Dylan ~ Birthday Greeting From SMC.

Esther and I received a surprise today from the post. It is a birthday card to Dylan from the maternity ward of Sunway Medical Center, the place where Chloe and Dylan were both delivered. Nice!

Dylan ~ Shoes.

The thing with baby shoes are that the kids tend to outgrown it fast. Whereas Esther and I would love to get Dylan a pair of those "oh so cute and kewl" baby shoes from one of those labels for his birthday, we cleared our head and decided not to, as it would be a case of money not well spent One of the things I like about this country's shopping experience is that most local stores would carry some really nice (and logically) priced children's shoes and clothing. They are comfortable and fit for children too, which is the most important. Of course with those posh labels, we would earn bragging rights and they are indeed really nice looking but it is simply not worth it. Not that we would want Chloe and Dylan to be simply clothed in banana leaves or a jute-fibered burlap shoes. To make up for them, I pledge, "Chloe, Dylan, dad will promise to get both of ya some really nice Alden and Manalo Blahnik or whichever still in vogue by then, when both of ya reach 18. Even mom and dad do not own those. That's how much we love both of you and please do not fret when both of you look back into these photos of yours wearing Kiki Lala, Poney, Crocs and Bubblegummers". I hope I remember...

Chloe ~ Replicant?

Hmm...a pic of Chloe which showed her eyes "glowing" abit...reminds me of a scene from Blade Runner.

Nicole's Birthday 2009.

It is nearly every one's birthday this month. Now, its Nicole, my niece from Esther's side birthday. My sister in law's husband made a nice "DIY" toy oven for her from card boxes. Ugh! Makes me jealous. Esther even chided me for not making one for Chloe and instead had to buy one and waste money. Darn! We had a nice family dinner at a seafood restaurant deep within Kampung Kayu Ara. Chloe was already sound asleep by then whilst Dylan was enjoying the atmosphere initially but could hardly keep his eyes open as the night progressed. They ordered nice seafood meals including some sort of large clams in clear soup, mud crabs with coconut milk sauce, fine and tasty deep fried kai lan amongst others.

Leather Suspender.

I got this leather suspender as part of the Nevada Jean 1880s package. Not being a "suspender person", I tried to give it away, sell it (couple of enquiries but maybe I am abit too ambitious about the price I was asking) but it is still around, so I decided to carry out a little novice experimentation with it. Being "raw" ie treated but not stained, I decided to do what the leather gurus have been doing sometimes, tanning it and see for myself what is all the fuss about. I applied bit of mink oil to avoid total dry out, then put it under direct sun for at least a week. Some days, I have to bring it back in again as the raining season seems to start again but nevertheless it is total heat to the skin. Though I could see the difference when I turned the suspender around and compare the color but it wasn't up to my expectation yet. Maybe I would tan it a couple of days more and see how it goes.

Happy 1st Birthday Dylan!

Time really move fast. Dylan is now a year old. And we celebrated his birthday by inviting close relatives to a nice buffet dinner at Cafe Bliss 33 in Subang. Mom and Esther also prepared some red colored eggs and muffins for party pack to the kids. Everyone had a great time, especially Dylan and Chloe, who went around playing with all the kids attending this dinner. Esther's mom and sisters all came down for the dinner as well. Bought the cake from QJelly, which of course, not a cake per se but made of jelly in the shape of Winnie the Pooh. With plenty of presents and angpows for Dylan of course. Dylan is very happy, clap his hands and goo goo gaga away.

Breakfast At 1-Utama.

Breakfast at 1-Utama after temple prayers as well as to collect Dylan's birthday cake. Both precious made so much noise. Chloe also seems to like kopi ais more and more, which is a bit worrying since she just recovered from a nasty fever and cold a couple of days back. Dylan not as choosy as his sister but if late in feeding him, he would throw an absolute tantrum. He wants his meal on time...

Brickfield's Buddhist Temple.

Chloe ~ "Oi! Where are we at???"

Dylan ~ "Can barely lift up me eyes...sooooo sleeepppyy..."

