Down with the flu

Blogging has become irregular, thanks to my flu. Apparently, your frontal lobes (responsible for idea generation) are not as active when you are sad, depressed or ill. As such, my mind is, at the moment, pwned. Regular function to be restored soon.

Oh, and I have college and other assignments to finish. Awesomeness.

Irony

I got elected Vice-President for the Junior Public Speaking club. I did not want the role. But I wanted to be different. Hence, I hinted that I actually liked it. My hypocrisy paid off. The ironic thing is, I did want the role. One year ago. But I wasn't elected. Now, after a year, I get the role when I did not want it. Ah, my bad I guess.*

*Members of JPS who are reading this should not take this to mean that I hate my new position. Far from it; I'm already enjoying it.

Oscar noms.

I guessed right! Although I haven't seen two of the Oscar nominated movies, I still somehow guessed they'd be in there. They are: Juno, Michael Clayton, Atonement, No Country for Old Men & There Will Be Blood. See the complete list here. I failed in my goal to watch all the potential Oscar nominated movies before they were nominated, but I got pretty far nonetheless (thanks to BitTorrent, ahem ahem).

And the nominated foreign language films list is complete bizarre: no Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and no 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (which won the Palme D'or). Weird.

Oh, and Saoirse Ronan got nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Hehe, I'm impressed!

Cloverfield

Yes, you've probably seen the trailer online or elsewhere (the one with the decapitated statue of liberty) and probably wondered what the heck was that. Possibly, you've heard the theories: Is it a Godzilla remake? Is it related to Lost? (J.J. Abrams, creator of said show, produces this movie).

Or maybe you haven't heard of it at all. Regardless, you will find out what it really is. And you will be disappointed, because when the monster is revealed- as in most stories with flimsy storylines- you'll lose interest quickly. Cloverfield, somehow, managed to keep mine. Maybe because of its thrilling buildup and abundance of suspenseful and awesome moments. Yes, the "cinematography" may be annoying (shaky cam, anyone?) and there is likewise an abundance of cheap, reused horror shocks. After all, the big monster can't get into tinny spaces, so its need its little spawnlings (actually, ticks that reside on its body) to attack our poor human beings. But that's still quite scary too, somehow.

I would say its one heck of a movie, but that's about it. As I said, the buildup is tense and suspenseful, the revelation thrilling and the ending Blair Witch-esque. Not exactly a B-Grade film (despite its no name actors) and the special effects are rather decent for a movie its budget: no more worse than I Am Legend, with six times Cloverfield's budget and certainly better than that other monster movie set in Manhattan, Godzilla. Indeed, this is an offering way better than the latter movie, and one of the best of its genre (monster-disaster movie). It doesn't say much, but still, go watch it. You will possibly hate it, or you might really really like it.

Juno

Juno is less a comedy than a light-hearted drama, a film that makes you smile not because of the jokes any slapstick performances (although there are few), but showing us ways in which people react to realistic situations. In this case, a pregnancy.

Ellen Page, as the titular character, gives us one of the best performances of the year, as a chatty extrovert teen, delivering her lines extremely convincingly (yes, I know a few people who can talk like her) and is perhaps the single person who makes us smile most often. Yes, this film is almost carried entirely by her alone.

So, essentially, Juno gets pregnant after having boredom sex with her "best friend" and well, there you have the story. After deciding against an abortion (in a somewhat unconvincing scene), she decides to bring her baby to term. The rest is essentially about her finding and interacting with her adoptive parents, as well as with her friends and of course, parents (whose reaction to her news is somewhat unrealistic, but it's relative, of course).

Suffice to say, I enjoyed it, it made me smile and feel all nice and fuzzy, but truth be told, I was expecting more. Perhaps my expectations were rather high, but then again, there were other movies that met my high expectations. This was not it, unfortunately.

Still, a movie worth watching, if you're looking for some light hearted entertainment. This is most certainly not like, say Knocked Up (the more "mature" pregnancy comedy of this year) but it holds its on as a comedy. Oh, did I mention the soundtrack is quite neat, too?

