Michael Jackson.

A Living Legend. The King of Pop. The Greatest Icon of his Generation. Michael Jackson.

On June 25, 2009, 2:26pm in the United states, Michael Jackson passed away, at the age of 50.

I woke up today, and the first thing i heard on the local FM through my radio is that Michael Jackson passed away. And the first thing that raced through my mind was: IMPOssIBLE. NO FREAKIN' wAY. but the sombre tone of the DJs were telling me otherwise. And then I went: "Fuck."

Everywhere. Everyone. In the whole world. People are talking about it. they can't believe it. neither can it.

Throughout the whole morning, i was getting the goosebumps. My eyes were welling up. For realz. and i listened to him on my ipod. on the radio. and hearing people talk about him.

He brought the meaning of "Pop" to a whole new level. He was a performer. a breakthrough singer whose songs are still relevant in today's society.

He was an idol. he was my inspiration. he will forever be loved. by the world.

Now Now...

I'm going to attempt to explain TO MYsELF why i hate my father soo much and why he sucks:

1. selfish and a miser. probably the biggest reason of all. Gives me the BARE MINIMUM my ENTIRE life. I will admit that my family is one of the better off in my extended family tree but i don't think that is any excuse for scrimping. He thinks that the role of the father is just to provide housing and education and food and that's that. He nevers spends an extra penny on me. NEVER. never bought me any new clothes, I HAD TO BEG like hell for a CD player in secondary school. only then does he unwilling relent.
   
2. self-centred. he only cares about himself. has a personal Television, a rack for it, an armchair for the watching his personal tv, buys only fruits that he needs and wants, the type of bread that he wants, basically, he doesn't buy anything for anyone other than himself.
   
3. self-conscious and insecurities. let's face it. i can tell that he's the nerdy kid who doesnt play sports and now, he's having his mid-life crisis and tons of insecurities. He doesn't like to engage people, he always avoid conflicts with people. He's a wimp, in other words. And, i used to look up to my parents - until i realised that well into their adulthood, they still haven't got used to themselves and juz be comfortable in their own skin. How the heck are u going to raise kids, if u can't even get past ur own insecurities? And in a way, i feel as if he doesn't want me to be better than him. Lest it makes him feel inferior.
   

In my mind, there are so are many instances when i hated my dad. and there are none when i am thankful for him. I remembered how little pocket money i got in secondary school, even though i was doing triple sciences and had classes late into the afternoon. I remembered how much favouritism he showed my sisters my entire life. soooo many examples that i can't really pen them all down.

This fathers' day, i hope u rot and burn. U don't deserve to be celebrated. U don't deserve to be called a father. To me, u're no different from a stranger.

Half-way there

• OMG. i starting to speak with a China-accent~~
  
• Hipsters jeans that shows ur stupid boxers are sooooooo 10 years ago.
  
• Daily commuting is a daily b#$%h!!! (bus 92 commuters are the worst eva!!)
  
• what is it with youngsters complaining about every single whiney nitty-gritty stuff?
  
• yay!!! the new office is juz rite next to sTARBUCKs!!?!?!?!!? daily overpriced fab coffee!!! i'm all for it!!! (srsly!!)
  
• my butt never felt more firm in my life than in the past week (thanks to all the lifting~~)
  
• Father's Day? PLs!!! THE REAsON NO ONE EVER RMBERs THAT DAY Is COZ HOw MUCH THEY sUCK!! BLEH!
  
• another penny for ur thoughts: no one really cares about global warming coz all the stupid airhead office workers/execs/professionals/basically everyone juz sit their frumpy saggy ass in air-con rooms the whole day, whining, complaining how hot it is lately..... all the while the air-conditioning releases more CFCs into the environment. It's only going to get hotter with these kind of attitudes. Take THAT BITCHEs~~!
  
• bleh~~ if u're not going to bother, i'm not going to either.
  
  

sleepy eyes....

• blasting my fan now at full speed at less than a metre away... Temperatures expected to hit 35°C in the following weeks... OH LORD HELP Us ALL...
  
• fit--press--flick--pour--throw. Rinse & Repeat...
  
• can't take it any more. my stupid laptop sux...
  
• can't take it any more!! my water heater sucks. goes from very cold to very HOT within a fraction of a turn. (THX DAD FOR BEING A MIsER - "CHEAPCHEAPCHEAP")
  
• soooo tired... running out of work to do at shimadzu... fake it till i drop it!!!
  
• Apple recently relaunched it MacBook series. Old 13" MacBook Unibody now part of the Macbook pro family... almost all of the Macbooks receive a spec upgrade with a lower price point. just in time...
  
  

Updates

Been busy the last couple of days. went to have my Pre-U medical check-up. didn't go to the Health centre as they suggested, mainly coz i didn't want to see my old colleagues there. urgh... instead i went to my nearby polyclinic and man, is it eXXX!!!the total thing costs slightly more than 50bucks, inclusive of X-ray ($16), urine test ($5), blood pressure, height and weight, some tummy check... kinda dumb. but having worked at the Health centre, i kinda knew what to expect... the Health centre charges cheaper ($30 inclusive of X-ray) but i still wouldn't go there. Besides its soooo far....

And i signed a new job offer yest, with Tempserv Pte Ltd, and MAN, was it - s M A L L - ! N i mean it~~ their main (prob only ) office is like a 10 × 3m rectangular room with several cubicles, a very noisy air-con (or cooling fan? i'm not sure) right at the entrance, ONLY ONE interview room and that's it. wow. but what am i to be picky about. i'm juz glad i can still nab jobs in times like this... i'm feeling the heat man... after the last job, i'm definitely more cautious this time around...

I've been viewing lots of doggie/puppies videos lately, mainly coz i'm thinking of getting one. I originally wanted a Golden Lab pup but they not allowed in HBD flats and i didn't want to go around the law (thou i know its v.common). and besides i think that they're too big for my house by the time they're full grown. so i turned my attention to another C U T E breed - japanese spitz. IMO, the cutest breed allowed in HDB - both pup and adult. as a pup, they resemble polar cubs and when they're full grown, they look like snow-white foxes~~! anyway, i juz saw this vid of two shih tzu pups~~ cute~!

