Let's kill your broadband speed!

This is my attempt at photoblogging. Considering that I've got a digital camera now and I've taken over 400 shots to date (over the span of 3 months +), I figured I might as well put some up. These are mostly random shots taken at Melbourne Central, and the Royal Melbourne Show. Also, as a treat, there are three shots of me here, just because I know everyone loves a little slice of me. Henceforth shall the pictures overload begin!


Camera love!

This is my new phone, the Sony Ericsson k610i. It pretentiously refers to itself as a "videophone". I decided to upgrade my phone, and so after a year and a six months of sticking with my crappy LG U8120 phone, the fact that the person on the other line can hear me clearly now hasn't failed to astonish yet. I was actually deciding between the hot pink Motorola Razr v3x and this, and online reviews pretty much scared me off the v3x. Arrogance aside, the SE k610i is a nifty little bugger.

I also decided to exercise a little bit of class and get the white instead of the red model. If you're wondering why I didn't choose a clamshell style phone, note that while Justin Timberlake may be bringing sexy back, I'm bringing candybar phones back. Word to yo motha, dudes.

My new milk crate. Also useful as a stool, a bedside table, a ladder, a shelve and well, pretty much anything. Don't ask how I come across these things. They just end up in my path, honest.

Now all is right in the world again and I have two milk crates again. I think it's such a 'poor student' stocktype thing to own but as cliched as it may be, I sure as hell love mah milk crates.

Charmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Words cannot describe how truly jealous I am. Season 3 starts on Oct 3. Damn you people in the US with access to the CW!!! I have come to realize that maybe the reason why people are turned off the shows I like is because of my fervent fanatisicm. Hence, I figured I'll put up a post someday giving a right and proper synopsis and review of shows that I watch in the hopes that you'll give it a shot and grow to love it as well. That being said I have still to write up my post where I compare teen shows, Veronica Mars, One Tree Hill and The OC that are starting their new seasons soon in the US.

The rides at this year's Royal Melbourne Show are absolutely crazy. Partly because each of them costs 6 bucks a ride and also cause they all spin at crazy angles, twirl like it's the natural way for lifeforms to do, and move in speeds that shouldn't be allowed for rides that aren't roller coasters. This one was actually only little league compared to the others. Like the Sunway Lagoon ride you're strapped in and like a huge giant swing, you start swinging till you're hanging upside down. Funny that it's called 'Ali Baba' though. Can you imagine the amount of kids going, "Open sesame! Goddammit, I said open sesame! Let me the fuck off this ride!! Wahhhhhhh -wails cutoff by swooshing motion of the ride-!!!."

I actually thought, "Oh, the cleverness of me!" when I thought up this screencap within a screencap picture. Mostly I just wanted to show you guys my kickass wallpaper. The clouds just sell the whole idea so much better.

This ride, god, was vicious. This picture makes it look so innocent. Like a pretty flower or something to that effect.

This is a more accurate picture of what it's about. You're strapped in the ride, and it spins round and round. As if that's not bad enough, the whole ride twirls at various axis as well. I love roller coasters but rides that go upside down, then around, just don't quite hold the same appeal for me.

"Australia's fastest ride". I honestly do not doubt that for a second. You can't see it yet cause the shutter speed was set to fast.

With slower shutter speed the speed of the ride becomes more apparent. God, they're just one big blur. Why do people want to go round and round repeatedly at really fast speeds? I never quite understood how that selling point worked.

Yet another ride, the Mega Mix, that goes round and round. If you look closer, you'll note that the people strapped in are actually upside down. I swear, almost every ride at the Royal Melbourne Show had the same basic concept. Had quick spinning rides been outlawed, nothing would be left but the ferris wheel. Even so, the wheel was turning suspiciously fast at times. Huh.

Gael Garcia Bernal love! This guy is so hot he could make the act of churning butter seem sexy in ways that Justin Timberlake can't even begin to fathom. I want to watch The Science of Sleep so badly. Almost worse than my need to watch The Fountain.

The giant swing. At the left of the giant swing is the Ali Baba ride as stated above. On the right is the vicious pretty flower. This is something to go under the 'action shot' category.

The landscape of the park at night. It's actually quite pretty. But the crowd, hot damn. It was so dense in the morning that I had to literally push through a family of four to get to the face painting stall on time. At night isn't a whole lot better. I had to push through a crowd of teeny gothkid wannabes just to get to the exit.

I always liked the different geometric designs on the walls of the third level of Melbourne Central. It's a bit underexposed here, but I reckon the washed out yellow is nicer to look at then the white paint.

Should I ever find a permanent place to live in the future (that is not a house), let it be known that I want my apartments to have this Spanish-Miami-Beach looking design. It is so pretty. Taken at St Kilda.

People avoid alleyways because they're dodgy. Some of them are actually pretty damn interesting to look at.

There is something wrong with this picture no? It gives me a headache everytime I look at it.

Well, it's mostly because the above was flipped. This is one of the many many stalls available at the showgrounds. Unfortunately the big ass polar bears weren't quite as choice as the big ass My Little Pony soft toys. Big ass purple ponies are a dime a dozen at the Royal Melbourne Show.

Hands down, this is the coolest shot of me here. Personally, I think I look really cool here. And not the 'Karen-hamming-it-up-for-the-camera cool' either. Like scenekid levels of cool. Ah, the wonders of a shower.

While waiting for the pictures to load, this thought fleeted into the thresholds of my mind. I reckon the worst insult anyone could say barring all mother-related insults is this; "He/She is so unfortunate looking." How do you respond to that? "So's your face" remains the best reply to every single insult imaginable.

I absolutely love the lights at the third floor of Melbourne Central. Everytime I walk by there I always look above to look at them. Someday I'm going to find out who designed the architecture of the revamped Melbourne Central and write a fangirl note to him/her.

Caption #1: "Oh my god! Help! That big giant hand just grabbed my purse!!!"
Caption #2: "Talk to the hand dude. Just keep talking."

Personally I prefer number two but if you can come up with anything else, feel free to drop it in the comments page.

And finally, geek love! I've even got a bobby pin in my hair. Which is in braids. Too damn awesome.

Thanks for making it to this point. As your reward for sticking with me that long, let me direct you to everybody's favourite show's blooper reels. Here's some YouTube links for Friends blooper reel, in chronological order of my favourite characters.

In high school, Chandler Bing was my favourite friend. Then while rewatching past seasons in Trinity, I came to realise that Joey was pretty awesome as well. Finally in my first year of uni, I came to appreciate one of the biggest losers in TV history, Ross Gellar.

Matthew Perry is byfar the most talented comedian among the six. Enjoy.

Royal Melbourne Show '06

It's bigger, it's grander and it's back!

The Royal Melbourne Show Sept 21-Oct 1 '06

Most importantly, I'm there daily (almost), ever ready to paint your faces! I will bend over and risk backache just to get the perfect angle on your cheek, I will continuously push your head back to perfect the Spiderman face, I will.. what the hell am I saying? Three quarter of the people who read this blog aren't in Australia and the one quarter that do have left age three a millenium ago. Moving on then.

Best customer of the day: Liam, age 9 (+/- 1)
He could do a British accent, an Irish accent, an Australian accent, and an Elmo voice, hot damn! I wished my younger cousins were this cool.

In other pointless news, I have been fighting a sick sneaker fetish lately. Although I need these as much as Bill Gates needs an extra million, I can't stop but look, and look, and look, and stare, and drool. It's gotten to the point where I pass by shoe shops and have to take a look in the window display. So, for no apparent reason except to quell this burning desire, I would like to own a pair of Vans Slip Ons, a pair of Onitsuka Tigers, a red Converse classic, and a watermelon pink Converse classic. And in the same vein, I would also like to own a pair of black MaryJanes, ideally Camper. I told you it was sick.

Oh goddammit! I just found the Vans Custom Shoe Builder feature on their website. I knew I should have done something about my lack of a credit card sooner.

Classic Karen Moment no #149

I woke up late for work today and as a result left home in a blind hurry. Two steps out of my room and I turn right back in to grab my forgotten housekeys. After trashing my room the second time round and still failing to uncover the keys, I figured I'd take a chance and hope that someone would be home to let me in when I got back.

As luck would have it no one is home when I get back. What entails is a forty minute pizza-eating, newpaper-reading lunch at the stairwell hoping that one of two things come forth; that 1) one of my housemates wasn't actually out but asleep and 2) my previous attempt at picking at a locked door wasn't a fluke. After very bruised knuckles and finding two hairpins with bubble ends, it becames glaringly obvious that Lady Luck had declared a fatwa against me today, so I head to the library; figured I'd borrow a movie and watch it there to kill time. Midway into eXistenZe, right at the point where my headache has imploded into a migraine, I take a gulp of water from my bottle and when I move to put the bottle back into my bag, what should I find but those damn housekeys.

I'm one of a kind, and you know it.

Anyways, onto moments that do not include total and utter idiocy, here is what I imagine a geek's attempt at trash talking, as found on one of the eXistenZe threads, "Why dont' u just stick to the Matrix, or better yet Revenge of the Sith." Subject matter was defending the the movie and David Cronenberg. Too hilarious.

Stupid Apple.

