Sense and Shoi-bility

2006-11-07T00:11:00.000+08:00

Yo peeps.

I've moved to a new blog at Wordpress: Inevitability.

Cheers.

Constant Vigilence

2006-10-29T12:52:00.000+08:00

2 weeks of work have passed and working life has been hectic. So is that good or bad?

I guess it's so far so good. I don't dread going to work each morning (yet?) although neither do I look forward to a new day of work too. I'm suddenly exposed to a very interesting and colorful environment, and I get to learn a lot each day - so I guess that's a pro. And my bosses are pretty nice, humorous and easy to get along despite their high status. So that's fantastic too, though I seem to feel all the time that they expect quite a lot from their subordinates, and that could be stressful if I let it be.

You might have noticed that I haven't mention where I work at. Well, I can't. Cause if I do, then I can't tell all the juicy gossip and office politics that go on in there. And there's a TRUCKLOAD of those.

In fact, on my very first day of work, my boss spent a morning explaining all the politics going on in the department. She even apologized for bringing me in at such a bad time because the department is currently in a state of political turmoil. All the players there (not including lowly staff like me and all the other people who sit in the same office, of course) are rich, powerful, knowledgeable, well-respected and highly regarded. And some of them are simply trying to claw (and I mean claw literally) their way up to the top, bringing down the others standing in their way at no cost at all.

Let's just make the story short: The big big boss is the close relative of a BIG BIG BIG person in our country. And this person is so damn powerful that this person only speaks to 2 subordinates - one of my 2 bosses and this evil char bor, lets call her BD (Black Devil) for short. So you can figure out that these 2 persons are the next 2 important people in the department. I think I'm damn lucky that I work under one of them and he happens to be of the the nice ones in this war, people who just want to do their work well and find all this politics unnecessary and disappointing. BD is the current head of the department and she's evil cause she has just gotten 2 of the nice ones fired by back stabbing them in front of the big big boss.

Now being fired is scary because you won't expect people in this occupation to get fired unless they do some damn dreadful things like causing deaths of others accidentally. Morever the 2 persons were highly regarded in their field. And now every other of the nice ones are damn scared cause it could have been them too. The environment is so tense for them and they now have to watch their mouths, their hands AND their backs. Damn sian la cause they have loads of work to do aside of all this.

It kinda shocked me, and to an extent, disgusted me to know all of these because I wouldn't have expected people in that occupation to be doing childish and despicable acts like stabbing others in the back and even getting them fired by the big boss.

However life has never failed to surprise me. And there's all sorts of people in the world.

But at the end of the day, it's NONE OF MY BUSINESS.

Because firstly, I don't dab in office politics. Either I like you, or I don't. I'm probably good at pretending that I like someone and can be friendly and all, even when all I want to do might just be to set the person's hair on fire. But I don't like to do so, and I won't do so. Because I like life to be simple and things to be uncomplicated and I don't want to taint my soul. I'm not a saint but being despicable and deceitful is not my style.

I just have to do my own part well. Build a good reputation. And gain the trust of my bosses. Gives no bloody idiot an excuse or reason to stab me in the back. And whichever fucking idiot dares to do so, at least there's hope that my bosses would back me up.

Currently only one fucking bitch has been mildly rude to me and I'm not even sure if what she has done could have been considered as rude, but I am already considering catching and putting cockroaches into her drawer to give her a nice surprise. Because one fucking thing that I hate is people being rude to me as I happen to be a very polite person even if that's not how I appear to be. I won't see her often so I doubt that there will be any more of such unpleasant encounters. If there's, then she better watches out because it won't be just cockroaches. I can promise that.

Overall, I quite like and enjoy my job though I can't say the same for the politics aspect because it's tiring to be on constant vigilence and to watch my mouth, hands AND back all the time.

A carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee

2006-10-13T21:03:00.000+08:00

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?"

"Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

来人！有刺客！

2006-10-12T16:33:00.000+08:00

Time is one ruthless killer.

When I was young (cue: still in primary school), time had passed so slowly for me, especially during the June and Dec school holidays. I think that I didn't really fancy holidays in the past cause I'd liked to go to school where I could play with all my friends and learn new things. I liked going to school early before the flag-raising ceremony so that I could play hop-scotch or chasing
with my friends. I liked PE lessons when I could play ball games (I think I didn't really enjoying running). I liked Art & Craft lessons when I could draw and paint. I liked Music lessons when we could play the recorders, or sometimes the triangles. I liked my ECA hours (nowadays, hell, no kid will understand what ECA is. It's all CCAs now. bah.). I loved the excursions, the Science experiments at the labs.

And when it was the holidays, there was none of this and I thought time passed too slowly. The holidays seemed to last forever. I was always like, hell, let time pass faster and let me grow up faster so that I could do more things than I was allowed now.

And then the devil must have heard me cause time never slows down since then. Don't you think that time seems to pass faster as we grow older? Scientifically, of course it never does. Time is still the same, 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year (only for normal case anyway). But I think when we get older, there's more and more
things that we need to do and want to do. It ends up that time never seems enough for some of us these days.

Time is fortunately still enough for me because I think it's always a matter of choice and I like to have time for myself and my family. But time is passing too quickly. 11 years ago, I just passed my PSLE exams with flying colors. 7 years ago, I just finished "O" levels. 5 years ago I just proudly graduated from NJC. 4 months ago I just ended my schooling life. Suddenly I'm 23 and bloody hell, next year is the bloody Year of Pig again. Bloody hell. And I'm going to be bloody 24. And then I now look at my life and wonder what I've done with it.

Or what I've not done. Seems to be a lot worse when I look at it this way. Suddenly 23 years have passed with a blink of the eye and I seem to be still at the exact spot where I've started out 23 years ago. Square One? Damn depressing cause if there's one thing that man can never change, there will be the hand of Time - like some bloody spoilt clockwork that no one can never
push back once it started moving its ass. Bloody Time.

And as much as I would like to deny, I still look back to some events in my life, some friends that I used to have, and ask myself if I've done the right thing, would things turn out differently if I've done it this way instead of that. As if it is seriously of any use because regretting is one useless piece of shit. Even if I was given a second chance, I might still have done things the same way. I would have liked to be the kinda person when asked if he or she has done anything that he or she has regretted, to be able to say proudly in that person'a face N-O, NO!

But then I grow up to realise that I'm just as vulnerable as anyone out there, as fallible and as insignificant. Not sure if this is a good thing afterall because I thought man grows up to be wiser. Am I any not wiser? Or am I wiser because there's this quote from Gandhi that goes like : "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." So I guess it's perfectly normal to self-doubt and no, I'm not going to suffer from depression. Because depressed people don't gain weight.

A weird name.

2006-10-12T14:56:00.000+08:00

My sister has the weirdest thoughts sometimes.

