thanks for the gratitude

thanks for the gratitude

My boss gleefully told us of the little bonus he got from a client who totally understand and appreciate the trouble we wen thru' to get his project approved.

I thought I'm hearing things.

He then passed around this little note writen by the owner himself. And the dazed me, stricken by the monday blues and super-lack of sleep briefly read it and put it aside. By gosh, 've never heard of such a thing so what's the deal here, man?!

Mind you. The above-mentioned project is one that had me totally drained. Never had we have to go through so much when submiting to this authority body to get the proposal approved. NEVER!

All in all, I must have prepared like 4, 5 or even 6 sets for the drawings to be submitted over and over again. And when we don't want to waste paper, we cut and paste small changes onto new sets while tring our best to salvage the titleblock for they had the precious signatures that the owner and contractors have painstakingly signed on EVERY page. 4 drawing types. And average of 4 pages per set. 4 sets for the different depts. in that governing body.

I don'tunderstand. While other bodies embrace the e-submission sstem, having softcopies submitted online, for the ease of e-storage and paper conservation, here is one that insist drawings be submitted in hard copies and full colour with multiple sets.

And had the proposals returned many times over because the officer (not even the engineer) was nit-picking on teeny-tiny discrepancies which can easily be rectified on site. As my boss had said, "Here is one lady, sitting at her desk, unaware of the hassle she had put everyone through on site."

Man, was she EVER aware of the kind of trouble she brought upon everyone because works!can't proceed without the needed approval! And we've submitted similar drawings without much hassle and had them approved afer a max. of 3 days! This project was 2 weeks overdue!

And I had trouble meeting most of my recent deadlines because everytime she asked for changes to be rectified, it became top priority. I despised this project because of that, I dread doing it and yet I have to give it my utmost care. Even our civil enginner was gritting his teeth. Much less his poor assistant.

Could it be because my boss and that civil enginner had once (or maybe even twice) argued with their officers over issues which they deem to be unecessary hassle? And maybe some other technical issues. If they had it agaisnt either one of them because of that...

Oh, how professional! Geez!

Anyway, enough of my ranting there, imagine my relief when I finally saw the approval letter on my desk this morning.

So my boss wanna bring us out for dinner with that little gift. And asked my collegue and myself what we want to have. "What is that you want? Buffet? Ala carte? What flavour?"

Seeing our blank faces, she asked again, "What do you girls REALLY want to eat? Think."

I looked and my collegue and my face lit up. With a big smile, I turned to my boss and said:

"...DURIANS!"

Man, if looks could kill.... :P

another obsession

egad, it's (yet) another obsession!

What do you do when you were early for a meet-up? Well, I end up burning a little hole in my pocket....

Okay, so I reached the meeting point (Jurong East mrt) early. Went to Aries, end up buying 3 pairs of earrings.

My cousins have yet to arrive. So I went to Popular bookstore next. And stumbled into CD-Rama. I wouldn't have gone there had I not seen the Tohoshinki poster for their latest Japanese album - 5 in Black.

The next 15 mins saw me standing at the Korean pop section - befuddled, as I wasn't aware that their different albums have MANY different versions. Then there's their concerts. I finally decided on their latest album and even THAT has 2 versions.

A pre-teen girl girl came by and begged her mum to buy their album; just because she liked their song, Balloons. Honestly, I think she like them, la. Ha!

Even when my cousins had (already) arrived, I'm still there, choosing between these 2. I ended up buying the one with the darker cover (the original??).




Seriously, I don't even know why I want this CD so badly. I've had most of their songs, watched all their videos and dramas. Even their movie, Vacation which is in the DVD (it's in the package). Maybe it's their poster. Yeah, gotta' be their poster... *convincing myself, here*


Then it's a (heavy) Korean lunch.

Beef bibimbap, kimchi soup, fried mushroom and seafood vermicelli.

YUM!









Took the bus to town with (what else??!) Korean voices singing in my ears. Sigh...

Ended up in Carrefour Plaza Singapura for some snacks. While I was wandering down one aisle, my cousins, who were in the biscuits section, called me over.

One of them showed me a red box with somebody's face. Took me a few secs to register who it was and a few secs of, "What the..? No way!"

*SHRIEK!!!* OMG! DBSK on chocolate boxes??!

(Mind you, that was a real shriek, okay? In a crowded supermarket. Much to my own embarassment....)

So I made my cousins help me search for all 5 different faces. We managed to get all except for the one with Jaejoong (Hero).

Uwah!!!!!!!! Will sooo hunt for that one!





This year's fireworks display is nothing short of spectacular. Totally dig the ones from atop the 3 skyscrapers in the CBD. So reminiscent of the ones in Hong Kong.

