Intermonsoon Beauty

 Just as quickly as it came, it was lost in the next spell of rain.

#花开花落至少这一季 #:P

山水有相逢

#1
昨天的会议上，我眼睁睁地看着自己的点子被别人偷去。
分明是我前一晚写进我们组的文档，而且关键词也一模一样。
平时跟我称兄道妹的她，竟然厚颜无耻地这么做。
枉我当她是朋友，以为自从上次那件事之后会真心悔改。
枉我如此信任她，在共同朋友前帮她截住关于她的流言。
全程我一语不发，只是狠狠地瞪她。

我在考虑要不要当众揭发她，还是私下跟她谈。
最后我什么都没做。
仔细一想，她频频开口献议，无非是想搏出位。
利用肮脏手段踩人上位，总有一天会有报应的。
我相信上天，相信因果，相信时间会证明一切。
她既然种下这样的因，看她他日收什么果。

#2
朋友说我变了，变得“活泼”、变“坏”、变得毒舌云云。
人是会变的，要不然可以拿去博物馆当标本，而且不用防腐呢！
我倒是觉得我没怎么变，只是展现我的另一面罢了。

自从升上大学以来，我都三缄其口。
别人再无赖都好，我还是让他们有台阶下，山水有相逢嘛。
我也没在他们背后数落他们。
毕竟，人际关系如斯复杂，牵一发而动全身。
我很清楚我一说谁的不是，到头来那人肯定知道。
就算听朋友八卦也好，我点头笑笑就走人。

朋友之所以说我变了，是因为我出声捍卫自己。
凡人都不想看到自己的人权被践踏。
有时候有些人说话过分，我还嘴，并非毒舌。
有时候有些人喜欢吹水，我奉陪，只是玩玩罢了。
有时候有些人紧张过度，我开玩笑纾解紧张气氛。
见人说人话，见鬼说鬼话咯。
不在沉默中爆发，就在沉默中灭亡。

Some Reviews

Note: Currently I'm swamped with various assignments, the biggest being writing my thesis. I have just completed a first draft of a minor (to me, at least) assignment, and since it's a long weekend due to Hari Raya Aidiladha (but a working holiday for me T.T), I thought I'd take a break from academic writings by giving some reviews on the films and dramas I have watched earlier. The selection of works below is biased in the sense that I haven't included everything I have watched (cue: lousy ones excluded), so you can see it as my list of recommendations. 

Empress Ki: What I remember the most from this Korean historical drama are the main characters' facial expressions. From the sharp, penetrating gaze of Empress Ki to Wang-yu's furrowed brows to Ta-hwan's smiles - the actors have really put in their best into making the characters convincing. The script isn't too bad either, what with several plot and sub-plots running simultaneously then converging nicely. The drama has a certain depth to it, where the scriptwriters perfectly captured what it was like to survive in politically and socially turbulent times. It wasn't just I-outsmart-you and you-beat-me-back, or good/bad people are always good/bad. The plots and counter-plots were analysed from multiple angles: physical, mental, psychological and social variables were considered. Recommended for long holidays when you don't mind taking on history and pseudo-history.

It's OK, It's Love: This was the first Korean drama with a psychology/psychiatry theme that I have come across. It was backed up with mostly relevant research and practice in the field of psychiatry (I actually know all of the psychological jargons they threw in), save for the "truth serum" which I think would be more at home in Harry Potter's world. Anyway, I like it that the scriptwriter chose to explore unconventional love stories. The main leads took a measured and rational approach to love and at the same time, they tried to confront their psychological disorders. The middle part of the drama was bogged down by boring details and frankly, I was ready to give up on the drama. The pace suddenly picked up again and things got more intense until the touching denouement appeared. I think the second-last episode would have made a perfect ending to the drama, but of course, knowing the mainstream audience love to see all loose ends tied up, the last episode did exactly that. Recommended for days when the weather (or life) is so bad that you feel like doing nothing but curling up with something cosy to watch.

Ilo Ilo: Who could've known that a housekeeper would turn a boy's life around? This Singapore-made film narrates the story of a typical middle-income Asian Chinese family trying to stay afloat financially in times of economic hardship. I like that the director/scriptwriter left little clues here and there. Rather than explaining everything sequentially, he cleverly used the clues to intrigue the audience and keep them watching to find out the clues finally fit together. The cinematography was superb as well - I was somehow reminded of French and American indie films. For instance, some scenes were captured without any human conversation but still could invoke meaning and evoke emotions in the audience. The ending was done with a nice touch: a microcosm of life, a perfect contrast of emotions and a very apt song (Kahapon at Pag-ibig by ASIN). Recommended for rainy days or whenever you feel a bit nostalgic.

About Time: This romantic-comedy/drama started off with a young man learning about his inherited abilities to travel back in time. Although time-travelling was the backbone of the story, the film didn't dwell too much on it and focused instead on love (both romantic and familial). Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Are you looking for your other half, the destined one? Or maybe love happens by chance? What I like about this film is its unpretentiousness and lessons, its more down-to-earth take on love. I literally had a wide grin when I heard the familiar strains of "How Long Will I Love You". The film painted life in both its ugliness and beauty, besides going beyond the typical "happily ever after" ending to depict marriage and family. Actions have consequences, the film tells us, and sometimes in spite of making the best decision, life has a way of forcing things upon us. Recommended to watch during family get-together and a re-watch on your own when you can laugh and cry again, all you want.

