The Pensieve

today i watched my first korean movie, alone! hehe… it’s not very scary, i think in terms of scare factor, ‘the ring’ beats all! korean movies are very similar to jap horror movies. v low budget type but still scary. unlike hollywood movies that take millions or billions of dollars to produce yet are still not as scary as asian ones… perhaps it’s cuz the chinese culture is more closely-related to jap and korean as compared to western, accounting for the ability of just some dark noises, shadows and evil looks sending chills down our spine. anyway this story starts of as a grp of three gals (one of which seems to have some kind of psychic power) being bullied by other gals in their class. so one of them unearths the ouijia board and decides to invoke the spirit of a gal from their school who died horribly… unfortunately, the one leading somehow gets possessed by the vengeful spirit. the spirit helps them ‘curse’ the 4 girls who constantly humiliate them at school, by making them put plastic bags soaked in kerosene over their heads and then setting themselves on fire, leading to a spate of grisly ’suicides’. meanwhile, a new teacher realises that she is somehow ‘not herself’ on and off… anyway, as the murders continue, the students start to revive the story of the curse of ‘in sook’ (the gal who died 30 yrs ago)… eventually, the story unfolds… it turns out that this secluded village hides a ‘dirty’ secret. 30 years ago, a mother-and-daughter pair had arrived at the village. initially, they were not welcome, until the school principal became ‘besotted’ with the mother and raped her, on condition that her daughter would be allowed to continue her education at school. now, the weird thing was that her daughter is actually blind, but the mother has really strong psychic powers and when her daughter is at school, she stays home and ‘looks’ through her daughter’s eyes, thus allowing her to live life to the fullest. unfortunately, this somehow drew the school bullies to constantly torment her daughter. eventually, a series of bad turns led the village to mistakenly believe that somehow this mother-daughter pair was responsible for it all. the school teachers and principal cornered the daughter and set her head on fire, thus killing her, while the rest of the mob burned their house down. the mother was caught in the blaze and perished as well, but not before she uttered a curse of death upon all who attempted to leave the village.
shift to the current setting: the mother has actually been reincarnated in the form of the new teacher in school, while the daughter possesses the student. eventually, she exacts revenge on the people who had led the mob against her daughter and herself. she even has sex with a fellow teacher (but he didn’t know it cuz he was hypnotised) so that her own daughter could be reborn to her!
there’s one extremely gory scene where this reincarnate uses a pair of scissors to stab the principal multiple times… she was just totally slick and covered with blood and gore!!!
muahahaha… it’s quite an entertaining show, but not for the faint-hearted. ;)

omg this is such a funny and heartwarming film! hahaha…. love it so much! i can watch it again and again! haha… my favourite character is that indian janitor (gupta rajan)…who is sooo paranoid about pple spying on him (pple fr CIA and so on…) yup to the extend that he actually put mr navorski (the one stranded in the airport) thru the baggage xray machine to make sure he didn’t have a microphone up his *ss. and he’s sooo evil, moping the floor, making it wet then placing those signs around, sitting just nearby with a burger king drink and watching pple slip sliding across the wet patch! omg, it’s like watching a reality show! ha… oh manz so funny… ah haha… i gotta say, that man’s got SPUNK! haha i just lurve his way of delaying the plane going back to krakozhia, single-handedly stopped the plane with his… guess wat? mop!

one of the things i like best about this show is the spirit of creativity or living one’s life to the fullest! stranded in a foreign place without food or money? earn some! narvorski used his ingenuity to earn coins by returning trolleys, by doing renovation works in the airport, and at the same time building a little comfy area in gate 67 for himself. no money to have a romantic dinner with the gal u like? make one yrself! no money to buy a hugo boss suit? go borrow the display set! i like such innovative people. and i think his entire sojourn of wat… 9mths? in the terminal was such an adventure… i wouldn’t mind it either. heh (but not being stuck at changi airport, tt’s soooooo small i’ll just perish from boredom). ha…

the one person i can’t stand is tt FFP floor/flight commisioner… such a sticker for rulez, plays underhand and urghs… can’t stand him… i think this kind of people are worse than those who outwardly do something illegal/criminal… ah but at least he ‘redeemed’ himself a bit towards the end.

orh now i know why this is such a gd film, cuz it’s directed by steven spielberg!!! ha… everybody go watch it, tom i shall watch it again!

