My Batman toy collection

Happy Birthday to...
30th July- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nurul Maideen
31st July- Amelie, Michelle

I found out from a friend that come this Sunday, there is a certain event at Jurong West, and yes I am definitely going for it. Thank goodness I chose to take off-day for this coming Monday. Hint: one of the stars involved in the aforementioned outdoor event is one of the Seven Princesses... leave it for you to guess which one ;-)

I guess I'll have to show my Batman toy collection, since I can't think of anything interseting to share here today.


Introducing the villains from past movies... who would've thought that these two would eventually be featured in "The Dark Knight"? Too much of a coincidence I guess, heh :-p
On the left is Two-Face figure is from the "Batman Forever" movie, played by Tommy Lee Jones. He comes with a turbo-charge cannon that can shoot 3 missiles (one of the missiles missing), and a good/evil coin (that's not the original coin btw). Truth is I'm still trying to find the original coin (which is bigger than the one in the picture)... thankfully I have this American quarter dollar coin to make up for it.
On the right is the The Joker from the first Batman film (1989), played by Jack Nicholson. This figure used to have a long-range pistol and a copter pack, but both of them got lost. He does however have a special feature... you put him in the freezer for a few minutes, and his face will change color from white to beige (in the film, the Joker disguised his face into beige; after Vicki Vale splashed warm water onto him, his face turned back to white). And the actual truth is, Nicholson is much pudgier than the (rather scrawny) Joker toy portrayed here.


Batman buckle from 1989 film series. Comes with a plastic belt (damaged liao) and 4 items that can be combined to form a weapon (pistol, walkie-talkie, microphone, binoculars). The buckle can't be lit up anymore (bulb and battery compartment gone rusty), but I'm keeping it as a souvenir.


Batmobile Ripcord Launcher from the 1989 film series. You yank the cord at the back of the device about 3 times or more, then press the button to launch the Batmobile on a smooth surface, and watch it travel at a long distance.


Batjet, also from the 1989 film series. This is actually a ripoff from a similar-looking jet from the 80s cartoon "Silverhawks". You press the button at the back to launch out the wings, and press the button at the side of the cockpit region to shoot out the missile. You can place any Batman figure inside... although he will look kinda uncomfortable flying the jet in this kind of position... like sitting on a massage chair or something.


Comparing the Batmobiles from the Tim Burton film series and the Christopher Nolan film series. The one on the left is from the Ripcord Launcher mentioned earlier. The Tumbler on the right is actually a fridge magnet I bought recently.


All these are from the 1989 film series... the original Batman figures (4 of them) that came with these were damaged and stained with plasticine, so I had to dump them. Clockwise from top: Tech Wing pack, Wall Scaler pack, Crime Battler Pistol with Claw and Batarang projectiles, miniature bat accessory (something like a 'pet'). The figures I used to own are Crime Battle Batman (black costume), Tech Wing Batman (gold costume), Wall Scaler Batman (blue costume) and Quick Change Bruce Wayne/Batman.


Ninja Bruce Wayne/Batman, from Batman Begins series. Comes with detachable shoulder pads, blade tips, staff attachment, wrist blade and Batman cowl. The blade tips can be held on each hand like daggers, or they can be attached to the staff attachment to form a double-bladed staff. You can see that Bruce is modelled in the exact likeness of Christian Bale. :-)


Weapons Tech Batman. I lost the original Batman figure under mysterious circumstances, so I had to use the Batman figure from "The Dark Knight" series to make up for it. He comes with a suitcase from Wayne Enterprises. No, there's no money in the suitcase (this isn't Deal Or No Deal), but a range of weapons...


Clockwise from top right: a Batarang (can be folded), grappling gun, telescope headset


Staff Attack Batman from The Dark Knight series. Comes with spinning handles, steel wrist guards, and spear-like blades.


An alternate style of weaponry... attaching the blade tips to the spinning handles, to form spinning tonfas :-)


So there you have it... my less-than-perfect (but still awesome) Batman toy collection; the deluxe weapons that I owe have no direct link to the Batman series whatsoever. And I ain't gonna buy any more, I'm just not too pleased with the wide (and irrelevant) range of Batman figures for the past 20 years. Still contemplating on whether to buy Clone Wars figures...

My first few days in Bakerzin

Happy Birthday to...
28th July- James Tan, Mickey
29th July- Sinjie, Wan Ting

Congrats to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for the birth of their second child... Murphy Claire Levesque (sigh another girl. And I was expecting a boy.)

