This is the Blog TITLE!

The Book of Eli

2010-03-01T01:34:00.003+08:00

So... this is my first post of 2010. Bla bla bla the same reasons of not having the time etc. I'd rather get down to business. I've not watched many movies since coming to Penang due to the non-ability to get a few people together to watch 1 (working on shifts). Well we have watched a movie now and it is "The Book of Eli".

This one appears to be a relatively low budget production although I admit I have no idea if it is.. it just has that B-movie vibe about it. It is what I will describe as a Denzel Washington 1-man show. While not appearing in the typical Denzel acting as Denzel role, I felt he did a good job as an ass-kicking badass "templar" of sorts. Also appearing are Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis, both of which, while not spectacular, pull through solidly, in particular Gary Oldman as the antagonist.

To those who haven't heard of the movie or what it's about, it's about a post nuclear-war world where everything is scarce and it's sort of gone back to the olden times wild west. This guy, whose name is Eli, is tracking across the world to bring this "book" to where ever it's meant to be. There is a fair amount of action, and it is filmed in a really cool gritty way, almost as if the cameraman is in the midst of the action. The movie's strength is the religion-themed plot that is the undercurrent through-out. Some of the issues that are shone upon are glaring truths of the world today. This one might not be for everyone but it's worth a watch, if at the very least for the cool action scenes.

Verdict: Something slightly different and under the radar, but worth a watch.

7.5/10

Movies and more Movies

2009-12-27T16:31:00.003+08:00

Right, so the past week and a half have been pretty "hectic" for me. I guess I can call it that, being on holiday, watching movies etc. You know, stressful stuff. I've been wanting to do a proper movie review for awhile now but I keep watching new movies and then with the holiday, I didn't have much time to sit down and get to it.

Well, today is not any different, I'll just pretty much summarize all the movies I've watched in the recent past, be it on DVD or in the Cinemas. I will do more in-depth reviews once I'm in Penang as I presume (or rather pray/hope) that I'll have more time there and doubt I'll have as many distractions.

This month has been an awesome month for movies. Every movie I've been to the cinema to watch has been worth every penny (from here you should know that I did not watch New Moon) and I'm glad I've watched them. I'll start with movies I've watched in the cinema as it may sway your decision to go out and watch it instead of sitting at home and waiting for Mr. Pirate to sell it.

James Cameron's Avatar
Alright, just let me tell you, if you have not watched this movie yet. Go out and watch it now, turn off your pc and try to get tickets. I think this movie was already in the making by James Cameron 10 years ago but back then the technology did not live up to his vision. Now that he has found out a satisfactory way, and boy is it satisfactory, to make it, he has brought the world of Pandora to life.
The movie is about humans, as usual, going to another planet, in this movie, Pandora, to mine their minerals. (Sound familiar anyone? *coughUSinthemiddleeastcough*) Sam Worthington plays the role of this guy who pilots an "Avatar". An Avatar is one of those blue things, which is sort of a clone of the local people.
The plot is really simple, which leaves us the time to really admire the world of Pandora, and the amazing CGI on display. I watched both the normal and 3D version and I can tell you that 3D makes a whole lot of difference. This is not a movie that just puts lots of floating stuff in there as a 3D gimmick. It's very different watching it in 3D and I suggest you do the same.
Amazing execution of this movie, even if it's a bit long and the plot a little thin and predictable. If you're one those people that feel the journey is more important than the end. This movie is right up your alley. Even if you're not, watch this, cause this could pave the way for a new era of movies with animation. Lastly, this is NOT an animated movie, the actors actually played all the parts, with sensors on their bodies ala Gollum in Lord of the Rings.

9/10
Verdict: Cancel your other plans, go out and watch this before it is removed from Cinemas.

Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes, a name that is known worldwide, even if people don't actually KNOW who he is, I assume most of us know that he is a detective and a very smart one. The latest incarnation of Mr. Holmes reintroduces us to him, getting the Guy Ritchie treatment. This one is fast paced, full of hard hitting action, whilst still remaining witty and intelligent. Robert Downey nails the role perfectly, a mix of wit, intelligence and zaniness. In some ways a cross between Jack Sparrow and Jason Bourne if you will. Jude Law is also superb here in his role as Dr. Watson. He is the opposite to Holmes and gives us a sort of "control" character. Down to earth but every bit as intelligent as Sherlock. Then we have the beautiful Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, and Mark Strong who is brilliant as the baddie, Lord Blackstone.
The movie and plot moves fast, and keeps you guessing. The dialogue is witty and the characters lovable. There is everything in here, comedy, action, bit of drama. What there is not, is there is no reason you should now watch this, so go. Blockbuster done right.

8.5/10
Verdict: Good fun stuff, Watch it!

Zombieland
Alright, this movie sorta came outta the blue if your not a movie buff. Not much publicity and arguably low profile cast. But if you missed it, your loss. This is one of the most brilliantly made fun zombie movies I'ved watched in awhile. Touted as the movie version of the game Left4Dead, this one is fun start to finish. Go in, don't take it too seriously and you will come out very satisfied. Every character is so unique in their own way and with just about 6 actors through-out the whole show, the 4 main characters manage to carry the whole movie. We have the innocent but sincere geek, the ass-kicking tough guy, the ingenious but charming chick, and the innocent-looking but sneaky little sister. You come to love each of their characters because they're so simple but the chemistry between them is good, then again could just be the fact that I find Emma Stone HOT! The plot is basically just 4 people going across America to get away from zombies and finding themselves on the journey. And don't forget all those rules. This is one movie which I'll want to buy the DVD and watch again cause it's just such a laugh.

8/10
Verdict: Looking for a fun way to spend an otherwise planless night? This is it, you won't regret.

More ranting, Orianthi, and the Grammys.

2009-12-03T17:08:00.005+08:00

In the light of news that the Grammy nominees have been released, I truly am not surprised that Taylor Swift has been given 8..... 8... YES 8, nominations for whatever categories. Only beaten by Beyonce with... 10... YES 10 nominations.

I may be extra hard on the mainstream drivel but somebody seriously needs to explain how or why Beyonce is so highly regarded as the Queen on the pop scene right now? Her music has hardly improved from when she was in Destiny's Child and the only reason I can see is because she got with Jay-Z that suddenly boosted her profile? I'll admit that her live performances are flashy, if not over the top but her songs are seriously quite rubbish. 3 off the top of my head.. the one which goes "To the left to the left", Single Ladies, and Sweet Dreams, all crap. I mean who seriously can listen through Sweet Dreams? Her vocals are nothing special, the beats nothing new, so why? Is it because of her Divaness? You tell me.

Moving on to Taylor Swift, this one is not so mind-boggling as she is manufactured to sell CDs to tweens and teens with songs moms would approve of. But seriously? Nominated for Grammys? I mean, how can anyone take her music seriously? Every song sounds so similar even in the chords used and don't even get me started on her singing ability. I believe that has been covered many times over by other writers out there. Just look around for her live performances.

And then there's this:

Record of the Year: Beyonce's "Halo," Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me."

Make of that what you will. That's the state of the music industry now. IT'S THE GRAMMYS btw. The only decent song in there is Use Somebody and we all know it's just there to make up the numbers.

This is an award that has been given to truly talented artists and we can just look through the past winners to see what mainstream music has become.

In the 50s and 60s, winners included Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, and Tony Bennett to name a few.

In the 70s, we had the Eagles, Billy Joel, Carole King, and Roberta Flack

In the 80s, along came Michael Jackson and Tina Turner.

And in the 90s, we still had Eric Clapton, Whitney Houston, Nat King Cole, Phil Collins and Celine Dion.

After the Millennium, winners included U2, Coldplay, and Norah Jones.

All the names I've listed out are respected proper talented artists. Closer to today though, names such as Green Day, and Amy Winehouse have managed to bag Grammys, god knows how. Then again, I remember last year, we had the Jonas Brothers perform at the Grammys and suddenly it's all a little clearer.

Anyway enough of the Grammys, I don't think anyone, even in the music industry takes it too seriously anyway. Look on wikipedia for what Maynard James Keenan has to say about it for example.

No, today I'm here to give us a bit of hope. You might have heard of her and seen her video on MTV by now, but I'm still sure the majority haven't even heard of her and I think that's an injustice when we have hacks like Taylor Swift at the top of the charts. Anyway, I present you, Orianthi. She's released an album now and her video, According to You is on MTV, you can search for it on Youtube as for some reason I can't embed it. The song isn't great but it's a smart way to penetrate the market to lead them on to what she is actually capable of.

Santana has been one of the few people who have backed her and she was the guitarist on MJ's This is It tour. The girl can ACTUALLY play guitar and is damn good at it. Anyway here are some clips.

Santana on her and some clips of her live.

Orianthi - According to You Live.

This one is a compilation but mostly of her playing guitar.

Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift,
That's why it's called the present.

Music... or lack thereof.

2009-10-19T00:09:00.004+08:00

Soooooo, how's everyone been holding up? Really?? Like I care anyways. So, more casual blogging and something I've been wanting to get off my chest for a bit but never really got down to it.

The story goes, my CD player broke, leaving me with no choice but to be at the mercy of radio, or face driving everyday listening to myself breathe. After 2 weeks or so, I'm beginning to question the choice of listening to the radio. Either option appears to me now as dull as the other.

Alright, that is exaggerating, the DJ's and the Hitz Gotcha's are actually decent, and the only thing that keeps me entertained. Apart from that, being abused with the music, or what qualifies as music today, that spearheads the pop frontier, is frankly, SAD. Pathetic, listless, uninspired, boring. Call it what you will.

Looking at it from a broader scale, I think it is kinda what shapes us today. It represents society in a sort of obscure way. How everyone can be manipulated into thinking certain things are "nice", or being pushed around by corporates and liking something just cause everyone else likes it. In short, originality is dieing.

Turn on the radio, what do you hear? Bullshit? No.... I mean what music is playing. I can bet you at least 8 out of 10 times, you will listen to David Archuleta at least once during the duration of radio listening. David Archuleta is the epitome of boringness and uninspired music. It's basically the same disney-ish crap that's being spouted by the likes of Jonas Brothers and now, Kris Allen. There is no character, they all sing about the same things, even use the same cliches and they just sound the SAME!

On the other hand we have mainstream hiphop, that is seriously just utter bullshit. Leading the list are Rihanna, Soulja Boi and whatever crap is out there. The clearest sign of a manufactured artist is when you listen to them live. I mean honestly, listen to Rihanna and tell me she can sing? If you say yes, then you deserve to listen to that shit daily. BUT WAIT!!!!! SOULJA BOI, SOULJA BOI, SOULJA BOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How is Soulja Boi even an artist?!?!?!?!?!?! Do people seriously enjoy his music? I think you have to bring your mindset down to the level of a piece of mud to actually level with his lyrics.

If you look back just a couple of decades. What was on air? The Beatles, Eagles, Santana, Aerosmith, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Madonna, Queen. Just some examples.

And today? Like I've already stated above, Jonas Brothers, David Archuleta, Taylor Swift, Click 5, Soulja Boi, Rihanna, Sean Kingston, Miley Cyrus.

I'll let you guys work that one out yourselves. How the hell did music fall so far? Or rather how did mainstream music fall so far? Out of the 2nd list, I'm curious to see how many of them are remembered even 10 years from now. People will probably scoff and say, oh... that crap. Why? because the music corporates would've manufactured a new style of crappy music that would be considered "cool" by the listeners.

I don't know why they're getting worse, maybe because it's the fact that talent is either getting harder to find, or real talented people are smart enough to keep away from the mainstream labels. I think even the boyband era was better that the crap on radio today.

Well, I've gone on long enough. I hope my CD player will be fixed soon because then I am reminded there's hope. There's so much talent out there not making music for money, or fame. The roots are still there, the raw feeling of making music because you want to. I think Malaysia needs a rock or underground channel because every channel plays the same crap. At least BFM has the guts to go against the norm, playing good stuff of yesteryears that aren't the same 20 or 25 "oldie" songs LightFM constantly plays.

If you think I've been talking crap, I thank you for sticking through-out the entire post. Maybe I have to accept one man's meat is another man's poison. But in this case, shit is shit. No 2 ways about it. Cheers.

Ah some things change... and some do not.

2009-10-12T00:02:00.003+08:00

In a bid to blog more frequently, I think I might just start blogging more casually now. Whereas previously I would pigeon hole my posts down to chicks, movies etc. I think from now I might just post what's on my mind.

After a hiatus from posting to post on Twitter and the like I still think blogging like this is the best way to write. So much more freedom and proper useage of the English language no?

So anyways, I've started watching a TV series named, Californication. Starring the affable David Duchovny in the lead role, the series is about this broken down guy, who's a writer and became famous because his book was made into a movie that he hates but did well. Because of this fame and possibly his good looks, he draws women with no problem at all. Every episode there's at least a sex scene if not 2. So a warning not to watch this with your parents eh?

This guy though, who's aptly named Hank Moody by the way, is a divorcee who's still kinda in love with his ex-wife. She has moved on however and is getting married to another guy, Bill. So it's quite a funny situation where he hates Bill but has to just put up with him cause his daughter, Becca, would be staying with him and all that.

For some reason, I kinda feel there's something inside there we can all relate to. Even though this guy's a loser and a bum, he appeals to the viewer in some weird way. It's also got excellent dialogue which is witty and is pretty funny in most parts.

Yeah... so just wanted to get that out as a start. Check it out if you got the time.

Hope I'll be writing more soon, till then, Au Revoir.

Chick of the Week: Caroline Wozniacki (US Open Watch)

2009-09-09T00:09:00.003+08:00

Ah, tennis season is around again and that means my obsession with women's tennis's women will cause this blog to arise from the depths of Davy Jones's Locker. These urges to post are usually caused by watching the matches and wanting to share them with all of you. Ah well, down to the post then eh?

Followers of this blog will be no stranger to the name Caroline Wozniacki, who, at 19 is actually 1 year younger than I am. She turned pro in 2005 and has very quickly risen to her current world ranking of #8.

Affectionately known as Caro, or in other quarters as "Danish Delight", she was also awarded WTA newcomer of the year 2008. Stunningly beautiful and with a megawatt smile, this girl can actually play some tennis, as proven by her match against Kuznetsova. Anyway, some pics of her in action in the US of A.

Trademark smile, in her doubles match.

In action against Kuznetsova.

Some promo shots from earlier.

P.S. Cast your vote in the poll on the right. Vamos Rafa!

Those that cannot learn from history,
Are doomed to repeat it.

Is our education system putting too much emphasis on grades?

2009-07-24T23:19:00.003+08:00

Ah, exactly one month from my previous post. So, I wrote this piece for my public speaking but didn't manage to do it due to several reasons. It's something I've been wanting to write for quite awhile so when I got the chance I just sat down and got to it. If you've got the time and interest, I'd be honored if any of you guys read it and give me some feedback.

Right, so here goes:

One of the definitions that the Oxford dictionary gives us for education is the process of 'bringing up' or the manner in which a person has been 'brought up' with reference to social situation, kind of manners and habits acquired, calling or employment prepared for. This definition seems to be the ideal outcome of a successful education system. However, as you will soon find out, unfortunately our education system does not function in this way.

I will start with the simplest of examples and what our entire education system is built upon. Examinations, tests, call them what you will, like it or not, they are the backbone of our education system. And to people that don’t already know, we have these exams in abundance, and quite a fair bit of them are rather useless. The 3 main ones in the school system as of today are the UPSR, PMR, and SPM.

Just an example is UPSR, which is a compulsory exam set by our education ministry to indicate the finishing of primary school. I would like to ask one question. How necessary is this exam? Students are made to believe they study 6 years building up to it, but what does it signify? You continue to secondary school regardless of your results. The problem with our exams though, is how they are presented. Students memorise rather than learn, for the sole purpose of passing or acing the exam, only to forget everything once they have done so. There is a quote which says, Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. I believe this sums up our examination system and the way we are taught to study.

Especially apparent here, is the mentality set in our minds. The need to achieve a certain grade that is deemed acceptable means they are forced to endure countless hours of extra tuition to achieve the grades, sacrificing time for extracurricular activities. As the saying goes, all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. This way of thinking comes from the parents, who value grades so much higher than other achievements, that they are willing to bribe their children with money or gifts to push them towards those results.

Another view here is that the science stream is somehow better than the art stream. The education system streams students with better results into science and students with lower grades into the arts. The logic of this is baffling. People automatically think that students in the science streams are smarter than those in the arts. And because of this, students with good grades automatically go into the science stream, without considering the arts. Students like me, who regret that decision, because it is simply not what I am interested in doing.

