It has started.....

Having much (weekend) time on hand lately as mother has been away on holiday, it was a good time to wander around. Being me, wandering means spending time in shops like Gramophone, HMV and Laser Flair. Sadly for my wallet, due to this spare time at hand and surfing the forums, it was lighter by some (considerable) amount, as it was spent on buying a couple of blurays.

Since having a BR writer on my PC and also a 24" LCD monitor with HD capability, I have been trying to resist to flooding my shelf with the new format, but as it is, the numbers are growing - of course not as fast as TehPeng's collection - but still with the number of DVDs that is already on the shelf, I am certain mother will be grumbling about this soon...

Among those in the BR, was 3 titles that was already on the shelf which is now also joined by their BR siblings - Band of Brothers (I had the DVD), Tudor Season 1 (I had the DVD as well), and P&P (I had 2 of the DVDs - one the original version, then 10th Anniversary Edition as well as the VHS!). In fact this entry was because while watching the bonus features which they had talk about the popularity of the series; and they were right.

I am certain that it would be join by the other favourites when they are out in BR format - Star Wars and Dune (both movie and the mini-series and its sequel). Even the Bourne Trilogy (which has BR format out now) seems creeping into the list to get in BR format. While may not be "favourites", but Battlestar Galatica (new series), Indiana Jones Trilogy and Back to the Future Trilogy are somewhere down in the "List to get" as well. Heck, I even have a list of the prices of some titles in my PDA for reference, as a just in case! :P

One which I am not certain would be an addition - there was a "bollywood" movie version of P&P - Bride and Prejudice. Yes, some of my friends deem it very sterotyping, but it's still good fun, sounded like some of the musicals, where you have dialogue and then suddenly they started to burst into singing. Oh, the "No life with wife" was hilarious!

So, as I close this entry, the series playing on my 2nd monitor (oh how I love the LCD which is able to display HD very well), and firefox opened on the main monitor - I realised that the BR version had a better grasp in colours, especially the skin tones, although a little redder than I thot.

Now.. if only someone would be able to bring out the other Jane Austin's books in the manner which they had done for P&P - Yes, I have read almost all of them but I believe P&P will still remain my favourite of them all. Oh how conforming does that sound, but I cannot denial that fact that I really enjoyed this book very much.

P.S.: Wonder if Tehsis would be borrowing the BR to view. Then again, I don't recall her having BR player at home, maybe she can watch it in TehPeng's place instead... :P *grin*

Blast from past

Did a walk in Pavilion on Monday night, after dinner. Yes, I am in KL this week, due to a demo. They have 2 video shops in there - Speedy Video and VideoEZY. Speedy Video was in the basement (or Lower Ground, not sure of the levels here), where (some of) the restuarants were, so naturally I stepped into there to have a look. I walk out of there with 1 DVD, 1 VCD and 1 CD.

DVD was the review of the Treble year 98/99 for Man United - finally found it! I had recently bought the review of Double year 07/08, and now this completes the set! :D

VCD was Happy Ghost II, which started the (very short) singing careers 4 (started with 3 then became 4) girls known as Happy Girls Group (literal translation from "Ka Xin Shao Nu Zu"). Anyone remembers them?!?!? You would if you have watch the Happy Ghost movie series from Happy Ghost II to Happy Ghost IV. I don't recall them being in Happy Ghost and Happy Ghost V - maybe that's why the movie stopped at V... :P They were also in the Isle of Fantasy movie as well - all the mentioned movies were produced by Raymond Wong, which I think most people will know who he is... For so many of his movies, it's all silly, and you can leave your brains at the door when you enter the theatre (those that I know of, that is), but yet sometimes, the movies does remains with you. For this case, it was more of the music that was associated with these movies. Although I have to say the Isle of Fantasy had a better "space" in my memory - maybe it's because it's so funny...

Oh, not sure what triggers the point, but I did actually started to search for any indication in the internet for their albums (which I already had in cassette format) and was hoping that it was released in CD format. To my pleasant surprise, I did managed to find some of the cds in yesasia.com! Ordered it, and now awaiting for the orders to be shipped. According to the last known status, they are sourcing for these CDs so that it could be shipped. Hopefully, the CDs are be found and I could get it after CNY!

CD? Well, it's the latest CD (SACD to be exact) from Emi Fujita, except that this cd contains all japanese songs which, frankly, I don't even understand a single word. Why I got it.. Not too sure but it joins the 2 other japanese CDs that I have in my CD collection - Songs from Macross and 10 Decades for Le Couple (which Emi is part of this duo). Then again, I think for someone that listens to one of the widest genre of music - from classical, vocals, jazz, pop, rock and even heavy metal, and yes, I do have some cantonese and mandrin CDs. I guess this is not something unusual.

Anyway, no, I have not finished working on the new rig I had, and I can't wait to get back home to continue getting that rig ready... Still wondering if the Palm hotsync program will work with Vista... Sigh, that is a "big" issue as I have a palm and I would like for it to be synced! Especially since I am using Document to Go for my list of CDs, DVDs and wines. Time to hit google search again...

Turn Back the Clock

Remember I mention about Donny and Marie Osmond show in one of my entries in the blog?!?! Well... I happen to come across a DVD that contains 4 episodes of the show and had impulsively bought it. Just finish watching it... The chemistry between the brother and sister is really there and Donny seem to be nice enough to allow all the ribbing from Marie. Some of them were really good (in those time frame), but after watching, actually, no, even when I was watching the DVD, what came to me was this thought in my head - "You mean I actually watched these shows and like it?!?!"

Maybe it's the timing, I mean it has been what, almost 30 years since the airing of the show series, and I guess our taste changes as we grow older, but you know, some of the shows were really cheesy! I supposed it's does not look like it during that time, but I also realised that I cannot remember anything from the show, except a fragment of one of the shows where they were spoofing from Star Wars! In the DVD, for one of the show, they were obviously spoofing from Grease with The Palace of Sludge. Imagine, this show survived 4 years of airtime! Maybe it seems good enough at that point of time, but I am not certain if they would even survive a year now if they were to have it in this day and age...

Kind of makes me wonder... In another 30 years time, if we are still alive, what would we make of the "in" things at this moment? Would we cringe and wonder what were we thinking at that time? Expanding it further, how would you feel about how you had live your life, if you were to look back into your live 30 years down the road? Would you have, at times, wished you could somehow turn back the time and chose to walk another path? Whatever decisions we made now, it will have an impact in how we live our lives, and how our future will be. It may seem right or even correct at this point of time, however, X years down the road, when everything has settled, would you look back and say it's the correct/right thing to do? Maybe, maybe not.

As I stand on a crossroad, contemplating on what would come next, I cannot help but to reflect on my working life, how it started and how the road twist and turn, and at times it seems to be far fetched, and yet, at times, it seemed right... I kind of wonder what lies ahead - how will it be reveled itself in this latest twist and turn - have I held on too tightly, that the stake has now become too high that my focus is no longer correct?

Odd Selection???

Wot! My DVDs had arrived... Had ordered it in Amazon and shipped to my boss's US address for him to bring back when he returns from his vacation.... Now it's in my hand.... The reason for the title for this posting is that... it's the comment he and his wife has made.... Apparently my boss told her that Jane Eyre is for a friend (which is true as it's for Tehsis) and that Bambi was for a niece or nephew (which is not true) and the other 2 - Batman Begins and Battlestar Galatica Season 1 is for me (which is true). So let's go thru them one by one...

I'm not a fan of Bronte sisters, so I really don't read their books, except maybe Wuthering Heights which was by another Bronte sister - Emily Bronte. However, I have to say I am a fan of Jane Austin, and of course, I believe, the most famous novel by her, Pride and Prejudice (I do believe I was the one that got Tehsis to watch the popular 1995 BBC production where Darcy was acted by Colin Firth and Elizabeth Bennet by Jennifer Ehle) Oh yes, to add to this... The reason why it was purchased via Amazon is because our friend has specified that she only wants the Timothy Dalton version!!!! (Ask her for the reason, I have no idea!!!) and I have not seen it here, so when I came across it in Amazon and it was selling at USD9.99, she was hooked!

Bambi... Well, what can I say... I'm a kid at heart! :p Nah... It's just that I was brought up with those stories and "movies" of the time... I do have Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and 7 Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, er... wait let me dig up my DVD collection.... Ahh... Cinderella.... So yeah, I do watch them and keep the DVD as a collection as well..... Oh, I even had the old movie which was like the "state of the art" CGI in those day - Tron.

Batman Begins.... Hmmm... This is an odd selection... Perhaps it's the comicbook that comes with this R1 version that make me decide on this.... Funny thing about this movie is that I did not watch it in the big screen... I watch it on my way back from the latest Brisbane trip in the plane. It was the only movie that I watch before trying to get some sleep... Wait, I might have watched another one... er... Maybe the Four Brothers, but I think I did not finish the movie... Anyway, I have to say, this is a more gritty version of Batman, which is rather different from Tim Burton's Batman. Then again, this is the only version, as far as I know, that tells how Bruce Wayne become the iconic Batman. Anyway, I have to say this was an interesting choice of mine.

