Farewell, House

It's been over a week now since the show House M.D. bid us all good bye with a final episode.

I tried writing this farewell post last week after watching the finale, but I couldn't get my words together. I guess when something is over, it's human nature to only want to think of it fondly, and  I wanted to write something meaningful: a eulogy of sorts, befitting the spirit of the finale. But no words came to mind, and I guess it just took a week's time to realize that to me this wasn't death but a breakup.

I've always joked that House and I were in a committed relationship for better or for worse, but I've known for a while I had lost my affection towards the show. Eight years is no short time to have spent knowing House. But honestly, I'm glad it's over.

Those eight years encompassed my last year of high school, the entirety of my undergraduate career, and these three years I've been out in the "real world." For me it felt right to be in with House during those years in college, but the show changed and I changed and the fit just wasn't right anymore.

I'm glad to have known the show when I did. I have many fond memories of it. I think it's time that I moved on to something different. In the spirit of looking forward, farewell, House.

Dr. Chi Park

So House has been on it's seasonal holiday-time hiatus for over a month now, and it's been killing me on the inside. I just don't know what to do with myself anymore especially since the season of Dexter ended. Thankfully House will be returning with an all new episode next Monday, January 23rd.

At the beginning of the season I was somewhat intrigued and excited to see how Charlene Yi would do in portraying a character on House. I decided to hold off on writing about her because I watched the second episode of season 8 (the episode in which she premiered) and I wasn't really all that taken by her and her character. But I wanted to like her. So, I decided I wanted to at least watch episode 3 before proceeding. So far we're 8 episodes into the season, and I think at least for me the verdict is out. I like her.

House, come back Holme.

I always joke about how the show House MD and I are in a relationship "for better or for worse." It's just that I've been watching the show since the very beginning and now I'm committed to it until finale do us part.

I'd say we've been through a lot of ups and downs, but season 7 really tested my commitment to House. It has got to be the worst season of the show. I think I complained almost every single week about how I had to watch it as if it were a chore. I think the primary reason I did watch the episodes in a timely manner was so that I wouldn't get behind and have to potentially suffer through more than one hour of the ridiculousness in a short time frame. It was so unfulfilling that I neglected to watch the season finale. At that point I didn't really care what happened, and I didn't even have the threat of episode pile up to force me into watching it. So I ended up not watching it until the very last moment, this last weekend before the new season was set to start.

First Impressions: 내게 거짓말을 해봐/Lie to Me

SBS's Monday/Tuesday romantic comedy 내게 거짓말을 해봐/Lie to Me starring the lovely Yoon Eun Hye and dashing Kang Ji Hwan is off with a bang. In this instantiation of the K-rom-com we've got ourselves a bud and an onion. Yoon Eun Hye's character Gong Ah Jung is the flower waiting to bloom and Kang Ji Hwan's Hyun Ki Joon is the onion waiting to be peeled.

Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World

I started reading this book a while back, and I've only just finished it. I've been reading it on and off during my limited commutes on the metro. It's the first book I've finished reading in 2011. It's really unfortunate that I haven't been reading with the voracity that is befitting of a young, intelligent, knowledge-seeking woman, but what can one do when there are so many things that are worthy of time and attention?

When I first picked it up I found it to be easily engaging. The language is straightforward. The philosophical topics are also addressed in much the same way. I liked it for its simplicity and at the same time I was bored by it. Maybe it was because it's a translation, but the language is very flat. Dialogue is the predominate method of information transferral, and since it is dialogue it can only be as engaging as the characters and the topic. The characters were pretty normal and the topic more informative than dramatic. I guess I felt like I was missing a bit of linguistic dynamism. It definitely was not a piece of lyrical prose, and nor was it a fast plot driven story.

On the other hand, it was very informative as it was a history of philosophy, and there was a lot of material presented that made you think. At least it made me think, considering I am more of a fancier of philosophical thougth than the average passerby. At the end of it I think I learned a lot about what I want to learn more about. (Kierkegaard's philosophies as well as the existentialist philosophies of Marx and Sartre in particular piqued my interest.) All in all, Sophie's World was a fairly enjoyable read and very informative. I would recommend.

First Impressions: 최고의 사랑/The Greatest Love

MBC's new Hong Sisters' drama, 최고의 사랑/The Greatest Love?
I really really want to like this drama.

