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I find it hard to find the suitable genre for this novel. That's my first impression the first time I read Fleur. To call it a thriller would be as inappropriate as to call it a romance. Even after I read it the the third time, I still cannot decide. It's a good and enchanting enough story. At some point it reminds me of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, and at another it brings me back to Luc Besson's Leon: The Professional, and I even recalls The Diary Of Anne Frank along the way. The plot is not really something new, but I really like the way the author tells a heavy subject in a light way. On the other hand, the light way of story telling tends to make you forget how heavy the theme of this novel really is. I suppose that's why I felt the chill and couldn't quite place it the first time I read it . The cover is in a way deceiving, as it betrays the seriousness and dark atmosphere of the novel's theme. However, I have the feeling that it's exactly the intention of the cover illustrator, who happens to be the author herself. One thing I hate about this book, it's the papers. They're of good quality but too thick, making the book deceivingly thicker than it should be. I expected to finish reading it in about 30 minutes and it turned out it took me less than 25 minutes to finish my first reading of this novel. For comparison, I finished Michael Crichton's Eaters Of The Dead in 45 minutes flat. So I'd like to suggest a thinner paper next time.  Posted by Crow on Nov 23, '09 1:17 AM for everyone 
A son returned to his hometown only to find that things had changed radically. His brother and mother had been driven out of their luxurious home. His stepbrother ruled over the house, and the hometown as well. He tried to fight back, losing his mother and brother,and found out the horrifying truth about his bloodline. He found out that the evil mastermind that he tried to fought was truly his real father. That's the general outline of Ganes TH's “Krakatau”. You'd find it rather similar to the plot of “Tuan Tanah Kedaung”. Considering “Krakatau” is the prequel of “Tuan Tanah Kedaung”, the similarity of the plot is enough to make Rieza said that Ganes was using a 'story template' to craft the two comics. I tend to agree in the beginning, until the day I found the song “Back Home Someday” in MP3raid.com several months ago. What's that song got to do with this “Krakatau”? It brings back childhood memories. You see, the song is a soundtrack of the 1966 spaghetti western movie titled “Tempo Di Massacro” (Massacre Time), starring Franco Nero. The plot of "Krakatau" (and also the characterization of the villains and main hero) is much closer to this movie than to “Tuan Tanah Kedaung”. I believe Ganes didn't use a template at all. He adapted the story of the movie and crafted a whole new story with several new subplots, including a romantic subplot, to make it suitable for explaining the history of Samolo. Of course there some differences. The old nanny in "Tempo Di Massacro" becomes the blind mother in "Krakatau", and the drunken pistolero brother becomes the tragic dwarfish Sura. The result? A good prequel to “Tuan Tanah Kedaung”. You have any doubt that this comic is an adaptation of that “Tempo Di Massacro”? Watch the movie. The psychopathic young villain of the movie wielded a whip, just like the young villain of the comic. Even the face and expression of both villains are eerily similar to each other. Another point to back-up my opinion, Ganes did the same thing with his other comic “Petualang” (also published serially in Hai, incompletely). It was an adaptation of the 1954 western movie “Vera Cruz”, starring Gary Coper as the ex-Confederate soldier Ben Trane and Burt Lancaster as Joe Erin the gunslinger (try to compare Trane to Priyadi and Erin to Darto; you wouldn't have to try too hard). And if you look at Ganes' “Runtuhnya Siluman Serigala Putih”, you'd find Clint Eastwood's signature character 'The Man With No Name' traces all over the place. Back to story, I have an impression that Ganes made this comic, based on the movie as I said, with a lot of ideas of modification in mind. Lots of ideas. Maybe too many ideas, that some of them were left unfinished or even forgotten. Menor's grandmother, for example. In the beginning of the story she was depicted as being agile enough to be able to stop a fight between Samolo and the two bounty hunters, albeit absentmindedly. I have the impression that Ganes originally wanted to explore this character further, then decided against it (I personally think this absentminded grandmother deserves a further exploration, though). There are other examples, but I think you'd better read the book yourself. After all, I'm not trying to be a professor of literature here. Erwin and his gang in Pluz+ have done a good job remastering the comic, and thanks to The Joker I didn't have to wait too long to get one copy. It feels really good to get hold of this comic again after all these years. It's beautiful, but I feel like there's something wrong with the cover printing (have mentioned it to The Joker). I like The Joker's work on the cover, but something feels wrong. I can't quite place it, but I just sense it. Also, I found it hard to open the pages of the second book, as the pages sticked to each other. I managed to open all the pages finally, but I have to do it very carefully. This is only a minor detail, and not a too annoying one at that, but the Pluz+ team has to do better next time with the post-production QC. Get it, read it, enjoy it. And If you can spare your budget, get the whole tetralogy (Krakatau, Tuan Tanah Kedaung, Tjisadane, and Nilam & Kesumah). They will make a good addition in your comic collection. PS: Come to think of it, is it really right to call the four books a tetralogy (or a quadrology, as said in “Krakatau”)? I mean, isn't “Tjisadane” merely a spin-off of the “Tuan Tanah Kedaung” story line? With Mat Gerong the only character which also appears in “Tuan Tanah Kedaung”? PPS: Image taken from Erwin's place without permission. :D Posted by Crow on Jun 29, '09 12:13 AM for everyone 
