Repertoire. 1st 10 movies
Saturday, April 29, 2006
♥ Saturday, April 29, 2006
I decided to compile a list of the movies i managed to 'consolidate' this year. Those watched in theatres, not dvds, otherwise it'll be like ' the 1st 100 movies'. kinda like my book commentaries. Since there are 10 of them, i'll keep my comments short.
1) Family stone- watched with Evelyn. 1st movie watched in the year, so a certain significance to it. Lovey dovey, yr typical romantic comedy, with sarah jessica parker nominated for Best supporting in her role as frantic fiancee.
2) In her Shoes- watched with Val. I blogged abt this b4. Heartwarming, the chemistry btw cameron diaz and toni collete is.
3) Constant Gardener- watched with mel & jie. Slept in the show. 2nd time i watched it, was pretty ok. Rachel Weisz won Best Supporting this year for her role as a mother/wife/ detective uncovering conspiracy behind some medical aids.
4) Underworld Evolution-watched with Daryl, Esther & her friend. Underworld was better; darker, more twists and better romance. Kate Beckinsale reprises in her role of vampires vs lycans. For entertainment's sake. Pretty much brainless.
5) V for Vendetta- watched with Melv, Justin Kong & Elson. Fantastic movie. The wachowski Brothers done it again. Just when u thought they burnt out after Matrix. I got to watch it again! Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) plays V, this idea out to disintegrate a fascist regime. And in it brings the idea of freedom, courage, truth, coincidences... with Natalie Portman(Closer, Star Wars episode 1 2 & 3) as his damsel in distress. This kinda shows, u got to watch it like maybe 3 times to absorb completely its message. The beauty of it? It
has a message.
6) Failure to Launch- watched with Val. Remmeber how to lose a guy in 10 days? Its almost an allegory of
that. Sarah Jessica Parker looked stunning in this show. Much like how kate hudson looked in How to lose a guy in 10 days. And same guy, Matthew Macoughny( pardon e spelling). Romantic comedy. I wouldnt watch it again. Just there for the laughs.
7) Fragile- watched with Raymond, Beatrice & Joshua. Ghost show. Calista Flockchart, Ally Mcbeal, plays nurse tormented by past, comes to creepy hospital with kids fracturing limbs out of the blue. Then comes creepy ghost with creepy twist. Typical,
typical ghost show.
8) Keeping Mum- watched with Kelly, Joshua & Jason. Rowan Atkinson! Ha Mr Bean stars as some pastor in this horny comedy/ thriller. Very very cute show. Patrick Swayze ( the cool star in Ghost starring Demi moore?) plays philandering golf coach. There's that old lady, who played her role pretty darn well, as demented grandmother. Nice.
9) Eight Below- watched with Mel & Jie. Movie about dogs. how they survived the artic storms. Quite moving. My sibling's kinda show. Not exactly mine.
10) Mirrormask- Watched with Mel. The author of this graphic novel-turned movie, is Neil Gaiman. Author of Sandman? Its a good show. With weird themes. Also philosophical, since its in a 'dream', and about masks and mirrors. I think when movies come out from graphic novels, its almost a must to watch, cuz they're usually very very original. This one's a little dark. But the themes are innately gd la.
So from Jan 1st till now, i managed to watch 10 movies. Wow, tts abt 95 bucks. And tts liek 2 movies a month. haha i did better last year! i think i managed 3 a month. Next month, however, wk after wk, are movies you have just GOT to watch. Mission Impossible3, then Da Vinci Code, then Poseidon(ok, need not catch that), and fianlly X men 3! Woohoo cant wait.
forgot to plan for God to plan
Saturday, April 22, 2006
♥ Saturday, April 22, 2006
As the title suggests, its when we havent have an agenda, that we really find ourselves having one for God.
Had a pretty good day. Beatrice, Joshua, Da jie, Jason and i went for cycling. Now this was supposed to be an ordinary cycle- i was supposed to be able to anticipate where the start and end was, to predict what would happen ( stop for some ice cream, or a drink). LIke the last time i went with beatrice, or the other times with my family. But ho ho ho, it sure turned out different.
