Project Twenty One: Batch Three

So here we are, in the last batch of watching-all-Studio-Ghibli-movies project.

Seven more of the studio's films had done, which means that now I have the complete list of the ranked Ghibli movies. Which I'm actually still not yet confident to disclose because I couldn't even decide if I'm agreeing with myself or not.

But anyways, before we proceed to the list, let me give the reviews to the final seven films. The last reviews of this project.

Tales from Earthsea | 2006

Honestly, I had a very VERY big expectation towards this one. No, it's not that I had heard about the film from others nor had I read any good reviews of the movie. I hadn't even read any synopsis so I completely had no idea what it was about. But whenever I saw the slice preview on Netflix, I always had the feeling that the film would be grande. Plus the animation and the drawing is amazing. Sadly, that's not what I got.

There was no background whatsoever on who the protagonist is, what his problems and goals are -- Arren is annoyingly uninspiring, grim, and bleak. The plot and element was inconsistent, starting with dragons and then it's gone until the end of the film. The only thing that makes this movie safe from the bottom is how I really can’t fit Nausicaa’s eerie sci-fi vibe. Plus, the Medieval setting and panorama are still enjoyable, actually the only thing I enjoyed from this film. Also, Therru’s quote about fearing life not death is also a good one.

Only Yesterday | 1991

Aside of how it beautifully captured the peaceful, humble life in countryside Japan, which is a big big plus point already to the film, I really love the back-and-forth plot, where it showcased Takeo's problems in a very unique way. Also, I think it’s the most lively one I ever watched, most smooth gestures, expressions - though sometimes a bit creepy - and natural convos with lips smacking?? Ghibli knows how to pay attention to details.

But what I adored the most would be the overall story which feels so nostalgic it woke up the 10-year-old kid in me, and the ending, where child Takeo and her friends escorted her from the train back to the village, to the arms of Toshio... AAAAAA so beautiful I cried! A bit downfall: though Hirota is such a dream boy, his seiyuu just doesn’t match... and though Taeko’s father is such a daddy, he’s a bit annoying and... wait, come to think of it, her whole family IS annoying! Poor little Taeko :(

Ponyo | 2008

One of the movies I've watched before, which happened, I guess, more than 10 years ago? Haha I can't believe I had the audacity to put this film in a lower rank so far only basing from my 12-year-old memory because TO HELL WITH THAT, I knew nothing!?

Ponyo is really THAT magical, THAT colorful. No wonder it received amazing credits from even Hollywood stars. It's such a pristine movie featuring children’s innocence and curiosity - both Sosuke and Ponyo are so adorable I’d protect those two! - with a glimpse of “look what you did to the ocean, human!” which I like. My highlight though, is the film's delicate depiction of water, be it the ocean tsunami, the waves breaking the rocky beach, the fish-to-water-and-vice-versa transformation, the boiling water in the pot, the honey, the crystal clear ocean bottom, the rain, SO REFRESHING! And the gesture of Ponyo’s mother is just so alive I enjoyed every inch of her moves!!!

Whisper of the Heart | 1995

Another amazing real-life heartwarming piece revolving around junior high students with their simple love triangle trouble, school tests, cluelessness of future, funny curious classmates - them teasing Shizuku when Seiji came to her class is the best! - and heartbreak of being left by your crush ahhh I just love this type of nostalgic theme. Oh my favorite part though: when Shizuku and Seiji sing “Country Road” together and then the ojiichantachi came to join. And this is why this is the only review with video haha enjoy!

Kiki’s Delivery Service | 1989

Super light, easy to watch and everything’s just so smooth—such a comfort film where it’d be a mood-booster anytime being watched! The warmth of people inside the film is just bursting you’ll feel like you’re Kiki herself lol. And plus points to the strong European/Italian vibe which is just of the right portion it feels amazing!

When Marnie Was There | 2014

Another beautiful depiction of life in countryside Japan, but, done in the more modern Ghibli-style animation which fits better to my taste haha. Story-wise, I LOVE IT! Love the combination of the said great animation with such mythical feel and mysterious plot. Although towards the end it’s pretty much guessable, but for the whole portion of the story it was nice to be left guessing in curiosity. The epic part is the ending though, you know, the part where Marnie waves goodbye. Yea it is a tearjerker, maybe not for everyone, but enough for my poor soft heart...

Spirited Away | 2001

Well, this is it. I don't think I need to describe how majestic this film is. The epitome of the studio, the real representation of Ghibli's magic. All the whimsical and absurdity of Ghibli gathered here somehow, to make this grand, festive piece of art. And what makes it even better is how those things were also combined with strong Japanese elements like, the ryokan and onsen life, the classic tram in the midst of nowhere, and more!

Personal experience wise, Spirited Away hits it good to me. I think it was the first Ghibli movie I ever watched - if I don't count Grave of the Fireflies ya - and it left a very deep impression to me. I didn't exactly understand what the film really tried to tell us, but at least the grandeur of its animation really blew me away.

Then years after, I had the chance to visit Jiufen, a small town in Taiwan where the film's setting was inspired from. When I was there the atmosphere, the floating lanterns, the dull colors of the buildings shone by red fluorescent of the lights, and of course, all the No Face souvenirs sold around, really woke the long-sleeping memories of the film. And to make things even better, it was raining! Something I really fond of in Studio Ghibli movies.

What made this even more special was, when I watched this film again as a part of this project, it was today, December 31st—the exact same day when I was in Jiufen 2 years earlier. I wasn't really planning for that because by the time I realized 2021 was almost over, I still had three more films yet to watch. So I rushed into Kiki and Marnie, and happened to be able to watch Chihiro today, exactly a day before the year ends. Well it sounds stupid but this kind of coincidences and universe plays are just really my thing and... I actually am sold for it.

Anyways.

That should be it. Now that I've completed all 21+1 Ghibli movies, I think I'm ready to reveal my final rankings.

1. Howl’s Moving Castle
2. Arrietty
3. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
4. Spirited Away
5. From Up On Poppy Hill
6. The Wind Rises
7. Ponyo
8. Castle In The Sky
9. Grave of the Fireflies
10. My Neighbor Totoro
11. When Marnie Was There
12. Only Yesterday
13. Whisper of the Heart
14. Kiki's Delivery Service
15. The Cat Returns
16. Pom Poko
17. Princess Mononoke
18. Porco Rosso
19. Ocean Waves
20. My Neighbors the Yamadas
21. Tales from Earthsea
22. Nausicaa

There you go. The super subjective ranking of all Studio Ghibli's films, based on my 29 year-old point of view. Which had changed a lot since I was first exposed to Ghibli films around 15+ years ago. Which just now gave me more ideas...

What if, in 15+ years from now, I do this all over again?

