Marie Setiawan

24 years into this life...

2010-02-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, at exactly one minute past midnight onto the 20th day of February, I officially turned 24. Not much to say, but since it landed on a Saturday, it's been somewhat eventful. It was like any normal birthday I had: I wake up, get ready, have my breakfast... you know, the usual. Sometimes I become desensitised about my birthday, cause it always lands during times when everyone is occupied. Back in high school, it was the beginning of the school term. In university, beginning of the first semester. Not only that, it's relatively close to Valentine's Day and may subsequently land on Chinese Lunar New Year's, depending on the timing. Otherwise, I already knew the big 24 was coming soon, receiving a handful of early birthday wishes from friends - the earliest having been over two weeks before the day while I was at the Gold Coast (will elaborate at a later date).

My Saturday morning started off pretty normal. I jumped on Facebook and practically found birthday messages littered on my wall. To me, these wishes are enough for my birthday. I spent most of the morning replying to each one before tackling the job I have to do writing synopses and jotting down different ways of summarising ideas. I was boggled. Otherwise, with work still in mind, I wasn't aware of some elaborate plot brewing behind my back.

After a while writing out some ideas and figuring out what to do, I decided to work with Steve Ada to get the ball rolling, which meant working at his place. Funnily enough, my sisters INSISTED that I worked at home. I didn't mind going anywhere on my birthday, but they INSISTED. So, I fell to their whims and headed off to pick up my co-writer in crime. After a while, returning back home, I was about to start work as per usual until the makings of candles and a birthday cake walked my way.

My sister planned a surprise birthday cake for me! With her friends!

The chanting of the usual birthday song filled the air, and I was in total embarrassment. No one has ever done something like this for me... ever. At times I started to think: "Did I really deserve it? Really?". It was the first birthday surprise I had in the (now) 24 years of my life. And though I probably looked like a total dweeb and felt really embarrassed about it, I hate you guys... with love of course.

And I still think it was some kind of tiramisu. It tasted like it. Or else it was some weird concoction of chocolate chip mousse. I'll find out soon enough!

Lip Dub Jackie Chan Acapella - Q4JC Project

2010-02-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

Watch till your eyes bleed!

Jackie Chan Lip Sync Session!

2010-02-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

WHAT A DAY!

Let's begin by saying I've never thought I'd have so much fun being silly for one day. All thanks to the unexpected whims of Maria Tran, A crew of five including herself got involved in a skit of a music video. And guess what? It's all around Jackie Chan! It was such a spur of the moment decision, two days at most when the decision was made to make one.

The day began with an 8AM start. Unfortunately, that only left me with a good four hour sleep, so I arrived late to the shooting. My apologies in advance to those who did make it there on time. Still, we got straight into shooting for the video, with Andy Minh Trieu, Steve Ada, Jack Ngu, Maria Train and I working together. The synergy between everyone to make this work was amazing. Everyone had a say in how each shot could and should be shot. Normally, I'm a wallflower, so I let others take the reigns and follow suit. But throughout shooting, I think I opened up a little bit more. The guys were infectious. There's no help to combat that.

Also, Warren Coulton also got in on the act after an unexpected visit to the shooting.

By 2.30PM, the post came into play. Both Maria and Jack worked in their editing space, while I was of use in the graphics department. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the pen to my tablet, so I had to do everything by mouse. Do you know the irnoy behind this?

My pen's been in my bag the whole time. I just missed it.

ANYWAY! After completing the graphic for the project, I made my way back home for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Don't worry, more explanations on that when you reach the end of this post.

All in all, it was a blast! I've never had so much fun! I guess because I've never really been around others who were so outrageous that it's infectious... in a good way of course! Hanging around friends who were pretty mellow while you grew up kind of does that to you. As soon as the clip hits the Tube and the interwebs, you'll hear it from here, OR...

To join the hunt for Jackie Chan, please head for Quest for Jackie! Don't forget to follow the Tweets too!

Also, because it's that time of year again (for those of you who know)...

Happy Lunar New Year! May the year of the Tiger bring forth luck and prosperity for all of you in 2010!

Fruits of our Labours

2010-02-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

Good news! Everything is fully drafted!! All 13 episodes!!! HOORAH!!!!

It all started over a year ago for me when I jumped on this project. It's funny looking back now how far it has gotten from such a small project to a really big one in such a short time. Having turned the project into a 13-part episodic series during late August to early September was a bit of a stretch at first, but through perseverence, we made this work to our advantage. Over five months down the track, with every day spent conceptualising, idealising, using every bit of brainpower we had, Steve and I went through blood, sweat, and tears to write out this project (plus losing some sleep every now and then).

Originally, we had written up the first six episodes of the series, having drafted them a few times over and over again when we still conceptualised the ideas, BUT, it was until somewhere in mid-January that we had to race against the clock. We both decided that we needed to collaborate and co-write the series every day, even if it was only for a few hours at a time in order to fully draft everything. Needless to say, placing ourselves in self-house-arrest did lock us out of social life in general. We were living in caves.

Through the heat of summer, the unexpected raining torrents, and the occasional chance of hail, we trudged through every character, every plot, every arc, every event, every fight sequence... OH THE FIGHT SEQUENCES! We made sure that everything was set. No plotholes, no weak developments, everything! We spared no expense in our creativity.

BUT AGAIN, with only five minutes to spare before midnight today, both Steve and I had written the last words of the final episode.

YES!

We had completed the first drafting of the series! Most of our brainpower may have disintegrated overtime, but now we can both relax that we had plotted almost every detail into this project. Now, I can focus on other aspects of the project, like some good character design maps, an ACTUAL geographical understanding, and continue some other projects I started in-between, and probably create some new ones too. (I, however, must remind myself not to get too carried away).

Still... I've started editing through hard copies of the series, just to be the perfectionist that I am, over a week ago and have made it to Episode 8...

Five more episode reads to go...

Status Update?

2010-01-28T19:14:00.001-08:00

Location: My computer/study room turned office
Music: Celldweller
Feeling...: Quite full really
Currently...: Posting this blog entry while anticipating a choreographed sequence by co-writer in crime!

That's right! We are pulling through! Almost two weeks straight now over at my place, now writing and eating our way through this script. We're gonna maul it with the love it deserves.

Yes, I'm still alive and breathing. Both Steve Ada and I are. Despite the constant self-house-arrest regime we both agreed on unconsciously speaking, we are going to end this long-run with a bang! But, coming down to the nitty-gritty of the writing, I've realised how much time we had to take our heads and practically saturate it in this pseudo-charmed-kinda-world. I'm loving it actually! Despite the finish line in the distance, and probably the prep time for editing, I've enjoyed the journey to get this point... for now. On other news, I've been wrapping my head in other things to help transit from this world to another. If anything, the transition on its own is really difficult. My head's been floating about.

Real life news? I've been considering a few job applications, sent one in particular, and probably going to plan a whole day handing hard copies to random places. My freelancing? Been pretty quiet, but then again, I'm going to have to pull in a few other matters before considering the return into it. I haven't touched anything in relation to design for a while now to tell you the truth. Time, Space, Money... all of these little things can attack you, but you learn to cope.

Until next I post (and it'll be a good one too!)

Racing to the finish line... and time is winning over!

2010-01-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone! There's been something afoot! My mind has been completely usurped by this writing that I no longer see the world as it used to be!

Seriously. It's true. Time is against us now. It's not our friend. The writing experience with the show has completely flooded my brain. Both Steve Ada and I have been feeling it. For the past four days, we've been punching our time to completely make our scripts perfect that all we think about is the show. We practically breathe it, live in it, thrive in it, and probably eat our way through it.

But what makes this even more serious is that we are dedicating so much time into it that we've probably gone obsessed. Obsession! That's it! It's an obsession! That and we actually have a deadline now. But it's still an obsession mixed with a huge amount of passion for the project. In my experience so far, we've been working together and developing more ideas to further make this story an epic one, even for a television series. The 'offices' that we thrive in help to keep this imaginary flow going, though we do understand the concept of the outside world every now and then... probably just for eats.

Still, things take time. Though time is against us now, we're pushing forward and hitting the hard yards.

And thus ends my update for tonight... for now. Am busy attacking two scripts and concepts at once. Oh, how I love multi-tasking my brain.

/end rant

No Rest for the Wicked

2010-01-11T04:20:00.000-08:00

No. I don't mean the musical. Even though I love it to death.

There's just been a lot happening now that the new year has kicked in. 2010 should be looking prosperous, only when we get everything together and rev through this month to shreds! It was a time for redecorating, rearranging, and making sure everything was in order.

After another session with Steve Ada, we both decided on keeping things proper for our concepts and plots to flow better. Even though we have them on electronic record, a good visual board would be nice. So... we've established a new base! Something that we could visually establish our ideas and be inspired on a constant basis. It's been real busy! I wouldn't be surprised if my fingers get worn to the bone, or if my brain would fry first.

Having said that, this prompted me to actually clean up the organised mess I had in my room. After a good spring (well, summer) cleaning, I was amazed to find so many things lying around that I've collected over the years (since I'm a hoarder at heart and love to keep memories close). Sadly, some things I do remember I couldn't find a physical attachment to, such as tickets and the like. But a majority of them were successfully placed on my wall... and hopefully more could be added in the future. I even look at my desk and it looks SO much more cleaner than it used to be.

Upon this wall above my desk are all the little memorobilia I've collected on a whim. Cards, postcards, pictures, tickets, one photo, and the unusual coffee cup holder. That's not the only wall that got massacred though, but I'll leave that for another post. It's still in the completing stages (and it still won't be complete at all anyway - a work-in-progress really)

So really. It's been work, work, work. January is going to be a busy week - in and out of work.

Actually... would this be considered work?

The Year Ahead...