Visited the temple for prayers with Dylan and Chloe.

N. x Lady Pauline Update.

Lady Pauline really develops nice pitchers.

N. Rafflesiana, Hookeriana and Bicalcarata Update.

All three gives nice pitchers, especially Hooky, which is extra plump and round.

N. Ampullaria Harlequin Update.

The plant is still small-ish...maybe gotta do with the fact that this one, according to Fauzi who procured it from the famous Borneo Exotic, was cultivated from the basal rossette. But darn, the coloration is great.

N. Ampullaria Green Speckle Update.

Like I mentioned just now, the sunlight helps in bringing out the full character of the pitcher.

N. Ampullaria Hot Lips & Light Red Peristome Update.

Ahh...the two variants do not disappoint and bloom well, with pitchers getting to normal size...except for the mercurial like behaviour of the peristome. What is supposedly hot lips ie full red peristome becomes light red, only around the rim and the light red becomes full red...baffling. Somehow it got to do with the amount of sunlight "hitting" the pitcher directly and for a certain hours of the day, of which I still haven't got time to experiment ie shifting of location/placement and so forth.

N. Rajah update.

The Rajah is...stunted! Argh!

Michael Jackson : August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009.

And It Doesn't Seem To Matter

And It Doesn't Seem Right'Cause

The Will Has Brought

No Fortune

Still I Cry Alone At Night

Don't You Judge Of My Composure'

Cause I'm Lying To Myself

And The Reason Why She Left Me

Did She Find In Someone Else?

~ Who Is It?

You'll Never Make Me Stay

So Take Your Weight Off Of Me

I Know Your Every Move

So Won't You Just Let Me Be

I've Been Here Times Before

But I Was Too Blind To See

That You Seduce Every Man

This Time You Won't Seduce Me

~ Dirty Diana.

As He Came Into The Window

It Was The Sound Of
A Crescendo

He Came Into Her Apartment

He Left The Bloodstains

On The Carpet

She Ran Underneath The Table

He Could See She Was Unable

So She Ran Into The Bedroom

She Was Struck Down,

It Was Her Doom

~ Smooth Criminal.

Tell me what has become of my rights

Am I invisible because you ignore me?

Your proclamation promised me free liberty,

now I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame

They're throwing me in a class with a bad name

I can't believe this is the land from which I came

You know I do really hate to say it

The government don't wanna see

But if Roosevelt was livin'

He wouldn't let this be, no, no

~ They Don't Really Care About Us.

Tired of injustice

Tired of the schemes

The lies are disgusting

So what does it mean

Kicking me down

I got to get up

As jacked as it sounds

The whole system sucks

~ Scream.

Just Stop Doggin' Me Around

~ Leave Me Alone.

What about sunrise

What about rain

What about all the things

That you said we were to gain...

What about killing fields

Is there a time

What about all the things

That you said was yours and mine...

Did you ever stop to notice

All the blood we've shed before

Did you ever stop to notice

This crying Earth its weeping shores?

~ Earth Song.

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make a change

~ Man In The Mirror.

