Dance Floor Finals

Picture of the fans' seating arrangements (accurate)


Picture of the stage (not to scale)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ERIC, DOROTHY AND JENNIFER
TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!

At first I thought Eric and I would be late for the Dance Floor finals yesterday cos I was made to finish at 6 pm due to manpower shortage. Obviously I was a little worried and pissed at the same time that me and Eric may not be able to make it in time for the show... but to my utter relief, Iskandar dismissed me a little earlier. And thus I quickly changed back to civilian clothes and tagged along Eric (da birthday boy, now that he told me) to haf light dinner and take a taxi to Mediacorp. And we could see that we were definitely NOT late when we saw tons of fans from the various fanclubs waiting at the carpark... and so wif that, I immediately forgot about any unpleasant stuff that may haf happened at work and enjoyed every minute inside (tho my plans to resign are still underway). Many many thanks to Taz for helping to reserve the tickets btw :-)
Once inside the theater, there was madness everywhere!! Fans in yellow (Melvin and Sharon), fans in green (Soul Fusion), fans in red (Vas and Pris), fans in blue (Fantastic Four), and fans in blakc (Platinum). The moment I saw Anthony and Ryan at the carpark, that could mean only one thing... HADY MIRZA WILL BE PERFORMING AS WELL!! The Top 3 from Miss Singapore Universe (Jessica, Joey and Christabel) were also present... it seems I couldnt stop staring at sweet-faced Joey...
My eyes popped out when Jade got on stage in a white dress (and later changed to a black dress)... yet I couldnt help but notice that her waist seemed to get a little 'thicker'. My eyes also popped out upon seeing Gladys in a shiny red dress, and my mouth dropped when Sharon wore sexy black and white dresses for separate dances.
Benji Schwimmer the champion of SYTYCD season 2, Hady Mirza the 2nd Singapore Idol and some Malay rapper (forgot his name) were the guest stars of the show... the ousted finalists also made a comeback to the stage (J.D.I., E-Squared, Styles From Beyond, Batucadas and Break Force Crew). Quite often, there would be one dancer swirling his/her body very close to the fans standing at the lower decks of the Mosh Pit... it was truly "in your face". Kay from Platinum waved to me and I blushed... :-)
In the end, it was Vas and Pris who won the 50K grand prize and title of Dance Floor champions... congratulations, you truly deserved it!!
I later found out that there was going to be a party for the finalists, crew and VIPs after the show, and knowing that it will end rather late, I decided to scrap my plans to wait for them and head back home (saving money by taking bus instead of cab)... surprise surprise, I took the same bus (165 btw) with... PAUL TWOHILL!!! Say say say... :-D

Info on Gwen Stacy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIAN EGAN (WESTLFIE MEMBER), KIRSTEN DUNST (MARY JANE)... not forgetting my mum!!

Here's some info on Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's first true love who got killed during a battle between Spidey and Green Goblin... but in the upcoming film, she'll be playing an old classmate of Peter, who would later serve as Mary Jane's love rival (when Peter is under the influence of the symbiote).

Story in the original comics

Gwen first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965); Peter Parker met Gwen while they were undergraduates at Empire State University. Initially, Peter's problems as Spider-Man made him ignore her advances, and in return, she felt insulted by his aloofness. Gradually, however, a romance developed; Gwen, a science major, seemed to appreciate Peter's intellectual personality, different from that of jocks like Flash Thompson and preppies like Harry Osborn. She was Peter's first true love.
Their romance became more complicated when her father, Police Captain George Stacy, was killed by falling debris from a battle which involved Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. Gwen blamed Spider-Man for that event, which set back their relationship for a while. Gwen left for Europe to deal with her loss. When she returned from Europe, Gwen and Peter resumed their relationship, but it would not last for long...

Gwen was held captive on a tower of the Brooklyn Bridge one fateful night by the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn, who is aware that Peter Parker is Spider-Man). Spider-Man arrives to fight the Green Goblin, and when the Goblin throws Gwen off the bridge, Spider-Man catches her by the leg with a string of web. He initially thinks he has saved her, but when he pulls her back onto the bridge, he realizes she is dead. Later the Goblin still seemingly dies when he is impaled by his own Goblin Glider in an attempt to kill Spider-Man.

For many years, the cause of Gwen's death had hotly debated among Spider-Man fans, who also demanded a good explanation on why such a popular character like Gwen would be killed off instaed of someone else. It was only recent that Physicist James Kalakios shows in his book The Physics of Superheroes that, consistent with Newton's Laws of Motion, it was indeed the sudden stop that killed Gwen Stacy (and such a stop would break her neck).

