The Year in Review: 2006

I would like to say that this year is mostly about work, professionally, and the end of another stage in my life, personally. Many new things have I learned, many more mistakes have I made, but if you ask me should someone (or something, or God) gave me a time machine to go back to the start of the year (or any time in the past for that matter), would I change a thing? Would I have made different decisions?

Not likely.

I am now at this point in time because of all the things that I did, at least from my part. Other people have also affected my life in many ways this year and they will still do later on. But from my part, I won't dare change a thing.

The next paragraphs will describe the good lessons learned throughout the year 2006 for me, I hope you will be entertained and benefit from some (if not all) of them.

It was a very good year, at its best. And it was a very bad year, at its worse. This year has been everything all in one. Lessons learned are mostly at the personal level. The professional side of me is only a mirror of what I am personally. I must say that I am beginning to acknowledge and understand my own self, and instead of denying who I really am, I am now still in the learning process of accepting who I am. This is thanks to a certain major event that took place in this year, probably one of the turning points in my life. What's the conclusion of it? It is still unknown.

The later part of this year was spent on trying to adapt to a new environment, a new situation and its many circumstances. New experiences are always good, no matter what. It is true that when compared to many other places, people (and myself also) tend to conclude that the standards of my new 'habitat' is of a lower quality than many other places (please note that I am talking in a general sense, I am pretty sure there are qualities belonging to my current location that can be said as better compared to other places, such as cheaper prices of books), but I live only once (assuming that there's no such thing as reincarnation) and any new experiences I could get my hands on I'd gladly take (provided that they are not life-threatening).

A good lesson learned about anger: don't hold your anger inside for too long for it will corrupt you later on. Find a way to channel it, and make damn sure the people to whom the anger should be directed knows about it, preferably later on after you cool down a bit. This is good for your soul, and people will respect and treat you better. Control, direction and moderation. Something that I am still learning, but experiencing it hands-on rather than reading or hearing about it can really open your eyes up. A person could not understand the true meaning of hot until he put his hands inside a pot of boiling water.

Love is such a tricky thing. (Warning: ladies, you might want to skip the next few sentences, they're harsh and for gentlemen only...oh well, I know you want to keep reading anyways...). Sometimes, it is hard to differentiate which one is in direct control of a man: his brain, his heart, or his dick. Sometimes, dick is very cunning. It befriends the brain, and fools the heart. How to cut dick off from all its fooling around? You can't. If you do, you have to relocate to Bangkok (ah, another stereotyping). Just accept it, and be careful if dick is trying to fool your heart. When dick befriends the brain, it can be good. It can be really good. But don't let it fool the heart. It gets ugly when it does

Don't be anal with your money. It is only a means, not the end. And to reach an end, there might be other way besides money. But if you do have it, and you want to use it for something, anything at all, then do so. Don't let it control you, though, and don't let other people tell you what to do with it. Your money is yours. Just like your life. Just remember that there are consequences for every action that you do, and you have to realize it and be ready to accept it. Bear in mind also that money has power only because it is people who have given it power. Realize this, and you can use it to your advantage, should you choose to do so.

Meeting new people is always fun. You get to see how colorful people can be. Whenever there is a chance to meet new people, do so. They provide you with entertainment beyond your imagination. See their facial expressions, hear the funny noises they make, see the twinkle in their eyes, watch them walk, watch how their mouth moves whenever they're talking or eating, notice their new haircuts, and many more entertaining tid bits. There are billions of people inhabiting this planet of ours. You won't get bored.

Stay in touch with friends. They will remind you of who you were, who you are, and who you can be. True, that there are many people in this world, but only a microscopic portion of them can, or will be, your friends. And (this is classic, folks), when you do find them, make sure you keep them. I think this lesson is worth repeating every year...heck, everyday.

Well, that's it for now folks! The 2006 show's over, everyone went home, and there shall be no encore for 2006. Let's play 2007's game, and we'll see what'll happen.

Teacher Dude

A Book Review

Title:
Teacher Man

Author:
Frank McCourt

I knew Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes', his Pulitzer Prize-Winning autobiography book, from my uncle (who happens to be of the same age as I am) whose girlfriend lend him the book. Read a couple of pages while we were having an island-holiday retreat and I was hooked, then decided to get my own copy. I don't know what the criteria for Pulitzer is, but based on my experience in reading Angela's Ashes, I think the guy really deserves the prize.

Now, a couple of years later and 2 more books (his second book is titled ''Tis'), I must say that the writing style that charmed me is still going on strong. What is so interesting about McCourt's writing style is its fluidity. The guy can go straight from an indirect sentences to direct sentences with grace and ease. Not only that, every page, every sentences in this book is brimming with his playful personality, which makes the book fun and easy to read. A real page turner, this is.

If 'Angela's Ashes' is about McCourt's harsh childhood when he was living in Limerick, Ireland, and ''Tis' is about the story of his adapting to living in America, 'Teacher Man' is about his easing into his job as a teacher in various learning institutes in New York. Not as serious as 'Angela's Ashes' and ''Tis', McCourt describes his many experiences as the 'teacher man', his views about teaching in general (in the U.S. of A., at least), and stories about many of his more interesting students. This book is not only about teaching though, because this is, afterall, Frank McCourt's autobiography book. This is like 'McCourt on Teaching in General', with a bit of his Irish childhood background and his outside-0f-school life experience (but also related to his teaching experience) thrown here and there.

It is hard not to draw comparison between his previous two books, but I must say that 'Angela's Ashes' is the best of them all, with 'Teacher Man' coming at a not-so-distant second. ''Tis' is also a good read, it serves as a bridge between 'Angela's Ashes' and 'Teacher Man'. However, for these two books, ''Tis' and 'Teacher Man', I felt that McCourt is not as determined as he was when he was writing 'Angela's Ashes'. Either that or it's just that his life experiences that were told during 'Angela's Ashes' were just more varied and colorful compared to ''Tis' and 'Teacher Man'. Mind you, 'Teacher Man' is still a good book, and a good display of a unique writing style.

If you have read 'Angela's Ashes' and ''Tis', and are interested in the story of McCourt's life and you also like his writing style, you definitely have to get this book. If you haven't read 'Angela's Ashes', you might have a hard time trying to understand his background when you're reading 'Teacher Man'. So, for those who are interested in 'Teacher Man', but haven't got around to reading 'Angela's Ashes', I suggest that you do so. You will find a richer experience in Angela's Ashes, and it will give you the background you need in reading 'Teacher Man'. Finally, if you're a teacher or aspiring to be one, I must say that this book is a must-read to give you a general idea of what it's like being a teacher. Yes, I'm saying that this is about being a teacher anywhere, not only in the U.S. of A.

9 Lives

A Book Review

Title:
Ghostwritten

Author:
David Mitchell

"Try reading this, and when you're done, let me know what you think," a friend of mine said. And so I did. He lend me the book, and about 3 - 4 months after that (dude sorry for holding your book hostage for so long a time, I promise I'll return it to you when I'm back in Indonesia), I finally finished reading the damn thing.

So, what's the book all about? Basically, there are 9 short stories in this book, but each story is connected, closely or distantly (mostly distantly) to the others in some ways. For example, the character in the second story heard about the character from the first story in a news in TV. The character from the third story saw the character in the second story in a small restaurant (but didn't talk to each other), and so on. It is as if the other characters from other stories are only a 'prop' in a given story. The stories are told from the first person perspective. The settings are also quite varied, ranging from Russia to Japan. The main characters are also colorful in variation, from an artwork thief in St. Petersburg to a delusional cult-slash- terrorist member in Japan. However, there's an underlying common theme among the stories told in this book that will become obvious in the later part of the book.

What is remarkable about this book is the author's skill in writing. I have to agree with my friend that each story is written as if by a different author. In short, each story has its own feel to it, a different atmosphere.

I'd like to think of this book as a collection of short stories, even if there exists a small thread of connection between each of the stories told. Each story is not about the main theme of the book, but mostly about the personalities and the lives of each of the story's main characters. For myself, my favourite story is the last story in this book, but my favourite scene is the sex scene in the third story (very raw, yet sensual).

One of the interesting thing about reading this book is trying to find references to previous stories main characters when reading through a certain story of a certain main character. You really have to pay attention to all the little details mentioned in this books. The references are sometimes obvious, but often times a bit subtle, especially in the later parts of the book. Furthermore, it is interesting to find how each of the main characters affects each other, no matter how subtle the effect is.

