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...

of thoughts and things.

I'll admit it, it still smarts thinking of this, that it did not happen, or rather, did not last. One of the hardest emotions to process is that of being betrayed, even knowing that it was fake and scripted all along. Go figure.

I learned the term OTP (or One True Pairing) in the past few days of Tumbling. And Swarkles (a portmanteau of their nicknames in the show - Barney's Swarley (I kinda forget how he got it but everyone called him that and he hated it) and Robin's alter ego, the Canadian teenage idol Robin Sparkles) are my OTP. Just look at how good they look together! *drools* 

Also the reason I keep talking about it is because it's the easiest thing to write about. No need to think, just feel. And there is so much feels. Heh. I just wonder if my obsession with some things (TV series) and people (JF, LH, Em etc) even food (potatoes?) is symptomatic of something else in my life. Hmm.

Anyway, I was in the forest earlier this week. Zero internet connectivity but I wanted to write, and I did, so err, am just gonna dump the whole load here.

Tuesday 8-Apr-2014
I am in the forest, five hours’ drive into its heart, far far away from the city. I just finished watching one of the most hedonistic and depraved movies of recent times, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and I’m feeling a little sick from all the debauchery -- Leonardo DiCaprio however, was awesome and believable in his role as usual. I decided to turn in, and read to sleep.

That I should be holding a book in my hand, snug in a double bed, with the wilderness that stretches for hours at all directions around me outside... I suddenly feel a wave of gratitude is washing over me. I remember the sunset from this evening, and I remembered the sunrise from months ago during my previous time here. They were precious moments to be savoured, and I look forward to tomorrow’s… although I am doubting that I would see it, knowing my sleeping and waking pattern. Still, being here, miles away from almost everyone I know, is amazing, unglamorous as it is.

A quick conversation with my colleagues just now that touched on career ambitions came to mind, and once again, I ponder at my lack of one. I don’t foresee myself much further from where I am today on the day I retire. Of course I would love to be earning a higher steady income, but I am not very driven to pursue that. I should live with that right, but it doesn’t help that once in a while I feel so envious of my friends making it in Singapore, Australia, the US, Norway, even in Malaysia, and here I am, wearing my deer-in-headlights look, asking all the wrong questions.

Back in the civilised society I left just 12 hours ago, I’ve been watching tonnes of Jimmy Fallon these days. I usually only watch snippets on talk shows on Youtube when something interesting links me from, say Facebook, but I find myself subscribing to his Tonight Show’s videos and just drawn in to clicking one after another of his older clips from his Late Night stint. I love Fallon’s stuff, especially the musical things he does with his bff Justin Timberlake, and his house band, The Roots, and all the silly games he plays with his guests, he’s very talented and relatable, and I especially love him fanboying over people and music – his giggles and suppressed excitement are infectious!

Fallon-ing aside, I’ve also been Neil Patrick Harris-ing and Benedict Cumberbatch-ing and Dan Harmon-ing (and of course HIMYM-ing!), and ok, my point is, I’m thinking, all these people I’ve named in this post, they are not very much older (or younger) than me, and look at where they are! Standing on the world’s stage basking in its limelight, glowing flawlessly and grappling with pressures I am unfamiliar with. And again, here I am, feeling guilty wanting to be contented with a very ordinary and unremarkable life.

Today, I visited one of my company’s veneer mills, and like my trip to our flooring factory in China, I saw all these workers in their bright uniforms going about their assigned tasks working 12 hours a day and six days a week, doing the same thing over and over and over again, and it makes me feel weird. I kept thinking, I was probably just one birth away from being in their shoes, born to an impoverished family struggling to survive and having to leave everything and everyone I know for a place so foreign and scary for a job that pays me minimum wages and that’s nothing but repetitive day in and day out, year in and year out, remaining nameless and faceless for most part…

Honestly, I feel guilty thinking that I’ve escaped that fate. What reason is there that I have a better life, especially when I don't do anything with it? I struggle to understand how each of us has a purpose for living, and while I believe that I have one, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what’s mine, and it bugs me greatly. I know that I’m trying with my extremely human understanding doing something very futile. And this futility, it’s demotivating me.

Over and over again, I ask what is the meaning of anything. Is anything worth it? Is everything in vain? With the years flying by, why bother with anything? It will be over soon, wouldn’t it? I don’t expect God to answer these questions I’ve been asking forever, and his silence is discouraging and disheartening. Suddenly I feel as if I know nothing and understand nothing and see nothing and hear nothing and feel… nothing. I am scared.