Persepolis

Based upon Marjane Satrapi's autobio-graphic novel, Persepolis boasts, well, unique animation and a punchy, quirky story that does not let up for a breather, but pushes us (if not, drags) us from one scene to the next. And it is lovely, if a little too quick for those with slower paces. While it is an animated film (uniquely at that) and has many "childish" moments, it is positioned for the older demographic.

Essentially, it focuses on the author's childhood, teenage and young adult years in Iran and in Europe, and even if you are not particularly interested in the history of Iran in its Islamic Revolution years (which forms the film's main backdrop), then at least it tells an interesting if slightly oddball story of a very different Iranian girl.

Most notable about the film is its unique blend of emotions, ranging from comedic to tragic (depicted in stylized comic animation, but still without losing its effect).

I can say for myself, this is a great show, its slight disadvantage being that it moves at a pace too quick for my one taste. Undoubtedly, that's its style in which so many others love. It may be distracting, but I found this 90 minute film bordering on enchanting. And that's something.

Dinner Observations

We were food tasting, and I was surprised myself (and enlightened) how easily opinion is swayed by a person deemed an "expert". He happened to be a professional chef, and well informed at that. When he said "This is excellent!", my goodness did the praises start to flow. When he expressed his disappointment at some dishes, complaints started popping up. Curious.

Then we talked about Reverse Osmosis water, which he claimed was actually bad for health (since it apparently washes away all the minerals) and does not make your kidney's work at all (apparently, our internal organs need exercise, too). Ironically, there are others who claim that RO water isn't that "pure" as it is claimed. Opinions, opinions.

In a fancy, carpeted, air-conditioned Chinese restaurant at an unnamed hotel in KL (okay, it's the Concorde, muahaha!) I saw a waitress and a customer smoking unmolested. Nobody cares nowadays.

No hating, please.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

Judeo-Christian ethics are talked about often but rarely practiced.

Complaints, Complaints

Amused I am at V.K. Chin's column on public gatherings, where he sounds off (once again) about rallies and how bad they are, etc. etc. Of course, he like everyone else is entitled to his own views, but alas, let's see how easily his argument falls apart when we start playing (one of my favourite games) reductio ad absurdum.

Let's see:

Every applicant will always claim that his or her gathering is peaceful and that there will be no trouble. But as far as the cops are concerned, any peaceful procession can be made use of by unruly elements out to disturb the peace.

True, true. But then he unfortunately goes on to say (I quote select portions here):

In such cases, it is better to err on the side of caution than to please. The police also want a good public image and to show their cooperation by allowing such public gatherings.

Past experience has shown that such events can turn nasty, with participants in illegal rallies or processions giving the police no choice but to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

However, the force cannot and should not entertain applications from unregistered bodies championing free and fair elections or human rights. Many of them do it just to put the Government – and the force –in a bad light.

But there is no valid reason for groups to want to organise public rallies in busy centres in the city, which can cause serious disruption and inconvenience to motorists and businesses in the vicinity.

I pity the licking he's going to get at particular blogs and websites, but let's be civil here: good points, but bad conclusion. I do not agree with the "therefore" in his argument for his criticisms (besides missing the point) can be applicable of, well, Gandhi to UMNO (pre-independence), all of which led movements that were deemed illegal by the present government.

Surely the monks and their exploits inconvenienced a whole lot of people, too. It's a small step from here to Myanmar's junta, for is not shooting a few folks here and there better than allowing a protest foment into a (possibly bloody and certainly inconveniencing) revolution?

Likewise, if protests are to be banned because they "can turn nasty" means that there ought to be not protests at all, not by Gandhi, not by anyone. But that's part of the risk. It is, as someone put it, this or an AK-47. Let's hope people express themselves in the former way.

