My K-Box - 27 April

Out of boredom, I've recorded two songs with a little help from technology :)
- Mariah Carey's Bye Bye
- Jennifer Hudson's I Am Changing from Dreamgirls OST

The Equation of Success

** Two things **

#1 - Love it!
#2 - Absolutely love it!

That sums up how much I love E=MC². Was supposed to get it on the 15th itself, but too busy with work and all other things, but finally bought it on Friday and I've been listening to the CD non-stop! I'm totally addicted to E=MC² now, I feel like wanting to be familiar with all the songs so that I can sing with the lyrics in my head.

The first thing I heard the moment I load in the CD was her signature high-pitch vocal in Migrate, a perfect introduction to my E=MC² journey. That's for sure will annoy the shit out of the haters, but but I love the way it all started. Migrate and Touch My Body are probably not the best tracks because I grew to love MORE of E=MC². Personal favorites include:
- Cruise Control
- I Stay in Love
- I'll be Loving You Long Time
- I'm That Chick
- Bye Bye

These are the perfect synergy of Mariah's ballads and the fresh, groovy R&B tracks. I'm That Chick in particular is a catchy track blended with the 70s beat. Absolutely gay, love it the first time I listened to it. I'm sure this would be one of the tracks that goes to the DJ, making the queens scream and alive at Marketplace.

The album closes with the last cut I Wish You Well, another worth-mentioning track in E=MC². Beautiful, beautiful piano ballad with a clever layering of gospel-tinged vocals and Mariah's octave leaps. Reminds me of Fly Like A Bird from the previous album.

Well, this is it. The album that I'm waiting for. While I'm having a perfect time with the E=MC², I'm very upset with the quality of the packaging... thanks to the local printers and manufacturers. The cover of the one I'm having is torn, and the poster has obvious and very bad folding marks. Swear it really looks like either it has been opened before and someone has got no clue how to fold things back, or the local manufacturers use banglas that can't fold banana leaves for nuts! Definitely exchanging it for a new one...

Muka Macam Congkak

Let's blog in Malay :)

Pernahkah anda melihat muka orang macam congkak? Bayangkan kulit anda gelap dan kasar seperti kulit pokok, serata muka dipenuhi lubang yang cukup besar untuk mengisi tujuh biji getah... Tontonilah Congkak untuk gambaran yang lebih jelas.

Siapalah yang dapat menjangka bahawa saya sudahpun menonton Congkak, sebuah filem seram tanahair yang baru bermula tayangan pada hari ini.

Sebenarnya, saya amat tertarik dengan filem ini selepas dijamu trailer yang memaparkan aksi-aksi menghalau hantu. Apalagi dengan filem seram buatan Malaysia yang dikatakan semakin matang dari segi penyampaian, dan pada masa yang sama filem Cina dari Hong Kong bertambah buruk.

Ceritanya begini - Kazman dan sekeluarga pergi bercuti di sebuah rumah yang terletak di kawasan perkampungan yang agak terpencil. Setibanya di rumah tersebut, pelbagai peristiwa ganjil berlaku, termasuk anak dirasuk hantu, anak yang seorang lagi syok bermain congkak, terserempak dengan nenek yang nampaknya tidak pernah bertukar baju dan sebagainya. Sehinggalah seorang pakcik yang kebetulannya pandai menghalau hantu datang menyelamatkan ahli keluarga Kazman daripada diculik hantu.

Memang ada kebenarannya. Kualiti filem Congkak bukan sahaja jauh berbeza jika dibandingkan dengan hasil produksi filem tempatan lain, tetapi juga menggabungkan special effects dan adunan bunyi yang cukup berkesan bagi mengejutkan para penonton, terutamanya tangisan hantu yang cukup seram.

Barisan pelakon pula agak memuaskan. Saya berpendapat sedemikian mungkin kerana tidak menaruh harapan yang tinggi sebelum menontonnya. Maklumlah filem buatan Malaysia tidak patut dibanding dengan filem Hollywood.

Bagaimanapun, jalan cerita dan adegan tertentu masih boleh diperbaiki. Ceritanya sebenarnya amat ringkas. Cuma dipanjangkan dengan adegan suspens supaya penonton terkejut secara berterusan. Congkak (dan nenek yang bermuka seperti congkak itu) cuma sebahagian kecil sahaja, padahal keluarga Kazman diganggu oleh pelbagai makhluk halus dengan alasan bahawa rumah tersebut dibina di atas tapak di mana pelbagai upacara pernah dijalankan. Saya kira, upacara ilmu hitam. Ini agak serupa dengan filem seram Thailand "The House".

Ada bahagian-bahagian tertentu yang tiada tujuan atau penjelasan munasabah. Contohnya, Kazman memerlukan panduan ke rumah tersebut dan bertemu dengan seorang makcik. Isteri Kazman kemudiannya mendapati bahawa makcik ini telahpun meninggal dunia dua tahun lepas. Tiada perkembangan langsung berkenaan makcik ini seterusnya. Selain itu, kenapa mereka perlu menghadapi dugaan sebegini? Sebab tak puasa? Sebab tak sembahyang, atapun kerana keluarga ini tidak alim pada agama memandangkan anak-anaknya tidak memakai tudung?

