My friend Daniel has been asking me to watch this movie for the longest time. As far as I can gather, it’s about a boy who is a complete jerk to his poor self-sacrificing grandmother who goes through great lengths to make him happy. Because of that, I can’t watch this. I don’t want to go around choking little kids after watching such a horrific movie, so I won’t. I hear it’s good though. Very good in fact. Won awards and that. But sad. I don’t do sad. It makes me depressed and I have to sit around all day taking pills and staring into those bright lamps that depressed people have. You know, the ones that cost a lot of money and don’t really do anything, don’t even give you a mild tan. Those ones.

Luckily, the movie ends all happy like. I guess the DVD cover does kind of give it away. The kid is kind of cute as well. Another reason why I can’t watch it. The last thing you want to do is hate a cute kid. At least with ugly ones you can’t really help it.

ANYHOO, this movie stars Kim Eul-boon as the Grandmother and Yu Seung-ho as Sang-woo, the wee kid. The kid is your regular child actor, but the grandmother is something else! In real life, she is actually a non-actress who has never even watched a movie in her entire life. Pretty crazy eh? She was handpicked by the director after they reached the little rural village they were shooting in and saw her walking past them by chance. The director thought she was perfect, and when the movie was released she had to move out of her house in the tiny village (where they shot the movie) she spent her entire life in so she could escape from all the adoring fans that tracked her down. Her granddaughter said she really didn’t care for all that attention. I hope she at least made some good money out of it though!!

So, I guess I will watch it, eventually. Coz that’s kinda cool. THE END!! -by Hobbes-

[Watch "THE WAY HOME" Here!]

The original Korean version, starring Cha Tae-Hyun and Jun Ji-Hyun was released in 2001 and is actually based on a true story - the real life experiences of one Kim Ho-Sik who first published his story on the internet as a series of love letters, then compiled them into a novel before it was turned into a movie adaptation. Wow, who knew?! That somehow makes it so much kewler!!

In Korea and around Asia, the movie enjoyed extreme success that turned it into a cult classic, making it an important part of Hallyu - The Korean Wave.

The American remake however, is scheduled for a direct to DVD release on the 19th of August 2008. It stars Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert and the trailer looks like the Americans have retained a lot of the same scenes as the original. It does look very cool and like a lot of fun and regardless of countless “omg how dare they remake this movie! Sacriledge, I say!!!” comment posts there are all over YouTube, I think the Hollywood version is going to be worth seeing as long as you’re not constantly judging and bitter. It’s got a whole different feel to it somehow. Either way, it was never meant to replace the original (which will always be the most loved.) The music’s good, the leads are cute, and watch the trailer for yourselves :)

Special thanks to DchozN from making such a great edited trailer so we could see the comparisons between both movies. Here is the actual, original Korean trailer below.

Not that I can understand a word of it without the subs! But doesn’t she seem way scarier in the Korean than the American version? 0_o

Ok, so due to popular demand, I decided to start a little article on pointe shoes – for the beginner. Well, I figure that the intermediate to professional dancer already knows exactly what they’re looking for so they wouldn’t need any help, so this review is mainly aimed at the dancer looking for their first pairs of pointe shoes. Onwards!

Getting your first pair of pointe shoes or toe shoes is often THE turning pointe (ahaha geddit?) of a dancer’s training. A lot of dancers will decide then if they choose to turn their years of hard ballet training into a career, or perhaps move on to other dance disciplines such as lyrical or contemporary that don’t employ pointe shoes. They’re not for everyone, some people don’t like the feeling and others might not have the ankles for it, etc etc Suffice to say, a perfect pair of first pointe shoes will help you in making an unbiased decision that will not be based on accidentally getting an ill-fitting pair and not knowing how they’re supposed to feel. Enough babbling! Moving on.

