Sunday, December 30, 2007

the most stupid thing i've done in a while

...after trying to close a ladder while standing underneath it.

went to watch I Am Legend, Beowulf and 1408 on friday night/saturday morning.
20 bucks for three movies was worth it, even if it did mean i didn't get to sleep the entire night.

kinda a dumb thing to do when you have to work at 7 o'clock the next morning tho.

anyway, moving on.

i thought this was a pretty good movie. we missed a bit of the start though, and i think that might have been rather important, but nevermind.

a virus that was supposed to be a cure for cancer ends up turning people into hairless blood-sucking creatures allergic to UV. (they never actually said "vampires" in the movie, but it sounds familiar, no?)


Will Smith is brilliant as Dr. Robert Neville, a scientist working to find a cure for this virus who is, as far as he knows, the last man on earth.
with only his german shepherd - Samantha - and a bunch of mannequins at a video store for company, Neville struggles not only with finding a cure for the virus, but with his own frustrations and loneliness.

ok, there are obviously some plot holes, but it's generally a very entertaining movie; not too fast paced, funny, intense, and at times, rather heartbreaking. the shots of a jungle-esque Manhattan are really nice too.

but don't think. just don't think while you're watching the movie. don't ask why. just watch. and enjoy.

typical heroic ending tho, and thanks to a certain ABC i was spoiled about an hour before i went to watch it.
SPOILER: "he kamikaze-ed his ass". end of spoiler.

but you are reminded once again of just how fantastic an actor Will Smith is. what the movie lacks in plot and coherence, he makes up for in character. he makes an o
therwise ordinary monster-filled action flick worth watching, especially if you haven't read the book (which i haven't).



this was interesting.

it's based on an old scandinavian tale about a man who kills a monster and becomes a king.

apparently.

i'm not really sure. i'm just regurgitating what my friend told me.

it's an animated flick, but ohmygoodness everything looks so real. everything. even angelina jolie looks real, albeit a little waxy. you get a few odd moments where you sorta think "real people don't quite scratch their backs like THAT", but otherwise, the animators did a great job (and the scenery is fantastic).

i quite liked it, but Beowulf (the character, played by Ray Winstone)... man, that guy has a seriously huge ego. Oedipus complex to the max. he's got an annoying "I am Beowulf, hear me roar" thing going on.
unlike I Am Legend, if you actually stop to think for a while, you realise that Beowulf is as much about human nature as it is about killing monsters. it explores particularly how vulnerable people are to greed and power... and also how useless men are in the face of angelina jolie.
it feels a little like the producers concentrated more on the animation than the characters, but there is a storyline that holds its own very well. and i think the only reason i liked it was because of that storyline. it's very english lit.

the only thing i sorta regret about this movie is that i didn't see it in 3D.

and beowulf needs to stuff a sock in it.
although to be fair, he does become a "changed man" towards the end of the movie.


the most unsatisfying of the three movies - and not just because it came after two good ones.
maybe a little bit because i was sleepy.

credit needs to be given to the first half tho, which was actually pretty good because it really was creepy and scary (that clock radio is the most disturbing unanimated object i have seen in a while).

it's creepy more because of the way it messes with the mind than with straight out horror. john cusack is good at the whole acting thing - one minute sceptical, the next totally freaked out; going crazy one moment, completely relieved the next.

it would have been a good movie had the vibe of first hour been kept up throughout. unfortunately, halfway through, it just gets stupid. it's as if the writers ran out of material, and just decided to pad it up with half-arsed scares. and the whole pretend-he-gets-out-when-he-really-doesn't-haha-ilaughatyou thing doesn't really work. everything after that point feels draggy and becomes a chore.

it was a little like I Am Legend in that one man show way, and John Cusack, to his credit, does really well. but the whole thing becomes sort of a joke to me after the first hour.

not bad if you want to be disturbed. but totally forgettable.


working a ten hour shift after a movie marathon takes it's toll, and i slept 14 hours straight from 7 o'clock last night. it was an accident. mom tried to wake me up around ten, apparently, but i didn't even stir. that sofabed can be pretty comfortable.

we haven't moved them yet.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS

i'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

no, really.
40.3 degrees is ridiculous.

i will post a little more tomorrow.
right now, i need to sleep.

merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

one after ten

there is a weird smell coming from the corner of my room where the bed is. i can't figure out what it is, but it's not a particularly pleasant smell (unless you're into the whole decomposing cheese thing).

i think something died in here.

opened the window to let the smell out and now it's too cold.
i can never win, can i?


my day off is over and i am sad.
it passed so quickly.
i just want to bum at home all day.
and i still haven't worn colour yet.


forgive me for my incoherence. it's late, and the neighbours are screaming.
it feels like they have parties every other night.


freaking hell. seriously. what is that smell?

