Ah I have never been so let down!

I was really excited when I was browsing through the movies playing this weekend and stumbled upon this. Like SUPER CRAY CRAY CAN'T KEEP IT IN excited. I've loved Conan since forever, a remnant from my teenage years (I've this weird crush on him, or more appropriately, Shinichi - the 17-year-old who Conan really is before he was poisoned by the Black Organisation and reduced to a 7-year-old boy). Whodunit + manga = perfecto.

Along the way, I stopped reading when left home.. until I discovered online manga. I am still very far behind from catching up, but it's so fun to re-read the old cases and remembering all the details -- for someone with my kinda memory, I think it's pretty remarkable how much I have retained.

So yeah, by the time I saw the ad, I realised that it was going off screen by next week, and that I only had yesterday to go watch. It was only showing once a day in Pavilion and MV GSC cinemas, but only MV's timing was good so I was pretty determined to brave through Friday's rush hour traffic to catch it. Got A to go with me, but I was so excited I would have gone alone. For some reason, I've never bothered with the anime (I've always preferred manga) so this was actually my first time seeing it in this format.. :)

But argh, this show just didn't do it for me. The plot was uninteresting - it was like watching a normal procedural drama on TV, and there was hardly any smart detective work, and there were too many new characters (FBI la, Ran's classmate lah, that Silver Bullet guy la.. I suspect they are from the previous shows - this being the 20th installment, but they just diluted the plot further), and the English lines were really, really bad (there was this line "say hello to Hunter in hell" that the writers must have thought was so amazing that they had the character repeat it, like what?! -___-"), and when the killer was revealed, I was like "huh?" than "wow!", and there were so many physical law-defying stunts, and the ending was kinda contrived and unimpressive.. I really didn't like it lah - and I had really wanted to. Sigh. A told me he fell asleep towards the end - yup, I don't blame him. Bleh.

Anyway, the plot, from wiki:

After participating in the opening ceremony, Conan, Agasa, Ran, and the Detective Boys are enjoying the view from the observation deck of the 635-metre tall Bell Tree Tower. Suddenly, a bullet breaks through a window and strikes a man's chest, causing everyone to panic. Conan stays calm and uses the zoom function on his tracking glasses to follow the path of the bullet to its source. At the other end, Conan spies a black shadow. "But sniping from so far away is impossible, it can't be--!" Conan and Masumi Sera pursue the fleeing sniper on Masumi's motorcycle, but the chase takes a violent turn when the suspect attempts to blow up police patrol cars. Even the FBI get involved in the chase, but the culprit and the mysteries of the sniping end up vanishing into the ocean.

The investigation turns up a connection to the special United States Navy squadron, the Navy SEALS and other former US military officers working in Japan. However, the first sniping was just the beginning; as more people are shot, the citizens of Tokyo panic! What is the meaning of the rifle case and dice left behind? As his investigation progresses, Conan soon finds himself in the sniper's crosshairs, only to be saved by Masumi who intervenes and takes the bullet in his stead. And, in the background, Subaru Okiya begins to make his move...

So I watched two other shows today. Hahaha! This is indeed an awesome weekend. IF ONLY TMRW'S NOT MONDAYYYY. *cries*

First up: Megamind. A was raving about it a few weeks back and insisted that I should watch this, together with Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. He said that the humour should be up my alley. So I watched la. J also caught it last night -- that woman is desperate hahaha! I think she's watched every single Hollywood produced movie or documentary out there (part exaggeration, but not too far from the truth hehe!). Well, she said, and I'm quoting her verbatim, "I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel"...

So, Megamind. I think it was pretty good, although I lol'd only like.. once? (when Megamind confronted the hero-turn-villain he created, Titan/Tighten, and told him that the difference between a villain and a super villain is in the showmanship -- okay, that doesn't sound funny when I wrote it down here, it's just something you just gotta see it to appreciate haha) But still, it was entertaining, and it's got a good storyline, pacing and likable characters.. if you're looking for mindless fun, this would be the show to catch.