2009-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's been one heck of a ride this year. I thought of reflecting on a few things before hitting the hay, since I tend to think before I sleep (which is a pretty bad habit, so don't grow up to be like me kids). Just this month alone has been quite topsy-turvy. Now that Christmas has passed and New Year's is approaching, I think it's about time to reflect and resolute for the new year ahead. 2010 should be filled with opportunities. It's just a matter of taking them by the hand and holding on.

Working with those involved in RH has been a rollercoaster. There were ups and downs, but luckily, with a lot of luck running our way, we're closer to realising this project's coming to life. It's still a lot of work, realising this completely different universe with different physics, laws and rules. It progresses, but not without sacrifices as well, despite our attachment to it. Even now, over this holiday, I'm still working out this universe with Steve, making it simpler yet complex all at once. Making it fun yet grand. We just open up a portal and jump right through to this place of magic and wonder. However, as creatives, it's still hard work on your imagination. You can only push so much unless you get into the 'Zone', the 'Hotspot', the 'Hub' of creativity. I do that, I usually coop myself in my room, which then worries the rest of my family. So I opted for the nocturnal approach (which is actually pretty bad). Still, we're setting up for the new year, and 2010 should bring more opportunities.

Movies lately? Yessirree! Not too long ago, perhaps two weeks ago to say the least, the band of misfits that included Steve Ada, Maria Tran, Andy Minh Trieu, Jack Ngu, and myself went and watched a full house screening of Avatar in 3D. The visuals, to say the very least, were stunning! Almost breath-taking! It offered a variety of different genres for everybody and practically transported us into a world that we all could immerse ourselves and take us away from reality. Ten or so years in the making, and Avatar has practically topped the standards for cinema - for both real-life and simulated performances. Needless to say, having watched this film and remembering a three year old essay I've written up on this type of cinema, the movies have gone a long way for blockbusters. Even now, after coming back from the cinemas tonight, people were still lining up for Avatar. The last session was sold out 30 minutes beforehand! And this was at my local cinema complex!

Speaking of which, I've watched two movies in a row this week: Sherlock Holmes and Zombieland. It's clear to me that they're pretty much one extreme to another, but I enjoy the movies. Doesn't anyone?

Now, unless you're not one for mystery and intrigue, I can assure you that this film will at the very least tickle your deducting skills. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since high school, and possibly before that (if I remember my childhood well enough). The television show House M.D. was the closest I could get from enjoying Holmes' unwanton chaos for mysteries. But after watching Sherlock Holmes, it reignited my love for it again. Both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law played their roles perfectly. Their chemistry onscreen brought the characters to life, and their verbal arguments made it all the more enjoyable to watch. I was excited about it, that I applauded quietly through some conversations onscreen. Needless to say, some of my friends noticed how much both my sister and I did that throughout the movie (as we are both fans of the Holmes/Watson dynamic).

And Zombieland. Having just come home around three hours ago after watching the film, I'd say it was pretty good. Basic-driven plot with lots of dynamics between characters. Horror comedy as a genre, as I can only imagine, is a tough concept. Throughout the film, I didn't know whether to be scared in my seat or laugh my head off. There were times though that the movie actually made me jump, most probably from the sound rather than the sight of it. Heavy stereo can do that to a person. For me, despite the blood, gore and guts that flew around, the characters were my highlights. Though not as deep as dramas, they all have their purpose, their way of life, their stories, and their sacrifices. The rules to zombie survival that were littered through the film also give you good laughs, if you watch out for them. But no worries, if anything with my sister having read particular 'bibles' on zombie survival and my love of shoot-em-up gaming combined, I think we'd survive long enough in a zombie apocalypse.

There's a huge amount of films I want to watch, and funnily enough, the one to top my list so far is The Princess and the Frog. Yes, I'm a kid at heart, and it's been years since Disney has ever released an animated film for the box office. If I last recalled, my last animated film experience was Brother Bear. If I had to make suggestions however for serious films, I'd say look out for Law Abiding Citizen and Daybreakers. I love a good film with morals, especially ones that twist them around.

Now, I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow... well, in another eight hours after a good night's sleep (which I doubt I'll have anyway). Both my sister and I had this planned for a long time, and I do mean long, like years ago! We're going to follow through with it dammit for 2010! But for this holiday season, we're testing the waters before we set up a game plan to commit.

It's been nothing but a whirlwind!

2009-12-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

From heatwaves to pouring deluges, the weather has been nothing but hectic, and that alone can describe how I've been feeling. Busy, busy... and more busy. Almost every day now I've been making trips to and fro in order to make this writing work, and it's going very swimmingly might I add. Working with Steve on this project has both of us growing weary over everything, but we're still persevering through. At first, I thought it would be quite a rough ride to write something so big of a universe. And to my expectations, it has been. But it's that type of ride that makes this all the more rewarding. Still, it's going to take more reviewing, editing, cutting, adding, and proofing everything until it is close to perfection. And in my opinion, nothing can truly ever be perfect, but you can achieve it to be just as close.

It's been fully hectic. Not only that, I'm amazed that in-between all of this writing I was also working on a graphics project co-relative to it. Geez! Talk about being pedantic. Took me long enough, perhaps three weeks on-and-off, but I actually finished it today. Yay!

I feel very accomplished... ish. Close enough. I could just stare at it all day now.

Latest Graphics?

2009-11-25T22:08:00.001-08:00

Updates on freelancing? My latest work involved having to draw out caricatures for a fitness business package. The process is as follows:

Step 1: Initial Sketches

Step 2: Cleaned Version

Step 3: Final Products

Word Bytes and Dry Spells

2009-11-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost the end of the month. You know what that means? Not really? Well, this would commemorate the time of the month where I pictured myself toiled over a novel I would've loved to write up, feeling either anticipation or anxiousness if I completed the draft or not. This was my first year in attempting to write a draft novel for NaNoWriMo. But sadly, all I could say is:

I failed. Indefinitely. Am made of epic fail.

I never would've thought I had many commitments in November, and to top that off by attempting to write 50,000 words is a definite feat. For those who have bigger commitments but were able to pull this off, I commend you, but I guess it was something I had to learn from anyway. I thought it'd be a slow month for me when I signed up over two months ago in September. Unfortunately, much to my nonchalant disappointment in the matter, it wasn't a slow month. In fact, it's been a whirlwind, and a good one at that! A lot of things had been happening which had to keep me on my toes and my mind sharp for other commitments, such as the infamous scripting for 'Rumble High' of course and the freelancing I've got on the side. Not to mention waiting to hear from potential job applications (which I doubt I will anyway) and getting things straightening out for the business in general. So to answer my own question: Yep, it's been a busy month. I've been more focused on what's happening that I failed in NaNoWriMo. Still, lessons have been learnt anyway.

So what have I learnt from NaNoWriMo? Well, it wasn't a total loss. I did start my novel, having written a short prologue and started writing up the first chapter. If I completed the first chapter, I would've at the very least could've gotten up to 7000 words at least, but I remained at around 3000 words. Pretty feeble attempt when you have to reach 50,000 in a month no less. But sadly, three things had gotten in the way for continuing on with the book.

1. My Initial Decision in Novel Choice

That's right! I couldn't choose which type of story to write up. I was stuck between two completely different types of novel genres. Take into account that these stories have been developed for two-three years during my university years, and it's because of university I couldn't develop them onto paper or screen (depending where I am and if my laptop is with me at the time). For months before NaNoWriMo, I decided on the supernatural/action genre Baskerville, which revolved around werewolves. This was to oppress the vampire craze that is Twilight (insert shuddering thoughts here) and keep myself to a more epic proportion for the novel. Sadly, as soon as NaNoWriMo started, I couldn't grab the inspiration to write it up, which prompted me to start writing my other choice Beyond the Parallel Door - a more fantastical genre with an Alice in Wonderland element to it. Yes, I ended up writing this story... halfway through the month.

2. Constantly hitting Dry Spells every time

Ah, the illustrous writing block. Oh how every writer hates you. As soon as I got into some groove to write up the story, somehow I was met with block after block, which left me staring at the screen for five minutes at a time not knowing what to do. I guess to take into account for this would be my other commitments that are in need of my imagination more than this at the moment, so that's been putting me out of sync as well. Still, the blocks just kept coming. It left me without any inspiration to write at all.

3. My pedantic nature to edit as I write

That's what I do. I edit as I type, even though the purpose of NaNoWriMo is to flow write your entire draft without having to think about spelling, grammar, punctuation, and all that stuff. Unfortunately, I'm an English Nazi. I see a mistake, I need it fixed. Call it OCD on the typing scale, but that's how I write. My methods are a little unorthodoxed too. There are times I'll write out a prose, but other times seem to come out in spoken dialogue, so I document that instead. I write as if I'm scripting. It's something I've come to acquaint myself with, but soon enough the story comes together... much longer than it should.

In the end, I've learnt how much of a commitment a novel can be. It's not as easy as anyone thinks it to be. So instead of a drafty looking piece of text, I've only got a measly few words to start with. But hey! At least I started it, something that I wouldn't have done at all. These stories wouldn't be told otherwise. NaNoWriMo had given me the initiative to think through with these ideas, and one day, I'll get these done, be proud of my efforts, and see where that will take me.

NaNoWriMo Update? Not much.

2009-11-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

So... it's the 2nd of November. You know what that means? Yesterday marked the day that I should've started writing that novel manuscript for NaNoWriMo. How unfortunate that I couldn't muster the inspiration and the motivation to start. I've been juggling between two ideas for a manuscript for the past two months, and still, I can't decide which one to write. But lately, my really girly side is thriving at the moment and it's going towards the one idea I decided I'd write AFTER NaNoWriMo.

Well, I'll try to start my NaNoWriMo manuscript in my spare time. The outline's all up in my head. Now it's just a matter of writing everything down in freestyle flow-writing. That's the purpose of it after all.

