Thinking Aloud

The end of the Holy week was a rather relaxing one. I enjoyed it. Good Friday service in the morning. God gave Pastor Shih Ming exactly the words I needed to hear (not what I wanted to hear…). Headed down to Sim Lim to get and brand new graphics card and a new game. Spent the rest of the day enjoying the fruits of my hard earned money.

Saturday spent cleaning up the house and doing another round of consultation with my student. Wanted to go swimming but the weather was not obliging. Slept early.

Come Sunday. Easter worship service, then home cooked lunch, a swim and then dinner. And I finally cleaned my room. Aaah, nicely relaxed and recharged.

Was thinking how much God has blessed me. It seems almost criminal to say that my life is pretty much relaxed. Amongst my peers, (don’t mean to boast) I think I have the least stress free mind. But is it an Asian thing to define one’s sense of importance by being busy? I have the nagging suspicion that this is so, and if it is then I guess I’m the least Asian amongst my peers.

In the order of priority

1. Pirates of the Carribean 3. Because everyone wants to know what happens to Jack Sparrow, and the fact that Chow Yuen Fatt gets to say, " Welcome to Singapore!" What’s with this obsession with Singapore!!??

2. Shrek the Third. Seems that the lady ogre is pregnant…

3. Spiderman 3. Peter Parker is getting nightmares and the Green Goblin returns.

4. The Simpsons movie. " Douch!!"

5. Stardust. Simply because I am a sucker for fantasy flicks.

This year is a good year for the movies.  

When I was young, my family would head down to my grandmother’s place every weekend. Besides meeting up with my cousins, I would also help myself to the extensive video collection that my aunt had. Compared to now, I realized that they don’t make movies like they used to.

(Lame nostalgic post…or not)

The don’t make action films like Commando (Arnold Swarzenegger….yes he was an action hero before being governor.)  

They don’t make James Bond like Octopussy or  A View to a Kill and the like. (Casino Royale is excellent cinema, but I don’t see 9 year olds identifying with Daniel Craig’s cool poker performance.)

They don’t make sci-fi like Empire Strikes Back. ("Luke…I am your father" must be the most recognizable film scene in movie history, not to mentioned the most parodied ) 

…

It’s different nowadays. Somehow, cinema takes itself too seriously nowadays. Serious cinema is now about making a social statement, a political statement, a religous statement. They may be many contemporary movies like Citizen Kane, but they are hard to identify with. They are many political thrillers, suspense and movies criticizing the Bush government, but no real satire like Dr Strangeglove:  How I stop worrying and learnt to love the Bomb.

I guess its true as they say, the fall of the Wall changed everything.  

Watched the first five episodes of Cowboy Bebop. And yeah, it’s really good.

Bang

I guess, the pop-noir, the sci-fi and the music draws me in. Great concept and execution, all with style and substance to boot. Spike, Jet and Faye are all interesting characters, and for each episode (so far), there’s no clear cut good-guy vs. bad-guy battle. It’s makes the series so much more interesting.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand felt weird.

*Spoilers ahead*

Somehow killing off Scott Summers and Charles early in the film sent it tumbling down the hill. Even the final battle at Alcatraz couldn’t save it. Like a dud, it just rocketed into the air and spluttered out.

Anti-climatic. That’s how I felt after the show.

Sure, there’s the wisecracks, but they were crude and lacked the wit and charm that made the second installment a joy to watch.

Then there’s the problem of the story. The ending botched it up. So what happens to Archangel and his dad? And what a way to defeat Magneto! It’s too easy.

Haih…

I didn’t really like it. That’s for sure.

Haha, I finally got down to reading Dan Brown’s controversial piece. Apparently its the second in book where Robert Langdon is featured as the protagonist (The first is Angels and Demons).

I can see where the controversy comes from. But the most crucial of the claims in the novel-the parts which cannot be reduced to a mere fictional device-is the fact was Jesus was merely a man.

In a sense this claim is nothing new. Philosophers and contrarian theologians have been claiming that Jesus wan not divine ever since. It’s also the central premise in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material’s trilogy. God is not divine, just a glorified angel.

Another contentious point is the nature of faith. Brown’s definition of faith is what we are all familiar with-a neccessary lie that makes the world a better place to live in.

Anyway, just for the record, like Pullman’s opus, I liked the book as an example of good storytelling. I sort of anticipated the ending (there’s a plot twist which I won’t spoil for anyone). But the ending satisfying nonetheless. Suffices to say, I don’t think Brown was attacking the church cos in the story, the ultimate bad guy wasn’t even the church (or in particular the Catholic Church).

‘Nuff said, if you are on the look for a murder mystery with a garnishing of an ironic plot twist, here’s a good one for you.

The absense of nonsense here means that I am safely at home.

Enjoying the quietness at home, using the time to play starcraft.

More posts to come. But won’t be updating so regularly.

The critically acclaimed trilogy by Philip Pullman.

I first heard( read about it) actually from an essay by Bishop Robert Solomon. How absolutely ironic!

It is an exciting read! Although I got lost somewhere in the middle of the narrative of the third book.

But I enjoyed it. Nice plot, with a bittersweet ending. A true work of imagination.

p/s Read it with an open mind. You and I may not agree on the central message of Pullman’s book, but it still a wonderful story to read.

“Okazaki. Ritsuko Okazaki. That’s my name.”

Nice album. The carefree life, taking in deep breaths as the fresh perfume of meadow winds wash over us all.

That’s how the music makes me feel.

Lovely. Simply lovely.

Haha…let me indulge myself in a short review here.

TGOF is a great offering in the Potter series. It captures the essence but not the details of the books. And this perhaps is what is lacking, the emotional flow. The editing of these scenes don’t gel well with the unfolding story. Sirius’s Black conversation with Harry is hollow, Hermione’s crush of Krum and tension between Ron is inconsequential and jars with the overall story. It’s good maybe for a few good laughs.

But no matter. Radcliffe is believable as Potter and Watson plays her role pretty well too. Ron pales though. This is not where Rupert shines.

But overall, an entertaining watch. Plenty of action and an immersive romp. Worth your time, if you are a fan.

p/s: Can anyone tell my what Michael Gambon’s problem is. He isn’t the Dumbledore I know in the book.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder

Hold me in your arms, baby
Squeeze me oh so tight
Show me that you love me too.

Put your lips next to mine, dear
Won’t you kiss me once, baby
Just a kiss good-night
Maybe you and I will fall in love.

People say that love’s a game
A game you just can’t win.
If there’s a way
I’ll find it some day
And then this fool will rush in.

Put your head on my shoulder
Whisper in my ear baby
Words I want to hear tell me
Tell me that you love me too.

Put your head on my shoulder
Whisper in my ear baby
Put your head on my shoulder.

Song En is going to be soooo jealous when he finds that I’ve watched Advent Children already!!

:-D

It’s really good.

Good in the sense it’s a quintissential action flick. Just a little over 90 mins. Great action set pieces. Have no idea what Cloud’s big problem is. The beginning is dreadfully slow and the editing is mindless. But lookout for the climatic battle with… hehe not giving anything away.

Gonna burn it. Most memorable scene: The highway chase.

It’s slowly warming up my hard disk. Can’t say when it’ll be done. Oh boy, can’t wait, can’t wait. In the meantime, still doing Prof’s Berrick’s tutorial. No joke man, it’s tough. Something that looks so simple yet so difficult.

Final Fantasy was one of the best RPG’s I played, now finally they have a CGI mov of sorts. Let’s hope it’s worth the wait.