Merry Xmas'12!

On a side note, Santa Claus must be a greater bluff than the Mayans.
On a greater side note, the Singapore National football team aka the LIONS are CH4MPIONS again and again and again! Kings of ASEAN football. More on that another day.

Singapore 3 - Thailand 1

19th December 2012. The first leg of the finals of the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup: Singapore 3 - Thailand 1. Fantastic results for the Singapore Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Tickets were so hot they were snapped up within a couple of hours. The queue even snaked all the way up to the 4th level of the stadium's multi-storey carpark. I joined the queue too late so needless to say, I couldn't get any tickets. But all thanks to my buddy, Jeremy, who managed to squeeze out a ticket from his contacts. Watch the game alone? No problem!

Arrived early at Jalan Besar. Had a plate of seafood Pad Thai. Exchanged friendly glances and acknowledgements with some Thai fans who were dressed to the occasion.

Entered the stadium, met a couple of old friends and familiar faces. Singapore is a small island after all. Watched the entire first-half at the third level beside the VVIPs section. But the mood was a bit solemn, being separated from the singing fans and the terraces below. So by half-time, I moved down to the second-level. I couldn't find any seats so I stood throughout the second-half. No regrets because when you're watching a match such as this, you should be jumping out of your seats at every moment. When Amri and Bai scored, I nearly climbed over the parapet to celebrate.

 

I like how football matches like this bring the people together. I celebrated both Singapore's goals in the second-half with the Chinese and Malay uncles standing beside me, as if we were friends. There were even new citizens from China and Westerners with local partners donning the Singapore jersey cheering on the team that is representing their adopted country.

All the President's Men. President Tony Tan celebrates with the team.

 

I've been following the Lions in the campaign since Day 1. Traveling all the way to Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, to catch the opening game against Malaysia.  So it's without a doubt that the campaign should end fittingly for me to watch the Lions lift up the cup (hopefully) for an unprecedented 4th time, this Saturday, in Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok.

Got my match ticket for the second leg of the finals and excitedly tried to book a last minute flight over to Bangkok on Thursday night. Unfortunately, vital commitment at work on Friday morning meant that I could not fly off on a Friday morning when the ticket is affordable and the only remaining flights are on Saturday afternoons which cost too much of a bomb (especially since I'm putting in half of my hard-earned savings into making a movie). By the wee morning of Friday, I was still frantically searching through the websites of the various airlines for any affordable tickets that might have "miraculously" popped out of no where but to no avail. I should be in Bangkok right now if only my stars were aligned. For now, I can only relish on a once-in-a-lifetime experience gone past by. Hopefully, we make it again in the finals of 2014, perhaps with the likes of Swandi and Lightfoot?

Camp Ehi-Passiko 2012

I am still recovering from Camp and another tough week at work, but here's a snippet of the traditional "family shoot" of Camp Ehi-Passiko. Our 15th year.

Singapore 1 - The Philippines 0

And the final whistle was blown. We did it! One of the best moment supporting the Lions. Now to the finals of the Suzuki Cup / ASEAN Championships. Majulah!

Indestructible

Singaporean Football

I've reached a stage whereby English football no longer excites me. I'm looking forward to the start of the new S-League season. But the biggest thing happening to Singaporean football now is the second-leg of the Semi-Finals against the Philippines. Singapore Lions were unfortunate not to have scored a goal or two at the first leg in Manila on Saturday. It's all or nothing this Wednesday at the Jalan Besar Stadium. I queued 2 and a half hours on Friday morning just to get my hands on tickets. It will be a sea of red this Wednesday. To the Azkals, welcome to the Jungle, *cue music.

A long time ago

I was Optimus Prime. Saved 2 penalties to advance into the second round. After which we bowed out to a superior team.

be like water

Bruce Lee figurines, latest spoils.

More DVDs

Some spoils from Kuala Lumpur where DVDs are so much cheaper (to compete against rampant piracy) and the shelves have a wider selection of South-East Asian films than here.

Sepet (2004) dir. Yasmin Ahmad

Earliest memory of this film was snippets shown during broadcast/cinema introductory class during freshmen year. Shot in the state of Perak where my dad grew up.

Gubra (2006) dir. Yasmin Ahmad. Feature film shot in 14 days. Can I do it in 12 days?

The Raid: Redemption (2011) dir.Gareth Evans

Dear Galileo (2009) dir. Nithiwat Tharathorn

Best of Times (2010) dir. Yongyoot Thongkongtoon. From the director who brought us Iron Ladies back in 2000.

Thai films never fail to disappoint. Quality production values and a wide variety of genres. The Thai film industry is without a doubt the most mature one in South-East Asia. Pity that most of their films don't make it into the market with English subtitles.

201 set of DVDs now. Got about 50 more to go. Got to stop buying them unless necessary. There isn't much space left on the shelves.

Some criticism I have read online like to argue that prior to our independence in 1965, Singapore was already a thriving developed port city and its people were already affluent, thanks to our former colonial masters. It is Lee Kuan Yew and his party's propaganda that suggested otherwise (that we were a sleepy backwater/fishing village). Singapore definitely had a developed central business and administrative district, thanks to the British, but the entire island too? Hardly convincing.

Today, my dad met up with his old friend from school, a Canadian. He described Singapore in the 1960s as "swampy" and full of "smelly and unhygienic shanty towns". We do not have to go far, just speak to our grandparents. Let's not be too quick to discredit the hard work and foresight of our pioneers and founding fathers even if we have different political inclinations today.

