Seoul - Day 1

A recap of my trip to Seoul, Korea, on Wednesday, 16 March 2016.

Myeongdong, Seoul Subway & K-Star Road

The flight from KLIA to Incheon was harrowing due to my fear of flying. It didn’t help that I was flying solo. My friend went first, she arrived in Seoul the week before due to her work obligations. I had planned to go last week as well but my cousin got married that weekend so I decided to go after the wedding. I thought going on a night flight would allow me to sleep and have a fresh start the next day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I kept getting nervous each time there was a slight turbulence. The flight was smooth overall but I just couldn’t fall asleep.

Game of Thrones S601

Spoiler alert! Do not read if you have not watched this episode. This is a loose recap; I've taken liberty with the chronology of the scenes.

The first episode of Game of Thrones’s Season 6 did not disappoint. It opened with the aftermath of Jon Snow being stabbed by some member's of the Night’s Watch. We see that that none of the mutinous members had disposed of Jon’s body. Davos is the one who sees the body and orders those loyal to Jon to bring the body inside. He also asked Dolorous Edd to bring Ghost who had been locked in a pen. The author of an article I read wondered why Ghost had been locked up. I agree with the writer that it could’ve been for the wildlings sake or Thorne’s party had decided to lock up the direwolf when they hatched the plan to rid of Jon. It was a touching moment when Ghost was finally by Jon’s side and started to lick his hand, as if it could wake him up.

Birth of a Beauty

My K-drama roll continues. After Pinocchio, I watched Birth of a Beauty several weeks ago. Don’t let the title and the premise of this series turn you off. This series is about a housewife who finds out that her husband (who she thought was overseas pursuing his studies) was actually cheating on her. He wanted to divorce her but she refused. She then ended up in an accident, survived it and in order to get her husband back, decided to go and see the plastic surgeon of a popular extreme makeover show to do one on her instead. Thus, the title of the series.

This beginning is problematic enough. Seeing a housewife risk her life doing extreme plastic surgery so that she becomes slim and beautiful is not something you would want women, especially insecure young girls to see. It propagates society’s obsession with youth and a certain standard of beauty. This didn’t stop me from watching though. Even though the main character, Sa Geum Ran went about the wrong way to get her husband back, I was still rooting for her and felt happy for her post-surgery, not because I thought she was much prettier but because society would now view and treat her differently. She had been mistreated by her husband, his in-laws and even his mistress just because they thought she was overweight and dressed like an ahjumma (aunty). We can argue all day long about inner beauty and whatnot but we know that in the real world, people deemed attractive are treated better.

Since Sa Geum Ran didn’t return to her family after the accident, her husband, in-laws and her mother thought that she died (her car swerved off a cliff and fell into the ocean. She survived but by the time she returned, they were in the midst of her funeral). Seeing her husband and her family dismiss her so easily, she decided to get the extreme plastic surgery. She looks completely different from her former self. Now known as Sa Ra, she teams up with the plastic surgeon, Han Tae Hee to stop her husband, Lee Kang Joon from marrying his mistress, Gyo Chae Yeon. The series really picks up from here.

I would have to say that there a lot of plot holes and also coincidences in this series but the two main actors were so good and had such great chemistry that you just ignore it whenever anything doesn’t make sense or seem too convenient. Don’t get me wrong though, these instances are minor and far in-between.

What I like about the series is that it shows someone having a fresh start. We see how Sa Ra develop into a confident and strong person. It’s true that when she was married, she didn’t think highly of herself and would allow her mother-in-law and sister-in-laws to take advantage of her (they all stayed in the same house). Her father-in-law treated her well but he was oblivious to the mistreatment his wife and daughters inflicted upon Sa Geum Ran. Having a friend in Han Tae Hee allowed Sa Ra to find her true self and also develop her existing talent: cooking! It’s kind of stereotypical to associate cooking with being a housewife but when she was married, she did have to cook for her husband and in-laws every day so it isn’t too far-fetched that she would be skilled in cooking. She ends up being a food taster on a television show and later on a contestant on a cooking show. You go girl!

In most K-dramas, no matter how accomplished the main female lead is, she would tend to be the polite, fragile type who would always need rescuing by the male lead. I’m happy to note that Sa Ra isn’t that kind of a person. Sure, in the beginning she required a lot of guidance from Tae Hee but once she had gained enough knowledge, she was no pushover. She would stand up when threatened and does not hesitate to go out and get what she wants. Sure, sometimes she does need rescuing but she does the rescuing at other times as well. She also stays grounded after the surgery. Naturally she was ecstatic that she was now beautiful but it didn’t change her nature. She was friendly and polite to everyone she meets. I know I would be stereotyping good-looking people by saying this, but someone as good-looking as Sa Ra in real life probably wouldn’t be so humble. It’s only a character in a TV series but I like to believe that there are people who don’t let their so-called physical attributes/talent get to their head.

