Brick Mansions- Afterthought

Thanks Nuffnang

Let's face it, people are going to watch this movie regardless of the quality. But don't worry coz it's not too shabby as an action flick. (Read: Bad storyline, good ass-kicking and shooting scenes)

The Brick Mansions is the neighbourhood hell which is surrounded by a 40 foot containment wall, because, criminals. And poverty. But mostly criminals. Lino (David Belle) is an ex criminal turned good guy who still lives in the Brick Mansions.

Damien (Paul Walker) is the cop who has a deal to settle with the kingpin of Brick Mansions, Tremain (RZA). Tremain killed his dad when the dad (who was also a cop) was raiding his office.

The movie starts by introducing Lino and his awesome parkour skills. Then it goes on to introduce Damien and his awesome butt-kicking (and crashing) skills. Then it introduces the ex-gf of Lino (and his reason to start working with Damien). Then it brings in the start of the actual plot, when a truck carrying a bomb was hijacked by the thugs working for Tremain. Damien was sent in to save the Brick Mansions from destruction because the bomb start counting down when the suitcase carrying it is opened the wrong way.

There are a lot of fighting, running, shooting, parkour-ing(?), and Paul Walker driving like-a-boss scenes. It's undoubtedly fast paced, but too fast for a good plot to unfold. It's a YES, GO WATCH IT if you're an adrenaline junkie, and a yes, go watch it if you (are starting to) miss Paul Walker.

I did love the action parts, but the plot is blergghh. After the movie, there's a tribute to Paul Walker, which almost made me cry even though I'm not his biggest fan. He's still a nice and humble person, and we have one less of those now. =( Those baby blues will be missed. Rest in peace you sexy beast.

That's what J_Fish has to say~ Au Revoir

Easy, A

It's a play of words with the movie title Easy A, you know, with Emma Stone in it. (LOVE IT, LOVE HER).

"A" here is a man whom I've known for a few years now, but rarely had the chance (or need) to talk to, until very recently. Ok, let's call him MISTER A, out of respect. (Or as the oh-so-me would put it, Mr A).

(Had to pause writing and finish my lives in Candy Crush because I'm easily distracted. FMAttentionSpan.)

So, back to Mr A. He is someone who has a lot of life knowledge that he is always ready to share, BUT he always could twist those lessons back towards himself in the end and make it work for him. I'm just going to share some of that here.

(Had to pause writing and tried to learn "The Way You Look Tonight" on the uku. FMAP 2. Hopefully there's no 3.)

1. People only have 30 thousand days on earth, no more, no less. (No idea how he explains those people who die young) No matter if you're happy or sad, 30k will be 30 k. (Live it well).
2. We use our first 10 thousand days to learn, the second 10k days to use what we learned, and the last 10k days to reap what we sowed.
3. That's why we have to learn as much as we can. Don't wait till working hours to learn (about work related stuff), even weekends should be fully used for learning (work related stuff).
4. We have to keep pushing ourselves, keep learning. Make full use of our lives.
5. When the 30k days are up, make sure that you can say that you have lived a good life. Make sure you won't regret because you did nothing your entire life.

Here's what he actually means: OT FYL. (Even though the work concerned is not urgent) Wait, what life, life is for people who are in their final 10k days.

Well, if you're thinking that I'm a lazy person, I do learn after working hours, just that I would like to learn something that's unrelated to work. It might or might not help me earn a lot of money, but I'm sure I would be happier than to spend my entire 20k days ONLY doing work related stuff. If the work is urgent and it's my responsibility to finish it, then I would OT. But I finish my work very fast so that never needed to happen. If it's not urgent, why would I need to OT? I plan my time well enough to avoid that.

Not everyone wants to be a millionair you know. Some of us are just content with having a simple life.

I'm not saying I don't want to learn about work, but if it's about filling myself with knowledge, it might as well get in line.

ALSO, I would like to be more focused if it's learning about work. I've been learning to be a translator and copywriter, and now I'm doing something entirely different. If it's about learning, I think I should more or less master something before moving on, if not I would feel that all my life I've never accomplished something and just gave up half way through. How else would I be able to answer myself when the 30k days is up?

We all have our own way of life, so I didn't answer back, out of respect, out of fear, because I don't want to step on toes. Some of his life lessons are worth pennies.

The lesson learned: Take the advice, decide which are the ones that you actually want to keep. Discard the rest, or write it down for the future you. Maybe you'll see things differently when you're his age. Maybe not. Discard then.

Did pause again to play games on my phone, chat on FB, and blanked out awhile so FMAP 3, 4 and 5. Not too bad.

That's what J_Fish has to say~ Au Revoir~

Fresh grad these days

I'm not sure if people that I know are mostly from Public universities so we have the same way of seeing things, or the fresh grads few years after me have unrealistic expectations of their first job. 

First we start with salary. People actually expect to get at least RM2.5k and above as a fresh grad? Well it depends on which company you go to and what kind of degree you hold, (of course people with professional degrees could expect more) but most companies would only offer RM2k. 

If you expect to start buying a house and a car with your own salary once you graduate, you're delusional. Well it's possible if you have parents to help pay for the down payment, but even then, you could only get a car with that pay. 

