Year4s go out and play

While this is the hotbed period where freshies and sophs, fresh from FOC go out and play, 8 of us old birds had our gathering to sum up the end of junior year and the beginning of our Eff Whyee Peee.

Packing for Bengali sunrise/sunset

Travel light is the aim. 1 bagpack, 1 hand carrier and 1 camera bag (plus wooden Bruce Lee tag)

Toy soldiers for the kids.

Packing 99% done. Then Philip shared with me this news article. Will including my swimming trunks and scuba gear be a wise choice?

Dhammapada Verse 264 & 265

Verse 264: Not by a shaven head does a man becomes a monk, if he lacks morality and austere practices and tells lies. How could he who is full of covetousness and greed be a monk?

Verse 265: He who has totally subdued all evil, great and small, is called a monk because he has overcome all evil.

Dhammapada is one of the best known books of the Pitaka. It is a collection of the teachings of the Buddha expressed in clear, pithy verses. These verses were culled from various discourses given by the Buddha in the course of forty-five years of his teaching, as he travelled in the valley of the Ganges (Ganga) and the sub-mountain tract of the Himalayas. These verses are often terse, witty and convincing. Whenever similes are used, they are those that are easily understood even by a child, e.g., the cart's wheel, a man's shadow, a deep pool, flowers. Through these verses, the Buddha exhorts one to achieve that greatest of all conquests, the conquest of self; to escape from the evils of passion, hatred and ignorance; and to strive hard to attain freedom from craving and freedom from the round of rebirths. Each verse contains a truth (dhamma), an exhortation, a piece of advice.

Roadblock No.1

We had our first final-year-project roadblock this evening.

This is but ONE of the MANY roadblocks that will be coming our way for the next 8 months until the submission of the thesis film.

Despite the setback, the morale is still good in the camp. Everyone is working well together and though it may have seemed a little unexpected a year ago, I reckon we make a good team. It's a small roadblock but which I am sure we're going to cut the corner around this one.

And as The Junior aka Shinigami has said in response, "do it your way... Frank Sinatra said that too..."



Indeed.

Yasmin Ahmad passed away

Renowned Malaysian filmmaker, Yasmin Ahmad has passed away. Singaporeans are all too familiar with her works, with even a local ministry engaging her services.



May she rest in peace.

被逼的

I need to share this. It is a hilarious spoof to MJ's Beat It. Will be better if you understand Chinese.

In the mood

Just days after a topic on Chow Mo-wan, I found out that a Taiwanese R&B singer wrote a song inspired by In The Mood For Love, titled Su Li-zhen. Su is of course Eurydice to the Orpheus of Chow.

Sigalovada Sutta

As I was preparing for Saturday's sharing session, I am reminded time and time again how wise and contemporary the Buddha's teachings are. And it is a good knock on the bell to keep up my practice. I know I haven't been too mindful with my temper and speech and this is really one area I really have to work hard on, if I am to become a serious practitioner.

For dear friends who are interested in Buddhist philosophy, the topic is the Sigalovada Sutta. 3pm at the Singapore Buddhist Mission today.

I remember that as a child, my mom got pissed with me for saying the wrong things at the wrong time to the wrong crowd. It's the same with how we all try to hide the dirty linen of the family and equally embarrassing moments of ourselves from the public. It's how far you value individualism and communalism. I would reckon both are equally important. It is how you strike a balance between both sides. It's the same with our country.

Flags

It's time to raise your flag high for the nation.

Food

At times I do think it's crazy to be taking up the job just before I fly off, except that the extra cash does lightens up the mood a little. I have to admit that Singaporeans can't take shit well. But that doesn't mean we are half-boiled. We ought to give ourselves more respect than what we are giving ourselves. I know that my life has been comfortable so far so I am forcing myself in a way to take more shit job and get more shit because the more shit you get in life, the more you learn and grow. Dung makes good fertilizers after all. And sometimes when you do freelance video work, people think you are not worthy of anything. Fortunately, the people at the current job has been fantastic.