Link to Gwen Stacy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Stacy

Link to Gwen's controversial death: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Gwen_Stacy_Died

Story in the film

Gwen's character is being greatly revised here... like in the main story, she is indeed an old schoolmate of Peter who sat next to him during science lab sessions, and her father George Stacy is a police captain who later informs Peter and May about Ben Parker's actual killer (3 guesses who). However, in this film she will have a supporting role rather than a major one. Gwen becomes a model in spite of her father's disapproval, and is in a relationship with Eddie Brock. It had been confirmed that she will not be killed off in the film series like her comic counterpart.

Info on Mary Jane Watson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ESTHER AND JESSICA ALBA (INVISIBLE WOMAN)

Here's some info on Mary Jane Watson, better known as the longtime love interest of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. The actress turns 25 tomorrow btw... :-)

Mary Jane comes from a severely troubled family. Her father Phillip, a professor and frustrated writer, takes his stress out on his family in the form of spousal and child abuse. Coping with her hellish family life, Mary Jane develops a facade as a superficial party girl to avoid the embarrassment, which may have cast her as a forerunner to the archetype of a wily, feisty redhead. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Mary Jane and her sister Gayle lived with her mother Madeline, often staying with relatives. She also frequently babysat a cousin of hers, Kristy Watson, who had minor appearances throughout the Spider-Man titles. Her favorite relative, her Aunt Anna, lived next door to the Parkers. At first, she was unimpressed by Peter, a bookish nerd. That opinion becomes altered on the night of Ben Parker's murder, as Mary Jane sees Peter become Spider-Man for the first time. For years, MJ, as she is often called, keeps that knowledge to herself that the boy has an intriguing and exciting secret pastime.

SKILLS AND EQUIPMENT
She has no special powers, but due to her relationship with Spider-Man and her job as an actress and model, she has found herself in danger many times. Having learned of the risk at the expense of her friend, Gwen Stacy's life she is unwilling to be completely dependent on others for her safety.
Mary Jane has some training in self-defense with teachers including Captain America. She has been able to fend off attackers of normal strength and skill, including the Chameleon using a baseball bat, one obsessive stalker using a can of hair spray and a heavy purse, and another using a cue stick. On another occasion, she knocked out a kidnapper with a lamp and electrified his bodyguards with it.
Mary Jane also carries a gun (although Peter disliked the idea at first) which she uses against the Green Goblin. After Peter developed organic webshooters, he modified his original webshooters into bracelets that she could wear discreetly, giving her an additional defensive weapon. She also carries a modified spider-tracer with an amplified signal that can be traced over long distances.
Mary Jane has used her fashion design and sewing skills on many occasions to make and repair Spider-Man's costumes. She also designed the Hornet, Prodigy, and Ricochet costumes. She is usually the person who provides first aid when Peter is injured.

Laggy day in school...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO FITREE AND AVERIL

Nothing much happening in school... today was the second last day that Miss April will be part of the institute. Majority of the class were present at the PC Lab (save for 4 absentees, 2 of them being 'regulars'), and we took pictures wif her. I had actually finished with the MAYA hand assignment yesterday, but couldn't leave the school early due to heavy downpour. So I decided to stay for a while longer to help out with a few classmates with their assignments (tho the end results wasn't always that pleasant for each individual).
The rain finally stopped at around 1730 hrs, and I could resume my plans to head to Vivo City... only new discoveries I made were the 2 Sand Compound action stes... Spidey vs Sandman and New Goblin vs Sandman (aiming for this one next month!)... and an exhausting list of LCD games. Not to forget, Burger King hs already released an all new line of toys related to the upcoming film... I'm currently aiming to get only 6 of the 10 toys. I also found out, to my utter surprise, that The Marine film (the WWE film starring Da Champ John Cena) had been realeased in VCD and DVD format... proof that the film will not be realeased in cinemas here (kinda sad, isnt it? But then I guess the film would ba greatly slammed tha same way as "See No Evil" ). And before heading back home, I decided to haf dinner at the all-new fastfood outlet named Superdog.
I need to sleep early now... I need to head to report to work very early tomorrow (while still planning to take pics wif the Dance Floor finalists after the show on Sunday)... til then, later

Drowsy days ahead, and a song dedication of fiery sorts

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GLENN JACOBS AKA KANE!!
5 MORE DAYS!!!

