2012: The Movie List

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year has been especially notable for the sheer number of movies I caught at the theaters. Easily the most within a fiscal year in my life, and I'm skeptical on the possibility of this record being broken in the coming years.

Haywire
Woman In Black
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Ghost Rider 2
John Carter
Hunger Games
American Pie: Reunion
The Avengers
Dark Shadows
Men In Black 3
Snow White & The Huntsman
Madagascar 3
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The Amazing Spiderman
Ice Age 4
The Dark Knight Rises
Diary of A Wimpy Kid 3
Bourne Legacy
Expendables 2
Premium Rush
Dredd 3D
Looper
Taken 2
Ted
Skyfall
House at The End of The Street
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Rise of The Guardians
The Hobbit: A New Beginning
Les Miserables

Well in an earlier post I had estimated that I've watched about 30 movies at the theaters this year alone. What were the odds that '30' would be the EXACT number of movies I've watched (I need to state that this does not include the few Tamil movies I also caught over the year with family) based on the list I've just made. Frankly making the list wasn't too difficult given I collect the ticket stubs of all the movies I watch at the theaters.

Anyway.. given the movies I DID watch, I figured it would be nice to select a Top 5. Perhaps you'll find a few of the choices a little surprising, even. :)

Top 5 Movies Watched In 2012

#5 - The Avengers
The preceding Marvel movies set it up quite nicely for a mouthwatering culmination of the Avengers in this movie. Epic moments and lines aplenty, this movie was enjoyable throughout: although it did have it flaws as well, with some parts seemingly spelled-out to unnecessary detail. Watched it twice though. :)

#4 - Perks of Being A Wallflower
Perhaps the surprise choice of the lot. Went into the theater not expecting much but came out feeling like I definitely watched one of the best movies of the year. Simple story, yet the way it relates to the audience is nothing short of incredible.

#3 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
One of my resolutions for the year was based on the news of this movie's release in 2012. I had not watched ANY of the Lord of The Rings movies before this year, so I basically told myself that I had to get through the entire trilogy before heading to the cinema for this one. And boy was it a good one. Just watching all of them within the space of a week served to accentuate the experience and made me enjoy the movie all the more.. That's saying a lot given I could have easily gotten bored with the LOTR-overdose. Oh, and I definitely didn't mind catching it the 2nd time with my uncle and cousin.

#2 - Looper
I was looking forward to this movie hardly a month after completing the Batman trilogy. A very different plot as expected, and it certainly lived up to its hype. Joseph Gordon Levitt was impressive as always.

#1 - Dark Knight Rises
Nolan's finale to the Batman trilogy, and a fitting one indeed. No I still would not rank it above 'The Dark Knight,' but the Nolan-esque subtleties and complexities that play out like a symphony render this my top movie for the year. Heck I watched the movie 3 times ok!

There you have it. A summary of my cinematic experience for the year. No I would not put my money on any of my Top 5 to fetch the Best Motion Picture award at this year's Oscars - but that's simply because I've learnt to recognize the fine difference between movies that do well at the Oscars and those that I truly enjoy.

Yea so there were a few good movies that I didn't manage to catch at the silver screen. Those worth mentioning include Life of Pi, Lincoln and Django Unchained (which is still playing).

I must say though that the overall quality of the movies this year has been quite good. So glad that it was such a year that coincided with my sudden penchant to visit the cinemas on an almost weekly basis. Toodles!

2012: Life in Aker Solutions

What possibly painted the most vibrant shades to the year are the multitude of outings with my colleagues. It certainly made my day job feel a lot more meaningful. The following are a few of those I embarked on this year.

Hiking Trips - Bukit Tabur and Bukit Saga. 

Musical Outings - Great Baritone Arias at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas; Jason Mraz concert at Stadium Merdeka (credits to Zamir Ramli).

Skytrex Shah Alam - where I somehow managed to overcome my life-long fear of heights for half-a-day.

Runs - 10K run at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon (credits to Clara Anne); Terry Fox Run with a host of colleagues (probably takes the prize for feel-good event of the year).

Jogs Around KLCC Park - Not as consistent a feature as most of us would have liked (hindered at times by rain, and work), but we still made a significant number of jogs whenever we could.

Meteor Showers - Failed attempt at catching the Perseids (we ended up playing Mafia instead which is fun in its own right), before we caught the spectacular show of the Geminids in December.

