Make a whole new religion

It was 20:31. The seat beside me is still empty.
He didn't say "Hi" or "How's everyone doing?". Damien Rice just walked onto the stage and started to sing. And I thought "That's strrrange"

He sang The Professor.

It isn't my favorite song, but it gave me an inkling that Rice's vocal is steady and the sound system is alright :)

Then immediately after this first song (to which the crowd clapped and cheered as though Damien Rice is some hot butt shaking guy - which he is.. in a geeky and non butt shaking way), he played the chords to Delicate.

Damien Rice didn't come with his band. It was only he and his guitar. No Lisa, no strings, no piano.

After 3 or 4 songs, he finally spoke after singing the lines "I remember it well...". He paused and said "This is quite an ironic song. Because I sang I remember it well, but I can't remember the lyrics"

Then he played a chord which got me really excited. I sat up in anticipation as he kneed on the floor.
"Nothing unusual.. Nothing strange.."
It is Amie. My favorite song.
"Amie come sit on my wall..." I closed my eyes to hear the word "Amie" echo through the theatre. Enough to make my heart break. And I decided that this song made the one hundred dollars well spent.

Someone in the audience shouted "Lonelily!"
And he really sang it. Unplugged from the amplifiers, he sat down and sang.
I never liked Lonelily before. But to hear it last night was wonderful. I guess that's why I never liked it on CD and why Damien Rice had wanted his guitar to be unplugged.

Few songs later, he sang Volcano. For those who knows this song, it is actually sang with Lisa.
I've always like the part where Lisa sings Don't throw yourself like that in front of me
But last night, Damien Rice sang back and forth by himself. So, I closed my eyes and sang Lisa's part in my head as he swings from the male vocals to the female vocals and back again. And suddenly the face of him in make up appeared in my head. It made me laugh. (I'm that strange I know. The people in my head have already accepted me as I am. I won't change for you.)
I've always like the energy of this song.. You give me miles and miles of mountains and I’ll ask for the sea.

I've always told people that I regretted getting Shawn Colvin's DVD. Because the interview shows her personality and it isn't like her in her songs.
But I am glad to see Damien Rice yesterday. I think I will really like him as a person.
Sad. But Happy. And Fun too.
And these aspects show when he sang Childish. A song that reflects his journey as a songwriter. And how he can be a prick sometimes and childish and self-centered most of the time. And I can relate to that because sometimes when you write and work on a piece of work, your attention is only yourself and you really need to skip out of the loop to re-adjust.

"And so it is..."
Everyone cheers.
Of course it is The Blower's Daughter!
And I hated it.
Why is this song he's final song?
I know why. But Why?
hee.
I am never liked this song.
So when he was singing. My mind drifted somewhere else. And I saw Blower's daughter! ha. I'll draw it out soon.
Anyway, back to the song..
When it finally got to before the last line "'til I find somebody new", Damien Rice improvised and sang Radiohead's Creep. He is fun.
And a break from The Blower's Daughter is great for me :p

2 hours.
A great concert.
Oh.. the empty seat beside me was eventually taken by some girl. And I thought God has arranged Damien Rice to come sit there. Maybe there's a great plan that lies ahead for us.
Come back soon, Damien!

Labels: Concerts

A friend asked why buying 5 film tickets that cost S$8.40 each is a lot to me.
Considering that I can spend over S$80 on CDs in one go.

Well, this is the reason...

Click to see bigger picture

Let the bleeding begin!

Labels: Films

14/04/06, 21:15, Prince 2, Nine Emotions (India)
22/04/06, 14:00, Prince 2, Blue Cha Cha (Taiwan)
22/04/06, 19:00, Lido 3, Look Both Ways (Australia)
23/04/06, 19:00, Lido 3, Little Fish (Australia)
27/04/06, 21:15, National Museum of Singapore, Tori/ Sorano (Japan)

19th Singapore International Film Festival

Labels: Films

12th March 2006
What a day!
My first short film.
Finally I get to taste what it means to actually shoot a film. I can't say it was fun (because it was Crazy Town!) but it was a great experience.
I think I grew a little more after yesterday. And in that time, I had a secret realisation as I looked at the tired and sweaty faces of my 'crew and actors'. I am very lucky to have a group of friends who are willing to suffer so much just so I can fulfill my dream to be a director. Very lucky indeed. And if I weren't so proud, I would have cried when we screamed "It's a wrap!" together after our very last shot.

Day before my shoot. CK and Jayna came over to help me with my last prop. We slept at 4am; woke up at 7am and started shooting at 9am.

8am. Reality of film making. Wearing the lousiest clothes (because you will be dirty and sweaty) and carrying weird props in the middle of orchard road. Oh! I was calling my actress. Nearly freaked out because I couldn't get her on the phone.

Moving to my first location. I love this shot. I cropped the original but the credit is all CK's

Setting up my equipment. And this was where we stayed the whole morning. Everyone was burnt!

A peek of the behind the scene footage for those who weren't there. My male lead - Hsien.

Bless the trees! So that my actors and crew can get some shade :) Setting up a shot can take from 5 minutes to an hour. But acting isn't that great too. Imagine feeding the mosquitoes as they waited for me to set up.

Tracking shot. So far, I am the only person to see this beautiful shot. hee. My actors - JacQ and Hsien. And thanx to the pro (He is the one pushing my track).

Thanx to Xiushan. She's the one holding reflector for me.