So I was right all along... the gala premiere of Spider-Man 3 was indeed at Vivo City... but the bad news is, it was held YESTERDAY and there were NO PUBLIC SESSIONS after 5 pm?!? Seems like Im not fated to snap a few pics of any celeb after all... but that doesnt really matter. At least I can try to watch the film next Tuesday evening... or ANYTIME next month. :-)

Oh man, I nearly fell asleep trying to finish up the website assignment on my customary online shop (on Spider-Man merchandise, hehe)... in fact, I've been losing my ability to stay awake for no valid reason. Yet it somehow disappoint me to know how pathetic the attendance for most classes had been for the past few days. Im not one to judge others whatsoever, but if the 'regular absentees' don't find a certain balance in their studies and other stuff, chances are they will be bound to lose some priority.

Today, the Big Red Monster turns 40, and Im dedicating his theme song to him as well as to all the Kanenites all around the world! He is still going strong after a decade of hell-bent destruction in the WWE... not to forget a starring role in a horror movie named "See No Evil" :-)

(Who can forget that he used to portray a deranged dentist or a Kevin Nash imposter... or even a Christmas creature??)

The wonder of the world is gone and old for sure

All the wonder that I would have found in her

As a hole becomes another strike to burn

An old flame returns

Every intuition fails to find it's way

One more table turned around and back again

Finding I'm all lost and found when she's not around

When she's not around, I feel it coming down!

Get me what I could never ask for

Connect me and you could be my chemical now

Give me the drug you know I'm after

Connect me and you could be my chemical...

When everybody wants (the chemical of) your soul

When everybody wants (the chemical of) your soul

Slow, and everybody wants you

So, slow and everybody wants your soul

Give me what I could never ask for

Connect me and you could be my chemical now

Give me the drug you know I'm after

Connect me and you could be the chemical...

You could be the chemical...

You could be the chemical...

You could be the chemical...

You could be the chemical

Lowdown on the Final 5 Dance Floor groups

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DARHAM, LYNETTE, AND JOANNE PEH


I know this came a little late, but the last Dance Floor group to have been given the boot is J.D.I., whose performance on the tango had been rather mediocre. Still, it's good to know that they made it this far in the competition. :)

And now we boil down to the Final 5...


Platinum
Members: Kay, Clare, Andrea, Shulin, Marianna, Aishah
The hot faves to win the prize, this sextet is truly entertaining yet serious in each dance. In fact, 4 of the members had emerged as champions for the Suntec Dance competitions in 2002 and 2004. The most consistent of all groups in terms of entertainment value and chereography.


Vas and Pris
Cute couple who had won the Singapore Standard and Asian Standard dance competitions in 2005 and 2006, these two have been dancing since they were toddlers. Score high in passion during every routine.


Melvin and Sharon
With impressive claims to fame — being finalists in the SEA Games (Latin American Dance) 2005 and being the Singaporean champs for the DanceSport Championships 2006 (Open Latin) — this talented dance duo who had been performing for 7 years are aiming to start a dance studio. Good in techniques and genre, but need to work on versatility regarding other genres.


Fantastic Four
Members: Ewan, Gino, Noramin (Hafeez withdrew due to NS)
The loss of a member certainly hadn't dampened the remaining threesome's spirits, as they had shown in the Ballroom dancing and the recap round. Otherwise, they had been showing gradual improvement in each and every round, entertaining the viewers with their energetic and sexy hip-hop moves.


Soul Fusion
Members: Andy, Alicia, Dapheny, Yenny
The quintet's dance style mitigates jazz, hip hop, salsa, contemporary and ballet. Arguably the best group in terms of technical ability, but the foursome had sadly been in the Bottom 3 too often, much to the disbelief of many viewers and the judges.


For more info on the show, go to http://www.thedancefloor.com.sg/

Only one of these five teams will walk away with the 50K grand prize... it all happens in the Dance Floor Finals this Sunday at 8 pm on Channel 5! ;-)

Aftermath of MSU 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KHAI (SFB) AND WWE CHAMPION JOHN CENA

I know this came a bit late, but I just wanna say... CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BIRTH OF YOUR TWIN SONS ROCCO BERTIE AND JAY NICK, NICKY AND GEORGINA BYRNE!!! ON MY BIRTHDAY SOME MORE :-D
I am very surprised indeed... not only did ALL my predictions go correct, I also realised that even TODAY's picks for the Top 3 were 100% SPOT ON!!! Seems like the editors of TODAY have a crystal ball hidden somewhere... still, I can't help but deduct that this year's MSU is just as predictable as the 2004 Acadmeny Awards (when LOTR sweeped up 11 awards according to predictions). But I wouldn't say that the event was boring, even if Im still sulking over Miss J not being among the Top 18.

