happy new year!

Akhirnya! Ini adalah post gue yang ke-SERATUS! Huy, senangnya, akhirnya gue melakukan sesuatu yang mencapai ke 100! HEHEHE. Dan ini juga adalah post terakhir di tahun 2009. Seseorang yang gue sayangin memberikan hadiah kaos yang bertuliskan: sembiluan.blogspot.com sebagai hadiah Natal dan Tahun baru kemarin.

Jadi, sekedar mau ucapain: Selamat tahun baru! Semoga di tahun yang baru, makin sukses!

Amin.

the fantastic four

Sekitar 1 tahun yang lalu, tepat-nya di bulan November 2008, gue menulis mengenai wisata gue dan 3 orang teman ke pusat kota Jakarta, tepatnya di daerah KOTA. Jika wisata yang pertama itu gak direncanakan untuk wisata kulineran, kali ini pas waktu liburan akhir tahun 2009, dengan teman-teman yang berbeda (tetap dengan jumlah yang sama), memutuskan berwisata kembali ke area Kota.

Seperti biasa, yang menjadi atraksi wisata kami adalah MAKANAN, MAKANAN dan MAKANAN! Iyah, memang jalan-jalan ke kota tanpa mencicipin makanan rasanya ada yang kurang saja. HEHEHE. Karena salah satu teman sudah keburu nafsu dengan yang namanya MIE ORPA, jadinya tempat itu yang dikunjungi dahulu. Sekitar 15 menit berjalan dari stasiun BEOS, cuaca yang mendung sangat mendukung untuk acara jalan kaki ini.

Sebaliknya dari Bakmi Orpa, rasanya terlalu cepat juga untuk langsung lanjut ke tempat makan berikutnya, karena itu kami memutuskan untuk ngunjungi beberapa museum dan cafe yang berlokasi di area KOTA. Museum Wayang, yang ternyata lumayan indah interior-nya, Cafe Batavia (masih yakin kalau semua makanan dan minuman di tempat ini sangat MUAHAL) dan Museum Keramik.

Kadang-kadang, gue cukup sakit hati melihat bagaimana museum-museum kita diperlakukan. Baik Museum Wayang dan Museum Keramik yang mempunyai struktur gedung yang unik, tetapi kurangnya perawatan membuat kedua museum ini seolah-olah kurang mendapatkan perhatian yang cukup. Ada warung di dalam Museum Keramik cukup mengkwatirkan yah. Yah semoga, museum-museum ini bisa dipugar segera (saat ini, Museum Wayang sedang mengalami pemugaran, semoga nanti menjadi lebih indah).

Setelah puas dan kenyang dengan makanan-makanan yang memuaskan kebutuhan estetika dan narsisism kami (IYA DONG, masa ke daerah KOTA gak pake foto-foto?! Kudu mesti! HEHE), lanjut lagi dengan acara muasain perut. Jalan ke area pecinaan di KOTA, kami menikmati Karilam BIHUN, IGA PENYET di Gajah Mada.

Mungkin karena kegilaan sesaat atau karena kebutuhan kami akan sesuatu yang manis, laksana prajurit tanpa lelah kami melanjutkan perjalanan ke Sarinah untuk hanya menikmati kue coklat di Hongkong Cafe dan akhirnya Cheesecake di Barito. Gue percaya malam ini, kami berempat tidur dengan ngorok ala THX (eh kecuali gue deh, mungkin cuma Dolby) karena rasa capek ini. HEHEHEHE.

joyeux noël 2009!

As many have known (or not) that I hardly spend my Christmas Eve at church. Not that I'm having any crisis in the faith department, but I just feel that church at Christmas is always over-crowded and I prefer something more tranquil.

So how did I spend mine this year? I spent it with my beloved. We went to Grand Indonesia to watch The Fourth Kind (Yuska, I cannot believe you want to watch this movie again!), then a supper at Jun Nian. Stayed until 12 (at home) then we wished each other a very merry Christmas.

Yes, that sounds like a celebration and seriously I bet your sunday school teacher will tell you that's so not Christmas. But then, when I was alone at my room, writing this entry, I started to question whether there's a wrong way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

The answer is YES, but only if Christ is no longer the center of the celebration. Are christmas tree, gifts, cookies, dinner (and movie, in my case) are inappropriate? I'm not trying to justify small pleasures of life, but I believe all these wonderful things represent Christ in many ways. The beauty and bright of Christmas tree represents the day earth found its Savior. Gifts, cookies and dinner are just many ways to express our gratitude and love, like God shows His love to men.

So, without judgement, but with a lot of joy, I wish you the merriest Christmas! I hope you're with the one(s) you love (or even hate) sharing one thing and one thing only, love.

the gilmore girls

Okay, salah satu hal yang mengerikan mengenai gue adalah gue suka banget dengan The Gilmore Girls. HAHAHA. Mengapa mengerikan? Karena mungkin gue sudah nonton serial ini bolak-balik dari season pertama hingga season ketujuh untuk beberapa kali. Yap, ini benar-benar terjadi!

Gak tahu kenapa, tetapi gue selalu merasa bahagia dan (anehnya) gak pernah bosan dengan serial ini, walau nonton berulang-ulang. Pertama kali nonton The Gilmore Girls waktu iseng-iseng nyalain TV dan setelah mencobai semua saluran TV hanya saluran yang mutarin salah satu episode Gilmore Girls yang tidak membuat alis gue berkenyit.

Sejak itu, gue berburu DVD Gilmore Girls dan mulai mengikuti dari episode pertama season pertama hingga season ketujuh. Bagaimana mungkin gue gak menyukai serial yang merujuk kepada Gwen Stefani, Jessica Simpson, Bono, Annie Leibovitz, Eisenhower dan Jimmy Carter dalam satu episode.

Gilmore Girls bercerita tentang hubungan yang unik antara ibu dan anak dengan nama yang sama, Lorelai. Sang ibu, Lorelai hamil waktu dia masih di sekolah, ketika dia berusia 16 tahun. Meninggalkan keluarganya yang kaya, Lorelai tinggal di sebuah kota di area Connecticut, Star Hallows (kota ini adalah fiksi). Bersama dengan anaknya, yang lebih dikenal dengan nama Rory, Lorelai bekerja sebagai manager sebuah penginapan.

Baik Lorelai dan Rory memiliki beberapa kesukaan seperti gue. Mereka menyukai kopi, pesan-antar dan makan dengan menonton video (how me!), membaca budaya popular (yes, I'm addicted to socialitelife.com), menggunakan bahasa Perancis dengan sembarang dan salah (very very me!).

Sayangnya, the Gilmore Girls sejak akhir tahun 2007, tidak diproduksi lagi. The Gilmore Girls berakhir dengan 7 seasons. Anehnya juga, Gilmore Girls tidak pernah mendapatkan nominasi Emmy atau Globes untuk kategori akting, yang mana adalah kesalahan besar.

