James Cameron's Avatar Movie Review

Before this, I wish to credit IGN.com and the Avatar Wiki for the images used here.

AVATAR

"You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman."


I never expected to anticipate Avatar. Movies with strong hype, coupled with supposed “genre-defying” gimmicks, seldom turn out well. I knew I had to watch it, given the crazy hype, but I never expected to look forward to it. Then, just a week or two before the movie was released, reviewers began praising this film, and I realized that perhaps it wasn’t destined to be as big a failure as I thought that it would be.

See, the thing is, when one doesn’t anticipate a film, it will turn out a whole lot better upon viewing. Many went into Avatar expecting the most gigantic, revolutionary film since the days of Titanic. Some came out utterly disappointed, with cries of “generic” and “unoriginal” thrown around. Let me ask you honestly though, was Titanic, the mighty Oscar winner of 11 awards, that original to begin with? It presented us with the same forbidden love romance story we’ve seen since Shakespeare penned it down in Romeo and Juliet (perhaps there are other classics before this, but I’m not scrupulous enough to think up any now).

Terry Pratchet once said that "The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication." Yes, I know I lifted this from TvTropes.org, but Pratchett summarizes what I feel about Avatar: it’s not the most original, but it does what it needs to do fantastically. Avatar is most probably (it has to fight with Star Trek for that) my favorite movie this year. It is a space fantasy, like Star Wars, and much like Lucas’ phenomenal saga, Avatar takes old ideas and freshens them up.

And boy, does director James Cameron make cinema-going a thrilling experience! I gazed in wonder at the lush jungles of Pandora (the fictional moon that the movie is set on) as we are taken on a breathtaking flight over the trees. Through amazing 3D and sound effects, I felt myself immersed in the experience, as if I was literally breathing and feeling this exotic world. I could almost feel the wind whipping in my face as the characters rode their winged steeds at full velocity around dazzling floating mountains. As soldiers worked the graphical interfaces in their machines, I swear I could almost touch those screens; they looked so real with their reflective surfaces.


The story isn’t so bad either. Much like Titanic, the adventure here is beautifully told and should appeal to most people. The directing is strong enough to make you feel for the characters; an impressive feat considering the fact that most of them are feline, computer generated blue aliens. Despite initial fears of the aliens, known as the Na’vi, being to cutesy and Disney-like, the end result is very convincing and the Na’vi are, dare I say it, better characters than seen in most blockbuster movies of today.

Really, I came out wondering if anyone but James Cameron, that titanic (forgive the pun) director, could have pulled it off. Make no mistake, because Avatar is a beautiful experience that must be had by movie lovers. On the other hand, it’s also a brilliantly told archetypal epic story of love, war, tragedy and heroism. In a nutshell, it’s like going to Disneyland: you’ve seen Mickey and Donald on television, but despite your familiarity with these characters, Disneyland is a whole different experience that cannot be easily translated to words. Go watch this movie and if possible, watch it in 3D. And IMAX. You won’t regret it.


Pictures are property of the aforementioned IGN.com and the Avatar Wiki, and of course of 20th Century Fox.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Dino Megazord Figure Review

Go, go Power Rangers!

I guess the ultimate proof of geekdom is the willingness to buy toys that are nostalgic representations of your childhood. The new Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers toy line is now here, in an effort to introduce today's kids to the truly golden stuff of yesteryear. I, a proud Generation Y kid, must admit that I grew up on Power Rangers, and discovered it far earlier than Transformers, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, superheroes or anything that I currently love.

Bandai decided to remake the original Megazord toy, and the result is what I am reviewing tonight. I'm rather lazy to explain too much in detail, so I'll just post some pictures to "illustrate" the point.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Zord

Triceratops Zord


Saber-tooth Tiger Zord

Pterodactyl Zord

Mastodon Zord


The whole bunch of them

Tank Mode, remember it?

The King himself - The Megazord

The Megazord isn't the most articulated toy out there, but he is improved over the original. First of all, his knee swivels allow him to twist the legs to the side, giving him more leverage and poseability options. Also, I love the slightly spaced stance of the legs, making him look more heroic rather than the stiff, Frankenstein pose of the older one. Although smaller, he is taller in proportion than the stumpy original.