To see if my views towards these movies change again? I may matured a lot now compared to the child version of me, but I may have even more complex views in the future, with a whole new perspective and preference. Who knows that the 47 year old me would prefer Nausicaa more than Spirited Away, right?? Haha that's gonna be fun. I'll remind myself to do so. But for now, I think I'm pretty much satisfied with this list.

So...

I'll see you guys later.

When I'm 40 or 50 I think.

To see if I still can enjoy the same

Studio Ghibli Magic

Bloody Trip

Okay what happened next.

Yea, let's cut the crap again because it's the continuation of the previous post.

So this, is another tale very unlikely to happen in real life.

A tale presented to you, by karma.

Why, because, oh God the superstitions growing in these series of unfortunate events is almost impossible! Only the unluckiest guy would experience this dreadful, horrid incident, and that guy is me!

xxx

Now then.

The day of my freedom has come.

The day I've been waiting for. The day I finally thought that I'd be back to my explorer self.

xxx

xxx. And so...

I fell off the bike.

xxx

xxx. And the thing I really don't want to hear, EVER, finally came out of her mouth.

I couldn't get wet for another two weeks.

Fuck. I was losing it, really.

xxx

And the idea of having a road accident, yet it all happened at the fucking same visit, it was just all beyond me!?

xxx

Eventually, my final moment of freedom, the day when I got to finally dip myself into the ocean - not just the water from the bathroom shower - happened when I was still in Bali.

Unbelievable.

Two months in Bali. But only half of it did I actually get in touch with Balinese waters.

xxx

Stitches

Okay about the accident.

Yea, let's cut the crap because I've made my preambules on my previous post eh.

So this, is a tale very unlikely to happen in real life.

Why, because, it could really get superstitious the more I think about it. And this is Bali. An island full of spiritual air and unseen prowess. I'm not practicing Hinduism, but this kind of thing, for me, will still happen anyway regardless any religions.

Wait! This has nothing to do with ghosts or goblins or any horror shit, no. This is more about karma. About getting punishments from things you're not supposed to do but you do, about getting what you deserve from things you're not supposed to say but you say.

Now.

It was on October 30th. Halloween Night...

A friend of mine was apparently also in Bali. With his newlywed wife. I knew he was coming, but we hadn't made any appointments yet so that day, I still explored by myself. It was not until I finished swimming in southern Bali when I got a text from him.

Now this guy, is one of my best friends from high school. A guy I talked a lot of shit with and joked around with, even until today. So our texts back then was just like that. Full of foolish returns, and somehow inappropriate. But in summary, all we wanted to arrange was to meet at a bar later that night.

Then I went back to my hotel to get myself ready. With sheer excitement of going to a Halloween party -which by the way, is always an occasion frowned upon by my Dad- alongside some friends, I jumped to the shower, cleansed the sea salt off my body, grabbed my towel, swung my arms to wrap the cloth around my back and bang—

I elbowed the glass rack. Which fell instantly off the wall.

On it were super heavy, made-of-stone toiletries containers.

All those flew down to the ground, not on the floor...

But on my foot instead.

The shower water then turned red. At first I thought it was just a scratch, but for seconds after, it turned to be a small pond of blood. I tried to check my foot which was covered by the debris of the glass, and there it was, opened like Sauron's eye, the wound from the incident.

I've never had an open wound that wide. In fact, as far as I remembered, I never had an open wound at all. I'm a very careful, calm person. As a kid, I tend to just stay at home reading comics, watching cartoons, playing consoles as opposed to my little brother who were outside all the time, playing soccer, swimming through the drainages, got scratches and stitches and broken ankles.

So seeing this kind of shocked me, to the point that I didn't quiet believe it. I was rather in denial, to be honest, thinking that it would eventually close if I dab cottons and apply Minyak Tawon on it—the usual way I treat scratches from my cats. But it was really wide, and so I called my Mom just to make sure that it was just an okay wound, but her respond was not the type I expected. She -and my aunt who was just near her by that time- urged me to go to nearest hospital. But a hospital is not an option. The nearest one is quiet far, and the blood wouldn't stop coming out of the wound.

But I know God already planned this way ahead so He prepared everything for me just so neatly. Just across my hotel, there was a clinic. With 24-hour emergency. I was sure this was an emergency so there I went, with my right leg walking so weirdly thanks to my over-exposed foot wound.

The nurse on call was just like my Mom. She didn't see it as something that can be treated the usual way. A fucking stitch operation needed to be done, she said -without word 'fucking' of course. I really didn't fancy that suggestion. I always hated the idea of getting stitches. Out of all my family members, I was the only one clean and free from stitches -except that one from my circumcised weewee. And I didn't plan to lose my stitch-virginity, and lose my world record, here, in this small clinic somewhere in Bali.

She wasn't fully sure though, as she needed to wait for the doctor on call to examined my wound first and made the decision. He was on the other clinic by that time, on his way to the one I was, after receiving the call from the nurse. So I had to wait in vain, still hanging on to the small and somehow false hope of being able to walk out of that clinic stitchlessly.

The doctor arrived, and with no further ado, repeated what the nurse said. Again, I was speechless. I asked if there were any other ways to avoid stitches, but no, there were no other ways. I asked if it was okay if I just got regular treatments regardless doctor's suggestions, and yes, apparently I could, but then I had to sign this fucking contract to which I stated that I refused to get doctor's treatment so I wouldn't sue him, nor the clinic, if anything were to happen to me in the future as the effect of my refusal.

FUCK IT OF COURSE IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!?

How could there be such fuckable contract in this world, it was beyond me.

Okay. Long story short.

They started operating my foot.

That experience was beyond any imagination of mine. The worst part was when the doctor injected anesthesia into the circumference of my open wound. Several times. And it killed me each time. Metaphorically of course. But seriously, the pain was nasty I wish I never had to experience that again.

Once the chemical worked, my foot started feeling numb. And that's when the stitches came in. My God. So that was how it felt like to be stitched. To have needles pierced through my skin, out of the other side,  then got pulled and the whole thread was like sliding smoothly following the movement of the needle. FUCK! Even now my stitch tingles if I remembered those moments! I could feel the whole process, as the needles and threads were dancing. It's as if I was Woody when he was being sewn on that reparation scene in Toy Story 2. Thank God it was painless.

During the whole surgery -is it too much if I called that a 'surgery'?- I video-called my Mom. You know, just to keep me sane. The doctor and the nurse kept entertaining me though, while they're digging through my skin and get the wound closed off. But theirs were just formality, and I need somebody who would actually entertain me. Gosh I still can't believe I had to go through that all alone.

The not-even-an-hour surgery felt like a lifetime. You know the typical sayings in books or movies where a dying man sees his whole life flashing before him? Yes I had the exact same experience. I was practically semi-dying. Because my whole trip had now been ruined. No, not just because now I had to temporarily walk like a crippled, but more because, this stitched foot, can NOT get wet during recovery.

I mean.

How could you NOT GET WET, in freaking BALI?

