YouTube is Back!

Hooray! Finally, users in Thailand are able to watch a video from YouTube.com again after the web site has been banned in the country by the order of Ministry of Information and Communication Technology since April 2007. The access to YouTube from Thailand has been blocked because YouTube hosted video clips offensive to the monarchy and the request to have those videos deleted was unsuccessful. I agreed with the authorities that the offensive videos should be put down, however, it’s insensible to block the whole web site when the agreement hadn’t been reached. That doesn’t solve the problem as the offensive videos still could be seen outside Thailand. Well, I guess they could come up with a better idea to fight against lese majeste, at least with the latest Computer Crime Act BE 2550 (2007) which somehow limit the rights of internet users in Thailand. That’s another long story, though.

That being said, we are now able to enjoy the video from YouTube. Below, I put a compilation clip from Gmail as a test. If you access an Internet in Thailand and could watch the video, it’s a confirmation that the ban of YouTube in Thailand is finally lifted.

Perfect Stranger

 

With Halle Berry and Bruce Willis as leading actors, Perfect Stranger seems to be a promising thriller. The film tells a story of a newspaper reporter who goes undercover to solve the murder of her childhood friend. She suspects the murder was committed by a wealthy businessman whom her friend made acquittance with via the Internet. The movie questioned the audiences how far you would go to keep a secret. It’s indeed a question worth asking for. The film provided its resolution with twists and turns in the last 10 minutes of the movie but it somehow failed to provide a satisfactory answer.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

 

Sam-sex marriage has gradually been accepted worldwide with different terminologies such as civil union, civil partnership or domestic partnership. No matter what you call it, the idea of this marriage is the same – which is to provide legal rights for the gay or lesbian couples. This idea is the main concept behind the comedy film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James as Chuck and Larry, two veteran New York firefighters who have to fake this unlikely marriage in order to take the benefit of legal issue for Larry’s children. Chuck, who is a self-proclaimed womanizer, agrees to help Larry, a widower with two children, because they are best friends. Things get worse when Chuck fells in love with their sexy lawyer (portrayed by Jessica Biel) but couldn’t express his true feeling and the couples are under the investigation of fake marriage by the authority.

2 Days in Paris

 

2 Days in Paris is a romantic comedy written, directed, produced and starred by French actress Julie Delpy, who was famous for her role in a 1995 romantic film Before Sunrise and its 2004 sequel Before Sunset. It could be said that this is her personal movie. At first, before watching the film, I thought it would be just another typical romantic comedy that was advertised using Julie Delpy’s reputation from her previous movie. However, after enjoying the movie with unstoppable laugh all the time, I have to admit that my assumption of the film was totally wrong and unjustified for Julie Delpy’s multiple talents, least to say as a writer and an actress. The film turned out to be unexpectedly excellent for me and I loved it very much.

Doraemon Tag

It seems that blog tagging has never stopped and now it comes with entries you wouldn’t imagined being asked. Like this post, I have been tagged with Doraemon Tag. Doraemon is a famous Japanese comic and animation featuring a cat robot named Doraemon who comes from the future with various wonderful gadgets kept inside his forth-dimensional pocket. I have to choose three gadgets of Doraemon (except the forth-dimensional pocket and its spare counter-part) that I would like to have and the reason why I want them. Well, here they are.

Translation Konjac (ほんやくコンニャク) – a piece of jelly that enables a person to understand and speak any language in the universe. Well, language is the source of all knowledges. Isn’t it nice to know it all?

Time TV (タイムテレビ) – a TV which is capable of showing events from the past or the future. History and the future will be no longer a mystery with this device.

Time Furoshiki (タイムふろしき) – a cloth which could turn old or broken object into newer condition and vice versa. There would be no worry about broken stuff anymore.

Well, it’s funny to think about this post. I do admire the imagination of Fujiko F. Fujio, the Japanese cartoonist who created Doraemon series back in 1969. Some of Doraemon’s fanciful gadgets might be possible in our lifetime, even Doraemon himself could be real. Who knows?

