Princess Ruu, headphones, and virtual instruments

WEBLOG:
The one painting of mine that I have continually gotten emails about over the years is the Princess Ruu character portrait, titled Melancholic Princess.

Link to alternate version and details

Now, after almost ten years, I still constantly get emails about her. Some of the emails are about that ridiculous urban legend that people have made up about her over the years (how if you stare into her eyes you’ll see horrible things or commit suicide–you know, basic idiotic nonsense), but most of the emails are simply about falling in love with her or wanting to find out if Tellurian Sky, the story I wrote that she’s the lead female character of, will ever be see the light of day (as in, get produced or published).

Recently, I got an email about her that really moved me, and I wanted to share it with you:

Dear mister Robert Chang,

It might be possible you get a lot of emails about this picture, because of the rumors that goes thru the Internet, but please, would you be kind to read mine?

It is a waste that i have never really heard of your work before, because, so far i am aware of, you are a professional artist, and i love to look at things that force me to have my attention, but there are so many things to look at.

I heard somewhere that, people have beautiful eyes because they look at beautiful things, so of course, i try to keep up with that.

You know it yourself, well, that is what i am thinking that you know, if you see something beautiful, you are passionated about it and would like to cherish it and share with the world.

From this part i would like to talk about the painting that is called the Melancholic Princess, a painting you made of Princess Ruu, from the fantasy science fiction screenplay that you’ve wrote/written called Tellurian Sky.

I think the first time i came in touch with this picture is, when i was looking for a fantasy themed illustration of a girl on the Internet.

When i was little, i had an imaginary friend called Falke, she had bright dark eyes, her straight long hair, sometimes long, then in a knob, or in a tail. The expression on her face was strong, mighty, but soft, tender and lovely. She had a powerful personality compared to mine.

Falke protected and accepted me in every way and didn’t judge me for the errors i did but pointed me out that i wouldn’t fall for the same mistakes again. She was the older girl next door in my imagination.

When i became older in years, she grow away from me,
no, i mean, i grow away from my imaginary friend Falke. I guess people can get over particular things like dreaming, and carry on with life.

I think it would sound weird, or it is actually weird that i recognize every bits and piece of Falke in Princess Ruu of the painting you made. Well, that is what i believe then, because it is possible that the character Princess Ruu is totally different then my imaginary friend Falke.

Anyhow, you are probably wondering why i am writing you this e-mail.

I think a few years later after i found your painting i found a video about this picture, claiming it had a horrible background story. In a way i got a little bit angry about it, because that was not how it goes and i remember that the picture itself was in a portfolio website.

Everyone of course does know the urban legend hoax about the painting, and i read today that you are aware of that talk but, oh well.

but I am writing you this email because i appreciate that there are artists out there that actually knows how to freeze a moment, a feeling and express it thru a picture. Princess Ruu had caught my heart and sparked the flame in my soul to look again for Falke and express it thru art as you do with your work.

Thank you very much mister Robert Chang.

Someone who loves your work, Vincentsedubun.

I’ve got a folder filled with emails about Ruu, but I think this is one of my favorites because it’s so heartfelt and personal.

This was my reply to him:

Vincent,

Thank you for the lovely email. It really made my day. I periodically get emails from people who were moved and touched by something on my website, and I treasure these emails because they represent the joy of sharing your creative vision and self-expression with the rest of the world. When your work resonates with others, a connection is made, and these connections are precious in life. When I create, I’m lost in my own little world, and when my work can bring others into that special place, it only gets richer and more vivid, because I’m no longer the only person who gets to enjoy that wonderful imaginary world.

Falke sounds like a wonderful friend to have. Ruu actually is a lot like Falke–she has an old soul despite her youth, and she’s wise beyond her years. While Ruu is gentle and compassionate, with a big heart, she’s also strong-willed, courageous, just, and fair. If she had a choice, she’d live a simple and carefree life, full of creativity and close to nature, and of course, being with the one she loves. But because she has the weight of a kingdom on her young shoulders, she does not have the luxury to live as she wishes, thus the title “Melancholic Princess.” Perhaps one day I’ll turn that screenplay into a novel instead, since it’s unlikely the screenplay will ever be made into a film.

