Hello There (this title doesn't have anything to do with the upcoming Obi Wan series, but maybe it does, a little bit)

As the title suggests, I'm saying hello to my long-abandoned project, my oldest social media account ever, blogger. Hello, and sorry for not checking up on you for years. Life happened, and all that jazz.

So what made me decide to update this time?

Guess what, I actually stumbled upon this blog by searching for my own name on Google search. That is kind of a habit, I guess, to check the result of a Google search in case I find something embarrassing (which is kind of embarrassing in itself), and guess what? This blog is the most embarrassing thing I found. No, not only embarrassing. It's actually borderline atrocious. So, it's only logical to do something about it, correct?

What can you do to fix something embarrassing, though?

Why, you cover it up with something just as embarrassing, of course. Ah, I love it when life is so simple.

Hence this post. Yes, this time I intend to embarrass myself in front of the potential public that might, somehow, come across this post when lurking around the surface web. Whoever you are, please say hello to me in the comment section. I need the attention.

As for the life updates, not a lot has changed, at least from my perspective. I am a responsible parent to two cats now, have been for the past two years thanks to the pandemic and my general lack of people skills, which has been suffering due to the same cause, but at least now I have gained a lot of cat skills, exempli gratia scratching on cardboards. Or puke on carpets. That's gotta be useful somehow, especially if one wants to have a good relationship with one's cats. Like, imagine on one fine day you puke together with your cat after a good leaf-munching session in the front yard--simply top ten core memories material. If this statement sounds like I'm insinuating that people-to-cat relationship is more important than people-to-people relationship, that's because I am.

On a less important note, I can now do web development, as in I can build my own website, sort of. In fact, my current job has something to do with it (I even got to stay working from home, period!). And yes, I learned this skill during the pandemic as well. You see, a lot of good things come from the pandemic, just like every cloud has a silver lining... I am not even kidding this time. It has brought more good things than bad things, seriously. Also, I can hold a simple conversation in german now, which is kind of awesome, If I say so myself. I actually have a draft post here pertaining to my doubts about starting to learn aforementioned skills and having a career change, but looking at how I'm doing now, it's kind of an irrelevant thing to worry about. Note to self, just do what you gotta do.

Zum Schluss möchte ich sagen, that this post doesn't have anything to do with upcoming Obi Wan series, after all. Not that I'm not looking forward to it!

Little Thoughts on the Paris Shooting, 1/7

This is one sentence I almost always hear everywhere I go: think before you act.
What happened to Charlie Hebdo's crew is very unfortunate. Terrorism is one cruel, inhumane act. We can't deny that what they'd done is wrong.

But things happen for a reason.

Terrorists won't be attacking if only they didn't publish the controversial (and offensive) illustration. They should know better. They've worked on that field for quite a long time, surely. They must've known what would happen if they release something that outrageous to the public, especially concerning Islam. That's a sensitive topic around the globe. Faith and religion have always been. But they published it anyway.

After that, boom. Terrorist strike. Twelve people died. Then people start talking about freedom that's been taken away. Democracy. Freedom to express themselves. "To preserve the principles of independence and freedom of thought and expression", as quoted from an article in one of the newspapers.

But you see, freedom has boundaries. The reason is fairly simple. Because we don't live alone. We're communal beings, we live in a community. As free as we get, our concerns will always collide with other people's. Not everything that we think is okay, is also okay to others. So you can't just go mock other religion like what they'd done in Charlie Hebdo. Muhammad is a holy figure to the Moslems, a prophet. Respect that. There are some things that aren't meant to be played with. As a press, they should know better which topic is to publish and which one is inappropriate. I'd be angry too if my religious figure is depicted crouching and naked on a mass media. You could start a war just because of one tiny column in the corner. That's just how crucial the press is.

What they did is selfish and reckless. We all know the danger about those Islam-fanatic terrorists. Their overzealous-ness towards firearms and everything that explode is astounding. I'm sure they acknowledge that risk, too. One illustration published and they could get people's lives in danger. Well, their lives, apparently. What if it happened to other people? Did they care about that? Would they feel responsible for their action?