No wait, make that 17... cos the last contestant Judy Lee withdrew from the competition at the very last minute due to work commitments... more on this later O_O
Still, I was absolutely right when Angelina and Joanne Lopez made it to the Top 10 (no comments on Celest, Carol and especially Cadenze), yet the Gaia member's jiggly leg muscles during the swimwear round kinda freaked me a little (tho she does look HAWT, and even hotter than her Gaia partner Belinda before her). And I was very happy when my top faves Jessica, Joey and Adlina made it to the Top 10 as well, and later into the Top 5. Surprise appearances in the Q nA segment videos included Levan Ng from Ronin, Bill Calhoun from The Dance Floor and... Paul Twohill from Singapore Idol??? :-O

It wasnt any surprise that confident contestants like Peggy and Adlina would go all the way to the Top 5...
It wasnt any surprise either that the very tall Christabelle would win 2nd runner-up...
It was totally expected that Joey, with her pixie face features, would go on to win the Miss Photogenic Award as well as first runner-up...
And owing to the fact that Jess was the only one to score more than 9 points for swimsuit and evening gown, it's ceratinly no surprise that she would win Miss Body Beautiful award as well as THE CROWN!!! :-D

But then, it's too much of a coincidence that the runner-up would be a slim, not-so-endowed and witty beauty (check: last year was Jade, this year was Joey) whereas the winner would be a voluptuous one (last yr's Carol, this year's Jessica). Seems like the standard of beauty pageants hasnt really dropped after all... never mind if more than 50% of the finalists don't look so attractive to many people's eyes (including mine).

Now it remains to be seen if any of the Top 5 finalists would be offered a Mediacorp contract and work alongside former MSU contestants like Jaime Teo, Joanne Peh, Ling Lee, Rebecca Lim or even Jade Seah... till then, watch out!!! :-)

Time to dance to Justin Timberlake's SexyBack!! :-D

My picks for MSU 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHELLE CHONG...
Eh, today's also Jessica Tan's birthday???

I was so looking forward to getting tickets for the Miss Singapore Universe 2007 Finals this year, and I received an email a few days ago stating that ONLY 30 tickets can be spared for the first 30 Jonatics (fans of Jonathan Leong) cos even the contestants' family and friends haf to sit at the freaking balcony!! That means I may be denied a chance to watch the show 'live'... but then it's understandable, considering that the number of supporters for EIGHTEEN contestants are MUCH MORE than the number of Jonatics as well as the Qi Yuwu fans (yes, the handsome Channel 8 hunk will be one of the judges, alongside the QUEEN herself Zoe Tay)... so looks like I'll haf to watch the show at home...

Regardless of that, I think the standard of the contestants seemed to haf dropped drastically for some time. While we're still eager to see how the Top 10 will prevail in the Q n A segment, there's no denying the few HOT FAVES to win the Top 3 spots... here are my top picks for Top 5 (Im not going to pick Top 10 btw, tho I kinda like Joanne Lopez and Adlina Azil too):

Jessica Tan... arguably the prettiest and most charismatic of the lot, with non-threatening looks and confidence. I'm rooting for her to win the crown (I honestly had no idea that she was a finalist in The New Paper New Face 2002) :-)

Joey Fung... sweet and perky, looks good in all angles, can win Miss Photogenic award. A bit short at 1.65 m though.

Christabelle Campbell... articulate and witty at her best. Towers at 1.76 m and possesses vast intelligence. She was actually a New Paper New Face 2004 contestant (same year as Ling Lee btw).

Adlina Adil... carries herself very smartly and has unique looks for a Malay girl.

Peggy Chang... a Jopeh lookalike, 2nd runner-up for New Paper New Face contest. Cool, spunky and collected, might shine at the Q n A segment.

Not exactly my Top 5 pick, but a special mention...

Angelina Tay... she's actually one half of the Dance Floor semi-final group known as Gaia (yes, the belly-dancing group... don't laugh). Coincidentally, her partner Belinda was a MSU 2002 contestant (same batch as Joanne Peh btw). Voluptous and seductive at the same time... love those lips too :-p

Also, watch out for the return of last year's winner... the one with the 'deadly curves and assets'... CAROL CHEONG!!!

