I Hate Mummies

that's what he loves to say. "i hate jet li", THAT is my say. i don't know why, i just despise him (and jackie chan). maybe because they act like they're oh so famous? sais pas...
but it doesn't stop me from watching the 3rd installment of the mummy. i am totally disappointed that rachel weisz is no longer there, that's for sure. and i couldn't understand why the audience laughed during the mandarin dialog every now and then. i found out only after the show the reason why. nevertheless, i did have my share of laughter. the part where the skull decapitates each other is very funny. overall, it is an okay movie with great animation. i still despise jet li though.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

Signed Sealed Delivered

i believe 2008 is the year i started thinking more seriously about all the things i've been wanting to do. things i've been postponing mainly because i thought by delaying it for *awhile* i could do something else first. either that or i was just hoping i would find someone who'd do it together with me. this kept on going for years and all the things i want to do just kept on getting delayed, not to mention the birth of several new *wants*. after doing loads of self-reflection i knew for sure that i couldn't delay what i want to do again and again. i HAVE TO set my mind and focus on it instead of excusing myself to do other things first. i don't want to live a life full of regrets. life is just too precious for that. so to keep my mind focus, i create myself a to-do list. a list that i'm sure will keep on getting longer but at least i can look at it instead of letting it just linger in my mind.

and so today, i went into the shop and registered myself. bit by bit, i'm ticking them off ....

The Truth Is Out There

it was nice seeing them again - softer scully scruffy mulder; sans the alien(s) though. i guess time does change people, eh. story line wise, well its not that bad though i'd love it more if they explore what they've left behind - the sister, their son, alien(s). but i think it is more real. but still, seeing them again with that unique tune is just enough to fill in years of not seeing them together on my tv screen.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

If Love Is Blind

a wonderful movie with an unexpected twist. it was put together beautifully you wouldn't have guessed what is coming your way - what really happens. tatou did justice to the character. i can always count on her acting skill.

i guess this is another proof that we always need to hear both side of stories.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

Its A Story About Taking Off

a story about a guy who leave everything behind to start a new life in a foreign land. new language, new friends, new experience, relationship issue, friendship issue. all these leads to discovering the real purpose of living.

it makes me wonder though, about starting in a new country and the what-ifs of leaving it all behind.
nice movie, should've watched this before the sequel but well, i just got it now.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

Excuse No More

now that things have changed, there's no excuse anymore. all i need is to focus and be discipline to make it happen. and make it happen i will.

And The Winner Is .....

... life is too short or too long to allow myself to live it badly ...

i'll be able to do both; might not be max but hey, i'd be able to get the best of both.

after years of postponing, its time to do it. it's now or never. so, sea it is.....

Bad Man

just when i was talking about him - the movies, the look - to a friend this morning, the news came. assaulting your sister and your MUM? ssshhhh that's a definite no no. i hope it's just a public stunt mum made though. but if he really did it, he's not practising what he preached - it's is not who i am underneath, it's what i *do* that defines me. what a way to tarnish his own reputation, again .. if the rumour is true - which i hope is not.

The Virus

of all the flus in the world, i think stomach/gastric flu is the worst. especially when you suspect you're having one...

Treasure Hunt

people who knows me knows my affection to france - the country, the language. the movie.

i think dad plays part in my affection on anything france. we always had a night where dad would play slides about his years while studying there. i knew about cabaret show and moulin rouge long before i know moulin rouge. ever year he had to visit the country for few months and we *me* always looked forward to seeing the pictures and books he'd brought home with him. i enjoyed listening him talking in french whenever he brought his french's colleagues home. i love listening to the french songs he played at home. i love opening the book again and again simply to enjoy the pictures.

so i decided to take french in high school as one of the school activities. so much in love i was that just after months of taking it i joined the french club enrolling in competition here and there. i didn't do the talking as well my french sucks but i felt honoured to be picked for the competition even when my job was more on whispering the answer to my friends who would then said it out loud. i was so excited to visit the country in 2002, it felt like i was living my childhood dream. dad told me that i'd be excited when i see the country because everything is beautiful and he was darn right on that. i took the language again only to take a break after the grammar is getting too complicated for me.

as years go by, my infatuation towards the country lessen and my love towards the movie increased - i love the simple, close to reality, open ending style. one of their movie is definitely up on my favourite list. i don't think i ever feel disappointed watching any of their movies, actually. my french language is deteroriating with the lack of practice, but not my passion for their movies. so i just feel happy that today, on my way home, i managed to get my hands on their movies - one that i've been wanting to see for so long *in fact this is a prequel to my favourit movie*, another one who's in my list to watch and one that hopefully won't be disappointing.

