Movie Quote of the Day

Chow Mo-wan in 2046 is for my two guy friends.


"If I find the right person? A man like me has nothing much except free time. That's why I need company. "

P.S. Don't kill me.

Bengali nights

I just realise the GO-FAR team will be setting off to Bangladesh in 9 days time, yet the video team are still not quite sure what we wanna do.

In any case, revisit Bengali love with Jibanananda Das,

If I were a wild-drake

Wild-duck, if you were

Somewhere on the horizon on the bank of Jolsirhi river

By a paddy field

Amidst slander reed

Resting in a tranquil nest,

Then on this Phalgun night

Watching the moon rising at the backdrop of Jhau branches

We, leaving the scent of low-land water,

Would have floated ourselves in the silvery crop of the sky -

Your wing touching mine, my wing feeling your blood beat -

Blue sky studded with numerous stars like the golden flowers of Khoi field,

In the green thick nest of Shirees forest

Like the golden egg

Phalgun moon

Perchance the sound of a gun-fire:

Our sharp movement,

Pumping ecstasy in our wing,

We sing the song of northern wind

Perchance the sound of a gun-fire again:

We are silent,

We are at peace

Life’s piecemeal death would not have been there;

Would not have been frustration and darkness of life’s piecemeal desires;

If I were a wild-drake

Wild-duck, if you were

Somewhere on the horizon on the bank of Jolsirhi river

By a paddy field.

慈悲為懷

My mom went to the Kovan market on Sunday morning and came home to give me this beautifully written Chinese calligraphy work. It reads: 慈悲為懷, or simply the very Buddhist idea of compassion.


One wonderful thing about the calligraphy is that it is not for sale, but free for anyone who likes it. The second wonderful thing is that it is written by an uncle in the following manner:

Picture from Picture Me Singapore

This is a Singaporean busker, in his late 40s, who does Chinese calligraphy in such a peculiar way. I must say this is the first time I have ever seen anything like this and despite the non-conventional approach, his writing still looks good. His works are not for sale but free for anyone who likes it. As busking has always been, onlookers are free to give whatever amount they deem fit. Apparently there is not much news about him on the Internet, except this.

Though the calligraphy was given to my mom for free, she put in $20. But both the busker and my mom's gift to me will be an invaluable reminder of compassion, and on my part, to better cultivate myself in the teachings and philosophy of the Buddha.

Buddhism wins Best Religion in the World Award

I have yet to find out if the news is credible, but it seems to be just another satirical piece.

From Beliefnet.

Tribune de Geneve

In advance of their annual Leading Figure award to a religious figure who has done the most to advance the cause of humanism and peace, the Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has chosen to bestow a special award this year on the Buddhist Community. "We typically prefer an under-the-radar approach for the organization, as we try to embody the spirit of modesty found in the greatest traditions," said ICARUS director Hans Groehlichen in a phone conference Monday. "But with organized religion increasingly used as a tool to separate and inflame rather than bring together, we felt we had to take the unusual step of creating a "Best Religion in the World" award and making a bit of a stir, to inspire other religious leaders to see what is possible when you practice compassion."

Groehlichen said the award was voted on by an international roundtable of more than 200 religious leaders from every part of the spiritual spectrum. "It was interesting to note that once we supplied the criteria, many religious leaders voted for Buddhism rather than their own religion," said Groehlichen. "Buddhists actually make up a tiny minority of our membership, so it was fascinating but quite exciting that they won."

Criteria included factors such as promoting personal and community peace, increasing compassion and a sense of connection, and encouraging preservation of the natural environment. Groehlichen continued "The biggest factor for us is that ICARUS was founded by spiritual and religious people to bring the concepts of non-violence to prominence in society. One of the key questions in our voting process was which religion actually practices non-violence."

When presenting the information to the voting members, ICARUS researched each of the 38 religions on the ballot extensively, offering background, philosophy, and the religions role in government and warfare. Jonna Hult, Director of Research for ICARUS said "It wasn't a surprise to me that Buddhism won Best Religion in the World, because we could find literally not one single instance of a war fought in the name of Buddhism, in contrast to every other religion that seems to keep a gun in the closet just in case God makes a mistake. We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had ever been in an army. These people practice what they preach to an extent we simply could not document with any other spiritual tradition."

