Social media's primary motivation is recognition. We're searching for understanding in the form of a larger network, because what's the point in churning out updates daily if not to attract and captivate an audience, huh? Sharing our work and thoughts, connecting with people, opening up our metaphorical internet doors into our homes..these are valid reasons to check twitter. But more often, we share to share. Liking becomes less about what we like and more about the cultural recognition it gives us. Meaning is often based on cultural context, so it becomes difficult to play the game of what would our ancestors have done. Yet, what would they've seen in social media, in the internet in general? The age that we live in allows for greater communication than ever before. We're able to affect change, to widen our reach, and in powerful ways, influence our cities and the world. Networking makes connection comfortable and easy. Yet, in constantly connecting, we're losing our ability to communicate without the web to clamor behind us.
The function of social media gives us a way to say, "look what I'm doing," regardless of whether we're doing it or not. My friend and I were laughing about instagrams..from location scouting, prop styling, editing, etc. I'm not saying that these are bad things, just that our realities are skewed. It's not just about sharing our breakfast anymore..now our breakfast has to be beautiful. Which is fine. Art becoming greater in the scheme of our daily lives isn't something I oppose, but why do we do it? Is this all one huge game of follow the leader? I don't have answers, just questions. What would it look like to go off social media? What would it look like to communicate solely via letters? What's the function of blogs these days? Do we need this network? What's the point of it all? It fascinates me in a sobering way that we even have to ask ourselves these questions.
Society has evolved to a point where the thought of not having an online presence and not sharing our work puts us in league with the dinosaurs. I understand the appeal, perhaps too well. But it saddens me because I've been plugged into this changing, growing, controlling network. I wake up to the phone, check twitter. I take photo. I can talk to people without talking to them. Everything is an instagram opportunity. I should tweet that and this.
Do you know what's sad? I've lost the ability to sit in silence. It's difficult for me to be still. I'm rediscovering how to read without interruption. I'm trying to simplify my thinking into one line, not many different avenues all begging for my attention at once. I removed notifications from my phone awhile ago, but I sit and suddenly I'm checking my phone simply to check it. Is it that I, or we, don't remember how to even exist without constantly reviewing the never-ending stream of forever updating information? As I write this, I have about 10 tabs open.
We're spending more time cultivating our online personas than our character and personality in real life. Years ago, this wasn't a part of my normal routine. Take 2004. Instagram was nonexistent and iPhones were a thing of the future. Facebook had come out only recently and blogging was starting to gain traction. Smart phones existed, but compared to our phones today, we'd have called them illiterate. Yes, we had the internet, the next thing was coming, but everything was relatively quiet. I romanticize the past, but there's a marked difference in how we operate as a people with the increase of technology and the ease of networking. Please don't think I'm proclaiming a cry of abandonment of social media. I've said before, I enjoy instagram. But I don't want to mindlessly ingest and consume without question. What does the role of social media play in our lives and how will it continue to evolve as we as a people and society grow and change?
The thought of Google Glass terrifies me, and the promise of always being connected sounds like a nightmare. Contrary to the trends of 2014, I feel most fulfilled when I'm less connected. The more I am in the "real" world, the more inspired, well-rounded, and content I am. The less connected I am on social media, the more connected I am in real life. I think it's dangerous when we enter into social networking as a natural occurrence of daily life, and don't recognize the difference between what's shared and what exists. The argument could be made that social media is part of ordinary routines, but that's the gist of this post. We're at a place when sharing is synonymous with existing, and to go without sharing is a kiss of death, or really a refusal to cry.
What would happen if the internet went quiet and we all just lived our lives? This is something I wonder about when my phone and laptop are gone.
I must say I'm totally digging this new female empowerment vibe Disney's putting off in its movies lately. With Frozen, and now Maleficent, we see women saving themselves, women helping other women, women in power and women at the center of the story. I went to watch Maleficent with my man last weekend. I really wanted to watch it because Sleeping Beauty's one of my favorite story books when I was little, the time when I hated Maleficent. This time, it's the best story of Sleeping Beauty, and guess what, it's not about a woman going nuts and cursing a girl because she's jealous. She goes nuts and curses a girl because she herself was screwed over royally by a selfish man. And this time, it's not about Sleeping Beauty. It's about Maleficent. And I don't hate her anymore.
So here's how the story of Sleeping Beauty should sound like now:
Once upon a time, there were 2 kingdoms, the human kingdom and this magical kingdom next door with fairies and creatures and happiness. They didn't mess with each other and all's well. But then there's a boy, Stefan, who came into the magical kingdom and started stealing stuff. Maleficent, just a girl but still the a leader among the fairies, met Stefan. Instead of killing him (which they don't do in the joyous place), she walked him out of the kingdom and told him not to come back. Of course he didn't listen to her, and of course she's touched by the gesture he made by throwing his iron ring away when she told him it burned her. So he came back. And they became friends. Then more than friends. Then he kissed her with so-called true love's kiss.
