March 31, 2013

Unreachable Jack Reacher


Well, most Tom Cruise action movies have that zest factor.

From such movies  as Collateral and even the Mission Impossible series, Tom Cruise has shown his toothy grin, grit and the hall-mark violence despite some possible unexpected endings.

Did he die ultimately in Collateral and would he take the law into his own hands in Jack Reacher?

Alluring Rosamund Pike
Unpredictable.

And that is what every action movie featuring Tom Cruise is a sure bet and worth watching.

Jack Reacher is in that same genre.

Only thing, Tom is really showing some age here.

And with Rosamund in it, Jack Reacher is even  more watchable!

March 27, 2013

Jess: Maturing into an Adult

Growing well
She is slowly growing up for sure.

Great looks, Jess!

March 25, 2013

Deserted at Nigh Noon

The Benchmarked Cowboy Movie
Maybe movies were short and uncomplicated in those days but Fred Zimmerman and Stanley Kramer's 'High Noon' continues to hit a high note where  cowboy movies are concerned.

The Rapturous Grace Kelly 
Featuring the legendary Grace Kelly and Gary Cooper, this movie is the type of movie that will be the living benchmark of cowboy movies through the ages.

Deserted and Desolate
Except for the looped over song, the movie is engaging to the last second.

Pity the villain could not last a mere few minutes despite the terrifying image the townspeople make him up to be.

Solitary Lawman
Grace Kelly all frocked up in a Quaker attire is a pretty sight.

March 23, 2013

Not Fade Away-Music in the 60's and 70's

Young love and bands
During the cusp of the rise of UK bands such as the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, American bands started to show their mettle too through high school kids and blue-collar workers.

The discovery of blues and music of the American South were to influence their appreciation of such music.

The movie shows the issues of family as hard-working parents could not understand why their kids would not want to pursue college in favour on that new 'family' feeling to belong to a band.

Second chances
The acrimony and petty jealousies among band members was also displayed through this movie with its parties and hard glass bottles of soda and soft drinks.

Distant

If you like a smooth ride through the 60's and 70's, looking at touchstones and the relationship with the advent of music, this movie has that.

Bella magic
The part that should have been further developed is the relationship of the protagonist, John Magaro as Douglas and Grace, the eye candy of the movie, Bella Heathcote.

Pouting Bella
Nice movie to watch.

Charming



Officer Down-Poly Versions

Great Editing
This movie called 'Officer Down' presents to us three versions of its meanings.

The first one is that of an officer being gunned down normally by criminals while doing his work. This is the standard version.

The second version is those gunned down  by their own force for whatever reasons.

The third is the version where the cop calls out for support with the 'Office down" warning call-out before going on a manslaughter.

This movie has all the versions with Stephen Dorff playing the protagonist who is trapped in a criminal world and police corruption besides being drown in liquor at most times..

What I like about the movie is not its star credits because Dorff does not draw in the crowd. It is more the twist in the plot line and the great editing that makes the movie interesting to watch.

I would say that this is fairly good movie.


Earth Hour 23 March 2013

Doing our bit......
Well, it's Earth Hour again and everyone is supposed to do their bit for Mother Earth.

For my wife and daughter, this is what they did.

My wife decided just to switch off the lights but yet went on watching a  Korean series.

Switch off sleep
As for my daughter, this hour is done on a horizontal plane with her switching off for one hour to take her rest from a hard day's work at the office!

As for me, it is blogging and my son is on the computer, cleaning out stuff to make the hard disk more pliable.

And that, my friends, is Earth Hour for us this year!

March 22, 2013

The Vow-True But Awkwardly Played

A Lost Love Recovered
It was inspired by a true story of a married couple involved in an accident where the wife had to undergo a traumatic re-tracement  to her former life which she never did.

Cherubic Charms
Rachel McAdams and Chaning Tatum starred in this movie.

In spite of Rachel's photogenic beauty and Chaning's  manliness, there was no screen magic between them to bring out the  true heart-tugging sadness of a couple trying to reach back to the past to recapture true hearts' love.


The Vow Wows!
Mostly miss than hit, this B-grader movie is awkward at most times.


March 20, 2013

The Perfect Education System-Not Mincing Words!


How true. But there must be a universal system that we can accept  despite all its imperfections.

As they say, the proof of the cake is in its eating.

And so, if you have a syllabus and system that any animal in the jungle out there can benefit, you have one working system that can deliver.

The rest will be subject to the test of time and the role of innovations.


March 16, 2013

Cloudy Atlas

Confusing and Truncated
Watching " Cloud Atlas"  is a real challenge.

There are 6 stories all interspersed within fix periods in time and many of the actors played multiple roles.