I am actually quite grateful to get this new job at Bakerzin. For personal reasons, I can't tell you which Bakerzin outlet I'm working in, lest anyone go there to hunt me down. But I prefer this job so much more to the old one at Shaw House... pardon me for being rather biased.

Here are the high points:

1) the pay rate is much better!
2) uniform is much cleaner and of better quality
3) no need to wear bandanna!! That's a relief
4) toilet is just a few seconds away, ha!
5) more kitchen crew, and wider range of food
6) staff is much closer to my age range, haha!

But there were also a few low points...
1) have to pay quite a lot of money for any broken property
2) lack of main office quarter, and have to stand for very long
3) no lockers, and cabinet is too small to fit in all bags
4) being a rather high-class restaurant, the food and drinks cost rather ex.
5) serious need for more manpower

Balancing the trays with one hand was certainly not easy at all, and I got the aching wrists to prove it. I spent most of the time loitering aimlessly around the place, simply cos there was a great lack of customers, even during tea break! But better than overcrowded situations, right? Lesser people equates to lesser stress. Still, I made it a point to be serious in my work and not fool around even if there are pretty gals dining in the place. I have to admit, my eyes were close to popping out when I saw a group of gals and guys run out of the place... given the fact that most of the girls were in shorts (and quite attractive as well), I was close to turning into Venom. I'm more of an "Ass-Man", if you know what I mean... whoops!! :-X

For more info on Bakerzin, go to the website... www.bakerzin.com/index.asp

I beg you people (even my parents) please don't ever tell me to pay a 'surprise visit' to my old workplace at Shaw House, cause I wanna move on with my life, and I know too well that they won't allow me back anyway. If ever I go to/walk past Shaw House, the purpose of doing so is to watch movie or do anything EXCEPT look at my ex-colleagues face to face (except for a few of them). I can't afford to do that anymore. It's roughly the same reason why I don't dare step into my old church to look at my 'former' friends in the eyes.

And to anyone who is curious on why I haven't settled for a full-time job for the time being, you leave me no choice but to tell you this... MYOB

Time to play The Game

Happy Birthday to...
26th July- Stefy, Weilin
27th July- Julian McMahon, Triple H and Junrui

Yesterday was basically a day of mostly slacking due to lack of roadshows... then I went to east Coast to attend a friend's birthday chalet in evening time. I bore witness to the poor guy getting rammed into a thick tree Bronco-Buster style (OUCHHH!!!) courtesy of his friends. Before leaving the place, I got attracted to an incredible performance by some band in a night lounge.

Here is a verse that was shared during Sunday service today... something to do with love for money, and the importance of humilty in our lives.

1 Timothy 6:16-19
"Tell the rich in the present age not to be arrogant and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the coming age, so as to win the life that is true life. "

I dedicate this song to the fans of the birthday boy Jean Paul Levesque... who else but the current WWE Champion TRIPLE H!!

Motorhead- THE GAME (Triple H)

It's time to play the game
Time to play the game!
(Weird laughing)

(Normal laughing)
It's all about the game, and how you play it
All about control, and if you can take it
All about ya debt, and if you can pay it
It's all about the pain, and who's gonna make it

I am the game, you don't wanna play me
I am control, no way you can shape me
I am heavy debt, no way you can pay me
I am the pain, and I know you can't take me

Look over your shoulder, ready to run
Like a good little bitch from a smokin' gun
I am the game and I made the rules
So move on out, or you can die like a fool

Try to figure out what the move's gonna be
Come on over sucka, why don't you ask me
Don't you forget there's a price you can pay
Cause I am the game and I want to play

Time to play the game (normal laughing)

Time to play the game!

It's all about the game, and how you play it
It's all about control, and if you can take it
It's all about your debts, and if you can pay it
It's all about the pain, and who's gonna make it

I am the game, you don't wanna play me
I am control, there's no way you can shape me
I am your debt, and I know you can't pay me
I am your pain, and I know you can't take me

Play the game, you're gonna be the same
You're gonna change your name, you're gonna die in flames
(Normal laughing) Time to play the game!

Time to play the game
Time to play the game
Time to play the game (normal laughing)
Time to play the game! (weird laughing)

Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me

This is my fave song from the Batman film series... one of 2 closing themes for Batman Forever, the other being Seal's "Kiss From A Rose". Batman Forever happens to be one of my fave Batman films besides The Dark Knight... I don't quite like the Tim Burton series, too dark and girtty for my taste. I prefer films with more color and variety.


Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me- U2

You don't know how you took it
You just know what you got
Oh Lordy you've been stealing
From the thieves and you got caught
In the headlights, of a stretch car
You're a star

Dressing like your sister
Living like a tart
They don't know what you're doing
Babe, it must be art
You're a headache, in a suitcase
You're a star

Oh no, don't be shy
You don't have to go blind
Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me

You don't know how you got here
You just know you want out
Believing in yourself
Almost as much as you doubt
You're a big smash, you wear it like a rash... star

Oh no, don't be shy
There's a crowd to cry, babe
Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me

Oh no!

They want you to be Jesus
They'll go down on one knee
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at thirty-three
And you're turning tricks, with your crucifix
You're a star

(Oh child)
Of course you're not shy
You don't have to deny love
Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me...
(ad libs out)

Slight pain in chest, and new job alas

Happy Birthday to Huang Wenyong, Kenneth Soh, Leeteng and Priya

My left pec muscle has been aching for no reason, feels a bit like heartburn. Now I know roughly how painful a pectoral tear can be, something that John Cena had been through (although the proposed recovery rate is 12 months, Cena somehow managed to make a full reovery in only 3 months!!). Could it be that she is thinking of me, and is somewhat aware of my feelings for her? I can never be too sure. I can only sit and pray that I will get to see her again soon. The time spent apart is becoming too unbearable... :-(

In the meantime, I am very delighted to know that I finally got a job (Praise God!!), and work will commence next week.

My thoughts on the bounty on MS

Happy Birthday to Anna Paquin (Rogue), Syazali and Farhan

Okay I made a mistake... my Canon digicam is back, and badder than ever!! I must say that the repair came faster than I had anticipated. :-)

I read the newspaper recently, there is now a bounty placed on the head of Singapore's Most Wanted Criminal, Mas Selamat. Whosoever provides useful information that can lead to the arrest on that loser will be rewarded (places pinky finger near lip) ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!

I can only say this... the public should have done that a long time ago!!! Blame it on the 2 ignorant security guards of the detention center for not being vigilant enough back on February 27th!! That can only serve to make people like me more disillusioned... :-(

Thank goodness this isn't Thailand, otherwise I will have to force myself to watch all those anti-Thaksin campaign concerts via Youtube or something...

Watching 2 films

Happy Birthday to Christopher Lee, Stefanie Sun, Phoebe and Hanash
The start of the Leo Star
Many congrats to Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Carina Lau for tying the knot!!
(And I do know of someone who will go berserk and excitable over his fave singer's birthday...)

I feel a little bummed out lately. My digicam isn't gonna be back til sometime next week. Thank goodness I still have my camera phone, otherwise I won't know what to do. Still, I managed to find time to watch a few movies this week. Hancock on Monday and Wanted on Tuesday.


"Hancock" is a 2008 superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron. It tells the story of an alcoholic superhero, John Hancock, from Los Angeles whose reckless actions routinely cost the city millions of dollars. Eventually one person he saves, a public relations spokesperson named Ray Embrey, makes it his mission to change Hancock's public image for the better.

"Hancock" starts off quite well, but the story gets weirder right after Hancock changes for the better and gains the public's respect and support. I would prefer it if the scriptwriters stick to the "reformed superhero" theme, rather than throw in a backstory on Hancock's origin stating that he and Mary being a pair of superheroes who start to lose their powers the moment they get near each other. Because of the backstory, the film suffers from a rather weak plot and execution. I rate this film 6.5 out of 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hancock_(film)


"Wanted" is a fucking awesome movie, I must say. Even though not as smashing as "The Dark Knight", I think this film is worth the money. It is loosely based on the comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar.

