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This is my first movie in 2008, and on New Year’s day too. I watched it with tstar, and according to her, this is her first R21 movie. The movie is 155 mintues long, and is based on author Zhang Ailing’s book of the same name. The background is set in Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1942 and Wang Jiazhi alias Mrs. Mak (Tang Wei), is an undercover operative of the Chinese Nationalist government. She is part of a scheme to seduce Mr Yi (Tony Leung), the head of counter-intelligence of the collaborator Wang Jingwei government, so as to create opportunities for a team of operatives to assassinate Yi. |
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The plot was originally hatched by a group of students – headed by Kuang Yumin (Wang Lihom) – when they were in Hong Kong after the Japanese occupied Guangzhou. It was their desire to do their part for their nation by killing a member of the collaborator’s government. The plot fell apart when Yi left Hong Kong to return to Shanghai to take up his post. Unknown to the group of idealistic students, the Nationalist government has taken an interest in their plot and had placed them under observation. When their plot was almost busted, Nationalist operatives stepped in to prevent it from unravelling. Wang Jiazhi however, was so disappointed by their apparent failure that she returned to occupied Shanghai after the Japanese occupied Hong Kong. The plot, now as part of the Nationalist black-ops, continues but as Yi was too cautious and cunning, the Nationalist handlers in charge of the operation decided that ‘Mrs Mak’ must return to the plot to make it a success. They found Wang in occupied Shanghai and invited her to return to her part in the plot. And since she has originally given much to the plot, she agreed to continue in her role. The rest of the story is of course on how Wang managed to seduce Yi, and became his mistress… There were some sex scenes in the movie and personally I wonder if any actual sex is involved because the scenes are even more realistic than the exaggerated Japanese AVs. But I won’t talk more about the story and would leave those who are interested to enjoy it. Personally, I said it is very well done. The story covers on how ‘Mrs Mak’ deals with every aspect in which Mr Yi would be suspicious. It shows in the end her struggles in her role as a mole and bait, against her own personal feelings for Mr Yi. Everything was very well portrayed and it deserved every bit of the acclaim it has gotten. |
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Bak2U PhoneBAK for Blackberry
BAK2u Pte Ltd has officially released the retail version of PhoneBAK for Blackberry (PhoneBAK BB) during the New Year of 2008, and all the beta testers (including me) who assisted in testing the beta have been given a retail copy of the software for free.
But, do we need PhoneBAK at all? After all, when you lose your phone, the chances are that it’s almost impossible to recover it, right? And all you can do is whine about your misfortune and go to the nearest mobile phone shop to get a new one, isn’ it?
Not anymore!!
The beauty of PhoneBAK BB is that it allows you to recover your Blackberry when it is stolen or lost. Once the ‘happy new owner’ removes your SIM and puts in a new one, PhoneBAK BB will compare the SIM ID of the new SIM with the one registered, and as long as they do not tally, a SMS and email will be sent to a pre-defined mobile number and email address.
The email will contain the following information, the IMEI of the stolen / lost Blackberry, and the IMSI (i.e. the SIM ID), GSM Area Code & GSM Localization Cell ID. The SMS will include the same information, plus the mobile number of the ‘happy new owner’ .
With these information, you can call the ‘happy new owner’ to arrange for your Blackberry to be returned. And if the ‘happy new owner’ is not cooperative, you can always remind him that you will make a lost item report, and submit this information to the police. With this information, the police, with the cooperation of the telco, will then identify him. It will then be treated as a case of theft.
I doubt anyone will wait for the police to go after them once you make it clear to them the kind of trouble they will be in. (Even if they throw it away, that information can still be tracked with the telco and you can make that fellow pay for a new one.)
It saves you the trouble of getting a new Blackberry and removes the pain of setting up a new one again. The software will only cost you US$24.90 (no subscriptions or annual fees). Compare that with the cost of a new Blackberry, the choice is pretty obvious.
Installing the software is easier than a walk in the park. Just make sure you read the instructions carefully and don’t be an idiot like me. I had some problems with the installation and it’s no fault of the software. To cut the long story short, I had the wrong version of a Blackberry Desktop Manager, and an outdated version of the hand-held software for the 8700 I am using. (Incidentally, upgrading the hand-held software also solved the bad reception problem I had. Damned odd, but I know now the tech support guys at StarHub and Singtel aren’t fxxking me when they asked me to update to the newest hand-held software whenever I report a problem.)
Once the Desktop Manager and hand-held software were updated to their respective latest versions, installing, activating and configuring the PhoneBAK BB is a cakewalk. Frankly, I do not expect anyone to have the difficulty in installing it. And if you do, the nice customer service people and the existing pool of PhoneBAK BB users are always ready to help you. I can personally testify to the helpfulness of the Bak2U customer service.
For more information on PhoneBAK BB, check it out at Bak2u.com
Taxi Taxi Everywhere…
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Taxis queuing for people at Vivocity and Harbour Front. All I have to say is… 风水轮流转。过去人等车，现在车等人。康福德高，此大恩大德，我想德士师傅将会没齿难忘。[Translation: The tables has turned. In the past passengers wait for cab, now cab wait for people. Comfort Delgro, I suppose cabbies has a lot to thank for your great kindness.] I took these two photos with my Nokia 7290 while walking around Vivocity before catching the movie Lust . Caution on New Year’s Day. (More on the movie later.) Taxi, taxi everywhere. Is the dearth of passengers a result of all the partying on New Year’s Eve? If not, how long can we keep this up to the point the taxi companies realise that the only way to help cabbies is for them to cut the freaking rent and not by increasing fares? How long will it take them to realize that the surcharge system should go? Keep this up, Singapore. Show these bloody sucking cab companies what we are capable of!! But even so, I doubt the fare system will ever change but I can already guess the solution to this predicament at Vivocity and Harbour Front. Just as usual… more surcharges! $5 for a cab out of Vivocity and Harbour Front! Frankly, you don’t even need someone to be of the “calibre” of our million dollar mini$ter$ to come up with such a ‘bright idea’ . In fact, I believe 福哥 from China in our coffee shop can think of this as well. And it will cost us probably far lesser money to pay 福哥 to do it. Foreign talent, you know? |
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 Taxi Queue – Vivocity |
 Taxi Queue – Harbour Front |
Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination
Al-Qaeda-linked militant Baitullah Mehsud denies being involved in the assassination of [Benazir] Bhutto, accusing the government of killing her.
