Cast a cold eye

Death is Nothing At All

2011-08-15T11:35:00.002+08:00

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.

-Henry Scott Holland

Songs For You

2011-04-04T16:55:00.002+08:00

張懸 - 城市

Tizzy Bac - 鐵之貝克

Kimi de ite, buji de ite

2011-03-30T15:04:00.000+08:00

Kimi de ite, buji de ite (Yoko Kanno)

For the people of Japan.

Our hearts, with Japan

2011-03-15T18:42:00.004+08:00

The situation is getting more critical by the minute.

All our hearts are with Japan. :'(

Japan will pull through this crisis.

R.I.P. Captain Beefheart

2010-12-19T12:35:00.001+08:00

One of the best ever.

Hotaru no Hikari

2010-12-13T22:30:00.002+08:00

"A long, long time ago,
A memory from many summers ago,
I held a tiny firefly in my childish hands.
Looking as if it's almost about to disappear,
such a tiny fragile glow."

Singapore's Getting Rick-rolled

2010-09-22T10:38:00.000+08:00

No kidding. :)

Vampire Weekend @ The Esplanade

2010-08-12T11:58:00.005+08:00

October 26 2010.

Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun

"When I was 17
I had wrists like steel
And I felt complete"

Fun lyrics lol.

I am a contra.

來吧！焙焙

2010-08-02T10:49:00.001+08:00

全世界我最喜歡你（可是你都不知道)

To Look Life In The Face

2010-08-02T10:24:00.003+08:00

Final Scene from the movie, The Hours.

"Dear Leonard. To look life in the face, always, to look life in the face and to know it for what it is. At last to know it, to love it for what it is, and then, to put it away. Leonard, always the years between us, always the years. Always the love. Always the hours." Virginia Woolf

Lingering Tune

2010-08-02T09:43:00.003+08:00

Ever had this song linger in your head that you simply could not decipher? So I came across this track while surfing this morning. Someone had ripped this familiar riff/tune and used it in their video. The tune got stuck in my head the whole day.

I thought it sounded like...

Joy Division's She Lost Control

Such a joy to listen to Joy Division. :O

Joy Division's Shadowplay

Imagine, if Ian Curtis did not kill himself...

Alas, Mangina9000 wrote a meaningful comment on this youtube post:
" Idolizing any human being is pretty much the avenue of childhood.

For a certain age it helps you establish your identity. Ian Curtis and Tom Waits and other people helped me realize, as a young person, that "I am more like this and not anything like THAT." Beyond that, reverence is silly. More to the point: The vulture-like exploitation of good artists is what kills them and drives them to insanity. That will never end."

But I finally figured out the tune to be...

The Fall's Theme From Sparta F.C.

Such a catchy tune. :) I was mildly proud of my accomplishment. lol

10% Random Rant

2010-07-08T14:55:00.009+08:00

"In a world where everyone insists they're right. Most often, everyone would've been wrong."

"Society has taught you a lot but there are also a number of things that Society hasn't taught you."

"In a society whereby one does not fit in. The alien will fend for itself for its survival and thus appear to be selfish. It is merely trying to survive in a world that is not relevant to it anymore."

The world is a sick place. I'm clinging on to the 10% that is worth living maybe. I feel that 10% may be plenty enough a reason to continue living though. Or is it not?

The Art Of Graham Swift

2010-07-07T17:59:00.003+08:00

Been reading some of Swift's short stories and novels. He is able to bring forth and define with care, that which is difficult to describe, the encounters between humans, and the meeting of human and nature. The significance of a feeling such as Guilt was explored in the short story Hotel. Guilt is almost always accompanied by Pleasure, a hint of Happiness.

"It seems to me that there can scarcely be anyone walking the earth who doesn't carry with him some measure of guilt; and that guilt is always the sign of some forbidden happiness. Somewhere inside everybody's guilt is joy, and somewhere within everybody's unhappy, guilt-ridden face is happiness. Perhaps there's no way out of this. And yet there must be someone who will try to understand our guilt and not blame it; there must be places where we can go where our secret wishes can be uttered and our forbidden dreams catered for. There must, in a word, be care."

The short story, Hoffmeier's Antelope, is the character study of a Uncle Walter who had inherited some nearly-extinct species of antelope. It all came down to a rather bizarre ending, with a hint of comedy. Uncle Walter 'eloped' with the lone female antelope which may be the last of its kind on earth. It painted very well the character that is Uncle Walter though.

"I went up to Uncle Walter's room. I knocked on his door (which he would often keep locked), then opened it. There were the books scattered on the floor, the fetid remnants of raw vegetables, the shredded portion of his wife . . . But Uncle Walter - I had known this already - was gone."

If

2010-06-07T13:28:00.003+08:00

A friend posted this tube on fb. A young Dennis Hopper reading the poem If by Rudyard Kipling.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

r.i.p. Mr. Hopper.

Murder In The 40th Degree

2010-05-18T09:24:00.005+08:00

Ever had this feeling- when you woke up, you got a sensation that every single thing you believed in in this world had been wrong? A chill that hits the spine. Your understanding and ideals of what this world should have been. Your core belief that underlying all that is Humanity, underneath this facade, goodness exhumed. What if all of it is wrong? Nothing good had resulted from human existence. Why should we matter? Everyone seemed lost. You are part of a huge lost crowd.

Maybe after all this is done, all we can do is stick a huge signpost that reads, "We were here. (and we've fucked it up)" And someone or something may chance on this signpost in the far future and thinks, "Hey, that's cool."

Maybe this weather and heat is getting to me. :) No doubt about it- We're killing Earth. I have had a hand in it; I am a murder accomplice.

Cauterize The Tears

2010-05-03T10:29:00.007+08:00

Don't know why anyone'd care, but I think it's simple really- to understand me- is to understand what Pavement means to me. :)

On First Listen

Spinning Platters

年年

2010-04-06T20:32:00.008+08:00

年年

儿时的玩伴一个个离散
记忆中道路似乎也变窄
稻浪正枯萎我持续醒醒睡
等不来了那美好故事已完结
是我们改变了吗
是我们改变了呀
是我们改变了还是时间哪
是我们改变了吗
是我们改变了呀
是我们改变了还是时间哪
悄悄将一切移动啦
从树下到庙前从古屋到山野
从水田过乡间江湖在哪边
稻浪正枯萎我持续醒醒睡
岁岁年年朝生暮死人间
是我们改变了吗
是我们改变了呀
是我们改变了还是时间哪
是我们改变了吗
是我们沉默了呀
是我们沉默了或是时间哪
悄悄将一切移动啦

Memories of childhood. The song echoes an innocence and sincerity similar to the song 簡單 from their first album. It probed on the changes that had happened to the band since they released their first album, a long 4 years ago. A reshuffling of band members because a couple of the members had to leave the band due to national service commitments. Warm-hearted and sincere.

熊寶貝樂團

2010-04-03T20:21:00.011+08:00

世界旋轉不停 , 我還留在原地

簡單

环岛旅行

和平之城

Secret Place

過境

螢火

積雨雲（橙草）

沒有十二月的城市

消失的海岸線

存在論

I could go on and on. :) 餅乾! Love this band!

Fuwa Fuwa Time

2010-03-29T16:11:00.005+08:00

"Fuwa fuwa" translates to "light and fluffy" in jap. (I hope)

I cannot like a person more than I like this World.
I cannot like a person more than I like Humanity.
I cannot like a person more than I like all my Friends.
I cannot like myself more than I like another person.

Can the reverse be true for all of the above?

In retrospect, perhaps we have to love ourselves, in order to learn to love another, our friends, humanity and this world.

Can I like a person more than I like this World?

This is Fuwa-fuwa time if you watch the anime K-ON! :)

(Yui on lead vocals)

(Mio-chan on lead)

Pavement Reunion

2009-09-21T03:31:00.004+08:00

Haven't updated in awhile.

Just found this earlier-

Holy Shit: Pavement Reunion

Wow. Just wow.

Lives That Cannot Be Replayed

2009-07-08T06:42:00.004+08:00

Taken from jap drama Searchin' for my Polestar (pretty bad translation but you get the gist)-

"Why do people keep missing each other?
Why can't we be more understanding?
People face each other everyday.
And we can really love someone.
And time is that short.
In our lives that cannot be replayed.
Why is time wasted on separations, misunderstandings and mistakes?
Everyone knows it's happiness to be with someone you love."

Answers can't be found at times.

Find The River R.E.M.

2009-05-12T17:49:00.011+08:00

Get well, Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi.

Find The River - R.E.M.

Find The River

Hey now, little speedyhead,
The read on the speedmeter says
You have to go to task in the city
Where people drown and people serve.
Don't be shy. Your just deserve
Is only just light years to go.

Me, my thoughts are flower strewn
Ocean storm, bayberry moon.
I have got to leave to find my way.
Watch the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.

The ocean is the river's goal,
A need to leave the water knows
We're closer now than light years to go.

I have got to find the river,
Bergamot and vetiver
Run through my head and fall away.
Leave the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.

There's no one left to take the lead,
But I tell you and you can see
We're closer now than light years to go.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
Fall into the ocean.

The river to the ocean goes,
A fortune for the undertow.
None of this is going my way.
There is nothing left to throw
Of Ginger, lemon, indigo,
Coriander stem and rose of hay.
Strength and courage overrides
The privileged and weary eyes
Of river poet search naivete.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
All of this is coming your way.

World Leader Pretend

I sit at my table and wage war on myself
It seems like it's all, it's all for nothing
I know the barricades, and
I know the mortar in the wall breaks
I recognize the weapons, I used them well

This is my mistake. Let me make it good
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down

I've a rich understanding of my finest defenses
I proclaim that claims are left unstated,
I demand a rematch
I decree a stalemate
I divine my deeper motives
I recognize the weapons
I've practiced them well. I fitted them myself

(chorus)
It's amazing what devices you can sympathize, empathize
This is my mistake. Let me make it good
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down

Reach out for me and hold me tight. Hold that memory
Let my machine talk to me, let my machine talk to me

This is my world
And I am world leader pretend
This is my life
And this is my time
I have been given the freedom
To do as I see fit
It's high time I've razed the walls
That I've constructed

(repeat chorus)

You fill in the mortar. You fill in the harmony
You fill in the mortar. I raised the wall
And I'm the only one
I will be the one to knock it down

Incidentally, my 100th post.

