Gubra: The Review

If you did not watch Gubra in the cinemas...and if you did not watch Gubra on Astro Ria yesterday...then you missed out.

If you did not watch Sepet but you've watched Gubra, then you may be a bit "Har?"

If you watched Sepet but you did not watch Gubra...again, you missed out.

If you watched neither, and you are a Malaysian... sigh. Go rent/buy the VCD/DVD.

It is that kind of show that although confusing at times cause there were two stories in the movie itself, or a bit odd to see Orked still like small kid like that even though seven years has passed since Sepet times, if you watch it without criticising Yasmin Ahmad and her non-conventional ways of portraying esp. Malays, you will sit back and really enjoy the show.

But mind you, it's deep. Unlike Sepet where the main theme is more on first love, therefore more light and fluffy, Gubra focuses more on the human emotion. I am not saying that there isn't love in the show. There are choke full of it, but there are also tears, there are also anger and deep deep feelings that you can identify with it. It has no dramatisation of feelings. They are very real, and I applaud Yasmin Ahmad for that.

Personally, at first I preferred Sepet after watching Gubra (before credits rolled) cause Gubra is deep and if you don't concentrate, you would be like, "Har?" But after the credits rolled, where the surprise was waiting for everyone, it warmed my heart and I give two thumbs up for Gubra as well.

What is the surprise? Of course I won't tell you lah. But you MUST watch Sepet in order to fully understand Gubra...or half.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

So the story unfolds into two separate lives but same kampung...

7 years has passed since Jason's death. Orked has married to a considerably older man, Arif. They seemed like a happy couple. Then a phone call came from Orked's mom telling her that her dad (if you watched Sepet, it's the same father who has his sarong pulled down by his wife...unless you watched it on NTV7 where they censored it. What.) collapsed. The scene of her and Arif rushing to the house and how everyone crying at Pak Atan (Orked's dad)'s side was funny. The whole scene of them rushing to the hospital was even more hilarious. Arif was seemingly calm and was taking things under control, even telling the nurse the family tree!


Alan Yun as Alan (Jason's bro) and Sharifah Amani as Orked

In the hospital, Orked met Alan whom is Jason's brother. (If you watched Sepet, Alan is the one with the wife and baby...wear specs one...) Alan's dad fell down the stairs and therefore hospitalised (another funny story there, if you watched Sepet first) This was where she remembers Jason, her first love (Sepet again) and small sparks flew.

In another story, a Muslim cleric and his wife (very happy, loving couple) leads a community and stays next door to two prostitutes, Temah and Kiah. Temah has a son who learns to recite the Quran in the Muslim cleric's home. Pak Bilal and Kak Mas (the cleric n wife) were unjudgemental and friendly towards the two call girls, being nice to them and all (which caused a bit of hoohahs among academics).

The story grows deeper and unveils more raw emotions when by coincidence, Orked found out that her loving husband is actually cheating on her (giving the lamest excuse when confronted with, so much for loving husbands), Temah found out that she is going to die, and Kiah gets killed.

The touching scenes were when Alan showed Orked the belongings of Jason (letters to her, etc), when Alan misses his daughter in Singapore, when Pak Atan comforts his wife, when Kak Mas, Temah and Kiah were sitting together and how Kak Mas and Kiah were consoling Temah, when Alan's parents decided not to fight anymore, and the surprise scene after the credits rolled. Nope, I won't tell you. (there are many more but I only remember these few)

The funny scenes were how they rushed towards the hospital, when Orked and Alan met for the first time, how Kak Yam (the maid) scolded the hospital staffs about the ambulance, how Kak Yam falls for a male nurse, how Alan's parents fight, how Orked behaves like a small kid, how Pak Atan teases his wife lovingly, how Pak Bilal chases after Kak Mas, etc.

Again, it's a deep show. Everything is deep. I didn't cry because it was confusing if you don't concentrate. I couldn't hear those garbled words muttered and it's kinda irritating when the subtitles don't work. But it's a show worth watching. Yasmin Ahmad was great in bringing out real human life to the screens. Cause the show stays with you.

I don't care about those people who heavily criticise the show. You can read some of them in the Malay version of Wikipedia (in Malay, mind you) which I find it un-Wikipedia like. You can read how Yasmin herself views this critics. Yeah, so Sharifah Amani may have said wrong things during FFM (Festival Filem Malaysia, I think). That's not the point. The point is to watch Gubra and care about the cast later. I personally think that the acting has improved compared to Sepet, the editing was better but the dialogue was a bit muffled especially at the surprise segment. Maybe I'm just deaf. Or it is too soft.

