BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

John Carpenter's 1986 cult classic BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA puts the 'amp' in 'camp' and is for certain regarded as amongst the genre's finest - if not funniest. Kurt Russell5walks the walk (he swaggers like John Wayne) and talks the talk ("I was born ready!") as blowhard truck driver Jack Burton who finds himself waist-deep in all kinds of Chinatown intrigue and mumbo jumbo. Show me another movie with three meteorologically cleft martial artists, two emerald-eyed damsels in distress and one century-old Fu Manchu warlock who can shoot laser from his mouth(!), and I'll show you Steven in suspenders...or not.

Banal Banner

Dear visitors, you're looking at the banalest and boringest banner in all of Bukit Ho Swee. I don't know, it says Jalan Besar, so we must be part of a greater GRC or something. I can never get this zonal segregation thingy and, quite frankly, I don't give two hoots about it either. As long as we residents don't have to vote at the next GE ('cos it's such a hassle), I'm more than happy :-)

Ed (May 08): Whoops! Did I really say that? I take it back!

Kool Kidz

So kool da ger loox like Boo from MONSTERS, INC. (Dun she?)
So kool da kidz look like their free falling from da sky. (Dun try dis at home!)
So kool we dunno wat 'V-Kool' means. (Izzit 'Very Kool' or 'Virtual Kool'?)
So kool we dunno wat were supposed to do wen we see dese kidz on board. (Are we supposed to wave at dem or wat?)

TV Dinner - or Something Like That

Hokay, so there's the (42-inch) TV but no dinner. (I forgot what I was having for din-din on Toosday evening when WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU came on.) See? That's Amanda Bynes on WILAY, apparently throwing a fit at her best friend. As said before, this show stinks as bad as one Steven (you don't have to know who); I'm only tuning in for Bynes the cutie :-P

Who's She?

Any clue?

The Lift

The elevator has long been an obligatory plot device exploited in countless horror outings. In DARK WATER and THE EYE, for example, the most effective set pieces take place within the confines of a passenger elevator. It's terror meets claustrophobia - raised to the power n!

Hai-yah!

International action superstar Jackie Chan, arguably Asia's biggest showboat (who knows, maybe even bigger than Hong Kong's Jumbo Kingdom?), has definitely taken his love for himself one step too far. The unfailing narcissist (and sometimes egotist) could probably find penance in a few more platefuls of the humble pie. (And it doesn't help at all that he's such a shameless sell-out/'lip servant' over there in Tinseltown!)

LJS

I take plenty o' pleasure in going to Long John Silver's restaurants not because it's my favorite fast food, which it is (love the batter!), but because the decor's always so 'maritime American'. I like to know I'm dining at a place inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Besides, the whole Captain's Bell and crew members-bedecking-in-pirate bandanas routine?, it's just endearing :-)

Elva vs Jolin

elva hsiao & jolin tsai. Now, how do you begin to differentiate between these two Taiwanese pop princesses (especially if you are unfamiliar with the Mandarin music scene)? Basically, they both entered showbiz at around the same time (circa 1999), are about the same age (mid 20s), appeal to the same fan base (teenyboppers) and can even get into the same (R&B) groove, gyrating those similarly sized booties (baby!). So, the ten-dollar question remains: Which of these two divas does this blogger actually dig? Answer: Why, the Jay Chou-inclined Jolin, of course!

So Close

Good morning and welcome to another episode of PTU (PEEPING TOM UNLIMITED). Our topic today is (the trite) 'Intimacy Among Adolescents in Public Places' (see photo taken on MRT train). Should we condone or condemn such behavior? Joining us in the studio are three experts from the education line - Mr. Fong, Ms. Tey and Mr. Tan - and afterward we'll also be taking some calls from you home viewers. So stay tuned and don't change that dial!

Me, Hungry

Hungry Hippo: Mee pok dry. Three dollars. No vinegar. More chilli.
Ah Mm: Packet?
Hippo: Yah.
Ah Mm: Want (separate) soup?
Hippo: Want.
(Note: Dialogue has been translated from Hokkien)

Tee Orh Orh

How's this for an 'abstract' presentation? Photographed it earlier in the evening on my way home from da bao-ing dinner. Decided to include the lamp post so that you can discern those are gray skies (and not some inconsequential ink smudge).

Sleeping Child

It's great to be in the education business...I mean, industry - especially one focusing on preschool. Oftentimes you get to see cute sleeping children like this chubby Malay boy over here, who belongs to one of Madie's walk-in customers. Look at how peaceful he is. Makes you go 'aww...', doesn't it? :-)

Take It or Leave It

First of all, carjackers - even on their worst days - don't dress like bikers in elf boots. (With an obvious getup like this, God forbid you can be spotted a mile away. It's just silly.) Then there's the caption "Lock it or lose it". Hello? Can you see Bronco4 wielding a screwfreakingdriver? He's so obviously gonna pry open that damn car door of yours - whether you lock it or not. Duh.

P/S: And like who carries red mobile phones, anyways?

Guess Which GV This Is

...and stand a chance to win Mr. Fong's lifetime collection of Golden Village ticket stubs (all 10,000 of them)! Simply enter your name and IC number followed by the correct answer and SMS to 37994 before Christmas is up. Oops, sorry! Contest's over! :-P

Passion

How many of you have patronized hair guru David Gan's Passion Salon @ Palais Renaissance? No offense, really, but you must be either rich or stupid - or both.

(Above left): Who's this chio bu? I believe she's a former actress with the then Television Corporation of Singapore. Shite, I can't recall her name.

(Above right): The posh interior of the salon. Lotsa show-offy portraits of celebrities (e.g Zhang Ziyi) who presumably got their scalps fingered by the homosexual baldie. Icks! That sounded so gross!

Shawn Michaels

Love him or hate him, you simply cannot ignore him. Shawn Michaels (AKA the Heartbreak Kid and the Showstopper) is arguably the most flamboyant superstar in the history of the WWE. From his debut in 1988 as one-half of the tag team The Rockers (with former partner Marty Janetty) to finally realizing his boyhood dream in 1996 when he pinned Bret 'Hitman' Hart to win his first WWE Championship, the iconic HBK has come a long way and certainly paid all his dues. At 40, he may be a little over-the-hill, but the proud Texan has proven once and again that he can headline a pay-per-view main event as easy as he can put that Sweet Chin Music to your throat!

"Aslan is on the move..."

The World of Narnia fair at Orchard Turn (next to Orchard MRT Station) may have just ended its brief one-week run, but the film has just bowed into local theaters following a multi-million media and marketing blitz that surpasses even KING KONG's. Will the highly anticipated holiday blockbuster capture the (deep) pockets of moviegoers here and witness box office takings as big as Aslan's mane? Let's watch and see!

Twelve Girls Band

There's something inexplicably alluring about girls pulling strings (and blowing pipes, for that matter). Sounds vague? Oh, even kinky? Don't misconstrue me. I'm talking about girls who play musical instruments (think Vanessa Mae).
China's Twelve Girls Band (pictured above), who recently wowed (international) audiences at the Miss World 2005 beauty pageant, counts such traditional instruments as er hu, gu zheng, pipa and yang qin in their remarkable repertoire. (And they're an eyeful to boot!)

Letz Partay!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs, ants and cockroaches, you're all cordially invited to join in our Christmas Eve Eve celebration.
Have foon and knock yourselves out!

5The entree: Fried mee siam. The verdict: Simply sedap! (I had 2½ helpings of this hehe.)

5The other entree: Canadian Pizza (Hawaiian Classsic and BBQ Chicken Bonanza!).

5Fried chicken wings and drumsticks - you can never go wrong with them, as far as finger food is concerned.

5Otahs - they go well with the mee siam :-)

5An 'assortment' of kuey kueys. Looks nice - and that's about it. Keke.

5Log cake! Without it, Christmas is like Chinese New Year without love letters.

5Okay, now that we're done carbo-loading (*burp*), let's proceed with our exciting gift exchange! Guess which is mine? ^_^

Girl on the Train

She stands alone amidst a sea of faceless strangers. She feels like sardine in a tin can. What to do? She doesn't possess her own private transport. For that matter, she hates being single. She's tired of waiting. When will she reach her destination? When will she meet her destiny? She's tired of thinking. Right now, she just wants to indulge herself in a good long sleep.

Grocery Stall

A stall selling dried foodstuffs at our Beo Crescent wet market. Sample the large variety of provisions on display here and you'll see bags of hay bee and ikan bilis as well as garlic, ginger and onion. Interesting, isn't it? Given a choice, I much rather purchase my groceries from a stall like this than from, say, a supermart. Perhaps I'm getting old? (*Cough, cough*)

Off the Shelf Too

Another one extracted from the dusty vault, this was snapped aboard the North-bound MRT train en route to Orchard Station on the morning of - lemme check ah - October 20, 2005. The fake floor tiling (or should it be 'tile flooring'?) caught my attention and prompted me to take a picture of it :-)

POV

A tricky point-of-view shot that I've been wanting to take. This was from the table outside my favorite mee tai mak stall while the ah mm was busy preparing my food. I like the chopsticks-in-the-foreground, car park-in-the-background concept. It gives the image - or rather, viewer - a perception of depth and distance, doncha fink? Say, fer a twit who knows squat about photography, don't I just sound like Einstein? Hah! This is what we call fishing for compliments, my friends ;-)

Nice Balls

After two prolific months - thank you very much - and 240 posts, I'm finally blogging about something I've absolutely positively no ID of. LOL. What're these rubber balls used for? Massage? Decoration? They look like colorful sea urchins to me. I know they glow (internally) when you squeeze them, but - again - what's their purpose? Can someone please enlighten me? Gracias!

PULP FICTION

5Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) demonstrate 'divine intervention' in Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, sheperds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

- Ezekiel 25:17

Da Mighty Katz

(Above left): Her Royal Highness Princess Mandy, Duchess of Despotown, looking, um, suitably high and mighty perched on our stinko pine shoe rack. (You can behold her nasal apertures in full glory here. Heh!)

(Above right): Jerry the Geriatric doing his best (young) Simba impression. Should we just give him props for that?

Scratch Here!

Can't remember how much I paid for this kitty scratch post, but it wasn't that much of a steal. We place this unsightly piece of 'furniture' (that is, if you can even classify it as one) right smack in the middle of our minimalistic living room in the hope that JHM can use it to file their talons - thereby discouraging vandalism of our otherwise varnished doors. And does it work? Only for a while; the cats soon get bored of it and fresh scratch marks will start to manifest on our doors again. (*Grrr*)

My Clock

I fancy this Invotis Date Alarm Clock of mine from Molecule. Reminds me of those American movies where the protagonist wakes up from bed and, after glancing at one of these designer table clocks, realizes s/he is terribly late for work. Haha...

Rainy Sunday

'Twas a rainy afternoon. The sky was grey and the field was damp. The trees were soaking up the rain and the birds were nowhere to be seen. A lonely traffic light stood by the road and changed colors even though...even though...argh, I blow at poetry!

My Bathroom

Why, indeed I'm bo liao enough to plaster a pitture of my bathroom wall here. Well, at least the tiles are swee, right? (*Grins*)

Sumptuous Dinner :-D~

Feast your eyes on this5sumptuous spread! Yesterday evening my ma & I treated ourselves to a lil' pre-Yuletide dinner at the bustling zhu chao stall beneath Block 29 of Havelock Road - and, boy, was it a meal to relish.

We ordered our favorite dishes, which were promptly served up in the following order (clockwise from top left): Fried kangkong with sambal belacan (hot & spicy!), mixed-veggie seafood soup (tasty & nutritious!), crispy-skin tofu (crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside!), and chicken cutlets with chilli & onion (tender & savory!).

When it comes to good food, accept no substitutes :-D

Total damage (including three servings of plain rice): $26.90

MRT Monopoly

It's been eons since I last tried my hand at Monopoly. (Used to play it a lot with my sister, but sucked at the game.) This wall-sized, SMRT edition of Parker Brothers' property trading game seen at Raffles Place Station may not have slots that say 'Income Tax' or 'Go To Jail', but it looks fun all the same!

Skull & Skeleton

Skull: Yo Pencil Neck, whatcha doin' in a dingy bookstore?
Skeleton: I should be askin' what YOU are doin' in a tacky toy box, Crackhead.
Skull: In case you haven't noticed, I'm for sale! Kids buy me home to play. Sadly, that's not the story for Mr. Bare Naked Bones, huh?
Skeleton: Excuse me, Pirate of the Caribbean. I hate to burst your eyeball, but those scummy kids are gonna dump you on Skull Island faster than you can say 'Kong is King'.
Skull: Yeah, yeah...
Skeleton: Just you mark my words.
Skull: Whatever, Hollow Man.
Skeleton: Spineless Cyclops.
Skull: F*** you.
Skeleton: As if you can!

Barbie History

1959 It all started when Ruth Handler noticed her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls and imagining them in grown-up roles. Ruth realized that dolls on the market at that time were all baby dolls, and that there was a need for a doll that would inspire little girls to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Thus the idea for Barbie, the teenage fashion model, was born. Ruth named the doll Barbie, after her daughter - and the rest is history. (Source: Internet)

Freddy Krueger

One, two, Freddy's coming for you...

Three, four, better lock your door...

Five, six, grab your crucifix...

Seven, eight, gonna stay up late...

Nine, ten, never sleep again...