Happy Deepavali! It’s a long weekend!

This is a nice long weekend as the Deepavali festival falls on Sunday and that makes Monday a public holiday. Many of my colleagues yesterday automatically wished me to have a safe journey home back to KL but I told them I’m not going back this weekend, and they are surprised (since it’s great time to go home on a longer weekend). My parents will be going to Genting Highlands this weekend and hence there’s no point for me returning to home with no one around. Furthermore, the traffic congestion at the checkpoints will be much crazier last evening and I don’t want to be part of it.

I’m just going to spend this long weekend here in Singapore. No hassle and no travel time. I’m going to be hanging out with my friend, watching a movie or two, play badminton, shopping, sightseeing, etc. It’s also in right timing to do all these as my monthly salary just came in. Haha…

Here I would like to take this opportunity to wish to all my Indian friends a Happy Deepavali! May this Festival of Light brings joy, happiness and prosperity to you and your family!

We have now around two more months left before the year ends. Can’t wait for the long holiday end of the year (forced to take leave due to office closure) but didn’t plan any vacation during that time at the moment. Also can’t wait for my year end bonus. This is my first year completing a full year at work and so it’s normal to wish for better bonus. But I can’t dream much as my office is now on serious cost-cutting measure now.

 

Weekend at JB…first time to really visit the city.

I have been to Johor Bahru countless of times but I have never really visited the city. Why? Because I only passed through the city to go to Singapore every time I spent my weekend back at my home in Kuala Lumpur. Many were surprised that I told them I never really visited the city before although it is just a stone throw away from Singapore.

My most familiar place at JB before this weekend is only the Johor Bahru checkpoint before the Causeway link where I have spent hours trying to clear all the cross border procedures amidst heavy crowd most of the time.

This weekend, I had finally visited JB with a two nights stay in the city with my friend. That provides me plenty of time to visit some places, get some nice food and go for shopping. City Square Mall is the main stop of the trip for me to catch a movie and buy some clothes. It is a nice mall and is just a walking distance away from the checkpoint. That is very convenient.

With the same price I can only buy at most three clothes in Singapore, but now I bought 5 pieces. That’s the reason a lot of people flock to JB from Singapore during the weekend; more affordable shopping. But for now, no more clothes shopping till the end of the year. I need to minimize my spending on clothes already. On the other hand, I watched a Mandarin film called ‘Jade Dynasty’ and it is surprisingly very entertaining (though it is still typical for China’s film to have unrealistic CGI effects).

Besides City Square, I also visited the quite new R&F Mall at Princess Cove, a new mixed-use development also near to the checkpoint. I heard that the mall (outdoor style) has opened for half a year already and still it is empty now with not many shop tenants. Hence, there’s nothing much to do here.

Besides shopping, there isn’t really any cool or other interesting places to visit in JB. That’s my opinion. I’m also not into other famous JB destinations like Legoland, Hello Kitty Town, etc.

The best food I had there in JB is curry fish head at Kam Long Curry Fish Head Restaurant. The curry soup is very delicious and I can just eat all my rice with only its curry. The fish head portion is a bit too small while the pot is overloaded with a lot of vegetables. We went there at 11am and the queue is already very long.

Staying nearby the checkpoint and spending most of the time at the City Square Mall are already good enough for a quick getaway in JB to do all what I need to do.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

 

Unconventional, touching and thought-provoking, ‘Barrack O’Karma’ is Hong Kong’s best drama of the year.

The post’s title above already best summarizes what I felt about this Hong Kong drama which had just aired its last episode a moment ago. ‘Barrack O’Karma’ (金宵大廈) is hands down the best Hong Kong series of the year, one of the best I have seen in recent years, and I highly recommend you to watch it if you haven’t (it’s in Cantonese by the way).

The drama, with 20 episodes, follows the supernatural journeys of several residents living in an old apartment building full of mystery and strange happenings. The drama starred Joel Chan, Selena Lee, Lau Kong, Alex Lam, Samantha Ko, Billy Luk, Kelly Cheung, Gloria Tang, Bob Cheung, etc.

The journey of each residents are categorized into different mini-stories and each one delivers deep and thoughtful meaning to viewers. Some comes with happy ending while some ended with sad note and that well resonates to our real life out here too where not all things will be good in the end. The main story arc involving the two main characters, a security guard (Ah Siu, portrayed by Joel Chan) and an air stewardess (Alex, portrayed by Selena Lee) that spans over to their past life is very moving and engaging.

This is the first drama for Joel as the main male lead. While there is still room of improvement for him, I find that he did quite good already. He is usually excellent in supporting roles in the past and I find that this is a great step for him to be the lead. He needs to brush up on his crying scenes and I find that he couldn’t put it all in yet in those scenes. On the other hand, Selena Lee delivered a remarkable performance here. Her emotional scenes are all well executed and I always find her acting already on par to previous best actress winners. Hence, I wish for her to win the best actress at TVB Anniversary Awards end of this year. She certainly deserves it. It is absurd to know that she never gets any award before from TVB. She is overdue and this is her best role to win it.

