Ok . it is the time of the year again. Yes, there's the golden horseys ... and the Golden Globes .... but nothing quite keep the blood pumping like the Oscars Academia!!!
This year, there are so many good movies .. mostly are not big money rakers and that's quite something. This goes to say that this year's Academy will honor some works for their true artistic merits, not merely based on some popularity votes. That's not to say popular = bad. It is just sad that there were years when too many good films go unnoticed just because they didn't look quite as glitzy.
Now this year's forerunners (in no order of preference) are:
1) Aviator
2) Million Dollar Baby
3) Ray
4) Hotel Rwanda
5) Sideways
I have watched everyone of them except Sideways and I must say they all were very very good. They are all winners in my opinion and if you haven't caught them, please do so I urge you. These movies are not exactly uplifting types, but they all celebrate the power of human determination and the will do make a difference in their own and/or in other people's lives. Except Sideways which is a comedy drama, but is also very highly rated by Roger Ebert, my favourite movie critic.
Who am I rooting for? Million Dollar Baby. Hillary Swank delivered a knockout performance (no pun intended) once again and Clint Eastwood delivered too, as a man caught in a very very difficult situation. However I got a feeling the big prize is going to the Aviator - and I won't have any complains either. Great story telling and great performance by Leo. And also Jamie Foxx in Ray was astounding!!! .... and Hotel Rwanda is such a powerful film ... aw!! .. Guys ... this year's Oscars got some of the best stories ever.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Friday, February 18, 2005
Mo Chuishle
Every now and then a movie will come by and makes you fall in love with the art all over again. A projector, shooting a light stream of moving colors and images, that reflects off the silver screen. The synchronized sounds and music completes the illusion of a moving and living storybook. And what makes a great movie is what makes a great storybook too - its story.
Million Dollar Baby is a great movie, with a great story. This story has a heart, and it touches the people who watches it. It is a simple story nonetheless, of a girl who wants to make a difference in her life, and a man placed into a position to make the decisions that will eventually affect the rest of their lives. Clint Eastwood plays Frank who is a boxing trainer and Hillary Swank plays Maggie who wants to be a boxer. Morgan Freeman plays Scrappy, a character who is the friend of both and also narrates the throughout the film and that is what seems to tie the whole film together.
The joys and the pains in Frankie and Maggie's relationship is heartfelt and the story works so well not as much as a boxing story, but as a study of 2 characters being placed into situations which they must take the routes they are most unwiling to take, in order to make a difference in each other's lives - for better or for worse.
I will not want to give away the plot of the story, and strongly i urge everyone to check out this movie which is not very much publicised yet deserves all the attention it can get.
You'll find out what Mo Chuisle means.
Million Dollar Baby is a great movie, with a great story. This story has a heart, and it touches the people who watches it. It is a simple story nonetheless, of a girl who wants to make a difference in her life, and a man placed into a position to make the decisions that will eventually affect the rest of their lives. Clint Eastwood plays Frank who is a boxing trainer and Hillary Swank plays Maggie who wants to be a boxer. Morgan Freeman plays Scrappy, a character who is the friend of both and also narrates the throughout the film and that is what seems to tie the whole film together.
The joys and the pains in Frankie and Maggie's relationship is heartfelt and the story works so well not as much as a boxing story, but as a study of 2 characters being placed into situations which they must take the routes they are most unwiling to take, in order to make a difference in each other's lives - for better or for worse.
I will not want to give away the plot of the story, and strongly i urge everyone to check out this movie which is not very much publicised yet deserves all the attention it can get.
You'll find out what Mo Chuisle means.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Valentine this, valentine that ...
I had a bizarre valentine's day yesterday. It is definitely the most memorable one. No it wasn't one filled with sex, booze, romance, wine and flowers blah blah. But it was one of theatrics and dramatics - filled with tears, despressed souls and individuals indulged in self-pity. Gladfully, none of the above applies to me, I was just a spectator in all the happenings. I was just running my restaurant watching the world go by (and keeping the cash that comes my way :P).