So of course it wasn't true love's kiss. It never is, now is it? The point is, this bastard left after that and Maleficent's sad, but still didn't let that stop her from becoming the most powerful fairy in the land. Stefan, who's a poor peasant boy, grew up to be some lackey man to the king. When the greedy king came to try to take over Maleficent's magical lands, she kicked his ass so hard he's sent home to die. The king vowed that anybody who kills Maleficent will take over the throne. So Stefan reconnected with her, drugged her and instead of killing her as she slept, he cut off her wings and took away a vital part of who she was. While she still had powers, the happiness was gone. She's in physical and emotional pain. This joyous kingdom turned dark. Maleficent's jubilant spirit turned vengeful.
Stefan became king and had a baby girl named Aurora. Maleficent cursed the baby girl as revenge, saying she'll fall into a deep sleep from which she can only be awoken by true love’s kiss. King Stefan hid the baby away in the woods to be raised by 3 fairies where she's constantly watched by Maleficent. Long story short, the sweet princess thought Maleficent was her fairy godmother and she started spending time with her. Maleficent grew to love Aurora and ended up saving her from the curse when she kissed the sleeping beauty on the cheek. Aurora ended up saving Maleficent by releasing her wings that her father held in captivity to be reunited with the fairy, leading Maleficent to her former greatness. The 2 kingdoms were peacefully united from then on and they lived happily ever after.
Oh I love Angelina Jolie. She's perfect to play such an amazing role as Maleficent. She's a wonderful role model to women. She's smart, beautiful, talented, she plays strong characters, she's a humanitarian, she seems like an amazing mother.
And this is what I learned from this tale:
Being happy and in awe of the world around you will not only make everything better, it could help you overcome the evil forces in your life.
Forge unlikely alliances. Sometimes those are the most rewarding ones.
True love does exist, just not in the way you envisioned.
Taking down a powerful one isn't easy. Actually, it's pretty much impossible.
Support other women. Love other women. Don't be disrespectful to your sister, mother, girlfriend, female colleagues, fiancee, wife. Be genuine and pleasant with those women who do have ill will toward you (or who you think might have ill will toward you) because you never know, those are the ones who might end up being important to you.
An act of true love doesn't always come from a man.
Life's gonna take things that make you who you are away from you, but don't get bitter and vengeful, open your heart and you'll be able to reclaim those things.
So that's it. I think every girl should see this movie.
The comic is a tribute to Nelson Mandela and it's his favorite poem by William Ernest Henley, called Invictus. So, about the comic, the photograph he's looking at is of himself with his eldest son, Madiba Thembekile, who's killed in a car crash. Mandela wasn't allowed to attend the funeral or even find out information about the accident. Over the years, because of the way Mandela carried himself, he gained respect and friendship of some of his guards. Not only did Mandela endure 27 years of imprisonment with dignity, determination and strength, but he also chose to forgive the people who wronged him. That, in my opinion, is his most impressive accomplishment. RIP Nelson Mandela.
I used to collect leaves and put them between pages of books. I do still love it, I'm just not collecting leaves anymore. You might see it as a hobby. Yes, but mostly, I like leaves because they're a lot like people. I'm not a leaf expert, but I know they're designed to maximize their exposure to light and arranged on a plant so as to not shade one another from the sun, to make sure they all grow. So kind. That's what those leaves are. Leaves are a product of their environment; the design and structure depend on the climate and external factors they're exposed to. Humans are the same.
We all thrive when we have enough exposure to light, whatever it is that your light may be. Much like leaves, when people are being their best selves, we allow room for one another to flourish. And we help each other to get there. We're products of our experiences, environments and challenges. And I believe wholeheartedly that we're doing our best, despite our present circumstances. We're weathered too. And that's what make all seasons of our lives so beautiful.
Leaves don't just fall. They're let go of by the tree, by gracefully drifting to the ground to help the tree survive. As they lay there decorating the earth's ground, they contribute their remaining nutrients to the soil. The leaves fall, land and change for a reason. So do we.
And so if you can look down at the ground and find beauty in the leaves that have fallen from their tree, can you do the same for people? When you see someone going through a difficult time or living their life in a way that's incomparable to yours, can you challenge yourself to place them in a different light? Before you make that harsh judgement, can you look them in the face and find their beauty? Can you appreciate their uniqueness? Can you remember how beautiful they once were and still are? Can you remember, that like leaves, seasons change for people too? And can you adjust your life accordingly so that they too can have some exposure to light?
Leaves have taught me that just because someone may not be high up on a tree, doesn't mean they're not adding brightness and value to the world. And at the end of your life, I'll wonder how gently you walked the earth.