Serial ini terkenal dengan rujukan-rujukan budaya popular dan politiknya. Setiap season DVD disertai dengan booklet kecil yang menjelaskan rujukan-rujukan tersebut.

the globes

The Golden Globe nominations were announced last Tuesday (15/12), followed by SAG a few days later. To check all the nominees, you can visit the site here. Special notes from this year Golden Globe are:

1. Sandra Bullock has 2 nominations in 2 different acting categories, The Proposal (they gotta be joking!) and The Blind Side, so does Meryl Streep (but again, Streep will get nominated even if she just stands still and be ugly).
2. No big nominations for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bone, well except one small category for Stanley Tucci, which he will lose it to Christoph Waltz.
3. It's Glee's first year to compete in the Globes, with 4 nominations, I have my fingers crossed that they will win big. Yay!
4. There are 5 animated movies compete for the best animations. Amazing year, but No Ponyo on a Cliff? Disappointment!

I haven't watched many of the nominated movies, so it's just way too early for me to guess the winner. But anyway, no harm done to just play a bit. Here are my guesses:

Best movie (drama): Inglorious Basterds

(I know, I know. I just watched the movie and I love it! Well, Avatar might win, but again, Avatar is beautiful, but not clever).

Best actor (drama): Colin Firth - A Single Man

(Come on, he deserves it!).

Best actress (drama): Sandra Bullock - the Blind Side

(Yes, it's a small chance and it might mean that it's bad year for movies if Sandra wins, but it's nice to see her really wins something!)

Best movie (comedy): Nine

(I wish it was (500) days of Summer, but Nine is just too grand).

Best actor (comedy): Daniel Day Lewis - Nine

(Again, I wish it was Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, but Day Lewis is just too grand).

Best actress (comedy): Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia

(If they put Sandra Bullock - The Proposal in this category, I can only say it's a dry year for actresses in comedy).

Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

(A sure bet!)

Best supporting actress: Mo'nique - Precious

(Precious must win something, everyone must be happy. Although I hope it's either Cruz or Kendrick).

Best director: James Cameron - Avatar

(If Avatar wins the best film, Katryn Bigelow should win the best director. HAHAHA).

movie: avatar

Last Saturday, I went out with my buddy, Yuska, to watch Avatar at Senayan City. Well, it's not as crowded as I thought it would be. I mean, people who went gaga for New Moon should be more gaga for this one. It's a bit slow, but again, maybe it's a long weekend and some preferred to stay out of the city.

Yes, Senayan City, the mall that had a bit of terrible accident about a month ago. We went there. Yes, there were sales all over the place and I did get to try a sip on the Toffe Latte at Starbucks. I must say, it's so ordinary. Yuska will definitely agree with me on this one.

The movie, however, is far from ordinary. Avatar is James Cameron's last movie after Titanic. Well, Actually Cameron did make some movies, they're mostly documentaries or small-tv series. So we are safe to say that Avatar is his comeback after Titanic, in 1997.

What makes Avatar so special? The story line is really simple and it has no big twists. We have seen or heard it before. It reminds me a bit of Princess Mononoke and Pandorum. But the images, the world Cameron created for the movie is just superb. It's a treat for all special-effect lovers. The Na'vi people, the language, the sights, the creature, the new world, they were carefully crafted (or designed).

From all his movies, I believe when Cameron decided to do something, I bet he would just go all the way - big scale. Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2 are proofs how advance he is when it comes to sci-fi movies.

So if you haven't seen it, you might want to rush yourself to the nearest cinema, Oh no, go to the one that has 3D, and enjoy the wild ride to Pandora. James Cameron is again the king of the world.

last day at work in 2009

Today is the last day of work in 2009. The sky is perfectly clear, not too hot, but then again not too cold. Well, maybe it's a bit cold for me, since I have been down with flu since two days ago. No virus whatsoever can hold me back. Well, maybe I do need to lay down for a while. HAHAHA.

Everyone actually looks a bit dazed today. My brain seems so too. We were planning to have a breakfast together. Nothing grandeur, just simply a 20K per-person breakfast.

Again, with us, when it comes to food and dining together, we always seize the opportunity to make it grand! What was supposed to be a 20K per-person breakfast became a feast. We will only work half-day today and after work, some of us plan to go for food-hunting.

Yes, I have cold and yes, I'm so going with them, with or without cold. HAHAHAHA.

web alert: lobstakilla

I once said that men whom are equipped with wits are intolerable. The writer of this blog anyhow is an exception. He is a chef who writes about food and restaurants. He's not only witty, but also brave. I admit, I visit this blog religiously for tips and excellent places to visit.

my miracle of christmas

Christmas might be 9 days away, but today at work, the holiday vibe is everywhere and it actually feels good. Everyone is in either red, green, white, silver or gray (well, that's just me, HAHAHA). As usual, end of year is always the busiest week of all.

I was quite depressive for the past week and now I'm coming down with cold, it adds up the misery. BUT strangely everything resolved without me putting much effort to it and my limited brain reckon the unusual yet simple phenomenon as miracle.

Yes, suddenly a friend practicing part of the ding-dong song doesn't seem to annoy me anymore, she sounds like an angel. My red shoes doesn't look that tacky, they actually bring good colors to my boring attire. I feel like being in those movies, where happy endings are possible and Sandra Bullock might win an Oscar this year (totally unrelated!).

I feel like shaking everyone's hands and wish them the merriest Christmas. I feel like Ebenezer Scrooge at the Christmas morning after the visit of the three ghosts of Christmas.

I'm so excited about the break! Yay!

4n6k4

Tahu gak kalau angka itu ditemukan di India? Yah, beberapa sumber yang tidak bisa dipercaya (HEHEHE) menuliskan kalau angka itu pertama kali dipakai oleh India, walau dalam bentuk tulisan, pertama kali angka ditemukan dalam bahasa Arab.

Percaya atau tidak akan informasi di atas, angka harus diakui adalah salah satu penemuan terbesar bukan? Dari bocah 4 tahun hingga mahasiswa, ilmu hitung-menghitung terus dipelajari. Yah, pentingnya angka tidak perlu diragukan lagi.

Hampir semua alat ukur, walau berbeda satuan pasti akan menggunakan angka. Angka dipakai untuk menyatakan ukuran dari hampir segala sesuatu, termasuk keadilan - misalnya penipuan uang nasabah salah satu bank di negara kita dikenakan penjara 3,5 tahun dan sebagainya (yah, adil tidaknya sangat relatif yah, tergantung juga sistem pengadilan sih).

Selain contoh tersebut, angka juga dipakai untuk mengukur keunggulan seseorang. Serius saja, untuk seorang manusia, angka-angka berikut ini sangat penting:

• Angka yang tertera dalam slp gaji atau angka yang menyatakan jumlah uang tersimpan di bank atas nama sendiri
• Angka yang menyatakan jumlah aset ataupun ukuran besar/luas aset yang tidak mengalami amortisasi
• Angka yang menandakan tinggi/berat, dan ukuran perut/pinggang/dada/pantat/tangan dan paha (khususnya untuk dunia perbusanaan, angka-angka ini sangat penting)
• Angka yang menandakan kecerdasan atau kemampuan penguasaan satu ilmu, yang biasanya dikeluarkan oleh lembaga-lembaga tertentu
• Angka yang menyatakan berapa lama seseorang tinggal di dunia ini (sayangnya angka untuk mengetahui sisa waktu seseorang hidup di dunia fana masih merupakan misteri hingga saat ini)
• Dan masih banyak lagi, bukan?
  

