I have just finished watching Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity for the second time.
It's strange, because when I say 'just' I refer to 2.25pm - 4.10pm, yet the film is fresh in my head. The time is 1:07am (blog timings displayed are sometimes wrong).
Even as I type this, I'm listening to its score.
It is a movie that has taken me beyond any movie experience. Standing on the shoulders of stunning visuals, amazing cinematography and convincing soundscape, is a story of chaos and beauty, simplicity and magnificence, and hope in futility. Human strength in human love.
It not only draws us to our existence; it leaves us feeling over-exposed to our very human condition. One cannot help but feel insignificant, and humbled in the presence - which the movie simulates very well - of the depths of space but moreover, in the face of earth's wonder, as seen from above.
Sandra Bullock's performance is outstanding. Passion, grief, fear, hope, despair, anger, and love are fleshed out in her reactions to everything around her so realistically - I am so thankful that Cuarón is the visionary that he is, to be able to realise that the cosmos was an ultimate platform to allow such basic human experiences to develop so masterfully.
Admittedly I might be giving Gravity undue credit because I've always had a childlike obsession with outer space. Yet it is this same obsession that has always left me and other blockbusters like Star Trek or Prometheus ending on a sour note. Gravity is the closest film to giving the galaxies the credit they are due, rather than brashly smearing some sci-fi lasers all over them.
It makes me re-think adventure, exploration, and even my own passions.
I am utterly awed by the sheer amount of depth in every aspect of this film.
Thank you Cuarón.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
from the river
Something I shared with a few friends, whom like me have felt the lens on life grey a little.
"Have you ever thought of it this way:
Many people become existential and depressed because they seek life's purpose and find that they, find none.
Strangely, I find the beauty of life in just that- that life has no purpose. It's appears to me to be one whole random, distorted, and yet, cohesive mess of anything and everything.
But in that realisation itself you have everything.
You no longer chase, you accept.
You no longer strive, you become.
You no longer try, you are.
You will see that you are both nothing and everything there could ever possibly be. At once.
And in that, my friend, is all there ever is, and all there ever needs to be."
"Have you ever thought of it this way:
Many people become existential and depressed because they seek life's purpose and find that they, find none.
Strangely, I find the beauty of life in just that- that life has no purpose. It's appears to me to be one whole random, distorted, and yet, cohesive mess of anything and everything.
But in that realisation itself you have everything.
You no longer chase, you accept.
You no longer strive, you become.
You no longer try, you are.
You will see that you are both nothing and everything there could ever possibly be. At once.
And in that, my friend, is all there ever is, and all there ever needs to be."
Thursday, May 2, 2013
transience.
I had just come back from germany.
After lunch, I was sitting at the dining table.
My sister kept her plate and went to play with the dogs in the dining room, cocoa and chips were jumping about her and onto the sofa and there was laughter and fun.
and the solitude of the moment just hit me. like just another one of the many moments of this crazy, crazy existence we live. the combined and collaborated space and dimension of all human existence collapsed together in my mind like one intensely colourful dustball, i could visualise it quite well.
and i was acutely aware of extreme sorrow and joy, of the transient nature of such experiences. and it was so sad and so beautiful at the same time, it was strange. the living room where my sister and the dogs were playing flicked like a motion picture to a frame in the future, where the sofas were being packed away in cling wrap and the walls were stained with wear and weather and strange men were in the house dismantling it, then back to the present with my sister and the dogs.
my sister was delightfully explaining to me some weird thing the dogs had done together but it had become translucent to me.
moments like this make me wonder if sometimes i could be slightly insane.
After lunch, I was sitting at the dining table.
My sister kept her plate and went to play with the dogs in the dining room, cocoa and chips were jumping about her and onto the sofa and there was laughter and fun.
and the solitude of the moment just hit me. like just another one of the many moments of this crazy, crazy existence we live. the combined and collaborated space and dimension of all human existence collapsed together in my mind like one intensely colourful dustball, i could visualise it quite well.
and i was acutely aware of extreme sorrow and joy, of the transient nature of such experiences. and it was so sad and so beautiful at the same time, it was strange. the living room where my sister and the dogs were playing flicked like a motion picture to a frame in the future, where the sofas were being packed away in cling wrap and the walls were stained with wear and weather and strange men were in the house dismantling it, then back to the present with my sister and the dogs.
my sister was delightfully explaining to me some weird thing the dogs had done together but it had become translucent to me.
moments like this make me wonder if sometimes i could be slightly insane.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
days of yore.