Because what is a freedom without respect to others? Are we still allowed to talk about individual freedom of expression when you don't even think about other people?

No one seems to care about this. All they care about are terrorists, how evil they are, and the so-called "freedom" that has been "uprooted". Well, freedom does seem like it holds no grounds nowadays. It's just kind of freely floating around, forgetting on what it should hold on to.

Time Is Cruel

You know the sad thing about humans? We age. That's okay actually, for most of us (normal people of no importance whatsoever). But for some people, it's just not fair for them to grow old. They are just so perfect in one point of their life it hurts seeing them change because of age. People like Colin Morgan, with his crooked, sweet smile, they should be untouched by time. They are meant to be forever young, so why, God, why do you have to take it away from him, uh, them?

Hello?

There is a BIG difference between trying to do what's right and making justification over your own sheer convenience.

And there are many assholes in this world, that's okay, at least they don't deny that they aren't the best kind of people. But hypocrites? I'll never be so sure with them. Their words don't match their actions. Sometimes, they act like they are the manifestation of righteousness itself it makes me sick. Because they're not, they're just a bunch of frauds.

So, uh, they're a lot worse, I guess.
A lot worse.

What is clarity?

The universe keeps on expanding, what would happen to us if we restrict ourselves from evolving just because some foolish, baseless, unwarranted beliefs that just serve as some sort of safe haven--a comfort zone? We may as well be dead, that's what. Rocks, they don't develop, do they? They are just rocks, non-living things. Well, you might as well be a rock if you shut yourself off from foreign things that revolve around you. And that's just it, narrow minded people are like rocks. They are hard to change. They are stubborn people who are quick to judge, so hell-bent on keeping what they believe without trying to understand why they do so, and always ready to confront people who are against their beliefs.

What is clarity? To reach that point of state, shouldn't we be free of any restricting thoughts that ground us?

I don't even know if the word 'should' is allowed, as we are supposed to be free of any judgmental thinking. Ah, there, I did it again.

lagi pengen ngegosip nih.

Hah, oke, hari ini lagi kurang kerjaan. Gua tau ini udah lama, tapi tadi gua ngebrowsing vma-nya Miley Cyrus yang historikal (dalam konteks ketidaksenonohannya) itu. Gua udah denger sih betapa banyak seleb-seleb lain yang, eh, shock ngeliat aksi dia di panggung, tapi berhubung gua gak nonton jadi gua pengen liat dengan mata kepala sendiri. Jadi aja gua cari dokumentasinya.

Hasil yang gua dapatkan ternyata lebih parah dari dugaan awal gua, dan sekarang gua gak bisa berenti untuk menangisi Miley. Ya ampun, Miley, sabar yah. Anda akan mengalami masa "penyadaran diri" (apa pun maksudnya itu) yang berat. Catatan hidup Anda telah ternodai, dengan tinta campuran tai ayam dan pete yang dibiarin membusuk selama seminggu yang ketumpahan susu basi dan kecipratan air selokan. Amit-amit. Sumpah, malu gua ngeliatnya. Sementara penyanyi lain yang emang suka buka-bukaan di panggung kayak, sebut aja, Britney Spears, atau Beyonce, punya aura hebat untuk mengimbanginya sehingga berhasil untuk tetap terlihat menawan (ciaaat), dalam kasus Miley ini dia cuma terlihat sebagai cewek murahan yang lari-larian di panggung. Ditambah, perilaku-perilaku yang kurang bisa diterima di masyarakat lainnya, contohnya, um, apa pun yang dia lakukan terhadap Robin Thicke. You know, lah. I'm not going to even mention it here. Too inappropriate. Udah gitu, lidahnya. Melet-melet gajelas gitu kayak anjing kepanasan. Udah deh, gue gak bakal heran kalo ntar tercipta sebuah slang di mana orang yang melet-melet secara berlebihan dibilang "going Miley". Melet-melet is overrated, dan ini bahkan nggak ada hubungannya dengan para anjing yang memang alamiah kalo melet-melet, haduh.

Gak heran kok gue kalo Liam batalin pertunangan mereka. Apalagi mengingat bahwa Liam adalah cowok baik-baik, gua aja yang bukan tunangannya takut kok ngeliatnya, apalagi dia yang ngeliat beratnya prospek masa depan mereka kalau saja mereka memutuskan untuk terus maju ke pelaminan. She'll be one hell of a challenge (tapi dia lumayan bego juga udah tau Miley ada tendensi alay gitu tinggalin aja ya dari dulu padahal udah tau hubungan on-off gitu).

Gua setuju terhadap apa yang dibilang Brooke Shield, bahwa tindakan Miley itu desperate. Dia pengen banget diakui bahwa dia udah dewasa, tapi apa yang dia lakukan justru bertentangan dengan status yang ingin dia capai (yaitu dianggap dewasa). Duh, mana ada orang dewasa melet-melet sambil maenin styrofoam bentuk jari sambil setengah telanjang di depan umum. Dan jujur aja, semua perilaku yang dia tunjukkin keliatan gak natural, semacam, Miley yang sekarang itu hanya sisa cangkang dari Miley yang pernah ada sebelumnya. Not that I blame her that she wants to get out of her "Disney star" brand. Gue hanya kangen Miley yang, yah, gak berlebihan. Modest. Her dad did a good job nurturing her, it's just her that's stupid for not wanting it in my opinion. Mana ada sih orangtua yang mau menjerumuskan anaknya. Apalagi kalo sang ortu ingin menjaga anaknya agar tidak jatuh dalam lubang ke-alay-an. Yang mungkin Miley udah jatuh sedalam 20 kilometer, gatau juga gue. Btw, 20 km itu kira-kira setebal kerak bumi, tapi gua rasa itu gak penting di sini.

Dalam topik yang sama sekali tidak berhubungan, kalian tahu gak sih Jada Pinkett Smith itu umurnya udah 42 tahun? Foto-foto terbaru menunjukkan bahwa dia punya "bikini body" layaknya orang umur 20-an. With the flat tummy and small thighs and all.

*sigh* Dunia memang tidak adil. Dan gila, tentu saja.

Stupid

It's not fair. I've been holding the feeling up since like before the new year of 2013, and it still won't go away until now. No matter how many logical explanations I try to tell myself, I still can't accept it. He had, has, whatever, already gone through too much to be just, well, dead like that. As simple as turning the palm of one's hand. Just unacceptable. No matter how good Superior Spider-Man is, and I do read it, I'd still loath it as long as I'm still a human being on this planet. I so hate Marvel right now, and I demand The Amazing Spider-Man to continue. If they have any plan to bring Peter back, it'd better be worth the price for what they'd done to him in the first place. Killed him without any reason whatsoever, that is. Don't give me that crap about him Doc Ock being easier to write, it's a weak excuse, so just shut up, okay. And I hope Doc Ock gets pummeled to death (no really). Sure, it's good and all now that it's just reached the 14th volume, but with a personality like that it gets boring over time. Boring Spidey is a no-no. Where's the joke? He doesn't even crack jokes anymore (or at least a decent one), all serious and stuff. It's not Gotham, man. Seriously, how long do I have to wait for the resurrection? I. Want. Peter. Back.
Period.

(Doc Ock can just go to hell for all I care, rots in Fields of Punishment or whatever)

Geek out

Kalo liat-liat film yang masih pada coming soon di internet, kayaknya gue ga bakal kehabisan persediaan film superhero di arsenal sampe tahun 2015. Kayaknya. Then again, mengingat sifat manusia yang nggak ada puasnya, ini cukup meragukan juga. Mungkin habis nonton Thor: The Dark World November nanti, gue bakal sakau duluan sebelum film lainnya muncul.