It was as if I could do nothing. And that's true! Because my plan for this long trip was to discover hidden beaches, explore further off coastal villages, ride up north to visit as many waterfalls as possible, AND IT ALL INVOLVES GETTING WET!

So yea all those ideas of me swimming, skinny dipping, sitting under the harsh waterfalls, snorkeling like the first time I had my WFB, all just flashed before my eyes. And practically everything else I did before, including the Green Bowl beach I just visited right before I went home and took shower, and everything else I should be doing after, including that Halloween party I should be doing with my friends, all just flashed before my eyes.

The fact that my trip semi-ended and all my plans crumbled hurt even more than the stitches itself. Even hurt more than when the anesthesia wore off.

But yea, I think that's the karma I deserved.

I couldn't think of anything else but those words I exchanged with my friends right before the incident, but I'm pretty sure there were more than that.

Maybe because I planned for that Halloween Party which my Dad forbid. And as a gift from karma, I got the literal cosplay of being Frankenstein. On my foot.

Or maybe it's the playlist I set for the trip. It had song "Crash Into Me" in it, and there you go, the heavy ass shampoo bottle and the glass rack really crashed into me foot.

Or maybe, this was simply just God's reminder that I couldn't be too excited about anything I planned, because anything could be flipped in just a sec by Him.

The artists.

The art.
Of course I have the photo of the open-wound version and the unveiled,
un-bandaged stitched version but even I could faint from looking at those lol.
Let me know if you're curious though :)

The canceled Halloween Party gang.
Okay you know what's creepy? My friend got his own portion of karma.
He was driving a bike in Nusa Penida and his wife got stung by the exhaust pipe.
It was quiet a terrible experience from what I heard. Messy.
This karma game is really not a joke.

Well I couldn't be mad about this.

I know karma exists and I know how it works.

Although...

What happened not so long after this incident, though it was still a part of this karma saga, really drove me to the verge of my sanity. But I'm not gonna tell you in this post because otherwise it'll be a novel.

So this karma-vibe story,

Is stitched to the next post

Work From Bali: The Encore

xxx.

Just the recap of the 2-month stay.

xxx

Project Twenty One: Batch Two

Seven more of Ghibli's twenty one movies had done.

I really enjoyed the watching, but not so much the ranking because seriously, it's difficult! Sometimes just several minutes into the start of the movie I'd be like, "okay, I know where to put this one on the list".

And then when the movie's over I'd be like, "fudge, that ranking is not just enough -- but then I don't want to reorder the other ranks because I'm sure the other movies deserve that spot!" lol see how I tasted my own medicine...

Anyways, let's have a little review on the recently-watched seven pieces.

Porco Rosso | 1992

When I watched a glimpse of its random cut in Netflix's preview, I thought this was going to be a weird, old-like, full fantasy thing that I wouldn't enjoy -- well I was given the scene of a pig dressed like a pilot, living in a normal world of human, of course my first impression was going that way!? But apparently Porco Rosso exceeded my initial expectation and turned out to be surprisingly light and bright! I really love the European vibe - although setting wise it looked more like Ventimiglia than other lovely European cities - but even love more the Mediterranean coastal scenes! Its touch of historical World War setting also helped enriching the story, and that hidden cove where the pig resides, well, that really was my favorite part.

From Up on Poppy Hill | 2011

I'm not sure where to start because... I really REALLY enjoyed this movie! Although it didn't boast Ghibli's signature magical element, it really stole my all with its heartwarming teenage school-and-family story and incredible up-and-down-making twists. And don't get me started with the movie's amazing atmosphere of old 60s Japan, Tokyo during Olympics 1964 euphoria, and typical Japanese school life. Argh, there's just nothing going wrong with this one!

And I'm not trying to be corny here - but I guess I am - but I must say I really ship Umi and Shun's relationship I mean... I'm obviously no longer a teenager like, I'm around 12 years older than a high school teenager, but somehow the thing that these two had felt super relatable, and the whole plot was not-too-much romantic with freaking cute gimmicks here and there making me feel like a teenage girl! Overall you won't be getting actions and/or supernatural stuff like Ghibli's other pieces, but I guess that's the beauty of this movie.

Castle in the Sky | 1986

Out of Ghibli’s three, famous and most-loved old epic-fantasy films, "Laputa" is personally bearable and surprisingly enjoyable to me. You know how I always got eerie vibes from watching dark, creepy old films like "Princess Mononoke" and "Nausicaa"? Well, I didn't feel it here. I loved it, in fact. The fights was great, the floating castle was magical, and the short life in Dola’s ship was probably the best part. Overall setting was still relatable, and the music, though equally eerie, was of a moderate level. And I guess, it’s also the side characters that made this movie fun. You know, those "villains" which started as foes then turned out to become allies.

The Cat Returns | 2002

First of all, this movie is about cats. So I knew anything wouldn't go wrong with this one. Then the rest is just perfection: a combo of real Japan life and Ghibli’s magical touch, light plot but comes with some actions as well. I also enjoyed the warm twists, which honestly I could guess way before it was revealed because, again, this movie has a light plot. One downfall though: duration's not long enough!

My Neighbor Totoro | 1988

Well, should I actually make a review of "My Neighbor Totoro"? We all love this Ghibli's iconic masterpiece. It's heartwarming, it's whimsical in a beautiful way, it has Ghibli's top-ranked favorite characters so of course we can't look down on it, and when you really really realize, there's just nothing dark and heavy about this movie: everything's child-friendly, fun and games, even the conflicts seemed mood-lifting instead of emotion-destructing, and watching this made me feel like a kid again! Although the first time I watched this movie was when I was 20-ish.

Pom Poko | 1994

Along with "My Neighbor Totoro", this was among five Ghibli films I had watched before. In fact, Pom Poko was the third one, just several days after "Ponyo". So yea perhaps I was like... ten? I remember back then I wasn't quiet enjoying the film because I thought it was boring. Now that I watched this again with more mature perspective, it turns out that the reason why I didn't enjoy "Pom Poko" as a kid was because the cause highlighted in this movie was quiet "heavy" in a way. It showed another issue of human exploiting nature, but through animals’ perspective so it hits a bit harder than "Princess Mononoke" or "Nausicaa" to me. Plus it seemed much more bearable than those Ghibli human/nature type of movies because the setting is of actual Japan. Overall, actually, with such deep message and ironic reflection of what's really happening in the real world that "Pom Poko" conveyed, I'd really rank this movie higher than "My Neighbor Totoro".

