Sunday, March 19, 2006
Natalie Portman gangsta rap video
After the movie last night, my friend told me that Natalie Portman actually had a gansta rap video that is actually very entertaining. This morning I googled for "Natalie Portman rap", and viola, here it is :
Natalie Portam Gangsta Rap Video
In case the video gets taken down, just google for it. Google is your friend :-)
Enjoy !
Natalie Portam Gangsta Rap Video
In case the video gets taken down, just google for it. Google is your friend :-)
Enjoy !
V for Vendetta
Just caught this movie. Starring the lovely Natalie Portman and "Agent Smith" Hugo Weaving, this is one GREAT action-political treat, packed back-to-back with action and intrigue. I've only seen Portman as Queen Amidhala (sp?) in the Star Wars movies, so it was quite a refreshing change to see her in a serious role, and boy can she act. She brings out the fear, the confusion, and the hard-jawed determination in her character so well that you actually feel for her.
Weaving is the prose-spouting, cool as ice V. As in his other famous roles as Elrond in Lord Of The Rings and as Agent Smith in The Matrix series, he's really in his element spouting really impressive sounding BIG sentences with even BIGGER words in a calm soothing voice just as he sends you to your Maker, ala Agent Smith. His presumably deformed face hidden behind a mask for the entire movie, his voice and posturing were the only way he communicates with the audience, and yet he connects. No other masked character have had such rapport with the audience since Darth Vader.
Its been a long time since I've seen a movie that is not only exciting for its action sequences, but also heavy on the political message. I would give this at least an 8/10 rating, maybe even 9/10.
The great fight sequences aside, the message about a future English government ( slogan : "England prevails") that uses fear as a weapon to cow its own citizens into giving it more and more power, is quite relevant today. And leaves me thinking about how it might apply to me. I wonder, in the cinema filled with educated, English speaking fellow-countrymen, how many of them actually see the parallels in the movie and in real life ?
Governments, from the mighty USA to the UK regularly use the spectre of war, civil unrest, terrorism, and a hundred other dreadful scenarios to frighten their citizens into action, into alertness against these threats, and ultimately, into giving the government even more sweeping powers.
The Patriot Act is one such example ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act ). The act was passed swiftly and with very little resistence in Congress after the 911 incident. The Americans, fearful of futher acts of terrorism, gave their full support to a law that infringes their rights to free speech, free press, human rights and privacy. It would have been unthinkable that the United States, a country proud and protective of its freedom of speech and press, would have accepted this just a few years ago. But when motivated by fear, humans are willing to give up anything, including their most cherished possessions, their most sacred rights, and even their loved ones, to save their own skins.
The message here is that, once that happens, the government then acts to protect its powers and to give itself even MORE power, resulting in a regime that is draconian and merciless. Dissidents who as much as mock the leaders are swiftly and mercilessly punished. Any acts of defiance are met with violence, torture and execution. No longer a government by the people for the people, it becomes a government of A FEW people OVER the people.
Benjamin Franklin once said "People who give up their liberty for security deserve neither".
Chew on it.
Weaving is the prose-spouting, cool as ice V. As in his other famous roles as Elrond in Lord Of The Rings and as Agent Smith in The Matrix series, he's really in his element spouting really impressive sounding BIG sentences with even BIGGER words in a calm soothing voice just as he sends you to your Maker, ala Agent Smith. His presumably deformed face hidden behind a mask for the entire movie, his voice and posturing were the only way he communicates with the audience, and yet he connects. No other masked character have had such rapport with the audience since Darth Vader.
Its been a long time since I've seen a movie that is not only exciting for its action sequences, but also heavy on the political message. I would give this at least an 8/10 rating, maybe even 9/10.
The great fight sequences aside, the message about a future English government ( slogan : "England prevails") that uses fear as a weapon to cow its own citizens into giving it more and more power, is quite relevant today. And leaves me thinking about how it might apply to me. I wonder, in the cinema filled with educated, English speaking fellow-countrymen, how many of them actually see the parallels in the movie and in real life ?
Governments, from the mighty USA to the UK regularly use the spectre of war, civil unrest, terrorism, and a hundred other dreadful scenarios to frighten their citizens into action, into alertness against these threats, and ultimately, into giving the government even more sweeping powers.
The Patriot Act is one such example ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act ). The act was passed swiftly and with very little resistence in Congress after the 911 incident. The Americans, fearful of futher acts of terrorism, gave their full support to a law that infringes their rights to free speech, free press, human rights and privacy. It would have been unthinkable that the United States, a country proud and protective of its freedom of speech and press, would have accepted this just a few years ago. But when motivated by fear, humans are willing to give up anything, including their most cherished possessions, their most sacred rights, and even their loved ones, to save their own skins.