Gong Hyo Jin?
I love Gong Hyo Jin.

Cha Seung Won?
I love Cha Seung Won.

I want to like it, but we're just not hitting it off.

Now, I've only seen the first episode, but, gawd, there's just no pull. I got to the end of the first episode and I felt really no compulsion to move onto the next even while it was at my disposal. I instead chose to play Mario Kart on my DS.

That isn't to say that the episode was totally void of entertainment. There were plenty of parts that were fun and funny. It was light and comedic in classic Hong Sisters style, but I think that's the problem. I'm just not a big fan of the Hong Sisters' work.

I've only watched and enjoyed two Hong Sisters' dramas, 쾌걸 춘양 and My Girl, and that was back in 2005. One during the last part of my senior year in high school, and the other during the first part of my freshman year in college. So those two dramas do hold a prominent place in my mind and memories, and that might in part be the problem. That mood so indicative of a Hong Sisters' drama is so tightly associated with my youth that it's hard to enjoy it now, given that I feel like I've "grown up" and moved passed it. It's like thinking back on your high school self and cringing at all those things you thought and felt were cool, knowing that they just don't work for you in your present grown-up situation. That's how I feel about the Hong Sisters' dramas.

I mean, I couldn't even watch Gumiho for Shin Min Ah, and I love Shin Min Ah

Hong Sisters aside, I'm just not feeling the premise of the show. A fake marriage reality show? A spoof of 우결. I really really don't like that show. I find it almost unbearable. To go meta with that... I just don't think I can handle that kind of shit. I can't. I can't. I can't. Even thinking about it makes me want to scream.

So, I know this drama will do great with the audiences as it is a Hong Sisters work, but I'm not sure I'll be watching it. I'll try the next episode sometime this weekend and we'll see what happens, but I have serious doubts about being willing or able to keep with this one.

First Impressions: 동안미녀/Baby-Faced Beauty

Comeback veteran star Jang Na Ra and new-kid-on-the-block Daniel Choi star in KBS2's new Monday/Tuesday drama Baby-Faced Beauty. Jang Na Ra plays the role of Lee So-Young a 34-year-old woman who winds up in some interesting situations as a result of her extremely young looks - that's the setup and hook at least. K-dramas are always marketed with a hook, and it becomes that ridiculous drama-driving force, the penultimate secret that is always on the verge of becoming known, the thing that creates the tangled webs of relationships between people who are there to be used, abused, played and betrayed. 

I've watched the first and second episodes and I'm finding it pretty entertaining. It reminds me a lot of the K-dramascape of the early 2000s, and I think it might be in large part due to Jang Na Ra who plays the female lead, chipper and persevering despite her unfortunate circumstances. It also has a goofy man-child type leading male character that was so popular in the early 2000s. Unfortunately he was left by the wayside with the coming of the 까도남. That together gives the drama a light, bright and goofy tone that's generally enjoyable. Plus the drama has the fashion industry as a backdrop, and hopefully this tone will do better for it than that of Style or Cinderella Man.

Anyway, it's good to see Jang Na Ra back on the K-scene although she inevitably brought with her her mediocre acting skills. Honestly, she does cute, cheeky and indignant to a T. Her huge eyes and squeaky voice are good for that. Where she fails is in her inability to fall far enough into that pit of self-pity and again to boil up into a fit of rage that would make her character come to life. Her sad is not sad enough and her anger is not angry enough. She needs more irrational ajumma fire, that spectacle of over-the-top pyrotechnics, especially for a character of 34. Maybe my biggest grievance with the character Lee So Young, which is not really the sole fault of Jang Na Ra, is that she is very flat. The production team just hasn't been able to capture visually the disheveled and downtrodden look that that character desperately needs to convey the depth of emotion turmoil.

Moving on to Daniel Choi who I had the pleasure of watching in Cyrano Dating Agency is an actor that perfectly portrays the agreeable bumble dolt. Choi Jin-Wook, Daniel Choi's character, is just fun and quirky and imbued with such innocence that it's like watching an over grown kid. Kids are fun. 까도남s and irreverent 재벌남s have had their share of the spotlight. I think it's time for a change, and Daniel Choi's character is pretty refreshing.

