The City Never Sleeps

Payday payday and payday! My cool paycheck is here, and now i can have some spare moolah to shop for what i want.

And the first thing that i bought in my official shopping trip in town: Hydroxycut.

Jeremy asked: 'You are serious in getting Hydroxycut?' during breaktime. Yes, i did. And that bottle of pill is right in front of me.

If you do not know what the heck is that Hydroxycut, it is a weightloss pill, which helps to breakdown stubborn fats. Yeah, i need that before i officially enslave myself to the government for that 2 years.

Tried Fatblaster from Aussie last year, and it did help a bit. Yep, it did, but it failed to cut down more weight despite my effort in losing weight. This time, i place my stake on Hydroxycut from GNC. And that stake is placed after several consultations from pharmacist from GNC.

And that bottle of lil' pill does not come cheap. $138.50 for a bottle of 140 pills. After getting the discount of using My Kelly Card (and that was the first time i used My Kelly Card after James handed me the card personally. Brought it to KL and knows that it qualifys for discounts at Chakri Palace Thai Retaurant, but Tash told me Chakri Palace is freaking expensive.), that bottle of wonder cost me $117.70

Bought the pills from GNC Paragon, and i am attanded by 2 friendly sales assistant cum pharmacist, Ms Yong and Ms Lim. Oh yeah, Ms Yong is really cheo. She explains to me the use and answer my queries, then, i decided to consult more store before making my next step. In the end, it's back to Paragon, but this time, i am attanded by Ms Lim. In the end, you know what happened. I bought the bottle of little genius back.

But, i was wondering: how come i don't see any male pharmacist working in GNC? In every single outlet that i visited, only female sales assistant are in the shop. No offence girls, but i was just curious that no guys are working in any of the outlets that i've seen. =P

Anyway, GNC is really great in their service, in terms of providing consultation and the knowledge of the product. But some outlets do need to brush up their skills though.

2 men +2 women +2 children = a dumb show.

Bought this very old German comedy entitled Four For Venice at Cash Converters. 6 Days later, the lame comedy return to where it should belong: shelves where they kept restricted films.

In short, it's about 2 married couples: Nick and Charlotte, a rich couple, and Eva and Luis, a couple with 2 kids living from hand to mouth.

Charlotte had an affair with Luis. Both goes for a rendaevouz at Venice and enjoys sex. Eva discovered her hubby cheated on her, and Nick indirectly causes Eva to lose her job. She kidnaps Nick and dragged her 2 kids to Venice to prove that their spouse is cheating on each other. A draggy road trip ended up Eva saying to Luis it's time for her to chaet on him. Nick and Eva falls in love in the end.

Dumb, dumber, even more dumb. That's all i could say for the 1998 German comedy.

2 men + 1 woman + several daggers = comedy.

No wonder House of Flying Daggers has been used as the title for the comedy talk show hosted by Hossan Leong and Jonathan Lim, entitled: House fo Flying Chestnuts. Watched it once in theatres, and watched it again on video last nigth to have a good laugh. Yeah, i feel more cheerful now, thanks to Zhang Yimou's effort on using too many computer graphic for a swordfighting film, and his lame plot.

But, there's one good film that i enjoyed this weekend.

Loads of men + 1 supporting actress with less than 5 lines = The only great film that represents HK for Cannes Film Fest 05.

Johnnie To's Election puts the greed of human being onto two guys using different ways to get the position of the chairman for the 100 year old trial society.

See it for yourself, cos i am not going to spoil the whole show.

Referring to the trend of old movies reaching our theatres, after waiting for several years. And i do not mean those movies which had their screening delayed for months after it was opened in the US.

First of all, you had Lan Yu, the HK highly acclaimed gay director Stanley Kwan's 2000 gay melodrama, which finally reaches the theatres after it had it's premier at the SIFF 2001 and banned for 4 years.

