And it's not just a game, you can't throw me away
I put all I had on the line
And I give and you take and I played the high stakes
I've won and I've lost but I'm fine

Hear me say I'll rise up till the end
Hear me say I'll stand up for my friends
And I crash to the ground and it's just my own sound
I drop in a blink of an eye
I'm color blind

And your milky way fight won't stop my delight
You keep me and lock me away
And it's dark and it's bright
It's your colorful pride that kept me here 9000 days

Hear me say I'll see the sky again
Hear me say I'll die for you my friend
There's a noise in the crowd but it's just my own shout
I stumble, I fall and I pray

I hear you say your eyes see green again
In the end we'll lift our golden hands
Yes, we'll spark you and I
We'll be color blind
And these are the lives we gave

Hear me say I'll rise up 'til the end
Hear me say that I'll stand beside my friends
I won't stay on the floor
I will settle the score
I stumble, I fall and I pray

Hear me say it's time we stopped our hate
Eye to eye we see a different fate
Yes we've conquered the war
With love at the core
I stumble, I fall, but I'll stay
Color blind.

colorblind
overtone
invictus

The Films Of 2009 That I Must Get On DVD

Presenting today's list of DVDs of 2009 films that I am anxiously awaiting/will soon be purchasing: (in alphabetical order)

1. 500 Days of Summer
2. The Brothers Bloom
3. Coraline
4. Star Trek
5. Up

(Incidentally, this is a list of movies I've already seen but would like to own on DVD. There's probably several other shows which I've yet to see -but would definitely like to see and eventually own- that aren't on this list. Also, since 2009 is far from over, there might be a few movies coming out that might make the list too.)

追

这一生 也在进取
这分钟 却挂念谁
我会说 是唯独你不失去
好风光 似幻似虚
谁明人生乐趣
我会说为情为爱 仍然是对

好光阴 纵然没太多
一分钟 那又如何
会与你共同度过 都不枉过
疯恋多 错误更多
如能从新做过
我会说 愿能为你 提前做错

谁比你重要 成功了败了 也完全无重要
谁比你重要 狂风与暴雨都因你燃烧

一追再追 只想追赶生命里一分一秒
原来多么可笑 你是真正目标
一追再追 追踪一些生活最基本需要
原来早不缺少
有了你 即使平凡也最重要

只得你 会叫我方佛人群里最重要
有了你 即使沉睡了 也在笑

- 张国荣

If you're wondering about my first - and possibly only - Chinese post, was re-watching 金枝玉叶 for like the hundredth time which this song is from and always, always makes me go awwwww :)

For the movie clip of the song, click here :)

The CW's preview of its new show The Vampire Diaries is up on Youtube, and, oh my oh my oh my, Ian Somerhalder is just smokin' as Damon Salvatore.



Wasn't too surprised to see a vampire show on a FTA network lineup considering the success of True Blood (dark and creepily cool) and Twilight (cotton candy for the brain - fluffy and of little substance).

According to my research (ie What Wikipedia Says), The Vampire Diaries is an adaptation of a YA fiction series. From 1991.

Move over, Bella. Elena was around wayy before you even popped on the radar.

My interest now sufficiently piqued, I hunted around for the books and, er, it's not great. In fact, it's kinda crap. BUT. The TV series apparently bears little resemblance to the books, so that's a good start. Also, there's Ian Somerhalder. With his piercing blue eyes. And a dark twisted sense of humour that just makes him oh-so-charming.

Something tells me I'm going to like the villain of this series much, much more than the hero. Heh. And let's hope the show lives up to the trailer (because Twilight certainly didn't).

(In other news, the New Moon teaser trailer is out and while am still not blown away by anything, Jake's morph has a way better special fx look than Edward's retarded glittery skin.)

updates

Introducing my new internet addictions:
- The Penny Arcade Comics by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Absolutely love their tongue-in-cheek snarky comments on all things techy, geeky and nerdy.
- Someecards for the words you've always wanted to say, but simply couldn't.
- And, of course, YouTubing the previously mentioned absolutely fantabulously amazing PS22 Chorus.

In movie news, saw Angels and Demons, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (and certainly better than Da Vinci Code since I actually stayed awake all the way). Plus it has Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor and music by Hans Zimmer, so yay.

