mukhsin

Mukhsin - go watch!

It's a movie that I eagerly anticipate. Eversince it opened in Malaysia, critics and regular audience alike, all raved about this movie.

Anxious, I snooped around trying to find the date that this movie will be screened in Singapore. Heard through the grapevine that it'll screen a fortnight after Malaysia. And someone specifically mentioned the 29th.

And yet, I find NOTHING about Mukhsin being screened here. Null, Nil, Zilch. Even yesterday, which is like a few days away from the screening date. Nothing on GV wesite, Cathay, Shaw or Eng Wah. Previous newspaper reports shows that no one has any idea when it'll come here.

Desperate, I already planned with my cousin to hop over to JB's City Square and watch it there over the weekend. Cannot take it la. Read so much about this movie online and I've stumbled upon many spoilers (w/o reading them, of course).

On a last resort, I send Yasmin Ahmad, the director and writer of Mukhsin, a message:

Kak Yasmin,

Adakah Mukhsin akan ditayangkan di S'pore?? Ada yang cakap on the 29th... tak nampak apa-apa pun kat "coming soon" punya category???

I really really wanna watch Mukhsin on the big screen. Pardon me if I'm a step behind when it comes to obtaining info but do enlighten me. If it's coming here, when will it be? And which theatres?

Terima Kasih.
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And this is her reply:

salaam ct,

the publicity for mukhsin in singapore is REALLY poor! it will open this thursday at golden village vivocity cineplex, but there's been ZERO publicity.

ct, if you like my work, pls find a way to spread the news as much as you can!
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Can you believe that? It's incredulous isn't it? That a movie is to be screened here without any publicity. Without any promotions. Do I sniff something here...? Something..... Hmm....

Maybe it's just a lazy arse who's suppose to deal with this, hence the lack of absence of any publicity whatsoever. So here I am playing my part, doing my bit.

Mukhsin is a movie that has won 2 awards at the Berlin International Film Festival ~ Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix & Glass Bear- Special Mention (Generation Kplus - Best Feature Film).

"...Orked is ten. Mukhsin is thirteen. They are the best of friends..."

This story is also about first love. Isn't that just schweet..?

So those who watched Yasmin's past movies, Rabun, Sepet & Gubra or even her touching ads on M'sian tv - and LOVE them, be sure to not miss this latest movie from her.

It'll screen on this Thursday the 29th at Causeway Point & Sun Plaza.

Screening at GV VivoCity on Sat, 31st Mar only.

Go, watch it!!!

**Last minute info update.

2 girlfrens and 2 buddies

2 girlfrens and 2 buddies

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A friday-nite-end-of-workweek meet up. Well for Deanna & me, that is. Been eons since we last met up, man! When was that? The time when we chilled at Tini's place? Did we meet again after that? Geez, I can't remember!

Same old thing. A simple dinner and chill-out till late. Not to mention the girl-talks. now, THAT's precioussss....

Tini & Deanna

Crazy attempt at getting the 3 of us. Putting the camera on an unstable base with nightmode gives you a scary outcome. Look at us. Seems like it's our souls that still linger..

A decent self-shot.

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If you're wondering how is it that the movie 300 survive being at the top of the box office charts, that's because there are people like these 2 around.

One raved so much about it and asked if I could accompany him to watch it for the 2nd time. Turns out, by the time I decide to watch it, he sheepishly admitted to having gone for the 2nd round the night before and that day will be his THIRD time watching it.

That'll be HIM. His name is Bas.

While the other one, I've never expected him to like epic war movies. Turns out, that day will be his 2nd time watching 300. Just what have I been missing out on??! Even my bro have watched it and raved non-stop.

And that's Khama, holding his birthday pressie from us.

They have told me of the gorgeous setting, reminiscent of a comic book. How they 'stay true' to its comic book origins. And of course, the guys' physique.

And I agree. Many times, I just wanna freeze-frame and add a dialogue box at the corner of the screen. And punctuate the sound-effects where it's necessary. And I admit that Astinos (Tom Wisdom) do look juicy. Though I wouldn't encourage fans of Astinos to google up on him, for he looks so bland in real life.

All these British actors are just so pale, no doubt they had their bodies air-brushed for their role. But ah, I now recall back scenes for my favourite part in the movie with a little difference in interest. The one where Astinos and Stelios battled back-to-back? Yeah? And how close they were? Buddies and all? Yeah?

Then read THIS.

A little warning though. Homophobics may not like what they read.

Tell me you don't see the movie in a different light after reading that. That's the truth you know. It's in the history books.

Hong Kong Day 4 & 5

Hong Kong Day 4 & 5
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Ahh... finally. Hafta' wake up early to check out from Stanford Hillview and transfer for our 1 night's stay at Disneyland Hollywood Hotel.

Lantau Island (where Disneyland is) is soooo... cold!

And Disneyland owns such a huge piece of land, eh? The 2 hotels (Hollywood & Hong Kong) are spaced quite far apart and I wonder if the Inspiration Lake also belongs to them. The whole area is not surprisingly, idyllic.

Since we checked in very early, we were given the room on the ground floor. And it is sooo spacious as compared to the one in Kowloon. Their plasma TV played a variety of channels including a Korean one! *whee!* And their Disney channel alone comes in 3 different languages.





Frankly speaking, HK's Disneyland is... small. Well maybe because I've been to Ocean Park & Window of the World and both parks are huge, that's why I could have felt that way. Then again, I'm not the only one who testified that. Even the rides are meant more for kids but the size can actually accomodate adults (thank goodness!).

What I love about the park is the variety of shows that we can watch that makes the exorbitant ticket price worth it.

There's the Simba Jungle Show and The Golden Mickeys - both musicals. Then there's the daily 3pm parade. And the grand finale, Disney in the Stars - the spectacular fireworks showcase held daily.



Oh, oh! The best part is being able to meet life-sized Disney stars/characters and take photos with them! I like!

And yes, I did walk around the park with Pooh's ears. It's not often that one can be like this. Kiddish? Hey, this IS Disneyland!
On the last day, we took the MTR train ride back to Kowloon for some last-minute shopping. Being morning, most of the markets are hardly open.

Had our last meal at Shadowman Internet Cafe and thanked the owner, Mr Abdul Kader for accomodating us (and our antics).




With Mr Abdul Kader himself @ Shadowman Internet Cafe

He had mentioned that we're his most wacky customers and even his wife whom we met when she came by enquired about us when she called him from S'pore (she returned 2 days earlier).

He had been our most reliable source of information and all the tales he told us have been much enlightening. And those words of wisdom, PRICELESS! If we've been wacky, then he's really witty. His endless humour had been such a relief for our exhausted selves. Will definitely drop by there the when I come back to HK (hopefully!).

Rushed back to Disneyland to be transferred to HK Int'l Airport for our night flight. It seems that 5 days there just don't seem enough. I need a week! I wanna go Macau! I wanna go and explore Hong Kong Island. I wanna see Causeway Bay! Wanchai! I wanna drop by Times Square. Oh and that very, very long escalator?

Hong Kong is still not my idea of a shopping paradise (got an earful from my frens for saying that). But the sights are really worth coming for (including the guys.. heh!). And be sure to go during the right season. Their summer I heard is pretty treacherous. Autumn will be nice. Maybe next time I'll go in autumn. That'll be in a few month's time.

Hmmm...


Disney in The Stars - The fireworks display held daily at 8pm.

Day 4 & 5 pics located H.E.R.E

Hong Kong Day 3

Hong Kong Day Three
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Wake up and smell the roses. We literally did that. Left early to check out Flower Market & Bird Street. I've never seen sooo many flower shops at once! And being springtime, the flowers are at their best.Gorgeous, gorgeous!

If not for the strict laws controlling the kind of goods we can bring into S'pore, I would have lugged back pots and pots of them flowers. Those tulips... *sigh*

And we took the bus! Haha. Similar to our super bus, except that it's much, much cleaner. And they make announcements for each stop. Cool! And they have directories at EVERY bus stands! Different types of buses stop at different stands, though.

We're gonna spend the day on Hong Kong Island.

Okay, so I have planned for us to hit many places but we know that Ocean Park is worth spending almost the whole day at. It's not to be missed when one goes to HK. The dolphin and sealion show (left) is worth the ticket prize alone. If Bangkok has Siam Ocean World and KL has Aquaria, HK had Ocean Park for the longest time.

There's the Shark Aquarium, Atoll Reef (deep sea aquarium), The Jellyfish Spectacular, Panda bears and many more. And lots of fun rides. And take the cable car that rides alond the hillside (left), giving you a spectacular view of the Aberdeen Bay.