Thursday, December 20, 2007

i feel so snobby right now ><

i met a guy from John Wollaston Anglican School a few weeks ago. don't worry, even he says nobody knows what that is. but anyway, he was telling me about how at his school, everyone works hard at the start of the year but gradually slacks off towards the end.

this is a good thing because it means that cut-off points for grades are lowered (i.e. if an A for physics is normally 80, it gets scaled down to 75 or something).

when he told me this, i laughed.

because where i go to school, the cut-off point for grades actually INCREASE as the year progresses.
normal people relax after they realise that they're sitting on comfortable Bs for everything and that they won't fail the year.

where i go to school, we are so bloody kiasu, if we get a B in semester one, we must top the subject in semester two.

at my school, you will find a large number of students upset because they only got 5 out of 6 As. (mind you, we have a lot of 5 A students who JUST missed out on the straight As. that's a lot of upset people).

and freakishly, you will also be able to find more than one year 12 student averaging >95% for CALCULUS in the middle of the year.

i realise this makes us snobby in a way.
i'm sure there are other schools like this as well (a couple spring to mind immediately).
and i realise i'm going to sound snobby when i say this.
but where i go to school, everyone does so freaking well, scores considered good in the everyday community are only considered average.
and the school is so proud of this, it gets a bit sickening.

there's seriously something wrong with us.
we need to take chill pills... overdose in some cases.

i feel so LAZY when i'm at school because there are people who are just so hardworking you feel like a bum even though you finish most of your homework and only OCCASIONALLY nap in class.


our school reports are out, and most people who've talked about it seem to come to the "it was oklah" consensus.
it was ok in the real world translates into mostly As, and probably at least one 90+ average.

the guy i was talking to was saying how he's very happy to be getting straight Bs this year, and he was happy to tell me all about it (btw, he does really difficult subjects like History and stuff).

i do alright at school.
i'm obviously not the best, but i'm not the worst either.

still, i always try to avoid telling people i don't really know how i do at school, because for some reason...

it's just embarrassing.

Monday, December 17, 2007

bananas and ladders

being the most accident prone person that you are ever likely to bump into (literally), i'd used up most of our band-aids at home. so i went to the pharmacy before work this morning to pick some up in case of emergency (e.g. in the event that i accidentally cut my left foot off. God forbid -_-).

however, GENIUS that i am, i left my wallet at home.

this was not only very embarrassing when the lady at the pharmacy gave me this aww-you-poor-little-idiot look, but also horrible because it meant i couldn't get lunch, and i hadn't had breakfast.

i was reminded of this sad fact when i finally did get my lunch break, and my workmate jumped around in front of me going "subway? foot long? *hand actions*". all i could say was "no... *sad look* left my wallet at home", to which he gallantly replies "hey, no problem", brandishing a red twenty in front of me.

but seeing as i'd only known the guy for ten days, i shook my head and settled with bananas for lunch. thank God i brought two. not quite enough, but not too bad.


in other news, i took a ladder to the head today.
sigh.
i was just standing there.
in front of a ladder leaned against the wall.
then it suddenly tipped forward, and hit me on the head.
painful.

guy: you should report it.
kim: why?
guy: dunno. you can get like, medical fees if you need them.
kim: it's just a bump.
guy: hey, who knows. you might need to amputate your head.


sigh, i don't wanna go to work tomorrow.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

our future leaders...

i had two feet worth of Subway within 24 hours last week during my meal breaks at work.

my mother was not happy.

however, my workmate told me a very funny story about his experience with Subway.

him: hi, can i have a blablabla please.
subgirl: sure. do you want a 6-inch or foot long.
him: 12 inch please.
subgirl: sorry sir, we only have 6-inch and foot long.

-________________-

there's obviously something wrong with our education system.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

for the next many few days, if i refuse to go out with you or do not answer your calls, just assume that i am working.

either that or i'm sleeping.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

on pounds and ladders

i was having a chat with a very dear friend of mine over MSN just then. we haven't seen each other in years, but we're still pretty good friends. the first thing he says to me today is...

"kim, i'm overweight."

he's always been a little bit on the chubby side, but he's chubby cute, you see. the conversation then plays out...

him: i weighed myself just now... i'm 113... kg, not pounds. i didn't realize i put on so much weight.
me: really. where do you put it all?
him: in a backpack.
me: *ignores* how much are you usually tho?
him: around 90-105 kg like that. (he's not short la!)
me: well... if it makes you feel better, i'm about 105-110.
him: pounds.
me: uh huh.
him: really meh?
me: what, you don't believe ah.
him: ...not really. you so light meh?
me: -______- 105 is about 48, 110 is about 50.
him: yeah. very light wad.
me: (suddenly thought of something) does it help if i tell you that i'm only 160cm tall?
him: oh. OHH. ahhh.... now i see...


man, i really love talking to people like this XD.
*not being sarcastic. really.*


work today was not a particularly fulfilling affair. i was left by myself for a few hours in a department i had no clue about... and then i received instructions via a piece of paper, telling me to get a big ladder and move stuff around.

so i climbed up and down a ladder that was taller than me several times, to remove hampers that were really rather big, from a shelf that was really rather high. managed to cut myself in the process (don't ask me how).

the ladder is weird. it's one of those clever designs with legs that are shorter than the wheels so that you can roll the ladder around. once you put weight on it tho (i.e. climb it), the springs depress and the legs touch the ground at the same level as the wheels so the ladder becomes stable.

basically, the ladder is shaky, but will become safe and steady once you start climbing and put your weight on it.

yeah right.

it's obviously designed for sumo wrestlers.

become stable my ass.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

somebody woke up a little cranky

one of my relatives (an aunt) MSN-ed me this morning (it's amazing how technologically advanced they're getting), and after the usual small talk and pleasantries, she asked me the question that all aunts just looooooooove to ask.

unfortunately, it is a very annoying question.


aunt: so, got any boyfriend yet?
---(-_-") ok, here we go---
kim: nolah.
aunt: sure or not?
---OF COURSE I'M SURE LA. YOU THINK I SIMPLY LIE TO YOU AH---
---actually, that's exactly what you think---
kim: yes, i'm sure.
aunt: ya meh?
---why do you bother asking if you already assume i have one, huh? SERIOUSLY, save yourself the trouble and me the frustration---


it would be alright if they asked you, and actually believed you when you give them your answer. but there is only one correct answer to that question:

"yes, i have a boyfriend. he is very clever, and rich."

it's not just the relatives. my friends back in miri like to ask too. and the conversation plays out almost exactly the same way.
forget that i am only 16, forget that i am totally uninterested.
sometimes i wonder if it would be less frustrating to just make one up.

i really do love these people to bits.
but sometimes, i just wish they wouldn't.


Saturday, December 08, 2007

it's someone's special day......

it's my mommy's birthday today.

she's been my mommy for 16 years, 8 months and 3 days...
and most of it has been pretty damn fantastic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!

luvluv.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Just Seventeen

She was 5'6" and a little thin
Long brown hair on summer's skin
Her father beamed with undisguised pride
Her mother shed tears of joy by his side
As they watched their princess becoming a queen
It was hard to remember she was just seventeen.

"For general excellence", they called her name
She laughed as she stood; it was all just a game
As she made her way up towards the stage
She felt with each step the confines of her cage
For all that she was, all that she'd been
All she would be; she was just seventeen.

No longer a girl; a woman? Not quite.
She wasn't quite sure what was wrong, what was right.
"Be polite", "You're alright", "Wanna go out tonight?"
It was precisely these things that she wanted to fight
Because lost in the cracks of all in between
She was really afraid of being just seventeen.

Two hours, six shots, and a cocktail later
She knew that, somewhere, there was something greater
She stepped on the street, eyes closed with a smile
Bright lights and a horn, she was going in style
The laughter and lies played out on a screen
And she knew she was done, at just seventeen.

---

She was 5'6" and a little thin
Limp brown hair on lifeless skin
Her father remembered, as her mother wept,
All the promises that he'd never kept
But perfect in death, she lay serene
Forever to be just seventeen.