United 6-0 Newcastle

Cristiano Ronaldo finally gets a treble. Why did I sell Tevez?!

Election (Hei1 she4 hui4)

Flixster Plot: ELECTION is Hong Kong's answer to The Godfather. Amidst the modern world mixed with old tradition, The Wo Shing Triad exists in Hong Kong, its shadowy power intertwined everywhere. Every two years, an election is held to vote in the next Chairman, who is the leader of the largest and oldest Triad in Hong Kong. Big D (Tony Leung Kar Fai), a megalomaniac and violent leader squares off against the respected and level headed Lok (Simon Yam) for the Election. In order to gain the respect of the groups, Lok and Big D unleash their forces in search of the Dragon Baton, the traditonal symbol of power and authority of the Chairman, and war breaks loose until the baton is recovered. Also starring Louis Koo, Nick Cheung and Cheung Siu Fai, ELECTION throws you into the dark underworld of Hong Kong and China in the midst of a battle for power and supremacy.

My take: This is cool. =]

The Ultimate Gift

Flixster plot: When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with 12 tasks--or "gifts"--designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.

My take: Better than expected. Real lessons here.

My grandfather

I finally cried. It happened at the Leaders' Retreat when I was watching The Ultimate Gift that included a part where a grandfather had recorded his message for his grandson. Then I remembered Enkong. Better late than never. Bless his soul.
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I realised I was probably about the only one who didn't shed a tear. Is it that I'm able to keep my emotions in check or that I'm pretty emotionless? Then when some kid's hands got shut on by the piano cover, I callously said that he deserved it for playing where he shouldn't be playing. I think I'll make an excellent father.
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Have reached KL and glad to see that everyone is positve about the whole thing. When someone dies and has gone to meet Jesus, it becomes more of a celebration. =] Funeral's on Thu and scattering of ashes on the sea is on Fri. Should be back by Sat or Sun.
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My grandpa has passed away on X'mas Day. I'm just glad he's no longer suffering and is with Jesus now. Rushing back to KL now.
Merry Christmas, y'all.
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My grandpa's back home at my uncle's place in KL having been discharged. He's feeling a bit better now and I believe the environment will do him good. My mum's managed to take a week off to visit him there. Pray for a complete recovery.
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Finally back in S'pore and it'd been a relaxing yet stressful time there. Stayed in the most luxurious of houses (thank you, Linda and Tan) but yet had my grandfather's health on my mind, despite plenty of window shopping and sightseeing.
Briefly recceed the Avillion resort at Port Dickson. This one is really a class above everything else. I mean, lawn tennis?! Only stickler is the potential high cost. Let's see what the agent can offer us.
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Change of plan: Jasmine, Sharon, my mum, Yewhock & I are only going on Wed morning and staying till goodness knows when. My cousin's dream and my granddad's cryptic indication of 'five days' on 1 Dec makes 6 Dec very important. He could die or get better. Whatever happens, we know he is saved and that's what matters. Looks like I have to give Thu's prayer meeting and Sun service a miss, as we'll probably link up with the recce team in KL, and henceforth to Fraser's Hill and Port Dickson. Who knew I'd be so busy this holiday?
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I should be going with Jasmine next week from Mon-Wed. Pretty apprehensive about going by ourselves.
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Please pray for my grandfather as he's really ill. Went to the doctor for a checkup and found that the haemoglobin (iron) in his blood is half the normal level. Also, my cousin dreamt that he would pass away on 6 Dec. If this is true, then it's a message to my family and I that we can't delay visiting him in Malaysia any longer, leave and schedules notwithstanding. Pray for God's healing and for his faith in God to strengthen.

Beards and sex

"How fast a man's beard grows ... is partly a function of how much he thinks about sex [because thinking about sex produces a testosterone surge]."
- Bill Bryson in A Short History of Nearly Everything

Know any men with rapid beard growth? Anyone who's shaved in the morning but looks like he hasn't? Hmmm.

GROW 2.0

MOE has made it more attractive to be and stay a teacher. Not much, but progress is progress.

I like the fact that they are recognising more part-time degrees unrelated to education. This includes study grants and full-pay/no-pay leave in the interest of professional development. There are also enhancements to the Connect plan, performance-related bonuses and salary increment scales (with regards to market wage benchmarks).

Read all of it here.

GROWTH
Professional Development Packages
Greater Support for Postgraduate Studies
More In-Service Upgrading Opportunities for Non-Graduate Teachers

RECOGNITION
New Education Scheme of Service (2008)
Revised CONNECT Plan
Additional Outstanding Contribution Awards

OPPORTUNITIES
Enhanced Senior Specialist Track
Further Re-employment Opportunities
Future Leaders Programme

WELL-BEING
Expansion of Part-time Teaching Scheme
Greater Support for Part-time Teaching
Enhancements to No-Pay Leave

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Stairway to Heaven

KL = Kurangkan Laju

Saw my dad si chia like FIVE times, four times in S'pore alone driving Uncle Johnny's car. He wasn't used to the biting point of the clutch. It happens to the best of us. =]
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I have finally discovered why Kuala Lumpur is so infamous for its jams and traffic congestions. KL actually stands for kurangkan laju, which you see on Malaysian roads everywhere. It means slow down and everyone dutifully obliges.

Eczema update

Despite a humid and active day at Ker Toh Loh, managed not to scratch a lot. Am relying on Cetirizine, an oral anti-histamine, in the absence of Prednisalone. Must rest, eat and hydrate well in the meantime.
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There seems to be a trend. The steroids work for the first week, then the effect starts to tail off. Tomorrow's the last day of steroids and hence it's off to Dr Hia again. I can just feel the eczema being suppressed, though it's still there. I can feel it. But I pray it stays away even though I get off steroids. I can't continue like this.
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Steroids have never worked so well. I haven't enjoyed such quality of life for a long while. I pray this will be the first step to getting some semblance of a life back. But going out today with no flannel, cream or even a bag was liberating. One more week of this and I'm off it, so I wanna make the most of it. Then have to monitor my progress.
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I am ultra-susceptible to heatiness and its causes nowadays. A late night, too much or too little sleep, the wrong food, stress, or no reason whatsoever: anything could trigger an outbreak. Outbreaks usually mean inflamed skin and extreme itchiness, followed by extreme exfoliation and widespread exfoliation or peeling. The amount of dead skin I sweep up each day is literally by the handful.

