Friday, January 29, 2010

Season 4, Episode 1: Forward or follow?

" You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life. " - Julie and Julia

Do you know what's difficult about starting a new semester? First, it's leaving home; second, it's the fine tuning back to studies after at least two months of holidays!

The first week had been, rather, comforting. There were only lectures. And meetings for club and upcoming events. In a way, it helped deviated the focus onto doing something to occupy time. I mean, who would really start to study in the first week?

Even my timetable had been, rather, messy- which leads to the title, forward or follow? Having under the belt is already 13 credit hours, which to me, is a little too little. So, my friends and i decided to forward courses from our coming semesters, bringing the total up to an incredible 21! But that, to me, was a little too much. Then we started dropping a three credit hours course, pulling it down to 18. And only yesterday, we received an email from the administration to drop another one two credit hours course. In the end, my credit hours for this season became 16.

The problem was not just on the credit hours, but the time slots to fit in the courses. Clashes here and there, and it took time to actually rearrange and finalize our timetable. Why can't our timetable fit in nicely?

In the meantime, watching movies filled in my leisure hours. The Lovely Bones movie is as good as it can get, and in some ways, i find it better than the book. The scripts from the movie reminded me of the time when i read the book- keeping true to the original lines was the right move because the lines were the one that turned this book interesting.

Julie and Julia, oh how unfortunate, while i was watching, i became hungry. Who could resist the tempting looks of the French cuisine? This movie is a real deal! No wonder it had won the Globes' Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical. Inspired from two books, they converged into an amazing story of passion and ambition.

The Passengers had a twist at the end of the story. Watching the end reminded me of Ghost Whisperer's Season 1 finale, so i wasn't really caught off guard to the outcome. It has a strong cast but it lacks in its dramatic plot. I would prefer it to be more of a mystery/drama than a horror movie.

Three-day weekend ahead- Thaipusam, and many people, me included, left for either to go home or to go on a short holiday before the real deal starts the next week.

The second week, and the weeks onward will be a roller-coaster ride!

wc10, forward one and follow the flow...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Glee-ful LEGION Locker

"When the last angel falls, the fight for mankind begins. " - LEGION tagline

"But provide what exactly? The understanding that money is the most important thing- or the idea that the only life worth living is one that you're really passionate about, Will? " - Glee

"War is a drug. " - The Hurt Locker tagline

With a few days remaining before i resume my studies, i'm really spending them to the max. Once i start, i won't have much freedom to do what i favour most.

Having said that though, it looks as if watching movies are the only thing i had been doing. I need to start crossing out more from my Resolution.



Legion. I watched the trailer and i thought this movie will be worth my money. Indeed, it's worth every cents paid, but if you're asking me to watch it for a second time, i'll rather save my money to watch other, new movies coming out this year. Once, for this show, will be sufficient to satisfy.


Excellent choice of casts. Paul Bettany, who played Silas in Da Vinci Code, suited the role and executed Michael brilliantly. Lucas Black, Dennis Quaid and Tyrese Gibson were impressive. The show was set in a desert, focusing much on a diner at Paradise Falls. A show about the apocalypse, a group of people along with the help of Michael, fought for the survival of mankind. Their only win was if the child inside Charlie is born. They had to fight against men who were possessed by angels and were determined to kill the child. That's about all i should say. If i tell you more, i'll ruin the suspense.



Another thing good about this show is that it's not draggy- the length was just perfect. It started off really well and climaxed at the right moment. Action-paced, lots of shooting. However (nothing regarding the show), after the show went on for 15 minutes, the sound system went off but the show continued playing. This is my first time encountering such a situation. We had to wait for the technicians to repair whatever the problem was and restarted the whole show. So, i actually watched the beginning of the show twice. Back to the show, it's very much what i had anticipated, nothing less. A good choice for the weekend.


Winner of the Golden Globes Best TV Series- Comedy or Musical, Glee has finally reached StarWorld. Unfortunately for me, i'm only able to watch the Pilot- my uni doesn't have StarWorld. Lucky there's a thing called 'download'.

Glee is a nice watch. Entertaining. Fun. Musical. It's also about bringing your true self out and reaching for what you're really passionate about. 'Don't stop believing'. Somehow, Glee rekindles some of my fond memories of my high school. Not singing, of course, but drama. 'Being a part of something special makes you special'. I'm sure to watch this, i mean, who can forget the line 'Glee brings out my inner Beyonce'! I wonder if my uni has a Glee Club to join?


Garnering much nomination and winning some of the Best Motion Picture awards, the Hurt Locker topped my must-watch list. I wonder why the movie is doing so well and what makes it so special.

It's about a bomb squad in Iraq, set during the war. The show begins with the replacement of one of the team members after a tragedy occurred. For days, they had to disarm bombs, placing their life at extremely high risk. Any wrong move could be lethal, any man could be dangerous. If you're expecting much war scenes, you'll be disappointed. It's a drama, and you'll watch several scenes that are far from shooting missiles and firing guns. What makes this movie good, in my humble opinion, is the story of life in the war time, how everyday is like a dice, rolling your luck to life or death. And the influence of war, to a person, could be like a drug.

American Idol Season 9 is coming up real soon. Hopefully they'll find the next Kelly C, Carrie U, David C or Kris A. wc10 watches as much as he can before filming for Season 4!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Paths of Glory meets Da Vinci

" I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing enough is not enough; we must do. " - Leonardo Da Vinci

"You can never be too early, only too late. " - Paths of Glory, Jeffrey Archer

" I'm sitting in a tiny tent some 27 300 feet above sea level, and almost 5000 miles from my homeland, seeking the paths of glory. Even if i were to find them, it would be nothing as, if i am unable to share the moment with you. " - G.L. Mallory's last letter.

