Z

Kung Fu Talk, Part II

2011-03-12T14:07:00.003+08:00

“十年以前，衢云兄跟我在此讨论何谓革命。当时我说：革命，就是为了四万万同胞人人有恒业，不啼饥，不号寒。
十年过去了，与我志同者相继牺牲，我从他乡漂泊重临，革命两字，于我而言，不可同日而语。
今天，再道何为革命，我会说：欲求文明之幸福，不得不经文明之痛苦。这痛苦，就叫作革命。” - Why B&A won best picture at the HKFA

Kung Fu Talk

2011-02-10T23:41:00.002+08:00

“金山？这世上真的有金山吗？”
“如果真有金山，那为什么外国人的船只都驶进了我们的港口？也许金山就在我们的脚下。”

vs

“為了生活我可以忍，但是污辱中國武術就不行。”

Just saying.

Teresa

2011-01-25T00:13:00.002+08:00

Posted about 刘文正 a long time ago. Gave a passing remark about Teresa Teng there and then. Was recently reminded of her greatness. The way she talked and held herself was extraordinary. Her singing, well what more can I say about her singing? =]

One of my favourites:

Evangelion

2010-11-17T00:07:00.004+08:00

Sat through 3.5 hours of Reubuild of Evangelion (RoE) in a day. Was very much affected. The effect still lingers, I think.

Things that define my secondary school years: LAN shop lurking, Clock-tower-block-classroom break-ins, Maumu, NGE and Just the Few of Us.

I was introduced to the mecha genre with Gundam W on TV when I was barely 8. Gundam was intriguing enough for this child; I became a big fan. I mean, how cool is it to watch giant robots fight one another? That was my generation's update to the vanguard of the genre.

Then I stumbled upon this series called Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), in a retailer of electronics and electrical appliances located within the now-defunct Emporium departmental store (where Heartland Mall is currently located). I was in Primary 3, IIRC. It immediately grabbed my attention, and that was way before I bothered to learn the pronunciation of the title. Well, the store was looping the beginning 5-minute segment of the first episode on a few of its TV-sets, and it did so for a good few months at least. Always the same footage, but somehow I just thought it was cool enough to give it a second look, every time I happened to be in the store. After some time, the images stuck. I wanted very much to catch the rest of the series, but it wasn't on TV, and I wasn't one to beg my parents for gifts (they probably thought I was more into books than this sort of rubbish, anyway), so I just let it slide and moved on.

The next time I exposed myself to NGE was in Secondary School. I was in Sec 2, and pretty much settled into the GEP way of life. Someday, somehow, Kaa brought the NGE OVA disks and screened it after school over a number of days. After a few episodes, I was hooked. He didn't screen every episode, but it didn't matter. I took it into my own hands to scour the entire series, as well as the 2 film-tie-ins. I became pretty obssessed with those stuff for a while, and even when the initial impact of it wore off, I still regarded NGE as nothing short of epic. The symbolism seems kinda convoluted now, even pretentious, but back then everything about it points to a masterpiece of the artform. I think, that's precisely because it takes an adolescent to relate to the angst and self-loathe of another. And characters in NGE never seem to transcend that narrow spectrum of emotions. I don't think I ever cried watching the show, but I definitely felt blue, and perhaps I even enjoyed that feeling. Which was why I got hooked, I think. It's always nice to feel melancholic, in a pensive, reflective manner.

'The cantonese dub of the Kaa's EVA VCDs is damn funny' - Ian

RoE 1.0 opened in Singapore in 2008 if I'm not wrong. Ian suggested we watch it but got vetoed by Jua (obviously). I wasn't really into EVA at that point of time (NS?) so I didn't care either way. RoE 2.0 came to our shores in late 2009, and I wasn't even aware of it (granted, it only got a limited theatrical release at The Picturehouse). Not particularly enthused about the idea of repackaging the series into films and milking more money out of the fans, it did not cross my mind to watch it anyhow after the local release.

