Vampires and Time-Travelers

[dvampyrlestat]

It felt like I was cheating...somehow.

I've always had this love for books. And the only word to describe it would be 'insatiable'. Not too infrequently, I realized I was wrenching myself away from any store that has books in it because only one of two things could happen: Either I spend mindlessly until I rendered myself broke, or I leave without buying a thing and have to nurse an aching heart.

It might sound like I am exaggerating, but believe me, THAT's how it is.

Then I found the moneysaver that is e-books. Like, download an electronic reader, and download ebooks programmed to be read on such a reader, then voila! You're reading, in front of the computer, (or on a device which, I am glad, aren't sold very much in this country. I mean, not where I am).

Still, nothing beats the feeling of reading with a book in the palm of your hands, skimming through pages, going back when you wanted to clarify something, fold a corner when you need to stop for a bit. (I don't use bookmarks. I end up losing them more often, anyway.)

Then a friend, Raine, asked if I've read TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer, and I did not. But lo and behold, on one of my nightly online trysts, someone gave me audiobooks of ALL THREE books. (It's a trilogy.)

Now, as outdated as this might make me sound, I've NEVER tried audiobooks. Never. No idea why. Maybe because I never saw the need to?

So anyway, I had those three, then started on the first one. Now I am in the middle of the second book.

It is cheating, right? After all, I was asked if I've READ, not LISTENED. *phwoar*

Oddly enough, I found myself enjoying it. Coz I can be on the drive to work, and I'll be listening to it. I want to tune off the other people at work making nuisances of themselves, I'll listen to it. Maybe it helped that the reader was soooo good. Her pronunciation, inflection, the proper expressions....I would say her name, but it was Russian-sounding and I couldn't be bothered to look it up.

Then yesterday my colleague Majo excitedly informed me that NBS (a bookstore) is on sale, so I said after dance rehearsal, "I'm gonna go let myself be robbed at NBS!"

I saw the three books on the shelves, sold at prices that AREN'T covered by the sale. See, this is what I learned lately. It's all about mindset. Keep telling yourself something until you actually believe it. Under my breath, I hummed, "I don't need to buy it, I'm already listening to it, and what would I do with it once I've bought it when I already know the story?"

It was my mantra....Then tore off.

Admittedly, I'm nursing a broken heart, but the mantra is some sort of a salve. Hey, my motto works here: "Whatever works."

FYI: TWILIGHT is presently in the middle of production into a major motion picture. It stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. For those who forgot, Robert Pattinson was Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter film. Yes, the one zapped to death by Voldie.



Now I was looking through the cast, and I saw familiar names. Peter Facinelli...Nikki Reed.  And it looks like all the major characters in the book shall be making appearances on film.

I shall reserve judgment until I've seen it, but I think Robert might just be perfect as Edward Cullen. (looks pale enough to be a vampire...)

Segue.

I love theater. Make it musical, then I love it even more. I respect theater actors more than I do movie stars. They are the real thespians, those who act on stage, using their voices and their body language to bring characters and stories into life. Unlike those shot by cameras, onstage, it is only Take One. Either you aced the scene, or you crapped all over the place. And you couldn't honestly say that the actors are doing it for money. After all, I don't think theater pays MORE than movies and television. So all in all, I'd say it's a genuine love for their craft that makes them do what they do.

I keep restraining myself from turning all fangirl-y while watching Tensei Kunpuu. Tough.

So I might not have a hundred percent grasp of what they're saying, but I think I have enough sense to make sense (yeah!) of the story. It was just the influx of historical figures, names and dates that are throwing me off. (But check out that booty-shaking to the tune of Arashi's WOW!)

The stage crackled with intensity and energy.  Each member of the cast seemed to feed off each other as they threw lines with such zest. And Ohno. Oh. Ohno, he absolutely owned the stage. Many times the image of that guy on Shukudaikun sitting quiet on the couch, only reacting when eating something...Totally different from this bundly of energy who simply skims from one end of the stage to the other. 

It was a sight to behold. 

I guess I can partly understand why he prefers the stage rather than appearing on dramas (much to the chagrin of fans everywhere). There's a certain mystique to it, and it is just so like him to throw himself fully into it, to literally lose his prior persona and be someone else for a span of two hours. No one yelling CUT! and ACTION!

Enough of that. Some caps.



Being in Arashi surely trained him for one important aspect of being a stage performer: QUICK COSTUME CHANGES.



The stage is clearly his home. 



Doesn't he look really tall and long-legged on this shot? Hmmm....



Bravo!

I hope they release on DVD his other works in the Puu Series. Seriously.

 

Comments

[twistedhalo04.livejournal.com]

Either I spend mindlessly until I rended myself broke, or I leave without buying a thing and have to nurse an aching heart.

Why does that sound familiar? HAHAHA

I thank the heavens for ebooks really and second hand book stores and for the previously owned section of NBS... hehe

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

Why does that sound familiar? HAHAHA

Great minds think alike? *snorts*

Everytime I go to Manila and I have time to spare, I make a point to allot ONE WHOLE DAY to go to NBS-Main over beside Araneta? Man, a day won't even be enough for me to go over everything.....! It's paradise when I go there. :DDD

[twistedhalo04.livejournal.com]

Great minds think alike

Indeed. XDDD

It's not easy going into bookstores because it makes it hard for me to leave HAHA and now add my Arashi addiction... my pockets are very, very sore to say the least.

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

True. True. I literally have to tell my best friend beforehand that whenever we come within a few feet of a bookstore, she'd drag me away, or remind me of that Arashi merchandise that I was going to buy, so I better scrimp on money this early. XDD

[twistedhalo04.livejournal.com]

HAHA That's one way to ground someone XD

[tomokaku.livejournal.com]

May (indayze) mentioned the book in her recent entry. It sounds like one really worth checking.

That hair color suits Ohno well <3

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

It sure is. I'm done with book 2 (New Moon) and I am just giving it a day or two before launching on to Book 3 (Eclipse). Hah. Talk about vampire overload. It won't be the first time, though. :)

[indayze.livejournal.com]

Ah so you also did a Twilight post!

But yeah, bookstores.
I bought the last two books hardcovered (only ones they had) and it ran me up to $46. o___o

After I had time to think, I went and returned them and just ordered it online for half the price. Ha!

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

Yeah. haha . I just had to finish the first one before getting to posting something, i didn't want to post 'blind'.

I have this ritual when in bookstores (or anywhere that requires spending). After I see something I like and want to buy, I give myself a good ten minutes, go around the place again, then having this internal debate. Oh you should hear the debate, it's rebuttal after rebuttal that I fear I might be acquiring a multiple personality disorder. lolz

anyway, it works. 75% of the time. so that means there's still that 25% to worry about.

[konkon86.livejournal.com]

hey hey guess who!
i completely agree with you on tensei kunpu.
the first 15 mins it took me 30 mins to watch. "ehh? are you slow or something?" answer: No. I was just amazed at the opening and wanted to make sure i don't miss any of the subs. My first time watching a japanese stage play. i also think acting on stage is a lot harder than behind a camera, as there is no place to laugh and say 'sorry, take 2". With no place to hide, stage performer is completely vulnerble, at the mercy of the audience, judged by every single move and every word. With all that said, at the end of the play, the sense of satisfaction would be indescribable, having been able to deliver 100% real performance without the cheating aids of cameras and retakes. Truely well done ohno and the cast. sugoi.

[sheranino.livejournal.com]

i always love your cap on Ohno.

"the stage is clearly his home"
that sentence fits him perfectly.