Paranormal Activity

So I decided to watch Paranormal Activity after in possession of the film for >1/2 a year (I first heard it in Oct '09). Actually I only thought about watching it after the trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 came out. Ppl whom  I'd mentioned the film to, well, I think most of them had already watched it and their feedbacks were...

..they fast forwarded through the boring bits and just looked out for the scary scenes ~duh

Because it was meant to be home video aka documentary style, there were indeed some boring dialogue parts. Anyway I was determined not to do any fast forwarding so I could actually listen to them talking and better understand the whole movie. I wasn't looking for some cheap scare, no sir, I wasn't. Not went I was sitting about 2-3 feet away from the screen just to be safe.

[spoilers beware]

In truth the film isn't really that frightening. First, you don't actually see the "thing", its just the happenings that convinces you there is a "thing" there. Slamming doors, blinking lights, swaying chandelier..you get the drift. But of course if I had had experienced any one of the above, trust me I would not be staying there for 2 weeks trying to capture it on camera! And just 2 person in an entire house...BIG mistake. 

The most creepy for me would be the leg-pulling scene. Totally unnerving.

Also I din particularly like the part Micah showed Katie something he found about some Dianne who was possessed in the 60s. How on earth was he able to find a clip of the girl chewing her own arm off? An no one to stop her but just continued recording away? Disturbing yes but didn't really make sense. 

When I was done, a friend asked me how it was and mentioned something that I had no idea at all. I was like "Uh, no I never saw that scene..maybe you saw something "extra"?" *nervous laughter

Turns out there are actually 3 different endings to the same movie! There's the original ending (which I watched), the theatrical ending (by Spielberg), and then there's another with some throat-slitting. If you'd only watched one, I recommend watching all 3 just for the fun of it *winks

How this low budget film is one of the biggest scare in America beats me. They should watch more Asian horror films and I don't mean those American-remakes. Perhaps Paranormal Activity 2 might overcome that since I saw something in there.

Still, you won't catch me filming anything at night anytime soon....

My Rating:

Wish

Toy Story 3

certainly does not fail to entertain. Plus there's a little Spanish number to spice things up.

And at the end of it all, it makes you wanna go home and give your toys a pat on the heads, your teddies a hug and a squeeze, your barbie(s) a stroke or 2 of her long silky hair...

Oh, but wait. 

You recall most if not all of them are already in the incinerator...

C'est la vie.

My Rating:

Byousoku 5 centimeter

"It's the speed cherry blossom petals fall at. They fall at five centimeters per second.  

Rain falls at five centimeters per second. Clouds fall at one centimeter per second."

One of the best anime movie I have ever seen. A favorite.

Some doors are not meant to be opened

Watched Coraline over the weekend and I loved it!

It's a stop-motion horror-fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's novel. I can't recall where I first read about it but I knew right away I wanted to watch it. I even had the urge to buy the book beforehand but refrained myself as it was a pretty slim book but not with a "slim" price tag.

(Did I mention I'm quite a fan of Neil Gaiman's works and already own 4 of his books? I've also read the 1st volume of his famous Sandman series and would love to read more. No to forget liking his novel-turned-movie aka Stardust too.)

At first I thought Coraline would be somewhat the imagination of Coraline herself ala Pan's Labyrinth (which I also find very interesting) as they both shared similar secret-door-plots. Turned out it was all very real for Coraline. Refreshing indeed.

The stop-motion work looked super complicated but the outcome awesome; so much so that Coraline was a nominee of the Best Animated Feature in the 2009 Oscar. The story is well woven and you can totally feel the excitement, the awe, the funnies, and definitely the creepiness. I don't think I can look at rag dolls with buttons for eyes the same way again!

They even made the film in 3D but too bad I don't remember where I chucked my cardboard 3D glasses from  some Bug-Magazine heydays (Can anyone remember what the magazine was called? Came with pieces of fluorescent spider parts with each volume and you'd build yourself a giant fluorescent spider...) Anyways, what I wanted to say was I wouldn't mind re-watching it in 3D ☺

Lastly may this film be a warning to all; don't go opening secret, sealed doors -- if there were nothing to hide, they wouldn't have been sealed off in the first place!

