Gone are the days of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” No one wants to be a millionaire…when they can be…a billionaire!
Fast forward to now: There are over 400 American billionaires. Russia comes in second place with 87, and India and Germany tie for third with 56 billionaires. Forbes Magazine does an annual list of the wealthiest people in each country, which is where one can learn this information. I quote them here: “Two years ago, half of the world’s 20 richest were from the U.S. Now only four are. India wins bragging rights for having four among the top 10, more than any other country.”
But because money is great at making us think only about ourselves, let’s focus on individuals rather than countries. The number of billionaires in the world is now 1,125, the first time it has ever reached four figures. Fifty of these people are under the age of 40, which might not sound like a lot, but is actually record-breaking.
Consider Mark Zuckerberg: the founder of Facebook, who is just 23 years old and has a net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. Should he be the role model for others among his generation? An innovative Harvard student who dropped out of school to pursue his new business? Is his creation worthy of such a fortune?
Some people say we are in the age of the internet, the time of the computer. TV addicts have been replaced by Web addicts. Perhaps so, but my hope is that people realize the physical limitations of the internet. I believe one of our biggest mistakes in attempting to “modernize” would be to concentrate all of our creative energy, time, finances, and efforts into forms of entertainment technology. Facebook does not allow you to maintain your friendships. YOU USING Facebook allows you to maintain your friendships. When I see children who only care about computer games, it genuinely frightens me. That may sound somewhat hypocritical, as I have played computer games, video games, use an IPOD, probably spend too much time surfing the web, etc. But wouldn’t it be great to see us using the computer/internet as a tool for sharing ideas, for creating new inventions not necessarily related to the computer/internet? Which brings me to the point of this blog…
Original ideas. Good ideas. These are important. These are essential. In addition to learning, to absorbing information, people need to think of creative ways of spending their time and their money. Let’s take Madonna as an example. She’s had a very long-lasting career and must have made a fortune from it. Towards the end of her life, what should she do with all of this money? What if she donated it all to a charity for homelessness or victims of rape or towards Cancer research? Wouldn’t that be an amazing ending to her career?Imagine the effect and potential influence on young people. Suddenly, becoming famous and wealthy has a more noble purpose, a more selfless and thoughtful purpose.
When you turn on the TV, or go online, or open a magazine, or see a tabloid headline in the grocery store, what do you see celebrities or wealthy people spending their money on? Cars, private jets, boats, houses, clothing, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, etc. To be honest, this image of a millionaire or billionaire looks more like a cardboard cutout or an advertisement. It gives the impression that those with money are: stupid, attractive conformists with no independent thinking or any thought of others. An argument against my view: “I earned this money myself, so I deserve to spend it on myself.” If you really feel that way and there’s no way I can convince you otherwise, then at least…be more creative with your personal spending.
I grew up with the image of a millionaire/billionaire that I saw in books, movies, and cartoons. These were generally little old men with lots of time and very crazy, eccentric ideas. Example: Willy Wonka (who did give away his entire fortune as well, I might add). So why not have some real life Willy Wonka’s? Someone who builds a house completely out of chocolate, fills an Olympic size swimming pool with lime jello, builds magnet shoes to walk on metal walls and ceilings, trains a small army of highly specialized agents to project panda bears from poachers, builds a 40 feet high statue of the Dodo bird (now extinct), gives all mannequins ID tags with names, makes the harmonica a mandatory part of all orchestral performances, or creates a national holiday to honor the Frisbee, the slinky, or the whoopee cushion.
They might sound like crazy ideas, but hey, wouldn’t they add some extra spice to life? Instead of reading “blah-blah lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks” or “blah-blah says the wedding is off” you could read about how “blah-blah has created a talk show hosted by Giraffes who don’t really speak any human language…ratings surpass Oprah!”
And who, you might ask, would do such crazy yet ingenious things if they had a billion dollars?? Why, Christian H. and James G. of course! (Naturally I would tell their story through the medium of film).
So this Christmas, consider donating to future eccentric millionaires.
Every once in a while, this site isn’t just about Andrew Zeller. (Otherwise it might be too selfish or possibly boring). I’d like to share with you some new music written & recorded by my good friend from California: Alvin Pingol.