Granted

God is kind. God is loving. God is giving. God is the best. God is the greatest!!!

i asked Him to make me pass my exam, and pass it i did. i asked Him to make me stronger. i talked to Him about anything and everything, things that i never even share with anyone. i asked and ask and will keep on asking, i know that for sure.

last night, after another round of asking, i realised how much i've been asking from Him, how selfish i can be at times. and guess what? He granted another wish of mine today. with Him, i'm always guaranteed a light at the end of the tunnel. it could be one short tunnel or a very long one, only He knows it. but i am forever in comfort because however long the tunnel is, i know that with faith, determination and patience i'll see the light eventually. thank you!

The Outcome

sometimes happinness is a blessing, but generally it is a conquest
- paulo coelho

i spoilt myself rotten relaxing at home on saturday only to leave the house awhile at night to return *and borrow* a book from the library. the plan was to make myself spaghetti for dinner, something healthy yet filling, but i ended up getting myself breads from the neighbourhood shop. i guess i was just out for 30mins yet i went home soaking wet from the sudden downpour - not really sudden but still i thought the rain was over hence leaving the house sans umbrella. went back and had a shower immediately to avoid getting a cold. tried very hard to sleep early since i had a run to do the next morning.

sunday - shape run day! i thought it'd be a nice cool run since it rained the night before. as usual, i thought wrong. the sun was scorching hot that i think this was the only run that i stopped for a drink in every water station. ran 'til km6 only and started walking before running again. timing wise - it wasn't bad considering how hot the day was. for sure i need to lose weight as i feel more and more breatheless everytime i do a long run nowadays. managed to meet cin and sher after the run. had a bowl of ice longan with cin then headed home. i tried so very hard not to sleep but i ended up dozing off for an hour i reckon. got a text asking if i'd love to watch batman again now that they have a spare ticket. how can i say no to christian bale *it is a great movie as well, anyways* and the fact that this might be the last movie together before one of the guy moves to sydney. had a sudden crave of pad thai that i rushed to get one before the movie. the staff was nice, when i told her i only have 30mins she made sure my food and drink comes fast - managed to finish all in less than 30mins.

as expected, i enjoyed my 2nd time watching it thoroughly. had a dinner afterwards, rootbeer float for me. honestly i had another reason for joining them even when i had declined earlier as i had been invited to the gala premier last thursday. and i can safely said i got the job done, not to mention i got more than what i expected. i'm just glad i said yes to the extra tix.

was a nice weekend indeed, slacking on saturday only to overused myself on sunday. though i'm not impressed with myself for spending time googling christian bale instead of preparing myself for monday and go to bed early, now that i had a headache from lack of sleep. still, i have no regrets on all the things i did over the weekend. headache but happy!

L'amour

when the brit has love actually and the french has paris je t'aime, we - the indonesian - have love. interesting story line that is beautifully put together as a whole; though i sensed some ideas were taken from an old romance and one quite old romantic comedy. great line up of actors *but still don't see why they said darius is good looking*, not to mention the beautiful tracks selection - some old some new. and i still love seeing widyawati and her late hubby together, they were are truly one lovely couple. what beautiful quote paris has, love has one as well. nice movie.
pic. courtesy of movieseer.com

Francine: Thomas Listen. Listen. There are times when life calls out for a change. A transition. Like the seasons. Our spring was wonderful, but summer is over now and we missed out on autumn. And now all of a sudden, it's cold, so cold that everything is freezing over. Our love fell asleep, and the snow took it by surprise. But if you fall asleep in the snow, you don't feel death coming. Take care - paris je taime

cinta yang sejati, cinta yang kita kira sudah pergi, ternyata cuma tersembunyi, menunggu untuk kembali - love

Je Veux

after a month of spending my weekend reading, catching up with satc again, and playing sudoku online alternately, i'm now at the point of restlessness. what to do this weekend? well, actually i had a great start last night with the small group of people whom mostly i haven't meet for ages. it was nice catching up with them, especially when one of them is leaving for good in 2 weeks time. he's one lucky guy, sent a resume in the morning, got an interview in the evening and 2 days afterwards he's got the confirmation. everything will be taken care of, all he needs to worry about is packing and starting a new life in sydney - just like that he's life changed in a matter of a week. what a lucky guy - lucky and smart.