That was, until Tabris (a friend in real-life, not Kaworu's real identity in NGE) mentioned it in one of her Facebook posts. I thought, the exams are just around the corner, so why not? And turned out, it was a re-invention of the entire universe, the characters and all. A very well-done attempt at that. Re-connecting with the characters inspired a jolt of nolstagia, and realising they have become more mature, more sensible, more realistic, gave me a newfound sense of discovery. The update of the seminal series, the 'Watchmen of anime OVA', came oddly in tandem with a landmark of a personal journey - my reaching of adulthood. If the original reflects Hideaki Anno's psyche in his manic depressive days, RoE presents his re-interpretation of the premise post-recovery, exhibiting age-induced astuteness in new details. For the first time, love as a theme takes centre stage, and the plot mechanism deriving from said theme is powerful, to an almost Ghibli-esque extent. It's a breath of fresh air, no doubt, and possibly the main reason I find the films strangely affecting. It's as if, I'm suddenly 14 again, and love is distant yet comforting. Once more I looked out of my window on a rainy afternoon, skies overcast, fat drops of rainwater resonant against the glass windowpane, and Claire Littley's cover version of Fly Me to the Moon started playing in my head...

Damn, it'd be nice to watch RoE 3.0 in theatres (for once!!!) next summer.

Again

2010-10-01T01:54:00.004+08:00

Legendary. And very close to the truth. One of the best sports films in the past decade.

A Small Incident

2010-06-11T00:08:00.003+08:00

'Elitism' has been creeping into some of my discourses lately. I had a lengthy discussion with R and ZC years back about the nebulous concept, and the resulting reconciliation is tenuous at best. My recent brush with 'elitism' is no more fruitful. An 'elitist' is still perceived to be a pejorative label. The typical presumptuous and supercilious prick. Not to be mistaken with the previsive and confident leader. Orly?

What about an elite? How does one qualify? Through work performance, wealth, or one's influence in society? And how can we be sure 'a great man' is truly great - or merely a poster-boy for greatness - without knowing him in person? If an elite is someone who makes a (noticeable) difference in the world, and an elitist someone who shuns the non-elites, then is elitism that big a bane? Or are we simply confused as to what constitutes an elite?

I first read Lu Xun's essay 'A Small Incident' when I was 12. I found it plain and unremarkable then. It is refreshing to take in the words again, and feel its weight from a new perspective. Prosaic, and supremely lacking in superfluous touches so plague modern essayists, yet it speaks to me on many levels. The irony is palpable, but it has much more to offer within its social subtext, one as pertinent a century ago as it is now.

To quote the full essay (extracted from Epoch Times Online):

一件小事 -- 魯迅

　　我從鄉下跑到京城裏，一轉眼已經六年了。其間耳聞目睹的所謂國家大事，算起來也很不少 ﹔ 但在我心裏，都不留什麼痕跡，倘要我尋出這些事的影響來說，便衹是增長了我的壞脾氣， — — 老實說，便是教我一天比一天的看不起人。

　　但有一件小事，卻於我有意義，將我從壞脾氣裏拖開，使我至今忘記不得。

　　這是民國六年的冬天，大北風刮得正猛，我因為生計關係，不得不一早在路上走。一路幾乎遇不見人，好容易才雇定了一輛人力車，教他拉到Ｓ門去。不一會，北風小了，路上浮塵早已刮凈，剩下一條潔白的大道來，車夫也跑得更快。剛近Ｓ門，忽而車把上帶著一個人，慢慢地倒了。

　　跌倒的是一個女人，花白頭髮，衣服都很破爛。伊從馬路上突然向車前橫截過來 ﹔ 車夫已經讓開道，但伊的破棉背心沒有上扣，微風吹著，向外展開，所以終於兜著車把。幸而車夫早有點停步，否則伊定要栽一個大觔斗，跌到頭破血出了。