Link: http://www.msu2007.com.sg/

The V-Tech shooting

10 MORE DAYS...!!!

This is so not right. This is so disturbing. This is so beyond the sane mind... recently there's been a mass killing in the Virginia Poly Institute in the US, and 32 innocent lives had been snuffed out by one sole Korean youngster (also from the school) who used 2 puny yet deadly guns to do the deadly job (and later killed himself). It's a one-man gang that could not be stopped. To make things worse, that Korean youngster was suffering from autism, and due to the fact that his folks didnt send him for early treatment, he got more violent and complex as he grew older. Had he been treated earlier, things wouldn't have come to a gruesome end. If only lightsabers existed in real life, then the rampage would have come to an early end once Cho's hands were to be sliced off by a teacher or student who happens to be equipped with a lightsaber at the time of the shooting.

Yet this Cho Seung Hui fella is somehow similar to an old classmate named Abdul Wahid... speaking in a strange, deep voice (in other words, monotonous) as if having marbles in mouth? Check. Taking a rather long time to answer questions? Check. Anti-social and lonely? Check. Not responding when someone greeted him? Check. Only difference is, Wahid does not possess the violent or aggressive characteristics that Cho has, and he surely didn't go stalking anyone or write profanity-laced essays (then again, it's hard to say). Still, it frightens me to imagine what would happen if Wahid were really as twisted as Cho SH and gone on a killing rampage in ITE Tampines 5 years ago... but then it couldn't happen in a small country where carrying firearms in public is strictly prohibited (only exceptions are the police force and CISCO security).

Still, the threat is real... this kind of thing could happen ANYWHERE when u least expect it. Therefore we all must be on the lookout if we ever encounter anyone with a strange and disturbing behaviour (even in trains or buses). As Samuel Chong would say in the SBS Transit mini-documentary... "Be vigilant, and you can save lives, including our own."

May God bless the souls of those 32 innocent people who had lost their lives on that tragic day. Any more mention on that twisted serial killer will lead to more frustration to anyone in general.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre

24th birthday!!!

The first day of the Taurus Star
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANDY SERKIS, CARMEN ELECTRA, MIRANDA KERR

Did I forget to wish someone else Happy B'day...? Oh ya, MYSELF!! :-p

Im very relieved to know that Sanjaya Makalar had finally been voted off American Idol last night. I would be greatly shocked if LaKisha Jones got the boot instead (seeing that she's one of the stronger competitors). It would be a huge travesty similar to the time Jeassea Thyidor got kicked out instead of the much weaker Jerry Ong (oh, how can forget that???)

Indeed today is my birthday, and I still haf to work at night in spite of notifying my bosses abt my horrendous school timetable?!? Seriously dude, u gotta show some mercy next time round!!! I AM NOT A SLAVE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! U BETTER F***ING GIVE ME LESS WORK FROM NEXT WEEK ONWARDS!!!

I haf finally made up my freaking mind to quit on the weekend BEFORE Vesak Day (no use slogging myself to work before the exams right!!!)... nothing seems to be going right with Ikmal going back to Indonesia in the morning... I really need to move on with my life and NOT do the biddings of a company that has a totally screwed up management system. NO WAY am I going to sacrifice any more of my freedom for the sake of serving giggling bimbos like Miss Lim and Miss Woo. NO WAY am I going to quit from school just to work for a company with ZILCH challenges (other than serving pretty babes every few minutes). On a side note... I haf plans to go to the United States to visit my uncle during the June holidays (still not finalised yet).

Info on New Goblin

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAMES FRANCO (HARRY OSBORN!!) AND HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN (ANAKIN SKYALKER AKA DARTH VADER!!)

The fourth villain in the Spider-Man series, whose actor coincidentally turns 29 today, is none other than the former friend of Peter Parker who later attempts to kill Peter for allegedly killing his own father... Harry Osborn aka the NEW GOBLIN!!

BEGINNINGS

Harry is one of Peter's high school classmates, who resents the fact that his father seems to understand Peter better than him. Early in the movie, Peter becomes Spider-Man and Norman becomes the Green Goblin, but Harry remains unaware that the two are his best friend and his father. As he is growing more terrified of the Green Goblin persona, Norman begs Harry for forgiveness for not being a good father, and the two reconcile.

