Laskar Pelangi... Indonesia's bestEST-seller record book!

I was actually too lazy to ramble on like I always do. Yet this movie is so good I have to find every possible way to 'encourage' people to watch it. I know some of you ARE already planning to watch it. WATCH IT SOONER!!! hehe

I know how most people in our surroundings could sometimes be anti-Indo-movies. Well I'm not saying it is a perfectly-produced movie. But this is like the greatest Indonesian movie ever!!! Not that I've seen ALL Indonesian movies there are. But, watch it for yourself and see for yourself that I'm right. But I can guarantee, it WILL BE worth it!

It's a movie on how 10 poor Belitong kids found it almost impossible to fight for the thing they've so hungered for. Their friendship, their sacrifices &challenges and their tears & laughters while pursuing the luxury that most people take for granted, 'EDUCATION'.

I saw the trailer and the discussion on the novel and the movie a few weeks back and felt intrigued by the concept already. So the next day I asked "Udg" (read: most beloved hubby) to buy it on the way to work. (His office is next to SUN PLAZA, which has GRAMEDIA in it, so happens to be the most ideal place to get the book. Not that I'm so spoiled O.K?!!!) Got it the next morning when I'm up from bed.

Oh, they even had Nidji do the soundtrack for the movie. One of my favourite Indo bands. The oh-so-unique Nidji, with the after-the-movie-title "Laskar Pelangi". The lyrics are very easy and yet so true. The ref goes like this "Menarilah dan terus tertawa. Walau dunia tak seindah Surga" roughly translated "Keep dancing and laughing eventhough the world may not seem as beautiful as Heaven"

I even took my first effort in UPLOADING A VIDEO ON BLOGSPOT!!! Wait, come to think of it, ON THE INTERNET!!! MY FIRST TIME EVER UPLOADING A VIDEO ON THE INTERNET!!!! It's the videoclip of Nidji's Soundtrack, plus clips from the movies. Should set you ready to go buy the book or see the movie hehehe...

give me face larrrr!!!!!!!!!!! PLAY THE DAMN VIDEO!!! PAY THE EXTRA RP.2.500,- FOR THE EXTRA BANDWIDTH IF YOU MUST!!!

Note: I don't get any commission from this watsoever. Not even free movie tickets. (PS: I won't reject if anyone is offering any sort of retribution anytime in the future thou)

Anyway, reading the novel, I had to say the writing style was very different. I didn't really get it sometimes (Blame my moronic and freaky-slow reading skill). The words were so difficult for me sometimes (It's not the normal book who uses the lovey-dovey trendy words to describe things.. It uses a lot of highly intellectual words & jargons & stuff... And sometimes I feel it's too 'wordy' even (hehehe.. OK, I might be the slow one here) But well dun take my words for it. My Bahasa Indonesia (which is supposed to be "JANG BAIK DAN BENAR" after having graduated from SMU, is just too lame it's not even up to par with the anak2 in "Laskar Pelangi"). But overall, after a period of 'struggling' through the book, I should say, the book sends a huge morale message that INDONESIA, as a nation, should really JUST GET ALREADY!!!

Went to watch the movie last Tuesday, the Air-con was so damn cool it sent me to an extremely high fever which I had to endure for 3 full days! There goes half my holiday!!! But to think positively, well I got to sleep in in in and BE THE QUEEN!!! HUA HUA HUA!!!

The movie was so good I didn't even get to finish my Caramel Pop Corn that I had snucked in. (This never happened before!)

AIYAH.. JUST GO READ THE BOOK OR WATCH IT LAR!!! If you plan to do both, do the book first, then the movie! But do it fast ok? GO GO GO... SHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words of Wisdom...

I came across this touching philosophical words-of-wisdom on my desk yesterday. Dad brought it home and slipped it under the desk-protecting 3mm-thick glass in my tiny office. He loves collecting banners and posters that have wisdom words that teach you how you should value life and things along those lines. Like just next to my monitor here on my desk, I've got a poster that Dad had laminated that goes like this:

"LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST"
Each day is precious and so full of wonderful possibilities.
Do not waste your day by worrying about your problems.
Leave your worries behind. Instead, fill your life with peace & serenity.
Enjoy the simple pleasures in this complex world.
Happiness lies within you.

It is actually a photo poster of a small river lined by small forests and rocks, with mountains at the very far end of the view. (I honestly can't tell the relation between the photo and the saying that goes on it. But it's a beautiful & calming scenery so I guess it should be right).

