Crystal’s Corner

August Rush (released November 2007 in the U.S.) is a movie that goes right up there beside Juno in my list of greatest movies for excellent casting and excellent dialogue and an amazing soundtrack… and for basically being one of those rare gems of a movie.

This movie has a nothing short of stellar cast - including the likes of Freddie Highmore, Kerri Russell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Remember Haley Joel Osment from AI, Sixth Sense, and Pay it Forward?

Freddie Highmore is THE new Haley Joel Osment… Except he’s probably even better.

You can’t possibly forget Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Max Skinner from A Good Year can you? How about when he played DOUBLE roles as the twin Grace brothers in the Spiderwick Chronicles? I swear I did NOT suspect that they used the same person for two roles - his acting was superb! And his voice… I’m in love with his voice!

I so hope he does not fade into oblivion and end up voicing cartoon characters for the rest of his career like Haley Joel Osment. But with talent like that… I’m pretty darn sure he’ll go far.

And Keri Russell… Yup, she’s that Waitress girl who can drive a person wild with her luscious pies and husky voice.

She’s not only pretty darn attractive too, but she has the most expressive face - in all those gripping scenes, you can read a thousand emotions on her face. Directors must love her.

And finally… Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Not exceptional acting, but he was great for the bad boy rocker role in my opinion. And his Irish accent is really hot too.

Other noteworthy mentions:

I think it is already established that Robin Williams is a genius actor, but this film further highlighted that because for once rather than playing a cuddly, lovable character, he plays the rough, surly “Wizard” who takes in street children with no home as “investments”, training them to play music so they can make money for him through busking. He played the role wonderfully - he even makes you hate him so much that you forget he was once Patch Adam - that funny old doctor wearing a clown’s nose. But the character was so Fagin-like (Oliver Twist) that it got anoying at some parts.

The other is Alex O’ Loughlin, who is a noteworthy mention because… well, because he’s hot.

But after saying all that, it really doesn’t matter what I think of all the other actors/actresses because it’s so obvious that the highlight of the show is Freddie Highmore, and in every scene he’s in, he steals the limelight. This is definitely one up and coming star to look out for.

I’m not going to spoil the movie since it JUST came out today… but all I have to say is… I see Will Smith in a different light now. Maybe also because I didn’t watch I Am Legend. Got to watch that one soon. And Charlize Theron is simply fantastic, as usual.

With everyone blogging about music lately, (see Chanelle’s, Cedric’s, Isaac’s, Min’s, and Adriel’s blogs) I was thinking about how music has always been such a central part of human civilization no matter where and when. And using music as an outlet for releasing emotions and for expressing one’s self is nothing new either… Just look at the writings of people who lived way before we did and what they said about music.

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach

Without music life would be a mistake. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is. ~William P. Merrill

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. ~Ludwig van Beethoven

I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality. ~H.A. Overstreet

Music is the universal language of mankind. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer

Music’s the medicine of the mind. ~John A. Logan

Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.

Music is what feelings sound like.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. ~Victor Hugo

To all the people out there who have chosen to pursue music as a career or a passion, I respect (and maybe even envy) you all. All my life I’ve wished for the opportunity to learn and play music… But never got the chance. In another life, maybe I would. But to all those who are actually living my wish… You have all my respect and admiration. Go make the world a better place with your music. =)

… Go shopping and find stuff similar to the above outfit.
I’ve got a dress-up party to go for! And I’m going as a rockstar… Ooohh so fun… *squeals*

Wish me luck!

I added new bumper stickers to my Facebook profile!! They’re so cute I must decorate my blog with them also. *satisfied smile*

Next week is study break, so I don’t have to go to college except to collect assignment results. And the following week is exam week, which means I have to go to college only on three days to sit for three papers. And after that is one glorious week of holidays - one whole week to do anything but not too long that I get bored. Perfect!!

I should be studying now… But with all this time at home… It’s not like anyone actually studies for so long. Breaks are necessary to rejuvenate the mind! (Or more like update my Facebook profile every single hour… I swear! I don’t touch my Facebook for a month then for a few days I’m incessantly on it.)

Anyway here’s my to-do list for the holidays (and pre-holidays)… starting right now, of course:

• Finish my driving classes (almost done!) and pass my driving test. And then drive - my very own ‘cool’ Kancil. Don’t laugh okay - it’s the Malaysian version of Herbie and does cool things!
• Hit the pool a lot!
• Watch Hancock
• Go shopping!
• Color my ‘hair salon-virgin’ hair
• Ace my papers

Oh. Here’s something random. Can you believe I used to look like this? No… seriously. It makes me laugh

Lately I’ve been feeling my age. All my friends in college are older than me… and all my friends in church are younger than me.

