PK (probably the best movie I've watched so far)

Assalamualaikum,

Let me begin by thanking Fad Bin Zack and Aishah Ahmad for recommending this movie. Thank you so much.

I was always skeptical on Bollywood movies, especially the ones with a title like "PK". They'll be nothing but kitsch songs and emotion fest. PK didn't prove me wrong. However, the film dares to discuss the highest level of philosophy  as Dr. Normala Othman once said: religion.

What's so great about the movie you may ask. Well, I believe that film is a powerful medium that can be used to reach out to people. Discussing religion openly is often seen as tedious and might even be a taboo. The movie has successfully raise awareness on the concept of divinity i.e God and social issues in a necessary melodramatic way. All the tawdry stereotypical elements in Bollywood movies are needed so that the public are able to think about the matter in a laid-back way.

I have always wanting to spread dakwah in films but I fear that I will write something which is too heavy and too scholarly for a person to watch in pleasure. Whoever came out with the idea for this movie is a genius as the amount of issues discussed is huge and that is not even an exaggeration. Every single scene is important and needed to get through to the people. Regardless of the cinematography, acting and original score, the content of the movie is amazing and I am not ashamed to say that this would be the best film I've watched my entire life. Congratulations and thank you.

PK

The day I started to really love rap. {Wasalu Muhammad Jaco}

Assalamualaikum ...

I have been listening to rap since we have all heard about MC Hammer & Vanilla Ice. Only when Eminem came with his Marshall Matters LP that I started to think that rap is a cool kind of music. So I bought the tape and another uncensored one so that I could hear all the explicit words. I love every single song in it. After that I started to listen to every single rap that are famous during those days; Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Redman, etc.

So the days of gangsta rap are over. I've moved to all sorts of other music genres. Rap is still around, but it wasn't my real interest (not trying to say that my real interest is now rap). It's not when I heard of the name Lupe Fiasco by a friend who introduced me to the song "Superstar". It didn't quite impress me, but it is a nice song, hearing it for the first time.

When LASERS came, I started to listen to the album. Just like any other album, you'd listen and love a few of the songs first ... in the end you'll love every single track. I started to learn what rap is about. I found out that rap is a form of poetry, and coming from a literary background I agree to a certain extent that songs can be poetry.

You see, to me (as someone who recently love poetic stuff) poetry is a form art using language. Thus to have it as an art, it requires something to make it beautiful. Just as paintings requires good colours, brushes, creativity,etc, poetry requires the right set of words, sounds, imagery,etc. Thus, the same goes with the lyric of a song.

I'm not saying that Lupe Fiasco's song are like Shakespeare's sonnets because that is too far apart. Shakespeare's sonnets are beautifully crafted. Rap (I'm referring to good rap), to me is beautiful because it usually rhymes and the choice of words used are just great.

While most commercial rappers are talking about dancing, partying, drinking, girls, sex, etc, Lupe being someone who go against establishments, raps about society, war, environments and other forms of awareness. It is really rare to hear a mainstream artist, especially from the US going against the occupation on Palestine by Israel.

After listening to Lupe, I got a whole new perception of rap. I could listen to Lupe singing about Islamic things with other singers; Snoop Dogg, Skylar Grey, Erykah Badu, etc without any issues. It just open up the way I think about something.

This is one of my favourite verse from "Superstar" taken from The Cool:

[chorus]

Yea, uh
A fresh cool young Lu
Trying to cash his microphone check 2, 1, 2
Want to believe my own hype but it's too untrue
The world brought me to my knees
What have you brung you?
Did you improve on the design?
Did you do something new?
Well your name ain't on the guest list
Who brung you? You
The more famous person, you come through
And the sexy lady next to you
You come too
And then it hit me
Standing outside of heaven waiting for God to come and get me
I'm too uncouth
Unschooled to the rules
And too gum shoe
Too much of a newcomer
And too uncool
Like Shadow and Lavelle
I battle with it well
Though I need a holiday like lady who sung blue
Go back what ever you did you undo
Heavy is heaven
The devil on me two tonnes too

p/s: Just listen to how well this verse rhymes. ~~

How much is Panipuri at Dharisha store on Chowpatty? Who stole constable Varmy's bicycle?

Assalamulaikum.

Jamal couldn't answer a simple question of "what is written underneath the national emblem of India?" where it is thought that every Indian should know.

