ASEAN Football

South-East Asian football fans are known for their display of affection to their leaders while cheering on their national teams. Most notably the Thais and the portraits of King Bhumibol:

 and the Vietnamese with Mr. Ho Chin Minh.

Not to be outdone, here's myself with the digital image of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Founding Father of independent Singapore, on my iPhone right from the terraces of Bukit Jalil.

Malaysia 0 - Singapore 3

Took a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to support Singapore in the opening game of the AFF Suzuki Cup, the premier international football tourney in the South-East Asian region. My first away game. Glad we won! Thanks the the hospitality of the host nation as well as our Malaysian friends who brought us around for endless shopping and eating as well.

Hopefully the campaign for the Singapore Lions will go on well, though at this point of writing, we've just lost to Indonesia through a dubious refereeing decision that resulted in a 80th minute goal to the Garudas. But such is the nature of the game and I am learning to be gracious and accept defeat. Good game Indonesia. Now, it's a win against Laos or nothing.

 I now proclaim the match ticket my lucky charm.

 Pacik celebrates our third goal. He wore a shirt that says, "Kiasu Fan". Kudos to the man.

 The anthem plays. Majulah.

And there goes Duric's goal.

A gracious Malaysian fan who climbed across the fences to reach the Singaporean fans.

 

The Malaya Ultras. Malaysian die-hard fans. Admire their passion for their team.

Let's go

Off to Kuala Lumpur to support the Lions in Singapore's opening match against Malaysia in the Suzuki Cup. My first time supporting the national team in an away game. Let's go for a good result!

Moonstone Lane

iPhone5 and the Blux Movie app

A couple of days before the trip to Bangkok, I was mulling over the option of lugging a HDSLR or shoot with the "no frills" iPhone5. Fortunately just hours before the flight, I found out about the Blux Movie app, saw some test videos on Youtube and decided to take the plunge. Purchased the app for only about US$3.50/- (I think but it's on sale now for US$0.99, limited time only) and left the relatively bulkier 5D at home. The result are the two test videos below:

Bangkok Sights:

You can watch the video at this link. Some bug is preventing me from embedding the video.

Ayutthaya:


I always shoot with the PDX10 and the PD150 instead of the much bigger DSR390 back in freshman (2006) and sophomore year (2007). Those were the dying days of DV cameras just before the advent of HDSLRs. I like my camera small and unassuming the same way I'm attracted to the 5DMkII. But the weight of the 5D around the neck can sometimes make traveling a little bit of a hassle.

 PDX10 v PD150 v DSR390

DV relics we used in uni before HD cameras became affordable.

The iPhone5 now provides another alternative if you want to do some filming while traveling light. I'm very satisfied with the quality of the images produced with the Blux Movie app. Of course the smart phone platform lacks the versatility of a HDSLR or a semipro HD camera but it's still good enough if you're not looking for anything fanciful. Plus the filters from Blux Movie app give the video footage a certain cinematic look. There is no need on my part to do any color-correction (though if you're anal about it, you certainly can tweak it around on post).

Another benefit of shooting with the iPhone5 (or any other smart phones that allow you to shoot HD) is that it is small and easy to carry around. Plus it's just a smart phone and it's unassuming nature allows one to shoot on the streets without being too obtrusive or threatening/rude and attract too much unnecessary attention. Just a year ago, I was looking around for video camcorders for "no frill" uses but the iPhone5 is now like an answer to a prayer.

I am still sticking with the 5DMkII as the most basic tool for work. But for those without access to a video camera, a smart phone with the right apps is good enough. Just go onto the Internet and you can find communities of iPhone filmmakers and their works.

Bangkok Nights

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

- One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head

Argo F#*k Yourself!

Another solo adventure to the neighbourhood cinema 2 streets away. I know I have a pile of stuff screaming for my attention but I cannot help sneak away for another big screen adventure. Argo. Ben Affleck is fast maturing as a solid director. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. It had my heart pumping non-stop. I even had my knees to the chest for a moment. Highly recommend this one. Lots of good films to catch this month.

Face/Off

This is one movie that encapsulates the recent trip to Bangkok. John Woo has his things and guns only boys can appreciate (not trying to sound sexist here).

Post-BKK

Haven't been active on blogger for some time. Being busy. Anyway hardly any visitors to this platform these days. Was away at Bangkok, the real City of Angels, vis a viz Los Angeles, imho that is. This is the 4th time I've visited the city since 2006. It never fails to mesmerize with each trip.

Left the 5DMkII, my basic filmmaking tool, behind. The only camera I had for the trip was the iPhone5. Plus a Blux Movie application which I purchased through iTunes. This is the first time I am shooting videos on the smart phone platform and am very impressed with it thus far. More on it when I've settled down. The Bangkok Withdrawal has kicked in.