I had to write an essay for "What is one event that has changed your life?".
I chose to remember Odyssey of the Mind.
I wasn't always the way I am now.
In Primary 4, I was anti-social: I didn't talk to people - in family gatherings and Sunday school I preferred keeping to myself. Teachers thought there was something wrong with me. My parents thought I was an introverted daydreamer. My friends were mainly from school - we were a small bunch who usually kept to ourselves. The word “people-person” could not be ascribed to me at all.
Then, one of my teachers who saw promise in my creative thinking encouraged me to join Odyssey of the Mind – a creative problem-solving competition. It incorporated elements of drama, extroverted presentation and teamwork. I didn’t know what to think, or whether to believe if this teacher had judged me correctly. It seemed so unorthodox and moreover, it was out of my comfort zone. Nevertheless, I was fond of this teacher. He was inspiring and cared for his students, and never excluded me despite my withdrawn nature. I decided to give it a shot.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My team members were mostly extroverted, a wild bunch of people filled with eccentricity and, yet, there was something extremely welcoming about them. They made me feel comfortable in opening up, and welcome amongst the extroversion. Most of all, they let out the dreamer within – the character, who usually hid coyly behind the face of a quiet boy, found its place to shine in an environment which encouraged such out-of-the-box thinking.
In the months of our preparation, radical ideas were discussed. Our skit was moulded, kneaded and continuously being rebuilt and recast. I quickly grew fond of the entire operation and allowed myself to be whole-heartedly absorbed into the process. Very soon, I was no longer the meek boy who walked soundlessly down corridors; once class ended, I ran, skipped even, all the way to the room where we would once again work on our project. Despite all the hours burnt in that little room, none of them felt like a waste of time. Even when the competition drew closer, and we had to stay past the usual ending time of other CCAs, we emerged from that room each night, tired but with a smile.
In addition to giving me an atmosphere where I felt at home and discovered myself to greater depths, Odyssey of the Mind exposed me to a world far beyond what I ever expected to experience as a Primary school student. Having done well in the Nationals competition, we were given an opportunity to participate in the World Finals held in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Before I took part in this competition, my outlook on life was not far from any typical hardworking student – “I must work hard and have good character to live life well.” I thought decent people must have this attitude, and that was how the world worked. But upon arrival at Colorado, I met a wide range of international students. Through this experience, I met people with different cultures, points of view and outlooks on life. I realized how little I actually knew of the whole world, and was amazed by the short glimpse of what I was fortunately allowed to see. I was excited, encouraged and enlightened. I had never seen people in such a beautiful light, all coming together from many places, for a single purpose – to express themselves in great zest and with great passion.
Odyssey of the Mind played a pivotal role in shaping me. When I look back, I can barely imagine any other way that small quiet boy could become the confident outspoken character that I see myself to be today. It taught me how to be a team player from working alone, how to think out of the box instead of thinking conventionally, and how to find strength in myself in place of meekness. Most of all, the experience cultivated my passion for the arts and moreover, let me discover myself.
I chose to remember Odyssey of the Mind.
I wasn't always the way I am now.
In Primary 4, I was anti-social: I didn't talk to people - in family gatherings and Sunday school I preferred keeping to myself. Teachers thought there was something wrong with me. My parents thought I was an introverted daydreamer. My friends were mainly from school - we were a small bunch who usually kept to ourselves. The word “people-person” could not be ascribed to me at all.