The King Of Pop has died. Michael Joseph Jackson was pronounced dead from possible cardiac arrest at 2.26pm (5.21am local time) on June 25th 2009. He was 50. The entire world was both sadden and buzzed with tonnes of information and news. The last time I remembered someone who passed on which generated so much point of discussions were Princess Diana and Leslie Cheung. Personally, he is the one and only King Of Pop and throughout the entire 80s, not a single solo artist would even come remotely close to what he had achieved throughout that decade (okay, maybe Madonna but perhaps only in terms of image re-invention and popularity). The entire world would sing and moonwalk with him (my earliest memory of him was during Grammy Awards back in 85 or was it 84...couldn't remember for sure but there he was, moonwalking on the stage, sweeping every awards there was that night with Thriller, his monster hits of an album. Incidentally, I also remembered The Police being remotely close to defeat him that night for best song with "Every Breath You Take"). As a solo artist, he would go on to hold and broke so many industry records and standards that it is breathtaking to re look into these achievements. He also launched a personal humanitarian objectives, sang in World Aid, visited numerous countries for peace and societal welfare. And I think MJ genuinely wanted a change in the society. which themes were iIncorporated into many of his songs which crossed racial divide and transcends across different cultures.. His popularity was so great that at one point in time, I could always order a Pepsi-Cola and eventually soya drink with cincau by saying to the kopitiam fella, "satu Michael Jackson with ice". I always looked forward his music videos ever since I saw "Beat It" on RTM those many years ago as a kid. Who wouldn't? His music videos were ground breaking in terms of special effects and always accompany by a brief snippets of storyline, like the groundbreaking "Thriller" video, which had the late Vincent Price providing the scary voice and directed by non other than John Landis. His songs are genuinely catchy and melodic, although most of it was produced by top ranking producers such as Quincy Jones, MJ formidable musical knowledge and experiences (he was trained from young in all things musical and became the anchor point for the Jackson Five) ensures that he contributed in an equivalent degree of importance to each of the lyrics as well. He could access to anyone and anything he wants, even marched with armies of the world. He duet with Paul McCartney, had Eddie Van Halen and Slash as his guest guitarists amongst others. His songs are a mix of ballads as well angst ones. Just look at some his lyrics. It is not all dainty and sweet. It could be quite heavy and dark at times. As such each of his albums, from Thriller to Dangerous, contain songs for everyone. At one point, he was the most important icon to the music industry, His live concerts were pyrotechnics extravaganza, fantasy like costumes but most of all his almost boundless and explosive energy to maintain his dance routine (who can dance like him?) to the enrapture of his ardent fans, who were in millions (He came to this country only once, around mid 90s and I rue till this day for not being able to make it). MJ voice ranges from being graceful, aggressive, natural as well as smooth. He also like to do that hiccup like thing in most of his songs which has since become one of his signature. His attire was loud, like the shiny army like jacket with the white glove as well as ankle trouser showing the white socks. As his popularity exploded, his eccentricities were becoming more and more documented (skin color changes, facial appearance changes, antics with pet chimp Bubbles, obsession with Peter Pan-like eternal youth, shopped like there was no tomorrow etc.), nicknames aplenty (The Gloved One, Wacko Jacko etc.), even urban legends were woven about his personality and behaviour (slept in oxygenated tent, bought The Elephant Man skeleton etc.). MJ comes across as a really shy and nice guy in the interviews I saw. It was as if he would become alive once he was on stage. He was the real deal, an entertainer who would never say no. He would denied all these accusations. Eventually, as the 80s curtain fall and the 90s begin, MJ would momentarily held on his throne for a little bit more before changing public opinions, continuing onslaught of tabloids and media, music taste (dawn of grunge) as well as highly damaging accusation of being a child molester and possible paedophile, subsequent legal entanglement and financial ruin would brought it all down on his once majestic music empire. MJ was due to return actively to music with an announcement of a series of tours this year but sadly, it would never materialise. Michael Jackson is survived by three children. two from his second marriage and the youngest through a surrogate mother. The King may be gone (too soon) but his songs live on.

Transformers : Revenge Of The Fallen.