This is hard... people have no idea

I've had enough. so much so that i'm finally gonna do something about.

I've been having acne problems since Primary school. but up till JC, i've always more or less kept it under control using over-the-counter facial washes and moisturizers (to combat the skin dryness i've also been facing) But now, for the first time ever, I truly feel that my skin is so bad that it's really beyond my personal capacity to handle it. For those not in the know, I've had oily skin right from the start, but when i was young, i didn't really know much about skincare and i was washing my face three times a day to try and keep my face matte. and due to amount of time i was spending outdoors, i was always getting sunburnt. I remember the worst was in sec three, after i came back from camp, my face was peeling and i didn't know what was aloe vera, nor moisturizers and to top it off, my mother insisted me to go swimming, "so as not to waste the money being paid to the coach" and i remember showering in the pool's cubicle, feeling how badly my face was peeling, my "mother" not caring a single bit, only concerned that her money for the swimming fees weren't wasted.

and i remembered how my face would get sunburnt , peel off, then get sunburnt again the next week. this went on for several weeks and my face finally gave. I experienced what was cracking. i couldn't smile, i couldn't express my face. technically, i could. but once i did that, my face would crack, and skin flakes would start developing on my face.

the jc years were the worst. hot weather+severe dryness+oily skin+thick moisturizers to combat+acne=disastrous

but the most distinct thing about acne and my skin problems is probably not the physical part of it. its the psychological and mental part. i don't blame people for judging others based on physicalities; in this case, my skin. i don't. cause i understand that's how this world works. and my cousin was one of them. who judged me constantly on my skin and criticised me on my skin every single time we hang out. i tried to brush it off EVERY single time, thinking she was just making a joke. that's how naive i was. looking back now, i am grateful that i broke off all contact with her. perhaps, she didn't even care then. now, neither will i.

my cousin was just a single example of all those people that judged me based on my skin. and in a way, i saw the worst in people.

People who have had normal clear skin right from the start have no idea how hard it is. they will say things like "why don't you just go wash your face?!" if its as simple as that, there wouldn't be dermatologists needed at all.

And i'm finally going to seek help. i've been procrastinating. or rather, i've been trying to convince myself that i don't need a dermatologist; my skin isn't that bad. it's time i seek help.
tomorrow i gonna get a referral to Nsc when i go to the polyclinic for my medical check-up...

Major Improvement!

This post title is so gonna sound like high school, like when your teacher commends you for making improvements in your studies, but, whatever. Ok, this past few days have been major, man. A lot of things have been going down and at the end of it all is GOOD NEws for me!

so, a couple of days back, i found a job as a thermo-scanner at the National University Hospital. so.... it wasn't exactly the best job in the world, but i figured i needed the cash pretty badly... And it wasn't until i started work the very next day, that i realized how sucky the job really was. Ok, it's a combination of a being a sale-person (having to stand for hours), a nurse (having to take temperatures of every visitor) and a pest controller (having to don face-masks and PPE and gloves) all rolled into one. That's how bad it was. And for some crazy reason, i chose not to take Lunch that day... I was THIs close to being sick at the end of the day.

and the following day, when i woke up, i received a phone call from a recruit express consultant i met way back in Feb (the very first one actually, and whom i have no recollection whatsoever...) that I'm shortlisted for a position in NUs' Health Centre. she asked me whether i could make it for an interview with the client that afternoon and THAT wAs IT - right there and then, i had to choose between going for my job in the afternoon or skipping it for the interview... Of course, I chose the latter and i thought i had made the wrong decision when i didn't received any phone call from the consultant for a long time. AND at 5 plus, while i was watching my daily dosage of Ellen's, another consultant named Jazel (pronounced Jay-zel, as in Hazel, Jazel... don't be ashamed if u thought it's pronounced Giselle... I did) called me and informed me that because the client couldn't do the interview, she's taking over the interviewing. and couple of moments later, i was told that i had been offered the job. O~M~G. F~I~N~A~L~L~Y... And i say this in all thankfulness, to Cheryl (THANK YOU for remember that interview w~a~y b~a~c~k), to Jazel Leng (GREAT NAME~~)

and to my Apple MacBook, I'm coming to get you!

I just found a job, albeit not a very good one... Ok, here's the thing... A few days back, there's an outbreak of swine flu, and as expected, the major hospitals in singapore are going to need A LOT OF extra hands to help cope with the outbreak, particularly with temperature taking and controlling the visitors going in and out of the hospitals. And within minutes of me sending out my resume to MTC and Reachfield, BOTH agencies called me. Of course, i accepted the offer when Reachfield called me first. and later on, when MTC called, the poor lady was so desperate for two more people to fill, that she asked me whether I have any friends to recommend... wtf?!?

I don't consider this a particularly desirable job, for many reasons... the main reason being the health concerns involved and how dangerous it might be if there is any exposure to the virus. but in the current economic outlook, I already told myself to lower my expectations and the money is all that matters to me right now.

Compartmentalizing

I got upset by some stupid thing today in the afternoon and after i was done feeling sorry for myself, i wrote down my feelings on a piece of paper, folded it and set it on the table.

And then i lied on my bed and thought about all the sad things in my life.

And then i got up. And continued with my life.

And i got a HAIRCUT today!!! can't stand it the heat anymore, so i decided to snip away my hair.... I was gunning for a Majorie Conrad-do...

I'm Going Nuts!

All the drilling and shouting and banging is literally driving me nuts!!!! These past few days, there's been some electrical rewiring works and today, i was awoken to the sound of drilling and i was like "OH CRAP..." And to make things worst, they cut off the power supply from 8.30am till 5.40pm. Well, it was supposed to end at 5pm .... I went out to buy food at 4 and to my HORROR?!?!?!, the electrical box outside the lifts on my floor was in a mess... with all the wires dangling out and all... then i took the lift down.... and to my HORRENDOUS WORST OF HORRORS?!?!?!, the workers were at the table and chairs there eating!!! at 4pm!!! it's way past lunch, not yet even dinner... so what was it? TEA-BREAK?!?! they HAVING TEA-BREAK while i have to suffer all day w/o electricity, NO FAN, NO COM, NO INTERNET, NO NOTHING!!! and as i expected, they didn't finished on time!! Assholes.