That's if, you stay at home. If you rent a place by your own, it would cost more. Rent, utilities, and food would take up most of your salary. 

If you expect to be paid a lot, you better expect the stress and 'no life' lifestyle which comes with it. 

A few of my friends earns a lot after a year of working, but they have no time to spend it because of all the OT. With all that work, you would be lucky to be able to stay free during both days of the weekend, and by then, you'd be too lazy to go out. 

With no experience and a bachelor's degree like a lot of other people out there, what makes you think you deserve more than others? 

Let's look at it like this: a degree ensures that you are on a leveled playing field as others. What takes you to the next level is you capability, intelligence, and maturity. 

Start low, and if you're really capable, they'll give you a raise because you'll be an asset. If you want a 9-5 job which pays well, good luck. It's possible to find, but you'd need a lot of Lady Luck's smiling rays to shine upon you. 

That's what J_Fish has to say~ 

The Maze Runner

Pose with book because that's how people "prove" they read.

For the first time ever, I finished a book BEFORE the movie came out. *achievement unlocked*

I was browsing through the Popular Sale in 1U while waiting for the screening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (thanks Nuffnang!!) and at first, I saw the book set of Game of Thrones on sale, 5 books for RM150. I took it, put it back, took it, put it back a few times, and decided that 5 paperbacks for RM150 isn't that worth the money. So I (sadly) walked away, then I saw the book set for The Maze Runner series + the prequel: The Kill Order. 4 books for RM60. Fair enough.

It took me about 2 weeks to finish the first book. I'm not that much of a book lover, I won't say that to make myself sound "nerdy cook" (unlike a lot of posers out there). I do, however, read occasionally. It's something my parents nurtured us sisters into since we were young. They bought a lot of books for us, (my dad mostly, mom thinks we should just borrow from libraries. They're both right in their own way.)

Now about The Maze Runner. I didn't know what it's suppose to be about. When I first started reading it, I didn't fall in love right away. Everything was vague, and I can't get a mental image.

Now that I've finished, I'm glad I bought the entire set, because the first book ends with a hang. It's saying "To Be Continued..." without using the words. If it wasn't because I finished reading the first book before I went to work, I would have started on the second book.

The Maze Runner is about Thomas, the protagonist who one day woke up in a metallic box with no significant memory at all. The metallic box turns out to be a lift and he was headed to a place called "The Glade", with teen boys (Gladers) running the place. They grow some of their food, and some food and most supplies are sent to them by "The Creators (of The Glade)" through "The Box" a.k.a the lift. None of the boys have any memory of their past, and were all sent to this place for reasons unknown to them. All they know was there's a huge maze surrounding The Glade, and they need to find a way out of it.

They have a good social organization and everyone has at least one duty. Some were cooks, some were farmers, some were builders, etc. The best of the best become the Runners, who are the ones in charge of finding a way out in the maze. Every day they head out, run around in the maze, and come back before the stone doors close. The stone doors close every night, to protect them from the Grievers, machines, or at least something that I imagine as machines that have 1 job: kill the boys, or at least poison them.

Thomas, as the protagonist, is of course different from the other boys. He slowly discovered his "destiny" as the book goes on, and eventually finds a way out of The Glade with some help. Did he manage to save the Gladers is for you to find out.

[Spoilers kinda] (If you're a logical person, you'll know that yes, he did, because there are 2 more books) [Spoilers ends]

The book didn't give a good explanation of everything, but I just went with the flow and read on. In the end, some of the things were explained, but with an invisible "you'll have to read the entire series to understand everything" note attached. Or maybe we're not meant to understand most of the things, maybe they're just plot holes the autor were too lazy to patch up. I'll tell you when I do finish the rest. =X

Was it a good book? It's meant for young adults, so to me, it's not sophisticated enough. If you want to read it, you can borrow it from me. Just make sure I get it back. =p

That's what J_Fish has to say~ Au Revoir~
P.s. I'm interested to see how the film makers make it end without the hanging ending.

When I'm gone

Recently learned how to play this song and it's stuck in my head.

Went to a gathering and talked about a friend who didn't leave his piece of trash boyfriend even though he's a terrible person. Oh I love gatherings.

We didn't like the dude before they even got together and eventually, we left her because of him. She seems contented to be with him so it's not our place to break them apart. Along the way I pick up signs that he's actually worse than I thought, yet the friend stayed on with him and they even got engaged.

Big problems have recently emerged, and it shows that the guy is actually not what we expected. He worse. Yet the friend still stayed with him. We're all curious why she didn't just leave. It's obvious she can do better.

Then I took a step back and I realize: it's because some people really hate change.

And I'm one of them.

I'm in an "abusive" relationship with my job. My family members keep pestering me to change a job, and I know that the company is not giving me any recognition, but I just can't get myself to leave. The thought of having to start anew somewhere else with different colleagues, different job scope, different office rules horrifies me to no end. I really hate change. Any close friend would know that I always order the same thing when I go to a restaurant. It gives me a sense of security.

I do, however, think that everyone has a breaking point. It's just a matter or time when someone breaks down after taking too much sh*t. I believe I have reached mine, and I do hope for my friend's sake, that she reaches her before she take the walk down the isle.

That's what J_Fish has to say~ Au Revoir~