of limitless possibilities and untold memories.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
We meet many people along the way. Some left footprints worth reminiscing, others left scars worth erasing.
After an evening with my girls, shopping and watching a movie, I took a cab home, in hopes of enjoying the serenity of red lights snaking their way through the expressways.
After telling the driver my destination, I was mentally preparing myself for tomorrow, secretly mourning over waking up early in the morning, the 2 hour ride, the morning human traffic and so on.
“Going home?”
Tired, I replied politely, “Yes.”
“Me too.”
Diagonally from the backseat, I could only see less than half of his features. The creases that crawl up his face suggest he’s in his 50s. I looked at the screen for his name, a habit I adopted since forever. Mr. Afgan asked questions which require one-word answers. Somehow, the intervals of silences between the questions became rhythmic and developed into a pattern. After quickly studying the pattern, I decided to turn the awkward silences into conversation.
“So where do you live?” I asked, stretching the conversation.
“Hougang.”
“Oh wow, that’s very near, you’re lucky,” I smiled, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to see me in the dark. However, I know he could tell I’m smiling. “From morning?”
“Yes, from morning, everyday it’s like that.”
“Same old thing huh. Life… A routine.”
“Life is cruel.”
I froze, thinking where this conversation is heading. Mr Afgan went on, “Do you agree that life is cruel?”
“Yes, it is. Partly.”
Somehow, I feel negative ions heating up the cab. I changed topic.
“So, how long have you been driving?”
“About 5 years. I was retrenched. You know, one day they told me to pack my bag and leave. ‘Enough was enough’ they said,” he chuckled, with not a pinch of dishonesty.
“So what were you doing then?”
“I was with Singapore Telecom.”
He asked if I’m working tomorrow, and I complained abut having to wake up early in the morning and so on. I asked for directions to get to Singapore Discover Centre from MRT station Joo Koon.
He asked if I’m enjoying what I do and gave a word of advice, “The most important thing is enjoy what you do. If you have a passion for it, it’s good… So where do you teach?”
We went on, talking about how I can’t stand primary school kids etc. I expressed my plans on furthering my studies. Delighted, he interrupted, “My friend is also studying, getting his PhD. Oh, he’s teaching too, at some JC, Millennia I think… Don’t know if you know him, Arzami.”
I was pondering, recalling, and mentally joining the dots of the name to faces. It sounded so familiar; I know I know someone by the name.
“He lives in Hougang too.”
Some loud bell rang in my densely occupied head.
“Oh! Daughter?”
“Huh?”
“He has daughters? 4 daughters?”
“Yes, yes.”
“He lives right opposite the CHIJ right?”
“Yes, yes”
What a small world. I explained that his daughter is one of my close friends during my Poly days. And that one of my Secondary School friend’s brother-in-law’s brother is him. I kept on exclaiming how small the world is. I asked how they got acquainted and Mr. Afgan said through some social work.
One thing led to another, he talked about soccer. So I asked which club he is supporting. Oh man. The Devils. When he came to know I’m a Liverpool fan, much to my surprise, he didn’t give any negative remarks. (Something my friends would do.) Perhaps, his tender age didn’t allow for him to do so.
We talked about soccer, how it brings people together. He told me of his younger years, when he played soccer with legends like Dollah Kassim and others. They played soccer, rain or shine. All he could think of was soccer. He recalled those times when the players were under Mr. Choo, Singapore’s coach then.
“Uncle, it’s so sad, my journey is coming to an end soon! You’re one of the best taxi drivers I’ve met, I met one last time, he drove me home twice in a week…” I talked, without breathing, “I want you to know that you made my night, really uncle. I enjoy talking to you!”
He smiled as he handed me the receipt, “What’s your name?”
“It’s Lela.”
“Ok Lela, goodnight, nice talking to you too. If you need me, ask Arzami for my number!”
“Sure, thanks uncle, good night!”
I came home all smiling, greeting Mom and Dad, telling them I had a good conversation with a cab driver. Engrossed with Singapore Idol, they ignored me. I looked like I just came back from a date with Josh Hartnett.
Ok wow. I talk a lot.
Well the point is… I enjoy having deep conversations with strangers, getting to know what matters the most to them, what are their perceptions on certain issues, etc.
With Mr. Afgan, we talked about a lot of things, life, work, soccer. I learnt something about him, and I feel contented. Long ago, I made a promise to myself, to make at least one person smile everyday. Like Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”
I see Mr. Afgan as more than just a taxi driver. He’s a fatherly figure, easy to relate to. In addition to that, he listens well to. When I think of the conversation we had, it’s like Mitch Albom and his professor, –or coach- Morrie Schwartz. If you have read Tuesdays With Morrie, you’d know what I mean. Oh man that book made me cry a lot of times!
I love conversations. It doesn’t have to be deep. It doesn’t have to be political. It doesn’t have to have to have a topic. It’s about sharing and knowing about things.
