A Merry Christmas to my readers. ¡Feliz Navidad!
While we were queuing to enter the AMK Hub car park, out of nowhere, Cynthia asked what do people really mean when they say Merry Christmas to one another. Good question. I wonder how many of us genuinely ponder upon the good news of the birth of a savior – God in the flesh of a man – when delivering or upon receiving such a wish.
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I have a theory. I think “Avatar” has some borrowed ideas from the game “World of Warcraft”. No spoilers here of course. And I bury my theory at the bottom of this entry.
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The question is not whether you should watch “Avatar” or give it a miss. It is an experience not to be missed. If ticket price was to be pegged with the movie budget and if you are happy to pay S$10 for “He’s Just Not That Into You”, watching “Avatar” would have cost you S$100. So, what motivates the filmmakers to pour in $240 million – a budget is closed to what it took to create the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy – to make a movie? I suppose pushing the film boundary with new technology (and hence money) so as to give the audience a never-seen-before experience often pays off. I remember how the first installment of “Lord of the Rings” wowed me to the core. And somehow, the next two installments did not seem to be as visually stimulating as the first one.
Now, the question is: Should you watch “Avatar” on 3D or not? We picked the 3D version. It was an unique experience. It works especially well with computer generated imaginary. It makes sense when you think about it. For real life objects, the 3D effect has already been take care of by the field of depth. Objects in the background are often blurred out. Using the current 3D technology on real life objects as seen in the film tends to make the image less sharp with washed down color, though it is without a doubt a wow factor to see a gun or grass bushes popping out of the screen – however blurry it seems. The same effect on the computer generated imaginary is absolutely stunning. Personally, I find the 3D goggles occasionally gave me a faint headache. It is like the discomfort I experience when an object is placed very close to that one point between my eyes. Cynthia finds the goggles keep slipping down and of course, you can wear the 3D goggles on top of your spectacles. Also, if I am to watch another 3D movie, I would bring along a cloth wiper to clean the goggles.
Back to the question. 3D format is for an unique cinematic experience and the non-3D format is for the visual effect in its full glory. Either way, you can’t be wrong.
After watching “Avatar”, I asked myself: What moves me a great deal when watching “Avatar” or “Bodyguards and Assassins“? I think it is bravery against formidable adversary.
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Just before we entered into the movie theatre, my sister texted me and asked if we wanted to catch up in the evening. Did I have plan on the Christmas Eve? A Christmas Mass and my ‘date’ with Mark to show him how to joust in the World of Warcraft. I guess jousting would have to wait (sorry Mark!).
After the movie, TK asked what’s-for-dinner. Good question. In this two weeks holiday of ours, Cynthia and I have hardly put our heads together for any planning. So, why not invite our good buddy and my sister and her hubby for a home cook dinner? One minor logistic challenge though: we don’t have meat in our refrigerator ever since we have become vegetarians. TK volunteered to buy roasted duck and we boosted our menu to a 4-course meal: green salad, soup, pasta with roasted duck, and our dessert was a birthday cake for TK. So few stones, so many birds!
We had a lovely time. And it is good to spend Christmas Eve with family and friends.
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We did not plan to attend the Midnight Mass for we planned to attend one of the earlier slots. Personally I prefer the one at midnight. It appears to be more authentic. Cynthia feels that Midnight Mass is a bit too late. It is true. The calling of my bed or the comfort of my home was hard to ignore especially when the Mass has passed the 1 am mark.
We arrived at the Church before 11 pm. Seats are hard to come by on Christmas. 11.30 pm the choir started singing the Christmas songs. Surprisingly, the quality of the choir this year was really good, at Christ the King. Even the priest commented that how nice if we are to have this level of standard for our Sunday Masses. The Church was full, our priest was exceptionally energetic, and the congregation was in high spirit. Personally, I would like to thank those who have made this Midnight Mass such a memorable experience. I think the nonstop rounds of applause said it all.
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I think this section may not make me the most popular guy in the planet, as everyone loves “Avatar”. While watching the show, I could not help but to associate some of the scenes to an online game that I live and breath for 5 years. If you have not watched “Avatar”, the following slideshow probably would not make sense to you (and it certainly would not spoil your “Avatar” enjoyment if you see it either). It is hard to explain in words so I took my avatar in World of Warcraft, traveled around the world, and took some screenshots for illustration’s sake.