at17: 才女

歌手：At 17 | 作曲：林二汶@At 17
填詞：于逸堯@人山人海 | 編曲：梁基爵@人山人海


世界不知不覺無情地轉
勞碌找一個救生圈
靠美德博學還離岸很遠
用美色多勝算

可惜我只配談文字戀
強項得書信對白婉轉
講曲線體態自然落選
憑面相難完心願

蕭伯納　王爾德　但丁
莎士比亞　馬奎斯　小仲馬
請指點我去用情書將心扣住
辛棄疾　矛盾　魯迅　蘇軾
求可體恤我筆尖的計算
長話盼　盡說短　人海中等惜字緣

交心的戀愛漸成歷史
唯獨我堅信愛像種子
悉心栽花卻換來白紙
才用眼淚來寫字

伊索　屠格涅夫　狄更斯
歐威爾　艾可　卡爾維諾
幾本書的背後埋藏著我心事
張愛玲　曹禺　老舍　冰心
如果早幫我寫命運情節
從未怕　命太短　惟恐寫不好那段緣
盼成全

----------------------------------------------

Really touching song from at17's newest CD...
it is about someone who cannot connect with other ppl...
except with her writing...

I guess ppl always telling me i have barriers around myself and not often open up to other ppl...
except when talking to topics that i am interested in..movies, books...
then i will have shining eyes and get really excited....
other than that i will be like really slow to react...=P

I guess after i have spend 4 yrs in UT getting a degree (Act Sci and Eco) that i don't really like...
since i am not going into that field....
i always tell myself that i need to do more...read more... learn more...
to make up for the time and the knowledge that i miss....
watch more films... read more theories..more stuff about the mass culture...
and somehow... build a wall around myself in the meantime...
thinking that i am not good enough...so have to work harder...
but lost the sense of why i am chasing my dream in the first place...

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Guess if i know how to read or decode some of the msg of films or media...
but don't know how to share it with ppl...
then it is of no use to me...

Guess if i read an amazing book that inspired me...
but cannot use it to inspire other ppl...
then it is of no use to me...

Guess if i only have knowledge (which is not alot)....
and don't know how to love or care for ppl around me..
then all i am striving for is worth nothing....

Cheer Chen's "Too Much"

太多

歌手：陳綺貞 | 作曲：陳綺貞
填詞：鴻鴻 | 編曲：陳建騏

喜歡一個人孤獨的時刻
但不能喜歡太多
在地鐵站或美術館
孤獨像睡眠一樣鍡養我

以永無止盡的墬落
需要音樂取暖
喜歡一個人孤獨的時刻
但不能喜歡太多

喜歡一個陽光照射的角落
但不能喜歡太多
是幼稚園的小朋友
笑聲像睡眠一樣打擾我

我們輕輕的揮一揮手
凝結照片的傷口
我喜歡一個陽光照射的角落
但不能喜歡太多

喜歡一個人孤獨的時刻
但不能喜歡　太多
-----------------------------------------------------

Can't be alone too much...
or else may not be able to come back out...
once you got used to being a good friend with loneness...

Cheer's new CD is really great...
she doesn't sale her looks..
don't have to be sexy or cute...
just plain and simple...
lay bare herself and her passion in music..
her lyrics have a taste that is bittersweet which stays in your mind for days...
she is able to observe the little things in our daily lives and put them into "poetic" scenery...
she is really one of the rare artists right now who writes all her own music and lyrics..also did the composing..
really admire her...(also at17...and ???)

Cheer's passion was so great..
that when her contact with "Rolling Stones" ended a couple of years ago...
she couldn't get anyone to make music for her..
she gone into a deep depression and kinda a nervous breakdown..
until Avex Trax singed her...
i am really amazed at how people can put their whole lives into something that they love so much and to die for...
great CD... have a listen....

www.cheerego.com
go to "Frame" and will be able to see the latest MVs...
enjoy...=D

The Perfect Evening

Sometimes i just like to be alone...
just make myself invisible for a while..
just go "flow" around malls...
to bookstores, HMVs...browsing...
hide myself at home watching movies that i have bought for years and still having have a chance to watch...
like to clean my room when i am down..
hang all my clothes and sweaters that have been lying on the floor everytime i took them off at the end of the day..
books and CDs everywhere...all scattered on the floor...
i am not kidding... sometimes it is so crowded that i can't even walk to my bed...
i guess what is the pt of cleaning the room if it is only going to be messy again in like 2 or 3 days max...
but it is kinda like a ritual that i do...
everytime i do the cleaning, i will put on really loud music with my stereo...
and singing and dancing around my room...
until finally everything looks great...
and go and take a nice hot, long shower..
the feeling of being clean...both myself and my room...
just feels really great...
then just go down to the basement...
pick out a DVD... open a bottle of red wine..
a perfect evening...