That day, she suddenly had this idea that 有人 sounds like a nice name. I was like, yucks you must be kidding me. That's a funny name. Your kid will curse you for life if you give him that name cause his friends are going to make fun of him in school. And she was all like, what child? I'm not going to have any children in the future. You are going to bear me a nephew and I'm going to name my nephew 有人 in the future.

I was like, siao. Nephew?! What nephew?! I'm like so left on the shelf. And even if I do have children, I must be equally siao to name him 有人 just for you. And she was like oblivious to what I was saying at all and went off mumbling how I must find someone with a surename like 梅 to marry so that my child can have a name like 梅有人 (没有人). Then continued to laugh wildly at her own joke.

Biang. How come I have a sister like that? =)

Different perspectives.

2006-10-12T14:46:00.000+08:00

I don't know about you but I love the 《无间道》 trilogy. In times when the Hong Kong movie industry was declining, and all the glory and glamour that once belonged to the Hong Kong movie-makers had almost faltered, 《无间道》 came along. Armed with the confidence to reboost the Hong Kong movie industry, it did do so. When the Hong Kong films were beginning to suck terribly in terms of storylines and plots, till the extent that even the superb acting skills of veterans like Tony Leung couldn't even make up for it, 《无间道》 saved their world. Not just with the excellent performances of the cream of the crop of the Hong Kong actors, but also with an intriguing and exciting never-been-seen-before plot and breath-taking directing. And of course, it helped that 《无间道》 is about what the Hong Kongers do best: the world of the Chinese secret society.

It wasn't just the cast (Andy Lau!!!!) that attracted me. Wasn't the secret society factor too. I like the Buddhism in the movies. I'm not a religious person but I do draw many of my principles and thinking from Buddhism. And I agree with the idea of 无间地狱 where evil-doers don't even get the luxury of dying and ending everything once and for all. Instead they have to kinda like be burnt eternally in hell. Makes anyone (probably if you do have a soul in the first place) to do a double take about doing evil.

When I heard that Brad Pitt bought the rights to the Hong Kong trilogy and was planning to do his own Hollywood version, part of me was very interested to see how the American is going to portray it in Hollywood style, and the other part of me was going to see how the stupid ang mohs are going to screw up because they can never match up to the Hong Kong version when Hong Kongers are so good at the gangster style.

So imagine my surprise when I read everywhere that Martin Scorsese (also director of "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator") did the most fabulous job of "The Departed" (Hollywood's version of "Infernal Affairs")! The movie is not only topping movie charts everywhere in USA, people even agree that it's THE movie for the year, worthy of Oscars.

And Asians agree too. Asians who have seen and understood 《无间道》 agree too. They say that the cast's equally good (I've read that Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello was even more vicious and fun to watch than the character's equivalent, 曾志伟's Sheng-ge) and the plot is even better than the original though it has kept very closely to it. *gasp* The ang mohs have utterly surprised me this time round.

I'm definitely catching the movie. In fact, it's officially released today! Might have a feedback entry after watching the moive so watch out for this space =).

A good read.

2006-10-10T19:56:00.001+08:00

I've just finished Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys". A brilliant book if you ask me. And a brilliant writer too. I first saw recommendations of his works on magazines, but hadn't really made an effort to find and read any of his books. Finally made up my mind and bought that book from Borders last Tuesday.

A really wise choice, now to think about it. I'ts truly hard to classify his novels (he's actually more famous for his comics, being the creator/writer of monthly cult DC Comics horror-weird series, Sandman, which has won him many awards). "Anansi Boys" has been a mixture of myth, some romance, a bit of dark humor and even a little of horror. Hard to classify properly but nevertheless an exciting read. The contents have little logic because there's the mythical aspect but yet everything can somehow make sense to you in the end.

Sounds fun right hahah. Get the book. It's fab. I'm going to lay my hands on "American Gods" soon after having placed a reservation at the National Library. It's supposed to be Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel yet, and I think it won him some kinda award too. Hope that it'll turn out to be exhilarating too. =)

I'm so glad that i'm picking up my reading habit once again. I used to read sooo much but it has kinda dwindled after I went to JC. Reading is one of the most useful hobbies I think. I read this quote before that goes something like: There's no difference between a man who doesn't read and a man who can't. How true isn't it?

偶回来了！

2006-10-09T16:59:00.000+08:00

Okok I know that I haven't been blogging in a zillion years. Or almost 3 months to be exact.

Well at least now you know that I'm still alive.

Or you rather me be dead??!

Oh my heart's crushed.

haha I've not been blogging for a simple reason. Blogger has been going bonkers on me a few months back. Everything lagged seriously and sometimes my computer would just shut down itself automatically in the middle of a blog entry. That was definitely enough to drive me utterly nuts ok?! Imagine typing a long and carefully-thought-through entry halfway, and then *zaaappp* the bloody computer just shut down. Without saving the entry. Almost enough to make me take a hammer and han-dum the bloody machine ok.

So I just stopped blogging altogether. LOL.

And another reason is of course because I haven't been too well recently. Not sick as in physically. Physically I'm fine. Even the doc said so today. =) Hell, I even gained like 2 kilograms over the last 4 months after my commencement! You've seen sick people gain weight before?! But mentally, spiritually, yes, I have been a bit tired, a bit lost, a bit of everything negative. I guess graduation from school (for the rest of my life) and entering a totally different phase of my life has that kinda powerful effect on me. And I don't like to blog about negative things all the time. Is that some kinda illness actually? Because I think sometimes I tend to bottle up all the negative stuff. But I also feel that negative stuff and feelings are a bit like all the haze that we've these days, though today it's much better - you might feel better if you release it but it can make other people around you sick and uncomfortable. That's why I don't talk sometimes, I think.

I think it's more or less over now. It had been so bad that I had actually wanted to turn to religion. No offense but you know that it's bad for me when I even thought of something like that. But of course, I didn't. Because if there's something that's similar to a virtue in me, it's probably my determination. Or you can call it stubbornness too. Even in my worse times, I still think that I can do it eventually and if other people can do it, I can do. So stubborn that I can't stand myself sometimes too.

But the gloom's more or less going away now, and I'm glad. I should be happy, so I can't understand when I'm not. However, there's still this empty space, this little bit more, that I need to either fill up soon (but how? I've no idea haha cos sometimes it's not like one hand can clap) or just forget about it like how I've done so all this while. It won't completely cure the problem because one day will come when I remember it again. But that's better than having in gnaw at me all the time.

I need something interesting/exciting to happen to me soon, or else my own life is going to bore me to death. Reminds me of that commercial. I think it was the Navy. Something like "How would it be if your life was to be made into a movie". I can picture all the movie-goers slipping off into Dreamland or cursing the movie, my movie, for wasting their precious money and time.

Will my new job be the one solution? I hope so.

HPI

2006-07-23T18:01:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm sure that you've heard of the Happy Planet Index recently, especially after all that big hoo-ha splashed all over local news papers about "how unhappy Singaporeans have been calculated to be".

