Kamis, 31 Mei 2012

Fabian Terus Berevolusi


Dulu saya bukan orang yang bervisi untuk memiliki mesin untuk sebuah studio design. Karena saya mengandalkan senjata rahasianya adalah "kreatif" sebagai ujung tombak dari sebuah studio design. Tapi kini dibawah kepemimpinan kenan fabian visi itu bergerak dan berevolusi. 

Kini mereka memiliki 2 mesin press dan terus update masalah perkembangan mesin per bulannya. Mereka mendatangangi suplayer-suplayer mesin untuk mempelajari permasalahan mesin dan pengetahuannya. Akhirnya mereka (fabian Studio) kini memiliki beberapa mesin.

Awalnya saya menentang untuk memiliki mesin pada saat kenan fabian mengajukan arah pengembangannya. Namun begitu dia beberkan beberapa visi barunya tentang studio yang akan diusungkannya, maka saya tertarik. 

"Kreatifitas itu bukan hanya apa yang didesign, melainkan kreatifitas adalah apa yang dihasilkannya (produk)", Setidaknya ini sebuah argumentasi yang kuat, yang membuat saya berfikir ulang, memang sudah saatnya mereka berkembang dan berevolusi. 

Ini bukan permasalahan saya pribadi, tapi ini menjadi permasalahan mereka (fabian Studio), maka sebenarnya mereka yang jelas lebih mengetahui duduk permasalahannya. 

Dari pemikiran itu maka saya harus mendukung atas apa yang mereka kerjakan terhadap studio mereka (fabian Studio).


"Dan bukan cuma cukup sampai disini aja jo, nanti fabian juga akan beli mesin-mesin besar",  lanjut kenan berstatement. 

Saya mulai melihat semangat mereka untuk tumbuh, saya mulai melihat mereka terus berevolusi, bermetamorfosis layaknya kepompong yang berusaha menjadi kupu-kupu. 

Maju terus aja untuk Fabian Studionya, saya siap mendukung Anda semua. 


Salam Kreatif, 



@rie fabian 





Parting Shots...

Ok, so last week I wrote about great songs that opened albums.  Beatles producer George Martin is oft quoted that an album needs to start with what he called a good “potboiler.”  But how does one finish an album?  I would think songs that finish an album have to have two things – 1) leave your audience wanting more for the next album.  The listener’s reaction should not “meh”; 2) have a song that can’t possibly be followed by any other on a given album.  I haven’t found nearly as many closing songs as I have opening songs, hence a much shorter list.

The End [The Doors, The Doors, 1967] – The surviving Doors themselves will play any song except this one. Remember, this was the mid-1960s, and songs like this were just starting to be accepted as something to be listened to.  This was the era when music was getting away from the very tight 3-minute format and has to have a good beat you can dance to.  How does one dance to a “kill the father, fuck the mother” story, especially an entrancing 11-minute epic like this one?  This got the Doors fired from the Whiskey A Go-Go, but it also got them a recording contract.  After 45 years it’s still amazing music.

Whipping Post [Allman Brothers Band, The Allman Brothers Band, 1969] – Gregg Allman is mistreated by a woman and boy is he pissed about it.  This song follows Dreams, the slow 7-minute spellbinding glimpse into Gregg Allman’s Southern Gothic visions.  Berry Oakley’s thunderous bass intro sets the ominous tone, the drummers are relentless, Duane and Dickey are blistering.  Gregg is channeling bluesmen from years past to give a vocal performance that belies his 22 years.  How could such a young guy be so world-weary? 

Won't Get Fooled Again [The Who, Who's Next, 1971] – Who’s Next was quite an album.  It has their best opening song [Baba O’Riley] and their best closing song [Won’t Get Fooled Again].  There’s a lot of good stuff in-between as well.  The live version from The Kids Are Alright is even better because of John Entwistle.

Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast, 1982] – Iron Maiden’s best song and it’s a beauty.  It opens with an atmosphere of doom as the song’s protagonist is waiting in a jail cell to be hanged.  There are quite a few tempo changes throughout, and Bruce Dickinson sings his butt off.  This is a master class in progressive metal.  Their version from Rock in Rio is even better.

Desolation Row [Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited, 1965] – “They’re selling postcards of the hanging…  Eleven minutes with a lot of singing – how does Dylan [or anyone else] remember all the words?

