After catching comedian Dave Cook on Comedy Central Presents courtesy of Ares, it kinda made me wonder where you draw the line.

Dave Cook’s main skit revolves around the Mass, particularly the Sign of Peace and Holy Communion (naturally). The irony, of course, is that I found it absolutely hilarious. I mean, sure he was making fun of something I take seriously, but heck, why be serious about anything at all? After all, if God didn’t have a sense of humour, neither would we.

That being said, however, it does make you think about just how much humour should play a part in a situation. Dirty jokes are the norm, of course. No matter how many jokes you hear about sex, there just seems to be more. Other jokes about race, gender and the above-mentioned religion, however, strike me as being hardly appropriate sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m crazy about comedians who rely on race for their humour. I’m talking about people like Russell Peters, Pablo Francisco and Carlos Mencia, who even endorses it during his show on Comedy Central Presents. I’m just not so sure how to take it when I hear my 14 year old sunday school kids repeating the jokes. In fact, I once quoted Russell Peters on campus and as soon as the last bits of the joke left my lips, I realised I was in earshot of a bunch of Indian students. That incident really made me more self-concious about the jokes I make in public. What more the teens, many of whom already have such a warped view of society, morality and reality thanks to the company they keep? Will they assume “!Xobile” is a typical African name? Heck, even my Indonesian friend does the whole “Tak Sum Bong” schtick when she tries to speak Mandarin, which sounds so outta place because it’s probably a Cantonese name.

It’s like ordering “Kani Nabe” at Kushinbo.

Which, admittedly, I’ve never seen direcow or kakita pull off.

It has been a while, but I have come to realise that, even more than my love for the written word is my love for the medium of film.

Perhaps because of all the exciting new technology that is currently being used (just look at Batman Begins), or perhaps it’s just a new innovative use of older technology (such as the Corpse Bride). Or sometimes, it can have nothing to do with a digital medium, but simply the fact that, at the heart of the movie, is a story that seeks to be told.

On Saturday as a prelude to Mel’s birthday dinner, we caught Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, the third in a series of revenge-themed movies (the first two being Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy) by critically acclaimed Korean director Park Chan Wook. This would be my first Korean movie, so I had initially decided to come into the cinema with an open mind. But whoa, nothing could have prepared me for this.

I think what made me love the film was the intro sequence right at the beginning. It was so simple yet so stylish that it was hard not to just appreciate the beauty of the whole animation. The only other time I saw something similar was in a Bjork video and it just didn’t have the same effect. If I could, I’d watch it all over again just to see the opening sequence.

The movie itself is a mix of storytelling styles. From the beginning, you are thrown into the midst of the movie, as you are introduced to Geum-ja, the protagonist and the titular character (play by the very versatile Lee Yeong Ae) who has just ended her prison term for kidnapping and murder. A series of flashbacks seem to indicate that Geum-ja has undergone a total conversion to Christianity and is determined to start life afresh, but the build-up simply makes her decision to carry out her plan of revenge all the more poignant.

Through even more flashbacks, we discover that Geum-ja’s manipulative nature has made her many friends in prison, even though for less than scrupulous means. Through these “favours” owed her, she orchestrates a simple, yet poetic means of fulfilling her need for vengeance. That is, until she discovers that she’s not alone in this need.

Many have compared this film to being a poor follow-up to “Oldboy”, perhaps the movie that truly earned Park his director stripes. That being said, I’m glad I didn’t catch “Oldboy”, because my expectations coming into this movie were more than well met by the sheer beauty of the whole ensemble. One notices immediately the stateliness of the sets. Even the old dilapidated school building has a sense of classic grandeur about it. But the sets and the excellent cinematography are just the icing on a very moving tale.

Despite being hailed as unoriginal by some, the plot is well-paced and keeps the viewer constantly glued to the images. While all the actors (many brought in wholesale from the cast of “Oldboy”) demonstrate a depth that is hardly found in the glamour of Hollywood, it is Lee Yeong Ae’s performance as the lead character that truly defines her as one of the most impressive Asian actresses today. Her ability to act a whole gamut of emotions from hatred to love, from anguish to carthartic pleasure is very believable and cements her as being arguably the only actress to be able to pull off this role.

Special mention must go to Choi Min-sik for his role as the antagonist, and Nam Il-woo for a superb performance as the elderly detective for their ability to play their roles so convincingly at yet inject much needed dark humour to keep the plot from descending into angsty overkill.

Overkill. Heh.

… where do I begin?

