went back to nus on an early saturday morning to help out witg GC2009. Time flies. I still remember the days last year when the 42nd MC were busying running about fass while ensuring GC went on well. and not forgetting all the meetings till 10pm until the earth lab aircon turns off. feel old liao... some of the 43 called me n jon 'old man' loh....

mid sem break also flew by... left with one more day to finish up whatever stuff that i have set a dateline for. well, don't think i can achieve my target judging from the amount of things left. and the 2nd half of the semester seems so hard to get through. already looking forward to field studies and SEP. the thought of wandering around for 5 weeks in thailand is so appealing. and i am thinking of a short getaway before SEP starts... hmm... hanoi?

video clip of the day. watch out for the baby panda....

slumdog millionaire

After The curious case of benjamin button, i sort of had a rather high expectation for slumdog millionaire. well, being another oscar nomination for best picture.

The story is like any typical movie about one's life. all the drama that one faces. I liked how they linked the life of Jamal to the Who Wants to be a millionaire gameshow. And he was really damm lucky to guess the last qn correctly. And yup, the child actors did a good job. at one point, i was wondering how the hell did they pick up english?

I expected it to be like a bollywood movie. drama and action was typical bollywood style but this movie lacks all the dance and songs. perhaps it isn't meant to be a bollywood movie. It is after all produced by an english director. Despite it being slightly disappointing, it was still a very enjoyable movie.

The ending bolloywood dance sequence


mid sem break is finally here and i feel so lost. maybe because i don't have any mid sems? some ppl are gonna kill me for saying that... no mid sems means heavy project component....

overnight mahjong later!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Just caught The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at JP just now, on the first day of its opening. Naturally, it attracted a large crowd (about 3/4 of the cinema is occupied), especially with all the hype going on about the movie and the 13 oscar nominations it received. I too, eagerly wanted to watch the movie to find out if it is really worth the time, money and the nominations. Another reason why I wanted to watch this movie was the storyline, which was really special to me.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a boy, Benjamin Button, who was born old and he grew younger and younger as he became older in age. His lifestory was kept in a diary that was read to Daisy, a women he loved, by her daughter, as Daisy was in her last moments of her life. As his lifestory unfolds, the movie brought us through several stages of his life, from being an old man with a child's thinking, all the way till he is in his 40s (20+ in real life), then to his 50s (which he became a young hunk) till his death (he died as a baby).

Though the movie was long, 2 hours and 40 minutes according to sources, it did not feel that long. The movie picked up on a slow pace and continues to move as such a pace. Not rushing through his whole life story allows viewers to connect with the character much more emotionally as viewers are able to see and feel his thoughts through the different stages of his life. The movie has also gave us a lot of opinions on life. Thinking back, a 'child' growing up in a place where people around him dies, and he, thinking that his time may be up any moment, Benjamin is still able to put on a positive outlook towards life.

In fact, his life journey is just like any one of us, from child, till adolescent, adult and then old. There is really nothing special about his life, except from the face that he grows younger instead of older. Still, the movie is captivating in the way Benjamin's life is being depicted.

Overall, the movie didn't disppoint me although it didn't blow my mind off either. I dislike the part when they kept switching between the present and the past but overall, it was really an enjoyable 2 hours plus sitting in the cinema. The ending of the movie was the part I love the most, where there is a falshback of the main characters in the show, just like bringing us through the life of Benjamin Button once more again.

Certainly one of the films that I like (which explains the long post on it)

On a sidenote, I have not been to Jurong Point for some time and I was shocked at the scale of the expansion and the crowds. The whole place is really big for a neighbourhood shopping mall, packed with all the shops and eating outlets. Can consider heading there next time instead of town.

Just came back from weijun's bdae party. It was a long way there and a long way back.. luckily elaine was around to gossip/bitch with me along the way.

All the new year gatherings should have come to an end and it should be time to hit the books. was so happy that i managed to complete the webcast lecture which i had ponned... webcast lectures are more intolerable than normal lectures i think!

and i realise that the new army uniform is just not just ugly but fugly. happened to see the recruits booking in at pasir ris mrt and omg, one patch of pixelated green is just not a sight that is pleasing to the eye.

lots of random stuff to say but i shall stop here... time to mug!

So the CNY holidays came and went.... Time to get back into studying mode and no more holiday, despite all the gatherings and mahjong sessions coming up, lasting way till the 15th day of CNY.

was so tired in school today that i fell asleep in lecture, till my pen dropped onto the floor. It was only when i bent down to pick up the pen that i felt awake once again. I guess it must be the blood flow to the brain. Next time if you are feeling sleepy in lecture, just bend down for a while and get up. And i woke up to my lecturer telling us about his Sydney trip.

Went shopping for gifts today and got to talk to elainey... haven really chatted with her since last year as we are doing different mods... and my stupid shoe caused my last toe to hurt so badly... now got blister already....

and we saw 黄靖倫at the bus stop outside heerens. almost wanted to ask him for a picture, but decided not to disturb him ba... He was with his friends. I remember he mentions on 933 that he likes to take bus, so i was lucky to catch him at the bus stop. Another celebrity sighting added to my list.

Some random thoughts

I actually drank expired milk for 2 days. The milk in my fridge expired on 19/1 and I was drinking it on 20th and 21st. Only discovered that it has expired in the evening on 21st. And I seems to be suffering from the effects only yesterday (23/1). Wow... things take 2 days to happen inside my stomach. Lesson learnt: I will check the expiry date whenever i take the bottle of milk out from my fridge.

I think i have become a mahjong addict. Went over to vivien's house to play 通宵麻将and I did not feel tired at all after 6 hours of gaming. I could still come home, send emails to prof asking them for recommendation letters, reply them with all the necessary info and do my tutorial balloting before I fell asleep. Now got mahjong kakis so near my house. Yeah! And the only thing I look forward to this coming CNY is mahjong. The coming year better be a good one for me.