Then, one of my teachers who saw promise in my creative thinking encouraged me to join Odyssey of the Mind – a creative problem-solving competition. It incorporated elements of drama, extroverted presentation and teamwork. I didn’t know what to think, or whether to believe if this teacher had judged me correctly. It seemed so unorthodox and moreover, it was out of my comfort zone. Nevertheless, I was fond of this teacher. He was inspiring and cared for his students, and never excluded me despite my withdrawn nature. I decided to give it a shot.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My team members were mostly extroverted, a wild bunch of people filled with eccentricity and, yet, there was something extremely welcoming about them. They made me feel comfortable in opening up, and welcome amongst the extroversion. Most of all, they let out the dreamer within – the character, who usually hid coyly behind the face of a quiet boy, found its place to shine in an environment which encouraged such out-of-the-box thinking.
In the months of our preparation, radical ideas were discussed. Our skit was moulded, kneaded and continuously being rebuilt and recast. I quickly grew fond of the entire operation and allowed myself to be whole-heartedly absorbed into the process. Very soon, I was no longer the meek boy who walked soundlessly down corridors; once class ended, I ran, skipped even, all the way to the room where we would once again work on our project. Despite all the hours burnt in that little room, none of them felt like a waste of time. Even when the competition drew closer, and we had to stay past the usual ending time of other CCAs, we emerged from that room each night, tired but with a smile.
In addition to giving me an atmosphere where I felt at home and discovered myself to greater depths, Odyssey of the Mind exposed me to a world far beyond what I ever expected to experience as a Primary school student. Having done well in the Nationals competition, we were given an opportunity to participate in the World Finals held in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Before I took part in this competition, my outlook on life was not far from any typical hardworking student – “I must work hard and have good character to live life well.” I thought decent people must have this attitude, and that was how the world worked. But upon arrival at Colorado, I met a wide range of international students. Through this experience, I met people with different cultures, points of view and outlooks on life. I realized how little I actually knew of the whole world, and was amazed by the short glimpse of what I was fortunately allowed to see. I was excited, encouraged and enlightened. I had never seen people in such a beautiful light, all coming together from many places, for a single purpose – to express themselves in great zest and with great passion.
Odyssey of the Mind played a pivotal role in shaping me. When I look back, I can barely imagine any other way that small quiet boy could become the confident outspoken character that I see myself to be today. It taught me how to be a team player from working alone, how to think out of the box instead of thinking conventionally, and how to find strength in myself in place of meekness. Most of all, the experience cultivated my passion for the arts and moreover, let me discover myself.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
introspection.
i just had a fascinating conversation.
marcus and i talked about a great deal of many things.
God. Life. Art. Me. and my shit.
it was a good, rich, meaningful, thought-provoking discussion.
regarding God, he said maybe I have taken the very foundational grace granted by Him for granted, and I was looking for something too real, expecting too much, instead of appreciating what I had.
regarding art, he said it could've screwed too much with my brain, made me question too much, made me too cynical, too critical.
regarding me and my full-of-shitness, he said that I subtly hint of standards that I seem to believe but which I don't hold myself to. Like how I claim to love people but don't behave so. How I am so willing to be the great USA (quote from art room not from this conversation but something I recall now), accepting of everyone yet not being vulnerable and open enough in reciprocation.
"Sometimes people need to know that if you're willing to hear their souls' lamentations, you have to give a part of yours in exchange. You don't do that."
A very good conversation, something I will continue to chew and roll around in my mind.
thank you marcus. (:
marcus and i talked about a great deal of many things.
God. Life. Art. Me. and my shit.
it was a good, rich, meaningful, thought-provoking discussion.
regarding God, he said maybe I have taken the very foundational grace granted by Him for granted, and I was looking for something too real, expecting too much, instead of appreciating what I had.
regarding art, he said it could've screwed too much with my brain, made me question too much, made me too cynical, too critical.
regarding me and my full-of-shitness, he said that I subtly hint of standards that I seem to believe but which I don't hold myself to. Like how I claim to love people but don't behave so. How I am so willing to be the great USA (quote from art room not from this conversation but something I recall now), accepting of everyone yet not being vulnerable and open enough in reciprocation.
"Sometimes people need to know that if you're willing to hear their souls' lamentations, you have to give a part of yours in exchange. You don't do that."
A very good conversation, something I will continue to chew and roll around in my mind.
thank you marcus. (:
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