Now what I have noticed - almost all the single individuals whom i chat with or interacted with felt one of the following: depression, sadness, unhappiness, loneliness - all because it is "V-day" and they are "still single" without a date. Now this is freaky .... Cos it is just a day with a name attached to it and if it doesn't apply to you, get over it man. You don't see Buddhists or Muslims commiting suicide during Christmas because they felt left out! But yesterday was the most extreme I had ever encountered in the my singlehood "V-day" experiences. Almost every single men and women was depressed.
I think I will be seeing more of these as I grow older as they can only feel shittier about their singlehood the older they get. One of my girl friend (I shall not be naming names) even came to my restaurant and started crying the moment I mentioned "Happy V-day!!". Woah ... I mean talk about extreme reaction man!! But it is truly "the day" that makes people compelled to do things out of the ordinary, or think in ways that may not be the most rational. For instance, this is one day people use as an excuse to execute one of the following cos it would give it the extra punch:
1) express their undying love
2) express they deepest feelings for the other party (may it be good or bad :P)
3) get hitched
4) get laid
5) or sadly get rejected
Now if you have got the right person, everyday would be like a V-day. But the expectations for extreme actions is much higher on this "tagged lovers day" so I guess, the pressure to act is much higher than usual. So whatever the case, it is a day where not just people get all the fun, but they get all the shit, just because of social pressure. Sigh .... all these unnecessary pain and self inflicted sufferings just because of a day that compels one to social norms.
I say, please get jiggy and happy. Do what you like whenever you like, don't just wait for Valentine's day. And if things turn sour, screw it and enjoy the rest of the day, week or year. :)
Peace and out.
Now what I have noticed - almost all the single individuals whom i chat with or interacted with felt one of the following: depression, sadness, unhappiness, loneliness - all because it is "V-day" and they are "still single" without a date. Now this is freaky .... Cos it is just a day with a name attached to it and if it doesn't apply to you, get over it man. You don't see Buddhists or Muslims commiting suicide during Christmas because they felt left out! But yesterday was the most extreme I had ever encountered in the my singlehood "V-day" experiences. Almost every single men and women was depressed.
I think I will be seeing more of these as I grow older as they can only feel shittier about their singlehood the older they get. One of my girl friend (I shall not be naming names) even came to my restaurant and started crying the moment I mentioned "Happy V-day!!". Woah ... I mean talk about extreme reaction man!! But it is truly "the day" that makes people compelled to do things out of the ordinary, or think in ways that may not be the most rational. For instance, this is one day people use as an excuse to execute one of the following cos it would give it the extra punch:
1) express their undying love
2) express they deepest feelings for the other party (may it be good or bad :P)
3) get hitched
4) get laid
5) or sadly get rejected
Now if you have got the right person, everyday would be like a V-day. But the expectations for extreme actions is much higher on this "tagged lovers day" so I guess, the pressure to act is much higher than usual. So whatever the case, it is a day where not just people get all the fun, but they get all the shit, just because of social pressure. Sigh .... all these unnecessary pain and self inflicted sufferings just because of a day that compels one to social norms.
I say, please get jiggy and happy. Do what you like whenever you like, don't just wait for Valentine's day. And if things turn sour, screw it and enjoy the rest of the day, week or year. :)
Peace and out.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Peee Asss Peee .. Drool ....
Ok .... i succumbed to my desires .... it was not a need. It was pure desire for a gadget that I totally do not need. But it is soo cool.... I can't help it!!!! I haven't felt like a kid, wanting a toy ... the toy behind the glass window. The toy that shimmers under the spotlight, the toy that is "sold out" everywhere ... the toy that I just gotta have ....