My upper lip area and ears refuse to heal or even dry and remain distinctly uncomfortable, itchy and unpleasant to look at. I probably don't mind the eczema on the limbs, but the face is really a bummer.

I am unable to take part in any activities that cause me to sweat or increase my heart rate, which obviously includes football and any active sport. My eyes water and tire easily because of rhinitis and my nose constantly runs because of sinitis; both conditions are linked to the eczema. Any shock I get, like a loud noise, brings a rush of blood to my head, which makes it itchy all over again.

All these symptoms are being treated by a concoction of Chinese herbs and medicine that constitutes a systematic and long-term approach to healing. It costs about $250 each month, so I'm glad my parents are helping out with $200. I also use wet towels with ice to alleviate the itch, though I can only do so for 20 minutes at a time before I need to moisturise, as the skin gets extremely dry.

I constantly receive well-meaning comments about how bad I look and recommended cures, which I can't ignore because they are borne of good intention.

I hate this eczema from the bottom of my heart and the depth of my soul. I urge you to pray with me whenever you think of me:

"Lord, I claim Your healing for Aaron in Jesus' name for You are Jehovah Rapha - God our Healer (Exo 15:26). I trust in Your promise of healing which You have given Aaron when you said that he will 'laugh' at his condition in days to come (Job 8:21-22). I rebuke the eczema and declare that it has no place in the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1Co 6:19). I also declare that all food is God-made and is not impure (Act 11:9), and that Aaron will not suffer any side effect even when eating foods he is supposedly allergic to. I pray You will give him peaceful sleep (Psa 127:2), improve his condition and complexion, and remove the itchiness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!"

Ker Toh Loh?

Success! Think basically almost everyone enjoyed themselves, got to know one another better and is now more familiar with the Park Mall area.
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Was a little disappointed at the number of people signing up and the lack of things done with so little time left. But it's not my baby so must learn to relax. Must learn to trust the people I empower. Fingers crossed for New Year's Day.
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Not sure how to spell it, but that's the name of our latest outing to celebrate our move to Park Mall. Teams will get to explore the area around Park Mall and familiarise themselves with places to eat, play and fellowship. Should be a blast.

The only shame is not being able to take part as we're organising it. =[

Maria Sharapova Live!

What a damp squib this turned out to be. Pity the sods who coughed up $180 for nothing. I don't think it sold very well as many people seemed to possess 'complimentary' tickets. The first set almost turned into a walkover, with the Chakvetadze serve particularly vulnerable. Anna found her rhythm in the second set though, as the crowd got behind her to encourage a three-setter. In the pulsating tie-breaker, the crowd broke into two factions: the pro-Maria one who wanted to go home and the pro-Anna one who wanted to see more tennis. Well, after more than 20 points, Maria finally obliged and held her serve on match point to conclude the 94-minute walk in the park.

As to whether Singapore is ready for a ATP or WTA Tour event, I don't think so. Some hecklers were keen to show off their knowledge of tennis players whose fame is only exceeded by their complete irrelevance. Where do Messrs. Federer and Roddick fit in here anyhow? Any they seem to have a propensity to cheer Anna and Maria using their surnames. I mean, that's like saying "C'mon, Wong!" Yeah, that would really spur me on. And to do it when they preparing to serve? Take those people out and burn them at the stake.

The ballpersons were another sticking point. Their pace was glacial at best and they seemed too enthralled by Maria to realise they were there to pick balls fast. At one point they were feeding balls to Anna when it was Maria's turn to serve. If these jokers are the future of Singapore tennis, then I must say there's tunnel at the end of the light.

Finally, I was appalled at the number of people who left early. I mean, show some respect lah, traffic jam notwithstanding. This is not exactly Malaysia Cup, right? And to hear Anna and Maria glibly saying they loved the Singapore crowd just showed their tolerance of Neanderthal behaviour.

I'm just glad I got my ticket free.

Monster House

Flixster Plot: Although no adults will believe them, three children realize a neighbor's house is really a monster. They must find a way to stop the house and save the neighborhood.

My take: Quite OK lah. Watched because of my nieces and nephews.

Click

Flixster Plot: A workaholic architect, who has been overlooking his family in favor of his career, comes across a universal remote that allows him to perform TiVo-like functions on his life, such as pausing events or fast-forwarding over them. When the remote begins creating its own memory and choosing what to fast-forward over, the man sees how much of his personal life has passed him by and realizes the importance of spending more time with his family.

My take: Thought it'd be a funny one. Turned out to be a moralistic guilt trip.

Pacifier

Flixster Plot: As an elite member of the world's fiercest and most highly trained fighting force, Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe thought he was prepared to take on any duty, no matter how perilous or impossible… until he tried baby-sitting. Assigned to protect the five out-of-control children of an assassinated scientist, who had been working on vital government secrets, Shane is suddenly faced with juggling two outrageously incompatible jobs -- fighting the bad guys and keeping house. Replacing his usual arsenal of wetsuits and weapons with diapers and juice boxes, Shane not only must battle a deceptive enemy but wrangle teen rebel Zoe, sullen 14-year-old Seth, eight-year-old Ninja-wanna-be Lulu, as well as three-year-old Peter and baby Tyler -- not to mention their off-beat Romanian Nanny. He's truly a SEAL out of water, and now it's up to this one-time lone warrior to take on the most important mission of his life: keeping a family together.

My take: Scarcely believable, but pretty funny.

The Exodus

I sometimes feel like talking to the people who are leaving and hearing from them directly about their reasons for leaving. If anything, this would represent a chance to express my final disappointment in their departure, whether or not my opinion means anything to them. I just need to say it, if that makes any sense. I guess I will wait till after the Leaders' Retreat where I can get a better idea of what is going on. I have learnt to wait for the right time.

My goal is not to persuade them to stay, for that will be doomed to failure. I just look at it as closure for myself.

Just as a reminder to myself, the people I want to talk to are the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo and their underlings.

Exam Results: Yr 2, Sem 1

DCE200: B
DCM200: A-
DED200: A-
DLK200: A-
DSE200: B+
DSM200: A
Cumulative GPA: 4.45 [down from 4.54]

A little disappointed but otherwise pretty good apart from the Bs.

Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius with bass harmonics & improv.

Monsterpiece Theater with Alistair Cookie

Anyone old enough to remember this?

GEMS Retreat

What a wonderful time we had at retreat. You could see everyone just forging bonds and bulidling friendships with one another in such an environment. A special word for Yewhock, who conducted the games and activities impressively despite it being his debut. Many thanks to Angela and Jackson, who made special effort to come despite prior commitments.