Other things to mention are that the chrome is gone, and some playability, such as the Triceratops' tail and the Mastadon's trunk, have been removed (they are no longer articulated). Personally I don't really care too much about them because those parts kept coming off as a kid, and now that their static, it's so much more durable.

Overall, while this toy isn't the most articulated, especially compared to modern Transformers, it retains the charm that captured my heart so many, many years ago. It felt like being a 5-year-old kid again. I'd recommend this toy over Transformers for kids, because Transformers are far too complicated and fragile for young ones of 4-7. This toy can probably withstand a beating and still be fun.

For collectors however, if you're a robot fan, chances are you probably grew up with Power Rangers. Get this for the pop culture and nostalgic value, if nothing else. This robot is one of the ultimate representations of the 90s! Highly recommended!

Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek was released on DVD and Blu-ray last month, meaning most people will now be able to get a good copy of this incredible film. Sincerely, it is a testament to my incredible laziness that I have not reviewed my favorite movie of the year (so far). I originally planned to write this review earlier, but better late than never, I guess. So without further ado, let’s begin!

STAR TREK

“I have been and always shall be, your friend.”

How many of you are Star Trek fans? (*counts number of hands raised) Okay, that was sad. It is very true that most Malaysians aren’t fans of Star Trek. I didn’t even know who Captain Kirk was just 3 years ago! Unfortunately this causes many Malaysians to not want to give a chance to this latest movie. Some claim Trek is too old-fashioned, while others say that the action is lacking. Excuses, excuses, and let them hinder you no more! Star Trek is a GREAT movie!


For those not familiar with the premise (and many of you undoubtedly aren’t) the Star Trek TV shows and movies tell of a future where humanity has put aside their differences and has fostered harmony, peace and progress. Wealth and prestige are no longer sought, because these future humans view scientific enquiry as the ultimate goal. They seek to go “where no man has gone before”. It is through this utopian unity that humans have developed starships, explored the heavens and built numerous alliances with other extraterrestrial species. The most significant outcome of this is the forging of an intergalactic “United Nations” known as the United Federation of Planets.

Most Trek shows and movies focus on a crew of space explorers and their ship. This movie, in seeking to break of past conventions and to attract new audiences, portrays an alternate reality of Star Trek’s most famous crew, that of Captain Kirk and his USS Enterprise. The vengeful villain, Nero, has travelled back in time and altered history so much so that Kirk and crew will no longer have the same destinies as their 60’s counterparts.

This was a brilliant decision because now the filmmakers are free to deviate from the original series and create new stories of their own. They now have creative and artistic liberty to implement whatever they feel is appropriate to breathe new life into the franchise. The results are spectacular, showcasing breathtaking CGI and sound effects which bring Trek action to amazing new heights. It’s not that the special effects are the best in the industry, but rather it was how director JJ Abrams weaved what he had into heart-racing and fantastically directed action scenes. For example, the opening fight scene didn’t have anything that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith couldn’t do 4 years ago. Yet, by muting the sound in certain scenes he created powerful moments of tension and adrenaline. Through this and other ingenious moments of directing ad cinematography, the movie used what available resources it had to excel (unlike Revenge of the Fallen, which had too many resources and couldn’t decide what to do with them).


What was really impressive however, is the amazing chemistry that existed between the various crew members off the USS Enterprise. One thing that I thought I would be disappointed with was the crew interactions, mostly because this was the biggest pulling factor of the original Star Trek. When I watched the original series, I didn’t watch it for the special effects (though those were decent) I watched it for the emotionally-laden friendships that existed between all the crew members, in particular the power trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Imagine how surprised I was at how well these “newbie” actors took on their roles and at how they breathed new life into them. Chris Pine’s Kirk may not be the same as Shatner’s, but you can certainly see the main defining characteristics in his unique take on the character. The same goes for all the actors. Instead of replicating the original actors’ portrayals, the new group puts a new spin on the established characters why keeping the spirit of them intact.