- Newly released, just this year
- more catchy tunes, faster, more upbeat
- unfortunately one song sounds like one of those national day songs… eh, i hope she doesn’t have anymore of those coming up.
- ‘Free’ is rather interesting… especially the phrase - ’six degrees of separation’ haha…
*there’s something really wrong with me this two days, i keep spelling six as SEX! Urgh!
- the birthday song is quite meaningful, finally something different!
- ‘if i kissed you’ has a catchy rhythm but the chorus is the typical one.

Género: Español/inspiración

‘Un cuento – en parte sobre la vida en parte sobre la revolución pero mucho más sobre la esperanza para adultos y otros (incluyendo a las orugas que sepan leer)’

Había una vez una oruga, se llama Rayitas. Comía y crecía pero pronto se ponía muy aburrido. Entonces decidió avanzar al desconocido para buscar algo más en su vida. Así es la vida. Cada hombre sienta que tenga una meta en la vida y nadie es contentado con una vida sin ello.

Después un poco, Rayitas encontró una columna de orugas. Todas las orugas subían al cima del columna avanzaban a fuerza de empujones pero nadie sabe qué cosa encontrarán allá. Pensaban que debe de ser algo maravilloso y estupendo, por eso todos se adelantaban con mucha decisión. Me parece como el ‘rat race’ en nuestro mundo hoy en día. Muchas personas no saben qué es su propio gol en la vida pero todo trabaja mucho y trata de ganar más riqueza y más reputación. Mientras se rivalizaba en la corrida de vida, se mira los demás como impedimentos y no forja ningunas relaciones con otros. Es una perdida muy grande porque relaciones son muy importantes. Nuestros amigos y los miembros de nuestra familia pueden ayudarnos a sobrar obstáculos y dificultades. Hay que necesitar los amigos para sobrevivir en este mundo.

Mientras subía la columna, Rayitas le conoció a Amarrilla. Los dos decidieron de bajar y buscar alguna cosa. Se amaban y pasaban bastante tiempo con mucha felicidad pero en luego, Rayitas se sintió aburrido otra vez. Quise a subir la columna de nuevo. No pude resistir la tentación. Esto lleva a mi mente que quizás el amor no es suficiente para la vida. La acción de Rayitas nos muestra que algunos necesitan más que el amor, es decir, algunos necesitan otras metas. ¿Es posible?

Desafortunadamente, cuando Rayitas llegó a la cima, descubrió que no hay ninguna cosa allí. Se sintió muy descorazonado y se lo dijo a todas otras orugas la verdad. Sin embargo, nadie le creyó. Me di cuenta que esto ocurre en tiempo real también. Muchas veces, no podemos creer en algo aunque haya bastante evidencia que verificarlo. Así es el rechazo.

En cambio, Amarrilla le conoció otra oruga que hilaba un capullo sobre sí mismo. Al empezar, Amarilla tuvo miedo de quedarse en un capullo por mucho tiempo. Hay tantas inseguridades y temores que no llega a ser una mariposa. Pero su amigo le dijo, ‘Tienes que tener tantas ganas de volar que estás dispuesta a dejar de ser oruga.’ Por cierto, el miedo es la única cosa que detenernos del gol. Si se pueda superarlo, se logrará más. Y para vencer su aprensión, tiene que tener tanto deseo por su meta que todo se pone insignificante.
Al fin, Amarrilla se convirtió a una mariposa hermosita y voló a la columna para buscar Rayitas. Le encontró y le convenció de llegar a ser una mariposa también. Y los dos mariposas lleva la esperanza para todo el mundo.