Battlestar Galactica Season 1. Yup, This is the new series that Sci-Fi channel in US has been showing in US, it's already in its 2nd season and maybe going into 3rd. It's a far throw from the old Battlestar Galactica that I was "fed on" when I was growing up. I remember Richard Hatch as Apollo and Dirk Benedict as Starbucks, with Lorne Greene as Commander Adama and whole slew of cast in the old series. I also remembered my cousin who had also watch the series had this ability to draw those fighters, known as Viper, during that time.... Apparently they only did a 4 hours 2 part mini-series when they started rewriting it and since it was quite popular, they decided to carry on with the series, and it's now in its 2nd or coming to 3rd season. They also did some changes... Most prominantly, both Starbuck and Boomer are now female!!!! Boomer as one of the 12 models of Cylons??? Sounds weird, but well somehow it turns out quite well, I think....

Since we are talking about the odd selection I had in this selection... Perhaps, if I mention some other DVDs that I collected, it might show that it's not really odd, but it's just me!

I have the entire Star Wars collection, from the old trilogy Episode 4 to 6, and the individuals Episode 1 to 3. There is even 2 additional dvds of the Star Wars: Clone War Vol 1 and 2 (animation)! I also have the Dune dvds - The old Dune movie by David Lynch which Kyle MacLachlan acted as Paul Atreides; the newer mini-series (again by Sci-Fi channel) Frank Herbert's Dune and the 2nd mini-series Children of Dune.

I have old war movies, like Great Escape, Bridge over River Kwai, Toro Toro Toro, Midway. The newer war movies like Pearl Harbour (can't really term it as war movie but since the main point was the attack at Pearl Habour, then again... maybe not), Saving Private Ryan (which I have not really watched yet - Think I could not get pass the 1st 10 mins of the movie about the normandy invasion), Das Boot (German movie on U boats during WW2) and Band of Brothers (sadly, the 1st disc is now spoiled, argh!!!!) I even have the limited edition of Schindler's List and mostly recent addition, Downfall. Downfall is about Hitler's last days in the bunker before he commited suicide... Quite an interesting movie.

I have some movies about the old west, like Magnificient Seven and Tombstone. I have also some old classics like Blade Runner, Highlander, Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Grease 2 (which I had to say it's not as good as Grease, but some interesting songs which sounded quite nice) . I also had some thing to do with military, like Top Gun (love the F-14 Tomcats! Wish I could fly one....), Courage Under Fire, Taps and Hunt for Red October. There are also some of the comedies that I like - When Harry Meet Sally, Love Actually and 4 Weddings and a Funeral.

Mix and mash of ET (remember ET Phone Home???), Terminator, The Rock (The one on Alcatraz with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage), Independance Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Notting Hill, Sabrina (the remade one by Harrison Ford and Julia Ormand and Greg Kinnear), Bourne Indentity, Meet Joe Black, Prince & Me, 13 Days, Gandhi, Moulin Rouge, X Men, Men in Black, Spaceballs, Bend it Like Beckham, Much Ado About Nothing, Finding Nemo (was a gift) and even Gosford Park. Not forgeting the old favourite musicals like Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof - Could have gotten more like My Fair Lady and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang... Just have not got down to it... Was hoping for a price drope... Heh....

Of course there are music videos - Corrs Unplugged, Eagle's Hell Freezes Over, Carpenters, and almost all of ABBA's DVDs, including the ABBA: The Movie. There is also Ghost in the Shell anime, Robotech series (not the whole collection yet only - Set 5, 6, and 7 is still missing), and not forgetting the Cult classic Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds (Remember the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Thunderbirds Are Go!") Yup, I have Set 1 to 3 (Set 4, 5 & 6 are still missing) Oh, I also have the broadway musical Cats! Finally, a foreign film - Amelie.

So I guess there is not really a marking to say what would be my taste of movies, I mean it's so wide and different (from old western to war movies, from cartoons to animations, from drama to comedies and even foreign film) I guess it's just me - Confused, too wide of an interest, etc...

Unique! Me! :p (Of course, you could say... Odd!)

Of course the above is not the exhausive list... Since I have about 100 DVDs as of date!!!