The Majestic Artistic View of Masjid Jamik Haji Abdul Rashid

 

Don't judge the book by it's cover ! Same goes to this mosque that is  located in Sungai Dua , Penang. This is Masjid Jamik Haji Abdul Rashid. 

My wife and me happened to stop for prayer at this mosque as we were planning to go to the famous Mee Udang Sungai Dua (Medan Selera Sri Tambang, Sungai Dua). This has been a go to place when we crave for Baby Lobster Noodle. The taste is consistent , service is pretty fast and the stall is fairly clean ( but dont look into the river part, I am sure you have no business there). And the price is fairly reasonable. 

Mee Udang Seri Tambang

 As I was heading into this small mosque at the heart of Sungai Dua Town, i did not notice that it was from the back entrance. It is just an ordinary mosque at the suburban area. There is a motorcyle parking porch and few spots to park your car. 

At the entrance, there stood tall the mosque hailing tower, just like an ordinary small town mosque designs in Malaysia. Nothing special , no big deal. As I entered the mosque balcony, towards the ablution area , then I realized the design of the place is somehow showing an extraordinary arts. The path towards ablution area are covered with white pebbles.

I started to look around to take some photos but then the bilal was reciting the iqamah , a signal to proceed for the Maghrib Prayer. I quickly took the ablution and proceed for the prayer. Looking forward to explore the area right after the prayer. The inner building where we perform the prayer is like any other mosque, but i notice the design of the wooden windows that portrays the malay traditional look really inspires me, and I wonder who are the people behind all these brilliant ideas to decorate as such. Obviously , decoration is not part of the key indicators of your faith towards Allah SWT, but on the flip side , having a conducive, peace and tranquility do help a person to appreciate more , the gifts of Allah , the estethic values a man could think of. As long as the public fund is not lavishingly spent , in my opinion , it is still acceptable to a certain extend.  

Right after the maghrib prayer ended , I took out my camera phone and start to snap all over the places. This blog is a non profit , so i presumed it was okay to take some photos and share with some of you , who probably like to read through. 

This is another part of the mosque, not sure exactly what it is , but probably a section for the females or some sort of office /classroom ( I am just assuming ) 

The ablution area is simply artistic , with wooden steps and pebbles. 

Look at each window-doors alike , the colours simply blend with the surroundings. It's like a traditional Malay house or perhaps the design is like the ancient Malay Castles, if I may exaggerate it. The floor is a minimalist marble colours, blended well with the dimesion of the building.  

This is like a coffee corner or a hang out place. just by itself , at table with three stools. 

This is at the front part of the mosque. I simply love the colours of the glasses and white background

The restrooms are designed like those R&R , with motion detector 

At the ablution area , lovely lighthings and

wooden ceiling

      

Mat Kilau : Kebangkitan Blogger

 

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera. 

Nota : Bagi yang belum menonton Filem Mat Kilau : Kebangkitan Pahlawan, pergilah menonton dahulu sebelum membaca ulasan saya di bawah. (Spoiler Alert).  

Kaveat (Caveat) : Saya tidak terlibat dalam mana-mana badan Politik, institusi keagamaan/bangsa atau mana-mana NGOs. Segala ulasan adalah bersifat peribadi, berdasarkan pengalaman saya dalam menonton filem-filem , tempatan serta antarabangsa. Saya juga tidak dibayar untuk membuat ulasan ini . Ulasan blog ini sekadar mengisi masa lapang, hobi, latihan penulisan serta pengolahan pemikiran. 

Pertama sekali, jutaan tahniah kepada penerbit filem, pengarah, kru,  barisan pelakon serta kesemua yang terlibat dalam produksi Filem Mat Kilau kerana berjaya menghasilkan sebuah filem tempatan yang bertaraf epik serta menghasilkan fenomena yang luar biasa. Setakat ini, filem ini berjaya membuat kutipan lebih RM80 Juta. Walau apapun ulasan saya di bawah, ianya tidak akan mengubah fakta bahawa filem ini adalah sebuah karya serta usaha seni yang terbaik dari segi kutipan panggung. Saya hanyalah penulis yang membuat ulasan secara jujur , mengikut sudut sisi pengalaman peribadi dan juga perbandingan dengan filem-filem yang pernah saya tontoni. Saya ulangi kaveat di atas, saya tiada kepentingan politik, agenda peribadi, pengaruh , perniagaan atau terlibat dalam mana-mana propaganda sama ada untuk menyanggah atau menyokong filem ini.  

Secara jujurnya, saya bukanlah seorang yang gemar ke pawagam untuk menonton filem (terutamanya filem-filem tempatan). Bagi saya, cukuplah sekadar menonton di Astro, Youtube Premium , Netflix dsb. Namun, fenomena filem Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan agak luar biasa. Ianya telah berjaya menjentik hati saya berulang kali untuk memaksa diri hadir ke kerusi pawagam untuk menonton sendiri. Sekiranya saya tidak suka sekalipun, tentu ada sesuatu yang boleh saya pelajari dan dapat menafaat daripada tontonan filem ini. 

Secara jujurnya , saya tidak pernah ke pawagam untuk menonton filem-filem karya saudara Syamsul Yusuf sebelum ini. Mungkin genre pilihan beliau tidak menarik minat saya (Genre Seram, Polis, Gengster) . Tetapi yang lebih nyata adalah saya agak kecewa dengan kualiti atau jalan cerita kebanyakan filem-filem tempatan (yang saya tonton sebelum-sebelum ini di pawagam). Kali terakhir saya berada di pawagam adalah untuk menonton sebuah filem genre Adiwira tempatan, sekitar tahun 2015. Rasanya tidak perlu saya sebutkan nama filem tersebut, tetapi cukuplah sekadar saya mengatakan bahawa, saya cuma mampu bertahan selama 30 min di pawagam dan terus beredar meninggalkan panggung. Sejak daripada pengalaman itu, saya agak keberatan untuk melaburkan duit dan masa bagi menonton filem-filem tempatan. Namun, tidak dinafikan, ada juga filem-filem tempatan yang menarik dan berkualiti dari segi jalan cerita dan idea, tetapi kebiasaannya akan dipertontonkan semula di TV/Astro waktu musim perayaan. 

Berbeza dengan filem Mat Kilau : Kebangkitan Pahlawan , strategi pemasaran di media sosial serta data kutipan telah menunjukkan sesuatu yang luar biasa tentang filem ini. Sejujurnya, dua minggu pertama, saya telah beberapa kali cuba untuk hadir ke pawagam, namun setiap kali saya ingin membeli e-ticket, tidak banyak kekosongan kerusi (lokasi strategik atau kerusi favourite). Maka semalam 16 Julai 2022, rasanya setelah hampir sebulan tayangan, saya menempah tiket serta memaksa diri untuk hadir ke pawagam slot 11.30 pm. Untuk mengelak kekecewaan yang berulang, saya telah membuat penetapan minda yang filem ini pasti tidak mencapai piawaian peribadi saya seperti mana yang pernah berlaku bagi filem-filem tempatan sebelum ini. Saya juga bertanya pendapat dua orang anak saya yang telah menonton filem Mat Kilau, seorang (anak lelaki berumur 18 tahun) berpendapat filem ini amat menghiburkan kerana banyak aksi dan seorang lagi (anak perempuan berumur 19 tahun) berpendapat " Top Gun Maverick " lebih menghiburkan.  Saya juga mengambil kira pendapat rakan-rakan di media sosial , yang kebanyakannya memberikan ulasan yang positif. 

Setelah menonton filem ini , berikut adalah ulasan jujur peribadi saya dan dibahagikan kepada beberapa kategori iaitu : 

Pemilihan barisan pelakon (7/10) : 

Dato' Adi Putra sebagai Mat Kilau (8/10) : Beliau berjaya membawa  watak Mat Kilau dengan baik dan berkesan. Teknik dialog beliau adalah jelas dan mimik muka berjaya memaparkan kepimpinan Melayu yang tenang (cool) dan bijaksana (Wisdom). Aksi persilatan beliau juga nampak kukuh dan mantap. 

