Prestige

I watched Prestige yesterday. Scarlett is pretty. She is more than being sweet in the Lost in Translation....

I like the story very much, the script especially. The plot was executed at the right tune, even it was non-linear. Christopher Nolan is brilliant I have to say. Damn, he did the screenplay script too, no wonder. Christopher and his brother Jonathan (?) and the script deserve the biggest credit, very innovative, perhaps a pioneer. The way he got out of the box, then created a great solution, then brought out another brilliant twist... are just phenomenon. The most important thing is the audience are still in his pace. No one is off course I suppose. If you think you are a great predictor, I bet you’ll love the ending.

Hugh Jackson, too bossy and I don’t think like that. I would prefer him to stay obedient all the way for a greater “silent” payoff. Christian Bale is great. His wife in the movie, Sarah did a good job too. David Bowie is a surprise.

O... music!!! Sorry, I don’t like it. Especially the big twist near the ending... Can you David Julyan please write as what the audience see? The music plays the inner heart and cushion too much under the dialogue... it’s just annoying. Maybe you scored well in other part and I believe you did, but your sound in the ending cue is still haunting me.

... It should get really hot in Oscar. No doubt for screenplay and maybe some luck in best directing.

Check out Okkyung’s Blah Blah Blah and her view - http://okkyung.blogspot.com/2006/10/prestige.html#links

Hey check out the picture in this posting, she got a pimple on her cheek.
YEAH!!! The Scarlett in the short I’m going to score is really hot too.!!! Yeah baby.

Magic Mountain

Check it out at my New blog - 
web.mac.com/hfken

I'm done with Zombie!!! errr... no?

The director, surprisingly, got some budget to bring the short to a studio. I will get at least a flute, and some brass, hopefully a sax. So, more work to do? Give me a few more bucks...

Check out the audio, My Hubby is a Zombie @ Kenhor.com

Pretty interesting story, a new short film about zombie. I'm just doing an additional music, and not the main composer.
A guy was dead in a car accident, came back home because he loves his girl friend too much. But he could only say I love you.
He wasn't doing good. Vacuuming the garden, gas blower in the living room, use dishwasher as clothes dryer... he messed up the breakfast he prepared for girl friend. He was fuck-up.
And worst thing was he always broke his own organ... hands, legs and even head always got chopped up.

He started eating human for healthy organs - legs hands, and even penis, and last a brain so that he could have sex with her.
He wanted to think and do more than I love you....

No more story, can't tell everything...

Another Short - Ready to go anytime

I think this is fastest gig I’ve ever got.
The director called this morning. Then I brought along my roommate’s laptop to meet him an hour later at the Coffee Bean on Westwood Blvd.

I didn’t noticed the laptop wasn’t charged and the battery died away before the film ended. We then went to my apartment. Finished watching the film, gave him my opnion, especially for the last scene... How I would build up the music from a simple repetition, adding up elements, creating a small payoff (when the girl closes the door a.k.a. rejects the guy and being not tolerant) with the same repetitive stuff underneath softly and morphed after the door is completely closed. The repetition comes back but subtle at one cut, then lead to the end credit. Subsequently I showed him some similar scenes I did before in past, and also how I handled sequence scenes... He loves it and I got the gig. Pretty quick huh?

Basically, it is about 2 couples, in a bathroom, a love story. The story is decent. Something which is cool about the scenario is the whole film was shot in the bathroom, some wide cuts from the bathroom or to the bathroom.

The production quality is surprisingly excellent I have to say. Cinematography is good. Production sound is clear. Actress is... OMG damn pretty!!! Imagine, a slimmer Scarlett Johansson. My perfect angel, hell, even pretty than the real Scaelett!
Shitya! Chern Hwei.

O... I just watched Prestige yesterday. Scarlett is pretty. Not just sweet like she was in the Lost in Translation.... I should talk about it in a new post.

New Short Film

Some rough draft...
Copy and paste.

- Story about a husband, a medical report, his wife, and a prostitute.
- Pre-production stage.
- Directed by Giovanni Chen, a Malaysian director who studied film at Buffalo U. He is currently living in Los Angeles.
- Amazing script, not surprising if this film win in any film festival. He is brilliant!
- Will only start scoring in February when I get back to KL

Mom I miss you!

