Di dalam program “Things We Like”, kami mengumpulkan hal-hal yang sedang disukai oleh tim Whiteboard Journal berikut alasannya. Dari buku oleh penulis sastra pilihan, acara masak dengan gimmick yang unik, hingga teknologi deepfake, berikut adalah “Things We Like” dari minggu kedua Juli.

KEN JENIE
Editor

What:

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

Description:

The final swig from my recent Kazuo Ishiguro-binge, Nocturnes is a collection of short stories by the British writer centered around music and musicians.

A prodigious cellist meets a mysterious woman, a saxophonist who gets plastic surgery, a guitarist that offer his services to a Hollywood star – Ishiguro covers a pretty wide variety of characters in these five stories. The are several types of musicians; there are those who do it for the artistry, those whose goal is fame and fortune, those who want the respect of their peers, to name a few, and Ishiguro really puts that characteristic on display. Even when the story doesn’t necessarily revolve around musicianship – the musical motivations in Nocturnes feels genuine – almost as if Ishiguro is tipping his hat to those who fill our world with rhythm and melodies. 

What I love from Ishiguro’s writing is his ability to balance pace and information in a manner where the reading feels brief, yet is with filled with enough information and nuances that the world the character inhabit feels rich, and the plot keeps moving without skipping a beat. Rarely a dull moment, reading his stories feels like watching a good Hollywood film; it is purposeful and has the audience in mind. Even Though I don’t think Nocturnes is essential Kazuo Ishiguro, it is a book that showcases his strengths – strengths that has made him one of my favorite writers.

Well, it’s time for me to read a book by a different author… will probably return to Kazuo Ishiguo in the future, though.

FEBRINA ANINDITA
Editorial Staff

What:

“The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell”

Description:

Sempat sakit 2 hari jadi istirahat nonton Netflix sepanjang hari. Selain tamatin “Grey’s Anatomy” season 15, gue nonton ini. Walau agak bingung sih ini acara masak kok ada plotnya, tapi seru banget ditonton. Karakternya ada monster puppet semacam “Sesame Street” dan Christine selaku baker/creepy pin-up girl di tiap episodenya bikin kue creepy dengan detail super intricate dalam setting rumah yang bagus banget. This show is creepy, weird, somehow sensual and makes me wanna learn how to bake!

PS: Ada Dita Von Teese di serial ini!

AMELIA VINDY
Editorial Staff

What:

Ctrl Shift Face

Description:

Penemuan fitur teknologi semacam deepfake sebenarnya sangat mengerikan, tapi Ctrl Shift Face, sepertinya paham gimana cara memanfaatkannya in positive way. Kanal YouTube ini benar-benar brilliant dan menghipnotis. Gue yakin buat mereka yang belum pernah nonton rekaman asli dari footage yang ada di kanal YouTube ini, nggak akan sadar kalau apa yang mereka lihat tuh ternyata adalah hasil face swaps. Sangat akurat dan halus banget, dude. Konon katanya, sang empunya kanal enggan ngasih tahu informasi tentang dirinya dan lebih pengen karyanya aja yang dikenal. Thanks to Ctrl Shift Face rasa penasaran gue ngeliat Jim Carrey jadi karakternya Jack Torrance di The Shining terjawab sudah, and it’s very creepy.

GHINA HANA SABRINA
Editorial Staff

What:

Marika Hackman – the one

Description:

“the one” is definitely Marika Hackman’s poppiest track. What I like about this is how introspective the song is, as she said herself in the music video’s description, the song is “For all you attention whores and big-headed beauties, here is a song from the depths of my extraordinary ego.” As a bonus, she put BDE as a lyric, enough said.

DILA HASAN
Graphic Design

What: 

Beryl’s – Tiramisu Chocolate

Description: 

Sempet di oleh-olehin ini sama kakak sepupu gue pas dia liburan ke Malaysia. Awalnya skeptic banget rasanya bakalan kayak cokelat koin zaman gue SD (if you know, you know) tapi ternyata ya ALLAAAHHH, lebih enak daripada cokelat yang di bungkus kertas emas (hehe tau kan?) cokelatnya padet dan tebal, bubuk yang tipis pahit, tengahnya yang manis lembut dan dalamnya yang crunchy…ugghh my kind of chocolate.