Begitu juga dengan saudara Beto Khusairy , seorang yang berpengalaman dalam bidang lakonan, membawa watak Wahid ( 8/10)  iaitu rakan baik Mat Kilau. Beto sangat natural dalam membawa watak "protagonist" dan memberikan impak kepada penonton. Aksi silat beliau juga setaraf dengan aksi yang dipamerkan Dato Adi Putra. Saya bukanlah seorang pesilat , jadi saya tidak dapat memberikan ulasan teliti sama ada pergerakan silat mereka adalah asli atau tidak, tetapi sebagai penonton awam, ianya mencapai matlamat sebagai tahap filem tempatan . Sekiranya dibandingkan dengan filem-filem antarabangsa , ianya masih belum mencapai mutu yang setaraf contohnya filem-filem lakonan Tony Jaa, Jason Statham, Jacky Chan , Jet Li, Donnie Yen dan lain-lain ) di mana aksi lawan mereka jauh lebih mengujakan serta lebih dramatik. 

Watak Awang ( 7/10) lakonan Fattah Amin, bagi saya tidaklah memberikan satu impak sebagai watak separa hitam yang kembali putih. Beliau, sebagai watak ketiga utama mungkin perlu diberikan lebih aura untuk mengusik emosi penonton. Mungkin umur seperti saya bukanlah sasaran penonton (Target Audience) untuk filem ini, namun saya melihat dari sudut yang lebih besar bagi sebuah filem yang mengutip jutaan ringgit. 

Watak-watak yang lain seperti Tok Gajah, Pembesar-pembesar Melayu , rakan-rakan Mat Kilau yang lain , hanyalah bertaraf biasa-biasa sahaja dan tidak begitu memberikan impak dalam sesebuah filem yang besar seperti ini. Biasa-biasa di sini bermaksud kita sudah biasa melihat lakonan mereka sebegitu.

Contohnya watak Dato Rahim Razalli, lakonan beliau sudah sinonim membawa watak sebegitu, hampir sama dalam Puteri Gunung Ledang. Begitu juga watak-watak seperti Dato Jalaluddin Hassan, Shahruddin Thamby, Namron dan sebagainya.  Watak Usop (lakonan Khir Rahman) pula yang sinonim dengan kumpulan J-Born serta filem Rock , seolah-olah mengganggu konsentrasi saya kerana beliau lebih sesuai dan berjaya membawa watak-watak komedi. Umpama meletakkan Jim Carrey sebagai Adiwira dalam Avengers. Begitulah anologinya. Maaf ya Khir Rahman. Anda bagus, cuma di tempat yang salah. Dan saya tidak faham kenapa penting sangat watak Usop sehingga Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakannya memujuk beliau hingga ke rumah. Agak kurang jelas. 

 

Watak-watak hitam seperti Captain Syers ( 5/10) , Toga (5/10) seolah-olah tidak begitu berkesan dalam membangkitkan kemarahan (saya) apabila menonton plot-plot mereka. Contohnya , sebagai watak hitam, karekter Toga sepatutnya saya visualkan sebagai seorang yang sasa , berbadan tegap dan berwajah garang atau berperwatakan psikotik (tidak banyak bercakap). Namun , perwatakan beliau lebih sesuai untuk watak-watak "side-kick comedian". Aksi silat beliau juga tidak menampilkan "Wow Factor" atau "Fuyoo" bagi saya.  Saya faham strategi mengambil pelakon Indonesia bagi menempah tiket ke seberang, tapi biarlah bersesuaian dengan watak. Watak pembunuh upahan perlu ada karekter tersendiri dan peminat tersendiri.  Lihat sahaja watak seperti Darth Vader, Darth Maul , Lex Luthor, Freddy Kruger, Magnetto, Joker (versi Heath Ledger) dan lain-lain. Watak-watak hitam ini merupakan intipati penting dalam sesebuah filem besar yang ada peminatnya tersendiri.

Disudut yang lain pula ,(maaf cakap), secara zahirnya , ada juga terasa seperti melihat barisan pelakon filem Gerak Khas the Movie (tanpa kehadiran Sarjan Linggam, Inspektor Aliza dan Inspektor Mazlan). Sememangnya filem ini mempunyai genetik Yusof Haslam atau Skop Production , maka tidak hairanlah barisan pelakon yang dimasukkan adalah daripada jaluran genetik yang hampir sama. Saya tidak ada masalah sekiranya lakonan mereka berkesan, cumanya sebagai penonton yang dibesarkan dengan gerak khas , tidak dapat tidak saya terfikir akan perkara tersebut. Maafkan saya sekali lagi wahai Syamsul Yusof. 

Seterusnya, watak-watak wanita dalam filem ini agak tidak menepati citarasa peribadi saya atau bukanlah satu formula sebuah filem besar yang epik. Tidak ada satu figura wanita yang menonjol (bukan mendedah atau seksi, tetapi merujuk kepada karekter yang kuat dan memberikan impak di hati penonton). Mungkin kemunculan Ellie Suriaty pada plot permulaan ada sedikit memberikan kekuatan karekter (itupun setakat ON PAR jika dibanding dengan lakonannya di drama-drama TV) , namun watak beliau dimatikan pula di awal kisah. Saya juga merujuk kepada tarikan wajah fizikal (commercial look) untuk mengimbangi wajah komersial Dato' Adi Putra. Sekali lagi, mohon maaf kepada pembaca kerana ini adalah pendapat peribadi saya. Malah saya langsung tidak dapat mengenali mereka (watak-watak wanita) ketika menonton adegan perbualan antara suami isteri .  Setelah saya Google, barulah saya perasan watak Rokiah lakonan Zarina Zainoordin peserta AF2 serta Farah Ahmad (memang saya tidak mengenali beliau mungkin sebab saya jarang sekali tengok drama Melayu). Namun , lakonan Farah Ahmad (Yang Chik) agak baik jika dilihat dari sudut komunikasi jelas. Tetapi sepertimana yang dikatakan, ianya tidak dapat mengimbangi watak Dato' Adi Putra. Watak Rokiah (lakonan Zarina Zainoordin) , pada pendapat saya tidak sampai ke tahap mengimbangi lakonan Beto Khusairy yang sangat profesional dalam menyampaikan sesuatu watak. Kalau diikutkan strategi pemasaran (Marketing Strategy), patut saja dimasukkan pelakon-pelakon seperti Emma Maembong, Janna Nick ataupun watak kontroversi Ira Kazar dalam filem ini sebagai watak-watak penggoda kepada Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakannya  atau mungkin sebagai tali barut British. Konsep Tiga "TA" : Wanita, Harta dan Taktha. Oklah tambahkan TA seorang lagi, Rozita Che Wan. 