Decoding Loneliness

2009-05-11T10:05:00.007+08:00

Ever felt this incredible sense of loneliness overpowering you suddenly, even though you're in a crowded place with people around you whom you know? Somehow, you felt that not one of them is on the same frequency of thought with you, for what could be that single moment in time. A moment of devouring Loneliness, whereby you question your own existence. No one understands you.

That may be why I'd felt the opposite too when I was in a dark cinema with strangers around me. Everyone were focused on the same thoughts depicted by the film. When it was a sentimental film, the emotions seemed to be amplified through everyone. You'd feel a tidal wave of emotions. Like you were part of something, a camaraderie, even though everyone around were mere figures in the dark.

All of a sudden I feel like watching Krystof Kieslowski's Three Colours again. :)

Find

2009-05-02T07:47:00.003+08:00

Sonic Youth 1/5/1985 Gila Monster Jamboree, Mojave Desert

Brother James

Kill Your Idols

Brave Men Run

Death Valley '69

I Love Her All

I'm Insane

Flower

Burning Spear

Searching For A Star

2009-05-01T13:31:00.003+08:00

"Look to the stars when you get lost." - Something the j-drama Searchin' For My Polestar taught me.

Polaris will always lead you to your north. Then maybe have a look at Orion, the hunter, ever strong wielding his bow. After that, throw a glance at Betelgeuse, a prominent star in Orion- a star near the end of it's life.

It is wonderful someone came up with this simple graphic website to teach us about these stars and constellations-

http://www.quietbay.net/Science/astronomy/nightsky/

Sad

2009-04-29T06:44:00.003+08:00

This song was playing on my ipod. Sonic Youth - I love you golden blue.

:(

Trying To Live

2009-04-29T05:21:00.003+08:00

What is Life? Will we ever know the significance of words such as Life, Love and God? That is why I hate it when the phrase "Get a life" is coined.

Isn't everyone trying to live? And "getting at life"?

Will a person know more about living than another? Only someone who is pretencious and self-righteous will tell another to "get a life". More accurately, Life isn't easy to "get at"; to understand. If you think you've known all about Life, then perhaps you're merely indulged in living in your own little perfect pocket of a world and have not looked hard enough into what it is. But who is to know? Maybe you really had seen it all, all that is Life. But you should at least have accumulated a decent amount of experiences to proclaim that i.e. you're old enough.

Perhaps it is wise to think twice before telling a person how to live their life or to "get a life".

Life isn't the same for all of us. For most, it's not all that fun and cheery. Some of us lived through 80% of shit to get to the 20% that is worth living. The intrinsic value of important things in Life varies for everyone too. Wealth may mean more to some than to others. When we add up all the variables, it is simply impossible to measure Life.

How do we "get a life" when we don't really know what Life is, when there is no way to measure it?

In the end, we're all merely trying to live in our own ways.

The Hours (2002)

2009-04-26T10:02:00.003+08:00

Been looking for the dvd of this movie. Wanted to watch it again.

Leonard: Virginia (Woolf) we must go back home now. Nelly is cooking dinner. She has already had such a difficult day. It is our obligation to eat Nelly's dinner.
Virginia: There is no such obligation. No such obligation exists.
Leonard: Virginia, you have a obligation to your own sanity!
Virginia: I have endured this custody. Endured this imprisonment.
Leonard (with contempt): Oh Virginia!
Virginia (disdainfully): I am attended by doctors. Everywhere. I am attended by doctors, who inform me of my own interests.
Leonard: They know your interests.
Virginia: They do not. They do not speak for my interests.
Leonard: Virginia I can, I can see it must be hard for a women of your...
Virginia : Of my what?
Leonard: of your, your...
Virginia:(angry) of my what exactly?
Leonard: of your talents to see that she may not be the best judge of her own condition.
Virginia: But who then is a better judge?
Leonard (raised voice/ exasperation): You have a history...you have a history of confinement. We brought you to Richmond because you have a history of fits, moods, blackouts, hearing voices. We brought you here to save you from the irrevocable damage you intended upon yourself. You have tried to kill yourself twice. I live daily with that threat. I set up the press,... we set up the printing press not just for itself, not just purely for itself but so that you might have a ready source of absorption and a remedy.
Virginia: Like needlework!
Leonard (shouting out of hurt): It was done for you! It was done for your betterment. It was done out of love! If I didn't know you better I'd call this ingratitude.
Virginia (somber): I'm ungrateful. You call me ungrateful . My life has been stolen from me. I am living in a town I don't wish to live in. I am living a life I have no wish to live. How did this happen? It is time for us to move back to London. I miss London. I miss London life.
Leonard: This is not you speaking Virginia. This is an aspect of your illness
Virginia (pleading): Its me! It is me!
Leonard (both are speaking at the same time): No
Virginia (angry): It is mine and mine alone!
Leonard (patient): No, it is the voice that you hear
Virginia (sorrow/raised voice): No it is not. It is mine. I am dying in this town.
Leonard: If you were thinking clearly Virginia you will remember it was London that brought you down.
Virginia: If I were thinking clearly... If I were thinking clearly...
Leonard (whispers/in a barely audible voice): We brought you to Richmond to give you peace?
Virginia: If I were thinking clearly Leonard, I would tell you that I wrestle alone in the dark, in the deep dark and only I can know, only I can understand my own condition. You live with the threat; you tell me, you live with the threat of my extinction. Leonard, I live with it too. This is my right; it is the right of every human being. I choose not the suffocating anesthetic of the suburbs, but the violent jolt of the Capital, that is my choice. The meanest patient, yes, even the very lowest is allowed some say in the matter of her own prescription. Thereby she defines her humanity. I wish, for your sake, Leonard, I could be happy in this quietness but if it is a choice between Richmond and death, I choose death.
Leonard (on the brink of tears): Very well, London then. We go back to London then.

Samejima Mamimi

2009-04-09T17:24:00.003+08:00

FLCL

The Pillows - Ride on Shooting Star

Comprehension

2009-04-07T17:36:00.003+08:00

I don't understand all of it. I may never understand any of it. And thus, I'm afraid. Many secrets of the heart. We're born unto this world with the ability to seek knowledge and to try to understand our surroundings. Yet there will be secrets forever hidden from our understanding in our lifetime. What can we do? Pretend that nothing is wrong and that full or even partial understanding is not important. To live with this pretence our whole lives? To ignore? That sometimes not knowing is a bliss? That all memories and knowledge are meant to be short-lived, fade away with age?

We are thus all pretencious beings. Pretend that full understanding is not important, that we are not equipped to understand all of it. To pretend to think that desire for full knowledge is equivalent to that of desire for power- it will corrupt us. But how will we know it will corrupt if we don't understand half of it? Our hearts tell us so.

Follow our hearts, they say, not only our brains. If our hearts can think, can we channel these thoughts? Are things made more complicated when we not only have brains that think, but hearts that think too? Maybe yes. Maybe not. Both my heart and brain refuse to give a definite answer.

Up until the last days of our lives- pretencious beings. The old man in his deathbed screams, "I don't want to go because I haven't known a lot of things yet. Can I have answers?" His life whisked away. No answers.

Maybe just follow our eyes. The eyes deceive too, you say? So what is real and what is not?

Fantasy is built on pretences. Create your own answers. Your Creations. Answers to the secrets of the heart. Breathe and live Fantasy. For every question, give it your own answer. Who is to say your answer may not be correct?

Words seek to derail thoughts. Pretence is an intrinsically negative word.

We are pretencious. But we fly on wings of Fantasy too.

I won't ever understand. And I am afraid.

Fireworks Of Life

2009-04-03T09:20:00.005+08:00

"You've led me to think as I've thought several times before, when you asked, "Is it worthwhile to die in this manner?"

Lives lost to military training/exercises, in the name of defense of a country.

A crazy world of countries saying to each other, "How do my defense measure up against your defense? I have XXX number of warheads vs your XXX number of warheads!"

A spark occurs. A small conflict of ideas. Defense turns into Offense in a flash.

All the Defense expended at once in a beautiful but mind-boggling display of fireworks.

And you call that the Fireworks of Life?

So what do you mean by Defense of a country? What is Defense? Defense and Offense may merely be relative terms. They mean the same thing."

I wrote the above in a notebook when I was about 15... 17? If a 17yr-old kid could understand the above, the true nature of what you deemed Defense. I don't get how everyone in this world could not see this very thin line humanity treads on currently. Of course, everything is more complicated. Have to be made more complicated.

To the North Korean missile test crisis.

How I Wrote Elastic Man

2009-04-01T02:17:00.001+08:00

"But in the town
They'll stop me in the shoppes
Verily they'll track me down
Touch my shoulder and ignore my dumb mission
And sick red faced smile
And they will ask me
And they will ask me
How I wrote 'Elastic Man'"

- The Fall Mark. E. Smith

Fraggle Rock

2009-04-01T01:11:00.005+08:00

I always stood by the tv to catch every single episode of this Jim Henson's muppet show when I was a kid. Fraggle Rock was fun to watch yet profound, in a way, too because it contemplated on serious themes such as Death, Mortality, Discrimination. They don't make kid-tv like these anymore. =) These brought back much memories.

Sunlight and Shadow - Mokey sings of freedom when she was caught and caged up.

Sunlight and shadow,
And oak trees, bravado,
And rivers that race to the sea.
Puff balls, fireflies,
And larks in the sunrise,
All know a way to be free.
And here's to their roamin',
Here's to their homin',
Ah, how I wish it was me.
Pity a soul that's not free.

Ants have a highway,
And birds have a skyway,
And winds can go wandering far.
See how they climb,
In the mercy of time and,
They don't know how lucky they are.
And here's to their roamin',
Here's to their homin',
Ah, but I wish it was me.
Sit for a moment and pity a soul that's not free.

Free and High - Wembley takes to the sky. My favourite fraggle- He's a laid-back coward, much like me.

Friendship Song - Boober and Red were trapped in a poison cave. They were terrified that they were going to die but cling on to friendship for support.