Let’s start with the truth. People who know me well, know that I think too much, worry about all the wrong things, and lose my head faster than Joey Tribbiani at a MENSA examination.

Or a strip club.

Anyway in essence, events on Saturday afternoon led me to believe a secondhand report that Kami wanted to have nothing to do with me and that she thought I was a creepy stalker. Despite not hearing the full story from her, I allowed myself to believe the worst and did everything short of ending the relationship. I was absolutely crushed and ended up moping and bitching to everyone I could.

What a drama mama I was. Kami has since cleared up the whole situation and has convinced me that nothing has changed between us. I just misinterpreted events and got into a case of mistaken identity.

What I have learnt from all of this is…

That I should have known better and trusted someone I claim to love. That I have a lot of problems trusting someone, unless that person has stuck with me through years of knowing the real me.

That I do have lots of people I trust, who genuinely care about me and I’m really thankful for those who were in the right place at the right time to hear me rant and rave.

That in the end, it is my family who truly gives me comfort and takes my mind off the craziness that often surrounds me.

P.S. Kami tells me she’s almost definitely coming to Singapore in a little over a month and I’ve never been more excited.

… it’s over.

Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.

It’s funny how hindsight allows you to discover God.

Things I learnt on Saturday:
1. One finds purpose when establishing themselves in a foreign country.
2. If you are called to help, always answer. Never assume that your help is insignificant.
3. Sometimes the greatest pleasure can be found in being even slightly useful.
4. Even if that means listening and listening and listening.
5. And regardless of whether you’re more comfortable with a different language, the Mass is still poignant in any setting.

It all began when I attended the Student Leaders Conference in NTU. Things were going relatively well (and by that, I mean not horribly boring) but nearing the end of the Conference, a PRC scholar stood up and basically ranted to almost a hundred student leaders in attendance (as well as several administrative staff) about how NTU students from China are being marginalised and unappreciated. At first, I scoffed (rather loudly too, I’ll admit). Horror stories of how PRC natives expect Singapore and NTU to conform to their expectations is rife. Disgusting tales of leaving shoes in the washing machine, scrubbing lingerie in the toilet sink and microwaving socks to dry them are commonly used to generalise the mainland Chinese as a insensitive, inconsiderate lot that is just going to remain a sore point when studying in NTU. However, it was hard not to imagine that there was some truth in her complaint. Despite still being the minority in NTU, they were hardly an insignificant social group, and hospitality dictated that they be shown some dignity. The above-mentioned anecdotes should not be used to judge all PRC scholars as a whole.

After enjoying the “free” lunch provided by the event’s organiser, the Students’ Union, I headed down to church to help set up the booth for recruitment of catechists (aka sunday school teachers). It seemed like an unlikely thing, since I had no idea what exactly I’d be doing, and I felt really tired after the morning’s event. Nonetheless, I figured since I was out anyway, I’d drop by and see how I could help. It turns out that there was indeed a lot of things to be done, and many ways that I could help. I realised that when I helped in doing something I liked, the tiredness just seemed to leave.

So I just came back from watching the latest offering from director Tim Burton - the Corpse Bride.

It’s a beautiful flick, not only because it’s so well done that you can’t imagine how long it took the animators to put it all together, but because despite all the horrific elements, it’s very much a Disney story.

The Corpse Bride, voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, is the titular main character. Her tragic story of unrequited love and subsequent murder takes a turn for the better when a bumbling groom-to-be recites his wedding vows in a dark forest just over her unmarked grave and accidentally marries her. He is then transported to the World of the Dead, and realises how dreary his own life is.

The utter morbidity of the Corpse Bride is tempered by the permeating humour throughout. It’s almost as if it’s hard to take anything seriously, even though a simple romantic storyline courses through the film. The images are macabre (people kept making noises everytime one of the dead characters split himself in two), but the delivery is just so… amusing. When it comes to visuals, director Tim Burton is a true master.

If nothing else, my only complaint would be how underused most of the characters are. Indeed, as the hero Victor Van Dort, character actor extraordinaire Johnny Depp’s role is surprisingly limited. Surprising because this role is right up Depp’s alley, and Burton knows that, having worked with Depp several times in the past, starting with Edward Scissorhands and most recently, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The character of Victor was a little too… bland for my tastes, and you hardly felt the genius of Johnny Depp coming through. A pity, really.

Nonetheless, Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride is a piece of filmmaking genius, and may have prolonged the art of stop-motion animation for yet another decade.