The Hunger Games: Between the Book and the Movie

Okay, so I'm a bit slow with popular trends. I went to watch the movie before deciding to buy the set of books, and after I bought them, it's a month or two later that I start flipping the pages.

The movie's exciting. It's like a mix-up of all genres available, and above everything that's obviously made-up, it's so much in tune with the dog-eat-dog world we live in today. Well, they might have exaggerated on the differences between the classes (ie. the Capitol and the Districts); or maybe they didn't. Maybe they just showed us what we haven't been seeing, what we think that didn't exist.

So I picked up Book 1 and I must admit, the first few pages seemed boring to me. Perhaps it was because I had been expecting more from Suzanne Collins; judging from the movie I watched with my friends, I thought her book should be another Harry Potter: deep and complicated and extremely detailed. Well, that was kinda my fault. What I've learnt from a year of reading and conversation classes with Dr. Don Gilleland is that each writer has his or her own unique writing style. Of which the lesson didn't occur to me until halfway through the book, and by then I was already sucked into the world of Panem.

What's different about the movie and the book is that the movie shows us stuff; the book tells us the story. Katniss' story. Well, writing in first person helps. Although both centers around the heroine, the movie being an adaptation of the novel, I was given separate perspectives of the character. The movie pictures the sixteen-year-old as strong, tough, independent and most of the time fearless. In the book, readers are welcomed to her gentle side, her sisterly love, her responsibility to family (no matter how many times she say about how much she hates her mother), and get in touch with her inner self, all the insecurity, the worries, the contradiction going on in her mind, the adrenaline rush, and every bit of hurt and pain she received in the Games. I would like to take note here about her transfer from her District 12 to the Capitol. In the movie, she seems to be in absolute denial for a certain period of time. Her attitude kinda stinks. And real bad, compared to the book, which showcased her as quickly adjusting to her environment. The conflict between Katniss and Haymitch is there in both material, and while the relationship between Katniss and Effie in the movie is considerably distant, the book shows them as relatively indifferent. By the way, I didn't take note of Effie's name until I read the book. In the movie, I just remember her as the annoying-lady-in-pink. Turns out she's not that terrible in the book. Sure, a bit lost about using her words, but I just might like her. 

The movie shows us everything in general, but the book takes us in through the eyes and mind of Katniss Everdeen. So I believed the filmmakers added some extras of their own. Like at the beginning of the movie, Prim was screaming in bed like crazy as the day of the reaping draws near, but there was nothing in the book. Prim was calmer than she appeared to be in the movies. She didn't make a scene like she did in the movie when her name was called out at the assembly. And when Katniss volunteered as tribute there wasn't any fuss, no complications, no struggle with the officials. Gale just took Prim away with little argument and Katniss just walked on stage. The movie went a little dramatic with this part. But that's good, in a way. Makes things go a bit more lively. So, Prim was an insecure little girl who's even afraid of her own shadow, but from what Katniss says in the book, Prim's alright as long as she has her goat Lady and, as a bonus, she knows some stuff about herb and medicine from helping their mother with the patients that come every once in a while. Katniss ditched these times to go hunting, running away from the fear of looking at people in deadly situations with little chance of recovery.

Most of everything else in the movie remains loyal to the original, especially the trials in the arena, and when Katniss' feelings about Peeta kicks in. Before we go any further, I would like to point out that Katniss wasn't sure what to do about the relationship between herself and Gale. She didn't refer to him as her boyfriend (which I assumed he was before I read the book) but more like hunting partners looking out for one another's family. So when Peeta got into the picture, she got even more confused and tried to put the two of them on two different pages, knowing that she had to face it when they return home, although she had been juggling with the probabilities of survival. In the book, she keeps thinking about whichever champion that emerged in the finale would bring more benefit to Prim and their mother back home. First, she was considering either she or Peeta survive will do, hoping that the latter won't be killed by her own hand, but when the odds are slowly leaving her, she was hoping that Thresh from District 11 could win, after Rue's death and his letting her go just once. I think it was overcome by respect, or the idea that Katniss didn't want to keep owing him. Oh, about after Rue's death, there was an addition in the movie not mentioned in the book. A riot broke out in District 11 right after Katniss surrounded Rue's body in flowers and left her, and as she did, she put three middle fingers to her lips and then raised them high for the viewers to see. It is an indirect sigh of rebellion. That and the thing about the flowers. I made a personal comment that the person who started the riot (as pictured in the movie) could be Rue's family.