　　伊伏在地上 ﹔ 車夫便也立住腳。我料定這老女人並沒有傷，又沒有別人看見，便很怪他多事，要自己惹出是非，也誤了我的路。我便對他說，「沒有什麼的。走你的罷 ﹗ 」

　　車夫毫不理會， — — 或者并沒有聽到， — — 卻放下車子，扶那老女人慢慢起來，攙著臂膊立定，問伊說 ﹕ 「你怎麼啦 ﹖ 」「我摔壞了。」

　　我想，我眼見你慢慢倒地，怎麼會摔壞呢，裝腔作勢罷了，這真可憎惡。車夫多事，也正是自討苦吃，現在你自己想法去。

　　車夫聽了這老女人的話，卻毫不躊躇，仍然攙著伊的臂膊，便一步一步的向前走。我有些詫異，忙看前面，是一所巡警分駐所，大風之后，外面也不見人。這車夫扶著那老女人，便正是向那大門走去。

　　我這時突然感到一種異樣的感覺，覺得他滿身灰塵的后影，剎時高大了，而且愈走愈大，須仰視才見。而且他對於我，漸漸的又幾乎變成一種威壓，甚而至於要榨出皮袍下面藏著的「小」來。

　　我的活力這時大約有些凝滯了，坐著沒有動，也沒有想，直到看見分駐所裏走出一個巡警，才下了車。巡警走近我說，「你自己雇車罷，他不能拉你了。」

　　我沒有思索的從外套袋裏抓出一大把銅元，交給巡警，說，「請你給他 … … 」

　　風全住了，路上還很靜。我走著，一面想，幾乎怕敢想到自己。以前的事姑且擱起，這一大把銅元又是什麼意思 ﹖ 獎他麼 ﹖ 我還能裁判車夫麼 ﹖ 我不能回答自己。

　　這事到了現在，還是時時記起。我因此也時時煞了苦痛，努力的要想到我自己。幾年來的文治武力，在我早如幼小時候所讀過的「子曰詩雲」一般，背不上半句了。獨有這一件小事，卻總是浮在我眼前，有時反更分明，教我慚愧，催我自新，並且增長我的勇氣和希望。

一九二 ○ 年七月

Videos

2010-04-06T21:42:00.004+08:00

So I was browsing StyleForvm today for insights and entertainment (ok, not so much for the insights), and I happened upon some interesting videos.

1. "Fat Taiwanese kid sings Whitney Houston"

Nice voice. For female pop singers, Whitney Houston has a voice that can't be beat. The guy doesn't have her power or tonal fidelity, but I think it's a good and difficult attempt for a dude.

2. "My fear, Admiral, is that Guam may capsize"

The average IQ of politicians must rank close to that of onscreen celebrities.

PSB

2010-02-14T22:06:00.002+08:00

Just got re-inducted into the great oeuvre of Pet Shop Boys. Some of their songs are pretty commonplace, but few have seen the corresponding MVs. To illustrate their greatness, here's the original MV of their timeless classic, Go West.

25 Years Later

2010-02-14T21:22:00.006+08:00

The greatest pop ensemble performance just got a redux.

20th Century Boys

2010-02-10T12:07:00.005+08:00

I realised I have half a dozen posts in the backburner for quite some time. Thoughts that took form, inspirations and ideas that manifested in the back of my mind: they never made it into coherent, much less cogent, prose.

Said realisation prodded me to publish something that needs little mental processing.

Recently, I went to a screening of 20th Century Boys: Redemption, the third film in the trilogy. Having watched the first 2, I have had certain expectations for the third. I'm not sure if my expectations were met. This is a confusing film, make no mistake. The central thread of the plot is easy enough to follow, but sidetracks were mostly unnecessary, does not value-add, and usually contribute to the number of plot-holes. And Redemption has such a huge number of plotholes, it's probably based on an 8 oz fresco weave of a rationalisation. If there was any sliver of suspense generated by the previous 2 installments, the third one renders it a gimmick at best, a Ponzi scheme at worst.