This isn’t how I envisioned being lost in God mean when I sing that line. I’m moved by testimonies of God’s greatness, but I am well aware for every victory, there are ten stories of pains and brokenness that never get shared. I don’t know what I’m asking for but I want to be found in that.

Wednesday 9-Apr-2014
I miss the city a little, and dream of getting lost in one. New York, New York. Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris. Moscow, Melbourne, Milan, Madrid… and Miri.

Everyone’s somewhere, and I’m here. The sky is clear tonight, and the stars scatter across the black canvas. It’s a beautiful sight on a quiet night; not total silence as in the background is myriad of unfamiliar sounds made by the crickets and creatures of the forest. I held my phone up and clicked on the Google SkyMap app and checked out the stars and constellations, most of which hold little meaning to me. And I imagine myself lying on the grounds at Joshua Tree with my best friends on such a night, and smiled knowing how glorious that would be.

Anyway, I finally finished watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Emma Watson is so beautiful, and I love every scene of her. I liked this movie. Looks like I’m in a rare mood for watching drama, this being the third in a row in as many days; the first being The Book Thief which I caught on the flight to Miri.

Speaking of dramatic movies, on my way in, a song played on the radio (Any Empty Wine Bottles For Sale 酒矸倘賣無) from the 1983 movie Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing 搭錯車 (wow, the full movie's here on Youtube! I wuv how the interwebz always amazes me =). I haven't heard the song in a while, and I haven't seen the movie since I last watched in back in the mid-80s. All I remember was that it was a pretty depressing movie about a man and his daughter. Reading the wiki page failed to jolt any further memory but the sentiment remains.

Did you know that I've lived through five decades - born in the 70s, lived through my childhood in the 80s and teenage years in the 90s, then early adulthood in the naughties, and now reaching my midlife point in the 2010's. I feel like these five decades was like the HIMYM finale, everything in the past billion years was trudging along and then bam!, everything just accelerated. I suppose the finale would be Jesus coming back again :)

This just came up on my phone's Bible app. Food for thought.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

everything is awesome!

THE LEGO MOVIE IS THE AWESOMEST MOVIE EVA!!!!!

Hand them an Oscar (or two or three or a box), toss them a golden globe and a moonman and a golden popcorn and a golden horse (mm much gold, so award), soak them in green slime, give them stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...... because they. are. worth. it. Oh man.

Maybe this is the universe making it up to me after having to suffer through 40mins of the worst movie ever haha!

I loved the stop-motion CGI, I loved the characters (best Batman ever - move over, Bale!), I loved the explosions of colours (and explosions in general); I loved the hilariously lame lines - this baby's laugh-per-minute mileage was just stratospheric; I loved the wildly catchy Everything is Awesome and I still laugh out loud at Batman's dark and brooding song (Darknesssss...)  Hahahaha.. I thought the twist at the end was sweet and appropriate. I would love to watch this again in slow motion just so I could see every single block formation and catch every single line. I... could evidently go on gushing about this for a week!

Sigh~ It was a wyldride I hoped didn't have to end. But it did, and so do I with my review now because this was meant to be a quick break before I get back to work, but ah, my life is forever changed. Penchant for the dramatic, she has.

my nomination for 2014 Turkey of the Year

Wrote this on Quora to answer the question What's the worst movie you've ever seen?; thought I'd just share it here.
---

Currently the "most popular movie in the world" according to the Hollywood Reporter, this hot mess was supposed to be an epic based on a Chinese legend about a monkey with supernatural powers. This story is a prequel to the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, which was itself adapted into an enjoyable (and highly successful) action comedy by Stephen Chow last year.

My expectations going in were high, drawn to its line of formidable actors (Chow Yun-Fat, Donnie Yen, Aaron Kwok) and curious about the results of a reportedly USD60 million budget. But for a movie that was supposedly three plus years in the making, it looked as if they spent the last two and a half aping around. The graphics looked like they were works of a bunch of amateurs (but they aren't, according to Wiki, "for the 3-D shoot, Filmko recruited Hollywood talents like visual effects supervisor David Ebner (Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man 3) and special make-up supervisor Shaun Smith (The Forbidden Kingdom, 300, I Am Legend)). The costumes were at best Halloween gear and at some point I felt like I was watching an Asian episode of Hi-5 (Australian TV series). I've watched school productions that were way more polished than this. It's doing really well at the box office however, as it was released just in time for the Chinese New Year crowds who were on week-long holiday.

