footprints of life

I was so lucky that somehow I saw a sign announcing the Sundance Short Films Festival at the Michigan Theatre right at the last day.  And I was even luckier because I managed to ‘kidnap’ a friend to go with me to the last show…yeah..thanks a lot.

It was an interesting collection of movies…some were cute…some were sweet…some were very disturbing.  Well, what do you expect from Sundance finalists, hm?

Anyway, here are some ultra brief summaries of the movies we watched…

SIKUMI (ON THE ICE) (Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean)–An Iñuit hunter takes his dog team out on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals, and inadvertently becomes a witness to a murder.

MY OLYMPIC SUMMER (Director: Daniel Robin; Screenwriters: Daniel Robin,M.R. Dhar)–After his marriage fails, the filmmaker looks at home video footage of his parents when they were young in hopes to understand how they kept the magic. This film is set against the historical backdrop of the hostage crisis at the Munich Olympic games of 1972.

YOURS TRULY/ United Kingdom (Director: Osbert Parker)– Animation and live action collide in the story of Frank and Charlie, a dark romance of psychological tension that unfolds as both sacrifice their morals in search of what they love.

DENNIS/ Denmark (Director: Mads Matthiesen)– When Dennis, an introvert bodybuilder, invites a local girl out on a date his mother is hurt and disappointed. Despite the pressure she puts on him to cancel the date, Dennis ventures into a night that he will never forget.

FCU: FACT CHECKERS UNIT (Director: Dan Beers; Screenwriters: Dan Beers, Peter Karinen, Brian Sacca)– After being assigned to check a bizarre fact about Bill Murray’s love for drinking milk, two magazine fact checkers break into Bill’s house to spy on him. Cast: Bill Murray

MAN (Director: Myna Joseph)– Maggie and her sister form an unusual bond during an encounter with a young man.

I LOVE SARAH JANE/ Australia (Director: Spencer Susser)– Jimbo is 13 and can think of only one girl–Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way–bullies, violence, chaos, or zombies–nothing will stop him from finding a way into her world.

W./ Germany (Director: The Vikings)– A social outcast describes how he finally found his place in the world.

SPIDER/ Australia (Director: Nash Edgerton)– It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

The summaries are from here

These movies are so cool.  I guess my favourite were Dennis and W (stands for The Wind). FCU was really entertaining.  And Sikumi and My Olympic Summer were kind of reflective.  Spider…hm…it was kind of entertaining, in its own way…jokes that turned out rather nasty..made you confused on whether to laugh or to shriek…

Ann Arbor, Friday - Sunday, November 7 - 9, 2008 

I was about to write this article hours ago…but it got derailed by such a beautiful day that saw me walk a couple of miles to and from the People’s Food Co-op in Kerrytown.

It was such a beautiful day in Ann Arbor, so beautiful that I think the universe and God really love America, or maybe, just Ann Arbor.  This was a perfect day to stand in line and cast your vote.  The sun was bright, the wind was not biting.  It was a perfectly beautiful day.  (I guess God must have loved Obama, too, because any ‘pundit’ would know that if turnout is that great in Ann Arbor… then Michigan is safe…)

As I was walking to the Javanese exam at 8.05, I noticed how empty the streets were, and I was so happy.  I was happy because I believed that these people must have been standing in line at the polls, and waiting anxiously to vote for Obama and then move on for the rest of the day.

And as I was witnessing how long the lines were at Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s (they offered free coffee and ice cream, respectively, to voters), my heart grew with pride.  The Americans are not bad at all, afterall… not bad at all.  When it comes to something that really matter, SOMETIMES, they are not as close-minded.

And tonight, sitting nervously in front of the TV with a bunch of people…I can’t remember how many times I was close to tears….watching history unfolds before my eyes.  OBAMA, NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!

Up to the very last moment, I was still wondering whether Americans are truly ready to embrace an African American to be their Commander in Chief.  And now, I can only offer my deepest respect for them, for they have proven that they have what it takes to be a great nation.

When everything has gone downhill, there is no way but up.

God Bless Obama, the 44th President of the US, and the 1st African American President of the US. 

With Obama winning by a landslide…oh man, now I feel much better about being in America ;p

Ann Arbor, November 5, 2008, 1.35 in the ‘morning’ (that’s 1.35 a.m., dear…) 

PS:  Analysis article: Why Obama Won 

Lah, emangnya kemarin berapa?

Sampai jam 2 pagi hari Minggu waktu sini (yang adalah jam 1 siang WIB), perbedaan waktunya 11 jam, abis itu, jadi 12 jam.  Bingung?  hehehehe…sama…

Itulah keajaiban dunia dan keputusan manusia yang namanya "Daylight Savings".  Itupun sempat terjadi kebingungan, karena minggu lalu ada yang udah mundurin jamnya 1 jam padahal harusnya baru minggu ini, ada juga beberapa jam digital lama yang otomatis mundur sejam.  weleh…weleh… Eropa juga kayaknya udah mundurin minggu lalu.

Daylight Savings time itu waktunya dimajuin (atau dimundurin, tergantung perspektif masing-masing dah…) 1 jam, selama kalau nggak salah sekitar 4 (atau 5 ya…) bulan, dari akhir musim semi sampai sekitar awal musim gugur. Tujuannya adalah untuk memaksimalkan penggunaan cahaya matahari (karena waktu matahari terbit dan terbenam bisa beda banget gesernya, sejam-an lah…), sehingga menghemat energi, nambah produktivitas, dll. 

Kita di Indonesia sih ga bakalan mengalami, soalnya hampir sepanjang tahun antara gelap dan terang hampir sama panjangnya.

Jadi hari Minggu, 2 November kemarin, dapet bonus tidur 1 jam deh, hehehehe…. 

Ann Arbor, 3 November 2008, dini hari.