Next, I watched The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, a documentary on this geeky outspoken (a.k.a. alpha nerd) co-founder of Reddit, who also worked on the development of RSS and Creative Commons, and helped lead the successful protest against federal copyright law PIPA/SOPA in 2012, etc. He believed that academic journals should be freely available (because many were funded by government grants/taxpayers' money and there's no reason why private corporations should make more money off them). Anyway, he was caught systematically downloading journals (by the millions) from JSTOR and was about to be prosecuted when he hanged himself.

And this made me cry! It's so heartbreaking la, he was such a bright young man and his intentions are noble. Sure the documentary was one-sided, but a victim's a victim and everyone's got sides to take so I'm on his lor.. Watching this made me wish I was working with computers and not in communications, but that is a rant for another day...

So I just finished watch a tear-jerker J-drama, 1 Litre no Namida (リットルの涙, lit. "1 Litre of Tears"; also called A Diary with Tears or A Diary of Tears) about a girl who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15. Normally I would not touch this genre with a 10-ft pole, but Dz highly recommended it and a quick read of some reviews echoed that, so I decided to jump into it.

At 11 episodes, I thought it was pretty manageable for a weekend binge watching. I was also curious about my reaction towards tear-jerkers. After my previous outing with Anohana, I was admittedly a leeettle disturbed by the fact that I didn't shed any tear while the other reviewers were crying buckets. While I rarely, if ever, cry watching dramas and even think it's funny when say that I may have a heart of stone, I did wonder why I am like that especially because it doesn't jive with the emo person that I am.

But going into the show with those thoughts was perhaps where my "experiment" got off on the wrong foot. I knew it was a sappy movie, so my guard was up and I probably subconsciously kept it so throughout. And it being a drama, my patience started to wear thin halfway in, and that was after I discovered the Speed button on Youtube (where I caught the show) and proceeded to watch the show at 2x. That coupled with the lack of audio half the time due to music copyright issue resulting in me watching a lot of the second part of the show in silent, so I might have been a little detached from it all. The only tear I ended up shedding was from yawning. All these notwithstanding, I will try to give a somewhat objective thought on the movie, with the help of hindsight..

First, a quick synopsis (courtesy of Wiki):

Fifteen-year-old Ikeuchi Aya is an ordinary girl, soon to be high school student and daughter of a family who works at a shop that makes tofu. As time passes, unusual things start happening to Aya. She begins falling down often and walking strangely. Her mother Shioka, takes Aya to see the doctor, and he informs Shioka that Aya has spinocerebellar degeneration - a rare disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat. A cruel disease, as it does not affect the mind. The script is based on the diary Aya kept writing until she could no longer hold a pen.

So... after all those things I said earlier, I actually liked the show. While I'm not gushing about it, I think it has its merits and definitely more going for it than I give it credit for. For me, let's see.. I liked that it was based on a real-life account (with photos of the real Aya during each credit run) -- the thought that this really happened to someone made it more real, more sobering. Her optimism and strength was inspiring in the face of the nightmare her conditions were turning into (she would soon be difficult to walk, talk and even eat -- for a 15yo active girl, I couldn't think of a worse place to be).

I thought the acting all around was pretty good, esp the lead actress (Sawajiri Erika).. I could partially feel her pain, her fears, her not wanting to trouble people, and I cringed at her awkward attempts to walk, move, etc. However, I felt I was quick to distance myself from feeling too much. I think it's because the idea of losing control of one's body and speech and yet still having an alert mind deeply terrifies me and I don't really wanna dwell on them.

I also liked how her sister's character evolved, she who'd always lived in her shadow coming out into her own. I like her parents and their range of emotions and reaction. I think everything was believable (given that it's based on a real person, it should la) -- except mayyyybe the guy interest (then again, he's a fictional character, so maybe that's why.. even his family was kinda 2D and the tragedy linked to them cliched). But I liked that they didn't focus too much on the romance bit (esp since it technically didn't happen), but it was sad nevertheless knowing that they couldn't be together. Since the show is largely based on Aya's diary entries, I liked that they used actual quotes, again a reminder that this actually happened. But maybe because I've been watching anime a lot, I kept converting the scenes into animated sequence in my head as I watch the show. I thought that was quite funny. :)

Anyway, I don't think I'll be catching any drama anytime soon. I might make an exception if it was in anime format though.. but really, who knows.

brain teaser

Quick, do you know this symbol Ψ is and what you get when you add it to my name??

