My Top-10 Heart Wrenching Animation moments

Been doing a lot of thinking lately about genuine emotion that movies bring out.. and I have this conviction that animated movies bring out (if not the most) a lot of emotion into its work, and cause many a tear in various eyes... So here I have compiled my Top 10 list of moments in Animated cinema which make me cry every single time... The title contains a link to the scene I am talking about.. just in case you want your day ruined with feels :3 .

10. Try to bring Ash back. (Mewtwo Strikes Back- 1998)

 Im sure all of you know what I am talking about. The great Mew-Mewtwo faceoff, Ash getting caught in the middle and turning to stone, AND PIKACHU TRYING TO REVIVE HIM AHHH.
 It has got to be the saddest 3 minutes in Pokemon History. I remember crying buckets over this scene as a kid. OH THE FEELS.


9. Kitty says goodbye (Monster's Inc- 2001)

There was so much emotion in a movie devoted to monsters and frightening experiences. Kitty has to go, love.








8.WALL-E? (WALL-E- 2008)
Its funny how a Robot consisting of just EYES can express more emotion than Kristen Stewart.
This movie has a lot of feeling, and the scene when Eve fixes WallE only to have him forget her is heart breaking to any robotic soul.

7.Brother Bear, I let you down. ( Brother Bear- 2003)

Disney sure likes single parents and orphans dont they?

This scene wherein Kenai confesses to Koda that he killed his mother is soul shattering and tear -inducing. If seeing a cute and tiny bear cub cry dosent tear you up, they add a heart wrenching song to accompany it. Evil Disney.

Not sure if everyone remembers this movie. I feel this is one of the more underrated films they've made, because I personally feel it is fabulous. Great animation, beautiful scenary and goosebump-inducing music to accompany the magnificent emotion felt between two bears who are brothers at heart. 

6. Baby, Mine. (Dumbo- 1941)

Dumbo misses his mother, and surprise surprise, Disney decides to make a 3 minute song sequence to kill everyone who dares watch this movie.

Giving heart breaking feels through generations, I present to you DISNEY!

5. When Somebody Loved Me. ( Toy Story 2- 1999)

How much can a song make you cry? The makers of Toy story 2 shouted "LETS TEST THAT THEORY" with all the heartless enthusiasm only these people can have. The story of how Jessie was replaced when Emily grew up is soul wrenching and heart exploding to say the least. And her expression when Emily gave her away?

Why would you do that to us Pixar?

4. Bambi's mom dies. (Bambi- 1942)

Talk about Childhood Trauma.

 His Helplessness just kills you inside.

Sssshhh, dont tell Phoebe.

3. Andy gives his toys away (Toy Story 3- 2010) 

I would say this is a good sort of crying. It was like Pixar was telling us, thank you folks, you have

grown up with Andy and shared Woody's adventures, its now time to grow up and face the world.
The final act of Andy giving his toys away churns up a wave of nostalgia that hits you harder than a hurricane in Florida.
Its time to go to college, kids.Time to give your Toys away.This scene affects me to the point that I stopped listening to "You got a Friend in me" for fear of dissolving into a pit of feels.

2.Mufasa's Death ( The Lion King- 1994)

Yup, If you werent sad enough, I bring this up.
We just watched good ol' Mufasa fall to his death from the Canyon of Doom. Oh look, theres Simba.
HE TRYS TO WAKE HIM UP AND THEN SLEEPS UNDER HIS PAWS LOOK AT HIM HE IS SMALL AND CONFUSED AND DEVASTATED WHY MUST YOU TAUNT ME SO DISNEY. WHYYYYYYY. Well, you have all seen it. you know what I mean. This one scene can make full grown groups of people weep their hearts out. That is the power of these people. 

Havent recovered from his death yet, Just saying. 

1. Carl and Ellie ( UP- 2008) 

It is said that Pixar came up with a four minute sequence with no dialogue which was a better love story than Twilight. They were absolutely right of course. They take you through Carl's life and his happiness as a married man only to plunge you into the darkest depths of hell by killing off his one true love. All that, without fulfilling her desire of going to Paradise falls.

Apparently, the original script featured Carl using his balloons to fly into the sky to join his wife up there, before the Pixar people realised it just might be a tad too sad.
Woah, hold up on the Childhood trauma, people.

Wow. I seem to have left out Dreamworks completely havent I? There are several other sad moments I can think of but which dont fit in a top 10 list. Feel free to point out any which I have missed!

Be right back, in a corner crying my eyes out. 

What did I want to say?

Now I understand Poor Dory's frustration too. A Must Watch people! I would't say it is Nolan's best, but his revolutionary methods are awe-inspiring.

What if you realise that everything you remember is a lie? Or worse, you dont?  What if I told you that you remembered it that way because I told you so. I prompted that memory, when it wasnt actually there. What you think is fact may actually be false. That is the bit that scared me the most.

