It's been almost a year when I start writing back at this blog. The reason of comeback? Its because I am feeling useless and unworthy. And don't ever ask me why I am feeling that way, because I don't even know the answer myself.
A lot of things happen within this period of month but I dare to say all unimportant. It's all office matters, some personal stuff not worth to mention and few periods of trauma and self-indulgence. Its all conclude to one word: tragedy. Sometimes I just thinking, what would my life be if my UK plan last year (yeah, I'm still can't get rid of it) goes well? I will be living in London, have a happy life (or vice versa who knows), party party after work, get laid every weekend, and yeah, it might simply leads to happy life. And thinking about it somehow makes me sick of myself, considering my current life and condition which eventually brings me to nowhere. I am stuck people, stuck within my unplanned life.
That is one of the things that I hate to happen in my life. Feel stuck, useless and unworthy. I have felt this feeling when I was in high school and I swear to myself not to feel it again, ever. Period.
I am still here fellas. Right here in Kuala Lumpur. My darling Kuala Lumpur. Yeah, it might sounds a bit ungrateful, but believe me God, I'm trying my best to show my gratefulness to You.
Was in an interview last two days in Damansara. Struggling for a post of Project Consultant in international environmental consulting firm. The interviewers are one Aussie chap and a partner who apparently is a lass from Britain. Great combination. The conversation went well even I was not feeling very well at that time, the minor flu. But until one moment when Greg, the Aussie chap, who happen to be my future boss, questioning about my level of English and suddenly I was struck.
Yeah folks, I have problem in English.
I am suck at conversation with native English speakers. I have no problem to start a chat with Malaysian or other Asian people, but when it comes to the whites, I am feeling a bit shy. Ermm, just call it reserved, not shy.
The diagnosis shows I have foreigners complexity. And that is why I am feeling this way.
When Aaron Kwok and Gouw Ian Iskandar won themselves a trophy for their role in this film, I told myself that I have to watch this piece. It's not just the matter of Aaron always gives great performance in every single role in his movie, but the fact that After This Our Exile has been filmed in Ipoh seduces me. I wonder what it is gonna be looked like. Does it sounds and looks like a Malaysian movie? Or maybe it just look similar to other Hong Kong movie?
Good piece does not come cheap. And not that easy too. What really piss me off was, why this so-called great movie (it won many awards I guess, so I refer it as a 'great movie'), and been filmed in Ipoh (which apparently is part of Malaysia), is only screened in one cinema in Klang Valley?! I have been to KLCC, Midvalley and 1Utama (major cinema centre in Klang Valley, I think everybody around this area watch their movie in the same venue), but up to my frustration, After This Our Exile can only be watched in Cathay Cineplex Damansara. And bloody hell, Cathay just screened it twice a day, one show at 1100 (for early birds) and the other one in the evening (of course I don't want to miss my favourite TV series just to watch this movie).
But finally, I've got the chance to watch it today (last day, because they finally made an afternoon show).
So how does it feel? Hmmm, a bit like Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad's second movie) because it has an 'Ipoh' feel to it. But believe me, After This Our Exile is more MALAYSIAN than ours! Why? It's not because any Malaysian stars like Amber Chia innit, but it feels so Malaysian (somehow Aaron Kwok presented himself like a real men from Ipoh!).Imagine this, an Indian guy get wasted in a kopitiam, yellow bus written with big 'BAS SEKOLAH', 'Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2' movie poster and soundtrack comprises of Sudirman, Siti Nurhaliza and Shima songs! What more Malaysian can you asked in a movie?
Apart from the Malaysiana feel, this movie consists of great, in fact very great casts. Aaron Kwok, as always, is terrific. He plays Ah Shing, a compulsive gambler who try his best to be a good dad, good husband and good cooker in a local restaurant. His unstoppable gambling habit makes her wife can't stand him anymore, and run to Johor Bharu with another guy, get married and have another baby. His son, Ah Boy, as other normal kids, always wants a happy family. Represent himself as a good son, Ah Boy tries as best as he could to please his father, even when his father teaches him to steal.