I've never walked out of the cinema until I watched this movie. I stayed in my seat fidgeting uncomfortably for 40 minutes before deciding to leave. And I rarely, if ever, write movie reviews, but this was so bad that I specifically looked this thread up to rant. Maybe it got better after I left (doubt it).. but just take my word and don't bother.

• quote of the day:

In frustration, C.S. Lewis once asked Tolkien “What class of men would you expect to be most preoccupied with, and most hostile to, the idea of escape?” Tolkien answered: “Jailers.”

• ooh i made payment for Lee Hom's concert in Genting! as the prices of the tickets are reaaaally expensive, i'm only getting the second cheapest and that is already RM290 (it goes allllll the way up to RM1k. for that price, methinks the ticket holder should get to keep him! -_-) srsly, how do i not feel like i'm being fleeced! argh. but but but.... I am so excited! it's another four months away... i don't hope for it to come so soon. i don't want the first quarter of 2013 to end. but at least it would end with a bang! *fangirl squeals* [note: i made a pre-booking for the tix via the fan club, which gives me a better-than-nothing 5% discount on the tickets. *small cheer*]

• speaking of him, Lee Hom has a new song called 十二生肖 (lit. 12 Zodiac) out this Friday. he posted a 30-second teaser which can be heard here. my take on it? I kinda like it but it's too short to conclude. i'm happy it's not a ballad! hehehe.. it appears to be the theme song to Jackie Chan's 101st and purportedly last movie before he retires, Chinese Zodiac. here's the trailer for the movie which will be out on 12.12.12, a date as auspicious as it could get.

• i just finished season 2 of Suits. i love the show! mostly for the dresses that the corporate ladies wear. DROOL! i just lurve the glamorous side of the corporate world, the killer heels and sharp dresses and pencil skirts and It bags, sleek modern offices with glass walls and gorgeous view of the city skyline,  ruthless manipulative power players.. okay, strike the last one out. but yeah... :)

• caught up on the latest episodes of Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and Elementary. thanks, unifi hahhahaha!

• i had to send my phone in for repair, and i have been living without a phone for close to a week now. i'm actually survived! okay, given that i had access to the internet at the office and at home, it wasn't really that bad. happily, i received a call from the service centre who said that my phone is on my way back to me, and that i should get it by Monday. whoopie!

• Life of Pi is opening next week. w00t! gonna be watching it as part of my birthday outing. w00t w00t! which reminds me, i need to finish the book. why is it taking me forever?

• have i mentioned that Lee Hom is coming back to Malaysia March next year? it would be at a smaller venue, up in Genting. was totally psych'ed about going until i got to know of the ticket prices. gosh, looks i have to starve myself for the next three months! grrr.. it's almost double the other performers okay. just who you think you are! T___T a top-notch superstar with crazy fangirls like you. yup.

from books to the big screen

there are a few reasons why i am really looking forward to the end of the year. and here are two of them:

Yann Martel's Life of Pi

scheduled release: the day after my birthday :D

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables

scheduled release: the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday

oh joy, oh joy, OH JOYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! you know how delirious i can get over anticipating things like this. how my heart beats faster, how my tummy dance in delight, how i would sometimes squeal out loud. ah! :D  i'm re-reading Life of Pi now, cautiously i might add, because i want to manage my expectations should the images in my head do not translate well on the big screen.. but the trailer looks really promising. I might also attempt to read Les Mis again (i've only read the movie tie-in, and only halfway through the full version cause i keep getting lost in the details of the French Revolution). here's the trailer btw. i can't waittttttt!!!!!

and speaking of things that make me happy to the point of ecstasy... ok, that would be a gross exaggeration of what i'm going to say next, but really, i'm kinda addicted to this song right now. it's Khalil Fong doing a cover of A-Mei's 记得 Remember, featured in his 2009 covers-only album, Timeless. and i like what he's done with it. it's a sad song though, about two people who have reached a stage in the relationship where they can't go one anymore. emo beamo stuff, but i do like khalil's arrangement over a-mei's, he has made it sound somewhat more hopeful, somewhat bittersweet. :)