No? Hehe! You get ...

Geddit, geddit?!?

...

That, exactly! Hahahaahah!

...

Welllll, you see... Ψ is Psi, i.e. the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet.. and is commonly used in physics to represent wave functions in quantum mechanics, such as in the Schrödinger equation and bra–ket notation: \langle\phi|\psi\rangle.. blah blah blah..

Anywayyy, this is what happens when you put that symbol in my name:
ELLIS + Ψ
= ELLIS + PSI
= Ellipsis i.e. ...



XD XD XD


HAHAHAHAHAH I WAS SQUEALING IN DELIGHT (and in silence too -- man that was hard!!!) when the light bulb went off. Yes, yes, I'm easily amused. :D :D :D

*HEART*

I started walking/running again, yesterday being my second time in as many weeks. It's been a long time coming, ever since I stopped last year due to err.. inclement weather or sumfink like that lol! I might have ran a couple of times in the meantime, but it's really been close to a year since I donned my running shoes and sweat it out at KLCC Park. I really hope to continue doing it once weekly, for it's getting harder and harder to shed those weight.. *dripping w sarcasm* thanksssssss, age.

Anyhoo, running. Look at all these inspirational posters... aren't they... inspirational? What a romantic, lofty view eh.

If only they worked on me!

This is no secret but the truth is... I HATE running.

All I want to do is to lie down like a slug on my couch and stuff my face with potato chips drowned in chili cheese and still be able to fit into a size 4 dress. Yes, that is how it should be.

Most people might find running therapeutic and that they are able to focus and think about stuff and all. Or like Olympian Eric Liddell who said he was born to run and so felt God's pleasure when he was running.

When I run, all I could think about is WHEN WOULD THIS END? WHY DO I THIS? HOW LONG MORE? CAN I QUIT NOW? Tsk tsk. This happens every. single. time.

Everyone has a calling... this isn't mine la. You know what am I made for?

EATING. I feel such pleasure when I eat yummy food. Like that piping hot bowl of fish head I had last night? That was DIVINE. Nasi lemak? Tandoori chicken? Bak kut teh? Curry? Grilled lamb? Pasta carbonara? Roast duck? Rendang? Roast pork? Claypot rice? THESE ARE STUFF LIFE IS MADE OFF OKAY.

Sigh..... so for you food oh glorious food, I shall hit the track again next week and the week after and endure that grueling 50 minutes so that guilt would slide off me while I go for that second helping. Nom nom. :)

Btw, I actually like walking. I think I can cover quite a distance on foot. So why don't I walk right? Because it takes forever to cover my usual route. And also because ambling doesn't cut it. It burns so few calories I'd be wasting my time. I actually alternate between running and brisk walking, because I just don't have the stamina to run 5km continuously.. so there.

Haha, look at me, blogging about food while fasting. Tsk tsk! *beams*

I found this anime through an unexpected route. It started when I was again feeling pretty much despaired at the state the world is in now, i.e. having another weltschmerz episode (first world problem much? sigh).. So I was reading the wikipedia entry for that word, when it explains it as a "psychological pain caused by sadness... caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances". It continues to say that weltschmerz "can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare Hikikomori)". So I clicked on Hikikomori which is what they call "reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life, often seeking exceptional degrees of isolation and confinement." Now, I am a little of all that resigned depresso escapee thingy and often dream about taking off to some remote corner of the world but this sounded really extreme and depressing! Anyway, somewhere in the page was also a note to how it's portrayed in popular culture, and anime/manga in particular. There was a list of probably 5-7 titles, and I randomly clicked on one of them and ended up on this wiki page. I kinda liked the synopsis, but I wanted some assurance that this is worth it so I asked Dz if he'd watched the show before and what he thought of it. Turned out, he has, and he'd thought of recommending it to me, but because I'd told him earlier that I wasn't super keen on tear-jerkers, he didn't. Glad I still found my way to it - perhaps it's meant to be hehe!

