I caught James Cameron's Avatar with Remy and Azmi last Sunday.
I probably first stumbled into the term avatar in the computer game series Ultima. Then there was Nickelodeon's anime series Avatar:The Last Airbender/The Legend of Aang which still ranks among the top in books, which is why I was quite irked that some other movie is using the name as its title.
Movies are created to bring you into that world for that short period of time. For some reason I was not able fully immerse myself into the movie... probably because I was still sour of the title of the movie and of course also because of that uncertain road for me in the not so distant future.
(warning spoilers ahead)...
I could feel for the excitement of the wheelchair-bound Jake Sully when he first got a feel of controlling his avatar. To walk again, to run again must certainly be someone wheelchair-bound.
I appreciate the crazy amount of work that must have been spent from the conceptualization stage down till compositing of the final product. Sound design wise, an untrained movie-goer may under-appreciate the importance it plays in the whole. The snarl of the na'vi and the other creatures in the movie
The background sky of the alien planet shows 2 moon which is overly cliche but effective in depicting an alien planet.
Humans needed a breathing device to survive on the planet... but I how on earth... i mean how on pandora was the main character able to light up a fire on that planet if oxygen was not present. Then I tried to rationalize that it's not because of the lack of oxygen.... but rather a presence of a lethal gas that suffocates the humans on that planet. Maybe a different sets of scientific laws are at work. That conveniently make sense of everything.
Should anyone think so hard when watching a movie. No! But why do I torture myself? Partly, it comes from having to be critical to the our own stories as animators. Also because I have a tendency to overcomplicate things.
Overall the movie was pretty awesome. I liked the epic battle part when the good guys were losing. I also like the part where one has to choose between what is just and siding to your own 'kind'. I would not know what I would do if I were put in such a situation.
The twist and turn of life is a never-ending source of amusement. It's the new islamic new year and it's a good time for introspection. In conjunction with the spirit of the momentous hijrah 1431 years ago, let's get rid of the old and in with the new.
My resolve is to rescue rukia... no wait, that's ichigo's resolve. My resolve for this year is to wear my heart on my sleeves more often. I am substituting the overused word resolution to create emphasis and in my opinion, it has a ring of definiteness to it. I also resolve to take care of my health. According to Maslow, one of the criterias of self-actualization is appreciating emotion and react easily to emotions. I have to admit that this is not my strong suit, not that it is a secret since I walk around everywhere with a stoic disposition.
My long absence from blogging has primarily been because of me hiding my struggle with some aspects of my health and the need to keep this blog 'whine-free'. I shall share a little more on this in hope that it will be beneficial to others.
There were 2 shows that I watched this week that speaks of the matter of the heart. Bleach episode 250
Ginrei Kuchiki: When one is granted great power, what is of the utmost importance in mastering it?"
Kouga Kuchicki: What is it?
Ginrei Kuchiki: Your heart. Those who have great power must know how to control their own power. And sometimes be controlled by that power. In order to truly create such a relationship, it is necessary to have a strong heart that keeps you from becoming overconfident. I am well aware of how great your power is, but you still lack the heart to fully master it.
Smallville Season 8 episode 4
Clark: I know she's not the one, but... it got me to thinking. Chloe showed me this love letter she wrote to me years ago, and... her feelings were really intense. And Chloe was right there in front of me, and I never realized how she felt. What if my soul mate comes along and I'm too blind to see it? 48F063E8.JPG
Lois: I don't know, Smallville(this refers to clark kent). I think... that when the right girl walks into your life... you'll know.
Earlier on when I was fetching my sister from school, I stumbled upon my old RSM back when I was with my army unit in national service. I called out his name from far. He acknowledged me with a sense of familiarity. We exchanged formalities and asked one another what we've been up to.
He seemed nice, unlike back then. I suppose one has to put on a 'role' when he is assigned to his task. Being the RSM is akin to being a discipline master of a school. We, the Regimental Police(RP), were akin to prefects that transforms to coolies when needed.
We chatted for a while, then he struck a pose. One which is deep in thought, almost epiphanic. Typical 'drama mama' of him. By the way, he's Indian.
He said, "I can foresee the future...." *LOL* Then he started out dishing out some fatherly advice about how in the future one needs to have at least a diploma. A diploma would only be enough for me to cover myself; would not be enough for family. After which, I would need to continuosly upgrade myself in that particular field.
