V-day

So it's Chinese New Year,

And Valentine's day.

A lethal combination.

Well, not really.

People say that Valentine's day is a day to celebrate love.

That's what it's supposed to be.

The day loved ones exchange candy, flowers, chocolate and gifts.

In the name of a guy named St. Valentine.

So who is this guy anyway?

According to legend,

Valentine is a priest

He served during the 3rd Century in Rome.

At the time,

the Emperor who ruled (named Claudius II) had this brilliant idea that single men made better soldiers than married men.

I guess I could see the sense of it.

I mean, if you're single, you wouldn't worry too much about the people at home,

waiting for you to come back from war in one piece.

Hence, you're probably more willing to sacrifice yourself.

So Claudius banned young men from marriage.

Guess it must've sucked for those who were in courtship.

Enter St. Valentine.

He thought that Claudius' decree was unfair.

So he continued performing marriages for young couples in secret.

Unfortunately he was discovered.

So Claudius had him killed.

There are many other stories that suggest the origins of Valentine's day.

But that'd make this entry too long.

Despite the supposedly romantic connections to this celebration,

Valentine's day is getting increasingly commercialized.

I have no qualms with the day, actually.

It's just that it's losing its actual meaning every year.

And it takes out the whole joy of it.

In my opinion lah.

So here's hoping your Valentine's has meaning.

Doesn't matter if you're single or attached.

It's the celebration of love.

And there are many kinds of love in this world.

You don't need a boyfriend/girlfriend to enjoy this day.

Just the people you love.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

Tis the Season. The Red One.

Chinese New Year.

The one period of time in the entire year when people (Chinese people) wear red (not so true now, it's not necessary),

go around asking for money in red packets,

give away fruits (oranges, mind you),

watch these athletic men under a huge costume that is supposed to look like a lion jump from pole to pole,

and basically everywhere with overly loud music that sounds like:

CLANG CLANG! BOOM BOOM! CLANG! TONGGG!!!

Lion dance.

Now don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy watching it.

Though when I has small I had this morbid fear of lion dancing.

Ironically, my great grandpa was a lion dancer.

But why on earth do people call it a lion dance?

I mean they don't even look like lions.

Actual lion.

Where is the similarity I ask you?

It doesn't even have a mane.

The night before,

the family gathers 'round and eats together.

Your elders will refuse to eat a bite till every auntie, uncle, parakeet, cousin, dog, cat, mouse, hamster and whatever family members you have are present.

You will tahan the hunger pangs.

Because if you don't,

One of the elders will scream at the top of his/her voice.

Hence inviting a wave of nagging people directly at you.

Chinese New Year is also the one time when relatives (from far and wide) gather to meet each other.

Aunties give you red packets,

You thank them profusely,

and simultaneously grin, thinking: "YES! MONEY!"

Single people over 30 (especially women), dread this though.

Why?

One simple answer.

"Ah girl/boy ah, WHEN are you going to get married ah?"

aunties, especially, love this question.

And if you don't give them a satisfactory answer...

"You know ah, opposite my house got this auntie, she say hor got this very nice shampoo girl at Jalan Rhinocerous. I introduce to you lah!"

Typical example of auntie matchmaking, for the guys.

For the girls, it'd be...

"Oh you know that Mrs. Pork Chop ah, got this very handsome son! He works as an Engineer at the Chicken Chop company. I ask her to introduce to you lah!"

Subtly indicating to you that they want you to get married and have babies.

And you find ways to convince them not to.

And in the end, you lose, and go (reluctantly) for (possibly) the worst blind date of your life.

Or it might turn out great, I don't know.

Thankfully, I don't get that from my aunties during CNY.

Unfortunately, I get them during weddings.

"So Ah Shoon (My dad's nickname in the family), when can we go for this one's (referring to me) wedding?"

Not too soon yet, I assure you auntie.

And we all pile into our cars and head off visiting these relatives in return.

Under the hot blazing sun.

Then we all sit down, eat and yak.

And we gamble (CHOR DAI TI! MAHJONG! To which till this day I have no idea whatsoever how to play mahjong.).

And we drink.

At the end of the day we get all sweaty because the weather is friggin' hot.

Some of us slightly drunk.

And we go home, extremely tired.

And the next day we repeat the same routine.....

Typical Chinese New Year.

I don't know why I'm posting this.

I think it's the boredom.

I am seriously crapping.

In any case,

It's early,

But I doubt I'll have time to do this afterwards.

So,

Happy Chinese New Year all. :)

Spotlight: On Psapp

Given my musical background (playing the violin/studying music for about..... 10 years over?),
I was hugely inclined to listening to music from all sorts of genre.
Just to widen my perspectives.
Except heavy metal/ death metal/ whatever metal there is that is wrecking the whole meaning of music.
And hip hop (I don't see the point, seriously. Suckiest lyrics. The ones I've heard so far lah).
So I started listening to the radio.
And I thought, hey not bad! Great songs to listen to here.
But then it got tiring.
Because radios overplay songs.
It can turn a great song into a very very annoying song.
I don't know it's probably my music taste.
Or it could be just me.
I hate anything that's overplayed.
I get sick of it in a week, at most.
I started straying from mainstream.

So I got into the indie scene. And I basically stayed there.
I didn't discover it till much later.
And they were good.
Not overplayed, highly untouched, and non-conforming.
I loved it.
And from there I found electronica.
I loved that too.
One of my favourite electronica bands, the first I've ever listened to,
is Psapp (pronounced sapp)


Psapp is one of the quirkiest bands in the music industry.
It comprises of Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant.
Carim is a guitarist/producer.
Galia is a vocalist/keyboardist/violinist.
Hence, it's basically Galia who sings.