P.S...sometimes i just think that...
Do i leave my room messy so that i can go through this process and redeem myself...
.....
.....
....
....
nah....just making an excuse for myself...for being lazy...=P

化哀傷為舞蹈

「我們在生活中可能需要放手的，莫過於日常關係這方面。愛一個人意味著容讓對方以任何方式回應你，而不受你的控制。」

「愛最奧妙之處就是，你既可得著愛，也可能一無所得。每次你愛別人，你正冒這個險。」


盧雲著，《化哀傷為舞蹈——在逆境中尋得盼望》

Lie With Me

I was able to get a free pass to see Clement Vergo's new film Lie With Me in the Film Theory class...
it was screened at the Toronto Film Fest..but since there was quite a bit of sexuality in it..so i decided not to go..however, after the screenings, the critics and audiences loved it...not because of the nudity, but cause it truly was a great film...so i had to see it myself to find out...


The story is about Laurie, a pretty, young woman who is looking for adventure...
she goes out to clubs every night..to dance with strangers and have one night stands with them...
or watch porn at home...stage play, give commands for the guys to do...
Laurie is not satisfy that only the men are having fun... leaving their "scent" everywhere...
so she kinda want to gain back the power...
her life goes on as usual until she finally met David, whom she loved and really want to spend time with...
but how will the relationship work out between them?? is it just a sexual relationship??

In this movie, the role of the gender is switched... or on a level playing field..
it is usually the man who goes out and finds pretty girls in most movies..
but this time, the story is told from a woman's point of view...
it is showing how the relationship between man and woman are down to just physical pleasure...
that they don't even have to know each others' names...
and that it is after the sexual act that they introduce themselves or have a date...
to go out for dinner or do something...

Shot right here in downtown Toronto, queen street...
the overall photographic look is really great...
the clothes, the makeup, the hair, the sets...are all really great...
because there a lots of hype on how much nudity there are in the film..
so the director just gives the audience the very thing that they want to see at the very beginning..lots of it too...
it is kinda to the point where...
ohh...ok...another love scene...um...already seen her naked several times...
um....anything else??
now that the audience is satisfy, the story can move on...
This movie is way more than just a movie with lots of sex..
is really beautifully shot...not like any old cheap XXX movies...
it works just like how the relationships ppl have nowadays...
have all the sex first...
then build the relationship or think about if he/she is the one that we love..
have all the sex first...
then tell the story...
and every sex scene that was in the movie, there was a purpose..
it advances the plot, builds up the relationship tension between Laurie and David..
gives more emotional depth to the characters...

Laurie says...
"It doesn't matter if it is a one night stand, had sex for a week, or 10 months or 5 years...it still hurts the body..."

It is really sad to see the message of the film...
and the truth behind it...
As the story advances...
Laurie really fell in love with David..
having come from a broken family...
but all she knows is how to have sex...and didn't know how to love a person
so when David is having problems and needs someone to care about...
she doesn't know what to do or how to handle it.. how to care for him...
all she can do is just give him physical pleasure..
which is not the thing that he needs...
she really do love him or care about David...
but just don't know how to express it...
and that's the saddest part of the movie..
which is also true to the youth today or society as a whole...
because of the causal relationships that the masses have in society...
they are only after the physical relationship...
cannot really connect with others emotionally...
and if they were not able to connect, then they will just think that just don't love the person enough..
so just go out and find another partner to fill the empty space inside of them...
with the only way that they know how...

There are several references with the characters looking at the mirror...
it is like the baby's first time looking at the mirror, the image of themseleves...
confused...looking for their identity...

I remember i was asked by some friends that..
why are you guys not talking about sex..
why are you guys not comfortable with sex?
it is our sexuality, we should be comfortable with it..

Then i answered...
it is because we do cherish it...
and that everyone in the society do it... or they tell you to do it..
doesn't mean that it is right...
and it doesn't mean that i am not comfortable with my sexuality..
i am very comfortable...
know what to expect or should treat a lady as a man...
i guess they are the ones who are not alright with their identity and sexuality, so that's why have have to look for these kinds of adventures to prove to themselves...

and i do think that it hurts a relationship alot..when it does happen so fast..
when the relationship is not even mature...
will just breaks it up...hurts both parties emotionally and physically...

This is a really great film..
but really have to watch with discretion and discernment

Saint Exupery's "The Little Prince" Quiz

You are the flower.


Saint Exupery's 'The Little Prince' Quiz.
brought to you by Quizilla

World's Biggest Lie: Conformity

What is the World's Biggest Lie?
"That at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate." The Alchemist


I don't know when it had started..
when something bad had happen to us..like getting fired from a job.. breaking up from a relationship...getting into an accident...having sickness....that we just say.. it must be fate... that's why this is happening to me...
and since it is fate/God that has already decided for me... there is no use for me to do anything... cause it is already set... nothing can be changed...

I think the biggest lie in the world is actually democracy...
Living in a capitalist society.. they are always saying democracy is better than communist or dictatorship...
that their voters have free will to choose who will be their prime minister... or president...
they will someone who will work for the country's best interest...

