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Transformers the movie - a review

Although I enjoyed the Transformers cartoon series as a kid, I was fully expecting to sit in on 3 hours of boy's toys.  But this is actually a good movie.  I loved the autobots (Optimus Prime is my favourite) and the humour in the movie was actually funny (particularly involving the human hero, Sam).  Memorable quote was, "Bro's before ho's, man." (Sam's friend's response when Sam kicked him out of his car so he could drive the hot chick home.)

But don't just take it from me.  Captain Booger Features also posted a review of the movie on his blog here.

Picture originally uploaded by iTwinsatHK.

End of blogging drought

Dear Diary,

Wow, it has been a while since my last blog entry!  My self-imposed hiatus was due to my inability to access the Internet at home (until now) since we moved house & work being especially demanding these past 3 weeks.  But I'm back & lots has happened.  Rather than strain the reader's eyes with drawn-out tales of our escapades, I have detailed them in bullet-points for your convenience.  I may elaborate on individual events at a later date.  Since my last blog entry (6th June 2007) the following has played out in the lives of Captain Booger Features, Ravi & I (in no order of chronology nor importance):

• We've become Balmain-ites, moving house a few weeks ago.  We love our new place.  There's a pool upstairs.  Pictures forthcoming.  Our cleaner has also moved with us!
• Ravi has resumed riding on his motorbike again.
• Captain Booger Features celebrated Holy Communion last week.
• Farewell dinner for Irene & Brian before they moved to Canada.
• We were robbed!  Thank God for insurance - everything was replaced.  Special place in hell for thieving bastards!
• Celebrated Thuy's birthday last Sunday - quite a feat in itself since Tweety usually celebrates her birthdays overseas.
• Tony Blair left No. 10 Downing Street.  Replaced by Gordon Brown.  (1 out, 2 more to go.)
• My workload is more manageable after my boss assigned me an analyst (who shall be known as "Young Paduan" in future blog entries)
• Paris Hilton started & finished her prison sentence (with a lot of drama in-between).
• Have already filled half the cast for "The Divine Plan".  More auditions to come but it's very exciting as more people get involved in this production.
• Ravi, Tung & I had Thai massages.  (Are they supposed to hurt?)
• To Captain Booger Features' horror, he is finding himself falling 'in like' with a pretty classmate called Samira.  He is starting to find out that girls can be quite strange & illogical at times.  He insists he doesn't like her despite mentioning her name in nearly every conversation.
• Ravi & Kylie challenged each other in a cook-off.  Kylie bested Ravi (although it took a score of 3 decimal points to decide the winner) - which makes me the loser of the loser (having lost the previous cook-off with Ravi...don't get me started on Ravi's billety rice!).
• Is it just me or does the Australian media seemed a bit obsessed about the endeavour to refloat the Pasha Bulker?  It's just a big ol' boat for heaven's sakes!
• Poker resumed after a long break.  Details of the game here.
• Ravi & I attended Ravi's 15-year high school reunion.  It was fun & interesting to observe the different personalities in the room - who were the loud kids in the class, the shy kids, the smart kids, etc.

I think that about covers it.  Going to sleep now . . . .

Picture originally uploaded by jenophoto.

How did it end???

From time to time the stresses of my career impinge on my quality of life.  Such a time proved to be last night when I accidentally fell asleep while watching the Chinese film "The Marriage Certificate" on SBS.  Albeit the movie started at 11:20pm but I used to be able to stay awake til 2am (no probs).  Now I don't know how it ended & it's driving me crazy.  Very funny movie too.  Summary of the plot is as follows (courtesy of SBS):

"The story is narrated by a teenage girl, Xiaowen. Her father, Dr Gu, is a famous psychiatrist and her mother, Yuting, is an engineer. One day her mother's work unit offers a free blanket to any couple who have been married for more than 18 years, but to receive the blanket, they must present their marriage certificate. The incident triggers Yuting to search for their marriage certificate, which can't be found anywhere at home. Yuting becomes convinced that the loss of the certificate is an indication that their marriage is in trouble. Her obsession in searching for the certificate drives both her husband and their daughter insane. Eventually Dr Gu cannot take the continuous quarrels at home and decides to seek a divorce. When Xiaowen finds out that her parents plan to divorce, she is heartbroken. She searches everywhere to look for their marriage certificate, believing the certificate can save her parents' marriage, only to find out that her parents can't get divorced without it. Faced with this dilemma, she doesn't know what to do when she finally discovers the certificate. Directed by Jianxin Huang and stars Gong Feng, Liping Lu and Xiaomeng Li. (From China, in Mandarin, English subtitles) (2001)"

Picture originally uploaded by Google Images.

