1st Day of Work

Yes, I had just started work today finally and I feel like I prefer studying already. Maybe it's because I did not have enough rest the previous day.

What I enjoyed about studying is the tremendous flexibility that we have; we can choose to attend or skip lectures, choose to answer questions or copy down answers in tutorials, plan our own study timetable for exams, etc. However for work, the flexibility is reduced to a minimum as we are now employees.

I do get grouchy when I do not have enough rest sometimes.

Read more...

The Hangover

Got back from my 6 day reservist on Saturday afternoon and went to watch The Hangover at night with my jc friends. The review and synopsis are as follows.

When one of their best friends goes missing, three groomsmen played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis must retrace their last 40 hours at the Caesars Place bachelor party where they lost him. They must now figure out what happened in their drunken stupor and save their about-to-be-wed friend.

The Hangover is an outrageously funny and well-scripted comedy that depicts a bachelor party gone wild and crazy. This show is way over the top in terms of insanity but way over the top in terms of entertainment level as well. The cast is superb in their comic timing and they deliver the jokes brilliantly, especially Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms who are the offbeat and neurotic characters in the show.

Despite the movie being crude, vile, and even racially offensive, it still shines with the strong comedic cast and better than average comedy script. This movie is definitely on the top of my list for the funniest show this year.

***1/2

Read more...

Reservist

Will be away for a one week reservist starting from tomorrow. :(

Read more...

Marina Barrage at night

Ed, Gs, Yl and I went to the famous bak kut teh in Balestier after the movie for supper. We then headed to Marina Barrage next with some snacks to enjoy the night scenery there.

Famous Bak Kut Teh restaurant

Some dishes

On top of the building at Marina Barrage

View of Singapore Flyer

Dam at night

Visitor Centre

Read more...

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with Ed, Gs and Yl yesterday at Balestier. The review and synopsis are as follows.

Lord Voldermort is wreaking havoc throughout Britain as Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts. The pressure to defeat the Dark Lord grows stronger in the young wizard. Using an old Potions Book which previously belonged to the 'Half-Blood Prince', Harry is able to increase his magical knowledge and prepare for battle. However, he must first help Dumbledore discover the secret to Voldermort's quest for immortality - the location of his Horcruxes. But the quest for the Horcruxes and the resulting battle at Hogwarts produce a tragic outcome - leading Harry to believe that he must head out on his own to conquer the Dark Lord.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is one of the funniest and also one of the darkest Harry Potter series as Voldermort extends his grip with his expanding group of Deatheaters and the immense havoc they are about to create. The movie starts off with the destruction of Millenium Bridge in London and the evil seeks to penetrate from within Hogwarts with the help of Draco Malfoy. Harry, Ron and Hermione have more room to showcase their acting chops this time round with more character development in their respective roles.

Love, infatuations and teen crushes get more airtime as the former kids are now full fledged teens, and they generate more laughter and emotions with the ensuing jealousy, love potion concoctions, harmless flirtations, and the tender heartache when one is not able to be with the desired person. Also, the special effects are grand and visually impressive, the storytelling deft and experienced, and the story engaging and entertaining.

At a duration of 153 minutes, I barely felt its length and i wanted more. I think that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is one of the best in the Harry Potter movie series so far, despite the many loose ends that it leaves hanging in the air when the movie ends.

****

Read more...

The Taking of Pelham 123

Went to watch The Taking of Pelham 123 with Daryl yesterday at Vivo. The review and synopsis are as follows.

Tony Scott directs this remake of the original 1974 "The Taking Of Pelham 123" where Subway train Pelham 123 becomes the focal point of an audacious terrorist attack. A subway dispatcher (Denzel Washington) goes against a group of hijackers lead by Ryder (John Travolta), that take over a subway train in order to obtain a hefty ransom. The ransom must reach them within an hour or they'll start killing the hostages in the train.

The storyline of this movie is rather straightforward but the director keeps us engaged in the thriller with the experienced cast and fluid storytelling. Denzel Washington is impressive as the dispatcher who keeps his cool despite the different verbal aggravations imposed onto him, while John Travolta has a similarly strong run in his role as the psychotic and manic hijacker who kills without blinking an eye.

The two male leads meet head to head in a nailbiting climatic chase and they form the crux of this thriller with their good dramatization and character development. Two thumbs up for the good acting as well as the high thrill factor.

****

Read more...

Jim's Commencement

Went to celebrate Jim's commencement on Sat night. We had dinner at Ma Maison at The Central and went to Timbre @ Mt Sophia next for some drinks. Derrick arrived late and we headed to Ice Cold Beer at Emerald Hill for more drinks.

Trying Grolsch beer from waiter's recommendation

Yl and Mb

Japanese curry rice

Seafood Paella

Chicken Steak with Madeira sauce

Roast duck pizza

Timbre @ Mt Sophia

Ice Cold Beer @ Emerald Hill

Congrats to Jim's commencement although he will be studying for Masters.

Read more...

German Food

Paulaner Brauhaus recently had a 10th anniversary promotion and some of my jc friends went to have dinner there. Most of us ordered pork knuckle and the difference in taste between what we ate in Germany and what we ordered in Paulaner was too apparent.

