Disney Weekend - Pocahontas

You never know what you might find when you channel surf...

This morning I came across Pocahontas on HBO HD. First thing that went through my mind was, "Wow, I can finally watch Pocahontas in high definition!". I thought I only wanted to watch until the part Pocahontas met John Smith face-to-face but I ended up watching it until the end. Not surprisingly, this part made me tear up:

I may not be a fan of romantic novels or rom coms but I do appreciate a tale of true love :P More importantly though was the message that love and courage can bridge the gap between two opposing forces. Like Grandmother Willow said:

Image credit: thedisneyprincess.tumblr.com and blogs.disney.com.

My Malaysia

By now, many have watched the video titled "Are Malaysians Racist?". The social experiment went viral on social media and provoked a lot of discussion about racism in Malaysia. There are some who say that while the video showcased what normal Malaysians are really like, it could also be skewed because the people in the video were asked to say racist things in front of a group of strangers; in private, these people might say something else. I did agree with that argument but after watching the video, I want to believe that all the people in the video were being truthful. I might be right or I might be wrong but that's not the point. The point is, I want to believe in a Malaysia that looks beyond race and religion. I have been rather jaded and cynical of late, due mostly to the rubbish spewed by certain politicians and the media outlets and people who keep highlighting it. Sure, we can't ignore the people who say inflammatory things but we shouldn't give them mileage either. We can acknowledge we have a problem and work towards a solution. I believe in a Malaysia that looks beyond race and religion.

Happy Malaysia Day :)

There's no time like now

Like most people, I tend to look at the past with a feeling of nostalgia and the inevitable yearning for “the good old days”. While it is nice to think about the past, it would be best not to delve into the details. I realised this when I read the journal I wrote when I was 18. I was full of angst and dark thoughts.

Some of my friends didn’t exactly treat me well back then and I was quite sensitive to what they did or did not do. Fourteen years later, I realise that a lot of people are like that and most of the time, they don’t do it intentionally. They may not always see you as a priority but I’ve learned that it’s okay. Sometimes I do it to other people too. People are not perfect and neither am I. But reading that journal almost made me become the insecure teenager I once was. I was depressed for a while. Lucky for me, I was back to normal two days later.

Being depressed, raging against the world, being in that victim mode, and dramatising every single deed or detail in your life may seem liberating but it’s not. If you succumb to it, you’ll just engulf yourself in your own cocoon of darkness. I’ve gotten past that and I don’t want to go there again.

Here's an apt quote I found on Pinterest:

The Earth needs to be cherished

After catching the awe-inspiring Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey on the National Geographic Channel a few weeks ago, my interest in astrophysics grows with each passing day. I never lost my interest in astrophysics. After I graduated, I always kept myself up to date with astrophysics news, mostly with news from NASA and its myriad of missions in the solar system and beyond. I grew up with discoveries made by NASA, so it seemed natural to follow its progress. All these years, I've kept a distant watch on the world of astrophysics.
In addition to Cosmos the TV series, I also dug up my old copy of Cosmos by Carl Sagan, the book that the series is based on, to keep me occupied until the next episode airs (an excruciatingly long wait). I do have a habit of not finishing some books I started reading but I'm pretty sure that I finished reading Cosmos when I was younger. Nonetheless, reading it again is almost like reading it for the first time. There is this line in the book which I like because it is similar to what I wrote in my previous post about climate change:

"A few million years ago, when human beings first evolved on Earth, it was already a middle-aged world, 4.6 billion years along from the catastrophes and impetuosities of its youth. But we humans now present a new and perhaps decisive factor. Our intelligence and our technology have given us the power to affect the climate. How will we use this power? Are we willing to tolerate ignorance and complacency in matters that affect the entire human family? Do we value short-term advantages above the welfare of the Earth? Or will we think on longer time scales, with concern for our children and our grandchildren, to understand and protect the complex life-support systems of our planet? The Earth is a tiny and fragile world. It needs to be cherished."

Chapter 4: Heaven and Hell, Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

Everything has its limits

My area was hit with water rationing on 12 March and it is set to go on until 30 March. As with everyone else, I was dismayed , even though I kind of expected it considering the decrease in dam levels throughout the state. In the end, it’s not so bad for me as long as the water rationing happens on a working day. It’s a bit tough if I’m at home and the two pails of water I saved could barely meet my needs for two days.
I’ve always known how precious water is and with climate change happening, whether we acknowledge it or not, now is the time to manage our water resources more effectively. The sad thing is, most people take water for granted. I don’t know how we can make it plainer to them that although two thirds of our planet is covered in water, not all the water is fit for consumption. It’s strange but it’s a fact we have to accept. Just because the sun is shining, it doesn’t mean it will not run out of its hydrogen fuel someday. Granted, it’s a very long time away but we need to realise that everything around us needs to be used responsibly.

