The Year in Retrospect

At the end of each year, we tend to look back and analyse what had happened throughout the year. There would be happy incidents, inspiring moments, hint of sadness and the drop of a tear. Whatever it is, we would have come across a whole lot of challenges and obstacles throughout the year.

The moments that we want to forget and not dwell upon are those that bring pain and sorrow to us, while we would want to cherish every bit of the times that brought us joy and satisfaction.

After reviewing the year in general terms, here, I look back at the worth-to-be-noted events that took place in the hectic, fun-filled year of 2009 in my life. As I post this, there is only about an hour to go to the new year.

School Change

After previously being in Sri Dasmesh school for a good seven years, I decided the time had come for me to move on in life. What better way to do so than to shift to a government school. Many teachers and friends alike asked me, “Why did you shift from a private school?” However, there was no definite answer to that.

At first, it was a little difficult to settle in. Make no mistake that I was the ONLY new student in the school in the whole of Form 4. But slowly, I got to know people, joined the clubs and societies, and before long, I realised that indeed it was a good move.

Squash Tournament

I first picked up a squash racket at the turn of the year only. It had always been my desire to play squash, and my new school offered just that. I joined their Squash Club, and later, I also joined the Kuala Lumpur training academy. In February, I represented my school in the Selangor Open but got nothing.

It was an annual affair for our club to organise the Kepong Open tourney and I was excited. I was not the favourite, but I was hard-pressed on causing an upset. I made my way past the preliminary rounds and almost lost it at the semi-finals stage. In the finals, I came up against a much bigger opponent in physique but thanks to God I won it.

Perfect Score

I loved my Form 4 academically for one reason – that I was able to do Add Maths. I sucked at all my other exams, notably failing in Physics and Biology, but I always found a lease of life doing Add Maths. I was gunning for a perfect score in the Mid-Year exams, but callousness took its toll.

Then I prepared harder and in the following exam I got 100 marks for the first time for any subject in a long long time. However, I couldn’t sustain the momentum for long and hence I missed the 100-mark by a bit in the final exam.

Writing Stint

For some reason or another, I loved writing so much this year. It might have something to do with a different schooling environment, or maybe a sudden jump in my interests. I first started out by writing in the school magazine.

Then, towards the latter half of the year, I joined the Niexter team, a group comprising of young journalists and it is a New Straits Times pullout. I have interviewed some promising talents thus far, and hopefully, next year will pave for a better time writing in Niexter.

A Blogging Newbie

As my school holidays approached, I pondered on whether was it feasible to embark on my own blog. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go for it. No doubt I am a still a ‘newcomer’ to this sphere, but in the past two months or so, I have learnt a lot of stuff, and visited many cool blogs.

Deciding that I wanted to give my perspectives on happenings in the world was a bit baffling for many people that I knew, but I hope sooner rather than later, it will catch the public’s eye. I intend to vie for some honours in the blogosphere and gain a name next year.

...and a whole lot of other stuff...

What Shaped the World

As the year 2009 draws to a close, let’s look back to a few major events that shaped the year – events of significant importance. These events were the talking points of the year, unique only to year 2009.

These events vary from tragedies to the end of an era and the beginning of another. This list is not demographically, culturally nor socially biased. It is on a global scale. Here, I have listed the five biggest events that shaped the world in the past year based on chronological order.

20 Jan 2009

Barack Obama Sworn Into the White House

The world was all in praise for Barrack Hussein Obama for having been elected as the 44th President of the United States with seemingly consummate ease. Not only that, but he is the first black President too to reign supreme over the Oval Office. That showed that democracy is well and alive in the world, or rather in the US at least.

Obama had been inaugurated along with his Vice-President, Joe Biden. These two Democrats had their hands full with an array of global issues to tackle as well as a sinking US economy. It has henceforth been a very steep learning curve from the man who once stayed in Indonesia for a couple of years. But looking back at the year, he has done an extremely commendable job given that it is only his first year in office.