Whang Yee Ling of 8 Days wrote on the review of Lan Yu in this week's issue of 8 Days: If you missed the screening of Lan Yu 4 years ago, that would be your everlasting regret. (which is Kwan's latest production, where he cast Sammi Cheng like Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven.)

Walked pass Lido cineplex yesterday, and found out that the afternoon show for Lan Yu has been sold out, while the night show tix are selling like hot cakes. Unsurprisingly, most of the audience makes up of potato queens and their ang mo bf, or older gay couples, or lonely man.

Wanted to catch this highly acclaimed drama in theatres, but now, i had a second though: buy pirated vcd's online.

Next, coming soon to theatres near you: High Tension and Bad Santa. In fact, next thurs will be the day where Luc Besson would see 2 movies produced by him to exchange clashes with one another. No, no, i am not talking about Bad Santa. I am referring to High Tension and Transporter 2.

High Tension is a French/Eng/Italian thriller that was made 2 years ago. Slapped with an R21 rating for violence and horror, it's about 2 girls who stayed in their relative's farmhouse to study for exams. A psycho murderer came and had the girl's uncle killed. The girls managed to hide themselves well, and they have to kill the psycho before he comes after them.

Bad Santa, on the other hand, is a 2003 comedy with Billy Bob Thornton aka Angelina's ex-hubby as a crook who dressed as a santa, and robbed a supermart on X'mas eve. He met with a problem when he befriends a troubled kid. If i'm not wrong, the screening was delayed for 2 years due to the coarse language used in the film. But i wonder: what's the point of screening Bad Santa if the screening was delayed for 2 years, and it wants to make a theatrical release, since it is not as good as Lan Yu?

Lan Yu has it's selling point in theatrical release, cos: 1. it's a movie that truly potrays the world of homosexuals, from the eye of a gay director from a online gay novel. 2. It's more of an arthouse than a cheapo flick.

Here comes the reason why Bad Santa is worth the 2 years wait: it is funny, crass, just like Team America. Should i go for Bad Santa? Think i would rather enjoy it on home video anyway.

And long before you have 3 movies with more than a year's delay screening, here comes 2 real life examples:

Open Your Eyes - the Spanish dreamy thriller directed by Alejandro Amenbar, with Penelope Cruz in the original Spanish version. 3 years after Vanilla Sky opens in theatres, the 1997 original version of Vanilla Sky finally opens in theatres, but under a limited release, just like Lan Yu and High Tension. While previously Open Your Eyes was rated RA, it has been re-rated to M18. Thanks to the new film rating system, Open Your Eyes was sparred from heavy cuts here and there.

Nabum Namja (Bad Guy) - another Korean arthouse (more like porn to me) by Kim Ki Duk. His 2002 production about a poor man's sexual fantasy make it to the theatres here after his recent 3 Iron and The Bow.

Matador - Almodovar's 1986 erotic thriller with Antonio Banderas and Assumpta Serna. Yangtze brings the classic into S'pore this year.

Blue Velvet - David Lynch's 1986 thriller about a old man and a singer discover a mystery when they found a ear that has been cut off in the night club. Courtesy of Yangtze again.

Eh...anymore coming up soon?

I bought a smoked duck from Cold Storage PP today, immediately after work.

And i thought: the smoked duck is shiny and juicy when i purchased them around 7pm, fresh from the gourmet counter. Apparently, i am wrong.

By the time i reached CS Gourmet counter, i found only 2 birds of big fat duck with skinny bones at the end of the drumstick, lying on the tray. The duck is fat, but the skin is dry. Also, the duck is warm (ard 60 degree c), not the fresh piping hot duck, straight from the oven.

The lovely scent of the smoked duck is there, but it's not really worth my $9.90, even though i told the counter staff to packed a beautiful looking duck into the warmer bag.

I thought: if there's no OT, no traffic jam, no red lights...at least i could see more ducks at the counter.

Talking about OT, it seems that everyone is working OT, including me. I am working OT for 15min today, even though you may say, that 15min does not really considered as OT.

Yeah, i agree.

