Bonne année

Christmas and New Year rolled into one.
My Christmas wasn't a very merry one. New Year will most likely be the same.
I've had a bit of thought about what I want to do after next year.
It drives me crazy getting old.

This dream isn't feeling sweet, we're reeling through the midnight streets.
And I've never felt more alone, it feels so scary getting old.

I'll be spending even less time here. I don't feel bad about that at all. This should be the way.
I have quite a few resolutions, which I have written in my diary but will not be sharing here.
I don't know if I have the diligence, dedication and determination to fulfill them, however.
But I've run out of time, I have no choice but to turn over a new leaf.

Looking back on this year, I don't think I've learnt much from school. But I've learnt quite a bit outside, elsewhere. The world is not in our books, it's out there.

This year, there are a lot of things I want and have to do. No more wasting time, this is my last chance.

School starts day after tomorrow.

I can only hope that I will take myself seriously this year.

Good luck, Rachel Océane Wong Yen Yi.

Happy New Year.

Let It Go

This blog post's title is a reference to the award-winning-song-it's-destined-to-be from Disney's Frozen, as well as a subtle reminder for myself to let go of last year's Oscar snub for Rise of the Guardians. No, I have not gotten over it yet. *cries*
But another awards season is rolling around, and it's time to pay attention to a new set of animated feature films. Sigh.
Also, I've noticed that my readership has expanded somewhat since commenting on articles on Rookie, so if you got to this blog from there, HI! And please let me know what you like or don't like about my blog via the comments.

I watched Frozen on Thursday with my dad and we were both blown away by how great it was. It started off with a musical number and had some pretty good plot twists though being me I spotted them a mile away. The music was amazing, particularly the score by Christophe Beck. I expected Olaf the talking snowman to be annoying (you can blame/thank Shrek's Donkey for that) but he was funny and we rolled around in our seats laughing. I didn't really appreciate the trolls and I was disappointed by the lack of a big company number as a finale. But all in all, really beautiful animation, even though I like the ice animation in Rise of the Guardians better. (Because I'm BIASED, remember?) Also, Elsa seems like the Disney version of Jack Frost. The music deserves nominations in Best Score and Best Song, with at least one win for Best Song. The voice acting was top notch, and the singing even better. Also, brownie points for being the first female to direct a full-length Disney animated feature film as well the sole writer of the entire screenplay. You go, Jennifer Lee. This is easily the best animated film of the year.

As a reward for reading the review, here's the video for "Let It Go", just in case you haven't seen it yet. And even if you have, watch it again because Idina Menzel. (Defying gravity, anyone?) Best viewed in full screen and in 1080p HD.

As a side note, I think the only reason why I pay so much attention to the animation category is because that's pretty much the only Academy award category in which I have watched all the nominated films.

Here are some of the awards and the nominees so far. Yes, I was incredibly biased in choosing which awards to display.

Annie Awards: Best Animated Feature

• A Letter to Momo (GKIDS - Japanese)
• Despicable Me 2 (Illumination/Universal)
• Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS - French)
• Frozen (Disney)
• Monsters University (Pixar)
• The Croods (DreamWorks)
• The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli)

Golden Globe Awards: Best Animated Feature Film

• The Croods
• Despicable Me 2
• Frozen, also nominated for Best Song
• (The Wind Rises was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film)

Satellite Awards: Best Animated or Mixed Media Film

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sony)
• The Croods
• Epic (Blue Sky/20th Century Fox)
• Ernest & Celestine
• Frozen
• Monsters University
• Turbo (DreamWorks)
• The Wind Rises

P.S. I just realised Rise of the Guardians won the Satellite Award last year, this makes me happy.

I am in total agreement with the statement that this has actually been a pretty weak year for animation, most of the releases were sequels. (Pixar, I'm looking at you.) Especially in comparison to last year, where the best animated feature race was actually a proper race with many strong contenders. This year, it looks like Frozen's gonna take home the award without any competition. But anyway, this is an Oscar noms prediction, not an Oscar win prediction. So here, assuming that there will be five.

Locks:

1. Frozen (Disney)
2. Monsters University (Pixar)
   Just because they're Disney and Pixar, but this round, Disney definitely deserves it.
3. The Croods (DreamWorks)
   I seriously doubt they'll snub Jeffrey Katzenberg two years in a row.

Possibility: The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli)
I actually doubt this, I just don't want the others to have a place on the list.

Leaving:

• Epic (Blue Sky/20th Century Fox)
• Despicable Me 2 (Illumination/Universal)
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sony)

And possibly Walking with Dinosaurs and the two GKIDS films (A Letter to Momo, Ernest & Celestine) to pick up the scraps. I have a feeling that there might only be three nominations this year.

