Wow, this detergent really gets whites whiter and my colors more colory!

Saturday, October 31, 2009 at5:12 PM

Livelier white? What the heck is that? x)
de-dum, de-dum, de-dum.
That's the sound of my fingers on the table.

Sky's dark today. It looks like an overstretched piece of dirty rag.
I'm hoping it would let up by 19 00 today. Otherwise, my Safari trip would be cancelled D:
Alternatively, should it remain an ever prevalent presence, my night trip shall be infused with a flavour of storm and palpable tension :D
Unless heaven decides to cry.
...
Am considering using FAB detergent on the sky.


A frosted frosted

Friday, October 30, 2009 at5:00 PM

White robed guy looks like Andy Lau in this angle! D:<
This is a scene from 'A Frozen Flower'.
Hi and I'm officially back from a long hiatus (half a month, to be exact). Lots of stuff shit happened and well, I wasn't exactly primed to write in that period. Not that it's over (the shit, I mean) but rather, I realised that you need to write about fuck-ups in order to get over them, so here I am, writing and writing.

Before I go on, it is to your advantage that you should know this: namely, that my form teacher Mr Nah does periodic sweeps of the net for insulting-insinuating posts/images of him. Recently, he has done so and regrettably, found some incriminating documents on someone's blog about him, probably an opinion expressed unfavourably and without much tact. He's made a copy of the evidence and that highly sensitive document is on its way to that poor girl's parents. So my fellow net-users, I urge you to exercise discretion.

Yesterday, I only got 4 hours worth of sleep. People who know me as well as the both sides of their hands would be shocked because that is abnormal behaviour in my account. Why? Why did Renee not get her usual 7 hours of sleep yesterday? Because I was watching

THIS!
For those of you who don't know any better, THIS! is a movie by the name of 'A Frozen Flower'. What makes it stand out, is that it's a gay movie, with heterosexuality taking center stage and pansexual undertones. Wow. But, like most bank statements and insurance policies, they don't state that; they prefer a misleading truth.

This is what the blurb on the 2 pieces of paper sandwiching my $5 pirated disc said - Korea's smashing hit of 2008 with staggering ticket sales! Redefining boundaries in the footsteps of Brokeback Mountain! The forbidden love between a king and his henchman is tested when he is pressured by the Yuan dynasty to produce a heir.

I began watching the movie expecting no less; hot guys falling head over heels for each other and basking in the fiery passion of their love. The heir problem? Take a backseat! As I was to know later, the blurb was a lie, or rather, only part of the truth and nothing more.

This movie opened in Singapore theatres with the highest rating the censors could offer; a R21.
R21 (restricted 21) - for above 21s, contains nudity (sex scenes), violence, and may contain religious issues
This is nothing. It's a watered down version of the truth. In fact, the "nudity" in Frozen were nothing but PORN!!

In my opinion, sex in movies can be categorised in 3 sectors:

1. Groping. Feeling. Or Initiation.
Defining characteristics: Actor & actresses are fully dressed, with occasional shirt removal, but even so, underwear is most definitely left on. Nuzzling is shown (90% on neck), mostly to illustrate the arousal of both parties but otherwise no other indications of horny-ness may be observed - no moans, groans or panting. "Fading-out" is then applied, and scene ends with both parties naked and hiding their nudity under a blanket/sheet/conveniently placed pillow (99% of the time).
*May be an initiation act, eventually escalating to 2. or 3.
Can be seen in: All mediacorp dramas.

2. Arthouse sex or an excuse for people of moral repute to appreciate the "art and beauty of intercourse".
Defining characteristics: Actor & actresses are fully naked, sliding over one other as the camera pans in and out. Sound effects are present but are a mere backdrop and are pre-recorded. Tongues dart in and out and passion is often played through intense eye expressions. Body parts are almost never shown, and even if they are, it's only those that you get to see for free such as an ass or a thigh.
Can be seen in: High-brow films such as Lust, Caution.

3. Porn.
Defining characteristics:Actor & actresses are fully naked, often in a sexual position. Sound effects and quality are at their climax as both parties moan and whimper and growl. Camera remains still, zoomed out to capture both actors in a still-frame. Body parts are shown, such as breasts. Orgasm is always reached.
Can be seen in: A Frozen Flower!! X_X

...and Frozen really shocked me with its daring showcase of sex D:
At one of the more salacious scenes, I was so nervous and uncomfortable that I swear to bring about a reform on its censorship, slapping an SYCWT (Sorry You Can't Watch This) on it. Sex was presented in such a grotesque manner that entering a nunnery was a possible consideration by the time the credits rolled.

And the worst part? It was Het Porn.

If they showed men having sex, I wouldn't have been repulsed in the least. In fact, the reason why was because knowing that as a female, I would naturally be spared the opportunity to do so. I am able to sit back, relax and observe with a cool eye the way my sister watches cats mounting each other on the ground floor of the neighbourhood carpark. It is the assurance that you would never be a part of it that gives you this exclusive detachment.

This film is disquieting and spooky for all the wrong reasons. Basically, it's about this king who's in love with his guard. It's not the madly, crazy love that most yaoi media center around. This should have been my first warning that something's off here, that this is not my classic fairytale, yet being the sort of person to give up a tree for a forest, I ignored it and would suffer. As I see it now, the bane of the problem was always that the king loved his consort more than the other way round. This is a goner equation for any relationship; be possessive and jealous, and if the other person couldn't care less, it's time to consult the aspirins.

