The Other Side of High Fashion

Fashion fade, style remains. Working behind the scene of one of Malaysia's most anticipated events of the year within the fashion industry was definitely an honour, but this time around, it was filled with mixed emotions and feelings. It felt so much like throwing a pebble into the vast lake of disappointment that it just sinks right into the deep abyss. There was so much more that could be done and achieved, in the TV production that we were producing. Having said that, I was fortunate enough to personally meet top supermodel, Ai Tominaga for a face to face interview, and mingled with China supermodels backstage. To top it of, it was the joy of working with our local designers that made this journey worthwhile and bearable. It is definitely a collaborative effort, the make-up team, the hairstylists, the host, the photographers, etc. I was thrilled, but would not do this again, if certain conditions are not met upfront. I need to know that I am in control of the outcome. What's so wrong about being a control freak? We should deliver the best and know that we have done our best, in whatever we do in life. A huge lesson learnt.

Love Is Possible

Hello Schoolgirl (2008)

Directed by Ryu Jeong-ha

Starring Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Yeon-hee, Chae Jung-an and Kang-in

Heart warming visuals that almost feel right at home, familiar settings, interesting characters, fascinating pairing of individuals, but most of all, a non-chalant way of revealing the story and the subtlety of the love between these couples which make the film unbelievably easy to watch. It felt like sitting by the window in a lazy Sunday afternoon reading your favourite book, listening to music in your ears, over a cup of warm milo, bathing in the tenderness of the sun, while tasting every bit of the pages that fill the air with a sense of light comedy and grounded sense of dreamy reality, it is that soothingly refreshing. I love how the issue of age differences are being dealth with, yet in such great softness of it all that it feels relaxing all together. If ever there is a song to go with the feeling of watching this film, it would be the voices of Colbie Caillat, against the gushing of the wind, by the serenity of the blue slightly wavy blanket of ocean. Sandals kicked back, it is truly a rewarding experience.

Broken Love

The husky voice, the passionate notes of different voices, those layers of emotions, you draw me into your world of fantasy, of make believe love for the impossibles. How could this be even real? Chance brushes by like shades of white lights on navy blue rippling water, creating wave of lightness that is hardly tangible to the senses, only visible to the heart. I was trapped, instantly by your long starring gaze from afar. Those pain, those words echoing in my ears, again and again, not wanting to leave, not willing to linger beyond. They whisper to me in the dead empty night. We were naive, we were young, we could not comprehend it all, the heaviness that will come crushing on us, eventually. Too much love to hold within our palms of unwilling silence. Those tears run dry, those suffocating breath of denial, those sharp pain across the chest, it bleeds words of despair. That was one real love that never made it to the finish line...the beginning of a love story.

Antique Bakery

Antique Bakery (Korean, 2008)
Directed by Min Gyu Dong
Starring Joo Ji Hun, Kim Jae Wok, Yoo Ah In, Choi Ji Ho and Andy Gillet
Adapted from a Japanese Manga by Fumi Yoshinaga

Without any expectation, watching Antique Bakery is like baking a cake for the very first time for me, it is full of anticipation, wonders, imagination and most of all, intrigued and impatient to see the final outcome of it all. A film full of unexpected humour and magical delights, like an icing on a cake, yet it is moist full of heavy layering of textured fillings. It is glazed with eye-candy art direction and unique cinematography, yet the director approaches the subject matter in such great seriousness, with sprinkles of lightness of dusted chocolate powder that it oozes realness in every bite. A mixture of suspense, thriller, romance, comedy and drama in one film that is hard to let go. Four men, a bakery shop, what sort of stories can be told here, you may wonder? Plentiful. Nonetheless, to make a perfect cake, everything has to come together in the most precise manner, the exact amount of ingredients, the freshness of it, the amount, the proportions, the temperature, and so much more. Baking a cake is as therapeutic as watching an interestingly told film like this one. The result, a mouth watering and satisfying bite till the last piece. My cake turned out to be more than I could have imagined - the softness of love between men and the fullness of the simplicity of how love could be presented.

Beauty With Grace

Fate has it mysterious ways of working into your life, silently and motionlessly, like a careless whispers of the sleepless night like this one. A brush with the recent TV work for 18 young beauty finalists brings us now yet another whole new journey with two beauties with grace to match. We are grateful indeed to an old friend for us being here, doing this now. Two very different persons by nature and personality, yet they both share the same qualities that embody the true human spirit, the beauty, the intelligence, the wittiness, the cheekiness and above all, the kindness and understanding of gentle souls. It is true when all the right things and people come together, sparks ignite, and something magical is about to unfold...

Beauty Beyond

The long awaited post after such a long absence. We were busy, with WORLDSTARS. It was quite a journey, having trusted someone but realized it is not what it seemed. A huge lesson learnt. Then, we moved onto Miss Malaysia Universe 2009. It is a chance meet up with an old acquaintance and then, we were on the job, mingling with 18 lovely young finalists, who were vying for the title of Miss Malaysia Universe 2009, and will eventually represent Malaysia to Bahamas for the Internationally renowned pageant. Each of them are uniquely different in their own way. It was great fun. Watch out for the TV show coming 28th June 2009 on ntv7!

