Ah Beng's World

KPOP: 2NE1

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:36:00 +0000

I don't care ay-ay-ay-ay-ay if you hate them. They're just so addictive. It's like an uncontrollable overdose of sugar intake.

I Don't Care MV

Excellent excellent Reggae Remix version

Clouds Over Kuching

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:54:00 +0000

For some unexplainable reasons, I love clouds & sky watching. Up to the point of starting a new blog about it. Come drop by if you have the same fetish. http://cloudsoverkuching.blogspot.com

Departures

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:25:00 +0000

One of my all-time favourite classical Japanese film director would have to be Ozu. I am truly amazed at the hard-headed way that he was able to maintain a sense of consistency & calm throughout all his movies, throughout every single scene, every action & every movement of his actors, no matter how dire the story situation was. No matter what, he would not budge.

His films felt like watching the breeze rustling the leaves on still branches, & yet they never fail to move our emotions, & make tough hairy truck drivers cry like girly boys & consider putting up their momma' pictures secretly in their glove compartments.

However, this post is not about Ozu. I will reserve that for another time. This is about a film much more contemporary that reminds me of Ozu. I picked up this DVD after a friend of mine watched it & thought it may be worth checking it out.

Well, it turned out that this small film was a giant in its own unassuming & quiet way. For your information, it won a gallon of awards & was also one of the nominee's for The Academy's Best Foreign Film, & rightly so. I felt stooopid for not knowing that.

Hmm. How do I tell you what this film is about in a few words?

The Living Years. Mike & the Mechanics.

Please do not let this photo discourage you.

Departures is about life & the preparation for death. It's about reconciliation with loved ones before it's too late. I think this film is so simple but so well executed that it would mean a lot of different things to different people. For me, it gave me a new perspective in life & that is to live & experience it with full passion.

The story is about a cellist who loses his job when his orchestra is disbanded in Tokyo. He moves back to his little hometown with his wife. Unable to find a job, he settles as an apprentice to a funeral professional.

Ok. If mushy-ness is not your cup of tea, then these should be 2 good reasons to engage in this film:

Masahiro Motoki & Ryoko Hirosue

I you have a chance, please consider watching it. Ladies, make sure you have a box of tissues next to you. Men, you might want to look for your teddy bear stashed away in the store room.

The Living Years (by Mike & the Mechanics)

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got

You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts

So Don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up, and don't give in
You may just be O.K.

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye

I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye

I know it's strange to think that a bunch of mechanics can write such beautiful poetry. Maybe it's time I paid my mechanic a visit.

For your information, the ENTIRE movie is available on YouTube.

Ah Beng's Blog of the Day No.3

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:30:00 +0000

"For centuries mankind has excelled in science & has gone far & beyond. We have broken the genetic code & we have nanotechnology. But this morning, when I opened my umbrella, it broke again. Man has gone so far ahead in many things, but still way behind in certain ones. Somebody out there, please make a decent umbrella that lasts!" (Ah Beng 2010)

Ah Beng Blog of the Day No. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:42:00 +0000

"Life is a bit like them Superheroes. Sometimes, you feel like that Superman guy & you can take on anything that comes your way. Other times, you're like Wolverine, healing from the wounds, somewhere in a dark corner. And then there are times when you have to stay awake & work all night like Batman."
(Ah Beng 2010)

Ah Beng's Blog of the Day No.1

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:36:00 +0000

"Life is like a box of Chocklits. Y'll know exactly what ya gonna git if ya read them labels. Forrest's ma was illiterate."
(Ah Beng 2010)

Ah Beng Shows Off Talents: Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:00:00 +0000

This is my latest baby. It was finished back in November.

I call it Infinity.
Dimensions: 4' 8" X 3' 4"

But you can call it anything else that you like.

The Ultimatum of Hip Hop: Prepix Style

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:36:00 +0000

I'm not much of a dancer. I've had my share of embarrassing attempts before. But I do have lots of students who are so into it that they dance until they drop ... drop in their grades that is.

Dance to me is an art form. And to me, anything that is remotely related to art, I LIKE. However, there are certain limitations. Ballet is one of them. The images of men prancing around in tights with their bulging packages is too much for me to bear.

I've always told myself that if I had that one opportunity to learn music, it'd have to be the piano cos it allows a great deal of expression. And if there's one dance that I can learn, it'd have to be tap & jazz combined.