However, at the end of the film, the Green Goblin is killed by his own glider, after attempting to kill Spider-Man. Following Norman's last wish to not let Harry know about his villanous identity, Spider-Man removes the Goblin's costume and returns Norman's body to the Osborn mansion. Harry, seeing Spider-Man carrying Norman's body, assumes that Spider-Man has murdered his father. Harry grabs a gun from a drawer, but Spider-Man leaves before Harry can react. At Norman's funeral, a brooding Harry tells Peter that Spider-Man will pay for the death of his father.

DISCOVERY

Harry takes over his late father's career in the second film, but his business failures and unresolved resentment towards Peter, who he feels is siding with Spider-Man rather than him, cause him to slowly spiral into alcoholism. His vendetta against Spider-Man brings him into an alliance with Doctor Octopus. Harry agrees to supply Doc Ock with the tritium that Ock needs for his experiments if Ock will hunt down and deliver Spider-Man to him. After a long battle, Spider-Man is beaten by Doc Ock while civilian bystanders nobly try to defend him. Spider-Man is brought before Harry, who prepares to kill Spider-Man with a dagger. Before he does so, however, he removes Spider-Man's mask, and is shocked to see Peter's face. A dazed Peter regains consciousness, and he convinces Harry to let him go and rescue Mary Jane.

At the end of the movie, a confused Harry hallucinates, seeing his father's image in a mirror, demanding that Harry avenge him. A distraught Harry shatters the mirror with his dagger, only to find his father's hidden lair, with the Green Goblin equipment within. The scene starts with Harry going through a spooky and empty walkway. He runs into the Goblin mask and is terrified until he backs up into the shelves holding pumpkin bombs. He turns and sees the serum that made his father the Green Goblin. and later he sees the Goblin Glider in the midst of all the Goblin's equipment.

POWERS AND ABILITIES

Blinded by his thirst for evenge, Harry Osborn finally becomes a super-villain. When he enterted the "Human-Performance Enhancer" gas chamber that helped transform Norman Osborn into the Green Goblin, his strength was augmented beyond that of either Spider-Man or the Green Goblin. His durability, agility and intelligence likewise increased, but the extent of these augmentations is unknown.

As the New Goblin, Harry wears a black suit with some green elements, with a retractable facial gear constituting a pair of reflective green goggles and a green mouthpiece. Harry's suit features large, retractable blades that slide out of his right forearm, and with a short green sword mounted on his back. Instead of riding a bulky device similar to his father's Goblin Glider, Harry's choice of transport is a snowboard-shaped glider called the Sky Stick. The Sky Stick houses the Goblin's pumpkin bombs, metal pikes and a flamethrower. Its sleek oblong shape gives a greatest advantage to Harry in that can fly in vertical and horizontal modes, and can be also used as a striking weapon by him. Harry had all of the Green Goblin's equipment, including the explosive "pumpkin bombs" and the razor-edged boomerang blades.

Info on Sandman

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAKIM AND IMELDA

The third villain to be featured... the actual killer of Peter Parker's uncle Ben according to the film series... the reluctant super-villain Flint Marko, aka SANDMAN (not to be confused with the Singapore cane-wielding ECW veteran)

His street name is Flint Marko, a man who wants to raise money to pay for medical treatment for his daughter, who has an illness, by stealing. He is at odds with his ex-wife, due to his frequently being in and out of jail. While on the run from the police after escaping from prison, he accidentally falls into a physics experimental site that molecularly binds him with sand, giving him shape-shifting sand abilities, and becomes the Sandman. A major focus of the plot of the film involves the Sandman's connection to the murder of Peter's Uncle Ben shown in the first film.

POWERS AND ABILITIES

The Sandman possesses the ability to convert all or part of his body into a sand-like substance by mental command. His brain has attained subliminal awareness of all granulated particles of his body. Through conscious effort, he can affect the degree of molecular cohesion between the numerous adjoining surfaces of his particles and thus cause locomotion of discrete volumes, down to the individual grains. His radically mutagenically altered body composition and increased density enable him to compact or loosen the particles of sand that make up his form.

Consequently, the Sandman can become as hard as sandstone, or disperse his body so that he becomes invulnerable to physical attacks. He can shape his sand-state body into any continuous shape he can imagine. He can project his sand particles outward at high speeds and, when in the shape of a bulky object, with the impact of a large sandbag. The Sandman is mainly seen transforming his arms and hands into a sand mace or a sledgehammer to battle Spider-Man and his other ememies. He can merge with natural sand if it is in his direct vicinity like a beach or desert, thus he can manipulate normal sand like his normal body, add it to his physical size and strength, or use it to reform himself.

