Maybe 2 was enough

Just watched the third installment of the Mummy trilogy, and somehow have the feeling of not satisfied la. Most of the cast return, with one exception being Maria Bello, who in her own right is an excellent actress, who seemed to try the british accent a little too hard. This movie seemed to feel the effect of losing Raquel Weisz.

The story of good fighting evil over a loooong period of time is not new, but maybe Steven S should have stuck to an Egyptian base instead. Don't get me wrong, the show was ok, just not as good as the previous two. Maybe to me the idea of a Mummy involved pyramids, lots of sand and Dung beetles.

Where the story in the previous two had great continuity, with lots of breakneck (literally) action, this one fell about a Terracotta step short. There was a lot of CGI, mostly cool, but some were a little rushed. Heck even the story line seemed to incorporate too many subplots for my taste.

I'd still say go watch it to judge for yourself. Half the movie is in Mandarin, due to Jet Li being a few-thousand year old Emperor. and somehow, hhmm..... i donno ....just have that feeling like movie could have been so much more.

Good enough to be a 2.5 out of 5 star show, this one will entertain, cause you to scratch your head and at the same time, bring the trilogy to an end, I Hope!"

Red sign Robbie Keane

Liverpool have spent £18 million on Irish captain Robbie Keane, a well known goal scorer with an impressive record in the premier league. More consistent then he is prolific, Robbie seems to be a direct replacement for the now-departed-for-Postsmouth Peter Crouch.

How Rafa fits him into the Anfield setup will be interesting to see, as Robbie is also good in the role behind the striker, filled by Stevie G in the previous season.

Hope to see good things, with Robbie assisting to reduce the burden of goals from Torres and Gerrard. Wonder if the amount is too high?

hhmmmmmm?

time is flying by

it's already the end of July!!

where has time gone... only a few weeks ago.. we thinking oh my it's gonna be a long year, and now look. Two overseas trips, a few local holidays, some long arduous weeks at work with extra workload and resource shortage.... and bham!

so now what!!!

No 2 and counting

yes i finally settled and on a design(with thanks to george for some record breaking editing), and got about to Exotic to let the artist, Max, pitch in his two cents. With a minor (but important) adjusment, we set on a date 2 weeks from now.

But voila! Max rings me up Monday afternoon, and tells me a slot opened up for tuesday. So after badminton, me rushed home for a shower and change, and headed to Komtar to get it done. And boy, was it worth it!

I sat thru 4.5 hours of sometimes pinching sensations, sometimes outright 'korek'-ing sensations, and at the end, after surviving a leg cramp due to the semi-crouch, semi squat position, i am pleased with the result. Comments peeps??




now for 2 weeks of healing. ooh and this weekes movie is the X-Files.... wonder if Scully and Mulder still have that chemistry going on?

loong weekend.....

No not this weekend, but the previous one. We went down to KL to attend a friends wedding (Reji at long last married his sweetheart. Congrats bro!!) so since we were in KL with Jasmin having an extra day off for public holiday (somehow we don't seem to have enough though) we decided to swing over to the East Coast for a quiet getaway.

So we drove across the peninsula! Easy with the Karak and then the EAST-WEST highway. We got to Cherating within 3 hours, and boy it is indeed a nice place.

We stayed at the Impiana, a cute little resort, a little aged, but with nice cosy rooms, and a private beach (although the sands were golden, not the white we were looking forward to), and adequate trimmings.


Of course being in the middle of nowhere, we didn't have much sightseeing to do, so we drove out to Kemaman and found Monica Bay (attempt at panoramic shot below; Sifu George, don't marah never PP with CS yet),and then drove to Kuantan town, about 45 minutes south.


For the return trip, we were hell bent on beiing hyper-adventurous. So instead of cutting back thru to KL and heading north on PLUS highway, we decided to drive north(!) to Kuala Terengganu, and the plan was to take the Jeli-Gerik road to get back to Penang.

Of course, most parts of the journey was beautiful, going thru the actual countryside, with nice views of the open sea at frequent intervals. Can say that is our version of the great ocean road, but of course cannot compete la. Certain parts of the East highway was actually a single lane road, passing thru sleepy towns with even sleepier outskirt villages.

We reached KT late afternoon, found Chinatown(yes BK , this time it's there) in time for lunch, and then continued on towards Kota Bahru, speeding at some parts as we thought need to go all the way to Kota Bahru to get onto the East-West road. However, we got to about 50 km out of Kota Bahru, and discovered the yellow brick road. So, thankfull for cutting the distance, we zoomed back across the Titiwangsa range, and were safely back in Taiping for dinner :)

hhmm wonder where the next road trip will take us?

oohh managed to get lucky with this shot.. will be cherishing this one, and the model in the pic... for a long while now.