Karaoke Sessions - I frankly lost count of how many sessions we had this year, but I figure it'll be in the order of 10.

Blood Donation - I finally realised I was born to give blood being an O+. Special thanks to Zehan Edreena.

Weddings - We took time during the weekends to attend wedding ceremonies of colleagues - namely Akissha, Selvan Adhirai & Fikree Kamil.

Sports Tournaments - Volleyball, Futsal, Bowling - no great victories worth mentioning, yet so much fun!

Badminton Sessions - Something we organised on Fridays, taking advantage of Aker's introduction of the '4 and a half day' workweek. Much fun. Special thanks to Zarul Fahemy.

Ping Pong Sessions - This was one of the New Year resolutions that I achieved. Special thanks to Amy Lim.

IEM Mandatory Courses - 'Safety & Health at Work' followed by 'Code of Ethics.' Only 'Engineering Management Practice' remains, after which I'll properly embark on my journey to becoming a Professional Engineer.

Oil & Gas Exhibitions - World Gas Conference (WGC) and OGA.

Movie Outings - easily 30 movies watched this year. There was a movie outing on most Wednesdays of the year. Truly impressive stuff. Credits to Abdullah Yasin & Zarul Fahemy. There were also a couple of Movie Marathons organised by Humaira and Lenard at their respective residences.

Lunches & Dinners - TOO MANY to list!

Here's to another year of memorable outings together! :)

Of Movies & A Wedding (Plus A Sh**load of Work)

The last week or so has been pretty eventful. Last Saturday in particular was a long one. It began with me going to work to finish up on some outstanding work. From there, I followed a few colleagues as we took a drive to Subang to attend Farah's wedding (I missed the bride's ceremony in JB, hence I made it a point to attend this one although it's the grooms' side's ceremony).

I guess this is where I spare a few words for the new bride. She is certainly a very bubbly character, and life at work is never dull with people like her and Dason around. She makes a wonderful colleague and above that a great friend.. CONGRATULATIONS Raja Farah! :)

After the wedding I returned to the office where I spent another hour on a project that doesn't seem to be going anywhere; at least not yet. Working blues aside, the rest of the Saturday was basically a plan to relax and keep my mind away from the thoughts of work. With the company of Kwong Hann and Ziyu, I must say the plan worked to perfection! We started off burning more than an hour at a shoe store in Pavilion where Ziyu.. well I guess that's enough said. :p

After that we were on to the main event for the day - X-Men: First Class at Pavilion's GSC Theatres. Personally, I didn't find the movie all that great. It wasn't boring by any stretch of the imagination, but I guess I just had higher expectations for the movie. Next up was dinner, and once we were done with our usual deliberation (something I'd almost consider a ritual now.. lol) we ended up at Capricciosa on Ziyu's recommendation. The taste of Italian pasta only brought back memories of the times back in US when home-cooked pasta was pretty much staple for Kwong Hann and me. The food wasn't too shabby (I'd recommend the seafood pasta and salmon spaghetti) but I'd still have to say the food was overpriced - then again pretty much everything in Pavilion is over-priced.

Come Wednesday and I was out watching movies again - this time 2 movies after work hours with Alvin. First we caught Kungfu Panda 2, which I chose simply because I really enjoyed the first one. It turned out to be pretty funny as expected, but it paled in comparison to what I recall of its predecessor. We then had a good hour and a half to kill before the next movie and decided to have dinner at the Manhattan Fish Market. To put it simply, I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone nor will I be stepping foot into it again.

Our second movie for the night was Super 8, a Spielberg production that wasn't exactly a unique storyline, but still very enjoyable. The cast wasn't star-laden, but the acting was something one can appreciate. The ending though was very, very reminiscent of Spielberg's productions from way back (think ET..).

I guess I've been a tad indulgent over the last couple of weeks, the effects of which become immediately apparent when I take one look at my bank balance. Lol! So.. I guess it's back to the long hours at work with not too much to look forward to? Ah... think again. Next weekend I'll be participating in our company's Inter-Department Futsal Tournament. An then there's the plan to ascend South East Asia's highest peak.. More on that one another day! :)

Good Tidings For Christmas!