I can't help thinking, "Singapore sure is generous with their fireworks."

So that's another one to add to the "Reasons I'm Proud Of My Country" bin.

Here's something taken when I watched Invisible Target at The Cathay.

My bro & The Simpsons.

This picture is tame, ok. Should see the one that I took with my camera....

(Psst... He did something to Bart).





Update: Hey, I figured that I can play the CD in my car when I drive alone! Wakakaka! Finally found a use for it.

song of the moment

my song of the moment

My parents did a double take when I sang this song in it's original language (it's available in 2 languages - none being English).

Well, it didn't help that I use the deep-set earphones and didn't realise that I was screaming - NOT just singing the song out.

And don't say that I sang blindly w/o knowing the meaning, okay? Here's the translation.

And NO, I'm not putting the video. It's embarrassing to show the brand of music that I'm getting into nowdays. It just drips with lotsa' cheese.

Guess I'm not me anymore.

Not when I'm crazy o'er them.

DBSK - Rising Sun

Now. I cry under my skin..
My tears have gone to the skies and made the rain
That falls onto the earth and washes my newly imprinted pain

No!
Forgivness is an endless luxury of mine
No!
My anger has flown off without target and lost its way
No!
I pray for atonement with words of attachment
No!
Here I go come back

My wings have lost their strength
And the days only seem to be filled with sin
I'm greeted with fragments of my poisonous dreams in the morning
There's no sparkle

Truth is what everyone wants
But they only show lies on their faces
I've been abandoned in eternity, are they looking for me?

Chorus*
Be like me
My heart is filled with a growing Innocence
Like a flame burning brightly,
Like the last radiant sunset
(I'm) waiting for Rising Sun

Now, burn my eyes,
Sun comes up, blowing the fog
Never lies, to be your mind
Got to be a true

Realizing that my path is 101,
I can't reach reality.
So that I won't be shy next to the Sun,
I just try to be me, and now

Where's the end to this chaos?
Somebody talks.. its not the same answer everyday
Desire, Is it the sketch of happiness?
Somebody talks.. but it's not the solution to the moment

Life's like star trailing after an endless orbit
You go looking for questions and solutions,
Drawing an incomplete picture
(Do) you know why?

Time is always passing by
And I know that it can't ever come back
Don't leave regrets day after day...
Try to swallow the anger spawn from poison

Try to believe the worth of happiness
That you realize in the tears of your worn out sadness

A kiss on the hand of trials,
My innonence has bloomed in the garden of suffering
There's nothing set in stone because a new day will keep coming

Chorus *

Rise up! Rise up!

I LOVE THIS SONG!

Times like this, I ask meself, "Just how old am I, really?!"

the invisible target

the invisible target


















I LOVE Hong Kong movies. Oh wait. I LOVE Hong Kong ACTION movies.

It's been ages since I last watch an action movie in the theatres (do Pirates of Carribean count..?).

I dun give a damn about Die Hard. I want the old John Woo brand of action film. Note the word 'old' there. Those old school action films are the best! I grew up watching these movies on Saturday nights . Just too bad there's the batch of shoddy romantic comedies that are dominating the market.

I don't bother with a review for this one. Not when it's been screening for more than a week now. But if I do write a review, it'll be like this one here from Twitchfilm.

Reading his review, I was like, "Ditto!" Right to a T! Like he took the words out of my mouth. I couldn't agree more.

I bet some girls tagged along with their boyfriends for this show beacause they thought they can get some eye candies in the form of Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue & (maybe) Jaycee Chan. Must be a tad disappointing, huh?. Nick & Shawn both sport shabby moustaches & goatees with are soooo not sexy (to me lah). But I appreciate the close up on Shawn's hazel eyes, though.

Oh yeah.... That bedroom scene.... 3 topless guys (with great abs). Touching each other. All that moaning/groaning sounds they make? Oh and the grandmother passing by. Niiiice!

*wipes drool from table top*

And despite me saying that the Lotus Exige (driven by Shawn Yue's character - lucky guy!) is one fugly car, I don't appreciate it being blown up liddat. Hope they used a replica for that scene. I almost cried.

I hate directors who gets a dig from seeing nice, nice cars being blown up (I'm looking at you, J.J. Abrams).

Guess who drove the nice cars in this movie..?

By 'nice cars', I mean a Porsche Cayenne SUV and a Mercedes SLK. It was this Ah Pek who kena fined by Jaycee's policeman character in the beginning and Shawn's (demoted) policeman character in the end. I think he got windfalls by playing high stakes in horseracing. Pfft...!

By the way, what was the word 'invisible' in "The INVISIBLE Target" about??!

