Er...actually I just got back to SF from S'pore few days ago/... but I am graduating this Aug and be back in S'pore for good then....

Well seeya all then... this time was kept quite busy and didnt have much time to go around... ^_^


finally graduating liaoz ... come bck guang zhong yao zhu hor? take care, gracie!
:: Rachel 1/27/2003 06:08:00 AM [+] ::
...

when i attended the robert mckee seminar on friday, i only expected an enriching experience. until the 2nd day, i m pretty confirmed it s worth more than my money, not that i manupilate myself into thinking so to make my money worthwhile hehe! however, it s only until today, the last day, that i really feel so moved & inspired by robert mckee. it may be the sentimentalist in me but the very last part of his seminar is really sensational. his final analysis on casablanca is very uplifting. although a large part of it could ve been credited to the charisma of the speaker, i never know that i can feel a little sad it s the last day of a seminar. ahhh .. but this s not just a seminar, isnt it? it s an unforgettable experience, & i doubt it s an exaggeration in my euphoria after the event.

not so much that it s just another well-known guru talking about principles that i most probably know somehow, but once in a while, i really ve to break away from all these everyday crap, & put myself into the right perspective again why in the 1st place i m in it.
:: daydreamer 1/26/2003 11:39:00 PM [+] ::
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Happy Chinese New Year to all!!

Torwe... long lost Torwe sending greetings!!! ^____^


lost ... & found!!! gong xi gong xi dear gracie! so u r back in sg for holidays now, like amanda?
:: Rachel 1/26/2003 05:43:00 PM [+] ::
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todae s my first day at robert mckee 's story seminar. besides some lil trouble alighting at the wrong bus-stop in NUS (see, ppl like me just arent used to schools that big :P), it s truly an enjoyable & enriching event. of course the fees arent cheap, but nevertheless it s a good experience & opportunity to meet other people in similiar trade.

i dont think i can write well enough abt how candid & spontaneous robert mckee gives insightful opinions on storytelling. i like all those witty & sometimes hilarious quotes & lil stories he has got.

looking forward to the next 2 days when he would show & dissect casablanca scene by scene, beat by beat. by the way, i ve watched casablanca the day before yesterday, finally. ahhh ... i must be too arrogant & ignorant to appreciate it when i was a student last time. what to say. those old man dont call any film without substance a classic just like that, i supposed. i finally see how very engaging a piece of drama it is.
:: daydreamer 1/24/2003 11:15:00 PM [+] ::
...

i downloaded the screenplay for casablanca so that i dont ve to buy a copy at 20 bucks in a 3-day screenwriting seminar i m gonna attend. upon seeing the 100 over pages i need to print, i decided to pay 20 bucks for it instead. by hook or by crook, i ve to get a copy of the film & make myself finish watching it, coz it ll be referenced heavily during the seminar.

i m not those kind who would find classic films boring. in fact, most of my fav films are rather the old ones. unfortunately, i never manage to bring myself to finish casablanca, as well as gone with the wind. i think the only time i sat through the entire gone with the wind would be my film crit lectures in the poly. but i literally sat through it fighting the z-monster.

also, i finally bought the remastered 2-disc version of grave of fireflies dvd yesterday. it s 1 of the studio ghlibi animation i always want to watch. but it s so so sad that my eyes are still red now, after watching it in the afternoon. & such enchanting music it has got. i esp like 1 piece with quiet & beautiful flute play.

however, i dont think i would want to watch it again too soon, not unless it s another suitable day when i can afford to slow my pace of life a little, & feel sad over a touching story.
:: daydreamer 1/19/2003 06:47:00 PM [+] ::
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i watched zhang yi mou 's hero & remember how me & my bro love his films last time in our secondary/college days. he made gong li looked so beautiful in all his films (he did just the same for zhang zhi yi in the road home). however we lost interest in his later films after he won a too many international awards. for me, the road home is his only recent film that reminds me of his old masterpieces such as raise the red lantern.

not sure why, i m already looking forward to make a personal comparison of hero with crouching tiger, hidden dragon, even before watching it. hero is definitely more interesting than the normal hollywood blockbuster & the cinematography is eye-pleasing. it also has a much comprehensible english title (skeptics can conclude this as another evidence that zhang 's films are made to please the western market) than crouching tiger, hidden dragon. however, i still love the latter more, not so much that it impressed me but that it touches me.
:: daydreamer 1/19/2003 01:05:00 AM [+] ::
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meich (0:24 AM) :
hahaha, then what's the next step?
Gatchaman (0:27 AM) :
the next step s v v improtant
Gatchaman (0:27 AM) :
i tink i ll take the step with ...
Gatchaman (0:27 AM) :
my left foot 1st
meich (0:28 AM) :
yes, and i know the next one after that is the right foot.

i ve been asked about my future plans a few times by co-workers i met on a recent freelance project. that s so far my most thought-out plan i try to share with this nice new fren.
:: daydreamer 1/17/2003 01:19:00 AM [+] ::
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These Days - Nico

I've been out walking
I don't do too much talking
These days, these days.
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.

I've stopped my rambling,
I don't do too much gambling
These days, these days.
These days I seem to think about
How all the changes came about my ways
And I wonder if I'll see another highway.