The message here is that, once that happens, the government then acts to protect its powers and to give itself even MORE power, resulting in a regime that is draconian and merciless. Dissidents who as much as mock the leaders are swiftly and mercilessly punished. Any acts of defiance are met with violence, torture and execution. No longer a government by the people for the people, it becomes a government of A FEW people OVER the people.
Benjamin Franklin once said "People who give up their liberty for security deserve neither".
Chew on it.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Mumbai
I just got back from Mumbai, India. Formerly known as Bombay, it is THE city to be in India. At least, for the Indians. I'll rather be somewhere else.
From Bollywood to gigantic banks to high technology, Mumbai has it all. It is the New York of India. A major economic powerhouse. But one that is struggling with poverty and inadequate infrastructure.
The roads are jammed and dirty. Pollution is rampant. The air stinks. You notice it the moment you get off the plane. In the spartan and somewhat umkempt airport, the air has a unmistakable odour despite the aircon.
The roads are jammed packed with cars, autos ( the 3 wheeled taxis like the tuk-tuks of Bangkok ), and taxis that seem to have been transported through a time machine from 40 years ago. Traffic congestion is horrible. Human congestion is worse.
Out in the city, beggars knock on your car windows asking for money. Dirty, scruffy, and presumably stinky children line the streets and worse, risking life and limb, mingle in the traffic looking for handouts. Most disturbing of all, rows and rows and rows of slums line the street.
Shacks and huts unfit for farm animals house the poor and their families. Unkempt, dirty children ( and adults ) relieve themselves by the roadside on the bare ground. And these are the slums that you can see. I cannot imagine the conditions of the wide expanse of slums BEHIND the scenes, away from the eyes of the public. I shudder to think of the conditions THERE.
And these are the luckier ones. At least they have a semi-permanent roof over their heads. Along other areas, the have-nots live in TENTS. Tents made of pieces of canvas or plastic. Rows upon rows of such tents. It's such a common sight that Mumbai residents don't even give them a second look. While in Singapore, some people living in tents ( nicely made commercial tents, not slipshot ones made of a piece of dirty canvas thrown over a rope ) on Changi Beach made headline news not too long ago.
And then, there are the have-nothings. These people do not even have a tent. They live in the open, under any shelter they can find. Bridges and flyovers are hotspots. They sleep, cook, eat, answer the call of nature, and presumably, pro-create in the open. It is heart wrenching to see such widespread poverty of this degree in a major city. And in a weatlhy city at that.
This is not my first trip to India, or Mumbai for that matter. The last time I was in Mumbai was maybe 2 years ago. I recall being quite disturbed. This time, I was equally disturbed. I've been to India many times. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Agra. I've been to more Indian cities than most Indians. These are all major cities and relatively well-to-do by Indian standards. But I can never help noticing the disparity between the haves and have nots. The gap is astounding.
You stay in luxury 5 star hotels that are as good as any in the world, and yet, visible from your room window, are the neighbourhood houses that no Singaporean would consider living in. In the hotel restaurant, you eat food that cost as much as they do in Singapore, and you wonder how the average Indian could ever afford to eat here. According to Wikipedia, the average yearly income is 3100USD, or about Singapore $430 per month. How does a typical Indian afford a S$16 appertizer and S$24 main course ? In Singapore, the average Joe can afford to eat in a nice restaurant once in a while. Here, it would be a dream.
And yet, there is no shortage of Indians in there. These are the rich, and the powerful. These are those who are wealthy beyond imagination. COEs and founders of multi-billion dollar companies that have mind-boggling number of customers. In India, as in China, volumes are always mind boggling due to the huge population. Banks, telcos, insurance companies, manufacturers, all deal with a customer base that is so large that a small profit made from each customer amounts to a staggering total profit. Millions. Tens of Millions. Hundred of Millions.
But just a stone's throw from the hotel entrance, is abject poverty. Slums, beggars, children running in the streets, teenagers playing cricket ON THE ROAD, and women, yes women, working as coolies carrying bricks and earth in baskets on their heads, their saris trailing behind, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Each trip I make there is always preceded by a sense of dread and unwillingness. I've never like going to India. Its dirty, crowded, filled with touts and con-men who prey on the obvious and clueless foreigner, and even their airports stink. Not only literally, but also figuratively. It is completely spartan and functional. Lousy food, lousy duty free shops, dirty chairs, slow and rude service. I dread the 1 hour that I have to spend waiting for my flight to be announced.