What were the things I looked forward to during this month? Two things. First, the launching of Teguh Santosa's remastered Mahabharata & Bharatayudha. Second, holding those two books in my hands and reading them. The first one's already done in June 19, 2009 (you can read all about it in http://erwinprima.multiply.com/photos/album/179/Launching_Mahabharata_Teguh_S._Remastered) I really regretted not being able to attend this special occasion, but at least I knew that it was going pretty well. The second took a little longer to happen. I received the two books I've pre-ordered last Saturday, and my staff witnessed a sudden transformation of a serious manager into a maniacal comic geek. Those two hardcover books looks so inviting. The Joker and Anto did a great job on the dust jackets illustration, but even without those dust jackets the books looked luxurious enough to me; the dust jackets simply made them better. That Saturday felt like the longest day of the week as I could hardly wait to go home to read the books. And as I didn't want anybody to interrupt my reading, I have to wait until nearly midnight to start reading. It was worth the wait. I savored every moment admiring the beautiful arts by Teguh, and the way he retold the great saga. Every page took longer than my usual pace. I read very quickly most of the time, but in special cases it takes longer. For comparison, I finished Dan Brown's “The Da Vinci Code” in 55 minutes and Michael Crichton's “Eaters Of The Dead” in 45 minutes, but it took me an uninterrupted 3-hour to finish Umberto Eco's “Foucault's Pendulum” and even longer for his “The Name Of The Rose”. I started reading Mahabharata at 23:15, and I finished the last page of Bharatayudha at 04:50; uninterrupted. The verdict? It's worth every cent I spent to get it, and even more. OK, so I did pre-order the books, and consequently paid a lower price than the actual price tag, but that's not what I mean. First, Teguh has always been one of my favorite comic artists. His distinctive style had led to the birth to many followers and even imitators. Second, Mahabharata is one of the greatest stories ever told, much longer (and some, including me, would say even better) than Homer's “Illiad”. Now, imagine what a combination of these two factors be. Next, stop imagining and read the books. Only after reading the books you'll truly understand what I mean by 'worth every cent'. Is there any flaw in the two books? Of course, but only minor ones. For example, in page 121 of Mahabharata, it reads "Arjuna Sumbrada" not "Arjuna Sumbadra". Is this a misspelling from Teguh? Is this one kept to preserve the original work (including the mistake)? Considering Erwin's experience in re-mastering, I doubt that he didn't notice it, and I know it's easy for him to alter it. So I guess this flaw is probably not a flaw at all, from a re-matering point of view. The second flaw is Krishna's dark complexion. Sometimes he's presented with the dark complexion, sometimes he's not. Once again, I'm not sure of the reason for this one. About the story being less detailed than those created by R. A. Kosasih, that's not a flaw at all. Teguh was an admirer of and influenced by Kosasih, but he had his own way of telling a story. A little bit about the dust jackets (see http://erwinprima.multiply.com/photos/album/176/Yesss......THE_BOOKS... for a closer look). Even since the beginning I've chosen to have the ones made by The Joker. With all due respects to Anto's superb talent (it's actually very difficult to decide which one's better, if not impossible), I personally think that The Joker's version is more suitable for the two books for many reasons, but the most important one is connected to the origin of the books itself. The comics were originally published in the kids magazine “Ananda”. Even as you read it you will see immediately that Teguh is retelling the story to young readers. Mature readers can also enjoy it easily, but the fact that it was originally made for younger readers remains the same. The Joker's illustration, in my opinion, will attract younger readers much more easily than Anto's. But then again, it's only my personal opinion. What's next? I'm looking forward to see the paperback version published of course. When I say that it's worth every cent, I really mean it. But then again, not every Indonesian readers can afford the hardcover version's price tag. Such good books should be spread much wider. The only way I can think of to do this is to make a cheaper version. And when this cheaper one's finally published, I'll buy it. Again? Yes, for my kid. The hardcover ones are of course my private and exclusive property. Note: image taken from Erwin's post without permission Posted by Crow on Dec 31, '08 5:39 AM for everyone 
