Archives For Rants

The Search of the Silver Sea

August 9, 2007 — 2 Comments

Amazon Uk - Meav Ni MhaolchathaWelcome to the brand new adventures of Amy Wong, this time~ entitled, Amy Wong and the Search of the Silver Sea. (insert harry potter pun in here)

As many know, I have found myself obsessed with Celtic Woman, so I was trying to look for some tracks by Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, whose name I have finally learned to type. I was browsing iTunes when I found the music I wanted, and downloaded some of her tracks, when I realized iTunes Canada didn’t have listed her album Silver Sea… yes, I was browsing iTunes USA when I saw it. So I found myself cursing and cussing against iTunes, because seriously… Canada and the US? Not much of a difference in the market, is there? I know, I know it’s not iTunes’ fault per se, but the record companies… but WHATEVER.

Anyway, since I couldn’t get the tracks the legal way, I started searching all torrents sites with Bit Che (insert sponsorship here) – but couldn’t find ANYTHING. Then, I decided to open LimeWire (insert more propaganda here), but yeah~ no such luck either.

Then, I started googling (more propaganda here… seriously, I should get some money for all these advertisement I’m adding in my post) – Tried Calabash Music first (more ads), but nothing there… and then found Artist Direct (more ads) – they had Meav listed, they just didn’t have the Silver Sea album… AND FINALLY! I found eMusic (more ads) – the site seemed normal, read the WHY JOIN? thing they had, and DIDN’T READ anything about REGION RESTRICTION, so I signed up. But SURPRISE! I couldn’t download~ The album is not allowed in Peru, nor Canada~

eMusic - Meav Ni Mhaolchatha

Now, I went straight to the source of all this madness… Meav’s official site, which gives a few links where to get her album. Amazon.com or UK don’t have the album anymore (ok, more ads… and I knew I wouldn’t be able to find the album because it’s quite old) – and also… Celtic Collections. In fact, Celtic Collections HAS the album in stock, with another cover, and who knows what other tiny differences. The price? 13.5 Euros. Now, that’s a rip-off for me, I’m sorry… coz I know for sure, I will need to pay probably 7 Euros more for shipping, and I can’t really see if that’s a good deal for me.

Celtic Collections - Meav Ni MhaolchathaI heart Meav, and all… but come on! Get real, I’m Peruvian – over 15 Euros for an album is a lot of money for me, especially because I only want 5 tracks from the album! However, I’m seriously tempted in buying it just to post it online, so no one has to suffer getting the tracks. My only chance without spending over 10 Euros, is to wait for my cousin to get me the tracks… she may be able to, since she’s living in the US. Hopefully, eMusic will allow her to download the tracks, or else… I’ll have to figure out a way around the iTunes tracks.

Oh yeah, by the way… Calabash Music is pretty good, since I haven’t gotten any content restriction issue with it, as well as those DRM-Free music thingies on iTunes music, you know, “The Protection” code thing which really bugs people. So I will shout it to the world, CALABASH MUSIC IS PRETTY AWESOME.

In English, Music, Rants , , , ,
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More movie remakes!

August 6, 2007 — 5 Comments

God, I can’t take much of Hollywood’s new trend on remaking films. Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous!

Ok, so let’s take a look at a list of remakes from other countries…

Why don’t we start from the Oscar-winning, The Departed, remake of the Chinese Infernal Affairs?

How about some remakes from French films, like Original Sin, Taxi, Unfaithful, Wicker Park – all made between 2000-present. The Italian-based Swept Away, or The Last Kiss… and let’s not forget the newest Hollywood trend to remake every bloody Asian film that was EVER successful – The Eye, which apparently Jessica Alba is starring. Or the Japanese-based Dark Water, The Grudge, Pulse, The Ring, Shall We Dance? Or how about the Korean ones, The Lake House, or the new ones like Oldboy, Tale of Two Sisters, and even My Sassy Girl… probably starring Elisha Cuthbert.

