Unkers@TheMovies - The Transformers

You know when Ong Sor Fern, the ST film correspondent whose prose and views I have come to like and respect, dissed The Transformers in her review last Wednesday giving it 2 out of 5 stars, I wanted to disrupt her brainwaves with my Electrical Magnetic Pulse gun. Just like how Decepticon Blackout does with his =))



What does a frumpy old goat like her know about an iconic Childhood series, lovingly albeit expensively at US$145 million, put together for the big screen by Director MIchael Bay. He of Armaggeddon fame, so you get an idea of what to expect from the Wham-Bam Mayhem on Earth when the good robots and bad robots arrive to see who gets The Cube.

Anyway, this movie was too eagerly anticipated for me to let one woman spoil the show. Although deep down, I trusted Sor Fern's judgement and secretly wished I could give it 4 stars after watching.

Sad to say, she was spot-on in many respects.

Like how your interest in the movie would be directly proportional to how much you liked the toys as a kid. Or how Mr Bay didn't trust his robots with holding the screen on their own, resulting in some really migraine-inducing jerky camera work which doesn't allow for much up-close-and-personal time with the machines. And how, after a while, you have difficulty differentiating between Autobots and Decepticons because there is too little time spent fleshing out their roles and everyone eventually becomes morphing tin-cans.

However, plot and acting wise, I'd give the show 3 Stars. Because Shia LeBroeuf, the main teenage protaganist Sam WitWicky, will grow up to be a fine actor based on what I see now. And there is an All-American babe called Megan Fox who plays Mikaela, Sam's Wet Dream from HighSchool. She's so hawt, the guys infront and behind were gasping everytime she bared her mid-riff or exposed a half-boob or two. Sedap!.

In terms of High-tech wizardry? Oh My! You don't have an Executive Producer called Steven Spielberg for nothing. Its just one big Rollercoaster ride through frame after frame of Robot Machismo with some really amazing special effects. No wonder they said the film had a no-holds barred approach to creating a visual CGI feast like no other. You would be drinking some robot lubricating oil just to keep temperatures down. A 4.5 for the action-packed metal fest I suppose.

The cars are really nothing to shout about, all coming from the GM stable anyway. Although Bumblebee looks so much better now as a banana-yellow Chevy Camaro (diehards will remember him as a VW Beetle). And then there is Barricade morphing into a really wicked Ford Mustang GT disguised as a Police Car. Prime, on the other hand, gets a leaner-and-meaner facelift. Whereas Megatron no longer morphs into a pistol, but a Cybertronian Jet. His outward appearance evokes mixed responses, with some people agreeing with me that the Decepticon leader now looks like a giant metallic Yeti=))

Ok so enough of Robots for one day...Enjoy rather, the heavy rock sounds of Linkin Park from the movie's OST.

And oh yah, I suppose a 3.5/5 is in order. Certainly not a 4, but no embarassing 2 either ;)

Meet Me Halfway

Seeing RJ blog about his mid-year review compels me to take stock of MINE.

If you discount Goal Number 5, which was to do a review and kick myself in the groin if not enuff progress was made by 30th June, I am happy to announce 1 miserable tick out of a possible 4 =))

The only thing that worked was getting out there on the road rather than in the gym. Or for my case, in the water, because I have been swimming much more in view of a bad knee that has been acting up lately.

The other 3 goals have, like they say, gone to the dogs. I am pretty broke, smoking like the Hogwart's Express and soon will have no marriage to speak of.

Wouldn't it be nice then, if our goals could somehow come down from their lofty heights, and perhaps meet us halfway when the time comes. The trouble is, sometimes we don't even get a glimpse of the goal at the halfway point. Much less meet.

Now that's pathetic!

ODAC 1 - Kayaking@MacRitchie

Note : I have edited the title of this post to better reflect why a bunch of us would suddenly go kayaking in a reservoir =)) We formed our own little OutDoor Activities Club recently and this was our inaugural event. The aim, of course, was to get abit more outdoorsey and let the sun shine on the parts of our bodies where the sun usually does not shine! =)) And perhaps work off some fat as well. Well watch this space for more of our adventures!

Went kayaking with the RCC folks yesterday at MacRitchie Reservoir Park. And it was a whole lotta fun!



I think the Public Utilities Board's decision to open up some waterways such as the MacRitchie, Seletar and Bedok Reservoirs for water sports is a great idea. The former 2 are opened for Kayaking/Canoeing and the latter for Wake-boarding/Water-Skiing.

