the da vinci code: my story

just came back from midnight show of The Da Vinci Code. it's 3.30 am in the morning, and i'm still wide awake. i guess i need to write this down before i could sleep in peace :)

most of movie adaptation either from novels, books or comics, or even video games are in sorry-state. it's either the movie sucks, or superbly filmed. examples of good adaptation: LotR trilogies, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

the challenge to bring novels into silver screen is never an easy task. follow the book's plot from cover to cover, we might have a true conversion. but then, there is no reason whatsoever for movie-goers to watch it at cinema. unless, they are too lazy to read the book :) example of a movie where they truly follow the book from cover to cover is Harry Potter and The Philospoher's Stone.

i enjoyed the movie, nevertheless. but something were missing in that movie. i just can't say what are they.

LotR trilogies are good examples of how novels should be adapted. the storylines followed what the book had to say, but the directors added some twitches and scenes, they even discard some parts of the book, all in the name of making the movies more appealing to the movie-goers. all the fuss on "where is Tom Bombadil?" and "there is NO elves during the siege of Helm's Deep!" did not hurt the movies. in fact, Peter Jackson gave us a different LotR that truly stays on the spirit of the original LotR.

back to the main topic of discussion: The Da Vinci Code. i won't tell you the story, for i don't want to be the spoiler. use the Internet. there are spoilers everywhere in the cyberspace.

how do i rate The Da Vinci Code (here onwards, should known as "the movie")? part of me who really enjoy the novel: its kinda dissappointing. part of me who wants to know how are they going to adapt it to the silver screen: it's good :)

let us begin with why i'm kinda dissappointed.

1) the way they potray Robert Langdon. for goodness sake, Robert Langdon is a scholar in religion symbologist, plus he just published his own work of research "The Art of Sacred Feminine". he surely must know all these Holy Grail thingy. for something that empowers the feminin, how da hell could he write about the art of sacred feminine when he himself have no idea about the myth of the Holy Grail? i mean he has the idea, but to the extent that he only knew the basic myth only. totally different from how Dan Brown potrayed Robert Langdon in the novel. *sigh*

2) the painting of "The Last Supper". one of the controversial things brought by Da Vinci Code is the "Hand" that seems like it wanted to chop off "Lady Mary Magdalene"'s head! in the movie, sadly, nobody is talking about that. the explanation about the true identity of the holy grail is supposed to be centered around the painting. but nooo...

3) Opus Dei. in the novel, Opus Dei is the one who is planning to acquire the Holy Grail in order to save its position as the personal prelature of the Pope. but in the movie... *sigh* Opus Dei worked together with the "Shadow Council" of the Vatican to destroy the Holy Grail.

4) the novel seems like having this subliminal message of "the feminine is sacred", "Jesus is only a man", "the greatest story ever told is a lie", and "christian is a religion that uses the pagan elements" and so forth. but in the movie, they kinda focuses on "what is the secret?" and "who is the bloodline of Christ?"

5) this movie is produced entirely on the ground of making profits by riding on the popularity of the novel.

this sucks.

now, reasons why i kinda like the movie:

1) audrey toutue - what's her name - i never thought Sophie Neveu is like that. how i wish that she would just shut-up and stand still doing nothing. she is beautiful and mesmerised.

2) Ian McKellen as Leigh Teabing.

3) i get to know how the Le Inverse in Louvre looks like :)

dun get me wrong. i'm not saying that this movie sucks. its good and entertaining though. it is a difficult task to adapt the whole thing into silver screen.

hurmm...to be just to every party, this movie is good :) it's like how they adapt Harry Potter movies.

Da Vinci Code the movie is entertaining. go watch it, unless you are a purist who demand everything to be exactly as what the book said. there, i've said it. the movie is entertaining :)

and Sophie Neveu is superb..... *drooling*

signing off

road trip: Tronoh - Teluk Intan - Sabak Bernam - Kuala Selangor - Sungai Buloh

prior to UTP study week, and not forgetting the submission date of FYP report yang hampir menjelma, peet (pronounced pe-et) and i decided to go back home, in order to settle some things and preparing ourselves for the upcoming Final Examination week. instead of using the PLUS highway, we decided to use the coastal road. for me, this journey is going to be a trip down the memory lane.

on the way to Teluk Intan, we stopped by a paddy field to capture the beautiful sceneries :)

when we reached Teluk Intan, peet forced me to bring him to the famous "Menara Condong Teluk Intan", an equivalent tourist attraction as to the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". from the naked eye point of view, there's nothing special about this leaning towers, except maybe the engineers and architectures did some miscalculation, resulting the towers to lean a bit.

from left: peet and the tower; the tower does fits into your hand; the tower and me

after acting as if we are urban tourists visiting Teluk Intan town, we headed straightly to our next checkpoint: Sabak Bernam. according to local folklore, this is how Sabak Bernam got the name.

