Monday, March 8, 2004

whiski's blog has been moved to:

http://www.livejournal.com/~whiski

Friday, September 5, 2003

o my gosh! a new entry!!! but still no new layout! what is going on!?

Shanghai Knight
not sure if i've made myself clear be4, but i am definitely anti-jackie chan. however, i watched s.k. anyway and surprisingly found it quite entertaining. the random silliness and chopstick-comedy-like humor really got to me. i used to find jackie chan rather redundant, but the (or "his" as he would say) action sequences in s.k. are pretty refreshing. the jokes are not spectacular, but amusing enough...w/ almost every possible racial stereotype put into use (itz good to be able to laugh about it). too bad owen wilson doesn't get to kick butt, but i guess thatz the point. he's pretty much the perfect comic relief. donnie yen has a funky hairdo, but boy it was so exciting to see him fight (jackie chan would not last a min against donnie in real life). anyway, interesting film.

really wanna see Once Upon A Time In Mexico!!! i wonder if the guitar guy from Desperado will show up...u know, the guy whose guitar case carries a big gun, w/ which he does a lil spin be4 he shoots it? sorta remind me of Nicholas Wolfwood and his giant cross, altho i must say i'm glad that Wolfwood doesn't spin or dance.

Friday, August 15, 2003

da. da. da. wing's ridiculously meaningless movie review (or movie bashing) is back! i know i've promised a switch to a new layout, but i'm currently occupied w/ other matters, so this will have to do for now. i've watched so many movies lately i dunno which 1 to start. i guess for today i will write about:

Rebel Without a Cause
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Transporter
Cradle to the Grave
North by Northwest

Rebel Without a Cause ancestor of teen angst movies...who cares the plot has been recycled about a gizillion times when u get to see JAMES DEAN! itz hard to tell if he's a good actor or not, but he's definitely very skilled at giving puppy looks! also he possesses the stage presence thatz very hard to ignore. no wonder he's such an important icon! itz really sad to watch the interview that comes w/ the DVD, since he spent like 10 min warning teenagers the danger of speeding, and we all know what an unfortunate irony that is.

A Streetcar Named Desire funny how hollywood tried to run around the production code back in the 50's. everything has to be so subtle; but itz fun guessing what happened. interesting story, interesting set. and Marlin Brando looks better here than On the Waterfront.

The Transporter is this really directed by Luc Besson? cuz itz...stupid! at most an action comedy, but the plot soooo doesn't make sense! the 1st half is actually kinda interesting, as we learn more about the character (THE transporter) and there are kool car-chase scenes along w/ it. but the 2nd half is complete crap! here is why (SPOILER ALERT):
1) the character development of the girl, Lai, is plain WEAK! she's trying to be the "righteous" one, but at the same time acts like a prostitute...what the heck!?
2) all those fun (or gross) fight scenes involving oil...uh, rite. so the villains decide to take out their guns AFTER they get beat up? uh-huh~
3) Lai shoots her dad b/c he's BAD! need i say more?
4) most importantly, Lai thinks she's a hero for freeing those unlucky chinese slaves...but chances are, they WANNA be sent to france to work. but their dream of getting a job is ruined b/c of some spoiled big-mouth nobody, and so they must return to china instead. did Lai really do them a favor!? i don't think so!

Cradle to the Grave itz actually not as bad as i thought! seriously! there're some really kool fight scenes, which make up for the silliness of the plot. my fav is the credit, which consists of Tom Arnold and the other funny guy RANTING! yes for the entire credit! now THATZ entertainment! (i know i'm weird)

North by Northwest another classic Hitchcock. the pace is about the same as Vertigo (meaning itz kinda slow, but prolly due to the fact that i've seen too many movies involving car chases and explosions). anyway, Cary Grant was good, and so's Eva Marie Saint (whom for some reasons i found REALLY annoying in On the Waterfront). fun movie indeed.

Saturday, August 2, 2003

had some margarita, fell asleep, what else is new? we had a sam-going-away-potluck-dinner at ann's today. it was really nice...lots of ppl went. jay brought what we all called a "feast." i also got to show my infamous Future Cops, the dumbest (but best) parody of Street Fighter. anyway, it was a fun nite.

well, i guess this is it. summer school's over, which means my undergrad college life is over. note that i keep adding the word "undergrad," as if i'm gonna go to grad school soon. well actually i still haven't planned on it yet, but it all depends on the job market. to be honest moving back home worries me...i mean, itz gonna require lots of adjusting, but i'm seriously considering moving out once i get a well-paid full-time job (is that possible?). i feel stuck. then i realize that i've been too absorbed w/ my own egotistism to notice how most ppl have moved on...so itz my turn now. i will try to continue to approach life w/ my usual layback (or lazy) attitude, work hard, and hope for the best. i know i'm contradicting myself...itz late, i get to rant whatever i want!

i want to do my reviews of Annie Hall, Groundhog Day, and Godfather, but i'm still not in the mood for it. actually i've gotten a livejournal account and will soon move my blog there. i'm thinking about turning Liquid Shell into a creepy film criticism corner, so i can continue my random bashing and observations. just an idea.

last but not least, i just wanna give my warning to those ppl interested in watching Haibane Renmai: don't do it when ur depressed. thatz rite, i finished it this week, and in a subtle way it managed to push me deeper down the bottom. sounds abstract? watch THE WHOLE THING, and u'll know what i mean. and no, i did not cry at the end...being depressed is more than enough for me.