What a transient thing memory is. How well can you rely on your mind? Do you remember what you had for breakfast yesterday? How about the day before that? How about today 5 years ago? Do you remember the last significant place you were? The day you visited the Pyramids? Do you recall exactly what it looked like? The smell of the sand? The heat on your face?

How did get here?

This movie made me think a lot. It scared me too. It was so beautifully taken and now I understand why it irks people so when we compare it to its Bollywood ripoff, Ghajini. There was no comparison. In Ghajini they take you on this drawn out hellish journey  on how he meets his wife in the first place and then creates a good (not) old fashioned villain to kill his wife. No spoilers for Memento but they obviously handled it much better without boring us with details of courtship.

Where Am I?

It features two timelines, one in proper chronological order in black and white, giving the audience clues to try to piece together the movie into a jagged whole and the other in colour, featuring clips with the sequences backwards, to try to make the audience understand Leonard's condition.

Imagine forgetting all that you know. Imagine not knowing the difference between what is real, and

what is not. All sounds rather dramatic dosent it? Well, these are the things that happen to Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce)  in the movie Memento (2000). An accident to the head causes him to develop Short term memory loss which means that he forgets what has happened in the previous 12 minutes.. now, what was it I was talking about?  The movie is mind-blowing albeit a little difficult to understand.
Yes,I just saw Memento. I sincerely thank my friends for prompting me to see this. Mindblowing.

Now, read this backwards. Multiply your initial frustration 1000 times and you begin to understand a little how it is to watch Memento. You're welcome. 

My Top-10 Must watch Animated Movies

With the influx of "Must watch movie lists" floating around.. I feel its only apt as Self appointed Animated movie critic to create a list of my own.. I try to be as unbiased as possible and try to keep the fact that these pretty much shaped my childhood out of my judgement. I have taken several things into account, namely the actual animation itself, the voice acting, the Score and Story, the impact etc.

Note: Spirited Away isnt on this list simply because I havent seen it.. I recommend watching it because it is first on IMdb for a reason.

#10- Rise of the Guardians(2012)

 Ok, before you jump down my throat, hear me out. Aimed towards younger audiences, I do not expect people my age to appreciate it as much. But I have several reasons for it being on this list.

Firstly The ANIMATION. Sitting in the theatre I could almost reach out and let the enigmatic sand, designed to inject your mind with the loveliest of dreams, flow through my fingers. And I wasnt watching it in 3D. I felt the chill of the ice, the terror in the Guardians' eyes and the Charming evil that was Pitch ( the Bogeyman) run through my spine. Plus Jack Frost is hot xD

And then there is the Story. You realise that they are summing up our greatest Childhood fantasies and dreams into 90 mins of film. And I think they have done so brilliantly. Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, The Sandman , Jack Frost. The concept of good vs evil in times where kids no longer believe,  beautifully summarised in a way which relives your childhood and makes you, as an adult, want to believe.




#9- UP (2009)

 Tears. Tears. Tears,
Heart-wrenching story, Lovable characters and beautiful soundtrack.
Need I say more?







#8- Corpse Bride (2005)

  Tim Burton's Stopmotion feature is truly mindblowing. The nightmarish concept so characteristic of his films coupled by dark humour and wonderful  music places it on  my list.
The amount of patience required in creating these characters, moving them minutely each time to create the final product. Truly commendable.

#7- Finding Nemo (2003)

 Actually Im surprised I havent placed it higher; The beautiful story of a father's search for his son
through treacherous waters in the Great Barrier Reef has captured the hearts of many since it first released in 2003.  Coupled with the amazing voice-giving of Ellen Degeneres ( who arguably has created the most well-liked character in Animation today) this movie leaves bubbles of emotion in your heart long after the credits are done rolling off the screen.

#6- How To Train Your Dragon. (2010)

 Admit it, theres not much to hate in this movie. Special mention to the beautiful animation and rendition of the dragon soaring across a diamond-studded sky. Makes you want to own one dosent it?
Also the book of dragons. The artwork in it is beautiful.
Relatable characters, amazing scenery and a wonderful soundtrack places this at  #6!

#5- Tangled/Brave- (2010/2012)

I placed both together for the AMAZING ANIMATION OF THEIR HAIR! It is said that each individual strand of Merida's scarlet tresses was animated separately and a special software was created to bring Rapunzels famous locks to life.




Tangled is a compilation of all the good things we havent seen for a long time in the Disney Princess movies. The adorable Rapunzel, her childlike curiosity and  feistiness with her frying pan, Pascal who
has got to be the cutest sidekick ever , Maximus, who honestly has more expressions than Kristen Stewart and of course FLYNN FREAKIN RIDER AKA EUGENE HOTNESS FITZHERBERT.
I mean, that one piece of animation perfection has altered my perceptions of men to such an extent that I ll probably wont be finding one anytime soon. The bar has been raised too high.
Believable story, memorable villain, amazing voice giving and Beautiful music, combined with what has got to be THE most romantic scene in movie history (the lanterns btw), Is it no wonder that it is placed so high?