And by that I don't mean the spawn of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. I'm actually talking about Steve Jobs' Apple. Not his Adam's Apple, but his other Apple. The company, Apple. Ya dig? Oh Karen, here's a dead horse. Flogging it much?

After my iTunes version 4 ceased to work anymore last week, I caved and downloaded the most recent version, #6. Then a couple of days ago, Steve Jobs unveiled version 7. So, while I had that one fleeting moment of being in touch with new-fangled software techonology, that pleasure has been viciously ripped away from me to be replaced with a "iTunes version 7.0 is now available. Would you like to download it?" or a similar-themed pop-up whenever I open my iTunes. Damn you bad timing + Steve Jobs.

Among other things introduced during the Apple press conference is the latest version of the iPod Shuffle. On a completely irrelevant tangent, I am suddenly reminded of Derek Zoolander's mobile phone.

I will stop posting links in a bit. It's just with the usual burden of writing up essays, comes the onslaught of fascinating webpages that have the habit of being found when time really need not be idled away.

(I know I'm really pushing it but..)

In other news, the MPAA has taken legal action against Chinese pirates. MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America, to the clueless. Talk about losing a war before the fight even begun. Frank Rittman, an MPAA lawyer says

"buying pirated movies hurts the industry and makes it difficult for movie makers to make new films."

So many flaws with that statement, oh, where to begin.
1) The amount of hurt piracy does to the industry is miniscule when advertising and licensing for a film is taken into consideration. Plus everyone knows the money comes in through merchandising anyway, re: Star Wars.

2) Budget is just one small problem film makers have to face. The biggest being getting the attention of the movie executives to begin with.

3) Movie execs enjoy banking on the familiarity of old school movie makers that have helmed production in the past. Inexperience equals no go in Hollywood, which is totally unfair because people like Brett Ratner undeservedly gets the spotlight where else the Matthew Vaughns and Rian Johnsons of the world lurk in the background.

4) If by 'new films' you mean remakes and sequels.. then say it with me folks, viva la piracy!

---

To end, I would like to say Ad, I've seen the trailer for The Departed three times, and maybe it's the essay galore I'm in the midst of right now, but I don't get it. Like somewhere, somehow it should make sense, but it doesn't. I think my brain is physically incapable of seeing someone else in Tony Leung's role. I did notice the gratuitious sex scene though.. good on ya, Scorsese, cause everyone knows that sex plays such a vital role in the plot of the movie!

Lest you hear it elsewhere

Oxymoron of the 21st Century: Silent ringtones.

Honest to God, I'll stop blogging about stupid things people come up with when stupid people stop coming up with things.

This just made my month.

Riddle me this, Riddle me that

When did photoshopped pictures become the only type of pictures available for public posting on a blog/site? I understand that everybody wants to project a certain degree of flawlessness, whether subject to the Magic Wand of the Twentieh Century(tm)- the Airbrush, but when exactly did it reach this height of madness?

As a person who has had ezcema her whole life, I will admit to wanting to alter pictures of me on occasion. As if sores and blotchy skin weren't bad enough, having ezcema doesn't give you an out from the occasional breakout, and what with the penchant for zits appearing in the middle of my forehead, I should realistically be a hardcore Photoshop advocate. But I'm not mostly because I lack any forseeable Photoshop-ing skills, but that's besides the point honestly.

The point is that in less than three weeks I've been lambasted twice for supposedly putting up less than flattering pictures of friends, and I'm starting to wonder if there's a trend here. The pictures I chose weren't retarded, or shot at a bad angle, or badly litted, or badly framed or overexposed or underexposed or etc. In fact, they were just plain un-Photoshopped pictures of two of my best mates. Which begs the question: would I have had a different reaction had I airbrush/Photoshop them to oblivion?

Maybe it's because there has never been a more celebrity-obsessed era than now in the era of the New Millenium. We objectify celebrities who are portrayed as flawless goddesses on magazine covers and websites and strive to achieve that level of perfection. Together with the fact that access to technology has never been more democratic, the means to alter our digital image has never been easier. Maybe that explains the Photoshop craze that has befallen the public blog sphere.

Or maybe, just maybe, over the years people have lost the ability to love themselves. Everybody wants to be glamourous and perfect to the point where pictures lack any semblance of humanity. Replace the gorgeous Photoshopped people with mannequins and the content remains the same. And while I might be overstating the significance of pictures in the grand scheme of life, to me they represent a snapshot of you at a certain point in your life. Whether that is the gawky years of puberty or the acne-infested years of teenage life, the picture is proof that you existed there and then- sort of the metamorphorsis you went through before you ended up where you are now. And if every single one of the picture was Photoshopped to cover your flaws, then it isn't quite a celebration of your life's journey, is it?

I have too much assignments and not enough time to go further in detail. Suffice to say that I caved again and took down the picture as per my friend's request. I'm not entirely happy with my final decision but I figured to be fair I'll wipe the slate clean and remove all previous pictures that contained any friends in them. The backlash is just. too. effing. annoying.

To The 'Meroxing' Chit

I know I'm about 48 hours late but hell, I figured even when you're 20 years and 2 days old it's still an occasion to celebrate the day of your birth.

And no, that is not a lame excuse for me not posting this up earlier.

Besides, if the postal service worked the way it should, you should have received the real thing by Wednesday at least.

In the words of Jack Twist, "I wish I knew how to quit.. ribbing you all the damn time". You are the last of a dying breed, a breed that still reacts to my inane actions and words. Live. Live on, my fairweathered friend. Should you die, be like the phoenix and rise again to glorious life.

Was that laying it on too thick? I think at some point even that analogy ran away from me. Oh hell. HaPpY tWeNTiEtH BuRfdAyYyYy (LiKe oH mY gOsHnEsSsSsS).

Seriously. How annoying is it when people type like that?

The Infomation Super Highway.

If you are in a country where Snakes on a Plane hasn't opened yet, or if like me, you want to watch it yet don't want to fork out money to watch them motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane, read this unabridged review/cheat-sheet here. I think the transcribed experience will far outrank any number of viewings in a cinema.

For the pop-culture enthusiast, Fametracker is the site for you. Created by one of the writers of Television w/o Pity, the site is a pop culture geek's wetdream with the added bonus of snark, snark and more snark. Unfamiliar with the concept of snark? Read the Keanu Reeves fame audit and henceforth may your world be more enlightened and snark-ful.

I don't make it a habit to read blogs of celebrities cause on the off-chance that there is an update at all, 95 percent of the content is plugs for their current product/venture. That being said, I will admit to frequenting Zach Braff's site cause plugs aside, he is actually funny on occasion. Either he's hamming up the goofy J.D persona on Scrubs or somewhere, somehow the line between reality and fiction blurred and coagulated around Braff's real-life character.

Also, not that this is particularly relevant right now, but Phil Keoghan's blog (host of) that correlated with the most recent season of Amazing Race makes for a really good read, if only because you find out how the intricacies of the show. For example, although we don't see it on the show contestants actually have to buy four tickets when flying, the extra two for the camera crew that is. A whole new insight (and appreciation) to be gained after reading Phil two cents' worth into the production aspect of The Amazing Race, plus the truth behind BJ and Tyler's orange pants.

One pitfall of celebrity sites: while I may love Travis Barker, the drummer, I absolutely loathe Travis Barker, the blogger. His writing style.. urghh. Bane of my existence, I tell ya. He might as well tYpe LiKe ThIs!!!#!!!

And for chuckles, here's something else for the attention span-challenged people. Created by Amir Blumenfeld, one of the writers for CollegeHumor, it's a whole bunch of video away messages that AOL users can use in place of plain text away messages. I get that we in Asia/Oceania don't use AOL but it is definitely funny to see these shorts regardless of. Plus, should MSN ever evolve to include video away messages, this would be an inspiration for something a little less dull than a a video of us holding up a hand-written 'brb' sign.

Finally, to see why should I ever have a middle name it would be 'shameless', click Spag's "The Krispy Kreme Adventure" post. Donuts, warm weather and good company.. I AM GOD.

---
From Clerks 2,
"Is that the fucking bible?"
"Hey, hey. The holy fucking bible, son."

God, I love that movie. It doesn't quite compare to the first installment, I'll admit. And while the pacing was quite erratic and the character of Elias alternating between geek and pitiful-wretched-being annoying, for 97 minutes the general audience, plus me, had a really good time. There were claps, "hell yeahs" and cries of "What the fuck?" followed by huge laughter throughout the film. I noted that the crowd was basically made up of college-slacker-kids and yuppie-type-professionals and whether they were there because they were fans of number one (looks to be it) or because Miami Vice was sold out (highly unlikely X 1000000000), they certainly added to my viewing pleasure.

The movie was one big cinematic lovefest; from Kevin Smith's promise to Jason Mewes that if he got off drugs successfully the role of Jay would be revived one more time, to the 100000 Myspace friends that were credited at the end of the movie to the use of Harley Quinn Smith (best celeb kid's name ever), Kevin's kid and his wife, to the cameos by Jason Lee and Ben Affleck, past players in the ViewAskew universe.. It is one giant "up yours" to bland comedies with Owen Wilson playing lovable rascals, to movie executives who refuse to cast a role, let alone a lead one, to an unknown actor, to shitty scripts who attempt at realism but come off fake, to drugs, to living the rat race, to corporations, to yuppies and especially, Hollywood. Most of all, this is love between Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith and the Weinstein Company, to geek culture, to Star Wars, and most definitely, Kevin Smith's wit and his love for words.