Well, my goodness, I find myself repeating the same old answers again and again. Which suggests that some people aren't getting the point. But, of course, to each his own, and I am probably just as stubborn, stuck here in my righteous position. Hehehe. Ah well, I'll probably write a letter to The Star or something, because it's well annoying reading this stuff. Also, I'm bored.

Moving on to international news...

Boy, you have to pity the HFPA (organisers of the Golden Globes). This is an especially painful year for them. Perhaps it would have been more painful for the producers of Atonement, who had half a moment of glory when it was announced that it won Best Picture (Drama). This is somewhat of a surprise, but a panel of 90 members or so probably will differ with a 6,500 strong voter base which is AMPAS. I say, let them enjoy it (er...did they?) while they can. Pity pity. And I had my whole Monday free to watch the Globes.

Oh, and this op-ed from the NY Times says things well, although I sense that the author sees teenage pregnancy as something that must be avoided. I say that being pregnant at one's teenage years is not necessarily bad (as the author implies) although it is quite obvious that our culture (in this case, American but of course, there are lots of overlap with Malaysia's) does not see a pregnant 16 year old as something to be happy about.

Erudition

After finishing the last sentence of Saul Bellow's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Humboldt's Gift, I could not but contain my new found admiration for the late Nobel Prize winning author. His prose floats on an almost metaphysical realm, while some detractors called it nothing more than an attempt at expressing his erudition and philosophical prowess. Ah yes, I completely agree. But that doesn't mean his writing is all the worse.

It is brilliant precisely because of that, and you can't help but be absorbed by his characters conversations with others or themselves. Witty, sharp and insightful. I must say, I want to write like him.

O Muse, where art thou?

Gah, I have stalled once again at my efforts at something called a "novel". Perhaps 50,000 words is a bit too much. Then I trimmed it down to "novella", but alas, I am still stuck with a thousand words or so (something of an invisible barrier for me). Looks like the only stuff I've written only falls in the short story category. Me wants to break out.

Gearing up for attempt No. 52; Wish me luck.

Don't ask if they don't know...

Yes, this is a comedic example of asking people even if they probably don't know. The Star online has a poll asking which movie should win the best picture award at the (neutered) Golden Globes.

It's amusing because half of the movies on that poll hasn't even been released in Malaysia yet, two of which probably aren't going to be released here at all (some, surprisingly, have received votes...think bootlegs hahaha).

*Sigh*

Our Malaysian companies ought to bring in more quality movies into Malaysia, and faster (some movies are released half a year after they premiere in the US). But one can't really blame the distributors. Our feeble minded (majority) audience will lap up Cicakman 2 more quickly than say, No Country for Old Men. And that's sad.

Once

Once is a tale of two people and their musical exploits. Ah, but it's not quite a musical (which I would define as characters randomly bursting out into elaborate song numbers). No, this is quite the realistic tale, told through shaky camera work (whether it is intentional or shoddy I don't quite know) and yes, songs.

This is not to say that the songs tell the story. I would say it compliments it; adds to it's atmosphere. The songs, taken by themselves, aren't all that great (indeed, some are downright sappy). But ah, when they are placed onto the screen, and you see them being sung by the characters themselves, they take on a different dimension altogether.

It is, certainly, quite hard to describe the movie. It's best you watch it for yourself. The story works because of the songs, and the songs work because when our characters sing them, we believe them.

The ending might be a little bittersweet but it is still enormously inspirational in its own way. Or, as Steven Spielberg said, "A little movie called Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year."

It's no surprise that this is probably one of the best movies this year, and one that contains a delicately balanced mixture of laughter, sadness, frustration and yes, music.

And So I Was Bored.

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTJ)

Your personality type is logical, uncompromising, independent, and nonconformist. Only about 3% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 4% of all men. You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Look, I suppose that describes me. But I never gave weight to such things, precisely because your personality is judged by choices you would "preferably" make. However, you can easily choose to do otherwise, and therefore your personality would be computed differently. But again, tests like these rank your personality based on what you would feel like choosing in any given real life situation. We should always remember that choices aren't always made on feelings (think about being forced to do something by your parents!).

