‘Denise Wong’
Rom-rants novels
Don't be so quick to stigmatize an entire literary genre By Denise Wong Photos by Mark Burnham When I told my friends that had purchased a ticket to a Nicholas Sparks book discussion and signing, the reactions...
Call me maybe: The trouble with telemarketers
By Denise Wong TELEMARKETER CALLING We’ve all gotten unwelcome calls from telemarketers, even cursed them or hung up on them. “About 30 per cent would just hang up [on me],” confirms Dana, who used to work as a tel...
Great sex-pectations
What do we expect from romantic relationships, and what influence do movies have? By Denise Wong Photo By Mark Burnham I have a confession to make: The Notebook is not one of my favourite movies. In fact, I probably wouldn’t watch it again of my own free will. I should say, though — before the Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling fans stone me to death — there is one particular scene I could watch over and over again. They’re not making out or ogling at each other: they’re at each o...
Movie review: The Hunger Games
By Denise Wong Yet another addition to the list of big budget disappointments rolling out this year As one of the most anticipated movie releases of the year, The Hunger Games doesn’t quite exploit its potential. Director Gary Ross was gifted with an all-star cast, including Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the tough-as-nails Katniss Everdeen, and chemistry between the actors brought the character relationships of the book to life, but the film storyline left much to be desired, with...
Ode to a Bennett Library Cubicle
By Denise Wong Oh Cubicle, Thy murky yellow walls enclose me in a monotonous fortress of euphoric productivity. Surrounded by nothingness and books written in French: alas I am free of distractions. Your solitary confinement that bores me to tears: no one to talk to, no where to go — except the washroom. No food allowed — I guess I can’t binge eat now. Nothing to do but actually read. Oh Cubicle, I rejoice when we are reunited amidst this academic craze. But now t...
A ‘Melo end to Linsanity
By Adam Ovenell-Carter When several players from the New York Knicks went down, a no-name rookie unexpectedly led the Knicks on a 6-1 tear — notably in the absence of ‘star’ player Carmelo Anthony. That rookie, of course, would be Jeremy Lin, and with his compelling underdog story, Lin brought a lot of positive publicity to a team in dire need of it. Unfortunately the Knicks still have a few hurdles to cross, and one of their biggest obstacles is Lin’s teammate and star player Carmelo...
Bruno Mars: not quite the hopeless romantic
By Denise Wong Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records Think twice about making that Bruno Mars cover video for your special someone — here’s what you’d be saying Bruno Mars is the singer-songwriter behind the hit single, “Just the Way You Are”, a sweet song about how his lover is perfect the way she is and doesn’t need to change a thing. Ask the average pop music groupie if they see anything wrong with the picture, and they’ll probably shake their heads innocently. “Bruno M...
Sweat it: Why you should be worried about your lack of exercise
Are you one of those people who ceased all attempts at physical exertion the moment your university career began? If yes, withhold panic: you are not alone. But panic, because forgoing exercise is (as you may have already guessed) a very very bad life decision with lasting damages. Instead of bombarding you with boring stats that you could probably find in a textbook you’re not reading, we are going to discuss the scary ramifications of not exercising in a, hopefully, motivating manner. Sel...
Being better: Where did our empathy go?
By Denise Wong In late October, the story of Yue Yue went viral. The surveillance footage from Foshan, China was posted online and depicted two cars that drove over Yue Yue’s tiny body in the marketplace where her parents worked; neither driver did so much as stop to see what they had run over. Eighteen civilians walked right past Yue Yue, who was bleeding to death on the ground, without even a hint of concern on their faces. They did not stop to stare; they did not stand in shock and conte...
Now showing: Books made into movies
By Denise Wong Chances are, you have probably read a book that was turned into a movie, and chances are you have probably seen one or two movies that were based off books you’ve never heard of. (This article may be important to you. Read on.) Nowadays, more and more movies based on best-selling novels or old classics are being released — we have the ever-so-popular Harry Potter series, the blood boiling Twilight series, The Notebook, and Pride and Prejudice (just to name a few), and thi...