It has been quite a while since i last updated my blog. But don't worry, it's not going to be dead; and writing has always been one of my passion. So, you'll expect that the year 2010 will be another year with lots and lots more writing.

At times, i wonder which direction should my blog take. Am i in the right path?


I have just completed reading Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer and i can tell you that i am much spellbound by his story-telling capability. It was my first time reading Archer and this had surely set me rolling onto his other books! What impressed me in this book is, it's not any ordinary fictitious story, but a story that inspires. The spotlight was on George Mallory throughout the story and as the story continues on, i felt myself being in the shoes of the respectable main character.

When the time came, he was caught between fulfilling his lifelong dream and to stay with the family he loved entirely.

This story opens my eyes to the life of a mountaineer. It gives vivid details of the ascend and descend of their expedition. George Mallory was reckoned as the best mountain climber at that time and he was finally given the chance to be the first man to step on the summit of Mount Everest. When the story unfolds, we will know what happened in the end. George Mallory's body was found in 1999, buried in the mountain, but there was no photograph of his wife, Ruth.

Towards the end of the story, we will know that George Mallory promises to place the photograph of his wife on Mount's summit. Here lies the big question, did he manage to reach the summit and place the photograph on top of the world? You have to read to believe.

Apart from his climbing enthusiasm, this story upholds many other elements. We can feel the friendship shared between George and Guy, and his other climbing members. His passion towards teaching and the importance of education, and the rights for females to education. His sacrifice for a friend in danger that had caused him to lose out the chance to be the man who reaches the highest level a man has ever achieved. His leadership skill while taking the role as a climbing leader. Despite all, it was his loyalty to his wife and the love to his family that touches the most. George Mallory loved his wife tremendously and to him, she was his 'waking morning and setting sun'. He writes to her whenever he goes on an expedition, leaving Ruth, two daughters and a son behind for about six months. It was the last letter that he sent before he died in the climb that really made me fall for this book.

In fact, the epilogue was so good that it summed up everything and leaves with a note that will be nailed to the memory. To be honest, the last letter displayed Archer's excellent potential to be a writer of love, head to head with Nicholas Sparks!



Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the man i truly admire. He was more than an architect, he's an engineer; more than a painter, he's a visionary. The National Science Centre held an exhibition about him and i took this opportunity to discover and learn more about him. I mean, who can ever be bored with the Mona Lisa?

They even had a gallery just focusing on the Mona Lisa, and i had learnt more than i expected.

As we entered, there was a short documentary about the Mona Lisa and that had elevated my interest. We were shown his life journey, his contribution to the aviary world, his sketches on the human body- unfortunately there wasn't the Vitruvian Man, his contribution during the war times and his inquisitive mind that pioneered much design for today.


It was RM 20 for a child, quite pricey, but the tour around the exhibition sure is worth the price! We spent nearly two hours around the National Science Centre before leaving for home.

Because of my visit to the Da Vinci exhibition, i had left out my chance to see the partial solar eclipse. But, no regrets!

wc10 is seeking for his path of glory and, as far-fetched as it sounds, to be like Da Vinci!


P.S.: My results for Season 3 had just released and i am ecstatic to say that it scored 4 stars!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Here Comes 2010...

" Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. " - Hal Borland

" Your general lack of hygiene or the fact that you steal my clothes? " - Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes

How did you celebrate the New Year's day? Did you go for any countdown celebration, be it in a private party or a public gathering? Realizing how time actually progressed, it marked the end of the decade, which means there will no longer be any two thousand with a single digit ending, and most certainly the year 2009.

It was planned within a day. I was free, and my friends had no plans either. So, we decided that it would be nice to get together for a cozy dinner. We had Korean barbeque in Beewon Restaurant, Korean Village. The food was nice, and so was the price. After dinner, we headed to UKRC to play basketball- yup, near midnight. And continued to play 'Big 2'- a little early for CNY may be. There was another private function held in UKRC and at the stroke of midnight, we counted-down together and blasted the poppers! From where i stood, i could see the fireworks display as far as to KLCC.

On the day before, it was another sudden arrangement to watch Sherlock Holmes. It was an entertaining watch. What's nice in the movie is the relationship shared between Holmes and Dr Watson. Dr Watson appears to be a doctor who is clean and proper. Holmes, on the contrary, appears reserved and messy. Along with witty lines and humorous jokes, i couldn't concentrate on some parts of the show due to my laughing. Apart from that, Holmes' deductive approach to solving mystery somehow tickles the heart and makes you go 'wow'. The movie was approximately two hours long, but it sure didn't feel like it then.

Sherlock Holmes!

Excellent acting...

Pictures from RottenTomatoes.

As for the storyline, it kept me guessing until the last bit. Thankfully, they revealed and answered all possible questions. It seemed like 'magic' was in this show for real. Conspiracies. Adventure. Sufficient action scenes like sword swaying and gun shooting to keep you entertained. Excellent casting- Robert Downey Jr fits into Holmes' shoe just fantastically and Jude Law as Dr Watson. Credits to other cast members too!

Weeks before, we organized a picnic to the Titiwangsa Lake. It was a nice outing as it was the time we could catch-up on each others' lives after separating into our own paths. We'll keep in touch!

A group shot after picnic. We played Ultimate and Bluff after that too, thanks to J for bringing.

Any new year resolutions? How many have you crossed out on last year's list? While we enjoy the new year, let us all reflect on what we had done over the year, the good deeds and the achievements. As for the bad, we should forgive but not forget so that we will never repeat the same mistake this year.

wc09 bids farewell and wc10 wishes you Happy New Year!