I find these quote particularly amusing (straight from Wikipedia), because, well, it assumes that our life is carried out totally on feelings, ignoring the fact that everyone is sometimes required to make less than preferable choices. Of course, no person can be blamed for simplifying it such (the variables are just too many) but it would help if they could give a caveat or so, you know...

"INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentimentfor its own sake... INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual traitcombination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play...Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel... This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals... Perhaps the most fundamental problem,however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense." - Marina Margaret Heiss, University of Virginia

Oh, dear readers, I'm curious as to what personality type you are. Do take it and share with me your results, yah? :P

The Bookseller of Kabul

At first glance, you'd think there's no way this can be non-fiction book. The author, a journalist, recounts seemingly mundane events in the life of an Afghan (apparently). The problem here is, one questions as to how the author manages to observe (or perhaps extract accounts) of various events, like people getting drunk, people bathing in the bathhouse etc. She is a western journalist after all, and it would seem strange how Afghans are willing to bare their soul to her.

Nevertheless, you will find all of this and more in The Bookseller of Kabul, a book I picked up because I needed a taste of those novels about how harsh life is in the middle east, how women are mistreated and so on and so forth. You'd find lots of these books in our shops nowadays, usually with a face of a women clad in burqa.

So in a sense this book presents nothing we already now of about life in the harsher corners of the M-E. But this account, as the author claims, is slightly different in that it follows a relatively well off middle-class family, the head of which is a bookseller (hence the title). To her credit, Asne Seirstad, the author, writes in such a way that even if we shrug in disbelief about events we are told to believe really happened, we nevertheless read on, convinced in some ways. I would say this book works more as a fictional account than a non-fiction one. If we proceed from the former assumption, this book becomes much more easier and indeed, entertaining to read.

This book focuses on a variety of characters, and shows how human each and every single one of them are. Seirstad also places emphasis on the place of women in Afghan society. Women, in Afghanistan, are repressed, abused, mistreated etc. etc. She quotes a poet, about how women can only express their feelings in "suicide and in song". And we don't doubt that. All women in backward Islamic countries don't fare too well, right?

Undoubtedly, this is one westerner observing another culture, and coming away shocked and critical. One cannot blame her; but rather than just telling us what the author thinks, perhaps more emphasis and thought should be placed on what Afghan women themselves think, without any interpretation or commentary on the author's part (which frequently happens). Regardless, a good book nonetheless, but I find it ironic that this book reads better as a fictional story than a true to life account.

Weary.

The most easiest way I have coped with (perhaps the only) weariness and lethargy (in almost anything), is to relax and let it pass. No doubt this is the preferred solution because it usually involves doing nothing. That's simple.

Sometimes though, going out of such a rut might instead require action. Something to be done. Now that always bugged me. What should I do? You see, I have a tendency to procrastinate, and thus I find myself doing almost everything at the last minute. If I was feeling humble I would say that's because I was lazy; if I was feeling wise I'd say that's because I didn't know what to do, and waiting help me build a clear picture of what to do.

So, action should never be taken immediately as a solution to problems like these. I'm actually getting tired sick of fed up of things like, well studying (which I am proud to say I truly enjoyed). One can get tired of reading and re reading a particular book, but can one get tired of the act of reading itself (reading anything for that matter)? My experience seems to suggest so.

Exertion in any form tends to tire either the spirit or body (or both), regardless of the form of exertion. I get tired of playing games too. And I always have to drag myself to church (although nowadays, who doesn't?).

Perhaps I should've clarified what, exactly, I am weary of. Well, life in general. It is tiring, living. But oh, how rude of I to say such things. I am a relatively pampered child (relatively when compared to poor starving African children; I am a beggar compared to say, more loaded people. To whom am I to compare myself with, I sometimes wonder).