Breaking Point

2009-03-23T00:14:00.011+08:00

Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) - Fight Club

Have I lost it? =)

Like many, I've hammered at walls of cubicles in toilets in frustration, slammed/kicked doors, threw furniture, vandalized, scrawled graffiti... I'd attribute most of that to teenage angst.

Later in life, I'd been held at knife-point in a robbery. Been taunted by a drunk with raised fists inches from my face at a bus stop. I had walked away from all of that with some anger but they had not amount to any serious injuries that would cause me to want to even retaliate. On some days, I do wish that same drunk will appear before me, so I have a reason to break his skull or break my own.

As I got older, I'd dealt with deaths of friends and relatives and began to understand and wrestle with the grim term- Mortality. But somehow most of us were able to walk away from all of that mostly unscathed too. Relationship problems have driven many insane, and killed or tried to kill many more. Simple rigors of trying to earn a living, to feed mouths, have driven many to suicides, corruption as well. It seemed that the limit at which one breaks depends on the individual. There's no fast and hard rules or formulas. All of us have known friends who are quick to anger, friends that are patient or ones that go crazy when we pushed a single wrong button.

I've always been known to be a patient person. So, I'm sometimes curious as to just what may be my own breaking point? Because I don't seem to be able to see it at all. Not on the horizon. Not on the plates. My life had been pretty shitty. Yet I'm still intact. What is wrong with me? So what does it take to break me completely? Or make me say enough is enough and retaliate with a hatred, mindless of my own survival?

The furthest I'd gone would be an incident in Navy- When I almost caused the lives of 40 to perish. It made me puke bile and gastric juices, fall on my knees. That's about as close as I got to... losing it. But I'm able to recover even from that. The only reason being that I 'didn't' really cause the 40 men to lose their lives. I'd been lucky. I'm reminded of a recent movie I've seen: Seven Pounds- Is it possible for a person to recover from that- killing 7 innocent people (including your own wife) in a car accident?

As I got older, I'd been able to walk away from nearly every situation with a mere cynical smile. I do cry sometimes. But tears will run dry eventually. At times it merely requires a retreat into my indulgence- music, movies, games etc. What happen when your whole world comes crushing down and you're supposed to feel sad but you're not? Like Brad Pitt/Edward Norton in Fight Club- You only smile while getting thrashed to death?

Numb. We gradually lose the ability to feel because pain and loss have become a steady diet. Late news on TV. Fake smiles. Obituaries. Walk away. You only have to walk away from it all.

But sometimes our limbs are tied.

"Rick Blaine : Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." - movie Casablanca

=) =) =)

Ed is Dead

2009-03-13T15:11:00.004+08:00

I want to name myself Ed and this song is to be played at my funeral.

Pixies - Ed is Dead

:D

張懸 - 巷口

2009-03-12T11:25:00.006+08:00

Love the lyrics to this song. To LM:

巷口

安靜的巷口　單車和人交錯經過
安靜的巷口移動

安靜的巷口　我還沒準備好回家
安靜的巷口迷惑

兩個人之間的字眼，省略許諾
孤獨中的快樂不能用來解決失落
對我來說　對我來說
其實跳不出生活

慢慢地想著　離開的人對我的好
慢慢地想著以後
淡淡地想著，總渴望逃脫的念頭
淡淡地想著；如何？

一杯酒帶來的熱絡　早上沒有
愛和改變分得清楚，可以等於自由嗎
對我來說　對我來說
其實就是生活

也覺得想不透；想透了能有多輕鬆
畢竟不是那麼沉重
還好不是寂寞。城市中我繼續行走
安靜的巷口沉默；沉默並溫柔

Found it on this blog

Goodbye

2009-03-09T04:17:00.002+08:00

Tastycakes69 (in the comments wrote):

"To me this song is about being dead to a girl who forgot you............but going on living undead on a psychoactive beach in the cosmos, mellow and learning to deal."

Pixies- Wave of Mutilation

Blood From The Shoulder Of Pallas

2009-03-03T18:25:00.004+08:00

Mesmerized by this passage from the Watchmen graphic novel.

From Chapter 7 A Brother to Dragons-
Dan Dreiberg (Niteowl)'s Journal on the study of Owls.

"Blood from the Shoulder of Pallas

Is it possible, I wonder, to study a bird so closely, to observe and catalogue its perculiarities in such minute detail, that it becomes invisible? Is it possible that while fastidiously calibrating the span of its wings or the length of its tarsus, we somehow lose sight of its poetry? That in our pedestrian descriptions of a marbled or vermiculated plummage we forfeit a glimpse of living canvases, cascades of carefully toned browns and golds that would shame Kandinsky, misty explosions of color to rival Monet? I believe that we do. I believe that in approaching our subject with the sensibilities of statisticians and dissectionists, we distance ourselves increasingly from the marvelous and spell-binding planet of imagination whose gravity drew us to our studies in the first place.

This is not to say that we should cease to establish facts and to verify our information, but merely to suggest that unless those facts can be imbued with the flash of poetic insight then they remain dull gems; semi-precious stones scarcely worth the collecting."

Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons

Watchmen is truly inspiring.

The Sorrow of Love

2009-02-14T02:29:00.005+08:00

The Sorrow of Love
by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

The brawling of a sparrow in the eaves,
The brilliant moon and all the milky sky,
And all that famous harmony of leaves,
Had blotted out man's image and his cry.

A girl arose that had red mournful lips
And seemed the greatness of the world in tears,
Doomed like Odysseus and the labouring ships
And proud as Priam murdered with his peers;

Arose, and on the instant clamorous eaves,
A climbing moon upon an empty sky,
And all that lamentation of the leaves,
Could but compose man's image and his cry.

Chilly. night. cold. :(

Beneath the skyyyyyy

2009-02-12T01:43:00.007+08:00

headboppin to the pixies
in the middle of the night
They got a ranch They call number-51
Beneath the Skyyyyyyyy
Beneath the Skyyyyyyyyyyy
i empty my head bring me to sleep what happens when i sleep
Ed Ed is Dead Ed is Dead Ed Ed Dead ED IS DEAD
Wave of Mutilation Wave of Mutilation Wave eh eh hey hey
You can LEVITATE ME Elevate elevate elevate LEVITATE ME
HEY!!! must be a devil between us Or whores in my head Whores at my door Whores in my bed We're chained chained CHAINED
Got me a movie I want you to know Slicing up eyeballs DEBASER
makes me happy we have music

To the girl with a BIG BIG heart. You know who you are. Hang in there, kidd. Take Life by the horns.

Heidenroslein (Rose on the Heath) - Schubert

2009-01-02T01:18:00.004+08:00

Watched the Taiwanese movie Cape No. 7 海角七號 some time ago. In it was an interlude played in a couple of scenes. One of which was that of an old man whistling a tune while riding his bicycle from screen right to left. It harked back a scene from Akira Kurosawa's movie Rhapsody in August. This time an old woman was braving a storm with her wrecked umbrella, the same screen right to left. The same tune/music was playing in the background.

I've been meaning to find out who made the music and what it was about. There you have it. :) Schubert's Heidenroslein (Rose on the Heath) There were Japanese and Chinese (野玫瑰) versions of it. Both Franz Schubert and Hans Werner Henze wrote a song based on a J. W. Goethe's poem. Here's the story of the song-

1)A boy saw a rose growing,
a little rose on the heath;
it was so young and lovely as the morning:
quickly he ran to see it from near,
and with much delight he saw it.
Rose, rose, little red rose,
little rose on the heath.

2)Said the boy: I shall pick you,
little rose on the heath!
Said the rose: I shall prick you,
so that you shall never forget me;
I won't let you do it!
Rose, rose, little red rose,
little rose on the heath.

3)And the rough boy picked
the little rose on the heath;
the rose defended herself and pricked,
but her cries and sighs were in vain,
she just had to let it happen.
Rose, rose, little red rose,
little rose on the heath.

Thanks to youtube.

2009

2009-01-01T23:11:00.003+08:00

Dum dee dee dum. As far as new year's resolutions go, I have maybe one -

To try to eat breakfast every day of this new year.

Zhang Xuan, Chen Shan Ni, Yui, Shiina Ringo/Tokyo Jihen

2008-12-26T01:28:00.011+08:00

Merry Xmas :)

Zhang Xuan (张悬) Then - Back when she was in the band Mango Runs (芒果跑).

芒果跑/畢竟

Zhang Xuan Now - A barrage of Youtubes. Coz she's cool.

張懸/無狀態

張懸/寶貝

张悬/嫁祸进行式

張懸/巷口

張懸/憂愁

Well, Zhang Xuan recently released her song 喜歡's mv and was accused of copying certain visuals from jap artiste, Yui's My Generation mv. She stepped up to apologize and pulled the mtv off circulation in a matter of hours. I believe it was mainly the fault of the mv director. Anyway, I like Yui too. As well as Shiina Ringo (and her band Tokyo Jihen 東京事変) + taiwanese singer Sandee Chen Shan Ni (陳珊妮). :O Their tubes-

Chen Shan Ni Then - 1994/11

陳珊妮/茫然

Chan Shan Ni Present - 公主

陳珊妮/醉人的詩意

陳珊妮/風景好

Both Zhang Xuan and Princess on stage together-

流浪到淡水

如果有一件事是重要的

Yui - Tokyo (live)

Shiina Ringo 椎名林檎

Tokyo Jihen 東京事変

杨乃文/今天清晨

陳珊妮/四季

Kim Deal- rock cliches and her bass playing

2008-12-09T10:59:00.000+08:00

Part Ed/Chris/Yossarian

2008-11-22T04:55:00.002+08:00

I want to be like Ed (from tv series, Northern Exposure), to always listen intently and learn, and know just about everything to do with movies. :)

To be like Chris (from the same show), to have his wisdom and knowledge (esp. of books and music), to be as broadly educated in the ways of the world.

And finally, I want to be a little crazy like Yossarian (from the book Catch-22). Or if you look at it in another way- to remain the sane one in this crazy, crazy world.

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," Yossarian observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed." - Joseph Heller, Catch-22

LOL

Lost In Sunrise, Yu-Xuan and Pocket-watch

2008-11-13T12:04:00.011+08:00

Happened to watch the "frame-skipped" version of the movie Before Sunrise, starring Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy. It was supposed to be in H.264 or some weird format. Apparently my comp wasn't beefy enough to process the info. So I got a clearer picture, just not the complete picture.