We kept to the budget of $60/head for the retreat [excluding Pastor's gift] and I'm impressed with the proficiency and fluency each committee member went about his/her job, despite a tight schedule and personal commitments.

Of course there's room for improvement, and we'll look into these areas in time for planning for the next retreat.

Finally, I thank God for His providence during the retreat: good weather, wisdom in sharing sensitive issues, willingness of people to help and perticipate... the list goes on.

We now look forward and shift our attention to our ambitious telematch programme on New Year's Day, which we will organise with the youth. Here's to another sucessful event!
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Well here we go. All the planning and it comes down to this. I'm reasonably satisfied with the work we've put in as a committee and have also learnt much about the work attitudes of my committee. This will help when I do an evaluation at the end of the year.

Pray for God's hand to move in the retreat. The rest is up to Him.

The Terminal

Flixster Plot: Like an airport running at peak efficiency, The Terminal glides on the consummate skills of its director and star. Having refined their collaborative chemistry on Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me if You Can, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks mesh like the precision gears of a Rolex, turning a delicate, not-very-plausible scenario into a lovely modern-age fable (partly based on fact) that's both technically impressive and subtly moving. It's Spielberg in Capra mode, spinning the featherweight tale of Victor Navorski (Hanks, giving a finely tuned performance), an Eastern European who arrives at New York's Kennedy Airport just as his (fictional) homeland has fallen to a coup, forcing him, with no valid citizenship, to take indefinite residence in the airport's expansive International Arrivals Terminal (an astonishing full-scale set that inspires Spielberg's most elegant visual strategies). Spielberg said he made this film in part to alleviate the anguish of wartime America, and his master's touch works wonders on the occasionally mushy material; even Stanley Tucci's officious terminal director and Catherine Zeta-Jones's mixed-up flight attendant come off (respectively) as forgivable and effortlessly charming. With this much talent involved, The Terminal transcends its minor shortcomings to achieve a rare degree of cinematic grace. --Jeff Shannon

My take: Thoroughly enjoyable. Held me in thrall throughout.

Happy birthday to me!

Many thanks to all the people who have wished me. God bless you for remembering! The only thing I want from God for my birthday is to be healed of my eczema. Pray or me whenever you can. =]

Rev James Singh's sermon on Simeon

Here's my two cents' worth on Simeon.

I can identify with the broken hands. God has given me a promise with regards to my healing, but it gets harder and harder to hold on to with each passing day that sees no progress. I have to keep asking God for His strength to pull through and keep believing in His healing. God help me to have a breakthrough. Help me hold on.

Mona Lisa Smile

Flixster plot: In 1953, a time when women's roles were rigidly defined, free-spirited, novice art history professor Katherine Watson begins teaching at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College--which despite its academic reputation, is an environment where success is measured by 'how well' the students marry. Encouraging these women to strive for a more enlightened future, Watson challenges the administration and inspires her students to look beyond the image of what is, and consider the possibilities of what could be--contrary to popular belief.

My take: Pithy, but a little underdeveloped. Not too much to chew on either. Still, a constructive use of two hours.

Super Mario theme

Super Mario theme on two electric guitars!

Super Mario in 5 minutes

How to finish Super Mario in 5 minutes!

10 Commandments: The Musical

Flixster plot: The story of Moses from the Bible in musical form, filmed live at the Hollywood Kodak Theater.

My take: Val Kilmer can't sing.

Bolton 1-0 United

We deserved at least a share of the spoils, but kudos to Bolton for really getting stuck in, harrying and harassing their more illustrious opponents. Despite dropping three points and getting sent off (which could mean a touchline ban), Fergie will have many lessons to draw from this loss.

1. Gerard Pique is not Premiership material and must be dropped like a hot potato. He makes Michael Carrick look like The Flash and can't win a header to save his life. He was badly at fault for Bolton's goal as he flew through the air to head thin air, the ball dropping kindly for Nicolas Anelka to sweep in. He then repeated his stunt two more times after that, thankfully with no further consequences than to leave Rio Ferdinand hoping that Nemanja Vidic or even Mickael 'Heart Attack Man' Silvestre was there to partner him. He was soon hauled off for Anderson, Fergie deeming him a liability. Move either John O'Shea or Wes Brown to centreback in an emergency, and kick Pique back to Zaragoza.

2. Owen Hargreaves must take the free-kicks from now on. He forced more saves out of the keeper from a dead-ball situation than Cristiano Ronaldo has the entire season. For the record, Jussi Jaaskelainen only had one save to make, though a far-post effort seemed to leave him stranded as it shaved the bar.

3. Anderson must play more games. United only came afire when the enigmatic Brazilian came on. For all of Carrick's vaunted range of passing, it took the ex-Porto man to really stretch Bolton with long passes to the right wing.

4. Carlos Tevez is no Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fergie needs to buy a targetman in January. He missed another one-yard sitter to condemn United to their second defeat of the season.

5. Put the new players through boot camp. Where United's old guard would get fired up from the challenges that were flying in from the likes of Kevin Davies, we saw Patrice Evra, all wrapped up against the cold, complaining bitterly about a strong but fair challenge from the Bolton hardman. Coupled with Anderson and Nani's incessant turf-rolling, this is looking embarrassing.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Wow, it's been three years! And every one of those 1,095 days, I thank God for your patience, tolerance and care. I'm looking forward to the rest of my life with you. =]

Sad, sad England

And so England are out of Euro 2008 before it's even started. What strikes me is how apathetic I am towards their fate, despite being an England fan. Mostly it's due to the fact that don't deserve to be there based on their capitulations in the matches that mattered.

And so I now begin the unenviable task of finding an alternative team next year.

On another note, why not Raddy Avramovic for England manager?

Testimonial match for Amara

Yes, we may have played our last match at Amara. The score was immaterial (7-3 for the record), and there was an excellent spirit all around. A little muddy perhaps, but it was tolerable.

I was not supposed to play at all, as my skin is still dodgy, but I played in goal for a while as the teams were numerically imbalanced. Imagine playing in leather shoes, trousers and white shirt, at the mercy of the other team's misfiring strikers. I got through unscathed after 20 minutes.

I'm glad Ben arranged this match. It was important to end the football this year on a good note. A note too for Matthew, who put aside his feelings to join us. He kept dedicating his goals to Samuel by pointing to the sky, till I reminded him that Samuel was still alive, though not kicking.