What makes this film so good is that, at the first quarter of this film, the audience will feel that the mom ruins the happy family. But as the story goes, somehow, it seems that nobody is to be blamed. What tear their family apart is fate. And that is why this movie is so ironic, you feel that every single roles responsible to what happened in Ah Shing's family, but at the same time, nobody is to be blamed for it because shit happens in our life and that is sucks.
In a nutshell, if this movie comes in VCD or DVD version, grab it. Not just because it is the only Hong Kong movie with Shima/Sudirman/Siti Nurhaliza songs innit, but because the fact that this movie is worth to watch.
Good piece does not come cheap. And not that easy too. What really piss me off was, why this so-called great movie (it won many awards I guess, so I refer it as a 'great movie'), and been filmed in Ipoh (which apparently is part of Malaysia), is only screened in one cinema in Klang Valley?! I have been to KLCC, Midvalley and 1Utama (major cinema centre in Klang Valley, I think everybody around this area watch their movie in the same venue), but up to my frustration, After This Our Exile can only be watched in Cathay Cineplex Damansara. And bloody hell, Cathay just screened it twice a day, one show at 1100 (for early birds) and the other one in the evening (of course I don't want to miss my favourite TV series just to watch this movie).
But finally, I've got the chance to watch it today (last day, because they finally made an afternoon show).
So how does it feel? Hmmm, a bit like Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad's second movie) because it has an 'Ipoh' feel to it. But believe me, After This Our Exile is more MALAYSIAN than ours! Why? It's not because any Malaysian stars like Amber Chia innit, but it feels so Malaysian (somehow Aaron Kwok presented himself like a real men from Ipoh!).Imagine this, an Indian guy get wasted in a kopitiam, yellow bus written with big 'BAS SEKOLAH', 'Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2' movie poster and soundtrack comprises of Sudirman, Siti Nurhaliza and Shima songs! What more Malaysian can you asked in a movie?
Apart from the Malaysiana feel, this movie consists of great, in fact very great casts. Aaron Kwok, as always, is terrific. He plays Ah Shing, a compulsive gambler who try his best to be a good dad, good husband and good cooker in a local restaurant. His unstoppable gambling habit makes her wife can't stand him anymore, and run to Johor Bharu with another guy, get married and have another baby. His son, Ah Boy, as other normal kids, always wants a happy family. Represent himself as a good son, Ah Boy tries as best as he could to please his father, even when his father teaches him to steal.
What makes this film so good is that, at the first quarter of this film, the audience will feel that the mom ruins the happy family. But as the story goes, somehow, it seems that nobody is to be blamed. What tear their family apart is fate. And that is why this movie is so ironic, you feel that every single roles responsible to what happened in Ah Shing's family, but at the same time, nobody is to be blamed for it because shit happens in our life and that is sucks.
In a nutshell, if this movie comes in VCD or DVD version, grab it. Not just because it is the only Hong Kong movie with Shima/Sudirman/Siti Nurhaliza songs innit, but because the fact that this movie is worth to watch.
Ahah, I'm finally start my career life. After strangled almost a year in messy Bartlett idea. Land myself a job at project management consultancy office. Basically my task involves the design of subsea pipelines, from the early stage till the final report. My company's client includes few major players in oil and gas industry. Located in KLCC, the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur. Amazing location. The pay? Not much, but just enough to pamper myself a Paul Smith stuff at the end of every month haha (You know it's a joke). It's been my third days now. Commuting to office everyday by train somehow irritating. Well of course at first, it seems like a cool idea. But just entering third days, I am getting sick by train ride.
Up to my amazement, I meet few of my acquintances while riding to office. Gouramians (The Shell team, some of them based in Schlumberger HQ near my office), long-lost friend, my first love (getcha, I'm kiddin' here) and few others which is too boring to mention. And apart from all the sickness of train ride, meeting your old fellas is the bright side of it.
I'm not sure whether mentioning my company's name (which I am currently working at) is a good idea. Let it remain anonymous. Perhaps next time.
My cubicles stil not connected to internet (so, how in the earth I post this up? haha), but hopefully I could get access by today. Hopefully. Please Daniel*, please.
*Daniel is the IT guy in my company.
Up to my amazement, I meet few of my acquintances while riding to office. Gouramians (The Shell team, some of them based in Schlumberger HQ near my office), long-lost friend, my first love (getcha, I'm kiddin' here) and few others which is too boring to mention. And apart from all the sickness of train ride, meeting your old fellas is the bright side of it.