One way I’ve found in getting good pointe shoes is to get them online. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of choice in brand makes or models and even sizes were limited, most dancewear shops catering to the bulk of dancers with foot lengths and widths that fell into the median category. If you had longer or wider feet, getting fitted for pointe shoes wasn’t so fun. Whereas shopping online, you have all the makes, models and sizes at the tips of your fingers! An added bonus, if you shop smart, you will find certain stores willing to shave off 15 – 30 percent off retail prices and most even have a money back policy!

My favourite pointe shoe brands are, in order of favouriteness! – Freed, Bloch and Chacott. I have also used, Grishko, Sansha and Gaynor Minden and will be reviewing all those shoes here today.

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So I have yet to find any good reviews on Spanish Language Software and decided to start my own for any of you out there who are thinking of experiencing the rich, intense culture of the Spaniards! Also very handy for helping out the visiting and lost Latin lover types out there, lost in our English speaking streets and requiring a sympathetic tour guide! Convenient no?!

I’ve had a look at what is offered on the market and only bothered to try out the most popular programs that didn’t have any returns from unhappy customers.

ROCKET SPANISH

The “Rocket” language series, has a very good reputation among foreign language learners. Relatively new on the market, it’s taken the world of bilingualism by storm and has time after time proven itself effective, affordable and most importantly fun! The Rocket Spanish program, is no exception and excels in teaching practical spoken Spanish that can really give you a good kick start. This program does not concentrate only on grammar rules and vocabulary, but stresses importance on phrases that actual Spanish speakers would use, so you can start practising straightaway without a lot of knowledge of Spanish grammar rules.

The package comes with illustrated lessons, audio lessons (over 12 hours of material!), a fun and interactive vocabulary software game and a Member’s Only forum that hosts a team of Spanish teachers working exclusively for Rocket Spanish so you have someone on call 24 hours a day, no matter where you are and what your question is! If you have any questions about the program at any stage or don’t find your answer in the forum, you are also invited to email the designer, Mauricio Evlampieff for personal support!

Emphasis is definitely not on Textbook style learning! This program is great for all kinds of learners, Visual, Audio, Interactive and of course the Traditional sit-down-and-study type as well. For the multitaskers, you can even download audio lessons to your mp3 player and go for a jog while learning!

I can say with confidence after trying this product that Rocket Spanish really gives you the tools to carry on basic conversations with native Spanish speakers (even if you never read the grammar and just concentrate on the audio and vocabulary game! I’m kind of lazy like that!), and comprehend enough to improve on your own after that.

With purchase, Rocket Spanish is throwing in two bonuses, the Beginner’s MegaCards memory game and also the Advanced. Hundreds of cards to help you learn new vocabulary and have fun while remembering them.

This program is great value for money if purchased online. I say this because it is priced at US$299.95 including postage and handling if delivered to your door, BUT only US$99.95 if purchased online!

This would be my number one choice by a long shot!

Of course if it’s not yours, there’s always the 8 week 100% money back guarantee with just a no-hassle email.

SYNERGY SPANISH - How To Turn 138 Spanish Words Into Effective Spanish Communication.

This package by Marcus Santamaria promises to start you off speaking Spanish straight away with only a 138 word core vocabulary!

He uses a self-developed formula of stringing these words in different combinations so you can start making up your own phrases and using them in real life situations. What happens is you learn his carefully selected 138 words and also the “Bricks and Mortar” words he teaches students to use for joining the actual vocabulary together with his fool proof formula.

His other emphasis is on short lessons (for example, audio lessons are only 10 to 15 minutes long) so you don’t need a lot of concentration, and he also doesn’t like repetition so his students don’t fall asleep from boredom.

This program is priced at US$110.00 including postage and handling for snail mail orders or US$59.95 if you buy it online. There is also a limit of 300 students that can purchase this program at any given time. This is so Mr. Santamaria can spend time on helping the individual. This program includes the option of direct email consultations with him should you need help.

I do however, have certain reservations with this program (the first being that I could not find any money back guarantee with the Synergy Spanish program) which I shall mention below when I talk about the LEARN HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH course.