What happened if Batman, in his grief over the death of his true love, decided to leave Gotham (or in this case, New Gotham)? Who would take over his position as the dark crime-fighting vigilante? Here comes Birds Of Prey. A group of crime-fighting vigilantes consists of Oracle (Barbara Gordon, formerly Batgirl), Huntress (Helena Kyle, the daughter of Bruce Wayne the Batman and Slena Kyle the Catwoman), plus one rookie named Dinah Redmond (later turned out to be Dinah Lance, daughter of Dinah Lance the Black Canary). Those who have read the Birds Of Prey comic series would ask, "Why only a so few members?" Weeeeellll, my guess is that the producer planned to add more members as the series progressed. However, since the series was canceled after the first season (13 episodes) in 2003, who knows for sure? I got the DVD of the complete first (and only) season, 13 episodes in 4 pieces of DVDS, from a friend. I spent last Sunday to watch them all, marathon style. And I find it strange that WB TV Network decided to cancel the series. OK, so the rating declined, but it was still good enough to deserve at least a second season to prove its worth. One interesting point I find in the series is the premise that Batman and other vigilantes discreetly fight the villains. So those heroes are hardly known publicly, and become sorts of urban legend. Another concept is the existence of metahumans, humans with extraordinary power, who discreetly live among the normal humans. Now, a combination of these two makes an interesting storyline. What I like best is the fact that Huntress (performed by Ashley Scott) dresses normally, compares to the common stereo-type superheroes with their tights, masks and capes. She wears all-black outfits, with a coat long enough to give an imposing impression of a cape without being stupid. Also, I like the role of Oracle (performed by Dina Meyer) as a motherly figure in contrast to her former role as Batgirl before being crippled by The Joker's bullet. Dinah's appearance as rookie vigilante and a metahuman just discovering her precognitive, touch-telepathic and telekinesis powers, add some more juice to the story. Who's the major villain, then. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, or more commonly known in the underworld as Harley Quinn. Formerly the aide of The Joker, she tried to take revenge for what the superheroes did to her 'Mr. J'. It's interesting to see that in the normal world she's a psychiatrist whose one of her patients is Helena Kyle. Two enemies chatted in a psychiatric season, not knowing each other's alter ego who fights each other. Not until the finale of the season. Quite intriguing. So, who represents the law in the series? Here comes Detective Jesse Reese. A good cop with a dark past and background (he's the son of Al Hawke, head of a powerful crime family and sworn enemy of Black Canary, Dinah's mother), he meets Huntress while investigating a case of faked suicides. He disapproves of her disrespect for the law. Nevertheless the two are thrown together even closer as the series goes on. Huntress even gives him a ring that will enable him to summon her when needed. One thing I dislike about the DVD is the tag line "Batman's Little Girl Is All Grown Up". That refers to the Helena alone, belittling the role of Barbara and Dinah. Anyway, the formula is complete and good enough for a superhero series. So why did the series failed, at least before the eyes of WB TV Network? Whatever the reason was, I wish one day soon one of Indonesia TV stations will broadcast this interesting series. I wish. Posted by Crow on Dec 6, '08 3:07 AM for everyone 
Last night on my way home, after passing Ambarrukmo Plaza and almost reaching Janti area I saw this food stall with the word Soto Sulung written in big letters on the tent. As you can see in the picture, it has no name (thus the title 'anonymous'). Anyway, I suddenly realized how hungry I was and so I parked the car right in front of it and went right into the food stall. There are several options of menu, but as Soto Sulung is one of my passion, I ordered a bowl of Soto Sulung, a plate of rice and a glass of iced tea. My order arrived in less than 5 minutes. Of course, that's to be expected in a food stall like this. They usually got the soto boiling and ready to serve anytime a customer arrives. The soto looked so oily inviting, and it smell so good. I took a spoonful of the broth and tasted it. It tasted better than it looked. Ravenously I ate and finished it in 10 minutes flat. And of course I immediately order another bowl without rice. I attack it as ferociously. It tasted even better without rice. The meats are so soft that they nearly melted in my mouth. So, don't you dare thinking that I'm a greedy, rapacious, gluttonous, shameless epicurean if I told you that I ordered the third bowl and finished it clean. One point against this place is the chili sauce. Not hot enough to my taste. Generally speaking, it's nearly as good as Soto Madura in Jalan Gentengkali, Surabaya; and much cheaper. The whole meals cost me only Rp. 12.000,- and that's including the iced tea. Posted by Crow on Dec 3, '08 11:38 PM for everyone 
