work at T is drawing to a close in a week's time. and reflecting on the past 9 weeks, i wouldn't say time has gone by in a flash, because it certainly doesn't feel like it.
i'm glad for the long weekend coming up. followed by one last week of madness. followed by another long weekend. followed by going back to NIE to see all my friends once again. followed by nonsense M*OE stuff for 2 weeks, and i can finally be on my way to london and paris! i'm starting my england road trip research and will be moving on to the france road trip research and it looks super exciting! :) :) i'm extremely glad for my job which allows for longer-than-usual travels without having to take no-pay leave.
last weekend ML and i caught the film 'how to be', as part of the Singapore International Film Festival. and i'm pretty sure 7/8 of the theater was filled with robert pattinson fans, who laughed at every silly thing his character does onscreen. and it got so annoying 'cos rob's character in the film is this socially awkard, almost asperger's syndrome-like young man who struggles with being 'normal'. so you know, many awkard things he does elicited giggles and laughs.
ARGH.
anyway the film felt long, and i can assuredly attribute that to the intricacies of the film. small, tight london spaces, emotional baggage and struggles, few characters, the popularity of self-help in our society (self-help books, TV shows, podcasts, motivational talks etc.), the definitions of the social contract, and a young man's desire and his journey to becoming a 'normal' person. these are some heavy themes. but it was expertly handled by the writer-director, oliver irving and woven into the plot.
after the movie wrapped, as with film festivals, the film's producer, justin kelly, was around to give the audience (those who stayed) some insight into the film-making process. and he called oliver irving on his cell and people got to ask him questions about the process. we also talked to the film's composer and 2 of its actors (no, not rob. he's filming new moon now.) as they were at a new york film festival. it was pretty interesting hearing stories from the set and how the movie came to be from script to screen. and learning what it means to shoot on location in london's famous tiny houses and rooms.
i think robert is a natural at such roles - and not so much to blockbustery handsome and drop dead (pun intended for both HP and T) gorgeous jocks like in harry potter and twilight. although if the next 2 movies of the twilight saga follow the books faithfully, robert will be able to show his acting-as-an-emotional-wreck-prowess as edward cullen.
the music was fabulous. and i may just get my hands on the soundtrack when it's released here in Singapore (from the mouth of justin kelly). robert, the tortured artist, contributes 3 songs to the soundtrack, which he played and performed in the film.
well the themes of normalcy resonated with my thoughts - thoughts that came about when i was volunteering at autism children's center a while back. that time, i read quite widely on the issues involving people with disabilities that are trying to integrate into the mainstream society. and some articles dealt with the idea of normalcy.
who defines what's normal. is there even a definition? if there's no clear cut definition, then why do we label people as being abnormal? i think that all of us are a little bit crazy. and if you're (or were) a biology student, you'd understand if i say normalcy is a continuous variation, controlled by many factors. an example of a continuous variation is height. and a discontinuous variation: presence of ear lobes. i'm sure you can tell what i mean by now.
i think there's no such thing as 'normal' and 'abnormal'. and to see people struggling with trying to be normal just because what they are and who they are are socially unaccepted is a warped form of discrimination. in the film, because arthur felt that he was so different and abnormal as compared to other people, and how his girlfriend broke up with him, all stemmed from a rough childhood and parents who were busy with work and had strange (lacking a better descriptive) parenting styles. and the emotional roller-coaster that he went through just to become 'normal' and to be perceived as 'normal' was heartbreaking to watch.
one point that justin kelly made during the Q&A - that children who grew up with super-liberal parenting or super-conservative parenting usually turn out okay, or even great. and those children with problems/difficulties are usually ones with parents who have inconsistent parenting style - switching between liberal and conservative.
and that's a point worth thinking about.
hokay. leaving to watch x-men origins. :) sayonara.
