War of the Worlds? What war?

Ah, another Spielberg-Cruise collaboration. Yes, Spielberg has proven yet again that he has an indisputable vision for sci-fi flicks. AND, like many times before, he has proven that he's a huge sucker for happy endings. And trust me, this time, he did it at the expense of the entire movie.

War of the Worlds? What war? As far I could see, the human race were being exterminated a lot quicker than their brains could register they were in big trouble. It wasn't a war, it was an invasion.

I don't want to spoil it for movie lovers out there by revealing the out-of-this-world machines and ultimately how Spielberg's ET turned out this time. See it for yourself, and be spooked out of your chair or have a good laugh if you will. Though I have to say, he made a good choice by featuring Cruise and Fanning in the trailer. His new and improved ET's were reduced to shadows partly to fish for bigger box-office returns by rousing the curiosity of movie-goers and also because no one likes to see gory, blood-thirsty aliens hell bent on terminating anything hot-blooded.

Let us explore the characters then. Half the time, my friends and I were pleading for Dakota to just SHUT-UP. She can really stir up an ear-jarring, attention-seeking plea. Common, is your father suppose to get you to safety or pay heed to your nonsense? Plus, I don't know why, but she keeps getting roles that require her to be a lot older than she really is, in terms of her whims and fancies that is. Can you imagine a 10-year-old health freak that 'orders humus instead of food' as said by Daddy Cruise?

She is adorable at other times though and I can tell you, she hit jackpot this time. Maybe it was in the contract - that Tom should cradle her everywhere they go.

"Haiyorrrrr….., how nice to be her. Look, he carries her everywhere. How nice to have a hot father like that..", Dena, sitting next to me exclaimed the whole way through.

Let's move on to our old but still 'hot' Cruise. He plays a screwed up dad pretty well. Reckon he had real life experiences? His teenage son (god, it's odd to imagine him having a teenage child) would rather refer to him as Ray and not Dad. Anyway, he can still throw window-shattering fast-balls though.

As the movie progresses, it's very clear how his character evolves. It's nice to see a human when the background is just pure carnage. Our macho man, playing an average-Joe this time around manages cry, love, make mistakes and be a jerk at the right moments. As for the unrealistic parts, he seems to have a clear pathway to drive through in the midst of a plane wreckage, kill a man whose wits deserted him (watch out for a cameo by Tim Robbins in a role reminiscent of the sexually abuse man in Moon River), figure a way to destroy a tripod with a hand-grenade when a soldier should have known better, and realise that all of a sudden the impenetrable shield of the tripod had broken down.

The biggest disappointment is the ending, which is nothing short of baffling. Cruise manages to rise above the ruins, single handedly, as portrayed in the movie. I don't think H.G Wells ended his book that way, it was just too perfect.

In another light, we get a glimpse of human nature. See how we react in a crowd at bottleneck traffic - the science of crowd movement, the unusual brutality in times of crisis and of course, how can we miss this - the will to survive.

Ultimately however, the moral of the story is - To stay safe during an alien invasion, stay close to Tom Cruise. And in Meena's blunt terms - don't leave your seats without clapping everytime Cruise saves the day!

Current Music: Aqualung's Brighter than sunshine.

Batman and I

Batman and I go way back, way-way-back.

I must have been 4, or maybe even 5. Like any other toddler, I had 'teething' problems. It took a task force to feed me. After experimentation, a video helped - to distract my attention from the spoon/hand laden with grub. And that video happened to be, yup, you guessed it - Batman.

The first installation featured Michael Keaton and the resplendent Kim Basinger. I still remember the young starlet being whisked away by the obviously demented Joker - played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson up a bell tower. She was clad in white and she drops her shoe, also white somewhere along the stairwell. They then had a drunken waltz, drunken because she was a reluctant dancer.

It's not like I loved it, at least I don't recall bursting with joy at the sight of the movie but my family surely had a thrill. See what happened was, after so many meals, my little mind had, quite effectively memorised the entire dialogue. So, yup, I could tell their lines before the characters did. Quite amazing huh? My grandma baby-sat me at that time, and until today my aunt would boast to strangers how her favourite niece had induced her grandmother into a stupendous awe. I was a bright kid. (Heh, sheepish laughs)

Fast-forward a few years and I was 9 (Primary 3). We were blessed with a 'honest-to-goodness' fun English teacher. We would sing songs and have story telling sessions and have minimal and seasonal homework. I loved her - until she got too creative for her own good….

Most of you know me simply as Priya, but hey nothing is what it seems right?
Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Bathmapriya. Now let us take a closer look at 'Bathma'. Simple steps okay, ready?
1) Remove the 'H' = Batma
2) Place a bloody 'N' at the end = BATMAN.

