yes, I'm back (with a tiny little opinion)

It's been more than a year, so this subject must be important enough for me to start blogging.

I have never been so sickened by such a biased movie review. And that's the reason why I am writing this post. Yes, the movie is Tanda Putera and the review is by a Malay Mail columnist, Erna Mahyuni.

I read the review first before watching the movie. In a way, the review inspired me to watch it because it depicted the movie as an RM5 million "schlock". I was intrigued. So I watched it at Summit USJ because Subang Parade MBO wasn't showing it *shame on you MBO* with the hubs and around 13 other people in the audience on a Monday night.

My verdict: bad casting, mediocre acting, pathetic cinematography (are all Shumi's films like this? Don't think I've watched any) and I failed to relate to any of the fictitious characters. But what Tanda Putera delivered, it delivered with a punch - the message that mob mentality can trigger a deadly domino effect and the noble sacrifices of leaders past.

And what it did not deserve was that scathing and flawed review by Erna Mahyuni. Even her opening statement of 13 May being UMNO's "favourite bogeyman" goes to show that she is biased from the very beginning. Bogeymen aren't real, they're conjured up momoks to scare your kids, but 13 May my dear Erna was very much a real incident and you were not there to experience it first hand.

And no, Tanda Putera is not all about May 13th, contrary to popular belief - it was mainly about the lives of both the late Tun Razak and Tun Dr Ismail. So yes Erna, we can't detail out who's who in the Communist party and its "contribution" to our history, you might want to get someone to make a movie and focus on totally that. The New Village perhaps? 

She also wrote that the movie was one-sided and depicted the Chinese as "ungrateful" and "easily swayed by the evil Communists". Now this is ultimate bullshit. One scene shows how a Chinese farmer refused to disclose a very important information to the Communists which led to his own untimely demise. Were you snoring when this scene came out, Erna?

And by no means there were other scenes that show the Chinese as ungrateful, not even a dialogue equally cringeworthy to the headline of the year "Apa lagi Cina mau?". Shumi did make a feeble attempt at showing inter-racial friendship and how the May 13 issue affected it. So no, I did not feel that Tanda Putera vilify or demonise the Chinese, unless of course Erna could not differentiate between the Chinese and the Communists.

She also condescendingly wrote: "The biggest travesty about Shumi's script is that it paints two of our greatest statesmen as pompous idiots who do not trust their wives."

Now this is where she fails to understand the psyche of the Malay husband / leader at that time. No darling, that was not an era of metrosexuality. It is common for husbands, what more they who hold important position, to not talk to their wives about ANYTHING at all. And that does not mean that they do not trust them - that's just how the way husbands are at that time. And pompous? I suggest you all go watch the movie yourself and judge.

Like a big bully picking on a small fry, Erna's review was a disdainful attempt at creating a bogeyman out of Tanda Putera, a malicious piece that will cause non-Malays to not even consider watching the movie. I believe it was written will ill intention and in all honestly, between Tanda Putera and Erna's review, the latter is the one that can be deemed racially divisive. Watch the movie and you will see what I mean.

But of course, I am Malay and could not get anything through my thick skull.

The biggest travesty about Shuhaimi’s script is that it paints two of our greatest statesmen as pompous idiots who do not trust their wives. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/a-review-of-tanda-putera-a-film-that-takes-liberties-with-the-truth#sthash.NVduEyW5.dpuf

The biggest travesty about Shuhaimi’s script is that it paints two of our greatest statesmen as pompous idiots who do not trust their wives. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/a-review-of-tanda-putera-a-film-that-takes-liberties-with-the-truth#sthash.NVduEyW5.dpuf

mysterious ways

When I sit and stare and watch the world go by, I always think: God works in mysterious ways.

One day you're in love, and next day you lose that person, and five years down the road you know why God saved you from being with him. Both of you were just not meant to be. Looking back, if you're still with that person, your life would just be worse off in all aspects. Star-crossed lovers, as the story goes.

Then you fall in love with someone else, who you think will be able to love you unconditionally, only to find out later that you are absolutely wrong.

Disillusioned, played, blinded. 

But then again, he has given you everything you needed - comfort, material things, company, security, someone there for you all the time, every time. He can give you the world, but never his whole heart.

So you live with it, you soldier on, these mysterious ways.

 One of my Bali photos. Taken at Tanah Lot.

And then we went to Perhentian, where I dived at Sugar Wreck for the first time.

Here I am trying to post an entry on the second last day of my almost weeklong Bali getaway.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, although as hubs put it this was a "forced vacation" as it was supposed to be for a conference he had to attend, and then cancelled.

Glad we managed to do two dives, although only in Nusa Dua, and can't wait for another round of body massage tomorrow.

More pics in next entry when I get back to KL!



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Location:Island of the gods

holding on

I am quite sure that most of you have witnessed this incident.

A little stray cat comes up to a person in an eatery, and then the person shoos it away. Kitty comes back, meowing. Then the person gives a slight nudge to the kitty with his feet. Kitty loses its balance, and then comes back looking unperturbed. Irritated, the person gave it a stronger kick, screaming "Stupid cat!" at the kitty. It walks away for a while, and comes back again.

To persevere, to hold on, to face the pain in the name of love - does it constitute weakness?

Sometimes it doesn't, because one day that Kitty will be big enough to bite back.

scars

Time may heal but scars are forever.



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those three words

I've tweeted "those three words" before and most people thought I was in need of an "i love you" or "i miss you" or even "i hate you"!

Whenever I'm down in the dumps or in situations that overwhelm me to the core, all I need is....

"Are you okay?"

And that is all.

dusting the cobwebs

If there was an award for Neglected Blog of the Year this would be it.

And whenever I post an excuse of why I neglected you dear blog, there will always be a NEW reason. And this time the NEW reason is because we've been travelling too much that I barely have the time to blog. But of course, the main reason is because I was too busy whacking flies on Twitter.

Back to the travels... no, we haven't been diving at all in 2012! The good news is The Diver has planned for an end June trip to Bali, and we're booked for a November dive trip to our annual pilgrimage - Mabul/Sipadan.

After Bangkok, we flew to London for my FIL's convo, then I went for an all-girls trip to Phuket and after that a freeloader trip to Singapore (freeloader cuz it's all paid for by The Diver's company).

London was superb.

Fave London pic :P

Phuket was too short!

And Singapore was amazing. Cuz we had Lamb Shawarma (quite close in taste to the Taza ones in London) and I raided H&M for two straight days.

And now, I'm so looking forward to Bali!