... and you are one of them!

Games at Miniclip.com - Penguin Rush Penguin Rush

Race your penguin down the slopes to the finish line!

Play this free game now!!

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

How to survive the "Hippopotamus" (updated in green)

What shape us as a person? Is it genetic, upbringing or environment? For example, we look like the way we do because of genetic factor; like brown stint eyes, long sharp nose, thick curly hair or having dark skin.

If genetic determines (mostly) our physical; upbringing and environment mould our behaviours. I was blessed to be born and raised in a loving environment - with loving parents, (late) grandmother and elder sister. I guess that's why I easily feel attached to someone who is nice towards me (and my family), especially if the kindness is uncalled for. Don't get me wrong! There are many kinds of love. Heck! I even love my cat, Sky, so darn much, to the extent that I always talk to him like Sky is another human being.

However, I realise there are those who are born in a broken family. Parents divorced or killed; or the child is abused physically (like being beaten or raped) or mentally (like hearing parents fight all the time). How about those who are born in a war-torn country. They witness brutalities and atrocities being committed right in front of them even before they leave their cradles. For these children, they will encounter much turmoil and difficulties in their life paths ahead (although not necessary the case, of course).

But then, would you agree that, despite how good (or not too good) the way we are brought up, environment influences us the most. And I'm talking about environment outside the family. For example, say a child raised with much love by his family, but instead of putting him in a good school, he is sent to jail with the rest of criminals, and is labelled a criminal as well. Let him serve his 'sentence' for a few years. Chances are, the kid would eventually think and act like he too is a criminal, even though he really is NOT.

I'm just trying to make a point here. Because I think we spend many hours at school/studying and at work, and these are the environments that shape our lives.

I guess no matter how great the upbringing can be, but when certain people keep labelling you with some bad names, after a while, you'd start to believe you are who you have been labelled.

And in these environments, there are certain groups of people that you should approach with caution. These are the people whom I'd like to refer to as HIPPOPOTAMUS.

Have you ever been stabbed in the back (not literally I hope), or someone bad mouthed you so bad, it's appalling you ever knew that person at all.

They are nice in front of you, but behind you, they will tell stories about you - things you are not comfortable with, secrets that you thought would never leak and worst, lies so heinous, people start to perceive you differently (in a bad way).

Then, they are also people who are judgemental (they are just plain mental, if you ask me). They immediately judge you in a certain way, especially if you are slightly different from the rest of the crowds. And they way they judge and assume and theorise, wow..., it's like they own a few PHD's in the field.

As I have commented in my Kong entry;

Such behaviour (BACK STABBING AND JUDGEMENTAL) is typical among us humans. Whenever someone is (slightly) different from norm, other people start to pass all sorts of judgements; like WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OR NOT CAPABLE OF DOING, WHAT HE'S LIKE, WHY HE SHOULD BE AVOIDED AND RIDICULED AT, BLAH BLAHH BLAHHH...

As though they know so much about him, making him feel bad and low about himself. What makes they think they know so much?? DO THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE SUCH PERFECT CREATURES, THEY HAVE TO JUDGE OTHERS?? Whatever they bad-mouth about the other person, those things will definitely come back to them (if not their own loved ones), in ten folds much worse. SOMEONE SHOULD JUST SHOVE SOME BAMBOO STICKS WITH SHARP ENDS INTO THEIR ASSES, THAT SHOULD SERVE THEM GOOD....

So, who are Hippopotamus? They are people who are:
1. Back stabbers
2. Judgemental freaks (or just plain 'mental').

Those who fall in the 2nd category of Hippopotamus, usually jumps to the 1st group, as they will start to BABBLE things that they have no business in and have little/absolutely no knowledge about.

Here's a story about Tom, who represents his school in a public speaking contest during his senior primary years. There is a short break prior to him giving a speech. He chats with another contestant siting next to him, trying harmlessly to make a new friend. Then all of a sudden, this fella says "Djinn is your school mate, isn't he? Well, he's my neighbour. He says you used to stammer badly until only recently, you recovered, right? Haha, surprisingly the school picks you as their contender."