Remmeber the blog i wrote just before this? I mentioned life's unpredictability. Today was certainly, unpredictable, in a very pleasant way. We cycled all the way to esplanade. Now thats a a distance u dont cover everyday, some sorta feat for me too. And cycled back, singin the 'Divine Mercy' & reciting the rosary. The thing is, i always thought we could do smth like tt, like a route march & then we get together with p and w. :) Guess it wasnt
that ludicrous an idea.
Last night, smth
weird happened. Shant & cant blog abt it. Just well, i guess its another version of an exposure to the "outside world".
What happened last night, that i could talk about, is that i got into NTU! Aerospace engineering. And my dad asked me whether i am happy. He got me there:) Its not that i am not. Its whether i will be happier elsewhere.
So today, i blog and bask in the simplicity of the day, the beauty of such ordinary circumstances, the joy of living. No philosophies, no deep thoughts, no incomprehensible emotions. Just, simply, happy. Well, thank you for that God. Again.
I think about Uni
Friday, April 21, 2006
♥ Friday, April 21, 2006
Thank You God. You made Your Miracle.
Im done with 32 Click. Have no idea how it would turn out. But i made it through, and all thanks and praise goes to You. Couldnt have done it without You, & You know it. :)
At this age, given certain opportunities to make applications to this uni, and that course, one really does goes through certain thought processes, asking the " is that what i want?", "do i see myself being like this someday?", " does God want me here?", "why do i really want this?" and the pondering perpetuates like a downward spiral.
Theres that thing about practicality. I.e, is there a market outside for me when i graduate? Is there a future? The talks about a bio hub, or Seletar airport convertin, does that sound like a somewhat good venture into biotechnology or aeronautical engineering? Behind it lies a deep sense of insecurity & longing for control- I've got to know that i will do alright. And yet, one understands the deep mystery of tomorrow, the inevitability of accidents, the unforseen strokes of 'luck', and it hits us: we just dont know. And we wont!
We walk each step with a certain calculation not to fall; but we do, dont we? The gravel of relationships rock a person's life so consistently, we all end up wondering whether we are really in love, or do we merely want to be. We want straight truths when we ourselves are the contradiction. We seek honesty and righteousness, & yet the most heinous lies are the actors and actresses that we are. Life's inconsistency, or its consistency to be inconsistent rather, is very much a dark beauty we have yet to behold.
So with that, we realise that we dont really know what we want. Do we? Is it for me? And if it is, did it stem from a certain inspiration? Do inspiration stem forth from needs? If tts the case, am i looking for something to fufil that need, or to camouflage it? Questions questions questions. Is there an answer? i dont believe its an answer that matters, i believe its
your answer that matters. Man i feel i sound like a christian pastor writing a bk.
There's smth else abt this thoughts about looking for a course and job. See, i believe when parents have in mind certain expectations of their children, they're trying to complete the lost part of themselves. I.e i din manage a gd education so i make sure my child have theirs, i suffered humiliation as a child; i'll make sure my child get his dignity. In that light, when i see it a rightful role to take on what my father expects, i see that as a right choice, and a morally liberating one.
Well, i guess it all stemmed from the fact i never knew what i really, really wanted.
P.s Descarte's 1st meditation that everything can be doubted? made things for me a tad worse:)
Stories & a debate
Friday, April 14, 2006
♥ Friday, April 14, 2006
For those who know how screwed up this wkend was, well, i aint gonna blog abt it. See, i dont intend to reveal much abt myself over a blog. I know i do, over little reflections and insights. Nevertheless, those are sorta 'encoded' right? Well, down to business.
i have this phenomenally fantastic book to recommend. It won some 2005 Best Read Award. My Sister's Keeper (200306) by Jodi Picoult is one of the most unique books i've ever read. See, its written in a first person narrative. But, the story progresses using the first person, in different characters of the story. Thus, there is a depth to many characters that you easily put yourself into. The story timeline goes back and forth, based on each individual's perspective, and ultimately, a beautiful plot results with a very fine twist. To put it in a nutshell, Anna was 'born' (test-tube baby, with traits made that to her leukaemic sister), so that she could be the donor for her sister; blood, tissue fluid, samples, whatever. Anna wants to stop the treatment. Parents refuse, resulting in a pro bono lawsuit... the plot further convulates when Anna's legal guardian happens to be her lawyer's ex boyfriend. I think the way the story is made is something like the movie Crash ( won an oscar for Best Picture this year by the way). There isnt exactly a main character, since all the characters occupy a relatively similar quantity of screen time and story line. My Sister's Keeper isnt literature. Its something like Tony Parson's Man and Boy- a bit less vulgar, just about as hilarious, and more touching, but similarity lies mainly in its contruct of sentences. A great, great read.
