back to school again!

I am officially a medical student! after months of slacking. now is to survive med school. lol.

gah!!!!!!!! i'm quite exhausted.

and i'm not all that enthusiastic for orientation.

although the ice breakers was very fun. especially the wet ice breakers, everybody got so high. we got wet and dirty, seniors throwing flour -lah, eggs -lah, porridge -lah, and some other slimy sticky stuff. rubbing them on our face, and splashing water at us. LOL! apparently, i almost lost my voice due to all the cheering (we have cheers for our respective groups) and shouting. we had cheer fight in every station where we played games. *woohoo!!!* 2 weeks of orientation!!

IMU is cool.

many many fresh faces around. am abit blur and hazy during the 1st day, fortunately, i met 2 of my Taylor's classmates, they're guys, so we went our separate ways on the 2nd day. HAHA! met some really friendly and nice people, some are just, i don't know, kinda arrogant in a way, thinking they're all high above or something. many different types of people. but the seniors are very nice, besides the so called "ragging" -lah. HAHA!

been taking the LRT back everyday. and i love it. sitting alone dreaming in my own space is something i like. and looking at people. HAHA! though during peak hours, everybody gotta squeeze like sardines. LOL!

i can't really wait to start classes. though i'm abit intimidated about the PBL (something like roundtable discussions). LOL!

that's all for now peeps!

Oscars 2009!

I caught abit of the Academy Awards 2009 on TV and on Youtube as well, and my goodness, the opening act from Hugh Jackman featuring Anne Hathaway was amazing! both seriously wonderful talented actors! i totally love it. i didn't know Hugh Jackman could dance like that! though i know he has stage experience, but awesome man. and the combination of the nominated films in a song, it was really funny. LOL! and his last sentence, "I'm Wolverine!!!". LOL!

and then there was the musical medley by Hugh Jackman of course, Beyonce, Amanda Seyfreid, Dominic Cooper, both from Mamma Mia! and Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. man! i totally love this too! it was just too brilliant! hehehehe. *gets all happy whenever there's musical stuff*

I am really delighted that Slumdog Millionaire swept 8 awards out of 10 nominations. Everybody who was predicted to win, won, they really deserve the award and recognition. Although i kinda hoped Amy Adams would win Best Supporting Actress, haha! but no doubt she will win an Oscar one day! XD

and then there was the red carpet. Anne Hathaway looked stunning as usual, she went for this classic look this awards season. i love love love Zac Efron and Vanessa Hugdens. Natalie Portman looked sweet in that pink gown. Kate Winslet looking really great as well, delicious! Robert Pattinson!! so handsome!!! XD and last but not least, Amy Adams, so beautiful in that red dress, gorgeous!

i have to mention the interview of the Ryan Seacrest with the children actors of Slumdog Millionaire, they were so freaking cute, and i really like the 'little' Jamal and the 'middle' Jamal.

Below is the TV guide interview and not the E! interview.

Doubt (2008)

Doubt, a film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize Winning Play : Doubt: A Parable. This movie gathers one of the most talented and best casts, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The four leads have each garnered an Oscar nomination this 2009 and Doubt for best adapted screenplay as well.

The year is 1964. Set at a Catholic school in the Bronx, St. Nicholas school is headed by a hard-edge, strict nun - Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). She grows suspicious of a priest about Father Flynn's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) relationship with the only African-American student - Donald Miller in the school. Therefore, she confronts him with the mindset that he might be abusing the child. A battle begins, and Sister James (Amy Adams) who starts the ball rolling, revealing her suspicion to Sr. Aloysius is caught in between her superiors, Sr. Aloysius who is determined that Father Flynn is guilty, while Father Flynn claims he is innocent.

This powerful film is gripping and riveting, it makes you focus and concentrate on it after the Sr. James saw Father Flynn putting Donald's undershirt into his locker. As the plot is thick with intrigue and possibilities, it might just make you sit at the edge of your seat pondering, is Father Flynn really innocent? What's more, it is deliciously set in a religious school. Therefore, several conflicts surfaces.

Doubt, the film touches on several aspects.

1. Abuse. It might be sexual abuse, as of Sr. Aloysius's indications and accuses. and domestic violence, as Donald Miller is disliked by his father who often beats him.
2. The power play of men and women in cloth, in a parish, where priests and pastors are superiors to the nuns.
3. The unconditional love of a mother, Mrs Miller (Viola Davis) who accepts that her son might be homosexual.
4. and of course, it tackles the danger when a seed of suspicion germinates in a closed mind.
5. racism perhaps. Donald Miller has no friends in school, as the parish serves mostly Irish and Italian, but fortunately nobody has ever beaten him.

The film focuses on small details, because sometimes you could see the camera zooming in to some things that might arouse the curiosity of the audiences, and might even be significant to the story (as in whether Father Flynn did it or not). the movie is indeed quite complex.

Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius.
One word, amazing! and nothing more to describe. she has to adopt that New York accent. very intimidating and fierce throughout the whole movie, but there is still compassion in her, as in how she treats her fellow nuns, and is also concerned about the school. Her character is not fond of changes, like how she reacted when Father Flynn suggests to upend the school's strict ways and to become friendlier to the students, somehow to be a part of their family. She is however, one-sided, very determined in taking down Father Flynn, partly because she dislikes him too. Lastly, she has doubts in her faith as she lied that she had contacted a nun from Father's Flynn previous parish, so to force him into resigning.

"In the pursuit of wrongdoing, one steps away from God."

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn.
Great performance! A charismatic and compassionate priest, taking a little interest in Donal Miller, a friendly gesture you might say, yes, but who knows? somehow, he makes me feel he is guilty, because from what i saw through the intense confrontation battle between him and Sr. Aloysius, he was quite terrified when she said she had contacted a nun from his previous parish, his eyes full of fear. and he asked Sr. Aloysius, "have you ever done wrong?" that was the moment he wavered, and i thought he was about to confessed, but he didn't. In the end, he resigned as he is unable to stand up to her willingness to destroy his character.

" There are people who go after your humanity, Sister James. To tell you that the light in your heart is a weakness. Don't believe it. It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. "

Amy Adams as Sister James.
She plays an idealistic, young and naive nun, who tries to see the good in everybody. Isn't it like her role in Enchanted? No! this has a completely different approach. I believe that Sister James is a very difficult character to play, and Amy Adams is just in top form as ever. She might be innocent, but looking in her blue-green eyes, even when she says nothing at all, you can sense the deepness, the strength that she has. She is the perfect emotional balance between Father Flynn and Sr. Aloysius. IMO, without her, the film wouldn't be quite watchable. Facing two big powerhouses, Amy Adams just stands her own, without being overshadowed by them. She wants the school to be in order just like Sr. Aloysius, but she has that compassion and accepts new changes similar to Father Flynn. Her short emotional outbursts were one of the movie's finest moments, look in her eyes, and that well placed crack in her voice when she confronted Sr. Aloysius for the very 1st time. Her character then took a change, snapping at her students, and she is saddened by it, and i was actually quite terrified when she got all angry! =.=" Wonderfully nuanced her performance is. Brilliant.

Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller.
She has 12 minutes in the whole movie, and it's with Meryl Streep, and yes, she manages to pull if off, amazingly! Very emotional scene, as she defends her boy, Donald Miller, and accepts that he might be homosexual, to the horror of Sr. Aloysius. It is not surprising when she wins the Oscar tomorrow even with such short screen time.

All in all, Doubt doesn't leave a clear answer, that's why it's called Doubt (duh!). It leaves a discussion for the audiences to talk about, from the small details to that confrontation to Father Flynn's resignment. It is thick with paranoia in Doubt, but it is even more juicy and sustaining watching 4 superb actors lashing it out on screen.

Also one of the best films in 2008. Watch it if you like it.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire, the film which took the world by storm, in all its pride and glory by sweeping awards in various awards ceremony. One might wonder, what is this film that received hundreds of recognition and applause from the West but had provoked dismay and indignation from India?

The movie starts off with a question while scenes of Jamal being interrogated and tortured by a police officer flashes through.

Jamal is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?
A. He cheated.
B. He's lucky.
C. He's a genius.
D. It is written.

Quickly, the scene jumps to the game show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" hosted by Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), who isn't really keen on Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) winning his way through to 20 million rupees, as he is shocked by how a slum dweller, a "chai-wallah" (a young man who serves tea) could possibly answer all the questions.

The story unfolds here, and all the actions start rolling, conveyed mostly through flashbacks documenting his childhood, that he managed to answer all questions by recalling things that happened in his life.

Watching Slumdog Millionaire is like travelling through the slums of India, the dark side of India that is rarely been shown on the big screen. Every house, every shop is closely packed together, separated only by narrow paths and surrounded by heavily polluted sea or river, and even wastelands. and then Jamal's and Salim's mother was killed right before their eyes, because of a Muslim-Indian riot, leaving them to be orphans and meeting Latika.

Children begging on the streets manipulated by ruthless, scheming men (who seemed all nice to the children). Blinding a child with a hot metal spoon for his talent as blind singers earn double. Jamal and his brother, Salim, eking out a living, travelling on trains, selling goods, pretending to be tour guides at the Taj Mahal, and even pickpocketing.

One scene i found it quite difficult to digest was mineral waters were actually filled by water from the pipes into an empty used mineral bottle, later to be sealed closed by glue. yuck!

Despite a film that pictures such unspeakable horror and astonishing moments, you can't help but being overwhelmed by a gush of emotion, a good one, odd but true. You can't resist but smile as Jamal climbs his way up to the 20 million rupees. How the 2 brothers wonderfully fraud their way through to survive, shaking your heads at the same time, like how do they manage to do that! and Jamal's true love lost and found, several times.