And what is their country's best interest?
as long as everyone gets feed... the economy blooming...
and when the economy goes bad.. Unemployment rates go up...
the government will just say...
the economy is not in our control... because it is a global issue.. there is nothing that can be done by the government...
and the mass of people will just think.. hey it is true.. they can't control it.. it is not like they do it on purpose so that i lose my job...must be fate...

but the economy is just rules of demand/supply...rules of economics that are being played with the big guys...
who are the ppl that makes the most money when there is war...
who are the ones that gets the biggest contact to rebuild a city when it is under a disaster...
when the stock market "suddenly" drops by like 1000 pts... i wonder who is behind that...


Democracy is just the same as tyranny...
Trannity uses force and fear to get their citizens under control...
Democracy are just capitalist who uses the economic system with the media to control the people...
The only way that you are going to have a better life is if you vote for me...
"i promise i will cut taxes... offer jobs...blah blah blah...."
Whoever does the best marketing and control the media, news...
controls the masses...

We don't even care if you have good leadership... or moral values...
as long as give us what they want... enough money to consume...fill our desires

Just like in Brave New World , give them enough drugs to keep the elite happy and satisfy,then their minds will be numb and will do whatever you want...just like a herd of sheep... all they need is food and water.. and will follow their sheppard everywhere...

The biggest danger that we are facing today...
Conformity...to conform with what we call the "reality of life"...the formula of life......

CFC Shoot: Anchor

I was really glad that i was able to go to a Canadian Film Center shoot the past week...
it was really fun and learned a lot of stuff..
the director was an Italian, and was really good.. he knows what he was doing and had great communication with the DOP...
the script was really interesting...
and the actors are really amazing performers...
one thing is that it was in Oakfield and was really cold...
the wind was blowing all day and had a really bad headache afterwards... >_<
Also, one of the hardest scene to do is that the kid needs to "catch" a grasshopper...
so we needed to smoked the grasshopper dead first...
and place it carefully on the rocks..
but since it was so windy... and the kid squashed like 2 grasshopper with the bottle by accident..
was the longest scene that we need to take..
a warning to everyone.. do not use another live insects in ur film...




The story is about a guy, Gene, wanting to commit suidcide, and was lying in the bottom of a swimming pool..waiting for the sky to rain.. so that he can drown and kill himself.. and can blame on God who have killed him...







this kid, Oren, came by and saw him..
told him that he is going to flow if it does really rain..
and he went and got lots of rocks and placed it on him..
so that he is going to die for sure...
the man was buried by tons of rocks on him...
it is pretty funny...and was really hard to actually bury the guy..
we had to have 9 bags of river rocks..
which is like about 80 pounds each...really really heavy..
took a long time to place all the rocks on him..
you have to imagine that we had to pick the rocks ALL BACK into the bags after the scene...
it was really a big mess..but it looked really great on film..
can't wait to see it...


One of the lines that Gene explained why he wanted to die was really interesting,
"Disease, Debt, and Divorce, the worst a man can get, the holy trility"
which is really true, where lots of middle age ppl have to face nowadays...
I guess we all have our own problems,
but i think that we do need to take control of our own lives and take care of our own happiness...
no matter how bad it gets...
there is always a way out..
so we should never give up on ourselves..
or let other ppl take over of our lives...

at17 and chet Lam concert

I was at the at17 concert some time ago..
which was really great..
i love their songs and their singing...
esp. when they sing live.. which i think it is really rare to have good Live singers in HK nowadays...
and Chet Lam is also there too...
even though i don't know most of his songs..
i do know that he is really talented...
the lyrics and songs he had written are really touching...

at17 is one of the few bands that i actually buy a CD for..
i always thought that they are named "at17" because their band is formed when they were age 17...
but in the concert they had lots of stories
and they it is actually cause Chet really loved Janis Ian..
the group is named after one of his songs at 17...

Each song that was written has its own story...
mostly when they were missing someone or are in love...
i guess i have some stories with their songs too...

I remember at17's very first album..."Meow Meow Meow"
which came out a couple of years ago...
at that time.. i was just broken up from a relationship..
and Eman and Ellen's voices really comforted me in those hard times...
their lyrics are always in my icq info at the time...
你有自己一套... dont' need to think about what others are doing to you..

若是沒希望不會失望
愛寂寞難道更好
若是付出不想有收獲
你要說服誰為你鼓掌

everyone says that to love is to give..
but if you don't expect anything back in return..
in reality... u really want ppl to notice what u have put in for the other person...

始終一天

愛 始終一天我會比較愛自己
(愛 始終一天你會發覺我還愛得起)
你會羞愧自責 不珍惜我
想東想西想你定會想清楚
我也不再在意我應該得到幾多
忘掉你 揭了瘡疤 心魔放開
隨便作樂 隨便相愛
決心不會一改再改


cause i know that

永遠有不妥協傷口
有些憾事不放手
若你太刻意淡忘
越會補不到缺口
Why don’t you just hug someone just kiss someone
The best is yet to come
最好的尚未來臨

Thank you at17...
For going through the tough times with me and help heal my wounds...

