congratz ms. blanchett

If I'm not mistaken (because of my limited ability to speak and understand German, and my morning unawareness symptoms and unclear car-radio sound), you grabbed the golden statue. Finally! Congratz, so proud of you.

Dead curious to hear your speech and accent. Hehehehee..

musical conversation

I was once spending time with a new friend of mine. Since we both are so into musicals (stage, not movies) what else can we talk other than that. And of course asking questions back and forth. Some of the results:

Favorite musical?
Me – hard to be determined since I had only watched Der König der Löwen on stage. But listening, or watching the home vids, or learning the background, it’s Miss Saigon
Him – Sunset Blvd.

Sunset Blvd. Favorite number?
Me – torn between Let’s Have Lunch and Girl Meets Boy
Him – Sunset Boulevard [fair enough, it’s a really great number]

Miss Saigon. Fav number?
Me – Bui Doi
Him – This song, when Kim and Chris's wife sing together.. I Still Believe

Phantom musical. Had watched it?
Me – Nope
Him – Yeppers.. German version, though..

Phantom movie. Had watched it? Fav number?
Me – Yeppers.. Both German and English version – Notes
Him – Nope. Boycott it because of the absence of Michael Crawford [Oh, Dear, dealing with hardcores here..] – Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Les Mis. Had watched it? Fav number?
Me – The movie, all three of ‘em. Hahahaha.. The musicals, only the 10th year anniversary concert – Confrontation
Him – Absolutely. London, 1992. [I envy him right there and then] – Stars

Les Mis. Favorite solo number: [He emphasized the word ‘solo’ because he starts to read how I usually picked my favorite. And I even didn’t realize it before]
Me – Stars
Him – Stars

The Lion King. Had watched it? Fav number?
Me – Yes. Hamburg, 2005 – Er Lebt in Dir
Him – Nope – I think it’s gonna be Circle of Life

Beauty and the Beast. Had watched it? Fav number?
Me – Nope – The Mob Song
Him – Nope – Home
Him – Let’s watch it together
Me – Nah, not so interested

Best musical movie:
Me – From what I had watched, Chicago
Him – No, I mean, musical movie, not movie based from musicals
Me – Singin’ in the Rain
Him – Kabhie Kushi Kabhie Gham [sp?]
Me – [rolled my eyes, fold my arms on my chest] Seriously!
Him – I am!

Get into musicals through
Me – Disney movies
Him – Opera [tsk tsk tsk..]

First musical ever in any kind:
Me – Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Home Vids
Him – Hair – local theatre

If have the ability, talent, skill, and chance, want to audition for which:
Me – A Chorus Line or Grease
Him – Starlight Express
Me – Hey, me too! To get the free course of riding on skates. Hahahaha..

Favorite movie based on musical:
Me – Chicago
Him – don’t have one

Latestly watched movie or stage:
Me – Chess – Swedish version – Home Vids – Recorded on stage
Him – Team America: World Police – at the movies

Last time heard, hummed, sang, or watched musical related thing:
Me – Just right before I met you – through my mp3 player
Him – Just right before I called you – through my discman

Favorite line:
Me – Currently: Before we fan some harmless flame, we have to ask if this is wise, and if the game is worth the price – Sunset Blvd. – The Perfect Year
Him – To love another person is to see the face of God – Les Mis – Finale

Ever took part in musical?
Me – A cheesy but highly praised choral musical performance – Only danced there – Had a great time
Him – A revival of Sunset Blvd. in high school – Joe Gillis

Conclusion:
Me – [from him] you like dialogue songs more than solo songs
Him – [from me] bet you like Kabhie Kushi because it sets in London

who's Ringo?

This is the third time today, and I think the seventh or eighth time this week (it ain't even over yet), that I got a mail with this subject:

Please help me update my address book on Ringo

Anybody got a clearer description on what is this Ringo thingy?

Sideways's G-spot [great spot]

It was below zero out there. Wind blew hard sometimes, due to the geographical location of the city that is in the edge of a harbor. I half-ran to the car, opened the door, put on the seat-belt, closed the door. The car was started, driven, was cutting through the frozen night. And there, inside, was I, sitting back, not saying anything, very unlikely.

"So what you're thinking?", finally he asked the question to break the ice. "Amm.. I'm just thinking.. what if someday, I met someone, and she asked me about how did I get into movies, or what kind of movies I like, or what is my favorite movie. And then I tell her, the way Miles tell Maya about why he likes Pinot. It's even personal." I ended it with a smile. "Na, und?"

"And then she looked at me, the way Maya looked at Miles. I knew I will lose even my strongest shield. You think I will experience that?" The car drove right. "Well, to tell you the truth, you always talk about everything in a way of Miles told Maya about Pinot. And you will always have someone to look at you like Maya looked at Miles. Even when you're not talking bout movies. So, you're ready to think over your bloody resolution?"

"No way. It's not gonna be that hard. Ah well, it was just one helluva brill scene. And it's not about my resolution."

---

It is so easy to love or hate Sideways. It is felt so real, seen so real, heard real. For me, some of the scenes are a bit too filmical though. Ah well. The heroes, Miles and Jack, can be found directly in every corner of every street. Miles is a typical guy who nearly obsessed about something. Movies, or baseballs, or jazz, or tennis, or grooming, or books, or in this case, wine. Miles is not a wine expert. He’s just an afficionado. Just like me and movies.

Now Jack is an actor. But again, you can find this ‘aspiring’ actor in every corner of every street. Well, not the street of every town, perhaps. Jack is supposed to be hot, easily get laid, can get any girl that he want. He’ll get marry in a week. And he wants that the last week of his bachelordom to be spent by having fun with his best man, Miles. The idea of having fun in Miles’s head is of course touring the wineries, checking out wine tasting, discovering new products [OK, I suck at wine-talks]. While Jack thinks about bonking the whole week.

Due to their duo dynamicity, each gets what they want. But of course, Miles did not always get what he wants when he aims for the bigger thing: his cure for his failed marriage. But things will look bright for the heroes, don't you think?

You can love Sideways eventhough you’re not a wine-consumer. Some of the wine-related conversations are indeed too hard to get by without saying, “Really?” But you will be there, every minute of it, trying to get what they were talking about, and don’t worry, you have Miles to walk you through, and maybe you can be another Maya looking at Miles.

Now you can hate Sideways when you are trusting yourself that it is an impeccable, perfectly made movie, solely relying on its dialogs and characters to be excellent and entertaining. For Sideways using some comical and -as I call it- filmical situations those are also hard to get by without saying, “Really?” But borrowing Michael’s [he’s a friend of mine, not a character in the movie] words, “These things do happen.” [Oh, you have to see how Michael said it] And why can’t they happen in the last bachelor week of Jack’s? You can hate it as well when you can't laugh at any wine jokes (if there's any) just because you don't understand them. That's what happened to me.

For me, I enjoyed it a lot. First, I like simple movies. I always be in front of the line to not like colossal movies. Second, I learned quite a bit about wine, well a lot, perhaps. Third, it is the first very good movie that doesn’t make me cry or want to cry because I was so amazed at it. And last, just because somehow, I see myself in Miles. Just go back to the beginning of the post if you don’t understand what I mean.

Another 'Way to go!' Mr. Payne!

make believe vs the age of believing

When I was a kid, I played on the street.
I'd always loved illusion.
I thought make believe was truer than life,
but now, it's all confusion..

[Too Much in Love to Care - Sunset Blvd.]

1234

I'm just confused. How can they say to me

I take everything that you say as the truth

eventhough it was 100% joke. Come on! I was famous as one of the best jokers!!

If that's the case, I would only say the truth to them. No jokes, no riddles, no making-fun's. I will feel 220% uncomfortable, but what the heck.

If that's the case, I would take whatever they said as the truth. All jokes, all riddles, all making-fun's, as in the word of Doug Ross: 'GONE!'

