Baby Boy Ethan

For those of you who know Renata sensei, here's her blog of her new-born son Ethan.
She "popped" early this morning! =D

New Local Song

so I dun read other local "famous" blogs. cos I have my dad to send me emails like this.

Random comment

while eating at a food court yesterday, a total stranger (a cleaning auntie clearing up our plates) pointed out to me loudly that Shermaine was a good girl. How did she noe that? Cos she happened to catch her calling her dad on the phone and asking him if she wanted her to buy anything back home...
BUT
I totally agree. =D

Karanguni.com

Check this site out!

is a local online portal supporting free ad postings of almost any nature. Advertising, events, cover stories and shopping coupons will also be available on the site. Karanguni.com is only in its infant stages but it aims to become Singapore's primary trading and exchange portal.
Visitors may freely scan or search the site for virtually any product being posted, while sellers or anyone wishing to put up a posting for an event or cause may simply do a one-step login requiring only an email address.

Let's see Kim's indie website beat Yahoo! And yes, that's Genshi in the Ah Tiong ad!! lol!

Singapore Dreaming

I got this in the mail from a fren of mine from church. He's in the advertising biz, and fwded this in support of the local flick, Singapore Dreaming. Here's an appeal from the directors Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen:

---

ANOTHER PERSONAL APPEAL FROM THE DIRECTORS OF SINGAPORE DREAMING:

Dear Friends,

Have you been saying, “Oh, I’ll watch Singapore Dreaming next week”, or “Oh, I’ll catch Singapore Dreaming when I am ‘free-er’, see-how, see-how, maybe after my golf game this Sunday”, or “Maybe I will ask my friends to go with me when we next meet up for drinks, donno when”?

Well, you MUST see Singapore Dreaming NOW because after THIS WEEKEND, it probably won’t be in the cinemas anymore!

Singapore Dreaming is now entering its third week at the cinemas.

Thank you to all of you who’ve been emailing us to tell us how much you’ve been moved by our humble little indie film, and thanks to those of you who’ve been bringing your entire families, including parents and grandparents, to watch it. Your messages of support and encouragement really keep us going.

We’re doing remarkably well by Singapore indie movie standards. As you know, we’ve been getting absolutely stellar reviews:

"...the best movie this little red dot has produced in a
decade." - Neil Humphreys, TODAY

“Funny, moving, intelligent and true. Singapore Dreaming is the
best Singapore movie I’ve seen.” - Ivan Heng

“one solid movie about Singapore, about families, and about
life in our little island.” - Mr. Brown

“The most authentic and affecting Singaporean film I've ever
watched.” - Alfian Sa’at

“radiantly honest” - Catherine Lim

“它是 我& #35273;&# 24471;最 感& #20154;&# 30340;本 土& #29255;. The most moving Singaporean film
I’ve ever seen.” - Hong Minghua, Lianhe Zaobao

“a terrific film... A must watch for Singaporeans.” -
MovieXclusive. com

“The film guarantees a lot of laughs as well as deeper,
meaningful messages on love, life and relationships.” -
ChannelNewsAsia. com

“...one of Singapore’s best films ever.” - FiRST magazine

“It is life in its reality.” - President S.R. Nathan

Right now, we’ve been lucky enough to make more than other great recent local indie productions like ‘Be With Me’, ‘Love Story’, ‘Perth’ and ‘4.30’ combined. We’re even holding our own fairly well against some foreign films with bigger releases and marketing budgets. Last week, at Golden Village cinemas, we even overtook critically-acclaime d Korean blockbuster ‘The Host’.

So even though we’re not a MediaCorp Raintree or Jack Neo film, people clearly think there’s something special about Singapore Dreaming – BUT IT ISN’T ENOUGH.

Because we still can’t fight against Hollywood, and with Miami Vice and Jacky Chan’s arrival, THIS IS LIKELY TO BE OUR LAST WEEK IN CINEMAS, as we’ll be displaced to make way for the newer foreign films.

The sad truth is also that many Singaporeans are still very biased against Singaporean films. We keep hearing people say they won’t see a Singapore film no matter what. If we want to grow our own film culture rather than just copying other countries, both filmmakers and audiences need to work together and support each other.

From the feedback we’ve been receiving, we are confident that anyone who sees Singapore Dreaming will come out knowing that it’s possible to have a Singapore film that, in the words of our great theatre director Ivan Heng, is “funny, moving, intelligent and true.” But we just need audiences to take that chance and find out for themselves.

So please, if you can, tell all your friends (at least 10!) about Singapore Dreaming, and to catch it THIS WEEKEND. If you have seen it already, see it again with your parents or your children.

IF ENOUGH OF YOU COME AND WATCH IT THIS WEEKEND, MAYBE WE CAN PLAY FOR ANOTHER WEEK!

Don’t worry: those other foreign films, with their heavier marketing budget, will still be around after us.

If you value real Singapore, if you think that local talent is as worth supporting as foreign talent, if you want to see a film that says something about you in a mature and thoughtful way, then we need you to support Singapore Dreaming.

And if you’ve enjoyed our humourous pieces for the past 6 years FOR FREE on http://www.TalkingC ock.com, or came for our FREE SHOW at the Old Parliament House – then why not spare $7 or $9.50 to support Singapore Dreaming?