And I start to miss Hong Kong real bad when watching this movie. Really really bad.... Uwahh..!

trip to the far east?

the far east

My boss took the opportunity to discuss bout' a possible company trip (usually during CNY). He asked bout' Japan. And somewhere in the discussion the word 'Korea' tumbled out.

"If I go Korea, I may never come back." (not surprisingly, that came from me)

Pause.

"Ok, we'll go to Japan." (yes, that came from my boss)

"At most, I'll come back with a man." (I must be reaaally pushing my luck)

Pfft.

Alone

Alone (Thai : horror)

A highly anticipated sophomore movie from the same people who directed the horror hit, Shutter.

It tells of Pim, who moved to Korea after being ridden by guilt since her conjoined twin did not survive the operation meant to separate them.

She was eventually forced to return to Thailand, where strange things began to happen and she kept seeing the form of her late twin. Is Ploy (her late twin) out to claim the promise they made? That they will stay together forever? Even from beyond the grave?

Or is it just the burden of the guilt weighing in on her for having indirectly caused her twin's death, since she was the one who initiated the separation?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This movie, we see the pop star Marsha Wattanapanich taking on the role of Pim and I'd say that it helps that she looks good, seeing how the director is pretty fond of doing close ups - Korean style. She acted well, too. Thumbs up to that.

The thing about the character having moved to Korea, I guess it'll be too cliched to have her moved to the now common destination of USA or even Europe. It's refreshing to hear the Korean language being spoken at the start of the movie and I assume it help to draw the crowds?

The appeal of having a Korean touch will go far, seeing how the 'Hallyu' (Korean wave) has become much widespread in Thailand. I know because being into the 'Hallyu' myself, I felt this slight tingling inside, upon knowing that she's in Korea.

The flashbacks of the twin's childhood showed how their relationship eventually deteriorate as they grow up. Especially when one learns that having to be literally stuck to another is coming to be a burden.

This part of the movie helps to weave the story in between the parts when she got freaked out by the presence of her dead sister's spirit, which frankly, is very cliched as one learns to assimilate such oft-repeated scary scenes that's common in movies of this genre. Especially if you are a fan Korean and Japanese horror flicks.

The scare-factor in this case, well I dare say that I've seen better (and scarier). This is just another horror flick. However, on it's own I think this to be a pretty good movie. The storyline's good. Pretty original. Maybe that's why an American company has bought the rights to make the US version soon.

Although the twist in the end is nothing as bizzare as that in Shutter, it does help conclude the story and personally I wasn't much taken aback by it. Maybe my knack for figuring out endings midway do create a possibilty of that happening.

sad video

tell me this isn't sad...

This is a Korean variety programme, Ya Shim Man Man, where guest stars partake in a no-hold-barred Q & A session. The guest stars were Micky Yoo-Chun, Yunho & Max Chanmin from the popular boyband, DBSK (TVXQ) and Kangta.

So far, it's been pretty funny when they take on light-hearted topics (mostly thanks to Max's honest-to-goodness recollection of his childhood - despite his mum's presence in the studio).

Then Yunho talked about the time in his childhood where he took on jobs to support himself. You can see the camera keep shifting the focus to Micky Yoo-Chun. He had on this pained expression which can't go unnoticed.



Background check: I only know that he came all the way from L.A. and I was supposedly impressed. Gawd, I must have been SOOOOO shallow. *smacks forehead*



That's is wayyy sadder that those sappy Korean dramas. This is SAD, man! Now that he so damn popular in East Asia, I hope he can do something for his bro back in L.A.

timeless

Timeless ~ Jang Ri In feat. Xiah Junsu

I've gotta share this.

Maybe you have not been aware but some korean music videos (MV) can be a lil' over the top and don't be surprised should you mistook one of those to be a movie trailer or soundtrack video.

I call them: Blockbuster MVs.

Some videos can last like, 15-20mins? And some come in parts, like the one I'm highlighting later. Man, I wonder how much money goes into the making of these MVs alone.

I was introduced to this song by my fellow k-pop-freak-of-a-cousin, Effy sometime back and the video(s) blew me away. Stumbled upon them again on youtube so I decide to share them here.

A duet between Jang Ri In and Xiah Junsu from the uber popular boyband, DBSK/TVXQ. The video(s) had Choi Siwon & Han Kyung from yet another popular boyband, Super Junior starring as the 2 main characters.

Here's part 1. I chose a vid with subtitles so you can relate the beautiful song with the sad, sad lyrics and heart-wrenching video.

**Warning: Queasy operation-room scenes at start. Not for the faint-hearted!



Did you manage to understand that one? No...?