But now, when I saw this, I changed my mind. I wanted to learn some serious hip hop too!

I was never that much fascinated with hip hop (cos they're mostly just booty-shaking nowadays) until I saw these guys doing it. They're based in Korea & have somehow cemented this particular style which they call the Prepix Style.

For lack of a better description, I'd say that their moves remind me of a broken record, or digital video being fast forward. Either that or it evokes the experience of watching a bad copy of a pirated DVD movie.

Sometimes, you'd see some serious slo-mo bullet-time movements like in Matrix. In general, their style seems to be a reflection of the influence of techno-culture that is very much prevalent in the generation of today.

The whole thing is amazing to watch & it can be quite fixating. Now I understand why my students could dance until they fail their exams, and I hope they don't see these videos, otherwise they will never graduate.

KPOP: 8eight

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:17:00 +0000

I think some of you would just cringe at the mention of the word pop music. You know, I really can't blame you & I'm sometimes guilty as well for indulging shamelessly in bubble gum pop (like Shohjo-Tai I hope you didn't see this)

In the music industry of today, we've been fed with so much manufactured pop, sweetened sounds, electronic filters & effects, the glitz & glamour, the dance, the fashion & the coolness that comes with it, that we forget what music is really about. Remember this?

Milli Vanilli doing their thang in tight tights.
(Why in the world did this group have to exist?)

What we sometimes forget is that at the heart of it all, what really matters is the power of the human voice that stirs & uplifts us. This is about singing like Alicia Keys or Beyonce or Fergie from Black Eyed Peas.

(Quick off-tangent: I've always wondered what the heck black eyed peas are. Now I know.)
But fear not dear readers, for there is hope! In 2007, the world suddenly got better by one notch when an unknown trio who calls themselves 8eight (for unknown reasons) won a survivor-like singing competition on Korean TV. Observe, their prowess on stage.

Now when you have someone singing in front of you like that, without dressing up, without the lights, without the mike, it really makes a lot of difference.

This is what real singing is about. It is singing in its most natural form, the human voice stripped bare, unplugged. This is why talents like 8eight rocks.

If you put me in front of them, I will melt like ~~Milli Vanilla~~ ice-cream.

It's true talents like this that makes us think twice before picking up the karaoke mike. But then again, some people have skin as thick as the Great Wall of China on their faces. Have you seen American Idol? I rest my case.

OMG Milli Vanilli is stuck in my head. I regret putting up that picture of the two of them in the super tights. I shall have nightmares tonight.

The Art of Popping: U-Min

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:31:00 +0000

A long time ago, when I was a teen with raging hormones & volcanic acne on my face & nobody understood me, one movie came out that changed my life forever.

Yes, I know. They had funny clothes & one of them actually had leotards on. But you see, that was the 80s & they were supposed to be cool at that time.

But what was even cooler was the way they danced.

And it was a new revolutionary dance at that time that came from the streets. It was called THE BREAKDANCE (in deep Darth Vader-like booming voice with echo effect).

There was of course the moonwalk which got stuck with Michael Jackson till the day of his death.

And the turtle.

And the worm.

And the windmill.

And the head spin.

And the wave.

And it was the coolest thing ever, and everyone was doing it, and I was on. I had my 80s baggy pants on, rented the poorly recorded VHS tapes of breakdancing competitions in the US & I breaked the dance.

Now looking back, I think I must have looked pretty stupid attempting it. I thank God every night before I go to bed that I do not have pictures of those moments.

There's this really cool group in Japan called U-Min & they do popping. They've been able to bring the art of the dance to the ultimate level. Enjoy.

And I'm just glad I didn't go for the leotards.

Ah Beng Do the Ultimate Man Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:46:00 +0000

I went for a fire safety training sometime back in October. Now it wasn't because I was inspired by the great controversial 9th Mile Kuching fire which happened around that time, but it was more like I had no choice.

But my initial folded-arm reservations were eventually transformed into the anticipation of a 6-year old with twinkling eyes when told that we'd be doing the whole gamut of firemen activities including hosing, pole sliding & fire engine rides.

I don't know about you, but I was sold. I mean who doesn't want to hose a fire, slide down the pole & ride on the red truck with the sirens on? I was on.