I'm not sure whether mentioning my company's name (which I am currently working at) is a good idea. Let it remain anonymous. Perhaps next time.
My cubicles stil not connected to internet (so, how in the earth I post this up? haha), but hopefully I could get access by today. Hopefully. Please Daniel*, please.
*Daniel is the IT guy in my company.
Jobhunting is exhausting. But living in an environment where discounts are everywhere and I am powerless to buy is absolutely sucks. A job is not something that I need anymore. It is something that I want, and it's a must!
MSI Group is going to call me this week if I fit their criteria and get the job as engineer at their firm. And I am absolutely looking forward for that. A job in central KL, mainly in KLCC area and a job in consulting is something that I have been searching all this while. I am also waiting for any interview request from AirAsia and EDAG (an automotive consulting firm from Germany), but yeah of course, first firm that hiring me will get my top priority.
On another note, me and Abah went to ICOM (International College of Music) Open Day today. ICOM is one of Asia's leading music school, offers variety academic programme related to music, and it has very great network with famous music school around the world, including Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA and also great touch with music industry. I am interested to join their weekend class later, as one of my life resolution next year is to learn how to play one musical instrument. They also has quite a great list of alumnus, including my fave Mia Palencia from Double Take (jazz duo). She has the most amazing voice I ever heard in my dear whole life, and I will review her later in this blog (when I've got the right time and right information, of course).
I have three books in my shelf, waiting to be read:
1-John Perkins's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
2-Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven
3-Michael Crichton's A Case Of Need
I have no mood in reading recently. The only stuff that I read is mags, range basically from this month's GQ and Off The Edge. I was quite disappointed with Off The Edge these days, somehow it appears to be more political inclined and its tagline 'arts and culture for businessperson' sounds so unrelated to me.
Apart from reading, the next list is will fill my Movie Goers review later:
1-Arang (Korean horror-thriller flick) - now screening in cinemas. Plan to watch it after Malaysia Airport's Management Trainee Pre-Test Selection this Tuesday.
2-Volver (Spanish) - saw this film promo at London Underground while I was in London last August. Pedro Almodovar is one of my favourite film director. Plus Penelope Cruz is a darling. Who need other reason?
3-Cicak Man (Malay sci-fi) - ehh?
4-Sinking of Japan (Japanese thriller) - watch the trailer and you'll be dying to watch this movie.
I am also finishing Dance Drill (Japanese dorama) starring by Eikura Nana and Kato Rosa. Great dorama. Haih. Still I am wondering, why Japanese can make such an interesting dorama and we can't? Theirs include story about cheer dance, F1 driver, pilot, shotgun marriage, and many more subjects but we still bounded in family problem and polygamy plotlines. Why in the world we cannot make something out of the box?
I have put this blogspot site in my URL section in my CV. So any future employer and boss who care to read my CV and surf this blog a.k.a my personal site, you are most welcome. This site may just be some little piece or fraction from my whole life story, and it also hard to tell what kind of person I am because it is still new, although I have been blogging since my college days (in other blog address).
Till then.
MSI Group is going to call me this week if I fit their criteria and get the job as engineer at their firm. And I am absolutely looking forward for that. A job in central KL, mainly in KLCC area and a job in consulting is something that I have been searching all this while. I am also waiting for any interview request from AirAsia and EDAG (an automotive consulting firm from Germany), but yeah of course, first firm that hiring me will get my top priority.
On another note, me and Abah went to ICOM (International College of Music) Open Day today. ICOM is one of Asia's leading music school, offers variety academic programme related to music, and it has very great network with famous music school around the world, including Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA and also great touch with music industry. I am interested to join their weekend class later, as one of my life resolution next year is to learn how to play one musical instrument. They also has quite a great list of alumnus, including my fave Mia Palencia from Double Take (jazz duo). She has the most amazing voice I ever heard in my dear whole life, and I will review her later in this blog (when I've got the right time and right information, of course).
I have three books in my shelf, waiting to be read:
1-John Perkins's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
2-Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven
3-Michael Crichton's A Case Of Need
I have no mood in reading recently. The only stuff that I read is mags, range basically from this month's GQ and Off The Edge. I was quite disappointed with Off The Edge these days, somehow it appears to be more political inclined and its tagline 'arts and culture for businessperson' sounds so unrelated to me.
