You're The Voice

"You're the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear" John Farnham's You're The Voice

I have currently lost my voice. So for the past few days, the only way I can talk is to whisper. This is a problem as it's hard for people to hear you. Everyone at work has been mocking me and pretending not to hear. I've seen the doctor and got some antibiotics. Hopefully this will help my vocal chords and I can talk again.

Being voiceless had shown me how important each and every one of our senses are. I've had to ask people to help me make the doctor's appointment and buy things on my behalf. It was so funny today when I went to buy some sushi. The waitress could not understand me at all since it was fairly noisy in the restaurant. She ended up saying if I could point to the display board what I wanted. It was so funny. The same thing happened at the post office. The lady laughed when I tried to squeak out my request.

Since I usually do quite a lot of talking, I've found it quite hard to adjust. I've had to use a minimal of words and even resort to writing out things. This means I have listened more to what people have said, before interrupting them as I sometimes do. So although it is really uncomfortable not to be able to express what I want, it's also been beneficial as I have to listen more closely to what is said and then respond with a minimal of words.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia - Top 9 Verdict Show

From my summation of the Top 9 Live Show, I expected Kate and Hilton to be in the bottom three as well as Kassy and Graeme. I also expected Stephanie and Marko to be there, but instead it was Rhiannon and JD.

With the girls, I think the judges made the right decision to save Kate and Rhiannon. Kate's solo was the best of the three. It had emotion and captured me. Rhiannon, I have always thought to be a great dancer and her solo was entertaining too. Kassy's solo was all over the place. It didn't flow and was just her as many moves as she knew.

As for the guys, again I agreed with the judges and thought Hilton should go. He is supposed to be a trained contemporary dancer. However, a lot of his moves look athletic but are really poorly executed. He loses his balance in spins, doesn't extend in jumps and does the same body shake thing with the hands. I thought JD's solo routine was the best. It didn't contain as many athletic moves but flowed so smoothly. Graeme's solo was average, with a few good tricks thrown in.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia - Top 9 Live Show

I've been away on holiday so have just watched the show and this is my assessment before seeing the verdict show.
Previous posts about the shows are here
Top 10 Live Show
Top 10 Verdict Show

Kate and Hilton
After losing their respective partners last week, Kate and Hilton teamed up to do the Foxtrot. The actual dance was entertaining and I liked it, but I didn't think there was much foxtrot in it. I think they got it easier as there were a lot of posing type moves. Kate's extension on each move was amazing, and to be honest, I hardly even saw what Hilton did. I have not warmed to him at all and I'm not sure why.
Routine: 3/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 6/10

Camilla and Sermsah
Sermsah is one of my favourites in this competition. However, for two weeks now, I don't think he has done that great in the dancing department. Camilla and Sermsah's hip hop routine was rather forgettable tonight. There wasn't anything exciting about it.
Routine: 1.5/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 2/3
Overall: 4.5/10

Kassy and Graeme
This week's routine was in their field as they were doing contemporary lyrical. The routine was smooth enough and had the required lifts, but I didn't really believe them again.
Routine: 3.5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 6.5/10

Stephanie and Marko
The swing/hip hop style sounded really interesting. I was expecting something like the swing routines on the American version of the show, highly entertaining. However, this routine wasn't that great. Stephanie is really struggling in my opinion. She didn't seem committed to the moves. Marko is doing good, but I think he has timing problems quite often.
Routine: 2/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 1/3
Overall: 4/10

Laura and Anthony I really liked their disco routine this week. Both of them were great. I was smiling and grooving along with them the whole way. Anthony's moves were so funky and his tricks worked in this routine. Laura surprised me as I thought she didn't move that well last week. But she grooved it and was great this week.
Routine: 4/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 2.5/3
Overall: 8/10

Rhiannon and JD
I said Rhiannon exuded sensualness last week and she did it again this week. She just seems to be able to make every move look sexy just through the looks on her face. Her contemporary jazz routine with JD was enjoyable. JD struggled a bit with his technique. His lack of technique was most noticeable in his poor execution of spins.
Routine: 3/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 6/10