anyhoo... now that i'm done with my studying, i was asked "so will we be seeing you tomorrow at the beach?" hmmm, i have no idea. part of me are spoilt with spending time at home but part of me misses the beach, the groups the game and that two cute little dogs. but since this morning, i can't stop thinking of that big black bag as well. and that sandals. but i don't want to spend money on shopping. i don't mind window shopping though, it's been way too long since i did one. just that i'm lazy to get dressed. i'm even lazy to go down and get some detergent for laundry, mind you. and i want to watch james mcAvoy. and i need to return a book to the library. not to mention my forever want to do some french revision on my own. and to spend the day doing nothing but watching dvds.

i want everything but i want to do nothing. and i've been having this same attitude in life ..

Mine vs Yours

i promised a boy to attend his 21st birthday. a young, cheerful yet sensitive boy who often asked questions that made me realised there's a 'wise' side of me i've yet to explore. a nice chap who made an effort to ask me and few closed ones before finalising his gathering's plan.

and only today i found out rick astley will be in town on the same day. and i wanted to watch him, this is my secondary school dream.

should i fulfill my youth's dream or should i make a youth's wish come true?

Why So Serious?

it really lives up to its expectation. i love this sequel as much as i love begins. the story line is more complicated and in my opinion it is the most destructive one as well. heath ledger really did a wonderful job portraying the insane villain. not even once was i convinced that he was someone else but joker. the way he talked and his tongue's movement, he really steals the spotlight. whoever playing joker in the next sequel - if there's any - definitely has a big shoes to fill. and don't get me started with christian bale, i think he is the best batman ever, he certainly has the charisma and mysteriously intriguing. love love love the way he talks. what can i say, i'm a fan :)

its definitely a movie i want to watch again, seriously.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

Human Kind

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

i am definitely blessed with a generous, kind hearted, forgiving, caring, loving and giving tree. hopefully my apple falls very close to the tree.

Impossibly Possible?

what if i work hard for the next month or so, take a month break followed by enjoying myself for few days before putting the previous hard work to practice straightaway? can this be done?

Marjane the Brave

its definitely a BRILLIANT movie. i love how they presented it in cartoon style. i love how simple yet meaningful the story line is. you can find a hint of sarcasm in the movie but it's put naive-ly you won't feel any of it. i love the funky grandmother whose words of wisdom are good but can be intriguing at times (first marriage is a practice for the second one-lol). the jasmine flower petal trick works, apparently. a movie cartoon worth WORTH watching.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

marjane: grandma, your breasts are still nice

grandma: that's because i put it in a bowl of ice-cold water everyday for 10 minutes

Auntie Scrooge

because of some muppets at work i ended up missing gym *again*. i'm getting tired and totally annoyed for having to stay 1.5hrs later almost everyday just to wait for something thats supposed to be sent before 5pm as agreed upon. not to mention the disaster the whole firm is experiencing because of what was sent on friday that boss just called me to get confirmation it's not our side causing this issue - that we didn't touch the file on friday. oh well, let's see how it is tomorrow....

for the past few months i've been jotting down my expenses vigorously. i've been trying to do this since last year but somehow there's always entries with a '???' detail to sum the amount used for God knows what, especially during the weekend. now everything is written in detail, not even a cent went unnoticed.

why? well, i just want to be vigilant with my expenses especially with all the fine dining, activities and outing i've been doing for the past few months. by doing this, i know what my daily limit is and when i go overboard in one week i have to make sure to control my expenses on other days. plus now i have found a better method in doing this - which i'm going to stick with - personal accounting has never felt easier. with this i can really make sure to have a fixed savings that is untouched - literally. so far so good.

by doing this i realised something else. strepsils has gone up few cents within weeks time, for example. and i found ways to save more without suffering. like today i realised the 2L sunkist is way cheaper than those 250mls i bought daily for breakfast. so, why not bought the big one, pour it to a 250ml bottle and bring it to work daily? i also realised that the bread at the shop behind is cheaper (and apparently nicer) than the shop i frequent. you can save a lot more if you do more research and list down your expenses.

the more i do this the more respect i have for mum. ah mum, you have the toughest job indeed - controlling household expenses ain't easy.

