This City Never Sleeps
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 @ The Long Lasting Regret?

When highly acclaimed director Stanley Kwan and HK Super diva Sammi Cheng are giving a speech on this coming Fri at the new National Library in conjunction with their new award winning film, Everlasting Regret, i tried my very best to obtain the tickets to their talk.

Obviously, it seems that i had failed miserably. Desperately wanted to get the tickets by surfing the NLB webbie, and i couldn't get in. Purpose of going for the talk: 1. to hear what does the highly acclaimed director have to say, 2. to see if Sammi appears in a mushroom head. (woman living in Shanghia 1930's tend to go for the mushroom hairstyle. mushroom hairstyle with cheongsam: cute. The pic above shows Sammi as the replica of Charlize Theron in Head in the Clouds.)

The only way to catch them in person is the meet the fans session at 7pm in Junction 8. Of course, i think i had to give that a pass, cos the chances of seeing them is 1/2000000...or more? I would rather go for the talk. Instead of standing there like a fool witht the chances of unlikely to see them are very high, i would rather go for makan session with Jeremy and Jan after work. (Oh yeah, had popiah with Jer and his lovely gf Adoncher after work. Adoncher skip her parsley which comes with the chicken rice, and popiah comes with some minced garlic. parsley+ garlic= stinky mouth till now.)

While reading 8 Days today, i happened to found a special event organized by 8 Days and Sony Entertainment: The Legend of Zorro fencing class. FOC.

Wow, fencing. I told myself. So, i quickly sign in to my email and sign up. Unsurprisingly, the mail bounce back. It tells me one thing: the mailbox is full. No matter how hard you try to send in, even if you are sending in 1001 emails, that 1001 email will still bounce back. Knowing that the next email is going to be a fruitless attemp, i gave up.

In life, how many times must we try something to achieve the objectives? 1? 10? 100? The answer is very subjective. It greatly depends on how much effort you want to invest in. When you plant a apple seed onto the soil, you will get sweet and juicy apples. However, the sweet and juicy apples will not be there for you instantly. You have to reap, you have to water them frequently, you have to fertilise them. After that, you will see a small sap growing up from the soil. You water them, fertilise them, and slowly, it grows into a tree. The more effort you put in, th sweet, juicy and crunchy apple will be there for you. (Tashima, no need to add in salt if you are making ya potato salad with the apples. Natural sweetness brings out the flavor of ya lovely potato salad.)

That's not all. You need a bit of luck to ensure that things goes successfully. Sometimes, luck can change what you are doing. If you invest loads of effort but lady luck is somewhere else, you are doing a cow's work. On the other hand, if you do little investment and lady luck knocks on ya door, everything will be smooth sailing to you.

When was the last time maverick is here with you?

Monday, September 26, 2005 @ A Love Note for Pulpy















Dear pulpy,

sorry for unable to feed you during daytime, cos i am working. Know what? my workplace is emphasising so much on internet security, that i cannot feed you. Just recently, Uncle Jeremy told me that he found some dept. surfing porn webbie in the workplace. So, the more i am unable to feed you.

don't cry hor. I will feed you every night or whenever i had the opportunity to go online. But if you are hungry at day, Uncle Tash might come and feed you. Be good, ok?

sayang you...muacks! :o)

Love,
xx

Sunday, September 25, 2005 @ The curse of the red shoes

Watched the trailer of Red Shoes, the dumb B-Korean horror, about a mother who was stupid enough to took a pair of ballet shoes home at a train station. She let her daughter wear the pair of shoes, hoping that her daughter, who is practising ballet, could dance better.

She gets more than what she bargains for. Someone's feet get chopped off for no apparant reason when they wear the shoes. Toilet bowl filled with blood, and it splash around, rather than having clean water, shit or pee in the toilet bowl.

I will never spend my $9.50 to scare the shit (or should i say, be entertained by their amusing storyline? i had a good laugh when i watched the trailer.) out of the slapstick horror.



