Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes

How do you pack a year of longing into two weeks of frenzied packings, dinners, loose strings?

LDRs - how do you truly measure a year?

In daylights, In sunsets, In midnights, In cups of coffee
In inches, In miles, In laughter, In strife

Unbelievable

The campus arcade at the student centre may be small, but it has at least TWO (that's 1 + 1 = 2) DDR machines.

There are arcades three times the size in Singapore that don't even have one machine.

By the way, the campus is FRIGGING HUGE. At least compared to NUS / NTU.

Au Revoir Singapour

To Boston (ok, its Cambridge actually) and Beyond!

Keep in touch.

I'll be back.

There is a tradition by which a warrior is sent off from this world to the next via burning longboat - optional accessories include the heads of pawned nemeses, broken blades etc. This is of course impractical today as the major means of conveyance tends to be via flight, and a burning 747, while tending to the dramatic, simply muddles the causative link between death and funeral per se.

Thus it is with great pride that this blog sends off one of its most illustrious denizens - our resident Einstein, Ebert, and Morphling - on his flight to that new world of his. We will of course miss his much vaunted humility - to which we quote, from Viola "This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well craves a kind of wit." And though Amigos Para Siempre would justly be used in this instance, what more fitting an elegy than the song of the Fool himself, who rounds off Twelfth Night thus -

When that I was and a little boy,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

A foolish thing was but a toy,

For the rain it raineth every day.


But when I came to man's estate,

With hey, ho, etc.

`Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,

For the rain, etc.


But when I came, alas, to wive,

With he, ho, etc.

By swaggering could I never thrive

For the rain, etc.


But when I came unto my beds,

With hey, ho etc.

With toss-pots still had drunken heads,

For the rain, etc.


A great while ago the world begun,

With hey, ho, etc.

But that's all one, our play is done,

And we'll strive to please you every day.

Godspeed.

Unfortunately, even the seemingly automaton-like have emotions and feelings.

Amigos Para Siempre - Sarah Brightman, Jose Carreras

I don't have to say
A word to you
You seem to know
Whatever mood
I'm going through
Feels as though
I've known you forever

You
Can look into my eyes and see
The way I feel
And how
The world is treating me
Maybe I have known you forever

Amigos para siempre
Means you'll always be my friend
Amics per sempre
Means a love that cannot end
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

I feel you near me
Even when we are apart
Just knowing you are in this world
Can warm my heart
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

We share memories
I won't forget
And we'll share more,
My friend,
We haven't started yet
Something happens
When we're together

When
I look at you
I wonder why
There has to come
A time when we must say goodbye
I'm alive when we are together

Amigos para siempre
Means you'll always be my friend
Amics per sempre
Means a love that cannot end
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

I feel you near me
Even when we are apart
Just knowing you are in this world
Can warm my heart
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

When
I look at you
I wonder why
There has to come
A time when we must say goodbye

I'm alive when we are together

Amigos para siempre
Means you'll always be my friend
Amics per sempre
Means a love that cannot end
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

I feel you near me
Even when we are apart
Just knowing you are in this world
Can warm my heart
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre

Amigos para siempre
Means you'll always be my friend
Amics per sempre
Means a love that cannot end
Friends for life
Not just a summer or a spring
Amigos para siempre
Amigos para siempre

To all those who are leaving soon for the first time, do keep in touch, even as the new environment you will soon encounter will mould and shape your personality and character.

It has been said that a good friendship is forever. Cherish your friends, for a good friend is worth ten mere acquaintances, if not more.

Sometimes I feel this place is becoming ncmhp's (useless) movie review site. Fear not - this will almost certainly be one of the last few, after which it's back to the books over in cold Boston.

Two reviews for the length of one - I mean, not much to talk about these.

Bewitched - Despite what certain publications may say, and what your friends might say about this movie, I believe that this movie is better than Charlie. For one, it achieves the goal of being light-hearted and humorous, unlike Charlie, which is horrendously dragged down by the sub-plot of Willy Wonka's dad.

Although I think most of the plot is expected to frequent movie viewers and critics, the execution is decent and provides many laughs.

This was never a movie which was intended to be deep - it's goal was to be a humorous, fast-paced comedy that didn't dwell too much on serious themes, and in my opinion, it is done pretty well. 3.5 / 5.

Valiant - This animated flick about hero carrier pigeons is slated to come up August 18, and well, what I think, is that if you miss it you aren't missing much.

For one, the movie is TOO SHORT. It's barely over an hour long. Even Madagascar was longer!

Secondly, what is this movie trying to achieve? Is it trying to be funny? Is it trying to be a take on the toughness of War? Is it trying to teach a moral about the (human or pigeon) spirit? In my opinion, it tries to do all three, and in the end falls flat on its face trying to do too much in a short period of time.

Other than that, this is a decent movie to bring the kids to, but no more than that. 2.5 / 5.

Hey, whoever you are, use your own nick on the tagboard!

Shameless promotion of the day

Crystal Jade Golden Palace - Hey, it may be a bit on the higher-end, but the food is GOOD. And it's not that expensive - $40 - $50 a person for a good meal.


In other news, a slightly-late Happy 40th birthday to all of us! =)

NDP this year was slightly different from previous years, and I found it pretty good this year, not so stale like previous years as the routine was different. Hmm... that was a pretty good send-off NDP just before I leave to study.