The next sign that our education system is flawed and puts too much emphasis on grades, is the dire condition of the nation’s sports infrastructure. Here, it is frowned upon when someone’s ambition is to be a professional athlete. Why? Because there are no proper channels in which someone can reach this goal and make something out of his life. Sport is something schools do once a week, which they label Physical Education. It is not hard to see that the classroom is the emphasis of every education institute here. Look around you for example, we’re in an office building. How often are we encouraged take up a sport or an emphasis put on taking up sports seriously? Never, not in this country anyway.

Take a look at the US meanwhile, how many students there realise their potential at a certain sport in high school, then go on to receive sports scholarships from colleges and universities, and finally go on to make that sport a full time job. Are they products of the education system? Yes; they may not be able to explain to you Quantum Physics, or do integration, but they came out of the schooling system, and made themselves a career. I doubt very much anyone will realise any form of potential or talent from Physical Education, one hour a week. You may ask me, what has sports got to do with our education system? It’s just an example to show that grades are not everything.

So, what can be done to remedy this predicament we find ourselves in? First and foremost, we have to actually realise that the education system is flawed. We have to recognize that something needs to be done to cure this imbalance; because grades do not help us in one of the biggest parts of our lives, which is socially and culturally. Walker Percy once said, you can get all A's and still flunk life. The student who cheats and bluffs his way through school is considered smart, because he does not get caught. In the end, in the real world, he becomes a hopeless, helpless bundle of confusion and unbelief. If this does not show us that the system is flawed, I don’t know what will.

There is a saying that goes, a person may be well schooled, but that does not mean he has been well educated. He may have gone to the best schools, gotten the best grades, but he may be morally bankrupt. Our system is one in which culture plays no role in our education. Does one mature and grow up locked in a study, memorising words and passages simply because that’s how he has been taught to learn? No.

A balanced education system will do more than just help us study better, it will make us more cultured, more refined and overall, more civilised. All the more in a nation like ours, where we are growing as I believe this will do a lot in helping the country mature and develop. The first steps our education ministry need to take are to put aside the politics and have a serious review of the examination system, if that can be achieved; we could already be laying the groundwork and moving in the right direction. They then need to ask themselves, what should we gain from an education? And proceed from there. After all, there is a great deal more to the process of becoming educated than the actual instruction and schooling one may receive. Before I go I would like to leave you with a few sayings to ponder.

The aim of education is the knowledge not of fact, but of values.

The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think.

An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life.

Chick of the Week: Wimbledon Special

2009-06-25T17:30:00.013+08:00

Alright, been a loooooong time since I last blogged. Not much material really and just a plain laziness to actually do it.

Anywhooo, this is my attempt to revive this dieing blog and what better occasion to do it than in conjunction with Wimbledon? Yes, no Rafa this year, but what tennis gives us year after year, is fit, good looking girls who prance around in skimpy dresses while screaming and grunting. Fun? Definitely.

Actually though, I just needed a reason to post up some Hantuchova pics, but anyways here we go!

To mark the 50th post on this blog, Some of the hottest chicks playing Wimbledon this year:
(Click on the pics to maximize them should you want to.)

Maria Sharapova
The 22-year old has been out for the game close to 10 months due to injury and is slowly making her way back. Sadly though she lost to Gisela Dulko in the 2nd round, still looks beautiful as ever though, even if she's not my favourite.

Famous, or infamous rather, for her screaming, she seems to have lost focus on tennis slightly, being caught up in the glam of being tennis's poster girl and also earning millions in terms of endorsements. We do hope she makes a comeback cause boy does women's tennis need a boost now.

Caroline Wozniacki
You might not know her if you don't follow tennis, but that would be your loss. The 18-year old Danish beauty is definitely one of the sweetest looking girls on the tour, especially when she gives us that megawatt smile. Turning pro in 2005, she is the only Danish woman in the top 300.

Elena Dementieva
Ahh, the lovely Elena Dementieva. If you've followed my blog you will know that I absolutely adore her. Well, she is Russian and 26 this year. She has won 2 Olympic singles medals, including the gold at Beijing 2008. Here's hoping she does well at Wimbledon this year, and we love you Lena.

Gisela Dulko
Most of you might know her by now, seeing that she knocked Maria Sharapova out of Wimbledon. She might not be your typical stick-thin hottie but I just find her beautiful. She's Argentinian and 24 this year, and an interesting fact is, she previously dated Fernando Verdasco.

Maria Kirilenko
Another Russian beauty, Maria Kirilenko. Once again not your typical "bombshell" but she looks like a cute angel. Turning 22 this year, she's affectionately known as Makiri and a very close friend of Sharapova. She is also the face of Stella McCartney's Adidas range. As you will see at the bottom, she posed for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition 2009, cute angel? Hmm, maybe slightly wrong description eh?

Zheng Jie
Some Asian flavour to the mix! Zheng Jie, is the pint sized cutie from Chengdu, Sichuan, China. 25 this year, she is Asia's highest ranked player at 15th. She has also already won 11 WTA doubles titles with partner Yan Zi. Standing at only 5 ft 4, she must be one of the smaller girls on tour. I find her so adorable though, very cute especially when she's laughing or smiling, and also with a good heart. She donated her 2008 Wimbledon winnings to the Earthquake victims of the Sichuan Earthquake 2008.

Daniela Hantuchova
Okay, basically I've been building up to this point in the post. I present you, the legs of Slovakia, Daniela Hantuchova. She's actually the sole reason I watch women's tennis, hoping I somehow get to watch her play. Her play has been up and down, mainly due to weak mental strength. 26 this year, she has dropped to 32nd in the world rankings.

Nicknamed Dani, I truly believe she is the perfect woman in every single way. Don't ask me why, I'm just obsessed with her and would like to marry her. She also posed in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot as you will see below. We(I) love you very much Dani, and hope you do well this year.

legssssss DAMN

Song of the Week: Nine Inch Nails - Head like a Hole

This is..... Your Final 7.

2009-04-23T00:35:00.003+08:00

Okey Dokey!!! It's been like lightyears since I last posted. I'm afraid this post will most likely turn out crap due to me actually physically forcing myself to post to avoid this blog from being deader than it already is. Well, the last thing I had on my mind was American Idol since I just watched it.

I will post my upcoming rant on the current state of the Music Industry if I can get myself to post after this.

So anyway, AI's top 7. We have, Kris, Lil' Rounds, Adam, Danny, Anoop, Matt, and Allison. In short, AI should have ended last week or 2 weeks ago and should just have crowned Adam winner, seems the show week after week is just a formality that will eventually lead up to that.

There, could've ended this post there. Oh but I won't, not to worry, I'll have a breakdown of the current state of the competition.

So, I'll start from the judges. Kara has actually proved me wrong in a way. I think her opinion actually makes sense most of the time, even if she still does seem a bit bitchy at selected times. I still think she was highly unnecessary though, and the farce that was last weeks episode where only 2 judges got to speak proves my point. Paula, on the other hand has gone off worse than ever, I seriously won't be surprised if someday they reveal that she snorts a truckload of Coke just before every show. Jumping around, pulling stupid faces and making far-out metaphors.

Crazy.

Contestants wise. I firmly think Adam is the winner of this season. I mean seriously, it's like man against boys here. Everyone is competing on 1 level and then Adam comes out and looks like a guest performer.

Closest we can get to an actual competitor is Danny but as much as I like the guy, I will admit that he fails to surprise us. Every week is a great performance though, very solid and consistent. But he dosn't have the same pull that Adam does, where you tune in week after week just to see what he will do next.

Anoop, Lil' Rounds, Kris and Matt are obviously just fillers even if Kris is slowly getting better. I really dislike the guy cause he's absolutely average but I'll have to say that, his performance today was pretty awesome. Today being Disco week, for those that aren't reading my blog on a day-to-day basis. Lil is definitely out, and shoulda been earlier. Same boring shit every week. Anoop meanwhile, I think he saved Matt for another week. Those 3 should be the bottom 3 but comparing Anoop and Matt, I think Anoop actually did worse.

The judges meanwhile fawn over their dark-horse, who has a face to match her title, Allison. Haha sorry, that was a cheap shot but yea I really don't like her and I don't see why the judges praise her every week. I get the feeling that people just support the youngest there everytime because... hmm, come to think of it, I dunno people do it, underdog votes perhaps?

So yea, she's just another chubby 16 year old who wants to be a rocker chick. I'll admit the tone of her voice is alright, husky and pretty suitable for rock n roll. But I see her being marketed as just another gimmick. If she wanted people to take her seriously, she would be in a band because thats what her talents would be best utilised. Then again maybe she will after this, after an increased profile.

So, thats the verdict so far to anyone who gives a damn. Danny Adam final with Adam winning it cleanly. Lil Rounds and Anoop to be eliminated next.

Until my next post,
See yas.

Fashion often starts off beautiful and becomes ugly,
Art meanwhile, starts out ugly, and sometimes, becomes beautiful.

This is..... American Idol

2009-03-12T00:16:00.003+08:00

Okay, got off my lazy ass and decided to post something, just to get the flow going again. I'm sorry if this post will sound half-assed but I'm gonna just write it off the cuff cause I need a kickstart.

Alright, anyone who watches TV knows that American Idol 2009 has started and as of today has swung into full gear by starting with our Final 13. I would've done week by week updates from hollywood week but was frankly just abit too lazy.

So I'm gonna keep this brief and summarize what I have to say about the show since the first episode of this season. Right, here we go.

American Idol is something that everyone subconsciously waits for if you've been following it from seasons before. It just gives you something mini to look forward to on TV. And of course is a talking point.

However, I really felt this season's AI is starting to get jaded and frankly a little boring. It's obvious they feel the same on their side, wringing the changes left right and center. I think this year's show should be the last but as we all know, franchises will be milked for all they're worth and I can still see it going, 2 or 3 years from now, nothing but a bag of gimmicks.

So, anyway. First and most obvious change Kara Dioguardi. Up yours if you think I care that I spelt it wrong. I think they attempted to maybe make it fresh by bringing another unnecessary addition to the well balanced judging table. FAIL. I, like many people, think that the reason why AI is so popular and entertaining is due to the right balance of things on the show. Brilliant host in Ryan Seacrest, entertaining judging table in the 3 judges, etc. Add one more to that and the show slows down a little.

Firstly, just look at her and you can tell she can be a bitch, and she showed it to Bikini Girl during the earlier rounds. Also I don't see why they need her, she can't grasp the concept of speaking into a microphone or the concept that the mic picks up your hands banging on the table. We have Paula, who's constantly high so she only says good things, then Simon to counter-balance that by speaking sense, albeit in an overly harsh way. Then we have Randy to be a balance between the 2. Kara has some weird mood swings, sometimes she is as nice as Paula and sometimes she verges on being Simon. In any case, absolutely unnecessary and a clear sign the producers feel the show has stagnated.

I feel the different way of qualifying to the finals is actually a pretty good audition and out of the pool I think the system did select the best 13, even if Jamar from hollywood didn't even make it to the final 36.

This is getting a tiny bit long so I'm gonna cut to the exciting part, the contestants. I feel this years contestants are pretty average and some of them are just there to make up the numbers. But first of all, let us thank god that Tatiana did not make it through.

OK, in a nutshell, there are only 5 of them that are even worthy listening to.

Danny, who already sounds like a recording artist, and also sings with so much emotion and this combined with the fact that his wife died a few weeks before the competition and he's doing this for her, means he is a clear favourite. I will say that he will at the very least be in the top 3, if not the final 2.

Adam Lambert. Boy, this guy, to borrow the judges words, is in a class of his own. I personally feel he has an unfair advantage over the rest in that he was part of the cast of the stage play, Wicked which is a fairly large production. That obviously means he has the singing chops and as we saw, he is supremely confident on stage. Problem is I think he's the typical emo kid. If America accepts him, easily into the top 3.

Lil' Rounds. Your typical black singer. This girl reminds me of Fantasia, Latoya London and Mary J all rolled into one. With the lack of blacks in this years edition, she might just nick it. At least top 4 for me. Only problem being that with typical black singers like she is, it might get a little boring after a few shows.

Scott McIntyre. Not sure of the spelling but he's the blind guy. His courage is just stunning. I really feel this guy whenever he sings and he's just so likeable. I'm just waiting for the week where he can sing Josh Groban and I hope he does "You raise me up". He'll obviously get sympathy votes but realistically I don't think he will win it. Top 5.

Apart from the 4, which I feel are clear favourites, I also really like Alexis, she's just such a cute little pixie and boy does she have soul. The tone of her voice is really something special. I also think Matt is pretty cool. He looks a bit like Justin Timberlake and he knows what he wants to do. They'll fall somewhere along the wayside though, but maybe appear on the music charts sometime in the future?

Alright, now for the rest of them. I think the fillers are Sawyer or whatever his name is, the oil rig dude. He's such a nice guy but do we really need another Rubben Studdard or Taylor Hicks? Average at everything. Same goes for Kris. Absolutely average in every way.

Jasmine is such a sweet girl but her voice borders on being irritating with all the screaming. She'll always be in Lil Roundss' shadow so I doubt she will go far. I like the other girl purely for her hair but she's such a gimmick, the one with red hair. Just another typical rocker chick wannabe. These girls would do so much better in bands. She actually reminds me of the nurse from last season.

Last girl, Megan. This one is a pure and utter joke. I have no idea why she's in the final 13. Her singing is so average and from tonights performance, she made a mockery of the show. What do you think this is? The 70s? Her dancing is also irritating as hell, with her hips swaying thing. As usual though, beauty can take you places, as we saw with Kristy last season. I think her tattoo is cool though. But kick her out fast.

And lastly Anoop and Jorge. Anoop has such a smooth voice and he looks like a cool dude but I don't think he has the consistency to make it far. His lack of experience shows on stage and in song choice. Jorge is just such a lovable guy. He's funny and he does have a great voice. But not for American Idol, the fact that he has to work on his accent makes it a little to hard for him. Unless they allow him to sing Juanes or something every week cause I think he can break into the Latino market.

Oh well, thats about it. If I missed anyone they probably didn't deserved to be mentioned anyway. Lets see what new system they put into the results show. I'm guessing it will give the judges some form of control. Prediction on elimination, hmm. If 2 are out, I would say Megan and maybe Kris, cause his votes are split with Matts and who performs better out of the 2 will stay, and Matt did pretty well. Bottom 4 would be Megan, Kris, Anoop and Jorge though. But the fact that Anoop and Jorge have their own independant voters in Indians and Puerto Ricans mean that I think they're in slightly stronger positions. However as we all know, surprises do happen. The voters are the same ones who once voted Bush into Presidency and Taylor Hicks all the way to winning.

Life, is too short when we're having fun,
but too long when we're not.

Chick of the Week: Scarlett Johansson

2009-02-26T00:56:00.004+08:00

Sigh busy busy busy has been keeping me from my beloved blog so this week I will give all of you a treat. Scarlett Johansson!! There's just something about her that really draws me to her. She's really beautiful and in a classy way too, with a beautiful smile. Enchanting.

The fact that she's only 24 might be surprising as the New York-born girl has been in quite a few movies, namely The Horse Whisperer and Lost in Translation. She has also released an album covering Tom Wait's songs. Unfortunately though, it's not that good, speaking from experience. However 2 movies that really have me captivated and first got my attention were The Island and The Prestige. I thought she was absolutely stunning in both.

Unlike the rest of Hollywood which is stick thin, Miss Johansson actually has some curves and apparently dosn't believe in Hollywood diets. Unfortunately for us though, she IS married to Ryan Reynolds. Oh well, we can see her next in He's Just Not That Into You which is due this year. Until then, enjoy.

Absolutely captivating.

Oh god....

Favourite of the bunch.

Isnt it Ironic,
That Rush Hour, is the slowest time of the day.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-02-11T23:08:00.005+08:00

Ah, hello again dear readers, as usual the preliminaries, Uni work, inter-department football training and playing games has prevented me from updating more frequently. Nevertheless, I was at Signature, the Gardens to catch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which much like it's name, made me curious to watch it soon as I heard it's "story".

What the story is about.
The movie starts showing us a dieing woman telling her daughter her life story, details are not made clear but it seems the daughter almost regrets not spending more time with her mother and they're not exactly close. Anyway the brief outline of the story is, after the war, a baby is born, his mother dies in the process of giving birth. His father, so distraught, picks up the baby and it's the ugliest thing ever. He runs out and leaves the baby at a welfare house. The caretaker of the home takes the baby as her own and nurses it. It appears the baby is affected by all kinds of diseases, the kind old dieing people get.

This is where the movie "begins". Benjamin Button starts growing up, but he is no normal child. Physically he grows younger every year, but mentally he is normal, growing older. As you can probably tell his life will not ever be normal and the movie sweeps us into his life as he attempts to find his purpose in life, and find love among other things along the way.