Let's put a smile on that face!

it was, truly a great performance of the ensemble cast. But I have to say that Heath outshone them all. Such depth and range in emotion, made me believe he was actually Joker, not an actor playing the Joker.

The darker spirited version of the masked vigilante of Gotham City continues, with new faces introduced into the storyline. It all seemed to be maybe too much for director Chris Nolan to carry out, but my my ... stand up sir. Good job, well done in leading the field.

Very few times sequels can be as good, or even better than the original. But in The Dark Knight, I'd say we have a smash, in fact the smash hit of summer '08. I just finished the opening show times in Penang. expected it to be packed, and it was. Been a while since i watched an opening night showm and this was well worth it.

The story, the great action sequences, stellar performances by Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart; who both outshone Christian Bale (and that is no easy feat), Gary Oldman, Maggie Gylenhall with support from Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman; the exciting premise of the third (and maybe fourth part) of this series of DC magic all in all makes for a damn good viewing.
Verdict you say? need i say more? 5 stars all the way.

And damn you naysayers. but i liked the movie.
Watch it.

one of the best ever....

hhmmm was browsing thru some older collection of clips, and found this one. just had to share it again .....
(enjoy better with sound)



here's hoping we reach some of those great heights again!

sad state of affairs... good read

Came across this article today, was posted on one of my fav sites.... i feel it captures the sense of disbelief amongst malaysians... amongst who are either fed-up with the political foreplay going on, or those who think we should stay and fight for our land(ours u say? i say since when)......


A dead end for Malaysian politics?
Written by Super Admin
Thursday, 10 July 2008

Farish Noor, Aliran

At a time when all of Asia is on the brink of a global recession sparked by the rising costs of oil and gas and the collapse of the US dollar, the issues that count ought to be structural-economic ones. But what has transpired over the past two weeks has shown that despite the flashy suits and corporate videos broadcasting the bold and brazen image of Malaysia Inc, the country's politics remains trapped in the swamp of the banal and ridiculous, laments Farish Noor.

It has become the common blight of many a postcolonial state that the discrepancy between political idealism and the realities on the ground grow wider by the day. It has also been my singular misfortune that the nature of my work as a political scientist who studies the uneven development of many such nation-states means that I have grown somewhat jaded by such contradictions that are all too evident when one is distant from the country in question.Over the past decade I have travelled across South and Southeast Asia looking at the painfully slow pace of development in countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia. The political elite of these countries talk on and on about development, progress, emancipation (both economic and mental) and yet remain beholden captives to the racialised ideologies of the colonial past. Their feeble attempts at deconstructing the legacy of Empire often dwindles down to little more than a vulgar pastiche of reversed Orientalism at best (as if the racism of Asians is somehow better than the racism of the European colonialists who came before); and their steadfast refusal to adapt to changes around them is irritating and infuriating to witness at close range.

In India and Pakistan I watched as my fellow academic friends who play the role of public intellectuals and who have been calling for peace and reconciliation between the two countries have been systematically denounced as 'race traitors', 'cowards', and the fifth column within. Some of the best minds that secular democratic India has produced have been pilloried and harrangued by right-wing Hindutva fundamentalists who have called them 'traitors' to the great Hindu cause, labelled them 'Muslim-lovers' or worse still, apologists for the great Western conspiracy against the motherland.The same level of puerile non-debate can be seen in Southeast Asia too: Thai pacifists who have called for a settled end to the hostilities in the Muslim south have been denounced as apologists for Muslim extremists; in Malaysia academics who have called for the re-working and re-negotiation of the social contract have been labelled 'race traitors'; in Indonesia moderate Muslim intellectuals who have defended Indonesia's plural society and culture have been branded enemies of Islam. So what gives?The country that is closest to my heard is, of course, Malaysia and the recent developments in the country has given me reason to be worried about its future. Religious and racial sectarianism remain the dominant features on its political landscape and there is the apparent need for some form of national reconciliation and healing.

Yet events over the past two weeks have made a mockery of Malaysia's claim to be a developing country with first world ambitions: despite the skyscrappers that claw at the heavens above Kuala Lumpur, the mega-malls that devour their consumers by the thousands, the massive highways that are crammed with cars, the state of Malaysian politics today beggars belief.

At a time when all of Asia is on the brink of a global recession sparked by the rising costs of oil and gas and the collapse of the US dollar, the issues that count ought to be structural-economic ones instead. But what has transpired over the past two weeks has shown that despite the flashy suits and corporate videos broadcasting the bold and brazen image of Malaysia Inc, the country's politics remains trapped in the swamp of the banal and ridiculous.

