2010 : A new hope?

I pick the title, "A New Hope", because I believe we truly need it nowadays, just like the Star Wars ep. IV storyline. A long time ago in a galaxy far away, Emperor Palpatine and his loyal apprentice, Darth Vader, ruled most of the galaxy under one simple ingredient, fear. By eliminating the rest of the Jedis, the Empire has just swept away hopes from the people who are longing for freedom and peace. But not until the Rebels just got help from Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia, and Chewie. All those 'heroes', with the help of the Force, they just bring 'A New Hope'.

It's been a decade since the last hype of new millennium. Back then, people fantasized about what this decade will look like, perhaps a perfect utopia which we all have been dreaming of. But, when you look at the world, it's just total chaos, with all the bad things appear randomly in every corner of the earth. Couple of months ago, I read Time Magazine which described that the 2000-2009 period as a decade from hell. Remember 9/11, nonsense war on Iraq, terrorism, serial bombings in our own backyard, and not to mention climate change. Similar with the Star Wars story, we're living in FEAR. In every corner of the earth, fear has just become the catalyst and the dominator of all problems that world are facing. Will 'Luke' and 'Leia' come to aid us?

So, what's on the menu for this year? How about Haiti earthquake for appetizer? It has been recorded as one of the bloodiest natural disaster of the decade. Don't forget we are still in the middle of economic crisis and climate change, while the U.S. are still engaging war on Afghanistan. Well, that's the world at present day.

This one was a terrible mess !!!

Okay, I'll make full stop on the miserable issues. Well, surprisingly, 2010 for so far has been quite...amazing! Hmm...apparently, January has just been my best month so far. Firstly, I got my PR confirmed, I've started the first semester of my PhD study (the burden starts to feel heavier each day), I've managed to have a part-time job, and I'm starting to hangout with colleagues more than I used to be. Especially on the latter issue, suddenly, several people coming out from nowhere were starting to show up in my campus, and let's just say, it's nice to have many people around in your workplace. Nowadays, we often discuss our culinary destinations, which has been growing into some kind of a to-do-thing list.

The jackpot is....wait for it....yes, I finally got a green light to acquire another so-called-girlfriend (not literally, of course), Playstation 3 !!! Yeah yeah yeah, you can call me acting like kids or teenagers, but I'm not gonna miss Final Fantasy XIII and other huge games coming out for 2010. Permission granted! Now the problem is that I have to split up the times for study, playing, and future-wife. (wait, are those in order? Hmmmm)

Well, on the other hand, I have to undergo this 'temporary' long distance thing with Suri, since she has been very busy with the her family new house thing, helping her sis wedding, and last but not least, preparing our wedding which is starting to give us lots of headaches (I mean, there are so many decisions to take on every little things). Nevertheless, can't wait for the Chinese New Year holiday, I'm gonna have fun with her and people back home (2 more weeks to go, counting days !!!).

Coming soon, to my room...

Yeah, life is good so far, and I hope it continues this way. What's next on the line for me this year? Hmm, let's see getting married (now I'm getting nervous, evidently, my bachelor days are numbered), my friends are getting married, my friends are having kids, gosh !!! Like I've said, a new PS3, tentatively, a trip to Bali, Shanghai, New Zealand, or somewhere else (still counting the budget and time constraint).

My resolution for this year? Perhaps preparing my self for the D-Day (one of them is the endless diet resolution, hufff), meet new people and hangout with friends more (so far it's on the right track), and get the best out of me for my PhD. All the best for all of us !!!

"May the Force be with you always"

What's in you backpack?

Meet Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a high profile guy whose job is travelling about 322 days year, in order to axe people from their jobs. He moves from one company to another, one city to other cities. Yes, I was also surprised to know that there’s a company who employs people to travel around the country just to fire people, since the company boss just doesn’t have the guts to fire their own employees in their face. In this case, Clooney’s character appears to over enjoy his job, his flying accommodations, and also commitment free, as well as occasionally hooks up with a fellow traveller, Alex (Farmiga), if they able to synchronize their trip schedule.

