Iron Man Rocks

Iron Man joins X-Men, Spider-Man (the first two and not the last one) & Batman (The Nolan Reboot)as the Best Superhero Comics brought onto the big screen and like those other movies, it deserves a sequel of their own, specially if Director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr are on board.

I have seen craps like Ghost Rider & Daredevil, both directed by a "supposedly comic fan" director who took all the "good stuff" from those characters's long tenure in comics and yet still managed to whip out a piece of crappy movie. Director Jon Favreau on the other hand, took a second rate superhero (IMHO) and made him distinctive and interestingly likable. Mainly because he picked the right actor, Robert Downey Jr for the role of Tony Stark (the man behind the Iron Man suit) and the effort to tell the slow build up / construction of Iron Man.

Of cos there are some plot holes in this flick (even Batman Begins had quite a few too) but then again, overall, this flick managed to capture the essence of Iron Man's history and made it enjoyable with it's energetic computer generated special effects, the minor references that will make fanboys drool and the potential it can achieve in it's following sequels.

Without a Doubt, Iron Man is a strong contender for my Top Ten of 2008 .... If only Iron Man comics are as good as this movie.

Quote from Iron Man

Tony Stark: "Sometime, You got to run before you can walk"

My Current Top 10 Movies of 2008

As they were theatrically released in Singapore : )

I know it's early but back on the last day of 2007, when I was supposed to list my top ten movies and do a mini write up for MX, I didn't get to finish it due to poor time management or my laziness to write a mini essay on why it's my top ten.

In order not to repeat the same mistake and let my dear Editor down again(who incidentally, does not post his own top ten up) this year, I planned to do it as soon as I gotten ten movies that I feel are good enough to get a four stars rating and above. As this year proceed on, I might encounter some other better flicks and will then choose to knock some off from the list (of cos subject to my whimsical ratings)

So Here You Go ... My Current Top Ten Movies of 2008 ... rank according to their release dates in SG as they all out 4 stars rating from me

식객 (Le Grand Chief)

This movie demonstrate Beauty in Simplicity and the ability to contain so many subplots that are both meaningful and constructive to the main storyline. Bunch of lovable cast from the lead hero to villain, to the babe and the various supporting roles made it more endearing to follow and root for the change of events that unfold.

Technically, I didn't bothered to watch this in the cinema and only managed to catch this on Dvd recently. Afterwhich, I been kicking myself for missing out on this movie tour in Singapore and the Special Limited Bamboo Set that had sold out in most online retail shops.

3:10 to Yuma

Love the unlawful arena in the commencement of civilisation and laws in the old USA. In this dusty setting, we got 2 wonderful actors representing the upright goodness of mankind and tempting evil of sins. During the exciting and morale dilemma of these two leads, we get to see that goodness comes with his own secret burden and the bad guy .... well just don't believe what the rumours and lawman says about him. Wonderful entry to a dying genre of movies.

The Mist

For giving those Christians fanatics the finger! Just kidding although I Know that it had offended many of those Christians that some even gave it a biased review.

For me, I find that It's not what's in the Mist that scary ... it's how people react to the unknown that's truly scary. A wonderful example how people could be manipulated in times of uncertainly and how religion could be twisted in guise of human's corrupted intention. The Mist has great drama tension and suspense all over it. One of the greatest adaptation of Stephen King's work by Frank Darabont. Highly Recommended!

Le Scaphandre et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)


In the same vein as The Sea Inside, a moving peek into the life of a person who is locked in his own body. The agony, the helplessness and the warmth of those caring family & friends around are all heartfelt here. An inspiring tale to both those able bodies and disabled to make the best out of life.

Juno

For making Unwed Teenage pregnancy look n feel so cool! Juno got the best ensemble of memorable quirky characters since Little Miss Sunshine and the subtle teenage romance arc in this movie was a few notches better than other Hollywood Romance movies that I had seen recently.