Every single little boy wanted to be a fireman at least once in their childhood ... or an arsonist.
Every single grown man harbours a dark secret to be a sexy fireman. Well, there are a few who wants to be Barbie but that's another subject matter.

The whole training was designed to slowly get us warmed up into the game. We had to do the usual warming up exercises which included running around the grounds.

And also the compulsory basking under the hot sun.

But every torture has its rewards. You'd just have to earn it.

That was me sliding down the pole with full speed line effects.

And we got to sit in the real cockpit of action.

And we also got to put on the full firemen suit & helmet. But not everyone was rushing in for this deal cos you might want to think about who was in it before. These things were not exactly required to be sent to the laundry. In fact, you could still smell the last fire on it.

This was a colleague of ours. Look at him. He's probably reliving his childhood dream of becoming Ultraman.

And then the real training began.

We were taught how to roll out the hoses.

And how to work as a team to connect the hoses to the fire truck, and to other hoses.

Look at that, the guy on the right runs like a girl. Maybe he didn't want to become a fireman. Maybe he wanted to be Barbie.

And then finally the ultimate rush.

Looking back, something transformed within us that day. We all became real men, including that little lady on the left.

But for those of us who were already real men, like me, we became the ultra men of manliness who knew how to handle their hoses & their poles.

I believe after this incredible experience of transformation, some of us would even go home to our store rooms and start throwing away our Barbie collection.

Ah Beng Shows Off Talents: PART 4

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:02:00 +0000

By now, you would have guessed why I haven't been posting regularly. I guess it's excusable cos I have not been exactly doing nothing. Fear not, I have not given up blogging. In fact, I do have quite a few things lined up. The only problem is that the queue is not moving.

Show Off No. 4:
Title: Iris
Dimensions: 4' 8" X 3' 4"

As with most of my paintings, I usually start off not knowing what the heck I was doing. I only knew that I wanted something circular, cos I wasn't done with that concept yet.

I decided to use only Blue & White to give a monochromatic feel, something that might emit that kind of underwater deep ocean feel.

But in the end, I thought it looked more like a flower rather than a micro-organism.

But a photographer friend thought that it looked like an eye & that I should call it The Iris, and I did.

And I guess it worked well if you see what I mean.

Sorry if I scared the kids like that but I was just trying to prove a point.

Ah Beng Shows Off Talents: PART 3

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Hey people. I know I haven't been posting & I'm guilty a hundred times over. But modesty is not my last name, for the skin on my face is as thick as the Great Wall of China. This Ah Beng knows no shame. I will not apologise, but on the contrary, I am going to show off some more.

I call this Dreaming in Red (Big). It measures about 4' X 5.5' thereabouts. Oops. Sorry. I checked. It's actually 4' 8" X 3'4". (Another gross exaggeration in true Ah Beng style)

Observe the myriad of colours & shades. (Actually there's only two - Red & White)

Let the colours inspire & move you deep down at the very core of your being. Surrender yourself to its random explosions & movements of feelings & emotions.

Come to think of it, it's either you're having a sensual orgasm right now, or a splitting headache.

Ah Beng Shows Off Talents: PART 2

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Continuing my uncontrollable urge to show off, or to put it more nicely, to share my work of happiness with you, here are my Dreaming in Blue series:

Dreaming in Blue (small) approx. 18" X 18"

Dreaming in Blue (big) approx 4' 8" X 3'4"

These were all done sometime back in July.

Ah Beng Shows Off Amazing Talents: PART 1

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Wow. I'm sitting here with my laptop in front of me, and I'm finding it really difficult to write. It's been a while since my last post, and once the momentum has stopped, it's hard to start the engine again.

I have been busy doing a lot of stuff. Most of it are work related, and some of it have got nothing to do with work. I've been doing a lot of painting and have been squeezing my artistic juices for the last 2-3 months. Fortunately, I've been able to make a bit of headway into this hobby. Otherwise I'd be juiceless-ly dry by now, like a dried prune, or maybe like salted fish, which smells.

And so, right now, right here, I'm going to shamelessly show-off my spectacular talents on this amazing blog of mine. (Why is my blog amazing? Because even when I don't update it for months, people still mysteriously drop by)

Oklah. Maybe my paintings are not so spectacular after all. These were just a few of the earlier ones that I did a while ago.

Ong Bak 2 Late

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:55:00 +0000

Tony Jaa basically leaped out of my TV screen when Ong Bak first came out in 2003.