Police Inspector 1 : My five-year old daughter can answer that question, but you couldn't.

Jamal: How much is Panipuri at Dharisha store on Chowpatty?

Police Inspector 1: What?

Jamal : Panipuri. One plate. How much?

Police Inspector 2: -10 Rupees.
Jamal: -Wrong

Jamal : 15 since Diwali

Jamal: Who stole Constable Varmy's bicycle?

Police Inspector 1: You know who that was?

Jamal: Everyone in Juhu knows that.

Jamal: Even five year olds

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

When we don't know, we ask. Sometime when we ask a simple question, that from the perspective of the listener(s) is something that everyone should know, they would look down on us, feel annoyed and would probably make fun of us.

Well, do you know "how much is Panipuri at Dharisha store on Chowpatty?" "Do you know who stole constable Varmy's bicycle?"

I'm sorry if I don't know the answer to that simple question. At least I have the courage to ask and have the need to know.

I am weak

Assalamualaikum ...

I was looking back at my previous posts in this blog, and I find that I am really weak with my grammar. Some of them are simple mistakes. I envy those who can write really well.

For the post to come, I hope readers would help me on correcting my mistakes.

Thank You~

‎"That is that! This is this!"

Assalamualaikum ...

It has been a long time since the last post ... is posted? (hoho)

I am currently watching School Rumble the anime series. It is such a waste that I have never really watch it before and enjoy it because the series is seriously good; epic humor, great expression, good drama, etc.

As usual I would pick some memorable quotes from anything that I've watch/listen/read so that people would get something from it.

If you have problems doing something because you are bothered by another thing;

Lala
Just listen.

Lala
"That is that! This is this!"

p/s: Harima Kenji sangat cool! hoho

Penjaga Keselamatan Yang Bengang Dengan Aku

Ext. Luar Pagar Universiti Islam Antarabangsa - Malam

SYAUKAT dalam perjalanan pulang dari berjoging dan makan malam di restoran yang berhampiran dengan bertemankan pemain MP3nya. Dia menghampiri pintu pagar universitinya dan meluru ke arah PENJAGA KESELAMATAN 1 yang berpakaian unifom lengkap ditugaskan untuk mengawal pagar tersebut dengan harapan Penjaga Keselamatan 1 tersebut akan meminta pengesahan yang dia merupakan seoprang pelajar di kampus itu.

Syaukat berjoging dengan perlahan masuk ke dalam pagar, tetapi kelihatan Penjaga Keselamatan 1 tersebut sibuk melakukan tugasnya, lalu Syaukat pun meneruskan perjalananya untuk ke dalam kampus.

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
(dalam nada yang samar-samar) nk ... mana tu?

Syaukat terberhenti kerana merasakan ada orang memanggil dia. Dia mencabut earphone yang disumbatkan di telinganya dan memandang ke arah Penjaga Keselamatan 1.

Syaukat
Amende?

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Nak gi mana tu? (geram)

Syaukat
Masuk ah ...

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Ko sini jap ... (bengang)

Syaukat
(terpinga-pinga)

Syaukat berjalan ke arah Penjaga Keselamatan 1 seperti yang diminta dan mengeluarkan Kad Matriknya yang akan mengesahkan bahawa dia merupakan penuntut di institut tersebut.

Penjaga Keselamatan 1 melihat kad matrik tersebut kemudian memandang Syaukat

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Kamu ni takda budi bahasa ya. (lagi bengang)

Syaukat
huh? (pelik)

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Saya tanya kamu nak pergi mana, kamu jawab lebih kurang jerk. Cakapla saya pelajar dari sini, pastu tunjukla kad matrik.

Syaukat
(diam mendengar kata-kata Pengawal Keselamatan 1)

Syaukat hanya mampu senyap, kemudian beredar untuk meneruskan perjalananya. Belum sempat dia memasang pemain MP3nya kembali dia terdengar;

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Sini jap.

Syaukat pergi ke arah Penjaga Keselamatan 1.

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Masuk sini jap

Penjaga Keselamatan 1 menunding ke arah pondok pengawal yang berhampiran.

Tanpa membantah suruhan Penjaga Keselamatan 1, Syaukat masuk ke dalam pondok tersebut.