Anyway, it had me comparing with another movie, Lost in Translation, which worked on pretty much the same premise- Two lonely strangers/souls met in a foreign land and the resulting friendship.

So, what made each of those movies tick? Which would I prefer? I could say Lost in Translation, but why? I found both to be pretty good. It's not like a Cat vs Dog or Beatles vs Elvis Presley thing (Tarantino's Pulp Fiction) where you could only choose one. (Dog and Beatles for me btw). I'd expect a friend Warren to choose Elvis. Don't ask me why? Maybe it's in the way he walks lol.

I like both enough I guess, just Lost in Translation a lot more. =)

Julie Delpy was brilliant, in a very real, intelligent and thoughtful girl way. Scarlett Johanssan was more or less the same, but in a sorta more regal, faraway princess-in-a-castle way. Bill Murray owned Ethan Hawke hands down of course. I think p'haps Ethan Hawke was trying too hard to put across that dumb-vocal-American thing or maybe the script required him to do so. He became quite annoying early in the movie.

Many ideas were raised in Before Sunrise vocally (through conversations) and many of them I found kinda interesting. "Sometimes I'm sick of being around me all the time. I want to go to a place that I'm not there." Lost in Translation, on the other hand, weaved a sort of silent magic. It told its story through nuances and music. The last parting scene had Bill Murray whisper something to Johanssan (the content of which the audience were never told).

林雨宣 (Lin Yu Xuan of Xin Guang Bang 3)

Often criticised for lack of power in her voice. I thought she's charming. Love her voice, nuances in her voice. As one of the judges commented, she's loads of emotions, but lacks technique. All the songs she chose happened to be songs that I like, which is a bonus of course. =) Really like this following song btw:

Christopher Walken's Pocket-watch

Sometimes I feel like that small kid in the now popular Chris Walken (as Captain Koons) pocketwatch scene in Pulp Fiction. Someone left me in front of that box (TV) and forgot to carry me away since. The captain-koons--of-this-world would then continually try to interrupt you from watching your TV, to have you listen to their captain-koons-of-this-world-speeches. It is very sad. Lol.

Faith Yang Nai Wen

2008-10-27T04:04:00.000+08:00

yang nai wen

Hidden Connections

2008-10-03T19:11:00.009+08:00

Of Coincidence

Bizarre ending to Moon Palace. M.S.'s father (Julian Barber) died from tripping and falling into an open grave. Eventually, M.S. gave up his search for the elusive cave, walked off into the sun, much like cowboys do in westerns.

Not the first time Auster killed off important characters in a whim near the end. Much like Auster's other books, this one had been a bizarre journey littered with strange, almost surreal occurrences. Memorable scenes in the book - There is this one part whereby M.S. imagined his father being at several places he had been before. That he may have unknowingly ran into him on several occasions. He even 'placed' Julian Barber in Vegas, that his father could have been one of the audience of Uncle Victor's band performance. He began to see hidden connections everywhere. Another is M.S. reading off the books left behind by Uncle Victor as a way of mourning him. Also, carting Thomas Effing through the streets of New York in the rainy night to distribute money to 'deserving' strangers. These scenes will always be memorable to me.

Coincidences do happen in real life but they're often dismissed or viewed as out-of-place. You almost can't find them in an abundance in books or movies anymore. Weird coincidences do happen to all of us. Somehow the intentional 'imperfect' ending of the book takes you back to a modern reality. The world is imperfect, why should we expect logical endings in books? The world stays the same, only we have changed from experiences accrued. The journey is what counts.

No coincidence too that I tried to tackle this subject early on, made this stupid short-film back in school, aptly titled Coincidence Inc. :) These are difficult topics to explore- The effects of deja vu. How can you be certain that you haven't encountered this person before? And to merge the ideas of Coincidence with Religion.

Coincidence, Failure, the Search for (or absence of) a Father (figure) are recurring themes in many of his books. I think that is the reason why I can relate to them. Essentially, Auster is telling almost the same story in all his books.

Halfway through another book, Oracle's Night. It is an ongoing process to understand who the writer Paul Auster is. Consequently, hoping to be able to pick up pieces of myself along the way. To better understand who I am.

Of J. B. Jeyaretnam

Another coincidence that I met Mr. JBJ in person just months ago at the lift lobby of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. A pretty tall, charismatic individual. First time I've ever seen the man in person. Maybe he was there for his heart checkup. An Indian woman, in her 50s or 60s, was waiting for the lift too. She smiled, almost shyly, at JBJ. JBJ acknowledged with an amiable smile and a nod. To me, it was a very genuine smile that seemed to say, "Don't worry. I will carry on the fight for all of you." While most current government officials seemed perched at seemingly unreachable places, it is gratifying to know there is someone who stood right by our side.

I just realised that was also around the time he would be busy constructing his comeback into politics, the formation of the Reform Party. Rest in peace.

Man In the Dark - Paul Auster

2008-09-27T08:32:00.006+08:00

Paul Auster reads from his new book, Man in the Dark. Snippets of movies referred to in the book - Tokyo Story, Apu Trilogy, Renoir's Grand Illusion, Bicycle Thief. Gotta get this. :O

Moon Palace - Paul Auster

2008-09-25T07:22:00.006+08:00

Lovely book I picked up from the library recently. Simple words put together can be so poignant, deeply moving. A pen and a notebook. Auster's words flows naturally, is easy to read, yet beneath the calm, an undercurrent of absurd ideas and magical thoughts bounce off each other and then the seabed.

Wanted foolishly to try to retain certain experience of reading it so I have collected here a couple of passages from the book.

The Fall

"After such a promising start, it would not have been difficult for me to go on acting sensibly. All kinds of options were available to people in my situation - scholarships, loans, work-study programs - but once I began to think about them, I found myself stricken with disgust. It was a sudden, involuntary response, a jolting attack of nausea. I wanted no part of those things, I realized, and therefore I rejected them all - sabotaged my only hope of surviving the crisis. From that point on, in fact, I did nothing to help myself, refused even to lift a finger. God knows why I behaved liked that. I invented countless reasons at the time, but in the end it probably boiled down to despair. I was in despair, and in the face of so much upheaval, I felt that drastic action of some sort was necessary. I wanted to spit on the world, to do the most outlandish thing possible. With all the fervor and idealism of a young man who had thought too much and read too many books, I decided that the thing I should do was nothing: my action would consist of a militant refusal to take any action at all. This was nihilism raised to the level of an aesthetic proposition. I would turn my life into a work of art, sacrificing myself to such exquisite paradoxes that every breath I took would teach me how to savor my own doom. The signs pointed to a total eclipse, and grope as I did for another reading, the image of that darkness gradually lured me in, seduced me with the simplicity of its design. I would do nothing to thwart the inevitable, but neither would I rush out to meet it. If life could continue for the time being as it always had, so much the better. I would be patient, I would hold fast. It was simply that I knew what was in store for me, and whether it happened today, or whether it happened tomorrow, it would nevertheless happen. Total eclipse. The beast had been slain, its entrails had been decoded. The moon would block the sun, and at that point I would vanish. I would be dead broke, a flotsam of flesh and bone without a farthing to my name."

On Conversation

"As Uncle Victor had once told me long ago, a conversation is like having a catch with someone. A good partner tosses the ball directly into your glove, making it almost impossible for you to miss it; when he is on the receiving end, he catches everything sent his way, even the most errant and incompetent throws. That's what Kitty did. She kept lobbing the ball straight into the pocket of my glove, and when I threw the ball back to her, she hauled in everything that was even remotely in her area: jumping up to spear balls that soared above her head, diving nimbly to her left or right, charging in to make tumbling, shoestring catches. More than that, her skill was such that she always made me feel that I had made those bad throws on purpose, as if my only object had been to make the game more amusing. She made me seem better than I was, and that strengthened my confidence, which in turn helped me to make my throws less difficult for her to handle. In other words, I started talking to her rather than to myself, and the pleasure of it was greater than anything I had experienced in a long time." -Auster

Auster, MBV and When You Sleep

2008-09-12T21:00:00.009+08:00

Ever had that feeling you're living through life like one of the characters in Paul Auster's trilogy? A-huh, it is that bad. :)

For therapeutic purposes = Couple of footages of MBV Live this year. Good stuff happens still.

MBV - I Only Said

MBV - Only Shallow

MBV - When You Sleep

Only place I'd rather be. And yeah, Bilinda Butcher.

Loud band. Check out the number of amps. Not an easy task to record them live lol.

Lost In Translation and MBV Reunion

2008-07-01T03:32:00.005+08:00

Lost in Translation. Love the ending to this movie.

Just Like Honey - Jesus and Mary Chain
"Listen to the girl. As she takes on half the world. Moving up and so alive. In her honey dripping beehive."

Sometimes - My Bloody Valentine
MBV reunited and releasing a new record soon!

Happiness in spending meaningless time

2008-01-30T01:53:00.001+08:00

Quoted from Claes in Gunslinger Girl. Just found out season 2 is out, dubbed Il Teatrino. The art, animation and even seiyuu have changed. Still trying to get used to the changes. Hope it'll be a good season.

My Friend

2007-10-25T09:16:00.000+08:00

Slamdunk OP and ED. Slamdunk. How long ago was it? The OP and ED kinda takes me back to the time when I was first introduced to animes and mangas. :)

Slamdunk OP/ED

The last song from the above clip was My Friend by ZARD (Izumi Sakai). One of my favourite songs from ZARD.

My Friend - ZARD

ZARD's lead vocals, prolific singer/songwriter Izumi Sakai passed away about 5 months months ago. Her songs. Her melancholic smile. Eien.

Eien - ZARD

Makenaide - ZARD (Lucky Star version)

Thank you for the music! Arigatougouzaimashita.

Zurich Stained

2007-10-15T13:51:00.000+08:00

Always a joy to listen to Malkmus sing about staining his sofa, furniture or whatever.

