For those of you who don't already know, i was born in the year 1985. It was the year of the Wood Ox. Now, 24 years later, two cycles over, it is the year of the Earth Ox in 2009! (src here.)
And that is why, my friends, THIS IS MY YEAR!! mooo~~~!! XD
Here's abit about people born in the year of the Ox/cow/buffalow/lembu/seladang/etc:
Invariably solid and dependable, Ox people are excellent organizers. Oxen are systematic in their approach to every task they undertake. They are not easily influenced by others' ideas. Loyalty is a part of their make-up, but if deceived they will not forget. Oxen do not appear to be imaginative though they are capable of good ideas. Although not demonstrative or the most exciting people romantically, they are entirely dependable, and make devoted parents. Oxen are renowned for their patience, but it has its limits - once roused, their temper is a sight to behold.
People born under the sign of the Ox or Buffalo usually have strong codes and work ethics.This can lead to a tendency to be a workaholic, and they should make an effort to relax more. Ox people are usually strong androbust, and according to ancient wisdom, they should be blessed with long lives.
The Ox home is his castle where he finds relaxation and peace from the everyday hustle and bustle of his career or responsibilities. He also enjoys spending much time in planting gardens and trees. He generally prefers to decorate his home comfortably with nature colors.
Able, ethical and aware, co-workers of the Ox can depend on their eyes for details. Because they are so well-organized, they are better-suited for specialized positions and prefer to work in large companies. They work best when they work alone since they can be unhappy when participating in a large group. (src here.)
The phrases in bold relate closely to me. How far the above is true, you be the judge. :-)
So, here's to a brand new year, a year to renew yourself, be more than you can be, and be the best that you are! 2009 is the year to aim higher than high, conquer and triumph over obstacles and challenges...
So, let's all grab the bull Ox by its horns, and press forth diligently with determination! (the above idiom means, If you grab (take) the bull by its horns, you deal head-on and directly with a problem. src: usingengslish.com)
Grab the horns!
I shall leave you with the most favorite description of an Ox person of mine:
EARTH OX in a wood year - 1985 Blessed with a sense of humour, this laughing ox can be very witty. It is more adaptable than the other ox types, with a need to try new things, but the wood ox also has a volatile temper. (src: fengshuianimals.blogspot.com)
Therefore, all you cow Ox people out there, do tell if the above closely relates to you :-P
A friend at church had recently brought to light something about me which i've done that was SO HILARIOUS, that i also happen to already forgotten. It has been months since it happened. I left it all behind me.
Or so i thought i had.
So one day, Annie SMSs me saying, "Fukalamak!! Wahahahahahahaa... your dance moves dam chun sia...!! make me laugh like crazzy lor..!! " -- or something close to that. Well, you get the point. :-P
She watched my video entry for the R.AGE Debutante selection last September 08. Watch it here.
So she (and many others who watched) laughed because it was so hilariously silly!! Honestly, how often to you get to see a guy dressed in sleeveless shirt and a sarung pulled up to his knees, with a bandana around his head, mop-sweeping the floor while shake-dancing to MC Hammer's hit: Can't Touch This! (Must watch, click here)
Haha.. No hard feelings, it was all done in good faith anyway. And im glad they had a good time. :-) So, if you laughed at the sillyness of the 1st video, here's the 2nd video about me and the Viennese Ball, which most of you have yet to watch.
Hope this one makes you go"aww..." :-D
Info on video: For one night, over 50 pairs of debutants and special guests get a taste of what a Viennese Ball is like. Three lucky college students who represented R.AGE won the best dancers and will make their debut at the Viennese Opera Ball next year! (this year, Feb 09)
This post is one of the TWO post event videos of me at the Viennese Ball KL 2008. Stay tuned for the last and final video yahz! :-P
This MUST BE my best movie review ever. Haha. Read on to see why.
(Load the whole video while you read the rest of the post. It should be done by the time you reach the end. :-P)
I just got back from the premier screening of Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans at Damansara Cineleisure, all thanks to Nuffnang for selecting my annoying/distracting/blinking effort to promote the screening on my blog for the past few days. :-)
When i got there, it was waay too early. So i met up with my buddy Elroy, and grabbed a bite from Kim Gary@The Curve. It was my what... 1st time, in 6 months? ZOMG, i tell you... So the complicating can!! ONce they sat us down, the waiter handed us what seemed like 3 different menus! Then just to order, we had to fill in like 5 different order sheets!! Wah laueh!! @_@
I think you really need to actually study the menu thoroughly before making your order. Crazi-ness.
But their saving grace is that the food is actually edible. ;-)
It was 9pm when we got the bill. And by the time we got to the cinema, there were a heap of people lining up for ticket collection while some others mingled around. Besides the usual Nuffies, Tim the boss was also there to 'rise with the lycans', so to speak. Haha.
