Pursuit of happiness

I have been thinking of writting this down for couple of days since I watched "Pursuit of Happiness", which is basically the last great movie that Will Smith ever participated before he became so self-horoism in "I'm Legend" and "Hancock". Well, why I watch this kind of sentimental movie out of nowhere? If it wasn't for the Personal and Professional Development (PPD) module, I wouldn't watch it. The watching was actually part of our assignment for sake of discussion in the following days. What I'm going to write here is my answer to my facillitator during the small group discussion (SGD): what is the scene that affected you the most in the movie? People in class talked about each of their favourite scenes in turn, touching scenes, funny scenes, phylosophical scenes etc.

When it was my turn, my reply was: My favourite scene in the movie is when Gardner's life hit a new ground and he started to question whether happiness is something only meant to be pursued, but never be reached?

Actually, the title of the movie originated from a quote from USA Declaration of Independence -- the right of every citizen to the pursuit of happiness...(and blah blah blah) Pursuit of happiness. What a good choice of word -- pursuit. Is it mean that happiness is something that we can only run, and pursuit for the whole of our life, but never meant to be reached?

I don't know. Happiness is just a feeling. A chemical reaction of various hormones and neurotransmitters in your limbic portion of your hypothalamus...that your brain perceive as "Happy". And hence, from the collaral branch to the motor cortex to make the expression "smiling"...and if the electrical activity too strong, it can even stimulate your lacrimanl gland to produce what so callled "tears of happiness". How wonderful it is?

But, you can't always be happy. There are moment where happiness is gone, and it left you in dark, creepy feeling called "sadness". Where the hell is the happiness wthat we though we've grabbed it when we are smiling? Happiness is in your hand in this moment, but it'll slip away...anytime. For this I have postulated two theories:

First, is happiness is where there's no sadness?
or, second, is sadness is where there's no happines?

Again, I don't know. But, anyway, I feel the former would be more likely be the reality of this world. This is just like the concept of light and darkness. Darkness is simply where there's no light; you can't hold on to light...just like you can't have happiness in your hands always. So, we back to the root, are we just going to persue for happiness for the rest of our lives? I think... and I strongly feel that: YES

So, conclusion is: we are going to pursue for happiness, which is something never meant to be reached. We are running everyday...we make friends, we find our love one, we watch comedy...because we're so hell desperately for happiness. We need happiness; happiness is created as a necessarity, just like food, water, and air. We can't be sure that we ever obtain happiness forever, just like we can't stop needing for food, water, and air...

We are pursuing happiness...never reach, but we still pursuing...for our whole life.

触不到的爱情

《触不到的恋人》。
故事很简单，两个相恋的人，虽在同一个空间，但却在相隔了两年的时间。
正因为这样，很多的情节都很浪漫；
男主角在1998年在一家酒家存了一瓶酒，而女主角却在2000年的同一天收到了他的心意。
又有一幕：两人相约在一个下午散步，虽在不同的时间，但两人的甜蜜笑容仿佛爱着的那个人就在身边。
又或者，男主角到1998年的车站为了遇见1998年的她，但看到她身边的另一个人—我在想：活在一个她不爱他的时间，而爱他的她却在未来，男主角的心情是怎样的呢？
两个相爱的人面对面，却因为时间的玩弄，无法互诉爱意。

《触》这部韩国电影推出若干年后，好莱坞拍了美国版的。
演员是Keanu Reeves 和Sandra Bullock。
故事变动不多，保留了大多相同的情节；结局也当然一样。
只是故事从韩国的汉城换到了美国的Chicago；时间是2004年和2006年。

其实知道这两部电影的存在已经很久了。
中学时代迷上韩剧的时候就知道“野蛮女友”在几年前曾演过这么一部电影--《触不到的恋人》。没多久，好莱坞版的就上映了。
只是这几年都没机会一看。
直到最近，感谢网络的下载，我才有幸一睹时间差距的浪漫。

