Movie and Gifts

Went to watch Rush Hour 3 with Yining after work today at Cine. The show is better than i expected as the show generally received lukewarm reviews. Anyway, the story is about an ultra powerful, global-trotting Chinese secret society who wants to recover "Shy Shen", a list of names which will endanger the livelihood the people in the triads. Enter Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker who get embroiled in the action as the Ambassador Han gets killed by an assassin.

I shouldn't mention more about the plot as it is totally unoriginal and unworthy of a mention. However, the show is still entertaining with Chris Tucker blabbering nonsense and seemingly having a time of his life. Jackie Chan has cut down on the combat sequences and introduced more car chases and gun fights. The wacky duo have still sustained their sense of humour after the previous 2 episodes and it is loads of fun if we do not care about the script. Love the nun's french translation sequence.

***

Thanks to Yining for the birthday present which is a leather accessory with the word gun on it.

Leather Accessory

Got a gift from my sis as well which is a Braun Buffel wallet!

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Shuying's 21st Bday

Shuying shares the same birthday date as me except for the difference of 2 years and I went to her birthday chalet at Sentosa after fetching Ks and Gerald at Habourfront.

Upon arriving, we left our bags in the room and headed to the beach for some photography as the sunset was rather nice.

Sunset @ Siloso Beach

Hiding behind the trees

Light amidst the darkening sky

Coincidentally saw Zl at Siloso beach as well as he had some lifeguard competition. It had been quite a while since i last went Sentosa.

A peacock wondering around on our way back

We returned to the chalet after the sunset and had some food. Most of us were really lazy to barbecue the food and i felt a little bad that Sy's parents and siblings kept serving us the barbecued food. We sat down and ate to our heart's content and there was even chocolate fondue.

Happy 21st Birthday Shuying!

After eating the cake, some of us proceeded to play the bishe bashe arcade game and foosball. My team, including me, were quite lousy at foosball even though i have a foosball table at home. After draining our coins, we then were given some sparklers and the modern sparklers now had evolved to include loud sound effects and more firepower.

Sparklers unite!

Poor Sy got thrown into the swimming pool not once but thrice! Her brothers are so bad! Ha... Headed back home at around 10 pm.

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Foodie and Movie 23rd Birthday (Part 2)

After the movie, Qy, Ys and I went food republic for dinner. Shared quite a lot of food to eat.

Unhealthy food

After our dinner, i met up with Derrick and Gs as they wanted to treat me to dinner at Joo Chiat. Unfortunately, the restaurant which Derrick wanted to go had already closed their order and we decided to have dinner at the nearby food centre instead.

More unhealthy food

Ate only a little as i was very full already. We decided to catch a midnight movie next and headed to Marina Square to watch Evan Almighty.

Evan Almighty is about Evan, a congressman, who is coerced into building a huge arc by God and the animals tag along with him wherever he goes. Evan gets a beard which cannot be cut off and the ancient robe too is hard to get rid of. Yes, it sounds stupid and it is quite stupid. The jokes are far and few in the beginning of the show and only picks up momentum towards the middle. We can see the effort that Steve Carrell puts into the show but bad acting from Lauren Graham as his wife, the dearth of wit and existence of mainly slapstick does not do much to help the show. Bruce Almighty was more refreshing, witty, comical and lively compared to its sequel.

The special effects from the dozens of cute animals, and the special effects from the disaster at the end of the movie is rather impressive, but it is still forgetable and lightweight.

**1/2

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Foodie and Movie 23rd Birthday (Part 1)

Went to Lake Garden Restaurant at Orchard Country Club to have dinner with my family and a few relatives on Friday night. The food there is quite good and i think that the fried fish with sweet sauce and the pork ribs with barbecue sauce is very nice. Enjoyed my dinner there with my family.

Saturday, met up with Qy at Funan to buy an additional gift for Ys's 21st birthday. We bought a Audio Technica headphones and headed to Raffles City to meet up with the rest for lunch at Kuriya Restaurant. Ys's birthday is on 26 August while mine is on 25 August, thus we decided to celebrate our birthdays together.

Ys had booked a room in the restaurant and it is quite cosy inside. We took some time to choose the dishes coz we were all not too familiar with the Japanese words or English translated Japanese words except for Dz and Aaron. We were prepared to pay quite a lot for the food as the room requires us to spend a minimum of $200 there.

Starter (Radish)

Sashimi (either Tai or something else)

Sashimi 2 (either Tai or something else)

Enjoying the food

King Crab dish

Beef Soba

Some fish

Really cute Chawamushi

Nice looking King Crab soup in a hotpot

Fresh Wasabi

Sashimi, prawn and crab sushi

Desserts

Sake!

