waiting for the long morrow.

betty white's if you ask me (and of course you won't)

2012-01-04T18:27:00.001+07:00

Book: If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)
Author: Betty White
Published: May 2011

A few weeks before the new year, there was this survey on twitter on how many books people read in 2011. There was this young woman who read around 100 books and this other guy who read around 50 books. I was tremendously ashamed of how lazy I was that year. I seriously am ashamed even to write this post, for I didn't finish reading any books for the whole year, not even one.

So I decided that this year I should read more. I should commit to at least read more book (more than none. HAHAHA). So the first book of the year is Betty White's If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't). Published in May 2011, I had a hunch that this one is a perfect kick-off and I was right. It's light, it's funny, it's honest, it made me laugh and in many chapter, Betty talks a lot about aging (New Year, du'uh!).

You can actually get away with anything when you're 89 years old. You can say anything, you can do anything and you can actually laugh at anything. I'm positively sure that no one will be offended. You have that privilege once you reach certain age. Betty White certainly knows this advantage and uses the most out of it.

Fortunate for us, that Betty White has a kind heart and a good sense of humor. If You Ask Me manages to not be a book about trashy gossips, but it only puts a little of that essence to it. It cleverly plays facts regarding movie stars without implying of making any bad judgement. It's sophisticated in the most simple way possible.

She talks a lot about her new television gigs include Hot in Cleveland, hosting SNL and Super Bowl commercial. She mentions a lot of famous names from a wide range of generation without any consideration of being offensive. The way they're mentioned, it makes you think what a wonderful person she must be.

One of the chapter that made me giggle a lot was when she disclosed her admiration towards Robert Redford after watching Out of Africa and how Redford sent her a poem when she won a SAG this year, which she unapologetically chose not to share what he wrote for her. Good for Betty!

I also enjoy how she tells her personal stories. The warmth, the closeness, her passion, the amazing relationship she shared with her husband, her parents and her love for nature touch me. While reading this funny memoir, I at many points could see how humble she is and came to this understanding maybe these are the key ingredients to be successful in everything we do in life, be humble and be passionate.

Betty White, for the truest it can be (it is), you are the queen and we are your people. God bless the queen.

For my next reading "assignment", I have Diane Keaton's Then Again, Pride and Prejudice and Zombie (I know!) and PD James' Death Comes to Pemberley. Exciting!

the rocky 2011 and the hopeful me in 2012

2012-01-01T16:06:00.001+07:00

Modern English has been rocking out "I Melt with You" on my stereo for a few rounds now as I have been staring at my computer screen with thoughts and words running around my huge head. Anyway, it's the first day of the year 2012 and here I am blogging. It's a productive year, I surely can tell you that!

At first, I felt that 2011 was a very dark and rocky year for me. Like, two weeks ago, my friend asked this out-of-nowhere question about whether I was (we were) happy. Honestly, I still have not been able to answer that question. I mean, at that time, of course I was extremely gleeful, hanging out with my fabulous mates. But I don't think I could describe my sentiments toward the whole year as a happy one.

Then, as I was trying to remember a few highlights of the rocky year, I was brought to an understanding that it's not actually that horrible. Well, there are some good memories though. Here they are (I have altered them a few times, HAHA):

I got mugged which caused me quite a lot of financial loss. I seriously tried to make this point sound funny, but somehow it ended making me sound like a loser. However, the accident did teach me to indulge myself more, since I was often reluctant to spend money for me. So, it's a good lesson.
Remember back in April, when there was this dispute with the MPAA regarding the movie tax which left us with no Hollywood movies for 3 - 4 months. All the available options were pocong and kuntilanak. So I can confidently say that's a very dark time for our cinematic history.
It's not easy to bring back all these memories of what happened in 2011, but this new layout of Facebook helped a lot. According to my Facebook, I added 106 new friends in 2011, which might be a small number for most of you, but trust me, it's a lot!
My commitment to shave off my head was one of the big decisions I made also this year. I think it's going to be how I look for the rest of my existence. Although I must admit I am often offended when people call me "botak", which describes who I really am. But somehow, I find it offensive. I don't know why, maybe it's their voice tone.
The delightful wedding of two of my high school friends, Asnih and Effendi. I cannot even put in words how sweet they are (yes, they are sweet!) and how wonderful the wedding was. Also my colleague, the always gorgeous miss Detty's wedding in November. And to friends with new babies this year: Lisa, Hana and Ernih. What a joy!
Bleki, the amazing Bleki was missing in March 2011 but then miraculously found. He was taken care by one of our neighbors in Pluit and this good person put out brochure in order to find the owner of Bleki. It's so rare and it's not something people normally do. God bless that woman.
It's also the year I returned to twitter and tweeted more than 5000 twits in 6 months. I was opinionated apparently.
A break-up.
Farewell to my awesome boss, Bu Jenny and some good friends at work.
To be introduced to Ramen Hakata Ikkousha, which has been officially my favorite dining place.

Since 2011 was quite out of the rail, I decided to really not care so much about what I must achieve in this year. Although I have a few plans made, some good traveling plans (yes, you shall read them here), some good new acquaintances, reconnecting with some old friends, a new project at work which I'm quite excited about, plan to learning new stuffs and certainly be healthier.

So, let me raise my glass and cheers to: a healthier life, a job we love, new and old friends, many great opportunities, good jokes, good movies (Prometheus in June 8, btw), good food, a healthy faith, good coffee, wonderful trips, roasted green tea (yes, Sisca!), Tom Cruise, Billy Crystal hosting the Oscar, freebies (o yeah, sir!), budget airlines (I'm cheap, what can I say?), iPhone 5 and twitter!

Happy new year 2012!

my 7 favorite apps for ipad

2011-12-04T11:43:00.001+07:00

This is probably my most subjective post by far. Come to think about it, can a blogger be objective? Really? But when it comes to things one like or dislike, there is no rule saying who can or cannot be subjective. It's a free world and everyone's opinion should be appreciated.

You're probably thinking what I'm babbling about. Actually I'm again talking about making a list and this time it has something to do with a friendly device of mine, which I named Ripley (taken from one of the coolest fictional characters on the silver screen). See the picture above and yes, I look strangely weird. And again yes, I named most of my devices. My iPod's named Chopper, Chihiro for my flash-disk storage and for my Blackberry, it was The Material Girl, probably because it's the only song I have in that phone which automatically is its ringtone.

Anyway, enough about my craziness! I'm going to share with you the 7 applications for iPad which I personally like (currently, since Apps Store releases like 50 new apps each day) and they have successfully made me want to stay home all night. Please notice that the order of the list does not imply degrees of fondness.

Discover by Cooliris
Discover is a reference apps which acquires articles from Wikipedia. Each day, the apps picks one certain article and send it our devices.The coolest parts of the apps are we can actually refer terms that we might not be familiar to other articles and so on. Having Discover on Ripley makes me feel extremely smart and knowledgeable.

Editions by AOL
Almost like Discover, Editions is sort of like a magazine that makes us the editor. We decide what we want to read and the order we want to read it. The articles are from various of sources. Everyday the apps create a magazine based on our preference, even personalize it with your friends' birthday if we connect Editions to our Facebook. We can also share the articles we enjoy reading to our Facebook or Twitter account. I like Editions probably because of the nice layout although there are many apps that are quite similar (such as Yahoo! LiveStand).

iBooks
Yes, I know. I know. iBooks is just probably one of so many apps that exist for reading books. It's not even the first apps of them all. However, I must say that (again, subjectively) it might be the best of them all. The smoothness of page turning, the supports it provides to help you enjoy your reading such as reference, highlight, note-taking and bookmarking, it certainly make my reading (should be) much funner. I own more than 40 books and honestly I haven't started (or worse, finished) any of them yet.

Flipboard & Showyou
If your iPad does not have Flipboard or Showyou, you need to click on that Apps Store and start downloading. Like Discover and Editions, both Flipboard and Showyou acquire videos from many sources, includes your own twitter and facebook account (videos your friends posted), and many respectable channels. There a few channels in Showyou which I have spent many nights watching. Most of them are short movies, short animations and news.

EA's Monopoly
The first time I installed this apps, I stayed until 3am playing Monopoly. It's extremely addictive and fun. We can play the game alone against the computer or we can play it with our friends (maximum 4 players). I had to relearn all the rules all over again, but trust me, I have never been so mesmerized by any board games as I was by this apps. Now me and my friends have another board games to play when we are bored.

Domino's Pizza Hero
Graphically stunning. It is a bit silly if you seriously think about it. It doesn't make you any smarter or anything, but it was fun to pretend cooking pizza. And actually it's not easy! The pizza manager, I must say is not the easiest boss to please. He never likes my dough and how I arranged my toppings. Gee, I'll never be promoted (and Alex, it's only a game!).

There are many-many-many apps that are equally excited, beautiful and important. Unfortunately I have no plan to write an extremely long post, but you can look it up if you're in the same circle based on these 7 apps. Well, they are: Apple Trailers - for viewing the newest movie trailers, The Collection - which is a must have apps for all fashion designers, Yahoo! Into, Apple's GarageBand, Noteshelf.

Oh gee, I cannot stop. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you too have your own favorites, please share them! I would appreciate that. Thank you.

how i don't really hate breaking dawn

2011-11-28T00:12:00.001+07:00

TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART I
Director: Bill Condon

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pantinson
Year Released: 2011

I was staring at my computer screen for 30 minute before I began to type the first word regarding the experience I had last Saturday watching the first part of last book from Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. Before I watched the film, I talked to some friends about it. Like there's a memo I didn't receive, everyone unified to trash the movie. And when I asked whether they've seen the film, most of them said no.

So I decided if I was going to hate it (or trash it), at least I needed to watch the film to earn that right. So there I was last Saturday, watching on the big screen how Edward Cullen married Bella Swan, knocked her up and made her go through hell (kids, appreciate your mother now!) to deliver a baby.

You know, before a movie (a big Hollywood movie anyway) is released, usually there are people who try to sell the movies by creating hypes surrounding that movie which lead us to believe that movie is actually good. Some movies are as good as expected, some in other hands fail.

In this case, I heard nothing about Breaking Dawn but how terrible the movie is. I did call New Moon a stupidity and seriously I cannot even remember what happened in Eclipse. With that in the back my head, I assumed Breaking Dawn would be as bad as the previous ones. The key words: I expect nothing but another stupidity.

And I was not completely right.

Yes, the movie is still terrible, but I don't hate it. I can see all the flaws, unnecessary scenes here and there, but I wasn't really bothered. It's cheesy, tacky and occasionally causing pharyngeal-reflex, but those were expected and I'm okay. There's the logical reason why I didn't leave the cinema before the movie ended. I even stayed until the last scene when Michael Sheen looks like a clown. HAHAHA.

I'm so into making a list, so it would be only proper if I make a list of interesting facts regarding Breaking Dawn. It could be straight facts, or indirect related facts or even simply unrelated facts. HAHAHA.

They had to cut down some scene just to get a PG-13 rating (initially the movie received an R rating), so some teenage girls could giggle when the barely legal Taylor Lautner took of his shirt. HAHAHA.
It's pointless to even try to figure out how it's possible for a vampire to inseminate. Even the writer(s) is too lazy to explain it.
The first and the most important rule of surviving the horror of the Twilight Saga: never sit next to a bunch of teenage girls. Their giggles just kill whatever left inside of you to continue watching the movie.
I was very surprised to know that Bella actually is a fan of S&M. But again, what's pleasure without pain? HAHA.
Is there any better beverage than Red Fanta? I don't think so. Blood. Vampire. Red Fanta. Du'uh!

So, to end my post, I would answer the most significant question everyone probably has in mind right now. Will I recommend this movie? Well, I can only say this: if you wish to say how the movie has caused you a traumatic experience in movie-watching, you need to earn the right by actually watching it.

9 things about inafff and 10 things to learn from the movies

2011-11-20T21:29:00.001+07:00

Today was the last day of the 2011 INAFFF and I am officially not a INAFFF virgin anymore. For the last two weeks, I had a pretty good time. I enjoyed my own selection, which even I must admit it's not bad for a first-timer. Overall, the movies this year are not disappointed. Some of them are exceptional, some of them are okay and yes, some of them are not even supposed in this festival.

However, to appreciate how awesome these two weeks were, I decided to point out things either they're related to the movies, events occurred during the festival or almost unrelated, but worth mentioned. HAHAHA.

Immortals might not be a good film, but it's a perfect way to commence a film festival. It's grand, it's graphically gory and it involves Greek mythology.
Audience of each movie are expected to participate in choosing their favorite movies. We received this very effective card which was collected by the end of the movie according to our taste. If you like it, rip off the one side that expressed your likeness.
Most of the movies I chose unfortunately were not as gory as I thought they would be. I totally couldn't believe that Livid was actually from Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo who basically grossed us out with Inside.
Thumbs up for the committee who was working so hard to please their die-hard fans. The gifts during each screening, some of the committee were so friendly enough to personally greet me in some occasions anyway are just proofs how committed they are. So I must mention that they did a very good job.
The surprise movie, A Lonely Place to Die was not what I had in mind. I mean it's a good movie (well, half of it anyway), but it doesn't really represent the core of the festival. I was hoping for something extremely sick or gory.
Age restriction. I was surprised to see probably a 12 years old kid who watched one of the movies.
Although Breaking Dawn premiered in the second week of INAFFF, but I don't think it was affected in any way, so I must say INAFFF owns tons of die hard fans.
Our local movies got a lot of attention this year. The Raid was definitely one of them and those short movies are quite a hit. So I'm pretty happy and pretty ashamed to admit that I didn't watch any of those. HAHAHA. I know, I'm a total loser!
In my very humble personal opinion, Fanta Merah is the perfect option of beverage for this event and I was excited that they actually served this specific drink at the cinema snack counter. So, I'm happy!

You can always learn something from a movie, no matter what kind of movies they are. From watching more-less 10 movies at the festival, I learned these important 10 lessons which I will carry for the rest of my life.

Take a plane, no road trips unless it's less than 8 hours ride. You never know some psychopaths might stop you by dressing as the authorities (Territories), which leads us to number 2.
Always ask for a validation if some authorities stop your vehicle in the middle of nowhere.
Always make sure you know exactly what you're digesting when you're dining out. Even if it's good, I don't think I want to consume literally well-cooked men, even they're jackasses (The Claypot Curry Killers).
Say NO to a risky job and go for that Burger King waiter even it pays less. Being a hit-man for a certain satanic cult which you're going to be the leader is one terrible thing. I'd rather be poor. (The Kill List).
Combination of a bad sport: mountain-hiking, a remote quiet place, less than 5 persons to do the sport with. If you're really for a mountain-hiking, make sure they have a Starbucks nearby and you're going with at least 3 dozens people. (A Lonely Place to Die).
If you must work in an asylum for extreme-mentally ill people, make sure they have a back-up generator. If you do work in a such place and you read this, I salute you! (The Incident).
Don't judge, even the saints can be sinners. (Le Moine)
There's a reason why absinthe is illegal. (Sennentuntschi)
Don't steal from an old woman in coma who rests in a very old house. (Livid).
Last but not least, do not mess with Iko Uwais. That man can kick ass. (You know which movie, don't you?).

HAHAHA.