Anyway.... Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。 Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, lit. "We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day.")(whaat a mouthful!!)(thankfully, it also goes by Anohana for short) is about "a group of six childhood friends who drifted apart after one of them, Meiko "Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. Ten years after the incident, the leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi, has withdrawn from society and lives as a recluse. One summer day, the ghost of an older looking Menma appears before him and asks to have a wish granted, reasoning that she cannot pass on into the afterlife until it is fulfilled. At first, he only tries to help her minimally because he thinks he is hallucinating. But since Menma does not remember what her wish is, Jinta gathers his estranged friends together once again, believing that they are the key to resolving this problem. All of friends join him, though most of them reluctantly. However, things grow increasingly complicated when his friends accuse him of not being able to get over the death of Menma, for Jinta is the only one who can see Menma's ghost and his friends think he is seeing things. But as things progress, it is realized that Jinta is not the only person in the group who is having trouble letting go of the past. It is revealed that a majority of the group members blame themselves for Menma's death and hidden feelings for other members of the group are rekindled. Along with feelings of bitterness from Menma's parents, the group struggles as they grow from trying to help Menma move on, to helping themselves move on, too." (Thanks, Wiki! =)

So, what was the verdict? :) I like it a lot, so much so that I think I love it! (Don't ask..) I'm still feeling the lingering sadness.. but it didn't make me cry... but then again, I'm a tough nut to crack in that department. I guess I'm just wired differently. Okay, I don't think my review will ever give this show justice, so I'm just going to copy+paste the best write-up on the show that I came across:

In terms of peripheries, the show delivers. The character designs are varied and pretty and the music is spot on for what is an emotional show. The animation has no readily noticeable flaws and the detail shown in the interactions between characters is one of the key qualities of the show's overall experience. The basic premise for the show is also a great starting point. The concept of close friends who have drifted apart is an affecting one and one I am sure most people can relate to without much difficulty. The breakdown of relationships, with all the regret and ill feeling that goes with it, is well portrayed and explored over such a short number of episodes. In terms of plotting, Anohana is a show that uses its runtime astonishingly well for the most part (exceptions will be discussed later) - the pacing is excellent and its emotional highs arrive without reservation or a hint of deviance. I never once got the sense that the show was wandering, the makers always seeming to have the plot and its steady progression well in hand.

In the end, with a show that centres on metaphorical burnt bridges, it was always going to be the characters and their relationships that would make or break this show. Jintan, the lead, is a character that it would be easy to hate; he is gloomy, static and prone to self-pitying sulks. The rest of the living friends aren't much better: Anaru is a weak-willed tsundere, Tsuruko is bitchy and snarky, Yukiatsu is hateful and creepy and Poppo tries so hard to be fun and carefree it is almost painful to watch (yet he is still the most likeable). But you said this show was good, I hear you say? It is, it is - that is the beauty of character development. Despite being quite negative characters, each one has at least something positive and emphatic that makes them worthwhile; the sheer volume of well-portrayed unrequited love amongst the cast and the individual ways that each character approaches those feelings and the feelings they have over Menma's death are varied, interesting and relatable. The frustrating aspects of each character never go far enough to be repulsive (not even Yukiatsu, though he certainly pushes it) and in the end I found myself backing each of them despite their more annoying aspects. Where the characterisation does go wrong is in the character of Menma. In a story populated by flawed but interesting characters, she stands out like a cardboard cut-out at a waxworks - coming across completely flat. It's understandable considering her position as a less developed (and less warped) character but even if she were to exist as little more than a plot device (she is more than that but her development over the series is definitely the most limited) then at least they could have made her a little less annoying. Just a little bit. She is certainly not a failure as a character, she is a core part of Jintan's growth, but I have met people who abandoned this series because of the volume of screen time she enjoys, especially at the beginning of the show.