AND AND AND!!!!! one more thing! Since yesterday, they have been shouting something like: "Oi....Oi..Oi..Oi..OiOiOiOiOi...Oi...." (I KID U NOT!!!! IT'S WHAT THEY'RE SHOUTING) it's not as noisy as the drilling, but it sure is annoying!! and i'm pretty sure all the neighbours are wondering what THE EFF?!!? ARE THEY SHOUTING ABOUT?!!!!!!!! it sounded something like Bangladeshi, but also some chinese.... (I'm pretty sure the workers are Chinese...)

Argh...... I'm so pissed... Ok, enough of my rant....

Where do i start?

My eyes are freakin' dry from the expired contact lens i wore today (i'm a cheapo i know), i'm dead beat from the 5 hrs i spent at BBDC, and i'm damn pissed at an incident there today, although generally i would say today is a joyous day to celebrate... But where do i start?

OH!! that's right... I passed my Driving Test today!!! yes!!!! a lot less commuting and a lot MORE driving!!!




and boy, was i lucky today. First of all, i got a genial MALAY tester!!!! not those old, grumpy, frumpy, foggy, sour-pussed faced CHINESE testers!!!! thank god... not that i have anything against Chinese people... and i would consider him to be one of the biggest reasons why i could pass on this beautiful day! he was very kind, and not like the other testers, he treated the testee (me in this case) like a normal human being. he gave out some advice along the way, during the test, and i felt that he judged my ability to drive, rather than going by the book strictly, penalising me down to every single nitty-gritty detail. (YES!! i'm referring to the rest of the testers!) In his own words, he said: "You can drive... you can drive very well." I'm not making any of this up!! As glad as i am that I passed, i thought it was a pretty funny to do so. Mainly because I've never striked a kerb before, today i did so, and it cost me 10 points. OUCH. and the only mistakes i made were at the crank course - striking the kerb (10points), requiring add. reversing manoeuvre (2points, but was given free for the first time), and failure to confirm safety (while i was reversing, another 4points). which brings me to a total of 14 points. thankfully the Malay tester was kind enough to see through all these mistakes, and let me still have a shot of passing. (he didn't strike me down just because i striked a kerb.)

but the thing i just can't get over is the fact that I had to spend a full 5 hrs there, from the time to complete my test to getting my application submitted for a new driving license. My tester ended at 11.30am, and there was only this ONE indian lady at the TP counter, who took her own sweet time and looked as if everyone offended her or something or simply because she thinks her job suxxx.... (well...)

AND to top things off with A NICE BIG CHERRY on top of the ice cream, one of the other testee took my paper BY ACCIDENT after the video that all the GRADUATES (as what BBDC would like to call us...) were supposed to watch. And i was like what in the fuck....?!?!!##$ AND I ENDED UP WITH HIS PAPER. and this is big fuckin' shoutout to ONG WEI QUAN!! u fuckin' cockster... ok, i understand that our names sound similar, but i got up as soon as my name was called... but this fuckin' cockster was like a flash, and in a split second, the BBDC lady was like WTF?!?! "i called your name and he took your paper?" and there she was... stunned... and she too stunned to even run after the guy (SHE DIDN'T know who took which paper!)

Anyway, ONG WEI QUAN! if u ever by any accident google your own name and see this post, this is A SHOUTOUT TO YOU THIS FUCKIN' MORON. next time check it's yours before getting anything!

but before anything else, it's time to celebrate~~

Sweet Must-Have

Now... not that i want to do free promotion for Canon, but look at that!!! Seriously... a digital camera in HOTHOTHOT RED?!?! now, that's a must-have! a die die must-have! How often do we see a commercial camera that comes in red? and at 12.1 MP, that camera can freakin capture every f**kin' pore on my face. Woah! (Haha, although that shouldn't be something to be excited about...) When i first saw it in commercials, i thought to myself that I GOTTA have that! although the first reviews for the camera wasn't that great, being the non-tech freak that I am, the appearance of it is probably more important to me... Hey, it was the HOT-RED color of it that caught my attention here N I saw we have a winner here!

Nerves and Vampires

Alright, so the other day, i was like sitting in front of my computer and typing something. it was like in the late morning i think and i heard this: OK, 谁要做 Vampire? .... 谁要做 Vampire!?!....

And i was like 'Whudd the Blah' is going on? and i looked out the window and there they were.... kids playing catching.... twilight style. -_-' Really now... Is there a necessary for such things?

ANNNNDDD my 2nd driving test is coming up.... Next Friday. 17th, i think? from my last test up til now, i haven't taken any lessons yet. next week, i'm going for three more lessons before taking the test. and i swear to God, the nerves are killing me. K I L L I N ' me. i was lying in bed a few days back, and i thought about the i m p e n d i n g test and dread drew over me. HEY! i love driving man. How can one failed attempt to PLEASE and SATISFY an old foggy in a car PUT ME DOWN? man...

What's Hot Right Now:

I'm a Reader.

Oooo... I love the smell of new books. Ironically, they smell like old paper, like something ancient, something with an abundance of knowledge to impart. That's the beauty of books. I'm sure i'm not the only one with a fetish for the smell of nice books though. You know who you are... ^.^

(my BRAND NEW copies of New Moon + The Reader!!)

I just picked up two new copies of fresh read for the following weeks to come, given the bad relationship i have with public libraries and my outstanding fines with them. And these two books can't be more worlds apart - New Moon and The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. One of them, i know beyond a doubt, that it'll be a good read, just based how much i liked the film adaptation of it and the other, i am so sure that I'll be cringing at every flip of the page, based on how cheesy Twilight was. Really, how much more different can they be? And i don't really know which to start with. Should I indulge myself in my favourite, The Reader, first or get New Moon, over and done with first? Pardon me, but the only reason i got New Moon was because of all the hype it was getting and of my desire to find out what happens before the movie came out, not that Stephenie Meyer is a terrific author.