Yes, it is surprising for Tom too. Not because his school picks him as a contender. But because he doesn't really know this Djinn sucker that well. What's in it for Djinn to bad-mouth him? Djinn is not interested in public speaking. He doesn't even compete at school level. So, jealousy can be ruled out as the reason. So, why the heck would Djinn make stories behind his back when he never actually harms Djinn before?

Face turning red after hearing such remarks, Tom encounters difficulties delivering his speech. His stammer problem resurfaces, which affects his performance on stage.

When Tom goes for further studies, unfortunately, Djinn is the only one from his school who goes to the same college as he does. As expected, Djinn starts spreading news about his Tom Tam label (Tam as in sTAMmer). Therefore, Tom has issues blending in, since some students already judge him a certain way before they even get to know him. Quite a GOSSIP KING this Djinn fella huh? And considering this Djinn person acts like he's manly and everything, he's actually a DRAMA QUEEN. Yep, that's the correct word! What a FUC*ING BIT*H!!

Are you a Hippopotamus? If you are, please do change and ungroup yourself from these people. Why? It's because of Hippopotamus:
1. Religions are misjudged and misinterpreted.
2. Certain people are labelled wrongly and feared at (unnecessarily).
3. Truths are hidden and concealed, yet lies blossomed and revealed.
4. Friendships and marriages are broken.
5. Respected figures degraded by society.
6. People lose their self confidence and shun themselves away from society.
7. People lose their jobs/means of income.
8. People get killed.
9. Countries go to war.
10. ... many other efects that you may have seen or encountered. In fact it's not too drastic to say, that Hippopotamus has contributed much to the instability in the world.

If you ever come across one of them, here's what you should do.

Most probably, the Hippopotamus is far from being better than you. Try to imagine them looking so ugly like a Hippopotamus with boils all over the body, with stinking armpits (ugh!) and much stinking behaviours. Most likely, they are also less successful than you; lower ranking job, lower IQ, uglier, immature, have less achievements etc. etc. Not trying to be arrogant or anything, just to boost yourself back up. Heck! they make you feel so low right? So, why don't you look down on them in return; even though you're just judging them quietly and to yourself. Well, it works - trust me!

However, if they ARE better in many ways (better looking, better income, better job position, etc), but in terms of faith towards God, he might not be. Although of course, you should NEVER EVER JUDGE OR ASSUME that another human being is at a lower level in the eyes of God than you are. That is between him/her and God. Who are we to judge their faith anyway, right?? However, it does help, if you can still imagine them looking like the ugly Hippopotamus.

Also, try to think, is this person really important to you? Have they ever contributed a single dime (or help) to bring you to where you are now? Chances are... NEVER... so, toss them away, like how you toss filthy garbage into the bin or flush them down the toilet (not literally, ok!)... You'll start to feel good about yourself in no time. Those people are definitely NOT worth the time and energy for you to keep thinking and become all stressed out about.

But then, what if that person IS important to you, you DO need him/her, they DID help you in many things before. This is the case where your heart is crushed the most, I believe. In that case, talk diplomatically to this person, personally or with the presence of a counsellor/psychiatrist. Obviously, you need CLOSURE dudes... Or better still, just FORGIVE and FORGET, like it all never happens before. So, decide what's best. At the end of the day, it's your own life that you should be concerned about.

You can cry your eyes out all you want or scream your heart out as loud as you can. Whether to suppress your anger or to let it all out (BUT PLEASE... DON'T HARM ANY LIVING THINGS WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY, OK?? ), just bear in mind, you may NOT be able to FORGIVE someone for what they've done, but it is the vengeance that is burning inside you that you should try to FORGET. The vengeance of causing as much hurt to those people, like maybe pray bad things happen to them, steal something from them, (hire someone to) beat them up, humiliate or degrade them, cast some kind of spell on them (that can happen you know), burn their houses, rape their children and worst of all, kill them... And always remember this: WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU, MAKE YOU STRONGER.

Incidentally, I recently came across this quotation and very much like to include it here. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), a Theologian once said, "Don't speak evil of someone if you don't know for certain, and if you do know, ask yourself why am I telling it?"

