Month: August 2008

Categories
Snippet of My Life

Snippet Of My Life Episode 14 – Being Supportive, 500 Below, And Two Quizzes

A Quiz

To the first person who can tell me how the above picture was taken, I will cook you a very nice Cantonese meal.

A Self-Reflection

A recent insignificant episode prompted me to self-reflect: Why do I enjoy being supportive to others, especially to those who are passionate in what they do?  Random thoughts as follows.

  • Maybe I am easily excited by the good things I see and the potential of what things can be.
  • I feel touched when someone is willing to (interactively) share a slice of their private lives with me.  And to that extend, I respect that piece of privileged information.
  • How many gold medalists are there out there?  We can still add meaning and purpose to what we do, in our daily quest of bettering ourselves even though we may not be legends.
  • Whether I would have spent my time doing something other than what someone is doing neither means that I cannot relate to the passion involved, nor respect its importance to that someone.  One friend of mine loves to jog.  Day in day out he jogs.  I wish I could have his passion and he recently took home a “silver medal” for a 10km run in his age bracket.  Dude, you are my inspiration.

This little self-reflection has a part two: How shall I negatively opine against what others are passionately doing?

  • Normally I don’t, unless someone is soliciting frank opinion.  And unless I have a good intend.
  • If it is my own skeptic thought with no constructive follow-on suggestions, I will bite my tongue.  Raising doubts is easy, helping others to break through to the next level is hard.  Unless I am asking someone to give up of course.  Huh?  Why would I want to do that under normal circumstances?
  • But if I have something constructive to say, I will share with him or her.
  • And If I do care about that someone and worry that he or she may be veering to the wrong direction, I will also say it.  For example, I am blessed to have friends who keep me in check knowing how I may, for instance, be prone to obsession.  You guys rock!

Another Quiz

Has anyone realized a common theme for all the August 2008 entries?  I won’t keep you in suspense: 500 Below.

All the entries published this month are having a word count of 500 and below.  Perhaps next month, I shall aim lower.  What do you think?

Related Post: Answer to That Quiz and My Spanish Class Continues with The World of Verbs And What Not

Categories
Memorable Events

HBO Asia Premiere of Flight of the Conchords – A Blogger Event

I was invited to a blogger event hosted by HBO Asia.  And I grabbed Cynthia along to keep me away from the distraction of so many beautiful celebrity bloggers at the party.  It was a memorable evening, eye-opening to say the least, to tour the HBO compound from production to live broadcast.  Before we get into that, let’s talk about this new HBO TV series “Flight of the Conchords” premiering next Wednesday at 10.30pm.

Is there such a genre as comedy rock?  Apparently there is.  A New Zealand award wining comedy duo – Bret and Jemaine – that brings laughter to the audience through their witty observation and music, I find their new TV series much fun to watch.  Having New York City as the backdrop, “Flight of the Conchords” tells a story of two New Zealanders trying hard to achieve success in America.  The comedy materials are original, interlaced with hilariously over-the-top music videos, and beyond all these never-would-have-expected human behaviors, there is certain level of rawness and honestly from the comedian team and from the set.  Nothing is over-produced; it is what it is. 

Now, back to the blogger event, Cynthia and I had the opportunity to see the various processes involved in creating a promo clip.  How talented and specialized the crew members are in creating all those extra stuff you see on the HBO channel.  I for sure will not watch the channel the same way as before.  Since I too enjoy creating videos and recording music of my band in my leisure time, seeing how the pros do it is indeed inspiring.

The most dramatic part of the tour – besides viewing two episodes of “Flight of the Conchords” – is the dark control room that does the satellite broadcast to the countries in the Asia region (top right picture above).  TV programs are transmitted live with subtitles catered for different geographies, real time access of 120 TB worth of movies (I did ask if I could make a copy) – all monitored by one single person.  I don’t watch that much TV but for the TV loving Cynthia, I could only imagine what this tour means to her.

In a (secret) room somewhere I saw two huge flat panel TVs broadcasting HD signal.  Wow … HD testing!  Dear HBO Asia, if you need volunteers at home to test your HD signal, I would kindly sacrifice my living room to be the HBO HD test center.  I would even buy a flat panel TV for that purpose.

Big thanks to Karen and her team from HBO in giving us such a memorable experience, a wonderful host with such great hospitality.  And also cheers to the folks from Text100.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Related site: HBO Asia Flight of the Conchords Blog

Categories
I See I Write

2008 DMC World DJ Championship Singapore Finals Sponsored by TDK Life on Record – See Y’all There!

Beijing Olympic may be over but the DMC World DJ Championship is heating up.  Cynthia and I will be heading to Zouk this Saturday (heats at 9pm, final at 11pm) and see who is going to represent Singapore to battle for the World Supremacy title at London this September.  Sounds exciting?  Damn right it’s going to be!