A Little Bit About Alvin:
I’ve known him since first grade in elementary school. He was also the first person I started to make movies with, in 8th grade. After going to the same schools for 12 years, we parted ways for different Universities. Currently, his major is Psychology. But he also has strong interest in music, cinematography, and design.
One word to describe him: multi-talented. You can see this evident in his music.
It’s ALL done by him. Yes, he can play guitar, he can play bass, he can play drums, he can sing.
He also wrote the lyrics, and did the web layout design for the page below:
I can proudly recommend all 5 tracks. I don’t just say this because he is my friend. He put a lot of work into each song, and it shows. So in his words, “feel free to turn up your speakers and dance if you feel like it.”
Enjoy!
Oh, and here are two pictures I took recently of my university (UBC)’s beautiful campus: one showing Koerner Library, and the other taken inside the newly renovated Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
With the disappointing news that my application to the UBC Film Program was denied, my major will remain the same: Asian Languages and Culture (with a focus on Chinese). I can focus more on becoming bilingual now.
So I’m doing some soul-searching and planning for the future here in Seoul, among large ancient palaces and towering modern skyscapers. I’m thankful for the benefits of travel: learning more about the world and learning more about yourself. Koreans are a hardworking people and I greatly admire and respect them for this. Also, the movie theaters here are really impressive. Big screens, big posters, high quality sound, polite staff, and many comfortable seats make the “theatrical experience” certainly rival Hollywood, if not surpass it. I saw “Speed Racer” here, the Wachowski Brothers’ film. It’s fun and I recommend it, but rest your eyes before seeing it. It’s one heck of a ride.
For all of the other travelers and people soul-searching out there, good luck in finding what you’re looking for. Let’s find our place in this world, so we can make it a better place.
Sunday, February 24th was the 80th Annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, as they are affectionately called.
My thoughts:With the writer’s strike in Hollywood and an overall mediocre selection of films, this year and the past year have been somewhat boring as far as Oscar’s go. I haven’t been excited or captivated by watching this awards’ show since Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was nominated for and won Best Picture (2003). Since then, the film’s selected have been generally unpopular and more depressing or tragic. However, I have not seen most of the films that were nominated this time so my judgement is probably incorrect in some way(s).
Yet there was one moment of this year’s Oscars that I found to be a high point and inspiring:
Two virtually unknown and very humble Irish individuals won for Best Song for their film: Once (2006).
What they said in their speeches separated them from all of the other award winners and stars that night.
So, congratulations Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova; I hope to see your award-winning film and more to come.
Click here to watch them win the award and hear what they have to say.
It’s great to see Independent Filmmakers succeeding. I have a strong belief in the “next generation” of filmmakers.
I believe they will not only make great & memorable movies, but they will also bring new ideas, vision, and creative expression to world cinema. But who are these gifted people? Whose careers should we watch for? Who has such great potential? Here are my current nominees:
Directors/Filmmakers:
Dan Kerry
Justin Eggert
Hazel Yu
Kira Carpenter
Roderick Lee
Kyle Shepard
Terry Boake
Pojia Tsang
Lila Nam
Zhu Yi-dan
Joy Chen
Zhou Xiang
Actors/Actresses/Performers: Best Actor: Stanley Tsang
Best Actress: Selena Zhang
Best Supporting Actor: Calvin Bartel
Best Supporting Actress: Lulu Qiu
Honorable Mention: Irene Chiu, Dick Williams, Marcia Yu, Kyounghwa Lee, Jingjing Li
Potential Future Stars: Jimmy Chhiu, Darren Cheng, Wenjia Wang
People in other Creative Fields (who I also believe have talent & will succeed): Christian Henderson - Video Game Creator/Director
Thomas Chouinard - Music Composer
Selena Zhang - Costume/Fashion Designer
Alvin Pingol - Musician, Filmmaker, & Multi-talented Artist
Zac Krohn - Photographer, Graphic Designer
Daniel York - Music Composer
Park Chae Seyeon - Photographer
Adrian Klocke - Musician/Vocalist
Edward Tzou - Music Producer
Joy Chen - Photographer
“To all of the people listed above, I wish you the best in all of your creative endeavors.
