Lychi and Me

"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" - John Grogan

Anh and I watched Marley and Me last night.

Its a pretty old movie (2008?) which stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston and tells the story of a young couple and their life after marriage with their dog Marley.

I've been wanting to watch this movie since I read that it makes grown men cry.

I guess I wanted to test my mettle..... see how manly I am.

And oh how the mighty fall :(

I failed miserably!  OMG! By the end of the movie, I've been reduced to a puddle of tears.  Anh and I were a complete mess with tears streaming down our faces.   It WAS SO SAD!!   I don't think I've been this sad in a movie EVER!!!

In my defence, I was crying because Anh started crying.  Seeing her sad makes me sad. I guess watching the movie with Lychi between us didn't help either.  I'm a sucker for sad dog movies now (talking dogs weird me out though).

Over the past few months, Anh and I have become very attached to Lychi.

She's just such a great dog.  Always happy to see us and always wanting to cuddle with us.  Regardless of the mess she creates (and time of morning she wakes us) we're so happy she's a part of us.  

Marley and Me wasn't all about the dog though.  It was also about growing up and decisions, the life after marriage. It was like a preview of life for Anh and myself.  Moving houses, changing jobs, children, a taste of things to come.  It struck me that many of these things will happen to us too, its all just a matter of when.

And whether it be happy or sad,  Lychi will be there, barking, gnawing, slobbering..
and growing with us.

Drawn

Doodles

What is it about us and doodling stuff?

 

I sat through a grueling three hour meeting today. 

During the meeting, I got a glimpse of what the guy next to me was doing.  

He was doodling!  He first drew a square.... which turned to 3D box... which then became the part of a sphere.  It all became very complex in the end.  Almost an optical illusion!

I turned to the other guy next to me and he was also doodling!   I think he was filling the holes in the letters P's, D's and O's of the meeting agenda.

 

And it wasn't just the listeners drawing stuff.  The meeting chairperson was scribbling his pen over and over arrows and ticks he's drawn on the minutes (which makes it look like he's writing notes fbut in fact he's just doodling some more!)

 

By the end of the meeting, everyone got little pictures tattooed all over their notes.

 

And when I got back to my desk, I noticed the scrap pad next to my phone.  I've drawn stars and circles and blobs and such whilst talking on the phone!

I don't know why we do this. I thought we grow out of doodling from the files and textbook scribbles in high school!  

I guess not.

 

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Graphic novels turned movie

Saw Watchmen the other day. 

 

I wasn't impressed.  

It was a meh movie.  Hardly worth the Greater Union ticket vouchers we used up.   Should have saved it for the Wolverine movie.

 

Dr Manhattan has many talents

I heard you really have to be clued-in on the graphic novel to appreciate the movie.

 

I dunno. I just couldn't get excited watching it (well... except may in one scene).

 

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Manga

Im currently very very very very very hooked watching Skip Beat.

 

I think its kinda geared toward girly teens - BUT I DON'T CARE!! I've done enough girly stuff recently so this doesn't' matter!

 

I can't wait to see how Kyoko performs in her next acting gig.  

And the over the top comedy is very funny.  

I haven't been hooked like this since the Sakura and Sasori battle in Naruto Shippuden or the races in Initial D.

Actually, I got impatient waiting for each episode to come out and be translated from Japan that I've started reading the manga.  

But yes, the anime is still heaps better.

I hope this series never ends!

Chasing Chickens

Its already midnight and I'm still up.

My body is so tired but my mind is not. My mind is actually disturbed.

This because my dad and I just watched The Watcher. Its a Korean thriller/suspense movie - And by god, its very disturbing.

Very very disturbing.

Its kinda like a whole series of Criminal Minds and Saw and Pretty Woman (?!) all concentrated into one.

Its one of those movies where even though it's ended, it leaves a lingering feeling of uneasiness.

I guess that must make The Watcher a pretty good movie if it bothered me that much.

One of my criticisms is the blood.

There's quite a bit of it - enough for a Mortal Kombat fan like me to cringe.

After the movie, I was cooking honey-soy chicken and when the blood started oozing out of the drumsticks I started feeling ill.

Lucky the smell of honey soy picked me up again. :P Hmmm chicken!

Right the First Time

I just saw the movie “I Think I Love My Wife”.

It’s an okay movie. 6.5/10 me thinks.
It’s about married life and the temptations of the ‘other woman’. The movie breaks no new grounds here. And it’s a pretty slow film.

One of the guys I was watching it with me fell asleep. But I heard he sleeps in all the movies.

But there’s a section there that I liked.

Chris Rock explains that the whole living life like there’s no tomorrow was all bullsh!t. The fact is, the vast majority of us live pretty long lives. And we have to live our lives based on those decisions.

That bit struck me because someone criticised me off thinking too much.