The film talks about a meek guy named Wesley Gibson who works in an accounts office, but is actually heir to a legacy of assassins. Under the tutelage of the Fraternity, Wesley learns to control his acute senses, develop his quick reflexes and "bend" a bullet trajectory. He soon finds out that Cross, the "traitor" he was hired to assassinate turns out to be his real father, and that the reason why Cross is pursuing him is because he is trying to keep the Fraternity away from Wesley. Wesley then makes it his mission to go his own path and get even with the Fraternity.
This film is nasty, fun and brutish, not to forget fast-paced. And yes, there is a great load of vulgarities in the film too. I rate it 8 out of 10 stars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanted_%28film%29

Everybody Goes Through Dark Patches

Happy Birthday to Willem Dafoe, Shawn Michaels, Ng Hui and Joakim Gomez

Congratulations to Mark Lee (yes, the comedian from J-Team) and wife Catherine for the arrival of their newborn daughter Calista!! :-)

Everyone has a good side and a dark side. It all depends on which one is more dominant. I admit that I'm not a purely "good guy", but I can't say I'm entirely "evil" either. I stay true to myself all the time, and I make my own decisions by my own consicence, not by the toss of a coin.

Speaking about "tossing a coin", I am not afraid to say that Harvey Two-Face is my top fave villain from the Batman series, since the day I knew about his existence in the Animated series, back in 1993. Harvey Dent is quite different from most villains... as in he's not entirely evil, but tragic events awakened his alternate personality (like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) and made him quite similar to other villains. In many ways, he's similar to Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader. Only difference is, Vader lost all 4 limbs and got his whole body burnt; Harvey was burnt only in the left side of his face.

Harvey Dent started off as a good guy committed to putting an end to the escalating crime rate in Gotham City. Technically speaking, he's on the same side as Batman and Commissioner Jim Gordon. Unfortunately, he has made a lot of enemies (no surprise) due to his dedication, one of them being The Joker. Indeed The Joker succeeded on engineering the downfall of Dent, and the man once hailed as Gotham's "white knight" has re-emerged as an angry and murderous vigilante. You can go to Wikipedia to find out more about Harvey Two-Face.

And me? Ha, don't ask me if I am any similar to Two-Face. I don't believe in making things "fair or justified" by the flip of a coin, I'm not one who would judge anyone, neither am I obsessed with dualities or opposites. After all, we're all human, we all make mistakes, we've all had our dark patches. Although I must admit, I do have this "obsession" with flipping a special coin... yes, it's real American currency.

Everyone goes through struggles, and it all boils down to us to choose whether to get over the past and move on, or continue to be traumatized by that particular event. Only by God's grace can we overcome such experiences. Trust me, I was nearly driven insane by a horrible mistake I made and the tinge of guilt that followed it, til I learnt to counter it, simply by praying to God.

Just as Harvey Dent said to Bruce Wayne, "Either you die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain."

The Lowdown on a fallen Abbot and 2 bloggers

Happy Birthday to Mathilda D'Silva, Daniel Xu and Pamela Wong

This is certainly not a good time for us Singaporeans. The front page of the Sunday Times yesterday featured 3 people from our country. Venerable Shi Ming Yi, the abbot who founded Ren Ci Charity Organization and is best known for performing dangerous stunts for the past 5 years (including thermal endurance in an ice box for nearly half an hour), has been slapped with 10 criminal charges, including alleged possession of R-rated VCD films (!!!). And I thought the TT Durai/NKF embezzlement case was bad enough. This is truly shocking... since I don't really know much about Ven Shi, I shan't say more til the case comes to light.

I do, however, have something to say about the war of the bloggers... Dawn Yang vs Wendy Cheng. Although Dawn can be quite naughty like most girls, she keeps a rather low profile and seldoms gets into other's bad books. Wendy Cheng, on the other hand, is notorious for her cynical and vulgar remarks in most of her entries, often rubbing others the wrong way. It seems her mudslinging had gotten the best of her... she had been slapped with a letter from Dawn's lawyer calling for her to make a public apology for making defamatory remarks on Dawn, and to propose a settlement for damages. Indeed this is quite surprising. Though I'm not a fan or anti-fan of either, I can't help but feel bad for them.

What can we learn from here? When it comes to blogging, we should be more focused on issues and less on people or personalities. Being a blogger for abt 4 years, I know too well the pros and cons of online blogging. I mean, it's OK to boast a bit on your personal stuff (like new laptops, new TV sets, etc) or talk about what you did (like watch a movie,. It's natural to be involved in virtual mudslinging with people you dislike (something I've been doing lately, but not to a great extent), but if you go overboard, there's a high chance that the conflict will go beyond control, and things can only get worse from here. Therefore we should learn to be more discreet over certain things. Yes, this kind of thing has happened to me too often, mostly from that abomination known as MKP. I know it's not right to spy on others, but that fellow's pride for his own life and lust for the flesh really gets on my nerves (don't you feel the same way?), so much til I nearly go berserk. Which is why I made it a point to prevent myself from getting too obsessed on revenge and all that.