Who is in the movie.
Brad Pitt adds another feather to his cap, doing so well as Benjamin Button. He pushes through the age dimension and you recognise him, no matter at what age. Cate Blanchett really ups my respect for her again. Thoroughly versatile, she ages beside Brad Pitt and is really his contrast. Holding her own against him, I really thought she did extremely well. Well the movie is really based around these 2 but other notable members of the cast included, Tilda Swindon, whom you might remember from Constantine, Jason Flemyng as Thomas Button, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali plays Tizzy and last but not least Taraji P. Henson as Queenie, the caretaker, who was brilliant.

Why you must watch this movie.
When I left the cinema and the movie finished, I felt a little blown away by what I had witnessed for the past 3 hours. Yes, the movie is very long, almost 3 hours but when your in there, it definitely does not feel like 3 hours. It really just flows on by. From Benjamin's childhood all the way to his "old age".

The first thing I would compare this movie to is Big Fish. If you loved Big Fish, you will most definitely love this movie. The idea of it is so farfetched but it works. They manage to put it across in a manner that dosn't have you asking questions every few seconds. Going into the movie I was already questioning myself how it would turn out. But they do it extremely well, making everything simple to digest and in the process just nudging the story on, making it easy to follow.

I really take my hat off to Brad Pitt. His portrayal of Benjamin Button really sucks you in, you feel for him, you want him to do well, you cheer him on. Even from a young age they somehow manage to make it look like Brad Pitt and boy does he transform in front of your eyes. The makeup is simply mindboggling but I'll come back to that later. The fantastic thing about Brad Pitt is not only does his character transform physically, he mentally transforms too, one going younger and one going older. The way he manages to do this really is just astounding. He grows as a man and slowly finds his place.

Any review of this movie wouldn't be complete without mentioning Cate Blanchett though. She is the normal person in the movie and is the "control" unit to Brad Pitt, showing you what age they are at the moment in time. She plays his love interest, Daisy and boy does she pull this one off. Much like Benjamin, you watch her grow throughout the movie, from a young girl, to a ballerina, a grown woman, and finally a dieing one. This woman is seriously versatile and I would say she is definitely one of the best drama actresses of our time. She exudes a beauty I did not notice before and she is one classy lady. Breathtaking performance.

Coming back to make-up though, I think they will win, or come close to picking up an Oscar in this department. This really just stands out in the movie. The visual effects used on Benjamin are superb as you see him grow backwards, from a 70-year old Brad Pitt to a teenage one. Very believeable. Same goes for Cate Blanchett, she grows from a young pretty Ballerina into a beautiful mother and gracefully ages in front of you.

There are so many quotable quotes from this movie, quirky ones similar to those in Forest Gump. The way he moves around questions of his age and quotes that shape his life. The script does not bore in a way some 3 hour movies can. No babbling on about nonsense, very to the point, and witty.

Unlike Big Fish though, where it's a happy and quirky through out, Curious Case is different. It's a slightly darker tale of a misfit in life, trying to get by. While your not laughing with him or cheering him along, you want to cry for him. The movie is a sad tale of how this man can never live properly cause in a way, he's old his whole life. When he was "young" he had to act old because it was simply how he was treated for looking that way, and when his appearance grew younger he was old in though and mind. The things he had to sacrifice along the way and how he has to live his life are pretty sad as well.

Overall though, you want to watch this movie. It's something so different, unique. It might drag along a little in the middle but you'll hardly feel it. All the actors do brilliant jobs and it's just enjoyable through-out despite it being a sad story. Go out, take the time to enjoy this in the cinema and you'll be glad you did.

8.5/10

We're meant to lose the people we love.
How else would we know how important they are to us?

Music for the Lounge.

2009-01-31T23:35:00.003+08:00

Alright, after a considerable pause in which I have started Uni and then celebrated CNY, I feel it's time to post again. Since I've been labeled a "womanizer" because I post nice pictures of hot women, this week I'll go back to giving you guys and girls some music. Don't panic though, my chick of the week series will be back when I find another nice one.

So down to business. This week's music will be something slightly different and maybe less played or known but it'll be lounge music. Lounge music is very wide ranging from soft jazz to upbeat modern electro beats. Well my compilation is a sort of middle ground.

Have chic chill-out parties that you can't really find the music to go with? This will be suitable for you, it's chilled out, laid back, yet the beat is not too slow to ensure you have a jazzy background to people mingling or just chilling out. Y'know, music that would even be at home at a swanky art gallery party or something like that. Or even, after a long day, you just want to sit back, have a drink and enjoy for a bit, this is for you.

Ladies and gentlemen, music:

1) Incubus - Are You In? (Paul Oakenfold remix)
Alright Incubus and Paul Oakenfold might turn you off abit for lounge stuff but fear not. This is definitely one of my favourite lounge songs, the beat is so chill out the whole vibe of the song just really flows along.

2) Bebel Gilberto - Aganju (The Latin Project remix)
Now this is almost the epitome of lounge music in my opinion. As it is, Bebel Gilberto is one of my favourite musicians because her music is just beautiful, if you want softer lounge music definitely check out her stuff. This remix ups the tempo a little, giving the song a beat and just adding that little bit of chic to it. Suitable loud or just flowing background music. I made up this post almost solely based around this song.

3) Jazzanova - No Use (feat. Clara Hill)
Jazzanova, another of the lounge specialists. This is one band where you can just put them on and do other stuff (mingle, surf the net). It's inobtrusive yet it just gives you something to groove to in the background. All their stuff just goes along, with classy beats to compliment the jazzy melodies. Great for dress-up parties.

4) Liquid Lounge - Complete Life (Jazzanova remix)
As you can see, the artist's name is already Liquid Lounge, complete with a Jazzanova remix, the song builds slowly and bounces along, bubbling just under the surface. Once again you can just leave it on softly and you may not notice each and every note or melody in the song but this is where it excels, in the background hardly noticed but appreciated. It's a long song but you probably won't notice it is as it's just chilled out beats.

Hope you guys and girls enjoy this one, something a little different.

You can download it here.

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe,
is that none of it has tried to contact us.

Chick of the Week: Isla Fisher

2009-01-19T22:06:00.007+08:00

I can't believe I didn't post this sweetie earlier than this. Must've just slipped my mind.

Anyways this week we have Isla Fisher of Wedding Crashers fame. I love her because she is possibly the cutest redhead to ever have graced the planet Earth. Her character from Wedding Crashers is also one of my favourite on-screen character because it just really symbolises everything I love about her.

Born in Australia, the 32 year old is currently living with her Fiance Sascha Baron Cohen of Borat fame. She has one daughter and film-wise has appeared in roles for Oliver Twist and Scooby-Doo. Her next release due in 2009 will be The Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Without further ado,

Yummy?

Best pic of the lot. Epitome of Cuteness

If something seems too good to be true,
It probably is.

Brit Rock

2009-01-10T03:36:00.001+08:00

Alrightey, get down to getting this out and proper. Just got done with Youth '09 BOTB, went pretty well, undying support from our friends meant we got a consolation prize.

God, it's been one hell of a hectic week. Started Uni on wednesday, 9 to 5, Thurs, 9 to 5, and Friday, 9 to 1, after which I rushed off to perform in the preliminary rounds of the Battle. Jammed basically every night till late. Which explains why I didn't have the chance to update this.

Well, put something together for you guys and girls, some good ol Brit(British) Rock to groove to or whatever you do when you listen to music.

This contains:

1) Muse - Exo-politics
Taken from their album "Black Holes and Revelations", this one is extremely catchy and will stay in your head for days if your not careful. Matt Bellamy again stellar with his Thom Yorkish vocals and the backing band superb as ever.

2) Kings of Leon - Be Somebody
Alright, if you don't already know Kings of Leon, they are at the forefront of Brit music now. Technically they're American but I just had to put this in here. Latest album is so atmospheric, with his signature vocals. If you like this, check out Sex on Fire.

3) Kasabian - Shoot the Runner
Brilliant once again from the Leicester rockers, stand out song from the album and sickeningly catchy bass-line. One of my favourites from them.

4) Arctic Monkeys - D is for Dangerous
Unless you've been living under a rock (no pun intended), you must have heard of the Monkeys. Catchy catchy catchy, brilliant Brit accent. The line "D is fer Dangerous and tryin ter keep yer trousers on" will be repeated in your head.

5) The Killers - For Reasons Unknown
Ah, the self proclaimed best Brit band from USA, this will grow on you. Atmospheric and with memorable lines all over the place. Will have you coming back again and again. I never really liked the Killers but after repeated listens of Sam's Town, found myself singing certain parts to myself and this song is definitely one of them.

Download the file here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5mxznigiw1m

Hope you enjoy your newfound music and keep rocking. I'll continue with my music for moods series after this.

New Year Resolutions.

2009-01-03T15:52:00.004+08:00

Like the countless other blogs out there I'm sure, it's time to post up some of my resolutions. Not like anyone will care much I think.

1. Blog-wise, post at least once a week.
2. Actually study regularly, although this one I make every year. Hope this year I can take the course seriously.
3. Get my pop-punk band going.
4. Gig at least once a month regardless of which band I'm playing with.
5. Get some proper sleep, wake up earlier.
6. Buy my PS3 by February.
7. Stop being late.
8. Find a nice girl. Haha *winkwink*
9. Exercise or work-out more.

Hmm that's about it I think. Shouldn't be too hard to keep. Of course though, the plan always looks easier before you actually do it.

Procrastination,
Is the thief of time.

Chicks of the Year: Round Up.

2008-12-30T16:43:00.006+08:00

Alright, devoted readers. I believe we have come now to the very end of 2008. This will be my last post for the year and we'll start again next year anew! While I have nothing much to rant, I'll round out the year by posting a compilation of pics from chicks I've already posted.

Thanx for staying with me and reading all the bullshit I've posted over the last few months. New years resolution for next year blog-wise is to definitely update at least once a week. Until then, take care folks and don't get too drunk over the new year celebrations, cheerio!

The lovely Elena Dementieva

Daniela Hantuchova

New addition, cute as hell, Katy Perry

We all love Keira

Beautiful as ever, Alexis Bledel

Another cutie, Hayley Williams of Paramore

Avril Lavigne

Stay tuned next year, I'll bring you even more hot chicks, good music, and movie reviews.

Time and tide,
Waits for no man.

Chick of the Week: Avril Lavigne

2008-12-24T01:42:00.005+08:00

Alright, something the bridge the gap while I don't have the brainwaves to post. Something everyone will like.

This week we have Canadian rock-chick, Avril Lavigne! Easy one for me as I have a ridiculous amount of Avril pics.

Born September 27, 1984, Miss Lavigne hit the scene with debut album Let Go in 2002, following up with Under My Skin and more recently, The Best Damn Thing. With songs like Girlfriend, and Sk8er Boi, ultimate guilty pleasures that you hum to yourself but wouldn't be caught dead listening to.

She has also done some "acting", lending her voice to animation film Over the Hedge and also appearing in Fast Food Nation. Known for her edgy "punk" dressing and incredibly cheesy lyrics, I present you Avril Lavigne.

Oh no...

Every guy's fantasy?

We are made up of people we meet along the way.

Twilight

2008-12-13T02:07:00.005+08:00

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. What a way to re-start my idle blog, a review of twilight! Wanted to watch Madagascar but when we went to the cinema, no tickets were left so, oh joy, twilight it was. Heard all the hype about the movie and it's OST sales reaching top spot and all. Hayley Williams is in the OST so that automatically forbids me from slamming it. To be fair the soundtrack is decent. Well, down to the movie now eh?

What the movie is about?
Girl moves to town, girl sees cute guy, guy is vampire, girl is not scared, both fall for each other, other vampires come, girl and guy love each other, guy and girl love each other, girl and guy... oh I said that already.

SUPPRESS YOUR URGE TO LAUGH!

Who is in the movie?
Kristen Stewart is the main star, playing Bella Swan. Heartthrob Rob Pattison plays vamp-boy Edward Cullen. Billy Burke plays Bella's father, Charlie Swan, probably the only decent actor in the movie.

Why I found the movie a waste of my time (other than to eat popcorn of course).
I'll make this short so it'll be as painless as possible, twilight fans might want to look away. Alright, the movie is actually not thaaaaaaaat crappy, it's just crappy. The acting is absolutely horrendous, the dialogue makes you want to look away because it is that cringe-worthy and embarassing, the "graphics" or lack-thereof is laughable, and the plot is virtually non-existant and feels very tacked on. What I found decent is that the movie is easy-going and there were some funny parts.

I haven't read the book so I can't comment on the transition, and from experience, I know that not reading the book makes for a more enjoyable viewing. I would not want to imagine how I would have viewed the movie had I read the books.

Based on a few previews, I had the impression that this Edward Cullen was going to be groundbreaking, with some even going as far as to put him in the same sentence as Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire. I can assure you that it is not. His acting is almost painful to watch, combined with his makeup to make him look fair, he looks like a walking corpse and acts and talks like that too. Maybe thats being in-character, but then again, it seems modern day vampires have lost their fangs, making them non-identifiable except by some gold-dust thats sprinkled on them when they sunbathe. When he runs, I actually laughed out loud because the animations were that comical. Also, considering the fact that he's been around for a hundred years or something like that, he might have picked up some interesting topics to talk on, instead of having that constipated look on his face whenever anyone talks to him.

However, both of them (Bella and Edward) joined forces to make watching the dialogue one of the most excruciating things I've had to endure. The absolute tosh they tell one another makes Anakin Skywalker's lines seem like Shakespear, and the lion and lamb scene is so awkward that you almost want to turn away. I found it hard to not laugh when either of them had to speak.

The plot is also extremely weak, I don't know if it follows the book religously here but it really is extremely shallow. The kind of plot where someone goes, hmm this might be cool (girl and vamp) and then tries to fabricate a plot AROUND it, forcing situations to happen instead of letting it flow. The climax of the movie comes out of nowhere, and is not connected to the original plot whatsoever. It only comes around because it seems baseball is the vampire official sport.

Redeeming points in the movie are some of the lesser characters provide some comic relief. Like her friend Alice or Jessica, I forget. And father, which gives us something to laugh about with them, not at them.

So, basically the movie will waste your time if you're older than 15 and not one of those teenage girls who want to fit into the IN crowd. Save your money and time because missing out on this one will no affect you in any way.

5.5/10

P.S. I'll be away to Langkawi tomorrow so I'll probably be away for 5 days. Leave comments though, and I will respond to any flames, hatemail or love. Till then, cheerio.

It doesn't make a difference what temperature a room is,
it's always room temperature.

Yoga

2008-11-23T23:01:00.004+08:00

Muslim Readers look away!
One thing might lead to another and you might just wake up a Hindu Tomorrow!

Ola dear readers, sorry for not writing more, been kinda busy with the band and working etc. Enough with that, has anyone read today's papers? Apparently, our dear country has done itself proud again. In an inspired move, the Islamic Authorithies have now made it "Haram" for a Muslim to practice the art of yoga.

If you have been following the news on this from when they decided to consider it, you will know that it's because apparently, after stretching and what not, you will decide to forget that you are a Muslim and decide to become Hindu. It also says that chanting is illegal in the Muslim religion. Wait a minute, if I read correctly the guy who brought this up is a professor? P.r.o... wait a minute! PROFESSOR?! Oh dear, I wonder what his students think, or probably they now also think the same thing after being (mis)guided by this brilliant Malaysian.

In the nitty gritty somewhere they do state that although not all yoga practices require chanting and deep meditation, one thing will lead to another and the ultimate goal is to be one with God, which is haram in their eyes. Nevertheless, they will ban ALLLLL yoga practices for Muslims. Yes, do not read the previous paragraph again, I did state he was a professor if you went back to check.

Now, I do practice Yoga (Bikram's Hot Yoga) and it's safe to say that all members of their council do not. From an outsider's view it might be easy to assume that once we do yoga, our goal is to reach the ultimate goal and to see God. Oh wait, yea, forget about all the health benefits that we might try to gain for it, it's a cult following that converts everyone to Hindu. Hmm, yes now that I think of it, I do feel a bit Hindu already.

Bull
Shit.

In Bikram's Hot Yoga for instace we don't even do deep meditation, the closest we get to meditation is a sort of part where you lie on your back and just try to clear your mind. But this is to let your body recuperate and reap the benefits of praticing yoga, not to reach God or something. Hot Yoga is supposedly one of the better versions because it works our whole body whilst in 40 degrees constantly. There's nothing like it, you can try their free trial and find out for yourself. While doing it it's almost torture, but afterwards, you feel, peaceful almost, serene. You stretch out all your stress and it helps you sleep. Hmm, wait. I might be mistaken but I don't see any attempt to convert anyone to Hinduism.... strange. In fact I do see alot of Muslims practice this Hot Yoga and some of them are even staff there. Oh well.

"the council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said practices like chanting and what he called worshipping were inappropriate and they could "destroy the faith of a Muslim".

