Human Trash!

I think it was almost three years back when my grandmother from my father's side was robbed by this crook who lives a few blocks away. For those of you who know Taiping, my grandma lives in Taman Sri Kota, while that crook lives in Pokok Assam. So, you can imagine how near their homes are.

It all started one Friday morning when grandma was drying the laundry at the backyard. Then this Chinese couple stopped by. The man spoke to grandma in Tamil, and asked her if there was any house for rent nearby. While the man had grandma distracted with their conversation, the lady tried to slyly take off grandma's necklace that she was wearing. Grandma realized this and tried to grab her necklace back. But the effing man pushed grandma, and she fell into the drain. He and the lady then left, but not without taking grandma's ring as well.

Grandma is almost ninety and she could not get up by herself. She started crying for help. Thankfully a kind neighbour heard her and helped. The neighbour then called a distant relative and close family friend of ours who lives in the same lane to help out.

The daughter of the relative then phoned my parents. Mom was at home cooking and dad was at work. Dad was picking me up from school and rushed there straight away once he received the call. By the time we came, mom was already there. Grandma seemed fine and insisted she was, but mom and dad took her to the hospital anyway.

We then launched a police report. The police said they knew when to arrest the culprit, and that this was not the first time he robbed. Dad then went around asking friends who lived in the same area with that filthy human trash about him. It turned out he was a drug addict whose wife left him not too long ago, and he now lived with his mistress.

Dad often goes to Chinatown in Pokok Assam for his haircut or to buy snacks, and he often passes by that crook's house. Sometimes, he stares at the creep, just to make he know that people now are aware of his way of making a living. The crook never dared look back at dad.

You might think that the crook would now be too scared to even come near grandma. Well, you're wrong. A few months later, my aunt who lives with grandma was out watering the plants in the garden when this creep came with his motorcycle and stopped it right in front of the house opposite grandma's place. He then stared at the house for a few minutes, until my aunt realized he was there.

"Woi! Mahu curi lagikah?!" my aunt cried out at the top of her voice with agonizing anger. This attracted the other neighbour's attention. They quickly realized who the guy was. This is a good neighbourhood and crime rarely occurs. I dare say the incident involving grandma was a wake-up call for all the residents, and it was not easy to forget something like that ever happened in their own housing estate. All the neighbours who saw (or rather heard this) came out of their homes and tried to approach the crook. But the guy must have freaked out, and he zoomed away in his motorcycle.

I have no idea what took the police so long to arrest him. In fact, I don't think they arrested him at all. He does not live at his old place any longer. After stopping by at grandma place for the second time that day, we launched another police report. Dad asked why the crook had not been caught yet, and the officer on duty replied that his department had their own strategy and was waiting to carry out their plan. Huh?!

That is not the only time a grandma in my family got robbed. My other grandma from my mother's side also got robbed recently. And this time, the story is much more tragic!

There was the young guy who came to my grandparents house. He told my grandpa that he and his girlfriend were getting married in a simple ceremony at the waterfall temple at the foot of Maxwell Hill. Since both he and his girlfriend are supposedly orphans, there was no adults to bless them during the ceremony, and he wanted my grandma to follow him to the temple!

Alright! Both my grandparents did not know this guy at all and they have never seen them before in their whole lives! Grandma was not stupid enough to follow some stranger just like that. But grandpa, whose heart had grown weak (metaphorically, not literally) due to old age as my parents would say, coaxed grandma to follow this b**** to temple and bless his marriage. Finally, grandma obliged.

On their way via motorcycle, grandma told the crook that she knew the committee running the waterfall temple very well since one of her nephews was an active member there. Suddenly, the guy took another route and told grandma he was getting married in another temple. Grandma would have grown more suspicious by now.

The guy brought grandma all the way to a small lane heading towards King Edward school, the one near the district police headquarters with a church and a mosque, not too far away from Treacher Methodist school. The creep told grandma to get down from the motorcycle, and he threatened to kill her if she did not hand over all her jewelry to him at once.

Grandma panicked and started to weep. But people hardly use that lane even during peak hours due to the many construction work going on there. Nobody came to grandma's rescue. She handed over everything to that creep, and he left that poor old woman there all alone.

Fortunately, an uncle of mine was on his way back home after work. He usually would not use that lane because of all the construction sites, but for some reason he felt like using it on that particular afternoon. It was no doubt a blessing in disguise. The man must have been shocked to bits to see his elderly mother all alone there crying...