我们都忘了 这条路走了多久
心中是清楚的 有一天有一天都会停的
让时间说真话 虽然我也害怕
在天黑了以后 我们都不知道会不会有以后
we have forgotten how long we have been on this journey
but we know it well in our hearts, that one day, one day this would end
let time speak the truth, although i'd be terrified
as the day grows darker, we don't know if there would be a next time

谁还记得 是谁先说 永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后
who would still remember, who was it who had first profess to "love you forever"
words from the past, are the wounds of our future
after so long, no one remembers the initial tenderness
the both of us holding hands, and we said that we'd walk together til the end

我们都累了 却没办法往回走
两颗心都迷惑 怎么说怎么说都没有救
亲爱的为什么 也许你也不懂
两个相爱的人 等着对方先说找分开的理由
we are growing tired now, but there's no way for us to go back
two confused hearts, no matter what's said, cannot be saved
dearest, why? perhaps you don't understand
two people who love each other, waiting for one to first speak up
to find a reason to break up

谁还记得爱情开始 变化的时候
我和你的眼中 看见了不同的天空
走的太远 终于走到分岔路的路口
是不是你和我 要有两个相反的梦
who would still remember, when love first bloomed, how it's changed
you and i, our eyes are gazing at different skies
after walking such a distance, we have reached a fork in the road
why are our dreams so different?




记得 (an A-Mei 張惠妹 cover)
方大同

我们都忘了 这条路走了多久
心中是清楚的 有一天有一天都会停的
让时间说真话 虽然我也害怕
在天黑了以后 我们都不知道会不会有以后

谁还记得 是谁先说 永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后

我们都累了 却没办法往回走
两颗心都迷惑 怎么说怎么说都没有救
亲爱的为什么 也许你也不懂
两个相爱的人 等着对方先说找分开的理由

谁还记得爱情开始 变化的时候
我和你的眼中 看见了不同的天空
走的太远 终于走到分岔路的路口
是不是你和我 要有两个相反的梦

谁还记得 是谁先说永远的爱我
以前的一句话 是我们以后的伤口
过了太久 没人记得当初那些温柔
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后
我和你手牵手 说要一起走到最后

one melody, two songs

Good morning! It's the wee hours of a Saturday morning and I am still awake, barely so, but enough to be typing this. I am up because it's the weekend, and every effort must be made to streeeetch it.

I have just finished watching:
(1) an old French movie, the 1955 Les Diaboliques, which is not that scary by today's standard.. but maybe it was because I read the synopsis and found out how the movie ended. That was a stupid move on my part. I wouldn't call it groundbreaking, but apparently it made quite a splash when it was first released.

I've been on a movie watching spree lately, inspired by a colleague of mine who is a movie buff and his aim is to watch the entire list of movies from *IMDB Top 250 Movies* (he claims that he has covered half of the movies in the list)..

If you know me, you'd know that I don't watch many movies.. even those really famous ones like Fight Club or The Godfathers. I wonder how his passion have somehow rubbed off me. The strange thing about this colleague, when face to face, is hardly articulate (come to think of it, even on Skype he isn't exactly smooth), but when he talks about movies, he gets really chatty about it. I guess that did it for me.

Now I try to make it a point every weekend to watch one of the movies he had recommended (basically from the list), and so far I have watched Memento [2000], The Shawshank Redemption [1994], Rashomon [1950], Casablanca [1942], Princess Mononoke [1997](halfway) -- okay, I don't know why I'm watching all these super old movies haha.. didn't realise it. While those movies were ground breaking back in those days, I can't really appreciate them now. But I'm still curious enough to want to watch.

I doubt that I would want to finish the list, cos I'm never really into dramas (which the list has quite a few), but I realised that I do enjoy most psychological thrillers (Inception, Shutter Island), so last weekend, I searched for a list of must-watch Psych Thrillers and downloaded the ones which I think I might like. Can't wait to see those shows... the next movie in line is The Usual Suspects.

But first, I'll need me a few Community episodes first. Have I ever mentioned here how much I love Community? It's a whole lot, bordering the line of fanatigirlism. Actually I think I have already overstep that line. But let me talk about it some other time. But just so you know, I am crazy, like KUH-RAYYY-ZAYYY about the show. ;)

(2) an interview with Lee Hom from 2010, and I am a happy camper because I found the interview footage, which is rare these days as

• he hasn't have any new projects lately (he's been spending 2012 on his Music Man 2 tour and is currently in Harbin (that's northern China, bordering Russia and I think North Korea.. the hubby was there just a few months ago :) for a concert this weekend.) and 
• I have watched most of the rest of them haha!