I can't stress enough how much I loved the film adaptation of the Reader, with Kate Winslet, David Kross and Ralph Fiennes being so awesome in it. Really, when Ralph Fiennes sent those voice tapes to Kate Winslet's Hanna, that scene was so touching, it moved me.

I haven't read it yet, but I'm sure i'll enjoy it.

Merriweather?

Singapore is experiencing the equivalent of what others would call 'Summer' in the seasonal parts of the world. And everytime, for me, it's a love and hate affair going on, between me and the weather. I love to feel the warmth of the sun in the early morning and late afternoon; i hate the scorching heat in the mid-day. I love to feel the sweat and the intensity of a good run or workout; i hate the constant moist layer of perspiration covering me from head to toe throughout the day. I would love to get a tan, given the abundance of the sunlight nowadays; i would hate to look like a f**king lobster without slathering on some SPF 50.

and i'm having a hard time keeping my face matt, as the heat just keep making my face oilier and more sheen. And now at most, i can only put a small amount of moisturizer on my face, because if i put on too much, i'll break out. Unlike in the past few months, i've no problem putting on a thicker layer of moisturizer cream.

And i'm feeling pretty bored lately. I've been cooped up at home, as i scrapped my knee pretty badly last week. Which i absolutely hate. Scrapped knees always meant: i can't bend my knees, walk with a limp, and trying to avoid getting water onto the wound (which is a near impossibility for showering). and to make things worse, i injuried my left foot (YES, the same leg as my scrapped knee) a few days back. (don't ask me how, i just did)

But thank GOD. my scrapped knee is ALMOST healed now. I've been feeling pretty excited today because i just got a copy of Daniel Merriweather's new album, Love and War. Right now, i'm still listening to it. the first single of this album, Change (feat Wale), was played on 987FM a while back. but then, I still didn't know who this guy was. And a while back, i heard his duet with Adele, Water and A Flame. i thought i was pretty nice, but still i didn't pay much attention to him. AND today, i stumbled across his name while googling, and VOILA! i'm falling in love with his music.

Here's a link to his second album, Love and War, scheduled to be released on April 27, 2009 in the UK. (for preview purposes only. buy it if you like it ^o^) (password: warez)




i pretty like the cover art for Love and War. which makes me all the more want to get the hard copy asap. And who is this Daniel Merriweather, with his funny last name and all, you ask? Well, he's a 26 year old R&B singer/songwriter who best reminds me of a cross between James Morrison and Robin Thicke, both of whom I'm HUGE fans of. The first single off Love and War, Change (ft. Wale), is very James Morrison-hy. Very. It's pretty decent. Probably a good single material. And i like it much. But the REAL to-die-for single is Water and A Flame. Smoky, sexy, jazzy, together with Adele's voice, it's hauntingly sad, that you will love instantly. The best track in the entire album, WHICH by the way, is produced superbly, thanks in part to Mark Ronson, who produced the numerous hits of Amy Winehouse.



(nice tatt there Daniel!)

Dum vita est, spes est.

Alright, i'm just gonna do a short update on my current job-seeking, as of the moment. I was pretty excited today, as shortly after i sent out my resume to two potential employers, i received a phone call from one of them - Recruit Express. Normally, Recruit Express wouldn't be the employer; they're like an agency that helps companies source out potential candidates. But in my case, i wasn't so sure - I was applying to be a Temporary Consultant. Basically, the job scope would be to interview to job-seekers and match them to the clients, in addition to the regular office admin stuff, i suppose. *Wow, sounds like something i'd LURRVE to do* And so in the sweltering heat at 2 plus, all decked in my interview executive wear (which i've decided, would be my best chance to nail this interview and also to cover up my tattoos), minus my ear piercings, I went for the interview at Ngee Ann city. And omgosh, today was my second time there - to Recruit Express - but yet somehow i still manage to get lost there, while going to the offices. I simply couldn't find the right elevator. Oh yeah, in front of the plaza, coincidentally, i saw one of the girls from PJC whom i've had a huge crush on. I still remember her name - first name only though - and she looked chic and all dressed up AND with her boyfriend. a new one though, a different one from when she was in PJC. OK, thing was, i didn't notice her until she was like two metres from me, but on the other hand, she didn't seem to notice me. Oh well.

I would have to say the interview went superbly well. at least IMO. i was nervous and all, not because I naturally will, but coz' i was so intend on saying what I PLANNED. i actually did a script as to what i would say during the interview. Yep, in a way, i was lying. about many things. but i shall not delve into it much. Ok, the thing is, just before this post, i went back to check on the Job post by Recruit Express ( i had no idea why i did though), only this time round i couldn't find it. i clicked on the exact link in the HISTORY tabs, only to find it replaced by another post, by the SAME CONSULTANT. for what reason? i've no idea. what i do know is that normally they do not edit nor delete nor replace their posts i.e. the posts stay there for months. Why i'm so psyched and excited by this is, hopefully, no one is applying for that post anymore (or should i say able to) and at last count, the consultant said only one other person has applied. And hopefully, she was impressed by all my lies that i will be able to get the job. Cheers ~~

Top Reasons to Watch Movies in 2009

1) Fast & Furious (Mar 27 / April 3 - CANADA / U.S.)

Wow. I've always been a fan of The Fast and The Furious, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, with the original cast of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez. And when Tokyo Drift came out, I was like "WHAT>!?!" How glad was I when i learnt that the original cast are going to reprise their roles in a 4th sequel. Hopefully, this is not the last though; it shouldn't be. Fans of flashy cars, turbo-charged, adrenaline-pumped high-speed racing will definitely love this installment. I know I will.

