http://www.douban.net/review/latest/ Latest Reviews from Douban members © 2005, douban.net. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:23:16 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000203/ oliver reviews: Tangele: The Pulse of Yiddish Tango
rating: Terrible

Thanks Marilou for your insightful comment, that's what i think too. Furthermore i'd say this group is not just over-estimated, but IS really annoying. I wondered if they were still students in conservatory. Good for old school masters who might think it's better to give to pupils the most insipid materials. No humor, serious, and no refinement in rendition. Absolutely no graduations in the voice (the singer is here just awkwardly shouting or crappily murmuring), no work to make the value of the arrangements out, but just a passive and dull repetitions of same techniques. Because of that, I finally felt like listening to one single song repeting all the time. Yidissh tango was a good idea for gift. But, still don't I find good one. Anyone can recommend me something else of the genre? ]]> oliver Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:23:16 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000203/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000202/ Steven reviews: American Born Chinese
rating: Good

　　Ambitious young people in their learning/train processes often hold a delusion that one day they could succeed: reach the top of the world and change the things as planned.
　　
　　Sooner or later the hard truth would open their minds: there are things permeable to change as well as some preset "as is".
　　
　　The monkey king is of course one of a kind monkey yet despite all his talents and skills, he is still a monkey. But we are glad that he is finally aware of his general species as well as his unique identity and lives happily with what he has achieved and what he always is.]]> Steven Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:58:44 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000202/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000201/ Steven reviews: A Free Life
rating: OK

　 　　I guess most Chinese intellectuals are facing a common problem once living in USA, i.e., how to evaluate our own culture. For those deeply rooted in the Chinese culture yet still with a soft mind, the eye-opening experience could be rather painful.
　　　　
　　　　The hero in this novel witnessed something special during his own life in China and thus made up his mind to assimilate into USA at an early stage of his immigration. Years of struggle in this freedom land brought him more insights into his life, aside from countless humiliations and sufferings. Therefore,his initial decision to call his own life was unmoved in the end , and more importantly, he felt pleased with his life choice.
　　　　
　　　　There are people who don't have many dramas in life. And the decision of immigration is more tearful for them. In this sense Ha Jin seems to speak for his generation only.
　　　　
　　　　Even for this particular generation, this work read too much focused on one subtype of characters. The whole novel developed solely from the hero, Nan's perspective, although readers may find life tracks of other Chinese immigrants equally, if not more, appealing and thus worthy a much more detailed description.
　　　　
　　　　For example, a nice and traditional Chinese young lady left his husband for a more confident and older black guy. What kind of struggles she had gone through? Why she finally chose a foreigner yet the hero's wife constantly displayed her loyalty to marriage?
　　　　
　　　　Another example could be the story of another Chinese lady, who initially appeared as a weak victim yet several chapters later showed up as a successful businesswoman married into a powerful family in Beijing. How did she managed to pull through and why she chose to go back to China? Exploring these and other questions could give readers a more thorough view of Chinese immigrant lifes in USA.
　　　　
　　　　At last, it really surprised me that little efforts was devoted in this work to describe Chinese-Americans, which always draw much attention and heated discussions among Chinese immigrants here.
　　　　
　　　　Nevertheless, we finally got a chance to say hey to the first novel dedicated to the Chinese intellectuals in USA, an undoubtedly thought-provoking one.]]> Steven Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:56:54 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000201/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000200/ Marilou reviews: Tangele: The Pulse of Yiddish Tango
rating: Bad