And here's the trailer for you:

My Rating:

Thanks For The Tip

We've all heard of horror stories of what might go into your food - or where your food might have been to before ending on your table - if you so much as irked the person who served you...

Let me tell you; they are TRUE! 

So don't ever be nasty to them, just sit at the designated tables rather than insisting on some "feng-shui" table with a big RESERVED sign on it already.

I've never worked in the service line but apparently according to Dublanica, each server even the kitchen staff have their life-stories. No one in their mind would have imagined themselves working as a permanent waiter/waitress in their late-thirties to begin with.

Even the customers have theirs too. Don't think for a second there's no one else hearing in on your conversations in a restaurant. Of course, they're probably unintentional. Still don't be mentioning about killing someone either *winks

Oh, if you think you have some tricks up your sleeves to earn a free meal or some compensations by feigning food poisoning, think again. 

If you're sure you're not being ripped off during special occasions like Valentine's Day, then just recall if you'd ever had a special Valentine's Day meal that tasted superbly delicious? No? Then you'd been ripped off!

The food many kitchens prepare on that holiday are often items they make only a couple of times a year. If your chef hasn't had the practice of making the same dish day in and day out, your entree's probably going to taste like...

And the biggest myth of all; you know how we always joked that we'll just wash the dishes if we do not have money to pay the bill, haha it will never happen!

P/S: The book comes with  tips on how to be a good customer, ways to tell if you're working in a good restaurant, details to spot to raise an alarm about the cleanliness of a restaurant, and etc.

My Rating:

1 day to Eat, 3 days to Pray, 5 days to Love

That's the time I took to finish reading each part. It started out really exciting with lot's of fun and humor but somehow it ended sounding a tad too good to be true and too "self-help-y" (hence the slowed down in the page turning rate)

I loved her days spent in Italy without a care and just enjoying the moments, eating good food and discovering the place. The descriptions of Piazza Barberini (been there), the passionate albeit cursing crowd at a football match (done that - twice), the beauty of Italian language and the humor she injected in her sentences made life sounded so wonderful that anyone would want to pack their bags and fly off immediately to join her (provided they have the $$ of course).

Okay, I might be a little over-excited since I'd been to Rome and absolutely loved the place. So it's not wonder I gobbled up the pages in a day. Perhaps the expectation was what caused the downfall.

Off she flew to India next where she spent her days meditating and practicing yoga. All the peace and quiet and serenity went down well with me though somehow it was not as gripping. Call me cynical but I wonder if one can really encounter all the goodness of being found, of feeling nirvana and achieving enlightenment in a short span of 3-4 months. And the way she told it, seemed like she was the chosen one to begin with. 

Her days in Bali were kinda draggy, living the high life similar to an expat retiree. Yet something was missing. Everything in life was just falling perfectly in place for her. Too perfect. And yes, she found love....

Still it's a pretty decent read. Who doesn't want to imagine taking a year off just for self-discovery, right? If you can't do it, then read about it. It has also been made into a movie, starring Julia Roberts...

*detours to check out trailer

Looks interesting - which trailer doesn't - but even though I started out looking forward to watching it the cinema, I guess I will have to see what happens when it happens ☺

My Rating:

Lost No More

The curtain has finally fallen after 6 roller-coaster years. But not before giving the chance for almost all the characters to take a final bow with many-a-bittersweet moments.

Things weren't always how they were perceived to be. Not everything made perfect sense.

There was drama, there were surprises, shocks. Mostly there were a lot of tears.

And I'm glad it ended the way it did. Because if this is where we all are headed, then The End might not be so bad afterall...

P/S: Now just let The Vampire Diaries, etc start back already!