They are sometimes credited with inventing toytronica.
Toytronica is a form of electronica made with toys and toy instruments.
Psapp uses toy guitars, flutes, and a chicken they named Brunhilda.
Psapp's music is indie-pop influenced, a mixture of sultry vocals, and quirky electronic beats.
So far, they've produced four albums.
Northdown, Tiger, My Friend, The Only Thing I ever Wanted and The Camel's Back.
And five EPs.
Do Something Wrong, Hi, Rear Moth, Buttons and War, and Early Cats and Tracks.

Now you may have heard Psapp.
If you've watched Grey's Anatomy.
They are the ones responsible for composing the song Cosy in the Rocket.
The main theme in the series.

The reason why I love Psapp,
is because it's very cute.
And it's weird.
Yes I like weird things.
But weird, in a good way. If you know what I mean.
Their music is great for... Well, people who are up for something.. Hugely different.
So I suppose it's somehow hard to accept their music.
But I find them creative.
They stand out.
I especially love listening to them in those nights when I'm pouring over my last minute assignments.
They keep me awake, and lower my stress level, in a sense.
And they aren't distracting, like how rock music would completely distract me (not to say rock music isn't good, I'll get on that in another post).
These guys won't.

So here's a sample of their songs.
It's called The Monster Song.

Description:

"The Monster Song is a sad song about loss and depression; its the morning after the big night before, when the green eyed monster is lurking around every corner, just waiting to pounce.

Despite its dark and uneasy lyrical content, The Monster Song has an uplifting and playful pop edge due to Psapp's trademark use of found sounds and Galia's harmonising vocals.

The Monster Song is a taste of what to expect from The Camels Back, Psapp's most starkly beautiful record to date."

- taken from the music video description from Domino Records.

So pay attention to the lyrics, and enjoy. :)

Next week, I'll be doing a spotlight on an artist I should've done last year.
Chester, you are going to love me for this. :)

The Cinderella Syndrome

We spend our lives searching for "the right one" or "the one".

The truth is,

there is no "one".

Relationships are built.

You're never sure if the person is "the one".

Even when you're married.

Heck, your "one" could walk out the door at any time for all you know.

You know those moments in movies when the guy looks at one girl and his eyes glaze over,

and he starts having this "I'm in love I wanna make her mine" look on his face?

They call it "love at first sight".

And it does happen in real life.

But I don't call it love.

I call it attraction.

I blame it on the hormones.

How can you love someone, when you know so little?

For all you know, that person could turn out to be the hugest jackass you've ever met.

Would you still love him/her once you've known that?

If you do, then good for you.

I salute you.

You will spend the rest of your life catering to a jackass.

We'll see how long that train wreck lasts.

Which is why I find girls/guys (not a lot here) who stick with boyfriends/girlfriends who are complete jerks, very stupid.

Why do you want to make your life so miserable?

"But I love him/her! I can't let him/her go!"

Typical answer.

I may sound cruel here (which I think I am),

but geez, will you wake up?

Life is so short, and you wanna spend it with some jackass.

I don't know about you, but I actually enjoy the idea of living my life to the fullest.

So on my deathbed I can actually say,

"Well, I had a good life."

And how did YOU live your live?

"Oh I cleaned up his/her shit for him/her."

I think it's really sad.

One life to live and that's all you've done.

All I can say for you people,

is to be strong.

Once you've done that, you can do anything.

P/S: No offense whatsoever to anyone here. Just my two cents. :)

A Smart Woman

Quite frankly, I don't think she's ditzy. I think she's actually very smart.

It's no secret.
Men love dumb women.
Well, not dumb per se.
They like women who are... Well, just smart enough to understand what they're talking about.
They'd probably find a woman with a PhD a turn off.

At least, that's the stereotype.
But it's true in some areas.
I mean, most guys I know wouldn't date a girl with a high IQ.
Most, not all. I'm not saying some guys won't find smart girls attractive.
It's the male ego thing.

"She must be smart, but not as smart as me. Can understand what I'm saying can already."
Quote from a friend.

I didn't know intelligence can be measured in that sense.

But evidently, it works.
Which is why I think people like Paris Hilton are really smart.
I mean, sure, she gets criticized by the media, branded as the air-head heiress, but have you noticed how many guys are after her?
And how much she is getting paid FOR being ditzy?
She's gaining so much from her ditziness I tell you.
It really doesn't matter how people look at her.
She's still gaining.
There has to be a reason to why she keeps putting on the airhead heiress act.
Though I guess she IS slightly better now....
Still. Very smart.

Kay, I'm straying from the topic.

But I do find the particular fact that men (MOST) don't really like smart women.
As in women smarter than themselves.
Unless of course, she's hot.
Then it'd be a completely different thing.
Don't deny it guys.
Imagine yourself on a date with a girl, who happens to be a PhD, who works as a rocket scientist at NASA.
And you are... Let's say a store clerk with no diploma.
Heck, you barely managed to finish high school.

So you're on this date.
And you're trying to get to know each other.
Let's say you wanna impress her.
You'd probably have to scale all over google to actually find topics that are relevant to her.
Let's say you manage to do that.
Let's imagine you're rajin enough to do that.
IF she produces an argument on the particular subject that you're using to try to impress her.
You'd be so screwed.

Most guys I know probably wouldn't go to such lengths to impress a girl.
Well, if they do she must be someone really amazing.
They'd probably back away from the girl.
So ladies, if you wish to get rid of that one guy who keeps bugging you day and night,
and won't take no for an answer,
just act like you have the intelligence equivalent to Einstein's.
Confirm he'll never bug you again.

Of Street Names

I was reading through a friend's blog when I came across this. Last I saw this pic, I was in sem 1.

Where is this street though? I'd really love to see it.
Imagine if a person lived there.
And if that person had to fill in application forms for a job, or anything for that matter.