Just watched Transformers sequel at USJ Summit. Continuing where the first movie story left off, the US and the British Army have joined forces with the Autobots to hunt down the remaining Decepticons via NEST, a joint covert operation force. However, their presence is questioned by the National Security Advisor who strongly recommends that the Autobots should leave Earth since Megatron is now imprisoned in the depths of Laurentian Abyss, and with the All Spark destroyed , the sole reason the Decepticons are still on this planet is because of them (the Autobots). Optimus Prime disagrees, mainly because prior to that, during an military engagement in Shanghai, a dying Decepticon revealed that The Fallen would rise again. At the Earth orbit, the Decepticon Soundwave is scanning the entire Earth broadcast frequencies via tapping into a communication satellite and is gathering all the information of the conversation as well as the location of one of the last few remaining pieces of the All Spark which is at a military base. Soundwave launches Ravage onto the base to retrieve the All Spark and with it, summons The Contructicons to revive Megatron. Once activated, Megatron flies to one of the moons around Saturn and there within a space craft, The Fallen is introduced, whom Megatron addresses as master. Starscream is seen busy attending to the growing of Decepticon hatchlings but without Energon, it would not survive. It turns out that around 17,000 BC, a group of Transformers known as Primes and their followers known as Seekers, arrived on this planet with the intention to harvest and convert the Sun into Energon to fuel the All Spark. However, the main principle is that no stars would be harvested should any of the surrounding planets contain life. But The Fallen disagreed and fell out with the remaining six Primes. He was defeated but survives and presumably hid himself on the moon. The remaining six decided to sacrificed themselves to hide the key, known as The Matrix Of Leadership, which will activate the harvester. The location of the harvester is within one of the three Giza pyramids. The entire movie, typical of Michael Bay's style, is a non-stop action ride. It tends to get a bit repetitious after a while though. Optimus Prime still sounds cheesy and one dimensional, as in the 80s TV cartoon series and the first motion picture. There is timely infusion of comedic elements to keep one in stitches, although the jokes are crude and juvenile at times. One involves Wheelie, a former Decepticon which took the form of a remote control jeep and whom is captured by Mikael (Megan Fox). And Megan Fox oozes so much sexiness, I just could not take my eyes off her, except of course during the action sequence. I have to try to concentrate and take in as much details on screen as possible, for like in the first movie, the Transformers are complicated looking, full of moving parts, which makes me difficult to identify who is who. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) of course gets to play hero again, and is instrumental in reviving Optimus after he was killed trying to protect him. Sam also died but is revived by the Primes in a dream like state (reminds of Gandalf when he died in LOTR). Optimus then merged with Jetfire and defeated The Fallen and Megatron whose face is partly torned away. The ending is abit of a let down. The manner in which the forces of human and Autobots defeated the Decepticons are kinda rushy. His parents are back (and fun to watch this time around, unlike in the first movie), as well as Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Sergeant Epps (Tyrese), as well as Simmons (John Turturro), although the former two characters are less utilised this time around. New character include Leo Spitz (Ramon Rodriguez), Sam's college roommate and a conspiracy theorist but true to character, he could be quite annoying. And then there is brief appearance by Deep Roy, the famous dwarf as an Egyptian army chief (he also happens to appear as Keenser, the walnut head looking alien close to Scotty in Star Trek 2009). But the stars are still the robots. Apart from Optimus, Bumblebee and Ironhide, couple of new Autobots are introduced, including Arcee, the female Autobot who is basically three separate super bikes driven by a single consciousness, Sideswipe who is like a ninja on skates and The Twins ~ Mudflap and Skids, basically two stereotypical, hip hop sounding, homies which, in all honestly, are irritating (like Jar Jar Binks? Not that bad, but nearly). On the Decepticons side, there're even more, including Soundwave, Ravage, The Constructicons which combines into the monstrous Devastator, arms with a vortex-like suction grinder and walks like a gorilla, Jetfire (in SR-71 Blackbird mode), one of the ancient Seekers who switches alliance to the Autobots (like in the first 80s cartoon storyline) and sacrificed his life and body to revive Optimus (turning him into something like the Powermaster-ish version, but with wings and flying ability), and finally, Alice (Isabel Lucas), a Pretender (whoa...they actually remember this category) which can transforms into a full fleshed human. I would watch this movie as well as its prequel on a boring day as it is just that, an entertaining movie for consideration if one really really got nothing else to do or wants to keep the head clear of thinking ;). So, all three targeted movies had been watched for 2009 in cinema, I would say Star Trek 2009 is the most well balanced in terms of excitement and story.

Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.