Today I have two songs by Lee Hom here, which shares the same melody and theme (separation/broken hearts) but are different language and lyrics-wise. It's said that the Mary referenced in the English song is the name of his ex-gf who broke up with him when he chose music over her. He's said before that they had been together before he became famous, but once his career took off, he couldn't have the time to spend with her and it took a toll on the relationship. He said that she's now happily married, and seemed to express regrets over not being able to commit. Anyway, it's quite straight-forward what he was trying to express via the English song.. it's very simple and the way he sang it here is very heartfelt, and what gets to me most is that first line of the chorus (And Mary says she's gonna be OK) -- I couldn't really shake it off.. Maybe it's the way he sang it, or the way I imagined it, it's makes me kinda :( every time I hear it.

I am rather indifferent to the Chinese version thou' but this was one of his more well-known songs back then (it's from 1999). A karaoke staple, I guess.

Anyways, it's layyte (3:49AM)! Imma call it a night. Thank God I've got nothing on tomorrow -- the only agenda is to clean my house. Say what? Yeah, you heard me ;) Night night.

Mary Says How long has it been since I held you near？ How long will it be till I have you right here？ You say that it hurts I can't disagree But how can I hold on to someone who's leaving me? And Mary says she's gonna be OK She tells me things are getting busier these days [She tells me things will be much easier someday] And Mary says she's gonna be alright You know how much I miss her in my life [You know how much I'm missing her deep inside] Goodbye yesterday, I see my dreams walking away And Mary looks just like she did before Except she don't love me, she don't love me anymore I could shake your hand or I could kiss you goodbye But I just might break down looking in your brown eyes So what happens next do I listen to my mind or heart？ I don't know where to start feeling alright again

淚流手心 Crying Palm 雲飄在天空 浪在海流動 這世界太多 無法掌握的夢 你站在風中 你是自由的 生命有太多 不得不分的痛 Clouds are floating in the sky, waves are in motion in the sea In this world, there are too many dreams that are beyond our grasp You are standing in the wind, you are a free soul In this life, there are too much pains that cannot be shared 當你將離別握在我手心 我聽見愛被悄悄捏碎的聲音 你不懂你不要的我的心 會隨你鬆開的手而喊停 When you are leaving, don't hold on to my hand I am listening to the sound of love being quietly shattered You do not understand that you don't want my heart But it will just follow your loosening grip and cry for it to stop 我試著微笑 試著擁抱 在每一秒 我不想看見閉上的眼睛 害怕你最後 化成淚流出手心 I try to smile and try to embrace every second I don't want to see closed eyes Afraid that you would eventually become a crying palm (Ed: I don't quite get this part) 你給過的承諾 我怎能不放手 當你誠實訴說 他的愛多遼闊 這是我的手 它牽過你往事中度過 這段漫長的路 不該走到寂寞 The promises that you have once gave, I cannot let go of them When you spoke frankly about how great his love is This is my hand which has held your past This long road ahead should not be one of loneliness 遼闊 liáokuò - vast / extensive

in another world...

sorry, no long, mixed language post tonight. i'm catching up on some episodes of Modern Family ^__^

just want to share a trailer of a movie that i would really like to catch (thanks to Leehom for the heads up ;). from its website:

Buzkashi Boys tells a compelling coming of age story that offers a glimpse of a rarely seen Afghanistan through the eyes of two of its youngest sons, as they make their way to manhood in one of the most war-torn countries on Earth.

Set against the backdrop of Buzkashi, a brutal game of horse polo played with a dead goat instead of a ball, the film follows two best friends, a street urchin and a blacksmith’s son, as they struggle to reconcile dreams with duty.

One of the first narrative films shot entirely on location in Afghanistan with a mixed Western and Afghan crew, Buzkashi Boys was produced by the Afghan Film Project, a non-profit foundation formed to tell uniquely Afghan stories while building the capacity of Afghanistan's fledgling film industry. Produced to the highest international standards, the film combines the experience of internationally recognized industry professionals with the passion of emerging local filmmakers.

the trailer kinda reminds me of The Kite Runner, adapted from Khaled Hosseini's book of the same name, which was also set in Afghanistan. i loved that movie, and of course the book. speaking of which i must get it back (it's loaned to a friend like 4 years ago, and not returned. normally i don't keep track of book lending, but when it comes to my favorites, you bet i won't forget. i've asked for it enough times that i feel paiseh to ask again so how.. aish..)

