The Fun of Boredom

FUCK

2011-06-23T01:05:00.000+08:00

Fuck, the day I decide to announce that I'm considering this blog dead, I notice that among my followers is Hadi, one of my favourite bloggers.

FUCK FUCK FUCK IT!!

Show's Over

2011-06-23T01:00:00.000+08:00

In case you are wondering, this blog really is dead. I'm thinking about starting a new blog. A better one.

Actually, I've been thinking about it for a while. But I've been busy. And I lack the motivation to do it.

So please, if you want to see a new blog,

Scream:

"GET OFF YOUR BUTT, DORA!!"

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T01:11:00.000+08:00

Happy Fuckingtinesday


Click for bigger image duh.

Source >

p/s: Still working my shit job. No REAL update sorry.

It's Christmas Time Again....

2010-12-24T14:21:00.001+08:00

Damn,

It's Christmas time again and even I can't be grumpy enough to write something emo.

So Merry Christmas everyone.

And remember, the next time you order pizza or go shopping on Christmas Day, someone had to work and not get to see their family.

Cheers.

P/S: The title is a lyric from a song. Try to continue it. (I posted it on Facebook and failed)

Fun of Boredom Trailer Park: Transformers 3

2010-12-18T10:00:00.002+08:00

The new Transformers movie will be called Dark of the Moon.

pfffhmmph!!

That's the sound of me holding back my laughter.

Here's the trailer:

My predictions?

I WILL NOT WATCH THIS BULLSHIT!

XD

Could this be the next Blade Runner?

2010-12-17T10:54:00.000+08:00

As of the time of this writing, the Tomato Meter for Tron: Legacy has dropped from 69% to 49%. That turns it from a "fresh" movie to a "rotten movie". But if you look at the community ratings, it's hugely positive, 80%. At IMDB, it's 8 stars out of 10.

What a huge segregation between the critics and the normal viewers.

I feel like the critics just don't get the movie. I know the plot is predictable. But if you look closely, all the detail in the movie, they're like thousands of hyperlinks spruced across the world of the Grid, leading you to countless ideas of how the world was formed. Infinite possibility man. Maybe the geeks will understand.

Could this be the next Blade Runner?

Tron: Legacy Review

2010-12-17T10:22:00.002+08:00

WOW.

I couldn't stop myself saying wow throughout this movie.

When we walked out, my friend said this movie was just okay. I strongly disagree. This movie is great!

But of course, I didn't tell him that. I have to write these things down, you know? There's so many things. Haha.

But as I sit here, I don't even know where to begin.

The visuals.

The visuals is definitely the thing I remember most. Spectacular. Breathtaking.

The new and improved Light Cycle.

I imagine, 28 years ago a bunch of film makers envisioned a spectacular digital world. The technology they had back then brought them close to realising that dream onto screen, but not perfectly. But now, that vision has finally been brought to live; perfectly.

Oh the lines, they have to mean something. They have to. Those beautiful lines.

Okay, I give up, I have no idea how to describe the beautiful world of the Grid. You just have to see it yourself.

Let's talk about some back story instead. I think I saw the original Tron when I was a kid. But it was so long ago I can't remember anything. All I know was it was awesome.

So, Kevin Flynn was the hero of the original movie. He was a brilliant programmer. He made games. A co-worker stole his work and claimed them to be his. That co-worker became extremely powerful in ENCOM, the company Flynn works for. Flynn tries to hack the ENCOM mainframe to prove his co-worker's wrongdoings. But there is the Master Control Program (MCP) in his way. Events turn and Flynn is zapped with a laser that literally transfers him into the mainframe. There Flynn does crazy battles with Light Cycles and glowing flying discs. And there was Tron. A program with ninja skills who fought for the Users (humans).

Remember that. He fights for the Users.

Why am I telling you this? Just so you know, the old man in Tron: Legacy was once a real badass.

After the events of the original Tron, Flynn has become the CEO of ENCOM. But he cannot forget the beautiful computer world he has seen. So he creates the Grid, his own digital world free for him to create whatever he wants. He brings along Tron from the old mainframe. And he creates Clu, a digital copy of himself, an avatar. His role is to create the perfect world.

Perfection, remember that.

One day, Flynn disappears, leaving behind his 7 year old son, Sam. Fast forward 20 years and Sam finds the Grid, and his father. Yes, the elder Flynn has been trapped in the Grid for 20 years. He has gotten old. But his has become a lot wiser and he has picked up a lot of new skills. He has become a lot more badass.

That's as much of the story that I'm going to spoil for you. Because many people say I spoil too much in my reviews.

But honestly, there's not much to spoil here. The story is pretty straight forward. It might get a little confusing if you have no knowledge of computers at all. But come on, it's the 21st century.

