Review: Dark Knight

Quite good, really!
Lots of things that went boom. Lots of things that went fast. Lots of shiny high-tech things that made me scrunch up my toes.

I was surprised at how good Ledger was. Didn't expect him to be. There was a slight debate about whether Ledger or Nicholas made the best joker... I think they were playing for different teams. Manic-mad vs. funny-mad.

I like how this bat man has a slight lisp. =)
Costume & makeup was GREAT. Two-face's makeup was REALLY good.

Entertaining? Most certainly!

Go get a ticket now!

Las Vegas

This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more catholic churches than casinos.

Not surprisingly, some worshipers at Sunday service will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed around.

Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to sort the offerings they receive. The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastary for sorting, then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in.

THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS.

Did you see that coming? *grin*

Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth (3D)

It was fun!

Ignoring the fact that the 3D glasses were shite - bent out of shape & not well maintained (the lenses were cloudy from being dirty for so long), the movie it self was quite entertaining.

Classic 3D demo streams were incorporated - flying beads, rickety trip down an old mine, prehistoric piranha jumping STRAIGHT at your FACE... What's not to like?

The storyline's familiar (how far can you divert, really), predictable, etc.
but that's not why I went to see the movie.

It's a bit pricey, but if you enjoy 3D effects, it does a decent job.
Have fun! :)

The Anwar-Shabery Debate

Everyone's talking about the debate, regardless of whether they watched it on Channel 9 or YouTube. I think it was a great sham, and a great shame.

Anwar is a debater. An orator. A charismatic speaker. Previously, our Finance Minister. He had facts. Figures. He was succinct & to the point.

Shabery was (and still is) none of those things. He appeared an inept puppet controlled by a really bad ventriloquist - the mouth was moving, but the wrong words were coming out. Never mind that he's not a finance person and had a poor grasp of the material in question, but he was also crippled by what was obviously a BN approved script, that couldn't cope with the independent questions asked by the panel. Yes, he was better than our previous information minister (read: the Al-Jazeera incident) but that is not saying much at all.

*sigh* It's not that I am whole-heartedly supportive of the opposition... Our government, I believe, is capable of great things, and historically, (though debatable) our ship hasn't been steered off the side of a cliff. However, when the question is about budgetary allocations & related government spending, and Shabery first accuses the speaker of not having kept abreast of current petrol prices then proceeds to take pot shots at Anwar's sexual orientation... how am I not supposed to think that the cheap shots were because he has no answer?

BN should have fielded someone more of Anwar's caliber, and provided facts & figures, not innuendo & shade. *sigh* Don't send an unarmed man to the war.

Sometimes, the Company *so* ROCKS

The company I work for sometimes surprises me. In a good way.

The price of rice had increased by RM10/kg early this year.
The price of cooking oil (I know not why) had also increased early this year.
Gas prices were raised by a huge amt recently.
Consequently, the price of *everything* has gone up yet again.

What does the Company do?
Award each staff with a living allowance on top of salary.
Uh huh. These guys have *do* a heart after all.

Sure, the quantum is tied up with what level of education you have, which is a bit head-scratching for me seeing as it's the people who are paid the least that will need this allowance the most... but we're talking about raising salaries across the board by a couple of hundred Ringgit a month, over & above salary reviews.

Company, you ROCK.

Concert: Air Supply

Took mum, dad & aunt. Ann was there on a media pass.

They've still got it :)

They look weathered, but their voices were still clear & soaring (particularly Russel Hitchcock's), and they could still hit all the right notes without cheating & bringing it down an octave. They were full of energy, prancing about the stage like young cikus, Hitchcock in leather pants, no less! *laugh* He looked like a little hobbit, dancing around. Laughed my arse off!

They played to a full house, young & old singing along to practically every song. Everyone knew the words! So not only did they give us a full 2-hr set with no intermission, but we *all* had a 2-hr set with no intermission! *laugh* Forgot to warm up my voice (ahem) so it cracked towards the end, which meant I couldn't sing all the way home *sob*

Mum sang along, and my dad was *so* totally immersed - stood up & cheered & clapped... waved hands in the air... it was all good.

I'm SO happy! It was SUCH a good time. SO much better than Connie Has-Been Francis, that's for sure!