So, like I said before, I had a good time this year and I'm so looking forward to having more terrifying - grossing me out kind of experiences next year. I thank some cool people I did get a chance to talk to for these two weeks and also you, the girl who sat next to me during the surprise movie, next time less talking while watching a movie, okay?

akhir pekan dan teh dari sisca

2011-11-05T15:30:00.002+07:00

Saya sudah dari tadi duduk di depan komputer memandangi layarnya dengan berharap pada satu kesempatan, semangat saya tiba-tiba membara dan kemudian memotivasi semua organ motorik saya untuk berkreasi. Hati boleh berharap, namun kenyataannya setelah 1 kali sarapan, 2 potong kue, 1 cangkir kopi, 1 episod Masterchef US dan 1 film dengan durasi 100 menit, Nowhere Boy (yang mana adalah film yang baik), saya masih belum dapat disebut produktif.

Kembali ke film yang sempat saya tonton dalam usaha saya menjadi produktif di hari Sabtu ini, Nowhere Boy bercerita tentang kisah nyata masa remaja John Lennon. Tanpa bermaksud mengorelasikan segala sesuatu di sini, saya teringat salah satu kutipan dari Lennon yang lumayan popular, yaitu: "time you enjoy wasting was not wasted". HAHAHA, iya ini usaha saya untuk membenarkan aksi saya menikmati mendungnya Sabtu ini dengan tidak melakukan apa-apa. Hey, dolce far niente!

Sebenarnya saya berencana untuk keluar rumah dan menikmati keramaian di pusat belanja di dekat rumah, tapi apa daya, rasa malas ini kuat sekali apalagi didukung dengan mendungnya langit Jakarta siang ini. Selain rasa malas, jerawat sebesar jempol juga menjadi alasan yang kuat kenapa saya memutuskan untuk menempelkan pantat di rumah saja. Lagipula berjalan-jalan sendiri di akhir pekan akan seperti misi bunuh diri. Lalu kenapa saya tidak mengajak teman-teman saya untuk berjalan bersama? Alasan sebelumnya, yaitu jerawat sebesar jempol. HAHAHA. Dilema, dilema!

Oya, beberapa hari yang lalu, saya menerima hadiah-hadiah kecil (maklum hadiahnya banyak) yang mahal sekali dari sahabat baik saya yang terkasih, Sisca.

Sebagai sesama peminum teh, saya mendapatkan 5 bungkus gula dari Gulaku dalam kemasan dengan corak Bali yang sempat membuat saya berdecak kagum dan sampai saat ini masih tersusun rapi di atas printer saya. Tidak rela saya pakai. Kemasan yang menarik ini kembali mengingatkan saya akan indahnya, beragam dan berwarnanya pulau Bali. Dalam konteks apapun perjalanan saya ke sana, saya selalu mengalami pengalaman-pengalaman yang menarik.

Nah selain gulanya, tentu saja saya juga mendapatkan tehnya. Teh yang diberikan oleh Sisca adalah teh dari China yang harganya mahal banget! Saking mahalnya, saya sampai saat ini masih belum rela membuka bungkusannya. Teh daun yang dalam bungkusan kedap udara itu bagi saya seperti seonggok emas, yang konon menurut Sisca hanya perlu sedikit untuk menghasilkan segelas teh. Jujur, saya masih tidak rela membuka bungkusannya. Mahal, bu! HEHEHE.

Yah, kalau Sisca, sang pemberi, membaca artikel ini, terima kasih, sekali lagi terima kasih!

Yah sudah, selagi langit masih mendung dan hujan belum membasahi bumi, saya mau jalan-jalan dahulu yah. Nanti kita bersambung lagi. Eit, selamat berakhir pekan!

a windy day on the 4th of november 2011

2011-11-04T12:24:00.001+07:00

So yesterday I finally couldn't make it to work due to illness after days of suffering from cold, flu, cough and everything that associates with those diseases. I finally came back to work today and found out that more than half of people were taking a day off today. Well, it's going to be a lonely day.

Actually when I came to work today, it's quite windy. And to find out that I was going to be actually alone in my area, it increased the coldness level of the day. I'm totally fine with being alone in my room. I find it a bit fun since I had (or have) tons of works to be done (and yet, I'm blogging here. HEHEHE). I had my coffee with a piece of banana cake (which was too sweet) and said my prayer before I started the day.

The other advantage was probably I can turn-up the volume of my iTunes to the level where I can actually hear the music. This rarely happens at work and I must admit I enjoyed it! To have Miss Jo Stafford singing Blue Moon, or Miss Billie Holiday singing Stormy Weather (can you find a more suitable song for the weather?) which followed by the always awesome Nerina Pallot singing the haunting Sophia (Yes, my strange preference of music!).

Anyway, what I'm trying to share here is that I enjoy working in a slow quiet phase. Although usually in a horror movie, something "unusual"' tends to happen when one's alone. Urrgh, wait, where's everybody? ARRGHHH!

how the year ends with good movies

2011-11-03T19:57:00.002+07:00

Long time ago, I was introduced to a boy named Nandy. Nandy is a bored accountant whose dream is to be a movie critic. Nandy loves movies. From a very small number of our encounter, Nandy said that the last four months of the year are his favorites. Not fully agree to his opinion, but I understand why the Fall/Winter are his favorite seasons.

In Hollywood, January & February are the months of the awards. All the "important" awards are scheduled on those two months. So for all movies that want to be considered for the awards season of the year, they have to be released before the previous year ends. So let's say for the Oscar 2012, all movies must be released before 2011 ends. Well, I could be wrong about this (probably about the timeline), but then that's why the last four months become Nandy's favorites. For this year and the first two months of next year, I have so many movies I'm hoping to see (at least in the big screen). Most of the opinions here are collected from movie resources, such as: imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com, and many others.

SHAME

Director: Steve McQueen

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Why must we not miss this movie? Two words, my friends! Michael, that's one and Fassbender! Undeniably that Fassbender is the actor of the moment right now. He already had a couple of awesome movies released this year, X-Men First Class and Jane Eyre. This NC-17 rated movie (which means only adults are allowed to watch the movies) talks about a compulsive sex addiction. Shame will be released in December, but before that another Fassbender's movie, A Dangerous Method will be released in November.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

Director: Sean Durkin

Stars: Elizabeth Orsen, Christopher Abbott

This is a playing-with-your-mind drama thriller with some first class acting. It was said that Elizabeth Orsen gave the best performance of the year and there's no way she's not getting any Oscar nomination.

WEEKEND

Director: Andrew Haigh

Stars: Tom Cullen, Chris New

It has been hailed by critics when it was showed in Sundance this year. I was also intrigued by Jim Ridley when he commented Weekend as this countdown to farewell romance that will stay with you, may break your heart a little bit and shouldn't be missed. The Antlers singing I Don't Want Love in the movie trailer also helps a little bit to raise my interest. It's going to be a very sad movie.

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

Director: Simon Curtis

Stars: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench

The first time everyone saw the official photo of Michelle Williams posing as Marilyn Monroe, I believe everyone thought of Oscar! Well, maybe some of us, maybe just me and socialitenews.com. But seriously, Michelle Williams has transformed to be an amazing actress. I still cannot get over her powerful performance on Blue Valentine and I think she's going to kill it with this one as well.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg

I used to read the comics and I must not miss this movie, that's all I can say. Although Spielberg's last movie, the Indiana Jones was a huge disappointment, I have my fingers crossed on this one.

CHRONICLE

Director: Joshua Tank

Stars: Alex Russel, Michael B. Jordan

The trailer doesn't speak much, but it reminds me of the mystery of one of my favorite movies, Cloverfield. It also actually has the same exact way how the movie was shot. From what I know, these there teenagers were exposed to a strange substance that gave them power. That's all I know. Unfortunately we have to wait until next year to know what it's really about.

LIKE CRAZY

Director: Drake Doramus

Stars: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones

About that first love, about being apart from it, about constantly thinking about it when you're already with somebody else. Does it sound like your love life? Well, this year's Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner will explore that how love depicts the hopefulness and the heart-wrench of love.

TYRANNOSAUR

Director: Paddy Considine

Stars: Peter Mullen, Olivia Colman

I always enjoy watching movies that involve two different persons, such as Tyrannosaur. Winner of various awards in the Sundance Film Festival and it has been hailed as this year's British best film, surely it should not be missed.

W.E

Director: Madonna

Stars: Abbie Cornish, James D'Arcy

When it was screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, not everyone thrilled with Madonna's attempt to direct. W.E. received mixed reviews. Many hate the movie, but those who actually love it, praise it.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

Director: Lynne Ramsey

Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly

Again, two words: Tilda, that's one and Swinton! Another psychology thriller, but then again, anything associate with Tilda Swinton, it must be a first class acting movie, includes this one.

I didn't have much time to mention every movie, but there are other movies that I really want to mention, such as Roman Polanski's Carnage with Jodie Foster and Kate Winslett, The Descendants and Ides of March with George Clooney. What a happy season for movies!

ready to scream at the iNAFFF 2011

2011-10-27T00:28:00.001+07:00

So finally the Indonesia International Fantastic Film Festival 2011 (or iNAFFF) is here and if you have no idea what iNAFFF is, don't worry, this is my first time to attend the film festival too. So yes, I'm a iNAFFF virgin. In the past, I wasn't interested enough to attend the festival mostly because the films are mostly gory and violent. Okay, I admit it, I was afraid I'm going to scream like a little girl in public. Not a pretty scene.

This year, iNAFFF 2011 will be in Blitz - Grand Indonesia from 11 - 20 November 2011. But I think the ticket sale will be available a week before the 11. I don't know much about the festival, they have this website, if you want to know more about them.

However, since my last film festival (the French Film Festival), I assume it's time for me to attend another one. I decided to google all the movies and filtered a few that I really want to see. Since I love sharing, so here they are, movies that I think worth watching (or simply because I have a weird taste):

Immortals - a Hollywood Blockbuster-esque with myths and Greek Gods. It might hurt my eyes and ears, but hell, I'm so watching this one
The Disappeared - UK has produced many good sci-fi/horror movies lately, remember Attack the Block. Hopefully this one won't DISappoint (get the DIS joke?).
The Claypot Curry Killers - it's about food and mystery. Good enough to watch!
Territories - a made-by-French movie, it's a bit Hostel-esque, but we'll see.
Kill List - everyone keeps saying how good this movie is. I'm hoping to be able to see this one.
Angels and Airwaves present LOVE - the only sci-fi movie, I think. A bit disappointed that not too many sci-fi movies this year.
Le Moine - a french movie which deals with Christianity, so I assume this one would be quite dark
Sennentuntschi - at first, I wasn't sure about this one, but I decided to give it a shot, since it was in the same day with the movie I really want to watch
Livid - another french movie which I cannot find the trailer, but I found the comments from other people who have seen the movie. They all said it's super-gory and super good.

Other movies that I really wish I could watch but due to my busy schedule (halah!), I might just have to wait for the DVDs: The Bell Flower, Super and Retreat.

Hey, if you happen to be in the iNAFFF, make sure you say hello.

save the date, bridesmaids rocks!

2011-10-23T14:05:00.000+07:00

BRIDESMAIDS
Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy
Year Released: 2011

Before I started commenting how I feel about the movie, I just want to say that Bridesmaids just had just the best new answer to the "how are you doing?" question. When Lilian was asked by Annie that question after a fiasco at the bridesmaids dress-fitting, she answered, "I just crapped at my wedding dress." That's how you know this movie ROCKS! Girls can actually go mad and boy, they went all the way!

When her childhood friend, Lilian was engage, Annie was asked to be the maid of honor. Annie, who failed at her cake-making business and always seem to choose the wrong guys to date - knowing exactly nothing, she agreed to carry on the heavy duty which ends up in many hilarious events. Especially after being introduced to Lilian's other friend, Helen, suddenly the war of the bridesmaids was on. The other bridesmaids however didn't help much, but making more and more hilariousness.

In the end, Wilson Phillips sings Hold On and everything just fell into places perfectly.

Bridesmaids shows everything nasty one probably had done in life but not really proud of (crapping at a wedding dress or even in a sink for example). It also had that nineties culture reference that probably tickles us who lived through that era as a teenager (well, at least for me), like Wilson Phillips, Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

And talking about the movie character, Annie is the person I always wish that I would never be, but she is also the person I want to be friends with. Kristin Wiig, who wrote and co-produced the movie had done an amazing job, she is "the new improved - cost efficient - everyone can related to" Tina Fey. In an interview, Wiig mentioned that before shooting the film, everyone got together and improvised how the chemistry of the relationship should be and many of the scenes in film are the result.

Others shines too. Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melisa McCarthy, Matt Lucas, even the always serious Mad Men star, Jon Hamm successfully makes me laugh. All these women are real comedians, even Rose Byrne who was always more a dramatic actress. I just bought the DVD and I'm not embarrassed to post the information that I have watched this film 4 times now and I probably am going to watch it again. So if you're looking to laugh your ass off, I so recommend this movie.

how actually mila wins and justin can act

2011-10-23T11:27:00.000+07:00

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
Director: Will Gluck
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kurnis
Year Released: 2011

Basically it's about these two persons met at a single occasion and became friends. Then one night, they decided to be sex-buddies, exactly like that other movie with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher which was released earlier this year. Then like many other things in life, the non-relationship became more complicated and they fell in love with each other, well sort of anyway.

It's quite brave to release two movies with a same idea, but Hollywood has done it before (remember Dante's Peak and Volcano? Deep Impact and Armageddon?). And you can imagine how skeptical I was when I was about to watch this movie after a big disappointment from the other version (you know, the one with Portman and Kutcher).

But I was wrong. Friends with Benefits is funny, charming and much better than the other version (again, you know which). Although it's trying so hard to differ itself from many other rom-coms, it actually works as one, maybe this is the 21st century rom-com. Will Gluck only directed a very few movies and I must admit I've been his fan for the last two movies he made, this one and Easy A.

Kurnis and Timberlakes work really well. I can see/smell/feel the chemistry. Subjectively I never like Justin Timberlake. I still believe that he was the weakest link in that David Fincher's The Social Network, but I must admit, that dude is a pretty good actor. And Mila, sweet lips Mila, oh girl, you made the right choice. I'm so glad you didn't go with that lame PG-13 version with Ashton. Natalie might have her Oscar, but Mila honey you have a much better follow-up. HAHAHA.

The other supporting casts are not disappointed. Woody Harrelson is always a good comedic actor, Jenna Elfman, even a very tiny role of Emma Stone colors the movie. Probably the only disappointment would be Patricia Clark. In my mind, Patricia is always this elegant lady, even she plays a house wife (Easy A!), but as a bohemian mom, she kind of misses it.

And oh boy, did I mention that Friends with Benefits has many of the best pop songs as its soundtrack? Let me start with that Boys Don't Cry from the Cure (the movie version was rerecorded by Grant Lee Phillips, still a good song), Semisonic's Closing Time, Rogue Wave and many others.

Last reason why it's good: it was shot in New York. Period.

something new: watch, listen, read or eat

2011-10-16T23:38:00.000+07:00

Hello again, everyone! I added something to my blog. It's a feature basically informing everyone what I've been watching, reading, listening and eating. If you could scroll down this page, it is on the right side of my blog.

the power of pink goggles

2011-10-16T21:57:00.000+07:00

Oh yes, I hadn't been able to write anything for a very long time, until just now this friend whom I barely know asking about my job and what has been keeping for updating my blog. So I'm a little overwhelmed knowing some strangers actually read my blog. HAHAHA.

