OMG! OMG!

OMG.... I've just had a heart attack. Here's the reason why.

This is an extract of an e-mail which I received today:

Hi Olivia,

Congratulations! You've won a goodie bag from The Departed, MTV's Movie of the Month this October. It contains:

(a) a notebook; and

(b) a 3 piece poster set of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson

A similar letter was also sent to your registered address.
.
.
.
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Cheers,

The MTV Screen Team


Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh omg omg this is sooo surreal. So happy! *thinks of putting all the posters in my bedroom wall*

*Olivia smiles crazily*

Our Lives Revolves Around Buts.

Dilemma really gives people stress, and I just hate being put in it. So yesterday, out of the blue, an Arts Council member called to inform me that there was to be an interview today. But... (as always, there's the but) the interview would start at 6.30 pm, while I finished school at 3. Plus, I've promised Emma to watch The Prestige with her today in Vivocity. I also already cannot wait to go for Vivocity. So, I called back the person to tell her that I'd like to give up the interview.

But.... (again -.-), today The Prestige tix for 3.40 pm sold out. So sadddd.... cannot see Christian Bale again!! (oh by the way, one of my friends have been converted from Hugh Jackman to Christian Bale fan after watching the movie haha). And so, Emma and I decided to walk around Vivo instead. Oh my gawd.. it's so so so nice. SUPER nice. A lot of shops. I really like the rooftop garden thingy. I totally agree with Emma, it has the beach-y feel to it somewhat haha. I love all the artworks and art installations everywhere on the shopping mall complex. Too bad the weather hadn't returned to its finest form, and so the view cannot be enjoyed to its fullest. Nevertheless, I'm so coming back on December 2006, when the shopping mall would have been fully opened.


I ate Carl's Junior today for the first time ever. It's nice. Though eating Carl's Junior can really be a messy experience. I think we really need to shoot "How to eat Carl's Junior burger glamorously" video... and "Hot to eat Carl's Junior's Onion rings glamorously". Well, the burgers are gigantic and onion rings as well. They're quite oily as well. Very sinful. But as sinful as Mcdonald's? Hmm... maybe. But I think it's far more delicious than McD. A delightful sin? Haha.

Emma is very high today.

Ah scrap that.

Emma and Olivia are very high today.

Except that Emma is exceptionally much higher.


So in the end, I decided to go to the interview. I kinda expected that they'll ask about my sudden change of decision. At least I knew how to answer that one. The rest of the interview was okay. The interview was quite unconventional I guess haha.

You know it's a strange thing that yesterday I was reading "Memoirs of Geisha", and there's one part where Sayuri, one of the characters, said that she had always been looking for a sign for her to see a new purpose in life. Well, I guess the failed attempt of buying the ticket is that sign for me. Well, wanting to be an Arts council member is not really a purpose in life. It's just part of my life's path.


Tomorrow's Hari Raya Puasa. Indo soo nice.. the holiday surely is very long. Why is Singapore government so stingy of giving holidays? Sigh anyway, one day is better than nothing right?

Hmm.. I should rot today. Watch a movie?

Oh ya oh ya. Guess what? For The Time Traveller's Wife, the wife would be played by Rachel McAdams! Ahhhhh so happy!! I think it's a great casting choice. Now, let's wait who the time traveler will be. If you haven't read the book, well I highly recommend it to you!

3 more days to Max-imum satisfaction haha.

Later.

The Prestige

Haha, I can't believe that all the hoola is reaching its end. After following its development on every stage very closely, The Prestige has eventually arrived in Singapore (2nd country.. after Italy's Rome festival.. to show it hehe).

So as you can see, since I have a great anticipation towards movie, I die die must watch it the first day of release (haha though there is sneaks like yesterday.. but it took place at about 9 pm.. so too late.)

I like the movie sooo much that I decided to post a review in IMdB haha. First ever proper review I've ever done in my life... so mind the formal tone.

Here's the review:

Another Magical Work by Nolan
8 out of 10 stars

After watching 4 of Christopher Nolan's shows, I really have a high expectation of this movie. In addition to the great director, the cast selection is superb as well. Well, thankfully I'm not disappointed by this movie.

"The Prestige" is filled with twists and turns. I think how you see the twists and turns will affect what you think of the movie eventually. Some people will be fascinated by them (like me), while others won't. Well, the story can be basically summarized to two themes, Deceit and Obsession. I thought Nolan chooses a great way to present the story. Though the back and forth narration may confused some people, I thought it really works well for the movie, teasing audience to figure out how the story really goes. I feel that the type of flashbacks here is different from those used in Nolan's "Insomnia" and "Memento", though they are effective for their respective movies.

