Wednesday, November 23, 2005
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How rude of me... i forgot to celebrate the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Mein Bereich.
Yes.. though it has gone under so many names - four, to be exact - It has finally manifested into Mein Bereich.
From a humble "Amateur Singaporean Modeller" to "This is my life" to "Published Scale Modeller" to "Racism, Prejudice, Video, My Thoughts, Stories, Heartaches and Photography"
So there you have it... Happy Birthday, Mein Bereich!
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PICTURES!!
So today's interest were buildings in Raffles Place. The only time i clearly remmeber going there was when i was 6, when I waited for the longest time ever for my parents at the steps of the bank beside the China Bank now. i found those steps today. I sure have grown bigger; That place is narrower than i thought it was.
Camera settings were on "A", which means i only controlled the aperture size and the shutter speed is automatic. Though it was cloudy, I managed to get 15fps at f.27.
So why the technical talk? On to the pictures!!!
(Today will be a bit more artistic than realistic. there's just somehting about digital that produces flat images. Some images have been heavily Photoshoped.)
First up...
A detail shot of a kris at home....
The camera bag. Taken during Contemporary isssues today.
So then i went over to Raffles Place; the very reason why we "must study hard"
Know that building?
An alley in the middle of "Rich-People Land". Well, at least it's bright.
This photo was photoshopped. I used a second layer to achieve that silhoutte effect. The original.....
What a lonely tree...
So they have Times Square....
Rectangles~~~!!!!
wow.. another alley! Now where are the stalls? That space is not being utilised! We need roadshows there! Bring in te roadshows!
There's something abot the fullerton which i love so much....
Das Fullerton.... ooo.. scary...... obviously photoshopped.
Windows of the China Bank....
Another Fullerton...
...then... as he walks to the car.... KABOOMM!!!!! and the cameraman died as well.
And the last picture for the day....
Pussies!!! -.-
So there you have it. A little tour of Raffles Place... a place where was once a bustling trade area with fishes flopping on the pavements and people in singlets ruled-da-hood. Now, mindless zombies with a small sense of humour litter the place.
Till tomorrow!! (Where to next? Well.. hint.. if you can spot me taking pictures, I'll give you five bucks on the spot. Obviously it'll be a place you all frequent.)
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
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As a young boy, i grew up spending a lot of my time alone. I wasnt lonely, quite the contrary, really. there were quite a few things on cable TV a decade ago. I think TV thought me more things than my parents did.
I have, and still do, a very soft spot for a few cartoon characters in my heart. These are the ones that, i think, have set a number of basic groundwork on how i think.
The cartoons are Doraemon and the entire cast of Warner Brother's Merrie Melodies.
We all know i have the almost complete set of Doraemon comic books in Malay. I stopped collecting after Fujio F. Fujiko passed away in 1997. It was one of the most saddest years in my life, with him and my grandmother's passing. And i also found that the very integrity of the book itself has been reduced to nothing more but another comic book with lousy translations and language plus it being made of cheapskate recycled paper. Materialists....
Bugs Bunny made a VERY HUGE impact on my life. I especially admire Mel Blanc's talent in providing the voices of ALL the Merrie Melodies cast from Bugs to Daffy to Sylvester. I've never seen him before till yesterday when i googled it. He has actually inspired me to voice acrobatics.... which has actually enabled me to speak in a few different accents (yes, i know that this is a bold statement.)
Bugs was fantastic. He could dance, could sing, could act, poke humour, he was everything. My romance for old America (as in... 1930-1960) was cultivated by Bugs himself.
I clearly remember an episode whereby Bugs sang an opera with Elmer Fudd. I think it was Richard Wagner's Ring of.... something....; That was a hit. Seven minutes of total cartoon opera, especially well done.
Merrie Melodies was a cartoon in a class on itself. Their characters had LIFE and CHARACTER. The other cartoons like Action Man and Flintstones never did seduced my interests.
Till now, i still watch Bugs Bunny. The original episodes, i might add. All the new voice talents for each of the characters pretty much lacked the tone of Mel Blanc and like any other modern day cartoon, the characters were empty.
And thus, i dedicate today's space to my mentor, Bugs Bunny.
*Gene Kelly, in Singin' in the Rain, reminded me of Bugs Bunny (tap dancing... American culture....) especially in the scene where Gene sings,"Singing in the Rain.". That was a classic. Btw, i highly recommend watching, "Singin' in the Rain". It's a musical. It's old. but it's so well done that i watched it two times in a row yesterday (one more time today) and couldnt sleep the whole night because it was such a "feel good" piece! Then again... it really reminds me of Merrie Melodies.....