Anyway, it has always been in my new year's resolution to learn something new each year. This year, in the last quarter of the year, I decided to learn how to swim. I read somewhere that swimming actually a very good sport. To practice swimming, you actually works out all your muscles. Not just that, it also increases your endurance, produces (not quite sure it's the perfect term) cardiovascular fitness and in short, it relaxes you.

So I started my lessons two weeks ago with this man who has taught people (mostly kids) to swim for at least 16 years. His name is Pak Made. He has been very patient with me. As I wrote this post, I still have 3 lessons to go with him.

For as long as I live, I shall never forget my first lesson. The first stroke (or style) that I learned was the breaststroke, which I found a bit weird, because when I was in school, I remember the teacher told me that everyone should start learning how to swim with the free-style. But Pak Made said that the breast-stroke is actually the easiest one to learn and actually it has not so complicated techniques. I must admit that he's absolutely right.

The other interesting thing was my classmates (or poolmates). I kept having these different classmates for the last 5 swimming lessons I had. My first lesson, my classmate was a 5 years old girl, named Celine, who apparently not even a meter yet, but she swims like the wind. She loves water and she's super-brave. She just jumped right into the pool without any supporting tools or even a bit of fear. I also met these two brothers, Marco and Matthew, who practically swimmers already and I think the reason they're still taking this lesson to make me feel embarrassed. I remember they called me "OM" and Matthew asked me why I just learned how to swim at my age. Those pricks! They're actually really nice kids who are not allowed by their mother to swim in the deep end.

Take that, suckers! HAHAHA.

Now to a more serious thought, during these two weeks of swimming lessons, I learned that sometimes, like many things in life, we need to relax, to enjoy little things. Pak Made constantly reminded me, as I swam from one side of the pool to another that I didn't need to be in a hurry. That I need to relax which actually makes swimming more rewarding. A few times, he said that I swam like I was really angry and impatient to get to the other side.

And he was right, I was impatient and I was worried by a lot of things as I swam. I was thinking about a lot of things, like whether my legs are synchronized, whether I did justice to my performance or whether people were laughing at me. Of course none of those happened and I needn't be worried. I guess, that's the biggest lesson I've learned so far.

O yes, in case you're wondering whether I'm a good swimmer now. Well, I can assure you that I can do the breaststroke in the deep end without Pak Made's supervision. The free-style is quite challenging because it's so tiring. Hopefully the next three lessons, I'll learn other strokes.

These frog-legs just cannot wait to dance under water.

a very bald statement

2011-09-08T21:49:00.003+07:00

So exactly 6 months ago, I decided to detach myself from what that has always been bugging me, my hair. You can say that I was one of those people who spend times worrying how their hair might look like. But then one morning, I decided there are things I need to really let go.

And one of those things is my hair (which is actually not much really. HAHAHA).

I began to shave my head and everyone keeps saying that my head has a very strange shape. Some thought it was nice, many thought it was hideous and I .. I actually feel so much better and there's a possibility this is how I'm going to look like for the rest of my life.

If you ask me whether I miss having hair, oh my friends, you have no idea how many times I found myself sitting by the open window of vehicle and thought that I was in a shampoo commercial. HAHAHA.

rich site summary

2011-09-06T11:01:00.001+07:00

I just found a new revelation about how cool my Blackberry is. Yes, you can laugh at the my opinion that Blackberry is actually a smart phone (YES, YOU HARRY!). Anyway, the not-so-new operating system of Blackberry (version 6.0) has this feature which is called Social Feeds.

What is Social Feeds, you ask? Well, Social Feeds basically put together all your social media accounts (which really not interest me that much) and they also send in the RSS (RSS: Rich Site Summary) from the websites which I really interest in.

Now I'm assured that I can check on my friends' life through their blogs, which is actually really cool! I have a friend who is simply awesome (okay, this might be a bit subjective) and if you are interested to read about this friend's current life, whom is an Indonesian student in San Francisco, you need to read his blog.

The RSS thing doesn't just work on blogs, but some news site as well. So I'm content. See how I spend my time wisely? HEHEHE.

can't stop listening to this, beck's lost cause

2011-09-03T12:31:00.000+07:00

I cannot stop watching or listening to this song. It's a terribly sad song. Beck wrote the album after a break-up with his girlfriend and this song particularly after she had a miscarriage. I believe a breakup can damage people in terrible ways and Beck somehow found a good way to channel his pain. I hope you like the song.

another letter from julia: the guilt

2011-09-03T12:18:00.002+07:00

I always feel terrible to share my personal emails with everyone else. But this one is so good and since my friend agreed to it, I assume it's okay. HAHAHA. I have posted a couple of Julia's email and it always fascinates to receive one from her. So this is her latest.

---

de: Julia

à: @ohtxela [sembiluan@gmail.com]

date: 1 septembre 2011

objet: the guilt

Hey Alex! Man, I'm not going to start writing this email with bunch of lame greetings like HOW ARE YOU? Because I'm pretty sure you are well. HAHAHA. I'm kidding. How are you, my friend? Are you well? If you're going to ask the same question, I shall say I'm doing quite okay.

First of all, I want to apologize for shutting down for months. I know I shouldn't have done that, but at that time, I cannot think of any better ways to be myself around people who know me and him. I was depressed. I blamed no one but myself. I cannot even tell you that everything was his fault because I didn't think it was and I still don't. I must take the blame and oh, Alex if you only knew how it felt to have such guilt.

You know what's worse? I feel like everyone is on his side, include you, Alex! I feel like I'm so all alone in this. I feel like I'm going to a battle without any alliances, while he has every support which (strangely) he deserves. Maybe this also means I'm not a good friend to many people. I mean, we haven't talked for a very long time and I hardly asked how you are.

I'm one selfish bitch, I know.

This old friend of mine who recently learned about me being single asked me out about a month ago. He was a really gentleman, but I couldn't do that. I know it's been 6 months, but I don't think I can just go out on a date and give another man another hope that it might go somewhere. That guilt haunts me. I wish I could explain to you the last day I saw him 6 months ago. It's heartbreaking, Alex. I never saw a man cried so hard in my life, but I just felt that I'm dragging him down, that this relationship was not meant to be.

I hope you understand why I chose to ignore your friend the other day. He's extremely attractive, but I'm just in a stage of life where I need to figure out who I am, what I really want in life. But I must also admit that I have fear, fear of being lonely. I don't think I mind being alone, but loneliness, I don't think I can bear it.

I'm so glad to have your friendship. I think being friend with you and some other true friends gives me strength and hope that I could be friend with this guilt.

Oh God, enough about me! How are you? Are you going back to that french school? Please do, I need someone to practice my french with. Est-ce que tu peux venir ici pour un jour ou deux?

Please reply as soon as you can. I have to run some errands now.

Missing you like a mad woman!

Love,

Julia.

a very long break

2011-08-14T08:52:00.001+07:00

I cannot remember exactly the last time I submit any post for this blog. I guess I was distracted for quite a while. A lot of things had happened in the last 4 months. I was down with illness, busy at work due to management changes and having major crisis in my personal life department.

The other I just watched Super 8, which was truly one of the best movie this year. There's this alien (when it comes to JJ, is it still shocking?) that was captured and tortured by humans. In short, the alien decided to see men as his enemy instead of friends due to what he's been put through. In one scene, a boy told the alien that bad things happened, but he can still live, which is a blessing.

That particular scene made me think of my life for the past 4 months. I have done some many terrible things, making so many wrong decisions and in the end, paying for all of them. I wouldn't compare this year with other years, because I'm truly ashamed, mostly of myself. However, that tiny omen from that awesome fiction movie reminds me that terrible things do happen (and will), but I can choose to face them and be alive.

It's a pretty Sunday, so let me wish you all a Happy Sunday! Seriously I cannot wait to pour my thoughts again soon!

O yes, I started taking photos again. This one is my latest. It was part of a collection which I named [dʒəˈkɑrtə]. There are only a few of them, but go to my Facebook page to have a peek. :D

blog at work

2011-03-07T14:00:00.000+07:00

I have a pleasure of reading my own blog last night. Not that I think that I'm a good blogger, but I found joy in remembering the old days. I miss all the travelling I've done, I miss having the perfect Sunday, I miss watching movies, good ones.

I can proudly admit that I almost never blog at work, but today is an exception. It could be the weather, it could be the medicine I'm currently taking, but seriously I'm in a terrible mood to work. It's almost 2pm and I haven't done anything productive.

In short, I'm super-lazy today.

To make it more interesting, I have a mid-term examination tonight and I haven't studied at all. If I need proofs how well I absorb lessons in the classroom, maybe tonight is the time. HUHUHU.

Anyway, back to the thing about my blog, no matter what I do, where I am, whom I'm with, I always remember the feelings I was having when those special moments occurred. I was happy as a sponge when I was in Bali with Tasha and Lisa two years ago, I has always been guaranteed to have good times when I hang around Miko and Yuska or how ecstatic I was during the French Cinema Festival.

And now, I'm so confused and scared, not with how the tonight's exam might turn out to be, but I feel something grandeur, which unfortunately I'm not able to write, but only feel.

Is it too much to ask for good luck a couple of hours before I face the big exam tonight? I hope not.

diawali dengan sakit .. lalu resolusi?

2011-01-29T15:53:00.000+07:00

Percaya atau tidak, tepat satu tahun yang lalu, gue sakit seperti sekarang ini gue juga sakit. Yah, penyakitnya sih gak sama yah, tapi ini adalah kebetulan-kebetulan yang mengerikan. Bagaimana gue harus memulai sebuah tahun dengan sakit.

Jika tahun lalu, gue didiagnosa mengidap mump (sejenis gondokan), kali ini gue terkena batuk mengganggu. Batuk bagaimana bentuk dan bunyinya, menurut gue selalu mengganggu. Bayangkan kalau anda harus berada di sebuah ruangan sempit penuh dengan orang dan anda batuk. Sangat mengganggu bukan dan bahkan yang gak batuk sudah pasti akan terganggu.

Gue merasakan ketidak-nyamanan ini setiap saat gue berada di mobil jemputan, kelas bahasa dan karena alasan ini juga, gue terpaksa harus bolos ibadah dan kelas pembinaan. gue gak bisa membayangkan batukan gue mengganggu kekhusyukan ibadah orang lain dan kalau gue diperbolehkan tidak bekerja karena batuk, sudah dengan senang hati tidak masuk kantor (pastinya). HEHEHE.

Untuk tahun ini, gue sedikit segan untuk membuat resolusi. Malu dengan resolusi-resolusi yang gue buat, tulis dan kemudian paparkan di sini, yang mana tidak tercapai satupun. HAHAHAHA. Yah bagaimanapun juga gue percaya tidak seharusnya seorang melewati satu durasi waktu tanpa merencanakan apa-apa.

Walau tampaknya tahun 2011 akan jadi tahun yang tidak mudah (sok bernubuat), tapi kemudian apa serunya kalau tahun ini menjadi tahun yang mudah? Gue cuma berharap gue bisa sampai bulan Desember dengan penuh kehormatan.

the globe 2011

2011-01-16T13:39:00.003+07:00

It has become an annual thing for me to write about the Golden Globes. This year is not an exception, but I must say I have lost thrills when the nominations announced back in December. To have Jolie, Depp, The Tourist, Burlesque nominated over many other good comedies or musical is just absurd. Then again, rating rules.

Anyway, to check the complete nomination, you can visit the HFPA official site. Here is my prediction of who might cry/laugh/stand on that Golden Globe stage saying thank you to their agents:

Best movie (drama):
Might win: The Social Network
I choose: The Black Swan
The Black Swan is dark, it's twisted and someone gets to die at the of the movie, should I say more? Black Swan should win the Oscar for best picture, if you ask me.

Best actor (drama):
Might win and I choose: Colin Firth
It's about time. Although it's a tight competition between Firth, Franco and Eisenberg.

Best actress (drama):
Might win and I choose: Natalie Portman
It's a safe bet. It was mention that this category is the toughest, since there are so many great performances this year.

Best movie (comedy/musical):
Might win: The Kids Are All Right
I choose: Anything but the Tourist and Burlesque
Nothing personal. :D

Best actor (comedy/musical):
Might win: Johnny Depp
I choose: Anyone but Johnny Depp
Again, nothing personal.

Best actress (comedy/musical):
Might win: Annette Benning
I choose: Emma Stone
Annette Benning is excellent in The Kids are All Right, but I don't see it as a comedy, although yes, the movie elicit a few laughters, however, she is set to win this one. Although I would love Emma Stone to take home this award, she's great!

Best supporting actress:
Might win: Melissa Leo
I choose: Amy Adams
I love Amy Adams, she should win.

Best supporting actor:
Might win and I choose: Christian Bale
Everyone loves a physical change an actor did for a role. Bale did a shocking change and that's why he will win.

Best animated:
Might win and I choose: Toy Story 3
Seriously Pixar is way ahead of everyone else. Although there's a slight chance, the Illusionist might steal this.

photosharesession

2010-12-30T18:49:00.002+07:00

I don't even want to call it a hobby. Taking photos is just something I do when I'm out of things to do. But the other day, my boss told me about this facebook page about how common people sent their photos to be judge by others by typing OK in the comment box.

So I decided to send my photo to photosharesession and I got 3 OKs! So it's bad, isn't it? Although most people got no less than 10 OKs, but I'm very happy with my own photos.

It's a pretty cool page and if you like to take photos, hey join the group, you might actually learn something here.

petualangan borneo

2010-12-24T18:52:00.000+07:00

BALADA HUJAN

Hari Rabu, 22 Desember 2010, sekitar pukul 08:00 WITA, ketika saya bersiap-siap untuk kembali ke pusat kota, langit menurunkan hujan. Seolah-olah mengingatkan saya betapa beruntungnya saya, bukan hanya karena saya diberikan kesempatan untuk mengunjungi Kalimantan Selatan, tetapi saya diberikan kesempatan untuk mengambil bagian memberikan pelatihan kepada guru-guru di kecamatan Jorong, Kalimatan Selatan.

Saya terharu dengan teman-teman baru yang saya kenal, baik di Jorong maupun teman-teman yang berangkat bersama-sama dari Jakarta. Walau dalam kunjungan yang lumayan singkat, saya belajar begitu banyak hal. Saya merasa sangat beruntung.

KOTA INTAN

Setibanya saya menginjak pulau Kalimantan, saya dibawa menikmati itik goreng, itik bakar dan udang bakar ala Banjar di salah satu rumah makan popular di Banjarbaru, Swarga. Begitu mobil yang kami tumpangi berhenti di depan rumah makan Swarga, saya melihat panggangan besar di depan rumah makan tersebut yang mana di atasnya potongan-potongan itik dipanggang dengan begitu indahnya. Saya begitu bersemangat.

Setelah itu, kami mengunjungi Kecamatan Martapura, di mana area ini terkenal dengan pasar batu-batu perhiasannya. Saya bukan orang yang menyukai batu-batuan dan apalagi belanja di tempat di mana saya diharuskan untuk menawar. Jadi saya memilih untuk mengobservasi dan melihat-lihat seperti apa pasar Martapura.