So, the book's got varied location settings, colorful characters, and an interesting yet subtle thread between each of the short stories. I must say that this book is a serious read, and to be able to really appreciate it you must dedicate your full attention while reading it. It is also a good learning reference for a certain someone who's trying to publish his own book and studying other authors' style of writing (hint hint...). (note to lender: Hey, dude, I'll bring the book back to ya so you can start learning again and start writing your own damn book. Make sure you have a character who's like me in your damn book. And don't make him die in the early part of the book, alright?)

A very recommended book for those who are into serious books, or who have time to dwell into serious books. Avoid it if you're looking for a light read, because this one demands your full attention. Or else you won't appreciate all the little details and their effects on the book as a whole.

The Christmas Party, Part I

"Would you mind being the searcher?"
This one should be interesting, but I knew back then that I was going to be the butt of people's jokes, but what the heck, the gal needed my help and I knew that I could make things interesting. However, before that I had to ask something, "Wasn't it supposed to be that guy?"
"That guy said no, he doesn't want to play the game...please, could you be the searcher?"
"Can't you find someone else?"
"No, we've asked, and nobody wants to. Please, could you be the searcher?"
Well, that's me. I knew I wanted to back then, I knew I wanted the stage, but if there can be someone else then that someone else should come first before me. Who knows, maybe he could be more entertaining than I was. That’s me, fellas. Confident, yet submissive at times. A left over from my dark-age era, when I thought all I could ever be was a nerd. I still am right now, deep down I could never deny my nerdiness.
But, there was no one else.
"Okay, I'll play the game."
"Great! Thanks, Arie! No worries, the searchees are all good-looking women. You won’t regret this."
"Ha ha ha, nice. That should be interesting."

Sheesh, really, I wanted to be the one entertained, but oft times I've found out that entertaining people makes me entertained. So, there goes nothing.

Oh, you asking what I'm talking bout right now? It's my project's Christmas party. What is the 'searcher' and 'searchee' thing all about? It’s called ‘The Dating Game’. And this game was to be played during the Christmas party. How this game is played, you pressed on? Alright, alright kids, gather ‘round and let me tell ya what it’s all about.

First, there’s what we call the ‘searcher’, the one looking for a date. Then, there’s the ‘searchees’, the candidates for a date with the searcher. These people (both searcher and searchee) are picked by the committee beforehand. Ya gotta know that the searcher and the searchees don’t know each other. Their identities are kept secret by the games committee (oooohh, mystery…). Oh yeah, ya gotta understand that we don’t call this ‘The ‘Gay’ (or Lesbian) Dating Game’. You, of course, know what that means. Ya dig? Great.

The place where it all happened...

During the game, the searcher is hidden behind a white sheet (in case you’re wondering, this is to hide the searcher’s AND the searchees’ identities from each other. Duh). The searcher will ask several ‘relevant’ questions, and each searchee will have to give her best answers (or him, for the female searcher). Whether or not the answers are good will be based on the crowd’s cheer. So, in the end, the crowd will decide which searchee is the best. Sounds interesting, isn’t it?

So, Friday December 8^th came, and it was time for the party. Hard Rock in Manila ain’t so bad. But I must say that Jakarta’s Hard Rock’s better tho, in my humble opinion. Food ain’t so good, sushi they serve gave me the shiver. Y’see, I am crazy, I mean, KUH-RAY-ZEEE bout all things sushi, but them sushi they serve made me feel like I was in a cooking-horror movie. The other food was not exactly that good either, but at least they were better than sushi. The venue was a bit small when compared…

…fuck this shit.

I ain’t gon be talking bout them venues and food and shit. I’m gon be talkin’ bout the party, man, the party! So, there was the fabulous, United-Color-of Benetton MC trio. They’re all good, man. They’re all good. One of ‘em was really hilarious though. He got some pretty nice shit going on during the show. I should hire him whenever I need an MC here in Manila. Fun guy, really.

There was also the band. Three singers performed during the band performance, one of ‘em was one of the higher ups in the project. You go, pops! We dubbed him ‘Papa Noel’ during the show, coz his name IS Noel and also because it was a Christmas party. For youse who are in the not-know, Papa Noel is one of Santa’s many alias…he’s in many most-wanted list for having a toy factory in the north pole and causing all this global warming shit…I mean, shit dude, think of all those toys he had to make and imagine how much heat the factory emits…it’s all his fault, man…and think bout the rising water level. Where do you think all that water came from? Yep, North Pole. Anyways, it turned out that December 8^th was also Noel’s birthday. Yeah, he got to blow all the candles and shit, dude. And it was great. So, now you know what Christmas is all about. Yep, it’s Santa’s birthday, kids! Yeeeeehawwww…rip those gift wrappings away, folks!

The other two singers are great too. A round of applause for Mrs. Cathy Kimpo for a sweet performance. She makes good MC and a very good singer. As for the other singer, let me describe her this way:

“Yo, pick up yer jaw from the floor.”

“Wha?” I said while wiping my drool away from all over my face.

Oh my God, the bitch could sing! And she’s got the face to boot, man! I was taking pictures and shit, right, playing my part as the documentary guy (when I was actually taking snapshots of all the hot babes around…well nah I’m just a bit exaggerating here…) and then she started singing and boy was she a knocker, man! Pretty face (she was the Indian people’s most fave bitch in the project, and I know for a fact that my team mate was on to her), good voice, butt like a dump tru…sorry, couldn’t help myself. I’m so in love. My friend musta been watchin’ me got knocked off coz she said somethin’ bout ‘blank face’, ‘jaw’, ‘drop’ ‘floor’ and ‘drool’. But I ain’t givin her a shit, was paying attention to this singer babe, y’see, she rocked! I’m so askin’ her out on a date (my team mate is SO going to hate my guts if I do that). And I’m definitely hiring her should I need a singer.

There was an accident afterward. The crowd made a VERY serious and dangerous mistake…

They cheered me to go on stage and sing.

Yeah, Imagine me singing...not a pretty sight...

Man, I ain’t know the song (it was ‘Closing Time’ and fuck I forgot the lyric), and well, one of the Sand Man (our nick for senior manager) practically kicked my butt and shoved me to go on stage. Sheeyittt. So I got on stage, and told myself “Okay, kid, just sing during the chorus, and act crazy in between.” And, this was probably one of the miracles of Christmas: they bought it! Shit, man, I sucked, but they liked it! All I did was sang the chorus and that’s it! Well, I probably danced, jumped around on stage, and practically acted crazy. Didn’t know what to say. Feels like thanking Santa.

And finally, it’s game time! I didn’t know who the searchee ladies were, but I had a feeling about one of ‘em. Tried chaging’ my voice a bit, giving it more of a bass tone sprinkled with some sleaziness (like, “Give me some luuuuuuuvvv, baybeh, Ah want sum luuuuuuuuvvvvviinnnn…”, something like that) so that they wouldn’t know who I was (later on they told me that they knew it was me cause they saw my shoes…sucks). But, hell, it was fun, man. Yeah, I became the butt of jokes for days to come, but at least I made two bitches happy. One was the one asking me to play searcher, the other one was the one searchee I picked during the game’s end (she got a sparkling wine for being picked by me, not bad eh?).

So, the party was awesome, we danced, discoed, sang until midnight and finally it was time to break the joint. And due to my performance that night, they asked me to be an MC for another Christmas party. Shit, ain’t know nothin’ bout being MC, I’m just a nerdy kid. Well, we’ll see in Christmas party part 2, shall we? (If I feel like writing it, that is).

Was So Sick of It

I noticed lately that songs weren't always about love. I mean, well, there were still some love songs, but at least they were not the kind of "I love you, you love me, we're one big happy family" love songs. Or, maybe, it was just that my playlist was loaded with songs that were not the mushy-mushy kind of love songs. Yeah, I guess this is the most appropriate reason. Most of the songs were about life in general. Some of my latest favorites are:

Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence
Okay, okay, this might be a love song, but it has a bit of a twist at the end of the song. Just listen to the lyric.