Brave's animation brought tears to my eyes. The breath-taking Scottish Glens so perfectly rendered by the hands of God himself brought to the screen in all its glory, the characters done so we detect every
subtle expression change and brilliant voice giving combined with a glorious soundtrack which gave me chills. This movie isnt placed higher for the only reason that I could not stomach the gaping holes in its plotline, and the fact that its trailer was the most misleading one I have seen so far. Plus Merida is kind of a brat. We all agree :P

#4- Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)

To be honest, this one deserved the Oscar more than Brave did. The concept was GENIUS. Pure Genius. Video game characters moving around and having adventures? I was mindblown with the animation
And face it, the characters are ADORABLE. Well rounded,with their own backstories and personalities, its hard to hate any one of them. The story had enough plot twists to keep it interesting and enough heart to keep it engraved in our souls for a while.
amount of thought put into this movie. Small details like villain gatherings in Pacman country and a volcano consisting of Coke and Mentos stalactites made me want to cry , overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of the minds of these animators.

#3- Fantasia (1940)

Think of the context in which this movie was produced. 1940, with the concept of Animated features still in the cradle and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs still lingering in everyones minds as a revolution in the movie industry, Disney decides to do something out of this world. Make an animated movie completely coordinated to music.  The artists rendition of their perception of the music, transitioned from Ear to Paper is truly commendable. Imagine the difficulty in syncing the traditional drawing to the music , the problems in translating the tune into the screen, and still capture our imagination so perfectly.
And lets not forget the fact that The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence is widely used today.
True Brilliance is seen only in the time of the Greats is it not?

#2- The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Proof that Imdb is severely flawed. This film deserves a rating in the 8-9 region. I cant fault it.
Ok, Jeffrey Katzenburg is a traitor for leaving Disney and going to Dreamworks, but hey if it brought this quality of film I shouldn't complain.
 The characters are animated to perfection, the Egyptian scenery glorious to the point of Godly.  and the Soundtrack, oh how it brought on the goosebumps, the chills and the tears!
The architecture and context of Ancient Egypt so wonderfully put, breathtaking landscapes , coupled with music which became a household tune irrespective of the Lord you believe in!

 The story of Moses could not have been put in a better way as it was rendered in this magnificent film. A must watch!

#1- The Lion King (1994) 

Call me incorrigibly biased, but seriously, no one with half a brain and a trickle of a childhood has not seen Lion King today. From its iconic beginning, (The Circle of Life sequence which made me jumo out of my skin every single time), to its chill-inducing conclusion, it is virtually impossible to find anything wrong with this movie. Again, Jeffret Katzenburg, however unpopular he might have been, proves his quality. Ironically, this movie was produced by Disney's
team B because they didnt expect this movie to succeed! (Meanwhile,Team A consisting of the genius of Glen Keane and Alan Menken worked on Pocahontas.)

Oh werent they proven wrong!
The animation, flawless, the research without loopholes ( the team traveled to parts of Africa and even had visits in the studios by live Lions and Cubs) and the character development amazing. Based on Shakespeare's Hamlet and featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick ( Inspector Gadget, Godzilla), Jeremy Irons (Eragon, Beautiful Creatures), James Earl Jones(Dr.Strangelove, Star Wars), Rowan Atkinson (Bean, Johnny English)  and Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act) who brought life to these characters, this movie carried the momentum of the Disney Renaissance (initiated by The Little Mermaid in 1989) forward to new heights.

The heart in this movie is unrivalled. I mean, come on, there is no age bar to weeping buckets when Mufasa dies or laughing your heads off to Timon and Pumbaa's shenanigans. The lessons taught in this movie ( Learn from your past, dont hide from it, etc) stay with us as we grow, and these lessons we will pass on to our kids when the time comes.

The soundtrack, beautifully composed by Hans Zimmer and Elton John, features music that will stay in our hearts forever and ever and have us humming its tunes for years to come!

Well now, Hakuna Matata, and I Just Cant Wait To Watch it Again!

Is it any wonder I wouldnt eat without this movie on the screen as a kid?

And there you have it. My list of must watch Animated Features , well thought out and expressed to you here. Sorry it is a bit long, but passion has no word limit. 

Why Benedict Cumberbatch is ruling the internet.

Yes, I have finally gotten down to writing this. With the release of Star Trek: Into darkness and the anticipation ( to put it mildly; in reality it is the slow and bloody torture of our mindless souls churning into the dust of utter pain) of Sherlock series 3, I feel it is only apt for his sheer awesomeness to be brought to light. Then for the benefit of all you cumberbitches out there..( yes that is what his fans are called.) I shall compile a list of movies and shows wherein dear dear Ben has featured.

So lets begin.

Top 5 Reasons to love Benedict Cumberbatch

5.He is British

I honestly think thats reason enough. With his swoonworthy accent and impeccable manners, its hard to hate anyone who makes a scandalized face on hearing his phone ring during an interview.