Nggak tau ya, seneng aja gitu. Yang paling gue tunggu-tunggu sih ya itu, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Mengobati kekecewaan yang disebabkan oleh komiknya juga sih sebenernya, setelah kejadian mengecewakan di mana tubuh Peter diambil alih oleh Doc Ock dan sampe sekarang belum jelas statusnya, bakal balik lagi apa nggak 'kesadaran' si Peter itu (sumpah, gue benci banget yang pas chapter Dying Wish!!!). Apa asyiknya Spider-Man kalo ngga ada Peter Parker coba? Sayang filmnya masih Mei 2014, walaupun teaser trailernya udah leak pas comic-con kemaren (lumayan, walaupun ga high-res tapi um, ya, kinda worth it lah. Ada adegan Peter buka bajunya hehehe) Udah ada isu juga katanya, katanya nih ya, udah dipastiin filmnya bakal sampe Amazing Spider-Man 4, dan pas shooting film yang ke-2nya itu juga sambil selang-seling sama pengambilan gambar buat film yang ke-3. Tapi hebat lho, udah nongkrong di posisi 18 aja di IMDB, sedangkan Thor yang mau main November nanti aja cuma di posisi 33. Antusiasnya itu, mungkin gara-gara sutradaranya juga nekat bakal ngeroyokin si Spidey pake banyak musuh. Katanya sih yang bakal muncul selain Elektro, ada Rhino juga, dan di akhir filmnya nanti, Green Goblin juga bakal muncul. Belum lagi kasus (kasus?) Felicity Jones yang belum terkonfirmasi perannya sebagai apa, yang banyak diisukan juga dia bakal main sebagai Black Cat. Disebutin juga katanya salah satu konflik utamanya adalah cinta segitiga antara Peter, Gwen, dan Mary Jane. Whew, Peter's got a lot on his plate. Gue hanya berharap sutradaranya gak ter-overwhelmed sama mainan sebanyak itu, kayak kejadian Spider-Man 3 yang gagal banget jadinya. Yah pengen plotnya bener-bener dimasak sampe mateng aja gitu.

Pindah ke Thor: The Dark World, hmmm, film ini menarik juga kayaknya. Jane Foster diculik ke Asgard, oleh tak lain dan tak bukan Lo...nggak, Thor. jadi ceritanya si Jane ini jadi sasaran musuh, jadi mau diamankan gitu. Musuhnya juga lumayan seru tuh, Malekith, penguasa Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. Jeleknya juga ga tanggung-tanggung. Ga terlalu tau lebih detailnya sih, kebiasaan buruk gue kalo lagi baca-baca komik marvel pasti gue skip bagian villainnya. Langsung ke bagian yang ganteng-ganteng dan berbodi keren aja. Ehehem. Mungkin nanti bakal baca lagi di Wiki, I dunno. Tapi katanya Malektih itu ada hubungan aliansi sama Loki, nah hubungan ini bakal dibentuknya di bagian mana fimnya gue ngga tau. Si Malekith ini jago loh, untung aja gak pinter-pinter amat (bohong, pinter banget kok dia, ya tapi gitu, egonya juga segede apatau). Kelemahannya juga sama besi, jadi mungkin nyangkut di tiang bendera juga dia megap-megap kayak orang kesurupan. Pasti dia gabakal pernah jadi pengibar bendera gue ngomong apa sih ini.

Untuk film-film berikutnya di tahun 2014 selain ASM 2, katanya sih bakal ada Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Apr 4), X-Men: Days of Future Past (Jul 18), sama Guardians of the Galaxy (Ags 1). Buat yang disebutin terakhir, what a mouthful name. Ngga ngerti lagi, mau se-klise apa sih komik Amerika. Seriusan, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Justice League? Yah, seenggaknya seru. Buat yang non-marvel, katanya bakal ada Transformer 4 (Jun 27). Untuk Avengers 2, udah dikonfirmasi rilis tahun 2015 (Mei 1), disusul sama Ant Man (Nov 6). Seriously, Ant Man? He's like the lamest superhero ever, not to mention the name. I prefer Akimichi Chouji, thanks. I dunno, I just get all the wrong vibes just by hearing the name (no seriously).

Sekian, mau baca fanfiction berbumbu deskripsi anatomi yang jelas dulu hehehe, if you know what I'm talking about? Of course you don't ;) Laters.