...After Redang (teaser)

Yep I'm back!

Whew, the trip was tiring, but fun, nevertheless. Now in quite a sian-ded mood 'cos there's a whole lot of crap in camp waiting for me.

Besides, I fell sick and took one day MC the day after I came back, swopping my guard duty with someone else.

On a lighter note, here's a tiny fraction of photos from my camera (only). There will be a MASSIVE COMPILATION OF PHOTOS OF THE TRIP GOING ON IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, so wait patiently for that =) Meanwhile, here's the tip of the tip of the iceberg:

This is taken with my cam. Looks like a post-card right?? Can sell it for RM2.00.

Yup, blue water. Not found in s'pore.

The girls..


The guys..

Does the house look familiar? Well, more about that next time.

PLUS! Underwater snorkelling photos.. (told you it was a teaser)

Ok, got to book in. Still a bit sick. Sian.

Take care, peeps!

Before Redang...

A few more hours and I'm off to this:

Redang Island with Lamerz!

(Ok, so that's an imaginary photo)

Anyway, I've not packed yet! Shoots. Hope I won't take that long later. Shall refer to the packing list szern posted.
~
Had ECP run (15KM) and halfday off on friday.

Met up with tess, vivien and cindy (jm pang-sehed again) @ MOF, Marina on friday night. (i got the discount card, muahaha). So long never see Tess. Soooo long never see cindy!

Glad viv enjoyed the desserts. She said eating them 有一种幸福的滋味. Somebody mentioned that before, but I can't remember. That's how god-ly the desserts are! Here are some random photos:

The people:

The food:

And Tess got me this very weird-and-wrong-sounding chocolate snack from Germany for my birthday. Listen to this: it's called Mini Dickmann's. I leave it up to your imagination =x

She should've gotten me the Large Dickmann's lor... ANYWAYY..

This is the pic of me and her and that WRONG-sounding snack:

By the way, I didn't eat a single piece of that chocolate thingy 'cos it already expired on 170708 -.- But thanks, really, Tess, 有心就好, although it's a cheeky-one. =p
~

Okok, I really need to start packing!!

I'll be returning on 29th July, Tue night. Cya guys.

Take care, peeps!

"Why So Serious?"

..you might ask. Well, then, "let's put a smile on that face." :]

By now you should know which movie I've quoted from. But more on that later.

Seriously (pardon the pun), this weekend have been a treat for the senses, I must say. I've watched two solid movies (both blockbusters), and I must tell you, they both come with my seal of approval.
~

Friday met up with a long-time-no-see friend (we've not seen each other for, like, 2 years?). Intro-ed her to desserts @ MOF, which is now officially my favourite dessert place. And to prove to you that it's my favourite:



Yup, that's right, I've signed up for a MOF membership, which instantly gives me 10% off the bill and a further 20% off selected dessert items! Wow.


Anyway, we caught the movie:
赤壁 (上) aka Red Cliff (part 1)



I give the film:



This has got to be one of the most important movies of our time. For us Chinese, this is a chance to see the Biggest Battle of Ancient China being flashed out as a historical epic, under the guidance of mega-director John Woo, plus a powerful cast which includes Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

This majestic film is complete with pulse-racing action and sweeping cinematography which - I dare say - rival that of Lord of the Rings.

On a side-note, the media has been siting 林志玲 as a "花瓶" (decorative flower vase) in the movie. In her defense, she's a very beautiful 花瓶; and she is the exact embodiment of 小乔 - demure, soft-spoken and most importantly, very pretty. Heck, I think her casting is perfect.

FINAL SAY: With all the grandeur of the film and set, you might ask what is holding me back in giving it 5stars? Well, I'm reserving it for the final battle of red cliff itself (赤壁之战), which will be shown at the end of the year. All I can say is, it'll be good. I just know.
~

And now...

THE DARK KNIGHT


I give the film:



One word: "WHOA!"

This is officially the best movie in 2008 so far. The story, the mind-blowing sets (literally), the actors, the kan-cheong-ness, Heath Ledger's acting...... it's all just excellent, I tell you.

I can't even begin to say how amazing is (the late) Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker. Everytime he comes on screen you're drawn to him. You're scared of him. But you think he's funny. Then you think he's freaky. Then funny. Then scary. Yes, you're under the spell of a talented actor.. that's how schizophrenically-good he is.