God and His relation with Film

One of my friend who is taking a class in art and Christianity asked me one night while i was driving her back home,
"What do you think is the relationship between God and film??"
"Um... i guess God is the director and he is the creative control of everything that happens in our lives...
the screenwriter, all the story plots, how the character develops, it is all under his plans,
Also the producer, controls all the budget that is avail. in this "film"...
Well.. the rest of the production crew, you pick them up along the way, who are our friends, co-workers, partner, enemy..."
(I did not give her this answer at that time, only the director part, the rest are just add ons just now..)

After that night, this question is still on my mind and think that there is something that should in a deeper level...
on the tip of my tongue and just can't get it out...
and to think or call myself a movie lover...

So i had to ask for help...
since i do have the honor to drive Joey in and out from her friend's house, and also work on the fundraising video with her day and nite.. i can get lots of advice from her...
just to intro her abit.. Joey is someone from HK breakthrough who is on vacation here for a month...she is very friendly and funny, but also very knowledgeable and deep yet humble at the same time...
learnt a lot from her...

When i asked her this same question...
she shoot another question back at me...
"What is the most important element in a film??"


I thought about it for a while and said,
"I think it is the director and his passion with the story...
the director needs to be touched by the film's story himself first,
before he can make the audience feel the emotions of the characters..
and the director needs to believe in the msg that he is telling,
because it is really hard to make a film, tough work,
if the director don't believe in it..
he will give up easily and can't lead the rest of the team to complete the project..."

Joey thought about it for a while and responded,
"That's true too...haha..
but i didn't expect it to be that deep of a level..
just what is the most necessary thing that you need to doing a shoot...
.....
.....
it is LIGHT...
You cannot do anything without light...
because light is the most basic thing that is needed to print the picture onto the film stock..
without light, nothing can be done...
and GOD IS LIGHT...
without God, nothing can be done..."


Then i am like WOW...
"That's right, how can i forget the most basic and important and obvious thing there is...
and just like we forget about God all the time...
depending on our talent or skills...
but without God...
what we do is meaningless..."

Thoughts on 927 fundraising

The fundraising is over...and had some thoughts and reflections on it after...
i was suppose to lead the video team in the fundraising video..
because the time is so limited, just 2 wks time, need to edit together a 5 min video with like 10 tapes of material...
and with the film fest going on.. just don't know how to do it...

at first i really have no idea how to begin..
cause i was just depending on my ideas and think that it is an easy job.. no problem..
but then i realized how limited i was...
because there are interviews of 5 volunteers, 2 pair of parents...
just too much footage...too fragmented..too little screen time...
was totally frustrated...

then the J4 and Eugenie had meeting and had done some interviews in Parcific mall with youths..
the video flow begins to come out...
and because this is a fundraising video...
needs to be touching and have tears in it..
so more tears.. more chq writing...
we calculated carefully which parts will be the most touching..
how we lost our best friends, how parents all moved back to HK, living alone here, with no one to celebrate with for holidays..
the music are all enchanting the effect...
i thought.. hey it is going to be great.. the most touching video we can do in this limited time...

then on the fundraising nite..
everything was great...
the speakers are really touching...
and the video played..
and what happened??
the voice for the most important parts.. the parts where it should be the most touching...
is gone.. just have the video images and no sound.. and only those parts...
which was tested before the actual show...and everything was fine.....

I was really unhappy and disappointed..
because the video is incomplete...
and it is one of my great piece of work yet.. and it is ruined...
but what can we do about it.. it is over...

Then last nite.. at Joey's farewell dinner..
she said that the tech problem of the video...may have some meaning...
we calculated all the parts that are touching..
but have to remember..
that it is not our work that touched ppl...
it is God who touches ppl...
we depends too much on ourselves and what we say....
but it is God who do all the work...

I guess i can see God's presence everytime had to do a video for an event...
like the City Mosaic video..the Refeel event.. and the 927 fundraising video..
it is everytime that we need to print it to a DV tape that it doesn't work..
and needs to have prayers to support the "tech" side of the computer that it comes out..

maybe it is a way to remind me again and again of His presence...

What Mixed Drink Are You? / Keys to Your Heart Quiz

You Are An Appletini

Most of the time, you're a typical party girl / guy.
But when you get super sauced, you really up your sex appeal.

What Mixed Drink Are You?

Keys To Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

Keys to Your Heart

Post Secret

I discovered a very interesting blog from other bloggers..
it is to post a secret that you dare not to tell anyone..
you can just make your own postcard and mail it to the address provided..
and you can then finally let your secret out of your system..

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

Maybe Tony Leung in "In the Mood of Love" could have used this method instead of the tree hole...

If you are to post your secret..
what would you tell??

Check it out..
postsecret.blogspot.com

Youth Voice

What's your challenges today/nowadays?
What did you learn from Across?
How did Across influence you?
Why do you love Across?

