The portrayal of romance
Oo, what is this here? A podcast it seems! I really don’t like my voice on recordings, but I guess if I listen to it enough, I’ll eventually get used to it.
You know, I used to like those sappy movies where everyone fell in love at the end and lived happily ever after, but now that I think about it… I dislike them. They delude people into thinking that they’re going to have a happy ending, when in reality, not many people have movie-like conclusions in their lives. Not everyone is going to find the perfect person for them to be with, not everyone is going to end up with large amounts of money and the love of their life.
I want to watch a romance movie where the main character doesn’t hookup with another incredibly hot character and live happily ever after. I want a romance movie that portrays what love is really like rather than a perfect facade of what we all wish it could be. I also really don’t like romance books either, like… let’s see… a certain series that has captivated the hearts of its readers… Twilight. No, we’re not going to have vampire boyfriends or girlfriends that sweep us off our feet and make us fall to the floor with just a gaze into their eyes. As much as we all want our own personal Edward (Or Edweena, Edwinette, or whichever girl version you prefer) Cullen, it’s not going to happen. The only book that I liked in the series was New Moon because Edward wasn’t the main focus of the story. I would have much preferred the ending of New Moon if Edward hadn’t come back in the end, only to leave Bella and Jacob to themselves — but then again a book like that wouldn’t sell many copies. To guys who’ve read the Twilight series… stop trying to be like Edward Cullen and be yourself.
Honestly, you know what watching all these romance movies does to a person? It raises their standards for a partner. You expect them to be like the characters in your favorite movies, and when they’re not, you’re heartbroken. I want to watch a movie where the characters aren’t perfect all the time.
A good romance book that I would recommend people to read is the classic, Wuthering Heights. The characters are imperfect, flawed, and that’s what makes them beautiful. Their imperfections are the reasons why the story is so beautiful and haunting. Heathcliff is in love with a woman he can’t have, and he has to live with that for the rest of his life. This book, is the best portrayal of romance that I’ve read so far.
People are imperfect and that’s what makes us interesting. Honestly, if you found an absolutely perfect person on the street, would you be interested in them? Well, maybe you would, but I want someone who is flawed, someone who isn’t perfect, someone who is willing to open up their heart and own up to their imperfections.
Do you like romance books, novels, etcetera? If so, why?
Interviews
What is that you see? Barbara Walters? Oprah Winfrey? Montel Williams? No, it’s Alex Qin! I was assigned an English project which involved interviewing someone somehow related to the topic that we were to choose. The topic I’ve chosen is global warming, and I decided to interview an ecology/environmental science professor at the local community college. Using my outstanding interviewing skills, I made him answer my questions, thus collecting more information for my project.
After school on Monday, I had to rush back home, get all my materials, and head out the door to drive to the college. It took about twenty minutes to get there, and we still had to find a place to park, and we still had to find the place where I was supposed to meet with the professor! Let me tell you, college campuses are really hard to navigate.
“Alex, ask for directions!”
“No, I can find it!”
“Okay fine. Find it then.”
*five minutes later*
“Mom, I think we’re lost.”
“AIYAH!”
So, after that, my mom spent ten minutes lecturing me on asking for directions. In the end, we had to ask for directions… 
In my defense, the building I was supposed to meet in was a new building, so all the maps on campus didn’t have it yet. I was being mislead!
“MOM, WHERE IS THE DUDE?!”
“Don’t worry, he’ll show.”
“EMIGAWD. IT’S 4:05, HE’S LATE!”
“He’s a college professor, he has the right to be late.”
“WHAT IF HE FORGOT? EMIGAWD. I’M DEAD.”
And then he showed up! I think he overheard my panic attack as he was coming around the corner. The interview went pretty well. I tried to give him the “intense” stare that you see journalists using on their subjects, and I think he took it as a menacing stare instead, because he didn’t look me in the eye. I felt like I was interviewing Santa Claus because he just seemed so… jolly. Overall, I think I came off as a professional-sounding middle school student, who just happens to have menacing eyes.
I think I might have to change my name to Alex Winfrey, because I swear, my interviewing skills are at the same level as Oprah’s. 
Have you ever had to interview anyone before? If so, how did it go?
Posted in Thoughts on May 7th, 2008 · Comment
Tags: Movies, Opinions