Ghost Wife

An unlikely high school romance.

Ghost Wife is an online webtoon created by Sae-Jung. The story follows Liz Kim, a high school student who saw something she shouldn’t have: someone eating a cat outside of her building. The cat eater turns out to be a man, who notices he is being watched and climbs up the three stories to Liz’s window. He than debates if he should eat her or make her his wife. After this interaction, she starts to see things no one else does, like ghastly ghouls wandering in the streets. The man follows her the next day, and everyone calls him her fiancé.

The imagery can be creepy, ghosts can appear as withered corpses with giant mouths or heads with giant eyes and wispy hair. Sometimes the ghosts’ mouths are reminiscent of kuchisake-onna, where the mouth has been slit open and appears inhuman. It is not the most frightening imagery I’ve seen, but it does leave an impression.

The rest of the comic is a regular high-school drama, following the protagonist’s relationship with the men in her life. As expected, being the fiancée of a ghost causes some problems. Apart from “average” looking ghosts, there are also specific types of ghosts like fox spirits, like a nine-tailed fox and a white fox later in the series.

If you’re interested in a slice of life romance and can handle some horrific images this may be a quick read for your morning commute.

You can read it here

Digital Minimalism (2019)

“Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or in a behaviour for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behaviour despite detrimental consequences.” page 15

Cal Newport starts his book off by explaining what an addiction is, and how we are probably addicted to the digital things in our lives (Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, computer, cell phone, etc.) Newport defines digital minimalism as “a philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else” page 28.

Newport proposes the reader try a digital declutter. Which is a 30 day period where you take a break from optional technology, explore/rediscover activities that you find meaningful and satisfying. In the end, you reintroduce optional technology back, determine the technologies value and how to maximize said value. I have just summed up the book in a nutshell, but he does more than propose a declutter. He discusses solitude through the lens of Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin’s book Lead yourself first. Solitude or spending time alone with one’s self is not a bad thing, it does not mean isolation, instead, it allows for self-reflection and emotional balance. Newport is sure to note others who have spoken on solitudes benefits (Virginia Woolf, Blaise Pascal). We live in a world where you can have a literal soundtrack to your life with headphones, where it is possible to limit solitude in our lives. This leads to “Solitude deprivation- a state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds” page 103.

Newport offers practices to combat this such as taking long walks (preferably without your phone) or journaling. We should reclaim conversation with people even have “conversation office hours” where people can call and talk to you at X o’clock. This would take away the potential fear of calling someone, as you know they are expecting a call. Another practice is supercharged sociality, which is spending time with people doing an activity, in the real world (sorry World of Warcraft). For example, Crossfit, cultural events, or going to tabletop cafes. Throughout the book Newport offers different things for the reader to try, but without demanding they do it. He is not insisting everyone should try Crossfit, or get rid of social media, rather it’s all about you and what you find meaningful.

The chapters were a bit too long. One chapter was 40 pages long, although there were subheadings in each chapter. The textbook definitions and bolding of important words can make this appear like a dry book. However, this makes it easy to go back and find definitions that are continually referenced. I found the real-life examples of Amish farmers and programmers give the book authenticity, it’s showing a theory through real-life examples and I appreciate that.

In conclusion, parts of this book are “no duh” parts. I think we all know we might be addicted to technology and this just blatantly points it out. However; it is not a book about being “anti-technology”, rather how do we figure out our day to day interactions with technology. I have actually read all of his books now, and this is by far the best. The pacing and word choice make it a perfect read, at points its closer to a conversation instead of a book. I finished reading it in two days and it does invoke thought, are the apps on my phone doing anything for me other than being low-quality leisure?

Osmosis

If you could find your soul mate, would you want to?

The show is about a companies new product. Osmosis is a pill filled with nano-bots that is promising to help people find their “soulmate.” It is currently in beta testing, with only a month before their worldwide launch. However, not everyone is happy about this advancement in technology. A group called the humanists are ramping up their protest against Osmosis, as some worry the technology will be used to monitor and control people. There is also the threat of corporate espionage as Osmosis threatens the VR experience of Perfect Match. The show follows multiple storylines, that are perfectly interwoven. Paul and Ester Vanhove are the brother sister duo that created Osmosis. Paul is Osmosis’s first tester, and his soulmate is a dancer named Joséphine. Ester has no time for relationships, and is focused on trying to save their comatose mother. We also follow three of the twelve beta testers: Ana, Lucas, and Neils. Each having a different reason for signing up as a tester.

Because it is being marketed as finding your one and only, I think of several issues right off the bat. What if your soul mate is in a relationship, what if they are married and have children? What if they are a serial killer? Incarcerated? Terminally ill? Already dead? There is many ways the premise can go off the rails in an entertaining way.