Local films like ours really value your ticket purchases, unlike foreign films where Singapore is only 1 out of thousands of markets. ‘Miami Vice’ or ‘Little Man’ doesn’t care if Singaporean audiences like their film, because they still have 50 other cities to go to.

But to a Singaporean film like ours, you are EVERYTHING!

Please forward this email to your friends or lists, with a personal recommendation!

Thank you for your support,

Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen
Directors, Singapore Dreaming

SINGAPORE DREAMING is now in cinemas! Here are other great reviews we have received:

“A compelling flow of stories which you won’t just identify
with. You’ll live them, you’ll dream them.” - Mr. Miyagi

“Every Singaporean will find plenty here to empathise with“ -
The Straits Times

“Just plain brilliant... don't you dare miss this” - A Nutshell
Review

"The acting manages to be both realistic and comical." - Lianhe
Wanbao

“realistic and moving” - Shin Min Daily News

“It has humour and a story that many Singaporeans will
empathise with” - UW magazine

“a terrific film... A must watch for Singaporeans.” -
MovieXclusive. com

“I’ve finally seen a Singapore film that’s genuinely moving.
And I’m not dreaming.” - Hong Minghua, Lianhe ZaoBao

Here are also some unsolicited responses from regular cinemagoers who have seen Singapore Dreaming:

http://tonywlim. multiply. com/reviews/ item/1

http://hitori. blog-city. com/singapore_ dreaming_ 1.htm

http://decayonnet. blogspot. com/2006/ 09/singapore- dreaming. html

http://www.rp. sg/articles/ 20060824001. asp

http://blog. vjc.sg/2006/ 09/18/singapore- dreaming/ #more-576

Singapore Dreaming is a realistic, touching and bitingly funny film that will make you take a closer look at yourself and your family, and what it means to be Singaporean.

The film stars award-winning actors Richard Low, Serene Chen and Lim Yu-Beng, as well as Alice Lim, Dick Su and Yeo Yann Yann in possibly the strongest acting ensemble ever assembled in Singapore film to date. It also features a powerful script by http://www.TalkingC ock.com founders Colin Goh & Woo Yen Yen.

With dialogue in English, Mandarin and Hokkien, it is also subtitled entirely in English and Mandarin.

The film is also the first and only Singapore film to be selected by the prestigious SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, where it is in competition for the Montblanc Screenwriters Award and the Altadis New Directors Award – the world’s largest film festival prize for new directors.

For more reviews, clips and information, please visit: http://www.Singapor eDreaming. com

SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS! TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT SINGAPORE DREAMING! GO SEE THE FILM NOW! THIS IS PROBABLY OUR VERY LAST WEEKEND!

----

Mebbe I'll go watch it this weekend..


EDIT:
My bad, my fren's no longer in advertising.. and I went to catch the flick on Friday. I must say, it's REALLY GOOD! It's so real, hits home and so poignant. It's not singapore satire, or just a local movie trying to make money from gags. It's not a totally abstract film-festival-wannabe film. It's just.. a great movie!
See if you can spot the "Auntie Auntie" beer bottles..

just wanted to share this:
Little Panda Sneeze

2nd Year Anniversary!

Yesterday, Shermaine and I had our 2nd year anniversary. ok.. u must be thinking, didn't they just have their FIRST year anniv?? Well, we came up with that other date because Shermaine felt that our 10 months apart wasn't like a real relationship, cos of the distance and after being together in Singapore, how much more real it has become. So this 2 year anniv is to commemorate when we got together as a couple at first, just as she left for Japan in 2004!

To celebrate this, we had our week-long "holiday" leading up to the day. Its been a long time ya dear? Just the night before last, Sherm whipped up a great Carbonara Pasta (with the self-made baco-bits and asparagus!) for us. It was GREAT! Her method ensured that the pasta tasted of the bacon and home-made sauce, even without tossing. At first taste, I could tell that this was NOT gonna be one dish that would become jerlak halfway-thru eating, SHIOK! And finally, cos of short-term finance issues, last nite we had a nice dinner at Han's (which is serving surprisingly palatable steaks still!).

Thanks Shermaine, for being the best girlfriend any guy can ask for. =D You make every gloomy day become sunshiney again!

Check out "Bentoblox.blogspot.com"

Isn't this tasty looking??

Fireworks Fest Pic

This was taken by Pritpal during the Fireworks Festival. Prit invite both Shermy and I, we went, say between some tripods, and emerged when the time of firing was upon us. Awesome isn't it?

Great Pic

Prize-winning picture taken by my buddy Pritpal Singh. I call it - Voyeur in HDB. hahaha

How different..

Just random news from a financial management master:

Buffett's quiet bliss

Financier Warren Buffett didn't flash wealth this week when he married his constant companion, Astrid Menks. The Buffetts have an unconventional history -- their closeness began years ago with the approval of Buffett's first wife, Susie, who died in 2004. But Buffett and Menks married in a simple, 15-minute ceremony performed by a local judge at his daughter's Omaha house. Afterward, the famously thrifty Buffett and his bride treated the tiny wedding party to dinner at Bonefish Grill, a casual seafood restaurant.

Its just so contrastingly different from us (us being people like us, twenty-somethings) who are looking to our own wedding and how grand we want it to be. Well, he is known to be frugal.. but also cos he's seen life enuff already I suppose. Shermy says its cos he has nothing left to prove.