I think Baby-Faced Beauty has potential to be an easily watchable and entertaining show. The plot seems pretty predictable. Lee So Young, mistaken for 25, will be forced to endure the being treated as a lesser for being poor, young, and unexperienced. Withstanding the humiliation with her tenacious and optimistic attitude she will rise above to showcase her yet unleashed skills and talents. Specifically her sister will trip her up. Her supervisor will hate her. She'll win the respect and loyalty of her co-workers. The big-boss will fall for her, but she'll ultimately end up for the the young'in. I think the cards are stacked against the big-boss seeing as he older, a divorcee with a child. The ultimate symbol of success for the character would be being able to nab a younger successful man, and from what we can tell so far bumble dolt is also from a rich family. So, we'll see what happens, provided the show doesn't end up in the weeds forcing me to quit on it, but that's also left to be seen.

2010 in K-dramas

2010 for me was a year that I re-forged a personal connection with the K-drama. For me 2009 was all about the family drama ("Assorted Gems," "The Son's of Sol Pharmacy House," & "Suspicious Three Brothers") and it was spent accordingly with the family watching those dramas. "City Hall" was the only drama I watched beginning to end by myself, and that was largely due to Kim Sun Ah and Cha Seung Won being cast as the leads. Oh, and I'm forgetting about "The Man Who Can't Get Married."

Anyway, back to 2010.

In 2010 watching became less of an activity in and of itself and rather a companion activity to exercising on the treadmill/elliptical, which really facilitated both the endeavors of K-drama consumption and fitness through exercise. I had an incentive to get on the machine, and I could sustain movement of my my limbs for an hour or so while my mind was sufficiently distracted by drama. Exercise became less of a chore and more of a treat, although I confess that I wasn't exactly exercising rigorously, but half-assed exercise is certainly better than no exercise.

Also in 2010 I really started reading the content over at dramabeans.com and it's given me great insight into the process of watching K-dramas. There is no doubt that I love K-dramas, and they are a staple of my media consumables. So for the closing of 2010 I thought I'd take a cue from dramabeans and do a review of the K-dramas that made up my year.

Pasta (MBC): 01/04 - 03/09

So the year started off with great anticipating for "Pasta." I confess, I am a huge sucker for food dramas. I love the contrived pseudo-conflict of food competitions. Generally, "contrived" and "pseudo-conflict" are not terms with great connotations when it comes to dramas, but I love it in the context of food. (I think it derives from being part of the generation that grew up with "Iron Chef.")

Anyway, love for potential food competition aside, another big draw to this drama came in the form of Lee Sun Kyun ("Coffee Prince," "My Sweet Seoul") whose deep voice to me is like soda to a bee. And paired with Mr. Voice was Gong Hyo Jin, who surprisingly I had never seen in anything. I'm not exactly sure how I missed her considering she's been around and has always gotten rave reviews for her acting skills.

Diving right into the drama review, I have heard everyone complain that nothing happens in the course of its 16 episode run. True. It's true. There just wasn't a lot of drama in this drama. The plot was weak. Nothing happens that significantly rocks the boat, and what did happen was predictable, but I don't think that takes away from its inherent charm as a romantic food story. (What is a food story? I'll have to do a more involved post about it some other time but it's basically when food is imbued with enough emotional significance that it becomes a character in its own right.)

Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Sun Kyun had great chemistry together. The whole relationship dynamic was oh-so-cute, and there was just so much aww to go around. While they were cute, I didn't find them cloying, and I guess that's mostly due to Lee Sun Kyun. His character wasn't exactly the cutesy type and the lovely timbre of his voice did nicely to neutralize the potentially sickly sweetness and/or cheesiness of some situations.

I also had a soft spot for Suh Yoo Kyung's (Gong Hyo Jin) personal style. I loved everything she wore in that drama. I had major wardrobe envy, and in particular for that fluffy scarf thing she wears to the sea and one certain long lavender knit piece with rosettes she wears in the elevator scene. Bohemian hobo winter wear is undeniably one of my favorite sartorial styles.

And a short note regarding a personal preference to a particular K-drama trope: I loved the trio of sidekicks a la "Coffee Prince" and the pony-tailed one in particular.

tl;dr - Pasta was romanticized, love was romanticized, and it was charming.