"years ago, there were a group of travellers: 5 men and 1 woman. they were travelling along the river. they were paddling smoothly, up to one place where the river banks were too muddy, hence the dificulties they faced to paddle through that area. these travellers found a higher river bank, where they decided to stop and stay there for the night. while preparing dinner, they used a clay stove called "Sabak". and since there were six of them, the place was named "Sabak Bernam"

LOST: Sabak Bernam

next to Sabak Bernam is a small town, named Sungai Besar. for those who are in geographic knowledge, Sabak Bernam, including Sungai Besar, is famously known as the "Jelapang Padi Selangor", as this district is the main producer of paddy-rice in Selangor.

we made a pit-stop in Sungai Besar, and saw a signboard leading to Stadium Sungai Besar.

after several silly photo shoots, we dashed to the next location: Kuala Selangor. when the topic is about interesting places to visit in Kuala Selangor, the most common answer apart from "gi tengok kelip-kelip" is the Bukit Melawati.

"bukit melawati adalah tempat yang harus dilawat oleh mereka yang lewat, ataupun dilawati wati"

among interesting things that you can find at Bukit Melawati are as follows:

from left: monkeys; pre-WW2 cannons; balai melihat anak bulan; Melawati Lighthouse

syarat kenampakan anak bulan

that's it! the last picture marked the end of our photo-journey :)


signing off

in hoax we believe

received this from my friends:-

Please spare 1 minute and read on... News from Gleneagles Hospital (Ampang) URGENT !!!!! from Gleneagles Hospital Limited Seven women have died after inhaling a free perfume sample that was mailed to them. The product was poisonous. If you receive free samples in the mail such as lotions, perfumes, diapers etc. throw them away. The government is afraid that this might be another terrorist act. They will not announce it on the news because they do not want to create panic or give the terrorists new ideas. Send this to all your friends and family members. Warmest Regards, Meiling Gleneagles Hospital Limited Human Resource Department Tel: 6 *** **** Fax: 6 *** ****

at first glance, this sounds very convincing. but after you re-read it, you will feel that something is not right, somewhere. if you feel that, then let us join hands together to find the faultiness of this message.

News from Gleneagles Hospital (Ampang) URGENT !!!!! from Gleneagles Hospital Limited
They will not announce it on the news because they do not want to create panic or give the terrorists new ideas

The government is afraid that this might be another terrorist act

...or give the terrorists new ideas

Gleneagles is a prestigious medical centre. logically, they would never issued this kind of warning, as it would potrayed the medical center is going against government's order not to announce the news. this would tarnish its image and reputation. by the way, what does it mean by "they do not want to create panic "? as if when people read this message they won't freak out? hey, for sure these people that keep on sending this message is freaking out.

"give the terrorists new ideas"? hahah..first, the government suspected it was a terrorist act. then they are afraid that by releasing this news it would give the terrorist new ideas? what kind of bullshit is this? look..by helping to spread this around, basically YOU are the one giving ideas to the terrorists. got it?

please people...read, think first before passing the message to other people.

chronicles of bettow book one: the early days

"assalamualaikum. nama akak Arba'eyah. korang boleh panggil Kak Bae'yah"
those were the earliest words uttered to my group by beloved facilitator during my orientation week in UTP.

D6. that is the group number assigned to us by the facilitators. D6 consists of Shah, Azrik, Jaja, Faiz, KH, Azira, Putri, and me. forgive me if i miss some names. i am very sure i missed this guy..what is his name? haih~ this wicked mind plays tricks on me all the time. at the end of day 1 of MAS (minggu aluan siswa = orientation week), D6 is no more a group spelled with two letters/numbers. we named the group to "UToPia". and i was the group leader.

here is the story of a man called bET during the orientation week.

can you recall your group's name and song back in MAS days? i can. sing along with "Anak Ayam" beat by Too Phat :)

siswa dan siswi UTP,
kami semua dari D6,
kumpulan UToPia (2x) penggerak jati diri.

standing together (2x),
forever and ever,
we strive for reality,
for we know that there's no utopia

we played games, we overcome the obstacles, we even argued with each other. those were the things that i remembered most. among the modules that i remembered most are the "communication line", "station games" and "mari bertengkar". the last one i created the name, as i forgot what the module's name was.

who can forgot the fun we had during "communication line"? we had to pass the message from back of the line up to the first one in the line. no words, just action. the message was not in alphanumerical forms, but in some ridiculous pictures. the elephant, fish-man, etc. remember when we laughed hysterically to some of the pictures drawn by some of our friends back then? the picture of ultraman, picture of someone who is dreaming in his sleeping which is a dream he had while sleeping?

