No doubt C.R.A.Z.Y touches on the controversial theme of homosexuality, but it is atypical of films developed from the common genre - the physical part is underplayed and the spiritual and emotional part is explored with greater intensity. Expect no hanky-panky and be prepared to appreciate the hidden message the producers so skillfully transmit across to the audience. Born into a family of five male children, Zac found unwillingly that he was different from the rest in the subtleties of life. The expectations of his father and the pressure from his siblings coerced him into self-denial and the love of his family drove him into attempts to be normal. But the repressed sexual desires proved too much for him to handle on several occasions and he turned to physical torture as an outlet to revert himself to normalcy. Later, a misunderstanding led him to run away from home on a journey and the estrangement served to neutral strained ties as he slowly learned to accept his true nature, while his family decided to love him for who he really was.
A french film with numerous accolades to its name, C.R.A.Z.Y impresses with its director's slick shooting techniques - all the scenes were made with the right temperature and they served their purposes. Certainly no trashy scenes that are unmistakably present in local films, like I Not Stupid Too, which had potential grounds but revealed fledging directing skills. But judging from the meagre number of people in the theatre, I guess few people seem to appreciate it, maybe due to the M18 rating and the limited availability to only Cathay Cineplex in Singapore.
scribbled at 10:33 PM
I thought it silly of me to have pinned so much unrealistic hope on winning a pair of $128 JJ Concert tickets from the smattering of contests I enthusiastically participated in just 1 month ago, and how embarrassing was the demeanour that ensued - there were times when I tried to cajole my bunkmates into eating Long John Silver's during night-outs and then imploring them to upsize their meals, all to satisfy my thirst for the minute piece of lucky draw coupon that represented a chance at grabbing hold of a pair of tickets, however slim it was. But I never believed in my luck, so much so that I impulsively purchased a ticket by myself long before the lucky draw was held. True enough, I wasn't fated to win the tixs, but the fanatic auntie-ish mannerisms so closely knitted to my lifestyle were unexpectedly reciprocated, because I actually won something, and this consolation prize doesn't really pale in comparison with the tix, albeit the money values are poles apart. At least my efforts paid off with the receipt of an autographed Cao Cao CD Box Set and Poster!
scribbled at 6:22 PM
Finally an outing to put my idle table tennis racket to some good use and to hone my badminton skills, however elementary they are.
Not a lone soul anymore? Group Photo of 7 people!
Fondue! Not too impressive huh?! Maybe my camera didn't really do justice to it since to Sir Seng, it looks more like a steamboat. Haha
NUTS!!! Irresistable... A mouth-watering Macademia Nut Crunch!
Thanks to Sir Seng and Teddy for the belated treat!
Bingyi and me posing with my ice-cream!
scribbled at 10:31 PM
It was not a smooth-sailing trip to Kallang Singapore Indoor Stadium yesterday, not unless one considered bashing through throngs of weapon-slinging soldiers and withstanding high-decibels engine revving blare from fighter planes a delicious appetizer before a well-deserved concert. As if the last few days of parade weren't enough, I even had to suffer the agony of passing by commanders, who were shouting commands at the open space in front of National Stadium to a few contingents of soldiers donned in No.1! Good thing was, I felt happy masquerading as a civilian and feigning ignorance of all the National Day preparations bustling around me. =)
Guess I'm already inured to the loneliness when going for outings alone. Even though I was a forlorn figure sitting on a $128 seat in the massive stadium, I didn't care two hoots about it. Instead, I spent my time scanning my eyes around the place for familiar faces, looking for opportunities to capture shots of famous singers. It was fruitless - the only artiste who was close enough for me to recognise appeared to be Candyce, though I knew JY was at the far end of the floor seats. Unexpectedly, I caught sight of a couple friends - Xiaocao and Oyster (due to the protruding head of Oyster among the sea of audiences in the block of floor seats). Haha.
Now to the highlight of the evening - the concert itself. There were no major technical glitches and JJ's live singing was just splendid. The guest performers included Jin Sha, who sounded a bit 嗲, and Ah-do who tried too hard to express an R&B song. My favourite segments were of course his signature performance when JJ 自弹自唱, and when he sang songs from his 前辈 to express gratitude, like 黑色幽默，唯一 and I Do. The array of glamorous costumes was also a sight to behold. Pictures tell a thousand words, so here goes...
scribbled at 12:49 PM
JJ's Dance Director, Lan Bo Lao Shi
Ending Part 1 of his performance...
JJ doing Beat Box, with his dancing instructors moving to his rythmn and sounds.
A duet with Ah-do in a song written by JJ, I Do.
Jin Sha's own lackluster peformance.
A duet with Jin Sha on a piano! Though there wasn't really chemistry between the 2 singers. scribbled at 11:33 AM
JJ's most captivating moment - Zi Tan Zi Chang.
JJ revealed no hesitancy in going topless, though his bare body wasn't that flattering after all.
Cute Apparel accompanied by an eye mask.
The iconic JJ symbol that is so shamelessly imitated by JY. Haha =)
JJ injected yet more surprise elements into his motley of costumes by donning this bizarre outfit for the encore segment in his rendition of Cao Cao. Monkey King??!!