The Chinese had the belief that never bring home anything that was used by a human being, as bringing them home means bringing bad luck to yourself. You are inviting bad luck, or even worst, ghosts into your home. Apparantly, there are 2 Asian films featuring Asian characters where they did not learnt their beliefs that was passed down for generations. Red SHoes is one of them.

Another is Feng Shui, which this movie was made in one of the neighbouring country: Philippines. About a housewive who found a octagon mirror (known as ba gua jing in Mandarin, which was used to ward off the spirits in the Buddhist society.) in a bus and she took it home. She hanged up the mirror outside her house and it did bring them good luck initially. Slowly, creepy things began to take place. The family are in doom when those creepy things knock on their doors.

Whem meeting Yao Ming yesterday, he told me about the reason why those people who wear the shoes would ended up having their legs chopped off: The Curse of the Red Shoes is actually a fairytale. About a little girl who found a pair of red shoes and she wear it. Never did she know that there is a man who came to her with an axe, where the axe could sense demons. The axe kills any demonic items, spirits, monsters etc. When the man found the girl wearing the shoes, the girl confessed to him that she did not go for her sunday church.

The axe was crying, as it could sense that the red shoes is monsterous. Because the girl did not go for her sunday church, she begged the man to chopped off her legs.

And that explains why you will see a train station staff found her leg missing, filled with blood. Another found herself holding a pair of legs with the shoes on the feet.

Now i know why i am seeing a pair of legs goes missing or found somewhere else.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 @ I Should Be So Lucky
Lucky Lucky Lucky
I should be so lucky in work...

1st day of SIP with Panasonic Refrigeration together with Jeremy and Jan. Fast forward the tape...

filling of forms
given uniform (which makes us look like Malaysian workers. Jeremy starts to grumble, for the uniform has made him look like a M'sian worker.)
orientation
watch videos on safety and do n don'ts. (Jeremy starts to grumble again...)
10min break (had coffee n sandwich, courtesy of Jeremy. Jer grumbles again...)
video again
debrief
lunch
allocation to dept (No one was allocated to what they want. Jan allocated to HR, I am allocated to Corp Planning, Jer to Info System.)

Things is so far so good in Corp Planning. Given a notebook to do my stuff compared to PC from the other stuff. Can use VIP toilets since that was the only toilet available in that block. Had a pantry and spacious desk.

5.55pm: men off work.

6pm: Jer took off his uniform and grumble on his work again.

6.15pm: Bedok Central Hawker Centre. Chng Tng for me (cos i am losing my voice soon.) Jer had his ban mian while Jan had fishball mee. Discuss work together and Jer grumble n grumble...(ha! called me an asshole for me having a chance to work in a nice environment, had vip toilet, got pantry...serves him rite for calling me that...)

He was wondering to himself: what have he done to deseve this? A straight A student ended up in lousy working condition, doing something he could not apply to work.

And the muscular hunk send our beloved Bernadine off tdy. She is flying off to Ireland, the land where Samantha Morton and Paddy Constaintine came from, who are seeking an American dream in In America.

Monday, September 19, 2005 @ The air up there...
Continued from the previous blog...

The next morning, while he goes for his yoga, i spend my time on TV. After his yoga class comes to an end, we head straight down to 1 Utama.

Had Sarawak laska in a laska cafe named Laska Shack. Finish off the laska with 3 tea leave eggs. Yums....Go for the egg white, and skip the egg yolk. The gravy for the sarawak laska is thick, with the taste of spices and herbs. Taste thick and yum yum...but bee hoon given is too little...with big piece of chicken and tau pok, oh my..yum yum...could not express that feeling...nothing but yum yum...

Had a walk around the newly build shopping mall, and was desperatley seeking for Billabong botique, but somehow, it was not there yet...well, whatever it is, i bought a belt from Converse, while Tash was relaxing at a lovely couch on Starbucks...

Had a lovely dinner at TGI Friday's, an American resturant which no longer operates in S'pore years ago. The ambience of the restaurant gives us a feeling of back to the 30's. Had nachos and fried mozarella cheese sticks as appetizer, and while he had chicken salad, i had roasted chicken breast with Jack Daniel's sauce...and a serving of mud pie follows after that. A really big piece of mud pie...feel like having a bigger stomach to house in all the food...