It's that time of the year again! The days left unchecked on the calendar may be few, but these days are to be savored. I've managed to finally get in touch with quite a few long lost friends, and that in itself is enough to keep me smiling till the new year dawns. As it has been every year in recent memory, the virtual playlist of Christmas songs is playing in my head once again. Spirits are sky-high again, ironically as another year approaches it finite end. I do wonder what it is that makes the head a little lighter, the tongue a little softer, the hands a little gentler, the heart a little warmer come this time of the year..

Yesterday I spent my Christmas eve at Bukit Bintang with a few high school friends and our dear teacher, Miss Shanti. We started off watching a solo-act at the Actor's Studio on Lot 10's rooftop - a 'Malaysianized' adaptation of Frank Capra's 'A Wonderful Life.' I haven't watched the original version but I thoroughly enjoyed the heart-warming performance which depicts a man who sacrifices so much in his life for the others around him. He does so much without expecting anything in return, so much so he even saves another man's life without hesitation when he is at the point of suicide, driven by his own woes. At this point he questions the purpose of his life, upon which with the help of a god-sent angel he is able to realize how much lesser the world around him would be if he weren't born. It's amazing how such simple stories capture the heart with ease.

After the drama Miss Shanti treated us to a sumptuous dinner at Esquire Kitchen. The streets of Bukit Bintang were immensely crowded with people and they only grew in numbers as the night aged by the minute. By the time we finally decided to leave, the massive junction between Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail had turned into a stage for a foam party! Regardless, I am truly enjoying these festive days; much like I have enjoyed them in the past years with wonderful people. With that, I wish you all a merry, merry Christmas.

Incepting Inception

It began as a normal Thursday. After spending the preceding weekdays completing the interim claim for my current (temporary) company, I figured I could take the day off and catch a movie with Ben and Sui Jon - no other than the crazily-hyped Christopher Nolan film, Inception. It was set to be a cracking day.. to make sure things stayed smooth I even planned to reach Mid Valley almost 2 hours earlier to grab the tickets, and the best seats.

Just then my phone rang.. my boss had some last minute work for me. Of course, it took precedence and I figured I still wouldn't have trouble making it to Mid Valley in time. Once I finished up, I got dressed and headed out under overcast skies. About a hundred meters later, the clouds let loose. "No biggie," I figured. A short trip back to grab an umbrella and I was on my way again. Now as some of you may know, I do not drive yet since my probationary license expired when I was in the States. Hence, the KTM Komuter was to be my best option. Then again, I had forgotten how badly the KTM could screw my plans over. Upon tons of waiting (both inside and outside the train) I only managed to reach KL Sentral at 1.35pm, and the movie was to start at 1.45pm! The only positive was the price of the ride - 1 Ringgit (which should in fact give you an idea of how short the trip should have been). At this point I figured waiting for the connecting KTM train would most definitely end my hopes of making it for the movie in time, so I decided to exit in KL Sentral and switch to the Putra LRT.

I took the LRT to Bangsar, which was still quite a distance from Mid Valley. The time was 1.45pm. Not to mention I hadn't had my lunch yet. I glanced once at the station's exit - no buses or taxis in sight. I really didn't want to miss the movie. No.. not Inception. I wasn't going to depend on things out of my control anymore. It was time to take matters into my own hands. So.. I simply reverted to the infallible way of getting there - on foot! With the clock ticking on, I practically sprinted from the Bangsar LRT all the way to the Golden Screen Cinemas in Mid Valley. There was no hunger nor lethargy in my thoughts. In fact there was nothing in my mind, apart from the prayers for the pre-movie trailers and advertisements to be extra long. I managed to reach the theatres at 1.55pm - panting, yet somewhat proud of what I had just accomplished.

As we entered the theatre - myself still trying to catch my breath - we realized the movie had begun 5-10 minutes earlier. A minor setback though, for I was still able to follow the storyline, and truly enjoy it. What a movie it was.. A really simple idea when you think about it, yet the way Nolan brings it all together and presents it is truly wonderful. A masterpiece. Finally, a movie that is generous on food for thought.

There have been a few movies I stop watching halfway through (e.g: A Bee Movie).

There have been a few movies I watch to the end and repress the fact that I watched them (e.g: Monster House).

At the end of most movies I tell myself it was a movie.

At the end of some movies I tell myself it was definitely worth watching (e.g: The Prestige).

At the end of a select few movies, I tell myself it is one for the ages, forever remembered for what it was..

Of all the movies I have managed to catch at the theatres to date - Inception easily tops the list. As for my adventure that preceded the movie - I can say it made the whole thing all the more memorable..