STRANGE

we started the day with a visit to the fish farm. nothing much there but at least my friend has satisfied her curiosity. since it's still early we decided to catch a movie. this movie was the only movie that started within few minutes time. so watch it we did.

yes, i did get startled every now and there. i give it good point for the eeriness. as for the ending? plain weird. wait!! now that i think about it, the ending makes more sense - more real. is it based on true story? i have no idea. at least i've got to see scott again.

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

oh oh oh ... do keep an eye on the champagne bottle. there's one scene where the girl was standing around the dining area there's an unopened bottle near the candles. they had drank the champagne earlier!!. first i thought its another bottle, but scene afterwards shows the opened bottled again.

Hellboy

well, it is normal to not expect anything from any sequel. this movie included. he still is stupid, funny, temperamental, and all other things he was in the 1st installment. but story wise, it's a tad too long that it gets a little draggy. other than that it is okay. i am quite interested to know if there'll be another installment now that we know what can be expected there ...

pic. courtesy of imdb.com

Decision Decision

Land or Sea

if i were asked to choose between these two which one should i pick??

the mood is sooo dead...

The Verdict

with a shaky cold sweaty hand i chose the "end exam" button, did the feedback and once its over - my heart pounded faster than ever - i pressed the "end" button....

after failing the first attempt, i decided to take it more serious. a month instead of a week of studying. cutting down my weekend activities - no volleyball, no ubin cycling, no dining, no salsa night, and only 2 movies in june. studying? i wish. i ended up reading 1 sub-chapter followed by watching an episode of satc online. what can i say, the movie tempted me to watch it all over again. the pattern continued until i realised i'm done with 5 seasons of satc but not the study. history might repeat itself.

my last weekend in june is solely for reading. or so i planned. i didn't continue with the 6th season of satc but i played puzzle every now and then - starting from evil puzzle no. 1 and now i'm on the 26th. this is so not good.

last week i attended a talk where i met a lady who advised me on a book she read for the exam preparation. reading the book i began to panic as its approach is totally different from the book i've been reading. it's more hands on and yet i only have few days left. i tried my best, only playing 2 or 3 puzzle this time around.

monday came and there's nothing else i can do apart from hoping for the best. i started questioning myself - can i do it? why did i not study harder? deep down i feel that i can pass the exam but i don't want to think about it, now that i've started to get panic attack for not remembering the sequence from the other book. oh well, at least this time around i've tried harder. if i fail i guess it's just not meant to be. i tried hard to sleep without thinking about anything and rest my fate in the hands of God now.

this morning - arriving 10 mins late, $32ish spent on cab fare, heart beating faster than a speeding bullet (yeah, i'm attempting a joke) wondering why the ladies loo have that standing thingy only to realised that i went to the gents loo when i was done. and once called i went in and started the exam as calm as i could.

the result was shown on the screen. i couldn't help but having tears in my eyes - i passed the certification exam.

alhamdulillah....

Mirror Mirror On The Wall

who is that girl i see, staring back right at me
when will my reflection show who i am inside ...

looking at my own reflection this morning made me questioned myself. can i see that person looking back at me achieved what she's working towards to? can i see that person live the dreams that she has? can i imagine her being what she believed she could be? and most importantly, can i see her accepting the fact gracefully when she knew that some things are just not meant to be? i wonder ....

Shopaholics Alert

with the love and support from the "very" understanding financial advisor hubby of hers, loads and loads of shopping bags at hands, thousands of creative excuses for the bank, millions of reasons to get something for the sake of getting it, being true to her "airhead" self, the infamous hermés scarf of hers that kinda started everything, and hopefully the baby in tow, becky bloomwood is ready for the action come 2009!! oh yeah ...
pic. from imdb.com

Cost of Opportunity

i was reading the above topic when it suddenly occurs to me that CoO (lets just make it short, shall we?) is not only for project or business or what have you; it can be applied to life as well. let's see...

the CoO of you globe trotting might be a place to call your own. the CoO of you purchasing your own safe-haven might be the opportunity of seeing what's out there. the CoO of you working hard towards achieving your dreams might be your time spent with friends and family. the CoO of you spending most of your time with your loved one might be your chance of seeing what's beyond the wall.

of course there's always an exception, someone who can achieve almost everything without the need to sacrifice anything. someone who have their own property and still travel around the world as and when the urge of travelling occurs and still hold a great position in the corporate world. or so it seems. but while doing all that they might miss the small little things in life that often been unnoticed. and in my opinion, that's their CoO. and if CoO must be in the form of figures, missing that small little things in life is simply priceless.

