Tuesday, November 17, 2009 @12:38 am
Someone reminded me again of the movie "Departures".
I watched this in January, i think. On a Friday night.
The Japanese film left me leaving the theatre filled with emotion and thought. While (yes, i did cry, again) I did sob myself silly in the theatre, a lot of other words, pictures, scenes and what not, played in my mind while the show was screening.
I remember thinking about how fragile life is. Haha I know it is cliched, and i always didnt like how people tell me life is fragile. but i couldnt help but realise how true it was, that a person can be well alive and next to you today, and be away with the Lord or gone forever, tomorrow.
Departures, death - It's hard to fathom, really.
and to make the movie even more emotional, the music was so heart grabbing and prolly only to me (out of the whole group of us who went to watch it together), very tear jerking. I could somehow sense the heart of the composer when he wrote the music - i could feel the emotion that, when coupled with the music, the actor portrayed almost perfectly.
Of course that brings me to the main point of this entry - the music of the man behind the very intriguing music soundtrack of Okuribito, the movie.
The music of Joe Hisaishi.
I was just listening back at the entire album again. and although this is probably the 100th time i've heard the pieces, a lot of strange emotion is pulled back out of me. the heart again feels a tug and a little ache for awhile. until now i've no idea what in the music causes the ache. but to draw out emotion like that with just a piece of music, says a lot about the writer of the music.
I'd first heard his music in band arrangements for "Mononoke Hime" and "An Animation Medley". Already, i was deeply moved by the sensational melodies of the music. I'm not an expert in music here, so it's very difficult to describe the steange attraction i have to Joe Hisaishi's music.
The best thing was I actually seem pulled to ALL his soundtracks particularly. Howl's Moving Castle, one of my all-time favourite animes with an all-time favourite soundtrack, was one of them. I was so drawn to the music - more than that of the very famous and critically acclaimed Spirited Away.
then i was watching a Korean drama series: the Legend (the one with Bae Yong Jun)
and somehow i recognised his style of music - i said to myself,"sounds a bit like the mononoke hime soundtrack" and when i googled the soundtrack, there i saw his name on all the tracks and secretly gave myself a pat on my back, saying, "well done, you recognised him".
then came Okuribito - again i was absolutely drawn to the melody and the ability to draw out so much emotion from me when i listen to the music - so i googled again and there his big name was, Joe Hisaishi.
and the third instant - although this is quite a not-so-young movie, i only recently got to hear on the radio or TV the soundtrack of "A Chinese Tall Story". again i thought the music was nice, and googled it. Guess whose name I saw there?
No prizes for guessing :P
My point is, Joe Hisaishi is truly one of the greatest modern day composers i know. I mean, there are prolly others who are fabulous too, but as far as I'm concerned, he's my fav. and a great pianist and live performer too. I will give up a day at work to go see him live if he ever holds a concert in Singapore. And to show my support, i will make sure i get the best seat i can.
so looking forward to his arrival in Singapore, here's my standing ovation to Joe Hisaishi-sama
BRAVO!
⥠every page of my imagination
Thursday, May 28, 2009 @11:18 am
i've nv felt so alone...
⥠every page of my imagination
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @12:47 pm
I mean, i know it's obviously only right that two people don't meet up for nearly an entire month due to exams and work stress.
but how is it that anyone else can think that even amidst the busy schedules, that the two people are FEELING OKAY and should not be missing each other at all? Surely there will be a bit of time in a day that one is thinking of the other and vice versa right?
sometimes i feel like my actions are now being governed by my head, never my heart anymore..
in fact, it's not only my actions... i think it's my feelings and everything else.. because it seems wrong to let your heart do some feeling to anyone else other than God.
don't get me wrong. i'm really not angry at God... i love God. to bits. and i'm enjoying the fact i'm growing closer and closer to Him. but u know, instructions and all. As much as I'd really like to listen, i've so many question marks in my head. and in the end, I just obey without really really understanding. cos I think it's prolly a hassle for the other party to explain it to ME again and again until i really get it..
aiyar... aiyar.... aiyar......
⥠every page of my imagination
Thursday, March 19, 2009 @5:06 pm
my dear,
i've been energised again lately.. :)
⥠every page of my imagination
Monday, February 09, 2009 @3:38 pm
BLOGS THAT ARE NOT UPDATED SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN.
the above statement was said to me quite firmly by my cousin Denise TWICE in a week :)
So here i am...
so my blog wont be eligible for "closing down".
So I've watched 2 movies this week:
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
&
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
hmmm.
I actually enjoyed both. Contrary what a dear friend said about Underworld, it is not just the western-fantasy version of Red Cliff. It's really about slavery and my gosh you should see the resemblence some scenes had with Passion of the Christ.. plus the famous line which i'd burst out laughing at. Brace yourselves....
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"It is finished."
...................
hahahahahahaa.
Anyway, moving onto Benjamin Button.
Brad Pitt was attractive....... but not that kinda sexy type, nor did i find him particularly desirable. but he truly acted well in the show.. that's what made him so attractive. he portrayed Benjamin Button well..