Of course there are those story twists in the movie that will make the Trek fan in you scream, "OH MY -". Rest assured though, unless you really, really can't stand changes (then why are you watching this?) those twists are well justified and very dramatic and shocking.

There is so much more to say about this movie, but I really mustn’t keep you from watching it any longer. So in short, this movie really did a great job because it respected the franchise and at the same time brought innovation and creativity to the table. The most ironic thing is, it is the first Star Trek movie in years (since First Contact, 1998, in my opinion) to actually “go where no man has gone before”. Live long and prosper!



"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before."

The Facebook Problem

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS! If only I can share this on Facebook, anybody know how? (See the power of Facebook addiction!)

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

In anticipation for the upcoming DVD release (October 19th), I present to my loyal readers, a review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Hopefully it will help you guys decide whether you want to buy, rent, or obtain (in unscrupulous ways) the movie.


TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."

It's as if the first Transformers movie in 2007 wasn't pushing special effects enough, for Revenge of the Fallen adds more robots, more fight scenes, more spectacular settings, and ultimately, more trademark Michael Bay (the director, if you didn't know) explosions. The entire run of its two and a half hour running time threatens to explode your mind with eye candy.

However, plot-wise, the movie keeps it (maybe overly) simple, telling of how a certain baddie is revealed to be actually under the command of an even bigger, ancient baddie who threatens to destroy our beloved Earth. Of course naturally it's up to fearless leader Optimus Prime and his heroic Autobots to stop said baddie's Decepticons and their plans. Things grow more complicated when Shia LaBeouf's character Sam Witwicky is proven to be the key to the Earth's salvation, but he's not especially keen on involving himself in the war all over again.

But wait, some of you ask. What on earth are Transformers? For the uninitiated, they are alien robots who can transform/morph/transfigure themselves into another mode or form (commonly vehicles) which provides them with disguise. So, in the Transformers world, that Chevy Camaro you're driving might actually turn out to be a robot in disguise. There's more to them than meets the eye!


In theory it all works, actually. Yet, effectively, not so much, as poor editing and directing has made the movie far too long and poorly paced. What's worse is that the-powers-that-be thought it would be a good idea to add all sorts of cheap toilet jokes and sexual humor into the mix of the film. By the time of this writing, the movie's infamous twin robots, Mudflap and Skids, have been torn to bits by the media for being potty-mouthed and racist. Besides that, there's a cute little robot who humps Megan Fox's leg. I'm not sure whether that's more offensive or the fact that another giant robot has wrecking balls dangling from between his legs DESPITE THE FACT THAT HIS VEHICLE MODES HAVE NO WRECKING BALLS WHATSOEVER.

Looking back retrospectively, however, one can easily argue that perhaps the movie wasn't quite as bad as it was initially perceived. After all, I did manage to state all that was wrong in the movie in just one paragraph. There are still loads to like, from the beautiful visuals to the cute, if two dimensional characters. Many moments were extremely dramatic and exciting in a geeky sort of way. When Optimus Prime takes on three Decepticons in a forest all on his own to protect Sam, I nearly squealed in excitement. Also, Bay succeeds in making more coherent fight scenes this time, with more drama and desperation. I would say that the opening scene and the aforementioned forest battle were true highlights of the film. Besides, it's bad points have also evolved into camp value, and now friends can easily just sit back and laugh at the many bad lines in the movie as much as with any other B-movie (except this time, it has an A-budget). Why do you think Army of Darkness, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Star Wars prequels, and other such movies remain so enjoyable after all these years? However, really though, the movie is fun and enjoyable if only a little mindless in execution.

I'll take you all on!

For fans of the 2007 predecessor, how does Revenge stack up? It's difficult to say, but I would gauge it as about the same. Much has been improved, such as better fight scenes, visuals and coherent directing. Yet, it's now riddled with poorer pacing and crude humor. It depends really, but I enjoyed both. So, in conclusion, I do recommend this movie, it's fun, exciting, and stupid in a good way. Besides, with all of today's societal problems, it's easier to catch a movie like this rather than a heavy drama that will make you even more depressed.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen images are owned by DreamWorks LLC., Paramount Pictures and Hasbro. Additionally, these images were taken from TFWiki.net.