Around April 2009

A H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic

Arguably the most lethal flu strain since the H5N1 Bird Flu had been discovered. At first, people from all nooks of the world were praying for their lives as health officials could not verify the extent of the flu strain. One thing for sure was that the flu strain was highly contagious, and therefore in a matter of weeks, it had spread to every place on Earth.

Schools shut down, medical services were tested to the limit and the media kept tab and reported on each and every person that died due to H1N1. The cure was sought for the flu and the World Health Organisation held a series of high levels talks to ascertain the complexity of the situation at hand. Even now, the virus is spreading, but it has become apparent that it is not as deadly as feared before.

18 May 2009

Tamil Tigers Felled

In a civil war that had engulfed the Sri Lankan people for the last few decades, the leader of the so-called separatists, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed in a heated gunfire exchange with the nations army. The cause that they were fighting for was that they wanted a separate homeland for the Tamils in the northern sector, who had been much-maligned in the development of the majorly Ceylonese Sri Lanka.

It was obvious that the Tamil Tigers were going to be defeated as they ran out of resources and also lacked the manpower to match that at the disposal of the army. Plus, the fact that Sri Lanka was given foreign aid made the job much simpler. The culmination of the bloodshed has resulted in a much more peaceful Sri Lanka now.

1 June 2009

Air France Jet That Disappeared

In what has been potentially the most mind-boggling tragedy in the airline industry, the disappearance of the Air France Jet had many scientists, investigators and the lay-men like you and me figuring out just how could that be possible. With cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art tools, I find it rather amusing that till today, the question has gone by unanswered.

The closest authorities have come to solving the issues is by claiming that a lightning bolt is to be blamed for the misfortune. Pieces of the body of the airplane have also been recovered randomly, but to offer no clue whatsoever. Probably this will continue to ridicule the folks from the airline industry in years to come, but many people have become jittery about boarding a plane as a consequence of this.

25 June 2009

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

In the annals of history, there has never been a single case of death to influence the world to this extent. For the great artist he was, many around the world shed tears. To honour him, many simultaneous simulations of his popular dance acts that accompanied his music were held around the globe, and his albums started selling like hot cakes again.

Nobody cared anymore – weather was he a molester, whether he was white– because as far as everyone was concerned, it was the passing away of a gem of a man. Drug overdose was the reason to his death. It came as a sudden shock to the world too, and newspapers, magazines and blogs were teeming with tributes to him. One man that would live long in the hearts of many in the world for sure.

--The End--

People of the Year

The year 2009 is coming to an end and many newspapers, magazines and online resources usually name the most influential people of the year. This year, since not only is it the end of the year, but also the end of a decade and the beginning of a new one, the roll of honour for people of the decade is also given.

However given that I got involved in worldly affairs lately, it would be unfair to name the people of the decade for me as I do not know much about the earlier half of the first decade of the 21st century. This list that I have over year lists the three most influential people that have left their mark in my wake.

They are people whom I may recognise as potential role-models, and they come in all shape and sizes. The scope is pretty wide – from sports to politics to entrepreneurship. So, read on and see my list and feel free to leave comments on who you think is YOUR person/people of the year. The list is in no particular order.

Usain Bolt

People have probably run out of superlatives to describe the utter phenomenalism of the greatest sprinter that the world has seen throughout eternity. Many, including me, ask, “How much faster can he go?”. The answer to that question, I am afraid, no one knows – not even Bolt. Only God knows.

In the Beijing Olympics, he made a mockery of his competitors, coolly strolling over the finishing line. In this year’s World Championships, he ran a more serious race to be the first human to run under 9.6 seconds, but it is apparent that he still has more in store. His archrivals, namely Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, seem not to have an answer to his exploits.

His super-stardom has made him the role-model to children all over the world. His laid back attitude, on the other hand, is the envy of many. Due to his fame, he has become the face of Jamaica, an impoverished country located in the Caribbean, and in the process boosting their tourism revenue.

