No internet : (

my internet's down....to those who pop by...thanks alot...will be back posting shortly after I ammend my 'connection' problem.

Froggie tank About a week ago...i bought a new little froggie for my tank.It's a clawed frog and though it sounds ferocious it's actually a very reserved water frog that just waddles around...
At only about an inch in size,I was initially a little worried about letting him run free in my frog tank with it's other inhabitants that could digest crickets its size but after some thought I decided that it should be relatively safe as my other specimens are tree frogs and peat frog which does not hunt in water and this little froggie only stays in water. I had great joy watching my frogs in the tank though it's a little annoying that frogs are largely nocturnal which means they sleep by day and wake by night which makes observation a little more difficult and the tank less interesting by day or when the lights are on.

Other than that I throughly enjoy my little biosphere of a tank with a little dry sand area for burrowing,a little shallow water where the frog could waddle and some open water for swimming.Watching frogs give me a great serenity and allows me for a moment to escape pollution both physical and emotional that comes with my city living...I encourage anyone to do the same and keep rather than eat froggies.

Symbol of Fashion and fucking Excitement?

A friend of mine recently provoked the following email which have been adjusted into a post cause it's relevant.

I think it's fun and okay for you to party...to live life while young...I wish I can have the time to experience it myself... but something disgust me about you /some of the teenagers .... I really think that one should not be wearing his/her crucifix when she/he is calling her/himself a slut or partying hard because it then becomes a fashion accessory...

Also, it's one thing to be having your 'vices' it's another altogether to have it while in full declaration of your faith and believes which totally oppose it...the difference being somewhat like fucking another guy quietly at your husband's back and strapping your husband down and fucking another guy in full view of him.

Let Jesus remain a symbol of Christ love and not a symbol of fashion and definitely don't mock him by having him there and crucifying all he stood for.Hence why I don't wear a cross though I m Catholic from birth...I am still waiting till I am ready.

Linus

something I took on the 1st April 2005...how time pass fast...just for fun!

Quick, who's the leng chai star in Vanilla Sky? Who's the director of a better tommorow? Who's the director of Jurassic Park? ...the answers? Tom Cruise, John Woo and Steven Spielberg.I think most of you will have gotten them right...but what if I ask you who's the gaffer? (person who does the lights) or the sound man? Today I photographed some of my friends who work in the film industry...not as flamboyant actors or hotshot 'chick-magnet' directors, but the often unheralded heroes behind the magic of it all...many of you have congratulated me on SEPET but two of these people also worked hard to realise that film...the other three also serve to bring you stuff like commercials, kopitiam, 3R, homecoming and Visits: the hungry ghost anthology. Please give a hand of applause to my good friends; Yoke who's was a camera assist and now a soundman, Eleanor Low the art director, Auntie Zai the makeup artist, Pitrine the production coordinator and Kamariah the production assistant! Auntie Zai has worked as makeup since I was 2 years old and she's the one who has worked on SEPET...other little foreign movies which bears her touches? Entrapment and Anna and the King! : P BRAVO!!!!!!!! Also buy Vida who deserves credit for greenlighting an article high-lighting these marvelous hidden gems!

On the 3rd of April 2004, Sunday, I had to have a haircut as I was going to play a nerdy fella in a commercial.I had to cut my hair after 8pm the day before my shoot...needless to saymy regular barbershop isn't open and so aren't a dozen or more others I had hoped to cut my hair...finally I found one that was and the poor stylist had to endure my grunts, groans and etcetera...

what to blog?

I don't know what to blog...as I do not want to be preachy going on and on with rhetorical ramblings....then there's self censorship...something very funny and embarassing happened to a friend but I can't blog about that as he may not like the news spread further than it already has..so I am here you guys but am figuring out what's worth saying before shooting my mouth off saying what amounts largely to nothing...reebit

Linus

picture from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3305285/?GT1=6428

The Pope has passed...

*the following may be religiously inclined and sensitive*

I’ve a many a post to put up today…there’s lots of things happening I want to share. But of all things I think I should put this up for this very day.

