Batman : The Dark Knight

::: Batman Movie Poster

Finally last Friday I watched the newest movie of Batman: The Dark Knight. I had read some reviews about it before and all of them were positive. That made me curious, hahaha...

After watching it, I can't agree more. I think this movie is the bestest movie I have watched this year so far!!! One thing that made this movie strong is that it didn't only focus on visual effect (technology) but also the story itself, which is more important (for me).

::: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (Batman)

The story was also so strong because there were so many life values delivered to the audiences. Those values weren't wrapped in a boring way that made the audiences fell asleep (LOL), but in some dramatic (and tense) scenes with great visual effects and nice music. The most dramatic scene (for me) with one life value (kindness inside every people no matter how 'bad' they are) was when 2 bunch of people were on 2 different ferries found gasolines and bomb on their ferries, plus a detonator to blow the other ferries up.

No need to talk about the visual effect or music technology. Technology nowadays has really been modern and cool... ;) Some people might find the storyline confusing. Yea, it was a bit complex, but if we focus, I believe we would still understand, hahaha... . At least we would understand the main story. Also, all parts of the movies were so cool, no boring scene (for me), and thrilling, hahaha....

Who is the best actor? I gotta say: Heath Ledger (portraying Joker). He really greatly portrayed the Joker character. He was able to show us how sinister, maniac, and mad Joker was. Christian Bale also greatly portrayed Bruce Wayne aka Batman, but I still think Ledger shone more than him.

::: Heath Ledger as Joker

note: Heath Ledger (aged 28) died after filming this movie due to drug overdose. The world really has lost one great actor. May he rest in peace.

So, I think watching this movie is a MUST!! hehehe... ;) I gotta rate it 5 out of 5!! :)

::: Joker and Batman

My Trip back to Jogja

Yesterday I departed at 4 AM from Bandung catching a travel to Soekarno-Hatta Int'l Airport. At about 6.30 AM I arrived at Terminal 1C.

::: sunrise

Anyway, something had really made me angry that morning!! Damn!! Here is the story: After checking in and paying the airport tax I walked to the Waiting Lounge. I was so hungry and decided to have breakfast at one restaurant there. Goddamn it!! The price was so expensive!! I ordered the cheapest one: a Rp 15,000.oo fried chicken and an iced tea which cost Rp 4,000.oo. So, the total was Rp 19,000.oo. Then, when the bill came, I had to pay Rp 24,000.oo!! WTF!!! Of course I didn't want to pay that much!! I had an evidence. The menu book was still in my table and I showed the waiter that the price of fried chicken was Rp 15,000.oo. He insisted it was Rp 20,000.oo!! He said in OTHER menu books and in the computer it was Rp 20,000.oo. Hello?? I didn't give a crap on what the OTHER menu books had. I ordered my meal based on the menu book they gave to me, NOT the other menu books or the computer, right? I ordered it because its price was Rp 15,000.oo on MY menu book!! Finally they gave in and gave my Rp 5,000.oo back. This incident brought my mood down a bit after that....

::: controversial fried chicken

At 7.30 AM I walked to the waiting lounge. At 8.45 AM we embarked the aircraft (Mandala's Airbus A 320-212 reg code PK-RMG) of flight RI 350. At 9 AM the aircraft took off thru runway 25L Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Well, Mandala's Airbus A320 is a modern and cool aircraft. However, now Mandala is a LCC, of course the seat configuration is not as comfortable as Garuda's, hahaha... . The seat pitch was so narrow that when I sit, my knees touched the seat in front of me!!

::: inside Mandala's Airbus A320-212 reg code PK-MBG flight no RI 350

::: Mandala's Boeing 737-4Y0 reg code PK-RIT looked from my window (you can see my aircraft's wing and machine)

Plus, there was a woman sitting in front of me who was so egoistic!! She bended her chair backward (towards me). Hey!! She must have known that the seat was so narrow and she did that?? Well, okay, since I still could move pretty freely, I didn't complain. HOWEVER, five minutes before landing, the stewardess asked all passengers to put all chairs back to the normal position (for safety) and she did NOT do that!! WTF!! Lucky then one stewardess walked and asked her to do so! hahaha... .

At 10 AM we landed at runway 09 at Adisucipto Airport. Yeaahh!! We landed at runway 09, I had been waiting for that for a long time (I seated at A yesterday). So I can look Yogyakarta from the sky, cool. The last time I went to Yogyakarta catching a flight (which was this time), we landed at runway 27.

::: Mandala's Airbus A320-212 reg code PK-MBG after landing

Hmmm

These weekend has been such a weekend, haha... . I have many things to do.

Anyway, the greatest thing is that since tomorrow I'm going back to Bandung and next Thursday I'm going back to Yogyakarta and I am just too exhausted to always catch trains, so next Thursday I'm gonna catch a plane!! hahaha... . Since there is no direct flight between Bandung and Yogyakarta (Damn Merpati!! :( ), I gotta catch flight from Jakarta first. Lucky I still get Mandala's Promo Fare, hohoho... ;) So, next Thursday I'm catching Mandala's RI 350 from Jakarta to Yogyakarta which departs at 9 AM. One other things also excites me: I'm gonna fly with AIRBUS A 320!! hahaha... ;) Kinda corny, eh? Whatever, I haven't boarded this type of plane yet and I'm so excited to finally get the chance to be on board of it, hehehe... ;)

Back to Yogyakarta

Finally last Tuesday I went back to Yogyakarta. I caught Argo Wilis Express which departed at 7 AM in the morning. Damn trains in Indonesia!! They don't get better nor faster but in fact they get even slower and slower. Shoot!!! Usually Argo Wilis arrived at Yogyakarta Station at 1.45 PM but last Tuesday it arrived at 2.20 PM. Grrr.... :(

Trains really need to work hard to rise passengers' satisfaction rate or they will be left because they lost to other mass transports on competition.