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PICTURES!!!
it's now day two of "A Week Of Photography". Photography class today. nothing much.. we jsut had to play around with 36 exposures, using each and everyone of them to capture pictures that show either texture, colour, shadow. motion, wind etc etc etc.
I expanded all 36 faster than anyone could say "tallichalihachacha", backwards. Then it was off to playing aorund with the S1 Pro.
A few problems i noticed. Hopefully *someone* would tell the proper authority.
First, the lens is dirty, on the inside; i have the exact same dirt pattern appearing on all my pictures. Secondly, focus indicator is wildly inaccurate. Either that or the camera cannot capture sharp and clean images. and that's it. otherwise, everything is fine. The start up time is almost instant and zooming was really cool. extremely shallow DOF could be achieved easily. But i think this cam has some problems with macro shots though. Maybe it's the 72mm lens....
ANyways... pictures...
This is Joyce. She was asked (by her very very good friends, us..) to stand behind an aircon vent so that her hair would flutter about and we could then capture our motion shots. She was tip-toed across a drain too. And it was raining. :) She clung on to there for about 5 mintues or so. Posed.
Here;s another shot. A candid.
So after that, Justin got the urge to flaunt his locks and took over Joyce's place. his hair didnt fly. lol.
He's less evil than you think, too.
My favourite buns (love the cheese...). Taken in Canteen one.
The Sushi Auntie. The wrinkles on her face a testimony of her wisdom. And age. She's so darn cute.... i think i'll spend some cash on her sushi tml....
Joyce giving a Hitler salute. lol... yeah rite; she was posing for Justin's silhoutte shot.
Then there Drama Queen Thena. note the volume of hair that stands for manliness and machoism. =p
gasp! his hand!!! -.-
a small example of texture. It's blur. I know. that;s because we were holding everyone in the line up. Could you imagine three or four cameras pointing at nothing more than a heap of meat in a deli with an auntie behind you fluttering her arms and asking everyone,"Keyi pai ma? Keyi pai ma? wei... keyi pai ma?" Hope i got the spelling rite.
A pattern shot.
A shape shot. Colour was desaturated (you should know by now that i love desaturating colours. That's my world..... helps keeps things clear and focused.)
And a texture shot. I love textures. It's so visually interesting.
Mitch, with Shaun in the background. Picture was taken by Charlene, on film.
That;s me. Note the form and patterns. See Freddie on the far end of the image? Picture was cropped. Taken by Charlene. on film.
Another cropped photo. That's Shaun and I taking pics of Shah. Nothing between shaun and i now. "Just air." - Kelly, Singin' In The Rain.
A shot of the FMS block. from the FMS cage.
Charlene shooting from the engineering workshop. She sneaked in, opened up the louvres, took a pic, and bobbled back out. Photography is fun, indeed.
Lastly...
Another vegetation shot. You can see the difference between digital and film on this one. just compare the contrast between this one and "Edelweiss" on top.
That;s all folks. So that;s day two. Tomorrw, i end school at 12. So hmm.... with 102mb to play with, that;ll give me about 55 shots at 3048++ pixel width images. Where should I go... hmm....
Monday, November 21, 2005
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Pictures! Pictures galour!
i noticed that videos arent really that popular on the net due to download times and resolution and all that. So whatever. PICTURES!!! pictures galour!! Instant, quality and entertaining.
I managed to get a hold of a nice heavy professional digital camera, courtesy of one of my very very very very...... beautiful.... friend.
Finepix S1 Pro. A decent 3.1 Megapixel camera, which somehow produces images of 6 megapixels due to the position of its SuperCCD at a nice 45 degree angle instead of the conventional 90 degree.
This week will be a week of photography, as i try to redeem myself from the evil deed i have done to this art.
And after which, the camera will be returned, then its back to blabbering to myself.
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Went out with Don, Clara and Pamie today. Took a few pictures. Some turned out very nicely.
the camera i shot with is indeed a very good camera, but its digital. I thought maybe since it's a pro cam so everything should be good, rite? No.
It is just impossible by today's standard that digital could have the contrast ratio of film, nor the clarity and gradual colour changes on the "primitive" medium.
Just itching to get a film SLR.
*Took a little walk with little Donald today too. We bought an ice cream and shared it. (we're not gay; we just want ice cream... =p)
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I love my Computer Graphics class (for now).
This is where we learn to play with Photoshop and create some really nifty tricks like sharpening images (the advanced way....), tweaking levels, removing color casts and changing hues on selected areas of subjects.
We had to do this today...
turn this very very very very familiar person into something much more... humble...