of all the games in the station games, one i remembered most is the one where we put our hands into a bucket of greenish slimy things, and cheerfully smeared one of our group member's face? for the "UToPia", the victim is KH. in the end, he has the last laugh for he then smeared all my group member's face.

it was during the "bertengkar" module i got to know Sakina. we kinda "bertengkar" throughout the module :) the marks given were very low. all group went overboard in marking another group's answer sheet. they gave very lowwww marks. if only i could turn back time.

ahhh... one of the "moment" during MAS. mujan rina. if that's how they spelled it. she was like one hot girl back then, and i considered myself lucky to be able to know her, and even "berborak" with her hehehe

our MSK (Malam Sri Kenangan) was fantastic :) it was a night full of colours and sounds of Malaysia... and not forgetting it was what January 2002 intake was all about.

and during MAS i won my first plaque here at UTP. 3rd place for Inter-Platoon Basketball Game. the team: KH, Ting, me and some other guy...oops! here we go again..i can't recall his name. *sigh*

"takut-takut frekuensi korang borak-borak sama dengan frekuensi asal bumbung masjid. nanti kalau bumbung tu runtuh, kesian PETRONAS. kena ganti bumbung baru."

"tanggungjawab ni bagi saya, amat berat. macam seekor semut yang mengangkat satu tin biskut kosong di belakangnya"

"agak-agak kalau line nak amek air cam panjang, x payah beratur. cedok je air tu dr atas. saya dah cuba dah. cepat je. yang perempuan, kalau tak nak buat, takpe. tapi jangan lambat sangat beratur ambil air"


"semoga roh kami dicucuri rahmat"

signing off

crazy things

spent my Tuesday night watching wrestling show on tele. the spot: one of the mamak stall in Tronoh. the show itself was ok, they focused too much on the storyline rather than the action. but that is another thing to tell.

during 2 hours stay there, i drank two glasses of water. sirap ais and ice lemon tea. i mentally calculated that my bill would only be around rm2. teh o ais limau = rm1.20, sirap ais = rm0.80. how wrong i was, when the real price is sirap ais = rm1.20 and teh o ais limau = rm1.20.
rm1.20 per glass of sirap ais? that is absurd man~ the price is getting too ridiculous, if you asked me. but that is another story to tell.


a friend of mine, went to her boyfriend's family function at penang. as a proof that this world is indeed small, his boyfriend's sister is indeed my friend during my lower secondary school session. nur ain khalid.

part of their conversation as what has been told by a reliable source hehe is when this friend of mine knew that nur ain schooled at smk c-port, she immediately asked, "kenal tak azamil?", which nur ain replied ,"yes. by the way, is he still with *** ***?"

:) these things sure brings back the old memories..both good and not-so good ones.

but that is another story to be told.


my FYP is still progress. people out there, please pray for my success. coz i really need it in order to successfully graduating from UTP. but the story of my graduation, is another chapter to be told.


signing off

dinner batch: the epilogue

on the 7th of May 2006, UTP January 2002 intake batch members gathered under one roof for the last time, to celebrate the friendship and memories gathered during the 5 years period studying at UTP. we had delicious cuisine for dinner, and magnificent time together again.

it was a glamorous night. everybody dressed up to the occasion. truly to the theme, most of the guests wore Red and Black to celebrate the gathering.

there were hiccups, of course. for i believe that nothing can be perfect in this perfect world. but in the end, it was all worth it. all guests enjoyed the night, as much as the committee intended the night to be so. the dis-orienters managed to run the event smoothly, and pleasing almost everybody. good job dis-orienters!

i have been bitten by this emo-bug. i guess before i end my time here at beloved scorching hot UTP, i am going to write entries on what i have experienced during all this time i spent here.

till then, i'm signing off..

p/s: i won the "Most Popular" award for IT..cool eh?

the Twelve Commandments of World Cup

got this thru Friendster. a list of what women should do and prepare prior to FIFA World Cup 2006.

ladies, take note please :)

listed below are several rules that will be applied throughout FIFA World Cup 2006 days

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the The Sun's sport pages so you are aware of what's going on regarding the World Cup and will be able to join in conversations.

If you fail to do this, you'll be looked at in a bad way or be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup the television is mine at all times - without any exceptions.

3. I don't mind if you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game - as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me.

If you decide to stand naked in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I won't have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute - unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat.

You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it won't happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least two six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on.

And please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, its only a game" or "don't worry, they'll win next time".

If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break-up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during half-time but only when the adverts are on, and only if the score is pleasing me.

In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:
a) I will not go,
b) I will not go, and
c) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch?" The reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years".

I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.


Thank you for your cooperation.