Wreck-It !

In my whole lifetime until today, there are only two animation movies that can make me feel really really happy watching them.

The first was the Incredibles (2004).

The second one is Wreck-It Ralph (2012) I've just watched last week.

They both are beautiful crafts.

Watching them makes me feel that all hard works will pay off in the end.
That people can do such great things.
That they can make SUCH A THING !

Watching Wreck-It Ralph made me out of breath.
May be that's how it feels to be a fanboy ? Just like when women watch Twilight saga, I guess ? Hahaha...
Well, I did feel satisfied, awestruck, wondering how I can make something like that, so damn jealous with the guys who made it happened. What had you been through to be able to make this masterpiece ?!?!

I say, if you missed watching it on the big screen, you should regret for life.

Why I'm so excited about this movie ? (beware of spoilers !)

Ok, I don't dare to call myself as an expert of movie making.
However I want to point out some amazing features of Wreck-It Ralph.

1. It's a natural blend between old and new things, between asian and western cultures, between game world and the rest of us. Even though you aren't from the old generation, or you are not a gamer, you will still be able to enjoy the story. And if you ARE from the generation who first met Mario, Qubert, etc., you will definitely able to relate your life with the story ! 
2. There's no plot holes. The script is very very neat ! The scriptwriters are God-like ! Well, there is a questionable fact that Vanellope still has her glitch even though Sugar Rush has been reseted. But this "glitch" from the story is needed there in the story to make it wholefully complete !
3. The designs are amazing. You can find refreshed old designs, derivative designs from already available games in the market, new designs special for this movie and convertible into new games. The development team also designed for various themed of settings, characters, props and all for every game world, yet they all are able to blend as one movie. Kudos to them !
4. The sounds, voice acting and BGMs are awesome. You can feel the changes in era, game genres, and whole as family movie. They even got AKB48 to do the Sugar Rush song and Owl City for the main theme :D 
5. The animation works. The animators were really paying attention to how pixel art game characters from old games should act and move. The rest are unquestionable Disney & Pixar standard I guess. 
6. The story is profound. Well, every person might relate for a different reason or message to the story. And that's why this movie's story is really really good. It's able to make a good cocktail of background stories for everyone to gulp, yet there's no "funny" taste left on the tongue. Nothing feels being forced. So darn natural !

If you'd like to find out more about this movie, may be you'd like to listen to this podcast from Wired. 

And have a look at some of the beautiful concept and design development arts from It's Art.
Here are some...

  

Find more in their original sources please :)

And Rich Moore, sir ! You and your team got my biggest kudos !

A True Dreamer

A dreamer who is stuck in his/her own dream and dreaming that without decent amount of effort, his/her dream will come true as an obvious and natural thing to happen next in his/her life
... is a true Dreamer, isn't it ?

Because if he/she works hard to achieve his/her dream, then he/she is a realistic person.
He/she knows that he/she has to learn lots of things including things he/she doesn't like or even hate.
He/she knows that he/she has to eat his/her own shits if needed to make the impossible.. possible.
He/she knows that to make his/her dream comes true, he/she needs to stay alive to do that.

He/she knows that he/she must not running away or lost in delusions if you dream enough, hope enough, "believe" enough, eventually, subconsciously, your body will move like what your mind tells you and the universe will bend to your will.
Juusssttt like that. Magical !

A dreamer whose dreams become reality, stops being a dreamer, is not a true dreamer. Because, if it has become a reality, it's not a dream anymore.

Yes, I'm not talking about : "If you've achieved your dream, then dreams a bigger dream !".
That's absolutely not my point at all.

So, are you a dreamer ? Good.
A true one ? ;P

You Hate Revisions ?

Sometimes, I wonder why so many people hate revisions.
I mean, they are generalizing all kind of revisions to be bad.

This is the ultimate blow to my mind these days.

Translation : "Reject Revisions. Relieve fussy client, fussy editor, wicked boss and overcome tight deadline."
(disclaimer : sorry, i don't know who made this. so, i can't credit him/her. i found this on facebook)

Even though it's only a joke, a satire I suppose ? This is really ridiculous and misleading. Either to junior artists and potential clients.

I think, what you should not support is not fighting against revisions but selfishness.

Look, who doesn't like revisions ? Take a bigger example, don't you want your life ever getting better ? What about your skills ? Your relationships, may be ?
You yourself is the fussiest client ever existed. You want a nicer client, an always agreeing editor, a boss who will pay you for doing bad works and never want to have deadline for your own work (like you'll live forever. yeah ? or you are the one who will enjoy and pay for your own work ?)

The real problem here are the selfish clients, selfish editor, selfish editor and poor time management.
They are your real enemies.

They don't respect the agreement, your service, your effort, your hospitality and sometimes don't trust you even though they've let you as the pro to get the job done.
Bad clients are the ones who abuse you.

However, when you accept an order from a client. It IS your job to make your client satisfied with your work. Meaning, your work fits his/her circumstances and need. If he/she didn't find your work fits in, you gotta fix it and make your work fits in. No excuses.

So, revisions are not the bad apple here.
It is selfishness.

Nose

Traditional painters are really on a different league. No layer mix can help you.

Studying the real shape, form and colors of only a nose, tired me up...
I'm so noob... =_=

Nose study

Apalah arti sebuah nama (bukan pertanyaan)

Shakespeare bilang, apalah arti sebuah nama?
Karena cintaku padamu tak ada hubungannya dengan namamu.

Banyak yang asal menggunakan istilah ini tanpa melihat konteksnya.

Kalau nama itu sungguh tak ada artinya, wahai kawan, tolong tunjukan padaku orang tua waras mana yang menamai anaknya "pelacur", "keparat", "anjing budug", "babi ngepet" dari detik pertama ia lahir ke dunia ?