This guy is not human. He kills people with his knees & elbows.

5 years after his debut, after a string of action films, Ong Bak 2 came out in December 2008. And guess what? Being slow as usual, I just finished watching the movie a couple of days ago. Still fresh from all that action, I still have the tendency to do the signature Tony Jaa quick-elbow-strike-combined-with-front-leg-stomp action when no one's watching.

The production of Ong Bak 2 wasn't without its problems. I think it was Tony Jaa's directorial debut, & production ran way off budget, running for 3 years, & Tony Jaa had to disappear into the jungle to meditate, literally, seriously. That's what I read in the news.

But lucky for us, the jungle boy re-emerged, & we've got a movie to watch.

Ong Bak 2 definitely had more action than its predecessors, partly cos Tony Jaa didn't have to talk. Dialogues were provided by the other actors. The only sound that came out of Tony's mouth was AARRGH & YAAAAAA. With the dialogues out of the way, it left a lot of room for more action.

Now, what I liked about this movie was Tony Jaa's demonstration of his mastery of the other martial arts like:

The Samurai Swordfight.

Strong Wind Down South Below.
No, I don't really know what that was but I think it's something like Iron Fist.

Snake Kungfu.

And I think there was also the eagle claws somewhere in there, which were all the usual traditional Chinese kungfu styles that you'd find in any 70s movie.

But then, out of nowhere came this black dude who proceeded to strip down to his panties in front of Tony Jaa.
And the fight was strange cos they would roll on the ground & the black dude would always attack from behind.

In a very strange way, it reminded me that fighting is actually very physically intimate. And there's a lot of physical contact & rubbing which I find to be worrying if your sparring partner is secretly gay, & he's taking advantage of the situation, like the black dude here.

Even in the end if you win, like Tony Jaa here, it makes you think twice about who's actually the real winner, who actually gets the most out of the fight.

I think in this case, in this particular lockdown position, it looks like the secret gay black dude guy who likes to attack from behind has the upper hand. It looks like Tony Jaa's modesty has been grossly violated & he doesn't even know it.

BeatBoxing: A True Artistic Pursuit - EDITED

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:42:00 +0000

It's often difficult to explain to people what I do. Especially when I meet up with the old aunties & grandmas. The conversation usually starts well when I explain to them that I teach at a university. But it gets complicated when they start asking what I teach. The conversation usually goes like this:

Grandmas & Aunties: So what do you do?
Ah Beng: I teach at a university.
Grandmas & Aunties: Wahhh. So clever.
Ah Beng: Nolah. Pien Chiak only. (This is a very modest answer in which you belittle yourself by saying that you are only able to pull a fast one on the innocent students in order for you to make a living to have enough to eat & survive. In Western understanding, this is ghastly.)

And then, even before they do it, you'd already know what they're going to ask next.
Grandmas & Aunties: So what do you teach?
At this point, you know they're expecting to hear something like Engineering or Accountancy or even Electric Brain (computers in Chinese).
Ah Beng: Ummm, it's like Art. It's like using computers to make art.
Grandmas & Aunties: Hah???!!! What it that? Can make money meh?! Got job opportunity meh?!

And at this final point, you realised that the whole inquiry was actually driven by one thing - money.

In the western concept, money is the root of all evil. In my understanding, money is the root of all Chinese.

So I really don't know how these people explain themselves to their aunties and grandmas about what they do.

beatboxer BEEHIVE

beatboxer Sophia

beatboxer Daichi from Japan

beatboxer Heartgrey from Hong Kong

Now I have a confession to make. I used to do a lot of beatboxing myself ... and other strange sound effects & voices. I thought I was making great music but my mom calls them noises. And now when I think back, I finally understood why I didn't have girlfriends until much later in life.

District B13

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:08:00 +0000

This is another one of those things that continually remind me of how behind I am of the what's hot & what's not. This is worrying. Everything points to a single dot. I am getting old, and uncool. I am entering the arena of the uncles.

District B13 is one of the coolest physical action movies ever made in the history of filmmaking, parallel only to Ong Bak. It celebrates Parkour & the superhuman feats that mere mortals like us can hope to achieve, by pushing our physical bodies to their limits.

Wait a minute. That sounded like the Olympics.

Anyway, I only came to know about this movie when my aggressive neighbourhood DVD peddler introduced it to my face. A quick check on YouTube confirmed that it'd be an awesome movie.