Why does this nation so often treat it's citizens like babies? Does anyone really think that you are weak enough to be influenced just because you do a certain exercise? Does that not show your faith is weak in the first place? If Islam is so strong, do you really think that just by practicing yoga you will suddenly decide that what you have been studying and believing in for your whole life is not good enough and throw all that away to become a Hindu? Well I think you can answer all that for yourselves, it's like the early ages all over again. Forbidden Fruit.

Then again, this is Malaysia and as we all know too well, Malaysia Boleh!

You can find BBC's take on the story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7743312.stm

Life is like a box of chocolates,
You never know what you're going to get.

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-10T23:23:00.004+08:00

Hello dear readers, finally got down to penning my QoS review after watching it last at 1.30am last Friday. I'm in a rather cranky mood at the moment so excuse me if there are spelling or grammar errors, also I'm using Google's Chrome to blog for the 1st time as my Firefox is acting up, leaving me without a spell-checker.

What is the movie about?

Quantum of Solace starts exactly where Casino Royale ends, and by exactly I'm not exaggerating. The movie literally starts where Casino Royale leaves us, with Bond finding Mr White. The movie goes on into a confusing but weak plot about Bond getting revenge for the love of his life, Vesper (Eva Green), from Casino Royale. Along the way he encounters a few allies from Casino Royale and tries to find out who the "Organisation" exactly is. From there he finds Dominic Greene and the plot once again goes double-layered with Camille's interests. Ultimately it's a over-complex story about revenge for Vesper and also for "M".

Who is in the movie?

Daniel Craig makes a return as a new, hardened and more "real" Bond, lending an air of more strength and yet more vulnerability at the same time to the character.

Olga Kurylenko, of Hitman fame, stars alongside him, playing lead actress, Camille.

Mathieu Amalric plays our villain, Dominic Greene and Judi Dench returns as M. There are also numerous appearance from characters of the first movie such as Mathis and Felix.

Why I found the movie ultimately a let down and draggy.

First of all, despite the fact that I wasn't feeling too well and the movie was at 1.30am, I was actually rather looking forward to watching it and dragged my lazy ass out to go see the movie. Maybe the time and my mood will have affected my review of the movie but I'm pretty certain if I watch it again (which unless I'm strapped down to the seat, I won't) in a cinema, I'll have pretty much the same view.

Now, first things first, Daniel Craig. Is he made out to be our James Bond? After the stellar Pierce Brosnan, I very much doubted if anyone could outdo him as James Bond. And I think the producers felt the same way. While they couldn't beat Pierce Brosnan, they went around him, recruiting no-nonsense Daniel Craig and shaped a new role for him. A new-age James Bond which is more real, more down to earth, much bigger size and very no-nonsense. Don't get me wrong, as Casino Royale proved, Daniel Craig is a very accomplished actor and has proved that he CAN act. Does he portray the Bond role perfectly? In my opinion no and here's why.

James Bond to me has always been this larger than life character, which is what appeals to me.

Even before you watch the movies you know he will come out victorious in the end, with martini in one hand and hot girl in the other. James Bond to me is a secret agent that kills people with no regret, gets out of trouble with his various futuristic gadgets, has a martini and a laugh about it later with a hottie that he seduces. Pierce Brosnan, who is as suave as the character suggests, and fits the description down to a T, was almost born to play Bond. No matter how old he is, he always has that rugged good look to him. Enough about Brosnan though. The new James Bond feels like a watered down Jason Bourne. He has no gadgets, in fact they took out Q, one of the more interesting characters in the movies, as well as Moneypenny. Our new Bond fights his way through everything, earning himself a few scars and bruises along the way. He's direct, rough, and has a very dry sense of humour although seldom showing this in Quantum. Also he's a very vulnerable Bond, is prone to mistakes and also has vengeance on his mind. In short, they've made the character Human. This is why I've found this version of Bond a let down, he simply is not James Bond as James Bond should be.

Down to the actual review of Quantum of Solace. They borrow more from the Bourne series here, mirroring their close-up camera work of the action sequences. While this works in the Bourne series to give us an intense and up-close feel of gritiness, it fails in Quantum. Except for the aeroplane chase scene, all the fight scenes in Quantum feel very confusing and leave you feeling like you wished the camera was zoomed out abit. In the melee fight scenes, I couldn't tell which who was who, frequently only realising when the fight broke and they went into a chase. And then only because when they're running they close-up on their faces. Everything is a blur of flailing limbs or cars in the car chase.

Apart from that, the plot is just a huge mish-mash of build-up that whimpers down to an anti-climax and really doesn't go anywhere. If you haven't watched Quantum, I suggest that you watch Casino Royale one day before going, and you might have a better idea of what is going on. I watched Casino Royale after Quantum and I did get a better understanding of the plot but that also made me realise how I liked Casino Royale much better. Casino Royale gives you a smooth build-up that flows flawlessly, making the movie not seem draggy even if it was much longer. Quantum sort of answers all the questions posed in Casino Royale, but they do it in such a way that you don't really care. Instead of going "Ohhhhhh." youre sorta like "oh....yeah". The flow of the plot is choppy, leaving you sort of asking, what's going on, if you're not paying extreme close attention. The humour that Casino Royale provided us is no longer there, the charm of James Bond is missing. The only gadget he has is his handphone, which he uses like a normal handphone. Going back to the plot, they criss-cross too many petty things, making the plot more complicated than it should be. Bringing in Camille's interests when in actual fact, I couldn't give 2 shits if she got what she wanted.

To wrap it up, Quantum of Solace is an all-out action movie. It does have some well put action scenes and the cool factor is still there. However it tries to be smarter than it actually is, overcomplicating a plot that should have been more straight-forward. During Casino Royale, you are glued to the movie, you want to know what happens next. I found myself checking the time a few times in Quantum of Solace despite it being shorter than Casino Royale. Go, watch it, have a good time, eat some popcorn. Try to enjoy it, because it definitely will not blow you away.

7/10

Keep your friends close,

Keep your enemies closer.

Music for the Night.

2008-11-04T00:23:00.005+08:00

Hey this will be the first part in my series of 5 song compilations in tune (no pun intended) with moods. Technically it's my second as I've already posted a Emo one some time ago.

This compilation is a series of songs that you might want to listen to after a long day, relaxing in front of your PC, maybe chatting, having a drink or just spacing out. They're rather downbeat and might tug at your heart, you know for those nights where you feel maybe a little too lonely?

Ah well, enough of me droning on, good music is good music.

Inside is:
1) John Mayer - Wheel
From his Heavier Things album, one of the songs I like most from John. Slow, heavy guitar leads the song which slowly builds. Nice to sing along to as well.

2) Sigur Ros - Ara Batur
From their latest album, this one is simply beautiful. Recorded live (in one take) they have a full choir joining in at the end. This song either puts a smile on your face or a tear in your eye. Beautiful, breathtaking stuff.

3) John Frusciante - Hope
This one is a semi-depressing song by RHCP's guitarist from his Curtains album, just him singing with a guitar. Very barebones which is why you can feel his emotion coming through. Just the opening line, "I feel the hope, running low." Definitely one of my favourite songs.

4) Jose Gonzalez - Deadweight on Velveteen
Lifted from his Veneer album, this one is typical Jose, soft wispy acoustic guitar lines running and him almost whispering the lyrics. Once again, filled with emotion.

5) The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
From their Ma Fleur album, this one just sounds sad from start to finish. Song starts out slow and grows, having it's up and downs but the whole feel of the song is just that of bittersweetness. Tugs at the heart strings.

To download it, click this link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/160335915/Music_for_the_Night.zip.html

Choose free user, wait for the timer to countdown and follow the instructions from there.

Cheers and enjoy.

P.S. Sorry the file's a little big, the Sigur Ros song is 21mb but it's well worth it.

Time is irrelevant,
it's what you do with it that matters.

Chick of the Week: Jennifer Connelly

2008-10-31T02:12:00.003+08:00

Ah, this week I have a special for you guys. This is one I've been meaning to put up for quite awhile but didn't get down to searching for pics because I slightly forgot about her. (I know, put me in jail, NOBODY should forget her!)

Ladies and Gents, chick of this week, is American actress Jennifer Connelly. Not just a beautiful face, she is a very accomplished actress with an Acedamy Award as well as Bafta and Golden Globe awards. Jennifer, who is a vegan, is well respected as an actress with a string of critically acclaimed movies under her belt such as, Requiem for a Dream, which shot her to stardom, Hot Spot, A Beautiful Mind, Blood Diamond and will star alongside Keanu Reeves in The Day the World Stood Still.

The reason I love her is her typical sexpot look, with her sultry pout and extremely beautiful face. She's also not afraid to show off her body and has done so more than once on-screen. Coupled with her voluptuous figure, I present you, Jennifer Connelly.

Everything you would ever need.

Uh oh...

Sultry doesn't even come close to describing this one.

Having sex is like playing bridge;
if you don't have a good partner, you better have a good hand.

Malaysian Drivers.

2008-10-24T23:47:00.000+08:00

Hello folks. I'll start with the obligatory apology for not writing more. With that out of the way, I'll get down to the actual post.

For god knows why, today was hell in traffic. A journey which would normally take me 15 mins at most took roughly 40mins. All this in Subang as well. Bumper to bumper madness. Sitting in the jam though, I noticed a lot of things that can only be described as typical Malaysian driver's behaviour.

I'll do this in a list. A list of things I find extremely irritating on our Malaysian roads.

1. Idiots who don't understand the meaning of a line. Every single time there's a slightly long queue at a traffic light, I'm sure you will see this while sitting in line waiting. A small car, usually a Kelisa who thinks he's a bloody smart alec will wriggle his/her way to the emergency lane at the front of the line, hoping to cut in as soon as the light turns green. *Ehm* What makes them think their time is more important than all the other people waiting in line. Idiots.

2. Idiots who seem to think following an ambulance is very smart. As I sat in the jam today, an ambulance came screaming past but was held up at a traffic light, as cars moved to make way for it to go through, there was the usual line of buggers behind in, hoping to jump the queue and take advantage of a person in need of treatment. Not content with that, when the ambulance went through the red light, a string of cars followed it through. I mean, how badly do you need to jump ONE traffic light? I can bet you everthing I have that after doing that they would've a smug look on their face, relishing their infinite smartness. Idiots.

3. Motorcyclist who ride in the middle of the road. I'm sure you've been on the road, usually slightly bigger ones where there's this slow as hell motorcyclist smack in the middle of the road, and you can't really pass it, or when you do try to overtake it, he gives you that disgusted look as if you tried to stab his parents or something. Wait a minute, you're on a thing with 2 wheels, it's called a motorcycle. There's also another thing called a motorcycle lane. I'm sure you can put 2 and 2 together? And then there are those cyclists who weave in and out of traffic, Valentino Rossi wannabes. These are the ones where when you overtake them, they put up their hand in that "What the heck?" gesture. These are also the ones who get into accidents. Risking your own life is one thing, damaging our cars is another. Idiots.

4. Racer boys. Idiots who drive super-souped up cheap cars. Y'know those jacked up Wiras, Kancil's which sound loud, Sagas which spoilers are bigger than the cars? Thinking they own the road or are in a Need For Speed game. Weaving in and out of traffic. Once again these are the idiots who think they are extremely smart. Break down of them are like this:
Chinese: Usually slighty better cars, 350z's etc. Hair usually not the natural colour. Loud techno music.
Malays: One rank up from rempits. Usually local cars, which only the exhaust pipe has been modified.
Indians: Just plain fugly cars with loud booming tamil or techno music.
These are the ones where when you're trying to cut into another lane, they will try their level best not to give up their place, staying as close to the car in front as possible, looking straight, as if on the starting grid of an F1 race. Idiots.

Alright, that's all for this week. Thanx for tuning in. Take care, and drive safely.

Never take life seriously,
Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Chick of the Week: Zooey Deschanel

2008-10-12T18:20:00.000+08:00

Alright, back to normal business. I'll put a bright spark in this gloomy rainy Sunday evening by bring you guys and girls, our Chick of the Week, American actress and musician Zooey Deschanel. Quirky, funny, and cute as hell, her latest famous movie was "The Happening" in which I have fallen in love with her. She has also acted in Elf, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Bridge to Terabithia among many other films.

Not only stunningly beautiful, she can hold her own acting, delivering deadpan, scene-stealing lines. She's so cute that the fact she's 28 seems almost untrue. With a devilishly cheeky smile, she definitely deserves her place as our Chick of the Week. Enjoy.

Isn't this picture just adorable?

My favourite of the bunch.

P.S. If you click on the pictures, you can see them at their actual size.

Life moves pretty fast.
If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Censored.

2008-10-09T23:08:00.000+08:00

Howdy ladies and gents. Hope everyone has been fine. Today's topic will be about our very own, Malaysian Censorship Board. I'll try to stick to just the entertainment industry because I'm afraid if I dare venture further than that, I might end up like a certain "Raja". Seeing the government uses the ISA like using toilet paper while having diarrhea.

Well that's another story ain't it? So, the censorship board. Something I've been willing to get off my chest since forever. I'm not sure if Astro goes through with the same process as our censorship board but it's equally bad. I'm not sure if you guys and gals know, but Astro has a 3 minute delay from the actual broadcast in "live" telecasts. This 3 minutes, are used to filter out stuff they deem "inappropriate". Well, that about beats the purpose of "Live" fucking TV, doesn't it?

"It's Live, but 3 mins late." WTF?! So the spontaneaus argy bargy that goes on such as the Madonna Britney kiss from the VMAs among other things, will just be another FeBreeze advert or something like that. Why? Because they don't think we should see it. Let me ask you something, Astro Censorship. Are we paying extra just so we can enjoy "live" tv? Or rather, are we paying extra to watch proper tv? I can understand if TV1 chooses to censor every single kiss and cleavage that goes on tv, but thats because we're not paying for TV1, they should be able to decide what they want to show. We ARE paying for Astro however, but we still get half-chopped movies, slowed down "steamy" scenes and 3 minute delays.

If there were another network that did not do this, I would definitely be the first to jump ship. Unfortunately, living in Malaysia, means that every network would be subject to this joke of a entertainment industry.

Alright then, forget about Astro for a minute. We DO get some good stuff on there, despite it usually being at least a year late, but lets leave that for later. Let's move on to the actual censorship board of Malaysia. How many times have you gone into the Cinema, paid your 10 bucks, to watch a 18 movie. For example, an 18 SG (Sungguh Ganas!) movie, and had every single "fuck", "shit" and "bitch" censored out. What's so bloody ganas about the movie if they can't even swear on screen. Another question to the board, if every bloody thing is already censored out, why in the whole bloody world, is it labelled 18? Is it any different from a U movie? No.

Boobs? Out. Cleavage? Out. Fuck? Out. Shit? Out. Bitch? Out. Violence? Out. Sex scenes? Out. Drugs references? Out.

Jesus Christ. 18 SX (Presumably sex) without sex or semi-nudeness. 18 SG without swearing and violence. 18 PL is a combination, so nothing in there. What is the easiest solution? Buy the pirated DVD of course! The Unrated version, where you can see all the swearing or sex you want. And there they are going on about anti-piracy.

Hello braindead religious dicks, well done. Pat yourself on the back because you're fuelling the pirate business.

I'll give all of you some good examples.

Watched Hitman? Every swear word out, all "intimate" scenes out.

I didn't watch the Departed in the cinema, and am glad I did not. If you have watched this, you'll get what I mean. It would be like the old days, watching a silent movie.

Watched Tenacious D on Astro? The climax of the movie, where they battle Satan, is censored out. Presumably because once we see Satan holding a guitar, with Dave Grohl's voice, we'll all convert into satanists. A good 15 mins or so, which made the whole movie meaningless. I mean, if you want to take out such a big chunk of the movie, why bring it in in the first place? Oh right, cause it's the Malaysian Censorship Board. People who probably censor out everything then go back home and watch some animal porn or something.

Latest dumb fucking movie was, Knocked Up. I hadn't watched this movie before so I took the opportunity when it came on Astro. The whole scenes, where he "knocks her up" is out. Presumably because, if we watch acted out sex on tv, we will go ahead and rape. Ensuing dialogue where they refer to the one night stand and why he didn't wear a condom, left me clueless. I didn't know what they did, or why. They just show them waking up the next morning. Apparently there's a scene with strippers in Vegas, gone. Again, same as above. Why bother bringing it in, when you're gonna take out all the main plot points. Makes it sort of pointless.

Also if anyone watches America's next top model or Australia's next top model, you will realise that anytime at all they refer to nudity or boobs, the picture suddenly lags, or even worse, they just rewind the footage and play it again, over the voice. Presumably because, girls will then wear nothing when they go out? The original version obviously has some semi-nudity or I dunno, maybe girls in their undergarments. Nope, since your parents or whoever obviously don't care that you're watching it, or maybe, you're old enough, we will take the role of your parents, and we have decided you cannot watch that part.