I don't know why the government of India doesn't do something about it. They spend millions on defence, but apparently next to nothing for upkeep of the infrastructure. I've heard theories about the ineffectiveness of the government from Indians themselves, but it still astonishes me that a government would let their major cities degenerate to such a poor physical state. Some say its because of its size. Maybe, but US and Australia are even bigger, and they have excellent infrastructure. Some say its because of corruption. Maybe, but its the government's fault, no ?
I thank my lucky stars when I touch down in Singapore. If not for the awkwardness, I would have kissed the ground when I landed :-) I just know I'll have to visit India again, and I look forward to that. NOT !!!
From Bollywood to gigantic banks to high technology, Mumbai has it all. It is the New York of India. A major economic powerhouse. But one that is struggling with poverty and inadequate infrastructure.
The roads are jammed and dirty. Pollution is rampant. The air stinks. You notice it the moment you get off the plane. In the spartan and somewhat umkempt airport, the air has a unmistakable odour despite the aircon.
The roads are jammed packed with cars, autos ( the 3 wheeled taxis like the tuk-tuks of Bangkok ), and taxis that seem to have been transported through a time machine from 40 years ago. Traffic congestion is horrible. Human congestion is worse.
Out in the city, beggars knock on your car windows asking for money. Dirty, scruffy, and presumably stinky children line the streets and worse, risking life and limb, mingle in the traffic looking for handouts. Most disturbing of all, rows and rows and rows of slums line the street.
Shacks and huts unfit for farm animals house the poor and their families. Unkempt, dirty children ( and adults ) relieve themselves by the roadside on the bare ground. And these are the slums that you can see. I cannot imagine the conditions of the wide expanse of slums BEHIND the scenes, away from the eyes of the public. I shudder to think of the conditions THERE.
And these are the luckier ones. At least they have a semi-permanent roof over their heads. Along other areas, the have-nots live in TENTS. Tents made of pieces of canvas or plastic. Rows upon rows of such tents. It's such a common sight that Mumbai residents don't even give them a second look. While in Singapore, some people living in tents ( nicely made commercial tents, not slipshot ones made of a piece of dirty canvas thrown over a rope ) on Changi Beach made headline news not too long ago.
And then, there are the have-nothings. These people do not even have a tent. They live in the open, under any shelter they can find. Bridges and flyovers are hotspots. They sleep, cook, eat, answer the call of nature, and presumably, pro-create in the open. It is heart wrenching to see such widespread poverty of this degree in a major city. And in a weatlhy city at that.
This is not my first trip to India, or Mumbai for that matter. The last time I was in Mumbai was maybe 2 years ago. I recall being quite disturbed. This time, I was equally disturbed. I've been to India many times. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Agra. I've been to more Indian cities than most Indians. These are all major cities and relatively well-to-do by Indian standards. But I can never help noticing the disparity between the haves and have nots. The gap is astounding.
You stay in luxury 5 star hotels that are as good as any in the world, and yet, visible from your room window, are the neighbourhood houses that no Singaporean would consider living in. In the hotel restaurant, you eat food that cost as much as they do in Singapore, and you wonder how the average Indian could ever afford to eat here. According to Wikipedia, the average yearly income is 3100USD, or about Singapore $430 per month. How does a typical Indian afford a S$16 appertizer and S$24 main course ? In Singapore, the average Joe can afford to eat in a nice restaurant once in a while. Here, it would be a dream.
And yet, there is no shortage of Indians in there. These are the rich, and the powerful. These are those who are wealthy beyond imagination. COEs and founders of multi-billion dollar companies that have mind-boggling number of customers. In India, as in China, volumes are always mind boggling due to the huge population. Banks, telcos, insurance companies, manufacturers, all deal with a customer base that is so large that a small profit made from each customer amounts to a staggering total profit. Millions. Tens of Millions. Hundred of Millions.
But just a stone's throw from the hotel entrance, is abject poverty. Slums, beggars, children running in the streets, teenagers playing cricket ON THE ROAD, and women, yes women, working as coolies carrying bricks and earth in baskets on their heads, their saris trailing behind, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Each trip I make there is always preceded by a sense of dread and unwillingness. I've never like going to India. Its dirty, crowded, filled with touts and con-men who prey on the obvious and clueless foreigner, and even their airports stink. Not only literally, but also figuratively. It is completely spartan and functional. Lousy food, lousy duty free shops, dirty chairs, slow and rude service. I dread the 1 hour that I have to spend waiting for my flight to be announced.