Yes, the story isn't much to shout about. It's pretty predictable actually. But it serves it's purpose. The whole point of Tron: Legacy is the beautiful visuals anyway. At least it wasn't brain numbing like Transformers. And in the end, the story was kinda fulfilling.

Behold, the Light Mobile

Remember I said perfection was the key word? That's the world of the Grid, everything is perfectly beautiful. Including Thirteen, I mean, Olivia Wilde, I mean, Quorra. Especially Quorra.

That's pretty much what Clu have been up to for 20 years, creating perfection. Right after he overthrew Flynn. Oops! Was that a spoiler? Well, now you know why Flynn was trapped in there for 20 years.

But several times in the movie, Flynn says that he has been so busy chasing perfection that he failed to see the perfection right in front of him. What does he mean? His son. His son is his greatest invention ever.

This is why, personally, I felt the ending was so fulfilling. The characters got back to the real world and the movie makers show us shots of the real world like forests and cities. It's sort of like saying true perfection is imperfect. You get it?

You may cry at all the sadness of this world but there is also happiness. This world may suck but it's really the best that we can do. I almost cried in the end.

Maybe I'm being overly analytical.

And I also must comment on the good acting by the cast. Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund really came across as a real father and son. Without them, the movie might not have worked, because essentially, the story is about a father and son. And to Clu, the digitally rendered younger version of Jeff Bridges, so amazing. And there was this character, Zuse, he was sort of a traditional jester but a smart one, and usually actors who play this kind of characters come across as cheesy but Michael Sheen made him seem genuine. Olivia Wilde was just passable though. But who cares? She's Thirteen!

And thumbs up to Daft Punk. They made a really good soundtrack. Their music really made the Grid feel like a living breathing world. Oh, and they have a cameo in the movie. It's really hard to miss if you are a Daft Punk fan.

And if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle and enjoyed the experience, you’ll love the Light Cycle scenes. The attention to detail that they’ve given right down to how the Light Cycle wobbles just like a real motorcycle really enhances the sense of danger and adrenaline of the games. And they take it up a notch in the movie. Imagine air crafts with Light Cycle beams.

Kevin Flynn's pet project. Fastest thing on the Grid.

Oh wow, turns out I’ve written a really long review. The last thing I want to say is how I felt like a kid again watching this - haven’t felt that in a while. It’s kind of like what the Harry Potter series should have done for my generation but didn’t for me. I’m not cursing the franchise but I just got bored after the third Harry adventure. I guess I’m more of a sci-fi fan.

And I know the science in Tron isn’t exactly solid. But once you get pass the fact that a laser beam can alter and transfer a physical being into a digital state, everything is possible. And that’s what I love about sci-fi, these things you see is actually possible. Maybe one day. It’s not like magic where you can poof up anything you want but there are rules. It just doesn’t make sense.

Unfortunately, for all the praise I’ve given, I can only Tron: Legacy 4 out of 5 stars. Because to be fair, it falls short in the storytelling department.

But maybe it’s not about the stars. I’m pretty confident, just like the original Tron, one day people are going to study this movie and say it was one of the movies that pushed the envelope. This movie was state of the art. It’s the new Star Wars man.

Oh and what happened to Tron (the program)? Don’t worry, you’ll meet him real soon. Just remember, he fights for the Users.

P/s: Jeff Bridges, he doesn’t have to throw kung fu punches, he just walks in the room and everything goes silent. He’s the fucking Creator man.

Just because someone has the same fucked up life as you don’t mean you’re best buddies. It doesn’t mean you have the same mindset.

2010-12-17T10:18:00.003+08:00

Just because someone has the same fucked up life as you don’t mean you’re best buddies. It doesn’t mean you have the same mindset.

I have a friend. We have quite the same life story.

But his idea is to put more shit into the world.

I don’t believe that. It’s hypocritical.

Crying out against everything that’s wrong in this world but continue doing those wrong deeds anyway.

I don’t want to steal from people who have worked hard to get what they have.

I don’t want to be a hypocrite.

But maybe one day I’ll have to. One day I’ll have to give in.

As you grow older your spirit grows fainter. How ironic, those two words – grows faint.

But I don’t want that day to be today.

I guess I’m stubborn. I’ll only give in at the very last moment.

Rants About Art

2010-12-05T02:00:00.000+08:00

Nobody understands.

My art sucks.

Damn it I get so mad at a friend of mine sometimes. Why the hell does he get to study art? He never was any good at it. And he dares complain about the workload. Shit, I get it it’s a lot of hard work but at the very least your studying something you like.

I mean, no pain no gain, right?

As for me, I’m stuck at the same level I used to be years ago. Back then, you could say I was pretty talented for my age. But my art has stayed constant ever since. Now, for my age, it sucks.