The Lunchbox: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and the way to his mind? Through old-fashioned, handwritten correspondence! The film has given almost no clue as to when the story is set - no Internet, no WiFi, no mobile phones - which makes it rather timeless. Another way of seeing it is that the Indian community which it represents has slow technological advances and technology is a privilege unavailable to many in India. The film lightly touched upon a few social issues but its main selling point is, I think, serendipity. Through a fortunate mistake in the lunchbox delivery system, Ila and Saajan got to know each other and corresponded through letters. Ila wrote of her suspicions about her husband's infidelity, while Saajan imparted advices like a wise old man. Although they have yet to meet one another, they know enough about each other to care for the other party. Do look out for the little stories that dotted the film: they're entire worlds themselves. The film ended with a cliffhanger - will Ila and Saajan finally meet?  Depends on serendipity. Recommended for those who would love to take a break from their usual staple of films and dramas.

How to Train Your Dragon 2: If you like the first one, this sequel is a must-watch. Not only it expanded on the world of dragons introduced earlier, it also broke more stereotypes (which seems to be a habit of Pixar). Who says a mother couldn't be adventurous? Who says only a mother would die for her young? Who says size matters? The stunning landscapes, fitting music score and heartfelt dialogues would surely make you yearn for more. Hopefully, the coming third installment will outdo its predecessors.

Twelve Years A Slave: The film is based on a first-hand account of real-life slavery experiences in the 19th century. Vivid and explicit depictions of inhumane treatment, as well as deep psychological trauma that such experiences cut into the soul, were scattered throughout the film. If anything, this film serves as a reminder of the unimaginable horrors that humans can - and still do - inflict on one another. The loss of privacy, identity, freedom, family and above all, life were endured by the enslaved characters in the film. Humans treated as properties, machines and playthings - can you wrap your head around that? Although slavery has been outlawed in most countries, human trafficking is still a very real and pervasive issue. What are you going to do about it?

Belle: In the olden days, if a woman aspired to "rise above her station", she would be advised to marry into a good family (preferably rich and high-status) with a hefty dowry. Otherwise, she might have to live out her days being an "old spinster" or "that weird unmarried aunt". True love was impractical and rare. Such were the issues faced by Dido, a mixed-race, illegitimate child who was entrusted to the care of Lord William Murray. Inspired by a painting and centred on slavery, this film complements "Twelve Years A Slave" rather well and presents the other end of slavery (the lawmakers' perspective). I quite like the clever use of the phrase "let justice be done though the heavens fall". If you like period drama, this is a downright sumptuous visual feast for you. The only complaint I could find was the rather out-of-place kiss at the end of the film, which I think is an unnecessary imposition of modern values on people from another era.

Can We Auto-Correct Humanity?

I came across this poem by Prince Ea yesterday and as I watched him rapping it out, there were chills coming down my spine, which to me means it's an excellent piece of work. So here it is, the video and a transcript of the poem. Hope you'll be inspired as I did:

Did you know the average person spends 4 years of his life looking down at his cell phone?
Kind of ironic, ain't it?
How these touch-screens can make us lose touch
But it's no wonder in a world filled with
iMac’s, iPads and iPhones
So many "i"’s, so many selfies, not enough "us"'s and "we"’s
See
Technology has made us more selfish and separate than ever
Cause while it claims to connect us, connection has gotten no better
And let me express first
Mr Zuckerberg, not to be rude but you should re-classify Facebook to what it is:
An anti-social network
Cause while we may have big friend lists
So many of us are friendless, all alone
Cause friendships are more broken than the screens on our very phones
We sit at home on our computers measuring self-worth by numbers of followers and Likes
Ignoring those who actually love us
It seems we’d rather write an angry post
Than talk to someone who might actually hug us
Am I bugging? You tell me...
Cause I asked a friend the other day let's meet up face-to-face
They said alright, what time you wanna Skype?
I responded with omg, srs, and then a bunch of smh's
And realized what about me?
Do I not have the patience to have conversation without abbreviation?
This is the generation of media over-stimulation
Chats have been reduced to snaps
The news is 140 characters
Videos are 6 seconds at high speed
And you wonder why ADD is on the rise faster than 4G LTE
But, get a load of this
Studies show the attention span of the average adult today
Is one second lower than that of a gold fish

So if, you're one of the few people or aquatic animals that have yet to click off or close this video, congratulations
Let me finish by saying you do have a choice, yes
But this one my friends we cannot Auto-Correct - we must do it ourselves
Take control or be controlled,
Make a decision
Me?
No longer do I want to spoil a precious moment by recording it with a phone
I'm just gonna keep them
I don’t wanna take a picture of all my meals anymore - I 'm just gonna eat them
I don't want the new app, the new software, or the new update
AndiIf I wanna post an old photo, who says I have to wait until Thursday
I'm so tired of performing in the pageantry of vanity
And conforming to this accepted form of digital insanity
Call me crazy but, I imagine a world where we smile when we have low batteries
Cause that will mean we'll be one bar closer - to humanity