2 Momentous Photos

Way,way Down!

One is the most disturbing photo of all time-that unknown man who jumped off the World Trade Centre in New York in 9/11.

The other is the spectacular sunset as seen from Mars.

Scene of Sunset from Mars

Enjoy!

Love for Teachers-Dream Away!

Falling in Love with Pretty Teachers

Yes, called it puppy love,kitty love, infatuation or crush--students at childhood and adolescence stages do fall in love with their teachers.

Why do they do so?

Some say it is natural to go through such a phase.

I guess it is the elusive love feelings that they have for their teachers;possibly that of a mother or an aunt. It is adoring and worshipful though shallow.

I remembered in my primary school and even in lower secondary school, there were students who fell in love with their lady teachers. They practically worship their hairstyle, their dressing, their foot-wear and the way they talk and gesticulate.

When a favourite lady  teacher get transferred, you can immediately feel the all-round sadness of those boys who are ever dreamy;often romanticizing a relationship with these teachers.

But these lovey-dovey  feelings will always go away as the students grow up and out of these crushes.

For some of my friends at Jasin English School in the early 60s, there will always be that lovable, classy Amy Tan, than whimsical Cik Saadiah and the majestic, tall and coiffered Cik Halimaton.

For them, these ladies were stars! Out from the world of fairy tales!

Totally irreplaceable!

Journey 2-Mysterious Island Ever More

The Magic of Jules Verne

This movie will only appeal to the young and the very young at heart in all of us.

The Cast

An addendum to the original Vernian story, it imaginatively provides the twists and turns to explain Atlantis, Captain Nemo and a host of Liliputian animals and the inversely genetically large insects and birds.

Pygmy Elephant Literally

This is one movie, you do not need to think. Forget about logic!

Switch off and enjoy the magic at the movies especially the animation and special effects.

On the Island

Also enjoy Dwayne singing Wonderful World. Pretty good, too

Lost City of Atlantis

Providing the eye candy is the vivacious Vanessa Hudgens.

The Electric Eel

The other members of the cast include Micale Caine, Kristin Davis,  Luis Guzman and Josh Hutcherson.

Captivating Middle American beauty

August:Osage County--Redneck Country

If there's one thing you would come away with after watching this movie,it will be the issue of the weaknesses and depravity of human beings and how, in one way or another, out of their miseries or their avarice and greed, they will stoop as low as possible, to find solace irrespective whether it is right of wrong.

In a rural town in Oklahoma, Beverly Weston, a has-been poet and constant drunkard is interviewing a Native American to take care of his drug addict wife with a mouth cancer. After this, he secretly leaves and the wife,Violet has to called on her daughters to provide her emotional support. Her husband's death brought further melancholia into the family and unknown family secrets started spilling out which pitted one member of the family against another.

Though this movie had obtained international acclaim particularly for Meryl Street and Julia Roberts, both of whom were nominated for Academy awards, I felt though there is just  too much dialogue and unnecessary overacting.

This is mostly a movie where the women including even the maid shine and the men from Sam Shepherd, Ewan MacGregor to Chris Cooper were  reduced to background characters.

Dull mainly but if you have the patience, do see to its final conclusion to see the  strength of character as manifested by both Meryl and Julia.

Malaysia-Are we in a Catch-22?

Looks like you are damned if you do; you are damned if you don't.

Either way, you have to bite the bullet bitterly.

In response to Fitch's rating downgrade on the economy, the government first rolled back its petrol subsidy by 20 sen per liter; followed quickly by a total withdrawal of sugar subsidy just after the May general elections. TNB was then allowed a 15% tariff increase and the minimum wage for Malaysians was also implemented at the beginning of  January. Bad timing!

All these hurried moves were evidently to appease foreign rating agencies and to provide the much desired fillip for companies who are seeking competitive funding from abroad.

Little did policy and decision makers realised it was opening Pandora's box too obtusely for runaway inflation to rear its ugly head. The prices of goods and services started to move up; riding on the tsunami-like inflation waves caused mainly by the price of fuel at the pump.

Prices of both cooked food and produce at the market rocketed. Coffee-shops increased the price of drinks while stall-holders ramped up their food prices by a shocking 50 sen per bowl of your favourite noodle soup or plate of economy rice!.

To stem further price increases, a moratorium was put into place not to increase highway toll rates for a year;with the government compensating concessionaires by giving them RM 400 million to boot!

Interestingly,this sudden move invited Credit Suisse to sound out a caution warning-this move may cause a further down-rating which may lead  foreign investors to sell off bonds en masse as well as take money out from Bursar KL stock market; particularly when interest rates are expected to go up in the next half of the year.

As they say what goes around will come around.  Spend like a lord, now pay your dues!

You have to pay for your excesses and we are now paying the piper!

Poor Malaysians--getting poorer,aren't we?

Seven Down and Seven More To Go

Blood, Sweat and Tears!

I was truly elated this morning to receive news from my son that he had passed the three papers that he sat in December 2013 for the professional accounting course he is pursuing.

I thanked God for His grace to see my son through.

My son is currently studying for 4 papers including Malaysian Studies which is an extra paper mandated by LAN.

As for the professional papers, he will be doing two fundamental papers and one on the professional level.

I pray to God Almighty that He will blessed my son's efforts as he studies for his exam in June 2014.

Nebraska-Quality Traveling Time

If you have an age-old father fixated on the belief that he has won first prize of a million dollars when he hasn't and didn't, would you go out of your way to fulfill that mission along with him?

That in gist is the plot line of the movie, Nebraska featuring potential Academy Award winner, Bruce Dern.

While the movie is one long journey by road and stops at Woody(Bruce)'s hometown,Hawthorne,it is a somewhat cool movie of bonding between father and son, David.

Will Bruce win the Academy Award for Best Actor?

Let's wait for 2nd March to know.