Overall, though, this series achieves what it set out to do. The strong characterisation and solid story pacing allows for those big drama moments to hit hard and it rounds itself off as an enjoyable, beautiful spectacle throughout and especially at the end. If you are looking for a subtle, affecting show then this is not it but it is a well written, beautiful and often moving show and well worth a look for those looking for a little less 'animé' in their animé.

[full review here]

Haha, that was easy! Sorry I took all the shortcuts but I really just wanted to do a quick post about this show.. I thoroughly recommend this series! Stream it here.

One more thing: one of the best things about this show was the ending song. I usually skip the opening and ending songs when I watch anime (except for first episodes, just to check the songs out), but I made an exception for this show. This was the first time I'd listened through the entire opening and ending song every episode. Super love it!



Secret Base
Kayano Ai & Tomatsu Haruka & Hayami Saori
Ending song to the anime Anohana

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume
大きな希望　忘れない
Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月
Juu nen go no hachigatsu
また出会えるのを　信じて
Mata deaeru no wo shinjite
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
The best memories…

出会いは　ふっとした　瞬間　帰り道の交差点で　
Deai wa futto shita shunkan kaerimichi no kousaten de
声をかけてくれたね　「一緒に帰ろう」
Koe wo kakete kureta ne "issho ni kaerou"
僕は　照れくさそうに　カバンで顔を隠しながら
Boku wa terekusa sou ni kaban de kao wo kakushi nagara
本当は　とても　とても　嬉しかったよ
Hontou wa totemo totemo ureshikatta yo
Our meeting was that one moment, on the way home at the intersection
You said to me, “Let’s walk home together”
I hid my face behind my bag, but really, I was very very happy

あぁ　花火が夜空　きれいに咲いて　ちょっとセツナク
Aa hanabi ga yozora kirei ni saite chotto setsunaku
あぁ　風が時間とともに　流れる
Aa kaze ga jikan to tomo ni nagareru
嬉しくって　楽しくって　冒険も　いろいろしたね
Ureshiku tte tanoshiku tte bouken mo iroiro shita ne
二人の　秘密の　基地の中
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
Ah, the fireworks bloom beautifully in the night sky, a little sad
Ah, the wind blows along with time, being happy, having fun
We went on many adventures too inside our secret base

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　大きな希望　忘れない
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月　また出会えるのを　信じて
Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite
君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" Sakendeita koto
叫んでいたこと　知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye
It was sad, the best memories…

あぁ　夏休みも　あと少しで　終わっちゃうから
Aa natsuyasumi mo ato sukoshi de owacchau kara
あぁ　太陽と月　仲良くして
Aa taiyou to tsuki nakayoku shite
悲しくって　寂しくって　喧嘩も　いろいろしたね
Kanashiku tte sabishiku tte kenka mo iroiro shita ne
二人の　秘密の　基地の中
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
Ah, summer vacation is almost over
So I hope that the sun and moon get along
Being sad, and being lonely
We fought a lot inside our secret base


君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと　
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto
知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye, it was sad
The best memories…


突然の　転校で　どうしようもなく
Totsuzen no tenkou de dou shiyou mo naku
手紙　書くよ　電話もするよ　忘れないでね　僕のことを
Tegami kaku yo denwa mo suru yo Wasurenaide ne boku no koto wo
いつまでも　二人の　基地の中
itsumademo futari no kichi no naka
I can’t do anything about a sudden transferring to another school
I’ll write letters, I’ll call you, so don’t forget me
Inside our secret base

君と夏の終わり　ずっと話して　
Kimi to natsu no owari zutto hanashite
夕日を見てから星を眺め
Yuuhi wo mite kara hoshi wo nagame
君の頬を　流れた涙は　ずっと忘れない
Kimi no hoho wo nagareta namida wa zutto wasurenai
君が最後まで　大きく手を振ってくれたこと　
Kimi ga saigo made ookikute wo futtekureta koto
きっと忘れない
Kitto wasurenai
だから　こうして　夢の中で　ずっと永遠に…
Dakara kou shite yume no naka de zutto eien ni...
I talked to you at the end of summer
Looking at the sunset and watching the stars
I’ll never forget the tear that rolled down your cheek
I’ll never forget you, waving your hands till the end
So forever, like this, in our dreams…

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　大きな希望　忘れない
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月　また出会えるのを　信じて
Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite
君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto
知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye, it was sad
The best memories…

最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The best memories…

for you, a thousand times over!