LEARN HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH A 31-Day Course That Shows You How To Communicate In Spanish Using Thousands Of Spanish Words You Already Know.

OK. This program is also by Marcus Santamaria - the same designer as Synergy Spanish. I would like to compare these two programs simply because they stem from the same author.

First of all, Learn How To Speak Spanish concentrates on a much, much larger vocabulary. 3013 words to be exact! It starts off by using mnemonics (a powerful memory retention technique) between English and Spanish to teach the vocabulary. Then he uses his proven fool proof method he developed (that is used in Synergy Spanish) to learn patterns and link vocabulary together so you can create your own phrases for conversations.

The biggest difference I find between his two programs is the price tag! Learn How To Speak Spanish comes at a fraction of the price of Synergy Spanish at only US$49.95 for home delivery including postage and handling, and get this, only US$29.95 for online purchases! If you’re on a budget this is definitely for you! On top of that, Mr. Santamaria is still offering email support with this cheaper, more intense and intricate program that DOES have a Money Back Guarantee even! 56 Days and 100% of your money back if you don’t learn anything (which is almost impossible with this program by the way).

Because this program was available, I didn’t and wouldn’t really bother with Synergy Spanish as you would get so much more for so much less here. The price tag does confuse me a little still though, so if anyone DOES try Synergy Spanish, let me know what was so special about it! Maybe it’s targetted at the very basic beginner?

LEARNING SPANISH LIKE CRAZY - NIVEL DOS Take Your Spanish To The Next Level With Learning Spanish Like Crazy - Nivel Dos. Learn Real Latin American Spanish Fast And Easy.

This package is very impressively put together and is an interactive program, boasting a lot (the most of all the software listed here at 20 hours, great for those Ipod learners!) of audio material and also a DVD with over an hour of learning for the classroom experience.

It concentrates heavily on everyday Spanish and also includes Spanish slang, colloquial Spanish and street Spanish. It’s main aim is to teach you the style of Spanish spoken by locals in Latin America, Mexico and even the United States.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy Nivel Dos has a huge amount of content which is really value for your buck, but do realize that it goes a bit quicker than the other programs and is probably not for the beginner that is just starting out with the basics. If you know some words and can kind of understand a bit of basic Spanish in conversation, then this is for you if you want a challenge to take you to the next level. There is no forum or email support with this package however, so you have to like working alone and resolving your own study queries later on.

For all this, you pay US$249.00 to receive this at your door, or only US$99.00 to get it now, online!

A nice 60 Day 100% Money Back Guarantee incase this program isn’t your cup of tea.

A point I’ld like to make about online purchasing.

First of all, I would like to point out that in every case, it is so much cheaper and easier and more convenient to purchase any of these programs online! Besides zero shipping and handling costs saving you money, there is also no waiting time for postal delivery which usually takes weeks for snail mail! Also, save frustration as there is no risk of products lost in the mail or damaged. Finally, you get the goods cheaper as you only pay for content and not production costs (making CDs, DVDs, books etc.).

SOME COMPARISONS

FIRST CHOICE: Rocket Spanish - Well known, trusted and respected brand. Backed up with a forum so if you can’t get the author, or even one of the teachers, you can always get a native speaker or enthusiast to help you out. That’s worth the purchase price alone!

SECOND CHOICE: Learn How to Speak Spanish - doesn’t have a forum, so it might take a while for one guy to get back to you if you have questions. Super Cheap though!! Worth it at less than thirty dollars!

THIRD CHOICE: Learning Spanish Like Crazy Nivel Dos - very in-depth! Same price as Rocket Spanish though with no support, but loads of content.

FOURTH CHOICE: Synergy Spanish - Least vocabulary, no money back guarantee and not the cheapest, plus the designer seems to have already upgraded to another course. Meh. You can say I’ve reviewed this one for what not to get! Just kidding!!! Argh!

Anyway! That’s my whole take on the Learning Spanish Programs subject! If anyone tries anything, please leave comments so others know what you think! That’s all for now!

Hasta La Vista Baby!