Minutes and Popcorn

Because our pride disallows it...

2011-01-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

There are times when we question ourselves, "How different would things have been if I didn't do it that way?". We ask ourselves whether things would have been better if we didn't make that life changing decision or if we had chosen some other option. We doubt ourselves and then inevitably end up regretting.

But not always. Sometimes we trick ourselves into believing that indeed, we did not make the wrong choice. That indeed, we were right, and not anyone else who advised against it. That indeed, despite all contrasting evidence, that somehow, our lives are better because of that decision. We lie to ourselves.

We created this need for falsehood because we have obligated ourselves to others. Because if we admitted that we had made a mistake, we would be admitting not just to ourselves, but to everyone else. Then we realize that it was never a personal decision, it was one made by everyone. It was not solely our decision but rather one that had more approval than disapproval. We realize it wasn't the number of "Yes"es that we got but rather how much each "Yes" was worth. Now we want to regret, but our pride disallows it. Because we weren't here just for ourselves, We were also here for everyone else. We were here to prove the "Yes"es and disprove the "No"s.

We call these obligations "responsibilities" so we can attach positive connotations to it. We dupe ourselves into believing that we aren't living for others, but rather, that we are living for ourselves. That we actually want to fulfil these obligations. And because we want these obligations, they aren't obligations, they are responsibilities.

Unprecedented Cruelty

2010-08-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

There are some in life who are simply a complete disgrace to humanity. To possess such a lack of empathy and compassion is simply mind baffling. I had initially believed that I was not a very good person. My moral grounds are somewhat shifted, to say the least, and the only few virtues I have are consistency and integrity. While I knew some people were just cruel, I guess I never expected to experience it first hand.

To toy with someone's emotions so much and then laugh it off in the end. This is simply the essence of cruelty. Pure deceit and deception masked with such deliberate elaboration. A game to the deceiver, but a matter of life-and-death to the victim. Lies piled upon lies with no remorse or guilt. A complete and distinct lack of compassion of any sort.

Yes. There exists such a person. Someone who fabricates everything. Someone who lies about her location, her descent, her talents, her emotions, her very nature, and even her name. Someone who had betrayed my utmost trust.

My word of advice? Be wary and thread very carefully. For humanity can be very, very evil.

Video Games and the Modern World

2010-07-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

No doubt the title of this post will scare off most people who aren't interested in video games. The irony is that this post actually hopes to address that very issue. There are many reasons why people are disinterested in video games. But the main and forthmost reason is that majority of the people don't recognize the intellectual merit in modern video games. Long gone are the days of Pong, where player interaction is limited to just two keys (up and down) and simple visual coordination on where the ball is expected to land. Modern video games have evolved to the point where they are incredibly complex and comparing it's development to a movie with tremendous technical difficulty would be an accurate measurement. Skeptical? Read on.

As stated before, the days of Pong are deceased. The evolution of a generic round ball flying around a flickering screen has come a long way indeed. Video games now don't just involve intense visual and sound effects but also stories and characters that require a lot of intellectual thought. Now what is so special about this? Like movies, some video games attempt to make a message, or invoke true intellectual discussion on certain philosophies. Take the video game called "The Witcher" for example. You assume the role of a monster hunter. Sounds typical enough, yet far from it. "The Witcher" places you as a neutral individual in a very fascinating world, one oppressed by religious fanatics and power hungry political parties. The choices you make throughout your journey have a very vivid effect on the world. What is even more fascinating is that "The Witcher" offer mostly morally ambiguous choices. There is no true "right" or "wrong" choice, and the outcome of your choices become much more apparent as you progress throughout the game as an attempt to emulate reality (and a successful attempt it is). A lot of these outcomes have positive and negative effects, very much like how it is in the real world. The game itself doesn't force you to take sides, but allows you to, each with it's own repercussions. "The Witcher" is just one of the brilliant games that are under appreciated due to the social stigma that video games are "merely for entertainment". Due to the nature of the game and the themes that it explores, it is branded as a game intended for adults (M-18+) which further proves it's seriousness. Modern video games have moved way past that and should be considered art forms. My summary may not do enough justice to the thought put into the game, but the general idea is that video games no longer exist simply to entertain, but also serve to educate and inspire.

Short reflection on the "The Little Duckling"

2009-12-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

I had chosen to retell Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling". The main reason would be that I felt Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" was extremely unrealistic. In fact, the plot and theme in the story are in direct contrast with what I personally believe.

The plot in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" mainly consisted of different creatures giving the young ugly duckling a hard time while it grew up. This was unreal to me. Even though bullying does occur frequently, it is unlikely that one's own family would display such resentment towards their own kin simply because they were ugly. Almost every other creature the ugly duckling encountered had displayed disapproval simply because it was ugly. This is often not true in real life. Most people do not openly display their disapproval simply because of someone else's appearance, even if they might feel that way internally.

I feel the theme of Hans Christian Andersen's version of the "The Ugly Duckling" was about overcoming one's own flaws through endurance. The story featured a young ugly duckling who grew up into a beautiful swan after much suffering. Personally, I think this rarely ever happens in real life. If a person is truly born ugly, then chances are that person would grow up into an ugly person. Simply enduring the pain of growing up will change nothing. If a person dislikes their own appearance, they should do something about it. The ugly duckling did nothing about its own flaws other than to wallow in self-pity but became a swan in the end. I disagree with the theme because of the fact that the ugly duckling did not work for its own happiness. This simply does not happen in real life.

These two reasons are why I had chosen to retell the Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling". I have significantly altered the story to reflect how I feel and what I think would have really happened. I will explain in detail each aspect of my story and why I had made those choices.

The theme of my story reflects my feelings towards lying. I had decided to use vanity as a medium because I think it is the most common thing people would lie about. In my version of "The Ugly Duckling", the duckling did not have a happy ending due to her obsession with gaining approval on her appearance. Her obsession was a result of the lies that were fed to her. The duckling was actually in self-denial, she knew she was not good looking but because of the repetition of lies that were fed to her, she had wanted to believe them and started to doubt herself. Hence, she felt the need to constantly gain approval on her own appearance. What I wanted to tell people through my story was that lying could have unforeseen consequences so it would be better to think about it carefully first. Sometimes telling the harsh truth is better than lying. I also wanted to show that even well-intentioned minor lies can still cause unwanted situations. Had the duckling not been lied to, she would have understood her flaws and not have died in the end.

I had changed the entire plot of the story in order to better reflect what I feel would really happen. Instead of the general disapproval from the duckling's peers, I had reversed the situation and made such that everyone had lied to the duckling instead. The duck, being constantly lied to, started to believe the lies and then dangerous repercussions soon follow. This is what I believe would really happen. People do tend to lie in order to comfort their loved ones after all. I think the real problem is when people are fed too many lies, albeit with good intentions. In order to remain consistent in my story and with reality, I had removed the entire part where the duckling had travelled to other places of the world. There was no reason for the duckling to leave if it was loved and approved of by its social circle. The meeting with the swans was crucial too, as the swans represented an outside party. I wanted to make it clear that it is not just family members who lie to their loved ones, but also strangers. The meeting with the swans also served to fuel the duckling's delusions of grandiose which ultimately led to the duckling's demise.

The reason why I have adopted a first person point of view is because I wanted people to experience how it might feel like to be lied to. I wanted people to experience the uncertainty when being lied to. The little duckling had no idea if she was being lied to or not. She did not know if she was actually ugly or beautiful. I had intentionally left out any specific labels about the duckling’s appearance and left her actual appearance open to interpretation. This is why I had changed the title of the story to “The Little Duckling” instead of the “The Ugly Duckling”. The feelings of uncertainty and ambiguity were the feelings that I had wanted to capture. I also wanted to show how you feel about yourself can change through the things people tell you. This reason is also why I think lies should not be so spoken without much consideration.

One of the reasons why I had chosen Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" was because of the use of animals. The reason why I wanted to use animals is because they transcend culture and time. I believe this problem is prevalent in almost every culture. I also believe that this problem have persisted through many eras. After all, it is common knowledge that people would often lie to each other in an attempt to comfort one another. I had chosen a duck as my main character among other animals because ducks are very ordinary. They are not particularly known for anything and are relatively low in the food chain. To me, ducks had represented being below average. I had also intentionally represented the duck as a young female. This is because I personally think that lying about appearance is more common in females than in males, especially when they are younger. I had chosen to use swans because of their appearance. Swans have always represented grace and beauty. The swans had represented the goal that the duckling wanted to reach. They were intended to objects of envy. In many environments, there is always an ideal person who people adore and wanted to imitate. Think of the good-looking, popular and smart student in school or the friendly employee of the year in a working environment. The swans had represented this group in the story. This led the little duckling to believe everything the swans have told it, even defying her mother. The point I wanted to make is that people often make poor judgments when they are receiving information from something they have idealized and thus, it is especially important that you are honest when you are in an influential position.

My choice of setting had represented a limited social circle. The fact that their home was a small pond had represented a confined space. I made this clear by explaining that the shore could be seen on all ends. I believe this applies in real life, as very often one does not get much opportunity to meet new people, especially if one is young. Most children go to the same places every day so whatever information they may receive from those places are the only information they know. The location of the swans was no coincidence too. They had represented neighboring friends who children normally go to play with. The last scene with the bridge had represented an unfamiliar and dangerous location. The little duckling had chosen to experiment with it and ended up dying.

I have used several motifs throughout the story. The swans were one of them. As I had mentioned before, the swans had symbolized a goal and an idealized object. I was careful not to mention any flaws about them in order to show how distorted the little duckling's perspective is. The little human children had represented unfamiliarity and a distorted fantasy. The duckling did not know anything about the little human children other than what little information the swan had provided her. I had ensured that the entire phrase "little human children" was written out each time they were mentioned because I wanted to show that the little duckling would not know about of other variations of humans there might be. The intention was to show that she knew little of the children. She had also pursued the goal of gaining food from the children despite what little she knew and hence it had represented a distorted fantasy.

I have explained why I have decided to retell my story in such a manner. I think it fully captures my beliefs about lying and other aspects of life. In essence, I think people should know that is important to work with what they have rather than be under the delusion of possessing something that they do not actually have.