Everyone in my department seems to be working as if there's no tomorrow when the bell rings at 5.53pm. Some choose to stay to continue their work, while some took their flexi time instead of OT pay. (Cos' we are working in a Japanese firm, and that's their culture. ^-^)

However, i was wondering: why is it so that i could finish my work so early? Compared to Jan and Jeremy (Jan is a poor thing. She would be hit by OT almost everyday right now.) who has to create endless report and repair endless computers, my report seems to come to an end before 5.53pm, excpet for today, where it took me to complete my work at 6.15pm.

Kong CC, my supervisor, says: i have to brief you on what is this all about. If not, you have nothing to do.

It seems that my workload is so light, that Kong and I are discussing next week's work on Fri afternoon.

In the end, i am always the first of the trio to leave PRDS.

I was wondering: how about the rest of my classmates?

It seems that my life for the past few months has been revolving cha cang teng or tea restaurant, which plays a big part of Hong Konger's diet in their life. (No, no, no. cha cang teng is something like ya neighbourhood kopitiam, except that it has a kitchen of their own where they serves drinks, pastries and one dished meals.)

Well, if my memory did not fail, there used to be a cha cang teng at PS basement 2 few years back. Somehow, it seems that the business did not work well. In the end, it's zoi gin to Singapore. From then onwards, cha cang teng goes missing for years.

Well, it seems that cha cang teng makes a silent comeback to S'pore. First, Crystal Jade Restaurants serves cha cang teng food during tea time, then we have Central, which just invaded S'pore at Taka basement 2.

About few months back, Hong Kong Cafe at East Coast becomes a hit with S'poreans.

Mabey it's time to have something closer to home (don't you get tired of years of burgers and fries, sushis, kimchi, pizza or lazagne or even escargots?) even though HK is miles away from S'pore.

My first dining experience in a cha cang teng is a dinner with Tash in KL. The restaurant, known as Kim Gary Restaurant, runs a chain of cha cang teng in HK, and finally they choose KL as their first choice outside HK. I am not surprised, as most Chinese in KL speaks Cantonese. And i suppose they had no problem running a cha cang teng. If you think Kim Gary is just like those old and run down cha cang teng that serves limited food in HK...

Think again.

It is equally as good as Central. New, posh, wide variety of food. And best of all:

The food is cheap and good. Loved the yin yeung (a combination of milk tea and coffee, which i had it in the workplace canteen in every meal.) and the sai to si (better know as the western toast, it is a one inch thick toast, deep fried and served with honey, butter or syrup.) As for the one dish meal, they served CQYD instant mee with egg and luncheon meat. Might be high in msg, but who cares?

But no meal is completed in a cha cang teng without a polo yau (or known as polo bun with butter. Polo stands for pineapple in Cantonese. As the bun outercrust is shaped like a pineapple, so it gotten it's name like this. The bun is served with a sliced of butter.) and thouh it is highly fattening, it is highly addictive.

Now, i had a craving for yun yeung and CQYD mee...give me that!

Now playing: oh no music, but i just finished watching the heavily censored version of Good Times Bed Times, your typical HK romantic drama, seasoned with sex.

First of all, to Rabil: Happy 34th Bdae!

Next, this is for the bendy child aka Tash aka nunny: the bendy child told me that his soul is gone for good. He told me, for no apparent reason, the soul left his body.

If the soul has left his body, then he should be dead by now. And he can tell me that he is having his holiday at London next week.

Nunny, please go and locate your soul back before you visit the lovely London Towers. If not, you can be lost in there forever.

Now, one Sat is down, and another Sun follows. What to do for this weekend? I mean, i've been in the same old routine for ????? months liao. Town on sat, window shop, eat, sleep, gym (well sat is the only time i can gym. i want to maintain my vitality and youth.) Hardly any movies on weekends cos everyone is slaving themselves to their coy for the SIP, and they do not share my taste of movies (i want Everlasting Regret while most wants Goal! or Intot the Blue, i prefer Lan Yu while they would rather go for April Snow.) I was wondering, when is my next time to visit the theatre?