But ah, life is ever interesting. And if I may speak in sappy terms, we just never go out to discover its riches. Okay, I retract that sentence. It is unbecoming of me (at the moment). But there is a side to me that vigorously agrees with that statement (i.e. the optimist). To which I side I lean to at the moment, I dunno. On paper I am the "optimist". Let's hope it tips in the right direction. But the right direction need not be a direction towards optimism, may I add.

Yet another monologue from me. I must be tired. And indeed, it is late. Goodnight.

American Gangster

(As you'd by now noticed, I've been watching a lot of movies)

Goodness, you think. A gangster movie so soon after The Departed? Yes, but so what? This is based on a true story, and as far as true stories go this is one of the more interesting, if it is anything like it was depicted in this movie.

Yes, lots of high profile names here. Ridley Scott directs Denzel and Russell, both of them in their element (although I would say that I prefer Crowe's performance in 3:10 to Yuma). Steven Zaillian writes the screenplay, and he sure is good at this (he wrote for Schindler's List and Gangs of New York as well).

While on one hand this movie retreads old stuff, the usual kind you see in genre(ish) movies like these, nevertheless it is original in its storytelling, and most certainly is compelling to the end.

Being the gangster movie that it is, Scott pulls no punches in its depiction of events. Some might say that this movie suggests that Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), the drug lord, actually had accomplished something. Like being a black man that symbolized progress. No wonder Jay-Z is all so inspired to rap about him. Scary.

This movie was touted pre-release as Oscar material. And so it is, on any other day. While this is in one sense a by the book movie, nevertheless it still gets it right most of the time, to its credit. Nevertheless, as a reviewer remarked, it has left very little after taste. Perhaps because it's, in the end, nothing new.

Duh.

Here's a "Thank you, Captain Obvious" moment from the comments section at The Pirate Bay. (Someone commenting on The Kite Runner)

bone.111 at 2007-12-30 01:30 CET:

not in english

destructaball at 2008-01-02 21:09 CET:

Of course it isnt in english its a bloody afghan film


Laff.

Hangin' Out With Big G

A certain youth pastor screened a particular YS (Youth Specialties) video for all of us youth. You see, we watch videos and we need em' to be made by folks specializing in us because, well, we are a hard, special crowd to please.

So it's a vid called "Avoiding God" (if I'm not mistaken), showing two caucasians, one wearing a cap with the word GOD on it going about. As I could tell, it's a short clip filmed on a zero budget (being a no budget occasional "filmmaker" myself, I can tell) or at least, looks like one. But, ah, the moral of the story (which is the most important thing) is that well, God wants to hang out with us.

I have no qualms with that. But it is misleading, to say the least. It presents God as a scrawny, dorky dude (no offense to that actor) who, well, follows us desperately around, wanting our attention. Perhaps I ought not to take it so literally. But as I can attest, a large portion of the Youtube generation will.

You see, God while in a sense, does wish to fellowship with us (c.f. Genesis 2-4), it would be mistaken to present him as a person who, well, just wants to "hang out with us."

Ah, far from it. He is the Almighty God, as repeatedly emphasized in the OT. Moses wasn't even allowed to see his face. Some buddy, God is. He is beyond us, and we below him, to say the least. He is, most assuredly, not just another friendly guy who wants to yum cha with us. To treat him as such would be idolatry at best, blasphemy at worst.

But alas, if we have to descend to such levels to reach our youth, then woe indeed. What would be the better way, you may ask? Truth be told, I don't have much of an issue with instructional videos. Some people still do learn something, I would reckon. But if such videos are to be made, I would rather have us sit through DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" than be shown a video of a "God" that has been dumbed down.

Because if any youth with a cerebellum compares what he sees in that video to the God that he reads of in the Old Testament (and indeed, the New Testament as well) then most certainly he will see not the one same God, but two different ones.

"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"

Atonement

Is this the time of the year for successful book adaptations? It seems so. Atonement, adapted from Ian McEwan's book of the same name, translates superbly onto the screen although one is left with the feeling that some of this stuff is, well, old.