I had a lover,
I don't think I'll risk another
These days, these days.
And if I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
It's just that I've been losing so long.
La la la la la, la la.

I've stopped my dreaming,
I won't do too much scheming
These days, these days.
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten.
Please don't confront me with my failures,
I had not forgotten them.

crtl C & crtl V from redletterday

when one is loveless & feeling alone, one gets sentimental easily reading sad beautiful things like this.
:: daydreamer 1/14/2003 12:09:00 AM [+] ::
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i finally put up the flash page for the Datamini TVC i ve worked on. some other cg artists who collaborated on the project ve brought up that if this 100% made-in-Singapore TVC would ever recieve the same amount of attention as Mr Unstoppable done by Australians. although i m not devoid of illusion for things such as a few minutes of fame, i ve lil to bother over it. afterall, the latter generated much attention from the successful marketing campaign as a whole, not just dependent on a single TVC on air.

my part on the TVC is the armor transformation sequence. it s only now i realised i must ve gotten the most fun part to do than the rest (i m too pressurized to do so when i m slaving over it). it reminds me of the jap masked rider transformation sequences i was so crazy over last time. i still owned a few of those superhero pictorial books with that must-have page showing their awesome transformations in successive steps. it s fun making the webpage looked exactly that way too!

as of now, i still dont get to see the broadcast version yet. also, dont ask me why the matrix 360-degree action shot. obviously there are still some so-called creative ppl who havent got tired of it yet.
:: daydreamer 1/12/2003 05:10:00 PM [+] ::
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i m already very tired of watching my own short film & lost all my initial excitement to watch it in public screening after so long. unfortunately, blaue reiter initiated me & evil rei to watch its screening along side other comgraph winning works in Substation tonite. it s been quite a while to watch it again on 'big screen' & this time round after more than 2 years, it looks as amateurish as i ve expected.

perhaps it s a common feeling to other ppl in this trade. i console myself that it s perfectly alright. as my skill level improves, my past stuffs are sure to look dissatisfactory now. finally, i manage to coax myself once again into positive thinking but secretly hope this would be the last time my short film be publicly screened.

when i reached home & checked my email just now. i recieved the following:

Hi Wai Ming,

I am a Singaporean and I saw your work "Greatest Day Dreamer" at the SubStation on 11 Jan 2003 and really like it. It somehow triggers the emotion within me (i believe it does to the others too!). The background music "Canon in D" really add to the overall effects. I know this may not be approriate, but is it possible for you to send me a MP3 version of the "Canon in D" you used for your work? If you got the full length of the whole piece, that's even better.

If due to some reasons you cannot send, it is okie. I tried searching the web for the mp3 but couldnt find any. And thus i really no choice but to trouble you with this troublesome request of mine.

Keep up the good work!!!

Thanks,
Ken


only a year ago, such an email would ve made me really egoistic & then sink into immediate self-doubt. but tonite it s indeed a morale booster. i must be so silly to feel embarassed of my past work. it s just 1 of the many steps i need to take to be where i m now. it s still as good in its own way, & as unsatisfactory in some others, as it has always been.

perhaps i really ve over-engaged myself in refining my production skills that i forget something i used to embraced so sincerely. the one thing that will always be able to outlast craftsmanship & production techniques. how glad i m it can still touch another person.
:: daydreamer 1/11/2003 11:24:00 PM [+] ::
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mum tested me after dinner, asked me if i remember what day is today (8th of Jan). i ve been really busy thus never keep track of the dates. although i only realised it s 8th Jan, i do remember it s dad 's death anniversary.

mum must be planning to catch me by surprise but i m quite pleased to surprise her by remembering instead. yet somehow i wonder if she really thinks i would ve forgotten it in the first place.
:: daydreamer 1/09/2003 12:25:00 AM [+] ::
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there is a more-than-5 minute walk to the mrt station from my home. this afternoon, when i m less than half way from the mrt, all of sudden a heavy downpour built up within moments. there s no shelter & i ve no escape. the only thing i can do is to keep walking. even with an umbrella, my lower half body is drenched by the time i reached the station. & like a little joke heaven s playing on me, the rain stopped promptly the moment i m there.

while waiting for the train, i kept looking for any other ppl who got wet from that short & abrupt downpour. i wanted to convince myself in a romantic way that, even not exactly a good thing, that rain is meant only to fall on me. in this way, despite the unlucky lad i m, i would still feel like a special individual who meant something to someone.

at the very least, i ought to know that i m not just another hopeless man with nowhere to run from the rain; that it is a special experience for me to appreciate better days to come.
:: daydreamer 1/05/2003 11:36:00 PM [+] ::
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some not-so-serious new year resolution:

1) finally give up this hope (& burden) that i ll one day be rich & famous

2) able to fall in love as & when i desire but never expect love in return

3) everytime i waste my life feeling dreadful, i m able to convince myself that i m gonna die the very next day

4) try my best to want less & own less

5) able to communicate & understand loneliness more as a lifetime friend

i m still physco-ing myself to put down serious new year resolution in black & white so as to shame myself when i dont accomplish them by next year.
:: daydreamer 1/01/2003 02:14:00 PM [+] ::
...