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
feast your eyes!
edward cullenjust before he steps into the sunlight at volterra
courtesy: smirks_works at livejournal.com
aren't these gorgeous posters? they're not the official ones (apparently they are really ugly). however, it is some fine photoshopping and a great eye for art. it even follows the plot of the book. :)
source
bella swanjust before she jumps off the cliff at la push, setting off a huge chain of events
courtesy: smirks_works at livejournal.com
haha what a nice way to keep me company through a work day. :)
Friday, August 29, 2008
lessons from the world.
meet charlie wilson.
as the democrat texas congressman in the 1980s and a member of the house appropriations committee, he planned, led and executed the biggest and most expensive covert operations which resulted in the end of the soviet-afghan war, and later the cold war.
honestly, you would think that the man who triggered the events that led to such an important historical moment would be remembered, but hardly any americans have heard of him till the movie, charlie wilson's war came out.
confession: i only bought the dvd 'cos i know it's directed by mike nichols, written by aaron sorkin and helmed by tom hanks, which ensured that it'll be a good movie.
but as with any good, well-written, well-shot movie, tv series or book, it taught me and enriched my knowledge of things that i normally would care less about.
so if you're curious, charlie wilson used black appropriations and secretly funded and aided the muja*hideen in afghanistan to drive away that soviets from their country. he got afghan neighbours of israel, pakistan to help with supplying of weapons and vehicles to aid the mujah*ideen. all in secret. he was driven by what he saw at the refugee camps, and frustrated with the CIA's lukewarm position on the war and not doing anything, and hence decided to take matters into his own hands, helped along by CIA middle-east expert and a texas wealthy socialite.
in the end, the once-weak and helpless muj*ahideen freedom fighters and afghan civilians now fought back with much ferocity, to the surprise of the soviets, forcing them to retreat and exit the country.
this marked the first of US foreign policy. funding the anti-communists. then after it is over, they just wash their hands of the blood and leave.
charlie wilson, after appropriating US$1billion for that war, now asks for a tiny fraction more to aid the afghans to rebuild their country. afghanistan was left in tatters. no schools, homes, roads, infrastructure.
the author of the book which the movie was based on, charlie wilson's war, said that this has led to a power vacuum in afghanistan. and this vacuum gave rise to the rise of the tali*ban and osa*ma bin lade*n. together with the weapons, money and military equipment left over from the cold war, the tal*iban was able to rise from the ashes to what it is today, inadvertently leading to the uprising of terrorism and 9/11.
it's really interesting to think about what america can learn from this and apply it to the wars it started in afghanistan and iraq now. which has prompted barack obama to talk about the withdrawal of troops slowly from mid-east and exiting from the region in a responsible manner; while bush is still wanting to send 10,000 more troops there.
it's also interesting to note the idea of freedom fighters. someone once told me, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". if you look from another perspective, aren't the suicide bombers who are killing US soldiers doing it to drive away the US from their lands, just like how the mujahideen were trying to drive away their soviet occupiers?
***
today in ST's review section, was an article from new york times. a sharp, insightful commentary on the rise of china and the continued diminishing of US as a global superpower. he compares arriving in dodgy, rundown la guardia airport in NYC and driving through the busy, dirty streets with rundown buildings of queens and manhattan to the big shiny spanking new beijing int'l aiport, getting to the clean beautiful city on the maglev train within an hour. which i can attest to 'cos i've experienced the shabbiness of la guardia and the shine of china's rising cosmopolitan cities.
the world is slowly showing america that it is no longer the superpower. russia's defiance with the georgia conflict, china's rapid rise, india's booming economy, singapore, tiny singapore, investing in its biggest corporations to save them from bankruptcy.
the writer ends by asserting that it's time for america to start rebuilding itself. to turn its attention, money and resources inwards and focus on the crumbling american society where millions have no access to quality education, healthcare, health insurance, in the midst of rising costs of living, high gas prices, the housing market going down, inflation and living under the threat of inadequate gun control and domestic terrorism.
the question: while america goes repair its wounds, is china prepared to assume the role of the global superpower? no doubt it is plagued with 10000 problems of its own. the poverty in its rural areas, the corruption, the backward social graces, the exploding population, the rebuilding of its inner cities and areas hit by disasters, the unrest in western china.
somehow i wish the UN would be the answer. a neutral organization where every country is represented, where everyone pools its resources to help one another. where everyone chips in to help an afflicted country. an organization empowered by every citizen of this world to look after them. like an international government. if we can have the olympics, the world bank, the european union, the hague, why can't the UN do its job?
if barack obama's rise to his clinching of the democratic presidential nomination teaches us anything, it is that any person can become who he/she wants to be, you just gotta defy all odds, exceed all expectations, and work your butt off.
if charlie wilson's war teaches us anything applicable and useful to our small lives, it is that every person is empowered to make a difference.