And people wonder why the Westerners are so mature at a younger age. How does a nation grow up, when a 50 year old man, has what he watches on TV, filtered out for him by a few donkeys in some darkroom.

18 ratings have absolutely no impact whatsoever on anything. I remember they had a period where they had Police at cinemas, stopping underage people from going into 18 movies. For what? What are they gonna see? Chopped off sex scenes? Muted cursing? Blacked out "overly violent" scenes?

Exactly.

Who judges the judges?

Rest of the Days: Liverpool, Windemere, and the End.

2008-10-03T21:52:00.000+08:00

Aloha guests, as usual I'll start this post with an apology for not writing more often. I usually write only when I really feel like writing. Some may see this as laziness and yes it is, but it is also to ensure you will not get half-assed posts about minute details about my daily life. Such as did or did I not wax my legs, paint my nails and gel my hair today. That sort of stuff can be found all over in many many other blogs.

So yeah, just to get this London trip out of the way, I'm gonna briefly wrap up the remainder of the trip. This is so I can get back to my regular blogging about nonsense and also because the rest of the trip was void of any hot girls in close proximity bar 1 or 2 random ones.

So, I'll pick up from after the Paris day-trip. Well the day after the trip we did nothing much. Stayed in London and went to Chinatown to pick up a few souvenirs and just basically do nothing much. Visited Lilywhites though, which was awesome.

The day after that, was actually the day I was pretty much looking forward to the most coming on this trip. The day we would leave London for Liverpool. Took the train from our Gloucester station to the central point, which I cannot remember the name. And from there boarded the train to Liverpool Lime Street. I think the ride took 2 hours but it was smooth and comfortable all the way.

Forgive me but I can't remember exact details at the moment due to the long time I have taken to write up this trip. Anyway, in Liverpool I stayed at the Travel Lodge. Which is a chain of some sort around England I think. It's a very modern place for tourists, clean and sterile.

We walked around the area near to where we stayed, which was actually really close to Liverpool One, which is their central shopping area. Very chic and clean. Ate lunch at the docks, which is surrounded by shops, upmarket pubs and restaurants. Ate at a pub-cum-nightclub. Nice cosy place. I also visited the Beatles museum which was pretty nice. They recreated the Cavern inside there which I thought was brilliant. It's structured really nicely and the only gripe was I wished I had more time inside.

I had to rush or I would've missed the Anfield tour. Took a cab to Anfield from there and it was a pretty short ride. Cabs in England are pretty cool. They're old looking cars but fully modified to be nothing but a cab. Here, cabs are just cars which are painted differently and driven by cheating gangsters. Over there, cabs look nothing like a normal car. Their backseat fits 4, all facing each other Limo style. The driver sits alone in front and is shielded from the passengers by a plexiglass window. Even if you want to, you can not sit next to the driver as there is no seat there.

Reaching Anfield, I just had to marvel at actually standing there. Went in to sort out a few details about our tour and then we went into the museum which holds all the throphies and just cool stuff, including the European Cup won for the 5th time, meaning they were able to keep the real thing, the same one Manchester United won in 1999, being kept safely in the Anfield Museum.

Went on the tour of Anfield then, and among us there was one Arsenal fan and a Man United one, obviously being the main targets for the rest of the tour. Went into the interview areas, player changing rooms, refree changing rooms, and finally walked down into the ground itself, touching the legendary This Is Anfield sign on the way of course. One cool thing was when we were walking down the tunnel, they played a recorded clip of what the players hear when they walk out, thunderous cheering and singing from the fans.

In the ground itself, got to sit where the players sit, where Alex Ferguson sits and just basically absorb the whole experience in. Also of course got to stand on the Kop End, from which the Arsenal fan was shown the exact spot Ryan Babel went down in the penalty box. I'm sure you all know which one.

The tour concluded and we went to Liverpool One to do some shopping. Ate at their McDonalds which is totally different to our shit one in Malaysia. They actually have edible stuff there. Their Burger King is more similar to ours, but their breakfast is the bomb. Some sausagey thing which tasted pretty damn good. Also had lunch at Nando's there, which is also almost exactly the same as the Malaysian one. In there though there were these 2 race models, I think they were race models anyway. Dressed in the skimpiest skirts you will ever see with makeup to look like Roxanne. Needless to say every single guy was staring at them every opportunity they got and every girl was giving them dirty looks for even being alive. Oh yeah, in the Liverpool One store, the sweetest girl attended to me. They had a few mistakes done on my jersey so she got me sorted out and was just really helpful in general. Of course the Liverpool accent did no harm to how adorable she looked. I love European accents, English and Irish ones in particular.

Left Liverpool and headed for Windemere after that. In Windemere, I stayed in a bed and breakfast place. It is basically just a house, which the owners rent out the rooms. Beautiful place, very charming. There we went on a tour of 10 lakes, in which a old man took us around the Lake District giving us commentary in the process and I will not even bother explaining it in words because I simply cant. The view, the beauty and just the serenity of the place is beyond words. The green and slow pace of life there is just really so appealing and you can sit on a moutaintop and stare at a lake for days and even then you might still not get over how beautiful it is.

If someone came up to me and said Malaysia was going to sink in 2 days and I would have to Windemere to stay, lets just say, I wouldn't think twice about it. The town is next to a lake and walking there at night is really beautiful. Really calm and homey. Well I guess all small towns are like that, where everyone knows everyone. Just a really really nice place to stay. Ah, it may seem as if I don't have much to write about Windemere but because I didn't really do anything much there. You have to be there to understand and just soak it in. You don't even have to plan anything. Just stay in a B&B, take long walks everyday and thats basically it. The beauty of a simple life.

The next couple of days were spent back in London. Did some more shopping and then went to see a play. Stomp. If you don't know what this is, just look up Stomp Out Loud, the DVD. It is a percussion unit where they use everyday objects to make beats and music. From trash can covers, broomsticks, plastic bags, lighters and even sinks. I've seen many plays in my time but I have to say this was the best experience of them all. The auditorium was small, which amplifies the closeness and sound of the performers and you can see their facial expressions and intensity. No sound is wasted due to the size of the place.

We also visited the National Museum in which there were many interesting things, including, the Rosetta Stone, which I find extremely fascinating. Look it up on Wikipedia.

Well, that's about it. After that, the next day I flew back to home sweet home, Malaysia. Funnily though, after every trip, even the good ones, Japan, Thailand, Bangkok, when on the way home and when I come back, I always think, well that was really nice, but it's nice to be home. Y'know, being home-sick on the way home. But after this trip, I was sorta sorry to be back. Almost as if I would rather have lived there much longer. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to appreciate that I had the chance to go there and hopefully return there one day to live or work maybe?

Reasons to stay in Europe:

P.S. All the pictures, whether in Sepia or in full colour can be found on my facebook photos.

Sepia:http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55584&l=26e77&id=563730916
Colour:http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60921&l=32939&id=563730916

What doesn't kill you,
Only makes you stronger.

Day 4: Baguettes, Pyramids and a certain Eiffel.

2008-09-19T00:19:00.000+08:00

Allo there people. Really sorry for the long delay between posts. I just don't have to time or patience to sit down and write at the moment. No idea why, but it's just like that. So, back to the London trip then. Day 4, one of the more interesting days.

Day 4 of the trip began with me waking up at 4 or 5am if I remember correctly. It was some ungodly hour where the sky is still dark and lazy Londoners are still enjoying their sleeps. Being in London and on a trip though, waking up at times like this is actually acceptable. You walk out into the cool morning air, sniffing in the oxygen in London, which is slowly starting to become familiar and very pleasant.

Well.... we get into a van which is like the local handler for the tour company in which we decided to take for this day trip. Anyway it's like 4 or 5 in the morning, I'm cheerful but still half asleep. We pull up at Holiday Inn I think and whoa, out comes 2 pretty hot ladies. One of which looks like a thinner version of Angelina Jolie. They were really friendly too, exchanging Hi's and what not as soon as they boarded the van. Turns out they were Canadians who were also on a trip of London, and also on this tour to Paris. By the way, if you 2 are reading this, I tried my best not staring at you the whole time, and believe me I did not.

So joined by another slightly older couple from the US of A, we were dropped off at the train station to board the Eurostar. Armed with a panini, which were starting to become my favourite form of food, we boarded the Eurostar, preparing for a 2 hour train ride under the sea into Paris. Oh and yes, I was sitting next to the Canadians. (What's with Canadians and trips with me? First girl guides and now Angelina Jolie?)

When we reached Paris, the Paris du Nord I think, is their "main" train station. Joined up with other people from London as well I think, including a young American girl in her 20s. No I am not a pervert reporting on every girl I see, it's just that, it's really surprising to see a young person travelling on their own. Well maybe New Yorkers are braver than the rest of the world?

Started off right outside the train station with a very very cheerful and helpful tour guide which reminded me slightly of a young David Hasselhoff maybe? We were all led onto a double decker bus with the top floor open-air. Lovely way to be brought around really. So the bus just got going and our guide told us what was going on as the bus moved, like any other tour. Saw the ballet theater which used to be a theater for plays if I'm not mistaken. Very grand place built by some king or something. Thing about France is, most of their buildings have these small details on the exterior which just adds that grandeur to it, making even the most normal buildings look solid and artistic in certain ways.

The tour continued with us going into the heart of France, passing their fashion street which boasts the biggest names in fashion, including the headquarters and flagship store of Louis Vuitton. Ah yes, another thing about France, or the French rather is that, everyone is dressed sharply. Unlike England or Malaysia where you see people loafing around coffeeshops or whatever in simple comfort clothes, the French are dressed very well whereever they go. Probably is what helps you tell the locals from the foreigners. They all look sleek in their trenchcoats, designer sunglasses, boots and what-have-you.

So then, gawking at all the nice cars along the way, we made it to that famous French arc that you see usually in French shows or promos. The name eludes me but the detail on this thing is simply amazing. Even from the bus, I could see that the amount of detail on the arch itself, the designs on the nooks and crannies, the expressions of each and every soldier statue. Simply magnificent. Continued into the center of Paris, which has an Obelisk given to them by the Egyptians if I'm not mistaken. It's a sharp spear-like statue with the tip made of gold or something.

After that we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. I know we see it all the time in commercials and movies but when you're there, looking at it in person, it's simply breathtaking. Built so long ago, it's so symmetrical, just a wonder of joined steel. The gigantic size of it really just causes you to stand and stare it it, slack jawed. When we finished taking some pics from below, we took an elavator to the middle level. Which is adorned with the Euro stars because France is the leader for UN or something this term. The view from up there really is amazing. You have a panoramic view of Paris and I swear I felt the tower sway more than once due to the strong winds. Enjoying the view from above and taking some truly spectacular pictures, we decided to go down. Took the steps by the way, all 700 of them. Oh and we were one of the many tour-members who decided to forgo the lunch on the Eiffel. France's best chef was cooking that day and it cost up to RM300 per person to dine several hundred meters in the air.

When we were done, we proceeded onto a nice boat for a cruise on the river. There, we just took in the sights of beautiful Paris and listened to the translator on some phone-like thing. Very very beautiful with quaint little stories for certain sites. They have some sort of Beach, which is like sand poured onto one of the concrete river-banks. And there really are people just lying around there on deck chairs.

After the cruise, we went to the Louvre, the famous museum that holds super artworks such as the Mona Lisa and made even more famous by The Da Vinci code. Unfortunately the Louvre closes on the day we were there, so we just walked around it, and even then like I said, the detail on the exterior of the Louvre is simply crazy. Every arch, every single bend or whatever is just filled with detail, carvings and everything. Then of course, we saw the world-famous Pyramid and the inverted one as well, which in the Da Vinci code is claimed where Mary Magdalene is.

Refreshed by seeing the Louvre, our next destination was a Church. Once again I'm sorry but the name just escapes me. Our guide, being an excellent one, decides to forgo the bus ride and take us on a walk, from the Louvre to the Church. I don't know if he does this all the time but the fact that he was willing to take us through back-alleys and walk all the way, showing us the way of life in Paris from the groundlevel was really good. Our Angelina Jolie was wearing this fierce high-heeled boots and as soon as he suggested walking, everyone sort of looked at her. She of course, replied that she had shopped 6 hours straight in boots so it was a small matter to her.

So off we went, walking, we saw the house of some famous painter, once again I do not remember but I will when I see the picture. Just enjoying the small roads of Paris, the lesser known side-walk cafes and just their ongoings in general. You just get the feeling that they enjoy life a whole lot more than we do. They take time out to just sit down at a cafe, chat, have an espresso, smoke, you know, just relax and enjoy the moment for hours. If I get the opportunity, which I might, I would definitely not balk at choosing to live there, whether temporarily or for longer. The way of life is just so laid-back.

Reached the church and like the one in England, this one was enourmous. I think it was a gothic-styled church, so very high up, very strong, very menacing almost. It was pretty dark inside as well. Done with the church, we headed to La Fayettes, hope I got the spelling right. It's their equivalent of Harrods. Well, everything is nice to see but will cost you an arm, a leg and maybe more to buy.

After that, we bid our tour-guide adieu and headed back to London via the Eurostar again. Yet again, yes, I was sitting next to our "friend". I missed something though, when I was sleeping. Apparently there was an emergency on board the train and they paged for a doctor. Our sultry friend, responded to the call!!! And she managed to cure whoever was having difficulties because they then presented her with a bottle of Champagne!!! WOW! This is like when you see a proverb book and there is "Don't judge a book by it's cover". They should have her picture there next to the example!!! Who ever knew doctors dressed like French models?! Maybe Canadian ones?

As we reached London, we sorta just collapsed into bed and that was that. End of day 4!

Unfortunately, I have a lack of pics from Paris as my phone died midway thru. When I get pics from my digital cam though, I will post 'em up. Till then, hang in there and cheers.

The full album is available at http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55535&l=05eb2&id=563730916 It's all from my mobile and all taken in Sepia.

Don't argue with an idiot,
The Spectators can't tell the difference.

Day 3: Churches, Buses, and 17 Girl Guides.

2008-09-07T16:17:00.000+08:00

Gah, I'm gonna start this one off by saying or rather, admitting that I don't have the time or will to continue this day to day. Because of this, I'm gonna sum up the most interesting parts of the trip in the next few posts. This is also due to the fact that I have some stuff built up, not related to the trip, that I want to post up.

Anyways, day 3 is one of the highlights of the trip so... here, we, go.

Day 3 was a day that we had booked a day trip of London, where this tour company would bring us around the nicest places for the day on a bus and leave us at the London Eye for more than half the day.

So, started the day off by getting into the bus at Holiday Inn, which was just down the road. This bus took us to a bus terminal someplace. From there we would board the real bus which would take us around. Imagine my surprise, and maybe delight at learning that, when we reached there, we would be sharing the tour and bus with not 1, not 2, but 17 Canadian Girl Guides!! If any of you are reading this blog, then no, I was not looking or staring or thinking about any of you through-out the tour.

Well, in the first place they were about 15 so that would be kinda wrong for me. But the way they talk sounds just like an episode of The O.C., One Tree Hill and what have you. School girls bitching about everything. They would be on tour to London, Paris and finally Switzerland. Huh, I bet our Malaysian equivalent have only been as far as Taman Negara.

So enough about them, the tour was really interesting. Well interesting to me anyway, churches and historical sites are not really everyone's cup of tea. We had a really charming tour guide, older guy but witty and very knowledgeable. Visited various churches from the outside, but the best one was St. Paul's. I can't describe this place in words or pictures because it wouldn't do it justice, and no cameras allowed inside anyway. When you walk into the place, you are just overwhelmed by the sheer size and intricate design on the arches and walls.

According to the guide, they built it initally to instill, fear or rather awe, into church-goers to make them god-fearing people. The queen though, if I'm not mistaken, ordered in sculptures and beautiful window-paintings etc to transform the church. So people would be more god-loving and stuff, rather than fearing. The place is MASSIVE, you look up and you could just sit there and look up into the dome for hours just for your brain to comprehend how huge this place is and how long ago it was built.

Soon after, we had lunch and then headed around, but another highlight was going into the Tower of London or something like that, I hope it's right. Well it's actually a few towers, but it's become a museum of sorts now. We got in to see their torture chambers, house-arrest rooms and, wait for it, the crown jewels. It was pretty cool, standing inside a vault-like place looking at various unnecessary diamond-filled encrusted fully gold sticks and hats. No disrespect meant of course.

It began to drizzle slightly now but we went on a cruise of the River Thames, seeing the London bridge amongst many other bridges. Interesting stuff. The tour finally concluded with us going on the London Eye which is so bloody huge, it takes about 30 mins just to go one round. It's a massively oversized ferris-wheel btw. The view from above is breath-taking though. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, that we visited the Buckingham Palace, didn't go in of course but yea, we just went there.