Another thing that leaves me thinking about the aftermath of Katniss' and Peeta's victory is a short scene in the movie that shows us the chief Gamemaker having some time alone with a bowl of berries. Obviously he was pushed into it and worked it out very quickly that it was the Mayor's decision to get rid of him. Those aren't just ordinary berries. Those were the berries in the arena which Peeta had nearly taken and which both he and Katniss had planned to take at the end of the Games as a showcase of rebelliousness against the Capitol. What was the name? Nightlock? Berries that will have you dead before they even reach your stomach. Right. The book didn't mention a thing about the chief Gamemaker's execution. Maybe it does in the second book, which I haven't started reading. 

The book is a good few hundred pages, not as thick as the Harry Potter series can go to, and it makes much lighter reading. It was difficult to make peace with the book during the first half of the reading, when I was still heavily influenced by what the movie has showed me. Last night, I took off from where I left at Page 196... and zoomed all the way to the end of book 1. That took a few hours, but I just couldn't put it down! I was reading about their win just as the rays of the sun began to seep in through the windows!

Kink 糾結

So let's talk about Christianity.

Note: Really! No offence! Request for personal safety after this.

It's possible that, because of where I come from, I might have a fear of religion.

Either that or the fear of being targeted just because of not believing in one.

Top that with the news we saw, see, and will still be seeing about the relationship between a particularly strong nation and the Middle-East. Oh, let's not forget the terrorist bombings and the war and what-not.

And the part where extreme devotees like to preach whenever, wherever and whomever they meet really chills me to the bones.

I guess those are roughly where the fear comes from.

Scratch that. Fear might not be the right word. I know religion is for the good intentions of mankind.

But an overdose of its teachings would really hurt.

Especially when believers take them out of context.

Especially when believers take a stand for their opinions under the name of God (whichever God), of which such behavior usually leads to hate crimes. For example, "God hates _______ so we must banish ________". 

Or that when discussing a social issue, there is the excuse that "It's unnatural because God says so, so we shouldn't do it." FYI, birth control is unnatural, so what else do you have to say?

Or the heated debate between or among different religions who insist that their God is the only God. Personally, I think this is a waste of time and energy and brain cells, because has anyone heard of freedom of religion? Or in a simpler sense, "you don't bug me, I don't bug you?" 

This headache about the study and controversy of religion within myself started when:

1 The christening of my idol about two years ago.

2 My approach to literature of the Bible during my first year of double major in English.

So each time the name Jesus is pronounced (by whomever), I get a kink. 

The teachings I read in the Bible are interesting; the posts shared by my idol are are so true and meaningful as well. Maybe throughout the year, I have been thrown at too many times by the knowhow of Christianity, either in English or Sociology classes, from time to time that I might have gotten a little sick of it. I know my professors do it for the sake of knowledge and appreciation, and representatives of the Christian community do it out of love, but personally I have had enough of this approach. The mentioning of Jesus everywhere really got on my nerves, (OS: As if He is the only right path and that all else are fools) and during one session of Classical Selections of Art I nearly hit the table when the professor mentioned Jesus and the Last Judgment. 

And let's not forget Dies Irae!

I also have an unresolved contradiction where, in the Bible, women are subjected to men (because Eve is created from Adam's rib and such). So this sense of gender inequality really fires me up. I'll be glad if someone enlightens me on that.

I used to mingle about God's saying to "be fruitful and multiply", and I used to interpret that as "get married and have children OR ELSE". So that really scared me at some point. Luckily a fellow Christian friend told me that, yes God says so but people can think for themselves! I was relieved. (whew!)

So if people can think for themselves, why do so many just take something from the Bible out of context? And what's with all the hatred still going on out there that just seems irrational is religion is all about love and morals and doing the right thing? And I don't think that just because one has sinned and confessed to the Father means it's okay to repeat the same mistake (and confess again). If so, what's the meaning of confession in the first place???

On a lighter tone, if there really is a God out there, I thank Him. Why? In an unrelated note, for guiding my idol to the light. And for allowing me the chance to get to know Him. But I wouldn't want to get to know Him that much.

There is a particular section in the Bible section of my literature class that struck my attention. St. Augustine's Confessions. I even wrote a report on that, although I don't think the professor commented on that as much as my other one. It's interesting the way he relates himself to God and even though he only realizes God after his twenties (or was it his thirties?) he can still make connections between God and his early life. Especially the pear tree incident, where he accounts in great detail about sin. He does it not because of the pear (for it is not that special) and not because of his friends but because of the stealing itself. It was exciting for him, because it is wrong and he couldn't resist the temptation.

And there are several other episodes in St. Augustine's lifetime written in black and white that are just as interesting, but the one part where he gets to know God after flipping to a particular page of the Bible and assuming that this is what God wants him to know, leaves me with question marks.

Has anyone heard of coincidences? I wouldn't pinpoint that everything that happens to someone is because God did it, because people can get lucky and unlucky, or that one really worked hard (or not) to gain (or lose) something. So before thanking God after surviving an accident, why not thank the one who saved you first?

