Freedom Writers

Freedom Writers

Last Friday I watched a movie titled Freedom Writers which is actually recommended as one of good American movie for our final project in American Studies class. This is a very good movie. This is a story about the struggle of a high school teacher named Erin Gruwell. Erin just accepted as a new teacher in one of senior high school in Arizona where racism is obviously exists. The students in that school are separated between the white and the non-white. The non-white students are come from various races, Latino, African-American, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Negro, Caucasian and etc. They have been being discriminated for long time by the school management. Actually, they won’t go to school if there were possibility for it. However they have to go to school because of the government regulation. The non-white students are gathered in a special class with lower standard compared to another classes for the white students. There will be a specialization for the brilliant non-white students to join the white students’ class, but this exception is rarely happened. Moreover, even tough non-white students join the non-white students’ class, they will still get different way of treating.
The students in the special class are hostile each other based on their races. The class is much uncontrolled. Erin gets shock at the first day she comes to the class, as she sees a fight almost break out in her classroom and gang battle at the school. Her students in the special class do not obey her, but Erin doesn’t give up. Gradually she begins to get their trust. She gives a book to each of them to write a diary about their experiences of life. Erin wants to know their real life. How they’re being abused and evicted, and how hard their life actually is.
Erin wants to decrease discrimination that they have got from the school. She tries to ask some new books from the students, but her requests are always rejected. Therefore she decided to use her own money to finance all the things that she needs to teach her students. She takes three part time jobs to pay for more books for the students. She also spends more times at school which is brought her to a big compensation as her disappointed husband finally divorced her. Nevertheless, Erin’s big efforts to raise her students are works. Her students start to respect her and behave nicely. The gap of racism between them is slowly dissolving. As the final project, Erin asks her students to write their diary into form of a book. Erin arranges these final projects into a book and publishes it as The Freedom Writers Diary. At the end of the movie, Erin successfully brought many of her students to graduation and college.
I think it’s really inspiring movie. Erin is a kind of unusual teacher. She is very brave in breaking the discrimination. The unity that she has been successfully created among her student is not easy. If I were in her position at that time, I’m not sure that I won’t give up easily. Erin’s struggle is awesome. Moreover, this movie is based on the reality. Anyone who wants to become a teacher should watch this movie first. It’s really worth to watch.
For your information, the Freedom Writers then become a foundation, leads by Erin Gruwell, which is providing teachers with innovative teaching methods through workshops that held at the Freedom Writers Institute. The main purpose of this foundation is to improve the academic performance of their students. This foundation is still exists now.

Fable

Mr. Bunny and Miss Penguin

The Magic Jungle just released a new fable

But it’s not the race between the Mouse deer and the Turtle

Nor the story of the Lion and the Tiger’s great battle

It’s about Mr. Bunny who lives under the oak tree

And Miss Penguin that lives in a very cold country

Introduced by the dragonflies and the blowing wind

They become friends through a long distance

The Bunny and the Penguin agreed to be pals

But who can forbid when an oviparous loves a mammal?

* * *

A Cellphone's Diary

Cell Phone’s Diary

March 3rd, 2008

I’ve tried my best for her. My operation system is going slower lately. It because my overloaded memory, I supposed. I wonder why she hasn’t bought me a memory card yet. It will help me a lot. There are too many messages in my inbox now. 3000 messages in a small device without additional memory card like me! Can you imagine? Most of them belong to him―of course. I receive his messages all day long just for her. But why she seldom to share a little bit affection with me. I am wondering. Is it really hard for her to erase some of unimportant messages in the inbox? Oh, I have to tell you one more thing. I connect her to his cell phone every night, just to hear her laughs and to see her smile after they said good night to each other. But she always forgets to recharge my battery. I’ve collapsed for several times this week because of my empty battery. It sucks! I’m dying!

Sweetest Drug

Sweetest drug

He is like drug, so soft and sweet

My opium, my daily need

Gave me bliss

Like a source of peace

I was positive miserably addicted

Strangely, It can’t be rejected

Day by day the addiction multiplied

Rode over me, but can’t be denied

Then come the day of alteration

When the sweet changed into poison

It deranged me and dissolved my heart

Resuscitated that life could be so hard

This painful heart drove me insane

Nothing could cure, no hope remains

But the life must goes on anyway

I know this pain should no longer stay

Now the drug has gone away

But he will start another play

Looking the others to be his prey

Then treat them as how he treated me

I.N.S.O.M.N.I.A

INSOMNIA

I have been suffering from sleep disorder for the last one year. This sleep disorder actually a little bit strange. I call it insomnia, although I’m not really sure whether it’s really insomnia or not. I am used to sleep around 10 or 11 at night, but then I will always automatically awake around 1 or 2 am, and sleepless until the time for praying subuh. At first, I didn’t understand why it is always hard to sleep every night. I feel very sleepy and obviously want to sleep, but strangely my eyes won’t be closed. Seems like they rejecting my will to sleep. Sometimes this sleep disorder is advantageous when I need to stay up late in the night to do some assignments. Nevertheless, it is really sucks because I will get sleepy later in the morning while I’m sitting in the class.