Otherwise, work-related wise, the pitch for Rumble High had been sent through! Both Maria Tran and I spent a seven-hour long all-nighter completely revamping the entire pitch to be sent by Express Post. Now it's a matter of waiting for the results. Fingers crossed everyone! Also! Script-writing had officially began for Rumble High and we're going pretty strong. The first episode's almost complete, but we may have to re-edit again just in case before jumping onto the second and so forth.

My other script, the dramatised one for short film purposes, seems to be lacking in some departments, partly because I have to reminicse about a few things again in my high school/fresh university years. Yay (and I say that with the most blatant and sarcastic voice ever). It's almost complete though. It's a matter of tapping into that part of my past that I've come to learn from.

So many ideas, so little time.

I just realise I've put too much projects all at once.

Yippee.

A Night of Nostalgia? Regret? Or newfound hope...

2009-10-31T06:11:00.001-07:00

Tonight I attended a forum hosted by Maria Tran & Joseph Hieu Dinh as a part of Vietlish Entertainment: Film-making in the Vietnamese Diaspora. It was pretty enlightening to learn about how the Vietnamese community are growing in the film industry, but it also brought up the dilemmas and the politics that worked around that. It goes to show the reality of the industry and how hard it is for artists to make anything out of themselves for the sake of it. I guess this would be how my parents feel about me (of course, that will be enlightened in a more personal level of the post later).

The screening to top the night was Journey From The Fall, which tells a tale of truth and reality for those who had lived their lives during the Vietnam Civil War. It focuses on those who had fled, who were fleeing, or were trapped by the mechanisms of war. Needless to say, it pulled at my heart-strings. I have a newfound and stronger respect for those who had to live through such times to survive and find a better way of life. I remember many of my Vietnamese friends in high school and how hard they worked in both school and work to follow afterwards. I'm not sure how strongly they feel about their history, but for me, after watching the film, history shows how significant you are in life. It only made me think about how I came to be - to live in a country like Australia, but to live in two worlds with one foot as an Asian and another as an Australian. Though I couldn't relate to the story due to some cultural differences and ideals, I can only sympathise and become deeply attached in regards to experiences I've known in my life, in regards to my family, both here in Australia and overseas.

It only made me think... (and this is the more personal part of the post)... though I'm not Vietnamese, it made me nostalgic about growing up in two different worlds.

This makes me feel regretful that I never give myself the chance to learn more about my parents to begin with. It was only recently I've learnt the hardships my father went through in order to make a better life for him, and soon for his family here in Australia. That generational gap between myself and my parents is becoming a larger divide with every passing year. I'm not fluent in speaking Indonesian or Chinese (as I am from Chinese-Indonesian descent). I remember something not too long ago (maybe over two months now) that I began questioning my own identity over a conversation I had with a booth operator... that's right. A booth operator. I'm not going to get into details about that, but I began questioning where I was as both an Asian and an Australian.

Let's make this simple. My name alone illustrates each part of my identity, of which was, and still is, becoming a part of what I am:

Marie (or otherwise spoken as Mary, MA-rie, Maria and on occasion Anne-Marie and the rarely spoekn Anna-Marie)
My first name, conveniently given since I was born in Australia.

Meiling (or otherwise spelt as Mei Ling)
My middle name given to connect me with my Chinese heritage.

Setiawan (or sometimes spoken as Stiawan)
My surname from my father (of course) who was born in Indonesia.

This generational gap is heavy upon me. It hit me hard like a brick wall on how much of a cultural gap I had with my own parents. I can admit that communication is minimal to say the least. Even though I try to speak to them about what I've been doing, their own words seem to crash over mine, like a tidal wave... or more like a tsunami. I guess this just conjures up how Asian-Australians (or more appropriately for me, Australiasians) have to live in two different worlds, cope with that, and learn to manage in-between. I'm still learning in order to close that gap, but there has to be communication from both sides, and being the eldest in my family only makes it that much harder.

I need to make the time for such talks, find the time to talk to both of my parents, to learn more about them and keep it that way. I know my last attempt ended in failure, or at least, I feel that way. I respect my parents too much to push issues further. There has to be a way to communicate better.

Well, I've gotten a lot out of me. Writing does help figure out what's going on.

Which also reminds me...

I should've started NaNoWriMo-ing a few hours ago... I guess I'll be behind by a day or two.

Where did my voice go? I've lost it somewhere.

2009-10-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

Okay.

So you've probably been waiting for that all existential post full of emo and angst that most, if not all, posts are usually made up of.

Well... this is mine.

For a while I had been evaluating the value of what my life really, truly is. What am I doing? Who am I becoming? And where the hell am I going in my life? Just, what the hell am I doing anymore? Why do I keep questioning myself all the friggin' time? Is everything that I've been doing worth it?

All I get out of this is a friggin' headache!

I'm pretty sure that everything can't be seen through rose-tinted glasses. Not everybody's going to be happy about everything. Heck, no good deed goes unpunished, so I agree with the Wicked musical 110%. For this whole entire time, I've only managed to make myself feel miserable. But I'll hide it behind this optimism and this smile.

All I know is, I've come to realise that I've truly lost my voice. The voice to speak for myself. The voice to speak to my family. The voice to speak to my parents. The voice to speak at all. Sometimes, I feel like I'm on mute every day. I've come to realise in a short span of time...

I'm just lost.

Now, apologies for the self-loathing and the angsty rant. It at least goes to show exactly where I am.

I'm a hostage!

2009-10-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

So, where am I? Trapped underneath the Bon Marche building in a holding cell, with no air-conditioning for the next... three hours? For those who don't know, I'm somewhere on the UTS campus. UTS, you say? I'd be thinking to myself: "You're UNSW Alumni, you don't belong there!" Well, frankly, it was an inside job.

Since yesterday, I've been helping out a friend of mine on a rough cut. Return to Thursday last week [a.k.a. 15.10.09] where I was on set for her very tiny production as a Runner/Advisor. It was a long day, driving up to Cantebury for a 7.45 start only to start filming an hour later when we were supposed to begin at 8 AM. Luckily, we skimmed through until around 2.45 PM in accordance to the schedule and ahead of time as well. In hindsight, some things weren't necessary at the time, but had been thought through for precaution's sake.

My experience on the set, despite it being a university assessment task, was a little jarring. I was in essence a Runner, but due to my involvement in helping my friend during pre-production of the task (around over a month ago), I became one of the many behind-the-scenes advisors throughout the production. All in all, it was a collaborative effort with everybody on set, from the operators to the actors. This was her first time directing a piece, so in my opinion, it turned out relatively well.

And hey, guess what? One of the crew knew about Rumble Pictures when I spoke about it. Ha! Word gets around, don't it? I was surprised myself. Some of these people live further north from Western Sydney.

When post-production came along, I've been helping her put together whatever clips she got since yesterday. Now alone in the lab (and trapped since I cannot leave the lab, since I don't know the passcode to make my way inside again), I've done all that I can for the rough cut, audio-wise, as I was left to the task while my friend had to rush to a seminar. But hey, I discovered Final Cut Pro isn't as hard as I thought it was. It's a lot like my Adobe Premiere... but better and slightly more easier to handle. Then again, Adobe Premiere could be better with better hardware. My laptop can only take so much memory all at once.

So, would that now make me Storyboard Artist/Runner/Assistant Editor in the credits? Who knows.

So... besides being trapped in a dungeon...

Just recently, we've had a meet with most of the crew for RUmble High. You can find the details here in Maria's posting of the event. Yep. Everyone's excited about this little idea becoming a reality. We do have our concerns about how much support we can muster out of this venture, but for now, we're letting our imaginations run wild.

Lately, the summaries and story plots for Rumble High are coming along swimmingly. The long sessions are paying off with creative ideas to make things work for us, creatively and financially speaking. Still, even if we can't pitch the idea to the intended market, Rumble High still has legs. We've got other avenues for this. We're going to get this on air dammit!

On my own front, I've been writing up a script for a short film. Probably a drama with the way things are turning out in the writing. Only problem is that the themes that are strewn through are really personal to me. Not in that whole "Oh woe is me!" way, thank you very much. It was more of a journey and a realisation that I've come to learn years ago, and writing this out is helping me understand more. Heck, writing always helps me figure out what's going on. Just to write this script, I went back to my old journal of high school yore. The time period for these journals was probably from my senior year through to my first year of university. The entries seem to stop there, probably because university got too hectic to keep up with my own thoughts. Still, they've been helpful, even though I cringe at myself at the things I wrote back then. My gosh, I was such a teenager.

Okay, the humidity in this room is really starting to get to me. I should've worn a tank top today. It would've been better than this typical black tee I'm wearing now.

un/productive

2009-10-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a pretty busy week, mostly during the evenings, but it's kept me on my toes for a while now, despite the fact that I was going through a boring stint a few hours back. SO! Let's recap, shall we?

DTRII? Not anymore.

No, I don't mean that in a bad way. After a very good two-three week string of meetings, brainstorms and whatnot. DTRII is finally getting to a good place, granted that it's been one heck of a ride. A few posts back, I remember mentioning a new clean slate? Well, we came to that conclusion and this series has seperated itself from the first series of Downtown Rumble. Still, it has its undertones and its inspirations from the first series, but while we're aiming this at 8-12 year old boys, there's not much to do but give it a new slate to work on. We say farewell to the title of Downtown Rumble II (now that it's no longer a sequel. Apologies to any fans from the first series out there) and we introduce you all to:

RUMBLE HIGH

We've already put together a drafted pitch, and it's just now a matter of time before we receive any feedback to work more on it again. Thus ends the cycle... for now. Ever since then it's been kind of dull on the writing front.

Have I been entertaining myself?

