picking at webs

The war outside our door keeps raging on. 

I've only just finished reading "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. In lieu of that, I supposed that quoting from "Safe and Sound", the theme song for "The Hunger Games" movie, was appropriate. Perhaps I heard the song prior to my knowledge it was to be the theme song in the movie but if I did, I do not recall it at all. However, one thing is certain- I did not know it was Taylor Swift singing until my sister told me so.

So far, I've been hearing mixed responses to the song but majority of the people's opinions are veering towards the positive side.

One of the first things I thought upon my completion of the final book in the trilogy is simply this- I don't think I can ever write something like that. Indeed, my writing has improved over the years and while some of my expressions remain bizarre, it's much better than what I started out with. However, I can't help but feel my words are simply pretty and nice sounding on the surface but they have no real worth of substance.

I can paint a picture with words but I can't tell a story. Well, not a decent one that will move people and set them thinking, anyway. Perhaps it will come in time but I'm not so sure. Hmm. Alright, then. I shall give a slight brief over of the books to those who have not heard of them.

Where to start? Hmm.

Since I (perhaps, mistakenly) assume that most people don't really care much for books nowadays, here is the trailer for the upcoming movie- "The Hunger Games". Please do make an attempt to watch it because even when I didn't know anything about the books at all, I was still impressed with the trailer because it looked so epic.

Now, about the story line. Basically, it's about city named Capitol that has supreme control over twelve other cities named District One, all the way to District Twelve. There was a District Thirteen but it was claimed to be wiped out in the war waged for control. The people in the Capitol ultimately obtained control and in a bid to express their tight regime and to express how the people in the Districts are helpless against them, they invented an annual game called "The Hunger Games".

Each District will have to send a female and male tribute, aged twelve to eighteen, for the games. Long story short, they will have to fight to the death- there is only one victor for the games. Viewing from a humane, logical point of view, the games are sick in the sense they pit young teenagers against each other, battling for their own survival.

I didn't think it would be boring at all. From the start, the writing style ensured me it would be a good read. However, it did make me think a little more about the world I live in today. I won't go into details about that because it might mean giving up spoilers and talking about issues in which I feel too immature to deal with.

There's one thing I'm absolutely sure about and it is that books and stories help me understand the world around me better. Not literally about the world in a geographical sense because many of the stories I read are often of the fantasy genre. Rather, it's about human qualities, characters and how people would react when a certain situation is thrust upon them.

There is much, much, much more but that is a slight gloss over of it.

It almost always makes me realize how insignificant and unimportant I am in the world. How the world is large in comparison to the one I live and breathe, an idle routine that no longer feels like one. The things I face in my life seems almost minute compared to the trials faced by the characters in the books. Indeed, it might be a little too extreme to be comparing every day drama to scenarios of death, magic and all that jazz, but it just strikes me somehow as a fair comparison.

Honestly speaking, strangely enough, while I might admire the books and stories, I have no desire to be in one like whatever I'm reading. I enjoy my mundane life, as odd as it sounds. Yes, I may complain and say I'm never going anywhere, blah blah blah but I actually do like it, to some extent. Of course, there are times when I find it's a chore.

Also, reading makes me realize how spoiled, selfish and just generally bad I sound, especially in a lot of my blog posts but I can't really be bothered to properly reflect on my actions. That's that. I'm not going to sugarcoat but I won't agonize over it.

Alright.

That's all.

Fine, that's not it yet. It's weird but it's the Chinese New Year and I'm just about the last thing from festive. Joy.

Okay, now I'm done.