Name: Ali bin Ahmad

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: 31 January 1980

Phone Number: 03-8759472

Address: 13, Jalan Puki Mak Ulah, 47800 Kuala Lumpur

We need to come up with better street names.

PDA - Public Display of Abuse

I'll never understand why ANY parent would want to slap a child in public.

I mean, there are things that you do at home that can be done in public, and things that you do at home that should never be seen in public.

Common sense, people.

Earlier today I went on the bus to go home from One Utama.

At around The Curve, there was this woman, dragging her toddler, who was screaming for reasons I cannot comprehend, and yelling at him.

I couldn't help staring at them when they got on the bus.

The mother manhandled the child onto the seat, and the child kept screaming.

The mum didn't stop yelling.

Fine la, I mean at least she was trying to control him.

But when she was done paying the bus fare, she slapped the screaming kid all over.

The kid didn't stop screaming, so she slapped his face.

I could hear the sound of the slaps really clearly and I tell you I was sitting at the back.

The woman proceeded to pulling (I think, I couldn't see clearly) his ear, really hard.

Bravo, woman. You have succeeded demonstrating a clear case of domestic violence to the rest of us.

Thank you.

Why on earth, would anyone want to do that?
People, there's this place we call home, where it's supposedly private, and you do know that slapping a 2 year old like that is considered child abuse?

I'm probably not in any position to say this, considering that it's not my kid, and parents do have the right to teach their children to behave as long as it isn't barbaric (i.e.: beating child up with iron rod).

But then again, do you HAVE to do it where 20 pairs of eyes are watching you?

And hello? It's a baby! Okay lah toddler, but still.

Aren't you supposed to be gentle with them?

And why in public?

I've come to this conclusion that parents who do this were probably neglected by their father, mother, uncles, aunties, cousins, boyfriend, girlfriend, gay partner, friends, best friends, cat, dog, fish, hamster, turtle, etc. etc.

It probably came to a sad point where they wouldn't even look at them.

Hence, in their desperation, they made a public display of themselves (with their children as scapegoats) so people would PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.

Congratulations, your plan worked!

So, note to all OTHER parents, aunties, uncles, cousins, boyfriends, girlfriends, gay partners etc. etc., please give your child/nephew/niece/boyfriend/girlfriend/gay partner/etc enough attention to prevent this from happening.

I think that mother should have slapped the boy on the huge stage in One Utama, on a weekend.

More people will see you.

More attention.

She wouldn't feel so deprived then. Poor kid.

A Little Something for the Boys

Now this is hot.

So Call Me Cynical

Okay, I generally don't believe in the whole concept of "happily ever after". Someone once called it the "Cinderella syndrome" which, to me, is so true. Sure, most girls dream of getting married and living happily with their other half and all, but that is what we call fantasy. It's a pretty picture painted by some people just to make us feel happy.

So I don't believe in it. Which is why I found these pictures very entertaining. It's so ironic.

Show White and the 4 children, + 1 bum. Oh and the dog.

Isn't this something we seem to be seeing everyday?

I actually felt sympathetic. No really.

And that is why, parents, you should never overfeed your kids.

If I were the big bad wolf, I'd eat her up on the spot.

Like why would I wanna go through so much trouble for the picnic basket when I have a lovely fat kid?

Husband woes?

Those dirty old man look like they're ready to... Well you get the picture.

Uh. No comment.

I actually laughed when I saw this.

I know I'm evil.

Yes I know I'm being painfully cynical. I honestly hope no kids under 12 years old saw this. I don't wanna scar them for life or anything....

Source: The Fallen Princesses of Dina Goldstein, Yatzer

Tumblr or Blogger? Or both?

I don't know!

In a more practical sense, Tumblr WOULD be better for me cos I basically post videos/artwork/pictures/quotes these days. But.. I don't know lahhh.

I love KL

Here's a vid done by my college mates. Thought it's really good, so I'm posting it up. :) Great job guys.

Star Wars on Facebook

click to enlarge. :)

Taken from Carb Free Creativity

Lemon

Classic.

Baby, please don't take his hand

Okay, I'm gonna sound like a freaking fan girl, but I seriously can't get enough of this guy. His dance moves are awesome. His voice.. Probably nothing to shout about, but I love his style. Korean songs, when translated, are seriously meaningful.

2009, an experience

In 2009, I have learned:

1. The CONCEPT
2. Moo Calcium sucks
3. I am not creative material (can die from overwork)
4. There's so much more about advertising that I didn't know. Kinda scares me.
5. There are more psychos around than I thought. I met two this year, one last year, and one in 2006. I've had enough to last a lifetime.
6. Advertising is..... Er I better not mention. My future job at stake here.
7. To be very very skeptical.
8. 24 Power Drink doesn't exist in Malaysia. How we managed to market this 'imaginary' product, I'm still trying to figure that part out.
9. Vietnam is a small country indeed.
10. I can crap 30+ pages on the Vietnamese language. And I can do it all in one night.
11. It IS possible to write a 200 + page report on Vietnam. I have never been so proud of myself, and my teammates.
12. That to save money in Jaya One, one must starve, and hang out at Cold Storage frequently.

2009 gave me:
1. Drama. Assening Assignments.
2. The ability to stay up for nights on end. (coffee + apples helps. Makes me very high indeed)
3. The realisation that I can juggle my assignments and exams at the same time. Literally at the same time. I'm still in awe of myself (perasanted-ness) though there were many side-effects (brain nearly died, I was in a zombie-like state for days)...
4. Wonderful people. The more people I knew, the more I learned.
5. Loss.

I still miss you both. RIP, grandpa and Uncle Simon.
I love you.

6. Strength.
7. Insomnia. I'm still having trouble falling asleep.

8. Bloody Shop. Drove me crazy for weeks.
9. A brand new college, complete with an awesome photo studio, audio room, lounge, MACs (Kay I don't use them but still), and a way better library. Oh yeah and we're getting a gym soon.
10. The opportunity to really work as an account executive. And boy, is it hard.
11. I have finally made a trip to Perpustakaan Negara. Semangat giler.

