waiting for the long morrow.

from #ladyinsatin to the addictive #mdna

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#ModusAnomali is not flawless, but still agreeable

MODUS ANOMALI

Director: Joko Anwar

Stars: Rio Dewanto, Marsha Timothy
Year Released: 2012

Modus Anomali started with a man woke up in the middle of the forest and not able to remember almost everything, include his name. Later, he found that his wife was brutally murdered, pieces of information of the man is and suddenly it became a cat-mouse chase between him and the murderer.

So we have probably seen the trailer of Modus Anomali since last year's INAFFF, haven't we? Probably some of you have heard about it even long before November last year. First time, I saw the trailer, I seriously rolled my eyes and asked: Why is it in English? Still until today, I consider that as the biggest flaw of Modus Anomali. (BTW, ANOMALI is not an English word).

Now, it's arrived.

I understand Joko Anwar's intention of being playfulness with his audience. How he might soak-up a great deal of pleasure while taking his audience to solve the mystery of the movie. However, although Modus Anomali can be considered fair in as a whole production, in some parts, it looks like it's trying too hard.

Anwar doesn't exactly give us a reason why the psychopath did what he did (to experience a great shot adrenalin is never good enough, #justsaying) although he feels that it's necessary for us to see how he did it. He took at least 15 minutes to explain the whole process and (probably) was hoping the audience had some regrets not paying a good attention to the movie. Unfortunately, many of us are not quite brain-dead yet, so we felt that 15minutes just drenched the whole mystery of the movie.

Tips for you who haven't seen the movie: avoid sitting next to a row of young girls, they're giggling the whole movie. Seriously annoying. Yes, yes, we know that Rio is a handsome guy.

Probably I'm not in the right chair to compare Modus Anomali to Michael Haneke's works. But anyway, If you remember Funny Games or even The White Ribbon, Haneke didn't bother to explain anything. His movies just show a period of time as an event occurred and that's all. He left his audience to interpret why, how and sometimes he didn't leave an ending to it.

I strongly believe Modus Anomali should have gone that way. Cut out the last 15 minutes and end the movie while the psychopath got in the car, made that phone call and just drove away. That at least 5 minutes driving scene could have been legendary. It's COLD! It's how a psychopath should be.

Still, I think Modus Anomali is quite agreeable.

Anyway, I'm heading to cinema for #TheAvengers! Exciting!

hello there, dear void

So today (May 1), we commemorate the national Labor Day, which I myself must admit is quite interesting. Thousands and thousands of people currently are practically taking over Jakarta (Yes, that's me being dramatic). Not the whole the Jakarta, but probably the main business districts in Jakarta. My twitter timeline keep suggesting to avoid Sudirman and Thamrin area.

Anyway, despite the excitement everyone's having downtown, I feel a bit cranky these last few days. Due to that irregular unwanted emotional state of being, I really cannot find any contentment in my daily routines. I also believe I must write a "I'm sorry for being an a-hole" note to a few people at work and my maid at home.

In case you have watched that movie, You've Got Mail, you'd probably remember there's a scene where Kathleen (that girl played by Meg Ryan) wrote an e-mail about questioning her life and how it might have been if she did or did not do certain thing. Well, I'm probably wearing those same shoes. Yes, maybe I don't have enough of sleep, maybe I'm quite tired or simply bad weather, I really don't know.

I feel a bit useless (I know, you probably are going to scream: again, Alex?). I feel that everything else going in a full speed while I'm a bit stuck. I feel that the first four months of 2012 has just passed by without me achieving anything significant. I don't remember doing anything memorable, neither at work nor everywhere else.

Yes, yes, I know. I have the options of doing or not doing things. I have the options to behave or not to behave certain way. But maybe like Kathleen Kelly, I'm sending this question out into the void without expecting any answers.

So, hello there, dear void! Thank you for listening.

to bali, we went beach-hopping

I should have blogged this journey like 3 weeks ago, but sometimes when you take days off from work, you ought to return to a pile of papers or work to complete. Not really a fun scene. I must admit, it's not easy to go back to work after one exciting vacation. Honestly, my brain did not take the same flight with me, I think it extended its holiday for at least a week.