Brian's R34 Skyline GT-R and Subaru Impreza WRX




Dom's 1970 Chevelle SS



Some other flashy cars from the movie:




The HOT Paul Walker in a still from the movie:



The Theatrical Posters for movie:




2) Terminator Salvation - May 21, 2009

I've always loved the 1st and 2nd Terminator Movies and i think it's definitely the right move to make the 4th Terminator movie a sequel to the first two. I think this is going to be one of my favourite Terminator movie ever: 1) Christian Bale as John Connor? Hell yeah. I've loved him since Rescue Dawn. He was pretty much amazing in it. 2) Linda Hamilton aka the ORIGINAL BONA FIDE Sarah Connor - narrating? This is double orgasm. She may be too old to do action films, but to hear her voice again in this movie, is a fitting tribute to her touching portrayal of Sarah Connor in the previous T-films.

The Theatrical Posters for Terminator: Salvation
(I like the first one better though)

The Actors in Terminator: Salvation
Christian Bale as John Connor
Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright (a decommissioned Terminator)

3) Transformers - Revenge of The Fallen - June 24, 2009

This has got to be one of the most anticipated movie of the year but out of the three, I don't really feel anything for this - it doesn't have any of my favourite actors in it, nor was i a big Fan of Transformers as a child. And considering the jerky camera movements and barely distinguishable action/fight scenes of the first Transformers movie, i don't really know what to expect from this sequel. Well, i'm definitely glad Megan Fox is going to be back for some eye-candy, but hopefully, this time around, we'll be able to enjoy the action scenes more clearly.

The Theatrical Poster:



Being the Transformers non-fan that i am, i can't tell whether this is a autobot or a decepticon...



This is EXACTLY what i mean by a "barely distinguishable" action scene: Most of the times, the action scenes are just a jumbled mess of metal. sometimes, i don't even know who is fighting who.



OMG~~ Wonder why Megan Fox is crying here~ Hopefully Shia LaBeouf gets killed off here. =)

Run Babies run ~~~

I getting all Hot N Cold...

Nope. I'm not grovving to Katy Perry but I'm feeling Hot N Cold. Literally. and I'm gonna blame it all the weather. So these couple of days i 'm in my tank top, since it's so damn hot in the day. but then, it'll be like all cold all of a sudden. and before you Know it, it'll be freakin' hot again. either my body system is all screwed up or our earth is.

Damn. I'm bored to hell at home. Meanwhile, i've been trying to find work but up till now, there's been no luck. Wow, i mean, i really did learn a lot just going through the process of job searching. I'm planning to do a full blog post just based on that only. But I think i'm only going to do after i've landed a job. And i've got a LOT to share, man. Meanwhile, a lot of stuff have happened these couple of days.

First things first, BoA's Debut English album came out on Tues, March 17. Yeshh!!!! I wanted to do a post immediately after listening to it on that day, a first-hand review, but procrastinated. but anyway, i'm going to do that later on. First, let me get to American Idol.

These week was Grand Ole Opry week. Ok, actually i learnt about this week's theme from rickey.org quite some time ago.... or was it votefortheworst.com... can't remember for the life of me. these two sites are so similar. Ok, my first reaction was WTF was "Grand Ole Opry"?!?! but then i looked at the songlist... Martina McBride... Carrie Underwood... Garth Brooks... and after reading some of the comments by visitors, i realised it was country, which in American Idol history, it hasn't come down too good many times before. However, surprising, the performance night wasn't too bad. No one did particularly bad, though there were a couple or so standouts, such Kris Allen's and Matt Giraud's. Matt's cover of Carrie Underwood's So Small was particularly memorable and emotion-invoking. His bluezy, smoky, rough coverage contrasted with Carrie's silky vocals. Whenever a performance cause the hair on my body to stand on ends, i would know that it's a great performance. and matt's So Small did just that.

Here is his Studio recording of So Small:

Now the frustrating part. Dirty Diana a.k.a Alexis Grace got the lowest votes for the rendition of Dolly Parton's Jolene. Now the EVEN MORE frustrating part: the Judges mentioned right before Alexis sang for her life, that she was the one (between her and Michael Sarver) the judges would consider saving using the Judge's Save. That got Alexis' hope and you could see while she sang, she was on the verge of tears, desperation, her voice was breaking. She really wanted it bad. And I thought she would deserve another chance. After all that, the judges REFUSED to save her, with Simon putting it simply: It was good, it just wasn't good enough, EFFECTIVELY dashing her dreams. WTF! ok, she had a bad performance (and it wasn't that bad actually) but i think she has one of the most promising potential among the top 11, and she didn't deserve to go home just yet. f*ck, she will not even get the chance to go on the AMI summer tour because she's not part of the top 10. WHAT?!?! first Joanna Pacitti got axed from the Top 36 and now Alexis Grace?! Man, i'm not watching this show anymore (the thought of seeing Danny Gokey every week turns me off)... ok, i'm just kidding.

Next, seeing how there isn't many reviews for BoA's new english debut out there, i'm going to do one.

Tracklist:
1) I Did it for Love (ft. Sean Garrett)
2) Energetic
3) Did Ya
4) Look who's talking
5) Eat you up
6) Obsessed
7) Touched
8) Scream
9) Girl on Top
10) Dress Off
11) Hypnotic Dancefloor

My First Listen Impression: Not Good. i would give it a 3/5 rating. BUT considering that i'm a HUGE BoA fan, i'm going to be srsly biased here. OK, on first listen, it just wasn't working for me, as an entire album packaging. sure, there were some standout tracks, but the entire album just doesn't cut it. I've been listening to American pop music for quite some time now and when i first considered the idea of the american public listening to this album and getting to know this artiste, BoA, just based on this one album, i don't think it's going to make any big impression on them. Furthermore, in comparison to some pretty strong recent American pop artistes i.e. Britney Spears, Rihanna, BoA would really pale out.

Now the Second Impressions: (after listening to it more)
1)I Did it for Love
I've loved this track right from the start that it was released. There's really nothing much to comment on this track really. Brilliant. Dance. Track. I still can't figure out whether this is the second single or Look Who's Talking is. But if i were to choose, this would definitely be a stronger second single.