No Such Thing - John Mayer
Ever felt like you were being cheated by your parents, your teachers, and older people in general? Ever felt like they were lying to you about life and the world? Ever felt like they were just scaring you so that you'll take the safer, easier, path in life? These are what this song are all about.

Stop This Train - John Mayer
Gee, John Mayer again? Anyways, this one song is all about feeling like your life is speeding by you, that everything you know and everyone you cared for are changing faster and faster, and that all you want is just to stop the time, smell the roses and be with the people and things you are familiar with...for just a moment. But there's nothing you can do. Just ride the train. A tear jerker...Now I feel really old...

Drive - Incubus
Everyone has fear in their hearts. And many has let it control their lives. This song is all about trying to break free of that fear, even if it means sobering up and being different from other people. If you ever felt like going against the current, like it was just you against the world, listen to this song.

Without a Fight - Hoobastank
A really cool and hyper-upbeat song, knew this one from the game 'Elite Beat Agents'. A wake up call for those who think that there's nothing wrong with their lives. There IS something wrong, man! You're not living your life to the fullest! Wake up! Get yourselves in control of your own lives! Take the risk and jump! The clock's counting down...

On A High - Duncan Sheik
A bit of a love song, but it also tells you about life. People tell you that you need this and that to be happy in your life. This song will tell you that those are just bullshit, happiness is just in the way of you see things in your life. If you're fine, then you're fine...

I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! at the Disco
A very interesting song. Very good and catchy melody, and interesting lyric. It's definitely not a love song. I didn't catch the meaning of the song, but I don't think that that's the point of this song. A really good song with catchy melody and lyric. Watch the music video, it's really good.

Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Geez, I really don't know what's this song is all about, but still a cool song and upbeat :D

Dani California - Red Hot Chili Pepper
RHCP seems to be fond of California (Californication, everyone?). The song is quite good, but what stands out the most is the music video. They imitated many famous groups, such as Aerosmith, the Beatles, Queen, and many more. Very entertaining and funny.

SexyBack and My Love - Justin Timberlake
Catchy dance songs, make ya wanna move your body to the rythm. The music videos for SexyBack and My Love are really cool. Check out the live performance during MTV Music Video award. And no, these songs are definitely not about love. It's about dance, baby, dance!

Something's Missing - John Mayer
Notice the pattern here, folks? Anyways, ever felt like even though you had everything you could ever ask for: fame, fortune, babes, but still feels like there's something important missing in your life? Well, this is what this song is all about...

You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
One very sexy and macho song. Chris Cornell lends his unique voice to make this one of the most memorable Bond theme song. Great Bond-ish melody, great vocal strength, and overall grand melody. And true to the movie, the song portrays a melody that is filled with raw, brute power yet elegant in its delivery. Geez, I'm talking nonsense here, just listen to the song and you'll understand what I'm saying.

September - Earth, Wind and Fire
Another addition from 'Elite Beat Agents', thanks to the game I realized how catchy this song is. It's a bit of a love song, but this one really make you feel like movin' to the beat. Easy listening, yet fun to dance to.

Remember folks, this might not be what the songs are really all about. I'm just seeing it from my eyes and try to relate them to my life. Might mean different things to you guys. Well, there are many more, but it's getting late and I really need my sleep. To end this post, I'll just let you in on my current most favorite, which is related to the title of the post and what this post was all about in the beginning: love songs (or, the lack of them in my current playlist). And this was probably how I felt a couple of months ago, and still do at times. Please welcome Ne-Yo, with 'So Sick'.

Gotta change my answering machine
Now that I'm alone
Cuz right now it says that we
Can't come to the phone
And I know it makes no sense
Cuz you walked out the door
But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore
(it's ridiculous)
It's been months
And for some reason I just
(can't get over us)
And I'm stronger then this
(enough is enough)
No more walkin round
With my head down
I'm so over being blue
Cryin over you

And I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?

Gotta fix that calender I have
That's marked July 15th
Because since there's no more you
There's no more anniversary
I'm so fed up with my thoughts of you
And your memory
And how every song reminds me
Of what used to be

That's the reason I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?

(Leave me alone)
Leave me alone
(Stupid love songs)
Dont make me think about her smile
Or having my first child
Let it go
Turning off the radio

Cuz I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing she was still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?
(why can't I turn off the radio?)

Said I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing she was still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?
(why can't I turn off the radio?)

And I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishin you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
Why can't I turn off the radio?
(why can't I turn off the radio?)
Why can't I turn off the radio?

Homesick

It was Wednesday, November 29th 2006 and after waiting for a bit more than a month since my last fly back, I finally get to go home again. We left the office during the late afternoon, me and a friend of mine, for Ninoy Aquino airport. Check in was a breeze thanks to SQ's online check-in facility, and the flight was uneventful (turbulence was a regular issue). Wanted to watch one of the movies they have for the in-flight entertainment, but after only about 20 minutes I found the movie to be a bit...boring. I couldn't believe it myself, Michael Mann's movies are usually cool but I couldn't help myself but feel a bit disappointed with his 'Miami Vice'.

My friend reminded me of something that I used to like doing whenever I was on a plane: watching out the window as the land, the cities, the cars, the buildings, the lights, grow smaller and smaller as the plane ascends. Looking at her looking out of the window reminded me of that. As she did so, I looked out as well. And I was reminded of why I used to like doing so. There is this feeling of peacefulness seeing the land grow smaller and smaller. Maybe it's that sense that I'm leaving my problems behind, all that crowded places, the dizzying pace of life, on the land, even if it's only for a little while. And I looked on until all I could see was cloud. Time to turned on the in-flight entertainment system. Oh yeah, Miami Vice was a drag...

The flight from Manila to Singapore took about 3 hours. To get rid of the boredom of a 3-hour flight, the good people of SQ provided us with an in-flight entertainment system. However, it seems that they did some changes to it now. Every time I tried watching other movies (yeah, was trying to avoid seeing Miami Vice), the movie, whatever it is, doesn't start from the beginning and the 'rewind' button didn't work. I seemed to remember that previously it was possible to rewind. Sucks. I didn't feel like watching other movies starting right in the middle of the story (thanks to Miami Vice for 20-30 minutes worth of boredom), so I instead decided to continue reading 'Teacher Man' by Frank McCourt, one of my favorite writers. By the way, any of you are welcome to correct me about the in-flight entertainment system. I might be wrong, it might be that I just didn't know how to use it.

Singapore's Changi Airport buzzed with activity, as always, when we arrived there. The place was just like a big shopping mall but instead of cars and car parks it had planes coming and going on the runways. Tried to check-in at the transit hotel but were told that all rooms were fully booked and that we might have to wait until 12 o'clock midnight (we got there around 10 in the evening) until room availability. So, we decided to use the 2 hours we had on our hands to go around and do some window-(and maybe some real)-shopping. Looked into one of the book stores they have there and spotted some potential reading materials, but decided against buying them for the time being. Gonna buy them on my way back to Manila. Took some pictures of a friend since the place was quite full with Christmas decorations. Ate midnight 'snack' at Burger King. This is a must, since they don't have Burger Kings in Indonesia, and the one they have in Manila sucks.

Midnight came, and we went to the transit hotel in Changi's terminal 1 to check whether or not there was any available room by that time. It was not our luck, there were no rooms available. We had to wait for another one and a half hour before we finally got a room for ourselves. Well, it was better than nothing.

Morning came, and continue the journey we must. Caught the sunrise using my camera when we were waiting to board the plane. It was a beautiful, peaceful, Changi airport sunrise. The world was waking up, and I was about to board a plane going home. A very nice picture, isn't it? It was. Beautiful.

A Changi Sunrise

The flight took only a bit more than an hour, and it was Jakarta again, at last, after a month and a little more than a week waiting. It felt so long, maybe because a lot has been going on when I was in Manila and that I needed to come back home and talk to people that matters most in my life. Jakarta, there I was, ready to meet my family and friends.

First order of the day that Thursday, November 30th, was to go to home, get changed, and go to the office in Jakarta. However, since my car was needed, to save time I decided not to go home and went straight to the office instead. Meeting friends and colleagues and talking about things that had been going on was fun. Found out that there would be more people going to Manila for the project. Things were getting more and more interesting now. Also, there were some administrative stuff that I needed to take care of at the office (getting new laptops, fiscal reimbursement, and the likes). You know, the routine. Errr...no you don't know. Anyways.