Seriously, this just pissed me off by rumors of Lindsay Lohan being wanted for a remake of the film Jeux d’Enfants – aka Love Me If You Dare – starring the awesome Marion Cotilliard. I mean, the film was done what in 2002-2003, and they already want a remake? For real, if you’re gonna start making remakes from all foreign films that were ever a bit successful, why not make a remake of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I’m sure that movie will translate really well for American audiences, and let’s not forget to make a remake of Amelie, and while you’re at it why not make Life is Beautiful in English too! Yeah, and those rumors about making Battle Royale… those are great too! How about making the American version of Amores Perros, or Y Tu Mama Tambien? I mean, you’ve already made Abre los Ojos, even casting Penelope Cruz in the same goddamn role! Why not make every Almodovar film in an American version.

And man… more remakes and remakes. I mean, I don’t really have a problem with watching a remake, I probably watch the film and watch the original. But it’s the fact that most films or most films that seem worth-it are remakes of something, and it seriously makes me wonder where are we going…

These are just a few of the remakes released between 2000-2007:

Continue Reading…

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Rest in Peace, Hermione

July 21, 2007 — 2 Comments

Obituary for Hermione Jane GrangerHermione Jane Granger

She Will Be Loved

Hermione Jane Granger, 15, of London was born a muggle-born but had more wisdom and talent for magic than any pure-blood would ever have. She was found in the MOM by Albus Dumbledore after she gave her life to defend and protect Harry James Potter.

Ms. Granger was the top student in her year at Hogwarts and idolized by girls who sought to be compassionate, independent, morally true and intelligent in their character. She will be missed by all except Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Ms. Weasley was quoted as saying “I am glad she is out of the picture now.” “Now we know it can be Harry and me who will have many beautiful red haired babies we can name after his mom.” “She should have never been in the picture since she isn’t beautiful like me, sarcastic and knows how to get a man”. Mr. Potter was quoted as saying ” Well, she served her purpose but she isn’t beautiful and immoral like my Ginny is.” “She didn’t smell like flowers but I used her when I needed trusted information and to get my hide out of trouble.” Ron Weasley had no comment since his mouth was full of food and he was in pursuit of a blond haired woman through the funeral home. Professor McGonagall was quoted as saying “Hermione was my favorite student. She was a true Gryffindor to the end and loved by all.”

Hermione Jane Granger is survived by her parents.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore will be officiating. The casket will be carried by Hagrid, Remus Lupin, Professor Victor, Professor Sprout and Dobby the House Elf. She will be laid to rest in the Godric Hollow Memorial Cemetery at 3:00 p.m. on June 3.

Those who wish to send flowers are encourage to send donations to S.P.E.W. instead.

In Books, English, Fun, Graphics, Rants, Sharing , ,
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Amy Wong and the Half-a-Year Disappointment

July 20, 2007 — Leave a comment

Well, what can I say? We are halfway through 2007, and most of it has been filled with loads and loads of disappointments. So here is a look at a few of these… beginning with THIS.

The list begins with Spiderman 3 – quite a disappointment storywise, pitty – as trailers looked so good. Continuing with that, in no particular order, are… 300, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Fantastic 4 2 (although this one, I wasn’t expecting that much) – Harry Potter 5… what a bloody editing mess.

And joining this is… Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I yell, bloody murder! How can you write something so different from all the books… having more plot holes, inconsistencies and plot devices. Maybe I have a problem with having been told that “No one comes back from the death.” or… “no magic can bring the dead back.” Yet we see Harry pulling a Jesus.

And what the fudge is up with “choosing what’s right over what is easy” or the more important “power of love” – beginning the series, we encounter a young boy terribly mistreated by his only family, only to discover he belongs to another world where, hey! people don’t think he’s scum – but he still doesn’t know what it is to be loved… yeah, he was loved by his parents… his mom gave up her life for him – he was Harry, just Harry to them. Yet, he meets all this people that only seem to care for him because he is The-Boy-Who-Lived… even the family of his best friend thinks of him as The-Boy-Who-Lived… his friend wants and asks Harry of his scar, staring at it like it’s a goddamn magical wart.