The Sandman is vulnerable to temperatures of 3,400 degrees Fahrenheit can cause his highly impure silicate composition to fuse into amorphous silicate (glass). The Sandman maintains mental control of the particles of which his body is composed so that he can reform his scattered grains unless a substantial portion of his body mass has been isolated. Apparently, he can also convert common grains of sand around him into constituents of his body to replenish portions he might lose track of during battle. In this manner, he can increase his overall size and volume (to some as yet unknown limit), or that of his limbs. He possesses superhuman strength several times in excess of Spider-Man's, making him roughly equal to the Thing. If exposed to extreme heat, Sandman will turn to glass, but if shattered, he can control his glass shard form.

New school timing 'rocks'!! Hahahaha!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAUL LONDON, FAIZAL, SHAN, EMMA WATSON AND CEDRIC
15 MORE DAYS...!!

Woo hoo, I don't believe it!! My prayers had been answered... my new school timetable rocks!! Si bei song!!!
The pros: from Tuesday to Friday, I finish school late at around 5 or 6 pm. What does this mean? Late finish equates to more time to focus on studies and less time to work!! FINALLY... I got a freaking valid reason to request working less often now!!! YAPHOOOOOO!!!! :-D
The cons: for most of the days, we haf to report to school at 8 am, waaaay too early for most of us to get out of bed (esp those who live at the West Coast). Even worse, the new term lasts for only 7 weeks??? That means I may need to reconsider my plans to quit in late May then... :-/
And the ultimate shocker... MISS APRIL IS QUITTING?!?! BUT WHY???? :-O
More on that later... while i try to recover from this major shock...

Info on Doctor Octopus

The second villain to be featured... Otto Octavius aka DOCTOR OCTOPUS.

Otto Octavius is a generally likable man, who is married to his loving wife, Rosie Octavius. He is the scientific idol of Peter Parker, and Peter first meets him through Harry Osborn, who is funding Octavius for Oscorp. Octavius regards intelligence as a gift that should be used to benefit mankind, and rather than working with nuclear material, he uses nuclear fusion to create a miniature electricity-generating "sun", which he manipulates with four robotic tentacles, which he describes as impervious to heat and magnetism, mounted on his back.

The tentacles have several differences from their comic book counterparts- in the comics, Octavius controlled them with dials prior to his accident, but in the movie, they are attached to his nervous system along his spinal cord and he controls them mentally from the outset. They are designed with a complex claw system allowing Octavius to manipulate objects of any size. Each claw also houses a separate camera, allowing the Doctor to see in any direction. They do not possess a large number of weapons like they do in the Ultimate Spiderman series but in several scenes in the movie, Doctor Octopus extends daggers from the tips to battle Spider-Man.

Also the metal that they are constructed from is not adamantium. In addition, each individual tentacle has its own artificial intelligence built within it. An inhibitor chip is built into the apparatus to ensure Octavius retains control over the machines and not vice-versa. When the chip is destroyed in his accident (caused when the "sun" he creates becomes unstable, and a large "flare" from it strikes him in the back, administering a huge electric shock that fuses the tentacles' attachments to his spine), they are able to manipulate his mind and drive him to rebuild his failed fusion device. The tentacles' influence, combined with the loss of his wife Rosie and his failure, is what makes Doc Ock evil in the movie, rather than him simply becoming insane due to brain damage from the accident as he does in the comics.

Powers and abilities

Doctor Octopus has been hinted as being a low-level technopathic mutant, but no superpowers have been outrightly revealed. He is a genius in the fields of atomic physics, in which he holds a Ph. D.
His harness is attached to four mentally controlled, prehensile metallic appendages. These arms are capable of lifting several tons, provided that at least one arm is used to support his body. The reaction time and agility of his mechanical appendages is enhanced far beyond the range attainable for normal human musculature. The arms allow Octavius to move rapidly over any terrain and to scale vertical surfaces and ceilings. He has developed his concentration and control to the point that he can engage a single opponent, like Spider-Man, or multiple opponents with the arms while performing a completely separate, more delicate task, such as holding a cigarette or constructing a machine.

While wearing the harness, the arms are powerful enough to allow Doc Ock to walk up sheer concrete walls and move quickly about. They are also used to grab items, both small and large, and as literal weapons in terms of being swung at objects and people like clubs. The adamantium harness was powerful enough to both restrain and pummel the Hulk into submission. The harness is also capable of holding a small jetpack allowing him to fly to places faster and able to evade Spider-Man more easily.