Hell, should I ever be on the verge of suicide, remind me to watch Randal's interpretation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and all will be good again. Brilliance on the cusp of true genius.

I love you Twitchy WA.

Food for thought.
i. Saddam forced to watch South Park. Would he be branded an 'infidel' if he laughed?
ii. Profession: Clown. Reasons for death: Stress. Paradoxical, no?

[/end]

My Internet connection is fixed, thanks to one David Long. Apparently it was my Norton Internet Security/firewall issues that effed up my connection. That thing sure is a pesky one. I had previously uninstalled Norton cause it was way expired and the pop-up reminders were at least thirty seven kinds of annoying but somehow I overlooked that and it lived on, much like the paltry attempts at Paris Hilton launching a singing career (last I read, sales were positively suck-tastic which gives me a perverted sense of glee. How about you?).

Longman, being the Med-student-by-day/gravity-defying-tech-wiz-by-night that he is, left bits and pieces of all kind of goods as well. Within the silver casing of my seemingly innocuous Dell Inspiron 510m laptop lies a brand new edition of Norton Antivirus, LimeWire Pro edition, and Quicktime 7 Pro, thank you very much. Way to stick it to the man, eh? Additionally, I now have Azureus for BitTorrent-style downloads and a copy of High School Musical as well. Like, how many ways can you say "fuck yeah!!!!"?

"But Karen, with one gig of free space left on your hard drive, how ever did you fit that all in?"

The Longman, being the awesome fella that he is, is helping me burn my folder of Veronica Mars Season 2 with his DVD burner. Season two of Grey's Anatomy will be coming along my way shortly too. I know.. friends who are able to help you out and hook you up are the best kinds.

Finally, I've got my VideoDownloader for Mozilla to finally work and I'm saying hello to the Emmy '06 pre-filmed montage with Conan O'Brien and The Microsoft Training Video with Ricky Gervais reprising the character David Brent from The Office (BBC). "No, I did not have Conan O'Brien fall through the ceiling". Heh. The US version of The Office is really growing on me.

I am feeling gleefully sated. Also, I think I just might be hooked on this Internet gimmick thing. The past three days without Internet have ensured that my sleeping time went back to sort of normal, if sleeping at 9pm and waking at 4am is any semblance of normality. I'm pretty sure that now with the Internet at my fingertips again, it will all go to crap again. Nyeh, it's 3.14 in the morning, I'm pretty damn happy and that's enough for now.

p/s: I realise that my blog looks really undignified on IE. Maybe it's the screen resolution, but I guarantee you the Mozilla browser is the wonderbra to my blog's metaphorical boobs. Also, I hate IE. Once you go with the Fox, you never look back.

pp/s: Snow Patrol's version of Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love'. For a bunch of white Irish lads pulling the gangsta-act-rapping-sthick, ala Jay-Z, they're surprisingly effective (ie. good).
You heard me, right. I actually really, really like a Snow Patrol song. Oh, stop gloating Ad.

OMGWTFMotherfuc..

I hate that my my Mozilla browser isn't working.
More so, I hate the fact that I have to use Internet Explorer to surf.

I hate that IE has no tabs.
I hate that IE doesn't have my bookmarks.
I hate that installing IE 7 Beta (new tabbing feature!) is taking so damn long.

I also hate that while I can open regular sites, IE isn't letting me open any of my email inboxes, and I have important mail to sent asswipe.
Ditto my eBay account.

Most of all I hate the fact that I was bidding on some items that I really wanted to win on eBay and I think I probably lost it.

Goddamn technology. Anyone got any suggestions?

housemates

I have to wonder if one of my housemates secretly hate me. Because I tend to keep rather weird hours, I'm prone to doing housework in the middle of the night, the most common being laundry. Regardless of whether I'm at home in the day or the evening, the idea of doing laundry doesn't even enter the spectrum of my mind until it's past twelve am the next day. In College Square, where there are communal laundry rooms, it'd never bother anyone before. Three weeks ago I load the clothes in at one and Housemate B comes out and tells me nicely but firmly if I could do it tomorrow. Unfortunately the washing machine is already spinning so she goes back to bed noticably annoyed. I close the doors that lead to the washing room in the hopes that it at least blocks out some noise. Faux pas #1.

People who know me should know two things about my sleeping habits; 1) I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere and 2) I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. Oh alright, I'm a very heavy sleeper. So with regards to fact number two, it should come no surprise that it often takes me a while to notice that my alarm clock is ringing. That means my alarm clock blares repeatedly until I wake up, say fifteen minutes later than the original time it was set. Two weeks ago, I woke up at 8.34 am cause someone was knocking on my door loudly. My alarm woke Housemate B up and she was definitely none too pleased about that. Since then, I have been relying on the alarm feature on my mobile phone. Faux pas #2.

I have a habit of letting the dishes pile up before I tackle them. There are approximately five plates for the three of us in my apartment here. So far I've gone up to two dirty dishes and five pieces of cutlery before I started washing up. Luckily for me, if they've noticed my laziness they've yet to say anything. Possible faux pas in the future.

Of course, while I may be lazy, noisy and loud, I have my redeeming qualities as well. Last week I was on clean-up duty and damn if I didn't do a good job. For possible future housemates, keep in mind that when I clean, I clean. Also, I'm considerate enough to buy the good toilet paper that doesn't feel like sandpaper on your ass.

-----

I saw a video of someone snowboarding on vimeo and that totally put me in the mood for some Buller action. Screw working over Spring Break if it means me racking up quality time in the mountains, I figured. Then Spags mentioned something about how snowfall has been abominable this year. I go online and find out that the last time it snowed was August 04 and even then it was the majestic cumulative height of two inches. Goddammit, just when I finally made up my mind to go snowboarding this year. I was going to take the perfect video of me going down Bourke St. oh-so-smoothly-and-righteously.

What a bummer. Guess I'll just stick to my McJob.

The Anti-Christ himself.

Meet Roy Lee.

Who, you say?

- Did you laugh at Hollywood's attempt at plot advancement in The Ring when the marbles that fell magically created an arrow, thus enabling Naomi Watts and her hopelessly clueless ex-husband to move on to Act 3: Scene 5?

- Did you pass your time fantasizing about what would Buffy do while watching Sarah Michelle Gellar 'be terrified out of her wits' in The Grudge?

- Did you weep while watching The Lake House not because of Keanu "Handsome Plank of Wood" Reeves but for the fallen memory of the original?

- Did you shake your hands at the heavens and yell out "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?" (or the cyberspace equivalent of that) when you found out that Hollywood was going to bastardized Infernal Affairs? Putting some pretty boy blonde hair may draw in the masses but fuck will it mess up a legendary movie and how.

Roy Lee; executive producer, nifty businessman, bastard extraordinaire.

According to this article, his sales pitch is this:

"[Lee] would explain to Asian distributors that their films would probably never sell in America, because Americans hate movies with subtitles, and that they would make more money selling the re-make rights anyway."

Erm, one, way to generalize the American audience, asswipe. And two, the Asian market in itself comprises of different countries and a wide range of languages and if it don't bother us here where we amount for 61% of the world's population, why the hell should we bend over for America? (Run on sentences are more apparent when I'm livid)

Yes, yes, I get that Hollywood is widely seen as the pinnacle of accomplished movie-making and to make it there is to be a god, but to have your product mangled and maimed six ways from the original, is that really worth it? Also, I get that Hollywood is a commercial enterprise where demand/supply meets (though not always consistently) and Roy Lee is merely another business man trying to make a quick buck so don't try to spin that argument on me.

What troubles me so is the quality of the remake is so often substantially inferior to the original. The original Ringu had less 'shock value' but christ, when that girl came out of the TV.. if you watch it again, pay close attention to her movements. Da-yum! And I suppose you could argue that the quality of the movie is really the resposibility of the director and editting team. But really, you want to rip the heart and gut it good to kill the hydra, not cut of one of it's heads.

Go ahead and ruin Battle Royale, why don't you? Just one more notch on your bedpost of "Asian Movies that I've Fucked Over."

[/add on]

At time of post, Roy Lee has yet to acquire the re-make rights yet, so there may still be hope.

Also, I am quite the rabid fan of Battle Royale. Not so much the movie but the Anglosized manga comics. What is Battle Royale? It's a Japanese novel that became a manga series that was made into a new manga series with English words that was made into a movie that developed cult status that will most likely be re-made in Hollywood should Roy Lee get his way.

Depending on which outlet you first accessed that film, the story is set in a future Japan that is in a state of quasi-anarchy due to their economic collapse. The government subscribes to the rule of totalitarianism to keep the people in check and free will is non-existent on the streets of future Japan. To keep the teenagers in school, the government has created a reality-TV type programme called Battle Royale, where one class in year nine will be randomly selected to participate in. The premise of Battle Royale is simple; the kids are shipped off to an island where the last one standing will be proclaimed winner and allowed to go home. I use the term 'last one standing' in the most literal sense. Survivor of the the most savage and depraved, each student is faced with the moral dilemma, to kill or be killed, and if you do kill, how do you choose who to kill first?