When we move to Park Mall, it remains to be seen where we can play. Perhaps Fort Canning? I anticipate picking up loose balls won't be fun.

Lady in the Water

Flixster plot: A modest building manager named Cleveland Heep rescues a mysterious young woman from danger and discovers she is actually a narf, a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Cleveland and his fellow tenants start to realize that they are also characters in this bedtime story. As Cleveland falls deeper and deeper in love with the woman, he works together with the tenants to protect his new fragile friend from the deadly creatures that reside in this fable and are determined to prevent her from returning home.

My take: Overly convoluted and incredible.

Erik Mongrain - Lap tapping

Ze Neu English

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'.
In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favour of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with 'v'.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas!

Splitting the cab fare

Came across some interesting mathematical articles on the fairest way of sharing a cab.

Take a look at these links:
http://www.tagxe.com/How.jsp
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=739831
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113279169439805647-jP1H4pfk3i2ACypy26ghtvTlJ30_20061207.html

Facing the Giants

Flixster Plot: A Christian high school football coach uses his undying faith to battle the giants of fear and failure. In six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. After learning that he and his wife Brooke face infertility, Grant discovers that a group of fathers are secretly organizing to have him dismissed as head coach. Devastated by his circumstances, he cries out to God in desperation. When Grant receives a message from an unexpected visitor, he searches for a stronger purpose for his football team. He dares to challenge his players to believe God for the impossible on and off the field. When faced with unbelievable odds, the Eagles must step up to their greatest test of strength and courage. What transpires is a dynamic story of the fight between faith and fear. "Facing the Giants" is a powerful experience for the whole family inspiring viewers to live with faith, hope, and love.

My take:
Learnt a lot from this movie:
1. Life's not just about us.
2. Praise Him when we lose, praise Him when we win.
3. Nothing is impossible with God.
4. Having prayed for something, preparing to receive it takes even more faith.
5. Put in your best: leave nothing out on the field.

ORD loh!

Yes two years ago to this day, I became a civilian. And I've never looked back.

Mars in 2020

Ratatouille

Plot from Flixster: Academy Award®-winning director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) and the amazing storytellers at Pixar Animation Studios (“Cars,” “Finding Nemo”) take you into an entirely new and original world where the unthinkable combination of a rat and a 5-star gourmet restaurant come together for the ultimate fish-out-of-water tale. In the hilarious new animated-adventure, RATATOUILLE, a rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the city of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unwanted visitor in the kitchen at one of Paris’ most exclusive restaurants, Remy forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini, the garbage boy, who inadvertently discovers Remy’s amazing talents. They strike a deal, ultimately setting into motion a hilarious and exciting chain of extraordinary events that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. Remy finds himself torn between following his dreams or returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the truth about friendship, family and having no choice but to be who he really is, a rat who wants to be a chef.
My take: Love the animation, but love the storyline more. =]
There's a Linguini in all of us.
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Whodathunkit?

I've eaten ratatouille before I've seen it. A delicious vegetable stew at Soup Spoon.

Word games

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners.


Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:


1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people, that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

And, the pick of the lot...

17. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

Bourne Identity

Plot: The spy thriller opens as an amnesiac is rescued at sea by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. Nearly dead, he carries nothing but the bullets in his back and the bank account number embedded in his hip. Although completely without identity or background, he possesses an array of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistics and self-defense that speaks of a dangerous past. In the present he is disoriented and wary as he is propelled into an urgent search to discover who he is and why his life has taken a perilous turn. A Zurich safe deposit box yields an assortment of passports, a hefty load of cash, an automatic weapon and a name--Jason Bourne--with a Paris address. What it means remains a mystery, but Bourne quickly realizes that although he knows no one, there are people who recognize him--and do not wish him well. When he meets Marie Kreutz, a hard-luck German-born wanderer, he makes a desperate pitch--$10,000 for a ride to Paris. Despite her reservations, Marie takes the cash and begins a journey with Bourne that changes her life forever. The trail of Jason Bourne's past snakes from Europe to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where Treadstone, a clandestine operation is based. As Bourne and Marie struggle to stay below the radar in France, all of the stealthy muscle of Treadstone is focused on tracking them and neutralizing Bourne as quickly and efficiently as possible.
My take: Very different action movie.

Maid in Manhattan

In the breezy Maid in Manhattan, a maid in a top-flight hotel (Jennifer Lopez, Out of Sight, The Wedding Planner) chances to dress in a guest's clothes just when a handsome political candidate (Ralph Fiennes, Schindler's List, Red Dragon) walks in. Naturally, he's bowled over and pursues her; he's initially drawn to her gorgeous good looks but soon comes to appreciate her honesty and common sense. Of course, she can't let him know that she's only a maid, and various high jinks ensue--it's all pretty formulaic, but lurking in the edges of this glossy, brainless romance are a wealth of sly turns by Natasha Richardson and Amy Sedaris (as callow socialites), Bob Hoskins (as a dignified butler), Stanley Tucci (as Fiennes' exasperated campaign manager), and many less familiar faces. All help to give Maid in Manhattan the life and texture that has been processed out of the main characters. --Bret Fetzer
My take: Super-cliched.

SOD: Masterlife 1

Guess who's teaching Masterlife 1? Wah lesson plans all over again!

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Flixster plot:
Adam Sandler (Click) and Kevin James (Hitch) team as two straight guys who stumble down the aisle with the best of intentions in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Chuck Levine (Sandler) and Larry Valentine (James) are the pride of their fire station: two guy’s guys always side-by-side and willing to do anything for each other. Salt-of-the-earth widower Larry wants just one thing: to protect his family. His buddy Chuck also wants one thing: to enjoy the single life.

Grateful Chuck owes Larry for saving his life in a fire, and Larry calls in that favor big time when civic red tape prevents him from naming his own two kids as his life insurance beneficiaries. All that Chuck has to do is claim to be Larry’s domestic partner on some city forms. Easy. Nobody will ever know.

But when an overzealous, spot-checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious, the new couple’s arrangement becomes a citywide issue and goes from confidential to front-page news. Forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds, Chuck and Larry must now fumble through a hilarious charade of domestic bliss under one roof. After surviving their mandatory honeymoon and dodging the threat of exposure, the well-intentioned con men discover that sticking together in your time of need is what truly makes a family.

My take:
This was the funniest comedy I've watched in the longest time. Chuck and Larry trying to act like a gay firefighter couple was pure hilarity.