Even superheroes have birthdays

Last Wednesday I woke up to find 3 helium balloons - blue, red & yellow - bobbing by the side of my racing car bed.  My acute superhero perception skills did not detect danger nearby.  I'm 8 today!  I got out of bed & tripped over an EB Games bag which was tied to the balloons by pieces of string, weighing them down.  My ruckus alerted Mummy & Ravi who bounded into my room singing 'Happy Birthday' (offkey).  I suffered their hugs & kisses as superheroes do (with a grimace - better here in the privacy of my room than in front of my friends at school). 

After changing into my Clark Kent-style school uniform, my superhero sense of smell was aroused by the aroma of fried eggs, ham, rice & hot chocolate.  Breakfast!  Flying down the stairs, it was as I suspected.  I ate my breakfast while watching the adventures of Albie on ABC Kids tv.  Mummy & Ravi were rushing around getting ready - if only they had my gift of speed.  When I finished eating I opened up my presents in the EB Games bag.  As I (happily) suspected!  Mummy & Ravi gave me 2 PC games: (1) the Cars video game (which I had been hinting like crazy in the week leading up to my birthday), & (2) a PC game allowing me to create my own cartoon movies using characters from established cartoons such as Rugrats, Jimmy Neutron, Fairly Odd Parents, Sponge Bob Squarepants, etc.  Mummy & Ravi always know exactly what I want!  Their intuition in that regard is uncanny.

At school, all my friends wished me happy birthday.  Mummy organised chocolate brownies & lolly bags to be distributed to my class.  By the afternoon we were all hyped up on sugar - wide-eyed & looking for mischief.  It's the only day where I have to be super careful not to blow my cover as Captain Booger Features due to the heightened exposure brought on by my birthday.  But school went smoothly.  No rescues to report so I could actually enjoy being an 8-year-old kid for a day (complete with homework).

When Mummy & Ravi picked me up at after-school care they surprised me with a trip to the movies - we watched "Monster House" which gave me valuable tips on how to defeat a haunted house intent on abducting anyone who comes close.

When we got home 2 hours later, I played with my new PC games for a little while until bedtime.  I wearily climbed into bed, said prayers & exchanged kisses with Mummy, and fell fast asleep.  It was a great birthday!  Turning 8 has opened a whole new vista of opportunities for me, not least of which I can now have my go-kart racing party (scheduled for Saturday).  Minimum age is 8, even for superheroes.

Picture originally uploaded by jquiz.

The Weatherman - a film review

Last Sunday night the Nguyens invited us to their place for dinner & a movie.  Dinner was superb (as always) - roast slivers, butternut pumpkin, corn on the cob, sweet potato (all organic), bread - all drowned in glorious gravy.  Then Tung set up the projector & while the kids played amongst themselves, we all settled down to watch "The Weatherman" starring Nicholas Cage.  Excellent movie - I could definitely see influences of "About Schmidt" (no wonder, same director!).  It relates a moment in a man's quiet life of desperation (occasionally broken up by fast food items being hurled on his person - is that normal treatment of weathermen in America??).  Quirky, funny & sad, I was left with a barely-there ache for the hero of the piece.  The abject isolation that haunts him as he spends time with his kids, battles his ex-wife, slaps Dildo, chaffeurs his father . . . in fact, the only time he smiles in the entire movie is when he is in front of the camera presenting the weather forecast, talking to a metal box.

Picture originally uploaded by Yahoo! Movies.

Cannes beckons . . . . do we answer the call?

I am just busting!  Ravi & I went to see a director yesterday afternoon who is interested in making a short film from my script titled "Recess."  He's quite established, having done short films (he is actually in the throes of doing 2 Tropfest entries), commercials for companies like Long Grain restaurant, music videos, projects ranging from $6K to $30K+.  Ravi sent him the script last Monday & a couple of hours later, the director called Ravi to set up an appointment.  The director is quite excited about the script, calling it "tight & punchy."  He said that we were aiming too low if we just wanted to submit the short film to Tropfest.  He believes the script is good enough to submit to the international film festivals, especially the US market who would just lap it up since it is quite topical for them right now.  I didn't flinch when he mentioned Cannes.  He has already shown the script to his production crew & another producer who have all agreed to come on-board.  Now Ravi & I have 2-4 weeks to secure funding.  Very exciting!  Once contracts have been signed, etc.  I'll upload a copy of my script for all to see.  If anyone wants to be involved in this short film production, let me know!

Picture originally uploaded by Mushroom & Gadgets (SLM).

Syriana - a film review

It certainly was the weekend for movies!  That's what happens when one is struck down with a cold!  Last night Tung & Sylvia invited us over for dinner & a movie at their place (projector-time!).  Dinner was great (as always) - was about ready to descend into the depths of neanderthal man as I contemplated having to potentially undo the first button on my pants to give my belly some breathing space!  Then we all settled into their couches for 'Syriana' - a geopolitical thriller, rich in layered plotlines & characters all connected by oil in some way (with the degrees of separation even closer than they think!).  Not for the buggered or faint-hearted.  I couldn't even stay for the torture scene, preferring to take my toilet break (even then I could still hear Clooney screaming!).  Thanks for dinner & the movie night, Sylvia & Tung!