Coffee House (SBS): 05/17 - 07/27

As simple as it is the only thing that drew me to this drama was the word "coffee" in the title. It is surprising to note that since "Coffee Prince" the word "coffee" has been anointed with such a positive connotation that it would alone influence me to watch a drama. I'd like to add to the record at this time that "Coffee House" really is an bad title for this drama. It is as fitting a title inasmuch as "Hotel Lobby" would've been been for "My Name is Kim Sam Soon."

Seriously, I knew nothing about it when I started watching it. I was pretty much unfamiliar with all the actors and actresses, although I did recognize Park Shi Yeon from her bitch role in "My Girl." I didn't even know that Ham Eun Jung was an idol star from T-ara. It's sad, I know.

When I started watching it I was initially entertained by the hijinks and the toilet humor in particular. (I'm simple like that.) But on a more substantial note I was interested in the character of Lee Jin Soo (Kang Ji Hwan), the two-faced writer. Firstly, I have a general interest in the creative process that is writing, so a writer is naturally interesting. Secondly, the two-faced nature of his character that charms in public and offends in private and his philosophizing regarding the rational behind it all was intriguing. I could relate to him as a person with a completely rational and neurotic mind.

I'd like to mention at this point that while I found Kang Ji Hwan as Lee Jin Soo generally appealing, I had a bit of a problem with his wardrobe. They dressed him up like a Euro-dandy in horn rims and argyle, which was fine except for the white pants. I really really don't like white pants, and there were many an episode where he was dressed in white pants.

Anyway, continuing, white pants aside...

The main character Kang Seung Yeon played by T-ara idol Ham Eun Jung was the kind of character I dislike the most: the effervescent, bumbling female lead with no clear skills or talent whose only redeeming quality is her persistence and undying optimism. I really could do without these characters in my drama landscape. What I found enjoyable was that Lee Jin Soo, the writer, clearly did not care much for this type of character either. He dislikes her for the very same reasons I do and he clearly thinks he can set her right and make her see the reality of things. How I do love this idea of breaking the eternal optimist, although it never ever does work out in the realist's favor in Dramaland.

Plotwise it wasn't exactly "on the edge of your seat" exciting, but it did have it's moments. Most of the drama in "Coffee House" arose from character-driven internal conflict with the self instead of arbitrary externally plot-driven conflict. In that way it felt true to life. Usually I find myself willing to overlook at lot of failures of plot if the characters are robust and compelling. Lee Jin Soo clearly was from the get go, and Suh Eun Young became one as the story went on. Everyone else was just a gimmick. (Now that I think about it, anything that involved Ham Eun Jung was really just a farce.)

Romance-wise I found myself really really rooting for Lee Jin Soo and Suh Eun Young to be together. Their relationship wasn't trivialized because the reasons that kept them apart seemed real and believable, and both parties had their own way of rationalizing their apartness. Their relationship was complicated and therefore interesting, and it really was the heart of the drama.

tl;dr - I enjoyed watching a neurotic writer bury some of the skeletons in his closet to become only slightly less neurotic.

Baker King Kim Tak Gu (KBS2): 06/09 - 09/16

In contrast to the seemingly character driven "Coffee House," "Baker King Kim Tak Gu" was clearly plot driven. Generally fast-paced, it was a makjang drama that clearly pushed the characters to ridiculous ends to accommodate the plot. In this drama there was hardly any room for nuanced interpretation. Everything was pretty clear and laid out. Good was good, and bad was bad. Easy-peasy. Nothing about the story was new, and it didn't even try to be innovative, but it had all the makings of a solid, easily watchable drama with a familiar story, likable lead, and warm, fuzzy message.

Like I mentioned before I have a real weakness for food dramas. I really hoped that "Kim Tak Gu" was going to be on par with "ShikGaek/Gourmet" in terms of mood and feel, but it didn't turn out to be that way. Both stories are about food and feature an easy open man-child with a heart of gold as the main character. Both really play with the idea of inborn genius versus honed skills. Both feature a kindly, wizened mentor and bubbly, tenacious female sidekick/love interest. There are a lot more similarities between the dramas than I initially realized, but the fact remains that "Tak Gu" was a makjang, and as a makjang it had the over-the-top drama that gave it its own flair.