At the end of the day, bought the vcd of Initial D and dvd of Quills (not Quill, the heart warming Jap movie about a doggie. It was the wicked tale of Marquis De Sade and his erotic sex novels.) and Vanilla flavoured coffee mate.

And by the time we came out of the shoppe, it was close to 9pm. Man, so little time, so much things to be done, so many place to shop...

And took a 10am coach back to Spore.

Thank You Tash, for making this trip a memorable and lovely one.

Now, back to business: will be going ot Panasonic Refrigeration with Jeremy and Jan, a girl from Dip in Bus, with Mrs Philomena See as our liaison officer. Yippee!

Pay was $450/mth, and the 3 of us will be working in 3 different department. The chances are: i will be doing HR, Jeremy and Jan will be in either Corp comm or Health & Wellness.

Now? Just pray hard that i would not fall sick, cos i want to go for Night Watch with Yao tom.

Sunday, September 18, 2005 @ A Kind of Christmas Card
Morten Harket, the lead singer of A-Ha wrote the song, entitiled A Kind of Christmas Card. That was a song to express his graditude to his loved ones on how they take care of him.

And i was nicely taken care of by Tash in KL. Tash, if you read this, this is specially for you:

Those days in Genting with my friend is fun, but the high price for everything (food, entertainment etc) and the bo-chap attitude of staff simply turns me off, and how i wish i could finish my trip to Genting earlier, cos the cold is unbearable, and my friends find the things too freaking expensive. With special attention to be paid on everyone's diet, it is not a simple task to have a nice meal there. What was done there? Walk around, getting necessary stuff, goes for midnite show of Dark Water and Outdoor Theme Park.

And when i reached KL around 4pm, the first thing to do was to get my coach tickets at Puduraya terminal. The messy environment gives me a feeling of insecurity. Just suddenly, i feel that both of my hands are missing. Helplessness and danger was just around me.

Took a train to Bukit Bintang to meet Tash and he picked me up at Sungai Wang plaza. At least i know, the moment i reach Sungai Wang plaza, i am safe. Safe is because it is not as messy as Petaling Street, and i know that Bukit Bintang is an area with loads of people around. The robbers can't do anything to me.

And he arrives Coffee Bean S.W around 6.10pm, and we had a lovely dinner at Kim Gary HK Restaurant in Mid Valley Megamall. The first thing i know when i had a meal there: i can have a decent meal at affordable price, no more of those pauper's food at king's prices. Had fried spaghetti with pork chop and ice milk tea. Miam miam...

Went to Converse shop to get my high cut sneakers while Tash gets his sweatband at Nike shop. Head to Carrefour to get yoghurt drink and A Ji Ichiban to get his lemon lime jaw breaker. Goes straight to his home and rest. It was TV after a lovely bath.

The next day, i headed my exploration in KL with LRT and KTM trains. Went to Petaling Street to get my mooncake and had some nasty experience with those pasar malam sellers there. An word of advice: never go to such places alone. You never know what will happen.

Took a train to Berjaya Times Sq, which was just located beside the 110 yrs old Pudu Prison. You will find Borders, Starbucks and etc etc there...but, the 10 storey high shopping mall seems to be pretty empty on the top level. Whatever it is, it is only advisable to visit there when time is ripe (aka where more shops are opened.)

Had gelato with Tash at nite, and TV's at nite.

To be continued...

Monday, September 12, 2005 @ Malaysia, Truly Asia!
And the battle between me and the CEM has come to an end. Yippee.....

To all,

by the time u read this blog, i may be flying without wings to Genting and KL rite now. Yes, yes, yes! Malaysia, truly asia!

Anyway, the class had a spread of dial -62353535 - for ya fried chicken and pizzas in the comm hub today. Our dear Mrs Chan SK kindly sponsored fried chicken, pizzas and popcorn cheeken and whipped into mud potatoooo and that diced until don't know what coleslaw to go along for the celebration. It was sooo...lovely and sinful.

Lord, please do not punish me for being a glutton today, even though i know gluttony is a sin.