For a start sodomy season has returned to Malaysia with a vengeance with allegations of sodomy being levelled against Anwar Ibrahim, de facto head of the Peoples Justice Party (PKR) and advisor to the Peoples Alliance opposition coalition. Not to be outdone, those close to Anwar have also made disclosures about the alleged sexcapades of Malaysia's ruling elite and senior politicians in the country; but only to have the very same allegations withdrawn a day later. The rally to protest the rise in oil prices on 6 July that was aiming to gather a million Malaysians only managed to bring together 25 to 30 thousand, and was marred by an equally embarrassing incident when conservative Islamists stormed the stage during the performance of a punk rock band, the lead singer of which decided to moon the crowd. In the midst of this, have we forgotten our economic essentials? And the real reason behind this global economic meltdown which happens to be the skewered uneven global economy we have all inadvertently created thanks to our dependency on the US economy? Or has politics been reduced to bottoms and sodomy for now?All of this has made it increasingly difficult for me to explain the nature of Malaysian politics to my European colleagues where I am currently on the seminar circuit.

How, pray tell, does a global economic crisis degenerate to the level of sodomy allegations and why on earth does the personality of politicians matter more at a time when the overbearing global economic structures have taken on a life of their own?Voodoo politics was a term once fashionable in the 1970s and we seem to have returned to our political myths and ghost-stories with relish. As oil and gas prices soar across Asia, the manifestations of public outrage and frustration is bound to spill into the streets. But in Malaysia, as in the case of Indonesia, the results are freaky and unpredictable at best. Why, in Indonesia the ones who seem to have benefited the most are the Islamist parties that have been scoring hits at all the local elections. So once again, what gives?

Politics has always been influenced by elements that are variable and sometimes even irrational; but this time round the wierd and wonderful manifestation of collective anger and frustration may take us to the end of politics itself, and with that our aspirations for development, progress and political maturity can be dumped into the bin as well. How terribly sad.

Farish Noor is Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Research Director for the Research Cluster 'Transnational Religion in Contemporary Southeast Asia'.

the second coming....

Last night I caught the opening day (of course) show for Hellboy II : The Golden Army. excited? not as i will be next week, but was looking forward to it as i really enjoyed the first one. A pal of mine asked me how it went..... my answer :

Normal la.. "world domination, hero saves the world.." which of course started to draw all kinds of response from around the room.

So i thought better put in a clearer perspective.
(this is assuming you guys have watched the first one....)

Big Red and his gang come up against a natural heir of the earth (Prince Nuanda) who wants to get rid of the humans, ending a looong truce. Fight to the end kind of premise, with an indestructible golden army awaiting to be unleashed onto us puny humans.

Story is kind of cool, with a lots of creatures and effects when u consider it's Guillermo at the helm. A b8it draggy in parts where he tries to play with the characters emotions, with some comical results, which are ok on their own, but end up making the movie feel a bit draggy.

Great action fight scenes, cool graphics, very cool mystical creatures, some good performances (Selma Blair was on fire ... literally), but somehow i was expecting more. After the first one, i thought this one would go at breakneck speed, but was not to be.

I'll give it an fun to watch, maybe 3 stars, but can say my expectation would have been higher.

Now, not as high as next weeks spectacular release.

to quote a line from it " Anything that does not kill you, makes you ........... stranger"

Jalbir is married!

I went to KL for the weekend, to attend my cousin Jalbir's wedding. it was fun, had a good time meeting up with so many relatives, joking about, and just plain enjoying the atmosphere. The dinner was loud, and enjoyable, with all the horsing around (me and harjeet being the guilty ones) time seemed to pass too fast.





Also went to see Reyhan. Damn, that kid is cute. hehehe... but he's looking more like my grandpa at the moment, less like Naresh.


Seems like everyone is getting married nowadays, but then again reality checks in and u realise ur not 25 anymore. Time really flies, and soon it'll be another cousin or another friend's wedding. Only then you realise how quickly time passes by.


Well, life goes on i suppose. hehehe.

IT's HERE .... it's hereee!!

Finally, after 2 years of should I, could I, maybe not, wait first, hhmm why not, will it reach, should i risk it... etc; apprehension aside, i finally gave in to the urges and ordered the long awaited DVD of ......THE Final!

Yes ... this one ->


WOOHOOOOO yeah baby .... my baby called me while i was still at work, and when she told me it arrived, i told her to open it up.

