Well, the final exams in my school’s over now, in case you don’t know (which I very much doubt that you do).. But unfortunately, school isn’t over yet, that’s gonna happen in like another, 14 days.. So for the past few mornings I’ve been doing absolutely close to nothing..

But I am glad that the exams are over though.. All that I’ve been ’studying’ for tested in just under three weeks.. Now I must say, although I could have been more prepared for it, it was, in fact not as hard as I thought it was gonna be.. I was expecting those three weeks to end in warm blood red spatter everywhere, where my fellow classmates and would go crazy on seeing the exam papers and start maniacally attempt suicide right there and then like what happen in the muthafucka of all suicide movie ‘The Happening’..

Safe to say, that did not happen (although I did saw a friend of mine nervously taping his legs and sneaking a glance at the door almost everytime an exam was about to start).. Instead, it went by quite well with minimal blood spatter save for some minor paper cuts..

So here I am, blissfully aware that the burden loaded on me throughout the year has been gracefully lifted of my back now that I don’t have to touch any of my school books again..well, at least until school starts again in January.. Then the whole I’d-rather-be-dead-than-trying-to-study-this-whole-load-of-bullshit routine starts all over again.

And here’s where the title of this blog comes in.. Yeah, now that it’s all over, I do have a lot of free time on my hand but most of the time, when I’m not sleeping I have absolutely nothing to do.. My days have been spent with me watching videos on Youtube, listening to music and basically anything that doesn’t involve any outdoor atmosphere *shudders*, heavy lifting, or heavy breathing too…

But I guess it’s true what they say, with great amount of free time comes great chances of you being bored out of your mind..or something like that.. Having to much of a good thing is not always perky, but take it that you know to spend those few extra minutes, or in my case days, you do get some kind of benefit.. Doomed as I may be with these free time, I’m finding time to stop to smell the virtual rose on my desktop background.. Somehow, I’m enjoying stuff that I’ve been neglecting for the past few months, like a good book, or fresh toasted bread for breakfast, and even the sweet melodies of a Beyonce’s song..

But I guess it’s true what they say, with great amount of free time comes great chances of you being bored out of your mind..or something like that.. Having to much of a good thing is not always perky, but take it that you know to spend those few extra minutes, or in my case days, you do get some kind of benefit.. Doomed as I may be with these free time, I’m finding time to stop to smell the virtual rose on my desktop background.. Somehow, I’m enjoying stuff that I’ve been neglecting for the past few months, like a good book, or fresh toasted bread for breakfast, and even the sweet melodies of a Beyonce’s song..

That’s it for me, now excuse me while I go and practice my newest found talent,

dancing to The Pussycat Dolls..

We already know about eco-disaster movies, eco-friendly movies for children or simply documentaries about the environment and ecology.

However has anyone ever heard of green horror movies?

In the following extract taken from Mother Nature Network website, eco-blogger, Matt Hickman, Talks about “eco-horror films out there that hopefully won’t make your stomach churn or leave you too scared to take out the recycling after 10 p.m.” :

A warning: You won’t find any deep environmental messages aside from “be nice to Mother Nature or else …” in these movies although some are more serious than others. I’m a bit of a scary movie nut myself so I’m glad to make a few recommendations.

“Animals gone bad” films may be a good place to start if you’re weary of anything involving the supernatural or serial killers. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is a staple in the genre and still flat-out terrifying. I saw it at a young age and it stayed with me. So long in fact, that last year when I was on a road trip along the California coast with friends, we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break in Bodega Bay and I refused to get out of the car in fear of an avian attack.Arachnophobia is also a classic sure to make your skin crawl and we mustn’t forget Jaws although a more recent scary shark flick, Open Water, gave me an in-theater panic attack. One of the better murderous animal films I’ve seen recently was Rogue about a bloodthirsty Aussie croc, but if you’re looking for old-school camp, try Day of the Animals. And if you’re curious about the dangers of genetic engineering, watch Jurassic Park.

Moving on from fauna to flora, murderous, possessed trees always give me the chills because, well, I don’t really expect it. Watch The Evil Dead or Poltergeist if you want to have nightmares about Douglas firs. And while we’re on the homicidal plant tip, two films, The Ruins and The Happening, will have you keeping a distance from your houseplants for at least a week.

On the more-creepy-than-scary list is one of my favorite cult flicks, The Wicker Man (the original, not the so-bad-it’s-funny Nic Cage remake). In short, it’s about what happens when a group of sexed-up Scottish pagans are let down by Mother Nature. What happens? Well, I’ll let you find out.