Zurich is Stained
Artist(Band):Pavement

i can't sing it strong enough
'cause that kind of strength i just don't have
if you watch the light change
don't hold them hanging
you think it's easy, but you're wrong
i am not one-half of the problem
zurich is stained and it's not my fault
just hold me back or let me run

what does it mean, a mistake or two?
if it's the kind of mistakes no one can trace
to the fountain where we sold it
and held them hanging
you think it's easy, but you're wrong
i am not one-half of the problem
zurich is stained and it's not my fault
just hold me back or let me run

you think it's easy, but you're wrong
i am not one-half of the problem
zurich is stained and it's not my fault
just hold me back or let me run

20 Best Pavement Songs ever

Nodame Mongoose

2007-10-01T19:44:00.000+08:00

This is Nodame Mongoose.

Nodame Cantabile ending.

GYABO! MUKYA!

Huge Ass Pavement Malkmus Compil.

2007-06-29T17:39:00.001+08:00

Messed around/abused imeem.com. Results:

flux=radical edward

Merlion in Bebop

2007-06-21T03:44:00.000+08:00

Bad-ass Faye Valentine

Trivia- The Merlion was featured in episode 24 of Cowboy Bebop (on Faye's video.) It may be implied that Faye spent a portion of her childhood here in Singapore. The whole time I wanted to dive into the TV to point out to Faye the "water-sploosh" thing is in Singapore lol. But it made me smile a little, as does this song Green Bird, by Yoko Kanno, every time I hear it.

Yoko Kanno

For memories

Cathedral Fight - Ballad of Fallen Angels
Music - Greenbird

Compilation AMV (spoilers)
Music - Blue

Episode 24 - Hard Luck Woman
Music - Call Me Call Me

Come See The Duck

2007-04-08T03:28:00.000+08:00

There aren't many Deerhoof vids/youtubes with good audio quality. These are some more Deerhoooofs-

Deerhoof rocks. Go, Satomi!

Mp3s

myspace

Panda Panda Panda

2007-04-06T13:23:00.000+08:00

pan-da-pan-da-pan-da-pan-da-pan-china!

bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny- bunny! i can't get u, lalalala! i can't have it, the monster Rabbit!

DEERHOOF! SATOMI MATSUZAKI! YAY! :O GREAT BAND!

Mantis Technique

2007-04-04T21:07:00.000+08:00

I always love the blizzard forums. You often get crazy, sometimes intelligent and funny posts.

In this case, someone was blabbering japanese on the WoW forum in this thread. Had everyone confused and folks tried to decipher it.

Then, at the end, a guy Layoth came out and commented: "insolent whelp! try my mantis technique"

(shrug) I don't know, but that made me laughed. :D

Hope

2007-04-03T16:58:00.000+08:00

This song was playing somewhere...

(overheard)
"At the back of my mind, I was... always hoping that I might just get by."

Lrn2Heroes

2007-03-09T14:47:00.001+08:00

The title is something invented from the World of Warcraft forums. Say, in the game, someone complained about a nerf to his/her particular class or character-in-game, the common response on the forum would be to tell him to "Lrn2play" (learn to play (the game)). Extend this to almost every other aspect of life- lrn2shutup, lrn2timemanagement, lrn2parent, lrn2(insert anything) etc. You get the drift.

Anyway, I'm hooked on this new NBC series, Heroes. It's like your X-men (folks with altered genes display special abilities) show, except they give these gifts to the common folk. For example, this cheerleader gained the ability to regenerate. What did she do with it? She tried to ram a car into the wall, with this guy (who had tried to date-rape her earlier) in it. The guy would suffer multiple injuries and she would escape, regenerated later, to come out virtually unscathed from the intentional accident. Another example is a policeman who suddenly gained the ability to read thoughts used his skills to try to repair his broken marriage.

It has aspects of J.Michael Straczynski's comic series Rising Stars and X-Men.

It sounds cheesy but it's not. Very engaging and the story is pretty well done. It's interesting to see where the story will take us. Try to catch it if you haven't.

"Save the cheerleader. Save the world."

The Oscars

2007-02-27T02:23:00.000+08:00

Wanted to watch this year's oscars, if only to catch the moment Martin Scorsese wins Best Director. And he did won it. :) And the montages were great. And Ennio Morricione. But the moment was fleeting. So I guess it's better to sit down and watch Martin talks about films he likes in the documentary "A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies". It's like having a glimpse into a walking film-book. Like browsing through my thick Timeout Film Reviews book. Or sitting through film school Day One again. D.W. Griffiths, F.W. Murnau... Pretty interesting.

I was still thinking about Adaptation, the movie I watched yesterday. It is fascinating how the movie went from passion for orchids and the beauty in that to mere obsession with drugs. :D Dug out this amazing quote from wikipedia-

"There are too many ideas and things and people. Too many directions to go. I was starting to think that the reason it matters to care so passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size. (Susan, in the book)"

That wisdom can be applied to so many things- passion for orchids, turtles... (spoiler) to passion for orchids-"whittled"-down-to-chunk-sized-drugs. :P

Found out from the earlier oscars too that Philip Noiret (actor from Cinema Paradiso) has passed away. Somehow what Forrest Whittaker said was true. There's a connection between the actor and the audience somewhere. I'm reminded of the first time I watched Cinema Paradiso in the cinema. And that Ennio Morricione music was playing. It's all coming together.

The Ending In "Adaptation"

2007-02-26T01:16:00.000+08:00

This is the first time I've watched Adaptation. Talk about "twists in the ending/the final act". This one blew me away. I was expecting the ending to just "coasts along". I really wasn't prepared for that.

Very fascinating and engaging (on many levels) film.

The Ending In "Lost In Translation"

2007-02-25T01:15:00.000+08:00

"Lost in Translation" was shown on tv earlier. It is, for me, one of those rare films that hits the right notes just about everywhere. Both actors were endearing. Brilliant soundtrack with music by Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine).

Unfortunately, the ending on this tv-version was snipped. I remember it was fairly shorter than the original. The ending was integral to the film too.

In anticipation of Oscar-day, which is Monday, another movie will be shown on tv tomorrow night- "Adaptation", which I planned to catch.

The fillers have ended for Naruto too. The new Naruto series which deals with the Akatsuki saga has started, named Naruto Shippuuden. Naruto and friends have grown older and Gaara has become the new Kazekage of Sand Village. :)

Movie Music

2007-02-06T19:06:00.001+08:00

Nothing much. Happened by this blog earlier. The blogger discussed movie music that he liked. In it were a couple of my favourite films and true enough, they all had memorable theme music.

One of which caught my attention- the Indian film Pather Panchali. He wrote that he had put up the music from the movie, by well-known musician Ravi Shankar. The link didnt work though. It pointed me to another site and through some searching I found the sample music I was looking for.

Here's a part of the music from Pather Panchali-
http://hype.non-standard.net/track/228415

The music echoes familiar scenes from the movie. Such is the brilliance of wonderful movie music.

Now and Then, Here and There

I remember watching this anime long ago too- "Now and Then, Here and There", days before I was due for enlistment into army. It was a moving and sad anime. The anime made me ask myself a fundamental question- "Can I bring myself to die before I'm forced to kill a person in a war?" I don't know the answer and probably never will. This uncertainty scares me more than anything else.

"Because ten billion year's time is so fragile, so ephemeral... it arouses such a bittersweet, almost heartbreaking fondness." -NTHT

NTHT ending song

To prey upon stillness,
to suffer dawn,
to bow before God,
to administer grace,
to unveil space, to
be spirited away,
to lift a child
into the reigning air
where the voice of heaven
chirps like a bird
- Patti Smith

The Groundhog

2007-02-04T15:35:00.000+08:00

This chubby fella is special; a day is dedicated to its name. ^^

Tradition has it that - "If a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If the groundhog sees its shadow because the weather is bright and clear, it will be frightened and run back into its hole, and the winter will continue for six more weeks."

Reminds us of the endearing actor Bill Murray too.

Groundhog's Day Wikipedia

In Dreams Begin Responsibility

2007-01-28T15:10:00.000+08:00

Those are the words of Irish poet/writer William Butler Yeats. He urges us to take responsibility for our dreams.

Dream is often featured as a poster-boy, deemed capable of launching big things, big worlds. You read slogans such as- "Dreams create hopes, which in turn provide strength for us to forge a better reality."

Dream may be just a little kid who has to shoulder these huge ideals, responsibilities. Perhaps it is our responsibility then to watch over the kid and not pound it with such heavy burden, grant it freedom to roam.

Dreams are merely imaginations, meanderings of the mind, without intrinsic value. It is like a loosely-structured story-book of trivias. Sometimes individuals can read well into it and find stories of value. Most of the time Dream is just a kid, always looking for a purpose, to find none. Perhaps we should let it wander free and relish in Irresponsibility.

Neil Gaiman Sandman series

Buncha Yolatengos

2007-01-24T07:48:00.000+08:00

Had some time to slip in a few Yolatengos youtubes.

This is an old Yo La Tengo youtube that I managed to dig up. The dynamic duo of a couple Ira Kaplan + Georgia Hubley. :)

Ira Kaplan & Georgia Hubley - Teenager In Love/Everyday

Another old Yo La Tengo and a favourite song of mine by them- Tom Courtenay

Yo La Tengo - Tom Courtenay

The fleshed out mtv of the song Tom Courtenay.

"Julie Christie, the rumors are true. As the pages turn, my eyes are glued... As the music swells somehow stronger from adversity. Our hero finds his inner peace..."

Tom Courtenay's Wikipedia

Tokyo Story

2007-01-23T16:56:00.000+08:00

The Hirayamas. Watched Tokyo Story again the other day. This image stayed in my mind. I almost forgot how sad and lovely it was.

Watched a bunch of old films (A Bout de Souffle, Alice in the Cities, Pather Panchali) the last couple weeks. A thought came to my mind- If there's anything I could pass on to good friends/children/grand-children when I die, it is only this knowledge and discovery of these wonderful films. To all my friends- Keep watching/making your films and stories. :)

Ozu

2006-12-29T08:10:00.000+08:00

Yasujiro Ozu On Trains and Automobiles
"A compilation of Yasujiro Ozu's common "pillow shots" (to give audience a rest between dialogues)" by Hiroshi Kokubu.