Touching, Funny, Charming and utterly Honest. One of the best that I seen in 2008

두 얼굴의 여친 (2 Faces of My Girlfriend)

Although this movie does suspiciously feel like a My Sassy Girl ripoff remake copy inspired plot, I was first won over the comedic elements and then conquered by the subtle take on romance. The beautiful underlying message here is that in romance, it could be just a split personality that is involved and when the love ends, it akin to the end of that dimension in us. Once love has been lost, it will never find it's way back. Could be a bit cheem but in many ways, it just hit the nail on it's head.

ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:序 Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Few reasons why this remake movie version is better than the original Evangelion anime series. 1 - Re-editing was magical, making it more streamline and to the point. 2 - the re animated Picture look more impressively vibrant and 3 - this story need to be seen and heard in a big screen format with good sound system. Can't wait for the other 3 sequels that going to retell this complex popular anime tale in whole (and hopefully less confusing manner)

Semi-Pro

One of my favourite movie this year that gotten a lot of negative vibes from others. I liked it because although it's formulaic, it was able to demonstrate a lot of heart in this movie and show some love for the old basketball. It could also be that I just seen another Basketball movie by a Singaporean, shot in China and hated it so much that any decent movie about Basketball will easily swept me away. Might be a moot point and I would like to watch this again to see if there still that much love for it ... or it might be the first flick to be on the chopping board for the top ten category.

三國之見龍卸甲(Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon)

Another flick that I been told was overrated. As again, I am aware of it's weakness (that is too choppy and fast forwarded first half) but the overwhelming points that I like about this flick made me decide to give it a 4 stars. Partly I been playing chess when I saw this film and I appreciated the sacrificial strategy that this movie is trying to show. It also ponder on whether are we really the master of our own destiny or just pawns in other people's plan. Andy Lau also provided the regal feel to the Zhao Zhilong character in midst of the messy editing and storytelling. Lastly, as a war movie, it shows just how absurd war could be, something we could relate to in this modern age of ours.

Run Fat Boy Run

Personally a film that I been waiting for (for months) and with a plot that I was able to relate to. A fat boy who lost his love through his own devices, tried to run the marathon in a desperate bid to win his love back. Of course this film is packed with the same old routine for this genre of film (the underdogs genre) and comes a feel good fairy tale ending (which the cynic in me was screaming "ya right") but then again, it was able to swept me away in the midst of laughing and feel good factors. Plus it was successful in bringing out the "long feeling" of the marathon during the segment of the movie that made it even easier to root for that much needed chirpy ending.

There are actually two other films that were quite good but never gotten the chance for theatrical release in Singapore yet so won't be listing them down.

Quote from Le Grand Chef

"It's the brackens rain.
When this rain falls,
the boat out to sea can't return.
When the brackens rain falls,
It's time to say goodbye."
Sung-chan 's Granddad

and a little ode to Instant Noodles

"How to eat the Best Ramen?"















"Eat it when you're hungry"




"P.S. You must be really hungry."

Lessons from Chess 4

Death by Self Entrapment

Had a disappointing streak with Chess ever since I returned back from Perth ... been getting my ass kick by almost everyone even folks with Level 1 status (I'm already a Level 4)

and most of the time, it was becos I lost my Queen due to my careless mistake ... yup I often take my Queen for granted and forgot to care for her as much as I should had ...

today, it happened again.

My Queen was exposed to in coming attacks and I didn't realized it until it was too late. I wanted to give up but lucky I managed to makan a few of my opponent's major pieces so beside the lost of my Queen, I was slightly better with my other long distance movable pieces.

as my opponent was attacking me, I bunch my Castles, Knight n Bishops together to attack his Queen. He on the other hand, hide his King behind three Pawns and move his Castle out , preparing to attack me.

I sacrifice my Bishop to lure his Castle out so that my Castles that are position to pretend to be attacking his Queen could zoom down to face his King in a tight corner ...

had to wait a while and when I finally got to zoom down to the final line with his Castle, I was surprise to find that I didn't get a Checkmate. It turn out that his Queen was in a position to zoom back for a last bid effort to safe his Queen. Lucky after some fore planning, it will probably turn out to be a mass massacre on his side and will just delay the inevitable ...

the most siok win for the longest period of time !

