fjords!!!

Just a quickie trip to Norway till Tuesday...

Till then, adios!

Why don't you all F-F-F.....

Truly, Rock and roll never dies.

The oldest and "greatest" rock band in the world - meet The Zimmers and their
amazing cover of The Who's "My Generation". Lead singer Alf is 90 - it's quite something when he sings "I hope I die before I get old". And he's not the oldest - there are 99 and 100-year-olds in the band!

The Zimmers will feature in a BBC TV documentary being aired in May 2007. Documentary-maker Tim Samuels has been all over Britain recruiting isolated and lonely old people - those who can't leave their flats or who are stuck in rubbish care homes.
The finale of the show is this group of lonely old people coming together to
stick it back to the society that's cast them aside - by forming a rock troupe
and trying to storm into the pop charts.

Some massive names from the pop world have thrown their weight behind The Zimmers... The song is produced by Mike Hedges (U2, Dido, Cure), the video shot by Geoff Wonfor (Band Aid, Beatles Anthology), and it was recorded in the legendary Beatles studio 2 at Abbey Road.

What can I say ... wow! Rock's no.1 anthem sang by the old fogies.

Anyways, here's The Who's live performance.... you can really see why they brought live rock to a new level .....



Why don't you all F-F-F ....

Greece photos

ok ok here they are, nearly 500 of them haha. Well I wanted to pick out some, but in the end, just upload all la.

hopefully I didn't upload any of the "x rated" stuff hah!

Greece

thats me at the black sand beach in Santorini ...

We're so lucky ...

I guess, for the one certain good thing out of the Greece trip, was that we had just missed a ferry cruise accident off Santorini just yesterday. So, count your blessings ...

είμαι πίσω - I'm back

I just got back from Greece! and what a place it was ..... finally away from the chill of london to the sun and the sea of Greece.

Just like Rome, this place has managed to strike me as wonderfully fascinating. It's no secret why Greece national colours are blue and white; the deep blue sea and the abundance of white marble everywhere! (even the wiring casing is in marble ... go figure)

Its really a nice getaway, the island hopping. Perhaps the only slight regret was not spending enough time on the islands itself (We only spent 2 days in Crete, 1 in Santorini, 1+ in Naxos) ... but I sure enjoyed myself there. 9 days away from the hustle and bustle of city life, no internet, no school, making it a really serene trip. Anyways, here's just some tips for whoever's interested to go Greece next.

Athens - 2 days is more than enough. Just make sure to see the Acropolis, esp the Parthenon. you will be wowed. Other than that, Athens is just a typical city.

Crete - Island that is bigger than Singapore. I think a minimum of 3 days is necessary if you want to explore the entire island. We only managed to cover the Palace of Knossos and some beaches, but the town itself is really nice to walk through. Of course, rent a car for travelling around. You could try to bargain to under 30 euros a day.

Santorini - The legendary Santorini. At least 2 days minimum there, with a car of couse. A car just makes it so much more accessible, and more freedom for yourselves. 20 Euros a day only... in fact I think a jeep may be worth considering to access to dirt tracks which leads to beaches. It was so fun driving around and stopping whenever we wanted. Of yeah, of course, we went during the pre-peak season .... the streets will be super packed towards end of April, and all the shops will be open in full. When I went, only a couple of shops were open; most of them were still painting their chairs for the tourist season. Stayed at Anny Studios at Perissa Beach, where the black sand beach was just in front of the hostel! and its a studio ie. kitchen, toilet, aircon. swimming pool. all for under 10 euro per night per person. how good is that! (I think these are pre-season prices tho). Anyways, IA, the sunset point, is said to be marvellous... unfortunately it was cloudy for the evening we were there. Otherwise, I think it could be really beautiful, with the red sun setting against the white walls and blue roofs of Santorini. Oh... Santo!

Naxos - Was so windy the days we were there, and calm when we left. Oh wells. Get a car too! (Apollon car rentals are REALLY good. cheap n good service!) Its about the same size as Santo, key attraction is the unfinished temple of Apollo. But I think the real unsaid attractions of these islands are really the views from the mountain tops, vast boundless blue horizons, clear white sky, rolling hills and such a laid back lifestyle. The Mediterranean is really beautiful! Windmill Naxos Studios is another fantastic and cheap place to stay, and its just next to the town main square and beach.

I guess I'm thankful for the good accoms (well, generally) that I had during the trip, as well as deciding to rent cars for the islands, which gave us so much more to see and enjoy. I'm definitely darker now, thank goodness, after a bit of suntanning! heh. Shiok.

And the company of course ... much thanks to Joanne and Binghao!

Ok. 18 days time, 4 exams and 2 essays to hand in. heh.

The Girlfriend

This must be the best use of a montage sequence in an ad.

Bites of Life II - Jealousies of the 1st Century

The weaver Successus loves the innkeeper's slave girl, Iris by name. She doesn't care for him, but he begs her to take pity on him. Written by his rival. So long.