Martapura adalah kota dengan pengaruh Islam yang kuat. Monumen-monumen dengan ukiran huruf Arab dengan mudah dapat ditemukan di mana-mana. Ada referensi yang menyebutkan bahwa Martapura disebut sebagai kota santri.

Pasar penjualan perhiasannya sendiri tidak jauh berbeda dengan pasar Tanah Abang atau pasar Senen, mungkin tidak sepadat kedua pasar di Jakarta tersebut, namun selayaknya pasar homogen, di mana mata memandang, perhiasan bergantungan di mana-mana. Saya menyempatkan diri untuk membeli beberapa gelang dan bros untuk oleh-oleh ibu saya.

TAKE ME TO THE BEACH
Saya menghabiskan malam-malam saya dengan tinggal di sebuah bungalow di tepi pantai, di mana kami masing-masing diberikan satu flat. Malam pertama saya membayangkan betapa mengerikannya saya harus tidur sendiri. Namun begitu saya tinggal sendiri di flat tersebut, tanpa TV, tanpa internet, tanpa musik, hanya bunyi ombak yang berdeburan. Rasa takut (tanpa alasan jelas) beserta rasa capai setiap malam diseimbangkan dengan rasa nyaman.

Saya selalu mencintai pantai. Duduk di tepi pantai di malam hari dengan menikmati kudapan hangat dan teh panas adalah salah satu hal yang paling menyenangkan. Suara deburan ombak yang tak henti-hentinya memberikan ketenangan.

DEHIDRASI
Saya sadar ketika diberikan informasi mengenai tempat pelaksanaan pelatihan, saya tidak akan berharap tempat yang mewah. Bahkan di hari pertama, kami harus turun membersihkan kurang lebih 100buah kursi dari debu yang tebal dengan tisu basah. Hanya dengan dua kipas angin, kami juga mengadakan pelatihan tersebut dari pagi hingga sore.

Hari pertama adalah hari yang terberat. Setelah sore menjelang, saya nyaris pingsan. Dari sore jam 4 hingga malam jam 7, saya hanya ingat kepala saya rasanya seperti mau meledak. Walau semuanya berangsur-angsur membaik setelah saya tidur beberapa jam dan minum air seperti kuda nil.

Namun begitu saya membaca kertas isian kesan dan saran, saya menjadi sangat terharu. Pelatihan yang sederhana dan cuma sesaat tersebut memberikan banyak masukan kepada pesertanya. Bahkan hingga saat ini saya berharap perjalanan itu tidak sia-sia dan dari semua pihak, kecamatan Jorong yang paling diuntungkan.

KULINERAN
Walau dalam kunjungan yang singkat (3 malam), saya sempat juga menyicipi beberapa kudapan dan masakan khas Kalimantan, seperti Soto Banjar, Ketupat Kandangan dan berbagai kudapan yang saya temukan di pasar tradisional Martapura.

Di sini, kudapan atau kue-kue itu disebut wadai. Saya mencobai beberapa wadai seperti wadai kunci, wadai wajik dan satu kue yang terbuat dari singkong. Satu hal yang menarik perhatian saya adalah udang-udang besar di mana-mana, bahkan di warung makan di tepi jalan, sangat biasa menjual udang-udang besar ala lobster.

Saya sempat beberapa kali mengingatkan diri untuk berhati-hati dan ingat usia sudah tidak muda lagi. HEHEHE.

URBANISASI DAN TRANSMIGRASI
Akhirnya saya harus balik ke Jakarta juga. Oyah, sebelum saya berangkat ke Kalimantan, saya iseng-iseng cerita kepada teman saya mengenai perjalanan saya ini. Spontan teman saya berkomentar bahwa tidak ada apa-apa yang bisa dilihat di Kalsel, karena pendapat dia semua pemuda Kalsel memilih untuk berurbanisasi ke pulau Jawa daripada membangun tanah kelahirnya.

Pendapat teman saya itu tidak sepenuhnya benar, walau saya menemukan kota Banjar sedikit sepi di waktu malam dan penduduk lokal tampaknya lebih sedikit dibandingkan pendatang (penduduk yang bertransmigrasi). Kalimantan Selatan di luar kekayaan tambangnya, memiliki potensi yang begitu besar. Untuk parawisata misalnya, dibutuhkan sedikit polesan dan saya yakin bisa mengimbangi situs-situs wisata popular lainnya di Indonesia.

movies in year 2010

2010-12-24T17:19:00.000+07:00

I don't think I watched movies this year as many as last year. I don't think I have too many favorite this year. I remember how the year's summer blockbusters was a disappointment, although there are some good ones. The Golden Globes nominations announce is the proof. Kidding, those two have no relation whatsoever. Anyway, my favorite movies in the year of 2010 are:

Toy Story 3

Undeniable that it is the best animated movie Pixar ever made so far. It's funny, it's dramatic and seriously entertaining.

Inception

It's the Matrix thing all over again. Once rumored Nolan is a snob, with Inception, I say he's earned the right to be one. This mind-bending science fiction has turned my world upside down .. and the beautiful talented Miss Cotillard, will you just marry me?

Micmacs

Jean Pierre Jeunet is a genius and Micmacs is FUNNY! FUNNY! It successfully plays with that slapstick comedy Hollywood has been trying so hard to produce but failed at many times.

The Kids Are All Right

There was a scene where Annette Bening's character just found out that her partner cheated on her and she looked lost and yet tried to keep everything together. It was a good scene and Benning just nailed it. Actually everyone looks good in this movie.

Easy A

Haven't I told you that Emma Stone is a star? Easy A is hell-yeah funny!

Social Network

Who would've thought that David Fincher once directed a music video for Madonna? He did, but now with Social Network, he's a strong force to be reckoned.

Shutter Island

The twisted story plot, the you-said, he-said, she-said, I think conclusion is enough to make this one a classic. I guess Marty is taking it the Hitchcock way!

Tangled

After Tangled, Disney announced they're not going to make any animated movie about princess. With how Tangled came out, I said go ahead make as many as you want! Tangled is funny, sweet but yet I don't feel embarrassed watching it.

Monster

Seriously we need a good movie about massive creatures. Monster is not really about huge aliens, but it satisfied the thirst. In a more serious note, I think Monster is a metaphor for many things in many screw-ups men conducted.

How to Train Your Dragon / Despicable Me / Megamind

They're all come in one because I have difficulties to pick only one last favorite. I think this year, animation rules and I'm happy! I just wish that I could watch the Illusionist next year.

Yeah, my favorites are mine alone. We might have similarity in taste, but hey, being different is okay. Leave in my comment box what your favorite are.

flashback of 2010

2010-12-22T16:15:00.002+07:00

Honestly, I haven't written anything here. I've been quite busy with work and the other blog. HEHEHE. However, since we're coming to the end of 2010, I would like to say a few words. One of the highlights in the news must be the disaster that have continuously occurred in our country, from natural disasters like volcano eruption, flood, quakes to how the weakness of Indonesia law was exposed (Remember Gayus?).

Anyway, personally I was truly blessed this year. My workload was insane throughout the year, but I must admit at some points, I enjoyed the travels required that came with the responsibilities. I visited Yogyakarta in May, Solo in September and South of Kalimantan in December. I made a lot of new acquaintances.

I passed my French examination in November with a fair score, I must say. I'm pretty content how much I have learned and truly, I know a few of them by heart. Contrary to many believes, I'm just not that dumb. HAHAHA.

But when it comes to blogging, I hardly have time to blog here, but my other blog, which is about culinary, I impressively submitted around 45 posts, which means I almost dined out every week. No wonder I'm always broke. KIDDING! HEHEHE.

Although it has been an awesome year, I also need to confess that I haven't read many books this year. Let's just say I didn't read much this year, which is very unfortunate because one of my resolutions is to read at least 2 books a month. That one just didn't go well.

I'm not planning to drown myself in sorrow. I failed to succeed, true? Hopefully next year is my year to read. Talking about drowning myself, I have found many cases where I viewed things in a very harmful manner. I'm not proud of myself. I settled many of my own battles a few weeks ago.

Last, but not least, I'm super-glad, super-happy that I have a very strong support system. My family (who is not only there to help me, but to bother me as well. HAHAHA. Kidding again!), my friends and my love (you know who you are, I'm so sorry you're down with fever and cold. Be well, soon!).

In short, 2010 is a very colorful year and I appreciate all the good things (and bad) that happened. Blessings to all of you.

the dance within 2: beyond the dream

2010-12-01T08:41:00.016+07:00

It's not easy to make a sequel. Even in the most superstitious town of Hollywood, sequels often failed to follow its predecessor's glory. Remember Speed 2: Cruise Control, anyone? However, the rule doesn't apply for the Dance Within. When the Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream was announced, one (without faith) must've thought what else they could've done, other than krumping and shimmering?

On that rainy Saturday, 27 November 2010, the dancers of the Dance Within completely burned down the house. Somehow it's no longer a dance recital, it's more of an art installation. It broadened its dance genres and knitted them all together in one neat almost-perfectly-told story line. Although there's a possibility if that you're not reading the playbill, you might not get the story line, which is a shame. Still, you can enjoy the colorful exquisite well-choreographed movements.

This year, the Dancewave went far beyond the limit with the wide range of dance types. The beautiful traditional dances of Java, the martial art - wushu (the dancer reminds me of the graceful miss Michelle Yeoh), the extravagant Bollywood-theme dance and the capoeira (I have no words for this amazing art/sport/something form) are a few of the highlights.

Although I must admit I can never tell what makes a dance a good dance, but surely I can tell you that I have one heck of a good time!

Unfortunately this sold-out show annually perform one night only. (The only downside of this spectacle is) many artsies (not sure it's a word) were left outside the restoration-needed historical Gedung Kesenian Jakarta learning the hard way of the advantage of pre-sale.

Check their website: www.dancewavecenter.com

Note: Copyright photo courtesy of Yuska Lutfi Tuanakotta.

yogyakarta, 2006

2010-11-06T11:11:00.002+07:00

4 tahun yang lalu ketika saya menemukan diri saya jenuh dengan segala rutinitas yang saya kerjakan di Jakarta, saya memutuskan untuk pergi selama 1 minggu di bulan Desember. Seorang teman menganjurkan saya untuk pergi ke Yogyakarta. Saya mengingat dengan jelas bagaimana kota Yogyakarta adalah salah satu kota teraman, teramah dan tidak membutuhkan biaya hidup yang tinggi.

Saya tidak berniat menuliskan kembali salah satu pengalaman yang paling menyenangkan dalam hidup saya. Merayakan Natal di gereja di kota ini juga menandakan sebuah perubahan dalam hidup saya. Dalam kesempatan mengenang kembali masa-masa indah itu, saya berharap suatu saat untuk dapat kembali ke kota yang indah ini.

Sementara waktu, dalam doa saya, ayo Yogyakarta bangkit dan bangun kembali kotamu. Saya tak sabar untuk berlibur dan kembali mengunjungimu lagi.

keponakan yang baru

2010-09-18T15:55:00.005+07:00

Dilahirkan tanggal 17 September 2010, anak pertama dari kakak laki-laki saya dan istrinya. Sampai saat ini belum diputuskan nama yang pas, semoga dalam waktu beberapa hari ini, saya sudah bisa memanggil dia dengan namanya dan bukan dengan si bocah.

Yah, ponakanku, semoga kamu bertumbuh menjadi anak yang berbakti kepada Tuhan, bangsa dan negara, orang tua, keluarga dan punya cita-cita setinggi bintang di langit. Selamat datang di bumi. Peluk sayang dari om. :D

ngambil foto di kala iseng

2010-09-18T14:03:00.003+07:00

Saya sedang di rumah dan beberapa hari ini rasanya bosan banget. Mau siap-siap kerja untuk hari Senin, tapi berat banget. HAHAHA. Jadi iseng-iseng saja ambil foto taman di depan rumah. Berikut ini hasilnya.

introducing cook

2010-09-12T10:44:00.002+07:00

There's a new member to my family. My sister in law suggested that he was named either Cookie or Brownies, while I preferred to name him James Longnose, and I like to think he's British. Unfortunately, James Longnose is a bit too long for a dog. So everyone seems happy with Cookies. For me, he's always James Longnose and for short, people call him Cook. Cute, eh?

Cook is a bit shy, and he doesn't bark much. Like many of puppies his age, he has a very high level of curiosity. So far, I know that he likes Lisa Stansfield, my white Puma sneaker (yes, singular, only the left side). He hates the camera and being alone.

movie: the white ribbon

2010-09-10T12:55:00.006+07:00

THE WHITE RIBBON

Director: Michael Haneke

Release Year: 2009

"I gave God a chance to kill me, and He didn't do it"
Martin, the White Ribbon

The White Ribbon tells a story of mysterious events that took place in a small village in the northern part of German. Narrated by a tailor, the story occurred around 15 months before the first world war. At that, he was a young school teacher.

Haneke (the writer) hardly named all the characters. They were mentioned as the Baron, the Teacher, the Priest, the Farmer, the Doctor or the Steward. The village, where crimes were committed without consequences. Haneke never reveals who was (were) behind all these crimes. Although at some occasions, names were mentioned, lines were drawn, but Haneke still leaves it to his audience to believe what they want to believe.

As he was trying to tell us that it doesn't matter who did it, but the idea that the crimes were committed in a small village without punishment. The community leaders of the village , the Baron and the Priest, seem failed to solve the matter. Their authority, seems to be evoked by what are important to our society, the Baron for his fortune and the Priest for he speaks in the name of God.

The White Ribbon was shot in color then altered during the post-production to black/white images. Not only it works, it's also brilliant. The White Ribbon is like watching a horror movie without any scary creatures. At each scene, I was waiting for something terrible to happen and when it didn't, I was super-glad. The real stars in this movie were the children. They made the Children of the Corn look like a group of toddlers. The movie and its setting reminds me of the Little House of Prairie, actually a twisted version.

I read so much about Haneke and his movies. Unfortunately, his movies were not easy to find. I was lucky to be able to watch this one. Haneke's movies are never about reasons. I don't get to ask why something occurred, but how the characters react, that makes the movies interesting. Maybe Haneke tries to tell us that (in his movies) tragedy and misery do exist.

His previous one, The Funny Game with Naomi Watts tells a story of young family was brutally murdered for no reason. The murders had no previous knowledge about the family and it's just a random act. This movie had successfully made me check my door every night before I go to bed ... until now.

milo unwell

2010-09-10T07:04:00.003+07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Milo had this infection which made him wear this! Poor Milo, but then again, it's for his own good. He's all better now. The photo is just so funny, because it's not easy to take his photo. He can never sit still, but certain conditions like this one, he gave the best poses ever. :D

batik

2010-08-22T18:04:00.003+07:00

I am always a big fan of Batik and I really like wearing Batik shirt. But it was very unfortunate for someone with a very petite figure like me to find the exact size of Batik. Batik Keris, a popular brand did not have the perfect size for me.

A week ago, my office decided to have a batik day and I sadly went to Batik Keris to purchase a batik shirt in the kids department. Yes, all this time, I can only purchase batik from the kids department.

Until that night, I was told that Batik Keris has just launched a new line called Batik Keris Slim Fit. I was never happier to see batik in life. I tried to put it on and it fit! I bought one first and told myself to purchase probably the entire collections. HAHAHA.