We have TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason: To speak less, but to listen more (depending on circumstances, obviously).

And in case you wonder, why Hippopotamus? It's from the word hypocrite.

COMING SOON:
1. Num8ers: Coincidentally, this number is significant in my life.
2. Learn alphabets from movies: 'D' is for diamond (The Pink Panther); Destination (Final Destination 3); Descending (The Descent); Dick (Have Fun With Dick And Jane); Diego (of Ice Age 2); Death Call (When A Stranger Calls) and Disney (The Wild). While 'V' is for Vampires (Underworld 2) and Vendetta.
3. Also reviews on The Manly Girl (She's The Man), The Sinking Ship (Poseidon), The Impossible Mission (MI-3) and err... The Hilly Eyes? (The Hills Have Eyes).

Labels: , ,

It's NOT just because of the CARTOONS, you MORONIC BABOONS (updated in RED)

It's been a while since this unwanted incident took place but I shall still share it here; mainly because it has, in a way shaped the human history. While the lateness in posting this entry, is due to the rather lack of time in doing so.

Here's an excerpt from a Yahoo news article, regarding the (recent) furor over the cartoons that mock the prophet Muhammad. The article quoted what Tutu, a retired Anglican archbishop from South Africa (who is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner) had said over the whole matter.

I've NOT modified any part of the article. However, you will see my comments in CAPITAL LETTERS here and there within the article. So, here it is... read on...

......(Begin) Tutu, a retired Anglican archbishop from South Africa, said the drawings published last year by a Danish newspaper were just a sign of a far broader problem.

"What has happened and the aftermath has been seen as a symptom of a more serious disease," said Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. "Had relationships been different, one, the cartoons might not have happened, or if they had, they probably would have been handled differently."

The European Union' on Monday said that although it regretted the cartoons were "considered offensive" by Muslims, freedom of expression "is a fundamental right and an essential element of a democratic discourse." - AN EXAMPLE OF AN OPINION MADE BY MORONIC BABOONS. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOTAL FREEDOM - BORDERS MUST ALWAYS BE DRAWN. THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH ARE JUST A BUNCH OF LOSERS WHO FEEL INSECURE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND HAVE MALICIOUS INTENTIONS.

ALSO, TOTAL FREEDOM ONLY HAPPENED DURING DARK AGES, WHERE PEOPLE WERE BARBARIC. DURING THOSE TIMES, PEOPLE COULD HURT, KILL, RAPE ANYONE THEY WANT. HECK! THEY EVEN BURIED (THEIR OWN) NEWBORNS ALIVE. IF ONLY THERE WERE PUBLICATIONS BACK THEN, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT CARTOONS WHICH MOCK PROPHETS WOULD BE JUST THE KIND OF THING THAT WE COULD SEE.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami', who complained at the meeting that "we already have enough misunderstandings in our world today. Insulting the beliefs and customs of people and religions is not freedom of speech. This is not only related to Islam. We must respect the beliefs of other nations and religions whether we believe in them or not. If we don't believe or approve of them, we must challenge them through discussion and intellectual undertakings," he said. U'VE GOT THAT RIGHT.....

Tutu noted that freedom of expression also came with some obligations. "Imagine if the subject had been the Holocaust and it had been treated in a way that the Jews had deemed offensive and the reaction of the Danish government and international community had been as it is now," he said.

He lamented the negative stereotyping of Muslims and wondered why North Ireland's Protestants and Catholics, the Oklahoma City bombers or even the Nazis had never been labeled Christian terrorists. "Look at the Ku Klux Klan, who use a cross as their symbol and propagate hatred against others and encourage lynching. And yet we never hear someone say, "There's an example of how Christianity encourages violence,'" Tutu said. (End).... WELL, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS ON OUR SIDE, ALTHOUGH HE DID FORGET TO MENTION THE BARBARIAN SERBIANS.