I don't believe in any god, but I don't doubt what everyone else believes. There's no proven right or wrong. In fact, if the only one in power of judging is God (whichever God), who are we to judge?

Oh yeah, please don't point a finger at atheists, who are minorities. What did we do, besides not believing?

A "brother" of mine said that God is interested in me, for He has been passing by me too many times for so long. And you know what, I think so too.

Am I being hypocritical in this post?

Again, I ask for my safety.

Impulse 衝勁

或許會想問
大半夜的干嘛突然更新？
除了有一部分是因為睡不著之外，另一個說法是因為衝勁。
好希望在面對報告、考試以及小說的時候，我也可以這麼說。
現在還是暑假，很明顯的，自己沒在幹什麼事，除了寫作、下廚、以及反省？
向誰反省？對像是我腦中的小天使！
反省自己這二十年來有什麼成就、什麼展望；反省自己對未來有什麼打算、什麼結論；反省自己暑假的計劃做到了哪幾項；反省自己日夜顛倒的主因是什麼；反省自己待人處事有什麼缺陷；反省自己為什麼跟別人比較時總是那麼自卑！

唉，實在想了好多，當你一個人的時候。

不知道今天怎麼補眠……

So maybe there is a question
Why the suddenly update in the middle of the night?
Well, partly because of insomnia, and that of a sudden impulse.
How I wish I could say the same for my reports, my exams and my novels.
It's in the middle of summer vacation, apparently I'm not doing much besides writing, cooking, and confessing.
Confessing to what? To the little angel inside my head!
Confess about, throughout these twenty years, what achievements have I made, what aspirations do I have; Confess about, for the future, what plans do I have, what conclusions have I made; Confess about the many goals I have planned for the summer and how many were written off; Confess about the reversal of day and night routines and the main reason why; Confess about the drawbacks I have in socializing; Confess about why the hell it is that, when comparing with others, I feel so self-abased!

Yes, there's a lot going on in my mind, when one is alone in the apartment.

I wonder how I am to get any sleep today...

A bunny's behind view. I feel its loneliness...

Revival 重生

復活了！

跨別兩年多了，忽然萌生重新開啟的想法。

這個決定來自於幾個動機：

1 媽前幾天說不要一直在FB上更新日常生活的狀況，會有少部分的人別有心機。至某個程度我認同。反正部落格這東西在FB、微博、Google+的肆虐下已經不怎麼夯了。但，會看的人自然是那些在乎你的人。與其把自己的心情隨隨便便攤在陽光下，不如放在一個隱秘的地方，想知道的人自然會自己去找。

2 FB可以寫的長度有限，我也不想時常放在網誌上。更何況我的網誌也挺亂的。重溫這裡的環境，我可以把我的文章設定成好幾個文件夾，方便搜尋方便整理。

3 記載我的日常生活從瑣碎至重大的事件，只要能擠出時間可以大寫特寫。FB能寫多少，除非你一po再po，但這樣的話會有一部份的人覺得你囉嗦、麻煩又無聊。

4 把自己冗長的想法記下來，這下或許可以減少我每晚東想西想以致難眠的問題。

5 偶爾來個雙語註解，刺激又好玩（又可開拓雙元市場）！

不知道還有幾位朋友還在使用部落格，不知道有幾位朋友還在關注彼此的部落格。So, 重新開始吧！

It's alive!

It's been over two years and suddenly I'm thinking about restarting this blog.

This decision comes from several motives:

1 A few days back Mum ranted about my constant updates on FB about my daily life and I was told not to do so, because there will be a handful of people with ill intentions. To a certain extent I agree. Anyway this blog thing, under the invasion of FB, WeiBo, and Google+, it's not exactly very hot right now. However, those who want to look at it are those keeping you at heart. Rather then casually spreading one's feelings under the sun for all to know, why not put them in a secret shelter, where those who wanna know will lead themselves.

2 The length one can write in FB is quite limited, and I don't want to constantly write in notes. Moreover, my stash in that place is really messy. Returning to this environment, I can set up my articles into many different folders, great for searching and managing.

3 To jot down my everyday life, from those of non-importance to really really big ones, as long as I can squeeze some time to write all I want. How much can you write in FB, unless you update again and again, but this will let a handful of people think that you are long-winded, troublesome and dull.

4 Putting down my extended thoughts might reduce the problem of my non-stop pondering almost every night which usually results in sleep difficulties.

5 Put it in bi-lingual once in a while (like this article). Exciting and fun (and opens up to a dual market)!

I don't know how many friends are still using blogs, and I don't know how many friends are still following one another through them. So, let's start over!

Random pic of Jing