random photos

taken using iPhone.. it's a 2-meg camera. photos not edited.

nazreen and chan at night lecture.

kah yan and dan at zam zam

mr chef at shima goodwood park. teppanyaki buffet~~

shaun and dong-key gets the ball rolling...

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... and boxer refuses to let it go.

2 bowls of laksa, 1 ice lemon tea, 1 lychee freeze, and a very uninterested cashier

it's not that i am cheap. and i'm definitely not dishonest. i'm as upright as the day is long (lol).

but what i am, is pissed. she wasn't rude, she just didn't take me seriously. at all.

so it's not my fault that when our meal totaled up to $11.20 (i gave her $50.20), and she gave me my change of $49, i didn't say a thing.

who ask you?! huh! you tell me? don't care some more lah!

forbidden kingdom

the asian culture has come a long way. watching this on screen, you feel a sense of pride. in fact, this is a landmark in chinese cinematography, if this comment is but a little exaggerated. while asians have been doomed to play kung fu masters, monks, the scheming martial art slime-ball in many modern day american movies, forbidden kingdom is all these, but embraced in an asian context, in our culture of olden times. for once, it is an american movie that is led by the chinese.

i shall risk dragging my point a little too long, but if you catch this film, watching the clouds and mountains in a hollywood blockbuster is surreal. you remember hong kong movies you watched as a kid, and you really feel like, this is it.

the plot however, is much to be desired. cheesy? definitely. over-done? oh my God, yes. 

generally it is a vehicle to show of the pairs' (jet li and jackie chan) martial art skills. unprovoked attacks and unnecessary dueling are one too many. but still, there is comedy, some done perfectly, some very cringe-worthy. but if you think about it, the usually no nonsense imdb.com gave this flick a sky high rating of 7.8. i think it's because we grew up watching the hong kong versions, and seen too many of this genre. but for hollywood and the rest of the world, this is a breath of fresh air, and they like it.

jackie chan and jet li are both legends in chinese cinemas. together for the first time, they are likable and you just want to root for them. jackie manages english that is actually not too bad. but jet li murders his dialogue. but it's okay really.

doesn't matter i'm not exceptionally jumping about this one. watch it, just because it is jackie chan and jet li. also watch it because you really will, feel proud to see how far hong kong cinema has come.

dinner

i love dinners with my mum, aunt and grandparents. always enjoyable, and you can totally just be yourself. doesn't matter if you order more, or take a bigger serving of what you like. we're family and my grandparents and aunt watched me grow up. it's just, nice. i always want such dinners, and i hope it never ends.

a little love note

dear iPhone, 

you're perfect. you're all i wanted, but even better. i can foresee our lives together in the near future, filled with joy and definitely no sorrow. oh iPhone! what brilliant minds created you, and brought you right to my doorstep. sure, you're a little high maintenance, but i'm sure as hell good things don't come cheap. so here's to the joyous and delightful time we'll spend together...

until the next best thing comes along of course. 

love, 

glenn

ann kok on today

check out the story & photo

pissed off

i am damn pissed. i just hate people who don't love books and they work in bookstores. every bookworm will tell you:

rule #1: keep my books in mint condition.

that's why i always clear wrap my books once i buy or get them. so today, me, jeremy and nazreen were at west mall getting presents for chan, who has, by the way has received his baby girl (little chloe chan!) into this world on the 9th April 2008, at 1520 hrs. congrats!

anyway we decided to get the kite runner for his wife to read while on maternity leave, and some soothing piano pieces for little chloe. we got them at popular, and they don't offer book wrapping. so we went over to sans bookshop to ask if they'd do it for us. for the record, MOST SANS BOOKSHOPS DO THAT FOR $1. but this lady, what a bitch. she said, no.

i smiled and say, "even if i paid for it?" and she still said no. still smiling i said, "please? as a favour? it's a gift." but no.. no means no, even though she has like ready cut clear wraps (one whole stack for that matter!) just beside her. i mean wtf! need to be so mean or not? it's not like i;m not paying or anything. if i'm working there, i'd gladly wrap books for people because they care for their books. she has no compassion.

what a bitch.

happy 3 years!