Teardrops on my Guitar

She looks at me
I fake a smile so she won't see
What I want and I need
And everything that we should be

I'll bet he's wonderful
That guy she talks about
And he's got everything
That I have to live without

She talks to me
I laugh 'cause it's just so funny
I can't even see
Anyone when she's with me

She says she's so in love
She's finally got it right
I wonder if she knows
She's all I think about at night

She's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
She's the song in the car I keep singing
Don't know why I do

She walks by me
Can she tell that I can't breathe?
And there she goes, so perfectly
The kind of flawless I wish I could be

He better hold her tight
Give her all his love
Look in those beautiful eyes
And know he's lucky 'cause

She's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
She's the song in the car I keep singing
Don't know why I do

So I drive home alone
As I turn out the light
I'll put her picture down
And maybe get some sleep tonight

'Cuz she's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only one who's got enough of me to break my heart
She's the song in the car I keep singing
Don't know why I do

She's the time taken up but there's never enough
And she's all that I need to fall into
She looks at me
I fake a smile so he won't see


Modified from Taylor Swift's "Teardrops on my Guitar", so all credit goes to her. And no, I do not play the guitar.

Transformers 3 in 2011 confirmed

Link in sentence below:

Michael Bay confirms 2011 as the release date of Transformers 3

At long last director Michael Bay has confirmed on his official forums the release date of Transformers 3. That seems rather soon, so I hope they get a good movie going for this sequel. Here's best of luck to Mr Bay and all his cast and crew and please, don't screw up.

Horrors of Insomnia

I used to have wild, inappropriate and ultimately disturbing fantasies about being alone in a post-apocalyptic world where I could run around grabbing stuff off mall shelves and sleeping in 5-star hotels. However, when you have to get up early the next day, and you're still lying awake after 3 hours in bed, you'd regret ever thinking so foolishly.

You'd wonder how nice it would be to have someone by your side to talk to. You'd feel you need a conversation, a bit of a chat to stop that ringing in your ears. You'd fight the temptation to wake all your friends with a false alarm ring. You'd struggle to keep yourself from calling any random person just to hear a human voice. A human voice. The soft, assuring, calming tones of a human voice. That's all you'd need.

Then you'd start to talk to yourself, alternating between scolding and re-assuring yourself. You'd switch the lights on and off, just to amuse yourself with the shiny, flickering glow. After that, you'd make repetitive trips to the toilet, convinced each time that you haven't rinsed your bladder dry enough, when in actuality, you just like the sound of the water flushing. The phone would look really tempting now. So would the sleeping pills. Finally you'd grab a sleep-inducing flu medicine pill and, convincing yourself that you wouldn't get addicted to it, slowly drop off to sleep.

As the years go by, insomnia has painfully taught me something. Humans are sociable creatures and we'd die of madness if left without any company.

Walt Disney Pictures presents...Iron Man?!?!

Click here!

Woo! Disney is set to acquire Marvel for a huge amount of $4 billion (or more). Reminds you of the time Pixar was bought for $6 billion, right? Crazy stuff. Before anyone gets too skeptical and starts contemplating suicide in screams of "KIDDIE SPIDEY!!!! NO!!!" I'd like to just point out that Disney knows how to handle mature properties well enough.

Evidence? Just look at the Pixar movies and the Pirates of the Carribean series. The Incredibles still beats most Marvel-based movies out there (except the spectacular, pun intended, Spider-man 2) and whoever dares condemn Captain Jack Sparrow as kiddie needs to be shot, courtesy of the good captain, of course. Also, anyone played Kingdom Hearts, that weird combination of Disney and Final Fantasy? It worked wondrously, didn't it?

I'm no fortune teller, but regardless of the positive or negative consequences of this deal, it will be interesting to follow this development.


Picture is copyrighted by Marvel (or now, Disney?). News article taken from CNNMoney.com, on August 31,2009.