In the midst of it all, to be honest, I don't feel a thing about 2009 going away. I guess I'm really too tired to bother right now. When I realised that today was New Year's Eve, I was shocked. And I honestly don't know how I'm gonna spend this day. I have absolutely nothing planned, cos my plans are all.. uh. Unconfirmed.

2009 was dramatic. In a sense that so many has happened (If I were to blog about it, this post would be super long). We've experienced many deaths... Many significant ones, in fact. But all in all, boleh tahan lah. Next year, I'll be graduating. I'd love to see where that takes me.

So I leave you with this wish, that the next year will be much better for all of you.

It's a little early, but Happy New Year, guys. :)

A rough summarisation of 2009 for IAA 71/72

A short re-cap of this glorious year, with all its ups and down, we've survived!

1. The "Concept"
2. zoo trip-visiting cousins
3. Bloody Shop
4. class barbeque night
5. Hulu Langat picnic
6. College move to Jaya 1-- spend more $$
7. NTRC project
8. POOL!!! addictive...
9. many many late nights
10. road trip to Mable's home town
11. Ad-unpluged...
12. ASSignments!! (in a good way)
13. TLC sucks...
14. 24 power drink not sold in M'sia..
15. movie highlights: fast & furious, Avatar, monster vs aliens, transformers 2, ice age 3, g-force...
16. makan, makan, and more makan...

-adapted (or rather "taken from") Thomas Tan's Facebook note 2009 "A good year"


Bottomline: Despite all the shit we've gone through, we SURVIVED!!! We rock. :P


I'll come up with my own later lah.

Christmas

isn't Christmas,
till it happens
in your heart...
somewhere, deep inside you,
is where Christmas really starts...

so, give your... heart to people...
you'll discover when you do.
that it's Christmas, really Christmas... for you!


It's a bit late, but hey, it's still Christmas!
More or less....

After a long Hiatus

Hello all!

It's been awhile. Blame my lack of updates on assignments and exams. However the good news is, I'm now free!!! I've decided to take the time off to get in touch with my music (or rather get reacquainted), considering how long it's been since I last touched my violin. And to reflect on what I really want to do in advertising. Next semester have to choose electives liao, so yeah. It's been a semester filled with all sorts of drama which I will not speak off here, but thankfully, it's over. :)

Oh yes, and I broke my record. 3 DAYS OF NO SLEEP! Okaylah I slept a few hours in the afternoon, but trust me, it wasn't enough. On the 3rd day I could barely think and I had to complete an individual assignment.

One good thing about this semester is that I've grown... Somewhat (I so feel like laughing at myself now). I never knew that there was so much more to advertising than what I learned in the past few semester. Advertising (especially the creative aspect) is HARD. It's not the execution part of it all. It's the formation of it. Execution-wise, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do lah, to be honest. But good ads don't work that way.

This semester was an eye-opener.

And I have my lecturers: Margaret Chew and Alicia Chong to thank for that. Despite the times that I've whined incessantly about how hard the assignments all were, I believe I did learn something from the both of you. I don't think you'll ever read this, but I still want to say a heartfelt thank you to the both of you.

This is an ad that will never ever be shown in Malaysia (Malaysians, we all know why...)

Personally, I feel that Bruno Aveillan (the director of this ad) is a genius. I absolutely love his work. The concept of this ad is clearly seen, and beautifully executed. Now if only we could make more ads like these...

My Top 5 Treat List

Note: This entry is for the Nuffnang competition collaborated with Dell for a Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.

Being in the Advertising line, I am constantly subjected to many sleepless nights and a whole load of stress. Hence, I am usually seen in college looking and walking like a zombie. In my position, there are many things I'd absolutely love to treat myself to. Unfortunately, time constraints and recession has a huge effect on me. So, the only way I can actually treat myself, would be by using my imagination (stop looking at me like that, I'm seriously broke so let me dream okay). These are my top 5.

#1

How nice it would be... To treat myself to....

A Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.

Given the life I lead, it's WAAAAYYYY past the time I actually owned one. Did I ever mention that besides studying advertising, I'm also an account executive for CREACTIVE, IACT's (my college) Student Run Ad Agency? Being an Account Executive (AE) isn't exactly easy. I have to be constantly on the go, and it really doesn't help that whenever I need access to the net, I have to comb through places to find cyber cafes, and put up with the lousy internet connection at college (when I use the college computers). What's worse is that I have to literally fight my brothers to use the PC whenever I need it. Yep.... A laptop would be great now. However, I'm really picky. I need to make sure that it's a laptop that I love, and can use for years to come. Dell Inspiron 13 is all I am looking for in a laptop and more. It's fully functional, and I absolutely love the blue color. So eye-catching! :D I can picture myself using it right now..... Ahhhh....

#2

If only I were able to treat myself to....

A spa treatment.

Okay, sounds cliche, I know. But seriously, do you know how stressed up I can get?? There are times when even an ant can set me off. Seriously la, when I'm stressed, I'm like a ticking time bomb. You never know what could set me off. SO... For my own sake, and possibly the rest of all humanity, I NEED TO GO TO A SPA, AND RELAX.

#3

I'd really love to treat myself to....

A crystal violin.

I've been playing the violin since I was 10 years old, and despite quitting my lessons to pursue my advertising diploma full time, my heart never left it. From time to time I'd still pick up my precious violin and play with it, just to hear its melodious notes. I've wanted a crystal violin ever since I saw Vanessa Mae perform with it. That was when I was 12, I think. It looked so lovely, so beautiful. I never thought I'd have ever seen anything so beautiful like it. I go absolutely ga-ga whenever I see a beautiful violin. But I don't think I've ever seen one as beautiful as this. From then on, I told myself I'd own one someday. And I definitely will, someday.