4. His eyes (and his cheekbones) 

There is a whole website dedicated to Ben's eyes for Pete's sake, ( much better than the one dedicated to Katy Perry's Armpits, just saying) . I mean, they seem to change colour as you look at them, and they seem to contain every hue known to man, and some unknown. It feels like you are staring into the  universe; infinite aspects of beauty.
Glasz: (adj) The most beautiful and magical colour ever. Glasz eyes seem to constantly change colour from blue, green, gray and yellow.
Lets not forget his cheekbones. He needs a BAFTA for those. They look like they can cut you by looking at them.

3. He is freaking adorable

I mean, honestly. When asked what he would want to become, he said a lightsaber. The man wants to BECOME a lightsaber. He wonders why anyone wouldn't want to go

His life goals and morals are exemplary, he has the ideals of an angel and the heart of a child. He is as normal and weird as the rest of us, more human than most of the celebrities out there. We can relate to this man in several levels of craziness.

Shall I let the gifs do the talking? 

2.His acting

His versatility is commendable, whether he play a grumpy son, a high functioning sociopath or a hardcore villain. This is the actor who can cry on command and make us feel the pain in his heart and rip our souls apart.  He is perfectly capable of reverting from murderous psychopath to a person who is on the side of the angels ( but not one of them) .
We fell in love with him in Sherlock, and we are prepared to hate him in Star Trek ( but love him anyway).



1.HIS VOICE.

If I were on my deathbed, my one request would be to have Benedict Cumberbatch read to me at my bedside in all his deep-voiced glory. He sounds like the pearls of rain dropping from the heavens; a rumble from the bottom of the ocean and from the deepest, darkest parts of the forest, with dew on the grass and mist in the air. It also sounds like pure chocolate dripping off your fingers onto a plate of brownies and icecream. In short; all things good.
  With this imagery in mind,it is no surprise that his voice also can cause erotic eargasms which can make anyones eardrums swoon.
I think I ve said enough?

 Selected Benedict Cumberbatch filmography ( why not watch these while waiting for Sherlock?) 
1 Atonement- Paul Marshall
2. Marple: Murder is Easy - Luke Fitzwilliam
3. Third Star- James
4. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy- Peter Guillam
5. War Horse- Major Jamie Stewart
6. Star Trek: into Darkness- Khan

He has also featured in several tv shows but one I saw was Fortysomething starring Hugh Laurie as Ben's dad and it was quite good, and also obviously Sherlock which started this whole "Benomenon" in the first place :3

And this is why this amazing man leaves destruction and debris in his wake (specially on tumblr) and will probably continue to do so many years into the future.

Here's to a year of Uni. - 8th May 2013

It's been a freaking year already. Either time has dilated in my head or im just growing wonderfully old.  Well, with one year of University already behind me (despite the fact that the last day of the 12th Boards is fresh in my mind like it happened yesterday) I guess I can safely say (notice the contradiction) that Ive learnt a lot.

Where do I begin? One year of blood, sweat and tears, mastering the art of last minute submissions ( which in Singlish is called "chionging"(v)- ability to sit overnight and work superhard to get your work done on time.), brutally honest tutors and disappointments, I learnt some major things which one only gets from taking Architecture:

1.You will never have enough time for anything

Remember that painting you wanted to finish, or that booklist you had pending? well, throw it out the

window right now coz you aint finishing nuthin'.
Same goes for your academic work as well.

Its true, be it 3 days, 3 weeks or even 3 months. You will never feel satisfied with the amount of effort you have put into your work, despite a week's worth of sleepless nights and the Dead Sea's worth of Coffee (notice the capitalization; Coffee has achieved Godly status in my books)

There is always room for improvement; however perfectly you have achieved your work, there will always be someone who is better, there is always ways wherein you can add to it.
Never stop striving for perfection.

2.Be thick-skinned

I learnt this the hard way. Tutors in Archi are brutally honest to the point of being just plain rude. Learn to take it in your stride and think of it as a suggestion to improve.
oh when it doubt, always strive to be a cat. That always helps :3

3.(stolen from my friend on fb) Duct tape and potted plants solve a lot of construction problems

Things to take away.

Passion.

 I realised how important passion is for this world to function. Having met the one person I deem truly passionate about his work I realised just how vital it is for us to do what we are doing, and do it well.

The value of friendship

I think this was my biggest fear when I entered Uni. I was scared I wouldnt make friends, or rather not make good ones. I know everyones definition of "good" differs, but atleast most of my definition was fulfilled when I met these amazing people I call my friends. Funnily enough, I was scared I would meet people not as crazy as my school friends, who are the most beautiful set of nutcases I have ever met, but this lot come astonishingly close. Cheesy one-liners, Sitcom moments and amazing memories

accumulated in this one year alone, enough to fill a book.
What use is life without madness? and Im so glad I met that requirement here too. Terrified that people wont accept me for my crazy mood swings and weird tastes, imagine my surprise and delight when I meet people here with the same obsessions of Disney and Harry Potter, major feels for Sherlock and movies in general,
Hell yeah, my seniors are freaking amazing too. Its hard not to be in awe of a bunch of people who go for Lion King 3D for someones 19th (20th not sure) birthday and still cry buckets during Mufasa's death.