Because of the fundraising dinner for Across U-hub,
volunteers are asked to answer the above questions..
to give our sponsors and guest a sense of our challenges we are facing today...


The challenges that i am facing today,
is the search for my path...
I believe that God has given me a purpose in life,
i have tried to step out to trust on God to lead the way..
I am attending night school for my continuing education for Film Production..
I have decided to continue to work at Across to help our youths in Toronto..

But what's next?
What can i do?
What can i do with the knowledge that i get from film,
the volunteering experience that i gained from Across??
Have to be still, and listen to God's voice...

I learned a lot from Across...
I learn that being a Christian, doesn't not mean that you have to live a boring life...
People always think that Christians are restricted and can't do lots of things..
but i learned from Across that we are here on earth with a mission..

I learned to have discernment..to tell what's right/wrong, in messages given by the media, peers, community, government..
to collect different opinions from different ppl, and make a decision or judge with my mind what is really correct, instead of just listening to what others think...

I learned to open up my mind to different things, to appreciate the multiculturalism in Toronto..
To appreciate our roots, to the advantages that we have as a Chinese in Canada..

People in Across have a lot of passion in life..
they stress on "life influence one another's life"
Gives me the courage to chase after my dream...

I love Across, because it cherish all the youths, volunteers that cross its path..
the mentors in Across have lots of passion, really great teacher in giving directions on future, career paths..
friendly, approachable, never too busy for the lives of the young people..

Blog the Fest: The Willow Tree, a film with great msg and gospel

The Willow Tree
Director: Majid Majidi
Country: Iran

This is really a great film, the best i have seen so far in the fest..
the cinemaography is beautifully shot, lots of imagery, symbols of meanings...
lots to think about
it is based on a true story, about a professor who had been blind since he was 8 by firework sparks..
he had a great family, a caring wife and a loving daughter..
his world is a paradise,
he never complained a bit for his blindness for 35 yrs..

Until one day, he found out there maybe a tumor under his eyes and he had to go to Paris for an operation..
which happens to give his sight back...
Upon his return to Iran, Youssef is overwhelmed by sensations both visual and emotional. Soon he is no longer grateful for all he has been given, but instead begins to see his life as a series of experiences stolen from him by his years of blindness. Turning away from the devotion of his wife, he becomes obsessed with the beauty of a woman he hardly knows..

When Youssef first regains his sight, he saw his own reflections in the window,
just like how a new born baby sees themselves in the mirror..
and Youssef was given a new life, a new chance...
but all he sees is his old aged face, the ugliness of his body..
never give thanks to God whom have give what he wished for all his life...
Youssef only sees what was taken away from him all these years, losing the best years in life...

The film is full of gospel messages..
when Youssef gives his prayer to God, he promised that if he was able to get through this, he will follow his God forever..
When he was given another chance in life by getting his eyesight back, he quickly forgot about his prayer and is obsess with his new desire for women...
What he thought was a paradise when he couldn't see, turns out to be just a brokendown old house that he is living in...
I really like the contast of images between the before/after sight scenes..
It really shows how human are not satifise with what they already have...
and is easily tempted by material things, and bodily desires...

"Have you seen enough yet?
Are your eyes satisfied?"

It is just like God asking if we have been able to get what we want in life..
are we satisified with all the material things, worldly needs that we set our eyes on,
and is blinded by them and do not see what we truly need??

Is your heart satisfy?


When One doesn't appreciates what God gives them, rather it is a special skill, or his mighty love,
if you don't know how to appreciate it..
God will take it back, since you have no use for it..
which also happened to Youssef in the end of the movie...

God also takes back Youssef's eyesight because God loved him,
love him so much that doesn't want Yousset to go on the wrong path again..
to stop him from doing anymore wrong...


Willow Tree in Persian means it is a really weak tree, it sways with the wind wherever the wind blows..
and it symbolizes Youssef's morals as the world blows by him..


The Rain is another symbol being use a lot in the film,
like when Youssef was in Paris for the operation,
he was revived by the rain, and able to see again..
when Youssef is back in Iran and searching for his new path and direction, it is raining in the city again..
Towards the end, when he has lost everything, his mother, his family, his eyesight..
he just runs around the city and was trapped inside a metal fence..
again it is raining really hard, which acted as a means to cleanse his sins away...

I give it a 4.5/5

Blog the Fest: Seven Swords

Film Title: Seven Swords
Director: Tsui Hark


Early in the Qing Dynasty, the royal court has imposed a ban forbidding the practice of martial arts in an effort to prevent an uprising. A military official named Fire-Wind (Sun Hong-lei), sees an opportunity to make a fortune by helping enforce the prohibition. After massacring countless innocent people, he targets the last hold-out: Martial Village. Retired executioner Fu Qin-zhu - played by famed Shaw Brothers Studio director Lau Kar-leung - resolves to protect the community and travels to distant Mount Heaven to procure the services of Master Shadow-Glow (Ma Jing-wu), a legendary swordsmith. Together they enlist a number of young warriors and bestow seven unique swords upon them to use in battle against Fire-Wind ruthless army.