What held me back from doing so is how this film, though seemingly fun and light and kid-friendly with cartoonish characters, is actually really dark. And I just don’t like how human eventually won and the raccoons had to give in, to move away or settle in sewers, or opted to live a fake, non-desirable life as human; while some of them who couldn't transform and failed to find a new place to live even had to DIE!? A realistic situation, actually, but I just don’t fancy it. I wish the ending was just not so depressing. Well it doesn't change the fact that racoons and other woodland creatures are actually losing their homes thanks to fucking human's greed but, at least... well... ugh I hate this :(

The Wind Rises | 2013

Another dark story covered in bright and light vibe - Ghibli's just so good at it! When enjoyed just from its setting of old 1930s Japan, summer feeling with cheerful scores, greeneries and breezes, and overall “I have to achieve my dream” mood, it’s a very pleasing film. The over-detailed aeronautical stuff isn’t quiet enjoyable for me, though, obviously it's a fetish to Miyazaki. But I didn't find it too annoying that it ruined my whole impression of the movie. Well, so, what's so dark about it?

The fact that the aircraft designs Jiro and his comrades were fighting to create was to be used in wars, and how none of the planes return home, well, that's really dark, isn't it? That's just not about it. On top of those "professional problems", the movie's "personal problem" which highlights this dying lover who patiently wait for the protagonist to fulfill his dream, and the fact that she left home so she could die without her family having to deal with the fuss - fudgeee that ending was so crazy!!! - made this film just so devastatingly heart-breaking. But I guess that’s simply the beauty of it.

Well.

It's fourteen already, in addition to the first batch of rank I made weeks ago. and I'm seriously having a hard time putting my preferences haha well let's just say it goes like this for now:

1. Howl’s Moving Castle
2. Arrietty
3. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
4. Spirited Away*
5. From Up On Poppy Hill
6. The Wind Rises
7. Castle In The Sky
8. Grave of the Fireflies*
9. My Neighbor Totoro
10. The Cat Returns
11. Pom Poko
12. Princess Mononoke
13. Porco Rosso
14. Ponyo*
15. Ocean Waves
16. My Neighbors the Yamadas
17. Nausicaa

Again, it's temporary. I still have seven to go, including "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo" I've yet to rewatch to see if this rank still fits. I haven't rewatched "Grave of the Fireflies" yet either but I think I'm gonna skip that one because the traumatic imagery still actually stay vividly in my head.

Woof! Can't wait to finish this thing and wrap up my list!

But actually, I wish it doesn't have to end.

I can't get enough of Ghibli's magic

An Olympian Regret

Never once in my blog, not even throughout the 13 years tenure, I ever talked about this particular thing that used to be a HUGE part of my early life.

I used to practice Taekwondo.

Like, religiously.

It all began on one fine Saturday when I was like, six? My brothers and I were watching Power Rangers The Movie for the umpteenth time in our laser disc device, when Dad suddenly announced that "starting tomorrow, you kids will be joining a Taekwondo club."

I wasn't a big fan of that idea. In fact, I hated it. I was an indoor type of kid, with hobbies including drawing and reading comic books. To be forced to have an actual physical training, namely on a freaking Sunday morning, where all the good cartoons were airing and my other friends were catching up to the next amazing episodes of each series, was a nightmare - or morningmare? - for the young me. Suddenly that scene where the rangers were fighting the tengu birds on Planet Phaedos was no longer my favorite.

And then, the years of "forced training" began. It was honestly a pain in the ass part of my life. From early pre-elementary school all the way to my first year of high school, I had to sacrifice my late Fridays and oh my precious Sunday mornings to come down to the court, practicing. I remembered we occasionally faked being sick, or having stomachache, or slept in late, just so we could skip a session -- but most of the time we failed, because Mom and Dad knew we were just being little assholes.

Hold on, I'm not here to ONLY complaint.

Surprisingly, when I looked back to those days, it wasn't a total complete bad experience though. Because hey, it lasted for 10+ years so if I couldn't manage to find the good side of Taekwondo I'd be dead halfway through. So yeah, there were some parts of the sport that I found really enjoyable. The gymnastics element - which we called the taegeuk, the athletics element which most of the time I excelled at, the demo we did to attract new members - we used to break clay roof and metal bars as part of these demo! the bi-monthly out-of town retreat, the friendship we made outside of school, whoa, apparently, there were a lot!

But one thing I really loved, and actually am grateful about until this time, is how fit I became now. I just realized how doing Taekwondo in earlier stage of my life really shaped my physical self that I carried out even until today. My current interest towards Thai Boxing and Body Combat didn't come just out of nowhere -- I'm pretty sure it's because of my Taekwondo past.

And so I thought that was it for my hot-and-cold relationship with Taekwondo. For years after I stopped practicing I always felt like, okay, it was a tie. I hated it and loved it the equal portion. Done. Never had I imagined that there's another layer of it I overlooked.

Which I realized from the Olympics.

A week has passed since the Opening Ceremony and I'm already becoming a freak. Well I've always loved huge sporting events like this you would never guessed how much bullshit I produced in my blog or Twitter for World Cup, Formula One, and all other similar stuff. Only this time, in this certain Olympics, I felt something different.

I've been watching badminton. I've been watching weightlifting. Been watching swimming, archery, kayaking, handball, water polo, whether we have Indonesian representations or not, I watched as many sports as I never did before. This is weird because some of those sports, I didn't even know at all.

But still I kept on watching, observed how each athlete strived to give them all, learned how each individual had amazing background stories which eventually led them to Tokyo this year, that each of them had their own struggles, to bring pride for their nations.

It really opened my eyes. And tickled that weird sensation inside of me. Is it humanity? Is it patriorism? Or is it... jealousy? Whatever it is, I just realized that

I want to be an Olympian.

I want to be the best in what I can do best. I want to be recognized. I want to be relied on. I want my name to be mentioned oh so proudly by the commentators, my stories to be recited by everyone. I want to represent my country, wearing the colors, walking down the stadium with the flag waving before me. I want to be cheered upon, on venue, virtually, from anywhere. I want to hear the national anthem playing to honor my victory. Or to honor whoever wins from my contingent. I want to cry when that happens, to have all hair in my skin stand tall as I do the same while the patriotic anthem plays. I want to be an Olympian.

This weird obsession grew even stronger just today, after I watched the Group Competition of Judo. Because apparently I don't just want to be an individual Olympian, but also being a part of a bigger thing -- to also fight with a team.

In the Judo scenario, each team consisted of three men and three women, coming from different weight categories. Everytime they lined up before or after the match, I always imagined that the first two heaviest members as the big brother and big sister of the group. The team captain and the group's mother, the major morale booster and strongest emotional supporter. The middle ones were the breadwinners of the team, equally strong and agile. The smallest ones were the youngest siblings, and this is where I pictured myself.

You ever had that "I wish I was a part of that squad" feeling?
Well, this is mine.

What they had was so pleasing to watch. Athlete supports athlete. When they were about to enter the court, when they won, when they lost, when they got picked for Sudden Death match, when they proceeded to the next round, when they failed to continue, when they... won gold.

Yeah, I want that.