这算是非一般爱情片；没有任何主角换上绝症。
结局也让人不禁流下幸福的眼泪。
时间在这个爱情故事的意义在于“等待”。
男主角等了两年，才遇上相恋的那个她。
相恋的两人差的是时间，所以它们差的也是“等待”。

也许是我自己不愿等待，所以等待开花结果的故事特别让我有感触。
不管是约会的等待，或是等着回心转意的等待，我都不愿付出。
虽然比都懂得幸福的代价是等待，我还是不想等。
单身快一年了，我还在找着我会愿意等待的人。
朋友都劝我不要找，等待她的出现。
我想，看完这个爱情故事后，我应该停止寻觅，开始等待了吧？

The Dark Knight

There are movies which you would call them good movies. After watching, you feel happy, but watching again? No-no, you are not going to waste your time and money.

Above good movies, you call them unforgettable movies. You’ll always remember the scenes, music, and storyline of the movie; but, there are people who may disagree with you as they think it’s just an ordinary-and-not-too-bad movie.

Well, above unforgettable movies, I give you classic movies. There are just too few classical movies since my generation was born, e.g. Titanic, Lord of the Ring (trilogy) etc. Now, recently, 3 days ago, we have a new movie on the list – I proudly present to you, The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight, probably the best comic-turn-into-movie, beatable only by its sequel, I guess. Before that, we revise the prequel, Batman Begins, was revolving how Bruce Wayne became the Batman, and the theme base on the core: how to uphold justice. As the Batman told Lt. Gordon on the roof, “It’s not about who I’m, but what I do defines me.” From there, we know that a new Batman franchise had arisen. We know that it’s going to be unlike any other Batman movies made before, which merely portray him as the hero saving a day. In this new Christopher Nolan-paired-Christian Bale Batman series, there are more dimensions in the Dark Knight’s character. More philosophy was being incorporated into the movie, like karma, violence in upholding justice, conquering fear by becoming the fear yourself etc. They remind us, Batman, at the same time being the hero of Gotham; he is also a vigilant, and a masked man who fights violence by violence. In Batman Begins, he had to kill Raza-Gul, who was also his master. It’s the first time, he learned that justice needs to pay price.

Even though I just have the chance to watch Batman Begins on DVD, after watching it, there are few philosophical points left to be pondered about. Notable quotes would include “to overcome your fear, you have to become the fear yourself” – it explained why Bruce chose the bat as his symbol of fighting against crime. Another one, of course – “It’s not about who I’m, and it’s what I do that defines me.”

Years passed by, until last year when the trailer of TDK was released. Before that, in the teaser, we heard the Joker saying “People start to die…from tonight! Haha~”. It’s the first time we listened Heath Ledger speaking as the Joker – it sounds creepy and maniac. Then, in the official trailer… we are being told of many other quotes, one of them is which I can’t stop myself from thinking of it – “Why so serious?!”

At last, on the 17th of July…Batman stomps into cinema in his Batpod!

In this very classical sequel, The Dark Knight, we can see how the dimensions of Batman are being further expanded, with the adding of philosophy, mostly about justice and crime. It’s too good in every aspect – all reviews give the movie a nearly full star rating… It’s historical achievement for any DC or Marvel comic movies can make. Evolving from how Batman Begins was a non-ordinary superhero movie, TDK successfully make it as a superhero-cum-philosophy-plus-psychological thriller movie! Never in my life time I watched a movie with so many elements in it, and yet not too burden for viewer to digest… No surprise if Hedge Ledger is nominated as the best supporting actor (posthumously), or TDK being shortlisted in Oscar best movie nomination. Being the first comic movie in such nomination…I’m wordless but only can clap my hands as audiences in the cinema hall I watched did!

