As an econs tutor once said, "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys", and if you pay zilch, you don't even get monkeys; instead what you get is a ridiculous crowd squeezed against the border of Boat Quay in the sweltering heat. grumblegrumblegrumble.
Sure, there were tricks with flaming rods and cyclists pedalled on the watery surface of the river, but still, it was not worth the heat, the unfriendly security or the monkeys (hanging off trees) that have come to watch a free show too. grumblegrumblegrumble.
The performance, as PY remarked, was untidy; one doesn't know where to look - the pretty fireworks spiralling dizzingly above our heads or the acrobatic act below us in the river... The indecision can be costly - in fact, I missed the end half of the closing scene. Humans. So easily distracted by pretty shiny things that make loud noises. grumblegrumblegrumble.
This is a street show. Whatever happened to the free and easy attitude that comes with open performances? I like where I was standing and I'm still a little annoyed that security kept nagging at people to not stand on the benches. I expect for the security, heat and stress led to bad tempers flaring up, but I fail to see the point in even trying to get people to behave in the appropriate way at what is supposedly a big spectacle. A street show is carnival, and as the word suggests, indicates that social customs are about to go topsy-turvy. Who cares if it's pure madness to climb a tree in the middle of the CBD? On a day like this, one can hang off the branches and no one (unless you're in danger of being hit by wobbling branches) is going to care.
Considering the maxim adopted year after year by the Arts Festival, the arts is supposed to be something everyone can enjoy, and I however, for one didn't feel quite so welcomed thanks to irritable staff lurking in the dark. As I've discovered, its nonsense to say that Singaporeans are straight laced (the people crouched in funny positions on trees and benches are definitely not), it's the staff. Still, the organizers should just live and let live - being oppressive at an Esplanade concert is one thing, but at a street performance?? Why?? It's the opening act! People should have been having picnics, laughing and smiling and wowed by the performance. I don't know about other people, but I left feeling distinctly unsatisfied by most aspects of the opening act.
Remind me to go for a ticketed performance next time.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Eye Candy
This is Yoshitaka Amano's work. His style tends to be more widespread than I am making it out to be here, but I just happen to like those with flowy lines best.
It reminds me a little of Aya Kato's stuff, or this short anime OAV called Kigeki. If some of Yoshitaka Amano's work seems a little familiar, it'll likely be because you'll might have spotted some of his artwork in the Final Fantasy series, or alternatively, if you're not the gaming sort, the illustrated horror series Vampire Hunter D. (also adapted as an anime).
It reminds me a little of Aya Kato's stuff, or this short anime OAV called Kigeki. If some of Yoshitaka Amano's work seems a little familiar, it'll likely be because you'll might have spotted some of his artwork in the Final Fantasy series, or alternatively, if you're not the gaming sort, the illustrated horror series Vampire Hunter D. (also adapted as an anime).
The above two images are from Hiten, his first exhibition, which exhibits a very wide array of what Amano is capable of. His latest works in progress in fact indicate him going back to his animation roots (Speedracer ugh). As it is, I seem to have a penchant for the German Expressionist-ish style... But then again, some of the best illustrators do seem to come from Germany too...
Another familair big-wig name attached to Amano would be Neil Gaiman, whose Sandman series got a freelanced watercolour treatment from the artist. See below: Lord Morpheus, as envisioned by Amano
Image sources
(Hiten): http://gallery.aethereality.net/
(Morpheus; Lord of Dreams): http://www.elevenland.com/amano/amano.php3
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Stumbled on a memory
And so, it’s not quite the height of summer boredom, nor was it set in a deserted house, but the contrary, a well lit restaurant, and rather than sitting amidst rank weeds under a full moon, I was surrounded by the low buzz of inane chatter and happy diners. Still, ghost stories don’t wait for the so-called appropriate moment but for the importunate moment (I was eating, mind you) and the setting in any case, recedes into being immaterial once one is hooked.
So, after a couple of creepy stories, my friend told me the one her brother told her – one of those army ones that always seem to have an inexplicable ring of truth to them. Actually, this one sounded totally far-fetched, but as they say, human beings have the most amazing capacity for making connections where there are none. Hence, what you will get here are some of those random connections that came to my rambling mind:
So, the story is not the usual creepy kind, but it does lead in several interesting directions. This is the part where you, the reader, will have to suspend belief and assume that this is a real situation. Or maybe not.
The reasonable mind would have pointed out that it seems pretty far-fetched that with so many people coming and going on the stairs, each and everyone of them would have tripped over the ghost, and not just the colonel. A mistake by the reporter? A loophole in the account? In any case, ghosts shouldn’t be able to feel pain – they’re dead after all. In fact, they shouldn’t even be able to trip anyone since they aren’t even a physical obstruction.
Or maybe not.