There's apparently going to be a Toy Story 3, which is weird on so many levels. Also, seriously can NOT wait to see Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. And finally, Yesterday Was A Lie looks like a super cool modern-day noir film, and I will probably have to stalk Borders/Gramaphone/HMV for its DVD since I doubt Singapore would show such a cool indie film.

In related news, Two Steps From Hell is apparently the composers behind the music for the Star Trek and Up trailers among others. That's a pretty cool gig.

And as we move into the month of June (aka the all-out shoot month), my life as I know it dips from miniscule to nonexistent, so this blog will probably be less updated (though it wasn't even very updated to begin with). However, having discovered TweetSG and the wonders of text-Tweeting, my Twitter will probably see more action.

(Speaking of, Jeffrey Donovan just tweeted that Burn Notice returns in a week! Yay!)

Just finished reading Mike Gayle's Life Of The Party which was both sad and awesome, while listening to my superawesomesupercoolsuperfab limited edition of Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things CD (more here). Am now off to watch Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist since it's due in three days. Ta.

Gawksome Trailer

Holy crapazoni! Check out this fan-made trailer for the Green Lantern movie with Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern:

Seriously, it's so impressively edited. If I hadn't recognized clips from Star Trek and other action films, I just might've believed it to be real. Am in awe.

beam me on to enterprise

Just came back from Star Trek. Am still rather blown away. Also am looking at Fringe in a whole new light, considering the Fringe creative team pretty much delivered Star Trek. Not only does JJ Abrams have truly impressive directorial chops, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman delivered a pretty fab storyline.

Also, the film has got the most brilliant sound editor. That was some excellent sound editing work, cutting from action-filled blasts and booms to the dead air of space in a heartbeat, and when you're sitting in a surround-sound cinema, that gives you a hell of a jolt. Completely rocking editing. And am totally loving the scoring work from Michael Giacchino.

Fab work from Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto too. And not just providing some visual yumminess. Was slightly befuddled with their relationship in it but initially figured it was due to my limited knowledge of the original Star Trek. But once Leonard Nimoy aka The Original Mr. Spock added his bit to the storyline, everything came clear in a really nice way. Even though I'm not a Trekkie, I can imagine this would probably fill up any holes that the movie poked in the original series, and (assuming they stay at the helm) gives Abrams, Orci & Kurtzman leeway for future endeavours.

(Which btw is more than I can say for Wolvie Origins which although had v cool action sequences, was kinda disappointing storywise. Tsk. Did they never read the comics.)

All in all, Star Trek was wayyyy better than I expected. And considering it rocked US$72.5 mil on its opening weekend in N. America, here's hoping it sticks around long enough for the words "franchise movie" to get tagged on.

"you speak prada?"

Watched Confessions of a Shopaholic yesterday with HY. Wasn't too keen on it because I tried reading the book once and got pretty bored, but it was her birthday movie choice, and both Watchmen and He's Just Not That Into You were both gone. Blah.

Anyways. Shopaholic was pretty funny. Isla Fisher's got quite the comedic talent going. And my oh my, Hugh Dancy has such gorgeous blue eyes, an adorable English accent and that oh-so-yummy rakish charm that just reminded me of a younger and better-looking Hugh Grant. Yummmm.

Story-wise, the plot's as predictable as any love story from the meet-cute to the happy ending with a brief separation tossed in between. What makes up for the only-okay story is the peripheral narratives that are so hilarious, it pretty much made the show. One fave moment of mine would be Kristin Scott Thomas as Alette Naylor with Joan Cusack as Jane Bloomwood slicing a cake for Alette. Of course, Isla Fisher's Rebecca Bloomwood had several comedic moments going for her, from getting her card "really declined" to -ahem- dancing with Luke Brandon.

Soundtrack was pretty good too, with James Newton Howard setting up the score and quite a number of very decent artists like Natasha Bedingfield, Macy Gray, Akon and Greg Laswell providing additional music.

Favourite tracks: Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Greg Laswell, Takes Time To Love by Trey Songz, Stuck With Each Other by Akon and Again by Natasha Bedingfield. Sidenote: Has anyone noticed that Accesory by Jordyn Taylor bears a remarkable similarity to Fergie's Labels or Love on the SatC soundtrack? Or is that just me?

All in all, not a bad candy-for-the-brain movie. And let's just put it this way, considering the other options available (Street Fighter. OMG.), Shopaholic was just fine by me. And hey, yummy eye candy! Beams.

