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!

Terminator Salvation

It's time to save the world Christian Bale style. *swoooons*


http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/terminatorsalvation/

"Tell me why, Mummy" by David Thomas

I devoured this book in three days, on two bus trips and two sit-down sessions. Every moment spent reading was like a space in time watching a silent movie. You didn't need the conversation to tell you what was hurting and terrifying. All you needed was your heart to feel what everyone can feel.

Not delving into the everlasting debate of Nature vs Nurture, but Thomas quickly concluded himself to be an unconfident introvert in the beginning of the book. His 'nature' attributed to the allowing of events that later he realised was wrong and perversed. Abused in all aspects, Thomas grew up not knowing parental love. But this didn't stop him from loving and being grateful to his sexually abusive mother at the end of his recollection. Despite his circumstances, Thomas did have a shot at fame and lived a more or less secured life as he grew up. However, he never managed to gain the closure he was seeking in the end which is the reason of titling this book 'Tell Me Why, Mommy?'.

Two things hit me when I finished the novel; one was that we are no different than Thomas. His craving for love and peace and his fear of provoking his parents are what we had and have. True, his situation manifested into a environment of anguish and confusion, but as children, we all felt the pangs of loneliness every once in a while. Two was that, Thomas just told his story simply. He is not the most intelligent person, but in our vernacular, he tugged a chord. It wasn't dramatic nor exaggerated. It was as if he introduced his book this way "Hey, I'm going to tell you about life and I am not looking for sympathy. I'm just throwing out my skeletons and you can have a go at reading it." I guess that's why I loved the book so much.

I hoped I haven't exposed the details of the story. But if you're looking to read about someone's sad life and not want to cry, 'Tell Me Why, Mommy?' is just the dose of melancholy.

The One with the Flashback

Have you ever wondered when that single spark of connection can span a friendship which has lasts for 5 years and counting?

I think this quote is very appropriate for what forms the cornerstone of this blog and what we've been through so far.

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over."
-- Samuel Johnson

I think the times spent in SMSS has been one of the greatest and most precious time which all of us would remember. If I do ever have kids, I probably want them to enrol in St. Margaret's Primary and Secondary. But then again, it's ultimately up to them and the situation in the future.

I've known you girls for a long time, some longer than others. But no matter what, it is the present that matters.

Esther Loke Bao-En! I used to mis-spell your name, writing "Ester" instead of your proper name. Mushroom hair and round glasses. We thought it was mighty cool then! When we were getting promoted to P5, I cried my eyes out because we got posted to different classes. It was like "I lost a part of me" ( I think that's what I wrote in my little journal ). Despite going to different classes and flying off to another continent, I'm glad that we come a long way and still are awesome friends. Brownie, Marble, Caramel, Chubby, Lady :) Summer! Oh I do miss her even though it's a love-hate relationship with Summer.

Remember that time when you told the class that there wasn't Peer Tutoring? Every one was so happy before you said "Oh, that's next week."

Our goal for 2009 : to take decent photos together and make Summer not dislike me.




Sharon Chan Shan-En! You and your crazy antics. You were the new kid in school during Sec 2 and never in my wildest dreams would both of us be friends. Mr Lee and you would always be bickering about something. The tension in the air is so thick, I wonder when it would end. Pro-verbs! Our ever charamstic lead in our dynamic team. All the jamming sessions and laughter, it is something which is so precious that I don't stop thinking of it.

Our goal for 2009 : take decent pictures together. The photos always bring a smile no matter how I'm feeling.



Samantha Khoo Pheng Yan! Who knew that we'll come this far? The small choir girl, smarty pants. The bus 48 rides home. It was such a normal question, like "Who's taking 48!" The wait for the bus was super long, but it didn't seem long because we were having so much fun talking! Until today, we still take buses home! I enjoy all our conversations because it's just the feeling of being so relaxed and exploring of ideas. Funny because even though we're in the same school for 10 years, I'm glad that we found each other after all. America's Next Top Model in the mornings!

Our goal for 2009 : make Dorc more decent so that she can take decent photos with you!



Elena Fung Yuting! Stop being so MIA. Your exams are over already! Hmpf. Who knew that we would be such best friends? I can't stop saying this, but I was like "Who's this girl?" when we were in Sec 2. Haven't seen you BEFORE. It like took me 1 year to realise that you exist in our school. The demure one who has been on this journey of normal student to being "uptight" prefects. You always looking out for girls in coloured bra and then confiscate them! Pervy you who likes to unhook people's bras. I seriously wonder how you and I are such friends because we are completely opposite from each other!

Our goal for 2009 : to take an unglam photo with me!