[Answer by Successus] Just because you are bursting with envy, don't pick on a handsomer man, a lady-killer and a gallant.

[Answer by the first writer] There's nothing more to say or write. You love Iris, who doesn't care for you.

Carving on walls of Pompeii bar, pre-AD79

Bites of Life I - Hush hush

"Thank you for the flowers", she said
"and I'm sorry for the things I said".
As we forgave over loving hours,
I thought, "What fucking flowers?"

-Anonymous scrawling on toilet door

Wow.

Call it exploitation of kids or whatever, still, this is a really decent cover of one of my fav rock songs ever! rock on, kids!

P.S. I'm not sure if they can handle the groupies at that pre-puberty age! heh.


The Flaming Monkeys (Live @ Rockstock) - Rock and Roll (Led Zep Cover)

Montag

So, quite a weekend (though I had absolutely no part in any of this)

AC Milan lost in the local derby 2-1. damn.
Chelsea (just next door) played a thrilling 3-3 derby with Tottenham.
Lionel Messi scores a wonderful hattrick against Barcelona, also 3-3 in the Spanish derby.
Federer lost in 1st round of the Pacific Life Open ... winning streak gone! But he'll be back, I'm sure.

Hostelworld offered me a GoldCard membership for free. ie I do not have to pay for booking fees on the site from now onwards. Wow. machiam so elite. I think I get the msg la, that I've been travelling too much. Now make me gian to book more hostels, cos there's no booking fee! Summer term plans hehe.

Oh. and its just 2 weeks more, to Greece! Beaches and babes, are you ready for me?


(and 1 more week to my humanities exams, which weirdly I'm really looking forward to it heh)

woke up to the sound of pouring rain ....

eyes blinked and the heavens poured.

damn leak.

O the Horror!

does my alcohol bottles offend you? pt II

Ah. Quite efficient, the accoms office is. Just yesterday after lodging a complain about my door, they came today to repair it! and of cos with a small reminder to clear my bottles and balcony ... just tidy up the place. 2 reminders in fact.

plus they are coming on Monday to do a thorough spring cleaning of my room.

plus a deal sweetener of 10pounds voucher to spend for meals in college. wow.

that can get me about ... 5 sandwiches? =)

does my alcohol bottles offend you?

Some lady from the accoms office knocked on my door today. Very polite and all.

Turns out that the hall, which normally rents out rooms during the summer when the students aren't around, is looking for a room to do those 360° panaromic sweep to put on their website. And they chose my room.


Lady: "Hi Mr Chen. We would like to use your room to do those 360° sweep, and we're wondering if you're ok with it?"

Me: "Sure. Just let me know when the day arrives, so I can tidy up my room."

"Ok. Oh and here's a checklist"

I read .......
nice curtains, neat and tidy, no clutter. check.
Bright bed Linen. Hmmm. mine's rather colour un-coordinated
No electrical equipment such as rice cooker ...etc as they are banned equipment. Hmm. I have a cooker.
Check posters are presentable. Hmm. Is a Godfather poster presentable?
Check to make sure shelves do not contain anything that is offensive eg alcohol bottles.




Does my alcohol bottles offend you?



hurhur. Anyways, should be interesting to watch them when they film my room. Well, whatever floats their boat.

On another thought, maybe I will get better housekeeping from them, at least before the shoot. The door handle just happens to need repairing... and there's still the case of the missing laundry basket....

Wise Words

Right down the line
Its been you and me

And lovin a music man
Aint always what its supposed to be

-Steve Perry

More than a War Movie

I just watched Flags Of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood. It's a recently released film, showing the story of the flag raisers at Iwo Jima for WWII, and how the American govt used, no, exploited the flag raisers to promote a money drive for the war effort.

But you probably already know that.

This is not just a typical war movie. It's not some war movie based on fictional characters, fighting against stereotyped bad guys and saving the world, becoming heroes in the meantime. It's also not just about how a picture about a flag being raised swung the war to the American's side. It's about soldiers who never saw themselves as heroes but thrown into the spotlight nevertheless to serve a 'higher purpose'.

Now, some of my friends who watched it do call it a little boring at times, or perhaps irritated by the constant flashbacks, certainly a unconventional portrayal of war movies. But they all agreed at least, that it was a meaningful show. The switching scenes of the 3 men in the battlefield juxtaposed with their shoulder bumping with the D.C. bigwigs back home, only serves to highlight the superficial packaging of the war to the American public, and how everything seems to be a show rather than what war really is -- a passage of excessive horror.

And the one scene, where Bradley drove past a limping and exhausted Ira Hayes, was so symbolic, no? (I suppose ever since I got into Film class I've been taking a different approach towards movies) It does seem that Eastwood was making an anti-war statement, however, I leave that up to you to decide for yourself.