Genre: biography, travel

I was lounging around the house without much to do, and certainly feeling a deep sense of ennui when I discovered this treasure…

‘A Fortune-Teller Told Me’ by Tiziano Terzani is a true story about Terzani’s ‘earthbound travels in the Far East’ in a period of slightly more than a year. This biography is beautifully written with such vivid and appealing descriptions that one can almost feel oneself immersed in the surroundings described. Tinged with mystic and the horrors of war as well as modernization, the novel is a very enlightening read.
The main theme is mystic. Terzani visited scores of fortune-tellers, seers, witches, monks, lamas, palmists, astrologists… some seem genuinely able to see into his past and future while others were out and out charlatans. It gave me a new outlook towards these people. Personally, I do NOT believe in them and I do NOT encourage visits to the fortune-teller for fear that my life would be governed by taboos and prophecies (as it has for Terzani). I feel that the thrill of living is the unknown, the challenge faced when one is up against the unveiled. That, is the essence of life.

On the other hand, for people steeped in such superstitions and practices, these soothsayers and shamans can change their lives. I have no respect for ‘seers’ who practice their craft so as to earn money and those who do so in the hope of striking it rich. Undeniably, this is a profession, a means of livelihood, however, I feel that those who practice with the intention to deceive, are no ‘seers’ but blinded by greed and covered in the filth of money. There are others who do ‘spin’ tales to survive as a fortune-teller but they also have a goal – to bring some light and hope into the lives of their customers. Even though their prophecies may be mere guesswork and quick-thinking, the customer gets his money worth of guidance, understanding and hope, all which could play an important role in giving him confidence. Such confidence could drive the shadows away from him!
A recurrent theme in almost all the Asian countries is poverty and a war-torn people. Despite the ugliness of the reality war and strife has created, Terzani manages to bring a nostalgic beauty to it through his writing. In fact, it makes me want to share in his unique experiences. The tragic stories of China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia… stresses once more that in strife, the people are the ones who suffer. They are the pawns of a relentless game. War is like cancer, ravaging the flesh and bones, leaving only death and destruction.

The third and saddest theme of all is modernization and Westernization - the corrosion of Asian culture and history in the embracing of Western society, values and customs. Terzani finds it a horrifying experience. As for me, I cannot fully comprehend and feel with him as I have not seen enough in my life to know what has been lost. I am definitely a product of modernization, character moulded to embrace the West. It is possible to embrace Western culture and yet retain our roots and values, but extremely difficult to do so. In all this hustle and bustle in the city centre and the concrete jungle, there are times when I wish to be able to escape from all this, to be totally enveloped by nature. Sadly, this is quite impossible in Singapore.

I especially enjoyed Terzani’s chapter on Singapore – ‘The Air-Conditioned Island’. How true it is! In fact, that is the first and probably only really frank write-up about Singapore and her leaders. Never have I heard LKY described as arrogant, without scruples… it is a fresh read from what we always see in the newspapers and books. Truly, the political climate in Singapore is stifling, of course not like in china with the Kuomintang or the years of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, but restrictive enough in a place with democratic elections. Terzani talks about the unnaturalness of the people and places in Singapore and I think that it could be true, to an extent. I find myself highly tense and nervous at times, under lots of pressure and stress. Sometimes I’d really like a rest-cure and be away from everyone else.

I feel that there is really a laughable irony between the East and West today. The East seeks to copy the West in fashion, decoration, mannerisms and society, at the same time, abandoning their own culture and traditions. The West, on the other hand, is looking to the East for spiritual enlightenment and culture richness. Each thinks that ‘the grass is greener on the other side’.

Overall, this book writes of change and searching. The changes in society and people’s thinking as well as the unending search by countries for economic prosperity; the people’s cravings for wealth and success; the curiosity about the future that drives many to visit fortune-tellers and also, Terzani’s search for his identity, for enlightenment and truth in life.

I feel that the message delivered by the book is epitomized by this prayer, recited by John Coleman, ex-CIA agent, before starting his meditation (in one of Terzani’s encounters):

May all beings be peaceful and happy.
May all beings be free of all ignorance,
all cravings and all aversions.
May all beings be free of all suffering,
all sorrows and all conflicts.
May all beings be filled with infinite loving kindness,
compassion and equanimity.
May all beings be fully enlightened.

- Jazz vocal, local singer
- she’s probably the ONLY local talent i’ve ever thought of supporting. (er, in this case it would mean convincing erhem to get the next album if one comes out and then borrowing from him hahaha…)
- I liked ’something about you’… but i think i like ‘journey’ best!!!