It gets you thinking about your friends and the people who you trust. Should push comes to shove, can you take not only a life, but your best mate's? How sure are you that your friends are playing you? How would you feel if your friend had no reservations in killing you off if it meant their survival? When I first came across Battle Royale, it was through the movie. I spent a good thirty minutes after the movie discussing who could do the dirty deed. What I got from it was that apparently guys who have completed their national service will be most likely to to have no qualms about killing anyone regardless of moral dilemma. Something about how the army has brainwashed them to think like a survivor and act accordingly. How true that is, I don't know, but it sure does freak me a little to think that there may be some truth in that hypothesis.

I love the Anglosized manga and the character, Shinji Mimura, even more. An intelligent jock with a ice-cold demeanour and an unattainable aura of cool, Mimura's teh man!!!111!! So it kills me to think about some pretty blonde hair, blue-eyed twentysomething actor taking on the role of Mim. Christ, they'll probably re-name him Bob or something. Oh, Mim, how the mighty will be horribly casted and misplayed.

----------

Since I'm still not quite over the movie, here's a simple equation to sum up how I feel; Brick > Donnie Darko. Booya.

Spags Lee: Celebrity doppelgangers.

Celebrity doppelganger #1: Julia Stiles
Celebrity doppelganger #2: Erika Christensen
Celebrity doppelganger #3: Joss Stone

Your belated birthday post. Here's me doing that 'if you comment, I shall comment' thing since you missed out on my earlier one.

1. Something random about Spags Lee.
By extension you would look like Erika Christensen too because she is generally considered the Hollywood doppelganger of Julia Stiles. Home-brewed Malaysian doppelganger power to you, mate!
[/edit]: Ditto Joss Stone.

2. Challenge you to try something.
Eat the Reese's 'Nutrageous' chocolate bar. Too many times I have gone, "Oh, this is excellent. Must tell Ad", only to remember that you're fervantly anti-nut products. I'll get it for you, you eat it and realize that your dislike towards nuts is completely irrational, yes?

3. A colour that I associate with you.
Right now, purple. Only because your blog is probably the purple-est page in cyberspace currently, surpassing the likes of the official Cadbury website.

4. Something I like about you.
Sheesh. Too many. I like the fact that you're the embodiment of the modern day geek girl; wacky, pop culture-obsessed, TV-addict with a creamy centre of heart, humility and guts. I also like how you're up for sharing but should a person encroach on your space, you're not afraid to tell them to get their heads out of their ass and piss the bloody hell off. How do I know this? Re: below.

5. First/Clearest memory of you.
Form One, during recess, you told me in so many words to piss off and get my own fries and quit stealing yours. Heh.

6. Animal that you remind me of.
Is this really necessary? Monkey. Hamster. Depending on the situation, it varies.

7. Something I've always wanted to ask you.
If Dave Rygalsky from Gilmore Girls had a showdown with Seth Cohen from The OC, who will come out victorious?

Dial-up users beware.

Like there's anyone left. I know. I have become one of those snobby broadband owner who thinks they're the end all of Internet speeds. Man, it feels gooooooooooood!

As mentioned on my tagboard, I will be posting some pictures as relief for the weary eyes. I really need to work out the text/picture balance.

Here's a few I like.

















Movie poster for Brick. The movie poster ties in really well with the movie.


I will stop talking about it once the awe wears off, I promise (while totally keeping my fingers crossed).


















He grew up well. Anyone who watched 3rd Rock from the Sun and is female will agree to that. Must control fangirl tendencies. Squee.

He is too cute. He looks scarily like Heath Ledger though. Of course brunettes come out tops when push comes to shove, as they should and always will. Unless brunette in question is Orlando Bloom. I will have to reconsider my stance should he come into the firing line.


















"I think Keanu Reeves said it best when he said.. Whoa"


Seventeen years, three installations of Matrix and a much parodied kung-fu move later, Keanu Reeves remain the idol of wannabe-dopeheads of our generation. No? Wyld Stallyns, baby! Anyone else would be criminal, of course. Sean Penn in Fast Times ain't got nothing on the man. On a side note, what the hell ever happened to Alex Winters, the Bill to Keanu's Ted?















"Oh, we fear Keane alright. Look at us shake in our wee little booties."

Like I stated before, I think the video for 'Talk' is just simply too cool. It's pretty hokey and not completely relevant to the song, unless them being robot food is supposed to signify the importance of communication especially in the vacuum of space? Who cares. It's got a robot. It's got Coldplay. I'm sold.













Screencap for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I know that the background is the product of skilled FX technicians, but it's just darn pretty. Maybe this is what a Siberia-like planet somewhere out there in the galaxy looks like when one of their many suns set. Yes Karen, and manic-depressive robots really exist too.

And just so that you don't scream bloody murder, this is me.
















Well, mostly.

So it wasn't much of a cam-whoring session. But then I don't really do camwhore. It's moviewhore-dom for me all the way, and you know it. Also, my uniform is currently wet. Maybe next time, eh YM?

*none of the pictures here belong to me. All credit given to random sites off the internet and the Chairman.

'Thick as what all.

I think I surprised even myself when I decided to get dressed and catch the 9.40 screening of Brick. The clincher was the fact that I had ran out of toilet paper. And since the supermarket and the cinema is in the same building, I decided to make it a two-for-one run.

Holy ba-jesus. It was everything I thought the movie would be, with the added bonus of really tight editing and effective visuals. For those of you to lazy to download or even click the IMDb link below, here's my attempt at a brief summary and review.

The movie follows Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a scruffy-looking, bespectacled, highschool loner through, what can only be described as the most hell-ish week of his life. It starts with a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, Emily, who he has severed all contact with after their break-up three months ago. Played by Emilie de Ravin of Lost fame, she is hysterical and non-sensical on the phone, spouting code words that escape the vocabulary of Brendan. After two days of trying to track her down, he finds her dead under a tunnel with no explicit reasons. Unsettled by her sudden demise, Brendan sets out on a no-holds-barred quest to find the a reason, any reason, behind Emily's death. Relying on his accomplice, The Brain, he spins a web of half-truths, false-bluffs and witty quips to discover the truth, but finds that all is not clear in these murky waters.

Made with a budget of US$500,000, first time writer/director Rian Johnson, certainly put every single cent into good use as established in the tight frames and the even tighter editing. The cinematography plays up the suburban-esque qualities of Southern California with a twist: where the sun don't shine, the gritty surrealism lies. Brick is created within the neo-noir genre and the gutsy scenes and Shakespearan-like quality to the script is a true testament to that. Of coruse, having said that, I should probably add that the only noir-related anything I have to base this on is Veronica Mars and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Does Dick Tracy and Roger Rabbit count?

I cannot rave enough about this movie. I have waited a while for it to screen on cinemas in Australia, and it has delivered on all fronts matching my extremely high expectations for it. The casting is perfect. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the only 'big name' in the film proves that he is one of the few mid-twenties actors of today who is willing to look past 'ball&tits-type-PG13 Hollywood movies' that plague too many screens across the world and pursue meatier roles. To be fair, maybe he lacks the all-American jock look. Or maybe he just exercises a little wisdom in choosing roles. The others in the film are relatively unheard of, but they deliver solid nuanced performances that add to the overall viewing pleasure of the film.

Top marks. I'm going to watch it again next Monday for the cheaper ticket prices as the dialogue was a bit thick to swallow in some parts. Anyone who dislikes watching movies alone is more than welcomed to come.

After watching the show, I had twenty minutes to do my grocery shopping. I came out with snacks and serviettes (cause they're cheaper than actual tissue paper. I'm a cheapskate. Go figure) and naturally, I forgot the toilet paper. Serviettes may be effective for not breaking when blowing my nose but they're surely damn rough on the ass. (Fourth time? I AM GOD.)

Yet another.

Things I have done in the past week:

-Watched the complete second season of Arrested Development. So. Worth. Every. Painful. Cackle.

-Watched a shitload of South Park. I made my sister watch the 'Scott Tenorman Must Die' episode and she says I speak like Cartman. That means I either sound like a fat, manipulative eight year old or the bastard child of a hermaphrodite. Pardon the lack of ecstasy on my part, Gill.

-Accidentally stumble upon a porno that was deceptively labled 'Cartman's Club'. Oh god, my virgin eyes. I can't help but feel that I wouldn't be so scarred if I knew ahead that the video was a porno. It's like horror movies, they don't bother me much cause I've already psyched myself out and I know that the Big Bad is coming. Had I known that the big penis was going to be penetrating two women in different orifices, I probably would be like, "Oh. That's what you call big? Puh-lease boy." And now I have managed to scar you, the reader. It's like The Ring. Pass it on.

-Had chicken soup and a mixed veg dish from Adeline Lee. I love that the SkinnyMonkey is here. Karen thanks you!

-Watched The Weather Man, Elizabethtown, and Lord of War. I shall gripe about these later so that I can have the satisfaction of ranting about it without making y'all skim through it. I'm nice that way.

