Child Stars - Then and Now

Oh the Monday Blues *dramatic sigh*

Right, let's get down to work, ladies and gentlemen; first entry of the week is always a tricky one. I was up almost all night jotting down ideas for this week's entries and ended up classifying them as either 'too age-inappropriate', 'too radical', 'too boring' or just plain 'weird' (don't get me wrong; blogging is fun, but not if you're plagued with writer's block).

OK, so starlets of the 80s/90s.

Photo taken from here

1) Haley Joel Osment - Mr. Haley Joel "I-See-Dead-People" Osment is on the top of my list because truth be told, he made quite an impression as Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense. Fans would probably remember him in Forrest Gump (1994). Since then, his more known movies include Pay It Forward (2000) and Secondhand Lions (2003).

Photo taken from here

2) Drew Barrymore - She was only 7 when she played the adorable Gertie in the movie E.T., and in 1984, she played Charlie McGee in Firestarter, which was based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. One of the most recognizable child stars of Hollywood, Barrymore went on to star in Poison Ivy (1992), Ever After (1998) and Charlie's Angels (2000).

Photo taken from here

3) Edward Furlong - He played the young John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Daniel Vinyard in American History X (1998). Like most of the child stars of his time, he had a long battle with alcoholism and drug abuse; a string of lesser-known movies followed, and he was almost unrecognizable when he played baddie Shane Casey in multiple episodes of CSI: NY in 2006 and 2010.

Photo taken from here

4) Lindsay Lohan - Although I don't really like the direction she's taken her life these days, I've decided that I shouldn't allow my personal feelings cloud my judgment. Honestly, though, her earlier movies are good, especially the remakes of The Parent Trap (1998) and Freaky Friday (2003). Between launching a clothing line, shoplifting, posting/skipping bail for and her rehab stints, she has signed on to play Kim Gotti, wife of NYC mobster John Gotti in Gotti: Three Generations alongside John Travolta, scheduled to start filming this year (2011).

Photo taken from here

5) Christian Bale - Before he played the wealthy millionaire-playboy-in-a-batlike-costume Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) or the grown-up John Connor in Terminator Salvation (2009), he was Jim Graham in The Empire of the Sun (1987) and Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island (1990). His other noted movies include The Secret Agent (1996) and American Psycho (2000).

Photo taken from here

6) Kirsten Dunst - She was only 12 when she played the vampiress Claudia alongside more well-known names like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire in 1994 (for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress). She also achieved international fame from her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the Spiderman trilogy (2002-2007) and Marie Antoinette (2006).

Photo taken from here

7) Frankie Muniz - I simply adored him in Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006). An actor, writer, musician, producer and racecar driver, Muniz also played the title role in the movie Agent Cody Banks (2003) and its sequel, which opened a year later. He was also in Stay Alive and guest-starred in an episode of Criminal Minds in 2007.

Photo taken from here

8) Natalie Portman - Before she played a ballerina in Black Swan, Natalie Portman was an orphan taken in by a hitman in Leon (1994), Padme Amidala, mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the new Star Wars trilogy (1999-2005) and the tragic Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Photo taken from here

9) Macaulay Culkin - He's one of those child actors that, no matter how much stubble he tries to grow, still remains as baby-faced as always. He was only 10 when he played Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and its subsequent sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Fans would also remember him in Michael Jackson's Black or White video and in Kings (the 2009 TV series alongside Christopher Egan and Ian McShane, based on the biblical story of King Saul and David).

Photo taken from here

10) Neil Patrick Harris - Dr. Doogie Howser himself *lecherous grin* He was only 16 when he won the lead on Doogie Howser, M.D., and since then he's gone on to star in How I Met Your Mother as Barney Stinton and the movie Beastly, playing the blind tutor Will Fratalli. Fans of Glee would also remember him as Bryan Ryan, a former McKinley High Glee Club member.

Writer's Block

Ever sit in front of the computer thinking along the lines of "what the heck am I doing?" and "what to wriiiiiiite omg?"

It's a problem lots of people have, and if you think that this is limited only to writers, you're wrong. Regardless if you're a student or a professional, writer's block isn't something that you could solve just by smacking yourself on the forehead with your test pad and hope for an influx of ideas to come rushing in. Nope, it's much more deep-seated than you think.

So, how does one cure writer's block, you ask? From a non-professional point of view, here are a few suggestions (hey, they worked for me in university, so it must mean something, right?)