So there you have it. My life was ruined. No thanks to her, friends referred to me as Batman when and where they pleased. The nickname stuck to me for a very long time. That's why by the time I stepped into secondary school, I made a resolution to be known as Priya and nothing else.

To my horror, Batman didn't quite leave me alone. I was 13 (Secondary 1). We were just finished with PE. Everyone was sweaty and exhausted. In preparation for our next lesson we removed our hair 'scrunchies' and retied our mane. Yes, I know, unbelievable, but I once had long hair. My clique wasn't accustomed to seeing me with my hair down, so when they did, they decided that I looked manly, hence I better leave it up. They happily experimented and concluded that if I wore a mask covering the top part of my face, I looked like - yup, you guessed it - BATMAN!

THAT'S IT! There's no running away from the black, latex clad dark knight. But, thanks to the box-office flop of Batman & Robin installation 8 years ago, I buried Batman and his franchise behind me.

Then came a younger, fresher, darker Batman.

Batman Begins is characteristically dark. I was never a fan of comics, be it DC or Marvel Comics. I can't bet on it, whether the representation was politically correct or not. I can say for certain though that I'm not for it - the concrete jungle of Gotham City, the screeching supersonic wailing of the bats, the brutality of military tactics, the laissez-faire monopoly of the multimillion-dollar Wayne Enterprise, the vengeful yet spoilt brat-Bruce Wayne, the big Bat-Tank that goes on a rampage on unsuspecting roofs, the destruction of an entire railway line, the poisonous vapour emission from harmless streets, the dilapidating Scarecrow mask.

The one thing I'm drooling over for is Batman himself. Christian Bale has come a long way from that 21 year old that played Laurie in Little Woman. Maybe it’s the inherent pained expression on his face and those sunken eyes, whatever it is; he sure is yummy now. There's a scene where Wayne wakes up after his nocturnal adventures decorated with bruises on his biceps. He gets out of bed and drops, face down to do his push-ups. How nice to be underneath those mass of muscles, pumping and pumping away….

Watch out for Cillian Murphy who plays Dr. Crane too. His mystifying blue eyes and silky soft, pink lips can win you over before you blink. Batman Begins is a treat for the ladies!

Current music: Merril Bainbridge's Salty Lips

Of Enormity. Vastness and Omnipresence

My toenails were blue. The last time that happened was on May 9th, my first paper. I developed a notorious reputation after a month of occupancy in LHE. I would bashfully ask Ms. Koh to switch the air-conditioner off whenever I started to consciously shiver. By the time exams ended, she knew my name and prior to any paper, would ask how I was doing.

My back was stiff too. And my bottoms hurt from sitting down on a wooden bench far longer that I had ever been trained to. I wasn't sure how long I have been in the bookstore, but I had read Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet in Heaven finish - non-stop. I was inwardly giving myself the heads-up. I would no longer need to worry about borrowing/buying this book.

While reading, many-a-times I had looked out the glass window and saw the spiraling line at the cineplex. It was Batman Begins' opening day. Another time, another day for Batman and I, I told myself. Oh, I got hungry too. Aunty Anne's heavenly pretzels came popping into my mind everytime Eddie met someone new, but I wasn't willing to give up my seat. It's a no-no to stand and read a 250-page book. Plus the book deserves much more respect that a mind half-preoccupied with other things can give.

Above all, I clung on to the Captain even after meeting the Blue Man, Ruby, Marguerite and Tala. Maybe it was the catch phrase - Nobody Gets Left Behind. But I think it was the idea of making life count - to do something, something that makes a difference, and to do it selflessly.

Eddie had been bitter all his life after serving in the war. He returned home a broken man with an indelible wound on his knee. Overtime, the injured knee came to epitomise everything that didn't happen in his life - moving away from his maintenance job in Ruby Pier, having a child with Marguerite, mending his non-existent relationship with his father……

Imagine being bitter about something your whole entire life only to be told later on your journey to heaven that that knee saved your life. The same person that shot your knee and screwed up your life for you later shows himself to be the one that saves you, your life. The captain was blown by a land mine while he gave the green light before allowing the truck carrying his men to pass through, Eddie included.

Who should forgive who?
Should Eddie forgive the captain for shooting his knee, Or
Should the captain forgive Eddie for having him blown away to pieces, in order to save the team?
Questions like these are mind-boggling, and you can never get answers. Over time, we just learn to accept and move on - as callused as that sounds.

The book has profound meaning, just like life. It's good to be reminded of the enormity and omnipresence of life and all that it stands for.

P.S - Watch out for Tala too. The ritualistic removal of burnt scabs is something worth churning over.

Current music - Gavin Degraw's Chariot.

Courtship Woes

Let me begin by saying human courtship rituals and I just don't go hand-in-hand.