The mysteries of the series, most notably the identity of Friend, was revealed in this last film, but the revelation was pretty much nonsense. Basically, if you piece together the clues left by the entire trilogy before the final moment of epiphany, you'll get jackshit, and a far cry from the jackshit the film feeds you in the end. The penultimate segment of a concert at Mankind's brink of extinction is entertaining, and so are the parts where the film delves into self-parody (every 5-10 minutes). The peculiarity in mood and atmosphere and acting are all typically Japanese, and you can see its Manga roots.

The skinny: a work of skewered logic with a dash of coherence; an almost Proustian display of Manga Sprezzatura, executed with uncanny discretion and restraint.

Or more simply: a film that treads between the soporific and the cerebral, with a barebones yet rationally conceivable plot (within the realm of fantasy/sci-fi fiction) and interspersed moments of this, this and this.

刘文正

2009-05-31T01:01:00.005+08:00

No female singer has had a greater impact on the Mandarin pop industry than Theresa Teng. Similarly, no male Mandarin singer has ever been a greater Superstar than Steven Liu.

Primus

2008-09-14T19:42:00.002+08:00

http://www.horomundi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4576

http://ahci.watchprosite.com/?show=forumpostf&fi=16&pi=2561366&ti=426831

A beautiful tri-axial tourbillon by talented watchmaker Aaron Becsei of Bexei. Born in 1979 in Hungary, he is one of the youngest AHCI candidates in history. Unlike most young watchmakers, Mr Becsei taught himself watchmaking by dabbling, out of interest, in his father's watch restoration workshop. Without any formal education in this field, he went on to create a few of the most exquisite classically styled time-pieces in recent memory.

Primus is his first attempt at a wristwatch. And what a maiden attempt it is. It's triple axis toubillon eschews the use of ball bearings, a world's first. The engraving on the dial is painstakingly done by hand over the course of weeks. And every single component of the watch, other than the strap and the sapphire crystal case, is handmade by Mr Becsei himself with a level of polish and finish comparable to the best of AHCI (ala Dufour / Voutilainen).

It is fascinating how good Hungary seems to be when it comes to craftmanship. Knize made its name in tailoring hundreds of years ago, despite public perception of the Savile Row being the mecca of the trade. In a similar fashion, footwear cognoscenti fell in love with Vass and its shoes, even though shoemaking is usually seen as the forte of the English and the Italians. And now, we have Bexei poising to become a remarkable independent force in haute horlogerie. What is similar among these marques, is the attention to detail, the respect for tradition and the insistence of making everything by hand. These are craftsmen and artists, and without doubt some of the best in the world.

As for the watch itself, well let's just say I have another piece of art to dream about.

Leviathan

2008-08-17T14:03:00.003+08:00

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games: the 29th iteration of 'The Greatest Show on Earth'.

This is the first time I have been consistently following the progress of an International Olympiad. And I do so for specific reasons.

First, to watch Michael Phelps fulfil his dream of 8 gold medals in a single meet.

Second, to witness Usain Bolt shaving time off Michael Johnson's incredible 200m record of 19.32s.

Third, to see Liu Xiang defend his Olympic title against Dayron Robles.

This morning, I was a third of my way through that itinerary.

At 11:03am Beijing/Singapore local time, a great man by the name of Phelps, clinched his 8th Olympic gold medal in the week, for his outstanding contribution to the USA 4x100m medley relay team. And what a week it was for him.

8 gold medals, 7 world records, 1 Olympic record. He did what he wanted to achieve. He did what he was meant to do, in the Watercube in Beijing. No one in history had the courage to voice such a ludicrous proposal. Mark Spitz didn't make news before the Games because he wanted to win gold in every event he participated. But Phelps, he was a bit different.

He probably knew how much harder it would be if his quest were to become public. Many would cling to the premature and almost bloated expectations of his success, and yet many others would rejoice at his failure. Either way, the world's attention would fall on him, and that is as pressurising as can be.

Maybe he doesn't succumb easily to pressure, unlike many other athletes who tend to falter on the big stage. Maybe he doesn't care for what other thinks, not when he's in his element.

Maybe he's just that much more special than the rest of us, or maybe he just dreamt of greatness, and was willing to set himself through its trials.