Saying a silent goodbye in my head to the Canadians, day 3 was over. Headed back, in preparation for our Paris tour, which would begin the next morning.

Sometimes in Life,
The Journey is more important than the End.

Day 2: Circuses, Celebrities, and lots of Wax.

2008-08-31T22:30:00.000+08:00

Day 2. 17/8/2008

The day started off with a decision that we would shift to a nicer and proper hotel. And it's what we did. Moved 3 or 4 lots down and there was Park International Hotel. Left our stuff there and got away for the day, where my mom's friend, who lives in London would take us around.

As usual, we took the underground train, or subway. Queued up for about an hour and were finally into celebrity haven. Saw well known faces like Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, David Beckham, Tiger Woods, Jose Mourinho, Lance Armstrong, and the Beatles. Even managed to come into touching distance with them and snap a few photos. This then continued into a Dungeon where there were serial murderers and crazy people running around, scaring the bejesus out of people. Oh, and I'm talking about wax models of course. This is all in Madame Tussauds. Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought you would be reading about someone who got near celebrities. The dungeon part was live actors though.

Soon after, we went to Picadilly Circus, with it's colourful neon signs, bumbling with life. Nice place really, shops everywhere around a center, a pedestrian filled area around a fountain. We walked from there to Leicester Square, which is basically a park and where tickets to shows and plays are sold. Weirdly, the place has more Italian food than English. I believe London has 15 Bella Italia's. Then again, this is probably how it is around the world, Italian food is the favourite anywhere. Had lunch at an Italian Ristorante which was good, but expensive like food everywhere for tourists.

Continued to Trafalgar Square, which had an enormous Screen up, to show the Olympics. Every Brit channel was showing the success of Team GB over and over again but the place was great, buzzing with people watching the screen or just hanging out. 2 huge fountains flanked the screen. We continued on in search of Covent Garden which we wouldn't find on that day. In our search though, I came across a group of Chelski fans coming back from their 4-0 opening day win. About 50 of them all in blue coming out of the subway, mostly bald, and mostly with beer bellies. The typical English middle-age guy.

Weary and slightly confused by the signs that pointed us to Covent Garden, we kinda gave up and went back, stopping by HMV, which is one of the things that I would really really love to have in Malaysia. It's a huge record store btw, sells games, clothes, CDs, DVDs and stuff like that. If I lived there, I would probably visit it every week and would probably manage to buy something out of there on every visit. On this trip, managed to get 2 awesome t-shirts, and 3 cds which have proved impossible to find in Malaysia, because our local retailers just believe in bringing in shit-pop like Dick 5, Rihanna, Jon-ass Brothers and more homosexuals like that. Money-spinning bullshit.

With that done, went back to Park International and that was it for Day 2.

Once again, the full album is available at http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55535&l=05eb2&id=563730916 It's all from my mobile and all taken in Sepia.

The only way to win an argument,
is to avoid one.

Day 1: 12 Hour Flights, Fish and Chips and the Beginning.

2008-08-29T01:25:00.000+08:00

Hiya folks, how you guys been holding up for the past 12 days or so? Well I hope, must've been hard without any updates eh? Anyways, for those not in the know, I was in London for the past 10 or so days. I believe I had mentioned this in one of my posts.

Well, I'm back now and with stories to share to will everyone please gather around the campfire, turn off your mobiles, get a drink and enjoy.

Day 1. 16/08/08
Couldn't really sleep the previous night, and I awoke early in anticipation of the impending trip. We left at 7.30 or 8 I think, my flight being at 10 if I'm not mistaken. And luckily I left early because as soon as I reached KLIA, I noticed something that probably will only happen in a airport as nice as ours. I think they had only 1 or 2 counters open for London, the line was longer than that you would normally get standing in a bus stop. So much for being one of the best airports in the world.

After awhile, and with the help of an Enrich card, I was checked in and ready to go. I had never been on a flight as long as 12 hours. 12 bleeding hours. Basically a whole day, cooped up, seat-belted down into a metal tube, 30000 or so feet in the air, eyes glued to a screen about the size of a big guys palm. Well that's exactly what it was, I watched some Ashton Kutcher show that helped pass time. What stays in Vegas etc... Something I learned while on-board. I'm no racist and this isn't meant to be racist but I've noticed that the most irritating people on planes are usually the middle easterns. Their children are extremely whiney, they run around everywhere, the father dosn't give a shit, and the mother is bullied by her kids constantly. Add that to a young baby that had to share a seat with her mother and perfect, non-stop irritation for 12 hours. I swear the Australian dude sitting next to me was on the verge of getting up and throwing them out.

Touched down at Heathrow International Airport at about 3pm London Time. Wasn't as grand as I expected it to be, but extremely big, and extremely busy. Heathrow has 5 terminals by the way. Waited quite awhile at immigration but I was finally there. Stepping into UK and into London. Much like KLIA, you can take a subway straight from inside the airport. Exactly what I did, taking a train straight to Gloucester Road, where my hotel would be located. As you will see, hotel is quite an exaggeration on my part.

Ah, the Cromwell Crown Hotel. With your typical non-responsive Indian receptionist who hates her job. Room was basically 2 foldable beds of sorts and a double bunk bed. Toilet was comparable to that of the airplanes. With everything sorted, and stowed away. Time for dinner. The area I lived in appeared to be quite middle to upper middle class. Holiday Inn was nearby and within the first hour or so I was there, I had seen at least 6 Porsche's, a Lamborghini and various BMWs around. So we walked around abit and settled on fish and chips. What else?! Typical english food, except, served by some guy who looked and spoke more french than english. Nevertheless, it was good. A good way to end my first day in the great city of London.

That wraps up day 1. I'll report on day 2 tomorrow. Cheers.

By the way, if any of you tossers wants to check out the full album of Sepia photos that I took, feel free to browse through them on facebook here.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Chicks of the Week: Olympic Special

2008-08-14T23:42:00.000+08:00

Hello once again, faithful readers. I've not had much inspiration over the last few days or so, so forgive me for not updating. I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to read stuff like:

WokE up tOdayz, saw the tiMe so late aDi. Sighz ZzZzz.

Ate breakfast but nothing special lorzZz. I have no idea foR the NeEd to alTerNate betWeEn uPpEr and LoWer case letterIng.

You can read all that bullshit at all your other friend's blogs. So anyways, what better than to cash in on media hype once again and pretend to be cool and in the know. The Olympics of course are on now and the media is buzzing with it.

With the Olympics, and sports in general, we are guarenteed, fit, well-toned women sweating their asses off to win some gold for their respective countries. Here are just a few sexy olympians to whet your appetite.

First up, Stephanie Rice,golden girl of Australia's swim team. She's only 20 this year and there are some raunchy pics floating around the net of this beauty which were ordered by Swimming Australia to be taken down by Rice herself.

Next we have, Francesca Piccinini, Italian volleyball player who also, has some not so decent pics of her floating around the net.

Australian softball shortstop, Natalie Ward, is next. She has won the bronze at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and a silver in the 2004 edition. Nevermind that softball is an absolute joke, we have her to enjoy.

Heather Mitts, 30 year old member of the American Women's Soccer team. In 2004, Mitts was voted as "Hottest Female Athlete" by the users of ESPN.com. It's not hard to see why.

Haley Cope is next, member of the US swimming team. The hot blonde has done other stuff such as photoshoots for Maxim, FHM & Playboy. Anyone who does that deserves a place in my book. For some reason she reminds me a wee bit of Hayden Panetierre?

Lastly, I bring you Brazilian twins, Bia & Branca Feres, both are synchronised swimmers and are 19 years old. Ah, this duo definitely brings the "samba" and give us reason to watch synchronised swimming, even if it means you feel like scratching out your eyes at boredom.

That's it from me this week. I'll be going off to London for roughly 2 weeks, so hang in there yea? I know it'll be hard without updates but I believe in you.

Give me to courage to change what I can,
The serenity to accept what I can't,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Soundtrack To My Life

2008-08-05T18:04:00.000+08:00

If my life was re-enacted in a movie or something, the soundtrack to it would probably be something like this. Just something fun until I post since it's been awhile since I've posted anything.

Opening Credits:
Kasabian - Club Foot

Waking Up:
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

First day at High School:
Nine Inch Nails - Everyday is Exactly the Same

Falling in Love:
Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me

Fight Song:
Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Breaking Up Song:
Porcupine Tree - Feel so Low

Prom/Dance:
Arctic Monkeys - I bet you look good on the dancefloor

Life:
Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism

Mental Breakdown:
Placebo - Meds

Driving:
Explosions In the Sky - Your Hand in Mine

Flashback:
Nine Inch Nails - Right Where It Belongs

Wedding:
Gerry & the Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

Birth of Child:
Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla

Final Battle:
Michael Buble - Home

Death Scene:
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek

Funeral Song:
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

End Credits:
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra - Adagio for Strings

If you guys want I might upload all the songs when I have the time, if not just ask me for any on MSN and I'll be happy to pass them to you.

There is no easy way, to any place worth going.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-29T01:55:00.001+08:00

Sorry folks, I know it's been a painful and trying few days without the update of your favourite blog. Unfortunately, my incredibly shitty junk of metal some people choose to call a computer has died on me. Since then, I've gone and try to type this up on my backup laptop. Trying Windows Live Writer with this review so if nothing looks right, bare with me. So, I'm sure most of you have already watched The Dark Knight and been pretty blown away by it? I watched it again on Saturday and here is my rundown on me experience even after the 2nd time.

What the movie is about.
Set within a year after the ending of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight begins with a bang, Being a full out action movie with small hints of other genres such as Romance peppered in throughout the movie. Batman, along with Lt. Gordon and new District Attorney Harvey Dent continue the never-ending job of cleaning up the streets of Gotham City. Along comes a psychopathic criminal with nothing to lose, namely The Joker. With ties going deep into the crime-fighting force and a reputation which nobody dares to cross, The Joker appears to be the ultimate Villain, hitting Batman and Gotham City hard and wanting nothing but Batman's surrender in return.

Who is in the Movie.
The Dark Knight definitely does not lack it's starpower. It's all-star cast is spearheaded by Christian Bale who once again returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Heath Ledger, plays the Joker in his swansong, his last complete project and boy does he leave us with something to remember. Aaron Eckhart of Thank You for Smoking fame plays Harvey Dent, The "White Knight" of Gotham. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both return as Alfred and Lucius Fox providing us with comical relief. Maggie Gyllenhaal comes in as a replacement for Rachel Dawes after Katie Holmes decided to turn down the job even after they offered to double her pay.

Why I think the Movie is Superb.
I'm going to start this section by getting something out of the way. Did the passing of Heath Ledger make this movie even bigger than it already was? Yes, no doubt it did. People flocked to see him in his last complete appearance and the media built up the hype, saying he did an excellent job. Did his passing appear to make his role better than it deserved to be? No. Not one single bit. If he were alive now I would've thought the same thing. Jawdroppingly awesome.

The movie will no doubt go down as one of the classic comic adaptation greats, heck maybe even as one of the great movies of this generation. Why? Because Heath Ledger leaves us with a performance that seems so memorable, we'll be comparing every villain in every other show to him now and I feel sorry for them, because they have their work cut out. His performance, no, masterpiece, seems so real, so unique, so out-of-place that combined with his death, leaves us with chills and a bitterness at losing such a talented person at the peak of his career.

If you were wondering how he got there, he spent a whole month, locked up alone in a hotel room, formulating the Joker's posture, psychology and voice, writing in a diary daily about the Joker's thoughts, as a guide to himself during his performance. Just how good was he? Michael Caine, an accomplished and respected actor himself, was so blown away by his performance that in their first scene together, at the Wayne Manor, when The Joker enters and performs, he got such a fright that he forgot his lines.

But, let's move away from Heath Ledger and more onto the plot. And here it is truly unique. I can't remember the last film I watched in which the plot twisted this much. With the movie running at two and a half hours, there was plenty of time to formulate something special and special is what Christopher Nolan gives us. Unlike normal movies where there are 3 acts, the build-up, the conflict and the resolution, The Dark Knight has 5 or even 6 acts. While watching the movie, you will never know where it's going to go next and this is what keeps you on the edge of you seat the entire time. There is hardly any time for a breather, with action action action in every other scene.

Why I like this version of Batman more than any other is first and foremost, the cast. They opted to go for an acting cast rather than a bunch of overpaid "superstars" such as Ahem, the govenator? Every member of the cast pulls his and her weight here, giving us a satisfying performance. Secondly, this version of Batman shows us a different side to superheroes, it shows us the flipside, the vulnerable side to Batman. Where Superman or Ironman live happily ever after, getting the girl and being the darling of the town, this version of Batman does not. He struggles with his own demons and constantly questions his own motives. As Bruce Wayne he shows vulnerability and regret and as the Dark Knight, he morphs into an sort of alter-ego which is able to take the blame and be the bigger man, for the city.

This is getting long so I'll try to wrap it up here. Basically put, if you had to watch a movie this year make it this one. I can't see any other movie which is coming out coming close to touching this. The simple fact that it created history with the biggest weekend ever, beating Spiderman 3 should tell you that. If you haven't watched this, make some time and go for it because it will not disappoint. You will know you have witnessed something truly great, something that leaves you walking out of the theater satisfied. But how will you know? What will prove that to you? It's simple, you will walk out of there knowing, and regretting that Hollywood and humanity in general has lost something special, something irreplaceable, and that is, the Joker himself, Heath Ledger.

9.5/10

I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger.

Emo/Slow Compilation.

2008-07-19T15:21:00.000+08:00

Hey loyal readers, sorry to have kept all of you waiting, anxiously checking back day after day with nothing new. To make for it, I am giving all of you a treat of sorts. This will be the first of my music compilations, which I will drop around for you guys and gals every once in a while.

This one will be an emo playlist of sorts. Not Emo as in Hardcore/Emo/Bullshit stuff. Emo as in emotional/slow/nightime songs. Good for driving alone, or spending those lonely nights where you feel like wallowing in your own sadness. Well, here it is. 10 songs to enjoy.

Beck - Guess I'm Doing Fine
Brooke Fraser - Scarlet
Evanescence - Good Enough
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek
Enya - May It Be
Jimmy Eats World - My Sundown
John Mayer - Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Sia - Breathe Me
Norah Jones - Lullaby
Porcupine Tree - Feel so Low

All the songs can be downloaded here:
Emo/Slow Compilation

Don't worry, It's not some virus. Just follow the instructions from that site and there you go, 10 songs to cry to.

Review of The Dark Knight will be up soon, hopefully by Monday. Till then, hang tight.

The night is darkest just before dawn.

Chick of the Week: Keira Knightley

2008-07-10T23:31:00.000+08:00

This week's chick of the week is everyone's favourite British babe, Keira Knightley. Shot into stardom by the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, the petite Brit has never looked back since. First coming on the scene in Bend it like Beckham, she now opts to do smaller art films like Atonement because she dosn't like the time away and stress of working on big projects.

Although frequently panned for her lack of a "well endowed bust", the beautiful lass more than makes up for it with sharp facial features, most notably her high cheekbones, not to mention an extremely well-toned body as can be seen in the pics below. With her cheeky, almost devilish laugh and seductive smile, enjoy Keira Knightley, our chick of the week. Also, who dosn't love a good English accent eh? Cheerio.

Everybody falls, It's how quickly you get up that matters.

Chick of the Week: Footballers Special (Men)

2008-07-06T01:25:00.001+08:00

This week's "chick of the week" is a special edition due to Sooks's request for some hot guys. These are some good looking footballers for the ladies who read my blog. Enjoy.

Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)

Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Xabi Alonso (Liverpool)

Kaka' (AC Milan)

David Beckham (LA Galaxy)

Francesco Totti (AS Roma)

Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers)

Bods.

63 Things We Learned from Wanted.

2008-07-02T16:08:00.000+08:00

1. Cops will not continue to pursue the bright red viper missing two tires creating sparks along the road...for it has passed them...therefore it is invisible.

2. A "kitty litter" truck can keep up with a viper.."cuz vipers are slow"

3. A viper can get enough speed on 3 tires to be able to flip a 4 ton bus.

4. If someone hits your ankles with a car causing you to fall into the passenger seat, you will suffer no ill affects.

5. Jumping face first through glass won't cut you, or hurt you, in fact it makes for pretty face decoration. I say put glue all over your face and jump through a window, it will make for a pretty reflective mask.

6. Jumping 300 yards into a window is so effortless that you can get up, dust yourself off, run up 3-5 floors, and kill someone in 3.5 seconds

7. As long as you can speed your heart up to 400 bph, jumping between sky scrapers is no problem.

8. Regardless of "initial curvature", the flight path of the bullet will not change as it goes through objects (like 8 skulls).