The Baz Lurhmann High

Being that I'm still in a Baz Lurhmann/Australia mood, was randomly googling stuff (such as when the soundtrack is coming out - not anytime soon, damn it) and apparently his next two projects are film adaptations of The Great Gatsby and Wicked! Woohoo!

Okay, am way too excited for a film that might take years to appear. But still. I adore Baz Lurhmann's films. And I love The Great Gatsby. And if R&J is anything to go by, Lurhmann does great adaptations. Plus it's a period story, and he does fabulous period pieces (cue Moulin Rouge and Australia). Oooh and maybe he'll cast yummy eye-candy people then we can see them in yummy suits at Gatsby's fabulous party! Like Hugh Jackman! And Ewan McGregor! Squeals!

Okay. Am calm now.

december movie #3: australia

Am pleased to announce that I have just watched December Movie #3 Australia. (#1 being Bolt and #2 Twilight.) *Beams* Nothing like an epic film by Baz Lurhmann to help finish up 2008.

Granted, I'm probably incredibly biased since I adore Baz Lurhmann films (having seen R&J and Moulin Rouge way too many times to count), but Australia really was quite fab. Although, let's face it, the leads are Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. How wrong can you go with them? Yummy actor, beautiful actress. Throw in amazingly beautiful shots and an awesome score by David Hirschfelder, all tied to a Lurhmann-written epic script, and you've got yourself one hell of a movie.

Oh but just a heads up, Australia's three hours long, so head for the restrooms first then hunker down and get really comfortable. Wish I'd seen it at the Grand Cathay with plush seats and very roomy leg space. But Orchard Cine was decent enough. Besides, epic Baz film overcomes all discomfort. *Very Pleased Beams* And if you're lucky like I was, you'll get to see the Wolverine trailer!!! And Gambit's in it! Woohoo :)

Now, if only the Australia soundtrack would come out, all would be right with the world.

my bruises have bruises

And here we go into our FYP long-haul week. Which, really, is actually two weeks since we started a couple days ago and won't actually have a break till Christmas Eve, so here's hoping we survive. As it is, I'm pretty battered and bruised all over from moving and building stuff for our set. But everything started coming together today and it's looking promising :) Pretty excited to get into the shoot itself. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly (or as smooth as any shoot can go)!

In other news, Twilight, the second movie on my December movie list opens on the 18th. I caught Bolt on opening day (which was Dec Movie #1) so here's hoping I'll be able to keep up some semblance of that with an opening weekend viewing. And follow up with watching The Spirit and Australia on their opening weekends. That is, if I'm not dead from exhaustion. Hah. Oh and speaking of Christmas. Need to do Christmas shopping!! Crap. Too many things, too little time.

So I'm thinking I probably won't have any energy to post for awhile, so until then, Merry/Happy* Christmas to one and all! Have a yummerlicious turkey time before we head straight on to the countdown to 2009 (arriving a second later this year, incidentally). Ta!

*Delete accordingly

vampires are this year's giant robots

And the results are in. Audiences (ie. girls) just adore forbidden vampire love and Robert Pattinson's coiffed looks. That's right, folks. Catherine Hardwick's film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight raked in a whopping US$70.6 mil gross on its opening weekend (beating Michael Bay's Transformers by $0.1mil, fyi. Giant robots are apparently no match for screaming girls).

Considering I've spent pretty much the entire semester studying what makes a blockbuster, take it from me when I say this is quite the blockbuster hit.

Which means, yay, New Moon's gonna get made. Although it's kinda my least fave book with the whining and the draggy werewolf bits, but bikes and VWs are getting made, and there's Italy, and a hot yellow Porsche. That just perks me right back up. But that's a story for another year. 2010 to be exact, according to trusty IMDb.com. In the meantime, I just can't wait for Twilight to hit our semi-sunny island on 18 Dec.

Other December movies I wanna watch:
- Will Eisner's The Spirit
- Australia
- Bolt

the american dream

So. Was watching Michael Moore's Sicko last night. (And before anyone starts, yes, I know I should've been studying considering my first final is like next Wednesday. I'll get to it. Soon.)

Anyways, like I was saying, Sicko is about America's health care system with the HMOs and the kinda screwed up health insurance policies. As with all of Moore's films, his take on the issue is incredibly one-sided but scathingly funny. So it's always best to take his psuedo-documentaries with a pinch of salt.

But still.

Some of the things he showed is really pretty flabbergasting. Like dumping patients who can't pay their hospital bills at shelters. Or demanding a pre-approval for the use of an ambulance from a woman who suffered a concussions and was unconscious. Right.