if i can teach you anything, it is that this difference we all make, can be as small as putting a smile on a friend's face, caring about another, loving one another in spite of our differences. while history does not have space for all of us to do something unprecedented and amazing, i know these things we do not only can change opinions, hearts, minds and lives, i know it's precious in God's sight. (:
as the democrat texas congressman in the 1980s and a member of the house appropriations committee, he planned, led and executed the biggest and most expensive covert operations which resulted in the end of the soviet-afghan war, and later the cold war.
honestly, you would think that the man who triggered the events that led to such an important historical moment would be remembered, but hardly any americans have heard of him till the movie, charlie wilson's war came out.
confession: i only bought the dvd 'cos i know it's directed by mike nichols, written by aaron sorkin and helmed by tom hanks, which ensured that it'll be a good movie.
but as with any good, well-written, well-shot movie, tv series or book, it taught me and enriched my knowledge of things that i normally would care less about.
so if you're curious, charlie wilson used black appropriations and secretly funded and aided the muja*hideen in afghanistan to drive away that soviets from their country. he got afghan neighbours of israel, pakistan to help with supplying of weapons and vehicles to aid the mujah*ideen. all in secret. he was driven by what he saw at the refugee camps, and frustrated with the CIA's lukewarm position on the war and not doing anything, and hence decided to take matters into his own hands, helped along by CIA middle-east expert and a texas wealthy socialite.
in the end, the once-weak and helpless muj*ahideen freedom fighters and afghan civilians now fought back with much ferocity, to the surprise of the soviets, forcing them to retreat and exit the country.
this marked the first of US foreign policy. funding the anti-communists. then after it is over, they just wash their hands of the blood and leave.
charlie wilson, after appropriating US$1billion for that war, now asks for a tiny fraction more to aid the afghans to rebuild their country. afghanistan was left in tatters. no schools, homes, roads, infrastructure.
the author of the book which the movie was based on, charlie wilson's war, said that this has led to a power vacuum in afghanistan. and this vacuum gave rise to the rise of the tali*ban and osa*ma bin lade*n. together with the weapons, money and military equipment left over from the cold war, the tal*iban was able to rise from the ashes to what it is today, inadvertently leading to the uprising of terrorism and 9/11.
it's really interesting to think about what america can learn from this and apply it to the wars it started in afghanistan and iraq now. which has prompted barack obama to talk about the withdrawal of troops slowly from mid-east and exiting from the region in a responsible manner; while bush is still wanting to send 10,000 more troops there.
it's also interesting to note the idea of freedom fighters. someone once told me, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". if you look from another perspective, aren't the suicide bombers who are killing US soldiers doing it to drive away the US from their lands, just like how the mujahideen were trying to drive away their soviet occupiers?
***
today in ST's review section, was an article from new york times. a sharp, insightful commentary on the rise of china and the continued diminishing of US as a global superpower. he compares arriving in dodgy, rundown la guardia airport in NYC and driving through the busy, dirty streets with rundown buildings of queens and manhattan to the big shiny spanking new beijing int'l aiport, getting to the clean beautiful city on the maglev train within an hour. which i can attest to 'cos i've experienced the shabbiness of la guardia and the shine of china's rising cosmopolitan cities.
the world is slowly showing america that it is no longer the superpower. russia's defiance with the georgia conflict, china's rapid rise, india's booming economy, singapore, tiny singapore, investing in its biggest corporations to save them from bankruptcy.
the writer ends by asserting that it's time for america to start rebuilding itself. to turn its attention, money and resources inwards and focus on the crumbling american society where millions have no access to quality education, healthcare, health insurance, in the midst of rising costs of living, high gas prices, the housing market going down, inflation and living under the threat of inadequate gun control and domestic terrorism.
the question: while america goes repair its wounds, is china prepared to assume the role of the global superpower? no doubt it is plagued with 10000 problems of its own. the poverty in its rural areas, the corruption, the backward social graces, the exploding population, the rebuilding of its inner cities and areas hit by disasters, the unrest in western china.
somehow i wish the UN would be the answer. a neutral organization where every country is represented, where everyone pools its resources to help one another. where everyone chips in to help an afflicted country. an organization empowered by every citizen of this world to look after them. like an international government. if we can have the olympics, the world bank, the european union, the hague, why can't the UN do its job?