Friends keep you going, they give you the moral support which your family cannot, being so far away, and hell, you become just one big HAPPY FAMILY in hostel. Something I am so thankful for.

Three words- PARTI-CI-PATION. (ok, one word) 

Participation can make you discover things about yourself that you never knew; for example, the fact that you can make friends really fast and easily, the fact that you are absolute PRO at Dumb charades and pictionary and the fact that you can imitate people really easily.
Also the fact that you love participating. This will compel you to involve yourself every single time :)
And its all worth the while.


So lets raise a glass ( pepsi, please,) to an eventful (trying to be as diplomatic as possible) year and to smooth sailing in the years to come. Thanks everyone.
 Oh and juniors, cant wait for those to arrive (*insert evil laugh here*)
    

Movies That made me think- Part 1

This week, while battling with the truckloads of work I had for studio, I had the opportunity ( I was making my model, hence I was multitasking, hence I was not slacking) to watch a few movies. Four in particular made me think a lot, and these thoughts I want to share with you here.. There will be spoilers, just warning you guys in advance. Im not reviewing these movies, only picking up on certain aspects which intrigued me. All these movies are bloody amazing, and I highly recommend watching them.
I shall be covering two movies in this post, lest I should make it so long that nobody reads it till the end. In order of my watching them-

1. Never Let Me Go (2010)- Starring Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan.

  

This movie, based on a novel by the same name, is centred around three friends who are from a particular school, a school created for raising children, cloned for the sole purpose of donating organs to the sick, until they "complete". 

So these kids are basically raised for slaughter. Little mercy is shown whilst they remove their organs, because they do not have the fear of losing the donor. Any organ can be donated this way. 

What scared me about this movie was the fact that it was so damn believable. It was so easy to believe that there were schools out there, cloning children, raising them to see them die before their time.
Makes you question humanity dosen't it? 

This movie also pulls in the concept of young love, and the pain of losing someone you love. also the agony of hopes crashing, that little flame which glowed inside your heart for so short a time before it is cruelly snuffed out. It also speaks of acceptance. At the end, the main protagonist (who is also narrating these incidents) has accepted her fate; and she has accepted the fact that she lost the love of her life but that she isnt far behind. 

Imagine going through your life knowing when you are going to die.  Would you make it count? 

I think the luckiest ones are the ones who die in full acceptance, without a twinge of regret or fear or happiness in the fact that they are dying. 

At the end of the day though, how much different is the life of the person you are saving? A life for a life? Is the worth of one life much more than another? How is the fate of the receiver any different from the donor's after we all "complete"? 

That is a question worth asking. 

2.An Education ( 2009)- Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Saarsgard, Emma Thompson. 

This is a British coming- of-age tale of a sixteen year old schoolgirl who gets seduced by a man nearly twice her age. Apart from the fact that this movie would make any self-respecting parent want to lock their daughters up in their rooms for all eternity, it does raise a few thoughts.

The point is, Jenny ( Carey Mulligan) is fed up of her dreary repetitive life, days of toil to fulfill her father's dream of her getting into Oxford. She longs to see the world and experience it; the sights, the smells, the sounds, the excitement of parties, meeting famous people, going to Paris and so on. So naturally when she meets this man who can give her all these things, she falls for him. She does get to experience these things, but after they get engaged, she finds out that he is already married. Her heart is broken, and she resolves to work harder in school and university and live her life the right way,

Ok my thoughts now: Consider the title itself. There is a line in the movie wherein Jenny says " I feel old, but not very wise." implying that she has been through a lot, and the experiences she had now make her feel very foolish. But think about it, what is the value of the education she received form this experience? She was allowed to involve herself in the activities she had only dreamed of, but also learnt the pain of heartbreak and suffered for it. This experience made her wiser than school ever did. Through this experience she realises the value of school and a degree. 

There is also a scene in the movie where she is having an argument with her headmistress who says that studying is hard and boring. Jenny then wonders if the whole point of education was to be bored her whole life. 

We study so much, and do so much work everyday..All for what? If we die the moment we graduate, its the things we do before that which matter.  I may be contradicting myself at this point, but it is a question that has irked me for years.. when does all this work actually matter?  

So i guess what we take away from this is: Make your work matter. When you die, you mustn't go with any form of regret. Love your work, and love the good times, too.

Make life matter, peeps.   

Keep an eye open for Part 2 folks! It will feature The Breakfast Club and Patch Adams. 

Have an awesome weekend :) 

I take so long for inspiration

I still havent gotten any, by the way.

just writing.
well, second semester is reaching its last lap, and things have sped up, three assignments due a week, critiques every two weeks and projects to hand in. It has reached a stage wherein I have to set time aside to slack.
But hey, there are moments... right?
There were so many things I wanted to do, like start a YouTube channel to rant, as if people arent tired of hearing my voice already. I feel the power!
Im in the process of writing a  term paper with my friend. It is a quantum physics and relativity module and we have to write a story.. unfortunately it has a word limit of just 2000 words. That accounts for nothing in the literary cause. And to top it off, our preliminary idea has the potential for a novel. And I ve never had a gift for shortening sentences.