Comparing the American health care systems to Canada, England, France and even Cuba, Moore sarcastically but effectively bashes his own country's methods, vilifying the health insurance companies and (his favorite subject of ridicule) President George W. Bush.

While I'm sure the film was subjected to his creative editing (and, let's face it, taking a boat to Guantanamo Bay is really manipulative), the whole film just makes me wonder why the Americans seem to take issue with socialized health care. They make it sound like it's the world's greatest evil for the government to take on health care. But from what I've read and watched with the media, leaving it in the hands of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies really isn't working out so well, is it?

So it got me thinking about this "American dream" thing that everyone always goes on about. I mean if you're not getting the health care you need in an escalating global economic crisis largely due to your own president's fabulous sub-prime housing plan, then, well, what is this American dream?

Twilight Trailer 3 :)

The third and final Twilight trailer is out!! Beams. Here's hoping it'll be released in Singapore on November 21st too so I can charge straight out from the exam hall to the cinema and indulge :) Or at least, catch the sneaks on the 20th, which is my last day of finals!

Okay, I do grasp the concept of having to get to the 20th first. Although right now, it's more of getting past next week with my speech and drama theory exam on Monday, my management report due on Tuesday, and my pop cinema paper due Wednesday. Plus an FYP meeting, which means I'll need to finalize the proposal for the SFC grant too.

Right. Next week is so gonna suck. Hence, the savouring of the third Twilight trailer to tide me over.

Bolt

Check out Bolt, the new Disney animated film coming out November. Isn't the puppy just the cutest thing! And that fat hamster in the ball totally cracks me up! Oh, and it's got the coolest action sequence I've ever seen in an animated film. Cannot wait to watch this :)

The Neil Gaiman Update

Neil Gaiman's Coraline movie is out February 2009! And it's directed by Henry Selick (director of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, in case you were wondering). Yippee!

Check out the totally cool Coraline website.

In other Gaiman-related news, his new book The Graveyard Book is out in Kinokuniya now apparently.

to the storytellers

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved stories.

One of my earliest memories is of me sitting in my old living room reading Read It Yourself Books, which were extremely simplified versions of morality tales like The Emperor's New Clothes and The Stone Soup. I never had a clue what the hell they meant, but I just read them anyway.

Then I started watching Snoopy cartoons and reading Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts strips. I didn't get the satires then, but I was still continually fascinated by Charlie Brown's sad attempts at baseball, Lucy's "The doctor is in" booth, Linus's blanket, Schroder's piano, and most of all, Snoopy's little red doghouse. I do adore Snoopy :)

Then, as I got older, I started reading books like Encyclopedia Brown and Babysitter's Club (which I have since found out was almost entirely ghost-written. I feel so cheated). Then I started reading Sweet Valley and The Nancy Drew Files (all ghost-written. Bah). I wanted to be a detective like Nancy Drew when I grew up.

And then one day, my mother took me to the Kallang Theatre. Les Miserables was in town. Right then and there, I fell in love with musicals and the stories told through beautiful music. Which was why I pretty much starved my way through London so I could watch Chicago and The Producers and, the one that started it all (and my fave of all time) Les Miserables. (I missed the 21st anni by 3 months which had Colm Wilkinson singing Jean Valjean. Bah and double bah.)

The years passed and I found myself drawn to television shows like Buffy and Roswell, taking your average teen dramas and tossing strange phenomena into the mix. Around the same time, my mother bought me the first Harry Potter book. And there I went, jumping right into the incredible reality of the fictional world, where literally anything and everything was possible.

Somewhere along the lines, I began enjoying the visual storytelling of film. I longed to sit in the DeLorean with Michael J. Fox's Marty and Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown. I wanted to visit Timon and Pumbaa's slice of paradise and live a hakuna matata life.

And then, at the rather late age of 16, I fell in love with the stories told through artwork. I was swept away by Neil Gaiman's Sandman series - with his bold, if somewhat disturbing, stories; with the broody and pale Dream King; with Lucifer, the fallen angel who gave up hell; with the bicolour-eyed Delirium; and, above all, with the most human of the Endless - Death, Dream's older sister.

The years have come and gone. I've read millions of other books since my hands first touched a Read It Yourself Book, from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to chick-lit candy-for-the-brain Little Black Dress books.

