Talk about a busy Friday night. zoom zoom to Menotti for dinner with friends from JC I hadn't seen in a while from my JC hostel days. Talk about a high powered group of friends. 3 doctors, 1 dentist, 1 lawyer.
Dinner was pretty cool though doctor talk pretty much dominated a lot of the conversation. One of the doctors is taking a year out from work so that he can travel for a year. Hm. that's pretty cool.
I have to say Menotti rather sucks. I've eaten there twice and had dessert twice and it sucked all 4 times. Service was terrible 'cos this guy like dripped water on my friend's seat, had his elbows all over almost knocking into my other friend's face, and then wanted us to eat faster so that he could serve our mains. And then when we were done asked us if we wanted coffee TWICE. Who drinks coffee at 10 at night??? The second time we took it to be that they wanted us to leave.
At 10 I rushed off to Arab street to meet another group of friends to smoke Sheesha at this place called Samar. Service was again atrocious as a simple request like "can we have the menu please" was forgotten three times, our request for water was forgotten 4 times, and request for sheesha pipes took 45 mins and was forgotten once. The place wasn't even very busy. i felt like walking off and not paying. And the food was a bit gross.
Anyway, we spent an hour trying to figure out how to blow smoke from the sheesha pipes. One of my friends was so pro she looked like Puff the magic dragon. And so we nicknamed her Puff. I finally got the hang of it at about 1 am and puffed away till I got woozy. and now I feel like i want to puke. something not to be done again.
Some time has to be spent working this weekend, but I shall continue in my test drives.
I think I may not actually get a car till next year and will sign up for car sharing program for the moment. Apparently my insurance premiums drop next year when I'm 28 and deemed to be a lower risk category - $800 difference a year. Which is quite a bit. Plus i'm cashless now anyway.
To a big fat bonus. 2 months and 20 days. I can't wait.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
And when i see writeups like these on the Net I can't help but wonder if they are blind.
QUOTE
Synopsis:
A sumptuous epic of courtly intrigue, royal usurpers and star-crossed love, Feng Xiaogang’s The Banquet is a beguiling, scintillating experience. Featuring the singularly steely frostiness of the stunning Ziyi Zhang, far and away one of the most dynamic actors of her generation, this lavish production recalls recent martial arts masterworks such as Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but simultaneously evokes fiery historical dramas on the scale of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Feng is China’s most successful commercial director and he has assembled an incomparable team for this ambitious film.
UNQUOTE
(emphasis added)
QUOTE
Synopsis:
A sumptuous epic of courtly intrigue, royal usurpers and star-crossed love, Feng Xiaogang’s The Banquet is a beguiling, scintillating experience. Featuring the singularly steely frostiness of the stunning Ziyi Zhang, far and away one of the most dynamic actors of her generation, this lavish production recalls recent martial arts masterworks such as Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but simultaneously evokes fiery historical dramas on the scale of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Feng is China’s most successful commercial director and he has assembled an incomparable team for this ambitious film.
UNQUOTE
(emphasis added)
The Banquet
Caught this show over the weekend and was somewhat disappointed. The costumes and sets were very beautiful, and cinematography quite nice as well. I liked the stylistic performances and the old music. There was a scene which looked like it came straight out of Lord of the Rings - the black riders get sent to kill Prince Wu Luan (aka Frodo), and the imperial palace looked like the tower of Sauron.
The characters were pretty flat though. The whole show is supposed to be a tragedy, but uhm, well, I think the actors and actresses weren't good enough. Zhang Ziyi totally sucked 'cos all her facial expressions looked like a cut and paste from Memoirs of a Geisha. I didn't even know she was in a powerplay and was supposed to be scheming until i read the reviews on the net - I thought she was just a hapless victim waiting to be saved by the prince. There was a scene where she visits the apothecary to buy poison, and as payment, gives the apothecare some arsenic so that he could kill himself. I didn't even catch that she wanted him to kill himself until after the scene was over - her facial expressions and actions could well have been used just as well if she were rewarding him with gold. NOT ENOUGH DEPTH.