At once contemplative and poetic. Ozu's fascination with trains. The camera (set close to the ground) sits and humbly looks on, almost in awe, at ongoing Life enacting in front of it. Ozu's camera is often positioned at the eye level of one who is knelt/seated on the floor (such as in a respectful, traditional japanese manner), about 3 feet above the ground. Excellent composition of shots. :)

Drinker's Peace

2006-12-24T17:50:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas. Time of the year to get away from your frantic workload and crazy bosses. Drinker's Peace Out.

Drinker's Peace - Guided By Voices

At times I wish I were dead
Busy people dancing all over my head
Real shock value with every move they make
Real bad headache with every step they take

I get a contact buzz
Can't remember what the problem was
I find it hard to even care
Life was too real till you got there

My life is dirt but you seem to make it cleaner
Reduce my felony to a misdemeanor
When I feel sick you're an antibiotic
Organize my world that was pointless and chaotic

Sordid Sentinels

2006-12-20T11:30:00.000+08:00

Pavement: Wowee Zowee Sordid Sentinels Edition is out. Christmas present for me. :)

What does Wowee Zowee mean to me?

I remember 3 songs sandwiched together- Flux = Rad, Fight This Generation, Kennel District. Flux's a very cool song. Fight This Generation had me humming "Fight-tis Generation" forever. Kennel District is a great Spiral Stairs song. Kennel District also reminds me so much of The Pixies... the "ooo-ooo-ooo" part. :D I think maybe Spiral Stairs likes the Pixies too. And then there's Grave-Ar-chi-tec-ture- I never knew u could put the word "architecture" in the lyrics of a song and it'd fit so well. "We'll Dance, we'll dance..." The album is full of memorable songs. It counts as one of Pavement's great albums and there's every reason to re-release it. But of course, I'm biased when it comes to Pavement. I find that Stephen Malkmus can't make a really bad song.

There's also the closer. I always enjoyed the "closer song" in all the Pavement albums. In this case, it is Western Homes, but we all know the real closer is the 6mins Half a Canyon before that. I listened to this band Grifters later on and in the notes, they wrote Pavement as one of the influences. To me, it's like the whole One Sock Missing album (great album btw) took off from/was launched by this Half a Canyon song. They got the whole Grass Blues thing going too.

Found a version of Half a Canyon on Stereogum.com. It's different from the original album version. This is more like, dubbed "space-blues"? There's also a new version of In the Mouth of a Desert on Matador website.

Pavement- Half a Canyon (Live in Australia) (Stereogum.com)

Pavement- Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert (Live in Los Angeles) (Matadorrecords.com)

The Fall

2006-12-20T10:18:00.000+08:00

The Fall and Mark E. Smith.

Julie Doiron Shady Lane Cover

2006-12-13T18:41:00.000+08:00

More Pavement stuff.

First, a cover of the Pavement song Shady Lane, by the talented Julie Doiron ex-bassist/guitarist of Eric's Trip (yep the band got it's name from the Sonic Youth's song).

Julie Doiron - Shady Lane (Pavement cover)

Julie Doiron + Shotgun & Jaybird - Snowfalls in November

Julie Doiron + The Wooden Stars - Dance Music

Eric's Trip - Stove

Someone with initials J.M. - We Dance (pretty cool cover of the Pavement song) :)

Pavement on Space Ghost! (pt.1) :O

Pavement on Space Ghost! (pt.2)

346battingcenter-Pavement

2006-12-11T07:14:00.000+08:00

Pavement lives on. Would you believe- in Japan? In a relatively unknown jap band by the name of 346battingcenter and a newly released album Clover.

346battingcenter- http://www.myspace.com/346battingcenter

346battingcenter - Range Life (Pavement cover)

It's difficult to do a Pavement song well. These guys managed to pull it off pretty well. They got almost all the lyrics wrong but the fun, relaxed nature of the song - almost spot on.

346battingcenter - Song of Fishing

This band is totally Pavement, crazy about Pavement. :) Check out the other songs on the website- http://www.myspace.com/346battingcenter

Hopes for a Pavement reunion. S.M. mentioned it's possible in the future. I think 'that early-90s Pavement era' is gone. When they do get back together, it will be a different Pavement to behold. Here's to Pavement, past and future. A vid of S.M. in his current incarnation, with The Jicks, I think.

Stephen Malkmus - That's what mama said

Pavement - Range Life (Dumb mtv but a brilliant song nevertheless)

And the crazy lyrics of Range life. Nothing short of poetry.

Range Life
After the glow, the scene, the stage, the set
Talk becomes slow but theres one thing Ill never forget:
Hey, you gotta pay your dues before you pay the rent.
Over the turnstile turn out in the traffic
Theres ways of living its the way Im living
Right or wrong, its all that I can do,
And I wouldnt want to let you be

I want a range life, if I could settle down,
If I could settle down, then I would settle down
[x2]

Run from the pigs, the fuzz, the cops, the heat
Pass me your gloves, theres crime and its never complete
Until you snort it up or shoot it down
Youre never gonna feel free
Out on my skateboard the night is just hummin
And the gum smacks are the pulse Ill follow if my walkman fades
But Ive got absolutely no one, no one but myself to blame

Dont worry- were in no hurry
Schools out, what did you expect?

I want a range life, if I could settle down,
If I could settle down, then I would settle down
[x2]

Out on tour with the smashing pumpkins
Nature kids, i/they dont have no function
I dont understand what they mean
And I could really give a fuck.
The stone temple pilots,
Theyre elegant bachelors
Theyre foxy to me are they foxy to you?
I will agree there isnt absolutely nothing
Nothing more than me

Dreamin dream dream dream....

Words of Convenience

2006-12-11T06:27:00.000+08:00

A trivial note. Not a big deal. The 4-letter word- l-o-v-e. Not the other 4-letter word. But both words are similar in that they are often 'words of convenience'. To me, whispering 'I love you' to someone has the effect of saying 'Fuck you' to the person's face. It is effective in conveying particular emotions, but not to be whispered into someone's ears. I think, like "Fuck you", it is only viable when it is shouted out to the world. :) These words hold nothing of the sort of 'a great embodiment of ideals/aspirations', that everyone is led to believe.

It was a Hal Hartley movie, Trust, I think, that made up the summation- love = trust + respect + admiration. It is pretentious to think of 'love' as something greater than the sum of these 3 components.

To me, trust + respect + admiration > love.

Little Lines

2006-11-27T07:14:00.000+08:00

I stumbled on this [Blog] earlier that told an interesting story. Never had a "gbv moment" with a friend (or, for that matter, any "pavement/rather-obscure-bands-that-i-like moment"). But I was kinda surprised back then that some of my poly mates listened to gbv. I think I'm the only person in this world who finds similarities between Cheer Chen and Guided By Voices' lyrics- Meaningful little lines. :)

吉他手

媽媽睡了

Vid of some fans' travel to YiLan to catch a Cheer Chen's concert. In a sorta "road-movie" spirit of the album and first song off the album- 旅行的意義 (Meaning of Travel)

2003 海洋音樂祭

Wrong

2006-11-17T14:09:00.000+08:00

Sonic Youth- Paris 2006 Pt.1 Incinerate/Sleepin Around off latest album Rather Ripped

Sonic Youth- Pt.2 Do You Believe in Rapture?/Pink Steam
Sonic Youth- I Love You Golden Blue

Sonic Youth- Karen Revisited (Lee Ranaldo on vocals)

Sonic Youth- Death Valley '69

Wrong for the right reasons. Sonic Youth. The noise. Chaos. Fun. Death Valley '69. You can never go wrong with Sonic Youth.

Sound-track of my life.

Memories of Sonic Youth concert circa 1996 at WTC auditorium. Yeah, whenever I think back, still can't quite believe the concert ever happened. But SY were here in small Singapore. They were here! In 1996. Unbelievable eh? :o)

Clap Your Hands Shout Yeah

2006-11-06T14:58:00.000+08:00

Found some great stuff on youtube every night. It's a treasure trove of rare vids. These are clips from a favourite band Spoon, an early Cat Power clip and the crazy new band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. YEAH! :O

The Kims

2006-11-06T09:09:00.001+08:00

There are 2 important Kims- Kim Gordon and Kim Deal.

This vid is truly special. The Breeders playing a GBV song and members of GBV skulking outside the house.

Hello Dayton, Ohio! Thanks YouTube.

Shocker in Gloomtown
Were you there?
Were you kicking?
Alive in aisle 12?
Give the girl a century
In boxes of jars
And give away cars
Hes motioning for you

There was a band
They were sickening
Arousing everyone
P.s. dump your boyfriend
Emotional trash
Emotional trash
With helium balloons

So then tell me
How the hell did we miss it
Bared his ass for all to see
And no one got to kiss it

Indulgence

2006-11-03T06:09:00.000+08:00

For my indulgence...

piling it up

Ass-kicking

2006-10-22T19:13:00.000+08:00

YLT- I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass. - Get it! Nuff said.

now i can't wait for pavement's third reissue- Wowee Zowee: sordid sentinels edition in nov.

Happy Holidays

2005-12-26T16:49:00.000+08:00

It's that time of the year again.

The Clang of bells. Gifts under the tree. Turkey.

My one christmas wish is yet to be fulfilled- I have not ran into any Moose on the road or came across such a creature outside the zoo. I just found out too that the headlights of a vehicle can blind a Moose 'cos their eyes are not accustomed to that blinding glare. So folks, please dim your vehicles' headlights when you are driving in the night and expecting to run into a moose. The poor creature isn't equipped with a car horn...

This Christmas also serves to remind us of the grim event of last year.

I also just found out from Bluesnews that the actress who played Mrs. Martini in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life", Argentina Brunetti, passed away recently on 20 December at the old age of 98. She had written a book and done many cool stuff in her life. Near the end of her life, she became a passionate blogger and made this blog- AB's Hollywood Stories relating events in Hollywood. She was dubbed "Web's oldest blogger". If you check out the blog at ArgentinaBrunetti.com, you can see that she is as much a movie fan, as a movie actress. She took pictures with virtually every actor/actress out there! :/

Like a yearly ritual, I try to watch that ol' classic film on Christmas day when I can.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays.