TP practical

I'VE PASSED!!! 10 points!
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This is it. At 1230hrs tomorrow (18 Sep), I will know if I have passed my driving. I don't even know how well I must drive to pass, so I'll just do my best.

A Call for Passion

The concert went well in the end. Though there were a few nervous hiccups, the concert achieved all its objectives. Perhaps another one mext year? =]
PS: Juwita Suwito looked so young and sounded so fantastic!

Snow City!

Went to Snow City with Rosyth's 4 Youthful and had a ball of a time. We made ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. Everyone wanted to go on the slide with me as they theorised that I was heavier and would go faster.
Thanks for the fun, guys!

Mastering Money

Continued with session 2 of Mastering Money with Gems after Vincent shared last week. Gems were more engaged this time with group work coming to the fore. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learnt useful things.

Busy, busy, busy

Ok there's jsut still school stuff left now. Still a lot though.
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There's just so much stuff to do for church [2 Mastering Money lessons], school [various assignments & interviews] & computer stuff [setup reformatted laptop]. And so little time. God help me.

Shot of the Century

World's easiest quiz ... NOT!

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years
2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador
3) From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs
7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert
8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane? Orange, of course!

Slow-mo popcorn

Slow-mo lighter

Federer Express ... NOT!

Yahoo Fantasy Football 2007/08

We have 24 teams! Biggest turnout so far!
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Managed to get 20 teams. Let's see if any more straggle in.
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We've got 15 teams and counting, so get on board and let's get the season started!
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Hi guys/gals,

It's that time of the year again where the EPL season starts to kick off. Once again, we vie for the title of champion of the Group of Death [4th edition]. I've won the last few so let's see who will challenge this year.

You have been invited to join aaroniemcwonley's Private Group in Yahoo! Sports Premiership.

In order to join the group, just go to the game front page and click on the "Sign Up" button to create a team. After completing registration, or if you already have a team, click the "Create or Join Group" button and follow the path to join an existing private group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 2498
Password: 4444

http://uk.premiership.fantasysports.yahoo.com/football

Pool anyone?

How small we are

I hate war

The social studies teacher had just finished a chapter on war and peace.

"How many of you," he asked, "would say that you're opposed to war?"

All hands went up.

"Why are you against war?" the teacher continued.

A bored-looking boy at the back raised his hand.

"I hate war," he began, "because wars make history, and I hate history."

Animal sounds

A group of young children were sitting in a circle with their teacher. She was going around in turn asking them all questions.

First she asked, "Davy, what noise does a cow make?"

He responded, "It goes moo."

The she asked, "Alice, what noise does a cat make?"

Alice replied, "It goes meow."

Next she asked, "Jamie, what sound does a lamb make?"

Her response was, "It goes baa."

Finally she questioned one last child, "Jennifer, what sound does a mouse make?"

She replied, "Er, it goes ... click!"

Moral of the Story

Once upon a time, there was a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winder. However, the weather turned cold and he reluctantly started to fly south.

In a short time, ice began to form on his wings and he fell to earth into a barnyard, almost frozen. A cow wandered by and crapped on him. The sparrow thought it was the end. But, the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings.

Warm and happy, able to breathe, he started to sing. Just then, a large cat came by, following the birdsong, cleared away the manure, found the bird, and ate him.

The Moral of the Story:
1. Everyone who dumps on you is not necessarily your enemy.
2. Everyone who gets you out of the crap is not necessarily your friend.
3. And if you're warm and happy in a pile of manure, keep your mouth shut.

Obituary

This is an obituary for Aaron Wong, who died of boredom in an NIE tutorial room after four consecutive hours of mind-numbing teacher talk in psychology and mathematics patterns. On his deathbed, he made it clear that he didn't want a degree awarded by NIE, posthumous or otherwise.

Back at NIE

First day of school. Miss the friends, food and fellowship, but really dread the assignments, atrocious timetables and acrimonious travelling time.
Some of my friends have three-day work weeks and I'm stuck with five. Dang.

Road Trip

Went on a mini road trip today as I went to Rosyth, then tuition, then dinner with Jasmine on my trusty Motachie. Very fulfilling as I realise I will recoup my investment by saving on public transport in no time. Managed to clock 12.5km in just over an hour.

Keyball

A unique mix of bumber cars, Artoo-Detoo, street soccer and even pool to form this very addictive game. Took me weeks to get the hang of it. You'll find it'll improve your hand-eye coordination. Read the instructions first before starting.
Try Keyball here.

The Simpsons Movie

Plot from Flixster:
When Homer mistakenly pollutes the river with toxic waste from his "Pig Crap" silo, he causes the EPA to encase Springfield in a glass dome, and must save them before President Schwarzenegger gives the order for the town to be destroyed.

My take:
Full of in-jokes that made it enjoyable, but basically just a longer Simpsons episode with some 3D effects. As Homer put it, why are we paying to watch something we can watch on TV?

Prednisalone paramour

My steroids end tomorrow and there's been little improvement. Have to trust God to reduce the rebound effect. In the meantime, no comments that my skin looks worse, please. Do I look that I don't know? And no suggestions of treatment, too. I prefer to trust my God. Do tell me when things look better, though.
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Ah, yes, my good friend Prednisalone again. On 15mg steroids again for 2 weeks.

Jul/Aug 2007 holidays

Again, I plan for my 1-week hols:

So here's my to-do list:
1. Teach guitar to church people [have identified people; started with Wan Loong, Angela, Amos, Andrew]
2. Meet friends I seldom meet up with [Nat, Samuel, Amy, Chong Kiat TBC]
3. Learn driving [practical test on 18 Sep]
4. Prepare Mastering Money & Taming Your Finances lesson plans & make relationship seminar arrangements for mid-Aug and mid-Dec 07 respectively [in progress; arrange with Matthew]
5. Watch VCDs and DVDs [50 First Dates, Aviator, Boogie Nights, Pulp Fiction, Pursuit of Happyness, Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials, Worms 2]
6. Buy guitar [Epiphone $299 offer at Swee Lee?]

Hell Week

And it's finally over. Finished my practicum with comments of 'outstanding' and 'many good things' coming from my CTs and Principal, but all in all, just glad to learn so many things and get it over with.