Poor grandma could hardly speak when my uncle asked her what she was doing there. She was stammering badly and tears kept flowing down her cheeks. My uncle quickly took her home. At night, the house was packed with family members and relatives. Everyone was shocked and angry at what had just happened. How can that creep have the heart to do such a thing to a helpless elderly woman?

My story does not necessarily imply that these criminals only target elderly woman. As we see in tabloids and on TV, anyone is a potential target. Even young women travelling in groups get attacked in broad daylight. Why, even men have been victimized before! Nobody is safe from these crooks. Their actions cannot be justified. I mean, come on! It is not right to push an elderly person into a drain, nor is it acceptable to con a helpless senior citizen. Curse these human trash! Curse them all until the day they repent! God bless...

My Favourite Director - Actor Collaborations

There are some high-profile Hollywood directors who often choose to collaborate with the same actor for multiple times. Most of the time, these movies they make together become big time blockbusters. Here are some of my favourite director - actor collaborations...

1) Tim Burton - Johnny Depp

Burton and Depp have worked together in seven movies. According to a producer, Depp is basically playing Tim Burton in all these movies. Their partnership has laster for over two decades, and is most probably the most iconic director-actor collaboration Hollywood has ever seen. For example, when I watch The Pirates of The Caribbean movies, it is hard to imagine that the trilogy was not directed by Burton, because Depp's interpretation of the character of Captain Jack Sparrow seems like something that Burton would have visualized! All seven movies have an that dark, larger than life atmosphere, which is what people love.

Johnny Depp might have been eager to drop his '21 Jump Street TV series' image, and his first movie with Tim Burton helped a lot!

I've never had the chance to watch this movie. But since it is a Burton - Depp collaboration, I'm really looking forward to buying the DVD (once I've found it, that is...)

"Why do you want to go up there (to the world of the living) while everyone is dying to come down here (the world of the dead)?" - My favourite line from the movie!

Who knows how many inches of foundation was required to make Depp's skin seem so flawless in his movie???

This is my favourite Burton - Depp movie, and most probably the darkest and most gruesome one of them all. Depp was excited to play the role of Todd because he liked the idea of a musical about a serial killer. Psycho, ain't it??

Not exactly Depp and Burton's best movie, but it was quite entertaining. Hopefully Anne Hathaway becomes one of Burton's frequent collaborators like Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

The weirdos that brought us seven weird movies... and that is a compliment!

2) Christopher Nolan - Christian Bale

When the Batman franchise was almost doomed thanks to horrible Batman and Robin, there came Christopher Nolan to save the day. After only directing two movies, it was surprising to see that Nolan brought life to the rebooted version of the Batman movies! Christian Bale was okay as Batman, but both Nolan and Bale have worked together on one more movie which, though not as famous at the Batman films, is one of my all-time favourite movies!

I love this movie!!! The twist end, which is not in the original novel, was completely logical, and yet so unpredictable!

Honestly speaking, this was not my favourite movie. I did not like the fact that Nolan took a superhero, family oriented franchise and turned it into a dark, mafia one.

Now, this is the movie that changed my mind about Nolan altogether! I fell in love with the Batman franchise all over again!! Apart from Nolan and Bale, the film's success would not have been possible without the late Heath Ledger's amazing (and not to mention iconic) performance as The Joker! Love the guy!

P/s: I even joined the Facebook group called Dear God: Please give us back Heath Ledger and we will give you Robert Pattinson!!! Hahahahaha.....

3) Martin Scorsese - Leonardo DiCaprio

I'm not really a fan of Scorsese and DiCaprio, because I'm not really into Italian-American mafia stories on Roman Catholic guilt and redemption, though I am a big fan of Titanic, Inception and Catch Me If You Can. But since Scorsese is considered one of the most significant filmmakers of his era, it should be worth mentioning him here.

Never watched this movie. But I would have loved to see Cameron Diaz in a dramatic role!

Never watched this movie either. But it is based on Howard Hughes's life, and it was both critically and financially successful. So, it should be worth the watch, right?

Never watched this as well. But it is hard to imagine that the remake of a blockbuster Hong Kong film could have become the front-runner of the year's Academy Awards. Must be a good movie too.

This is the only Scorsese - DiCaprio movie I have watched to date. I really liked it because it was not an Italian-American mafia movie. Not a bad movie, and really enjoyable. Leo would later play the role of an estranged man whose psycho wife died for the second time in Inception!

4) Ridley Scot - Russell Crowe

This duo has made two of my most favourite movies of all time - Gladiator and Robin Hood. It seems to me that this duo can make great action-packed drama period films. Their two other films - A Good Year and Body of Lies performed averagely at the box office and received generally mixed reviews only.