The Little Duckling

2009-11-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

I finally broke out of the walls that had sheltered me for months. I peered curiously at the wide open world. What an intimidating amount of space! I thought. I tried to snuggle back into my cozy shell but alas, the pieces of the shell could not be joined back together again. There was also a fully grown duck which was standing next to my shell, staring joyfully at me. I felt a strange sense of warmth towards the duck even though I had never seen her before.

"Mommy?" I guessed.

"Yes, my dear child. And now it is time for you to learn how to swim with your siblings," said the older duck.

Before I could protest, I was already being urged towards the pond by one of Mother's wings. I plopped into the water, not knowing what to expect. Much to my surprise, nothing bad happened and before I knew it, I was already swimming alongside my other siblings.

The water felt cool and it was very clear. I could see the little fishes swimming under me and it was quite intriguing. I looked around me and I could see the shore. Though the pond was big compared to my previous home, I felt safe and reassured when I saw the shores close by.

"Sister?" asked one of the ducklings. There were 3 small ducklings swimming in the pond.

"Aren't you quite the strange one? You look nothing like us," asked another with genuine interest. I looked down at the reflection of the water. True enough, I looked nothing like the other ducks. I had also felt a tinge of unpleasantness towards my own appearance.

"Now, now, this is your youngest sister. You older ones must take care of her and dote on her as you would your greatest treasures," Mother interrupted. My siblings agreed readily and that was the end of the discussion of my appearance.

When night has fallen and we had played till we were all tired, I started to wonder about my appearance again. I went to the pond to look at myself when my mother and siblings had all fallen asleep. I am quite ugly, I thought. My beak is too big and my eyes are too small. This must be what my brother meant when he had said I looked nothing like them. As I went back to try and sleep, I could not help wondering why I did not turn out pretty like the rest of my siblings. I decided I would ask Mother when morning comes.

The following day, I proceeded as planned. I was careful to make sure my other siblings were elsewhere so that I would not be embarrassed.

"Mom? Why am I so ugly?" I asked sadly.

"Oh, my dear child. Who had implanted such bad thoughts in your mind? You are not ugly. You are different." Mother said in a reassuring manner.

"Why am I different? I don't want to be different. I don't like my big beak and my small eyes," I whined. I could tell this question had baffled Mother, for her eyes shifted and she paused momentarily before replying.

"Well, you are different because you are a beautiful little duckling. Your big beak and small eyes are unique features of your beauty. Now, go and play with your siblings and do not worry about such pointless things." Mother said hastily before pushing me into the pond.

I was unsatisfied with Mother's answer. I felt like she was lying. But why would she lie to me? Surely my own mother would not lie to me. Why then would she be nervous? I was frustrated at my own questions. I decided to confirm Mother's answers by my siblings.

I leapt into the pond and swam alongside my kin. I knew that I would create an awkward situation if I had just suddenly asked such a strange question. Furthermore, I had preferred to ask them separately. If their answer was that I am ugly, then I would surely be embarrassed among all my kin. We played for a little while until my brother, the second youngest, went off to the side to clean himself.

"Oh brother, do you think I am ugly? Mother said I was beautiful but I really don't think so," I asked fearfully. Surely my own brother would not lie to me as well. I was afraid of his answer, but I would very much like to know the truth.

"Hmm..." said my brother as he studied my face. "You worry too much. You are indeed as pretty as Mother has said. Come, let us go play." then my brother went to join our other siblings.

I looked back down at my reflection. All I could see was a beak too large and eyes that are too small. Do I truly worry too much? I wondered. Both my brother and mother have told me that I look beautiful yet I still feel differently. No, Brother has to be right. I worry too much, I told myself.

For the next several days, I tried to forget how I was feeling and believe I was truly beautiful. However, each time I had looked upon my reflection on the water, I felt I had looked the complete opposite. Finally, I could hold it in no longer. I decided that I should ask my sister. She is pretty and we are both female, she will be able to understand me and tell me the truth. She is also the second oldest and her words possessed more wisdom. Using the same strategy, I waited for my sister to be alone before approaching her.

"Silly girl! Of course you are beautiful. Trust me, I know how you feel. We all feel insecure about our appearance sometimes. Just know that you are the prettiest amongst us. Come, let us go play." My sister said before petting me lightly and then leaving to join our siblings.

I had definitely felt reassured. How silly I was to think I am ugly. I looked down at my reflection once more. Oh, how pretty I look! But what of the large beak and small eyes? They look horrendous! Perhaps I should ask my oldest brother, for he bears the most wisdom next to Mother. Again with the same strategy, I approached my oldest brother.

"Oh brother, I know I am beautiful but why do I have such an ugly beak and such small eyes?" I asked woefully.

"My dear sister, that beak of yours is not ugly but beautiful. How easy it is for you to eat! Those eyes of yours are beautiful but perhaps too small. No wonder you view things differently. Worry not, my sister, for you are beautiful. Come, let us go play." said my brother before going to join our siblings.

That had made perfect sense to me. No wonder I had always finished my meal before my siblings. My large beak must have helped with that. I must have appeared ugly to myself due to these delicate eyes. I guess not all is perfect. Indeed, beauty must come with a price.

One day, we were told by Mother that we were to visit some of Mother's friends. I was very excited to meet them. All this time, we had only ever interacted among our own family. Occasionally, we would see some other ducks at the far side of the pond but Mother had always warned us not to go near them. Mother had told us they were dangerous. We had never ventured beyond the pond. The pond was the only world we knew. Mother had often told us stories of other ponds and other curious creatures. It was all very fascinating. However, Mother had also often warned us of the dangers that lie beyond our pond. She had told us of a strange 4-legged creature with black stripes on its body. The creature would eat any stray disobedient ducklings.

Soon after, we were finally on our trip to meet Mother's friends. Mother had called them the 'Swans Family'. Mother would often tell stories of their grace and beauty. I was very excited to meet them not just because we were finally going to meet different creatures, but also because they were beautiful like me. I had hoped that perhaps the Swans might be able to relate better to me compared to my average looking siblings.

The journey was not a terrible one, as it was only a neighboring pond. We walked across some trees and forestry but I did not manage to spot anything peculiar. Though the journey did not take long, Mother had kept us very close to her and had often turned around to see if we were following her. When we finally arrived, the Swans were surprised but had received us very warmly.

Unlike our family, there were four Swan members, two children and two adults. One of the adults was a male. This was puzzling to me. Mother had told us that every family had only one adult and that the adult would be female. Yet here there are two adults, who I assume to be Mothers. The younger Swan members also consisted of one female and one male. Though this was all particularly interesting, what really caught my eye was their appearance.

Mother was right about their beauty. I had never seen anything that was quite so graceful as they are. Their long slender necks curved elegantly and their magnificent wings boasted virility. I was impressed and awed by the beauty they possessed. The Swans family would definitely be able to understand me better. Of course my duck family would call me beautiful. They were only ducks after all. They did not possess any true beauty. But, if the Swans family were to admit me as beautiful, then I would have truly conquered the virtue of beauty.

"My Swan friend, we both share qualities of the same kind. Maybe you can tell me if I was pretty?" I asked, masking my anxiousness with fake cheerfulness. The swan I had asked was the younger female. I had wanted to ask the older Swans but Mother had told us that it was rude to interrupt when adults were speaking.

"Sure, my little duckling friend. Indeed, you are very pretty. You would impress the little human children as we have," replied the Swan.

How happy was I to hear such a thing! Yet I know that I cannot live with these pretty birds because I know Mother would surely miss me. I had been contented to hear that I was pretty from my family members but hearing it from these magnificent creatures were of a different story. I knew that I was at the pinnacle of beauty because the prettiest creatures had approved of me. I was curious, however, as to what the Swan had meant by "human children".

"What are 'little human children'?" I asked curiously.

"They are two legged creatures who throw delicious food at you if you are pretty. You would surely be able to get delicious food if they had seen you." replied the Swan cheerfully.

I asked more questions about the 'little human children' to learn how to gain their approval. The more I learned about them, the more interested I became in gaining their approval. Indeed, I cared little for the food they supposedly threw. I was only interested if they would actually throw food as that would mean they approve of my beauty.

When the time to return back to our pond came, I bid farewell and left regretfully. That night, I could not sleep. I could only think of 'little human children' and how impressed they would be when they saw me.

The next day, I told Mother about the 'little human children' and how I wanted to impress them. I said I would bring back lots of delicious food for us. I expected Mother to be impressed and happy but she sang a different tune.

"What a silly child! Do not have such silly fantasies! The human children you speak of are dangerous and vile. They will throw stones at you!" chided Mother.

I was furious, "Of course they would throw rocks at you! You are ugly, unlike me! The little human children only throws delicious food at beautiful creatures!" I replied angrily before running off into the forest. The Swan had told me of the river under the bridge where 'little human children' constantly frequented. Though I have only ever been in the forest once, I was eager to prove myself. I could hear Mother calling me from behind. She had tried to chase me but my youth outmatched her speed. I had followed the directions the Swan had provided to me and finally I had arrived at the river.

True enough, there were the strangest creatures standing on the bridge, looking down at the river as if they were some kind of deity ready to judge the creatures who appeared before them. I examined the birds who were already there. The creatures were of the same breed of the Swans. Their beauty and elegance must have impressed the human children, as peculiar items started falling from their hands into the water. The birds swarmed to the food, devouring them quickly and quite unlike their usual self, quite ungracefully.

That must be quite a treat! I thought. I quickly joined them and imitated their actions in hopes of impressing the human children.

"There! Look at how ugly that bird is! Let's throw stones at it!" said the human children as they pointed somewhere in my direction.
Surely they cannot mean me, I thought, for I am as beautiful as these Swans. I looked around, trying to identify the ugly bird. Suddenly, I felt sharp and hard objects raining down on me. I uttered cries of pain as the objects pierced my beautiful feathers. I tried to escape, but my movement is impaired from injuries all over my body. Eventually, I was unable to move. As the light faded from my eyes, I cursed at that ugly bird. How unlucky I was to be next to him, for the human children must have missed and hit me. If only that ugly bird did not exist...