-If you can't tell already, my last week has largely been confined to my bed, hence the past two days has been spent on regaining the ability to use my two feet again. It's been tough going, but folks, I think I'm going to be alright.


Things I need to do now:

-Catch up on a shitload of reading for my classes. The downside of taking a break is the work you got to pick up when you get back to the rat race.

-Buy more toilet paper. Re: below.

-Buy more tissue paper. I'm at the flu part of my cold, where I gain the use of my voicebox again but have constant mucus clogging up the airways. I wish I knew how to spit. I have a feeling if I spat out the phlegm instead, there would be less mucus regurgigating in my system and thus less to blow out. And now I have scarred you twice. Booya! Y'all know I'm back.

-Stop drowning my rice in light soy sauce. Being at the stage where I'm all clogged up, my tastebuds have gone all screwy as well. My kidneys will probably pay for this someday.

A big THANK YOU! to everyone who wished me well, be it through the tagboard, email or SMS. Let me know if you'd like a keepsake of this event. I'll send over a used tissue. Don't worry, I've got more than enough to go around so no petty squabbling kids. (Third time anyone? Who's your daddy!)

In other news, Brick has finally opened here. To see what IMDb has to say about it, click here. Hmmm. There's one at 9.40pm later tonight. Oh, the temptation. And then there's Confetti. I guess the question is, how lazy am I really? Oh, if only the answer isn't immediately transparent.

Right. Onward to the reviews. These three movies have been relatively high on my 'Must Watch List' since I missed out on them at the cinemas. Neither one of the three have similar themes, and each had completely different directors with differing visual flair, although coincidentally enough all three had narrations throughout the film. But what I really want to rant about is Elizabethtown. I was hoping it would be one of those movies where the critics ravage but I like. But oh, Cameron Crowe.. how you have failed me.

Karen's List of Things That Went Wrong in Elizabethtown:
1. The minute the movie started you had the protagonist's voice over. While I'm usually pretty wary of films that kick off this way (could they not think of a better opening scene?), I don't mind if it is short, snappy and if it serves to reel in the audience's attention as opposed to a long drawn out back story to serve the plot. Compare this:

Lord of War's opening lines: "There are 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11? [snappy, and simply too cool]

and this:

Elizabethtown's opening lines: "Yadda yadda yadda. Spasmodica." [I swear, even if I paid myself to remember it, I couldn't.]

Point being is that opening voice overs, if required at all in the film, needs to be at least sort of memorable or attention-grabbing. Etown did not have that. You had Bloomboy walking around muttering "I'm fine" to anyone who caught his eye while serving his inner voice over the speakers. I reckon the "I'm fine"s was enough for an opening scene. We get that things are NOT fine without the constant v/o.

2. The voice overs that ran through out the movie was acceptable. What was not acceptable was Bloomboy's need to enunciate every. single. gorram. word. What should be a nice accompaniment to the plot became a grating experience that made me put my player on fast forward. Thank goodness I was watching the DVD.

3. Bloomboy's hokey American accent I could take. Props to anyone of a different nationality trying to do a different accent for a movie that ran for over 2 hours. For anyone griping over his accent, listen harder to Kirsten Dunst's midwest/southern accent. It was playing peek-a-boo with the audience throughout the movie. There in one scene, gone in the next two.

4. I understand that Cameron Crowe has a particular affinity towards inserting quality music into his films. Thanks to him, a bus ride is almost incomplete without a mass karaoke session of Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' today. But Etown was like a two hour music video. You could have cut out half the music and that'd still be too many songs in a movie.

5. The neverending sequences where the characters do something charming and the music swells. Just too damn many. The longest phone call ever made in the history of cinema, almost surpassing Cellular (and mobiles were actually crucial in that film). Cheesy family sequences were a dime a dozen.

6. The romantic chemistry in the movie was actually believable and almost likable. Unfortunately for every two seconds that Bloomboy and Kirsten Dunst were on the screen together, there were eight minutes of other 'quirky' family member-typre characters. Bad Cameron Crowe, bad! Which leads me to my next point.

7. So far as I understood, this show was supposed to be one of those 'the journey of a man who on the verge of the biggest crisis of his life, gains a new perspective and finds a new girl to boot'. A personal roadtrip movie, if you will. Garden State with less charismatic leads. What I found confusing in this movie then, is the fact that the only thing he gets from all that is the girl. Any new perspective that he might have gained was from his interactions with KDunst. Hell, the whole thing with the family was absolved by someone else. So why not cut out three quarters of the family crap and stick in more romantic moments? Pa-sheesh. Misdirection on CCrowe's part or just complete confusion on mine?

8. Has Bloomboy ever heard of emoting? I don't think so cause his eyes had only one expression througout the entire film. Boy, your brows may furrow till the Kingdom come, but you're not fooling anyone. Them eyes absolutely need to transmit some kind of emotion, especially if you want to stay in this line of work.

I guess I really should have taken Michelle's advice. You know something is really bad when a fan of Bloomboy can't even stomach the show. Till next time Cameron Crowe. I'll keep watching Almost Famous and think of better days to come.

I is sick, emm kay?

I is sick. I is having cold. I is having no voice + cough + runny nose. I is hoping that I would have something very lethal, almost biohazard-like, but the doctor is scoffs at me and say I is having common cold. It damn. I is say nothing worse than having ill and having run-of-the-mill the sniffles.

Doctor say inability to no type right is not correlated with cold. He say I will always silly regardless of health. I say, "You is probably right. Can I have my MC now?" He say, "Yes. Also avoid eating foods that contain dairy as it will not help with your phlegm." I is think, "Ohhh."

Dinner I had with my sister for birthday it was hers on 06 Aug. I tell her, "croak croak cough wheeze snort croak." Translation: "Don't call me unless it's important for it hurts to talk." Stupid idiot calls me later in the day, not once nor twice but five times. When I is don't pick up, she is texting message, "Call me when you get this mess. I am very worried." I is thinking, "#$@&#!!!11!!!!!" When she is calling again, I say, "croak cough cough wheezing croak effing idiot?!" Meaning of course, "Did you not understand what I told you, you effing idiot?! Sister is older, yes, but still stupid as ever.

I is quite grumpy, in case you no notice. I want watch Arrested Development, but laughter equals pain. Ditto South Park and Monty Python. So how is I supposed to feel better? I watched The Weather Man, and that only made me depressed. I is thinking I might as well watch Closer and Requiem for A Dream to complete cycle of depression. But I no have the DVDs with me now. Sigh. Somedays you cannot just win.

I is came across preview for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Throat hurt very much now. I is might as well go watch South Park episodes now.

I mangle English language enough for today. 'Til next time.

"But memmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."

1. While at the ATM machine, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the balance in my account was remarkably larger than what it was two days ago. Neat-o! When I came home from uni that day I had mail from the people at the Australian Tax Office. Turns out my tax returns have been, well, returned. Combine that with my weekly paycheck, it makes for a really lovely sum. Most excellent!

2. I started training crew this week. For three hours for three consecutive nights, I teach them the fundamental things for front counter; serving, dealing with customers, communication with the back crew, dining etc. Ex-trainers and managers tell me I have to pull out my inner bitch and make sure I drive them hard to ensure they get it all. The first night, I'm friendly. The second, I'm professional and by the third night, I'm a slave driver. It's shockingly draining to explain every. single. damn. thing. to a trainee. The simple things I'm a regular pro at now, I have to break down to minute details and force feed them the information, with the hopes they get at least 75% of it all. It's no wonder I'm absolutely burnt tonight.

3. Should the trainees mess up in the future, the heat is on me. Stupid new responsibilities.

4. The Arctic Monkeys gig was tonight. I had two offers for tickets but I had to turn them down because of the damn training. I want to be pissed, but I'm really just too tired to raise a ruckus about it. I know I'll be feeling the pain in days to come. Just as a safety net, I'm going to avoid reading the newspaper tomorrow. The reviews are probably going to be raving about them.

5. One of the managers that I like is leaving. She was strict, yes, but very very competent. Hell, she probably created a whole new meaning to the word 'slave driver'. Aggresiveness be damned though, she was a superb manager. The crew that worked past their initial intimidation of her will miss her no-bullshit, work-hard-before-you-play-harder perspective.

6. My sister texts me with a message that ends with "DON'T BOTHER CALLING ME CAUSE I'M TOO ANGRY TO TALK TO YOU!!". I reply, "wtv. l8rs." If you know me, you'll know that my text messages are never filled with abbreviations of any kind. I like my 'you's with the y and o, and my 'are's with the vowels in them. What can I say? A ridiculous statement breeds an equally ridiculous reply. I swear, the new folks that she hangs out with have such high-school mentality. I warned her about it, but oh hell.. guess it's rubbing off in the end.

7. I am going to take a hot shower and watch South Park till my eyeballs bleed or I fall asleep. Whichever happens first, I'm game.

Oh goddammit gorrammit. I just realize that it's 12.18am. So much for calling Ad at the stroke of midnight.

Happy 20th Spags. I'll dedicate a post to you later when I'm not feeling like the mildew that collects on wet shower curtains. Like your present, it will most probably be late. Sorry, mate.