Int. Pondok Penjaga Keselamatan - Malam

Di dalam, terdapat 3 LAGI Penjaga Keselamatan. PENJAGA KESELAMATAN 2, berpakaian unifom lengkap duduk menghadap komputer sambil mendengar lagu. PENJAGA KESELAMATAN 3 berpakaian separa lengkap dengan kemeja-T sedang duduk berborak dengan mereka yang lain. PENJAGA KESELAMATAN 4 sedang berehat di atas sofa di ruangan belakang.

Syaukat menuju ke arah Penjaga Keselamatan 2 kerana dia merasakan yang inilah orang yang patut dijumpa.

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Saman dia ni ... rambut tu ... (seperti berbisik tetapi nada tetap bengang)

Penjaga Keselamatan 1 menutup pintu pondok, dan meneruskan kerjanya di luar

Penjaga Keselamatan 2
Mintak Kad Matrik.

Syaukat menghulurkan Kad Matriknya kepada Penjaga Keselamatan 2. Penjaga Keselamatan 2 mengambil Kad Matrik daripada Syaukat dan mengesahkan ia dengan menggunakan komputer yang berada di hadapannya.

Penjaga Keselamatan 2
Pelajar Master, takkan tatau lagi peraturan kat sini.

Penjaga Keselamatan 3
Bukannya kami suruh botak macam ni. (mengusap2 kepalanya yang botak)

Penjaga Keselamatan 1 muncul di hadapan kaunter cermin pondok.

Penjaga Keselamatan 1
Saman dia ni. (menunding jari ke arah Syaukat)

Penjaga Keselamatan 1 beredar untuk meneruskan kerjanya.

Penjaga Keselamatan 2
Dah, ni last warning...

Penjaga Keselamatan 2 mencatit nombor Matrik daripada Kad Matrik, dan memberikannya kembali kepada Syaukat.

Syaukat mengambil kembali Kad Matriknya.

Syaukat
Terima kasih

Syaukat keluar dari pondok pengawal kemudian cepat-cepat beredar dari situ.

Syaukat melihat ke arah lubang untuk pili paip yang ada di dalam pondok tersebut, dimana terdapat beberapa puntung rokok. Dia hanya mampu berdiam diri kerana walaupun tidak besar dan tidak jelas tetapi dia tetap bersalah kerana memiliki rambut yang panjang dan bengang terhadap Penjaga Keselamatan 1 yang jelas bertindak mengikut emosinya.

Syaukat (monolog)

Bukannya panjang sangat rambut aku. Ala-ala Shah Rukh Khan je. Aku tau ko memang bertindak ikut perasaan. Bukannya aku nak bersikap kurang hajar dengan ko, tidak sama sekali dalam hati aku terditik untuk biadap dengan orang tua. Aku berlari ke arah ko supaya ko boleh tegur aku dan aku boleh tunjuk Kad Matrik aku. Tapi ko tak tengok pun. Aku da lepas ke depan da baru ko nak panggil. Sekali lagi, bukannya aku nak biadap dengan ko, tapi aku tak dengar, aku tengah dengar MP3 aku. Ko da sound aku camtu aku senyap je la. Sumpah kalo korang saman aku time tu, aku akan ungkitkan pasal puntung rokok yang ada dalam pondok tersebut.

Brothers (2009) -may contain spoilers-

IMDB rating : 7.4/10

A great movie about brotherhood, family and war. I think these kinds of quality movies about war just show how Americans hate war. Even though there are scenes that make people from Afghanistan look bad, but that's how it is; how American see them, how children are taught. The part in Afghanistan may seem ... bad; I think the intention is to show how cruel war can be. Tobey Macguire & Jake Gyllenhaal are great, and not to forget Natalie Portman who is more matured now having to act as a mother.

Tommy
"You're my brother. You're my family"
-----------------------------------------

Tommy
"What's going on Sam?"

Sam
"I'm drowning Tommy."
-----------------------------------------
Cops
"You're a war hero sir"

Sam
"I'm no fucking hero"
-----------------------------------------
Sam's letter;
"My Darling Grace,
If you're reading this, it means I didn't make it back.
Nothing is certain in this life.
The only thing I know for sure is that I love you and our girls.
That is the only thing I know."
-----------------------------------------
Sam
"I don't know who said 'only the dead have seen the end of war'
I have seen the end of war
The question is can I live again?"
-----------------------------------------


p/s: This is a remake of the movie Brødre (2004).