Today marks the passing of Pope John Paul II.

… I never know how to feel on such an occasion of death of a friend of a family or a stranger, much more that of a Pope. For one, I feel tremendous guilt for not having a lousier day or a gloomier day, one that I may offer up as my cross. I also feel that I should be at the church to offer my prayers for him today though I was not; being busy running around most of the day.

In the papers I see the crowds in the Vatican’s St. Peter Square and the masses with head bowed in solemn prayer, I wish in my heart like them I’d be…holy and united in prayer for a Pope, for a God, for a religion always there for me. But I am not there.

I am very selfish. For the little I’ve done, I want people to care. For the pope, only in his passing had I took notice and said I wish I’ve done more…. never have I actively followed in his agenda of uniting the people of the world and creating peace. Never have I gone beyond the promoting the idea beyond my friends, family or parishioners having to put my life at a limb or doing anything more difficult than lifting a finger. It’s that easy and ‘fashionable’ to say peace to all or forgiveness but how many of us actually go out and do it and how many of us actually still hold grudges even against small seemingly insignificant failings of our acquaintances.

For what I’ve done, I may as well be condemned…but it’s not too late…I am still alive and salvation is at hand if I’d only want and deserve it.

When I mentioned how I don’t know how to behave at the occasion of death, I am referring to an observation of mine where the deceased’s joint acquaintances take his death and subsequent wake as a reunion of sort and start talking loudly and drink gleefully…it’s funny cause to look at it in another manner, some of us are doing just that right now, going on with life as usual though the pope has passed. Please do pray for him and yourselves my friends.

P/s In hindsight it's so ironic that the previous post was mockingly about praying for me.

Pray for me...

I woke up with a big frown today,
I am terrified, petrified....in the mirror,
I saw something I can't wash away,
I had the face of a man in terror,
I contemplated 'what if there's an error'
I forced a smile but the frown chosed to stay,
I was facing the nightmare of nightmares afterall today.


I am going to the dentist today for a toothache...pray for me.

and since I am in a photo posting mood...here's more froggies!!!!!!

Malaysia Muhibah Network Ryze Malaysia!

A friend's dream come true...a birthday gathering of her friends...

...mockery is the other sincerest form of flattery...and for you stuck-up stupids at the censorshipboard board...this is a joke ok?

a place called Zouk...

Ahh....Zouk...one year in malaysia...URBAN BAROQUE!

a summary of it all...firstly...I was in zouk on good friday, so much for resolutions of becoming a good Catholic again for the year 2005! As so I don't get condemned to hell, the world better not end soon! But I was working handling the 3 video coverage of the event and I was not drinking ( I never drink )...so I guess in someways I was carrying my cross.

Infact I was so tired and so immersed in my work, I dissed a fairy (a friend) who came over to say hi...needless to say, I felt guilt...worried about losing a fairy I called and tried to find her later...she said she's downstairs I said I was upstairs so ironically she tried to find me after I called and I did the same. In the dark and crowd...we went in circles.I stumbled onto her only much later in the DJ console area...she was contorting into all sorts of funny position trying to take her pictures with an interesting frame...I admired her relentless search for the picture despite holding what's possibly the smallest of digital cameras...she held it with pride and showed a flare in what she did...we exchanged hugs and chatted awhile...probably misinterpreting one another as the room was way over the reccommended decibels... I asked her...how she(fairy likes partying and works covering events)endures this senseless senses bashing everynight...I'd die...she smiles.

Zouk launch was pretty good but all too brief. The direction of the deco and ideas like the camouflaged 'invisible' men scaring people on the way in were cool and all but it's over in like minutes...and they looked like they were rushing to blow out the candles on the cake...

I stayed on until up to about 2am trying to get more shots and giving my clients...zouk themselves more shots for their money.Then I caught wind of an impending raid...so I decided to go...wouldn't be funny to have my camera consficated...but was asked by the clients to cover some more shots inside...
I did it with a little reluctance especially so when the client says the rumour of a raid is 95% true... but ah well...commitment...going back in like 15 minutes later...the crowded hall was empty so there's nothing to be shot and I can go...went for a meal and chatted awhile with crew...then drove pass zouk again...there were police units outside with canines...glad I left or the client probably lose all their images aswell.