Picture originally uploaded by Rotten Tomatoes.

Match Point - a film review

I loved it!  I'm normally not drawn to Woody Allen films but Match Point joins Manhatten Murder Mystery as one of my favourite films.  It relates the rags to riches story of an ex-professional tennis player whose circumstances place him in the direct path of a rich family eager to keep his acquaintaince, whether it be through the son (eager for a best friend), the daughter (eager for a husband), the father & mother (eager to fashion a son-in-law in their own image), or the son's fiancee (played by sultry Scarlett Johanssen who is eager for . . . I'll let you find out on your own).  Without giving away the major crux of the plot, the movie provoked an interesting discussion between Ravi & I about what we would do in the situation the characters find themselves in.  How far would you go in securing your security?  Can love be confused with comfort?  It explores how luck can play a bigger role than hard work in bringing about our successes & downfalls.  I like the sounds of that.  Hard work can be soooo overrated sometimes - coming from someone who can (on occasion) be the poster-child for laziness & procrastination (other times I'm just stressed).

Picture originally uploaded from imdb.

Dear Diary: Date with Ravi

                                                                              So last night I went on a date with Ravi.  It had been a while since I'd gone on a date so I fussed over what I was going to wear, finally deciding on my gold-coloured velvet dress, leather jacket & cream boots.  My housemate (funnily enough, also called Ravi) seemed a little suspicious at the amount of effort I was putting in but I just put it down to him being jealous (after all, it had also been a while since Housemate Ravi had gone on a date too).  After I dropped Captain Booger Features off at my parents place, Date Ravi picked me up at home.  It's funny how we all want to make a favourable & lasting impression on the other person, hoping the right impression is conveyed.  Just to make sure there was no ambiguity in the impression Date Ravi wanted to convey, he wore a light blue t-shirt with the word 'Legend' stitched across the chest!  Very subtle!

Since Date Ravi was labouring under a sporting injury (sore foot from ice-skating 2 weekends ago!) I drove.  We went to Bondi Junction & ate sushi train at Gari.  The food was delicious!  I especially liked the little hot fish balls spiced with ginger.  The presentation of the dishes was impeccable - everything looked so delectable!  My sweet plum wine was also divine.  Dinner went smoothly as we told our stories to each other, each more charming then the last - except for a slight hiccup - Date Ravi unexpectedly started talking about my inability to listen at times.  Hot tip for the fellas: not such a good idea to harp on about a girl's flaws on your date.  Date Ravi wisely realised his mistake & changed the subject quickly. 

After dinner, we walked upstairs to the cinemas & watched "You, Me & Dupree."  Funny movie!  So many moments when we clutched our sides & laughed hysterically.  Kate Hudson & Matt Dillon played their parts with aplomb but it is Owen Wilson's movie!  It's more than just a movie about having a buddy who is liable to sleep naked on your couch, change your answering machine message, clog up your toilet, corrupt a Morman, & do strange things with butter.  It's about celebrating [insert your name here]-ness. 

After the movie, we stopped by Passionflower & treated ourselves to scoops of durian, cookies & cream, & lychee ice cream, before heading back to my place.  Date Ravi was a perfect gentleman, walking me to my door & kissing me goodnight.  When I got in, Housemate Ravi was on the couch, pretending to be asleep.  I know he was pretending because when he really is asleep he shakes the foundations of the house with his snoring.  He feigned waking up & nonchalantly asked how my date went (complete with fake yawn & stretched arms).  In an equally nonchalant manner (successfully hiding a big grin) I replied, "I can see a second date on our horizon."

Pictures detailing "15 Dating Tips" (found in the pages of a book in an abandoned apartment) originally uploaded by JasonLee.

Goodnight & Good Luck - a film review

Last Sunday night, the Nguyens invited us over for dinner & a movie at their place.  The entree (chunky tomato/onion soup & mushroom bruschetta) & main (roast & peas with gravy, corn on the cob, & garlic bread) was delish!  Ravi & I brought dessert - a selection of cake slices (mortal sin - choc mousse on caramel & bsicuit, hummingbird cake, Russian cheesecake, pear & raspberry sponge, can't remember the last one).  Afterwards we rolled our bloated bodies to the couch where Tung hooked up "Goodnight & Good Luck" on the projector.  It's like going to the cinema in your own home!  Interesting movie (I liked it) but not for people who lack interest in modern history or politics.  Let's face it - it's about McCarthyism, it's black & white, all the women (actually there was only 1) are covered up, George Clooney is in a supporting role to the lead actor whose most famous role to date was playing the blind guy in Robert Redford's "Sneakers."  Need I say more?  Quote of the night: "You gave me syphilis!" said Joss defiantly (with a cheeky smile) to Tung & Ravi.

Picture originally uploaded by IMDb.