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an Asian-centric place?

I seem to complain a lot about the West lately. I dunno if you’ve noticed. I’ve noticed, and my parents have noticed. The four featured articles are Asian topics (kind of, since YAM005 has Yu LOL), I listen to a lot of music from Asia, watch a lot of films from Asia (though I’m also watching Mad Men Season 1 at the moment – actually on Ep08) – Everything seems Asia.

What the heck.

Have I opened my eyes to something I had never known before? Oh how I wish I had been so Asian when my grandfather was alive, maybe he would’ve been proud. I’m sure he’d be thrilled I’m all over Chinese music (I still got six albums to listen to xD), and maybe I’d be speaking Chinese by now instead of just fraking around.

So when did this happen? Why did this happen?

Is it because American music sucks? Is it because American celebrities suck? Is it because British music sounds the same? Is it because everyone on this side of the world looks and sounds the same? Or am I just tired of hearing how evil China is because that’s what they keep telling me on the papers and online news. Perhaps all the negative propaganda makes me like Asia even more.

Or is it the Anti-American “ideas” of everything American sucks? Because that’s what people think, right? But I don’t think so, I don’t have a problem with the American people… maybe their music industry, and their movie industry… and their media… or how the media portrays anything. No, scratch all of that. I have a problem with people in general. People suck, and I’ve become very anti-social. I don’t like western media, because that’s what I get to read since it’s all I can understand. I would probably hate other reporters and writers in Asian language if I could properly read what they write. But as it stands, I hate the media I get to hear and read about. The so-called defenders of the truth and objective point of views. I have given up on objectivity on television, but they keep shoving it in my face.

So yeah, it seems this blog (and YAM for that matter) is turning more and more towards an Asia focus because I’m getting more and more fed up with the West. For anyone else out there who find themselves only focus on Asian (or only Japanese, only Korean, only Chinese) Entertainment, why did it happen? How? When?

Tokyo Film Festival 2009The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF, not to be confused with Toronto LOL) has just announced that Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel) will be presiding the 22nd edition of the festival to be held from  October 17 to October 25th this year.

Also… like I’ve mentioned before, the Tokyo Film Fest, alongside the Shanghai Film Fest are quickly turning into the most important in the region.

Anyway, as all things West media… when you search for the news, you get the articles talking about how dolphin documentary The Cove wasn’t allowed to open the festival. With titles such as “Will Tokyo Film Fest man up and show The Cove?” or “Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Tokyo Film Festival.”

That is why I was so disappointed that our film, after winning awards in the last 13 film festivals it had entered, was rejected by the Tokyo Film Festival, whose theme this year is green. Not that it is that much of a shocker, but the main goal for making the film was to shut down the cove in Taijii, Japan, where 2,300 dolphins are killed every year.

Remember that time when Hayden Panettiere got in trouble in Japan for eh… I dunno, swimming with the dolphins?

But you know, dolphins are cute this is why it deserves a documentary (and it will probably win an Oscar for it if the cuteness continues). Penguins are cute too, I admit it (and they also won an Oscar, LOL). But cows aren’t. This is why cows don’t get a documentary, and we all get to eat meat regardless of how they are slaughtered.

I’m usually not a big fan of this one-side documentaries, because I’m pretty sure they won’t show how Taiji sees this as a way to sustain its town. And it will be all about saving the dolphins… and the people saving them. – I’m looking at you Panettiere. xD – I wonder if they give an alternative to sustain the town’s economy, as well as ranting about how people kill dolphins. You know, it’s fine to show the problem, but it’s not much use without a solution. So we stop hunting them, then what? How would they survive? Please, they’d better not suggest “Dolphin Watching” or I’ll shoot myself. As far as I’m concerned, we shouldn’t be allowed on “x-animal watching” ever and allow the disturbance in their habitat.

Anyway, this has turned into a rant instead of reporting. LOL

I love eating. I love meat, I can’t live without it. A meal without meat feels not done.

One of the reasons I can’t be a Buddhist – I tried a Buddhist meal once in Hong Kong. So good, but gone so fast. Had to eat again 2hrs. later. Perhaps, I can suggest watching Departures? Things sometimes need to die for you to survive.

Here’s The Cove website.

Here’s a bit more on the Film Festival timeline~~~

Also, when I was 17-ish… I used to sort of look up to PETA, now I just think they’re pretty annoying. Perhaps they should try to change the way they preach. It seems like they just lost something along the way. Like their sanity.

Crap! Now I’m really in the mood for some Sirloin. T-T

Xiao Digital Camera

August 20, 2009 — Leave a comment

It may not look as magical as a Polaroid, but!
I want one~ xD

Takara TOMY - Xiao Digital Camera

The Xiao Digital Camera has a built-in printer that works with ZINK paper – which works with dye crystals that get activated by heat- so there’s no need for ink! – Kind of perfect for postcards for travel, right? – Can’t decide if I want a Green one or a Pink one. LOL Or… it does look Aqua and Magenta, though. The one naming the colors must be a dude who doesn’t design. Dudes who design are also picky with color.

Though, I must admit… some printed magazines are so pretty.
xD – though a magazine like National Geographic should go completely green.
but that’s just my opinion…

Anyway, here comes an article saying that CBS will be running a video ad on the newest issue of the printed Entertainment Weekly. Say what? I must be confused!? Nope, nope~ it’s true, it will be a tiny 320x240px screen of 2mm of thickness, and you’ll be able to watch their Fall line-up.