Of course, you're gonna have to take any criticisms with its storyline back to the book itself, which is probably twice as acclaimed as the movie. But this movie may have its mushy, sentimental moments (read: cliched) but also its staggering, hard hitting ones. The ending is especially heart wrenching and one must thank the screenplay for not descending into soppiness.

But ah, is it a great movie. Not the best of 2007, of course (that title may very well be held by No Country for Old Men) but it's up there. I must also give mention to the striking score by Dario Marianelli, which serves to intensify individual moments brilliantly.

The two leads, Knightley and McAvoy seem underused; Saoirse Ronan as the young Briony Tallis, is exceptional in her role. Still most of the actors, as they say, deliver the goods.

Storywise, it proceeds remarkably well, it numerous gripping moments. The chronological transitions seem rather abrupt (althought that's just me) and the older Briony seems rather out of place. But maybe that's because she's older. Oh yes, and there's that remarkable tracking shot at Dunkirk, like "something out of the Bible" as a character remarks. Brilliantly filmed at beautiful locations, which all the more contrasts to how bleak the outcome is and how, (ironically) despite the title of the movie, there is no real atonement that takes place; Only a dream of what could have been.

No Country for Old Men

There are movies that entertain you, and there are movies that make you think. There are movies you just relax and watch, and there are movies that require you to sit back and figure it out and in so doing make you uncomfortable.

I will leave it to you to decide which category No Country for Old Men falls into, or whether it contains a mixture of both. It does entertain, yes, but if you watch this movie with that assumption in mind then prepare to be disappointed.

No, No Country opens with a string of still scenes of the Texas countryside (stylisticly Kubrick) with Tommy Lee Jones providing a narration that is as straightforward as it is nuanced. Music in this movie is virtually absent. Where it is present you don't even realize it. It does not rely on musical cues to enhance its emotion or increase the intensity.

Then we see Javier Bardem, "the ultimate badass" as described by Josh Brolin, who is being chased by the former after the latter finds some money from a drug deal gone wrong. It is interesting to see how the sheriffs, surveying its aftermath, discuss about it almost routinely. As if such things are commonplace.

Indeed, Jones is almost stoic in his role: he displays very little emotion, and yet at the same time providing the film its backbone of meaning (even though it borders on near nihilism). That this country is slowly slipping into God knows what.

If Jones provides the film's meditative moments then Bardem and Brolin provide its tense ones. Bardem plays Anton Chigurh, a hired psychopathic hitman, shows a man calmly horrifying and , with equally bizarre tools of the trade: a captive bolt pistol and a shotgun with a silencer (weird, yes) with an occasional handgun. Whenever he talks to someone, we start thinking whether he is going to kill that person or not.

And Josh Brolin is the war veteran who decides to abscond with the drug money, without seemingly thinking much of the consequences. Of course, there are the other characters, but these three are basically what the movie cares about. He on the run, evading the likes of Chigurh. Their cat and mouse games are the only sort of conventional entertainment this movie offers. But boy, are they most thrilling and intense.

Is it easy to see what the main point of this film is? Perhaps. Jones' thoughts and discussions provide a helpful guide to see where it is going: our slow descent into depravity. I haven't read McCarthy's novel on which this film is faithfully based (some scenes are, apparently, adapted word for word).

The Coen Brothers are rightly praised for making a movie with beautifully orchestrated scenes and grippingly tense moments. This film is most certainly no Hollywood action/thriller (although it could be tagged as that) movie with a mandatory climactic finale. No, this movie ends, like most of us, not with a bang but with a soft, reflective whisper.

Golden Globes...Not

What's next? No show at the Oscars?

Well, it looks like next week's Golden Globes won't be so golden after all. No actors in the Screen Actor's Guild will be showing up which leads us to assume that few if any will turn up. Oh boy. You have to pity the producers.