...A Happy Birthday Zouk...

*cough*cough* zouk air not suited to frogs!

rebbit....

Praising our bosses and clients! : P

A friend See Ming set up an impromptu gathering of friends for me to shoot a day in her life...it was one of those time where you had food,drinks,good company, new friends and have so much fun going blah blah blah.... sharing experiences.....praising our respective bosses and clients! : P

Froggies get new home!

I am so very busy but I still found time to set up my four foot tank for my pet frogs...now I am sleeping 2 hour nights to compensate...if that's not genious I dunno what is! Here one of the tree frogs float in the tranquil water...he looks happy but he worries me as after his fun in the pool he'll leap up and sleep pearching on the cover a mere inches from the tank lighting system...I am prepared and it's covered by plastic but still...you can never be too sure with electricity....by the way...would like to give a shout out to Navin and his gang at Toby's Pets at PET safari, IKANO...very helpful and nice people if you ever want to keep frogs too...

Reebit!

How we became friends!

SEPET - little wonders and how we became friends...

If it's not because of SEPET, I would not have become a supporting actor. And now I am slated to be a 'william hung' type character for a small commercial.And guess what? The producer is Ellyna from SEPET, the wardrobe Sharum is also of SEPET and Auntie Zai of SEPET is joining us I speculatively heard. hahahaha. Recently I got a chance at directing a commercial. The actor? Alan Yun of SEPET.

Happy coincidence? Well yes *smirk* :p

...forget the glory of being part of SEPET or the little hellos I get on the street; what I got most from were friends...or more appropriately a family.

At random...Yasmin, Nani, Loong(Choo Seong), Edmund, Karen, Kak cindy, Aunty Zai, Ujang, Mei Ling, Harith, Ida, Adibah, Alicia, Jovein( even though he was unable to make it for shoot at the end) Alan Yun, Karo, Vincent(the sound fella)the list goes on and on...

It's an interestingly simple process to become friends...we just had things to do together and spend time together doing SEPET and in the process of it laugh, cried, and shared. Here's some of the little wondrous things by which we become friends...

1)Choo Seong (Ah Loong) is a cleanliness freak...everything on his table is arranged in invisible grids. Nani and me (his onscreen girl friend and best friend) is otherwise.

2)Edmund (the beautiful one/ the one with the damn handphone) takes a hell of a long time to set his hair and also vainly says outloud to me (almost reciting like a parrot)...my sister (Alicia) is a hottie! when I was going through her pictures on a laptop. He is also the self appointed set massager and gives an awesome back rub!

3)Karo Khoo (the cool samseng) comes onto the rehearsal space and sees me holding a card with cindy and the likeness of a girl on it one day and says eh...where's the chic? I cried out...'kak' cindy? ada orang nak jumpa! and out comes 'kak' cindy crying ' a...siapa nak saya?' to a less that amused karo.

4)I had long hair before sepet...halfway down my back.when I had it cut for sepet...yasmin gave me a 50 cent coin for luck but she had to say don't cry baby! I guess it was prompted when I was looking very worried as 'kak' cindy's chest area was a mere inches of my face when she's doing my hair from the front.

5)A member of the cast who smokes but her parents don't know ran up to me one day as we were hanging out after rehearsal. 'Keong! Quickly! ' she called out in desperation trying to pass me a lit cigarette. I said "no thanks, I don't smoke" ....she flicked it into a bush away saying 'bodohnya keong!' in anguish. I didn't know her mother paid a sudden visit and she wanted me to JUST hold it.

6)Vincent of add audio was adamant that not even a cockroach can pass when sound was being recorded…he would freak out and call another take…now, one day we were all gathered and he was asked in for an important production meeting. They said to him…yesterday the sound department did badly! Just as he had a glint in his eye…everyone yelled happy birthday!