Cheer - Adventure

2005-11-05T00:13:00.000+08:00

Cheer Chen's new album titled "Adventure" is out. Do check it out.

Found out too late that she'll be here on Nov 19 for a concert at the NTUC auditorium. The 500 or so tickets were sold out. :(

Section of cheer chen's blog off a jap fan site- http://cheer-chen.jp

這幾天密集通告真的吃不消了

想想這三年的輕鬆度日好似浦島太郎遊龍宮
結束剛剛電視節目?影才驚覺好似回到人間已過三百年

明天要早起

畢竟是這十幾天唯一一次也是不得不的一次
好好享用一頓早餐

晩安上海

狂風暴雨的上海
請讓我安然回到我的家

那才是能讓我出發到世界的起點

-綺貞, 2005/8/7上午 03:17:38

Quite taken in by this malkmus song on his new album. In my head all day -

Stephen Malkmus - Freeze the Saints

We meet again
Riding our divisible bodies
Feel no shame
Luck is love is on

If you need the pain
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
Seasons change--nothing lasts for long
Except the earth and the mountains
So learn to sing along and languish here
Help me languish here

It was long ago
That all of your willing dimensions
Lost the flow
And vanished in vaneer

But I want to know
If you are, yes you are so much like me
Steel restraints
Zodiac ballet, everybody play
There's no more counting days, you languish here
Help me languish here

You said, "done is good,"
But done well is so much fucking better
Share the wealth
And cauterize the tears

If you want to know
Well you are, yes you are so much like me
Freeze the saints
Such a subtle read, exquisite pedigree
Just let yourself be and languish here
Help me languish here

This is, imo, a good review of Face The Truth.

Some Days

2005-10-02T14:00:00.000+08:00

Some days, one wishes that everything could be as simple as when Guo Jin first met Huang Rong, and he knew instantly that he loved her. Alas, that is not the case usually.

Searchin' for my Polestar

2005-09-10T17:04:00.000+08:00

This small, excellent japanese series "Searchin' for my Polestar" (Tentai Kanzoku or 天体観測)- follows a group of 7 friends, how life changed for each of them, 3 years after they graduated from the uni. It is showing again on Channel U on the weekends.

(from japan.videoland.com.tw)

Starring Koyuki (小雪)- most will remember her role with Tom Cruise in "The Last Samurai". Great actress- must say her performance and that other Japanese dude's stole the show from Tom Cruise in that movie.

(from jdorama.com)

Features some great soundtrack by Bump of Chicken and Mika Nakashima. Am trying to find that theme song.

Quotable quotes-

When Kyoichi started the astronomy society in school- "An individual may not be able to find that certain star in the sky. But with a big group of us, it's easier to see that star."

"Each of us is a boat. That can only hold one person. When we see a person struggling in the waters, sometimes we can't do anything but helplessly watch him drown. But we are boats with the ability to sail major oceans. And when we group our tiny boats together, we can ride thru the most maniacal storms. Each of us is a boat. That can only hold one person..."

Baby, C'mon

2005-08-17T03:08:00.001+08:00

Been a while. And I bring to you an incredibly fun song by Stephen Malkmus, former frontman Pavement. "Baby C'mon" from recently released album "Face the Truth".

Click here to Download (from official Matador Records site)

Baby, C'mon

With a thousand tiny terrors
No more weekend shares
Make it get away
Baby come on

If you give it to me timmy
I'm out here on a limb-y
I don't need hideaways
Baby come on

well, half-way through my life
I flipped on internal bitch so
Tell it to me straight
Baby come on

And i know that the shapes are great
So i won't hesitate
To leave it at the door
Baby come on

I see you're under my diamond
I see you driving the winter shell

So you say that you're too old to yell
But too young for hell
It's not far away
Baby come on

If a life of tears cuts you down
You can sit around
I won't make you stay
Baby, come on

I see your lovely traffic pose
I see you're trailing what you're good for

Baby come on
Baby come on
Baby come on
Baby come on, let me come

Baby come on
Baby come on
Baby come on

"Well half way thru my life, I flipped on internal bitch so"
hurhur great stuff.

special treats- folks may wanna check these out-

S.M. on KCRW show 'Morning Becomes Eclectic'
(S.M. on acoustic guitar :p)
(from KCRW website)

Concert recording on CBC radio3 website. Search for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.

all malkmus' weekend. hoho.

Random Sightings

2005-05-15T09:31:00.000+08:00

Do you know this movie- Serendipity (2001)? (Got the spelling right?) Starring John Cusack etc etc. Nothing amazing about it. In fact, I didn't like the cast or plot of the film. Parts of the film are funny but that's about it. It's along the line of movies such as Annie Hall, Sleepless In Seattle, When Harry Met Sally. What is strange is that I always happen to catch it when it's showing. Caught the movie when it was first shown in the cinemas here. A friend had spare tickets. Subsequently, I managed to watch the movie or parts of it on TV on various occasions/locations. So, this, now, is like the 5th or 6th time I've seen it. And the film is really about mad coincidences. I blame it on the repetitive program schedules of cable tv.

Anyway, I decided to note down some details of the film on this 6th outing.

Sightings in the movie-

A book titled Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Strictly for the hopelessly romantic. Either this book or some other won the author the Nobel Prize.

The star system Cassiopeia. Had to look up the spelling for this one. Yeah, I know how to spell it now.

The movie Bridges of Madison County was mentioned.

The ice-skating rink in Rockefeller Center, Central Park, NY.

Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Bloomingdale's.

Fatum means Fate, Destiny or Doom, in Latin.

That Nick Drake's song.

In other news, I just got my first phat lewt (epic), after what, 5 months of WoW?

Phat Lewt

My Skewed Lenses

2005-04-14T08:52:00.000+08:00

I wanna talk about how infectious Cheer Chen's songs can be. Watched the mtv "Jiu3 Feng4 De4 Ka1 Fei1 Dian4" (Coffeeshop at Jiu3 Feng4). Can't get it outta my head.

Wanna visit Jiu3 Feng4 九份, Taiwan. But I don't know. Has 九份 changed?

I wanna call this friend who seemed to have disappeared.

Wanna mention the anime Full Metal Alchemist. The fundamental law of Alchemy, one of the ideologies the anime is based on- "You reap what you sow." You can only gain what you put in/gave up. Most things can be summed up with a constant. Life can be so simple. The equations we learnt in Chem class.

Wanna catch Hou Hsiao Hsien's films at the film fest. Talk about his early films. Film Fest's starting today.

Talked to a friend on internet yesterday on Warcraft3 strategies. Felt like I could go on talking for the entire day on this same topic. Kinda brought me back to old poly "Mud" days- where the buncha us geeks would hang out after school to mud till the comp lab closes, we'd then head down to the Mac at nearby King's Cross Ave? to discuss the adventures we had that day. Whereby the menu for the next day could be to slay so-and-so Dragon. Fun times.

I wanna know someone who has read Mallory's LeMorte D'Arthur. Read the funny version The Once and Future King by T.H. White. To tell me the details. It was, really, pretty sad at the end.

My hard-disk is dying. Making strange grinding noises. Recorded a single 4kb bad sector. GG. Thanks for the good times.

To talk about this french film I watched recently- Jeux d'enfants (2003 (Child's Game/Love me if you dare). I kinda enjoyed it. But yeah, looking at the reviews- you either like it or hate it. Great first-time effort by the director imo. Learnt that popular song in the film is titled La vie en Rose.

Wanna talk about these things and more.

Glanced thru some other blogs of friends/folks I don't know.

Sometimes, what we chose to put up on a blog, tells more about us, than the content that was written. These choices, the "How" and "Why" (we decided to post certain stuff) occasionally tells more about a person than the content itself. The content at times didn't matter. Other times, it did. Silly idea I thought up.

Random (or not so random) Quote of the Day -

"What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Back up to Heaven all alone
Nobody callin' on the phone
cept for the Pope maybe in Rome" -Joan Osborne.

陈绮贞 - 妈妈睡了

妈妈睡了

歌手:陈绮贞专辑:收藏陈绮贞(最新创作

被罚跪的下午
"为了什么被惩罚呢"
从小的恶习到现在还是改不掉
"到底为了什么被惩罚呢"
总是会很轻松的被忘掉
用跪在地上的膝盖
慢慢的慢慢的在绿色的地毯上移动
绿色的地毯"是绿色还是黄色呢"
"到底是绿色还是黄色"
错误的童年记忆对智能没有损伤
"妈妈睡了吗"
为什么窗外这样大的太阳
怎么
样都睡不着的我
无聊的在床的四周用膝盖走来走去
妈妈却还睡的如此深沉呢
我偷偷摸了一下妈妈的鼻息
看到妈妈薄薄的眼皮突然动了一下
我很快的将手收回来
"呼"松了一口气
嗯妈妈睡了
我很安心
悄悄的从抽屉拿出可以换衣服的纸娃娃
一边罚跪一边玩了起来
红裙子白上衣棉被真厚冷气好大声
妈妈可不可以不要变老
漂亮的妈妈不会老
真的喔
午睡结束的时候
妈妈和我都笑嘻嘻
没有人记得我为什么被惩罚的下午
在太阳下山的时候溜过去

"While her mom slept, she felt under her nose to feel her breathing. Mom's shut eyelids twitched a little. Retrieved her hand. She felt relieved..."

陈绮贞 - 九份的咖啡店

九份的咖啡店

歌手:陈绮贞专辑:收藏陈绮贞最新创作

这里的景色像你变幻莫测
这样的午后我坐在九份的马路边
这里的空气很新鲜
这里的感觉很特别
仰望这片天空
遥尽我对你的思念
窗外的星空像你嬉笑不眠
这样的午夜我坐在九份的咖啡店
这里的街道有点改变
这里的人群喧闹整夜
望着朦胧的海岸线
是否还能回到从前
昨日的单纯今天的实际像你
而你也早已不是你
我的心是一杯调和过的咖啡
怀念着往日淡薄的青草味
窗外的景色像你没什么道理
这样的午后我在忠孝东路的咖啡店
这里的街道有点危险
这里的人群面无表情
想问你也问问自己
是否还会记得从前
怀念着往日的坚持和现在你我的改变

SIFF 2005

2005-03-22T08:27:00.000+08:00

Been a while since I updated here. :)

Yeah, the Film Fest is here again. And guess what they have for this year's opening film? An anime- Steamboy! Closing film is another anime- Ghost in the Shell 2. Kudos to the organisers (Phillip Cheah and gang). Kinda tempted to catch the opening film despite the hefty ticket price.