I don't really like makjangs because they tend to overdo it on the intensity of the drama and make it heavy, but I think "Tak Gu" had a levity about it because it had the things that "Shikgaek" had. I'd say it wasn't really a hardcore makjang.

Eugene gave a knock-out performance with her portrayal of Shin Yoo Kyung, who is an idealistic young woman that grew out of an abusive childhood and dreams of a better world in the arms of an endlessly optimistic man and is crushed by the twists of fate and driven to near madness for want of revenge. Those scenes in which she reeks havoc on her mother-in-law are pure guilty pleasures. But that character has to be one of the saddest ones I've encountered in a long time.

The one major complaint I have about "Tak Gu" was that there really wasn't as much bread baking as the title would suggest. There was bread, but not as much as I would've liked. The food story kept getting interrupted by the makjang plot.

On a sartorial side note, the baddy step-mother has a kick-ass decadent wardrobe.

tl;dr - All the guilty pleasure of a makjang with the levity of a good food story.

Mary Stayed Out All Night (KBS2): 11/08 - 12/28

The real thing that keeps me watching to the end is my want to have the entire story replayed with Jang Geun Suk and Kim Jae Wook recast as each other's role. Kim Jae Wook would have made a better indie rocker with soft silky hair, and I would've liked to have Jang Geun Suk portray someone other than a jaded musician. Plus, he could've retained that styling he had in "You'

re Beautiful" which I believe suits him much better.

There really isn't much else to say about this drama. The plot is a mess. The couple is cute. Wi Mae Ri's boho winter clothes and styling is enviable.

tl;dr - Kim Jae Wook IS an indie rocker!

Secret Garden (SBS): 11/13 - ?

This drama undoubtedly comes out on top as the winner of best drama of 2010 in my book. I think it had a bit of everything that liked about all the other dramas I watched this year, minus the food. Sadly, no food.

The whole body-switching thing that got me interested in the drama in the first place seems to have been a bit of a gimmick but that's yet to be seen since the drama isn't exactly quite yet over.

I'm going to put off my review of this drama until it actually ends and I actually have some time to get over the high of the series and consider it objectively. I want to do a bit of a more in-depth review of it than I can and am willing to do at this point.

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

I think it's been over a month since I actually finished reading this, and I realize that a month might be too long to wait before writing my impressions on the story. On the other hand, I guess waiting a month before writing a book review helps to illuminate what I really got out of the story.

The first thing I have to say about Robinson Crusoe is that I was utterly surprised to learn that the story places him on this freakin' island for nearly 30 years! I mean, I thought it was going to be a fast moving story about him being resourceful and inventive, and fighting cannibals, and befriending natives in the span of 3 years, maybe, before he gets rescued by his fellow countrymen. All of that did happen, but over 30 years!

Diane Matcheck, The Sacrifice

It's been a while since I actually finished reading a book. I mean it's already late April of 2010, and the last book I read cover to cover was back in January? I'm sincerely amazed by how fast the time goes by. I actually finished reading this book Saturday night but I've only remembered to blog about it today at work.

Diane Matcheck's The Sacrifice is a young adult fiction piece, and this is actually the second time reading this book. I read it the first time when I was around 13, and the only thing I remembered about the book almost ten years later was that it had made me cry.

Durarara!!

Durarara!! I am absolutely enamored by this series. It just resonates with me on so many levels.

At face value Durarara!! is about a 15-year-old boy Ryugamine Mikado who at the insistence of his long-time best friend Kida Masaomi moves from a small town to the big city in order to attend high school in Ikebukuro,Tokyo. The story naturally revolves around people that he meets and the things that happen in the big city.

But of course it’s so much more than that.

In essence it is a character-oriented series where the city itself is as much of a character as any. And, of course, I'm a sucker for character-driven dramas. From what I can tell so far the characters are diverse and fairly multi-faceted. They do hold rather polarized traits that make them stereotypes to a certain extent, but it's that extremeness that makes them interesting as characters in an anime where the boundaries of reality can be push, pulled, bent and stretched at will. At the same time each character is seeded at the core with his or her own struggles associated with the human condition that makes them believable.

Of all the characters I am particularly drawn to one Orihara Izaya, a sociopath. It is a fact that I am captivated by his psychopathic persona that works purely for his own gain. But I've always loved such fictional sociopaths characterized by superior intellect, easy charm, sharp wit, and physical prowess. I often imagine that operating outside the influence of emotions and social conventions such as morals would be so liberating.