7)On some nights a few of us will be in Yasmin’s room and we just chatted or danced to Sam Hui as Yasmin said she wanted to use the beautiful song in her film!

8) In each rehearsal, Ng Choo Seong (Ah Loong) get two girls; Nani (Orked) and Karen (Maggie)while I get a cold hard floor having to rehearse the scene where I get beaten. It pays to be the hero.

9)Keong was also the director’s of photography’s name so after I answered a few times when they called him, I walked away once when they were calling for me.

10) SEPET was shot really quickly with one or two takes of most scenes. Fearing my acting wasn’t up to par and believing that more takes equals more quality I once said to Nani before a scene… they only take one or two takes…don’t you wish they take more takes…to her reply of yeah…that shot after that conversation we made many mistakes and took a lot of takes! Nani said Chow Yun Fatt was no John Travolta!

11) The inspiration for the annoying handphone gag by Edmund came from us relating to Yasmin that Edmund’s ring tone was annoyingly superwoman…so everytime there’s a call there’s this sudden loud lyrical rendition of I’m not a SUPER- WOMAN…I’ m not the one that you can….At one point, we took to singing along when the phone rang.

12)Me and Ng Choo Seong had to put on high school uniforms with girl school badges and carry school bags to an all girls school in Taman Tun and pose for pictures there to be used as props! After the effort it wasn't even seen!

That’s all for now….SEPET just won the grand jury prize (the top prize) at the 27th Creteil International Women Directors Festival 2005 France.Congrats to Yasmin the mother of the beautiful film and of our little family.

: P ree-bit!

Tomboy...outdated preceptionlah!!!!!

It's a hot afternoon...in a two seater Lotus Elise...we were going fast...she was a bubbly hot malay babe (Go watch SEPET!)... my eyes were trying to fixate as psychedelic images are formed before me...she was shrieking in delight...I was trying not to bump her too hard... : p

...as my camera flails left and right with the momentum of the car's incessant turning and twisting. I am having a ride with Masna Zulkifli who’s at the wheel and shreeeccchhhhh….is showing me how you twist the car and make a figure 8. I try to make whatever images I can by holding my camera and pointing blindly every which way as she maneuvers the car like a rodeo cowboy…

I am with Masnah Zolkifli, a hot MALAY babe with a thing for outdoor activities like scuba diving, fast cars, bungee jumping, skiing, para-gliding and superbikes. She’s already part of Louis Vuitton’s next generation campaign, an actress, spokesperson, a freelance interior designer, owner of a desktop publishing agency and Malaysian Youth ambassador which was conferred to her by Tun Mahathir no less. Wait, before you think she’s another showy like (proven not as good as he thinks he is) Alex Yoong, she’s displayed an understanding of self and humility…she neglected a spot offered to her on a rally car team because she thought she still have a lot to learn and is unready…my hats off to her.

Anyway, deservingly, she gonna get another award soon so here I am (enjoying myself having the champion of the K.L. precision driving challenge driving me about) working…trailing her, shooting that gut wrenching awww…. video that comes on before she receives it on stage. Seriously though, I doubt it would be gut wrenching but unnerving with a wow and a pumping soundtrack.

In her own words, she cleverly says “I not a tomboy…that’s an outdated perception of a girl active in sports!” I’d personally think she’d just one who swim with guys or better still sharks any day…and yet she’s a sweetheart, one who makes up to mummy for her gusty behaviors the rest of the year by sewing curtains with her come hari raya…but before you can say awww…she’s off with a vroom speeding down KL’s highway on her own super bike…

But that’s another story as she twists her steering violently while the other hand yanks tightly on the brake screeching the car to a stop only to look over and ask. Some more? some more?

How she’d get so far? Giat, yakin dan iklas… effort, confidence and sincerity… words with conviction and panache said of the traits she live by. Honestly, a deserving recipient of the award and a mentor for any girls or any guy or any frog for that matter…

P/s : As I chatted with her further…I learnt she’s keen on embarking on a movie where there’s a love story with action…something right up my tree so that’ll be interesting…