And to my beloved organs, this is to train you for taking in junks. Detox only when i am back in S'pore!

After so much so, went to Si Mah Lo Kwan Yin Temple to pray with Yao Ming. Went to Sim Lim Sq to look for his memory card after that.

And so much so, all memory comes to my mind before i step into the top of the Malaysia and the place that i never step in since i last visited 6 years ago. Think of the last time i visited KL, how funny and how stupid it can get....

6 years later, i am coming to the place where i want to pamper myself.

KL, here i come!

Sunday, September 11, 2005 @ The Saddest Song I've Got - Annie Lennox
Darlin' are you feeling
The same ting i am feeling?
The troubles of the day
Took my breath away
Took my breath away
Now you're no longer talking
And I'm no longer hearing
There's nothing left for me to say
Said it anyway
Said it anyway
And I want you...not
I need you... not
I'm dying
'Cause this is the saddest song i've got
The saddest song i've got
Darlin' are you healing
From all those scars appearing
Don't it hurt a lot?
Don't know how it stops
Don't know how it stops
Now there's no sense in seeing
The colours of the morning
Can't hold the clouds at bay
Chase them all away
Chase them all away
And I'm frozen still
Unspoken still
Heartbroken
Remembering something i forgot
Something i forgot...
Today at 4 years ago, a tragedy took place in NY that shock the whole world forever, shortly after we had reached the new millenium.
May the souls lost in this catastrophe rest in peace. God bless.

Saturday, September 10, 2005 @ Dial M for Murder
Finally, one more CEM paper to go, and here comes my trip to Genting and KL...

And it seems that there is a trend of chopping up bodies after a murder has happened. Just yesterday, a head and legs were found at Orchard MRT stn, and the remaining body parts was found in a blue sports bag at MacRitchie reservoir. The murderer was arrested this am, and the murdere was a Philippino maid, with the victim as her friend.

Still remember earlier on, where Chinese national Liu Hong Mei was found chopped into pieces at Kallang River? The murderer, was, surprisingly, her employer. Till today, her pair of feet could never be found. To ensure that Liu could enter the neither world smoothly, a grand funeral was prepared (and sponsored by a casket company) for her and a pair of plastic feet was made to replace the missing feet. But Singaporeans are more interested to see how does a dead body looks like after it was chopped into pieces and how it was sewn back to a body. They requested the coffin to be lifted up, so that they could see how does the body looks like.

Here comes the $1 million question: are S'poreans so bored due to the boring life or, they are just simply sick? That they want to satisfy their curiosity by looking at a sewn body.

And here's the $1 billion question: what drives a murderer to chop their victim's body? Mabey for publicity? mabey it is easier to clear the dead bodies that way? mabey they do not want their victims to die in full body?

God knows. But there's a possibility from there. Some, especially those who are strong in religious beliefs, believes that when a dead body was chopped into pieces, the person cannot go for reincarnation to the next life. While on the other hand, some are trying to make themselves infamous, or just simply hatred has filled their head. So, to get rid of the body, the chopped the body into pieces.

But why dump them in a place where it can easily draw their attention? One of the stupiest thing i ever seen in my life. A murder can be easily discovered if a body was found at places where there are high traffic flow. So, i don't see the point when someone who commits a murder want to tell the whole world that they kill someone.

If one wants to kill, don't tell the whole world. Dump it in ulu area.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005 @ The Turkish Ice Cream Man
This is the story about my encounter with the Turkish Ice Cream Man.

I didn't noticed that Turkish Ice Cream has entered the pasar malam at Bedok Central quitely. It wasn't there when i was there last nite. What i seen from there was nothing but the same old stuff. Deep fried skewer food, muah chee, Ramly burger, drinks, clothings, cheap household items and cheap home videos (which is not cheap at all. Just yesterday, i saw the priated copies of Star Wars Ep 3 on DVD that has bene pass through as originals, which was accompanied with the certificate of rated PG. (GASP!) Didn't the government strongly emphasis on the importance of buying the original copies? From the look, you can tell that it is a pirated copy.)