Truckin' [Grateful Dead, American Beauty, 1970] – “Living on reds, Vitamin C and cocaine, all a friend can say is ‘ain’t it a shame’….  What a long strange trip indeed.

A Day in the Life [The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967] – The Beatles had lots of great songs to start albums, but not a lot to finish them.  There’s A Day in the Life and Tomorrow Never Knows, both of which can’t possibly be followed by another song on their respective albums.  I chose this one with the flip of a coin.

When the Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin, LZ IV, 1971] – Two words – John Bonham.  Undoubtedly the best drum sound he ever got on any Led Zeppelin recording was recorded in a spiral staircase at Headley Grange.  The bass drum sounds like a cannon shot.  The rest of the band doesn’t sound too bad either.

Brain Damage/Eclipse [Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973] – Technically these are two songs, but like ZZ Tops’ Waitin’ for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago, you never hear one without the other.  On most of Pink Floyd’s albums, the last song was an anti-climax, but this is a great climax.  There’s no dark side of the moon really…matter of fact it’s all dark…

Moonlight Mile [Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, 1971] – This is one of the best ballads the Stones ever recorded. It’s about life as a coked-up rock star keeping up appearances on the road that gently closes Sticky Fingers. It’s an oriental-sounding piece with a string section courtesy of Paul Buckmaster. There’s no Keith in sight on this one – there doesn’t need to be as both Micks have the musical end covered very well.

Voodoo Child [Slight Return] [Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland, 1968] – At first I thought Are You Experienced? would be the Hendrix song, but something in the back of my mind said there was something better, and I remembered this song [Doh!].  Hendrix’s best album ends with a one-two punch of All Along the Watchtower and Voodoo Child [Slight Return].  How could I forget?

Redemption Song [Bob Marley, Uprising, 1980] – This is the last song from Bob Marley’s last album to be released in his lifetime.  It’s just him and an acoustic guitar – very un-reggae.  There is an electric band version, but it doesn’t convey the power of the message as the solo acoustic version. The lines "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free our minds" come from a speech by Marcus Garvey.  Political anthems don’t get much more enduring than this.

Keep Me In Your Heart [Warren Zevon, The Wind, 2003] – Warren Zevon knew he was dying when he made this.  The song says “goodbye” in a very poignant, tender way.  This song kept running through my head at my brother-in-law’s funeral.

The Show Must Go On [Queen, Innuendo, 1991] – Freddie Mercury knew he was dying when he made this.  A most dramatic way to end a career – how typical of Freddie.

Let It Rain [Eric Clapton, Eric Clapton, 1970] – The first time I saw Eric Clapton was at Red Rocks in 1983.  We had good weather until this song.  When Clapton sang “Let It Rain…,” we got rain.  He really is God! J  That being said, this song, and the solo that goes with it, is really the first shot of Eric Clapton’s solo career.

The Thrill Is Gone [BB King, Completely Well, 1969] – BB King’s most famous song.  BB wrings a lot of emotion out of Lucille.  He’s finally away from a possessive woman, but he sounds more relieved than happy about the situation.  Originally, BB didn’t want the strings on the song, but after he slept on it he thought they were ok.  At the time, this was a departure for him.  This is one of the best “kiss-off” songs of all time.  An absolute necessity for any blues fan.

Rabu, 30 Mei 2012

The Karate Kid (2010)


Genre: Action/Sports/Drama

Starring: Jaden Smith, Jacki Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Rongguang Yu, Zhenwei Wang

A remake of the 1984 classic, the movie tells film-makers exactly how a remake should be made. Rather than lifting each and every thing from the original movie and simply reproducing it in modern times, the movie greatly improves on the story, setup and cast to not just replicate the original but to make it better and more appealing to modern audiences. Dre Parker (Smith) has moved to China with his mother (Henson) since she got a new job in Beijing. Dre finds it extremely hard to adjust with the Chinese students and soon gets bullied by Cheng (Wang) and his friends when Dre tries to befriend Meiying (Han). Dre bears the brunt and is regularly beaten up due to their superior Kung Fu skills that Dre just doesn't have. Dre's apartment house maintenance man Mr. Han (Chang) sees Dre's situation and agrees to help him. Peace talks with Cheng's Kung Fu master, Master Li (Yu) go nowhere and Mr. Han proposes a fight at the Kung Fu tournament. Dre must train under the guidance of Mr. Han regularly is he wishes to emerge as the final winner and win back his honour. The movie carefully replaces USA with China, Karate with Kung Fu, Mr. Miyagi with Mr. Han but leaves everything else to be the same. Lovers of the original would not cry foul but instead love the remake for what it is. It may not take the movie to another level but it lives up to its reputation which is more than just enough. Jackie Chan sheds his Chinese Kung Fu warrior image to take on a more peaceful, unfit Kung Fu master and does a lot by doing so little. Good enough or maybe a little bit better than the original too.