Apart from reading, the next list is will fill my Movie Goers review later:
1-Arang (Korean horror-thriller flick) - now screening in cinemas. Plan to watch it after Malaysia Airport's Management Trainee Pre-Test Selection this Tuesday.
2-Volver (Spanish) - saw this film promo at London Underground while I was in London last August. Pedro Almodovar is one of my favourite film director. Plus Penelope Cruz is a darling. Who need other reason?
3-Cicak Man (Malay sci-fi) - ehh?
4-Sinking of Japan (Japanese thriller) - watch the trailer and you'll be dying to watch this movie.
I am also finishing Dance Drill (Japanese dorama) starring by Eikura Nana and Kato Rosa. Great dorama. Haih. Still I am wondering, why Japanese can make such an interesting dorama and we can't? Theirs include story about cheer dance, F1 driver, pilot, shotgun marriage, and many more subjects but we still bounded in family problem and polygamy plotlines. Why in the world we cannot make something out of the box?
I have put this blogspot site in my URL section in my CV. So any future employer and boss who care to read my CV and surf this blog a.k.a my personal site, you are most welcome. This site may just be some little piece or fraction from my whole life story, and it also hard to tell what kind of person I am because it is still new, although I have been blogging since my college days (in other blog address).
Till then.
Trailer untuk filem ini rasanya dah sebulan lebih kat TV dan suratkhabar. Ada orang kata Cinta ialah filem Melayu yang ditunggu-tunggu tahun ini. Ada jugak orang kata Cinta ialah lambang kebangkitan filem Malaysia. Semua review kat paper kata Cinta ialah satu filem yang mampu menyentuh naluri kemanusiaan. Senang citer, semua orang kata Cinta filem yang best. Review jugak kater, Cinta ialah filem Malaysia pertama yang guna multiplot macam Love Actually. And due to the fact that I am a sucker of Love Actually (minat giler sampai ade kat dalam hard disk PC nih and ulang tengok for zillion times kot), I'm overly excited for Cinta.
Opps, plan tanak guna English untuk review Cinta. So kembali berbahasa Melayu. Kalau nak diceritakan tentang jalan cerita Cinta, sinematografi dan soundtracknya, anda boleh baca mende mende tu kat paper. Kan? Jadi apa lagi yang ada kt filem ni sampai sumer orang kate filem ni wajib tonton tahun ni? Ini sebabnya.
Since ever, dunia memang pandang ke Barat dalam sumer perkara. Okay, that's maybe a mistake historically (sbb bukan since ever pon) but hakikatnya, itulah realitinya sekarang ini. Hollywood menjadi pengeluar filem-filem hebat dunia, kerana mereka mampu memberikan yang terbaik dalam seni sesebuah filem itu, baik daripada kesan efek khas hinggalah kepada pelakon-pelakon yang hebat. Namun itu tidak bermakna dunia Timur (khasnya Asia) ketandusan karya-karya yang boleh dibanggakan. Filem-filem Asia mungkin tidak sehebat Hollywood daripada segi teknologi (CGI effects and so on), tapi filem Asia memang hebat apabila menyentuh aspek emosi.
Amat jarang jika diperhatikan dalam sesebuah filem Hollywood, scenes yang mampu membuatkan penonton mengalirkan air mata setempayan. Tapi ia adalah perkara biasa bagi sebuah filem Asia. Bukan setakat filem, malah turut merangkumi semua produksi termasuk drama TV. Lihat sahaja semua karya-karya Asia. Contoh yang telah saya tonton dan minati termasuklah Korea (Taegukgi), Jepun (One Litre of Tears, Mukodono 2003 etc.), Indonesia (Tentang Dia etc.) dan banyak lagi. Ini belum masuk filem Hong Kong, Iran dan Bollywood. Cinta, as a matter of fact, juga tergolong dalam kategori ini.
