The 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival...is held in kuala lumpur malaysia....admist kompangs,selendangs and a katak...

an International Actress falls as there was a small step down in the red carpet...she's not careless...it's a quite stupid construction at istana budaya(our national theatre),during the launch night the food served consist of satay and chicken drumlets...the amount they prepared was really small and food finished as soon as it served leaving international delegates to wander around seeing if there is any left,and major amount of malaysian crowds at the various launchs look like obedient government servants in nicely pressed batik who disappears as soon as the minister leaves....

That aside, it's a film festival so films not being shown(not even privately) due to content (people taking off baju!) is a travesty... Malaysian born Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming Liang speaks his mind about co-production when asked whatabout a malaysian co-production for his highly critical films..."you usually co-produce with a stronger party and not a weaker one...besides malaysia too conservative!" Malaysian films are also noted for being mere advertorials of the country's muhibah and culture...not so much a product of it but a direct intepretation of it...and in a co-production, he may have to abide by limitations as such and do what they(the co-producers) want...however, if it was a co-production with france...they let him do anything....but he has praise for his home country...malaysian passport very good...no need visa for alot of countries...not like taiwan passport! Still...back to the issue of censorship limitation...Tsai has this to add...why my film can't be shown in this festival? Is it because someone takes off his clothes? Does it mean that someone takes off his clothes it is pornography? I don't think so because if it is then how did my film win major awards in Berlin film fest...

kinda busy so aside from the briefs above....free movies at KLCC and Midvalley today and tommorow...tickets on first come first serve....and in signing off...show the movies damn it!!!!

Malaysian Idol blog has been finished...do comment on what you think of Malaysian organization and also censorship:P

kompangs,selendangs and a katak...

As you may be aware, the SPCA started a petition
to the prime minster to raise the cruelty fine from
RM200 to a significantly higher fine of around
RM10,000.00. The petition, which included the
signatures of supporters, was supposed to be
handed to the prime minister in October 2004.
However, this has not happened, as we only
managed to raise 20,000 signatures.

Due to the insufficient number of signatures
collected during the first phase of this petition, the
SPCA is entering a second phase in hope to
collect at least 100,000 signatures locally and
internationally.

Therefore, we are now entering a phase II stage of
the petition whereby we would like you to join our
effort for this cause. Please download the petition
forms. Kindly photocopy it and distribute it for
signatures to be collected. The more names we
have, the better.

On behalf of the animals, thank you very much for
your support.

Please sign the SPCA petition at
www.spca.org.my.

Friends! Help Our Animal Friends!

Froggie Idol

Idol worship is forbidden! as a Catholic...it is written in the bible 'Thou shall not Worship other Gods besides me'...I guess lots of malaysians are going straight to hell...but then it's said that the Lord's a forgiving God or I must be terribly out of context like most jihadist :p

Yes, it's Malaysian Idols grand finals at Genting Highlands! I was working a camera and got to be behind the scenes so yeah...you are reading the writing of a froggy with a silly grin.

I was up in Genting early wednesday morning and as a walk into the arena of stars at 9 am early for my 10 am eta, it was quite quiet...then slowly an army of carpenters, electricians, welders, sweepers, truck drivers slowly packed in. They were unpacking chunks of prebuilt stage pieces, welding the stage frame, nailing down loose boards, laying wires and doing all sorts of fixing up stuff while the TV3 crew layed wire tracks for the more than 16 camera setup that will be used to shoot the show.Later in the afternoon, a bunch of people would appear at the corner of the arena and they will be jiggling and dancing...early rehearsals for the show tommorow.

I would say these idols are some of the luckiest people...behind the scene so many craftsmans to build the stage, so many camera crew to setup the intricate camerawork for the show's broadcast, stage decorators to beautify their platform, dance and vocal coaches to fine tune their voice moves, lighting and sound experts, musicians and back vocals...the list goes on. Well, they are idols...meaning that we should lust for them, we should helplessly have our hearts melted at the thoughts of them, we should die for a photo opportuinity with them, we should spend endless nights dreaming of them and also we should also be lifted up by their melodious hum... in short, we should do our part and idolise them...

On the other hand, there are the type who thinks...seriously would it makes a difference whomsoever wins? They are afterall the ones who gets the glory and the glam...why should I make my contribution to the telco's bank account in support of them? Well...if everyone's thinking like that, malaysian idols may as well close shop... but technically idols do play a part in the structure of society...they are not merely a large money making machine, they in turn gives us a pleasure...a smile in giving us something to escape to, something to aspire to, something to look up for and something to be proud of collectively...

Yes on a larger scale, our idols in sports, in arts, in movies and in song (unfortunately not our ex F1 driver)represents the best of us as a country...and puts us on a world map...it give the country an image that would in turn serve an economic and cultural and significance...

So how do you get to such a place and become an idol? Well, there's the good old way of working your way up the ladder...practicing with only your own believes and dreams as a driving force, going through countless rejections and hoping you reach the rainbow at the end of the storm before you give up to obstructions and difficulties...otherwise...there's the other way...appear on malaysian idol and hope you make the cut. Be interesting to gauge from you guys out there which is the better way...so feel free to leave a remark on your opinion, your say...

That said...I was hard pressed to vote for my idol of choice...to whom should my vote swings? I thought I base it on whom smile at me more times the three days I'll be here and often weaving between them doing my stuff...at the end...losing counts of inexhaustable smile I decided to throw my vote the underdog's way...hey everyone deserves a chance to be an idol... :)

Malaysian Idol