The Yuan Dynasty of China then exerts pressure on the homosexual king - either produce a heir or get your ass off the throne. The king then tells his queen: "You must have known by now. I cannot accept women." And she did, showing her understanding by crying her eyes out. But pressure is pressure, and even the king can't ignore it. Therefore he thinks of a plan.
The most disturbing and macabre part of the story comes next. Get this.
The plan: Arrange for the king's gay (logically) lover to sleep with the queen, because "I trust you the most." What he means is that because his lover is hopelessly smitten with him and his sexuality, he could trust him not to fall in love with his wife, and simply regard the act as a perfunctory action.

Does it really make sense? How could someone give up his lover to another? The fact that he so readily suggested it makes me sick. What was love to him? Apparently, this would prove to be the king's biggest mistake.

One thing led to another, and soon the guard was in love with the queen. Oh my god. How sick can this movie be? It toys and plays around with the feelings of the characters and destroys all our feeble concepts of love; that it is ethereal, pure and great.


The director said that the movie is all about "men's love". That automatically establish a link in our mind to YAOI, but we forget that a man's undying devotion to a woman is "men's love" too. His film scares me and explore areas that I'd rather leave for the next person. It shows us that SHIT HAPPENS in our lives, that not everything is omnipotent and smooth-sailing.

The magic of this director (Yu Ha) is that he is a master of our feelings, twisting them one way and then the next, leaving us in a confused state of mind with divided loyalties. On the one hand, I feel sorry for the king, and hate the queen, but then I would remember how he betrayed his lover. I would feel happy for the queen and the guard, but my conscience screams: How could the guard do that? How could his feelings change so fast?
Ultimately, he has achieved his goal of placing us in the position of the guard, who faces a compelling decision between the king and the queen. He has made us understand and experienced for ourselves the struggle of it all.

I've been trying to figure out for myself the significance of "A Frozen Flower". The movie made several references to it, with the queen pointing out that young maidens would make pastries known as "Frozen Flower biscuits" for their lovers. The king, meanwhile, sang a song known as Ssanghwajeom (lit. Frozen Flower).

Here are the lyrics, according to my $5 disc:

The store to buy a frosted frosted Mongolia's brother seized my hand

I think it means something like he went to a store to buy a frosted/frozen flower and some guy seized his hand. The Mongolia thing is significant as the guard is supposedly Chinese and since Mongolia is part of China (I'm sure), 2 + 2 adds up to 4.

If this matter, then spread out Said the small boy are my fault

Basically, if the matter were to be made public knowledge, then the blame would rest on the king's shoulders?? The possessive noun is used ambiguously in this case.

Small guys have to sleep in that position I also sleep in that seat

????????
Besides the obvious sexual connotation, it holds no other meaning for me whatsoever :/

After a castration, countless murders, pregnancy and a rebellion, the movie ends with the guard duelling with the king. He tells the king that "I've never once treated you as my lover" which effectively translates to 'I've never once loved you'. The king died more out of grief than actual physical wounds.

But then, that is evidently not true. Why else would he cry at the beginning of the movie when he was coered into bedding the queen? He hugged the king in the middle of the night, wears pink and would sacrifice his life for the king's. I strongly believe that they were once deeply in love, and that's my only salvation. The guard was killed minutes later, and as life slowly seeps out of him, he turns around to face the king.

And then, he shuts his eyes.

!

Sunday, October 18, 2009 at2:16 PM

Renee.
Who intends to play her brains out today.

what I'm doing for my birthday

Thursday, October 15, 2009 at5:27 PM

Going to Night Safari to have a decent Halloween-cum-Birthday xDDD
CLICK ME!

i came back! (plus it's my birthday)

at5:01 PM


All things considered, it doesn't really feel like my birthday.
Went on a shopping spree at Kino. Bought $80+ worth of books, and I must say, books do a fucking good job of cheering me up :D
Saw Terry Pratchett dominating the fantasy shelves. I don't see what's so good about him, Carissa D: He and Neil Gaiman are friends, yet I think the style's quite different. One's sillier, whereas the other is more Gothic.
*BUT, on the whole "author's looks" spectrum, Pratchett ranks pretty high on my list. He's such a lovable old man :D

I LOVE LOVE LOVE DAVID SEDARIS :D

It kinda sucks shopping alone. You know, after a period of time, you realise that people are the same anywhere. Especially in shopping malls.
I mean, there's always the all-girls clique in school uniform, the Malay guys gang, the expatriates in business suits, the people who talk+look like gays but most probably aren't, the offices ladies clicking around in heels. The only distinction is age and looks.
Kinda transient after a while, and it doesn't get to you.

playing through my head head head

Saturday, October 10, 2009 at10:55 PM

I'm so stuck on Korean songs now 8D
(oops this picture is not for wen xia hahaha)

But seriously, Shinee can sing.
I like their clothes *___*

i think i'm going mad

Friday, October 9, 2009 at1:15 PM

GUESS WHOSE?
Now that I'm reading it 2 years down the road, godhowmuchlowercouldisink?
It was one of those stupid emo-i-think-i-am-so-cool phrases that hit me less and less as the years fly by.
Seriously, what's the use of blogs if no one ever reads it?
Apparently, it made sense to me at that time.
Suddenly, putting a tagboard up when I know no one's ever gonna read it appears stupid. But I realised this 2 years too late.
Check out the stupid lAm3 shitz that I posted when I was young and green.
Seriously, WHAT THE HELL?