Mangkus tidaknya sebuah angka untuk mengukur hal-hal yang bersifat fana sebenarnya sah-sah saja, tapi itu bukan segala-gala-nya. Beberapa ribu tahun yang lalu, Yesus menampik pemberian seorang kaya tetapi memuji pemberian seadanya seorang janda karena ketulusannya. Pada masa yang sama, Yesus juga menikmati jamuan dengan Zakheus (which my dearest friend described as vertically challenged) dan kaum papa.

Yah, benar angka/statistik sebagai hasil dari ukuran keberhasilan kita akan selalu ada (tahukah lo kalo Meryl Streep adalah aktor dengan nominasi Oscar terbanyak? 15 kali!), tapi apakah itu yang menentukan keberhasilan kita?

Jujur, gue bisa saja berbohong dan bilang, gue adalah orang yang berhasil karena gue mengukur keberhasilan gue dari tingkat kebahagiaan/rasa bersyukur, tapi bukan, gue sendiri masih bergumul. Dan kalau lo mengalami hal yang sama dengan gue, mari kita bergumul bersama. HEHEHE.

hari antikorupsi

Hari ini akan diperingati sebagai Hari Antikorupsi Sedunia. Menariknya, di Jakarta, hari AntiKorupsi akan diperingati dengan kurang-lebih 14 titik sasaran aksi demo di beberapa tempat di ibukota (atau 33 propinsi menurut detik) mulai pukul 08:00 pagi ini hingga sore nanti .

Menurut Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, korupsi adalah kata benda yang berarti penyelewengan atau penyalahgunaan uang negara (perusahaan dsb) untuk keuntungan pribadi atau orang lain. Dalam penjelasannya, KBBI juga menuliskan bahwa korupsi itu termasuk korupsi waktu.

Hal ini membuat gue berpikir, apakah gue sedang mengkorupsi waktu kerja dengan nge-blog pagi ini dan apakah anda juga mengkorupsi waktu kerja dengan membaca blog gue? HEHEHEHE.

la joie de vivre

Today, Jakarta was shocked by 2 totally unrelated suicides, not even yet 25 years old. One was in Grand Indonesia and the other was in Senayan City. Sometimes, I wonder what really crosses their mind, what makes them think that there's no possible way out or what's so painful that it has no cure.

I cannot judge for maybe I never or will never stand on their shoes. I never had that kind of life, but I do know it's important to always be grateful. For instance, Monday is never anyone's favorite day (except that you're having your day off on that day), but this Monday was special, very special indeed. We were celebrating Diana's birthday (her birthday is 27 November 2009: Happy birthday, darling friend!). I don't know how to begin telling how much this woman means a lot, how deary she's to me.

At noon, without (or with) any proper plan, we went to visit Cici. She's on her 3 months maternal leave and there he was, Jovan Yudhistira, Cici's second son, as cute as an button.

If Maria found raindrops on roses and whiskers on kitten comforting, and thinking of them made her feel good, I think my joie de vivre (actually one of them) is being with my loved ones, celebrating their existance. If you don't believe me, start celebrating your loved one's existance with cake, food, (or wine, if you fancy it) and silly jokes, you will feel it.

And I guess that's what all the fuss of celebration is. Yes, putting up those decorations, baking cakes, preparing a feast are totally painful, but la joie de vivre it creates truly lasts forever or at least you will get a few laughs. Totally worth it!

11th jiffest

The 11th Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) is here! I was so excited about it last year, but this year I'm planning to watch more movies, even I have to go alone. Actually, today is the first day of the public ticket pre-sale and I'm still at home. HAHAHA. This year, they only have one single venue for World Cinema (which is good!).

Movies I plan to watch:

5 December 2009

12:30 Terrible Happy (Danish)

15:30 Three Monkeys (Turkish)

19:00 Nord (Norwegian)

6 December 2009

12:30 Jerichow (Germany)

15:30 Troubled Water (Danish)

8 December 2009

19:00 Coco Before Chanel (French)

11 December 2009

18:45 Love and Rage (Danish)

12 December 2009

15:30 Everlasting Moments (Finnish)

19:00 New York, I Love You (English)

New York, I Love You requires an invitation, if you have an extra one, I wouldn't mind being your date! HAHAHAHA.

new moon

People are going to hate me for this. Early this week, I finally got to watch the movie, that somewhere someone claimed it as the movie event of the year. I can surely say that man was out of his mind.

Basically, New Moon picks up where Twilight left us. It's about the continuity of the romance between Bella and Edward, until it comes to the point when Edward thinks Bella being around the Cullens is just too dangerous. They left, she got broken-hearted. Here comes Jacob, the werewolf. They spent time together, they're in love. She got crazy, jumped off a cliff. The vampire thought she's dead and wanted to expose himself and die (how Romeo and Juliet, yes?). She came and told him that she's not dead and they're back together.

Just to type that paragraph hurt my chest, really. It does make me wonder, if she's going to be around the Cullens at the end, why did they leave in the first place? It's like the movie didn't really go anywhere. It's like the whole 130 minutes means nothing. I call that stupidity.

The funny thing when I watched the movie is I sat next to bunch of girls. Every time Edward kissed Bella, they sighed or giggled seriously! Or when Jacob (or Taylor Lutner) takes off his shirt (I mean, he's not even 18 yet!). But then me, playing with my phone during the movie was more annoying. I felt bad afterwards, but I just couldn't help myself. I got bored.

Don't ask me whether I'm on Team Edward or Team Jacob, I can simply tell you that I hate this movie and not even Dakota Fanning could save it.

PS: Michael Sheen, shame on you! You're an actor! You shouldn't be in this movie!

5 things you (might) want to know about me

Well, I have this idea of writing 5 things that truly show who I am. Honestly, it's not easy. I have been editing for many times. Until I think now it's appropriate (it does show something, doesn't it?).

One, I like my bedroom. I think it has everything that one can possibly need. Books, DVDs, a comfy bed, TV, and a 24 hours connection to the world (Yes, I'm a freak!). A friend once said that it's a madness that I enjoy staying in, but then I told him: you would too if you had my bed room. I believe one's bedroom should be the most convenient room in the house. HEHEHE.

Two, I'm not an open person. It's difficult for me to really expose myself to someone or anyone. I once wrote how I clustered people I know in life and I have no idea why I did that. I don't think anyone in this world can admit that they really know me. Not even if you read this blog religiously, because the truth is: I often delete many-almost-published entries.

Three, I don't eat sweet before 8 o'clock in the morning and after 10 at night. I don't know why really, I think it's just my body saying I don't really enjoy sweets, but if I have to, maybe only a tiny bit. HEHEHE.

Four, I hate ceremonies. All my life, I have only attended not more than 4 weddings, 3 funerals and on my graduation, I wore t-shirt, jeans and a pair of adidas. I didn't even bring my parents, because I planned not to stay long (and I don't have any photos of my graduation).