#4

I'm dreaming of treating myself to....

A bungee jumping spree!

Not many people know this. I absolutely love extreme sports. I love feeling the adrenaline rush. It's something that really gets me all hyped up and excited. Among all my siblings, I'd be the first one to go on the roller coaster, no matter how scary it may be, I'd go. I'd love to know how it feels to jump off a cliff and.. Not die. Haha.. I never had the chance though... Again, time and money are both huge influencing factors in this.

#5

And I'm really dreaming of...

Treating myself to a WHOLE NEW WARDROBE!

Okay, tell me, which girl does not want her wardrobe to look like this I ask you?? I probably wouldn't have it in brown though.... I'd want it to be white, cos it's my favourite color. And I'd have WAAAYYY more clothes, shoes and accessories than the one in this picture. Besides, my clothes are getting a wee-bit too dull. It's really time for a change.

So, those were my top 5. I may not be able to achieve them all now, but I certainly hope I'll achieve them in the future. Especially that Dell laptop. Soooo..... Pretty please with cherries and sugar on top? :D

Heads Up!

Eileen is currently busy. She is buried by work and work and more work and is unsure of when she will be free. Hence, there will be a short hiatus.

I will be back! (a la Terminator) Hasta la vista baybeee!

P/S: If you want to read any updates, just refer to my Twitter page. :) The link is on the right.

Beware of the Bear

HAHA... XD

Good form of advertising, don't you think?

There's this hype....

I'm going. Are you? :)

The Magic of Photoshop.....

Goes both ways.

From making people pretty,




To making them butt-ugly.



Which really makes you wonder how many pictures you see in magazines, adverts, etc are actually real.......
Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if Kristen Stewart actually looked like that. :)
I'd love to know how they did it though. Rest assured my pics aren't completely photoshopped (except for certain lighting adjustments and all.... Eh, how can you see the pictures clearly of the picture quality not good huh?)

Nostalgia, Sibu

Can't believe I used to sing this every freaking morning back in NS (National Service). I can still remember the lyrics.....

What Happens When People Market a Movie Wrongly

New drawing coming really REALLY soon! It's been crazily hectic these days. What with the Kancil Awards deadline just over yesterday. College picked us (my partner and I) to send our entry in but we had to send it in ourselves (explanation: my college filters through every entry sent by students and shortlisted Kancil Award entries are usually sent in by the college). It's a long story filled with re-do-s, re-printing and a whole lot of shit we had to deal with, but I'm not mentioning this here.

Anyways, I've heard this movie is quite good.



Yeah, Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens. Check out the poster:



Sounds like a High School Musical-ish movie, LOOKS like a High School Musical-ish movie, the only problem - it's not. Summit apparently made a bad choice in marketing it. It Disneyfied the whole thing. Now, I'm no Disney-hater. In fact, I've loved Disney ever since I was a kid. The only problem I've ever had (and still have) with it, is how some movies/shows they have produced were losing the classic Disney touch (not inclusive of the Pixar movies). But I hear that the Disney family (that was fired from Disney, or something to that extent. Yeah sounds stupid I know, it feels weird typing this) is coming back to Disney, hence we have more classic movies to look forward to (like Princess and the Frog).

ANYWAY, back to the movie. The marketers chose to market the movie via Disney Channel's Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka and decided to call the film "Bandslam" instead of "Will" because "Will" was too... Indie, when in fact the film IS indie (well, according to a source it has an indie voice wrapped up in a high concept). I hear it's a very Juno-like film. It's a School of Rock-ish movie caught in a High School Musical-ish skin. Statistics say that most people thought it was another High School Musical-like movie.

Remember Juno's cute trailer?



Compare it to the Bandslam trailer.....

Here's a brief synopsis about the film:

Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka) has what it takes to be a true rock star, and with the battle of the bands approaching she's determined to win. Her chief opponent in the upcoming competition is none other than her egotistical ex-boyfriend Ben (Scott Porter) . Ben may be cocky, but there's no denying his charisma when he takes the stage. With a little help from new arrival Will Burton (Connell), Charlotte's band begins to develop a unique sound and starts writing some original songs. Meanwhile, as Will and singer/guitarist Sa5m (Hudgens) start to make a love connection, disaster strikes, and the band is forced to choose between conceding the competition or standing tall and finally living up to their true potential.

Apparently, Rob Freidman, the person in charge of this trainwreck of a marketing plan heard Hudgens' singing and thought there was only ONE way to sell this film - High School Musical. The problem here, was that Vanessa isnt playing Gabriella from HSM. Her character here is a monotone, dark, goth character. My source tells me, she's actually pretty good, but I think the bad advertising overshadowed that. Would a dark character be marketed as.... Smiling and happy, I wonder? The poster was already a huge spoiler. And by that, I don't mean for the movie plot.

You can read the full rant (I don't mean it in a bad way) here.

The marketers definitely did not read the movie right, neither did they take the time to know its target audience, which are two VERY important aspects when it comes to marketing. They made a quirky, unique and cool indie film into a tween flick. Mind you, the movie was rated PG. No tween flick could possibly be a PG film.

At first glance, I wouldn't even consider watching Bandslam. I mean, I don't even like High School Musical. But after checking out some info about it, I think I'd really want to watch it.

It Really Was It

Sooooo.... Who wants to watch it watch with me?



Aww heck, got teman or not I die also must watch!!!! But seriously la.... Who wanna watch with me? I'm open! Wait that didn't sound right, did it?

The Dawn of A New Moon

Note: If you are a Twilight fan (especially if you're an Edward Cullen fan), please do not continue as this entry may be offensive to you. You have been warned.