Oh, remember to get a pair of tickets, you have to display the phrase 'Rise Of the Lycans Tis Jan 09' creatively on your blog? Yeap, my blink blink texts got me a movie merchandise, these
A pair of mini glasses. (i was told its for drinking alcohol @_@) i was supposed to get a blade letter opener, instead. Nevertheless, im always grateful for the little thing in life. :-D
I also met some poeple who i never thought of meeting!! I meant in a good way, of course. There was:
Shaun(nie), my colleague turned best logger buddy buddy :-P;
And for the first time: SueTan Chee (sorry got your name wrong, paiseh. 1st time meet mah. LOLx) who writes her mind - interestingly and as-a-matter-of-factually- on her blog at , Hitomi, a blogger whom i wanted to meet earlier, but i cudnt find the Starbucks she was in, and finally, Huan Bin, who blogs at sixthseal.com. Heard loads about him, finally met him in person. =/ Haha. I oso met Celine, my teammate from paintball! All of whom were either busy chatting away or taking pictures that I didnt get a photo with them. =/
Oh, each blogger were also given big white envelopes containing the official press kit of the movie..
That's why i said, this review MUST BE the best ever. haha. Two movie cards -- Terminator 3: Salvation and The Pink Panther 2: Duex -- and the CD was the entire press kit for Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans, complete with synopsis, movie info, and get this, MOVIE STILLS!! woohoo!!
Okay okay, enough about the unrelated, now about the movie. ;-)
...
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans is actually the prequel to the earlier two franchised movie: Underworld and Underworld: Evolution. This movie delves into the origins of the century-old blood fued between the aristrocratic vampires, known also as the Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (warewolves).
A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emergers as a powerful leader who rallies the warewolves to rise up against Viktor (Billy Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra) in his batle to free the lycans from their brutal enslavement. (src: press kit)
Brief synopsis (dun worry, no spoiler.) LOL
More than a thousand years before the events of the original Underworld, two races of preternatural beings came into being, each springing from the bloodlines of a different son of the original Immortal, Alexander Corvinus. Vampires, arising from the Markus line, became elegant, aristocratic, cunning blood drinkers. Werewolves, from the William line, became savage beasts, with no trace of humanity left - and an insatiable appetite for violence.
The Vampires came to dominate the local region – the wild lands in what is now western Hungary - with their superior intelligence, strength, and political skill. But even they feared the werewolves, who, though incapable of organization and higher thought, were capable of immense strength and savagery. And then another genetic fluke transformed the balance of power again: a female werewolf, captive in the Vampire stronghold, gave birth to a seemingly human child. This was Lucian (Michael Sheen) – the first Lycan, born into slavery in the house of Viktor (Bill Nighy), the supremely powerful Vampire leader.
Unlike “William’s Kind”, the original werewolves, this Lycan was able to take the form of either man or beast at will. Lucian’s bloodline was used by Viktor to create an entirely new breed of slaves, abused by the Vampires as laborers and guards during the vulnerable daylight hours, and prevented from transforming by the silver-spiked moonshackles kept locked around their necks.
Viktor reigns over his slaves, his court and his domains with an iron hand. He loves only two things: power, and his beautiful but willful daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra).Each night, Sonja rides with the Death Dealers, an elite squad of Vampire soldiers that protect Viktor’s domain against the marauding werewolves. But unknown to her father or any of her peers, Sonja has fallen in love with Lucian, now a skilled blacksmith and weapons-maker in the Vampire castle. Their affair must be conducted in the utmost secret, since if discovered, it would mean certain death for both of them.
When Lucian reveals that he has found a way to remove his moonshackle and gain his freedom, Viktor resolves to destroy him like a disobedient animal. In a thrilling sequence, Lucian manages rally the other Lycans and escape from the Vampire dungeons - with Sonja’s help.Refusing to abandon his beloved, Lucian assembles a ragtag army of escaped Lycans, slaves and werewolves, returning to challenge Vampire rule and rescue Sonja. The attack and its aftermath ignite an all-out war that will burn between the races for centuries to come. Incredible battle scenes, astonishing stunts and cutting-edge creature effects make Underworld: Rise of the Lycans an epic adventure that stands proudly on its own. (src: press kit)
The movie may get fuzzy along the way, you may get a mix up on who is who, but apparently, everything falls into place at the end of the movie... terra eh? LOL. I also just realized (after the movie) that the Kate Beckinsale's character, Selena, is TOTALLY DIFFERENT from the Rhona Mitra's, Sonja. All through the movie, i thought they were the SAME PEOPLE. Wahahaha.. OMG. (for the record, i loved the Kate Beckinsale's Selena more.. XD)
But if you got mixed up too, don't feel bad. That happens to people who didn't watch Underworld 1&2 (or watched, but have forgotten) LOL. Now that, for me, was like... "Fwaahh!! Like that wan izit.... 0.o... " XD
What i liked about the movie:
#1. It had its own story to tell. So even if you may get the characters alil mixed up, you won't leave the cinema going, "What the heck just happened?!" :-)
#2. The fight scenes weren't as massive as the War of the Ring over the Pelennor Fields, but the effects were rather well done. It was gory because you see blood squirting everywhere, vampaires slicing Lycans in half, and warewolves literally biting off vampires heads!! (not that im a sadistic person, mind you. :-P)
#3. Loved the language spoken throughout the movie! Better than the Queen's English, i felt. Haha. It was all good and more -- the way they spoke through those fake fangs they installed in their mouths damn intriguing lor! XD
#4. The whole concept of vampires and warewolves damn chun! Esp. the ending where Viktor escaped and got back into his... (opps... kenot spoil hor..?! tsk)
What i didn't quite like:
#1. I felt the entire story line focused on Sonja and Lucius' secret love affair. At times, i felt it was kinda draggy.