I don't know why the government of India doesn't do something about it. They spend millions on defence, but apparently next to nothing for upkeep of the infrastructure. I've heard theories about the ineffectiveness of the government from Indians themselves, but it still astonishes me that a government would let their major cities degenerate to such a poor physical state. Some say its because of its size. Maybe, but US and Australia are even bigger, and they have excellent infrastructure. Some say its because of corruption. Maybe, but its the government's fault, no ?
I thank my lucky stars when I touch down in Singapore. If not for the awkwardness, I would have kissed the ground when I landed :-) I just know I'll have to visit India again, and I look forward to that. NOT !!!
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Parallel Car Importers
What's with the parallel car imports selling the new Honda Civic ? I saw they were advertising the Honda Civic for $70K, vs Kah Motors 78.5K, and when I call them, they go "Ya, but if you don't take loan, it is $79K. And by the way, we bid 9K for your COE". Really ? At the time when COEs are 10+K and rising, you are bidding 9K ?
I call 2 other importers. Same story. Look, I know you guys make profits from the loan, but come on, if you wanna do business as a parallel importer, you CANNOT be more expensive than the authorized agents under ANY circumstances !!! Get this into your thick skulls !!!
Follow me carefully here : you MUST be cheaper, because price is your ONLY weapon against the authorized agents. Its not prestige, or peace of mind, or service, or you've got more beautiful saleswomen ( you don't ), but price, and lower price at that. If you charge higher than Kah Motors, and bid a measly 9K COE at that, I'm taking my business to Kah, which I did. And guess what ? At first bid, Kah secured my COE despite a 2K jump in COE price.
The parallel importers with their 9K COE will fail, and then ask you to top up another 3-4K so they can bid higher COE, bringing the price of their Civic to 83K, waaaay above Kah's price. Sheesh. Idiots.
And, after test driving many cars and visiting numerous showrooms ( Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Opel, Ford, Peuget, Mazda, and several parallel importers ), I see that Toyota (Borneo Motors) has the prettiest saleswomen. The lady who served me was young, sweet, cheerful, and had a smile to die for. Too bad the Toyota cars are frigging boring, or I would have given her my business :-)
I call 2 other importers. Same story. Look, I know you guys make profits from the loan, but come on, if you wanna do business as a parallel importer, you CANNOT be more expensive than the authorized agents under ANY circumstances !!! Get this into your thick skulls !!!
Follow me carefully here : you MUST be cheaper, because price is your ONLY weapon against the authorized agents. Its not prestige, or peace of mind, or service, or you've got more beautiful saleswomen ( you don't ), but price, and lower price at that. If you charge higher than Kah Motors, and bid a measly 9K COE at that, I'm taking my business to Kah, which I did. And guess what ? At first bid, Kah secured my COE despite a 2K jump in COE price.
The parallel importers with their 9K COE will fail, and then ask you to top up another 3-4K so they can bid higher COE, bringing the price of their Civic to 83K, waaaay above Kah's price. Sheesh. Idiots.
And, after test driving many cars and visiting numerous showrooms ( Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Opel, Ford, Peuget, Mazda, and several parallel importers ), I see that Toyota (Borneo Motors) has the prettiest saleswomen. The lady who served me was young, sweet, cheerful, and had a smile to die for. Too bad the Toyota cars are frigging boring, or I would have given her my business :-)
The Butcher's dead. Fuck him !
A few days old, but the %#*^^& Butcher of the Balkans, Slobodan "Screw his ass in Hell" Milosevic (pictured above) died a few days back apparently of natural causes. Makes you wonder why bastards and assholes and monsters die relatively peaceful and uneventful deaths while their victims die screaming in pain and terror after being tortured, raped, beaten, and mutilated to death.
Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, and numerous monsters who deserved the most horrible punishment possible, escaped the kind of fates that they inflicted on their victims, victims who died terribly by the millions. Most ( except for the notable exception of Hitler ) died relatively peaceful, natural deaths, the kind that you and I would hope for when our time comes. Hitler killed himself, but it was still a far more pleasant end then the monstrous pain and terror he inflicted on the millions of Jews.
Assholes. Hope they all burn in hell. Problem is, I don't believe in hell. Damn. So to me, these monsters got away scot free. Most of them died before they were found guilty of any kind of wrong doing, such as the Butcher. So not only did they not get the punishments they deserve, they didn't even get the kind of judgement they deserve. Fuck !! Where is the justice ? What about the feeling of limbo and lack of closure for the relatives of the victims ? If there really is a God, I'll like to hear him explain this to me.
New job, new life
I had only written a few posts in my Blog when I stopped. Don't know why. Maybe I was bored. Or was troubled. Or maybe I changed jobs and was too busy adjusting, and forgot all about this blog.
Anyway, while browsing the web recently, I decided to give my blog another go.