And now that I got it .... oh my gosh ... I pick it up .. look at it ... fondles it .... but shit .. the truth is i can't do jack shit with it. It is quite a task to put movie clips on the damn thing. It comes with only a miserable 32MB memory stick and I have to pay like another $150 to get a 512MB stick (when I could have simply bought an ipod shuffle that does music pretty well and doubles as a thumb drive and is 1/20th the size of the PSP). It doesn't have any games that I want - so far it is mainly strategy, RPG and racing games, all of which I wouldn't touch. Then there're the puzzle games like puzzle bobble which I like very much, but I would not pay a crazy 90 bucks for a game that I could buy a gamecube version for less than half the price. The only thing that I have thrown at it and it plays magnificently are pictures/photos.
But ... there's always the but ....
It is just a fine cool piece of gadget that you just must see to believe its allure .... It is the devil's work .... and damn you'd want a piece of it.
going back to droolin over my PSP ..... :P
And now that I got it .... oh my gosh ... I pick it up .. look at it ... fondles it .... but shit .. the truth is i can't do jack shit with it. It is quite a task to put movie clips on the damn thing. It comes with only a miserable 32MB memory stick and I have to pay like another $150 to get a 512MB stick (when I could have simply bought an ipod shuffle that does music pretty well and doubles as a thumb drive and is 1/20th the size of the PSP). It doesn't have any games that I want - so far it is mainly strategy, RPG and racing games, all of which I wouldn't touch. Then there're the puzzle games like puzzle bobble which I like very much, but I would not pay a crazy 90 bucks for a game that I could buy a gamecube version for less than half the price. The only thing that I have thrown at it and it plays magnificently are pictures/photos.
But ... there's always the but ....
It is just a fine cool piece of gadget that you just must see to believe its allure .... It is the devil's work .... and damn you'd want a piece of it.
going back to droolin over my PSP ..... :P
New Year .. A New Hope
Just got back from Japan. It was a great. For those who wants to see the pictures, follow this URL http://homepage.mac.com/ywchai/PhotoAlbum28.html
Now the world seems much clearer. The air seems much easier to breathe.
All because, I've learnt to let things be. Let it be. 3 simple words. Truly words of wisdom.
The mind is a complex toy. But it is only complex if u made it so. And Complexity can stem from not being able to let things go. It is all about letting things be the way they are supposed to be - not expecting results from every action that you execute. Cos we all want to be "in control" of situations, when the truth is all that the only thing that we can be in control of , is ourselves. We should let everything be the way it wants/supposed/fated to be. As long as we've done our part, we should be accountable to ourselves. We should not be acountable for anything that we have no control over.
That's the problem with me. I have been expecting, hoping, for things to work/turn out in a certain way. More often then not, they will not and they do not. Then I feel shitty, crappy and all. And it all boils down to my own doing - I am just crapping over my own thoughts and delusions. This applies not just to relationships (all sorts) , but to work, and everyday living.
Thank you clarity.
Thank you Japan.
Thank you silence.
Thank you for letting me be.
Peace.
Now the world seems much clearer. The air seems much easier to breathe.
All because, I've learnt to let things be. Let it be. 3 simple words. Truly words of wisdom.
The mind is a complex toy. But it is only complex if u made it so. And Complexity can stem from not being able to let things go. It is all about letting things be the way they are supposed to be - not expecting results from every action that you execute. Cos we all want to be "in control" of situations, when the truth is all that the only thing that we can be in control of , is ourselves. We should let everything be the way it wants/supposed/fated to be. As long as we've done our part, we should be accountable to ourselves. We should not be acountable for anything that we have no control over.
That's the problem with me. I have been expecting, hoping, for things to work/turn out in a certain way. More often then not, they will not and they do not. Then I feel shitty, crappy and all. And it all boils down to my own doing - I am just crapping over my own thoughts and delusions. This applies not just to relationships (all sorts) , but to work, and everyday living.
Thank you clarity.
Thank you Japan.
Thank you silence.
Thank you for letting me be.
Peace.
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