Somehow, i love how the film transports back and forth, the series of flashbacks, back to the game show and back to the police department. The editing of this film is beautifully done, running scenes wonderfully captured, exhibiting a breathtaking and engaging tale with fast tracking shots, jump cuts, and amazing visuals.

It is indeed a film that is full with energy, it might even be overloaded at some point as some critics would say. Optimistic too, as we are shown of the trials and tribulations Jamal has to go through and yet little exhaustion or complaints are shown. He just doesn't seem to care about the money and all he wants is Latika (Freida Pinto), his true love, which is the reason why he participated in the game show as it is Latika's favourite show. The film is fast-paced and at moments it slows down for us to reconnect to the characters, like when Jamal walking through the prostitution street looking for Latika, and later on in a mobster's house (where his brother is working for), where Latika is kept as a mistress.

Lastly, the suspense is still maintained as Jamal is 1 question away from winning 20 million rupees. This dangles above us deliciously as we ponder, will he strike the jackpot and get his girl, or just his girl only. However, it is just like "killing two birds with one stone" incidentally, as he gets the money and of course his beloved. and i was so overwhelmed that he actually won, very delighted, i thought he was gonna lose it all! but how did Latika escaped from the gangster? with Salim's help (i think he's good at heart, remember that time he saved Jamal from being blinded, all he wants is a good life) and he was killed as the consequence of releasing Latika even though he managed to execute his boss.

Wait, how can i even forget the child actors. A round of applause for them as they did a wonderful job portraying Salim, Jamal and Latika respectively. and they had to do all the action, the running scenes especially. Although the film comprises of relatively unknown casts (Dev Patel from Skins, Freida Pinto, she's beautiful) the performances from every actors were very good.

IMO, the ending was abit incomplete. So did Jamal find out about his brother's death? He didn't want to avenge his brother's death? because after everything he is finally reunited with Latika, that is all he wants huh. and what was that cheesy line, Jamal, "It's our destiny." "Kiss me", said Latika. LOL! XD

and hey, just don't leave the cinema after that kiss okay, stay a while to catch that Bollywood dance with A.R. Rahman's song, "Jai Ho". Interesting!

A rags to riches film, quite original and authentic, although it is based on the book "Q & A". and what was that answer to the question in the beginning of the film?

D. It is written.

Jamal's destiny.

Slumdog Millionaire, one of the best films in 2008. go watch it.

Edited* It secured 8 freaking Oscars with 10 nominations.

something is resisting me from writing a review for Slumdog Millionaire. mind block i guess. but go watch it. it hooks you up with the first 5 minutes, or 10 minutes -lah. really, honestly.

anyway, i was getting all hyped up to watch Rachel Getting Married, then i seriously got bored after 30 minutes. yeah. that's right. i just don't know why i can't absorb it. it's kinda an offside, dark family drama. man. but still, im gonna take it down.

i watched High School Musical 3 and damn it, i like it. shit. it feels ridiculous to like it. ohman. and the song is stuck at my head.

2 more days till i start university!!! man, im excited. i am. =)

"right here, right now, im looking at you, and my heart loves the view, cause you mean everything"

i've watched Slumdog Millionaire.

i've watched Doubt.

im going to watch Rachel Getting Married later.

i think i would want to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

still,

i won't watch The Wrestler, it's a fight between Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn i guess.

nor Frost/Nixon,

nor Milk,

nor The Reader and Revolutionary Road. it all comes down to Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, but im guessing it would go to Kate Winslet, she's been waiting a long time, and reviews say she's really good, but Meryl Streep was amazing as well, maybe abit the monotonous in the movie.

nor Changeling, i just don't know why i dislike Angelina Jolie. and most of the people said it wasn't really up to par to be Oscar-worthy.

lol.

sadly, im gonna miss the Oscars. ughh.

blue sky and gray ocean

The blue blue sky with the spiraling clouds billowing above. i love how the sun radiates the sky, and the buildings and structures look all dark-coloured. lol.

while the picture below was taken on my cruise trip. the blue, eh, gray ocean. =P see how the ocean is separated from the clouds with that small gap in between.

i want to get a lomo camera. i wonder how much it costs. hmmm.

Any luck on gambling this Chinese "Niu" Year? i don't really seem to have it.

we went crazy over the money we lost
"ahhhhhh NOOO!!"

at first i was winning, then after that i lost track of how much i lost!!! =.=" such a pity, anyway, one year once, it won't really hurt the wallet. somehow i would feel a little pain in my heart, the pinch of losing money. lol. and gambling, or in a nicer way, playing cards, is a rather good way to gather everybody around. HAHA!

BLEK!!!

and now im feeling all nervous about my 1st day in IMU. i need to get clothes for the 1st day, looking through my closet, i don't seem to have any long sleeve formal shirt, or even a nice pair of slacks. wth. and they have this photography session!!! =.="