Word Vomit Episode 2: The Return of the Verbal Shits.

And thus, continues the word vomit that spews from the unstoppable one, formerly known as Karen/Kaz/Kay, and currently answering to no other name but God. How the sudden upgrade in status? Well.. let me take you back to the early morning of Tuesday morning, 25/07/06 where among other things, I came to be.. God (much to Mich's annoyance, I probably should add).

'Twas one early weekday morning when I logged onto MSN and found, besides that fact that my Junk Mail had 22 new additions to it, SCB #3 Christine Chia. Her first words: omg x3. I was first overwhelmed by her previously unknown reverence for moi but I took it all in stride, affirmed my superior position to her and replied: "How's it going, lowly peon?"

1. And that is how I came to be God.

I did not understand her plebian phrases like, "syiok sendiri", and the sudden realization that my gargantuan and superior levels of knowledge would always be my burden to bear sure was the end of all re-affirming moments in my life. I am blessed.. and cursed. Ron Howard says: "It was sad". We shall not dwell on the perils of being God so the story simply must go on.

Michelle was then added to the conversation and although she was only occasionally present in the conversation, I, as the understanding God that I am, recognized the fact that she had other -ahem- sordid affairs to attend to. But that is not the reason why a fresh paragraph was started. The point is how Mich came to be known as Shrimp/Lamb depending whose perspective you're looking at. Christine attempted to spread the Lamb nickname but as I am God, I have decreed that Mich shall be Shrimp. How did this name-calling began? Chrissy attempted to play god and hand out names to people. But her efforts, though charming, were merely an exercise in futility for I of course had the last say.

2. And that is how Michelle came to be Shrimp.

Now while Chrissy's emoticon collection was determined to be much larger than mine, Yoong Mei came into the action. She was sleepy and tired and nursing her ill health (God bless, child) but she shouldered through the night to discuss what nick she would like. While Cow and Ayam Betina was deemed unacceptable on too many levels, she finally agreed to Young Mare.

3. And that is how YM came to be Young Mare.

At this point, Christine had adamantly rejected her C3 nickname, cheesycrazychrissy, for the umpteenth time so we collectively agreed that it was not to be, on the grounds that cheese is merely an animal by-product and God, aka I, forbids that her self-esteem plummets further down from where it already stands (lowly peon-type level). Rather coincidentally, Christine asked this question: "are there adult lambs?" Full credit has to be given to the Young Mare for correctly stating the obvious; adult lambs = sheep. Thanks to the Mensa-like comment from Christine herself, it came to pass that she shall be henceforth known as Adult Lamb, or more correctly, Sheep.

4. And that is how Chrissy came to be known as Sheep. Or Sheep in the Big City (cause she's in KL) if you want to be get into the technical stuff.

Spags, if you're wondering what your animal kingdom nickname is, well, you are and will always be Skinny Monkey to us. No contest.

/end.

Ten points if you read the whole glorified MSN conversation.

Twenty points if you did not skim over a single self-glorifying remark.

In other non-hyperbole-ing-MSN-conversations issues, I, for the first time in my nineteen years lodged my first tax returns. Ron Howard goes: "It was scary". Right off the bat, I had to insert my occupation and seeing as to how there was no 'fast food worker/server', 'food server' or anything of the like, I was in a pickle. There was a 'powder monkey', whatever the hell that is, but nothing I could use. Finally I settled on 'occupation unlisted'. Nyeh.. Couldn't be arsed going through a verrrrryy detailed list. Otherwise, the discovery of the 'powder monkey' occupation (someone who powders show monkeys?), the whole experience was pretty dull. Lots of reading, clicking yes/no buttons, warnings about how a penalty will be issued if you're caught lying about any information.. It got boring after the 41st question.

Anyway, that's my encounter with one of two things in life that will forever hold true. 'Til later, death.

[/add-on]

Yes, I finally remembered what I originally wanted to type about.

When my housemates say that our broadband has unlimited access, I hope they mean that in every kind of way. I shouldn't knock them cause for people from mainland China they speak pretty decent English (but WTF kinda Mandarin.. xiang jiao!(which hopefully means banana when pronounced right, if not damn my incompetent memory!)) but I really hope their definition of 'unlimited' equates to "download any shit you want, then download some more," or something to a similar degree.

Wait, no. That was not it.

Yes.

I think the anniversary for this blog passed a couple of days ago. One year. Never thought I'd last that long in the blogging world, or even still be remotely interested in the whole medium 12 months later. Maybe it's 14 months that might take the cake, huh? Just something I thought I'd point out.

Back to the downloads.. Chairman, glad to say Reefer Madness was done in that amount of minutes -snap-, but sad to say I haven't gotten around to watching it. I'm riding a Trey Parker/Matt Stone high now. Viva la South Park!

Onto cartoons. There is a general belief that there are three basic divisions. You've got your Simpsons fanatics, South Park geeks and the 'Family Guy ROXXX!!!11oneoneone' camp. Occasionally there is the odd King of the Hill supporter but there is large concensus among the adult cartoon community that American Dad is utter purile crap, equivalent to yet another season of Australian Idol or CSI:SameShit,DifferentCity. Having only watched some episodes from some seasons of the three main cartoons, I don't have a wealth of knowledge to go by. But, yeah, like that's ever stopped me (re: video clips, reviews, any list I've ever created).

If I had to choose a favourite, it'd be South Park. I think the 'Cartoon Wars Part 1&2' says it all. Simpsons remain the benchmark of the three, and without Matt Groening, odds are the other cartoons wouldn't have catapulted to such heights of success. Ditto Malcolm in the Middle. Having run for 13 seasons (as of 2006), The Simpsons remains a classic and I frequently use Homer's "Mmmm... donuuuuuuuuut" tone most frequently. They've managed to remain largely relevant throughout it all, but I get the feeling that it's all slowly becoming a novelty. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just that in this current age where people's attention span can be likened to a the life of a gnat (Short. So I suck at analogies. Eat. My. Shorts), the hardcore Simpsonw fan, will most usually be someone who has stuck with the show for a while. The kids these days tend to go for Family Guy, which is generally believed to be more 'out there'.

Family Guy isn't a horrible show by any stretch. It has its funny moments and I don't for a second buy into the argument that the show is a caricature of the Simpsons; Peter=non-yellow Homer with hair, Meg=Lisa etc. The problem lies in the fact that a lot of the humour relies on cutaway scenes and gags on pop culture. Sheesh.. now I'm just repeating the content of 'Cartoon Wars'. While shows like Scrubs, Everybody Hates Chris, and My Name is Earl relies quite a fair bit on cutaway or fantasy scenes as well, the difference, to me at least, is that these shows have the advantage of not being a cartoon. Meaning that the humour can lie in the line delivery, or a facial expression, which in a cartoon is near impossible to achieve. Plus, with the exception of maybe Scrubs, these cutaway scenes are generally relevant to the plot. I guess, Family Guy just seems to try too hard with the random. But I guess when you've got a winning formula that's even managed to make the Fox studio execs revive said show from cancellation, you stick with it, eh?

I guess if you wanted to be nit-picky, you could say South Park has inferior graphics and indescribably crude toilet humour, so why the hell would it be better than any of the two? Mainly because the humour, while undoubtedly crass, goes places where no other contemporary cartoon has. They diss Jews on a regular basis, take the piss out of red-neck towns, cussing, God, Satan, Republicans, Democrats.. you name it they've probably done it. Christ, Cartman kills Scott Tenorman's parents, ground them up into Chilli and feed it to him just cause he got ripped off (Must watch 'Scott Tenorman Must Die' ep)! I think I read on IMDb that it takes five days for one episode of South Park as compared to nine months for Simpsons and Family Guy, hence the remote possibility that they're in their tenth season now. Has the novelty worn off yet? Judging by the Scientology episode scandal, no. And an admirable point to South Park, there exists only two writers throughout the entire run while the others have interchangable boatloads of them.

So, yeah. I'm a South Park kinda girl. Hell, if I ever saw Trey Parker and Matt Stone anywhere I'd ask them out for a round at the pub. I hate beer but I'd drink it if it meant hanging out with them.

/end.

Thirty points if you read every single word in the add-on.

If there's anyone out there who scored sixty points, leave me a comment. As God, I shall certify your 'legend' status.

Anyone out there with less than twenty points, -tsk- pissant loser.

Christ.. I must get my word vomit under control, hey?

"You've got to fight, for your right, to PARTAYYYYYYYYY."

"The world to her,
was but a tragic play.
She came saw, dislik'd,
And passed away."

While in Malaysia, I 're-discovered' a bunch of stuff I forgot about my house. Among them is a Post-It note stuck on my wall with the above verse written in blue ink. It's going to sound mighty try-hard but I have Post-Its stuck on the wall above my study table, filled with mostly quotes from books, philosophers and the Internet. The lot of them wouldn't quite fall under the category of 'Inspirational', just lines from here and there that I liked. God. I just remembered that my previous room had Post-Its as well, the bulk from my Politics textbook. Nyehhh.. nerd much?