Whoa, this article actually took a lot longer to write than I thought it would.

References:
Whoa, check it out! I'm learning how to cite other sources!
~ Indiewire: For Oscar nom predictions.
~ SFGate: For further reading.
~ Various Wikipedia articles

UPDATE (17th January 2014):
I WAS WRONG. Pixar is losing its mojo, but Frozen will still win.

Dreamsand Miracles, a letter to Dreamworks Animation

{14th January 2013}
A fan letter for Rise of the Guardians.

To the lovely person who took the time to read this letter,

Hello. My name is Rachel, I am 15 years old and I come from Malaysia. In case you don't know where that is, it is a country in South East Asia. I am writing regarding the beautiful animated film that is Rise Of The Guardians.

     Maybe none of you will read this, but I just want everyone involved in the production of this film to know how much I appreciate the love and effort that they put into this film. I may just be one person, but I am pretty sure that I am not alone in thinking this.

     This is the first time I cried while watching a movie. And what is truly amazing is that I wasn't crying because I was sad, I was crying because I was so happy. Yes, this film made me shed tears of pure joy. This was the part where Jamie started believing in Jack Frost. Maybe it was partly due to Alexandre Desplat's score, which was beautiful in every way imaginable, but all I know was that Jack Frost's moment of recognition touched me in so many ways. All his life, nobody knew he existed, nobody cared about him, and the only thing he wanted so badly was to be believed in. Somehow, I can relate to that. Feeling alone in this world, and never receiving any attention or any form of recognition from anyone. And when Jack Frost and Jamie faced each other and looked at each other, I don't know why but it was just so moving I teared up and cried right there in the theatre, which I have never done. I was just so happy for Jack, he waited for so long to receive even just a tiny shred of recognition, and he finally received it. It was pure cinematic magic.

     Seriously, I have no idea what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is doing, excluding Rise Of The Guardians from the nominations for Best Animated Feature. In my most humble opinion, this film is an epic classic that deserves that Oscar (as well as any other awards) way more than all the other movies combined.

     So once again, thank you, thank you, and thank you for making the most beautiful film I have ever seen, animated or live-action. It has made me once again believe in magic, hope, wonder and fun, things I have forgotten and stopped believing in as I grew up. It has made me believe that one day, we will all get our happy ending, one way or another. No other film has made me feel as much as I did as the Rise Of The Guardians. Somehow, I have a feeling that DreamWorks has found the magic that several other animation studios have lost. I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel for this movie, because I am really looking forward to seeing Jamie, Jack, Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, North, and maybe even Pitch on the big screen again. And once more, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

{P.S. 19th & 23rd July 2013}

     In March, I received the Guardians of Childhood books as a birthday present. (To be honest, I requested for it specifically.) At first I was a bit hesitant. A 16 year old reading a children's book isn't really considered "cool". But I thought, whatever. I wanted to read it, so I did.

     And I loved it. (The series is now among my favourite books of all time.)

     When I first wrote this letter, it was to thank the filmmakers who made the film. I never thought of thanking the creator of the world. Now, I can't believe I never thought about it until now.

Thank you Mr Joyce,

     Thanks to you, I know I'm no longer alone at night. Thanks to you, I will always see the world with my eyes open in wonder, and let my mind wander and imagine. Thanks to you, I will never give up, I will keep on hoping, I will keep on believing that tomorrow will be a better day. Thank you.

     Thinking about Mary Katherine and Jackson, I think they're very lucky to have a dad who loves them so much. And I'd like to think that wherever she is, MK would be proud of the things her dad's given the rest of us. Hope, belief and wonder.

Thank you all.

When I write a letter thanking someone for something they have done, it's because that something brought me out from a deep dark hole and shined a bright light into the vast emptiness of my life, that something cheered me up, brought me happiness, inspired me and became a part of my dream.

Yay, movie reviews!

{31st October 2013}
How many eons has it been since I actually posted my opinions on this blog?
For me, Marvel fever is in.
And yeah, I kinda watched Thor: The Dark World on its premiere date.
The only time I've ever done that was for The Hunger Games.
Um, I guess the reason why I was so excited for this film was because of *cough* reasons.
This will not be a spoiler-free review.