Today, my hungry stomach is crying for food, and my mind is making me walking towards the pasar malam for some makan after the brain has been drained out in the MA1 paper. While walking towards the pasar malam, a stall crossed my eyes, where i do not see the stall yesterday.

The stall that sells Turkish ice cream.

Turkish ice cream is pretty different from your normal ice cream. It is made in small volume and the flavours are limited (i am only offered with chocolate, vanilla and apple flavour. So don't expect Cookies and Cream, Mint, Rasberry or Brownie flavor to the latest Peanut Butter flavor that i saw in Chinatown MRT Stn. Cos such flavours sound so alien to them.)

It seems that no one is patronising the stall. So, i decided to take a walk at the pasar malam first, before deciding whether should i go for the Turkish ice cream. Well, it seems that nothing caught my interest, so i go for the Turkish ice cream.

I walked to the stall and asked the Turkish ice cream man, who was in his late 20's to mid 30's, i suppose. I asked, what are the flavours you had?

'Vanilla, chocolate and apple ice cream.' He replied in a heavy Turkish accent English.

'1 chocolate cone, please.' i requested.

While i fished out my $10 note from my wallet, the ice cream man took a long metal pole, which looks like somekind of tools used for construction work, to stirred the ice cream first. Then, he cut them instead of scooping out from the pile and placed them onto a ice cream cone. After paying for the ice cream, the ice cream man passed me the cone...

and what i gotten is an empty cone instead. Here's the trick: he placed two cones together, one on top of another, and he placed the ice cream with the pole on the top cone. When you are passed with the cone, he draws out the cone where the ice cream was stuck on it. You gotten yourself an empty cone instead.

'Oh sorry, let me wrap this up for you.' He said, while taking a piece of tissue paper to wrapped the cone. I passed him the empty cone.

As he was about to pass me the cone with the ice cream, he turned the cone downwards, and i missed it. He turned the cone upwards again. I go and take the cone.

He turned the cone downwards again.

And he passed me the cone. 'Thank You!' was what we said to each other.

$2.50 for the cone and the amusing little performance.

And i left the pasar malam, walking back home, licking the ice cream and think of the small little performance the ice cream man performed.

I remembered that such ice creams were used to be on sale in fairs and special events only. Now? We can treat our tastebuds and eyeball with the rare performance and tricks at pasar malams. But somehow, selling it at $2.50 is rather inappropriate in pasar malams. Think: not many people are willing to pay $2.50 for an ice cream cone where it was so small, you would rather have Swensens or Haagan Daaz or Anderson's, where you are spolit for choices witht wide selections of flavours and the size of the cone. $3 for a cone is really chillin', where you do not restrict to the same old flavours, and the scoop is big too. $2.50, on the other hand, may or may not fill you up (cos i remember i go hungry again an hour later.) and you are given such a silly trick.

To me, it's not the $2.50 and how delicious the ice cream (it was made of goat's milk instead of your usual cow's milk, if i not wrong.) matters to me. It was the service that i gotten matters most. Such tricks may seem to be funny or rather annoying (for not letting you getting the ice creams, after the stunts has been performed.), but it was such little act that may or may not brighten up a person's day.

In my view:

Such stunts amuse, if you take it easy. Cos' it's an lost art from Turkey that you are seeing, and experience yourself. If you have a bad day and you can take thing's easy, what the ice cream man did can ease off your worries and frustration away. It brightens up your day. If you don't take it easy, the poor ice cream man may ended up getting a scolding by nasty customers (in which i pity the poor fella for getting a scolding from customers who do not appreciate his talent.)

And it brought us to the problems the retail service are facing today: employees who are impolite and rude, demanding customers. Just like the nasty hawker and selfish customer in Beansproutes not Enough and Beansprouts Never Enough, the 2 short films played on this year's National Day Rally, where it emphasis on the importance of politeness between the service staff and customers. While some service stuff should take note of their attitude towards customer, customers, on the other hand, should also take note of their attitude towards retail staffs.