Info on Green Goblin

On random days in the next few weeks, I am going to publish a few entries on the various characters featured in the Spider-Man movies (as well as those that aren't featured in the film series, but in the toy line). The first villain today is none other than Spider-Man's first enemy... father of Peter's best friend, and the only Spider-Man villain to appear in all 3 films so far... NORMAN OSBORN AKA THE GREEN GOBLIN.

After drinking the Goblin serum, Norman Osborn possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes. His durability has been augmented over the years to the point that bullets fired from most conventional weapons can't pierce his skin. Apparently, a .45 Magnum at close range can injure him, as Mary Jane Watson realized when she shot him when he tried to kidnap her. However, Osborn is capable of healing from damage that would be lethal to a normal person to a limited degree, having regenerated from being impaled through the chest by his own rocket-glider leaving only a scar as a reminder and later from having over a dozen of his bombs explode while webbed to his chest.

Aside from his physical advantages, the serum also greatly enhanced Norman's already highly above average intellect, making him a bona fide genius capable of making progress in advanced areas of genetics, robotics, engineering, and applied chemistry that most professional scientists can scarcely comprehend. However, these aptitudes are inhibited by the fact that Osborn is criminally insane.

In the film, the Green Goblin pilots a high-tech Goblin Glider, armed with seeking missiles, machine guns & razor-sharp spears. It is fast and extremely maneuverable. He also wears green armor that cybernetically connects him to his glider and weapons. He is seen using three varieties of his signature "pumpkin bombs": one which is a simple explosive; one that releases a bright, radioactive flash & reduces people to skeletons (shudder); and one that splits into flying, razor-sharp blades. Rather than carrying a shoulder "bag of tricks", the weapons are contained in the glider. His suit is armed with hallucinogenic gas that is released from the wrists, and is linked to the Goblin Glider, allowing him to control it remotely.

Looking forward to the new school semester...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ZACK, PEILING AND JEFF JARRETT

Ok ok, so I had found out my GPA score for the last semester... seems like all that juggling between work and education hadnt affected my academic performance at all... I got 2.966 (better than I thought). I scored A B B for 2D Anime, Digital Media Integration and Storyboarding respectively. I guess that means I was meant to do media design after all. Still, I need to 'strengthen' my focus in the next few modules and try not to let anything outside affect my psychological aspect for the next 2 months or so.
I wouldnt be surprised if I see more faces missing from the lesson when I head back to school next week... all I can say is that those students who take their studies for granted got their just desserts.

Dance Floor performance round 5: Ballroom Dancing

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRIAN MCFADDEN


I wasn't too surprised when Louisa informed me via SMS that E-Squared got eliminated... at the Bottom 3 were J.D.I. (first time) and Soul Fusion (yet again). Well, Im obviously not going to gloat over the two small-sized cutie gals' elimination (even tho I dont really fancy them)... rather, i will give them credit for going this far in the competition, for their hard work and for withstanding any negativity going their way.

And now, my thoughts on the Final 6...

Vas and Pris- these ballroom dancing champions shone the brightest here. Very powerful performance!! Lots of passion, love and joy... and delicate like feathers.

E-Squared- ELIMINATED! But their take on salsa was commendable, and definitely better than JDI.

Soul Fusion- No doubt Alicia and Dapheny are VERY HAWT in those tight black dresses (bareback!! killer legs!!). The foursome somewhat reminded me of VIVA (a salsa dance group from the 3rd shuffle round). But given the fact that the group had been in the bottom position for so many times, there's little surprise that they seemed to feel a little disheartened and going a little off form in the salsa.

J.D.I.- The foursome attempted to do a tango... but the footwork, characteristics and partnership haf gone totally AWOL. They were more like moving shop mannequins. --_--"

Fantastic Four- the loss of a member (to NS that is) certainly didnt dampen the threesome's spirits at all... they went on with their girlish moves and did a very entertaining version of the samba. CHARISMATIC AT ITS BEST!! :-)

Melvin and Sharon- Spanish music and paso doble baby!! Melvin is the dashing matador and Sharon is the hot (and very cute!) chick swirling her dress around. Full of energy, but not really intense. Tho not as amazing as VnP, it was still much better than last week's modern dance.

Platinum- Bubbly and chirpy as always, the sextet's interpretation on cha cha wasn't really spot on, yet George liked it a lot. Gladys and Li Lin thought it was rather garbled. Otherwise, it was still a good effort.