11.29.07
celebrating rights/ idiots in cinemas
I know I know, a record of two posts in one day 
If I’m in a good mood as of tonight, I may even blog ranting/bragging about my results. Hopefully it will be the latter, not the former! Anyway, just heard that the girl who was kidnapped was found this morning, not too sure if this is really the case, but just thought I’d update.
There’s another peace gathering coming up! In celebration of International Human Rights day on December 10, the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee is hosting the Festival of Rights on Sunday, December 9.
Heaps of NGOs and movements will be involved, among them The People’s Parliament, AWAM and…er, well, other NGOs lah. I know the Yellow Wave will be present, but the feminist movement will be wearing purple The march starts at 7.30am from SOGO and will end at Central Market/Pasar Seni where there will be a host of events and activities.
For more details, click the link above! Or go here, the blog for Human Rights Day in KL.
I’m terribly excited and I don’t care, I’m going this time! And don’t rain on my parade (or shoot tear gas cannisters, or spray at me with chemical-laced water, ahem) because this is part of our (Malaysians, all of us!) right to peacefully assemble.
It would be great to see some new faces there la. SOGO’s so accessible via public transport, you can take the KTM to Bank Negara and walk from there. As my friend was commenting to me, the NGO scene in Malaysiais waaaaaay too small, everyone knows everyone else. As I am very new still, I only know a few people here and there, but am so looking forward to knowing more
Whee! Imma gonna be part of the Purple Parade!
***
Ok firstly I know this is damn old news lah. BUT SOME PEOPLE CAN BE SUCH IDIOTS IN THE CINEMAS.
Last night I went to watch Beowulf with my brother in Pyramid (my dad very kindly offered me his ticket while he went to his office to do his reports). It was pretty good as far as plots go, a bit overdetermined but the CGI was pretty dang fantastic. What surprised me though, was no censorship of bare CGI bottoms (Beowulf has a thing for being buff—literally, but then again this was in olden times before sex and sexuality became so overrated) and Angelina Jolie’s CGI tits.
Perhaps that explained the presence of so many young men in the audience, I could almost feel the stiffening (ahem, pun intended) of the crowd as they realised that, ohmyGod, she is naked (!). There were the obligatory nudges and jostling among the people in front of me, giggles, and whispers. There was even a group of young men up front who were whispering really loudly throughout the movie. I felt like throwing the bucket of popcorn seeds at them. Needless to say I was plenty relieved when they left before the end.
Like, get over it la, half the population has tits. And everybody has an ass and bares it a few times a day. What’s the big deal?
Another gripe was the fact that even though there were the usual public service messages reminding people to put their phones in silent, this blatant message still managed to slip through the think numb skulls of at least five people in the audience. One even had the audacity to answer his phone!
The movie was also rated PG-13 for violent scenes. Yes, I know it’s freaking animated, but still! I found some of it pretty gory too, especially with the ripping-bodies-in-two and impaling. This guy brought his four-or-five year old daughter into the cinema, sitting next to my brother, and she was whimpering and whining throughout the movie.
Listen, punk, if you don’t care that your daughter is scared or can stand the scenes of violence, at least give some consideration to the other people in the cinema with you who may not find her so cute while she talks throughout the movie, ok? I love kids at the best of times, but you have to remember that there’s a time and place for everyone/everything.
I was remarking to my brother too, during the advent of adverts in the beginning when a PSA came on reminding pedestrians to stop when the lights are red and walk when it’s green, that my God, we need people to tell us something as basic as this? We should be ashamed.
Then when the phones went off, people chatted and the poor little girl whined, I see why we need reminders for the most basic things.
HONESTLY. Gaah.
Yawar Amin said,
November 29, 2007 at 6:33 pm
This post rocks! I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks it’s funny what they got away with just because it’s CGI. Look at Roger Ebert’s take on it: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/REVIEWS/71115001. Apparently even Ms Jolie was surprised by it. Imagine this kinda stuff in Toy Story! Btw you must have got your results by now–I’m sure it’s all good. Best of luck in any case!
meldee: haha thanks…will have a read
all the best to you too!
Geoffrey said,
November 29, 2007 at 9:04 pm
People are generally selfish. They focus upon their own wants and desires over everyone else’s. Even their family, friends and partner. Even when people seem to be kind to others, they are truly being selfish. On some level, deep down, we are all selfish.
meldee: of course we are, it just sucks that they have to be selfish in the cinemas *grumps*.
ish said,
November 30, 2007 at 3:24 pm
LOL, don’t they show birth control related adverts during the interval there? They used to show them here and it was hilarious. They show a guy who’re really worried about having many children and goes to the doctor and the doctor tells him to get his testicles removed and then they show him and his wife all happy and stuff in the end because he got his tubectomy or vasectomy(whichever it is for males) done. I was really laughing my ass off through all this. They should have shown flavored condoms instead, they’re still better off
meldee: are you kidding?! birth control ads in malaysia? ahahahah i don’t think it’ll ever happen though i may be wrong. mind you, this is an audience that sniggers at sanitary pad adverts.
csa said,
November 30, 2007 at 4:24 pm
i am a little bit surprised that the bar council is allowing yellow at their march.
and why purple ?
who knows la, i’m going to korek my activist friends and find out more on what’s the scene.
meldee: well, a colour’s just a colour, hey?
purple is the colour for the feminist movement here in malaysia
globally i think it’s the colour representing homosexuals (though now i think it’s leaning more towards the colours of the rainbow?) and, er, sexual frustration.
lol.
ish said,
December 1, 2007 at 8:32 pm
You think we don’t snigger at such ads? We snigger whenever the actor touches the actress damnit
meldee: erk. ok then. sorry
csa said,
December 4, 2007 at 5:45 pm
melody, the human rights walk has been cancelled.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75641
The Bar Council has decided to call off its annual Human Rights Day march on Sunday, ostensibly due to pressure from the authorities to obtain a police permit. “We are calling it off, but will proceed with the rest of the festivities (at the Central Market),” council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan told Malaysiakini when contacted this afternoon.
meldee: aww mienn. thanks for the heads up, sueann. that’s complete bollocks by the way, i’ve heard from so many people who’ve gone that this is in no way a protest march or something. grr.
anyway i will still most probably go for the events on after that, will you be going too?:)
csa said,
December 4, 2007 at 10:04 pm
yup absolute bollocks – a human rights event is denied the right to have a march and there is nothing we can do about it. once again, malaysia boleh! nak jalan ramai ramai also cannot. quite funny and a little tragic. but yeah, i’ll still be going to central market. see you there!
meldee: yeah, i totally don’t get it
it’s funny la, this country of ours!