I watched the show with some book spoilers in mind. To those who had read the book, well, the story is rather different from the book. The ending especially. The movie does not mention about the descendants of the Magicians at all.

Hugh Jackman's and Christian Bale's acting are amazing. One supporting actor which I think stands out is David Bowie's Nikola Tesla. His charisma really makes his character interesting.

Like other Nolan's movies, this movie is visually stunning. You won't be disappointed by its cinematography.

Despite being a great movie, I don't think that this movie will be one of the major contenders for Oscar. The genre doesn't really suit well with Oscar type of movies.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, this movie is one of the best movies this year, and is definitely a must watch.

*******

I'm still waiting for its approval hehehe.

(I couldn't write the following stuff in the review.. so yeah). So am I happy? Yes, like duh. I thought that Christian Bale would look awful in the show. But turns out I was wrong. Though he didn't go topless (unlike Hugh Jackman who did it once haha), he is still hott!!!! Hahaha. I'm planning to watch it again for the second time :) And I've found a person to do it with.

Well seriously I think I'll only watch it 2 times. Not 3. Hehe. I'll get the DVD most probably.

More later dudes :)

Freak Accident

Haha, you know as a Manchester United fan, I was really happy to find out that two of Chelsea's goalkeepers got injured in a game, even causing John Terry, their central defender, to stand in the goal line during last few minutes of the game.



BUT......



Today I found out that Peter Cech, their first-choice keeper, which is a really really good goalkeeper, had a skull fracture.

That is really really really bad.

I'm really worried for him. I don't want his playing day to end in such a tragic manner. He's still young.. I think 24 or 25.

I never thought things like skull fracture do happen in Football. Most of the time the injuries are related to foot, or bottom part of the body.

I don't know why, but this suddenly reminds me of the accident in which Shay Given, a Newcastle goalkeeper, had his bowel torn during one of this season Premiership matches. That's already bad... but Peter's accident is so much worse.

Peter, I sincerely hope you'll get well soon.

There's A Long Way Ahead, Baby.

Let me warn you. This is gonna be a looooong blog entry, teehee. So anyway, last week, with the completion of my promo exam (yayness), I travelled to Hong Kong on Saturday. At that point of time, the haze in Singapore is really awful.

Taken on 27 July 2006


Taken on 7 October 2006

You see, despite both pictures being rather dark, well, you can see that they're different kind of darkness haha. I think that the haze had never been as bad before throughout my 7 years stay here in Singapore. Anyway, the situation is thankfully getting better :) Though it is still not good enough to convince me that the photo marathon by Canon will be a memorable one. Besides this, I have last minute Drama open house commitment :s which kinda sucks when they tell you about it last minute. Henceforth, no photo marathon for me this year. Next year maybe? (hey, i'll need a break from my 'a' level mugging. Unless I'm desperate for studying time at this period of time next year).

Photos are taken from my house haha.

So the trip to Hong Kong didn't go as well as I want it to be. First of all, there's already lots of winter clothing. Which means I got less stuff compared to what I'd usually get during Summer season. Well, at least I got some stuff haha. Better than nothing right? And.. I managed to get some movies (3 are rather old, 1 is rather brand new if you count 6 years recent) for a rather cheap price. All are DVDs, and below S$14, 2 are $10. Originals haha. So yeah, it was worth it! I've watched 3 out of 4 during my 4 days stay in Hong Kong.

Billy Elliot... checked.

Four Weddings and A Funeral... checked (by the way, I don't know why but Hugh Grant's eyes are reallly nice here haha.)

Silence of the Lambs... not yet haha.

Last but not least.... Airplane! Ok this show is the oldest show I've watched thus far in my life. It's a 1980 show. Older than my brother. AND, it's the lamest show I've watched thus far in my life. But, a good sense of lameness (not like Deuce Bungalow: Europen Gigolo, which is horrible horrible... I can't emphasise enough... it was a torture to watch it. All thanks to my friend haha). I tell you okay, seriously all the lame asses in this world should watch this show (sorry for the choice of words haha).

Check out the use of wordart dude.
Those are the times where Microsoft hardly exists haha.

All the movies, as usual, are reviewed below.