Watch this chase scene & tell me if Jackie Chan is still your hero or you're changing your fan club.

Wow. Anybody knows anyone teaching this thing? It sure makes Xtreme sports like rock climbing look like sports for sloths.

Ah Beng is Back ... Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Hello People!

You guys never give up do you?

I thought that if I stopped writing, you'd slowly go away as the days go by. That was my evil plan. I was half-heartedly contemplating to stop this strenuous blogging activity which has been consistently sucking up my precious time like a bottomless black pit.

I was thinking if I stopped posting then people would stop dropping by, then there would REALLY be no reason for me to continue blogging - something like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But then as the days became weeks, & the weeks became one whole month, the numbers never really dropped. People like you still came by for reasons which I fail to understand. There has been nothing happening in this blog for a month already. Maybe you guys are the type who like to watch paint dry. Or maybe you guys are really the zen-jedi types, you know, the ones who think that nothing is something & something is nothing.

But guess what? You win. I lose. And I'm back again.

But this is not the first time though that I have abandoned my dear faithful followers. I did it before, and God forbids, I may just do it again. But then again, maybe you guys enjoy it in a sort of fetish way, like SM.

But this time, it may be different. This time I came up with a super-duper monster schedule that will allow me to update consistently.

So yes folks! Ah Beng is Back in the Blogging Business!

p/s I bet people like Abdullah, who has nothing better to do, will be laughing until his teeth drops out.

Toyota Human Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:28:00 +0000

This TVC really made me think carefully about my VIOS. It's funny, but creepy.

My wife is going to work in a VIOS tomorrow. In fact she has been doing that everyday for two years now. I don't think I can sleep well tonight.

K-POPPED: VOS

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:46:00 +0000

When I was younger & nerdier, I was able to recite to you the latest Hollywood gossip, the latest movies even before they were even released, who acted in which movie, who the director was, the Director of Photography, the Composer, and even who the waterboy was.

The me of today is a far cry from the me of yesteryears. Although not as nerdy anymore, I have lost my psychic ability. Today, I don't even have the time to watch a decent movie, let alone know the names of the actors. My familiarity with actors seemed to have stopped in time in the 90s with Arnold Schwarzeneggar as the Terminator.

Anyone new who appeared on screen since 2000 remained strangely unidentifiable to me.

It is a sign that I am getting old & I fear that I am starting to turn into an ignorant, arrogant, old fart.

This also happened to my love for music unfortunately. I slowly lost track of the new bands & the many manufactured popstars that popped up from nowhere. When you grow older, who sang what song doesn't seem to be as important as the leak in the ceiling that needs repairing or the weeds in the garden that needs weeding, or the family of lizards who's starting to make your house their home. And it is a silent killer. Without realising it, you will wake up one day suddenly as an uncool old dude who listens only to Kenny Rogers or Dolly Parton's Collection of Greatest Hits.

The Dolly Parton of today.

The Kenny Rogers of today.

But I will NOT let that happen to me!

Recently I have been scouring the internet in search of my youth. And I think I may have found it, in the form of K-POP. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for sentimental Korean R&B mushy love songs, in particular the ones sung by male artistes with voices that shudder with pain & so full of emotion.

This is just a random one that I found on YouTube which was exactly what I was looking for. VOS is an excellent 3-men A capella R&B group & I think you will agree with that.

P.S. I am not gay. I am happily married & I have happy fun time together with my wife.

Eulogy for Yasmin Ahmad

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Being in Kuching, a distance away from KL, it takes time for certain news to reach here. This week, as I was driving to work, I finally had a brief moment of quiet time in my car, & this feeling of deep sadness finally settled in, along with the realisation that we have once again lost one of our greatest creative talents at the peak of their careers. There was once Sudirman, & now Yasmin Ahmad has left us before her time was up.

It's strange to be able to experience all these feelings when I've only met up & talked to her twice in a span a couple of years. But I think it's how she makes you feel, no matter how briefly you know her. Yasmin has, had, a way with people. She opened up to everyone, & she made you comfortable to be wearing slippers & shorts & to drink teh tarik with her in a shack somewhere in the alley. And that in turn reminded us to be grounded and in all sense humble when we're with her.

I do not have to talk about her creative work here. They speak for themselves. The PETRONAS ads, the trilogy of love.