The World And Us

2009-07-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

The World is unfair. A truthful phrase that has exhausted it's impact due to overusage. How naive and ignorant is the one who says otherwise. Some are born into suffering without ever being able to escape from it. Undeserving people have lived luxuriously and in such extravagrant manners to which most could have only dreamed of. Luck has given extraordinary talents to random individuals while less fortunate ones have been given deficiencies and abnormalities. Sad, but true.

The Principles of Life

If there was any rules to live life by, there would only be one rule: there are no rules. Absolute principles are seemingly innocuous but its' uncompromising nature sets the ground for many fundamentalists and extremists. It is pitifully presumptuous and infantile to think that there is a solution to every problem. There are no guarantees. Honesty is not always the best policy. There may be wills, but no ways. How many have lost their lives, destroyed other lives, wasted their time and wasted others time for no other than abiding to their principles. It is within oneself and the situation one must gauge before coming to the conclusion of solubility.

"I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times." -Everett Dirksen

The Average Human

The average person is an idiot. He is ignorant and mostly useless. He is susceptible to supersition, gullible to propaganda and limited in terms of creativity and intelligence. Do not be surprised if he tells you clouds are the grounds of heaven. Do not be surprised if he does not know H2O is water. Do not be surprised if he tells you with such ferocious certainty that the afterlife exists. Such is the average person. The bulk of Homo Sapiens are unfortunately carried by these people, hence the term "average". The nature of the average human is the very reason why acceptance is important. Change is unlikely as it is our nature. As long as humans exists, so will our nature and thus so will selfishness, greed, ignorance and all other sins and vices.

"Even in the socially and economically and legally most utopian conditions, there will remain this irreducible self-obtuseness, self-evasiveness, self-irreality, in which men forever act as their own premier and unrecognized worst enemies, the obscure causes of their own self-suffering." -Kenneth Smith

An Honest Acceptance of Reality

When the man or woman has experienced enough mistreatment, enough discrimination, enough inequality, enough unfairness, it can be said that he or she will have understood the World's nature. The said person would then have to face a choice, to challenge, to deny or to accept. To challenge is to change. To deny is to fantasize. To accept is to know. Now, challenging the World's nature is quite different from challenging a particular situation. Do not get confused, for it could very well mean life and death. As I have mentioned before, we can change many things, but we cannot change our nature. To deny reality is to wish for a better one, in other words, to dream. This course of action has a tendency to insanity. The most reasonable discourse is an honest acceptance. To accept does not necessarily mean to submit. It means to know. Once the harsh nature of the World has been accepted, life would be less dissappointing, ideas and decisions would be more practical and realistic, credulity would be lessened.

"Understand this law and you will then know, beyond room for the slightest doubt, that you are constantly punishing yourself for every wrong you commit and rewarding yourself for every act of constructive conduct in which you indulge. " -Napoleon Hill

Personal Problems And Advice

The problem with most personal problems is that its' so self-indulgent in itself that the solution usually gets overshadowed by emotions like pride and selfishness. What's worse is that majority of the people asking for advice already know the solution to these problems. The solution is often pretty simple: go talk to the other party in a calm, mature and rational manner. However, pride disallows it and brands the solution as a type of submission, greed dismisses the solution due to potential compromises, etc.

Furthermore, people who seek advice regarding personal issues usually aren't really seeking advice. They are seeking comfort. They want to hear "Sounds bad." or "Take it easy." or "Sounds like you are in a tight spot." in order to justify their distress. They won't settle for an easy and useful solution because that would make their problems look petty. These people only seek attention and it would be a real pity if anyone wasted their time on them.

"The human mind prefers to be spoonfed with the thoughts of others, but deprived of such nourishment it will, reluctantly, begin to think for itself- and such thinking, remember, is original thinking and may have valuable results." -Agatha Christie

In the case of genuine inquiring, most people just don't realize that personal problems in general cannot be solved by other people. There are just too many factors in a PR problem (What is the attitude of that person towards you, how do you normally communicate with that person, etc.) that the advisor wouldn't know and I dare say it's nigh impossible to describe the scenario vividly to the advisor. Just imagine trying to solve a problem sum without most of the given values! A person might be offer some useful advice but the ultimate and best solution still lies within your own assessment.

"When you approach a problem, strip yourself of preconceived opinions and prejudice, assemble and learn the facts of the situation, make the decision which seems to you to be the most honest, and then stick to it." -Chester Bowles

-To be Continued...

Let The Right One In (2008)

2009-04-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Let The Right One In" aka "Låt den rätte komma in" is quite simply, a breathtaking tale. This complex tale of innocence and romance would not be quite the type of movie you would be expecting, I guarantee you. There are strong elements of horror and violence and depending on how you interpret it, it could be an even more horrific experience. "Let The Right One In" was a very unique experience for me. It was surreal yet real, beautiful yet terrifying. By the time I was at the end, I was surrounded by extremely strong feelings that brought tears to my eyes. At that time, I was perplexed as to why I almost cried for the ending was not a sad or happy one. It took me some time to realize it was because of the overwhelming sensation the film invoked. This film boasts such incredible depth and originality that it is impossible not to recommend. While I am not trying to sound as if I am on a superior pedestal, this film does take a certain level of understanding to appreciate. I do hope if someone dislikes this film, it would not be because that person did not "get it".

Animal Cruelty

2008-10-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

It is recommended that you watch the video on this link before reading any further.

Animal Cruelty

Majority of the people would turn this video off after 2 minutes or perhaps even less. Granted, this video was extremely difficult to watch and I was tempted to close it. However, I reminded myself that it would be simply cowardly to avert my eyes from the supposed truth. No, I am not a vegetarian. Yes, I will still continue to eat meat. Why? Because even though this horrible video did question my moral conscience, I still came to my own conclusion of how things work.

The whole point of this post is to tell people that people need to face reality. Rather than looking away and pretend how some things didn't happen, people need to accept how things are. Which side you stand on is not as important as that you make a decision because only then will you truly know yourself. It is often easy to make characterizations and statements about yourself but not quite as easy when faced with a true obstacle that questions those judgements.

In Bruges (2008)

2008-10-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Easily one of the best dark British comedies I have seen, "In Bruges" effectively blends humor and a theme of serious drama. The only reason why you won't laugh out loud at most of it's comedy is because of it's context. Unlike most comedies, "In Bruges" is not a light-hearted film, it focuses on a rather serious theme on civilized assassins and warped ethics. People who enjoy subtlety will no doubt enjoy the effort that "In Bruges" displays. There is a varied use of symbology in this film which works well in delivering irony. This film warrants multiple viewings in order to fully grasp its hidden significance.

"In Bruges" opens with two assassins arriving in a preserved medieval town, named "Bruges", to hide after carrying out a job. Upon arrival, the film slowly shows the contrast in both the assassins' livelihood tastes. Ray (Colin Farrell) openly expresses his dislike for Bruges while Ken (Brendan Gleenson) finds himself captivated by the historical features of the town. Essentially, the two assassins were to hide in a hotel and wait for further instructions from their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes). However, many complications arise when Ken receives his next assignment while Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in his previous job, seeks closure for his misdeeds.

Mixed with a clever script and excellent directing, "In Bruges" is a perfect example for satirical works. This film kept me enthralled with sharp curve balls being thrown rapidly but never too fast or too many. The soundtrack, which is something I would readily commend, enhances the entire experience with near-perfect symphony. There is a fair amount of violence in this film which might put off some people. Other than that, there's almost no reason why anyone shouldn't watch this.

9/10

Homo Idiotus: A personal experience

2008-10-13T09:16:00.001-07:00

My personal experience with this Homo Idiotus is actually an ongoing experience. The pain of dealing with him daily is nearly insufferable. Fortunately, he will be departing soon, from my camp I mean (although it'd be more beneficial to the world if he departed entirely.). There is no greater sign that the person next to you is an Homo Idiotus than the inadequacy of his or her grasp of language. The distinctive lack of proper speech is probably the most noticable thing about this "fellow colleague" of mine, other than his decaying front teeth that is. Oh, and he also has a unique ability which allows him to defecate from both his rear end and his mouth.

Although it is not uncommon for the Homo Idiotus species to be unhygenic, this particular creature is among the extreme. He does not brush his teeth, dismissing it as a "chore" and instead, uses only Listerine before he sleeps. His teeth is one particular sight that would haunt you for all eternity. His front teeth has decayed so badly that portions of it are black (yes, pure black, not brown) and everytime he drinks any colored beverage, it'd enhance the grotesque monstrosity of what is left of his "teeth". Watching 10 men get decapitated is easier than looking at his teeth and this might actually be an understatement. His teeth is, unfortunately, not the only "unclean" thing about him. Not only can you smell his pungent body odor from a mile away, his breath could kill a healthy bull with merely one whiff. The rate at which he smokes could probably rot your lungs in 2 seconds. If there was one thing you should be grateful for, it would be that you don't have to inhale his filthy presence like me and my poor camp mates do.

Not all ends here, however, for there is still many things about this creature that would shock you. For one, this creature scored only 99 for his PSLE and sincerely believes that education, which is essentially the root of our society, is entirely unimportant. The relevance of his arguement to anything can only be measured in galactic distances. His reasoning so warped that it's only purpose serves to violate your poor ears and brains. If this wasn't enough, his terrible speech impairment in all his 3 languages is almost equally excruciating. Everytime he spews his unintelligible garble, the only rational response would be to ignore it. However, he would just be extremely dissatisfied and press on, forcing you to give up your dignity with his incomprehensible waste.

Yet with this much of an intellectual handicap, he persists in expressing complete confidence in his own intelligence and physical dominance. He constantly reminds us of how good of a fighter he is when, in reality, he is nothing more than a shell of pretentious courage. In fact, his own unique way of expressing his rage is to beat up inanimate objects, which purpose clearly serves to demonstrate his physical prowess. His obvious delusions about himself provide him with plenty of false ego, easily shrugging away criticism and insults. This appalling excuse of a "man" also takes out his pitiful frustrations on an obvious weaker being, who is also not much of what I would consider a "man".

As mentioned in the previous post about the Homo Idiotus species, these creatures breed like hamsters because they ignore the consequences of having sex. It is very evident in this particular creature's case since he has a shotgun marriage. Truly a classic example of inconsequential thinking. I sincerely pity his offspring as I can already foresee the principles that will be imparted upon this poor child. It is terribly sad to know that this vicious cycle of stupidity spins tirelessly. Fortunately, not all will be lost if somehow this child manages to break free from his father's intellectual capacity.