Lately, after missing Saturday services to go for the high school one on Sundays (because it’s more convenient too), it’s kind of reminded me of those “good old high school days.” High school kids know how to have fun! They’re always so full of energy and ready to find fun whenever and wherever.

Gone are the days of prank calls and sleepovers and movie marathons and drooling over favorite bands and cute guys. Now, almost every conversation I have with people my age and in college is about assignments or other work-related topics.

Sigh… NOW I understand why some adults would choose to work with unpredictable, hormonal teenagers. I need more younger people around to chill and have fun! Us older farts are becoming more and more adult-like. Practical, time-saving, sleep and rest deprived, driven, task-oriented, and so on. Now with petrol prices going up even college people who drive feel the pinch. Growing up ain’t all that it’s made out to be!

You high school kids out there… Enjoy the time you have now! I used to hate older people saying that, but I understand now. It’s not that it’s bad on this side of the fence - of course it has its perks and a fun side to it (like increased freedom, for example). But you only get to be in high school once!!! So make all the memories you can. =)

Sigh… okay, back to thinking back on high school memories and of course, work. =)

Q: What’s more fun than cooking for 25 odd people?
A: Cooking for 25 odd hungry boys.

My brother had his CG outing and decided to ask me to handle food. OF COURSE I agreed. I LOVE food. I ADORE food. I SMELL food. I COOK food. I EAT food. I LIVE food. And cooking for boys rocks because unlike girls…

1. They eat anything
2. They don’t complain about the food
3. They’re not vegetarians (Hardly.)
4. They don’t go on diets (Not usually.)
5. When they like something, they RAVE about it.
6. They dig into food without worrying about manners or clean hands.

It was supposed to be a Form 2 combined outing with the girls, but only one girl came for dinner (another came but left early). Poor girl… So anyway it ended up being a bunch of energetic Form 2 boys with a bunch of leaders and one girl. I was a tad overwhelmed at meeting all of them because it’s not exactly every day I hang out with Form 2 boys - the noise and the flurry of motion!!! And spills all long the way of course - but then I caught myself and reminded myself that BOYS WILL BE BOYS. Before eating they were swimming - right after eating they were playing catching (and team fortress I think but I’m not sure). I wish I had pictures but I don’t.

Anyway, I shopped, marinated, and cooked enough meat to feed an army of growing boys. It was supposed to be a BBQ but the pit was booked by another party, so we used an electric grill whcih cooked the food SUPER fast. Of course there wasn’t the fun of starting a fire and fanning away at it but it was fun nevertheless. And the cooks got to eat much faster too. We started at six plus but were done with cooking by about eight plus and NO ONE had to wait for food because it kept coming.

Anyway, that ain’t the fun part. The fun part was - the MENU!!!!

• Honey chicken wings
• Teriyaki beef kebabs
• Grilled spicy chicken fillets
• Sausages
• GRILLED LAMB with homemade mint sauce
• Grilled vegetables
• Garlic bread
• Butter rice
• Potato salad
• Apple pie!

And it was all HEALTHY because I chose the lean parts of the meat for everything - lamb shoulder and chicken breasts (except for the honey wings) and used only olive and sesame oil (much healthier than regular cooking oil) to marinade. AND grilling is one of the healthiest ways to cook because you don’t use extra oil. And to my surprise they actually ate the grilled veggies as well. Now who says you can’t get boys to eat healthy?

To feed 25 odd people, plus drinks and utensils, I managed to keep the cost under RM 15 per person. And there was still PLENTY of leftover lamb!

And they charge us RM 25 and above to cater food. I tell you… next time you people want to have BBQs or cookouts, HIRE ME!! My service charge is WAY less I promise. For the price you pay you get more value for money.

I couldn’t end this post without raving about the venue we had the outing in - MAPLE DRIVE AT SENTUL. It’s a sprawling development by YTL (from a developer like that what else do you expect?) that is like a residence inside a park. When we first drove in through the first guardhouse, it was like driving through a park before coming to the second guardhouse just before the residences. And there were flocks of BEAUTIFUL WHITE DUCKS all over the place! The landscaping was gorgeous as well and they have a koi pond in there as well. Once you drive inside the gated community it doesn’t seem like you’re in KL anymore - until you reach the playground/glass party room at the second floor where you can see the amazing vista of the KL skyline.

Again, I WISH I HAD PICTURES because words don’t do it justice. If you’re thinking of buying a nice classy apartment in a quiet, lush community - buy one in Sentul!

Yesterday was the last day of assignments (!!!) for most people in my college… And so after our final presentation, some of us were just chilling in class after it ended. Then someone started playing random songs from his playlist (mostly old songs) and it was like whoa!!!!!!!!! Listening to a song you haven’t heard in a long time can instantly bring back memories of the times you last heard it. And goshhhhh…. we had SUCH good music back then!!