While some of the retail service staff are rude, and gives nasty look on customers (in which i experienced it before. If you met such person while chillin', your moods are totally ruined.) should be educated and corrected on their behaviour, nasty customers should also reflect on their attitude. Cos' sometimes, customers are never right, in terms of their unreasonable demands. If you are rude to customers, you are damaging you and the org's reputation. If you are rude to the stuff, you are smearing shit on your face as a facial scrub.

Nice attitude, on the other hand, brightens up the mood of everyone. You smile at me, so i have no reason to be nasty at you. You are nice to me, and i will be nicer to you. With this, we create a harmonious shopping environment.

Only if Singaporeans understand this. And i hope that the ice cream seller will brighten up more people's day, instead of getting unwanted nasty comments.

Sunday, September 04, 2005 @ Blinded by...
When Kelvin Tan won the title of Superstar in Ch U's Project Superstar, there are 2 C's: cheers and criticisms.

Cheers are for those who appreciated his talent, feel that he is talented, and feels that he is the next Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, as Kelvin is a visually impaired. He sings well, brings out the emotions of the listeners, thus deserving the title.

Criticisms are from those who feels that he is using his physical disability to gain sympathy, and feel that he doesn't deserve to be a superstar, just because he is a visually impaired. These people feels that Superstar must be someone who is totally perfect, just like what George Michael sang: Absolutely Flawless.

To people who criticise Kelvin for his criticism, mabey you guys did not take note of one thing: No man is perfect in this world. No one is Absolutely Flawless.

It has been such a big hoo haa ever after since Kelvin won the title of the champion for Project Superstar Male Finals. Some feels that he is a blind, so he shouldn't won the title. Others said that he is gaining sympathy votes using his disabilities and blah blah blah....

It seems that the society, especially the youths, are not ready to accept a singer with physical disabilities. Mabey this is what they want: they want a Superstar like Taufik Batisah, who is wonderfully crafted. Some, on the other hand, wants Sly Sim, the chao ah beng, to be their so called Superstar.

They preferred a former ITE student and a chao ah beng over a blind singer.

Can i say that such people has been blinded by their selfishness and their very own 'perfect, flawless' idealistic human beings, to be named as their 'Superstar'?

Do they know that none of the superstar in this world is perfect? Can they please name out a few superstar who is 'absolutely flawless' ?

George Michael is a gay.
Madonna slept with many men in the past, ended up one kid= few daddies (oh yeah, Sean Penn is one of the kid's daddy.)
Tom Cruise changed his gf as if he's changing clothes, and it seems that the clothes he is wearing is getting younger and newer. Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, and now, Katie Holmes.
Robbie Williams used to be a bad boy.
Angelina Jolie used to be a les, but now? How to explain her relationship?
Colin Farrell patronises brothels.
Brad Pitt is stingy.
Hugh Grant swears at authorities and Russell Crowe wallop hotel employees, thus putting them onto headlines.

Closer to home:
Sly pregnant Maia Lee, his ex-gf, who is also a chao ah lian. Now, Maia is a unmarried mother.
Sly's mother charged of embezzelemt and cheating. He dressed like a chao ah beng to bail his mum in court, and was stopped by the authorities.
Olinda Choo used to be fat, but after going thru the slimming session sponsored by a slimming centre, it makes her look very artificial. And she's a les, btw.

Months ago, Li Nanxing and Yang Libin are playing the role of Marion and Gilles in Francois Ozon's 5x2. The make a big hoo haa of their 1000 tables wedding banquet in 1994. 10 odd yrs later, they go for a divorce.

Zoe Tay is the spokesperson for a slimming pill and milk powder immediately after giving birth to a son. She encourages mothers to drink milk powder instead of breastfeeding young babies. She make it to the headlines again.

Now? Jealous fans accused Kelvin Tan making $1800 per day for singing on the streets. But the fact is, did he make such a big amount? If he does, i don't think he will go thru all the rites of passage to become a Superstar in Project Superstar.

But, before these people accusing Kelvin spinning big bucks on the streets, let me ask them: are they perfect in the first place? Are they absolutely flawless?

No man is flawless. If a man is flawless, i don't think he should be living on earth in the first place.