Since Osmosis is a French show it’s take on nudity and sex is European. The show is not prudish, and there are multiple scenes with nudity; even the opening sequence is two naked bodies embracing.

Personally, I enjoy playing random non-English TV shows on Netflix. Much like watching documentaries, I think if you have time to watch that Brooklynn Nine Nine episode for a 5th time, maybe you have time to discover something new. I enjoyed the science fiction elements, and overall it has great writing. When we have the ability to watch South Korean dramas and Icelandic crime procedurals, it is fascinating to see how a different country takes a well known genre and changes it for their audience.

You can watch the trailer here, and the full show is currently on Netflix.

It Chapter Two

I re-watched It (2017) and then saw It Chapter Two.

27 years after the events of the first movie, the losers club needs to reunite and defeat It. All of the losers have become relatively wealthy/ successful and have forgotten the many horrors of their childhoods in Derry. After a call from Mike Halon, the Derry librarian, the friends start to remember their promise.

The film had a lot more strobe effects than expected. I feel like it was trying to recapture what happened with the projector scene in the first film. While rewatching It (2017), a little less terrified, you can notice how the sound and lighting work to accelerate the pace of the scene and there is some genuine horror as the audience is thinking what will happen next. For It Chapter Two, the trailer shows a scene that takes place in the hall of mirrors (about 1:05). The strobe effect is done in a disorienting fashion and even though it adds to the creepiness of Pennywise, it is not done to the same degree as the projector scene. This scene is more face paced and does not want to spend too much time building tension.

Of course when something has been adapted more than once there are going to be some differences. Mainly I want to mention that Pennywise’s outfit is clearly different from the 1990 Tim Curry version. His costume was bright and colourful, exactly what one might expect with a regular birthday party clown. While Skarsgård’s costume can be described as “murder clown”, often covered in the blood of his victims.

In my opinion, the best part of the film was the transitions. As the film switches from 1988/89 to 2016 there are a series of flawless transitions. whether we follow a ballon, or the camera glides from one version of the character to another, it is handled with great care. I actually preferred this to a tinted lens or special filter.

I think It Chapter Two was fine, just fine. It brought a lot to the table with great actors and de-aging technology but something appeared to be missing from the second chapter.

We’re Alive: A Story of Survival

Audio theatre for your mind.

The podcast that got me hooked on story-based podcasts.

At the start of each episode there is a music riff that drags the listener into the apocalyptic setting. You know with the off-key piano that this is a horror podcast, or at the very least eerie. The announcer’s voice telling the listener “We’re Alive: A Story of Survival” becomes melodic after a few episodes, and it is the same announcer listing the cast at the end of the episode.

The story follows an ensemble cast through the zombie apocalypse in LA. Moving from the military base to an apartment building (dubbed “the tower”) and all the complications that come with it. We are following three military personnel: Michael, Saul, and Angel, and an emerging cast. Michael is the protagonist, as the podcast starts with his narration and for the first few episodes, the audience follows him. The podcast is presented as journal entries because Micheal (who was military intelligence) decided everyone needs to keep a record of what they see and know. However, the story is not tied to one person. It could start with Michael’s journal entry and then lead over to Saul’s journal about his adventure on the other side of LA.

A protagonist is only as good as their antagonist. Of course, there are the zombies who are hunting down humans, but there are also human threats. You get a clash of ideologies with different groups and characters going head to head. Much like TWD, the question of how to run a group is constantly mulled over. The Tower has the military in charge. “The Mallers” appear to be a dictatorship based on affiliations with “the family”; a crime organization. There are moral questions sewn throughout the show, like who should know what and when. If there is a potential threat should the leaders tell their group, or wait for proof?

The narrative has a little bit of everything, there is the big mystery (what caused the dead to rise), and there is a range of secrets to be uncovered that mainly focuses on the characters’ pasts. These aren’t your Night of the Living Dead Ghouls, but your 28 Days Later type of Zombies that run with ferocity. Nonetheless, the podcast is similar to The Walking Dead (TWD) where the audience follows a group as they try to survive. The main difference is that this podcast has an ending. The main series ended in 2016, but there is a six-part spin-off that looks at the prison system on day one of the Apocalypse: We’re Alive: Lockdown. In my opinion, the spin-off is done correctly, as it is made for fans of the original series that gives a different perspective of the situation. September 10th 2019, a new spin-off will be released: We’re Alive Goldrush.

The podcast has an array of characters, with excellent voice acting that really pulls a listener in. There is also impressive special effects with gunfire and explosions as well as the zombie noises. This is a podcast that requires both headphones, it is not binaural like Deadly Manners, but it is loud and aims to put the listener in the middle of the story.