I can never find words to describe this movie. If you want to watch a true epic movie, you can never get better than this. The story, the acting, the visual effects, the action and not to mention the memorable background music - it all was a part of an amazing film!

My guess is that Scott and Crowe wanted to revive the glory of Gladiator via this movie. It was not a bad movie, but it just cannot compete with the epic beauty of Gladiator. Still, a fantastic film.

Never watched this film, but might have not been worth my time since it received mainly negative reviews. But don't judge me! I've enjoyed many mindless movies like Twilight and Rush Hour!

Never watched this too. But it was did much better compared to other anti-terrorism films like Rendition, Lambs for Lions and much more.

5) David Fincher - Brad Pitt

Fincher has his own style of creating really dark, intense movies. Brad Pitt has starred in two of these movies - Se7en and Fight Club. Pitt also acted in Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned them both Academy Award nominations. I have watched all three of their collaborations and they were all amazing.

I love dark movies, and I most probably have never seen a movie sooooooo.... dark. This is definitely not for light entertainment. This is the type of movie you might want to watch alone on a Friday night when it is raining outside.

Finch described Fight Club as a coming-of-age movie for adults. Until the end, I was confused on who was the real person, and who was the alter ego due to split personality. The movie's theme is the subject to various interpretation, and the way I interpret it makes it one of my most favourite movies.

When I first watched this melodramatic, autobiographic movie, I could hardly believe that it was directed by David Fincher! That guy who makes really dark movies??? I was like "What?!" But it is true. It may not be another one of his dark movies , but it certainly is my favourite Fincher movie.

P/s: Taraji P. Henson should have won that Oscar she was nominated for in this movie! She so deserved it!

Malay Dramas of the New Generation...

So all throughout this holidays, I have been watching lots of Malay dramas online? What?!! Malay dramas?? Kangga watching Malay dramas? I use to hate Malay dramas. Always the same storyline. Husband cheating on wife, a super rich person who lives in 'maksiat' but then 'insaf' during the 'puasa' month; then dies on Raya morning, supernatural incidents with a religious message as a lesson, siblings fighting over parents' property... yawn.......



The Samarinda slot on TV3 is a very good example of typical, traditional Malay drama plot line. I can't believe people actually watch these dramas to be frank. As quoted from one of my juniors who hate Malay dramas himself, "Cerita drama Melayu ni selalu sama, bro. Yang bertukarnya - pelakon. Cerita tetap sama dari zaman 80an sampailah hari ni!"

Boy he is right!

Some might think I'm being a little too emotional about all this - but I take this issue quite seriously. These local dramas does NOT reflect today's modern, progressive, moderately religious Malaysia society at all! For instance, the husband is mostly portrayed as being the right one, and the wife is always in the wrong; partly because she chooses NOT to obey her husband's words. She is the villain because she does not go by the norm that states man are born leaders (lelaki dijadikan sebagai pemimpin)...

Alright, first of all... let me say something. Men DO make good leaders. But why can't women be their equal? Is there any scientific study saying that men are naturally superior to women in being leaders??? Or is it just something you were taught growing up, and thus you blindly choose to follow it without finding out more about it yourself? Of course, when it comes down to religious affairs such as becoming priests, imams, muftis, pastors or rabbis, there should not be any compromise in choosing men since it is required as stated by our holy scriptures. But what about other things - like the very basic ones in our life like who should be the man of the house?

So why does the media, in this case the production houses that make these kind of dramas, choose to instill this kind of 'lapuk' and 'kolot' values in our society? Hello!!!!! Wake up people!!!!!!!! It's the 21st century for crying out loud.

And what about those STUPID dramas featuring women in power as dragon ladies? In most Malay dramas, women who are successful in their careers are often seen as lousy mothers and irresponsible wives, because they pay too much attention to their work. If producers can afford to have scripts where men who are successful in their careers also being successful in their family lives, why can't they do the same thing when it comes to women? If a career woman character does not cook for her husband and 'layan' him properly, she will be labeled 'isteri derhaka'. Goodness! What mindset???!!!

So enough of this old-fashioned local TV dramas. Lets talk about the new generation Malay dramas. I'm sure right now, most of you are picturing TV shows like Kami, Realiti, Gol dan Gincu, Ghost, Frontpage and Sindarella to name a few.



But why, you might ask, did I not include Nur Kasih in this list of new generation Malay dramas? Well, doesn't it offer the same storyline that caters for a traditional audience? Men with two wives, who are forced to accept their husband's status as a polygamist as part of being a good wife (isteri solehah), women seeking their husband's PERMISSION before doing something big, women obeying their husband's every word..... Yawn........

