Month: May 2009

Movie – Angels & Demons

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WARNING: SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

‘Angels and Demons’ is movie based on a Dan Brown novel of the same name, made in the wake of the success of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ – also a Dan Brown novel.

With perhaps the exception of Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon, there is no connection at all between this movie and the ‘Da Vinci Code’. The story begins with the death of a Pope, the theft of anti-matter taken from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider [LHC], the invitation of Professor Langdon to assist in the investigation of a terror threat against the Vatican, the kidnap of the Il preferiti’ (the 4 cardinals who are most likely to succeed as Pope), and return of a secret society known as the Illuminati which appears to be pursuing a age old vendetta against the Catholic Church.

For those who had already read the book, the movie was far less exciting even though I must say it has more suspense than its predecessor. However, other than the general storyline being similar to the book, the details in the movie were markedly different. I will not go into the details of those differences, as it would contain even more spoilers.

Unlike the ‘Da Vinci Code’, where it led Professor Langdon to several places in Paris and later to England, the story of ‘Angels and Demons’ happens solely in Rome and Vatican city, and take the audience across the city is a race against time to save the 4 ‘preferiti’ and to recover the anti-matter, failure of which would have dire consequences for Catholic Church and the total destruction of Vatican City.

In some ways it has showcased Rome to the world – the many churches, its long history from the ancient times, the beauty that many Renaissance artists have bequeath upon it. I am quite sure many people will want to visit Rome and see some Rome for themselves after this.

I find the movie’s pace much faster and in fact, even more thrilling than ‘Da Vinci Code’ itself. Ewan McGregor did well in his role as the Camerlengo even though the movie has modified and even omitted many parts of the book to fit into a film of slightly more than 2 hours. If you like the movie, I personally suggest you should also read the book to find out the differences. The book has a lot more depth and suspense, and is far more intriguing, than the movie.

Funny Pic of the Day: Sex with a colleague at work

Commentary – Fear, Bigotry and Hatred

These are excerpts from a post on pinkdot blog:

Though more LGBT individuals are slowly emerging into the mainstream, prejudice and bigotry in present societal attitudes keep many LGBT individuals from coming out of the closet. Many of them fear that in coming out, they might lose their family, friends and even their jobs. Yet, by not coming out, their lives are shrouded in secrecy.

Fear and bigotry can get in the way of love – between friends, family and other loved ones – so this is an event for everyone who believes that LGBT individuals are equally deserving of strong relationships with our family and friends.

We are aware that many people harbour much hatred towards the LGBT community.

Some times I am quite bewildered when I read these. Either I am stuck in a hole, where time has stopped or I lived in an alternate reality that is apart from the rest. I have no clue why there is this agenda behind fostering an image that there is a large element in society that is anti-HBT (Homosexual, Bisexual, Trans-gendered).

The fact remains, there are homosexual people who has emerged into the mainstream. Yet, I am unaware of any concerted effort by anyone to persecute specific people who has emerged.

Looking back at history, it is clear that majority of Singapore’s society is not really bothered by the HBT. In fact, Singapore is among one of the most tolerant societies in the region. Singaporeans are just about as bothered by HBT activities as they are with the proliferation of prostitution from the traditional red-light districts into the wholesome areas like Joo Chiat. Singaporeans are pragmatic people and as long as everything happens in a controlled manner or away from the public eye, it will be tolerated. This would be evident in complaints by the public regarding ‘cruising’ activities resulting in police raids, which is some what expected, just like the anti-vice response to the soliciting by foreign nationals in Geylang. Incidentally, I once saw a policeman grab a woman by her hair and led her away on suspicion of soliciting, where is AWARE on this? Or are foreign women in Singapore not a concern to them, being inclusive as they claimed they are?

HBT activists talks a lot about discrimination but are short on specifics. Let me point out I see a lot of hand-holding in public among foreign nationals along Serangoon Road, and there is no law against same-sex kissing. Are we to forget that Singapore’s Bugis and Changi Point used to be famous for transvestites, before they moved off to another area in the recent years? Are we all not aware that bookstores carry mainly foreign homosexual-themed literature by stocking these books along with those on women issues in sections entitled ‘Gender Studies’? Are there not pubs for both male and female homosexuals in Singapore? Is it not true that since the mid-90s even the police has stopped raiding homosexual pubs? Is it not true that the police has never burst into homes or hotel rooms and arrest anyone under Section 377A – unlike what Hitler did using his Schutzstaffeln [SS] when he tried to remove his rival Ernst Röhm? Are we to forget that the existence of sites like Fridae.com and no hate sites in response is testimony in itself to the quiet acceptance of the HBT community in Singapore? Consider what it would really have been if there is really discrimination here. If I am not mistaken, in certain Islamic countries, homosexuality is punishable by DEATH.

So, is there really a problem with the situation for the HBT, when for years Singapore has such activities and in most parts, most people aren’t really bothered? Simply put, the question would be, is more of such activism by the likes of pinkdot really helping or is it detrimental to social and even religious harmony? I am in the opinion that such activities drives people to take sides and actually polarise society, and as my Ah Beng friend would say in Hokkien: “kanninah?! geh gan!” [Translation: “What the fxxk?! Doing something extra and unnecessary!”]

I can’t help too, to feel that there is only one sole objective in such activism – the gagging of people who would prefer to maintain the status quo, even though these people may not necessarily give a flying damn about a homosexual’s private life and sexual preferences.

After all, among all the people I have spoken to, be it friends or colleagues, Christians and non-Christians alike, everyone believes in according to homosexual people universal suffrage, equal job opportunities and equal right to health care. None of them would turn down a homosexual person seeking employment as long as they are qualified for the job, if they was in the position to decide who to hire. Some of them has said whatever homosexuals do to themselves, it is even less than what smokers are doing to non-smokers with their second-hand smoke. Beyond that, each will have their own reservations regarding the matter of homosexual marriages, homosexual adoptions and the repealing of certain laws. So, is having a personal opinion, reservations and even objection to any of these now simply just – bigotry, hate and fear?

If that is the case, this isn’t reasoning. This isn’t even a progress towards a more civil society. This is simply about ‘fixing’ the people who objects by labelling them as something. This is dehumanising one’s detractors, by completely ignoring the other aspects of the other person’s humanity. In short, the advocates for HBT rights are doing to their opponents what they are accusing their opponents of. Now tell me why wouldn’t there be a violent, and sometimes even hate-filled response to such bigotry!

Anyway, I wanted talk about the fear. When I asked some people why they are so ‘afraid’ of homosexual people, I get some answers that I actually found amusing. Some would categorise their fear of homosexuals and trans-gendered people as similar to that as a girl’s fear of being stalked or harass by a guy. Some expressed that it would be similar to a reaction of over-friendly overtures from colleagues of the same sex – even though one knows for sure the other person has no other motives behind it. While some even mentioned that it would be like having a stranger suddenly being friendly to you. None mentioned about having a problem with friends who they know are, or later found to be homosexuals.

So, let’s face it, there is indeed fear here. But it’s an emotional fear of the unknown and nothing so much as bigotry or hatred. Of course, you can try harassing a girl beyond what she can take and see whether she starts hating you after that. Is pinkdot or homosexual advocates / cheerleaders suggesting that society should not have such an emotion, while at the same time they suggest that emotions is something that is somewhat a right that shouldn’t be denied for the HBT? That would be preposterous!

Thus, it is not a surprise that HBT activism has caused a reaction from some elements of society. In fact, I ain’t even surprised by the reaction of some towards NMP Siew Kum Hong. After all these effort in silencing objection to the HBT, so much so that it is considered hate-crime, these advocates themselves who aren’t HBT are the only legitimate targets left. Tough luck, Mr Siew.

By the way, let’s face it that this isn’t a ‘debate’ on ideologies or religion. The people generally are more concerned with matters that deals with job stability and security – i.e. the matters of feeding one’s stomach. If there’s anything that our government gahmen is concerned about in this whole HBT vs anti-HBT debate, it is how to make attracting ‘Pink Dollar’ tourism acceptable to the general public while not giving the HBT the wrong impression of state endorsement.

Recommended Reads:
BlackNews.com – True Intentions of Gay Activists Now Revealed
Gimme Some Truth! – Sniffing out the Straits Times agenda in the AWARE Saga
InsanePoly: Anatomy Of A Catfight

Blackberry Storm – Second Look

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The replacement Blackberry Storm which RIM sent from their HK Office actually arrived one week after I bricked the original set. I had managed to obtain it during the Vesak Day weekend for a second look.