And at 10 dollars an hour for a single or double open-top Kayak, its a reasonable price to pay for a solid 60mins of upper torso workout. That's if you don't, 1, let your partner do all the rowing while you get a suntan and 2, hide in the mangrove marshes and get eaten by a Croc =))

We're already planning our next paddle-sojourn at Seletar! =)

ALCs.Anonymous

Ok I confess.

The past 2 months, I have been drinking alcohol at home. After hours. When the world has gone to sleep. A Whisky Dry here. A Stella Artois there. Even Absolut in my Orange Juice. For starters, no worries about Drink Driving and whether that miserly bartender put in only half a peg of the good stuff into your glass overflowing with ice and mixer.

I went grocery shopping just now. And it suddenly hit me that my trolley was filled with beverages. No fruits and veggies or meats and fish. Instead, a 6-pack of Schweppes Extra-Dry Tonic Water for the Bombay Sapphire. Some Lime Coke because I intend to finish that 3/4 bottle of Jim Beam still lying on the shelf. 4 litres of OJ and 8 cans of Redbull for the 3 bottles of Vodka left (I had 6 at one point). And a carton of Soda Water..errr..on standby.

The Chivas and Southern Comfort I take on the rocks. I haven't yet progressed to the Single Malt Scotch-es. Too expensive.

Strangely my collection of wine has been left untouched. Vino must be enjoyed with good company. Not to be gulped down alone infront of the telly.

I spent half an hour re-reorganising my fridge just now. Packing the different cans and brands in a systematic way. Much like library books. By far the hardest to stuff were the 8 bottles of Perrier Lemon and the 4 bulky cartons of Florida All-Natural OJ. Because standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the bottom shelves (and veggie compartment) are the Hoegaardens, Heinekens, Stellas and 2 bottles of Erdinger Darks left over from last year's Oktoberfest.

But, and that is a big BUT, I am almost always sober. Nope, no waking up late for work with a spliting headache and staggering into office in a half druken stupor. Maybe that's because I wake up at 11am most days =))

Next week, I am making Sangria! Hic!

Should I be worried?

t-Robot

Yes, its our world, but their war.

The Autobots and Decepticons are coming to the Big Screen. 28 June to be exact. Can't wait!



To tie in with the Robotic fetish, we are organizing a Cinema excursion to catch the metallic ones slugging it out. Plus a mass car decal buy of the Autobot and Decepticon logos to adorn the windows or windshield.

And I went out yesterday to get myself an Optimus Prime. Managed to get my hands on this Takara beauty which is manufactured for the Japanese Domestic Market. Not cheap! =/





So let's Transform! And Roll Out! =))

Look Ma, No Helmet!

Mum's a retired teacher.

She left the distinguished profession 7 years ago as Head of Department (English) at an obscure Primary School I used to visit as a child.

I am not a Mummy's boy. But yet at 34, sometimes (actually most times) I feel like I'm still in her class, one of the boys. Because the things she says to me, are the same things a motherly matron with chalk in hand, would say to her 40 rascals seated behind their desks in mock attention.

In short, I've never quite stopped being one of her students. And it irritates the hell out of me! For God's sake Mum I have 'pupils' of my own now =))

So the other day, I picked her up for dinner. It was her birthday. And I made the mistake of not telling her I got myself a shocking yellow sports car. Worst, I left my helmet, which I had bought for riding lessons, behind in the backseat. You see, speeding and motorbikes are 2 of her pet peeves. Smoking being the third transgression that would surely complete the terrible triumvirate. But she didn't have to know that I'm somewhat of a chimney. The Ciggie-embargo 2 hours before meeting her would keep that little secret all mine.

She got into the car, coolly strapped on her seatbelt and said, "from black to yellow ah?" She was referring to my old ride. Amazingly, she said nothing about exceeding the speed limit, even at 120km/h.

Then she looked behind and noticed the gleaming white round thing rolling about with every turn.

'You wear helmet to work ah?", she asked in almost believable innocence.

"I look like I deliver Pizza ah?", I answered. "Taking bike lessons lah".

'Why?", she countered.

"For fun", I retorted.

She let off an "Oh" that gave an almost unexpected semblance of finality.

Surprise, surprise. No sermon on why statistics officially show that motorbike accidents are the main cause of road-kill. And how Uncle Philip had skidded off the road into a canal 25 years ago after being side-swiped by a garbage truck. Obviously he met St Peter at the Pearly Gates, the poor man.

And all through dinner, there was no mention of how I should be driving slowly or how motorbikes are dangerous machines in the hands of novice riders bent on testing centrifugal forces around sharp bends. Amazing.

Finally, I thought, Mum recognises that I'm all grown up and can make responsible decisions which will not result in permanent paralysis from the neck down. She has faith in me!