Did you plant something that will grow? A seed of kindness? A smile on your face to light up someone else's? A vegetable garden? A whisper of hope? And did you grow your roots? Did you invest in something that will outnumber all of your days? Did you form loving bonds with your family members that can't be undone? And did you sit in silence on a cool, fall day and marvel at the wonder of the world? Did you appreciate its beauty? Did you offer thanks to God?
That's for my country. Happy 50th Malaysia Day! Well, despite that I'm not entirely independent (part of me still colonized, frankly speaking), I'm really proud of being Malaysian.
Growing up, I feel so proud living in Malaysia. "Malaysia Truly Asiaaaaa....."the radio played. Gorgeous views, beautiful people, SALE, harmonious land where its people of different races, cultures and religion live side by side with each other; the TV showed me. It made me realize how amazing Malaysia is. The text books said so too and well, I see that in school too where kids regardless of race or their skin color, played with each other.
And then I grew up. I saw many awful things. So many racism happening, so many conflicts with the politics, how the government brainwashed us to think that we're perfect, we are ONE, and so on. We have one of the worst human rights issue, we don't recognize refugees and treated them badly, MORE RACISM, we have 1st class infrastructure but 3rd class mentality..the list goes on.
But don't let me kill whatever love or hope you have towards Malaysia just yet, because despite all these flaws that we face, no countries, even its people, are perfect. Malaysia is not that bad after all. We can praise other countries for their development and crazy technology and kick ass government service, but at the end of the day, home's where the heart is. You can't reject something that you're born into just because it's not 100% perfect. I hate Malaysians who go around talking about Malaysia and praising other countries. Seriously. If you're not happy with Malaysia, migrate, change your nationality, live there, rot there and die there, and then you realize how it's not all perfect there too. It's the whole "grass is greener on the other side" mentality. What you see's not always true.
I love Malaysia. It's not perfect, yes, I have to agree, but it's home and that's the only place where you're treated warmly and with open hands. If you're in other country, who knows what kind of treatment you'd get because well, you're not one of their own. Having said that, it doesn't mean that we can just shut up and go about life as if nothing is wrong with our home. There's a lot of wrongs here and we need to fix it. We must do something to change the future of our nation. So come on, lighten up! Live life to the fullest and stop being such a killjoy!
And by the way, I'd like to share some pieces by our local talents with you, lovelies. My man, Ifo, has composed 2 new songs entitled Luka and Aramaiti. The songs were sang by our dear friend Rizal and the music's amazingly arranged by Icco, and the whole thing is immensely supported by The Baks. They totally made it! You'll love it, I promise. Enjoy the songs!
I think it is unfair to base ideas of what love should be on one thing or another. Love isn't a solid fact. It's always different, always shows up in different forms, and is always there when you think it isn't. I think the only common factor is that love is positive. I'm not saying love always leads to positive things (as in Romeo and Juliet) but the impact it leaves on your life is lasting. It'is there for you to compare your feelings to and it's there to help you get through the worst of times.
Do you know about the Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Come on, everyone knows that. Maslow didn't include love on his hierarchy for no reason. We need it in our lives to survive. I believe dying of a broken heart is a real thing. Love is electric, everlasting, proven, important, beneficial, and most importantly beautiful. Love because you can, because it is beautiful. Everyone needs it, everyone deserves it.
I can't say when you'll get love or how you'll find it or even promise you that you will. I can only say you are worthy of it and that it's never too much to ask for it and that it's not crazy to fear you'll never have it again, even though your fears are probably wrong. Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing we receive.
I heard some negative reviews about Oblivion previously, but that didn't stop me from watching it. It's Tom Cruise (he's old, but still a hot stuff) for heaven's sake and hey, it's such a great film. Despite its puzzling story, the problems it runs into along the way are overpowered by beauty and emotional aspirations.
It's 2077 and earth is a garbage dump, thanks to alien invasion 60 years ago. While the majority of human race had to abandon the earth and take refuge on a moon of Saturn, the only creatures remaining are hiding bands of Scavengers. Monitoring the land are white, round drones, floating cue balls from afar, but menacing killers up close. Occasionally, they need services from Jack Harper, which reminds me of Wall-E. He'll be flying out to repair the drones while Vika guides his movements from the sky.
"Another day in paradise," - oblivious Vika
Jack and Vika are living together in the floating airborne and their memories have been erased, including the bad memories from the invasion. They're responsible to clean up the remaining forces from the invasion as well as protecting the earth by taking care of drones. They take orders from Sally who promises to let them join the rest of humanity on Titan. Towards the end of the mission, a spaceship carrying sleeping capsules containing human beings crashes on earth. Jack gets to save Julia, a women he often sees in his dreams.