This was after lunch. And we were doing the indoor shoots. JacQ had to drop her scarf. But her first few attempts looked weird. So Hsien hid under to pull the scarf as she acted. Ha.

My final location. It was already 5pm. Gareth holding the reflector. Hsien waiting for his turn. Jayna and Xiushan helping me look out for sweat on JacQ's face. Me shooting close up on JacQ.

Now you can see Xiushan (I was blocking her in the picture above) and the chair I was standing on. Hee.

It is a wrap!! From left: Hsien, JacQ, CK, Xiushan, Gareth, Jayna and me. And I must point out that CK was the photographer of the day - that's why he's missing in action in all the pictures above :)


I guess we all learnt a lesson yesterday. Filming is very tiring. Geez. Now I have to start to look for another group of actors and crew. Wonder if I can trick them to do my next film. hee.

Million thanx to everyone there once again. I am really very grateful. Really.

Labels: Films, Pictures

My Shoot is drawing nearer.
So me and my co-Art Director went shopping.
Since the scarf is the main prop, Arab Street is our first stop. Cloth there are cheap.
Who would have thought that 5m of cloth is so short? hee. I bought 12m in the end.

We walked high and low. To and fro. Thanx to Jayna for being there!
Popular Bookshop @ Bras Basha. We walked in (from Art Friend) at the second level, only to find out that they sell stationary at the fifth level o.O

Whole day's work. S$50 bought so little things. Beauty of budget films is that you are forced to improvise as much as possible to save as much as possible.

Time to reward ourselves
Forks with chopsticks. That's how I feel. As the excitement wears out, I'm getting stressed. I really want to do a good job.

Labels: Life, Pictures

First present I recieved this year is from Feng. I got a teddy bear and a wristlet and a DVD.
When I first saw Kylie's DVD. I thought, "I'm not into Kylie. hmm.."
But I was so wrong. This DVD is so campy. Gage like!
Feathers and sequins. There's even a cabaret version of Loco-motion (One of Gage's secret Kylie fav. ha!)
Kylie's Showgirl DVD
There is something that twinkles in me when I think of a teddy bear turning in a microwave oven. But I guess I better leave the bear on my bed. hee.
Teddy Bear that can be a heat pack or an ice pack. Just put it in a microwave or fridge.
Wristlet from Feng

Next is from Lisun and Wenqiang. My primary school best friends. Had a quick lunch with Lisun at Jurong Point. She said I look Fossil. I think it's a compliment. ha!
Fossil Watch From Lisun and Wenqiang

Tawfiq knows how much I love Will & Grace. yeah!
Tawfiq's present for me. Will & Grace Season 2 and 3!

Then a package from my gang. Notice that the package is related to sex. Now you know why they made me drunk in Koh Samui. tsk tsk.
My birthday package: Caramel Chocolate, Heineken Beer, A Card, Victory sign Holder and Condoms. Thanx to CK, Gareth, Jayna & Vicky

Yummy Yummy! Every year, my sister makes sure that my birthday cake is Chocolate or strawberry related. 7 layered cake! YUM!
My cake
Start counting. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7 layered cake. Nearly $90 for 2kg

Perfume from Xiushan and Peishan. keke. Better than Silvershadow (private joke with Xiushan). This smells lighter. Nice change from my Hugo's :)
Xiushan and Peishan's present. Davidoff perfume: Echo

A Lava Lamp from James and Hsien.
discoVERY!

Labels: Birthdays, Pictures

A simple dinner at home (again). hee.

My family
My cake

There's something about my cake. Will tell how so in next post :p

Labels: Birthdays, Pictures

This year was quite fun. It's really cool that everyone took time out of their hectic lives to celebrate for me. Especially Gareth. His face keeps saying "I'm tired and haggard. Punch me!" I resisted and reminded myself that he came especially for me.

A badminton game followed by a cosy dinner at home. And when you have pals like mine, it's like a big family. Choon Yew, CK, Gareth, Jayna, Vicky and Dawn, Mommy and Yi Long.

After dinner, we went to Wala Wala. Adrian and Tawfiq joined us there. So nice to be back. I missed my UnXpected.

Everyone
Kiss from CK & Jayna
Birthday package includes this tshirt
Why Gareth so happy? Crazy!

They dedicated Hooverphonic's Mad About You to me. I like. And Brandon (The UnXpected's drummer) sang a Birthday song to me.

Supposed to be a nose digging shot. But it turned out quite nice
Actually didn't want to include this picture. But I think Jayna looks really good in this. Look.

Then at the strike of 12, they took out a chocolate to sing a Birthday song for me again. Hee. But one feedback, this year's hiding skills no good. I discovered my birthday present in the afternoon and the cake halfway through the show. But I still love you all. Hee.

SO HAPPY! Jayna, Shirlyn & Gage. Shirlyn is the lead singer of our favorite local band - The UnXpected

Labels: Birthdays, Pictures

Xiushan visited me in school today.
And I realised I mistaken her sister as her colleague. hee..

Xiushan's elder sister is Biluan
Xiushan's younger sister is Bizhi

So I am puzzled..
"Why is your name different?" I asked.

WHY?
Because she can't be named Bishan.

HAHA

Labels: Fun

I finally see a crane today.
So magnificent.
Too bad this film I don't have a crane shot. If not, I can play with it.

Not many things make me feel excited.
But that beauty, orgasm!

And you stingy friends think I'm too far for asking for an ipod.
The crane costs $38000.

keke

Labels: Thoughts