Mark Lee introduced me this book- Finishing Strong(310306) by Steve Farrer, is a book that teaches us that its not about how you start, its how you end with your faith. And that the citings of David, good King screwing up, Peter screwing up but coming back from his guilt; and furthermore practical examples on how we finish strong. I believe in time i will bring back vital lessons the book sought to bring, when circumstances require it. Erm, i dont think bloggin happens to be one of those circumstances, so.. cant exactly pen it down. However, what i realise about christian books is this. They nag. They tell you a point they are trying to make, they provide you a scriptural background to this point/ advice, and then they tell you real life examples to make it relevant, and then they quote some wise quote from a christian behemoth like Billy Graham to further punctuate it. i guess the style works la. Just well, feel so nagged at. Nevertheless, a fine book for faith-formation.
I bought this book with the honest intention of faith formation purposes. This turned out to be one of those new age spirituality books. Home with God (100406) by Neale Donald Walsh is actually pretty captivating. Yeah, its interesting. And its philosophy isnt too abstract, all made comprehensible. Perhaps, thats where its dubious. This book is basically about death. What happens after, the qn most pondered and fascinated upon. Apparently, the guy had many conversations with God, and this happened to be one of them. Its a little like Sophie's world, minus the humour and the varying philophical perspectives, and a storyline. It teaches reincarnation. The idea that there is no heaven or hell. And again, where its scary, it sounds perfectly logical; see when one talks about the soul, it sounds somewhat abstract right. Neale got the gift of not making it sound that way. Especially when almost everything is metaphoric and analogical. Its like Dan Brown, but philosophical, making sense, and has the backing of a sprouting religion. So..beware.
Ok, my story. I lost an argument about the death penalty and Christian laws of love and forgiveness & thus the resulting clash. Somewhat sore about it. :) But thats just intellectual pride la. So, Marcus, let it go. But whoever read this, i am intrigued to know. Why would one stand on the side of the death penalty? Or why wouldnt you.
The argument started cuz i mentioned, as cited from my GP teacher, that once murder is committed, the person has 'lost the right to live'. Rebutt: the life was never ours anyway. Opposing: Forgiveness is a virtue we as christians should strive towards. Rebutt: Forgiveness is and individual thing. Humanity as an ideal demands punishment. Thats remorse. Losing the right to live is seen that the person has lost his preciousness in this place in the world.
For: In my opinion, the severity of evil as murder, or atrocity as that in WW2, calls for punishment. How does one live with himself? In the Pianist there was the scene when a woman was crying, " how could i do it!?" She was suffering the remorse of her actions- killin her infant to avoid being caught. That remorse tells her, her life has lost its place and meaning. Forgiveness, perhaps, is eventual. But, in the light of actions and consequences, the seeming consequence is death.
Opposing: The ideals, made by culture, sociological platforms are that which is human. Thus flawed. We live to look for a christian platform. One that is pro-life. As Cardinal Ratzinger put so, How does one show the sanctity of life, by passin a law that takes away lives? Jesus teaches forgiveness..
Counter: There is a passage in acts of apostles that claims that a man fell to his death, when Peter rebuked him for withholding certain funds ( its not exact..but its definitely something like that.) And thhe man's wife also met the same fate for some kinda lying. So it seemed that apparently, death was in some way, a form of punishment?
i could go on and on. And i could eventually conclude that its a matter of perspective: after all there are certain states which dont practive the death penalty. ( Well, they better not be practisin abortion too then.:)) But i feel, its more. Its got to be a universal truth on whetehr one's place in the world, is rocked by the impact of his sins. If u like movies with this certain moral dilemma that invoke a form of pity, watch Monster. Charlize Theron won Best Actress last year for that. Tour de force, they call it. In the movie, she stars as a lesbian hooker. And in one of her 'pickups', this guy brutally, and i mean
brutally violated her. She found a handgun and killed him. After that, every person who picks her up, ends up getting shot. In the end, she's sentenced to death, being a serial killer. So, argument lies: is she pardon-able? And if she's given the death penalty, does it make the injustice she suffered invalid? Food for thought eh..