To continue reading the article follow this link

De voorbije maand niet zo heel veel gezien, het waren drukke tijden. Naast die geweldige documentaire over Anvil ook dit:

• Green Wing, Season 1 (2004). Ok, geen film, maar een serie. Hier heb ik me geweldig mee geamuseerd, af te leiden aan de ongecontroleerde lachsalvo’s. (****1/2)
• Pelle Erobreren (Bille August, 1987). Hier beter bekend als Pelle de veroveraar. Sterk en grauw naturalistisch drama dat aan de haal ging met de hoofdprijs in Cannes. Zowel Max Von Sydow (vader) als Pelle Hvenegaard (zoon) zijn ijzersterk, al kabbelt de film nu en dan maar wat aan en had er zeker een half uur af gemogen. (***1/2)
• The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955). ‘t is een gemakkelijk uitspraak, “het origineel was beter”, al kon ik bij het bekijken van deze film zelfs geen enkele reden bedenken waarom je dit in godsnaam zou willen overdoen. Zelfs als je de Coen Brothers bent. Dit is een film die perfect is zoals hij is: charmant, kleurrijk, carnavalesk, met een geweldige Alec Guinness en een heel hedendaagse feel. (****1/2)
• The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan, 2008). Mooi uitgangspunt (The Trees Strike Back), maar frustrerend flauw uitgewerkt, met duffe dialogen en gedrogeerd acteerwerk. Een paar goeie momenten in een saaie bedoening. Unbreakable blijft ’s mans beste. (*1/2)
• W. (Oliver Stone, 2008). Lof voor Josh Brolins geweldige vertolking. Er zijn momenten dat je echt zou kunnen denken dat het de echte Dubya is die je ziet/hoort. Voor de rest wel een opvallend klassieke biopic, net als Milk bvb, die nergens meeslepend genoeg is om de film écht overtuigend te maken. (***1/2)
• Into The Wild (Sean Penn, 2007). Net als bij Grizzly Man had ik de helft van de tijd zin om die snaak uit de tv te trekken en een pak rammel te geven – dus dat toontje van heldenverering (voor een ander misschien terecht) was wel wat irritant. Klassiek puberrebellieverhaal: jongeman breekt met familie en leven om rond te reizen en uiteindelijk te belanden in Alaska. Heel mooie beelden, geduldig tempo en een hoofdrolspeler die zich vrij goed van z’n taak kwijt. (***1/2)
• Lost Highway (David Lynch, 1997). Ooit in de cinema gezien. Of beter: ondergaan. Tweede visie was eerder frustrerend.De look en de muziek (de score is ook een pak beter dan de songs) lijken intussen al hopeloos verouderd en dat spelen met waarheid, verbeelding, psychologie en absurditeit wordt misschien net iets te grotesk aangepakt om écht te kunnen meeslepen. Niettemin een speciaaltje, vooral door het stilistische vertoon en de dierlijke seksualiteit van Patricia Arquette. (***1/2)
• The Short Films Of David Lynch (2002). DVD met zes kortfilms, gemaakt tussen de late 60s en 1996. De eerste twee zijn animaties gemaakt tijdens zijn studentenperiode: hectisch en absurd, en ook al met hyperenerverende muziek. The Amputee is pervers, The Grandmother volledig over the top, The Cowboy & The Frenchman eerder flauw (en veel te lang) en het laatste stuk is een vingeroefening van 55 seconden. Boeiend voor de liefhebbers/fans, maar zeker geen must. (***)
• Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002). Een film die past in de zondagnamiddagtraditie van vroeger. Aangenaam verrast door deze Nieuw-Zeelandse prent over traditie en mythes met een magisch kantje. Mooie beelden, goed geacteerd en ontroerend. Een bescheiden pareltje. (****)
• Ook gezien: de eerste 3 afleveringen van Hung (Season 1). ‘t Is HBO, dus het ziet er goed uit en bevat prima acteerwerk, maar het stijgt nooit echt boven de goeie middelmaat uit, waardoor Weeds de betere HBO comedy blijft. (***)

NP: Part Chimp - Thriller

In my infrequent series where I see films so you don’t have to – here is a quick summary of ‘The Happening’.  You may have seen the trailer and wondered hmm why are all those people falling of buildings, what is going on – in fact what is Happening?