Namun apa yang menarik tentang Cinta ialah, it looks, sounds and feels great. Sinematografinya menampilkan shot-shot yang terbaik. Nampak macam commercial raya Petronas and a music video at the same time. Selesai menonton Cinta, akan ada suatu perasaan di hati penonton untuk berkata dalam hati, "Cantiknya KL! Apsal selama nih rasa cam biasa je?". Yes, Cinta telah membangkitkan perasaan itu pada saya. Who needs London anyway, hehe!
Soundtrack, superb. Saya sangat teruja apabila mendengar lagu Anggun - Selamanya menjadi tabir untuk scene Dyan dikebumikan (spoiler ahead!), sebab I'm a die hard fan of Anggun. Ternyata pemilihan lagu yang dibuat sangat sangat bersesuaian untuk semua scene dalam filem ini. Two thumbs up.
Feeling. Hmmm. Apa nak citer lagi? Sumer feel ade. But scene yang bole buat anda menangis ialah scene hujan (masa tu lagu Cinta by Misha Omar and Jaclyn Victor) and scene Dyan baca puisi (eh puisi ke? cam doodles je) kt Dani at ward.
Apa lagi? Tak reti reti nak gi wayang tengok citer Melayu? Cinta finally at our cinemas brother, watch it with love.
Opps, plan tanak guna English untuk review Cinta. So kembali berbahasa Melayu. Kalau nak diceritakan tentang jalan cerita Cinta, sinematografi dan soundtracknya, anda boleh baca mende mende tu kat paper. Kan? Jadi apa lagi yang ada kt filem ni sampai sumer orang kate filem ni wajib tonton tahun ni? Ini sebabnya.
Since ever, dunia memang pandang ke Barat dalam sumer perkara. Okay, that's maybe a mistake historically (sbb bukan since ever pon) but hakikatnya, itulah realitinya sekarang ini. Hollywood menjadi pengeluar filem-filem hebat dunia, kerana mereka mampu memberikan yang terbaik dalam seni sesebuah filem itu, baik daripada kesan efek khas hinggalah kepada pelakon-pelakon yang hebat. Namun itu tidak bermakna dunia Timur (khasnya Asia) ketandusan karya-karya yang boleh dibanggakan. Filem-filem Asia mungkin tidak sehebat Hollywood daripada segi teknologi (CGI effects and so on), tapi filem Asia memang hebat apabila menyentuh aspek emosi.
Amat jarang jika diperhatikan dalam sesebuah filem Hollywood, scenes yang mampu membuatkan penonton mengalirkan air mata setempayan. Tapi ia adalah perkara biasa bagi sebuah filem Asia. Bukan setakat filem, malah turut merangkumi semua produksi termasuk drama TV. Lihat sahaja semua karya-karya Asia. Contoh yang telah saya tonton dan minati termasuklah Korea (Taegukgi), Jepun (One Litre of Tears, Mukodono 2003 etc.), Indonesia (Tentang Dia etc.) dan banyak lagi. Ini belum masuk filem Hong Kong, Iran dan Bollywood. Cinta, as a matter of fact, juga tergolong dalam kategori ini.
Namun apa yang menarik tentang Cinta ialah, it looks, sounds and feels great. Sinematografinya menampilkan shot-shot yang terbaik. Nampak macam commercial raya Petronas and a music video at the same time. Selesai menonton Cinta, akan ada suatu perasaan di hati penonton untuk berkata dalam hati, "Cantiknya KL! Apsal selama nih rasa cam biasa je?". Yes, Cinta telah membangkitkan perasaan itu pada saya. Who needs London anyway, hehe!
Soundtrack, superb. Saya sangat teruja apabila mendengar lagu Anggun - Selamanya menjadi tabir untuk scene Dyan dikebumikan (spoiler ahead!), sebab I'm a die hard fan of Anggun. Ternyata pemilihan lagu yang dibuat sangat sangat bersesuaian untuk semua scene dalam filem ini. Two thumbs up.
Feeling. Hmmm. Apa nak citer lagi? Sumer feel ade. But scene yang bole buat anda menangis ialah scene hujan (masa tu lagu Cinta by Misha Omar and Jaclyn Victor) and scene Dyan baca puisi (eh puisi ke? cam doodles je) kt Dani at ward.
Apa lagi? Tak reti reti nak gi wayang tengok citer Melayu? Cinta finally at our cinemas brother, watch it with love.
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