I think I left an impression with my students in 4 Earnest & Youthful and Tennis CCA. Some of them were kind enough to give me gifts & cards too! I'll miss them. Hope to see some of them in P5 next year.
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Managed to write six lesson plans, so maybe it's worth it.
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I'm spending my Saturday writing lesson plans and marking. How sad is that?
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What a week it's been, and it ain't over yet. Lesson plan afer lesson plan; 10 in all for this week alone. Plus I've got observations over the next two weeks [three in all] which means I need to plan for a more kilat lesson. Just two more weeks to go! I shudder to think what next year's practicum will be like.

Solo expedition

Went cycling for 1.5hrs, covering 14km while I toured the whole of Sengkang all the way to Jln Kayu. Can't wait to try it again. Also saw a 1m-long monitor lizard. Too bad I couldn't get a photo.

Going Solo

Went on my first maiden solo bike ride. Left the house at 1745hrs to rush to the Hougang Interchange to get my EZ-Link card checked out but was 5 min late. When they say they close at 6pm, they really mean 6pm.

Dejectedly made my way to Jasmine's house for dinner.

Why do I even wanna walk anymore when I've got my bike?

26" Motachie MTB with Shimano gears & brakes

Finally bought my bike, a black beauty at $337.

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix

Plot from Flixster:
With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

My take:
Not the most exciting but I found the storyline thoroughly engaging.

1,000 posts

A big thank you to all my faithful readers who have seen this blog from its humble beginnings [May 13, 2003] and indulgent posts, to the more interesting content [I hope] we have today. Here's to 1,000 more!

Melissa Theuriau

Thirteen Ghosts

Plot from Flixster:
Cool sets, gory make-up, and frantic energy are given high priority in this glossy remake of William Castle's 1960 haunted-house chiller. The original boasted its "Illusion-O" ghost-viewing gimmick, so this remake's producers--as they did with 1999's The House on Haunted Hill--up the ante on Castle's showmanship by spilling ample amounts of blood, guts, and ghoulish glory. The plot's essentially the same: An impoverished family inherits a luxurious haunted mansion, only this time it's an elaborate, maze-like mechanism of glass, gears, and Latin incantations--"designed by the devil and powered by the dead"--with a cellar full of tormented, undead souls. As the family (including Tony Shalhoub and American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth) enlists the aid of a psychic (Scream alumnus Matthew Lillard) and a ghostbusting paranormal (Embeth Davidtz), this updated 13 Ghosts grows loud and ludicrous, trading shocks for yuks and nuance for nonsense. It's fun, to a point, after which it's just exhausting. --Jeff Shannon

My take:
I like the Resident Evil feel of it, but the rest of it was quite a bore.

Eczema excoriation

I'm getting quite frustrated. My skin was so bad today it felt my whole face had swelled up. It was really scary. I think it was the stress I felt from my first observed lesson.

It's really frustrating as whenever I don't put the steroid cream it gets inflamed, and when I do it peels like mad. I really need a breakthrough.

Football fracas

Yes it happened again.

I didn't lose my temper again but I did walk off the pitch in protest. The reason is simple.

We were playing a man down, but still managed to hold our own, racing to a 5-1 lead thanks to a brace from me. You would agree that we were winning not because we were better, but because we were playing better.

Anyhow, at the beginning of the second half, Matthew, who was on our team decided to swap with Darrell. For what reasons only they know. If it is to correct an unfairness in the teams, I'm afraid they only tipped it the other way. As a result, they went into a 6-5 lead by the end. Our team was demoralised and I felt it was all so unfair how we worked so hard to establish a lead, only for the other team to change a team that had already been decided at the start, and hence secure an unfair advantage. They looked pretty chuffed when they scored the winner, but where's the pride in that?

At that point I walked off not because they won, but more of how the whole thing stank of inequality. And I suspect there were other reasons for the swap then just helping the other team. Let's just say perhaps two people wanted to play on the same team.

I did not shout at anyone, but at the end, I coolly told them my reasons for my walk-off to register my protest and disillusionment with the whole situation. As far as I'm concerned, it may be just a game, but at least let it be a fair game. Who wants to win or lose unfairly?

It's water under the bridge now; I hope they don't take teams that have been selected lightly and frivolously in future.

Went for dinner afterwards with Amos, Kenneth and Teckseng, among others, so everything should be OK. Think Ben should be alright too.

Sinusitis

At least I think that's how it's spelt. Feel some fluid in my sinus, a cavity behind your nose and eyes, such that when I tilt my head down, it causes it to hurt. It's supposedly inflamed and is causing my skin to infame accordingly, in addition to causing my eye to tear. Taking antibiotics and on MC for today.

Transformers

Plot from Flixster: Our world will be changed on July 4 when aliens make Earth their final battleground in Transformers. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, our last chance for survival rests in the hands of young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).

My take:
I was torn between giving this one four or four-and-a-half stars. in the end, the cutting-edge effects and Megan Fox pushed this up to almost perfect. The effects were so real that the transition between CGI and real-life scenery was seamless. Megan Fox can't really act and has only one look throughout the movie, but who cares? As Shia LaBeouf put it, "Oh my God!"

I peed next to Harry Kewell!

yes I have a new claim to fame. I was in the same toilet as Harry Kewell. I was next to Amos who was next to Teck Seng, who was next to the Australia and Liverpool left winger. Some of Kewell's pee probably splashed on Teck Seng and vice versa.

Didn't manage to get an autograph but it didn't really matter, though Jasmine was quite affected. Managed to see the whole Australia team dining at Modesto's, Viviocity too, inc. Messrs. Cahill, Schwarzer, Emerton, Viduka etc.

Tennis CCA

Took some kids to tennis coaching as part of their CCA at Serangoon Gardens Country Club. Ended up playing with them as they were lacking a player and I must say I was touched by their niceness. They were really sincere about playing with one another and gladly welcome me into their confidence.

Can't wait to see them next week.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Plot from Flixster: The enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost.

My take: Great special effects. but its plot, characters and gravitas can't really compare to its comtemporaries.

Fever!

I got a fever that's stuck with me for the last two days. The higher body temperature has worsened my face eczema but I trust it will recede when I recover. Had to cancel my driving, tuition and can't go for prayer meeting tonight. Sigh.
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Hit 38.9C at 4am this morning.

What child is this?