So i did this... (we were supposed to just turn him bald. I went a few steps ahead and added a goatee plus lowered his eyebrow and made him feel uncomfortable.)
He's so darn cute....
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I discovered a roll of expanded film somewhere in my room yesterday as well. Right after soccer, i sent if for developing, and instead of askin for prints, i asked for it to be put on CD. it's cheaper in a way. $9.50, and it's in digital, therefore it's easy to edit and retouch the picture then saving it and sending the selected pictures for developing.
I found in the roll a few lost memories. particularly, the day i let my two little turtles go into Lower Seletar Reservoir. Dion and Marcus were with me. i remmeebrt hose turtles.. i bought them right after the guys held their first weekly soccer matches in 2002.
Lower Seletar. Taken on a basic film camera (those snap and shoot type...). I'm indeed lucky that somehow, the sky appeared so beautiful when this picture was taken. Who knew that a few days later... something tragic would happen.
Marcus playin with Sam and Dion trying to hump one of the turtles. lol.
Then there's the last few games the guys had soccer (this was before poly started). It was a fluke that i somehow decided to bring film camera out for a walk.
There's Jason, Dion and Henry.
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Here are some pictures i took today. They have been edited with Photoshop. All i did, really, was just sharpening the images, desaturating most of them, and increasing the contrast ratio.
A candid shot of Donny Teo...
Another candid shot.
Aww....
Shallow depth of field!!! lol...
5 years i've known him and he still yawns the same way....
Last but not least, my favourite shot of the day (how i wish the original was not off-focus).
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That's all folks. tomorrow's photography class (3 hrs of it! Then home...). Cant wait.
Oh yeah.... Almost missed this one. taken at Far East.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
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It's common practice that I write out a few posts on Wordpad then choose which one is to be put up on Mein Bereich the day after.
To me, blogging is like running a business. Seems like now, my business is failing.
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Three days with Henry, Aik and Tharik. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
I always look forward to friday evenings, when our litle gatherings are held across the island. This week was at City Hall and Bugis and Suntec.
Friday has also turned out to be the day i spend time in town since my class finishes at 11am.
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Soccer today. Took Sam out for a spin. Doctor said I shouldnt stay in the sun for too long (and standing in a spot for too long as well); I get nauseated easily.
Sam has learnt how to perform shallow depth of field today.
Just a matter of opening up the iris, zooming in to subject, setting up ND filter on and increasing the shutter speed.
I took some frames out of the video taken and edited them in Photoshop Elements since I cant find the crack for Photoshop CS2.
here are the shots.
That's Aik on the left. Picture was desaturated, a bit of grain was also added.
Vikky. edited in the same way as Aik's. Just that i tinkered more with the RGB levels.
Don Teo. I wanted to crop the picture to produce a tighter image, with his neck being the subject, but was too lazy. *add a one liner on the bottom left of the frame. Could be fun.
here's Don again (in colour!). picture was edited by copying another picture, stylizing it with "find edges", then overlayed on the original. I overdid this one.
I particularly like this picture. It was desaturated, but not to the max. Contrast was increased a figure or two. (This picture may lead to my next war video.)
Then there's Henry and Aik. A bit of noise was added. I can think up of so many stories with this photo..... Two Friends...
then there's Henry...
My photography skills still suck.
I'm planning to spend 300 bucks on a low end film SLR to practice photography.
The Canon EOS 66 seems comfy...
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it's that time of the year again, where noone is in North View... and the year is coming to an end. What;s the significance?
CCA Open House.
Once again, i volunteer myself to "help" in the open house by producing propaganda.
This year would be the same as the previous two years; video and pictures.
I'm planing a banner. A simple one... just like the "Kein Aber. Der Schein Trügt.", Simple. Black. a portrait.
Then as for the video, a rather complex mix of parallel editing which escalates in gusto as it shows shots of Hitler-inspired speeches and commanding men in uniforms looking about plus maybe a few running boots here and there. The look of the picture will most probably be like those above.
i sure hope i can get the Mark IVs from Mr. Chan though. I hate the M16 because of it simplicity. It's bloody fun to shoot, though.
Will be producing a layout for Sir soon.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
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I dont understand why Harry Potter is such a big hit (watched the movie ACCIDENTALLY yesterday night with the guys during our weekly meetings)
Yes, I agree that the visual effects are absolutely works of art and realistic to the sense that there was actual depth perception and accurate physics (fluttering of masts is a good example), though the operators that were in the projection room in yishun GV didnt do a good job in calibrating the projector; slightly off-focus, dark and the volume of the speakers was turned up way beyond the recommended level - explosions became a mix of high treble and static.