Upon noticing my colleague's new Skype status this morning...

time is relative

You know how I always say I don't like female singers because their voices get to me? Apparently that reason doesn't really hold with Japanese singers. I don't know why. I've been listening to a number of Jap songs these few weeks (including this metal band and of course, this robot), and they are all sung by female singers. Maybe it's the language barrier. Maybe just so happen that I haven't yet come across any nice songs by male singers (except these covers, but maybe I'm biased). Maybe it's a seasonal thing. Let's see.

This song is my current obsession. It's such a happy, laidback song. With the political circus that is the Selangor MB crisis going madder by the moment, this song has been a wonderful respite. ^_^



Our Password 僕らの合言葉 Bokura no Aikotoba 
Natsumi Kiyoura
13th ending song of the anime Keroro Gunso

Sono chiisa na karada de, kimi wa boku o hagemasu
Hora hora hora
Sono ookina hitomi de, kimi ga boku ni warau yo
Hora hora hora
その小さな体で君は僕を励ます
ほらほらほら
その大きな瞳で君が僕に笑うよ
ほらほらほら
With that small body you continued to encourage me
Look, look, look
With two big eyes you continued to smile at me
Look, look, look

Moshimo kurayami no naka kimi ga michi ni mayottara
Boku wa sora no sukima ni hikari o atsumete
Kimi o tsukamae ni yuku yo
Matte ite
もしも暗闇の中　君が道に迷ったら
僕は空のすき間に光を集めて
君をつかまえに行くよ
待っていて
If you were in the dark and you don't know where you are
I'll gather all the lights and bring them to the sky
I'll come and catch up with you
Wait for me

Shinjiteru yo Shinjiteru yo
Bokura no aikotoba
Keshite karenai
Keshite karenai
Kokoro ni saku hana wa
Kimi no egao da yo
信じてるよ信じてるよ
僕らの合言葉
決して枯れない
決して枯れない
心に咲く花は
君の笑顔だよ
I've always believed in, I've always believed in
Our password
Everlasting, never dying
The blooming flowers in my heart
They're in your smile

Sono ryoute ni afureru, yume o sora ni egakou
Hora hora hora
Mita koto no nai hoshi ga, kira kira to kagayaita
Hora hora hora
その両手にあふれる夢を空に描こう
ほらほらほら
見たことのない星がきらきらと輝いた
ほらほらほら
Let's draw the dream that overflows in both of our hands in the sky
Look, look, look
The star you have never seen before sparkles and glitters
Look, look, look

Moshimo tabi no tochuu de, kimi ga nakitaku nattara
Boku wa kaze o norikoe hana o dazusaete
Kimi o nagusame ni yuku yo
Matte ite
※もしも旅の途中で　君が泣きたくなったら
僕は風を乗り越え　花を携えて
君をなぐさめに行くよ
待っていて※
If, in the middle of your journey, you suddenly felt like crying
I'll ride the wind, carrying a flower with me
I'll reach you and confort you
Wait for me

Shinjiteru yo Shinjiteru yo
Bokura no aikotoba
Tooku tooku hanarete te mo
Kokoro wa tada hitotsu
Kimi o shinjiteru
信じてるよ信じてるよ
僕らの合言葉
遠く遠く離れてても
心はただひとつ
君を信じてる
I've always believed in, I've always believed in
Our password
Even if we're separated by a very far distance
Our hearts will always be as one
I'll believe in you