All the other supporting cast also performed very well and delivered their mini-stories convincingly. I admire the script and the execution of each stories, and I am surprised and impressed with the unprecedented approach the drama has in place. For instance, the series dealt with sensitive issues like same-sex relationship, transnational love, love with older woman, etc (there is even a sex doll involved). By just the mention of these things, you would think that this looks like an adult drama, but you have to watch it to know that the drama is very profound and simply using those to convey fresh perspective to our life.

I am also fascinated with the amount of details placed into every scene that reveals a little hint to what’s coming next. You have to pay close attention to the wall, floor, the background, or some small character’s expression that reveals some important plot point. This is a brilliant step by TVB as it has not done much in this area before in its past dramas. I also like the part where this drama links to another supernatural drama aired early this year called ‘Our Unwinding Ethos’ (surprised and felt cool to see Rosina Lam from that drama in this one as well making a guest appearance). It’s like a shared universe thingy just like Marvel films. That’s interesting, isn’t it?

I am disappointed that this drama is way too short. 20 episodes is simply not enough for such a high quality series. The drama is full of suspense and got me very engaged and eager to know what’s going to happen next. The new rendition of a classic song used for this drama in both Mandarin and Cantonese version that plays at the beginning and ending of each episode is also very addictive and suits perfectly well to the mood of the story. Unconventional, daring, touching and thought-provoking, ‘Barrack O’Karma’ (I believe the one who created this English title wants a bit of humor by linking it to the name of former US president, Barack Obama…haha, that’s weird but cool though) really surprises me.

Out of 10 points, I rate ‘Barrack O’Karma’ a total of 8.3. Best drama of the year. I don’t need to watch the remaining other dramas of the year to come to that conclusion. It’s that easy. While the series isn’t perfect (there is still some poor areas like frequent disconnectedness between stories, rushed progress to some mini-stories, over complexity of plot – I still cannot digest what’s the ending means, too many unanswered questions at the end, etc), but this drama marked a bold and successful step forward for TVB.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

 

First time at Gardens by the Bay in the evening.

I have visited Gardens by the Bay for multiple times but I have never visited the place at night. I have heard from others that the place is very beautiful at night especially with the Supertrees lighted up. There is also a light show called ‘Garden Rhapsody’ at the Supertrees daily at 7.45pm and 8.45pm and will last for 15 minutes each.

I finally seen it with my own eyes yesterday on how impressive the Gardens by the Bay is in the evening after staying here in Singapore for almost one and a half year already by now. With the colorful lights in addition with them changing to match the various music played during the light show, it is certainly a sight to behold. The gigantic trees look futuristic, magical and out of this world. And the best thing is; they are free. Here are some of the shots I have taken yesterday’s evening in my less-than-two-hours walk over there;

Besides the Supertrees, there are also various attractions in this huge garden. For instance, the two massive glass structures containing the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Entry to these two require ticket. I have visited them several years ago and they are certainly not to be missed when you are visiting Singapore. How come I suddenly becomes Singapore’s tourism ambassador here? Haha…

This huge garden also contains various smaller themed parks, mini-gardens, artistic sculptures, place for jogging, etc. It is a good spot for you to chill and relax while being close to nature in a very peaceful environment without actually leaving the city. Strategically located just off from the iconic Marina Bay Sands, it is a nice hangout spot with your friends or even partner too.

Okay, now I will stop promoting Gardens by the Bay any further. Had a nice weekend with my friend and hope you have a great one too!

 

Joaquin Phoenix shines in ‘Joker’ and feeling very unexpected after the movie.

At first, I was a bit reluctant to watch ‘Joker’ as I knew earlier that it is not going to be a typical action film starring this iconic DC supervillain. It will be more of an artistic film and that I may get bored throughout the entire show. However, after reading mostly positive reviews from both critics and general audiences, I changed my mind and went to watch it with my friends last evening after work.

‘Joker’ is indeed a revelation. Although there is hardly any action (except for some brutal violence near the end of the movie), but I don’t feel bored or find the story draggy. I was very engaged and eager to follow how Arthur slowly turns into ‘Joker’ and what are the things that drive him to that point of no return. The film does not tell you how evil Joker is in executing his plans, but rather follows his origin from a new perspective that deviates from original stories from DC comics on the background of this very popular DC villain character. Hence, some expecting to see intense actions will be left bored and disappointed. This is not what you will get.

Joaquin Phoenix is really the star of the show. Since this movie is more of a character’s study, the actor himself is given a huge task to portray the role. Joaquin Phoenix nailed this role. Every second of his laugh (you will see a lot of shots of him laughing and it is actually very tough to do that) and demeanor carries a lot of weight and conveys a lot of emotions. While it is still too early to tell, I’m betting that he is certainly going to be at least nominated for best actor on next year’s Academy Awards for his impressive performance here. His acting here is eye opener.

I am impressed by the score and the cinematography of the film too. I am also pleased with the more thoughts given on the dark setup of the film (DC films are known to be the dark ones) that comes from Gotham City’s architecture and face of the society. The film conveys a lot of messages (including our perception on mental health) but there is an area that I don’t really agree too. This film is as though made to make us sympathizes the villain and glamorizes his bad deeds. That is not a good thing as it may also incite violence. We should not learn from this movie in this angle. Instead, the message is we should really pay attention to people with mental illness, not abandoning them and should integrate them into the society.