if barack obama's rise to his clinching of the democratic presidential nomination teaches us anything, it is that any person can become who he/she wants to be, you just gotta defy all odds, exceed all expectations, and work your butt off.
if charlie wilson's war teaches us anything applicable and useful to our small lives, it is that every person is empowered to make a difference.
if i can teach you anything, it is that this difference we all make, can be as small as putting a smile on a friend's face, caring about another, loving one another in spite of our differences. while history does not have space for all of us to do something unprecedented and amazing, i know these things we do not only can change opinions, hearts, minds and lives, i know it's precious in God's sight. (:
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
why no dark knight?
overheard, after watching the dark knight:
at the traffic light between tampines mall and tampines mrt station.
august 5th 2008
11.30pm
"eh, why the movie only got batman and no dark knight ah?"
haha.
at the traffic light between tampines mall and tampines mrt station.
august 5th 2008
11.30pm
"eh, why the movie only got batman and no dark knight ah?"
haha.
Monday, November 5, 2007
beeees and revival.
quite a lot of good movies to watch lately. i caught moliere with melody 2 weeks ago. it was surprisingly good and funny! i never thought a french film can be that funny. it's something about the french language and their overwhelming passion and occasional stuckup-ness that makes me think that humor isn't in their genes. all that plus films like a very long engagement, which was really a very long (movie) engagement. moliere was based on the real-life french playwright who was great at writing funny plays. it was a poignant take on his life and how life mimicks drama and drama mimicks life.
just now my nokia sister had free VIP passes to the preview of bee movie. which was HILARIOUS. ohman. i'm so glad i got to laugh so hard and not care about the guy beside me who was merely chuckling at some of the movie's greatest moments. i could draw many many parallels with ratatouille. because these days cartoons are all chip off the old block. the same formula. just a different animal. one's a rat, now it's a bee! but still i enjoy it a lot. and i appreciate the mountains of spoofs and satire and spin on issues and social norms of us humans being reflected on bees. and humans being big-hearted enough to laugh at ourselves. (: haha. some parts were so funny, like the appearance of sting, and a mosquito being a lawyer ("i'm already a blood-sucking parasite and now i'm just doing it with a suitcase!") and the police shooting winnie the pooh with a tranquilizer as he tries to eat his honey while piglet watches by the side, stunned.
and many other movies coming up. including the R21 release of lust, caution, stardust, the meryl streep/tom cruise lions for lambs, the tom hanks/julia roberts/aaron sorkin-written charlie wilson's war, the john cusack grace is gone. anybody interested in any of the above call me!
as i think about it, i do really support the writers with their strike, hoping that this drastic measure will drive their supposed employers to pay them their dues. because without these talented writers, there wouldn't be movies like these. there wouldn't be those great tv shows that we love. and it's not really the actors that play the most significant roles. and hollywood has some of the greatest and most underrated writers around. just look at the amount of publicity the emmy awards get compared to the creative emmy awards or the writers guild awards.
why am i still ranting on and on instead of studying? after 3.5 years as an undergrad in singapore, this is the final lap of exams. and i have less than 2 weeks to the start. i know somewhere down the road i'm gonna miss this. probably when i'm sick and tired of working and being an adult with tons of responsibilities, that i'd miss being a student again. but right now, i just need to focus. focus. focus.
i'm quite upset that i'd be missing YAG retreat. the pre-retreat message on saturday was very very uplifting and insightful. pastor preached from Psalm 143.
it's sometimes amazing to hear messages and lessons that are derived from one psalm. and lessons are in its entirety and insightful and practical. and it really takes a trained eye, ear and heart to pick out these lessons. because i know i can't do that when i read the Bible.
this psalm speaks about how David, as king, encountered both external and internal problems and afflictions. and how he was distressed and overwhelmed by those mounting problems. and he prayed to God for revival of his spirit. but as you can read from the Psalm, he only prayed for revival at the end.
and before revival, he prayed for God to hear him.
then he remembered how God delivered Him and he meditated on God's works.
he subsequently prayed for deliverance and God's leading and teaching.
and after all these, he then prayed for revival of his spirit. and this revival is for His name's sake! again! i mean, God revives our spirit and makes us stronger to face the problems of this world for the sake of His name and not ours! He has this higher purpose for us and we have a place in His will.