Most importantly, he is not a drug cheat, unlike many of his predecessors who were simply sublime on track but were later acquitted of drug abuse. In the end, they were inducted into the hall of shame, whilst Bolt here will remain etched within the hearts of many long after retirement for the great athlete he was.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

I know this is a controversial choice, but in case you hadn’t known, Mir Hossein Mousavi is the man who is attempting to bring reform to the political landscape in Iran. I had never heard of this man till the Iranian elections this year, and seeing him making headlines for bravery and courage has given me a lot of inspiration.

A few months ago, he contested in the Presidential elections. Widespread reports from neutral bodies say that he had actually won, but those in power ceased to relinquish their hold. Knowing that he was the clear winner and was robbed of victory, Mousavi has gone from strength to strength to rally supporters for mass demonstrations to support his cause for reform.

His movement, The Green Path of Hope, seeks to continue protests against the present Iranian leadership following constitutional and peaceful methods. He has gathered like-minded reformists to join his cause, and it is apparent that the Iranian authorities are under pressure following his success in garnering support from the masses.

Recently, it was purported that his office was surrounded by government-aligned ‘gangsters’ that wanted to serve him a warning, and his family was harmed too. To have a man to live by his principles and stand up for the truth amid facing a hard-line, iron-fisted authoritive government, knowing that his life and that of those that he loves is constantly in danger is extremely incredible.

Tony Fernandes

No – he is not in this list because he is a fellow Malaysian. He is here because he deserves it. Well, it isn’t exactly that this has been his best year in terms of developing his business but his budget airline, AirAsia, has surpassed MAS as the most profitable airline in Malaysia.

His great vision in developing the AirAsia brand has resulted in AirAsia being the runaway leader for budget airlines in the lucrative Asia Pacific region. They have scooped numerous awards too this year. But the highlight that epitomises his reputation as one of the greatest entrepreneur the world has seen is that he has brought back the Lotus name to the Formula One grid.

He was the brainchild of the move, and it received rave reviews from Bernie Ecclestone and the Prime Minister of Malaysia among others. Besides that, there have been rumours from the grapevine that he is preparing to launch a bid for West Ham United, an English Premier League club. That would be totally amazing.

So, in terms of branching out and spreading their wings, Tony Fernandes has brought the AirAsia brand to the attention of the whole world. The witty, quick thinking CEO has got more to offer. Perhaps, in the next few years, we would see him gaining further international recognition, and who knows, powering AirAsia to be the leading airline worldwide.

Why Petronas Chose Mercedes

The wild goose chase is over, as far as the Lotus F1 team are concerned – and the outcome isn’t good. The new Formula One outfit had been searching for a title sponsor to fund a sizeable portion of their new endeavour, and since BMW-Sauber pulled out altogether from Formula One, who better than Petronas to be their sponsor as they are, after all, a Malaysian company that would undoubtedly work hand-in-hand with the Malaysian outfit.

News that Petronas chose Mercedes over not only Lotus, but also a few other teams was greeted with pessimism from the bosses of Lotus. Says an infuriated Alex Yoong, “Words fail me. Mercedes is a good team, no doubt, but what Lotus is doing is completely ground-breaking and brave and Petronas not seeing that fills me with shame.”

Now, assessing this situation, it is a rather baffling fact that a Malaysian oil and gas company snubs their own local Formula One team to sponsor German carmaker Mercedes who bought over the championship winning Brawn GP team. The question that is certainly on every Malaysian’s lips, and probably on that of individuals from the established Formula One fraternity is a simple “Why?”.

Henceforth, Petronas must have a very viable and concrete reason to validate their choice. It isn’t as if they are new to the Formula One world. They have been on the Formula One landscape since the year 1995. They have come a long way to understanding the name of the game, much unlike the Lotus F1 Team who are classified as rookies awaiting for the start their first season. Therefore, you could sum up that Petronas know what they are doing.

Firstly, had Petronas chosen Lotus over Mercedes, the marketability of their product would be centred around Malaysia, and at most probably around the Asia Pacific region. It would have been hard to tap into the European markets as the team will be centred in Sepang.

By sealing a partnership with Mercedes, Petronas have now enabled their brand to be promoted in the European markets. In addition to that, being associated with a household brand like Mercedes further enhances their reputation.