At least one Catholic priest spoke out on behalf of Buddhism. Father Ted O'Shaughnessy said from Belfast, "As much as I love the Catholic Church, it has always bothered me to no end that we preach love in our scripture yet then claim to know God's will when it comes to killing other humans. For that reason, I did have to cast my vote for the Buddhists." And Muslim Cleric Tal Bin Wassad agreed from Pakistan via his translator. "While I am a devout Muslim, I can see how much anger and bloodshed is channeled into religious expression rather than dealt with on a personal level. The Buddhists have that figured out." Bin Wassad, the ICARUS voting member for Pakistan's Muslim community continued, "In fact, some of my best friends are Buddhist." And Rabbi Shmuel Wasserstein said from Jerusalem, "Of course, I love Judaism, and I think it's the greatest religion in the world. But to be honest, I've been practicing Vipassana meditation every day before minyan (daily Jewish prayer) since 1993. So I get it."

Groehlichen said that the plan was for the award to Buddhism for "Best Religion in the World" to be given to leaders from the various lineages in the Buddhist community. However, there was one snag. "Basically we can't find anyone to give it to," said Groehlichen in a followup call late Tuesday. "All the Buddhists we call keep saying they don't want the award." Groehlichen explained the strange behavior, saying "Basically they are all saying they are a philosophical tradition, not a religion. But that doesn't change the fact that with this award we acknowledge their philosophy of personal responsibility and personal transformation to be the best in the world and the most important for the challenges facing every individual and all living beings in the coming centuries."

When asked why the Burmese Buddhist community refused the award, Buddhist monk Bhante Ghurata Hanta said from Burma, "We are grateful for the acknowledgement, but we give this award to all humanity, for Buddha nature lies within each of us." Groehlichen went on to say "We're going to keep calling around until we find a Buddhist who will accept it. We'll let you know when we do."

One Question to ask

Seeing how Western powers have always sought to interfere and undermine other growing powers, one question to ask, can the Western Imperialists leave China alone?

The Way

Fame or Self: Which matters more? Self or Wealth: Which is more precious? Gain or Loss: Which is more painful? He who is attached to things will suffer much. He who saves will suffer heavy loss. A contented man is rarely disappointed. He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble. He will stay forever safe.

- Laozi, Tao Te Jing.

Beautifully written, apt for the situation. It's a pity Taoism is pretty much maligned in Singapore as a superstitious folk belief, when it is really not the case. Contentment is however, not an excuse for not doing your best. Contentment is knowing when to let go, when you've done your very best.

The Heart of Wushu

For all Year 4 Broadcast & Cinema Students

James Mairata was the best film teacher you could ever have in WKWSCI. Sadly, that sentence is in the past tense as James has since returned to Australia.


But for all the Year 4 BCS students taught under James, here is his message to everyone:

Glad to hear your PI went well. Let me know what you are doing for your final project and what the others in the group are also doing. How is SCI going? I heard that quite a few teachers have left from some of the other divisions...

I'm not working at the moment - well, pretty much 'working' as a housewife looking after two young and very active children! Have been trying to watch all of the Hong Kong dvds I brought back with me - working my way through my Yuen Woo Ping and Wong Jing films at the moment. The Magnificent Butcher is amazing! I'm planning to start a phd soon but still need to do more preparation before I'm ready to begin. In Australia, even an Associate Lecturer (Assistant Lecturer) needs to have a PHD so it is very competitive here.

Anyway, I really miss all of you - please pass on my best to the others - I think about you guys a lot. Keep that filmmaking fire burning brightly.

And keep in touch

All the best, james

Everyone, remember to email James about your FYPs. And with reference to the above picture we took with James on our last lesson, there were only a total of 15 students in his class. So herein comes the question. When everyone was in their freshmen year, Broadcast & Cinema Studies was a hot pot. Now that we are finally in our final year, how many people are really left in this specialisation?

New kids on the block

Approved by Bernardo Bertolucci

You must love Criterion for its revolutionary move of letter-boxing, and its archival of quality films.