Photo taken from here

1. Writing exercises - they always help, especially exercises like word association. Writing down one word and writing down the first word that comes into mind after that is an excellent way of coming up with fresh ideas.
2. Read - read wider, move out of your circle of comfort when it comes to genres. Who knows, you'd find inspiration when poring over some dead dude's (auto)biography.
3. Multiple projects - get involved in more than one project at the same time. When you feel that you're running out of ideas, hop on to your next project or the one after that.
4. Organization - try organizing your thoughts by using mind-maps and charts. For an academic essay, try writing down all the important points and figuring out how to make each point work. For creative pieces, listing characters/characteristics and possible dialogues work too.
5. Self-confidence - don't second guess or be too critical of what you write. In fact, just go with the flow and do not be too hard on yourself. There's always time for editing.

Bags

Those who'd watched American Beauty would know where this is heading. In the movie, one character tells of the most beautiful imagery he'd ever filmed: a random plastic bag dancing in the wind (the video can be found here)

Wait.
This is not a plastic bag post.
What this is really about is handbags. Whether they are the size of a chihuahua's head or the size of a junkyard, bags have always been a favourite for women (right next to shoes, that is).

However, every now and then, we do come across some odd ones that make you cringe and think "what were those people thinking?" Here are some of the wackier ones I've came across on the internet:

Creepy, no? If you haven't had it figured out by now, this is a dead cat, hogtied to a stick.
Photo taken from here.

Toad Purse, anybody? Can you imagine putting this over your shoulder? *ribbit*
Photo taken from here.

I initially thought it to be a stuffed carcass of some very unfortunate dog, but this is actually a Louis Vuitton bag *shudders*
Photo taken from here.

I just couldn't resist including this Judith Leiber crystal parrot bag  :)
Photo taken from here.

Now this one is just plain creepy. Like we Malaysians don't have enough abandoned babies on the street, here's one in the form of a handbag as well (photo taken from here)

Parry Gripp - Baby Monkey (Going Backwards on a Pig)

This video made my day, and I just thought I'd share it  :)

You Know You're A 90's Baby When...

I've been spending so much time on the myc! blog that my own personal blog feels abandoned *and yes, this is a hint to whatever higher power that's reading this right now*

That said, if you've noticed, since I set out blogging for myc! (my maiden post being 'Tattoos') I've covered random, fangirl-y topics ranging from hunks to shoes to jewellery to books. Well, here's another one for the count  :)

'90s Babies: Top 10 Boybands You've Probably Listened to When Growing Up
(the era of bowl-shaped hair-dos and dodgy jewellery, the '90s and early 2000s was the time of boybands. Note: the list is compiled not in any particular order)

Backstreet Boys photo taken from here, 98 Degrees
photo taken from here

1. Five (or known as 5ive) - More known for their awesome dance moves than anything else, Five is J, Scott, Richie, Abs and Sean. Selling over 7 million albums throughout their career, they disbanded in 2001. My personal favourites are Slam Dunk (Da Funk), When The Lights Go Out and Don't Wanna Let You Go (check out the music video for the last one; it involves a haunted house and groovy dance moves)
2. Backstreet Boys - Crawl out from whichever rock you've been hiding under if you haven't heard of them. Songs you've probably heard include older hits like Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and I Want It That Way, or newer ones like Drowning and Straight Through My Heart.
3. Westlife - I was in Year 6 when Westlife-mania started. Girls were listening to and singing If I Let You Go and Flying Without Wings, and there were always possibilities of encountering Shane/Mark/Bryan/Kian/Nicky posters at the back of toilet doors at school. Or worse, words would be written in liquid paper, for instance "(insert your name here) loves Shane forever xoxoxo".
4. 98 Degrees - Consisting of brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, the band was more adult contemporary than the rest of the boybands out there during that time. Noteworthy songs include the up-tempo Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) as well as ballads like I Do (Cherish You) and Invisible Man.
5. Boyz II Men - An American R&B vocal group better known for their sappy ballads, Boyz II Men were around for quite some time (1988, to be exact). Up to date they've sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. Fans would probably remember their mushy ballad with Mariah Carey (One Sweet Day) and Brokenhearted (with Brandy).
6. 911 - Seriously, what is with boybands and numbers? *rolls eyes* A three-man band, 911 is British, and members are Lee Brennan, Spike Dawbarn and Jimmy Constable. What was popular? Erm, there's "This isssss my journeyyyyy...journey through liiiiiife..." (The Journey) and "You got my body shakin', sends a shiver to my soul". Recalling this, I couldn't help but shudder from the cheesiness of it all.
7. O-Town - The only two songs I could really remember are Liquid Dreams and All Or Nothing. I also remember, unfortunately, my, ahem! 'debate' with a few friends about which band member is cuter - Ashley Parker Angel or Dan Miller? *groans*
8. LFO - An American pop/rap group, LFO (Lyte Funky Ones) consisted of Devlin Lima, Rich Cronin (who passed away last year) and Brian Fischetti. Their sound leaned more towards punk rap, and memorable songs include Summer Girls, Girl on TV and Every Other Time.
9. Blue - Wildly popular with their hits All Rise, Too Close and If You Come Back, Blue consisted of Simon, Lee, Duncan and Antony. Lee's high-pitched vocals and Duncan's husky timbre produce the perfect harmony, especially for the slower songs.They disbanded in 2005 to concentrate on their solo projects, but there are news on the grapevine of a reform. Yays!
10. 'N Sync - No boyband list would be truly complete without 'N Sync (need you even wonder?) Fronted by Justin Timberlake, the rest of the boys are JC, Lance, Chris and Joey and they sold more than 56 million albums worldwide before going their own ways in 2002. Fans would probably recall hit singles like Bye Bye Bye, It's Gonna Be Me and This I Promise You (try listening to this in Spanish!)

