Showing posts with label Breadcrumps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breadcrumps. Show all posts

Jan 9, 2014

The Secret Life of Walter Witty: Find the Meaning of Life from Stiller's Finest Work


(I rarely write about movie review, but when i do, it means that the movie has a great impact on my life. And this is my first movie review on the year of 2014.)

If someone asks me the best movie of 2013, i will answer confidently The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Why this movie is so special for me? Simply, it's because i can relate my own self with the main character, Walter Mitty - a daydreamer, an adventure seeker, a timid lover and a family-loving person.

I still remember the day when i saw the trailer broadcasted for the first time on youtube last year. I got hooked instantly right after watching the trailer - firstly, it was because the music came from an Iceland-based indie folk/rock band, Of Monsters and Men. It's surprising to know that those hyped musicians filled the trailer track for this Hollywood movie. Few months after, the longer trailer was broadcasted, which depicted more about the story of the film - and it made me really want to watch the movie more and more.

The movie itself tells about Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) who works as negative processor and archivist in LIFE magazine. His life as dedicated worker brings him into a 'good' life story, - or it can be said as boring safe routine. He never tastes the exciting experience of adventure (and love adventure cos he's too timid to express his feeling to the girl he likes) on his entire life, thus all he can do is just daydreaming. The problem arises when the company ends its printed edition and has to go online. Meanwhile, Mitty cannot found the negative for the last cover of that magazine. Ready or not, he has been forced to find the missing negative, which will consequently leads him into challenging adventure that he could only imagine before and find the meaning of life.

Besides having connection to Walter Mitty, the movie itself offers lots of excellency to show, including beautiful cinematography, eyegasmic and landscapic setting, simple yet meaningful story, inspiring quotation, funny joke and most importantly heart-warming ending. This is a kind of movie that successfully warms my heart right after the ending has been revealed - It feels like my heart sheds some joyful tears in the end. Moreover, the credit title music (performed by Sweden-born José González) brings touching feeling as well - a great ender to make the movie memorable and brilliant.

However, there is a thing that makes me wonder; the fact that i just can't find any discussion or small talk about this movie on my twitter timeline or facebook post - it's kinda weird to know that this inspiring movie gets fewer attention rather than any of those overrated movies (like Pacific Rim or even Iron Man 3). I just don't know why people nowadays tend to watch movie with outstanding special effect and overly exposed promotion but has no solid storyline. Well, the world has changed already - what people see from the eyes sometimes can be more preferred rather than what they see with the heart.

Overall, I can clearly say that this is the best work of Ben Stiller so far. It's more than just entertaining, it gives the audience beautiful moral message to note also. I will give The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 4.5 stars out of 5. Trust me, if you love great story movie to spend your precious 114 minutes, then The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is just worth to watch. And as reminder, if you have watched the movie already, it's better for you to check the soundtrack also. Beautiful songs can be found on the album (including my favorites, Of Monsters and Men, José González, Rouge Wave and Rouge Valley).








Dec 20, 2013

Love Songs (these can be perfect for wedding songs)


When it comes to love, everything seems beautiful. It simply changes your perspective in seeing life. You feel everything around you is wonderful - just frankly indescribable. Although words sometimes are not adequate describing that feeling but somehow songs can be perfect companion to express it. These are some songs telling perfectly about being in love. I guess, these are perfect songs also to listen on this season of love.

1. Sarah McLachlan - Ice Cream



Simple but sweeter than ice cream - at least for your heart, ears and soul, not your tongue. Beside Angel, this is one of my favorite songs from Sarah McLachlan. Though it only takes several minutes, but it captures beautifully the feeling of being in love.

2. Ben Rector - Falling In Love



Another catchy with short duration song about love. Simple tune but captivates excellently the emotion of being in love. Completed with nicely played guitar strumming and singing, this song becomes perfect soundtrack for anyone who tastes the joy of love.

3. Eastmountainsouth - So Are You To Me



Simple, emotional and beautiful - adequate words to describe the song. Once i listen to this song, i can feel the emotion nakedly written into beautiful music and lyric. Moreover, the lines saying so are you to me sounds pretty poetic to be said for lovers. Without any doubt, Kat Maslich-Bod and Peter Bradley Adams are excellent pair in writing and singing love song.

4. Marie Hines - Always Been You



Another cheerful song about falling in love. I like the tempo, the climax, the vocal, the rhythm, the melody, the lyric and the rest elements i haven't mentioned yet. In fact, Marie Hines' clear vocal can flawlessly express the feeling of being in love. It magically turns the combination of music and lyric into hope and warm feeling right to the heart - just perfect song to accompany yourself on your love-filled day.