In the afternoon, went out to one of the nearby mall to meet a good friend there and had lunch with her at our favorite sushi place, her treat (thanks DD!). She also gave me a Christmas present AND an early birthday present...that's it, she made me owe her big time (that's another way of saying "Thanks a bunch, DD!"). Had to go back to the office to pick up a couple of things before going again to Senayan City to meet up again with Dide and to wait there for another appointment with an old ghost from the not-so-distant past. Friends been telling me that it was not a wise thing meeting the person, but I didn't wanna back off from it. It was just something that's got to be done. And it was done, got out of it, and that was that.

I finally set foot in my house after the whole day being in Jakarta already, running around doing chores, meeting good friends, settling old scores. My mother was still in her practice room when I came home, settling some of her usual daily administrative stuff after her dental practice was over for the day. Came in to the practice room, and gave her a good bear hug. Told her 'bout the things that has been going on lately, the latest developments, and asked her opinion on them. Had a good heart-to-heart session with her, as always. Met my brother and my dad, said congratulations for his recently-received professor title. Happy for him on that, I knew how much he wanted the professor title. Went to bed tired to the bones.

A friend from the office (that's you, BQ, don't try to whistle and pretend that you know nothing ha ha ha), asked me the day before that if I should go to Mangga Dua he would like me to buy something for him. So, that Friday I went to Mangga Dua. It is some sort of a 'must-go' thing whenever I was back home in Jakarta. New games, new gadgets, new stuff, new DVDs, you know the routine. No...errr...you don't. Maybe. Anyways, I went to Mangga Dua, met up with another good buddy of mine who happens to share the same enthusiastic attitude towards gadgets and technology. Bought what BQ asked me to, and got one for myself also. I love my Nintendo DS, what can I say? And personally, I think it's a better gaming platform than PSP, although when it comes to media, PSP is much better.

Okay, okay, that was my nerd side of me running away with the conversation...So, anyways...

Got an appointment with several friends in the evening, asked my friend MK to come along (the fellow gadget person) and he came along as well. It was quite...overwhelming, all my friends from different groups in the same place, sipping coffee and tea, having a great time. Felt like I had to be some kind of a moderator or something. However, it was a good thing they got the same chemistry so that it wasn't that hard to get the conversation going. Met a good friend whom I haven't seen in four years. Much has happened since the last time I saw her, but it's a good thing that our friendship has not changed much. She brought with her a friend who brought for me some kind of revelation about a certain member of my family and my family in general. Had quite a good conversation with her. Met a good friend whom I met originally in friendster, VN, had a good conversation with her also. And, as always, met a good buddy who's like a second brother to me, HD. And I was glad that everyone got along pretty well. Thanks for a good night out, friends. It's one of the best I've ever had.

Saturday, one day before I would be leaving for Manila again, I went to see VN at a mall right in the corner of one of Jakarta's busiest and biggest intersection. We went to my office for a little while to pick up something and then went to a book store in the Kemang area (by the way, thanks for driving me around, VN, felt like cutting my dick off for not being the one driving YOU around, but still thanks a lot, babe). Spilled the beans on the latest happenings in my life to her (instead of looking at the books). I hope you enjoyed that, VN. And also, thanks for the latest testimonials. Appreciate it a lot.

Guess where this is...

Got a call from BQ, and decided to pay him a visit later on. Had quite a good lunch at a cafe one floor above the book store. The food was okay, however had a rather bad vibe with one of the waiter there. Yuck. In any case, it was a good conversation we had there. Coming up next was going to a mall in Senayan to pick up DD. We went to BQ place after that.

Visiting BQ and his wife MA is always fun. It's always nice to see the two of 'em, a strangely funny couple, but easy on the eyes. They look very comfortable with each other, in a funny and good way, and I like seeing them together. BQ is quite the nerd, a gamer (just like me), yet his wife can easily put up with him and be comfortable. Can't wait to see their kids. Wanna see how they'd turn out to be. We don't exactly talk a lot, but I enjoyed being in BQ's company. We're almost the exact same type of people, him and me (hint: Sagittarius). He reminded me of HD in some way (mostly because they share the same enthusiasm in PC games). Thanks to BQ and MA for being a very good host. I will surely visit you guys again whenever I fly back to Jakarta. If you guys don't mind, that is.

Had to go for a dinner appointment with my dad (it was his treat, to celebrate his getting his professor title, thanks Dad!), my brother, HD, SV, and MK. Wanted to go to Ancol, but decided somewhere easier to reach. We ended up in a mall right in front of Bundaran HI. It was a really good dinner. Would really like to thank my friends for coming along.

Phew! That was a long entry! Met so many friends, met a couple of new people, faced something that I didn't feel like facing, and met my beloved family. The next day, Sunday, it was time again to say good bye to Jakarta. Manila (and a pile of work) was waiting. So, off I was to the airport once again. Once again, Jakarta became smaller and smaller and was finally hidden behind white clouds. Singapore greeted and played host for awhile. Got myself three more books in Changi, so be ready for more book reviews (once I'm done with them, of course, God knows when that would be...). And finally, Manila became bigger and bigger. Took my first step off the plane, and I was walking forward again...

The (Rush) Holiday Season

It has been quite an eventful time for me lately. There was the project's Christmas party last week, and there was my company's Christmas party last night (which happens to be my birthday party as well) and there's the project's deadline looming very close in the horizon.

It has been exciting, yet I have a feeling that things have been going on a little bit to fast for me these last couple of weeks. There are so many things I would like to write, so many books I'd like to read, so many things I'd like to do, so many places I want to be, yet I have so little time. And when I do have time, I was already too tired.

Things to write? There's this book review, and there's this tribute to my (not so) recently deceased member of the family (she's not blood-related to me, but the bond we have goes beyond blood), there are these music reviews, and oh-so-many more things that I'd like to write.

But I'm stuck with my work, and I don't have the luxury of time. Well, you've guessed it. This is just another filler post, but one that I feel an obligation to write. Probably just to commemorate the passing of another year in my life, or maybe I'm just feeling a bit swamped with everything.

And since I find that there will always be at least one song for every occasion, I would like to dedicate this one song to those of you who have been feeling that life goes a bit faster with each passing moment and that there's nothing you can do but just enjoy it while you still live. It's 'Stop This Train' by John Mayer.

No, I'm not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
I try to keep an open mind
But I just can't sleep on this tonight

Stop this train
I want to get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

Don't know how else to say it
I don't want to see my parents go
One generation's LEAD THE WAY
From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train
I want to get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

So scared of getting older
I'm only good at being young
So I play the numbers game
To find a way to say that life has just begun
Had a talk with my old man
Said "help me understand"
He said "turn sixty-eight
You renegotiate"

"Don't stop this train
Don't for a minute change the place you're in
Don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly we'll never stop this train"

Once in awhile, when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark
Singing

Stop this train
I want to get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I will never stop this train

Agents Are...Go!!!

A Game Review

Console:
Nintendo DS

Title:
Elite Beat Agents

Developer:
Nintendo/Inis


I like musical games where you have to do something (press a button, move your hands, etc) in accordance to the rythm of the music that is playing along. I admit that I'm not too good at playing the DDR series, since I'm not so nimble with my feet and it's kinda hard to practice since you have to go to the arcades first for that, or buy a DDR mat (something that I prefer not doing since there are only some games that use that mat and I'm not too crazy about DDR). But other games such as Amplitude, Guitar Hero (where I don't have to go to the arcade to play them and where I can just use the standard controler), these are rythm-music games that I really enjoy playing. They test your reflexes and your sense of music and rythm.

I was excited when I heard that a rythm game was released for the Nintendo DS, especially since I own the console. Knowing that it is released for the Nintendo DS, it's pretty obvious that it uses the DS touch screen to full effect. The game, 'Elite Beat Agents', is a game that does not exactly revolutionize the genre, but is a fun and challenging game nonetheless. It uses the touch screen creatively (practically making the gameplay one of the best in the DS), it has a bizarre yet entertaining artwork and storyline, and (this is one of the most important thing about rythm games) it has great music.