                             (Photo of Blue from here, photo of LFO from here)

Cheers 'til the next time!

Booklist

Sometimes it's fun to, after a whole day filled with stress, to go to the bookstore and browse the shelves. When I started work, I found that I rarely had time to do just that, but when I did find time, these are the books that caught my attention. Not all are classics; some are on the list merely for sentimental reasons, some because they are my favourites  :)

• Dracula (Bram Stoker) - I read this book as a child, and in the years to come, revisit it again and again because I was so fascinated with Count Dracula. I mean, come on! A cute, rich and magnetically charming count [albeit a blood-sucking one] (Bela Lugosi, the Hungarian actor who played Count Dracula in the 1931 movie was simply perfect for the role, as opposed to Max Schreck, who played Count Orlok in Nosferatu)

                                                 picture taken from here

• Fringe Benefits: Essays and Reflections on Malaysian Art and Cinema by Benjamin McKay (compiled and edited by Yeoh Seng Guan and Julian CH Lee) - How did this find its way into my list, you ask? Well, I think it's an interesting read (it's not entirely academic; there are some amusing and thought-provoking pieces, thanks to the late Mr. McKay's brand of dry humour). Just FYI, the late Benjamin McKay was a lecturer of Film and Television Studies at Monash University Sunway Campus until his demise last year.

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• A Walk to Remember (Nicholas Sparks) - if you loved the movie (starring Mandy Moore and the hunky/broody Shane West), you should probably read the book! I should probably warn you, though, it makes you bawl.

                                                 picture taken from here

• Temple (Matthew Reilly) - Carefully written and brilliantly-crafted plots and unexpected twists, this serves as an interesting read for all you book lovers out there who like a little bit of action in between the pages. There are explosions, carnivorous big black cats, chopper chases and the likes.

                                                 picture taken from here

• It (Stephen King) - I was terrified of this homicidal clown from the very first time I read the book (post-reading I slept with the lights on for a very long time). And then I found out that they came out with the miniseries as well *shudders* But it's a good read...if you really enjoy being dark and macabre.

                                                 picture taken from here

Happy reading!

Style Pile

I was looking through iVillage.com last week and came across an interesting article called Style Pile: The Essential Items That Define Your Look.

So, here am I, sitting at my desk on a Monday morning staring blankly at the myc! blog, cracking my head over what should be my first entry of the month. And so, thinking about the iVillage article, I thought to myself: "why the he** nottt!"

My style: Elegant but comfortable, my style is pretty much random. I can look preppy/smart one moment and rocker chick the next. I love vintage pieces (note the bronze leave bracelet near the bottom of the shoes and the carved silver bracelet near the top, both of them purchased at Portobello Market in London). I'm partial to anything colourful and glittery, edgy but yet girly (note the butterfly ring next to the turquoise bracelet). I wear a lot of black, so I love mixing and matching to come up with a look that's classically chic.

My inspiration: I'm inspired by strong, confident women who could inject their own identity/personality into what they wear and look effortless at the same time.

Now it's time for you to show us your Style Pile. Get creative and upload your photos!