Come to think of it, it's saddened to see that a few groups of angered Muslims around the world rallied to the streets, protesting, to the extent of burning buildings and also causing some deaths. I think, this kind of violence and 'foolishness' (as some may see it), were just the kind of response those enemies were hoping to see, so that they could further inject hatred towards Islam in their media reports. As I had commented in a post dated 21 January 2006, GOSSIPS AND MALICIOUS REMARKS (THESE CAN BE FOUND ABUNDANTLY THROUGH THE MEDIA, BE IT NEWSPAPERS, TV OR RADIO) HAVE MORE BELIEVERS, COMPARED TO WORDS OF WISDOM AND POSITIVE WORDS UTTERED BY GOD AND/OR GURUS.

Histories have shown that the prophet Muhammad encountered far greater challenges in His mission to spread the wahyu of Allah. Here, is another excerpt taken from another source.

......(Begin) There is a Seeratunnabi story about when Muhammad received his Risallah and was faced immense antagonism from the pagans simply for his mission of spreading God's word, for his attempts to save their souls. On his usual daily route home, he would pass a woman's house who'd wait for him to walk by and when he did, she'd ridicule him, yell insults and dump trash on him. Every day, he would take the abuse in silence and go on his way, never retaliating nor speaking a word in protest. Aisha (ra) would cry when she saw him come home covered in trash and dirt. He consoled her, telling her not to worry, that this was his trial and God Almighty will take care of him and protect him. One day he passed the woman's house as usual but...no woman, no jeers, no trash! He asked her neighbor about her and was told that she had been taken ill. He stopped and went in to see her, inquired about her well-being, andoffered assistance just in case she needed it.


So, if Mohammad was here today, how do you think the Nabi would react, the man who paid a get-well visit to someone who had acted so deplorably and maliciously towards him, how do you think he would react to a cartoonist who depicted him with a bomb in his turban? If he came across the Sept 30, 2005 issue of the Jyllands-Posten, a sad smile would crossed vajh-e-mubarak. I think he'd shake his head thoughtfully and say a prayer, maybe something like, "O God have mercy on them for they are ignorant." Or maybe, "O God give them guidance and understanding so that they may become enlightened and be saved." His sadness would not be for himself, but for those who are so blindly illiterate that they just can't see! One can have PhDs, MDs, DVMs and any flavor of alphabet soup behind their names and STILL be illiterate. Maybe these are the folks referred to in the Surah Baqar, which translates as, "God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur)".

Of course they don't understand. They can't possibly understand, and no chants of 'death to the west' (what does that even mean?!) would help them understand. It is God's decree. Imagine how horrified and disappointed the Prophet would be if he could see us doing this (the violence) right now, specially if he sees you doing this in HIS name. What a disgrace you're being to his name and his memory.

Have you ever come across that stereotypical ignorant westerner who thinks all muslims are backward barbarians who live in caves, hate all nuances of 'Freedom', mandatorily beat their women folk and are just generally uncivilized? I know they exist, because you see their letters read by Lou Dobbs every so often, or catch them spouting on one evangelistic propagandamercials or another.

Oh, and that trash tossing pagan?! She was so ashamed at her own pettiness, so impressed by Rasulullah's kindness and character that she embraced Islam that day.
(End)....


So, to inform those who don't know or don't fully comprehend, since they are those who see Muslims as unforgiving lot, who just can't seem to let it go. Islam DOES teach its followers the values of forgiveness, to forgive and to forget. Although it's true that sometimes we find it hard to FORGIVE someone for what they've done, but it is the vengeance that is burning inside us that we should try to FORGET. The vengeance of causing as much hurt to those people, like maybe pray bad things happen to them, steal something from them, (hire someone to) beat them up, humiliate or degrade them, cast some kind of spell on them (that could happen you know), burn their houses, rape their children and worst of all, kill them..

But we ALL are no prophets or angels, we are just human beings with many flaws and emotions. Especially if one atrocity comes after another, hardly anyone can be patience long enough. Like when we witnessed country R which attacked country A first, which also attacked C (first); then unrecognised country I, backed by country U attacked P (first); the same country U has also been attacking countries A (first) and I (first); and S people who butchered B'an people for no apparent reasons. WHO ATTACKED WHO FIRST HAHH???