Five, I still have no idea who I want to be in life. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a president, then a doctor, then a writer. But today, now, I still haven't been able to figure it out. I'm screwed, big time! HEHEHE.

wanita dalam film adrian lyne, part i

Liburan di akhir bulan selalu tidak menyenangkan, karena budget yang terbatas untuk benar-benar menikmati liburan di luar kota atau mungkin untuk sekedar rekreasi di pusat keramaian. Intinya, liburan di akhir bulan paling mantap (atau irit) dihabiskan dengan hibernasi di kamar.

Salah satu kegiatan yang memang paling pantas dilakukan (dan murah) adalah nonton DVD, yang mana liburan panjang minggu terakhir November gue lakukan. Bukan sembarang DVD, tapi kali ini gue memilih menonton film-film Adrian Lyne.

Adrian Lyne adalah sutradara dari Inggris yang sepanjang kurang-lebih 30 tahun karier-nya hanya menyutradarai 9 film (dan gue hanya nonton 6 film). Film terakhirnya adalah Unfaithful, yang berhasil mempopularkan kembali Diane Lane (I love her!).

Searah jarum jam (dari kiri atas): Alex Forest (Glen Close), Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), Elizabeth McGraw (Kim Basinger), Diana Murphy (Demi Moore)

FLASHDANCE (1983)

Liburan kemarin, gue hanya disempatkan untuk menonton (kembali) 4 film karya Lyne. Yang pertama (berdasarkan tahun edar), adalah Flashdance.

Tokoh Alex Owens adalah seorang wanita muda yang bekerja di dunia pria. Siang hari Alex bekerja di perusahaan konstruksi, dan yang pada malam hari berubah menjadi seorang penari. Alex mempunyai impian untuk menjadi seorang penari profesional. Flashdance berkutat bagaimana Alex akhirnya mempunyai keberanian untuk audisi di sebuh sekolah tari yang konservatif.

Flashdance adalah salah satu film popular di era 80an. Begitu popular-nya film ini, semua wanita pada jaman itu (konon) memotong sweatshirt mereka sehingga menyerupai sweatshirt yang dipakai oleh Jennifer Beals di poster film Flashdance. Soundtrack dari film ini juga tidak kalah popular. Hingga saat ini, sapa yang tidak tahu lagu What a Feeling, yang juga memenangin Oscar untuk lagu terbaik tahun di mana film ini diedarkan.

9½ WEEKS (1986)

Film kedua adalah 9½ weeks. Diedarkan tahun 1986, film ini disebut-sebut sebagai film Lyne yang paling disalah-mengertikan oleh kritik film. Saat dirilis, kritik secara kejam membenci film ini. Jujur, gue yang sudah nonton film ini berkali-kali tetap gak ngerti apa maksud dari film ini.

Penafsiran gue, film ini berkisar dalam hidup seorang wanita yang bernama Elizabeth, yang adalah wanita baik-baik. Setelah bercerai dari pernikahannya selama 3 tahun, Elizabeth bertemu dengan John dan terlibat dalam hubungan erotik, yang penuh dengan permainan-permainan sensual, sampai satu saat Elizabeth merasa hubungan ini sudah tidak sehat dan dia tidak mengenali lagi siapa dirinya.

9½ weeks menjadikan Kim Basinger sebagai salah satu bintang Hollywood terseksi di era 80an, yang uniknya semua adegan panas di film ini, Basinger menggunakan seorang pemeran pengganti. Rencana pembuatan sequel dari film ini dibatalkan karena Basinger menolak untuk tampil di film tersebut.

Teman gue, pernah melihat DVD ini di kamar gue dan dia dengan hidung ala penduduk Whoville mengarahkan jari telunjuknya dan berkata: Alex, ini adalah film porno! Gue tidak menyalahi dia sepenuhnya untuk kebodohan itu, memang film ini harus disensor sedemikian rupa hingga boleh ditanyakan di biskop Amerika dengan rating R (untuk mengerti tentang sistem rating film di Amerika, baca di sini).

bersambung ke sini.

wanita dalam film adrian lyne, part ii

Sambungan dari sini.

FATAL ATTRACTION (1987)

Berikutnya adalah Alex Forrest, dalam Fatal Attraction. Diperankan dengan begitu baik oleh Glen Close, yang pada awalnya, bahkan Lyne sendiri tidak menyetujui peran ini diberikan kepadanya. Fatal Attraction singkatnya bercerita tentang pria berkeluarga yang terlibat dalam selingkuhan semalam, yang ternyata tidak berakhir begitu saja, tetapi justru mendatangkan bencana. Intinya, Fatal Attraction adalah peringatan untuk semua pria beristri untuk tidak selingkuh.

Gosipnya, ada lebih dari 20 sutradara yang menolak menyutradarai film ini, sebelum akhirnya jatuh di tangan Lyne dan lebih dari 20 aktris Hollywood pada masa itu yang dipertimbangkan untuk memerani Alex Forrest (termasuk: Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Meryl Streep, Isabella Rosellini), yang akhirnya jatuh ke tangan Close. Close setelah menyetujui memerani Alex Forrest, membawa naskah film ini ke seorang psikiater dan tanya: apakah tokoh ini mungkin ada dan mengapa.

Glenn Close sendiri mengaku kalau hingga saat ini, dia sering didatangin pria-pria yang mengaku kalau mereka takut terhadap tokoh yang dia perankan itu. Dan (this one's freaky) hingga saat ini, Close masih menyimpan pisau yang ia pakai di film tersebut.

Selain merupakan film terlaris di tahun 1987, film ini juga berhasil mendapatkan beberapa nominasi Oscar, termasuk untuk film terbaik, sutradara terbaik (Lyne), aktris terbaik (Close) dan aktris pendukung terbaik (Anne Acher).

INDECENT PROPOSAL (1993)

Adalah Diana Murphy yang bersedia tidur selama 1 malam dengan seorang jutawan senilai 1 juta USD untuk menyelamatkan pernikahannya dari hutang. Pergumulan yang muncul kemudian adalah, mungkinkah cinta dibeli dengan uang? Mungkinkah seks hanya seks?

Dibintangin oleh Demi Moore, yang pada saat itu, sedang berada di puncak kejayaannya. Demi Moore sangat cantik bukan di film ini? Peran Diana Murphy awalnya ditawarkan kepada Julia Roberts, yang saat itu sedang ngetop-ngetopnya dengan film Pretty Woman.

Walau pada akhirnya, uang bukan segalanya, cinta seharusnya dapat mengalahkan semua tantangan, Diana kembali bersama dengan suami-nya, David. Manis bukan?

THE WOMEN

Beberapa artikel (atau buku) meng-kritik peran-peran wanita dalam film Lyne terlalu sensual dan merendahkan martabat wanita. Alex Owen, berusia 18 tahun yang masih mengejar mimpi sebagai penari, terlibat hubungan percintaan dengan pria berumur (paling tidak berusia 40 tahun). Alex Forrest is simply crazy, she's a warning to all married men to keep it in their pants. Selama sembilan setengah minggu, Elizabeth mengeksposisikan dirinya terhadap permainan-permainan sensual yang memaksa lembaga sensor Amerika untuk memotong film ini. Diana Murphy singkatnya adalah seorang pelacur.