Damn High Season

Now we are in the middle of Peak Season in Indonesia since now we have school break. So many people enjoy their holiday by going out to another city(ies). Therefore it's really hard to get any ticket (plane, train, etc) if we buy pretty close to the D-Day.

Damn Peak Season, all train tickets for this week had been sold out since last Monday (when I still had no exact date to go back home). I get Argo Wilis Ticket available now only on Tuesday, shoot. Okay, I had no other option and I took it... :( Yesterday morning I browsed Mandala's web and found one not so expensive ticket from Jakarta to Yogyakarta next Sunday. I hesitated at first and left it for 3 hours and when I came back it had been taken!! DAMN!! :( Okay, so I'm gonna back to Jogja next Tuesday, hmmm...

Wimbledon 2008's Final

I watched the Gentlemen's Finale of Wimbledon 2008 between Roger Federer (SUI, world number 1) and Rafael Nadal (ESP, world number 2). It first appeared that seemingly Nadal would win the match easily after winning the first 2 sets 6 - 4; 6 - 4. But then, the match turned dramatically to one of the bestest matched I have ever seen!! Federer proved why he is world number 1. Starting on the third game, the match was really neck to neck causing a tie break. Federer won the tie break by 7 - 5. The third game was Federer's. The fourth game was no different. It was also a great match ended with another tie break. Federer again owned this match after winning the tie break by 10 - 8. The score was 2 - 2 now and the final set must be played. After the score was 2 - 2 and Deuce (40 - 40), a rain suspended the match, hahaha... :) The last set was also an intense and great set. They both played super-greatly. Unfortunately in the 15th game (the score was 7 - 7 and Federer served) Federer made some mistakes causing Nadal stole a point from him. On the 16th game, Nadal won the match!! Wow!! Congratz Nadal!!

Honestly at first I rooted for Federer to create a world record by winning Wimbledon 6 times consecutively. But watching the match, well, it was so intense and Nadal is also a great player!! hahaha... . It really was one of the bestest match I have ever seen!!

O yea, it was so obvious that Nadal was so joyful that he sobbed a bit. It was also obvious that Federer looked really really disappointed. Yea, of course, with that close match, it must have been depressing to lose, but that was a match!! Hmmm

::: Nadal was so joyful after he won the finale

::: disappointed Federer

::: Nadal and his trophy

Anyway, on the Ladies Double, Serena Williams and Venus Williams won the final match!! Wow. They won the Ladies Double and they were both on the final of Ladies Single!! Wah!! Great Job!! hahaha...


::: Venus Williams won her fifth Wimbledon title, Serena came as The Runner Up

::: Venus and Serena Williams won the Ladies Double

Back to Bandung again

As you can read at some previous entries, I have to go back and forth between Yogyakarta and Bandung, hahaha... :) So, after spending a week in Yogyakarta, today I went back to Bandung. I didn't catch Argo Wilis as usual tho, but I caught Morning Lodaya Express. I didn't go to Bandung alone but with my brother and his friends. They wanna have a holiday in Bandung so I accompany them, hahaha... :) Anyway, train sucks. It didn't get any better (faster) but starting 1st July 2008 there was a rescheduling. The reschedule didn't make the schedule better but worse, damn. Based on the new schedule, train moves slower than before, wtf!! Today it took us 8 hours and 15 minutes from Yogyakarta to Bandung (we departed at 9.30 AM and arrived at 5.45 PM)

The Big Four

I was interested with this book at first but hesitated whether I should buy it or not. After a suggestion from a friend, I decided to buy it.

Well, I think this novel is a lot better than "Death In The Clouds" which I read before.

== Plot Summary ==

Hercule Poirot was in a chase of the biggest group of gangsters of the world at that time, named The Big Four. Just like the name, there were four people leading the group: Li Chang Yen (number 1), a rich American businessman Abe Ryland (number 2), a genius chemical professor Madame Olivier (number 3), and number 4 who was more known as the destroyer (but then his identity was revealed at the end of the novel). Poirot intended to destroy this organization but found himself in some troubles along since the Big Four was not an easy enemy. In the end, he was able to destroy The Big Four

== Summary Ends ==

Well, I think the novel is really interesting. The case is not just a common murder case but more like a big black organization. Reading this novel, I think it's kinda similar with Dan Brown's novels, more a mystery novel rather than a murderer novel, hahaha... ;)

I found the story was so great up until the end of the novel. Unfortunately the ending was not really great nor booming. Maybe that's the only weakness of the novel (as I found). It could have been more thrilling and exciting. In the end, it seemed that The Big Four was destroyed so easily, contradicting with many facts mentioned earlier that this group was so tough and probably the biggest black organization in the world at that time. It didn't give any self-defense or counter attack which could have made the story much more interesting.

However, overall I still think this one is better than Death In The Clouds (even I give them both 4 stars... ;) )