We ended the day with a visit to Victoria Peak. Took the 45deg tram which makes you feel like all the buildings you see outside are slanted instead. I had wanted to be there before the sunset and stayed there till night so I can see views at both daylight & at night.

But it was 6pm when we left Ocean Park and made it to The Peak like than an hour later. Knowing that the sun set early in HK, well...
And it rained. We had wanted to catch the Symphony of Lights from The Peak but too bad..

And it was blardee cold...! The slight drizzle, the mist/fog, the cold winds.... But I like it! However, the view... Visibilty was like only 60-70%. Geez!

And there, we made it to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. All those bevy of (wax) stars on display.. *yikes!*I have to warn you that I did some insane poses and it might turn you off. Heh. Happy, mah!

Pics for Day 3 located HERE

Hong Kong Day 1 & 2

Hong Kong Day One & Two
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5D4N Trip to Hong Kong with my collegue, Sri & cousin, Sue.

We bunked in at Stanford HILLview Hotel for 3 nights. We should have taken the name seriously. HILLview. Should have known better.















With a slope gradient of 1:5, getting to the hotel is no mean feat!

One thing that caught my eye is HK people's fashion sense. Are they trendy or what? Even the plainest of faces dress well. From head-to-toe. I'm really missing the sight of the guys there. *sigh*

1st Day's activity is mainly to get adapted, check out the Avenue of Stars and view the Symphony of Lights. The latter is not as spectacular as I've expected it to be. Nowhere like what they put in their tourism advertisement. Then again, the word 'advertising' already carries another meaning altogether.















(T) With a bronze statue of Lee Jun Fan, a.k.a. Bruce Lee. Founder of Jeet Kun Do.
(B) The Symphony of Lights. Nothing much, really. A tad too hyped up.

It must have been a blessing in disguise that we're unable to find the 1st two places we intended to head to for an early dinner and saw ourselves eventually heading for Shadowman Cafe. Turns out, the owner (who's Singaporean) was there and upon knowing that we're fellow countrymen, was only to happy to give us tips for sightseeing & shopping. PRICELESS!

We weren't too keen to head for Shenzhen beacause we do not know what to expect over there but after being reassured by Mr Abdul Kader (Shadowman's owner) himself, we head there on our 2nd day.

The fact that we went to CHINA.... wow! Never have I thought that I'll be heading to China. C-H-I-N-A. I didn't even tell my parents for fear that I'll just scare them.

Never have I thought that getting into China from HK is is so darn easy! Just like entering JB but more efficiently. More smoothly. Definitely easier.

The KCR train station is right where the border is. And the distance to Shenzhen, China from the HK border is a mere 200 metres apart.

Forget the language barrier. All the people we enquired with in Shenzhen spoke fluent English (dun mind the accent, though). Even the train make annoucements in English! But I have to warn you that the signages are not necessarily in English, unlike HK.

And most of the people there have to-die-for noses and complexion. Including the guys. Heheh.

And it's so clean!















(T) The idicators inside Shenzhen Metro train. Red shows stations that have passed. Yellow are those coming up.
(B) Window of the World.

Window of the World is a pretty interesting place to venture to. Miniatures of various monuments around the world in display. These little structures are so immaculately crafted that it's really amazing!

Did mention that it's springtime over there? The weather is kinda' cold, somewhere between 18-22 deg C and the flowers in full bloom are a sight to behold. Gorgeous!

PICTURES LOCATED **HERE** (1st 2 days only)

HK pt 1

Hong Kong (Pt. Uno)

I am missing Hong Kong so much, it hurts. All the things I've packed and brought back, I think I've forgotten part of my heart. And soul.

Do I like Hong Kong?

I LOVE it. So much. I'm contemplating going back there. Possibly alone (my parents' are so gonna strangle me).

I love taking long walks from one street to the other. I love the bright lights. I love the cold air. I love the views. I love the infrastructure. I love their transportation. I just love the ease at which I'm able to get around.

And I love the men there. Or how they dress for that matter. The hair. The shoes. And their nicely-shaped noses.

There's a lot that I missed venturing to. No more Disneyland. No more Ocean Park. Next, it'll be Star Ferry and Causeway Bay. The Peak in the day. Soho. Wanchai. Macau. And more of Tsim Sha Tsui! The streets! More men! Haha.

I LOVE Hong Kong. Have I said that already? *sigh*

The wallpaper currently on my handphone.

Taken in the middle of Nathan Road, while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green.

I miss that place...