The story is about three agents sent to various parts of the world to solve many people's problems. And how do they do that, you asked? They help these people by...errrr...dancing. Yes, I've said that the game has a bizarre story, but strangely enough, it worked successfully in delivering an entertaining and fun experience. The people the agents help in this game varies greatly, from a babysitter to Steven Spielberg look-alike. You want to win the heart of that hunk-of-a-football player while trying to babysit three children? Call the agents. You want to make a mega blockbuster movie so that your producer is happy? Call the agents. And dance, baby, dance! The artwork, influenced heavily by Japanese manga style, also helps in portraying the bizarre story. If you appreciate manga, and also if you appreciate creative story-telling, you'll find yourself smiling and chuckling whenever you play this game due to the hillarious stories and artwork the developer of this game has come up with.

And how do you play this game? The game started with a few stages, and as you progress in the game more stages will be opened for you. You play by listening to the music and touching circles on the touch screen with the stylus at the right time. For each circle there will be an outer circle that gets smaller and smaller and you will have to touch the inner circle right at the time the outer circle coincides with the inner circle. There will also be numbers on these inner circles that denote the order in which you have to touch the circles. There will also be times when you have to touch and trace your stylus following the circle that moves along a trail. Hint: listening to the beat of the music helps. This is a rythm game, after all. And please, play this game with earphones since the DS internal speaker is not loud enough and you really need to listen to the music to be able to enjoy this game fully.

And the music is just awesome. The selection is very good, ranging from oldies to newer songs. These songs are not sung by the original singers (one word: copyright) and some have slightly different arrangements, but they are almost as good as the originals, if not better. The most important thing is, they fit the stories and they get the job done. I don't want to spoil the fun by listing the songs here. You (Nintendo DS owners) should be able to find it out by yourself, because frankly this game is worth owning in my opinion.

A very fun and exciting game that will keep you playing for hours, and if you finish the normal difficulty (there are 2 default difficulty settings) you will be rewarded with a hard difficulty. And when you do get through the hard setting, there will be an ultra-hard setting waiting for you to conquer. So, what are you waiting? Dance away...! (Or should I say, "Touch Away!"?)

I AM HERE...

I am a ghost who has been haunting apartment number A65. I have been staying in this place even before I enter this ethereal plane where wandering souls lost their way to the next life. Someone murdered me when I was sleeping in my apartment on a sunny Sunday afternoon about a year ago. Whoever that someone is, he or she got away with most of my possessions. I have a suspicion that one of the apartment's personnel has got something to do with my death, because they are the only ones who has access to our rooms besides ourselves. But it is still a mystery, even to me. Maybe that is why I am still here, unable to leave my room, wanting to solve the mystery to my murder.

The apartment's personnel managed to dispose of my body quietly without letting the other occupants know about such thing happening in their building. It was not hard for them, I could tell. They did not have to report this incident to my relatives because I had none. Being an orphan, having no family of my own, and having no close friends made it possible for the murder to go unnoticed by people, except of course for the apartment's personnel. I also noticed that the apartment's owners managed to bribe the police to shut their mouth and just rest this case. A murder in the apartment they own could hurt business real bad. Even the apartment's personnel got a sudden hefty bonus in the month following my death. Money to keep their mouth shut.

However, probably to respect the dead, my apartment was made unavailable for the following three months by the apartment's management. Whenever anyone asked, they would say that the apartment was under repair due to some heavy leakage problems. Room A65 has become my one and only anchor. For some reason, my spirit could not leave the place as of yet. At first I thought that my not being able to leave this room has got to do with the nature of my murder. You see, my death was a violent and abrupt death. As my soul was leaving my dying body, I saw my severed head and blood coloring my apartment bed with dark red. I also remembered the apartment people having a hard time carrying my bloodstained bed outside the building in the middle of the night, trying not to attract too much attention. Maybe such violent deaths leave souls wandering, because it was not right time for Death to pay them a visit. No matter what the reason is, here I still am, in Room A65.

My solitary time in Room A65 came to an end one Sunday evening about 3 months ago (which happens to be also the time when the 3 months time the apartment people gave to my room was up) when a young man entered A65 with his luggage, being led by one of the apartment receptionist. She showed him around the room, and I could feel the excitement emanating from his soul. It seemed that it was his first time here in the Philippines. His English was quite good, and he seemed to take comfort and confidence in it. After the receptionist had left, he started to unload his luggage and arranging his possessions in room A65. Some of his friends came by later on to pick him up and they took him somewhere. I overhead something about dinner. I would come to find out later on that my new 'roommate' was an expatriate sent to work here in Manila for some kind of an IT project.

As the days go by, little by little I got to know this young man better. Earlier, when he'd just arrived, he seemed to enjoy the solitude of the apartment. He loved his books and his many electronic gadgets, and he spent a lot of time with them in A65. But as days go by, he treated A65 more as a place to rest only. It would seem that the project was picking up on pace. That is the nature of the human world nowadays, the business world striving to gain more and more although what they gain sometimes could not be understood. And most of the time, people got lost in the jungle that is the corporate world. They lost sense of direction, and forgotten their purpose in life. I knew the corporate world quite well, and I managed to stay on course, treating this it as only a means to my ends. I was doing just fine until that fine Sunday afternoon when I was asleep in A65 and someone slit my throat open. As for the young man, he started working more hours at the office. I could only look on as another person is lured into that jungle. He might, or might not, come out of it. As long as he does not forget his purpose. But that was all up to him.

As I get to spend more time with him, I sense many things within this young man's heart. There was a darkness in his soul, but he hid it quite well from the people around him. I sensed a lot of good in him, but the darkness was also lurking in the crevices of his soul. Darkness cloaked in bitterness. The man has gone through many disappointments in life, just like I did. But being an orphan and knowing that there was no one to count on in this world, I just accept it. This young man, however, tried hard to deny it. It would also seemed that he was heart-broken. There were times when he shed tears during the night, and there were times when he unleashed his fury on the walls of the apartment. 'Love' problems are always one of the most complicated and complex in this world. And one of the most unnecessary one. Most people could not even define what 'love' is. And many got their ideas of 'love' from one of those many pop-corn movies they watch over the weekend. This young man was just wasting his time and energy for a useless idea. I felt as if there was a cloud hanging over his head, covering his mind and heart. Broken-hearted and world weary, I was expecting this man to try to lose himself in his work just to get away. And I was not wrong. He would come back to A65 later and later each passing day.

It would seem that loneliness does not afflict only the living. Even the dead feel it, and that would seem to include me. At the moment that young man walked in A65, I felt a sense of relieve. A relieve that at last my solitary spell has been broken by the presence of another soul. But that did not last for long for I also realized that this young man would not be able to sense my presence. And even if he could, he would probably reacted the way that poor janitor lady did when she 'accidentally' felt my presence.

The apartment, even when it was not occupied, needed to be cleaned from time to time. As she came in to the bedroom, I was lingering in the bedroom, near the bed where I was killed. About the same time that she started taking care of the bed, I sensed a tingling sensation. And right at that time, for some reasons our eyes met. I did not know what she saw, but after an awkward moment of silence she screamed and ran out of the room. All I could do was linger in the room. A few moments later, a man came in. It seemed that he was one of the apartment personnel. As he came into A65, I could sense fear in him. I was still there, yet unlike the maid, he could not see me. I saw the maid made an attempt to peek inside the room and this time, she could not see me. I know, because the tingling sensation was not there anymore and our eyes did not meet they way they did before. I heard her explained to the man about seeing a ghost with a severed head as he took her in his arms and led her away from A65. I later overheard from some of the personnel that she stopped working here.

I was wrong about this young man, however. One time he came back to A65 late in the night. I could feel that he was very tired and world-weary. He came into A65, and opened up his laptop, probably trying to entertain himself just like he usually did during the evening when he came back from his working place. I was lingering in the bedroom, as I always do, when that tingling sensation came again and I saw him look from the corner of his eyes towards my direction. And he then said casually, "Is anyone there?" I knew that the young man would probably dismiss it, thinking that it was probably his imagination, but there was no denying that tingling sensation. Later on, he would sense my presence almost every night. And the tingling sensation would be a sign for me letting me know that he's come back to the apartment. It seems that this young man has, what most people call, a sixth sense. I did not understand why, but from what I can feel was that his disposition has changed since the first time he was here. I felt like he was somewhat more...brooding.