and it's wonderful to learn how prayer is not the answer to everything, and i can totally relate to that because that's how i feel sometimes. and in order to learn how to pray properly for His guiding hand and to pray for strength and everything else, pastor has taught us from a new perspective about prayer and revival.
and guess what, this is just the tip of the iceberg. and i'd be sure to grab the mp3 recordings.
on a concluding note, i'm getting really excited about christmas. with the sense of urgency of practices for choir and actions to learn and songs to memorize. not to mention the diverse musicality of our concert this year, spanning so many different genres and styles. but more importantly, i'm getting really happy about celebrating christmas this year after a year of SO many happenings and being away from Bethany half of the year. and thinking about what christmas means to me this year and what next year entails. (:
just now my nokia sister had free VIP passes to the preview of bee movie. which was HILARIOUS. ohman. i'm so glad i got to laugh so hard and not care about the guy beside me who was merely chuckling at some of the movie's greatest moments. i could draw many many parallels with ratatouille. because these days cartoons are all chip off the old block. the same formula. just a different animal. one's a rat, now it's a bee! but still i enjoy it a lot. and i appreciate the mountains of spoofs and satire and spin on issues and social norms of us humans being reflected on bees. and humans being big-hearted enough to laugh at ourselves. (: haha. some parts were so funny, like the appearance of sting, and a mosquito being a lawyer ("i'm already a blood-sucking parasite and now i'm just doing it with a suitcase!") and the police shooting winnie the pooh with a tranquilizer as he tries to eat his honey while piglet watches by the side, stunned.
and many other movies coming up. including the R21 release of lust, caution, stardust, the meryl streep/tom cruise lions for lambs, the tom hanks/julia roberts/aaron sorkin-written charlie wilson's war, the john cusack grace is gone. anybody interested in any of the above call me!
as i think about it, i do really support the writers with their strike, hoping that this drastic measure will drive their supposed employers to pay them their dues. because without these talented writers, there wouldn't be movies like these. there wouldn't be those great tv shows that we love. and it's not really the actors that play the most significant roles. and hollywood has some of the greatest and most underrated writers around. just look at the amount of publicity the emmy awards get compared to the creative emmy awards or the writers guild awards.
why am i still ranting on and on instead of studying? after 3.5 years as an undergrad in singapore, this is the final lap of exams. and i have less than 2 weeks to the start. i know somewhere down the road i'm gonna miss this. probably when i'm sick and tired of working and being an adult with tons of responsibilities, that i'd miss being a student again. but right now, i just need to focus. focus. focus.
i'm quite upset that i'd be missing YAG retreat. the pre-retreat message on saturday was very very uplifting and insightful. pastor preached from Psalm 143.
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.
Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.
Answer me speedily, O LORD;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.
Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.
Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
- Psalm 143
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.
Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.
Answer me speedily, O LORD;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.
Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.
Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
- Psalm 143
it's sometimes amazing to hear messages and lessons that are derived from one psalm. and lessons are in its entirety and insightful and practical. and it really takes a trained eye, ear and heart to pick out these lessons. because i know i can't do that when i read the Bible.
this psalm speaks about how David, as king, encountered both external and internal problems and afflictions. and how he was distressed and overwhelmed by those mounting problems. and he prayed to God for revival of his spirit. but as you can read from the Psalm, he only prayed for revival at the end.
and before revival, he prayed for God to hear him.
then he remembered how God delivered Him and he meditated on God's works.
he subsequently prayed for deliverance and God's leading and teaching.
and after all these, he then prayed for revival of his spirit. and this revival is for His name's sake! again! i mean, God revives our spirit and makes us stronger to face the problems of this world for the sake of His name and not ours! He has this higher purpose for us and we have a place in His will.
and it's wonderful to learn how prayer is not the answer to everything, and i can totally relate to that because that's how i feel sometimes. and in order to learn how to pray properly for His guiding hand and to pray for strength and everything else, pastor has taught us from a new perspective about prayer and revival.
and guess what, this is just the tip of the iceberg. and i'd be sure to grab the mp3 recordings.
on a concluding note, i'm getting really excited about christmas. with the sense of urgency of practices for choir and actions to learn and songs to memorize. not to mention the diverse musicality of our concert this year, spanning so many different genres and styles. but more importantly, i'm getting really happy about celebrating christmas this year after a year of SO many happenings and being away from Bethany half of the year. and thinking about what christmas means to me this year and what next year entails. (:
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