King Arthur

Watched King Arthur.
 
Review:
 
Story
Although the legend of King Arthur has not been historically established as fact, this film will attempt to place King Arthur within his possible historic context, smack between the fall of the Roman Empire and the long road through the Dark Ages . The magic and fantasy of the legend is absent in this re-telling. And it's not even a personal, intimate drama. Gone is the tense love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. What we get in its place is drama of a far more cerebral kind -- more philosophical than emotional. What motivates Arthur and his "knights"? Longing for a home they have not seen for 15 years ... loyalty to an empire that no longer exists ... and, of all things, belief in the teachings of a heretic (Pelagius). The Rome Arthur fights is not that of the Caesars, but of the Church.
 
Cast
The performances are strong in this film, a tribute to the actor's talents as well as Fuqua's direction. Owen's King Arthur is profoundly disillusioned and disaffected after a lifetime of warfare, but his commitment to the utopian ideal continues to drive him. Gruddfield comes off as a bit too bitter at times, and seems to be yelling the entire film, but his seething hatred and rebellion against the natural order of the world comes through in his performance. I liked Knightley's warrior-princess Guinevere, and she helps the film as Arthur's muse. Skarsgard is hardly recognizable in every way as the Saxon ruler, which pretty much says it all about his work. Another actor who I am unfamiliar with, Mads Mikkelsen, turns in a quiet and subtle performance which is just as good as his top-billed co-stars.
 
Conclusion
What is supposed to be historical re-telling of a fable,has conspired to become instead just another summer blockbuster movie. The camaderie between Arthur and his knights provides the focal point and pretty much pushes the story forward. Kiera Knightley as Guinevere is given much prominence in the publicity for the movie but only appears about half way through it. Her role is a departure from the Guinevere of the tales we know and love. Kiera Knightley looks pale and fragile in most of her scenes but later proves that she can kick butt with the best of them.
 
In all a good movie to watch if you go in without pretensions or expectations.
 
Good: fight scenes, cinematography, good cast
Bad: some characters under-developed, nothing really stands out after watching the film
 
Rating: 3 paws

The story of Bee Hoon and Bee Suan

Saturday
 
Worked in the morning.
 
After work I gave Mrs Soh and Dr Ali a lift to the MRT station. Thereafter, Mrs Pay and I drove to Ang Mo Kio Central for lunch. Lyn had wanted to join us but due to 'extenuating circumstances' she could not. In a possibly related development, Yew Kwang has just finished his In Camp Training and was gonna pick Lyn up from the office.
 
Mrs Pay and I ate Satay Bee Hoon from the hawker centre. It was nice but the sugar cane juice was rather diluted for my taste. After our meal, Mrs Pay went off to buy 'lottery' and I went off to look for handphone accessories.
 
Went home.

love lost and courage found

On the way back from dinner with Joyce, Jackie messaged me if I was home yet (cue thunder, lightning and creepy music). She asked me where I was and whether I was on a date. She then said she was feeling jealous and all when I told her where I been.
 
I do not wish to be a complete jerk and write something demeaning about Jackie here (again!). We had one of those Talks and we came to the conclusion that we were never meant to be or ever will be. She is cool in someways in that she is sporty and outdoors type. But it goes downhill from then on. I do hope that we can be friends but it seems that the more time we spend together the more she thinks that we can be a couple! It may seem a tad extreme but I rather hurt her now than later.
 
I would think it to be in my best interest not to go out with her anymore and to keep communication between us to the bare minimum.
 
 

claws..paws...and ice thawed

Friday
 
Went out for dinner with Joyce and her mum. It is a tradition from our days together where if one of us got a bonus, promotion or strike it rich through 4-D or Toto we would all go for dinner together.Since I had only just got my bonus at my last pay day, I told Joyce that I wanted to give them a treat. Joyce had initially suggested we go to Johor but that would have required us to take a full days leave.Instead we opted to go to No Signboard at Geylang.
 
I picked the ladies up from home and we drove to Yishun as Joyce had wanted to purchase a handsfree set for her X70. As I had been looking for one as well , I accompanied her. The shop we went to did not have stock.We then drove to Geylang for our crab.
 
I think the chili crab at No Signboard is the best although it is also among the most expensive.
 
They provide a valet parking service there.The concept of valet parking is kinda alien to me. I had not idea how it worked as in how to hand over the car,whether to tip or not and how to retrieve my car. But I just took it one step at a time...
 
We ordered chilli crabs, cereal prawns,sambal fried rice and a green dish supposedly a vege dish. The crab was a little disappointing. Maybe it was due to the weekend crowd. But it was still better than most places. I guess they set the bar so high that one comes to expect the same high standards whenever we patronise them everytime. Joyce loved the cereal of the prawns. She ate it by the spoon fulls!
 
I was amazed by the efficiency and the teamwork displayed by the staff of No Signboard. They take your orders promptly,they send the right dishes to the right table, clear dirty utensils with clockwork precision etc. It is run almost like a military operation. I remember how at a shout when parking attendants came to summons vehicles parked along the main road, staff appeared out of nowhere to drive off all the cars whilst one guy pleaded with the officers to give them a chance and delayed the officers from issuing any summonses. It was hilarious. Never seen something like that done before my very eyes before. After about 5 minutes the very same cars returned back to the very same road. Really was like a cat-and-mouse game.
 
After dinner (which came up to about $100 for three pax), we drove off to Yishun once more as Joyce and I were still looking for our earpieces for our phones, which incidentally are the same model and brand for the first time! Joyce is a Nokia loyalist and I am an anti-Nokia extremist. So most of Joyce's phones have been Nokia's and I have never come close to ever owning one of them. We went about Yishun Central and Chong Pang looking for the earpieces but could not find any. We agreed to go to church on Sunday TOGETHER and then after that go look for the stuff after that TOGETHER.
 
Joyce mum did mention that in 2 weeks she was gonna give a treat at Kim Keat and I am invited!! Yippie!!
 
Err...sent Joyce and mum home..yadda...yadda...yadda....
 
Was nice to see Joyce again and to be back again on talking terms especially after all the bad blood between us lately. She looks great as usual and even her mum has this funky new hair do which makes her look younger. It is nice to actually pig out at dinner again. It gets kinda old when you go out on a date and your date eats a quarter of what you consume. It is almost like pouring cold water on a person to me. It gets worse when the other party starts a diatribe about the pros of being vegetarian and the ills of eating meat. That is one of the reasons why Joyce and Lyn have such a special place in my heart. We can just eat anything and everything with a clear conscience. I love to eat.
 
 
 
 

Above all

One of my personal favourite songs.

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

look what you've done

Take my photo off the wall if it just won't sing for you,
'Cause all that's left has gone away and there's nothing there for you to prove,

Oh, look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone,
Oh well, it seemed like such fun until you lose what you had won
Ooh oo

Give me back my point of view 'cause I just can't think for you,
I can hardly hear you say, what should I do? Well you choose

Oh, look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone,
Oh well, it seems like such fun until you lose what you had won,
Oh, look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone,
A fool of everyone

Take my photo of the wall if it just won't sing for you,
'Cause all that's left has gone away and there's nothing there for you to do

Oh, look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone,
Oh well, it seems like such fun until you lose what you had won,
Oh, look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone
A fool of everyone,
A fool of everyone

The Daffodil Principle...a must read...

Please read it. After reading it,maybe we all can apply this principle in our lives to make it a better place...

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see
the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour
drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, " I
promised a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove
there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my
grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is
invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except
you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another
inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time,
Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then
I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car."

"How far will we have to drive?"

"Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this." After
several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to
the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the
daffodils."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."

"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you
miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a
small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign
that read, "Daffodil Garden."

We got out of the car, each took a child's hand and I followed Carolyn down
the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped.

Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had
taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and
slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns - great
ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink,
saffron, and butter yellow.

Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled
and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five
acres of flowers.

"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn.

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's
her home." Carolyn pointed to a well kept A-frame house that looked small
and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are
Asking" was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.

The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet,
and very little brain."

The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

There it was, The Daffodil Principle.

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years
before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and
joy to an obscure mountaintop. By just planting one bulb at a time, year
after year this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she
lived.

She had created something of indescribable magnificence, beauty, and
inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles
of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one
step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - and learning to love
the doing; learning to use the accumulation of time.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort,
we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the
world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn.

"What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal
thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a
time through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to
achieve.

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.
"Start tomorrow," she said.

It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make
learning a lesson of celebration, instead of a cause for regret, is to only
ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

So, stop waiting until ...

your car or home is paid off
you get a new car or home
your new job comes along
your kids leave the house
you go back to school
you finish school
you lose 10 lbs.
you gain 10 lbs.
you get married
you get a divorce
you have kids
you retire
summer
spring
winter
fall
you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey
not a destination.

So work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one's watching.

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special.

You know it's time to trade in your boyfriend for a better model when…

You know it's time to trade in your boyfriend for a better model when…

1. He claims he'll never, ever cheat on you, but he cheated on his ex in order to be with you.

2. He's always comparing you to an ex.

3. He refuses to show you much attention in public and he doesn't invite you to work functions where a date is required. If you man is guilty of this one, then join for free and make sure if he ever does ask you to be his date to an important occasion, you can apologise sweetly and tell him that you have another date that night!

4. He continues to see his ex but "only as friends." They see each other on the same nights as when they were dating, and he refuses to tell the ex that he's dating you now because he doesn't want "to hurt her feelings."

5. He won't introduce you to his friends until you're "on solid ground." But you've been dating him exclusively for six months!

6. He spends more time online doing "research" than with you, but he can never explain what he's researching. Definitely time to push him off the computer and jump online to search for his replacement!

7. He works out at the gym every night and on weekends for its "health benefits" but never builds any muscle… and actually seems to be gaining weight.

8. He breaks up with you when his ex is single - then wants to make up when his ex is involved.

9. He loves to go out with his friends, but every time you suggest a night out, he has "a once in a lifetime" sporting event that he must watch.

10. He loves you when you leave him but needs "more time to himself" when you're together.

If your man is guilty of any of the above, then its time to search for a boyfriend worth keeping hold of.

the latest un-headline news

Simona passed her practical exams.Woo-pee-doooo. Love is all around...lalalaaaalaaaaa...

Lisa is back (and bearing gifts)

Vanessa is gone off to Bangkok with friends.May she return also bearing gifts

Maybel bought me a gift from Thailand,a bookmark.Still not gotten my hands on the thing though.

Seems like everyone is on holiday but me.

Went fish shopping with Hasli and Soffian (or is it Suffian?) at Pasir Ris on Saturday

Today been a lazy day.Din go to church and been home all day as of this writing

Made an appointment on 25th for a date with Lisa. No idea what or where.But I am sure we will have a good time no matter what.

Lisa,Neeven and Rachelle are attending wedding dinners tonight. I think today is a very good day for weddings or something....

Just got my CO2 tank back and re-did my planted tank. It looks better now if a tad bit too organised.

Gotta get my hands on the new MatchBox 20 DVD. I just love their music!!

Still not a beep from Carolyn since Sunday.*sigh*

Wonder whats up with Nadia and all her soft toys.She seems to have a fascination for them(along with cooking stuffs).