Went shopping with yz at vivo and end up not buying anything. Found something interesting there. Action City i think. The chicken which Wee Heong (my YEP instructor) showed us. Apparently, when you press stomach of the chicken, the chicken will produce a loud, screeching crow that is bound to capture everybody's attention. He mentions that such tools may be used to get your team to listen to you. I did contemplate buying it, but it costs $28. too ex le... If it is under $10 i will surely buy it.

Talking about paying attention, i found this picture online that made me laugh out. Apparently someone is wearing his lifejacket upside down. Yup, it is from the US Air A320 that ditched into the Hudson River. He must be one of those who don't listen to the safety demo.

Talking about shopping, I realise neighbourhood malls are more suitable for me. Spent close to $70 in Lot 1 and i manage to get 3 shirts and 1 pair of shoes.. Whereas in atas places like vivo, i think i can only afford to get one item.

Happened to drop by Tanjong Pagar area to submit the insurance claim. Ate roast duck rice at one of the food shops there. costs only $3.50 for one big plate with lots of meat... It is really lots of big chunky duck meat.. Dunno if it is because they are going to close soon or they are that generous all the time.

Since I have nothing to do, decided to pop into URA City Gallery for a visit. Went straight to the 2nd floor as I have visited the first floor on MasterPlan 2008 before. The last time i visited the Gallery was in secondary school and I was so amazed by the mock up of the city. This time round, I am still impressed at the buildings... I can't wait to see the new downtown coming up.

We are supposed to write about Our Favourite "playgrounds"...

and guess what i saw?

must be one of those mischevious schools kids who wrote this....

While cleaing my room yesterday and today and i realise that the number of CDs I have is really a lot. Looked through them and I didnt' bear to throw them away. And the arrangement is realy too messy. I decided to do something crazy. I arranged the titles according to alphabatical order! English and Chinese titles are arranged separetely. Sense of satisfaction that i managed to sort out this mess. I think it will be messed up again sooner or later...

Banh Mi

Guess what i found at Chinatown? Banh Mi !!!

Apparently, the vietnamese baguette, which is a favourite among most DD07&08 ppl, can be found in Chinatown CNY bazzar. The bread is not the long type, but more rounded type. You can see the vietnamese ham, the carrot and radish as well as the vege (izit parsley?). Got me excited for a moment, but then, the price is really steep. $3.50 for one, when you can get it in Vietnam for like 5,000 dong....

Now, i am craving for Vietnamese food... Fried spring roll, a nice bowl of hot pho and of course banh mi... Shall head down to Pho24 someday...

I tried to access the website listed in the picture above but there is no such site. But there is actually a restaurant Yummy Viet located along Smith Street (Chinatown). Maybe i shall head down there to see what they offer?

And there is this site for Banh Mi fans...

http://battleofthebanhmi.com/

Too bad they didn't list down places where we can find banh mi in Singapore....

Can someone start selling cheap banh mi???

one week of school has passed and i am not feeling excited about this coming sem. Haven't got into the mood of studies too. I guess the upcoming CNY holiday during week 3 is causing the 'school has not started' syndrome. Right now, what's on my mind is what to do during CNY and when are all the gatherings, where to eat, where to play mahjong.... Neglecting both my school work and DD08 post trip stuff.

I had an exciting friday cause it is the karaoke session that i have longed for, since before exams last semester. As usual, headed down to Ten Dollars Club in Chinatown and I was amazed at how recent and updated their song list has become. 2pm to 7pm, free flow drinks + 1 bowl shark fins soup, for just $10. Really quite worth it. Hope next friday's k-session comes true. I gonna complete this song:

I made a stupid stupid big mistake in bidding.. Didn't check my timetable correctly and realise that one of my tutorial (the one and only one) clashes with another lecture!!!! now i have to drop changing landscape.. waste 246 points.. somemore is the precious general account points!!! going to take sc1101e instead.... at least i am clearing up my UEs.. This sem timetable is horrible.. the modules i wish to take somehow clashes with other modules.. it is just so irritating finding modules to take.... hopefully this doens't reappear next year, if not my minor will be totally screwed..

Just lots of bad luck on me since i returned frm vietnam. my PC monitor went blank the day before i returned, and my phone sliding mechanism screwed up... a check with the warranty card says that the warranty has expired and i can only change phone from february onwards.. now i am forcing my phone open and shut whenever i use it.. will give way some day i guess.. hope it can tide me over till february... or shall i just bring it to the service centre and see how much it cost to repair it?

It's Day 5 into the trip. So far, things have been great, haven't encountered any unpleasant event. And looking back, I have been spending almost 1 month in Vietnam (apart for the 4 days back in singapore).

Now we are in Dalat, a city in the central highlands. At night, when the winds are blowing, it is freezing cold!!!! It's a nice little city, very different from saigon. Less vehicles, less people. It's an experience eating you tiao, hum jim pang and cream puff with soya bean milk on the roadside in the freezing weather.

Recap a bit of my trip. Yesterday was spent in Nha Trang, where pampering myself goes to the max. We went to this hot spring/mud spa and enjoyed ourselves totally there. Though the mud didn't really make my skin smoother or better, the experience of soaking in the hot mineral water was simply heavenly..

For the 2nd and 3rd day, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels and the mekong delta region, doing touristy stuff, where everything is being packaged into a tour package meant for the tourist. Would have preferred exploring myself but joining the tour package is much more convenient and easy. Sinh Cafe tours have been good so far.

And I don't feel like going back to SG. Going back means sch is starting!!!