9. Human bones has no effect on the trajectory of bullets apparently.

10. If you have the ability to curve a bullet around a round room, you probably also possess the ability to make the bullet adjust for height so that it can hit everyone exactly in the temple. So Common and Angie Jolie are the same height then?

11. it's normal for no one to move one bit when clearly everyone on the other side of the room is getting shot through the head with the same bullet, and it's pretty obvious it will eventually hit you

12. If you step on an X you can not move, even if you have enough time to verbally respond, you just can not move.

13. If you're standing in a circle with fellow assasins and you see them die one by one, you can't move no matter what (perhaps there are X's on the floor)

14. Curving a bullet around a room will still give you time to smile and throw a gun to someone else.

15. It is possible to shoot bullets and be accurate from miles away and go through soda cans and donuts, car windows and probably anything else. And it does not matter that you cannot see through the soda can to your target.

16. It doesn't matter how far the person you want to kill is -- you can do it from your apartment. The bullet will somehow reach its target, through building and cans and donuts and cars.

17. Even though you can kill anyone anywhere sitting in a chair while talking on the phone in the safety of your apartment, its better to just go out and do it the dangerous way.

18. The older the gun the further it can shoot.

19. even if you are on the brink of death with every bone in your body broken and all your skin cut up, you'll be as good as new in a few hours after lying in a bathtub full of wax.

20. Apparently its not creepy at all to watch your son for years from across the street while never communicating with him.

21. If your bank account goes from almost nothing to more than $3.8 million overnight, no one who monitors accounts will think it's suspicious.

22. Not knowing who you are is good reason to be an assassin.

23. If your real father leaves your ancient guns, don't bother bringing them because they will do you no good.

24. You can live with your self after killing your father, as long you kill every *beep* person involved.

25. the best way to save ur son who u love and care about is to move into a flat facing his and do nothing... at all

26. The best way to tell your son he's hanging around with a bad crowd is to shoot a lot of bullets at him.

27. Assassins that are assigned targets from a magical loom still manage to make millions of dollars.

28. The easiest way to kill someone is by standing on the top of a moving train.

29. James Mcavoy can run across a bridge full of cars as fast as a train goes under it.

30. Hitting your head on a concrete barrier on top of a moving train will only give you a headache

31. Being beat up, called a pussy, running along trains, and getting put in wax baths everyday is a better life than working in an office with a fat boss.

32. The above routine for six weeks will make you not only an expert assassin but an amazing stunt driver.

33. When you search Google for 'Wesley Gibson' and get no matches, don't question it, just become an assassin and kill your father.

34. Trying and failing to catch a shuttle moving through a loom at high speeds, may hurt a little, but will not break your hand...no matter how many times you do it.

35. No matter how many times you shoot a gun toward the end of a movie, you will never have to reload.

36. Even if you're in wanted in all the newspapers, no one will turn you in.

37. Rats can totally fill up an entire building within 30 seconds of being released.

38. Guys who ride in limousines are totally ambivalent to people shooting at them and don't show any concern at all especially when they have bullet proof glass.

39. If you are fast enough with your hands you can deflect bullets with knives.

40. you can shoot a knife out of a gun.

41. You can be a lethally powerful hitwoman even if you have arms as thin as spaghetti.

42. the fraternity has somehow completely ignored the possibility of assassinating Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, etc...

43. Thread can tell the future.

44. Rats are the ULTIMATE weapon of destruction!!!!!!!!

45. High blood pressure gives you super powers, not massive coronaries...

46. Some bullets are 'traceable' and can give you a persons name, and others are not, but you don't need a reason for either way.

47. Modern pistols are great for close-combat, but when you need to hit a target dead-center in the forehead from a mile away through several objects, a circa-1776 Musket is the only option.

48. A thousand years ago, everyone looked at their thread through a microscope.

49. If you run really fast then you can jump long distances across buildings. (Wait, we learned that in the matrix)

50. Old Black dudes make for cool teachers (wait, we learned that in the matrix)

51. Getting your ass kicked doesn't mean much, cuz when you wake up, you'll pretty much be fine (Wait, we learned that in the matrix too)

52. When you slow things down in your mind, you can react faster (uummm)

53. When your life is about to take a dramatic change, a beautiful woman will appear over your shoulder out of no where (Wait, didnt trinity do that in the matrix?

54. When tasked with killing the man who killed your father, he will turn out to be your father. (MATRI- no wait, that one goes to star wars)

55. Making a bullet in 4 pieces makes it fly farther without any extra propellant

56. If you shoot the wings off of flies, they will in no way be affected by the force of a bullet flying by they will drop to the floor and easily be found.

57. If you are an assasin and someone is hired to kill you, they will always shoot the Indian lady next to you, even though they could shoot you first, that would be rude.

58. If someone wants to deliver a message to you, they must shoot you in the arm with traceable bullet. A phone call is out of the question.

59. If you're shot while your blood pressure is 400bpm don't worry, your blood won't spray out of even the most minor injuries, and you won't have to worry about bleeding out in seconds.

60. A building full of the worlds best assasins cant kill their most inexperienced member

61. If a train breaks in half and half of it falls hundreds of feet below, there will be no bodies floating in the water below.

62. The most effective way to board a moving train is to drive a car straight into it.

63. You can kill one and save a thousand, even by crashing a passenger train.

Hope you enjoyed another of my Random Rants.

Wanted

2008-07-01T22:08:00.000+08:00

What the movie is about.
The basic plot of the movie is the same as The Matrix one. I'm kidding of course...Wanted is based on a graphic novel by Mark Millar and the outline is something like this. Alright, Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a normal office working guy who gets bullied by his boss almost daily. His life has been in a mundane repeat everyday and he is basically just your everyday loser. One day, he is approached by Fox (Angelina Jolie) and introduced to a gang of freedom fighters who call themselves the "Fraternity" and they basically get him to join them by telling him that his father was killed and wanting him to get revenge. From there, they train him and get him into shape to become an assassin. All of them can do spectacular Matrix-like moves such as bending bullets and driving cars like small aeroplanes. They supposedly have higher heart rates which makes them have higher adrenaline and thus, become faster, sharper and basically stronger. Without spoiling the story for those who haven't watched it, the plot twists and turns abit as Wesley digs deeper. That's the movie in a nutshell.

Who is in the movie.
Upcoming Brit James McAvoy is the main star of the show, playing Wesley Gibson. His character starts of as a wimpy loser but slowly grows to become a wimpy assassin with some cool moves. He is probably the only saving grace in the movie as he plays his part well. He provides comic relief periodically and the plot revolves around him.

Supporting cast include Angelina Jolie, who plays Fox. The woman is sultry and good to look at but dear god she can't act to save her life. Her face is that same sultry faraway look throughout the movie and that's basically her whole role. Morgan Freeman does alright as Sloan, nothing groundbreaking but an average performance by the movie veteran.

Why I disliked the movie.
First and foremost, I DID NOT watch the trailer to this so I did not have a preconceptions about the show. Based on reports by friends, it looked "awesome" and "cool" with bullet bending and stuff. With these rave reports, I went in hoping to watch a gripping action movie. Being based on a graphic novel, I expected some ridiculous moves but hohoho, as you will find out, Wanted takes this ridiculousness to a whole different level.

Does it turn out to be an action movie? Yes, I won't deny that it's action packed throughout. It's exciting at times and there are some spectacular scenes. If you can stop laughing to actually concentrate that is. "Superhero" movies such as Ironman, Batman, the Matrix and the works usually take us to a different world, with the actors doing things that normal people wouldn't be able to do. However, we don't find it ridiculous. Why? Because they have a good explanation for it. In Ironman, a rich guy build a MACHINE to do his bidding with him inside, this enables him to fly and shoot fireballs and stuff. In Batman, a rich guy builds a suit and some really cool toys to help him fight crime. However, movies like Spiderman give us a different explanation, he was infected and thats why he has powers. The Matrix tells us that it's in a different world, a computer one which enables them to have super powers.

What is Wanted's get out clause? NOTHING. It is based in the normal world, normal people, normal circumstances. The only thing these superhumans have is higher Adrenaline. Now, they make it sound special with hearts that beat 400 times faster than normal. Now.... What the fuck does this have to do with some guy jumping from building to building, while in mid-air, killing 4 people including one person who is hidden behind a wall? How in the world does a faster heart help you aim so you defy gravity and bend a bullet around targets. How does higher adrenaline help you flip a car with a punctured tire, 90' and land perfectly on the side of a bus, over a police barricade? You are almost surprised they can't dodge bullets. WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE! THEY DON'T NEED TO! They can just block bullets, WITH BULLETS!

The whole movie is like that, ridiculous moves that have little or no explanation and look cool. The whole movie is carried by the CGI and the plot if paper-thin. Based on comments by people who have read the graphic novel, the movie just pisses on the plot. The original plot supposedly has an intriguing storyline that's interesting, I can assure you that that's not the case in the movie.

If you want to watch Wanted, by all means go ahead. It's exciting at times and a summer popcorn flick. I didn't expect it to be deep, but I sure didn't expect it to be this shallow either. There's alot of eye-candy. Graphics, Angelina Jolie holding guns, nice cars, spectacular stunts. If you really want to enjoy it though, I strongly suggest that you leave your brain at the door.

4.5/10

Other Ratings:
Fight Club: 9.5/10
Kung Fu Panda: 7.5/10

Laughter, the best Medicine

2008-06-30T00:20:00.000+08:00

Just decided to change templates for a change. Heh. Also new updates include that you can now subscribe to this blog. Also, I've put in an ESPNsoccernet news ticker in the sidebar for football fans.

Just wanted to update the page. Since I've nothing much else to say, I'll leave all of you with some funny pics. As they say, Laughter is the best Medicine (well thats what Reader's Digest says anyway.) Enjoy. This week, if all goes well we'll have our Chick of the Week, Keira Knightly, and Sexy Footballers of the week. Also, the review of Wanted should be up. Hang tight, relax to some Jazz and hope all will go well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has been another Random Rant by your favourite Blogger.

Chick of the Week: Elena Dementieva

2008-06-24T14:28:00.000+08:00

This week's chick of the week is another tennis babe, Elena Dementieva from Russia. Her physique is just perfect, a petite player compared to the likes of Sharapova and she's well fit. We all love our beautiful Russians and she has that typical Russian pout. Nice features, flowing blonde hair, with a body to match, enjoy.

This has been another post by your sexy neighbourhood iBod.

Chick of the Week: Alexis Bledel

2008-06-17T00:23:00.000+08:00

This week, We have my beloved, Alexis Bledel, sweetest thing ever, probably most famous for he role as Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls and also in Sin City. Her piercing blue eyes and sweet face make her our Chick of the Week.

This has been another post by your favourite Bodster.

Chick of the Week: Daniela Hantuchova

2008-06-11T23:26:00.000+08:00

Haven't had the time to post in awhile, having exams and being robbed mainly taking up the most of my time. Since I haven't, I'll make it up to you guys in the only way that will please. With a hot chick. Every other week I'll post up the weeks hot chick. Now, my taste might be slightly different than yours so if you don't find her hot, don't come crying to me.

This weeks hot babe: Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakian tennis player who has never-ending legs.

This was another one of Ryan's Random Rants, Thx for tuning in.

Lars and The Real Girl

2008-06-04T18:20:00.000+08:00

Downloaded this after watching the trailer quite awhile ago and finding it funny. Not sure if it's an indie movie but the way it's filmed definitely has that sorta indie feel to it. Firstly, there's the minimalist music accompanying most of the scenes and the way the camera pans in or out to get the scenery before or after focusing on the characters. This is in no way a bad thing. The location of the movie, Ontario, Canada definitely is beautiful in winter, which is when the movie was shot. It's a lovely quiet, small town and this is where the whole movie takes place.

The movie starts off with Lars, played very very excellently by Ryan Gosling as a kind of Introvert. Keeps to himself to the point of being on the verge of being rude, lives in his brother's garage etc. However, everyone in the town still thinks he's a nice guy as is usually so in small towns.

Anyways, his workmate introduces him to this website for sex dolls where you can choose your "parts" and they ship it to your house. Apparently the parts are "anatomically correct" and weighs like a normal human would. Very real indeed. The movie doesn't show you this but it's understood that Lars ordered one. Problem is, his delusion makes him see the doll as a living person, complete with feelings and background.

This is where Ryan Gosling really shines, his acting is nothing short of superb, interacting with the doll so realistically that you can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. He single-handedly carries the entire show. Acting as an introvert, he has weird behavior and it looks really natural on-screen. The reason why the movie stands out for me is, there is no special effects whatsoever, it's just acting in it's purest form and every single one of the cast pulls their weight here. Lars's brother, Gus, played by Paul Schneider, is extremely comical even if he doesn't mean to be in most scenes. His expressions and dialogue provide the comedy in an otherwise heart-touching light drama.
There's very little to criticize in the movie, but for people used to blockbusters, fast-moving action, and Jim Carrey-esque comedy, you won't get it here. The plot is rather slow moving with certain scenes, showing them just sitting down and staring at each other. The scenes very often are played out by them standing or sitting around and talking and interacting and a rough guess would be that there are about 8 to 10 sets at maximum with many scenes taking part in the same places. You may not take to it right away as the plot does take awhile to really reveal itself but stick with it and you are guaranteed a entertainingly different show. Lastly, i doubt many people will watch the show more than once or twice in a short span of time due to the slowness of it.

I'll wrap it up by saying I really loved it and would definitely recommend it, at the very least, to be downloaded. Pure acting at it's best.

9/10

Imogen Heap

2008-05-26T22:59:00.000+08:00

Nothing much to post this week so I'll leave ya'll with 2 excellent songs.

Imogen Heap - Hallelujah

Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-24T20:16:00.000+08:00

I don't think this movie needs any introduction at all, as most of you would've watched the previous 3 shows already. Having tickets to the premiere, I was understandably excited to watch it and luckily, I had good reason to be.

Seeing as not as many people have watched this yet, I'll try not to let any of the plot slip into the review. The movie starts like any Indiana Jones movie should start, action-packed, exciting and with witty lines from the evergreen Harrison Ford, a.k.a Henry Jones Jr. The rough plot is the Russians are looking for the same thing that Indiana is forced to look for and things escalate from there.

The pace of the movie doesn't drop from the start, scene after scene is action-packed. The edge of your seat feeling is maintained through-out the movie. The excitement and action scenes flow seamlessly, each with their parts to remember and there's enough to make Ironman seem like Oliver Twist. Harrison Ford, in his early 60s if I'm not mistaken, still pulls off most of his stunts in the movie and he does it well. Having not lost any of the charm from 19 years ago, the scruffy Indiana Jones goes about, looking good as ever, kicking ass.

Shia Lebouf really surprised me and he does really well, fitting well into his role and providing comic relief time and again. The best though was Cate Blanchett, this woman really shows what class she has as an actress by slotting perfectly into her role as Russian leader, complete with an Eastern European accent.

There aren't many down-points in the movie but some parts seem a bit far-fetched, even for an Indi movie. Apart from that though, the movie is solid. It entertains like only Indi can. If you go into it hoping to watch a dead serious movie then you won't rest your mind enough to just enjoy the show. Go in expecting to be entertained, to just enjoy the movie and you will be rewarded with a satisfying performance. I would rate it 7.5 but since we can't vote like that,

8/10

Song of the day: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap.

P.S. Maybe some of you misinterpreted my last post as one of support for Archuleta, but trust me I hate the kid. I just wanted him to win to show how broken the system is.

Indi

2008-05-21T22:54:00.000+08:00

After watching the finale of America's Most Popular Kid, I think it's very safe to say that David Archuleta, singing sensation and American Phenom will take this years title of American Idol.

I'm actually glad he's won. It goes to show once again that this show is not a singing/talent contest as I've said before. I think this is the 2nd best finish after the Taylor Hicks one, ending up as a joke.

Lets take a look at his incredible journey. In the semi's a young and innocent looking 17-year old boy by the name of David Archuleta did all but sign the contract of being American Idol after his rendition of John Lennon's Imagine. The judges were so pleased with him that they quickly became their favourite contestant. To be fair he did sing it well.

And from there, the legend of David A. began. Week after week, the judges plumped for him, urging young American tweens to vote for this adorable squirrel. As usual, singing is secondary to looks in this competition as proven by TV Series actor Jason Castro, and this with his alright singing talent, pushed David A. to become one of the front runners in the competition.

Along the way, it looked as if Michael Johns would provide some competition but America said NO! and got rid of him immediately. Next in line was professional singer Carly Smithson, who arguably had the best voice in this years show. In her best week, America once again voted her off. And after that, a Syesha who had grown stronger each week and in my opinion delivered her best performance at the final 3. What did America do? OUT! And lastly, David Cook who might have actually given the boy a run for his money. It's safe to say that America will protect their favourite son once again. Well done son, well done.