Henceforth I have decided to dedicate this song to the bloggers, and also to the fans of the WWE Superstar known as Randy Orton. :-)

BURN IN MY LIGHT (Randy Orton's entrance theme)

Hey! Hey!
Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine

I'm gonna take what's mine, take what’s mine…

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine

I'm gonna take what's mine

You're gonna burn in my light

They try so hard to follow, but no one can

Inside you're all so hollow, you understand

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine

I'm gonna take what's mine

While you're burning inside my light

I gave and you take and I waited for you
But I've made a mistake

It's clear that your fear is so near
Because I see the look on your face

You try to hold me under, I held my breath

Alone and now you wonder, what I possess

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine
You're gonna burn in the light

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine I'm gonna take what's mine

While you're burning inside my light

You're gonna burn in my light

They try so hard to follow, but no one can

Inside you're all so hollow, you understand

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine I'm gonna take what's mine

While you're burning inside my light

Hey! Nothing you can say

Nothing's gonna change what you've done to me

Now it's time to shine, I'm gonna take what's mine

You're gonna burn in my light

Burn in my light...

My thoughts on Red Cliff... and waiting for a mei nu

Happy Birthday to Siew Woon and Caleb Chow


Yesterday I went to Bugis to watch "Red Cliff", I felt it was quite good. Now I understood why it took John Woo 20 years to make this film come to fruition: huge army of soldiers plus horses, and the many stunts taking place in the battle. But arghh, too much chaos for a war epic, I have to say (staff stabbing, sword slashing, etc). Still I thought this film made much more sense than that dumbass flick known as "Curse of The Golden Flower". The characters I liked in the film are Zhou Yu (Tony Leung), Chancellor Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Xiao Qiao (Lin Chi Ling in her acting debut). In a moment of irony, Xiao Qiao's first appearance in the film was in a stable, trying to assist a horse in giving birth to a pony; in real life, Chi-ling got into a minor accident with a horse which kicked her in the bust a few years ago. Vicki Zhao, best known for her role as Xiaoyanzi in "My Fair Princess", also impresses in her role as feisty Sun Zhangxiang, younger sister of Sun Quan, who would become future Emperor of Eastern Wu. I rate this film 8.5 out of 10 stars.


For more info on the film, click here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Red_Cliffs


After that I loitered around Bugis Junction and Raffles City, all the while trying to think of a more appropriate place to seek refuge from the downpour. Eventually I found an Internet cafe in Bras Basah Complex, and spent about 40 minutes there. Then by 7 pm, I made my way to CHIJMES, waiting there for a while, playing on my PSP to kill boredom. The moment the Fel fans came out, that could mean one thing... the event had ended early and that beautiful gal is about to come out anytime soon. No, not Chi-ling, but Felicia. And indeed i was right!! :-D



She looks like an angel, don't you think? :-)



Yep, I got to take picture with Fel again! I managed to give her a column of raspberry sweets before she drove off... which turns out to be quite a coincidence cos raspberry is similar to cherry.


No sign of Ping Hui at CHIJMES though, he might have gone off liao. But that doesn't matter, cos the better half of the 'mission' has been accomplished (never mind if i was sweating like mad). Before leaving CHIJMES, I did that Shawn Michaels thing again... kneel down on ground and give thanks to God!! :-p

Watching "The Dark Knight"... a must-watch!!

Happy Birthday to Khairul and Collen

Yesterday, I went to watch "The Dark Knight" with buddy Kenneth Soh at Princess Cinema. Before we went our separate ways, I gave him an FHM magazine and also lent him some interesting DVDs to 'boost his mojo'!! Muahaha... :-p


All I can say is that "The Dark Knight" is a MUST-WATCH!! Complex and disturbing at best, the plot for this film is obviously much darker than the first one. It's more on the painful sacrifices, and how noble people are being forced to make difficult decisions, leading to disastrous consequences.