Steamboy

If you found the art familiar, it's done by none other than the makers of Akira. Yeah been a long time coming. Like a decade in the making of the film too.

Do check it out at the film fest website:

Singapore Int' Film Fest '05

Starting on the 14th of April, tickets are on sale now (online/Sistic). Ok, will do a follow-up on the films I'll be watching soon.

Seasons Greetings

2004-12-26T11:09:00.000+08:00

What I've been up to-

Me and Jaina

Me and Tyrande (Priestess of the Moon)

Me and Santa

Me and Tocc (Friend who became a snowman)

Yay

Merry Christmas all.

Ed/Turkey Day

2004-11-26T07:13:00.000+08:00

Like most of the other good stuff, they're all set to can this one.

Between watching the series, Ed, on tv and anticipating to play WoW, I'd say life is pretty alright.

Ed- mainly because it has some of that Northern Exposure feel to it and it features a bowling alley...

Also, it's Thanksgivings. And Christmas is a month away. Not that the day will be any different for me, just nice to see most everyone in a festive mood and feeling generally happy about it.

Christmas reminds me of this...

And this...

Just the fact that it always seemed to be snowing in Cicely. :/

I want to see Morty (or any moose) out in the wild, in a field of white snow. On Christmas day. And then I will die a peaceful man. lol

Feeling all nostalgic about NX/Morty the Moose/the emotional weather reports all of a sudden. Think about it, there's a fella named Ed in NX too. Hmm.

Roflcopter2

2004-11-20T02:58:00.000+08:00

WoW open beta came to a close yesterday. I had several screenshots I wanted to show(including this really nice one of an Infernal lunging at my little gnome), but I needed some hdd space so I uninstalled WoW, foolishly, along with the screenshots. :P Well, too bad I guess. Final moments before the servers came down, the GMs (gamemasters) spawned several huge mobs that rampaged the city of Stormwind and other major cities, killing many folks and turning several others into chickens. One of these mobs was a Dreadlord and his fucking cool, massive Infernal.

Let's just say, the beta experience was good. I haven't played Everquest 2 so I can't compare the two. But I think I will enjoy WoW for 3 months at least, given the fact that I haven't experienced the higher levels' content and it usually takes about 3 months to get to those content. I won't elaborate on what is good with the game since everyone already know most of it. Maybe I'll just summarize the goodness with one word- Quests. :) Also had a ball of a time being part of this raid with some 30 folks on the final day. Our alliance raid-group tried to invade the goblin town of Ratchet. Kinda brought back memories of ol' DAoC's RvR action. However, like the problem with DAoC, there's a visible lack of incentive to PvP and PvP content in general in WoW. (We won't see the much touted Honor system and Battlegrounds, both important PvP content, in the release) DAoC's RvR didn't really do it for me the last time either. I prefer small, concentrated skirmishes to messy large-scale battles so I hope WoW will provide venues for small skirmishes in future.

The first and only 'Instance' raid I joined a couple days ago was pretty fun too. It was known as the VanCleef raid. Had to pass thru meandering caves/mines/mini-bosses to finally arrive at a pirate ship. We weren't a full group (there were 4 of us- 2 warlocks, a lvl30 paladin and me, a rogue) but we eventually beat the instance. Took about 3 to 4 hours. It was pretty tough and intense, and we were in fact beaten on several occasions. But warlocks have the ability to create these Soulstones (which enable a person to self-resurrect) every 30mins. Our more experienced paladin was amply supplied with these and coupled with his personal ability to heal and resurrect, we managed to pull through.

Anyway, 5 days till release. Pretty much at a loss on how I should spend my evenings till then. Half-life 2, anyone? Hyak hyak.

A Different Opinion

Beta Writeup: World of Warcraft [2:Margalis]

This one offered a rather critical preview/write-up of WoW, from the pov of Margalis on Waterthread.

This is like the cumulation of all the main faults with WoW. I'll like to add another- that is the lack of PvP content. You know, like when you just started out in DAoC, you had a vague idea what RvR is about, but somehow you felt there's something missing from the whole idea (esp. after you'd gone on the first Keep Raid, like there's a lack of incentive to RvR in the whole thing... ), there is a similar 'something' missing from WoW's PvP. But nothing that a good PvP patch can't fix, except that they better not let us wait too long for the patch, like the trillion years it took for the Daoc Frontier patch to occur.

I didn't agree with everything in the writeup. If, after reading this, you still find the game to be sufficiently fun (like I do), then go ahead, buy and try out the game. /plug

Roflcopter

2004-11-12T10:50:00.000+08:00

Made a Gnome Rogue in WoW. :) Visited the Dwarven city of Ironforge.

Approaching Ironforge. Standing in awe.

Hallway into the great Dwarven city.

The place is Huge.

Pouring lava. The Great Forge.

Valley of the Kings.

This gnome wants to fly an Roflcopter someday.

Fly your trusty Roflcopter to battle hordes of Lollerskaters with Wtfbombs.

WoWee zowee

2004-11-10T16:47:00.000+08:00

Big games. Small games. They're all coming. To a store near you this holiday season.

Downloading WOW (World of Warcraft) Open Beta at the moment. 78%. Crawling. Grr.

Gonna play an Orc Combat Rogue or something maybe.

Feel the wrath yet? the Triple Backstab + Poison + Critical Pain? :) Haha.

Stay tuned for preview of the game soon.

All I want for X'mas

2004-11-06T02:52:00.000+08:00

Are many many Compact Discs.

"COOOOKIES!! MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH!!" :O

Everquest2
World of Warcraft
Vampires: Bloodline
Half-life 2
Sid Meiers' Pirates!

And maybe an It's a Wonderful Life DVD to watch on that day. List goes on.

Cheer Chen's Travel Story

Cheer's homemade video

At the end of the vid., I was reminded of something a friend, Warren, exclaimed a long time ago, "It's all about the clouds. It's all about the clouds." :P

Random Quote of the Day:

"They'll yell something like, "commie," or "pacifist" but then flee when they find out you are neither, especially the latter."
- Jim Jones

WayAbvPar on Waterthread pointed this out in Jim Jones' article, Getting Testy in Florida. "A Marine Corps vet tells some tales of confrontation from the front lines of the get-out-the-vote effort (for Kerry) in Tampa, Florida."

Thought it's fairly funny. /shrug :)

Any Comments?

2004-10-26T11:25:00.000+08:00

Btw, just installed this Haloscan commenting tool. Kinda fancied the crazy ads the comment tool randomly spurts out on Shey's site. So I thought I must have that. :) Took all of about a minute to install too. Check out this current ad:

Lesbian Misbehavin'
I'd SPANK George W -- if he was my type.

Froth Slosh B'Gosh
Somewhat liberal, Pittsburgh based blog

Haha.

Heaven

2004-10-24T13:24:00.000+08:00

Disregard the corny title of this post. The message is pretty corny too.

Well, my sis is totally hooked on the Korean drama, Stairways to Heaven. She recently went on a trip to Korea with her friends- It was a rather 'unplanned' trip. It's like her friends and her, after they were done watching this and other Korean series, decided on-the-fly to apply for leave to go to Korea. Hope you get the level of their addiction now. After she came back, it's like Stairways to Heaven day-in and day-out on our TVs. Wherever she's around, Stairways to Heaven is playing close by. It's that eerie.

Anyway, Stairways to Heaven reminded me of the Bob Dylan song Knocking on Heaven's Door. That, in turn, reminded me of the long opening sequence for that other korean movie- Windstruck (the part where she leaped off the skyscraper). The Korean Invasion into our innocent lives, brought about by my sis, started all this. Next thing I know- I'm getting nightmares about being cast in a Korean drama or something. If you noticed, actors in Korean dramas all does a similar 'irked' reaction. They all do the same facial gesture when they're annoyed by stuff. It's like a part of their culture. I do that irked-face to my sis often these days. 'Spoken-Korean' gets on my nerves too. It's more fun listening to a buncha seals squealing in a zoo enclosure. But Jeon Ji-Hyun is korean.

Windstruck reminded me of Jeon Ji-Hyun (of My Sassy Girl fame) and how I disliked the male actor in the movie. Mere jealousy, maybe. The movie wasn't that great too. But everything else in the world stood pitifully inadequate in the face of Jeon Ji-Hyun. Jeon Ji-Hyun, in photo-stills or 2-dimensional, is just an ok, very pretty Korean girl. Catch Jeon Ji-Hyun on the move and it's quite something else. How do you define beauty of the tallest order? How do you define beauty etched in a dimension outside time and space? How do you define beauty that escapes trappings of it's own definition, that isn't beauty anymore? How do you define words like eternity or immortality? Ok, I'm choking. *Cough*

(Corn. Flakes. A pic is supposed to go in here. But I couldn't find a photo of her that she wasn't in a pose of any sort.)

Now, here's someone who can maybe do it without choking himself. Milan Kundera explained in the opening paragraph of his book, Immortality-

. . . She walked around the pool toward the exit. She passed the lifeguard, and after she had gone some three or four steps beyond him, she turned her head, smiled, and waved to him. At that instant I felt a pang in my heart! That smile and that gesture belonged to a twenty-year-old girl! Her arm rose with bewitching ease. It was as if she were playfully tossing a brightly colored ball to her lover. That smile and that gesture had charm and elegance, while the face and the body no longer had any charm. It was the charm of a gesture drowning in the charmlessness of the body. But the woman, though she must of course have realized that she was no longer beautiful, forgot that for the moment. There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless. In any case, the instant she turned, smiled, and waved to the young lifeguard (who couldn't control himself and burst out laughing), she was unaware of her age. The essence of her charm, independent of time, revealed itself for a second in that gesture and dazzled me. I was strangely moved. And then the word Agnes entered my mind. Agnes. I had never known a woman by that name.
- Milan Kundera, Immortality.

Off to play some Warcraft Dota now.