Gue bukan seorang misogynist dan gue gak pernah menganggap peran-peran wanita di film ini merendahkan martabat wanita dalam bentuk apapun. Kalaupun iya, rasanya seorang Glenn Close tidak akan menerima peran Alex Forrest. Close adalah aktris yang cerdas.

The truth is: I find them fascinating and I wish Lyne would make more movies. Adrian Lyne, despite the wide-range qualities of his movies, has tickled us and somehow made us think (or at least, me). It would be interesting. Don't you agree?

morning rain

It was raining all day and I remember I had this heavy headache. It's hurting so much, that I decided I would not get myself up that morning. Just when it's about noon, I got myself up, brushed my teeth, drank a glass of water and opened my window.

It's still raining. I was still in a very dark gloomy mood. I went outside, but on my way out of my room, I saw my camera. I decided to take some photos of the plant outside my house, for no reason. I just felt that I had to do it, taking that photo under the rain.

paranormal activity

Yup, gue harus akui kalau gue mulai menjadi seorang pengecut. Kadang-kadang, ketika mempersiapkan sebuah entry, gue suka nge-upload foto-nya terlebih dahulu baru kemudian (setelah beberapa hari) menulis artikel-nya. Nah, gue berniat mengupload foto still dari film Paranormal Activity, dan kejadiannya gue selalu gagal. Tentu gue panik dong!

Maksud gue apa-apaan nih? Benarkah ada kutukan dari film ini sehingga mau nge-upload fotonya saja tidak bisa? Setelah gue cek picasaweb.com, ternyata mereka sedang maintenance. Jadi, sekali lagi, yup, gue hanya paranoid!

Sabtu minggu lalu, gue menerima ajakan seorang teman untuk menonton film yang disebut-sebut oleh kritikus Amerika sebagai film horror yang paling menakutkan. Film horror yang memberikan definisi baru kepada genre ini. Dan sebagai orang yang tidak mudah ditakuti, tentu saja pendapat kaum kritikus ini tidak mempengaruhi gue.

Karena ada janji terlebih dahulu, gue tiba di Blitz 15 menit setelah film dimulai, jadi sebenarnya gue hanya menikmati (atau dalam proses ditakuti) selama 84 menit.

Filmnya sendiri pada awalnya berjalan lambat. Laksana nonton Blair Witch Project, gambar film seolah-olah diambil dengan kamera amatiran. Bercerita mengenai sepasang pria-wanita yang dihantui, dan mereka memutuskan untuk merekam semua aktivitas yang terjadi terhadap mereka selama mereka tidur.

Anehnya, gue dan teman gue mempunyai perasaan yang sama ketika kami menonton film ini. Kami sangat menanti-nantikan adegan malam, di mana mereka tidur dan hal-hal yang tidak dapat dijelaskan oleh akal terjadi (yup, it's a fiction, both Katie and Micah are alive).

Seperti yang gue bilang, adegan film ini berjalan begitu lambat, tapi 15 menit terakhir dari film ini membuat gue dan gue yakin sebagian besar dari penonton di biskop itu menahan nafas, menutup mata dan mungkin meremas tangan orang di sebelahnya.

Gue gak akan menceritakan apa yang terjadi pada 15 menit itu, tapi gue akan menceritakan apa yang diakibatkan dari 15 menit itu terhadap tidur gue selama 3 malam ini. Gue gak bisa tidur, gue selalu terbangun antara jam 2 hingga 3 pagi (adegan pasangan ini diganggu pada waktu mereka tidur selalu jam 2-3 pagi) dan sekarang, gue hanya mempunyai dua pilihan ketika tidur: tidak memakai selimut atau memakai selimut tapi mengikat selimut itu di salah satu ujung tempat tidur gue, sehingga selimut itu gak bisa ditarik.

HAHAHAHA, yup, sekali lagi, gue seorang pengecut!

julie & julia

Julie & Julia received mixed reviews from the critics. Some said it's too long and boring, but how can I not love this movie? It has everything that I adore. It's set in both Paris and New York (which are my favorite cities), it's about cooking, food and blogging. It has Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and the lovely Jane Lynch, whom made a small appearance.

It is true that the movie has its flaws and Amy Adams was just way too charming. The ending is a bit awkward, and Yes, Julie and Julia cannot (or MUST NOT) be compared to Ephron's other hits (like I've Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle), it doesn't deserve to be put in that classic category.

But still I have enough reasons to love the movie as the first french word came out of Streep's mouth. Some said, Streep might get another oscar nom for this role, or at least, a Golden Globe nomination in the comedy/musical category.

the dance within

Last Saturday, I went to the RRI Auditorium to see a friend's dance recital. A belly-dancer. I was amazed. Yes, there were some troubles with the sound-systems and the light coordinator was a bit confusing. But the main course of the event was served just right!

I have to admit watching those hip-hop dancers made me a bit glad that I have given up my dancing days at the clubs. They're so good. And belly dancing has always been a mystery for me since the first time my friend, Yuska said he was interested to learn the dance. Why a mystery? The dance looks seductive, sensual yet it's not and never be erotic.

Years after that and now, I got to watch him perform, I cannot help myself but be very proud of what he has achieved. Well done, Yuska!

monday (nearly) at the end of november

It's Monday and I can tell you whoever said that he/she loves Monday, that person is just mad! Anyway, I was on my way to work. I noticed it was the last week of November 2009. I was (still am) actually a bit worried how I seem to have done nothing. Anyway, like I said it's still a month away to 2010. I shall contemplate later.

The other thing is I miss MMR. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time this weekend. Again, thank you so much for understanding that I needed to be with my friends. I hope to see you soon.

she's a mom again

Finally, Cici gave birth to a healthy boy on Tuesday, November 10, 2009. I finally will be able to meet this tiny young man. I went on a trip to Bali, chasing some boats, with him when he was little inside his mommy's tummy. I had lunch with him for almost every day for 9 months.

Anyway, congratulations Cici and Pak Yuyatno! Jovan Yudhistira, welcome, kid!

reintroduce: milo

I once wrote something short about Milo. Now after three months, Milo is getting cuter and this is him again. He's still a kid, he still likes playing. See how he chewed my fingers, my sister kept telling not to do that, but that look was so adorable.

mad about glee

Gue baru sadar kalau ini adalah post pertama gue mengenai serial TV. Walau gue mengikuti beberapa serial TV, tapi hanya segelintir serial TV yang gue ikutin lebih daripada 3 (tiga) musim. Salah satu serial TV yang gue ikutin saat ini adalah GLEE.

Di Amerika, Glee diputar di channel FOX. Glee sendiri bercerita mengenai sekelompok anak-anak sekolah William McKinley di Ohio yang tergabung dengan kelompok vokal, yang dilebih dikenal dengan Glee Club. Glee Club dipimpin oleh Will Schuester, setelah pemimpin Glee yang terdahulu dipecat oleh sekolah tersebut.