4 WKWSCIFOC

The Days of Hur
"Tia gok jiak hum eh lao sai
Jia hei pua pi jim kee guai
Lala hor wah wah lang mai
Le lang long si ccb!"

Still a heartlander with Mee Tai Mak

Things got a little bit atas with Linguine

and finally Bocelli.

Pictures koped from Shannon without his permission.

"emo sia...," Zakaria Zainal

Looking back at this and that brings back good memories. Zak's comment was "emo sia..."

Friends close to me will know that I nearly lost my life, while coping with the various commitments back in sophomore year. But in retrospect, I could have chickened out and not have been part of this, but instead, concentrate on trying to make better films. But frankly, I am glad I was part of Wee's 15th, and I am so glad of the rest who helped made up the committee too. It has made me grow and opened doors to so many new experiences and most importantly, new friends. Being a President of the CI Club is like becoming a Papa. The club will be having it's 17th birthday, but it's still gonna be my baby, and for that, I am sure Wee's 17th will bring it to even greater heights! You know who you are ;)

Please also let the Weekimwee cheer stays on.

Singapore out of recession

SINGAPORE, July 15 — Singapore roared out of recession with growth of 20.4 per cent in the second quarter over the previous quarter, marking the first expansion in a year and prompting the government to raise its 2009 growth forecast.

The flash estimates, which are based mainly on April and May numbers, showed growth in the construction sector and a sharp improvement in manufacturing, thanks to the drugs cluster.

“The Singapore economy is back, and back with a vengeance,” said HSBC economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde, who expects other regional economies to produce similar rallies.

The government also revised its 2009 growth forecast upwards after three downgrades.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) now expects the economy to contract by 4 to 6 per cent instead of the 6 to 9 per cent decline predicted in April, thanks to the “less severe contraction” in the first half of the year.

However, it is sticking to its outlook for the rest of the year — a weak recovery that will be at risk from more bad news.

The flash estimates were clearly the headline grabber yesterday. They showed that the economy surged 20.4 per cent compared with the first quarter — a far better figure than the experts had tipped and the first positive quarter after four consecutive quarters of contraction.

However, the economy was still down 3.7 per cent compared with the same period last year, its third straight year-on-year period of slump but again better then market expectations.

The brighter figures also mean Singapore is the first Asian economy out of a technical recession, defined as at least two consecutive quarters of contraction.

Yesterday's avalanche of numbers also sparked more optimism of a second quarter recovery across Asia, as Singapore is the first key economy in the region to report second quarter growth numbers. — The Straits Times

Barisan Nasional's perennial favourite secret weapon!

The by-election at Malaysia's Kelantan saw the return of BN's all time favourite secret weapon, Singapore, or in this case, Lee Kuan Yew. Read more at The Malaysian Insider.

“Why does he like him, but refuse to listen to Umno,”

The funny thing is Lee Kuan Yew's recent visit to Malaysia also included PM Najib, Rosmah and other BN officials on his itinery. Are we seeing the return of Singapore-bashing that worked so well for BN during Mahathir's reign, only to slipped into oblivion under Pak Lah?

i heart singapore

You see the moon and the stars
look how far we have come
look around at our faces they shine brightly in the sun

I don't know or care what others may say about it, but I reckon it's a freaking brilliant idea to have Electrico compose and perform this year's National Day theme song. It's rock, it's edgy and it's stuck in my head.

Owen hearts

Former Liverpool's wonder boy, Michale Owen has finally reached the shores of Old Trafford. It is funny seeing a boy growing up supporting Liverpool, only to end up playing for Manchester United. But I dare say all United fans are welcoming Owen into the club. When Owen first burst into the Premier League, he had created a storm but sadly, more than a decade later, he has not been able to reach his peak. Injury problems and a weak midfield support in Liverpool and Newcastle, and the mass of plastic galaticos at Real has not been helpful. Now he is 29 and with age catching up, Man United may be Owen's last bid to become the world class player he was supposed to be.

Frankly, I'm damn excited to see Owen in action, wearing the coveted No.7 shirt, than I did with Cristiano Ronaldo. But then, the last time I was so excited was when Fabien Barthez came over to Man U and the last we heard of him wasn't that pleasant.