They said I wasn't confident with myself thats why I'm slow in making a decisions and doing stuff.

I thought that was a bit unfair.

I mean, its true that I think a lot. I think so much that I've lost a lot of hair (not pubic though.. that still grows wildly)

But to be told that I’m afraid of making mistakes was a bit misplaced.

Mistakes are important because you learn from it they say. But I'm just saying that you don’t have to learn everything from mistakes. Like I don’t have to rob a bank to know that it’s a bad idea.

I'd like to think that I care too much.
As oppose to not caring at all.

**********

My brother and mom spent most of Saturday cleaning up the house and preparing dinner.

I first thought the Pope was visiting our house.

But our guest of honor was someone more important.
It was my brother’s girlfriend’s mom!

I teased brother that it was the dinner for the future mother-in-law.

My brother failed to find the humor in my joke. This is because its the first time he's invited his girlfriend's mom to dinner at our place.

And I could tell my brother really wanted to make a great first impression.

Every corner was vacuumed. The garden and front yard fixed up.

My mom took out our finest dishes and newest cutlery.

My brother even bought new glassware so we could serve fruit juice in cocktail glasses. Talk about extremes!

And I guess my brother just wanted to get things right.

Who could blame him. First impressions count big time.

Specially with the girlfriend's mom.

Korean Hotness

"200 Pounds Beauty" is probably one of the biggest movie to ever hit Korean cinemas.

Its even upstaged the Juggernaut that was "My Sassy Girl".

Hollywood has bought the rights to remake the movie and a stage musical is also on the way.

The actual movie is alright.
It has its funny parts and its not-so funny parts. Maybe a 6 or 7 out of ten.

But still, everyone should watch it to see Kim Ah Joong!

Dam! She's got one of those faces that can be pretty / cute / not-so cute / sexy / beautiful. But yeah, she's very attractive.

I like her coz she can laugh and make fun of herself (see video below).

She can sing! Her cover of the Blondie song Maria in the movie was pretty awesome (She sang all of her songs in the movie).

She can be so hot it hurts..

Mano-a-Mano: Unlikely Heroes

In this segment, we’ll be seeing two unlikely heroes battle it out - Mano-a-Mano. Both have appeared in recent blockbuster movies. Both have held the fate of the world in their hands. Both are seemingly ordinary guys who have stepped up to achieve extraordinary things.

But who's got more brain, more braun and more balls!!

Blue corner: Matthew Farrell

Computer hacker who gets himself caught in the middle of a well organised terrorist attack on the FBI computer network. The character is played by Justin Long who you might have seen in Dodgeball or the TV show ED.

Red Corner: Sam Witwicky

Typical seventeen year old boy trying to get in with the ladies. His ancestry would find him in the middle of a galactic war raging between Autobots and Decepticons. Shia LaBeouf plays Sam. He will also be staring in the next Indiana Jones movie.

Soooo LEEEEETs GET REEADY TO RUUUUMMBLE!!!

Character – do these guys play their roles well?

Matthew: Having that pasty complexion ads character
Sam: Fast talking and convincingly stressed. A fumbling fool, your typical underdog hero
Verdict: Both guys fit their roles nicely +1 to both

Appearance – which one is more pleasant to look at?
Matthew: Pale, pasty, scrawny. Looks like he's never seen sunlight in years
Sam: Looks after himself to score chicks.
Verdict: Sam +1

Mentor – Who do these guys look up to?
Matthew: John Maclane -a good cop who always end up messing with the wrong crowd. He's not too keen in stepping up to save the world, but someone's got to do it.
Sam: Optimus Prime - Leader of the autobots. They watch and protect the human race.

Verdict: Both guys look up to worthy heroes. But sadly, John Maclane ain’t so hot with his family, so he doesn't have a perfect fan record. And everyone loves Optimus Prime. He carries a big sword! Way cool! Sam +1

Constitution – How much damage can they handle?
Matthew: Dodges bullets, explosions, car accidents, falls off vents, gets hit by psycho kung-fu lady, gets shot at!! Almost as tough as John McClane!
Sam: Chased by Megatron! Dodges missiles, falls-off buildings
Verdict: Hero point goes to the one who takes a bullet. Matthew +1

Car – Show us your ride!
Matthew: Doesn't even drive a car. But knows how to hot wire a BMW
Sam: Yellow dodge viper AND.. its an Autobot!!

Verdict: Racing stripes!!! Sam +1

Women – how well do they rate with the ladies?

Matthew: Gets to co-star with Maggi Q who wears a tight black body suit and does kick-ass kung-fu moves. Sadly she's out there to kill him.
Sam: Gets to be near Meagan Fox. Gets to be 'under' Megan Fox. Gets to kiss Megan Fox.