Nov 28, 2013

Songs To Start The Day


As you wake up in the morning, your day awaits. But somehow, you feel so heavy to jump off from your bed and start your daily routine. It's a normal feeling cos everyone ever feels that way. On that kind of situation, sometimes music does help. With its strange magical effect, music can boast up your day and make yourself more optimistic to start that day - for me, it works eventually.

These are four songs that I always listen to start my day. As usual, I walk down the street, plug my earphone on and play the playlist. Thankfully, it helps boasting up my mood instantly - even when my heart was broken the day before.

1. Joshua Radin - Beautiful Day 



The first track is the calmest one. Played acoustically in a mid-tempo, Beautiful Day by Joshua Radin tries to tell you that it's gonna be a beautiful day. So don't be afraid, don't haste your life, just enjoy your time.

Let's not forget we're alive, he reminds us that even when the hard times come, there's still a thing we can be grateful of: that we're still alive. And if we want to take our time looking closer to see the things we already have, we will find that there are plenty things we can be grateful of. In the end, we become more optimistic to overcome that hardship - such a brilliant meaning! And here is my favourite line among others: what's broken gets stronger when it mends. In life, there's always a reason for being broken - it gives you strength after your heart heals in the end. That's the day when your heart finally becomes wiser and stronger.

2. A Fine Frenzy - Now Is The Start



What! Alison Sudol goes blonde and electric? does it seem weird? well, not really. In fact, this single is still amazing like always - But it becomes more cheerful, energetic and of course optimistic (good news, isn't it?).

The first verse: Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of the lost gone found, it's the sound of the mute gone loud, it's the sound of the new start, does really bring optimistic feeling to start the day. She also adds this heart-soothing words on the bridge before the last part: new start, in the end there is a new heart. Attention for broken hearted lover! you can relate this lyric with your life! It's up to you to decide, whether finding someone new after breakup or holding on with the one you still love but with a new heart. Whatever it is, everyday is a new start.

3. Katie Herzig - Best Day Of Your Life



The song that makes me want to clap my hand. Yup, if you listen carefully you will hear the clapping hands sound on the back, and that makes you want to do the same. For me, the musical composition is really unique but it still doesn't lose the cheerfulness. In addition, the trembling voice of Katie Herzig really gives awesomeness into the song, which consequently makes the song more meaningful. I like the way when she sings, Don't mind leaving your nest, don't mind making a mess, this might be the best day of your life - these lines try to encourage us to be more courageous starting the day and not be afraid if we make mistakes on what we do. Just give the best we can do because that day could be the best day of our life.

4. The Weepies - Happiness


*the music video is not the album cover (what a shame)

The first impression once the intro begins: what a very cheerful acoustic-pop song! Sung by lovely voice of Deb Talan, this music really brings happiness for anyone who listens - including me. Moreover, the lyric saying 'it's a mean town, but I don't care, try and steal this. can't still happiness' on the refrain gives me such a happy imagery: even though the town you live in brings you down and steals the things you have (not always goods, it can be your love maybe?), but it still cannot steal your happiness. What a nice meaning of it.  


Nov 17, 2013

Dokumentasi, Jakarta 2013

photo by Ferrial Pondrafi (with a help from Photobucket) - Dufan, Jakarta

video that I made for my documentation




Credits:
Music: Lanterns On The Lake
Title: Keep On Trying
Album: Gracious Tide Take Me Home (2011)

Karena saya sangat terkesan dengan lagu dan video clip milik Lanterns On The Lake, maka saya pun mencoba membuat dokumentasi menggunakan musik latar lagu tersebut. Yaahh, meski hasilnya tidak semaksimal video clip original milik band asal Newcastle itu, namun setidaknya saya telah membuat dokumentasi bergerak tentang Jakarta. Seandainya saya telah meninggalkan Kota ini nantinya, ada hal yang bisa saya putar kembali dan mengingatkan akan kenangan yang telah saya lalui di sini.

Tidak lupa, ucapan terima kasih saya ucapkan kepada teman-teman saya yang luar biasa yang telah menyempatkan waktu berharganya untuk menemani dalam mengambil beberapa gambar di Jakarta. Rizqi Arifuddin yang telah menemani berolahraga sembari menikmati suasana pagi di Car Free Day dan Opie Winnaraati yang telah menemani jalan-jalan di Kota Tua (meskipun matahari bersinar sangat panas saat itu) dan mentraktir makan siang di sana. Pengalaman-pengalaman yang menyenangkan tentu saja.

*Dokumentasi di atas direkam dengan menggunakan peralatan seadanya (kamera saku amatir) dan di-edit menggunakan program open source gratis - bukan karena mencoba indie, namun lebih karena keterbatasan peralatan. Saya pun mengurungkan niat untuk meng-upload melalui Vimeo karena kualitas video yang belum maksimal. Harap dimaklumi jika terdapat banyak kekurangan. 