[for you, a thousand times over.]

To Rex with love.

Have I posted this pic before? I guess.. not? Anyways, Nasi Lemak 2.0 was HI-to-the-LA-to-the-RIOUS! Directed by the sensationalist (as chongy wld call him), no-stranger-to-us, beanie-wearing director, Namewee, and heavily inspired by Stephen Chau's Fod of Cookery, NL2.0 is filled with scenes and speech that hit close to home (if you're a Msian and you can't laugh at this, you're sooo a pendatang ok!), with no lack of LOL moments (and a couple of goosebump raising scenes too). I'm suitably impressed at his directorial debut effort--I hope he's more goodies in his bag!

Annnd it even brought my parents back to the cinema after what, 25 years?? Yeah, the last time they were in one, the single-screen Rex and Cathay cinemas were still in operations, movie posters were hand painted not printed, cinema floors would be covered in kuaci seed shells after each showing and tickets cost like 3 bucks. And I was alive to remember all these. Ooo...

shutter island x (matrix)power of 2 = inception

warning: spoiler alert. DO NOT PROCEED if you have not watched the show. you wouldn't get it anyways. hehehe..

in the mean time (make sure you leave before this part is over), toy story 3 was not bad at all. :D



i didn't cry though. and e/time i watch something and not cry when others who have seen it said they'd bawled their eyes out, i feel guilty. it's like i've a heart of stone or none at all. worse still, i tear (or laugh inappropriately) at random scenes in other movies (examples escape me now). i confuse myself sometimes.



[...]



annnnnnd, we're back!

so yeah, inception was awesome (the thesaurus cringes).

chris nolan (memento > i wanna watch, the dark night) delivers again, as do leo dicaprio and the entire cast (ellen page = w00t || joseph gordon-levitt = hawwt).

hands down one of the three best movies i've seen this  year (and this year i've seen quite a bit)(the other two being shutter island, and that quaint lil claymation, mary and max)(sorry, toy story 3)



like what The Star's reviewer says, don't read any reviews before you go in, and just let the movie blow your mind away and put it back together again (hi, chongy :P)

and if you are altogether very confused thereafter, go here for a detailed run down of the plot, characters, rules etc. very helpful.




and as for the final scene, i'm all for the spinning thing to stop spinning.. it would be really sad if dom cobb (leo) never got out. :( but it would be real cool if michael caine suddenly leads leo down to the batcave.. maybe batman 3 will start from there. anything is possible, no? :D

At the climax of the film, Mal throws deep questions at Cobb (and the audience) asking if having faceless corporations chase somebody around isn’t yet another dream state. She questions the very nature of reality for all of us and certainly whether or not the faux reality of film isn’t its own sort of dream state – a place where fantastic things occur – an imagined place we as movie goers share and perceive differently and fill with our own subconscious views and interpretations.

[via]

what do you think? :)

so first it was like this:

and then it was like this:

which led to this:

and i was like this:

thanks, @thestar_rage! :D


oh, what i won eh? two passes to:

:D:D:D:D:D oh yeahhh!

i think i've watched more movies this year than in the past 5 years combined. hahaha.. just a quick 2-sen's worth on the ones i've seen the past 2 weeks alone.

how to train your dragon

so cute! someone told me that the animators were the same as those who worked on lilo & stitch (seen in the similar mischievous behavior of both creatures), but i didn't like L&S. gosh, i wish i'd a Night Terror for a pet! hehe.. can fly to work everyday. haha..

alice in wonderland

i was rather disappointed with this i must say. i loved the psychedelic colours and the quirky characters, but the storyline was rather weak. i wish tim burton had just stuck to the original instead of giving us this. plus, i didn't quite like this alice. hehe.. call me superficial, but i didn't think she was attractive, nor did i like her acting. :P someone suggested that tim burton's choices of female leads have never been the conventional beauty type. true dat.

