The City Never Sleeps

And it seems that Spanish culture is the next big European interest to me after French culture. While i still holds the passion for Bonjour and Crossiants, Hola and Jamon has slowly become the next big thing to me.

After coming out from the fantsy labyrinth, Lawrence and i went deep down to the sea, watching Paz Vega exploring her sexual world ala Lucia Y El Sexo. (Sex and Lucia)

Story is simple: Lucia, a waitress, found out that her writer boyfriend, Lorenzo, goes missing. Thus, she escapes to an island to rediscover herself, while at the same time, the island reminds her of her sexual escapade with Lorenzo 6 years ago.

The verdict: It's like watching Spanish porn with a taste of art. While the story is divided between Lucia and Sex, the presentation seems to be a mess. And eventually, it ends up a mess. No proper stream of flow of the story, with nothing but today, 6 years ago, sex between Lucia and Lorenzo, Lucia and Carols (a fisherman she met in the island) and Lorenzo's romance with Elena (a friend of Carlos) and Belen, a good friend.

And here comes the 2nd exploration with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel. The Spanish director behind Amores Perroes and 21 Grams now brings us the last chapter of Trilogy of Choices. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchette, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adriano Barazza and Rinko Kikuchi delivers us with the story of love, responsiblilty, sex, tension, barriers and hopelessness.

Babel leaves a bittersweet after taste, just like drinking Chivas with Coke. It's bitter, it's sweet, and it makes you drunk.

8pm was the time i meet up Jess and headed straight to Cafe Del Mar, located at Siloso Beach.

Le Crazy Horse Paris set up its 1st performance venue in Asia at Singapore, and it fails. Spain's Cafe Del Mar set up its 1st overseas outlet in Singapore, and it seems to be a hit, even though the official opening was held last weekend.

We had Chivas with Pepsi, and uh-huh, we saw 2 girls goes skinny dipping in the beach. Wow.

Should i say that was just some form of compensation to us for unable to find a bed to lie down to?? =)

And i didn't know that Lawrence celebrated his 23rd birthday last Sun. Thus, i brings him to the wonderland named Pan's Labyrinth created by Guilleromo Del Toro.

And the 2 hours journey was exhilarating, yet not so exciting.

About Ofelia, a 11 year old girl who was the daughter of the late tailor, stepdaughter of a evil Fascist Captain and the princess of the world of fairies, in the mysterious labyrinth located just beside the wooden house where the captain lives. When she hates the current world where Facism is fighting against the Allies in WW2, she found a fairy that brings her to the other world. She met a faun (a creature that was said to have the eyes, ears and any feautres of a human being, but grows a horn on the head.) and the faun reveals her unknown identity of being a princess.

However, she must pass through 3 test to bring herself back to the world of fairies, where she can become the princess again.

The tale is partially about fairies in the lalaland and human beings with evil heart in reality. And it is somehow, a fruit for thought for everyone.

Frankly speaking, Pan's Labyrinth is much more better than some crappy movies playing currently in theatres right now. Even though audience were spoilt for choices in the cinemas (with 8 new release last week, and 10 new release this week) currently due to Gloden Globe Awards which officially wraps up last week, there are hits that should not be missed, and misses that does not deserves attention.

One Last Dance was too crappy, said Dex. Cicakman was a disgrace to Malaysia, i must say. Metrosexual is nothing but a piece of crap surrounding homosexual or transexual issues from Thailand. For pink dollar dudes, opt for Big Bang Love Juvenile A from Japan instead. I believed that you had a good taste for arts.

Haven, Harsh Times, Fur, Painted Veil, Illusionist was either too unknown, too arty-farty or too old to be known.

Apocalypto looks good, but there are limits a person can takes in the violence and gore elements.

Perfume is thrilling, but can be easily mistaken as a beautiful porn for ah peks who frequents Yangtze.

Gridiron Gang and Ghost Tunnel is frying cold rice over and over again, where inspirational becomes uninspirational, and where Japan makes cold chahan from Kimchi land.

Kungfu Mahjong 3 is definitely a must watch for those who loves playing Mahjong, or for those who loves B-flicks directed by Wong Jing.

At the end of the day, the movie diet is getting either a overdose that leads to obesity, or just simply taking the one that is digestable for your boring weekend.

After reading Paul's latest entry, i decided to ask myself the questions.

And answer them on the blog. :p

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be?
umm...some nice friends asking me to go f0r a movie or clubbing lor.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
I don't do grocery shopping in a cart often. But of cos! I am not those kind of inconsiderate uncles n aunties carrying the cart home and ended up a garbage/shoe cart.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?Mixture of both, i would say.

4. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? I would survive, by provided i had a parang and a survival pack. If not, i will die of madness instead of hunger/attack by beasts.