Anyway, that's not what caught me yesterday. There's this more 'biting' saying (the new one that Dad just slipped on the desk). I've always thought of old people as the strongest, incalculative people (Especially when you think of how difficult they have lived through their youngest years and how they managed to feed their 6 children during those rough times (6 is the smallest number i guess, well my dad's mum has 6, my mum's mum has 12, my dad-in-law's mum has 6 (or 5? oops...), my mum-in-law's mum has 6 too, you do the math). It's so unbelievable I nearly came to a conclusion that the answer to my wonderment is 'supernatural power'. Yes, old people have supernatural power, supernatural love power... hehe it sounds good actually. should i patent it? hmm....)

OK, here goes the inspiring Words of Wisdom...


"WHEN I GET OLD..."

When I get old, I'm not who I used to be.
Please sympathize with me, be patient in facing me...

When I spill my soup on my clothes, When I no longer know how to tie my shoelace,
Please remember when I used to teach you, guide you into doing them...

When I keep repeating your conversation over and over again,
Please be patient in listening to me, don't cut me off,
When you were small, I had to go over and over on a story I'd told thousands of time so you could fall asleep in peace...

When I need you to bathe me,
Please do not blame me.
Remember when you were small, how I had to find thousands of new tricks just to get you into the bathtub...

When I am so stupid with modern inventions & technology,
Please do not take me as a joke.
Please ponder on how I patiently answered all your "WHY"s decades ago...

When my legs were too weak to walk,
Please lend me your strong hand and lead me the way.
Just like when I guided you through your first baby steps...

When I so frequently lose tracks of our topics,
Please spare me some of your previous time to remember them. The fact is, it's not the topic that counts, it's your being there listening to me, is what I'm always waiting for.

When you see me getting old,
Please sympathize, support me, just like how I taught you your first lessons about life.


Reading these passages, took me to a different angle of viewing grandmas & grandpas. I hope this saying touches and inspires everyone the way it does me. I only have 1 granny and no grandpa left. I don't wanna regret missing the moments I could take showing how I care for her, like I regret the seconds I missed with the ones that had already passed away before I was old enough to know how to love them. Let's put ourselves in their shoes, we'll surely understand...

Here is my Ama...

Anyone has pictures of their grannies or grandpas they want me to put up here? Just email me the pic, I'll make sure it's up... Let's allow them to occupy the screen like they rarely do :)

My cutest niece, Arilynn... Bringing smiles onto your face..

Some of you might have already known Arilynn my niece, the cutest baby ever (no offense ladies... I'm sure everyone feels the same about their nieces or daughters hehehehehehe... so if you could forgive me just this once... hehehehehehe)

Arilynn has the silliest smiles ever. A few weeks ago, i got ahold of my brother's Nikon D3 and I tried a few shots and fell in love with Arilynn even more.

I hope her smiles and silly faces light your faces up the way they do mine :)

And I hope I didn't ruin the reputation of Nikon D3. (Pardon my very very amateuric photographic skill and my 'bravery' in taking the shots and posting them online). Some of the pictures aren't taken with Nikon D3 though. I'll make sure I put some captions under those pictures (the ones not with Nikon D3), to not do it any 'disjustice'...

ARILYNN with HER MUMMY

ARILYNN with HER 'YE YE'

ARILYNN with HER 'YE YE' & 'AH CO'

I also took some pictures of Arilynn's little brother Aryann. Isn't it weird to see such small babies have even 'babier' little baby brothers/sisters around them? hehehe...

ARILYNN'S LITTLE BROTHER, ARYANN

Here are the pictures NOT using the Nikon D3 :)

These ones are with Nikon D80...






And these with Arilynn's mum's pocket camera :) (It's Nikon Coolpix blah blah blah... Can't remember the series)

play-play with my Nikon D80. Photography: Jeffrey & Me

Some previous weeks, we had this crazy photo & makeup session with Jeffrey and 3 models (Angel, Eugenia, Adeline)... Thanks to the 3 girls who were willing to be the 'victims of the day'...

'Gel sori ya, lu udah ngomel2 berjam2 berhari2 berminggu2 baru wa sempat upload... Yg penting jadi upload mahhhhhh hehehe... Jin & Del, thank you.. Hope you had fun and have a blast with the pictures...

Hope the results make that day worth your time & efforts... :) Enjoy...

*Photography courtesy of Jeffrey & Me...