The show touches on a lot of issues and prompts a lot of questions, and none of them have easy answers. It explores the nature of reality and questions perception and alludes to the subjectivity of experience. It presents this idea of opposites (light/dark, good/bad, life/death, etc) time and time again and exposes the dualistic nature of existence. It illustrates a person's struggle with identity and self-realization and purpose and meaning. It asks the role of technology in society and the deterioration of quality of human interaction. I could go on... but maybe I'm over thinking it. I'm making meaning out of nothing, but it resonates with me regardless of whether or not they meant it to. They probably did.

In any case...

The storytelling and the pacing of the series is engaging. It's not quite linear, there are a lot of parallel plots and action sequences. There is always more to the story than you first realize. Through each iterative retelling there is a new layer of detail and it makes the whole experience richer and complex.

At it's heart Durarara!! is a shonen series. The predominately male cast and conflict oriented plots are indicative of that fact. The fight sequences are well executed and the women tastefully sexualized. But what I've loved most about the shonen genre is the boy's club camaraderie aspect of it all. It's a highly romanticized concept of male-bonding that as a girl seems mysterious and alluring.

As a final note, the show is humorous. Case in point, check out the circle lenses on the girl in the middle. That is social commentary at its best.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

I love the way that this man writes. Each word is weighted and placed so beautifully in the sentences that seem to have a rhythm both natural and metered like footsteps. Like feet that leave footprints in virgin snow, crunch, crunch, his words have imprinted a part of my mind, which had yet to be touched.

Aren't we all Guy Montag at times? Rudely awakened from our sense of reality and disturbed by our own faults and shortcomings? Somehow so keenly aware of how small and insignificant we are. All of a sudden knowing nothing and at the same time knowing only that singular fact. Lost and alienated. Isn't that just the human condition?

I hate the human condition.

Michael Crichton, Timeline

It was quite a compulsive read. It actually had me reading it during the weekend. I just finished it actually.

I liked it. It was nostalgic in a sense. I mean it took me back to the days when I basically lived off of fantasy novels. Knights. Lords. Ladies. Broadswords. Intrigue. War. Romance. Mysticism. Blood. Honor. Castles. Horses. Etc. Of course it had a twist which was the modern quantum science deal, but I found that that was more of a distraction than something I looked forward to while reading the swashbuckling adventure sections. I guess the science sets up the whole story, but I wouldn't say it was the star of the show. Plus, it all just seemed like smoke and mirrors to me.

This was actually my first Crichton novel. I mean, I've seen Jurassic Park and The Congo, and I guess I can see the similarities, but I had never read one of his novels until now. I can say now that do enjoy his storytelling.

In addition, this was the first novel I've read in a while. I suddenly remembered what the draw of reading is. That feeling of being sucked up into the story, becoming unaware of your surroundings. Seriously, I almost missed my bus stop on Friday... It's a good kind of losing your grip on reality. I think I've been surrounding myself with too much reality and I've needed a good escape. This was a good book to re-introduce me to the benefits of losing yourself.

Raymond A. Moody, Jr., M.D., Life After Life

Another book I was supposed to read for a class in school. It was for a sociology class on life and death which I ended up dropping. It was an interesting topic, just not worth the effort.

So, this book was a really easy read. It took me less than a week to read the entire thing. I only read during my ride home on the metro.

I'm still ambivalent about it's message regarding life after death.

I've always liked the idea of death being the end. I like the idea of no more suffering, no more worries, no more anything is not an unpleasant thought for me. I've always worried that there would me more of this crap after death...

If anything this book seems to suggest that there is more than this consciousness, and it's an improvement on our human condition. It suggests that our souls or spirits or minds or whatever is trapped inside this physical body. I really like that idea and I'm willing to entertain the idea of an afterlife if it doesn't concern worldly matters. If it's just about love and truth and knowing, I'm all for that. I want clarity.

I want to exist as a higher being that knows or not exist at all. I'm tired of the in between grayness of this existence.

Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

I swear I started reading this book months prior, but I only just completed reading it.

