The Hurt Locker

When I got home after the movie, I switched to CNA and another case of a suicide bombing in Iran surfaces. I got so heavy-headed by then, I needed to take a nap.

The Hurt Locker is a very respectable war film on its own. Written by Mark Boal, a real life journalist who has followed the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Team in Baghdad. Shot in Jordan, the movie is a real, thrilling depiction of nothing you'll ever see on the news.

Through the eyes of Kathryn Bigelow (a painter herself), the hurt locker has both beautiful shots and intense moments which put the audience in a difficult position. Along with the characters of two other soldiers, you realise that not everyone is ready for the most dangerous job in the world. Then again, there's much to learn from Sergeant James (Jeremy Renner), every time he goes out to defuse a bomb, he doesn't think about it. The question of how and why he does it slowly reveals every now and then. His head-strong will and generous heart becomes vulnerable when he starts to befriend a young boy. And you have to see for yourself, the answers are not expository.





There're some very clever casual moments between the team mates. For example, a "spit-and-rub" scene in the middle of a gun battle which I found funny but no one in the cinema laughed along :/.
The $10 didn't bother me much, I appreciated the movie for its authenticity and it even gave me a bit of a headache.
I thought the psychology of a human bomb defuser might provide a better perspective for that of a suicide bomber. Opinions?

This movie is BOOMZ!

hello 'cher, tell me what's my lesson

So all I wanted was to have a good talk with a friend during this short sem break.

At a graduation ceremony...
(D and A are sitting at the back of the school hall, on desks)

D: Why should there be two receivers when the award is called 'Student of
the Year' ?

A: I think the system is less strict now.

D: I think it's more like they cannot decide on one, and there was a better
candidate.

A looks at one of the school hall banners saying 'We must
uphold Meritocracy and
Incorruptibility': What's meritocracy?

D: erm...merit should be something like your achievements.

A: no choice la, the schools put a lot of pressure on students.

D turns to look at the rest of the students while the speech is going
on: Why all the praising of one student in front of so many others who don't
really care?

Later on, it struck me when one of the two receivers got a little too emotional over the questionable selection criteria for the 'Student of the Year' award. I went up to him, looked hard and smiled, "Take care". What I really wanted to say was: Take the exams and you're free to do whatever you like, heck the award.

I don't think it feels good to be in the position of that student standing on stage when all they speak of are your contributions to the school and how wonderful you seem. From the back of the hall, it just looks like 100% product branding.

2 days to a new school semester filled with an unforgiving timetable :/. Whether it's a good or bad thing, at least school keeps me moving.
Funny thing about grades is that its defined in a calculative manner. I finally got my unexpected first distinction, but the universities don't give a damn when your GPA is not yet 3 huh...
Wow, this short holiday was quite a phase for me.

Everything is ironic to me. There are moments I find hysterical, but I'm probably the only one who would find that, except for a few people. -River Phoenix

good night?

I was recalling this old slasher flick I watched when I was a boy (i'm still a boy), with some classmates, then I remembered this trailer scene in the latest 2009 movie franchise of Nightmare on Elm street. The body of a horrified girl was somehow elevated from her bed in a supine position and it struck a chord in me so I decided to find out more about my sleep.

Ever experienced this:

You wake up with a terrifying vision of something but you cannot snap out
of it, then you find yourself struggling to move a muscle but yet can't even
open your eyes.

I've had a few experiences ever since I was still in a 'childcare' centre and my father would always say that it was a nightmare, cos that's what adults say to children. It happened more often during my O-level year (the mental stress) and after that, every now and then. Just a couple of weeks ago, I felt that merciless restrain while falling asleep again.

Friends who face the same problems might find the information useful. (besides I save research time for ya)

In a simplified chunk: (source wikipedia)

• Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to talk or move when waking or falling asleep. It may last a few seconds to minutes. Hallucinations are vivid, often frightening, dreamlike experiences that occur while dozing, falling asleep and/or while awakening.
• Narcolepsy is chronic sleep disorder. The person experiences extreme fatigue and possibly falls asleep at inappropriate times, even after adequate night time sleep. It has symptoms like cataplexy (seizures) and hypnagogia (half-dream state hallucinations).

Sleep paralysis is a symptom of Narcolepsy. The former is more common than the latter, but both put a person into the rapid-eye-movement sleep state very quickly. The consequences of Narcolepsy are dizziness and disorientation when they wake up. They have very vivid dreams even for a few seconds, which they often remember in great detail.

In many cultures, this disorder is commonly related to supernatural beings such as the *ahem* devil. There's an interesting 1781 painting about the demonic representation of sleep paralysis but it looks very mythical.

Mine should be a minor case of sleep paralysis, since it happens only when I'm emotionally 'unbalanced'. I think sleep is a form of recovery for anyone, good for those who can sleep well.


sleep tight, fellas...

the terminal

(i'm not talking about yet another movie, but The Terminal is a decent film anw ;)


Changi Airport's Terminal 3 is like a crystal cube, it feels as emotionally detaching for me as the last visit. I'm just saying the airy silence, the futuristic design, transparent glass elevators and how these irobots make a person feel very lifeless. It gets worst when they have to maintain a certain etiquette as long as they're in their kabayas and suits.

Whenever these dainty and dandy stewardesses walk into the lift, everyone stares and I can't help but notice the strict procedure of placing their luggages in front of them. The awkward silence in the lift makes it so unbearable.