Zhou Xun was just irritating. The emperor wasn't evil enough, and the ministers weren't scheming enough. Daniel Wu was just mediocre although my friend kept salivating for reasons unknown to me.
SIGH. I need to watch a good chinese epic soon to nourish my soul.
The characters were pretty flat though. The whole show is supposed to be a tragedy, but uhm, well, I think the actors and actresses weren't good enough. Zhang Ziyi totally sucked 'cos all her facial expressions looked like a cut and paste from Memoirs of a Geisha. I didn't even know she was in a powerplay and was supposed to be scheming until i read the reviews on the net - I thought she was just a hapless victim waiting to be saved by the prince. There was a scene where she visits the apothecary to buy poison, and as payment, gives the apothecare some arsenic so that he could kill himself. I didn't even catch that she wanted him to kill himself until after the scene was over - her facial expressions and actions could well have been used just as well if she were rewarding him with gold. NOT ENOUGH DEPTH.
Zhou Xun was just irritating. The emperor wasn't evil enough, and the ministers weren't scheming enough. Daniel Wu was just mediocre although my friend kept salivating for reasons unknown to me.
SIGH. I need to watch a good chinese epic soon to nourish my soul.
Choices choices
Went on a test driving spree today boy I'm bushed.
List as at 24/9:
A. Done + maybe list
1. Kia Picanto 1.1 Manual - Car's bigger on the inside than I thought. Didn't seem overly underpowered. Drive feel is not too bad for a small car. But I can feel engine vibration through the throttle - sandy.
2. Kia Rio 1.4 manual hatchback - biting point of the clutch is questionable and vague, but overall feel is much better than the Kia Picanto. Less engine vibration through throttle and drive is quite smooth and quiet.
3. Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 manual - I like the feel of the steering wheel - very solid. But car has an outdated feel and I feel like an ahpek / ahbeng inside. Not consistent with the OC cool college kid image that I want. Car feels heavy and engine perhaps a little underpowered. No vroom vroom. But the clutch is a lot more certain than the Rio. Car is quite big. Too big? Drive is quite smooth.
4. Hyundai Getz 1.1 manual - I like this car a lot more than the Kia Picanto. Clutch biting point is more certain, it's bigger and doesn't look like a toy car .i.e. it doesn't look like a car I would regret buying / driving around after 2 years when it's not so new anymore. Less engine vibration than the Picanto.
B. Done + Out list
1. Kia Picanto 1.1 Auto - woefully underpowered - if you rev the car and it downshifts, the engine noise is very loud and rough. Feels like is being pumped through the sole of my right foot.
2. Mitsubishi 1.6 Lancer CVT auto - this must be the most boring drive the entire day. There's no gear change as it works on a continuous transmission system. I was very bored after 20 seconds and didn't like the feel too much. The manual drives much better.
C. Yet to try / want to try
1. Toyota Vios
2. Hyundai Verna 1.4 manual + auto
3. Suzuki Swift 1.5 manual and auto
4. Proton Satria Neo 1.6 manual + auto
5. Proton Savvy 1.2 Manual + semi-auto
6. Kia Rio 1.6 manual + auto
7. Kia Rio 1.4 auto
8. Honda Jazz / FIT - I don't think I'll like this.
What an exciting series of weekends all lined up for me.
List as at 24/9:
A. Done + maybe list
1. Kia Picanto 1.1 Manual - Car's bigger on the inside than I thought. Didn't seem overly underpowered. Drive feel is not too bad for a small car. But I can feel engine vibration through the throttle - sandy.
2. Kia Rio 1.4 manual hatchback - biting point of the clutch is questionable and vague, but overall feel is much better than the Kia Picanto. Less engine vibration through throttle and drive is quite smooth and quiet.
3. Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 manual - I like the feel of the steering wheel - very solid. But car has an outdated feel and I feel like an ahpek / ahbeng inside. Not consistent with the OC cool college kid image that I want. Car feels heavy and engine perhaps a little underpowered. No vroom vroom. But the clutch is a lot more certain than the Rio. Car is quite big. Too big? Drive is quite smooth.
4. Hyundai Getz 1.1 manual - I like this car a lot more than the Kia Picanto. Clutch biting point is more certain, it's bigger and doesn't look like a toy car .i.e. it doesn't look like a car I would regret buying / driving around after 2 years when it's not so new anymore. Less engine vibration than the Picanto.
B. Done + Out list
1. Kia Picanto 1.1 Auto - woefully underpowered - if you rev the car and it downshifts, the engine noise is very loud and rough. Feels like is being pumped through the sole of my right foot.
2. Mitsubishi 1.6 Lancer CVT auto - this must be the most boring drive the entire day. There's no gear change as it works on a continuous transmission system. I was very bored after 20 seconds and didn't like the feel too much. The manual drives much better.
C. Yet to try / want to try
1. Toyota Vios
2. Hyundai Verna 1.4 manual + auto
3. Suzuki Swift 1.5 manual and auto
4. Proton Satria Neo 1.6 manual + auto
5. Proton Savvy 1.2 Manual + semi-auto
6. Kia Rio 1.6 manual + auto
7. Kia Rio 1.4 auto
8. Honda Jazz / FIT - I don't think I'll like this.
What an exciting series of weekends all lined up for me.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
i art bored with blogging. how.
Went to goodwood park to stuff my face with 3 friends one of whom I used to have a minor crush on back in jc. Another one dresses like a complete ahem with a skirt that probably ends where the butt cheeks begin. Am I the only weird one who thinks that more (cloth) is less, and less (cloth) is gross? Also saw her travel pics in Europe for some conference (representing some esteemed stat board) and was completely surprised she didn't get propositioned. She did say some French guy proclaimed to her "I LOVE YOU" in bad english. But I can't for the life of me understand why.
Another friend is leaving the country to NZ to er live with her boyfriend. Her parents don't know she's quit her job - they think she got a transfer. Hah. When they find out they'll be hopping mad.
Another friend (came later) is getting married in Nov? Dec? And get this - going to Fiji islands for honeymoon. Kaoz it's f-ing ex - the hotel is about US$500 a night for like a BASIC hotel. It goes up to US$1500 a night for a swanky hotel. I want to start a hotel business too.
Last weekend I went home to see my brother and sister who were back from the UK and Australia. I think my brother's the ultimate cheapskate. He's lazy to cook and eating out in Australia is expensive. So what does he do - he gets a second job waitering in a restaurant, and gets fed dinner for free on work days, and a nominal sum on non-workdays. And then he takes a 12 hour bus to Sydney to fly back to M'sia to save A$300. Kaoz. This must run in the family somehow.
The week before I went to Bangkok on a firm trip and bought enough toiletries to last a lifetime. I must be a very dirty person or have some psychological problem against being dirty.
I can't wait for my trip to Hanoi although it's not really for leisure.
In October I may be flying to Greece for a meeting - it's kinda scary - what if I look like a complete twit at the meeting 'cos I don't know my stuff? But the thought of flying business class to europe and staying in swanky hotels with meals all paid for is absolutely irresistable...
And here I was calling my brother cheapskate. sigh.
I need to plan my next holiday. Vietnam and Laos anyone?
Went to goodwood park to stuff my face with 3 friends one of whom I used to have a minor crush on back in jc. Another one dresses like a complete ahem with a skirt that probably ends where the butt cheeks begin. Am I the only weird one who thinks that more (cloth) is less, and less (cloth) is gross? Also saw her travel pics in Europe for some conference (representing some esteemed stat board) and was completely surprised she didn't get propositioned. She did say some French guy proclaimed to her "I LOVE YOU" in bad english. But I can't for the life of me understand why.