Well Marky Mark is a teacher worried about bumble bees dying out, Zooey Deschanel is the love interest.  Basically, the plants have got sick of humans and have started releasing some sort of chemical that overrides our natural instinct not to commit suicide (!?).  So humans start killing themselves with whatever implement is nearest or throw themselves off buildings or onto sharp objects or through plate glass windows etc.  Then the plants stop releasing the chemical for no reason.  Then the film ends with the same thing starting in Paris. 

That’s it.

P.s I defended The Village but can’t say anything more to support Shyalaman after Lady in the Water.

M. Night Shyamalan

By Paul Young – ScreenRant.com

M. Night Shyamalan’s next story, Devil, a horror-thriller, is being backed by Universal and directed by brothers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (Quarantine) with actor Chris Messina (Julie and Julia) attached to star. Brian Nelson (30 Days of Night) wrote the script based on Shyamalan’s story, the details of which are being kept a tightly guarded secret. I’m not really sure why a movie based on a story no one has heard about would be kept secret, unless Universal is concerned that pre-filming buzz would either  be highly critical or ruin one of those “Shyamalan Twists”.

Shyamalan grabbed the world’s attention with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and even Signs as well as The Village, Lady in the Water and most recently the “environmental” film, The Happening.

Devil starts production in Toronto on October 26th, 2009 and so far it looks like Messina is on his own because no other names have been attached to the project yet.

Amazon Specials!

The choice of  President  Barack Obama for the Nobel  Peace Prize was cheered on Friday by many  global leaders but it also elicited criticism over the decision to break with tradition and recognize hopeful promise over concrete achievement.Obama is seen as having changed the direction of U.S. foreign policy, reversing many of his predecessor’s unilateral policies and emphasizing the need for diplomacy, cooperation and mutual respect.

Last year’s prize winner, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, said the Nobel committee wants to encourage Obama to push harder for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”Of course, this puts pressure on Obama,” he said. “The world expects that he will also achieve something.

In the Kenyan city of Kisumu, the home province of Obama’s  father, radio shows interrupted broadcasting to have live phone-ins so callers could congratulate Obama on his win. Traders in the market huddled around hand-held radios and touts shouted the news from the windows of local minibuses.

In Afghanistan, where U.S. forces are engaged in a war against Taliban insurgents, President Hamid Karzai praised the Nobel decision, but others seemed unimpressed.A Kabul resident Abdul Rasoul disagreed “The peace award which has been given to Barack Obama is not right because under Obama a lot of civilians have died here in the bombing,” he said.

Reaction was far more muted in Pakistan, where many have criticized U.S. policies. In Pakistan’s central city of Multan, radical Islamic leader Hanif Jalandhri said he was neither happy nor surprised by Obama’s award.

In India, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday conveyed his “wholehearted congratulations” to US President  for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Manmohan Singh told reporters in Hyderbad that he had not heard of the news. “But if what you say is true, I wish to send my wholehearted congratulations to his excellency the president”.

Obama’s reaction to winning Nobel prize according to his words was “I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize — men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration , it’s about the courageous efforts of people around the world”.

Vou postar pela primeira vez nesta coluna, que escolheremos sempre um artista, banda, diretor, ou seja, alguém que se destaque no meio do entretenimento!

Desta vez escolhi Zooey Deschanel, se fossem fazer um novo filme do Superman queria ela como Lois Lane, pois se parece muito com a personagem.

Uma observação pessoal: Em todos os filmes que faz, sua influência musical aparece nos personagens ou na trilha sonora.

Vamos lá:

Zooey Deschanel (Los Angeles, 17 de janeiro de 1980) é uma atriz, musicista e cantora estadunidense.

O nome “Zooey” foi inspirado pelo personagem de mesmo nome, da Livro de J. D. Salinger “Franny and Zooey”.

Ela fez seu primeiro filme, a comédia Mumford de Lawrence Kasdan (1999). Deschanel então apareceu como a irmã mais velha rebelde de Patrick Fugit na semi-autobiografia de Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous (2000), nesse momento começa a chamar a atenção, ainda vou escrever um post sobre esse filme, adoro este filme.

Seu papel seguinte foi em Maniac, um pequeno filme independente, em que Deschanel interpreta um paciente mental e no Big Trouble de Tim Allen. Depois ela co-estrelou o filme Abandon com Katie Holmes interpretando sua melhor amiga. Então representou a insatisfeita balconista de Drogaria no The Good Girl (2002) de Jennifer Aniston.