Now, aren't we all already accustomed to comparing countries in terms of crude riches or what they trade? Some countries earn, or are given, reputations for music, sporting excellence, food, or as holiday destinations. There are international league tables for performance on a range of issues from corruption to football. But to rank countries according to the level of "happiness" of the people?? Now this is a first.

What exactly is the Happy Planet Index (HPI)? (Source: (Un)Happy Planet Index)

HPI is an innovative new measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world and is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives. HPI incorporates three separate indicators: ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy. The statistical calculations that underlie the HPI are quite complex. However conceptually, it is straight forward and intuitive.

The HPI reflects the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) strips the view of the economy back to its absolute basics: what we put in (resources), and what comes out (human lives of different length and happiness).

The Index doesn’t reveal the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It shows the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens. The nations that top the Index aren’t the happiest places in the world, but the nations that score well show that achieving, long, happy lives without over-stretching the planet’s resources is possible. The HPI shows that around the world, high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being (life-satisfaction), and that it is possible to
produce high levels of well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. It also reveals that there are different routes to achieving comparable levels of well-being.

On a scale of 0 to 100 for the HPI, a score of 83.5 has been set as a reasonable target. This is based on attainable levels of life expectancy and well-being and a reasonably sized ecological footprint. Today, however, the highest HPI is only 68.2, scored by the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The lowest, and perhaps less surprising than some other results, is Zimbabwe’s at 16.6. No country achieves an overall high score and no country does well on all three indicators.

A pattern has been discovered: island nations score well above average in the Index. They have higher life satisfaction, higher life expectancy and marginally lower Footprints than other states. Yet incomes (by GDP per capita) are roughly equal to the world average. Even within regions, islands do well. Malta tops the Western world with Cyprus in seventh place (out of 24); the top five HPI nations in Africa are all islands; as well as two of the top four in Asia. Perhaps a more acute awareness of environmental limits has sometimes helped their societies to bond better and to adapt to get more from less. Combined with the enhanced well-being that stems from close contact with nature, the world as a whole stands to learn much from the experience of islands. However, it doesn't stand true for our little sunny island, does it? Our HPI is a mere 36.1.

And now you can calculate your personal HPI as well. The questions will ask you about where you live, your health, lifestyle, and how you feel about life. The answers you give are used to calculate your own personal score on the Happy Planet Index. I did mine and my personal HPI (35.9) is about the same as our country's. Seems pathetic haha. But I think that the test took into consideration of where I live so I guess that can explain the score.

The Gossips

2006-07-22T19:16:00.000+08:00

I adore celebrity gossips. Yes, not exactly something to flaunt nor to be proud of, and I'm really not a gossip-monger. Well, at least I don't really care about REAL people's gossips. By "real", I meant people around me. Celebrities are not real people. They are so out of my league haha. So yes, their business is my business, and yes, gossip columns are my favorite part of newspapers and magazines.

Lately, being extremely free as usual (no luck with job hunting yet), these few websites have been my daily haunts:

1. Pink Is The New Blog.

2. The Superficial - Because You're Ugly.

3. Perez Hilton.com

4. Go Fug Yourself

Actually these blogs write about more or less about the same celebrities at the same time, but the interesting thing is that they will write pretty different topics on the same photographs. If you only have time for one, just read the first one. It's the best of its kind that I've ever read.

For the latest news from a more objective point of view, minus the sarcasm, read People.com: The #1 Celebrity Site on the Web.

In theirs 40s

2006-07-19T17:51:00.000+08:00

With so many delicious, drool-inducing men in their 40s still taking up male leads, strutting the screen, the big 40s don't seem so scary afterall!

First one up, Keanu Charles Reeves, or just known to everyone else as Keanu Reeves, undoubtedly one of the sexiest male actors on Earth. Despite being 42 (born on 2 September 1964). His father is part Chinese part Hawaiian and his mother is English, making him Eurasian and also giving him his unique good looks. Two of his movies are going to be released soon: A Scanner Darkly (release date: 20 July 2006) and The Lake House (release date: 27th July 2006).

Not sure if I'll be catching the first movie "A Scanner Darkly" because it doesn't really appeal to me. Yet. Anyway it is an animated sci-fi film set in suburban Orange County, California in the future. It imagines a paranoid world in which it seems two of every 10 Americans has been hired by the government to spy on the other 8, in the name of national security and drug enforcement. When one reluctant government recruit (Reeves) is ordered to start spying on his friends, he is launched on a journey into the absurd, where outsourced government contractors largely define the social construct, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode, and where not even his girlfriend can be trusted. The film highlights the inconsistencies and ironic consequences of the war on drugs.

On the other hand, I'll DEFINITELY be watching "The Lake House" when it is released at the end of this month! Not sure if you've ever caught the fantastic Korean movie "Il Mare" (2000) starring Jeon Ji-hyeon and Lee Jeong-jae. But I caught it on tv twice in the past and it moved me everytime I caught it. Well, "The Lake House" is actually a Hollywood version of "Il Mare"! That's why I've been anticipating its release! Moreover, it features cutie Keanu!!!~ What a bonus! Lee Jeong-jae's not that bad but I'm sure that you've never even heard of him haha.

Here's the scope of the film: When Alex Wyler (Reeves) moves into an unusual glass house on stilts over a lake, he discovers a note from the previous tenant in the mailbox--but no one's lived in the house for years. He replies and soon discovers that he's corresponding with a doctor named Kate Forster (Bullock) who's writing from two years in the future. The mailbox outside their house allows time-travelling of the letters! Their correspondence turns romantic and their paths cross in unexpected ways, but when they try to truly connect, danger looms.

And who else is sizzling on screen this July but one of my favourites, Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"?

And he's already 43 (born in 9 June 1963).

How can anyone not LOVE Captain Jack Sparrow?

He's filthy, looks like he needs a good bath, braids his beard with colorful beads, insists on wearing that ridiculous hat of his, walks with an even more ridiculous swagger, mumbles with a heavy accent, and oh, those gold teeth of his!

He's cowardly, he lies, he cheats, he's dishonest, he doesn't care much about his crew (although in the end he did come back for his Black Pearl, but I think that he only cares for his ship, and not the crew haha) or any other people in fact.

But you will still end up liking him very much in the end.

Well, that's the charm of Johnny Depp. Any other actor who plays this role would've screwed up. But NOT Johnny Depp. He IS Captain Jack Sparrow. Even honey Orlando Bloom who looked so delicious in "LOTR" pales in comparison.

Guys really have it lucky for them in terms of the aging process. They can still look so hot in their 40s. Me? Are you kidding? I'm already fearing the big THREE. *gulp*

We all heart HOT men.

2006-07-19T16:09:00.000+08:00

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I think that it's a good idea to really learn something new every single day, well, here's a start:

Fact of the day: The first e-mail was sent over the Internet in 1971. (Source: AskMen.com)

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I think Cristiano Ronaldo is very H.O.T. No matter how guys out there boo and taunt, I still think that this 21-year-old Portugal and Man U player is sizzling hot. It's darn hard to believe that he's only 21 when he's looking like that. I look at him and see a man, not just a boy who has just kinda stepped into adulthood.