#2. The plot brings you up, then tears you down, then brings you up again.. that's what i personally felt. Unexpected deaths and unprecedented decisions wrecked my heart.. I kept whispering to myself, "Don't die.. don't die.." haha
#3. Although im head over heels about the vampire-warewolve concept, in this movie, the vampires looked kinda helpless and fragile. They kenot fly, they don't have superpowers, they kenot be in the sun -- they can oni suck blood and see the past. @_@ haha
*i swear, at one part of the movie, you'll say to yourself, "haa... this is it lar.. all sure DIE wan.."*
Oh, waddaya know?! Like=4, didn't like=3. So i guess i DID like the movie!! haha
...
Movie info: Director: Patrick Tatopoulos
Cast: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighly, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Greviux.
Runtime: 92 minutes
More info here: www.imdb.com & wikipedia.org
Rhona Mitra L: Can you see she's trying very hard to keep her mouth closed? LOL
R: Before the execution
Bill Nighy He did a awesome job as Davy Jones on The Flying Dutchmen, he pulled it off as Viktor here as well!! Again, intriguing speech and facail expression! XD
Michael Sheen L: He looks like Brandon Lee in 'The Crow", minus the hideous make up :-P
R: Not really handsome hunk material, but pulled off his role well!
L: Kevin Greviux
Just look at the body! If he fell on you, you could suffocate! XD
R: Steven Mackintosh Don't vampires just look.. WOW?!
...
Some movie stills for you :-)
At an attempt to free Sonja. The crossbows damn chun, and the arrow heads are mad of SILVER! O.0
The Eldars. Do nothing but deliberate and walk around everywhere following Viktor's tail. =/
The Lycans. Notice the two warewolves in the middle? haha.
...
Certainly a movie to watch! Especially, IF you're a fann of the Underworld franchaise. :-)
But remember, be original, see original! Haha.
Hope you enjoy the movie ya'all! XD
ps. Cineleisure's Hall 9, DON'T HAVE row I... its row G,H --> J,K,L. Weird. 14 ppl no seats. Haha. Read Sawanila's ordeal. :-P
pps. DO NOT cut and paste from MS Word 2007. Dam blardy irritating because it has tonnes of useless HTML codes that is copied with your texts, and blogger doesn't recognize them, and you can't publish your post. =S
I've been at it a few times now (4th, to be exact) and i'm beginning to feel that i actually have the edge for it! :-) Read what Wiki has to say about paintball.
For fame, power, and GLORY!!!! XD
For those of you who has NEVER got involved in paintball before, paintball is a relatively safe sport. Insurance records reveal that paintball is safer compared to claim for other 'safe' sports like golf, jogging, tennis and many others. :-)
In paintball, players are required to wear a face mask AT ALL TIMES while in the field. That is like the mother of all rules lah. Failure to comply with the above mentioned will result in disqualification. Hence, like everything else, safety is of utmost importance -- be in a training session or a real game.
The referees -- aka Marshalls -- will literally swarm you in the event you do accidentally remove your face mask. After that, they'll disqualify you and your ENTIRE team, of course. LOL
Players, especially newbies, are encouraged to wear long sleeves shirts and pants and proper sneakers/shoes. Short sleeves and pants are not suitable because players will need to dive and slides and do other what not and get themselves dirty -- which are all necessary to evade the paintballs flying at them!
Seasoned players will have their own team jersey and dress according to a colour code, for identification, i guess. At first i thought, these people sure have layers of armor under their jerseys, thats why they're not bothered about the pain. However, i was alil stunned when i learned that male players aren't allowed to don (chest) armors during a match, that advantage is only given to female players, all for the obvious reasons.