What got me thinking, is something which I've already knew, was that the fact that the rifleman on the ground fighting the war, was only fighting because of his fellow men beside him. Because the person next to him was willing to give up his life for him, and vice versa. Band of Brothers drove home that point to me. And it got me thinking, because in the world today, with information being so widely accessible, should the riflemen know the real agenda behind their govt's decision for war, would they still have fought, or would they have deserted?

Imagine in Roman Antiquity, when civil war broke out. I personally don't think the foot soldiers knew what the Republic really represented. Were they fighting for the Republic, or a new era under the Empire? No, in all probabilty, they were fighting for their general, and their fellow legionnaire beside him, for promises of fertile lands and pillaging of provinces. Or going even further back, (even if a myth), would the Spartans have invaded Troy if they knew it was because their bum of a king lost his wife to a pretty boy Trojan?

So what are today's soliders fighting for?

To protect their country? To protect the entire world? For democracy? For their religion? For $? How much of their own beliefs are actually aligned to that of their government's?

What are you fighting for?

This film turns out to be more provoking than I thought. If you want to be entertained, go catch a Jackie Chan or a Owen Wilson. If you rather watch a docu-film, or a war movie, this movie is a must catch.

Eastwood, to his credit, has not only made this film from the American perspective. He made a complementary film called Letters from Iwo Jima, showing the war from the Japanses perspective. It's in Jap of course. And I'm in anticipation of it. Perhaps after watching Flags, you will too.

Photos !

Heh better post up some pics before I forget!

Snow in London! One fine morning I woke up and there was snow! quite rare. This would be the 1st of 2 times I seen it in London thus far...

Snow in London

Paris -- Went there with Teresa for a weekend getaway. Did the touristy route with Lourve and Eiffel and Arc etc ... then we ended up just walking the streets of Paris and soaking up the atmosphere. Really nice place =)

Paris Feb 07

Arsenal VS Cardiff City (FA Cup Youth Q/F)
Final score Arsenal 3 Cardiff 2
Cost to watch: 3 pounds only! heh.
Went with Lap and Alex... really worth the $. Sure I dont get to see the big names like Henry but the youths are no pushovers either. Fran Merida perhaps? Enjoyed myself throughly!

emirates

Happy Chinese New Year to all!

hello everybody!

Just here to say Happy CNY to everyone. Gong Xi Fa Cai and Wan Shi Ru Yi.

been quite a bz week leading up to the CNY... 1st with Hwa Chong night last Saturday at Marriott which was quite a blast, for I met up with quite some old friends and was reminded of many JC fond memories... then the hall's CNY meal on Monday where we got catered food from a chinese restaurant. Then V-day next on Wednesday, had yummy seafood at Back to Basics with the girl. Singsoc also organised on Thurs a CNY dinner at this chinese restaurant called Harbour City where the Singaporeans took up 2 storeys of the entire restaurant. Wow.

And then there was today, where the Singaporeans of Evelyn Gardens and Friends came upon our not quite humble common room and had a smashing time steamboating. Me for one is a steamboat guy la... Miss it so much from home. Too much food today heh, but I'm sure all of us had our pick of nice foods, be it Kenneth's spring rolls, the collaborated wantons, or Cheryl's delicious desserts. Had a mini drinking session later where we played Avalanche again heh, and realised its nothing more than just an excuse to finish a liqour drink. (Drink! awww... drink one !) Never really had much alcohol during CNYs to be honest, other than beer at relative's places. Blackjack game never came to fruition, and not even Hold'em. oh wells. can't recover the mj losses from the previous night then.

Called home earlier just now, such a joy to hear the family's voices even though its just for 3 mins and hearing all the wake-up grogginess of everyone. Of course a little homesickly (who wouldn't on CNY?), but generally the pple around me, esp Tere, have been making it really comfy & homely here. Guess at the end of the day, we've all gotta cherish the times we have with our loved ones, whether it be family or friends, rather then miss the times with regret once we're not with them.

Still having said that, it's so heartwarming to be in amongst so many Singaporeans on such an occasion, and I'm thankful for everyone who made it a quite simple and successful affair. I'm sure we all had fun heh =)

And oh yeah, of course, there was the little thing of 2 men running around topless at Evelyn Gardens, but I suppose that's a post for another time ....

Space Oddity Animation

Suddenly thought of this song by David Bowie, one of my all time favs. I remember seeing this animation once about a year back, and I wasn't feeling too good that day, but this vid certainly cheered me up. There's something about Bowie...

Here's the link, Enjoy!

Martin Scorsese's Sesame Streets

As a follow up to Ducktales Heat, I chanced upon this spoof of Martin Scorsese's shows, using De Niro's voices (in Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Godfather etc), and incoporating Sesame Street characters. heh.

Profanity abound, and even though sometimes the syncing seems a bit off, at least compared to Ducktales, it's still not a bad effort. Quite cool la.

Enjoy



Martin Scorsese's Sesame Street