Pada pendapat saya, unsur sebegini perlu diperinci lagi supaya cerita ini dapat diperkembang dan membentuk plot yang lebih mantap. Sekadar memeranjatkan penonton tidak mencukupi. Suspens perlu dibina bukan sahaja dengan penggunaan teknik tertentu, tetapi di dalam cerita tersebut.

Rujukan terbaik yang mengandungi unsur ini tidak lain tidak bukan filem-filem seram dari Thailand seperti Shutter. Bukan sahaja dari segi mutu cerita itu sendiri, tetapi cara penyampaian dan perkembangan plot yang begitu kreatif sekali. Filem seperti ini juga selalunya memberi sudut pandangan yang berlainan dengan perspektif yang wujud di masyarakat kini. Seringkali mencungkil daya pemikiran penonton dan mengganda perasaan ingin tahu sepanjang perjalanan ceritanya, sehinggalah penjelasan yang selalunya mengaitkan beberapa peristiwa dan memberikan penamat yang di luar jangkaan.

Apa yang bijak berkenaan cerita Congkak adalah penggunaan tema yang berkait rapat dengan tradisi masyarakat Melayu Malaysia. Bagaimanapun, seperti yang dikatakan, congkak cumalah sebahagian kecil daripada filem ini. Ada juga adegan atau skrip tertentu yang agak lucu seperti, "Anak aku dah hilang. Bini aku tengah terapung..." said Kazman ketika bercakap dengan bomoh penyelamat.

Selainnya boleh dirumus bagi menyampaikan pengertian bahawa makhluk halus dan penunggu memang wujud. Dalam erti kata lain, mesej dan nilai cerita Congkak boleh diperkemas lagi. Walau apapun, Congkak merupakan suatu hasil yang agak membanggakan. Inilah titik tolak bermulanya peralihan zaman bagi filem seram tempatan.

Somewhat Accurate?

Went to Facebook today and tried out some personality tests. Pause right there. Why would people need personality test in the first place? We should know ourselves well, true? Or is it just one way to reaffirm that what we're doing, how we're behaving and what we're thinking are alright? I would be bloody lying if I say I don't need that. Sometimes, I just need some reassurance, especially during times when everything doesn't seem to be right, when I'm feeling helpless and the direction I'm seeing is only one way, the same old way i.e. pointless.

Anyways, back to the personality test. I've taken (and removed) numerous tests people created on Facebook, but I have to admit that this is a special one. It gives me a stronger reassurance of who I am, and I tend to agree with it.

Idols Pimped

It looks like the show knows exactly who to play-up and who deserves more attention from the stylist. There's an obvious difference between Carly Smithson, who wears nearly the same shit every week, shocking audience with her 99cent worth sleeveless T and David Cook, who has cool jackets, matching hairstyles and a more vibrant-look week after week.

To be honest, David Cook didn't really shine throughout the first few weeks. That was when he wore on the most ridiculous clothes and hairdo. It might come from his own selection and if that's the case, I must say his fashion sense is then worse than Carly. Until his originality came across strongly to the audience, this man suddenly looked like he had an overnight cosmo-surgery transformation or some sort. He's actually quite hot.

Don't know if AI pimps certain contestants that they believe have the potential to win, but I seriously think they do. Katherine McPhee is a very good example. I remember that she used to wear the kind of jeans and Simon Cowell-T that mothers wrap on before heading on to Carrefour, and in the middle of the competition, she started showing half of her boobs and, even accidentally revealed her thighs.

You see... favoritism is something we have to live with all the time, everywhere we go. People just have different idea and perception about certain people for some unique reasons. If they like you, then things will get a lot easier. If they don't like you, you may end-up dreaming about this person trying to run you over with a truck. And when that happens, we always wonder if things would eventually become better... sometimes I do try to work it out, but there are certain times I feel worth giving up.

Back to the competition - so I guess my perception towards Cook has changed. In fact, I do believe that Kristy Lee Cook isn't that bad after all. She has improved week on week and we all feel that she's trying very hard to stay as long as she could afford to. On the other hand, Brooke, one of my personal favorites (a-ha! favoritism) has been very inconsistent. I still couldn't get over with the horrible performance she did couple of weeks back. True enough, although David Archuleta did really good (and still cute), she can bore me to tears. That sums up my favorite contestants for the week.

The rest, oh well... that afro has to go. Michael Johns' high note was one of the freakiest sounds I've ever heard on the tele. David Cook had the worst performance on par with Carly Smithson, and Jason Castro's Somewhere Over the Rainbow was just okay, no big deal and I didn't like that version at all.

Wonder if they've received it...