But still, you have to give it up for director Khabir Bhatia for his outstanding Hollywood-styled cinematography, melodramatic music score, beautiful foreign shooting locations and good looking cast.

Well come on, Khabir has a way in changing his themes for each movie or TV series he directs, right? For Cinta, Sepi, Frontpage and Setem - he seemed to be projecting more secular ideas, like unmarried couples hugging and holding hands, women dying their hair, girls in skimpy outfits and all that. But in Nur Kasih, he totally understood that he was going to cater to a whole new audience. And thus, he most probably (and successfully, if I may say) compromised with his secular mentality and adopted a more (more like, extreme) conservative mentality. Hahaha... its hilarious when you think about it.



Of course, as much as I like to poke fun at Kabir's changing mentality, his drama series Frontpage is admirable, and most probably one of the most under-appreciated TV series ever produced in Malaysia. There was not much hype circulating it. The storyline was amazing. Local reporters chasing after serial killers, terrorists, gangsters, murderers and so much more. Most episodes were also inspired were inspired by true events in Malaysia, like the Mona Fandey case. A very fresh idea too, if I may say. Hats off to Kabir for this brave attempt.



Realiti, in my opinion, was groundbreaking. With the overflow of reality TV shows in our country, it was brilliant to have a TV series dramatizing contestants of a reality singing competition. The writers also cleverly incorporated a gay character as well, and were quite liberal in portraying him and his sexuality in a good light. But what's so clever about it? Well, they used a Chinese, non-Muslim character! Hahaha... so if any religious fanatic was to condemn the show for its portrayal of homosexuals, the producers could always defend it by saying it was a non-Muslim character in question. How smart! But then again, to have something like this in the plot of a TV series that is almost 75% in Bahasa Malaysia... now that's what I call attitude!



Gol & Gincu was cute during its days, but it did not really have a strong storyline. But the director and cast were absolutely brilliant! Director Bernard Chauly did a good job in both the movie and the TV series. He understands the mindset of youngsters nowadays and caters to that. It is quite a pity he only has two films in his resume so far - the other being Pisau Cukur. All his movies and TV series portray a modern, contemporary and moderate Malaysian society.



I really hope he makes a TV series out of Pisau Cukur as well, just like what he did with Gol & Gincu. It would be fun to see the gold diggers Fazura and Maya Karin back in action!

But note this - Bernard's shows don't end how other Malay dramas and movies do; where the characters who have done wrong 'insaf' and turn over a new leaf. Like Fazura and Maya in Pisau Cukur, they stop being other men's mistresses - which implies they might have even bedded their sugar daddies. Oh!!!!!!! Fornication is not tolerated in our society!!!! But instead of suddenly performing prayer, or wearing a 'tudung' at the end of the movie, these girls just promise themselves they will try being independent instead - like in a Hollywood movie. Even Khatijah Tan's gay son is seen with his boyfriend at the end of the movie, implying they are no longer closeted or embarrassed in being together. Goodness! How revolutionary!!!!!!!



One of my personal favourites would be Ghost. And I'm talking about Season one, not Season Two which seems to be lifted from Ghost Whisperer. Who knew Abang Naz and Kak Cheryl (as what I like to call them since they hosted kids shows back in the late 90s), Malaysia's top TV hosts can really act? The mystery and suspense is excellent and in par with anything Hollywood can produce. Sadly I did not watch the complete season for I had to attend National Service. But I am currently catching up with the show online.



And how could anyone not mention or even think about Kami: The Series? This show was a phenomenon. Everyone could relate to the show back at school! The portrayal of the teenagers in the show was extremely realistic, which is why everyone at school felt as if they were represented in the show via one of the characters. There was the bad boy, the quite one, the popular chick, the outgoing girl, the moody one... Wow! The movie as the finale to the series was just the toping of the cake.

It is sad to say that to date, there still isn't any local drama series that can inherit Kami's iconic status. Grown-ups might not know much about this show, but for youngsters like myself, this show was and still is a LEGEND!

Most of this TV series are produced by Popiah Pictures or Red Films. They use a mix of English and Bahasa Malaysia dialog, just like what is spoken by Kuala Lumpur people. They have a strong message to convey to the public as well - and their ideas are very secular mind you. Like Kami for instance, till the end of the show, the fact that the kids go clubbing at night is not condemned. Only the use of drugs and juvenile crime is portrayed negatively. Unlike your usual Malay drama, there hardly any scenes showing the characters deep in prayer to signify they have 'insaf' and learnt their lesson. Instead, the director relies more on the hear-to-heart talks between the characters to send out a message, which I think is pretty cool. But some Godly elements won't harm the flow and tonne of the show.