But right after that, they keep retracting their words, saying things that I think they don't mean to say, telling me things that I don't think filtering or censoring has been executed in their heads, daring me to do things, maybe thinking that I'm afraid to do it. All jokes, riddles, making-fun's aside, it's the truth.

So there you go, I'm not afraid of anything, moreover doing things you asked me to do. Well, of course I'm always afraid of my biggest fears in life I told Jürgen about.

So the truth will sometime bite you in the ass. Or even crotch. It's biting mine now.

Men's rules

Just a quickie before I got off to the gym after work.

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the Rules from the male side. These are our rules:-

Please note... these are all
numbered "1" ON PURPOSE as they are all the one golden rule.
1. Breasts are for looking at and that is why we do it. Don't try to change that.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it
up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Saturday = sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think
of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colours, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what Mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as Sex, Sport, or Cars.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know men really don't mind that, it's like camping.
Pass this to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.
Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them an education!!

[copy-pasted from effingpot's fun corner. love effingpot's site!]

We are quite a creature, aren't we?

now, wait a minute!

There's something fishy in Palau. Why was every male castaway showing a lot of flesh in the main picture of the new Survivor season's (Survivor: Palau) website? One is wearing a sleeveless tight tank, one is wearing unbuttoned shirt, and the others are shirtless??! Come on now..

Is it a hint that this season will not be as interesting as the others (despite the 'big' twist)? Hmm.. Or maybe it is so that there are more to talk in Survivor Live [I'm gonna miss this one so bad]? Hmm.. Or maybe it is another Manhunt slipped in the form of Survivor? Hmm..

But anyway, happy watching tonight!

Can I watch the first episode? Please, only the first episode.. I'm dying to see the twist and the first tribal council.. Please? Pretty please?

recent test result

Another tickle.com result of the test! To be honest, I really like this one. Because it's unlike other tests that you can somewhat figure out what will be the result halfway. This one, I had no clue what was going on. But anyway, here you go..

..., your best quality shines through in how Adventurous you are

The fact that you're a person who is curious, loves to experiment, and tries new things really draws people to you! But that's not the only thing. Your answers on the test indicate you're a funny person who is likely known for your great sense of humor. You are an inventive and creative person who usually has an abundance of imagination and ideas, too.

In all, there are 15 qualities that help define you when you're at your best. Those are the traits potential employers, friends, and partners look for in you. What makes you unique is your particular distribution of those 15 qualities.

We've found that your particular combination of qualities is rare — only 1 in 10,000 people share the same general mix of traits. Those are great odds if you're trying to show a potential employer, colleague, friend, or date why you're exactly the right
person for them.

The test itself titled What's Your Best Quality?. Too bad that tickle has this button, with the possibility of areas that they are testing. That spoils me a bit. Or sometimes lot. So, what's yours?

go make comments

Dude! Did you notice that the post a comment tool in blogger has been upgraded?! It's so fuckin' cool, dude! Now you can even attach html tags on your comments. Ain't it bad?!

OK, so go ahead put some comments if you don't believe me.

[hmm.. suddenly I felt like Randall, but no, I bet Randall never said the f-word.]

drink, umm.. sing with me

Whoosh!! What was I thinking about four months ago? So here’s the story. You know Les Miserables? Wait let me check the correct spelling. It’s Les Misèrables. Well, it’s a musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo, about a man or a woman named.. Well, you can see it from many different POV. But I like it the most from the POV of Javert. Eventhough then the title wouldn’t be as such. So it was adapted to musical by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Herbert Kretzmer. There were a number of movies as well adapting or based on this story.

Anyway, Les Mis [that’s how I call it] had its 10th (tenth!!) year anniversary concert in 1995. It’s 10 years ago, and currently the German version just finished playing in Berlin. So imagine it. This anniversary concert was not staged as a musical theatre, but as a musical concert. And it was SUPERB! And the best news is that it was recorded for home video.