Moving on to a totally unrelated topic, the job not only exposes myself to the Manhunt contestants and the FHM babes, but also Peranakan culture and food. One of the guest chef has been kind to cook for us in a couple of occasions and I like what I see, what I taste and what I smell. Will be bringing my parents to a peranakan buffet at Concorde Hotel next week. Looking forward. Especially so since the luxury of having two working and married elder sisters mean bills from family lunch and dinners always slip off my hands.

And it's great that the FYP is moving on a good direction. No flying half-eaten cheeseburgers, no toppling of tables, except a green tee-shirt of khmer alphabets now stuck somewhere in Ang Mo Kio with Pang Da Yong whom I have christened, the new 'Chow Mo-wan'. But what we really need us is financial security. Is $25,000 too much to ask for a student film?

Final Year Project aka The Thesis Film

Finally finish writing the story. It sounds like, but it is not, a kungfu film. Pitching session with my FYP mates this afternoon. Hopefully no fights, toppling tables and flying half-eaten cheeseburgers.

zakariazainal.com is UP

zakaria - enquirer.sg says: (9:31:36 PM)
my illegitimate children in pakistan

zakaria - enquirer.sg says: (9:31:46 PM)
so i was supposed to pose like i was caught red handed

My 'suck-c--k-buddy' (since JC all the way to university), Zakaria Zainal, has finally put up a website that documents all his work for the past 6 months as a journalist, roving the Indian subcontinent. You can view his works, find out more about himself and perhaps even become his friend (especially if you're a Chinese girl) at his website here.

Zakaria Zainal is a final year student in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. Majoring in journalism, he makes meaning of the world and society through photographs and writing.

He recently completed an internship in Nepal with Republica, a premier English Nepali daily, as both photographer and reporter covering the country’s transition to a federal republic. He is also the deputy editor of the Enquirer, an online newspaper based in Nanyang Technological University.

Feel free to look at his work – ranging from editorial photographs and writings to his more personal collection. He is available for editorial and commercial assignments.

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.

Virginal Work

weiliang | tireswing, says: (1:59:40 AM)
eh eh
weiliang | tireswing, says: (1:59:43 AM)
where this video
weiliang | tireswing, says: (1:59:44 AM)
i wan to see

Don't ask me how but in the process of chatting with Weiliang on his upcoming short film project, he managed to psycho me into showing him my first film done in CS, which is one thing that I am terribly embarrassed about. The lines are pretentious, the shots are amateurish and everything looks fake and forced. But a man gotto face up to his past demons. And so I present to you, Tears of Being Wild.

Don't laugh too much 'cos it is a sincere and genuine effort in trying to make my first ever virginal student film.

On the other hand, right after Tears of Being Wild, I took time off during the holidays to make Eternal City of Love, which is corny, cheesey but with the award-winning classic Philip Lim that helped us won $2,000 from NHB.

I have not shown this nor watched them for more than 2 years now and suddenly, digging everything out is like a refreshment of memories. Enjoy and don't make the same mistakes as I have done as a freshmen.

Pro-Singapore

Critics of the PAP / Political activists claim to be pro-Singapore. Yet sometimes in some of their attempts to discredit the PAP government, some of them inevitably become anti-Singapore.

Anti-PAP and anti-Singapore are two different subjects. But as PAP is too intertwined with the history of Singapore, it becomes hard to separate the ruling party from the state.

The writings on the wall are too clear for all to see when some political activists discredit Singapore, in hope of discrediting the PAP. The funny thing I observe is why do some critics of PAP jump and celebrate at everything disgraceful to Singapore and Singaporeans?

In any case, the 9th of August is coming. No matter which political affiliations you belong to, I can only hope you celebrate and cheer on the nation, and not see the parade as another mere facade put up by the ruling party, while recognizing that propaganda is practiced by every other nation in this world.

Ajantrik

“The gentlemen at the Bengali Gentlemen's Club. They put it well.”
Bimal pauses, pensively.
“That I'm a machine. I like the smell of burnt gasoline. It makes me high...”
A light giggle escapes him.
“What they don't understand is that Jagaddal is also human.”


