Monday, February 26, 2007

l to r : Matt Bellamy on vocals and guitar, Dominic Howard on drums, Chris Wolstenholme on bass at stadium negara (click on pic for clearer view)

It was AWESOME! There are no other words to describe the whole experience. The crowd went wild when muse came on stage at 9pm with their opening song, Knights of Cydonia.



Check out this video clip taken with boon's Olympus C760. It's only grainy because it's a compressed file but the actual quality is great.

Rumour has it that muse played a better show here compared to Singapore hah! It was a non-stop 1 1/2 hours, 19 songs worth of energetic noise with terrific guitar display and effects and Matt Bellamy showed no signs of fatigue throughout the concert. I was simply amazed when he played the piano/keyboards a few times with those long, slender musician fingers of his.

I'm a muse fan convert! I love them!!! I simply love them! I truly love them!

p/s This week is muse week. Sidebar collage pictures taken with C760, copyright (c) boon 2007.

9:39 PM 0 comments hmm?

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Watching these two movies back-to-back over the past weekend was mind-numbing. Themed with human sentiments deep in realism; where some of us would not even come close to experiencing is a lesson in learning.

Crash is about racism in the paradoxically free world known as America. Racism is unavoidable whoever, wherever you are. Malaysians in general have been taught to respect and tolerate each race's culture and beliefs against a tender hairline of racial tension. Americans deal with racism using guns. At the start of the movie, you are led to hate the bigot white cop. You sympathize with the Iranian immigrant. Blacks are usually up to no good. And then the reverse happens. You no longer hate the cop. Forgiveness does spur goodness. God was in control afterall. Everyone learned a lesson - misconceptions can escalate into unnecessary hatred. I won't say that I'm less of a racist after watching Crash. I don't think anyone can stop being one. It is ingrained in our animalistic nature for superiority. But I believe we can learn to genuinely love and understand one another - if we want to.

Babel touches on misconceptions as well. An accidental shooting of an American tourist in Morocco bursts into the media as an act of terrorism. An ensuing whirlwind of interlinking events envelopes the world. This is a story about kindness shown by the people you least expect from and friends who turn their backs on you whom you thought were dependable.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are not living alone. Crash and Babel did that for me.

9:47 PM 1 comments hmm?

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Ou Moon Kai, filmed mainly in Macau was one of the reasons why I visited the Portuguese-influenced city mid last year. Yes, I know it sounds silly. I cried watching the ending of this tv series - the only Cantonese tv series that affected me tremendously, the soundtrack occasionally playing in my mind till today.

Sacrificial love is a brave and noble act as shown by the male protagonist. And so as I sat on the steps some paces away, I was happy to lean against the shoulder of someone I love, whilst admiring the beauty of the ruins.

8:45 PM 0 comments hmm?

My obsession is finally satisfied.
There goes my RM39.50 angpau money.

3:51 PM 0 comments hmm?

Monday, February 19, 2007

Mask changing originated 300 years ago in China as part of the Sichuan opera performances. I remember watching a Chinese movie showcasing this ancient art. The King of Masks (1996) or Bian Lian was about an aging Chinese man who needs to find a male heir to inherit the dying art. One night after a performance, a slave trader sold a young boy to the protagonist. All is well until the latter found out that the boy was actually a girl. The old man was heartbroken for only a boy can learn the face-changing skill. There is a strong fatherly love bond between the two characters and I cried towards the ending of the movie. A must watch for the culture and heartwarming scenes.



And so when I knew there was going to be a mask-changing act happening at Ikano today, I knew I had to watch it. George, a Malaysian guy was executing the ancient Chinese art. He appears amateurish but I remain fascinated.

4:39 PM 1 comments hmm?

Friday, February 16, 2007

See you there!!

9:48 AM 2 comments hmm?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Love is ... receiving a booklet of thoughts from someone special.

11:42 PM 0 comments hmm?

I was so so close to winning the PGI auction for these two 6 inch collectibles from Mcfarlane Corpse Bride series 2. The highest bid was at RM57. Because my connection was so darn slow, I only managed to bid for RM56 at the last minute before it took ages for the screen to refresh. Arghh! Original price is RM100++. I hope a computer glitch will make me the winner instead.

9:00 PM 0 comments hmm?

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Opening scene - Tiffany & Co. at 727 5th Avenue at 57th St in New York

Holly: Don't you just love it?
Paul: Love what?
Holly: Tiffany's!

You know, I truly agree with Holly. I feel the same way too.


Holly in contemplative mood while singing Moon River

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.


Closing scene - Holly and Paul kissing in the rain

If you had to choose between watching the movie or reading the book, do both. Personally I prefer Truman Capote's version; it truly captured the free spirit of Holly Golightly. The movie version has the romance and happy ending to it. It's not that I don't like happy endings but for some stories you just want to have a reason to cry. This is just one of them.

2:41 PM 1 comments hmm?

Saturday, February 10, 2007

1. browsing at the stationery shop. so many types of paper, notebooks, pencils and etc. to feel, touch and smell.


2. jelly beans. chewy and colourful and heavenly.


3. finding a great book when you least expect it.


4. chocolate ice-cream. it ain't ice-cream if it ain't chocolate flavoured.


5. mom's tiramisu. give me a tubful and i'll be good and quiet.

9:00 PM 0 comments hmm?

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Boon : Warren, uhh it's not funny
Adlin : Uh yeah man, it's kinda lame

At least that's what I think those two are thinking. I wasn't there la yesterday for their show. But as usual, it's Ferns so the show turned out great! Leave me some space, I want to tumpang glame heh!

6:57 PM 0 comments hmm?

Thursday, February 01, 2007

From Citadel : Verse 2:
I sought that penetrating gaze
A meager glance instead to
Capture your face
Capture some saving grace

In time all things will pass their way
I pondered what it meant to
Stay, to try stay
Anchored backwards

Ferns' album review in Junk's February 2007 issue. Well said especially about Citadel. What are you guys waiting for? Adorn your CD stands with Ferns' debut album!

2:16 PM 1 comments hmm?