Tara

My little one.

ASEAN Football

South-East Asian football fans are known for their display of affection to their leaders while cheering on their national teams. Most notably the Thais and the portraits of King Bhumibol:

 and the Vietnamese with Mr. Ho Chin Minh.

Not to be outdone, here's myself with the digital image of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Founding Father of independent Singapore, on my iPhone right from the terraces of Bukit Jalil.

Malaysia 0 - Singapore 3

Took a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to support Singapore in the opening game of the AFF Suzuki Cup, the premier international football tourney in the South-East Asian region. My first away game. Glad we won! Thanks the the hospitality of the host nation as well as our Malaysian friends who brought us around for endless shopping and eating as well.

Hopefully the campaign for the Singapore Lions will go on well, though at this point of writing, we've just lost to Indonesia through a dubious refereeing decision that resulted in a 80th minute goal to the Garudas. But such is the nature of the game and I am learning to be gracious and accept defeat. Good game Indonesia. Now, it's a win against Laos or nothing.

 I now proclaim the match ticket my lucky charm.

 Pacik celebrates our third goal. He wore a shirt that says, "Kiasu Fan". Kudos to the man.

 The anthem plays. Majulah.

And there goes Duric's goal.

A gracious Malaysian fan who climbed across the fences to reach the Singaporean fans.

 

The Malaya Ultras. Malaysian die-hard fans. Admire their passion for their team.

Let's go

Off to Kuala Lumpur to support the Lions in Singapore's opening match against Malaysia in the Suzuki Cup. My first time supporting the national team in an away game. Let's go for a good result!

Moonstone Lane

iPhone5 and the Blux Movie app

A couple of days before the trip to Bangkok, I was mulling over the option of lugging a HDSLR or shoot with the "no frills" iPhone5. Fortunately just hours before the flight, I found out about the Blux Movie app, saw some test videos on Youtube and decided to take the plunge. Purchased the app for only about US$3.50/- (I think but it's on sale now for US$0.99, limited time only) and left the relatively bulkier 5D at home. The result are the two test videos below:

Bangkok Sights:

You can watch the video at this link. Some bug is preventing me from embedding the video.

Ayutthaya:


I always shoot with the PDX10 and the PD150 instead of the much bigger DSR390 back in freshman (2006) and sophomore year (2007). Those were the dying days of DV cameras just before the advent of HDSLRs. I like my camera small and unassuming the same way I'm attracted to the 5DMkII. But the weight of the 5D around the neck can sometimes make traveling a little bit of a hassle.

 PDX10 v PD150 v DSR390

DV relics we used in uni before HD cameras became affordable.

The iPhone5 now provides another alternative if you want to do some filming while traveling light. I'm very satisfied with the quality of the images produced with the Blux Movie app. Of course the smart phone platform lacks the versatility of a HDSLR or a semipro HD camera but it's still good enough if you're not looking for anything fanciful. Plus the filters from Blux Movie app give the video footage a certain cinematic look. There is no need on my part to do any color-correction (though if you're anal about it, you certainly can tweak it around on post).

Another benefit of shooting with the iPhone5 (or any other smart phones that allow you to shoot HD) is that it is small and easy to carry around. Plus it's just a smart phone and it's unassuming nature allows one to shoot on the streets without being too obtrusive or threatening/rude and attract too much unnecessary attention. Just a year ago, I was looking around for video camcorders for "no frill" uses but the iPhone5 is now like an answer to a prayer.

I am still sticking with the 5DMkII as the most basic tool for work. But for those without access to a video camera, a smart phone with the right apps is good enough. Just go onto the Internet and you can find communities of iPhone filmmakers and their works.

Bangkok Nights

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

- One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head

Argo F#*k Yourself!

Another solo adventure to the neighbourhood cinema 2 streets away. I know I have a pile of stuff screaming for my attention but I cannot help sneak away for another big screen adventure. Argo. Ben Affleck is fast maturing as a solid director. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. It had my heart pumping non-stop. I even had my knees to the chest for a moment. Highly recommend this one. Lots of good films to catch this month.

Face/Off

This is one movie that encapsulates the recent trip to Bangkok. John Woo has his things and guns only boys can appreciate (not trying to sound sexist here).

Post-BKK

Haven't been active on blogger for some time. Being busy. Anyway hardly any visitors to this platform these days. Was away at Bangkok, the real City of Angels, vis a viz Los Angeles, imho that is. This is the 4th time I've visited the city since 2006. It never fails to mesmerize with each trip.

Left the 5DMkII, my basic filmmaking tool, behind. The only camera I had for the trip was the iPhone5. Plus a Blux Movie application which I purchased through iTunes. This is the first time I am shooting videos on the smart phone platform and am very impressed with it thus far. More on it when I've settled down. The Bangkok Withdrawal has kicked in.

"I tried my hardest"

"You guys didn't do it right. I asked if you read the instructions. You did it wrong... I tried my hardest. I don't know what to do."

"When you corner a hornet, you get stung."

The Green Hornet (2011) dir. Michel Gondry

Haven't been cataloging the DVDs. Piles of them with new additions. The Green Hornet. Actually I expect more from Michel Gondry. It's an entertaining film but could have been done better. The old American TV series dominate matinee time on SBC 5 when I was a pre-school kid. I thought Jay Chou was the gem here though. This is DVD #196.

iPhonegraphy Today

On course the past 2 days. "Keep the country united and resilient." Well said, Mister.

 Heroes, the new additions to the car.