I screwed up too... sometimes

This is one of the cues that I was well-prepared, but I screwed up a little. I used Shakuhachi in this cue, and I wrote about 2 tones higher than it should be. Unlike flute and clarinet, Shakuhachi is very strict to its range and timbre change. I noticed it’s like recorder, the highest pitch can be clearly distinguished... but too late, I noticed that in the studio.

I already did some research, listened to some shakuhachi CDs, checked out the player that night and his past recordings (he recorded for the Last Samurai), made sure I understand the timber, especially the beautiful solo range... what can I say? A very big lesson - get 3 times more prepared than you should when you’re taking something serious. For me, once I take things seriously, I’ll get my ass kicked if I don’t make it...
Perhaps, I’m not strong enough.

I listened to Steve Mazzaro’s stuff. he is Doreen’s classmate. I felt I was hella small after listening his work. What have I done in LA? Ya, I did some gigs, regularly... but so what? I haven’t done something really big, written something I’m really proud of. I took too long to recover from the breakup. I often blamed the breakup swallowed up my inspiration. I didn’t try to tackle a higher destiny. After a year, I still haven’t got my 1st indie, not even the symphony score for NY... I’m still doing shorts and sometimes pop. Worst, getting gigs from KL... Well, hell yeah!

2 more months, 3 more the most, How far can I go? We’ll see. I gotta show my cards on my table, no shit.

The Mirror

My youngest brother Weng. He’s just a photocopy of my face... Sometimes we would laugh at each other and say “why are you looking at mirror?”


My mom sometimes called a wrong name and got response in rage, even got grouched by us the whole day... she deserved it! But now, I wish someone calls me Weng from behind.
:’(
Dad would sometimes whisper why we look alike so much and not the other 2 brothers.

If I ever dream of a mirror, does it mean I miss him too much? I was looking at the mirror, I wasn’t sure who was in there. But I thought of you when I woke up.

Yes, I do... and also our AMY. You are the best.

HA HA HA HA!!!! Who is this???

When a SAG meets a "Fish"

我向一个双鱼座的朋友分析她的新婚射手座丈夫

射手座就喜欢追⋯ 不停地射。
如果是小白兔而已，就会丢掉，再去找别的。

爱上射手本来就很危险
因为射了人就会想逃
逃远了，就会想回来看看你是死是活

    我那双鱼座的朋友就说：
          雙魚女沒什麼要求
          只希望她愛的人好好愛她而已 就這麼簡單
          但雙魚女無法忍受她愛的人花心
          因為她自己是全心全意的⋯ 要懂得珍惜她

他妈的！我近年来都遇到双鱼。早先被一条我一直以为很不错的伤到残废，不知干麻又来了几条小的老的。已经好几条了...
可能我在水里不善于射箭，都瞄不准！

还是去射兔吧⋯ 松鼠也不错！
可是她看着我怎么射呢？ @＃％⋯

KFC - Don't pRay pRay

Lazy recipe for Doreen, Chern Hwei, Justin, and all my buddies in overseas.

damn lazy, but it really works.

KFC chicKEN, even better! best in Westwood LA eeehhh, and somewhere in Queens, NY.
Don't pRay pRay yeh!!

Gotta be Chicken thighs dude. Don't try drumsticks, it will be like super dry goreng ayam.
Defrost in the morning la.
***hit the surface with knife back, or massage it with fingers (or do that when you put salt and spice). haha
***Stab with fork, or shallow cut on the surface so that the flavor infiltrates into the meat.

***If lazy, skip it

Apply salt first (about 1/4 to half tea spoon for each), then pepper (a lot). Massage a bit laaa.
secret recipe - add Yoshinoya red pepper... go curi a lot everytime you go there :D
Then flour that just enough to cover the surface, especially the skin!!
Then throw them into a freeze beg or clean plastic beg... let them "marinate" for 1/2 hour to 2 hours... go do your work.

Here is the trick - use aluminium foil to make high pillow to cushion the thighs.
You need those oil to make the inner meat juicy (that's why thighs and not drumsticks) but also want them to be dry, and not soaking them in the oil and become oily wet... eeeewww!
Make thick cylinders from foil and place 2 of them closely and parallel and put a row of thigh on it.
(don't fold them nicely laa, the more uglier the thicker, "gulung" them roughly)

440F, (250c) about 25 minutes, depending on your oven.
take one out and test after 25 minutes.

IF YOU ARE SUPER BUSY or LAZY!!! I tried this and it still taste really good.
Throw thighs, salt, pepper and flour into a plastic bag. and hit them like those chinese robbers use linen beg to catch and wallop people. LOL


PS: 100% guarantee you will like it and make it so often until your TJ hates it!!!! hahahha
and make sure keep one for me next time.!!!!
PS: Julian, welcome to the club. HAHAHAHAHAHAH

I am levitating!!

I am now officially an  ASCAP 
member. 

It's not difficult to get in. Why didn't I do it earlier? sigh...

The baby has sprung

Kenhor.com

Slept at 5am then woke up at 9 just now. DAMN..

Just too hilarious!!

Singapore Censor Board

LOL

Kevin and I

I hang out with Kevin yesterday, whole afternoon. He is still handsome, still very tall (There was once he almost knocked the lower ceiling in a practice room when he wanted to stand up to show me breathing. HAHA,!). We walked from Santa monica beach to Venice Beach... pretty crazy! then walked back to Santa monica, then to 3rd street. Whole aftenoon walking.

We talked a lot. Talked about his life, my life and my job here, his job in MPO, our friends, and many things about music and some about MPO and Malaysia, and music in our society. He has been in MPO for 8 years, one of the first principals when MPO was founded. But I noticed, he isn't given much chance to to work outside MPO, (as well as contribute to our society, although he really wants to contribute more) because of his working permit and status, also the contract with MPO. Sigh... what a big lost if he leaves.

He told me about MPO youth orchestra (I think there are few UPM students too), and he is happy about the progress and the arising standard. So sweet to hear that. He noticed the music scene is getting better in Malaysia, but sometimes disappointed especially there are not many audience attending their concerts, and when students aren't serious about playing or practicing.

He played with PJ Catholic High recently. he was very impressed with the performance and the students there. Happy to hear that. Show him my music, show him my film, he was impressed too, and was amazed every time a new track was played. He was also surprised when he listened to GET IT by Chern Hwei and his string duo. Totally stunned! He is proud of us as a person living in Malaysia. He is happy to see what I am doing now, although he was disappointed when I stopped playing tombone few years ago. We talked a little bit Malay. Sometimes he talked to me in Manglish.

I asked a lot of questions, some are questions I wanted to ask for long time. Asking about his music journey, what has him been through, how has he been practicing to achieve the level he is now at, and some personal stuff too. They were not easy to get through... I suppose I'm at the stage where he faced all kinda difficulties before he got an orchestral offer in south africa.

I will write for him once I go home, I promise, and I will do my very best. He's a good person, that kinda person who I respect sincerely.

Go to MPO, watch them, approach them, grab every chance that you can learn from them. They are the world-class musicians that you hear in overseas.

Kevin Thompson, Trombone principal of Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra, was my trombone teacher back home in Malaysia.

Belaian Jiwa

How beautiful....

Seindah
Tiada lagi kau ku ingatkan
Sayang kau hilang
Menanti
Biar sampai akhir hayatku di dunia ini
* Kau tahu betapa ku sayang padamu?
Hanya bidadari sebagai ganti
Hanya takdir menentukan ia
Oh Belaian Jiwa
Second verse:
Oh~~ Angin
Sampaikan laguku padanya
Yang Sedih pilu
Terimalah
Laguku jadi teman hidupmu
'tuk selamany

I Can See It Now

Testing Testing...
New feature by box.net

End Credit Song of Jeff's Short Film, Mother's Day

I Can See It Now.mp3

The sample rate is lower than the original file. So, the song played by the player is slower and the pitch is lower.
Download the music, it sound muh better,

Current affairs

Additional Music for comedy short I "Love" Zombie - Almost done

2 songs for independent album - Going to start arrangement of the 1st song. HipHop / Pop, Justin Timberlake kind

1 event arrangement, small budget. 

Upcoming... there are few to be confirmed.
Conclusion, I am still surviving :D
But haven't paid last month rent.

Sorry...

I am safe at home, back from magic mountain. Just too busy to update my blog. 
Will update some new pictures.

Chern Hwei's canadian friend traveled around asia, including MALLAYSIA!!!!!!!!
His pictures makes me cry! 

Ruth's pictures in Malaysia
There is a link to browse all 16 albums.