More random stuff: Listening to Les Miserables music, Disney songs with my voice bursting forth in a moment of raven-like crowing, loud enough to wake up the entire hostel. But hey, its Disney.

Just listened to the Disney parody by Jon Cozart and have by-hearted it already. Although I may question Belle's part since Beast has already turned back into a human by then. I greatly admire Jasmine's part since it really shows America's stereotyped mindset that everyone from the Middle East are terrorists.

Current book Im reading- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
This book is an amazing read for the aspiring architect. There is a particular paragraph which hit my soul quite hard and it goes thus: 
 A building is alive, like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme, and to serve its own single purpose. A man doesn't borrow pieces of his body. A building doesn't borrow hunks of its soul. Its maker gives it the soul and every wall, window and stairway to express it."

There are several quotes actually, but this one remained etched in my heart. I m far from finishing it though, and might probably pen a book review soon.

Critiques did get better, mostly because I think my new tutor is nicer? I dont know. I ve noticed though that even in design, new and weird designs arent really accepted. Stick to the Status Quo, they say, even here. Is it an Asian thing? People try so hard to be like each other, blend into a colourless world, mechanically surviving each day with the enthusiasm of a dead person.. what can we make of that?

I think my random musings are at its end for today. See you later peeps. 

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Les Miserables : A musical miracle

Correct pronunciation: Leh MisErAaH (with phlegm :P) B. 

A highly anticipated one this. I saw the poster and  melted on the spot. It seemed quite impossible that a movie starring Hugh Jackman ( X-men, The Prestige), Russel Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind), Anne Hathaway(The Princess Diaries, The Devil wears Prada) and Helena Bonham Carter ( Alice in Wonderland, A King's Speech)  could be nothing less than sensational.. and I was right.

Set in the early 19th Century, amidst the chaos of the French Revolution, while Paris was swathed in poverty and disease, it tells the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a convict. Having served 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread (yes, you heard right) he breaks parole and is on the run from Inspector Javert( Russell Crowe) , an officer who believed that civil and moral duties are one and the same. Valjean, under a different name, becomes a well respected and loved man who helps people to the best of his ability. Later, he gets tangled in the Revolutionary activities of that time, one whose leaders falls in love with his daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried).

The movie speaks of bravery, patriotism and love, beautifully crafted and written.  

Having grown up with film adaptations of popular musicals ( Although they werent shot in my time, I'm talking about  movies like My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, A Sound of Music and Annie ) I am no stranger to the characters randomly bursting into song in the middle of the movie. Little did I anticipate that every dialogue be in tune and rhyme, which made the audience including myself quite restless at each solo song number. The movie would have been received better if there were a few dialogues in it.
Quite impressive, however was the fact that they could incorporate two and half hrs' worth of songs ( 49 musical numbers to boot) and also the fact that they compressed one of the longest novels ever written ( 1500 pages by the illustrious Victor Hugo) into that time frame.  (Kudos to the people who wrote the stage musical)

The music gives you chills. Not only the many beautiful songs, my personal favorites being In my life , Castle on a cloud and Do you hear the people sing? but the score itself. It brought you into the essence of the time in which it was taken and pulls at your soul.
The acting was (as expected) magnificent. I m not one to get involved in a movie but this one dragged me into its storyline and I felt the misery of its characters. 

I loved Hugh Jackman here, not only is his acting top-class, but his singing also proves what a talented man he is. The story also proves that you shouldn't mess with Wolverine's life! 

Aaron Tviet as Eljolras

 I love how Helena Bonham Carter is always there to play the crazy woman, and play it to perfection. 

One part of the storyline which irritated me was the fact that the less good-looking of the two leaders( Eddie Redmayne as Marius) had two girls in love with him, while the epitome of Adonis-like facial features ( Aaron Tviet as Enjolras) died a valiant and bloody death (sigh) . Also the fact that Cosette merely had to exist to have Marius fall in love with her whereas Eponine ( played by Samantha Barks) took a bullet and died for him and still couldnt capture his affections. 

The ending would hav definitely brought many a tear to any Frenchman/woman in the audience, and it makes you feel a sense of patriotism and national identity like the people who are fighting for a better life.

Bottomline: Must watch for anyone who enjoys beautiful music and good acting. Also a must watch for anyone interested in French history and a good-looking cast ;). A small warning that the overuse of music may bore you a bit, but I feel that a small amount of boredom is a small price to pay for such raw and perfect quality. And all this for a loaf of bread! 

Ah The Weather

I am back home in Kuwait and it feels amazing! The weather is gorgeous, the kind which makes you want to sit on that special spot on the bed where the sunlight filters in, warming your face as you snuggle cozily into your oversized purple sweater and fluffy orange socks (or is that just me?) .

