Thursday, June 22, 2006
Silence Is Black And White, And Maybe Blue
I'm not sure if anyone ever remembers that there was such a thing called silent movies. Besides being a pleasure for all the deaf people, we too can enjoy the wonders of such a movie. I am so thankful that I went out last sunday with hoon. First, I've not met evil buddy hoon for quite some time due to her exams. Second, I was able to catch a performance cum screening of a series of silent movies at the Esplanade's Outdoor Theatre. Golly, I must have been a lucky guy that night.There was this Australian group of about 5 I think, calling themselves the Blue Grassy Knoll, that performed with violins, harmonicas, drums, guitars, cello, an old handphone (they creatively used a ringtone for one scene), and some other musical instruments which I've forgotten about. And the conductor was inhuman, literally. They took cue from a projector screen that screened the silent movies of Buster Keaton. (At the end of their set pieces, they always thanked the screen. Hilarious!) I admit, in shame, that I've never heard of Buster Keaton. But his movies spoke volumes of the genius he is. I managed to watch 2 out of 3 of the screenings that night. 'Cops' and 'Sherlock Junior'. They're about 45 minutes each, but at the end of it, you'd probably be asking for more.
So there I was, sitting with hoon in front of the screen, with Blue Grassy Knoll making all the sound effects for the bonks, the comical conflicts and romance, and ferocious but classical police chase. (Not in cars mind you. Just good ol' goofy blue-but-you-can't-tell-cos-it's-a-black-and-white-movie uniformed cops running with small clubs in their hands.) It was beautifully done, and you might be tempted to think that maybe the movie was not so silent after all. Not like I ignored the group. They were one with the movie, and I was one with both the movies and the band. And I wasn't alone. The whole crowd at the outdoor theatre, regardless of race or nationality, was with me on this one.
Applause.
Cheers and phwee-weeeeting. ===> Can someone tell me the correct word?
Smiles and laughter.
The lustful hunger for more.
It was what we all had in common that night. And I truly will never forget such a wonderful experience like that day, ever. I want to share this with the young'uns, and maybe, my own too in the future. Heh. I shall do a bit more research about Buster Keaton, his movies, and Blue Grassy Knoll. Things are getting lively once again. In the meantime, rejoice in a little pool of knowledge through these sites.
Things about Buster Keaton:
http://www.busterkeaton.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000036/
Things about Blue Grassy Knoll:
ARGH! CAN'T FREAKING FIND ANYTHING USEFUL! HELP!
Yeah, that's it.
9:18 PM
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Breaker Uppercutter
Was just watching something hilarious about a couple.http://youtube.com/watch?v=14Qd4Z3XCD4&search=devil%20may%20cry%20commercial
Gah! That was a cruel break-up man. Haha. I mean, wow, ok la, if there ever was such a break-up like that, it'd be pretty cool, instead of the usual weeping and depression.
I sometimes wonder if I'd been a lousy boyfriend before. Well, it's pretty vague if you think about the term 'bad', because even when you're really good to someone, it's also considered bad. But you will always come back to that same question at the end of it: Did I do something wrong? I can write out a whole list about why I should be in the wrong, because depression makes you think that way. But that's not the point, isn't it? It's not about what you did wrong. It's not about what she did wrong. It's about negotiating with each other what should be, what shouldn't, and what could. I regret that I wasn't the assertive type, as I always bowed down to her like a minion to a goddess. I always gave way, and I never really mentioned assertively what I didn't like about the relationship. I was that kind of person to always be on the losing side, as long as I can make her happy. But what defines happiness? I thought I knew, but I knew nothing about what exactly it was. I kept on guessing and calculating the best course of action, because I was scared of losing, and losing her. I was blindfolded with fear when I was already blind with love. I guess to me, that was what caused it to sink. Ah, again with the guesses and 'I Think' theories.
I'm not sure why I'm writing this, but maybe it's because my friend just mentioned to me about his old case of a break-up and it's aftermath just now. Somehow, it brought back all those memories. Good, bad, but mostly good in my opinion. I'm not trying to make this sound like those melodramatic dramas that shows a guy staring blankly into space with a sea breeze blowing in his face looking all mournful and a little teary as if the world is going to end so that I should just commit suicide before it happens but then again I'm indecisive on whether I should do that because it's not really the end of the world...but I wanted to be thankful, to her, for giving me the chance, and an eventful experience before. Through thick and thin, we'll still be good friends. =)
Argh, my mind is in such a mess now. It must be due to work! Haiz. ORD, I'm still waiting for you to save me.
10:43 PM
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Kites
I've been reading this book. 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. It's a really, really nice book! Argh, it is the kind of book that converses with you when you read it. When you read something good happening in it, you'll smile, ponder and laugh aloud. When you read something disastrous happening, you whine and scold the character involved, as if he ever existed. When you read about something ominous, you feel nervous and wonder what would happen next. That's the kind of book this one is like, and believe me when I say I am full with emotions when I read it. At one point of time, I messaged wally to curse a character in the book, for being such an asshole. Haha. I still think he's an asshole. I don't want to spend too much time trying to tell you what the book is about, so I'll leave you with a synopsis from amazon.com:
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")
Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon.I highly recommend this book. And as wally has said before, it's going to be a movie. Bless them for having an eye for quality, wally included. =) Hope it stays true to the story, as movies have a tendency of betraying the original goodies.