I never got the chance to expand my talents.

Damn it damn it fucks. (lol, the grammar check recommendation suggested I use “fucks” instead of “fuck”)

And they call me lazy for not doing something I hate.

You know what I’ve been doing all this time? Collecting skills and knowledge I don’t need.

Like say, you know some things about certain topics but at the end of the day, there is a special field that you’re specifically good at.

For example, if you’re an engineer it’d still be cool if you knew a little bit about business management, right?

But at the end of the day, you should really stick to what you’re good at.

I mean, not even motorcycles are my biggest passion. I like learning all these new skills on my motorcycles and I love riding. But it still doesn’t stop me from regretting the talent I wasted in art.

And I get that art is expensive and everything, but it’s the end result that counts, right?

Sure, you could make art out of trash. It would look nice, but still, its art made out of trash. I mean, if you want something better, you have to put in something better, right?

And… there’s this constant persecution of artists. Back when Mao Zhe Dong was spreading his Communist ideology, he was using artists to spread his propaganda. It was a pretty golden age for Chinese artists. Until, they started questioning the propaganda they were painting. That’s when whichever artist who didn’t agree with Mao’s views got persecuted.

And those who survive to this day create anti-Mao art.

It’s just like people take art for granted, you know? Maybe they do appreciate the art but do they appreciate the artist?

Why is it that so many famous paintings are only famous today but not when the artists who created those paintings were still alive?

It’s like people take a while to notice art, you know? Usually when it’s too late. Vincent Van Gogh is an example.

And I think there is this common misconception that if you’re artist then all the art you produce is great and your life is glamorous and everything.

I think doing art is just like any other job. There are people who are better at their jobs than other people and there are average performers and those who are really poor.

Not everyone’s going to be a CEO.

And even if you’re good at your job, it doesn’t mean you’ll get recognition. I see so many great actors out there who never get their big break. Why? Because they just don’t have “the look”. Most of the time, they end up playing supporting roles. Maybe they’ll get one or two chance in the spotlight, but that’s all they’ll get.

But hey, at the end of the day, if you’re doing something you like, and hopefully are good at, it should help you get through the day, right?

As compared to doing a job where you don’t even stand a chance of competing. So you can stop dreaming of promotions because you’ll always be stuck at the bottom level.

So yeah, that’s me, I’ll probably end up in some job in food service or if I’m lucky, I’ll have a desk job. And I’ll always dream of the great artist I could have been. And I’ll regret the fact that I couldn’t prove to the world that because I was poor and my family didn’t want me doing art. And I’ll tell my kids to just get a job and stop dreaming because I never achieved my dream.

Perhaps I’ve written something like this before, but damn it gets to frustrating.

Goodnight.

And don’t dare pretend you understand.

The Way I See Fight Club

2010-12-03T19:44:00.001+08:00

Certain events have made me write this. Specifically a friend feeling offended when I asked her if she understood what Fight Club meant.

So, what does Fight Club mean?

If you watch the movie you would probably notice the anti-consumer culture message, theme, whatever.

But it goes deeper than that.

You see, in Chuck Palahniuk’s own words, Fight Club is sort of a club where men can get together and bond, in the most primeval way. It’s a place where a guy can unleash his deep rooted need for violence. In short, guys get together and randomly beat the shit out of each other. It’s not a competition though; the point isn’t to prove whose penis is bigger.

So, in a way Fight Club is also a message against the emasculation of men. How men have been restricted to do what their basic instincts tell them to do. And in a way it’s saying that consumerism is brought along a lot by women.

I mean, men are the hunters and women are the gatherers, right?

So when was it exactly that man too started chasing material objects?

“We’re a generation of men raised by women. I’m wondering if another woman is really the answer we need.”

Another element about Fight Club is about achieving freedom. In the movie The Narrator isn’t capable of freeing himself from the chains of modern living so he creates Tyler Durden, subconsciously or consciously, it doesn’t matter. But one thing he realises at the end is that he should be the one who decides what he does with his freedom, not Tyler. It’s sort of saying he should be his own man.

So, in conclusion, I’m not saying I’m an authority on Fight Club or whatever or that you’re not qualified or you’re too dumb to be in Fight Club. I’m just asking, I’m just making sure, if this really is the kind of club you want to be in. Especially since you’re a woman. I mean, what business would you have in Fight Club?

But like I said, I’m no authority on Fight Club; there are still things about Fight Club that I don’t understand. Mainly, how The Narrator says it all has something to do with a girl named Marla Singer.

So, do you really feel a deep rooted hate for consumerism? Do you feel that you’re working a job you hate just so you can buy shit you don’t need? Is this your motto?