The latest from Tsui Hark, never really a big fan of his work, the last one of his work that i saw was Time and Tide, and i liked his "Sinnui yauwan" serie...
since i know this is a pretty big production for Seven Swords, and my friend is a big fan of TH's films, so i guess i will give it a try and see it on the big screen..


WHICH, is not that great of a decision...
The camerawork is alright, the Kung Fu style that Tsui always employed, just the usual Lau Kar Leung work..and what i expected to see in the film..
BUT the story just failed really bad..
Because the movie title is named "Seven Swords", so i expected the characters with these 7 swords will be more in depth and more defined...
we do not see the characters get trained, how they developed their skills, why there are these swords, how did they exist, nothing..
why they are so good and kick everyone's ass...

The intro to the 7 swordsman really sucked, the village was under attack, so they just went to the mountains to get help, and boom, some fire fell out of the sky, all the characters blacked out and out comes the swordsman from nowhere, no explaination of where they came from, and they just agree to help the villager just like that...


Wu Yuan Yin (Charlie Yeung), a normal villager who almost got kill at the beginning of the film, also was able to inherent one of the legendary swords, when she doesn't even know how to use it and almost hurt herself..

The storyline just doesn't flow..
Tsui added a few romance lines into the film,
in one scene, Yang Yun Cho (Leon Lai) just teaches Yin how to use the sword, in the next scene they are together, Charlie already fell for him..
another incident, Chu Zhao Nan (Donnie Yen) just gave a bowl of wine to the elder's daughter and bing,
she is in love with him, what she was fed a love potion in the wine??

And i don't understand when the villagers have to give up their horses, and Han is really sad to see one of them go (Joy Luck), there is none what so ever why he misses that one horse so much.. is it his childhood friend or something? the horse that he learn how to ride on?

The movie is adapted from a novel, the same author as the White Hair Bride, i have never read the novel itself, but the story/plot of the movie just is cheating its audience...

If you don't care if a movie have any content, just want to see some great action scenes, then i suggest you can just rent one of Tsui Hark's old Wong Fei-Hong or Dung Fong Bat Baai movies, which has more heart in its filmmaking and actually touches the audience..

Toronto Film Fest

"The essence of film begins when a director frames their first shot. At that very moment, the world comes into focus and another extraordinary story begins to unfold.

Among North American festivals, Toronto does the best job of being everything to everyone: a star-studded glamour tour, a collection of topical material for the casual moviegoer, a review of the current work of art-house stars, a recapitulation of the last six months of international art cinema. It draws films from over 60 countries around the world, from Vietnam to Iceland; Kazakhstan to Chile and beyond, it is a lavish collection of films from major directors, taking you on a worldwide cinematic tour.

Maybe the size of the Toronto Film Fest is a problem, lots of celebrities and media in town, creating a problem with getting tickets to movies that you want to see..I don't really hate the ticket system, having to get a coupon package in order to do a pick of films..
AND even if you have chosen your films in advance, doesn't mean you will get your film selection, you still have to have a draw out of all the other coupon holders..

So what luck do i have for this yr?? There are a total of 46 boxes..
my package was in Box # 32, and which was the box that they drew as being first??
# 36!!! so my film selections are being almost dead last, really really disappointed..
but that's life, what can you do about it..

So i will be trying to coverwhati have watched in the film fest...
giving u guys a glance at what is out there in the world cinema right now...

Paradise Now
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Country: Palestine/ The Netherlands/ Germany/ France

The headlines are sickening, but they keep coming. Suicide bombers are now a fact of life. But the questions we ask after such carnage have become helplessly rhetorical: who would do such a thing? And why?

In the West Bank town of Nablus, Said (Kais Nashef ) and his friend Khaled (Ali Suliman) eke out a meagre living fixing cars. They squabble with hard-to-please customers; they take breaks to smoke a water pipe and chat. Then a serious, bespectacled man approaches and tells them their time has come. From this moment forward, they are in preparation for their mission.

The director looks at the struggles that the occupied Nablus are going through, where their freedom are taken away, most of the citizens are living under poverty, with unemployment, and even without clean water..

" If you are afraid of death, you are already dead;
If you are not afraid, you will have a quick and smooth death "

You will try to do everything that you can toavoidd it, which already let death be the center of your live...
The main character Said, wanted to sacrifice himself so that it can change the situation of the occupation in the country..
is it as a form of resistance? or just a form of revenge?
It will just give the Israelis an excuse to keep on the occupation and do more violence in Nablus..
then is there a way out of this loop??

This movie is a way that the director is doing his rebellion...
he is using this movie as a protest to the world, to the US who are funding the Israelis...
the movie is aneutrall look at what force pushes the good hard working citizens to become a suicide martyr...