So, akhir kata I would like to congratulate people like Bernard Chauly, Kabir Bhatia, the guys that run Popiah Pictures and Red films for all these amazing shows you have come up with. Do carry on the good job. You guys rock

P/s: Ampun maaf kepada mereka yang mungkin tersinggung dengan isi entry ini. Adalah diperingati yang segala yang tertulis di sini hanyalah pendapat penulis semata-mata untuk dikongsi bersama dan bukan untuk menyinggung perasaan atau menyentuh sensitivit mana-mana pihak. Terima kasih.

Lagenda Negeri Semboyan

Al-kisah sebuah negeri yang kaya dengan hasil bumi dan kedudukannya yang strategik di antara laluan kerajaan-kerajaan terkuat di rantaunya. Nama negeri itu Semboyan....

Meskipun kaya dan maju dalam pelbagai segi, Semboyan dengan mudah jatuh ke tangan penjajah akibat pergolakan politik antara pembesarnya. Penjajah pun membawa masuk pekerja dari dua buah negeri jajahannya yang lain, iaitu dari Melawati dan Suvarnabumi, untuk memperkembang sektor ekonomi Semboyan yang sememangnya berpotensi tinggi.

Namun menjadi adat penjajah yang mengambil kesempatan terhadap hasil kekayaan sumber bumi tanah air puak Semboyan dan kerajinan puak Melawati dan Suvarnabumi. Lalu, pemimpin berpengaruh dan berpendidikan tinggi daripada ketiga-tiga puak ini bersatu-padu lalu berjuang demi kebebasan negeri Semboyan daripada kuasa penjajah.

Selain kebebasan, para pemimpin juga memperjuangkan penyatuan antara ketiga-tiga puak ini. Pemimpin puak peribumi Semboyan memperakui kerajinan dan kebijaksanaan puak Melawati dan Suvarnabumi yang telah banyak menyumbang ke arah pembangunan ekonomi dan sosial negeri Semboyan, lalu bersetuju untuk memberikan hak kerayatan kepada dua buah puak ini.

Sebagai balasan, pemimpin puak Melawati dan Suvarnabumi setuju untuk memperakui hak istimewa puak peribumi Semboyan dalam beberapa hal seperti pendidikan, perniagaan dan banyak lagi. Dengan itu, termeterailah perjanjian antara ketiga-tiga puak ini dan akhirnya negeri Semboyan bebas daripada cengkaman penjajah.

Puak Melawati dan Suvarnabumi bersyukur pada Maha Pencipta kerana memberikan peluang untuk memulakan kehidupan baru di negeri Semboyan. Rakyat berketurunan puak Melawati yang bijak dalam selok-belok perniagaan dan perdagangan banyak menyumbang ke arah pembangunan ekonomi negeri baru mereka. Ramai rakyat berketurunan puak Suvarnabumi pula menjadi tok guru, kerani, pakar ubat dan buruh kasar, meskipun mereka antara rakyat paling miskin di negeri Semboyan.

Malangnya selepas beberapa tahun, timbul ketidakpuasan antara pemimpin peribumi Semboyan yang mengaku kononnya wujud ketidaksamarataan dalam pembahagian harta negara antara ketiga-tiga puak ini. Para pemimpin peribumi Semboyan merasakan ahli puak mereka ketinggalan jauh berbanding dua puak yang lain, terutamanya kalau dibandingkan dengan puak Melawati.

Akhrinya, wujud pertelingkahan antara puak peribumi Semboyan dan puak Melawati. Hasilnya, kerajaan negeri tersebut memperkenalkan beberapa undang-undang baru bagi membangunkan puak Melawati. Wang diberikan kepada mereka untuk memulakan perniagaan serta peruntukan khas diberikan untuk menuntut ilmu dan berkerja untuk kerajaan.

Justeru itu, negeri Semboyan mendapat nama buruk di mata dunia. Meskipun terkenal sebagai negeri yang pesat membangun dalam semua aspek, Semboyan dikatakan mendriskiminasikan puak-puak kecilnya. Hasilnya, sejarah pun berulang. Bantuan kuasa luar diminta oleh sesetengah pihak yang tidak berpuas hati dengan layanan yang diberikan, lalu negeri Semboyan sekali lagi kehilangan maruah dan kedaulatannya sebagai negeri yang merdeka....

2003-2007: We made culture in SMKTT...

I don't know why.... but I miss you guys!!!!!!!!!!