That's it. Oh, eileen, still praying for your safety in the US. Heh.
10:27 PM
Jam
I just went jamming the other day with my BMT mate, who amazingly recalls that I like john mayer and his music. I mean, it's been more than a year since our last point of contact, and he actually messages me one fine day:Ahmad, still remember me? Andy from your bmtc platoon. You still playing john mayer songs?
Like wah, that brought a smile to my face. Yes indeed. It's realy cool ar. Anyway, so after a small exchange of sms-es, he was wondering if I'd like to jam john mayer songs. What other answer could I have possibly given when faced with such a question? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY! =) So we all met up at Peninsula Excelsior for our jamming session. Besides a drummer that couldn't make it, it was me, andy (due to the lack of a drummer, he played the drums while doing vocals) and a bassist. (Sorry, I didn't manage to catch your name.) Once we were there, it was just us and music that linked us all. It's not like we played john mayer songs entirely. There was a tinge of jason mraz and howie day as well, and forgive me wally, I forgot about Damien Rice's songs. Haha. They were requesting to play that. All in all, I enjoyed the session, as it was my first time playing with a true bassist. He didn't play a monotonous range of notes, but improvised, and played almost like David Labruyere in the album. It was really fun, and short. We only played for ninety minutes, but man, we played to the max. Here's the set list:
1.St. Patrick's Day by John Mayer
2.3x5 by John Mayer
3.No Such Thing by John Mayer
4.City Love by John Mayer
5.Why Georgia by John Mayer
6.You And I Both by Jason Mraz
Andy wasn't able to concentrate fully with his vocals while playing the drums, and who can blame him? It sure is tough. So at times, he used his tamborine and made do with that while singing. His vocals are strong, I can assure you that. Of course, what would make any jamming session sweeter is the sound of drums. =)
We tried 'Collide' by Howie Day as well, and it turned out pretty good too. As I found out later on, andy had only just started listening to john mayer, and starting from 'Room For Squares', his first official album. (Although, for me, I think 'Inside Wants Out' deserves to be called his actual first.) The bassist had more exposure though, so he was pretty cosy with most of the songs. I was surprised he had not listened to 'John Mayer Trio' yet. Dude, you won't want to miss it.
So there goes my first official jamming session with them. "Don't worry, we'll definitely meet up more in future" were the last few words of andy when we left. It turns out that this was not andy's band, just people gathered for the first time to try things out. The result? Pretty good. I need to improve much more from now on. Oh, and I need to get myself that damn Fender Stratocaster. Argh!
Daena, yes, Captain Planet and me can be the best of buds, but never better than us. Haha. You and your imagination have been really running wild huh? I hope you're reading this, because it's been so long since I last had a chatting session with you. How do I describe this feeling? Hmm. It's like me losing that precious pebble stone you gave me on my 15/16th birthday which you so blatantly told me you picked up from the front of the general office because you suddenly remembered in the wee hours of the morning that it's my birthday, but I still treasure it because I think it's the most wonderful gift a person has ever given me and it's still holding a big space in my room as if it was the elixir of life. That's how I feel. Haha. Hope you've been doing well, and I can't help but wait for your return here in Singapore. I wonder if you know this already, but eileen's already in the US right now. She's doing fine. Ah, so many things to fill you in on, yet time has a way of stealing the details as it goes by. Hope I don't forget what I want to share with you. =)
I notice I've not been blogging for quite some time now, and I do apologise for that. It's just that, there have been so many distractions and obstructions for me to do this. And I wonder, just to how many people does this message stretch to? Sometimes I wonder, am I apologising to the people reading this, or am I apologising to the blog for not doing so? Haha. I don't know. I treat non-living things the way I treat living things. Respect.
It's about four more weeks to my next driving test. Hmmm.
9:43 PM
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Spike Me
Here's a toast, to a very entertaining website that I have oh-so-wrongly neglected, and by which I fully regret doing so. Spikedhumor is probably one of the most interesting sites to visit besides Youtube. It's not easy to find things that make you laugh, and by laughing, I do mean to the extent of pissing in your pants. (No chairs or floor were victimised in real life.) There are also some other cool things too. I know, they have a wide archive of pictures and videos to choose from, so here's a tip. Go to Torrentspy and see the featured Spikedhumor articles of the day. I didn't even have to break a sweat. Of the few I've seen, I'd like to highlight a few which I've enjoyed. Give it a go.http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/31953/Most_Outrageous_Moments.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/31466/Neo_Vs_Robocop.html
Oh, and I love everything about Conan O'Brien right now. And although I've not seen his late night shows and such, I'd gladly watch it if I knew when it was in Singapore. Let the videos speak for themselves.
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/22411/Conan_O_Brien_Seinfeld_Auditions.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/31078/Conan_O_Brien_Stackenblochen.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/9516/Conan_O_Brien_Visits_Martha_Stewart.html
And I think he has something against Walker Texas Ranger? Haha. Can someone fill me in on that please?