2009

As the year draws to a close... its a good time to reflect on the past year and consider how life has changed...

I will be looking at my calendar and thinking about months past.

Happy 2010 folks!

Feeling Old

I know I should be partying... but am feeling quite old...

I Wonder...

I wonder...

how many of the many weddings I've attended in the past year and year to come will end in divorce.

I know it sounds bad of me...

but some of them shouldn't have happened methinks.

Xmas

I know I am supposed to be looking forward to the Xmas weekend, but screw it. I don't think I'll be getting any proper work done till after Xmas.

Merry Xmas everyone!

Update: A shitstorm just blew my way. EFF!

Avatar Review

We watched the best movie of 2009 over the weekend.

James Cameron is a visionary and really took SFX and CGI to the next level. I would advise everyone to watch the 3D version. Its magical.

To be honest, I wasn't keen on watching the movie in the first place. I thought to myself, its another boring cartoon - and I will walk out not relishing nor hating the experience. But I was wrong.

Yes, the storyline is predicable. Pochahontas-type. Enemy falls in love with village chief's daughter... turns to the other side... ladida.

But there are nuances in the story.

The scene where the tree burns... remind you of 911? When Michelle Rodriguez uses the term "matyrdom"... isn't it a throwback to whats happening in the world now?

The Americans used Afganistan and several of the Arab countries as proxies for the Cold War. Now they are biting back.

It is also poignant to note that this movie was also about our current relentless greed to strip the world of resouces and what we might end up with - which is quite sad, considering what (did not) happen in Copenhagen.

All in all, an excellent movie. Such that I want to catch it another time, just to pick up smaller details.

9.5 /10

Ok, so not everyone liked it. Alternative review here.

This Festive Season...

Do watch out for your friends when they drink!

Storm Warriors

So we watched the sequel of Storm Warriors. There are a lot of spoilers in this review, so avert your eyes if you haven't seen it.

The movie is for fanboys. Why? Too many gaps in the plot which you would only have known if you've read the comic. I mean, why did Demon Wind take the dragon bone? Where the heck did Nicholas Tse's character disappear to after that?

There seemed to be 2 parts to the movie. One, where the whole focus was to kill Godless, and the latter, where Cloud had to stop Wind from remaining a demon. I liked the first one better. It was like a typical movie, build up all the way to the crest and then, viola, done. You walk out smiling and satiated.

Not this one. Yes, the 2 boys went to improve themselves to fight Godless, which was dramatic and they whom they killed. Then they go into this drama-mama weepy set where Wind keeps his lame makeup on and growls and snarls at everyone because he is possessed. Tip for directors, don't have more than one orgasm per movie. The second one is always not as good as the first one. I mean, fight scene with Godless was dramatic, fight scene btw Wind and Cloud, yawn.

Gf said that there was not as much variety in this one. What she meant to say was that the romance in this one was secondary, and non-essential to the plot. U ask yourself, why the hell u have it if you aint going to play it up. Honestly, bro-love was enough, u didnt need to have Charlene Choi go all weepy.

As far as CGI went, this sequel is 11 years after the first. It hasn't caught up to match the first one.

The soundtrack was also not as memorable as the former.

What we did like were the comic book like sequences. Like it was there to remind you of the roots of the movie.

Overall, it was entertaining but nothing fantastic.

6.5/10

I'm going to party like its my birthday...

Because it is. =)

Updates

Having responded to several queries about my life from friends these past few days, i thought i'd give updates on my blog. Albeit in point form.

1. Yes. I'm still hating my new job. Not moving yet. Waiting for something that is supposed to happen (management says so) in January.

2. Gf and I are doing fine. Thanksomuchforasking.

3. House renovations are moving along. Its a pain picking up fixtures / furniture / customising wardrobes and that's what my weekends have been about. I do hope to move in as soon as possible. =)

4. Family is well. Have seen my niece a total of 2 times since she was born 2 months ago. Its not that I'm a bad uncle. But babies just don't do anything for me.

5. Been doing lots of hiking in Bukit Timah hill... my timing is getting better!

6. Need ideas for where to eat (as always). Oh, and suggestions for what I can get Gf for her birthday are welcomed.

7. Haven't drank hard liquor in 3 months and counting. I am as amazed as you are.

8. Am sick, its the seasonal flu thingy i think.

Thats all for now. =)

Good Monday Morning

Time Check 11.38

And I need a drink. This is not good.

Moron.

If Only I Had A Greater Understanding of Psychology

I had a talk with someone who is reading psychology...

As much as I thought it was really a pointless degree, she proved me wrong.

There are so many insights to why we do what we do arising from psychology.

If only I had the time to read... I might be able to help more people around me understand themselves and why they are like that.

Things Women I Know Agree On

Through conversation, these are some of the things the women I know agree on.