Moshimo tabi no tochuu de, kimi ga nakitaku nattara
Boku wa kaze o norikoe hana o dazusaete
Kimi o nagusame ni yuku yo
Matte ite
※もしも旅の途中で　君が泣きたくなったら
僕は風を乗り越え　花を携えて
君をなぐさめに行くよ
待っていて※
If, in the middle of your journey, you suddenly felt like crying
I'll ride the wind, carrying a flower with me
I'll reach you and confort you
Wait for me

Shinjiteru yo Shinjiteru yo
Bokura no ai kotoba
Tooku tooku hanarete temo
Kokoro wa tada hitotsu
信じてるよ信じてるよ
僕らの合言葉
遠く遠く離れてても
心はただひとつ
I've always believed in, I've always believed in
Our password
Even if we're separated by a very far distance
Our hearts will always be as one

Shinjiteru yo Shinjiteru yo
Bokura no ai kotoba
Keshite karenai
Keshite karenai
Kokoro ni saku hana wa
Kimi no egao da yo
信じてるよ信じてるよ
僕らの合言葉
決して枯れない
決して枯れない
心に咲く花は
君の笑顔だよ
I've always believed in, I've always believed in
Our password
Everlasting, never dying
The blooming flowers in my heart
They're in your smile

[via]

Oh my, just came across a new word that perfectly describes how I often feel! Danke, danke! :D

WELTSCHMERZ

Weltschmerz, German for “world pain,” was also coined during the Romantic Era and is in many ways the German version of ennui. It describes a world weariness felt from a perceived mismatch between the ideal image of how the world should be with how it really is. In German philosophy it was distinguished from pessimism, the idea that there is more bad than good in the world, because while pessimism was the logical conclusion of cool, rational philosophical pondering, weltschmerz was an emotional response.

Though weltschmerz and ennui are pretty close synonyms, ennui foregrounds the listlessness brought on by world weariness (it can also be a term for more simple boredom), and weltschmerz foregrounds the pain or sadness. There is perhaps a greater sense of yearning in weltschmerz (part of the pain is that the sufferer really wants the world to be otherwise). Also, as an English word, weltschmerz is not as common as ennui, so there are fewer connotations about the type of person that comes down with it. Its very German sound (that “schm”!) makes it seem more serious and grim than ennui.

Do you have sadness in your heart for the world that can never be and sensible shoes? You’ve got weltschmerz.

[via]

Churches nationwide is starting a 40-day fast today, ending on September 16, Malaysia Day. J asked me to do it with her (we be accountability partner for each other) and while I was kinda excited about it, I was also wary about my ability to sustain it.. cos the sanguine in me is always game for a roaring start but is prone to fizzling out boo hoo! But you know what, by God's grace, I can do this!

We're following one of the plans recommended by her church (with minor tweaks on my end).. My plan is that every day I am going to skip a meal (lunch, mostly), read one chapter from the Bible (we've decided to cover the minor prophets), and pray for 30 minutes. I might vary that a bit later, but we'll see how. I actually don't know how I'm going to do the prayer bit knowing how terrible I am at it, but I willlll tryyyyyyyy.. Holy Spirit please help me haha!

Okay, here we go! ^_^

48 sticks of goodness

I don't know if this was a frivolous buy, I don't know what I would do with them, I don't know how I would fare in this medium. I don't know a lot of things but of this I'm sure, that just on their own, they cause such giddiness in my heart! ^_^ Oh soo pwetty.

“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.”
― Pablo Picasso

angin bayu membawa diriku, sepintas lalu ku terkenangkanmu...

Angin bayu membawa diriku, sepintas lalu ku terkenangkanmu
Memori silam meresap malam, kenangan bersama tersimpan selamanya
Walaupun kau pergi jauh dari diri ini, cintaku masih bersemadi dihati
Keyakinan kita kan kembali, menghidupkan semula janji bara cinta

Kita bersama mengejar mimpi, terpisah sementara ku pasti
Suatu hari nanti, cinta kita bersemi, kembali menerangi mekar di taman hati
Walau pun jauh pandangan mata, kuyakin kau kan tetap setia
Begitulah ku jua, keikhlasan dijiwa, dan cintaku hanyalah untukmu...