**

It must have been a year, actually a little less since I had in the most innocent sense flirted with a guy. Innocent meaning, doing it - flirting - simply because the situation called for it, and oh well I did like (as in friends) the guy. Without doubts, hesitancies, worries and certainly without a care as to what anyone said.

We flirted for no other reason than to outwit/outlast/outplay each other. And it was never because we were interested. It was extremely exhilarating. Wagging tongues at each other, chasing him around with a bundle of newspaper to whack him with, roaring with laughter in the library, scheming on how to have the last laugh after a volley of insults thrown at each other…..

You know, let's NOT go there, whether either of us were 'fishing' or not. I honestly thought we were having wild banters that caused people to turn their heads - because we were both too laud, too boisterous, too anal, too this and too that!

Of course this 'virginal' form of flirtations lasted for a Very short time. Things got pretty messed up eventually - people talked and went on talking and I unfortunately listened. So one thing added to another and 'innocent flirts' turned into 'hinting flirts'. You can say that the whole affair died the moment I decided to flirt for the purpose of fishing/hinting/ and call it whatever you want lar, am sick of defending my deeds at that period of time.

So, to begin with, I had a very blotched history of 'successful' flirting. Then came the reactions to my actions, which were consequently ugly. I was depressed - to keep the dirty laundry where it should be, I will leave it at that. Then along came exams. Having said all that, I have accounted for all those time in between, where I had been flirting-free.

Back to present day.

I have been aware of myself telling others how tired I am with all these uh-ha of courting rituals. It really doesn't work for me. And I will tell you why.

It was late, 9.30 p.m. The food-stalls in Mid Valley were calling it a day. I was looking ahead, working my way to the carpark. Then, a guy - not my type, tall, skinny, bald, 20-ish, was leaning on a stall in the middle of the aisle. We made eye contact. I didn't even blink, but suddenly I decided to see if well, I could try to use human's instead of ape's courtship rituals for a change.

I looked - he looked - he smiled - I smiled - he stood erect , ready.

He handed me a flier - for Viking's Hotdogs!

THERE! That's it. Never going to do something that random anymore. Why is it that when I flirt the guy ends up selling me hotdogs? - ALL THE PUN IN THE WORLD INTENDED!


Howie Days' Collide seem to be perfect for those times when you wonder what it will be like if there was a significant other half with you.

The Life After

Exams are over, exams are over, exams are over. YiPPie!!!

It's so the finally OVER!

Well, exams ended with the hardest blow. Chemistry 6 was one big disappointment - all those Transition Elements Chemistry we had to memorise was in vain. And since when did Henry's Law become so bloody complicated? Worst, some classmates of mine decided to answer another option topic that Mr.Andrew didn't teach - Biochemistry - which was peanuts compared to Phase Equilibria. So Minnie and I shouted with exasperation in Latt's ear - he was one of them. Serves him right for bragging about how everything was about peptide bonds and Bio AS syllabus. He's going to ruin the graph! (for grade determination)

Everyone was basically zombie-fide after that. We decided to indulge in movieS that didn't quite take so much brain power - since most of us left it in LHE anyway.

A Lot Like Love.

Okay, was excited because Ashton Kucther was playing the male lead. None of us have seen anything worthy to be deemed eye-candy material for some time now.

To Ashton's groupies out there - You're in for one hell of a ride. See the normally screwy Punk'd mastermind in a whole new mature light. And he's so adorable……..sigh….

To Male Heterosexuals - Amanda Peet and her trademark smoky eyes are a sure winner. So fret not!

Am speechless really, but I can say that it’s value for money all right. Minus the glittering stars, the Big-Bang of first attraction, my best guess is, this movie depicts lasting attachment, all the time being honestly unaware of their dependence on each other. It's not about romance and it's not about sexual climaxes either, but it sure is about love or a lot like it. And it's not those bubble-gum popping movies, so it will be a good watch, regardless of age and gender.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

My goodness! That’s a $11 burn in the pocket I tell you. Totally stupid! The only reconciliation is you’re paying to see the gorgeous couple, even that – Angie Jolie is a greater attention-grabber than Pitt. Time and age have been quite cruel to him..sigh…

I call it cheerful morbidity, but honestly, the movie tries to poke fun at the joy of killing people – like as if life was a computer game. They were actually competing of the number of marks they have taken down. Bloody losers!

If I’m not already so disgusted – my only advice is, PLEASE save your money!


Current music: Good Charlotte’s I just want to live

Factual Anatomy

What is the strongest muscle in the human body?

Heh, if you ask me, well...

Hrm, well...*wink, wink*.

The answer. The TONGUE.

Gotcha' !

Now, you would wonder why french kisses are that desirable.

current music: Jessica Simpson's I think I'm in love.