3 years back, on 11th april 2006, we were on our way to cambodia.

fast forward 3 years, and here we are at dempsey having a great meal, just enjoying each others' company. good food and good conversation, what more can a guy ask for?

and it's weird. we were thinking, exactly three years back, at that very same moment, we were in the truck, all 22 of us, having traveled potholes and the biggest rocks on the road you've ever seen. we were reaching our destination, having been on the truck for about almost 12 hours i think. ah, great memories. well, here's to desmond, and you guys for that amazing trip, and may we have more to come!

ps. happy birthday kit!! hope you knew that sms was from me! in case you're still using the old phone. =)

80's rewind

in a bit of a retro phase now.

f.r.i.e.n.d.s the movie please?

i know. some will think they a movie may ruin the legacy they left behind, when the series ended on high. but i believe nothing, will ever change the fact that they were one of the best (and last) 'recorded-live in front of tv audience' sitcoms of our times. i miss them so much! sex and the city in my opinion, isn't even that great but yet they have a movie coming out. when's f.r.i.e.n.d.s' turn? i really love the cast!

boxer

the time traveler's wife

"The Time Traveler's Wife (ISBN 0224071912) is a novel by Audrey Niffenegger. It is an unconventional love story that centers on a man with a strange genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably time-travel and his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. In this book, unlike many other time travel stories, it is not possible to change the past or future." [Source]

the story is a beautiful love tale that captures both the heart and imagination of the reader. if anything, it is a modern day love epic that is intriguing, sexy, and definitely not difficult to believe. the story is grand, relatable in modern times, and like all great love stories, has an ironic ending that saddens and is heartbreaking.

check out the movie page.

definitely, maybe (but not really)

it starts off interestingly enough, with a father-daughter conversation that hooks the audience and leaving them curious and wanting to know more. abigail breslin is maya hayes, the smart alecky kind that twirls her dad (ryan reynolds as will hayes) around with her little pinkie. but after a while it becomes draggy, too soppy and ryan reynolds became from hunker to wanker. he pretty much proposes to anyone he's with, and falls head over heels over and over again. the three girls (Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz) are re-used and recycled, they appear again and AGAIN. it isn't a bad movie, just not exactly worth the $10.

these days

not to sound too boastful or anything, but these days, people have been commenting, *ahem* "wow glenn! you're looking like you lost some weight!" and i try my best to not look too pleased, and say modestly, "really? thanks! but i think cos i'm wearing black lah" then i faster turn away before they see that huge grin i'm trying to conceal. because i know i lost weight! hehehehehe. damn it feels good!

but of course, in order to lose weight i had to keep my mind off food.

enter: the cathy. i love that place! it's got this nice vibe, especially at night. not too crowded, shops don't open too late.. it's a proper movie place if you get what i mean. the cinemas have spacious seats and if you get the couple seats you feel like you're sitting on a sofa. but you know what it lacks? macdonald's and a 24-hr cafe. then it'd be perfect.

and to show my love, i watched two more movies there. the orphanage and charlie bartlett.

this show has no good-looking stars, no big names, not so conventional. maybe that's why we were assigned a very small cinema and it wasn't even filled more than half. but it's good. i don't like crowds.

charlie bartlett belongs to the high school genre, but offers more. geek? check. bully? check. dysfunctional? check. punk rock music? check. not too many babes and hunks, but it has a lot of heart, and it has much more depth. it looks into the problems of kids now, what they face in school. more in the context of western schools, but still can related to.

everybody wants to fit in, but when you finally do, what next? do you define who you are, or just be another face in the crowd? it also touches on the struggles between parents and their kids. communication, single parenthood, unexpressed love. it's actually a bit like juno, raw and isn't shy to be unconventional. there are many laughs along the show that won't feel forced, from his depressed mother and bully turned friend.


the orphanage on the other hand, is crap - a huge load of crap. my resolution to never watch a horror flick again always crumbles, i don't know why. i held my breath way too many times, but wasn't scared enough. let's face it. how are you ever going to end a horror movie without the ending being,

1)stupid
2)over-done
3)unbelievable

well, chances are zero. and the orphanage exceeds most. it is all three, plus boring. definitely don't watch this one.