Playlist on a rainy Saturday morning

1. Dong Yu Zhe - Ai Yu Bu Ai
2. Zhang Hao - qi shi wo ye bu zhi dao (xing guang da dao)
3. Timbaland (feat. Katy Perry) - If We Ever Meet Again
4. Sam Tsui - Run
5. Glee - Total Eclipse of the Heart
6. Lee Shen Jie - Bu Wan Mei
7. Zhou Hua Jian - Rang Wo Huan Xi Rang Wo Yu
8. lee shen jie - yan di xin kung
9. Su Da Lv - xiao qing ge
10. Lisa Wang - man sui qin shan zhong shi cheng
11. Jay Chou - Pu Gong Ying De Yue Ding
12. Fish Leong - hui hu xi de tong
13. lee shen jie - zhui jin
14. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane

A white lie a day, takes you a long way

Read an article in the papers this morning and found it rather interesting :)

Folks are divided when it comes to white lies. Some say it is still a lie, and lying is never good. Others said it's called a white lie (instead of blue/red) in the first place because of its purity - to benefit others. To avoid upsetting people or hurting someone's feelings.

Now who hasn't told a white lie before? I would be lying (and mind you, it will not be white) if I said I've never told one. Sometimes the circumstances call for it. To avoid any unpleasant/awkward situations. To be polite especially when the other party is a not-so-close acquaintance. As long as it not some life or death thingy or could lead to something reckless and utterly dangerous, right?

During the festive season, people tend to ask: "Do I look pretty in my new dress?" or "Like my new shirt?" Some people might not look good in certain clothes, but because everyone is in a joyous mood, why spoil it by saying something nasty. Naturally, we'll say: "It looks nice on you."

What about to friends? Are you not a true friend if you tell a white lie to a close friend? I've read a lot about how a real friend is someone who is honest with you. and who will not hesitate to correct you. But I believe you can't just go blaring your opinion especially not in the presence of others. So if you happen to be in a situation in a public place, you might just have to resort to a little white lie, don't you think?

I'd rather tell white lies than end up having more enemies than friends with my brutal honesty about everything under the sun.

What if it happens to you? Would you rather hear a white lie or get the uncut/uncensored honesty regardless how bad it might be? Remember not everyone are good with words so they can't be giving you constructive criticism i.e. give you a less-stingy version all the time. I don't have a definite side for this. I guess for me it'll have to be case by case basis. 

And my personal belief: Don't ever go asking people whether your outfit looks good or not.  (lol!)

So the question is, would you lie if it can do more good than harm?

I see light

It's sights like these that made walking on foot across Rome oh-so-worthy..

The Pantheon - The temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings

Ip Man 2

I reviewed the first (recap here) so how can I not review the second. Truth be told, I'd become a fan after the first hence I do not need to think twice about watching the sequel in  the cinema. And indeed, Ip Man does not disappoint.

The 2nd installment picks up where the first left off i.e Ip Man escaped the Japanese occupation  and fled to Hong Kong. Still believing in his passion to spread the awareness for Chinese culture through the art of Wing Chun, Ip Man decides to open up a martial art school there. However in a mostly poverty-stricken Hong Kong back in the days under the ruling of the British empire, everything goes smoothly only when there are money exchanging hands. Being a man of principles, you can bet Ip Man does not bow to such intimidations (also because he's broke to the core, practically giving free lessons to his disciples!)

It's not an action movie if there are no fight scenes involved. Once again the fight scenes are great, the humors are not out of place, the plot engaging, the scenes - happiness, sadness, laughter, tears, loss, triumph - moving and well captured. Best of all the final fight is so much more satisfying this time around. The soundtrack is mesmerizing and goes well with the story too.

Also Donnie Yen brings so much into the character. His expressionless face portrays the hidden pain that his humble character suffers and he lets his actions speak for him. Honestly, I cannot think of any other actor out there who can fill in that shoes. However I just read that Tony Leung is working on a film "The Grand Master" and guess what, he will be playing Ip Man too. For someone without martial arts background but nonetheless a talented/hardworking actor (he broke his arm learning Wing Chun!) I wonder if he will be able to meet the high expectation already set by Yen. We shall have to wait and see...