Lessons Learn
Don't over Protect Your King
Losing Queen is not the End Yet

meeting my first crush again after all these years

Just before visiting my Grandma at hospital, my sixth sense had a sudden flash that I will be meeting a old old friend. True enough, in my Grandma's room, whom she shared with a few others old ladies, I saw pretty girl visiting another patient at the far corner.

I can't help but steal a couple more glances at her than I normally would with other pretty girls as she look like my very first crush back in Primary school.

Yup that is don't know how many donkey years ago ... back before I faced numerous rejection and heartbreaks ... she was the number uno that I fell for and she don't even know about it ...

So when I finally mustered enough courage to asked if she is my first crush primary school mate, she was surprise to find out that I still remember her name when she confirm that we were school mates. I almost wanted to blurt out that I remember your name because you are the very first one that expose me to the notion that girls are not the enemy and they have this magnet that keeps drawing us boys to ... aka in love (in form of puppy or slavery)

Anyway, it turned out that She is married with one Son already ... heart did sank a bit when I learnt that cos my heart did play with the notion that maybe I might get my fairytale ending after all these while .... But still, it been great to catch up with such an old friend and I realize I need to work on my courage bit when speaking to pretty girls cos I was shaking like a leaf ... wonder if my first crush saw that or not : ) hahahaha

better tonight

Tom Baxter - Better


One Night Only - Just For Tonight

Do you want to smell funny ???

the first thing that pop into my mind when I saw this Advertisement at a bus stop was this ...

Imagine going up to a girl using this perfume and you say to her ...

"Hey you smell funny" : )

I wonder what was went through the minds of the folks who came up with this perfume's name ....

more slide show !

yup ... even the abandon city post is still not done by now ... so here some pix to share while u wait for it

Perth Food Pix Slide

For those who cant wait for me to slowly post the pix up due to my slow write up ... here u go

Mr Samurai @ Perth City

One of the first memorable place that I makan when I first arrived (back during the school days) .... it's memorable because it was supposedly one of the few places that serve good Japanese food at a relatively cheap price.

I didn't think I got any chance of returning to this joint as a couple of times when I visited the city during the weekends, it was closed. I almost missed it to even tho I walked up the street a couple of time because I had forgotten how tucked away this restaurant is from the street.



Anyway, returning to this place had proven a couple of my friends right .... they said that Mr Samurai is no longer nice or cheap anymore

Consumed >

Beef Rice Bowl


Fried Vege

Goodies > The only good thing I would say is that the Fried Vege is still as crispy and make me wonder how to do it. I believe it was the first place that I tried such Japanese style of fried vege but then again, it's rather overpriced

Yuckies > The Beef is so dry ... it's like eating thin slices of beef jerkies and a lot of rice that had no gravy on it. Disappointing from what I used to remember of their beef rice bowl

Cost > should be A$6 bucks for the beef rice bowl and another A$4 for the Fried Vege. Isn't it used to be only A$4.50 for one beef rice bowl ?

Returning (?) > Unlikely as it's no longer cheap or good. One of the most disappointing meals that I had for this Perth Trip

Weblink > -

8 Apr 08 - 5pm

Han's Cafe @ William St

The Groom-to-be laughed at me when I mention that I wanted to eat at Han's Cafe ... His take is that it's fake Asian food for the Ang Mos ... actually it isn't on my list till I passed by one of the outlet at Hay Street near my Comics Joint ... I had memories of that place but couldn't remember what was it until I went thru their menu ...

Yeah I remember someone recommended the Pepper Squid Rice to me before ... and I think I got fond memories of that dish or that person which I can't exactly point out in details yet ...

So when the Groom "dumped" me at Williams St after we gotten our suits, I saw the Han's Cafe that I used to frequent back at the Northridge area and the hungry stomach lead me to the cafe for some stomach memory refreshment


Ironically, The Backpacker accommodation (two doors down from Han's Cafe) was the one that I was supposed to stay ... Couldn't find it at where I thought it was supposed to be and rather surprised to see that it's actually quite far up north than I had expected.