I never liked myself wearing batik before, but on that batik day, I felt beautiful. Unfortunately, this new line is a bit pricey and the collections are limited. Unlike the usual Batik Keris shirt, the slim fit collection was not printed, but it was what they called a stamped batik. I just nodded when they explained the reason why it's more expensive.

The shopkeeper told me that Batik Keris is so excited about this collection that they will produce more of this line. So, yay! I'm happy!

So, in case you're having problems thinking what could be the best gift for me, Batik Keris Slim Fit size SS would just do! HAHAHA, kidding!

madonna

2010-08-22T18:02:00.003+07:00

1984, pada acara MTV Video Music Awards yang pertama, seorang perempuan dengan dandanan ala seorang pengantin perempuan bergulingan di atas panggung sambil berdendang. Laksana seorang pengantin yang berperilaku tak pantas, sang publicist penyanyi perempuan tersebut (Liz Rosernberg) dibisiki oleh teman kencannya sambil menunjuk kepada penyanyi tersebut: Bagaimana mungkin dia bisa melakukan itu?! Kariernya telah berakhir saat ini juga.

Penyanyi perempuan tersebut adalah Madonna, lagu yang didendangkan adalah Like a Virgin.

Dan pernyataan teman kencan Liz Rosernberg sangat keliru (begitu pula asumsi jutaan orang yang membandingkan Madonna dengan Cyndi Lauper). Madonna menjadi salah satu penyanyi perempuan yang paling dikenal seantero jagat dan boleh juga dibilang sebagai penyanyi perempuan yang paling berhasil dalam sejarah rekaman.

Sangat sulit untuk menerima rentang karier Madonna tanpa mengerutkan dahi. Madonna yang dikenal sebagai sang manipulator media. Di awal tahun kariernya, dia tidak pernah dianggap sebagai penyanyi yang serius. Madonna hanya seorang pencipta kontroversi.

Like a Prayer, setelah lebih dari sepuluh tahun dari waktu pertama kali diedarkan, kini disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu album yang penting. Tetapi kontroversi video dari lagu dengan judul yang sama juga membakar amarah gereja waktu itu.

Madonna dan MTV adalah contoh sempurna dari simbiosis mutualisme. Mereka saling memanfaatkan. Madonna sebagai manipulator media, menggunakan MTV sebagai bentuk promosi dan sebaliknya MTV yang baru saja diluncurkan mendompleng kontroversi Madonna.

Walau bersahabat, beberapa kali MTV melarang penayangan video-video Madonna. Pertama kali, Justify My Love yang dinilai terlalu sensual. Pelarangan ini justru menciptakan produk baru yaitu video single dan Justify My Love terjual 500ribu kopi, sehingga disebut sebagai video terlaris hingga saat ini. Erotica dan What It Feels Like for a Girl adalah video-video lain yang dilarang penayangannya oleh MTV.

Madonna juga tercatat sebagai penyanyi solo dengan penghasilan terbesar dalam pertunjukan konser. Perjalanan konser terakhirnya, Sticky and Sweet menghasilkan lebih dari 200juta USD. Madonna juga dicatat sebagai penyanyi dengan TOP-TEN single terbanyak di daftar tembang Billboard Hot 100 mengalahkan Elvis baru-baru ini.

Saya sempat tersentuh ketika menonton salah satu dokumenter Madonna, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, di mana di salah satu adegan film itu, Madonna memberikan pesan kepada para pendukung konsernya dalam hidup untuk selalu bertanggung jawab (be responsible) dan mempunyai kasih (have compassion) untuk sesamanya, karena menurut Madonna, dua hal itu lah yang menjadikan seseorang manusia yang lebih baik.

Saya lebih kaget lagi mengetahui di balik penampilannya yang tampak "rusak", justru Madonna adalah orang yang sangat memperhatikan kesehatannya. Dia tidak merokok, menjaga makanannya dan dikenal sebagai salah seorang penyanyi yang paling sehat di dunia. Jika kita menghitung jumlah penyanyi dari tahun 80an yang masih ada hingga ini, tampaknya tidak banyak yah. Kalaupun masih hidup, pasti sedang dililit oleh masalah. Ingat Whitney?

Saya tidak berniat mengajarkan anak-anak untuk mendengarkan Madonna yang nota-bene belum pantas bagi mereka. Tetapi paling tidak ada satu hal yang bisa kita pelajari dari seorang Madonna: to live a good life and be a better person, one must be responsible for his actions and have compassion for others.

tout me parle de toi

2010-08-21T15:56:00.003+07:00

I think the song says it all. :)

got till it's gone

2010-08-19T12:45:00.009+07:00

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone.

Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

Belakangan ini saya mendapatkan satu pelajaran yang sungguh amat berharga dan jujur saja, menyakitkan. Saya diajarkan untuk menghargai sesuatu (atau seseorang). Karena jika tidak, ketika sesuatu itu hilang atau orang itu pergi, saya menemukan betapa hal atau orang tersebut sangat berharga. Yang terburuk, penyesalan itu rasanya pahit.

Joni Mitchell di lagu Big Yellow Taxi menyanyikan betapa manusia mensia-siakan alam. Kemudian lagu yang sama dinyanyikan kembali oleh Janet Jackson yang menyanyikan bagaimana penyesalan yang datang terlambat setelah sang kekasih pergi karena disia-siakan. Janet menyanyikan: "If I could turn back hands of time, make you fall in love with me again, so would you give me another chance to love?"

Miris memang penyesalan itu dan naasnya penyesalan itu selalu terjadi atau timbul di kemudian waktu. Tak heran waktu seringkali dibilang "jahat", bukan karena perbuatannya, tetapi karena sifat waktu yang tidak mungkin mundur. Setiap keputusan yang kita ambil detik ini menentukan nasib (atau kejadian-kejadian) hidup kita di waktu yang mendatang.

Semua hal, bisa jadi pekerjaan, pasangan hidup atau bahkan keluarga tidak akan selamanya menjadi milik kita. Semua itu mungkin saja akan lenyap atau pergi. Sungguh suatu yang buruk, jika penyesalan timbul dari "kehilangan" itu.

Saya tidak hanya menyesal, tetapi saya merasa sangat buruk karena saya mensia-siakan anugrah. Saya tidak menyukuri hari-hari di mana saya diperhatikan, saya dikasihi. I'm really sorry for being a horrible person, for not showing enough of appreciations that you deserve.

good tv: weeds, the good wife

2010-08-09T09:00:00.003+07:00

It has been a good year for TV, I say. Especially for women in TV, these few years, there have been so many strong roles for women. Although I don't find being a Carol Brady is any wrong, but seriously these days, no more Carol Brady. Mothers on TV are more like Nancy Botwin and Alicia Florrick. They're ... just not your regular moms.

WEEDS (HBO)
New season in August 2010: season 6
This August is going to be a very exciting month for me. Weeds season premier will be on the 16. The first time I watched Weeds was accidental. I although am always a fan of Mary-Louise Parker, the title of the series is a bit too offensive for my taste.

It's probably a slow week or there's just nothing else to watch, I decided to purchase the first season of Weeds. I was wrong (well, not completely). It was offensive, it was horrible, but it's also funny and meaningful. Weeds tells a story of a two children widow, Nancy Botwin. Nancy, after the sudden death of her husband, decided to sell weeds to her neighbors.

By each season, the trouble she accidentally got herself into got bigger. I don't think children (or anyone below 18) are allowed to watch this series. I don't think Jenji Kohan (the creator, she also one of the people who are responsible for Gilmore Girls) tries to promote drugs (or weeds). Nancy Botwin is just an example how a person can do bad under certain circumstances.

THE GOOD WIFE
New season in Fall (September 2010): season 2
Alicia Florrick is the cheat-on wife of a falling-from-grace politician. After her husband was arrested, Alicia decided to return to practice law. With her last name, Florrick, she finds troubles (related or not to her husband) and/or sometimes solutions to the case she's handling.

What makes The Good Wife so good? Alicia is an underdog, and practically too-old junior associate who tries to mark her own place. Don't we always love that kind of story? And Kalinda! Yes, Archie Panjabi, the law-firm investigator with an attitude, makes the series even intriguing. No wonder, The Good Wife earned so many Emmy nominations for this year and don't be surprised if it wins big as well. I bet on Julianne Margulies and Archie Panjabi to win the best actress and best supporting actress in the drama category.

my super-mother

2010-08-08T17:31:00.009+07:00

So last Friday (August 6, 2010) was my birthday and unfortunately I was engaged to fulfill certain responsibilities that required me to be out of Jakarta. I didn't spend much time to celebrate it. However despite all that, I was so grateful (still am actually) for all the birthday wishes sent to my facebook account or even to my phone. I consider myself as the luckiest man on earth. If you are one of those people, THANK YOU!

At each birthday (and yes, there have been quite a lot! HAHAHA), I was always reminded of a person that I consider a hero, as my own personal hero, which is my mother. My mother, on the day I was born, put in danger her life so I could have mine. Even until today, she's (currently) in the kitchen preparing a family dinner party to celebrate my existence, which only exists greatly due to her kindness.

My mother has not always been great. She's not flawless, but if you're a single parent of 4 children (any kind of parents for that matter), flaws are just part of the package. Perfect parents are just unreal. My mother taught me to be humble and live life modestly. She always said (still does) never judge a book by its cover (cliche yet true) and never want to be judged only by your appearance.

She taught me (in her own ways) to appreciate things, to celebrate life, to believe things could (can) happen. She loves traveling. She (at 60) canoed in the wild river of Papua. She also love being in the kitchen and we easily love to have her being there. For she cooks many amazing meals, which I personally think not even the most expensive restaurant can provide. So now, you know whom I got the passion for food from. HEHEHE. I was also first introduced to the magic of cinema by her. I remember how we used to watch movies together and at some point, I always wanted to be a script writer.

So, on my belated birthday, let me take a minute or even five, to thank my mother, for her super-heroic life-risk action many years ago (I'm that old) to bring me to the world and many of her days to worry, to love, to nourish, to restlessly pray for me. I love you, mom. Thank you. God bless you.

movie: salt

2010-07-31T12:35:00.003+07:00

SALT
Director: Phillip Noyce
Cast: Angelina Jolie
Release Year: 2010, July

Angelina Jolie undeniably is a very attractive woman. I believe Phillip Noyce think so too. Too attractive (she is), that he failed to escape the typical B-list action movies by not editing the unnecessary scenes that indicate only one thing, Jolie kicks ass.

Salt is a CIA agent who was actually a Russian spy (again, really?) that was raised to attack America. Unfortunately, people change and so did Salt. Once trained to be a cold-hearted killer, she deviated for a cause that makes the world turn around, love. (I'm seriously trying to be sweet here!).

I wish at several scenes, Salt paid more attentions to the story line. It has so many potentials to be much better. Anyway, do you know that initially Salt was written as a man and it was meant for Tom Cruise? Cruise declined the role and go for Knight and Day instead (see how that one went down?). They rewrote the whole story, changed the sex of the character and Jolie's in.

Honestly, I might skip the movie if it was Cruise's. HAHAHA. So, good trade, I say.

The funny thing is a month ago, a so-called Russian spy, named Anna Chapman was arrested and deported back to Russian. Although I don't think Chapman and Salt have anything in common in any matters beside they're both born in Russia. However, the news gave great publicity to the movie. Jolie was in Russia to promote Salt and she was irresistibly welcomed.

Parental warning:
I do not suggest you to bring your child with you to watch this movie. Beside they're probably too young to know who Angelina Jolie is, the movie centers on revenge and it's actually quite violent.

le film: changement d'adresse

2010-07-15T13:35:00.011+07:00

Est-ce que je t'ai dit que j'ai retourné au CCF le mois dernier? J'ai un nouveau classe. Mes amis sont très brillants. Je suis heureux d'être dans la classe. Le semaine dernière, ma professeur m'a demandé faire un devoir. Je dois observer et réécrire un film. Le film est Changement d'adresse, une histoire d'amour. Je dois trouver les personnages et l'histoire du film. Ci-dessus est mon travail:

Titre du film: Changement d'Adresse
Les personnages:
David: il est musicien, il vient vivre à Paris and il donne des cours de musique.
Anne: elle est une jeune coiffeuse
Julia: elle est une élève de David

L'histoire du film:
David vient vivre à Paris et il cherche un logement. Il rencontre Anne. Anne le proposè de partager son grand apartement. Anne tombe amoureux à David, mais il aime Julia, son élève. Anne continue à chercher le grand amour. David et Julia se rencontrent avant il parts en week-end au bord la mer avec Julia. Mais Julia a une aventure avec un homme.

Le fin du film selon moi:
David est très triste parce que Julia l’aime jamais. Il rencontre Anne, mais elle est mariée et très heureuse. David vit seul jusqu’à le jour il meurt. Et Julia, elle devient une actress célèbre.

quote me

2010-06-16T17:31:00.005+07:00

I started blogging as sembiluan since 2008. I always mention how much I love writing and how writing has been saving me from many self-destruction (HEHEHE). It's true. Writing can somehow calm one's down.

Anyway, since I haven't written anything since forever and I'm in the middle of guilty feeling for being too preachy. Anyway, I read some old emails I sent or received. I found quite a few interesting quotes. Some of them are silly, or funny, or even a bit sad. I wrote most of the quotes to my friends.

And here they are.

Life is difficult and I don’t want to wish for an easy one, otherwise I won’t be thick-skin. Work may stress me out and I don’t want to wish it any other way, otherwise I won’t be able to appreciate every hard-earned cent by the end of the month. Romance seems impossible at this time and I’m not rushing myself into it, otherwise I won’t be able to appreciate the right one that comes along later. In short, may your heart (and mine) filled with peace, your mind (and mine) with wisdom and your days (and mine) with blessings.
---

Have I really told you that I enjoy talking to you? Even most of conversation seem useless to you, they mean a lot. HAHAHAHA. (feel free to go puking). Even now when I know I come to the end of the letter (before I bore you to death), I feel the need to keep writing. HAHAHAHA. Maybe I should tell you I got a new scanner *so not important* or these couple of weeks I've been staring at my blackberry and hoping you send me something!!! HAHAHAHAHA. Okay, that's stupid. Stupidity is the sign one must go.

---

Anyway, have you ever felt that you want something that you cannot have? I guess that's how I describe our friendship. Okay, that's just not fair. I wanted to say I love being your friend, what worse is sometimes I feel my enthusiasm is way too much and it might have scared the big shit out of you and secretly you pushed me away.That's prejudice, I admit it.

---

Then you know I'm a very curious little guy. I went on googling about how true the story of Rose Dawson. I found out that there was a survivor from the big ship of Titanic who lived in Cedar Rapids. Her name is Millvina Dean. Then of course, she didn't throw a big diamond necklace into the deep ocean (I would be devastated if the diamond story was true).

---

whine a bit

2010-06-04T22:01:00.002+07:00

What? My last entry was exactly a month ago! I've been very busy at work. Actually it wasn't my first year doing or going through the same things, but I don't know somehow this year, I feel it's just tougher.

I've been looking like a zombie these couple of weeks. My very honest friend said I look like shit. Although it can be considered too honest, it's also true. I don't get enough of sleep and even if I'm about sleep, I always think of what I haven't done and I should do the next day.