The reasonable mind can also point out that of course, if the ghost can materialize a solid arm to trip colonels over, they arguably would also feel the sharp pinch of pain due to the contact. No? Yes? In any case, what in the world are ghosts? A slip of memory; a shadow of the past that lurks behind? I remember my physics teacher in secondary school and his wild conspiracy theories. Apart from being convinced that China had managed to conceal a high-tech military facility under the Forbidden City, he spoke about the “4th dimension”. This, he claimed, is the other-worldly world where fragments of time and space wander freely, and when the time-space orbit of our world bumps into this other-place, the outcome is essentially a ghost sighting. Memories of past, present and future? Had this fictitious colonel bumped into an illusory sliver of time realized?
Or maybe not.
So, after a couple of creepy stories, my friend told me the one her brother told her – one of those army ones that always seem to have an inexplicable ring of truth to them. Actually, this one sounded totally far-fetched, but as they say, human beings have the most amazing capacity for making connections where there are none. Hence, what you will get here are some of those random connections that came to my rambling mind:
As the story goes, an army colonel is making his way down the stairs one day (or night). Being a careful man not in a hurry to make his way to his destination, he held on to the staircase railing. Unfortunately, while the colonel was making his sedate way down the stairs; (he wasn’t as young as he once was you know), he, in spite of the precautions, in spite of holding the railing – fell anyway. The lackeys who were before him rushed up the stairs while those behind rushed down to his aid. Here is the interesting part. Out of the many recruits bustling about, one who stood at the top of the stairs remained where he was. His expression was grim, and several of the recruits could only wonder why he did not make a move to help the higher-ranked officer who was, incidentally, below him that day.
The recruits talked about it later that day, and someone finally dared to ask the lone soldier about his odd behaviour. The answer came calmly enough. Coming down the stairs, the soldier explained that he’d seen the colonel fall over an old man who had been sitting on the staircase, and even as his room mates hurtled to the colonel’s rescue, the old ghost, unnoticed, had been rubbing his injured arm in an irritated way. It seemed, the colonel had had the misfortune of tripping over a ghost…
So, the story is not the usual creepy kind, but it does lead in several interesting directions. This is the part where you, the reader, will have to suspend belief and assume that this is a real situation. Or maybe not.
The reasonable mind would have pointed out that it seems pretty far-fetched that with so many people coming and going on the stairs, each and everyone of them would have tripped over the ghost, and not just the colonel. A mistake by the reporter? A loophole in the account? In any case, ghosts shouldn’t be able to feel pain – they’re dead after all. In fact, they shouldn’t even be able to trip anyone since they aren’t even a physical obstruction.
Or maybe not.
The reasonable mind can also point out that of course, if the ghost can materialize a solid arm to trip colonels over, they arguably would also feel the sharp pinch of pain due to the contact. No? Yes? In any case, what in the world are ghosts? A slip of memory; a shadow of the past that lurks behind? I remember my physics teacher in secondary school and his wild conspiracy theories. Apart from being convinced that China had managed to conceal a high-tech military facility under the Forbidden City, he spoke about the “4th dimension”. This, he claimed, is the other-worldly world where fragments of time and space wander freely, and when the time-space orbit of our world bumps into this other-place, the outcome is essentially a ghost sighting. Memories of past, present and future? Had this fictitious colonel bumped into an illusory sliver of time realized?
Or maybe not.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Film that Might Have Been
And so, in an alternate dimension, an altenate me might have been watching the Mamoru Hosoda version of Howl's Moving Castle had he stayed on with Ghibli for the length of the project. It looks to me like it would have been a more faithful adaptation of the book and looking at the storyboards, I can't help but wish that he had completed the project.
The picture above is actually a scene that existed in the book, though of course there are slight differences. The one below that shows the Witch of the Waste is also closer to the way her physical appearance appeared in the book. The man (I suspect he's Gaston) obviously can't be Howl. If you've watched the Miyazaki version or read the book you'll know what I mean.
The picture above is actually a scene that existed in the book, though of course there are slight differences. The one below that shows the Witch of the Waste is also closer to the way her physical appearance appeared in the book. The man (I suspect he's Gaston) obviously can't be Howl. If you've watched the Miyazaki version or read the book you'll know what I mean.
What do you all think?
credits for images: http://www.pelleas.net/aniBBS/viewtopic.php?t=400&sid=0b4150aa477a9687252ab4d3e0f2369f
Your 'if' is the only peacemaker, much virtue in 'if'. - As You Like It
Now that my arduous three weeks of revision and exams are over, I am so looking to using my brain for happier things. Cheers for the holidays!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Poster Talk: Sky Crawlers Update
image source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-28/oshii-sky-crawlers-trailer-officially-posted-onlineI take back what I said about how this was going to be old school animation with less CGI. The new poster, with the added figures (presumably main characters) says its going to be CGI-heavy. Sigh...
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