Louisa Natalie Eng Siew Lyn(n) ! It's amazing because we first met in a foreign land! Our groups were squealing over the guys and it's just so fun and innocent times. Imagine my amazement when we ended up in the same school, let alone in the same class for 2 years! Oh boy, I must have irritated you quite a bit while we were sitting almost next to each other in Sec 4. And Mrs. Raj always asking us to keep quiet. You're always the tennis girl with that extra bounce in her step.

Our goal for 2009 : teach me the Miley Cyrus pout.


Michelle Tan Liting! Fellow Tan and Pro-verbs mate. You were the quiet one. And then you blew me away with your piano skills. I enjoyed doing the musical production in Sec 2. What was your stage name again? I was "Rebecca" and you were ? Please enlighten me on this when you remember. You were always singing in class. I remember that I was once anti Avril Lavigne. You and Jia Hui kept singing "I'm With You" while I tried my best to avoid hearing the song. But guess what. You caught me real good and I fell in love with the song. Talk about first impressions. HAHA! You and the 1/5 gang. And it's so cool because we have brothers of the same age! HAHA! Gosh... there are just too many funny things. You and your NERD club. Oh boy...

Our goal for 2009 : to master GHWT and make Pepper dislike me less.

Here's to more great times ahead! I would like to end off with this quote.


"Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends."

The Girls by Sam

Well, it looks like i'll be the one to start the ball rolling. While i was in the shower just now, i came up with this idea. We can all start off by talking about us, anything at all - memories, tributes, anecdotes, personal thoughts, etc. It will be themed "The Girls", how creative. All good? Wonderful!

Don't you just love ideas that pop up while you're in the shower?

My wonderful girls. Where do i even begin? We've all come so far now, it's been about 5 years since we were in Secondary 3, when we were all thrown haphazardly into this one really random class. Look how we all turned out; those days were most likely the happiest days of our youths for most of us. At least it was for me. Thinking about those 2 years in secondary school made me feel like all that i've been through before that was worth it; all the problems and unhappiness traded for 2 years of fun, bonding and memories. It puts a smile on my face everytime i look back. And my girls, one of the greatest gifts that God could have ever given me. Who would have known that 5 years from then we'd all be standing here like this, stronger, more matured and more worldly-wise.

Thinking about those days always puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. I remember Mich and I were tablemates for the longest time ever, and our favourite pasttime was to sing. How we used to irritate Mrs Chuat! Since we were in choir together, we always just had to find songs that allowed us to "harmonise". How i miss singing in class with you! Do you also recall this once when we laughed for 20 minutes straight during her class all because i spelt out the way she pronounced "vectors" as "vettles"? And she kept going "Tsk, what's going on down there?" and gave us evil stares. I'm laughing as i'm writing this.

Sharon! You never fail to remind me about the time when i was chasing you at the back of the canteen, and you tripped and fell flat on the floor in front of everyone. If i didn't remember wrongly, i was laughing even as i was trying to pick you up. Put the 2 Ss (Asses) together and you get a lot of accidents and stupid antics. Loui was my shopping buddy, and come to think of it, it's been a long time since we went shopping! And remember those days when we would come to class early in the morning and start our early morning ANTM discussion sessions? We were so obssessed. I just have to put this picture up. (Ok i look hideous but what the heck.) Loui's so enthusiastic, Dorc is so bo chap and i couldn't find a proper pose in time. (And Fiona is so act cute as usual.)


And Dorkie! My bus 48 companion! Those bus rides were the highlight of our days many times because of the kind of dumb stuff we encounter on our way home, and the amount of fun we used to had, the 4 of us including Nasarath and Meena. We'll make a din and at that time we were the queens of the bus because very few people took it, since it was a new service. Those days... And it feels like a ritual, or rather like a legacy, because my sister now experiences the same kind of things on bus 48 with her own friends when they go home from school together every day, as we did in the past. Picture again!


And then there was Ele, who's been calling me "Sammie-poo-poo" for the loooooooooongest time ever, though i haven't heard it from you in a while too! Then of course there's Est, who ran away to Australia when we were in Secondary 3. I didn't get to spend enough time with you! At least we had some time in Secondary 2, and i remember being your "Angel" this once during the dumb "Angel-Mortal" game. You suspected me all along because i was sitting right next to you! =( And there's Fiona Chang who sits right behind me and bullies Rina like nobody's business. And how can i forget about the NERD Club and The Chronicles of Boris and Mary! I miss those days!


Looking back, i thank God for giving me this opportunity to meet each one of you and share these memories with. You girls were the highlight of my secondary school life, and the best reasons to go to school for. And today, you girls still remain a great source of comfort to me. We've had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we know that nothing can separate us. In times of difficulty, i know i can count on you girls to give me support. In times of joy, i know you girls will be around to celebrate with me. I know that we'll stick around long enough to walk through this journey called "Life" together, hand in hand. We may be on separate continents, but distance will not keep us apart.

So girls, share your stories. I love you all so much.