Apparently, only knee, thigh, elbow, and groin pad protectors, neck pads, and cap, beaning (like a snow cap), and bandannas are allowed during matches. Oh ya, ANYTHING that is ORANGE in colours is strictly prohibitied in paintball. It's a protected colour because most of the paintballs are orange. :-)
The 'guns' used in paintball are referred to as markers. This is a generic, mechanical paintball marker which will send a paintball flying at 300 fps (feet per second). 1 squeeze = 1 paintball.
Browsing the web i found THIS baby -- an AK-47 look alike paintball marker! LOL. Sure it looks nice, but it will be dam difficult to use while in a match because of its length and size. The gun's butt makes it very bulky. OMG, this is SO terrorist material! LOL
Now, on to the match. One thing i've come to realized about paintball, aside from the pain you may feel being shot, is that it is a very calculate-able sport that needs alot of communication AND strategical approaches. Good players will be screaming at each other during a match to communicate on where the opponents are and asking/giving cover.
Hence, good (and LOUD) communication is the key to success in a paintball match!
Not because you fortify yourself like a tank behind the bunkers. It's NOT gona work. Believe me, IF you plan to wait it out behind your bunker, your opponent is more than happy to wait behind their bunker! The only person who looses it and pulls you out of the game is the Marshall! Yeaps!! More than 5 mins of no action from you behind a bunker,YOU'RE OUT!!!
Oh, since most paintball fields are outdoors, you'll probably have like hundreds of pairs of eyes that will be staring at your every move. So, focus on the game, take out your opponents, and don't lose focus!
Kinda hard to focus when your opponent looks like this right?..... WRONG. huhu.. Female paintballers are certianly not to be messed with. At ANY cost. They can be pretty like poison ivys, but they can also sting you if you're not careful.. haha!
They're smaller, so easier to hide, harder to spot; They're lighter, can run faster; and they're sexier, easier to distract. LOL (just kidding on the last one :-P)
I just love this new found sport! It's a new hype that's taking over the world by storm.. I personaly feel it is alil costly at the moment, because ive already invested in Kendo, but if you haven't tried your hands on paintball, YOU DEFINITELY MUST!!!
Save up alil, and go for a shot! Check out these sites for more info of the local paintball scene near you! XD
It's now day 3 of year 2009 and i've been hearing (and getting) good vibes that this year is gonna be a good and trying year... So, what better what to start such a year with a bang!?
I stumbled upon this interesting piece made up entirely by the human ability to coordinate, to perform, and to articulate... I feel there's really no limit to humans but the limit you put onto yourself.
Let's start 2009 with a conviction that you reallycanachieve great things -- you only have to work hard and will it.
I wanna share this brilliant video which i first saw from Chriss' blog. It's a tribute to John Williams. Note: notice the movies titles which pop up above the scroll bar. Dam chun lar.. XD
While revelers counted down to 2009 everywhere else, i was at church in a more solemn and dignified 'count down', so to speak. :-)
We had a New Year's Eve service, followed by the New Year's service, right after we praised and thanked the Lord for extending yet another year in our lives at 12am.
Interestingly, the messages and prophecies were centred on being brave and having courage because 2009 will be a victorious year for us -- in terms of overcoming trials and weakness. I was motivated by them because i have been feeling kinda 'small' and weak of late.. It's like the fire in me has been reduced to amber, for some reason...
I felt 'connected' with the messages. I felt that God was trying to tell me, "Don't be afraid and press forward with courage for I am with you. I will go before you and guide you..." So i prayed. Along with the whole congregation, i prayed for a better year ahead.
Never under estimate the power of prayer, Bro. Lawrence always told me. He is a mission Lasallian brother from Canada and was once the Headmaster of St. John's Institution for two terms. However, now that he just turned 90-plus-year-old, he developed some difficulties in walking, and is now at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Cheras, where he is taken care of. Me and a bunch of schoolmates will swing by to visit him tomorrow. :-)
After the service, i helped serve refreshments. When all was done, we had to clean up. I tried to get help, but everyone was busy mingling around. I went on to clean what ever i could, myself. Some saw me and helped. Others commented on how diligent i am..
Or am i really? "What makes me do it?" they ask.
Well, when some one comes to you, pats you on your shoulder and says, "Marcus, i need your help to clean up. Please try to get the youths to help out. You're the only one who can do it...", you have the tendency to go all out for the extra mile.
Funny how a few, simple words of encouragement and empowerment can uplift your weary spirit. I feel like i'm off to a good start in the new year, no? =) All i need to do now is to be brave to gain back what i've been lacking in 2008: confidence, discipline, and courage.
And finally, guess what...
Getting 21 messages from 11.30pm till 1.30pm makes me feel... guud...! XD (alot from unexpected people too! haha.. thnx ya'all...) Just one of my own feel good moments... LOL
Happy New Year everyone! Let's put our best foot forward and go out to get what ever is coming our way!
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