Rapid Status-Changing at the 81st Oscars

I don't usually follow the Oscars in great depth. I'll read information about them and make plagiarized guesses on who'll win, but I never put myself to watch the 4-hour routine. However, having seen some of the movies in contention beforehand, an unusual jolt of excitement made me want to watch this year's festivities live. It wasn't generated from a tight-locked battleground between nominees, for the pre-Oscar atmosphere was pretty-clear cut: Slumdog Millionaire would reign supreme. On the other hand, it was also this amazing story that became the sole catalyst in pumping me up for the Oscars. I liked the flick so much, from it's classic rags-to-riches theme, to it's little moments of shocking cruelty, to it's vibrant colors and sounds, and mostly, to it's feverish feel-good factor , all mixed into Danny Boyle's masterful masala of a movie. It had a certain brand of magic, the type of movie that appeals both to the critics and masses alike. It made me want to cheer for it to take all honors, although I haven't seen movies like Frost/Nixon, The Reader, and Milk. It made me believe that winning Best Picture was it's destiny, as I think almost everyone who watched the movie believed.

I was up a bit late, and then found out that there were not any live airings on the tivo, so I had to find a stream on the net. Luckily, I found one and it ran pretty smoothly. Some awards like best supporting actress and best animated picture were already handed out, so I had to do with Hugh Jackman, Zack Efron, and Beyonce performing cabaret in a tribute to the musical genre.

The other tab I opened was at the homepage of E!, where facebook status updates from people around the world watching the Oscars were flickering by the second. Every single moment brought a change to someones shoutout. And I thought: Hey, Why I shouldn't I do this?

Ranaditya is streaming the Oscars. 9:49am

And so I did.

Ranaditya isn't sure what to say about the tribute to the musical... 9:58am

Yup, I didn't really know what to make of it. It wasn't bad, but probably I wasn't just in the right set of mind to hear a medley that included Lady Marmalade and Summer Nights. But one thing was sure. Hugh Jackman is one hell of a stage performer. He totally fit the bill to host.

Ranaditya likes the way the nominees are announced this year. 10:07am

This was a really, really neat twist. By having five previous winners of an acting category each read a praise toward one nominee, it made the whole thing really feel like a peer to peer recognition of merit. You could feel as if a bond was created by the legends on stage presenting with the select nominees waiting for the call of triumph.

Ranaditya is seeing Heath Ledger's final tribute. 10:09am













The Joker's last laugh was a shoe in, but it was touching nevertheless to see Heath's family accept the award.

Ranaditya thinks that Benjamin won by a country mile for visual effects... 10:29am

With a playing field including the well-done Iron Man and the realistic Dark Knight, it was there all along for Benjamin Button to win best VFX with it's seamless use of CGI to portray it's aging (and more importantly, backward-aging) characters.

Ranaditya : Slumdog is on a roll! Not bad, Chai-Wallah!!! 10:37am

Not bad indeed. By this moment, Slumdog had already collected 4, adding the little gold men for sound-mixing and editing.

Ranaditya : nice medley! Define Dancing + Latika's theme! 10:54am

Wondrous. Both songs have already been on this blog's music player for quite a while hehe...

Ranaditya : A.R. Rahman's work is genius! 10:55am

From http://ranadityaalief.blogspot.com/2009/02/late-night-karaoke-song-002-jai-ho.html

"A.R. Rahman's work on the soundtrack is diamond. Every note of music (including the use of contemporary songs) blends in and enchances the emotions throughout every second of the film. Magical".

Ranaditya : A.R. Rahman's is performing AND winning at the same time. 11:02am



He just won best soundtrack and performed with John Legend on a medley of "Down To Earth" (OST Wall-E), O..Saya (feat vocals from M.I.A.), and Jai Ho. Was it Deja Vu when he immediately won best song for Jai Ho?

Ranaditya hmm... I must watch this 'Departures' from Japan. Funny speech! 11:09am

Winning best foreign language film, the cast & crew receiving the award courageously spoke in broken English on stage. Did he take cues from the governator on the end?



Ranaditya : it was Danny Boyle's destiny. 11:21am

From start to end. And so for his magnum opus (though some may argue). Only he could bring the energy needed to lift Slumdog to its heights.

Ranaditya thinks that best actress Kate is hot, but Marion from last year is even hotter. 11:35am


















For this night only, I thought she looked way hotter. Congratulations to Kate for finally winning it after 6 tries.

Ranaditya :A gay politician may have cost me a month's worth of free tickets at Blitz. 11:45am

On a Blitz Megaplex Oscar sweepstakes quiz on the net, I shamelessly followed comingsoon.net's final picks for the winner in each category except best lead actor. The Oscar Warrior went with the tailor-made (biopic, gay), while I defected and went with the sentimental Golden Globe winner. My only original choice turned out to be costly, as it was the only one wrong choice I made. Sean Penn edged Mickey Rourke in the battle between the reborn 80's badboys. And I should stop pretending to be know-it when it comes to movies hehe...

Ranaditya : The Best Picture nomination montage is haunting. 11:51am

The more I think about it, the more this year's Oscars seems to look like hall of fame acceptance show. You really get a sense that each winner is etching their name in history.