Thumbs up: Jackie Chan
Thumbs down: Doesn't substantially improve the original

Rating: 6.8/10

Selasa, 29 Mei 2012

Sejenak Bersama Tuna Netra


Di sekitar lingkungan saya terdapat sebuah Yayasan Tuna Netra, dan saya sempat mengamati sesekali banyak sekali orang yang lalu lalang berdatangan ketempat itu. Disela penasaran saya, maka saya tanyakan kepada warga sekitar, ternyata itu memang Yayasan khusus untuk orang yang Tuna Netra. Lalu saya bertanya ada beberapa orang yang berdatangan kesana dia bukan Tuna Netra, dan warga pun menjawab, kalau itu dia memang membuka pijit untuk umum. 

Maka saya mencoba untuk mendaftarkan diri saya ketempat Tuna Netra tersebut. Saya mendaftarkan diri untuk menggunakan jasa urutnya. Akhirnya saya dipanggil setelah menunggu beberapa orang. Dan di urutlah saya berjalan sekitar 1 jam an. Urutannya memang luar biasa, bukan sembarang mengurut pastinya.

Disela-sela di urut saya memberanikan diri untuk bertanya tentang kegiatan-kegiatan apa saja yang dilakukan kepada Yayasannya. Dan karena tidak puas maka saya meminta waktu setelah selesai urut untuk menginterview beliau, diluar dugaan, ternyata saya disambut dengan baik. 

Saya membuat janji 1 hari setelah saya diurut, dan keesokan harinya saya konfirmasi, ternyata memang beliau siap untuk saya wawancarai (Sok jadi wartawan). 

Lalu saya datang ketempat beliau kembali dengan bermodalkan BB untuk mencatat sekiranya ada yang bisa saya abadikan dalam tulisan saya. 

Namanya  Pak Panggeng, "gak usah pakai nama samaran mas kalau mau ditulis diblog", itu pintanya. Saya sangat senang sekali tentunya. Pak Panggeng ini memiliki 2 orang anak yang kebetulan kedua-duanya adalah Laki-laki. Pak Panggeng ini mengalami "kebutaan" dikarenakan sakit, bukan turunan. Jadi kedua anaknya terlahir normal tentunya. 

Yayasan Tuna Netra yang dibangun oleh Pak Panggeng ini mencakupi wilayah Tangerang dan sekitarnya, alamak luas juga ternyata. Karena Yayasan yang dimiliki oleh Pak Panggeng ini masih terbilang jarang, bahkan dinas sosial pun belum tentu membuatkan tempat semacam ini satu untuk satu daerah. 


Semangat yang luar biasa memang tampak pada wajah beliau. Walaupun beliau Tuna Netra tapi beliau tidak seperti kebanyakan, beliau tetap sibuk dengan handphonenya. Dalam Yayasan Tuna Netra ini beliau membuka kelas yaitu, Alqur'an, Memijat dan Komputer. 

Alqur'an yang berjenis Braile, tapi komputernya ? 
Setidaknya itu pertanyaan untuk saya, namun saya diajak kedalam kelasnya beliau. Dinyalakanlah komputernya dan ditunjukkannya cara dia menggunakannya. 

Subhanallah .... 

Komputer itu berbunyi disetiap cursor yang terhinggapi text, dan itulah panduan beliau menggunakan komputer. Untuk kelas Komputer beliau membuka 3 kelas dan Alqurannya memiliki 2 kelas. Selain belajar membaca Alqur'an beliau juga mengajarkan cara khotbah, khotbah muhadoroh dan belajar khotbah lainnya. 

