Thoughts on The Imitation Game

On the 11^th of February, we went to watch this movie called ‘The Imitation Game’, as a part of our Theory assignment. Let me start by saying that no I am not here to write a review on the movie, you can google it if you may. I am here to actually express my own perspective on the movie.

So the only thing I knew about the movie before going to watch it was that the lead role is played by Benedict Cumberbatch! That was enough reason for me to look forward to this movie.

As the movie started I committed to Cumberbatch’s very first words:

“What I will need from you now is a commitment. You will listen closely, and you will not judge me until I am finished. If you cannot commit to this, then please leave the room. But if you choose to stay, remember you chose to be here. What happens from this moment forward is not my responsibility. It's yours. Pay attention.”

Anyways keeping my fangirling aside, let’s move on. From the beginning to the very end of the movie my eyes were glued to the screen. It was that much good. The plot, the screenplay, the cast everything was just right for the ambience. The plot was basically during the World War 2 with a bit flashback of the lead Alan Turing’s childhood. And it is to my ignorance that I did not know until the movie finished, that it was actually based on a true story. The storyline was as you all know mainly on how Alan’s machine was able to defeat Enigma, a creation of Nazis and stop the world war by a margin of 2 years. As much as I found the journey interesting, there were also some other issues in the story which caught my attention.

The fact that women that time were not really considered to be working side by side with men was obviously one of them. And even if some did, they were to always behave politely and make sure people like them. They did not have the pleasure to always speak their mind or do what they want. Also a single woman working alone alongside men was a great issue for the parents and society too. For me it was something to ponder about. Even though we have come a long way in terms of equal rights, we women still face discrimination in corporate life.

Another main issue of the movie was Alan’s homosexuality. Homosexuality during that time was considered as a sin and people were highly punished for it. Poor Alan’s decease was due to this as well. I am not going to go into deep discussion about homosexuality. Maybe he was born with it, maybe he chose it. Who am I to judge?  I cannot help but think that if Alan Turing was born on a different era, maybe this world could see more of his brilliance.

Last but definitely not the least, the story succeeded to show how bullying can make a person’s life upside down. In my opinion, Alan might not have turned into the socially awkward person that the movie portrayed, if it was not because of the constant bullying he had to endure during his childhood. Being different is not a sin, and another person’s weakness does not give us the right to mock his life and make his living more miserable.

So, these were some of my insights on the movie. But overall I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. It was full of emotion, drama, thriller, a bit of comedy through witty dialogues and left me with some thoughts to ponder about.                

Beauty Vs Usabilty

Beauty is a very subjective thing. One cannot simply define beauty, because what may seem attractive to me might not simply have the same appeal to someone else. But there is however some common grounds in labeling something attractive or beautiful, for instance appearance. No matter how much they say looks do not matter, it actually does. In my opinion ‘pretty design’ or aesthetic is very important; maybe more important than the actual usability of the product. I will tell you why. Firstly, in terms of buying a product, trust is one of the main driving factors and trust is related to personality. Naturally, perception and expectation also comes from appearance. When we see a well-designed product we tend to automatically assume that it will be trustworthy and a good invest. As a result, we end up buying that thing even though sometimes that particular thing might not be that important for us. Many leading manufacture companies have actually figured it all out. And nowadays they are focusing more on aesthetic value rather than the end result so as to increase their sale rate. So, that was why beauty is important in terms of purchasing but what about usability? Do you think good looking things work better? As a matter of fact, yes! They do! According to a study on how our brain works, it shows that attractive things have better working result than the less attractive ones. When we are relaxed, our brains are more flexible and more likely to work around difficult problems. And it is true that we find ourselves more comfortable when working with attractive things. Whereas when we are frustrated and tense our brains seem to only see the problem in front of us. Think! How many times have you found yourself struggling to open the old doorknob after coming back home having a rough day? I am sure most of you would agree with my reader on this:

“We are more tolerant of problems with things we find attractive”    

 This is just how human brain works. We get frustrated with unattractive things quite easily whereas we really show patience while using that new sleek gadget we just bought. Even though some of us do not realize what we are actually doing.

But of course we cannot totally ignore usability. Beauty and usability actually goes hand in hand. But, for me if I have to take a stand I will surely say beauty or aesthetic value is more important.                  

Treasuring Memories of Ipoh

Since I came to study in Malaysia, I've been lucky enough to visit a lot of places. Thanks to my line of study every semester we get to venture different places. This time our voyage was to Ipoh the capital of Perak state. Our trip was of 4days and 3nights, the longest short trip of my Interior journey. 

Day 1
7th February 2015

    We were told to gather around the school lobby at 7.30 in the morning and the bus was supposed to arrive at 8.00am sharp! But as usual the bus did not arrive in time and everyone was getting a bit impatient. For some of us we spend the time doing what we do best.. taking selfies!

                                                     sleepy faces!

Finally our journey begun.. but everyone was so tired from previous nights last minute packing that within minutes the whole bus was asleep except for the bus driver ofcourse! The 1st day was all about roaming and experiencing cultures in Ipoh so everyone was gathering energy with power naps. 

Our 1st stop for the day was Gopeng Heritage Museum. It's basically a heritage residential house which preserves the lifestyle of ancient people.

                                                   The entrance

The museum was full of ancient stuffs, stuffs people used back in time from lamps to kitchen utensils to bicycles to cold drinks bottle even. You can find everything there and easily relate to past. For me it was a time turner house.
These are some of the things from the museum that I found interesting

                                a very ancient typewriter. The key buttons 
                              and the function is quite different from what we 
                                                      see now.

                          An unusual bonsai tree in the open kitchen area

                                 This one is supposed to be a raincoat. 
                                 My 1st thoughts were: must be itchy!! 

                            A candid shot by Vevit while I was trying 
                          to figure out something.. Don't remember tbh

The bus journey was quite boring, so I decided to take over with my assistant Nana!

                      Haha kidding! Can't take the risk of so many young lives!
We did take over though! Together with Nana, Nano and Vevi I started doing karaoke in the bus and eventually the others joined until we reached our next destination.

Our 2nd stop was Koperasi Industri Kampung, it was a small pottery industry run by a native family. We were given the opportunity to experience pottery making. Although we have pottery in my country as well but I never got to enjoy 1st hand experience on this. So it was pretty much new to me.  They call it "Labu Sayong"
Ms Shar assisted and briefed us international students as we did not understand anything the owner was saying. 

                            pic 1: My vain attempt to create a masterpiece.
                 pic 2: Think out of the box! one of our fellow juniors awesome work.
                            pic 3: Sheer concentration!!
                            pic 4: The Red Tide taking over pottery!

We got to learn many tricks on detailing from the pro workers on this pottery workshop. Although after nearly about 3hours of sweat and mud covered hands and a lot of selfie sessions, we all were very tired but the overall experience was quite enjoyable. And the best part was that we got to take our masterpieces back home!

                 one of the many selfies we took after the pottery making session!
      selfies are what defines Interior Architecture students and lecturers as well. 
                          We are selfie magnets and whenever we see someone 
                                          taking one we just join them.


Finally after another 1/2 hour journey we reached our final destination: The Hotel!! 
It was a boutique hotel with cozy rooms and good service. I'll surely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a budget hotel in Ipoh. 
  

                                         The Hotel Entrance

                                                     My room

We all were very tired after the whole day activities still some of us ended up playing cards and gossiping till late night. Talk about energy!! Finally I went to hug my bed with setting up the alarm for 7.00 am next day! Will be back soon with my second day journey.
Till then stay tuned! :)