CXX—Avatar & everything else

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Well, went to watch Avatar with some of my secondary school friends a few days back, and seriously, there is hardly a word to describe how wonderful this movie is. How corporate greed leads to racial—as in human-alien—betrayal and the such...well, if you have not watched it, I suggest you do, or your holidays may have simply gone to waste. ;) It is definitely one of the best films of the year. James Cameron should give himself a pat on the back!

In other news, school's starting soon, and if you're in a quandary over what to do over the New Year Weekend, too bad. Mine at the very least is filled, though not to the brim. Bryan's New Year party will feature quite a fair bit over the next 2 days. That means lots of XBOX360 (Halo at least), people, mahjong and of course, the annual movie marathon which we all love. Saturday's empty on my schedule, but Sunday evening me and the other choir people will be celebrating Moses' and Bryan's 18^th!

Still, that would mean the last term of my school year would arrive. Huzzah. Just hope I can land that facilitator job. :D

Thus with this post I wave adieu to this tumultuous decade that has been marked in blood, fear, empty pockets and the great surf surge (which means the internet domination). Since there is no word that can collectively describe these 10 years adequately (and since "Naughties" seemed, to quote a man of prominence, "silly"), I will aptly leave this aside.

Goodbye, decade with no label. Not that people need labels for this anyways, for it's just too...memorable. :P

Oh, and a happy New Year too!

Till then!~

P.S Happy birthday, Dad (:

CXIX - Joyeux Noël.

119

As I type this we herald what all people, regardless of who we are and where we're from, have been waiting for. Something maybe perhaps worth keeping note in a not-too-good year.~

It's cold right now. Perhaps it's to keep to this spirit so many are familiar with.

Christmas. What more is there to say? Fir trees, presents, Santa. We all love it no?

Well, nothing to say now, so before I sign off:

Joyeux Noël. Merry Christmas. (:



Till then!~

CXVIII - Holly-DAZED.

118

This holiday has proven itself much tougher to endure than I have initially thought.

It can get quite boring and routine, and multiplied with my siblings' rowdiness (sometimes I can't stand how immature they can become), it simply starts to turn out being quite disappointing.

However, these few weeks can redeem themselves yet.

Firstly, credit to Wen Xin for finding websites like MLIA to help me kill time. How much more average can my life get? Otherwise it would seem that Facebook is my only constant companion—maybe it really is. It becomes your friend when no-one else seems to have time for get-togethers (or for you), and after several hours refreshing your homepage and profile-hopping, it becomes a real bugger. So Wen Xin, thanks (:

Next, and no prizes for guessing, is Forza 3. –Graeme, this is a lil' taste-test for you.

It has given me hours of artificial adrenaline-fuelled racing in cars I hope, but not really expecting, to get. The fastest I've come to? In a Veyron, the thousand-horsepower legend, on the Le Mans straight—396km/h, 11km/h off the mark. It's the closest to actually driving it, as the tyres screech, the engine screams and whines, and the landscape passes in a blur of colour. To top the icing on this delight of a game is how your vehicle interacts with the environment—barricades, opponents, grass, everything. Trying to knock another car off the track when you're doing 300km/h, even on a straight, can yield disastrous results.

Or does it? The Rewind utility is there to mend every wrong you make when doing speeds even the traffic police would be afraid of. However, abusing this utility (or using it at all) could result in you cheating and winning races on its back. Sure, you can use it all you want when you're practicing, just to make sure you get a good feel of the track, but NOT when you race just to win—that's cheating.

Also in is the cockpit view, where you 'drive' in the driver's seat itself, with detailed...details of the car's interior (unique to each and every car) which adds to the realism. But, the view from there is poor, so those less comfortable with racing only being able to see some of the track ahead of you could try the bumper or hood view for a change.

See? I forgot all about my holiday blues already! :D

Anyways, Christmas is coming, so yeah. Hope to at least be merry with my friends around and NOT just have me sitting in front of some electronic device or console and burning my eyes out. That would really suck.

Happy holidays!

Till then~

CXVII – Yesterday’s everything.

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It's a review, recollection, and result, all rolled into one convenient post.

Let's start with the review first.

New Moon

So I've been told, this show was only meant for sissies. And so I tell them, speak for yourselves.

Ok, let's move on.