“You’re not you’re job. You’re not how much money you have in your bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing-all-dancing crap of the world.”

Anyways, to whom this essay was meant to, when I was asking if you really knew what Fight Club meant, I was also sort of asking myself that question. Because I’d really like to be enlightened. Because obviously there is no Fight Club. Because obviously we’re not beating the shit out of each other. Yet.

I hope I wrote this shit right. It’s just one of those things that you feel strongly about and you know it’s there but you can’t put it into words. Shit.

In Tyler We Trust

2010-11-20T13:19:00.001+08:00

"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

~ Tyler Durden/The Narrator/Chuck Palahniuk.

Is This Your Life?

2010-11-20T13:19:00.000+08:00

I was a naughty kid
But I wasn’t all bad
I tried my best to be good
But did they notice?
No.

My good deeds went unnoticed
And my slightest mistakes,
were made sure to be punished severely.

My family was poor
But I didn’t blame them
I understood and accepted that fact.

But then they started blaming me
for all the shit in their life
And my life had become shitland.

But then I met and fell in love with someone
Whom I thought loved me too.
I thought she knew and accepted the fact,
that I was fucked up.

But I was wrong
And she left
So fuck me.

p/s: I wrote this for a friend who pretty much has the same life as me. The only difference is he’d found love and lost it. As for me, I’m still wondering what love is.

Reply to Gadis✿

2010-11-10T00:06:00.000+08:00

Gadis✿, I deleted that "Sorry" post and made it an announcement or something. Sedih sebab I still don't know what I wanna be. And because of that I'm so not motivated to study.

Scott Pilgrim The Movie Sucks

2010-11-09T23:47:00.005+08:00

Scott Pilgrim the movie sucks.

Scott Pilgrim The Movie

Scott Pilgrim The Comic Book

(Graphic Novel, whatever you wanna call it)

I know, maybe I shouldn’t be comparing it to the comic book it was based on and just enjoy it as it is. But I read the comic and I just can’t help but make comparisons.

Scott Pilgrim the comic book was not something I would exactly call innovative because if you look at it, it borrows a lot of elements from Japanese anime and manga. But it had enough new original ideas to make it a worthwhile read and the characters were interesting and the dialog they shared may often be obscurely random but they were quirky. And it was just this crazy mash-up of video game elements and Japanese manga and slacker hipster characterization that left you wanting more.

Scott Pilgrim the comic was like sugar-filled breakfast cereal. Breakfast cereal is a pretty common food item but it’s addictive. If you’re not careful, you could end up munching on it all day.

Scott Pilgrim the movie on the other hand, is like oatmeal with nothing; no sugar, no berries. Dreadful.

I blame it on two factors; the casts and the directing.

The two culprit actors, obviously would be Michael Cera, the one trick pony, the king of wooden acting and whatshername who played Ramona Flowers.

I know Scott Pilgrim is a very how you say, blur, and oblivious character but he could also be really lively and… he had a lot more facial expressions that sadly, Michael Cera could not provide. And Michael Cera’s voice was so not how I imagined Pilgrim’s voice would be. I imagined Scott’s voice would be something like a surfer dude’s voice, totally cool and all. Not some whiny kid who wasn’t sure of himself.

Apparently, Bryan Lee O’Malley, the author, gave the actors ten secret facts about their characters, and one of them was that Ramona Flowers had a very dark past, her younger brother died, things like that. I think whatshername took that point too seriously and played Ramona as this constantly emo and irritable character. Or maybe her acting range is just as limited as Cera’s.

This was particularly annoying because yes, Scott is supposed to be completely smitten by Ramona (because she’s been literally running through his dreams) but how could anyone find the motivation to fight seven evil ex boyfriends when your girlfriend seems irritated by you all the time?

I find this really disappointing because personally, Ramona Flowers was the most interesting character in the whole comic. She was sexy, she was cool and she was just so fucked up that you knew that if you were a rocker wannabe teenage boy, you could just chat with her for hours and she could be cute too. And she was mysterious! Who could resist that?

The only thing whatshername shares with Ramona Flowers is probably her big eyes. Even her hair wasn’t as cool.

There’s such a lack of chemistry between Michael Cera and whatshername that you are left wondering just when did they start dating? And then all of a sudden he’s battling The League of Seven Evil Exes to stay with her. It makes you wonder why the idiot broke up with Knives Chau, his “fake” high schooler girlfriend.

The only character I like probably was Wallace, Scott’s gay roommate. Gay and coolly funny make a great combination. (Fun fact: you may notice some resemblance between Wallace and Macaulay Caulkin from Home Alone. That’s because they’re brothers)

Moving on to the directing, Edgar Wright, I’m sorry, I loved Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead but this movie just sucks. Let’s just move on and go back to making good movies, okay?