Nov 10, 2013

Apa Arti Blog Bagi Anda? Bagi Kakak Saya, Blog Adalah Awal Mula Dia Menemukan Kehidupannya



"For my lovely sister, i can quite sure to say that blog is her life. 
That's where she finally finds her true love."

Blog, sebuah jejaring sosial yang memungkinkan penggunanya untuk menulis apapun di dalam pikiran dan benaknya kemudian membagikannya kepada siapa saja di dunia maya. Dalam blog, karakter tulisan tidak dibatasi, sehingga penulis bisa menulis hingga berlembar-lembar halaman tanpa harus takut akan kekurangan lembar tulisan.

Blog sebenarnya merupakan jejaring sosial seperti Facebook atau Twitter. Hanya saja, blog terkesan lebih lebih rumit dan ekslusif - karena mengharuskan penggunanya untuk mendesain sendiri halaman blognya dan memenuhinya dengan tulisan berparagraf. Tak heran jika di Indonesia jejaring sosial ini kurang diminati ketimbang jejaring sosial yang lebih sederhana seperti Facebook ataupun Twitter - meskipun blog telah lama ada jauh sebelum kedua jejaring sosial tersebut. 

Ada hal lain yang lebih menarik dari sebuah blog. Blog ternyata tidak hanya memberikan kemudahan bagi penggunanya untuk berbagi informasi dan pengalaman, namun blog juga mampu memberikan kisah yang lebih berwarna dalam kehidupan nyata. Bisa saya bilang, kisah yang mampu mengubah kehidupan seseorang. 

Pagi ini, saya mendapatkan telepon dari kakak saya yang akan menikah bulan depan. Terbesit dalam pikiran saya, betapa cepatnya waktu berlalu - di mana salah satu dari kami bertiga akhirnya akan memiliki kehidupan sendiri. Sedih memang karena akhirnya harus berpisah, namun tetap saja saya ikut berbahagia karena akhirnya kakak saya menemukan pendamping hidupnya. 

Pernah saya berpikir ulang tentang bagaimana kakak saya berkenalan dengan calon suaminya. Jika dipikir-pikir, perkenalan mereka terkesan tidak biasa. Ya, karena dari blog lah mereka pertama kali berkenalan. Saya kurang tau secara pasti bagaimana mereka pertama kali berkenalan melalui jejaring sosial tersebut. Namun yang saya tau, kakak saya menulis blog untuk menumpahkan segala kekecewaanya yang pada saat itu tengah melanda kehidupannya.

Terkadang memang hal-hal luar biasa bermula dari hal yang sederhana. Entah bagaimana caranya, calon suami kakak saya pun secara tidak sengaja membaca blog kakak saya - jika dipikir-pikir ada berjuta-juta blog yang tersebar di luar sana, namun bagaimana ia bisa sampai ke blog kakak saya dan membacanya. Cerita pun berlanjut dan mereka akhirnya berkomunikasi secara rutin melalui blog setelahnya. 

Beberapa bulan berlalu, sang pria pun datang ke rumah menemui kakak saya untuk pertama kalinya. Dan secara tak terduga, muncullah ikatan kimia di antara mereka. Hubungan mereka pun akhirnya berlanjut, meski harus dipisahkan jarak yang jauh (Solo - Karawang). Namun mungkin itulah yang dinamakan cinta sejati - jarak hanyalah cara untuk menunjukan apakah cinta mereka benar-benar tulus atau sebaliknya.

Beberapa tahun pun berlalu dan hubungan mereka pun menjadi semakin serius, meski banyak rintangan yang harus mereka lalui di kala itu. Akhirnya tibalah tahun 2013 ini, di mana mereka akan melangsungkan pernikahannya di akhir tahun 2013. Dan saya pun menulis tulisan ini untuk mengingatkan kembali betapa menariknya kisah mereka.

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Memang di era digital seperti sekarang, tidak lagi mustahil seseorang menemukan belahan jiwanya melalui dunia maya, meskipun banyak juga yang tertipu dari sana. Namun, kisah dari kakak saya tersebut menunjukan bahwa memang tidak ada yang mustahil di dunia ini. Dari sebuah blog curahan hati, kakak saya pun akhirnya menemukan kehidupannya di sana.

inilah blog kakak saya tersebut (yang sekarang sudah sangat jarang di-update): 


Nov 3, 2013

Somehow, I Wish That Life Was A Movie


Sometimes, i just wish that my life was a movie. When the good parts or the saddening ones ended, credit titles appeared. The musical score entered, cinematic and uplifting. I were then set free, without any lonesome feeling.

But the truth is, life doesn't work that way. In the end, you just get another chances. You just can't hide or run for what you already feel. You need keeping your life moving. Letting your heart perceiving, cos it will take you to another story. Till the day the curtain is closing. And your life will be reminded ceremonially.


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