A list of what books I’ve read since I was a child!

Okay, so I got this idea from a friend of mine, and I thought it is indeed a nice idea. Recalling the books and reading materials I have read in the past and up to the present would be one of those activities, no matter how random it is, simply amazing!

I have to confess, though, that I am not an avid reader when I was a child. I read comic books, and I mean A LOT OF IT!

Okay, here goes!

1. Thomas the Tank Engine
2. A big book of mammals, Insects, Reptiles
3. E.T. the movie book
4. The Secret Garden
5. Sweet Valley Twins (The one with the Paris thing I forgot!)
6. Meg Cabot’s Code Name Cassandra
7. Meg Cabot’s Safehouse
8. Meg Cabot’s Sanctuary
9. Meg Cabot’s Missing You
10. Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries book 1
11. Meg Cabot’s Avalon High
12. Meg Cabot’s All American Girl
13. Life of Pi
14. Confessions of a Shopaholic
15. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
16. Shopaholic and Sister
17. Shopaholic Ties the Knot
18. Remember?
19. Can You Keep a Secret
20. The Undomestic Goddess
21. Tuesdays with Morrie*
22. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
23. For One More Day
24. Ben Okri’s In Arcadia
25. Grimm’s Fairy Tales
26. Andersen’s Fairy Tales
27. Magic Knight Rayeart II – Volume 1
28. Magic Knight Rayearth II – Volume 2
29. Wish Volume 3
30. RG Veda Volume 10
31. Tsubasa 17
32. Tsubasa 18
33. The Da Vinci Code
34. Train Man
35. Greer Garson’s Biography
36. Kate Remembered!

Okay, so that didn’t really go so well. I know I’ve read more than what I’ve listed! I just forgot. I guess I’m also a visual learner. I love DVDS!

I really, desperately, want to become a Literature Advocate! Reading is an important aspect of every person’s life, and as an avid reader now, I want to make sure that children and even adults enjoy reading as much as I do!

Today ain’t so bad… (Pardon the use of “ain’t”)

Well, I failed to come to my ASESLE2 class today, but because of failing to come to class, I already found our script for the one act play that we are going to present for our HUMALIT class. I’ll be playing Mario, so it’s going to be a big challenge for my part because when I was in High School, I played Gloria. And this is the translated version of the play, so it’s plain folk language.

I bought Mandy. This is Julie Andrews’ first book. How lucky could I get? The lady in the bookstore said this is the last copy, and I BOUGHT IT! I can’t wait to read it. I think it’s like Heidi, a little childlike, but I don’t care! I still read manga and it doesn’t bother me at all. Of course, I have to memorize Mario’s lines first.

The demo I had went well. I think it went well. Dr. Balarbar thinks it went well. All’s well that ends well–

Random blog

So I feel not so busy right now, that I decided to write this entry. I guess this would be one of those entries which would completely explain what happened today, if I could recall, that is. I’m currently listening to Julie Andrews’ “Le Jazz Hot” from Victor/Victoria, which is one of those roles she’ll be remembered for. (After Maria and Mary Poppins :D) I was so frightened a while ago, for our HUMALIT class. I was frightened because I wasn’t prepared to read out a poem I have chosen, let alone answer Sir Solapco’s questions. And now, I’ve finished my super “SABAW” lesson plan. I say sabaw because, frankly, it is! I really didn’t put too much effort on it, because I feel so devastated with what I’m supposed to do. Actually, I am not supposed to do anything in front of the class, but present the lesson AS FAST AS I COULD.  But anyway, I don’t really care.