Seu papel seguinte foi no All The Real Girls (2003) como uma curiosa sexual virgem de 18 anos, com quem tinha um romance com um homen desorientado de 22 anos (Paul Schneider).

Pelo Papel, Deschanel foi eleita Melhor Atriz no Mar del Plata Film Festival e também indicada para o Independent Spirit Award 2004.

Deschanel filmou também com Will Ferrell na comédia “Elf” e o Papel principal no filme Eulogy (2004). Depois desse ano, Deschanel trabalho novamente com Ferrell, no escuro drama Winter Passing estrelado por Ed Harris que tem também conta com sua mãe no elenco. Ela também encarnou a personagem Trillian na adaptação do livro de ficção-científica de humor “O Guia do Mochileiro das galáxias” (da série de ficção científica (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) de Douglas Adams em 2005, o livro é bem melhor que o filme, já digo de passagem.

Ela atuou também em Failure to Launch (2006) como a neurótica amiga de quarto de Sarah Jessica Parker. Ela também apareceu como a senhorita Edmunds em Bridge to Terabithia (2007). Deschanel também dublou a penquim Lani Aliikai no recente Surf’s Up(2007). Mais recentemente, ela entrou no filme de M. Night Shyamalan, The Happening (2008), que será estrelado por Mark Wahlberg. Em 2009, Zooey interpretou Allison no filme “Yes Man” e (quando aparece no filme rouba a cena, cantando e interpretando de uma forma meiga); interpretando junto do Jim Carrey.Também este ano, Zooey fez o papel de Summer no filme 500 Days of Summer, que nós do Video and Noise Estamos loucos para ver!

Cena do filme: Sim, Senhor!

Exibir Álbum Completo

So I’ve been shopping lately… and that’s because I’ve been coming across amazing sale..=) Plus, there are some things I didn’t have before and I got them for the long run anyway. I’ve also been sort of such a bum lately, not bum homeless, but bum as in lazy and holiday-mode. Say, today, what have I been doing most of the time? Just reading “A Walk to Remember” by Nicholas Sparks. Now I’ve postponed reading this book for few days now, straight after finishing “The Notebook”, also by the same author. Ah, the simple joy of reading…

Now the nights and the mornings have been rather cold, I tell you. But the day, OH MY GOD! seriously!! I’m tanning too quick! Faster than I can slop on more sunscreen! =( For the first time in my life I don’t really want the tan much. Hence, my sunscreen stock… not that I have plenty, but I’ve finally bought a Banana Boat (200g) SPF30 for my arms and legs. And I’ve been using Kose CoenRich Q10 White UV Protector SPF50+ PA++ and Mentholatum Acnes SPF50 PA++ alternatingly for my face and neck. And since these for the face are of the smaller tubes compared to the Banana Boat, I thought it would not hurt to get another tube, this time I decided on Broccoli Sunscreen SPF42+ from the Skinfood range =) Hey, I read that broccoli and those kinds of vegetables such as cauliflower inclusive, have good qualities on fighting UVA and UVB! And knowing the sunshine in Brisbane and Gold Coast.. you’d know what I mean.. yeah, bye bye premature skin ageing and skin damage/breakage..

Another find that I found was ESKINOL facial cleanser! A friend of mine has been using it since she was young and recommended it to us but I never found it anywhere and I sort of gave up looking for it, until one day, just few days ago, I accidentally came across it and TA DA! so I bought one, the Avocado one, and it is nice! It’s refreshing, the alcohol is not too mild but not too strong but strong enough that you can feel mintyness touching your skin. I wanted to get the Papaya one as well but there’s none at the store, I swear there is a Papaya one.. (I read it online.. in MUA..)

Some online orders arrived this week =) and I got more PUPA products, I’m loving their lip glosses! And their Natural Eyeshadows are NATURAL! =P I hadn’t planned on having the entire series 01-04, but I went to different stores with my friend for fun and surprise surprise, I found each of the colour I don’t have . So now I own the PUPA Natural Eyes from the lightest (01) to the darkest brown (04) =)

Oh! No! I’m so tired that I shall go to sleep… will updaet/edite this nother time.

Manoj Dusk Shama-ham-sammich-man

I’m a M. Night-phile, straight up, no apologies.  The guy went to NYU film a few years before me and I remember seeing the flyer for his first film, the indie drama “Praying with Anger” (which is apparently unavailable on dvd?), scotch-taped to a wall. I never made it to that screening, but years later I was handed his spec draft for The Sixth Sense the night before it sold in a bidding war…and the rest is history. The guy’s had rises, falls, more rises and, lately, more falls.