On his trip to Great Britain, George Bush had a meeting with Queen Elizabeth.
He asked her, 'How does one manage to run a country so smoothly?'
That's easy,' she replied, 'You surround yourself with intelligent ministers and advisors.'
'But how can I tell whether they are intelligent or not?'
You ask them a riddle,' she replied, and with that she pressed a button and said, 'Would you please send Tony Blair in?'
When Blair arrived, the Queen said, 'I have a riddle for you to answer for me. Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was this child?'
Blair replied, 'That's easy. The child was me.'
'Very good,' said the Queen. 'You may go now.'
President Bush went back to Washington and called in his chief of staff Karl Rove. He said to him, 'I have a riddle for you, and the answer is very important. Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was this child ?'
Rove replied, 'Yes, it is clearly very important that we determine the answer, as no child must be left behind. Can I deliberate on this for awhile?'
'Yes,' said Bush, 'I'll give you four hours to come up with the answer.'
So Rove went and called a meeting of the White House staff, and asked them the riddle. But after much discussion and many suggestions, none of them had a satisfactory answer. So he was quite upset, not knowing what he would tell the President.
As Rove was walking back to the Oval Office, he saw former Secretary of State Colin Powell approaching him. So he said, 'Mr. Secretary, can you answer this riddle for me? Your parents had a child and it was not your sister and it was not your brother. Who was the child?' 'That's easy,' said Powell, 'The child was me.'
'Oh thank you,' said Rove. 'You may just have saved me my job!'
So Rove went into the Oval Office and said to President Bush, 'I think I know the answer to your riddle. The child was Colin Powell!'
'No, you idiot!' shouted Bush. 'The child was Tony Blair!'

Laptop lamentations

Alas! My laptop has started giving me problems!

1. There's now a very sluggish response to every command.
2. The appearance changes to Windows Classic soon after startup.
3. The sound comes out in slow-motion [no DirectSound driver?]
4. Long bootup time.
5. Super-long Windows disk check.

Have contacted Acer but no reply yet. Help!
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Believe it or not, after ten days, Acer has not replied my email.

Music & Lyrics

Plot from Flixster:
Alex Fletcher, a washed-up '80s pop star, has been reduced to working the nostalgia circuit at county fairs and amusement parks. The charismatic and talented musician gets a chance at a comeback when reigning diva Cora Corman invites him to write and record a duet with her, but there's a problem--Alex hasn't written a song in years, he's never written lyrics, and he has to come up with a hit in a matter of days. Enter Sophie Fisher, Alex's beguilingly quirky plant lady, whose flair for words strikes a chord with the struggling songwriter. On the rebound from a bad relationship, Sophie is reluctant to collaborate with anyone, especially commitment-phobe Alex. As their chemistry heats up at the piano and under it, Alex and Sophie will have to face their fears--and the music--if they want to find the love and success they both deserve.

My take:
This was your typical rom-com. Nothing new here. Just a little more interesting with the '80s music premise.

300

Plot by Flixster:
In the midst of the Persian-Greco war, Spartan King Leonidas leads his army of 300 soldiers into battle against the invading Persian army during the Battle of Thermopylae. According to legend, their valor and sacrifice inspired all of Greece to unite against the Persian foe, leading to the origins of democracy.

My take:
As Kenneth put it, how many ways can you kill someone? It was interesting initially, but kinda petered out at the end. Even King Leonidas couldn't see this one-trick pony to the end.

Will you marry me?

I finally popped the question at 1830hrs on 13 Jun 2007 at Swiss-Garden Damai Laut resort. Of course I know the answer all along so that probably helped calm my nerves and the whole thing went without a hitch. Jasmine and I are officially engaged to be married, and we are looking at mid-2009, during the June hols.

Well there was ONE hitch. The bedsheet that was laid on the sand, together with candles and bowls of water etc, were left behind by us, thinking that Angela, who helped me arrange it, would clear it. As a result, it was left until the night, when we went with flashlights to retrieve them. They were soiled, but thankfully still intact.

The curse of forgetfulness

I seem to have inherited the curse of forgetfulness from Jasmine. Here's my catalogue of misdemeanours, some of which I've forgotten to include:
1. Left my POSB debit card in ATM machine. Thank God it was retained by the machine.
2. Forgot to bring ANY T-shirts to Church Retreat.
3. Left my bass behind at the dining hall at Church Retreat, later retrieved by Ps Tony.
4. Left my cap and sunglasses in my room after checking out. Winnie helped retrieve them.
5. Left my bag containing my passport in the main hall. Eric helped retrieve it.
6. Left my charger behind. It was irretrieveable as I've only just realised it. Thankfully, my sister's MP3 player has the same charger.
The blessing in all this is that no damage was done despite my forgetfulness. Must learn my lesson.

Church Retreat 2007 at Swiss-Garden Damai Laut

I won't be updating this blog next week as I'll be at Agape's Church Retreat in Swiss-Garden Damai Laut, Perak, Malaysia. There should be some exciting developments there.
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This Church Retreat will always be remembered for it being the TOW Aaron Proposed [winks to fans of FRIENDS], as well as for TOW Where Many People Received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but there are many alternative titles, should you see the glass as half-empty:
1. TOW All the Flies in Malaysia Came to Visit: There were flies everywhere! In the rooms, dining hall, main hall's stage, coach, etc. Truly made dining and everything else a regrettable experience.
2. TOW the Food Sucked: Not one dinner or lunch at the resort was the food good. The only meals I truly enjoyed was the final dinner at a seafood restaurant 30 minutes away [where everyone yam seng-ed us], and the final lunch, where we discovered a cheap Marche.
3. TOW with Coarse Sand: The sand was so coarse, we had to wear shoes to play beach soccer. And believe it or not, one of the pitches was just behind the archery gallery, meaning we had to dodge arrows as well as opponents.
4. TOW the Journey Never Seemed to End: We literally spent a 24-hour round trip travelling there. If we go somewhere nearer next year, perhaps we could enjoy the campsite more. I'd settle for a nearer, slightly more expensive campsite. We passed time telling lame jokes, playing card games, playing Polar Bear, sleeping, making people break codes in games we created, etc.

So all in all, it could've been better but it could've been worse.