Many secrets are revealed when Jack and Julia caught by Scavengers, that happen to be human beings. They told Jack all truths and it turns out that Julia is his wife. Apparently, 60 years ago, Jack navigated his NASA ship to investigate Tet (space station where Sally's based), together with Vika as the co-pilot and Julia hibernated in capsule. While being attacked by an alien ship, Jack released the shuttle carrying sleeping capsules to save Julia and others before his spacecraft was caught. The shuttle remained in orbit around the earth for 60 years until drawn in by homing beacon. Jack and Vika were kidnapped, cloned, sent to earth by the Tet and obliviously worked for Sally. Whereas the drones are actually programmed to kill humans, not aliens, because there are no aliens on the earth.
What happens next? Go and watch it! I really love this movie. Every single shot is meticulously crafted and composed, especially the desolate ruins on earth. The futuristic stuffs featured in Oblivion are also amazing, such Jack's house, bubbleship, motorbike, computerized table, and everything. Not to forget the unique story line. There's a bit of elements from Wall-E, Inception and Vanilla Sky, and maybe others too. Go watch! ^^
a house in the clouds
"I know you, but we've never met. I'm with you and I don't know your name. I know I'm dreaming, but it feels like more than that. It feels like a memory. How can that be?" - Jack Harper
This entry is copied from a blog in the comments part:
Anonymous said...
Friends, allow me a moment of indulgence to clear the foul stench of stupidity among people. The case in LD is nothing new to us Sabahans. In 90s, they abruptly came to the shore at Semporna and immediately bombed the police stations, then went amuck at the town.
They're smart people, some came through the sea, rose from mangrove area and lived 4 to 6 months before started to mingle with the locals and married them. The Tausugs in LD now didn't came all at once, instead they came in batches, with helps from their families in the village. Trust me, they have been there at least 2 to 3 months until the groups become complete, then they decide that it's time to wage war.
If you don't understand the rules of engagement, then don't try to be smart by saying the government is weak, soggy, whatsoever. Police would need to move 1st as they're trained as negotiators, while armies are the last resort as they will not spare anyone once commanded.
They need time to ensure all the locals are out of the village and then cut their food and finance sources, hoping the Tausugs will surrender. That's our rules of engagement. We're not barbaric stoic like the American soldiers. So don't insult or complain about everyone that involves in LD. It's not easy. You don't know what does it feel like to be in a gunfight situation. Those who went in and died knew that they might not come back alive, as it was their vow when inducted to the force.
So please, learn from history and read more. Make sure your mouth and brain go on the same frequency, or in other harsh words, don't be a permanent idiot.
Police say everything is under control. The remaining Sulu gunmen are on the run. A curfew has been declared in Lahad Datu town, 165 km from Felda Sahabat. This is for safety reasons only. There have been no incidences anywhere else outside the Felda Sahabat area. 2 policemen have been killed. The Sulu gunmen have lost 12 people killed on their side. The rest are trying to escape. The area is fully cordoned off.
I'm terribly sad. We look at the history and learn from them. We look at today and care. We look at the future and say thank you. Now, which is more important? The history? Today? Future? Stop blaming and pointing finger. I write this because I just saw many negative comments on twitter and fb about this situation. Some blame government, party leaders, and even Tun Dr Mahathir. While some others who don't read perhaps, stupidly become racist. They're throwing nasty words to those Filipinos that have been living in Sabah. And there are some morons insulting Sabah and saying that Sabahans should have just surrendered to Sulu because we're not part of Malaysia. This and that, till they forget to pray.
Many individuals are involved in this terrorism whether they're from the inside or outside, but what concern me the most is today's situation. Come on guys. People are dead, their families are weeping, our heroes are fighting for justice, we're in fear and never stop praying. And those morons don't even have time to pray, as they're too busy insulting. I'm sad and so angry. Plus my brother and uncles are serving for justice in Lahad Datu right now. The whole family's really worried, but we don't stop them either because it's a responsibility. May Allah be with us all.
Deepest condolences to families of the dead fighters. Al-Fatihah....
Can't believe what I was hearing about the school shooting in Connecticut that killed 28 people, including 20 innocent children. My heart shattered to pieces. I'm still so angry inside that someone would ever want to take life from any human at all, let alone human as innocent as those kids. It's even harder to be grasped when I read the profile of suspected killer, Adam Lanza. You can read it here:
He's a nerd! A smart boy with major issues. And he's also said to be an autistic. How could an autistic boy kill people? And out of everyone, why children? I mean, they're just kids, for God's sake.
Adam Lanza was truly insane, or maybe he's hallucinating or didn't comprehend reality. Whatever. Kids were killed. We've been saddened enough by the dead children in Palestine, now another tragedy came up, it's just too much. If the world's going to end soon, then be it. Can you live in a world where humanity fades and even adults kill children?
they're among the victims. RIP.
Deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