Consumed >

Pepper Squid Rice


Lemon Lime Bitter

Goodies > When I got served, I remembered what I was so fond abt this dish ... as again, the crispy fried coating of the Pepper Squid and the munchyness / spongyness of the squid inside : ) there is this sweet & savoury taste the the fried coating that I couldn't get enough of ...

then the Lemon Lime Bitter which was also introduced by my special friend had a poetic feel when I was slurping on the sweet and bitterness of the drink .... I bet she would love to be here right now to makan the dish n drink that she introduced me to

Yuckies > I was surprised to see the expansion of the Han's Cafe around Perth (as listed on their menu) ... I wonder will the standard drop with such franchise-ness to it .... anyway, it wasn't supposed to be good so .... each to his or her own taste

Updated: Another Friend of mine who is currently staying in Perth love the same dish ... sooooooooo different ppl got different taste bud la

Cost > A$17 for both Drinks ... Can't really recall what the breakdown but I'm guessing it's 14 to 10 bucks for food n the rest is for the drinks

Returning (?) > on the Bottom of my list but if there's an opportunity in future, I don't need the menu to know what I am getting at Han's

Weblink > www.hanscafe.com.au

Jesters Pies @ Carillion City

I had always played with the notion of bringing the franchise of Jesters Pies over to Sg ... it's yummy n chunky inside n crispy on the outside (self realization: I said the same thing abt the boneless chicken wings too) but don't know why, no one ever considered bringing it over ... maybe it's not suitable for local market but hey, who knows, it might create another fad over here

Anyway, striking number 2 off my list of "Perth Foods I wanna eat on this trip"



Consumed >


Footy Pie

Goodies > I just love how the gravy drooling out of the pie and the meaty chunks inside ... siok ah

Yuckies > It's actually hard for me to decide what to get ... so many flavour n yet so little time

Cost > A$4.50

Returning (?) > Yeah ... whenever I come across a Jesters Pie Shop that's not closed

Weblink > www.jesters.com.au

Songs heard @ Downunder

Haven't done this for a long time but heard a song playing in a Cd Shop and the singer's voice + the melody made me asked the employee what the song title.... a pleasant surprise as it turn out to be a band from Perth ... how's that, discover a likeable song and it turned out that it's from a local band ...

The Panics - 'Don't Fight It'


it felt like it was the right song for this traveler who is a bit lost (not in the map sense) and is wary of what's next ... maybe i should just do what the song suggest

"I left my heart in places
Forgot everyone of their faces
And tried to navigate a broken path
Of which I may have helped create
In any incident, this is never no accident
To stand alone and
Let the silence make itself at home"

then the next song turned out to be equally catchy and it made me walked all the way back from the Dvd section to check this one out ...

Arcade Fire - No Cars Go

maybe becos I was traveling around Perth without the luxury of a Car (for the first few days)

My Fave Hideaway

back in those uni days ... come every Friday, this sign is a sign of comfort

Cos it's doing something that I love and anticipate ... the weekly arrival of new comics ... It was a joy to bring forth something that I enjoyed back in Singapore to Perth

and I can't wait to walk down those shaky stairs to the shelves that contain the latest shipment ...

where I can get lost in the world of different arts and story.

the irony part is that ... after I returned back to Singapore, I stopped collecting comics after a while due to fiscal constrain and frankly, I think I outgrew comics ... yeah it took a bit longer for me

But still, I got a strong sentimental feeling for this place .... cos it was a hideaway and comfort zone for me when I was going through some unpleasant phase during my studies ... A friend and I termed those moments as Hell Trip. So some weekends when I was having the blues, these racks (i mean shelves's racks ... don't think too much k) and artwork helped make things bearable

The funny thing was that I never thought of calling this comic shop as my comfort zone or hideaway until I happen to catch an episode of Queer as Folks (Gay Drama Programs that we won't get in Singapore) and one of the character actually does that, escape to his "little" hideaway until one of his friends point out to him that he does that whenever he is feeling the blues.

Yes ... for a short period of time, I wonder am I gay too but then again, that doubt was gone shortly after ...

