Mindfulness

Note to self: Be more mindful of thoughts, speech and action.

Spider Season

"Commemorative" tumbler I bought from the cineplex for Spider-Man 2, 2004.

Venom from Spider-Man 3, 2007. Free gift accompanying a box of cornflakes I bought for breakfast. Ah... wonderful memories of hostel days back in university.

 Spider-Man battling the Sandman, Spider-Man 3.

2012 reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is this season, with the release of 2012 reboot. (500) Days of Summer is director Marc Webb's debut feature and TASM is only his second feature film. Will be interesting to see how his MTV-indie background will spill over in a major Hollywood motion picture.

The Avengers Mini Figurines

No Nick Fury and the Black Widow for this series. Still lacking the Hulk and Loki to complete. Where to find them ah?

Rivers, Lakes and Swordsmen.

I miss those good ol' days of HK cinema, the kind when you were a kid, spending Friday and Saturday nights watching them play on SBC / TCS 8. Filmmakers (directors, producers, writers) then had the liberality to make their movies freely without the niggling thought and lust of the mainland Chinese market, Hollywood standard special effects and elaborate (and sometimes ridiculous) set design.

Wuxia films and the fantastic notion of the xiake / swordsmen / knights-errant, wandering through the Central Plains of ancient China (either on foot, horse or flying in the air -_-), sticking their swords, fists and any other fanciful weapons against corrupt government officials, bandits, power-hungry rigid establishments and evil sects. Don't seem to have a day-job other than bumming around but always have gold/silver ingots for the poor. Never seem to go hungry because he would always have a white bun in a bag which is just a mere cloth wrapping up his meager belongings. Even if there are not enough buns to hold in that puny sack, there's always the inn and "Little Two" for some noodles and soup (but pls bring along your own chopsticks).

Upgrading yourself means retreating into some deserted island, falling into some mysterious caves, kowtowing to a statue of a beautiful lady and keeping a giant pet bird. And never never never underestimate that old anonymous monk (too simple for the abbott to even notice) sweeping the floors of the temple ground, the old beggar on the street, the silly dimwitted simpleton (again, another old man), the blind (old) man, the angry (old) man. Basically never piss off any old men. Just treat them nice and who knows, you will most likely gain something in return.

When it's time to fall in love, find yourself a royal princess or the daughter of some important government official / trader / shifu of the sect / minority race. And when you are sick of the politics and tussle over the fight for the title of Wulinmengzhu, retire in some deserted countryside or even migrate to the Burmese Kingdom or even the Brunei Sultanate (yes, in wuxia novels!).

Flying Swords 0f Dragon Gate (2011) dir. Tsui Hark

Special edition bought from a store at Kowloon, HK. Tsui Hark at his 80s/90s best, little seen after the handover in 1997. Don't quite fancy those Storm-Riders-esque special effects (bad memories) though.

FSDG is like an unofficial continuation from 1992's New Dragon Gate Inn (and Donnie Yen as the gay and powerful eunuch, he has come a long way)


which brings us back to the original Dragon Gate, King Hu's 1960s classic


and in a way linked to sorry-I-always-fall-asleep-watching-his-films-and-I-want-to-kill-myself-after-watching-any-of-his-films Taiwanese/Malaysian Tsai Ming-liang's Goodbye Dragon Inn.


2011 version:


Jet Li says every male Chinese has his own fantasy about wuxia while growing up. Ang Lee says that it should be the dream of every Chinese director to make a film of the wuxia genre. How about one about 14th century Singapura and the Dragon Tooth Gate? Admiral Zheng He and his fleet in search of former Emperor Jianwen (throne gana usurped by his uncle) with rumours that he became a monk and escaped to South East Asia (the island of Java used to be a hotbed for Buddhist and Hindu intellectuals).

That damned armoured train

Not only did I managed to sneak in a Wong Kar-wai mecca during the work trip to HK but I make sure I come back with a luggae filled with DVDs of films you can never find again in Singapore. Including The Inglorious Bastards which inspired Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds.

The Inglorious Bastards (1978) dir. Enzo G. Castellaro

This is for #189.

ACE CAMP 2012

 The inaugural ACE CAMP. Class of 2012. 

What a blast. This also marks my 21st camp with the Singapore Buddhist Mission in the past 15 years. I reckon this to be my swansong as a Camp Master. At 27, I can feel the pricks at the bones when attempting to move chairs, table and whatnot. At 27, this has also been the most exhausting camp ever, even though Wolf,  my co-Camp Master, and the various heads of the sub-committees did more work during the camp than I did.

The biggest return for me in organising this camp is not just the fact we have shared the Buddhist faith to more older teens and young adults, but also seeing how the younger generation of youth leaders in the Buddhist Mission may be forming. I've seen the sacrifices you guys have made and I'm damn proud of everyone of you.

May the Dhamma Wheel continue to turn. May the Mission continue to be a conducive and safe environment for more young Buddhists to learn the Dhamma and find spiritual friends. Sadhu!

Foreword

Guess who?

"Throughout my growing years, the teachings of the Buddha have helped me to develop confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Even when I’ve entered the workforce, His teachings continue to guide me in managing societal expectations and in making sense of my place in this world. 

It is thus my wish that more young people can benefit from the Buddha’s teachings the way I have. It is also this sincere wish that my friends and I from the Singapore Buddhist Mission have come together to organize ACE CAMP 2012.

Do participate in activities with an open mind and heart and I hope by the end of the 4 days and 3 nights, your hearts will be filled wholesome by the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha and that you will be able to find life-long spiritual friends. Sukhi hontu!"

- ACE CAMP 2012 - CAMP JOURNAL

Zakster

So surreal to be there and see Zak's works on display at an art gallery. It was like only yesterday when we shared our dreams at the infamous WKWSCI benches. The benches is like an incubator of dreams. Keep it up. Looking forward.

Fashion Statement

人要衣莊佛要金庄. Filmmakers and their distinctive "fashion statement", i.e. what they always wear on set.

 

Michael Bay and baseball caps. Choosing the next supermodel with the perkiest of ass to star in yet another ultra-budget explosions-aplenty action-intensive blockbuster movie.

 

Steven Spielberg wears many hats, literally and non-literally. And how do you match a suit and a baseball cap?

 

The only time I've seen Wong Kar-wai without shades, nevermind indoors or not, was an old 1992 tv interview when he calls himself Kelvin Wong. Oh, and Norah Jones sang one key too low here.

Alfred Hitchcock is a fine British gentleman. That's why he always wore a business suit and tie on set.

  

While Sam Raimi pays homage to his filmmaking idol by emulating Hitchcock's fashion choice.

 Chirstopher Nolan is what you call, atas. "As much as I’d like to be able to get my hands dirty, I don’t usually get to do so. So I dress the way I would for a day at the office. It’s just easier that way."

The Texan, Robert Rodriguez dons cowboy hats.

 And here in Singapore, my pal, the head honcho of OhBoy! Pictures wears only skinny jeans on set. Skinny jeans you ask me, yes skinny jeans, even under the hot sun and the humid weather of Singapura.