If I am to compare this version of Joker with Heath Ledger’s version, I still prefer the latter. I am more interested to see the version of Joker that is really a mastermind in plotting his evil tricks. Joker is not only evil, he is also genius. This is something that I don’t see at all (or even any hint) in this film that I think is a waste. On the other hand, let’s not even bring up the Jared Leto’s version. His Joker is just a very minor character in Justice League. Before the rating comes, I would like to point on some brilliant quotes from this film like ‘I hope my death make more cents than my life’, etc. Out of 10 points, I rate 2019’s ‘Joker’ a total of 7.8. An unconventional take and an intimate approach to a famous DC supervillain character that everyone loves. Really got me felt unexpected and that’s good.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

The Exchange 106 officially becomes the tallest building in Malaysia, dethroning the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

Petronas Twin Towers are now no longer the tallest buildings in Malaysia. Standing at the height of 451.9 metres, they were also once the world’s tallest buildings too. Another higher sksycraper called The Exchange 106 has taken over the title as Malaysia’s tallest building.

Located at the planned new financial district of Kuala Lumpur, The Exchange 106 tower stands at a height of 453.5 metres tall. That makes it 1.6m taller than the Petronas Twin Towers. What a tiny difference. In the past and even until today, there has been a lot of debates on the building’s height. Some said 492 metres (including some recently published news article regarding the tower’s completion), and some said it is just 445 metres tall.

Around a year ago, there is a sectional drawing of the tower that has been revealed at the skyscrapercity forum. The 492m figure comes from measuring from the top of the tower to the sea level. This is certainly not to be used to measure a building’s height. And then there’s argument on measuring from top to the main podium or the lower secondary entrance which is still above ground. Hence, the 445m figure comes in and is accepted by Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) earlier.

Now, after its official completion and a r0evaluation by CTBUH, the final height of the tower is now confirmed to be 453.5 metres. The news report got it wrong (I don’t blame them since the ones writing the articles are not an expert in sksycraper’s height and I believe they just copy the figure from the developer’s website). Some still insisted it is 492m despite the sectional drawing already proven it is not.

On the other hand, the tower also does not have 106 floors as suggested by its name. It only has 97 floors above ground. The 106 figure is adding in the floors below ground and some technical or unused floors in between. The developer has been over excited on bumping up its figures (both floor numbers and building height) without following the convention of measuring them. They are the culprit behind this misleading information.

Nevertheless, the tower is a magnificent addition to the city skyline of Kuala Lumpur, though certainly not as iconic as the Petronas Twin Towers. The tower’s crown looks impressive but the dull design of the rest of the tower is too hard to be ignored. The lighting of the tower is also poorly designed.

The Exchange 106 will only hold the title for a very short period of time. In about two years time, PNB118 Tower located just a short distance away will be the new tallest building in Malaysia. When completed, the tower will reach around 500m to top of its roof and up to 644m to top of its massive spire. At 644m, it will also be the second tallest building in the world, behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (828m).

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

First day of October; a big day for China particularly this year.

We have entered the last quarter of the year. With only three months left before we bid farewell to 2019, it’s time to push harder on whatever unfinished goals you planned to accomplish within this year. For me, I’m still penniless, dateless and hopeless (haha…that’s exaggeration).

Today is a historic day for China as the country marks 70th anniversary of its founding. 7 decades have passed and China have risen from a very poor nation to one of the superpowers now. No one can deny on how fast China has progressed especially in the recent two decades that needs no further explanation. High speed rails, 5G networks, advanced smartphones, massive skyscrapers and modern infrastructures including the newly opened and highly publicized Beijing Daxing International Airport are just some of the things that define present China.

Due to the momentous occasion (I’m sure China is going to put on a grand celebration to mark their 70th National Day), my blog’s header for the month features an image that best represents modern China; the present city skyline of Shanghai. I have never visited Shanghai and I do wish to visit it someday as the city is rich in history, culture and supertall skyscrapers (my favourites!). Most of us only heard of these famous China cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. But do you know that many other secondary cities in China are also almost as advanced as (or even more advanced) the main city in your country? Ex; Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, etc. Their development rate is insane. Now here’s a shot of Shenzhen, dubbed China’s IT city.

Also not to forget that almost all our daily products now are made in China. Haha. US, you can’t deny their growing influence and you certainly have to be afraid and don’t act like an arrogant big boss anymore. Time has change. Okay, let’s not move on to issues of international conflict here.

Recently, I have watched a number of mediocre movies that worth no mention here in my blog for any review. On the other hand, there is this Hong Kong supernatural drama called ‘Barrack O’Karma’ that has already aired half of its 20 episodes so far that I would like to mention here. Starring Joel Chan and Selena Lee, this drama is very refreshing, unconventional, daring, mysterious, meaningful and showcases excellent performances. I would recommend you to watch it (if you are able to understand Cantonese). More thoughts on this series soon on its review when it finishes airing mid of this month.

That’s it for my first post of the month. Have a great October!

(Images in this post are from various online sources)