Who, to be exact? They are the servants of God that go by the name Tung Yan Yee, Yuvaneshk Krishnan and Lavanya Manogaran.

I miss those good old times when we use to skip assembly and hang out at the library. Gosh! Those were the good old days. When I look back, I can only remember how happy I felt just being around you guys. For the first time, I felt like I did not need to put on a mask. I could be myself and you guys excepted me for who I was...

Guilty pleasure was a common feeling whenever you guys were around me. Remember how we use to share the latest, juiciest gossip? We had good connections now didn't we? We were always the first to know the latest hookups, breakups, misunderstandings, fights... you name it!

When we look back, our school had some kind of a caste system, right? A food chain in a manner of speaking. Those from the Elite company for Kadet Remaja Sekolah (KRS) were the popular kids. Everyone wanted to be friends with them. And we use to gossip about them all the time. I mean, so much was was happening in than group, right?

I don't mean to brag, but even though we were never top of this so-called food chain, but we can consider ourselves as the Brahmins of the caste system, right? Everyone noticed us and looked up to us to a certain extend. Yee was the head prefect for us librarians. Yuvaneshk was very much respected for being everyone's big brother. (Everyone called him Brother, remember? Hahahaha.... It was so cute!)... Lavanya and I were blessed to be such close peers.

I also miss our larger group. The Moral class gang - Shashi was like our leader wasn't she? She kept us all together. Then there was also the controversial Sharmi, the popular Janice, the sweet Rajes, the funny Senna... You know I'm actually crying as I type all your names. It just brings back so many sweet memories...

But we were not a racist group now were we? We had plenty of Malay friends as well. I knew I had! Remember Jazza - the glam queen of our batch? Hahahaha... not only did everyone want to be her friend... it was great to be her friend!! She was such a nice girl! Then there was Amalina! Sue and Pija were most close to me of the lot - and we still are good friends. And who could forget Dayah - our head prefect. She was such an angel.

Then of course, there was my best friend-emy, as I would call him. Hatim.... both my pal and my rival! Hahahahaha.... how can I ever forget that clown? One second he would make me feel like the happiest being on earth, the next he would turn my world into a living hell!!!!!!!!! He was the GOSSIP QUEEN man!

And there was also my twin from another mother - Hidayat. Haha... why twin??? We were born on the same day! He never thinks bad of others. Now that is a real good boy. Such an angel. I often wonder why, regardless of the fact we were born on the same day, was I not blessed with such a pure heart. Weird isn't it how the Lord works...

Right! So why am I suddenly so sentimental? Well, let me be straight. My relationships at college were never as strong as they were back during school times. Sure I had great friends! And even greater juniors. I cherish them with all my heart and God bless their good souls. I don't really know how to say this... but it was never the same like when I was at school with you guys.

At school, I didn't have to wear a mask and be a hypocrite. I could be who I want and I felt no obligation to please anyone by behaving the way that would please them. Sure, I know there were a number of guys who disliked me. But here's the thing - I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THAT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!

Why? Because I had you guys to have my back at all times...

Now, the world seems lonely. I seem to have the tendency to want to please everyone. I am desperate to have everyone like me! Also, due to the existence of various cliques, it seems hard to get along with everyone. Sure, we had cliques back at school too. But everyone could get along with everyone, right? The naughty Mat Rempits from Lavanya's class could click just fine with the nerdy book worms from my class.

There were even some teachers who were hated didn't we? Hahahaha.... and not to mention their kids studying at our school! Gosh! They gave us a hard time remember? Always trying to spread rumours and make fun of us for not being as smart as them! And what did we do? We returned the favour... triple the affect! We gave them hell! Remember our last camping at school? We had a mock funeral? Boy we were such devils!!!!!!!!!!

Now, everyone has gone their separate ways. If I'm not mistaken, we have four to five friends overseas now doing their degree. I will be joining them in a couple of months time. Apart from my family and home, I will really miss you guys...

And did I mention how hard it is to hold a decent reunion these days? Gosh!!! Everyone is just so buys running their own lives, aren't they? Don't get me wrong. I'm not just mad at you guys. I'm also mad at myself! There is always something to do that seems more important.

Last but not least, I would like to say...

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!! WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M NOT DONE YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where in the world is Lavanya????? Some say she's in Singapore working. But nobody can get in touch with her.... Oh gosh!

Now I got to go bed and cry my heart out... and hopefully I will have sweet dreams of spending time with you guys. At least, that is the closest I can get to spending time with you all. God bless....

Raavanan: Not the best of the best, but definitely a treat!