1. That all men are asshats.

2. That the curse of Bali exists.

3. That somehow, it is worse that your bf/husband has an emotional bond with another woman than if he goes to visit a prostitute (and in both situations, get caught)

4. That its not the size of the rock that matters, but how it looks on their hand.

5. That size does matter.

6. But technique does matter more.

7. That pick-up lines don't work. Confidence and a sense of humour works better.

8. That there are things they will do for 1 man and no other (in the sack).

9. That they want to be treated like a lady.

10. But they also want to be treated as equals.

The Informant

The reviews of this movie were good. Apparently, Matt Damon really shined playing the role of the lead character. Newspapers, websites, all screamed, "Go and watch it!"

And so we did.

But did we like it?

Let me put it this way.

1. Wait for the DVD
2. BB fell asleep 4 times in the movie

It wasn't a bad script to be honest. Reviews touted the dry wit and humour. But having too much narration and the wit being too wry too often do take a toll on your patience.

One major problem of the movie (which I attribute as being the reason BB fell asleep 4 times) is because the movie had no crests, pits or exciting sections. It was banal and flat-lined throughout. Instead, you spend too much brain power processing the storyline and trying to link earlier scenes to the later plot.

On the plus side, it did work your brain. On the minus side, waiting for the DVD, where you can go back to an earlier scene to make sense of the whole movie, makes more sense.

I give it a 4.5 / 10.

Wait for the DVD.

Hurhur.

Urgh

I hate sitting here because it seems more people throw work on me when I'm here. Urgh.

I want to hit Monday over the head

Monday blues, no?

There are days like these...

That I just feel like punching someone.

Argh....

Someone Date These Girls Already!

Wonder...

I wonder...

How slow must a lift be such that the lift door is covered in graffiti?

Sometimes, it just feels like we are barely holding on

Don't We All Hate Mondays?

Relief

Is knowing you are not working tmr and you can drink all weekend.

Well, not like this guy I won't. =P

Leave me alone!!!

I've got enough to do as it is.

Definition

Sian -: noun; see-i-enz

Definition: Somewhere between bo pian and tu lan.

Engrish as its broken

Dunch pray pray. Its a universal adoptor!

I think I bought Angelina Jolie for $8.50.

500 Days of Summer

Caught this movie over the weekend.

Don't we all know somebody with the "summer" effect? The kind of effect which brings cheer and good fortune to all those around.

The movie makes one think. At the end of the day, I reached two conclusions (which I have reached even before watching the movie)

1. That sometimes, its about meeting the right person. Then everything falls in place. Until then, you are like a rudderless ship.

2. That as much as fate plays a part in life. Its also about grabbing chances.

The movie was quite good. It seemed slow at parts, but it all contributed to the completeness of the story. In some ways, it seemed like an art-house indie film, with animation used, characters addressing the audience... not all Hollywood.

Would give it 7 out of 10. Should watch.

Obvious

Japs are weird people. Have a good weekend folks!

Mood

Been feeling pissed off and grumpy of late. Keep away. I bite.

Argh

Sitting in this office makes me wanna do this.

I want to get out of here.

New Start

New start. New job. Tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Up, up and away!

Happy Thoughts

Sometimes, happy thoughts are what you need to take you through the day.

Julie & Julia

The ST reviewer was almost right. The 2 actresses did SAVE this movie.

But he was wrong for giving it 3.5 ticks.

What was the movie going-on about? My friend YSW summed it up perfectly after the movie. IT HAD NO PLOT!

Sure, the director tried to link the lives of 2 women, from 2 different times, who started their affair with cooking in order to find themselves...

But thats it!

The movie was 2 hours long, and you could feel every. freaking. minute. of. it. In my opinion, it could have been cut to 1.5 hours and not made a difference to storyline. I mean, it was so slow and bland that several people in the cinema walked out to take toilet breaks.

YSW made a point about Meryl Streep's acting. I thought she over-acted and perpetually looked drunk. YSW said that perhaps this movie would have been appreciated better by Americans who grew up with Julia Child, and perhaps, Julia was such a character as portrayed by Streep.

Perhaps.

But in my opinion, the worst "based on a true story" movie I have ever seen.

Explaining the Workplace (Pictorially)

Argh

All I Wanna Do Is...

Flip the bird at some people.

It is no what I like to do...

But sometimes, fighting fire with fire is what I have to do.

And to top it all off...

And as if to top off a rubbish week... I had...
1. One shitty conversation with a snake in the carpark on Friday
2. Got an epiphany about how I might have majorly read someone wrongly
3. One birth, One death. Which conflicts me.
4. One shitty experience at the public pool on Sunday.

Tired.

What A Week!

Looking forward to a date with my best friend tonight.

Sigh

Ever felt that you were one man against an army?

Sigh.

One of these things do not belong here.