So anyway, that wasn't the main point, that day I was surfing the net for his pictures, when I came upon this website that offers some pretty cool pictures. Cristiano looked very cute in all those pictures and plenty of the pictures were nicely photshopped like this one:

So cute right?? So many hearts! And yes, he's HOT.

There were also pictures of him during trainings, on holidays etc etc etc.

Many pictures with him topless and all. Didn't notice anything funny about the whole thing until I kept seeing some pictures that, well, focused on, well, very strange things indeed! Then I read the words that followed the pictures, and the author wrote about also very strange things like "bulge" and all. hahah~ At first, I just took it that the author was refering to his muscles, but well, hmm, ya, she wasn't hahah. *blush*

Then I looked closer at the sidebar of the website which clearly featured many other male celebrities as well and saw this:

Ahhh no wonder. Then I checked up on the authors of the website and found out that they were TWO GUYS, not girls. When I see websites or fansites, featuring hot men, I always naturally think that girls own them. hahah~ I forgot that both girls AND gays LOVE hot men!

That would kindly explains all the, ahem, strange things I kept seeing on that website. Let's just say that girls and gays don't exactly focus on the same parts of beautiful men. And we don't care if a guy likes to wear it on his left, right or any direction at all!

Wallpaper Craze

2006-07-17T14:56:00.000+08:00

It was hilarious. Dia told me that her colleague had this wallpaper, which she set on her laptop in the office, of the Italian football team all topless in swimming trunks. Which of course raised eyebrows (nothing else, unless there's gays around) from everyone within the visible range, i.e. practically everyone in office. It was atrocious haha cause it is so unsuitable in a professional setting. No matter how gorgeous the footballers had looked.

I just knew that I've to dig out that pic. LOL.

Rather than waiting for Dia to ask her friend where she found that, a quick search on Yahoo solved all my problems.

And I found out that instead of the entire Italian football team, only five of them were featured in the advertisement. Ohh quite a disappointment for me! No Totti! How can they not have Totti anyway??!! Bah! But luckily heart-throb Cannavaro was one of the models in that advertisement, together with fellow team mates Blasi, Gattuso, Pirlo and Zambrotta.

And it wasn't even swimming trunks. They were in underwear la. Dolce & Gabbana underwear. It was a D&G advertisement. Underwear Campaign 2006. Geez, I didn't know that they've campaigns for underwear haha. Well, learn something new every day! D&G was the official sponsorer for the Italians during the FIFA World Cup 2006, Germany, anyway. Not their jerseys, of course. But the attires (suits) during press meetings etc. But I suspect that Dia was too embarrassed to check out the wallpaper closer in public and to ask her friend for greater details about the photo, even if she's interested haha. I'm not suggesting that she's interested haha. I would have that pic in my email inbox within 5 minutes. LOL. I'm so lecherous.

Anyway somehow I think because of the presence of Blasi, Gattuso, Pirlo and Zambrotta, the advertisement didn't look really sexy. Good bods are cool. But even better if a handsome face comes with it. God, we ARE picky, aren't we. But honestly, Blasi, Gattuso, Pirlo and Zambrotta? Err not my kind of cute. But well, D&G's really generous. The 5 dudes come in either black or white. Take your pick.

(In reality, they come in candy-colored underwear too. But I was too appalled beyond words to put the pix here.)

Black...

Or white for you??

Did your mum just catch you looking at those pix??

Well, just don't tell her that it's my site you're reading. I don't need another mum getting pissed off with me. And don't even ask me about the first one.

But haha during the FIFA World Cup period, one night when I was innocently surfing the official website for pix to add to my blog entry, my mum caught me when I was glancing through photos like this one below.

She immediately started orh-hor-ing very loudly behind me, giving me quite a startle. Not because I was guilty of anything, just a natural response to a sudden loud noise. And when I turned to look at her, she was wagging her finger cheekily at me as if I really did something wrong. As if I was surfing porn. Urgh. Parents. hahah.

"Pleeeaassseeeee." I told my mum off. I was using the computer in the living room with my sister sitting somewhere behind me watching tv, with a full access to the computer screen anytime too. And everyone else somewhere in the flat, who can come into the living room any moment and SEE my computer screen. "And besides, the guys have their pants on. Nothing to see what." My cheeky monkey mother. I think she's kinda worried somewhere deep inside her heart what we really do online every day, giving the considerable time that we spend on the net. But porn??!!! I like shirtless good-looking men with good bods. Yes. But not porn stars. Yucks.

LOANSHARKS

2006-07-16T18:16:00.000+08:00

You know that you've definitely, without any doubt of any sort at all, stepped into the adult world, when you start thinking about how to pay your loans. Yes, L-O-A-N-S. Loans. Geez, that word alone sounds so grown-up. C'mon, most adults do have loans that they have to spend portions of their monthly salaries to pay, loans that make losing their jobs unthinkable and worse than another Titanic or Poseidon sinking, loans that make them have second thoughts about grabbing that Gucci or LV bag that's already on sale. Ok, maybe the last part's only applicable to women like me. Correction: it's only applicable to people not born with silver spoons in their mouths like me.

Oh, loans. What a familiar word to most adults out there. Car loans. Apartment loans. Nowadays I think that you can get a loan for anything, anything at all. I've no doubt at all that my life will be full of loans. Loans that I'll probably spend my lifetime, working my ass off to pay off.

To start off, it did come as a pretty huge shock when my sister told me that a letter from the bank had arrived. First thought that came into my mind: The loansharks have come for me. Ok, the bank won't be too pleased to have me calling them loansharks. They didn't exactly put a gun to my head to have me get a loan from them, though neither I had a choice. I don't think that there's any chance they'll be hanging bloody pig heads outside my door or chain my door or splash paint on my door if I miss a month of payment. And their interest rate isn't as excruciatingly high. To be honest, an average interest rate of approximately 5% seems ridiculously low when you are trying to earn interest from your savings in the bank. But, when it comes to loans, 5% is too much la. My loans amount up to about $40 000. Do your Math. The interest alone's $2000! That's like a month's salary for me! And I haven't even got a job yet!! *faint*

But ok, to be fair, it's my own "fault" that I haven't find a job yet, if it can be considered as a fault. I do not want to rush into a job that I don't like. And my parents are kind enough not to hurry me about my job too. In fact, my mum gave me a deadline to get a job by end of October. I was mortified. October??!! If I'm not employed by then, I will absolutely be mortified. But I do appreciate my mum's support. It's moments like this, when something big is about to happen in your life, you are kinda lost but you are searching for the light, and then she's there for you, yet giving you ample space to breathe. She's my rock. =) And if it wasn't already sweet enough, she decided that I shouldn't chip in for the household allowance until I pay off my loan, so that I've more money to pay to the banks monthly. She's my 10-carat diamond. =) =)

And if my 10-carat diamond isn't enough, I've a smaller 5-carat diamond in the form of my sister who's also my accountant. Ok, she's in Biology but she's really good with money. We think that it's a waste that she has no interest in Economics or Accountacy. So she has calculated for me how much I should pay each month out of my salary, and how many years it would need for me to pay off everything. I told her about my wish to settle everything within two years because of the interest rate, which is technically not quite possible with my supposed salary. And she actually volunteered to lend me all her savings, which is a substantial sum that should make me feel guilty cause I've negligible savings and while she's 3 years younger, she has 50 times of my savings, at the end of the two years, to pay off the rest of the loans. Of course, I would've to return her the money, and proably more than that, cause she has her own loans too. But it's the thought that counts. It's when you are in deep shit, though logically speaking, I'm not yet in such deep shit but whatever, and your family stands by you and gives you a hand without any doubt of you at all. My 5-carat diamond.