Mr. Afgan made a difference to my night tonight. I can’t explain the feeling, but it’s greater than great. I hope he smiles when he thinks of me, as much as he has carved the smile on my face right now, for I’ve vowed to make at least one person smile each day.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Fate succumbs many a species;
one alone jeopardises itself.
- W. H. Auden
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Fame = Lame(Contains Spoilers)Let’s see. It’s been awhile since I write reviews, but I shall clear the cobwebs in my head and recall whatever film theories I’ve learnt (long live Ms Ng!) in those Mass Comm years.
Years ago, I glued myself to the original video by Irene Cara (LOVE HER!) to grasp the choreography for a school production. That was how big a fan of Fame (1980) I was. My girls and I looked forward to every training session! We had some girls wanting to join us, but we could only settle for 6 dancers. Sorry! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTJHjuhCYos
If you have watched the original Fame (1980), you would probably anticipate for an equally good or better remake. Watching Fame (2009) left me speechless; aghast; for awhile. I couldn’t recall a scene in the movie that was poignant or remarkable. Thank God I got the ticket at student price. Still, I was cursing and swearing, besides singing along to the song, couldn’t even care less about the rolling credits.
Fame (2009) is forgettable. It is 3 High School Musicals all squeezed into 107 minutes. With predictable storylines and scripts (the actors mouthed me, I swear), there wasn’t enough time for audience to build any emotional connection with the characters or handpick any underdogs.
The film fails to bring out the essence of the original one. Don’t be fooled by the trailer – which was specifically aimed at its demographic audience – or the music video even. Whatever dance you see in the 3:27 minutes video are all that there are in the film, trust me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWMX7miPCs
Fame (2009) tries too hard to resemble plenty of dance movies out there. It doesn’t end there; it did a lot more worse by injecting too many characters, having everyone bear the brunt of the burden in shouldering the film through its ridiculous runtime.
The movie isn’t about a school with young hopefuls, it's about a fictitious institution flooded to the brim with painfully beautiful pimple-free youths and tons of hotties who pops like corn. It is packed with over-processed young actors with expensive haircuts and wardrobe. Nothing memorable occurs. This should have been called "Fame: Another High School Musical"
In the original film, a handful of personalities burst onto screen and their characters were revealed as layers peeled away. This remake is a giveaway, much to my surprise.
Here are SOME of the one-dimensional characters (I can’t even grasp half of their names, and I’m not the only one)
- A cliché black guy who is full of torment and angst that his father left him, all rebellious and filled with wrath.
- A black girl who is forced to play classical piano by her parents when all she really wants to do is sing.
- A typical geeky video guy who always seems to have a camera in his hands when you see him. You would expect him to have all the good shots and angles, but no, his shots were amateur. It’s really not a wonder how such a novice gets scammed out of $5000!
- A male ballet dancer who tries very hard to impress his teacher and contemplated suicide when his career amounts to nothing. He might as well just jump for it would have brought something to this movie!
- A girl who pursues a role in Sesame Street despite having 3 more months to graduation. WHAT?!
- A young girl actress-wannabe-singer who starts singing in a little tiny voice all shy and quiet and still remains wooden after being in a supposedly good school, accepting the best of the best, or at least polishing uncut diamonds!
We're suppose to believe that after their graduation they're all "ready to make it" in the big, bad, unforgiving world of fine art performance. At the beginning of the movie, there goes the principal telling these newcomers that only hundreds were accepted from the thousands of hopefuls. She’s talking bull.
Unfortunately the output is pretty much the same as the input, save for a few characters, who turned into less-than-perfect gems overnight, with nary any focus on their transformation.
Fame (2009) should have focused more on the professional growth of each student over the years by spotlighting the student/teacher dynamic; not flaunting the futile personal endeavors of each student over a four-year span at a prestigious academy. So by the end, the school backdrop felt completely pointless because the students learned absolutely nothing to separate their senior level experience from the original insecurity of their auditions!
The movie lacks focus on the character development due to the influx of main characters. If there is a reduction in the number of characters, we would be able to see the main ones evolve. Clearly, there wasn’t enough screen time. I guess it was all touch-and-go due to the timeline. Fame (2009) is broken into four, “Freshman Year”, “Sophomore Year”, “Junior Year” and “Senior Year”. It would have been better if these are just omitted. “The movie could have been vastly improved by simply stripping out these time stamps.”
The script and dialogue is not any better. It is predictable. Like I mentioned earlier, the actors mouthed me. The plot feels forced and irrelevant to what the movie claims to be about. Though it is predictable, it bursts as a surprise too! Negatively. The cast had a lot of potential to become very likable characters but because of the poor script, their performances fall flat and fake.
The high points of this film are the cinematography and the film editing which are very good, but you forget about the look of the shots after all the mindless droning of the characters. I was really expecting the main characters to gel up and perform “Fame” but NO!
The choreography wasn't too bad but you can find much better in other films, say Honey, Take The Lead or Step Up.