Hmm… okay. I’ll be honest with you. I hardly watch any television, that means I hardly watch any commercials on TV – Now, if I don’t watch commercials on TV, I don’t think I’ll watch them in a magazine. To be even more honest, all commercials I watch are on-line… maybe YouTube, or on one of my favorite motion graphic/design websites.

I still support digital media!

Like this Paperless Book by Piel.Skin – an architecture book with Google Map links included! LOL – Now, that’s useful, right? – Also check out this old article asking if we are ready for digital paper… obviously we aren’t.

I remember seeing a prototype for a digital newspaper that used e-paper with simple motion (shaking the paper, folding it, etc) that would change the page/news section of your newspaper “virtually”. Can you imagine that? Sitting on your kitchen table one morning for breakfast, grab your blank e-paper. Shake it once. Headlines appear. Shake it once more, and it skips to the next section. Fold it and open it, to continue to next page. O.o Nifty.

T.O.P on Elle Korea

August 20, 2009 — 10 Comments

Sorry, no photographer credit.
Will post more when/if I do get one~

but if you’re lucky… you can check more photos over Julz~
Pimp back! Hellz yeah~

T.O.P - Big Bang - Elle Korea

*EDIT*
More photos from the photoshoot added, no credits yet!
Seriously, K-Pop fans… really? xD

and from another old photoshoot for Elle~
Continue Reading…

You fuck around a lot. Don’t lie.
Checking your e-mail instead of working,
playing online games…
I even know people who watched DVDs instead of working on their finals…
or watched the stream of their favorite Korean variety show/novela~~~

These are my top5 time wasters… lately.

Lainey Gossip

1. Of course it is. Lainey and her wit. Her mom stories crack me up~~~ In the end, I spend far too much time reading this. Oh, Lainey! I had a dream about your blog last night – LOL, I was reading your blog and I saw a post where you said that we should watch (500) Days of Summer together if I was in town. Buahaha, I remember that because I woke up and cursed out loud.

Continue Reading…

More stop-motion!

Pilfer.- to steal stealthily in small amounts and often again and again.

Now, if it were a bad-ass Peruvian version… it’d be Pigeon Pirañita~ LOL
Anyway, enjoy~~~

Crazy good looking photo by Yu Tsai.

Evan Rachel Wood by Yu Tsai

What’s the deal with Wood? Oh, man… I used to be a big fan during her Once and Again days, I even rented that Little Secrets movie (with David Gallagher whom I had the biggest crush on… and ultimately dated Poor Man’s Angelina Megan Fox *eek!*, and Michael Angarano… who now dates Kristen Stewart (?)) – Anyway, I was a big fan when Thirteen came out… I was in Vancouver and I got to see it in theaters! LOL’ I thought I had seen the best shit ever, xD – I even own it on DVD… and then they came, the Lolita roles~ one after the other, I just got sort of bored of it.

Pretty Persuasion, Upside of Anger, Down in the Valley, Running with Scissors (with Ryan Murphy, Gwyneth and Mary Cherry! LOL) – but I got tired.
And the whole Marilyn Manson business, with the VonTeese look. Tiring.

However, in 2007 she did King of California (with Michael Douglas), The Life Before her Eyes (with Uma) and Across the Universe, which I thought were pretty okay, so I got interested again. Add to that, The Wrestler and I’m sold.

ANYWAY, enough crap talk. Some more photos below the break.

Continue Reading…

Tsk, Tsk~ Photoshop…

August 17, 2009 — 2 Comments

I am a geek!
I use Photoshop like crazy.

Nowadays, I take loads more photographs than my student days, but to be honest, I hate re-touching photographs to get rid of wrinkles… or how I like to call them, expression lines.

I love funny faces, big smiles… but then again, I also delete minor things like distracting marks (if it’s too distracting) and choose over-exposed for light purposes, as well as soft light to decrease the hard shadows that make wrinkles pop out~ after all, women don’t like to see their wrinkles

black and white also works wonders~

one of the reasons why I love this photo of Heidi Klum, though this photo of Marion Cotillard is also a good one of a different type~ and just for the sake of crazy good looking faces, here’s Carmen Kass.

and Greta Garbo during her 1945 days~ I’ll love you forever, Greta xD

Anyway, what’s up with this post you say?

Well, photographer Peter Lindbergh speaks a bit about on this article by The New York Times – Smile and “Say No Photoshop” –  and I have some pics to illustrate his views… of not-retouched models! *legasp!*

“My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today,” Mr. Lindbergh said in an e-mail exchange. “Heartless retouching,” he wrote, “should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”

Cindy Crawford by Peter Lindbergh

Continue Reading…

Today’s Updates~

August 17, 2009 — 1 Comment

My monitor is screwed up, and I dunno what’s wrong with it.
If it’s either the screen, the connection or the CPU~

Every time I shut down the system, it takes ages for it
to recognize the monitor again… so the screen goes on power save mode.

Also, as you may have noticed… or not~ “Featured” space is changed,
though that’s created its own problems… looks good on my browser,
but how about yours?

I’m attaching a screencap of how it looks on my browser,
so you can see how it’s supposed to look, if it doesn’t look like that~
please screencap, and let me know what browser you are using.

I am cheating on Internet Explorer (compatibility button on)
, because frankly I haven’t used it
in such long time, and you shouldn’t either. LOL

Firefox 3.5.2

Screencap - Firefox

I.E 7

Screencap - Explorer