So this place provides simple first aid, cleans your ears, fixes your bike and knocks you up?

Defending the Cavemen

This show was touted to be the longest running 1-man show in Broadway. This was its second run in Singapore.

It angle was to explain to women why men do things or act in a certain way, which can be explained by them being remnants of cavemen evolution. In a light-hearted way, it explained why problems arise because men are so different from women, just by the virtue of men evolved from hunters and women gatherers.

"Defending the Cavemen" took 2 seperate meanings.

1. Defending the actions of the Cavemen for what we do because of our evolution.

or

2. How women, by being better at information gathering and attention to detail, defend the Cavemen who can be too focused on something, and ignoring all threats around them.

However, I think I'm not a big fan of monologues.

Like how I did not enjoy the Hossan Leong show, I didn't quite enjoy this one either. I thought the lines fell flat from delivery and weren't very imaginative.

Did the actor want to involve the audience or not? Maybe its because we Singaporeans are not used to interacting in a play - but the response was muted. But then again, a lot of foreign faces were spotted as well. And they were silent too. Perhaps then, it was because it did appear to be just a monologue, which did not want an audience to participate.

Only after the intermission did it pick up the fun-factor. But thats only cos he moved on to sex.

I must say, the play did hit the nail on the head on many points. And so, it wasn't unpleasant.

5/10 - the run is over, u can't watch it even if u wanted to. but then again, you ain't missing much =P

True, how True

With so many people leaving, very soon, this might be me. =(

Inglorius Basterds

Very rarely is a film not about the actors, the storyline or the flow of the movie. This film is one of them.

This film is about the directorial genius of one man.

The story is similar to Kill Bill, presented in a graphic novel like manner at times. You see that from the arrows that come on-screen to identify important but line-less characters. (like Goerring)

The cinematography was amazing. With influences of a Western cowboy flick (prison scene) to film noir (cinema scene) to Mafia-movies of the 1940s (the camera angle when Hilter was shot). The camera angles, the pauses in expression, the way the camera captures the emotions... you never felt the movie was as long as it was.

The soundtrack - unexpected and mildly amusing. Scenes with no words, but only a soundtrack in the background which set the mood and communicated the wordless ideas to the audience, who immediately knew what the director had in mind.

The movie was a little gory (to say the least) at parts, but then again, we always knew Quentin Taratino had a thing for the portrayal of violence in his films.

Kudos to great acting by the lead villain. Brad Pitt was ok. But not exceptional.

Go catch it! 7/10

This One Takes The Cake

Let the games begin...

Monday morning. The gloves are off.

May the non-blacks win.

The Hossan Leong Show

We saw the show over the weekend. I had been eagerly anticipating this, since it was written by Benjamin Lee, who I think blogs well.

Well, first impressions of the Drama Centre were great. There looked as if effort had been put into the set design and creation, we had great front-row seats and they had given us a plastic bag of goodies, which included a clapper. =)

And then it went downhill.

With all due respect to Mr Miyagi who wrote the show, are you having a mid-life crisis? With so many references to days of yesteryear and your childhood (black and white tvs, Ultraman...), you alienated the rest of the audience under the age of 35!

And what was with the whole show being about free gifts and shameless plugging of sponsers? It was interesting and different at the start, but honestly, it got old very quickly. I know we need to thank our sponsers, but hey, to make your WHOLE show around it? FAIL.

And lets decide on the format. Is this a stand-up by Hossan? Or a "live" TV show with different segments? Or a musical with dance and song? I'm confused since you guys did all 3.

The jokes weren't funny (Olympics - seriously, wtf was that about?), and we were laughing at you, not with you. It felt that the jokes were more suited to be read (ala blogging), then spoken.

No, I'm not seeing it next year.

Waste of my time.

(Give me my money back) / 10.

Fame!

Caught this movie over the weekend. Its a remake of the original film and from what I can see, adapted from Broadway version of the film.

The plot is not complex. Naysayers will complain that the movie was too predictable, having too many characters which led to none being developed fully, and in fact, a little confusing because some of them really look alike!

But I disagree.

The writing was excellent, especially in the opening sequence where musical scenes were spliced all so appropriately.

The director had a great eye for panning the camera angles in the dance sequence above and throughout the rest of the movie.

The soundtrack. Awesome.

And the best part is that instead of griping about the lack of plot / character development, what I liked about the movie was that it was all about raw emotions. And it came fast and furious through the various characters. There was nary a moment of pause, or if you felt the movie was just hanging.

All in all. I give this movie a 9 / 10. Please please go watch it.

This is funny.

The Worst Job In The World?

The man sure is "unlucky".

The Morning After

We went. We drank. We concussed. Was immense fun. Can't wait till next year!

Oh, and anyone knows where I can get a Bavarian bar-maid costume? =P