The Risky Journal

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire   Last night, two and a half hour just slipped out of my notice when I watched the second installment of The Hunger Games Trilogy: Catching Fire . The cliffhanger ending of the movie, which according to critics resemble the spirit of The Empire Strikes Back , makes me ‘hungry’ for more. I demanded that the third and the fourth movie be released right away! Yes, the third installment of the trilogy novel, Mockingjay, is going to be made into twomovies , following the trend set by Harry Potter and Twilight series. Winning Oscar does not make Jennifer Lawrence reluctant to embrace her character as Katniss Everdeen. Instead, as usual, Lawrence gives all her best acting to portray Katniss who in this movie starts to be the beacon of hope for people of Panem. In Catching Fire, Katniss is caught in a dilemma. Her heartbreaking and breathtaking fictive romance with Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson , in the 74 th Hunger Games has stirr...

Last Saturday, I got a runny nose -kind of severe, as I recalled- not because of sick, but because I watched a Korean movie entitled WeddingDress . Wedding Dress Movie Poster (link contains spoiler) I have frequently watched Korean movies. In my opinion, they are much better than Indonesian movies. Not that I dislike my country (I just dislike Indonesia’s movies), but yeah, Korean movies have a wide range of preference. You can watch cheesy-funny-romantic movie that make you feel happy and smile all the time. Or try to watch a horror-romanticmovie  that makes you laugh and scared. You can also find cool action movie ! Some movies even make me cry a lot . I really mean it when I say some Korean movies really make me cry so badly. Wedding Dress is one that makes me cry. I am a boy and I cry. So what? I don’t buy the ubiquitous saying ‘Boys don’t cry’. Wedding Dress narrates the life of a single mother, Go-eun, played by Song Yun Ah . Her husband dies already, leaving ...

I still remember not a day went by in September without news on various mass organizations staging protests on Miss World 2013 held in Indonesia. They demanded that the beauty pageant be cancelled, citing that it is not appropriate with Indonesian culture. Following the rains of demonstrations and protests, theorganizer cancelled the beauty pageant’s venues in Jakarta and held it solely inBali Island . But, apparently, Indonesia will host another international beauty pageant! Mister International 2012Ali Hammoud On my way home from my office, I always pass a billboard informing me about Mister International 2013 slated to be held in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 27, 2013. But something is missing. There is no news about people protesting the show. Where are they? Those who disagreed about Miss World held in Indonesia argued that it is not aligned with Indonesian culture. They mostly disagreed with the bikini contests, which is a part of the competition. The ev...

Between Muslim and American Identity Kamala Khan, New Ms. Marvel. source: huffingtonpost I woke up this morning with a big surprise. As a part of my daily routines, I always check on my Feedly account and at around 8 am I read a post in Hufftington Post about a new character in Marvel universe. Marvel will welcome Kamala Khan, a Muslim woman and Pakistan immigrant to the US, as the new Ms. Marvel. Yes, it’s a Muslim woman who is bestowed the title of Ms. Marvel. As someone who really loves superhero universe and American Studies, this event is a pivotal key in the ‘outgoing’ superpower country’s culture. Ms. Marvel is a fiction character in Marvel comic books. Carol Danvers is the most notable character donning the mantle of Ms. Marvel. The hero has various abilities including superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, energy projection, energy absorption and flight. Therefore, Ms. Marvel, in my opinion, is one the most powerful character in Marvel Universe. ...

Gravity Movie Poster  “I think that movie is boring. It only features two actors. What’s so cool about that!” said an acquaintance of mine, commenting on a movie entitled Gravity . But I have an entirely different opinion. You probably have seen countless movies about space. But I bet you have never really experienced what it feels like to be in space. This, in my opinion, is what Gravity has to offer. Joining space shuttle Explorer, Dr. Ryan Stone, a Mission specialist nicely played by Sandra Bullock, is hired by NASA to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Accompanied by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, starred by George Clooney, Dr. Stone floats away in the space, trying to service the telescope. It will be outrageous if you are not stunned by a jaw dropping view of the blue Earth, which shades the work field of Dr. Stone and Kowalski. However, all of sudden, the Mission Control in Houston warns of a high-speed space debris, created by a defunct Russian satellite destr...

Akil Mochtar A shocking news surprised me when I woke up in the morning today. Akil Mohtar, the Constitutional Court’s Chief Justice, was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a raid early on Thursday morning. Akil, who was elected as Chief Justice in August 2013, allegedly received briberies to settle election dispute in Gunung Mas regency.  Former Golkar Party politician Akil was arrested along with Golkar Party lawmaker Chairun Nisa and businessman CHN at the chief’s official house in South Jakarta. Shortly, Gunung Mas regent Hambit Bintih and another businessman DH was apprehended in a hotel in Central Jakarta. The anti-graft body’s investigators confiscated money worthy of SGD 324,000 (IDR 3 billion) from Akil’s house. The Constitutional Court, so far, has always been considered as the cleanest body in the judicial branch in Indonesia. This highest court deals with constitutional disputes and those about regional, local or national election disp...

When I wander across streets in Indonesia, oftentimes, I find people that I think as superheroes. How come? Probably these pictures may describe what I think. Credit goes to  Pak Subaktyo   Above picture is taken from a blog. As you can see, the picture shows a motorcycle fully loaded – if not overload – with things that appear to be 28 white sacks. I don’t know how much each sack weighs. But, still, it is still very dangerous! Can’t you see the driver? Yes, you can only see his legs!! Then what about him? Can he see what is on his back through side mirrors? Definitely not! Then, I suppose he has some superpower to see through the back of his head (and through the pile of the white sacks) Retrieved from  kaskus.co.id   What about these two girls? Well it is just a common scenery you will find in various streets across in Indonesia. You will often find people riding motorcycle while texting, making a phone call or chatting through various chat messengers....