I sold myself to home videos long long time ago.

Now? I want to get my $$$ asap, so that i can have a nice weekend for me to shop for my favourite stuff. Sianz...

Faces

Back to TP this am to share the thoughts and views with the classmates in the SIP. This becomes a must for the TP seniors who are doing their SIP. It gives me a good chance to know two things: 1. Know how are my classmates, and 2. How good/bad they are working.

Elias can use the latest Nokia S Series before it is released on the market, and tonnes of Haagan Daaz ice creams are waiting for him in his pantry fridge. He told me he had no time to enjoy Haagan Daaz.

Su has to wear a coat to work daily, and she said it was boring.

Jane was thrown with tonnes work on her 1st day of SIP.

Yao Ming is trying hard to meet his sales target.

Me? Report, report and report.

Jeremy's fate is yet to be decided, since he find what he does is not related to his studies.

Erotism

Attended a talk session held at the Arts House (aka The Old Parliament House, located behind Victoria Theatre.) today. The talk is held in conjunction with 100 years of Chinese Cinema, which were organized by The Arts House and Celestial Entertainmnet (who owns the SB Classics library.) Invited two lecturers as speakers to talk about Erotism in Chinese Cinema.

Yep. Erotism. And i didn't know that the talk is rated RA.

The talk discussed the development of eros in HK cinemas in the 70's till today, where it tells us why in 1992, Cat 3 movies (aka soft porn, X-rated films) contributes to 50% of the total HK productions during that period. Why sex is the main attraction of HK movies in the 70's, how it was presented, and what way did it was used to enhance a movie's quality.

The talk highlighted one point: sex in the movies is such a money spinner, that when SB made their first sex related drama in 1970, it mades loads of sex drama, or so called soft core porn. In fact, some of the titles are so explicit, that they are no difference as those cheap B-porn screening at Yangtze. (Breasts from Outerspace is one of them. Come to think of it, such titles sounds like those blue tapes that you can purchase from the sex shop in US. In fact, the talk highlighted one point: soft porn video enhances marriage in Europe.)

And the talk mentioned about one thing: 3 of the movies screened in the festival (Sinful Confessions, That's Adultry and Legends of Lust) are movies made up of 4 short stories, where the first story is much more longer than the remaining 3. In fact, it was so long, that one could have mistaken the 1st story as the whole movie.

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtsean, another highlight of the festival, is different from the remaining 3. Director Chu Yuan, who marvelously combined martial arts and erotism together, has not only created a box office hit, but also a classic. It was known as a classic in 2 ways: 1. The 1st movie to discuss lesbian issues in the film, where it features a fiery sex scene between the 2 actress Lily Ho and Betty Bei Ti. Lesbianism is a taboo in the 70's, and no one would go to the grey area. Chu Yuan turns on the spotlight onto the grey area. 2. Highly recommended by the European critics in the 1970's, and has been voted as Top 10 Foreign Movies of the 70's. As you can see, European critics are very hard to please. Intimate has make such a remarkable results, that it has been labelled as classics, instead of soft core porn.

The fiery ending between Lily and Betty has inspired cult director Quentin Tarantino to come out with a similar ending in Kill Bill Vol 1. Remember the scene where Uma Thurman, who plays the Bride, slices off O-Ren Ishii's (played by Lucy Liu) skull? That scene was inspired by Intimate. The only difference was, both Lily and Betty died terribly.

To gives us a better view, a scene from Lust for Love of a Chinese Courtsean (which is the sequel to Intimates, also by Chu Yuan. It was made 12 years after Chu made Intimate.) was featured, where it combines 2 scenes perfectly well. It was a scene between a madam who owns a brothel having sex with a killer, and how that killer killed the official the madam wants him dead. (And i know why this talk is rated RA. The sex scene contains full frontal nudity.)

To wrapped up the talk, pictures from the Pillow Book of different cultures are featured. Oh yeah, what is a pillow book? Think Kamasutra.