Demi and Jack
I already said how much I love Demi and Jack last week. Well this week, they have firmly cemented themselves as my favourite couple. The energy between them is infectious. We, or at least I, as the audience are going on the ride with them. Their samba was so contagious. Again, the connection between them could be felt. That slight cheekiness between them worked so well for this routine. And how sexy did Demi dance. A total contrast to her normal break dancing style.
Routine: 5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 3/3
Overall: 9.5/10

Jemma and Rhys
Jemma and Rhy's waltz was the best routine last week. They have followed it up this week with a good jazz routine. Jemma proved that she can do more than just ballroom. And Rhys was fantastic in this routine as well. His core technique should carry him far in this competition.
Routine: 3.5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 2.5/3
Overall: 7.5/10

Vanessa and Henry
Despite what I thought was a great salsa routine last week, Vanessa and Henry were in the bottom three. This week's animation hip hop should hopefully keep them out of the bottom three. I thought they did the routine great. Obviously, they both didn't lock each move hard enough, but they were entertaining still. I watche Vanessa closely as she was really worried about this routine. She did a great job and some of the moves were so smooth.
Routine: 3.5/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 2.5/3
Overall: 7/10

So You Think You Can Dance Australia - Top 10 Verdict Show

My summation of the Top 10 live show wasn't totally wrong. I scored Courtney and Hilton the lowest and they were in the bottom three. Kate and Khaly I scored the third lowest and they were also in the botttom three. I thought Stephanie and Marko would have been there instead of Vanessa and Henry.

I thought that Courtney definitely was the weakess dancer yesterday and also in her "Dance For Your Life" solo. And like I said in my live show summation, I don't think she is genuine. I think she showed that again tonight when after Jason said that she was dancing in her style and didn't shine, she argue that the jazz lyrical wasn't exactly her style. That has been her story the whole way. She is always giving excuses and saying that she can do it, but in the end, it was just talk.

In terms of the guys, I thought that Hilton should have gone too. Khaly was so entertaining and I think he had potential to do a lot more. But maybe the judges thought that his hip hop/breaking style was just too restricted and that he couldn't do much more.

I think the most interesting part about tonight's verdict show was the interactions between the contestants. When the girls were waiting for their verdict, Kate and Vanessa were looking at each other while Courtney was looking elsewhere. Then when Kate got through, Vanessa gave her a massive hug and they congratulated each other. With only Courtney and Vanessa on stage, they didn't hold hands until Courtney sunddenly awkwardly went over and grabbed Vanessa. From this alone, you can see that Courtney was not the most liked by the other contestants. They too must have been sick of her endless excuses.

The popularity of Khaly on the other hand, was at the total opposite. When he was announced as the one to leave, most of the other dancers were crying. When they rushed up on stage, nearly everyone went over and embraced Khaly for ages. Only a couple of people like Graeme and J.D went over and embraced Courtney. Even Courtney's own partner, usually the first to embrace the team mate who is leaving, went to Khaly first and then after went to her. It shows that people take to genuine people and the Australian audience are the same. We aren't fools and do not like fake people. Hence that is why I think people like Demi, Jack, Vanessa, Sermsah, Rhys, Jemma and Anthony will go far. They are true to themselves and give genuine emotions in their performances, which the audience will pick up on.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia - Top 10 Live Show

The first episode of the live dance performances for So You Think You Can Dance Australia has just finished. I thought I would track the whole season of this show and give my opinions on each live show. I probably won't be so meticulous in giving the nuts and bolts of what dance they did but rather just what I felt about them. I will rate each couple out of 10, taking into account the overall routine and whether it caught my attention (out of 5), their dance technique (out of 2) and finally, the important likeability factor (out of 3).

Rhiannon and J.D
Rhiannon may be young but I think she exudes a sensualness way beyond her years. Her moves in the hip hop was sharp and very strong. J.D on the other hand, exudes a calm relaxed feeling in everything he does. He was much smoother in his hip hop style. I don't know if I fully believe the chemistry between them yet but it was a good start.
Routine: 3.5/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 6/10

Courtney and Hilton
I must be missing the judges are seeing. To me, I don't see Courtney as the best dancer. So far, nothing she has done has really caught me. Her whole crying episode didn't move me either. I just don't think she is that genuine. It's strange why I think that, but it's just my gut reaction. Similarly with Hilton, his story is very dramatic with his parents working at the dance studio to help fund his dancing, but it too hasn't caught me. Hence, I watched their routine with biased views already. I can't help that, it's just how I felt. Hilton's technique was very good throughout the routine and I think he shone more than Courtney.
Routine: 1.5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 1/3
Overall: 4/10