Que Sera Sera

i am way in a total panic mode now *and yet i still have the time - not to mention nerve - to blog*. panic but yet at the same time i feel calm (does this make sense?) seems like what i've been doing for the past few weeks is still below expectation or maybe even means nothing. it feels like all my (hard though not too hard) effort is going down the gutter *again*. maybe i'm just not meant to be one? oh well, at least i've tried.

Fly Me To The Moon

i have the sudden urge to get away from this mundane life, pronto. just for a week or so to somewhere far far away. where? i have no idea, i don't have any intention to be away from asia for travelling this year. but this sudden feeling tickles me to the bone.

should i just close my eyes and point to somewhere on the map hoping that this somewhere is reachable budget wise? or should i just enjoy this feeling knowing that in few days time or maybe even hours time it will disappear? wish i was a reporter working for discovery travel&living

The Train, The Work, and The Book

i really hate inconsiderate people and the ride to work this morning confirms the fact that i really really do.

the train was packed with commuters and this guy standing in the middle didn't want to move a single inch for the sake of others. i would normally squeeze in and stand at the empty spot ignoring people who seem annoyed i take their so-called free space. but i couldn't do that today. i did voice it out and the ladies moved in a bit but the guy simply stayed put. *eyes rolling*

then came another annoying thing. somewhere in that car, someone played a very cheena music for others to listen. i saw people looking around in annoyance. i myself was very annoyed. it's simply inconsiderate. i guess it annoyed a guy with an earpiece as well who ended up increasing the volume of his iPod. others, like me, were left listening to loud musics - an oriental and western music. what a mess!

and this is the best part - blocking the entrance/exit. a young man standing in between the door when he knew how many people were standing facing the door to get off at the next station. i hate this kinda people and i never keep quiet when faced with this kinda situation. so i told him to move and he didn't move. instead he just stood there letting people walked around him to get out. oh well, a little bit of manouver and hitting him with my bag wouldn't do no harm. and that's what i did after telling him that he should've get out of the train and give way to others.

i can't stand those incosiderate people. if they're old or disabled, that's fine. but youngsters or even professional? give me a break. they might not all be local but they surely make locals look bad. people will normally comment saying 'singaporean bla bla bla' since it happens here.

oh well ...

on another note - today is my 2nd day at a new company. no no no not that i move to another company but since july 1st we are all merged as one global company. no longer 'hi i'm x from singapore office', it's now 'hi, i'm x from the far east region'. so far not many changes felt, only change of business card and signature. let's see how it goes in the long run as it was said chances of working in a virtual teams are higher. still i wonder why indonesia is not together with us in the far east region, but with oz and nz in the oceania :?

speaking of virtual team, i read a book yesterday and it makes me worried until this very second. what stated there isn't good for me, especially when what i'm hoping for is totally the opposite of what's stated there. oh well, i guess i'll just stick to the commitment and see how it goes ...

alright, back to work.

(Life) Strategy

1. where are we today?
2. where do we want to be in the future?
3. given the above, what do we have to do to get there?

Open Road

i went to a talk earlier. since its a closed talk, i couldn't ask anyone to join me. at first this made me a little hesitated to go but since the topic is just to good to be missed, in align with what's on my mind, i rsvp-ed and went on my own. and i'm just glad i did that.

i'm not going to blog about the topic discussed; more on the good things that i've encountered during the event. firstly since i was alone, i had to make an effort to make acquaintance, if not friend. that ended up with me getting an info that i seriously need for next week. during the talk itself, i casually engaged the person next to me in a joke. that too ended up with me receiving the document without having to wait for the organiser to distribute it.

all these kindness i've encountered are definitely signs that what i'm planning to do is worth doing. it also reminds me that at times you have to get out of your comfort zone, depending on no one but yourself to do what you want. had i gone with someone else i might've not be engaged in a deep conversation with a stranger during dinner. had i sat next to an acquaintance i might've just smiled casually to the stranger next to me. which reminds me to that famous quote, where there's a will there's a way.