For more, go to the official site or the review.

It's not like those crazy Malaysian shows like "Lady Boss" or "Jutawan Fakir" or "Senario XX" or intense dramas like "KL Menjerit" or "Castello" (eh, I watch all of them okay?) but it's still very Malaysian. There's a bit of criticsm thrown at Singapore but hey, if Singaporeans can take their own dose of Mr.Brown, I think that small criticsm is nothing. It is really nothing.

Pictures I took from GUBRA (www.gubra.com.my)

Rating: 4.5/5 (not full-lah. Cause if it's 5 then I'm too bias liao.)

Oh.

I look at the calendar. Wau...it's already Thursday and I only have 3 days left to finish up my draft. Looking at my hols, time was not well spent, shows I watched too many, room I never cleaned, gym I never visit.

Holidays were a waste...














...I wish for another one.


*

I must learn how to manage my time well...(haven't I been saying that since the dawn of this blog?!) because now I'm beginning to help others to do work too, so I musn't slack and give only half of my best to my REAL assignments, and everything to my non-real assignments.

One thing not so nice about uni or life is that if our time is not well planned, nothing can be achieved...eg. sleeping at irregular hours will cause zits and yawning all day. I'm becoming more of an owl than a girl sleeping at night. Those models who claim flawless skin all day are a myth. Models don't sleep at a regular hour too!

And if you don't plan your time well, many things will go wrong! So next time go jamban also need to plan. Yeah what. They say, we must take a break after 15 minutes staring at a computer screen. If not your eyes will pop and then you will have to wear thick glasses.

I do agree. You do have to plan your time well so you can finish your assignments on time and not waste time blogging. Like me!

Assignments

Okay, I don't know how to do theoretical assignments. When I was just typing away happily, I was also listening to Mr. Brown Show, and then I realised that I'm almost writing in a blogging style...which will end up like this:

Why I Want To Do A Video Podcast?
~Firstly, I just need a video camera, a studio and a few cables. I don't even need a pod!
~Then I just need to find somebody gorgeous like Hannah Tan or Maya Karin to be in the studio...
~Then I can put in high-action packed drama inside the video podcast so people can watch...like watching YouTube lah...
~Then everybody can watch lah.
~If I put subtitles in, then everybody can learn England lah...

Okay, I digressed.

Mood: Better..except a mozzie bite on my lips. What.

Yes.Mood's better. After a bit of Jay Chou, my mom's ever-there-humor, and maybe the air-conditioning. Maybe it's the haze! No. It's definitely not some stupid haze.

I got so stressed over my Flash webpage that I nearly felt like throwing my spoon...but all I could do was just "YEEE" "YEEE" all the way..and I changed 2-days work away. Not bad huh?

Okay, if you don't get that.

I'm a bit panas baran nowadays. Tend to be a bit more sarcastic than usual. Maybe that's why ah.....

I so want to get a camera to just snap snap at things I see...really. Think I read too much Kenny Sia and Mr. Miyagi already.

And I realised that this unphotogenic me should really learn to be a bit more photogenic...in my whole lifetime I could only take a few nice ones. It's pretty sad. Not to mention pathetic.

I do have one very interesting thing to share. Nearly forgot.

My sister asked a neighbour in the lift (whom she opened the side entrance door of the lobby downstairs for earlier).."So, you live around here?"

You should look at the woman's face. Priceless.

Anger

Where did the sane go?

The whole world seemed to be nuts already.

I feel that as if I'm sitting in a place and watching the whole world pass me by. No compassion, no hands reached, all are selfish and like the flower in the Little Prince, everything is about ME.

Is this world getting any better? This depraved world? This world where mercy is laughed at, where unbelief divides man, where the journey to the end of your life is turning into a mere road trip?

This noisy world. THis world that is learning to speak...opinions are voiced and complaints flooded the editor's desk.

When you want something so badly, you thought by holding that thing tighter in your hand will make you keep it. But when you open your hand again, the bird is dead, the sand reduced, the flower choked.

Why is the person who is suppose to speak keeps his silence and those who are around are just yakking away?

When is he going to speak?

Will a father lets his child fall of a cliff? Will a father lets his child drown? Will he not reach out his hand to catch his child?

Really, where have the voices gone to?

Uni Is Pretty Much The Same

People going in.

People going downstairs.

People walking in and out.

Oh, look. Battle of The Bands Roadshow...no live gigs though. Cheh.