Oh yaaa... I'm pretty depressed that there's this Spanish movie that has opened in Hong Kong. It stars Penelope Cruz, and it has been getting really really really really good reviews. I sincerely hope that when it comes to Singapore, it'll play in Picturehouse, so that I can at least go and sit at the Picturehouse for once in my life. The movie is called Volver. Hope it'll eventually come to Singapore. Unlike Brick (I want to watch this shoooooww) which I think would never make it here :( (hey, I thought that my favourite old man's show "Good Night and Good Luck" will never make it to S'pore a few months ago haha)




By the way, I got the nice shiny postcards of Volver from Agnes B. Hong Kong. So happy :D

On the way to Hong Kong, I watched Toy Story, which is good. Well I watched it when I was small, when I barely understood English. I guess when they translated a language to another, some of the sentence's meanings would be lost. I remember not laughing as much when I watched it for the first time.

Then on the way back to Singapore, I watched another Pixar movie (whoa a journey that begins and ends with Pixar), Cars. Well, it's not as good as Toy Story, but still it's enjoyable.

Both movies are reviewed below.

Ehm, buying a plush toy of two pigs can be counted as shopping right?

At first I thought of buying one of them, but then, I don't want to separate them. They look like a happy couple to me haha. You know, when you squeeze the pigs' nose, they make a sound. I don't know how to describe it. You know like the toys with air in it, then when you squeeze it it produces sounds? That kind of noise.



You know sometimes I thought what it would feel like to direct a movie. Since acting is not a very easy thing to do, I'm curious how directing will feel like. I'm still cracking my head of what to write if I ever write a script one day. I want it to be a deep, thought-provoking kind of thing, not a shallow romantic comedy (and certainly not teen movies). So yeah, maybe I'll wait when I grow older, then I'll get used to some themes. I notice that good movies tend to have at least one of these elements: violence, coarse language, and some sexual theme? I don't know why. Whether or not I'll have to do something with any of them, it is still to be seen.

One of the great directors which I'll certainly look up to is Christopher Nolan. Oh my gosh, his movies are great. I watched another movie of his (the third one of him) today, it's title Insomnia, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hillary Swank. Though the movie is a remake, it's a really really good movie. It really puts the audience on the edge an stuff. Well, this guy also did Momento, which is kinda legendary, and haha Batman Begins.

I want to watch some more old movies, including those done by Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. I'm curious of their filming style. Though their movies may bored terribly, I'll still watch Martin Scorscese and Clint Eastwood movies, cause their movies are oscar-worthy most of the time (which I still don't get for Mystic River). I'll watch some by Peter Jackson too, cause you can see from his earlier works how he has progressed as a director. Surprisingly I never thought of really including Steven Spielberg's movies until now haha. Maybe I'll watch Jaws, Close Encounter of Third Kind and Jurassic Park (again). I can barely remember Jurassic Park!!

Before I forgot, there's this story which I read while doing Chinese revision paper haha which I found quite touching. Maybe I'll try filming that. I can't believe that if I ever film this, my first film would be based on a Chinese story. Hmm, how interesting.

I ponned school yesterday and watched Little Miss Sunshine. Well, I've got to say, it is one of the best show released this year! Go and watch it if you can! Please!

And guess what? The Departed is M18! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. So irritating! I really wanted to watch it really really badly. And now after all the publicity through the posters and magazines and other stuffs, the rating board rate it as M18. Like what theeeeee.....? First is Black Dahlia, then Harsh Times (which got pushed back in schedule again haha) and then this.. Even for this rating, they cut some scenes, which I assumed got to do with Jack Nicholson's character's sexual side haha. It is written that M18 is for coarse language and violence. Well after watching Jarhead in which the f-word is said like 200 times, it couldn't get that bad right? Haha. Sooo.... I have to wait for maybe 3-4 months for the DVD to come out.. for me to see Leonardo Dicaprio. I think he looks sooo hot :D Though he's different from his Titanic days, still it's different kind of handsomeness. Now he looks more matured I guess haha. And well, like my other handsomes, he have nice eyes :D Sorry about me and guys with nice eyes haha.

Oh ya, I can't believe that Christian Bale and Leonardo is of same age, 32. Like, huh?!

Sigh let me end this entry here (with the reviews below). Or else it'll never gonna end haha. On the last note, I've just seen videos of Hugh Jackman dancing and singing.. he's good.. though he looks a bit gay sometimes hahaha (there's one video where he makes wolverine look gay in x-men's behind the scene).

6 more days to the Prestige :D Abrakadabra!