Yes I have. I've finally indulged myself into a film and musical theatre. I watched The Surrogates and Avenue Q. Two different sides of a spectrum I'm sure. The Surrogates was an okay film. I was expecting a bit more action, but it turned out to be more like conspiratorial drama. Maybe a mesh of Noir-ish elements with an action base? It does make you think about what can be possible and the scary things behind it. Avenue Q on the other hand was hilarious! Granted that they were making fun of outrageous themes and issues. All I know is that I will never look at a muppet the same way again... ever.

Life in general?

I've been out and about for the past week. I've celebrated a friend's late birthday with dinner at Medusa, some arcade games and a visit to Chocolateria San Churro in Parramatta. My gosh! The Raspberry Rumba was delicious. I'm one for white chocolate. And I miss churros! But I guess chocolate will be far from my mind after that night.

And hey! Boring stint earlier today? I decided to get back to some artsy stuff after a while of NOT doing anything productive on that front. I remembered an old piece of art I did as part of the SHOUT IT OUT project that was circling at the time. (Unless you're a deviant member on deviantArt, you probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about). So I decided to redo it. It's been two years on, and reading through, some things I still feel strongly about, while others had been added on. Looking at it, there's less here than my original piece. Does that mean I've got less things on my chest now?

Exhibit '09 for Fairfield Youth

2009-09-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

BY CHRIS BOULOUS

30/09/2009 9:28:00 AM

WHEN it comes to music and art, sharing is caring. No cultural barriers, just expressions of individuality.

Enter Exhibit 09 a chance for youth from diverse backgrounds to come together to share in music, art and culture. More than 1000 Fairfield young people are expected to transform the Prairiewood Youth Centre into a theatre of creativity on Saturday, October10.

No hidden agendas, just fun and excitement. Highlights of the eight-hour schedule include a screening of Maximum Choppage 2, a plethora of local performances and a dance party in the evening. "It's going to be huge,'' said NSW Spanish and Latin American youth worker Jesica Varela. "It's going to be a big celebration of youth cultural diversity. We have a lot of local performers and activities organised for the entire day.''

Exhibit 09 is organised by the NSW Spanish and Latin American Association in partnership with the NSW Police Force, Parks Community Network, Potter House Christian Church, Loud Tribe, Community First Steps, Fairfield City Council and Rumble Films.

Moon Festivities

2009-09-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

That's right.

Despite my taking part in an 18-hour long wedding in high heels the day before (of which it was so exciting to finally witness two people I've known for so long finally tie the knot. Yay!), I still managed to get myself to the Cabra Moon Festival. Slightly limping, but not too bad. A big shout out to the Rumble Crew and Timothy Ly for having their film Maximum Choppage: Round 2 aired on a giant screen in John Street. It was awesome guys! Too bad I got there halfway through since parking was such a pain. 45 minutes in multi-levelled parking is not fun people. Not fun at all. And I find the irony in my parking adventures within that timespan. It's a lesson learnt I think.

ANYWHO! Onto other news...

Besides preparations for the wedding I attended and participated in on Saturday, this week has been a pretty hectic one. We finally began some discussions for WestExpress '09 last week. A brief meeting, but now we're all up to speed with what's happening. I'm hoping everything falls through successfully. It's only a matter of hearing from Pamela about the venue first and foremost.

Progress with DTR2? Coming along very well! In fact, even better! We've got characters, main plot and structure so far. Style direction is getting there. Who would've thought that writing for 8-12 year olds could be so... fun. It just helps to revert your mind back to that age again. I'd like to personally give props to Laurent Boiteaux who has been a big help in the creative process. It's amazing what you can do within a span of a week. Now it's a matter of gaining insights from the others involved in this project. A meeting must be had!

On the real life front? Still job hunting. On the side. Yay. Sent a few CVs. And waiting. Boring~ Otherwise, I've returned to my piano and guitar through the week and re-learnt more songs. After over a year, I've come back to Eyes On Me by Faye Wong. I loved that song, and I know why I didn't play it for so long as well (of which I will not disclose here at all). Performance? Maybe. If I find the time. Or maybe when a lack of inspiration hits.

Well, with the Maximum Choppage high, DTR, and WestExpress '09, it's going to be an exciting month ahead. October seems fruitful. Looking towards the bright side.

November? One word: NaNoWriMo.

That is all.

Shanghai Lady Killer

2009-09-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

Date: 17.09.09

I had the privilege of seeing an early showing of the theatre production, Shanghai Lady Killer, and for discretion's sake, I'm not going to divulge too much on the show. I may not be an expert of theatre, but I respect the creatives behind it, each one giving life to such a diversified and unique twist into physical theatre.

Though in its early stages of production, Shanghai Lady Killer looks to be a promising theatrical experience. It's a conglomerate, if you will, of Wuxia martial arts and Film Noir elements. The mix of both of these genres give it a different flavour, yet they both work so well in the context of the show. It's that mix of East and West that bring out so much life from it.

I was a part of a small audience for the showcase, which really left me to stretch my neck to see what was happening on the ground floor. But the performance of the actors, martial artists, and dancers brought out the essence of the show. It was intense. There were times when I was in awe of the performance, since I've grown up watching Wuxia films. There were flying acts and acrobatics that almost mimicked the style of such films, and that alone blew me away. The number of ways that the scenes unfolded had me guessing on what would happen next.

The choreography, both dance and fight scenes together equals one word: breathtaking. The energy of the performers radiated from the show. If you're a Cirque Du Soliel fan, you'll appreciate the choreography that appears in this production. If you're a Wuxia fan, you'll appreciate the action sequences and the raw intensity of the show. It all came down to how well each move was executed, whether it was an all-out fight scene, a dance routine, or a simple yet strong kata. Put into a theatrical context, it differed so much from a Wuxia film. You, as a spectator, decided at what point in time you want to frame the story. It's not just a show, it's an experience.

On that note, it was interesting to see how receptive the audience were as well. A woman in the row before me jumped at a few scenes, of which I found the action quite typical. It goes to show how much of an impact Shanghai Lady Killer can potentially be, and that is a very good sign.

It's really hard to not say good things about this show. We were only given a taste of what's to come. Keep a lookout for it.

Creative road block? Yep.

2009-09-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm stuck staring at a blank screen, and only having written just four words, which make up the title. I fail. I hate it when ideas just elude you. It's the bane of every creative mind. Block after block after block. There has to be some way of breaking down these blocks.

It's not that there are no ideas coming to me, it's a matter of writing them down. Don't you find it annoying when that happens? You get lost in translation by yourself. Maybe I need to put more effort in thinking these ideas out loud. I'd rather brain storm with a real storm.

Well, on the road to re-mapping again, I'm hoping Story of the Year can pull me through on this one.

Off the topic from my lack of creativity, my weekend was a real long one. I attended my cousin's hen's night! My first one ever! The morning started off early with a drive, stopping at Hurstville, Rockdale, and then up to the city near World Square. We started at 8 and finally got to the hotel by 11. For an hour or two, we had to wait for the others to arrive, so I sat down and watched some good ol' Saturday morning television with a friend... I've recently learnt what children's program was running when we pressed that ON button.

Master Raindrop.

... I found it... weird to say the least. But the concept behind it did make me think more about what we're going through.

Master Raindrop follows the journey of four young friends - Raindrop, ShaoYen, Jinhou and Niwa - across 'The Land of a Thousand Legends'. They are in search of their master, Master Yun, who has been captured by the evil General Bu. The series brings to life characters and creatures from various Asian Legends and Folklore.

Taken from Wiki

Maybe that's another take on something we can potentially produce, just not in that fashion though.

... ANYWHO! Hen's Night! We went for High Tea in the afternoon at Swissotel, and the food there was beautiful! To both the eye and the palette. If you decide to head for High Tea, I recommend the following foods:

Creme Brulee: It's a must! Just pick up one of the small little cups that litter the table.
Chocolate Mousse: Again, take a big cup from the table. You won't regret it.
Fruit Tart: Have your pick of a strawberry, orange, or kiwi bite in one.
Profiterole: Covered with chocolate and filled with cream.
Scones: Pick up a spoonful of whip cream and jam. You can't get enough scones in your day.
Mini Meat Pie: With a dash of sauce. It makes up your protein intake with all of the sugar.
Quiche: You can't get enough quiche. But note: You must get it fresh!

Sandwiches in general and of course, TEA! Try all of the tea before you fill yourself up with sugar. That only becomes a problem when you want to try the Chocolate Fondue Fountain as well.

I enjoyed High Tea. I'd like to go again and bring along some good friends for a relaxing two hours of stuffing our faces with cakes and sandwiches.

Straight after High Tea, we enjoyed some good games of 'Pin the tail on the donkey' and Lipstick Pinata before we got to more preparation for the real night ahead. Hen's Night at Mykonos on Crown. I was hoping to smash a few plates there, but sadly, it never happened. I guess cause there were over seven hens there including my cousin and three birthday girls. It was a real awesome night. It wasn't particularly my scene though with the dancing and whatnot, but it got pretty infectious. In a good way.

Still, the downfall out of all of this? Practically my feet were killing me by the end of the night. Never EVER will I wear high heels for that long AGAIN! Only problem is... I know I'll have to again in two weeks. But then again, I know I was lucky to only have one blister, while the others had a lot more to deal with. I'm telling you, walking in heels is an art form.

Congratulations Linda. I can't wait for the wedding.

My only souvenir from the night

Assignment No. 52

2009-09-13T01:53:00.000-07:00

Anton: Wei?

Me: Hello? Koh?

Anton: Siapa ini?

Me: It’s me, Marie.

Anton: Oh hi! How are you?

Me: I’m good. Kamu?

Anton: Yes, I’m good too. What have you been up to lately?

Me: Me?