Schuester, yang adalah seorang guru bahasa spanyol, berambisi membawa kembali kejayaan Glee Club, yang nyaris ditutup karena kurang-nya peminat dan bahkan Schuester harus membayar USD 60 setiap minggu supaya Glee Club diijinkan untuk berlatih.

Apa yang membuat Glee begitu luar biasa? Glee bukanlah sesuatu yang baru di televisi. Bahkan dalam beberapa tahun yang lalu, Disney sudah terlebih dahulu mengeluarkan apapun yang musikal, dari Hanna Montana sampai High School Musical. Di tahun 70an, kita mengenal Fame.

Glee menjadi begitu istimewa, mungkin karena mengudara tepat pada waktunya, di mana TV sedang dipadati oleh serial mengenai forensik kriminal atau vampire atau kurangnya serial komedi di TV saat ini. Glee memiliki apa yang disebut elemen-elemen pendukung yang tepat, seperti alur cerita, para bintangnya dan jangan lupa, tokoh-tokoh utama di Glee adalah mereka yang dianggap pecundang. Everyone just loves the underdogs!

Glee, sebagai serial komedi musikal, tentunya menjadikan musik sebagai salah satu unsur yang penting. Begitu luar biasanya pengaruh serial ini, beberapa penyanyi bahkan rela untuk tidak mendapatkan royalti dengan membiarkan lagu mereka dipakai di serial ini. Gue sempat menahan nafas mendengar rendisi mereka terhadap lagu Rehab-nya Amy Winehouse, Mercy-nya Duffy atau bahkan lagu Take a Bow-nya Rihanna.

Hingga saat ini, Glee belum ditayangkan di televisi lokal *sayangnya*, dan di Amerika sendiri, sudah memasuki episode ke 8. Semoga Starworld menayangkan serial ini.

kulineran

If you love gastronomy adventures, kulineran might be one of your references. It's quite new and I contribute as one of the bloggers. If you have any suggestions, or maybe information regarding your own favorite restaurants, we are more than delighted to hear it. Thanks!

i tweet

I decided to give twitter another shot. I do tweet now. Check my account here. Thanks.

attacking jane austen

I once read from a book saying that writing is like riding a bike. Practice is needed so one be able to ride it well. If you, in a period of time, abandon your bike, it might take a while to get back on the saddle. Honestly, I think that goes for everything. We are good at what we do if we do it constantly .. and we might get bored easily as well. Okay, I'm not complaining. It's Monday, I'm at work and although everything seems to come towards like a group of bees attacking me, I'm still able to find a minute or two to blog. HEHEHE.

Anyway, a couple of days ago, a friend mention on his Facebook status that Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is so unrealistic. Of course, I'm not the right person to defend Austen subjectively because of my adoration for her (not that she needs to be defended). I once wrote how much I admire Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice.

I can honestly tell you now that I don't know much who Austen was nor I know much about how life was in the early 18th century. I do know that Austen was considered an outspoken author who elicited contradictions to what was considered important at that time (and/or maybe today's society, like it or not). The heroines she created, they live (still do) bravely.

Elizabeth Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice), despite her faults to pass on judgments, she was a cleaver, young and outspoken lady. Let's not forget Emma Woodhouse, Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood or Fanny Price. They're all astonishing in the little circles of their lives.

Back to Pride and Prejudice, the book that was published in the early 18th century. It was set on England, where people still did curtsy, electricity was not yet invented and being married well was a woman's destiny. But Bennet despised the tradition. She refused the he-owned-everything Mr. Collins' proposal, not because he's portrayed funny-looking, but simply he's not the right man.

Seriously, think about it! Do you really think Pride is not real? It has been a couple of months, me and my friends at work were talking about a TV show called, Take Me Out. Basically, it's a dating game show. The guys will introduce themselves - age, occupation, what kind of car they drive, etc. I don't blame society for expecting a social/economy-elevation. My point is what happened then still happens now.

Watching those 20ish women standing with an on/off button reminds me of Kitty, Lydia, Mrs. Bennet and all silly ladies on Pride and Prejudice hoping to find a Bingley, a Darcy, a Wickham or even a Collins (depends on their desperation. HAHAHA).

In both the movie and the book, Lizzie did end up being with Mr. Darcy. Lizzie never really despise wealth and Darcy is just an uptight aristocrat, but I don't think he look down on people with less-fortune. So if you ask me, whether the romance between the two is possible or not. I shall say although it doesn't not happen to me, to that friend of mine or maybe to most of you, it does possibly happen.

In short, life stinks occasionally and you just need to suck it up. HAHAHA.

PS: I have this pimple the size of an onion. Totally annoying.

coffee on sunday morning

My last entry was almost 1 month ago. I always told myself that I ought to spend some times to sit and write something, but I don't know. Life, work and many other things have been quite mind-and-energy-consuming. I almost had a fallen-out.

But this Sunday, with a cup of coffee (my second cup, actually), I decided to write something, although that something might seem random and useless. I thought if I didn't do it, I might never do it again, ever. See how silly, my entry is?

This weekend, I didn't get a chance to really hang out with friends. I stayed in most of the time. I had a movie marathon, a date with Jack. Nicholson.

I started with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Okay, I have to admit it's not an excellent choice to spend your weekend watching something dramatic. But one thing the movie taught me is one better be dead in flesh and free in spirit than be imprisoned. No, I'm not suggesting anyone to commit suicide. Basically, it's more to: know who you are, do what you want to do and like what you do. It's a good movie.

As Good As It Gets has always been my favorite movie. I always like it and it never gets old for me. Perfect cast, perfect story, well-acted and it's just perfect. It's a make-you-feel-good movie, but it's not tacky.

The last one is Something's Gotta Give. Reasons to love this movie: Funny, Eartha Kitt and Paris. You have to watch it to understand them. HEHEHE.

I'm heading out with a friend. It does feel good to be able to blog again. I guess it's true when they say: Like gardening, blogging can be very calming. Happy Sunday, everyone!

adieu, vida!

On Monday, Patrick Swayze died at 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. I'm never a fan of Swayze. I don't even like Ghost. But his bravery to take the role of Vida Boheme in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" made him a dearest to me and Golden Globe agreed to nominate him as the best actor in the comedy/musical category.

We will always remember Patrick Swayze, an actor, a singer, a dancer, a song-writer and a Vida Boheme. Adieu.

time: 09:09:09

Pak Stephen Tong once quoted a famous Chinese proverb, saying: "Time is money, but money is not time." Pak Tong also explained that the proverb means it's true that time is valuable (like money or gold), but money or gold cannot redeem time or the value of time.

I always think that date (to its second) was the measure unit to the value of time, like meters for length or grams for weight. We use years-month-date-time to measure the value of time. Today, nothing special about it (it surely will repeat itself with other numbers), my time measurement (also known as clock) showed: 09.09.09, o9:09:09.