But Jay Chou playing Bruce Lee in Ip Man 3? That I don't want to be seeing. Regardless how I look  forward to an Ip Man trilogy, I would rather they end it right here and now rather than spoiling it by bringing in Jay Chou just to churn more money. What do you think?

Lastly, compare to the first movie Ip Man 2 is a bit more unrealistic with some gravity-defying stunts though it still manages to have the audience gripping the edge of their seats.

My Rating:

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today

Won this from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways about a month or two back and it was an e-book. Honestly, I hardly read e-books as I prefer the old conventional of holding on to a paperback or hardcover and flipping the pages. Don't even get me started on the joy of getting lost in bookstores..

Anyway, I realize e-book has its advantages too. Now I can read during lunch breaks without the hassle of bringing a book around. Thanks to smartphone apps, I can even save and read it on the go if the storyline ever gets too good to put down. And there you go, finished the book in no time ☺

In Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, an unsolved murder case caught Kris Langley's attention and she felt the need to investigate due to some past guilt of her own. The plot is interesting, the characters believable and the settings realistic. And creatively, Stacy Juba manage to weave Greek myths into the story which was a suprise when I came to it. A pleasant one nonetheless seeing that I am a fan of Greek mythology myself. I like how she relate the discovery of the murderer in the end to the myth. I'm not too fond of the romance part though as it felt too sudden but no major harm done. An enjoyable read throughout.

My Rating:

"Edward Sebenarnya Pontianak"

Stumbled on the article a week ago and I immediately laughed out loud at that sentence. Apparently, Edward-the-sparkly-vampire novels had been translated into the Malay language. Senjakala; that's Twilight for you (New Moon is Cinta Baru.)

In case you don't know, pontianak means a female vampire. In Malay lore, pontianak is a woman who died during childbirth and all the Malay horror movies portray a pontianak as a pretty woman in a kebaya during the day and a creature with long black hair in a long white dress with a hideous face by night.

Bella did not fare any better. Her reference to the Indian reservation was translated as "penempatan masyarakat Red Indian." Sounds so lame, don't you think?

These remind me of the Malay title translations or subtitles for non-Malay movies in the cinema. Some of the title translations are downright hilarious! Sometimes I wonder if they put the text into some translation software and just reuse the results without even a second look. Imagine if you were to hear a handsome character confessing his love to the female protagonist; "I love you with all my heart" being translated into "Saya cinta kamu dengan sepenuh jantungku" ! True , heart literally means jantung but most of the time hati is used to represent the heart (Though this brings us to a similar case of translating from Malay to English - hati means LIVER in English!)

According to the article, Harry Potter series too have been translated into Malay. However at least instead of coming up with some word that did not make sense, a new word was added. An example given was centaur (English) and sentora (Malay).

Ever encounter such funny translations? Share them ;)

Stalked

Lieutenant Jonathan Stride knows his partner Maggie Bei is in trouble when she reports a deadly crime on a bitter winter night.
Maggie's obviously hiding a terrible secret, but she isn't the only one. A seductive young woman has disappeared, leaving behind a trail of lurid fantasies and a cryptic message.

With his lover Serena Dial - a homicide cop turned private investigator - Stride uncovers a sordid web of violence and voyeurism that someone is willing to kill to keep hidden.

But as they hunt for a killer, a predator with a vicious past is hunting them. Now every step they take brings them closer to a showdown amid howling winds and blinding snow. Where survival is measured in seconds. Where crimes can be buried for ever.

Finished reading the book over the long weekend and it did take quite a chunk of time off from my series chasing. When I bought the book, I didn't know it was the 3rd book in his series of Jonathan Stride but good thing was you can read the book like a standalone without knowing the history. A fast-pace page turner. Found myself covering more chapters in a seating than intended.

Overall interesting plot and twists but not so much character development. I didn't find myself attached to the characters perhaps because I did not start from book1. Reading it somehow made me thought of The Lovely Bones - it involves a similar crime. The people you know could be wearing masks and you're horrified when the unthinkable happens.

Kids, be aware of strangers. But when you're an adult, who should you be wary of?

My Ratings: