Lunch Options... YAWN

One time of the day I almost dread now is... Lunch time. Yeah, surprising rite? Especially considering the fact that I enjoy food. But that's exactly it. Because I enjoy food, I am kinda picky when it comes to stuffing it into my mouth.

There are some nice options for lunch around Shenton Way, but the problem is, there are only so many places (which I do get bored after frequenting the shop often) and I hate it when the places are super crowded coz I don't get to enjoy my meal. I hate it when people are staring at me when I am eating, wondering when I will finish and vacate the place for them. I hate it when the tables & chairs are cramped to allow for maximum seating and minimum space. It just doesn't make for an enjoyable lunch experience (yeah, it sounds kinda spoilt I know).

I don't like to eat at Lau Pa Sat. Most of the shops are selling cookie-cutter food at higher than average prices. There's a cheaper market at Amoy Street but it's really crowded and has long queues. Recently, I've taken to eating sandwiches coz I can't seem to find anything else I really want to eat. Sandwiches are not bad, but BOY ARE THEY EXPENSIVE! I can get a plate of chicken rice (with extra rice) at abt 3.50 to 4 bucks. A sandwich (like the one u see below) with a soup and drink, costs about $10!! The sandwich alone is about $6. Sigh. If you think about it, two slices of bread + lettuce + tomatoes+chicken... cost price can't be more than $2.... These shops really know how to make a profit.

My office is moving to Toa Payoh at the end of the year. Can't wait! More interesting (and economical) food choices! Thinking of the yummy char siew & roast pork rice shop liaoz... and also the katong laksa shop... Ooh-la-la!

Yep, the meal above costs $10.

Biscuit World

Was at J8 today and saw the biscuit models of famous landmarks. Tbh, it was not very impressive. It looked nice, but the biscuits were pretty big so it's like simply glueing big bricks together.

I was a little disappointed at the way the event was held. As you can see from the pic, other than the sculpture in the middle, the rest of the place was pretty sparsely decorated. Not very festive.

On the whole, a nice distraction I guess. :P

I want to puke....

Sorry for the 'strong' title, but that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. I was happily settled in my seat on the bus when suddenly this lady sat down in front of me with a totally overwhelming pungent odour. OMG... Learn some moderation lady! Since I started work, this is the first time I've had such a puking experience. I've had to shift the air-con vent to blow directly at my face to try and blow the odour away. So it was a choice between stinking to death or freezing to death. It worked a little, but every once in a while some of it escapes and I want to gag...

What a wonderful way to start my day.

A Nice Way to Start the Day

Wonder how many of you ever read the line under the title of my blog. It's kinda like my mantra in life ever since I learnt that poem in secondary school. For the working person (and for students definitely), I think it's like a constant reminder: what is life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

One thing I realized when I leave for work every morning is that the sky can be really beautiful. No, I am not being poetic or anything, I just think it really looks nice. Have you looked at the sky lately?

JMAG Tour

Feeling kinda proud... I've fulfilled one of my dreams in planning a Manga, Anime and Tokyo Game Show tour. It's being launched under the name JMAG (Japan Manga, Anime & Games). I'm not too sure if people are gonna sign up for it, but I think it's a start!

Take a look at the blog I've set up for it: JMAG2007.blogspot.com

Here's the flyer(updated).

Disturbia

Disturbia has been getting some decent reviews in the media. So when I was given the chance to go catch a special screening tonite, I jumped at the opportunity.

The movie stars the golden boy of the season, Shia Labeouf (of the recent Transformers movie fame) as a kid going thru a rough patch and ends up undergoing house arrest with that thingamajig tied to his ankle to prevent him from leaving his house. To pass his time, he starts observing his neighbours closely, learning their habits and their secrets too. Of course, as with any Hollywood movie, there has to be the obligatory love interest and the act-cool asian sidekick. Thru his spying, he ends up suspecting that his neighbour is actually a serial murderer. The remainder of the movie is basically an edge-of-the-seat ride that ping pongs you between 'yes he's a murderer' to 'no he is not'.

The movie really follows the typical paranoid-thriller formula. You know, the sudden shocks with someone touching your shoulder or breaking through a door kinda cliches. But surprisingly, it all works. And it works very well. Despite knowing that these things were going to happen, the director still manages to catch me off guard and gives me a few shocks along the way. And the edge of the seat moments are really good - at moments, the tension is so tight I almost felt my blood vessels bursting.

So what makes this movie tick? I think I must give credit to Shia Labeouf. He really does a pretty credible job of acting (and not over-acting) his role. The supporting roles are also fleshed out nicely. The cliched asian side-kick was not too irritating and manages to draw some laughs, especially at the start with his 'kick-ass' spanish. And taking the role of Shia's mom is non other than the Matrix-woman, Carrie-Ann Moss. She looks so motherly and... fleshy... that it's kinda hard to imagine that this was the same woman in the Matrix. Last but not least, we have the suspicious neighbour, portrayed by David Morse. David who? Haha.. he has actually acted in many movies, but never really in the A-list roles. I remember him best as Jodie Foster's dad in CONTACT. He's pretty creepy in Disturbia.... keeps you guessing if he is really evil... or not...

Disturbia is a surprising hit for me. I thought that after The Simpsons Movie, there would be a slump of good movies. Don't miss this thriller. Highly recommended.