So I watched The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女 Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) and I.. hmm, can't decide if I liked it.

I've said before time travel is an iffy topic to tackle, and I don't quite like how it was done here.. but that's my personal bone to pick. There are other questions as well, and the more I think about it, more of them arose so much so now I'm filled with them.. But there was one part though where I got caught up in the moment that I suppose did make the movie worth it, and it's in one of the images below. :)

Pacing wise, it was a bit slow in the beginning, and by the time it picked up, it was almost over. If I wasn't folding my mountain of laundry, I might not have the patience to sit through it. Style and colour wise, it was okay, it didn't stand out very much but it suited the mood of the story nicely. Mm that's all I've got to say. :D

Watch it here.









and one last one for the lols (that's me btw, photobombing J's dad, and that's my MIL in the background hehe):

5 Centimeters Per Second ( 秒速5センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru) has got to be the most gorgeous anime I've ever seen. I love, love, LOVE it. The cinematography, art direction, digital animation, colours and lighting were all superb. The story line however is not uncommon, of young love and loss and yearnings, but it was very well portrayed. It was a slow movie, like really slowww.. which should have been a setback for me, plus it's romance drama, my least favorite sub-genre of my least favorite genre, but I was so enthralled that I didn't notice it until I read some reviews. The short running time (63 minutes) helped, and I could relate what was going on-screen and was just drinking in the beautiful scenery, shot after shot. Ahh, such bliss..

The show is divided into three so-called chapters. I don't want to go into details so you can read them here. I want to point out though that many reviews didn't think too much of the second chapter, but it was the very one that touched me the most because I saw myself as the girl who has a crush on our male protagonist but not being able to express it, knowing well that his mind is occupied with another, but at the same time she keeps trying to create opportunities to be close to the person.. it was almost like a chapter out of my youth. Given that almost the entire film happened during the early 1990's when there weren't Facebook or mobile phones or instant messaging, it could very well have been my story hehe. I was surprised how most reviews I've read dismissed this chapter, some didn't even mention her and there was one who felt her presence was extraneous.. I actually felt that this lovelorn girl was just as central to the show if not more as the other two, but I guess every reviewer sees differently. (Edit: After reading more reviews, I take back what I said about Ch 2 being overlooked :)

Anyway, I'm listening to the OST now, totally enrapt. Just gonna leave some screenshots here..

Watch it here.

I don't know why it didn't cross my mind to watch Death Note earlier on, but boy am I glad I did. I LOVE it! I read the manga back then and liked it, but I never went very far into the plot as copies were hard to come by. I love the characters, the drawings, the pace, the drama and the story line. Ok, not totally and I need to clarify that. But I can't do it without spoilers, so please click on the link after this image below to continue reading. Don't do it if you plan to watch the show. I'd totally recommend this to anyone who hasn't though. For me, it was definitely a worthy show to catch after the brilliant Steins;Gate, since I had worried about finding something I'd like that would match up.

Oh speaking of a worthy successor, I did start Cowboy Bebop since it was so highly recommended, but sorry fanboys and -girls, it didn't do anything for me and I stopped after Ep 4. I am not a fan of dated drawing (the anime came out in 1998, so the quality of the drawing -- to simplistic -- reflects its age) so it was hard for me to go through with it. Also I'm not fan of spaceships or bounty hunters.. I might be rewarded if I stayed on, apparently the show touches on deeper human issues like existentialism and other philosophical stuff.. but mm, mayybe another time ok? I guess why it appeared on the top of so many lists was because those people watched it when it first came out, and so it was a huge part of their childhood.. and nostalgia is a strong factor in such lists. To each her own... at least I checked it out. :)

awesome weekend is awesome.

Dear Diary

I had a superduperagilisticexpilidixious weekend and I am still smiling thinking about it!