Vietnam War occurred between 1959 to 1975. It was a war of ideology, between the communist North Vietnam as well as Laos and Cambodia, and the government of South Vietnam, which was supported largely by the US and nations who were members of The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). The war ended after the complete withdrawal of the American forces by 1975 due to mounting casualties and pressure from within, with victory to the communist North. The estimated human casualties, either direct or otherwise, were 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5 to 2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,000 American soldiers. Large scale atrocities occurred and were committed by both forces. Indirectly, it helped the Khmer Rouge to topple the Cambodian government and begun its genocide regime on its own population. The outcome of the war derailed the US Army's confidence, largely because of victories in WW2 and the Korean War, and remained bitter about the experiences during those period. More importantly, it showed that political will, apart from military might, remains important in any conflict.
As such, the Vietnam War was a popular subject in movies. The four main personal favourites of mine are The Deer Hunter (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), Platoon (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987). These movies presented the war, albeit with a degree of drama, in its full, gritty, horrific details and the negative psychological impact on the US soldiers.

Full Metal Jacket is directed by the famous Stanley Kubrick (1928 – 1999), based on the novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. The title refers to the full metal jacket bullet type of ammunition used by infantry riflemen. Lightly narrated by Joker (Matthew Modine), the film follows a squad of U.S. Marines from their basic training through their participation in the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. It is banned in Vietnam. Divided into two parts, the movie begins with the US Marine Corps recruits being trained at Parris Island. It is here where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman is introduced, their drill instructor from hell. Hartman, played to perfection by R. Lee Ermey (himself a former marine), is perhaps one of the most memorable character ever presented on screen. Possessing leather lung and explicit lace line of insults (written by Ermey himself), Hartman is basically THE drill inspector a recruit wishes he would never meet. I personally think Ermey basically carried the entire first part on his shoulder. It is unfortunate that Hartman "over-enthusiasm" in preparing the recruits into becoming an "instrument of death" would result in one of the recruits, Leonard Lawrence aka Gomer Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio) going loco which kills them both. In the second part, the recruits have graduated from the Island and are now in Da Nang. Papillon Soo Soo gives a one off memorable role as the "Da Nang Hooker", a scantily clad prostitute appearing for less than 5 minutes but yet influenced the 90s notorious rap group 2 Live Crew to name one of their famous songs after her line in the movie. Joker is now a sergeant and marine combat correspondent. He and a photographer, Rafter Man (Kevyn Major Howard), are ordered to Huế city after the Tet Offensive where he meets an old boot camp mate, Cowboy (Arliss Howard) and members of the Lusthog squad whom he follows after the Battle Of Huế. On their way there, they met an insane door machine gunner (Tim Colceri) who simply shoots at every Vietnamese he sees. "Ain't war hell?" he says. Unlike most Vietnam War movies which took place in a tropical jungle, Kubrick chose to film his side of the story within the bombed out urban setting, which raised the grittiness of the entire movie. The city is presented like a post apocalyptic surrounding, eerily lighted by pockets of flame. After an intense battle with a teenage female sniper who killed two squad members as well as Cowboy, Joker confronts and was nearly killed by her until a timely intervention by Rafter Man. While Rafter Man jubilantly celebrates his first confirmed kill, Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin), a nihilistic M-60 gunner, engages Joker into a debate as to whether to leave the mortally wounded sniper there and then or carry out a mercy killing. In the end, Animal Mother will allow mercy killing only if Joker does it because he has the least combat experience. Joker did and the movie ended as the remaining squad marches off into the night. One interesting trivia is that LMF, the now defunct notorious HK rap group sampled one of the line from the end scene which goes like, "Hardcore man...F***ing hardcore". Kubrick once said that the movie is "neither anti war or pro war," held "no moral or political position," and was primarily concerned with "the way things are."

Denim Revisited.