Anyway, I can't find any information on the 'Net regarding that verse, oh Google.. how you have failed me. Why did I bring that up? No reason.. Mainly cause I just thought about it. I found it off the 'Net while I was searching for Ghost World forums, that was after my third viewing on HBO. If you've ever read the comics or watched the movie, I think nothing else has to be said. If you haven't done either, then let's just admire the simplicity and severity of the verse, no?

And another thing I 'rediscovered': there is not a hanging clock to be found in my house. We've got table alarm clocks, multitude of watches/jam tangans between the 5 of us, one big grandfather's clock and clocks leaning on tables and couches but none actually hung up on the wall, as it should be. Don't ask why. It just is.

Today marks the second semester of my second year into my Arts degree. And you'd think that after a year and a half some basic truths would be ingrained into my system. But then that'd be expecting too much of me.

Things I Should Know By Now

1. By now, I should know that Melbourne's weather is as funny as my "What smells funny?" joke (ie. very hy-larious). From my window, I see clear skies and sunshine, so I dress as I see fit: t-shirt layered over long-sleeved top with jeans. For 'extra precaution', I bring a scarve. I step out after my first lecture and thought, "Oh. Idddddddiooooooottttttttttttttttttttt."

2. By now, I should have realized that thirty minutes is insufficient for my 'snoozing sleep minutes'. I actually key into account the amount of time I will spend pressing the second best invention in the whole damn galaxy, the snooze button, into my sleeping time. Ad Spags knows what I'm talking about. Which leads me to my third "thing I should know by now."

3. It's never a good idea to arrive late at the first lecture of the semester. Most lecturers choose the first seven minutes to distribute reading guides/subject info stuff which although aren't quite crucial in the long run, are helpful in informing you how much time you have to slack off before your assignments are due. Of course this stuff can be found online in PDF format ready for printing, but if you're a cheapskate like me and/or don't own a printer, those first seven minutes are really, one of three lifelines. What happens when you arrive ten minutes late is that the lecturer proceeds to give an overview of the subject making generous refences to the aforementioned papers and you sit quietly, pondering to yourself if it's really worth walking down those steep stairs and risk a more-than-highly-possible-if-you're-Karen stumble that will then highlight to those cute politic guys of your sheer ineptitude, thus making you a social leper for the rest of the semester. Of course you make the obvious choice and by the end of the lecture, you've got a page full of doodle to show for your presence.

4. By now, I should also know that regardless of the weather outside, the lecture halls in Melbourne Uni are always of sub-zero temperatures. The worst ones are at the Maths, Richard Berry, and Science building, which coincidentally enough I have two of my lectures at. And of course, the lecture hall beneath ERC library. Christ, a girl in my tute once admitted to skipping lectures held there cause "it was just too cold".

So, naturally I celebrated my first day back at uni by hitting up ERC library. I don't care that there's currently some sort of mutiny going on within my DVD collection cause the originals are pulling rank and soffing at the new Malaysian pirated ones. Kiasu is as kiasu does, and I refuse to allow others borrow DVDs that I possibly might want to consider watching. Heh. So I return with Elephant, Amelie, American Psycho and South Park Vol. 9. Who cares if I've already watched two of them? Would I possibly want to sit through yet another long shot in Van Sant's Elephant and another viewing of Amelie? I'll find out.

I've kinda been on this hugh downloading binge since I got back. I swear, the first thing I did after I dropped my bags and jacket was fire up LimeWire. Next thing I did was to save some movies to blank CD-Rs to make more space. It's gotten to the point where I was on PCWorld and Download.com looking up stuff that'd make my computer fancier, downloading them, installing, then deleting them. I really wish I made time to buy and install a DVD burning device on my laptop when I was in Malaysia. Then I wouldn't think twice about backing up my Veronica Mars Season 2 downloads. -sob- "But they take up so much blank CD-Rs!"

Heh. I think I've got what they call 'word vomit'. I can't seem to get myself to quit typing.

Recently Stylus issued their Top 100 Music Video Clips of All Time list. Coincidentally enough, while waiting to board the plane to Malaysia, I actually wrote up a rough list of my favourite video clips. I like lists, in case you haven't noticed already. Now while my list is nowhere as comprehensive as theirs (I think they span 3 decades) or detailed (they added YouTube links for every single video!), it makes for something to look at while you drink your coffee, take a break from studies, or wake up (I'm looking at ya, Chrissy).

Karen's Favourite Music Videos So Far (with a brief explanation that will hopefully jolt your memory banks cause I bet you couldn't be fussed looking up YouTube).

1. Radiohead - Just (Do It Yourself)
You can watch this a billion and one times and come the end, you'd be as clueless as ever as to what that guy said. The song is awesome, Radiohead playing their less experimental tunes makes me appreciate them more, and the video makes the perfect bookend to the Holy Trinity of Fantastic Band/Artiste, Song and Video. Go YouTube this and then come back and tell me how good the video was. Benchmark for all videos to come.

2. Coldplay - Shiver
The entire duration of the video has the four of them jamming in a plain-looking room, working their chemistry to such intimate levels that you can't help but feel like a voyeur for looking in at this experience. If I remember correctly, this video was released right after 'Yellow' but before they gain international recognition and reached the heights of superstardom that they are at currently. When I think about Coldplay, I think about this clip and hope that regardless of what level of success they are at, they never lose the magic that held so true in the video.

3. No Doubt - Sunday Morning
A 'picnic' lunch with your best mates. Cooking said lunch with your best mates. Having the lunch collapse into a massive food fight. I don't know if it's just the video or my tendencies for the tamer side of life (read: no nekkid models, no boozin' and crusin'), but that's sure what I consider a good time with my mates.

The rest in no particular order cause it's just too hard to choose:

4. Coldplay - Talk
Coldplay gone old school. Let this fact be known: robots in videos are cool.

4. Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Re: above.

4. RHCP - Can't Stop
It's art. It's RHCP blending their music and art. Commence one of the most random but truly awesome video clips ever. Highlight: the scene with John Frusciante working his own brand of magic on bass in a room with schizoid tablelamps. If you know the video, you'll know what I'm talking about.

4. Steve Burns - Mighty Little Man
Hey, the guy from Blue's Clues (aka the only reason I watched that show) playing at being a rockstar, and not quite sucking. If there is any song you should listen to on Songs For Dustmites, this is it. Who knew he was packing such buff biceps under that innocent green-striped rugby shirt?

4. Blink 182 - Always
Sure, the video gives me a headache everytime I watch it but it's always fun to guess which body part is whose. Which body part is whose... is that right? Bah. The point is Travis looks extraordinarily good in the video. And that in itself is a major plus point.

4. Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
It's super kitschy and campy, but it's got mass dancing so that's a thumb's up from me. Oh, come on. Like you weren't secretly mouthing the chorus when the song was played on a 90's rewind radio/Channel V show. And just to set the record straight, it was always Brian Littrell for me. Nick Carter has always been and even more so now, fugly. Sure, Brian's latest venture into Christian Pop/Rock territory loses him some brownie points but I'll take religiousity (sp?) over scarily-peroxided-blonde-ape-like-man.

4. Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet
The one Bjork song I get and like. The schizoid video is very, very suited to the schizoid qualities of the song. In the name of the Fantastic Band/Artiste, Fantastic Song, Fantastic Video, amen.

4. Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice
C'mon! More dancing! Watching this video makes me feel like breaking into dance as well. Except sadly although Christopher Walken has many years and moons on me, I kow-tow to the man who will forever be more nimble than me. Moby ain't got nothing on Walken. Or Fatboy Slim, by extension.

4. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Beware when listening to this song on your Discman or iPod. A sudden impulse to screw manners and all other Ps and Qs and a very strong urge to shove, be brazen and not give way to incoming public will come upon you. For a minute there, you will also believe that The Verve is more than a deadbeat band and Richard Ashcroft is your god. You know what I'm talking about.

There you have it. P. Diddy's 'Bad Boy for Life' nearly made the cut, but the suck-tastic ending pulled it down a whole lotta notches. Huh. I think I'm actually all typed out. I know.. I should just go on MSN, right?

And so Winter Vacation ends...

The plane touched down Melbourne and the pilot/captain announces that the weather is at a "slightly chilly 5 Celsius". Slightly chilly... now that's an understatement if ever. Hmph. And just like that ends two and a half weeks of vacation. Grrrreat.

Some interesting events that happened over the holidays, in point form mostly because I'm too lazy to create paragraphs now.

- SCB's reunion: The One Where We Watched the World Cup Final and Christine Went Ape-shit Crazy Over Mahjong.
Heh. As always the pleasure of meeting up was a definite highlight of the holiday. The reunion was made all the more special cause certain SCBs (heh. I just realized that 3 of us were on holiday!) scrapped together a weekend even though they could barely afford to breathe as it is. Thanks YM and Mich. That really meant a lot to me.

- Jonny Boy: The One Where I Hung Out Heaps With My Lil' Bro, As Promised.
He's so stupid and so lame and so incredibly inane that it's amazing that many chicks are after him. So really, he's a male version of me. Except for the whole chick magnet part. Or the magnet part, period.

- Allergy Test: The One Where I Confronted My Fear of Needles.
I'm not a fan of needles. It's pretty bizarre cause I can 'thread' a needle through my skin without an eye-bat, but I start spazzing and squirming at the sight of needles not even penetrating the skin yet in movies. So when my parents forced me to do the test, I wasn't quite the happy camper. Suffice to say that at 19, I still can rock one hell of a hissy fit. Anyways, when the time came for the nurse to take the test, I looked away and attempted to think happy thoughts. Of course, as my life always go, they couldn't find a vein in my left hand. And they only realized that AFTER penetrating my skin with the needle and forcibly looking for one. So when they moved to the right and had the same problem, I just started giggling. It was beyond bizarre but I couldn't help it. I had to control from breaking into full-fleged guffaws. What can I say... the whole situation was ridiculous. But oh well. They got their 10 CCs in the end.

Also, I found out that I'm allergic to eggs. And bananas. Ha! Finally something to validate my intense dislike of bananas.

- Ipoh mari: The One Where A Visit To My Grandparents' Isn't Quite As Innocuous As It Sounds.
For the first time, my grandpa and ma divulged history about their parents and younger days. Like, I never knew my grandma was adopted. Or that my grandpa's parents arrived in Malaysia after one hell of a boatride from China. Apparently my great paternal grandma was a stickler for discipline, something my dad learned about the hard way many a-times. Hee.

- Family Affairs: The One Where My Dad And Ma Finally Spilled on Things We Were Previously Denied Knowledge Of.
Christ. That was one mega-chat session that lasted for three hours. But it certainly puts things into perspective. I guess before, I only had a brief understanding about the relationship my parents' have. But that river runs deeper and wider than I can ever hope to understand.

There's probably some stuff I'm forgetting to mention right now. But those are the events that come instantly when I think about the past 2 weeks. It was good seeing people I haven't seen in a year. Will be even better when I see them again in five months.

I end this post with three random trivia bits.

1. I have finally brought over my bathrobe and here I sit feeling super-duper comfortable. I also feel ready to traverse the galaxy. 'Resistance is futile'. Hee.

2. We're actually half Indonesian Chinese. Gill, Jon and I, that is.. Weird. Not like there's any difference but I always thought we were only a quarter. Nyehhh. I guess that's why I'm not doing a maths-related degree.

3. My new timetable states that I have a 11-hour week with Thursdays and Fridays off. Fuck yeah, losers!

Idiot says, "What?"

Chapter One: Karen Goes to the Coldplay Concert and Spends $75 on Truly Essential Stuff.

3rd of July 2006, I went to see a band that I love. In short? It was awesome. The long story? it was the best fucking, most awesome-mest concert this goddamn-ed person has ever been to!!!!!!!1111!!!! Youth Group opened, and me not being familiar with their stuff, still went along for the ride waiting patiently for the real stars to hit the stage. And boy, did they not disappoint. Sophie Poo and I were that close to the stage that we could see the sweat drops on Mr Martin's face. Unfortunately, we weren't close enough to grab the cameras that they threw out. Some other bastards got it. (Bastards)

Chris Martin had a very engaging stage personality. Those weird movements that he does on music video and live performances telecast on MTV? Well.. they're for real. And Guy Berryman.. dear Guy. Where I was standing I had a direct view of Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland, which was awesome and all that. But can I just say that the aching calves borne from standing on my tippy toes to see Guy was completely worth it? He's hot stuff. Really is. Will did his thing, every beat on key, being a stellar example to little drummer boys everywhere. But man of the concert undoubtedly goes to Jonny B. His riffs, guitar hooks, Christ... simply fantastic. Of course, the band would be nothing if not for the camaderie between the four, and the crowd was definitely witness to that testament that night.

It's definitely fascinating to see the crowd Coldplay pulls in. In the free standing area, there was a mix of teeny-boppers, college kids (us, hello!), artsy-fartsy types and believe it or not, old dudes of the 'I-need-reading-glasses-to-look-at-the-programme' kind. The old dudes were hilarious. They were even more into Youth Group then I was! Puts my father to shame. Hee.

To conclude, the night was fantastic. Fantastic music, excellent company and a totally awesome band meant that the money was not a waste. Chalk one up for good concert experiences!


Chapter Two: Karen Packs for Home in Thirty Minutes and Forgets Among Other Things, Her Driver's License.

I came home from the concert completely beat, so I figured I'd wake up early the next day to pack for home. The alarm was set at eight, to allow time for me to head down to the city and pass Soph One Tree Hill Season 2 as well as buy other random stuff for my room. Alas, I slept through the alarm only to wake at ten, and me being me adhered to the "five more minutes" rule. Finally when I got up again it was eleven ten am. The bus service was arriving at twelve so I hightailed my ass out of bed and got to washing up and taking a shower. Hence, I only started packing my bag at eleven thirty.

What I forgot:
1. My goddamn driver's license. That's one year of hype and longing.
2. My goddamn camera.
3. Yoong Mei's belated birthday present. Sorry dude.
4. The Chairman's farewell present. Re: above.
5. Nick's birthday card. Re: above as well.
6. My goddamn medicine. My skin is absolute shite now.

Idiotsayswhat?

What?

Fuck, fuck, fuck. And then some.


Chapter Three: Karen Comments on People Who Comment.

If you comment on this post:
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a colour that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory about you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on yours.

Warning: Replies might take a mite longer than usual seeing as to how I'm on holiday and all that. So don't feel despair upon not getting a reply. Hell, I'll be damned if no one even bothers commenting, which will probably be the case. Nyeh. Less work for me!

Coldplay is here.

Coldplay is officially here! I'm breathing the same air as them! We walk upon the same island! We pay the same GST to the government! To say that I am extremely psyched is an understatement and a half. And then some.

Anyway, I guess I've officially moved now. We surrendered the key back to College Square. And I'm all set up at my new place. Or at least I've got my bed, my clothes and my Internet set up. By the way, guess who's re-discovering the perks of an ADSL line? Well, let's just say I spent a minute staring in awe at the speed of my downloads. Awe-some! What is my new place like? Well, I'm renting a room in an apartment that has two other tenants, both from China/Hong Kong. The room's pretty alright. Got the basics.. I can't complain. The place isn't completely a dump, but it definitely has a 'lived-in' vibe. This new place of mine is much closer to Melb Uni. It's on Dorrit St which is behind the Royal Women's Hospital. Hmmm.. I can't think of much else to say. Ad, sorry to burst your bubble but I'm going to have to rule out a house-warming. Seeing as to how.. you know, this isn't really my place.

What happened to my sister and I, you ask? Well, we couldn't find a decent priced apartment with two bedrooms and I definitely am so over sharing a room. That's 19 years we've been together. If I was a macho-testesterone-loaded dude, I'd say "that's so gay." But since I'm me, I'm going to say, "Helllllooooo closet space!" instead. She's still staying at College Square, but with some other random people as well. It's weird cause only this year did we start bonding and acting like sisters. Not quite the whole-nine-yards hair-braiding extragavanza I mean, but we talked to each other like adults which was definitely something new. Am I going to miss her? Mate, she's still here living a couple of blocks up! But then sometimes I think I will. If not because of the fact that we've had years of bedroom-sharing between us, then because of the fact that my sis can occasionally be a laugh-riot. When she's on a roll, hell.. it takes a lot of self-control to keep it in.

Anyway, the Chairman has left the building. Hell, the Chairman has left the friggin' country! No more random walks to Safeway at 10 pm at night. No more DVD swapping. No more yummy baked goods from the Baker Woman. No more fashionista. No more feeling guilty about cursing openly (hee). No more making fun of vegetarians (double hee). No more paranoid android (hee hee hee). The Chairman was one of the first people I met in Trinity. First day there too! And now she's gone. -Sob- Forever. Charm I'm gonna miss you. -Sob- Where will I get my fill of home-baked cookies/cakes/apple crumbles for a year?!

Fuck.. I'm freezing. Part of the charm of my new room is that it lacks a windowpane or two. And in a rare moment of benevolence, I gave my sister the heater. This whole kindness shtick is so not all that it is cracked up to be. I should give up on karma and instead demand instant gratuity from the powers that be!

I end this post with this little bit of tidbit: The last time I intentionally hit a guy in his balls was when I was nine. Chalk it up to an intense round of catching. The last time I unintentionally hit a guy in his balls was today. I have never seen anyone else besides me turn that shade of red before. Frankly my dear... it was all pretty damn amusing.

"Let me get some action from the back section!"

So the plan was to move after every six months. I figured it'd be a fun little experience. Ya know, just to have the whole thirty-one flavours. I'm on my first move and ... heh. Somehow over the course of two and a half years, I have eleven pair of shoes, eleven bags, and three bags worth of clothes. I officially have more shoes than my sister. When did that happen?!

I also have a box that has my TV inside, and a box that's aptly labelled 'Audio/Video', just technical terms to make my DVDs and CDs sound as important as they are, you understand. Also, I have a box filled with random stuff, the vacuum cleaner, the rice cooker and books. Oh god.. the books. Jesus H. Christ, the books. Text books, Stephen King books, other non-uni books. And to top it all of, there is a box filled with crockery that neither my sis nor I wants.

Fan-freaking-tastic!

The icing on the cake, surely, must be the fact that my new place has no lift. It's stair-heaven baby!