I have no fear that this creature will stumble upon this entry as even if he did, he would not understand a single word of it. Of course, he will first have to learn how to operate the computer. Besides, what could he do? Even if by some miraculous chance he manages to operate the computer and even more stunningly comprehend this entry, all in all, he is merely a coward wearing a tiger's skin. He is neither physically fit nor capable of any true intellectual thought. Ironically, he is the perfect example of the direct opposition of perfection. This creature is truly an abomination in our society that needs to be weeded out.

Homo Idiotus

2008-10-13T05:58:00.001-07:00

A recent study has discovered a new type of Homo (genus) called the Homo Idiotus. This species of Human has successful masked itself as a Homo Sapien (what most of us are) over the years so as to remain undetected by us. Although their appearance are similar to ours, they also bear a resemblance to monkeys. The greatest difference between us and the Homo Idiotus species is what we term "intelligence". Although somewhat similar to monkeys in terms of capabilities, the Idiotus species possess only a slightly higher level of organized thought. The Homo Idiotus species can only be found in Singapore. These species are, in slang, called "Ah Bengs".

Much like how a body louse infests our body, the Homo Idiotus species infests the Singapore culture with it's intellect. Members of the Homo Idiotus behave irrationally because of their small brain which effectively renders them completely impervious to the realistic forces of reasoning. This makes them a very volatile breed. However, there is no need to fear as majority of the Idiotus species are only aggressive at face value, very much like a dog with a lot of bark but no bite. Two common behaviorial characteristics of the Homo Idiotus are the pretentions of courage and intelligence, when in truth they really have neither. According to study, these breed of Homos have no desire to progress, very much unlike us. Their sole purpose of existence is to survive. If there was one thing the Idiotus species are good at, it's surviving. Like weeds, they will simply sprout out more when you stomp one. The reason for this is their innate carnal desire to have sexual intercourse with basically anything that moves. With no regard for the consequences or the desire to have babies, their engagement in intercourse is based off the sole reason of enjoyment. Their offspring is simply the aftermath of the deed.

As mentioned earlier, the Homo Idiotus are capable of some organized thought. Majority of these Idiots have clans, or "gangs" as they call it, fighting over territory which, in reality, does not truly belong to them anyway. These clans that they form hold rules and conduct governed by a political concept called "Idiocracy". As they are ultimately incapable of organized thoughts, they resort to their instincts to gather the basic commodities which results in what we humans call "crime". With no regard for laws or rules, they simply take what they want when they can. Should there be an obstacle of any sort, their first option would be to usually run straight at it, hoping that somehow they can physically dominate it. (E.g. Running straight at a law enforcement officer who is pointing a gun straight at him.)

The Homo Idiotus phenomenon is a thriving epidemic that is detrimental to Singapore's welfare. What make these parasites so dangerous is the grotesque ability to infect our young with their mentality. It is vital to note that your child has been infected when he tells you that he has a 大哥 or "Big Brother". This means that somehow one of these horrendous mutations of the human species have actually convinced your child to follow his steps. This will devolve your child into a Homo Idiotus member when he grows up. The best approach for treatment would be to quickly eradicate all beliefs instilled into your child by this distorted species of human beings. The next step would be to ensure he is properly sufficed with an education. The best repellant against the Idiots is a strong foundation of rationality.

The Sad Cow

2008-10-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

This picture is not done by me. I am just sharing it as I think it's a really good photo.

Mystic River (2003)

2008-10-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Mystic River is a difficult movie to digest. The climax is also the anti-climax. Its conclusion provides you with no closure. This is a movie you will either hate or like. Unfortunately for me, I didn't like it very much. Yet when I went to read some opinions on it, a lot of things occured to me. Perhaps I was too focused on disecting the mystery during the movie that I missed out the important things. The acting was also equally distracting, Sean Penn was bad, it seemed like he was trying too hard and Marcia Gay as the terrified spouse just came off as annoying. The movie is focused around pedophilia, even though during the course of the movie, it isn't talked about a whole lot. Instead, it provides a back story on an act of pedophilia and goes on about the events that ensue. The movie also uses some subtle references, you have to pay careful attention to the dialog to catch them.

The lives of 3 boys were forever changed when one of them was kidnapped and sexually abused. Even though the 2 other children were unaffected, their lives were intertwined because of a tragic incident. Dave (Tim Robbins), the boy who was sexually abused, became the center of a crime that involves the murder of Katie, Jimmy's (Sean Penn) daughter. Sean (Kevin Bacon) is the cop who tries to solve the murder. The events that unfold becomes the crux of the story.

The ending made a lot of people dislike the movie because it dropped a huge dosage of realism that does not sit well with a lot of people. Having a happy ending is one thing, but having no ending is another thing. It's like telling you the Cinderella story but after she runs from the ballroom I just end it there. The conclusion ended with a lot left to interpret. This was actually ok for me if the movie was like "No Country for Old Men", where the entire point of the movie was that things just happen as they do. The problem I had with this movie was actually not all about the ending, the ending would have been fine if the body of the movie wasn't so boring. It could be like, an extra point. However, the movie focused too much on solving the mystery of the crime rather than what it was talking about, the act of pedophilia that caused it all.

To be fair, there could be another way of looking at it, that even though Dave suffered a terrible tragedy in his past. He didn't find closure or a happy ending like how most movies would paint out such an event. Instead, he received more damage and ultimately died. I guess that could be the point of the movie, that the world isn't very fair. It wasn't very clear on this and this is actually just pure speculation on my part which is why I don't like the movie. It didn't manage to support its points very well.

There was barely any soundtrack in this movie, there was like one theme song and they used it throughout. Usually it would be ok but the song was used so inappropriately that it came off as really strange. As I mentioned before, some of the actors did a bad job but not all of them did poorly. Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins and Laura Linney still managed to maintain their high standards. In my opinion, 6/10.

The Man

2008-10-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

He walked into the crowded room and immediately attracted the attention of all. The crowd was instantly hushed by his divine presence. Not even the softest whisper was uttered. As he made his way to the stage, his stride exuded grace and pride with every meticulous step. His majestic presence emitted an overwhelming aura. His physical form captured the heart of every woman. Everyone's gaze fixated on him, all silent with profound admiration. The ladies smiled sheepishly, sincerely deluded that they have fallen in love. The gentlemen nodded their heads, approving of him with the deepest admiration and respect. With his destination reached, he adjusted himself appropriately and parted his perfectly shaped lips, momentarily pausing before speaking. The ladies gasped softly, completely mesmerized by his charisma and charm. He stood on the stage with a perfect posture. Each spoken word taken as universal truths and wisdom. He finished with a gracious bow. The crowd, completely awed, applauded with great and heartfelt appreciation.

Unforgiven (1992)

2008-10-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

I rarely ever watch western films and most of the ones I have seen are just bad in my opinion. In fact, before "Unforgiven", I have only ever really liked one western film, "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford". Instead of talking about the value of a life like most films do, "Unforgiven" studies the different perspectives on the value of a life. It's a very realistic movie that doesn't glorify killing or shootouts yet even so, this movie still manages to inspire feelings of fear and respect for the protagonist.

William "Bill" Munny (Clint Eastwood) is the anti-hero who reformed from a stone-cold killer to a small time rancher. He has earned a very big reputation for killing people without any hesitation and for his nerves of steel. 3 years after his wife has passed on, William gets a visit from a kid who wants to collect on a bounty. Through his own moral justifications and for financial reasons, William looks up an old friend (Morgan Freeman) and decides to join the kid on his quest. The bounty involves two cowboys who cut up a prositute's face, which sets off a chain of events. The deputy sheriff, Little Bill (Gene Hackman), tries to settle it by ordering the cowboys to give some horses to the pimp for compensation. Unsatisfied with the justice served, the prositutes issue a bounty for the two cowboys. When Little Bill learns of this, he is adamant on protecting his authority and self-served justice. An inevitable clash of violence ensues...

There is a lot of contrast in this movie. The eager kid who desperately admires William's reptutation wants to make a name for himself but ultimately decides against it when he realizes the burden of killing a person. William and Little Bill has their own set of morals that they live by, they are not portrayed as bad people, but just regular people with different ideals. William believes that he was wrong to have killed all those people before but in the end, he kills mercilessly again. It was in his innate nature to be a killer, he didn't care whether the people he killed truly deserved it or not, it was just personal revenge to him.

"Unforgiven" also talks about myths and legends, especially larger-than-life western legends. William is considered a legend, almost everyone knows who he is because of his notoriety. He is described by many to be a stone cold killer with incredible gun slinging skills to match and a man with no weaknesses. Yet in reality, he is a man just like any other who gets scared and sick. The movie constantly reminds us of this contrast. Everytime William is seen experiencing difficulty, his reputation reminds us of what he is capable of. At the very climax, he threatens people not to shoot him or he will massacre their families and even though he was vastly outnumbered, nobody dared to shoot. He was merely a man but he was viewed as an incredible legend by everyone and this obscured his weaknesses and flaws, their fear was equivalent to the question "How can you shoot the Devil in the back? What if you miss?".

"Unforgiven" is all in all a very good movie, it talks about a lot and the climax feels really epic. A 9/10 in my opinion.

Feng Shui

2008-10-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

The credibility of Feng Shui is regarded by many to be skeptical. Most people believe that Feng Shui relies heavily on unproven chinese methodologies with no scientific background. This is only true to a certain extent but the public cannot be blamed as Feng Shui has been defamed by many so-called "Masters" of the art. The research put into Feng Shui is far from small, it is actually rather extensive. The main concept of Feng Shui actually deals with astronomy. Feng Shui is under the main belief that our physical and mental existence is related with the universe. As such, our physical placement controls significant forces still unknown to us.