Pretty amazing, isn't it? Again, nothing special, but I hope it stops you for a minute or five to think how valuable it is. Remember time maybe money, but no amount of money can redeem time. I don't preach, for I'm not yet that wise, but I'll say a prayer written many hundreds years ago by a very smart guy, named Moses.

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." - Moses, Psalm 90:12, NIV.

Have a great day/hour/minute/second, everyone!

PS: The quote was taken from Tong's famous book, Waktu dan Hikmat. It's one of my favorites.

this is milo

My sister just got a new dog. My nephew (whose name is Billy) name the dog MILO. So this is Milo, age 30 days. He's a bit shy, but very cute.

my mumps

On my last entry, I did mention that I was not feeling well. Last Thursday, at around 10, I thought that I was going to faint. My head was hurting (still), my head was spinning and my body was burning (no dramatization here). The office's doctor diagnosed me with MUMPS.

What is mumps, you ask? Mumps is a viral disease that caused by the mumps virus. It causes the salivary gland to be swollen (it's the almost-back part of the neck to the ear). The disease can be dangerous if it's not rightly treated and it's definitely contagious, therefore I have to stay home for the weekend. Hiks.

As I spend my Friday night watching Disney's Beauty and the Beast and eat my nasi goreng, I really am trying to just see it from the brighter side. Maybe I need to slow things down, maybe it's a sign I need to take a better care of myself.

My neck is getting better. The swollen part is almost gone and I can still can eat, talk and listen pretty well (for some people, the symptoms are the lost of taste, appetite, becoming temporarily deaf) ... So, I'm good and grateful it's not too serious. Please pray for my being well.

Have a nice week-end, everyone!

aku kembali

Hari ini, tepatnya tanggal 2 September 2009, sekitar pukul 3 sore ini, terjadi gempa di pulau Jawa. Pusat gempa diperkirakan oleh BMG sekitar 142 km barat daya dari kota Tasikmalaya dan kerasa goncangannya sampai ke Jakarta.

Di mana gue? Gue habis melakukan kunjungan dari Departemen Pendidikan di Sudirman dan sedang makan sore di Urban Kitchen, Senayan City. Goncangan heboh yang membuat hampir seluruh pengunjung mall keluar serentak. (Sempat mengutuk diri dan berjanji kalau lain kali hanya mau ngunjungi mall dengan ketinggian maksimal 3 lantai .. HEHEHE). 

Tapi syukur saja, masih selamat sampai keluar dan sempat masuk lagi untuk ngebalikin kartu hijau Urban Kitchen dan bayar tagihan dong.  

Eniwei, entry post terakhir gue itu tertanggal 2 Agustus 2009 dan sekarang tepat 1 bulan kemudian, baru gue mulai nge-post lagi. Secara singkat apa saja yang terjadi di dalam hidup gue sebulan: kerja, ulang tahun, PDKT dan tidak PDKT, patah hati dan baik kembali, ngalamin bencana gempa, dapat tugas-tugas baru dari kantor dan ... pindah rumah!

Yah, pengen nge-blog lebih panjang, tapi kok badan gue sakit-sakit semua ya? Gue yakin banget kalau gue gak ketiban apa-apa, gue baru saja mengkonsumsi satu tablet Neozep dan minum air panas (BENARAN! AIR PANAS langsung dari dispenser) untuk menghangatkan isi perut. Semoga besok pas bangun pagi, sudah bisa segar.

My laptop is still on. I'm updating some programs. It's good to be back!

NB: Gambar di atas itu diambil dari Google!Earth, itu kota Tasikmalaya hasil jepretan satelit. 

happy birthday to ...

YLT on July 25, 2009 ... I can only say this: I'd be a worse version of myself without you. You are my Jack McFarland, my Holmes, my Ms. Dashwood, my Gilly-bean, my Nessa, my Mrs. Dalloway, my Howl, my Mr. Spock.

Bonne Anniversaire, mon cheri. 

mie kepiting, lagi!

Iya, gue harus akui kalo akhir-akhir ini gue agak-agak terobsesi dengan Mie, khususnya Mie Kepiting. Sudah beberapa tempat yang gue datang, termasuk salah satu tempat makan di Mangga Besar, yang mana gue harus datang dua kali, karena kali yang pertama, tempat makannya tutup.

Tapi gak apa-apa, kemarin malam, setelah CCF, gue langsung saja mampir ke sana dan berhasil nyicip mie kepiting spesial-nya yang mana memang spesial. HEHEHE. Setelah pergi ke beberapa tempat makan mie kepiting, gue coba menyusun kriteria yang membuat semangkok mie kepiting itu boleh disebut mantap:

1. Mie-nya, gue suka mie yang lembut tapi tidak mudah hancur. Pastinya mie-mie model rebusan tampaknya hanya cocok makan di rumah
2. Jumlah lauk kepitingnya, kalau makin berani (dalam konteks makin banyak) makin mantap kepitingnya
3. Kesegaran kepitingnya, gue sadar kalo kepiting itu termasuk salah satu jenis makanan yang cepat dan mudah terdeteksi ke-tidaksegar-annya
4. Sambalnya, mantap banget kalau yang buatan tangan dengan resep-resep rahasia. Sebenarnya cabe rawit dengan irisan bawang putih dan kecap asin saja sudah mantap. HEHEHE
5. Kebersihan tempat makan, sebenarnya kurang krusial kalau mie-nya mantap banget. HEHEHHEE. *emang susah bawaan jorok ya? :D
   

Tampaknya obsesi mencari mie kepiting sudah berlalu, sekarang lagi pengen makan apa yah?! HAHAHA.

freaky wednesday

Well, it's not really freaky. I was not really in a good mood and I felt that some of my friends were not as well. On my way home from the office, I looked at the sky and voila, the clouds were over the sun and it created a bit unusual effect. It's pretty nice really.

cuti dan film jepang

Beberapa hari ini, mengingat kerjaan di kantor lagi tidak banyak, gue memutuskan untuk mengambil cuti tanpa pergi ke mana-mana. Yah, cutinya juga gak lama kok, cuma 2 hari saja. Tinggal di rumah saja, gue menghabiskan waktu dengan tidur sepuas-puasnya, makan ala kadarnya dan nonton DVD sebanyak-banyaknya!

Selama liburan dengan kehendak sendiri ini juga, gue nyaris tidak keluar kamar. Untuk makan siang, biasanya gue minta dibawain ama si mbak, atau kalo gak, gue minta disiapin, terus turun ke bawah ngambil dan ngumpet lagi di kamar. HAHAHAHA. Iya, emang gue kalo lagi libur, suka banget ngumpet di kamar. Nah gambar di atas itu salah satu contoh makan siang gue (kalo gak salah). Menunya: kailan cah sapi, balado terong, telur bungkus daging dan 3 sendok nasi (masih dalam program diet nih, HEHEHE).

Selain makan, tidur, pelihara jerawat, yah, aktivitas gue yang lain adalah nonton DVD (Gila, hidup gue menarik amat yaks? *sinis*). Gue jujur merasa beruntung karena berhasil menonton 2 film yang gue gak pernah pikir bisa nonton. Dua-duanya produksi Jepang.