Braile untuk pemula diajarkan iqro dan tahswin. Dan beliau memanggil tutor dari kalangan Tuna Netra dan ada yang dari kalangan Netral. Satu Tutor biasanya beliau bayar 100 rb satu kali pertemuan. Pendidikan biasanya dilakukan dalam waktu 4 bulan untuk satu kelas. Setelah lulus beliau berikan sertifikat hanya legalisir dari beliau belum dari diknas. 

Begitupun dengan Kelas memijatnya, beliaupun membuka beberapa teori dalam teknik memijat. Bahwasanya yang beliau ajarkan tidak asal-asalan memijat, dia memberikan teori mulai dari Shiatsu, Refleksi dan ilmu yang lainnya. 

Lalu saya bertanya dari mana ia dapatkan ilmu itu semua, dan ia pun menjawab pernah mengikuti kursus diluar kota yang pernah diadakan oleh Pemerintah, setelah dari sana maka ia berniat mendirikan sebuah Yayasan yang betujuan untuk membimbing para Tuna Netra "Se Indonesia". 

Beliau mengatakan Kebutaan saya ini bukan satu alasan saya untuk malas, untuk mengemis dan untuk meminta-minta, justru saya berfikir bagaimana saya dapat terus survive dan tumbuh bersama dengan orang-orang yang normal. 

Itu sebuah perkataan yang luar biasa. 

Kesulitan yang beliau hadapi adalah masalah dana, dimana ia hanya mendapat dana dari Pemerintah Kota sebesar 5 Juta dalam satu tahun. Yang notabene nya peminat kursus ditempatnya sudah semakin membludak alias banyak. 

Beliau masih mengharapkan dari para dermawan yang ingin menyumbangkan amalnya untuk Yayasan yang dibinanya. "Jika ada kawan-kawan atau sanak famili yang ingin membantu bisa hubungi saya yah mas Arie", itu kalimat yang diucapkannya. 

Bila saya compare dengan orang yang lalu lalang yang saya perhatikan selama 1 bulan ini, memang sepertinya dana 5 Juta itu tidak akan mencukupi kebutuhan Yayasan itu sendiri. Saya melihat memang berapa banyak kaum Tuna Netra yang lalu lalang datang ketempat dimana Yayasannya berdiri. 

Ini sungguh satu hal yang luar biasa, dan diluar dugaan saya diberikan kesempatan untuk menginterview beliau secara khusus. Satu kesempatan yang luar biasa, dan interview pertama yang menakjubkan untuk saya. 

Memang Jodoh itu tidak ada yang pernah tahu, saya belajar banyak dari apa yang beliau lakukan dengan yang saya lakukan. Dengan keterbatasan yang beliau miliki, beliau memiliki satu visi yang sangat besar, dimana saya sendiri tidak memiliki visi sebesar itu, belum berani bahkan. 

Tapi beliau memang sangat luar biasa, dan saya sering memikirkan bahwa dia pasti orang yang spesial dihadirkan untuk bumi kita tersayang ini. Saya beruntung dapat bertemu dengan orang sangat spesial kali ini. 

Beliau tidak mengeluh dengan keadaan beliau, "SAMA SEKALI", bahkan beliau memang terlihat "fun" dalam melakukan semua kegiatannya. Sungguh luar biasa. 

Interview ditutup dengan hidangan teh manis yang disediakan oleh Istri tercintanya. Lalu dia menanyakan akan dipublish dimana tulisannya, "Blog yah ?" 

Dia mengerti blog juga cui .... 

"Iya pak", lanjut saya. 
"Saya membuat blog yang bertemakan Social Creative yang berisikan tentang semua hal yang sosial dan kreatifitas manusia", lanjut saya. 

"Sukses buat blognya yah mas", Lanjutnya. 

WOw ... blog saya didoakan man .... Amien, amien. 

Lalu saya mencicipi teh manisnya, dan tidak lama dari itu saya ijin pulang, karena grogi dan agak nervous, interview pertama cui .... 

Saya pamit dan salam, sambil sama-sama mendoakan semoga dengan dipublishnya tulisan saya kali ini bisa memberikan manfaat untuk Beliau dan pembaca blog saya. 

Lalu saya membawa tulisan didalam memopad didalam bb saya, ijin pulang. 