Never let go of your dreams and always remember that there are people who believe in you.
To those I didn’t mention, I hope to see you on the list next year! (And just because you’re not listed here,
doesn’t mean I don’t believe in you. It means I have trouble spellbing your name.) Cheers, folks.”
-Andy (Writer, Director, Supporter of Artists)
My Aunt sent me a newspaper review by Saul Austerlitz of a book called, My First Movie: Take Two, edited by Stephen Lowenstein. It’s the sequel to his first My First Movie book. In both books, he compiles interviews of different film directors with different backgrounds and asks them to describe their beginnings in the film industry. They all discuss the process of making their first films, as the title suggests. Here are some quotes from the book and the review which she underlined for me to read:
“The process of making a movie is universally acknowledged to be roughly equivalent on the pain scale with childbirth, with directors tasked with the burden of not only giving birth to but also molding and forming their offspring.”
”It’s terrible, making movies. You feel completely lost. But there’s also something intoxicating about being lost. I think it’s a way of making a disturbance in your senses, creating chaos in your head so that something will be born out of it.”
“If you’re ever going to get a film made, you have to be almost a hustler/criminal type of person.”
My Aunt kindly added , “I’m not sure sure about the childbirth analogy, but we get the picture!!
At any rate, I think you’ll enjoy reading about others in your field-and knowing you’re not alone out there!
Good luck with your studies and of course ‘giving birth’ to movies!”
Support from your family is one of the nicest things you can have.
I am grateful for the support of both my family and my friends.
But today my Thank You is especially towards my family.
Here are two pictures you might enjoy, one from the south of BC close to the US border,
and one from the North of BC in Whistler from my travels.
(Note: This restaurant is not affliated with my family in anyway; there is only a 6 letter similarity to my last name. I have never eaten here, however I have done shopping at their stores. Affordable Canadian pricing. Anyway, it’s a fun sign to me.)
With the support of friends and family, you can climb any mountain!!
-Both pictures taken on 35mm Nikon Film camera by myself.
This is an incredibly well-told story. I highly recommend reading it. The author, Yann Martel, was born in Spain but his parents are Canadian. He currently lives in Montreal, I believe. He recently came to give a talk at my University, but I learned of this today: about 10 days after he was here. *sigh* But being able to read this book has kept my mind interested for many days and nights now, and traces of it still linger in my thoughts. That is the sign of a truly good book: it stays with you. I like to think that like in Farenheit 451, we (in some ways) become the books we read, or at least they become a part of us. Certainly when we write something very personal, we are sharing a piece of our heart and/or mind. We might even be sharing a piece of our soul and/or spirit.
This book shares some of the soul/spirit of it’s protagonist, Pi Patel. (Hence the title…) It is questionable whether he is a real person or not, but reading this book I believed in him, so at least in my mind he is quite real. Plus I think people get too bogged down in the whole fiction vs. truth debate anyway. In storytelling (outside of the courtroom), what does it really matter? Read the top heading of my website for my view on this. This book explores that question as well, and I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Patel’s views on it. But what is the story really about?? The back cover says alot, so I will share a little less in my summary:
This is the story of an Indian boy, Pi Patel: his childhood growing up around a Zoo (that his father owned) and his sudden developing interest in 3 different religions: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.
His family decides to move to Canada, and together with the animals, embark upon a journey across the ocean to their new home.
Unexpectedly, Pi finds himself separted from his family and in a life boat, with 4 unlikely companions:
a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
What follows is a tale of struggle and survival, that literally contains both seperate elements of magical-realism and somehow binds them together until one cannot take them apart.
An enjoyable read for adolescents, adults, and literate tigers.
There is an illustrated version of the book has beautiful pictures. Here are some of them:
Lastly, for those of you who dislike reading because of it barely resembles television, I have some short random videos to share to keep you entertained. Here they are:
1. the state or quality of being creative.
2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.
3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability.
My thoughts: I feel creativity describes more an ability rather than a state or a quality. I also feel that creativity itself is not process, the process is creation. Therefore, #2 would be my favorite defintion, and I assume it would be most people’s favorite as well. I don’t think progressiveness is the same as creativity, for being creative does not always involve forward-thinking. For example, one can re-invent an old idea in a creative and original way. (This is debatable, and I will go more into this issue later).