But because the director was trying not to do any condemnation or manifesto, he is keeping a distance with the film, and the characters in the movie do not have enough depth, their development is not strong enough to leave a strong impression in the audience..
It is like an essay without a strong argument, just displaying the facts, without any personal opinions..
maybe because it is a sensitive subject, so the director do not want to give too much of his views

The movie gives a clear contrast in the living standards between Israel and Nablus,
skyscrapers, imported cars, cell phones, big billboards all other the city, while the other is packed with the most basic brick houses, old used cars...
it opened the audiences eyes in the area...
This movie has lots of heart, can really see the effort that the director had put into it..

The actors are all from stage drama, the first feature movie for most of them,
but the acting was really good, esp. when the scenes are all real locations where suicide bombers shoot their final statment video before their "heroic" deed...

One of the most impressive scene is when the two characters have their final supple before they headed out..
it resembled the final supple scene in the Bible..
Jesus was having the final supple with his disciples before he heads to the cross..
to die for all the sinners of this world..
to rebel against the world order and death...
a light from God lit Jesus from above...

In the movie scene, there are also the same number of ppl..
a light from the ceiling on the two main characters...
only these two are to rebel in a worldly order,
thinking that their deeds are cherished by God..
only in a human view...

i rate 3/5 for this movie..

Future? Directions?

The summer is almost over,
when i looked back at what i did for the last few months,
i am kinda amazed how so many things can happen in just a short 3 or 4 months...
Had to organize the City Mosaic Event, got stranded in the fishing boat during a thunderstorm,
the theme program in the Get it Right Camp...
(Hope i will write a summary of each event when i have time...
which they do deserve a blog in their own right)

Now that it is all finally over..
i have a couple of days off to rest at home..
which i didn't really do much except slept, sleep, and sleeping till noon..
eat a bit, watch a movie.. and sleep again...
just feels really exhausted after everything is over..

But what's next??
What should i do about the future?

I was reading a blog from shiuto.net.. "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"
a speech by Steve Job, the founder of Apple..
He was a college drop out..
just sat in at classes in college, where he learned calligraphy..
none of it have even a hope to have practical application in his life at the time..
But helped him to make the best typography 10 yrs later for the first Apple computer...
Then he said,


"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.
So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

I guess it means that we sometimes get lost in life,
don't understand what we are doing today,
but just need to have trust in God, hold on to God's words,
that He will provide wherever you go..
he is in control..and He is connecting the dots for you...

Then Jobs go on about his career..
He was fired by Apple when he was 30...
Can you picture what it feels like..
to be rejected by the company that you have build??
It must have be so devasting...
But he did not lose his faith..just found another path of the work that he loves to do..
and started NexT and Pixar..which made the first computer animated film, Toy Story...


"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith.
I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did.
You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life,
and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.
As with all matters of the heart, you'll know,when you find it.
And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."


Looking back at my own situation..
What do i love?

Surely not my bank job.. i really hated its repetitive nature and having no impact on ppl..
looking at the numbers day and night...

I love movies, love how the media can become a platform to touch ppl's heart,
how it can interact with audience and how it can influence ppl...

I love (like?) what i am doing in Across right now..
i am really touched when i see the youth that joined our event..
how their behaviors are changed, how their lives are touched by mentors in Across..
and in some ways... touched by God...



Finally, Steve Jobs wrote about death,


"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"
And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -
these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die
is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there.
And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.
And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life.
It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.


Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."


I always asked myself the same thing..
if i were to die today, do i regret on what i have accomplished in my life?
is there anything missing?
Am i satisifed with myself?

I remembered what Ken said, after the City Mosaic event..
quoting from Gabriel from AFC..
"Life is too short to be Ordinary"...

We need to step out of our comfort zone...
and let God guide our paths..
then..
10 yrs later..
we can see how all the dots connected together..

&@*($^(%^@&$)^(*%^&#%&)@&(

I am so angry...
Why do people need to be so nosey and get into your relationships?
and to say that i am really passive and not trying to improve the relationship?

i mean is it any of YOUR business?
i really hate it when people think they knows everything and then teaches YOU how you should be acting and treating your gf? No thank you Ms. Love expert...
they are all on one side and need to protect their "sister"
I mean, every relationship is like Rashmon, each has their side of the story,
if you don't know what really did happen, plz don't give comments...
if i needed advice, i will ask for it...
Thank you every much...

Cirque Du Soleil

i went to see Cirque Du Soleil with Ceci and her father...
it had been yrs since i last went to see a circus...
the memory that i have with a circus is that it stinks from different animals..
have to be struck in a really hot and humid tent to watch clowns and ppl flying around...


The experience that i have last nite really open my eyes and see how the contemporary circus have changed..
The stage was setup in the middle of the tent,
with the audience sitting on both sides..
which made it really easy for ppl to see...
the music is really enjoyable..with live performances...
the costumes designs are really beautiful, all hand made...
no live animals, all the acts are combine together in an somewhat thin storyline...
because it is mostly in French, so don't really what they are saying...
i really love how the music is co-ordination with the action on stage..
but it is mostly just gymnastic, nothing really "dangerous"...
a lot of guys just fly around on even bars and jump around doing flip flops...
maybe they are the ones that weren't able to make the national teams
so they have to join the circus to make a living with what they know best...