Gangs of New York

Plot by Flixster: Plot: In 1860's lower Manhattan, the Five Points section is a dark, teeming corner of the city known for vice and chaos. Into this frontier of lawlessness arrives the young Irish American, Amsterdam Vallon. Amsterdam is the orphaned son of the slain Priest Vallon--once chief warrior of the Dead Rabbits gang that rallied the Irish immigrants of the Five Points. After 16 years in a "House of Refuge," Amsterdam has returned to the Five Points to hunt down his father's killer. His target is William Cutting (aka "Bill the Butcher") who has since become the merciless new leader of the neighborhood and detests the newly arrived immigrants. Each year, on the anniversary of Priest Vallon's death, the victory is commemorated with a celebration--with invitations handed out by way of the Butcher himself. Amsterdam's plan is clear: to lie in wait and slay his father's killer. While waiting for that night, Amsterdam works his way deep into the Butcher's inner circle, a world of alternating honor and cruelty from which he can only hope to escape. But the closer he gets to Bill, the more he falls under his spell and becomes conflicted--playing the role of the man's surrogate son while keeping the true secret of his past in the shadows. At the same time, Amsterdam meets Jenny Everdeane, an enigmatic pickpocket whose fierce independence fascinates him. When details of her closely linked past with Bill the Butcher emerge, the relationship between the three intensifies. Amsterdam's fight for family honor, freedom and the woman he loves ultimately collides with a pivotal moment in New York and American history: the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots. This uprising, fueled by new Americans like Amsterdam, will have repercussions that will spread through the Five Points to the halls of Government and beyond, and reveal a tenacious spirit in the city that endures.

My take:
One of the scariest and most enigmatic villains I've ever seen: William Cutting aka Bill the Butcher played so convincingly by Daniel Day-Lewis. He killed the priest (Liam Neeson) who started an Irish uprising on his turf, and sixteen years later faces his son (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has conned his way into the Butcher's confidence, much like in The Departed. Still this is watchable mainly for the cruelty and unpredictability of the Butcher.

Ocean's Thirteen

Plot from Flixster: Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean's friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a hospital bed in critical condition. But Bank miscalculated... badly. He may have taken down one of the original Ocean's Eleven, but he left the others standing and, worse for him, gave them a shared purpose: to take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph--the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named The Bank. Their strategy is twofold. First, they will ruin him financially by turning the tables on the precept that the house always wins. But, that's just money. The knockout punch will be to Bank's personal pride and joy: his reputation as the only hotelier who has earned the Royal Review Board's Five Diamond Award on every single one of his hotels. The plan is elaborate, dangerous and damn near impossible... but there are no limits when it comes to one of their own.

My take:
A vast improvement over Twelve, but doesn't quite hit the unique heights of Eleven. More of a techie's indulgence with the manipulation of advanced security systems and pure probability. The plan was too hitch-free to be engaging, and the audience was in on it all the time. You don't really want to know the ending when you read a book do you? Ditto.

Har gow heaven!

Enjoyed delicious har gow and siew mai at Crystal Jade, as well as a Starbucks java chip frappucino with some kapo-ed hot chocolate. No side effects! =]

Peanut pandemonium!

Had a peanut pancake at Mr. Bean yesterday, again with no side effects. Hallelujah! Praise God!

Nutella nonsense!

Enjoyed Nutella sandwiches for the first time in what seems like an eternity. No side effects too! Hallelujah!

Exam results, Yr 1 Sem 2

Just got my results and didn't do as well as the first semester, although I didn't expect to anyway. Have to thank God for getting me through a tough semester, though I felt I should and could have done better.

DCE100: B- [thanks to be not following instructions in SBA]
DCM100: B+ [could've put more effort in Lesson Plan]
DLK100: A- [could've worked smarter for group editing work]
DSE101: A+
DSM101: A+
Cumulative GPA: 4.54 [dropping from 4.83]

Mango madness!

Went for a dinner buffet at Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt yesterday and had a really super-full dinner. Almost had a heart attack when I saw the $48 bill.

Anyhow, I prayed before the buffet that I would truly be able to enjoy the buffet without worrying about after-effects. And so I ate everything except the prawn noodle soup, which is the last frontier for me, but mainly because I didn't fancy the spicy soup. I did load up on durian ice-cream and mango pudding though, among other Malay [can't remember], Chinese [Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!] and Indian [chicken tikka!] delicacies, with no side effects whatsoever. When I did feel a bit of an itch coming on, I prayed immediately to remind the devil that he had no power over me.

Next stop: Joo Chiat hei mee!

Our first football game of 2007

Thank God for the wonderful weather we enjoyed yesterday when we played football.

Before the game I was just believing in God that I would be well enough to play and suffer no side effects.

Firstly, He gave us very good weather: breezy and cloudy.

Secondly, I had a pretty good game, and I wasn't feeling that itchy throughout.

Finally, one day on, my skin hasn't acted up at all.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of prayer, even for something as trivial as a football game.

Anyhow, Teckseng scored twice to give us the lead, then the other team pulled one back before Ben scored the equaliser.

Everything was good-tempered, which was all we could've wanted.

Shrek the Third

Plot from Flixster
Plot: When Shrek married Fiona, the last thing he had in mind was becoming the next King. But when Shrek's father-in-law, King Harold, suddenly croaks, that is exactly what he faces. Unless Shrek (with the help of his trusted companions Donkey and Puss In Boots) can find a suitable King for Far Far Away, the ogre could be stuck with the job. The most promising candidate, Fiona's cousin Artie, an underachieving Medieval high school slacker, proves to be more of a challenge than they bargained for.

My take
Just for making me laugh so loud when Donkey and Puss switched bodies. Priceless. Full of LOL moments, this one.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

Full of the usual thrills and spills with excelent CGI but otherwise, the convoluted kept me turning aside and asking my rather more intuitive half if she knew what was going on. Since she didn't, I surmise that half the audience didn't have a chance either. In any case, bring on part four!

Safety on Ubin

Just read in the New Paper today that FM93.3 DJ Dennis Chew got into a very bad biking accident on Pulau Ubin. He broke his jaw and fractured his arm. He probably pressed his front brake instead of his back and flipped over.

So all the more we have to be careful when we're there.

I also think those of you who are keen to take some photographs can take your camera along and take photos of nature etc.
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So ironic. For all of my foreboding, it was yours truly who got into the biggest accident after all. Went down a slope too quickly, my back brake didn't catch well enough, hit the hump and flew off course towards the beach, hit the kerb and damaged my front wheel, flew off my bike to the ant-infested beach where my bike landed nicely on my right arm. If it sounds bad, that's because it was. And yet God protected me and I ended up with only a few abrasions. Amazing. I believe that was God's way of telling me to ride carefully, seeing how He gave a near-accident earlier on another down-slope.

God is indeed looking after us. He gave us a brief shower when we prayed for some, found CK when we prayed after he got lost etc. God is truly amazing.