So yes, my family's a bunch of diamonds. That's why sometimes I look at the world, look at the expensive cars that other people drive, huge houses that other people live in, Gucci bags that other girls carry, and then look at myself. And still think that I've all that I need in the world. Although once in a while, I feel that I'm lying to myself. Though I know that I'm not. You get what I mean? It's like you really have everything that you need and you know it, but somewhere inside your heart, you still hope that you can have that Gucci bag or Porche. hahah call that not knowing how to feel entirely satisfied, I guess. Or a materialistic woman.

But it's all about balance. Work and play. Family and friends. Save and spend. Or should it be "SPEND and save"? haha~ But honestly, it's the first time in my life that I've realised the importance of savings, and the reality of loans which I'm afraid is going to be of a prolonged existence in my life. But I don't see it as a burden. I've always known in my younger days that I would need to take loans to complete my varsity education. It didn't come as a shock. It's like part of my life, part of my family's life - loans, loans and more loans. People born with silver spoons in their mouths live life the easy way but learn life the hard way. People like me live life the hard way but learn life the easy way. It's all relativity.

I hear the banks calling me already. Welcome to the life of working people.

It's just too cute to be true.

2006-07-14T14:24:00.000+08:00

All girls love anything cute, soft and fluffy. That's why this website Cute Overload! ;) is my favourite of the moment.

I mean, just look at all these kittens!!~ Damn cute la.

And I think Ah-pi would love this website too...bUnniEsssss!!~

It's really cute overload! =)

:: Celebration Time ::

2006-07-13T13:56:00.000+08:00

According to latest news, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that Zidane could be stripped of his Golden Ball award for the best player at the World Cup due to violent conduct. - "The winner of the award is not decided by FIFA, but by an international commission of journalists. That said, FIFA's executive committee has the right, and the duty, to intervene when faced with behavior contrary to the ethic of the sport."

Can I let off some fireworks to CELEBRATE pleasssee??

Cause not only does it mean that Zidane would be deprived of what he doesn't deserve in the first place, my darling Silver Ball award winner Fabio Cannavaro could get what he deserves!!~

So what if Zidane has openly apologised to "children and fans"? So what if Materazzi really insulted Zidane's "sister and mother", though Materazzi has denied doing so, in due respect to mothers? According to law, if I hit someone on the streets who scolded my mum, police would tackle me, take me to the police station and then the court would fine or even jail me. Say "sorry" also no use. Reminded me of something that 道明寺 said in [流星花园]: "如果道歉有用，那还要警察干吗??!" Or something lidat. FIFA regulations are soccer laws, aren't they.

Zidane did headbutt Materazzi.

Unless Materazzi's chest has some kinda mysterious attractive force that managed to draw Zidane's head to it violently, against Zidane's will.

No, that didn't happen and Zidane did headbutt Materazzi.

FIFA can punish Materazzi if he deserves it. Though I doubt so if he said nothing harsh about racism, religion or politics. I'm sure everyone scolds everyone else's mother or sister on the field. Why must Zidane get so angry.

So Materazzi can be punished, and so must be Zidane for his violent and menacing act. He might have been the "greatest player of his generation" but he should still be punished for his mistake. He can be forgiven by his people and fans, but he must be punished appropriately. You can't let him get away with something so horrendous just because he WAS the "greatest player of HIS generation". READ: he's a thing of the PAST. Put him in a museum or something.

So yes, please, STRIP him of his Golden Ball award. *crossed fingers*

Headbutting

2006-07-12T17:25:00.000+08:00

Muwahahaaa found this online:

G.R.A.D.U.A.T.I.O.N

2006-07-12T15:08:00.000+08:00

This is a late entry but my commencement ceremony was a BLAST!

And I didn't even want to to attend it in the first place hahah.

Ya, I dislike ceremonies. Although I like attending others' ceremonies like weddings. But when it comes to my own business, I do think that ceremonies are unnecessary and a big hassle. So yes, I dislike ceremonies.

And yes, I didn't want to sign up for my commencement ceremony because if I did, I had to decide on the sizes of the gown and mortar, order them, pay a pretty hefty price for them, collect them, learn how to wear them nicely, prepare for the ceremony the day before, borrow a white shirt to wear on that day, get all dressed up in prim and proper shirt-pants-heel attire with full makeup piled on my face on a damn h.o.t day, get my parents to go and help them decide what to wear, borrow a digital camera to take photos on that day, drag my heavy gown bag to NUS, spend money to take a cab to NUS, sit through the one-and-a-half-hour ceremony without my good friends on both sides, trying hard to make the stupid mortar look nice on my head, trying to hope that people didn't think that the stupid mortar looked stupid on my head, walking around in a heavy gown on a damn h.o.t day and sweating like a pig, blah blah blah.

But uh-huh I did sign up for my commencement ceremony in the end because afterall it's once in a lifetime (no hope of getting me back to school) for me, my parents would love to go (it's their first time but I'm sure it won't be their last) and my friends were all going. And yes, so I had to do all of those. *sigh*

And it was such a tiring experience that I'm utterly relieved that it's really ONCE in my lifetime.
And for all those who had your mummies ironed your gown and slip for you, spoilt brats! Naughty naughty! Cause it was damn damn tough to iron those! I took like an hour plus, and loadsa sweat, to press everything straight cause mine were all crumpled up in the gown bag. Hmm because I simply stuffed everything in hahah.

The gown bag's my favourite part of the entire package!

My crumpled stuff!!

My stupid mortar looked better on my Bobdog.

Ironing affair! H.O.T and sweaty!

Halfway through ironing, I discovered a pocket which I never knew existed!

After loadsa sweat, my proud work.

My prim and proper attire.

What attire is complete without shoes! But it's a headache when you have 2 pairs to choose.

And the winner is: The more prim and proper pair!

And one can't forget to bring these!! Invitation cards and attendance card!!~

And now I'm all set to go!