Already about 12 days in and I have no desire to return at this point. Not because I dont like it there, dont get me wrong, I love it back in Singapore, but for the want of better weather conditions back in the sultry place I now call home.

Let me run you through an average December day in the Lion City, in terms of the weather conditions.

9AM, a gentle pleasant breeze meanders its way through the contours of my hostel (though I would hardly know, being seldom awake at that hour having dragged my overworked butt to bed merely 3 hours earlier). At this point, you're thinking "Hey this day might actually be good'. Dont delude yourself.

Because by 12 noon satan has poured his demonic wrath upon your head in a siege of apoplectic sun-blazing rage. Searing heat and blinding sunshine is the order of the day as you get to your class half blind and sweating like crazy. ( only to later freeze in the AC blasts of the lecture theatres)

At 3PM the sky goes overcast and you are thinking "Hallelujah its gonna rain and I might actually feel good". The sky pulls a troll face and pees hot, humidifying rain on your head, not the kind that you would wanna play in, but they kind that makes you want to bury yourself in the deepest, darkest corner of your room and die a mildewy death.

By 8PM the sky is done relieving itself (yes it rains for 5 hours) and then you are left to drown in your sweat until you go to bed, which in my case is about 6 AM, so basically the best time of the day is when you are actually asleep and dont feel anything.

And there you have it.  I would like to say no offence to the people who might take offence in this post, (although i was merely stating the obvious). I love Singapore and I would never have been happier anywhere else :) .

Enjoy the weather peeps while it lasts!

Pack, girl.

Staring at my room, turned upside down in my desperate attempt to find a minute object which I havent used but would probably need to in the near future, and trying to figure out how to compress a room into a bunch of boxes and suitcases, I turned on my arsenal of Disney music. (long sentence :O)
I call it arsenal because it arms my moods to face the day ahead. Anyway, "Mine"" (click the link to listen to it) from Pocahontas started playing, and I found myself singing along, spontaneously changing the lyrics to suit my situation.. This is what I came up with.

  The fields of Hiroshima,
the battles at Puerto Rico,
will seem like mere playgrounds,
by this time tomorrow.
The stuff you find here,
if ever to be found.
oh with all in ya girl,
pack up your room, girl.

Pack, girl, pack all your stuff
and dig, girl, dig through this crap
Grab a broom, girl.
you;re doomed girl,
lest you get this mess,
get this loverly mess cleaned up.

Pack pack and packety pack..
hey nonny nonny, hey nonny nonny.
oh how I hate it!
hey nonny nonny, hey nonny nonny.
there are heaps of it and I am on top of this heap!

My parents back home, oh how they worry
see how they squirm
my room looks like a quarry.
The cleaners hate what they see,
the management will throw me,
they ll quarantine me!

Pack girl, pack everything,
pack this stuff until its sparkling.


Pack pack and packety pack..
hey nonny nonny, hey nonny nonny.



All of my life I have searched for a bag like this one!!
A wide or more spacious bag I couldnt desire!
Hundreds of compartments await and I dont plan to miss one!
This room I can tame, if this bag I can claim!
This bag will one day be MINE!!!
MINE!
MINE!

Pack pack,pack  and packety pack..(3)

Keep on working girl! Dont keep shirking girl!
Pack pack,pack  and packety pack..(3)

Nearly time

First semester is getting over...Already?
My classes have finished, my final crit is drawing to a close.. (yes I am blogging from crit) and my tickets are booked.
I cant wait! Just the final exams to survive.. shouldnt be too hard right?
This vacation is the time to recuperate and reset myself, a time to reflect and improve, to look back on the semester (which wasnt so great) and think of ways to begin the next one.
Still a long way to go.
Cant wait to go home.. to sleep in my own bed, to not worry about food and to feel the love of my friends and family once more. most importantly.. To poop in my own toilet!!! yayyyy
Still 3 whole weeks to go.. so need to be patient and strong!
Ok I ran out of things to say... I shall go now. 

Tons of work.. and Im blogging

Go Figure. Mountains of submissions and a quiz tomorrow (20 % of my grade) plus a serious brain storming session required and i decide to blog after so long. Ah College.what can I say?

Despite having the incredible fortune of being good enough to get into one of the best Universities in the World ( The National University of Singapore, for those who have been living under a rock) I feel as inadequate as ever. But Im learning. Its a painfully slow process, trying to redeem yourself after one fiasco after another.
So far my worst module has been the one in which I m supposed to put in the most work. Following a particularly bad critique session wherein I actually failed to turn in an assignment, I was feeling more dejected than ever.
But following a weekend of plunging myself in "feel good" activities and intense counselling sessions ith my friends I started feeling better. Atleast I am good at writing essays.
But I am getting those feelings again. Mostly fear. And lack of inspiration. I am terrified of the outcome of this crit as I have not yet managed to come up with a brainwave. Divine inspiration just dosent come you know. I dont think  my shrunken heart ( wonderfully coupled with my shrunken brain -.-) can take another failure.
So here I sit, bunking archery class, in Starbucks, snacking on their delightful Christmas menu ( Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha, a genius of combination) and a muffin, hoping the change in location would help. So far not much. planning to sit here till I do get something.
I hope I do.