Birthday Boys

Cake!

We had a satisfying and full meal at the restaurant and the bill per pax was almost 2 times of my one day pay. Most importantly, i think the food is indeed yummy and very well presented. Can't go to these expensive restaurants often though. Thanks to Ys's mum for the voucher and Qy, Ys, Dz and Aaron for the gift.

The room (overlooking in from outside)

Bottles of Sake

Restaurant

Qy, Ys and I were intending to go ktv after our meal as Dz and Aaron had something on after that. However, we reached the partyworld outlet at 4.30 pm instead of 3 pm and they did not allow us to extend after 7 pm for the happy hour package. Thus we decided to watch a movie instead.

We watched Hairspray at Cine and we all think that the movie is fabulous. It is such a jovial, infectiously optimistic, happy and wonderful musical. The opening sequence of Tracy breaking into song and dance immediately planted a smile on every of the audiences' face and the smile never left our faces throughout the entire 2 hours of the movie. I am very sure that this movie will be nominated for Golden Globes Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category next year.

The show is about Tracy Turnblad who is a fan of the Corny Collins Show. As a dancer in the show will be leaving for maternity leave, an audition is held to fill up her place and Tracy and her ditsy friend decide to go for it. The show not only talks about dreams and aspirations, it also doesn't shy away from discussing the racism issues as the movie is set in the 1960s. Imperfect people, i.e. fat Tracy, are also being sidelined and they want to change the public's discriminatory mindset.

The show is perfectly cast as Nikki Blonsky as the optimistic Tracy, John Travolta as the self-conscious mum who cares a lot about her family, Christopher Walken as the encouraging father who supports his daughter's dreams, James Marsden as the incredibly chirpy host of the Corny Collins Show, Zac Efron as the charming dancer on set, Michelle Pfeiffer as the menacing diva and scheming producer of the Corny Collins show, and Amanda Bynes as the cutesy blur gal and good friend of Tracy.

After 2 hours inside the cinema, i seriously did not want the show to stop. The humour, the songs and the dances are so entertaining and energetic that i craved for more.

****

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A surprise gift

I was stunned, lost for words when the head of my section presented me my birthday gift. I was like "What?", followed by a sense of appreciation to my colleagues. I had just known them for 5 weeks and they are so nice to buy a gift for me. It's a Adidas watch and i'll wear it to work from next week onwards. Thanks to Wf for helping to choose the present and printing the birthday card. Really didn't expect it and it was a nice surprise indeed.

Watch

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Department Head Farewell

The head of our engineering department is leaving soon and we went to Samy's Curry at Dempsey Road after work on Wednesday for the farewell dinner.

Group photo before our dinner

The food soon arrived in buckets and was then individually placed on each banana leaf.

The yummy food

There were still more servings topped onto my banana leaf and we were swarmed with so much food on the table. The spices really made me sweat and i guess i won the most "buay tahan spiciness" award.

Trying to finish the massive amount of food

I ate slowly at first and gradually overcame the spiciness to finish all the food on my plate. My stomach was filled to the brim as there were also additional dishes on the table.

Went back home after the satisfying dinner. The food is rather expensive though.

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1 Month of Work

Been working for more than 1 month at my company already. There had been ups and downs in the first few weeks but things are looking at the brighter side recently. I'm getting along fine with my supervisor after all and he does not give me menial chores for me to do. He teaches more relevant and useful stuff to me and i do learn quite a bit from him.

4 more months to go! Sent my van to service this morning at 8 am and luckily i was the first customer of the day. They did not take quite long to secure the engine cover back onto the undercarriage and i was off to work, late.

Anyway, i've been researching the places to go during my exchange and i feel so excited when i see the photos of the cities. Can't wait to go Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Venice, Rome, Budapest, Florence, etc. Gotta wait until feb next year though.

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Van Trouble

My engine cover at the undercarriage of my van became loosened and i have to get it serviced tomorrow. Darn, it will be public transport day to Loyang tomorrow! Really suay that this happened when i need it most as i will be busy these few nights after work.

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Condolences

My deepest condolences to Edwin and his family. Went to his father's wake just now and will be going to help out after work for the next 2 days.

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The Bourne Ultimatum

Watched The Bourne Ultimatum with Qy, Ys, Aaron and Dz at The Cathay after work today. I had really high expectations for The Bourne Ultimatum and i'm glad that the show met my expectations.

The Bourne Ultimatum starts off with the stalking of a journalist who had gotten hold of some sensitive information. The CIA dispatches assassins to eliminate him and Bourne gets into their way. The cat and mouse game officially starts and Bourne uses his intellect, acute senses, and experience to avoid being caught by the numerous globe trotting assassins. Don't be mistaken, this is not just a normal action thriller. This show is a top notch spy action thriller which features gorgeous European locales, efficient, effective and fast film editing, intense chase sequences, a rather unique style of motion cinematography, and finally an intelligent script.