Vanessa and Jack
Vanessa and Jack are already one of my favourite couples. Call me Asian but I can't help liking Vanessa's shy little girl personality. Henry I've also liked from the audition stage because he is really strong in his dancing. The Salsa they did was full of tricks and highly entertaining. Vanessa did really well in adapting to the style but I agreed with the judges that she could have been a bit sharper and stronger.
Routine: 4/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 2/3
Overall: 7/10

Camilla and Sermsah
Sermsah is one of my favourite dancers in this series. His humility is just hard to dislike. Camilla, I haven't really warmed to, but after tonight, I do like her more. Her encouraging words about fully trusting Sermsah shows she is a great team player. Their jazz piece was entertaining but obviously, Sermsah's technique wasn't perfect. He also missed a big lift, which spoilt the routine a bit.
Routine: 2.5/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 2/3
Overall: 5.5/10

Jemma and Rhys
The surprise packet of the night for me was Rhys and Jemma. We've seen a lot about Rhys during the audition stages, but not much about Jemma. Tonight, she proved what a great dancer she is. Their routine was the best of the night for me. It was such a graceful and emotive Waltz. Rhys showed that he could dance smooth and strong and not camp things up when needed. Jemma flowed like water across the stage.
Routine: 4.5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 2.5/3
Overall: 8.5/10

Laura and Anthony
Anothony is a very likeable person. He seems ultra genuine and a bit of a geek actually. When he found out he got into the Top 20, you could see the childish excitement in him. Laura, I haven't formed an opinion on so far. Their routine tonight was a bit disjointed. I didn't really think they danced together. The tricks from Anthony were strong, but I did feel they connected.
Routine: 3/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 5.5/10

Stephanie and Marko
Something about Stephanie just rubs me the wrong way. I think she is fairly arrogant. When she first auditioned with Henry and he got in and she didn't, outside in the interview area, she wasn't gracious at all. The judges thought that Marko was one of the best male dancers in the show. I don't agree with them and thought their jive was all over the place. Marko's kicks were weak and they definitely had synchronisation issues. Even my untrained eyes spotted that during the routine.
Routine: 2/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 1/3
Overall: 4/10

Kate and Khaly
Kate's probably been one of the least featured dancers on the show. Her story though is just as inspiring as any of the other dancers. I thought her routine with Khaly was slightly muted. Despite Khaly's tricks, they didn't really gel together and it made the performance a bit lacking for me. I do agree with the judges that Kate's technique is wonderful.
Routine: 2.5/5
Technique: 1/2
Likeability: 2/3
Overall: 5.5/10

Demi and Jack
My favourite couple currently on the show is definitely Demi and Jack. They both exude so much joy and fun it's so contagious. Demi is just so down to Earth and humble. Her comments when Bonnie addressed her was so funny because it was so natural and innocent. Combined with the equally relaxed and funny Jack, they are just pure entertainment. Their bogaloo (or however that is spelt) routine was so funky that I was right into it. The judges were spot on about the chemistry between them. You could definitely see them laughing and smiling at each other and they makes the routine so much better.
Routine: 4/5
Technique: 2/2
Likeability: 3/3
Overall: 9/10

Kassy and Graeme
Kassy definitely has a lot of dance experience and it showed in her routine with Graeme. However, I haven't warmed to her at all. Graeme seems like a nice guy but again, I haven't warmed to him either. Their routine was good, but I think Kassy clearly outshone Graeme. Graeme's facial expression seemed over the top. Also, his technique was not as good as Kassy's. Her lines were flowing and each moved was finished right to the fingertips. I might not like her as much as some of the other dancers, but I definitely respect how good a dancer she is.
Routine: 3.5/5
Technique: 1.5/2
Likeability: 1.5/3
Overall: 6.5/10

So, these are my biased couch coach opinions of how each couple went. Obviously, likeability is something that will be hard for the couples to change for me, but it can happen. The dance routines will vary so much week to week depending on what styles they get. However, the cream will rise to the top and the good couples will consistently perform any style better.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia

I loved the American versions of So You Think You Dance. I've taped the whole last season rewatched that so many times. I'm just so fascinated by how good the contestants are and they way they can really make me feel something through their dance. When I heard that Australia was having their own So You Think You Can Dance, I couldn't wait.