To those who make it till this point (without any skipping haha), thanks for reading! More later :)

----------------------------

Reviews Gala


Toy's Story (8.0 out of 10 stars)
Hmm, at first I thought Cathay Pacific was gonna show Scanner Darkly. But mysteriously it wasn't played, though it was listed in the programme list. Anyway, so I decided to watch Toy's Story. And I don't regret it :D For me it's the best Pixar show thus far. I somewhat enjoy it more than Finding Nemo. I just keep cracking up by the antics of the toys. This movie somewhat reminds me of the Toy Story game I used to play in SEGA (omg, Sega is so ages ago). Maybe I should start watching older Disney shows as well, and see how I feel about them. I am especially curious, according to Tomatoe, how gay the prince of Snow White can be haha. When I watched it when I was small, I didn't find him weird or anything haha.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (7.0 out of 10 stars)
Well, besides Hugh Grant's blue eyes, nothing really catches my eyes in this show. Though the story is quite well-written by romantic genius Richard Curtis (who did Love Actually, Notting Hill bla bla), it kinda lacks something special. The story gets quite boring towards the end, and the ending is kinda prectable, especially if you want the ending to be a happy one. This is the best known movie done by Mike Newell, who did the last Harry Potter, according to some people. If you're looking for some good fun, well you'll enjoy this show. If you're looking for a movie with a more layered, complex story, then look somewhere else.

Airplane! (7.5 out of 10 stars)
What can I say? This movie somewhat lives to my expectation. I found out about it in Empire, which calls it one of the greatest comedies around. Since I trust Empire a lot, I decided to purchase the DVD of this movie. I have no regrets. Though the story at the front starts quite slowly, once the plane takes off, the fun really takes off too. Despite not getting some of the jokes (since they're presumably based on things of the 80s), the movie is still hilarious. It's like in every scene of the movie, there must be something funny going on. Once again, to all lame people out there, go and watch this show! To those who are not lame, watch this movie and you'll appreciate the art of lameness ;)

Billy Elliot (8.0 out of 10 stars)
I enjoyed this show tremendously. It's beyond my expectation. Looking at Jamie Bell, I thought that he really had grown. Well he was last seen in Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" video and in King Kong. He looks so cute here... and his talent is amazing. His dancing is brilliant, full of energy and expression. You can really see how much effort he puts into the character, as the character struggles to make his family appreciate the art of dancing. The acting of other casts are brilliant as well, though sometimes the scenes on the other family members may distract you from the central character. Nevertheless, Billy Elliot is a fine show.

Cars (7.0 our of 10 stars)
Unlike Toy Story, I found this show to be more adult-oriented. The story is not that children-friendly compared to other pixar movies I think. Well first of all, you can't do anything much with cars. I mean what kind of funny stories can you develop from them? Unless you're someone really really good with story creation. You can't make cars that cute either haha (unlike Nemo). Anyway, I still kinda enjoy it. The story isn't that bad, though I think it's kinda forced? I don't know how to say it. Anyway, looking forward to Ratatouille next year (however you spell it).

Little Miss Sunshine (8.0 out of 10 stars)
Oh my, this story puts me into a lot of giggles. I thought that story is really meaningful as well, a different kind of thing from others this year. The story is kinda simple, and yet how the directors are able to create a lot of layers to the character and the story is amazing. The movie may starts rather slowly, but it works I think, cause it really tells the background of each character and their personalities. The little girl, Abigail Breslin, is an amazing actress. I just found out yesterday that she's the girl who said something like "Can I have a glass of water?" in Signs haha. She looks so different here. I think the pinnacle of the movie is the ending scene, the beauty pageant scene. Which is sooooo hilarious. Steve Carrell's acting (the 40 year old virgin guy as many of you would know him by) never fails to make me laugh as well. Oh, and Grandpa's as well haha. *suddenly thinks of the Superfreak dance haha*. Anyway, go and watch this.

Insomnia (8.0 out of 10 stars)
Another fine work by Christopher Nolan. The story is really full of twists and irony. I read that this adaptation is rather different from the original, for the better sense actually. I've got to say that Al Pacino's acting is brilliant. I like how also the movie tries to potray the insomnia which Al Pacino's character is going through in creative ways. You can see some of the trademarks of Christopher Nolan's movies (flashes of events= memento?). The place where the movie is shot is beautiful as well. Some scenes of the movie are really tense, and somewhat as the movie progresses, you'll tend to be supporting the protagonist (Al Pacino), despite the bad things he had done. Robin Williams acting is so-so (it's not comedic by the way). I thought his in Good Will Hunting is better :) Maybe it's because of the shorter duration of his appearance compared to Al and Hillary.