That said, can the same be said of the Academy Awards? Most likely not. No sane actor will want to miss that opportunity, especially if they stand a chance to win. I myself would be rather disappointed if the Oscars are ruined.

Speaking of the writer's strike (which is causing all of this), it's interesting to know what the AMPTP (i.e. their employers) are saying. See also the column on the right hand of the page, with a counting up of how much the WGA strike is costing other people. Also a rather curious comparison of how much an average writer makes as compared to a surgeon (the former, apparently, earns more).

They got WMD; They don't got WMD

Disarming Iraq is, in one sense, a viciously torpid book. It is one man's account of his part in the events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it is so lacking in any sweeping claims (as made by many other books about this subject) and full of dispassionate assessments that indeed, it reminds you not of politics but academia.

The writer is Hans Blix, a Swedish diplomat and also the former head of UNMOVIC, the UN body tasked with inspecting Iraq for WMD. He was one of the key players (I didn't know him until I read this book, as I was 13 years old at that time and couldn't really bother with the news) in this whole affair, and this is his subjective account that, ironically, has a remarkable element of objectivity in it. There are no references here but himself.

And it is convincing. Blix displays a remarkable even-handedness: he may be a Swedish diplomat, but he was never averse to an armed intervention in Iraq (as he states). What he wanted was more time, and tried to make the point again and again, that war was a very serious and as of yet, unnecessary next step.

He recounts meetings with folks like Blair, Rice, Powell and Bush (and his impressions of them). And what are my impressions? That they are people with their own viewpoints, and the author understands that, too. He is surprisingly sympathetic (or perhaps empathetic, being a diplomat himself) while at the same time critical of what he sees as bad decisions.

Agree or disagree, this is one man's viewpoint. We all now know that no WMD have been found in Iraq (as of yet, but of course, many already can see that there is probably none at all). Thus, he and others of his perspective could be said to be vindicated.

Blix is also intelligent enough to not speculate beyond the US' prima facie reason for invading Iraq: that it had WMD. Not a single mention about oil, to which he must be thank (a reason that is unfounded at best).

Worth a read, but don't expect a gripping narrative. It is, rather, a slow and factual (despite being one man's recount) account of the US and UK's preparation for war with Iraq and their detractors, presented in an evenhanded and (almost) neutral manner. Blix does pepper the book throughout with his own opinions and conjectures, but of course, he can be forgiven. Most of what he guessed hasn't been refuted. Yet.

Mind games.

I'm not a puzzle person. I mean, Sudoku is okay, but it is hardly addictive. And when it gets too hard, I happily throw the towel. It's not worthy my time, laboring over filling blanks.

But ah, when we were introduced to such games as "Bang, Bang, Who Died?" (a game in which someone pretends to shoot another person by saying said phrase and the rest has to guess who died). It was the most annoying, tormenting puzzle that I ever bothered to think through. I normally don't have the patience, but that utterly bugged me. Thankfully, I finally figured it out (after two days), with lots and lots of help, of course.

Today I learned, in between accounting lessons, the game of "Snaps". Yes, I had a lot of help too. But I figured it out. And boy, is it a lovely puzzle to torment people with. Can't wait to try it out...hehehe.

Oh, and either my PC is infected with spyware (probably not, I'm too cautious) or someone knows my password. Hmm...

Edit: It was my brother, who sent some spam with my MSN account. Hmph.

Scandal.

What else did we discuss in college today but about our poor (former) Health Minister, who was kind enough to resign not too long after a video surfaced showing him and a personal friend having a good time. Poor old guy. Well, that's what we were talking about. I must say, I do not find it particularly tasteful to discuss about other people's sex lives, but what the hey. Everyone is doing, why not I?

I personally could not care less. Makes amusing reading though. At the very least, it's good to know, Malaysia is alive and well, muahahaha...

Good morning, 2008.

