Fans of Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio welcomed him warmly to China’s social media with memes after he opened an official Sina Weibo account yesterday.
DiCaprio, who enjoys a wide fan base in China, made his first Weibo post yesterday afternoon, and fans flooded to his account to welcome him.
“I heard you opened a Weibo account and I rushed here to take a look. Do you now feel the fire-hot passion of your Chinese fans?” wrote Weibo user Bimuan.
In just one night, DiCaprio’s first post was re-posted some 135,000 times, with roughly 147,000 comments and 500,000 likes.
Aside from heartwarming messages, a large volume of pictorial memes of the actor were shared.
China’s social media is no stranger to memes, or emoticons, of the Revenant actor.
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Internet flooded with memes after Leonardo DiCaprio opens Weibo account
Some are made from pictures of DiCaprio’s attempts to hide his face from the paparazzi in odd and sometimes bizarre contortions of his body. Some mock his weight gain over the years, and others pay tribute to his handsome face.
One of the most famous memes is a close-up shot of the actor’s watering eyes, as he reacted to yet-another failed attempt to win an Oscar for best actor for his role in Wolf of Wall Street.
Some fans seem to enjoy the welcome gifts China is giving the actor.
“Hahaha, how our Chinese fans welcome him is unique like no other,” wrote Weibo user Liangshuitangsiren.
Others are cautioning Internet users to calm down a little before scaring the actor off.
“If you guys don’t stop posting these things he may just run off!!!” wrote Weibo user Guoshuai.
Miss Anna was on the way back from the supermarket around 10am yesterday when she noticed a large crowd gathering at the void deck.
The 37-year-old domestic worker , who declined to give her full name, later watched the drama from her window on the third storey of Block 8, Jalan Rumah Tinggi.
“I saw a man being wheeled out on a stretcher from the rubbish chute under my unit. He was shaking and there was so much blood,” Miss Anna told The New Paper on Sunday.
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Worker injured after falling through rubbish chute
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a case of fall from height at about 10.10am.
When the rescuers arrived, they found an injured man in a one-man cage inside a rubbish chute on the ground floor.
TNPS understands that the injured man is Mr Balarugan, a construction worker from Chennai, India. He works for Scaf- Link Engineering.
SCDF officers spent 15 minutes using a hydraulic cutter to get Mr Balarugan out.
He was then taken to the National University Hospital, which had been alerted to be on standby to receive him.
It is believed that Mr Balarugan sustained serious injuries from the fall, including fractures on his ankles, shins and thighs and abdominal swelling, as well as spinal injuries.
Miss Anna said the victim appeared to be in shock as SCDF officers tended to him.
With tears in her eyes, she said: “It looked like he was in so much pain, I couldn’t bear watching it.”
Mr Balarugan was part of a team subcontracted by ATC Painting and Trading, which was carrying out repairs and redecoration works at the block.
Safety procedures
A contractor from ATC told TNPS that Mr Balarugan was lining the inner walls of the rubbish chute when the accident happened. It is not known how high up he was before the fall.
“We always make sure the proper safety procedures are in place. In this case, maybe the single man cradle slipped and he fell, but we are still investigating the cause,” said the ATC contractor, who declined to be named.
A total of 54 workers have died on the job this year, with falls being the most common cause, according to a report on workplace safety released by the Ministry of Manpower on Sept 26.
This article was first published on October 9, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
Conventional movie wisdom might dictate that a thriller or mystery is only as good as its “big reveal”. The best films of the genre, however, are the ones that remain compelling even once you know whodunnit – making the difference between watching it once and watching it over and over again.
The Girl On The Train (TGOTT) had the potential to be a classic in the vein of 2014’s Gone Girl. The two films have been drawing many comparisons, and not just for their similarities in title or because both are adaptations of books by female authors (Gone Girl by Gillian Glynn, TGOTT by Paula Hawkins). Both use marriage and suburban living as the premise for their mysteries, with complicated, even unlikeable, women at their centre.
But while Gone Girl only gets more compelling with repeat viewings, TGOTT struggles to hold our attention even the first time around.
It does start off on an intriguing note. Rachel (Emily Blunt) takes the train every day into New York City, and daily, watches a particular couple, Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans), as she passes by their suburban home. Struggling with her own alcoholism and a failed marriage, Rachel takes comfort in envisioning them to be the perfect couple.
One day, Rachel witnesses something shocking in the couple’s home, and before long, Megan is reported missing. When Rachel tries to figure out what happened, she finds herself being sucked deeper and deeper into the mystery, as her own past and connection to the events begin to unravel.