Watak-watak tentera Sikh pula , sekiranya diolah dengan lebih kreatif , sepatutnya diwujudkan satu watak yang berpaling tadah (seperti mana watak Finn dalam Star Wars The Force Awakens , seorang Storm Trooper yang berpaling tadah). Ini boleh memberikan sedikit keseimbangan ke atas kritikan sosial yang mengatakan filem ini memberikan impak yang negatif terhadap kaum Sikh di Malaysia. Sekiranya saya adalah pengarah, saya akan mewujudkan sedikit unsur-unsur cinta luar biasa, contohya tentera Sikh yang berpaling tadah itu telah jatuh cinta dengan seorang wanita Melayu tetapi akhirnya terkorban kerana ingin menyelamatkan orang-orang Melayu dan kekasihnya itu . "Wow Factor" bukan ? Bukan susah pun nak wujudkan buat plot-plot sedemikian. Sebagai warga Malaysia yang cintakan keamanan dan kepelbagaian kaum , saya juga kurang bersetuju apabila keseluruhan kaum itu ditonjolkan sebagai watak hitam sepenuhnya sepanjang filem tersebut. Hakikatnya manusia tidak begitu. Islam tidak mengajar umatnya untuk mengambarkan sesuatu kaum lain sebagai musuh.  Sepatutnya penerbit atau pengarah perlu lebih sensitif akan hal ini. Saya tidak pasti sama ada wujud unsur-unsur politik (untuk mendapat sokongan orang Melayu) dalam filem ini, sekiranya ada , ianya bukanlah satu perkara yang saya sokong , sungguhpun saya berbangsa Melayu, ada kaedah lain yang lebih positif . Tidak dinafikan , memang perlu ada unsur-unsur patriotik dan kebangkitan dalam jiwa anak Melayu, namun ada cara yang lebih diplomatik dan bijak dalam menyampaikan sesuatu penceritaan. Kita perlu ambil kira penonton-penonton di kalangan kanak-kanak serta generasi yang belum dapat membezakan antara fiksyen dan fakta. Pada pendapat saya pihak penapisan filem perlu lebih berhati-hati dalam meluluskan sesuatu adegan kerana anda akan menjawab di akhirat nanti. Ini adalah antara anda dengan Allah SWT. 

Plot dan Penceriteraan : ( 7/10) 

Maaf, saya tidak boleh memberikan rating melebihi 7 kerana jalan cerita filem ini  sepatutnya boleh diolah untuk menjadi lebih menarik dan dramatik. Saya tidak peduli berapa banyak kutipan filem ini, fakta tetap fakta.  

Pada pendapat saya, pengarah boleh memulakan (intro) dengan menonjolkan sedikit ulangkaji (overview) tentang sejarah penjajahan British di seluruh dunia (dalam bentuk paparan mudah visual teknologi digital seperti dalam filem Indiana Jones) sehinggalah kedatangan mereka ke Tanah Melayu. Plot ini penting untuk mendidik mereka yang mungkin tidak mengenali tentang sejarah penaklukan British di seluruh dunia. 

Plot Mula : Aksi serangan British dan tentera Sikh serta pembunuhan orang-orang tua serta kanak-kanak (secara jelas) boleh saja digantikan dengan cara lain. Besar kemungkinan pengarah mahu memberikan satu adegan dramatik bagi menjentik emosi (terutamanya penonton-penonton Melayu). Jika kita membuat perbandingan, filem-filem seperti Bukit Kepong, sesungguhnya penonton juga tahu (dapat merumuskan sendiri)  akan berlakunya kekejaman , kematian kanak-kanak, wanita dan orang tua, namun ianya tidak dipertontonkan secara spesifik sepertimana dalam Filem Mat Kilau. Begitu juga dengan filem Leftenan Adnan (Hairie Othman) dan Kapsul (Faizal Hussein). Untuk plot ini, kita tidak perlu mengikut formula Hollywood kerana kita mempunyai tanggungjawab untuk memastikan keharmonian kaum terjaga di Malaysia. 

Plot Mat Kilau dikejar dalam hutan : Pada mulanya , agak sukar bagi saya untuk memahami plot ini. Kenapa pula Mat Kilau dikejar dan melompat (hingga menampakan kasut Capal baru beliau). Setelah tamat plot, barulah saya faham adegan tersebut merupakan sesi latihan Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakannya di hutan. Saya terfikir juga , sepatutnya plot itu boleh digantikan dengan plot imbasan semula (flashback) tentang bagaimana Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakan mula-mula belajar ilmu persilatan ketika usia remaja mereka. Bagi saya plot ini adalah penting sebagai tulang belakang sokongan dan bukti tentang kemantapan Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakannya dalam ilmu persilatan dan pengajian agama Islam. Cara mudah boleh rujuk filem Conan the Barbarian atau Braveheart.   

Plot Pembelotan Awang:  Plot ini merupakan sesuatu yang boleh dijangka disebabkan ketidakpuasan hati beliau atas perlantikan Mat Kilau sebagai ketua, jadi tidak wujud sangat elemen kejutan (surprise elements) di situ. Wajah Awang pula agak "Baby Face" dan sinonim dengan gaya "Mat Bunga" atau "Office Guy" , impak kekalutan yang cuba dibawa beliau rasanya tidak begitu berkesan pada sudut sisi saya ketika menonton karekter beliau.  

Plot Pergaduhan di Jeti Kuala Tembeling : Adegan ini mengingatkan saya kepada dua rujukan filem , iaitu Pendekar Bujang Lapok (Pendekar Mustar) serta Puteri Gunung Ledang (di mana Hang Tuah lakonan M Nasir bersilat mengalahkan samseng-samseng kampung). Bezanya teknik persilatan dan efek dalam Mat Kilau jauh lebih "advanced" dan menarik. Syabas kepada jurulatih silat dalam filem ini. 

Plot British  dan Tentera Sikh mencari Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakan

Plot ini umpama ulangan dalam plot intro di mana British mencari tiga pengacau (Mamat dan dua lagi rakan) . Kenapa perlu diulang plot yang hampir sama. Pergelutan antara Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakan bertempur dengan tentera British juga agak tergantung apabila watak Awang mencelah membuat perjanjian dengan tentera British.    

Plot pembunuhan isteri Wahid (lakonan Beto Khusairy/Zarina Zainoordin)  : Plot ini pula mengingatkan saya akan filem Kapsul (Lakonan Faizal Hussein)  , Leftenan Adnan (Lakonan Hairie Othman) atau mungkin juga sedikit plot dalam Bukit Kepong (arahan Dato' Jins Shamsuddin). Sesuatu yang boleh dijangka dan tidak ada pembaharuan dalam "content" sesebuah filem aksi gaduh. Benar atau tidak ? Anda boleh nilaikan sendiri. Adegan Mat Kilau mencekup mulut Wahid boleh diberikan sedikit kredit kerana ianya berjaya membangkitkan suasana klimaks dan cemas.    

Plot menyelamatkan Wahid dalam tawanan (lakonan Beto Khusairy) (6/10) : Jalan cerita tiada elemen kejutan. Seolah-olah melihat Rambo 2 di mana Julia Nickson menyelamatkan Rambo di kem tahanan. Babak mendera Wahid tidak cukup "Brutal" dan tiada pembaharuan babak. Aksi-aksi silat dengan Teknik Gegaran Skrin hanya memeningkan kepala saya. Letupan-letupan yang berlaku tidak cukup meletops. Masih banyak yang perlu dipelajari dari filem-filem Hollywood ataupun filem Hong Kong. Kami bayar duit, maka kami mahukan efek yang setimpal dengan harga tiket.  

Plot berbincang dengan orang Kampung (Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau dan orang-orang Kampung) (3/10) : Plot ini agak lemah kerana watak-watak yang dipilih untuk bersuara umpama "Mat Pacak" yang dibayar gaji hari (maaf sebut) . Sungguhpun plot ini bukanlah elemen utama dalam penceriteraan Mat Kilau, sepatutnya pengarah lebih berhati-hati dalam menyelitkan watak-watak ini agar keseluruhan cerita tidak menjadi cacat. 

Plot Akhir (serangan Mat Kilau dan rakan-rakan) : (6/10) 

Latihan silat dalam gua mengingatkan saya kepada filem 6 Jahanam. Manakala aksi membuat jerangkap samar sangat sinonim dalam filem-filem aksi perang seperti Rambo, Predator , Home Alone dan seumpamanya. Jadi, merujuk kepada dua faktor ini, tiada pembaharuan idea sebenarnya. 