Ranaditya : Slumdog is finally crowned a millionaire. Best Picture. 11:54am

Finally, the obvious moment I had waited so long to see. Destiny fulfilled.

One last goodie:



All in all, an improvement from last year!
Good Night, and Good Oscars!

-R

Late Night Karaoke Song 002: Jai Ho

Jai Ho
by A.R. Rahman (OST Slumdog Millionaire)

jai ho
jai ho

aaja aaja jind shamiyane ke tale
aaja jariwale nile aasman ke tale

jai ho
jai ho

ratti ratti sachi maine jaan gavayi hai
nach nach koylo pe raat bitayi hai
akhiyon ki neend maine phoonko se uda di
neele tare se maine ungli jalayi hai

aaja aaja jind shamiyane ke tale
aaja jariwale nile aasman ke tale

chakh le ha chakh le ye raat shahad hai chakh le
rakh le ha dil hai dil aakhri had hai rakh le
kala kala kajal tera koi kala jadoo hai na

kala kala kajal tera koi kala jadoo hai na

aaja aaja jind shamiyane ke tale
aaja jariwale nile aasman ke tale

jai ho jai ho
jai ho jai ho

kab se ha kab se tu lab pe ruki hai kah de
kah de ha kah de ab aankh jhuki hai kah de
aisi aisi roshan aankhe roshan dono bhi hai hai kya

aaja aaja jind shamiyane ke tale
aaja jariwale nile aasman ke tale

jai ho
jai ho
jai ho
jai ho

(http://www.metrolyrics.com/jai-ho-lyrics-ar-rahman.html)

R: Sweet Bollywood homage in the credits of this truly awesome movie. A.R. Rahman's work on the soundtrack is diamond. Every note of music (including the use of contemporary songs) blends in and enchances the emotions throughout every second of the film. Magical.

-R

Movids I: 'Transfomers: Revenge of The Fallen' teaser

Even if there's gonna be some Megatron-sized plot holes and logical lapses in it, I'm still gonna see it for the spectacle and popcorn. It's good to feel like a kid...

-R

Waking up at 10.00 PM

As I'm typing these words, the clock on the screen says 3:00 AM.

I woke up from an 'extended' nap around 10.00 PM yesterday, so I guess I'm not totally insomniac, either. I'm also positive that humans aren't nocturnal beings, more so to those who don't work or go out at night on a daily basis. Having said that, these kinds of 'irregular sleeping patterns' usually infect me on holidays. Before bed, I'd go online and surf through all kinds of stuff, from the important to the trivial to the completely irrelevant (not necessarily in that order), and end up shutting down before dawn. In other words, an excuse I'd register as a reason for my behavior would be that I'm addicted to the internet.

But I'm not typing at... 3.10 AM to talk about why I've shamelessly embraced this habit, but rather to get to know about it a bit better. I don't smoke or take any kind of shit, so I'm not sick or anything, but I'm just a bit curious about sleeping through the day and waking up through the night.

It's now 3.23 AM, I've just googled up 'irregular sleeping' and visited:

http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000800.htm

and focused on this part of the article:

PROBLEMS STICKING TO A REGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE

Problems may also occur when you do not maintain a consistent sleep and wake schedule. This occurs when traveling between times zones and with shift workers on rotating schedules, particularly nighttime workers.

Sleep disruption disorders include:

• Irregular sleep-wake syndrome
• Jet lag syndrome
• Natural short sleeper (the person sleeps less hours than normal but has no ill effects)
• Paradoxical insomnia (the person actually sleeps a different amount than they think they do)
• Shift work sleep disorder

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by 3.33 AM I've assumed that I'm suffering from the disorder in bold, even though I don't exactly 'work' at night. So I searched it on the net and was led to this site:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/Sleep_Disorders/hic_Shift_Work_Sleep_Disorder.aspx

here's an excerpt:

What is shift work sleep disorder (SWSD)?

SWSD is a sleep disorder that affects people who frequently rotate shifts or work at night. Schedules of these people go against the body’s natural Circadian rhythm, and individuals have difficulty adjusting to the different sleep and wake schedule. SWSD consists of a constant or recurrent pattern of sleep interruption that results in insomnia or excessive sleepiness. This disorder is common in people who work non-traditional hours, usually between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

What are the symptoms of SWSD?

• Difficulty concentrating
• Headaches
• Lack of energy

Not every shift worker suffers from SWSD. However, if you are a shift worker and experience any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor.

What are the consequences of SWSD?

• Increased accidents
• Increased work-related errors
• Increased sick leave
• Increased irritability, mood problems, etc.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hmpf, no wonder I really, really have a bad mood whenever I have to attend class after a long night's 'shift' or more evidently, when I pick up a call from my friend in the morning (ask Eja).

Well, It's already 4.54 AM, and I've had some detours, so I guess it's time for me to test my luck in tucking in.

See you when I wake up (if I can sleep)!

-R

Late Night Karaoke Song 001: Bella Notte

Bella Notte
by George Givot, Bill Thompson And Disney Studio Chorus (OST Lady and the Tramp)






Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one,
You'll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell,
When the one you love is near!
Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!
On this lovely bella notte!