Now, it’s my turn to tag someone. Here they are.

Udomdog, PüN, 9Nut

Happy Birthday to Me

 

Yeah, the 24th of August is my birthday. You wouldn’t normally see people write Happy Birthday for themselves but I would do. Especially this year as I turned 30! There is a saying that age is nothing but a number. However, for me, 30 did mean something. Yesterday I could say I was twenty-something but from today till another decade I will have to say I am thirty-something. Do your math and that is a huge number. This year there will be more changes for me. Come next month, I will have to go to the States to further my study for Ph.D. (For those who still don’t know, read this post >>> America, Here I Come.) Thus, it’s another big journey away from home and being a student again after so many years of working. A lot of events, either happy or sad, have happened so far in my life and I am certain that there are lots more that life has to offer. Come rain or shine, I would definitely take it and enjoy my life as it’s the best I could do and I will do my best.

Looking back years from now, I would have this entry as my personal reminder of who I was and what I have become. Well, generally, I regarded birthday as another day like everyday except the fact that everyone around you who cares could remember the day and wishes you a blessing. I am always felt overwhelmed with joy and rupture for that best wishes because it came from everyone I loved and that made me who I am.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Transformer Personality Test

 

It seems that almost all of my friends had taken this Transformer personality test and posted their results online. So, here is mine. I am 68% Optimus Prime and this is what the quiz has to say about being Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime is the heroic leader of the Autobots. He is the personification of courage, strength, and integrity. His personal motto is that “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.”

Like Optimus Prime, you are good by nature. But beware because mischievous thoughts sometimes tempt you. You are inspiring, confident, and a natural leader. The Autobots have chosen well. In addition, you use technology when you need to, but you do not embrace the latest trends.

Like all personality test, some are true and some are not. Well, no one knows you better than yourself.

You could see more results at Aoyoyo, Pradt, Udomdog, Nut or try for yourself at Transformers Quiz.

The Invasion

 

The Invasion is sci-fi thriller film which was first meant to be a remake of the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers which is based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. However, screenwriter Dave Kajganich came out with some original ideas on the film and made it a different story. The production of the film saw an alteration of scripts by the Wachowski brothers (whose well-known work is the Matrix trilogy) and several re-shoots after it was postponed from the original release date in June 2006. The film was released in the United Sates on August 17, 2007. The film starred Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Coincidently, we would probably see both of them on screen together again by the end of this year in The Golden Compass, the first film from the epic adventure His Dark Materials trilogy. Well, that’s another story.

Rush Hour 3

 

The duo L.A. cops Lee and Carter are back for the third installment of their movie franchise in Rush Hour 3 starring the familiar faces of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. It’s the return on the big screen 6 years after the previous Rush Hour 2. This time Paris takes the center-stage when the duo have to make their ways tracking down the criminal association in the capital city of France.

Free Thai Cinema Movement

The video speaks for itself. (The video is taken from Pin Patana’s blog and Pradt’s blog.)

I have first written about the Free Thai Cinema Movement since April 2007 (4 months ago) in my previous blog entry at MSN Live Space (read it here.) At that time, the board of censorship in Thailand demanded 4 scenes to be removed from the international award-winning critically acclaimed film Sang sattawat a.k.a. Syndromes and a Century of Apichatpong Weerasethakul before having it released in limited theaters in Thailand. The director refused to do so and the film has never been officially screened in its home country. That event stirred the entire movie industry in Thailand and the online petition to free Thai Cinema from absurd censorship and double-standard judgment has been created. Now that the 2007 draft constitution of Thailand has been officially approved by referendum, it seems that nothing has changed and the mere 7,193 signatures of the petition (the total number as of today) wouldn’t be enough to make any change. However, the movement still goes on. Hopefully, we would finally get full support from those who understand the phrase “Democracy for Thai Cinema: Freedom to Watch, the Right to Make.”