Friday, August 1, 2003

ate so much sushis today! salmon remains my fav! yummm...

last week got buried in sand then thrown into the sea. yesterday i returned to the full-of-fond-memories-THE-beach, to watch fish mating (sam's thrilling idea). it was actually interesting, except we only managed to see like 5 after staying there for 2 hrs. the beach was filled w/ chinese ppl, who were of coz there to catch the fish. we ended up trying to save the fishies, but there weren't that many to save to begin w/. feel like an animal activist~

been listening to jay chow for the past 2 days. his mv for "dragon punch" is so nifty! even tho itz a giant commercial for pepsi. o well, i guess asian stars don't exactly mind being bought by big evil corporations (i'm not bitter, DO I SOUND BITTER?)

getting tired...movie reviews tomorrow~

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

i'm done!

after 90 min of trying-to-BS-as-much-as-i-could, i'm finally done w/ my last UCLA undergrad exam! whew~ that was intense! not really~ in fact i couldn't emphasize more how much i DON'T care. it was a boring exam about good old history of boring Hollywood...who cares? all i care is what i get to see next on the nice big screen...umm, in 10 min i'm about to Godfather, hopefully in its original print. how fun~

well, gotta go now. i shall continue in...3 hrs.

Friday, July 25, 2003

the hunt continues...

for jobs that is. i feel it already...my unfortunate career of taking random freelance jobs is slowly unfolding be4 me. sad, so sad. had a long, LONG discussion (not argument, we both insisted) about robots w/ francis today. he's excited that robots will replace ppl soon; i'm upset with the very same idea, yet feel that it is inevitable. he wants to open a boba shop w/ robots; i assure him that i will always pick boba shop w/ ppl over robots, but that if he treats me for free (which he should anyway =P) i would prefer his boba. itz an interesting topic...leads to much controversy indeed. best of luck to the burger flippers and the maids (u guys are the best! >_<)

it is time for film reviews again. horhorhor...
In the Waterfront
young Marlin Brando...got very, uh, fleshy eyelids already. interesting film w/ interesting setting. really like the location they picked...really don't like the girl and her horrible accent (is it a Jersey accent? i dunno what it is but it sounds disgusting!) last bw film of the quarter yay! (well we do only have 1 week of school left ^_^")
Vertigo
highly anticipated film...but did NOT expect it to be so long. itz ok...sometimes it gets too slow, but sometimes itz just awesome, like that nightmare sequence (early vfx, yeeeah!). story's pretty good & innovative...i mean itz Hitchcock afterall! james stewart's pretty old in the movie, heh. i can see how the plot gets copied over and over again.

stuff that i re-watched: Cowboy Bebop the movie and Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets. lemme just say that Cowboy Bebop in french is waaaay kool! the guy who does Spike's voice totally hit the mark! and yes i wonder also, how do i manage to watch all these? i'm like a movie-machine! a very bored one.

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

movie review time! saw the funniest films in class today (or yesterday): GUN CRAZY and SUNSET BLVD.

Gun Crazy what my professor called "the best B-movie of America." it was actually pretty amusing...a cheesy film about a couple the equivalence of Bonnie and Clyde. actually it wasn't TOO cheesy...itz just that the dialogues are, funny, thatz all. i had fun watching it.

Sunset Blvd super long! that has got to be 3 hrs! it has its up's and down's, but generally itz pretty good. remind me again why i abhor silent films so much? itz funny how they make fun of the distinct overacting of silent actors. the script was actually very well-written. long, but entertaining.

so itz official. quentin tarantino's Kill Bill will be split in 2. what an evil tactic to get the audience pay double! no fair!!!

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

saint seiya ep12...never seen so many saints cry in 1 ep. lemme count: shion, seiya, shun, shiryu, hyuga, plus the rest of the gold saints (about 6 in total, including the ones that are dead but active)...man, thatz 11 saints crying in 1 ep!!! was i the only 1 laughing!?

did not go to wooden like i planned today. instead started typing the script for a short story that might eventually turn into manga. not gonna explain the details, but it is based on 1 of my end-of-the-world dreams (which i've been getting quite a lot lately, how depressing). why don't i get more goofy dreams? maybe i get enough of those in real life already...

no movie reviews today, since i'll have 2 films to watch in class. lots of ppl told me about Bad Boys II tho...sounds mighty bloody, but can it top the ultimate meat & gore of Battle Royale? i doubt it. which reminds me, Battle Royale II is coming out soon (or has come out already?)...so stay tuned!

Monday, July 21, 2003

my tongue hurts. could it be...another cold sore!? NOOOO!

itz been another interesting, unproductive weekend. went to ann & shirong's place fri nite. itz sooo nice! big, clean, high ceiling...anyway we played guilty gear, then watched random anime, had a looong but exciting chinese chess game w/ ann, then last but not least, THE longest game of Onimusha (well actually only sh! & i played and i insisted playing til 5....we have yet decoded the puzzle). it was like Indian Jones meet Residence Evil meets anicient Japan...so kool!

went to Tofu Fest yesterday. took pic w/ the japanese Iron Chef! will upload it sometimes. sh! even got his autograph! man, tofu must be expensive...since when does a small plate of mapo tofu cost $2!!? ripoff! to reply to that nonsense, i decided to eat and ONLY eat the free samples...the tofu pudding (in 3 flavors: strawberry, coffee, and mango!) Taiko Project was pretty entertaining. then we had dinner at this horrible lil place called TOT (which ironically means "death" in german). they had the worst miso soup ever (no tofu or seaweed...just bunch of cabbages w/ LOTS of salt) my kutsu of the don was soggy, not crunchy as it SHOULD've been. the meat literally flew out from the thick breaded skin...argh~

last but not least, melrose trip today. it was hot, but lots of fun. jason volunteered to drive all of us...very nice of him. sadly we dragged him into all the woman clothing stores w/ us, so we took him to k-town for dinner afterward...good schtuff!

oh and guess what!? Herman, my scanner, is FIXED! YAY!!!

finally, my movie review (of coz)...this time, Swept Away, which i saw last nite w/ ann & sam. umm, what can i say? IT WAS SO BAD I LEFT THE ROOM IN THE MIDDLE W/ MY HANDS ON MY HEAD, LITERALLY! well i did return and manage to watch the rest of it...but so so SOOOO bad! BAD! SCHLECT! hau LAAAAAN! itz so bad itz unworthy of my explaining its plot (which it has none). 1 word: madonna. not only did guy richie not save the film, the badness of it actually made me doubt if G.R. really did direct it!
sam: "itz soft-porn!"
ann: "ahhhhhhhhhh~" (endless shrieking)
me: "itz soooo bad itz as bad as that OTHER madonna movie!"

yes, itz THAT bad.