Seterusnya aksi pertempuran antara Kumpulan Mat Kilau dan tentera British adalah lebih menyerupai filem Braveheart , The Patriot (lakonan Mel Gibsons). Malahan pertempuran di tengah padang dengan letupan bom tidak mengambarkan sesuatu yang epik. Ditambah pula dengan ulangan letupan bom dari "Arsenal" yang kelihatan low budget atau dipinjam dari muzium tempatan. Maaf, saya langsung tidak kagum (impress) dengan adegan-adegan perang tersebut, jika nak dibandingkan dengan paluan-paluan atau canang-canang mengenai filem ini yang kononnya rating 10/10. Maaf, saya tidak berpendapat sedemikian. Tapi , tentulah , sekiranya hendak dibandingkan dengan filem-filem tempatan yang lain , maka bolehlah jika hendak diberikan rating 10/10. Syamsul jangan putus asa, ini adalah cabaran untuk anda menghasilkan sesuatu yang lebih "World Class" di masa akan datang. Anda masih muda dan berada di trek yang betul. Teruskan usaha. 

Pertempuran satu dengan satu antara Mat Kilau dan Toga juga kelihatan agak meleret dan tidak ada klimaks yang jelas. Saya tidak faham kenapa pengarah perlu memasukkan watak Wahid bertempur dua dengan satu. Sepatutnya, "highlight" atau penekanan patut diberikan kepada Mat Kilau (sebagai hero utama)  untuk mengalahkan Toga , satu lawan satu, tanpa perlu campur tangan Wahid. Kecuali, pengarah/penerbit dengan sengaja ingin mematikan watak Wahid. Wallahu'alam. Filem anda, duit anda, ikut suka andalah. Saya hanya memberikan pendapat.   

Pengakhiran cerita juga agak tergantung. Pengakhiran sesuatu cerita  merupakan satu elemen yang amat penting dalam sesebuah filem dan penceritaan. Penutup perlu ada impak kepada penonton supaya kisah-kisah yang dipersembahkan melekat di jiwa penonton. Saya agak terkejut ketika babak akhir ini, pintu keluar panggung telah pun dibuka sewaktu Mat Kilau memberikan ucapan sambil memapah Wahid. Adalah lebih baik jika diselitkan sedikit elemen ulasan (high level), apa yang berlaku kepada Captain Syers dan British yang lain. Pengarah juga boleh menyelitkan adegan Captain Syre menulis surat permohonan bantuan dari Kerajaan British untuk menghantar lebih banyak senjata/tentera. Ianya sebagai "teaser" untuk sekuel Mat Kilau (jika ada). Anda fikir-fikirkan , nilai-nilaikan.       

Efek Perfileman (Special Effect) / Cinematography : ( 7/10) 

Diperingkat mula, suasana di tepi sawah, pengambaran filem kelihatan seperti sebuah dokumentari kampung. Bagi saya, 60 saat pertama sesebuah intro filem akan bermain di minda penonton, bertahun-tahun lamanya, maka dengan itu amat penting visual/audio di peringkat ini. 

Seterusnya, sebagaimana yang dikongsi oleh ramai penonton, teknik gegaran kamera adalah berkemungkinan teknik yang dipilih pengarah untuk menghasilkan pengalaman dramatik penonton di tempat kejadian. Saya tidak boleh komen secara teknikal berkenaan perkara ini. Namun, jika kita lihat filem-filem luar seperti lakonan Tony Jaa, Jacky Chan, Jet Li , Jason Statham, Van Damme, mereka juga mempunyai teknik-teknik tersendiri dalam merakam visual serta aksi pergaduhan, tidak semestinya memerlukan teknik gegaran kamera sepanjang masa yang mungkin menyebabkan sesetengah penonton mual.  

Efek lain seperti letupan , tembakan , parang , "stunts" dan "props", meletakkan sedikit tanda aras yang baru bagi filem-filem tempatan, namun masih belum mencapai piawaian filem-filem bertaraf Hollywood/Hong Kong. Saya boleh bagi rating penuh (10/10) untuk taraf filem tempatan , tetapi sekiranya kita melihat di peringkat antarabangsa , mungkin sekadar 6/10. Saya faham budget tidak sama. Tetapi harga tiket adalah sama antara Filem Mat Kilau dengan Filem Top Gun Mavericj (seingat saya adalah sama). Jadi masalah budget bukanlah sesuatu yang penonton mahu dengar sebagai alasan. 

Adegan Mat Kilau berpisah dengan anak dan isteri (di air terjun) , mengingatkan saya pada filem Puteri Gunung Ledang di mana Hang Tuah bertemu dengan Puteri Gunung Ledang. Dari segi sinematogragi, adegan tersebut boleh diberikan kredit disebabkan elemen suasana semula jadi yang cantik, pencahayaan dan garapan warna yang menenangkan mata melihat. 

Akhir sekali, saya baru perasan bahawa Filem Mat Kilau Kebangkitan Pahlawan tidak mempunyai Runut Bunyi atau OST ( Original Sound Track). Agak rugi kerana OST boleh membantu penonton mengimbau kembali momen-momen di sepanjang penceritaan itu. Lihat sahaja filem-filem besar seperti Star Wars,  Braveheart , Titanic , Avengers , Zorro,  Fast and Furious,  kesemuanya tetap akan ada runut bunyi. Namun, sekali lagi, ini adalah hak penerbit , saya hanya menyuarakan pendapat. Saya sebagai pemuzik serta peminat OST, merasakan patut ada koleksi lagu-lagu untuk Filem Mat Kilau. 

 

The Return of the Unspoken Spirit in 2022

It  has been 4 years since I last put something on this blog. I started this blog more than 10 years ago. Well, time really flies without waiting for the moment that we think we can pause and wait. Well, this is ain't a movie or video games , and you are not holding the remote or the game console. You are the player, and the games keep on moving, whether you like it or not.  

Let me try to recap, what had actually happened for the last 4 years. 

2018 : I was working in the shift pattern and life was like a rotating wheels , doing almost the same thing , over and over again. Nothing much to explore and I was getting tired of the copy paste of life, day in and day out. This was also the year that I saw some of my close friends , one by one left the company. And some were forced to leave. I knew someday my time will come, it was just a matter of time. I spent a lot of my time doing things that I like the most, which was the online singing or karaoke. Well, i started this hobby in 2016. After 2 years of doing the online singing, it thought me many lessons. There are pros and cons of having the engagement in the social media world. As a person, you must know your limits. Do the Right Things, and Do Things Right. Make mistakes, and learn , move on , never repeat the same. Like what George Bush used to say, "Fool me once, shame on .... ". 

2019 : Working life was getting chronic and toxics , it was like the worst year of my 20++ years. It all started with the political changes in the organization, and like any other political games , I was caught in the middle of the chaos. There was not much of  motivation to grow as the environment was politically control by a bunch of clowns and dictators, which did not excite me to be part of them. I was taking the risk as I was holding to my principle.

But my take was simple, a person who do not have his/her own principle/values are just living in someone else dreams. Like my favorite artist, Kurt Cobain used to say ,  "It's better to burn out, than fade away"

But seriously, i didn't put blame 100% on the situation, it is just that i have my own beliefs and values , and simply didn't give a way my values , just to be part of the immoral groups of people (dictators) . This was the year where i gave a lots of thought about what I like (my passions) and what I was doing. One of my personal traits is that I love to entertain people and make people happy, either via arts like singing , music's, acting's or activities. And that has been in my DNA. After getting some encouragement from my close peers, i had made the move to try out something new in my career. At the end of my shift work career, about 1 or 2 months before I moved to the Office Shift, i had experienced a series of illness, unexplained by modern medications. Medically , it was known as terminal insomnia. I had it  for months, and that was the most painful period of my career. I was pretty lucky that I found the cure and able to recover within few months. And I also switched my job to a full office work patterns. That helped a lot to balance up the biological clock in my body. 

2020 : I made the career move, and was given the opportunity to rebrand myself. At first , it was quite vague as it was new , not just to me, but to the organization. There were times that I thought of time to let go, and start something new. There were days that I was lost without direction. It was like living in a Cold Storage and I could not really see where I was supposed to go. 