I didn’t have an imaginary friend like Falke when I was younger, although I did often imagine the perfect soulmate, down to the last bit of detail. With each failed relationship, she’d turn up again, reminding me of what a soulmate should be like. Fortunately for me, I haven’t thought about that imaginary soulmate ever since I met my wife, because in a way, I think she became a real person, and I get to be with her everyday. Where there used to be a gaping hole in my heart, it is now whole. It’s amazing how much effort some of us spend on finding our soulmates, and once you finally find that person, it frees up a lot of your time and energy, allowing you to spend them on other things in life instead. Life before meeting my wife was very different, that’s for sure.

Anyway, I enjoyed your email very much. If you don’t mind, I’d like to post it in a blog entry (don’t worry, I’ll correct your spelling and grammar before I do it). I get emails about Ruu periodically, but I think yours was the most interesting one.

Rob

(I ended up not changing the spelling and grammar in his email, because I feel it’s really not a big deal. Obviously, English is not his first language, so I’m sure anyone reading would be understanding of that.)

As the person who created her, part of me thinks her popularity isn’t merely her beauty, as there are lots of paintings of beautiful female characters out there, and I don’t they all get such an overwhelming response. I think it’s the extra layer of depth about her that draws people in–that melancholy and old soul I gave her that makes her unique. If Ruu was just some random hot chick, I doubt I would’ve gotten all these comments about her over the years.

Will Tellurian Sky ever see the light of day? I really don’t know. I have other stuff I’m working on, such as a post-apocalyptic novel, new music, and other screenplays. Maybe Tellurian Sky will never go beyond just a bunch of concept art, illustrations, story treatment, and an unfinished screenplay. I really don’t know. All I know is that I’m happy she’s touched so many people over the years, even if her story has never been properly told.

…

I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately. I hit my best record recently when I wrote for thirteen hours straight in a day. I think that’s the longest I have ever spent on writing in a day. I would like to finish this novel sometime this year (I’m about 23,000 words in at this point), and hopefully keep the momentum going and finish other novels and screenplays I’ve been working on for far too long (some going back to the late 90’s or earlier). I’m certainly not getting any younger, and at this point in my life, I feel I’ve gained enough maturity as both a creative talent and a human being, to be able to fully express what I intend to express. If I don’t march forward in this current push to finish things, I’ll end up in my old age, regretting that I never gave it my best shot.

…

I’ve been looking to replace the Westone 3 In-Ear-Monitor (ear canal headphones) for a while now, and I had hoped that the Shure SE535 would be the one, but unfortunately, it had its own share of flaws, and I must continue for search for the ideal universal IEM.

In terms of ergonomics, the SE535 is a bit annoying because its cable is so thick and hard to manage, especially compared to the very thin and flexible braided cable of the Westone 3. Both IEM’s fit flat against the ears, so they can be worn to bed when you are sleeping on your side (this may not be a big deal to some, but I think it’s pretty important).

The sonic signature of the SE535 is one that is a bit too bright in the upper-mids (7KHz range), and I can’t stand fatiguing sounding headphones. The treble can also be a bit more airy, while the bass is actually not bad, reminding me a bit of the HD650, in that both are missing a bit of sub-bass presence.

Here’s the EQ curve I created for the SE535 to make it sound closer to my ideal sonic signature (using my best headphones and my trusty Klein + Hummel O 300D’s as references):

Here’s the EQ curve for the Westone 3:

You can find my EQ curves for other headphones here (Audez’e LCD-2, Sennheiser HD650, Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Stax 007mk2).

As you can see, the W3 is similar to the SE535 in that they both have a bit of sibilance problem near the 7KHz range and missing a bit of air in the treble, but the W3’s bass is very different from the SE535–it’s bloated and muddy. With my EQ curve for the W3, it sound far more balanced, detailed, and smooth.

I asked around head-fi.org about possible candidates to end my IEM search, and many recommended the Westone 4. I was skeptical because I’ve heard the UM3X and while it was more balanced than the W3, it was still not ideal (not enough air in the treble), and in general, the Westone house sound seems to me a muddy and unbalanced. But all the reviews about the W4 says it doesn’t have the typical Westone sonic signature, and in fact fixes all the problems of the typical Westone sound.