Honestly, Edgar, you just completely butchered the Scott Pilgrim story. Dialog that was supposed to be for one scene was put into another scene, making the lines lose its punch. Cool dialog was replaced with not so cool dialog. And above all else, I felt, key elements in the story just wasn’t there or horribly mutilated.

In the end, honestly, the plot just became an excuse to move on to the next fight with the next evil ex boyfriend.

Key elements in the story like when Ramona disappeared because she needed to go have a sabbatical, go reflect on herself, because she felt she was undeserving of Scott was gone.

And how could the Sword of Love break? Into a million little hearts to make it worse. It just destroys the symbolism of the Sword of Love, you know? And why was the Sword of Understanding which Scott received after understanding that Gideon, the last and most recent of Ramona’s evil exes was just a guy who has had his heart broken one too many times and wanted revenge replaced with the Sword of Self Respect?

Oh… don’t answer that. It’s because Michael Cera’s Scott Pilgrim was shallow and retarded.

And all the supporting characters are underdeveloped. For example, Envy Adam’s back story as Scott’s ex was reduced to just a few narrative lines and Kim Pine’s high school romance with Scott was also not shown in detail. Humph…..

And the final scene where Scott teams up with Ramona to defeat Gideon was replaced with Scott teaming up with Knives Chau, his most recent ex high schooler fake girlfriend. What the f?

In the comic, at the very end, Scott and Ramona go to start all over again and then jump into this bright light and disappear and we are left wondering where they will go.

In the movie, they walk off into a door. Personally, I feel the ambiguity of the ending was lost because doors lead to somewhere.

Personally, I think the story should have been split into two movies. Three if you want to fit in all the details but I don’t think that’s necessary.

Oh, and the music sucked too. Well, not really, but every song Sex Bob-Omb, Scott’s band, played sounded exactly alike. And Sex-Bob-Omb wasn’t supposed to be a good band, they were supposed to suck!

But who gives a shit anyway? I don’t think Bryan Lee O’Malley would give a shit. He’s only goal in life is to be rich anyways.

So, if I could sum this movie up with one line from the movie, it would probably be,

“We are Sex Bob-Omb and we’re here to sell out and stuff.”

The only reason you want to watch this movie would be to learn how to properly pronounce Sex Bob-Omb.

Go read the comic instead.

Scott Pilgrim the comic gets 4 stars out of 5.

Scott Pilgrim the movie gets 2 stars out of 5.

*okay, I googled and whatshername is Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

The End of The Fun of Boredom?

2010-11-09T00:59:00.001+08:00

To be honest with you, lately, I haven't been feeling really sad, or down, or depressed.

In fact, I might actually be happy.

GASP!

Is this the end of this blog?

I don't know.

Oh, oh.. no, wait... here it comes again....

High 5 Jason Lo

2010-10-20T16:07:00.001+08:00

I was waiting for Dollhouse to start on 8TV last night, and there was this small segment of Julia Woon and Meghan (I think, memory is fuzzy) interviewing Jason Lo, presumably before the Paramore concert and I think they asked him about possible future acts that Tune Talk or Air Asia, whatever his company is, could bring in and he said, Green Day, some other great band (memory fuzzy, sorry), etc, and then he said, you know, some REAL ACTS.

Please don't hate me for this, I'm not saying Paramore sucks, just, Jason Lo, we should hang out man.

End of stupid post. Green Day rocks a million times more than Paramore. Paramore would be biting the dust in Green Day's wake. I hate myself for missing the My Chemical Romance concert. Please click on my you know whats to sponsor me to go watch Green Day's act, if it happens, in the future. You can hate me now.

Tired Gay Succumbs to Dix

2010-10-15T01:04:00.004+08:00

Sometimes, you really have to wonder if these reporters are really cheeky bastards who write these headlines on purpose.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who is thinking, "the fuck?" when reading that headline.

And here's another picture from the newspapers than I found funny. I present to you, the Three Stooges:

*Pics from: The Star newspaper.

Tiny Reviews

2010-10-10T13:44:00.046+08:00

Don’t trust the other reviewers, Yip Man 2 is definitely better than the first Yip Man. Better action and more inspiring. Felt like cheering loudly at the end of the movie.

Overall, just as good as the original. The first movie had more story but Iron Man 2 has more action. My only gripe is that the inclusion of Nick Fury and The Black Widow was totally unnecessary to the plot. Fuck Marvel for trying to combine all their movies so that they can milk their franchise even more with an Avengers movie.

Up was the best animated feature of 2009? Bullshit.

Finally, a worthy sequel to the original Predator! Might be bland for other viewers, but for Predator fans, definitely satisfying to see the Predators go back to their roots. And who knew Adrien Brody could be a convincing action hero?

Tim Burton trademarked eye candy as promised but.... mediocre plot.

Do Something

2010-10-09T10:20:00.007+08:00

Hi guys, today I’m featuring another magnificent piece of work from Winston Rowntree (not his real name) titled ‘do something’.

The reason I love this comic so much is because I feel it really captures the essence of being depressed, for me at least.

It’s sort of like, being stuck in this hole for so long, eventually you actually get quite comfortable in it. But you do wonder if the world really is brighter on the outside, and in front of you are a few options to get out of your rut. But you are not sure if it will work. So you sit there and contemplate your options.

But for me, personally, I wonder why I even have to do anything. I mean, what is the meaning of everything? What is the meaning of existence? What is the difference between this side and the other? Will I be happy on the other side? Or sadder?

So many questions and contradictions.

But I talked to Winston, and for him; personally, the comic was about taking a chance. It was about the acceptance of our mortality, that we’re going to cease to exist some day so if we want to do something, now is the time to do it.

In short, TAKE A FUCKING CHANCE!

But as I’m writing this, a new question pops out in my mind. It’s all about time, isn’t it? What if we had all the time in the world? What if time wasn’t creeping up on us and threatening to end our lives? Would it still be necessary to do something?

Anyways, just read the comic first. And if you like it, you can read more comics at Winston’s website, Subnormality.com. Be warned though, his website is the site of "comix with too many words since 2007”. ;)

*Click for larger image

And to avoid me featuring too many of his comics in the future, thus seeming like I’m stealing his work, here’s a list of some of my favourite Subnormality comics:

The Line – a beautifully inspiring comic about staying true to yourself
Weird? – a testimony to how “normal” is so overrated.
Sphynx XIII - another funny comic about challenging the norm.
Interviews - everyone has a good story to tell.
Uncanny Valley - just because you can push yourself to the limit, or over, doesn't mean you should. It's just fucked up.
Life's Calendar - the truest calendar ever.
The Atheist Apocalypse - some food for thought.

Cheers :)

Falling Off A Motorcycle

2010-10-09T00:23:00.003+08:00

Originally, this post was supposed to be titled, “Can’t Shake It.” I’ll tell you why later.

There just isn’t a scarier experience than falling off a motorcycle, is there?

Well, I’m not too sure actually, I’ve never crashed a car before. I’ve been hit by a car before, but I’ve never hit anything while driving a car.

But damn, falling off a motorcycle is a really scary experience.

It’s funny, the other day I wrote about how I almost got into an accident and the very next day, I went out for a ride again, but this time, it was really boring. I was on my home, wasn’t going too fast, but I was being careless. I didn’t take this particular left corner properly, and I was headed out of my turn axis. And when I was trying to correct my turn, my motorcycle slipped. In my defense, there was sand on the road.

It wasn’t anything major, not as bad as last year’s crash, just a minor fall, there was hardly a scratch on the motorcycle. But I grazed my left elbow and the keys in my left pocket tore through the skin of my thigh a little. But still, wasn’t that big of a deal.

But here’s the ironic part. I was out on Saturday night to practice my skills at taking right corners, but ever since the fall on Sunday, my right cornering is now better than my left cornering. But not because I’ve improved at taking right corners, but because I my skills at taking left corners have deteriorated significantly.

My body just clenches up when cornering left and my heartbeat rises. I’m so slow I worry if the car behind me is going to bump into me.

At one point I remember being able to get my knee down during left corners and at a rather steep corner. But now, I feel like I’m going to fall every time I lean during a left turn. Sigh.

I keep wondering if there is anything wrong with my front forks. It’s like now; I’m always alert to every tiny movement the motorcycle makes. But I keep telling myself, logically, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with the bike, it was just a slight fall, and the only thing that got scratched was the rubber on my left foot peg. It’s like accidentally bumping your car into another car or pillar at a very slow speed, say at the parking lot, at the most there would be a slight scratch or a dent in your car, but your steering column isn’t going to be broken!

Nonetheless, I said this post was supposed to be titled, “Can’t Shake It”, because at first, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to shake this fear of falling when cornering but it’s been 5 days since I fell now and I think I’m slowly regaining my confidence.

This is why I think how Valentino Rossi got back to racing after breaking his leg even before his leg was fully healed is really incredible. But of course he’s not back to his best level yet, maybe there’s something more than his leg holding him back.

Alas, like they say, when it comes to motorcycles, falling is part of the learning process (unless you choose to ride like a granny and do less than 30 km/h). And hey, even professional riders fall from time to time. So what have I learned?

Always slow down to an appropriate speed during corners, especially at blind corners.
Be alert.
My mom was right; I shouldn’t go riding at night because if it was the day, I would have seen the sand on the road.
If you survive the crash, be grateful, and go ride again!