Seriously, if I close my eyes now, I can hear the waves calling me, calling my name. I can smell the ocean embracing me. And the pretty sky, either its golden color in the afternoon or the pale blue in the morning, I was home.

I arrive at Denpasar on April 4 with my best friends from work. We have planned for years and years to go on a vacation together, but it never did happen. Until that April, we all came to Bali. I must mention how exciting it was to travel with these awesome people: Clifford, Lisa, Diana, Lingkan, Imelda. You guys rock!

HERE COME THE BEACH-HOPPERS

One of the main reasons that we chose Bali instead of anywhere else to go is because of the beaches. I love beach and I love sitting by the beach (either morning, noon or night) listening to the wave. Even without my iPod, I could hear Bob Marley singing in my head and I'm like a 12 years old girl falling in love.

On this visit, I at least visited 6 beaches. Kuta beach (du'uh!), Padang-padang, Dreamland, The Blue Lagoon, Candidasa, Petittenget. I cannot express how my beach-lover persona was profusely spoiled. I know you must have thought I was losing it, but to visit these many beaches and found many different experiences, I felt joy. Although I must admit I chose the wrong time schedule, so I wasn't fully soaking the the joy, but I was still having fun.

The other thing about the beaches in Bali is people need to start taking care of them. This is probably a common knowledge that Kuta has become unbearably filthy. Some people threw trash with any guilt. Watching this with my own eyes, I thought of a small do-it-yourself project to clean the beach. Maybe my next visit, I shall do it. But in the mean time, please let's take good care of those beaches, yes?

HAPPY BELLY

So this part is the embarrassing part. You're probably going to ask whether I did go anywhere else in 4 days beside eat and eat and eat. But seriously, I believe I ate less on this trip to Bali. Usually I can go to at least 2 restaurants for one breakfast (high-five, narcistbandit!). But this time, I retained myself, I learned my limits.

There are a few highlights on our gastronomy trip (if I may say so): Depot Gimbo for the smoked pork, Le Spot - Bali Deli for the awesome breakfast package (yum!), nasi campur Chandra in Denpasar (I even forgive you, nasty waiter!), Warung Oppen for its incredible dinner, a kilo of sinful BBQ ribs.

And not too impressive places like: the overpriced dinner by the beach at Kendonganan, Bubba Gump Shrimp (I KNOW!).

Another reason to go back during its opening is Coffee Revolution, which I'm truly proud of my friends for really having the guts to go for it. The place looks amazing and I seriously cannot wait to claim one of the corners of this coffee shop as my own. HAHAHAHA. Best of luck, guys!

STATISTICALLY HAPPY

We use numbers to represent certain information all the time. So here I am, being a smart-ass trying to give the statistic of this awesome vacation.

Nights = 3
Travelling friends = 5 + 1 (accidentally met one at the airport)
New friends = 5 + 1 (plus one from the one I met at the airport). Exciting life!
Beaches = 6! (Please stay tanned-skin!)
New shoes = 2 (practically a shoes fetish)
New pants = 2 (just because they're cheap)
Size of new pants = 28 (huge mistake!)
Restaurants visited = 12 (explain the above mistake)
Accumulated sleeping hours = 20 (I'm on vacation, du'uh!)
Seating number to Bali = 9B
Seating number back to Jakarta = 6F
Work-related emails received = I have no idea (I'm so clever)
Number of reasons to return = TONS!

BE WHO YOU ARE

One of the things that always remind me of why I love Bali is the freedom it offers. I can actually be who I am. Well, I'm not saying I was running around the beaches naked or partying like there's no tomorrow, but if those are the things I like to do, I think Bali offers the freedom for me to do so.

I don't think I could be more laid-back or careless of what people might think when I'm there as much as anywhere else. I can wear a fedora and don't care if it's not cool. I could wear the same shorts for 4 days (which I didn't, for the record!! HAHAHAHA) or not even put on any perfume.

Like I said many times before, I always find the same excitement (or sometimes even new ones) every time I come back to Bali. Due to good friends, to good food, to being laid back and untroubled, to the awesome music of Bob Marley, to shorts and tees, I was (am) home.