5. Do you like to ride horses?Like that feeling, but i've not ride a horse for years.

6. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? NO.

7. What was your favorite board game as a kid?Monopoly.

8. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was taken what would you do? Know the rules of the game. If you want to play with fire, go ahead. But you have to pay the price if you get burnt.

9. Are you judgmental?Ask my friends.

10. Would you date someone with different religious beliefs? It's the love between me and another party that counts.

11. Are you continuing your education?Sigh. NO for the next 1 year 5 mths.

12. Do you know how to shoot a gun?Can they change it to RIFLE please??

13. If your house was on fire, what's the first thing you will grab?I have to see the fire begins from which direction. But of course, i would grab my wallet, mobile and mp3. All docs were kept in a secured area.

14. How often do you read books? Books...when i am on the train. And i have to take the train to enjoy myself weekly. But i read newspaper daily though.

15. Do you think more about the past, present or future?Never look back. Look forward. What you do for today writes the story for tomorrow.

16. What is your favorite children's book? Doubt i have any. Cos adult romance novel and classical novel rules my reading habit since i was a kid. Ronald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory should be the accurate answer right?

18. How tall are you?178. Switch the 7 and 8 and you get Samuel L Jackson's 187. :P

19. Where is your ideal house located?An apartment in town, where there are nice and cheap eateries within my reach, must have a supermart, a pub, a decent video rental store. And shopping mall at stone's throw away.

20. Last person you talked to?Angus.

22. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?What is that? We had Seoul Garden thoguh.

23. What are your keys on your key chains for?House keys, bunk key and letterbox.

24. What did you do last night?Sleep.

25. Where is your current pain at?No money... =(

26. Do you like mustard?Ketchup and Thai Chilli Sauce Please. (Asian Answer.) Mayonese please. (International answer)

27. Do you like your mom or dad?I Do I Do.

28. How long does it take you in the shower? At home? 10 mins. Need to clean my face...

29. What movie do you want to see right now? OMG...Volver, El Laberinto Del Fauno, Babel, The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, Apocalypto, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Snowcake, Notes on a Scandal, The Good German, Dreamgirls, Little Children, Breaking and Entering, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Namesake, Fur: An Imaginary Potrait of Diane Arbus...And the list can go on and on...but no more Korean films.

30. Do you put lotion on your dog or cats?Applying lotion on cats and dogs = throwing money into the drain.

31. What did you do for New Year's Eve?Countdown and alcohol with Lawrence and Jess.

32. Do you think The Grudge was scary?The Grudge is crap. Real life situations around you and me are scarier than Ju On.

33. Do you own a camera phone?I am addicted to cam-whoring now. Yes!!!

34. What's the last letter of your middle name?I

35. Who did you vote for on American Idol? I rather spend more $$$ on nice looking shirts and branded shoes than throwing $$$ to someone i never knew.

36. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?7...pathetic.

37. Do you like care bears?How i love bears!!

38. Do you know how to play poker?nah.

39. Do you wear your seatbelt?I don't own a car. So can someone explain the existence of seatbelt?

40. What do you sleep in?Bed. And occassionally floor.

41. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?Post X'mas and New Year Sale. Celio, here i come!

42. Is your tongue pierced?I can go pierce my ear, but never my tongue.

43. Whose is the funniest person you know?I let you guess...

44. Do you like funny or serious people better?A Bit of both to spice up my life.

46. Did you eat a cookie today?I think i rather have bread. Oh yes, had an apple strudel after a swim.

47. Do you use cuss words in other languages?No need to curse. My words hurts.

48. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?Common sense tells you the answer.

49. When was the last time you said 'i love you' and meant it?The magic word is too dangerous for me to use.

51. Is your cell usually on vibrate or ring?Both, loud and hard.

52. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend?I am greedy. I want both.

Well people, we had finally kissed 2006 goodbye. And welcomed 2007 with open arms.

Here's a quick recount of my last 168 hours before the arrival of 2007:

Mon: X'mas. Lonely X'mas. That's all i can say.

Tue to Thurs: drag my body to Mowbray for lesson.

Fri: Gotten my RP Cert. Now an official RP. YAY!!!

Sat: Post X'mas shopping in town. But before that, catch Lie With Me at Yangtze. (Again? Must be mad huh??) Shopped for a wallet at Topman and a Arena swimming trunk. Yeah, kinda f***ing narcassist by getting branded trunks and briefs. And kinda show off for expensive taste.

