I might be a little behind the times, but I'm going to rave about how much I love the Kylo Ren character in The Force Awakens! The key draw for me is how conflicted his character is. Everybody loves noob villains. Because they represent a very real human conflict between good and evil, and how the wrong choices lead us to do terrible things. And they also show how sometimes what's good and what's evil isn't so obvious.

My favourite Kylo Ren scenes:

1. When he first took off the mask
He sure took his time removing the mask, because it was a rather dramatic moment, so that gave me time to imagine what I would see beneath the mask. I was expecting somebody a little more rugged and experienced-looking, with some harsh wrinkles and perhaps an ugly scar down his eye, because that's what I imagined his face to be from how imposing and powerful he seemed, with his mask on. And also how unbalanced he was, wrecking equipment just to vent his rage. An unbalanced person probably would have some corresponding scars on his face, from creating so much damage , right? Or if not a scar, perhaps some manic eyes, like General Hux's eyes--wonderfully portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson I thought!
Instead when he took off his mask, I saw this pale-faced, wide-eyed guy who looked like he just became Kylo Ren a day ago. A whoa moment for me. Some part of me almost expected him to become a normal young guy again and rescue Rey.
So this disjunction between his character and looks really helps to portray his inner conflict between light and dark.

2. When his dad confronted him (duh!)
I was spoilered for this scene (-.-), so I was 100% certain Han Solo was going to die a horrible death. But when he spoke to his father (probably for the first time--and last-- in eons) about his inner pain and conflict just as the setting sun was putting its last rays through the windows, I could totally see so much pain and confusion in his eyes. My heart broke for this terrible villain, just for that split second though, because the next split second he did the unthinkable. Great acting there.
This scene also shows how very much alone he really is: standing on that narrow road in the abyss, being alone in his inner struggle.

3. When he fought with Rey
Actually I like this scene also because it shows that Rey is his equal when it comes to talent in the Force, and perhaps even much more with some training. I love this wave of girl power riding through cinema. And the industry knows girls love it.
This scene also shows a more human side of Kylo. There was a moment when he could easily have finished her off-- his lightsaber was pressing down on her lightsaber, and she was on the edge of a cliff. But! He stopped and offered to teach her. Though she refused after that, with a lot of sass in my opinion. Perhaps I'm getting carried away. But this scene shows how even villains would want a companion and could be human in the most unlikely of times. If she took up his offer he could finally feel less alone in his dark pursuit. Or perhaps he thought it was a waste of life, since Rey was a force-sensitive being? Brings me to the next point!

Which is, how are they related? Kylo acts as if he knows who she is, and this is quite a conceivable theory since he treats her quite nicely, in comparison to his treatment of other people. The 2 competing theories on the net are a) they are siblings; b) they are cousins. I personally think they are cousins (i.e. she is Luke's daughter). It does not make sense for Han and Leia to not know that they have a daughter. Or for Leia to go to all that trouble to hide a 2nd pregnancy from Han, in order to protect the identity of her child? Besides, my personal preference is for poor lonely Luke to have a child of his own. So he can train another Jedi anew, after he presumably failed in his earlier attempt to train Kylo Ren. But why he abandoned his daughter on some desert planet is still a mystery.

Finally watched Our Times!
There are so many things that don't make sense in the movie. The portrayals of the school management and LZX's classmates were so 2-dimensional that it made the whole movie less believable. I get that this is a fairytale but a good modern fairytale should still have more well-developed characters and plot. (example: 500 days of summer) And TMM is such a b**** because in the rain she held the umbrella over her beau but not LZX, and pointedly stared (smilingly) at LZX: called to mind Mean Girls type of behaviour LOL. But this doesn't make sense because HTY's love interest should certainly not have such a shallow character. And I think the relationship between OYFF and HTY should certainly have been explored more since they go way back and such a major event happened in the course of their friendship. So in summary, I think the movie should have been filmed not from LZX's limited point of view but from a neutral point of view so that everyone's feelings and thoughts could have been captured. Or perhaps it could have been filmed from OYFF's and HTY's point of view. That would also cover many more of the hidden layers in the movie. And that in turn would make the romance between HTY and LZX more impactful.

But that aside, it was a good fairytale. I loved:
1. the tape recording at the end
^ this is why HTY's point of view should have been covered so much more! it does not deserve cursory treatment only at the end of the movie.
2. the Taiwanese accent
3. the song

Verdict: 2.5/5 stars.
Not that it matters, because I'm not writing a movie review for the papers. Just to vent my feelings.

寻找属于自己的幸福

I love you and your cat and your break-up emotions ed sheeran! Not the first time I've shared this video but I just got the feels...in the middle of the night when feels are the strongest. :')

Omg I teared up just watching the trailer, I'll probably full-out cry for the actual movie :')  Well at least I'm prepared. I didn't tear up last time when the song was in Chinese... so is it the singer or the language that's making this magic? Or am I just in a more fragile state of mind after revision? Lool...whatevs. I really have to watch this!! After exams though. But I really hate the swimming pool scene where she tries to drown herself for what seems like nothing at all ...



/sobs\

Here's this morske orgulje in Zadar, Croatia. It's a sea-organ. And it looks and sounds beautiful. I really wanna go there, someday, even if it's not in the near future. Perhaps travel isn't high on my priority list now. But the world offers many beautiful sights and sounds, and it would be a pity not to experience at least a few of them first-hand.

HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDEEEEE

I think the chorus is really addictive! Especially so with the background vocals. Also quite fascinated by Adele's expressiveness in the video.

Lately I've also re-discovered 倔强 by 五月天. It was one of my favourite songs when I was in my early teens, and I think it still holds that same value to me now. I've always liked songs about rebellion but I think this song still has the cutest lyrics, such as 爱我的人别紧张 我的固执很善良.