Even the ceremony turned out to be fun. Although I don't really know the people sitting on both sides of me well. But we still chit-chatted a bit. Afterall, this was supposed to be a happy occasion.

We sniggered at the professor who was reading out names as we went up the stage to receive the scroll one by one, and trust me, the one who did the second shift, also didn't manage to pronounce a single name correctly. I was so glad that I went up the stage when the first-shift professor was doing the duty. He was better with names and I couldn't believe that he actually got my name absolutely correct! Few teachers could get my name right at their first attempt. I guess he was good with hanyu pinyin. :-) When I was in JC, my Indian PE teacher was so fed-up with my name (he could only get my surename correct haha) that he called me S-H-I-Q-I. LOL. I thought it was funny like hell.

And we also giggled at the ridiculous-sounding names of some of the graduates. Not very nice, I know, but well, we were self-entertaining. Making a boring ceremony fun. Amused at the funny faces and actions some people made on stage (the camera was on us all the time when we were on stage). We cheered when this PRC fren took off his mortar and waved madly at the audience after shaking the prof's hand and receiving his scroll. Laughed when another PRC friend tried to bow politely at the audience but the tassel on the mortar kept getting into his face, and he flicked it away irritatedly with a dramatic wave of his hand.

Just before we got onto the stage, we wondered if we should bow. Would our mortars drop if we tried to bow? Should we bow to the audience? Would the prof get our names correctly?? Ridiculous thoughts but we had fun. :-)

And when the whole ceremony finally ended and our poor wrists were almost going to snap from the continuous clapping, gold streamers exploded from above (we honestly had a shock at the boom) and 100s of balloons in many different colors were released from the ceiling. It was hell of a spectacular sight. The next ten minutes or so we spent hitting the balloons away and bursting them. Ok, I didn't burst a single one cause I fear balloon bursting, but my parents obviously had hell of a time too as they told me proudly later that they had squeezed burst at least 40 balloons together. HA, parents.

The hall.

Balloons!

And MORE Balloonssss!!!~

To sum up, it was a fun experience and I'm extremely glad that I went. A brillant way to end years of formal education. :-)

L.U.S.T

2006-07-11T14:25:00.000+08:00

.: Fabio Cannavaro :.

Curtains fall.

2006-07-11T13:32:00.000+08:00

FIFA World Cup 2006 has ended. So has my life. Of watching, eating, drinking, sleeping and thinking football. I'm despaired. Unconsolable. Shaken. Ok, maybe not so serious. Though I would definitely need more time to adjust my biological clock back to normal, non-WC days.

One more thing that has ended with this World Cup. The international careers of many many fabulous (old) players in the world. All have ended fairly well, except for one. Zinedine Zidane of France. He had wanted to end his career on the highest note by leading France to a second World Cup win but a moment of madness in the final against Italy saw him leave the stage in disgrace. Yes, although Zidane had opened the scoring with a 7th-minute penalty and almost got a second with a flying header which Buffon nimbly flicked away, the world's final memory of him in a France shirt will be of him disappearing down the stadium steps to the dressing room, head bowed, not even casting a glance at the trophy that sat on a plinth nearby.

I was motified and, strangely at the same time, extremely amused, when I saw the video playback where Zidane floored Materazzi with a butt to the chest. And I was equally tickled as Italian players such as Buffon and Cannavaro started protesting to the officials and French players about Zidane's ruly, or should I say, bizarre, act. And not a French fan, naturally I'd applauded the referee, Horacio Elizondo's decision to send Zidane off the field.

Zidane's red card was anything but unusual. He was sent off 14 times in his career at the club and international level. Hmm seems like a vicious temper lies behind the genius. But I think he has something for head-butting opponents. Five years ago with Juventus, he head-butted an opponent in a Champions League match against Hamburger SV after being tackled from behind. What's up with the head.

A report on Brazilian television channel Globo stated that Zidane's assault on Materazzi was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender, according to the French playmaker's agent. Apparently, Zidane told his agent that Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell him what, though he will talk about it in the next couple of days.

Although neither player has yet revealed the nature of their disagreement, Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister as a prostitute, before then using a "coarse word" at the French player. More reliable reports, however, revealed that Materazzi had called him a "dirty terrorist", an insult based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage.

But I felt that no matter what mean words were exchanged between both players, a professional player should not have hit anyone on the field at all. Obviously something blew in Zidane that night and he lost it. And by that, I meant that he lost his perfect departure from the international scene as well.

Neither I do not feel that Zidane's red card weakened French chances of repeating their 1998 victory. Even after Zidane's dismissal in the second period of extra time, France's remaining 10 men still had plenty of chances to break through but they missed all the chances. They would regret it later as the Italians triumphed in the penalty shootout where Zidane's absence probably did make a difference.

But if any proof of Zidane's enduring popularity were needed, he was voted the best player of the World Cup by journalists who had covered the tournament and awarded the adidas Golden Ball, which is arguably the greatest trophy available to an individual footballer. Italians Fabio Cannavaro *drool* and Andrea Pirlo were Silver and Bronze Ball winners respectively. What a pity because, looks aside, I did think that Cannavaro was excellent this World Cup. However, perhaps being the captain of the FIFA World Cup winner team is already a fantastic reward. :-)

.: Go here to see who are the winners for the AWARDS FROM THE 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY :.

As for Italy, I'm glad that they are world champions for the fourth time after beating ten-man France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 9 July 2006. Twelve years after losing to Brazil in the first shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup Final, Italy made up for that heartbreak as all five men in blue converted their kicks to claim world football's greatest prize for the first time since 1982, and the country's 4th World Cup title. And it was Italy's first successful shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup after previous failures in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

Strangely, everything exciting that happenned in this match more or less centered around Materazzi. Really. At the opening 6th minute, Materazzi was adjudged to have illegally halted the progress of Malouda as he hurtled into the box and a penalty was given, which was taken by Zidane. Who was damn lucky. Somehow I didn't see that kick as skills of any sort. The ball rebounded off the underside of the bar and dropped down no more than a foot over the line, giving France an early lead into the match. A similar act was performed by Trezeguet later on in the penalty shoot-out. Who simply wasn't as lucky. His ball rebounded off the underside of the bar and dropped down no more than a foot before the line, rendering him as the only player to miss his penalty kick in the shootout.

At the 9th minute, Materazzi, perhaps unsettled by his role in the French goal, came perilously close to doubling France's goals - and his own misery - when he glanced a Willy Sagnol cross into the side-netting with Buffon scrambling frantically across his line. Luckily there was no own goal. *phew* Yet at the 19th minute, Italy hauled themselves level thanks to a potent combination of Pirlo’s dead-ball mastery and the aerial ability of Materazzi, as the latter gained spectacular redemption for his earlier blunder by towering above the French defence to bullet the former’s corner past Barthez. Then at the 111th minute, a trifle between Zidane and him had Zidane being sent off the field! This Materazzi guy's really something haha.