It all started last Friday evening after work. I got home early, before the sunset. Saw my neighbor washing her porch and she remarked, "Awal balik hari ini?" And I was like, "Ya, ya :)" That evening, I had roast chicken from Isetan for dinner and also tackled my mountain of unfolded laundry while watching the remaining 12 episodes of the the 25-episode anime I've been watching, called Steins;Gate (stream here). It's basically about time travel which is one of the toughest topic to tackle in a show or writing, and very few get it right. I am superbly nit-picky about how the concept is applied -- I'd buy any theory put forth by a writer, but it's crucial that it remains consistent throughout -- and hence I'm usually not interested in picking up anything related to TT because most writers fumble through it, or they'd start off right and then conveniently bend the rules they have established to suit the plot, which annoys me because I am simple-minded and easily confused. But this one, it stuck to its rules and while I did get lost here and there, I wouldn't stray too far and was able to get back on track because they are consistent. Actually, I only watched this because many reviews actually highlighted this point, and it paid off. I am glad! ^_^

Although I have not watched that many anime to-date, but if what everyone says is true, this is truly one of the best there is. While it started off slow, when it hits its stride about 10 episodes in, I was kinda blown away.. Looking back, I think the slow build-up was necessary to establish the characters because these were revisited later on. I love the style of the animation, the characters (some minor gripes though), the story line, the colours, the direction.. I felt everything was perfectly held together.

The only problem I had after this is deciding what to watch next. The thing is, this anime is highly rated (so thanks, Quora, for the recommendation) so my expectations are kinda raised. I have bookmarked a few other potentials though, so I might just randomly select one of them. In the meantime, there's always have the long-running Gintama that's good for a few chuckles. Actually, there's this anime called Cowboy Bebop that has appeared on almost all top lists I've came across so far, but I hesitate because the title is like so bleh and the protagonist's hairstyle (yes I just said that) is like so messy. Anyways.

In between watching I texted the husband who is in the most populous nation on earth to see how he was doing. He was going back to the City after a week out in the woods. Okay, not woods, but somewhere remote. He brought some people along for this trip so he had more time to relax. I fell asleep two episodes before I finished the series, but I still had the whole weekend before me.

So, that was Friday evening and it was good and I went to bed wearing the hugest smile.

On Saturday, I woke up early to clean the house. I finished up putting away the laundry I folded the night before and then I swept and mopped the floor before rushing out for my hair appointment with Alex in BU. I was running late because I was moving like a snail but decided to drop by a bakery and get them some cakes from RT in Taman Desa. Traffic was slow heading towards PJ, but the weather was good like my mood. Got there about 10 minutes late but he was okay with it. According to him, I haven't had a hair cut in four months since M's wedding so my hair was kinda long and unruly. Told him to chop off a third of it so right now, it is short and unruly, like I have a bunch of seaweed on my head. I can only hope that it would be okay when it grows out a bit. It's a losing battle that I fight with my crowning glory so for now, I'm just resigned to the fact that this is as good as it gets.

Anyway, after I was done, I went to pick D up from his place and spent the rest of the day with him. We had Nando's for the n-th time because it's his most favorite food ever and he is the most unadventurous eater I know, but I would not tease him anymore after J kindly pointed out that my obsession with fish head is essentially the same thing. Touche. We had a whole bird and were practically stuffed after the meal. And for some reason, he was being particularly obnoxious that day and at one point I was pretty exasperated. Maybe it's a boy thing to be playfully annoying. Still, I thoroughly enjoy his company and look forward to meeting him again. I don't remember what we talked about. I only remember that there were a lot of repetitious nonsense and fluff and me facepalming constantly. Maybe I'd hope that we could talk about more substantial stuff like quantum physics or the Cultural Revolution or comparative theology and yes I'm being facetious. We walked KLCC Park after our late lunch to help with digestion and deeply regretted our decision to go on the swings. The sun was hiding so the weather was nice so we sat on a bench and continued our frivolous banter. It started to drizzle at one point and we coolly walked back into the mall and had gelato. We could have two flavors in a cone so I had cappuccino and lime (weird combo, I don't know why I chose those sigh -- I generally don't perform well under pressure.. but they tasted good separately la, the lime one in particular). In between, he went for prayers and I read my book, and because he has a poor sense of direction he got lost coming back to where I was and I thought that was amusing. Sorry that I had a good chuckle, all my direction-challenged peeps (love you sis). We went shopping for his stuff after that. He got a new pair of work shoes, which according to him, was the first pair of shoes he bought for himself. Achievement unlocked! We were still kinda full from lunch so we had a simple dinner at the food court (I had a drink) and called it a day. We sang in the car otw way back to his place, as we usually do, but mostly it was him singing because he doesn't like my songs -_- (Jv went through my entire CD of 50 songs the other day when I sent him home after dinner, commenting on every single one of them -- too radio friendly, too old, so pretentious, too mellow, so passe, Leehom again?, too Regina Spektor wannabe blah blah). Oi, I tak tanya pun. Srsly, boys. -_- But really, boys! ^_^

So, that was Saturday and it was great and I went to bed (after finishing Steins;Gate) in bliss.

On Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:36AM and got ready just in time for A to pick me up at 7 before we headed to J's and then S's place. It was our forest reserve outing day! Yay! We were all groggy from lack of sleep and the unearthly hours, except for A who was inexplicably perky the whole day, having woken up 5:30AM and being on chauffeur duty the whole day. Maybe we were good company, us three sloths. S made us coffee and J was a happy camper. It didn't do much for me I think. We got to FRIM in Kepong around 8 and chose a spot to park and had brekkie at a resting hut before beginning our grueling... 10-minute hike. Haha! Yeah it was a short hike, before a long descend of about an hour. When we got back on gravel road I decided to run the rest of the way, so that I could sweat more and also because I had a tummy ache hehe. Left the forest reserve at about 11 to Desa ParkCity for Kb, which was a disappointing affair.. save for the brinjal fries and wasabi and garlic sauces which were awesome. The rice burger.. nah. Then we went lying on grass under a tree in the park. The sun was out but the breeze was cooling so we laid there and tried to sleep but couldn't. I loved that lying on the grass bit. Then we went to this other restaurant A, which was a worse outing than Kb. We had terrible pasta and a mushroom pizza that didn't live up to its name and we paid RM25 per pax. I was annoyed. We sat in the restaurant for a couple of hours as we were still lethargic. J browsed through salon.com and was reading from lists like "25 things men do to show that they are interested in you" or "10 things that men look for in the first impression". It was hilarious dissecting these trying-too-hard lists. J then brought up the idea of going for one of those puzzle room places that are quite popular these days and we decided we should just do it. I've always wanted to go and check one out, and although I didn't think we were in the right frame of mind to do it that day, we went ahead and booked ourselves a place at the Es-ca-pe Room in eCurve. Suffice to say, we failed spectacularly. As per the words of the guy who came to get us when our time was up, "You guys are still in this room ah?" Yes we are. Boo hoo. It was fun though, although I don't think it's something I'd excel in. After that, since I was much poorer financially compared to the start of the day, we went to eat at a hawker center where we all had piping hot nasi lemak and grilled chicken wings and lobak and we were completely exhausted but in good spirits. A dropped us home after that. I practically crawled under my blanket and for the first time in a while, slept by 10ish.

So, that was Sunday and it was awesome and I went to bed deliriously happy.

luv, E.

It seems like all I write about these days are so-called reviews of books and TV and movies huh? :) I don't know why I do it because I am a terrible reviewer -- my opinions are usually either "I love it!" or "I hated it!" but to justify them, I need to read other reviews to find the words to properly express my thoughts. So what you read that you thought were my thoughts (when I wasn't literally copy-pasting chunks of those text because I was too lazy to even reword them), were actually my little Frankenstein's monsters -- butchered and sewn together opinions of other people in a form of a somewhat readable prose. Ta-dah. I suppose I do it for the same reason why I wrote the other posts: for my older self to remember what my younger self enjoyed (or not). Okay, this time for a change I'll give you something that's entirely my own take.

So I finally read Yale law professor Amy Chua's (in)famous book that created this massive parenting debate worldwide when it came out three years ago: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I remember thinking then, wow all these controversies and uproar.. the book must be selling like hot cakes! Ka-ching! I've read excerpts from the book then and knew of the terror that Chua was, but I also remember being very impressed by her daughters' achievements.

So what did I think of this? The book -- totally enjoyed reading it! I haven't finished a book this fast in a long time. It was easy to read, and I was rather entertained and horrified at the same time. Her daughters -- much respect for what they have done and how well adjusted they appear to be. The mother -- needless to say, is scary beyond all reason (sorry, random cheeky quote from The Emperor's New Groove). She is the epitome of a melancholy choleric, and her ways would totally not stand out among Asian parents, especially immigrants or 2nd-gens. And if I were her daughter, I'm surer than sure that I'd be the black sheep who is only talked about in hushed tones at family dinners and who's forever cowering in my sisters' shadows.

But you know what, maybe it's the Asian in me, coupled with hindsight... I totally get where Chua was coming from and actually wish that I had a Tiger mom.