Another friend is leaving the country to NZ to er live with her boyfriend. Her parents don't know she's quit her job - they think she got a transfer. Hah. When they find out they'll be hopping mad.
Another friend (came later) is getting married in Nov? Dec? And get this - going to Fiji islands for honeymoon. Kaoz it's f-ing ex - the hotel is about US$500 a night for like a BASIC hotel. It goes up to US$1500 a night for a swanky hotel. I want to start a hotel business too.
Last weekend I went home to see my brother and sister who were back from the UK and Australia. I think my brother's the ultimate cheapskate. He's lazy to cook and eating out in Australia is expensive. So what does he do - he gets a second job waitering in a restaurant, and gets fed dinner for free on work days, and a nominal sum on non-workdays. And then he takes a 12 hour bus to Sydney to fly back to M'sia to save A$300. Kaoz. This must run in the family somehow.
The week before I went to Bangkok on a firm trip and bought enough toiletries to last a lifetime. I must be a very dirty person or have some psychological problem against being dirty.
I can't wait for my trip to Hanoi although it's not really for leisure.
In October I may be flying to Greece for a meeting - it's kinda scary - what if I look like a complete twit at the meeting 'cos I don't know my stuff? But the thought of flying business class to europe and staying in swanky hotels with meals all paid for is absolutely irresistable...
And here I was calling my brother cheapskate. sigh.
I need to plan my next holiday. Vietnam and Laos anyone?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Devil wears Prada
It appears that more than one person has made the observation that my boss is uncannily like Meryl Streep's character in said show haha:
(For the record my boss is a very nice person)
QUOTE
-----Original Message-----
From: Xxx, xxxxx [mailto:xxxxx.xxx@bigswankybank.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:26 PM
To: YYYYY; ZZZZZ; Xxx, xxxxx
Cc: AAAAA
Subject: RE: The Devil wears Prada
A) A mirror
B) DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
C) A mirror and a DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
D) Something from Prada and a DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
E) Rat poison
-----Original Message-----
From: YYYYY [mailto:YYYYY@biglawfirm.com]
Sent: 21 September 2006 21:23
To: ZZZZZ; xxxxx.xxx@bigswankybank.com
Cc: AAAAA
Subject: RE: The Devil wears Prada
What do you think I'm buying her for Christmas????
-----Original Message-----
From: ZZZZZ
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:21 PM
To: YYYYY
Subject: Fw: The Devil wears Prada
FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: Xxx, xxxxx
To: ZZZZZ
Sent: Thu Sep 21 21:08:17 2006
Subject: The Devil wears Prada
can you tell YYYYY that the resemblance with his boss is uncanny.
(For the record my boss is a very nice person)
QUOTE
-----Original Message-----
From: Xxx, xxxxx [mailto:xxxxx.xxx@bigswankybank.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:26 PM
To: YYYYY; ZZZZZ; Xxx, xxxxx
Cc: AAAAA
Subject: RE: The Devil wears Prada
A) A mirror
B) DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
C) A mirror and a DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
D) Something from Prada and a DVD of "The Devil Wears Prada"
E) Rat poison
-----Original Message-----
From: YYYYY [mailto:YYYYY@biglawfirm.com]
Sent: 21 September 2006 21:23
To: ZZZZZ; xxxxx.xxx@bigswankybank.com
Cc: AAAAA
Subject: RE: The Devil wears Prada
What do you think I'm buying her for Christmas????
-----Original Message-----
From: ZZZZZ
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:21 PM
To: YYYYY
Subject: Fw: The Devil wears Prada
FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: Xxx, xxxxx
To: ZZZZZ
Sent: Thu Sep 21 21:08:17 2006
Subject: The Devil wears Prada
can you tell YYYYY that the resemblance with his boss is uncanny.