When i am watching the show, a question just popped up my mind..
when did they choose to become a member of the circus..
what makes them want to join this life?
i mean.. u don't wake up one day and decide to hit the road like the movies...


so i looked them up on the web...Cirque Du Soleil

The founder of the circus Guy Laliberte
he was a streetkid when he was young,
and inspired by a music concert in New Orleans..
which led him to begin his dream to travel and entertain...

he got together a group of street performers in Montreal...
which later becomes the Cirque Du Soleil..
he chose the name by the sun itself to represent youth, energy, power and light.
His goal was to bring together creative talent around the world and brings live performances into a new level..

so now that he is successful, he is willing to give back to the community..
he is donating 1% of the annual profits of the circus to Oxfam...
helping people living in poverty around the world...
I love how he is able to be so brave, so passionate to follow his dream..
and not forgetting about those that are less fortunate..

i hope that i will be able to find my own goal and be able to follow it though like Laliberte did..
creating something so great and entertaining..
also giving back to the community..

Bad habits

I was invited to help teach in the children' Sunday School in my church..
even though i don't have that much interest in teaching them..
i went anywayz as an observer before i make my decision..

The class that i went to was one of the toughest age group..
from grade 4 to grade 7..
this group of boys have been going to SS for many years already...
since their parents are all hardcore members of the church..
so they have heard almost every story in the Bible already..
it is really hard to keep their attention..

but yesterday..after observing the SS teacher Cecil...
i can see that he has lots of heart for the children...
he uses every simple words and phrases to send out the message of the Bible..
even i benefited from them..

The topic was Bad Habits..
we all have our own bad habits..
i have tons that wants to get rid of..
but weren't able do so for yrs..

As apostle Paul have said...

"For what i want to do i do not do, but what i hate I do...
For i have the desire to do what is good, but i cannot carry it out.."
(Roman 7:15, 18)

"When i want to do good, evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
but I see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin
at work within my members."
(Roman 7:21-23)

Then Cecil gave a very good example...
When we create something, if the item is broken and needs fixing
it needs to go back to its creator..

For example, we build a car..
let say the car is not able to start its engine..
the brakes are gone..or have a flat tire..
the car cannot fax itself..
it cannot just jump out and open its own hood and repair itself..
the car needs to go back to its "dealer"
because the dealer knows every part of the car well...
and will be able to fix it in no time..

I guess it is the same with our bad habits..
we always think that we can fix ourselves..
correcting our own bad habits..
like smoking..
we maybe able to quit for a while..
but then maybe after a few wks..
we will be easily hook on it again..

humans are always trying to use their own power to change themselves..
but our power are so limited...
there are lots of things that are just out of our reach...
so the only way really is to depend on God..

I pray that God will give me the power to change my old self..
to be with me all the time to carry me through the dark valleys..

First Blog

Finally created my blog space...
Always wanted to find out why ppl can be so into this thing?
I do remember that Pak Kin from HK Breakthrough encourage us to write blogs...
but need to know WHY, what is the reason that you are spending your time doing this...

From what i see...it can be like a dairy..
but it is avail for everyone to see..
Then, won't that create a problem?

WHEN you write your dairy, it is only avail to yourself to read,
it is a way to express your feelings and emotions...
a space where u can be honest to yourself..
say anything you want, let it all out and forget about it...
then wait till like 10 yrs later and laugh about it...
you do not have to care about what other ppl think after reading ur blog..

But if it goes public..
can you still be honest about everything?
for example..
if you just have a fight with ur gf..
can you still blog about it...
giving the details of why you had the fights..
and letting everyone have a daily update of how it is progressing?
and surely your gf will be reading it as well...
um...

i see other ppl have blogs to write about their own interest...
like cooking tips, movie reviews, book reviews, yoga, travelling, anything that you can think of..
to share what they love.. and to educate ppl about it...
um..i guess this is a way to satify everyone's desire to be a writer...
but it is also like a open-source info exchange..
like in the book "The World is Flat"..
the internet was started by many computer geeks that just want to have their emails sent..
and to share their "sciencific findings" within their communities..
and now look that have developed into Linux...

Blogs actually have existed for a while..
i have come into contact with it when i was the chief editor for UN mag..
and one of the writers have her own..don't know what u call it back then..
don't have the term "Blog" back then..
she just keep writing her personal thoughts online..
and meet other ppl through her writing to fellow bloggers...
it was great..i have learn so much more about culture...
they introduced me to Stan Getz.. Memento..lots of great books,
music and movies....

I guess i want my blog to some something like that...
to just share what i have seen or read..
so that ppl reading can get out of their usual comfort zone
and go dive into something out of the ordinary...
Also to have ppl to comment and share their thoughts...