*cue collective gasps from phantom pro-"Western" style of parenting readers*

Haha! I do! Now, I'm not blaming my very Chinese parents who for some reason never really pushed me for letting me do whatever I'd wanted (that said, I was never a wild, rebellious child - I'd say that I was a goody two shoes *cough cough*).. but knowing me, I am the kind of person who needs discipline and would do well when pushed, even though I'd hate every minute of it with every fiber of my being. Yes, I can't win this! Alas, it's too late for me now, but I really still need to find some other way to kick my own ass, and I need to find it fast.

Btw I don't think there's a one best way of parenting. As illustrated by Chua, what worked with her eldest backfired when applied on the younger daughter. Still, I think it worked out for them in the end, soooo.. good for them! :)

__________
Edit 1/9/14: 
Chua's eldest daughter wrote an open letter in defense of her mother after the controversy broke out, which I thought was a thoughtful piece. Something she said there struck me: "Everybody seems to think art is spontaneous. But Tiger Mom, you taught me that even creativity takes effort." While that's nothing new, that line, seen together with the relentless drills the girls were subjected to their entire lives, serves as a stark reminder as to why I am so errm.. unaccomplished: I haven't poured in much hours into anything I like. 

How does passion work? How is it ignited? How much could or should it be forced before one lets go and lets nature takes it course? I want that - to be over the top crazy about something.. Haha, perhaps something like my LH crazy fangirl phase, but with something more useful. I liked that I did all those translation works on his songs and that speech. I enjoyed working on them tremendously, and I really want something like that again, something more.. lasting this time. What could it be!? Please God don't let me turn 40 without finding whatever it is that I'm looking for.

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.

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…

of siblings and mermaids

It has been a weekend of binge watching for me (okay, there was also the visit to my siblings' place in JB, which was totally uneventful and totally awesome! *heart* =) Sis and I did up the guest room with some items I got from IKEA - we assembled a shelf, a clothes rack and a floor light, and spending time doing that was fun! I only wished that the bros weren't working this weekend - I saw so little of them! :( That said, it wasn't like we talked a lot but still, it was really nice just being there, being together for whatever time we had.. ^_^

Anywayyyy, I had a slow start to this anime called Seto no Hanayome early this week (h/t to Dz for the recommendation).. but it picked up speed and I finished all 26 episodes about 30mins ago and OMG IT'S THE FUNNIEST THING EVARR. Its humor is right up my alley and I've lost count of all my unbecoming and literal LOL moments.. It's just so OTT, I don't even know how to begin describing it. The husby even banished me to our room because I was distracting him from the Wimbledon tennis final (Djoko won 3-2 over Fed). But srsly, I haven't laughed so much watching anything in a longgg time! :D I got J started on it too but jury's still out on if she'd finish it, cos she said it reminded her of how she felt watching The Lego Movie (which she was meh about, and which I thought was the BEST MOVIE EVARRR (you see where we're going here).. so yeah. Okay, if I were to be pedantic, there were some things about the series that kinda irked me (in particular the female lead's POV on certain issues), butttt I'll just take a chill pill and revel in its slapstick silliness. So yeah I wuv it! Click here to stream the show.  

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.

a life worth reading

I've been on a biography/memoir reading spree lately; it was not intentional, it just happened and I think it's wonderful, especially because it's is one of my favorite genres. I don't usually write book reviews, but this has been a good streak and I would like to remember it, so here goes...

Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
Des Moines (pronounced Deh-Moin) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa, a fact that had meant little to me, but the city came alive reading Bryson's memoir, a testament of his way with words. Bryson's affection for the world of his childhood was funny and contagious. Among others, he's argued how department stores and movie theaters are two things that were different and better in the 1950s, parts of a life that he observes are not the same anymore.

I've been meaning to check out Bryson's other works as I have on a couple of good authorities that he's a brilliant travel writer. I actually don't fancy travelogues, but those people were really convincing so I'd love to give him another chance, especially after a positive impression this time around, notwithstanding my unfortunate first encounter with Bryson with the Short History of Nearly Everything where I struggled to finish the first chapter before giving up because I found it soo boring. 