This was an overall solid series. The comedic moments were spot on and the dramatic moments engaging. The storyline was tight throughout and it had a satisfying ending.

Merdeka

There is a lot going on the country that it almost made me not look forward to Merdeka. That shouldn’t be the case though. If you truly love your country, you should not let a couple of setbacks or other people’s shenanigans affect your feelings. In any case, listening a few pioneer doctors on BFM gave me hope.

I particularly felt a ray of hope from Dr Mahmood Merican, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, who, in one of the podcasts, said:

“With all the grumbles, I still have faith in the country. There are still a lot of good people there, some of them may be disheartened but we still have lots of things going on. I still have faith in the long-term for Malaysia.
I think we need to be kinder to one another. This is a basic thing. You know, our behaviour on the road, the way we litter, the way we leave our toilets. These are very bad signs. We should care for the next person. That is the main thing we have to do. I think, again, it is education, parenting, which can play a big part.”

I especially loved his closing quote:

“We should not lose hope; even though at the moment things seem to be difficult, they are difficult, we have to do our bit. One of things about Malaysians is that they grumble, they are prone to point fingers at everybody and forget to examine their own actions. Even if you have a little that you can help, do it and that will add up. Don't feel that you are helpless. Even with what little you can do, do for the good.”

Have a happy Merdeka everyone!

Earth to Echo

I read reviews about Earth to Echo last year. It was a movie by an unknown director with unknown casts (except for one of the supporting cast, who is one of the actors from Monk). I remember the reviewer describing the movie as something like Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The show is basically about a group of kids helping an extra-terrestrial find its way back home.

The movie began by showing a group of three friends lamenting on how they have to move because of the construction of a highway that bypasses their neighbourhood. One of the characters, Tuck, is a budding filmmaker who captures on video the workers at the construction house near his house. One of the things he mentions at the start caught my attention. He said, “Why do you need to build a freeway through our houses? Can’t you go around it?” He summed it up by saying how powerless he and his friends felt. “We can’t do anything, we’re just kids.” The pessimist in me was thinking, “Even we adults can’t do anything when big money comes to disrupt our home and the environment.” It’s not a happy thought but in that sense the movie connects with reality.

Anyways, I couldn’t stay depressed for long because pretty soon, the boys, Tuck, Munch and Alex gather when they find something wrong with their smartphones. A seemingly random, abstract image appears when they come near Alex’s house. No phone technician can explain what’s wrong with the phone. They checked the forums and online and didn’t find anything until Munch came across a map of the desert which surprisingly, matches the image on their phones! Things were bumpy before they even started their journey and they even had to sneak into the house of a girl who happened to be one of their schoolmate. Boys being boys, they were reluctant to let her join them once she found out what they were up to but after saving them from further interrogation from a suspicious construction worker, they let her join. Not that they had a choice anyways. She was pretty adamant about joining them on their mission. Thus the four of them began their crazy adventure.

What I liked about the story is that it shows how you can achieve something that seems impossible as long as you have your friends, courage and a sense of adventure. Of course, the journey will have its challenges and tensions but what matters is how you learn from it. I like these quotes at the end of the movie:

“I don’t really know how to say goodbye, so I’m not gonna and you’re my friend you know. Even when I’m old, even when you think I’d forgotten I’m always gonna be there.”- Alex.

“When you’re a kid, you think you’re invisible. We didn’t think we could make a difference. We’re not kids anymore. We know now that we can do anything.

Having a friend light years away taught us that distance is just a state of mind. If you’re best friends, then you will always be best friends, no matter where you are in the universe.” – Tuck.

Being Active

That’s it. I have decided to start actively blogging again. A few days ago, I decided to read again my blog entries circa 2005-2009 at my old Geocities site and it was hilarious! I used to be so emo and insecure last time (I’m less insecure and no longer emo now). I truly understand now why people keep journals. There is only so much memories your mind can keep. All the little details would usually be lost. Even when I read my old site, there were some events I wrote about that I don’t recall now.

From now on, I shall try to blog as much as I can. The number of blog entries I published dropped drastically after working at The Edge. The editor mindset in me would nitpick on every little detail of my writing to the point that it discouraged me from publishing any entry. There was always a little voice at the back of my head saying, ‘That’s not clever enough. It’s not witty enough. Not intellectual enough. There is no value add.’ Oh shut up already. I think that voice has piped down so I shall write whatever I want and not caring whether it’s “clever” or not. This is just an outlet for me. I’m not aiming for a Pulitzer Prize.