Motorcycle Near Crash

2010-10-02T03:22:00.000+08:00

I was out riding my motorcycle last night, around 10pm. I just had an itch to go enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing past me, you know? And yes, I know, this was the very same itch that made me crash my dad’s FXR last year, but don’t worry, I’m safe this time; didn’t crash, not a single scratch.

I guess I was being sensible. I just rode around my neighbourhood, not riding aimlessly in the middle of the night. There’s this industrial area just beside my housing area and naturally, at night, nobody’s around there. So just imagine wide roads with almost no traffic at all. Perfect for practicing your driving or riding skills, maybe even your drifting skills.

So after one week’s experience of riding, I’ve noticed that I’m better at taking left corners than I am at taking right corners. I guess it’s natural because people drive on the left side or the road in Malaysia. It’s like a dominant leg, you know? If you walk aimlessly you’ll notice that you’re walking in a curve that curves towards your dominant leg. And most corners we Malaysians take are towards the left, and most of the time, when we have to turn right, it’s at a junction so we have to stop first. So my skills at taking right corners are not very good.

So there I was, doing laps around the factories and then, as I was taking a right corner, all of a sudden, an Indian guy with a pillion rider appears and he’s headed in my direction. We almost collide, and he shouts at me, “Tengok jalan la bodoh!” Which means, “Look at where you’re going, idiot!”

So now I’m thinking, how didn’t I see him?

Well, just before I took the corner, there was this car turning into the right side of the road where I was. We were at a three way junction. So I stopped. Maybe, after the car passed by, I didn’t look properly to see if there were any other vehicles coming by. So maybe it was my fault.

But, I distinctly remember seeing the body of the guy’s bike first, and then, and I stress AND THEN I see a light flash on. Which means, he didn’t have his headlamps on! So, that means only after he saw me coming did he turn them on. And wait, did he call me an idiot? If I hadn’t seen him and managed to manoeuvre away from him, we would have crashed! Black asshole.

But I’m not a hundred percent sure if he had or didn’t have his headlamps turned on. But what I’m sure is, he was on the wrong side of the road! Yes, the road was wide and it wasn’t clearly divided, but if he had been on the ride side of the road, which should have been the left, which would be at the right corner of my field of vision because I was taking a right corner, I probably would have seen him, because that’s where I normally look for oncoming traffic.

Anyways, I’m just venting my anger here so I can forget this whole fucking incident. It really ruined my mood. I went home after a few more laps. As for who is right, I leave it to you to be the judge.

The Nut House

2010-09-29T15:33:00.000+08:00

My house is such a crazy house.

Mom is always sitting there talking to herself. Yet, she always makes it seem like she’s talking to you. But when you give her a reply she’ll act as if you don’t exist and continue talking. Then sometimes, you ignore her, but then she’ll ask you why you didn’t reply her. When we do talk, it always leads to an argument. Mom doesn’t have a proper speaking tone. She’ll always sound like she’s shouting. To make matters worse, the language she uses is really rough. It’s driving me mad.

Dad is… I don’t know what dad is. We’re in a mountain of debt. He knows that. But does he act like he knows it? No. He’s always telling us to save money but then he’ll go off and spend money. Lots of it, compared to what debt we have to pay off. When he goes shopping he doesn’t buy groceries, he buys snacks. Dad is… really scared of the poor house. The poor house versus the nut house, which is worse? It’s making me crazy.

This house, it’s a garbage dump. We have so many things. Useless things. Worthless things. Why can’t we just throw it all away? And everyday dad buys more junk. And he demands we keep the house clean. What am I supposed to do? Dust the garbage? I’m losing my mind.

It’s going…

It’s going…

It’s going…

IT’S GONE!

More Whiny Shit Part 2 (Education)

2010-09-27T23:23:00.002+08:00

This post is part of a series. Part 1 here.

But I try so very hard, you know? To study. I’ve always been trying hard. I never loved studying, I hated it. But people, they look at me, with my good grades, and how I never seem to do my homework and they thought it was easy for me, you know? They don’t fucking understand. Sure, I was a smart kid but nobody understands how hard it was for me to get myself to sit quietly in front of that book and study. I’m not the kind of person who can sit quietly in one place!

And where’d all the good teachers go?

I know this sounds cliché, but I used to have a math teacher who was very strict. I didn’t like her. But now I realize is she hadn’t given me all those math homework, and punished me for not doing it, I never would have learned my math. Math, I really hate math.

But you know what the thing about punishment is? Eventually it becomes bearable. Eventually, it stops working. I grew up, skin got thicker. A slash of the cane didn’t hurt so much anymore. So what’s the worse the school could do to me? Nothing. Even if they could find a worse punishment, eventually I would be numb to it too.