Thank God for bus drivers

Thank God for bus drivers, those humble, unsung heroes of this world. In a strange foreign land, bus drivers (at least good, friendly ones) open their arms to you and make the entire place seem a lot less intimidating. Be it a tiring day, heavy rain, or a tough errand, bus drivers make the job so much easier.

That's amazingly true for those in Urbana-Champaign, who impressed me with their wonderful mannerisms and patience. Without them, life at the university would have been miserable. Again, thank you.

The "joys" of flying

I simply hate flying. It is tiring, frustrating, and time-wasting. Although I may have adored every moment of staring at the clouds through the cabin windows as a kid, the shocking reality of adult flying responsibilities have ignited within me a strong dislike for flying. I glower with impatience at having to comply with the discriminating check-in baggage limitations. I tire at having to wait long lines or having to battle inefficient computers just to check-in. I am sick of having to spend hours at the departure gates just waiting to enter an airplane. I am disgusted by inconsiderate passengers who push and fight their way to their seats. I am frustrated at how long international flights take and how taxing they are.

However, it is not these little peculiarities and regulations of flying that really overwhelm me. Ultimately, it's the sad goodbyes, the sinking feelings, the fighting emotions that make me detest flying at the heart of my soul. It's having to part with a life of blissful contentment, familiarity, and joy. It's having to convince yourself about the so-called “bright future” and “exciting times” arguments.

Yes, I know that by all reasoning and logic, it is the best road to take. But since when were humans logical beings? We were given feelings and emotions unquantifiable and unexplainable by science. Despite many centuries of knowledge accumulation, we still cannot convincingly persuade ourselves that emotions can be logically understood.

I've often said that my dream was to soar through the clouds, much like Peter Pan did in his marvelous adventures. Reality sucks, doesn't it?

Princess Mononoke

My sister recently bought an entire Studio Ghibli collection from Speedy for quite a good bargain. We've been watching a few films now and I might (depending on my diligence or lack of) be reviewing some of those movies. First up is:

PRINCESS MONONOKE

"What exactly are you here for?"
"To see with eyes unclouded by hate."

The title, Princess Mononoke, initially brought up images of heavenly beauties with astounding gracefulness and femininity. Imagine my surprise when official artwork and my subsequent viewing of the film showed me that the titular princess was a rough, savage girl who fought with such primal ferocity that Tarzan would simply seem docile in comparison. Indeed, one of the most admirable traits in anime movies, and Studio Ghibli productions in particular, is the tendency to defy genre stereotypes.


Princess Mononoke is a feral child, raised by wolves and sworn to the protection of her forest homeland. The film tells of uneasy conflicts between the supernatural spirit guardians of the said forest and the humans, whose industrial progress demands the consumption of the forest's resources. Of course, humans being humans, there are constant skirmishes between rival factions as well. All of this is seen by an outsider, Ashitaka, a prince from a banished, distant tribe who must remove a curse laid upon him by a demon.

The unique thing that I observed about Princess Mononoke was that it was a very “shades of gray” type of film. None of the factions, not even the forest spirits, were indisputably good and free from error. For example, while it was admirable that the forest's boar and wolf guardians fight for the protection of their homeland, it eventually became clear that they were driven more by pride and revenge than for the love of their forest. This was also seen in the greedy Lady Eboshi, who despite her excessive industriousness, was still portrayed as a kind lady who took in lepers, prostitutes and other outcasts and gave them food, jobs and opportunities. The film's characters are difficult to assign labels of good or evil to and ultimately it is probably a reflection of how reality really is.

Take that, Edward Cullen

At the core of this film are director Hayao Miyazaki's strong anti-war and environmental themes which are also featured in his other films such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli's trademark animation brought devastating scenes of death and destruction to life in a way that was previously only thought possible to be done by live-action. Princess Mononoke was perhaps notorious for being the only (I think) film by Hayao Miyazaki to contain explicit scenes of violence, but I feel that any child mature enough can watch this movie with proper parental guidance.