Thor: The Dark World
So, where to begin. I didn't really know what to expect I suppose, but I was really hoping that it would be good. A lot of reviews went along the lines of Alan Taylor was a poor replacement for Kenneth Branagh, and that not even Tom Hiddleston (damn you) could save the film, and since his screentime was limited, there was even less hope (as though the only enjoyable thing about a movie with Thor in it is Loki, really now). I STRONGLY DISAGREE. I actually found this sequel to be better than the first movie. It was funnier, darker, and more unpredictable. The first film was a bundle of fluff, Asgard in The Dark World is a shinier/PG-13 version of Westeros. I'm pretty sure I saw more than one Game of Thrones reference in the film. Yes, the banter between Thor and Loki was amusing and definitely a highlight but the other parts of the movie weren't exactly what I would call boring. (To be honest, I like Thor here more than in the first film and in The Avengers, because in the first film he was arrogant and in the Avengers, redundant.) True, Lady Sif, The Warriors Three and even Loki could and should have gotten more screen time. Especially, Lady Sif who is my favourite Marvel heroine after Black Widow (strong and gorgeous!). I was really looking forward to the Jane Foster vs. Lady Sif love triangle catfight. Admittedly, it won't be much of a fight unless Jane bores Sif to death with dubious facts about quantum physics or whatever. The villain also wasn't given much to do, but the fight scene between him and Thor was still epic without resorting to destruction that levels whole cities like in Man of Steel. The only real question I have is why Thor needed a shirtless scene. Necessary? I think not. TRIGGER WARNING: Look out for the twists. Or don't bother, you'll never see them coming. Click here for the Tumblog.




But you know, it'd be pretty boring to just have one review. After all, the title is "Yay, movie reviews!" (plural).
So here are a few other films I've watched recently that I think you should check out. *grin*
(Note: I did not watch all of these movies at one go. Just so you know.)

Nothing beats watching a movie for the first time, especially when you're in a cinema.

Rise of the Guardians

Oz the Great and Powerful

10 Things I Hate About You
My favourite romantic comedy of all time. I first watched this when Alice came over and there was nothing to watch so we went online to check out what YouTube had to offer. Eventually, we stumbled upon this and we decided to watch it. NO REGRETS. I relate to Cat (played by Julia Stiles) SO MUCH, and Heath Ledger was in it as well. I laughed, I cried, and I discovered a bit more about myself and thought quite a bit of my future and what I wanted to do. This film didn't change my life, but it made me more optimistic about vague things such as the future and a certain four letter word. Go watch it, here.

Hairspray
The only time a film adaptation was better than the original Broadway musical. Hats off to Adam Shankman, the dancing beast. I first watched this a few years ago and I absolutely loved it, downloaded the songs, sang and danced along. After joining our local production, my love for it grew. I also had the chance to watch the live musical this year, and after watching that, I have an even deeper appreciation for the film. Because the original, dare I say it, was kinda bad. Sure, there was that one song that they didn't have in the film because Adam Shankman didn't want to use split screen but STILL. The characters are all abnoxious, unlike in the film and the singing and dancing... *cringe* Oh well, the film version had a better director/choreographer and cast. Seriously, John Travolta is the definition of is SWAG. How many male actors can dress up sassily in drag, sing and do a totally weird dance that no one else could possibly pull off and still be absolutely classy? NONE. Unless you're John Travolta. And James Marsden, really. Who knew Cyclops and Corny Collins were one and the same? Mind = Blown.

Mulan
My favourite Disney movie OF ALL TIME. When I was a kid, I would just watch this on repeat every single day. Seriously, watch, rewind tape, watch again, rewind and repeat. (Those were the days of the VCR.) Maybe it's because she was the only Asian (and more importantly, Chinese) Disney princess, but I'd like to think it was more than that. She was the first Disney princess who was actually the hero of her own story, who didn't need a Prince Charming or a knight general in shining armour to come save her. She saved herself and brought honour to us all. (I'm sorry, I had to.) At first she was confused and unsure about herself, but later she decided: you know what? SCREW SOCIETY AND ITS EXPECTATIONS OF ME. And just generally kicked butt. The part where she finally climbs up the pole, something everyone else couldn't do, gives me the shivers and tears, and cheers for her. And just simply inspires me to be stronger and to keep trying no matter what. Bonus: According to my dad, when I was little, my leg would fly up the same moment Mulan & Co. did their epic flying kick thingy at the end of "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

Mean Girls
I've been dying to watch this for like, ever after seeing an infinite number of GIF sets on Tumblr. So at last, I went to one of those non-questionable movie watching sites that are probably illegal, to watch it. Pre-loony LiLo, what more do you need. And to be honest, she had a really bright future. Sad! But go watch it anyway, this show was created by Tina Fey and has one of those infinitely quotable scripts.

Pitch Perfect
I JUST WANT IT OUT THERE THAT JESSE SWANSON IS THE CUTEST EVER and if for some ungodly reason, you want to win my affections, just do what he does. A mash up of Mean Girls and GLEE and 10 Things I Hate About You, a.k.a. PERFECTION IN MOVIE FORM. The first thing I watched online illegally, besides whatever's already on YouTube.