Roasted Pork Knuckle (Paulaner Singapore)

Boiled (Pickled) Pork Knuckle (Bratwursthaus in Nuremberg)

The pork knuckle in Bratwursthaus in Nuremberg, Germany, is really delicious and I could never forget how tender, soft, juicy and yummylicious the pork knuckle was.

Read more...

Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs

Went for dim sum lunch buffet at Dragon Gate Restaurant in Harbourfront Centre earlier today with Qy and Ys. $14.80++ per pax turned out to be $19 per pax with the addition of wet towels, peanuts, service charge and gst. I would not have complained about the price if the food was good anyway.

Went to watch Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs after lunch. The review and synopsis are as follows.

The characters from the Ice Age series are back with Scrat still trying to catch the ever-elusive nut; Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth; and Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he brings back some dinosaur eggs. The gang ventures into a mysterious underground dinosaur world where they have to overcome many obstacles to rescue the hapless Sid.

Ice Age 3 is a family friendly show that is not only funny but wildly entertaining. In Ice Age 1 and 2, Scrat had been the scene stealer with his over the top antics and comical edge. In Ice Age 3, the ante is upped with the addition of Scrat's nemesis cum lover, generating even more humour this time round. The characters in this animation are lively and full of charm, especially the baby dinosaurs which are guaranteed to melt all the hearts of the audiences.

Ice Age 3 provides a conventional story about heroes overcoming many setbacks to save the victim. However, the adventure journey is fun, enjoyable and definitely heartwarming.

***1/2

Read more...

My Views

I would like to reiterate my views which had been published more than a year ago. This post is ever more relevant today in the light of some recent events.

Wisdom of the Day

I shall repeat the content below again as these words can be easily forgotten.

When we are angry we say the most atrocious things. We forget ourselves and become indifferent to what we say. We blast the other person without mercy, although we may not mean those words. But words once spoken cannot be taken back and it takes a long time to forgive and forget. It is very important for us to control ourselves when we are angry. We have to exercise self-control.

Extracted from http://www.geocities.com/lauho08/words.html

Anger sometimes can be a very explosive emotion to deal with. Personally when i cannot control it sometimes, it is written all over my face. I'm not saying that we should always try to suppress anger but there should be sufficient restrain involved. Sometimes, confrontation is inevitable but always try to do so with reason and logic. What different are we from animals if we do not exercise control over irrational behaviour that negatively impacts other people?

Read more...

Duplicity

Watched Duplicity earlier in the day with Mb and Clarence at The Cathay. The review and synopsis are as follows.

Duplicity is a story about long-time lovers, Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and Ray Koval (Clive Owen), who happened to work as spies on opposite sides. Both of them team up, staging an elaborate con to rip off corporations and steal a valuable product.

This film by Tony Gilroy is a smart, slick and well-crafted comic caper that features thespians like Julia Roberts, portraying an intelligent and confident woman who was formerly a CIA agent, and Clive Owen, portraying an ex-MI6 agent who is both career-driven and deeply in love with Claire. There are numerous plot twists and most of them will catch audiences unaware of the story development.

Despite the good direction and acting, the script may be too overloaded for audiences to fully appreciate this light-hearted con caper. This film is sophisticated fun if the pacing of the movie were to be hastened just a bit and some of the excessive plot twists reduced in quantity.

***

Read more...

Drag Me To Hell

Went to collect my graduation gown at Serangoon Broadway earlier today with some of my uni friends. Watched Drag Me to Hell after that at Vivo. The synopsis and review are as follows.

A decision to deny an extension of a home loan to an old woman, Mrs Ganush (Lorna Raver), causes Christine (Alison Lohman) to become the recipient of a supernatural curse. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a sceptical boyfriend, Christine seeks help from a seer to break the curse and save her soul from eternal damnation.

Drag Me To Hell by Sam Raimi of the Spiderman trilogy is a consistently entertaining horror show which infuses bits of comedy as well. The fast paced show keeps audiences at the edge of their seats with its engaging storytelling and amicable characters. Christine, who is facing problems promoting in her work life, has problems in establishing good relationships with her boyfriend's parents, and also faces major problems when the curse begins to take into effect.

It is a exciting thrill ride which does not scrimp on the shocks, scares, or gore. Kudos to Sam Raimi for packing in the substance in the usually lacklustre Hollywood horror genre.

***1/2

Read more...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Flew back to Singapore on 30 June and had been busy sorting photos over the past few days.

Went to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with my jc friends on Sat. The review and synopsis are as follows.

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

To put it plainly, Transformers 1 was much better. Transformers 1 had the novelty factor, some story, more character development and more intense action. Revenge of the Fallen is utterly predictable, and contains a contrived and full of clichés story.

Granted that Revenge of the Fallen has more action in general comparatively, the increased action sequences was not able to compensate for the lack of intelligent storytelling. Without substance in the story, the filmmakers deliberately lengthened the headache inducing action for dramatic effect by making the characters in the movie run a long distance instead of taking the readily available transformers vehicles.

The dearth of character development also meant a lack of connection to the characters, resulting in mind blowing action which is already desensitized and lacking the oomph factor. If there were no entertaining snippets of comedy and the special effects were not in top form, this show is nothing but a heap of rubbish.

**1/2

Read more...