I'm pretty sure you guys have seen the recently released New Moon Trailer. A lot of hype has been re-generated over the Twilight saga, and fans are just rearing to watch it. Now, I'm not Twilight fan. I cannot fathom why the girls go all ga-ga over Robert Pattinson, when all I see is a seriously constipated face trying its hardest to look.. I dunno, sexy in vampire-like way? I still hate Bella (the one in the movie) because she was so expressionless I thought she was a robot that was trying too hard. I totally did not see any chemistry whatsoever between Bella and Edward, and by the time they got together I went: "THEY WERE IN LOVE???" The ONLY person that managed to catch my eye was Mary Alice Brandon's Alice Cullen. She was just too cute! I found the plot amazingly dry, so bloody typical, and awfully tedious. The cold, stiff acting didn't help much either.

Yes, picking up an apple from a tree for a girl is enough to make her want to be you girlfriend. Every boy who wants to get a girl should really do this! Right.

Judging by the trailer, New Moon is probably gonna be just as cheesy (the dialogue made me want to vomit. How the actors could keep going all mushy-mushy to each other and keep a straight face, I have no idea), and just as dry. Gosh, I want to slap Bella so badly.... Is it just me, or am I liking the evil-looking blonde voltur-whatsitcalled woman more?

Okay, if you are a Twilight fan, ignored the warning, read this far and are about to throw stones (or whatever you can find) at me, let me say ONE redeeming point about the Twilight saga: Jacob Black. Watching the trailer, Taylor Lautner made me actually want to watch the movie.

Look at that. He kinda looks like a guy from a surfer ad to me, but honestly, he is hot.
Check out those abs!

If you asked me.....
Taylor Lautner is way more handsome and way hotter than Robert-I-Need-To-Poo-Fast-Pattinson.
I'm so glad they cut his (Taylor's) hair.

Maybe he WAS trying, but I seriously don't feel turned on.

AND another thing, why on God's beautiful Earth, did they choose Robert Pattinson, over HIM????

Gaspard Ulliel.
Ooh-la-la.

He doesn't even HAVE to act sexy, the guy OOZES sex appeal. He, in my opinion, would make a much better Edward Cullen. Whatever possessed the director/producer/whoever was in charge of casting to overlook him? I'd choose him in a heartbeat. Heck, this guy made Hanibal Lecter look sexy. I'm not sure if he was good in it, cos I did not watch the film (with me getting nightmares so easily and all....). But boy, was he hot. And when he speaks in French... or even in English, WITH THE FRENCH ACCENT.... Oh lord...

So, why is Robert Pattinson Edward Cullen again?

A Japanese Advert

I tell you, I can never remember the name of the product of this ad even though I've seen it so many times. It's what we call vampire creativity, an ad that is so creative, that you cannot remember the brand name at all. This ad won the "Golden Pencil Award". According to my lecturer, this is the ultimate award that a copywriter can wish to achieve.

So, tell me what was your first impression of the ad, and... can you still remember the brand name after watching it? :)

Oh, Parting Never Sweet

This post is dedicated to the lovely Paik Hwa and... Uh... Lam Ming Guan who will both be flying to England very soon. This picture was taken last Thursday during our farewell party for the both of them. I can't believe we're all flying off one by one! Next it's gonna be MichT. I hear she wants to fly to Aussie... I think. After her, it'd probably be me.... I'm not sure who else is gonna fly off, but I'm pretty sure that the yam-cha gang is probably gonna whittle down to one or two people. I'm gonna miss you all so much! I feel so nostalgic thinking of the wonderful times we had together. I have one thing to say though, please, PLEASE don't forget us! Do remember to keep in touch and TOLONGLAH, don't come back to Malaysia like a pendatang haram and NOT tell anyone about it.....

Paik Hwa and Lam, please take care. Please stay in touch. And remember this, we all love you (well if the others don't, I know I do. ;)). It's not exactly a very heart rendering speech, I know. These are very simple words, but I really mean them (I can feel your bulu naik-ing). With that said, bon voyage and have fun!

Justice- "D.A.N.C.E"

Here's a vid I've been meaning to post up a long time ago, but I kept forgetting the title. I saw this back in Sem 1 (which was last year), thanks to Joyce Ngu. The shirts are plain shirts by the way, they just added in graphics. The graphics here are damn cool. And by that, I mean that the timing of all the graphics on the tees is so precise, I was amazed. So amazed, I started raving about it the next day. Enjoy!

P/S: This isn't the original version, guys. There were a few scenes left out, so... Not as cool as the one I saw. If I manage to find the particular version I saw, I'll repost the vid.

It's a Big Ad Indeed.

I saw this ad a few days ago in class. Not sure if you guys have seen it, but personally, I feel it's really creative. Apparently, after the launch of this ad, the sales of Carlton Draught rose. It was really bold of the advertisers and the company to choose such an unconventional way of launching a beer ad, considering that your average beer ad does not involve millions of people running around and singing.

What used to be

Nope, I did not trace this. It's really simple and really rushed. I used to draw a lot. My books would be filled all sorts of drawings when I was small. It irritated my parents and teachers really badly. Oh yeah, I painted a lot too. These days, I don't draw so much cos I got busy. I'm not too sure how to pixelise it. AM planning to post some of my artwork here. Especially since I don't have much to blog. Most are gonna be handdrawn and black and white. I'm not too good with CG yet.

A Revamp At Last

FINALLY, this blog is revamped. It took me this long to figure out how to change the template so yeahhh. I am happy. :) Like I promised, I've edited the blog and everything.

However, I think I lost some of my links, not really sure la. Cos I had to upgrade my blogger account settings and all. Being me, and I know I am prone to being extremely muddle-brained, I cleared my previous layout without thinking, and yeah, lost a lot of my widgets. I guess you can consider this blog still under construction, though I'm not quite sure what else to do with it....