2)Energetic
the title of this track caught my attention, considering how i like grovvy tracks and Lady GaGa's Just Dance and Poker Face immediately came to my mind. course, that was before i listened to it. really great as well.

4) Look Who's Talking
One of the standout tracks. Courtesy of Ms. Britney Bitch herself. she co-wrote this song. of course, it feels very britney-ish. especially in the chorus. think Circus or If U Seek Amy.

7) Touched
this isn't a standout nor is it one of my fave. in fact, i quite hate this song, due to the fact that BoA didn't actually really sing the chorus, if i'm not wrong. At first, i was shocked when i heard this song, because it didn't feel like BoA at all (after listening to her for 8 years now since her Jap debut, i would definitely know) I was positive she didn't sang that song. when i listened closely, i realised the chorus was sung by background singers (most probably) and BoA was doing all these vocal theatrics (as i would like to call it). So, in a way, the roles were switched and i didnt like it. This is one of the controversial songs for me, in a way.

8) Scream
Ok, by the time you reach this track, if you listened to it in chronological order, you would probably realise that she sounds slightly different on every single track (thx to the vocal tweaking), every single track FEELS (i'm not saying SOUND) the same and you can't really tell what the heck BoA's singing (hey, she's Korean, but really, who will care to listen to the words?). Although i have to give her credit for the tremendous improvement in her English. So in a way, what i'm trying to say is that Scream just feels like the other songs on this album, but nonetheless, i quite like this track.

9) Girls on Top
I was quite a fan of the Korean album with the same name, due to the fact at that time, BoA broke away from her squeaky clean image as this silky hair lass and following her My Name album, she continued to give this edgy, rock-ish, dancey look which reflected in her music as well. So i was particular glad to hear that this american version didn't butchered the original song. in fact, it sounded great and better, i would say. i was worried i would be a little squeamish to hear her sing one of her old songs in English, but it wasn't as bad as i initially thought it would be.

10) Dress Off
~ so all u wanna do is take my Dress Off ~ take my dress offfff ~ dress offff ~ offfff ~
one of my FAVE tracks in this entire album, mainly because of it's ADdictive, Catchy, Grovvy, Electrosynth sound. LUrves it. and considering that the lyrics are so flirty and dirrty, it's no surprise it's gonna be one of my faves.

My Final Verdict: 4/5
on my fourth or fifth run through the album, i can't believe that BoA actually just sang an ENTIRE album in English AND it actually sounds AWESOME. it's not like those previous English covers of her own songs, where u will get squeamish listening to how bad her English sounds. Ok, considering that I can get over how MUCH they tweaked Britney's voice in Circus, I am definitely lurving this album right here. Of course, the comparison is there, BoA has long been hailed as Asia's Britney. In the past, i couldn't see the similarities but now i Do. Hello? Bloodshy & Avant were one of the producers on Britney's Circus and by recruiting them to produce on THIS album, we couldn't make them sound more similar. In fact, BoA SOUNDS so much like Britney on this album on SO MANY tracks. But if it's a sure-formulae to success and they want to reproduce it on BoA, i certainly wish her the best. Depending on how the critics see it, they could churn out either very positive reviews or pan her down. (again, it's whether they will compare her to Britney's Circus) I've always liked BoA for her dance tracks, her energy in her dancing and her unique voice. So in this album, i'm getting only the first two. I don't really know whether to love or hate the vocoder in the album because it took away the voice that I lurved so much since ID; Peace B.

Remember to grab your copy. It's worth it.

AMI Top 13 Performs and Conspiracy Theories...

Alrite, so, it's that time of the year again, when I get to enjoy my dose of AMI. after all the crazy-shit funny auditions of course. This year's a Top 13, as compared to the previous years' Top12 and a new twist this year is the Judge's Veto - i.e. to say That means if someone is sent home whom the judges think should stay, they can have the power to keep them there. (no one is voted off that week but the following week, two goes home)

As said by Ryan:
“The judges can save one contestant from elimination just once. Once they’ve used the save, they cannot use it again the entire season. The week they use the save, no one will be eliminated but the next week, two will go.”

wow. first a top 13. then two goes home for the first episode. now this. anyway here are my last night's favourites: (in order of preference)

Michael Sarver - You are not alone
- Great ballady song. I didn't know if the original was as ballady as his', but i'm a sucker for ballads.



Alexis Grace - Dirty Diana
- It's was not over the top as Simon had put it to be. I didn't think that she got the credit she deserve for her performance though. Or maybe it was over the top but i liked it...



Kris Allen - Remember the time
- OMG. i thought that he sucked last night. ok, maybe it wasn't as bad as i put it to be... but in the middle when he got too excited, he was like all over the place. i'm only putting his performance here because i like him. i don't think he's going to make it far though, even with all his screaming female fans.



Allison Iraheta - Give in to Me
- Great Rocker chick with a great rock performance. She's like an ugly duckling turning into a swan. i don't think she has marketability potential though.



P.S. : Stop supporting Danny 'douchebag' Gokey. He's pimping his deadwife to further his stay on AMI and getting sympathy votes. so what if he can sing? he's got no market appeal whatsoever. period.

Now, the fun part. since who knows when, there's been like conspiracy theories floating around regarding AMI. now, here's one that caught my attention recently - The Red Lights Theory. So here's the thing: During performance night, whoever's performance got the Red lights flashing in their's, it means that judges want them gone. So going by last night's performances, Jorge, Kris, Allison and Jasmine got the red light treatment.

At first, i was a bit fascinated by this theory as it definitely got me interested and left me pondering. but in the end my conclusion: it's most likely false.

Why? from what i've seen on AMI since the start of Season8, Simon has always thought that Jasmine has got marketability and compared Allison to when Kelly Clarkson was in the same stage in the competition. Furthermore, Jasmine was saved by the Judges, first by putting her into the wildcard round, then putting her through to the Top 13 (even though IMO, other more qualified contestants such as Ricky Brady failed to do so) So, to support the Red Light Theory would be to say that the judges wanted Jasmine gone in less than even a week, which is highly contradictory.