Next, technologically speaking, Petronas would have little to gain had they signed with Lotus. As we know it, Lotus are themselves embracing a sudden leap in technological advancement. This leaves them way below-par as compared to teams such as Ferrari and Mercedes who have been in the trade for a long time. So, Petronas would experience a better advancement in their motor oil industry know-how by virtue of their tie-up with Mercedes.

The biggest, most decisive reason that I feel prompted Petronas to consolidate their deal with Mercedes is the impeding and imminent arrival of the greatest racer ever to grace the sport that is none other than the prolific Michael Schumacher. At 41, many would feel he has lost the touch, itch and durability to race in the ever competitive Formula One grid. But given the right machine, nothing is impossible.

Just imagine – Schumacher clad in Petronas overalls. The end-product will be immensely positive. Petronas will achieve the sort of cult-status that Shell had enjoyed over the years due to their dual-relationship with both Schumacher and Ferrari.

Add that to the fact that Petronas presently sponsor MotoGP championship winning team Fiat Yamaha and multiple time world champion Valentino Rossi and you would realise the sort of impact it would have on Petronas’ sales volume and brand power on a global scale.

The Petronas-Mercedes tie-up should be viewed as a major breakthrough for a Malaysian corporation. Lotus should not lick their wounds over this; they shouldn’t rue it, for it is for the betterment of the nation and that is of paramount importance. For Lotus, there would be other viable alternatives to pick as their title sponsor.

Zombieland Movie Review

Today, I went to watch Zombieland, a so-called zombie-comedy kind of tie up. Well, after watching it, I can assure you that yes – it is a zombie-comedy tie up – but, other than that, there is nothing much to it.

The plot of the movie revolves around a world that is overtaken by zombies. The zombies are cannibals, for they eat humans, feasting feast-fully on their bodily flesh. Actually, the depiction of the zombies are rather gooey – with blood and botched saliva dripping from their mouth.

So, the main protagonist of the film, a character known simply as Columbus, has his own set of rules, running all the way down to #32 to facilitate him in evading the zombies to continue living. He also has the misconception that he is the last remaining non-cannibal human on the face of the planet.

Then, as he drives out to return to his hometown in Ohio to return to his family's home, he meets Tallahassee, a zombie-killing tough-guy.  Along the way, Columbus and Tallahassee kill a host of zombies using baseball bats and their shotguns and rifles which seemed all too easy for me.

Together, Tallahassee and Columbus move on to the east-coast. Tallahassee, however, itches for a food-stuff called Twinkle. This leads them to a supermarket where they meet two sisters, Little Rock and Wichita, who, after a series of sub-plots, travel together.

But the two sisters have a game plan – trust no one but themselves. They would therefore ditch Tallahassee and Columbus towards the end only for the both of them to come back and save 12 year-old Little Rock and Wichita when the zombies swarm them at an amusement park.

The movie is very barren in the sense that the environment is very dull. A point to note is that the only humans in the movie are the four above and A-List Hollywood actor, Bill Murray, whose house they lived in for a few days. They mistaken Murray as a zombie, when in true fact, he wore make-up to blend in with the zombies so as to save himself from getting eaten.

Besides that, the movie doesn’t really have a plot-line that it follows. It is tantamount to a kid directing a movie, with no headway whatsoever. There aren’t many scenes where I believe as a matter of fact, anyone was in a state suspense. It lacked dramatic scenes in other words.

In addition to that, the conversations and dialogues are also dry and dull, and they tend to slam profanities at one another every so often. Columbus especially has a limited set of expressions. The only bright side to the movie is that it has a sense of humour; wacky at times, but otherwise lame.

Interestingly, the characters in this movie are not known by their real name. Instead, they are addressed by their place of origin.

One thing for sure is that the movie is definitely not a horror flick. I cannot really say what the director wanted to achieve with this sort of a movie. In a way, yes – it is different, but different in a negative manner.

I would simply say that the movie is downright stupid, lame and dim-witted to comprehend it better. How on earth it could pass the test to be screened in cinemas worldwide is another mystery in itself.

