I was mildly amused when i found this photo floating around on Facebook.

it is… Photoshop! in the manual age. I kind of miss a time without the digital age.

Andersen M Studio’s paper stop-motions have amazed me!

“Going West” has won quite a few awards since being released:

and another animation by the same studios, one about Harry Potter *squeals*, it is not as fantastic animation wise but… it is HARRY POTTER. what’s not to like!

after one semester of making my own stop-motion animations, i have really learnt how work goes into a good story and execution! so yes, i think i appreciate animations more.

our lecturer said something interesting last night, he said that good animations are those that hold without any dialogue. He was referring to those blockbuster animated films by the big companies like Dreamworks and Pixar nowadays which makes use of dialogue heavily, to bring the entertainment value. i have never thought of that before.

and with that. i present you with what i think my lecturer would approve of:

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/29504730?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0″ width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/29504730″>Plato</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/leonardcohen”>Léonard Cohen</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

“Plato” by Léonard Cohen (i am wondering why Plato but i think i got an inkling why.)

somehow everyone likes an animation with an unusual plot involving the character being able to mess around with its own surroundings like:

“the Tantilizing Fly”, 1919 by Max Fleischer

a classic animated film but the jokes haven’t grown old yet.

ok so what am i babbling about?

not so long ago i was in secondary school and i had a senior who sang really well.

she still does. evidence here:

hi Amanda Tee! if you ever see this… I am a fan! So happy to see you are all successful! jia you!

(and that i can say that i know a ‘celebrity’. hahaha! )

Even if you are like me, someone who loves familiarity. < Yes, I admit that.

So even though parties are not an activity I enjoy the most (I much prefer have a nice meal with a few friends), I still went ahead and attended some. The conclusion? It still isn’t an activity I enjoy.

It is funny. I don’t get why people enjoy parties (maybe I am just anti-social?). it is when a HUGE group of people (who usually haven’t met in ages) gather together and attempt to share their entire year (or more) in a few hours. And with everybody trying to say something, it is like a competition to see who can get the most into a conversation in the shortest time. and with music blaring, you might often find yourself trying to drown out the music too. Hmm. Then there are the games which you have played so many times before but you still have to pretend it is the freshest game you have seen and play along.

Well, truth is, during the party itself, there are times I do feel awkward. But, the next day (and the next next next few days) on looking back, I actually remember it to be much more fun then I felt then. Not really living in the present… Maybe our memories work in wonderous ways; where it keeps the essence (and joys) of the activity leaving behind the long bouts of boredom that spaces in-between during the actual event!

But beyond that, I still gained inspiration from the process! I have recently attended two different parties and I remember having fun (is that right?). I also remember feeling that social-awkwardness of not knowing what to do… it helps when there is a close friend to hang around with throughout a party! And with that I came up with a new product… to be revealed when the New Year comes around and countdown parties have been attended and people feel the way I felt  and relate to my new creation!

ah! The sweet, sneaky plan.

Meanwhile, Happy New Year in advance and I hope you have fun at those parties in your best party hats!

it brings a nostalgia to those 1980s tv when singing and dancing in a large group in public (no, not the flash-mob way) was not considered cheesy and when The Muppets were still on tv!

and as Amy Adams quip: “oh dear, this is going to be a short movie”

or fozzie bear on an explosion: “wow that’s an expensive looking explosion. i can’t believe we had the budget for that!”

… it manages also, to capture the generation of today by being able to laugh at itself in the satirical-made-popular-by-Shrek way.

plus throw in a bunch of unexpected guest celebrities, and you get a hit! The leads themselves, Jason Segel (which took me a while to realise to be marshall from how i met your mother) and the ever bubbly Amy Adams (from enchanted) did more than enough to get me excited with the Muppets family. But it was a definite plus when Jack Black jumped out of nowhere (or rather from an Anger Management support group) and Emily Blunt’s no-nonsense secretary act a la devil wears prada and of course Jim Parsons (aka Sheldon from big bang theory) as Walter’s human alter-ego…. had me laughing with tears.

i liked how it was previously promoted in this trailer:

“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Wait, Wait, Wait, STOP! Are there Muppets in this movie?”… before it was revealed to be THE Muppets movie.

we came out of the theatre humming Mahna Mahna~

good time to start Christmas shopping anyway! here’s a little tune to start getting in the Christmas mood!

(in the style that so characterises Muji.)

and speaking of sheep armies…

the sheep are out in full force at Uniqlo stores…

only not in Singapore.

photo from fafafoom.com