Thursday, July 17, 2003

finished my last UCLA undergrad paper! don't think i will miss it that much. to celebrate such a memorable event, i decided to finish it a lil earlier than i normally would: instead of sleeping for an hr (or not sleeping at all), i went to bed at 6 in the morning and woke up at 9 to print it out...that means i finished 3 HRS EARLY (what a big accomplishment)! yay!!!

other than that nothing much's been going on. saw the 1st ep of Haibane...i will comment on it once i'm done w/ the entire series. these few days have been crazy-hot...i hate getting to class all sweaty and stuff. some1 needs to invent a solar-powered portable AC (maybe some1 already did?)...argh~

have been keeping up w/ the HK entertainment gossips (itz such addicting junks!)...heard about the arrests...not at all surprised. bribing producers to win awards...what else is new!? c'mon, they've been doing that for ages! so the gov is feeling kinda bored and decide to catch some...like thatz gonna make any diff. let's face it - the HK music industry is and has been dead for quite some time now. sad but itz the truth...

been listening to Evanescence non-stop yesterday. the mv for "Going Under" is pretty kool...i like anything that has footages of ppl dancing underwater (my fav underwater mv is still Chris Cunningham's "Only You" for Portishead). anyway, i really wanna go to Evanescene's live, but again, ich habe kein Geld (like the 100th time i've said this phrase this month)...

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

refusing to work on my paper...

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

spent sat-mon at home...umm home, as if i wasn't lazy enough! there's nothing much to do when every1's working! i feel like i'm the only slacker NOT doing anything. o well, i'm too used to this kinda situation. when i try too hard (and i'm not saying this out of laziness) to get something, be it job or class or whatever, i never get it. instead, i've come to adopt the Taoist approach, which is to take things as they come. believe it or not it works (at least for me)...

so i'm resuming my role as the super-picky-film-reviewer, since i had the misfortune to watch Gangs of New York in its entirety today. ok, so itz by the great master Martin Scorsese, which means they prolly had like unlimited amount of budget...but it doesn't make much diff when the film is, well, boring. in fact, it almost put me to sleep! don't get me wrong! the film is spectacular to look at...great set, great costume, and great acting (Daniel Day-Lewis at least). but i dunno...maybe i'm just not into big Hollywood productions...itz just kinda too overwhelming. but i do appreciate all the talents that go into it. must be awesome to be involved in sucha huge project!

also read another famous Levin novel over the weekend, "Boys from Brazil." didn't realize my dad owns a copy. itz pretty freaky, altho it must've been freakier when it 1st came out...

Friday, July 11, 2003

another funny movie i saw today...this time japanese w/ no subtitles. Sabu's DRIVE, which is 1 of those weird films about the strange things that happen to a typical guy on a typical day. surprisingly i could understand the movie fine w/o sub...there're enough things going on that make the plot pretty obvious: a guy has serious migraine; likes the girl-next-door; got carjacked by 3 bank robbers who were trying to catch up w/ the traitor who took the money; each of them found their own stop and left; so on so on. itz a pretty weird movie. funny thing is the guy refused to go over the speed-limit even w/ a knife on his throat. dark schtuff~

took a jrock hairstyle quiz...umm...yeah, rite...

You are cute and wispy! A very sexy, semi-normal
'do favored by many JRockers recently.

What JRock hairstyle are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thursday, July 10, 2003

this blog is turning into my movie review page or something. prolly cuz i've been watching way too many lately. for ex, saw Chasing Amy and Pirates of the Carrabean (i admit i just can't spell it) yesterday...also saw The Shop Around the Corner and Citizen Kane today in class. since this is my blog (and since i'm waiting at the library for another 10 min), i shall babble about all of them in no particular order!

Citizen Kane 1 of the few old movies that i've been meaning to see for a while. the acting is good, and the cinematography is GREAT! they certainly knew how to use the lighting to the full effect! story is so-so...maybe i wasn't in the mood for serious drama today, since I JUST HAD AN EXAM! but the funniest thing is when i heard many of the lines used in White Stripes's "Union Forever." i really had no idea until today: it can't be love...for there is no true love...such kool song~

The Shop Around the Corner the original bw version of "You've Got Mail." itz alrite, kinda like a sweet lil comedy. itz a bit cheesy, and i don't understand why itz set in Hungary (again, can't sp). there're cute moments that made me laugh...but then, thatz about it.

Chasing Amy definitely not the funniest movie by Kevin Smith. in fact, itz pretty serious...Ben Affleck actually acts! can't say the same about the girl (she's ok, but i don't like the way she delivers her lines). umm, looks like a lot of fun to draw comics for a living, not that i didn't know that already.

Pirates of the Carrabean sooooo KOOL! to be honest i didn't know what to expect. like my friend said, ITZ A MOVIE BASED ON A RIDE! but it turns out to be really awesome! Johnny Depp was superb! i mean, not once during the movie did i think of him as Johnny Depp. he gives his crazy over-the-top Captain Jack ? just the rite touch. Orlando Bloom is ok...not his best role, and i kinda wish some1 would shave his lil moustache, but he's still cute. girl's so-so. sam thinks she has the Natalie Portman Queen A. look...u know, that "i'm gonna kill u w/ my impolite glare" look? vfx is pretty nice...u can tell when they threw lots of $ into the budget.