A combination of good food and excellent service, that's my general opinion of Ku De Ta. A friend recommended this place for my farewell dinner with my journalist colleagues from China & Japan (I will write about the whole trip in another post). When we first arrived, I was not yet impressed. As a matter of fact, I was a little annoyed that our Foton couldn't enter the gate (too big, the security officers said), so we have to walk a bit. Another matter, we had to pass security check twice. Then, we were led to the table we reserved, and be seated. That's when things get better. Much better, actually. All their staff were friendly and courteous, ready to jump at attention with the smallest gesture. I picked a cigarette and in a matter of seconds a staff came out with a lighter. Really attentive & professional, I should say. Then came the food we ordered, in this order: For the amuse bouche, we all had chilled asparagus soup with seared scallop. This one is tasty but a little bit too rich to my taste that I finished it in 10 seconds flat. Still, it's a good amuse bouche. The entrée were beef carpaccio parmesan mousse, beetroot relish, rocket, watercress salad. The beef carpaccio was excellent. Only Kanako and I ordered this for entrée. My other colleagues all ordered tuna & lobster tartare nori, sesame seeds, creme fraiche, wasabi, flying fish roe. They said they found the entrée excellent. While waiting for the main course, we enjoyed a bottle of sparkling wine I ordered as a farewell gift. It was excellent, although a little thin to my palate. The side dishes were potato puree, buttered broccoli & green beans, & garden salad. I can't comment on them as I didn't take any. Came the main course. Mine was roasted beef fillet celeriac gallete, bone marrow, mushroom ragout, shallots, bourdelaise sauce. I've asked them medium rare, and I got it just the way I like it. So perfect that I was actually thinking of killing the chef. Albert got baramundi fillet, and he said it was delicious. A cigarette break while waiting for the dessert, I found out that my cigarette case was empty. One of the staff noticed it and immediately offered to get me a pack. It came in less than 5 minutes, freshly opened, with a cute cylinder-shaped matchbox to go with it. My dessert, varlhona mocha chocolate tart gold leaf, cinnamon ice cream, came and it was worth the wait. The chocolate tart was so delicious that it spoil your tongue and stab your ulcer, but a little bit too small for a man my size. Still, they made an excellent dessert after that perfect main course. So what's my verdict? It's a great place to dine in. If you can afford the price tag, that is. I say it's worth every cent I spent. Posted by Crow on Oct 27, '08 4:26 AM for everyone 
I spent about £ 25.00 for this game, both Linux & Windows versions, and I should say that it was well-spent. This is arguably one of the best video games I've ever played. It was created by Introversion, a company who call themselves "The last of the bedroom programmers", whatever the hell it means. First thing first, I classify this game in Simulation genre. Why? Because that's what it is. What's so special about it? There are so many Simulation games out there. True enough, but not like this one. I think Uplink is best described as simulation game of Hollywood depiction of computer hacking (OK, I believe the correct term here is cracking, but the term 'hacking' is used in the game to describe that particular activity, so 'hacking' it is). What the hell is Hollywood depiction of computer hacking? Lot's of graphic, less command line. Watch 'Swordfish' and 'Hackers', you'll know what I mean. Still, the hacking principle of this game is close enough to reality. Second, let's see the story. The year is 2010. You are a hacker working for Uplink Corporation, a company providing works & facilities for hackers all around the world. You started with modest loan from the company (to purchase some softwares & hardwares needed for your work), and modest equipment. With your low rank and basic equipments, you're only able to take simple and easy hacking jobs in the beginning. As you gain more experience, you rise in the ranks of world's hackers, and you receive more complicated jobs, more payments. Then somewhere along the way you will receive an e-mail from a dead hackers. An e-mail with sensitive information, and if you chose to do what the dead hackers asks you, you'd find yourself in the middle of cyber conflict that might result in the total destruction of world wide web. Of course you could also choose to ignore the e-mail and continue the game on your own term. Now, let's talk about the graphic, shall we? What graphic? In the era of 3D games, you might find the graphic of Uplink very simple. That's the beauty of it, actually. Most people will find themselves enchanted by the simplicity, that gives the player a realistic feeling of being a real hacker doing a real hacking job. The game also has a limited portion of command line interface, a touch of real-life hacking in a game. Of course, you can also customize the look a little bit, to make it look more complicated. Me, I stick to the original graphic. Now, what do you do in the game? What kind of job the hackers of Uplink world take? A lot. You can hack your way into Global Criminal Database and set a criminal free, you can change someone's qualification by hacking the International Academic Database, you can hack somebody's bank account and move the fund into yours, you can crash the stock market, you can destroy somebody's server, and many others; all following, more or less, the methods of hacking in real life, although simplified to the point of being sooooo Hollywood. Like in the movies or in real life, you will never be face to face with any opponent in the game. So Hollywood with a liberal dose of realism. As a matter of fact, it even makes some references to Hollywood computer-themed movies as well as the events and names in the real world. Now, instead of doing mischief in the real world, why don't you just play this game? PS: The game comes with its of IRC server. It works, but I recommend you not to use it to ask for advice. Better use Introversion forum. |
