Lesson Learnt from a Movie: Life of Pi

Life of Pi adalah buku yang dengan cepat menarik perhatian begitu aku melihatnya di toko buku.

Anehnya adalah walaupun aku sangat tertarik dengan buku ini (dan aku memilikinya!), tapi aku tidak segera membacanya.

Teranggurkan begitu saja di rak buku begitu terbeli.

Hingga tahu-tahu, buku ini sudah diadaptasi ke layar lebar. Sedikit di luar kebiasaanku, aku memutuskan untuk menonton film ini sebelum aku membaca bukunya. Hal itu terakhir kulakukan dulu ketika menonton Bridge of Terabithia (another good movie).

Life of Pi adalah film tentang "perjalanan spiritual" seorang Pi.

Life of Pi dibuka dengan adegan aneka binatang di kebun binatang dengan diiringi lagu Pi's Lullaby - Mychael Danna. Lagu yang sangat menenangkan, cocok untuk menemani yoga di pagi hari (tidur dong?) malam hari, terutama ketika sedang melakukan savasanna. -> sebagai penggemar musik dan penggemar yoga, aku merasa ini penting untuk ditulis walaupun ini sebenarnya tidak terkait dengan tulisan ini.

Pi merupakan nama panggilan dari Piscine Patel.

Keluarga Patel merupakan keluarga suatu pengusaha yang memiliki sebuah kebun binatang.

Suatu ketika Ayah Patel memutuskan untuk berimigrasi ke Kanada.

Dalam perjalanan ke Kanada bersama dengan hewan hewan yang akan mereka jual, kapal yang mereka tumpangi terkena badai di Samudera Pasifik.

Pi terombang ambing di laut bersama Richard Parker, seekor macan Bengali dewasa di dalam sebuah rakit.

Apa yang terjadi selama Pi terombang ambing di lautan bersama Richard Parker ini lah yang menjadi inti cerita dari "Life of Pi". 

Yang akan kutulis di bawah ini adalah interpretasi aku pribadi, 

"Tuhan" itu lebih dari sebuah label.
Tidak peduli apakah awal dari perkenalanmu dengan "Tuhan" dimulai dari Hinduisme, dari Kristiani, atau pun dari Islam, (atau pun dari agama lain) itu adalah perjalanan spiritual setiap invididu secara pribadi. Tidak ada orang lain yang dapat mengatakan kepadamu, akan bagaimana kah perjalananmu, karena itu adalah suatu hal yang harus dialami secara pribadi. 

Jangan pernah berputus asa, yakinlah bahwa selalu ada pengharapan bahkan di saat tersulit.

Tidak ada yang lebih menyedihkan daripada tidak bisa mengucapkan selamat tinggal.

(dedicated for my dear cousin: Petrus Sigit , 25 April 1974- 30 November 2012)

Manusia adalah makhluk yang penuh pengharapan. Manusia ingin percaya bahwa manusia lain akan selalu memiliki nilai kemanusiaannya, bahkan dalam keadaan terdesak.

(my opinion: *****/5)

Fifty Shades Trilogy

Actually, I'm reluctant to review this Fifty Shades of Grey's trilogy.

Since it's like opening up your dirty secret.

Why...?

You don't want anybody know that you read erotica fiction, do you?

Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Definition of EROTICA:

1. literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality
2. depictions of things erotic

Enough of definition.

Why do I want to read this trilogy?
Maybe you've already read my previous blog entry regarding Kobo.
I mentioned that I saw this trilogy in some bestseller list.
Of course I do some research before deciding to buy this bundle.
Most shown up terms are : erotic, fan-fiction, BDSM

Fifty Shades of Grey is originally a fan-fiction of Twilight.
Just add the erotic and (sometimes) hyperbolic touch.
Don't expect a deep story.

The main characters are Anastasia Steele (later Grey) and Christian T Grey.
Anastasia is a recently graduated young woman.
Christian Grey is a very rich businessman with a darker side (in his own term "fifty shades fucker").
Both are madly attracted into each other.
At the beginning, it is mostly the sexual attraction, but the more they know about each other, it will get into a deeper relationship.

My point for this trilogy is 6.5 out of 10.
If you don't know anything about BDSM, this book will give you some insight about this world.
Good for your knowledge maybe (?) :P
The story itself is addicting, but the story lack of depth.

Notes:
This book is not available in Indonesia. I guess the theme is too risky.
If you are a regular visitor at Kinokuniya, you must be familiar that they always put the NY times bestseller list on their bookshelf.
This time, they don't.
I guess this is because that the top number 1,2 and 3 is taken by this Fifty of Shades Trilogy.

Building my Reading Life with Kobo

I'm a bookworm.

I love the smell of paper. I've already had two large cupboard for my books collection.

That's why it's really hard for me to consider buying e-book.

In the past, reading an e-book was valid for me only if I've already bought the actual copy of the book.

But a few days ago, I made a decision, "Let's try buying an e-book".

50 Shades of Grey is listed in Goodreads, Bookdepository, NY Times Bestseller, etc. Since the original format for this 50 Shades Trilogy is an e-book, so I think, okay then, let's try. 

