I Lost My Love In Baghdad

This book is an insight into the Iraq war, you can visualize how the whole situation is like. You'll feel like its a movie but it is really happening with all the security and uncertainties issue. The danger there is very real. I would not comment if it is right or wrong about the Iraq war however it really makes you put yourself in the shoes of those over there, their emotions and what they really have to go through everyday. After all, it is not about whether it is a war against Iraq or Afghanistan, it is the whole ideology of a war and what does it really do to people. After all, is it really worth it for any cause to start a war and all the sacrifices made, do we really realize that nobody's a winner.

It is a true account of a modern war and love story. It makes you ponder does love in the modern times comes too easy? It is hard to find one that has gone through trials and tribulations, probably what our grandparents would have gone through. Here we have one that really makes your heart crunch and it is one in the modern times.

A sacrifice that was made for the better of others, a dream crushed, I'm sorry for the loss of Andi Parhamovich and I hope the world do gain a lesson from it.

A New Haunt

In contrary to the 360 cable ski park at East Coast, I've found one in Batam that's quite a good deal. Been there twice and loving it.A great place, friendly staff and people,nice scenery and good sun. Oh well, I'm still under the flops though.

The Magnificent






Our Undying Flops



I don't know whose who in here unfortunately.

Hurray Singapore

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/349592/1/.html

A long outstanding dispute, a long awaited verdict, we finally won the in the sovereignty for Pedra Branca. A great victory in deed, all Singaporeans should celebrate.

Applaud to 30 Seconds To Mars

A Beautiful Lie

Regardless if this video is just another of a kind of marketing gimmick, I'll still applaud 30 Seconds To Mars for its direction in using an environmental saving approach to conceptualize its whole music video for A Beautiful Lie. This is definitely not being I'm a fan of theirs and this being in my top 25 ipod playlist.It's much great effort taken to get out there into the cold and not working in the comfortable green screen studio with digital effect technology to get this whole thing produced. Salutes to them and it was a beautifully shot video and the cinematography of it was just breath-taking.

I certainly hope that viewers do get the main idea behind the video and not just focusing on the song and band,conserving the environment.I do believe we're nearing the peak of the global climate crisis and the threshold of what mother earth can take is just at her brim.Changes in weather patterns and surge in disasters and its magnitude.Signs are showing. Are we, humans, just going to be oblivious of what is happening and continue to indulge in our pleasures? Ultimately, we might be the one living in our beautiful lie that we painted it out,a denial that humans have sunk ourselves into all this while. Maybe its time to wake up.

Prior to this, a website worth checking out linked to it, www.abeautifullie.org, we should do our part.

Bye Bye Hollywood,

A chance upon The Niro, a songwriter singer from Italy. A different music I must say, not of indie and not too way of the acoustic. A quaint melody with strumming of guitar together with a sort of smoky voice that makes you feel like you're walking down the streets of Paris, puffing cigarette in the nice cold winter buried in your long trench coat and mufflers round your neck. One of the favourites is Hollywood.His videos has that pinch of classic,old european feel especially in About Love And Indifference with the ballerina spinning, love that.
You could probably check The Niro out at http://www.myspace.com/theniro or www.theniro.com

About Love And Indifference


Hollywood


When Your Father


On Our Hill


Liar

Death of the Singapore Shopping Scene

The Great Singapore Sale is coming, already many retail outlets are already preparing for that with all the pre-GSS sales as I saw in town this weekend. Definitely it is a time for many good buys but let's talk about variety. Singapore is being widely publicized round the globe as one of Asia's shopping paradise. The Singapore Tourism Board has always been pushing Singapore in her shopping arena,in soon to come Orchard is going to be revamped and more shopping malls coming up such as Ion and the new Orchard Central. Is our shopping scene really revitalizing? I would probably think that we are actually courting our own death if we're only using shopping to win the hearts of tourists but luckily we don't.

Let's look at all the major shopping malls at Orchard, City Hall the greatest Vivo City, does anyone actually spots any similarities? Each of all the shopping malls actually have the same few shops, from the Wing Tai Chain of Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins etc to others such as Zara, FCUK to our best seller local shoe chain, Charles & Keith and of course, the usuals such as Giordano and Bossini or Hang-Ten. Not surprisingly, we can now actually find our usuals and some slightly upmarket retail outlet right in our heartlands. We can have all the different malls around but what is the point if there is really no product differentiation among the malls. It probably boils down to globalisation with all international labels featuring on our shores but seriously not all of the same in all malls? I am sure the world doesn't just have that few big brands.Maybe the whole entrepreneurship campaign ain't that really kicking - new retailers to bring in other brands.

Besides the same few names that we see everywhere, shoppers here can be glad that places such as Far East Plaza,Haji Lane and Ann Siang still do exists, away from all the big labels, we have a handful of nice, tasteful stuff we are able to get from here if not I reckon all Singaporeans going to look the same. Well, the sale is still going on, there's still no harm to grab whatever we like in such an occasion, after all it is the Great Singapore Sale, and it does extend to more than fashion. Good Luck to all banging in on the GSS 2008 but please try to maintain your image though there may be stuff really worth fighting for!Before I forget, I must give credit to Apple for highlighting this so thank you there!

Salò

A 1975 film by Italian Director Pier Paolo Pasolini based on the book The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis De Sade.It is acclaimed to be one of the most controversial and disturbing film in modern film history.

After watching it, graphically, it ain't as disturbing as reviews had concocted it to be however the ideology behind the film is definitely a disturbing one. I would probably think that Paolo was trying to use the context of the writings of Sade to illustrate the idea of fascism being totalitarian and its cruelty. These ideas were expressed through out the film with the teenagers being captured to conform to the laws of the "company" and non-conformists being punished severely at the last chapter of the film.Explicit graphic scene of degrading sexual acts were being shown through out which were probably meaning the degradation of humanity as what fascism does. Every scene and actions of the actors point out to certain meaning.

A question lies with the film for me was that of all context, why is this piece of Sade's writing being chosen to actually represent fascism? Of all themes but Paolo actually chose a piece with much sexual explorations, would that actually best represent human degradation? For one without any background knowledge of the film, it would be quite puzzling for him and taking the whole film as of its face-value and in this modern times, with so many gore-inflicting movies, this could be mistaken as one without knowing its background.Credits must be given to the actors for giving such daring acts fearlessly especially the four experienced whores brought in.I must applaud Paolo for this daring piece especially in the 1970s,nonetheless, it is one classic and only one of its kind. It is definitely sad that Paolo died after the film was being screened,for whatever reason it is still quite a mystery. This is still one not for the faint-hearted.

Clips from the film, maybe offensive to some people.