It was the same year where COVID 19 hit the world. Few months working from home and it was like a joke to me, looking at the laptop without having a clear directions. Few months after that, I started to come back on site, helping some of the preparation and set up, to make the work place ready for COVID. Those were the moments that brought back some values of being in the team. I had no chance to thank a person, who had helped me a lot, he passed away due to heart-attack few months after we had set up the workplace to be as conducive as possible. To be exact, we have set up the Suraus. I prayed that Allah SWT would reward him Jannah for all the good deeds that he had made. I was then, fully transitioned to a new team, where we focus on making the work place, a Great Place to Work Again, with all the new norm challenges. This was also the year , I spent lots of time closer to my families. I led the prayers and even had the chance to recite the Khutbah for Hari Raya. Something that I could never imagine , i would have done, if not because of COV19. 

2021: This was the year that I rebranded myself , trying new things in the new environment. For some , COV19 would be a nightmares, but for me , it actually brought opportunities for me and my team to design new way of doing things. In my new job, our small team focus on making people happy and comfortable to come to work. We did a lot of communications, videos and virtual activities to engage people in the new challenging environments. I was also felt so grateful that I was part of the team that work on the vaccination programs for the employees. Alhamdulillah, despite the challenges and sad news of some colleagues passed away due to COV19, overall, the team had endeavored the golden milestone of completing as much as possible employee's vaccination. I was grateful to have given the opportunity to work with best of the best people , regardless of age, race , religions, we worked as a team to help the mankind. This was the second year that we celebrated Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid Mubarak) under the MCO (Movement Control Order). My second time, being the person leading the Aidil Fitri Prayer for my family (including my mother who stayed with me during that time) , delivering the Aidil Fitri Khutbah (simplified versions).   

2022 : This was the year where the momentum of my career had started to roll and grow. I could feel that my decisions to follow my heart pays off. Follow my heart in the sense of doing something that of my forte , which is to serve people , and make people happy. This was the time where I connected some of the dots and made miracles and magical things happened. Steve Jobs was right, we could only connect the dots looking back-wards, and one day all the dots just came back and served us. 

This was also the year where the dreaded virus COV19, entered my house. Yes, my wife was the first in my house to get infected by COV19. Me and my son had to stay at level 2 of our house and my wife occupied the Level 1. I had to set up my own kitchen in the room and most of the time ordered online food. But not long after that, I got infected too. I was lucky that the virus was the light OMICRON. Only experienced some head aches for few days. 

This was also the year, where I was given the trust to lead a big event site wide, across the entire company of approximately 12,000 employees. But I was assigned the thing that I like to do, which is the Talent Competitions , involving Singing and Creative Talents. So, it didn't feel like work to me. I was blessed by a committed team members and we had successfully completed the 6 weeks events. Having to do event virtually brought a different set of challenges. Well, a very good learning process and lot of experiences. 

At the moment , I am planning a series of physical events for the Departments and also Site Events. Since more people had been vaccinated , we have some relax rules where physical events can take place after 2 years of restrictions. And again, I am doing what I like(my passions) and it doesn't feel like a dreaded work at all. 

But of course, I have to meet certain key results and standards in order to justify that all programs benefited the company. I have also expanded my role to jump into the Lean Journey, it is not something new but it has different challenges. Hope everything's went well for this. Going into the month of August, our team is planning a Merdeka Live Concert, again , this is my passions and I am willing to even do it for free :-). Have been doing this since primary schools and college time. Hope people will enjoy and have fun. Work Hard, Play Hard and Enjoy the Ride !          

   

How my GenX senses reacted towards Star Wars : The Last Jedi : No right or Wrong, it just me

The long awaited sequels of the Star Wars SAGA , Last Jedi hit the cinema in December 2018. To be exact, i went to the first show  , which was on the 13th December 2017. I booked online ticket for the four of us, my wife, kids and myself. The show started around 10.45pm. My wife who is not really a Star Wars fan regretted in committing to join us watching the movie. I expected she would be sleeping throughout the movie, but for this one, she was kind of awake and watched it until the end. My two kids enjoyed the movie pretty much. For them, Last Jedi is the better Star Wars movie compared to those Lucas Films era. So, this is exactly the point. Gen X: Gen Y : Gen Z Star Wars audience.

Disneyism in Star Wars : First of all , yes , one had to agree that business and stakeholder management is the priority in making movies. Disney paid for it , they could do whatever they wanted. Secondly, I am a Lucas Film Star Wars fan, I also have the right to share how I see things and how it should have been according to my preferences. Being a Generation X , the expectation for a Star Wars movie is surely different than those Gen Y and Z. But after watching the Force Awakens, and knowing the fact that Disney had bought over the franchise from Lucas film, i definitely readjusted my expectations towards this movie. Instead of putting 10/10 Stars of hope , i just limit it between 5 to 6, the most, and hopefully can go to 7 or 8, is a fairly bonus. The introduction of the movie was quite impressive with the X-Wings action of Poe Dameron & BB8 attacking the imperial battleships. It had kicked started the movie so well. It still feels like Star Wars.  And the scene of the resistance fleets trying to bomb the Imperials Fleet was a little bit like Star Trek style, but still ok to me. Anyhow , again , the commercial element of putting an Asian face (or to be exact , Chinese character) in the movie is obviously a marketing strategy to captivate the Chinese market. This is the same modus operandi in most of Hollywood movies nowadays, and Star Wars had no exemption on this. You could see the same applies during the Rogue One. Forget about Rogue One. (I left the theater hall after 30 mins of Rogue One).

Rey and Luke light-saber handing over scene. Again , it was a mere stereotype of Disney movie scene. The way the scene being explained was pretty awkward. Everything seems unnatural and not so Jedi like. It's like watching a Disney movie or Harry Potter type of plots. Those who tried to relate Empire Strikes Back scene where Luke met Yoda, may have problems to digest this. Luke whom was a hero which fans awaited so much to see , turned out to be some kind of half retarded character, if i were to relate, the closest would be the Johnny English Reborn scene, where Rowan Atkinson was recuperating at the Buddhist Temple. Of course, not exactly to that, but yes it did pass through my mind. There were unnecessary scene of Luke doing self survival like big fish catching, milking the Dinosaur alike creature. All these were definitely the  Disney signatures to woo the young generations and to have extra characters for commercial purposes. Well fine, business is business, but it could have been done better. In the sense that, it could be more Star Wars than ordinary Disney movie.

Rey Jedi Training Scene : The becoming a Jedi training scenes were also being cut short and simplified as being a Jedi just a simply straight forward. The stones elevation scene is not something new. True fans expected more than that. In fact, it was not a surprise as those were the official Teasers scene all over the internet.

Luke Skywalker Character change : Luke, on the other hand , is about the same age of Old Ben in the New Hope. The wise man character of Old Ben is contradict with Luke in this movie. Old Ben was portrayed as cool, funny and wise , in every move he made. The Old Ben character was so strongly developed in the old Star Wars movie. On contrary, Luke was illustrated as a lost person, easily vulnerable type and full of fear. The fear factor itself is already contradicting with the Jedi Knight concept. That is so confusing to the Law of the Jedi. Everyone who is a true Star Wars fan clearly understood this rule.

Chewbacca &; the new Creature  Porgs Scene : Well, this is obviously unnecessary character in Star Wars tradition. Unlike the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi which helped the Rebel to fight the Storm Troopers, these Porgs are just characters to catch certain viewers attention, so that it could become merchandise items.


Kylo - Rey Telepathic scene :  Well, this is something unexpected but yet not something extraordinary. Fans are definitely waiting for this kind of scene where some love elements between the male and female character. If that was the goal of these scene, well Disney had succeeded in meeting the fans expectation. But, it was still unclear in the beginning why Kylo-Rey had these kind of experience, until Supreme Snoke made it clear that he was the one planned for that to bring Rey to him.