But The Last Airbender might kick ass, right?

I know, I know.  I said that about The Village…Lady in the Water…The Happening?

I always give him the benefit of the doubt. Yes,even going into The Happening.

And when that was over, there truly was no doubt: it was an awful, awful film.

But still…I will be there next time. Just like when I was in college and I saw Sylvester Stallone in Oscar on opening weekend.

No, not THE Oscars.  Oscar, starring John Rambo…in a comedy. Opening weekend.

Now that’s dedication. That’s being a true fan.

As I am for my buddy, whom I affectionately refer to as M. Dusk Shama-ham-sammich-man.

It could catch on.

Someday M. Night and I will chill over a mojito at a Golden Globes after-party and we’ll do the “NYU Film secret fist-bump” and I’ll tell him my nickname for him and we’ll both rear our large heads back, which are attached to our small bodies, and we will lofffff…

But until then…the Manoj can use a friend out there right now.

A silent guardian.

Not the fan he deserves, but the fan he needs.

Because I can take it.

Meanwhile, no matter what he puts out or says, the haters on the Internets…you inglorious bastiches…you go on relentlessly skewering him.

Like this video.  It’s not that funny, but it’s an excuse to post something about The Manoj, one of our most fascinating filmmakers and a personal hero of mine, so click on Elijah (Sam Jackson’s best performance, thank you very much) to check out the “M. Night Spoiler Trailer” on College Humor…

THIS, sir, is a piece of art.

Of course, you could enjoy it much EASIER if WordPress allowed me to embed a video from any site other than Google or Youtube, but hey, it won’t kill you to follow a link to watch a video. Just pretend it’s 2004, you’re in a great mood, in fact you’re queuing up to see this new movie The Village which looks really kick-ass…

Speaking of, I wrote this article for Script magazine a few years back about my man M. Dusk, if you’re so inclined to get your structural analysis on.

Now I’m off to work on my autobiography in which I compare myself to Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Keep it real, keep it unbreakable.

I did not go to see this film at the cinema when it came out last year, which was probably a good thing. I did hear quite a bit about this film whilst it was on release but not really many positive reviews or views on the film. But despite all of that or more so to see if it lived up to the bad reviews it received. In that respect, the reviews were right as this really was not a very good, but I suppose the best word to describe this film as to be pointless. I could not help but to compare it to “The Invasion”, as that was pretty pointless as well with a very sudden ending.

I could not figure out at times if some of the lines and dialogue were supposed to be funny or not. I have to admit that when he was talking to the plant, then realising that it was plastic and still talking to it was very amusing. Just for the whole randomness of that moment.

I have become quite a fan of Mark Wahlberg over the years, in that he has surprised me many times doing different types of roles, so thought that he could not be that bad in this film but he really was not anywhere near his best. Which was quite disappointing.

I honestly still think I missed something towards the end of the film, as I really did not get the ending and was a bit confused for a little while  to be completely honest. As it just suddenly kind of changed the direction it was going in and just ended after all of the running around and everything. Some of the deaths were rather dramatic and random as well. But I guess I just had bad ideas about this film before watching it, but I really did try and give it a chance to hopefully not be that bad.

Zooey Deschanel was rather annoying as well without really having to do anything in particular. But the expressions on her face really were not the best. Yes this is starting to sound picky, but I am sure if you have seen this film you will then know what I am talking about, maybe someone will even back me up?

But yes maybe I should have listened to the advice and actually gave this movie a miss? But then I would not have had an opinion on it.

The Happening (2008)

From left; Ashlyn Sanchez, John Lequizamo, and Mark Wahlberg

The Happening is an indefensible unintentional laugh-fest. I’m not a fan of M. Night Shyamalan. The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are very good movies but after that his films are hugely flawed and contain only brief moments of effective suspense. Shyamalan really had a unique knack for directing fear in his actors at his most inspired moments, and in addition to that the writing of his first two films was also a plus. He was a very good filmmaker for a spell. The Happening is so much more tragic than some people have warned, but taking a look at other reviews online it seems I finally find myself agreeing with many other reviewers who I’d normally suggest are exaggerating. One says “so bad it’s shocking” and another calls the film “the crappening”. Both are spot on.