28 Days Later last but not least, the latest Danny Boyle film. itz pretty kool and bold. NOT a scary movie tho (imo at least)...even Resident Evil is scarier. but itz not supposed to be a scary film (unlike the way they campaigned it). itz more like a political social statement, w/ zombies as ur sidedish. much MUCH better than The Beach, but then of coz not as gd as my all-time-fav Trainspotting (actually itz hard to compare the 2). anyway itz an interesting film.

so what is left for this summer? nothing. maybe Bad Boys II? actually i'm interested in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman cuz the fx looks so kool! but then don't think i wanna pay another $7 to see it. next most aniticipated film (after T3)...QUENTIN TARANTINO'S KILL BILL! if u haven't seen the trailer yet, check it out NOW!
http://www.kill-bill.com/

Tuesday, July 8, 2003

yes, we have survived the long, outrageous AX 2003 weekend! what can i say? that was 1 heck of an experience! my 1st time to cosplay (as in making my own costume) in a big group...we got so many pictures taken itz just odd! funniest thing is our friend jason who cosplayed as guilty gear xx's Johnny...he got so many fan girls itz not even funny (well, he did have to be half-naked most of the time)! anyway i'm glad i went; it was tiring, but lots of fun!

also got autograph from yuuki-san and akane-san, who are the character designer and director of the new anime series Heat Guy J. they're pretty kool, altho their panel was slightly dry. masquerade was REALLY kool! kept running into this really kool guy who cosplayed in FF8, Battle Royale, and get this, PARADISE KISS! man not only did he cosplayed as the punk from PK, he also break-danced (odd combo)! anyway itz kool...i will be posting pictures on the club website soon.

what else did i do? i watched the highly anticipated T3! it was surprisingly good...and funny! but according to francis, i was laughing at arnold most of the time by myself (i was POSITIVE i heard other ppl laughing w/ me). what do i think? of coz itz not as good as T2! but then it wasn't bad at all...the story lacks twists, but the action scenes are good, and TX is pretty creepy (not as creepy as liquid-metal dude tho). however, it fails to tie the loose ends...in fact, it raises more questions rather than answering them. below are some of my random observations. SPOILER ALERT!!!

1. why do they (both humans and machines) always send back 1 robot at a time? francis: "maybe they need lots of energy to send 1 back at 1 time..." but if thatz the case, they can still send an infinite amount of robots back, cuz they're TIME TRAVELING! they can send 1 back to 2003, and 10 yrs later, send another 1 back to 2003, and so on...for all i know, they can send back an army of robots!

2. the whole skynet thing...and claire dane's father. 1st of all, the future john connor KNOWS that her father can stop skynet...why doesn't he just send a terminator back to stop the father be4 itz too late? (again, time is on their side!) why did TX need to assasinate the father, since the machines needed him to activate skynet? why why why?

3. i was expecting the writers to come up w/ some 12-monkeys-type of twists...like the birth of john connor IS the cause of the war or something (think about it, the 1st terminator wouldn't have been sent back in time if john connor doesn't exist. the terminator's travel to the past and its remains helped develop skynet, which in turn raises the machines). they obviously didn't take it that way...T3 turns out to be something like X/1999 instead. "their destiny is foreordained..." depressing indeed.

4. part of the mexico scene (when they drove down a sandy trail) was actually shot at the entrance to pasadena's suicide bridge. then there's of coz the infamous 4th street bridge from downtown LA...i've photographed/filmed at both bridges...both for my video design class. interesting~

5. nick stahl does not look like eddie furlong.

6. altho TX is not as scary as T1000, the film is still scary in how realistic that can be. imo, the most horrifying scene is toward the end when all the nuclear missiles were launched toward the major cities, destroying mankind in a blink of an eye. maybe i'm just melodramatic, or maybe i just have no faith in our "system," but that scene rite there is so real to me...so possible. to me, it almost crosses the genre of science fiction.

anyway, thatz my observation (for now). as if i didn't see enough end of the world, i watched 28 Days Later yesterday w/ lisa. this 1 is even less sci fi and more sociological. but i will wait for another nite to discuss it...

Thursday, July 3, 2003

finally got to see a pretty decent film today: Punch-Drunk Love. surprisingly i wasn't bothered by Adam Sandler...he was ok. i was INCREDIBLY impressed by the cinematography tho. man what beautiful camera moves! all the shots are well thought of, and somehow the DP managed to make them not repeat themselves. all the dolly shots work wonderfully, like they're sucking the audience into the mind of the protagonist. color's great, set's great, mood's SUPERB! ooh and the music! i've just fallen in love w/ Jon Brion...he's sucha great composer! ok so the story is slightly weird and morbid (and VERY dark), but the production style really helped pull it off! great stuff!

leaving for A|X tomorrow...this yr will be exciting. i'm like 95% done w/ Baiken's costume. should i even go to class tomorrow?