I borrowed the DVD from the central public library some time ago. Of course I watched it like 4 or 5 times. But maybe after the 3rd was only checking the highlights. And at that time, what I meant by highlights is of course, 'Who am I?', 'Do You Hear the People Sing?', 'On My Own', 'One More Day', and of course the Encore(s). But then, check this out:

Feuilly: Drink with me to days gone by
Sing with me the songs we knew
Prouvaire: Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads.
Joly: Here's to witty girls who went to our beds.
All: Here's to them and here's to you!

Grantaire:Drink with me to days gone by
Can it be you fear to die?
Will the world remember you when you fall?
Could it be your death means nothing at all?
Is your life just one more lie?

All: Drink with me to days gone by
To the life that used to be
Women: At the shrine of friendship, never say die
Men: Let the wine of friendship never run dry
All: Here's to you and here's to me

Marius:Do I care if I should die
Now she goes across the sea?
Life without Cosette means nothing at all.
Would you weep, Cosette should Marius fall?
Will you weep, Cosette for me?

I hate to say it, but for now, this song is 1234. Wait, I think it’s more 124, but I have to prove it first, then. Anyway, just check out the lyrics. In four simple verses, the writers effectively tells different parts of stories and emotions. Ein Wort dafür: Amazing!

But I have only one reply for the song: I'm sorry, but I don't drink. :p

OK, just wait for some more of Les Mis-related post(s) this weekend. But until then, schönes Wochenende, noch..

ay yay yay..

Damnit! Wrong colors, wrong design, wrong everything.. :(

This is the most difficult part when some parts of the design is on the net, while the rest stays in my lappers. But don't worry, will fix it tomorrow, when my lappers is in the net! Wowza!

By the way, first solution to this problem was not working. I am still friggin confused where I did wrong. Second solution, works beautifully. Just trying to organize stuff, and Jason, be prepared, dude..

javascript rollover text

After a boredom struck in the office, googling those characters on the title, two useless websites, I finally think that I find the answer for the problem that was haunting me for the past week. Hopefully this really will work and Jason will like it. Otherwise, well, can't blame a guy for trying.

An excerpt of the problem:

It's similar to an img rollover where img#1 and img#2 are in different locations on the page - when you mouseOver img#1, img#2 performs the rollover event. I'd like to be able to do this, but with text instead of images. MousingOver txt#1 changes the text of txt#2.
[originally posted by robsta]

Woof! Can't wait for tonight to try it out on my lappers, and later on brag it to Jason. Huahahaha..

new thing for you - best thing for me

Well, the best thing about that thing on the right that I don't have to type the first three letters of my friend's blog any longer. They are now just a click away. Hehehee..

Of course after I install feedreader in my work station, everything will be even more merrier for me. Hehehe..

[the image beside doesn't have image map on it]

what planet are you from? - I'm not from any

You Are From the Sun

Of all your friends, you're the shining star. You're dramatic - loving attention and the spotlight. You're a totally entertainer and the life of the party. Watch out! The Sun can be stubborn, demanding, and flirty. Overall, you're a great leader and great friend. The very best!

What Planet Are You From?

Now, why is it always like that? It reminds me of Maria who once told me, "You're so freaking dangerous, man.." I mean she's not saying it like that, but I just love how Bubba said it to JP.

By the way, Maria was thinking that I was too that-last-word-of-third-last-sentence. Ah well..

gymmy-gymmy takabet, takabet isdet!

I just realized that excerpt from that dolanan song that I write as title can be re-written as

Jimmy, Jimmy take(s) a bet, take a bet. He's dead!

Anyway..

Have you ever been brought up with condition that something is not *so* good for you, and then you are faced that you have to be in that condition for a while. For example, let's say that you were grown up with the fact that smoking is hazardly dangerous, and you should avoid smoking for the rest of your life. And then it turns out, that in a stage of your life you have to smoke because you suffer from some weird disease that makes you need nicotine. I know it's beyond possible, but just think about it.