After swearing off denim for at least year, I "curiously" checked out a pair of Evisu Heritage in Parkson, Pavilion KL this morning after having breakfast with an estate agent for shop rental and agreement for my soon to be started retail business. Never a fan of the Evisu EU version jeans, I am nevertheless surprised at the selections which also include shirts and tees. I was curious about a particular pair, Lot 0004 because it has suspender buttons which reminded me of one of their Evis era model. As well as in a No.1 Special denim, which is surprising. But then again, I am disheartened to realise that the model does not come with other features or details I am looking for specifically. Also, certain details are quite hip, so I hop out. Although in No.1 fabric, it still feels "different" from the No.1 I am currently having. Most likely my own personal paranoia. I wonder if Evisu would ever release some cuts from their archive instead of keep on re-interpreting the design. Finally, for that amount of ringgit, I would rather allocate it on a main Japanese range or other brands than for a pair which is made in Macau or China. Then again, I might not be able to indulge in Japanese denims any further coz for a start, the ever reliable proxy is no longer in service. This effectively means that I am cut off from ever getting a pair from Japan, unless via Rakuten Proxy which could be problem sometimes in terms of language. And Samurai released a S310XX 19oz version (15oz version was just sold out 2 years ago when it fell within my radar) recently. Evisu Japan has a new orange ear denim. Ooe Yofukuten just released their WW2 version. As well as possibly having a world tour of a pair of their jean ala what DD+1 had done 2 years ago with Evisu. Whew...until then, let's see if there is a new proxy for the Samurai...

Father's Day 2009.

Being a father and bringing up kids need plenty of commitments, in term of time and emotion. Sometimes Chloe and Dylan could drive me up to the wall. They constantly require my attention and wants me to carry them all the time. Chloe has also becomes increasingly whiny, cried or even shouts if things do not go her way. Dylan has increasingly become more active and curious about his surroundings. I always joke to Esther that he is like a little "juggernaut", once he's on the move, there is no stopping him. If I scold them, I will reflect back immediately and feel guilty. Am I overboard by scolding them or raising my voice? Esther always say I am the one who pamper them and she is the disciplinarian. Mom also complains why I pamper and give in to them so much. I can't help it sometimes. Chloe recently took apart one of the Transformer toys and I did not even say anything nor felt angry. When she requested to play with it, I naturally just gave it her. No second thought. Conversely, if mom or Esther accidentally cause one to fall or break apart, I would go loco. My mercurial temperament is one of my biggest faults. I reckoned I am now a more patient person than before. But there is still more rooms for improvement. Being constantly worry about their well being also stress me out sometimes. Are they eating right? Did anything happen to them today? What did Chloe learn at the kindergarten? Did she cry? Did Dylan go through his alphabets today? Why are they watching so much Barney? And so forth and so on. I also have to learn to ensure that I spend time having conversation with them which could be quite challenging admittedly. But gradually I learn to manage it and now, either through their baby talk or body language, I sort of know what they want and patiently listen to them. Sometimes if they demanded more than what I could afford to do, I would explain to them why it could not be done. And it is such a joy to observe and partake in their daily activities as well as seeing how they develop and grow up. I am hope I would be alright and become a good father to them...let's see how 2010 Father's Day blog entry would go.

Alfonso Cuarón's Children Of Men.

" The last one to die please turn out the light."

