Little red riding hood by Tomas Nilsson

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

AMAZING!!!

Disney/Pixar's Up

Still waiting for this to be out at the cinemas! Heard heaps of good reviews in the US.
(Is Russell Asian???)

Movie Review: THE READER

The Reader was first written as a novel in German in 1995 and later translated to 40 different languages. The Reader is set in the time frame of post-Holocaust. But it is an alternative perception of the genocide. It offers layers of questions of morality, justice, sexuality, generation gaps etc.

How far will you go to protect a secret? Honestly, how long can we make shame bearable? In the film, Kate Winslet is Hanna Schmitz, a 36 year old tram worker who shares an affair with 15 year old Michael Berg played by David Kross and grows up to be a fine lawyer played by Ralph Fiennes. That's the first secret.

Their romance spans across the summer until one day, Hanna abruptly ends the relationship and disappears. Michael continues his life in torment and emerges into the world as a keen lawyer. Hanna reappears in this pivotal point of Michael's life when he attends 'seminars' at the courtroom where Hanna is on trial for war atrocities as a SS guard.

This is most probably my favourite part of the movie. Everything unravels and you sit there feeling so seared as Michael, yet, as bold as Hanna. As Michael witnesses Hanna telling the truth, he is helpless in knowing the difference between right and wrong. He is torn loving the sensous woman he knew when he was a teenager and ashamed of the woman the world scorns for committing war crimes, treason against humanity. I absolutely love the rawness of Michael's position. Is he as wrong as Hanna is, just because he knows of her and knows her intimately? Should he feel as indignant as the rest of the world? After all, as said in the film, "... there were thousands of camps." Why should your ex-lover be under scrutiny, as much as the others deserve it too? During the trial, he discovers Hanna's secret, Hanna's shame. This could affect Hanna's sentencing. But he witheld and Hanna was sentenced to life imprionment.

Hanna, on the other hand, felt impositioned from the beginning. Her secret forced her into a substitute job she didn't know better than a tram worker as a guard. Yet she was as dedicated a worker to the jobs she took. She doesn't question her morality. In my opinion, the reason she lacked the humanity to potentially stopped herself from participating in the genocide, was because she felt already incapacitated by her secret. Twice while Hanna was trialed, twice I felt I understood her lack of choice. The first was when she was questioned why she didn't reconsider her choice of 10 women to be culled. Collectedly, she replied somewhat along these lines, "How else would you have done it? ... How else would you have made room for the others who came in? There wasn't enough space for everybody." The second, was even more jarring. Hanna was asked why she didn't bother unlocking the church doors when it was aflamed and let the POWs out. "They would have escaped. We were RESPONSIBLE for them! If we let them out, they would have run out, there would have been chaos and they would escape!" I can only agree because I am void of what Hanna possesses.

The film is hypnotic and constantly raises questions and issues I have never came across. Taking into context the the circumstances were of the generations of Germans guilty of the Holocaust and the generations of Germans bearing the guilt. I am always confronted by Michael's guilt as he journeys into the adulthood, bearing the burden of secret. Could I love someone so much, or could I shelve my conscience to the extent of determining the outcome of tragedy of my ex-lover's life? The Reader reads to us a beautiful story of Michael's struggles with secrets, guilt and shame while entangled in the process of growing up, living, loving, losing and releasing.

Wishlist Addition

Please add James Morrison into your Wishlist this year.

Check out his rendition of MJ's 'Man in the Mirror'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkVZnmHlgNg

"The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho

I think I have been going on the book for quite a long time. To the extent that I quote it from the memo that I saved in my phone.

The Zahir can be an item, living being, way of life, etc. that we become obsessed with. Obsessed to the point that once it is lost, we spend all our energy and soul into finding it, such that it becomes more than obsessing about something.

The theme is about love, loss and obsession, it speaks to us in more than the 3 themes highlight. Whether we are monotonous working rat-pack, the brilliant univeristy student, I'm sure there are more than 1 situation where you can identify yourself with.

There was a paragraph which questioned whether we are truly happy with where we at now. It's always going for the next step, doing follow-up steps to the previous in order to continue. Are any of us able to give a straight answer to this? It did make me ponder about my current job, who wouldn't after reading such a book?