The rough synopsis is as such: Bella is growing older; Edward isn't. When he and the Cullens leave Forks for her safety, she seeks solace from her painful depression through committing dangerous stunts and in spending time with Jacob, an old friend. However, something happens to him as well, and at the same time something/one is out baying for her blood (no prizes for guessing who, really). Through some miscommunications, Edward ends up going to Italy to have himself killed by an ancient coven, but is stopped just in time—not before a quick fight, though. They eventually return to Forks, and Bella, desperate to stay 18 forever, has to make a choice that could break an uneasy truce and cause...bloodshed.

On to the review. Surprisingly, it didn't contain very much action scenes—in fact it could possibly add up to not much more than 5 minutes of real fighting out the movie's 2-hour length—instead focussing on Bella's struggle with her feelings following Edward's departure. As such, it made for a, erm, rather dry plot which sees little character development (except for in Jacob's case, of course). Here however the feud between the vampires and local Indian tribes becomes much clearer.

Verdict: If you are a fan of the series, then good news: it could possibly appeal to you, though it could not be more appealing to teenage girls, as I found out in the cinema (yes, time to get Jacob's physique). However, if you are neither, well, just prepare for some disappointment.

Score: 3/5. Some reviews are far more critical of this, I promise you.

Other than the movie

My family and I had lunch at Billy Bombers which was, unsurprisingly, almost empty, yesterday. Who can deny that Orchard Cineleisure is a prime teen hangout spot, added to the fact that Billy Bombers is flanked by far cheaper fast food joints? Even then fast food can be notoriously expensive.

Had pretty good food, actually. Ribs were awesome, not to mention the oysters and the chicken, and the mixed grill (lamb, potato, chicken, whatnot), and the malt shake—see how much I ate? ;) I was pretty happy with the meal, though it burned a massive hole in my dad's pocket. After that was New Moon. Then we just went straight home.

Graeme and Sean had been telling me about Google Earth, and I couldn't help but try it out on my laptop.

I was astounded. I love it.

This is already the most basic tier, so don't expect much detail. As far as realism is concerned, only the lie of the land is. Buildings and structures are flat. Want to get more? You'll have to pay.

[EDIT]: After some tinkering, I realised that there IS 3D buildings utility, although it's quite unwieldy and slow (kills my processor when I go to cities like NY--massive lag). And weather. Don't know whether that's live, though.

Last, but definitely not least,

Results—not live from Prague

Ms Yeo has given us the most wonderful news: DmnChoir has gotten GOLD (2^nd in category) and BEST for interpretation of a song (Kasar)!! Best news I've heard in a while. Heard they're now headed for Dresden. Snowfights expected. xP So we're all happily awaiting their return on the 17^th. Flourish of cornets!

That's all for now. Quite a long post, this.

Till then!~

CXVI – HollyDaze!

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EXAMS ARE OVER. Enough said.

Forza 3 shall soon be part of my console collection. This game has gotten rave reviews, and it could be the closest thing to getting an R8 or Veyron and travelling up to 350km/h on the streets without getting a speed ticket under your windscreen wiper. Can't wait!

Also, the choir is about to perform in a competition in Prague in an hour or so. Songs in the repertoire include O Magnum, Audete and 平安夜. Results should be out by evening there (which means past midnight here on Sunday). Prayers are with them! Ah, memories of winter 2005 are flowing back to me now, miss them.

Anyways, that's all I have to write for now. Three weeks of holidays!

Happy holidays. (:

Till then!~

CXV

115

I'm tired.

Next week's schedule is chock-full of exam papers. But on Friday I shall be set free.

Free to go wherever I please. Free to do (almost) anything without let or hindrance.

Or at least, that is how I hope it to be. After all, not everything can go your way, so I'll be happy with what the holidays can offer me. (:

Before I go on my week-long hiatus, here's a parting "gift", so to speak...hope you like it!

TO MY EXAMS

Well, it's time to part, adieu

Sayonara, goodbye.

Enjoy yourself while you can

But my exams, your end is nigh!

Tragic to think that you'll go so soon

But I'll laugh with vengeful scorn,

For when the time comes, so quickly

You'll disappear, vanish, be gone.

And thereafter I'll be thinking back,

What if you could feel?

Then when I realise that you CAN'T...

All I have to say?

Adieu.

Till then!~