Finally the show has arrived and as good as the auditions were, now we're into the serious business. There were some bad auditions, but on the whole, the show has shown the good dancers and their stories. And some stories there are. Stories of adoption, poverty, hardship, cancer, death etc. I thought Australian Idol was dramatic with all their back stories. But it seems dance elicits even more passion. A lot of people turn to dance when there are hardships. It's just a way to express yourself. I think less people turn to music as it's much harder to write a song than just move your body according to how you feel.

In the last two episodes so far where the Top 20 have been selected, I can't believe how much crying there has been. There have been so many emotional stories and pure emotion on display, by women and men. I too have had some teary eyes listening to the story. I think the physical nature of the auditions and lack of sleep help bring out some of those emotions, as the shows producers would have wanted. But dance clearly does elicit emotion from people.

I already have some favourite dancers so early into the show. I love Demi as her story about immigrating to Australia from the Phillipines and supporting her siblings and deaf sister is so inspiring. Her dancing is also so joyful that it really captures me. Another I love is Vanessa. Her dancing is so technically beautiful that I can't help but admire it. Lastly, I have grown to love Sermsah as well. He is an Aboriginal man whose story I have really started to feel for. Initially, I thought he would be cocky but he has turned out to be so genuine and unsure of himself. His dancing has so far been the highlight as I just watch in awe at the expressiveness of it all.

I can't wait for more episodes. I can tell I'll be hooked and watching the show again and again.

World Cup Qualifier - Australia vs Qatar

Australia are now in the Asian world cup qualifying region. They are in the same group as Qatar, Iraq and China. Each match will be a challenge and no easy ride. Their group has been named the group of death. Iraq are current Asian champions, China is an emerging power and Qatar are a handy team.

I wanted to go see Australia play Qatar at Telstra Dome for the first match. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out. But as luck would have it, Kin got a free ticket from work. And being the Aussie sport hater that he is, refused to go. Hence, I told him to give me the ticket, which he generously did. He even made a side trip to give me the ticket after work.

Having got the ticket with an hour to match kick off, I drove myself quickly to Telstra Dome. I decided to park at the Dome seeing as I was really late. I didn't expect the parking fee to be $23 though. Gee, how steep is that. I thought they would discount the usual parking fees because this was a sporting event. It was only $10 for the World Cup Rugby last time.

I took my seat up in the nose bleed section, happy to be at the game though. I sand the anthem and then waited for the match to start. The first half was electric. I had goosebumps during the three goals from Josh Kennedy, Tim Cahill and Marco Bresciano. It was fantastic and the noise was unbelievable. The overseas Australian players made Qatar look second rate. Qatar didn't have a serious shot on goal for the first half.

I think Pim Verbeek made the right decision to play the overseas players instead of the A-league players. It's probably easy to say in hindsight, but I thought that the whole time. No offence to the A-league players but I think you have to field your best team when you are unsure. No one knew how good Qatar would play and you want to get off to a good start in these qualifying games. The overseas players are professional and can adapt quickly and overcome the jet lag, as they showed.

The second half fizzled out as the overseas players started to tire. There was still a lot of shot on goal and if they had a bit of luck, they might have been another three more goals up. Overall, it was a great night and I can't wait for Australia's next qualifying games.

Cloverfield - Movie Review

***** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS *******

My first bit of advice. If you suffer motion sickness, like myself, don't eat too much before going to see the film, and be prepared to be in a bit of discomfort. If you don't already know, Cloverfield is shot in the style of a hand held camera, like Blair Witch project. This means there is sometimes a lot of jerky video, which can cause people like me to feel quite ill. I ate way too much before the film and that didn't help with my nauseousness. I found I had to start closing my eyes at the 30 minutes mark, when the action starts. I was getting so dizzy. Throughout the film, I had to occasionally close my eyes to stop myself from throwing up.