A scene from the movie

Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) is a high school science teacher whose marriage to his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) is seemingly in some jeopardy. His friend Julian (John Leguizamo) is aware that Alma may have been unfaithful. Along with Julian’s daughter, this group searches for safety in a world that has just been hit by a massive suicide epidemic that is never convincingly explained and never turns out to be an engaging occurrence to begin with. I actually like all three actors in some roles but they are either left with so little direction that they don’t know what to do or how to react to Shyamalan’s apocalypse, or they are smiling behind thin performances because they realize they are in a bombastic failure of a film. I lean toward the latter because by the film’s conclusion Deschanel and Wahlberg really seem like they are in a comedy.

A scene from The Happening

The Happening is bad because it wants to be taken so seriously. It has moments that should be horrifying but instead elicited several moments of laughter from this viewer. For those who have seen the film I will just say that the scene that really sticks out for me involves a suicide at the zoo. There are also moments of incredibly unlikely behavior; to the point where I slapped my own forehead. I mean come on, if a lady is talking to her daughter who is vulnerable to this unknown suicide causing agent, I hardly think she would put the girl on speaker so a dozen other people can hear her die. It’s a shame because The Happening should’ve been good. On the surface it is a decent story with a good cast, and it does have some strong landscape shots that support a sense of suspenseful atmosphere.  All of these pieces theoretically enhance Shyamalan’s talents. I was hoping this would take films like Lady in the Water and The Village and promptly decrease their significance in the mainstream eye, but instead The Happening only serves to support Shyamalan’s very obvious decline.

My rating is 1 1/2 stars out of 5.

Traffic and Transport in Cochin city has been at the doldrums over the time. In efficient or lack of planning are sited the reasons often. It is interesting to read these write ups.

It is 9.30 a.m. Decibel levels at Sahodaran Ayyappan Road have long exceeded the acceptable ranges. The entire stretch is teeming with persistently honking vehicles.

A screaming ambulance tries desperately to steer its way through this route locked in both directions. Inside the ambulance, Ramesh, the driver, is sweating and stretching out to the drivers seeking help. After a painful wait, he somehow manages to squeeze his way out from the bottleneck.

“It has become a regular thing to get trapped in this congestion. It takes at least 20-25 minutes for an ambulance to reach Pallimukku junction from Vyttila on a busy day. The toughest part is to clear the Kadavanthara-Panampilly Nagar-South Railway over bridge stretch.  There even traffic police looks shy and helpless.

No one wants to be on the roads of Kochi in a critical condition, requiring urgent medical help. If you make a film on driving a car through this city, The private buses would be the ruthless villains in it. There is no escape from these red killers

Official records available with the Regional Transport Office pointed out that about 5.5 lakh vehicles ply in Ernakulam district. The numbers are growing. Records said that about 2,000 vehicles are registered in the city limits a month; 85 per cent of which are private vehicles. The widening gap between the growing number of vehicles and the lack of infrastructure has turned life worse for the average Kochiite.

Unscientific planning remains the bane of the city. Road widening projects have come to a halt in many areas, thanks to red-tapism and lack of funds. Entry points to the city are often choked with heavy vehicles. An accident or a rally is all it takes to throw normal life out of gear.

Town planning experts suggest that several entry points into a city area are a must for a bustling commercial place that is growing. However, Kochi city has grown over the last decade with only a few entry points into the main commercial area.

Infrastructure development is basically the government’s job and land acquisition for the same needs to be done much earlier so that there are few hurdles when a project is launched, said a town planning expert. But, as the Master Plan continues to be made over several years, the local bodies do not have a document to fall back upon.

]]> http://gracefullyuncoordinated.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/needed-advice/ Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:01:39 +0000 gracefullyuncoordinated http://gracefullyuncoordinated.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/needed-advice/ http://cendanawrites.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/oh-brownies/ Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:52:10 +0000 cendanawrites http://cendanawrites.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/oh-brownies/

This is just a random blog.. I just feel like it..

I found something small, brown, dense but oh so soft little sweet thing… in my kitchen today. I thought… oh my, what would these taste like? So I looked at it, contemplated whether I should dip my hand into it and fish out a piece… and I did.

It was ohhh sooo niceeee!!! so yuummy! so.. not too sweet, but its texture was just.. sort of in between crummy and soft and I just love it!

So there you have it…

this blogentry WILL contain profanity and major spoilers for this movie. Read at your own cost.