Anton: Iya.

Me: I’m still studying.

Anton: You’re still in university?

Me: Iya, one more year to go. I’m going for Honours!

Anton: Honours? Wow.

Me: I know.

Anton: Is that like a postgraduate degree?

Me: It’s still attached to my undergraduate degree, but it’s kinda like one.

Anton: Wow. That’s good for you!

Me: Thanks. How about you? Can’t wait to come here?

Anton: I’m excited of course!

Me: So you know which university you want to study at yet?

Anton: There’s so many to choose from. I’m still thinking about the fees too.

Me: Yeah I know how hard it can be. I still can’t wait until you come here.

Anton: Me too.

Me: I’ll take you to some good spots in the city and show you around. I’m hoping my Honours won’t get in the way though.

Anton: It’s okay. Studying is very important. But, I still can’t wait either.

Me: I hope that your study visa pulls through.

Anton: I hope so too.

Assignment No. 52

Assignment No. 14

2009-09-11T02:05:00.000-07:00

I've scoured the hard drive and actually found one of the assignments I attempted three years ago. I wasn't able to finish within the constraints, but after re-reading through it, I realised my perspective has changed so much in three years. Some of the stuff I still agree with... others had changed after some reflection.

If you're willing, read on...

My first breath of life happened in the year of 1986, on the twentieth day, of the second month. The time was 12.01 am. For the first two years of my life, I had been an only child in my family: The eldest daughter of my parents. I remember fragments of my mother’s pregnancy during the year of 1987/8, with her growing bulge and constant absences from the house. It was during 1988 in April, that my sister was born. I felt excited knowing I had a sibling in the family. During my childhood, I was living under the same roof with my collection of cousins, aunts, and uncles, and my grandmother. My father, along with his brothers all shared a small house. However, during this time, our family wasn’t as large as it presently is today. I don’t particularly remember exactly when, but eventually we found a bigger house, where my father and two of his brothers moved and called their abode. It wasn’t such an ordeal, as I couldn’t distinguish myself between the old and the new. It was just another house that I was too young to remember customising myself to. I curse my memory for not remembering the dates of events that had happened in my past.

My father and his brothers were all smokers once upon a time. It always made me wonder why the bathroom always smelt like a vicious tang every time I walked into it after my father (or one of my uncles for that matter). It happened everywhere, but this was before the new smoking laws were due in. In the house, I played a lot of childish games with my cousins and my sister. Not many of them ending very well as we always bickered and tried to rip each other’s heads off. I had very few older cousins, but their stories around the house always perpetuated our fear. An example was the lone toilet standing just before the stairs of the house. We were told that a witch lived inside and that she would appear if you stared into the bowl and called her name. How ironic, that this was also the punishment room for many of us children during this time if we were misbehaving. We were always getting ourselves in trouble. I remember so many implements of torture my mother had given me for misbehaving badly. But for my own sake, I would rather not say what they were, or what it was.

At the age of four, I remember going to a particular schooling regime, which lasted an hour with a tutor. This was because I couldn’t speak English very well and had to be taught specific basic terms, and pronunciations, even though I was born in Australia. I only regret not remembering how to speak my fluent language after this regime. My parents had always told me that I spoke their language with no problems. Now as a twist of fate, I speak better English than I do my own. This was a problem, especially when I experienced my first overseas trip to Indonesia. This was the first time I met any other cousins than the ones I knew back in Australia from both my father and my mother’s side of the family. Back then, I was close to my cousins from my father’s brother who lived in Indonesia. I often played computer games and talked with them. But considering my lost dialect, it was rather difficult. I was a shy girl at the age of six, and it was my sister who spoke better Indonesian than I did. Despite this, it was an enriching experience to learn of my cousins’ existence, and of the fact that I was prone to sickness overseas.

Back in Australia, I started pre-school at the age of four. It was an experience for me to socialise with other children. But, then again, it was quite embarrassing to know that I clutched onto my mother every morning. It was a friendly environment, but I just didn’t have strong communicational skills. That wasn’t the worst of things, because the year after, kindergarten started. I didn’t fit in too well with the girls during my infant years of public schooling. I don’t know why, even to this day. I only assume that I wasn’t so “girly” enough to be on par with the girls in my grade. My cousin, however, mingled quite well and had many friends during her early schooling years. I, on the other hand, reverted towards the boys in the grade, and roughhoused a lot in the playground. For the first four years of my schooling I hung around the boys and played games such as “tips” and “bullrush”. I still remember one incident where the boys were throwing rocks at each other, and one accidentally hit my head. The swelling was enormous. I also began piano lessons and have come to love the piano since. I had only attended a recital once. It was a rewarding experience to play in front of people. However, after a piano recital at my school during the fourth grade, it had plagued my mind. My sister usually questions that because of this I had been neglecting the piano ever since. I had come to believe this, because there really is no other explanation for my decline, despite my continued efforts in piano to this day.

For these early years of my life, I had a best friend in my infancy. He was pretty cool. We had talks during recess and lunch, and we sat next to each other quite frequently. However, this ended during the end of third grade when he moved from the school. I felt kind of bad then, because I wasn’t sure as to why he moved, and secretly, I almost blamed myself for it. I usually wonder where he is right now. But this is such a thing of the past. It was after this event, that things in the school began to socially decline. I remembered that fifth grade was my most memorable grade. I stuck to my table buddies during class and the rest of the day. I also was pretty close to ‘S’ back then. When we first met he called out my name, which I found rather strange because memory did not serve me well back then. It was an on-and-off friendship that lined between acquaintance and friend. My mother told me that I used to play with him in our neighbourhood when I was a little girl during my infancy. He lived two blocks from our house. Again, I really could not recall most of this, but he knew me well before we found each other at school. It was funny that he really liked my sandwiches during lunch and begged for one half of the slice.

I guess I wasn’t so strong within the social sect, because I was led for most of my childhood life. Firstly, growing up with a large family can have some dilemmas. Mine, however, revolved around the unhealthy relationship between my cousin and I. You could almost say it was symbiotic. But this type of relationship manifested from childish banter to a serious extreme of control. This travelled from within family life and school life itself. The reason I believe this relationship was symbiotic was because it was also parasitic. What she gained in controlling my way of society was also my loss in confidence, and probably self-esteem in me. She chose my friends for me, and she told me what to do in her own way. The truth is that I could not bear to upset people back then and allowed her to do so. Eventually throughout my public schooling, I became a loner. I stuck to myself, and if not, I stuck to my cousin and her group of friends: either long-term or new ones. Problems socially also involved the relationship between my sister and I. The fact of the matter was that we both never could hold onto friends long enough due to some social cliques that developed at such young ages. We were separated in the school due to our two years difference, but we always met up with each other and talked for a while, making our sisterly bond stronger. I don’t know why, but I guess this type of relationship didn’t sit well with my cousin. Most people for that matter thought differently of our sisterhood, thinking that it was not ‘ethical’ in their standards. My cousin had me stripped away and placed me with a couple of friends of hers. They, like her, didn’t like my sister walking towards us wanting to talk with me. We must remember that this was during the fourth grade, and kids back then have their own mindset on everything. Anyway, for a while, my ‘friends’ had always told my sister to go away. Well, at first, they criticised to me, but I did nothing to deter them away from the situation. So they brought it into their own hands. Our sister relationship began to dwindle because of this obstacle. So in the end, my sister brought things into her own hands, and started attacking them around the playground for the times they had been verbally abusing her. This type of thing had been going on for a while. It even stretched to within family circles. I remember a few times I abused her myself just to impress others. My cousin’s way of thinking got to me by that time, and I regret every day that I had placed my sister through such torment.

Despite these problems in Australia, I travelled to Indonesia once again and revisited my family members overseas at the age of nine. It was to be a ritual our family had. Each family travelled every year overseas to get the chance to visit our extended families. Therefore, we travelled every three years. It was a bit easier to communicate with my cousins at this age since I brushed up a little on my Indonesian, but I still wasn’t that good at it. Besides Indonesia, our family also travelled to Singapore and visited my father’s uncle. We only spent a week there, but it was a fun week travelling around and experiencing Singapore. Again, sickness fell upon me constantly overseas. Later on in life, I come to the realisation that I am a weak traveller. However, it was a total of seven years until I saw my cousins again. This was due to problems both politically in Indonesia and financially at home back in Australia.

Anyway, high school started in 1998 when I was twelve. Off to a rocky start, but I managed to find some confidence in myself. A lot happened that severed my cousin’s friendship with Dee back in the day. Dee was a new girl that arrived to our public school in fifth grade, and I knew her very little. Despite that, we knew each other, but only through my cousin. Eventually, as another twist of fate, I became close friends with Dee, as well as others that she made friends with during the time. Again, it is almost like the experience with my cousin, feeding off of other’s friendships. But this all changed pretty soon. High school was a nurturing experience for me. I realise that at this stage in my life there were many events that were significant. I began to become more confident in everything. But I was still a shy one within the groups I coincided with. Boys seemed to have taken a liking to me too during my seventh and eighth grade. One reason was probably that I had adopted an American accent, which is weird because I don’t recall being near anything American at all. Jokes were definitely surrounding me during art class. They teased me about my weird speaking accent, and it travelled all the way to geography class. Two of the boys walked home from school too and I passed them in my mother’s car almost every school day. They would wave at me too. I never waved back because I thought they were just joking around, but I eventually waved back at them once upon a time. I never got what they got out of it. I still don’t even know why they were so interested. I became more social than I did back in public school, and became friends with many people. This grew to be an experience I would cherish. It was also throughout high school that I began learning Simplified Chinese (Mandarin) on Saturdays. It was quite embarrassing due to me being the oldest in the class and towering over all of the kids. I had fun, and the experience of learning helped broaden my horizons. However, I grew tired of it due to an experience with a teacher that I couldn’t work with. Although you’re supposed to respect a teacher in regards to authority, I couldn’t stand the fact that she swore to her students if they did something wrong in their homework. To make things worse, in my point of view, these kids were no younger than ten, excluding me as being the oldest of them all. I would have been a twelve year-old. I quit after finishing that year (which I attained fourth grade), and spent five or six years learning the language throughout my high school years.