For now, I must go back to my cross cultural essay..... Whoo-pee.

Additional notes

To whom it may concern:

Sorry guys, but I'm not going to edit this blog until I can figure out how on Earth to modify the html codes of the blog templates provided by yummylolly.com. Don't worry guys, I'll definitely revamp this blog. Thank goodness I'm not doing creative multimedia (as interesting as it may be), or I just might die.

At this point in time I should be:

A. Vegetating in front of the TV (though I don't watch it as much anymore)

B. Leveling up in my PS2 (sadly, PS2 saya rosak. Have to send for repairs. How I wish for a PS3!)

C. Reading a good book on my comfy bed (Which reminds me, Ches can I pinjam The Diary of Anne Frank please?)

Unfortunately I have an essay to do, some bloody groupwork that I totally forgot about, and I STILL haven't organised and revised my notes. At least it's a holiday tomorrow.

Quite frankly speaking, I prefer Twitter to Blogger. For one thing, updates are way easier, and there's much less hassle.

I wonder....

What would it be like, if everyone were rich?

What would it be like, if the media didn't exist?

What would it be like, if Michael Jackson weren't discovered?

What would it be like, if I were the youngest, not the eldest?

What would it be like, if the Earth was flat?

What would it be like, if I chose science, instead of advertising?

What would it be like, if we lived in treetops?

What would it be like, if I saw Big Foot, and lived to tell the tale?

What would it be like, if I were rich?

What would it be like, if I were born in January, not December?

What would it be like, to have blonde hair?

What would it be like, to have fair skin?

What would it be like, to have my own laptop?

What would it be like, to be a Leo, and not a Capricorn?

What would it be like, to live as a superstar?

What would it be like, if the world had pink trees, instead of green?

What would if be like, if the sky was green, not blue?

What would it be like, to never grow up?

What would it be like, if Malaysia never achieved independance?

What would it be like, to have a dancing jellybean?

I don't know, you decide. ;)

Note: Just because I wondered, doesn't mean that my favourite colors are pink and green.

I haven't been in a blogging mood.

SOOOOO yeah, no updates so far. That is, till now (the post you're reading la).

Epilogue for a Dear Friend

At around 10.30 AM in the morning, an SMS woke me up. I checked my phone - it was Pauline:

Uncle Simon passed away yesterday, I'm not kidding. Funeral is tomorrow.

At first I had no idea who she was referring to me about. I thought she meant that her uncle had passed away, and she wasn't coming to the potluck (groggy as I was, that was my assumption). So I put the phone down and went to sleep.

An hour later, I was awoken by yet another SMS. This time, it was Wei Ling telling me that the party was canceled because Mable and Pauline weren't able to come due to the passing away of "Uncle Dobby". Then I started thinking.... Uncle Dobby? Uncle Simon? Who...? Then it hit me. It was the uncle from "Kindly Laundry". The owner of the laundry shop near my old college.... I was shocked.

It turns out that Uncle (as we all called him), had died of a heart attack just yesterday. It seemed so unbelieveable.

We knew uncle through Pauline, who was his goddaughter. Almost half of my class knows him, I think. As I remember him, Uncle was kind, friendly, and fun to be with. We'd all go over to the laundry shop to hang out and chit chat. He'd make all sorts of jokes, and we'd all laugh. Uncle had a jolly face. You could see it in him that he was a cheerful person. He wasn't like any of the uncle-s I've met. He was hip, and actually really cool. We called him our "rockstar".

I remember this one time when uncle called us over to eat lunch. He'd made lunch for us. It was so good. He cooked mushroom and chicken soup with eggs. I ended up doing the washing (I offered la).

I horribly regret one thing. Not spending enough time with him. Everytime I come by the shop (which grew less and less), uncle would tell me : "Hey Miss Woo! Long time no see! Why never come to the shop now hah?" I guess the increasing ammount of workload made me withdraw, socially speaking. I went home immediately after class, spent lots of alone time in college, cos I really was very stressed up. I regret so much for not spending time with him. Cos now I can't. I won't see him anymore. My last memory of him, was that tight fatherly hug he gave me a month ago. Mable told us that he told his sons that he missed us. My heart ached at those words, and the tears started pouring.

I cried a lot yesterday, thinking about you, and how we won't see that jolly face of yours ever again. I'm sorry I couldn't come for the funeral, I am so mad at myself for not being able to go, and at my dad, for not letting me go. I sincerely hope that all is well. I pray with all my might that you will rest in peace. I pray for your family, for Auntie, for your sons, Sonny, Stanley, and one more (I forgot the name... Really sorry). I know that I, we, will never forget the beautiful memories we shared together. Here's to you, rockstar. We'll always remember you. We all love you.

ho-hum

okay.. I know this blog is getting kinda abandoned.... I need to revamp it la. Any ideas?

Generally, there's nothing bloggable at the moment. Either that, or I'm too lazy to blog. I'm trying to find a new template though... ('cos I don't know how to design my own blog - HTML issues, dimension issues, etc.)

I tell you ah I'm very far behind the html world now. I need to get my knowledge back! RAWR!

Anyway, I might be going for a potluck party tomorrow. I'll blog about that, I guess. If I have the pics.

Death of Another Genius

Yasmin Ahmad, may she rest in peace, has passed away at 11.25 pm on June 26 2009. Yasmin, 51, collapsed while presenting a working paper at Sri Pentas, the headquarters of the television station TV3 on Thursday and was rushed to the Damansara Specialists Hospital. It is reported that she suffered from a stroke and brain hemorrhage.

I was utterly shocked when hearing the news. She was at the prime of her life, heck, the prime of her career. I loved her works - Sepet, Gubra and Muallaf, just to name a few. Her advertisements were nothing to sneeze at either. They are some of the most creative Malaysian ads I have ever seen, and good Malaysian ads are very hard to come across. She orchestrated the adorable and endearing "Percintaan Tan Hong Ming".