It was a book assigned for one of my philosophy classes at UVA. (Of course, I didn't actually read it when it was assigned.) I think it was mainly used to illuminate Freud's Pleasure Principle that simply states that people seek pleasure and avoid pain and that is the only true motivation in life. I tend to agree with that idea that all actions a person takes in life are a result of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Now, the definition of "pleasure" and "pain" is hardly concrete, but I'm not going to get into that.

In general, I like Freud's ideas on civilization as it relates to the individual. And I tend to agree with his point of view that civilization isn't really the best thing to happen to man, but what is one to do about it? Plus, the idea of a neurotic civilization is a real riot!

There are a lot of interesting ideas in this work of Freud. I think it's something that I'll be picking up again in the future. But I'll conclude with a quote that pretty much sums up my view on civilization...

"The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization. It was greatest before there was any civilization, though then, it is true, it had for the most part no value, since the individual was scarcely in a position to defend it."

With this I'm likely to believe that there must not be a single novel thought in my head.

Nicole Fox: America's Next Top Model

Nicole Fox, winner of Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model. What a face.

I love the waifish quality of her figure. The curve of her left leg in the picture above is seriously to die for.

Cycle 13 of ANTM was for "short girls" - girls 5'7" and under. How laughable, seriously. It was a blow to my pride to be honest. I'm 5'2" so I must be midget-sized.

I was particularly surprised that this cycle was so diverse. I'm seemed kind of disingenuous. Of course they cast deliberately with all kinds of things in mind... I mean 4 black girls, the token Asian, the Latina, the redhead, the mama, the dancer, the lesbian, the foster kid, the math nerd, the awkward girl, the previously abused, the small town girl... on and on and on...

Nicole Fox was a favorite to win from the very beginning, at least in my book. Her awkwardness was endearing and she got brownie points for being an artist. But it was really her look that got me. She's atypically pretty and I love a model with a unique look. Ugly pretty is so fitting for fashion. And I think I'm a little too obsessed with the angle of her legs...

I also thought Laura Kirkpatrick was so cute with her thick accent and small-town sensibilities. She is most definitely a classic beauty...

Botticelli's Venus, anyone? The girl is all curves. There is not an angle on her face. I think she is the paragon of womanliness, a veritable modern incarnation of Venus, if you will, and very suited for swimsuits and underwear. I just don't see her as a fashion model.

Another girl that had my attention was Brittany Markert, the math nerd. They made her into a brunette and I kept thinking of Dr. Temperance Brennan aka Bones (Emily Deschanel). It was probably the cold rationality of her personality and that jawline that speaks, "determination."

Two other brunettes with square jaws of determination that I'm familiar with? Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Dr. Remy Hadley aka Thirteen (Olivia Wilde). The square jaw is not at all an uncommon trait especially in the entertainment industry. It's not a secret that a well defined jaw is a marked characteristic of beauty.

Above is Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. I immediately thought of her when Tyra did the "scarves" photoshoot with the girls. I think it was easily the most beautiful set of photos.

And to end the post my favorite picture of the season...

House, what a character?

David Shore's hero-oriented procedural medical drama House M.D. now in it's 6th season on Fox has been and probably will continue to be a staple in my TV viewing regimen. I've always been a fan of the procedural. They're easy to watch due to their episodic nature and the intrinsic structure of the procedural sets the pace and mood of the show to which you are quickly accustomed. I'd say it's comforting. In addition to all the benefits of a procedural the fact that House is so character oriented makes it all the more compelling.

I'll be honest and say House was my introduction to Hugh Laurie. Of course after I knew of the existence of Mr. Hugh Laurie I noticed him in all these random other things... like that Friends episode where Rachel is on the plane to London to stop Ross's wedding. Oh, and I believe he was in Sense and Sensibility the movie with Kate Winslet. Crazy stuff...

Of the original characters, I can't say I was ever a fan of House's fellows, Chase, Cameron, or Foreman, especially not Cameron. Yuck. Really, any romantic storyline that involved Cameron I was not and still am not a fan of. I just really don't like Cameron as a character.

On the other hand I'm a fan of Cuddy and the whole House/Cuddy dynamic. I'll admit I was shocked that the writers were really sincere about the whole House/Cuddy thing. But I'm ok with it now especially since they started to delve into the I've-had-feelings-for-you-for-a-long-time idea. The only real complaint about Cuddy is that she really does dress pretty provocatively. Cleavage, cleavage, cleavage! It seems kind of far-fetched, but whatever...