This movie does not joke around; this movie does not pander to the young crowd by introducing humour which is not relevant to the atmosphere of the film. I can count the number of time i laughed in the movie which is once. Lives can be lost with just a press of a handphone button, or a gentle pull of a trigger. It is no joking matter and we follow Bourne with his dangerous journeys across Europe and finally culminating in United States.

Matt Damon is Jason Bourne and he assumes the role very well regardless of the fights, the chases or the characterization. Bourne is weary of the crimes that he had to commit in order to save himself and the guilt seems to affect him more and more each time. Marie's unfortunate demise in the second part of the Bourne trilogy is still haunting him and he can never seem to forget her. Bourne is trapped and he is still searching for answers that will solve the mystery of his forgotten past.

I enjoyed this movie thoroughly and it kept me at the edge of my seat during all the chase sequences. Although the car chase sequence is less spectacular than what i previously imagined it to be, the combat fights and jumping from rooftops to windows and vice versa are quite cool. Some of the twists in the storyline are quite brilliant as well. Director Paul Greengrass had done another superb job with his third parter of the Bourne series. Part 4, anyone?

****1/2

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881

Watched 881 with Jiekai after work on Tuesday at Lido. 881 is a flashy, humourous and poignant film by local filmmaker Royston Tan. 881 is about two young woman who aim to make it big in the getai scene. They are the Papaya Girls aka 881 and they seek the Getai Goddess for better voices and popularity. The Durian Girls stand in their way and only one champion duo will emerge.

881 is actually a comedy, musical and drama rolled into one. The aunty or mother of Guan Yin is incredibly funny and natural in her acting as well. She has impeccable comic timing and her role in the movie provides pure entertainment. Mindee Ong is charismatic as one half of the Papaya Girls and her screen presence is definitely better compared to Yeo Yann Yann. May and Choy are riotous as the Durian Girls and we can't help but laugh out loud when they talk in their broken Chinese.

However, the climatic fight between the Durian Girls and Papaya Girls is disappointing and flat. The comedy in the show rocks, but i can't say that i love the musical aspect of the show. Although the sets and costumes are flamboyant and they set the standard for future local musicals, they can be more glitzy, flashy, and energetic. The side story of Big Papaya and her resenting mother does not evoke any emotions in me at all.

Still, this movie is worthy to be seen for its pure conviction in introducing getai once again and celebrating Singapore's little piece of history. The hospital sequence is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie and it is pensive and incredibly touching. "Techno" rulez....

***

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Knocked Up

Watched Knocked Up with Derrick on Monday night at Great World City. The movie is strictly for adults only as there are many adult jokes which children won't understand. The show is about Alison who went to celebrate her job promotion but got herself pregnant when she was drunk instead. The father of the child is a penniless, jobless and immature guy who stays with his weirdo friends, and Alison tries to get to know him better for the sake of their child.

There are quite a lot of funny moments in the show with many sexual references, and it is honest, down-to-earth, and realistically portrayed at the same time. The relationship problems which surfaced are indeed very real and it is insightful and reflective of the general differences in thought processes between males and females. The cast is awesome as well, and Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogan are amicable and provide good chemistry as the nice turned bickering mismatched couple. Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are incredible in their supporting roles as well.

This show is a combination of comedy, romance and drama, and it does quite well in each genre, bolstered by the cast performances.

***1/2

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Anthony's Farewell Dinner

Met up with Ys and Qy for a ktv session at Partyworld Chinatown and we spent 4 hours singing until our throats were almost sore.

We then met up with Anthony, Sf, Kv, Kevin and David after our karoake to have dinner together as Anthony will be flying off to Netherlands on Wednesday night for attachment and exchange. After walking around Clark Quay area for some time, we finally decided on Manhattan Fish Market.

Flamed prawns platter

Group photo at restaurant

It was nice to catch up with them as i haven't talked to some of them for some time. It was kind of funny to know that my name is still in the lab list while i won't be attending school this semester.

After our dinner, we searched for another place to sit down and have some coffee.

Passed by a Japanese pasta shop with many colourful plastic pasta

We finally settled down at Starbucks and chatted until 11.30 pm before the last train leaves.

Group Photo 2

All the best to Anthony's industrial attachment and i'll should be seeing him after half a year when i go for exchange! Wohoo...

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Busy Day

Went to sing ktv at kbox cine in the morning with Ks and we went for some shopping after that. Bought another G2000 shirt and it is quite worth it as the original price of the shirt (with cufflinks) was $59 and it’s now at a discounted price of $23.

