I was surfing IMDB last night, in search of new/upcoming movie for blogging material on another blog actually. Then I came across this movie The Devil’s Double. The golden poster attracted me immediately. I read the plot but didn’t get what it’s all about & watch the trailer on Youtube, still didn’t get it. Duh. Guess my mind was working pretty slow at late night.

I took time to digest the two similar person in the movie and the title “double”, it clicked! Then only I understood that it’s about the late dictator’s son from Iraq – Uday Hussein and his body double (Latif Yahia). What more? It’s a true story! Wow, interesting fact that the ignorance me never know about.

All I remember from the 2003 invasion of Iraq was that, the regime of the long time dictator Saddam Hussein was finally ended. Something pretty similar to my home-country Indonesia back in 1998, except ours wasn’t a war and Saddam was much cruel. Other than that, I didn’t really dig the Iraq’s story. Guess I was too caught up in my final year’s exam -> about to graduate from high school that time, and ignored the world. -__-”

Since my interest was sparked, I googled and wiki-ed to learn more about body double this term, who Latif Yahia & how his story was, and most importantly I learn the cruelty of the late Uday Hussein. How he tortured the country’s sportsmen who lost in the game, how he ended someone’s life like killing an ant, etc.

One article leaded to another article. I was like having an impromptu history class, but not the boring one, and share the findings with hubby. All thanks to the powerful wonderful internet, I get to search news back in 2003, just a click away. So great! Imagine if it’s way back then I might need to go to national library and dig their archive.

I used to heard about how sadism their regime was, but never really dug into it. So this is really an eye opener. Besides, I’m always a blog person means my daily read is mostly blogs, where the language is more casual, seldom a news site. Reading articles from news site means formal English and lots of new vocabulary that I didn’t understand, but lucky I got English to Indonesian dictionary program to help me out.

Self note: need to start checking out international news site more often to broaden the vocab.

Another interesting finding came from the term body double or political decoy {wiki here} :

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had planned to bring down Indonesia’s first president Sukarno by portraying him in a pornographic film in the late 1950s.

The agency put together a pornographic film starring a Sukarno look-alike in bed with a blonde playing a Soviet agent. The humiliation caused by circulating the film was supposed to drive Sukarno from office but the plan was unsuccessful.

I ended up read all those articles for hours. If you’re tired of Royal wedding’s hoo hah, then take a time machine back to year 2003.

Movie will be out around July (for USA), can’t wait!

Let’s flash back to Feb 9th, where I left Medan for Sibu. The flights were: Medan -> KL on 9am with 50 minutes journey, transit at the airport for more than 6 hours *boring*, continue with KL -> Sibu on 7pm. Most tiring day ever. Basically I left my home in Medan at 7am and arrived at another home (in-law) at 10pm.

Early morning arriving airport, I already kena conned, that’s why I hate airport especially in Indonesia. After scanned the luggage, I was looking for check-in counter while an airport staff suddenly asked me to had my luggage wrapped. I let him did it, cause I thought it’s a new procedure and free of charge. Finished wrapping with the machine, he said,”IDR10.000 please.” Damn! When I asked him what is the yellow wrapping for, he said it’s for safety. -__-”

Anyway, I checked in, waited and boarded on plane. Met high school friend on plane, we had a meet up previously but never knew that we’ll take the same flight. Also saw an ex-colleague at the immigration there, same flight as well. What a coincident eh?

After the long queue at immigration there, I got my luggage. It was 12 noon, I still have 7 hours until the next flight. I prepared two DVD, The Tourist and Furry Vengeance, to accompany me during waiting cause hubby said LCCT only allowed 2 hours Wifi usage which is true.

Before going for lunch and watch DVD, I decided to check-in first using the machine. Done, I asked the airline staff if I can check-in my luggage that early, she gave me a yes. So off I went to check-in my luggage although I was a bit worry that they might misplaced it, cause I just saw that there is a flight to Sibu on 1pm while mine is on 7pm. But heck, I didn’t feel like carrying a luggage for the next few hours.

So I went to food court, had KFC for lunch, plugged in laptop, watched two DVD until 5pm I guess, proceeded to waiting room and online using acer batteries. Flight delayed a bit, departed at 7pm something and arrived destination at 9pm something. I waited for my luggage eagerly, almost all of the passengers had their luggages already but not mine.

I asked the staff if it was all they got, and yes! Whoa, sweating and panic. Imagine after the tiring day and end up not seeing my luggage? Anyway, we went to the airline office and the staff help us to check. I was panic to the max and grumpy.