Pan's Labyrinth
I have often heard people describe this as the best film ever, even by my dad. So I just had to watch it, right? (Again one of those nothing else to watch on television stories, also applies to the film below.) My dad just popped in the DVD and we watched it. And after watching it, well. I don't know what to think. It's like a fairy tale for adults, telling us that the world isn't sunshine and rainbows and magic, and in the end, the world stamps out all that is good. Which is true, but incredibly harsh to play out on screen. The music is hauntingly beautiful and I'll be downloading it later. I don't recommend watching it if you're one of those people who just think life is all good. Life isn't like that, and I think this film can only be truly appreciated by those who know and accept that.

Changeling
What turns out to be a simple story about a mother trying to find her son escalates into something much more. Worth watching for an Oscar-worthy performance by Angelina Jolie and all the issues of the 20's displayed here. Feminism, and such. But a lot of motherly love, as well. You might not cry, but you will want to. Just watch it, we need more reminders that there's no place like home besides The Wizard of Oz.

And why don't we just throw in a couple of recent TV show reviews as well.

Avatar: The Legend Of Korra
This will mainly be about Book 2, since it's currently showing on Nickelodeon. UM, I'm actually a little disappointed even though I relate even more to Korra than I did in Book 1 (this matters, because my Halloween costume last year was Korra and obviously I have reasons for choosing her), the plot is a little weird I guess? Unpredictable is good, but messy, isn't. The "Beginnings" episodes were pretty epic but everything else... DO SOMETHING, BRYKE.

Game of Thrones
Before we begin, I would like to paste a huge NSFW sticker on this. WARNING: This show is rated R or something so yeah, that should tell you about some of its contents. Again, Tumblr affected me into watching this. My dad thinks it's boring but I think the TV shows he likes are boring so whatever. But then again, HBO Asia kinda censors out all violence, nudity and profanity, so... You're not left with much. The real entertainment is in the dialogue. I can't say I like all the characters, but there's enough here to question what is good and what is evil, and whether sometimes they are one and the same.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Firstly, #CoulsonLives. Tumblr didn't have much to do about this. By the time it started airing here, I had completely evolved into a Marvel fangirl. SO THERE. I haven't been able to form any coherent thoughts on it because you can't judge an entire TV series based on a pilot episode, so here's my liveblog and summary, i.e. how I feel about it so far.

I hope you liked this post. It might be a while before I post anything new. But you can click here for more mini film reviews. Till next time. xoxo (I don't know why I did that.)

Where'd you go?

If you're reading this, I shall assume that you have taken an interest in my life and are wondering why I have not posted anything new in over a month. Thus, it is highly possible that you currently have this question posed on your lips. One word: Tumblr.

I have been on Tumblr since 22nd August 2011, way before I started this blog (9th January 2012). But I've only been posting (not reblogging) more actively here recently. Why? Because I kinda wanted to document my life so I can remember, before I turn all old and gray grey gray.

But Tumblr has always been more of a visual thing than a text thing. And on Tumblr, people tend to like shorter posts, which is why I have not deleted this blog. I have always expressed myself in words and that is why I will always need a place to dump my word walls. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Blogger is better for posts that involve a lot of media in it.

I've been reading a lot of articles written by teenage girls (mostly American), who have a penchant for the phrase "in retrospect", on this website called Rookie. It also has stories, comics, playlists, and my personal favourite - how to's and loads more besides. I am currently waiting for a theme that I can write for so I can send in a submission. *grin*

Also, I have another blog where I post my poems and other stuff. But maybe I should move them here... I don't know, maybe I will. I have an awful lot of things to upkeep. I am also trying to reduce the number of Tumblogs I have.

AND I'm learning how to code.

What else have I been doing that's made me so busy?
After my trip to Singapore and the BRATs camp during the school holidays, I...
1. Went back to school for a week.
2. Went to Langkawi for the National Music Camp for a week.
3. Came back from Langkawi and started leaving class and staying back at school in preparation for our school's first ever Symphony Orchestra concert. I was a conductor, concertmistress and I played a duet.
4. Catching up with all the schoolwork.
5. Rehearsing for PPO/KVSO/whatever concert on 20th July.
6. Trying not to implode.
7. Tumblr-ing. See above.
So I'm so sorry if I didn't manage to post, it's totally my fault.