Then comes the touching part. He opened up that life in the army is hard. Although he has 5 day work week now, he would need to work late nights. He has 4 small children to take care of. He went on to say that by right, he should have been a master warrant officer by now. I took glance on his ampulets, and true enough he was still a 1st Warrant Officer like he was 7 years back(man... how time flies). Hard work does not account to anything if you don't have the qualifications. All you need is the qualification, that's enough to justify a promotion. Pretty sincere sharing on his part. I felt his pain.
He went on to dish out things like I should not get married before I am stable and pointed out the broken marriages than happens when Malay couples get married way too young. He went on to say that I need to be Chinese minded.
I am reminded at how he used to scold the RPs. Our guardroom was 'kampung melayu'. The RPs were all Malays. Don't ask me why... more often than not, it's a common phenomena throughout most military camps in Singapore. We he gets angry with us among his favourite phrase was, "You know why many Malays are lazy?..... because you all eat too many belacan!!"
As Malays, we feel a little offended and hurt, especially when you are at '45-degree-to-the-left-position' when we are at the receiving end of his lecture. But we are quick to dismiss the validity of the argument. Our generation of Malays are not well acquainted with the belacan(prawn paste). We also agree that its just too funny to take it to heart.
That small exchange triggered many things:
1. My educational future 2. My financial future 3. My future ... 4. The fate of my Malay/Muslim community (who to champion the change)
He seemed delighted when I told him that I am pursuing my diploma... that's a start.
All day Staring at the ceiling Making friends with shadows on my wall All night Hearing voices telling me That I should get some sleep Because tomorrow might be good for something Hold on I'm feeling like I'm headed for a Breakdown I don't know why I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell I know, right now you can't tell But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see A different side of me I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired I know, right now you don't care But soon enough you're gonna think of me And how I used to be Me Talking to myself in public Dodging glances on the train I know I know they've all been talking 'bout me I can hear them whisper And it makes me think there must be something wrong With me Out of all the hours thinking Somehow I've lost my mind I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell I know, right now you can't tell But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see A different side of me I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired I know right now you don't care But soon enough you're gonna think of me And how I used to be I been talking in my sleep Pretty soon they'll come to get me Yeah, they're taking me away I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell I know, right now you can't tell But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see A different side of me I'm not crazy I'm just a little impaired I know, right now you don't care But soon enough you're gonna think of me And how I used to be Hey, how I used to be How I used to be, yeah Well I'm just a little unwell How I used to be How I used to be
Man has a tendency to focus on what he is deprived from. Be it health or wealth. Partly its built-in to man's survival mechanism. When we injure ourselves, we will feel the pain. Pain is a signal for us to attend to the problem.
Pain, or challenges in life, becomes a problem when we mull over it extensively and starts to engage in self-pity. Being overly optimistic probably can't all that good either if we end up in wishful thinking. So I remind myself not to end up in the either one of the extreme states.
Having said that, my week had been interesting. I was not feeling well for most of the week... always a good opportunity to just let go and reflect.
On a higher note, March and April and the birthday months for everyone in our house except me. 30th March was Nadia's.
I had a conversation with my other siblings, those 21 and above. We were thinking of the presents we had given to our little sisters for the past years. We agreed that the presents we gave were things that we would have wanted when we were smaller.... and we are guilty of playing with the stuffs we gave to our little sisters(buang gian).
I personally find nothing wrong with that as we will be genuinely happy for them!! At the same time, we can teach the value of sharing :p
In the end its not the present that matters, what matters is the time we spend with one another. If a present helps in that process... so be it. As the older one, I see the challenges that my siblings would have to face. My job is to remind them when it's due. I see myself when I was her age in Nadia... and I'll do my best to guide her.
So young yet so stressed out. Kids shouldn't grow up like that. But some of us do... and it's mainly from self-expectation, not from external factors. We want to be perfect. We are the naturally driven types... but we need to have a purpose. For the kid, it could be trying to be the perfect student, trying to be the pride of the parents. It becomes hard when we fail to master the basics of self-expression. When we fall, we fall hard. We might even get our very psychological concept of 'Self' torn apart. When that happens, it's a tough process to recover without the proper intervention.