Anyway, going thru the racks made me realize that there are some titles that I been wanting to check out in Singapore but forgotten to do so and it's up to issues 5 ... that showed me how out of touch am I with the Comics

then while roaming another part of the town, I found out that there another Comics shop .... finally a city as big as Perth is getting more than one comics Shop ... for your info, a country as small as Singapore got more than 5 or 6 Comics shops while Perth all along only got 1 ... it was an indication on how not competitive Perth was but now with the blooming Mining industry and real estate price rocketing up (as my man Matt told me), it seems that finally Perth is stepping up

2 apr 08 4pm

Viet Hoe @ Williams St

The first of the list of "Perth Foods I wanna eat on this trip" that gotten strike off ... it's my favourite Vietnam restaurant along William St.


Consumed >

Boneless Chicken Wings

-the inside-


Raw Beef Horfan Soup


Soda, Milk with Egg

Goodies > The number one food that I must consumed from this restaurant would be Boneless Chicken Wings .... it's not really a specialiy from Viet Hoe but I just can't get enough of the crispy fried skin with a blend of meat n vege stuffed inside this wing ... and the best part is (for me) that you get to consume a chicken wing without the need to munch around the boney parts. Together with the sour n slightly spicy dip, it just too fantastic to even care about my diet anymore ...

I tried to make this a couple of times but it's really time consuming to remove the bones and somehow, it's never as tasty as this restuaurant ... Will keep coming back to sample until I can get it right ...

then it's the Raw Beef Horfan, which is cooked just enough by the soup ... yummy but still cant beat the boneless chix

lastly, the drink that I loved to recommend to anyone that accompanying me to the resturant. Most of them will give me the (almost) same expression / reaction .... let see if you will have that kind of frown too ... it's Soda mix with Milk and a Raw Egg ! ... awesome combo right ??? There's even an Orange version to help ppl who cant get use to the Protein Cum Gassy drink combo but I don't really like the Orange Version that much

Yuckies > Folks there are still a bit slow in collecting money ... yup I gotto wait to pay but lucky dont have to wait to sit ...

Cost > A$9 for Raw Beef HOrfan Soup, A$5 for Boneless Chicken Wings (x2) & A$4 for Soda Milk n Egg

Returning (?) > Yup, on every other trip back to Perth, this is a
Must for me

The first thing that I miss about Perth

I have always wonder what I miss about Perth ... Was it the food, location or activities that I will miss and in a way, use it to define what Perth is to me ...

Moments after I touch down and when to Matt's place ... it became quite clear what the first thing that I miss about Perth and if I ever want to define Perth, it's not thru tourist area like Fremantle or Kings Park... It's not all those yummy food in food ... neither were those activities like Rock Climbing, Sky Diving or Scuba Diving too

It was simply how the cold air smell

I don't know how to define it but once we stop at Matt's last accommodation (before he move into his love nest), it was clear how much I miss the smell of the cold air that contains (what I believe to be) lavender and Ross(wood)?

Yup something so simple and so abundant but those smell with the combination of cold air brought back plenty of memories of those time spend outside in the natural aircon ... some were sweet, pleasant and some were sad and sour ... but I guess that's what life is all about ... the sweet and bitter

One of the reasons that I gave for not re-visiting Perth so soon was that I would like to visit other places that I never been before but somehow, I think part of me wanted to avoid some of the unpleasant memories I had of that place.

But smelling that unique air which I didn't get at Melbourne or Sydney made me realize, it's better to embrace whatever that had happen ... be it good or bad ... somehow the air of Perth had made me fall in Love with this quiet city in ways I never expected ... and to think I used to think people who keep visiting Perth after their studies were stupid ...

Now, I can't wait for my another friend to invite me again to their wedding back in Perth so I can breathe in all those memories again.

the perk of flying on 1st of April

haven't done this for the longest time and in fact, I find it a bit childish but it seems to be the perfect time & opportunity to pull such prank : )

just before my flight, I send out 5 sms out to some of my closest friends, grumbling to them that I overnapped and missed the flight to Perth ... just to see how many innocent folks can I hook ...

nottoo bad as I managed to score 3 / 5 : )

folks who fell for it, don't feel bad cos in my books, I'm listing you under "Very Concern Friends"