I know, I know! I should be grateful, shouldn't I? My blood pressure was 120/100 a couple of weeks ago. The nurse (jokingly) informed that I should start calling the undertaker. The truth is it's not a joke and I do need to take good care of myself. I need to stop feeling guilty for not able to finish some of my projects. How can I finish one task, if every 30minutes comes another one?

It's been quite stressful and I feel some of my support systems not working. Everyone knows I don't sweat over small things, but under certain conditions (conditions like this!), I can become very sensitive. Anyway, a couple of nights ago, I decided to work overtime and one of my superiors (probably in the middle of confusions) couldn't find anything else to say to me, then decided to say: You are really working, aren't you, Alex?

At that time, I couldn't think of anything else but going home. But I didn't, I stayed doing what I needed to do. Maybe the nurse is right, I need to start calling the undertaker or simply change. I need to work on eliminating the elements that elicit stress (I love this sentence: eliminate elements that elicit stress. HAHAHA). I cannot fire my superior(s) unfortunately, but I can find a new job. I can start being more dependent or maybe asking for help. I can start not depending on my current support systems. I can pray a little more.

In short, I know, I know! I should be grateful. Sorry, it's Saturday, I just want to whine!

rain, night and a dead dog

2010-05-04T19:17:00.000+07:00

It's been a while for me to write anything. My last entry was almost two weeks ago. I didn't have much to say anyway, not even now. O yeah, it's raining tonight, so it's good. The weather has been crazy, so a bit of rain is again, good.

Talking about blogging, last year in April, I only posted 2 entries and this year, I managed to post 5, so I won't call it a step-back. I was pretty good in taking care of my blog. I have a few stories to tell and share, I might put them in writing in a day or two. I also attached a photo I took when I had to work really late last Friday. I always enjoy the beauty of light.

O yeah, a couple of days ago, someone dumped a dead dog in my trench. It was horrible. It's not because the effort needed to take the body out and to give the dog a proper bury, but the idea that someone did that is just inhumane. I have two dogs and they're practically family. If you are the man, I just need to say: that's so not cool, man!

sans dire un mot

2010-04-21T08:44:00.004+07:00

Good morning, Tuesday! I didn't go to work today due to cold and flu. I was getting better, but then it got worse, so I decided to stay home and hibernate. Anyway, I just want to share this video that I somehow love so much and I like the song as well. Sans dire un mot, by Emmanuel Moire. The first line is a killing: Je ne sais pas où aller pour tomber sur tes pas.

movies at the french cinema festival 2010

2010-04-20T09:22:00.002+07:00

Micmacs à tire-larigot
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast: Dany Boon, Dominique Pinon
Release Year: 2009
-

Micmacs tells a story of an man named Brazil, whose father was killed by a roadside bomb. Brazil, himself has a bullet inside his scalp due to a shooting incident that happened at his work place. After being released from the surgery, Brazil lives with a group of people in a dumpster, whom then become his allies in sabotaging the people who are responsible for the death of his father and the bullet planted in his scalp.

A slapstick without a proper handling can be tacky and disastrous, but Micmacs (which is one) in the hand of Jeunet is brilliant and Boon reminds me of Chaplin. Micmacs may not elusively fit to those who need to know exactly why or how, but it's a treat to my senses.

french cinema festival 2010

2010-04-17T20:44:00.005+07:00

One of the things that excites me in April is definitely the French Cinema Festival 2010 in Jakarta. Event like this makes me proud of this city. Unfortunately, this year, I will only be able to watch 5 movies (last year, I managed to watch 12 movies), but still I'm excited. The event, itself opened tonight at the Usmar Ismail with Le Concert.

Although I won't be attending the opening ceremony, I will watch Le Concert among other films, like Tellement Proches, Oscar et La Dame Rose, Micmacs à Tire-Larigot and De l’autre Coté du Lit with Sophie Marceau.

I'm so suggesting you to take part in this event, and if you ask for a reason, let's me give you some:

It's only once a year
It's not easy to find French movies in our cinema or even DVD
French movies are famous for being ballsy
Sophie Marceau, Melanie Laurent, Jean-Pierre Jeunet .. isn't that just enough?
Tickets are cheap. HAHAHA.

Well, anyway, I hope to see you there. Au revoir!

milo dan bleki

2010-04-17T19:32:00.003+07:00

Minggu lalu, saya berkesempatan untuk menonton Hachiko bersama pacar di Pluit Junction, setelah gagal selama 3 minggu berturut-turut untuk mendapatkan tiket. Film Hachiko merupakan film yang berdasarkan kisah nyata di Jepang. Untuk kamu yang tidak tahu pasti Hachiko itu apaan, Hachiko itu seekor anjing yang kisahnya kembali membuktikan kalau anjing itu setia buanget sama tuannya.

Saya menangis saat menonton film ini, walau gak sedramatis pelajar SMP yang di sebelah saya yang mata dan hidungnya sampai bengkak bercucuran air mata dan ingus. Saya terharu dengan kesetiaan yang total Hachi kepada tuannya. Saya teringat dengan anjing keluarga saya ketika selesai menonton film ini dan bahkan ketika saya mencoba menyelesaikan post ini, saya kangen dengan Bleki (poodle hitam) dan Milo.

learning from singapore

2010-04-05T17:42:00.001+07:00

I felt so lucky to be sent to Singapore last March by my office to do some work. Although I have to admit the 4 days trip was insanely exhausting, it's quite fun really and I enjoyed every hour of the trip. I enjoyed my visit to some public services in Singapore, include a recycle company, the land-transport gallery, the city gallery near Chinatown, a public school, the water distillation and some recreation parks.

What's great about the trip is it's a bit unusual. I hardly spent time in any shopping malls, unlike most of my traveling trips. HEHEHE. This unusual trip made me think of Jakarta as a home. I started wondering whether I live in this city is the best option. Yes, I love this city and I (probably) will always do, but I have to admit the Singapore trip opened my eyes.

Singapore has a really-well drawn future plan. In 2035, according to the Land-Transport Gallery, each public bus will be equipped with a sensor (or something like that) that automatically slows down the bus every time it reads someone/something pass by in front of it. It also mentioned that Singaporeans will be able to reserve a bus seat online. Traffic jam is a big deal for the government.

Marina Barrage, the water distiller was designed so well that it makes you feel that you're in a Museum or something. I have to salute Singapore in this matter, they can recognize a problem and then work to solve it. The Barrage is a solution to Singapore's lacking of natural resource of water. The Marina Bay, during my visit, has been in progress to be one of the Singapore's tourist attractions.

The recycle company was a big slap to my face. The company doesn't really recycle things. They collect, they sort, they pack and then they send (read: sell) the recyclable "trash" to other countries to be manufactured, like sadly our country (phuff, like we don't have enough of our own trash). Why we purchase, you wonder? It's because we're not bothered to recycle.

It's quite difficult for me to type this, as I know that my rich country, who owns many of natural resources, is so left behind. I never heard (or maybe I'm just an ignorant?) of our government's plan to solve many of the practical problems, like flood (do you notice that flood doesn't longer feel like a problem, it's more like an annual thing), traffic in Jakarta (I'm hopeless with this one), terrible pavements. If our government was able to spend 12.1billions Rupiahs on laptops, I think they can somehow work to come out with money to fix this city.

I really have high hopes that this city I love so much could be better in the future and the people we trust to govern are really going to make sure it happens, even if it's a slow progress.

another letter from julia

2010-03-23T19:10:00.006+07:00

I have a friend, who currently lives abroad. We're pretty close and we exchange emails, but not so often lately. Her name is Julia (not really her real name, I have to be confidential somehow). But if you read my earlier posts, I did once post her letter. And this is another one.

---

de: Julia
à: the long morrow [sembiluan@gmail.com]
date: 20 mars
objet: Hello

Dear Alex,

Hey man! What's going on? I thought you're lost or something. I haven't heard anything from since my last email and it was like 3 months ago? We used to exchange email daily. Man, I miss those days. But I'm glad I'm hearing from you again. Although I'm a bit upset that you only wrote no more than 3 lines of sentences! You, pig!

So you're going to Singapore, yeah next week? Sounds exciting! I wish your office would send you to a father place, let's say HERE? HEHEHE. I miss you, Alex really.

If you're asking whether I'm reading anything good lately. Be honest, I have not. I'm quite busy at work and life (and universe) has been treating me bad. You don't believe me?

Can you believe in one day, I received as many as 5 insults, from closest friends and my boyfriend (well, to call him my boyfriend is pretty brave, I'm certainly not sure where we are anymore). Friends mostly complained/criticized/name-called me too fat. A friend, who I haven't seen for quite sometimes, bluntly said I look like a pork. Not so bad, huh? My mother thought I was pregnant. I know, this weight thing. So superficial, yet when someone (or ones) mention it to you, you feel your world is falling apart.

And to top the whole thing, my boyfriend seemed to wake up from a 8 months dream and proclaimed: he has made a wrong decision with me. I was his huge mistake, he said. Can you believe that? No, I'm okay or at least I will be. I'm a bit glad that work will keep me occupied. Sorrow cannot wound a weary body, true?

Sometimes everything looks so unhealthy and I feel that I just need to go away, far far away, for a long long time. Your email however, brings not only hope, but smile also to this endless day. I miss you really. I know at this certain of time, you would've known where to go to, what to do or eat to make me feel better.

Sometimes I feel so alone fighting this big war and I'm losing.

So, buddy, email me as often as you can, okay?!

XOXOXO,

Julia.

PS: Why do I have this strange feeling that I don't want to stop writing? Can I write you another email like in 5 minutes? HAHAHAHA. Yes, I'm absolutely mad.

the cove dan richard o'barry

2010-03-21T11:37:00.009+07:00

Saya bukanlah seorang penggemar film dokumenter. Film dokumenter terakhir yang saya tonton itu produksi NGC, Apocalypse The Second World War, mengenai perang dunia kedua di Eropah, dan jujur, saya tidak menikmatinya, dalam konteks terlalu mengerikan, menyedihkan dan sadis.

Tetapi Sabtu kemarin, ketika saya berburu DVD, saya melihat DVD film dokumenter terbaik Oscar untuk tahun ini dan saya tidak dapat melewatkannya begitu saja. Saya sekilas pernah mendengar berita mengenai betapa mengerikannya film ini atau menonton langsung tailer filmnya (yang walau pertama kali saya tonton, saya hanya mengingat ada Hayden Panettiere).

The Cove bercerita tentang usaha sekelompok pecinta hewan yang berusaha mengungkapkan pembantaian dengan cara sadis terhadap lumba-lumba di Taiji. Pembantaian dan konsumsi (yang mana tidak sehat) terhadap lumba-lumba yang selama bertahun-tahun dirahasiakan di kota kecil di Jepang ini, yang anehnya kota ini dihiasi dengan simbol paus dan lumba-lumba seolah-olah Taiji adalah kota yang melestarikan kedua mamalia laut ini.

Richard O'Barry adalah salah satu anggota dari kelompok itu. O'Barry yang adalah mantan pelatih lumba-lumba di Seaquarium Miami, yang kemudian menjadi aktor terkenal di film TV mengenai lumba-lumba di akhir tahun 60an, Flipper. Hingga suatu saat, salah satu lumba-lumba mengalami depresif dan mati dengan menahan nafasnya ketika keluar dari air, O'Barry tiba-tiba berubah. Keesokan harinya, dia membebaskan lumba-lumba pertamanya dan dia langsung dipenjara.

Sejak saat itu, O'Barry menjadikan aktivitas pengembalian lumba-lumba ke habitat aslinya sebagai profesinya. Dia pernah dituntut oleh Republik Dominica di tahun 2009, karena dianggap mengganggu kelancaran usaha penangkapan dan penjualan lumba-lumba.

Saya teringat akan salah satu tulisan yang saya baca beberapa waktu yang lalu, mengenai menemukan apa yang menjadi panggilan hidup ketika saya menonton di film ini bagaimana O'Barry begitu bersemangat dan seolah-olah pantang menyerah (dan pantang malu) dalam memperjuangkan hak hidup bagi lumba-lumba.

Ketika video pertama mengenai pembantaian lumba-lumba di Taiji berhasil didapatkan, O'Barry memasangkan TV di dadanya dan memperlihatkan video itu di pertemuan besar pelindungan terhadap sumber laut (IWC). Bukan hanya itu, O'Barry juga menyampaikan pesan tersebut dengan berdiri di jalan-jalan di beberapa kota di Jepang.

Apa yang dilakukan O'Barry membuat saya berpikir mengenai gairah (atau dalam bahasa Inggrisnya, passion). Saya percaya setiap orang mempunyai gairah terhadap sesuatu. Mungkin makanan, mungkin film, mungkin buku, tetapi kadang-kadang saya berharap saya mempunyai gairah yang mana hasil dari reaksi saya terhadap gairah itu membuat hidup sekelompok pribadi menjadi lebih baik, seperti Richard O'Barry.

Oyah, mungkin untuk sementara waktu yang panjang, saya tidak akan mengunjungi Sea World atau Gelanggang Samudra, karena film ini.

movie: alice in wonderland

2010-03-15T13:24:00.000+07:00

I think everyone at some point of his early age, loves animated features. As for me, I still do. My dearest sister had her share in making me love those cartoons. I remember my first love was Cinderella and it's a gift from her. I also remember how she used to wake me up the way the birds did to Cinderella in the movie.

Since then, I watched a lot of animated features, includes Alice in Wonderland. I never really like Alice. It's not because it's badly produced, but it's mostly because of the story and who Alice was. For me, Alice is just a naughty lazy little girl and for her, to fall in to that deep hole which brought her to Wonderland was a sort of punishment. Somehow, she deserves it.

However, when it's announced that Tim Burton's next project was Alice in Wonderland. I was more than thrilled! I can only imagine how dark and bizarrely pretty it would be. But then, when I sat at the second row from the movie screen, I can only say it's a bit disappointed.

Alice is no longer the naughty lazy girl I used to know, she's in distress still. She fell again to that deep hole to Underland (not Wonderland, as Alice thought the first time). Underland doesn't seem like a punishment as it was in the first visit, it's more like a mental hospital. Everyone seems to look high on something or simply just crazy.

Alice was asked to fight against the Red Queen (Carter portraits the character perfectly) and helped the White Queen to proclaim her throne. Just as simple as that, nothing huge. Even the dragon she killed looks no more dangerous than Komo (if you remember the song in the 80s, by Kak Seto).

No, don't get me wrong. I don't dislike Alice. Maybe Alice has changed since her father passed away, but still if the Wonderland needs a rescue, it shouldn't be Alice, whom once better known for her laziness. Anyway, I must admit though Burton still has the wild imagination. The CGI looks bizarrely pretty and I shamelessly asked my pacar to take my photo when I saw the Alice in Wonderland park in Pluit Village. HAHAHAHA.

oscar 2010

2010-03-08T20:00:00.002+07:00

Dalam kategori akting (hayo jujur saja, bukannya cuma kategori itu yah yang penting buat kita? Atau mungkin buat saya saja yah? HEHEHE) Oscar tahun ini sangat mudah ditebak. Nyaris tidak ada kejutan.