Reading Between The Lines

Words make up stories, lines convey meanings, and the voice behind these elements evoke human emotions that may seem unfamiliar yet deep rooted within our psychic, addictive love, a kind of love that is forbidden, powerful yet render the lovers powerless to resist, too seductive to the point of long painful guilt that lingers on for a life time. A young growing boy with enormous sexual fantasy and curiosity, a woman who yearns for affection and attention, the words between those lines leaping right out of those pages bring them closer and closer together each time they meet in secrecy, explode into endless physical pleasures, along the way spells disaster in the making almost immediately. How could that have lasted? Wishful thinking, yet it somehow did. Those recordings, his voice over and over again, repeatedly recorded for her, her undying desire to communicate, to learn new words, in reading and writing, making it even harder for her to face the harsh bite of reality when they finally met after so many years of separation. She is believable, he is adorable, but grows up to be a man who does not even have the courage to face their love, shameful almost to admit their affair, not only until the very end, but that was not even enough for her. It was too late. Where has all the love gone? Or was there any in the first place? A clever film disguised within an awkward "love story" to bring forth a glimpse of a chapter of the unspeakable history. Crushed it may seem for her, I was devastated by the truth of things, the harsh truth about the matters of the HEART...we are but facade, hiding behind the different masks that we created along our life time, all the while, at times, not even revealing our true feelings to the ones whom we love most or loved us most. We have come to accept for unconsciously, we have become one with the seemingly true self we allow ourselves to believe...undeniably tragic.

Serenity in Chaos

Yiruma's simple musical notes soaked in serenity sipped through the ears with tenderness, amidst my recent chaotic life. It soothes the soul and offers a place to hide away, momentarily. Just sporadic moments are enough to stay away from the heaviness of everyday work. Early morning hours provide the solution to quiet thoughts, writings, reflection. A moment to just stop and breathe, a moment to close my eyes and just let the melody shoulders the weight of grind. Living a life against the grain should be an ideal garden of hope, but never the perfect petal of life, it seems for petals wither under the scorching sun of harsh reality. Where has my train of thoughts gone to? To live the life of the contented being, or to transcend such minute irrelevant elements to create a better, renewed and more powerful meaning to life, a life that is rich, full and endless flow of acute understanding of the ways of the world. Perhaps it is how to transcend this world that I live in and beyond that still seems to remain a puzzle to me.

Proposal Daisakusen (Operation Love)

Starting a new lunar year with lots of love is part of my plan. Writing involves a little planning in the mind as well, though inspirations come in the spur of the moment, at times, through thoughts swirling in the brain, most of the time, it is the picture that I come across that sparks the interest to scribble. Believing that writing should most of the time derives from emotional weight, falling into a long absence is quite common for me these days. I love the beautiful images of Proposal Daisakusen, especially the movie version. Most of all, it is the music and the natural acting and chemistry between all the friends that create the lasting impression. To me, the love that is almost there, yet unspoken of, is the most engaging and interesting one. Should loving a person remain silent for such a long time? Have we not had the courage to at least reveal our feelings to the one whom we truly love? I guess love is quite a completely strange language all together. Many a times, it leaves you speechless, breathless, motionless and totally incomprehensible. Yet, we love the idea of falling in love, being in love, disappointed by love but always intrigued by LOVE. Let the new year begin with a tinge of love, for all and most importantly, for your own SELF-:) Happy Niu Year!

Leaving A Legacy

IP MAN (2008)

Directed by Wilson Yip, Action Director: Sammo Hung

Starring Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Simon Yam, Hiroyuki Iikeuchi, Fan Siu Wong, Lam Ka Tung and Wong You Nam

Lost in the ashes of time, but not forgotten, a hero is resurrected on screen, very enigmatically and cinematically, simply due to the relentless effort by a team of people who truly believe and love the spirit of martial art of Yong Chun. Mesmerized by the charismatic performances (and agility) of Donnie Yen, I was indeed glad that I was urged to go watch this film quite a number of times. I love the subtlety of Donnie's emotional delivery, the simplicity of its comedic moments, and the rooted frustration of a silent hero beneath. What does it really take to be a true hero of the nation? But more importantly, a hero of the people? The character of Ip Man represents that spirit of being a Chinese, being a Chinese martial art kungfu fighter, who not only fight to uphold the peace of the community, but to uplift and defend the morality and spirit of a unified Chinese nation - the ideology and mentality of BEING a Chinese. Of course, it is not to say that we have to be a kungfu fighter in order to be CHINESE, but rather, the spirit of BEING who we truly are. I have always been led to believe that I am not Chinese enough, but at times, it makes me wonder, what does it take or mean to be a Chinese at this time, age and place? Our history? Our language? Our beliefs and culture? Food and religion? Calligraphy? Way of life? or maybe it is a culmination of a bit of everything? What about being a MALAYSIAN CHINESE? It got me thinking...nonetheless, it is a film full of hope, in spite of it all, the sufferings, torture and humiliation that they had to endure during those period of time. I could almost feel the anger and anguish. Definitely a film that makes a mark in 2008, for me. ASSEMBLY evokes a whole different feeling and emotion, nonetheless, equally true and right to the core. A human story cleverly disguised beneath a war film, Feng Xiaogang skillfully carved the path and journey of a soldier (captain in the 9th company) who strives to bring back honour and dignity to his fellow perished comrades of 46, after years of guilt and sufferings of civil wars and the denial of a government to acknowledge their contribution and sacrifices. Heart felt indeed. A legacy left behind by these Chinese heros of history in time, a lesson to be learnt and appreciated by our new generation of CHINESE. What have we done to leave our own legacy behind, I wonder?