Studio Ghibli really is proven to be the Pixar of the east. Princess Mononoke is another brilliant film that is well worth watching.


Images are copyrighted by Studio Ghibli, Miramax, and whoever else involved.

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

"Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No. "

Daniel Radcliffe really is short. His character, Harry Potter, is about the same height, if not shorter, than most of his female companions and lets not take into consideration the guys such as Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). Really, how many heroes in summer blockbusters are that short? Batman, Superman, Rambo, Aragorn, James Bond, Anakin Skywalker and countless others are tall, well-built men. Heck, even geeky protagonists Peter Parker and Sam Witwicky were taller than their girlfriends. (I need to re-watch Transformers to confirm Sam, though)

Much like its main character, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince doesn't follow after conventional summer blockbuster stereotypes. In fact, it takes the conventional formula and spits it in the face. Instead of a mind-numbing action scene after the other (I'm looking at you, Revenge of the Fallen!) Prince takes it very subtly. Scenes progress after the other in pure dramatic fashion, but never fully blown, explosive or in-your-face. Characters interact believably and convincingly in brilliant British-style dialogue that is full of clever jokes and puns. Best of all, the director carries us through an amazing narrative using very effective camerawork.

Quidditch is thankfully back in full-force

Now, with all this praise, who exactly really stands out? One that comes to mind is Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. No longer a free-reigning bully, Felton portrays a troubled and frustrated Malfoy whose brooding behavior is a magnificent contrast to his former boastful self. Newcomer Jim Broadbent did a great job as bumbling Professor Slughorn. Helena Bonham Carter remains delightfully evil as Bellatrix Lestrange, squeezing hate out from you at every scene. All of the series regulars such as Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) remain top-notch. Also, Michael Gambon, thankfully, finally gets it right as Albus Dumbledore.

Rough weather, eh?

Perhaps all this talk of subtlety is just bias conceived from watching the testosterone-filled Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen twice in a row. It just struck me as I was sitting there in the cinema hall how different this movie was from all the recent blockbusters I have watched. Even my personal favorite, Star Trek, was not above biffs and bangs. Make no mistake, Prince does have many cool tricks and effects, but it is all executed in an inconspicuous yet satisfactory way. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince was a delightful watch and will continue to make you think after you've stepped out of the hall. Just don't go in expecting a special-effects bonanza.

For you, Sheldon

All images are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Pictures. Some images taken from IGN.com. Go visit them to ease my guilt.

Yes sir, we're back in business...

Yes, I've been neglecting this blog. Yes, I've been complacent. Due to being berated by a friend *cough* Sheldon *cough*, I've decided to start writing in this again.

What's up with my life? Unlike some studious friends, I've wasted it playing video games and watching geeky stuff, be it movies or TV shows. Star Trek and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen came and went; the former rocked, no pun intended, to the stars, while the latter was so-so. However, I'll be damned if I didn't agree with the fantastic special effects and AWESOME AWESOME robot designs. More on that in later posts, if there's time (and initiative).

Favorite for this year

Recently, we had to go to Putrajaya for a JPA pre-departure briefing. It felt odd at first meeting all my friends again after 2 months, but it gradually evolved to great fun. I'll repeat what I said before, I'll never forget you guys. It was really fantastic hanging out with everyone and that surely cannot be replaced by any amount of geekdom.

So, if there are any readers out there, expect to see more posts in the future! Gerard logging out.

Goodbye INTI

Just last Friday, I was officially "kicked out" of INTI University College, Malaysia. It was a unique experience to say the least...and yes, I really can't think of anything other than cliches to describe it.

However, in all seriousness, INTI was probably, as a whole, the best experience of my life. I learned so many new things, met so many people and experienced all the joys and pains of independence. Okay, boring cliched essay time!

I was very lucky to be part of the INTI culture as a JPA student. It taught me to grow as a person and to appreciate the diversity of this ever-changing world. INTI and her students taught me to think critically but not to be too judgmental of other people, to be bold yet not to be reckless, and to be open-minded yet spiritual. I met many challenges that changed me and helped me to develop, challenges that nearly drove me to death in all their difficulty.

