View Point - Summer Wars

Kenji, a high school student who works part time maintains a virtual online world called Oz. Oz avatars look cute and mostly their size is small. Basically the entire world is using Oz to function from e-mail and GPS to banking and weapons defense systems. Kenji has a crush on Natsuki, who invites him to work part time in the countryside over the summer. Kenji’s job is to act like Natsuki's fiancé to please the family matriarch, who will be turning 90.

Just as Kenji is starting to get into it, he solves a strange mathematical puzzle that arrives to his cell phone around midnight. This turns to be the security code for Oz, and once it is cracked a mega A.I. virus called Love Machine starts unleashing hell on Oz, enslaving other avatars and using the online infrastructure to throw the real world into utter chaos. Traffic lights cease to function, people don’t know where their locations, and even plan to destroy the whole town. At Morning, news reported him as the criminal but actually he is innocent. Kenji avatar been stolen and unable to login into his account, that is when he is heading to next room to lent computer and realize that actually she is controlling “King Kazuma”, which was once very famous and always get rid all evils who trying to bring chaos to Oz.

Natsuki's grandmother dies, but the family comes together to reconcile and defeat the virus. Natsuki uses her avatar to gamble at hanafuda cards, at first Natsuki is losing but because Oz is global and other countries trust her that she can bring peace to Oz, so they decided to give Natsuki a hand and win accounts back from the Love Machine, which weakens him enough so that her cousin "King" Kazuma can lay the smack down. Kenji cracks the security code and redirects a missile headed for the house - with the help of Wabisuke, the black sheep of the family who went to America and programmed Love Machine to prove he wasn't a screw up. Admittedly, it is a bit of a stretch that all these talented folks are under the same roof, but you just have to suspend disbelief.

Kenji and Natsuki say it for us, "She is amazing." The death of grandma solidifies the family, and they go after Love Machine with a vengeance. This includes his creator, Wabisuke, an unfilial son, but one that loved the old lady, who adopted him as a child knowing he was her husband's. There’s a flashback is grandma walking with the child Wabisuke hand and hand down a country road; we see them from behind walking away from us. There’s few great scenes have all the members of the family of all ages using computers, cell phones, Nintendo DS units and so on to access Oz and fight together. This isn't just about a breakdown between "the virtual" and "reality," but rather a nuanced commentary on how the virtual can affect us.

People aren't coming together, but rather being driven apart by unstable work, which strains family and dating relations. The movie is touching not because of its specific nostalgia, but rather a universal desire for a place to be and people to share it with. In Hosoda's Nagano, everyone grows up, comes together and succeeds. In scenes where the family is cheering one another on, it is hard not to join them; I almost shed a tear when Oz users from around the world offered up their avatars so that Natsuki would be able to bet enough to beat Love Machine; when Natsuki cries alone after her beloved grandma's death, I wanted to reach my hand out to her like Kenji did. With Natsuki I for once wasn't attracted to a character as such.

That said, she is cute when inviting Kenji to Nagano, begging him to play along (close up on her hands grasping Kenji's), blushing over an old crush on Wabisuke or kissing the awkward Kenji in front of everyone in the finale (in a kimono). 

Summer Wars is a feel good movie, as attested by hoards of fans who on the spot decided to move to Nagano.

Do You Know...Your Drink?

Do you know what is friendship tea?

Editor's note: It is a dry, heady tea mix that is usually kept in a container, and given away to family and friends. While most tea mix is sweeter than traditional teas due to the added sugar and other sweet ingredients, this has a tinge of spice that makes a wonderful holiday or housewarming gift. It is sometimes called Russian friendship tea.

Here's the recipe for friendship tea.

You will need

2.5 cups sugar
1 cup Tang drink mix 

1 cup of instant iced tea
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

Stir ingredients in a large bowl.
Store in an air tight container.
To make hot tea, mix 3 teaspoons to 1 cup of hot water.
To make ice tea, substitute the hot water for cold water and pour over ice.

Do you know that the first cocoa drink is a spicy, frothy, thick, cold and bitter drink?