I have read some articles about sleep disorders, especially insomnia. I’ve tried the tips given on the articles, but still didn’t work. I am not used to sleeping at noon, but I will still awake in the middle of the night. I sleep earlier, but then I will still wake up too early at 1 am as usual. I have read on an article, the one of the causal factors of insomnia is the atmosphere at the bedroom. It mentioned that people will easily fall asleep if the atmosphere at the bedroom supporting them to sleep. It suggest not to making bedroom as a place to do work or other things but sleeping. But how could I do? Since I’m living in dormitory, I only have a small room to live. I am sleeping, eating, and doing my tasks at the bedroom because it’s the only room provided for me. I think it’s the most conceivable reason why I get the sleep disorder.

The atmosphere of my room doesn’t support me to sleep. It’s already proven on my last semester holiday. I spent the two months holiday in my home town. At home, I’m able to do my activities at the separate rooms. Sleeping at the bed room, eating at the dining room, working or studying at the other room, and strangely I didn’t have sleep disorder at all! I got sleep easily, even at the earlier time than usual, and I never wake up at midnight anymore. At that time, I thought my insomnia was already cured. I thought I get the sleep disorder just because of homesick, but I was wrong! When I went back to the dorm after the holiday ended, I get the sleep disorder again. Well, I think this insomnia won’t be end as long as I live in this kind of small room.

[ * take a deep breath * ]

T_T

PRIDE dorama

- PRIDE –

It’s all about believing each other, not waiting for another…

Last weekend, I spent the nights watching DVD of Japanese drama series (well known as ‘dorama’) which is lent by a friend of mine. The title is Pride. This is story about a captain of an ice hockey team named Haru Satonaka who is used to call as Halu. Halu is the star of the Blue Scorpion team, and he’s greatly respected by his teammates. Hockey is something important for Halu. It’s not just a game; it’s more than everything for him. Say, hockey is the number one thing in his mind. Halu is very famous. There are many girls declare as his fans [includes me ^ 0 ^;]. Ironically, Halu treats romance as if it just a game. He has never tended to be serious in it. Another main character is Aki. Aki is a businesswoman. She’s waiting for her boyfriend who is studying architecture in USA. Unhappily, her boyfriend has never contact her for the last two years. One day, Aki was asked by her friends, Yuri and Chika, watching a hockey match together. It was the match of Yuri and Chika’s favorite team, Blue Scorpion. Blue Scorpion won the match, and they held a celebration at the pub where their friends and fans are used to get on together. There, Aki meets Halu for the first time. Aki’s personality a little bit attracted Halu. She’s so silent and mousy, so that Halu calls her as ‘A woman from the last century’. They exchanged e-mail and starting to have dates by then. After several times meeting, Halu offered Aki a temporary relationship while Aki waiting for her boyfriend to return to Japan. Aki was very doubtful, but finally she accepted Halu’s offer. Then, a unique relationship between them started. As time goes by, Aki and Halu began to fall in love each other. AT first, both of them are always deny their real feelings. Halu tends to hold his pride, and Aki still grapple with her uncertainty. The climax of the story is when Aki’s boyfriend returned to Japan. At that time, the relationship of Halu and Aki was getting tighter. Aki was so confused. She didn’t know which one she has to choose.

This dorama isn’t only about the love between the main characters. It also dominated by a lot of things about ice hockey. If you’re kind of person who love ice skating, you maybe satisfied by the ice hockey matches in this dorama. All of the ice hockey players are extremely expert in ice skating. Starring by talented actors and actresses, this dorama is really worth to watch.

n_n v

I’m Romeo and She’s Juliet

I’m Romeo and She’s Juliet

We had been spending that time together

Separated? Both of us sure that ‘we’ll never’

You always know how badly I wanted you,

I’m sure I just want to be with you

But that night we were quarrelling

I talked. You talked. You were crying

Our elders were questioning our future

We wanted to prove our love, but they called us ‘dreamer’

I gravelly screamed, and you shout out loud

We thought we were meant to be, but we were not

I hate the Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

It’s as if their tragedy inspired our fate

I hugged you tight

I knew you cried

The day we said goodbye

I was suffered, I couldn’t deny

I know you’ve forced your self smiling to me

I wish the time will run very quickly

And soon erase our sadness tears

I’m sorry for these painful memories