But then, I had another teacher. She was kind, and most importantly, patient. After she thought the entire syllabus to the class, and there was still two months to the big exam, she took the time to patiently teach me. Again, it was math. She sat me down in front of a table, and she taught me math.

But like I said, where are all the good teachers now?

But I’m still trying…. But it’s hard. It’s hard to read that Business Studies book and not realize how hypocritical and impractical it is. Who gives a fuck about all these theories, huh? And the laws? Which businessman actually follows the law? All of it? It’s a laughing stock, man. Why do we have to remember all these shit for an exam, huh?

Look around, some people been doing business for 30 years. Never got rich. And then there's those people who do business for a year or so and they get rich.

The way I see it, only two explanations: 1) They're extremely brilliant, had a great business idea. 2) Their business is illegal.

And the fucking Accounts textbook? It’s shit, man. There’s only one Accounts textbook in Malaysia for Form 6, and it went out of publishing a few years ago. So all students who are sitting for the STPM Accounts paper have to photocopy the entire book from people who own them. And I tell you, man, the book is fucked up. The notes are overly simple and the formulas are wrong! I tried it, formulas are wrong!

If only I had paid attention in class, I would have known sooner. But how could I pay attention? I don’t know any Accounting basics. Everything the teacher says is like gibberish to me!

But, like I said, I try… I tried asking my Accounts teacher to teach me, but she said she couldn’t. I have to read the textbook myself and consult her if I have any questions.

Oh, great………

The only thing that still makes sense is Economics. But as usual, it takes me ages to drag myself to read the textbook.

Oh, and fuck General Studies! Again, more stupid laws. The only good thing is that it has two papers and one paper only asks you what your opinion is of a certain matter. Fairly simple.

More Whiny Shit Part 1 (Parents and Art)

2010-09-27T23:19:00.003+08:00

Sorry for all these whiny/depressing posts. I’m trying my best to write down all the emotions that I’m feeling when I’m sad just before the feeling goes away. It’s blog therapy after all. But I never seem to succeed. But this depression, it never goes away. It goes and then it comes again.

Fuck God. He doesn’t give a shit.

I hate it. I hate everything.

Parents. Always telling you what to do. Always telling you that what you are doing is wrong.

But how much of what they are doing is actually right? Not much. Hypocrites. Goddamn hypocrites.

Can’t blame them. On average human parents only get to be parents once in their life time. So they don’t have experience. They’ve never practiced it before.

But it still sucks.

I’m sick of it. Sick of my parents calling me useless. I know I’m useless. But I’ve been trying, so very hard, so very very hard to be a better son. But I fail. I’m pathetic. I can’t even kill myself. Praying everyday that a truck hits me when I’m walking on the side of the road. But fuck me. Praying is useless. Either there is no God, or he doesn’t give a shit.

“There comes an age where a human stops thinking that he or she has faults about themselves that need to be corrected. At this stage in life, the human considers itself to have become perfect. He or she is always right. And anyone younger than them is always making mistakes. This is the age of parenthood.” ~ John Loo.

I can’t do it anymore. Can’t continue lying to myself that I can chuck aside the artist in me. I did it when I first entered middle school. Told myself that it’s time to think practically. That art would never feed me. That’s when I stopped drawing as a hobby. But three years later, it all started crumbling. I entered Form 4 and there was no art class. I could have taken art as an extra subject but there was 10 freaking subjects I had to study!

There was another guy; he took art as an extra subject. He was pretty talented too. But he didn’t do well, didn’t even take art in his actual exam.

Anyways, like I was saying, art wasn’t a compulsory subject in Form 4 anymore. That’s when my last connection to art was cut off. Then, I realized, I would never be able to fucking sit in a tiny cubicle. Day in, day out, processing documents. Where was the fucking creativity? Fucked up, man.

But….. do you get my situation? It’s like, I had crutches, but I threw it away, but then I realized I had no legs. So now I can’t walk, I’m stuck here.

And some friends told me the other day I should start drawing again. I know you mean well, guys, but it's hard, you know? I’ve gotta go get my “crutches” back. Or some “prosthetic legs”.

To Be Continued.

Hey Kamil

2010-09-27T23:14:00.000+08:00

Hey Kamil, if you are reading this, I miss you man. You were the only one I could talk about anything with, you know? Even though most of our conversations involved us sitting there silent and occasionally breaking the silence with sentences like, “Hey, you know what?” And the other would reply,”Yeah.” Haha.

How are you, man? Haven’t heard from you in a while. How’s Egypt? No internet connection there? Sigh. Anyways, get started on your blog, man. Those thoughts in your head really need to be shared with the world. Haha.