I fell in love all over again.
They don't write songs like that anymore.
Someone tell me why...

I don't have to move! :)

Sis got a slot in hostel - meaning she won't need to move in with my aunt, meaning I don't have to move :)

Save on petrol, save on cleaning, save on bills, save on anxiety! :)

A part of me is a little disappointed - had psyched myself up to moving out & being on my own, but this means I don't have to take on any additional expenses before I decide on my very own house :)

Now THAT is an advert!

LMAO

Review: Speed Racer

I Liked!

They had really nice nods to the cartoon eg. the way the power moguls would talk, both facing the window... I'm explaining it badly, but if you've seen the cartoon, you know exactly what I'm talking about I'm sure!

The Wachowski brothers really did a good job! The effects gave me the same feeling as the cartoon did - where the colours are just a little too bright, the sounds, a little too brittle - Excellent. It was fast-paced, exciting ride, albeit, a little too long.

I miss the (admittedly completely cheesy) narration, and I'm not too sure I buy Hirsch as Racer. The fight during the rally race was Awesome, but the out-of-control scooter scene with Chim Chim could have been done better. I didn't particularly think Sarandon, Goodman nor Ricci were remarkable.

It isn't perfect, but overall, I had a really good time. It was a wild ride, and I'd recommend it to everyone.

Moving on up...

I may be moving out. In a month.

My youngest sister, Lisa, is waiting for her university placement results. She's applied for digital/graphic design. Anticipating that our University system will cock up & offer her something ridiculous like dance or veterinary medicine (you laugh, but it's happened to people we actually know), mum has made arrangements to enroll her in a private college. If this private college option goes through, semester starts July 7th. She'll need a place to crash till the hostel space works itself out. That could be anywhere fr 3 - 9 months.

There's no space in the house for her as it stands now. There are some idiosyncrasies of my grand aunt that need to be preserved. I'm looking to buy a house, but even if I decide on one now, I won't be moving in for at least 6 months.

My aunt has an apartment in the city that's currently empty. It's a better solution than making the dining room a room for my sister. (I know! That's Completely WTFareyoutalkingaboutWillis??? Hence the alternative of me moving into the city)

So yeah. I may be moving out. In a month.

I've never been on my own. Ever. I went from my parents' house to my grand aunt's house when I came to KL for uni. And I've been there ever since.

Oh my God. I'm leaving Neverland. I'm terrified.
Cos Wendy darling, I sure don't want to grow up!

Petrol costs How much??????

Massive traffic jams nation-wide last night. Everyone was trying to get into any petrol station that still had gas. Several stations bottomed out as prices were set to increase by 40% by midnight. I had filled up the night before, so I was one of the lucky few who not only did not need to queue @ stations, but also did not need to face the traffic to get home.

With the rebate of RM625 pa, I need to pay about RM12/week over my average expenditure. That doesn't seem so bad... but I'm one of the lucky few who don't need to drive around for work, who currently live close to the office, who doesn't have kids to ferry to/fro for school/tuition/ballet/whatever. I'll only know true pain when I shift to USJ, some 30km away fr work.

I'm contemplating getting a motorbike. I've always wanted one, but it's always been drummed into my head that it's an instrument of death & destruction. *laugh* The way Malaysian drivers race about, that's not exactly untrue. Contemplating is about as close as I get, I suspect. *laugh*

I'm still waiting for the protest groups to kick in.

Review: Indiana Jones & The Chrystal Skull

I've always been an Indy fan.
I did NOT like this Indy movie.

WTF.
No really.
WTF??????

Who the hell wrote the story line???? Aliens from a different dimension???? After 10 years, THIS is what you come up with??? Are you KIDDING ME???? Who do I direct angry emails to???

Harrison still looks good in the Indy suit at age 65. Stunts were ok lah, considering.
The woman who heads the KGB baddie team reminds me of Edna Mode.
Shia is a fonz wannabe. If that's what he was going for, Good Job! They even worked in a greeser-college boy battle in a cafe, for crying out loud.

All the cliches were worked to the max.
Single parent family, kid - a little difficult, but a good kid at heart... old flame who didn't tell him about the kid... eventually they bond, blah blah blah.

I'm sorry I watched the movie. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Disappointing, to say the least. What were they thinking?????