The Happening
The Happening (2008)

M. Night Shyamalan – I’m sorry dude,but you suck.
Royally.

You had one good movie,that was it. The sixth sense was fantastic,it still creeps me out! And ok,the Village didn’t really suck,but it was marketed all wrong. But man..your skill level has died on you. What the fuck is up with this movie? Ok,so the idea is good enough, plants protect themselves, blah di blah..I could buy that.
But the characters, amongst others, the little girl who is only used for ‘aww’-effect SUCK. The dialogue stinks, the believeability is ZERO,and the only cool character in the whole movie is the old lady at the end,who should have her own friggin movie!

Points; 1/10 DON’T waste your money,or TIME on this movie. Life’s too friggin short! This one point is for the weird old lady!

Dette blogginnlegget inneholder banning og spoilere for filmen. Vær advart.

M. Night Shyamalan – du suger.
Seriøst.

Du hadde èn god film,og det var det,liksom. Den sjette sansen var fantastisk, den skremmer vettet av meg ennå, og The village var ikke så ille,men den ble markedsført HELT feil..Men for faen,mann..evnene dine har bare dødd.Hva faen er greia med denne filmen? Ideen er grei nok, planter dreper mennesker for å forsvare seg, jeg kan tro på den liksom.. Men utførelsen,mann.. Den lille jenta er tydelig bare med som en bitanke for å vekke medfølelse for karakterer som ikke har noe bra dialog,som overhodet ikke er troverdige i oppførsel eller mimikk,og den eneste kule karakteren i hele filmen er den gamle dama på slutten,som burde ha sin egen film!

Poeng; 1/10 Dette poenget er for den gamle dama! IKKE kast bort penga dine,eller tiden din på dette makkverket! Livet er for kort!

Episode #1

After months of absence..here I am ..

So it happened. It felt like Winter 2 days ago, but yesterday felt like the start of Summer. I don’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it when I walked out the house yesterday to find myself in such humid weather.. O-M-G!
Well, for the past a month or so, I’ve been purchasing some skincare online, due to the lack of availability of these products here where I live.. (GHEY.. but ahh well)

And I’ve been postponing my purchases on BB Creams.. due to my indecisiveness and the lack of actual products here.. but I did get brushes, MAC primer, and brush cleaner and such =) I’ll talk about it another time.
It’s been making me smile (I know it sounds.. silly) when I find the package when I got home =)

First package: came from the eBay seller [legendeux]
-Skinfood Peach Sake Emulsion
-Skinfood Parsley & Mandarin Moisturiser Cream
-samples!! (Skinfood Agave Cactus BB Cream with SPF36++, little bottles in a box of Skinfood Agave Cactus lotion and toner, Peach Sake Serum and Lettuce & Cucumber Water Drop Essence)

From eBay seller legendeux, south korea

Second package: from eBay seller [skinfoodbestprice]
-Cappuccino Mousse Foam Cleanser
Oh I have to say, this is so smooth and soft like mousse!! It smells like mocha/cappuccino but it’s not that in-your-nose strongness, but imagine the foam that covers the top of your cappuccino.. yeah..that’s what it smells like. and it has what I’d like to call coffee microbeads haha.. it’s actual grains/pieces of coffee particles that helps with cleansing/gently exfoliates your face without overdrying it =) the texture of this foam is just like mousse (hence the name)! imagine those chocolate mousse dessert.. yeah, like that. so, caution for any little kids around, they might think this is an actual chocolate mousse if it went to their hands.. ><

-samples!! (gotta love samples)
I received Agave Cactus serum, Agave Cactus Bb Cream (again..), Apple Vinegar Fresh Foam (what an interesting combination..) and actually I think that’s it for the 2nd package.. =)

Third package arrived today! I was not expecting that at all!! I thought it was gonna be another week !! But even better! hehe.. thanks sasa.com~
Well, this package contains:

1) Kanebo Naive Facial Cleansing Foam Peach
2) Kose COEN RICH Q10 White UV Protector SPF50+ PA++ (Smooth Touch) ..
omg what a long name.. but that’s what’s written on the item description in the delivery note
3) Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Foaming Wash
4) Mentholatum Acnes Powder Lotion (this is actually a toner..they just somehow call it Powder Lotion? so misleading..)
5) Mentholatum Acnes V Tinted Milk SPF50+ (this is a sunscreen before putting on primer or any make up of any kind..)