All right, I am now completely a big fan of Julie Andrews. Hello? How good was she in The Sound of Music anyway? I really love that film. I was only 13 when I found out about it, and it’s really nice to sing along. I guess there are people who are very much close to these types of films. The 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are really magnificent!

http://ygt.dcsf.gov.uk/Nutshells/NAGTY251_03/sco.htm#,

The magic that is Walt Disney

When you have grown up to films such as “The Jungle Book”, or “Aristocats”, you’ll know how important these films are in your life. I remember having seen [The Jungle] book for so many times, that I’ll cry if I don’t see it the next day. And until now, I still have that sort of personality of watching films over and over and over again. I guess it doesn’t tire me that much, having all these happy thoughts and dreams of being, for example, a voice character of one of the movies I so love to watch. But we have to remember that Walt Disney did a lot of these dreamy sort of enchanting themes into his movies that one would not forget the magic that has been put into every detail of it. I recently bought this Mary Poppins DVD, and well, as much as I love “The Sound of Music”, which is for me the greatest musical I’ve ever seen, besides Gene Kelly’s and Judy Garland’s wonderful musicals, Mary Poppins is just timeless. It’s timeless in a sense that you can never get your eyes off of the screen, or the television, and that no matter how sad it is that Mary should go and leave the children at the end of the film, you would as a viewer still want to do reruns of it on screen. You’ll never be sad or lonely in your lifetime if you see these kinds of films.

I’ve always loved Sleeping Beauty. It’s a short film, but the songs are just simply breathtaking and so heartfelt. Whoever sang it, I completely forgot, must have really been a princess in her own respect. And I think after Belle of “Beauty and the Beast”, Aurora, or Briar Rose, is one of the prettiest Disney Princess ever created. I love her simple pink gown, and her curly locks. In fact she reminded me of Eliza Doolittle from Broadway’s “My Fair Lady”, with all her long locks and her cute face. I’ve drawn a character from one of my stories, and I don’t know why I named the character ‘Julie’, probably she’s a reference to Julie Andrews, but I do remember having drawn her looking exactly like Aurora, and I just felt so happy that I went to my room, took my coloring materials and colored her! But I don’t know where that drawing is so I cannot really show it anymore.

As for 3D animation, well, I would guess that my favorite, as of this year, 3D Disney-Pixar movie is Up. Russell’s “Good afternoon…” sequence just cracks me up, every time I see it. It’s just so wonderful, and a little tear jerkery that you would forget that it is a childy sort of movie in the first place! Anyway, it’s still Disney, so it’s still magical…

Walt made Mickey Mouse. He just drew away and made Mickey the most popular character in the world. Until now, you’d know it’s Disney when you find a Mickey Mouse silhouette logo anywhere, like in the amusement parks. Oh, I so want to go back to Hong Kong Disneyland. There’s so much I didn’t see, and didn’t buy. I just had to go back… 😀

Walt Disney would be forever our hearts. No matter how sad or joyous or colorful his creations may be, you would know how much effort he has put into everything he has done. You’d appreciate it, really, because for so many years he has enchanted us with so many things that we know we’ll never ever forget. Salutations, Mr. Disney!

“You should know better…” – History of Musical Comedy – Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall

This is a segment in Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall entitled, “History of Musical Comedy”. This is the whole lyrics, starting from their introduction until the very beautiful ‘West Side Story’ inspired songs.

Carol: (clears throat in a funny way)

Julie: (clears throat)

Carol: so, what do you wanna do now? You wanna sing something together?

Julie: what, you mean, two of us… singing the same thing?

Carol: yeah

Julie: well I mean, is that wise? Won’t it seem strange? Won’t it be confusing, both of us… singing the same song?

Carol: not if we’re careful.

Crowd cheers and laughs

Carol: I mean we can start off very slowly.

Julie: all right, I tell you what.

Carol: what? (In British accent)

Julie: I thought… it would be a good idea… if we do a History of the Musical Comedies, in the United States. You know, sing songs representative of the various epox or eras, if you will, as they were handed down through the ages and into history!

Carol: ha?

Crowd cheers again…

Julie: I don’t know if I can say it again, but I’ll try… I thought it might be a good idea to do… a History of the Musical Comedy in the United States. Sing songs representative of th… I knew I wouldn’t get it right… representative of the various epox or eras, if you will, as they were handed down through the ages and into history.