The pacing, however, drains the thrill out of the plot. While the movie initially uses intertitles to differentiate and tell the story from three women’s points of view – Rachel, Megan and Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) – it seems to abandon this device fairly soon, and mostly follows Rachel around. This is a pity, because it changes what initially seemed like a layered mystery into a more straightforward one where the protagonist races to uncover the truth.
While Blunt’s portrayal of a woman teetering on the brink is excellent, the movie drags as it relies too much on the actress, to the exclusion of other characters who are later revealed to be important.
The rest of the cast is decent, but are not given enough to do. Bennett, in particular, puts in a memorable performance as a complicated woman with unexpected depths, while Justin Theroux is likeable as Rachel’s ex-husband.
The movie also has the annoying tendency to allude to certain events or happenings without ever fully developing them. Scott and Megan’s marriage, for instance, suffers from a skeletal depiction. Meanwhile, we are occasionally shown that the police are monitoring the situation, but they are hardly ever seen actually investigating anything.
This is where the multiple perspectives may have proven interesting; after all, shades of grey are so much more interesting in a mystery than simple black-and-white solutions. Part of the problem lies with the “big reveal” itself. While Gone Girl points to larger and darker truths within contemporary relationships, the mystery in TGOTT ends up being altogether more predictable and banal.
A deeper script and more skilful director may have been able to elicit something more out of these characters – there is so much potential for subtext in their situations – but the film mostly plays it safe.
Hence, when the truth behind the mystery is suddenly revealed in the last quarter, it hardly makes an impact. In fact, by that point, many may have figured it out on their own.
Customs officers seized contraband cigarettes worth about S$262,600 in duties and taxes from the vehicles driven by Kamaruddin Abdul Latiff and Azman Mohd Yunos.
His brush strokes have been compared to “works of experts 300 years ago” by respected critic and university lecturer Chen Chuanxi. His style of writing has been described as “uniquely powerful with the infusion of the expertise of eight ancient masters in calligraphy, including the sage of Chinese calligraphy, Wang Xizhi (303-361)” by national curator Yang Kairen.
Meet 54-year-old Feng JunFu, one of China’s best known masters of grass writing or cursive calligraphy.
His brushmanship is backed by 40 years of study in Chinese civilisation.
Feng, a regular speaker on cursive calligraphy, now holds numerous influential positions – not only linked to calligraphy but also in politics.
He is a member of the Central Government Office Calligraphy Association Presidium, secretary-general of Aqsiq Calligraphy Association and leader of China GuoMen Calligraphy and Painting Institution.
He is also a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and the 12th Tianjin municipal committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Feng showing his recent masterpiece, a copy of a poem by Li Bai, the most famous poet during the Tang Dynasty era. Photo: The Star/ Asia News Network
But when met at his studio at Songzhuang Art Colony, a special arts and culture enclave about an hour’s drive from Beijing, Feng was a face of humbleness and warmth, with no airs about him.
Despite his achievements which have attracted praise from experts both locally and abroad, this Tianjin-based multi-award winner continues to push himself hard to produce passionate aesthetic works that have now become collector items.
“Everyday, I start writing calligraphy from 6.30am to 7.30am. After I finish my work at the office, I will do the same from 7.30pm to 11.30pm. This daily routine cannot be broken.
“When I go overseas, I will carry brushes, ink and paper with me. Calligraphy is a form of art that can only be perfected through non-stop practice and writing,” says Feng as he shows the hardened calluses on his fingers caused by the constant friction between the skin and brush pens.
Feng teaching Chinese calligraphy to the children of one of China’s minority groups. Photo: The Star/ Asia News Network
Feng, who at 21 emerged the runner-up at China’s first national calligraphy competition in 1984, has mastered the difficult skill of controlling strength and finger pressure in writing caoshu, also known as cursive writing or grass writing – the toughest form of Chinese calligraphy.
In these scripts, individual characters flow in abbreviated form. At their most cursive, two or more Chinese characters may be linked together and the whole script can be written with a single flourish of the brush.
Feng is reputed for injecting life, action and emotion into his calligraphy. His famous copy of the poem River of Red is said to have imparted “a shockingly breathtaking, magnificent movement” and a sense of “storm raging in fury”.
His style of writing can be “bold and unrestrained like running horses and gushing water, and can be calm and slow like morning mist”, according to some comments on Feng’s works.
In recent years, Feng has gone on to broaden his skills in writing using bigger platforms – the floor, deserts and even on the banks of the Yellow River. His tools are no longer limited to brushes.
“In the Gobi Desert, I could pick up an empty bottle and write on a vast stretch of soil; in the open air, I could wield a bloom and write characters that came to mind,” Feng elaborates as he shows photographs that capture his flying strokes in open spaces.