The sun rays fall onto the windows, casting light onto empty chairs in the Syndicate Room.

Where I am sitting now.

Glass. All I see is glass, and more glass.

Across, I see the library.

And more people walking.

All rushing.

All wandering.

And my friends said that my laptop is cute...it's not like I have a Toshiba mini or something.

Or a Mac.

Is this where we are today?

Smartly dressed guys, none of them are fit for the working world yet. So much education, so much knowledge to attain. The working world is a totally different story.

But I like it here somehow. I don't see guys in baseball caps and jeans and huge earrings. I don't see girls wearing spaghettis or tube tops or teeny mini skirts. Call it conservative or formal or whatever. But I do prefer it this way. Jeans make college students look...too casual. But then again, I may never need to wear a skirt to work because hey, media world. All jeans and T-shirts, yeah!

Okay, I do contradict myself this way.

No class no class.

Yet.


And I have a whole week of break next week!

Yes, yes. To finish up my assignments.

I do hope I can borrow some pics from Enoch because he's such a great photographer in our midst and it would be cool to just place his pics in my website...at least I don't have to *eh-hem borrow from Getty.

A new chapter...havent gone to the exciting part yet. Just simplistic.

But I could do with some sleep...

Yes. I could do with some sleep.


A regular pig I must say of myself.

Well, at least I accomplished something today during lab session. So it would be quite cool.


Happy Raya and Deepavali folks!

Affectionate?

When the rain falls, who provides the umbrella?
-The umbrella man.

You can't drive and think at the same time, cause you have to focus on your driving. So I cannot say that I was on my way home and thinking cause even the thought is there, I still have to concentrate...

Someone thinks I'm from Sarawak. It's just as well as someone says that I look like one. It's quite an interesting revolution because in all honesty, even I don't know I'm from Sarawak.

But let's cut to the point: I'm not from Sarawak.

I probably will do a short movie for my final year project. Yeah, you may be thinking, "This girl haven't even finish her first semester of her first year is talking bout final year project?!" Yes yes. I can see where you all are pointing at. But usually FYP are inculcating all that I have learned in Year 1,2,3..Right? So, a short movie would do the trick. But as you say, it's only the first sem of the first year. So I shall leave that thought on the shelf.

Now, to the purpose of my post:

I wonder to myself sometimes, in all honesty, is it that hard for someone esp. a guy to know me really? As Amanda said, we both are deep people. Think-too-much that kind of people. What I am externally may not be internally. Vice versa.

Am I capable of being affectionate? Maybe.

Being self-absorbed is never a good thing. Maybe I'm just addicted to the Internet and Photoshop and Illustrator and Flash to be too "busy" to build my friendships and relationships. If so, then what am I running away from? Commitment? Haha.

Today, Pr. Mike asked a question. "Can a man love two women at the same time?"

Can a woman love two men at the same time?

No, not your dad or your mom or your children.

Today, I missed someone. So am I affectionate towards that person? I admire at my friend who is so loyal to his girlfriend that till today, the relationship, though long distance, is still going on strong.

Can I forget a person that I once loved?

Today, songs, shows, movies and entertainment talks about break-ups, falling in love, and broken hearts. What the songs may sing doesn't mean what the shows may say. Songs sings about broken hearts and break-ups where shows talks about living happily ever after. Irony. If music speaks of the truth of the soul, shows are just mere imagination and fantasy.

If I am a crazy, loud person which I most probably am, am I capable of being gentle?

My vocabulary is limited and maybe you think I am a shallow person. But I'm not.

Like in the movies, I want to just lie down on my back on the greenest grass in the world or stand heads up towards the falling rain...

My lecturer during a discussion was asking us about what we would want/give for Valentine's Day. Will I want flowers and chocolates as how the media portrays it as it is? My answer to her was that I wish the guy will be creative. Yes, I could be such a hopeful romantic sometime. :)

Oh well, BGR aside, I can always hang out with my girl friends.

Yes, yes. Melodramatic today. Just today's ZC Topic made me think a bit...other than having Jay Chou's song keep on repeating itself in my head.



"I memang suka you." - Burn from Realiti

Serious Blogging?

Currently listening to: Jay Chou, Fei Yu Ching - Faraway

I really really like that song.

Yes, first, I liked JJ's Yuan Lai...then I liked David Tao's & Jolin's Today You Must Marry Me...

But Jay Chou still rocks with his poetic lyrics and great music arrangement. So cool. Larry would disagree. But, I believe Sherry will back me up! :)

Need to get a real kickstart on my assignments now.