So I've been going a little nutty reminiscing over a boy band from my youth. It all started when I saw my ex-colleague's Raya photo she took with her cousin.. who happens to be a popular Malaysian celebrity and is married to one of the three brothers who make up the band. Yesterday while I was browsing YouTube, I went looking for them, and what a walk down memory lane it was! *grins*

Ah the 90s.. of boybands with coordinated over-sized outfits and cheesy music videos. :) Anyway, they are KRU, comprising Norman, Yusry and Edry Abdul Halim. In the Malay music scene at that time which was dominated by classic rock and ballads, these boys gave us their brand of pop, R&B and hip hop.

I spent some parts of the afternoon watching their 10th anniversary show from 2002.. and now catching clips from their 20th anniversary show. Now 22 years into the game, their dress sense has improved much (haven't all of us?) and their "empire" has extended considerably. Their media and entertainment company, KRU Studios, is a big name in the local entertainment circle and it's produced some major musical talents and also Malay features films. Hats off to the guys for staying strong and not being a one trick pony.

I have only owned one of their albums - KRUmania - the 1997 compilation of their best hits. I'd loved it then but I haven't heard them since forever.. it was a pleasant surprise that as I browse through the videos, many of the tunes sounded familiar. Here are some of my favorites. :)

KRU - Untukmu


KRU - Janji Tinggal Janji


KRU - Apa Saja


KRU - Fanatik


KRU & P Ramlee - Getaran Jiwa

Malaysian passport renewal

I left my house at 6:55am and with the Raya crowd still sweetly slumbering in their respective hometowns, there was no traffic on the road and I reached Home Ministry Complex in Hartamas by 7:10am. Parking was aplenty, and FREE, and I got a space right at the doorstep. As I entered the building, I asked the guard where I should go, and he gestured and said "go up the escalator and it's on the right side of the building". Thanked him and followed the directions. In case I heard him wrongly, there were signs all the way - I'd be an idiot to miss it (but just to be sure, I checked with the person in front of me, as there were some queues around the floor for other processes as well).

I was in line by 7:15am and I'd expected to be there til 8am (the official opening hour), but by 7:30am the glass doors opened yay! I was probably the 10th in line but typical of Malaysians, there were some who jumped queue. Grr. Got to the number collection counter and was greeted by a chirpy officer. Told him that I was there for passport renewal and he gave me a number: 1020.

A short wait (25mins?) later, my number was called. I only needed to answer a few questions, smile for the camera, scan my thumbprints, and I was done in 5mins. Waited another 25mins to make payment and was informed by the cashier that it would take about an hour, and since that wasn't too long a wait and I had my book with me, I decided to just sit around until they call my number again.

I must have zoned out because by the time I looked up at the digital giliran display, it was calling for numbers after mine. I thought my application was delayed so I waited for a while more before approaching the Kaunter Serahan. There was another guy who was also there and had missed his number (he went out for brekkie so it's understandable, but me! -_-). We asked the officer, and she said that indeed we'd missed our numbers but I suppose it's not uncommon so she just asked us to wait while she went to get our passports. She said that my number was actually called less than half an hour after I made the payment. Oof! Anyway, I checked that everything was accurate and in place, and it was, except that I wish my face didn't turn out so chubby.. oh well. I was done and out of the place by 9:20am (to think that I could have left before 9!)

The entire process was efficient and painless and the officers were helpful and friendly, so I just wanna say well done to the Immigration Department! :)

What you need (more info here)

1. Current passport
2. Identity card
3. Cash

Notes/Tips

• No need to fill in any forms prior or on-the-spot as everything is computerised now (finally!)
• No need to bring passport-sized photos as they are taken on the spot at the counter itself
• You can smile for the photo, as long as you don't show your teeth 
• You also don't need to sweep your hair to the back/side to show your forehead, as long as your eyes are visible
• Wear dark clothing, collar optional 

Getting there 
Kompleks Kementerian Dalam Negeri
Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Off Jalan Duta, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
GPS coordinates: N3 10.057 E101 40.057