There were many suppposedly funny moments in the film (the little girls behind us were laughing ever so contentedly, with me basically "huh-ing" at what the joke is all about.) Maybe the English accent just turns me off or that i wasnt quick enough to catch what they were saying onscreen.
Sets were very elaborate with plenty of low-key lighting. Overall, the color pallete consisted of blue, brown, black, marroon and other similar colours. The grass even loooked a bit dull and gray on sunny scenes. Cinematography was done quite nicely, really. I saw some very basic special effects shots like a canted shot, dolly up to object shot, zoom in shots... but were used in good effect. No need for fancy transitions. All was straight cuts. No fades. The editor was skillful in his work as well, cutting at the exact moments where things would make an impact.
However, story-wise, it left me a lot to be desired. basically Harry does nothing to achieve his goal, being turned into nothing more than a mindless scapegoat of very very impressive figures, like the professor and the other old bearded wizards. I like the diversity of the characters, really. Though the "final boss" (term borrowed from games, duh) had a very short appearance, not something expected; it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Goblet of Fire was very draggy at times. Lots of dialogue. But i understand, because it somehwat follows the system of stage acting, which required quite a load of poetry and fluffy words in its dialgoues.... and i stil have no idea who the hell the bad guy was, and what was the struggle about.
and Mr. Potter is not 17?!?!?!? He's 14?!?!?! oh dear.. i feel so under-developed; he has more pit hairs than me.
Obviously, this is not a proper review. I wonder why people liek the story. Is it because of the effects? the characters? the story? or are they simply Potter-nerds? Tharik seems to know every single "system code" of Harry Potter; i couldnt shut him up as he went on and on with Potter trivia and the famous question,"Is this CG or real?"
80% of the film is probably CG, IMO.
But very impressive, really. The seaweeds unraveled my long forgotten fear: underwater.
*not another Potter or LOTR movie for me, again. Fantasy = outta the window.
Friday, November 18, 2005
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I've just watched the movie, Vertigo. it's part of my assignment for Intro to Film; watch a film, criticise it. It's not as simple as that little section of New Paper reviews, let me tell you pinheads.
This movie is really a suspense film. But i found myself complaining to Charlene on MSN in the middle of the movie if i should go on watching because i was indeed scared shitless throughout the film. i never liked the idea of women being possessed or dying or paintings of them flashing onscreen (mind you, not a single blood spill in this humble 1958 movie).
Which brings me to contemporary issues with myself. lol.
I have this fear of women dying. Maybe it's something to do with my awful awful awful AWFUL past. I can never get over it. It sickens me. It makes me fearful. It;s just not something i can hold in.
(My other fear is darkness; that, we all know.)
I also fnd women very very different creatures. Maybe it's only me, but a lot of women always have this certain smell. Maybe it's their long hair. Maybe's its from their very flesh. But i do not like it. it smells pungent. it leads me to think of oil and yellow liquid. it reminds me of my sister. This is probably one of my majot turn-offs when meeting girls. I come near to them, expecting to smell a very nice scent (some girls, really do smell good. Very.) but onyl to sniff that icky "sister-smell".
Then the thought of me getting into the hair and between the thighs just becomes repulsive.
But im glad that not all my women-friends smell bad. Maybe i'm used to it, really, because i frequently notice this only when meeting new people.
Women do scare me. Not as in the "scared to meet" type (cheeky, that's what they called me), just fearful of seeing them in awkward positions (not sex) particularly: dead, fighting for their lives, in war, injured, bleeding, being foolish, clowning around.
Some of you might find it strange, but i find a lot of women adorable when they are so sad, they cry (though sometimes, i just feel so triumphant seeing certain types of women cry.)
Probably it's best i leave women off my priority list.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
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I am deeply frustrated by my foolish complacency in the art of language, photography and videography.
I fear that my English has been reduced to nothing more than a degenerate skill within me, concluded by my recent and frequent self-observations; simple words such as "conversation" become difficult to understand when i hear it being spoken by someone. I frequently lose concentration whenever someone speaks a long sentence ( otherwise i would be actively digesting every word spoken with deep sensual pleasure ) and I am at a loss of words more frequently than i were two years ago.
It is indeed depressing for me as i regard language a very high-level art and one that i strive to gain knowledge and fluency in, though I have no intent whatsoever to speak in a poetric or court-room like manner as I find that impractical to be understood.
I have always been inspired by photographs, especially high contrast, near monochrome ones that are rich in detail and patterns (possibly explaining my attraction to nuts on bolts on a WW2 Japanese and Russian tanks.) . The recent photography class had our pictures returned in a slide and cd format. While everyone else was struck with awe in the technology incorporated with slides (i think that existed long before, really) and some awesome photographs taken by them (Justin's tree bark photo had a magnificient number of details), i sat in the corner of the bench, bitter and angry at the selfish lack of attention i gave into my pictures. These are the best ones i have.