Hola todos, je suis déçue de cet album. Je n'ai pas aimé la tête de la chanteuse déjà... ça a commencé mal. Je l'ai écoutée pourtant, parce qu'on me l'a recommandé, particulièrement un ami de Paris. Eh bien, je pense sincèrement que la communauté juive urbaine actuelle en a fait beaucoup trop de bruit. Musicalement, c'est peu de chose, et historiquement, c'est sans fondement. Quel lien à part la langue, entre Buenos Aires et l'Holocaust? On dirait que le tango de la mort n'était qu'un alibi pour lancer la chanteuse qui, sans cela, n'aurait jamais eu de chance de se produire en son nom, je suis certaine. On n'y entend pas aucun talent, ni aucune ténacité. Elle n'est même pas une bonne comédienne. Je pense qu'il faut d'abord chanter bien avant d'en faire la publicité! ]]> Marilou Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:01:28 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000200/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000199/ otaku_not reviews: The Hotel Cafe Presents...Winter Songs
rating: Great

I kept playing Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson's "Winter Song". It is definitely one of my favorite 10 songs of the year!

Winter is my favorite season. I have always been looking for the other elements that will make Winter more charming. A fine cup of coffee, a nice street where I can walk around the whole day, a cold raining day with the view of cherry blossom tree, nice book to read and the music I can repeatedly play without feeling distracted. This album is a charm for the Winter, nicely done!]]> otaku_not Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:44:01 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000199/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000198/ otaku_not reviews: Ephemeral
rating: Great

This has been my soul food for music for the past two years. It's like, you been to a coffee house or a cozy book store, somewhere in the background they're playing some music that you know you're listening to but won't give you any distractions. Or, the type of music that you're trying to find in iTune store that you want to listen to in the night when you're alone. Or, a rainy sunday with a fine wine or a hot coffee by your side, you're thinking of something to play in the background, this is it. Love it!]]> otaku_not Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:09:43 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000198/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000197/ jihader reviews: Wittgenstein's Poker. The story of a ten-minute argument between two great philosophers / Kocherga Vitgenshtejna. Istoriya desyatiminutnogo spora mezhdu dvumya velikimi filosofami
rating: OK

A novel about Wittgenstein and Popper
First and foremost, this is not a philosophy book, and if it is, not a good one (If it is, what's the main philosophical theme?)

It takes too much to go into Wittgenstein's philosophy in depth, for it's obscure and maybe fragmented at times. He mentions something really interesting in a paragraph and then he often moves on to mention something else in the very next paragraph as if the first thing he mentioned has already been taken care of. He rarely draws a conclusion in a clear form. Some people masochistically spend their life on this subject. With that's said, it's easier to talk about his life. So this is one of those books on great philosophers, like one on Kripke's personality or one on Tarski's personal life. O just like there are so many books on Einstein!! So you might as well like it if you are a gossiper and like that kind of book in general. I didn't like it at all.

If you are genuinely interested in Wittgenstein as a person "Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius by Ray Monk" serves the job far more justly
]]> jihader Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:07:19 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000197/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000195/ Andreah reviews: Everything Perfect on the Wrong Day
rating: Good

texas electric-core lmao

but seriously I've been listening to this band for a good couple years. If you are into hardcore plus electro sweet beats GIVE IT A SHOT
;)]]> Andreah Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:59:10 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000195/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000194/ Catherine Wit reviews: Lovemarks
rating: OK

that we all need some thing 2 express da attitude towards life..
and some guys say that ..
buying famous brandings is da best way 2 solve it..

ain't it radiculous?
y not other things...

u guys say that ..
its da life that took over da brands rather than da brands take over ur life
is it really like that..

u say that
everything and everyone need emotion,and wht u provide is filled with love..
but, i just do not think that many other things except urs doesnot have emotions...

and
many many others

well
drowzzy...

]]> Catherine Wit Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:04:46 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000194/ http://www.douban.net/review/2000193/ Catherine Wit reviews: The Eminem Show
rating: Good

For someone 2 listen 2 Em..
For a very long time indulged in da very strange style..
and
For a second
decide not 2 listen 2 him any more

sometimes u do something not 4
weather its good or not
weather u really love it
but

just 4 some guys
4 something


and
if all da things reached da ending..
wht u can say
only left

bye...]]> Catherine Wit Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:55:41 GMT http://www.douban.net/review/2000193/