When Vikram's back was shown on screen, the hooligans in the cinema just went crazy. I don't usually watch Tamil and Hindi films in the cinema, but this was embarrassing. After all, this is a proper cineplex at a proper shopping mall, not some ancient cinema down town tucked at one corner! Those hooligans definitely need to learn a lesson or two on how to behave in public. Whistling and making monkey sounds when your favourite actor appears on screen is labeled 'normal' by my aunt who often goes to the cinema to watch Tamil movies. Gosh! What if our Malay and Chinese friends see this? What would they think? It is embarrassing enough that these same species of hooligans make a havoc each time there is a festival at their local Hindu temples and become a disgrace to the Indian community, now we have these dumbos acting like maniacs in cinemas! Sh*t!

Wait a minute! This was supposed to be a movie review! What the hell am I doing acting like a moral police over here? Hahahahaha... sorry. Got a little too emotional a minute ago. Well, someone has got to stand up and question something wrong in our society - just like in Tamil movies. Huhuhuhu....

Fine, so to be honest the movie does not meet the expectations of a Mani Ratnam film. But it was not a disappointment though. Usually Mani Ratnam's film are both entertaining with an important social message. In Raavanan, there is an important social message but not much entertainment qualities. It was not as if we were expecting a Vijay-styled masala flick. Not from Mani Ratnam at least. But when compared to Mani's previous film; Guru, Raavanan is less of a good movie. Let's evaluate the many departments of the film shall we?

Narration:

Alright. So we all know the story is a modern taking of the Hindu epic Ramayana. There is also a major twist in the film - Raman is the villain and Raavanan is the hero. Of course, some schools of Hinduism view Raavanan as more than a villain, but no Hindu would ever label Raman as a villain! He is an avatar of a deity! So, in order to avoid from taking any offence from the movie's plot, it is best to not view the film as anything to do with the Hindu epic. Mani Ratnam and his wife, Suhashini; who wrote the dialogues are both atheists. So, both of them would not have any inner conflict in making a movie such as this.

Did you know the movie was initially named Ashokavanam? Well if you are not well-versed with the Hindu holy scriptures, then let me tell you that Ashokavanam is the place in Lanka where Sita was kept by Raavanan when she was kidnapped by him and brought here. Sita mostly spent her time under an Ashoka tree, thus the name Ashokavam. Since most of the story takes place in the jungle where the heroine(Sita) is kept, it would have been more creative and artistic to name the film Ashokavanam. But perhaps Mani Ratnam wanted to parallel the film to its Hindi version which is titled Raavan. Thus, the film is named Raavanan.

Like every other Mani Ratnam movie, Raavanan has a powerful story. Since it is based on the Ramayana epic, the main characters are based on these Hindu icons:

Raavanan : Veeraya (Vikram Kennedy)
Sita : Ragini (Aishwarya Rai)
Prince Rama : Dev Prakash (Prithiviraj Sukumaran)
Hanuman : Gnanaprakasam (Karthik Muthuraman)
Kumhbakarna : Singarasan (Prabhu Ganesan)
Suparnakha : Vennila (Priyamani)
Vibishana : Sakkarai (Munna)
Lakshmannan : Hemanth Kumar (John Vijay)
Lady Rakshas: Raasathi (Vaiyapuri)

There are no boring scenes. Every scene contributes to the power of the story. Most scenes are extremely melodramatic. Like when Ragini realizes she has bee kidnapped by the three outcast brothers - Veeraya, Singarasan and Sakkarai. Ragini starts to recite some poem on bravery or something - I think it must be from the Ramayana epic itself. I'm not so sure. But it seemed a little too overdone. Tamil-movie-goers who only like masala films and are not fully well-versed with the vocabulary of art films might find all this boring.

Unlike most Tamil films today which uses English dialogues, Raavanan hardly has any of this. In fact, most of the dialogue is in pure Tamil with the Thirunalveli accent. Most of the lines are very dramatic, not to mention poetic.

Music:

Now let's not compare this movie's music direction to other AR Rahman musicals. It seems like Rahman has focused more on the background music than on the songs. Rahman uses native African, Red Indian and Bali music to set the atmosphere of the film - which is set mostly in the highland jungles of south India.

Veera, Usire Poghudey and Kalvare are typical AR Rahman masterpieces. Veera is an energetic number and Usire Poghudey has catchy Afican tribalistic tunes in it. But my personal favourite is Kalvare, which is a slow melodramatic number. The choreography of this song performed by Aishwarya Rai and choreographed by the famous dancer turned actress Shobana. Her Bharanatyam routine was flawless, not to mention stunning - according to my sister who studies the dance.