But being an established calligrapher is not enough for Feng, who is also an active community leader and an emerging politician.
He wants to use his influence and standing to do some useful work for his fraternity.
Being a member of the Tianjin committee of the CPPCC, he and others have successfully persuaded the central government to include calligraphy in the school curriculum from primary school onwards. This ensures that budding calligraphers can earn a decent living.
“As a citizen, I must make some contributions to society. As a member of the CPPCC, I must forward people’s views to the government. Arts and culture can promote peace, harmony and social stability. Indirectly, this promotes political stability,” opines Feng.
Feng, who is often seen wearing a Tang suit, is also known for starting a movement to promote ink brush writing. He says: “I encourage anybody who uses chopsticks to eat to write calligraphy. These are key parts of Chinese civilisation.”
Feng posing with Tibetan children after teaching them Chinese calligraphy. Photo: The Star/ Asia News Network
Indeed, he has in his studio calligraphy on his views on chopsticks and calligraphy.
As a person, Feng also believes in doing charity and social work.
Whenever there is a natural disaster, he will donate his works to raise funds for victims. His writing of the word “dragon” sold for 280,000 yuan (S$58,000) during a fundraiser for children who survived the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province.
Feng also makes annual retreats to remote parts of China such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia to teach the non-Han children calligraphic writing.
“In my past trips, these children came dressed in their best and most colourful clothes to learn calligraphy as though they were going for a big festival. I was very touched by their enthusiasm to learn,” recalls Feng.
Outside China, Feng is a regular speaker on calligraphy, particularly in Korea, Japan and South-East Asia.
But he has a special bond with Malaysia. He has made more than 10 trips here for both official and personal reasons.
In 2005, he made his first trip to Malaysia when he was invited by the then Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, to hold a calligraphy exhibition and seminar in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the 30th anniversary celebration of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.
Subsequently, Feng held seminars and exhibitions in Malaysia and Singapore on the invitation of other groups. More recently, his daughter enrolled in Kuala Lumpur’s Limkokwing University to pursue her masters degree.
“Malaysians strike me as people who love Chinese culture immensely. In 2009 during my seminar on calligraphy, the participants stayed up at night to learn. They even celebrated my birthday with me. That really moved me to tears,” says Feng.
He quips that he has since become a “cultural ambassador” for Malaysia as he has been encouraging his friends and relatives in China to visit “beautiful Malaysia” and send their children to study in Kuala Lumpur.
In a three hour-long interview, Feng talks to this writer about calligraphy and his ambition. Following are excerpts:
> I understand you majored in English in your tertiary education. Why didn’t you choose calligraphy?
People who are experts in calligraphy come from all kinds of backgrounds. For example, the sage of calligraphy Wang Xizhi was a general in the Jin Dynasty (265-420). He was a master of all forms of calligraphy, especially caoshu.
Chinese calligraphy is a key part of Chinese cultural and national heritage.
Coming from a traditional family and under the influence of my father (a carpenter), writing with an ink brush from young was mandatory. In addition, writing calligraphy can cultivate good character.
We normally choose beautiful poems or words of good tidings for calligraphy, as this spurs us to think positively and helps to mould us into good and happy persons.
While writing, you will have to concentrate and stay calm as you decide how much strength and pressure to exert while manoeuvring the strokes to coin the words. The ideal disposition takes years to attain. This is why there is a saying: “Calligraphy mirrors the author’s character.”
> Why did you choose to specialise in cursive writing?
I like caoshu because writing it is like a conducting a symphony orchestra.
In cursive writing, the brush strokes can be thin, thick or serious, but they can also be free from classical constraints. Although you have to follow the set rules, you can choose to exaggerate by elongating or broadening the strokes of the words. You can choose to control your strokes or let go … due to the numerous possibilities of bringing changes to writings, I see caoshu as reflecting changes in life.
> How do you rate your achievements in calligraphy?
It is not up to me to rate myself. You have seen the comments made about me by some leading curators and critics.
When can I hit the top? I don’t know. I am still learning from the ancient calligraphers. Learning is like climbing a mountain. At each level, you see a different type of scenery and enjoy a higher level of happiness due to your achievement.
> How do you rate calligraphy in Malaysia?
Chinese calligraphy cannot be divorced from the Chinese language and education.
Chinese education in Malaysia is relatively well-preserved. I understand that this is mainly due to the struggles of the late Chinese educationists like Lim Lian Yoke and Sim Mow Yu. Due to the high standard of Chinese education in Malaysia, its calligraphy has achieved the highest standard among South-East Asian nations.