Aktor terbaik: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Kebetulan belum nonton, jadi gak tahu juga gimana bentuknya. Walau rasanya, saya lebih bahagia jika Collin Firth yang mendapatkan oscar untuk tahun ini, di A Single Man.

Aktris terbaik: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Bisa jadi kategori ini sudah menjadi kontes popularitas, tapi jujur saja, kategori aktris terbaik untuk tahun ini sangat lemah. Juga disayangkan Academy Awards melewatkan Abbie Cornish, dari Brightstar dan Marion Cotillard, dari Nine.

Aktris pendukung terbaik: Mo'Nique - Precious

Mo'Nique tanpa diragukan lagi adalah salah satu aktris yang paling rendah hati. Pidatonya ketika dia berhasil memenangkan Golden Globe untuk kategori yang sama begitu menyentuh dan romantis. Bahkan saya sempat menonton video konfrensi-pers-nya, Mo'Nique begitu mempesona. Selain Mo'Nique, aktris lain yang saya harapkan untuk menang, adalah Anna Kendrick, yang keren banget di film Up in the Air.

Aktor pendukung terbaik: Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds
Saya tidak bisa berkata apa-apa. Kol Hans Landa adalah salah satu tokoh fiksi di layar perak yang paling menarik sepanjang masa. Dia cerdas, dingin dan dalam beberapa kesempatan, sangat lucu. Waltz begitu sempurna memerankan-nya, begitu sempurna-nya, saya sulit membayangkan Landa diperankan oleh orang lain.

Sutradara terbaik: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Sejarah tercatat melalui kemenangan Bigelow tahun ini, yaitu dia menjadi wanita pertama yang berhasil memenangkan Oscar untuk kategori sutradara terbaik selama 82 tahun pembagian Oscar. Pantas? Tentu saja! Bahkan, kompetitior terberatnya, James Cameron, ketika memenangkan Golden Globe dengan rendah hati mengatakan seharusnya Bigelow yang menang.

Film terbaik: The Hurt Locker
Ini adalah kejutan terbesar tahun ini. Mungkin James Cameron bisa berlapang dada menerima kekalahannya dalam kategori sutradara terbaik, tetapi dalam film terbaik? Ini benar-benar menyakitkan. Kalau saya pribadi, saya lebih berharap film animasi UP yang memenangkan kategori ini. HEHEHE.

PS: Akan nonton Alice in Wonderland akhir pekan ini! Yay!

movie: the shutter island

2010-03-07T07:03:00.001+07:00

"Stop me before I kill more."

Jum'at kemarin, janjian dengan pacar, kami menonton film The Shutter Island, yang adalah karya terbaru dari Martin Scorsese. Scorsese memang terkenal dengan kebiasaan untuk mencoba sesuatu yang baru. Percaya atau tidak, Scorsese yang menyutradarai film-film seperti The Age of Innocence, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Aviator dan video Michael Jackson, Bad.

Ide cerita film ini sebenarnya tidak terlalu istimewa, mengingat sudah beberapa kali penonton dibawa untuk menelusuri sebuah film dari titik pandang salah satu tokohnya, yang kebetulan adalah orang yang tidak hidup dalam kenyataan (kenyataan di film, maksudnya). Saya membayangkan (mungkin) Joko Anwar duduk di baris paling belakang, tersenyum dan berpikir kalau dia lebih dulu menggunakan alur cerita ini terlebih dahulu dalam filmnya Pintu Terlarang.

Adalah seorang US Marshall, yang bernama Teddy Marshall yang menginvestigasi kehilangan pasien di rumah sakit jiwa yang menangani pasien-pasien dengan tingkat kesakitan jiwa yang berbahaya. Selama 138 menit, penonton dibawa dalam perjalanan menebak siapa sebenarnya yang gila dan pada akhirnya ketika kebenaran terungkap, penonton seolah-olah baru saja diantar keluar dari upacara pemakaman yang panjang.

Walau ide penceritaan-nya sudah berkali-kali muncul di layar perak, tak berarti Scorsese gagal menuangkan kejeniusannya dalam bercerita. The Shutter Island masih terlihat menakutkan, depresif dan walau tidak mengejutkan, tetapi mampu memainkan emosi penonton melalui dialog-dialog yang cerdas.

Saya suka sekali ketika Teddy Daniels, salah satu tokoh utama di film ini berkata, "It was like an insect crawling inside my brain, pulling my strings for fun" untuk menggambarkan kegilaan. Untuk sesaat, saya berpikir betapa rapuh dan kompleksnya manusia itu.

Tokoh Teddy Daniels diperankan begitu dinamis oleh DiCaprio. Ada saat, di mana saya melihat Daniels sebagai antagonis, tetapi pada saat film mencapai klimaks, dia hanya seorang pria yang hancur hatinya dan dia bahkan memilih untuk "menghukum" hidupnya, "Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?" Scorsese tidak menjelaskan eksplisit apa yang terjadi terhadap Daniels di akhir film, tetapi saya yakin di setiap pikiran penonton, Daniels tidak akan hidup sewajarnya.

Tak bisa dipungkiri, Shutter Island penuh dengan dialog-dialog yang membuat saya takut, sedih dan berpikir keras. Kalimat "Stop me before I kill more", menurut IMDb, merupakan rujukan ke sebuah kasus pembunuhan yang tidak pernah dipecahkan di tahun 40an.

Saya setelah selesai menonton film ini, untuk sesaat menyadari saya seringkali membuat keputusan yang salah dalam hidup dan seringkali pula saya tertarik untuk tidak menerima kenyataan yang menjadi akibat (bukan hukuman loh!) dari perbuatan saya dan memilih untuk menghilang dalam khayalan, mungkin pada saat itu, saya sudah dihitung gila. HAHAHA.

music i currently listen to

2010-02-21T15:02:00.009+07:00

Currently, I have been listening to these albums with my cheap iPod. HEHEHE.

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster, it was re-released and extended. The album contains many good dance track. Songs like Bad Romance cannot be easily gotten out of my head. HAHAHA. Along with the first songs from the previously released, the Fame, like Just Dance, Poker Face, Paparazzi, Lady Gaga is fun and ecstatic. It's hard to believe this artist was once dropped by her label.

The Original Broadway Cast - Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, just to mention these two names make it's reasonable why Wicked was considered as the most successful Broadway play! Defying Gravity is always able to lift my spirit and makes me a bit brave. HAHAHA.

The Original Soundtrack of Les Chansons D'Amour, songs like La distance, Je n'aime que toi, La Bastille, As-tu dèja aimé? are not only easy to-listen to, but they're also meaningful and emotional (or is it just me?). La distance tells a story of a boy who's madly in love with this mysterious figure and his inability to comprehend his muse.

Massive Attack - Heligoland, I must admit Heligoland is way too advanced for me. Although I am a fan of Massive Attack old hits, like Teardrop, Inertia Creep and Live with Me. This album still has their old vibe, mixed with tribal sounds.

Sade - Soldier of Love, finally it's here! Unbelievable we have to wait for 10 years for that. Sade, the singer might have got older, the voice still is sulky. Soldier of Love is much heavier and like always, Sade, the band always manages to hit the right spot.

Kris Allen - Kris Allen, yes! I watch American Idol and I was rooting for Kris Allen last year! The album however is a bit disappointment. I like the first single from this album, but however the rest of the songs sound like a repetition and old.

happy valentine's day!

2010-02-14T20:52:00.001+07:00

For a skeptical guy like me, to really celebrate Valentine's Day is a rarity, but anyway I honestly admit that it's quite fun. I received chocolate (the photo shown above) from my pacar and a toblerone from a dearest friend from work (thank you, YS!).

be italian!

2010-02-12T21:44:00.001+07:00

Luisa Contini: Thank you.
Guido Contini: What for?
Luisa Contini: Thank you for reminding me I'm not special. You don't even see what you do to me. Even the moments I think are ours, it's just... you working to get what you want.

That was a dialog between Guido Contini and his wife, Luisa in Rob Marshal's newest musical, Nine. I don't know why, but there's always a little excitement to know that there's a musical to be released soon. I guess Hollywood agreed with me with Chicago. Just when it's about to be released. Everyone's buzzing about the movie and when it's released, everyone praised it and it's earned quite many Oscar noms.

Unfortunately, the same condition cannot applied to NINE. This ambitious project of Rob Marshall did not earn the same respect he did with Chicago. Nine is based on the broadway musical, that received so many acknowledgement. It based on the semi-autobiographic of Fellini, an Italian director.

Nine had potential for sure. It tells a story of an Italian director, Guido Contini, who struggled to balance his life. The pressure of work and personal life has driven the once a visionary director to a very stressful life. His colleagues, his mistress, his wife, even his dead mother seemed took parts in making life uneasy.

Marion Cotillard, as Luisa is just perfect. I was a bit disappointed that she didn't get an Oscar nomination for that role. Somehow, I feel that she might deserve it better than Penelopé Cruz, who managed to flawlessly transform herself as Guido's mistress, Carla. Kate Hudson and surprisingly Fergie did not disappoint.

However, even with this line of so many strong actors, Nine was still weak. It uses the same form of Chicago, unfortunately it's too similar, that it lost its originality. Nine didn't end well, it leaves you wonder whether a sequel is in a making, but then you're glad it won't.

By the way, if you wonder what Nine means. Nine is the number of works that Fellini has done.

Book: The Naked Traveler 2

2010-02-04T12:30:00.004+07:00

Finally, I managed to finish reading my first book in 2010. The Naked Traveler 2, by a woman who is well-known as Trinity. This is the second edition of the series. The Naked Traveler basically is series of stories of Trinity traveled around the world (this woman up to today, has traveled to 42 countries, according to the introductory of the book).

The Naked Traveler 2 did not cover as many countries as the first edition, but somehow it's more personal and it's more informative. The second book concentrates on the cultures, habits and the people of the countries she visited.

Like the first book, it always managed to make me smile and in some occasions, it made me laugh out loud. Yes, it's not the sophisticated literature. The Bahasa is informal (understandable, since it was initially a blog). The Naked Traveler made me appreciate other cultures, my own culture and friendship.

It's a light reading, but still informative. My next book is a gift from my boss. Another Bahasa book from Pdt. Yohan Candawasa, Tinggal dalam Hadirat-Mu.

i shot the sheriff!

2010-01-29T07:48:00.005+07:00

Gue termasuk salah satu orang yang suka banget makan malam di luar. Terutama sejak gue tinggal berdua dengan kakak laki-laki gue yang notabene juga pulang gak kalah malamnya dengan gue. Tempat makan-nya pun sangat bervariasi, mulai dari restoran-restoran di mal-mal dekat rumah, warung tepi jalan yang hanya buka di malam hari hingga nasi goreng tek-tek yang lewat di depan rumah. Semuanya tergantung cuaca malam itu, mood dan kondisi kantong. HEHEHE.

Acara makan malam di luar tak terelakan sangat menguras kantong dan hingga saat ini, gue masih seorang mas-mas kantoran, jadi budget masih terbatas. Rasanya untuk makan di restoran mewah dengan hiburan, semisal live-music, itu boleh dikata di luar kerelaan, terutama bukan untuk akhir pekan.

Tetapi untuk sore Kamis kemarin, setelah memotong ramput, gue memutuskan untuk menghadiahkan diri sendiri dengan makan di Depot 369, salah satu tempat makan kesukaan gue kalau ternyata gue harus makan sendiri. Setelah selesai memesan makan malam, tak jauh dari tempat gue duduk, ada band yang sedang check sound dan mereka memainkan beberapa lagu reggae Bob Marley, seperti Could This be Love, I Shot the Sheriff, Three Little Birds.

Musik yang konon pertama kali dingetopin di Jamaica. Musik yang seringkali mengungkapkan rasa tidak puas terhadap ketidak-adilan sosial, rasa benci terhadap kapitalisme dan mempromosikan perilaku benci terhadap sekelompok manusia dengan atribut tertentu. Walau harus diakui tidak semua penyanyi reggae seperti itu, gue selalu mengganggap lagu-lagu cinta Bob Marley itu sangat romantis. Lagu seperti Is This Love, dia mengumandangkan rasa cintanya dengan segala keterbatasannya:

"I wanna love you and treat you right;
I wanna love you every day and every night:
We'll be together with a roof right over our heads;
We'll share the shelter of my single bed;
We'll share the same room, yeah! - for Jah provide the bread."

Wah pokoknya, Depot 369 sore itu tidak seperti biasanya. Memesan mie sayur dengan sop Shanghai ditemani oleh dinginnya es lemon tea dan lagu-lagu Bob Marley. Gue berasa di surga dan teringat akan sore hari dengan lagi keemasan di tepi pantai Nusa Lembongan tahun lalu. HAHAHA. Yeah, itu berlebihan!

Pulang berjalan dengan perut kenyang dan rasa puas akan musik-musik live reggae, walau cuma check-sound, gue menelepon pacar untuk menanyakan kondisi karena dia mulai merasa tak sehat. Berbalik melihat kembali Pluit Village dari kejauhan dan langit yang indah sore itu, gue mengambil foto akan salah satu mal kesukaan gue ini. HEHEHE.

Lumayan indah yah Pluit Village di malam hari.

(duapuluhlima) hari di tahun 2010

2010-01-25T09:30:00.000+07:00

Hujan melanda Jakarta menjelang pagi hari (tepat pada saat gue harus berangkat kerja) membuat mata yang sudah sulit untuk terbuka, makin sulit untuk melek dan membuat otak yang sudah mandeg makin gak mikirin apa-apa kecuali tidur. HEHEHE. (Salah satu satu hari minggu itu, gue iseng-iseng mengambil foto akan langit yang masih gelap gulita).

25 hari pertama dari tahun 2010, prestasi hidup gue ternyata sangat lumayan tidak memuaskan. Setiap kali membaca resolusi yang gue tulis awal tahun ini, gue sedikit merasa malu. HEHEHE. Kurang lebih, kalau diakumulasikan, hasilnya seperti berikut ini:

Sakit: 1 kali, istirahat: 3 hari (lumayan dapat surat dokter)
Buku yang berhasil dibaca: hampir 1 (semoga dapat diselesaikan sebelum bulan ini berakhir)
Posts di blog: 5 (dan tambah 1 dengan yang ini)
Berat badan: terlalu memalukan untuk disebutkan.
Bolos ibadah Minggu: 2 kali (1 kali untuk alasan yang dapat diterima. HEHEHEHE)
Bolos kerja: 0 hari, yay!
Cuti: 1 hari, tapi cuti yang gak sia-sia buanget!
Belanja DVD, original: 0 keping, tidak-begitu-original: tak terhitung. HEHEHE.
Pelaksanaan rencana pengembangan diri: 0 besar. Hiks.

Kalau Nabi Musa, salah satu manusia terpenting yang pernah hidup di muka bumi ini merasa perlu untuk terus menerus menghitung hari-harinya, terlebih-lebih gue. 25 hari telah berlalu dan semoga sisa-nya 340 hari makin efektif. Amin, aja yah!

the importance of one's existance

2010-01-15T07:54:00.013+07:00

Sudah beberapa pagi ini hujan melulu. Mengingat untuk mencapai ke kantor gue itu memerlukan perjuangan keras, cuaca pagi seperti itu sangat tidak mendukung. Belum lagi jika malam-nya harus lembur, jadi tidur itu benar-benar gak berasa. Seringkali gue berharap bisa menjadi mahluk yang gak perlu tidur.