In Memoriam, 9th August 2005


ON THIS day, scattered with soft and mournful drizzles, I bid goodbye to thee, Phoenix Economy Rice & Bee Hoon, formerly of Bishan Blk 152.

For seven long, epicurean years, Phoenix Rice was the mainstay of many a morning repast, doling out Economy-priced nasi lemak at Business-sized portions. For seven long, resplendent years, this was the mainstay of my every Sunday morning, my lovely steaming piece of gourmet sunshine. For the pleasure of these days, I and my own owe thee a debt we can never truly repay, a gratitude that we may only manifest now by mourning thy passing.

For nevermore shall the fragance of thy nasi caress my lips. Nevermore shall the aroma of thy curry waft across the road yonder, mingling with the spicy scent of a torrential noontime downpour. And never again will thy grilled eggs pass muster as, when speared by a fork they ooze a lovely golden sunshine, a yolky ballet in largo time.

It is fitting, thus, that forty years ago today, we mourned as our land was ejected to seek our own fate alone as a sovereign state; and that similarly today we, the recipients of thy food and largesse find ourselves adrift in an existence suddenly bereft of all the joy thou hath brought into our lives. For we mourn a breakfast, a tradition, and a way of life that has left us far, far too soon.

Phoenix Economy Rice and Bee Hoon (1996-2005)

On further consideration, Charlie has been downgraded to 2.5/5. Review below has been edited. For such an anticipated movie, it truly has been a disappointment.

All-you-can-eat buffets

3 people, $19 a person. 46 dishes. Food finished.

The saying goes that people don't do bad business. So all-you-can-eat buffets have to be good business.

From today's experience, it might seem not to be so. Certain people can really eat and eat and eat and eat the restaurant till they are broke.

But perhaps, to paraphrase the thoughts of one of my eating companions, these people are few, but they bring along their friends who can't eat as much. So the restaurants lose money to these people but gain a lot back from their friends.

Anyway, certain people can really eat a lot. No wonder we are all so obese.

Stupidly humorous conversation snippet of the evening
(paraphrased due to stupidly closing the window before I realized it)

Person A:

if not we can go over to the bloody hawker centre

Person A:

and eat the fuck rice there

Person A:

I mean, fuck rice

Person A:

DUCK RICE

Person A:

DAMMIT

Person B:

No

Person B:

The D and F keys ARE SO FAR FROM EACH OTHER

Just came back from a preview of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Cineleisure Orchard (it actually opens in Singapore tomorrow). Below are my comments.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Review - BEWARE OF SPOILERS

One thing that I really didn't like about the movie, being a fan of Roald Dahl and his books, was the way they followed / not followed the book.

Now let me say that I don't necessary think that you have to follow a book strictly to make a good movie - in many cases, following a book strictly makes the movie extremely draggy. I watched Matilda and The Witches, and they were decent even though they didn't follow the book exactly.

I read both books (both Chocolate Factory and the Great Glass Elevator), and I came into the movie expecting they would show an ending that preps for a sequel that would follow the Great Glass Elevator. The Great Glass Elevator is, by itself, worthy to make a pretty good movie. With this ending they make it rather hard to transition into the Great Glass Elevator, if at all, unless, of course, they twist the story furthermore.

Why?

In the movie, they introduce an extra dimension not found in the story, which is the childhood of Willy Wonka. It is used to explore the theme of family connectedness. For example, Charlie is asked to take over the factory - in the book he accepts readily, but in the movie he rejects the offer because it would separate him from his family.

Willy Wonka has a bad family history, and becomes estranged from his family when he goes into the chocolate business. The end of the story is about how he's reunited with his family (actually his dad, played by Christopher Lee, who needs a better set of teeth if he wants to play a paranoid dentist).

The problem is that with family rooting him back to Earth, it is hard to see how he would dare to undertake the adventures that are described in the Great Glass Elevator, which has him blasting off into space and risking all kinds of dangers.

Oh well, they could always twist the story around again.

This is the one major twist in the story. Other than that, the book is followed pretty much to the letter, other than a few conversational changes that add humour and are rather good. The problem with this twist, other than the fact that it makes a sequel rather inane, is that it makes Willy Wonka look human. For goodness' sake, every single character in this book is stereotyped to the extreme, even Charlie! It's supposed to be a direct simple story that children and adults can enjoy. If you want to make a thoughtful movie, you should intersperse it with various themes throughout and explore them more deeply, not attempt to cover it so superficially.

The other problem with the movie is that it's toooooo draggy. It follows every single oompa-loompa song. After the first two, its pretty good, but when it gets to Mike Teevee, it's just a bit of a bore. But this is a relatively minor point. It's times like this where sometimes its better to deviate from the book.

Other than that, the movie is pretty good. It DOES follow the book closely actually, and portrays the characters pretty well - their stereotypes all demonstrated in their full glory. And it's pretty funny too!

I think the problem is that the script makes the movie a bit darker - in my humble opinion the best way to do a movie adaptation of a book such as this is to keep the spirit of the book, which is cheerful, upbeat, and humorous, not introduce serious themes such as family (dis)connection which makes the movie darker.

All in all, this reviewer gives it 2.5 / 5. Go for it if you're a hardcore fan of Depp - else your cash might be better spent elsewhere. [ Edited 8/8 ]