Wednesday, July 2, 2003

whatz going on in HK!? what in the world is policy #23!? for days now i've been reading about ppl protesting, but not 1 of these articles explains what the policy is about. maybe it is in reality just that ambiguous...no wonder ppl are mad! guess HK has more crap to go thru after the whole SARS thing...2003 is truly not sucha great yr.

still not doing much besides summer school. started job hunting, but itz not actual hunting when i'm not sending out resumes. i'm officially on my way in becoming a starving artist/designer/junkie. maybe i should just sleep and, yeah be more bum-like.

listening to Beulah rite now (recommended by PP)...pretty nice and easy to listen to. also listening to more Bright Eyes cuz i just don't have enough angst in my life. yeah~

Monday, June 30, 2003

after months of searching, i finally got a car! not a mini cooper, not a subaru, but the typical asian, affordable Toyota Corolla (S). i wish i can give it a better name, like the ones from Initial D. but then it IS just a corolla, so for now, i will call it the Mediocre Corolla S (M.C.S. for short). oh yeah, i've fallen in love w/ the m-word after my class's video premiere, but anyway, as average as M.C.S. is, itz still a beauty, esp when itz just sitting there in the garage, not doing anything in particular. the wonder of finally having my very own WAGON!

so basically that was my weekend...car shopping. we didn't even think we would find 1 cheap, but then we did (thanx to my dad's stubbornness/rudeness/asianness). pity is i will be spending the next few yrs paying off debt...school loan, car payment, etc etc. i wish i can take time off after summer school, and i know my parents are "not" really pressuring me into getting a job rite away, but then i can't help but feel responsible...yes, no more MXPX "responsiblity whatz that?" i'm looking at it.

anyway, onto something more exciting...i'm almost done w/ my baiken costume! finished most of the outfit over the weekend, started working on skeleton of the claw today. all i need are the socks and fist-guard. AX this yr will be CRAZY!

Friday, June 27, 2003

watched Rosemary's Baby...was slightly disappointed cuz itz EXACTLY the same as the book (even tho it IS directed by Roman Polanski). guess there's no point in watching it in the 1st place. Mia Farrow (when she's young) looks like Gweneth Paltrow...prettier actually. in fact i was almost certain that they're related...anyway she plays a pretty decent Rosemary...so young, so dumb~

oh and i finally remember what i was gonna say yesterday! it has to do w/ dr. slump. after reading the 1st volume of the manga i realized that Akane was my fav character of the series during my childhood. i had no idea she's an alcoholic (dude she's 13!). they prolly "modified" it a bit when it aired in HK...all i remember is Arale poking the poop...everything else was either not there or they've all slipped my mind. anyway Akane is still kool. imo, Slump is a way better series than Dragonball!

bathroom is like a battle zone. repairmen still haven't fixed the sink. soooooooo GROSS!

took a saint seiya gold saint quiz. surprised that i can still get Shaka considering i would rather serve Hades than Athena...o well, i prolly enjoy Shaka's power the most anyway, and meditating/sleeping is a hobby of mine. alles gute, OMMMM
You are Virgo Shaka. You are the Closest to God
Amoung 88 saints. You are an Illusionist and
somewhat telepathic. You are Very Philosophical
and meditate through most of the Day. You have
been called the reincarnation of Budda and
Serve Athena with Pride. You look down upon
those who talk tough and show no respect. Your
Dancing Wheel technique can remove all 5
opponents senses.

What Saint Seiya Gold Saint are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

after weeks of hibernation, i finally managed to finish the 2nd animation test for the prince of hip-hop using painter classic, photoshop, and flash! yay! i also took a look at test #1...argh, no wonder they didn't give me any feedbacks. what was that all about!?

anyway after taking a short break after graduation, it is time to take off and work like an ant again. there's so much to do this summer! well, at least i can cross mini-cooper-testdriving from the list (still bitter). umm anyway, 1st i guess i must finish my Baiken costume, and then perhaps i can get a job, get a car, get a life!? ^_^"

totally forgot what i was gonna type here. something important happened, but i can't remember. ahhh~ oh well i did watch Lion King II last nite...it was good until the endless heart theme (and other schtuff that i've blocked out from my head) start popping up everywhere. damn those horny disney animators!

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

went home for 4 days...worked on my Baiken costume...test drove a mini cooper...didn't do much else.

yes, finally my dream (literally) has come true. i found a local BMW dealer (in Monrovia) that sells mini coop. totally excited, i dragged connie w/ me to check it out. turns out they don't have many...only 2 w/ automatic transmission. i test drove 1 and lemme just say, itz not what i expected. like i always do in test drives, i tried to floor it, but it didn't work. IT ACCELERATED SLOWER THAN MY DAD'S COROLLA!!! maybe it was faster than that, maybe not, i dunno...but it felt really slow. plus the brake was a bit too loose. all in all, it wasn't the smoothest drive.

then came the price tag...the base automatic's sticker price is 18K+, PLUS some $6,000 market fee (what the hell?)! apparently they're charging extra simply b/c the mini's high in demand. that did it. i gave up. itz not worth it. i will fight my vanity (not). my goal is no longer the mini cooper, but THE MINI COOPER S!!! if i'm gonna get it, i might as well get the 1 thatz super-charged! but then it costs a lot more plus i will need to learn stick...so for now, corolla it is (see how i just keep running in circles?) hopefully when i can afford a mini i won't want it anymore.

anyway other than mini-cooping i was reading almost the entire weekend. 1st i read Levin's "Rosemary's Baby" all in like 1 day...even tho itz an old book it still gave me the goosebumps. now i really wanna watch the film, which was directed by Polanski (i had no idea). after RB i started reading this end-of-the-world-virus-wipes-out-humanity novel called "Year Zero." itz actually really interesting, esp since i dunno biology. anyway the story's about how this ancient relic from the holy land carries this virus thatz causing an incurable plague. to stop the plague, bunch of scientists at Los Alamos begin using the DNA of 2000 yr old bones and tissues found at Golgotha to make clones, hoping to find the antibody in the clones (who might've been survivors to the ancient plague). i really like the story...finished it in 2 days. but then again my ignorance in genetic engineering might have made the story more believable. itz like some ppl think the movie Simone is ok while i found it VERY VERY OFFENSIVE! anyway, thatz about it. trying to get over the faye wong thing rite now. enjoying the OST of Spirited Away instead.