Although I hate buying audio gear without auditioning them first, it’s simply impossible in many cases due to where I live, so I have to rely on online reviews to assess whether something might fit my ideal.

…

I have always wanted the Korg Mono/Poly softsynth, and after debating whether I should get it for years, I finally pulled the trigger and bought it. Now myKorg Legacy Collection is complete (both analog and digital editions). There are some nice presets in Mono/Poly, and although I haven’t had time to design any patches with it, I really like how it sounds. I’m probably not going to get any more synths for a long time, but I have a feeling when Imposcar 2 is finally released, I won’t be able to resist it (I’m a big fan of Imposcar and have been waiting for the updated version for years).

Another purchased I made recently was the Addictive Drums ADPaks. XLN Audio is one of those companes that never have sales during holidays, and it always pissed me off–as if their products are so damn good that they’d never devalue them with discounts. I was shocked when audiomidi.com had a flash sale for the ADPaks, and I just had to jump on it (unsurprisingly, the sale was never mentioned on the XLN Audio site, and only available from audiomidi.com). I already had Addictive Drums, Jazz Sticks, and Reel Machines, and now I have Retro, Jazz Brushes, and Funk as well. I should have held off on Reel Machines since I bought it not long before the audiomidi flash sale.

Overall, I’m fairly happy with all the ADPaks, but I think Reel Machines should’ve been much more varied, since electronic drums/percussion don’t require nearly as many velocity layers, and XLN should have given us far more variety, like what Toontrack did with the Electronic EZX. After using Addictive Drums for years now, I also feel that its effects section is a bit lacking compared to BFD2 or Superior 2.0. There are some basic but essential effects missing like delay, chorus, phaser/flanger, auto filter, and so on. There are also some things I wish it could do, such as altering the volume of individual articulations, or have brush sweeps be cut-off by brush hits if both hands are playing hits. It makes no sense whatsoever to hear a brush sweep continuing when both hands are playing brush hits. I’ve brought up all these suggestions to XLN Audio, but I doubt they’ll implement them for any future versions.

…

I played Halo: Reach recently and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I’m one of those people who always found the Halo franchise highly overrated, mainly due to the lack of a cohesive creative vision and ineffective storytelling techniques.

The main issue I have with the Halo franchise is the silly dwarf aliens running around with cartoon voices. It’s one of the worst creative calls I’ve ever seen a company make, because the tone of it is completely out of context with a very serious and somber story about the survival of the human race. I’ve brought this up in the past and I’ve heard all kinds of excuses for why Bungie did it (from gameplay reasons to wanting to have some humor–both ridiculous and unreasonable excuses), and after playing Reach, I’m more certain than ever of my opinion, because obviously someone at Bungie who called the shots felt the same way; in Reach, the cartoony alien voices were altered to sound more menacing and less silly, and they also had more intimidating looking armor.

The second issue is the way the story is told in the Halo franchise. I never liked Bungie’s decision to tell the stories of the alien races, their cultures and politics, or to allow players to play as the aliens, because it dilutes the intensity of that desperate struggle for survival the human race is going through. The story should always be focused on humanity’s struggle, because that’s what the players identify with emotionally, and if you take a detour and get into the story of the aliens, that emotional connection gets severed. Again, after playing Reach, I noticed that someone at Bungie must’ve felt the same way, because in Reach, not a single scene was shown of the aliens and their culture, and they were kept as mysterious and ominous invaders as the story focused on the survival of the human race. I’ve always found the whole religious aspect of the alien race a bit silly as well, because I don’t believe such technologically advanced alien races could be religious (but this probably says more about my views about religion than it does about the effectiveness of Bungie’s storytelling).

I’m glad that Bungie changed their minds with Reach. If they had approached the entire franchise in the same way as Reach (and although I haven’t played ODST, from what I’ve heard, it’s like Reach, where the focus is on the human race, and does not get into the alien races and their story), I believe Halo would’ve been a superior I.P., but at least they wrapped up their ten-year run with a bang. By the end of Reach, I was moved as the story went in full circle, with the Cortana being delivered to Pillar of Autumn, which kicks off the first Halo game. The post-credit ending was also very nice, giving the franchise a poetic conclusion.