And maybe I should revert to really serious blogging. Like talking about the haze or ASLI's Head's resignation.

Ah. Maybe not.

And yes, a camera will help.

Will blog when I have less of songs in my head and more interesting stories to tell.

Yeah.

Love Beautifully

The last episode of My Beloved is crappy. I didn't watch the drama but I did watch the last episode. Oei. Die again.

******

"Do take care when you're there."
"You too. Must keep in touch yeah? By hook or by crook, you better come online."
"Everyday? Crazy meh...I got assignments and other stuff to do. Got test coming somemore."
"Well...those are important...but still..must keep in touch right?"
"Send email lah."
"Aiyah...email so...lettery. Cannot get reply asap."
"You have to study also right. What."
"Yeah, but I can stay up a bit merr...besides, I can multi-task."
"Oh yeah. right."
"Remember our song?"
"Yup."
"We should change song. It's getting a bit bland."
"You think what? Maggi mee flavor ah? It's a special song for both of us."
"Kidding only ler."
"So you."
"Well, that proves that you will miss me so much right."
"Haha...yeah. I might."
"You MIGHT? I bet you will."
"See how ler."
"Oh I know that phrase."
"What?"
"Nothing."

*

"Hey"
"Lo."
"How's things with you?"
"It's okay. Times are abit hard sometimes."
"Studies? God? Parents? Boys?"
"Yeah, totally boys."
"No, seriously. Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. Consider it pure joy when face trials, eh?"
"Haha...yup."
"How bout you? Adjusting?"
"Yeah, just starting to be a bit homesick."
"Aww. You'll be fine. Jia you!"

*

"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Where are you?"
"Outside your house."
"What? Wei, expensive leh phone bill."
"Haha...really. Don't believe, check lah."

*

"I'm thinking if we can take some time off."
"Please don't. Don't say that."
"I don't know if I made the right decision. Please, let me go first."
"Please tell me that it's just a phase."
"It's not. I'm sorry."

*

"Eh, this is our song."
"They still play on radio meh?"
"Yeah, the 21st Century Channel."
"What? Got such thing meh?"
"Yeah. I created it one lah. Remember when iPods are the in-things?"
"Yeah, we were quite young then."
"We played this song during our engagement. Then you broke it off."
"It was a good decision."
"Good? No. I was like a lost man for a while. You know how hard is it to let you go?"
"But we learn to appreciate each other more, don't we?"
"Yeah, I was afraid that it will never come to that at all."
"Well, don't need to worry anymore right?"
"Haha...you are right about that. Care for a dance?"
"It's going to end lah the song."
"It's on repeat."

****

I cannot relate my own story. (gasp!) Yeah, I'm a sad deprived hopeless romantic.

Time to sing to the tune of break-up songs.

No no, I'm not depressed. Just want to celebrate love.

但愿人长久。

Left And Right Brain

Just to vent off a little:

Remind me to bring ear plugs next time during a test. Any sound can be so distracting.

She's A Were-cat

Warning: Viewer's discretion advised.

It all started one hazy afternoon. I drove to campus as usual, taking in the typical air around this time of the year. I waited for the class to start and sat in the room, preparing myself for the ultimate cold that comes to every person in a small room.

As usual, I'm always one of the earliest to class so I waited for the rest to come. Oh goodie, starting class already. Now I want to get finish with it and go home to prepare for a test tomorrow.

My coursemate sat one chair away from me. She suddenly stretched out her right hand to me, and I thought she wanted to pass me something. And I looked to see if there is anything. Maybe my eyes was tricking me, because there was nothing there.

She gave an exasperated smile, withdrew her hand and the lecturer started teaching.

After an hour into class, she suddenly did the same gesture again. I, being slow, thought she was feeling cold. I must have had some blank look because she gave an exasperated smile and withdrew her hand again. Now it was getting weird.

Mid-class, we went to the lab because it's half lecture half tutorial, so as we waited for the lift. She revealed her secret.

"Just now what I was doing was that it was a cat." I didn't get what she said, and blur as I am, tried to look if she drew any cartoon cat on her hand. There was none. So, I shot her another blank look. She said...

"I was turning into a cat. Usually I turn into a cat at midnight. But I was turning into a cat just now. And I wanted you to see it."

I totally FREAKED.

Edit: Okay, I didn't freak but it seemed like a good ending (think KennySia). If my coursemate reads my blog, I'll probably be fried. But it is a true story. I had been smarter to keep my mouth (not my hands though) shut. She really did say what she said. Though not exactly, but that's the gist of it.