Everything about this movie is big, BIG, BIG. A Singaporean guy plays a major villain in the movie. Edison Chen makes a blink-and-you'll-miss cameo as.. er, some extra assistant. And I must say, the director filmed the Hong Kong skyscrapers so majestically you won't believe it's hk =x

The story is as heart-wrenching as it is spectacular. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. I've said enough.

FINAL SAY: You'll be blown-off your seat. Believe the hype. Go watch it. Please.
~

Baoyuan, her gf (hannah) and yoketeng came over for mahjong on sunday. Weilong can't make it 'cos he overslept after duty. Nvm, dude, after I come back from Malaysia. Haha.

And, wth, hannah was sooo lucky!

Look at what she 自摸-ed:


SHI SAN YAO!!!!! (I don't know how to write in chinese!!)

Just looking at that gives me the chills...

Random photo of a random shirt and berms I bought over the weekend:

I hope you all don't find out where I bought this from 'cos I don't want to be caught wearing the same thing as you. Thanks.
~

Okay, notice:
I'm leaving for Redang (East Malaysia) from Saturday (26jul) to Tuesday (28jul) with Lamerz, Inc!

(Plus guard duty waiting for me on the 30th when I return. Argh!!!)

Take care, peeps!

Adidas+Yoga

Nope, I'm not into that thing where you sit on a mat for hours and try to break every inch of your body. No. My post-title actually refers to this:

Yea, I finally bought Yoga 林宥嘉's 神秘嘉宾 [新加坡版]! There is a bonus DVD of highlights from his concert (fyi, he's the first singer in Taiwan to hold sold-out concerts even before releasing his first album).

Needless to say, his album is good. Besides the now-classic 伯乐, stand-outs include the Eason Chan-style 残酷月光 and the infectious rock number 慢一点. Although he's not as good a singer as 星光一班 alumni 萧敬腾 and 杨宗纬, but this very stylised (and critically-acclaimed) CD is still worth your spin ;)
~

And yup, I bought the Adidas bag along with the CD @ Suntec after a long search.

It's for the badminton game on friday with fungi, serkun and peijun. Yay, so long never play, it's actually quite shiok. Shall make this badminton thing regular to make full-use of my bag, and of course, to stay healthy lah =P
~

Ahh, must watch 赤壁! Shall be watching this friday night =) Heard so many good reviews about it man.

Anyway, my dear sis Tess is back from Germany! Woohoo! Must meet up soon k =D

She shared with me this very touching video about a blind 5 year old korean girl who can play the piano by ear!!


~
Touching right? Sob.

Got to book in soon. Always waiting for the weekends.

Take care, peeps!

R@NT!NG$

Dear Blog,

I'm so sorry that I've neglected you for so long. But it's not my fault. I've been so busy and exhausted by the activities in my camp lately, it's not even funny.


Ok that's actually quite funny. But ahhh! Sorry guys, let me rant awhile.

Ranting #1:
I did a 24-Hour Guard Duty on Sunday and then an office duty straight away on monday because most of the men were away on live range. If you think office duty is just sitting in the office and doing nothing, you're wrong. Here's my illustrated pic of what it is:


Ranting #2:
Because of all the duties and also the fact that I've an extra appointment, I've been sleep deprived for the past few days.


Ranting #3:
The stuff that I've done in my camp alone this week makes me wonder why am I drawing such a meagre "pay"?? (Actually, it isn't even salary, it's allowance). I should be earning more!!



But...

From today, the next four days (at least) will be better!!

Took off for today and friday. And most importantly, pay (although miserable) goes into my bank account today!

Going night shopping today. Hopefully can finally get 林宥嘉's 神秘嘉宾 CD and a sports bag for tomorrow's badminton game.

Yeah man, watching 赤壁 this saturday.

Time for me to enjoy myself after a relatively stressful week.

Take care, peeps!

我的 星光

a Life, Curious music exclusive:
For those in love with Mandarin Music...

I've come to be hooked onto 超级星光大道 - Taiwan's answer to American Idol - and hosted by the super-competent Mathilda Tao (陶晶莹 - or affectionately known as 陶子姐 in the industry). The contestant's love for music is inspiring, and the performances that they deliver are really worth-watching.


So here's my tribute to the greatness of a successful music competition which celebrates the greatness of Mandarin Music...
~

[ 我的 星光 ]
Chapter 1: Yoga 林宥嘉
I don't know how on earth did I get to know about him, since I didn't catch 星光 until the third (and current) season (fyi, he's the champion of season 1). But all I know is that I saw a video of him on YouTube and was immediately taken in by his voice and talent.