Personally, I think too little is known about Feng Shui for it to be established as a functioning science. Although I do believe that it does exist, I also believe that what we think it is and what it actually is could be actually entirely different. My opinion on current successful Feng Shui "Masters" is that they don't actually employ true Feng Shui methodologies, but rather psychological methods that toy with the human mind. Having a good Feng Shui is, in short, perceived to having good fortune. Luck, in my opinion, does not truly exist. It is a perceived fantasy created by people to fool themselves. For me, someone having "good luck" is just seeing the positive side of things. For example, a teenager who falls down but finds $10 on the ground. The positive side is that he found $10 because of the fall and the negative side is that he fell and hurt himself. My take is that these "Masters" exploit on this factor and lead their clients to believe that they have "good luck" by making them see the positive side of things. I guess this is not necessarily a bad thing, as being positive has it's advantages.

Another take on it would be that a Feng Shui "Master" creates an relaxing ambience for his client. Such as placing a fish tank in the middle of the house so the client will look at it whenever he moves about his house. The idea behind this would be to create an ideal scenario for the client, such as removing obstructive furniture or placing objects of interest in frequented places. This would increase the user's mental well-being. In a sense, these Feng Shui "Masters" would be considered architects, but one that tailors his structures to the client's psychological needs rather than a standard architect that constructs based on practical purposes.

Feng Shui is actually an interesting but defamed science, yet the defamers are not without credit. Although they don't actually sell what they advertise, which is "good luck", and most would consider this as a con, they create a healthy mindset for people. I still disapprove as I think they should sell their skills for what it is, rather than mask it to increase their market audience.

Little Children (2006)

2008-09-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

I started off watching this movie with semi-high expectations. I was a little bit disappointed but it is still worth the watch if you have the time. "Little Children" is a film that suggests adults behave like little children and it's just that we don't notice it. In a way, "Little Children" managed to do that, illustrating relative examples without being too exaggerative. I personally felt the movie could have been a little shorter, some scenes didn't seem to have any strong significance. You can understand why that scene was there if you think about it, but wnen it doesn't come across with much strength. Because of this, the movie felt a little drawn out and boring. Having said that, this movie still has many merits, such as being able to paint it's main message subtlely and intelligently. The best part of this movie is the climax. It ends with a strong moral and it was very well done.

"Little Children" focuses on a group of characters. A distressed husband and wife, both feeling detached from their real spouses. An affair between them occurs when they meet and the story pretty much unfolds from there. There are some pretty good side plots, intelligently intertwined with the main story. One good example that managed to portray our immmature behavior is the plot revolving the paedophile. Jackie exposed himself to a minor few years ago and now he's back on the streets. Jackie is actually a good man, he is just mentally ill. He realizes this and desperately wants help but everyone around him shuns because of his past. In a way, this example relates to children shunning another "nerd child" or another kid who is deemed weird by the others. I won't go into the exact details, but any viewer with a brain can easily see this relation in the movie.

"Little Children" has a decent cast, no big stars but good enough. The acting wasn't really commendable, there are a couple of distracting moments for me when I watching "Little Children" because of the acting. It's not really a big deal though, most of it still pulls through. Overall, I'd rate "Little Children" 7/10.

Heat (1995)

2008-09-27T01:33:00.000-07:00

A masterpiece. A mindblowing film. A brilliant piece of art. No words or phrase can do this film justice. If I could give this film an 11 out of 10, I would, but that would make no sense and just simply violate the purpose of ratings. When I started watching "Heat", I wasn't even in the mood for a movie. I had nothing to do and I wanted to kill time. Everytime I decided to turn it off and go do something else, I found myself drawn into the character's plight and the coming sequence of events. By the time I was 10 minutes into the movie, I was completely soaked in "Heat". "Heat" is a movie that is hard to describe. It would be such an terrible understatement if I called it an action film because even though it touches only the surface of many different genres, it succeeds with incredible direction.

"Heat" is a robber and cop drama that tries on a very different approach. It brings in many support characters, all with good purpose and detail, to spin an epic yet personal tale of passion and principles. Although "Heat" does focus on the robber (Robert De Niro) and the cop (Al Pacino), it would not be fair to discredit the role of the support of the characters in this film as doing so will take away the epic magnitude of this film. Having said that, I am not going to talk much about the actual plot of this film as there would be too much to write without giving away the whole story.

The leads in this film carry it as their roles bring everyone together, they are like the medium that channels the strength of all the supporting characters into a huge cesspool of brilliance. Even though Robert De Niro plays a villian, you can't help but feel for him, wanting him to get away despite his deeds. In my opinion, he is what every man should be; decisive, smart, fearless and compassionate to those he know. Al Pacino plays a less likable character but equally understandable. Both of them have dedicated their lives to their own line of work and when they finally meet, they can't help but have admiration for each other. "Heat" isn't an idealistic drama about good vs bad. The cop isn't trying to catch the robber simply because the robber is doing bad things. The cop enjoys his work and is very good at it, it's his life's passion and he doesn't want to stop. When he meets someone who is equally good at robbing things, they form a unspoken bond of respect.

With a cast like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, it's almost impossible to go wrong. Throw in an epic plot, great directing and powerful editing, you get a film that jumps into the league of movies like "The Dark Knight". "Heat" is easily one of the best films I have seen and anybody who isn't just there for the "guns and cars" will appreciate it very thoroughly. "Heat" is easily a 10/10 in my books.

Oldboy (2003)

2008-09-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

To call "Oldboy" a revenge film would be appropriate, but to call it just that would be a massive understatement. "Oldboy" doesn't focus on the aspect of damage escalation that typical revenge films usually focus on. Rather, it focuses on the reasons for revenge.

"Be it a grain of sand or a rock, in water they sink the same"

This line sums up most of what "Oldboy" is about. However, don't discredit it just because it doesn't have a complex theme. Other good movies may explore multiple aspects effectively but "Oldboy" hits you with it's moral like a truck. It also puts you at the edge of your seat throughout the film. As it slowly peel away the skins of a well layered mystery, you finally realize the captivating yet brutal essence of the film.

"Oldboy" revolves around Oh Daesu. Our protagonist was kidnapped on his way back from work and locked up in a room. He wasn't told the reason why or how long he was going to be locked up. As a result, he lived day by day, bordering on the brink of insanity. Finally after 15 long years, he was released. The film starts from there, where Oh Daesu pursues the reason as to why he is locked up with frightening determination and perseverance and ultimately convicts the man responsible.

This film is among my favorites. It is the best foreign film I have ever seen and one of the best in its genres, up there with the likes of "The Prestige". While I cannot recommend this film to everyone since it is rather disturbing, I can safely say that people who have no problem with dark films will definitely enjoy this. In my opinion, Oldboy is a 10/10.

Babies

2008-09-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

Babies are often used as symbology for innocence, as they lack guilt of any kind. I personally think an innocent life is the highest form of life, even if a life of great social status is in the equation, such as a comparison between a President of a country and a newborn baby. My belief would lie in the ideology that the baby's life is the embodiment of innocence; sinless, pure and new. A baby's life vs the life of an old man is like a new empty book vs a nearly complete book. This is the crux of my belief, I feel that everyone deserves a chance at life; that everyone should have at least a page written in their journal of life. Of course there is the arguement of a man who has continually made decisions that improved mankind vs a completely new human being with an equal chance of performing both bad and good. The arguement would be that the man has already proven himself to make good decisions and there's a higher probability that his survival would contribute more than the baby's survival. In terms of probability and practicality, it would be seen by most that the man's life is more valuable.

However, my belief lies beyond practicality, it is something most would consider irrational, it lies in our humane feelings and conscience. It lies in what is considered to be our race's uniqueness. Even though we know how unpractical it is, most of the time we are governed by our feelings. If everyone applied practicality above all else, where would our individualism go? Although it is often true that the most practical solution is the best solution in terms of materialistic ideals. Our humanity is what preserves our individuality and race. Without it, we would be like ants with brains, we would share a common goal but each with no form of individuality. Eating a burger from Mac Donald's is unpractical because it is unhealthy. Religions are usually unpractical because they have universal laws and universal laws are unpractical. I personally believe all situations need to be assessed before making the best decision. Such as the act of killing 1 man to save 10 men's lives. A universal law like "thou shall not kill" doesn't work in terms of practicality since the best decision is obviously to kill this one man. With absolute practicality, our race might progress incredibly fast as a whole but we would lose what makes us human.

Afterall, it is a fact that we still do not understand many things in this world, such as the existence of god, so I think that sometimes it is ok to hold faith in our feelings. That sometimes we should let our collective feelings as a majority rule us, instead of determining what is the right decision through absolute practical rationalization. Having said that and since most people think that the ultimate value is a person's life, I think that a baby's life, a new life holding a clean record, should be given a chance above all other lives, because I personally FEEL that it wouldn't be fair to take a life that has barely started away simply because he or she has not contributed.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

2008-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most brilliant dramas I have ever seen is actually this dark and quirky little comedy, "Little Miss Sunshine". It deals with human realism in a way never done before, so real are these characters that when you see each of them, you'd immediately associate them with a person you know in real life. The emotions, characteristics and personalities are incredibly humane in this film. With this factor as it's standing strong point, it delivers a fantastic cinematic experience.

"Little Miss Sunshine" follows the Hoovers, a dysfunctional family with extremely unique characters. You have the chain-smoking mom, a gay uncle, a vulgar grand dad, a ironic motivational speaker that can't practice what he preaches as a father, a angsty and rebellious teen who doesn't speak and finally, the member who binds all of these characters together, an innocent and cute six year old girl. Olive Hoover, the girl, has one dream: to win the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant contest. She finally gets the opportunity to realize her dream when she is invited to participate in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant far off in California. Unable to bear the guilt of destroying the little girl's dream, the entire family sets on a journey to bring her to California despite their own troubles.

I cannot stress how well these characters were portrayed as even though their real life counterparts probably annoys you, it is so easy to feel for them as they each are very likable in their own way. It's almost frightening how you can relate so well to these characters. "Little Miss Sunshine" has many funny moments and they were very well done in taste so if you are looking for slapstick humor, skip this film. This film takes the "never give up" spirit, which has been done so many times, as it's theme but delivers it in a unique way which makes it very memorable to watch.

I personally rate this movie a 8/10 for it's realism, originality and tasteful humor.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

2008-09-22T06:11:00.001-07:00

When I first heard about this movie, I was extremely excited because two of my most favorite actors are in this movie. These actors, in my opinion, carry movies, they can transform a bad movie into a good one just through their powerful acting. Of course, the script and plot matters as well. "3:10 to Yuma" is actually a western "cowboy" movie, something that I don't really fancy. I only saw it because of the actors, which needless to say, didn't disappoint. In the end, I was totally blown away by this movie.