In a nutshell, a 17 year old boy who has sang basically the same thing from his audition till now with the exception of his groundbreaking version of Chris Brown's "With You", beat 11 other contestants, including a few pros along the way and scored a "knockout" to become America's latest singing sensation. You don't write stuff like this.

Alright then, with AI safely out of the way, I would just like to point out, without bragging, that I have tickets to the Indiana Jones premiere tomorrow night. If you lot are lucky, the review might be up as early as Friday.

Hope it'll be good.

Song of the day: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

Btw, NIN has their new album, The Slip up for free download at their site www.nin.com check it out if you're interested.

Bodi, OUT!

Ironman

2008-05-13T16:10:00.001+08:00

Alright, this will be the beginning of my movie reviews. Sorry it took this long, I know all of you have been dieing in wait for it. The first one I'll review is Ironman, easy stuff, being a blockbuster and all. In all my reviews I'll try to keep it under 500 words or so. Light and easy.

First of all, going into this movie I wasn't expecting much. Being the first of the summer blockbusters and having a trailer that didn't quite whet my appetite, I thought, just another popcorn flick. However I was wrong, this was one of the most enjoyable films this year. It had the right blend of most of what the crowd seems to want these days.

The focal point of the movie is Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr. Without him, the movie probably would've nosedived into failure. Original actors included Nicholas Cage and Tom Cruise. I'm sure we're all glad it didn't turn out that way eh? Apparently, Downey is a big fan of the comics and he carries the film really well, his humour and take on a mega-millionaire rich playboy gives the show a light feel and he throws in one-liners throughout the show.

"Christine Everheart: You've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?
Tony Stark: Absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint.
Christine Everheart: And what do you say to your other nickname, the Merchant of Death?
Tony Stark: That's not bad."

He also adds that "cool" factor to it, not that it needed any extra coolness anyway with that sleek looking Ironman suit. Also, he looked the part, being fit and rugged when he needed to be.

Apart from Downey himself, we were lucky to have a surprisingly good support cast. Jim Rhodes, played by Terence Howard also played his role well and fitted in well, with humorous banter going back and forth with Downey. Even the equipment in Tony Stark's basement, his computer system, provided some memorable funny parts.

"Jim Rhodes: [eyeing an extra Iron Man suit] Next time, baby. "

Best of all though was, Gwyneth Paltrow who played the lovely Pepper Potts. For some reason, she just looked stunning in the movie. She seems to look the best I've seen her and although some might disagree, I feel she played her part alright. Not excellent, but she takes nothing away from the movie. Luckily then, that she took the role, as she only accepted it because they filmed 15 mins away from her home and she could see her kids daily.

The only disappointing cast member was Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. He just didn't click as the bad guy and from the start his typical bald, goatee, deep voice thing gave away his status as the betrayer.

Moving on to the show itself, the Ironman suit is the coolest thing I've seen in awhile, it just blows the rest of the competition out of the water. Sleek, shiny and cool, especially when he first goes out to fight the terrorists and get chased by the fighter jets. The part where he shoots the tank and just walks away as it explodes, was the defining part of the movie. A vigilante superhero, but with attitude to boot.

*****SPOILERS****
This is getting a little long so I'll just wrap it up. The things that kept this movie from being truly great is it's quite a letdown as it nears the end. The movie builds and builds so well, giving us a taste of what Ironman can do. Then, when it really matters, he couldn't do Jack shit. Just got thrown around by Obadiah's "Iron Monger" and relied on his "secretary" Pepper Potts to kill him. The fight scenes are also too few and far between.

But, oh well, It was a blockbuster anyway, and it showed us what blockbusters should and could be. It could've been better but I'm not complaining, I'll take what I can get. Hats off then, to Robert Downey and his crew. Here's hoping that the rest of the summer movies just pick up and get better from here.

"Jim Rhodes: [whispering] Just stick to the cards sir.
Tony Stark: [holds up his notes and pauses, then puts them down] I'm Iron Man. "

8/10

Strange

2008-04-22T23:32:00.000+08:00

Well, I missed yesterdays post, too bad. The Monday/Tuesday ones will be very light. Hopefully with some pictures every week. I'm usually busy or too lazy to post if i don't post so bear with me if your favourite blog isn't updated ;)

Alright, so today because I'm lazy, I'll talk about something thats easy to please. Girls. I'm sure everyone has a few celebs or even friends that most people wouldn't find hot but you do. C'mon, you know what I mean. Ain't nothing to be ashamed of. If there are any ladies reading this, sorry as I probably won't be doing a guy one too soon.

I'll get it going with my few. You may or may not recognise them, or may even find them unattractive, but like I said. These are actresses that most people might find unattractive or hot but there's just something unexplainable that makes them seem hot to me. Might take awhile to load as there will be quite a number of pics. If you're still with me, here we go:

1) Jorja Fox a.k.a Sara Sidle. I just find her attractive I do not know why. If you watch CSI you will know her. She looks a little like Jennifer Garner right?

2) Kari Byron of Mythbusters fame. I know she's not that hot but yet again I have no idea why I just enjoy watching her on Mythbusters. Must be my thing for redheads :P

3) Alright, might not be so shocking this one. Avril Lavigne. Always a good reason to post some Avril pics.

4) Isla Fisher, of Wedding Crashers fame. Again, redhead. Yummy.

5) Lastly, Hayley Williams of Paramore. I think she's 17. No, wait, 19. Not your typical hot... but cute AND hot. Nice hair too.
Alright, thats all for today. Put alot more time then I intended into this. Enjoy and Ciao.

Song Of The Day: Stranger By The Minute by Porcupine Tree

New ways

2008-04-16T01:33:00.000+08:00

So, I've decided that the blog need some refreshing. From now, I'll try to post at least 3 times a week.

Monday will be random rant day, where I just complain about stuff.

Wednesday will be Music Review day, where I review albums I have.

Thursday will be Movie Review day, where I review movies that I have watched in the past.

I will try my best to keep to this schedule as it adds some interesting posts to freshen up this dieing blog.

Alright, back to American Idol. I have decided that I will from now, cease to watch this incredibly frustrating series. Like I've said before, clearly it's been proven that it's nothing more than a popularity contest, not a singing one. With Americans becoming dumber by the day, I shouldn't have been as surprised and disappointed as I was when I saw Michael being voted out.

Clearly the best or 2nd best singer/performer in the contest and closest competitor to David Cook, he was voted out before, KRISTY LEE COOK, SYESHA, and BROOKE WHITE.

Americans proved their ability to be not only blind but deaf at the same time in a talent-poll which saw David Cook at no.1, and David Archuleta at no.2. No complaints there, it's debatable that they might be the most talented, but lets take a look further down the table. Carly was at no.3, a deserved spot for the Irish born, powerful singer. At no.4 was America's favourite joke, Brooke White. no.5 was Michael Johns, which shows you how deaf/blind Americans are and rounding it up were Jason, Syesha and Kristy.

Now, in any way you look at it Brooke is in no way more talented, a better singer, better performer or more likeable than Michael. And this is coming from a guy. Apart from that, Syesha?! The girl can outsing Brooke any day.

So after another half-season where I thought we might finally find a winner worth winning, American Idol has proven itself again. Except this time, I won't be continuing.

Without anyone in his way, David Cook should win now although I have a sneaky feeling that David "I can only sing 1 genre" Archuleta might sneak it with his innocent punchable face and honey-dripping sweet voice.

Alright then, thats all for now. Tune in for the updates later in the week.

Cheers.

Song of the day is: Mother Superior by Coheed and Cambria.

P.S. Every post will end with a song of the day. If you can't download but still want the song, feel free to ask me on MSN, I'll happily spread good music around.

I'll leave ya'll with some pictures.

Sad But True

2008-03-20T22:30:00.000+08:00

Metallica song. Not exactly my favourite but it sums up this weeks American Idol.

At the start of this season I had hope. That maybe this season it might be slightly different. This season we actually had some REAL talent. This season we had some very interesting and diverse range of contestants.

In 2 weeks, the show has proven me wrong.

It's not the singing part of the show that really stumps me. It's elimination day that really shows me what this show is and has never changed from since well, season 3 I think.

Seasons 1 and 2 in my opinion might be the only 2 "real" shows in the history probably. Although the talent was not so diverse then. People voted for the most talented singers. Not the most good looking, or cute etc etc. They voted for people who could actually SING. Well, it IS a singing competition is it not?

Alright, down to the nitty gritty. Bottom 3 last week and this week.

Last week, we had Syesha, Kristy and David Hernandez in the bottom 3. When Ryan Seacrest asked Simon whether it was the correct choice. He said, "Yes." Normally Simon is the only opinion that really matters. However I think this time he just wanted to make a statement, wanted to be different, stand-out. Because my dear Simon, Ramielle was sitting down comfortably on the couch, bawling her eyes out. Because David Archuleta was sitting with her.

How in the world is it the correct decision when Syesha is in the bottom 3 and Ramielle is not? David A. I can understand because he can sing but he messed up big time. Kristy deserves to be there because she dosn't even deserve to be in the top 12.

Anyway, who goes home? David. Erm, American people, Kristy Lee Cook was standing next to him and you chose to keep her in. Looks like another season of popularity idol.

This week, I thought it might be different. I thought well, ok the public saw what they did last week. They surely won't do the same this week. I thought the performance described by Simon as being like "Chekezie on Harmonica." would surely be the worst, right?

According to the same man, nope. Bottom 3, Carly(Wtf American people are you all stupid or something), Kristy and Amanda Overmyer. Surprise surprise, no Ramielle again. Simon, is it the right choice? YES!

Amanda was easily head and shoulders over Brooke who once again delivered an uninspired, awkard, painfully boring performance.

Carly was easily the best of the ladies and RAMIELLE WAS SITTING AGAIN!

I don't know anymore Simon, maybe you just want to stand out.

So, another week goes by and Kristy survives again. Ramielle not even in bottom 3.

Well, popularity wins again, the short cute girl defeats the rocker bike riding nurse. But then again, this show started from Pop Idol. And the rubbish that gets played on radio nowadays. The genre thats a short-form for Popular, in which Soulja Boy and Fergie can rule the charts. Maybe it's just what the mainstream music industry has come to.

It's sad, but I'm afraid it's true.

Cheers people, have a good one.

Murderers

2008-03-06T23:01:00.000+08:00

by John Frusciante. Download and see. Good upbeat instrumental by the RHCP guitar virtuoso.

Alright. As you may have noticed, I'll recommend one song everytime I post something. It's good stuff so enjoy it.

Sorry for the long break, just didn't find anything interesting to write about.

Well, I missed both American Idol's this week. And I'm posting to tell you why.

I joined True Fitness and today I got a taste of Hell. Y.o.g.a.

SHIT! If you think working out, lifting weights and jogging is tiring. Try Yoga. It takes all of that and shits on it.

To people who say stuff like you can't work more than 2 major muscles in a day or something. Yoga gives that statement one big middle finger.

It's one super big workout all rolled into one, and joining an advanced class on our first try didn't help much. We did however manage to strive till the end.

I felt okay for all of the first 3 minutes, then the actual thing started. On one hand you're thinking, how am I gonna do that pose. On another hand, you're thinking how are all these other people doing that pose. And on your third hand, if you have one, you're thinking this hurts like hell.

I see why it's a real popular workout now. After only 10 mins I was sweating like mad. Drenched. Imagine if you do this everyday. Every muscle in your body is pulled apart, contracted and god knows what else. And add a 40'C room to that.

Well, it does feel really great when you're done and showered. Only for fucking Rihanna to spoil the whole mood with her unfaithful bullshit.

I don't wanna be a murderer too Rihanna, but dear do you run me close.

Have a good one,
Cheers

Girls Girls Girls

2008-02-28T21:51:00.001+08:00

Famous song by Motley Crue that. Go download it and see.

Kay with the introduction outta the way. DOWN TO SERIOUS BUSINESS!!!!!! I mean it this time.

I just wanna add, this is not an AI(American Idol) blog. I just write about what I saw/heard/felt during the day and most of the time it will be about the entertainment business and sometimes sports.

So, where do I begin... Oh gawd, Last 10 girls. *Tsk tsk tsk* very sad.

I'm too lazy to rip into each and everyone of them individually for tonights performance. I'll just summarize the performance.

Rubbish*.
*With the exception of Carly.

Song choice tonight was shocking, and nobody stood out in particular. Except Carly of course.

I'll split them up into 3 tiers.

1st Tier are confirmed entries into the finals, strong favourites.
2nd Tier are those that can sing well, but are not as good as the 1st tier. Good chance of making it into the Finals.
3rd Tier are those that are just there to make up the numbers. Waiting to get eliminated.

Tier Uno:

Carly (Tatooted, Irish) - By far the strongest female contestant. Very professional and good voice.
Syesha - Very very smooth voice. Should sail through to the finals easily.

Tier Dos:

Kady Malloy (Blonde, looks like Britney) - She has talent, just not picked the right songs yet. The way she sings is effortless and all good singers have that.
Amanda Overmyer (Punk Nurse) - My 2nd favourite from the girls. I think she will go through as well. I love the tone of her voice.
Alaina Whitaker (Ali Larter/Carrie Underwood) - I think she has some potential. Sweet girl and pretty face. On the fence. Very similar to Kady but not as good vocally, which could split the votes when people choose between the 2.

Tier Tres:

Brooke (Good Girl) - I'm starting to really dislike this girl, she's just so irritating and "fake". Average voice.
Kristy Lee Cook (HOT!!!!!!!!) - Phew, the hottest contestant to be on Idol for a while. I think her looks will get her through but her voice is nothing special.
Ramielle (Phillipino, Hawaiian looking) - I also don't like her. Nothing too special but I got this feeling she'll be like that Hawaiian girl from a few seasons ago who got into the top 3.

Rest of them are forgettable.

Been a long read, I'll stop here today.

and go listen to paramore.

Post Numero Uno

2008-02-27T21:43:00.000+08:00

Haha, ok. First post. Can't believe I'm blogging but it's really not. I just made this up to vent some thoughts and rubbish. This won't be your typical, I hate this bitch hope she dies. My life is sad, I need to commit suicide style blog. It'll be light-hearted and full of crap.

I'll be too lazy to post vids and photos too often and also too lazy to design a proper page so I'm gonna leave it like this.

OK! Now that that's off my chest, DOWN TO SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! well, not really.

American Idol, to those who watch it. Still the semi-finals. Last 10 guys.

My personal favourite is Michael Jon(s), love his voice and the style he sings. David C. also has an excellent tone. For now though the 4 confirmed to go into the finals in my opinion are... (drumroll)

Jason LongDreads

Michael Jon

David Archuleta (stunning performance)

David C.

Out this week should be... Danny Noriega I frickin hate this piece of crap. I think the Idol producers screwed up on this one. Tomorrow is girls night, not tonight. And sadly Jason Yeager. Average voice, average appearance, AVERAGE!

Thats all from me tonight, the blog will be back...

After the break.

This is the Blog TITLE!

The Book of Eli

Movies and more Movies

More ranting, Orianthi, and the Grammys.

Music... or lack thereof.

Ah some things change... and some do not.

Chick of the Week: Caroline Wozniacki (US Open Watch)

Is our education system putting too much emphasis on grades?

Chick of the Week: Wimbledon Special

This is..... Your Final 7.

This is..... American Idol

Chick of the Week: Scarlett Johansson

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Music for the Lounge.

Chick of the Week: Isla Fisher

Brit Rock

New Year Resolutions.

Chicks of the Year: Round Up.

Chick of the Week: Avril Lavigne

Twilight

Yoga

Quantum of Solace

Music for the Night.

Chick of the Week: Jennifer Connelly

Malaysian Drivers.

Chick of the Week: Zooey Deschanel

Censored.

Rest of the Days: Liverpool, Windemere, and the End.

Day 4: Baguettes, Pyramids and a certain Eiffel.

Day 3: Churches, Buses, and 17 Girl Guides.

Day 2: Circuses, Celebrities, and lots of Wax.

Day 1: 12 Hour Flights, Fish and Chips and the Beginning.

Chicks of the Week: Olympic Special

Soundtrack To My Life

The Dark Knight

Emo/Slow Compilation.

Chick of the Week: Keira Knightley

Chick of the Week: Footballers Special (Men)

63 Things We Learned from Wanted.

Wanted

Wanted

Laughter, the best Medicine

Chick of the Week: Elena Dementieva

Chick of the Week: Alexis Bledel

Chick of the Week: Daniela Hantuchova

Lars and The Real Girl

Rating

Imogen Heap

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

How do you rate Indiana Jones

Indi

Ironman

Strange

New ways

Sad But True

Murderers

Girls Girls Girls

Post Numero Uno