This is a video of him performing 陶子姐's song - 那些日子. The judges (and obviously the host herself) was surprised that he chose to sing this, as it was a difficult song choice with a 6/8 time signature. To make things worse, this song was written by 袁惟仁, one of the panel's judges! However, he lived up to expectations and delivered a highly-graded performance:



And this is the original 陶晶莹's video of 那些日子. It's old but still, sweet and nice =)



Next up is undeniably one the best 'live' recording of one the best Mandarin ballad in history. 林宥嘉 was brave enough to pick this song that was originally sung by a blind guy (蕭煌奇). It's called 你是我的眼.

His heartfelt performance earned him the highest score of 星光 at that time: a full-mark of 25/25.



And this is the original song - 蕭煌奇's 你是我的眼. It really is a classic. And considering that he's really blind, read the lyrics and you'll feel how touching the song is:


如果我能看得见
就能轻易的分辨白天黑夜
就能准确的在人群中牵住你的手

如果我能看得见
就能驾车带你到处遨游
就能惊喜的从背后给你一个拥抱

如果我能看得见
生命也许完全不同
可能我想要的我喜欢的我爱的都不一样

眼前的黑不是黑 你说的白是什么白
人们说的天空蓝
是我记忆中那团白云背后的蓝天

我望向你的脸 却只能看见一片虚无
是不是上帝在我眼前遮住了帘
忘了掀开

你是我的眼 带我领略四季的变换
你是我的眼 带我穿越拥挤的人潮
你是我的眼 带我阅读浩瀚的书海
因为你是我的眼
让我看见这世界就在我眼前

And yup, this fantastic talent has released his much-awaited and critically-acclaimed first album: 神秘嘉宾.

I have yet to buy the album, though. I'm waiting patiently for a limited-edition or something like that. But if it doesn't come out by the time my next pay comes (which is on the 10th), I don't care, I'm going to buy the current edition.
~

[ 我的 星光 ]
Chapter 2: 你们是我的星光

I didn't really pay attention to 星光二班, nor the winner. But there are two songs that caught my attention.

The first is the collaboration song: 你们是我的星光. Season 1, the males dominated. But in season 2, although it was a male champion, there were only two guys among a bevy of ladies:



And then there's this very nice performance by the very sweet 林宜融 which is called 同手同脚 (温岚's song).


~

[ 我的 星光 ]
Chapter 3: 星光三班了！

While Singapore's 绝对Superstar fizzled and died after a mere second season, 超级星光大道 is still drawing strong viewerships in Taiwan. It's ace production values and the host's professionalism were recently recognised: 陶晶莹 was awarded the prestigious 金钟奖 for Best Variety Host. No denying, this show is good.

And guess what?? There are actually TWO Singaporeans who made it into the Top10 and one of them is still in the competition as we speak!
黄靖伦 is still competing (and is immensely popular because of his awkwardness and unique voice) while Sugie 潘嗣敬 is known as 美猴王 because he likes to dance about on stage like a monkey. If you find him familiar - you're right - he's Sugianto from 绝对Superstar, where he was very short-lived.

This is a video to demonstrate why our very own 黄靖伦 is still in the competition. He did an informal duet of 爱如潮水 with 张信哲, whom his voice has been compared with.



Besides getting all excited about a Singaporean potentially winning the competition, there is this young lady in the Top5 who's also a force to be reckoned with. She is 徐佳莹 (aka 创作才女) and her song 身骑白马 is her own composition!


~

So there you go. Hope you enjoyed those pieces of music-to-the-ears.

I used to hate people who dismiss Mandarin Music as "conventional".. or "always the same".. or worse: "boring".. becaused I used to be one of them. I used to swear by Perfect10, 987FM and only listen to Y.E.S.933FM only when my father tunes in in the car.

But through friends' influence and probably a mature in musical tastes, I've come to embrace Mandarin Music not only because it represents part of my culture, but also because I like everything to do with music, basically =x
~

Whoa I can't believe I spent half my off-day on this post, but I'm proud of it =)

Today's Battalion off for SAF DAY, and I took the chance to recuperate and catch up on some rest after a hectic weekend. This weekend is going to be worse.. a lot worse.. so I better enjoy my time here.

Take care, peeps!