Back in my Taekwondo days, I actually did some tournaments. As both individual and team. I, nor my team, never won any, though - my brother had won some in individual discipline lol. But it's not just about winning - said the loser lol. It's about the process, the training, the coming down to the stadium, coming down to the court, fighting your ass off, cheering for your team mates, screaming to a win and wailing for losing, being that Judo team I watched. And eventually, being proud of what I did.

But it's a bit too late now, eh?

I had my chance with Taekwondo but I was half doing it. I skipped the "line to success" and dropped it with joy as if I'm letting go of a lifelong shackles, not knowing that the regret would someday appear -- that I apparently need those shackles.

I started it at six. Or seven. An age those Olympians usually began their sporting journey. If I went on, who knows, I could be a Taekwondoin contingent from Indonesia, fighting alongside Greysia Polii and Rahmat Abdullah.

Yet here I am, just watching those people from my screen, wishing that I'd be one of them. Or wishing that in my next life, I'd be an Olympian. Well I guess for now that's the only thing I could actually wish to happen, eh? To be an Olympian in my next life.

Okay.

Let's make an oath of it.

"Here I am, promising to myself, that in another life, after I'm finished with this one and born as another, I swear I will be an Olympian. I will whisper this oath to him/her even when they're still a fetus living inside their mother's womb. I will haunt them when they turn 4 so they'd start practicing any Olympic sport. I will be that light coming through the black clouds, disguising as their sign that will make them say "that's it -- I'll fight my ass off to be an Olympic Athlete.""

Yep.

That's the only thing I can do now.

Because everything else is too late.

As I've stupidly given up on Taekwondo.

A sport I hated and loved the equal portion.

Now, I hated myself for not doing it better.

Imagine if I did -- maybe my love would win.

And this regret would

Never come in

Once in a Lifetime

Now tell me.

When else can you get the Olympics, world's largest and most prestigious sporting event even bigger than the World Cup, to be hosted in Japan, world's most advanced-yet-traditional nation which is the closest developed country from your home?

Yes. In 2020.
And I don't think the opportunity will easily come again anytime soon.

So to be in Japan for the 2020 Olympics, would be a once in a lifetime experience.

Right?

Because the timing couldn't be better. The world of traveling is on its peak. The country is on top of everyone's list to visit. And if you're my age, in which we're turning late 20s this year, well, you have enough budget to actually fly yourselves to Japan, pick one or two or more matches to watch and then BOOM there you go, having the time of your life.

Also, it's Japan. They're known to have such extraordinary attention to details. They're known to be extremely creative. They're known to be out-of-the-world perfectionists. To be watching the Olympics, in Japan, I couldn't even imagine how spectacular their offerings in the Opening Ceremony, in each match, at each venues, in its people, throughout the merchandises and trinkets across the country--IN EVERYTHING!

But you know what also happened in 2020.

The fucking pandemic.

Forcing the actual Olympics to be rescheduled.

And my dream of a lifetime has to meet its end.

I've told this many times but I think I will never get over it.

Ever since I knew the 2020 Olympics would be hosted in Tokyo, I told myself I had to go no matter what. I love the city, I love the country, and I love that kind of sporting event I swear I turned freaky everytime there's this kind of thing.

I booked my flight to Japan in September 2019. Exactly after I returned from Italy, done at the office because there was this sudden flight deal appearing. My friend told me that I was crazy for deciding so quickly and so spontaneously but hey, I've been planning to do this for so long! And so I got a seat in a SINGAPORE AIRLINE flight, paying only ONE POINT FUCKING FIVE MILLION RUPIAH for a trip TO TOKYO! Yes I just had to mention the price too, so you get why I will never get over this.

Late February 2020, the pandemic started to grow. Early March 2020, we began our supposed-to-be-short-but-eventually-lasted-for-more-than-a-year WFH arrangement. Mid March 2020, I grew anxious of my plan, still hoping that the fucking pandemic would out of the blue pop off the earth and things returned normal. And finally, in late March, my nightmare came true.

The 2020 Olympics would officially not be done in 2020.

I lost it. Lost my mind, lost my sanity, lost myself. Lost from Covid. Yes it would still happen in 2021 but I just knew that things would not going to be easy. Worst come to worst, the Olympics would still be happening but with no spectators.

And that was apparently true.

Tokyo 2020 started today, in its National Stadium.

With no one there to watch their hard works.

I feel bad for them, honestly, but well, it's Japan. THANK GOD, it's Japan. Because if this were to happen to other countries, I'm pretty sure they'd forfeit. And looking at how the preparation went and how the Opening Ceremony was done perfectly just know, I don't feel like I need to pity them.

It's ME that I should pity.

Because after all those plans, all those emotional feelings and excitements budgeted for the upcoming Olympics, all those fantasies of flying to Japan alone to meet new friends from other nationalities where we'd be going to several matches together to cheer upon our own countries, compete as fans, but then left the venues as friends again only to continue traveling together to see the beauty of Japan -- well, all those SHITS and WHAT NOT, were never meant to come true.

As I am sitting here, just in my bedroom, with Japan National Stadium inside my laptop screen and not before my own eyes, and those dreams of my once-in-a-lifetime Olympics experience drifted away.

I know... I could always go for the next Olympics.

You know, as part of my traveling gigs.

Just how I do it with F1 grands prix.

But again, this one is Japan.

It's not just about how I come to the country to watch the games and that's it, no. It's the experience, it's the matches, the venues, the people, merchandises and trinkets across the country, THE EVERYTHING, which Japan does, which I don't think can ever be done by other host nations.

Well I just hope Japan would step up and once again try to play host for the Olympics in near future. So near that I could still get to watch it life. And when that opportunity comes, I'm sure it'll be a good revenge which I will really REALLY look forward to.

And IF that opportunity come,

I can't tell how grateful I will ever be.

For I'll get another chance to see something

That I thought would only to happen

Once in my lifetime

Project Twenty One: Batch One

So I finished my first seven movies of Studio Ghibli available in Netflix.

Damn how I forgot how amazing this animation studio is, given the last time I watched a Ghibli movie was... I think... "My Neighbor Totoro" in... 20... 17...? Fudge yea, it's been a while. TOO while.

I won't be giving too much intro, so here's my short review on the first seven Ghibli movies sort in the order of the one I watched first.

Howl’s Moving Castle | 2004

I don't wanna wait until I reveal my ranking update to say this: "Howl's Moving Castle" is by far the number one Studio Ghibli movie on my personal list. And I watched it on my first attempt! How could not that be a good sign for this project??

I love everything about this movie. The animation, the story, the magical element it bears, the characters, the fact that the "villain" is actually not someone else, EVERYTHING! But what I enjoyed the most from this is actually the setting. Sophie's hometown has this nostalgic Square Enix vibe, which reminded me a lot to Final Fantasy and my FFX2 or Kingdom Hearts days which I really cherished. And Howl's castle too! Oh how I liked the inside of the castle, its door that leads to many places, its before and its after renovation I just. Loved. It!