Sun: Countdown at Vivocity. The trio (the same old trio that consist of me, Lawrence and Jess. What a pity Clarence did not join in. ) had a dinner at Kim Gary Restaurant in Vivo. (Oh yes! Kim Gary has finally reached here. Too bad for people like Lawrence who goes for XXL portion, the pricing of the dishes sets him back from getting more.) The quality of the food is there, but for the same price sold in Singapore, you can get 2 serving in M'sia. Jess and i had Baked Chicken Chop with Cheese rice in Bamboo steamer while Lawrence had Chicken, Fish and Pork Chop with Veggies with Fries. OMG...I think, i am fantasizing on the 4 chicks in Sex and the City.

Especially Sarah Jessica Parker.

Imagine we are dining in Kim Gary Mid-Valley Megamall:

Jess: The same old usual Bamboo Rice Steamer with Chicken Chop and Cheese Set Meal

Me: Same as her, but i will add in Yun-Yeung (combination of tea and coffee and milk and sugar) and thick toast with peanut butter and condense milk.

Lawrence: What he had in Vivo + Thick toast + Fries + Fried Chicken Wing?? (Hehe bro. Sorry if this is true/false!)

Special Apperance of Tash: any a la carte dishes with 2 ice lemon tea. :P

After dinner was a one way direction to GV Vivocity, for Lawrence and i decided to catch the 1.30am show of Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat: Cultural Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhastan. Yes, the title is freaking long, but the duration is freaking short.

At the box office counter...

Me: Hi, i would like to have 2 tix to 1.30am show of Borat, please.

Counter staff (who look like a 17 yr old to me): Uh can i have your IC please? Please be reminded that this is an R21 show.

Me: Yes, i do know about it.

Staff: How many people are going for the show?

Me: 2.

Staff: May i know who is going for the show?

Me: (My jaws almost dropped. No, it should be my pants almost dropped off)

I turned to Lawrence and we showed our 11B to the staff.

Staff: Well, i have to check for the age, if not i will kana leh. (Kana means get it.)

Me: Is it true that there are tonnes of underage who wants to catch Borat?

Staff: Ya lah, but they are not supposed to watch it anyway. Anyway, just show your IC to the staff before entry.

Seems that forbidden fruit always taste sweeter, especially to the youths.

We made a turn to Level 3 of Vivocity, and headed straight to Countdown at Vivocity. And i just found out that the pre-celebration performance sucks. You can see it for yourself if you feel that Mediacorp's programme is getting from bad to worst.

And as the clock tick-tock itself away, we have reached 2007!!!

Audience began to leave the amphitheatre when S'pore Idol cum TP student (or TP graduate?) Hady began to sung George Michael's Freedom 90. As a fan of Georgie boy, that was...

We left and head down to Pacific Coffee Company for a Coffee.

Ah...love the idea that Pacific provides alfresco dining with those lovely rattan seats and sofas. All of a sudden, i feel that i was in the Eden of Coffee Plantation. Soon, Americano, Snapple and Caramel Latte with that utterly sinful chocolate cake and 2 almond crossiants filled the table. A wee hour coffee/tea time?? Hehe.

1.30am was the time for that outrageous comedy by the Briton actor who made himself famous for the role of Ali G. And the hall was filled with laughter of dirty acts, dirty jokes, tonnes of craps and...you can imagine.

It was 3.15am by the time we step out of the theatre, and thus it began what Lawrence called, the Route March. I add in: without full battle order. (well, full battle order simply means a soldier carrying his rifle with his skeletal battle order and his heavy fieldpack.)

And the route march began from St James Power Station...

Passing by Tanjong Pagar train station...

Walked passed Happy, the gay pub that is closing its door on the last day of 2006...

Cut through Chinatown, heading down to Clarke Quay. Saw youths sleeping outside McDonald's Chinatown Point...

More people sleeping on the road towards Clarke Quay...

Cut through Clarke Quay, stopped by a convenient store, bought Red Bull, walked further down towards the Parliament Hall...

More people sleeping outside the Parliament Hall...

Passed by St Andrew's Cathedral, decided to see the sunrise at Espalande...

Walked through the underground towards Esplanade, and saw more people sleeping...

Head towards Esplanade, and saw more people getting drunk, sleeping, fighting, fishing at Marina Area...

Saw the location of the upcoming Ferris Wheel at Marina Bay...

Walked towards Kallang River. Take a break, and enjoyed the view of the river...

Saw National Stadium, and walked towards Geylang Double Lorong...

And stopped for breakfast at Yong He doughstick and Soy Milk eatery.

It was 7am by the time we had breakfast and we go separate ways for home. Lawrence on a bus, and me, a train. Saw tonnes of youths waiting to go home on a train. Youths that party outside for hours...

Goodbye 2006. Hello 2007...

p.s: Lawrence n Jess, if you happened to saw this blog, just to tell you that i enjoyed the night. Thanks for the night! Without the 2 of youth, New Year would never be the same again. =)