Achievements in the field of sports are difficult to judge on their own merits. Glory comes in many forms, be it clocking a record time, or emerging victorious against perverse odds. Sometimes, athletes battle not merely their rivals in the field, but their inner demons, the zeitgeist, and public opinion as well. So while publications around the world indulge in absolutes and hyperboles regarding Phelps and his crowning achievement as yet, I would not go that far.

Maybe, just maybe, Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer in competitive swimming history.

Wow!

2008-07-26T17:27:00.002+08:00

This is surprising. Blogger is finally fixed (wrt my computer). Well, means I am now able to revive my blog after a hyper-extended period of hiatus. Ah, we'll see, eventually.

Departed

2007-02-28T16:24:00.000+08:00

Infernal Affairs is good, but The Departed is legendary.

For once, a worthy Best Picture from the Academy. A golden statuette as an ode to the greatest living filmmaker.

Her

2006-09-20T23:00:00.000+08:00

I miss her.
Her smile.
Her vivacity.
Her gentle touch.

***

I like rain.
Rain as it falls.
Rain as it batters.
Rain as it coalesces.

Big puddles.
Small droplets.
Mere, trickle.
Merely water.

Ah, the breeze.
The occasional chill.
The crackling.
And shocking luminosity.

What beauty
Of nature at work.

***

I like rain.
Like its preface.
Like its revelation.
Like its epilogue.

I like rain; its arrival.
Like it as I laze on my bed.
Like it when I listen to sad songs.
Like it after I cry.

I like rain.
Because it put things into perspective.

***

Rain washes away my sadness.
Rain cleanses my soul.
Rain speaks of redemption.
As it does of hope and renewal.
It speaks to me.
Of life, and of living.

Alas, I understand.
No matter how bad I feel,
There is beauty in this world
That has never forsaken me.
And where there is beauty,
Goodness is never far behind.

***

I miss her -
I still do.
The her I know.
The real her.

Sorrow

In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all,
And it often comes with bitter agony.
Perfect relief is not possible,
Except with time.

You cannot now believe that you will ever feel better.
But this is not true.
You are sure to be happy again.

Knowing this,
Truly believing it,
Will make you less miserable now.

I have had enough experience to make this statement.

-- Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Tourbillons

2006-09-09T14:08:00.000+08:00

A sudden obssession over tourbillons, and watches in general.
Should have spent more time studying, but oh well...

If I were insanely wealthy, I would have grabbed all of the following without batting an eyelid.

3volution, Antoine Preziuso.
3 flying tourbillons spiralling in unison makes for a visually enchanting aerial ballet. Revolutionary use of resonance principle gives its movement a steady and virtually imperturble momentum. Isolation from external disturbances - such as that caused by gravity - provides superior chronometry. Antoine Preziuso's masterful craftmanship ensures every piece is handmade, atelier-style, to a superb finish.
List price: US$1 500 000.
Edward Piguet Moss Agate Tourbillon, Audemars Piguet.
Made of a rare semi-transparent natural stone belonging to the chalcedony family, this watch is a homage to the beauty of nature. Beyond that, it is a testament to Man's craftmanship. Being one of the 'Big Three' in haute horlogerie since the 20th century, Audemars Piguet has a long tradition of excellence and bears name to a large number of unique and stunning timepieces. The Edward Piguet Moss Agate Tourbillon is a worthy addition to the company's oeuvre.
List price: ~US$500 000.
Sky Moon Tourbillon, Patek Philippe.
The ultimate Grande Complication from renowned watchmaker Patek Philippe. It incoporates twelve complications: perpetual calendar with retrograde date, week day, month, leap year cycle, age of the moon, minute repeater, tourbillon, map of the sky, equation of time, angular movement of the moon and phases of the moon. The astronomical indications displayed on the back of the watch with the nocturnal sky map is realised via a patented mechanical modulus, all of which contribute to the gorgeous look of this unique timepiece. Only 2 will be produced each year.
List price: US$800 000.
Gyrotourbillon I, Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Gyrotourbillon is a lesson on how to make a great-looking double-axis tourbillon. And boy, is it aesthetically pleasing! The spherical, bi-axial tourbillon weighs a mere 0.336 gram, and is housed in an aluminium cage. The sight of its seemingly floating rotations is at once enamoring and elegant. With unique retrograde date and solar time display, this is one watch packed with innovations and ingenuity.
List price: US$275 000.
The Genghis Khan, Ulysse Nardin.
Ulysse Nardin is one impressive watchmaking firm. Over past 20 years, the quality of all its watches have been nothing less than stellar. The 'Genghis Khan' is of course, the company's zenith in complexity, a watch beyond all considerations of practicability, a piece of art more than a mere timepiece. This is the first wristwatch that features a carillon with jacquemarts, a minute repeater, and a tourbillon. With a dial of onyx and four automata of Mongolian warriors chased entirely from gold, this is a just and invaluable tribute to the great conqueror, who carved upon history, the largest empire the world has ever known.
List price: US$550 000.

