NOVEMBER FAVORITES ♥

Hello again~  Well.  November flew right by due to my sky-high pile of projects… and December certainly snuck up on me.  I can hardly believe that Christmas is in two weeks!  *flails*  I’ve only just started gift shopping!

…But anyway.  Before it’s too late, I wanted to post some favorites from last month.  Because I was so busy, I didn’t keep a list like I usually do, so I’ve just covered a few of the basics for November.

Music

Kyuhyun – At Gwanghwamun

As elaborated upon in my previous post, Cho Kyuhyun, my favorite South Korean vocalist (and quite possibly my favorite vocalist of all time), released his first album At Gwanghwamun, during the month of November.  I managed to snag a copy of it as an early Christmas present to myself, and I have to say that I am impressed—and very much in love with this album.

          You have heard me talk about Kyuhyun’s voice before.  It’s just beautiful.  There are no words that can do it justice.  This album perfectly highlights everything that I love about his warm, distinctive vocals.  His voice was definitely made for the ballads that make up most of this album, but Kyu hints at his versatility with the fun, folk-like track “Flying, Deep In The Night.” 

          I love all of the tracks on this album, but if I had to pick a favorite, “Eternal Sunshine” would be the easy choice.  This absolutely gorgeous song was composed by Japanese pianist Yiruma, who also plays the instrument in the song.  …Oh goodness.  I cried when I heard this song for the first time because it is musical perfection.

          The jacket design for this album is beautiful, too!  It’s simple yet elegant.  The theme is autumn, and I have to say that the photoshoot is one of the best that I’ve seen in Asian music, at least in my opinion.

          But ya’ll know that I’m totally not biased.

Film

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I

“Are you

Are you

Coming to the tree?

Where I told you to run, so we’d both be free?

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.”

—“The Hanging Tree”

If it’s one aspect of film—or any type of entertainment, really—that I particularly enjoy, it’s how likely I am to think about it over and over again even long after the viewing experience.  I find that if a movie or book continues to “haunt” me, that work has succeeded in its mission of making an impression on my mind.

          Mockingjay Part I is definitely one of these works.  I’ve heard mixed reviews on it, but based on my personal response, I think it’s a fine film.  It’s deep, fascinating, and eerily beautiful.  It’s a movie with a lot to say about society and the human condition.  But that is a whole another blog post in itself, and I’m too lazy to go there. Ha ha ha.

          What impressed me most about this movie was how it dealt with the incredibly dense storyline of the Mockingjay book almost effortlessly.  It explains everything well without being too explicit.  It leaves what should be left to the minds of those in the audience.  I have to admit that the first time I read the book, I got about halfway through before I realized that I had no idea what was going on, so I went back to page one!  As I said, the film adaptation clarified the complex events in an effective manner.

Product

CéraVe Renewing SA Lotion

As the winter chill has crept in and settled, my problem skin has been demanding even more care.  During this time of the year, it is of the utmost importance that I keep my psoriasis in check.  One product that I acquired recently was this lotion from dermatologist-based brand CéraVe.  It’s a salicylic acid (SA) lotion and according to the packaging it “provides patented controlled release of ingredients to help exfoliate, soften, and smooth extremely dry, rough, and bumpy skin.”  I’ve recently started a healthier diet with exercise and out of all the products that I’m currently using to help ease my external psoriasis symptoms, this one has helped the most to prevent scaling, calm redness, and heal my patches.  I apply it three times daily: after cleansing in the morning, when I get home from work in the afternoon, and at night right before I go to bed.  It has worked wonders for me!

Book

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This was a novel that I had to read for my “Monsters in Literature” course this past term, and I have to say, out of all the books I’ve read this year, this one disturbed me the most.  And by disturbed I mean that the story broke the monotony of my normal reading material in an abrupt and unorthodox way.

          What’s it about? Zombies.  No, don’t make that face.  And forget about what modern entertainment has told you about zombies.  Handling the Undead is very, very different, and would probably shock a follower of series such as The Walking Dead.

          The crux is that Lindqvist takes quite the opposite approach to the undead, which he calls the “reliving.”  Instead of portraying the reliving as violent and terrifying, the author chooses to emphasize their human value and focuses on the individual emotion of and interpersonal relationships between their still-living family, friends, and neighbors.  The three main storylines take place parallel to each other and at several points they do intersect, but each character in the story stands for different things and thus has differing motives for doing what they choose to do in regards to the reliving.  They are written in a very thoughtful, intelligent manner.

          Bottom line: the novel is dark, brooding, and eerily fascinating.  You’ll never forget this one.  Because of the subject matter, though, this book certainly isn’t for everyone.  Read up on it and decide for yourself.