I dunno why but Ritwak Ghatak's Ajantrik brings to mind this photo, which I took in Vietnam late last year.

Ass hurts

Right after WKWSCIFOC was Viriya Ultimate Sports Camp, where the programme line-up includes morning PT, swimming, hiking and cycling marathon all within 24-hours time frame. Honestly the cycling marathon was worse than the night cycling from Boon Lay to East Coast. My ass has never hurt so much before.

And kudos to Alvin, for such a wonderful master piece taken during sports camp. Kor-Kor-Love is a mad scientist that lives in a secret lab facility within Mt. Faber.

On the otherhand, here are the wonderful seniors and freshies from Boceli. I did not interact much with the freshies this time round, but one good reason why it is still memorable because this is the last time I'll be attending FOC as a student in our beloved school.

WKWSCIFOC2009

My last WKWSCIFOC has finally come to an end couple of hours ago. Other than welcoming a new batch of freshmen into the Wee KimWee family, camp was also reunion of sorts for the year4 male buddies, and with my juniors. It was good to meet everyone again. WKWSCI is really like my baby. Please look after it well and continue to let it grow. Thank you Weiliang and FOC committee of 2009 for sacrificing and putting in so much effort to make it work again. And thank you year2s and year3s for the friendship...and the ol' men of year4s, it has been a pleasure, gentlemen. Of course, not forgetting WKW Ah-Balling, hope you like the video tribute.

Now it's time to prepare for the final year project and also Go-Far, for which the official website is finally up: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/gofar/gofar2009/index.html

On the otherhand, if you like my film (see below), do give me your support by voting at http://www.mypledge.sg/video.php?v=f8z2T9Sxzuc The prize money will come in handy for future film projects.

Good night.

Keep Shooting

WKWSCIFOC 2009 has not officially ended yet, but I'm back at home for a good bath and a good rest. Took a lot of time off to give some proper thoughts for the thesis film and build up on an existing concept. Very much convinced of the story to tell. Hopefully, my group mates can feel the same way as I do.

眾生無邊誓願度

煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

In any case, Kerwin and myself are still working on the final cut of SVC'42, but we cut a condensed 3 minute version to compete in a local short film competition, in the hope of raising more money for future. Here is the 3 minute version. Please feel welcome to criticize it in anyway you deem fit.

One from Liew Shi Xiong on Vimeo.

KOP

Some people are disturbed by the sudden outpouring of commemoration and grief (sometimes over the top) over the demise of Michael Jackson. Even non-fans or people who may not even know much about his music, suddenly become fans and lamenting a great loss.

But to me its ok. At least he is being remembered. It is always better to remember someone, than to forget him.

May the King of Pop rest in peace.

Little India

The uniform of the Japanese kempeitai comes with a rental fee of $50 for 3 days. There's no way you can get that hat there. But Little India is a treasure trove when it comes to finding the khaki uniforms of the SVCs. The top only cost $10 while the pants a mere $8.

Last Year in WKWSCI

"If you love film so much, why didn't you go to Tisch?"

Or so was the question Zak posed to me, from a junior of ours back in school. And so begin a good night of deep reflection and hence, the following good people who have strongly supported me here, in NTU.

• Zakaria Zainal, and the image of his pseudo afro hairdo, when we were 17.
• My roomie the 'Pastor' (and his weekly Bible sessions of course ).
• Pang Sern Yong for being simply Pang Da Yong
• Nanyang Pigs (read below)
  
• Philip Lim for being a male bitch
  
• And all the engineers, bankers, accountants and civil servants from Hall 6 Block 34 (including the girls) who promised to invest in my film. I will expect each of you to put in $10,000. Cannot siam.

For a moment, we reckoned the Nanyang Pigs to be the winning formula, only to leave Orchard Road empty handed.

With our hands interlocked, they have sworn by $10,000 each.

Buddha Jump Over the Wall

Spider-Men

Ok, it's a long night and this is a weird post because I am thinking a lot while waiting for my damn Mac to process. Pardon me for being a bit nostalgic. I only have 1 year left in Wee Kim Wee. I don't like being histrionic.