DJ Kid Fresh – 3 times World Champion – from Germany will be there to rock the house.  I’ve checked out his MySpace and he does have some pretty cool stuff.  I am told that the sponsor TDK Life on Record has commissioned DJ Perplex (2006, 2007 DMC Australian Champ) to mix a CD of up-and-coming artists from around the globe and the CD will be distributed during the show!  His music direction is more into a mesh of hip-hop, electro, and experimental.  Wanna download a sample (I heard it, it is good stuff)?

The rule is pretty simple.  Each contestant will be given 3 minutes at the elimination round to “bring it on”.  Final round will last for 6 minutes.  What the contestants allow to use are two turntables and one mixer as well as any stylus in the Ortofon range.  What this setup does is simply allowing the DJ to creatively mix the music from two different sources.  And because effects and modifications to the setup is not allow in this competition, it is really back to basic and put every DJ on the same ground.

Edit: My insider source tells me that there will be lovely ladies from TDK Life on Record to demo the TDK headphones.  They will be in around the area so do try them out when you have a chance (erm … the headphones)!  Zouk members will receive a discount over these headphones at Cyberactive.  Now, who is kind enough to lend me a Zouk card?!

Note: Zouk admission on Aug 30 for non-members (incl. 2 drinks) – S$18 before 10pm, S$25, S$30 after.

Categories
Whacky Thoughts

My New “It’s So Strange” Movement / And I Started Swimming Again

This is me, swimming in Backstroke.  It’s a strange drawing of mine, isn’t it?

Maybe I tend to influence people around me with my quirks and twists; maybe everybody is influencing everybody else with his or her quirks and twists.  Last year, I started the “Do It” movement.  Some colleague of mine told me that they have even started saying “do it” outside their work.  This year, I am starting the “It’s So Strange” movement.  I bumped onto my colleague this morning and he ended his comment with “it’s so strange”.  Uh oh.  What have I done?

“It’s So Strange” is a wonderful comment.  It could mean I-don’t-like-it-but-hey-who-am-I-to-comment?  Or it-is-crap-but-there-is-nothing-we-can-do.  How about OK-we’ve-tried-our-best-and-it’s-beyond-us?  Or simply, I-can’t-explain.  By saying “it’s so strange”, I find that people become less defensive and more curious about what makes me think that way.  Instead of hating me, they empathize or sympathize my puzzlement.  And for those who truly understand why I say “it’s so strange”, we all laugh at the dark side of the humor.

Today is a strange day.  I woke up this morning still having this backache.  Maybe I spent too much time at Azeroth over the weekend; maybe I spent too much time hunting mouse at Facebook.  I must have sat too straight, or stood too straight, I got a lousy backache.  Usually the backache would go away with my morning stretching ritual, but it didn’t.

On my way home I said to Cynthia, “I should go for swimming or jogging”.  Why did I say that?  Maybe I am inspired by some new blogger friends who are into sport; maybe I am inspired by so many friends out there who are suddenly into all kinds of sports.  Almost like a conspiracy.  It’s so strange.

So Cynthia offered to cook dinner while I headed for a swim.  Ah, the beautiful blue swimming pool.  I dived slided into the pool, inspired by Michael Phelps, I tried to rotate my shoulders while doing Breaststroke.  Breaststroke used to be a walk-in-the-park style for me but I was panting hard after one lap.  That’s no good.  Then I switched to Freestyle.  Couldn’t last the entire lap (small pool at my condo some more).  Uh oh.  I couldn’t even got my arms completely off the water with my Butterfly style.

Damn.

What I could do though, was Backstroke – one of my weakest styles besides Butterfly.  It was dark and I have to count my stroke in order to avoid hitting the wall.  By the time I got out of the pool, water droplets all over my body, there were ladies siting around the pool, young girls walking around the condo, businesswomen returning from work.  There I was hardly able to walk feeling all naked with my six …

Anyway, once I made it home, Cynthia greeted me and said, “So you feel like a rock star right?”  She always feels great after the exercise.  I was panting, my head was pounding.  Duh!

Good thing is, my backache is gone, for now.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews Romance

Cyborg She (僕の彼女はサイボーグ) – How Many Times Can You Alter Your Past?

I really love this Japanese film.  I am so feeling her heart  – an expression I learn from the film to describe a strong affection in a cyborg-human relationship: I feel your heart!  While the Americans are remaking the Korean success “My Sassy Girl”, the director of the aforementioned movie, Kwak Jae-yong, has created “Cyborg She”.