Can I still keep ranting on this movie? Of course I can, it's my blog! Well one thing that perhaps made me love this movie the most is that because, I see a close imagery of Howl as... myself. No, not because I can do magic. But because of his personality. That seems okay and all groovy from the outside, but has this deep fear on the inside. I just feel I relate a lot to him.

My Neighbors the Yamadas | 1999

The second movie I watched for this project. Overall, it was enjoyable. Easy to watch, no fantasies, just slices of daily lives of simple Japan. Its animation is a bit off typical Studio Ghibli style, even seems too lazy for the studio standard, but still, the details are uncanny! One weakness though: sometimes it gets a bit boring because of no plot/conflict, and the duration’s just too long.

Ocean Waves | 1993

I'm not a big fan of way-too-old movies. You know, movies that are actually made decades ago. Including animation. But "Ocean Waves" was a different one. Yes it looked so retro, but that became an aesthetic to the movie. Overall vibe of this one was light, and even nostalgic, as if I watched it already in 1993 and rewatched it just recently. Story was a bit too simple though, but I think that's the beauty of it. P.S.: Rikako, the female lead, was honestly a bit annoying.

Arrietty | 2010

This is the type of Studio Ghibli work that I always know, and always like. Animation-wise, no flaws, at all. Beautiful, warm, detailed, you know, all Ghibli qualities were in it. Then came the story, and it instantly put "Arrietty" on top of the list.

The world of tiny people is always a treat to me, just how I really enjoyed "Doraemon Adventure No.6" comic. The perspective of human world through tiny people's eyes, the way they use human's small items like doll houses and unnecessary trinkets as their own household stuff, it's just so pleasing to experience. This one though, is added with heartwarming story of a curious teen sprite and a helpful human, amazing serene setting of a cozy villa, and... this one is so important to enhance the overall mood: occasional rains.

If this movie was, or is, going to be made a series, I swear I'd be the number one fan and would never skip a single episode.

Nausicaa | 1984

I would always root for stories that promote nature harmony. The concept of human live side by side with nature told in this movie was something to be admired about. However, "Nausicaa" is the actual embodiment of my dislike-ness towards way-too-old movies. Somehow the animation, the plot, and its elements made me anxious. Its setting - and the fact that it's a sci-fi movie - and music gave such eerie feel of old 80s Nintendo games. I guess such vibe just doesn't go well with me...

The Tale of Princess Kaguya | 2013

Another work of Studio Ghibli which animation style is not so Studio Ghibli. Which I don't mind because it was equally beautiful and well executed with all the amazing drawings and realistic smooth movements. Plus, this one was created with the modern Studio Ghibli touch so there were a lot of progress. But the best part is, unlike "My Neighbor The Yamadas", this movie came with perfect everything.

"The Tale of Princess Kaguya" served such perfect depiction of old traditional and royal Japanese culture,  which felt so... sincere. The plot was unpredictable from the beginning until the end, which really made me stay to watch the whole 2 hrs+ film. Sadly - or maybe not? - it bears a non-happy ending — the most whimsical yet goosebumps-making ending, when the celestial troops from the moon came to fetch the princess. I couldn't even describe the feeling because plot-wise it was devastating, and visually it was horrifying, but throughout the event, the music was weirdly cheerful, creating this uber eerie horror sensation that even until now I'm typing this very paragraph, I'm still having goosebumps... crazy movie.

Princess Mononoke | 1997

Another amazing story of how human and nature should live side by side and how you’ll get the loss if you mess with nature. This time it's less science fiction, so I got to enjoy the movie better! The overall setting of "Princess Mononoke" still adopted Japanese culture, so even though it was full of mythical creatures, I could get to see the old rural life of Japan, rice paddies, samurai wars, and what not.

Now on to the downfall: none of the antagonist humans died. It really, REALLY annoyed me. I mean, they were the one who started all these mess but what did we get? Moro the mother of wolf, Ottokko the boar clan head, and even the Forest Spirit itself died instead! It's just so unacceptable. Also, and this what mattered the most. There were just too much blood and gore stuff it wasn’t so nice to my soft soul...

Alright!

That was all seven of them! Funny how I got to see which I thought was the best and worst of Studio Ghibli in just one batch. But who am I kidding, it wasn't all yet. So I'll come back claiming about the fixed list when I finish all twenty one but for now, here's my current ranking:

1. Howl's Moving Castle
2. Arrietty
3. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
4. Spirited Away*
5. Grave of the Fireflies*
6. My Neighbor Totoro*
7. Princess Mononoke
8. Ponyo*
9. Ocean Waves
10. My Neighbor The Yamadas
11. Pom Poko*
12. Nausicaa

Again, it's just temporary. And the fact that my views on "Spirited Away", "Grave of the Fireflies", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Ponyo" and "Pom Poko" was based on the time I watched them like decades ago would only mean that I need to rewatch all of them - except "Grave of the Fireflies" I guess, because the trauma of watching that cursed yet beautiful film was real - to fix my thoughts on each movie.

This is fun.

Can't wait to finish Batch Two and see how the list goes.
Ghibli's magic is not yet finished

Studio Ghibli: Project Twenty One

I guess this is my first time ever writing about Studio Ghibli here in my blog.

I've only ever watched around 5 of Studio Ghibli's works. I know, pity. I always claim that I'm into Japanese animation thingy but all I always watch are just Digimon, Naruto, One Piece, and other major mainstream pieces and/or 90s Indo-private-stations-aired series. But I'm not that type of a FOMO person so all these years I've always been like... whatever.

Until finally Dad subscribed Netflix for all of us. Something which, I also didn't mind to miss out because first I'm not feeling FOMO and second, I already subscribed Apple TV+ and Disney+ for myself so, why should I have another streaming service?? And then I remembered that, in February, Netflix added all Studio Ghibli movies to their list. ALL 21 OF THEM!

Then I guess it's just about time.

There's no more barrier between me and these 21 masterpieces.

So just today, in this super chilly and gloomy Saturday, I began my initiative to finish these Studio Ghibli movies. Project Twenty One. I began with "Howl's Moving Castle", which I instantly fell in love with. I would never say no to the magic of Studio Ghibli. And with the addition of such peaceful atmosphere, post-rain breeze, some rugs I spread out by the balcony for my snoozing, hot green tea, warm dimmed lighting and the companies of my cat and Sheriff Woody, I just had one of the best weekends in 2021 so far.

I'm sure this is what Danish people say as "Hygge"

Now I watched 6 movies already. But I'll keep the one I just finished today off of my current Studio Ghibli list for me to include later on after I watch more. Here's my rank so far.

