Month: November 2006

Categories
Diary

Motor Show Singapore 2006

Every time when there is a motor show in Singapore, you know for sure that Robert and I will be there. Armed with our cameras (this time round I have my own), we took pictures of the cars that were worth photographing and models who are stunning. I have to admit that initially it was a bit uncomfortable to point my camera at the models (upon which the models would strike a pose). Towards the end, it was like a second nature. I don’t know how these models can sustain that sort of posture and photogenic smile throughout the show. It is a talent I suppose.

Categories
I See I Write

Channel [V] Rocks!

When I first heard that Channel [V] was going to be available in Singapore, I was ecstatic. I miss the old MTV that played music videos and not those teen programs like today. When I first heard that Channel [V] is only available with a digital cable box, I headed straight to StarHub and swapped my old analogue box with the digital one. Face it, the digital box was out for many months but I just did not bother (though it is free).

At the customer servicing center, I was staring at the not-too-customer-centric product offering menu. Ended up have to pay S$12 for Channel [V] and a bunch of others that I most probably will not watch. I looked at the sales person and asked, “You mean I have to pay for Channel [V]? I swap the box because of Channel [V] only!”. Eyes watery and all … then the sales person looked at me sympathetically and said, “Look, I can offer you a half price trial plan for 3 months” and I replied, “Deal!”.

Took me hours to get the new box to work with my arcane system (turned out that my VCR interferes with the RF output of the new box) but it was all worth it. The image is much clearer and now I have Channel [V]! And of course, Cynthia is very delighted by the new TV experience. She just loves TV.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Casino Royale – My Favourite Bond Movie

casino_royale.jpg

When it was first announced that Daniel Craig would be the new Bond, I was grossly disappointed. Not that I am an enthusiast towards the 007 franchise. To me, a Bond movie is one that is full of explosions, actions with James Bond surrounded by beautiful women driving beautiful cars. Easily forgettable plots with not much to get out from the acting department. What was the last three Bond movies about? I have not got a clue.

Daniel Craig played a different Bond. Probably that has to do with the plot as well because Craig is supposed to play the very first Bond character and that set the difference (coincidentally Batman Begins is also my favorite one amongst all the Batman franchise). Throughout the movie, we see a Bond who was still learning his way, making mistakes, and we get to see a Bond who really sweat it out throughout the movies inflicted with wounds and not to forget to mention, that near death experience. Not only that, we see a vulnerable side of Bond who fell in love, outplayed by opponents, and finally a Bond with character – arrogance and courage. And hat off to Craig, he played a darn good Bond.

Even the Bond girl played by Eva Green was so unlike any other Bond girls I have seen (I adore her the most). Her appeal was the inner beauty and her intelligence and the wittiness that radiated from her dialogs.

Casino Royale is definitely my favorite Bond movies out of all that I have seen.

Categories
Diary

Gosh … This Is Gonna Take Long

Ideas are dangerous. Not long ago, my band-mate Jason suggested that I shall start recording all the songs that I have written since 95 and make it a historical compilation. If I am to spend just 1 hour to record each song, that would be a 150 man-hours little project of mine. Truth been told, last night took me about 4 hours to record the first 3 songs. It is actually quite a lot of work. I need to readjust the key, drop the parts that I don’t like, rewrite the chorus, rewrite some of the lyrics so that I can, believe it or not, breath in between the sentences, and on top of that, I have to record each song in a state that at least it is pleasing to the ears.

I joked to Jason that if I am to produce songs faster than I record my own songs in this “historical compilation”, I may never get to finish this project in my lifetime.

PS. Photo taken in one of the restaurants in Orchard … a lovely picture as the wallpaper for mobile phones.

Categories
Travel Blog

Road Trip to Cameron Highland

The Smokehouse

I thought I was taking my mom and sister to Fraser Hill, Malaysia but Cynthia has booked us into Cameron Highland for a night instead. Sticking to the speed limit took us nine hours to reach the hotel. Heavy rain and road work slowed us down a bit. Just imagine, a mere 10% increased in traveling speed can easily shave off close to an hour of traveling time. It is mind boggling to imagine if I was to go another 10% …

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Winkie – A Book Worth Reading

Winkie is a book about a teddy bear came alive. And I cannot believe that I got hooked with a teddy bear story and I did. Winkie is a modern day portrait of terrorism, propaganda, and religious faith. As a teddy bear of 80 years old, Winkie has seen it all. The story began with Winkie being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was arrested for a crime that he did not commit and the entire story evolves around how this teddy bear came alive only to get himself a misfortune after another.

Winkie is a dark comedy. This book will make you laugh and it will make you cry as well. What I learned the book is that every little step in life is a miracle and it takes a certain act of faith to realise that.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Step Up – A Must Watch for Dancing Enthusiasts

I stand corrected. Even for those who can’t dance, like me, go and watch “Step Up”. A truly inspiring film especially for Cynthia and myself who enjoyed every single bit of the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” (which by the way, go and watch it too).

Lately I realized that dancing is an art parallel to music. Dancers are passionate towards their dances – more so than any kind of art form. There is nothing ground breaking in term of “Step Up”‘s storyline. But it is the dance choreography and execution that captivated my heart throughout the show. For the final scene, I couldn’t help but to tap my feet to the rhythm with my heart soared with excitement. It was truly an inspiration even for a non-dancer like me. Don’t miss “Step Up”. The movie does have one take home message though … find out what your dream in life is, want it badly, and go get it. That’s the spirit.

Official website for “Step Up” can be found in Myspace.com or click here.

Categories
I See I Write

VivoCity – The Latest Mall in Singapore Probably the Largest

Two weeks ago I took my mother and sister to VivoCity and just covering the walkways took us three hours. Today I took Cynthia (after her FRM exam!) to VivoCity and we went straight to my favorite Japanese restaurant …

Shin Kushiya – #02-120/1/2 – Tel: 62758766

The food is pretty good and I particularly like the varieties. It is pretty pricey though. For evening dinning, reserve a table by the window and you get to feast on the beautiful shoreline of Sentosa as well.

Categories
Diary

My PC Exploded On Me

Avid readers of this site (and my close friends) know that despite the fact that I graduated with a Computer Science and Engineering degree, my computer at home just hates me. In the latest twist of episode, it just exploded on me tripping the fuse box of my very home – two counts. As I disseminated this unfortunate yet scary events to my friends, the common reactions from the guys were to discuss the “why” question (Mark messaged me with a question: Did you take a photo?). Girls were more empathetic. It was after all a scary event especially when I was home alone.

I sent my PC for repair the very next day and spent S$200 (S$30 for service fee) to replace my defunct Power Supply Unit with a top of line component. Fortunately, the expensive stuffs inside the PC are all safe and sound. The technician did warn me about what may happen … that stuffs inside may be fried.

Categories
Announcement

Website Revamp – Scheduled to Reopen on Nov 24

Dear all, my good friend Mark has just migrated my old website into this one with a new “engine” relocating the server from US to Singapore. From now till end of the month, I will be revamping the contents to make it more in line with the “modern” blog-world. Thank you for your support over the years and please do come back later for the “Grand Opening”!

Have a nice day!

Progress …

Stage 1 – Completed

* found a new website template * created a temporary banner * manually copy and paste the old blogs into the new “WordPress” blogging engine * manually inserted the respective comments while preserving the author name and timestamp * categorised the blog entries * configured the left and right sidebar items * added the links of my friends’ URLs into Blogroll

Stage 2 – Completed

* converted some of the “blog-like” the Articles items into blogs * resized some of the images for lower resolution screens * transferred the article comments into blog section * re-categorised the Article section

Stage 3 – No Clue

* redesign the banner * finalise the blog categories * re-defining what the Article section is to be … perhaps like an online newspaper? * need a sitemap? * any other enhancements?