"3:10 to Yuma" has two main leads, a notorious outlaw (Russell Crowe) and a down-on-luck rancher (Christian Bale). Their paths crossed when Ben Wade, the outlaw, was arrested in one of the towns while Dan Evans, the rancher, was in it. Dan, having lost his land because of major financial troubles, decides to escort Ben Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train for $200 (considered to be a large sum of money in the past). As the journey becomes increasingly difficult, Dan learns that he is not only doing it for the money, but also to redeem himself in front of his family. During the arduous journey, Ben's character developes more and we learn that he is not all that he seems to be.

The chemistry between these 2 focused actors is very captiviating. Their clash of ideals ultimately leads them to a ironic conclusion that both of them aren't that much different. It's really interesting to see how they communicate, how both of them eventually gain respect for each other. "3:10 to Yuma" is definitely a thought provoking action movie. It explores each character in a very realistic manner and leaves a lot to open interpretation. I personally rate it 8/10. There were some characters that I felt were too irritating, I am pretty sure anyone who have seen the film would know who I am relating to.

Taste on movies

2008-09-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

I realize that if anyone reads this blog, they might question why I have given every movie such a high rating. This is actually because I haven't bother to write about movies that I disliked since they don't stay in my head. I might write one if I get the chance to see a bad movie soon, which nowadays, has a very high likelihood anyway.

I have attempted to compile a list of movies in their assorted genres that I think are worth viewing. It's easy to tell that my favorite genre of films is actually thrillers.

Thriller Films (Not for idiots)
Prestige (Highly recommended!)
Oldboy (Highly recommended foreign film)
Felon
Unbreakable
Se7en
Fight Club
Dark City
The Departed
Michael Clayton (Only if you enjoy political thrillers)
Gone Baby Gone
Saw (Be warned that it involves a lot of gore)
Saw 2 (I didn't like 3 and 4)
Trade
The Usual Suspects (Cult classic)
Collateral

Action Films (Some can be thought provoking)
300 (Highly recommended!)
Equilibrium
3:10 to Yuma (Highly recommended!)
Warlords
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight (Highly recommended!)
Bourne Identity
Bourne Supremacy
Bourne Ultimatum (Highly recommended!)
Ong Bak
Enemy at the Gates
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Rambo 4

Comedy
In Bruges (Highly recommended!)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Highly recommended!)
The Lonely Guy
The Jerk
The Man with Two Brains
Zoolander
Stranger than Fiction
Ocean Eleven
Get Smart

Drama
American Beauty (Highly recommended!)
Gattaca (Highly recommended!)
Cinderella Man
A Beautiful Mind
Little Miss Sunshine (Highly recommended!)
American Gangster
Crash
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
K-Pax
Rounders
Heat (Highly recommended!)

Fantasy
Lord of the Rings (Highly recommended!)

There are way too many movies that I enjoy, I can't think of all of them now but I will to update this list as best I can.

Felon (2008)

2008-09-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

"Felon" is a dark gritty prison drama that implies it's own moral values. It stands to question the morals that most people stand by and what ultimately matters in our lives. "Felon" actually requires a certain stomach for the values it conveys. Even though I disagree with some of what the movie implies, I cannot deny the fact that it is a compelling film that delivers it's message effectively. The movie also borrows credence from the fact that it is based on a true story.

"Felon" follows Wade Porter (Stephen Dorf) who is somewhat wrongly accused of a murder and ends up in jail. Through a string of unfortunate events, he ends up in the SHU (Security Housing Unit). I don't want to go into the terminology of a prison but basically it's one of the worst places you can be in a prison. The idea is that a lot of the worst criminals get locked up in that place. Porter learns that in order to survive in the SHU, he has to play by the prisoners' and the cops' rules, which would be considered violent and immoral to most people. Fortunately for Porter, not all is lost as he meets a prison veteran (Val Kilmer) who teaches him prison politics. The story is about how Porter copes with life in the violent system of prison.

"Felon" also deals with the unpredictability of unseen forces that could force you to do things against your will, or place you in unwanted circumstances. I enjoyed "Felon" mainly because of the powerful editing. The scenes were all so effectively captured to make you feel a sense of fear for the protangonist, who portrays a very likable character. The acting really surprised me on this film as I never thought much of Stephen Dorf. I have seen him before in a couple of mediocre films but he usually acts as a supporting role. He was, however, really good in this movie, being able to effectively convey emotions that we could easily relate to. Val Kilmer was also equally good at making us feel for his character.

I personally recommend this film to intelligent and open-minded viewers. I can safely say that only people with liberal minds will enjoy this film. "Felon" is actually one of my personal favorites as I am a huge sucker for dark and thought provoking films like these. I give "Felon" a 10/10.

Gattaca (1997)

2008-09-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

"I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature. I think Mother wants us to." - Willard Gaylin

This is one of the two starting statements that the movie opens with. "Gattaca" draws the audience in by relating to us. It is a movie about the strength of our human spirit. "Gattaca" is a science-fiction film that takes place in the not-so-distant future, where DNA is almost the only factor that matters to society. In "Gattaca", science has made it possible to determine the probability rate of almost everything just by analyzing our DNA. It can even show if the person has a high likelihood of a violent temperament. As such, no one ever conceives naturally. Instead, they scientifically and manually fertilize female eggs with male sperms of a couple. Using this method, they are almost able to create any kind of person they want, gender, skin color, hair color, etc. They are also able to remove any birth defects or DNA that provokes a violent behavior and whatnot. Basically, this method is a better method of conceiving any child.

Unfortunately for our protangonist, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), he was naturally conceived and was born with a poor heart and other "DNA defects". His parents decided to create their next child through the scientific method, which, needless to say, yielded a child with incredible results. The story follows Vincent, a man with great aspirations but held back because of his genes. You see, Vincent wants to be a space navigator but to be one, you need to have incredible physique and intellect. Unfortunately for Vincent, the upper class society does not tolerate people with poor DNA. Although it is considered illegal to discriminate against people with poor DNA, no one really takes the law seriously. No matter how hard Vincent trained or studied, he was never even considered for the role of the navigator. Vincent decides to take on the identity of someone with perfect genes so he can attain his dreams. The story unfolds in a very interesting fashion.

What makes this film so good is that it not only focuses on Vincent, a man born with defects. It also talks about Morrow Jerome (Jude Law), the identity Vincent is trying to assume. Jerome is the opposite of Vincent, instead of being born with defects, he was born perfect. Jerome has to deal with the burden of perfection, which is to be the best in everything he does. "Gattaca" uses this contrast to bring out it's point further, that the human spirit is the ultimate factor that matters and nothing else.

Granted that there are already many movies about determination and the human spirit, but none has succeeded as much as Gattaca in my opinion. Through an incredible score, comparable if not better than "The Truman Show", good acting and perfect directing, this movie really captures the essence of the human spirit. Ethan Hawke and Jude Law delivers stellar performances, the supporting cast were almost equally great, especially Vincent's brother (Loren Dean).

Gattaca has always been one of my favorite movies of all time, I rate it 9/10.

Favorite Actors/Actresses

2008-09-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

This list compiles my personal favorite actors and actresses and my favorite movies with them in it.

My favorite actors from top to bottom:

1. Edward Norton - Fight Club
2. Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
3. Jack Nicholson - The Departed
4. Kevin Spacey (Although he's been off with good films recently) - American Beauty
5. Denzel Washington - American Gangster

The list could go really long so I am going to stop at 5.

My favorite actresses from top to bottom:

1. Liv Tyler - Lord of the Rings (Beautiful, talented and so much chemistry with my favorite actor!)
2. Laura Linney - Truman Show
3. Jodie Foster - Contact
4. Nicole Kidman - The Others
5. Jennifer Connelly - Requiem for a Dream

The reality of freedom

2008-09-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Would you choose to live in an ideal world? Or would you choose to live in a uncontrollable world with true freedom?

We strife so ignorantly towards a perfect world where everyone is equal, not knowing that when we reach this ideal, we could very well give up what makes us unique. In order to attain a perfect world, everyone has to come to a consensus on an ideal. Whether it is helping people whenever you can or killing people whenever you can, it does not really matter. As long as everyone is in agreement, there will be no right and wrongs. If everyone agreed that killing is right, you could walk right up and stab someone and it wouldn't matter to anyone else at all because we are all in agreement that killing is ok. As long as we maintain differences, there will be no ideal world. Conflicts will arise, even if the only difference among us is interest. Take for example, if everyone was in agreement about everything except golf and soccer. There would still be conflicts regarding media relating to golf and soccer. Of course this example is loaded with contradictions, such as the idea of agreeing that there should be no conflicts. The truth about our world is that there is no true equality, we can only try to achieve it and we should only stay trying. Because if we did actually achieve it, we would all lose our individualism, which in turn relates to a totalitarian society that we all so ironically fear.

The price of freedom comes at a high cost. Since true equality is impossible without losing our individuality, conflicts will always be present. The consequences of these conflicts will always increase in a cumulative fashion, resulting in something nobody wants. Even if we all come in agreement to just one thing. Take for example, Everyone agrees that violence should never occur. Party A wants to drink beer. However, the government and majority of the people are in agreement that beer causes more harm than good to the society. As more Party As gather, the idea becomes stronger and they start to create a riot which acts on civil disobedience. Since the government cannot disperse the riot through violence, should the government compromise and allow beer or should they reject which in turn results in Party A causing harm to society by blocking traffic etc. The end result is traffic accidents which causes harm to the victim's family. From there onwards, it is collateral and cumulative damage. All party A wanted was to drink beer and all they did was block traffic.

The irony in our own ideals is that the ideals we so eagerly yield usually comes hand-in-hand with the dire conflicts we so eagerly try to shed. The reality of freedom is indeed a difficult truth.

The Truman Show (1998)

2008-09-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

"The Truman Show" is, quite literally, a show about Truman. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is a man living in a gigantic studio set. Of course, he doesn't know it. He doesn't know that his entire life is actually a TV show. He also doesn't know that everyone he meets and talks to are actually actors.