…

Quickie Movie/TV reviews:

The Wonders of the Universe – Brian Cox is always entertaining and inspiring, because he has so much passion and that infectious child-like curiosity. Really well photographed and excellent visual effects. Definitely one of the better documentaries series I’ve seen.

Burn Notice (season one and two) – Entertaining premise and some pretty clever McGyver moments, but I think the “client of the week” episodic structure is slightly annoying, even if it allows a lot of variety. I have always tried to avoid shows where every single episode is a new client, case, or problem that have nothing to do with the most intriguing main story arc, because there just isn’t enough sense of engrossing continuity.

Although television creators/writers have established this formula of including a little bit of the main story development into each episode, it’s still not nearly enough. Shows like these can never compete against really addictive shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Dexter…etc, because these individual cases/clients are never given more than an hour to develop, and they always end up feeling like fillers. When an entire show is made up fillers, it’s just not as intriguing anymore. This is why I never watch those weekly courtroom/crime/forensic dramas, because I can’t stand the fact each episode always feel like fillers.

With all that said, I have to say that the show has its moments, and it’s especially fun when the writers are teaching you technical details about spycraft and how to pull off very creative things using everyday household items. Just for that alone, I think I’ll stick with the show.

High School of the Dead I had high hopes for this anime series because the premise seemed really fun, and the first episode was actually not bad, but it went downhill fast from there. Annoying and trite characters, ridiculous plot, embarrassing obsession with pornographic male fantasies–it had all the things that I dislike about the trend of modern anime since the early 1990’s. Sad to see an art form that was once so innovative and fresh sink so low.

Afghan Star – I’ve always felt that a world without music would be a mistake, yet there are those who live in societies where music could possibly get you killed. I think this documentary showed clearly that what artists express differs greatly depending on what kind of a world they live in, and there will always be those who stand up to tyranny and oppression with their art.

Pontypool – An interesting premise and clever spin on the zombie/epidemic genre, but sometimes felt too contrived and inconsistent. It never explained why some people were infected and some weren’t, or someone like the DJ who talked endlessly everyday wouldn’t be infected much sooner than others.

Tangled – Nothing about it was really surprising–it’s the same Disney formula we’re all so familiar with–song and dance, romance, comedy, good vs. evil, misunderstandings, selfless sacrifice, miracles, magic, and so on. The main reason to watch this film is for the animation.

Ever since I first heard that Glen Keane was working on a film about Rapunzel almost ten years ago, and that it’ll be his debut as a director as well as his first all 3D animated film, I had been waiting for it ever since. Years later, when I found out he had been replaced as a director, I was disappointed, but at the same time I gave the decision the benefit of the doubt, because I have no idea whether Glen is even a good director–my respect for him solely rests on his history as a legendary animator.

Now that I have seen the film, I will say that I enjoyed it and the animation was great, but aesthetically it wasn’t what I imagined in my head all these years. What I imagined was more dramatic and sensual, as opposed to a feel-good comedy with a fairytale premise. I was hoping for a return to the golden era of Disney classics, but I suppose the cinematic landscape has changed so much that such an old-fashioned approach would be seen as unhip and dated. These days, it’s all about witty dialogs, breathtaking action sequences, and pop culture references if you can squeeze them in.

Tron: Legacy – The story was paper-thin, but I supposed that’s not why we watch films like this–we watch it for the visuals, and it certainly had a very distinct and hip look. Too bad there was so little substance to build the visuals on though.

The Daft Punk score was very fitting and created the right kind of mood to accompany the visuals. This type of popcorn flick doesn’t require any sophisticated underscoring, themes, leitmotif, or creative timing to match the moment-to-moment happenings on the screen, so it was fine to hire dance musicians who knew essentially nothing about cinematic scoring to take on the challenge. I’m not saying the duo didn’t work hard and tried to learn on the job, just that if this was a different film that required the experience of an expert composer, they would never have been offered the job. The fact they were offered the job so early also sounds to me like they studio knew they had to cover their asses in case Daft Punk failed–they’d still have plenty of time to hire a proper composer to come in and do the job.

