Camilla - Then & Now

Nine years may seem like a long time to many people, but you know what they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same...

1997: Camilla Belle, then only 11, senses something is amiss in THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. Dino chow! (*Chomp*)

2006: Belle, now 19-going-on-20 and a certified hottie, again senses something is amiss in WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. Boyfriend blues, perchance?

Contraption

When our faithful LG conventional vacuum cleaner - or rather, its power plug - finally packed up, we decided to switch to SWIRL Aerogaz water filtration vacuum cleaner given to us as a housewarming gift by OCBC Bank. 3This thing's pretty weighty (feels like twenty pounds), but sure saves me plenty-a-time from trying to get the old widget to work. Yup.

Monster Truck?

Spotted this sign at the construction site of MCL Land's 36-storey skyscraper MeraPrime. I know it's supposed to signify heavy vehicles (e.g. bulldozers), but don't you think it looks like a military personnel operating an armored tank?

Unravel DA CODE

Are there cryptic messages inside Italian painter Leonardo Da Vinci's famous works Mona Lisa and The Last Supper?

To Be Continued...

Bestest Frens (BF)

BGRs (boy-girl relationships) have evolved since the days of yore, yah? Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common in public places, yah? You're not mistaken. The schoolgirl's wrapping her skinny arm around the neck of her 'stead'. Changing times, yah?

Time to Vote...Soon

"For the first
time since 1988, the PAP has not returned to power on nomination day. Is this a
sign of a stronger opposition?"
- Channel NewsAsia

Come May 6, which is only a week away, I'll be decked out in my white overalls (hint!) and making a trip down (with mom, of course) to our designated polling station (hopefully close by!). I'll be casting my so-called 'sacred & secret' vote at a General Election for the first time in my life (no more 'comfort zone' that is Tanjong Pagar) - and, boy, am I excited! :-D

Swee, Boh? Swee, Hor?

a flower amongst...more flowers?

House of Worship

There is reason for atonement here after having posted something as 'abhorrent' as the blog entry below. LOL. For the inquisitive, yours truly is a person of all faiths. Would that make moi an agnostic, or is there another denomination to it?

"Kiri Kiri..."

5Mistress Dismemberment: BDSM babe Eihi Shiina inspecting her piano wire to be utilized later to sever the ankle of her paralyzed male slave.

In Takashi Miike's ODISHON, a lonely Japanese widower holds a bogus screen test for a 'part' in a nonexistent film with the hidden agenda of looking for a new bride (aiyaya...).

On the final day of the audition, a former ballerina answers the casting call and instantly catches the eye of Mr. Lovelorn. She gets the 'part' and he, in return, gets more than what he bargains for.

Watch this deceptive 'romantic comedy' and get a gist of what the depraved world of sadomasochism (e.g. inserting needles into eyeballs!) is all about.

Come Up to Carlsberg

Can anyone still recall the song accompanying the vintage Carlsberg TVC? You know, the one with a sexy (Scandinavian?) bombshell strolling up the sandy beach - in slow-mo, might I add - from the (Celtic?) sea? I remember the melody, but somehow forgot the lyrics...

Question: What's your favorite brew?

STOMP!

In the new upcoming Toho picture GODZILLA IN SINGAPORE, slated for theatrical release here during the June holidays, the giant radioactive lizard will be wreaking havoc in our Central Business District (or CBD). Replicas of buildings were used in production for Zilly to stomp and destroy. What fun!

Triple H

1997 King of the Ring. 2002 Royal Rumble winner. TEN-time World Champion. Predestined crown prince to the multi-billion McMahon sports entertainment empire. Be it in the ring or outside, Hunter Hearst Helmsley (better known as Triple H) is untouchable.

On TV, the Cerebral Assassin is the personification of 'ruthless aggression' (say hello to Mr. Sledgehammer!). Behind the scenes, he is known to be ambitious and politicking. Whatever it is, you can never discredit The Game for being THAT DAMN GOOD. Finishing move: Pedigree.