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

yes i am a bum. it is now officially 2 days after my graduation (or the ceremony) and i have done absolutely nothing productive...i did manage to finish editing the Meteor Garden opening parody, but thatz about it. yesterday i was trying to figure out the Shanghai Noon drinking game as Matthew has requested...turns out itz more complicated as i thought, so i will need to research a bit longer bout it. then i realized i had E.T. taped behind, so i started watching it. it was actually pretty good, altho i did laugh pretty loud when it got over-dramatic (i just dunno about the flower metaphor...but then it was made in the 80's).

also last nite, me and sam watched Hero (my 2nd time). i found out that the ending song was sung by Faye Wong, and so began my Faye Wong download frenzy. a lot of ppl like her middle albums, but i actually like her recent ones. like the self-titled 2001 release is pretty nice...i really appreciate her unique style (something not many chinese pop singers can boast about nowadays)...anyway what am i saying? this is what she's known for.

aside from Faye Wong frenzy, i've also been dling manga scans. went thru some Yuki Kaori old work, like Cruel Fairytales and Kaine (which is not that old). LUV KAINE! i have to say i enjoy her metropolis-based stories more, like Kaine, Angel Sanctuary, and Neji. it just brings out the loneliness of the protagonists even more (if it makes sense at all). dunno if i like her newest stories tho...i'm sad. ooh and i think Kaguya Hime is ending soon.

Monday, June 16, 2003

after 4 yrs of hardship, wing has finally graduated!

...not really. but close tho. i am now officially 1 summer quarter away from graduating! and so i got to participate in not 1, but 2 commencement ceremonies this past weekend! needless to say, it was really intense and LONG...but then now that itz all over, i can't help but feel a lil sad. now i must determine what to do w/ my life (or at least what i will do AFTER summer school). i will miss UCLA and all the friends...hopefully we will all stay in touch.

last nite i watched all of Animatrix w/ nicole...i was so impressed! w/o a doubt the Animatrix has outdone Matrix Reloaded...my fav 1 is Kid's Story, directed by the Cowboy Bebop creator. if u haven't seen it yet check it out! the animation is done in the old-japanese "sketchy" style, which adds dynamics to its overall effect.

Friday, June 13, 2003

bought a dress yesterday...yay~
went to see Finding Nemo yesterday...yay
graduation commencement tomorrow...argh

surprised? i know, i can't believe i bought a dress either. but then itz graduation and itz taken me 4 yrs to get this far so i might as well. anyway good thing i went shopping w/ sam cuz i really had no idea what to get. ended up w/ this swing-dance style dress, which is kool. also bought many other stuff...u can never get enough clothes.

Finding Nemo was a blast. i mean, the animation is so good itz like flawless! the story is kool (some might find it a bit too melodramatic, but i say NAY ITZ NOT!) and itz hilarious (like all other pixar films). i guess itz good to think of the ocean in such positive way...i even got a happy meal in hope of getting a nice toy but ended up w/ the ugly Bruce the shark who does nothing but glows its stupid red eyes. why can't i get Pearl, or Squirt, or Dory, or anyone else for the matter of fact? man now i'm stuck w/ it. >_<

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

finally all the projects are done and classes are over! just when i thought i could relax and goof off, i ended up at the video lab AGAIN yesterday...but this time, itz for pure silliness. i was making a short outtake-clip for DUALITY. re-watching all the bloopers really made me laugh. the sad thing is, i think this 2:30-long clip (finished in app. 2 hrs) is 100x more entertaining than the actual film. o well, this is life, and i'm used to it.

went to lil tokyo w/ francis after the long lab day. we tried a new shabu-shabu place, and i ordered a sukiyaki pot, which costs the same! i agree w/ francis tho...the meat was not as gd as the other place in j-town. we went there simply b/c we (or i) don't wanna wait at the long line, considering that i was cold and VERY hungry. anyway, it wasn't too bad...plus we had ice-cream mochi for dessert, which was GREAT (w/ tony the tiger intonation)!

ooh then went to hollywood to see The Italian Job at the chinese theater! it was the 1st time i was in there, and itz really really nice! even nicer than the westwood fox theater! the movie on the other hand, was just so-so. mark walberg can't act...edward norton wasn't quite sincere, and the story's pretty typical. i think they overdid it a lil and it was too melodramatic. when mark walberg hugged the "dead guy" i almost laughed out loud. if u wanna see a hip-thief movie, go see Ocean's 11. the only things i found interesting in TIJ are the Mini Coopers, which are just so cute! i really want one...esp w/ all the extra horsepower and stuff! itz to die for~~~

currently listening to Linkin Park's Meteora...itz refreshing, but somehow i still like their 1st album more. i like track #7 "faint" but thanx to kroq i will hate it pretty soon. actually i like the weird music for faint, but not the singing...ok now i'm just being picky. nevermind, off to practice guitar~

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

finally the big premiere nite's over! can't say i'm not glad. i was extremely nervous, and forgot all the things i wanted to say once i got to the front. i was so happy and grateful to see so many friends showing up for support. overall a great experience...about DUALITY, can't say i like it now, since i've been watching it repeatedly over the past month, but the other shorts really made my day. i really like dan's and heidi's at the end, even tho it WAS long...it reminded me a lil bit of Trainspotting (esp that scene when the guy's all drugged up). also roger's Flash turned out really well. i dunno, too many films in 1 nite, so i'm not gonna review them. i just feel honored to be in the same class w/ all these kool ppl...i will miss the D|MA dpt tremendously! >__<

took some quizzies today...the results don't make much sense. i don't think i resemble Trinity in any way, but then at least i'm not Neo (hahaha, sam...) about the China result, i think i got that b/c i said i would like to have servants, and that POWER means having lots and LOTS of servants...but i only said that b/c i'm lazy, not power-obsessive (same thing?). umm anyway...


You are Trinity, from "The Matrix."
Strong, beautiful- you epitomize the ultimate
heroine.

What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


China - Debatably the most ancient and longstanding
cultures around, it is nowadays viewed as a
heavily populated but impovershed nation.