It doesn’t look very much different from the previous set except this set has some East Asian language support – except for Japanese. Even though it maybe a fact that the Japanese has more superior 3G handsets, I find it odd that this Storm has no Japanese language support. Perhaps, it was just left out when it left the factory.

As a result of my previous experience, I find this Storm much easier to handle than the previous set. In fact, while it takes a bit of getting used to (which is the same when you moved from a Blackberry with a scroll-wheel to a scroll-ball one), the interface and performance is not as atrocious as what I have read. Basically, I failed to understand the bad reviews and comments I keep seeing in Twitter or in blogs about the Storm. While it may not be an iPhone killer and it may not live up to the performance expectations of some Blackberry users, it is still a beautiful set.

Anyway, on demand by some friends that I made some screen shots, I downloaded JL_Cmder (a javaloader utility) a while ago to capture them directly off the Storm instead of taking photos of it. I even deliberately touch some buttons so it will light up when the screen shot is captured. Enjoy!


OS Version
Wallpaper & Keypad
Main Screen #1

Main Screen #2
Phone Dialer
Browser in Portrait Mode

Zoom In (Portrait Mode)
Browser in Landscape Mode
Full Keyboard

Switching Languages

Movie – Star Trek (2009)

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WARNING: SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

It’s been a really long time since I watched a movie in a cinema and I can’t even really remember what was the last one. So I was quite happy when xinyun invited me to join her, chillycraps and a few other friends to watch Star Trek at Cathay on Saturday.

I had originally thought that this movie would be just an ‘origins’ kinda story, i.e. how the crew of the USS Enterprise came together and become the experienced and cohesive unit we see in the TV series.

To my shocking surprise, it was more than that. J.J. Abrams has done to Star Trek what Christopher Nolan had done to the Batman story. In some ways, this is necessary because it is my opinion the last 2 films, Insurrection and Nemesis, has been as bad as, if not worse than the Batman movies starring Val Kilmer and George Clooney.

Unfortunately for J.J. Abrams, and the script writers of this movie, it is not as easy to write a script to give Star Trek a new beginning. This particular movie has done way more than just giving the movie a fresh start, it has also destroyed a large part of what some Trekkers considered canon. To put it in the words of a Trekker friend, the destruction of Vulcan is akin to the killing of Anakin Skywalker when he is a boy, and creating a brand new Star Wars universe. If you do not understand the Star Wars analogy, my friend is simply saying this is sort of like taking a time machine back and wipe LKY from the history books, and whatever happens after that will then be unknown.

My feelings aside, I would say that the movie’s pretty well done. The graphics are definitely a marked improvement over the old ones, and the script writer has managed to keep up the suspense in the story throughout. There are many lighter parts as well, like Kirk being caught in the room during a rendezvous by his partner’s room mate, Sulu forgetting to disengage the ‘inertia dampers’ (simply, the brakes) before engaging warp speed, and Chekov’s funny accent all add on to the enjoyment of the movie without breaking the suspense. However, it might not please the Trekkers as this may have made the movie more like a comedy than a sci-fi.

Whatever the case is, I enjoyed the movie thoroughly, though I must personally say I am not sure whether the direction the story is taking is positive or negative. But just as people pass on and a new generation replaces the old, perhaps Star Trek is also undergoing a remake to keep up with the times and cater to a new generation of movie goers.

I felt a little sad however, since it sort of mark the passing of an era… and it once again reminds me of my mortality.

Random Thoughts – Immigrants, Citizenship & Singlish

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In my previous article I mentioned the concern of a friend who mentioned that an increase in homosexuals may further impact the birthrate in Singapore. The end result maybe even further relaxing of immigration laws to maintain our population growth. While the many Singaporeans who remain single, and those who are married but do not intend to have children ‘contribute’ most to the low birthrate, I am sure most of us can agree that we do not need another factor to aggravate the problem.

The other concern is having more foreign immigrants may only set back our nation building and increase the level of disharmony in our society since new immigrants may not respect our traditions, our values and our way of life. This reminded me of a really minor incident that happened several weeks ago at a handphone shop in People’s Park Complex, though this probably did not involve individual(s) who recently obtained Singapore citizenship.

Excerpts: April 28, 2009 (Tue) [The NewPaper NudePaper]
In Singapore, it is not uncommon to hear someone address a female stranger as ‘xiao jie’ [小姐, miss in Mandarin].