As an analogy, say, imagine a scenario when all of a sudden, someone punches you hard on your back. Calmly, you tell yourself, "Forgive and forget". Then comes the second punch. Again, you manage to calm yourself. Third punch; you still have not reacted. Fourth punch; patience running thin, blood starts to boil. Then the minute the fifth punch hits you, you immediately punch back with full force, probably as hard as ALL FIVE punches combined. Possible? Of course.... Logical? Absolutely....


Stephen R. Covey, an author of the best-seller ''The 7 Habits of Hightly Effective People" book, cum a motivational speaker, teaches the value of "BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND". Further, some also believes in the laws of Karma. As for me, I believe that the world we live in today, is the beginning. IT IS THE AFTER LIFE THAT IS THE END.

Surely Allah did not create Heaven only for temporary, or only for Adam and Hawa (Eve). Heaven is there for those who begin their life with the end in mind. And THE END must be something good, great and THE BEST, that is HEAVEN, so that we live our lives on Earth by virtues, so that we have something to aim for; just like students who aim to pass their exams or a married couple who aim to have kids of their own.

And of course there'll be judgement day, just like judgement days for (alleged) criminals on Earth. Although ALLAH is the most merciful and caring judge of all, we should NOT find excuses to commit sins. AND THIS MESSAGE GOES ESPECIALLY TO THOSE ADULTS WHO SEEM TO BE BRAINLESS (CAN'T THEY JUST BE HUMANS FOR A CHANGE??), OR PERHAPS THEIR BRAINS ARE HIDDEN UNDER THEIR KNEE CAPS OR UNDERNEATH THEIR BUTTOCKS. ENUFF SAID!!!


P/S: From time to time, I shall be posting entries which are rather religious in nature. Although I'm NOT entirely religious, I'd still write or share something that I strongly believe in and know about... Do take note that, in case you disagree with (some of) my points, please carry on reading other entries in this blog, as I'm sure there are those that may suit to your liking. Thank you.

Coming Soon: 'Hippopotamus' is among us, in fact you could be one without knowing and realising it. So, who is 'Hippopotamus'?

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Move Along

This song, Move Along by The All-American Rejects is dedicated to those who have lost their loved ones, due to wars and crimes. Who is at fault, or who have actually been victimised is not the question, because at the end of the day, the outcome is the same - they have been taken from you. May you stay strong for your life ahead!

Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone stands
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along (2x)

So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold
Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along (Go on, go on, go on, go on)

When everything is wrong, we move along (Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along
When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through [x3](Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Right back what is wrong
We move along [fade out]

Labels: ,

Thursday, June 22, 2006

The Maid

First of all, no, this is not about some horror movie that I'm going to review. The title may imply that it's a horror movie right? ;)

Actually, it's about what the title says - the maid to my sister. Late last month, an incident happened between my first niece and my sister's Indonesian maid. This had sparked my sister to further inquire from her neighbours, about the maid's behaviours towards her (cutie adorable) kids, especially behind her back, during working hours. Unfortunately and shockingly, she received many unwelcomed news...

My sis and bro-in-law then decided to send her back to Indonesia earlier this month, despite initially planning to extend her stay for another year (her visa expires this year). The 'unwelcomed news' came as a shock to us too, since the maid had been very nice and friendly in front of us all, to the extent of calling my mum 'mak'.

Gasp! when me & my wife have kids - which option should we choose? 1. hire an Indonesian/foreign maid, or 2. send kids to a nursery, or 3. wife resigns and becomes a full-time mother/housewife?

Option 3 may be the best, though we may have to first examine how the family's economy can sustain itself with me as the sole breadwinner, especially living in this hustling and bustling city of KL, where almost everything is more expensive and the cost of living is not cheap. Option 2 may give us unflexible time since the nursery may have its own opening hours (we'd have to leave work at specific time everyday then). Further, our babies may be easily exposed to sickness from germs spread by other kids in the nursery.