Lucky Number?

DING DONG. "This is an announcement. Will the owner of a silver Lexus please approach the information desk? We are curious to know Y you spent SGD 4444 (i.e. $4444 Singapore dollars) on a car plate bearing such inauspicious numbers. Did you know that '4' sounds like 'die' in Chinese?" DING DONG.

Frankly Speaking...

I didn't know 'franks' is short for 'frankfurters' (AKA hot dogs AKA sausages). Every day I blog I learn something new, it seems :-) These are sold at Valley Point's Cold Storage supermarket and look really tempting! Imagine deep-frying them and then dipping them in extra hot chilli sauce... (*salivates*)

LOST 2

When creator J.J. (ALIAS) Abrams' brainchild LOST premiered on ABC in September 2004, critics didn't make much of it. After eight seasons of SURVIVOR, skeptics wondered aloud just how long a group of castaways can remain marooned on a deserted island. Detractors immediately denounced the drama series as another one from the mill factory with spur but no staying power.

The show, of course, went on to bag a couple of biggies at the Emmys and the Golden Globes, which sort of made people sit up and pay attention. The fact that it manages to sustain its quasi-Darwinian level of intrigue as well as our level of interest at this point goes to prove that the producers have already devised a foolproof stratagem to entice us for at least three more scorching seasons!

Project Greenlight

Green means 'Go'. For the motor vehicles, that is. Pedestrians will have to wait their turn at the crossing. Unless someone suddenly feels 'lucky' and decides to jaywalk. Well, I'm that 'someone' who loves the thrill of 'living life on the edge'. Ho ho ho...

Pondok's Best

(Almost) Every Thursday for lunch I'll have mee goreng (spicy Malay stir-fried noodles) with teh kosong (tea with milk and no sugar) at Orchard Towers' Pondok Café (located in a semi-secluded corner on Level 3). The lao ban niang (Mandarin for 'lady boss'), who's Chinese, knows me very well and often makes the tea for me herself! And the best part is, it doesn't cost me too much - only $4.30 in total.

Horror Trilogy

In a recent radio poll, listeners were asked to vote for their top three favorite horror movies of all time. Here are the results.

#3 JU-ON - a perplexing spookfest about a 'grudge' (read: curse) that passes on from one poor SOB to another. Kinda like SARS, only deadlier.
Fear Factor: *** (Don't Kayako, Toshio and 'Salem' make such good bedtime buddies?)

#2 RINGU - the genuine article. Forget the stinking barn and stick to the damp well.
Fear Factor: ***1/2 (Sadako still can't clinch her first shampoo commercial deal)

#1 SHUTTER - the scariest farking film of the past seven years. Puts Siam firmly on the genre map - and for good.
Fear Factor: **** (Have you weighed yourself lately?)

Marley's Music Studio

After he bowed out of 'orchestradom' 12 years ago, the revered Maestro Marley started his own music studio and adorned its exterior walls with his prized violin and cello.4 Geez...can't believe I made all that crap up!

Cup of Life??

Late nights. Coffee. MCs from work. Dismissals. Unemployment. Poor economy. Low government funding. Poor soccer clubs. No World Cup. More late nights (due to withdrawal sypmtoms). More coffee. More MCs from work. More dismissals. Higher unemployment. Poorer economy. No more government funding. Soccer banned. Coffee banned. Riots. Government overthrown. Chaos. War. Genocide. Armageddon.

Stray Cats 2

'Sequel' to 'Stray Cats 1' - posted here on November 3, 2005 (*meow*)

(Above left): Mr. Kiasu bent on keeping his furry self high and dry on a rainy evening by roosting on someone's car top in a multi-storey car park. So are we convinced now that cats are, without a whisker of doubt, afraid of water?

(Above right): Achtung Doppelganger! Can't believe there's actually a stray that looks so much like my Mandy Girl. Hmm...perhaps she can serve as the Princess' decoy? Hee!

