The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Movie Review

I must say it's much better than the original short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It's more detailed and refined. A very good script indeed. And the way the story was brought out was exactly what I had imagined. Not at all a disappointment.

I especially like the story told by Daisy at the beginning about a man who made a clock that went backward (counterclock wise), hoping to, in some way or another, reverse time and bring back his son who died in war.

It's the saddest story. It's the saddest way to live like Benjamin Button.

Inpiring Quotes:

You can be mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You can swear and curse fate. But when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

We are meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?

Life being what it is, a series of intercepting lines of incidents, out of anyone's control.

Will you still love me when I have acne, when I wet the bed, when I''m afraid what's up the stairs?

Loving you is worth everything to me.

when you have a busy boyfriend...

Moving from a student to a 9-to-5 based working adult, there are things that one needs to adjust and adapt. One major change you will soon notice is that you are going to lose a valuable thing that you never cherish as a student - time. Thus you will have less time to spend with your family, friends and of course, the most important person in your life.

To all the girls out there, if you have (or yet to have) a boyfriend who is as busy as a lazy giant pig, these guidelines are something you may want to refer. I should not say I'm very good at coping with this, but at least I have some experience.

Guide 1 : Have a life of your own

Have your own circle of friends, organize your own activities, go out and have fun! You should know that your world does not revolve around him. You are an independent individual and your job is not to stay home and wait for him to come, to call, to online. It's also important to let him know that you can still survive happily without him.

Guide 2 : Make him feel guilty

When you are a happy young lady it's time to make him feel guilty for dedicating all his time to work. Tell him once in a while (not too often) that he is not spending enough quality time with you but at the same time be understanding and caring. For example, say that "I know you're very busy at work but would you please spare 2 minutes in your day to call me and let me know that you're okay?". This, ladies, will make him melt. Or when he is less busy and actually reply your sms quickly, say this "Dear how come you're so free today? And you actually do reply my messages. I'm so happy I haven't have this kind of luxury for a very long time." Another suggestion is, always provide him something to eat when he comes back from work. When you control his stomach, you control him.

Guide 3 : Drop hints

When he is totally occupied with nourishing his own career and you can't take it any longer, drop hints to him that you need a time-out. For instance, you can forward him emails of air tickets promotion. I find this obvious and clear-cut, as all of you know, boys are insensitive and ignorant thus they can't get vague hints.

Guide 4 : Send him seductive/naughty sms

A friend once suggested to me that I do this. I have never try before, mind you. I repeat, I have NEVER try. Well the key is to send him messages like... I wouldn't want to give examples here but I bet you know what I mean. I heard it's very effective and its power is strong enough to make your boyfriend end up at your doorstep on a weekday night.

Guide 5 : Do not nag

This is a taboo. Guys hate it when you nag. They tend to avoid you and thus spending less time with you. Give him some room. He will come to you when he's ready.

Just remember, even if he spend less time with you, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you anymore. He may be too busy at work, or he may be just needing some space to breathe. Hope that the above guidelines will somehow help you get through this. Good luck!

rules of thumb to avoid being in DEEP SHIT at work

With my 11-month working experience, trust me when I say, the working world is cruel, inhuman, practical, and ferocious. When you're out there, you're on your own. Remember when you were in Standard One your English teacher would make you do corrections for the words that you wrongly spelled in the spelling bee. You would have to rewrite a certain word 10 times, for instance, just so you could remember it and not make the same mistakes. Remember in university/college when you did a calculation for the sizing of a vessel in an assignment and three days later you received it with a big red cross marked over it by your professor, saying that you used the wrong formula. And all you had to lose is a chance of getting an 'A' for this particular assignment and that's it. But when you're working, when you're out there, you're not allowed this kind of luxury. One single tiny mistake, it could make your company lose millions of Ringgits; it could be the end of your career; it could haunt you for the rest of your life.

Thus, it is important to know how not to get yourself into DEEP SHIT as well as how to get yourself out of it. Here are some rules of thumb that I use as my phylosophy while at work. It may not be useful for some, but for people who don't know anybetter, like me, it's a place to start.


Rule 1 : Always consult your direct superior
Do not jump status, i.e. do not directly deal with your boss' boss. Whenever you have questions, or you want to deliver your work, deal with your direct superior first. And whenever there is need to email your colleagues/clients/contractors, always c.c. your superior. This is important so that he keeps track of your progress and so that he can pull or save you out of DEEP SHIT before it's too late, especially if you're a freshie like me.

Rule 2 : Do not simply clear your inbox/outbox
Keep all your corresponding emails with colleagues/clients/contractors/boss. This is so that you can keep a record and also as proof/evidence as to what you were told to do. Also, if your colleague had verbally asked you to make some changes in your work, do insist that he send you an email and c.c. to your boss to make it official.

Rule 3 : Always be in good terms with your colleagues
You're there to work, not to make friends or enemies. Your colleagues, they're neither your friends nor foes. They're just colleagues. Be in good terms with them and it will make your life less miserable. And it wouldn't hurt to go out with them and have some fun once in a while. If there are a group of your colleagues gathering and talking bad behind people's (especially your boss') back, do not join in the conversation, and do not agree or disagree. Just smile and excuse yourself. This may save you from DEEP SHIT.

Rule 4 : Always be busy
Or at least, pretend to be. Your company didn't pay you so that you could chat in MSN, or check your personal emails, or do quizzes in Facebook. If you seriously do not have any work (especially freshies like me), do your own research. You can research about your company, the previous projects, SOP*, and many other technical information. You may not be able to learn up and absorb all of them, but it's at least better than just sitting around and making a bad impression to your boss.
Rule 5 : Ask
Whatever you do not know, ask. This is to avoid making mistakes. If you're told that the questions you ask are stupid or when there is someone refusing to answer your supposingly "stupid" question, do not get upset or put off by these people. Some people may think that they're so smart but no matter, let them think what they want. How they want to think of you is none of your business. So you might as well get on with your life. I'm sure there are other colleagues who are willing to be of help. Go to them instead. In time these people will know that you're not as stupid as they think you are.

Rule 6 : Never reveal about work-related stuff on the Internet
Do not talk about work in your Facebook status, your blog, your MSN status etc. Yes I'm blogging about work, which is why I'm being very careful. Examples of things that you should not mention on the Internet include: colleagues that you hate, bad things about your boss, things that you don't like about the company etc. You'll never know if your boss will be reading it.

There you go. These are what I can think of for the mean time. There are many more things to learn. You are welcome to add any other things or your personal experience in the comments. Good luck!

*SOP - Standard Operating Procedure

Confused

If our love no longer make us feel secured, happy and contented, is it still called "love"?
Has it deteriorate into something called "shackles"?
And we are trapped, in our own prison...
But at least there's a prison...
It's better than nothing at all...

Oh God help me...
I'm digging my own grave...