Carol: (thinks first) okay!

Together: every little movement has a meaning on its own. Every thought and feeling by some pasture can be shown. Carol: (Julie in the background)and every love thought that comes-a stealing all your being must be revealing, all its sweetness, in some appealing little gesture… Julie: (Carol still singing ‘Every little movement’ in the background) ahh sweet mystery of life, at last I found thee, ohh at last I know  the secret of it all! Carol: (Julie in the background) tramp, tramp, tramp along the highway, room, room room, the world is free. We’re planters and Kentucks, Virginians and Canucks, Capt. Dick’s own infantry… capt. Dick’s own in…. Julie: …fantry! Together: Look for, the silver lining. Whenever clouds appear in the blue. Remember somewhere, the sun is shining, and so the right thing to do it make it shine for you…. oh, all I’m asking oh, all I’m asking. Going the way that the rest of them did. Carol: poor broken blossom and nobody’s child… Julie: haunting and taunting you’re just kind of wild… Julie: (Carol in the background, singing fidgidy feet) I love your funny face, your funny, funny face… and it’s wonderful… Carol: oh, boy, I’m lucky! Julie: it’s marvelous… Carol: I say, I’m lucky! Julie: you should care for me… Carol: this is my lucky day… Julie: and it’s awful nice… Carol: now I’m in clover… Julie: paradise… Carol: so glad all over… Julie: it’s what I long to see… Carol: I wanna shout… together: hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah… Julie: why was I born? Why am I living? Carol: don’t ever leave me, now that you’re here. J/C: (sang together) why was I born? why am I living? What do I care? What am I giving/don’t ever leave me, now that you’re here. Here is where you… belong… Carol: dancing in the dark, till the tune ends we’re dancing in the dark… Julie: I get no kick from champagne… Carol: and its soon night and day you’re one…Julie: mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all. C/J: Only you beneath the moon or under the sun/It seems we stood and talked like this, before… C/J: get out of town before it’s too late, my love/yesterdays…. C/J: I’ve got you under my skin/ more than glad to be unhappy… together: don’t you know, little fool, you never can win. When they begin… the beguine…………… Julie: I’m jist a girl who can’t say no, I can be prissy or quaint. I’m not the type that can faint. How can I be what I ain’t. I can’t say cain’t. Carol: all I ask is a room somewhere, faraway from the cold night air. In one enormous chair oh wouldn’t it… be loverly? Julie: loverly. Carol: loverly. Julie: loverly… Carol: A boy like that who’d kill your brother, forget that boy and find another, one of your own kind, stick to your own kind! A boy like that wants one thing only, and when he’s done, he’ll leave you lonely. He’ll murder your love; he murdered mine. Just wait and see, just wait, Maria, just wait and see! Julie: Oh no, Anita, no, Anita, no! It isn’t true, not for me, It’s true for you, not for me. I hear your words And in my head I know they’re smart, But my heart, Anita,
But my heart… J/C: (sang together) Knows they’re wrong and my heart is too strong, for I belong to him alone, to him alone. one thing I know: I am his, I don’t care what he is. I don’t know why it’s so, I don’t want to know/A boy who kills cannot love, A boy who kills has no heart and he’s the boy who gets your love and gets your heart. Very smart, Maria, very smart! Julie: Oh no, Anita, no, You should know better! You were in love – or so you said. You should know better . . . I have a love, and it’s all that I have. Right or wrong, what else can I do? I love him; I’m his, and everything he is I am, too. I have a love, and it’s all that I need, right or wrong, and he needs me, too. I love him, we’re one; There’s nothing to be done, not a thing I can do but hold him, hold him forever, be with him now, tomorrow and all of my life! together: When love comes so strong, there is no right or wrong, Your love is your life.