Sesampainya dirumah saya menuliskan kembali kedalam sebuah buku saya, dan say inkubasi selama 2 minggu, setelah itu barulah sekarang saya publish diblog saya. 


Sumber : 
Bapak Panggeng : 081380789783
(bagi yang berminat untuk menyumbang atau beramal, bisa menghubungi langsung ke Nomor Beliau). 





Salam Kreatif, 


@rie fabian- 
www.fabianstudio.biz 







The Next Karate Kid (1994)


Genre: Action/Drama

Starring: Pat Morita, Hilary Swank, Chris Conrad, Michael Cavalieri, Michael Ironside

A second attempt to revive the legendary movie brand, a lose remake of the 1984 movie sees some big changes than what the earlier movies showed. Julie Pierce (Swank) is a frustrated and angry high school student who lost her parents as a child and currently lives with her grandmother. Julie is unable to get along with her grandmother and when Mr. Miyagi (Morita) sees her behaviour whilst visiting their house, offers to help improve Julie. Mr. Miyagi decides to teach her karate and teach her all she needs to know to become a better person and improve her life. A member of the school security fraternity, Ned (Cavalieri) takes an evil liking for Julie and is very annoyed when she sees her getting friendly with his co-member Eric McGowen (Conrad). Just like the previous movie, this one too is focused on teaching a young American child the way of karate to ultimately defeat the enemy at the very end and reclaim their honour. The movie hugely fails to live up to the expectations of the original movie with no drastic improvements to make it any better. It tries to be different but yet fundamentally retains the same character. It seems hugely overdone and something new in this brand is seriously needed.

Thumbs up: Hilary Swank seems to be the only decent performance
Thumbs down: Slow, boring and too repetitive from the earlier movie

Rating: 5.5/10

Senin, 28 Mei 2012

Dirty Work (1998)


Genre: Comedy/Drama

Starring: Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, Traylor Howard, Christopher McDonald, Chevy Chase

'Do what you are always best at', is a famous saying once said by some very famous person. Two good friends, Mitch (MacDonald) and Sam (Lange) intend to literally adhere to this phrase. The duo are good at nothing and have changed an infinite number of jobs but somehow cannot find anything stable. The only thing they are good at is creating mischief. The two always pulled pranks at various people in their lives and a sudden brilliant idea makes them want to cash in on this ability of theirs and earn some money. Sam's father needs a heart transplant and his doctor, Dr. Farthings (Chase) wants $50,000 for the transplant and also to pay off some bookies who are looking for him and would kill him in 9 days. The two now have to come up with $50,000, which was already an uphill task, and must now additionally earn that in an impossible nine days' time. The best thing about the movie is the unique concept and story that makes it very appealing at first sight. The reason why one must not give in to this appeal is because of the poor performances and worthless humour. The movie seems to fit the definition of the word 'lame' and lacks the excitement that it otherwise should have had.

Thumbs up: Unique concept and story
Thumbs down: Bad humour and performances

Rating: 5.5/10

Minggu, 27 Mei 2012

Bad Company (2002)


Genre: Action/Crime/Adventure

Starring: Chris Rock, Anthony Hopkins, Peter Stormare, Kerry Washington

An attempt by the CIA to buy back a nuclear warhead in the black market goes bad and they end up losing a valuable operative, Agent Kevin Pope (Rock) to the hands of rival buyers. In order to complete the mission, Pope was needed as the Russian seller, Vas (Stormare) would not sell to anyone else. The CIA discover that Pope had an estranged twin brother where both did not know of the others existence. Enter Jake Hayes (Rock) a New Jersey resident who makes money doing random tasks just like any other person of his kind. The CIA recruit him and have 9 days to train him to look, talk and walk exactly like his twin in order to convince Vas that Pope never died. Agent Oakes (Hopkins) is in charge of the entire mission and must make sure that Hayes is well trained and does not mess the deal which could potentially cost thousands of American lives. Chris Rock's performance is not fabulous but does the job to make the movie interesting and entertaining. Watching him transform from typical street to typical CIA is fun and very much Chris Rock. The movie is like just any other spy movie whdre an American law enforcement agency is chasing after terrorists and bombs but Rock's appearance lighten things up greatly and makes this movie a wholesome entertainment. 

Thumbs up: Chris Rock and his humour
Thumbs down: Run of the mill storyline

Rating: 6.8/10