From Hong Kong

Well as you’d probably noticed I bought the Mentholatum set. i thought both my sisters and I could really benefit from it when those acnes are around But I wouldn’t really use this solely. Cause I have a feeling it’s a very strong and concentrated product.
So yeah! I can’t wait to try them out .. tonight! Well, not the sunscreen ones..they’re for tommorrow. But at least the wash and the toner =)
Why am I getting all these high SPF products? Welllll as we all know by now.. the Australia’s weather’s gone weird.. it jumped straight to summer.. where is spring? I don’t know.. Has it got to do with the issue of the salinity in Australia? I’m guessing so.. Well.. whatever it is, I need sunscreen on my face.. I tan oh too so very easily!! I used to be fine about this whole getting tan thing.. until now.. I don’t want to be all patchy with tan lines anymore haha.. I mean, it’s ok once in a while. Too much sun on my face gives me breakouts anyway! So that ain’t worth it.. rather be safe than sorry!

PS: should I trim my hair.. should I not?!! I want to grow it… =S

Och innan matchen förut tittade jag på The Happening av M Night Shyamalan, regissören bakom bland annat Sjätte sinnet och Signs. Shyamalan brukar ha en viss ganska obehaglig stämning i sina filmer som inte riktigt blir skräckisar, men inte heller är thrillers. Han har en helt egen genre. Men…

What a fucking load of crap, även om den är lite söt i sitt försök till att vara en miljökämpe.

Dock tycker jag inte att det var slöseri med tid, för det är det aldrig när man får titta på Zooey Deschanel.

2008: The Happening di M. Night Shyamalan

Dopo lo stratosferico successo de Il sesto senso (1999) il regista indiano-americano ha sempre diviso pubblico e critica in grandi estimatori e decisi denigratori. La contrapposizione si è rinnovata con questo film: molti lo hanno elogiato, molti (me compreso) ne sono rimasti delusi.

L’interesse non manca (ed è impossibile che manchi con una trama del genere… la natura che si ribella, le piante che si difendono dagli uomini…) ma la sceneggiatura lascia a desiderare: non vi è attesa (già tutto accade all’inizio del film), la ragione della catastrofe è spiegata subito e quindi l’effetto sorpresa è totalmente assente, incongruenze varie si palesano qua e là, le teorie pseudoscientifiche che sono alla base della storia appaiono troppo vaghe, alcuni personaggi sono palesemente dei riempitivi, l’inevitabile problematica amorosa dei protagonisti è banale e superflua, l’analisi degli aspetti deteriori della società contrapposti al retorico buonismo di pochi è condotta con superficialità, l’evidente richiamo all’ossessione dell’11 settembre e alla relativa paura che ancora tormenta l’America  risulta poco approfondito, il prevalere dell’egoismo e il ritorno degli istinti primitivi di violenza nel pericolo già visti tante volte, il concetto dell’umanità che corre verso il proprio suicidio non sviluppato in modo appropriato, finale imperdonabilmente scontato…

Emozione e pathos latitano, originalità fantasia inventiva (riscontrabili in altri lavori del regista) assenti. La suspense affiora solo di tanto in tanto.

Apprezzabile la volontà di M. Night Shyamalan di creare tensione senza ricorrere ai soliti mirabolanti effetti speciali: siamo contrari al cinema che punta tutto esclusivamente sulla spettacolarità, ma in un film di genere catastrofico-apocalittico qualcosina non avrebbe guastato (per non dire che era indispensabile e doveroso).

Mark Wahlberg e Zooey Deschanel non danno alcuno spessore ai rispettivi ruoli: il primo è più umano che in altri film ma non riesce proprio ad essere accattivante e a suscitare la compartecipazione, la seconda (forse per colpa dell’impostazione del personaggio) è monocorde e quanto mai statica (nonché, incongruamente, sempre accuratamente pettinata, “linda e pinta” al massimo).

Alla fine della visione di E venne il giorno scatta naturalmente nello spettatore l’interrogativo: “Beh, tutto qua?”.

p.s: Presentare la natura come un killer crudele e vendicativo è politicamente corretto? Qualcuno ha scritto di sperare che gli spettatori, appena finito di vedere il film, non siano andati di corsa a casa a tagliare a raso tutto il giardino!

Note:

-La critica si è nettamente divisa nel giudizio: Il Mattino parla di “inquadrature geniali”, Il Corriere della Sera sostiene che “l’ apocalypse movie impressiona a metà”, per il Morandini il regista “ha fatto centro”, per Il Messaggero un film “inerte e ripetitivo”.

-Il film ha avuto nel 2009 quattro nomination ai Razzie Awards

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