But that was also what got him into hot water with the woman, a Chinese national.

Why?

In China, the term ‘xiao jie’ is often used to mean ‘prostitute’. It is seen as disrespectful to address a woman as ‘xiao jie’ there. (See report below.)

I find it amusing that a salesman who addressed a woman from China who walked by his shop as ‘xiao jie’ got him into hot water. Not to mention that the report mentioned that the salesman who called out to her came from Malaysia. If I hadn’t read through the article, I would have thought this to be a case of mistaken identity by some local Ah Beng in a second hand mobile phone shop either in City Plaza near Paya Lebar MRT or some old shop houses in Geylang.

What the heck, really? For ages Singaporeans addresses ladies as ‘xiao jie’ out of courtesy. No one has taught us that it meant anything offensive – be it night club hostess or prostitute. The fact that it has independently evolved in China to carry those negative connotations doesn’t mean it applies here as well! There is certainly no special meaning behind that term nor is there any intention to insult by doing so. Perhaps, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) should work with the Chinese Embassy on some familiarisation courses for PRC (People’s Republic of China) citizens coming to Singapore to avoid such misunderstanding. Or as another friend jokingly say, have this said in the announcement on incoming flights: possession and trafficking of drugs in Singapore carries the death sentence, and in Singapore ‘xiao jie’ is a polite term and does not mean prostitute。 [在新加坡拥有和走私毒品可能处以死刑，还有小姐在新加坡是友善的称呼，并没有妓女的意思。].

Funny, but it is such incidents that convinced my friend and I in some way, that an increase in immigrants will only retard our nation building efforts. It had already worried us when a woman during the AWARE EOGM said she has no confidence in a dominantly Christian and Chinese ExCo in taking care of her concerns. To me, this person is the testimony that 44 years after our separation from Malaysia, Singaporeans remained independent of one another due to our race and religion. By making that comment, this person had trampled upon our national pledge. With this in mind, we are concerned that an further increase in foreign immigrants will only add or amplify another problem: former nationality.

It is reasonable that some of us will be concerned with the loyalty of new citizens. In fact, not too long ago I was told an Indonesian undergrad in one of our local universities complained about her Indonesian citizenship, and expressed her desire to be a Singaporean – simply because of the difficulty to obtain visas to enter the Russian Federation as a result of her Indonesian nationality.

Several days later, the same undergrad accused the Singapore authorities of covering up in the case of NTU Student David Widjaja. The best part here is, she is not a NTU student but had expressed ‘outrage’ at the local authorities even before the investigations are completed simply because she is also Indonesian. Granted she isn’t a former Indonesian turned Singaporean (yet!), but we are reasonably worried that some new immigrants would behave likewise, and share such sentiments when it comes to cases involving people of their former nationality. If such people applied for Singapore citizenship merely for the matter of convenience, and they are actually granted citizenship, it would only debase its value. To me personally, it further reinforces the impression that serving National Service is really nothing more than a monumental waste of time.

Fortunately, my friends and I have not come across new citizens who are derisive of Singapore while they remain proud of their former nationality. But if there is ever such a day, I can only say we have ourselves to blame. There is a Chinese term for that and it is called 犯贱. I am not good with translation, but I think it carries the meaning of debasing one self, asking to be looked down upon and getting it all rolled together.

Sadly, it appears to me we are awarding citizenship not on merit but simply by the immigrants’ education level and his / her expected economic value to Singapore. As long as they have stayed here long enough, simply being a graduate, or making a certain amount of money would almost automatically ensures success in citizenship application.

Anyway, before I end, let me say this, stop beating down Singlish – it is the only thing that is a true product of our nation building, even though it may not have been intended and merely a by-product as a result of the integration of the cultures of our people. It gives us the identity as Singaporeans and is truly the one thing that we can really call our own. It is not shameful or dirty!

To emphasize, the Malaysians I chat with over Windows Live Messenger or exchange emails within the Kuwakchai game writes in a mix of Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay and English. To me it adds color and flavor to the conversation and it gives them an identity distinct from ours. So, the language nazis can go do to themselves the anatomically impossible and ease up on our true national language – Singlish.

Jokes:
Lothlorien: FAQ – Mas Selamat Recaptured

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