And then just now, at 2am, I received an SMS from her.

Don't forget to wear helmet when u ride

Mummy!!! =))

Open Water Diver

I sent the application off 2 weeks ago to PADI Asia-Pacific HQ in New South Wales, Australia and they were pretty quick to mail the official certification card over today.

Was really looking forward to receiving it in the post-box although its just a piece of plastic.



Anyway, so what now after becoming an Open Water Diver?

Well its going to be at least another 6 normal dives before I go on to 5 Adventure Dives that, upon completion, would earn me my Advanced Open Water certification. I have to do 2 compulsory Adventure dives, a Deep Dive and a Underwater Navigator dive. And then I get to choose the other 3. Which I have more or less already settled on ; Underwater Naturalist, Digital Underwater Photographer and Propulsion Vehicle Diver.

And if I survive, its on to getting the neccessary skills to become a Rescue Diver.

Now all that is left is to find the time and money! =))

Kikou & Me

As if you didn't already know, got me-self a 'new' car yesterday.



And he's a beaut. At least I think so. Alittle loud of course, you could see him from a mile away. But somehow the kiiro hue accentuates his curves, the voluptuous wheel arches and the ooh so sexy derriere. Am I making him sound a trifle Tranny? =))

Speaking of tranny, err...I mean the transmission, yes, I put him into 6th gear instead of reverse when I tried to park him for the first time. That gave someone ALOT of amusement =)) But the 6-stick is such a creamily smooth bugger. So slick that 2 fingers is all it takes to shift the cogs.



Well the damn thing cost a cool 130K back then in 2004. So it does come with some standard creature comforts like a sunroof, electric seats (and warmers!!!), a cool in-dash sound system that glows red in the dark, 18" alloys and 238 horses under the bonnet. Not shabby at all =P But the swine drinks like a fish! Almost 6-7km to the litre =/







Giving up the Renault was a little sad. For all his French bitchiness, RenRen was a moving repository of memories. Some good ones, some sad ones. I suppose selling him was my way of saying goodbye to something that brought up the past.

And as I now peer over my kitchen window at the yellow sports car parked 12 storeys down below, those same memories tell me that beautifully sculpted metal can never take the place of someone special...

Empty but true.

the flying banana cometh...

231hp's (edit 238hp @ the monkey's insistence) worth of slippery banana, that is...cheers, muff...hope you have lotsa fun with it and welcome to mazda brotherhood...and please please, don't forget how to engage REVERSE

it's seriously unglam to stall the car thinking you're on reverse whilst actually in 6th

Unkers@TheMovies - Closer

I just finished watching 2004's Closer on DVD. Yes I know I'm slow. Apart from Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, who both put in stellar performances, it had my two favorite actors in it, the very suave handsome Dunhill ambassador Jude Law and my Articulate Androgynous Amidala, Natalie Portman. Plus I simply love Damien Rice's soulfully melancholic rendition of The Blower's Daughter which is used in both the opening and ending credits.



If I had to summarise the show in 3 words, it would be Emotional Love Quadrangle. Oversimplification but I think it would suffice for this early Thursday morning when I have to be up for work in 4.5 hours.

In a scene from the show, Jude tells Julia, Try lying for a change, its the currency of the world.

And it struck me why sometimes, I am emotionally poor.

Sigh..the lessons I pick up from a show where Natalie is half naked most of the time...

7.8/10

Almost Desaru

These days, I'm happy just to pack my day to the brim, retire to bed at the end of it with a book and not get past 5 pages without yawning myself to sleep.

And so it explains why, even after 3 hours of Z's and the prospect of working from three to ten, I still dragged myself up at 6 yesterday, with the sun just peeping over the dark silhouettes, to make the not-so-quick dash up north to Desaru for breakfast.


Its strange. Going to a beach like Desaru and not actually seeing any sand. That's because we didn't even stop at the waters' edge, opting for a quick ride up to the Golf Resort directly to fill our ravenous tummies. Curled up in a Rex, the road-trip was a cacophony of Pssssts from the blow-out valve and swerving conversation on the back of Travis playing over the iPOD. Infront, the gleaming twin exhausts of the 350Z edged us closer, closer. A case of turbo Cat & Mouse.


Before crossing the border back home, the convoy was washed, vacuumed and shined for the sweltering mid-day sun.


Then I had the chance to sample a fantastic hybrid of Chee Cheong Fun and Yong Tau Foo bathed in a fragrant, sweet and curried gravy.


New friends, new tastes and a new experience. That helps to ease the gloom somewhat I suppose.

Almost Desaru, Almost Happy.