Option 1 is the most common chosen option. But due to the government's regulation of requiring Indonesian/foreign maids to be sent back to their countries after 2 years (unless their visas are extended), we may get headaches of getting a new maid every 2 years; like how the new ones would perform, would she endanger our kid(s) in any way when we are not home, or worse, would she steal from us and run away or bring unwanted guests (like their boyfriends) to our house (such cases have happened before). Option 1 may be the best of all, ONLY if ONE very good maid can work for us for many years to come.

I have a relative whose maid has worked for them for about 20 years now. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL AN IDEAL CASE....

Friday, June 16, 2006

The Good & The Not So Good News

Took a Monday off earlier this week, and the same with my wife; to survey the place where she gets transferred to (yep! yabedabedooo...... her transfer application to KL has been approved, though not officially started yet!), to budget the time taken to reach there during the normally-busier-than-usual early Monday hours and to estimate the comfortable time for us to leave home for work.

Our house is also about 80% furnished (got our comfy sofa set last Thursday) and most walls have already been decorated/painted. As my mum put it over the phone one day; the house should now look more like it belongs to a married man than a bachelor.

Meantime, back to the office on Tuesday, only to receive the not-so-good news about a colleague who passed away earlier that morning due to breast cancer. Less than a year ago, another colleague, another strong willful woman had also died from breast cancer.

Herewith, I'd like to refer you to this url http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites (US based).

This website helps fund free mammograms, provided to women in need especially to those low-income, inner-city and minority women (though catered only to those reside in the US, but then, what's the harm in helping right, since we too in Malaysia, can learn and create such mammograms), whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. All you have to do is click on the "Fund Free Mammograms", paid for by site sponsors whose ads appear after you click the button.

Do you know that, if breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds by 95%? A complete early detection plan also includes regular clinical breast examinations by a trained medical professional. Monthly breast self-exams are also suggested in addition.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Learn alphabets from movies - updated in green








Folks, let's form some words that begin with the 'D' and 'V' alphabets, based on movie titles or keywords that best describe some recent movies out there. For guidance on the rating system:
***** - 'super good' movie; don't miss it.
**** - good movie; try to find the time to watch it.
*** - average movie; you may or may not like it.
** - crap movie; watch only if you have nothing else to do.
* - 'super crap' movie; don't watch it at all!

'D' is for;
1. Death Call. I can still remember the opening sequence of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the 2nd installment of the Dinosaur's saga), where it shows a rich British family having a picnic at an isolated island. Then this one little girl, Cathy, wanders off with a half-eaten sandwich in her hand, only to encounter with some rather tiny-but-turned-out-to-be-vicious creatures i.e. dinosaurs. As she gives a small bite of her sandwich to those creatures, it turns out that the creatures actually want a big bite of her.

Those who remember her in that movie, would remember her now, after seeing her latest, When A Stranger Calls (WASC). That little Cathy has ALL grown up into, my oh my, a 'boobiful' (oops I mean beautiful) talented young girl. The movie is a remake of a 1979 movie of the same name. She plays a lead character, Jill Johnson who babysits two children of a wealthy family, whose house location is rather isolated from the rest of civilization (isn't it always the case? a big house on top of a hill; facing a secluded lake etc etc).

Although the running time is rather short (like most horror movies), the pace of the story builds up rather nicely. From the time she meets the kids' parents, to the time when she explores the house, entertains a guest, receives some phone calls, gets spooked by one of the callers, makes emergency calls to a police officer and encounters a psychopath who tries to kill her and the children.

I guess so far, there has been 3 movies about some lunatics stalking some victims, by making disturbing phone calls before killing them: the original WASC, Scream trilogy and the 2006 version of WASC. While movies about babysitters being hunted down by killers have been made many times before.

In the first Scream, we tell ourselves how stupid Casey (Drew Barrymore) is, for still wanting to take the calls despite knowing the guy on the other line is not someone you want to have a chat with. However, in WASC, the situation is different. A few people make the calls to the house: the kids' parents, her three friends and a police officer, other than the stalker/the killer. So, in the beginning, there's no way that Jill can suspect, the kids' lives and her own are in danger that night. The next thing she knows; storm is coming, the maid is missing, a mysterious shadow lingers in a nearby house, there are dead bodies in the house and the calls have actually been made from inside the house.