First things first. I have started exercising again! Yay! I used to go walking at the Taman Tun park a year ago (perhaps?) off and on. I would walk every week and then stop. A few months later, I would start my weekly walk and after a few weeks, stop again. You get the picture.

Since 2 August, I started using the manual treadmill 2 or 3 times a week. It got a little monotonous for me and two weeks later, I started to follow the Neila Rey workouts at darebee.com. Ika told me about the site several months. So far, I have consistently been working out, although I’ve been doing the Darebee workouts more and the treadmill less. In terms of the Darebee workouts, I have tried Plan B, Frost, Swan, Express and the latest one, Slayer. As the name suggests, Slayer was no walk in park. My butt is sore today. I suspect it was the sit-up punches or lunge punches.

I don’t know why I am more motivated to work out this time but I like it. I even bought a yoga mat to do the workout in my room. My sis said that if I can keep it up for 2 months, the routine would stick. I’m halfway there, looking forward to the second month!

Syawal Screenings

Well, not screenings per se. More like watching past movies on free-to-air and cable TV. I don't often watch local Malay movies but somehow whenever Raya comes around, I just feel like watching local movies.
Azura

I kind of stumbled on this movie during third day of Raya when I balik kampung to Parit, Perak to visit relatives on my mom's side. At the first house we visited, the classic movie starring Jamal Abdillah and Ogy was on. The movie has its own merits but I was attracted to it because it showcased the life and style of the 80s. The hair, the clothes, the music! It was also refreshing to watch on screen a Malaysia that is way more liberal than it is now. I truly miss the good old days. Of course, I didn't get to watch the movie until the end since we had other houses to go to, but I would definitely watch it again to find out what happens in the end.
Magika

I came across this movie as I was channel surfing. I don't remember ever watching it but I definitely knew what it was about. It's basically Labyrinth with local Malay folklore injected into it. The heroine, Ayu, looks for her lost brother and they both end up in the magical world called Magika. I love any fantasy story that incorporates local Malay folklore but they are far and few in between. Magika is okay for a first attempt, I understood what the director was trying to achieve. A lot of the folklore characters have been given a twist so that viewers wouldn't know what to expect. In Magika, Ayu and her brother meet characters such as Nenek Kebayan, Hang Tuah, Mahsuri, an ageing Puteri Gunung Ledang, Bawang Puteh & Bawang Merah and so on.
Making a Malay fantasy movie is already a handful in my opinion, yet the producers of this film decided to take it a step further my making it into a musical! It's not surprising considering it was directed by Edry KRU. A brave attempt but one that may not have paid off. There were one or two good songs but the others were not so memorable. With the exception of Ziana Zain who played the Nenek Kebayan, it would've been better if the cast could sing well. The acting is decent but I found the heroine's younger brother whiny and annoying. The movie does show the reason for him being that way but that didn't make him any less annoying. There is some romance injected into the movie but unfortunately I didn't feel any chemistry between Ayu and the guy who helps her in Magika (forgot his name). Funnily enough, I did feel the chemistry at the end of the movie (spoiler alert!) when the two were singing about yearning to see each other (probably since they weren't together). The use of special effects was decent but felt underwhelming when the dragon of Lake Chini made its appearance. I can empathise though; it was probably due to the lack of budget. Creating realistic looking dragons is terribly expensive. Even HBO, which has a much bigger budget, had fans complaining how the dragons didn't look realistic enough in Game of Thrones. All in all, Magika had many flaws but like I said earlier, it was a good attempt. It's kinda making me want to continue writing my own fantasy novel.
CEO

The title of this movie was enough to make me take a longer look. If you watch enough Malay movies/dramas, you would know that 99% of them are love stories (typical boy-meets-girl/star-crossed lovers/forced marriages, etc). So a movie with the title of CEO seemed promising. It's basically about two characters who somehow had their roles switched. One is a CEO of a company and the other one is a pizza delivery guy. What made me watch was the pizza delivery guy. His boss (a lady boss, yay!) was asking him what were his future plans. Typical of a young graduate, he said he had no plans. His boss went on to say that he needs to plan his future. He shouldn't let his talent go to waste by not planning to further his career. This simple line had me mindblown. Wow, a Malay movie where the characters are talking about something other than love/marriage/forbidden love. Also impressed that there is a woman in the movie who isn't talking about a guy. I'm also a sucker for movies where you get to see the main character improve himself. What I liked about this movie was its focus and that it was well-paced. My only minor gripe was that at the end of the movie, it didn't show the characters career progression a few years down the road. I know that would be a predictable ending but I would have still like it :)