Kata-kata punya makna, nama punya kekuatan. Ketika di masa sekolah, masa bekerja dan masa-masa lainnya, kita menjuluki seseorang "si bloon", julukan itu akan dibawa orang itu sampai akhir hayatnya - tertulis sudah dalam sejarah hidupnya. Bukan cuma dia saja, tapi juga di kepala dan hati orang-orang di sekitarnya. Dan besar kemungkinan orang itu tumbuh dewasa dan menua menjadi seperti yang diartikan oleh julukannya.

Bila julukannya tanpa arti, atau malah berarti baik, tak apa-apa. Bila tidak ? Bila diucapkan dengan niatan menghina ?

Siapa sih yang suka dipanggil "pelacur", "pengecut", "dudut", "idiot", "belet", "monster", dll. ?
Atau panggilan-panggilan rasis dengan konotasi negatifnya lainnya ?

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Bukan bermaksud promosi, hanya bermaksud menunjukkan contoh kisah bagaimana "hanya karena nama", hidup seseorang bisa kacau balau dan menyedihkan.

Bacalah komik terbitan M&C, judulnya Shanao Yoshitsune - Genpei War.
Di sana ada seorang tokoh bernama Taira no Noritsune. Dia anak klan Heike yang terpaksa hidup menanggung beban namanya.

Namanya buat kita di Indonesia, tak ada masalah. Tapi buat Noritsune, setiap kali di dipanggil dengan nama itu, hanya ada kemarahan dan kebencian yang muncul di wajah dan perilakunya.

Noritsune adalah nama yang diberikan oleh ayahnya sebagai simbol ia adalah aib bagi keluarganya. Kenapa jadi aib ? Ceritanya terlalu panjang, silakan baca sendiri.

Intinya, Noritsune seumur hidupnya menanggung aib itu dan berusaha agar ayahnya mengakui dia, menarik cap aib dan mengganti namanya.
Sedihnya, ayahnya mati tanpa sempat memperbaiki hidup Noritsune. Sampai akhir, karakter Noritsune digambarkan sebagai orang yang agak psikopat. Jenius... tapi agak buas, dan hidupnya tidak bahagia.

Ah, ini kan cuma cerita komik ?
Yah, coba ingat-ingat, pikir-pikir lagi. Apa ini cerita yang cuma bisa ada di komik ?
Kalau kamu tidak bisa mengingat ada kejadian serupa dalam hidupmu, syukur-syukur hidupmu memang bersih dari semua kejadian seperti itu, atau kamu adalah salah satu orang bebal di dunia, egois dan tidak perduli dengan orang lain. 

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Gara-gara sebuah nama.

Silakan ubah hidup orang-orang dalam hidupmu menjadi lebih baik atau lebih menderita. Itu pilihanmu.

Yang pasti, "mulutmu, harimaumu".

Bila kamu tak tahu, tanpa sengaja "menghina", minta maaflah dan jangan ulangi lagi.
Bila kamu (sudah) tahu, dan terus "menghina" karena berpikir apa sih masalahnya ? Karena hanya kamu tak mengerti, orang yang kamu panggil itu sudah kamu tambah jumlah luka di hati dan jiwanya. Dan sampai akhir hayatnya, dia akan terperangkap oleh stigma yang diberikan oleh "penghina"nya yang pertama.

Terima kasih telah menjadi orang yang kejam. Semoga "kebaikan"mu akan terbalas.
Congratulations. You are officially a bully.

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FYI, ini tulisan untuk refleksi dan introspeksi. Kalau dipikir-pikir, jadi pelaku pernah, korban juga iya.

The formula of happiness

Few days ago, someone asked me "What is happiness? Why someone who we thought was happy, was actually not ?"

In this little brain and simple mind of mine, I can only think the answers are...

You can get happiness if :

1. (You make some) Achievement
2. Someone care (about you, what you do, why you did, how and when, negatively or positively)

It can be anything. It can be anyone.

Depends on how you live, raised, who you meet everyday, who you look up to, and so on.
That's why my happiness might be different than yours, or anybody else.

Some people formulate happiness as wealth, status, being religious, have many friends, good family, traveling around the world, collecting stuffs, be skilled at something, and the list can go on.
But then when you've got some of that, done some of them, been there - done that... why do you still feel empty? Why aren't you happy?

Well, may be you'd like to try my formula.

First, ask yourself, "who cares?"
If the answer is you, your own self, go directly to 2nd question, "what matters to you? What do you want to achieve?"
If the answer to the first question was your God, then the 2nd question would be "what matters to Him?"
If the answer to the first question was your family or friend or or your leader or work colleague or your country or your profession or whatever, then what matters to them?

Achieve what someone you care do care, they will care about what you do, react to you. Depending on what kind of reaction that matters to you, negative or positive, you will find happiness.

Be healthy.
Be strong.
Be beautiful/ handsome.
Be rich.
Be thankful.
Be standing on the top of the highest mountain on earth.
Be a father/mother, be a respectful child.
Be a musician.
Be powerful.
Be curious and never give up.
Be enjoying your food.
Etc.

If you're happy being that way. Then be honestly genuinely happy.
For any small happiness, or any big happiness.

Your happiness might not be the same as others, might be yes.
Appreciate every happiness, whoever's.
Life's too short to live in someone else's happiness which is not yours (as well).

My final advice would be
Stop, take a breath, think.
Are you happy? Why? Want to share it? Decide. Do.
That's all, I think.

In the end of the day, the truth is that human can not live without Purpose, and human is a Social Creature who can not live on his own, including alone in his mind.
(Not talking about special cases, ok)

I hope this helps anyone who cares.

So, what is your happiness ?