Here are some similarities in the dialogues, that I manage to pick up between WASC and Scream 1:
1. I want to see your inside out (Scream 1); I want your blood in my hands (WASC).
2. I want to know who am I looking at (Scream 1); So, have you checked the children? (WASC) - implying the callers know or can see what the girls are doing.
I guess it's ok that ideas are repeated or remade, it's how they are repeated or remade that matters. (Rating: ***)

2. Diamond (The Pink Panther). One thing I learn from this movie is that my friend and I have different taste in movies, in particular, comedies. It's obvious from the trailer that the jokes are slapstick. But I never thought the whole movie is one big dry slapstick meaningless.... thing! (Rating: *)

3. Dick (Fun With Dick And Jane). Another remake (of a 1977 movie), and another attempt by Jim Carrey in a rather serious role, after his Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind with Kate Winslet. But the reason for me watching it, is solely because of Téa Leoni. Love her husky voice, love her stunning looks. Love her back then in the TV comedy 'The Naked Truth', where she played a lead role as a formerly rich divorcee forced to become a tabloid newspaper photographer (she was so natural and funny); and still love her now, whatever roles that she carries. (Rating: ***)

4. Descending (The Descent). A British horror with a difference. Why? The story centers around 6 female underground cave explorers. The group gets lost, only to meet with thousands of monstrous humanoid creatures. While trying to desperately escape, one girl finds out a brutal truth about the affair between her good friend and her husband. Somehow, the lead character reminds me of an Irish friend who now resides in Australia. Also, the accident scene at the beginning of the movie, is somehow repeated by Ron Howard in The Da Vinci Code and in another Asian horror flick. Plain coincidences I guess. (Rating: ***)

5. Destination (Final Destination 3). I guess they haven't actually reached the said destination, that they have to make 3 movies out of it, hehe. If you enjoy the first and second installment, you'll love this one. Great acting by the chick and cool death scenes (they will make you wince), although the pace is a bit rush. (Rating: ***).

'V' is for;
1. Vendetta. The creators of The Matrix trilogy had really disappointed a lot of Matrix fans around the world, due to its crappy ending and ridiculous plot as the story progressed towards the end. So that was why, I was initially a bit reluctant to catch V for Vendetta. But then, I was wrong. Yes, the movie is also a bit philosophical, but not in a confusing way. The 'hero' of the movie, V is a profoundly complex man dedicated to freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into compliance. Take a look at 'terrorism' through a different perspective. Also, hear how V forms sentences by sentences that begin with the letter 'V' when he introduces himself to Evey, only to receive a reply from her, "Are you mental?" An unforgettable scene. (Rating: ****)

2. Vampires. Between Vampires and Werewolves, whose side are you on? A centuries-long struggle between the vicious predators continue in Underworld: Evolution. The story is a bit weak compared to the first one, but the action sequences are amazing. I especially enjoy the ending, cleverly done. Not for the faint of heart, for sure. (Rating: ****)

3. Vinci. It's hard for me to comment on this movie. In my opinion, any movies that refer to any prophets; whether Nuh (Noah), Muhammad or Isa (Jesus), I consider them rude, especially if they make some kind of fictional stories out of these respected figures and/or they portray how the prophets might have looked like. But then, since I thought the movie is about what happens after Jesus' time (partially, I was wrong), the movie actually refers to the "crucified Jesus" and with all the buzz going around, I thought I'd give it a try, only to find myself nodding off after the first 20 minutes. True, I was a bit tired. But then, it was soooo borrring, sooo slow to be a thriller. And Tom Hanks, why so wooden? (Rating: **)

Coming Soon:
1. The Horrors vs The Comedies - reviews on She's The Man, Scary Movie 4 (it's a comedy by the way), The Omen and The Hills Have Eyes.
2. Cartoons Network - reviews on Cars, Over The Hedge, Ice Age 2 and The Wild.
3. The Last X-Men Standing - a review on X-Men 3:The Last Stand (this movie deserves a stand-alone review!).
4. Rescue Your Wife; Rescue Yourselves - reviews on MI-3 and Poseidon.