Positives:
Big.
Eclectic History.
Communist-Run (Control).
Worldwide Manufacturer.

Negatives:
Communist-Run (Bitterness).
Technologically Outdated.
Dissent.


Which Country of the World are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday, June 9, 2003

IT IS DONE!!!

after nearly 3 weeks of post production (namely editing, vfx, music, sfx, etc), DUALITY is finally finished and ready to be screened. itz gonna be a crazy nite tomorrow, w/ back-to-back showcase of my 2 video classes. anyway, i tested the dv at the EDA today...it wasn't the best, but satisfying enough. the music gives it an eerie, creepy feel as i've intended, which is gd; the video, on the other hand, is sometimes too pixelated, which is bad. but since there is nothing i can do about the footage now, i will just let that slide. now itz time to rest up and get ready for the big nite!

speaking of screening, i went to the ucla animation grad screening last nite. it was so kool! so many great work! my friend and my TA from last quarter(s) are also in it. mark (the TA) did a maya short about a cowbell trying to find its rhythum to fit in to the rest of the drum set. simply amazing (if u see it, and u've worked w/ maya, u would know what i mean). evander did a cute cartoon about birds (that seems to be his obsession), and is brilliant as well. itz so kool it made me wanna start a new animation too! =P

thatz it. tiredness finally hit me (itz about time). gotta go to bed.

Monday, June 2, 2003

uh, the weekend that i thought will never end has ended indeed. i've been to hell and back! now itz time to express my utmost bitterness since that is what i do best in.

Saturday, 5/31
got absolutely NOTHING done since i had to go to car dealership to "shop around for a car" w/ my parents. my sis had to take a math placement exam at ucla in the morning so i kept my dad (d for driver?) busy by taking him to j-strip for ramen and later a rather meaningless drive-thru of melrose. by the time the kwok bunch got back to tc it was already 4...so we got to the toyota dealership at 5. test-drove a corolla S, started bargaining...finally we got down to a very good deal, and GUESS WHAT!? the whole time it was a 2004 corolla not a '03 which means we can't get the $720 rebate!!! i really wanted to kick the salesman's butt cuz HE told us that '04 won't get there til like sept so we had no idea that it could be a '04! anyway, 3 hrs totally wasted, plus i was bitter the entire nite.

Sunday, 6/01
the darkest day of spring...woke up at 7:30, got back to westwood at 8. started working on my movie poster, but einstein kept crashing. finally decided to migrate to the lab at 12:30. stayed there til...guess what? 12!!! the only break i had was when francis came to pick me up for dinner at 8. i thought i was gonna faint! but fortunately i didn't and i was able to get a lot of things done, including the movie poster, movie contact info sheet, 160 final video and website (both of which i had to do after i got back from the lab of coz)...so didn't really sleep that much last nite. haha, no wonder i can't see very well...

anyway, this is 1 long entry. itz been a LONG weekend indeed. but hey, we got to put up our posters at the EDA today. looking at the wall of posters gives me incredible satisfaction, so ja, ALLES GUTE! ooh and here's the promotional 1-sheet for...DUALITY:

Friday, May 30, 2003

scott is rite...those ppl from the theater dpt are a bunch of bastards! verdammt!

something funny happened tonite. went to francis's friend's b-day party...after eating the cake (which was really really good) i happened to glance at the entrance area. some1 (i kinda know who it was) left his converse on top of my converse. maybe it was intentional, maybe not. but it was definitely weird/funny to look at. i suggested that maybe itz high-rise converse (his) looking down at low-rise (mine)...immediately francis thought maybe a conspiracy was going on. i couldn't agree less. i guess racism has spred to shoes at last (no, i did not drink anything but soda...SURPRISE~).

Friday, May 30, 2003

nana is so kool!

Thursday, May 29, 2003

i am procrastinating. a gizillion projects are due monday yet i am slacking off still...finished watching Returner. i personally find the movie hilarious. somehow it manages to copy Matrix, Men in Black, Back to the Future, Independence Day, and John Woo all in 1 film. there are so many loop holes (funny ones tho) i don't even know where to begin. the 1 good thing about it is Takeshi Kaneshiro...haven't seen him in a feature for a while, and he looks kool as always. other than that, i really dunno what to say. ^_^"

basically, Returner's about a girl who comes back from the future (yes, 1 of those again) to save Earth from alien attacks. somehow Takeshi gets involved and so does his ultimate enemy. anyway he ends up helping the girl AND finishing off the villain all at the same time. here's where the failure lies: they can't decide whether they want a sci-fi or a drama-action...i mean sure u can have both sometimes (like T2 Judgement Day) but itz really hard to pull off. in Returner's case, the whole drama totally killed the sci-fi plot. how can the audience take the alien thing seriously when the protagonist's personal vengence is clearly more significant?

(more, and spoiler involved) last but not least, the twist at the end is a nice touch, but it brings a LOT of questions into mind. if the future turns out so good that Milly gets to travel back and forth in time as she likes, why don't the ppl in the future just send more backups for the 1st Milly (w/ the mission to save earth)? do we really want to place the fate of the entire human population in the hands of 1 whinny girl who's going thru teen angst? i really doubt the world can survive w/ poor decision-making like that. anyway, i will stop complaining now. go Takeshi!

Friday, May 23, 2003

i saw the new Barilla pasta commercial...just when i thought they can't make it funnier than the previous one, they decided to surprise me. basically itz about this blonde (presumably American) visiting Italy (or they hope us to believe itz Italy) who runs into this man (presumably Italian) at a marketplace. she then dines w/ her friends at a restaurant which happens to be owned by the man. he decides to make a special meal just for her: Barilla pasta. umm yum~ well isn't this lovely? u travel all the way to Italy and they serve u Barilla!? and let me just say that a grown man holding a platter of pasta like itz the holy grail is really not that sexy. just wanna clear that up...