I was greatly bummed out by the fact that the only female lead, Rachel Dawes, got killed off (in a very brutal way) due to the machinations of the Joker and his gang. I seriously thought that Maggie Gyllenhaal did a better job as Rachel than Katie Holmes aka Mrs Tom Cruise did in the first one; pity her role had been wasted with her rather premature onscreen death. Then again, it was neccessary that she die in order to pave the way for Harvey Dent's fall from grace and re-emergence as the murderous and vengeful Two-Face, seeking to make things "fair" by killing the corrupt cops and mobsters who helped ruin his life (with the flip of his coin). Our very own Chin Han truly shone as Hongkong mogul Lau, he got quite a lot of screentime for the first half of the film (including a 'ride of his life' with Batman in the streets of Hong Kong), and he was killed off in rather spectacular fashion by The Joker.

Christian Bale continues to impress with his 'feel the role in his bones' portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman, as he did in the first film. Thumbs up to Aaron Eckhart for his intense and convincing portrayal of the twisted Harvey Two-Face. And yes, Heath Ledger was truly mesmerising and brilliant as The Joker. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman did decently as Commissioner James Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox resepctively. The film ends on a rather sad note for Batman, and it still remains to be seen whether there will be a third instalment for Christopher Nolan's Batman series.

I rate this film FULL MARKS (10 out of 10)... THE BEST FILM OF THIS YEAR!! :-)

Little things that may cause great harm

Happy Birthday to Connie Tan (Batucadas), Shi Qian and Shi Ying

Initially I planned on putting in a character list of the heroes and villains in "The Dark Knight", but decided not to. I mean come on, nearly everyone should know Batman, Joker, Two-Face and the other characters, right? They have been around for more than 60 years... if you really wanna know more about them, you can go to Goggle or Wikipedia. For now I am gonna go into some Daily Bread sharing instead... my focus will be on James 3:1-12.

James the half-brother of Jesus warns us of a little thing that can be very destructive. He says that "although the tongue is a small part of the body, it makes great boasts, it's like a small spark that sets a great forest on fire." Although the tongue is small, there is nothing small about the amount of damage it can do. Words carry with them the power of healing or a destructive capacity far greater than the poison of any mosquito bite.
It is therefore essential that we use our words with great wisdom and care. Consider carefully the words you choose. Will they be seasoned with the balm of grace, or with the poison of anger?

James 3:1-11
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Info on "The Dark Knight"

Happy Birthday to Clement Tsang and Radiah

Finally, the film that every comic fan has been waiting for will be out TODAY!!

The Dark Knight is an American superhero film co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Begins (2005), which rebooted the Batman film series after an eight-year hiatus (following the super flop Batman and Robin). Christian Bale reprises the lead role or Bruce Wayne/Batman. Batman's primary conflicts in the film include his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who later becomes a murderous vigilante known as Two-Face. The film also stars Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce's butler, what else), Gary Oldman as Lieutenant James Gordon (he will be promoted to Commisioner in this film), Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes (Bruce's love interest who dumps him for Harvey), Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox (CEO of Wayne Enterprises and the brains behind Batman's equipment) and Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (one of the main villains in the first film alongside Ra's Al Ghul; in this film however, his role will be rather minor).

For his conception of the film, Nolan was inspired by the Joker's first two appearances in the comics and Batman: The Long Halloween. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago (as was Batman Begins), as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. The director used an IMAX camera to film six major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. The Batsuit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head. The film also introduces a recreation of the Batcycle, known as the Batpod.

Warner Bros. created an aggressive viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Heath Ledger as the Joker. After Ledger's death in January 2008, however, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.

Watching Hellboy 2

Happy Birthday to Ivy Lee and Varinder

I don't know why, but I feel as if I have left 'a part of my soul' in Thailand... although I prefer to live in Singapore for obvious reasons, I somehow miss the peace and simplicity of my stay in Thailand. Ok, back to business.

Yesterday as part of a certain 'catching up' scheme, I went to Vivo City to watch "Hellboy II: The Golden Army".the long awaited sequel to the 2004 film "Hellboy", based on the DC comic of the same name. I remembered from the first film that Hellboy and I have quite a lot in common... Hellboy loves cats. And I admit I do have quite a hot temper like Red Monkey.

In 1955, a young Hellboy is told a bedtime story by his adopted father, Professor Bruttenholm, involving an ancient battle between humans and mythical creatures. The Goblin King suggests to King Balor, the King of the Elves, that he could create a Golden Army about the creation of an unstoppable golden clockwork army. This 'Golden Army' of "70 times 70" (or 4900) soldiers decimated the humans so mercilessly in battle, that King Balor, the King of the Elves, regretted the army's creation and offered a truce: man would keep his cities and the Sons of the Earth would keep their forests. This truce was to be part of an unspoken chain passed from ruler to heir amongst the realm of men, until the end of time itself. The truce didn't settle with Balor's son, Prince Nuada, who left in exile. The crown was soon broken into three, with two of the pieces going to the Elves and the last to the humans. The Golden Army was buried and quickly became legend, waiting to be awakened again...