I admire her, I truly do. Goodbye, Yasmin Ahmad, may you rest in peace.

I saw the cages, not the chains: Exposed

It was an innocent Moral project, which we felt so wonderful after.

"Taman Sinar Harapan" it was called, when translated it means "Ray Of Hope Garden" or something to that extent. It's ironic, considering the disturbing secrets it held. Now I am wondering, how much did they lie to us all to hide their sinister intentions?

Back in 2006, my friends and I went there to do volunteer work as part of our Moral Project requirement. Before we got started, the people in charge lay down the ground rules: No taking pictures of the residents, and no going to the block that was furthest from the hall, as the residents there were very violent and could pose harm to us. We were also told that most of the residents were not around due to some Paralympic Games event going on somewhere. Now I am wondering if those residents really went for Paralympics at all.

We were given a tour around the place, everywhere except the "forbidden" block. They later delegated our tasks to us. My heart broke when I saw all the residents, abandoned with no home except this one. Most of them were seen in cots. One of the volunteers told us that some had to be tied up with cloths to prevent them from hurting themselves or climbing out. We saw cloth, not chains. So our work began. We tidied up the place together, while the residents watched us curiously. Pn. Low, our Moral Studies teacher at the time, told me to bring my violin along to play songs for the residents. I was the only one from the whole of 4A and 4B to be allowed to go deeper in the buildings, a peek of the so-called "horror house". As I played I saw how these people reacted. There was one point where they led me to a section of the buildings that was locked with a strong grill door.

"These are one of those who have severe mental disabilities." I was told. And I saw how severe it was. They shook the bars of their cots, and screamed, quite unlike the docile ones who were not placed behind grill doors. The stench of urine was unbearable. These residents, if my memory served correctly, were all chained to their cots. But I suspected nothing, thinking they were somewhat well taken care of. I did not, however, see naked males who were tortured on the floor, as quoted by The Star.

We left the place with happy feelings in our hearts thinking that we had done something truly fulfilling that day. None of us were aware of the horrors they hid.

So when I saw the article on how horribly the residents were treated, how "tidak apa" the volunteers were, I was shocked. I didn't know what to think. And yet there I was feeling so thankful that day about having a good mind, body, spirit, etc. when clearly there was so much more going on there. I feel horrible for not noticing it all, especially when I was the only one allowed to go in deeper. How did it slip by?



For those of you who have not read the article, you may do so HERE. My heart goes out to the residents of Taman Sinar Harapan, I pray it will all turn out well for you. I'm so sorry I didn't notice anything amiss when I went there.

R.I.P, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett

Yesterday, I went to the corner shop near college, sleepy and groggy. After ordering my Milo kosong panas, I started dozing on the table. Then Ian and Wai Lee walked in. Ian, whom I expected to look groggy as usual, wasn't. He came in, looking shocked, having that "WTF?" look on his face, sat opposite me and said:

"Eh, Michael Jackson's dead."

That woke me up immediately.

Yes, for those of you who haven't heard, the King of Pop is dead. I couldn't believe it at first, so I switched on the radio and tuned in to Fly Fm. Confirmed, Ian wasn't lying. He died at age 50. And he was due for a huge come back too. This was too shocking.

(I preferred him when he was black, seriously)

Michael Jackson was my childhood idol. I used to rush out of the room whenever he came on TV just to watch him. This was the guy who made the Moonwalk so famous, no one could imitate him. Heck, no one could even dance like him. I loved him. Sure, he turned a little crazy, but you have to admit, his works are legendary.

Like Elvis, he left us so suddenly.
He is one of those inimitable giants.
No one could top him.
Here's to you, Michael Joseph Jackson, King of Pop.
You are truly a legend.
We will not forget you.
May you rest in peace.

Let's take another moment of silence for Farrah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie's Angels, who died of anal cancer on the day before Michael Jackson's death.

(the iconic poster of Farrah Fawcett that graced the bedroom walls of many teenage boys in the 70s.)

May you both rest in peace.

Sem 3 To-Do List

1. Sociology Individual Assignment
(Essay on the Amish Culture)
(Deadline: 5 June)
2. Sociology Group Assignment
(Exhibition on Sex and Gender Issues: Does Size Matter?/Beauty vs. Brains)
(Deadline: 17 July)
3. Public Relations Individual Assignment
(News Article : PR Fundamentals)
(Deadline: 19 June)
4. Public Relations Group Assignment
(Go Green Campaign)
(Deadline: 10 July)
5. Sales Promotion Individual Assignment
(Research on Wendy's Pack)
6. Sales Promotion Group Assignment
(Marketing Plan for Maxis <-THIS IS FOR REAL PEOPLE!)
(Deadline: 30 June)
7. Consumer Behavior Individual Assignment
(Mind Mapping)
(Deadline: 30 June)
8. Consumer Behavior Group Assignment
(Creating an Ad for Al Gore's Environmental Cause + Identifying Target Audience)
(Deadline: 18 June)
9. Pengajian Malaysia Group Assignment
(Dunno what we're supposed to do.)
(Deadline: Not sure)

Now you know why I haven't blogged for so long. It's been hectic, it's been stressful. I have group meetings almost everyday. I'm not even sure where to start. What's worse is that due to IACT's move to Jaya One in August, they MIGHT be moving up our exams, which means, NO STUDY BREAK. With our schedule the way it is, I'm wondering if we have to time to breathe, let alone study.

So peeps, this blog will not be updated consistently, but I will update when I can. If I do have the time, I'll change the blog layout too. Getting bored with this one....

P.S: I'm starting to drive around more! With mum next to me, that is. I think I'm getting better! :D Hopefully I'll be able to drive to Jaya One once the college moves.