Sometimes, one wonders what folly has the producers committed to produce this awesomely difficult movie to comprehend. It is too truncated to make any real sense as some episodes are real cave-man-like, pre-civil rights America  or middle eighteenth century era while neo-Seoul is too futuristic

What is more curious was why such fame names such as Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving etc wanted to lend their time and name to be a part of this kaleidoscope of  disjointed parts that only a man with limitless patience would want or care to sit through.

I do not want to prejudge this movie but seriously, they could have done something better with that money!

True to Yourself, True to God

Inner Struggles
If you cannot be true to yourself and true to God, you cannot live out your vows as a nun.

And that in gist, is the crux of the tale behind Fred Zimmerman's " The Nun's Story"

The Prohibitive Vows
Played wonderfully by a superb cast from Audrey Hepburn Peter Finch, Dame Peggy Ashcroft to Dame Edith Evans, you can fill the tense inner silence of nuns as they perform their worldly duties as nurses and the conflict between the inviolable vows and stark reality of human feelings.


Sister Luke's failure as a nun is seen through her struggles and the characters around her both in Belgium and in the Congo.

Alluring Audrey
Fred Zimmerman's direction is almost flawless but I would have loved a better ending.

Truly gripping movie, despite it being a 1959 movie.
Dame Edith Evans





March 14, 2013

Have a Heart-Take Care of It

This is one interesting article and we should all read it as we have a heart and a life to care for.

Here goes:

Advocacy for Heart Health
A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees. The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone. 



Q: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart? 
A: 1.Diet – Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise – 30 minutes walk, at least five days a week, avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a long time
3. Quit smoking 
4. Control weight 
5. Control BP-Blood pressure and Sugar 

Q: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart? 
A: No 

Q: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person 
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective? 
A: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups. 

Q: Are heart diseases hereditary? 
A: Yes 

Q: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress? 
A: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life. 

Q: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart? 
A: Walking is better than jogging, since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints 

Q: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so? 

A: Mother Theresa, who was my patient. 

Q: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases? 
A: Extremely rare. 

Q: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age (I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age? 
A: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood. 

Q: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ? 
A: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused. 

Q: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines? 
A: Control diet, walk and eat walnut. 

Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart? 
A: Fruits and vegetables are the best and oil is the worst.  
Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive? 
An: All oils are bad. 

Q: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test? 
A: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is okay. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo. 

Q: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack? 
A: Help the person into a sleeping position, place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit, since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour. 

Q: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble? 
Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG. 

Q: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems. 
A: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans. 

Q: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy? 
A: Yes. 

Q: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true? 
A : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may NOT have a software engineer as a child 

Q: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend? 
A : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock. 

Q: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term)? 
A : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe. 

Q: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks? 
A : No. 

Q: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease? 
A : No. 

Q: How would you define junk food? 
A : Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds , Samosas, and even Masala Dosas. 

Q: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food? 
A: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease. 

Q: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension? 
A: No. 

Q: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded e-mails on this)? 
A: Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up. 

Q: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems? 
A: No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity. 

Q: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise? 
A : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot. 

Q: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar? 
A: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics. 

Q: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation? 
A : Diet, exercise, drugs on time, control cholesterol, BP, weight. 

Q: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers? 
A : No. 

Q: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs? 
A: There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walking, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles. 

Q: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks? 
A : No. 

Q: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women? 
A: Nature protects women till the age of 45. (Present Global census show that the percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men )  

Q: How can one keep the heart in a good condition? 
A: Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkups if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ....  

But You can do it!

Mind over Matter
Yes, it's all in the mind.

Jessica Sanchez- Maiden Album

She should have made it if not for that chorusal drummer roll out by that Phillip Phillip.

That Sweet Filipina Mexicana 

Jessica's first album.

March 13, 2013

The Odd Life of Timothy Green-Lovely Movie

A Boy from Nature
If there is any movie lately that is awe inspiring and satisfying, look no further.

Watch " The Odd Life of Timothy Green" and revel in the wonders of parenthood and the joys of having a boy, no matter how brief his stay will be.

Taking in the Sunshine
The music is soothing and the character build up is good in most parts.

Odeya as Joni
The main cast particularly Jennifer Rush, Joel Edgerton, and Odeya Rush brought magic to the screen.

Jim-Momentary Parenthood
Good movie.

March 11, 2013

Dark Shadows-Tim Burton's Disutility Movie

Slapstick Horror?
I think Tim Burton has come of age.

He has nothing more to show the world except dark shadows, Depp and his wife, Helena.

Will he ever get the Academy Award playing such lame ducks?
All the story-lines and plots are just mere scaffolding to hold  these elements and personalities in.

And so it was with his effortless, " Dark Shadows" where magic was to meet the silliness of the season.

Be it wizards, witches, werewolves and vampires- we have seen them all.

The light treatment did not lend any credence to the gravity of the story of  Barnabas Collins- turned vampire by a jealous witch.