Acting:

People who don't know who the director is would have definitely expected a complete entertainment based film. After all, the cast includes among two of the hottest actors in the Tamil film industry - Vikram Kennedy and Prithiviraj Sukumaran. Not to mention two of yesteryears' most successful actors - Prabhu Ganesan and Karthik Muthuraman. Even National Award Winner Priyamani is in this movie. And of course there is the real star of the film - Aishwarya Rai. After becoming the Queen of Bollywood and making it big internationally after staring in The Pink Panther 2 alongside Steven Martin, and not to mention becoming the ambassador for various products such as Lo'real Paris, Lux and so muc more, the fact that she is staring in a humble Tamil film will definitely boost the image of the Tamil film industry, which is revered by Tamilians all around the globe.

Vikram is okay as Veerayah, the tribal leader fighting for his people's rights. He plays the heroic and agresive aplha male once again like in most of his films. He is both scary and funny each time he appears on scree. But bear in mind this movie was filmed back to back scene by scene with the Hindi version, in which Vikram plays Dev Prakash instead. This means he has to play two roles at once - one the hero and another the villain in two different languages mind you! You've got to give the man some respect for that.

This is Aishwarya Rai's first Tamil film in ten years. Her last Tamil film was Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 which was a massive hit. Note that all her Tamil films are AR Rahman musicals. She is beautiful as Ragini, Dev Prakash's wife even though it is widely known that she did not use even a touch of make-up during the jungle scenes. She gives justice to the role as the brave and sensitive Ragini. Her blue eyes speaks emotion for her. In an interview she knew Tamil as in konjum konjum teriyum. In this movie, she took some private tutoring to brush up her Tamil. She managed to speak the language like a native speaker. Amazing indeed. Just like her two heroes, she too performed her stunts by herself. One scene where she climbs a waterfall with Vikram is shot so beautifully it will take your breath away.

Prithiviraj does a good job but does not shine as bright as his two other co-stars. He may be acting as the husband of Aish's character, but in real life he is ten years her junior! But he looks matured enough to act as her husband. It is only revealed that his character has a darker side towards the end of the film. In one particular scene where he walks into the jungle and pretends to make peace with one of his enemies, his facial expression might give audiences the creeps as we all know he plans to kill the enemy in cold blood. The sinister smile on his seemingly sincere face to make peace totally freaked me out!

The cast of supporting characters boosts a line of popular actors like Karthik, Prabhu and Priyamani. Karthik and Prabhu brought some comic relief to the extremely dark film. Karthik was jumping like a monkey form one tree to another in reference to Hanuman. Prabhu also delivers some funny lines like when he scolds Aish for her rudeness and disobedience towards him and his brothers. Despite having limited screen time, Priyamani did a wonderful job in her role. In fact, just like in the original Ramayana, it is this character which is the main reason of the conflict between the good and the bad of the story. I will not tell much here, but it may seem a little too predictable to some.

Cinematography:

Santosh Sivan is most probably the real star of this movie. If our Tamil stars had not come on screen, you might even think it is a Hollywood film! The camera has successfully captured the beauty of the jungle and also the chillness of the highlands. The film was shot at some of the most beautiful parts of India like Ooty and Kerala. Even the stunning action sequences are shot to perfection. A fight-scene between out two leads on a hanging bridge a few thousand miles above sea level can be considered the highlight for the cinematography of the film.

Conclusion:

It has been a few days since the film has been released and it has received mostly mixed reviews. It might be an average grosser. All I would like to say is this movie is not for the average Tamil movie fan. It has no masala film elements in it. It is more of an art film staring A-listers. I would stronly recommend this movie to those who are:

- fans of Mani Ratnan films
- fans of Vikram, Aishwarya Rai and Prithiviraj
- fans of AR Rahman's background music
- fans of art films
- those who expect something new and fresh from the Tamil film industry

Go enjoy the film... Lots of love from mua!!!

Alright. So I have three months for myself to spend time with my family before I leave for the UK to study. I never expected my aunts to throw me a special birthday party to celebrate my turning to 20!

Aaaaarrrrrggggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!! I'm twenty now! TWENTY!!!!!! Means no more 'teen' at the back of my age, which also meant I'm no longer a teenager. I'm officially a young adult. One part of being mature is to know your own downturns. And I know for a fact my major downturn is I'm not mature enough to be a young adult. I'm an emotionally unstable human being with a tendency to be highly dramatic to the extend I at times loose control over myself.... Young adult?? Wekkk!!!

So the very next day, my father, uncle and aunts took my siblings, cousins and I to Penang.