Leia flying in space scene : This is another unexpected stupidity scene from Star Wars.  I don't feel like commenting much on this, but it has turned the climax of Leia's death into a cheap scene of Harry Potter alike.

Poe Dameron &; Admiral Amilyn Scene : This is another character whom I think politically involved into the movie. I am not sure what, but my sense tells me that. Some one who looks like Celine Dion with a weird fashion , not so good in acting and has very little impact. This person must have a good connection with Disney. I care not to further study but it has to be true somehow.

Supreme Leader Snoke, Rey &; Kylo Scene : This is almost a good idea but turned out to be sour as the Character (Snoke) was not holistically explained. I don't know this guy. Who is he ? In order for you to feel the drama, one has to understand clearly the role. Anyhow, if we relate to the Emperor during Empire Strikes Back , the character was clearer to the audience who this emperor is in the movie. At least we know that the emperor was the mastermind behind the Death Star and boss to Darth Vader. And we got to know more during the Return of the Jedi. On the other hand, Snoke was introduced in Force Awaken (sorry i didn't follow the comic or Expanded Universe) , assuming majority are like me, Snoke was introduced as a big hologram creature (i thought he was actually big), and Snoke was like being somebody so powerful that Kylo Ren had to bow him and has no say. In the Last Jedi, somehow Snoke becoming someone talkative and appears in real life. Something disconnect in the movie plots. The death of Snoke was unexpected , but the death through light saber , without even a fight , was really a trick to end the character and to justify the death. In Return of the Jedi, Attacks of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, we have seen great action where Palpatine fought Yoda , Master Windu , and minimally using the Sith Power to grill Luke Skywalker, but unlike Snoke, he was beaten without given a chance to fight. What a waste of character. Or is it about budget Rian Johnson , the director of this movie ? To a Gen X like me , he fails miserably to characterize Snoke as a memorable villain.  

 Kylo-Rey partnering fighting the Imperial Guards Scene : This is unexpected and supposed to be the best scene in this movie, at least in the fighting scene category. The fighting scene in Phantom Menance, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were far more superior than any of the fighting scenes in the Last Jedi. Even a first timer Star Wars fan could agree on this point. The key selling point of fighting scene in any Star Wars movie is the light saber fight. Light saber fights differentiate Star Wars from any other movie. So, given this as a fact , it has to be the most important part of the movie with all kind of special effects and techniques. Anyhow, the fight scene with the Imperial Guards were just like Pirate of the Caribbean alike kind of fights, just adding some special weapons that we have not seen before, but yet not surprising. To be fair  , I still like to watch that scene because of Rey. Rey is not yet a Jedi, so we don't expect much from her. But Kylo Ren, being the top villain in his movie, fought like a novice. He has always been that way since Force Awakens and even the final scene with Luke. Why Rian Johnson ?? I just couldn't digest this. 

Finn & Rose  Tico Scene with DJ : This is another wasted scene which could be eliminated in this movie. It was so insignificant to the story line and I believe it was added just to add more Disney flavors to the movie. Obviously it was just a marketing strategy to promote some kind of inter-racial collaboration into the movie. The scene of the mixed horse creature called Fathiers is so Disney alike, you could hardly feel being in a Star Wars movie during those moments.

Luke &; Yoda Scene : I only watched this movie once, i couldn't say much about this scene as I could hardly remember what it was all about in details. First of all, Yoda look younger than the Yoda in Return of the Jedi. Secondly, the hologram was like a video game kind of thing. It was just not what I expected a conversion between the legend and the Master. Luke was like a helpless person not knowing what needed to be done.

Salt-Red Battlefield Scene : I think this scene is about bringing a beautiful scene into a Star Wars Saga, just like those in Attack of the Clones where Anakin & Princess Amidala first fell in love. Not a big rejection from me , but deep inside, i expect more than just a scene.

Luke tried to murder Ben Solo scene : The scene could be better if there was a light saber battle between them, at least few strikes. But it was made simplified until it looks like a Bollywood movie. Seriously, what on earth was the director thinking to make that kind of scene ? The idea was good, but the simplification of the scene had ruined it completely. Luke face was turned out to be like an evil old man , totally contradicting with any seen Jedi before in the previous movies.

Finn &; Captain Phasma: A wasted scene I wish not to comment much. In short , an easy way out to end the Captain Phasma character.  I don't really understand the character of Captain Phasma in this movie. So I would rather not talking much about it. Skip Skip....

 Luke &; Kylo Final scene : Well, this is supposed to be the recovery of all recovery after all the major screwed up in the entire movie. When Luke appeared in front of the Battle Ship , wearing a full Jedi Robe and a light saber , I told myself that, " Ok, this is it...I am willing to forgive all the garbage seen earlier as long as the fight is a truly Jedi-Sith kind of fight". It has to be the best as this is Star Wars 8 , produced in year 2017. The technology must be the best, the idea must be the best....all must work perfectly.  When Kylo Ren gave orders to fire whatever they have , well , that was a great moment to see but, of course you know, it couldn't have ended Luke life that way. So , point no 1, it was not a surprise or wow factor. Than , the gay look alike thug , General Hux had a quarrel with Kylo Ren, it looks so classic copy paste of war movies or it reminds me of Mel Gibson movies. Or whatever. General Hux character has no impact to the entire movie, but similar to the previous Star Wars movie, these groups of Generals were also like a Milk Man faces. So, it doesn't really matter.
When Kylo Step out of the Ship (or whatever they call it ...) , my expectation was almost meeting the goal. The fight movement was almost perfect until finally it was just a Luke Hologram. And there was no light saber clashes at all. No crunchy electricity sound of a light saber friction. What a frustrated scene again. Of all the Star Wars hero, Luke light saber scenes were the least dramatic. And I was hoping, before he died , at least , have one unforgettable scene for the Gen X to remember Luke as the best Jedi ever. But that hope faded away. Thanks to the brilliant producer and director.

Rey the Last Jedi Scene: What should I comment on this scene when the expected scene was not as what I expected ? One thing for sure , this movie is not for the Gen X to feel good , or to bring back all those good memories of the great heroes of the 80's. It is just a movie that was trying to position itself into the current demand of the young generations, making some money and trying to say things like, hey ..Star Wars is still alive. But for a Gen X like me , particularly , Star Wars has died peacefully, and Mark Hamill or Harrison Ford  , I am with you, as frustrated as you are , the different was , you got the payment but I don't.







  

Once upon a Smule

It has almost been a year plus since I last did blogging. It took a lot of discipline to consistently do this activity. Well, as what been described above, I want to write something about my past 1 year experience with an Internet apps called "Smule'.

Smule is an apps that enable people to sing their favorite songs globally via the internet. I have been dreaming of singing or even writing my own song and share it with friends, this app does what I was hoping all these years.

Well, it started when I was browsing Facebook in late 2016 when I saw a friend of mine made a duet song with his brother. I clicked on the link and i could hear him singing the song pretty clear with the original minus one. I started to explore the apps via Playstore, and there you go, within minutes , I could sing my favorite song. To be exact , the free version only allows you to sing with others or you join other people song. In Smulers terms , they called it as OC or Open Call. You can only make your own OC if you pay the fees to enable you to become a VIP Member. Well, for the love of music , I made the payment for a month trial version. After a month, i renewed it as a year.

The madness began as I started to learn that most (if not all) of my favorite songs are available online. The beauty of this apps is that, the members can also contribute song to smule songs book by making a minus one songs and add the lyrics into it. I don't think I have the free time to spend on being the song composers but perhaps I might explore that one day. I believe it is a bit tedious to arrange the song and do all the editing work. For now, I just want to sing and not song editing.