As Truman Burbank goes about his daily life unawaringly, billions of people in the real world watch him for inspiration. One day, Truman stumbles across a string of events, including coming across a backstage set, which immediately makes him suspicious. Determined to find out the truth about his life, he sets out on a journey to discover what reality is all about. On the other hand, the producers of the show are equally determined to keep him from the truth.

"The Truman Show" is quite a remarkable show. It shows how it would feel like if a God really existed and we were all mere creations of his. It also explores the concept of a so-called perfect world. A world devoid of crime but also true freedom, yet not so blatantly that no choices are available. The actors in this show were decent, except for Laura Linney. This movie really earned her a lot of respect from me. She was a actor in the TV show and she managed to subtlely display all the trivial details that she was acting in the show. This film also has a very mesmerizing score which, even though tailored to suit the mood of the movie, is very good on it's own.

I give this film a 8/10, there are some aspects where I think they could improve on, such as the cast. I personally dislike Jim Carrey but he was OK in this film. If I had to choose, this role would have definitely belonged to Matt Damon.

Equilibrium (2002)

2008-09-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

Equilibrium is a word that refers to balance, as derived from the word "Equal" or "Equality". The film, "Equilibrium" refers to it in an extended manner.

"Equilibrium" takes place in the future, where society is controlled by suppressing emotions through injectory fluid disseminated by buildings named "Equilibrium". The idea is that without feelings, no negative feelings such as rage, jealousy or envy will be channeled to create any destructive ideals, thus acquiring a serene state of balance. The plot revolves around the best Grammaton Cleric, John Preston (Christian Bale). These Clerics mete out justice by eliminating "sense offenders", the term used to describe people who didn't inject the fluids into themselves. Initially, John followed the law stringently but that changed when he accidentally breaks his dosage of the fluid. As John realizes what it is like to be able to have feelings, he begins to have his doubts about the Government, which he eventually attempts to overthrow.

"Equilibrium" is a roller-coaster ride with a few political concepts thrown in about society. It talks about a totalitarian society controlled by the Government and the sacrifices taken to implement it. Even if you don't appreciate political babble, "Equilibrium" is still an equally enjoyable movie at face value. The action scenes were very well done in style and in a reasonably realistic state. Although the concept behind the action, which is called "Gunkata", is a little absurd and paradoxical, I am willing to suspend a fair amount of disbelief and appreciate it. Apparently, John can "dodge" bullets by predicting where the enemy is going to shoot. The idea behind "Gunkata" is that it equips the practitioner with knowledge of statistically-traditional trajectories.

Christian Bale, as usual, does not disappoint and portrays complex emotions with subtlety. The fact that the scriptwriter implemented a fighting concept to allow cool fighting styles to seem possible already proves a decent effort since there are a lot of movies where the protagonist can run through 200 people firing machine guns without getting hit while he returns fire with a pistol and hitting everyone of them. I personally think it's a commendable effort and since the director was able to deliver the story and action well enough without making it look ridiculous, I'd rate this movie a 8/10.

Willpower

2008-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

"Training means nothing; Will is everything!" - Liam Neeson in Batman Begins

An indominable will is the key to success; Everyone knows this but fails to act on it. The number of success stories of people with incredible willpower measures in great numbers. Our will controls our mind and our mind controls our body. This means that our will is the key to our mental and physical limitations. If you sincerely believe yourself to be dead but your body is still alive, your body will stop functioning and you will die. Many people who has had a strong desire to live have overcomed fatal diseases. There is no athlete that achieved great success in their field without a very strong will. Our will drives us to do what is necessary to achieve what we want. How do you think athletes are able to keep training even when they are tired or feel pain? It's willpower. Mind over body. A man can beat you up physically but he cannot conquer your mind. Will overcomes fear, sadness, desperation, hopelessness and makes you feel inspired. Such is the power of will. The ability to convince yourself to do what is necessary is the only ability you need to succeed in anything you do. This ability, as I would believe, is called willpower.

Cinderella Man (2005)

2008-09-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

An inspirational film by the same director, Ron Howard, who brought us A Beautiful Mind. Cinderella Man is an incredible tale based on a true story about a champion boxer who stood strong against many trials and tribulations. James Braddock is our hero, a up-and-coming boxer who, because of a streak of bad luck, lost the ability to participate in boxing matches.

The determination displayed by James Braddock, the protagonist, is nothing short of legendary. Even at the face of pure desperation, he never stooped to stealing or robbing. Both James Braddock and his wife were truly made for each other, both were very understanding on their situation and they never fought with each other despite the obvious frustrations that each party had. Instead, they each gave their counterparts the support they needed. After James had lost his license to boxing due to a broken wrist, he did manual labor to sustain his family despite his injury. When James was given a second chance to participate in a boxing match, he made full use of it and managed to crawl from the hole of poverty. During his following boxing matches, he displayed a fearless and unwavering will that struck fear in his opponents and inspired the country's people. When everyone was giving in to the Great Depression, this man never gave up and fought with all he got even after being beaten down again and again. James eventually became the shining hope for the country's poor people in the darkness of the Great Depression and soon everyone was rooting for him. This film is a very inspiring film that shows one man's impeccable will to survive and sustain his family.

The only problems I had with this film was that Ron Howard changed a few facts that discriminated a particular boxer, which I felt was not very fair and left no room for ambiguity. It was obvious Howard wanted us to feel sorry for James but I believe he should not have changed a few facts that could be interpreted as a morale boost for James.

The actors, Russell Crowe as James Braddock and Paul Giamatti as James Braddock's manager, Joe Gould, delivered stellar performances. I have always been a fan of Russell Crowe and he didn't let me down on this one either. The soundtrack, camera work and choreographed fights were equally beautiful.

I personally give this film a 8/10.

Wall-E (2008)

2008-09-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

I have always wanted to watch this Pixar animation film because of the high reviews and ratings that commended it. I am usually very cautious when it comes to animation as they are usually aimed towards the younger generation. This being said, I had high expections of Wall-E. I was able to watch Wall-E a few days ago and it would be an understatement to say that it met my expections because it certainly exceeded what I had in mind.

The movie follows Wall-E, a robot who was left on Earth to organize our garbage. The human race has shifted to live in space on a spaceship, named "Axiom", because we have polluted Earth to the point where the land can no longer support life. The species of Wall-E robots were created as an effort to organize and clear the rubbish so we can repopulate Earth again when the time is right. Wall-E is a 700 year old robot which has outlasted everything, including his own race of robots, and has developed a unique personality. Not forgetting the purpose he was created for, he ventures out everyday in solitude to organize and clear the rubbish. However, that all changes when another robot is sent from Axiom to check Earth for signs of life. Wall-E immediately takes a liking to this robot, named "Eve", and follows it everywhere, even through space.

This film easily captured my heart using a very effective portrayal of innocent romance and friendship. The development between Eve and Wall-E was endearing from start to end. Both robots, created to serve their own purpose, were shown to explore many aspects of new emotions that surfaced to them since they met. Pixar was able to effectively express their robotic feelings without being too unrealistic. Wall-E also throws in concepts about the future of the human race and our over-reliance on technology. It shows how our increased reliance and convenience can make us overlook the simpler things in life which we repeatedly fail to appreciate.

Wall-E is the best animated film I have seen so far. I personally rate it a 10/10 simply because I liked it so much and cannot see how it could have been better.

Girls, Boys; and Maturity

2008-09-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

"Maturity is a psychological term used to indicate that a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctual. Maturity also encompasses being aware of the correct time and place to behave and knowing when to act in serious or non-serious ways." -Taken from Wikipedia

It is under common belief that girls mature faster than boys during the rebellious teenage phase (13-16). I personally think that it's true and it applies to MOST people. While boys ran around chasing skirts in lewd fashion and tossing piss bags at each other, most girls were able to ascert the importance of education and definition of grace. Of course, at that age, I didn't realize it. I always believed that the girls were equally immature and dumb but now I look back and see the obvious and yet subtle difference in behavior. Sure, we have the moronic emo wrist-slashing teenage girls in that age group but there's only a handful of them.

Perhaps the reason why boys were more immature than girls was because boys were allowed to do the things that promoted immaturity and stupidity. The phrase, "Boys are boys" provide support for this claim. Many teachers and parents use this phrase as their mentality which relates to an excuse to forgive teenage boys for their crimes, while girls receive harsher treatment due the mindset that girls are more obedient in nature.

While girls are more mature at the age of 13 to 16, I wonder if girls reach a stalemate at the age of 16 because a lot of 20 to 25 year old women behave like they are 16. Crying and getting very upset over trivial things are extremely common characteristics in these women. I remember an incident where a girl got very upset at her boyfriend because he didn't pull her into shelter just before it was about to rain. Fancy that? These women also like to gossip a lot about the smallest and most insignificant things, not to pass time but as a hobby. A guy could have a small piece of food in between his teeth and these women would call all their friends on the spot and talk about it like it's armageddon.

Let's look back at what it means to be mature, "To respond to a circumstance or environment in an appropriate manner." Well obviously crying and getting upset over TRIVIAL things would, to me at least, be considered to be an inappropriate response. Gossiping over the tiniest things and talking about it like it's the greatest discovery ever? I think that falls under the "not knowing when to act in serious ways".

While I am aware that I am targetting a very huge group of people and that I may receive very harsh criticism for this post (if anyone even reads the blog), I would also like to say that this is my personal opinion based on my own personal experience. It does not necessarily entail any truth but unless proven otherwise, my mind will stay unchanged. I am also fully aware that there are very mature and wise girls out there at this age, for I personally know one, so please do not be offended if you are a woman in her twenties.

Breach (2007)

2008-09-11T03:10:00.000-07:00

I was just able to watch the film, Breach and I must say it was a pretty decent spy movie. It is nowhere near the calibre of the Bourne series but then again, they are of a different genre and Breach was based off a true story. Breach is, as it name suggests, about a severe compromise in the US National Security. The story is about the man who was posted to work under the antagonist and the events that follow.