The following years in high school soon filled with many different situations, experiences, and as always, disappointments and childish bickering. Even now, I see high school as more of a platform rather than a measure of growing up towards adulthood. There were still troubles in this scholarly paradise, which included social cliques and conflict. But there had been funny moments during this period of my life as well. There had been a few projects that my friends and I really had to get into. I remember a small class play everyone had to participate in during one of the early years of high school. Small groups were given a script, each a different one. I can’t recall very well, but the group that I was assigned to was given a script based on the conflict between neighbours. Although I'm a girl, I got the part of the father of the house, which still eludes me why I got that role. Anyway, we played out the script, but it had to include throwing pies. We substituted this with a plate, a sponge, and some whip cream. What made this worse was the fact that it was the father’s role to throw these pies into two other people. Therefore, it was my responsibility. I didn’t know back then though that it was supposed to be a fake throw. The pies were clearly for decorative purposes only. I just had to have some fun for the class, so I actually threw the first pie… at my close friend Dee, who played the old neighbour. I guess everyone in the class found it funny and surprising for me to have done that, especially to Dee. It was also in the script that I had to throw it at the son, which was Andy V. It was funny though, because after throwing one pie into Dee’s face, he kind of sprinted around the classroom avoiding the next pie I had in my hands. Ah, the memories of high school. It was in eighth grade I made friends with a friend that I will always cherish to this day, Jewel. I remember her telling me that she approached me because I sat alone while my group of friends went to refresh themselves. I guess we bonded in a way that we were both quiet girls back then. Well, she wasn’t that quiet. She could at least hold a conversation well. There had been a few problems involving her and one of my friends. But then, I think about it, and it was just bickering on their part.

Continuing on, there had been a few mishaps now and then. I had a friend who was a year older than the rest of us, Nef. She was brought back a year and practically towered over us. This was during the ninth grade, halfway through high school. I was close to her through Commerce class, since out of my group of friends I was the only one who chose it. The fact of the matter was that my group of friends gradually started disliking her. I could sympathise with that fact and understand, but still holding on to my polite and good nature I still held some friendship ties with Nef. Eventually, she moved away from the school and we still had some conversations through email, but that gradually declined as well. I don’t know how I really felt back then. It kind of dredged up my feelings of the time when Mitch left primary school. I thought of him often during this time of my life since the event had repeated itself again. There were also problems with my group of friends concerning family life (as is always through high school). I can’t judge the extent of their families against one another, but the one that always recurred in my mind, was Ame. Her life was very intense back then that she eventually stopped attending school during the eleventh grade. She was a conscientious, loving, and caring person. She was very gifted too. I looked up to her for her rich creative mind. We both had similar tastes and likings, and it was her that got me into Final Fantasy gaming that now made me become a serious fanatic. I still think fondly of her, despite the fact that I don’t know where she is anymore. She kind of disappeared from the face of the Earth, figuratively speaking. But I still know that she is doing fine with her website up and running. My other friends had their share of problems as well. But in consideration, they always thought I was the lucky one in the group.

So, what was my family life in high school like? During the year of 1997 (which was the year before I started high school), my mother had another bulge growing. She was pregnant with my second sister, who was born the next year later. I was thrilled again to now have two sisters in my family. Although, during our mother’s early pregnancy, we all hoped it was a boy. These changes brought about changes in the rest of the family too. My father eventually stopped smoking at some point in my high school years. I felt proud of my father having to give up smoking. He now chews on mints, but now that is decreasing too. My family moved out of the large house in the year of 2000. Yes, the year of the elusive Y2K. It wasn’t far from the old house, but it was a new start for us. But we weren’t the first set of the family to move. My uncle, along with my aunt and my two younger cousins moved house first, also not far from the old large house. It was probably two years prior in 1998. Therefore, only my second uncle lives in the old house with his family to this day, until he would also move as well.

A lot happened to my family during high school, including a large argument that tore our extended families into two. For now, I haven’t talked to my cousin for almost seven years. Our friendship as cousins started to decline even before this separation, due to our own problems socially. I made friends throughout my early years of high school, but sometimes they were ruined. I don’t know this, but I always and probably still do, blame myself for it. One story about this included a new neighbour close by. She was new to the area, and it was during this time that I was experimenting with transport to high school. I walked with my cousin frequently during ninth grade. We passed by the newcomers and was called from the street, asked if we were from our high school. We answered yes, and were also asked if we could walk with their daughter who was to go to that school that day. We agreed. We learnt a lot about Sara that day. She was in fact an eighth grader. I became close with her, but I guess I also neglected my cousin on my part. Eventually, both Sara and my cousin never saw each other eye-to-eye. It was especially significant on my fourteenth birthday when I invited her to my house down the road. She brought along her two siblings and we had nice conversations, but my cousin, along with another cousin, taunted them frequently. For the matter of the fact that I didn’t stop them was probably the downfall for the friendship, and the reason I blame myself for it. I never saw Sara again after that. Her family actually moved house in a couple of years after. In ninth grade, I walked for almost six months before taking up car rides again from my mother.

The problems that split our families apart were the reasons for not taking our trips overseas. Soon, in my fifth year of high school (that is, eleventh grade), we finally got our overseas trip. Seven years had passed since our last trip, and since my last touch with the Indonesian dialect. We used to stay at my uncle’s the last time we went, but due to our torn family, we stayed with my mother’s mother, my grandmother’s house, along with my aunt and my three cousins. It was a lot different compared to the experiences I had as a nine year-old. They still had a family portrait from that age hanging upon their wall. I looked at it then and wondered how time had flown so quickly. We took another family portrait of ourselves in this trip. Again, the difficulties between language barriers became a problem. It was the same with Ai this time around too. But my youngest sister, had no problems communicating. I felt distraught not being able to speak to my cousins properly, but some of them were able to speak English to me, which kind of made me guilty even more. This trip not included Indonesia, but this time around, we went to Bali, Hong Kong, and China. Since it was in the year of 2002, there had been the Bali bombings, so we didn’t stay there long.

The following year in 2003, returning to Australia, it was the dreaded Higher School Certificate (HSC) that determined our placements in universities after high school. It was difficult for my grade to cope with the HSC during this time, due to an incident that occurred the year before. It especially affected my friends and me deeply. Before my family took our overseas trip that we hadn’t had for so long, my friends had dwindled to only Dee and Jewel in the eleventh grade. The large group we had all parted in its own way towards other interesting parties by this stage. The three of us shared a locker for our newly formed subjects, and we became acquaintances with a twelfth-grader who had a locker next to ours. Jen was a smart girl and gave us good advice on how we should approach the HSC for the year ahead of us. Besides this, she always conversed with us for a while before leaving to her own friends and/or studies. The year passed on and the HSC for the twelfth-graders were about to begin. However, this changed the course of our thoughts on the HSC. I arrived to school one day, and everyone had not entered his or her classrooms. The whole school was in a bustle. I kept hearing clips from conversations as I passed by like ‘the HSC’, and ‘Year Twelve’. I reached my friends and asked them what was happening, and they weren’t sure either except that the HSC was cancelled for the first two weeks. We went on a little investigative search for the first thirty minutes we were at school and soon learnt from a twelfth-grader what had happened. It was that morning that Jen had committed suicide. I do know of the details, but respectfully, I will not confirm them here. It hurt us badly. We didn’t know her that well, but the fact that we got to know her enough and knew of her existence is what pained us. Despite this hindering our own thoughts of the HSC in our near future, it only made us stronger to persevere.

There had been troubling things throughout my twelfth and final year of high school. Before I begin talking of my dilemmas, there had been troubles between both my friends, Dee and Jewel. They never really got along THAT well in high school. Albeit they were friends, they had their little conflicts that always placed me in between them all. The worst was after our mid-exams had finished. Dee had been having some boy problems, and because of this, never really turned up to school. Jewel thought lowly of this. One day, we all met up at our local food court after school, Jewel and I walking down pass the school buildings whilst Dee walked from her house nearby. The confrontation was silent but deadly. That would be the right definition for it at the time. I sat there with this uncomfortable feeling weighing upon my shoulders as both my friends sat opposite each other. Jewel was already peeved, and that just peeved Dee off. We didn’t talk for five minutes or so, but it felt like hours had gone by filled with silence, with the exception of my lame attempt to start a conversation or offer them lunch. I don’t know if this fuelled the situation or not, but eventually three of our guy friends walked towards us with smiles on their faces and seated themselves down by the table. I felt relieved to have some company there, but then Jewel stormed right out of the food court (clearly pissed). Dee followed thereafter. It was embarrassing to see two of your closest friends leave you and storm away without a word at all. Two of the guys chased after them confused, leaving me with one of our friends at the table. I felt this undeniable guilt that I could’ve done something to deter the situation. But being the shy girl that I was, I packed my things and bid goodbye to the one guy left at the table and told him to say goodbye to the others for me when they got back. Standing alone outside the chemist got me contemplating over everything. I knew eventually that I had to live with this at school, being torn apart by the two closest friends you have. It was a Friday, so I had all weekend to lament and dread the following week. Eventually, they both called me over this weekend. I got to hear them out from their point of view. But it still pains me. Why do I stick myself in the middle of everything?