In conclusion, FIFA World Cup 2006 has been a much more exciting one than 2002, though I've enjoyed both immensely. UEFA Euro 2008 will be held in Austria and Switzerland, and of course, World Cup 2010 in South Africa, I believe. :-) Meanwhile, time to get on with our lives without futebol.

My blings

2006-07-08T01:51:00.000+08:00

More than two months have passed since the last exams of my life, and I am trying harder to find a job now. But I don't want to rush into something that I can't see myself progressing in the next couple of years. Anyway these couple of months haven't been a waste as I re-explored my interest in craft-making, which has kinda progressed onto accessory-making this time round. =)

Some of my products:

I like the pink-and-gold necklace the most. Wanted to see rose quartz instead of Swaroski crystals but rose quartz is damn expensive so being broke, I've to settle for the crystals instead. Though I think that the result's even prettier.

And the pink stones are not raisins!!! Though honestly, they had looked like raisins to me initially hahah. They are Czech stones. =) I guess they originate from Czech Republic? Urgh I won't know so don't ask me.

Anyway really hope to start a jewellery line in the future when I've enough capital, so do be my customers in the future! hahah~ I'll give discounts!

Auf Wiedersehen, Germany!

2006-07-05T14:16:00.000+08:00

I'm thoroughly glad that I managed to drag my ass outta bed this morning at 3am, after barely an hour of sleep, to catch the Italians shatter the Germans' dream. It's really like a curse: Germany has never won Italy before and this morning, Singapore time, at the FIFA World Cup Stadium, Dortmund, Germany, the curse came true again.

Yes, the German dream of reaching the FIFA World Cup Final on home soil died in Dortmund as two goals in the final moments of extra time carried Italy into the Final as 2-0 semi-final winners. Although there was no goals at all until the last few minutes of the extra time, it was a night of high drama and I was left impressed by the blue army. The Germans weren't too bad either but I'm not a German fan so it naturally made me an Italy supporter this morning. Once again, Marcello Lippi’s side defended magnificently and the superb Buffon has still to concede a goal at Germany 2006 to an opposition player. The Azzurri can now march on to the Final.

When the extra time was coming to an end, I thought that all hope was lost for the Italian team. A penalty shoot-out wouldn't be to their advantage as the Germans are well-trained for the penalties. It had appeared that a German win was in the waiting. But all the German hope evaporated instantly at the 119th minute as Fabio Grosso broke the deadlock. He curled a left-footed shot past the despairing dive of the German keeper, Jens Lehmann, from the right side of the penalty box. This superb first-time left-foot shot curled just inside the far post. Germany 0 - Italy 1. And I must say, didn't Grosso look damn high! I know, national hero now, but still, no need to get sooo high!! He was continuously shaking his head so wildly after the goal that my sis and I concluded in unison that he must be taking drugs haha. And did you see when his team mates pinned him onto the ground and all you could see on the tv was his legs and they were still flailing in the air??!! We imagined that his team mates pinned him onto the ground to stop him from giving away the fact that he took drugs hahaha. It was hilarious.

And a goal behind and just a few minutes before the end of the game, how could the hosts not push desperately for an equaliser? But a German victory began instant MI4 at one minute into the additional time when substitute Alessandro Del Piero put a 2nd goal into the German net. Germany 0 - Italy 2. Italy were through. Italy now advance to their first FIFA World Cup Final since 1994 and their sixth overall. They will face the winners of Wednesday's Portugal-France semi-final in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 24 hours after Germany have contested third place with the losers of that match in Stuttgart.

I am so freaking glad that Germany is outta the Final, even further from their goal than it was 4 years ago in Korea. Man, sulky Oliver Kahn is definitely sulky-no-more and on cloud nine now since he has led the team further in the tournament at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Anyway putting the match behind, I remember that people always say that Italy has the most handsome men around. I look carefully at the Italian team and beg to differ. Ok, of course, the "prince of Italian football" (urgh, what a cheesy name!), Francesco Totti, is excluded. At 30, this man can never look better. Glad that he ditched his long hair this WC. But urgh, look at the rest of the team! Even England looks better. So does Spain. What a disappointment. =( But at least the Italians have style. I like all their tatoos. :-)

And I did like what I saw in the Italian captain. =) He's soooo sexy. *drool*

Fabio Cannavaro, born September 13, 1973. So cute. Exactly 10 years minus a day before me!

These days, I like my man capable, cute and smaller. A frame of over 180cm can be too overwhelming sometimes, especially when I'm short myself. But although he's not tall for a central defender (176 cm), Cannavaro is considered one of the best defenders of the 1990s and early 2000s. Cannavaro, alongside Alessandro Nesta, forms for Italian defence one of the best defences in the world. Cannavaro is especially noted for his reading of the game, an ability that often sees him make countless interceptions during games. He is also widely tipped as the best pure defender in the world. It is this attribute that has compensated for his lack of height, making him one of the finest centre-backs to have come out of Italy.

Italy had won 3 FIFA World Cup titles since 1934. Will the trophy go to the Italians this year? But who cares. As long as the trophy's NOT going to the Germans. =P

Not just BBM...

2006-07-04T16:21:00.000+08:00

I caught the Korean blockbuster "King and the Clown" with my sisters last Friday. Singapore apparently didn't think that this movie would be as popular locally as the movie was screened in probably the smallest theatre in Cineleisure, Orchard.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire 119 minutes were captivating. You would not find a single minute boring, or wondering if the movie is finally coming to an end. In fact, I sat through the 2 hours so caught up with the development of the movie that I didn't realise that it was coming to an end until I noticed the cinema staff (apparently he positioned himself there to inform the audience that the exit was at the back) come in through the entrance which was near the screen.

I cried. I laughed. There were moments so intense that I almost couldn't breathe. Scenes so crude that I was aghast. Bloodshed. Hysteria. Desperation. Doom. This movie is not just BBM. True that there is some homosexual content. But it's more about that. It's an honest film about people and feelings.

The film focuses on a pair of clowns, Jang-seng and Gong-gil, who perform comic plays, songs, and acrobatic tricks for aristocrats or commoners during the Joseon Dynasty in the years of the infamous King Yon-san. Jang-seng possesses a disarming self-confidence and disrespect for authority that seems likely to get him into trouble one day. Gong-gil plays the woman to Jang-seng's man in the comic skits they perform. Gong-gil also possesses a certain self-confidence and grace that turns him into an object of fascination and desire for the pair's aristocratic patrons, inclduing the King. One day, they go to Seoul and their group hit the jackpot by playing a show about the King and his lady, femme fatale, Nok-soo. But soon they get arrested for insulting the royal king and Jang-seng bet their lives to make the King laugh with their play. Their fortunate success leads them to stay in the palace and perform regular plays. As the King shows growing attraction and love towards Gong-gil, Nok-soo who is out of control of her lust and envy for Gong-gil, as the King turns his back to her, secretly plots to take Gong-gil's life.