Review: Prince Caspian

The book was better.

Overall, quite entertaining. They spent so much on CGI, they forgot to cost good actors in. Caspian came off as whiney, overprotected, nieve and sappy. And for some reason, all the Telemarines spoke with European accents. Weren't they supposed to be stranded Brit sailors that somehow found a wormhole into narnia? I mean, they were returned to London, weren't they?

Keynes and Moseley as Peter and Edmund, however, deserve mention, being really Convincing in their protrayal of frustrated teens. Keynes is as dreamy as before, but Moseley is starting to come into his adult features, and me likey. *grin*

The battles & CGI were reminiscent of LOTR, though obviously done on a smaller scale.
For no apparent reason, they decided to throw in a romantic link between Susan and Caspian. *rolls eyes* Unnecessary.

I LOVED Reepicheep, the sabre-weilding mouse. I LOLed when the mice took down soldiers in the tall grass like Velociraptors or those dwarf monsters in The Mummy Returns. What I did *not* know was that Eddie Izzard voiced Reepicheep! As if I didn't love him enough...

Liked it, I did somewhat. Loved it as much as Narnia 1, I did not. Watch it again, I wouldn't. Worth the price of a ticket? I suppose so. Just don't read the book, don't compare it to LORT, and check your expectations at the door.

Review: Iron Man

For it's first self-financed movie, Marvel has done marvelously. (Bad bad bad, I know, but I couldn't resist!) It had the same vibe of Batman Begins. Raw. Back-to-basics. Messy. In a good way. *grin*

Robert Downey Jr. Whodathunkit?? It was a surprisingly good cast though! Someone had the vision & balls to do it. Quite a good fit! Speking of fit, he *so* is. He's obviously been to the gym a few times. On behalf of all who so appreciated that torso, Thank you, Mr. Downey. *drool*

I couldn't place Bridges till later, but the minute he opened his mouth, I knew I knew him. I don't think I've ever seen him as a badie, but he made a reasonably convincing one! Paltrow fit, but was negligible. I didn't even bother to find out who the bald man was - he was just a lackey after all. Cannon fodder.

Over all, I really enjoyed myself. Many things were broken in the making of this movie. Entertaining, to say the least! Definitely worth the price of a ticket!

English Engrish

Friend of mine heard this recently on a flight from Shenzhen to Qingtao by China Southern Airlines. Shouldn't laugh really, but I did.

'Good afternoon, Ladies and the German. This is your cheap purser Wang Lui speaking.

On behalf of China Sudden Airlines, I would like to welcome you on board our Bowling 737 from Shenzhen to Qingtao. Members of my crew speak Chinese and other languages that you do not know.

It is a great pressure serving you to-die. Should you need any resistance during the fright, peace do pest the call button. I and my gals are available to make you feel comfortable.

Meanwhile, the airkwaft is going to fry. Peace sit upright and keep you belt tightly fastened until dinner is served at five dirty p.m. Hope you would enjoy your fright with us. Funk kill.'

Guillermo Vargas Habacuc Redux

This website seems to indicate that Habacuc is innocent of all accusations.

Ok, he *did* chain up a dog, but it was *made* to look starving and was actually well fed behind the scenes. And the dog didn't die, it escaped.

*Ponder* I don't know...

I hope, for the sake of my belief in humanity, that this report is true. The amount of negative energy I was sending Habacuc's way is not funny!

Guillermo Vargas Habacuc

This disgusting excuse for a human being, tied a dog up in a gallery, starved it to death, and called it art.

Apparently, on the wall near the dog, the title of the piece was written out in DOG FOOD.

His statement:
"Hello everyone. My name is Guillermo Habacuc Vargas. I am 50 years old and an artist. Recently, I have been critisized for my work titled "Eres lo que lees", which features a dog named Nativity. The purpose of the work was not to cause any type of infliction on the poor, innocent creature, but rather to illustrate a point. In my home city of San Jose, Costa Rica, tens of thousands of stray dogs starve and die of illness each year in the streets and no one pays them a second thought."

My statement:
Eat shit & die.

The prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so the piece of shit has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

Click here to sign a petition against it.

I wanna know where I can find the petition to make HIM tie HIMSELF to a rope & starve to death.