Since we’ve travelled into my problems, let us continue. In twelfth grade the one thing I began to think was why I decided to do the things I was doing. This is only because I grew to have a love/hate relationship with my Visual Arts class. Despite having many ideas for my final work, my teachers thought less of them and decided to put things in their own hands. I ended with nothing to gain, and with a piece of work I wasn’t proud of. My ideas, in their case, weren’t artistic (or at least weren’t ‘communicational’) towards an audience. I always thought art was an individual train of thought. Though it is subjective, it clarifies the artist’s own mindset. But that didn’t suit the teachers’ point of view. Back then, I was kind of jealous of Dee because she kept getting special attention for her drawing skills, and the teachers practically neglected everyone else’s. I remember a friend of mine in class cried because of the negativity she got for her artwork, which she had already completed for review. It was obvious that radical thought back then wasn’t rewarding, and that made me even angrier when I followed my teacher’s advice. Regardless of these dilemmas, Visual Arts was one of the most fun classes that helped with my sanity. But it held its own stresses, and by the end of the year, I actually had a nervous breakdown. It was more like an anxiety attack though, due to the fact that the day I arrived at school, I had to hand in everything that morning for the final review. Unfortunately, no one had informed me and most of my work was left at home. I panicked, profusely. Good thing for me that my friends calmed me down and made me think clearly. That day was quite embarrassing. Well, an embarrassing thing would be to turn up to the exams in normal clothes. Only a few people did this so I felt fine, but the fact that everyone with their school uniforms surrounded you while you’re completing a very important test would really agitate you.

Twelfth grade was not a complete loss. I had a lot of fond and pleasant memories of everyone there. I especially loved my P.E. class. Not that I didn’t like the course at all, but the people there were warm and always around for a good laugh. I always continuously slept in that class, or at least wasn’t paying that great amount of attention I should have. The End-of-Year Formal was a wonderful experience, although the dress I wore wasn’t as glamorous as my tenth grade Formal. All in all, it was memorable. I ended up doing rather well in the HSC. Although, I think back now and think to myself that I could’ve done better, but that was my own loss. I remember my sister always pushed me to do my general mathematics work, which I always neglected. I think back and thought I should’ve done this or that instead of this or that. But I passed and got a place in a local university. Then again, I didn’t quite enjoy the first year there.

I made it into one of the campuses of the UWS, studying a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) degree. It was difficult to adjust at first, but I gradually accustomed myself to the regime. New faces, new schedule, it was nothing like high school, and I had to start from scratch again. I had old demons haunting me again. I guess the matter of the fact is because every time I start anew I always seem to flounder with no results. I was afraid. Yes, I was afraid to make friends again. Eventually, I began to speak up with a few people, and it turned out all right in the end. I’ve learnt to accustom myself to new environments, people, and, let’s face it, life as is.University life was extra difficult for me travel-wise. I only had gotten my Learner’s Licence at the end of 2003 (the end of high school), and it would be a while until I could drive on my own with a Provisional 1 Licence. So until then, I had to drive with my mother and/or father next to me.

Assignment No. 14

A clean slate...?

2009-09-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

With another DTR meeting yesterday, we've gotten more insight into where the show could be headed in regards to recently known and made shows in television land. After a good two hours of discussion, and a long trip back home, I've got to thinking about the actual essence of the show. Just what exactly do we really need to make it appealing (and of course successful). Who'd ever thought conceptualising something for screen could be so aggravatingly slow. It's actually a fresh dose of reality.

Now thinking up the general feel of the show... baffles me. I originally thought we knew what the show was. We probably still do, but heading in towards a more deeper understanding of the show could bring out potential. Who knows. Both Maria and I continued formulating something on the drive home... until we went on tangent along the way. I'll think of some more things in the mean time. The monitor becomes pretty entertaining when you stare at it long enough.

On other, maybe more boring news, I've finally picked up a book I left since... last year! Yep. It's been that long since I've read anything in my room late at night with the bed lamp on next to me. Lately, it's only been the Internet, surfing it, and writing more ideas. Just looking at the pile of books I've bought but have not yet read makes me feel like a hoarder. Sadly, it was 2AM when I began reading from where I left off... and couldn't even finish one chapter. I need to discipline myself again. I'd spend hours reading at night.

Also, the journey around the city made me remember something I've long forgotten. It's been a long time since I've seen this website... three years in fact!

Learning To Love You More

I only ever submitted one assignment into this website, but for my own discretion, I'm not going to divulge which assignment. I've tackled three more during my second year of university, but unfortunately, the workload picked up and left me leaving those assignments behind, which I still have on my hard drive somewhere. There are actually pretty good exercises to broaden your creativity. I felt like when I was visited by the blocks that every artist knows so well, I'd pick one assignment by random and try to complete it.

You know what?

I think I might just do that. Anything to steer away this restlessness I've been experiencing lately.

If I'm lucky, each one I complete, I'll post here.

Tweens. Everything's for girls nowadays.

2009-09-06T18:36:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to write up another post last week, but time seemed to kick me regularly in the gut to do so. Weekend was crazy. I actually spent most of it outside. Le gasp.

ANYWAY!

Last Thursday (03.09.09 to be exact), had a short hour meeting with Craig Anderson up at his office. Everyone involved with DTR got involved and we've come to another, if not low moot point.

It literally is back to the drawing board.

We took leaps and bounds only to be brought back a few more steps again. Still, this rises as an opportunity to really get our feet planted where we want to be. We still have a good idea on what we want (so that's a good sign), but it's the matter of finding that perfect (or at the very least, workable) formula. Researching on this brings me back to uni again, but it's not without its kicks. Found some interesting ideas, relived some old classic shows that I used to watch, and really found some interesting holes in the market.

I just still can't figure out where live-action, action/comedy/drama tween boy television shows exist. Most have been done and used during the 90's and they're pretty scarce nowadays in the 00's. It seems everything for tween boys are animated, or at the very least, they lean towards animated conventions.

My opinion: I think we might need to bring some conventions from the animated realm into a live-action format, but not to the point that it would look cheesy. Still a long way to go, but that's my theory at the moment.

And then there's the non-violence issue... even Power Rangers had connected hits.

On a side note, I've been meaning to join up for a long time, but couldn't last year due to my honours getting in my way. If you're up for the challenge, I suggest you register. It's a great way to jog your creative writing skills.

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Taken from NaNoWriMo

There's also Script Frenzy, but that's an April online event.

Plot, plot, and more plot

2009-09-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Note to self, check the date before you type up a post.

I've only noticed that AFTER publishing that post, but I couldn't be buggered re-editing.

ANYWHO, had a DTRII meeting yesterday night with Krispy Kremes and some pastries. Despite the two-hour session, we've all come to the conclusion that we have absolutely no idea how to set up the script. The trick is to condense the ideas we have into short, punchy and gutsy ones at the same time. In five minutes. Needless to say, writing up the script is a bit of a tricky process. You eventually lose yourself into it to the point that you stray away from the general idea and have to reel yourself back. Like a worm on a hook.

The good news is that, if we get this done right, we'd be able to pitch the idea. It literally is pitch-ready. It's just the scriptwriting needs to be refined better. We seem to dive our heads in too deep with the plot and the story. And this is pitching towards 8-12 year old boys, 12 being the maximum age we have to pitch it too. So bringing that into account is also a challenge in itself.

SO, by what we've discussed yesterday and everything I've collected from the meeting, we agreed that it was the formula and the structure we had to work on first before we slot all of our ideas into the plot. If we had to go to basics, here are my two cents. Firstly, we have a general plot. Therefore, it should look like this:

Beginning > Middle > End

Which, in our case for DTRII, would equal to:

Problem > Climax > Closure

Which, by refining that even more, it should look like:

Ninjas get mission > Ninjas complete mission > Ninjas learn from mission

Now, that's all well and good, but that is only a general plot for an episode. There's more to it than that I suppose. This was the tricky bit. I think we did overcomplicate on characters rather than plot. The double-edged sword of this is that without characters there would be no plot and vice versa. It's a never-ending cycle. I think there needs to be just a general outline of characters first before we build up on them. That way, focus on the plot would be simpler. So, we should look towards:

Character > Plot > More Character Development and round and round it goes.

Going little by little should be an easier process than diving head first. Better safe than sorry. Otherwise, a meet up with Craig should help us a great deal. This is becoming prosperous, even in its baby steps. I'll try to figure something out, perhaps set up the basic lowdown of a typical episode. That will be my goal today.

Onto a basic lowdown on my life, there's not much to report. Writing up DTRII did take a slight toll on my creativity, so I looked towards other avenues of creativity over the weekend. I've learnt that when I can't write, I draw, so at the very least I didn't neglect my drawing hand. Still DTR was still on my brain, so that's all I could draw. I've also picked up my guitar and re-learnt a few songs I've neglected for months now, probably ever since last year. It's not like I haven't played for a long time. I've been learning for the past... two years? But I haven't given myself time to keep up with the pieces that I love for myself. Be on the lookout for a video. I may/may not perform just for kicks. I've done that for a couple of piano pieces some time ago, so I might as well give it a try.

Well, back to the drawing board... figuratively and literally.

UPDATE 24092009

2009-08-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since I ACTUALLY updated something worthwhile, I think it's about time I did. A lot has been happening over the course of two months, both on and offline. Now to recap...

1. DTRII UPDATES
Yes, Downtown Rumble II is on its way! Very slowly, but it's on its way. The pitch has been refined. The plot has been mapped. Now it's a matter of conducting the script and making it sing. Still, a review over the pitch wouldn't hurt. Tomorrow's Rumble meeting shall hopefully clinch the whole thing together and we can be on our merry way to getting a proper and clean script going.

2. ma.me.se
Over the past month, I've finally gotten myself an ABN and a freelancing business. Though I've only had one paying client at the moment, it's a start somewhere, and I hope to build this business in the future. Right now, I'm finally designing my own business cards (along with another project), though it'll take around a week until I can ACTUALLY receive them. Now I have reason to get rid of them when I do.

pssssst, help a starving artist and feed me with more projects... COMMISSION ME! PLEASE?