Ngomong-ngomong soal lembur, akhir-akhir ini setiap kali gue pulang ke rumah, gue selalu menemukan rumah dalam keadaan kosong. Gue tinggal dengan kakak gue, yang mana malah pulang lebih malam daripada gue. Dan karena mbak gue, mbak Indah memutuskan untuk menjadi petani di kampungnya (yang mana bagus, gue selalu senang kalau ada orang yang memutuskan untuk kembali ke desa), tambahlah sepi tuh rumah.

Tiap hari minggu ini, gue pulang (kadang-kadang kakak gue bahkan lupa menyalakan lampu sebelum dia pergi) menemukan rumah dalam kondisi gelap gulita, harus bersih-bersihin rumah sebentar (yah, paling gak, bersihin kamar sendiri. HEHEHE), memastikan seragam buat kerja besok sudah tersedia, makan malam. Setelah itu, masuk kamar, nonton tv, menyalakan komputer dan ngecek email. Menjelang waktu tidur, cuci kaki - mulut, gosok gigi, berdoa dan tidur.

Yah, walaupun beberapa teman sempat berbaik hati, bersedia untuk bertukar kabar, namun menjalankan aktivitas berulang seperti ini sendirian sangat menjemukan dan buntut-buntutnya sangat berpontesial menciptakan rasa sepi.

Kesepian, menurut Hulme dalam bukunya "Creative Loneliness", adalah indikasi kebutuhan manusia untuk bersosialisasi atau berteman, sesuai dengan salah satu natur manusia itu sendiri. Hulme menambahkan seperti rasa lapar yang mendorong manusia untuk makan, rasa haus mendorong manusia untuk minum, kesepian mendorong manusia untuk berinteraksi dengan manusia lain. Bayangkan kalau tidak ada rasa lapar, rasa haus dan dalam konteks post ini, rasa kesepian. Sungguh yah, kreatif banget pikiran si Hulme ini.

Gue suka berpikir kalau kesepian juga bentuk bukti manusia butuh dianggap penting, (baca: dihargai, diperhatikan) apapun profesi, tingkat sosial, ataupun umurnya. Kalau istilah modern sekarang: perlu eksis. Dan mungkin saja, situs-situs seperti facebook dan twitter mencoba untuk mewadahi kebutuhan ini. (Gue ngaku kalau gue punya account di kedua situs ini).

Belajar dari Hulme yang bijak, didukung oleh situs-situs pertemanan, kita (baca: gue) gak perlu takut terhadap kesepian. Bahkan ketika rasa gengsi untuk memulai percakapan dengan teman-teman lama (atau baru) menyerang, ingatlah petuah bijaksana: "Lebih baik memberi daripada menerima", yang mana intinya kalo butuh teman obrol, jangan malu-malu duluan bilang HELLO (mulai gak nyambung yaks?).

Eniwei, kalau ada yang bertanya-tanya apa sih coffeetalk (sebagaimana gue melabel post ini)? Seperti salah satu segmen di SNL, coffeetalk adalah percakapan gak penting yang gak perlu disimpulkan. Seperti mengirimkan signal ke luar angkasa tanpa koordinasi tertentu, gue mengepost pikiran-pikiran gue tanpa berharap mendapatkan jawaban. HALAH! HEHEHE.

Selamat pagi dan selamat berakhir pekan!

headlines: haiti quake

2010-01-14T08:00:00.001+07:00

On Wednesday morning (Jakarta time), a 7.0 SR earthquake hit Haiti. The International Red Cross estimated around 45.000 to 50.000 were killed. It's quite horrible. Yahoo!news wrote that it's quite difficult to distribute the donations. Hopefully they're able to create a system to solve this problem.

movie: babette's feast (1987)

2010-01-10T15:40:00.006+07:00

Pertama kali mengetahui film ini dari salah satu buku Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace. Yancey menuliskan kisah film ini sebagai salah satu bentuk anugrah, kasih karunia. Cara Yancey bercerita membuat gue penasaran akan film ini.

Setelah sekian lama berburu, akhirnya berhasil menemukan film buatan Denmark ini, yang adalah film asing terbaik Oscar tahun 1987. Film Babette's Feast diadaptasi dari novel karangan Karen Blixen. Blixen sendiri tidak asing dengan Hollywood. Film mengenai kehidupannya, meninggalkan Denmark dan tinggal di Afrika, adalah salah satu film terbaik di era tahun 1980an. Meryl Streep memerankan dirinya dalam Out of Africa.

Babette's Feast bercerita tentang 2 kakak-adik yang meneruskan kepemimpinan ayahnya sebagai salah satu penatua Kristen Protestan keras di salah satu kota di Denmark. Aliran agama yang keras yang melarang jemaat-nya untuk menikmati hal-hal duniawi dan percaya lidah hanya untuk memuji Allah, bukan menyicipi makanan lezat.

Kedua kakak-adik ini meninggalkan segala-galanya, termasuk calon kekasih, kesempatan untuk menjadi penyanyi terkenal karena dedikasi mereka. Suatu saat, mereka bertemu dengan Babette, yang adalah seorang pelarian dari Paris. Babette tinggal bersama dengan kedua kakak-beradik hingga 12 tahun.

Setelah 12 tahun tanpa berita dari Paris, tiba-tiba suatu hari, sepucuk surat datang menyatakan bahwa Babette memenangkan lotere yang setiap tahun diperbaharui oleh temannya sebesar 10.000,- francs. Kedua kakak-beradik ini bersedih mengetahui Babette akan meninggalkan mereka. Babette datang dan meminta ijin untuk mengadakan makan malam ala Perancis untuk perayaan ulang tahun sang ayah.

Kedua kakak-beradik hanya bisa menyetujui. Babette mengurusi uang hasil lotere dan kemudian meminta kenalan dari Perancis untuk mengirimkan bahan-bahan masak untuk acara makan malam itu. Selama beberapa hari, kota kecil itu dibangunkan oleh kiriman-kiriman champagne, unggas-unggas kecil, penyu hidup dan berbagai bentuk bumbu yang membuat kedua kakak-beradik itu cemas.

Acara makan malam hampir tiba, semua jemaat diundang (hanya tersisa 12 orang tua-tua) dan makanan satu-persatu dihidangkan. Jemaat saling memandang. Anggur terbaik dari Paris dituangkan, dan pada santapan keberapa, tamu mulai santai, mereka mulai tertawa, mulai mengingat-ingat kembali kisah baik, bahkan jemaat yang tidak pernah bercakap-cakap selama 12 tahun saling berangkulan dan menertawakan kebodohan mereka.

Begitu acara makan malam selesai, kedua kakak-beradik segera mendatangi Babette dan mengucapkan terima kasih untuk makan malam yang indah dan bertanya, apa yang akan dia lakukan setelah ini (dengan pikiran Babette akan kembali ke Paris dan hidup dengan 10.000 francs yang dia menangkan itu). Babette di antara piring-piring kotor yang dia harus bersihkan berkata dia tidak akan kembali ke Paris dan makan malam yang baru saja mereka nikmati, itulah semua sen dari 10.000 francs yang dia menangkan.

resolusi, resolusi

2010-01-09T10:29:00.004+07:00

Memasuki hari kesepuluh dari tahun 2010 membuat gue sedikit sedih dan merasa tertinggal. Mungkin karena satu minggu pertama, gue hanya di rumah, sendirian dan sakit pula. Selama seminggu kemarin (dari hari Minggu minggu lalu), gue cuma sempat keluar rumah 2 kali. Kali yang pertama, untuk kunjungan ke dokter dan kali yang kedua untuk makan pagi (itu kemarin pagi).

Dan karena sakit ini juga, niat gue untuk benar-benar menyatakan secara tertulis resolusi gue gak pernah kejadian. Bukannya gue merasa sok penting yah?! Tapi benar aja, resolusi ditulis aja, sering kali gak kesampaian, apalagi kalau gak ditulis. Mungkin 2 hari aja sudah lupa.

Sekarang dengan tekuk leher yang masih kaku (kalo bisa membengkok serem juga yah), setelah mendengarkan musik Nial Djuliarso dan dengan tampilan yang nyari mirip monyet (setelah beberapa hari gak cukuran, ini bukan karena alasan kesehatan, tapi lebih ke memang malas saja), otak gue memutuskan untuk memercikan partikel-partikel listrik dan menuliskan resolusi di tahun yang masih baru ini.

Tentunya sebelum bikin resolusi, evaluasi terlebih dahulu. Tahun 2009 harus diakui adalah tahun yang baik. Yang mana sebenarnya menimbulkan sedikit paradoks, apa yang menentukan tahun itu baik? Apakah sedikitnya tantangan menentukan tahun itu baik? Yah, buat gue, tahun itu baik kalau apa yang menjadi resolusi gue di tahun 2009 itu banyak yang tercapai dan gue bisa melihat tahun ini dan dengan bangga bilang: itu adalah tahun yang efektif.

Gue sangat bersyukur untuk tahun 2009. Dibandingkan dengan tahun-tahun sebelumnya, gue berasa tahun 2009 itu jauh sangat mudah dan gue bersyukur untuk banyak hal, untuk pacar, untuk teman-teman baru, untuk dapat hadir dalam beberapa peristiwa penting sahabat-sahabat gue (pernikahan Adams, kelahiran anak kedua Cici, hadir di Festival Sinema Perancis, menyempatkan diri belajar di CCF, beberapa aktivitas keluar dengan teman-teman kantor, dan lain sebagainya).

Yah ada beberapa kesempatan di mana gue sempat mengalami yang namanya kesedihan. Ketika kakak gue di-diagnosa dengan penyakit yang mengerikan (tetapi bersyukur karena sekarang dia tampaknya sehat dan mampu beraktivitas dengan baik), politik kantor yang kejam selama beberapa kesempatan sempat mengecewakan juga (walau ajaibnya, semua dapat terselesaikan dengan baik sendirinya).

Pokoknya, pendeknya, tahun 2009 adalah tahun yang patut disyukuri. Sekarang, memasuki 10 hari pertama di tahun 2010, gue mempunyai beberapa resolusi, yang semoga dengan doa-doa teman, bisa kecapaian yah.

Mengatur waktu, tahun 2010, mau belajar untuk mengatur penggunaan waktu yang lebih baik, mengusahakan untuk tidak pernah terlambat dalam janji (walau sebenarnya sia-sia saja, karena tampaknya adalah peraturan tidak tertulis untuk boleh terlambat selama 1 jam di Jakarta), mengatur waktu kerja, istirahat dan belajar
Gue gak pernah menulis tentang buku yang gue baca. Mungkin ada baiknya, tahun 2010 menjadi tahun di mana gue mulai membaca buku secara rutin. Niatnya mungkin 20 buku untuk 1 tahun ini (atau 12 buku yah? HEHEHE)
Menjadi lebih bijaksana dalam penggunaan uang.

Ada beberapa hal yang gue gak tulis, tapi gue simpan buat diri gue sendiri. Tapi semoga seiring waktu, bisa dibaca hasilnya di blog. HEHEHE. Oya, satu hal yang cukup menyedihkan buat gue, yang harus gue relakan adalah cuti dari CCF. Mungkin 3-6 bulan atau lebih. Yah, makin tertinggal, tapi gue merasa kalau ini sesuatu yang harus gue lakukan daripada nantinya malah menjadi sia-sia.

Belum basi untuk ngucapin "Selamat Tahun Baru 2010", kan? Semoga menjadi tahun yang baik yah!

walking on sunshine

2010-01-09T10:07:00.002+07:00

Finally, I managed to get out of my room. After almost one week, I had to stay in, I can be out. It's strangely liberating, since I once said that I love being in my bedroom. But not today, or maybe this week, I really enjoy being out early this morning to grab something to eat. I went to Bakmi Tiong Sim, a nearby restaurant.

When you're trapped for so long (and for two days I was completely passed out and unable to lift my head literally), you start to appreciate small things in life (and I also notice the plant outside my house is hideous).

Anyway, since my only connection to the world since I was ill (It's only for a week, DUH!) are a "one-way-transmission" television and my laptop, it does feel good to go out strolling around the neighborhood and to stop by a store doing some shopping. It feels good to interact with people (real ones!). HEHEHE.

Yes, I think I'm going mad, but then I'm glad I'm much better now. When I say something about appreciating the small things, I think many things should be mentioned, like vitamin, water, health, those massaging chairs (ever tried that? they're great!) and WORK!

I so envy those whom have to work overtime. I envy everyone who can get up and has a job to go to. You're so lucky that day or today (even it's Saturday!). I really miss my office, my desk, everyone at work, being trapped in the crazy traffic-jam or stopping by the nearest KFC to have coffee (Yes, I'm completely mad!).

In short, take care of yourself and others and be grateful. It's a beautiful day! (and someone needs to do something with my hideous garden!).

happy new year!

2009-12-31T11:47:00.000+07:00

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

2009-12-30T14:23:00.000+07:00

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!

2009-12-25T02:18:00.004+07:00

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

2009-12-24T12:59:00.002+07:00

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

2009-12-21T13:39:00.007+07:00

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:

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).
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.
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!
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

2009-12-17T07:36:00.005+07:00

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

2009-12-17T07:31:00.009+07:00

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

2009-12-16T10:10:00.005+07:00

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

2009-12-16T08:38:00.003+07:00

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

2009-12-09T12:24:00.006+07:00

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

2009-12-09T07:32:00.004+07:00

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

2009-11-29T20:05:00.003+07:00

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

2009-11-28T08:33:00.005+07:00

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

2009-11-27T22:08:00.004+07:00

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

2009-11-27T21:49:00.001+07:00

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

2009-11-27T14:33:00.004+07:00

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

2009-11-27T14:30:00.001+07:00

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

2009-11-26T11:30:00.001+07:00

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

2009-11-24T07:12:00.009+07:00

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

2009-11-23T12:55:00.004+07:00

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

2009-11-23T10:37:00.005+07:00

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

2009-11-23T09:11:00.009+07:00

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

2009-11-11T07:09:00.004+07:00

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

2009-11-04T12:31:00.002+07:00

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

2009-11-02T13:55:00.008+07:00

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

2009-11-02T11:54:00.005+07:00

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

2009-10-27T14:59:00.007+07:00

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

attacking jane austen

2009-10-26T07:46:00.017+07:00

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

2009-10-18T12:06:00.005+07:00

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!

2009-09-15T08:52:00.003+07:00

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

2009-09-09T09:22:00.005+07:00

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

2009-09-06T14:24:00.003+07:00

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

2009-09-04T18:06:00.003+07:00

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

2009-09-02T19:57:00.003+07:00

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 ...

2009-08-02T15:27:00.004+07:00

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!

2009-07-07T13:54:00.004+07:00

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:

Mie-nya, gue suka mie yang lembut tapi tidak mudah hancur. Pastinya mie-mie model rebusan tampaknya hanya cocok makan di rumah
Jumlah lauk kepitingnya, kalau makin berani (dalam konteks makin banyak) makin mantap kepitingnya
Kesegaran kepitingnya, gue sadar kalo kepiting itu termasuk salah satu jenis makanan yang cepat dan mudah terdeteksi ke-tidaksegar-annya
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
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.