The movie itself is based around a group of friends and one particularly eventful day in their lives. The main protagonist in the film is Rob. We get to see him and his friend, Beth, in an apartment. They look totally in love and are talking about going to Coney Island. The film then shifts to Jason (Rob's brother) and Lily (Jason's girlfriend) buying supplies for a surprise party for Rob. Rob is going to Japan for his job. Only when Beth arrives with another guy do we know they are not together.

The party, and hence the film, is being shot by Hud, Rob's best friend. He is shooting the whole party to get guests messages for Rob. He also tries to get the attention of Marlena, a girl at the party.

Basically, a Gozilla style monster terrorises the city. You only occasionally get to see glimpses of it. The group of friends try to flee the city and escape. Along the way, all sorts of obstacles come to their path. All the while, Hud is still shooting footage of everything on the camera.

The effect of this hand held style of filming is quite powerful. It makes you really feel like you're right in the middle of the action. I think one of the most powerful scenes is when we see these dazed people stumble around, all covered in dust. This instantly reminded me of the images of September 11. I'm sure it was no coincidence as the writers are trying to elicit as much emotion from the audience as possible. There is even a mention of terrorist attacks during the film.

I felt that I did start to care for the characters and hoped they would make it. Seeing and hearing their every experience as if you are part of the group makes the connection so much stronger. I too was running away from the monster. In that sense, the film works well. In terms of a great blockbuster, it isn't really. I think its more a love story between Rob and Beth. The film intertwines between their story, as there is existing footage of their time together on the tape in the camera, and the current situation where they are separated.

As with all good horror films, some protagonists do not survive. It keeps the audience on their toes and never to feel completely safe. The movie has an ambiguous ending, which I like. It completes two stories while also leaving it ambiguous on one story.

Apart from the nausea, I did like the film and found it was done well. I will need to rewatch it to get more of it as I had my eyes closed during some of the sections of the film.

Overall Rating: ***1/2

How a Rear Projection TV Works

This isn't really a guide on how a rear projection TV works. I just wanted to post a cool photo of the inside of a rear projection TV. Out of all the different types of TV, I think the rear projection is probably the easiest to explain. It's just three colours that get broadcast and combine to create the images. There's no scanning cathode ray tube involved or liquid crystals getting sent electrical signals.

As you can see, there is a huge mirror inside, which reflects the images to the viewer. The mirror was so clean, obviously, as you don't often open a TV. The three coloured light were really bright. Even standing from a distance and reflected off the mirror, the signal was bright. Kin and I had a fiddle around but couldn't really spot any obvious faults that would be causing the images to not align. Hence we put it together again for a real expert to fix.

Twenty20 - Australia vs India

I went to the highly anticipated Twenty20 match between Australia and India at the MCG. With all the controversy surrounding the Indian tour, there was an expected sell out for the match. As it turns out, it wasn't a sell out but a huge crowd of over 84,000 turned up. I think this may have been more than the first day of the Boxing Day test. And who said Twenty20 is just a gimmick. Well I did, originally. But I am starting to enjoy it. It's played at such a fast pace, but there are tactics involved now.

I went to the match with Keiran. He is an MCC member, so we got to go to all the members areas, which I have never been to. Despite getting to the ground at 6pm (match started at 7:30pm), we still could only manage to get seats up on the fourth level. So we put our jackets around a couple of chairs and headed back out for dinner. We went to the Mount View Pub on Bridge Road for a meal. We both had the Beef Burger, which was really good. After our meal, we hiked back to the G.

The match itself turned out to be a fizzer, with India only scoring about 70 runs, the second lowest score in Twenty20 international history. However, the crowd and atmosphere was still amazing. There was music being played in between balls and the crowd participated by clapping and just making lots of noise. When the action died down, Mexican waves would be started.

The magnificent MCG.

The crowd doing a Mexican wave.

During the break when the teams swapped over, we headed off to see all the various members area. We couldn't get into the Long Room, which looked so classy but you need to be a member to get in. I did get to see all the other members bars and the library. The bars ranged from fairly classy to really plain. The noise in all the bars was really loud and people were drinking away. As I said to Keiran, all the people just want to be seen as you can see the game better from your seat. It's all part of being elitest and separating yourself from the "average Joe". Now how do I get in. :-)

The views of the city from one of the bars was great. This is the photo I took from it. I was like a total tourist with my camera on hand to snap everything.

I had a great time overall, but next time I want to visit the MCG museum as well.