First of all, I search into the Google Play for some e-book reader app.

After browsing through some apps I decided to try Kobo. 

I like simplicity, and I could sync between desktop, Android, Apple devices and Blackberry. (I only have the 1st gen iPod Nano and I'll never buy a Blackberry, so it's not really important tough)

It also compatible with some e-book reader. Kobo itself have a product named Kobo-eReader.

The files format supported: Adobe DRM and e-pub.

The other reason why I choose Kobo is ..... I like to collect awards. :D

Kobo has Reading Life features.

It provides some collectible award such as:

• Reading Life: Your digital Reading Life has just begun
• I love my Library: You've started to build a digital library with Kobo
• Once Upon a Time: You started reading a new book

etc....

You could see the default awards are already available in the Reading Life.

Some of the other awards are hidden at the beginning, and it will show up according to your reading habit.

So far I've unlocked Page Turner (2H), Primetime, Better in Bed. 

You could check the complete list on Reading Life Awards .

Mine?

some of my Reading Life Awards

Other features:

• sharing into Facebook timeline
• sharing into Kobo Pulse
• custom reading setting 
• appearance: Classic (white background, black text), Sepia (beige background, black text), Night ( black background , white text)
• font size and font style

Snapshot from my LG L7:

Kobo

Kobo Home

reading a book

Seasonal Bookworm

I'm a seasonal bookworm.
Sometimes I could read as much as 30 books/year averagely.
But sometimes, i could read as much as 5 books/year only.
I think this year is one of the latter.
It's August now and I've only read 6 books.
Honestly, there was two bad habits that I built last year.
The first one is hit-run reading.
I read only a few beginning chapters, than I just stop reading that book.
It started with Cold Mountain actually.
I've tried to read that particular book since 2010's New Year without any success.
Since then, The Monk who sold his Ferrari, The Secrets, The Essential of Hemingway and Revolutionary Road have been the books that I just left unfinished.
No.... those books are actually nice (i would feel rather guilty if i said that Hemingway's work isn't great), but I just couldn't finish reading those books.
The second one is the fact that i couldn't stop buying books.
Before 2010, I disciplined myself to not buy any books unless my to-read numbers is less than 10.
My current number is.... 28 books.
Oh gosh, I think I have to stop buying books and try to accomplish my target for this year, 30 books.

So...Ciayo...

Of Bees and Mist - Erick Setiawan

The first thing that caught my eyes is the author's last name.

It's a rare occasion to see a book written by an Indonesian at Kinokuniya.

So I grabbed this bookfrom the shelves.

ISBN-10: 0755356586

ISBN-13: 9780755356584

As soon as I began to read this, I just couldn't stop.

According to the book's cover the story is about:

"Three strong women. Two feuding families. A singular story of enchantment"

Let me be short, the three strong women are Meridia, the main character, Ravenna (Meridia's mother) and Eva (Meridia's mother-in-law).

The story began with Meridia's birth, followed by her cold childhood at 24th Monarch street, her journey to search the warmth of love from her husband's family at Orchard Road, and finally back to her house seeking her own inner peace.

What I really love about this story is the main conflict described in the book is really the problem that we could face on our daily life. The problem between husband and wife, parents and child and between in-laws. The magical thing makes the story more interesting.

Sookie Stackhouse Series

Okay....

My first opinion when I first found about this series is "Another vampire series?Is it as any good as Twilight?"

But after I read the first chapter, I realize that I really like this series.

In my opinion, it is really a page turner.

Maybe we will not see this series on the widescreen like Twilight, but I think the story is very entertaining. And still we can enjoy True Blood on the cable TV.

Sookie is an ordinary barmaid at Bon-Temps, Lousiana.

Okay, she is not just an ordinary bar-maid, because she can also read other people's mind.

Her ordinary life has changed after she encountered the supernatural world.

Beginning with the vampire than the shifter, the were, and still there will be another magical creatures that you can imagine.

The best part of this series is the fact that Sookie doesn't madly in love with vampire.

(Oops, I don't want to be a spoiler, so I really suggest you to read this series).

So far, I've read 6 of 9 books (I've read the first three and the last three books) and I really can't wait the rest of the series.

Emma - Jane Austen

Okay... this is my first review...

Emma is my first Jane Austen's book.

I've watch the movie a few years ago, but I can't quite remember the story.

I only remember that the movie was played by Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma.

Emma is a good story, funny and really entertaining.

In my opinion, it is a classical version of what we call now as chicklit genre.

You'll find a story about a young women with her problematic problem.

The plot is quite predictable, but it is still interesting to be followed.

My favorite part from this book is the charade that Mr Elton made.

To: Miss.....

My first displays the wealth and pomp of kings,

Lord of the earth! their luxury and ease.

Another view of man, my second brings,

Behold him there, the monarch of the seas!

But, ah! united, what reserve we have!

Man's boasted power and freedom, all are flown;

Lord of the earh and sea, he bends a slave,

And woman, lovely woman, reigns alone.

Thy Ready wit the word will soon supply,

May its approval beam in that soft eye!

(taken from Emma, Jane Austen)