EVERY SINGLE year I've been trying to make an excuse and get away with Cheng Beng, but never once it was a successful attempt. That's one thing you can't escape living in a conservative family. This day of ancestor worshiping is like one of the major festivals among the Chinese, during which you would see Chinese drivers congesting the main roads. The kiasu families would leave the house as early as 5:30am to beat the jam, and mine was just one of those.

Panoramic view

Grandpa's graveyard

Nothing particularly different this year, except the cemeteries actually looked cleaner. People from the maintenance agencies went from one graveyard to another to collect RM30, so that we don't have to do major gardening the next year we return. Last year we paid, but ended up still have to clean-up. Honestly, I really couldn't tell whether the graveyards were being cleaned-up, or it was just my family that is as anal as I can be.

Belongs to my grandma

My youngest uncle, whom I've never met before

It's actually quite a fun exercise, considering we only do it once a year. Imagine being able to do some gardening, put up flowers, offer some food to your ancestors, sit down and catch-up with your relatives, look around at other families and see if there's any hot stuff hot enough to lose their shirts, while munching off the chicken drumstick your ancestors may have licked on... like a wonderful picnic. Not to mention, it's the only time when you can do open burning and litter wherever you want, without getting caught. The only thing I hate about it is to do all these things under hot burning sun and the jungle trekking part. Seriously, hate it.

Check out the sun!

Spotted a unique ant nest

Sometimes, I wonder if all these are real. Do our ancestors receive the things we courier to them via fire-transfer? What about the paper-clothes we burn, would there be a hole on the shirt if it isn't completely burnt? What about the money? Is it OK to burn those money or burn a bank draft instead seeing that in real life we can't send money via post? What about that food we offer? Do our ancestor really raise out from the grave and sit besides us sniffing the half chicken we are having? If that's their home, where is hell and heaven? What do they do there when it's not Cheng Beng? Does my grandpa talk to the one buried next to him? Anyways, who came up with all these stupid questions?

My great grandpa at one of the oldest cemeteries

It's Small world Don't be surprised if you happen to bump into your friends (who are still breathing and alive) at the cemetery. A few years ago, as my sister and I were lazying around while others worked to death just like the usual case, my sister said, "Na paet (pondan) on a race..." As I turned around, it was my friend and indeed she was running with a sissy boy. I kept quiet, but she continued, "Na paet lost already looooo..." Indeed, she was way behind the sissy boy. This year, I managed to capture photos of the track where she used to run. It was an abandoned area then, but now it looks like someone's going to turn it into something else. Well, no luck in bumping into her this year, coz she's definitely coordinating to avoid being caught again... Sigh... what was Cyrus doing, I wonder. And I shall dedicate this blog to her. :)

Pondan marathon happened here...

Looking >>>> Forward >>

Equation of a Great Record

There are just so many things that I'm desperately waiting or hoping to happen over the course of a month. At the top of my list of course is none other than the release of Mariah Carey's E=MC². It will be out on April 15, and boy I'm totally hyped out about it! Just reading the exclusive reviews gets me even more excited:

"Overall, it’s an accomplished effort and we reckon it will follow in the footsteps of her last album by becoming a massive worldwide hit,"
-- E=MC² Review | Mariah Buzz

"Though E=MC² feels extremely safe, there’s enough variation to signify some artistic growth... It’s only now that Mariah has worked up the courage to really spread her wings,"
-- Exclusive! Mariah Carey E=MC² Preview | VH1.com

Bangkok: Here I am, Once again

I'm going to Bangkok again. That's second on my list. If you think I'll be getting wet and ugly, partying with water there, you're absolutely wrong. I'm going to give Songkran a miss for the time being. Had it twice, and I feel the second time wasn't really that exciting anymore - plus, I lost one of the most expensive phones in the market there. Can't see how much fun I could brought back from the last trip.

Anyways, this time around, my journey will include watching Siam Niramit, one of the most grandiose plays taking the audience to a tour through Thai culture and history. Reading through the website reminds me of "The King & I" play I watched at Istana Budaya last year. Apart from that, of course, I'll be taking my retail therapy and shopping crazily for CDs, movies (Seasons Change, Ghost Station, Love of Siam), handcrafts, my camphor's running out of stock, and... facial and perhaps a daily dose of massage would be fantastic. Not so hadap for the club-scene really, but fancy to explore new bars.

Clown for the Managers
Next week, all managing consultants across offices from Asia Pacific will be here in Malaysia. I was tasked to provide them with some entertainment, putting together a sketch which involves everyone in the office. While we've got the idea to spoof one of the most popular talk shows on earth, but haven't really shared it with the rest of the team. The biggest challenge is to get that particular person to carry the most important role, but I'm not exactly sure if he would say yes to it. Asking a straight man to drag? And it feels like a lot of pressure doing this kind of thing because it involves other people's time and we don't know what would the managing consultants feel after watching it. Would they be insulted? Surprised? Would they enjoy it? Well, we'll see...