Let’s not look into the technical details of the paradox of time travel.  Besides, that would give out spoiler, which I don’t normally do without warning.  There are enough twists in “Cyborg She” that keep the audience in suspense all the way to the end.  The special effect of the Cyborg looks convincing, so are the scenes from a Japanese small town in the old days as well as ‘that disaster’.  The acting of the main actress Haruka Ayase (綾瀬 はるか) looks convincing too.  She is so pretty.  I read somewhere that she acted in that Japanese movie “Hero”.  She has certainly left a deeper impression this time.  If I may add, the soundtrack is great too.

Arguably one of the more original movies based on the concept of time, “Cyborg She” is my favorite romance story that involves time travel.  Exactly why the director Kwak Jae-yong likes to create female characters that are so overpowering, I have no clue.  But I always enjoy watching or reading stories that involve heroines.

If I must pick something to critic, some scenes appear to be repetitive and a bit too lengthy.  Then again, with such an eye candy, who really cares?

I have been pondering why titled as such.  “I, Robot” came into my mind.  If I think along that line, “Cyborg She” seems fine.  Time to wait for the DVD to be out!  Below is the trailer, with Chinese subtitles.

Categories
Blu-ray / DVD Review

Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-08 Anniversary (DVD) – Raising the Bar Once Again

Foreign as it may sound to you, Ayumi has been a great inspiration to me.  It is a pity that many find language a barrier that is too high to cross.  Even if you are not into Ayumi’s music, watching her concert recordings will certainly open your eyes to what a live performance can be: the innovation, the overall production quality, and the superb entertainment value. 

So, what is so great about this particular indoor recording?

A large stage with moving platforms, fountains, and fireworks, a crane that takes Ayumi closer to the crowd, a talented band and a group of equally talented dancers are all attributes that we have seen before in her previous concerts.  Hence, it is a given, something you would expect to see from any Ayumi concerts.  Beyond these, here is how Ayumi celebrated her 10 years of music career.

The Stage

If how well an artist performs live is judged by how well he or she covers the stage area, Ayumi has certainly up the challenge by extending the front stage all the way to the back via a runway as well as a side stage.  Ayumi, her dancers, and her band members moved from one end of the stage to another.  In one of the bonus clips, there is a split screen on how she tunneled (via a trolley pushed by two men!) from one stage into another and ‘magically appeared’ from nowhere.

The Choreography

I may not know what the songs are about without reading the Chinese translation.  However, the choreography is so great that it communicates the stories.  One highlight is the lyrical dance on one of the slow songs.  It moves me.  And for this concert, the lead choreographer did something different: he involved the audience to practice the upper body dance moves.  During one part of a song that came much later, he gave the clue and suddenly, the entire stadium danced in unison.  The emotion is intense, even as I was siting in front of my TV.

The Personality

Inside the bonus clips, viewers get to see Ayumi’s glamor side, her humble side, and her determined side.  She is so driven in all areas though she may not be great in all.  But her quest for superb quality and bringing out the best in the people around her is just amazing.  Whatever she demands from others, I can only imagine that she demands much more from herself.

Closing Thoughts

Politically incorrect as it may sound, this image sticks in my mind.  When the Crusaders first arrived at Jerusalem, they were shocked by how advance the culture of the people in the Middle East was.  The quality of Ayumi’s production is certainly unseen of, for those who take the Western production as a benchmark.

Another image that sticks in my mind is this.  At the end of the concert, in one dramatic moment, Ayumi silenced the entire stadium, took a moment of silence, and screamed out words of thanks – without a mic.  You are my inspiration, Ayu.

Categories
My YouTube

Video of Hella Good, 1st Session

OK.  This video is dedicated to our friends who have been so supportive for my home made Voodoo Mix of No Doubt’s “Hella Good” and eager to watch what it is like with drums and guitars.  To set the expectation right, this recording is our band’s first session playing this cover song (and very rarely we do so as we prefer to play our original songs).  If it was that good, I would be making a living at the club “Insomnia” instead of being a 9-to-5 arguable one of the fastest value-adding electronic postmen of the world.

We didn’t get a decent studio room this time so pardon the sound quality.  I did the best I can from the sound engineering point of view.  Hardly could I hear what I played or sang that day.

On a more positive note, Wieke did merge the essence of the “Hella Good” drum beats with that famous One Republic track and implemented into our original song “Kids From The Park”.  It was pretty funky.  Hope to share with y’all some time in the future.

PS: A big thanks to Selrol who took our video.

Related Post: Hella Good Is Hella Tough! Here Is Our Voodoo Mix

Categories
Announcement Linguistic My Hobbies

Band Website Revamped Relaunched, Plus My 5th Spanish Lesson

Before I get to how I honestly, unintentionally got our Spanish teacher Anna blushed in front of the entire class, let’s talk about how I nearly felt asleep during the lesson.  I was revamping, relaunching our band’s website http://www.NoEyeCandy.com till two in the morning.  See that new banner featured in this post?  Besides a list of past events, each of my band member has written up something to share.  Most of y’all know about me, I’m sure.  But not them, perhaps.