My first song on Smule was  "Don't Cry" by Guns N Roses. Well, i didn't plan for it but it just pop-up in my mind for me to search for a song to sing. I joined the OC of a lady from Philippines I could recall it precisely. After i paid the VIP Fees for few bucks, I started to Open Call my own recording and then something interesting happened. People start to sing (or join me) with me and follow me. First week i got like 10 to 20 followers. Now i have nearly 500. To me , i don't really go for havibg too many followers. Quality and the people in it are more important to me. Another addictive feature on Smule is that, you can put a comment after singing a song and other people can also reply to your comment vice versa. It's something like Facebook comments. There is also a like button with a love shape symbol and this serve as an indicator on how many people like your collaboration or your OC.

You started to make friends with those you don't even know. This is of course , got Pros and Cons. There are good people in here and there are also not so good people. Good people are those who truly love to sing and respect the boundary. Not so good people, which is less than 1% are those whom like to create problem by using vulgar words in the comment section. But there is a solution to that, either you un-follow that person or you may block the person.

Pros and Cons of this apps to a person (based on my own experience) :

Pros :

1. It gives a cheap solution for Karaoke lovers , you don't have to spend money paying the karaoke
    business operator , you just need to pay like less than RM3 per month to enjoy the music.
2. Low cost because you don't gave to buy expensive gadget , you just need your smart-phone and an
   earphone with build-in microphone. Well, since I am crazy about singing, I have spent an
   additional  money on a better microphone, microphone holder and a high quality earphone. It
   really made a different as the sound quality is much clearer with hi fidelity.
3. It saves money as you don't need to drive out of your house to find an entertainment.
4. You make some new friends who share the same passion as you.
5. It gives you sense of satisfaction after a long hours of working.
6. Music is scientifically proven to relax your mind and reduce your stress level.


Cons :

1. You may sometime spend hours of time singing (Waste of time). You may not even realize that
    you have spent the whole day , just singing and singing. Well, it happens to me though. This is
    the  most challenging issue.
2. Your singing sound may annoy your family members and the neighbors of course.
3. The function  of personal messaging may cause unnecessary issues if people misuse it like start
    asking for personal information , contact numbers or even up to start some kind of personal
    relationship. By far , this is the most critical challenge. A person needs to have a high discipline in
    order not to involve with all these problems. Smule is a place to sing, and not for making romantic
    relationship. Keep that in mind , and strictly follow that. Do the right thing, and you can never go
    wrong.
4. People can easily get misunderstood by the comments that you put after each song , if you are not 
    careful enough with the words or emoticon. This will cause unnecessary clashes between the
    people, pretty similar like any other social media.

In summary, there are Pros and Cons of the technology around you. It all depends on you how you actually deal with it. But for different ages , it may vary on their level of involvement and time spend on these stuffs. As a family man with wife and kids, well , I have to manage this anyhow as not to cause unnecessary issues. But my wife is so kind enough knowing that singing and music are part of my DNAs even before this apps exist. I even told her that I wanted to change to other hobbies , like doing the 4X4, outdoor stuffs , but she insisted that I stick with Smule singing, the longest hobby that she had observed in me. In fact, she is more comfortable to see me staying at home, singing.

The social group : Like any other social media , Smule also allows you to have your own social group. I have been invited to join many social group , but I stick to one. My group is called #KLMJ_SKRU. Well, it was coined by two friends who love the same music genre as I am. KLMJ means "Kenangan Lama Mengusik Jiwa" or " Old memories that Teases your Soul" , meaning those old days songs you used to hear when you were kids, teenage or during your romantic years. sKRU means Smulers KRU. KRU is a local band known to sing rap and romantic songs. Most of our members love KRU and we join singing as a duet or even as a group. Combining these two theme, we formed up a coalition as KLMJ_SKRU. This social group is quite significant to me. It is like I am part of the big happy family. We chat and sing together. But again, there is always a limit to everything. Since the group involves males and females, we have to respect each other and watch out for the boundary conditions. We can be friends , we can share stories and even other hobbies , at the same time we have to understand the social rules and the limits of being a person. As long as we respect those guidelines, i  believe having a social group is manageable. I don't take it for granted. These people are like my own family , i do care for them, and hope that everyone can be friends forever.

Knock…knock…it's Luke Skywalker or Johnny English in Jedi Temple ??

Being in Cinema back in 1977 -1978 , i was only like 3 to 4 years old. I do not how to explain but I do remember watching Star Wars. It must be in either Cathay or Kapitol Cinema, back in my home town Sg Petani. I was with my siblings. Being the youngest and 6 years apart from my elder brother, I must be on one of my sister's  lap when I watched the first Star Wars movie. I didnt know then that the impact of watching that movie at the age of 4 had so much influence in my life. Not that I wanted to become a Jedi , but I do wish if I have to kind Jedi power. Especially in today's world to curb the crime rate or even to rally for the world peace.  Not to join the rebellious or now they call it the Resistance, but more towards having those Jedi Force and the lightsaber. Perhaps if I were to open a new political party , the Jedi Force could at least keep me out of jail for now.

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to have the lightsaber of my own. Not the toy lightsaber, but the real lightsaber. I wish that one day the technology can turn that into reality. Well, I am not dreaming of having it now, as I am 42 years old. But what the heck, if it really exist, why not. What the heck on earth I would be doing with a lightsaber? First of all, it would be cool to carry one with you whenever you go. Imagine, entering a  seven eleven with a Jedi costume and a lightsaber. It would also be handy when you have a Police Roadblock , where police normally would use a light baton or lightsaber look-alike as a tool to control the traffic. If I were to be booked, I just need to show them my lightsaber. Knowing that I am a Jedi, the police will surely let me pass without any hassles. Else, I will apply the Jedi mind trick on them. Sounds like a criminal ? Actually , I would love to help the police to curb for the  crimes. Especially those Mat Rempit or even those Big Bikers ! I just hate those who like to show off on public roads. I can use my lightsaber to ripp the bikes. Use my Jedi power to smash them apart. 

Apart from using it for violence or mass destruction , I can use the lightsaber for good, like cooking instant noodles, i can boil the water within seconds, BBQ , light-up charcoals and many more. So, who said the lightsaber is bad or practically harmful. 

Ok, enough of those pathetatic and sick imaginations,  the main reason I sit in front of this PC and do blogging, (actually this was written at the end of  2015) .  I had just watched Star Wars 7 : The Force Awakens. And I really got emotionally disturbed after watching it. After series of series non stop Star Wars movies on Astro Disney Channel and even TV3, I just coudnt help it to re-peatedly watch those nostalgic movies, over and over again. My kids didnt seem to follow me. They watched those movies with me but to them were just like watching a Disney channel, no Jedi , no Obi Wan spirits and definitely no Luke Skywalker thrills. Knowing me , a big fan of Star War, my wife had to sacrifice her routine Korean Dramas.  A Malay speaking Korean dramas, a stereotype good looking ladies and baby face heroes. All using Samsung Galaxy , driving Hyundai and eating Kimchee. All about fighthings to be in power to rule the empire of Soy Sauce Factories !!! 

Enough of the Korean drama !! I took my kids to the Cinema as early as 4pm to get the 9.30pm. I just hate long queue , and front row sits. Before we enter the cinema, I told my kids to go to the restroom and settle whatever nature calls upfront. So there we go, 9.20pm, as we entered the Cinema , it feels like the old days. Popcorns , Biscuits and Sodas. I purchased a stupid Star Wars T-Shirt for RM29.90. Free size but finally I gave it to my son as I really dont like the rubber materials that made up the Storm Troopers. Knowing that this movie is different from the other Pre-quels, because they brought back the main characters like Princess Leia, Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker, I sat in the cinema with a high expectation of having the memories of those heroic figures to be the main characters. I waited patiently as the movie rolled. The introduction of the Star Wars signature Opening Crawl, I was so happy to see Luke Skywalker name mentioned. So , this is about Luke Skywalker and not about Chewbacca. My son Mat Adam started to nag and wanted to go to restroom again. Oh dear , go with your sister, I am watching the movie. With the introduction of Storm Troopers that were about to make an attack, the movies really brought a high hope that Luke Skywalker would appear in the  next 5 mins to 15 mins.