I mis-wandered a few times and I really felt like a lost child, it's every inch an aluminium jungle with a silver sky. Does this really prepare you well for a departure?

Even the plants hanging from the 3-top level looked fake. The scariest of all - this giant robotic flower at the entrance:



from artist Christian Moeller

A robotic arm randomly moves a cargo ship propellor made of fiberglass in the air. Videocameras embedded in the base of the sculpture capture the presence of passers-by allowing Daisy to move and face her viewers.

I was sitting right in front of it during my last break, with a packet of rice in hand. And oblivious to what it does to it's fellow passers-by, I stared at it for a very long time while chewing my food. I feel so betrayed now, it's scary huh.

There was a Michael Jackson tribute event and Edward Moss does a good job in helping fans relive those moments, it was probably the only joy that filled the air during that period.

There were two other colleagues who were a year younger than us and still in a world of their own. The constant ringing of monotonous pop from their ipods make a long day of work at the terminal feel very annoying.

I got to meet this ex-colleague of mine again and maybe it was the need for a human interaction (yes that was my purpose for getting the job) that brought us closer. I realised that I didn't have to get her email or let her know of any social tool i have to keep in touch, we insisted on another chance meeting.

Anyways this was one of the dinners we shared, Popeye's mashed potato is excellent not only on its own but also with bread. It makes KFC's whipped potato taste like plasticine and paste. I'm serious, I had kfc for lunch today and I left it half-finished.
"comparisons are easily done when you've had a taste a perfection" -little miss katy perry

sidenote - i've been feeling so reflective lately that i got a feeling it's a downward spiral but thank god for drew. i need to connect with either nature or person right now. :(

p.s. popeye's is an alternative, anyone? :)

it's one of those phases again

I'll just try to spit out something now since i'll be starting an exhausting one-week work period from tmr onwards.
these few days have been nothing but movies, fiddling with e guitar, and wandering about alone. I could've met up with a friend to do so but I guess it's nicer that way. Besides, I'm sick of waiting for replies and keeping up with the pace.
I just wrote a useless long paragraph before deciding to delete everything. It's true that sleep puts everything to rest, waking up is the hard part eh. The nightmares do happen when you're awake. Are these breaks for us to find ourselves? cos after that we come face to face with the society again right? I'm only gonna rebel, if that's what life is about. And maybe the purpose is in that. It's the most human thing to do.
Fight till you're tired then go to sleep.


Till then

a long and meaningful chat log

(read only if you've got nothing else to do)

D says:
HAHA..超级超级的女孩!

thts an awful suju song right

J says:
LOL! It's an SJM song

go listen to the korean version

it's worst

D says:
i thought i heard the worst

J says:



Jsays:
sjm is not super junior, not exactly at least

it's complicated

D says:
i dunno man, this sounds better cos at least i dont understand wht they're saying

except for "whoa...you're my you're my baby girl"

J says:
listen to donghae's part.. DDD:

"he's not superman, he must be mama's boy"

D says:
alright i heard the line

J says:
somebody should ban that line from the song

D says:
how bout "im not superman i must be astro boy"?

J says:
no engrish prz

D says:
or "hes not batman hes robin"

D says:
oh i think sjm is the more bias group

sj doesn't have the chubbier guy right?

J says:

he's not very happy with you for calling shindong the chubbier guy

D says:
why don't they call themselves superjunior-XS instead?

wht does the M mean huh

im nt very happy either...

J says: xs? OHMY, AWESOME. go suggest to them

J says: M = mandarin

D says: then they should call themselves chao ji bao bei mah, in mandarin la

J says:

.


.


.


.


.



D says:
her biggest single is bitter heart

shes from borneo

oh that makes her indonesian right?

J says:
borneo.. that makes her brunei-an or whatever they call.. no..? DDD: eeks, my geography fail

D says:
borneo is at the top part of malaysia right?

sabah and sarawak

J says:
OOOOOOOOOHHH

east malaysia?

Glory in the Highest

(don’t read if you intend to watch it for the first time, I write carelessly)

Right in the middle of the movie, I had to pee because of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.


But just as I was about to push open the toilet door I banged into it. I had to stand and watch from the back of the cinema while holding the suspense building on screen and in my bladder. (I got my release and returned to my seat eventually)

Tarantino paces his Nazi movie in a way that grabs you just as you start to divert and then delays your interest in all the clever ways. Vibrant colour use, slick angles. Right from the start I was hooked on the dialogue for a solid 25 mins before deciding to check the time. And just as you start to get tired of reading the subtitles, QT’s script twists make you listen harder.

Brad Pitt was cool but still, he plays an English speaking-American. He does the accent well though. The 2 main actresses came across a lot more stellar.
Melanie Laurent plays a secretly revengeful cinema proprietor, and this scene is just so fitting – in her slick red dress/lipstick, overlooking her cinema.

Tarantino shows that there’s no time for melo-drama, he cuts in unexpectedly and pulls you back on track. There's almost no room for sympathy because of the hostile personalities, but maybe that’s QT’s trait.


The last quarter had some of the most memorable scenes, almost iconic. No love exists in a cold war, you’re either a basterd or a coward.


My mind’s been very negative lately, so movies are but all I have as a remedy.
2 and 3/4 hours of Tarantino therapy proves to be a healthy escape.

If you’re already legal, being afraid of blood and gore is a stupid reason to avoid this movie. Fairytales don’t happen; now stop living in your idol drama series already.

Lt Aldo Raine: "This might be my masterpiece."