I wasted 12 Ringgit and one and a half precious hours of my Sunday watching the movie. Fine, not my twelve bucks since my cousin paid for it, but come on, trust me – it ain’t worth watching, unless you don’t have qualms about wasting your time and money that is.

The Verdict:

Storyline: Negligible a.k.a. Non-Existent
Character Portrayal: 5/10
Humour: 6.5/10
Overall: 4/10

2009 Laos Sea Games

The 25th edition of the South East Asian (SEA) Games was held in Vientiane, Laos from 9-18 December 2009. Although a few events such as water polo and football started before the official opening ceremony, the other events were held within the timeframe of the opening and closing ceremonies with rousing success.

As a first-time host of the biennial games, and for a relatively poor country, Laos put on a great show according to various reports from journalists covering the event there. However, for the common people of the Asean countries, me included, there was one major downside – the games were not telecast live on television.

I have been following the Sea Games enthusiastically ever since I can remember, and without the live telecast, it just felt so different. The reason, it seems for there being no live telecast is that Laos could not provide the basic facilities, and also as a cost-saving measure.

For Malaysians, the situation changed when our national team made it to the semi-finals of the football event. Our own television crew went there to specially bring live feed for the semi-finals, which was maintained for the finals too. This initiative came down well with the Malaysian citizens who could at least cheer and watch their national team play.

In addition to the unavailability of live feed, or even delayed one’s for that matter, the fact that some events that were contested were not suited for a regional multi-sport meet was also brought up. Come on – shuttlecock juggling, muay thai and fin swimming – of what benefits are this sports to us? Luckily, Malaysia took the bright step of side-stepping these events as they are of no real benefit.

As the curtains have come down on the games after 10 days of slugging it out, battling tooth and nail for the elusive gold medals, athletes and officials waved a goodbye to Laos. Looking at the medals’ standings, regional powerhouses Thailand walked home with bragging rights after topping the table with 86 gold medals, and 266 total medals, but not without a fight as Vietnam almost caused an upset as they were leading going into the final days, only to lose out by a mere three gold medals.

A few sports were completely dominated by one country. In diving, Malaysia were untouchable, nicking 75% of the gold medals on offer. Fin swimming, the new sport of which I haven’t even watched on video, and I doubt anyone else has seen, was dictated by the Vietnamese. Singapore were a class apart from the rest in swimming, although Malaysia offered some resistance. Table Tennis was also conquered by the Singaporean paddlers.

Malaysia, I believe, have performed reasonably well given that the sports that they are traditionally stronger in – hockey, squash, gymnastics, bowling and sailing – were not contested. A tentative 35 gold medals were projected, 30 in a worst case scenario, but we ended up with 40 gold medals to show, which is, to say, highly commendable.

Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the Malaysia contingent in Laos.

Highlights

Swimming: Daniel Bego

He won five gold medals and has assumed the role as the premier swimming sensation in South East Asia. His hefty medal return was justified by him being awarded the accolade as the Best Male Athlete of the games. This youngster still has much to prove, and his next step is to be an Asian-beater and maybe make it to the final round in the 2012 London Olympics.

Football: The National U-23 Team

1989 – That was the last time Malaysia won the Sea Games gold medal after defeating Singapore. Thereafter, the prized gold medal eluded the national team. They did reach the finals in 2001, but were outclassed by Thailand. It all seemed lost here too after their defeat to Vietnam in the group stages, but they turned on the heat to knock regional giants Thailand out of the running. In the end, the gold medal hopefully has the potential to be the perfect tonic that they need to turn around football’s fortune in Malaysia.

Badminton: Women’s Team

This was another case of success not tasted for a long period of time – 34 years that is. Wong Mew Choo, and the doubles pair of Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui inspired Malaysia to a win over the fancied Indonesian shutters in the finals, to the joy of the Malaysian badminton enthusiasts. However, the men couldn’t repeat the success, not withput Lee Chong Wei at least. Pei Tty-Eei Hui won the women’s doubles gold medal too to assert their claim as a truly world-class pair.