Good news, the luggage was checked-in wrongly under other passenger’s name. It flew with 1pm flight and nobody was picking it up, so they sent it back to KL! -__-” My gut feel was proven to be true. They sent it back on the next day. Well, lost and find the way back. Lucky I still have some clothes in my in-law house. See? Always have back-up!

Yeap, that’s my personality type based on the online personality test, with 41 questions, go here. Being someone who loves doing personality test, I tested after seeing it on a blog. After all, only 41 questions with multiple choice.

Kathie’s personality type: “Good-natured Realist”
Quiet, kind and conscientious. Can be depended on to follow through. Usually puts the needs of others above their own needs. Stable and practical, they value security and traditions. Well-developed sense of space and function. Rich inner world of observations about people. Extremely perceptive of other’s feelings. Interested in serving others.

Hmm, don’t judge me please. Let’s see what’s best for my career.

Careers that could fit Kathie include:
Interior decorators, designers, nurses, administrators, managers, secretaries, child care/early childhood development, social work, counselors, paralegals, clergy, office managers, shopkeepers, bookkeepers, homemakers, gardeners, clerical supervisors, curators, family practice physicians, health service workers, librarians, medical technologists, typists.

Aha, I’m working as a designer now. Sort of a manager and secretary to my hubby . Lucky it doesn’t list banking careers for me. But, child care/early childhood development? I can’t foresee myself being surrounded by kids, help me out please. Gardeners? You’ll see dying plants instead of blooming flowers.

Well, go test it just for fun.

I’m not a football/soccer fan, and so does hubby. We are more interested in rocawear website, analyzing the design, function and whats not. Told you, we’re the creative geek couple. So when there was this football match among Southeast Asian countries – AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 – we didn’t really care about it and just follow the score update from our Twitter timeline. Gosh, there goes the era of reading offline newspaper.

Our ignorance ended when our home-country, Malaysia (hubby’s) and Indonesia (mine), went into final. Twitter-land started to heat up when they have the final 1st leg on last Sunday Dec 26th at KL, Malaysia. Suddenly I was affected with the football fever and purposely followed the match from Twitter timeline. Too bad Indonesia lost 0 – 3.

There was an audience(s) pointing green laser to players in the middle of the match, immediately numerous of people tweeted about #Malaysiacheatlaser and it became trending topic. *surprise me* Proofing how large Twitter users from Indonesia is and we can unite if we really want to.

Well, tonight was the final 2nd leg at Jakarta, Indonesia. Hubby and I followed the first half of the game from Twitter timeline and went out to coffee shop to watch the second half. The place was crowded, everyone facing the projector screen and TV, yelling all time, waving their Malaysia’s flag, boo-ing when the TV directed to Indonesia’s players/trainers, so shiok!

Despite the large number of supporters from stadium & Twitter-land, dearest Indonesia team didn’t came out as the champion. We did win the game 2 – 1. But added the score on the 1st leg, we are at 2 – 4. *sad*

Today’s trending topic was: #GarudaFightsBack, Congratulation Malaysia, #thankyouriedl, #loveindonesia, and so on. I’m amazed with how we use social media. Well, somehow football unites us (fellow Indonesians) and hubby & I. It’s our first time watching football match together btw, yeap we didn’t even watch World Cup.

Another not-less amaze news, Malaysia PM declares this Friday as public holiday not long after the winning. Like this also can. -___-”

We went to Central Park shopping mall on the 2nd day of our visit to Jakarta cause dearest Mum has a meet up there. We saw a banner mentioning about their Christmas tree which will be launched on that day itself. It’s going to hold the record for being the tallest one (in probably Indonesia or Jakarta only, I don’t recall the details). Sounds so Wow.

Enough of window shopping and checking out blackhead treatments products, hubby and I went out to have a walk at the park. The workers were still working on the Christmas tree. The sky was pretty gloomy already and it rain not long after that with oh-so-loud-terrifying-thunder.

We ran inside and chose to sit at a coffee shop. The rain and thunder didn’t stop them from drilling and setting up the Christmas tree. We just felt that it’s kinda too much to force them working during such a weather just to meet the deadline. What about safety and their life? Sigh.

Next time, don’t just praise the Christmas tree but also appreciate the workers whom made it happens. Without their hard work, your and my favorite shopping mall won’t have such a beautiful Christmas tree and decorations.