The film starts off with it's conclusion. The man who caused what is considered the biggest breach in the US National Security has been arrested. This film is a pretty straight film that does not explore any values or philosopical ideas. At least that's how I saw it, I was no doubt, entertained by the film but it's not going to stay in my head for a very long time because there's nothing to think about. It's like a story where you just want to hear the ending because it's interesting but it won't stay in your head since there's no morals or values to harp on.

After I watched this film, I went to the imdb forums like I always do. A topic titled "Don't you feel a little sorry for him?" caught my interest. The poster of this topic started off about how he/she knew that the film was meant to portray some sympathy for the antagonist and then went on about knowing the facts that he was a bastard who sold national secrets for money etc. Now, here's where the topic will start to take a turn for the retard express. This is exactly what was written, "However when I read that he spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, I was horrified. Here is a man who knows that he will have only 1 hour a day of human contact for the rest of his life. All for what? For violation of the Espionage Act which he pled guilty to." Jesus Christ! Are you retarded? This guy sold NATIONAL secrets to another country and you think that 23 hours a day of solitary confinement is too much? He endangered the lives of the entire NATION (which has more than 300 million people). He sold secrets like where the entire congress would be hidden during a state of national emergency. Please think of the disastrous possibilities and results if the Russians decided to attack America! You are weighing the possible damage of hundreds of millions of lives vs ONE man's social needs. Not to mention the man was responsible for the potential risk.

Stuff like this really lead me to think that some people are really total dumbasses. Their rationalization skills fall below zero and their scale of priorities is like a car opposite a baby.

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

2008-09-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

First of all, if you enjoy meaningful gritty dramas, stop reading now and go watch this film. Rent it, download it, buy it, whatever it is, do yourself a favor and watch this incredible film.

The premise is about a woman who is wrongfully evicted from her house and ends up having conflicts with the new house owner who profits by buying up siezed property. The film starts off slow but keeps you hooked by absorbing you into the many problems that the characters face. These characters resemble normal daily people with some of them bearing very likable qualities and and each of their situations are equally sympathetic as none of these characters are truly at fault.

This film explores many values and points such as the extent of actions that one will do for their loved ones. The film also manages to show how one minor mistake could lead to another mistake which eventually snowballs to a tradegy. There is a huge list of things that I can go on about here but doing so would inevitably reveal the plot. I don't wish to ruin the movie for people who has not seen it so please, and once again, do yourself a favor and watch this remarkable film.

Our personal character

2008-09-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Most people believe they know a lot about their own character and when asked a question like "Do you believe in achieving the impossible?", their response would be in relation with the kind of person they are, or so they believe. I, however, believe that majority of the people have no idea what kind of person they are. Even if they believe themselves to be of certain character, this characteristic often contradicts another characteristic of theirs or sometimes, the very same characteristic they believe they have. I know at this point, you are probably thinking, "What rubbish are you spewing out now?!". Don't worry, I will elaborate or try to anyway.

Back on to the question on "Do you believe in achieving the impossible?". If yes, let's assume you have achieved the impossible by constructing a unbreakable wall but since you believe in the impossible, you also believe that this wall can be broken down which in turn relates to the wall not being unbreakable afterall. This in itself is already a contradiction as the unbreakable wall theory cannot be solved without breaking apart the question. Now, what happens if you say no? You will have to ask yourself what you believe is impossible. Is it truly impossible or it just hasn't been done before which leads you to think it is impossible? Right now, flight without any aerial gadgets seems impossible to most of us but who knows? Maybe tomorrow one man will have discovered a way to start flying around like Superman.

Someone once told me that he believed that nothing is impossible and then he also told me that he does not believe in absolution. Do you see this contradiction?

It is when we face these questions about ourselves that are difficult to answer that we grow stronger. If there's a contradiction, we must stand on one side. It does not matter which side you stand on, but it matters that you take a stand. As such, we will be able to affirm ourselves in a more solid state of characteristics that allow us to make decisions that don't go against our own principles.

On National Service

2008-09-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

National Service, a full-time commitment required of the male citizens in Singapore. The Singapore Armed Force (SAF) are split into two categories of people, the regulars and the NSFs. Most of the NSFs are simply put, the involuntary slaves of the nation while the regulars are people who signed on to be full-time members of the SAF. What boggles my mind is how could they possible hope to achieve anything when majority of their force are governed by fat (unfit) and downright stupid people? I would even go as far as to call them borderline retards. While I admit I could be biased towards NS for robbing 2 years of my precious youth away from me, the undeniable fact that the lower to middle workforce spectrum of the SAF are completely filled with idiots is appalling.

Most of the SAF regulars sloth around and talk like they know what they are doing but if you asked them to describe their job in detail, they would most likely end up mumbling and stuttering, hoping that somehow they can convince you they have a important and respected job. The sad thing is that these regulars hold a certain amount of authority and they tend to use it to exert their own workload on the NSFs or vent their pathetic and pitiful frustrations. The worst part is that most of them believe themselves to be very capable and experienced. I ask, experienced in what? In making pointless and irrelevant speeches in broken english? Or coming up with unentertaining fart jokes? I honestly can't wait to complete my service and be done with these bumbling fools. Just imagine having to work for superiors who can't even count past 10. If you can't imagine yourself in such an abominable situation, a direct equivalent of which is smashing your head as hard as you can against a rock solid wall.

A like-minded individual

2008-09-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

How difficult is it truly to find someone who share an incredible amount of similar perspectives with you? I would say it is extremely difficult since until today, I have never, and I mean it when I say never, met anyone who shared my perspectives and interest in movies. That is, like I said, not until today. I met someone who was able to share some of the same views that I had, and the most important thing was that the person could actually understand everything I was saying without me having to explain it. I doubt that person felt as much of a connection as I did because I was truly never able to communicate so well with another individual before.

However, I still wonder if this is truly the case or I am just trying to believe that I have connected with someone because my solitary habits has finally caught up with me.

Initially I spoke to this person because I wanted to find out whether he thought everyone around him was a dumbass. I guess I didn't really get an answer in the end but still it allowed me to know more about this person. We ended up talking more about various different things, mostly regarding the definition of intelligence.

I think that personally all of us has a sense of superiority that we project towards others when we believe we are superior in that field. This usually takes place subconsciously. I don't think that it is arrogance, but rather, a fundamental to the essence of teaching. Before someone is willing to listen to you, he/she must have a certain amount of respect for you to to give some thought to whatever you say. The more respect he/she has for you, the more she/he will think you are right. This methodology applies in most schools, from elementary school to high school, we are perceived to think that our teachers are unparalled in their field. This is our form of respect, no matter how much we detest them, we believe that a chemistry teacher knows a lot about chemistry, a physics teacher knows a lot about physics and so on and thus we build a subconscious sense of inferiority towards the teacher. If the teacher does not have a sense of superiority, regarding his field, over his students, he would not have the confidence to teach the students and if the student does not have a sense of inferiority towards the teacher, the student will not bother to listen at all because he will assume that his answer holds more weight than his teacher. Hence, without this balance, the whole concept of teaching will fail.

So what does all this nonsense mean? It means that it is not arrogant to think that you are better than someone in a certain aspect, especially when you think you are good at it while that person has no knowledge of it. I personally think arrogance only applies if you perceive yourself to be superior regardless of facts.

The Singapore Culture

2008-09-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot wait to move on with my life. I want to start studying, participate in university clubs, earn money, whatever that I feel is meaningful, I want to do it. Right now I am stuck because of the huge immovable SAF rock blocking my path. I am tired of having to think of the trivial problems that the SAF present to me. These insignificant thoughts clog up my brain space and waste my brain cells. I have already lost a lot of my motivation and drive because of National Service. Fortunately, it's coming to an end. I will most likely end up back in Australia after my National Service since I would prefer not to stay in Singapore.

A lot of people ask me what is so bad about Singapore and I usually tell them that it's the people. I wonder if I actually fall in the category that I stereotyped. This category that I call the typical narrow-minded Singaporean is the group of people that will never greet you on the street or think you are mildly insane if you actually greet them. The easiest example to describe them is the way a group of girls react when a male stranger approaches them. In singapore, the girls would immediately be "on guard" as this male stranger who has just approached them is "without a doubt" interested in one of them, the girls would quickly assess this man in their own manner and determine whether or not he is a likable candidate. This poor male, who most likely would have noticed the awkward reactions, would be placed in such a awkward phase that any confidence that he had before would be now lost. The end result is usually ugly.

In another country, maybe america, the girls are more open-minded and they would first accept the male as a person and greet him. Unless this man is speaks in a very provocative manner, the girls would treat him as just a normal person striking up a conversation.

It's fairly obvious that the Singapore culture is very close minded in constrast with the western culture as we don't even believe in speaking to a complete stranger. Maybe this is what I really dislike, our inability to converse as a community but rather in our own little groups. I guess it could be that I just don't like the psychological feel of constraints that I feel our Singapore culture is governed by. Simply put, you can't truly be open in Singapore.

Perhaps I have been so busy scrutinizing these narrow-minded Singaporeans that I forget to analyze myself and distinguish any similarities with the group that I so openly dislike. It's natural to form stereotypes, I believe that we humans do it as a survival instinct. We create social groups with behaviorial characteristics in our mind so we can attempt to fit in if the need ever rises. Most people tend to believe that their individualism draws them from any stereotype but the truth is that they only see what is unique about themselves and not bother about the stinging similarities they have with any stereotype. This irony in itself is probably a never-ending cycle that we humans will never transcend.

The beginning

2008-09-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

I created this blog mainly so I could write down my thoughts so that perhaps one day I will look back into this blog for inspiration when I am in low spirits.

The beginning... What is there to write about? Not much comes to mind right now. And I thought this would be a cinch considering the amount of thoughts that flood to my mind every ticking second. I always believed that thinking sustains and developes the mind. A friend of mine once told me that I think too much. How can there be such a thing as excessive thinking? Long collective trains of thoughts are the foundation of society. Any true sophistication comes from a huge combination of logic and ideas. Do you honestly think that John Nash created his Nobel Winning maths theory during a commercial while watching TV? Do problems truly go away if you sit down and help yourself to a bottle of booze? Or do you solve them through long and drawn out thought processes? I think the answer is fairly obvious.

Of course, there's always the possibility of being entirely wrong. Maybe one day life will teach me a cruel lesson and make me drown in my own cesspool of thoughts.