The grass is probably nicer to look at due to the detail, but the only thing i see that was actually me in it was the position of the grass relative to the framing. No effort whatsoever has been done in telling a story with this single photograph; ultimately, it's just another photo. Total waste. Though one could think up of a story of little people living underneath those leaves....
Uninteresting photos.
*There is definitely nothing special with this shot.
*Dark photos. Unintended, unprofessional, idiot.
*note that I didnt focus on intended subject. Stupidity.
Complacency on my part. Snap-and-shoot as i were. Lack of planning. Attention to detail and mise en scene, absent.
I never want to see these pictures again. Total waste. Waste of film. Waste of time.
*I consider film photography a much higher art than those with digital. It is disheartening to see photographers converting to digital with the resaon that it is cheaper in the long run and less mistakes would be made. By this, I feel that the real skill in photography has been diminished; knowing the camera. Too many people have said photography is a simple snap-and-shoot affair, and has been seduced into the money-mongers of the media world as another advertisement tool.
Videography, the very art form that has driven me all these years to imagine myself as many different people and to see the entire universe as a stage; a vast area where possibilities are endless and the immense variety of choices available, is currently the major source of my collapse. Sam is dying. He has been left alone, on his own, kicked around all over the floor. I feel his sadness. He doesnt say it. He subtlely shows it in my work. Like that pair of sad eyes in the corner. A boy, in rags, cuddling in the cold, too weak to even whisper for help, he quietly gazes on at me. Ive pushed Sam too hard. Deliberately asking him to work around the clock even with the knowledge that he is ill. Now, he lays limp on that cold pedestal, sprawled in his bare essentials like an Aztec sacrifice, ready to succumb to fate.
His depression has silently crawled onto me like black venomous liquid. My videos are blunt. They are grainy. They lack depth. They lack story. They lack a good setting. They lack art. They, lack, art.
I spent a night looking at Sam and the two humble boxes that contain works he has produced so enthusiastically for me. Complacency showed again, on my part. The very disease that denied me of the otherwise more successful life i could lead, in NCC, in NVSS, at home, in Ngee Ann and in society.
The thought of quitting this line of work flashes by every now and then, like the flashes of a point-and-shoot photographer.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
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It is here that my shopping spree ends.
I went to far. Today, in class, i auctioned for a cannon shell from the post ww2 era and I WON. Now, the seller and I are figuring out the best method to ship that thing since we sure as hell dont wanna be famous for closing down Heathrow and Changi Airport. I paid 2 pounds for the thing and the shipping, by surface, is 8 pounds. That;s a total of 40 dollars.
and the little Nazi coin is arriving in about a week.
and the ww2 trenchcoat (used by a Lieutenant in Gaudalcanal before he died) is currently being packaged.
Total amoutn i spent?
AU$6 plus 10 pounds plus US$30.
Which amounts to about err...... *stress stress....* .... SGD$112.
and the bulk of the expenses goes to that stupid shipping prices. And to add salt to the wound, I've cut around the shipping prices all the way to its bare bones with Surface Mail and since Christmas is coming, 6 weeks is required for the items to be transported. Well at least the coin is coming in two weeks. (could u imagine!?!?! surafce mail from England??!! that thing will have traveled halfway round the world to me. Zzz freeloader. lol.)
now we wonder why the hell do i keep buying these seemingly useless things.
Think of it as my Jolin merchandises as it is to Charlene. We're collectors. The difference is that i go for old dead men's property.
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We all know that we have this evil joy when we lie or bluff others then ride on the benefitial outcomes. At least, i do. I call it acting, in a twisted kind of way.
Ive told countless of lies. and i keep repeating them over and over again over the years that a psychological phenomenon happens; i start to think of it as truth.
In fact, I have a few imageries and memories of something but i get caught whther it's just one of my often repeated lies or it really is the truth.
Mind you, this happens over the span of months or years.
Some details of my childhood have been exaggerated or diminished, stretched and shrunk till it becomes something dishonest.
Lying was something i did many times since i was young, sort of like a channel for me to bluff myself into thinking i'm in a different situation then i were.
or maybe that didnt happen.
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The other day i went over to the cemetery.
Brought home a couple of stones from my grandparent's place.
and a piece of cloth that was tied to grandpa's tombstone.
Oh, i miss my grandma.
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Below is the Savage Cavings poster. Two of the names have been masked, because of a deal i made with them both. In other words, they're shy.
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