We Live off Stories

Somewhere in the last grade of highschool I vaguely committed in my mind that I will slowly cut off my book reading due to one or two personal reason, to the point where even my college room mate found it weird seeing the sight of me reading a novel. The idea kind of tickled me thinking how much of a bookworm I was back then.

Even though I didn't really cut it off and instead read some more ebook in kindle, a week ago I felt the urge to buy the paperback ones. I went to secondhand book store at Bras Basah complex, back there in Singapore. I had been there once and stunned by the collection they had and the fair price they offered. The book has turned yellowish-brownish with golden spots, as if aging of a living person. The price ranged from $2.00 to $10. I think some are over $10 but they must be newly produced. I spent hours there scanning each title. and came up with four books in total because in fact I still have dozen unread in kindle and paperback form. I bought Never Cry Wolf, City of Joy, The popular classic Pride and Prejudice, and Master of The Game by Sydney Sheldon in which I am going to post a review of.

I just noticed that while I kept myself away from books all this time, I actually moved to movies. In other word, the story telling aspect never tires me. Good stories often give off odd and unusual understanding, of the most misunderstood people. It made you see from the point of view of the minority, the oppressed. Sometimes a prostitute, a psycopath, and other criminals even ghost which despite being non-supertitious you are, could still blow your mind for its oddly commonsense. Or just particular situation or character depicted that alerted your mind for its familiarity with whom you know, or yourself. I had lost count how much a good story had f**ed me up, in a good way. Whenever I am carried away with one, the ending got me stunned for a moment. How on earth a story could stir up my mind this far. How on earth one could be that brilliant coming up with those and bring them alive.

Good thing is that they are being produced over and over again, not just it could live off in the shelf far longer than the author, it also live off in the reader's mind and subconsciously changed them even when it is just a tad bit decision change. And we have not yet included the people around being passed on of the story, directly or indirectly (when the story has been planted into the reader itself). If there is one thing I could tell the most special privilege about being an artist is that they got to access you right in the mind and emotion.

Drunk Potatoes Wrote Poetry (November Project)

Writing, or specifically poetry writing has always been a seasonal hobby for me. Well basically everything is, because I am easily distracted and attracted by new things. (hope that does not suggest you a loyalty issue) and recently I had been stumbled upon my peer's poetry works on her blog. We have not been friends for a long time, say we started talking around two months ago but it was really occasional encounter like once in a month. Then after, we asked to be paired in one room during our learning trip in Cambodia for five days, and that's where crazy stuff happened. Every night our room is as if inside is two loud women in their 40s laughing at our old days. If you see Ahdini and Nadya next to your room, you'd better inquire a new one because as much as I try to contain I just can't, everything just seems so funny.

I did not expect myself to go that much on that but oh well, fun time back then. After reading her poetry, I texted her casually explaining my ideas and sent her my artworks, and soon she sent me back pictures of her poetry. Great, my productivity is not used to immediate respond from me (my bad). So as soon as everything seems well-suited, I compile them all, and tada... It is on my website for you to read it for free.

Basically this poetry is about our queries of the unclear thing about life, the question that is not new of course, since it might have been covered by a lot of phillosophers : The temporary things. It has five artworks and six poetry in total, written in Indonesian.

click here to read

 (or you can open through my website www.ahdiniizzatika.com, under "project")

So there you go my bit of fun and productivity on November. Nobody would imagine that these two loud drunk potatoes walking on the street would write poetry I guess.

Harry Potter : a Late Fan Here................

I have been watching Harry Potter since I was so small and could only be impressed by the look of magically moving newspaper pictures, flying broomstick, a giant troll, and all that. It was elementary school what do you expect. Also, guilty as charged I was, I bought the cheap copy one that was all over the market basically and it came in package with bad subtitle and some glitches, if you are not that lucky. I could not speak english at that time so malay/bahasa turned to be the only choice. Well, above all of that, basically I was not there yet to understand all the emotional and plot twist of this movie. So there I stopped on HP : Half Blood Prince and never continued.

til three or four days ago I asked my room mate to watch Harry Potter since she had only watched the sixth one right away and of course, did not understand shit. So we watched from the very first series, which was basically just the introduction into the wizard world, so it would appeal the kiddie me back then but a little bit boring for us now. However, I like all the magic atmosphere and the throwback vibe seeing all the cast back young again.

The next Harry Potter got our nerves intense due to its beginning of the dark story. He-Who-Can't-Be-Named is getting more parts. As we got to the next movie, it is unexpectedly getting better and better. We ended up finishing everything within three days. Every day when we finished one, we cursed the night for being so short and this weak sleepy eyes for having to sleep. The Prisoner of Azkaban used to be my number one favorite back then (after watching it third time or so) but now I really can't choose which one got me the most, except Deathly Hallows because it has to be great indeed.

The thing about having all powerful series is that it serves the function as life memory of the character for many years and the interlink of them by recalling one and another got it even more mind blowing. I got goosebumps every now and then.

I really liked the vibe of the dark magic and these whole series feed it well...not just visually, but the plot and character and basically the whole dark atmosphere built.

After we finished the whole movie, it got us crazy it was too overwhelming. My room mate, like usual, smiled and giggled on her own like a blockhead. I also could not help to not yell and roll over here and there. So if you have never watched it, or have but not impressed, I recommend to watch it all over again but in a row shortly after one finished. (movie marathon) It is just great how powerful a story is and how your whole brain was like being tilted by it.. if that makes sense. I don't know the word. Now I wonder how it felt like being a Harry Potter die hard fan back then when you have to wait for years for the next one to come. I really salute you all, I can't even wait for the next night to come and watch. Also I wonder how the book is like, because usually the book is always better than the movie. And I just could not imagine what is better than this.

Shortly after we finish everything, my room mate wants to watch the bloopers and behind the scene, which I tried to restrict. At least for me. As much as I love seeing the behind the scene, I hate that it is just movie and there is making process behind. I want to keep the story remained as a real life in my mind. :"D At least not now.

I can't thankful enough of the power of one's mind to be able to create such story. J.K. Rowling... how the h*ll did you do that..