Suddenly, Ryan’s boss, Craig (Jason Bateman) decided to try new system, after he was astonished by a new staff, Nathalie (Kendrick), who has the revolutionary idea of using i-Chat and video conferencing to lay off people. Eventually, Ryan is the first guy to object, since this means his methodology of work has become superseded. He confronted Nathalie and reasoned that what he has done so far is much more humane than using internet, and there are some things which are much more brutal in real life. In order to give Nathalie an eye opener, Craig asked Ryan to be the ‘tour guide’ for her, so she could experience the field job of firing people. Ryan has just entered a turning point in his life.

Conclusively, Up in the Air is one of the cleverest romantic comedy I’ve seen around, it’s not just mature in the essence, but the plot is also interesting, enriched by smart dialogues which will stuck in your head, and you can’t wait to share them among your friends. It’s not just about the relationship between couples, but also some lessons in life (‘What’s in your backpack’ seminar by Ryan is damn interesting).

Clooney is on fire on every scene. The opening scene where he ‘teaches’ us how to travel lightly and efficiently just shows how that this character is for him only. He is really enjoyed playing this character, with apparent individualistic and cool persona, but never realizes that he’s lonely inside. In short, watching Ryan is just like watching Clooney playing as himself, especially when Nathalie tried to sell Ryan the marriage idea, where he thinks it’s just a waste of time. Wow, that’s so Clooney in the real life.

Other cast are uniformly good as well, both Farmiga and surprisingly Kendrick. The latter who becomes the Clooney’s arch rival, shows tremendous performance, which I’m sure is a much worthwhile to watch than the Twilight series (yes, she plays there also). Her character is so unlikeable in the beginning and halfway through, she transforms into another character that has been overwhelmed by too many real life lessons at a time. The conversation between Nathalie and Alex discussing about each own “so-called ideal” partner type is a BIG IMPORTANT lesson for all girls. Make sure you pay attention there.

It's confirmed then this is Jason Reitman best movie after Juno, it's smart, light, it is operating 'outside of the box', but executed cleverly. Hollywood should make more quality things such as this one, unlike any other standard rom-com genre. It perfectly suits with our current modern life, e.g. internet, jobless, and the meaning of 'relationship' itself. On technical side, I like also Reitman's way to explore airports, and metaphor it as a "gate", a place where people come and go, a place where we spend time just to prepare ourselves to move from one destination to another, with all those troublesome rules and the check-in issues. Apparently we have wasted too much time on the airport.

Up in the Air does not just meet my expectations, it’s sky-rocketing above it. Ever since this movie has been a talking point in many movie festivals, the buzz about Up in the Air has made me so eager to watch it. Some say, this might win Clooney his Best Actor in the Oscar, and not to mention other categories as well. I can’t agree more with that. After watching this, you will learn a lot more what to put in your own ‘backpack’.

My Rating : 9/10

Best of 2009

2009 was yesterday already, but it was one of the satisfying years in term of big screens. Well, we see less sequels, and most of them are sucks. But, on the bright side, we see new and fresh movies, with lots of interesting stories. On the other hand, we also see some old faces who are still doing great jobs. To cut short this blog, I make the list of my top 10 of 2009, and it is such a difficult job that I have to select only 10 from a lot of good movies last year. If you miss any one of these, I recommend you better go and find them on the DVDs:

Marcel's TOP 10 of 2009

1. UP
2. STAR TREK
3. HURT LOCKER
4. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
5. DISTRICT 9
6. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
7. UP IN THE AIR
8. AN EDUCATION
9. AVATAR
10. MOON

And here's some of the list which I consider the MUST SEE MOVIES out of the above (in alphabetical order), and the ones in the RED colour means I almost put them in the top 10.

• ADVENTURELAND
• THE BLIND SIDE
• CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
• CORALINE
• THE DAMNED UNITED
• FANTASTIC MR. FOX
• FROST/NIXON
• GRAN TORINO
• THE HANGOVER
• I LOVE YOU, MAN
• IN THE LOOP
• INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
• INVICTUS
• JULIE & JULIA
• PONYO
• THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
• THE PROPOSAL
• IT MIGHT GET LOUD
• WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
• ZOMBIELAND

There are still some movies which I haven't got the chance to see, e.g Precious, A Single Man, The Messenger, and The Lovely Bones (I heard these are good one also...). I hope some of you can post your top 10 or top 3 or whatever...(really want to see some feedback here guys !!!)