Btw, there are two other US cities that I would now pause and pay attention to when mentioned: Rochester, New York and Detroit, Michigan. The former is Leehom's hometown and the latter, Em's. Leehom left NY since he was 17 and has established his roots in Taiwan, but Em looks like he'd have to be pried away from Detroit. I've just finished downloading Anthony Bourdain's take on the Detroit on his show Parts Unknown (thanks, D, for the heads up! =) and I can't wait to catch it.. soon. ^_^



Eminem's The Way I Am
The day before Em's birthday on October 17 (interestingly, LH's birthday is May 17, so excuse me if I felt a sudden affinity with the number 17 ;), I got a gift in the mail. Well, not really a gift, because it was something I bought for myself, but when it came, I was so excited I believe I might have let out a series of squeals in my colleague's presence haha! But yay, Christmas came early! So yeah, I bought Eminem's autobiography from bookdepository.com (awesome site, can't recommend it enough). It reached my desk just before noon, and by 2pm, I had passed the middle section of the 200+ page book. In my defense, I tried to put it down many many times, but I kept picking it up again. I couldn't help it. *hangs head in shame* But considering that it was really easy reading (not unlike reading a diary entry), and that there were a lot of pictures, it certainly wasn't a feat that I had read that much. By the time I got home, I wasn't very far from finishing it; I felt sad and the dread as I turned the last few pages.

The verdict? I enjoyed it very much but c'mon, why wouldn't I! :) It wasn't the greatest piece of written work, but it was a deeply personal piece. Some reviewers said that he skimmed through the tumultuous relationship with his mother and ex-wife, but really, what else could he have said that he hasn't in all his songs about them? That he didn't mean them? I'm quite sure those thoughts were real. He did briefly touch about the gruesome song about his ex-wife Kim, and he'd explained to her that those hateful songs he wrote about her reflected how he really felt and thought in the heat of their arguments so she would be okay with him putting them out. She relented for most part (did she have a choice?), but I feel that he did go too far at one point (he didn't write about it in the book but it's well documented on the internet), where they were on the way to his concert and she asked him if he would play that song and he said no, but I guess booze and/or drug changed his mind and he went all out deriding her on stage, and she felt so hurt and went home and slit her wrist. I hope he was wrecked with guilt over that incident! But lest you think she was a damsel-in-distress, she was also known to physically attacking him.. in public. So yeah, theirs was the real-life version of his hit song (look ma, a pun!) with Rihanna, Love the Way You Lie.

Like his songs, he's candid with what went on in his life and his head. The book provides insight into his early days struggling with poverty and being on welfare, bullies at school, having to constantly move from one home to another and one school to another, an absent father and an addict mom, minimum wage jobs, baby mama drama, and the insecurities of living where they were. It also chronicles his friendship with Proof who was instrumental in making him into who he is -- it was pretty obvious that without Proof, there'd be no Eminem. Sadly, Proof was killed in a bar fight-gone-awry in 2006 and words just can't express what it was like losing such an important figure like that in one's life; he struggled for years to get back on his feet. There was also his unrelenting pursuit of the art of emceeing, and later his explosion and exposure to the world at large. He hadn't expected to blow up like he did, and fame is still something he grappling with after all these years (he still raps about it). People who are familiar with his songs would already know most of the details of his life, but I think even the most hardcore of fans would still be able to find a tidbit or two in the book that they had not known previously.

My favorite chapter would be the one where he talks about being a father. He said that "being a dad makes me feel powerful in a way I hadn't known before, and it's the kind of power that I don't want to abuse. It's the kind of power that helps me overcome the bad shit from my childhood. It's like I'm rewriting my own history." He's always maintained that he's a father first and a rapper second, and he tries to be there for his kids (he has a daughter with ex-wife Kim, and he adopted the daughter of Kim's twin sister, and another daughter from Kim's other marriage, and "all three of my girls call me Daddy and they are loved the same" awww..) every chance he could. And he talks about how he tries to teach his daughters to be responsible and accountable and that their world isn't just a free-for-all and they've got things to do around the house, and how when they are older they'd have to get jobs and learn what it means to earn.. I'm just glad despite his troubled childhood and shaky relationship with Kim, that he would fall so naturally into the role of a loving, concern and involved father.

And this might be the wackiest confession I've ever made here or anywhere: you know how I've always have fears about attempting motherhood? Oh you probably don't because I don't ever talk about it. But it was something that stuck with me for the longest time, and though I do feel more ready now, Em was one person who actually got me to seriously consider that it probably won't be so bad after all (yes, it was that recent), with this verse in particular from Hailie's Song:

Some days I sit staring out the window, watching this world pass me by
Sometimes I think there's nothing to live for, I almost break down and cry
Sometimes I think I'm crazy, I'm crazy oh so crazy
Why am I here, am I just wasting my time?
But when I see my baby, suddenly I'm not crazy
It all makes sense when I look into her eyes

Yup. Who would have thought, right?