The series has romance, drama, zombies, a killer cast and best of all an ending what more can a person want? The episodes are available here.

10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less)

With the school year around the corner, it’s time to look at opening the books.

Thomas Frank is a popular Youtuber who focuses on how to make you a better student. This book is a cumulation of his tips and tricks.

As the title says, there are ten steps to earn awesome grades, these are just a few of them. The first step is to pay better attention in class. Eating healthy, working out, and getting a good amount of sleep are a few steps that you can take to improve your attention. The second step is to take effective notes. There are multiple ways to take notes and he goes over five different types: outline, Cornell, mind map, flow and write on the slides styles. The explanation on his youtube channel is a useful visual. The third step is to get more out of your textbooks, accept that you shouldn’t/can’t do all of your readings. Thus a student needs to decide what is important and what can wait. Something that is a primary source (the main textbook or article) versus a secondary source ( maybe cool one off article that the professor liked). Mainly, don’t passively read, instead try Pseudo-skimming or reading the chapter backwards. Something that means you won’t be reading like a zombie, and are forced to engage with the text.

The fourth step, “plan like a general”. Plan out your week on Sunday, and figure out what work requires high and low context. This can tie back into the readings tip, some classes require more reading than others. If you plan for when you will do the readings, you might get more done. It would be difficult to read a 300 page novel in one night (not impossible, but probably not how you want to spend Sunday night), so deciding ahead of time to read 43 pages a day means you can finish it in a week. However, you also need to plan when to read. It would be great if we could just upload a book perfectly into our minds, but in reality it takes time.

Frank writes like he speaks on his channel, fitting in-jokes and explanations. The book was only 148 pages long, so it is possible to read it in an afternoon. The tips seem sound, there is nothing out of the ordinary like eat pomegranate seeds prior to writing math test for ultimate success. Each chapter gives multiple ways to achieve its goal, so there is more you can do to pay attention than getting great sleep. Even though some of the tips are common sense, get enough sleep, sometimes you just need to be told to do it. Personally, I prefer his youtube videos, but the book was a great package of condensed tips. Instead of looking on his channel and getting distracted by something like “how to build a morning routine”, you can read solely about things that affect grades.

N0S4A2 (Book)

A gripping 686-page read about magical objects, horrific deeds, and motherhood.

The story follows Victoria McQueen, Vic, and her uncanny ability to find lost things. As a child, she rode her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike across a bridge that would take her where ever she needed to go. Charles Talent Manx uses his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith in a similar fashion, taking children on long rides out of this world and into his own one: “Christmasland.” When Vic is mad at her mother, she goes looking for trouble and finds it in the shape of Manx. Years later, Vic is now a mother herself and wants to think no more of Charles Manx or her magical bridge. Manx, on the other hand, has spent years thinking of Vic and when he decides to pick a new passenger to take to Christmasland the choice is easy: Vic’s son.

The lack of numbered chapters makes the book hard to put down, especially when some “chapters” are the beginning and end of a chapter. For example, “she went through a second inner door and into A Hallway. A hallway is on a separate page, bolded and acts as a chapter title but at the same time, it is the last word of the chapter before. This was ingenious, it meant I would continue to flip pages, as a majority ended on cliffhangers that could be explained in the next chapter’s title, and once you are there you might as well continue reading. This helped with an already excellent pace that the book set.

Apart from a horrific tale of child abduction, there are elements of fantasy sprinkled throughout such as a magical car that can take you to Christmasland, or a girl who can find lost things no matter where they are. The story is bewitching. When watching a film, I tend to see if there are parts that could have been cut out, where clearly there was a cool idea but no payoff in the plotline. When looking at the novel in the same lens I am pleasantly surprised that all major plot points feel necessary to tie it up neatly. Could some things have been left out, of course, but it wouldn’t have been as alluring because the little details build the world.

Gabriel Rodriguez, the illustrator, also worked with Hill on the Locke & Key graphic novel series. I think if a book is close to 700 pages long there should be something fun in it apart from a great story. Rodriguez’s art is refreshing and helps with world-building while acting as bookends the novel.

The first picture is from the pastedown endpaper and free endpaper, AKA the pages when you first open the book that is attached to the cover. This really drew me into the story (pun intended), there are a lot of different things that one could pick to be the first thing a potential reader sees and the Shorter Way Bridge is perfect. The second picture is a section beginning, the book is filled with these, that tell you the time period that the next section is focusing on. As the story takes place over a couple of decades, it is important to keep in mind when everything is happening.

I don’t think I’ve been so entranced by a fiction book lately. Now, this could be because I took a week-long break from Youtube, to focus on a project at work, and had to find other entertaining stuff to do on my lunch break, or N0S4A2 is just a solid read. Personally, I choose to believe the latter.