I've seen several (and still not enough) other musicals like The Phantom of the Opera and We Will Rock You.

I've laughed and cried with more films than I can count (and baffled by quite a number of others too).

I've gotten hooked onto countless TV series from all kinds of genres, from political dramas like the fantabulous The West Wing to family dramas like Brothers and Sisters to conspiracy theory shows like Alias to the wonderful decade's worth of the indomitable sitcom Friends.

I've been absolutely amazed by the genius of Will Eisner, enjoyed the crash-bang-boom of X-Men comics, and finally understood the satires of Schulz's Peanuts.

My love affair with the fictional world has lasted nearly my entire lifetime, giving me countless hours of pleasure and entertainment in realities that could not exist otherwise.

So here's to the amazing storytellers of the world. May your minds continue to create and flourish so the world of fiction can continue to sparkle and shine for the rest of us.

Will Eisner's The Spirit, Part 2

Am seriously being enticed to no end by The Spirit trailers :)

hi, i'm a music addict

I've been told many times by many people that I've got weird music tastes, something I freely admit to. I have an eclectic taste in music and books (but more on books another time).

Case in point: my current iTunes playlist quite literally has everything from Coldplay's Vida La Vida to Glass Pear's Last Day Of Your Life to Patrick Doyle's awesome soundtrack to the less-awesome 1998 film Great Expectations to Chris Cornell's Scream to The Mirror/Blue Night from the musical Spring Awakening (which I rave about here) to Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.

Eclectic doesn't even begin to cover my taste in music. I listen to all sorts of music. Except metal. Metal and I have issues. Irreconcilliable differences kind of issues.

Point is, when people ask me what kind of music I like, that's a loaded question.

But music's always been a thing for me. You know how there are some songs that you'll listen to and pinpoint an exact moment where you were listening to that song in your lifetime? I do that a lot. I have my own version of the soundtrack of my life. Some songs belong with fab memories, some with bittersweet ones, and some that just make me sigh and wish I could forget that moment.

Then there are the songs from real soundtracks. I obsess over music in shows. I'm one of those with theme songs on their iTunes. And not just the famous ones like John Williams' Jurassic Park and Alan Silvestri's Forrest Gump and Clint Mansell's Requiem For A Dream. I have the theme song to W. G. Snuffy Walden's The West Wing. And that's just one out of many, many songs. (Yes, am a freak.)

And music kept me going through the disaster that was the third season of The OC and it's keeping me going on One Tree Hill despite the horrendous soap opera direction it's taking. So far The OC (and Josh Schwartz) rewarded that with an excellent fourth season. One Tree Hill's still leaving a lot to be desired for, but we'll see how that goes.

But I was just thinking about how a song or score can totally set the mood for any show. Like the explosive (and I mean that literally) premiere of the fourth season of Criminal Minds. Mark Mancina (also composer of Speed) created such an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack that I was so on the edge that my mother saying hi to me made me jump. Now that is some truly excellent scoring work. 43 minutes and I'm just completely gripped.

(Incidentally, the sound editing for that ep was way cool. Adrenaline-pumping scoring blaring out, then sudden silence except for the atmos sound of Morgan searching the empty subway train. Whoa.)

So. Point being, am music-obsessed. And proud of it. Now excuse me while I return to my music and communing with my inner whatever.

fanged friends

I like vampires. Not in the I-drink-blood-wacky-follower sort of way, but just the general idea of them.

The lore surrounding vampires is completely fascinating. Depending on whose theory you buy, there are a billion facts of what makes a vampire, and a billion ways to kill them.

There's Bram Stoker's Dracula with the beheading and the garlic and the sleeping in coffins. All in all, Stoker's vamps are not very charming.

Then there's Joss Whedon's vampires getting killed in fire and sunlight, staked by wood, burnt by crosses and holy water. There's a whole big sucking thing to become a vamp. And they live in fear of Buffy. Except if you're Angel, 'cause, y'know, love of her life and all that.

In recent years, there's been the Underworld movies where werewolves and vampires were not friendly to each other at all, and the (sighs) short-lived CBS series Moonlight with vamps that can walk in sunlight and sleep in freezers.

And finally - and the reason why I'm thinking of vampires - there's the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Granted, the books are more for a younger audience, but there's gonna be a very cool looking movie from the series, and it's about vamps. So. Here I am, reading Twilight. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint.

(Side note: Am pleased! Van's a fanged-fan too! Very cool.)