1. Spirited Away
2. Grave of the Fireflies
3. My Neighbor Totoro
4. Ponyo
5. Pom Poko

And it'd definitely change as I finish more movies. Not only "change" as if the list adds up, but also "change" as if the ranks get re-ordered -- because I might have different perspective in watching those movies, some of which was done when I was younger. And dumber.

 

So twenty one movies, unlimited time.

I'm gonna divide it to three stages, seven movies each because if I have to write every time I finish one movie, I'm not gonna lie, pretty sure this ambitious initiative would just end up in the trash of unfinished business.

Yeah three stages would do.

So I'll see you after seven movies!

Second half of 2021 would be magical.

Ghibli-level Magical

All Plot Twisted

Oh look at me.

Six races of Formula One 2021 season had finished and this is my first post. Well don't blame me, it's been boring so far, with Lewis dominating the championship as usual and Max occasionally made things a bit fun. The plot we all knew would be happening.

Things got picked up only two races ago, in Monaco, where Charles Lecrerc hit the barriers during the end of Q3, and forced the quali to stop - making him the pole-sitter, and Lewis on 7th HA! Despite Monaco's nature of almost-impossible-to-overtake - which honestly made it a boring one - and Charles' sad SAD home Grand Prix heartbreak which... well, which he didn't even start thanks to the gearbox condition given the previous day's crash, the race eventually ended in such an exciting lineup:

Lando Norris in P3, Carlos Sainz in P2, and, Max Verstappen in P1.

And the whole championship went crazy.

The first plot twist.

Max's win in Monaco made him lead the championship, four points ahead of Lewis. For the first time since I don't know when, finally it wasn't Lewis that leads the championship. It's somebody else. It's Max Verstappen, and to make things spicier, it's his first time EVER leading a championship. Any championship. Of course this made the entire F1 community "freak out". The stats are like a solar eclipse, or a double rainbow, or any other natural phenomenon, where it only happens once in a blue moon.

Next stop was Azerbaijan. And we knew this would be epic. Because the Grand Prix has its own additional interesting stats. Ever since its inaugural start in 2016 - by that time it was still EuropeanGP - Baku never has a driver with most wins. 2016 was Nico Rosberg. 2017 was Daniel Ricciardo - oh my God I miss his heyday. 2018 was Lewis, 2019 was Valtteri and 2020 was none thanks to Covid. Each of them only managed to win once in Baku, and with Max leading the championship, of course WE WANT HIM to prolong the ritual.

And now enter The Race.

Oh God this will be really messy HAHA

I must say, this was the first epic battle of 2021. Monaco was great, but only because of the result. The race itself was meh. This one, the fucking messed-up - in a good way - Azerbaijan Grand Prix, was a crazy race we hadn't seen in a while. Oh and it wasn't only about the race day. Even the Qualifying Round was chaotic. Because there were FOUR crashes, resulting in FOUR red flags!

Stroll was the first to crash. In Q1. Against Turn 15. Front right tyre got instantly dislodged, red flag waved due to severe debris. Giovinazzi was the second crash. Also in Q1, and ALSO against Turn 15 - lol this is getting freaky, eh? Car stopped in an instant, another red flag waved. Third red flag was sadly because of Daniel. In Q2, and this time at Turn 3. Same cause though: not smooth turning.

During these whole quali sessions, it was always been either Lewis, Valtteri, and Max who scored the fastest lap. Typical, eh? Gasly, Tsunoda, and Alonso, however, progressed through and entered Q3, making it a worth-waiting end of quali -- though of course, we already thought that this would end in the usual LVM or LMV setup. However, the second plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened in Q3.

Charles surprisingly scored fastest laps halfway through Q3, .2s ahead of Lewis and .3s ahead of Max. Of course this would only be a temporary shit, and things could easily change because their time gaps were oh so tight. This stayed the same until the very last chance for everyone, where Charles still LEADS and Lewis was still OUT LAP, and... Tsunoda crashed. And session was stopped, and we never knew if Lewis could actually get the pole or not.

BUT HEY, WHO CARES!? Charles was on pole and that's what matters! Max was on P3 and this could only mean that the fight for the leader of the championship would still be on!

Fast forward to Race Day - and oh I swear it was the longest 24 hours of my life.

I don't want to chit chat too much because there will be lots of things to talk about. The lights out? Was blah. No overtakes for the earlier laps, though it only meant that Lewis was not leading. Everyone knew Charles wouldn't stay there forever, c'mon, but at least it'd buy some time for Max to charge on Lewis AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS! Also, Sergio Perez overtook Gasly early on, making it a RB 3-4 which would be a good news for the team because if that lasts till the end, given that Bottas was struggling so bad far at the verge between getting points or not getting points, at least Red Bull would still be leading the Constructors Championship.

Ever since Lewis overtook Charles on lap 3 - see? It's as if his pole was nothing! - everything went just as usual. The guy led the race, bla bla bla. Boring, boring, boring, skip, skip, skip, all the way to... Lap 12. Where Lewis pitted, smoothly to be honest, but he got delayed for some seconds thanks to Gasly passing through the pit lane just right on time - Red Bull's masterBlan? Perhaps...

And this was the start of all twists.

Hamilton's prolonged pit stop really benefited Max and Checo. It was 4 point something seconds! And when Max pitted a lap after that, it took only 1.9 second, and when he was out of the lane, POOF, Lewis was of course placed behind him! This was the time I realized we would be seeing something special at the end of this race. A WIN FOR RED BULL, HOPEFULLY!?

Our joy lasted only one lap. Lap 14, it was time for Checo to pit. We knew this wouldn't matter much to the positions because Lewis's 4s stop was too fatal to benefit him. But I swear the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe. Checo's crew had a bit of problem with the front tyre and his pit was also delayed, up to 4 fucking seconds. What the actual fuck? Why would this kind of thing always happen to the fan of any drivers except Lewis Hamilton's? I mean, it was all so smooth and blessed but why should this kind of thing happen, really?

So after the forever-second pit, Checo moved out of the lane. I honestly didn't care anymore if Lewis overtook him because that's what usually happened: other drivers - including their own Valtteri Bottas - did well, we were happy, and then these other drivers somehow made mistakes and Lewis got back on track only to fight with Max, which most of the time was unfortunate as well, so the Brit won. Every fucking time. But... not this time.

Because when Checo exited the pit, he was APPARENTLY STILL AHEAD OF LEWIS! With so small gap though, BUT HEY, HIM BEING P2 WAS WHAT MATTERS! The teamwork of both RB drivers would be tested here, and Checo's game of defense would totally be maxed out. THIS IS THE BATTLE BETWEEN RED BULL DRIVERS - plural - AND MERCEDES DRIVER - singular - WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Then Stroll crashed in Lap 31. Tyre failure, to be exact, and then hit the barriers. It was actually so sad because he hadn't pitted, and seemed to be waiting for someone else to make errors let's say at... Turn 15? But apparently he was the one having the crash. And just right in front of pit entry, so no one could take advantage of this unfortunate event...