Awhile back there was a time where radio stations played other music than hip hop and Colbie Caillat - there was REAL rock! Yellowcard, Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World, All-American Rejects, Green Day, Alanis Morissette.

And plenty of punk rock too!!! Like Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, Bowling for Soup.

Then further back… There was the boyband and teenyboppers era. Westlife, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Boyzone… And Hilary Duff, Aaron Carter, Jesse McCartney, Jump5… AND the squeaky-clean-back-then Britney too of course.

After  so many years of music like this, when hip hop started becoming more mainstream, it was something new and fresh. Now, though… its like they don’t play ANYTHING else BUT hip hop. And Colbie Caillat.

I mean, there’s nothing wrong with hip hop. And I LOVE Colbie. But, it WOULD be nice to hear more rock/alternative rock being played again and see new rock bands rise up as well. At least there’s One Republic. And, um, One Republic? And a deluge of Flo Rida and Rihanna.

(In CAPS - artists I would pay and run a thousand miles and DIE to hear live)

• JOHN RZEZNIK
• THE GOO GOO DOLLS
• Vanessa Carlton
• Yellowcard
• Lifehouse
• The Afters
• Relient K
• JACK JOHNSON
• John Mayer
• Taylor Swift

Currently non-existent artists or bands I would pay to see if they existed:

• The old Avril Lavigne (So whatttt if she can’t sing live? She defined the words”rocker chick” for me back when she was still a skater girl and made ties with tank tops cool.)
• Michelle Branch

How do some people sing AND play so amazingly?

*faints*

Because hard work DOES get a person somewhere.

After 13 long weeks of “99% perspiration and 1% inspiration” (guess who said that?) I’ve started getting my assignment marks back… and I just keep being blown away! So far this semester could be one of my best ones in terms of academics - which is really important because I need to pull my CGPA up as high as possible in my last few semesters so that I can find scholarships for uni.

At times like these, I just want to stop in the midst of whatever I’m doing… And feel thankful. Because even though I work my butt off, there’s always that nagging doubt that I could’ve done better - I’m sure it’s not that much different for most people. But most of all I feel thankful that despite my lack of faith - in God and myself - God still allows me to get good marks. It’s funny how we say that God “allowed” something bad to happen to a person, but how about God “allowing” good things to happen to us even though we don’t really deserve it? I’ve got some more thoughts on this - will post more later.

But for now, I’m just happy. =) Losing my storyboards isn’t so bad after all. Every cloud has a silver lining!! (I’d better start listing my silver linings for NS because I’m not exactly psyched up about going next year!)

No, no, I don’t think they are alike in any way, by the way.

(I would put a photo of a cockroach, but boys are much nicer to look at:) )

I found cockroach nests under my dining table today. In the middle of the night. And since I couldn’t very well wake the family up, I single-handedly waged war against the cockroaches. I killed all of them. Except one that got away. Crystal - 1, Disgusting pests - 0

And now for the

Quote of the week: “He’s confident. Maybe you’re just confused.” -Denise Ng, on a guy I called hot. 

Maybe I was confused. Or maybe confidence just looks good on a guy. Shrug.

On another note, since we’re on the topic, I am SUCH a sucker for boys who play the guitar (and sing). Sigh.

“You ever think we’d get along like this?” he asked, the breeze rustling his hair.

She paused. “No. I’d always wondered how I could explain myself in words to a person who can’t tell the difference between a verb and an adjective. I’d always wondered how I could be fully understood by someone I couldn’t debate with.”

He smiled, thinking about the “arguments” they had over this very topic. “You can’t even call it an argument ‘cos you don’t even argue back!” she once said.

He leaned back. “But?”

“I don’t know.” She fingered a blade of grass between her thumb and forefinger as she thought about what to say.

“I guess I finally realized that you don’t always need words to know how a person is feeling, or to understand a person. Sometimes, all you need is love.”

“You think we have that?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I think so.”

“So I don’t have to worry about being eighty, hooked up to a machine, not being able to talk to you then.”

She laughed. How like him to say something totally unexpected, yet that made perfect sense. After all this time, she still could never tell what he was thinking, or what he would say next. It was a source of much frustration in the beginning, when she would jump to conclusions about what he was thinking – only to find that she assumed wrong.

Sitting here, looking at him, she realized that he had taught her much about life – and that it’s okay to see things from a different point of view. Despite their differences, they managed to get along.

And she knew the reason why.

“I guess when words fail, love will speak for itself.”

My final assignment for photography is two weeks away and I need to choose 8 photos to develop and mount. I’ve narrowed it down to 14 (two with differentt post-processing effects). I need your votes!! Tell me which ones are the best.

Oh and my theme is “Self-portraits”. And I need to come up with a better name for presentation purposes so suggestions are welcome too!=)

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