Well, last night, I was forced to be in that condition. I grew up, well not *grew up*, but grew old by knowing that using machines for your workout will not do you good. I mean machines are not the best equipments to use when you want to workout. I always do free weights exercises. As far as it's possible.

I can talk for hours or even days about what's the benefit of machines and free weights (well, the machines do have benefits, it's just not what I'm looking for), but this post is not about that. It's about: My gym does not have free weights!!! I don't think that's possible, and I know that I may be wrong, and hopefully that I am!

Last night, I have to be take this Einweisungstermin to introduce me to the Geräte in my gym. It's obligatory I think so that I will not complain that the gym didn't tell me how to use the machines in case I was injured, and so that I can't sue them, able to claim my insurance and so on, and so on. But from all the exercise that I'd done yesterday, namely leg press, push-downs, bench press, incline bench press, this I-don't-know-the-name-of because-I-had-not-been-recommended-do-that-or-even-had-been-recommended-not-do-that chest press/fly, none of them were done using free weights! All of 'em are machine-based.

I did seated ab crunches, some kind of exercise imitating good mornings or back extensions. But I want my squats, dumbell curls, triceps push downs, bench press, military press, lateral raises, straight bar curls, EZ bar curls, dips, hammer curls, barbell rows (I really love this one), and of course DEADLIFTS!!

Ah well, will do them all on weekends then.

Oh, today I will have the second Einweisungstermin, anyway, so let's see if they will do something to my arms. Otherwise, hrgh.

2K5 - month one

"Honey, you could die if you hold on to that damn resolution. It's just like if I had resolution to quit smoking."

So one guy (he just overuses honey, seriously. Even he called his 60-year-old tenant: honey) said that sentence to me. He just knows me that well. Or maybe I open myself to him that well. And because of that he asked me to 'accompany' him to the movie more than once so that 'I' can watch movie. Whatta nice dude. And I kept saying yes. Whatta manipulative shrew.

Anyway, due to his generosity, I watched Lost in Translation (so I made my first manipulation, anyway), Team America and the Aviator. The funny thing is.. I don't care about those movies. You know how I previously überobsessed to movies, like after I watched them, I immediately typed www.imdb.com in the next internet connected browser, and went to the trivia section. But I did not.

The funny thing is that

• After watching LiT, I only said, 'Well, that's a nice simple movie. Where do we eat?'.
• After watching Team America, I only said, 'You are responsible for making me shh-ed because of laughing uncontrollably.' But for my defense, the germans don't get the joke. Huh!
• And after the Aviator, none other than 'Damn, I was bored.' Oh wait, I think I also said, 'I like Katie even more.'

I didn't care.., wait let me rephrase that. I wasn't aware of the cinematography of this, editing of that, sound editing of it. Seriously. If you think that I did that on purpose, I did not. I didn't even know that I can walk out of one of my comfort zones almost that easy. But then again, it's only been one month. There's still eleven long cold (whoops, not in summer) months to hold on to.

the Aviator-wise, I didn't even know who Jude Law played (Clark Gable? Slap me on the face with it). But I do remember who Kate Beckinsale played (I save it for a big great laugh with my best friend back home). And Cate Blanchett, I love her even more. Whoopee..

No no no, don't get me wrong. I still need movies. I will still love them. It's just that I'm not in that era of truly madly deeply into them. Well, I still talk about movies of course. Like two days ago, I and some friends were watching the Green Mile. And I started saying things like ,'Do you know that this was loosely related to the history of Jesus Christ?' And I still love the ooohh..'s and the ahh..'s that come from their mouth after I presented them with the facts underlying my question. Or sometimes the ooohh's and ahh's sound like 'You are just crazy. Period.'

Schönen abend und süße Träume everyone..

[or course I couldn't fucking remember how my or other people's sentences were actually uttered. So honey-overuser, if you're reading this, corrections are much welcomed. But play nice. Hhehhheheheheh..

Believe it or not, this post was half-fiction.]

By the way, MY GYM CARD IS READY!! Woohooo... After one month of no gym.. back in the game, baby!