Wah, I took about 1 hour to do this entry, without break.

Haha dream on.

Today I dreamt that I'm going to get a vocal coaching lesson. So I went for the audition, then the person-in-charge made me sing some Indo songs (hahaha). Later, I found out that my vocal coach is gonna be..... Liam Gallagher of Oasis.



Sorry, but there's never gonna be any way that I'll want him to be my vocal coach. Though I have to admit that he has one of the most unique vocal in the rock music.

So, let things be what it is.

2 more to go...

Soo.. 4 down and 2 more to go. 4 more days to freedom! :D Ehm, today's papers are Chinese and Maths. Seriously, having Maths in the morning can be both a good and bad idea. Good.. because you feel fresh in the morning. Bad.. because it's 3 hour long and by the end of the paper, I feel mentally drained and retarded haha.

Hmm, today, when I visited HMV, I realised that I've not been there for ages. There are so many albums that I haven't tried, and I only found out that the first floor entrance of HMV has been completed haha, though it is smaller compared to the previous one. The ground floor of Heeren has completely changed over the past 2 months. There is no more fountain (oh memories! the days where they held the autograph sessions there haha). There are some newer albums which I like, for example, The Killers' "Sam Town", Basement Jaxx's latest and MOS Dance Nation. Ehm, some that I don't really like includes Justin Timberlake's Future Love/Sex Sound, Beyonce's B-Day (the album gets annoying as the album approaches towards the end, though her vocal power is amazing) and (surprisingly) Scissor Sisters :( :( I thought that their collaboration with Elton John will be a great one. I don't know, I find it too cheesy.

HMV was playing Evanescence's latest album so loudly that I can barely hear some of the albums properly. This is worsen by the fact that some headphones only have one ear-side working haha. I don't really like Evanescence's latest album. After hearing it being played (extremely loudly), I found it kinda monotonous.

I'm happy to find that Nick Hornby's "A Long Way Down" hardcover version is being sold in HMV at a cheaper price than its original price and Kinokuniya's price. Originally, I think it was about $35. And now it's going for $24!!! Ahhhh.... I'm so gonna buy it, regardless of the time that I may not have to read it haha.

You know some strange people have been approaching me in Orchard Road. Last week, a guy spoke in Chinese to me in Wisma escalator. At first I couldn't understand him. Only when he repeated his words, then I realised that he's saying, "xiao mei mei, can I get to know you better?" Then his friend behind him started laughing, and both of them laughed. I just said "Whatever" to them. Then today, near Heeren, there is this old man who was speaking non-sensically and distributed me a pamphlet (on faith of God). The guy kind of freaks me out. Then in Cineleisure, there's this malay guy who approached me. At first he said he wanted to ask some questions for survey. But then he started asking me to pretend to sign up for freelance agency.. cause his company wants blah blah blah blah. I just said sorry no and left.

This is soooooo freaky.

At least I managed to calm myself down by thinking of a verse from the bible which my Mom asks me to read as frequently as I can before going to sleep. It's about God's protection on those who believe in him. I feel so much better after thinking about it.

Sigh, what's with all the weird people.

Anyway, more later.

Fear

Two of my greatest fears of being a photographer are:

1. Becoming predictable
2. Losing my touch (well you get what I mean)

I think i'm having the second one at the moment. Though I would not have to worry about it too much now.

After promos, I got a number of concepts that I'd like to do :D I know that things can be overturned.

Anyway, 2 days ago, I decided to watch the video of Scissor Sisters' "Comfortably Numb". I don't have that song in my computer, and the cassete tape of it which I bought broke down haha. Then I was curious, since the song is a cover, how the original song would sound like. It was originally sung by Pink Floyd. Haha... I think it's really a world's apart.

Pink Floyd's version.

Scissor Sisters' version.

Well, honestly, I prefer the Scissor Sisters' version haha. If you're really surprised by how contrasting the two songs are, well, I won't be surprised haha.

On the last note, if one day you decided to say "I love Scissor Sisters" to a person, well don't be surprised if the person give you a funny look. You should say, "I love the band Scissor Sisters". People who knows what the real meaning of scissor sister is would know why haha.

I tell you honestly, you wouldn't want to find out what it. (I found out about it accidentally :S)


Later.