Shorttakes film festival was fun. i had to miss 6 or 7 shorts in the middle so i could rush to club meeting to take part in my last anime club prize drawing (so sad~)...ended up winning a One Piece music box, which is prolly the best prize i ever got over the past 4 yrs in the club. anyway, back to Shorttakes...i really enjoyed a lot of the animations. some of them looked like they took yrs in the making. my fav tho is this b&w short film called Candy Machine. itz a simple story about a lil girl and her grandparents, but somehow the piece really stirred me...i really liked it.

more about the Buffy finale. (spoiler alert!) i am feeling kinda sad now that itz over, even tho most of the season wasn't worth watching anyway. but the finale, written & directed by Joss Whedon himself, is imo pretty conclusive. i mean, i like the concept that in the end Buffy is no longer the only slayer (which means she has no more excuses for her bitchiness)...i don't get why only girls get to be slayer (maybe they explained it be4 i just don't remember), but i guess the point is girl-power. itz kool that the old Scoobies get to help again...altho they could've let Willow do her spell be4 every1 enters Hell. i guess itz just poor battle planning to the core~ anyway, i appreciate the fact that Whedon left it so open-ended. hope he'll come up w/ a new, worthy series soon.

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

i realize now that every time i archive my blog i must design a new layout too. it has become my habit indeed (nodding my head). this time i'm using a pic of Shiina Ringo playing, yes, THE MELODICA, as bg. i've been meaning to design a new layout w/ this pic for a while now, so here it is! all i did is a simple photoshop cutout effect. me like...for now...

just what is melodica? it is the most wonderful musical instrument ever! be4 guitar, be4 drums, be4 piano, there's the melodica!!! i can say w/ much pride that, I too, took melodica lessons when i was in elementary school (just like every other asian kid). who can resist this cute lil keyboard thing that makes such melodic sounds (after much spitting involved of coz)?

anyway enough about this. i must talk about today and yesterday, b/c my life is oh just so important. actually today wasn't so great at all. split a sandwich w/ a friend for lunch and as i paid her the $3, i realized that that was the last $3 in my wallet. WHAT THE HELL!!!? last time i checked i still had $20+! what happened? all i can remember is getting ice-cream sandwich, sending out a small package, and renting Waking Life from Blockbuster! oh thatz why...

yesterday, on the contrary, was a good day. went to an interview in Santa Monica, which went pretty well. hopefully i can get the job and be an official animator! woohoo~ actually it was kinda scary rite be4 the interview cuz i got hit by a bird on the head. I'M SERIOUS! this black crow flew at me and hit me on the head! i thought i was cursed, but Kyoko thinks it might've brought me good luck instead. oh and now that i think about it, a ladybug also landed on my chest (i swear!) when i was on my way there in the bus! did i wear something that attracts animals or something?

anyway, life is getting better. editing is going well (i'm actually ahead!)...1 of my professors is gone for the week (no class woohoo!)...if only the door-banging can stop. i'm not gonna name names but c'mon, give me a break. so u can show "the others" that ur angry at them by banging doors, but it really doesn't make any diff if "the others" don't care (hint hint). plus itz just so stupid. anyway, i'm exasperated...gonna watch some Meteor Garden w/ Sam later on to release some stress (heehee)~

almost forgot! i must make a brief comment about last nite's Buffy finale. i actually liked it! compared to the rest of the crappy season, last nite's was actually somewhat meaningful. itz good to see Buffy Willow Xander and Giles making silly jokes again. only problem is (spoiler alert!) Anya's death (too late!)...man, couldn't they kill Kennedy (whom every1 hates) instead? Anya was kool! w/ her bunnies and...stuff. but overall, better than i had expected.

name: Wing
sign: Aquarius
speaks: English, Chinese
major: Design | Media Arts
email: eyescreamtruck@hotmail

currently...
hectic, 2.5 weeks be4 the big screening...must edit! 3.5 weeks be4 commencement, HELL-O!
fav musician:
Shiina Ringo (can't u tell by the layout!?)
fav song:
Shiina Ringo - Toki ga bousou suru
very sad about:
end of Buffy
very happy about:
end of Buffy
very thrilled about:
Shaolin Soccer and Shorttakes
most anticipated new movie:
T3!!!

music i like (rarely changes):
Weezer, Fake?, Inoran, Aikawa Nanase, Shiina Ringo, Plastic Tree, Pierrot, Luna Sea, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Hide, Zeri, The Strokes, Portishead, Massive Attack, White Stripes, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Sum41, Cowboy Bebop OST, Hellsing OST, Duke Ellington, Nicholas Tse, Trainspotting OST, Donnie Darko OST, Ghibli OST's

manga/ka that I like...
Yuki Kaori, Reiko Shimizu, Ai Yazawa, Maki Kusumoto, Kouyu Shurei, King of Bandit JING, NANA, I'll, KISS, Skip Beat, Akuma Desoro, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Getbackers, Kaguya Hime, Angel Sanctuary, Legend of BASARA, Fruits Basket, Kaoru Fujiwara, Alichino

anime...
GTO, Cowboy Bebop, Witch Hunter Robin, Initial D, Wolf's Rain, umm not much new stuff

what I consider classics...
Doraemon, Dr. Slump, Saint Seiya, Wataru

archive...
Liquid Shell - v.1
Liquid Shell - v.2
Liquid Shell - v.3
Liquid Shell - v.4
Liquid Shell - v.5

links...
Black White Grey
UCLA Anime Club
7th sENSE
Cyber Risky
FAKE?
DINO
Pierrot
Weezer
Radiohead
DAMAGEd
Anime Web Turnpike
despair.com
Anti-social primer
Television Without Pity
R'Ark - Anti-Corporation Movement

© 2003 Liquid Shell Productions