I especially loved the effects of the shots. How they managed to make Cate Blanchett look like a porcelain doll when she was "young Daisy". Gorgeous, I say. and the hair colour! If any tng lang (hokkien for Chinese) should try to attempt the colour, she would just look like nothing more than a chao ah lian (hokkien for the chinese equivalent of your average american street delinquents who think they've got style but oh my gosh they don't know what they really look like).
okay I am VERY impressed with how they DI-ed Pitt's face onto every single frame onto the midget's body to portray the old him at 7 years of age. omg. so very very cool, and so very very hard work. I think they must have also DI-ed his face onto the teenage him...
and I like the effect of the relationship between Benajmin and Daisy. When he was say "70-years-old" and met Daisy, she was 5.
When he died, he died a baby, while Daisy was 70+. That had to have a lot of meaning, right? But Ms Daisy sure lived a long life.... she looked terribly crinkled on her deathbed. In the movie she died I think when Hurricane Katrina was about to hit New Orleans, Louisiana.
Anyway, it was moving, and gave a lot to think about. It wasn't all magical and stuff, Benjamin Button wasn't some famous star for being born old - in fact not many people knew that he was in fact just 7 when he looked 70. I quite liked how realistic the whole story was portrayed. It's like... incongruity. I think?
It's just something that can never happen, but it was made so... natural, the course of his life.....
anyway my mind is still filled with the show, nothing much to think abt now other than that.
it's 4 mths to HK. I'm going to BKK this Saturday and I can hardly wait! we need lots of prayers to keep us safe while we're there tho. I can't deny that I am still a littleeeee bit worried. but yea i trust God to keep us safe. not like as if i knew they were gonna set some stupid deadline on the 15th and went ahead to book anyway. nth was mentioned what.....
okay then so here's the end of my rather long post. happppy?? heh.
⥠every page of my imagination
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 @12:00 am
oops. i've been so busy the past 2 months i forgot all abt blogging.
nevertheless, i'll share a little little bit. these two months could probably have been the darkest moments. not really in tt i was suicidal and all, but it's the two months where i felt most disconnected with God. and till saturday, like the one that just passed, i really couldnt find myself connected to God at all. i couldnt hear him, i couldnt sense or feel him.
i wondered what was wrong... perhaps, it's me who forgot abt him. amidst my busy schedule, and fun and laughter, i completely forgot he was there all along. and i need to take the coming weeks, months or even years to find back what i was when i was 4, when i heard him, loud and clear.. i want to go back to that. i dont want to sin no more.
at this moment, my sister has gone to the states for 2 months now. everyone's asking the obvious - if i miss her or not. of course i do lar. i cant wait for her to come back.. we've so many things to talk abt. and talking to her via msn or skype, just kinda makes me miss her more. i'm just not used living apart from her. the last time i went to the US for a month and the last time she went too, it didnt feel tt long. i guess cos we knew tt we'd be back in a month. but she's there.. and whilst she has made many friends, i just kinda wish i can be there with her to know what she's been up to, meet her friends and also hear her updating me every night with whatever happened in sch and all.. of course not leaving out the gossips la. gossips between the two of us, as everyone knows, is a large part of our lives together. hahahaha. it's a bit hard living as the only child at home now... and yea u know i could force my sister to accompany me for dinner last time. but till next june that wont be happening. it seems so far away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh ya abt sch. i dont even know what's gonna happen next.... tho it's prolly my last trimester doin my degree, but i somehow just feel tt as usual, the sch never fails to screw up on something. and these screw ups totally worry us more than our actual studies do. giving us undue pressure and stress. i've got a lot more white hair now than before. also 'cause of age, but ya you get my drift.
i hope things get better some how...
regarding my spiritual life, someone told me he senses that God's working in me. I'd really like to seek and find out more abt this work.... i feel that i could be reborn again... :)
⥠every page of my imagination
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 @11:30 pm
another 10 half hours to sister's flight.
frankly am upset abt her leaving, then again i'm so proud of her, so proud that she's achieved so much and done so well to be able to go on this prestigious trip.. i would never have been able to be like this, she's sorta fulfilled my dream for me, in a sense.
every year seems more and more difficult for me to go through, and this year seems worse than the last. my sis, is abt the only person i can actually cry like crazy to, when i'm so stressed so stressed. well, at least when we're the only ones at home i can cry out loud, u know, at least someone is supporting me without actually crying with me (my mom would).
uhhhhhh............ i know i know...... 1 year is gonna pass by SUPER QUICKLY!
but you know you know, my sis has never been away from home for so long. and while i'm quite confident she can take care of herself, somehow i'm just worried cos she's so far from home...
although i wish i can go see her there (a bit for the selfish reason of wanting to travel too lar), i really cant, i dont have the leave nor the money. ahahhaha. so sad !
anyway, cant wait for one year to go past, so tt, i dont have to sleep alone in my room anymore..
⥠every page of my imagination