But one of the main highlights which I brought away from the book is, being at peace with yourself. Every one of us has a story to tell. It could be a jolly one where every one lives happily ever after. Some could be of disappointment, dispair, heartbreak. Every story is different. Yes, it is true that where and what we are today is because of what we have gone through in the past. But if we took the past as a blockage, it could impede us from being happy with the present. It's about being comfortable with who you are.

It is times like these that such a book would bring light in our dark worlds. Makes you think from a different perspective.

Well, I got to admit that some parts of the book got a little draggy and repetitive. However, it is definitely a book to recommend to others for a read.

Sammie, Louisa, Michelle : Hope you girls get to read the book soon! We'll do book swaps!

Sharon and Esther : Will let you girls read it when you get back! If you hadn't read it yet. HAHA!


Waiting for the day where all of us would convege on the same continent.

(Eh! What's up with the font size? Please help!) - Fixed it, Dorc :)

Superbrand: Ikea

Think furniture, think ______ ?

I think Ikea.

Think Ikea, think _______ ?

I think meatballs.

Ikea has most probably lost its cause with me. Or am I suppose to think about homogenity, global infiltration, mega brand, or simply comfort and affordable?

To prove my point, my room is an almost Ikea showcase. (But not stylish enough to make it to the bedroom catalogues)


The mismatched table to suffice as a pillow when I fall asleep studying. The multi-functional lamp to hang bras too.



The bookcase to house almost anything but books.


However (here comes the big but(t)), Ikea had to come a long way before establishing its global domination. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea, richest man in Europe, sentimental boss, friend and colleague, alcoholic, alleged Nazi supporter and Sweden's National Association of Furniture Dealer's worst enemy and nightmare, admits the tremendous fiascos before scuplting his empire of affordable furniture. This multi-billion company prides in its humility as just one of the many attributes to its success. Staff travel on economy-class flights and executives don jeans and tear up cardboard boxes every once in while when having an exchange program in other departments. Cool huh?

To demonstrate another successful tip on how to spread your international reign over every household, a little drama has to be staged.

"Oh Ikea, Ikea, thou has possessed me! You've consumed my corners of my private space I call home. Ikea, Ikea, your grip is strong. You tickle my every sense when you send my a free catalogue on bedrooms, kitchens and annual ranges right to my very doorstep."

Free catalogues are just a magical marketing and PR tool. Honestly, it is just spell-binding. A visual feast when you're up for day dreaming.

Today, it's a crime to define Ikea to politcal borders. We can't do that now, can we? If we limit the Ikea fever, we wouldn't be half as entertained when you read the news about stampedes happening during the Ikea Sale. I mean, if Stella McCartney collaborated with Target and launched fanstastically cheap clothes which stirred a stampede, it's only understandable. You buy clothes more often than furniture. An Ikea Sale? A stampede? Even churches don't have that kind of power to incite their congregation.

So in conclusion, Ikea is just mega. If one day, we find our homes looking alike and more homogenous, we can't blame Ikea. We just have to accuse our cheapskate human nature.

#

Flavell K. 2009. Ikea: Democratic Design. Marketing Magazine. 381667/00301. pp16-25.

Style File: Alexa Chung

It was sometime mid last year when I went browsing through the interweb and landed on a picture of twenty five year old British presenter and model Alexa Chung... I let out a gasp, wondering why hadn't I had the fortunate occurrence to have stumbled upon a such beautiful gem. Where have they been hiding her?! Her choice of style? Plaid, black shoes, brown bags, cute dresses, long necklaces, rings, brunette, over-the-knee socks, boots, trench coats, black dresses, cute skirts... Need I say more?! All pieces and articles I love, put together, is manifested in her every single outfit! If I were to up my game and dress my best everyday, I'd step out of my place with her wardrobe. I have the same preferences over colours too - black, brown, navy, grey. Love, Love, Love!!! And she's with Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys! She really looks like an awesome person to hangout with. Girl crush? Yes indeedy, and it's by far the biggest!