is focused on two brothers separated at birth. Their parents were killed by the Moon Princess of the Floral Palace. She loved their father, Jiang Feng, and even cared for him while his life was in danger, but he ran away with a maid. Jiang Feng stayed with a friend that betrayed him and revealed his whereabouts. The brothers were about to be killed too, but the Star Princess suggested a better idea to her sister. One of the twins, Xiao Yu Er, was given to their brother's friend to raise. The princess took the other baby, Hua Wu Que, and raised him in the Floral Palace. The Moon Princess's plan was that when they grew up they would fight and kill each other.
Eighteen years later, the brothers meet and become friends, unaware that they are brothers. Hua Wu Que meets Tie Xin Lan and falls in love with her. But due to a worm inserted inside him by his masters, his heart is being eaten by the worm whenever he feels affection. The masters find out that he has fallen in love and attempts to kill Tie Xin Lan. She is hit with the Broken Heart Palm and almost dies. Xiao Yu Er sneaks into the Mu Rong household, where he falls in love with Mu Rong Xian. The two friends faced many obstacles, but with the support of one another they were able to go on with life. Eventually, they find out of their blood relations which further strengthened their bond.
Mu Rong Xian is eventually killed by the evil Eunuch Liu who sucked out her life force in attempt to learn one of the most powerful types of martial arts. Su Ying, a famous doctor, falls in love with Xiao Yu Er, but keeps her feelings to herself. She dies later by a bite from a poisonous plant. Xiao Yu Er and Hua Wu Que's greatest enemy was Jiang Yu Yan, the daughter of a well-known martial artist. She loves Hua Wu Que, but he doesn't feel the same way about her. In her pursuit to gain his love, she becomes the concubine of the king and eventually kills his lover, masters, and all others dear to him and Xiao Yu Er. With all those around them dead, the two brothers team up for a final battle with her.
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