Ah~ Robert Sean Leonard! Dead Poets Society! That is reason enough to love Robert Sean Leonard and therefore Wilson. Who doesn't love watching House and Wilson together anyway?

When they switched up the team after Chase was fired and Cameron quit. I thought it was going to be the death of the show. I mean, how was a character focused show supposed to recover from axing some of the key players? But they brought on some interesting characters, notably Amber aka Cutthroat Bitch. I wasn't a big fan of Wilson and Amber together, although the bit about Amber being a female House was pretty entertaining. It was a highlight of the season, and then she had to die.

Of all the new characters I liked Kutner the best. Although I wasn't a big fan of the whole my-parents-died sap story. I liked the playfulness of the character. It's so becoming of Kal Penn. But Kutner had to die.

I think I see a theme. I hope they kill Cameron next.

Just a gratuitous shot of the men of House M.D.

Dexter: My Infatuation

Blogging regularly is so difficult. I mean, there are only so many things that excite me on a day-to-day basis. I keep thinking and planning on incorporating blogging into a daily routine of sorts, but it's hard to get internally motivated to DO it. I'm more of a "take-it-in" kind of person. I do set aside numerous hours of the day to take in the daily offerings of TV. I get excited by that. I just can't seem to get excited about non-passive activities; thus is my nature.

So on that subject of excitement I decided today I'd rave about TV in a manner. I mean TV is just one of those things that keeps me going. I could talk about TV all day, but right now I'm going to be focused, and I'm going to tell a story about a very young woman, more like an old girl, who fell in love with "Dexter."

Dexter is in it's 4th season on Showtime. Being a cable show it's got it's fair share of blood and guts and sex and violence, but I think it's a necessary part of the show. It gives it that flair all it's own...

I don't remember when I started watching it. It was probably around the time the show just started. I remember being super excited hearing about a new show about a serial killer. That really piqued my interest. I have always loved serial killer movies; the non-horror, thriller genre. I really love romanticized serial killers. And I stress "romanticized." I am very anti-reality. I like the way things are portrayed in books and movies and TV and hardly ever the way they are in reality. I hate true crime as a genre. It sucks. In addition, serial killers in reality are never as attractive, charming, intelligent and overall likable as they are in stories. So the point? I liked Dexter before I even knew what Dexter really was.

Michael C. Hall is the perfect Dexter. I really can't imagine anyone else in the role at this point. His understated charm is what does it for me. Probably in conjunction with his physical nature. By that I mean he's more compact and earthy looking. That shortish, buffish, geekish, brutish look is perfect. Hall in Six Feet Under was pretty convincing as well. And on some level, Dexter Morgan and David Fisher are both so closeted and socially repressed...

Other notable cast members? Oh, I absolutely have to mention Julie Benz from Buffy the Vampire fame. Who could forget Darla, Angel's sire and whatnot. The idea of Mrs. Dexter Morgan having had relations with one Agent Seeley Booth in a previous life is somewhat unnerving. In addition, Jennifer Carpenter as Deborah Morgan, sister of Dexter Morgan? It must be weird having your real-life love interest portray your sibling. At least they're not blood-related on the show. Lastly, shout outs to C.S. Lee fellow Asian, Korean-American to be precise, for the role of Vince Masuka.

One of the best things about this show, aside from the engaging plot, and the talented cast, and the clever writing is the opening title sequence. I still have not tired of watching it, and I am a person that is easily bored with repetition. It is absolutely beautifully shot and the allusion to violence is perfectly executed. It has the underlying note of dark humor that is a key component to the success of the show. It sets the mood. It puts you there. It says, "It's time..."

Gosh. I wish it were time, but I have to wait another week. Thankfully, I've got House today. Perhaps I'll blog about that tomorrow...

The Stuff of Nightmares

I've been looking through all the fall 2009 ready-to-wear runway shows again. I'm looking for inspiration for my own fall wardrobe, since the weather really has taken a turn.

Of course this led me to re-examine Alexander McQueen's f09rtw collection. The first time I saw it I seriously could NOT focus on the clothes. The makeup he had on those girls was seriously the stuff of nightmares.

It is the freakiest thing I have ever seen.