Regardless, in a way I felt a sense of gladness that my presence was felt. And, out of playfulness, the young man would sometimes greet me by saying "Good evening, I bet you've been waiting for me to come home, eh?" But that did not happen too often. Most of the time he seemed to tired to care. It only added to the gladness that I felt. Here he is, someone who acknowledged my presence and actually talked to me. I know that he probably thought that it was his imagination that he was talking to. But for me, it was enough.

However, I am still unable to solve the mystery of my murder. Or, to be exact, I haven't been able to find out who the murderer is. And, I am not sure whether or not this is the reason why I still linger on in this world. My purpose is still not clear. And out of my frustration, one night when he was deep in his sleep I 'borrowed' the young man's computer and typed this short story in one of his web log account. I did not know why, but I felt I must make my presence clear, and my story told. It would also be nice to let the young man know that I was not his imagination.

My story is not over yet. I linger still. It is to continue until I find out my purpose. And all I can say for now is that....





"I am here..."

Another Song for the Occasion

The day you left me
there was a feeling I have never shown
The day you told me
there were the words that I have never known
And now it's over
So what's left that I should ever feel
cause since the day you left me I have been so alone

And now we're left with broken promises
my heart can't take no more
and now we're left with broken promises
my mind has had enough

Deep inside me
there are things that I have never told
they burn inside me
and now I need to know
Why are you trying to take everything away from me
well I'm begging you
I'm here with nothing left to show
cause since the day you left me I have been so alone

And now we're left with broken promises
my heart can't take no more
And now we're left with broken promises
my mind has had enough

Look at how you turned on me
You ran away and left me here with nothing to see
I'm a man so turn around and say it to me
Don't you think I've got something to say
Look at how you turned on me
You ran away and left me here with nothing to see
I'm a man so turn around and say it to me
Don't you think I've got something to say
Now look at how you turned on me
You ran away and left me here with nothing to see
I'm a man so turn around and say it to me
Don't you think I've got something to say

And now we're left with broken promises
my heart can't take no more
and now we're left with broken promises
my mind has had enough
and now we're left with broken promises
my heart can't take no more
and now we're left with broken promises
my mind has had enough

"Broken Promises" by Element Eighty

Remote-Controlled Life

A (Belated) Movie Review

Title:
Click

Directed by:
Frank Coraci

Writing Credit:
Steve Koren (written by) and
Mark O'Keefe (written by)

Cast:
Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff

One glance at a 'Click' poster and you will think "Oh, another Adam Sandler movie." Just another movie you watch to kick back, have a simple dumb fun, preferably with a date. I was about to completely kick this movie out of my attention orbit until a friend of mine, whose movie taste is rather trustworthy, told me that this movie is worth a viewing due to its surprisingly good story.

So, armed with my multimedia control at the side of my seat (Oh I just love Singapore Airlines and its in-flight multimedia entertainment), I chose 'Click' from the available selection (making sure that I did not choose the Chinese voice-over) and just kick back and relax, trying to entertain myself with Adam Sandler's comic performance.

This movie took me by surprise. Yes, there are many funny moments during the movie (this is, after all, Adam Sandler's movie), however as the movie progresses, it changes its tone from a light-hearted comedy to a rather serious movie that reflects quite seriously on certain aspects of life. I must say that the writers did a good job to come up with some materials that people might take as light at first glance and turn it into something that is of a more serious nature.

Adam Sandler's performance is quite good in this movie. There are times when he acted just like a punk (a lucky punk in my opinion, to be able to play alongside the beautiful Kate Beckinsale) but there are times when he showed that he could play a character that is actually quite serious. Kate Beckinsale didn't just be in the movie looking all pretty and sexy. She actually played quite good as a housewife and a mother (after watching the two Underworld movies, this is quite an image change...hmmm...a housewife and a mother...). Christopher Walken played the character 'Morty' quite well in this movie, and that character is quite important in this movie. As for David Hasselhoff, well, let's just say that he's the butt of joke in this movie. But, he took it like a man.

I will not dwell into why I would call this movie as light comedy-slightly serious drama (I might wanna talk about it in a different blog entry), but let's just say that I myself found myself moved near to tears during one of the scenes in this movie. So, just give yourself some time to watch this movie when you have the opportunity (or if you happen to be in a 3-or-so-hour flight onboard a Singapore Airlines plane). You (and your date, if you happen to see this movie together with someone) might find yourself in a reflective silence a few moment after you finished watching the movie.

A good movie with a good story that has an excellent effect on you, spiritually.

Rookie Bond

Movie Review

Title:
Casino Royale

Director:
Martin Campbell:

Casts:
Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judy Dench, Jeffrey Wright

Writing Credits:
Neil Purvis, Robert Wade

I'm not much of a Bond fan. All I know about James Bond are: James Bond ("Name's Bond. James Bond."), 007, Vodka Martini (shaken but not stirred), Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, fancy cars (with lots of fancy sci-fi gadgets and functions inside them), fancy watches (same case as the cars), tuxedos (with bow tie), guns, hot women, and an abundant opportunities to market exclusive and albeit expensive merchandise (hint: fancy watches, fancy cars). Come to think of it, that's quite a lot. But I haven't gotten around to seeing most of James Bond movies. So, once again, I can't say that I'm much of a Bond fan.

But I did get to see some of James Bond movie. And from the movies that I did see, I could conclude that James Bond is...inhuman. I rarely see any other emotions on his face except for self-confidence and sometimes, amusement. I could never really sympathize with the guy. He seems distant, doesn't care much about anything, and never willing to reveal himself (Am I starting to sound like a disgruntled girlfriend?) And he seems hell bent on destroying every fancy cars and equipments that he could get his hands on. I don't know, maybe it's just that I have never read any of Ian Fleming's book on James Bond so that I don't know his character well enough. So, at one point in time, I surmise that people go to see a Bond movie for the fancy cars, fancy watches, and (for the guys) hot women. It's not exactly a bad thing, but to me it seems that any James Bond movie is going to be just another action movie. Exciting, fun, but rather shallow (what kind of an agent/spy goes around telling his real name?).

However, Martin Campbell managed to create another Bond movie with a different twist in it. For the guys, don't worry, there are still hot ladies in it. You want fancy cars? You got it. Fancy watches? Check. But gone are the sci-fi-flavored gadgets and machineries. The cars are still fancy, but they don't shoot missiles. The watches are just watches. They don't cut through ropes or chains.

But the biggest difference in Casino Royale is none other than Bond himself. Gone is the self-confidence, gone is the silky-smooth yet brutal style of the famous British agent, gone is the 'shaken but not stirred' attitude we have come to know about James Bond. This time around, Bond is ruthless. His methods are reckless and brutal. Daniel Craig plays a Bond who shows a lot of raw emotions and the movie really shows you how much of a 'rookie' Bond is at that time ("Vodka Martini, shaken or stirred?" "Do I look like I give a damn?"). However, this is after all, one of James Bond's first missions, when he'd just received his '007' status. As the movie progresses, it will show you some of the reasons why Bond became the Bond that most of us know. Personally, I kind of like Casino Royale's Bond, due to his showing more emotions. It's kind of like this James Bond is an entirely different person than the James Bond that we come to know so far. I would go so far as to say it's almost as if this movie is not a Bond movie.

Daniel Craig is really good in portraying an agent who still has a lot of rough edges to be smoothed out. But, behind all those brutality and recklessness you could almost sense that this is the man that will one day become the confident man that James Bond is. For those who has doubts about him, rest assure that he delivered a convincing performance. I would like to see him play the 'confident' Bond and see how he fares. It should be interesting.

Another thing worth mentioning is the action sequences. I really can't say much (I don't want to spoil the fun for those who have not yet seen the movie) except that these action sequences deserves a two-thumbs-up. Especially the chase scenes. They will keep you at the edge of your seats. And surprisingly, the story is quite good. Coming from someone who thinks that the previous Bond movies are slightly on the shallow side when it comes to the stories, it's quite something. That is partly due to the fact that they didn't use any fancy, sci-fi, gadgets to spice up the actions and mostly to some serious character buildings.

To summarize, this is the most un-Bond James Bond movie that I have ever seen. And that is a good thing. If you like seeing movies such as Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy, you will definitely love this movie. You will see a real person, an agent, with fears and flaws and not some cool and confident chap in a tuxedo waving his gun around just trying to look cool. And fear not, Bond fans, for you will see a lot of things Bond in this movie that you will not feel betrayed. A definite must see for any Bond fans, and any action movie afficionados.