“I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don’t strike women,” said Mehsud’s spokesman Maulvi Omar who is also the official spokesman for the Taliban in Pakistan.
Several days ago, when having dinner with Daphnemaia, her Malay friend (sorry forgot his name), and Adam Zhang, I was asked about my opinion on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
I said that while the media was quick to point out that Al Qaeda is behind the assassination, Pervez Musharraf has as much reasons to want her dead as well. The reason I said this is because, from my understanding, Bhutto was invited to return from exile after the two made a political deal to share power. After all, Musharraf needed her to lend some legitimacy to his rule. His dismissal and subsequent arrest of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in an attempt to ‘neutralise’ the judiciary’s objection to his rule has not only upset the Pakistani people, but also his chief ally, the U.S.
However, in spite of the power-sharing deal, Bhutto openly criticised Musharraf for declaring a state of emergency – a de facto martial law – and called for street protests. I was in the opinion that if I was Musharraf, that would look very much like a power grab and a stab in the back and it might as motivation for him to have her ‘removed’ .
As I was writing this post, I dig a bit more on Google on this matter and it appears I am not alone in this assessment that Al Qaeda might not be the only one who wants her dead. Let me quote Rev. Jesse Jackson: She [Benazir Bhutto] felt far more threaten by the Musharraf government as she did by Taliban or Al Qaeda.
Anyway, the Pakistan People’s Party said the Pakistani government was trying to cover up its failure to protect her, and a controversy has erupted over how she was killed. The official statement from the Interior Ministry was that she died when the force of the blast from a suicide bomber smashed her head into the sun-roof of her car. However, her supporters said she died from the gunshot wounds in her neck and chest.
Before I end, let me clarify that I am not saying that Musharraf ordered this. After all, Al Qaeda are masters in playing the media themselves so the denial might be fake. But still, for all we know, someone else might be behind this because they have much to gain politically from her death. There’s definitely much more than meets the eye here. Let us just read all the news and take them with a pinch of salt.
Just ranting…
Recently, a bigot wrote on his own blog that ‘religion tops the list and is accountable for more deeds of evil than the good it preaches’ , after it saw a choir caroling at a shopping centre. It further claims that he ‘hopes hope the dozen who are watching do not fall victim on such brainwashing the churches are doing’ .
Done during the Christmas season, it made me felt like this: On someone’s big day when the groom is on the way to his wife’s house to pick her up, the neighbour of the bride deliberately began his funeral possession to delay the groom and to sour the mood of a joyous occasion.
Above which, it seems like it believes that people are so weak-minded, or they don’t have a mind of their own and are so easily influenced. Perhaps, as with the elephant, that happens easily when their brains are overwhelmed by their body mass.
The bigot also claims it is is speaking out against all religions (Quote, from the comments section: ‘My post was directed at all kinds of religion’ ). Oh really? What did Buddhism do to offend him? It also mentioned when responding to comments that it doesn’t go about defending imaginary friends, and since Buddha isn’t an imaginary person, wouldn’t that imply that his venom isn’t targeted at them? Something really doesn’t check out… like a zip file you download that failed CRC. Perhaps it was just referring to Abrahamic religions.
But still, that doesn’t warrant for one to be called a bigot, does it? True, but unfortunately it had made sweeping statements that it refuses to back up and then went on to call his detractors delusional etc. Here are some examples of his bigotry:
- Religion tops the list and is accountable for more deeds of evil than the good it preaches.
- victim on such brainwashing.
- the harm this worldwide delusion brings to the world.
- it advertises good when it actually condones bloodshed and killing of innocent lives.
- even those of children.
- Religious debates of any kind are unlikely to be healthy. Fighting disease is dirty work you know?
- I don’t have to. Evidence is everywhere. Quoting them would probably overload my database.
- At least it’s safer, a Christian is less likely to get killed by an Atheist than the other way round.
- It is interesting to see how people are reacting. You get to see who are the stupid ones and smart ones.
Some of these comments weren’t made in the blog post itself, but was made in the comments section of the blog. And it continue to prove just what kind of bigot he is. After all, it hasn’t provided a single iota of proof, called religion a disease, and belittles those who holds an opposing opinion as stupid and delusional. Somehow, I am already glad it didn’t believe that all Christians begin their comments with ‘Duh!’ .
Anyway, what is a bigot? A bigot is defined as:
- (noun) a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.
- (noun) one who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
- (noun) a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own
In Chinese it translates into 执拗的人，顽固者.
But indeed, I agreed with the bigot the word bigot is a bad label for it even when it displayed all the qualities of one. After all, the word bigot may have more to do with religion as it may have come from the German bei and gott, or the English by God. (See Wikipedia article here.)
But still, I would have been wrong to call it names or to put such a label on it, if it didn’t do me a big favor by using every opportunity to condemn religion and express his prejudice. But I really wouldn’t expect less from a bigot, even when it lamely attempts to deflect the label.