I also notice that Chinese Malaysians care about promoting Chinese culture. During Chinese New Year, they organise calligraphy competitions. I really respect them for their contributions.
> Is there a market for calligraphy?
In China, there is certainly a bright future for calligraphers now that the government has included calligraphy in our school curriculum.
In international auctions, famous calligraphic works have fetched between 100.8 million yuan and 436.8 million yuan (RM62.7mil to RM271.7mil) per piece. The market for art and cultural works has boomed on the back of China’s economic prosperity.
But for me, a good artist who no longer has to worry about bread and butter issues should not be obsessed with producing works to meet the appetite and demands of the market. We should produce works that resonate with our inner calling, passion, thinking or character.
Hence for me, it does not matter how much my works fetch in the market. All I want now is to produce good calligraphic works.
Some Malaysians who have collected my works include former Cabinet minister Tan Sri Michael Chen, Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay of YTL Goup and Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, chairman of Star Media Group.
> I read that you have been copying the Heart Sutra in your calligraphy. Are you a Buddhist?
Buddhism has become a part of the culture in China, along with Taoism and Confucius teachings. I am not a Buddhist, but I subscribe to its philosophies emphasising human kindness, forgiveness and inner calm.…
Though comprising only 260 characters, the Heart Sutra contains the core teachings of Buddhism.
I have copied the Heart Sutra 10,000 times. I feel a sense of calm and tranquillity every time I write it.
I plan to invite 100 Buddhist monks to ink their signatures on 100 of my calligraphic works on Heart Sutra. At the moment, I have completed about 70 pieces.
> What is your ultimate ambition? To be an influential politician?
Study well, make progress everyday. This means I will continue to learn from the ancient esteemed calligraphers so that I can achieve progress everyday. I have no high ambition in politics, but I believe my talent in calligraphy will help me achieve more in this field.
GEORGE TOWN – Frenchwoman Celine de Quillacq, 43, told her husband in August that they needed a break from his hectic work schedule and go on a holiday with their three children.
It is turning out to be long break, as her husband, Benoit de Quillacq, 50, decided to take a 10-month no-pay leave so that the family can go on a journey across several countries in South-East Asia in a motorhome.
“We decided that we do not want to have a conventional holiday by staying in hotels but want to spend time together with our children wherever we are, like life at home,” said Benoit.
“Celine and I decided to visit countries in South-East Asia as it was cheaper and where we could help out in any church mission work.
“It will also be an educational trip for our children,” said the communications company project director.
He shipped the 7.5m-long motorhome to Port Klang in late August and the family flew to Kuala Lumpur late last month, in time for the arrival of the vehicle after 25 days.
The motorhome is fully equipped with five conventional and two foldable beds, fans, a refrigerator, a television, study tables, a small kitchen and a restroom.
“The exterior can carry bicycles and spare tyres. It also has solar panels and GPS.
The three children playing outside their motorhome in Tanjung Bungah during their visit to Penang. Photo: The Star/ Asia News Network
“I bought some essential spare parts which I would need in case of an emergency as I am sure they would not be available in this region as the motorhome is a French make,” said Benoit whose family is from Triel-sur-Seine, 35km from Paris.
The family then drove from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu where they visited Pulau Perhentian.
From Terengganu, the family drove north to Kota Baru in Kelantan and then headed west to Perak where they visited the famed night safari at the Taping Zoo before arriving in Penang on last Sunday.
The Star caught up with them on Friday in Tanjung Bungah where they parked the motorhome near the seaside.
Benoit said that they would be staying in Penang for a few days before heading to Thailand and onwards to Laos and Cambodia before returning to France in June next year.
“We don’t have a fixed schedule of where we should be as we maintain a flexible travel time and destination,” he added.
Celine said they brought whatever books needed for the children’s studies along with them since they would be away for such a long time and did not want their education disrupted.
“I spend about two hours every day teaching them.
“Both of us wanted our children to see the local customs and traditions of the people in this part of the world and learn their culture.
“The 10 months should be a fun-filled time for all of us,” added Celine.
The couple makes it a point to park their motorhome near community parks or fields so that their children, aged six, seven and 10, can ride their bicycles.
It also allows them to lay out the foldable chairs and tables for a family picnic.
NEW YORK – Besieged by the Syrian government for two years, the city of Madaya has had little contact with the outside world – barely reachable by aid convoys, let alone video journalists.
So ABC News and Marvel Comics, known for its muscular superheroes, teamed up find another way to help the world see the devastating reality of life under siege.