After Jiang Nan marked the end of the concert, the crowd started to disperse. scribbled at 11:11 AM
It wasn't exactly a delightful week, but it passed with scant complaints on my part, dwindling in comparison with the recurring fits of indignation I had felt barely a few weeks ago. Perhaps my mood was helped by the thought of attending JJ's concert this Saturday amid a week-long clear-off break ahead.
For a hearty laugh, catch Just My Luck in theatre now! Of course, good things in life don't just fall on luck, hard work counts!
scribbled at 9:11 PM
After living 2 lifeless days engulfed in abject boredom, - with activities interchanging narrowly between watching TV and surfing the internet -, it was imperative for me to dive myself into some fresh air and take a turn for sightseeing, that is if you consider the new bus interchange at Boon Lay somewhere worth exploring. The first impression of the place was well, it's much more spacious than its predecessor. Further probing prompted at a few explanations. The parcel of land earmarked for the reconstruction of the interchange was palpably larger, thus allowing for a more dispersed organisation of the bus posts. A more significant reason was probably attributed to the reduced length of the bars that mark out the direction of the queue, replaced with extended yellow markings on the floor. The concept serves to enlarge the area for walking passengers and reduce the human density during off-peak hours. I found it extremely beneficial for people like me who are fleet-footed, have a larger-than-normal stride and more often than not getting frustrated over stopping behind others who are not racing for time. :)
Having spent a while taking pictures of the newly-furnished interchange before human usage renders it unsightly for shots in the future, I took a longer-than-usual walk into JP for Garfield 2. It could have been a more fulfilling experience if I was not wedged between 2 hyperactive kids who couldn't seem to sit still and keep their eyes transfixed on the enchanting screen. Though a tad lonely for a single soul surrounded by families enjoying their movie outings together.
An overview of the new interchange that promises air-conditioning in the future
The yellow markings on the cemented floor that is expected to bring more chaos during peak hours
A final glimpse at the deserted derelict site which will see the coming of a new shopping mall connected with JP
The Centris - a condominium beside the MRT whose future dwellers will be making me jealous
scribbled at 4:31 PM
I never thought much about gambling, and for a far-from-avid social occasional gambler like me, the activity never brought with it connotations of $$, but rather was more associated with fun, laughter and joy. Needless to say, I never understood why compulsive gamblers could not seem to curb themselves from binge gambling, more often than not slipping into heavy losses and creating unnecessary social ills, thus smearing the country's image, well that's beside the point. That was until the advent of the Germany 2006 World Cup!
You see, one has to experience the process himself before truly appreciating the significance of it all - the heart flutterings when the match goes your way, the greedy winner's thought of increasing the bet amount the next time round and the loser's attitude of recouping the losses by pumping ironically more money into betting. I was in a trance when Ecuador won 3-0 yesterday, already formulating in my mind the next bets to take and uncontrollably having the urge to up my bet for the next few matches. And it took me quite a while to snap out of my reverie and to come back to reality, reminding myself not to allow my leisure small-scale betting to spin out of control. That's it, the devil's advocate in everyone's deepest creek of the sea of thoughts. And most importantly, the key is to subdue it. Haha.
Anyway, here's my first winning tickets from my first trip to a Singapore Pools betting outlet. Let's BURN ourselves, save the fingers:), in the World Cup FEVER!!!
scribbled at 5:06 PM
After the past 2 days of birthday celebrations, I felt it incumbent upon me to deliver gratitudes to those who cared and to those who might have forgotten but still are great friends nonetheless. Let's not take each other for granted. :)
Special thanks to:
Samuel, Gary, Teddy, Yong Teck, and Jackson for accompanying me on Friday for lunch at Surf and Turf and ice-cream at Ben and Jerry's (Samuel's treat, liked it so much that I indulged in it again the following day!! How sinful!).
Bingyi, Gary and Jeffrey for Dim Sum Buffet (Bingyi's treat) and bowling afterwards. (PB of 134! Haha)
Gary for JY's cd and watching She's the Man with me on this special day. (I remembered watching Kung Fu Mahjong ALONE last year)
Teddy and Sir Seng for a to-be Hagen Daz treat.
And all the phonecall greetings (only 1 though, Wenjie! Haha.. thought it was about my Savings Plan initially), SMS felicitations and cards!
scribbled at 3:14 PM
False hopes. Despite us finishing up all the work that were allotted to us by Friday, we still were ordered to return to camp tomorrow morning because the real exercise will be kick-started then. On a Sunday. What a wonderful ORD exercise, if it even is an ORD exercise in the first place. :(
I'm getting worried for my dad's health. On Wednesday, he experienced a sudden substantial increase in his heartbeat and had to visit NUH after diagnostic tests by our family doctor in his clinic rendered useless. Today, the problem recurred and his colleague drove him home after an injection at my family clinic. I was petrified to hear that his heartbeat actually skyrocketed to a staggering 150 times per min and the condition was even worse on Wednesday! He's scheduled to receive further tests in NUH next Friday and I pray nothing serious will evolve from it. Probably a result due to an accumulation of stress and frayed nerves throughout his life, I suppose the only preventive measure is to stay calm and happy.
As it later transpired, dad had had previous encounters with this condition about 10 years ago but they were extremely sporadic. His second sister happened to face this problem at the same time and had controlled her illness by drugs. These revelations had stoked up my fears of it being hereditary. I certainly hope not.
scribbled at 9:33 PM
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