But no, the story started off in a village with Poe Dameron , the new character talking to a one old guy that resembles the Old Ben. In that intro conversation, Luke Skywalker name was mentioned again.  I was getting excited. It's about a digital map to find Luke Skywalker. I got really really excited , I have not seen my childhood heroes in action for more than 20 years. But again, Luke was nowhere to be found, only sounds of blaster guns and a weird looking gay Darth Vader alike. What the FISH !! okay, I calm myself down , Luke will surely appear in the next 10 minutes. I have waited since the last few months of crazy publicity and teasers on youtube , of course I could wait for another 10 mins. The BB-8 is no longer a surprise. Same scene as was in 1976 as Princess Leia was giving a secret hologram recorder to R2D2. Hey, this is 2015 , JJ Abrams still use the same shit ! Come on ! People have been waiting for years to see the come back and you gave the same trick of a droid taking a thumb drive and escape ! What the OCTOPUS !!!

Ok, the X Wings looks real , a credit for this movie. But who the CAT is this Poe Dameron. Just look like somebody from a sit-com. OK , as long as I can see Luke Skywalker in action , I forgive you Poe. So Kylo Ren. Something that is no longer a surprise , looks like Darth Vader. Again , JJ Abrams took a cheap idea again !! How much you got paid to recycle the idea !! ok, I forgive you, it is not just you, Lucas must also said "Hey…we must re-invent Darth Vader for the Gen Y"..He must be Gay Looking , not so good in acting, having a deep voice but doesnt sound intelligent …just like the Gen Y wants him to be. And the Gen Z like my kids may not really bother how he looks like. So, obviously, the abandoned Gen X like me is not the target market of this movie after all. So the new lightsaber is supposed to be the killer Toy. But it doesnt look like a tradional lightsaber , more like a Power Blaze Zippo or the one that they use in Manhattan Fish Market to Turbo Boost the Fish. And out of nowhere , the storm troopers used the flame thrower to burn the village. Flame Thrower ????? what an ANT HOLES !! Star Wars using flame thrower ??? This is like 80s movie ,  Exterminator . Ok I forgive my RM10 ticket, as long as Luke Skywalker appear, i don't mind even if they use an Angry Bird Catapult. But the long awaited hero is no where to be found in the first 10 minutes. I started to feel nausea and started eating those Popcorns and Famous Amous. So, Kylo Ren has super force. Of course, it is expected , he is the villain. But it looks to me just like a Play Station Character, of course he will be one, but in the movie, just like another video-game animated movie. But of couse, who would have thought a Jedi or Sith could stop or pause the Blaster Laser, which looks like a Photoshop gone wrong lighting. So Kylo Ren, why are you wearing those mask ? Having problem with breathing or he is so health concious.  He sounds just like a WWF Wrestler who is confused  !! No Darth Vader breathing effect . Grand  SON OF a Beast !! Ok…come on….not everything is bad about him. I kind of like the idea of the Cross Guard light saber , it can be used to light up cigarrettes or burn-carving your names on rocks. Most importantly it can be used for welding. But the one that bother me the most is would it posssibiliy burn your own hand as you swing the lightsaber. That's perhaps why Kylo wears protective gloves. This is not a movie review, just a a frustation as Luke Skywalker is not appearing after 15 mins of the movie.

ok, forget about Luke, his face was not even on the poster. I thought it was a gimmick. Maybe he is the most highest paid actor in the world that putting his picture would cost so much for Lucasfilm. The next character in this movie is the gorgeous Rey , the British accent character , Daisy Ridley. An expected character of coming out of nowhere just to create a character. Since she is good looking and full with stamina, I forgive her and forget about Luke for a while. But then , this another character , Finn , a black male really bother me ever since the premier. Another Denzel Washington in a fiction movie. They could have find someone that looks much better like Will Smith or I dont mind if he looks like Michael Jackson or Eddie Murphy. But this double agent storm trooper  character is so unacceptable. Storm Troopers are like cheap soldiers easily got wacked even by Princess Leia, R2D2 or Chewie. But this guy without any Jedi training could somehow handle a lightsaber that nearly got Kylo Ren into trouble. Imagine, a storm trooper can do that.  So they make this movie a better mixed or diverse, they need to create a black man , like Lando Calrisian. I dont have issues with Lando , but this Finn guy really a spoiler to me. This is not about race but the character himself. This is Star Wars. A so expensive and awaited movie of the year, how can they let this happened. Is this guy related to Barrack Obama or what ????  Put aside the good looking , but the quality of the act is just average. How did they make the cast for this character. We have serious issue over here !! ohh man…..JJ , you can even put Mike Tyson as the Betrayed Storm Trooper, he wouldnt bite anyone's ear. I am sorry JJ, maybe I am too old for all this. From the eye of the Gen Y, maybe this guy is cool. But who cares !! I am Gen X , the one that grew up with Star Wars. I felt betrayed even the ticket is just RM10/=.  

Ok, back to the beautiful young Jedi to be , Rey, the Scavenger Hunter. She is tought , slick , intelligent and independence. That's how I look at her character. Sexy ?? well , perhaps because of her independence and focus. I have no issue with her character. Something out of the box from JJ Abrams. Her role in this movie is the only new role that i feel fit the new era of Star Wars. Never had the idea that she has the Jedi Power. So , this is unexpected and this is what a movie should be. At least, an expensive and long awaited movie. But then it would be better if she posses certain weapon at the beginnnig of the movie like constructing some kind of new weapon that has some laser element in it. Perhaps not a light saber but maybe a knife saber that she found during the scavengering. A lots if Jedi were killed, dont tell me that it is illogical for someone to find their light sabers or parts of it. If I were JJ Abrams, I would have instill this surprise element in this movie at the very beginning. Rey could have constructed her own weapon using the main element of the lightsaber, some sort of crystal that release energy. That's what the Jedi myth was all about. Constructing a lightsaber would be too much for a scavenger but a small knife with lightaber element might be okay. or perhaps the light-spears. There I go again, pretending to be JJ Abrams. Go FISH!!! But at least this would make the Gen X happy. We used to live in those light saber years. So light sabers to us are like worms to the fishing hook. They hook each other. Aren't that supposed to be the goal of this movie.   George Lucas, you should have hired me, I could have made you more Lucas than any other Lucas !!

Hans Solo , on the other hand…also not appearing as what I had expected him to be, but at least his appearance was way more significant than Master Luke,  thought he ended up his character by being light-stabbed by his own son. I couldnt recall any memorable punch line , phrases or jokes that came out of him from the Force Awakens. Or perhaps it is just me who no longer had the ability to comprehend the message brought by JJ in this movie. Yes , I have to admit than I am getting old and outdated amongst these days Gen Ys and Zs movies . Chewie looks younger than ever. I had expected a touching moment from Chewie during Hans Solo's death. But it was just another typical Wookie sound.

The last scene between Rey and Luke Skywalker seems to me like a discovery channel. Yes, the scenery was great, for a discovery channel. It would be much better if Bear Grylls was the one climbing that hill and passing the light saber to Luke. At least Bear could teach Luke how to drink his own urine and survive with the Bear Grylls ultimate knife rather than light saber. Anyhow, being a Star Wars fan, I had to admit that the best scene was during Rey's vision as she touched the light saber. Ok, let's wait for the next movie, I hope all the expectations would at least come close to the reality. Probably, I have to think like Gen Ys if I were not to be disappointed. What if Dato Vida joint venture with George Lucas and JJ Abrams ? That would be a brand new Star Wars. I believe Chewie will become pink and Finn would become white. Carrie Fisher would be casted out and replaced with Princess Vida Organa Pamoga !!! Peace Yo bro & sista !!! May the Force be with Ya !!!