INTI really gave me a lot to think about. While back in Kuching, I lived out my lifestyle without trial, in INTI, I faced a lot of conflicting ideas and opinions. Many perspectives challenged my faith and basic principles and I still remember the time when I started to challenge my Roman Catholic faith due to criticisms from even my closest friends. During that time, perhaps due to divine intervention, I joined the Catholic Student’s Society (CSS) and received the guidance from friends there.

Also, I also appreciated my many other INTI friends who I’ve come to appreciate very much. Listing all of those names would be foolhardy, as I would run the risk of skipping over many important friends (due in no small part to my atrocious memory for names). However, I'm sure that you all know who you are, and I can't say enough just how grateful I truly was to be with you guys. You taught me friendship, hope, joy, fun and how to live life to the fullest. To put it bluntly, you taught me there was more to life than games and the internet. I’ll say that overall, INTI was a splendid time as I learned to establish an identity for myself.

Yes, this post may sound like something out of a university application essay, but I really do mean all I say. I truly enjoyed myself at INTI. Now of course, there are many pros and cons about this dear little college-university-thing, which I shall list here:



Pros:
1) AUP or The Center for American Education and the University Placement Office are simply great places to be at. The officers there are immensely helpful and good-natured and I never hesitated to ask their help (to the point of being annoying). Kudos to these offices.

2) General Office people are surprisingly friendly, too. I got my room-bookings done easily.

3) 13th INTIMA were great pals to hang out with. I always felt at home at the INTIMA office.


Cons:
1) Accomodation Office, sad to say, can really be horrible. I'm not dissing all of them, just "a select few managers" (you know who I mean).

2) INTI management seriously needs to stop going beyond their capacity. Stop bringing so many students in when you can't afford to accept them. Treat INTI more like an educational institution and less like a capitalistic business.



So yeah, that's 3 pros vs 2 cons. Shows that INTI isn't bad, huh? I'd just advice future incoming students to think twice before handing Accomodation Office your business.

Thanks again, all my friends. The last 2 years were a blast!

My Life Would Suck Without You

I became a fan of Kelly Clarkson when I heard her ear-opening "A Moment Like This" some time back. Since then, I have tried to collect all her albums to listen to what she has to offer. Over the years, it's no wonder Simon Cowell looked up so highly to her during her American Idol years. Her sincerity and powerful voice has propelled her to the top spot of American Idol winner, and beyond.

Ms. Clarkson is a very versatile singer, mixing different genres of songs in all her albums. Her first, Thankful is a mix of "Idol-pop" music and some really cool rock tunes. Breakaway, my favorite, showcases Ms. Clarkson's true love for rock, and My December was her darkest (and still is) album yet, filled with tense, tragic lyrics of hate and despair. It turned quite a few people off, though she must be praised for her decision to stick to what she wants for herself rather than following executive's orders.

It seems that all the emo-ness has finally subsided, as the tone of this album, All I Ever Wanted, seems more reconciliatory, with excellent songs such as "My Life Would Suck Without You". However, I have stumbled in actually giving my full verdict on this album, as I can't decide whether it's a right step for Ms. Clarkson or not. One may well say, as AbsolutePunk.net said, "it’s an “album for everyone,” which may be true, but only in the sense that you’ll probably like a few of the tracks." Continuing her tradition, Ms. Clarkson's new album differs in tone from her previous ones, and although I was initially tempted to group this alongside Breakaway, it just sounds too different.

Still that's not exactly a bad thing, as perhaps she hasn't really found her style yet. There's no denying that All I Ever Wanted is fun and enjoyable and (in my opinion at least) a nice break from the tragic, disturbing and immensely dark My December. It does have a song for everyone, from soulful tunes to heavy rock, to weird bubblegum pop, it's all in here. So, in a nutshell, it is a good and fun album, and I would heartilly recommend it.