(http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/classicdisney/bellanotte.htm)

R: Lovely song, perfect serenade for one of the most romantic scenes ever in animation history, from arguably Disney's most romantic masterpiece. The fact that I can enjoy these kinds of tunes is pretty ironic, by the way.

Here's a Japanese take on it. Sadly, it says on the page that the singer passed away a few years ago. Bless her soul.



-R

All-Star Weekend Phoenix '09: Below The Ring

As usual, since the decline of my beloved Pacers, the only NBA-related events I follow are the NBA All-Star Weekend and the finals at the very end of each season. This year's star-studded festivities were held in Phoenix, home of the Suns. The question is: did it live up to previous weekends?


Let's elaborate a little.

All-Star Friday saw the sophomores continue their dominance over the rookies with a 122-116 win . Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder led the way with a record 46 points. He was in the middle of things again when he won the inaugural HORSE competition the next day.

Like Kevin, this year's 1st draft pick Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls certainly did no harm on his tag as one of the brightest young players in the game. His silky point guard skills were on showcase as he passed the obstacles throughout the skills challenge to win with aplomb (check out the dunk finish).



Moving forward, the shooting stars competition wasn't really a crowd-pleaser in this year's event. Team Phoenix were beaten by Detroit in the second round. Their inability to hit the half-court shot cost them dearly (it took 22 attempts).





Next, Miami Heat shooting guard Daequan Cook performed impressively in the 3 point shootout. Dethroning 2-time champion Jason Kapono, Daequan needed a tiebreak to beat Orlando's Rashard Lewis to win the contest. He finished with a total of 19 points over Rashard's 7.



And to cap things off, the slam dunk contest brought defending champion Dwight "Superman" Howard to face-off against 2006 champion Nate Robinson, J.R. Smith of the Nuggets, and fan-voted Spaniard Rudy Fernandez from the Trailblazers.


There were some neat dunks, although most of them seemed like slight modifications of previous dunks seen in the competition. Having said that, the showmanship, especially from Howard and Robinson was exceptional. Dwight had me laughing on my pants when he brought out a telephone box and a higher ring just to pull off his tricks. Nate was also hilarious when he went to the dressers and came out all green. He was dubbed "Krypton-Nate" as opposed to Dwight being the man in red and blue tights. Probably his dunk over Dwight in the end justified his win with a 52% fan vote. A poor final dunk from Howard also blew the wind in his direction, so I guess the villain deservedly had the last laugh

To wrap things up was Sunday's All-Star Game. Of course it was more circus fare than competition with all the big names and party tricks. It even began before the game, with Shaq showing sweet dancing skills for a seven footer.



Shaq was the center of the attention for the course of the match, with my personal fave of the night: a give and go with CP3 through the legs of Dwight. Now that's funny.



In the end, the romanticism that was Kobe and Shaq playing again in the same team proved deadly, easing the West to a resounding 146-119 over the East. Rightly so, Kobe and Shaq were both named as co-MVP's for the game.



So, to answer the question on how it measures up to the All-Star Weekends of yesteryear, the answer would be yes, but barely. While the usual excitement and razzle-dazzle was there, no records were shattered, and more over, bar-Sunday, no one really brought the house down (read: Carter in '00, Dwight in '08). With that in mind, I can safely say that while the weekend was fun, it was below the ring for those expecting to be blown away.

-R

2 Shirts

Aloha!

Just got back from watching 'Valkyrie' (3.5/5) at Blitz, GI. Haven't bought any clothing for a while, so when I popped by 'Alun-Alun Indonesia' on the 3rd floor, my eyes were instantly fixated at a certain display entitled "Indonesia Hari Ini".













There were some celebrity-designed environmental bags, installment art, and some local designer fashion wear. I guess it was quite nice, although my judgment was probably clouded by the fact that I'm not much of an art curator and that the store was halfway closing down (some of the works were in the middle of being shelved for tomorrow).

However, the thing that really brought me there was a stack of tees with some pretty sweet prints. In my opinion, the designs were definitely on par with those you usually see in upper-end retail stores. But what struck me the most was the content: everything was centered around something Indonesian; potraits of Soekarno, wayang siluets, Sumatran tigers.


And then, what hit me like lightning was:



















Hoorah! The tees were around 140.000 -150.000 IDR. Put the discount in and I got two for the price of one. Fucking sweet. Love this bitch of a country.

So I got these:

Gerindra in dark chocolate

















and...

Aceh's very own Xena

















Not to shabby, don't you think? Call me lacking of class or unfashionable, but at least I firmly believe that these are better value than those in topman or graniph (the latter isn't bad, if you go for 4/5, that is).

I mean, who needs a body fit when your body isn't fit?

Oops.

-R

http://www.alunalunindonesia.com/
http://magichappensclothing.blogspot.com/

I'll know I'm in Heaven if...#1

God the Almighty says hi to me in the form of this:

and talks to me in different impersonations, like this:



Spacey rules. That in mind, this is what I call blasphemy:

-R

Four or Five Years Old

The 18th Letter

is R