Wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year

:D

undeniable talent . inspiring true story

Wong Ka-Jeng (or "KJ"), a talented musician; when he was 11 years old, he went with his father to the Czech Republic to play with a professional orchestra . Seven years later he's already conducting an orchestra at his prestigious private school, helping them to victory at local inter-school competitions.But KJ doesn't care about awards, competitions, and even camaraderie with his schoolmates. Cheung's extensive interviews at two different time periods of KJ's life (ages 11 and 18) capture a young and complex mind filled with endless existential musings. Sometimes his words may not make much sense, but KJ’s demeanor and personality immediately capture one’s attention. KJ is undeniably fascinating as he arrogantly talks back to his peers, his musicians, and even his own family members.

The Movie wisely explores KJ's character from multiple angles, showing KJ's relationships with his teacher, his friends, his school, and his family (though his mother is curiously missing from the film). For a human of any age, let alone an 18 year-old young adult, KJ has a very complex personality. Cheung patiently unpeels KJ's personality layer by layer, and what starts off as a portrait of an arrogant musical prodigy slowly reveals itself to be the tragedy of a young man who sees music as much more than just a way to earn recognition. Even more, the film manages to communicate how frustrating it is to be the only person in the world who seems to feel as KJ does.

Instead of opting for a comparative study of how KJ evolved during the seven years that the camera stopped rolling, the film intriguingly demonstrates how KJ's pseudo-philosophical spiels are more than just the product of young rebellion. Cheung seems to buy a little too much into KJ's newsletter by devoting extended sections to his overlong spiels, but these sections are nevertheless effective in revealing KJ’s character and what drives him. Specifically, the scene of KJ explaining the breakdown of his relationship with his father (who seems to have a major presence in KJ's early musical life and is featured heavily in the Czech Republic footage) shows KJ shedding his overactive intellect and appearing at his most vulnerable. It's easily one of the more powerful moments of the film.

KJ is especially poignant for those who can relate to the excessive attention given to young musical talents in Hong Kong. The students' school lives seem to revolve around competitions, KJ's peers chant like cult members after a competition win, and KJ himself testifies about the pressure from his father to win. Cheung has captured an interesting character who not only thinks beyond the system, but believes that he's levels above it. As fascinating as that is to watch, I think Cheung could have said even more about the very system that KJ is trying to escape had he simply told the story of an underdog trying to survive and beat the odds. After all, everybody loves an underdog story.

But right now, KJ Wong is no underdog. In fact, he may be one of the rare successful overachievers out there, and that can make him an unlikable character for some. However, his success and ambition also make him one of the saddest outcasts to hit the screens in a long time. Unlike similar lead characters in a traditional dramatic narrative, KJ doesn't get the respect or understanding he so desperately asks for in the end. Even though Cheung's film may help people begin to understand the minds of other musical prodigies in the future, KJ will always be a portrait of a human being whose genius was exploited far too early, and knows it all too well.

Favorite song of the year 2011

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

Heart beats fast 

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid

To fall

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt

Suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you 

Darlin' don't be afraid

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

(Verse 2)Time stands still

Beauty I know she is

I will be braveI will not let anything

Take awayWhat's standing in front of me

Every breath, Every hour has come to this

One step closer

(Chorus)I have died everyday

Waiting for you

Darlin' don't be afraid

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

And all along I believed

I would find you

Time has brought

Your heart to me

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

(Chorus)I have died everyday

Waiting for you

Darlin' don't be afraid,

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

And all along I believed

I would find you

Time has brought

Your heart to me

I have loved you for a

Thousand years

I'll love you for a

Thousand more

A brand new year

Awww what an exiting moment ohmygod when the clock strike 12am the ball in times square new york city will drop wohooo .yeah awesome moment . yeah new year eve . everyone is celebrating and im here discovering what to add into my sweet corn . how pathetic am i ? but still thank god that im still alive and not included in those 70 homeless peoples or earthquakes in japan . sigh . #prayforthem . by the way umm happy sex day for those who celebrate new year in a sexual way . sounds gross . I wish those lifeless people a crappy new year , and yeah HAPPY NEW YEAR ;)

part time worker ;)

Never thought that working can be fun . In my previous experiences , working was not a good thing for me . woke early and work all the day would probably kill me hundred and thousand times . Recently , I'd spent my holidays . Work almost a week at a bookstore at kuala selangor . I found it fun . especially the colleague . They're all older than me .  Crazier than me . Wiser than me . There was one day that we work until 1am . Everyone was so tired and sleepy . but laughter still filled the store . I learn a lot of things and people . weirdo especially . The bookstore named : Sinar Bestari Bookstore at Kuala Selangor . Support them ;)