Finally, I'll be revamping this blog, i.e. the design and the pages. I've already gone through a few changes over the past year and half, mainly in the background, from wicked to vintage, that short-lived The Hunger Games craze, and Part-Time Poet. Plus all those awkward animations, with the chandelier and the falling petals. I remember when all my fonts were cursive, I especially abused Crafty Girls. We all grow up, and grow out of things. And now, I think I want my blog to be more minimalistic, a bit more like Tumblr but not quite. I'm currently changing my fonts, from Crafty Girls to Trebuchet Ms to Georgia (page), from Sunshiney to Josefin Slab to Courier (title), and from Indie Flower to Arvo (gadget). (That last sentence was more for my benefit than yours, tbh.) Now, the music only plays when you want it to, because let's face it, auto-playing music is annoying. I'm trying to live life more simply, and what better way to showcase that than through my blog? Crossed out that whole sentence because it's nothing but a lie. But it is true that I want things to be more simple, and less messed up. The art is to not get attached, to learn when to let go.

Ok, I think I better stop now. This post is getting me nowhere.
Thank you for reading this.

Bratty Potatoes

I met so many amazing people in this camp.
The experiences.
The friends I made.
The mentors treated us differently compared to most adults.
I want to do more assignments, I wish I could do this instead of school...
I miss it already.
Potatoes.
Videos.
Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter.
I'm glad I joined.

{To be updated when I finally get over my feels.}

Suspension of Disbelief

{Note: This is the opinion of a teenager who's attempting to be less biased in her blog posts. Agree or disagree, comment below and tell me why. Also, there will be no GIFs this time.}

Sometimes, I wonder if certain people are qualified to judge a competition. Do these people really know everything there is to know? In fact, do they know anything at all? If so, what makes their opinion matter more than everyone else's? For example, what is Nicki Minaj, a rapper with limited singing ability, doing as a judge on a singing competition? She's not a producer like Randy Jackson or Simon Cowell who can offer them a recording deal. What can the contestants, as singers, hope to gain from her besides unrelated performing advice?
Anyway, I digress.

I think I should keep the real reason why I'm writing this article confidential. Just know that there are some many things that I'm not happy about.

This is regarding the theatre, and those who supposedly "judge" it. I will be referencing a drama that I co-wrote with some members of my school drama team, called "The Box of Heart".

At Short+Sweet, I learnt that the principle of theatre is the suspension of disbelief, and that the theatre is a shared act of imagination between those watching and those doing, the audience and the actors respectively. While writing a script for a play, I had to think in stage, I had to think about what makes it a play and not a movie, and why it had to be performed on stage, not in front of a camera. Also, the character had to want something and do something to get it.
In The Box of Heart, a toy ballerina and toy soldier (no, it's not the Nutcracker) desire to become human. The ballerina because she wanted to dance in front of a real audience, the soldier because he wanted to help protect his country. They set off on a journey to find the Pandaro* Box, which contained a heart. Along the way, they began to feel different emotions and learnt what makes a human, human. So characters who want and do, check!

On stage, you have to speak loudly and clearly with perfect pronunciation. Or else the audience will not understand what you're saying, lose their focus, get distracted, and ignore you completely. Check! My actresses worked hard and their pronunciation was a vast improvement compared to previous years and to be frank, they had the best pronunciation that day.

But the big question remains: What makes a play, a play?

One of the given guidelines was "minimise use of props". Check! We only focused on the essentials and forgoed forwent did without the background scenery. In fact, we had the least props. After all, if we act as though we were in a dark forest, and we act it right, can't we trust the audience to be smart enough to figure it out we are? After all, we also have sound effects going on in the background. Unlike other schools, who besides even more props and sound effects, had backgrounds. One even had a projector with a screen!
We often forget that the audience is smarter than we think. I think we have forgotten that we don't need backgrounds, effects, scenery and sometimes a single prop to create a good play. After all, it's not like we're putting on a full-scale production on Broadway. Sometimes, even Broadway shows have no or little use for props. I know that most of the time, certain props are essential. For example in a cafe, you might need tables, chairs. But do you really need to have the counter, the kitchen and the windows too? No!
To be something or somewhere, we don't need proof that we are.

Do we really need to show the audience the sky to let them know we are flying? No, all we need is to ask them to suspend their disbelief and let their imagination take flight. All we need is the belief that we are more than what can be seen. All we need is to believe.

So now, I ask you, whether or not you are the writer/director/producer, the actor, the judge, or the audience, to suspend your disbelief and just believe in the magic that unfolds before your very eyes. For that, is the stage, that is the theatre.


*Pandaro: We were thinking of a name to call the box. Eventually, we gave up and someone just typed in "Pandora". (We were writing the script on the laptop.) Well, she made an error and it showed up on the screen as "Pandaro". Hence, the Pandaro Box was born.