Of course, i'm only elaborating on Jasmine here but there's also Allison. Though i wouldn't say the same for Jorge, who doesn't have the appeal to cut a record, even though he has the chops.

All in all: i think the lights just add to the dramatic effect of their stage presence. that's all...

It's Almost Here

I've supported her since she debut with the album, Listen to my Heart. From the smooth silky hair girl to the sultry mature singer that she is today, I think that BoA's one of the most hardworking Asian singers out there. Sure, she's the result of a combination of smart marketing from SM Entertainment, lots of make-up and styling and great dance choreography, it's easy to neglect the fact that she's a pretty decent singer with a easily recognised voice that differentiates her from other singers.



Hot off her eponymous U.S. debut album, I Did It for Love, is a sure-winner over Eat You Up. This song features Sean Garrett, whom i best remember in Enrique Iglesias's Away. Freakin' catchy, a great electro sound (thanks to her using a vocoder), and a hot, sexy image in the MV. this song is a definite hit in the clubs, even before the remixes start to appear.





Her us debut album is slated to be released on MARCH 17. MARK THAT ON YOUR CALENDER! Be sure to pre-order your copy from Amazon or iTunes, or from your local music store.

Finally, here's a teaser for her I Did It for Love MV.

Music for the Soul

I've always said - if you want to enjoy both visual fulfillment and great music at the same time, watch either Grey's Anatomy or Private Practice, or even better, both. Which, by the way, I do. Talk about emotional overload here. And how glad was I when I heard these two pieces of music on Episode 12 of Season 2 of Private Practice - Homeward Bound. We first hear the first piece of great music when Charlotte was about the pull the plug on her dying father - this one is Don't Give Up by Clare Reynolds.



The second one is at the end of the episode, when Charlotte and Cooper were on the plane, and Charlotte just cuddles in Cooper's arm and weeps. As well as the Addison thingy of course. This one is Devil's Thunder by Rachael Cantu. Enjoy.

A Song about Pimps & Ho's

There. Taraji P. Henson said it. That's what this song is all about. Pretty catchy, u gotta admit it. and can u imagine it though, It's Hard out Here for a Pimp, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2005? this is sung by Three 6 Mafia and my favourite lady, Taraji P. Henson. Enjoy.

Movie Reviews

Over the past couple of days, I've watched quite a number of films and some of them were pretty darn good. Here's my two cents worth on them:

The first one i watched was Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which serves as a prequel to Underworld 1. Considering how shiteous the first flick was, I must say that this third installment was pretty ok to me. The thing was, throughout the film, i find the female lead to be quite familiar, though i couldn't quite pin-point where i saw her before. and i wasn't sure whether she was the same chick in Underworld 1. After doing a little research, i realised she was the detective Kit McGraw in Nip/Tuck, who had an incestuous relationship with her brother, who didn't have a penis. Ahhh. No wonder. Here's Rhona Mitra (Sonja in U3) and Kate Beckinsale (Selene in U1):

*they look quite similar in the film*

The next film i'm going to talk about is a huge favourite of mine: Burn after Reading. Funny title; not the kind i would go watch just based on the title. First, here's the theatrical poster:

Witty. Clever. Great Fun to watch. It brings up a lot of topics about people in a very real environment. E.g. Insecurities, Sense of deluded importance, Affairs, Divorce. The film is so named cos the film is centred around a disk of apparently "classified" information that the characters played by Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand discovered. Special mention include George Clooney and Frances McDormand as Linda. George Clooney was particularly hilarious.

I'm a sucker for horror flicks and even though i'll hide behind my pillow and my legs will turn into jelly whenever i watch 'em, i simply can't resist them. which brings me to this double bundle of joy: Kill Theory and The midnight Meat Train.



I don't think Kill Theory has been released in Singapore yet, and i doubt it ever will. I could just sum it up in a sentence: Typical high school students meets serial killer horror flick. Nothing fancy. Pretty average actors. OK script. The 'twist' at the end was ok also... But here's the thing: it's pretty gory. which going by the theatrical poster, i could understand. but it's just that nowadays, more and more 'horror' flicks are becoming 'gore'y, including the next one i'm going to talk about: The Midnight Meat Train.

OK, let me make this very clear. This HORROR flick is 10 times more GORE-Y than Kill Theory. yup. which as u can see from the stills above. for me, the above scenes were one of the scariest. Dead naked bodies hanging from the hand rails on Butcher hooks in a train. yup. in the beginning first few kill scenes, it was pretty artsy, as well as right in your face GORE. slowly, it began to feel like a thriller, with the conspiracy thingy and i pretty like the cinematography. And the ending was pretty good as well. Though it's pretty far-fetched from reality, as like Hey, what are the odds of getting butchered to death in a railway train in today? but hey, it's fantasy horror flick after all. i had great fun watching it and scared myself to shits.



And currently showing in Singapore is the feel-good comedy, Role Models. Surprisingly, this wasn't produced by Judd Apatow. and just knowing Sean William Scott is in it is enough to rush down to the cinemas to catch it. He WAS funny in it, no doubt, but somehow i felt that his performance in it was restrained, held back. not the kind of outright-in-your-face, Sean William Scott-esque funny. feel very scripted. Sure, this is feel-good comedy, about Sean William Scott and Paul Judd doing community as guidance adults for the 'Littles', who wanted nothing more than to finish their hours as quickly as possible, only to come out at the end to have learnt some much from the 'littles'. However, this flick doesn't feel a single bit cheesy and off-the-mill funny. it is seriously funny. and the poster above is pretty kick-ass.

Thought i would post a very meaningful quote from Taraji P. Henson (Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button):

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody is watching




Left: Taraji P. Henson all glammed up Right: Taraji as Queenie in TCCOBB

Although the original quote was from either Mark Twain or Satchel Paige, depending on the sources, and it goes something like this (once again, differents sources will quote it differently):

Dance like nobody's watching;
love like you've never been hurt.
Sing like nobody's listening;
live like it's heaven on earth

Depending on how u want to interpret it, you can rearrange it anyway u want, the last phrase being the most important one to you.