Lol, looks like I think I got a bit carried away with this review. To end, I know it's a very fangirl-y thing to say, but I could understand the reasons behind a lot of things he did, whether if they were justified or not, logical or not. He and I, we are kindred spirit, remember? LOL! Quit rolling your eyes!!



Ravi Zacharias's Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows

All I knew about Ravi before this was that he's a prominent Christian apologist. I sat under his protege's tutelage for the book of John. I knew that J is a huge fan(girl) of his. But I've not heard or read anything by him, and I have no excuse.

This book introduced me to him, not in the way he's usually introduced i.e. accolades upon accolades. I was introduced to a boy of low self-esteem who had no interest in academic but one who is affable and well liked. A boy who often for no obvious reason drew the ire of his father and stood meekly in the shadows of his more accomplished brother. A boy who struggled with understanding the meaning of life and drifted in the ocean of purposelessness for a long time before finding his calling that changed the course of his life, and many, many, many lives whom he's touched.

Many people who come to know Jesus have their lives changed 180 degree and that was what happened to Ravi. He became a voracious reader and his confidence grew, and God had him doing things he never knew he could or going places he never thought he would. You can't help but be absorbed in his story and just rad in amazement and awe at how things turned out.

And for the record, my short review here is in no way reflective of how I feel about the book. I won't necessarily say that it's the best of the lot here as each story and each life has its own charms and snags.. but this was definitely well-written and inspirational. Makes me all the more curious about his works. I suppose I should just get my mind ready to be blown away again.



Nadia Bolz-Weber's Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
I got to know about this book from Richard Beck's review and I was curious enough to buy a hardcover copy of it (usually I'd wait for the cheaper paperback version), also via bookdepository. The heavily tattooed Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber is not your typical pastor, in any conventional sense of the word. Even her life path is unusual as it is presented: engaging, encouraging, irreverent, inspiring and funny.

One thing I loved about this was her brutal honesty. Sure, she swore like a sailor (uncensored in the book), and that would have bothered me a lot, but my tolerance for profanity has risen substantially thanks to Em (I don't know if it's a good thing but life is easier when I don't take offense at everything)(I mean, I still find a lot of things annoying and objectionable, but one less item off the list isn't too bad at all). I like what Beck said when warning reader of the litany of F-bombs in the book: ... to be honest, I get sort of annoyed in needing to give such warnings. Why are so many Christians such pious fragile little daisies? Do we really think Jesus was so easily offended? Goodness sakes, look who Jesus hung out with. 

And may I quote Richard again as to what the book is about:

It's a spiritual memoir that, roughly, moves through three parts of of Nadia's life. The first part covers Nadia's early years growing up in fundamentalist Christianity, her descent into drugs and sex, to her eventual return to Christianity. The second part is Nadia's calling to the pastorate and the founding of House for All Sinners and Saints. And the final part is stories about the growth of the church and Nadia's pastorate. All the way through are raw, powerful and confessional stories of both success and failure, each salted with the crazy juxtapositions created by Nadia's personal history and personality in light of her life as the spiritual leader of a faith community.

What I loved about Pastrix (a word used derisively by some conservative Christians who refuse to recognize female pastors) was how real she was and how forthcoming she was about her struggles with the word of God that most of us would probably think is "unChristian" to utter. I relate to her misanthropic nature and applaud her for fighting it (definitely made me think about how I am right now). Her church, the House of All Saints and Sinners is an all-inclusive church whose congregation would definitely raise more than a few eyebrows in most churches elsewhere. But urm, I'm cool with that. I don't know if I'd fit in there, or anywhere for that matter right now. I feel like I'm on a self-imposed isolation. I feel like I'm drifting. Sigh~ Man, are you guys reading this, I'm confessing left and right in this post. Anyway, I think one of the best things about growing old is realizing that a lot of things shouldn't and don't matter, and I think it's silly how people get up in arms over the wrong things (okay, me included, but yeah, all of us need to grow up). Like Ravi above, her story once again proves that God has a sense of humour most of us would only funny in hindsight, and that his way is wayyy beyond my puny limits, and once again, I put down all my earthly strivings before him and just sit silently at his feet.