Wow.. Its been so long

College. Killing brain cells since the beginning of time.
Horribly homesick right now. I ve had such a rough week I need a month to recover.
If only going home was as simple as clicking your heels three times.. what I wouldnt give for Ruby slippers right now.
I have no right to complain, I know. I got into the most prestigious college I applied to. I feel like a small fish in an ocean and I dont even know how to swim.
I have nothing else to say.
I ll come back when I something interesting to say.

Harry Potter Exhibition!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP *fangirl scream*

I had chills running up and down my spine as I entered that hall, donned in a black witches hat, in the magnificent ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay sands, Singapore.

Anticipation building ever since I read about the Exhibition in December, I was nearly faint with excitement.  In fact, my cousin and I were considering not entering for a while, to build it up even more. But we couldn't resist, and burst in with nervous excitement.

First thing we saw was a huge model of the flying Ford Anglia, suspended from the ceiling in all its Powder Blue glory. Assuming that pictures weren't allowed from this point on, I didn't take a snap, much to my dismay when I found out later that it was allowed at the entrance.
Thats where I bought my Harry Potter Exhibition guide. An amazingly printed book with a replica of Harry's letter in the underflap.
An official gave us scarves and wands (I specifically requested Ravenclaw) and my two cousins and I took a picture in front of a greenscreen (which later became the exterior of Hogwarts) to remember our time here. I did trouble the official for a while, refusing to return the wand or the scarf, but I reluctantly had to hand it over.
It was dimly lit, and movie posters lined the walls, with the Soundtrack playing softly in the background. Heart thudding in my chest,  we entered through a fog like screen which had a projection of "Harry Potter: the Exhibition" on it.
We entered an antechamber where an official in robes and hat stood waiting, next to a stool and Sorting Hat in hand. After welcoming us and warning us that photos are strictly prohibited inside the main doors, that we were being constantly monitored by Death Eaters, (and that our muggle cameras wouldn't work anyway) she asked for a volunteer.
True Hermione style, my hand shot up before she finished the word "volunteer".(or in the words of Katniss: I VOLUNTEER!!!!!) . She beckoned me over and this was the dialogue that followed:

She: So whats your name, and where are you from?
Me: Bhavani, I m from Kuwait.
She: ooh!Kuwait! Did you come all this way for the exhibition?
Me: Pretty Much (grins)
She: So how did you get here, Broom, Floo Powder?
Me: Flying carpet (lowers voice to a whisper) I know its illegal, but don't tell anyone
She: I ll let you off this time (winks). So whats your favorite house?
Me: Ravenclaw
She: ohhhh of a sharp mind! Do you think she has the brains to get into Ravenclaw?
(my cousins snigger)
She places the Sorting Hat in my head and a voice from above placed me in...RAVENCLAWW!!
that was an experience in itself.

She then called another girl and asked her the same questions, having answered Gryffindor (as her favorite house) and failing to reply as wittingly as I had done (hem hem) she replied with a weird giggle laugh that she came by MRT because she could find the Hogwarts Express (filthy muggle). To which the girl spontaneously replied: Muggle Rapid Transport? and proceeded to put her in Slytherin for annoying her. (BOOYAH)

We entered the next room... and found a wall with screens on it, which played a video about the wonderful journey of  Potter, and the wall opened to reveal the Hogwarts Express!
At that point I had tears in my eyes, seriously missing my Best Potterhead Friend, imagining her hand in mine and our fangirl screams echoing through the halls.

The Exhibition was beyond my imagination. The tiniest details which go into the creation of the costumes and sets were astounding. Every single wand on display was unique; differently carved and coloured to suit the handlers personalities. The feel of the robes (sssh we were not allowed to touch; but couldn't resist fingering Alan Rickman's Snape robes and Tom Felton's Draco Quidditch Robes like a creepy maniac)
They had replicas of Hagrid's hut, Buckbeak, the Forbidden Forest and Umbridge's foul pink office.
They had Quidditch robes, and a game in which you had to throw a Quaffle through a hoop, and another where you could pull a mandrake out of a pot.

They had the robes of almost every member of the cast, exhibits of the Three Hallows and the 6 Horcruxes.

The gift shop was to die for. Unfortunately I had only enough cash for a Tshirt and a Chocolate Frog, and had to resist sliding pens and necklaces, not to mention wands, into my bag.

The Harry Potter Exhibition was a magical experience, a reminder of the amazing vastness of the Potter fandom that we thread in love and excitement forever more...

Always.

Home

Its been over two months and I still miss Kuwait like hell.
Oil runs in my blood. :P
I did this with clay, paint and toothpicks. Ana Kuwaiti! :D