The Baker Street duo

Sherlock Holmes may not be the best movie to end up 2009, but I had fun watching it, thanks especially to Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law portrayals of the legendary Baker Street’s dynamic duo. So far, this duet is the best of the year (actually, I can’t recall any other memorable dynamic duos for 2009, hmmm.....no, still can’t come up with one). Watching them fighting, debating, joking, or annoying each other makes us convinced enough that Holmes and Watson has been working and living together for all this time. But, if I must choose, I must say Jude Law gave a better show than Downey Jr., where the latter’s characterization seems like watching Tony Stark is playing as Holmes. Thumbs up for Law, because he is managed to diminish the ‘good looking’ appearance, especially with that moustache, which added the maturity and a stronger character.

In the bigger picture, the plot is easy to understand, but once you step in to follow scene by scene, some people might get lost in somewhere. In short, Holmes and Watson has to stop the sinister Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong, or Andy Garcia very look-a-like) who just appear to be come back from the dead, and he is plotting to do something nasty with his ‘black magic’ capability. Things get messier when Holmes is confronted by Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), who has some history with him in the past. Together, all of them have to work together solving the riddles left by Blackwood and unveiling his catastrophic plan.

Nevertheless, Sherlock Holmes will satisfy the puzzle and crime solving lovers. Since crime and problem solving has been my TV series main interest so far (Mentalist, CSI, Lie to Me, etc), I was left with a certain degree excitement, especially I have been reading some of Holmes novels back when I was in high school. Still, I was left unsatisfied with some 'new additions'. To my surprise, I was quite shocked to see Holmes as a martial art expert, where did he learn those moves? Okay, I get the point that he is able to see the weak spot on his enemies, but to be that quick and tough; it does need some time for me to swallow the new Holmes.

On the directorial point of view, I guess this is Guy Ritchie’s first commercial movie, and we can also say, his first movie after the separation with Madonna (which I think will benefit his movie career). It’s nice to see him back with a bang. After all, his last several movies were major disasters (Revolver,Rock n Rolla, and don't even mention Swept Away). But I must say, Sherlock Holmes is a not Ritchie’s type of movies. I miss when he made terrific and very British movies such as Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. In Holmes, we don’t see all those black comedy or traditional Ritchie’s style of jokes. I understand that the producer wants Sherlock Holmes to be accepted by as many as casual watchers can be, so I guess he must put away some of his old style when he used to make those low budget movies. But, the split screen editing scenes are still there, with some quick narration here and there, which makes the movie pace becomes a bit quicker, especially on the puzzle solving. But, in some parts, the backlash and quick jumping scenes often provide more confusions than explanations. Well, I believe CSI did a much better job on that part.

At first, I was not so sure to see a Sherlock Holmes movie is combined with fighting and explosions, but in the end, I guess it works alright. And with such an open conclusion in the ending, I must say Ritchie has already some plans for the next instalment. It is a decent movie to end 2009 after all. Not that good, but fun to watch.

My Ratings : 8/10

Write any card lately?

Last week, prior to New Year’s eve, I received a Christmas Card from Alexa, my cousin who resides in Switzerland. It’s a hand made one, with blue color and silver ornaments. Then, I flipped the card and read, “Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”. If you read it from your screen, there’s nothing new right? You’ve read it thousands times from the Facebook Walls or Twitter. You perhaps don’t remember someone saying what. But, what made me remember Alexa’s wishes was the sentimental value within it. It was a CHRISTMAS CARD! I just realized, the last time I wrote any Christmas card was back in high school, when there was no any online social networking. This year, I guess the only card I received was a Birthday card from Suri, and it was one of the best wishes I got. Why? Because Suri wrote it down, something from the heart, and it was in the shape of a card.