up in the air

did i like it? mmhmm. i might have, a little. clooney's ryan bringham was good on his own, even up to his flirting and hook-up with vera farmiga's alex goran. but after that it was kinda bleh. anna kendrick was good here as the bright-eyed overachieving new blood who got a rude shock about the reality of their business (they call themselves 'transition counsellors', people hired by bosses who are too chicken to lay off their staff. i wonder if this is a real job.) so, did i like it? again, just a little.

kick-ass

i normally would pass up on a movie i know is littered with profanity (no sam l. jackson movies for me!) but i succumbed to the gushing reviews i read.. and realised after the movie that most of the reviewers must have been guys. it was such a dude movie. i didn't quite like it.. i like the premise of the show, but.. mm, i don't know. hit girl (the purple one in the poster) on the other hand was awwwesome haha (though i'd to work triply hard to filter out her curse-a-min dialogue.. man, can she swear! i was kinda torn abt her charac - but i hope they make a spin off of her character. hehe..)

the blind side

yaaaawn. this was so boring i couldn't finish it. can't believe sandra bullock won the oscars for this. i like her lots, but this? i'd sooner give her the statue for ms congeniality. there's something just so "off" about this movie. maybe it's her too perfect a family. could be the dialogue too. the editing? whatever la, i just don't like this. sorry, sandy.

shutter island

this was the best of whole lot! a good page-turner of a movie. glad i didn't read any reviews prior to watching.. cos for some reason, overtly zealous scorcese fans were dissing this movie, saying it wasn't his best blah blah.. hello, it was so good i will watch it again. we shall take a moment here to appreciate the gravity of what i've just said, because there isn't a single movie that isn't funny or isn't an animation that has make me to want to re-watch (as far as my mind can search la, but we all know how limited that search function is haha), so yeah this movie is that good! although i kinda wrote off leo dicaprio after titanic, he's proven to be very watchable since. there were some points that were a little draggy, but overall, a gripping thriller i really like. :)

in the loop

featuring the very adorable zooey deschanel and that other guy.

we all get the slip sometimes everyday
I'll just keep it to myself in the sun, in the sun

she & him :: in the sun

and ooh, i've been playing this other song since monday.. after watching 'kiss kiss bang bang' (robert downey jr, val kilmer).. don't let the title fool you (well, i did a double take la.. but it's really good! funny, almost bizarre.. ;) don't let the dismal box office gross deter you - watch it! :) and i never knew RDJ was a musician/singer - anyways he wrote and sang this song.. *heart*

in love with a broken heart
[face in every cloud, makes me laugh out loud]
you fell in love with a broken heart
[shouts to keep it down, wagon draws a crowd]

robert downey jr :: broken

I never see a movie unless someone I trust recommends it first. I just don’t think I’m going to be the first person to discover a great movie. If I don’t hear my friends talking about how great the movie is, then I’m not going to see it – unless of course it’s by a director or stars an actor that I have a personal oath to follow.

[tripp crosby]

i don't have "a director or stars an actor that I have a personal oath to follow" but i will watch anything by Pixar. :D but yeah, i don't watch any movies without looking up its reviews. there are very few things i hate other than wasting time and $$ on a movie i feel have wasted my time and $$. :)

had wanted to catch Little Big Soldier on CNY but the cinemas were packed (we were in Sban). finally managed to catch it today at KLCC with hubby.

mm, bromance movies are all the rage these days it seems. at least, the ones i've been watching were all that haha.. I love 'em! you wouldn't catch me paying to go watch Valentine's Day. rom com just ain't my cuppa!

here, Leehom is.. ok, he was covered in dirt throughout the movie (he played a General who was held captive by a deserting soldier from the opposing camp played by Jackie)(they have chemistry methinks =)(and that was what pulled the movie together)(Jackie said he wrote this movie 20 years ago, and would have cast himself in Leehom's role had it gotten made then) but he (Leehom, in case you're lost in the maze of my parentheses) was so ruggedly handsome. LOL. never thought i'd use that phrase to describe anyone, but it's getting late ya know.

so yeah, i really like it. obviously. :) there were some rather funny scenes, some moving ones, some huh-what? ones too.. quite balanced lah. can see Jackie's age showing, but his trademark stunt choreography was still pretty evident (and I don't think they get old!). the storyline -- 'twas nothing new la, but the ending is atypical so it gets some points for that.

sigh.. doesn't he just ooze charm?

as for Leehom (again), I'm not a big fan of his songs (don't like the sound), but he's one very talented guy. and he speeks england so well done. me likey! :D