After the race resumed from Lance Stroll's incident, Top 3 remained the same and it was looking really, REALLY fine. The way Checo defended his position from Lewis' attacks was so crazy, and shrieks-making - I lost count on how many screams I did that night. Another battle worth draining my emotion was of Sebastian Vettel, whom went charging on like his old bull self -- overtaking Charles just at the beginning of the restart, and Gasly some laps afterwards.

Everything looked all on track, but then God of F1 said: "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys." And the major plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 happened.

Max Verstappen crashed.

The leader of the race, the leader of the championship, crashed. On Lap 46, out of fucking 51. It wasn't a crash between two cars -- it was a crash as a product of another tyre failure. The second tyre failure of the race - and our arch nemesis changed from Turn 15 to Pirelli.

Can you guess how I reacted to this? Well, wrong. No screaming, no screeching, to couch banging, no table flipping, no wall punching, no. Nothing. I was out of words. The only voice that was out of me was so soft, even the most annoying light-sleeper baby wouldn't dare to wake up. I was mindblown, because, BECAUSE OF COURSE I WAS MINDBLOWN -- SHOULD I REALLY TELL YOU WHY???

Max was fucking on a roll, and it was so close for him to win. To win the race and resumed his position on top of the championship. TO WIN THE RACE AND EXTEND THE GAP BETWEEN HIM AND HAMILTON. It was 5 more laps. I swear one minute before the crash I complained to my fellow F1 fans just how 5 laps felt so long and then it fucking happened. Five. More. Fucking laps, and WHY THE HELL SHOULD HE BE HAVING THIS TYRE FAILURE!?

Proof of my complain and how the plot twisted just less than a minute after.

I may be letting all these right now, but back in that day this happened, I really was out of words. It was bullshit. All these emotional rollercoasters since the beginning of the race, oh wait, SINCE YESTERDAY'S QUALIFICATION, all gone, all wasted and useless because this fucking race was going to end like it always ended. "Lewis Hamilton is the winner of Azerbaijan Grand Prix!" oh God I could even hear Croft said that already, even before the race restarted.

I mean, seriously, how did this kind of shit never happened to Lewis? He was a good driver, yes, I can't deny it, but others are as good! But others sometime ran out of luck, so why did this luck never leave Lewis??? Everyone seemed to agree that he's got so much luck, but I just couldn't take that anymore. What happened to Lewis is God play, and it's just beyond my logic.

Well there was a gap between Perez and Lewis, right? Red Bull can still win? Ha ha, of course that's not what happened. Of course God was still with His "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys" crap.

So came the Red Flag.

The fifth this weekend, the one that didn't really feel joyful to me. It was a safety car at first, but then it grew to a questionable red flag and a fucking standing restart. I mean, it was Lap 50 already with the safety car, WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU STOP THE RACE!? So that it would not end under safety car? No, more like so that it would be Lewis who wins. Gosh, I always had these negative thoughts on him but all these can't be just coincidences, right???

After finding out that they'd be doing a standing restart I was like, okay, it's done. Lewis would be easily snatching the first position from Perez, and oh guess what, the Mexican was having problem with the engine. WHAT ARE THE FUCKING ODDS? :) Might as well just shut down the entire Red Bull team and let Mercedes not only win this one, but each and every single F1 race all the way until 2052 no??? So yeah, that was it for this race.

Lewis would be back on top again, points added from winning Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Verstappen stuck with his current points. The gap would be too big for the Dutchman to catch up. The only miracle that would refrain Lewis from winning was if he jeopardized himself, crashed himself to the barrier or to the corners, in the name of sportsmanship and honor to his fight with Max. But lol what the hell that wouldn't happen. He was on the verge of winning, and the chance he'd ruin it was like 1:infinity.

I tweeted that 1:infinity wish, not knowing what would happen next...

Around 30ish minutes passed and the race was finally restarted. Though it was like against all odds, I honestly still had a pinch of hope and that's why I stayed to watch. But of course the hope was false. Not long after the lights out for the second time, Lewis overtook Perez.

Of course. That's what meant to happen. Of course Lewis would win. Of course his luck would bring back his favorite position and of course we couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was just stomping the ground in anger and agony, cursing to God only knows who.

However...

You do remember the time when I said "the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe" right? While everything looked all messed up, God of F1 said, for the final time that night: "Heavens no, this ain't over for you guys."

And the ultimate plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened.

LEWIS HAD A MAN-MADE BRAKE ERROR CAUSING HIM A MASSIVE LOCKUP CAUSING HIM TO DRIVE WAY OFF TRACK!

AND I WAS LIKE OH MY GOD IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?? I JINXED LEWIS HAMILTON! AND THAT GUY WAS RUNNING OUT OF LUCK! THIS WAS MUCH BETTER THAN SEEING HIM CRASH! THE RACE RESUMED AND LEWIS WAS ON THE FUCKING BACK OF THE GRID, SEEING HIS EASY WIN JUST FLEW AWAY FROM HIS GRIP!

I SWEAR I NEVER CELEBRATED THAT CRAZY OVER AN F1 RACE, EVEN WHEN DANNY RIC WON. THE TWIST WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE TO THE POINT THAT I THOUGHT I WAS A SORCERER OR SOMETHING!? I BET EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE NON-MERCEDES F1 OUT THERE WAS SCREAMING AND YELLING IN JOY AS LOUD AS I WAS THAT DAY, AND EXACTLY NOW AS I AM WRITING IT.

Phew, okay, caps lock off starting now but SORRY I CAN'T HELP IT! I'M WRITING THIS POST IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE I WANT TO TELL HOW UNEXPECTED THE TURNTABLES WERE!

At first we thought Max would win, and then Lewis would win, and then Max would win, and then the crash, and I swear that crash, I lost all my hopes and faith in everything, EVERYTHING, I WAS LIKE, WHAT KIND OF VOODOOS AND SANTETS AND DUKUNS DOES THIS BRITISH GUY OR HIS TEAM IS USING!? His luck - and skill, of course, but luck fucking takes roles too! - are unreachable...

But then it was Perez who won the race, such a worthy pairing to Max's crazy speed, and Vettel came second OH MY GOD VETTEL! We would really do anything to see him win again! And his performance during this race was fucking uncanny! If things went smoothly and both Max and Lewis were still in the race, he'd be placed 4th and still it was a freaking awesome result! What happened was somehow God's doing, a gift to him for all his amazing hard work. He deserved that podium, really.

I had a shooting the day after the race, and of course I had to wear this.

Anyways, CRAZY RACE!

I know I've said that a whole lot time in this blog - although as a fan, it wasn't enough because we want each race to be crazy! - but I swear this time the craziness was different.

The plot twists were unbelievable.
But then again, we F1 fans love
To be twisted!