If you ask me, everyone in this film, perhaps except Gong-gil and Jang-seng, are a bit crazy. The King has to be insane though. The King featured in this film is King Yonsan, one of Korea's most famous and notorious monarchs, who possessed concentrated power but lacked the sanity to use it effectively. He is brutal. He is arrogant. He is wilful. But somehow you cannot bring yourself to hate him. He is just one pathetic fellow who is so saddened and affected by his childhood that he simply cannot be happy. He indulges in pleasure - wine, good, entertainment, women, and even pretty boys. But he is still unhappy. I think that's super pathetic and even if you have all the wealth and power in the world, what's the use.

There is no villians in this film. There are just many pathetic fella. You can't help but feel sorry for everyone in the end.

Apart from a well-formed plot, however, the film's real highlight is the play-acting by the two clowns. Both actors are mesmerizing in their verbal sparring and their enthusiasm for performing, and one wishes there were even more of these scenes to enjoy. You just have to catch the movie. The skits in the movie were so daring, and sometimes even crude, but definitely a good laugh, especially in the conservative society of Singapore.

The original Korean title of this film is "The King's Man", which references much more directly the erotic current underlying this film. Lee Joon Ki as Gong-gil was soooo pretty that I would have wanted to screw him if I was a guy too. No, honestly. But I'm a girl who's still more interested in muscular, alpha male types compared to androgynous or outright feminine-looking boys like Lee Joon Ki, so "No No" for the actual me haha. But I can see why both the King and Jang-seng have the hots for Gong-gil. He's prettier than many girls. It's in fact hard to treat him as a guy haha. In the movie though, in contrast to his later relationship with the insane King, romantic feelings between Gong-gil and Jang-seng are strongly implied, but never stated explicitly. Don't expect any action like BBM though - this is afterall a NC16 movie without any cutting.

I'm soo pretty....

And indeed it is Lee Joon Ki as the King's man who is credited with enabling this film to sell 10 million tickets. Virtually unknown before the film's debut -- although his simultaneous appearance in the TV drama "My Girl" gave his popularity a twofold boost -- Lee has become an instant sensation, a perfect example of a film creating its own star power. Supposedly Jang Hyuk was originally cast in this role, until he was shipped off to the army after being found to have illegally dodged his military duty. I don't think that it's much of a wasted chance for Jang Hyuk as he might not be able to convince as Gong-gil. Jang Hyuk is cute, but Lee Joon Ki is pretty like a flower. The film might not be such a huge success if Jang was cast instead of Lee. I read that Lee is however trying desperately to shake off his image as a pretty boy, by taking up manly roles in his up-coming productions. Will it shock you to know that he has a black belt in taekwondo?Well, can't really judge a book by its cover haha.

My guilty indulgence

2006-06-29T14:14:00.000+08:00

Several of my girl friends have commented lately that my blog's all about soccer these days. Boring to them, I guess haha.

I've many other things that I can write about - shopping, ktv, girls' nights out, commencement, bitching (a very frequent topic, or rather, subject kept popping up lately), unemployment, suay bumping into Missus HLQ, blah blah blah. But at the end of the day (which usually ends in the early morning for me haha, and the the next "day" begins after a few hours of sleep on the same day), what's most important to me? Easy. FIFA World Cup.

I watch World Cup, breathe World Cup, eat World Cup, drink World Cup, sleep World Cup, and probably even shit World Cup.

Although I don't watch all the 3am matches (cause sleeping at 5am is really too disrupting to my day), I watch all the news - let it be 1pm, 6.30pm, 10pm, 11pm - for World Cup news and the goals. I read the newspapers (never have I been more diligent in doing so). My favourite website of the moment is the FIFA World Cup official site which I also diligently surf regularly for new articles, updates and photos.

I even have a centrefold of the newspapers, which is an excellent schedule of the FIFA World Cup, stuck right in the middle of the wall in the living room. My family ordered cooking gas one day, the delivery man saw it (the schedule's so big that it's hard to miss anyway haha) and started talking about the World Cup with us hahah. Seems that the FIFA World Cup can even bring strangers together.

After each match, I enthusiastically fill in the score and start to predict how the rest of the tournament would go. Like who will probably win this game, then who they will meet next blah blah blah.

The next couple of days will be interesting as the remaining 8 teams battle it out on the field for a place in the finals.

I am currently depressed cause I might be missing both the Germany/Argentina and England/ Portugal matches due to gatherings. Always try to arrange my appointments such that I don't miss any important match but it's not always possible. =( But well, friends always still come first. World Cup comes every 4 years. 4 freaking long years!!!!~ *sob sob*

For something that one has been waiting for 4 years, the FIFA World Cup is too painfully short. Just a month since it first started, the final will be on (Singapore time) 10th July 2am and the 2006 World Cup will come to an end. But all good things must come to an end. It's inevitable. I just hope that the withdrawal symptoms won't be too jialet.

Another Brazilian win!

2006-06-28T20:02:00.000+08:00

And another thing to be joyous about: my Ah bui is now FIFA World Cup's all-time top marksman!!

Yes, da man ought to be happy. And yes, like what Melis said, I'm an Ah bui supporter! hahah but I'm the only one who can call him Ah bui. I even tick my own sis off every time she addresses him so. heehee.

Ronaldo finally inscribed his name into football's history books on 5pm, 27th June 2006 (Tuesday) at the FIFA World Cup Stadium, Dortmund, Germany by scoring a record-breaking 15th FIFA World Cup goal in the match against Ghana, to take him clear of Gerd Muller as the tournament's all-time top scorer.

At the 5th minute of that game, a well-weighted pass from Kaka allowed Ronaldo to sprint clear of Ghana's defence. Though faced with a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, he remained cool, calm and collected. He ultimately left Richard Kingson sprawling with a clever shimmy, dragged the ball round the keeper and, with a defender rapidly closing in, flicked out his right boot to send the ball home. His 15th goal. It was classic Ronaldo. No doubt, it was Ghana's worst possible start to this match as Brazil took an early lead. But it also marked a historical moment.

His 15th goal!

Afterwards, da man reflected on the achievement: "How do I make history? It's tough, difficult, it's not easy. You need a lot of sacrifice and a lot of work. This is the product of many, many years of effort. What do I want from now on? More, more and more. I want to keep scoring, as I still have much left to give."

Yes, I would agree on that. He ought to try for more. Cause there's this bloody German fellow called Miroslav Klose who's chasing behind him at 9 goals, and who would most probably score more as his country proceeds on in this tournament. The only hope comes this Friday as Germany meets Argentina, and hopefully gets eliminated. Wahahaha. That's not my evil twin. That's just me. HA.

To read about all his 15 fantastic goals which cemented his status as one of the game's all-time greats, go to this article at FIFAworldcup.com: Ronaldo the record-breaker (27th June '06).

.: Next Brazil match (against France): 1st July 2006, 9pm, Frankfurt, Germany :.

And I like this photo! hahah Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos were flying!!!!!