In the present, Hellboy is having relationship issues with his girlfriend Liz Sherman. The duo, along with their friend Abe Sapien, are sent to an auction house where violence has erupted by thousands of ravenous tooth fairies, which Nuada set loose as he took the first piece of the Crown of Bethmora, which was being auctioned off. The incident led to not only Abe accidentally scanning Liz and learning that she's pregnant, but the disposal of the tooth fairies caused Hellboy to be blown out a window and exposed to the media, thus destroying the secrecy of the BPRD. Furious about this turn of events, the Washington sends down a new agent, an ectoplasty being named Johann Krauss, to take command due to his notion of working completely by the book.

While that occurs, Nuada goes to the court of his father, who fails to convince his son to avert his course of war with the humans and is forced to sentence Nuada to death. However, King Balor and his entourage of Royal Guards are murdered by Nuada, who then takes the second piece of the crown from his stony corpse before hunting down the final piece, which is owned by his twin sister Princess Nuala, with whom he possesses a magical bond; each is at least vaguely aware of what the other knows, and any wound delivered to one appears on the other as well. This bond is instrumental to the deaths of both twins.

The chemistry between Hellboy and Liz Sherman is stronger than before, now that they have gone steady. Abe Sapien also gets plenty of screentime, developing a very strong brother-sister bond with Liz, and even falling in love with Princess Nuala, who is running away from her corrupt twin brother Prince Nuada. Due to his shyness, Abe goes on to play Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You", a sappy love song which Hellboy sings along to. Johann Krauss, new to the film series, is entertaining and packs quite a punch as he can travel in spirit from out from his C3PO-like outer body and makes use of locker doors to take out Hellboy. As for Tom Manning who is the head of the BPRD, he kinda disappoints, mostly due to the script.

My thoughts about this film? It is funnier, wackier and more imaginative than the first one, which also got positive reviews back in 2004. You'll be greatly surprised by the action sequences and creature effects used in the film (not on the Golden Army, but on the Forest God and other stuff). I rate this film 8 out of 10, a must-watch for Hellboy fans and comic fans alike ;-)

Felicia in "Perfect Cut" tonight

Don't forget to watch "Perfect Cut" tonight, Felicia plays Princess Cherry in this one. Warning: the story isn't going to be a happy one.

Felicia is involved in some Big Day workshop at CHIJMES alongside Ping Hui this coming Saturday from 3 to 8 pm, but I don't think I'm gonna register for it. Most of the events where I go to see Fel are free of charge, I'm not ready to sacrifice 38 bucks just to see her again. I would rather wait outside; moreover, I might be watching a movie on Sat afternoon. Didn't the other guys use the same tactic back in April for the Styles Weddings fashion launch at Raffles City prior to Daniel's and Jaime's wedding?

How bad is your temper?

Happy Birthday to Hoonie and Fahrun

I just received this email from an old schoolmate... since i still don't know whether my birthday falls under Aries or Taurus, I guess I'll put up the details for both!

ARIES (MARCH 21 – APRIL 20)
Nothing seems to ruffle you more than a lack of discipline, disloyalty and decorum. (not so true)
But Arians are also known to go into a rage very easily when challenged. (sometimes)
Those of you who have been on the receiving end of the Aries temper know that if not calmed down they can even get violent. (possible!)
But one thing is certain if the opponent remains calm and does not react to their outburst, Arians cool down very fast. (quite true)
They are also the first to apologies, which makes them easier to forgive.

TAURUS (APRIL 21 – MAY 20)
You are generally quiet and have control over your emotions. (quite true)
It is difficult to predict what will upset you, so when you do lose your cool, people don’t know how to react. (also true)
Your temper is like that of a raging bull, and anyone trying to pacify you will be the first one to get a verbal bashing. (only people who piss me off greatly will get bashed!)
You generally get upset when you are concerned or when people accuse you of doing something wrong. (it happens sometimes)
You also hate being reminded about mistakes you’ve made in the past. (this is very true!!)
You also have the potential to be terribly vindictive if rubbed the wrong way. (possible)

Back in Singapore (ole)

Happy Birthday to Patrick Stewart, Wendy Goh and Darren DT

Yep, you guessed it. I'm back in the Lion City, and 'badder' than ever. There was no Chow Yun-Fatt to greet us with "Welcome to Singapore", as he did at the start of "Pirates Of The Carribean: At World's End" (who cares about Sai Fong anyway). Instead, there were 3 beautiful stewardesses aboard the flight, along with a good-looking steward. I spent most of the time listening to the songs from my MP3, and also snapping some pics of the outside scenery via side windows (this time, i made sure that I sit behind the wing).