Precious Ruby

Nicknamed 'Dolphin', 30-year-old Taiwanese soap actress Ruby Lin shot to stardom in...wait a second, did I just say '30-year-old'? Looks to me like, what, 20 - give or take a couple of years? For one, that sylphlike figure sure belies her age. (Boy oh boy, do I have a soft spot for girls with - ahem - trim torsos.) Back to where I was...where was I again? Oh, right. Ruby shot to stardom in 1997 when she was given the plum role of Princess Ziwei in the highly successful Mandarin miniseries PRINCESS PEARL. Her co-star Vicki Zhao, as we know, had since moved on to bigger and better things; Sweetie Pie here, sadly, may have missed her last train...

Carrots, Carrots & More Carrots

Eee...what's up, doc?

LKY

A set of initials so notable it's searchable in the Acronym Finder. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is, of course, the Republic of Singapore's first Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990. Not only was he instrumental in our nation's independence in 1965, the incumbent Minister Mentor has also been piloting the ruling People's Action Party for the past 47 years. Now, that's propaganda!

...

Got so bored of waiting for the MRT (was on my way home from K-Box last week) that I panned my cell cam down to my feet. Ugly floor tile. Uglier sneakers. Maybe if I try and work in a wisecrack or two here, then at least there'll be some significance to this otherwise supererogatory post :-P

Chupacabra (Not for the Squeamish)

Say, what's the point of appending a warning in the title above when the 3picture's in explicit view right here below? LOL. Speaking of chupacabras, they're my second favorite cryptozoological creatures after sea/lake monsters (e.g. Nessie). According to Wikipedia, these carnivorous 'goat suckers' are said to inhabit parts of the Americas - particularly Puerto Rico (where sightings were first reported), Mexico and the United States, "especially in the latter's Latin American communities". Hmm. The pic's supposedly hoaxed, but it still scared the shit outta me when I first laid eyes on it.

Mini Cam

This tall sonny with spiky hair came to our office the other day and sold several of our staff - get this - 20-dollar mini digital cameras from his (leftover?) stock. Such gift of gab! Only problem is, I don't trust the guy. (Of course, I didn't get a set for myself.) Also, the gizmos felt too light to carry any weight, so to speak...

Salad? Think Again

Who here likes salad? Well, good for you. (Why the heck am I talking to myself??) There are copious amounts of vitaminerals present in a small serving of salad - along with 'additives' like germicide, pesticide, insecticide, and, in at least one documented case, a live grasshopper! File this under Amazing But True.

Jodie Foster

Someday she would star in Martin Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER, a film which would trigger the infamous John F. Hinckley Jr. attempted assassination of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Someday she would receive two Academy Awards and rise in the ranks to become one of Hollywood's foremost thespians.

Someday she would lose that Oliver Twist topper of hers.

Thankfully.

iPamper

Thinking of what to get for Mother's Day? Check out some of the merchandise from Osim's line of health/fitness-related products.

5iSymphonic AV - a "multi-sensory experience that will leave you relaxed, rejuvenated and entertained." No kidding. (Price: $5,580)

5iGallop - the "revolutionary horse-riding exercise that will give you the shapely figure you want." Don't believe can ask Jacelyn 'Jockey' Tay. (Price: $998 with free gift)

5uZap - for "slimming, toning, massaging or merely helping you in digestion." Doesn't guarantee you'll end up looking like Fiona Xie, though. (Price: $268)

The Dome

In a remote part of the Utah Desert, there's a top-secret government testing facility called The Dome, where further research on the advanced science of teleporting is being conducted on a hush-hush basis. Interested human test subjects can contact the Department of Quantum Physics for a 30-day free trial.

TITANIC

This is the best motion picture - not film, not movie, but motion picture - I've ever seen. It's not my favorite (for that would be either PULP FICTION or SPIRITED AWAY), but indubitably the best. How else can you account for its historic 11-Oscar haul and groundbreaking US$1.8 billion in box office grosses? A fluke?

Mooo!!

Before our Steven-sponsored congratulatory dinner at Heeren's Marché last evening, Firdaus the 'Balcony Babe' wanted to pose for a photo with this healthy looking heifer (see how 'well-scrubbed' it looks?). A total of ten of us turned up and we rang up a whopping $272 in all. Phwah! But it was a great getogether. Cheers!

Out of Order

After repeated complaints (and even threats to raise the matter to SCDF), the Orchard Towers building management has finally 'woken up their idea' and decided to do something about their frequently faulty lifts. But who would've expected to see such head-scratching signs?

(Above left): Unless you have the inherent ability to walk through walls (in which case you should get in touch with Professor X immediately), I don't think there's much 'danger' if the lift doors are actually shut tight?

(Above right): You mean, we can now surf the Internet and listen to mp3 while riding the elevator up to the top floor of OT? Oh, but we have to wait indefinitely for those enhancements?

Happy Easter!

"Oh, why? Were you expecting someone else?? Muahaha... By the way, I'll be filling in for Bugsy; the bugger's got himself OD'ed on Beta Carotene - again. So deal with it!"

Sng Muays

My colleagues suspect I'm PREGNANT - Hello? I'm a GUY, okay! - because I keep popping preserved prunes like they're some vitamin pills. Heh heh! My favorite are the really salty ones. They're super addictive! And they keep you awake!

David Letterman

To me, the biggest boo-boo in local television programming - apart from the axing of WWE - is the canceling of THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. You can say all you want about Jay Leno and/or Oprah Winfrey, but good ol' Dave is - and will always be - my guy. He and his motley crew of lackeys, including bandleader Paul Shaffer and announcer Alan Kalter, used to keep me up into the wee hours of the morning with their wacky brand of comedy. Oh, MediaCorp, please bring back the magic and memories of Ed Sullivan!

Night Falls on GWC

Regular readers of this blog won't be unaccustomed to my predilection for Great World City. I stopped counting how many times JPEGs of this resplendent set of buildings have been uploaded here, but if these latest specimens are anything to go by, then I don't see a cause for concern at all.

Does this partial aerial shot5parallel 54th Street and Broadway?

Please Flush After Use Hor

How often do you visit the restroom every day? For me, it's roughly six times:
1st. After I arrive at the office (8.30 a.m.) - to dab some tap water on myself (warm, lah).
2nd. Before Boss comes in (10.30 a.m.) - to put on my tie (or else kena FINE $50).
3rd. Before I break for lunch (1.00 p.m.) - to 'conduct small business'.
4th. After I return from lunch (2.00 p.m.) - to rinse my mouth.
5th. During the inevitable 'Carbo Attack' period (between 2.30 to 3.30 p.m.) - to wash my face (sleepy, sia!).
6th. Before I leave the office (6.00 p.m.) - to 'conduct small business' again.

Barbie Knows Best

After catching the 2004 edition of MR CON AND MISS CSI (a curious crib for the considerably cleverer KANG XI LAI LE) on Channel U last Saturday evening, I found myself falling in love with Taiwanese beauty Barbie Hsu all over again.
You'll remember her as Shancai, the plucky female protagonist from the 2001 'idol drama' METEOR GARDEN - a show I followed religiously because of her.

These days, Barbie is the busy spokesperson for practically every brand/line of beauty products/services in her country. She even released a book entitled Beauty King (note: not 'Queen'), educating contemporary women on the relevance of, well, looking beautiful. Kinda like our own Fann Wong (or Jacelyn Tay), if you would.

Carol & Cake

My godsister Weiwei recently celebrated her momentous 21st birthday (cue confetti and party streamers). For her present, I got her a Winnie-the-Pooh purse from More Than Words. I hope she liked it. Hehe. For the record, this will be the fourth time on this blog I'm using the adjective 'adorable' on her - and how apt, indeed!