Journalists at ABC had been in contact with a woman living in Madaya – a city home to some 40,000 people near the border with Lebanon – who chronicled in a series of blog posts her fight to survive the harsh conditions brought on by the Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year.
The two Disney-owned companies created a free, digital comic based on the anonymous dispatches by the young mother of five – a way to try and demonstrate the horrors their cameras could not access.
The illustrated panels are far less bloody than they are heartbreaking. Combined with the powerful words of the mother – kept anonymous to protect her family’s safety – they speak to the severe hardships trapped families are enduring.
Since Madaya came under total siege in mid-2015, more than 60 victims have died of famine and malnutrition.
“Our bodies are no longer used to eating,” reads one panel.
“My children are hungry but are getting sick, severe stomache pains from the food because their bodies aren’t able to digest and absorb the food because they were hungry for so long.”
Artist Dalibor Talajic said he made a conscious effort to avoid straying into the sensational.
“I didn’t want to do a war comic,” said the Croatian artist – who lived through Yugoslavia’s breakup in 1991.
“I wanted to make a comic with a civilian point of view, where you’re really powerless.
“You can’t do anything. You’re just waiting for it to pass or for you to die.”
Before now Talajic was best known for his work on Deadpool, a comic about antiheroes that were featured in a film of the same name earlier this year.
The illustrator said he is “not a typical Marvel artist where everything must be larger than life,” preferring instead to stay anchored in reality.
“I always try to keep things more familiar, more grounded, more probable.” But attempting to convey the grim daily life of besieged Syrians without sensationalizing was no easy task.
“It was challenging,” Talajic said, noting that he never saw photos of the young mother or the family.
“It’s like blade running the thin line of being exploitive of someone’s hardship.”
The brutal story of daily life under siege is occasionally broken up with small bright moments.
“It is a mother, but it is every mother,” Talajic said. “It is a family, but it’s every family.”
This is not Marvel’s first foray into real life heroes: the comic book company also depicted Pope John-Paul II, St Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa.
ABC did manage to deliver some of Talajic’s images to the mother: “she found that he really nailed the features of the people, the ambiance, the town,” ABC News Producer Rym Momtaz said.
“If she ever gets out,” artist Talajic said, “the pictures will go to her.”
Rosberg, who has a 23-point lead over Hamilton in the title standings with five races to go, pipped his British foe by just 0.013sec as the two Mercedes rivals went toe to toe in Saturday’s qualifying.
Hamilton’s fragile state of mind after his heartbreak in Malaysia last weekend was encapsulated when he snubbed journalists over what he called “disrespectful” coverage earlier this week.
The German had been chipping away at Hamilton’s veneer of invincibility by winning three successive races before Malaysia, where a battling third place for Rosberg added insult to injury for the Briton who had to retire with an engine blaze.
But Hamilton’s meltdown after qualifying will be music to Rosberg’s ears as he chases a maiden win in Japan – one which would leave Hamilton’s hopes of retaining the F1 title hanging by a thread.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen starts third in Sunday’s race, alongside Dutch teenager Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
After securing his eighth pole of the year – the same number as Hamilton – Rosberg refused to get carried away, saying: “It’s been a great weekend but I know I have a lot of work to do to complete the job.” Rosberg claimed pole at Suzuka for the third year running, but will be acutely aware that on neither previous occasion did it lead to victory in the race.
Hamilton came roaring back both times to win the Japanese race on his way to lifting the title.
But Rosberg is in the form of his life and barring a first-corner error or collision, the German will be favourite to turn the screw on Hamilton.
A defiant Hamilton insisted he could still halt Rosberg’s momentum by winning Sunday’s race, having done exactly that in Japan the past two years.
But he appears to have lost the plot since his Malaysian disaster, blaming his engine blow-out on a team conspiracy, and a rush of blood going into turn one could spell trouble for Mercedes.
Hamilton backed away from remarks hinting at sabotage but caused another storm by playing with his mobile phone throughout Thursday’s FIA press conference.
And after he was widely criticised for his behaviour, he reacted snootily.
“I don’t plan on sitting here many more times at these kind of (media) things,” he said.
Ferrari and Red Bull will look to pounce if Mercedes suffer more technical trouble.
Sebastian Vettel set the fourth-fastest qualifying time for Ferrari but a three-place grid penalty for smashing into Rosberg in Malaysia means he starts seventh.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who inherited victory in Sepang after Hamilton’s misfortune, lines up fifth ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez.
“I’m doing pretty good in the corners and just bleeding on the straights,” said the Australian, complaining of low power.
McLaren will have a job on their hands to score points in engine supplier Honda’s home race, meanwhile, with Fernando Alonso starting on row eight and Jenson Button a further row back.
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