Terraces

2006-07-31T22:23:00.000+08:00

"I read about this guy.
Gets on the MTA, here, and dies.
Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices.
This corpse doing laps around LA, people on and off, sitting next to him, nobody notices."

Planted myself on the terraces,
Watching darkness enshroud all within sight.
It would've been fall somwhere else on the globe.
The night dawns quickly.

It wasn't the first time I sat on here beneath the evening sky.
Yet I had never felt this lonely.
Passerbys rollicking in loquacious revelry.
Eyes gleaming by, but never set on me.
Not on the man who wasn't there.

Growing desperate.
Waiting for a call, a message.
Any response, from anyone close to me,
Or even one who is not.
But just no luck.

Remembered being quite sad about things.
Things so close, yet at that instant, seemingly so distant.
Eyes misting, vision distorted.
And I saw the blue-black on the board;
The blue-black on my fist.
Felt its pain, and so did my heart.
A pain of which source I couldn't bear myself to trace.
But pain is pain, nonetheless.

I tried to hide, head on the desk.
But ever hoping for a pat on the shoulder.
Some kind words and a cookie,
From someone called friend.
Recalling amidst the twilight at the terraces,
How I wished I had got them.

Suddenly, I was reminded of something.
Something trivial, a passing statement.
"There's a famine in Europe."
I laughed.
Some people never failed to cheer me up.

I laughed, and I laughed some more.
And then I cried.
It was all silent around me.
The faint glint of an airliner.
Slowly fading, behind the veil of darkness.
And then it was just me and the field,
The track and the greyish-black.

I decided it was time to go.
As my sight grew blurry again.
I had planned for this day,
A a testament to love, a reason to celebrate.
But certain words spoken,
And feelings made pronounced,
Changed what I foresaw.
And it wasn't as if I didn't expect things to surface just to break my smooth sailing days.

Is my intention, my wish for you, so hard to understand?

"Guy. Gets on a subway. Dies.
Think anybody'll notice?"

Dusk

2006-07-08T11:26:00.000+08:00

The glimmer in her eyes. So alluring.
The backdrop extended towards the horizon, dyeing everything grey.
The rustling of leaves; slippers slapping the pavement.
The irpe of a sun long set.

And me.
I was there, and I was glad.
Glad that I could be of use, that I could be of help.
I thank her. For kind words amongst uncertainty.

Stars played guests in the Night's sojourn.
Glistering sequins on the velvet sky.
Lighting the earth with playful glee.
As two shadows became one.

New

2006-06-20T21:06:00.000+08:00

A week to the exams.
Not in the mood to study.
Never had been anyway.
Book-to-the-face monotonous cramming?
Knowledge acquisition?
Seem like two different ballparks altogether.
But people around me are much more enthusiastic.
Differing viewpoints?
Many admitted to hate this form of exams prep.
Just like I do.
What gives?

Nothing significant to brood over.
A passing curiosity to yet more fascinating phenomena.
The World Wide Web is a wonderful invention.