Objection!

Game Review



Console:
Nintendo DS

Title:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Developer:
Capcom

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a defense attorney? Well, this game does not give you THAT exact feeling, but what it gives you is an entertaining adventuring time. Yes, even if the premise of this game is to put you in the shoes of Phoenix Wright, a 'rookie' defense lawyer, but in heart it is actually an adventure game.

The game is mainly broken up into 2 parts: trials and investigations. During the trials, you mainly hear the witness testimonials and find inconsistencies in them. You could press them during their testimonials, or present evidences whenever you find contradictory statements during the testimonials. The basic assumption, of course, is that your client is innocent. The other part, the investigations part, is where you investigate around, finding clues and evidences to help you during the course of the trials and also advancing the story line. Don't worry about not finding enough evidence: the game will not let you advance through the story if these evidences have not been found during the adventure part.

The story is quite linear. It is mostly told through texts. The animations of the characters are minimal, but they are more than enough to tell the story. Some of the most interesting and amusing animations are whenever you succeeded in cornering the witnesses and unearthing the inconsistencies in their testimonies. The main character himself is quite likable. You could almost sympathize with him whenever he has to face obnoxious witnesses.

The game utilizes the DS' touch screen and microphone quite well. During the trials, you could actually scream into the microphone whenever you want to press the witnesses, or to give objection and presenting evidences (Hold it! Objection! Take that!). You could also do that with the touch screen, if you don't feel like screaming into the mic. As for the touch screen, mostly it is used to sift through the texts, but some of the brilliant functions can be found during the final chapter of the game. It is too bad that these creative uses of the touch screen is not utilized from the early chapters of the game.

All in all, this game offers a unique adventure game experience with the premise of the story, and for those longing for a good adventure game (and happen to have a Nintendo DS) should never pass this game up.

Freaky Questions

A Book Review


Title:
Freakonomics

Author:
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Life is a big question mark indeed. Anywhere you go, you'd find yourself asking "Why this? Why that? How so?" and so on. Some questions are downright serious, and some questions are downright silly. Sometimes the answers to these questions are so obvious. And sometimes, if not most of the times, the answers lies lurking behind the shadows. And many times, the answers, when found, cast shadows of doubts that give birth to more questions.

In any case, you are now probably asking "What does questions got to do with a book review?" Ah, dear friend, this book is about questions. At least, that's what the authors (and I'm betting the marketer geniuses behind the book) is putting in the forefront of this book. What kind of questions? In a glance, silly ones. I mean, just take a look at one of the questions: "What do teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?" If you're already interested about the book by reading the previous sentence, then you know what I mean by 'those marketer geniuses'.

However, questions are no good if there are no answers. And the answers that the authors put forth in this book will prove that these questions are actually not that silly. Steven D. Levitt, one of the author of this book and Stephen J. Dubner, a journalist who once wrote an article on Levitt, answers these seemingly silly questions based on one of the basic principles of economics: incentive. In other words, their main argument is that people are willing to do something, or rather, behave the way they do if there's something in it for them.

The authors will describe the answers to these questions one by one by using many statistical explanations. But fear not, those who are bewildered by numbers and calculations: these explanations are not technical. They are presented in a way that can be understood by casual readers. Those trying to find in-depth economy lessons in this book might be a little disappointed, but I personally believe that people should go to the basics from time to time. And that's exactly the point of this book: back to basics. And the basic, once again, is about incentive. And on that note, those who have casual or a serious interest in behavioral science might also be interested in this book because it's also mostly about people and why they do what they do. One thing that should also be noted is that 'incentive' in this book is brought not only in monetary context but also in non-monetary context.

Some of the facts or findings that are presented in this book can be quite bewildering and surprising. Indeed, the explanation offered by Levitt concerning the drop in crime rate invited many contradictions, criticism and disagreement from many people. And some would-be parents might also want to read the section concerning whether parents actually have influence over what their children would be one day. But that's part of what make this book an interesting read.

It is such a shame that this book is a tad short. I have the extended version, with bonus materials such as previous articles written by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, selected blog entries, etc. However, whatever is written in these bonus materials have been summed up, or even explained in greater details, in the main section of the book. This fact makes the bonus materials a little unnecessary, save for some of the articles. As for the blog entries, in the age where people could access the internet easily, this too also feels a bit unnecessary. I would also have to agree with other reviewers that this book has no unifying theme. However, I would like to venture further by saying that it is not that the book has no unifying theme, it is just that the way the authors presented the materials make it seem as if there's no unifying theme. But observant reader should know that this book is all about incentive.

I have to say that this book is a casual read, and very interesting. And, as I have said earlier in this book review, answers can give birth to more questions. Like, is there a new book coming out from Levitt and Dubner? Maybe so, if there's a good enough incentive for them to do so.

Heaven or Hell

I read this book once, it's title is 'Awareness'. The writer was Anthony de Mello. You see, I really like de Mello's books, because they are usually quite eye-opening. The things that are written in his books might be hard to swallow at times, if you really reflect yourself on it. And the things that he wrote in 'Awareness' are no exception. Coming from a Catholic priest, this book might be considered 'unbelievable' or 'outrageous' for some people. Indeed, a friend of mine (who has also read that book and likes it) forwarded it to her Protestant priest and he said that that book should be burned.

But I believe that what de Mello was trying to do was just to point out the harsh truth inside every man. A bitter truth, but the truth nonetheless. In my own personal opinion, that truth is part of what being human is all about. And I believe that once a person can be at peace with this truth, life would be a lot easier for him or her. Or maybe harder. Who knows anyways.

In any case, I would really like to give a review about de Mello's 'Awareness', but I think this book deserves more than just a review. And in that review I will not be able to help but to give my own interpretation about the subject that is brought to attention in that book, and that will only take away the true intention of the book. So, just go ahead and look for the book and read it for yourself. Give yourself a favour and read it with an open mind.

Well, up until now I'm just talking about the 'truth', the 'truth' and the 'truth' without saying what the 'truth' is all about. To describe this, I would like to quote from a book that I am still reading right now (a review is coming, once I finish reading the book that is :P). I was quite taken by this short paragraph I found in this book. It is harsh, but in a twisted way, true.I believe that what I'm quoting runs along the same line as what de Mello is trying to say to us in 'Awareness', albeit with different words. This short story is taken from David Mitchell's fiction novel 'Ghostwritten'. Read it with an open mind. And of course, how you interpret it is all up to you.

'I guess this isn't really a secret, it's more of a story. I remember a sermon. A traveller went on a journey with an angel. They entered a house with many floors. The angel opened one door, and in it was a room with one long low bench running around the walls, crammed with people. In the centre was a table piled with sweetmeats. Each guest had a very long silver spoon, as long as a man is tall. They were trying to feed themselves, but of course they couldn't - the spoons were too long, and the food kept falling off. So in spite of there being enough food for everyone, everyone was hungry. "This," explains the angel, "is hell. The people do not love each other. They only want to feed themselves."'

'Then the angel took the traveller to another room. It was exactly the same as the first, only this time instead of trying to feed themselves, the guests used their spoons to feed one another, across the room. "Here," said the angel, "the people think only of one another. And by doing so, they feed themselves. Here is heaven."'

Tatyana thought for a moment. 'There's no difference.'

'No difference?'

'No difference. Everybody both in heaven and hell wanted one and the same thing: meat in their bellies. But those in heaven got their shit together bettter. That's all.'

Taken from 'Ghostwritten', written by David Mitchell

The Story Behind the Flag

A Movie Review

Title:
Flags of Our Fathers

Director:
Clint Eastwood

Cast:
Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach

Writing Credits:
William Boyles Jr. (screenplay), and
Paul Haggis (screenplay)

James Bradley (book), and
Ron Powers (book)

Before we go to the review, I would like the reader to see the following photograph to better understand what this movie is all about:

A photo is worth more than a thousand words

Some of you might be quite familiar with the photo above. It is a photo of six American soldiers raising the American flag at Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima. I think it is one of the most memorable photo in this century.

Those of you might think that this movie is 'just another war movie'. But knowing Clint Eastwood and his previous works ('Mystic River', 'Million Dollar Baby'), I was quite sure that it was more than just a war movie. As some of you who have seen Eastwood's previous works can attest, he puts more emphasis on the characters and the story.