Yang pertama, Departures. Film sederhana ini yang berhasil mengalahkan The Class-nya film Perancis di Oscar tahun ini dalam kategori film asing terbaik. Departures sendiri bercerita tentang seorang pemain cello, Diego, yang kehilangan pekerjaan dan kemudian memutuskan untuk pulang ke kampung halamannya. Secara tidak sengaja, Diego melamar pekerjaan sebagai seorang undertaker. Pekerjaan yang kemudian menimbulkan masalah baginya, saat dia mulai menyukai pekerjaan tersebut. Teman-teman lamanya mencemooh, bahkan istrinya merasa jijik terhadap dirinya.

Salah satu keberhasilan film Departures adalah para bintangnya. Ekspresi Diego baik ketika dia sedang sedih atau bahagia, ekspresi sang istri, Mika yang merasa jijik dengan pekerjaan suaminya, atau bahkan ekspresi yang dihasilkan oleh atasan Diego yang bijaksana, semua ini membuat film ini semakin istimewa. Ditambah dengan arrasemen musik-nya Joe Hisaishi, yang mana gue fans berat!

Film kedua, Tokyo Sonata, bercerita tentang keluarga menengah di Tokyo yang masing-masing anggotanya menyimpan sebuah rahasia. Sang ayah dipecat dan berusaha mempertahankan harga diri di hadapan istri dan anak-anak dengan berpura-pura pergi bekerja setiap pagi. Sang istri yang berpura-pura bahagia dan masing-masing anak mempunyai rahasianya masing-masing.

Satu hal yang menarik dari film ini, adalah gak peduli sekacau apapun atau serusak apapun hal yang diperbuat, seseorang itu akan selalu pulang ke rumahnya. HUHUHU. Nih film gak berniat membuat elo menangis tersedu-sedu, tapi mungkin ada saatnya elo gak bisa menahan diri untuk tidak terharu.

out with the boys on saturday

Gue baru saja mengalami mimpi yang tidak biasa. Gue mimpi kalo di dalam gedung kantor gue itu ditemukan sarang lebah, 3 ekor tikus yang segede musang dan mahluk-mahluk melata lainnya. HUHUHU. Gak tau apa artinya, cuma rasanya kok sedikit terganggung. Berasa kalo gue saat dalam mimpi itu sedang berada di set syuting film Pocong vs. Kuntilanak.

Eniwei, Sabtu kemarin, gue ngumpul dengan bapak-bapak ganteng dari kantor gue. Kita janjian nonton di EX, Jakarta. Dan demi Megan Fox .. gak deh, demi film Michael Bay, Transformers - The Revenge of the Fallen, kami sudah nongkrong di depan pintu kaca XXI (IYA! Bahkan pintunya belom dibuka, sudah ada antrian! Tsk tsk tsk). Yah setelah antri sekitar 45 menit di luar dan 45 menit di dalam, akhirnya dapat tiket! Yay! Gak sia-sia perjuangan, omelan  dan umpatan (cuma gue sih), dan semangat kami!

Karena film-nya gak akan diputar sampai 2 jam lagi, kami mutusin untuk nyari sesuatu yang bisa dikunyah dan ditelen untuk menenangkan perut yang sudah mulai berisik. 

Film Transformers 2 sendiri agak-agak nge-bosanin yah. Yah, ada beberapa adegan yang sempat membuat gue terpukau (tapi tidak untuk lama) dan mungkin juga karena instalasi THX-nya EX sempat membuat gue berguncang sebentar, tapi setelah sensasi itu berlalu, gue tidak mampu menangkap esensi dari film ini, selain film ini berisik. Menonton film ini sama seperti pengalaman gue ketika naik taksi dan ditabrak oleh taksi lain sekitar 2 bulan yang lalu.

Gue masih ingat waktu nonton film Transformers 1, di mana gue sempat ber-wow-wow ria. Ketika Optimus Prime dan teman-temannya bertransformasi dalam hitungan detik, jantung gue berdebar-debar dan beberapa kali sempat ngumpat. HEHEHE.

Dan ketika gue menonton Transformers 2, gue menantikan sensasi yang sama yang gue dapatkan ketika gue menonton instalasi yang pertama. Sayangnya sensasi itu tidak berhasil gue dapatkan, ditambahkan dengan alur cerita yang terlalu sederhana, gaya penceritaan yang konyol dan dialog-dialog yang biasa saja membuat gue semakin bosan. Gue berasa kalo kita (iyah, elo dan gue) terlalu cerdas untuk film-film seperti ini. Kita bukanlah bocah lima tahun yang hanya mengharapkan aksi tanpa maksud dari sebuah film aksi.

Mungkin itu gaya cerita-nya si Michael Bay kali yah. Soalnya, beberapa hari sebelumnya, gue sempat nonton kembali Armageddon dan gue sempat heran, kenapa yah dulu film ini heboh amat?!

Sangat benar, ada yang bilang nonton dengan siapa itu lebih penting daripada apa yang lo tonton. Untung saja, acara nonton ini bareng dengan teman-teman kantor yang ternyata asik juga, jadi kekecewaan gue setelah nonton Transformers terbayarkan. Cuma gue harus keluar dari biskop dan sedikit menggoncang-goncangkan kepala gue dan bertanya: apa yang baru saja terjadi? 

gone too soon

On Thursday (25 June 2009), one of the world's greatest performers, Michael Jackson passed away. He was 50 years old. Michael Jackson was expected to have a comeback in July 2009 where he initially would start his 50 performances in London.

His life for the last four or five years had been a big circus. The trial, the debt, the crazy behaviors, they all seemed to drag him away from what he's best at, being a performer. I'm glad some of the medias, decided to remember Jackson as a legend he once was.

He was (and is) the king of pop that wowed everyone with his moonwalk 20 years ago, the legend that created phenomenal videos and dance moves. He should be remembered as the man who desired to make the world a better place and he's also the man that inspired many today's pop stars.

Like a comet blazing across the evening sky, he's gone too soon.

les activités de la journée

Chaque jour sauf Samedi et Dimanche, je me réveille et je me lève à 4h00. Je prends une douche et Je m’habille. Après, je sors travailler à 5h00. Parce que, mon bureau est très loin, je prends mon petit déjeuner à mon bureau. J’arrive à mon bureau à 7 heures. Et puis, à 11h00, je déjeune avec mes collègues. Je retourne au travailler à 12h00. Je travaille jusqu’à 15h30.

À Lundi et Jeudi, je vais au CCF pour apprendre le français. Mais les autres jours, je rentre à la maison après je me promène avec mes amis. Nous prenons un café ou regardons un film. Je dîne et je me repose. Normalement, je regarde la télévision ou lis une livre avant que je me couche. Je dors à 10h00.

Note:
This is just another homework that my teacher assigned me to do. Don't laugh, I know it's still not much, but it's now 2 paragraphs. Hopefully soon, I can start posting a longer entry in French.

the view

I read somewhere that from where I work, I could see Mountain Salak. And it's true, I can see mount Salak from the window of my office. It's pretty, isn't it? I think the view is one of the things at work I'm grateful for. Lovely, isn't it?