Lowlights

Archery: Recurve Archers

The Malaysian recurve archers, the men at least, are considered to be second only to South Korea in Asia, and among the top eight in the world. Hence, winning the Sea Games team gold medal would seem like a procession. Wrong – they were outfoxed, rather unimaginably, by Thailand. The women recurve archers too faltered, getting only a fourth place. In the end, a return of only one gold medal from a regional archery powerhouse is not good at all.

Sepak Takraw: Men’s Team

For a sport that has originated from Malaysia, and coming from the Malay word ‘sepak’ meaning kick, we should be the best in the world. But never mind, Thailand were better than us last time, as they always have been. Now, mega trouble looms ahead as not only have we returned with no gold medals, but we have also been soundly beaten by Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. Something has to be done real soon or else we would be stuck in the doldrums for a really long time.

Shooting: The Whole Squad

Malaysia had been banking on the shooters to bring home a couple of gold medals at the very least to boost their medal tally. Instead, they have returned without a single gold medal to show, their poorest outing in years. The shooters cited mental breakdown as their downfall, but really, they should have been more prepared. The officials too have to shoulder the blame, as our once feared shooters have become laughing stalks.

*That is it from me. Do forgive me for any rueful comments made, and this is merely the writer’s perspective of things. In the end, it has been a successful Sea Games for Malaysia, but it could have been better. Whatever said and done, congrats to all the athletes, coaches and officials. Malaysia Boleh!

7 and a Half Reasons to be on Facebook

*Tom(Green)

*Tom's Mother(Orange)

*Narration(Blue)

“Hey Tom, get off the computer at this instant, or I shall pull the wire out of its socket!”

“Give me one more second mom, I am busy.”

Tom’s mom walks to the computer table.

“Ooh, so this is what you do on the computer?”

“Yes mom, I am ‘facebooking’”

“Ok, if you can give me just seven reasons as to why you should be spending your time ‘facebooking’, I shall let you off the hook.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I will give you seven and a half reasons, half more than you require me to give.”

“So you are trying to act smart? Never mind, go ahead, I am all ears.”

“Firstly, I can connect with all my friends; past and present, as well as making new friends. We can regularly keep in touch by sending posts to one another’s profile, and also chat at the same time.”

“Next, I can share pictures of our dog Johnny, the pictures we took at Australia last year, and also view my friends’ pictures. With that, I can explore places that I haven’t been to via the pictures that my friends’ post.”

“What on earth! You share our family photos with your friends? Don’t you have any sense of privacy?”

“I think privacy has been grossly misinterpreted by you guys from the Stone Age. In this age, the being of the Internet makes the presence of privacy almost negligible.”

“Anyways, getting on with my story, I can upload a funny video, or just share a video that I find unique and worth sharing with my contacts.”

“Well, that is good. That means you would have caught the hottest stuff from the sports and entertainment world?”

“Yeah, sort of. Then, I can fan my favourite football team, my dream car company and my favourite artist. And the coolest part is I can leave a comment on their posts and also leave a message on their profile, all for the world to see.”

“Which means that you would have gone to Manchester United’s page and left a comment there?”

“I did that. And guess what, Alex Ferguson commented on my post!”

“I don’t buy that for some reason or another my dear Tommy.”

“Alright. Sleep on it. The fifth reason to be on facebook is that I can play interesting and fun flash games. They are not entirely cool or bombastic games, but they are for sure addictive. Add that to the incentive of playing with friends only makes it better.”

“So, that’s why I see you on Mafia Games now? All this nonsense?”

“You should play it mom. Be you would be tempted to be here all day long.”

“That is very humorous of you.”

“Not humour – it is a fact. Anyways, moving on, I can share any thought that comes to my mind – be it happy, sad, angry, emotional or inspirational. And then, people comment on it, giving sort of some feedback.”

“Means that you post up there every time I scold you off? Wow. That sounds really bad.”

“No offence okay mom.”

“None taken.”