Editor's note: It was made and drank by the ancient tribes of Mexico and Central America, including the Incas, Aztec and Mayans. As sugar had not been introduced to the New World then, they mixed ground cacao seeds (or cocoa) with various seasonings. It was called xocoatl and was believed to be a health elixir. In fact, the word chocolate comes from the Mayan word xocoatl which means 'bitter water'.

Here's the recipe for  a good cocoa drink.

You will need

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2.5 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Hot water  

Method
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix evenly.
In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.
Fill your mug half full with the mixture, pour in hot water and stir to combine.
Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry.
This also works great with warm milk and will form a thicker drink.

View Point - All We Hear Is...Radio Ga Ga

All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio what's new?
Radio, someone still loves you!

Queen said right...or sang it for that matter. Have you guys ever heard of Radio 91.3?

If not, well, this is the next generation of the radio station. Though they are still quite new, they attract loads of listeners. They have an awesome shows line-up everyday and the music keeps me company. The DJs are fun and crazy, and they engage the listeners. The listeners also have a chance to win instant prizes.

I like them all from the DJs to the music played. The most favourite ones is definitely the breakfast show with The Married Men. As such, they perk up my morning. They have a segment on Kena Pluck where they put a prank on the listeners. I can’t stop laughing while tuning in. They are bunch of crazy fellows whom never fails to entertain the listeners. They have the Hot 30 Countdown on weeknights counting the hottest hits voted by the listeners.

They also organise an event called Must Drink Friday. Its is a monthly event where the only selected listeners are picked by the DJs to come and joined in the party at a well- known club. It is absolutely free flow of drinks, finger-foods and an exciting theme.

So what are you guys waiting for? Tune in for more the best music in town as it is a 100% pure fun!

By the way, in case you are wondering who is THE queen we are refering to earlier in the blog, they are an iconic rock band from the 70s with a string of hits until the death of the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Try googling them.

View Point - In The Words of David Bowie, Let's Dance

No folks, we will not be blogging about David or his dance but more of the likes of an ethnic, cultural dance.

Malay dance (tarian melayu), in particular, portrays the customs or and culture of the Malays but also to express one's feeling and get active. It depicts the true nature of the Malay people and their way of life.

Generally, Malay dance is divided into two main categories, that is the original Malay dance and the adopted Malay dance. There are four basic genres of Malay dance, namely Asli, Inang, Joget and Zapin. Asli and Inang are categorised as the "original" Malay dances whereas Joget and Zapin are categorized as "adopted" Malay dances.

Asli - Its beat and rhythm is slow-paced yet intricate and well defined. Its dance style is graceful and elegant as it depicts the charming nature of Malay ladies. There are numerous hand movements and poses, each with a different significance. Every movement of the Asli dance starts and ends with the gong beat in the count of eights.

Inang - Its beats and dance movements are faster paced compared to the Asli dance. It portrays the grace and swaying movement of royal maids and has all the qualities of a palace performance. In olden times, the Inang dance was performed only by ladies, with very modest movements adhering to the strict palace customs and protocols. Eventually, the Inang dance evolved from strictly a court dance into a folk dance enjoyed and performed by all individuals. Nevertheless, its graceful and modest movements have always remained. Nowadays, it is performed at all social functions and usually by couples of men and women. Examples of songs with the Inang beat are Seri Langkat, Lenggang Mak Limah and Mak Inang Pulau Kampai.

Joget - It is also called ronggeng. Its catchy beat and cheerful combination of fast hand and leg movement. Usually at the end of a Joget performance, the drumming speeds up to a rapid dance section, in which two dancers face each other and, standing on their right legs, extend their left legs forward until their feet touch; then they switch legs.

Zapin - It is the most popular of all the other dances. the dancers perform various steps and legwork movements. When the music and beating of the drums is played in a rapid beat manner known as tingkah or kopak, the dancers move in a jumping manner called the Minta Tahto. At the end of the performance, which is known as the Tahtim, whereby the dancers will perform the Wainab movements to close the performance.

During the performance the dancers felt nervous and their hearts were pumping very fast, but despite being nervous, the dancers have an enjoyable and fun experience performing for the audience. They says that dancing is a way to express one's feeling and to get active. The dancers felt like superstars and felt honoured for having the privilege of performing in a very occasional and memorial day.