New Job:
I've recently started work ( well, 6 months ago actually :-) in a new job in Shenton Way. I used to work in the west, away from the crazy town crowd. So this took some getting used to. The maddening lunch crowd, the crazy car park prices, the chio bu's :-) But as with any new job, the excitement of a new environment and new colleagues made things much more interesting. But with new job, came salary increment and greater pressure. I was getting busier. My girlfriend ( who became ex-gf) complained about this all the time. Well, this is not something that I can avoid. Work is work, and if you gotta work late, you gotta work late. Too bad. At least I don't have to work weekends.
New Life:
I broke up with my girlfriend recently. She's quite a nice girl, and very pretty. I was pleased with myself that I was able to land such a beautiful girl as a steady girlfriend. Must be my personality :-) But beauty has its price. Pretty girls behave like prima donnas (ok ok, I realize I am generalizing here, and there are many beautiful and thoughtful girls out there. But this point was actually made by my ex-gf herself, not me). They want everything, and contribute nothing. As she explained it, every guy she's met has always showered her with gifts and expensive dinners.
"Hey, I have a few days holidays and I wanna go Tokyo. You pay for my air ticket, hotel, food, and you know, everything. I just tag along and complain loudly about how nothing is good enough". And like a nice gentleman ( and somewhat of a pushover when it comes to women ), I obliged.
"Hey, I need a TV. Buy one for me"
"Hey I need to take some lessons. Pay the fees for me, every month"
"Hey, Gold Coast Australia is nice. I wanna go. Pay for me"
"Hey, I go and buy some food from hawker center. Give me money"
What am I ? An ATM ?
I knew from the start the relationship was gonna be tough to work out. We were just too different, and our characters won't really compatible. Sigh, but still, I guess its better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.
So its a new life. Once again, I am free and single. Free to do as I please, without having to account for my time and activities to another (jealous) soul. Its both good and bad I guess. Good in that as a financially stable person ( hey, my job pays me pretty well ), I am once again free to enjoy all the things life has to offer: wine, gourmet food, a new car, friends and family. But bad in that I enjoy all these without a partner. Sometimes, no matter how good life is, you wanna share it with someone. Not just anyone, but someone special. But break ups happen, just as shit does. So no point getting all weepy over it. I brooded over it for a while, and moved on.
Anyway, while browsing the web recently, I decided to give my blog another go.
New Job:
I've recently started work ( well, 6 months ago actually :-) in a new job in Shenton Way. I used to work in the west, away from the crazy town crowd. So this took some getting used to. The maddening lunch crowd, the crazy car park prices, the chio bu's :-) But as with any new job, the excitement of a new environment and new colleagues made things much more interesting. But with new job, came salary increment and greater pressure. I was getting busier. My girlfriend ( who became ex-gf) complained about this all the time. Well, this is not something that I can avoid. Work is work, and if you gotta work late, you gotta work late. Too bad. At least I don't have to work weekends.
New Life:
I broke up with my girlfriend recently. She's quite a nice girl, and very pretty. I was pleased with myself that I was able to land such a beautiful girl as a steady girlfriend. Must be my personality :-) But beauty has its price. Pretty girls behave like prima donnas (ok ok, I realize I am generalizing here, and there are many beautiful and thoughtful girls out there. But this point was actually made by my ex-gf herself, not me). They want everything, and contribute nothing. As she explained it, every guy she's met has always showered her with gifts and expensive dinners.
"Hey, I have a few days holidays and I wanna go Tokyo. You pay for my air ticket, hotel, food, and you know, everything. I just tag along and complain loudly about how nothing is good enough". And like a nice gentleman ( and somewhat of a pushover when it comes to women ), I obliged.
"Hey, I need a TV. Buy one for me"
"Hey I need to take some lessons. Pay the fees for me, every month"
"Hey, Gold Coast Australia is nice. I wanna go. Pay for me"
"Hey, I go and buy some food from hawker center. Give me money"
What am I ? An ATM ?
I knew from the start the relationship was gonna be tough to work out. We were just too different, and our characters won't really compatible. Sigh, but still, I guess its better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.
So its a new life. Once again, I am free and single. Free to do as I please, without having to account for my time and activities to another (jealous) soul. Its both good and bad I guess. Good in that as a financially stable person ( hey, my job pays me pretty well ), I am once again free to enjoy all the things life has to offer: wine, gourmet food, a new car, friends and family. But bad in that I enjoy all these without a partner. Sometimes, no matter how good life is, you wanna share it with someone. Not just anyone, but someone special. But break ups happen, just as shit does. So no point getting all weepy over it. I brooded over it for a while, and moved on.