君がいるから (Because You're Here)

Composed by Masashi Hamauzu
Performed by Sayuri Sugawara
Main theme from Final Fantasy XIII

「泣いたっていいんだよ」 君がふいにそう言ってくれたから
何だか嬉しくて 涙じゃなく 笑顔が零れた

不器用すぎる言葉で 君を傷つけてしまった
それでも 離れたりしないで
今もこうして 支えになってくれてるんだ きっと...

You suddenly said, "You can cry if you want"
Somehow it made me happy, instead of tears I smiled

My words so clumsy, they hurt you
But I don't want you to leave me, I want you to stay beside me always

叶えたい願い 叶えたい夢 届けたい想い 全て
信じ続ける事が奇跡を呼んで 未来に繋がって行くよ
ずっと ねぇ ずっと 見守っていて欲しい
Dear My Friend

Wishes and dreams I want to come true
The feelings I wish I could tell you
A miracle created from the things I've always believed
Is connected to the future
Always, always I want you to watch over me
Dear my friend

「君なら大丈夫だよ」 別れ際にそう言ってくれたから
感じてた孤独が その一言で 綺麗になくなった

新しい扉を開く それは誰でも怖くて不安だらけだけど
背中を押してくれた 君を思い出せば
力が溢れてくるからね

You said, upon leaving "You'll be able to do it"
The loneliness I felt was wiped clean with those words

I'm opening a new door, anyone would be frightened
All I had to do was remember you and the strength flowed through me

素直な気持ち 譲れないもの 正直な言葉 全て
声にして伝える事ができたなら 未来は広がって行くよ
いつも そう いつも 心に君がいるから
Dear My Friend

I won't give up my feelings
If I can make voice to all these words
Then the future will open up
Because forever you are in my heart
Dear my friend

立ち止まっても 忘れそうになっても
何度も何度でも 前を向いて行くと誓うよ
見上げた空 光が差し込んでいる
君にまた逢える日まで

I vow that
No matter if I stop, or if I forget
I will keep moving forward
Light is shining down, when I look up at the sky
Until the day when I can see you again

素直な気持ち 譲れないもの 正直な言葉 全て
声にして伝える事ができたなら 未来は広がって行くよ

願い 叶えたい夢 届けたい想い 全て
信じ続ける事が奇跡を呼んで 未来に繋がって行くよ
ずっと ずっと 見守っていて欲しい
Dear My Friend

I won't give up my feelings
If I can make voice to all these words
Then the future will open up

Wishes, the dreams I want to come true
The feelings I wish I could tell you
A miracle created from the things I've always believed
Is connected to the future
Always, always I want you to watch over me
Dear my friend

Lyrics from here.

Some people just can't leave a great franchise alone...

Can we ever learn from others’ mistakes? We’ve seen it before. A series has a successful run, then churns out season after season of great content. After a while though, you notice something it not quite right. You brush it off as an anomaly, a technical glitch if you will. Then these occurrences are too frequent to ignore and you’re faced with the fact that the show you once knew was no more. It may still be in existence but barely a tenth of its prime.
To me, Peter Jackson has ruined forever the Lord of the Rings franchise with the release of The Hobbit movies. If it wasn’t bad enough that he had to stretch the single book to three movies, he had to alter the story line as well. He had to introduce a new character and a romantic plot which he figured the audience wanted. Well, I'm one part of the audience who didn't like it. What irks me was that The Hobbit would’ve been a good movie if it was just one movie and the director didn’t make too many major alterations with the story line. That’s what bugs me. He had the perfect Bilbo in Martin Freeman. Some say he’s not as charismatic as Elijah Wood playing Frodo but I prefer Bilbo to Frodo. All I can do now is cherish the LOTR trilogy and pretend The Hobbit trilogy never happened.

Another franchise ruined is one I had always admired from afar but never truly experienced. I’m talking about Final Fantasy. I was first introduced to Final Fantasy VIII by my sister. It has a lovely soundtrack and interesting story. After that, a friend in university introduced me to Final Fantasy X. I liked the love story in there and above all, I loved the character designs and animation. It was breathtaking. From there, it was only natural that I discovered Final Fantasy XIII. I really liked the fact that they had a strong, kick-ass girl as the main protagonist. Lightning's character design is awesome.
I thought here was finally a strong and smart main female character. Unfortunately, for the second sequel of FFXIII, the game producers decided to do the unthinkable. They modified the character as if to pander to the fanboys. I read the article about this in dismay. The franchise has sunk so low that I don’t know if they can ever go back to their days of glory. As with the LOTR trilogy, I will cherish the earlier versions of Final Fantasy and pretend the second sequel of Final Fantasy XIII never happened.