Technically, director Kevin Tancharoen and cinematographer Scott Kevan had opted for the shaky camera technique, for what reasons I do not fathom, and came off quite irritatingly. Someone should start preaching the virtues of mounting the camera of a tripod, versus making it a lame excuse to want to do it documentary style, or to allow for fluid motion in capturing the performances, not!
Guess what, this is Tancharoen’s break in films. He has done only music-related videos/programmes, working with people like Britney Sprears, Christina Aguilera and Pussycat Dolls among others. Check him out
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1160495/bio
The question is, who’s the Coco (Irene Cara) in this movie? Next, will Fame (2009) be able to grasp some awards, like Fame (1980) did? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080716/awards
Similar to other audience, I entered the theatre with hopes of being entertained even if it was on a strictly "crowd pleaser" level.
I left feeling like I had just wasted an hour and a half; besides the student-priced ticket of $6.50. Here’s an advise people, don't waste your time with this movie, and if you still want to, at least wait for it to come out on DVD. The large screen, dark theater, and nachos won't make this movie any better than the dud that it is.
This is one film that won’t live forever. I'd rather not remember its name, and could be called anything else other than a remake of Fame.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
GREEN Soya bean drink from YEO's and FANTA APPLE are NOT HARAM.
Received an email, which I think is damn absurd. I don't know what the person gains from doing so, spreading such a hoax.
This was my reply (to all):
Hi all,
Just want to let you know that while some take the initiative to forward emails as such, I tend to check for its reliability, as I think there are just some who nak 'menyusahkan' hidup Muslims with all these rubbish.
Sodium Benzoate, E211
Potassium metabisulphite, E224
The above-mentioned chemicals has got nothing to do with pork or fat either, as both of them are salts.
I believe I have done enough research to substantiate these facts.
For example, from website that lists all the E-code ingredients produced from all over the world, these 2 DO NOT contain animal fats AT ALL. Nor do they originate from any animals. E211 is SODIUM SALT OF BENZOIC ACID AND E224 IS POTASSIUN METABISULPHITE.
So please, before mass emailing, do your part in ensuring the reliability of the content. Tak ke kolot kalau forward sembarang, menyusahkan sesama Muslims, in the end, it's not true at all.
Thanks for your time.
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The email I received:
Awas semua muslimin dan muslimah!
GREEN BEAN SOY DRINK Salam semua. Kali ini saya nak sentuh ttg minuman ringan keluaran Yeo Hiap Seng, jenama salah satu pembekal minuman ringan yg tak asing lagi di rantau ini khususnya Singapura dan Malaysia.
Pernahkah anda dengar ttg keluaran produk minuman YHS yg terkini, khususnya minuman kacang soya fusion dgn kacang hijau? Jika anda di Singapura, harap2 baca dulu ya, bahan-bahan yg terkandung dalam minuman ini.
Semasa saya ke salah sebuah pasaraya tempatan, terpandang saya ke arah minuman ini yg saya fikir adalah salah satu lagi keluaran terbaru YHS. Iyerlah, apalah bahan yg nak dibubuh dlm minumankan? So I pick up one and brought to office. Tapi, bila saya baca ingredientsnya........
Apa ke benda ni? Rupa-rupanya E471 is derived from pig. MasyaAllah, dah takde lagi ke sumber yg baik, yg murni, darimana pihak pengeluar nak dapatkan bahan atau sumber utk membuat produk minuman mereka???? Tidakkah mereka peka dgn pengguna2 Islam yg sememangnya ramai telah terbiasa dgn minuman yg mereka bekalkan atas jenama YHS???
Belek punya belek.....hah, patutlah. Minuman ni diperbuat di....... di negara yg dah mmg dah tersohor bubuh melamine dalam susu!!
Apapun, saya sekedar berkongsi info dan diharap sesiapa yg teringin nak merasa minuman jenama YHS "Green Bean Soy Drink", lupakan sajalah niat anda tu. Tak berbaloi bahan yg haram jika memasuki dlm tubuh badan kita ni!! Harap dapat sebarkan info ini terutama sekali kpd anak-anak kita yg mungkin kurang arif ttg perkara ini.
Pls forward this message to all your friends :-
Do not drink FANTA APPLE, as it contains (E211, E224) Fat of Pork(PIG)
Pls DO NOT DELETE before you forward to at least one friend.
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Utter nonsense. They should just stop all these. I don't see any benefits from spreading this. Fame? Popularity? Join Ms Universe or go record an album. Brainless morons.
Please fellow Muslims, do a thorough check-up on whatever products. Selagi MUIS or Berita Harian tak indicate anything, janganlah senang diperdaya oleh such despisable emails.
One who believes in nothing but facts.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I would risk my life for you dear friend, because I love you. I would do anything to save your life, anything. Because I love you.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
May you never take one single breath for granted; God forbid love ever leave you empty handed...