Couple of nights ago, I opened up old box which contains the cards I got until now. Then, I started to read it one by one. I clearly forgot what my friends wrote to me back then, but the moment I read word by word, sentence by sentence....damn..... I forgot we used to be that sentimental back then. It brings lots of laughter and old time memories back. Some of my friends didn’t just write my ‘Happy Birthday, all the best’, or ‘Merry Christmas, cheers’, etc. They actually wrote down some nice words, telling us some silly stories, and in the end, they wished us the best, and they were different with each other. Some of the cards I got were given at school; some of them were by post. I ever read one my 16th birthday card, along with 2 pages of letter, about the story of our friendship. I also have a best friend since high school, who used to write short stories in every card she sends to me. Well, it lasted a couple years ago, 'thanks' to Facebook, I guess, then she started to write on my wall. I didn’t blame her though, but it gives me a smiling face whenever I read all those cards again.

What I’m trying to say, we used to put a lot of effort to do those things We had to buy cards (at least 10), wrote them down, and sent them to each person. Now, do you feel the difference between reading a Facebook wall post and received a Christmas card from your friend? I just realized that they differ, a lot.

Suri's B'day card

Back in February, before Suri’s birthday, I asked several of her friends NOT to write any wall post on the Facebook. Instead, I want them all to drop me the wishes, and I made a compilation of these into one single birthday card. So, these wishes will always be there, written, and you can read them, whenever you want. Now, I have to scroll down in my Facebook profile, A LOT, to take a look of my own birthday wishes from my friends.

Nowadays, I realized that it was very easy to send any kind of greetings. Just photoshop a nice picture, and post it into your profile, and start tagging all those friends of yours. And then, your friend will do the same thing, and so on and so on. And after several days, your Facebook notifications will be full of comments from different kind of people. At the end of the day, I guess those greetings wishes will quickly become obsolete, or in harsh words, less meaningful.

2 pages of 'Happy 16th Bday' letter

Am I being too sensitive about this matter, or people just easily take for granted about sentimental value? Just by clicking here and there, forward to everyone, and there it is, delivered on-line with no sweat. Greetings wishes have become less personal, and nowadays it is more like how to reach lots of people with the least of effort. Let’s say, in one year time, I don’t think you will remember when you have Birthday wishes or Christmas greetings from the Facebook wall post. It becomes nothing, like something you put on the Recycle Bin and you empty it right away.

These cards were written by a single person, every year.

Unlike the cards, when you read them again, you don’t just remember what was wrote down, but you also remember the person, the time and date, and it’s like you remember partial of something from your past, and perhaps, you can recollect some memories what kind of a person you were back then.

So, I’m just saying this out loud because I think the online social networking may have eliminated something that we used to worship a lot back a decade ago, an intimate person to person relationship. Conversations are mainly using chatting online or using your Blackberry messenger. Instead of make a phone call to say ‘Hi’, we just type easily, and without any emotional emphasis, the reply ‘Hi’ suddenly is just something coming out from the screen. Even laughter is easily replaced by icons.

This one is the funniest...Guess who???

You may feel I’m a bit exaggerating about this issue, maybe it sounds cheesy, or perhaps I’m an orthodox one. I’m just saying out loud, perhaps we should think a bit about the sentimental value on wishing something for our friends. We used to send flowers, chocolates, gifts, and the simple of them all, cards. Now, we have all of them, in icons instead.

Therefore, one of my New Year’s resolutions is that, I’ll start write again those greetings cards. Hopefully, those will signed, sealed, delivered. Happy New Year everyone !!!

Meet Toby

After some time, I finally took new pics of Toby, my dog which has some attitude...can't stand still for a split seconds...oh well, at least couple of days ago, he was a bit nicer and calmer...although I had to shout a lot just to grab his attention and made him stoned for a second. Apparently, my mum always thinks that this dog is a bit uncivilized...His hobby, chasing balls, bottles, killing cat or mouses as some kind of 'gift' for us, not to mention running wildly here and there...With all that craziness, we still love him...(mum said, yes, for now !!!)