Witchy wonder
While Eva Green does play to the hilt with her cheeky demeanor, Depp was just not himself-overacting like a man out of time.....

Michelle was okay but the eye candy in innocent-looking Bella Heathcote as both Jossete and Victoria was fairly tempting.

Bella - Innocent Lamb of the Movie?
Not much can be said about Helena-She is just herself playing the befuddled characters Tim assigned to her, almost in every movie from that fiendish barber who slit throats to Les Miserables!

Michelle-Still as Beguiling 
A possibly good B-grade movie if you have the time to indulge.

March 09, 2013

Turning 61


Another milestone.

61.

And so age marches on.

We had a birthday gathering at a  relative's house in Setia Eco-park with a good durian birthday cake after a dinner of yong tau foo at Setia Alam.

Food was so-so but there was merriment to fill the day with joy.


The Continuing Restless Situation in Lahad Datu

Firepower Unabated
Today, two more of our Malaysian policemen were shot in the legs.

Meanwhile the exodus from nearby villages continued.

Containing the Flagrance
To add to the confusion, the media stumbled upon a possible intruder.

When can we see the end of hostilities?

March 04, 2013

The Hobbit- Bilbo Baggins' Unexpected Journey

Another Hobbit Adventure?
Bilbo Baggins-he is the hobbit of this movie.

A three parter, this installment sets out the plot for the next two parts that will hit the screens in 2013 and 2014.

A city of gold has been taken over by a dragon which loved gold called Smaug.  Most dwarfs perished in the fire and the rest like Prince Thorin had to leave to find jobs far away, homeless as the dragon is very protective of its new found home and bounty.

More yarning?
Just like the first parter of Lord of the rings, you again have the fellowship and the quest.

Excitement-wise there is the usual unexpected 'monsters' that we meet such as man-eating trolls, boulder throwing giants, evil-cave dwelling goblins forest-dwelling forest spiders, heroic eagles, the orcs, wargs and also the Necromacer.

Again, we are brought to Rivendale to meet up with Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel who will ultimately save the fellowship of the dwarfs as the journey back to reclaim their homeland,  Lonely Mountain.

Riddling with Bilbo
I just cannot place Gollum's ring in this movie as I thought it had to do with the seven rings and the destruction of all such rings where one reigns supreme.

This is apparently a different ring that Gollum found.

Coincidence?

A Peter Jackson effort, The Hobbit is a  worthy movie to watch,though.

Journey's End

I have just received a letter from the Palace of Justice.

It states in very clear terms that I have not been offered the post of Commissioner for Oath and the decision of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court is final and no appeal will be entertained.

Looking back on this 'short' application process that took more than 2 years and having gone through two examinations as well as an interview, I believe my effort has not been wasted nor entirely futile.

A Likely Vocation Gone Awry
The experience has been quite eye-opening.

On hindsight, they have to be more consistent with the way the examinations has been set. The current manner where questions could be in MCQ, fill in the blanks with short answers as well as application questions in subjective format which changes year after year; and the undue stress on memory work on the rules should be reviewed. They should stress more on the understanding of principles.

On the interview sessions, questions that should be asked should be more on testing the maturity of the candidates and not on repeating questions that have already  been asked in the examinations where the candidates have already passed them to be short-listed for the interview.

Asking questions that has nothing to do with the job as a Commissioner for Oath should also be reviewed.

Another thing, they should get more elderly interviewers and not young officers of the court to conduct the interviews so that the sessions will be more useful and engaging for both interviewer and interviewee.

By not giving another chance to a candidate for a second interview could also be considered harsh by all measure. After all, justice must be fairly served in a more equitable manner!

Perhaps, that's why they say that justice is blind!

No, I am not one of those 'sour grape' persona or sore loser.

I leave here on record for those who intend to pursue the course of taking the Commissioner for Oath examinations, the advice above for whatever it is worth.

March 03, 2013

Flashpoints in Sabah-What Really Went Wrong?

Tragic Statistics

It was  a tense face-off for more than three weeks before firepower began.

On Day 22, there were 28 dead where 8 were Malaysian policemen.

Militants in Sabah 
4 Malaysians are apparently held by the militants while the Malaysian authorities purportedly held three of theirs.

I think there were the wounded from both sides though the numbers were not disclosed.

Action Station
Two battalions were sent recently to Sabah as reinforcement.

What happened to the 2 Scorpenes as more militants have recently come into Sabah at two new landing spots?

The Young Casualties of  the Militants
To date, no one really knows what was the government's strategy or the credibility level of its  intelligence on who they are really dealing with.

However, some incidents are truly comical in spite of the tragedy where lives were irretrievably lost.

Air Asia to the Rescue
That the army had to use Air Asia to ferry their soldiers to Sabah has brought a smirk to many a face.