Headed to Maju Camp next for my ippt as my window period for ippt will be closing in less than 2 weeks time. It was a really dreary feeling when I entered the camp as I feel anxious and worried, quite similar to the feeling when I’m unprepared for a test. Anyway, being the kiasu one, I was one of the first few who registered for the number tag. Became James Bond for 1 hour 15 minutes as my number tag was 007.

I didn’t prepare much for my ippt and I was quite glad with myself for passing all the 4 stations. Trained for my chin-ups just 1 week before as chin-ups has always been my weaker station. I’m too lazy to run as usual and it had been almost a year since I ran anything more than 1 km.

Ok, the 2.4 run was really bad for me. After running about 2 minutes, I felt an excruciating pain from my stomach that I almost wanted to give up halfway. I was practically walking mostly throughout the rest of my route. At the last round, 2 guys overtook me and 1 of them said to me “Commando, you walk” in a mocking fashion. Firstly, I’m not from Commando. Secondly, I’m wearing Guards pt attire.

I was rather surprised that he said that to me. Later, I realized that most of the rest taking ippt were wearing normal pt attire and I probably appeared more prominent since I’m tall as well. Was a little embarrassed with myself after crossing the finishing line as many of the people ran faster than me. Many of them were older than me as well. I gotta exercise (especially run) more!

After the ippt, i headed back home to shower before going back out to watch movie with Stephen. We watched Disturbia, a thriller which involves voyeurism and crime. The show starts with a horrific traffic accident that introduces the young and rash Kale. Next, he gets convicted for assault and is punished to be under house arrest for 30 days. Voyeurism gets the better of him and he notices his hot neighbour as well as another neighbour who seems to be a suspicious character who had previously committed some murders.

The show is humourous in the first half and thrilling in the second half. Character development is the key for making this movie work and it makes us feel for the characters and the circumstances that they are going through. The videocam sequence is chillingly real and it scared the hell out of most people in the theatre. Shia LaBeouf does a good job as the lead of the comedy and scare fest combined. An intriguing and compelling show with some really good scares indeed.

***1/2

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SingFest 2007

Qy got his 2 complimentary tickets to the concert at Fort Canning Park from his friend and i get to go for free! (One night pass costs $150 and 2 nights pass cost $200) The concerts are held for 2 nights only on 8 and 9 Aug and it is the most ROCK concert that i had ever been too. (Actually this is the first rock concert that i been to) Anyway, there are lots of expats there and i think about 50% of the crowd are caucasians.

I didn't really know that there were no chairs provided and many people were sitting on the grass.

The crowd

The view

Sasha Bach Band performing

Denise Keller was the presenter of this event for dunno what channel and i snapped several shots of her.

Denise Keller

After Sasha Bach Band performance, it was Shaggy's turn and he brought the atmosphere to a new high. While many people were sitting down before, they got up and were moving along with the beat. Shaggy helped to liven up the show with his banter with the audience and perpetual requests for cheers.

I saw a caucasian mother gyrating with the music and seems to have a wonderful time. She encouraged her young son to move along with the music although he seemed a little reserved and self conscious to do so. Comparatively, asians are more self conscious about their behaviour while caucasians are less uptight with their actions. Qy and i were sitting at the end of the center area on the stone steps and we feel a bit out of the action.

The energy is contagious!

We moved forward towards the stage after Shaggy's performance.

A short break between performances

There were DJs spinning records during the breaks as well to keep the audience entertained. They had to shift the equipment around during the breaks to prepare for the next performance.

The Stranglers on stage

Our ears were receiving a lot of really loud rock music and it was a bit uncomfortable to have my ears listen to such loud music. Some people know that i listen to music quite loudly when i'm plugged in to my earphones but the music that i hear during the concert is like 4 times louder. Those people who hate rock music will definitely be out of the venue in a flash.

Cyndi Lauper was next on the list and she got the atmosphere going as well. I seriously didn't know that she can sing rock. I only know she sang some famous songs like True Colours (ballad) before and didn't know that she can rock. She was walking left, right, center and even walked down the stage to sing among with the audience. The audience loved it as well when she sang her classic songs.

The highlight of the night was her song with Shaggy and it was cool to have people from two different generations making music together.

Cyndi Lauper

Next up was Sugar Ray and he got everyone going as well. Great stage presence as usual and the lead singer was prancing around the stage and joking with the audience.

Sugar Ray singing and playing instruments

Second shot

We stayed from 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm and i was half deaf when i came out. The speakers at the concert were really huge and blasting. Tired as i spent 14 hours outside from home.

If there was a Daughtry, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Linkin Park, and Evanescence concert here, I would definitely go without a doubt. (But of course, it won't happen)

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