Anyway, please allow me to quote Beck one last time: "That's what I most loved about Pastrix, how the bible kept crashing into the messiness of Nadia's life and the life of her crazy and amazing church. Being interrupted by the bible, in hard but often life-giving ways, is something that I can deeply identify with." Check out this video for one of her sermons where she recounted some of the stories she also shared in the book.



Benazir Bhutto's Daughter of the East 
I have just begun on one last autobiography I have in hand but I thought I'd include it in this list, that of Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988 until 1990, and from 1993 to 1996. She was assassinated in a bombing in 2007 (right about the time this book was published).

Her name was something I remember from way back then, and her being the first female Pakistani PM was pretty impressive to me then, and now. I'm only in the first chapter, and she talked about having kids during her tenure (she was then the only head of government in recorded history to actually give birth while in office, I'm pretty sure the record still holds). Of course her detractors had a field day trying to overthrow her, albeit unsuccessfully. Can't help but think she must have been one remarkable lady.

I generally don't read political bios because they are very detailed and those details usually just fly over my head, so... I do hope I'd finish this! If I do, and if I would write about it, I'd just update this page.

legend.

Okay I've lost count of the number of times I've watched that video of Leehom singing Getaran Jiwa. I love it to bits. Sigh~

Amidst this, I naturally went wiki-ing the late Tan Sri P Ramlee. I realised that I didn't know much about him. Sure I've seen a couple of his movies when I was reeeallly young, and have heard some of his songs over the years, and who could forget Sheila Majid's Lagenda tribute? But I'd wanted to know what was it that garnered him such recognition, a national icon?

His page was surprisingly sparse, but there was a reference to a documentary commissioned by History Channel a few years back, and again, thanks to Youtube, I found the 90-minute video (embedded below) which chronicled his life, the rise and fall. Yay!

Note: Full spoiler ahead :)

It was an interesting show, there were interview footage from earlier, and they also interviewed some people who were close to him (it looks like a number of them have also passed away since), such as the sister of his wife Saloma, his son Nasir, and other people in the industry. He'd lived in tough time, but he rose to the top of his game and was his studio's (Shaw Organisation) blue-eyed boy. Everything he touched turned into gold. He was a multi-talented entertainer: he wrote and directed screenplays, and he wrote hundreds of songs which were very popular at his times. His accomplishment and international recognition were well-deserved - his movies constantly won him regional awards.

Of course this made him enemies with the other more senior directors, and they ostracized him. Also because they had media clout, P Ramlee's news were practically blacked out. Still he persisted. Now I scantly remember what was the reason he left Singapore to come back to Malaysia (too much politicking that he couldn't handle, was it?) And that was the beginning of his downfall.

For whatever reason, he was rejected, ridiculed and scorned by his very own! They called him a has-been, they mocked his work, they unfairly criticized him. I really felt terrible for him. Still he soldiered on, trying to make do with the old equipment and untrained staff, which were a far cry from his endless budget, state-of-the-art and skilled workers environment back in Singapore. Everything he did was panned by the critics, and he never got back to the level he once held.

And it continued to go downhill from there. His music company severed ties with him, there were no new jobs that came in.. eventually he had to take up odd jobs to put food on his family's table. It was heartbreaking. I don't think I could ever know why his "friends" turned his back against him. Or why they were unaware of his plight (apparently he never sought help and kept his problems to himself).

I had thought that perhaps he was not a nice person, but everyone who was interviewed said that he was also generous to a fault, and he never knew how to say No. His sis-in-law said that people would often come up to him with sob stories, and he'd give every sen he had on him, to the disbelief of his wife. If such was this man, and I can imagine how some of his so-called "friends" sucking him dry.

His last days were desolate. He died a penniless man. Shaw Organisation never released the rights to his movies, so despite the thousands (millions?) that he's made for the studio, he earned nothing from there. But just as he had the chance to shine again (another famous actress from that era who was mentored by him, Sarimah, decided to let him direct her next movie. But before he had to chance to sign the contract the next day, he died suddenly of a heart attack, at 44 (so young!)..

His death shocked the nation, "and a sense of collective guilt began to spread nationwide, as prior to his death he had been discredited and rejected by his own nation,citing that he was a "has been" and that his songs and film were no longer marketable." (wiki) Most of his national recognition and titles came post-posthumously, and I echo the narrator who said that it was, "too little, too late". Sigh.

I was rather shaken and even teared watching the last bit of the documentary. I think it was the pains of the betrayal that got to me. And all those politicking that went about had him fighting uphill battles all the time. I still can feel the dull ache in my heart thinking about what he had gone through! :'( Maybe it was a different time, when men were too proud to talk about their problems and hence NOBODY thought to ask or help.

In his illustrous career spanning 20+ years, he had acted and directed in 66 films, and written about 360 songs, and his works had come to define the golden era of Malay silver screen. I might never come to a place to fully appreciate what he has done, but I know without a doubt that he's truly a national icon.

kaulah satu satunya di antara berjuta, insan teristimewa

patah tak tumbuh lagi, hilang belum berganti, kerana kau tersendiri

kau kebanggaan kita, kau budayawan bangsa

engkau lagenda

you're one in a million, a unique individual

you're irreplacable because you are one of a kind

you're our pride, you're the nation's humanist

you are legend

sheila majid :: lagenda/legend

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? :)

trying to clear some backlog posts because you know, i'm procrastinating (isohatemyselfsigh).. so here's one of them:

now that the musical has had its run, i think i can post this dy. i don't know if they are still googling for reviews cos that's what i totally would have done. haha.. but yeah, i just wanna give my tuppence like i was irish.. i have been hesitant about posting this cos i didn't want the cast to get disheartened should they read this (you'll see why) hahaha..

adam the musical 

the actors' studio, lot 10

18-may-2010

let me tell you straight: i did not enjoy the musical. and this was after going in with low expectations hoping to be pleasantly surprised -- alas that didn't happen. oh well.

[a quick thanks to jazz who organized this - went with her and mandy and a bunch of jazz's friends whose names have escaped me now.. haha..]

but first, let me recount what i liked about it:

• tabitha kong - i've heard her once when i went to SIB for some event last year, and i rber really liking her voice although she only sang one song. here in adam, she was the understudy for the role of maria. i would have preferred not to go for understudies' performances but jazz had wanted to go for this one as tabby (which was what jazz calls her, which is really weird for me, so mm, i'll just stick to tab, which is also.. nvm.) is a friend of hers. which i didn't mind cos theater performances are usually frequented by people who sorta kinda knew the cast or crew. and since tab is now a friend of a friend, 'twas ok. :D it also didn't hurt that she's cuter than the lead actress. hahaha..
  
• the couple's chemistry - tab and the lead actor (malik taufik) were such a cute couple! i really liked the scenes they were in together.. their body language spoke louder than their lines.. which was good (because: re. point 1 in the next section).
  
• the group performance - this one, i kinda liked and disliked at the same time. like, cos they sounded good and their choreography tight; dislike, cos i couldn't hear what they were singing about.
• tria aziz - she was one very scary looking ghoul, but her voice! her solo was one highlights of the show..
• mo dee & fairuz tauhid - two transvestite characters who were sometimes funny and other times menjengkelkan. don't know lah.. something about this show just didn't sit down nicely with me.

and now, for the bad:

• the script was horribly banal and trite.. direction was poor. i was unmoved by adam's plight.
  
• the use of religion was quite a fail if not mis-used. if the girl has no qualms about changing her religion, then as a plot device it was redundant. as i saw it, they had wanted to highlight the religious hypocrisy and bigotry, and they would have been better off had they stuck to a single religion (Islam in this case).
• datuk faridah merican - i don't mean no disrespect, but i think her voice was poor. i heard no frailty nor strength in it, and going off pitch not once but a few times is quite a no-no kan?
• the archangel michael played by mark sobels - he was one very annoying character who was neither funny or sensible. bleh.
• what's a musical without memorable songs. unfortunately, most of the songs here were forgettable.
• theater design - the layout of the stage limits severely limits the vantage point to only those in front. if it's for fashion show ok lah, but for 2/3 of the audience, it's mostly just side profiles for the longest time. 

in the end, i was not barely emotionally moved (even bored at some points) - emotions being my yardstick of rating something like this. all said, it was all just really mediocre theater to me.

[i rber the musical ran closely to the very expensive broadway production in KL - the westside story.. and i'd jokingly dubbed adam the poor man's WSS.. now, even that comparison is unworthy. sorry!]

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. :)