Verdict: Uber-hot-vixen Megan Fox wins it for Sam. She's so tight! Sam +1

Humour – Tell us a joke!
Matthew: "Ohhh my god!! Are you okay?..!!! Geeze... you've just killed that chopper.... with a car!!"
Sam: "Just think to yourself.... What would Jesus do?"
Verdict: both guys come up with some pretty classic one liners. Both +1

Occupation - What do you do for a living?
Matthew: Professional hacker. One job got him a cool $50k.
Sam: Doesn’t have one. Sells stuff on ebay as Ladiesman217
Verdict: Matthew +1

Hero Moment - so what did you do?
Matthew: Stopped the evil guys from getting away with cyber-crime
Sam: Protected the 'all-spark' from the evil clutches of the Decepticons.
Verdict: Both did a heroic thing without their mentors. Stuff of legends. Both +1

And the winner is:

Sam Witwicky with a total of 7 points!

Matthew trailed close with a 5.

So there you go.

Sam's the better 'unlikely hero'.

So next time the world is in crisis, you know which one to call!

Alright, so I made this post so I can have pics of Megan Fox, Optimus prime and Maggie Q on my site, nothing wrong with that!

She gets your motor running

Happy Feet

I'm so shocked.

"Don't push me, coz I'm close to the edge"

I saw the movie "Happy Feet" with the expectation that it was going to be another feel good kiddy movie like Disney's Cars or Toy Story or Ice Age.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Sure it had the elements of a kiddy movie - ultra cute characters, catchy tunes and lots of funny, comical moments (the visuals and the musical score in this movie is superb by the way).

But no way did I expect the movie to sparkle discussion about traditional versus modern day thinking.

I think the movie touched on the upbringing of disabled children. But I think they were talking about homosexuality, because they placed quite a bit of importance in conforming to norms of reproduction and traditional family structures.

Evangelic worshipers were prodded with "Lovelace" and his mindless followers. And the movie even threw shots at the Japanese whaling fleet!

I was just so shocked by the underlying message that I found it hard to enjoy the sugar coating of this thematically deep movie.

I wanted a simple movie with a nice fuzzy-wuzzy, warm bring home message. But Happy Feet ain't that kind of movie.

I think children who watched this movie will grow up as activists.

Wrinkly Idols

There's no escaping it.

Every day that goes by gets us closer to magical place where bingo is exciting, fashion is everything woolen and music is always too loud.

I'm talking about getting old.

When I mean old, I don't mean wiser-smarter-more mature kinda old - I mean,
geriatric, wrinkly faced and cranky old.

Now I have nothing against getting old or old people. Its just another stage in this circle we call life.

My brother assures me the funky smell is natural and that I won't notice it when I'm at that age.

I just think that some old people should look upon themselves and say 'hey, I'm getting old - I don't think I should be doing this anymore'.

I say this because I recently saw Rocky Balboa.

The movie was in fact was about old people and literally puts the phrase 'hanging the gloves up' into retrospect. I think the main theme was, if you have one last 'fight' left in you, why would you let anyone else stop you? There is fire still burning there - why extinguish it prematurely?

In a perfect world where everyone ages perfectly and 90 year old grandma's look like bombshells, I say go ahead - keep doing what you love doing. Let them flames keep on burnin'.

But the sad reality is - butter has fat and cholesterol and time does awful things to a person's body.

Take these guys for example.
These guys used to be my idols. But their persistence to return to the big screen is diminishing what admiration I had for them (Arnie has done well in going to politics though - now he's become an idol for all the sportsmen-come actor-come politician wannabe Filipinos).

Rather than fading nicely into the Legends Hall of Fame with their kick-ass movies, perfect bodies, and unforgettable catch-phrases I now see them as 'has-been old fogies, border lining dirty-old-men-status, desperately clinging on to glory days'.

I must admit, Sylvester Stallone has done well in picking a more mature woman to be his love interest in his latest movie. If he picked anyone younger I would have puked Cheezels.

Life certainly doesn't end at 60. So kudos to them people enjoying life at whatever wrinkly age they may be.

There's a time and place for everything.

I was at Rise once and there was a guy old enough to be my grandad doing some sort of yoga dance routine on the stage. He looked like Mario from the Nintendo games minus the hair, minus the mustache and minus the mobility. There were girls next to him cheering him on, but I didn't think they were impressed by this robot dance move (I think that's how he actually moved). The girls laughed and it felt like they were mocking him. I didn't know if I should have bought him a drink, helped him bend himself up or put glow sticks on his cane. But it certainly didn't look right to have him there.

Now I don't want to see my dad snowboarding, but it would be nice to have a snowball fight with him. I can't imagine my mom learning how to surf, but I can see her doing swimming once in a while. And I certainly wouldn't expect my grandma (92!!) to be playing video games but it would be nice if she bought me a PS3.

Anyways, my point is - old people should stop pretending to be young. Its just wrong in so many levels.

Wrinkly skin is one of them.