Lo and Behold! woo hoo...too excited. Can't wait to get home!!

As time slowly inched by, i grew more and more restless, although on the outside i was cool as cucumber juice.

Finally, got home and and (cue the drumroll...........) and yes i have my hands on it. MY PRECIOUS!!

In the midst of packing for my KL trip, i just had to. had to watch it. both discs.

My My My. the emotions of that 25th night, the roller coaster of numbness and pure joy, remembering all my nails that i had bit out, and also my puffed eyes from bawling like a baby after we had won!

Aaawwwww ..... yes!!

Finally, i have my own copy of history. I have my own record of THAT night of European magic. I have my own slice of time for repeated viewings. Never mind if it's the last trophy we ever win. Never mind if we don't qualify for another final (hehe we did in 2007). This is the special one (suck on this Jose)!!

Most of my pals (MU fans especially) would say that their win in '99 in the final 2 mins of injury time was the best final. I'd say it was the best moment, but not the best final. sorry pals. That memory belongs to us .

"OH You Beauttyyyyyy!!!!! What a hit son, what A hit!"


Now i'm really looking forward to the new season!

GO REDS!!

Will kicks some ass!!

Hancock turned out to be a pleasent surprise. Hugely entertaining with a good twist and surprisingly feel good ending, I really enjoyed it, but some of my friends were not too thrilled about it.

I mean come on ..... Will Smith and Charlize Theron?? come one. One thing for sure, Will's dry, fed-up kind of sarcasm and Jason Bateman's almost boy-scout demeanor almost balances of each other. A much stronger storyline then the Happening, i feel that Hancock is gonna do much better in the box-office.

Now for some upcoming movie news(thanks Nim, for the summary of updates):

MGM and Columbia Pictures have revealed the new Quantum of Solace trailer! Opening in November 2008, the Marc Forster-directed 22nd James Bond adventure stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Jesper Christensen and Joaquin Cosio. You can watch the trailer in HD QuickTime at the link below:

http://pdl.stream.aol.com/aol/us/moviefone/movies/2008/quantumofsolace_026922/tefam_trlr_01_480p_dl.mov

Columbia Pictures has set an untitled comedy that will star Sacha Baron Cohen as master detective Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson, his crime-solving partner, reports Variety. The comedy is inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales. Though the thrust is different, the Baron Cohen-Ferrell pairing is the second major studio project featuring the supersleuth, as Warner Bros. is prepping a Sherlock Holmes drama with director Guy Ritchie.

The viral marketing for The Dark Knight has revealed a new poster for the anticipated sequel to the highly acclaimed Batman Begins.

Tarsem Singh (The Cell) had signed on to direct War of Gods while Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) will helm a remake of Clash of the Titans. While the subject matter of the two films is different, each shares a preoccupation with Greek mythology. Both pictures are expected to use the greenscreen techniques used for 300. War of Gods is a mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece, as the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the gods fighting with soldiers against demons and titans. In Clash of the Titans, Perseus, the son of Zeus, must overcome a series of obstacles to save his beloved Princess Andromeda, including cutting off the serpent-tressed head of Medusa, who can turn a man to stone with a single glance.



Mail Online is reporting a rumor that Christian Bale, Vanessa Redgrave, William Hurt and Saoirse Ronan are all in talks to join Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller in director Ridley Scott's Nottingham. Bale is in talks to play Robin Hood, where he will be part of a menage a trois between Russell Crowe's Sheriff of Nottingham and Sienna Miller's Maid Marian. Nothing is signed for Bale, but director Ridley Scott is exceedingly keen to cast him. Crowe and Bale starred together in last year's 3:10 to Yuma.


The Los Angeles Times reports that 'Spider-Man' franchise producer Laura Ziskin said the fourth installment is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in May 2011. Already scheduled for the month of May that year are Marvel's own The First Avenger: Captain America and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. Neither star Tobey Maguire nor director Sam Raimi is yet committed to work on the next installment, but Sony has paid Marvel to renew its rights.


Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to star in DreamWorks/Universal's Cowboys & Aliens, a pulpy mix of the sci-fi and Western genres. Based on a graphic novel, the story centers on an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers, including a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson (Downey), that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Arizona. The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the 'savage' Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens' assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders' attack.

Unconventional Hero

Summer movie madness just took a whole new turn. Will Smith's latest promises to be laugh a minute with lots of action and some great stunts.

Hancock starts off July with Dark Knight, Hellboy II, Mummy 3, The X-Files and Sex and The City rounding of the list. Don't let me get started on August and September. OOh the chills runnin down my spine.

I'll be catching Hancock this thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.