"If you think that the dance don't fit your style, well, just remember this: Don't let your mind stop you from having a good time" - Jason Mraz, Live in Kuala Lumpur.
"Wise men say, Only fools rush in" - Elvis, Can't Help Falling in Love.
"You make the wrong mistake!" - Eric Gapang, one of my favourite all-star quotes.
"If you think your life is a sugar-coated strawberry, then mine is just the strawberry" - oh, yeah. That was me. On "Pathetic Twits Who Can't Enjoy Strawberries without the Sugar-Coating".
"Wise men say, Only fools rush in" - Elvis, Can't Help Falling in Love.
"You make the wrong mistake!" - Eric Gapang, one of my favourite all-star quotes.
"If you think your life is a sugar-coated strawberry, then mine is just the strawberry" - oh, yeah. That was me. On "Pathetic Twits Who Can't Enjoy Strawberries without the Sugar-Coating".
Now, to the real post. Evening classes were canceled so it means I have a little bit of free time. It also means I missed a class with the lovely Miss Norhashima. Having her as the teaching grammar instructor is a good thing. I am no longer feeling sleepy or falling asleep in class - like I always do in my other classes (presentation groups: I deeply apologize). Now, I rotate between feeling sleepy and gawking at her....oh yeah, I still learn something in Teaching Grammar, mind you.
Yesterday was one of those rare occasions when I watched a Malay movie. A Malay Love Movie to be exact. Cinta. Honestly (an overrated word and overused), it blew my expectations. It was unlike any other Malay movies I've seen. The Sembilu series (stereotypical example, ha) was unbearable to watch due to its super-unbearable mucky corniness which always leaves in a state of a crouching-rigor-mortis. There were other corny movies I refuse to mention. They are so corny and lame that I wished that they should be placed under the rating of 18PG - where the PG stands for "Pretentious Gits". Maybe my scathing criticism is inappropriate and does injustice to our local industry but those kind of movies could only impress generations of those up to 10 years ago. I could only wish for the best for our local movie industry. May the magical fairies descend from the tree of wishes and bring chocolate smiles to every boy and girl in the land. (Haven't watched Puteri Gunung Ledang, so can't say if its actually good).
Cinta is a love movie with a fresh twist in its storytelling - 5 different relationships converge on the same setting and the same timeline. Let's skip on the Love part and go straight to business. What caught my attention is: in the opening scene, Taufik is seen walking in an alley when a bag of discarded food landed right in front of him. He picked it up and went to the nearest rubbish bin. Here comes the interesting part: as stood in front of the bin he decides whether he should just put the bag on top of the bin or in it, given that the lid is covered with shit. He did the right thing by putting it in and having his hand smeared with shit. As he walks away, another discarded food fell from above. This scene really means a big deal to the movie and the modern life in general.
Doing the right thing is difficult and results are often undesirable. Experience has taught me the same thing. Trying to do the right thing can often result in a situation where you lose. Being righteous has often been dismissed as naive, stupid and...stupid. People tell me that all the time.
Yesterday was one of those rare occasions when I watched a Malay movie. A Malay Love Movie to be exact. Cinta. Honestly (an overrated word and overused), it blew my expectations. It was unlike any other Malay movies I've seen. The Sembilu series (stereotypical example, ha) was unbearable to watch due to its super-unbearable mucky corniness which always leaves in a state of a crouching-rigor-mortis. There were other corny movies I refuse to mention. They are so corny and lame that I wished that they should be placed under the rating of 18PG - where the PG stands for "Pretentious Gits". Maybe my scathing criticism is inappropriate and does injustice to our local industry but those kind of movies could only impress generations of those up to 10 years ago. I could only wish for the best for our local movie industry. May the magical fairies descend from the tree of wishes and bring chocolate smiles to every boy and girl in the land. (Haven't watched Puteri Gunung Ledang, so can't say if its actually good).
Cinta is a love movie with a fresh twist in its storytelling - 5 different relationships converge on the same setting and the same timeline. Let's skip on the Love part and go straight to business. What caught my attention is: in the opening scene, Taufik is seen walking in an alley when a bag of discarded food landed right in front of him. He picked it up and went to the nearest rubbish bin. Here comes the interesting part: as stood in front of the bin he decides whether he should just put the bag on top of the bin or in it, given that the lid is covered with shit. He did the right thing by putting it in and having his hand smeared with shit. As he walks away, another discarded food fell from above. This scene really means a big deal to the movie and the modern life in general.
Doing the right thing is difficult and results are often undesirable. Experience has taught me the same thing. Trying to do the right thing can often result in a situation where you lose. Being righteous has often been dismissed as naive, stupid and...stupid. People tell me that all the time.
"Eh, tak payah la buang masa. Biarkan saja."
"Ha, tengok! Bukan jadi apa-apa pun"
"Apa yang kamu dapat?"
"Skema betul la kamu ni"
"Ha, tengok! Bukan jadi apa-apa pun"
"Apa yang kamu dapat?"
"Skema betul la kamu ni"
Familiar? Of course, but I had to do those things because my system will bother me throughout the day if I don't. I do recall the first time I came to Shah Alam. Everyone was pushing, elbowing and other verbs - trying to get on a rapid bus on a busy afternoon at the main campus. Seeing it crammed to it's limit, I stood back. A friend dashed and pushed himself into the bus, squashing that little guy in front. As he was climbing, clambering on the sea of people he looked back at me (trip macho la konon) and said,
"This is life".
Bullshit, dude. If this is really life, I'm not living it. Its not worth it. I can wait for another bus. I have always been the non-conformist. Being "skema" (or what other things you mortal may call it) is futile but it is how I rebel against our social beliefs. Call me naive and stupidly innocent. I'll take it. Think about it: "Peace, Not War"?. Is it really possible? As long as we realize our differences, there's no way we (people) could get along totally - without the minor discomfort which sparks one conflict after another. Here's another: "Save our planet"? Its a statement of narrow self-interest. Let me rephrase that: "Let's us save the environment to save ourselves". The planet does not need to be saved because it couldnt die. Meteorite showers, toxic clouds, turbulent climates million years ago happened yet the planet still lives. Being a non-conformist also explains my almost non-existent fashions consciousness. I can't imagine myself doing the "ketam-ketam" in the morning so I can apply excessive amount of hair gel for that spiky sharkhead look like EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING. Just because everyone is doing it and its the "in" thing doesn't mean I have to hop on board. I have beautiful silky hair, just so you know.
BTW, Izza did mentioned that Capricorns like me are born pessimists. True. However, its not all that bad. Sometimes, I think myself as a sadistic super pessimists. I take a look something and the first thing to come into mind? A worst case scenario. I always think of the worst case possible that can occur to another fellow man, not that I hate other people. For example, a man on a motorbike - 90-100 km/h - one mistake - use your imagination. Pessimism is my optimism. It keeps me on my toes. I'm aware of potential drawbacks and dangers, for which I am to prepare myself. It gives me the benefit of forward thinking. I could always keep one feet on the ground, while propping my head upwards - for positive thinking.
Ok, that was quite a side-track. Back to the movie Cinta, there is something that it says about love that I find compatible with what I believe about the damn thing. To most people, love is all about "winning". To me? Its about keeping it alive. To keep on going. Unconditionally. Friends kept pushing me and putting thoughts in my head:
BTW, Izza did mentioned that Capricorns like me are born pessimists. True. However, its not all that bad. Sometimes, I think myself as a sadistic super pessimists. I take a look something and the first thing to come into mind? A worst case scenario. I always think of the worst case possible that can occur to another fellow man, not that I hate other people. For example, a man on a motorbike - 90-100 km/h - one mistake - use your imagination. Pessimism is my optimism. It keeps me on my toes. I'm aware of potential drawbacks and dangers, for which I am to prepare myself. It gives me the benefit of forward thinking. I could always keep one feet on the ground, while propping my head upwards - for positive thinking.
Ok, that was quite a side-track. Back to the movie Cinta, there is something that it says about love that I find compatible with what I believe about the damn thing. To most people, love is all about "winning". To me? Its about keeping it alive. To keep on going. Unconditionally. Friends kept pushing me and putting thoughts in my head:
"Hold her hand"
"Assault! Assault" (WTF? Seriously)
"There she is sitting with some friends. Go tell her now"
"Kiss her. KISS HER. On the lips, eh? Must!" (Oh, I'd love to do that. Really do. But WTH, dude?)
"Assault! Assault" (WTF? Seriously)
"There she is sitting with some friends. Go tell her now"
"Kiss her. KISS HER. On the lips, eh? Must!" (Oh, I'd love to do that. Really do. But WTH, dude?)
It brings me to the question: does being in love mean you must make that person yours, at all costs? To own them? Is it about "winning"? Then what? I may not know the answer because I just a young man unfamiliar with the art of love. Again, being the non-conformist that I am, I'm always trying to define my own experiences in life. I love it when the experience leave me between these two: 1) leaving me in a state of flushing euphoria or 2) feeling stupid about myself for being tongue-tied and downright silly. I'm always struggle trying to be sincere and unconditional in my conquest. Again, being righteous is a difficult thing. I'm always seeking ways to make one feel appreciated but often I fail. I'm still working on this.
The movie also tells us that this "love" thing is very unpredictable. Really? Is love all about chance? Unpredictable, it is. Life is a constant bombardment of unforeseen variables. Chance just sets the stage for us and the rest is what make of it. You'll get nowhere if you fail to take action because of fear for the variables.
Time unpermitting, I have to end this post. Conclusively, Cinta has earned its place in my all-star favourite Malay movies - along with movies such as Sepet and Ghubra.
I still havent thought of what to post about my recent attendance to the first Jason Mraz concert in Kuala Lumpur. The newspaper said a total of 9000 fans attended the 1 hour and a half show that night. Malaysia loves Jason, apparently.
Till then.
The movie also tells us that this "love" thing is very unpredictable. Really? Is love all about chance? Unpredictable, it is. Life is a constant bombardment of unforeseen variables. Chance just sets the stage for us and the rest is what make of it. You'll get nowhere if you fail to take action because of fear for the variables.
Time unpermitting, I have to end this post. Conclusively, Cinta has earned its place in my all-star favourite Malay movies - along with movies such as Sepet and Ghubra.
I still havent thought of what to post about my recent attendance to the first Jason Mraz concert in Kuala Lumpur. The newspaper said a total of 9000 fans attended the 1 hour and a half show that night. Malaysia loves Jason, apparently.
Till then.
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