Sure, there is good war action to be found in this movie. And having Steven Spielberg as one of the producer is a good enough indication for that (some of you may be familiar with Spielberg's previous works such as 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Band of Brothers'). However, this story is not just about the action happening during the time of the flag raising. The story is more about the lives of the six people who raised that flag, and what was going on behind the war. So, do not be fooled. This movie, aside from being a war movie, is also as much as a drama movie as 'Mystic River' and 'Million Dollar Baby' are.

The movie, a very thought-provoking one, focuses on the story of three of the flag raisers: John 'Doc' Bradley (James Bradley's father, the writer whose book, which has the same title as the movie, is used as one of the materials for the movie's story), Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes. In general, it showed us how the photo came about, and what the event (the flag raising, the campaign to raise fund for war based on that fateful photo, and also the war in Iwo Jima) truly means for these three people and how they feel about it. There is a narrator (or more, because I think there are several narrators actually, the veterans of Iwo Jima who got interviewed by James Bradley) during the course of the movie who comes and goes, and the story is told with a discontinued time line style, showing flashbacks here and there during the course of the story.

There is a lot to be told about this movie. There is the story about the war propaganda and how they use that photo as a promotion for the 'victory bond', the method they use to gather funding for the war. There are also the great action sequences which, once again I would like to mention, are greatly influenced by Steven Spielberg's previous works. There are also the great performances by the actors, especially Adam Beach who played Ira Hayes. However, what really stands out in this movie is how the three soldiers really feel about the war (especially for Ira Hayes) and their views toward the war propaganda. And this is where the movie really shines. It told the harsh truth, a sad truth in my opinion, but the truth nonetheless. And what is more, the time line, the story, the flashbacks, they are all presented in this movie in such a way to really bring out the thoughts and feelings of these three soldiers. And what is excellent, is that the movie did not take sides. It just let each persons who viewed it to determine what the story really mean for them.

Clint Eastwood did a really good job in bringing out the humanity behind the photo and presenting it in this movie. The acting was great (a big applause for Adam Beach, again, who played Ira Hayes), the cinematography was excellent, and the story was great. And talking about not taking sides, Clint Eastwood is directing this movie back-to-back with another movie titled 'Letters from Iwo Jima', which will tell the story of the battle in Iwo Jima but from the perspective of the Japanese. And I can't wait to see that one also.

In the end, 'Flags' is a very thought-provoking movie. It is certainly not the pop-corn kind of movie (think Spiderman, X-Men), and deserves a lot of thought.

The Illusion of Bitter Rivalry

Movie Review

Title:
The Prestige

Director:
Christopher Nolan

Cast :
Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, David Bowie

Screenplay:
Jonathan Nolan and Cristopher Nolan

Based on a novel by:
Chritopher Priest

I have been excited about this movie since I saw the trailer and saw the caption 'from the director of 'Batman Begins'!'. The casting was also promising: there was a lot of A-list actors and actresses in the casting list. I also did something that I regretted doing later on: I checked the reviews for this movie in www.imdb.com. The movie got good reviews, mind you. But the thing that I didn't like was that I would be going to the movies with high expectations and a fear that the movie might actually not meet my expectations. I should have gone to see the movie without any expectations. It would have made it more exciting.

After watching the movie, however, I found that my fear was unfounded. The movie was, for not having any better word to sum it up, really good. If you are familiar with Nolan's previous works (such as 'Memento', and 'Batman Begins'), you need not fear: you are in familiar territory here. Discontinued/unconventional story timeline? Check. Twisted story? Check. Twisted ending? Check. Excellent cinematography? Check. Excellent direction? Check. Excellent performances? Check. What else could you ask for out of a good movie, right?

The story of the movie could be summed up in these words (taken from the movie's trailer): "Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called "The Pledge"; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn"; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Prestige"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before."

The directions of the story and the discontinued timeline are all arranged to serve you 'The Pledge', 'The Turn', and finally 'The Prestige'. Once again, if you have seen 'Memento', you'll understand what I'm talking about. And just like 'Memento', the movie and the story is quite detailed. This movie deserve subsequent viewing, especially for those who like details. However, to give you a general idea of the story, it is about the rivalry between two magicians, Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). Their rivalry takes a bitter turn after an incident, and it threatens to wreak havoc to both men's lives and the lives of their closest people. Finally, their rivalry will involve one trick called 'The Transported Man'. Each men will try to outdo one another to come up with the best version of 'The Transported Man', while trying to figure out each other's trick's secrets.

Performance-wise, the actors were fabulous. Hugh Jackman gave quite a convincing performance, from being a person with a positive outlook towards life to becoming a bitter man hell-bent on destroying his rival. Christian Bale also held his own, playing a person whose life was all about tricks, secrets, and performances. Michael Caine was excellent, as always, playing the mentor of both magicians. Scarlett Johansson gave quite a good performance too. There was nothing spectacular about her acting nor was it below standard either. Her role/character, however, was quite pivotal in the storyline. David Bowie and Andy Serkis deserve a mention here for their role in the storyline. David Bowie was surprisingly convincing as Nicolas Tesla. Strong acting overall, in my opinion.

The movie was quite sweeping and epic story-wise, and it took quite a twisted turn near the end of the movie (go see the movie and you'll know what I mean). However, that is to be expected. After all, this movie is all about 'The Prestige', isn't it? The part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before. And so in the end, the actors and actresses are merely a magician's tools, and the director is the great magician.

One of the greatest movie of this year, in my opinion.

Finally, I would like to say one thing to you who are going to see this movie: "Are You Watching Closely?" (Alfred Borden)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...

...and Spring

A Movie Review
Title: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
Directed by: Ki-duk Kim
Writing credit: Ki-duk Kim

I have been wanting to see this movie for awhile. Thanks to the Manila International Film Festival, I finally had the opportunity to do so.

So, what was the movie all about? The movie is about the story of a young monk in the care of an older, seasoned, monk. The movie shows the transformation of both the young one and the elder one as they go through life. Each phase is represented by each season. It stars in Spring and comes in full circle in the coming Spring. But in my opinion, the movie might as well be about Buddhism and its view towards life in general.

If I could say one thing about this movie, is that it is all about symbols. Each season symbolized each phase of the young monk's life. And each season is symbolized by a different animal. Spring is symbolized by a dog. Summer is symbolized by a rooster. Fall is symbolized by a cat. Winter is symbolized by a snake. And finally, the full circle, the coming Spring is symbolized by a turtle. Each season is started by a door opening to show the floating temple in the middle of the lake where most of scenes in the movie took place. I have a feeling that 'doors' in this movie also represent something relating to Bhuddism.

Well, I don't know much about Buddhism, but I know that this is the central theme of the whole movie. And since I don't know much about Buddhism, I don't know much about how to explain the symbols in this movie. But I know (or I have a strong hunch) that they represents the basic principles of life and its cycle.

The story unfolds in quite a peaceful pace. It took its time to reveal everything, being quite deliberate and all, and it does so using very minimal dialogue. The phrase 'A picture is worth a thousand words' is true for this movie. Dialogue is minimal (I think it represents only about 25% of the movie) and the story is told by the scenes unfolding throughout the storyline. Since symbols and scenes are the main theme of this movie, the cinematography was top notch. The lake in the middle of the mountain range, the floating temple, the boat, the door opening to the lake where the floating temple is, the 300-year-old tree, they're all taken from an angle that shows good workmanship in cinematography. And they all tell a story, a story whose interpretation is left to the viewers' minds and hearts.

This movie is like a moving painting, a peacefully-paced moving painting. And 'beautiful' is the only word I could come up with. I won't go deep into the interpretation of the story and the symbols inside this movie, since I think that is up to the viewers on how to interpret it. And I think that is what the director wants in the first place. A movie that will leave you dazed and think deeply on life. That's another way of my saying: 'highly recommended'.

Bits and pieces: even though there's a door to the lake, there's no wall whatsoever separating the lake from the outside world. People could just walk over to the lake without going through the door, but they still had to go through the door. It's the same also for the rooms inside the floating temple. There was no wall separating the bedroom from the praying room, but there was still a door. And the old monk always came in and went out the bedroom through the door. I guess this is also part of the movie's many symbolizations.