Dallas Buyers Club

Now a lot of people out there are sad that Leonardo Di Caprio did not win the Oscars. Because they did not pay attention to the other contenders.

Personally I'd say that Chiwetel Ejiofor would have trumped over Di Caprio. But Matthew McConaughey deserves his Oscar based on his best actor part for Dallas Buyers Club.

What it really taught me was, Woodroof lived his life by all means, finding ways to extend his life to more than the 30 days the doctor has given him to live. He lived to a total of 7 years (that's so much more than the predicted death). I said so before on my fb status:"One of the great delights of life is to rewrite your limits, proving your doubters wrong in the process."

Best quote of the movie?

"Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting for a life I ain't got time to live."


Try watching most of the nominated films if you do have the chance. Not only do they provide great entertainment, it is the after effect and feeling of the movie that makes a 2 hours plus of movie something not just purely for fun, but also imparting a deep message that we could all use to live on.

 

*sorry for missing out on this blog for almost a month. A lot of things has happened since the last post till now. I swear I will get my routine back and running as soon as possible. Wish me luck that it starts on tomorrow.

Additives, Invictus, and The Railway Man

Today's article from the internet is one based on a true story - The Railway Man. Click here for the article.

Today's health column is about food additives. As a food tech student it gives me no pressure to understand what the word means. It means chemicals added in for flavor, preservatives, color, taste enhancers etc. All of them are considered additives.

Some additives have the E number. It means that the specific additive has been approved by all countries in the EU. And they are all specific. Example, E249-52 will be for nitrites and nitrates. So on and so forth.

Will blog on MSG in a different post tomorrow. 

Today's self improvement had me picking up Keith Harrell's CONNECT 

According to Keith, here is his formula to success:
1. Commit to win. BE-accountable. Its the core of commitment.
2. Open up to opportunities. BE a change embracer. Embrace change and stimulate growth.
3. Notice what's needed and do what's necessary. BE-aware.
4. Navigate by your purpose. BE-vision centered.
5. Execute ethically： Do what's right because it's right. BE-performance and integrity driven.
6. Challenge your challenges: BE-responsible
7. Transcend beyond your best. BE-the difference.

But most important of all, you must have the right foundation - ATTITUDE.

Quotes of the day

"You are not here to merely make a living.

You are here in order to enable the world to live

more amply, with greater vision,

with a finer spirit of hope and achievement."

-Woodrow Wilson

"They can because they think they can"

-Virgil

Words of the day:

Fraternity: Brotherhood

Sorority: Sisterhood

Tenets: a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.

"the tenets of classical liberalism"

Invictus: Unconquered in Latin

Backdate 23.11.2013 Ender's Game

Pardon me for my backdates again. I went straight to bed after yesterday's movie.

If you are familiar with my first blog, jpthedarkknight.blogspot.com, you'd know that I like watching movies. And I learn alot from them.

Now this post again is not something new that I've learned though, rather a refresher of what the reality holds.

Colonel Hyrum Graff sees talent in the protagonist, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin. Wiggin was drafted to join a force that defends Earth from Aliens (in this case the Formics).

If you have watched the movie you'd go through Ender's struggles and yet too hard to be true promotion to fleet commander from a cadet in 2 hours time (LOL).

What the movie really made me realized was: The moment people see that preferable trait or strengths in you, you will be used and molded to be what they want from you, instead of what you want to be.

It's a sad case but I think in reality most of us are the same as Ender.

Food for thought: Do you still remember that childhood dream of yours? Or the big life achievement that you want to realize before you die? Compare the life you have now against your dreams. Are they still reachable? Or has society and reality slowly eaten out the life or the person that you wanted to be?

The movie gave me yet another reminder: You only live once. Do not let others shape you into something they want.