Good morning, I said to myself as I woke up. It's 2008. It doesn't feel like a New Year at all. It is, after all, not a special, natural phenomena, a New Year. It's a man made figment of imagination, if you will. An invention of convenience. On different planets a New Year comes rather early. So, nothing special.

Obligatory cynicism done with, I'm excited over the New Year. What lays in store? What new things are there, just waiting to be discovered? I can't wait. My policy of optimism stays. No, it's not that kind of smily face retarded cheerfulness you see in a retarded person (excuse my lack of PCness, but typing out "people with special and/or different mental abilities" is a tad bit too long) who smiles away without a worry in a world. Well, they usually do.

No, my optimism is a one grounded in the fact that doomsday hasn't come yet despite predictions that it is just a few years away, since the beginning of civilization. 2012 is the next big date, and 2008 means there is (gasp) only four more years to go! Sell your house, lose your virginity (speaking of sex, our Health Minister realizes that time is short! Follow his healthy example!)...quickly, people!

But ah, four more years is a long time. There will be time for at least two more James Bond movies (and Transformers 2, thank goodness). A lot of time to enjoy life. So, best be starting on your enjoying yourself. Eat, drink and be merry (but not too much, because we're not dying just yet).

Oh, but I've digressed.

New Year's Eve passed, and I was sitting there at the stroke of midnight, listening to a sermon. What better way, after all, than to celebrate the New Year in the house of the Lord? A very nice place to be if the rapture happened. But, sadly, it didn't. There's always next year, though.

Okay, now to mellow down a bit.

Have I made any New Year's resolutions? Sure I have. But I never keep them anyway. One of them would be to write one post for every day of the year this year. But I'm not sure if I can do that. Well, I'll at least try for double the amount I wrote last year. That's still quite a sum, but I must still try.

And to my horror and frustration, I realized I haven't narrowed down a specialized field of interest to study in yet. I think my worst fears are beginning to come true: I'm interested in everything and anything. Well, not quite everything. But a whole lot of stuff. Right now I'm currently...um...reading in the field of history, along with a dash of classical lit. And I fine the former absolutely fascinating. I think I wanna be a historian or something (good grief). The last thing I want to be known as is a jack-of-all-trades. Sounds so retarded, since I'm gonna be a master of none (Of course, that saying may very well be bull's excrement. Who knows?)

One more thing I've noticed in my pysche: I'm started to lose touch with my so called "spiritual self" a.k.a. inner man a.k.a. spirit man (depending on what pentecostal chuch you're attending). This is not to say I'm losing my faith. Maybe I am, but I hope not. Is this what happens when you are an INTJ (darn profiling)? I hope not.

Suffer, if you will, for a brief sermon. No wait. Don't suffer. Sermon's need not inflict torture. They are a useful tool, and I say to myself why don't we just preach the gospel as Jesus preached it (repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand) rather than pouring down the 4 Steps (er...something like that) and Sinner's Prayer schlock down people's throats.

Of course, our modern day teenagers raised up on whatever you wish to call it (MTV, Facebook, Starbucks, Honey Stars etc.) will be unable to comprehend a "literal" presentation of the gospel and any of its soteriological content whatsoever. That said, Cliff's Notes ain't the real thing. In fact, it's not even the original Cliff's Notes. It's the dumbed down, chopped up, wishy washy, squish squash, tish tosh version of it (And I got that from someone. I don't make up such ludicrously childish sentences, believe me).

For God so loved the world ergo he gave his son to die ergo believe him ergo you will be saved. I'm sorry, but that's just not quite enough to sum up the religion you're about to associate yourself with. It's much more complex. Membership forms for cyber cafes contain way more clauses and caveats. Good grief.

Irony of a non-religious person sermonizing aside, perhaps we should start thinking a little bit more. Critical thinking (and common sense, if you must) would be helpful, it that's not too much to ask. We have been endowed with brains by God, no?

Oh, I have written too much but said too little. Next time. As I try to hit 366 posts for this year. Wish me luck. And a Blessed New Year.

Soli Deo Gloria!