Titanic: Amplified, Magnified & Rightly So

I've forgotten how strongly associated my childhood was with the television and big screen. I was eleven when I first watched Titanic and I didn't understand why my mom had 'a lump in her throat' when she watched Jack die. Today, I cried my eyes out watching this movie, after fifteen years when it was first released. The 3D added to it's magic and my sentiments were shared by many people who were reminded of the beauty that is Titanic, as a movie and as a lesson in life.

From Titanic, I learned that a woman should find a man who not only teaches her to fly, but supports her and gives her time to cherish the flight.

From the crowd of human beings, I am reminded that first-class or third-class, it doesn't matter - in the end we all fight for survival and become one on equal grounds.

From the woman in the lead role, I admire Rose's strength in the face adversity, for challenging her belief system onboard the magnificent ship, and for standing up for what she believed in. The image of her blowing the whistle with unwavering determination stays with me until now.

From the man in the lead role, I embrace the carefree-ness that is embodied in Jack Dawson, that which spurred the fire that he loved in Rose. Yet I also realize that the fire was in Rose all along, she ignited it herself when she decided to fight to live and grew to live the life of her dreams. The picture of her straddling a horse with a big smile stretched on her face is evident of that, as a promise to her lover as she became her new brave self.

From Rose, I learned the way to reject what her mother told her - if she had listened, she would have ended up with the short-tempered and disdainful Cal (and I can think of a lot more things to call him).

Every time I watch it, a new experience is formed, and my experience yesterday was heightened by 3D. If you're a fan, go watch it. If you're not, well then you suck.

My 13-year-old cousin gushed about how she would be able to see Leo's features up and close in 3D. It was nice to see a relic of my time being appreciated now in the 21st century because Leo does not look the same as he did.

Nietzsche on a Monday

I seem to be writing all my posts from the office, which is where I spend the majority of my time. The itch to get a portable writing instrument is growing stronger by the day, and I reckon it would be a very good investment. Perhaps a shiny iPad or even something less highbrow. Many of my hours have been spent on the road, getting stuck in typical Kuala Lumpur traffic jam which shows no sign of reversing or slowing down. In fact, the general consensus seems to be that it is getting worse by the day. A public holiday in KL is like extra presents on Christmas Day, with the exhilarating feeling of coasting down a usually-packed highway. Freedom, perhaps or just the illusion of it. I'm easily fooled. I had a very unproductive weekend and because of this, I am determined not to have another. The weekend that passed should be used to serve my ever-weakening purpose of Getting Somewhere Good. I'm not sure where I'm going to, to be honest but enough of that already. I had an opportunity to get behind the scenes at a workshop for human rights recently. But because of the way life has been going lately, it was banned because the Malaysian government is made up of homophobes and anti-West pushers. Hypocrisy at its best. I was quite sad because I learned so much in the two days that I was in attendance, and met so many new people. I do enjoy pushing my boundaries, now I just need to find other outlets. There is a blanket of oppression that seems to suffocate Malaysia. Perhaps it is my paranoia talking but I can't help but feel that what goes on behind closed doors are an indicator of a society's health. And I reckon that Malaysia isn't so healthy to be honest. Malaysians don't know how to be true to themselves, myself included. I have been reading a lot on being true to yourself and I think things like these can easily be spun in the wrong direction. Being true to yourself doesn't necessarily mean following every whim and desire. You can't help how you feel but you can choose how you respond or act upon it. Being true means sticking to what you truly believe in, even while remaining open-minded to new suggestions. It is the balance of following your heart and listening to the nagging voice in your head. If something feels wrong, then it probably is. No one can say it isn't wrong, because everyone's perception of right and wrong will differ. Like Nietzsche said: "You do it your way, I shall do it my way. As for the right way and the wrong way, there is no such thing." More on this soon. Gotta get back to my wine-tasting notes. Whoopeeeeeeee!