With Yasmin's passing, we have lost not just a great filmmaker but a great human being who saw how a country with a multitude of cultures could once live together and were in love with each other, long before when there were questions about race & religion, long before when there were such politics.

She also foresaw the future that lies ahead for us. Ideal as her ideas may be, Yasmin's ever persistent positivism about how Malaysians can be real human beings again, to be able to care whole-heartedly, to be able to love unconditionally, reminds us that that is the saving path for the country, if it wants to survive, if it wants true unity, if it wants to grow as a nation.

Her passing is a great loss to the country, to the creative industry, to the arts community, and will be most greatly felt by our society. Yasmin showed us that as human beings, we have the capacity to love & care for each other, and that takes care of the other problems on its own. And it can be that simple.

Amazing Wall Projection: 555 Kubik

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Once in a while a crazy artist would produce a piece of work that would totally blow us away. This is one of them. It makes wall murals and graffiti look lame.

Production: www.urbanscreen.com
Art Direction: Daniel Rossa - www.rossarossa.de
3D Operator: David Starmann
Sound Design : Jonas Wiese

Your life will never be the same again.

JPOP 101: Utada Hikaru

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:22:00 +0000

I was a sucker for JPOP a long time ago back then when I was still a scrawny teen with bursting volcanic acne on my face and a voice that sounded like a goose. Now eons later, I am still suckered by JPOP, albeit a little bit wiser.

Most of the JPOP groups & pop idols that I fancied have long gone. Some faded away into obscurity like Shohjo-Tai.

While some left this world too early like Minako Honda.

Others stayed on as legends like Seiko Matsuda & still manages to look good.

I call these the first generation, which came out onto the scene about the same time as Robotech in the 80s.

Today, we have a whole new generation of JPOP idols.

Source: http://img113.imageshack.us/i/jpoplogo.jpg/

If you're new to this, don't worry. I'm just as lost as you are. However, there is one 2nd generation singer who came forth in the 90s worth knowing. Her name is Utada Hikaru, or otherwise know as Utada, or Hikaru, or Hikki.

Born from a set of super-famous & talented musician-singer parents, Utada came out of her mother's womb at childbirth yodelling, instead of screaming. My apologies. I made that up. Can't help it.

Hikaru has been around since the 90s. Truly a talented prodigy, she writes & composes her own songs. Maybe that explains for her long staying power. I could still remember when her music videos started appearing on MTV, & the radio started playing her songs - if you remember Automatic.

But it wasn't until Sakura Drops that I really felt that I had to buy her album. Cos that was when her music videos started going psychedelic, fusing music with art. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this.

And then this one too - Travelling.

I like this one too. The single is called Hikari (Shine) & I thought the music video was a genius! Instead of more of the endless bombardment of psychedelic images & colours, this MV was a return to basics, to a more sanitised authentic Utada.

One of my favourite singles - Colors

And now she's back with a new Japanese doll look & a new album appropriately titled as This is The One.

This One (Crying Like a Child)

G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Wee) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:44:00 +0000

I don't know about yours but my childhood leisure in the 70s was filled with playtime in my grandma's yard. And when I wasn't rolling on the grass, I climbed Guava trees and caught fishes in the drain.

Of course I had plastic toys too. They were mostly replicas of violent weapons like cowboy pistols, Native American bow & arrows set, & little green plastic toy soldiers in various states of war-like action. Mostly American & Nazi soldiers, they were cheap, really cheaply made in Taiwan/Hong Kong.Anyway, my point is that kids of my generation back then weren't that lucky. I mean we were fortunate enough to have plastic toys but compared to the kids in the 80s, their plastic toy soldiers were much more advanced.

I mean just look at G.I. Joe. They weren't even called plastic toy soldiers. They were called action figures, and each of the characters had their own names.

Now that was a big jump from the days of nameless green soldiers which looked all the same & it didn't even matter if you lose one of them.

But the kids in the 80s had it going for them. There was even a cartoon show on TV where their action figures come alive.

What?! Where did that come from? Were they really called American Terrorists at that time?!! It sure means a different thing in today's context.

Now kids in the new millennium are even more fortunate, on the brink of being spoilt brats. Today, plastic action figures are fundamental, TV animated series is expected, & there must be a video game version out there, plus a real life action movie!

This is so cool.Yo Joe!