3. Life in General?
Well there was reason why I decided to blog this, I had a job interview! GASP! The unemployed found a job? Well... not really. I'd like to give out many, many thanks to Maria Tran for suggesting this role to me months ago. I feel slightly undeserving of this, but opportunities like these aren't possible without people like her. The staff and the people there were friendly sorts despite my nervous jitters that refused to leave me alone. I still think my nerves got the better of me. I know everything all boils down to me in the end, but whether I'm lucky enough to impress them... I'm not going to think too much over it.

Two Farewells in a Week?

2009-08-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've been to two farewell get-togethers. I only find it sad because I haven't seen these people for so long, and now I won't be able to see them at all from here on out. It goes to show that connections and friendships are very short-lived in the long run, but I wish them both the best of luck in what their future lies, and HOPEFULLY they do return to Sydney at least for holidays.

13.08.2009 - Farewell No. 1

Shout out to Shelley for her graduation day! After arriving at least two hours before she got to university, I finally met up with her in the Robert Webster building. It's been so long since I've last seen her, since I remembered walking with her upper campus when she planned on transferring her degree. The day was spent walking through campus (upper, lower and in-between), which I give props to Shelley for spending most of the day in high heels. I also met her parents, and the both of them were extremely cute, taking photo opportunities that they could on their daughter's special day.

It was only unfortunate that my time was being spent based on a parking ticket. I had to return to my car before the threat of a fine would be charged. Still, despite Shelley's offering to watch her graduate, I declined. It was her special day with her parents and I didn't want to take that from them.

15.08.2009 - Farewell No. 2

Shout out to my old high school friend Tai! Tonight, after a long time, was the last night of ever seeing this guy again. Dude, it's been too long. Seeing all the familiar faces by the table in the bistro felt real nostalgic. All of the guys were still as rowdy as ever. It only goes to show how much I spend outside of my own house.

And funnily enough, up for drinks an hour later? Tai... I've never seen him drink, but he probably had one weak liver. Not saying that I'm any better (considering I've never drunk anything to the point of being tipsy - designated driver often!). Challenging me would be an easy win. But I give him props for that last shot of the night. He looked as if he was going to pass out... almost ten times tonight, which lead to the end of the night regardless. Hopefully all of the guys brought him home safely.

So! Before the Red Bull runs out in my system. To the both of you! So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, adieu! Take care in your travels and I hope you come back to visit every once in a while.

Funny thing is, the both of them are moving out next Tuesday.

Do you Tweet?

2009-08-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

Another short post! I'm on Twitter! .. via the web of course until I approve myself of mobile communications.

That is all.

Good night.

Portfolio

2009-08-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

I have finally set myself up a portfolio for the mean time. Check it out! There isn't much, but hopefully it'll grow in the near future.

ma.me.se

Please FEED ME!

Commissions

2009-05-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

I've started commissions. Please refer to either of these links for further information:

Commission Information @ deviantArt

Commission Information @ P©wnd

Also please refer to my deviantArt account for some samples of work.

Yep, short entry. But I gotta start somewhere!

UPDATE 19052009

2009-05-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

So, what have I been doing for the past couple of weeks you might say? Well, to tell you the truth, everything's been going extremely slow as of late. I've been doing a number of things at once and it's been one hell of a ride so far. Between projects and personal enjoyment, they're two things that need to be managed to a precise tee. So, counting down the things that's been on my mind...

1. Rumble Pictures Meeting 12052009
Third meeting attended, and I arrive late. Well, I had a semi-good excuse. My sister's graduation was that very morning (Congrats Sis!) and I was deadbeat tired. Still, a lot of projects happening around at this time of year. So it's only given me the kick in the rear to get me going.

2. Downtown Rumble 2
Yep, DTR2 is well on its way from what news I've gathered. I'm still trying to complete the 6-part script to the 6-part series that it will be, but I'm pretty confident that it'll be a blast to work on. (And yes, I am currently working on them right now as I type this up). Big things are coming up, that's all I can say. I can't say for sure if it's set in stone or not though. But I'm excited and anxious at the same time.

3. Silent Hill anyone?
Don't ask me how or why, but somehow I've gotten onto a Silent Hill high. I've never really played the game, only because it actually scared the shat out of me when I did. But I've gotten into researching about it (cause I do that) and I find it awesome. Especially the soundtrack. It's beautiful! Just to keep my sanity from the projects I'm working on playing two tracks I've fallen in love with just for the sheer pleasure of playing them.

4. More arts?
Yep, I'm still a drawing fanatic. I haven't done anything worth while yet, but I'm hoping to get into the swing of things when I do. Still, I've gotten a couple of things up on P©wnd if anyone's interested.

So many things, so little time. That's always the mantra I'm stuck with constantly. All. The. Time.

Pop Series Volunteeering & DTR2 Meet

2009-05-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, 08052009, I attended and volunteered for Pop Series. What is Pop Series you say? A small event that featured short films that displayed talents from a range of potential filmmakers in Western Sydney. Yep. I guess that would wrap it up in one neat little sentence. It was an electric night, filled with different personalities and friendly company. Arriving there at around 5.30 PM, (as such I was late, but anyhow), I dove right in to helping out with small things during the setup of the event before it commenced that night. Great fun, fantastic film entries, and a great game of charades too.

Afterwards was the Downtown Rumble 2 Meeting, consisting of only three people: Maria Tran, Andy Minh Trieu, and myself. After an extremely late dinner, we started the meeting at midnight. So, theoretically speaking, our meeting began the day after the event, but I'll attempt to not make myself politically correct. Discussions had us brought back to the 'how-to's' of the situation - the little nitty-gritty in order to make this a successful project. This only means that, after last night, we all have a role to play... and BIG SHOES TO FILL! Unnerving as that may sound, it'll take a lot of work and through perseverence we should be able to pull this off. Therefore, I must attend to my job as script writer and find a script editor FAST!

Which also reminds me... should I attempt the role of storyboard artist as well... hm... I wouldn't mind really. But I better bring this up with Maria first. Slow and steady as they say. That means scripting first!

Life so far...

2009-05-03T01:35:00.000-07:00

As of late, I've been collecting my thoughts, ideas, and creativity into a small jar. This jar has since been locked away and has been left on a shelf collecting dust from hesitation, fear, and a lack of confidence in my own skills...

This has been going for over two to three years...

I'd hate to admit that I do lack the confidence to put myself out there, but in the back of my mind, I realise that it's these hesitant moments in my life that keep me away from all of the opportunities out there. That is why, over the past couple of months, I've been trying to put myself forward, away from the crowds that I've grown accustomed to and had been hiding amongst all of these years.

First and foremost! It's a matter of tackling whatever life throws at you - curve ball or not! I graduated just a couple of days ago, and now that the thought of it had settled in, it's given me a new look at what I'm up against. That's right! I'm a free woman no longer bogged down by essays and theoretical mumbo-jumbo. Still, I've got to get myself somewhere...

Though the GFC (a.k.a. Great Financial Crisis a.k.a. the shithouse) is halting my attempts into landing a job - any job! - I've resorted to using my creativity in a different way. Though small, I hope they advance to better outlets and opportunities (but still while job-hunting on the side). Firstly, there is Rumble Pictures, a small non-profit local production group that I've gotten myself acquainted with over the past couple of months or so (with the help of a uni friend of mine introducing me to the group, despite his semi-interrogative way). Great bunch of people from different backgrounds and experiences. Truthfully, it felt kind of surreal to just plop myself into the group and acquaint myself with their projects and ideas, but it has been - and still is - an enriching experience. Getting myself involved is only half of everything, but that will be left for another post.

Which also leads me to this small little entry I've written up despite my lack of a blog earlier this year:

Written: 17.04.09 – New Inventors Experience

It was last Friday that I’ve first experienced what it’s like to be part of a studio audience, thanks to Maria Tran who had invited me along to the filming of two New Inventors episodes. That’s right. Two episodes! I was both excited and anxious as to what I was about to participate in, but at the same time clueless as to what I was about to face. I make this sound as if it was a challenge, but isn’t every new experience in life like that, regardless of its nature?

Beforehand, I had very little idea as to how a studio audience worked. Though I digress, I had some inkling. Participating in a semi-live audience was, to me, a learning experience. There were many personalities that shone through behind the camera, which made the experience that more diverse and interesting. Although you have the actual studio before you filled with cast and crew, my eyes kept straying between them and the monitor screen above me. It makes you realise how they place each and every single facet of the program to their advantage and needs. It’s not all straight-to-air filming, far beyond that. Shots had to be re-taken time and time again from judges, inventors and the host himself. It goes to show how much time and effort is put into making a successful program to air.

Speaking of time, it was a very long day. To think that only an hour’s worth of the program takes more than four hours to shoot. Even though for most, if not all, of our time spent was sitting in chairs and slipping in some snacks in between takes, it was a tiring but enriching experience. Even the host himself wanted to be out of the studio like the rest of us while he had to retake tiny promo shots for the show again and again.

You see that? That’s the magic of television… plus editing!

The episodes shall be aired on the 20^th and 27^th May respectively. Look for us there! We’re somewhere stage left in the audience all the way at the back.

Onwards, I've gotten myself acquainted into my art once again. There had been a number of times I hesitate to even reveal what I'm capable of creating, making and producing, but now I'm attempting to put my foot down. I've set up a small idea that I had been planning for quite a while - P©wnd - a place for my creativity to be used for either my own line of products or commissioning products for others. It's only a start of course. I only hope - no, I will! - continue this venture and see where it will lead me.

In a nutshell, that is where I'm at. Pretty dull, huh? But let's go for it!