The Insignificance and Vulnerability of Simplicity

Thursday, August 28

Chanced upon this via some linked blogsites..

Beckham caught by Victoria staring at the cheerleaders..

Define the art of body languages..

A real classic..

And

Beckham still loves his wife a lot.. =)

Damn cute couple..

*Source*

irony @

2:46 PM

Wednesday, August 27

Been looking for such sites for a long time to come..
It was a sleepy routined day at work..
This, perked me up.. =p
InStyle

*****

irony @

5:24 PM

Thursday, August 21

Konnyaku Drink by MOS Burger..

Damn interesting beverage.
Of course not to mention smoothly addictive..

*****

irony @

1:53 PM

Tuesday, August 19

Always loved an album that has got a unique theme to it..

This time round,

Coldplay has gotten a new experiment to add on to their establishments..

Viva la Vida

An attempt out of their comfort zone..
Kings and Roman Catholic,
Cemeteries and the undead,
Soldiers buried in armor,
The Jerusalem and Churches..
No longer the band’s familiar monotonous guitar strumming that was so prominent in Coldplay’s music.
Viva depicts the end of the empire, a tyrannical king overthrown and left to the streets..
A victim of revolution expressed poignantly with a big orchestral mix..
Very nicely done..

The lead vocalist Chris Martin,
Plunges his musky voice to an all time low octave, only to be replaced by dramatic melodies thereafter..

All backed up by his unanimously faultlessly synergised band.
Their previous songs always don a tinge of pain or yearning a hope..
But perhaps this album is a peace anthem to how wars will eventually turn out to be..
Or maybe kudos to those valiant soldiers still stranded out there..

The whole album is mainly a deep inset of the European culture..
A country which is so richly filled with history and traditions..
Buildings and architecture so delicately crafted with artful frescos and symbolic sculptures.
All these gave the new album a distinctive zest to which they called theirs..
That is Coldplay.

Enjoy this inspiring piece..

(Viva la Vida live at Amsterdam)

*Viva la Vida*

I used to rule the world

Seas would rise when I gave the word

Now in the morning I sleep alone

Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice

Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes

Listen as the crowd would sing

"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key

Next the walls were closed on me

And I discovered that my castles stand

Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing

Roman Cavalry choirs are singing

Be my mirror my sword and shield

Missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain

Once you'd gone there was never

Never an honest word

That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind

Blew down the doors to let me in.

Shattered windows and the sound of drums

People could not believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries Wait

For my head on a silver plate

Just a puppet on a lonely string

Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing

Roman Cavalry choirs are singing

Be my mirror my sword and shield

My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain

I know St. Peter won't call my name

Never an honest word

And that was when I ruled the world

(Ohhhhh Ohhh Ohhh)

Hear Jerusalem bells a-ringings

Roman Cavalry choirs are singing

Be my mirror my sword and shield

My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain

I know St. Peter won't call my name

Never an honest word

But that was when I ruled the world

*****

irony @

3:59 PM

Sunday, August 17

Leadership seminar for 2 days..

Albeit things covered were stuff that we were all familar with,

the workshop served as a good brushing up of priceless values that are so forlornly forgotten.

In the course of work, we do need such sessions..

Be it a good break from the mundane work or to refresh our lost selves..

During the 2 days, strings of thoughts and concepts flowed through me..

And I believed all the bosses had the same sentiments..

Sometimes,

We are simply too preoccupied with the faults of others that we forget to seek deep within us..

That our complaints have blinded us beyond our most basic appreciation for simple things..

How we fail to realise that the way people respond are sometimes the consequences of our very own undoing..

Or merely guided by their own values..

We can choose whether we want to be a manager by authority or a real leader that holds real power..

How leaders need to listen, not mere hearing.

That issues dealt in certain manner do not mean wrong exactly, just a different way of handling them..

How to balance 13 nails on one nail attached to a wooden block etc etc =p

The workshop is conducted at the Chinese Swimming Club..

A nice place, but the food was average..

The bosses fed us like pigs..

After two days of mingling with them,

they are not that intimidating as they appear to be..

Human beings are indeed creatures cut out to communicate, to fraternize with each other..

Else easily misunderstood..

Because of this inspiring session,

the bosses suddenly seemed so filled with ideas of how to improve their leadership innates..

Ideas like urging one another to hold regular inter-departmental meetings, cross departmental training, re-training, more effective communication across board sprung out of nowhere and somewhat subtly spells the realistic NATO.

*****

irony @

11:28 PM

Saturday, August 9

I hereby declare both my cameras DEAD.

Should I resurrect them?

*****

080808

A number that brought back so much memories for me..
*Smiles*
Once every millenium..
But what do you say of the coincidence that the Lunar day happen to match the numeric 8?
Aye aye what a day..

*****

irony @

12:32 AM

Monday, August 4

Central @ Tampines Mall

Yea, what on earth are we doing there..?

Planned to go Natas Fair, but did not make it in time..

This is deceiving..

This is not =)

First time there..

The queue's never ending..

Westerners, Japanese, National Chinese, Locals..

It's not that difficult to imagine how Caucasians and Japanese managed to merge into our culture so easily, aint it?

The variety was there all right, and the prices were more competitive as compared to Crystal Jade.

Albeit those more common ones saw the latter being tastier.

The ambience, authentically furnished.

In fact, a lack of it.

Wooden floors, traditional trolleys and waiters moving around offering new food from the kitchen..

People flock there for the food, not the comfort.

Who can resist dim sum?

*****

irony @

3:06 PM

Sunday, August 3

An eclectic attempt but fragmented.

Honestly speaking, a pleasant surprise to see another Mummy movie when I first saw the thriller while waiting for Red Cliff.

An innovative mix of the East and the West,

Citing the fact that the Chinese war-like settings are the trend these days.

With tyrannical leaders killing everybody, and adventure seekers attempting to stop them.
Of course terracotta statues made such obvious objects to be the mummies of the east..

This different director tried to put too much things together..

It was a fair effort though.

From archaeology to the war scenes to immortality to Chinese kungfu to invincible monstrous undead with some humor.

A little bit of everything but nothing cored.

This is a hell bit of a roller coaster ride that takes the audience through non stop action flicks.

Of course one gets to watch the highly anticipated clash between Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.
Good choreographed sword fighting moves and Michelle Yeoh makes a very good looking witch.

And the clichéd scene of the father taking the stab for his son, brought through well enough to stir some tears..
It’s always down to the fact that kids do not appreciate their parents till they realized that they are on the verge of losing them.
And very often, upon such realization that the rapport between them will surge.

Got to find some familiarities in the various scenes though.
The archaeologists' expedition reminded me of the Tomb Raider.
And the one cursed knife that can kill the supposedly immortal leader mirrored the same idea of the only dagger that can kill the evil Er Lang deity in the Forbidden Kingdom.

Towards the end, spells an abrupt ending..
Perhaps the producers are hit with the realization that the show has taken too much time with the introduction.

But they did hint the next adventure’s stint.

The cast however, was a bit misplaced.
The most obvious,

Maria Bello (whom acted in Coyote Ugly and Payback) replacing Rachel Weiz as the female adventurer.
She is a very pretty actress, but her features are a little too chiseled for this role.
Maria Bello has the look of sheer intelligence, too much of it actually.

And on the contrast, the exotic-looking Rachel Weiz has a little of everything, like being muddleheaded, bubbly and witty all at the same time.
Or perhaps Rachel Weiz was too stereotypically casted as the leading female for the Mummy series that made it hard for any other actresses to replace her.

Let's see what other Mummies can they come out with in Peru..

*****

irony @

1:37 PM