Okay, even though I said the movie is not hard to digest, but it still takes me one day to really understand the ending of story. Basically, as TDK promotion showed, it’s a story on its own surrounding 3 characters: Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face), the Joker, and Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Let us start with Harvey Dent. In the beginning of the story, he was the rising star of Gotham, the District Attorney who represents the new hope for justice. Unlike Batman, he’s a hero with unmasked, and he put criminal in jails by book. As the vigilant actions of Batman has caused direct crash between violence, people of Gotham start to prefer Harvey more. Nevertheless, he has predicted his own destiny at the beginning of the story – “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” At the end, he was turned psycho by the Joker and become the notorious Two-face in Batman story. This signifies that the fall of Gotham City’s new hope. In order to protect the city and the name of a battle-mate, Batman made the sacrifice himself. Harvey Dent didn’t have to die a villain, he, instead, died a hero. While at the same time, Batman live long enough to become a villain. People in Gotham will still believe that Harvey died as the DA who once fought against crime. It’s the belief that Batman hope it instilled among people to keep holding on justice, and not fall to the devil side. Well, I really astonished by how the story line turn about this Two-face. Christopher Nolan made a brave move to cancel out some parts in the original comic, and put the Harvey Dent/Two-face in between the war of Batman vs. Joker, just to make the movie even tensing. Parts that left out in the comic, is like the duality of Two-face (he always refer himself as “we”), his obsession of number “two”, how Two-face become a mob boss etc. But, the essential of Two-face remains: he was once Batman’s friend, and he flips coin to determine whether to kill or not. Even though viewers know he turned into Two-face, but to me, he died a hero.


Okay, now what? The Joker! What I can say about him…beyond description, I say. “This city deserves a better class of criminal, and I’m going to give them one.” The better class of criminal, referring to a criminal that commits crime just for crime, nothing more. As inspiration from the comic Batman: the killing joke, Nolan worked together with Ledger to create the new Joker, which is the best Joker forever as Ledger is not going to reprise this role forever. In TDK, the Joker is a complete contrast to Batman – he preaches chaos and anarchy. The Joker did that simply because he wants to do that. He has no motive… just like he has no identity. What he wants to achieve is merely creating a world with no rules, for sake of crime, not himself. We think of Batman fighting against crime, the only crime he can’t fight is the Joker as the Joker simply turning everything everyone around him into crime! As the Joker said to Batman (while hanging up-side-down), “unstoppable force encounter with unmovable object.” I never felt how Joker can be the arch nemesis of Batman, comparing to other villains like Penguin, Catwoman, Riddle, and Mr. Freeze etc, not until I watch TDK. The Joker only did two things to be eligible as the arch nemesis – kill Rachel (Bruce’s love) and Harvey (technically to give rise to Two-face). The fate of the Joker was unknown at the end of story, most probably being kept in Arkham Asylum. He obviously won the war by destroying Gotham’s hope – Harvey Dent. But he won for nothing, because of Batman’s sacrifice to make Harvey die a hero. But, he isn’t loose either! Remember? He commits crime for crime; he has nothing to lose!

At last, here we come the man who said “I know what I have to become to take down a man like him.” – The Batman / Bruce Wayne. At the end, he became on the wanted list of Gotham PD. He makes himself live as a villain, so the new hope of Gotham (Harvey) will forever in people heart as the hero. If it’s not of what Batman did, Harvey’s fall would probably become Joker’s victory in the psychological war as people may believe that the evil has won over the good. The Gotham people already lost their new hero, they can’t afford to lost hope anymore. “He is the hero this city deserved, but not the one this city needs”, this is how Lt. Gordon explained to his son why he has to hunt this hero down… A true hero, Batman. He fights crime, and he took the blame of crime he didn’t commit – for sake of people he has been protecting. I could feel the warmth in my eyes as Lt Gordon broke the Bat-Signal… He lost his love and friend in the battle, and the last thing he lost – the honor being a hero. He’s not a hero at the end… he turned into the protector of city at night – the Dark Knight.

In the end, here’s my deepest salute to the every cast and producers of The Dark Knight. Live long Hedge Ledger, live long Batman! The classic, that only beatable by its successor.