Looking at that list of events – that probably only make sense to me – took me back to the fond memory lane of how our journey started.  As we begin to approach event organizers, I think it is a high time to put up something in public.  If we do make it, I will open up a new website like I have done it before.

Now, back to my Spanish class, on one hand I appreciate that learning a language involves the absorption of the basic albeit long set of verbs and nouns and grammatical constructs.  On the other hand, it has to be fun and relevant to today’s day-to-day life.  Correct?  While I understand the necessity of going beyond the number 0 to 20 as we have learned in the last lesson, learning a long list of not frequently spoken professions such as milkman and shepherd and even fireman seems a bit dry.  So I would – within the scope of the lesson – ask questions to take us beyond the textbook materials.

Questions such as … how to say “happy birthday” in Spanish?  Yesterday was Anna’s birthday.  The answer is: ¡Felicidades!  Feliz cumpleaños and we kept repeating, and repeating the sentence.  I would be very happy if the entire class say “happy birthday” to me, even if it is one day late.  And then I asked how to sing the “happy birthday” song in Spanish.  It is hard to describe in words.  The atmosphere was warm and there was lots of laughter.  We all sang the birthday song in Spanish a couple of times and got Anna blushing towards the end.  For those who are curious how it sounds like, the lyrics is as follows.  The third line literally translates to you-we wish-all or in English, we all wish you …

cumpleaños feliz
cumpleaños feliz
te deseamos todos
cumpleaños feliz

Categories
My Hobbies Oil Painting

My 9th Oil Painting – Monument of the Unopened (Day 208 of Being a Teetotaler)

Last Sunday marked the 208th day of I being a teetotaler; this oil painting is 208 days in the making.  My story of “From a Borderline Alcoholic to a Teetotaler” will be posted here another day, I promise.  Today I wish to write about a hobby that I’ve left behind for about one and a half years.

Ever since I told Cynthia that I refrain from use of alcoholic liquors, on more than one occasion when we were scratching our heads on what gifts to bring along, she always pointed to the bottles of the unopened wine.  “I don’t understand why we can’t give them away since you are not drinking anymore,” she would comment.

For the past 208 days, I have five bottles of white wine, one bottle of red wine, one bottle of VSOP, and two cans of cold beer lying somewhere in my home.  I am not opening them because I have made a decision and I wish to stick with it; I am not giving them away because I wish to paint and immortalize this moment.

I swear when I lined up the bottle readied to start painting, I had this sudden urge.  But that urge was soon overwhelmed by the smell of the turpentine.  Do artists get addicted to oil painting because of this thin volatile essential oil?  That certainly gave me the lightheadedness.  How I miss oil painting.  To get the perspective right, I had to sit on the floor.  Not a very comfortable position to paint.  But it is good to try something different.  In retrospect, I don’t think I have got the color of the white wine bottles right.  Perhaps next time, I will do a better job.

Click here for my oil painting “gallery”.

Categories
Everyday News

Singapore Won A Medal, I am Ecstatic

Early this month, I mentioned that Singapore needs more good news.  Today, Team Singapore delivers us a silver medal.  I don’t know how my fellow citizens feel.  I am ecstatic.  And in my state of ecstasy, two questions still linger on my mind: What does ‘Singapore will at least get a silver medal’ mean?  And how do you measure Singaporean-ness?

The first question is a strange one.  Of course any country that enters the final match will get a gold or a silver medal.  So why this mindset that we would at least get a silver?  No clue.  I have watched the match and I think we have proven to be a worthy opponent against China.  Well done Team Singapore.  You guys have done us proud.

The second question puzzles me too.  No offence to some of my friends who may not regard our national table tennis team members as Singaporean as they could be.  I too come from a far away land and call Singapore my home since 1998 – the year that I sworn in.  Is a one year old Singapore born baby more Singaporean than a new citizen who has sworn in for a year?  Hmmm …

To measure Singaporean-ness, I guess we can only observe actions.  Check these out:

  1. One who is born or sworn in as a Singaporean
  2. … and he/she has done something very patriotic
  3. … and he/she has done something very unpatriotic

To me, only case #3 makes me roll my eyes.  Otherwise, you are my beloved country mate whether or not you have yet exhibited observable patriotic actions.

Last October, I was at the airport waiting for Cynthia’s plane to touch down.  There was a huge crowd with people all cheering.  That puzzled me.  I would be shocked if I was to come out from the gate and meet this crowd.  Some foreigners smiled in awe.  Then I caught the Welcome Back Team Singapore signboard (see picture above).  And that was the first time I heard of Team Singapore.

To those who are in the Team Singapore and are out there in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, many congratulations.  You all have only yourself to challenge and better.  One world, one dream!