And the touchdown to Changi Airport last night almost didn't happen due to some idiots who refused to comply to simple rules... "do not switch on your mobile phones til the plane has come to a complete stop." The moment the plane made a smooth landing, some kiasu Singaporeans quickly turned on their mobile phones!! Seems like they're really taking their safety for granted. Don't they know better than to leave their phones off and turn them on after they leave the plane? The electromagnetic waves from the phones may still interfere with the co-ordination systems of the aircraft controls. I won't be surprised if the same thing is happening in other flights, owing to the fact that mobile phones are becoming more efficient these days. Still I made sure that I didn't miss out on anything before making my way to the arrival halls.

And this is the song that was played in the aircraft right before everyone disembarked from it... this one I dedicate to everyone in general ;-)

ALL RISE- Blue

Yo, yo
Yo, yo

Your honour please, gotta believe what I say
What I will tell happened just the other day
I must confess 'cause had about enough
I need your help, got to make this here thing stop

Baby I swear I tell the truth (Uh-huh)
About all the things you used to do (Come on)
And if you thought you had me fooled
I'm tellin' you now, objection overruled
(Here we go) Oh baby

One for the money and the free rides
It's two for the lie that you denied
All rise (All rise)
All rise (All rise, all rise)
Three for the calls you've been making
It's four for the times you've been faking
All rise (I'm gonna tell it to your face)
All rise (I rest my case)

You're on the stand with your back against the wall
Nowhere to run and nobody you can call (Oh no)
I just can't wait, now the case is open wide
You'll try to pray but the jury will decide

Baby I swear I'll tell the truth (Uh-huh)
About all the things you used to do
And if you thought you had me fooled (Come on)
I'm tellin' you, objection overruled... oh baby

One for the money and the free rides
It's two for the lie that you denied
All rise (I said all rise...)
All rise (ooh, all rise)
Three for the calls you've been making
It's four for the times you've been faking
All rise (I'm gonna tell it to your face)
All rise (I rest my case)

So step back 'cause you don't know this cat
I know deep down that you don't want me to react
I lay low leaving all my options open
The decision of the jury has not been spoken
Step in my house, you find that your stuff has gone
But in reality to whom does the stuff belong?
I bring you into court to preach my order
And you know that you've overstepped the border, uh-huh

One for the money and the free rides
It's two for the lie that you denied (Ooh)
All rise (All rise)
All rise (All rise, all rise)
Three for the calls you've been making (Yeah)
It's four for the times you've been faking
All rise (All rise)
All rise (All rise, all rise)

One for the money and the free rides (What you say)
It's two for the lie that you denied (Games you play)
All rise (What you've done)
All rise (all rise, all rise)
Three for the calls you've been making (What you say)
It's four for the times you've been faking (Games you play)
All rise (What you've done)
All rise (Where you've gone)

One for the money and the free rides
It's two for the lie that you denied (Oh woahh)
All rise (Oh woahh)
All rise (Uh-huh)
Three for the calls you've been making
It's four for the times you've been faking
I said all rise (I'm gonna tell it to your face)
All rise (I rest my case)

A song to dedicate before flying off

I wanna dedicate this love song to a girl whom I really like and haven't seen for some time... while I make final preparations to take the flight back to Singapore. This song is the theme song for the blockbuster film "Armageddon". And of course I dedicate this song to everyone else, esp the fans of Aerosmith or Liv Tyler. How I pray for a day that I would be able to see her again... so I can tell her how much I miss her.

I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

I could stay awake just to hear you breathin'
Watch you smile while you are sleepin'
While you're far away and dreamin'
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Lying close to you feelin' your heart beatin'
And I wonder what you're dreamin'
Wonderin' if it's me you're seein'
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you In this moment forever
Forever and ever

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

And I don't wanna miss one smile
And I don't wanna miss one kiss
Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna falllll asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing