PUTTING MY BEST FOOT FORWARD IN 2013.

THIS ZODIAC YEAR OF THE SNAKE,

I SHALL BE PUTTING MY BEST FOOT FORWARD.

 LIFE’s a BITCH, ain’t it always?

Try telling me otherwise.

The steady or chaotic rhythm that comes with life struggles will surely depend on the choices we make, on whether we gonna remain steadfast or fickle in our directions.

 Sure, I want the best out of life, don’t everybody?

Talk is cheap stuff, practicality will always be a tough act to follow.

LIFE is a rollercoaster paved with “road diversions” to lure us away, to distract us from staying focused.

There will be clingy leeches under guise of “friends” who will swarm around us, draining us of our time, energy and resources. Write these off.

 LIFE comprises of capricious “moments” that are elusive. We acknowledge this a million times.

These “little angels” dangle in front of us teasingly, and as silently as they come, they flicker away in a jiff. CATCH !

 Owe your lofty aspirations to no one but YOURSELF.

Work hard. Live hard.

Relish anything you aspire, as long as your ideals do not trample on anybody, or hurt them emotionally or physically.

 Danger is invisible, it lurks behind a facade, so be cautious, play safe.

I am not an advocate on the subject of LOVE.

But I read somewhere that love is not something we give or get.

It is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people who really care about each other.

We can only love others as much as we love ourselves.

LIFE’s a BITCH, but we’ve to go on trying, falling, picking ourselves up, and trying again.

Finally, think PEACE.

Peace of the world, peace of the mind.

 LIFE’S REAL.

So get real, folks.

“THE LAST STAND” Movie Review. Tactical POWER PLAY in this TERSE, DENSE Actioner.

“THE LAST STAND” PRESS PREVIEW

With the current onstream avalanche of action offerings dressed in the splendor of the 3D stereoscopy, it is a welcome respite to appraise something as simple as “old school”.

Such is ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ‘s newest flick “THE LAST STAND”.

This spectacular vintage action star is back again to prove that he is in absolute top form, none the worse for wear and tear.

Hear him roar as he slams his opponents: fist-fights, gun fire, car chases, explosives, one follows another, with dedicated ferocious glee.

 For sure, this ageing grand dad can still command a fight movie any time.

 If you go with a free mind, you might well leave the cinema assailed with a twinge of nostalgia, because this is one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

Like JACKY CHAN, he is looking a teeny old and crinkly and you would not expect him to be prancing about like a devil-may-care hero in this movie.

But he did. With delicious aplomb.

ARNOLD is absolute tops in THE LAST STAND, a role that is crafted specially for him and loyalist fans.

What’s more, ace Korean director KIM JEE-WOON is at the helm to create a non-Hollywood treatment.

The DOP is Korean too. Well, a nice change of talent transcending borders.

It’s been a decade since ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER toplined a movie.

Fast forward, and you see ARNOLD  as the sheriff of a sleepy border town who becomes the last line of defense when a notorious cartel leader and his heavily-armed henchmen attempt to escape into Mexico.

From then, it is pure action, power play between the good cops and the bad guys spiced with dry, dark humor.

“THE LAST STAND” offers almost 1 hour-and-47 minutes of aesthetic escapism.

It is a mind blowing ride with a competent ensemble cast.

Never mind what the armchair critics are trying to cajole you to believe in.

It is a decision of the heart.

For the baby boomers and die-hard fans of ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, rally around folks.

This one can do no wrong.

In summary, it is another of ARNOLD’s standout film: rich, absorbing, the right locale and the right subject undertaken by KIM JEE-WOON.

GO WATCH IT!

THE COLORS OF DAYBREAK

An hour before daybreak.
The air is serene.
You see trees sprawling alongside the road as you zoom past.
You feel the crispness of the morning breeze and the murmur of leaves as they rustle and bask in the pre-dawn light.
I have just finished a few rounds on my bicycle … ahh..my daily morning ritual.
I feel enlightened … now ready to tackle the chores of the day.
Yeah, LIFE is GREAT, but only if you will it to be.
I know, I surely know.

WORLD WITHOUT WOES. Revisited.

THE WORLD IS GETTING TO BE ONE HELL OF A ROTTEN PLACE TO LIVE IN.

GLOBAL warming, conflicts, political strife, inflations, economic recessions, power struggles, terrorism, civil wars, greed, cruelty….

HEADLINES like these scream for attention, from the media and internet every day, making us quiver with disbelief.

We go to temples and churches to preach our sermons, and then leave afterwards to plunder our own mankind, thus creating a paradox of ideals.

Will the world end one day?

It’s anybody’s guess.

Anyway, let’s do our part to infuse some cheer in this senseless world of slaughter and mayhem.

SO MANY GODS,

SO MANY CREEDS,

SO MANY PATHS THAT WIND AND WIND.

WHEN THE ACT OF BEING KIND,

IS ALL THIS SAD WORLD NEEDS.

Maybe there’s a kinder world up there, over the rainbow...A WORLD WITHOUT WOES.

Only time can tell.

“IT TAKES TWO” (对对碰) Singapore Drama Review. One Heck of a Rollicking Old School Farce!

  NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT I STAYED GLUED TO THE GOOGLE TV FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THIS CAPRICIOUS DRAMA SERIES.

CHARISMATIC, COLORFUL CHARACTERS ARE STREWN HERE, A DIME A DOZEN.

SALUTE this ACTOR called RAYSON TAN 陈泰铭.

We never took notice until this one.

Consider this his breakthrough role.

He was the ONLY REASON why I continued watching this series, from episode 1 to 34, despite the fact that I almost gave up following the drama during mid stream.

FUNNY, WARM and STOOGEY, he was one hilarious ROAR!

RAYSON, HOW COME WE NEVER FELT YOUR PRESENCE BEFORE, UNTIL THIS ONE?

You have to hand it to this actress called ANN KOK 郭舒贤.

She is constantly ploughing new challenges.

Career woman, crazed hussy, constipated bitch. Whatever, no problem!

After this series, she needs a royal fragrant nickname.

How about POOP QUEENIE, dearie ?

Ahhh, here comes our dashing ROMEO in the form of ROMEO TAN 陈罗密欧.

If you have eyes to see, he is the best thing to emerge from  SINGAPORE MEDIA CORP stable in recent years though some of his closest colleagues may not agree. Where are those bosom buddy, friendly congratulatory hugs?

And he is a noble successor to personable veterans such as LI NAN XING and CHRISTOPER LEE, telling us that you don’t have to win the STAR SEARCH CROWN to be placed among the best. Too fast? So soon?

For this sparkling gem, Singapore Mediacorp certainly has gotten it right.

KEEP ON GLOWING, ROMEO!

These YOUNG UPSTARTS (Names + Pictures above)  are squealish faces to watch in the coming years.

They literally UPSTAGED the entire SHOW, especially ALOYSIUS PANG who did a commendable job.

“IT TAKES TWO (对对碰)” Singapore Drama Series.

AN OVERSEAS REVIEW.

Colorful charismatic characters are strewn here, in an unlikely food center, a dime a dozen.

And the explosive ruckus that follows when some of these troublesome hawkers do not see matters eye-to-eye.

At 34 episodes long, it’s a case of one too many.

Half way through all the ANN KOK’s fuzz, this Reviewer is starting to get fidgety and restless as the jokes are oft repetitive and the plot is hitting the doldrums.

The character played by ANN KOK is either preening or pooping.

Loads of shitty talks, funny at first.

Then the fun relegates to disgust as familiarity starts to breed contempt.

Too much of a good thing kills. Surely.

KYM NG plays a disgruntled housewife who is perpetually nagging, whining and wallowing in self-pity about her lot in life, being married to a nerdy fish ball hawker. (Slap …slap …)

CHEN HAN WEI descends from leading actor status to play a middle-aged lecherous man from a competitive fish ball stall. (Big pat on HAN WEI’s back).

“IT TAKES TWO” is a extraordinary  blend of comedy and drama that’s not quite anything else in most Singapore MediaCorp dramas.

Mesmerizing is the word.

NOW, FISH BALLS ANYONE?

GOODBYE to the ZODIAC YEAR of the DRAGON in 2012. COULD have been a BETTER YEAR had I make the RIGHT CHOICES.

HUSH ….
I am JUN.

2012 … the CHINESE YEAR of the DRAGON was a jolly year in terms of financial returns, but hadn’t been such a fabulous year where health is concerned, and was an eye-opening emotional roller coaster. I mean, don’t everyone?

Nothing fell apart, I am still in one decent piece.

Got to eat decently on the right foods from now on, not to binge and to exercise regularly, I tell myself.

The YEAR of the SNAKE is looming round the corner, eagerly waiting to take over the reign from FEBRUARY 10th.

This forthcoming zodiac year in 2013 is gonna be a smash!

ACTRESS YEO YANN YANN demonstrates what a MOTHER’s DEVOTION is all about. DO YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER?

Lately I have been seeing lovey dovey pictures of Actress YEO YANN YANN gushing with maternal pride, posing with her newborn baby VERA.

Emotionally I am stirred.

YANN YANN may not have known this, but she has transported me back in time, to those hazy dazy days when my own mother was still alive.

You have to be a parent to understand a parent, so they say.

My favorite author, the late AGATHA CHRISTIE had once declared:

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world.

It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

YANN YANN, thanks for taking me on a nostalgic trip this morning.

Here’s a true life account on the plight of a loving mother for her ungrateful son that I’d like to share with my readers.

We must always learn not to take for granted someone so dear to our heart, this special someone who has raised us.  She may be your mother, my mother, or for a fact, anyone’s else mother.

Eons later, images would just fade and what’s left behind would just be memories of long gone days.

So while you can now, create for yourself, a life without regrets.

DO YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER? There was a lump in my throat when I first read this uplifting true account on the internet. I was touched. I was ashamed. I did not know the identity of the writer. But I knew what he was driving at because both of us had gone through the same path, well almost. Here’s the story: “My mom only had one eye. I hated her… she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell… anything for the money we needed, she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school, I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school…”Your mom only has one eye?!” and they taunted me. I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, “Mom, why don’t you have the other eye?! You’re only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don’t you just die?” My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I’d wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn’t punished me, but I didn’t think that I had hurt her feelings very badly. That night… I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty. Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom. This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me. “What?! Who’s this?!”… It was my mother… Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom’s eye. And I asked her, “Who are you? I don’t know you!!” as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,” and she disappeared. Thank goodness… she doesn’t recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn’t going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life. Then a wave of relief came upon me… One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house… just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand…. it was a letter to me. She wrote: My son… I think my life has been long enough now. And… I won’t visit Seoul anymore… but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school… For you… I’m sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye… so I gave you mine… I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me, I thought to myself, “it’s because he loves me.” I miss the times when you were still young around me. I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me. My world shattered. Then I cried for the person who lived for me… My MOTHER.” For those whose mothers are still around. Go show her that you love her very much lest one day you regret.