Season of the Witch – Predictable story with lackluster execution. It’s the kind of film where it seemed no one was really trying too hard to do push beyond the conventions of what we all already have seen. It could have been an interesting psychological thriller, but due to the lack of effort, it’s ended up another disposable piece of entertainment.

Skyline – The Brothers Strause are a classic case of people with talent and skill for visuals, but lack the creative vision or talent for compelling narrative and storytelling. Unfortunately, it has become a trend for people with visual special effects background to become film directors, and some of these people should never have made the jump and should have remained in visual effects.

The first film they directed (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) showed all their weaknesses as directors and storytellers, and in this second film, it was the same. Even though they don’t write, the problem is, if a director is a good storyteller, he would know what the screenplay is missing and will be able to do something about it, so whenever I see bad writing, I blame the director along with the writer (and the producer too). These three key figures behind the scenes–all of them should have razor-sharp instincts for what a good story is, and obviously, the Brothers Strause don’t and neither does their producer.

The moments of character development that happen in the film were completely irrelevant and meaningless, and because they are so hollow, by the time the credits roll, you realize it was all just pointless filler because they had to stretch the running time somehow. Even the key conflict of whether they should run for the marina or not is completely illogical. They decided to risk their lives and run for the marina just because one character said that he didn’t see any aliens above the water, but how could anyone think that’s a legitimate reason to risk lives? There wasn’t a single thing that happened in the film that pointed to the waters being safe or the aliens couldn’t be near water, yet much of the film was centered around their decision to run for the marina. How could the writer not see that in even the first rough draft of the screenplay? How could the producer and the directors not see it? Hell, even the actors should have noticed it and said something.

Monsters – Even though Monsters is also an alien invasion sci-fi film like Skyline, and it was also made on shoestring budge by a tiny crew (of five), but oh what a difference. It only took the first few minutes to immediately see that Gareth Edwards actually has talent as a storyteller, and guess what–he did all the special effects too–all by himself. The Brothers Strause should be embarrassed when they watch Monsters because it makes Skyline look like a clumsy mess with complete lack of soul and poetry, while Monsters almost felt like a soulful indie arthouse film that just happened to have alien creatures in it.

The pacing of the film, the cinematography, the acting, the editing–everything had a distinct feel that was natural and organic, as opposed to everything looking and feeling contrived in Skyline. Even the dialogs were much better written–the characters felt real, and their relationship with their surroundings had a sense of gravity not only due to the fact that Monsters probably used a lot less green screen during shooting, but also that the locations were inherently more natural than the high-rise apartment of Skyline.

Whitney Able, who played Sam, really mesmerized me, and that took me by surprise because she’s not exactly my type in terms of physical characteristics. What surprised me was that she had this ethereal radiance about her–this feminine softness that I just loved. The look on her face in all situations–whether a smile or a melancholic gaze–there was just something very soulful about her. The chemistry between her and Scoot McNairy also felt very natural (I found out later that they were actually a couple, and ended up getting married two months after shooting the film, so the on-screen chemistry must have been very real).

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 version) – Not as good as the 2007 remake, and I’d have to watch the first one and then the one made in the 90’s to see how they compare. Personally, I don’t know why people slam the 2007 remake. It really wasn’t that bad.

Always – I had actually never heard of this film by Spielberg, and it was fairly enjoyable, although this was made during a period in his career when he hasn’t learned restraint yet and still indulged in overbearing sentimentality.

Brazil – I’ve been trying to get around to watching this film for decades now, and I have finally done it. I tried to watch it once when I was a teenager and I was so bored that I turned it off before I even finished the first half. Now that I’ve watched the whole thing, I can understand why it has a cult following, but personally, I’m not a fan of the style–that absurd slapstick comedy approach. I like black comedies, but I prefer them without the cartoony crassness (for example, I like the Coen Brothers, as they know how to get silly but not into the realm of cartoony). I also enjoy satires, but I enjoy them when they aren’t so heavy-handed. I’m glad I finally got around to watching this film, but it’s just not my cup of tea.