**on another note: i decided i'm not going to let old fuddy-duddies who do nothing but fail people all day determine whether i can drive or not.

Next time... watch it.

Man, i simply feel like killing someone right now. Someone in particular. that someone - motorcyclist - who ZOOMED past my car while i switching lane and was on a FREAKIN' TRAFFIC POLICE DRIVING TEST just now. and guess what? yes, i FAILED. surprise surprise. based on my experience in military driving, from the moment that MUTHA-FUCKER sped up right after completing his u-turn and sped past my vehicle, and the tester was like 'woah!', i knew on the spot i failed immediately. Knew it. there's a lot of different way to look at this. before that, here's the facts: i checked the rear view mirror, clear, then i checked my blind spot. and there he was, speeding right past my vehicle. but the problem was i having a tendency to turn as i checked. so in a way, it was my fault. i'll admit it. but then, i'm on a freakin TP test. can't u just let me? is it that hard? can't u see my left signal light? KNN. second thing: when i checked my rear view mirror, it was clear: i.e. to say that MUTHA-FUCKER was from the u-turn and immediately after exiting, he sped up, even though he could jolly well see i wanted to change lane. KNN. Hope u rot in hell.

the frustrating thing was that was the final part of the test. to keep left after the u-turn. that's it. imo, everything i did was perfect until then, and i felt that the tester was going to let me pass (cos he didn't do much clicking on the board --->not too many mistakes) but then, immediately after that MUTHA-FUCKER sped past my car, the tester was like quickly clicking on his electronic board (i swear to god that one incident made him penalise me a lot more than i deserve) and when i got back my scoresheet, MAN, I got 32 freakin' points. 32! i bet almost all of it was checked after that motorcyclist incident.

the main gripe i have about failing is not about having to go for more lessons and a retest, but the money and the fact that the next re-test will be like 6 weeks later. and while it sucks to know other people who passed and u didn't. like that lady i was talking to while in the holding room. she was like " Oh, i don't know lah, that outside road one i srsly don't know..." and i was like thinking "great.... that means she passed." but at least i knew one other guy failed too (cos he left immediately w/o going to the TP counter) but i was one of the first back, some i don't know much about the rest thou. and i guessed that a few of them were on their second tries or more. AND guess what? that makes me feel a lot better!!! AHAHA. i know i'm evil. but whatever.

and the tester said i was "very agressive " when it comes to changing lanes.... hmmm. that's the thing. some instructors like to be more safe, while some like u to take every opportunity u got when it comes to lane-changing. so i feel as if i can never satisfy everyone. whether i take the 'aggressive' route or 'safe' route. not that u don't do safety checks when u go aggressive, of course. u know what i mean.

and i don't know whether i should cover up my tattoo on my right forearm with some concealer or not and take my diamond ear-stud i wore today. i think i should make myself look more goody-two-shoes more? and i kinda came to a conclusion that for my next test, i'm gonna put on a SOUR-PUSS face throughout everything. it kinda makes me channel all my inner rage towards doing better, and i think i'll do better. l o l .. .

arghhh.. another two hundred plus gone. great.

A New Chapter in my Life...

or simply a continuation of the last chapter?

Of course, i refering the days after 9th of Feburary 2009, the day i ORD. i'm still deciding on that really. well, we'll see how it goes then.

really, i don't regret going to Range yesterday. wow, i wouldn't have expected to get marksman in CS at all, or in Range at all. Well, it wasn't really exactly my effort, considering the fact that it CS, and it's a team effort thing. And secondly, owning to the fact that i fail my ATP three times, i I was only in charge of shooting the Fig.11 targets (which was REALLY easy) SO, i have no right to brag on my part. And yeah, the officers were really good i.e. Alvin and Choy. Friday would have been a Good day, in horoscopic terms, if i ever read horoscope books at all. First of all, i was the ORD day of half of 3238, and secondly, i was really lucky in Range that day. My Instinctive action shoot was literally a give away, due to the fact that half of the shots were free shots! and to top things off, cos my detail scored the highest in the day shoot, we were arranged to be the first detail for the night shoot i.e. to say we shot while it was still freakin' bright at a quarter to 7. and it was freakin' SICK. Round 1 was a strike and everyone was like "Wow" and "OMG". i totally cannot believe. My mouth was agag and i didn't miss a single shot throughout my 3 mags. and it turns out our night shoot was better than our day's at 74/75. (yeah, i know, it isn't exactly fair cos it's like having two day shoots, but whateva... ~.~)

the ride back was unbearable. the bus was crawling. literally. even the unimogs we drive can pawn the bus driver hands down.

brought almost all my stuff back last night. wow, can't believe i'm ord~ing soon.

can't stand the new specs. freakin' ego~istic. it's probably maybe cos they don't know the lao jiaos good enough, but whateva, ~"SO WHAT U'RE A SPEC, BIG DEAL" get lost. *_*

i'm totally diggin Darin right now. He's the runner-up for the first season of Sweden Idol and i think he's got a really good voice and good techniques although his songs are mostly pop, dance, and in his latest album, more electro stuff. so i can't exactly say it would draw good reviews from music critics in the likes of Amy Winehouse, Duffy, or Leona Lewis. but he makes pretty good pop-dance albums and as long as it makes you want to get up and dance, i would say it's good enough. his debut album, ' The Anthem' is actually very awesome and i particularly like his infectious dance hit, Desire from his third album. his albums are pretty much the same, other than the fact that his lastest offering, Flashback, his fourth album steers in the direction of electro music.

read a really good book recently. or at least read some parts on it. it's called 'How to stop worrying and start living' by Dale Carnegie and it was first published in 1948. that year, Mr Carnegie was like 59. and i surprised to learn that after all this years, this good is still relevant in today's society. VERY, actually. at first, just by the title, i thought i wouldn't need this book, much more to read it. but when i chose selected chapters to read, i was really blown away. the man has some really good things to share.like yeah! Here's one: Our Life is what our thoughts make it. You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are. -----> Wow. really leaves me thinking about it over n over again.