But there’s this one person that he meets who obviously knows about him, but gives a rat’s ass about his reputation… he notices her, and after a troll-sized rescue, they become friends (alongside the friend who stares). Following that, this friend helps him through and through, giving away truly significant clues and answers to the quest. Who was there when Sirius and Harry were being attacked by the pack of Dementors… who went back on time with Harry to save the day? Who was the one believing Harry in GoF, despite everyone being against him? Who’s Harry’s ‘man’ through and through no matter what??? Heck, who left their parents during Christmas because Harry was brooding, and no one dared to go around him? Who went with Harry to the DoM even when she knew it might be a trap?

While reading the books, I saw what was in front of me – yet I truly believed that someone could write such a marvelous piece of fiction so intricate and elaborated that you could layer and layer of depth. Guess everything that was thought out to be pure genius, was merely just a happy accident that the author didn’t even realize… and never truly grasp.

So, okay… this was a sidetrack. But seriously, none of the information given in previous books was remotely used in the last two books. These two books can easily be stand-alone books… so there’s a disconnection. But, fuck whatever. This is done.

In English, Rants, Reviews
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The Project Triangle

Some time ago, I found a little graphic that illustrates work very well, so I’ll share :)

Good, Cheap & Fast

Those are the three basic elements in a project. You will never be able to get the three of them together… in a realistic project of course! So you can either get a GOOD project done FAST, but it’ll cost you $$$ – Some people want it GOOD and CHEAP, but that will take time. Other will want it FAST and CHEAP, but it will probably NOT be good.

So… whenever your client asks you, show them the graphic, and tell them they get to choose… it’s good for you, and good for your business!

Posted on June 12, 2007 In English, Illustrations, Jobs, Rants, Sharing
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Miss Universe 2007

May 28, 2007 — 3 Comments

What’s up with a Dallas sportsman, the Heroes guy, and all those judges in the panel for Miss Universe, lol.

I wonder which countries could be in top 15, if you had to vote without knowing the country of the candidates. Just… you know – throwing this out there, so it can be considered for the next one. xD – seriously, if you get a panel of judges who are American, they are probably going to vote for the US – and the hosting country will always get to at least top 5.

But, oh no! Imagine not knowing who the heck is the hosting country candidate… maybe she will not even be top 15. Now that’d be an interesting thing to watch.
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So, Top 10 was announced, and no Europeans were in it. Noticing all the contestants, you could notice all countries have chosen clear skin, and the most noticeable was almond-shaped eyes, over big eyes… very Asian-like shapes, without being just lines. You could noticed that even in South American contestants. Europe, on the other hand, seemed to send contestants that were not that ‘exotic’ looking. It was odd. The first thing I thought was ‘Europe has not redefined their beauty’ – While there’s been a huge increase in Asian contestants… the funny thing was that I could hardly notice any difference between Japan and Korea… and even Thailand that made it to the Top 15.

Perhaps its my Western eye that can’t quite make the difference, or perhaps it’s because Asian countries have made their standards and are closely following them.

Okay, my theory is rubbish, at least the hosting country one. No Mexico in Top 5, and there’s too much booing right now, and I’ve got no idea why. My question to Venezuela – lol, what’s your opinion of what’s happening in your country right about… now? xD – – – Seriously, these questions are retarded. What would you choose, a wild spontaneous man, or a goody one? Superpowers, wtf? How about asking some really hard moral/ethical/logical thinkers like what’s your position on same sex marriage, what is your definition of family? – And… was Miss USA being booed? Lol, seriously – Miss USA shouldn’t have been there. Tripping over during competition should automatically kick you out.

Best moments:

  • Miss Japan on the country/candidate introduction.
  • Miss Korea saying she enjoyed photography, and the archive footage showing her taking herself a digital photo… Korean style.
  • Miss USA falling. The unexpected expected~~ xD

Lol, shit – Miss Japan won. That’s cool. Well, I called it!! Asian-like eyes… clear skin. She was ‘the one’ (lol, sorry… Matrix just began) – she was the one when she said “hola Mexico!” – oh you all knew it. That sealed the deal. You gotta admit.

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Oh! I call it! Just a few seconds after transmission~~ this is a HEADLINE! xD

In English, Rants, Sharing, Television , ,
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The Music Vid-Turned Short Film Invasion!