*fangirly scream* leehom!! ^__^

all together now..

awwwww... SO KIIIIIIUTTTT!!!!! :D

i've never really been a fan of this franchise, i just don't mind watching it la. let's see if this was any good. :)

i spent sunday night watching the R-rated satirical bromance flick harold & kumar: escape from guantanamo bay (yes, i've been watching a lot of movies these days. making up for the lost years.. haha! on the same note, i also watched knocked up, upon which i knew for sure that i would never deliver a baby the natural way if i ever got pregger. just cut me up and take him/her out, my dear ob-gyn).

back to H&K.. it was quite a mindless but funny show, with some nudity (i'd rather they didn't), a lot of vulgarity, and the ever awesome neil patrick harris. :)

the reason i posted this so-called review is cos my fav part of the movie is this poem recited by the titular kumar to the "only girl he's ever loved".. it's so cute and aww-inspiring. *giggles*

I fear that I will always be
a lonely number like root three

the three is all that’s good and right,
why must my three keep out of sight
beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

for nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic
I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
such is my reality, a sad irrationality

when hark! what is this I see,
another square root of a three

as quietly co-waltzing by,
together now we multiply
to form a number we prefer,
rejoicing as an integer

we break free from our mortal bonds
with the wave of magic wands
our square root signs become unglued
your love for me has been renewed

david feinberg :: square root of three

[]

an early happy valentine's to all integers.. & sq root nos too! ;)

i watched two movies today - both of which i've been itching and scratching to watch for ages! THANK YOU, BIT TORRENT!!!! hehe.. it's a shame i never used you earlier.

anyways, because you my astute readers *ahem* know i only recommend the best and nothing but*, so do be an angel and catch these if you haven't already. :)


so. i started the morning with a delicious serving of coraline

ooh the movie posters are so pretty i don't know which to choose, so here are all of them!




don't we sometimes wish for an alternate universe where everything we don't like about this is reversed? your parents are your best pals, your boyfriend is the dream, your housekeeping skills rival that of martha and your corporate skills matches the donald.. it's a nice castle to build, but everything has a price. how much are we willing to sacrifice?

but ooh, i so wanna read the book!!! neil gaiman might as well be my new fav author. :)


for lunch, i had a simple pasta and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

the premise of this movie has long intrigued me: that you could undergo a procedure to completely erase the painful memories of a person or an event or whatever it is that so grieve and cripple you, so one is liberated to move on. don't we all want that at some point of our lives? no? oh wow.

how happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
the world forgetting, by the world forgot.
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

alexander pope :: eloisa to abelard

but do we really want to forget? do we really want hazy memories of ripped diary pages and drawing blanks? well, at the points when emotions are at their most intense, when vivid memories cause long nights and wads of used tissues, who wouldn't say yes? but again, do we really want to forget? mm.. my jury is still out on this one.




you know, i'm envious of movie review writers who are able to articulate so clearly what they see and beyond in what they watch. me, i just went with a simple rating of how emotionally moved i am on a scale of 1-5, but it's just something rather subjective and almost impossible to quantify. like, what does 3.5 mean?

* maybe i should warn against crap like ninja assassin which still gives me the hives. i really do hate it to have wasted time watching turkeys like those - i would much prefer staring into blank space - at least what goes on in my head is farrr more interesting!

** yeah i don't know what's up with the CAPS and exclamation marks! just excited i guess.

this is Mary.
a social outcast. lonely. awkward. misunderstood.
has eyes the color of muddy puddles and a birthmark the color of poo.



and this is Max.
a social outcast. lonely. awkward. misunderstood.
living with Asperger's and addicted to chocolate hotdogs.



Mary and Max are an unlikely twosome. but hit it off they did. in a gawky, heartwarming way. this is one of those shows that's so good i won't - don't want to - say more. i only mention it here so that you would know of it and buy into my non-existent persuasion to wanna see it. a word of caution though, don't watch it if you're feeling depressed. this took a lot from me. no regrets.



[thanks, ps sivin, for the recom]

if it doesn't break your heart, it isn't love
if it doesn't break your heart, it's not enough
it's when you're breaking down
with your insides coming out
that's when you find out what your heart is made of

switchfoot :: yet

my heart is made of..
fairy dust and morning dew
soggy fries and a keg of flat beer
cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.