The best scenes I’ve ever seen!

I’ll cite some scenes that I’m willing to see over and over AND OVER again! (The movies are in ascending order. The first one is the BEST one for me!!!)

1. Sound of Music

• Dance scene, between the Captain and Maria “Laendler”
• When the Captain and Maria talked in the Gazebo “Something Good”
• The Folk Festival

2. Sleepless in Seattle

• The ending! What else?
• “A Wink and a Smile”, when Annie was eavesdropping Sam and Jonah in Seattle

3. You’ve Got Mail

• Again, the ending
• When Joe went to see sick little Kathleen in her apartment and the rest is history!

4. An Affair to Remember

• The ending… again!
• The kiss! I didn’t see it, perhaps nobody did, but it’s so wonderful!

5. Anna and the King

• The waltz!
• The ending, and then again endings are so wonderful!

6. Lakehouse

• “This Never Happened Before” dance scene
• Their walk together
• The ending, minus that long kiss! 😀

7. Little Women (1949)

• All the scenes that has Professor Bhaer and Jo
• When Beth was telling Jo that she’s okay with dying

8. For Me and My Gal

• “The bells are ringing for me and my gal…”
• The ending!

9. Speed

• Seeing Keanu’s smile
• Keanu and Sandra in the bus!

10. Mary Poppins

• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
• Spoonful of Sugar
• Jolly Holiday
• Looking at Julie/Mary look at herself in the hand mirror

11. Up

• “Good afternoon, my name is Russell…”
• “Hi there!”
• Russell and Carl eating ice cream

12. Sleeping Beauty – the animated film

• Once upon a dream
• The fairies cleaning and baking and sewing the gown

13. Titanic

• The flooding of the ship
• The whistle…

14. The Voice of the Turtle

• Potato Salad!
• Bill showing Sally how to scramble eggs

Ladies once, before…. Ladies till the end of time!

For those of you who do not know much about what I like in movies and film, and television, well, I’d tell you something to which you haven’t even heard come out of my mouth before. This would be the only time I’d say this, and be very happy about it. Well, even though I do not say it that often, I’m always found to be happy, still, because I always find time to look at them. I’ll explain everything later on, as we get on with it. This might turn out to be a long entry, so do please forgive me for stattering with words which are inappropriate for this entry alone. Without further adieu, let me present four of the best and wonderful, not to mention Good Looking, young ladies Hollywood and the World has ever known. Here they are!

Julie Andrews

Graceful, Elegant, Wonderful… Need I say more?

Who could ever forget the very first Cinderella who sang Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s wonderful tunes? And let’s also remember Maria von Trapp and Mary Poppins! These are only a few of Julie’s most beloved characters. How did I meet Julie? Well, I didn’t MEET her, exactly, a friend of mine lent me her copy of The Sound of Music, and my sister and I watched it together. My sister already knew some of the songs so she enjoyed singing with Maria and the children. And I wasn’t, so when the film ended, I wanted to see it again, and again! And now, for so many times I’ve seen it, I know most of the lines, and yes, I know ALL of the songs! Eidelweiss is my favorite song in this movie. Wait a minute, I should be discussing Julie Andrews in general, not just her most beloved movie. Well, as you may also know, she also played Mary Poppins, the nanny who invented the word “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and said “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!” Oh, Julie Andrews. She’ll always be so wonderful to my eyes!

Julie would also be remembered for her “Toast of the Town” hit musical play My Fair Lady. In this picture, I could have sworn she looks somewhat like Anastasia, the cartoon movie, I mean. Look at her! Isn’t she marvelous? I can tell she’s really wonderful just by looking at her. It’s just too bad I didn’t get to see her on broadway. I would have nearly fainted if I did. And listening to her sing some of the world’s most romantic, wonderfully written and magical song could simply take my breath away, that is if I was a guy. I saw this medley she did with Carol Burnett once, on youtube, it goes like “Every little movement has a meaning on its own…” and it goes on until we can hear them sing some West Side Story songs, which isn’t a comedy, and the medley they were doing is comedic in nature. But their performance, both of them, is simply something you should see, if you’re a Julie Andrews Fan! I don’t have to tell you what my favorite Julie film is, because “The hills are alive…” and “These are a few of my favorite things!” So please, just take a wild guess!

Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr, she is truly a star!

In many ways possible, being a british can truly make you one of a kind in America, during the 1940’s. Deborah Kerr grew to become one of Motion Picture’s most successful redheads. And yes, I fell inlove with An Affair to Remember. I think that’s my 4th favorite film! Sound of Music is definitely number one… Anyway, I stumbled upon An Affair to Remember, and Debbie and Cary for that matter, when I saw Sleepless in Seattle and I always wondered what the movie is all about, because in Sleepless there’s a scene where An Affair to Remember is shown. And so I said to myself, “I just have to get that! I just have to!” And so I did, and yes, I fell in love with it. It’s such a darling movie, and the ending is just simply endless. I cry every time I see it, because it’s just simply marvelous!

Another film of Debbie that I love is The King and I. And although she didn’t really sing the songs to this yet another Rodgers and Hammerstein magical musical, she still took over the role of Anna Leonowens. The story is a little far from what really happened in real life. And I guess all the adaptations are a little off set, if you ask me. Debbie, nevertheless, gave a performance of a lifetime, which earned her the respect she deserves! And when I heard that she passed away three years ago, I couldn’t overcome the sadness. So I watched her movies again, and really, it’s magical even if it’s not supposed to be. She gives so much emotion to her character that it’s as if you can feel her talking and looking straight at you! That’s how marvelous Deborah Kerr is!

Greer Garson

Greer, good graciously dear!

Aside from that gorgeous green eyes and that awful good persona in the movies, Greer Garson would be forever remembered as a lady. She’s so lady like, that you’ll forget she starred as a self sacrificing wife several times. I have seen Greer on Pride and Prejudice, and completely got lost into her world for a bit. I desperately wanted to see her films, and when I did I kind of forgot why I wanted to in the first place. You see, when you get to see a lot, and I mean SO MANY, classic black-and-white/musical/40’s, 50’s, 60’s type of films, you won’t even care anymore why you are doing so. My favorite Greer Garson film would have to be Blossoms in the Dust, because you can totally symphatize with her character there. And when I saw it, I fell in love with her co-star, Walter Pidgeon. They made howmany films together, and I just love all of it. Except maybe Forsythe Woman. I don’t understand that film…

Anyhoo, I’d never ever ever miss a movie of her on TCM. I so love her very dearly!

Eleanor Parker

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

Just when you thought Eleanor’s character in the Sound of Music is the last little witch you’ll ever curse on, well, there’s more to her than meets the eye. All right, I hated her as the Baroness, because she was the reason why Maria left the von Trapp household in the first place! And every time I see her in that movie, I just hate her! BUT! When I saw her with Ronald Reagan in The Voice of the Turtle, my hatred for her simply disappeared. Can you just believe how beautiful she is? And mind you, she’s not that popular as all the other stars in her time. I would say if she was in MGM, she’d be really remembered even more! And well, the first picture… it’s breathtaking! I wish I could look like that. Nobody’s that pretty anymore… I mean, for today, beauty is soooo different. Eleanor was, in her time, a classy and humble looking person. Her characters say it all. I mean, in Voice of the Turtle, she portrayed a very innocent girl, who didn’t know much about the world. It’s a good thing Ronnie there was a soldier, and he pretty much showd her what it’s all about!

And so, if that’s not enough, I’ll be putting a Gentlemen entry also. I’m just trying to know how I’ll do it. Should I do something like this again or put a different twist on it. Nevertheless, this is only a few of those very talented and beautiful actresses in a time not too long ago!