Maybe you should continue with part 2 for a better understanding. Do get the tissues ready if you tend to get emotional easily.



.....Still don't get it?

Ok, fine. I shall re-tell the story. In proper sequence.

It's about a masked robber who held a girl hostage when surrounded by the police. She turned out to be a (cute) policeman's girlfriend. Things turn awry when a nervous policeman at the scene misfired a shot and the robber fired back at the (cute) policeman upfront.

His accomplice crashed into the scene in a van and as he made his getaway, he managed to snatch the girl's necklace, which had a heart-shaped locket.

The shot policeman remained in a coma and finally his relative signed his organ transplant papers.

There's this cute, smartly-dressed fella who collapsed while clutching at his chest. He was THAT (cute) robber. He was then wheeled into the operating theatre for a transplant. He woke up upon recovery, with nightmares of the shooting scene. He must be ridden with guilt.

He kept having flashes of a guy and a girl together. Does it have to do with his new heart??

While driving one night, he saw a lady whom he found to be familiar, at a florist. He met up with her. He asked if he's known her somewhere. She denied. He looked at the shop and asked about it. She replied about having set it up with her boyfriend. Visibly upset, she left him. He looked around the shop interior. And saw a framed picture of her with a guy... A VERY familiar face.

As he tried hard to recall, he remembered the policeman that he had shot. He got into a records room (no idea how he can access that) and discovered that that guy in he picture is the very guy he shot at. And his heart donor.

He rushed back to dig for the necklace which he took from the girl. Inside the locket was a picture of her and the late policeman. The very guy, whose heart beats within him right then.

Extremely guilt-ridden, he went back to the girl and and hand her back the necklace. It should occur to you that the girl knows that the only person who had the necklace should be the robber who shot at her late bf. And there stood the guy who received her late bf's heart, holding out that necklace to her.....

I'm a Cyborg

I'm a Cyborg But That's Ok (DVD)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Starring:
Su-jeong Lim ... Cha Young-goon
Rain ... Park Il-sun

















I felt a bit kooky watching this initially. I almost go bonkers trying to grapple with what this movie is about. Frankly, I was very much befuddled.

I thought it's like a patchwork quilt, with different pieces of cloth sewed side-by-side and it distract me greatly. Then again, when viewed with an open mind, this movie is like a patchwork quilt, allright. A myriad of contrasting colours and textures when seen up-close, but a beautiful piece of art when seen from afar.

What do you expect, when the characters were patients in a mental asylum and the movie was supposedly set in one? You watch this as a sane adult, it's of no surprise you have a hard time figuring out the story!

I'm not saying you should go insane before you can understand it. Just open up your mind a little. Broaden your horizon. You'll see the full picture, eventually. This movie can easily be categorised as odd. Like those artistic foreign films. Very layered. You need lots of (active) imagination for it (think Gus Van Sant). But they're good aren't they?

I know that there are many of those who complain about not understanding the ending. Like how we were supposedly left wondering as to what the grandma's take as to what "The Meaning Of Existance..." was. What exactly happened to the characters in the end? How do things turn out that way? What was the plot about exactly?

Simple. Here's a girl who grew up with an off-centre granny (who thought she was a mouse and only eat radishes) and a mother who was too busy for her. The mother was so worried that she thinks herself as a mouse, too when in fact, she thinks herself as a cyborg instead. She only 'recharges' herself by licking batteries, communicated with the vending machine, radio, lights and other what nots. Anything except REALLY eating (that's just SO human!).

Then there's Rain, who believed that he can 'steal' one's personality (he can hypnotise, you see but does anybody realise that??). In my opinion, he's not exactly off-centre. In fact he admitted that he stayed there to avoid being jailed (for stealing). Hence, he was the only one who was supposedly sane and YET have as understanding of all the fellow patients' quirkiness (he spent time following and observing them before 'stealing' their personalities).

And if you think some parts don't seem to make sense, just account that to the erratic minds of the characters (in fact I almost thought that I'm watching Willy Wonka's chocolate factory).

When asked by Su-Jeong's character to 'steal' a part of her personality, he had to follow her around and learn of her habits. However, he was alarmed to see that she had not been eating (another patient helped to 'clean' her plate).

So he got on a mission to make her eat. And eventually fall for her. Easy as that.

**SPOILER ALERT!!!**
And yes, she did eat eventually. And from the last few scenes, we can see that she preferred her food wet. Yes, quirky still but at least she starts eating again!

And there's Rain with her. We may not know what her grandma's take on the 'Meaning of Existence' but we know that the meaning of HER existence is to be by her loved one - Rain.

And it's not their imagination that they're outside. Only in the last scene did the camera zoom out to show that. It only means that they've been discharged. YAY!