The defintion given for “creative” is:
Having the ability or power to create: Human beings are creative animals.
Productive; creating.
Characterized by originality and expressiveness; imaginative.
My thoughts: If creativity is a state or quality, then….Is the ability or power to create a gift that we are born with? Or is it a skill that can be learned? If it can be gained, can it also be lost? If so, how can one attain and develop this gift/skill, learn to use it, but hold onto it without losing it? There are many questions one can ask about this topic (especially if you are creative). *wink*
Here are some possible interpretations of creativity, given in the form of metaphors for simplicity’s sake:
1. We all possess an empty cup, which can be filled and drained of water (ideas) from the outside world.
2. Inside our minds, there is a waterfall. It is self-producing, but changes with the seasons, sometimes running dry.
3. Humans are swimming in an ocean of ideas, which we all collectively share but selectively absorb (usually unconsciously, but sometimes consciously).
I think that a great deal of creativity comes from the ability to produce ideas. Most creations (at least human ones) all originally came from an idea. But this leads to a further question, a very popular one: Where do ideas come from? If we draw from my previous three metaphors, we can separate this into an external, internal, and mixed source debate.
The reason I am writing on this particular topic of creativity comes from a question my friend Hazel asked me. She quotes Avidgor Boncheck: “It has been said that a sign of the creative individual is his ability to perceive the differences in similar things and the similarities in different things.” Is this true?
I think for this to be true, certainly both qualities/abilities are required. However, I think this defintion leaves out much of the creative process. Creativity involves by neccesity: expression. You must be able to express your ideas, otherwise the world can never recognize you as creative. You must be able to create. I’m sure almost every human has ideas, even original ones. However, those that we admire for their “creative genius” are the ones who can take hold of those ideas. They don’t let them fly out the door into the rusty attic or basement where useless information goes in our brain. A creative person will get an idea, develop it and nurture it, and allow it to blossom to life through whatever means possible. So I’d like to say that a normal person is one carrying ideas, whereas a creative person is one living an idea. The genius’s are often living several ideas at once, developing new ones, and completing others. They’re like talented chefs: writing down recipes, preparing multiple dishes, and serving guests…all at the same time.
What are YOUR ideas? (And where do they come from?)
I’ve seen some more films at the Vancouver International Film Festival: (I give my own reviews out of 5 stars).
Daughters of Wisdom (USA)A documentary about the first Buddhist Monastary for women in Tibet. Excellent story; but poor cinematography and editing.3 stars. ***
4 Elements (Netherlands) An environmental documentary covering each element: Fire=Siberian Forest Firefighters, Water=American Alaskan King Crab Fishermen, Earth=German Coal Miners, Air=The Russian Space Exploration Training Program. Beautiful and detailed to watch, but with a overly foreboding, haunting, and dark atmosphere. 3 stars. ***
I Just Didn’t Do It (Japan) After 10 years absence, the director of the hit “Shall We Dance?” (the original version without Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere that was actually GOOD), has returned to cinema. With this film, he goes in a different direction, focusing on the legal and judicial system in Japan. Using a fictional story of a young man falsely accused of groping a teenage girl on a train, the director delivers his critiques and opinions directly through words and actions of the characters, drawing from 3 years of research on the subject. It’s powerful and direct, yet I think could have functioned better as a play or novel. But did you know that 99.9% of people tried in Japan are found guilty? Crazy… 4 stars. ****
Cochochi (Mexico)A fictional tale of 2 brothers who are given a task of delivering medicine, and decide to travel by horse. This decision makes their journey more complicated, and they learn and grow along the way, not realizing the truth however, until the very end. Slow at times, yet both main actors are interesting to watch, and you find yourself pulled back into the story by their performances even in the most mundane scenes. Wait for the ending, which makes it all worth seeing. 3 stars. ***
Autism: The Musical (USA) A documentary which pulls on the heartstrings (and naturally should), dealing with the lives of 5 children with Autism and their families, who partake in music/theatre program designed by one of the parents. Sponsored by HBO, the filming quality is naturally quite good. But the kids are what really sell this film, always suprising both the audience and the adults in the film. If you know nothing about Autism, then see this movie. Awareness matters. 4 stars. ****
Out of all 6 of the films I’ve seen at VIFF so far, “Up the Yangtze” is still my favorite. Only one more to go, which I shall see on Thursday. I’m quite excited about that one as well, however. You’ll just have to wait to see my final favorite choice.
Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
My only critique of them is that they have tendency to offer too much subjective input on plot summaries in their brochures. So, after you read it, you still have no clue what the movie is about.
I will give you a fake example, somewhat exaggerated:
Just One Person -Directed by Andrew Zeller.
“Altenately lyrical, playful, and melancholic, this blackly humorous tale is an outstanding, hard-hitting drama and a nearly perfect little film. With energetic long takes, dark undercurrents of urban anxiety, and glimmers of a ruthlessly poetic soul, this award-winning director weaves together fragments of the imagination in a fully realized portrait of the transitionary state of humankind, in an elegant docu-essay-noir. A story brimming with intrigue, emotions, justice, and redemption; it heralds a new cinematic voice with a boldness of spirit and a visual flair to boot…”
You get the idea. Also, if you want it to actually tell a bit about the plot (not common, and to match the common points of most film festivals films today, then you have to add one or more of the following: sex, sexuality, self-harm, spousal abuse, murders, infidelity, voyerism, nudity, ex-nazi millionaires, the words: “the human condition”, pro-environment themes, unstoppable passion, modern womanhood, revenge, gambling, gender, drugs, suicide, prostitution, and at least one scene which no one can understand, but everyone will pretend that they can.
This may all sound disheartening, but it’s not for every film and a few of these things, if approached right, can be very beneficial for us to see, like the “pro-environment themes”. Also, film festivals usually have great audiences: thoughtful, polite, and enthusiastic. They treat films they way they should be treated. Anyway, I’m now going to go into dangerous territory, and attempt to tell you about the first film I saw this year at the 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival:
Up the Yangtze -Directed by Yung Chang A Chinese-canadian documentary filmmaker travels to China to take a “Farewell Cruise”
on the Yangtze River, which is now changing rapidly with the production of the 3 Gorges Dam,
one of the biggest construction undertakings in China since the Great Wall.
He adds a personal touch by bringing up stories and songs his grandfather shared with him
about the Yangtze river, a river which is slowly changing into something completely different.
Will the songs and stories drown in rising water levels? Yung Chang’s camera follows 2 Chinese teenagers who get a job working on one particular cruise ship. One is a girl from a poor family who wants to go to High School, and dreams of going to University, but her family cannot afford it. She must work to help support them and herself. The other is a boy who dreams of more money, but faces the challenge of his own ego.
Beautiful music. Thought-provoking images. And most of all, a wake-up-call for those who take what they have for granted (myself included). Looking forward to seeing more of this director’s work in the future. He puts in a great deal of thought into his work, is intelligent, and for his all of his skill, is actually quite humble.
See it if you have the chance; I would recommend it to anyone.
1 movie down, 6 more to go for me at the VIFF!
PS: Who Killed the Electric Car? is an eye-opening documentary too that I recently watched.
“Heaven is long lasting;
Earth endures.
Heaven is able to be long lasting and Earth is able to endure,
because they do not live for themselves.
And so, they are able to be long lasting and to endure.
This is why sages put themselves last and yet come first;
Treat themselves as unimportant and yet are preserved.
Is it not because they have no thought of themselves, that they
are able to perfect themselves?”
-老子(Laozi)
When (…) read this, (…) am reminded of: “The last shall be first.”
Humility and selflessness are most certainly virtues.
Therefore, (…) am taking the ”I” out of my sentences.
(…) hope it’s not too confusing.
But (…) think sometimes we need a little confusion is our logic-obsessed society.
What do (…) know, right?
Who am (…) to make judgements about society?
What am (…) and how do (…) fit into society?
Do these questions even matter?
Why am (…) doing this?
(…) don’t really know…
Lastly, for those of you who dislike reading because of it barely resembles television, I have some short random videos to share to keep you entertained. Here they are: