Ingrates!

Went back to HC today on a last-minute whim. Coz I got a ride to the main road and ended up at the bus stop opposite, so I thought I might as well pop in and say 'hi' to Ms Wong. Ms Wong very popular sia, another of her student ('06 batch) appeared a few minutes after me and we started chatting. Then Weijian joined in and we talked for >1 hour.

I feel less of an ingrate now because Ms Wong really helped me a lot. All the other teachers did too, but I'm too shy to visit them alone. Wouldn't have known what to say to them. Saw Mr. Tang while I was there, exchanged a few words and it was quite awkward. Should have thanked him for his help lah. Wouldn't have survived physics without him. Thanks Mr. Tang! lol even though I know he won't be reading this.

MZ actually has a point - teachers appreciate ex-students visiting them but they don't always like to entertain such visits. They have to take time off work and think of topics - which inevitably revolves around the future plans and how-the-classmates-are-doing variety - to talk about. And usually the conversation doesn't last very long so he/she would have to find an excuse to shoo you off. Awkward. So I was somewhat glad that the junior and wj were around today.

Happy that I went back today! Anyone wants to go back HC/CHS, jio me! Won't be back for MAF this year. =(

Gonna go watch AI finals. And then Champions League finals later. Couch potato signing off.

Tanned couch potato

Haven't been blogging much lately for a few reasons:

1. The dearth of noteworthy movie and music releases
2. Can't blog about my job without revealing too much
3. Too much TV!

I've been spending a lot of time in front of the TV every night. A typical evening starts off with "TV dinner" at 7.30pm, variety programmes from 8 - 9pm, then “一房，半厅，一水缸” till 10pm, and “青蛙王子拜金女” wraps up the TV marathon. I'd read the papers or do some work in between, but other than that I'm fast developing into a couch potato with a figure to match.

Well you can't blame me for watching too much TV. I have been so deprived for the past 1.5 years! And Mediacorp has somehow managed to put out a string of hits in “破茧而出”，“黄金路” and now “一房，半厅，一水缸”.

Some might think the latter is just a brainless dramedy - that's what I thought initially as well - but it does have the makings of a light-hearted social commentary/satire with amusing caricatures of Singaporeans. Though not without its failings, it is great for a few laughs, and the ensemble cast boasting many experienced thespians and former A-listers deliver with aplomb. Li Yin Zhu's "Auntie Automatic" is thoroughly classic, and definitely one of the most memorable and hilarious characters to grace local screens. I'm rooting for her to win the best supporting actress Star Award! And I must add, the newcomer playing Carol(Xiu Zhen) is uber chio and the best thing is, she can act!

I started catching “青蛙王子拜金女” midway and it's pretty much fluff. Nothing serious or thought-provoking, but somehow interesting enough to keep me watching. Along the lines of "My Sassy Girlfriend", I guess. I like the way they do humour in Korean dramas - it somehow manages to be slapstick and understated at the same time. Their comic timing is so different, which is probably what makes it refreshing.

If you're wondering why this couch potato is tanned, it's not because of the UV rays from all that TV viewing. I got a healthy dose of vitamin D when I went cycling with my army mates last Sunday. We covered much of the Eastern Coast Park Connector Network, and Louis estimates that we covered at least 35km over 5 hours with a lunch stopover at Changi Village. Way to go, man. Cycling must be the most enjoyable form of exercise - I just love the breeze in my face and the feeling of speed. But we almost died at all the up-slopes. And the weather was so erratic - super sunny one moment and it started raining the next. Agonised over where to have dinner and finally settled on Carl's Junior @ Suntec because of the free flow drinks. -_-" LOL. But the burger was nice!

Rock climbing next week? Let's see how it goes. For now, the TV and that comfortable couch is beckoning. Ciao!

Blockbuster Update

I know cobwebs are gathering around my blog so here I am to sweep them away, with a "blockbuster" update no less.

CNY was great, not because of the ang pows, but the company and all the goodies! 04S7A 团拜 especially, and the mj session at zebra's house. Lady luck has finally shown her true colours - her presence is so ephemeral and unpredictable, but that's probably the beauty of it. If only I could get hold of a bottle of Felix Felicis!

My router has been giving me problems but I've gotten a new one and my internet connection speed has finally picked up! Yeah. So all along it wasn't SH's fault. I just haven't been realising the potential of my bandwidth.

I'm starting to build rapport with some of my clients, but a number of them are will be leaving soon so it's kinda sad. The job isn't hectic but definitely can be stressful, with 20+ expectant faces staring at you and holding on to your every word. I enjoy the experience though when I'm with some of the clients, but the rest of them just bore me to tears. It's not entirely their fault though, just the way human dynamics works - sometimes there's just no sparks. Chemistry is the word! =) (pun intended)

Blockbuster 1
I am hooked on "Heroes"! Or technically, was hooked. Hayden Panettiere (Claire) is so chio~! I was rushing through season one but the ending was so anticlimactic. And the first episode of season two didn't look that promising either. Well now that most of the mystery has come to light, the impetus to watch has been diminished. Which might explain why ratings in the US for season two dropped. And the WGA writers' strike (which has now been resolved) didn't help.

Blockbuster 2
I've only watched CJ7 so far, and it's rather mediocre. Definitely not comparable to Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. Only a few parts were truly hilarious, and it isn't that much of a tear jerker either. The entire effort just feels half-baked, the characterisation weak, and the plot surprisingly hollow, even by Stephen Chow's standards. The movie lasted less than 90min but it failed to sustain my interest with its recycled jokes and so-so CGI effects. I still miss the 无理头 周星驰.

Variety has a pretty good review (better than all the local reviews combined) which nicely sums it up: "Heavy on CGI slapstick and light on meaningful emotional content, "CJ7" is a spotty first foray into family-friendly entertainment by Hong Kong multihyphenate Stephen Chow. "E.T."-inspired comic fantasy about a poor boy adopting a cute alien catches the eye but not fully the heart with its undernourished father-son dynamics, critter hijinks and smattering of social commentary."

So that's all for this very random update.

P.S. From now on, I'll only blog if there's something I really want to share so I'll probably switch to fortnightly updates.

破茧而出

Controversial themes, action-packed sequences, and with interesting plot twists to boot, "破茧而出" is one of Mediacorp's more inspired dramas in ages.

From the trailers, soundtrack, sets, costumes to hairstyling, the entire production screams "sleek". Coupled with charismatic leads, a great supporting cast and generally competent acting, what you have is a brilliant cop suspense thriller that gets the viewers tuning in religiously every night.

Rui-en might just have found her breakthrough role as the standoffish policewoman, which suits her ice queen image to the T. She also throws some convincing punches and kicks, and it's a real thrill seeing her kick some ass. However, she does show her soft side and inner turmoils, which adds to the realism of her character.

Yvonne Lim delivers another sterling award-baiting performance as the cheerful psychiatrist turned rape victim turned vengeful vigilante, showing that she's not just a pretty face - she does look really pretty in this show! - and it's not by sheer luck that she's found some success in China.

For the guys, it's really the villains, including Thomas Ong, who stand out. Both Terence Cao and Chen Hanwei appear miscast and floundering, and it's apparent Mediacorp is in need of younger male leads to replace them. Which makes it all the more surprising that "Star Idol" winner Bryan Wong has so far been typecast either as a sissy or a gay...

Besides the various cases threaded together by the CID's concurrent hunt for a terrorist group which takes a leaf from the ideologies of Light/Kira in the "Death Note" series, the title of this serial is also very 耐人寻味. "破茧而出" literally describes a butterfly emerging from its cocoon (茧), but in Chinese, there's also another saying - "抽丝剥茧", which could be a metaphor for the sequential unravelling of evidence before the truth finally emerges. The English title, "Metamorphosis", could also be an allusion to Lim's character's transformation.

The season finale will be shown tonight, and hopefully, it ends on a high note.

Singapore Idol

Just watched the finals and I must say I was pretty impressed. The general standard of both finalists is high, and it is heartening to see such talent in Singapore.

Both Jon and Hady put on stellar performances, but Hady was so obviously superior vocally, you feel sorry for Jon when they both sang the song specially composed for the grand finals - "You Give Me Wings". While Jon's version was subdued and almost pedestrian (or euphemistically, "sincere" according to Dick Lee), Hady's was rousing and infinitely more inspirational. It was certainly a worthy closing performance to the entire competition, as if he had already won the competition. It reminded me of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" in the first season of American Idol. If the competition could be judged on that song alone, Hady would have won hands down.

But to give Jon some credit, the song is more suited for Hady, whose wider vocal range puts him at an advantage. It would have been impossible, or out of character, for Jon to attempt the high notes like Hady did, hence it is only to be expected that his bassy voice is going to be a letdown. Which makes it so remarkable that the show's producers chose that song in the first place since it's inherently biased toward one contestant.

But besides the vocal delivery, Hady's rendition was also superior in that he made full use of the choir to give a nice "twist" to the song when they entered toward the end of the song, unlike Jon, who just sang with them. That made the song sound so much more polished and professional.

Whatever the case, like the judges put it, both are deserving finalists each with his own merits - a charismatic rocker versus a groovy crooner. Whoever wins will not be a disgrace to Singapore.