If Singaporeans are not ready for a superstar who is a visually impaired, but more rather, they want a perfectly flawless superstar, then Mediacorp should not have held Project Superstar in the first place.

Thursday, September 01, 2005 @ Merdeka day with the maid
Oh yeah, yesterday was Merdeka day, aka Malaysia's National Day. To all Malaysians out there, Happy Merdeka!

And it was another special occassion yesterday. Today is teacher's day. All schools are closed today.

And so i make a trip back to BNSS.

The first thing Mr Lea, the OM, told me: welcome back home. BNSS was my 2nd home, and that's where i spend my 5 years of tears and fears, laughter and joy there. Had the opportunity to dine with my teachers, and we had a buffet lunch. Was talking to Mr Yeo, the HOD of Physical Education, and we realised that, 5 years ago, we are talking about health and fun. 5 years later, we are talking about business. And real business.

Sad to say, those guys n gals from my batch did not show their face in the celebration.

While the kids are happily greeting their teachers Happy Teacher's Day, i could sense their innocence the kids had. Well, even though they may not be as mature as we are, but the innocence is still there.

Because they are still young kids to me. =)

And time flies really fast. While the teachers said that, 'oh Taiwei, you are graduating next year, and time flies!', i noticed the additional strands of white hair the teachers had. It sems like everything that took place in BNSS has just happened yesterday.

Met most of my tutors, except my mentor, Mr Goh CH, the HOD of Mother Tongue. He was on training, and it was a question mark where is he?

And Ms Loo? Yeah! She was there. It seems that Ms Loo and I are Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, except that you had an young adult and a adult reaching the middle age adulthood soon. It's Sunrise/Sunset minus the romance. What you get is just purely conversation and interest.

Ms Loo recommended me The Maid, the S'pore horror by Kelvin Tong. And so i go for the show at Empress Screen 1. The bus take it's own sweet time to drive, and thus i missed the opening scene. The moment i step into the hall, the screen shows a set of photograph of the Pinas maids, with a woman asking in Teochew: When was she born?

While some people said that The Maid scare the shit out of them, it seems like i am watching some psycho thriller. Chen Shu Cheng and Hong Hui Fang plays old Mr and Mrs Teo, who employeed a Pina maid named Rosa, played by Alessandra De Rossi. Rosa reaches S'pore on 1st day of 7th Month, aka the Hungry Ghost Festival. She broke the taboos, such as sweeping the burnt joss paper, turning her head when someone called her at night in dark area and blah blah blah...and she sees ghosts in the end.

And why is it so that old Mr and Mrs Teo are psychos? Cos they believed in marriage for the dead. Their only son, who was a mentally retard, raped their previous maid. She runs away to call the police and Mrs Teo begged her not to call the police. She insisted doing so. So, Mr Teo had her tied up and torched her alive. The maid was burnt to death, and their son throw himself down from the rooftop that night.

The maid's body was hidden in a drum, and their son returned on the 1st day of 7th month. As Rosa wore the clothes that belongs to the previus maid, she ended up seeing the dead maid, where she vows to seek revenge on the Teo's. She wants Rosa to bring her back to Pinas City (Phillippines.) and Rosa ended up the next victim for the Teo's. On the last day of the 7th month, they want to have her killed, so as to arrange a ghost marriage for their son. As they were about to hang Rosa, their son's spirit returns to stop the murder.

The son pushed old Mr Teo to the altar and toppled over an oil lamp. The altar catches fire and old Mr Teo was burnt to death. Before he died, he asked his wife to kill Rosa, before the Hell's gate close. The maid's spirit came to Rosa's rescue by burning the ropes that hangs Rosa. Rosa fell onto the ground and runs away from the house. Mrs Teo took a knife and came after Rosa, and she was run over by a lorry in the end.

Rosa took the maid's ashes back to Pinas City and the Teo's spirit came to see her off.

And that's the end of the lame S'pore horror. It doesn't scare the shit hell out of me, but i would rather pay that $5 to watch Hannibal again.

At least Anthony Hopkins did a better job in playing a cannibalistic psycho.

Somewhere around the corner in the city lies a man with some past...
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