May 12, 2007 — 3 Comments

Well, my music video knowledge is very limited, but these are a couple of the trivia that I know by heart:

  • The first EVER music video aired on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by, if I recall correctly, The Bugles.
  • “Thriller” by Michael Jackson was the first ever Music Video-Turned Short Film.
  • The first ever Music Video I remember watching is “Remember the Time” by Michael Jackson – another short film/music vid!

Continue Reading…

In Celebrity, English, Music, Rants, Reviews, Sharing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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FX & Animation School me ofende

April 29, 2007 — 8 Comments

School AdHoy vi un aviso de el FX & Animation School que tiene un convenio con Alpamayo Entertainment, aquí en Lima. Y lo único que puedo decir es que me ofende como promocionan el estudio del arte de efectos especiales y animación.

Como podrán ver en mi foto rápida y editada para resaltar lo que me molesta.

. ¿Te aburren las carreras tradicionales?

. ¿No quieres esperar demasiado para ganar tu propio dinero?

YO NO ESCOGÍ MI PROFESIÓN POR EL DINERO, o por el tiempo. No escogí ser lo que soy porque me aburrían las otras profesiones. Escogí lo que soy, una diseñadora digital, porque me apasiona lo que hago. Amo el cine, amo las buenas historias, amo el arte y la comunicación. Adoro la tecnología, adoro mi computadora. Vi en mi profesión la oportunidad de trabajar en proyectos que me hacen feliz.

Verdaderamente,¿qué es lo que representa esta publicidad? Lo veo cómo una búsqueda de gente que no tiene pasión, y que solo busca una respuesta fácil que le proporcionará dinero.¿Por qué no llamar a la gente que ya tiene una pasión? Ya sea por el cine, por los dibujos animados, la computación o el arte en general.

Si queremos mejorar la calidad de la animación peruana, no podemos apoyarnos en la parte económica de este arte, sino por la pasión. ¿Creen ustedes que Martin Scorsese dirige películas porque le aburría su carrera, o porque quería ganar dinero? ¿Acaso George Lucas revolucionó la ciencia ficción con Star Wars porque sabía que era buen negocio?

El caso de Lucas fue documentado en un pequeño especial de Star Wars, donde habla de como entró en la industria. Su pasión por la filosofía y los estudios de Joseph Campbell saltan a la vista en la historia y el universo de los Skywalkers. El padre de Lucas le dijo que moriría de hambre como cineasta, y que volvería a vender artículos de oficina en un tiempo, pero a George no le importó. Tenía pasión. Ahora se pudre en plata.

Los peruanos debemos de dejar de llamar al arte de la animación y efectos especiales – al igual que carreras como diseño gráfico o cineasta – “una salida fácil” para los que no “quieren ser abogados o doctores,” porque para esto se necesita talento y pasión. De otra manera, solo llegaremos a la meta de mediocridad.

. ¿Te gusta el dibujo y la pintura?

. ¿Te pasas las horas de clases creando personajes únicos?

. ¿Te fascina el arte del cine?

. ¿Te pasas en la computadora leyendo lo último en software y hardware?

Tal vez estés loco por una carrera en Animación y Efectos Especiales…

Así es como un aviso promocionando carreras debería ser. Y en caso de que Alpamayo Entertainment lea esto, les sugiero también implementar cursos de “creative thinking” para que sus alumnos no sean solo “técnicos,” sino que también puedan pensar y dar ideas al crear historias y tramas innovadoras.

In Films, Jobs, Rants, Spanish ,
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The Peruvian BOOM of Blogs

April 29, 2007 — Leave a comment

The other day on Plus TV, they were showing a discussion on the “boom of blogs” in Peru. The show, 3 G (triple G??). It was sort of interesting to watch this, as I’ve been blogging for about three years already, so this has been around for me for a while.

They discussed things as to “how to make your blog really popular”, and some of the tips were really great, and some other quite obvious. However, in the end Continue Reading…

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If you say RED, I do RED.

April 19, 2007 — 5 Comments

Ok, this is just a short rant. Some people will get it, some other might not.

Now, if you ask me to do RED… I will do RED or at least….. LIKE RED. But then, if I show you RED and you don’t like RED, don’t blame ME for doing RED because now you FEEL like doing BLUE. OK?

GAWD.

In English, Jobs, Rants
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