“The seventh and last complete reason is that there are a whooping 300 million folks on Facebook. Chances are your office colleagues and long lost school friends are on Facebook too.”

“I will ponder on the prospects of the pro’s and con’s or creating a Facebook account. But you are missing something Tommy.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“You have 7 reasons. What about the last half reason?”

“Glad you asked for that. It is just because I use Facebook. I am your son you know. That should be reason enough for you to use Facebook – at least half a reason.”

Two hours later, Tommy’s mother was on Facebook with 72 friends busy playing Farmville!

Ice Age 3 Movie Review

I know that this is a little too late for the Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs movie review, but I decided I had to review it after watching it on VCD recently.

For me, this is truly the most enthralling, enchanting, wacky as well as action-packed animated feature film of all time. The graphics were jaw-dropping, the storyline immersing, and the characters and their roles provided a perfect blend with the movie.

The story starts with the nut-loving Scrat running aimlessly for his priced nut which in all dubiosity, he had not eaten ever since the first movie. He then meets his opposite sex, Scratte, and throughout the movie, the limelight comes back to them.

Then, Manny hysterically puts the whole kingdom on the verge of pandemonium by announcing that Ellie is due. That was a false alarm though. At this instance, the plot was slow moving as it was only the build up to the blockbuster part.

Diego says that he would have to leave since Manny’s fanaticism with his family matters was none of his business, and this prompts Sid to find his ‘own’ friends too. Interestingly, Sid finds three eggs after falling down into a cave, and he decides to keep them, against the wishes of Manny.

Soon, the eggs hatch, but no one has to clue as to what they are. Before long, the mother comes looking for the eggs, and takes them together with Sid to an unknown world below the ice. A rescue mission led by Manny ensues. Later on, Diego joins forces with them at the dinosaur-land, and they also meet a pirate-like weasel called Buck.

In the words of Buck, they have to endure and outwit the jungle of misery, the chasm of death and the plates of woe in order to save Sid. The worst part – there is this monstrous mother-of-all dinosaurs called Rudy that threatens to ruin their rescue mission as well as having them for dinner.

Sid, on the other hand, is terrified at first by the mother of his three ‘kids’ – the T-Rex. She plans to kill Sid at first, but after much effort from Sid, she decides to allow Sid to be part of their family.

As they closed in on Sid, tragedy occurs. Ellie starts experiencing contractions, and then all of a sudden, the rocks start to move. Ellie manages to escape whilst the rest tumble down. At this juncture, Buck decrees that he was to go and save Sid with Crash and Eddie whilst Manny and Diego were to watch over Ellie.

For me, the best part of the movie is now; when Buck grabs a sort of flyable dinosaur and rides it as if it were a horse. However, trouble brews as tens of other flyable dinosaurs fly in a formation reminisce of jet-fighters and tail the dinosaur that Buck and company were on. Then, as they navigate through the volcano that was spitting hot lava, Crash and Eddie grab ‘ammunition’ from a plant and using a slingshot, shoot off the nasty creatures out of their tail.

Sid, who thought that he had seen the end of his end when he falls off the lava waterfall, is rescued. Back at the place where the others were, Ellie had given birth to a baby girl. Manny and Diego had warded off loads of dinosaurs in that period of time too.

With that, they begin their journey back. They reach the cave that leads back to their home, but guess what – Rudy was waiting for them! Together with the leadership of Buck; Diego, Manny and Sid brought the big beast to the ground. But it didn’t last long. Rudy was back on its feet. Then, the T-Rex that had taken Sid in its family came out of the blues to send Rudy down a cliff.

After saying the customary good-byes, they went back to their world. At first, Buck wanted to follow them, but from afar, he could hear Rudy rumbling. And so he decided that his world is here, not with Manny and the rest of them.

In a round-up, I would say that this movie makes for a good family viewing. The director and production crew together with the actors who have lent their voices to the characters have come up with a beautiful end-product. The movie is further enriched by humour, and therefore if you haven’t watched it, grab a DVD from the nearest store.

My Rating:

Animations: 9/10
Storyline: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10