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón of Y tu mamá también (2001) fame loosely adapted this excellent 2006 dystopian sci-fi drama from P. D. James's 1992 novel of the same name. Set in the year 2027, it stars Clive Owen as Theo Faron, a former activist who reluctantly undertook the role of a savior who must find a safe transit point to a female refugee ( Clare-Hope Ashitey) who is pregnant after no human children have been born globally for more than eighteen years. No explanation is given as to why the women suddenly become infertile. The world governments and nations are mired in total chaos as a result of this (as shown in news clip at the beginning, including one of this country which shows Muslim extremist taking over and the Petronas Twin Towers on fire). Britain is possibly the only nation still in control but with the refugees pouring in from all over the world, it has turned into a military fascist state. Refugees are captured and placed in deplorable detention camps and cages. It is a very terrible place to be in. Public places are randomly bombed on daily basis by terrorists. An atmosphere of depression hung over the populations, knowing that mankind would eventually be extinct. What is the meaning of hope if there is not a single child around? But all that about to change. Also starring Julianne Moore as Julian Taylor, a political activist and leader of the militant "Fishes" group, as well as Faron's ex-wife and mother to their deceased child. Taylor knows Faron would be the only one to be trusted with Kee's safety and ensure she reaches "The Tomorrow" (a ship which houses a team of scientists involved in "The Human Project" to cure infertility). Michael Caine as Jasper Palmer, Theo's friend, a retired editorial cartoonist and weeds smoking neo-hippie. Palmer helped Faron to enter Bexhill Detention Camp in order for them to reach the ship but when the Fishes arrived, he knows his end is near and refused to reveal their where about resulting in his death at their hands. Chiwetel Ejiofor (whom I first saw in Kinky Boots~2005) as Luke, the replacement leader of Fishes after engineering Taylor's death with the intention to use Kee and her baby for political ransoming. Luke is eventually killed during the battle with the British Army at Bexhill Detention Camp, Pam Ferris as Miriam, the new age nurse taking care of Kee's health. She sacrificed herself by pretending to be suffering from a religious mania to prevent a suspicious guard from inspecting Kee who had contraction at that time and Oana Pellea as Marichka, a Romanian woman with a dog who provides Theo and Kee a place to stay at Bexhill. When Faron and Kee is betrayed by one of the contacts, Marichka provided a small boat for them to escape to the sea, shortly before the British fighter planes bomb Bexhill.

One of the highlights of this film is that not much information are revealed. Most of the clues are given on the visual background which I think heighten the attractiveness of the storyline. There are numerous subtle references to religion and the theme of hope and faith. The dystopian visual is beautifully rendered with not too much overwhelming techno machinery, just nice for me to concentrate on the characters and plots. London is depicted as curiously contemporary yet futuristic. The most effective visual is the part whereby spliced, individual shots are done to make it looks like a continuous, single shot movement. The film is also done in hand held like documentary style sequence but yet remain coherent, unlike pure hand held shot movies like Cloverfield which left my head spinning for hours. The Bexhill battle scene is one of the most intense action sequence I have seen (another is Saving Private Ryan's opening sequence). I would rank this movie up there with classics like Blade Runner. It is that good, personally.

Chloe & Dylan ~ Jack In The Box.

Dylan loves to go inside of the toy box and imagine it is a vehicle or something like that.

Esther's Birthday 2009.

Had a simple birthday at home. Mom cooked Lam Mee for this occasion. Bought a card with electornic song for Esther, a little kitsch but she loves it (I think...). Got a cheese cake from Secret Recipe but I had the "run" during the night. I got it worse, interval of every two to three hours...relief, then pain, relief, then pain...luckily it stopped...felt like my very "soul" had been drained from myself.

Chloe & Suetch ~ Enter Right, Exit Left.

Muahahahaha...they will probably hates my old guts when they realized all these off tangent pics I took of them for theirs (and mine) memories. They didn't go to the kindergarten today as mom's too busy with Suet Nee who has come down with a high fever. Sometimes it perplexes me as to why my sister and Foo Yu don't show the kind of concern to their daugther as mom does. Mom gave them a call this morning, sounding very worried about their daugther whom also threw up couple of times. But they did not show up until late morning...at times, because mom is so busy looking after Suetch and her sister, I occasionally felt that she neglected Chloe and Dylan slightly...oh well, let's see how it goes.

Green Day.

Ha ha you're dead

The joke is over

You were an asshole

And now you're gone

As your ship is going down

I'll stand by and watch you drown

~ Ha Ha You're Dead.

Don't want to have you hangin,
Around me like a leech.
I think you're just a problem,
So stay the hell away from me because I don't believe in you.
And I wanna sit here all my life alone.
This may sound a little rough,
Don't wanna fall in love.
~ Don't Wanna Fall In Love.

Stepped out of the line
Like a sheep runs from the herd
Marching out of time
To my own beat now
The only way I know
~ Minority.

Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
~ Basket Case.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
~ Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).

Green Day, with the release of their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, still churns out great music after all these years...although I still miss their early to mid 90s songs.