I CRY HOLY

I see You sitting on Your throne, O Lord
You are high and lifted up
Above the highest worship
I can offer You
I bow myself before Your throne, O Lord
Lifting high our holy hands
For beside You, Lord in heaven
There is none other

I cry holy, I cry worthy
I cry holy to the Lamb
I cry holy, worthy
Holy is the Lamb
I cry holy, worthy
Holy is the Lamb

The purpose of blogging?

Just finished Music Appreciation Midterm. It wasn't the most difficult, but it could have been better. What the heck.

Many people have asked why I don't post personal feelings and comments on this blog. Apparently, I'm too neutral or conventional. Well, I actually treat this blog like my personal website, like my own Geocities. As such, I prefer to blog about subjects such as games and movies as they are detached from my personal life. Besides that, I am still uncomfortable with the idea of publicly declaring my opinions, thoughts, feelings and personality.

Should I open up? Do tell.

There She Is!!

Happy Valentine's Day! I found a perfect cartoon to watch during this annual celebration.

Two years ago, I came across a fantastic Flash animation called "There She Is!!", produced by South Korean animation trio, SamBakZa. The three artists, Amalloc (아말록), SongSongHwa (송송화), and Sogong (소공), have masterfully crafted a beautiful, funny, touching, and creative series about a cat and a rabbit falling in love. Yes, it's odd, but to all of us who grew up with Disney, we should be used to it by now.

Having faithfully followed the cartoon over nearly two years, I must say that this show will remain in my mind as one of the best examples of the capabilities of Flash Animation, and is simply timeless. I laughed, cried (well, nearly, anyway), and fell in love with the series. Besides that, like any good show, it has a clear message underneath the cuteness. See if you can spot it!

Thankfully, SamBakZa, besides being remarkably talented, are also generous enough to allow their shows to be displayed on blogs (which is more than I can say for other animators).

So, I urge you, to please load each of these and watch them in order. You won't regret it. Trust me, and Happy Valentine's Day!



Step One


Step Two


Step Three


Step Four


Step Five



Flash Animations are copyrighted by SamBakZa.net

The religion of Star Trek

I've been watching a few Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes now, and it is fun stuff. Captain Jean-Luc Picard may not be quite as cool as Captain Kirk, but his strict, serious demeanor does grow on you. However, any keen observer would notice that Star Trek is subtly pushing forward an agenda.

To quote Star Trek: Enterprise's Producer, Brannon Braga, ""In Gene Roddenberry’s imagining of the future [...] religion is completely gone. Not a single human being on Earth believes in any of the nonsense that has plagued our civilization for thousands of years. This was an important part of Roddenberry’s mythology. He, himself, was a secular humanist and made it well-known to writers of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation that religion and superstition and mystical thinking were not to be part of his universe. On Roddenberry’s future Earth, everyone is an atheist. And that world is the better for it.""


Sad indeed that Mr. Roddenberry would think like that. Worse yet that instead of keeping it to himself, he actually tried to enforce this view in his series. In many episodes of the original Star Trek series and the subsequent Star Trek: The Next Generation, oppressive "gods" are shown to be outsmarted by humans and eventually revealed to be false gods. These deities turn out to be mere aliens, supercomputers or other suitably advanced, but not at all divine, beings. Naturally, it's up to the crew of the Enterprise to shake the primitive, oppressed people out of their false convictions and stand up for themselves.


A few examples can be found on this ="http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/religion.htm">website.

It's sad that such a positive and egalitarian series would end up being hypocritical by discriminating religion. So it's not alright to make fun of other races, but it's fair game to mock the faiths of billions of people in the world?

Mr. Roddenberry failed to realize that religion is neither oppressive nor self-destructive. A majority of the world's population live in relative peace despite adhering to a wide variety of faiths. There may be a few black sheep in the world, but one should focus on the positive majority of religious people and see that in actuality, they're progressive, nice people who get along with everyone else. Make no mistake though, I do not wish for Star Trek to begin promoting any one faith or even religion in general. To be truly equal and fair, Star Trek should remain secular, not atheistic.

Still there's plenty to like in Star Trek and I have come to love the series very much. Let's just hope that new director JJ Abrams never resorts to a false god story in his adaptations of Star Trek.