Innocence

Ghost in the Shell. I do have to admit, I initially did not care much for the anime. The only reason I picked it up was due to the fact that there was nudity, gunfights and robots. (I was young). All the techno, neo-realism mumbo jumbo was totally lost to me. When I began to appreciate more philosophical 'thinking' movies, I re-encountered the gem I missed. Much like the Sandman graphic novels (NOT comics), it took the 'older' me to appreciate. A 'cartoon' doesn't have to be brightly colored, fluffy,sweet and/or intellectually empty. In fact, I am now deeply rooted in the belief that it is an excellent medium to deliver serious material.

This brings us to Ghost in the Shell : Innocence. The show takes place after the first movie (For the uninitiated, the movies and the series exist exclusive of each other. So while there has been 2 seasons of the TV series running between the first movie and Innocence, the movies act as if the events in the series never happened and vice versa).

Let me start off by describing the quality of the animation and imagery. In one word, breathtaking. The blend of CGI and hand drawn art was so beautiful, I could have cried. The entire movie was a moving art gallery with a powerful soundtrack.

In the movie any good? Yes, tremendously so. I am not actually going to go into the storyline. There are sentiments out there saying that it's nothing more than a normal 20 minute episode stretched out to make a movie. I have to concur there as the plot is pretty basic. After 2 mangas, a movie and 2 seasons of a TV series, there really is nothing much left to delve into in terms of characters or universe. The GitS franchise has already attained cult status among many and character development has been deeply explored. Innocence drops you into the world assuming you are already fairly familiar with the setting.

While the plot is simple, the theme is far from it. The story is mainly used as a tool to help drive and maintain focus on the underlying motif, which is a philosophical and metaphysical look into humanity and existence.

Think of movies like Terminator, The Matrix, I,Robot or countless others where the human race is threatened by machines. Robots or AI which has gained conciousness , individuality....Life! But what happends when it is the humans who have become machines? In the GitS world, technological and medical advances have made it possible for mechanical or artificial implants for every part of the human body. In fact, it is possible to transfer ones brain and 'consiousness' into a fully cyborg body. A world where everyone is connected to the Net directly through neural implants and AI (software) can be used to enhance natural abilities and functions.

It is inevietable that metaphysical and religious questions arise to the nature of humanity and individualism. What constitutes as human? What constitutes life? Are you alive or are you merely a shell with a soul? Then you will need to ask what constitutes a soul or a 'ghost'? If a 'ghost' can be transferable to a machine, is the machine now alive? Is it human? Can a machine attain a 'ghost'? These are ongoing themes in the entire GitS series, but Innocence probes deeper into the topic becoming a philosphical enquiry into the meaning of life.

The show is strewn with quotes and paraphrases from philosophers, it begs you to look at views from human, machine and even third person perspective. I don't really know how to say it, but in most stories, the theme/plot/topic advances in a linear fashion. Innocence tends to lay everything out on the floor for you to examine yourself.

The heroine of the original movie, Major Motoko Kusanagi, only makes a brief apearance here. Due to an accident as a child, the Major is a full cyborg. In the first movie, we see her questioning her existence. Though she only makes a cameo appearance, her character in Innocence extends the life-death theme and is one of the religious approximations I find intriguing. I see the Major as Buddha, she has attained peace and 'enlightenment' in the sense she has evolved beyond the needs of her physical 'shell'.

Many people seem to find it tedious, slow and incomprehensible but I was exhilarated. Nothing like a 90 minute workout in the 'Mind Gym'. I actually found it easy to understand and I could narrate to the shows terms (I must be getting really smart.. heh!). I thoroughly enjoyed it although I have to say this movie must be experienced on the biggest screen you can find.


Let one live alone doing no evil, care-free, like an elephant in an elephant forest - Buddha (Dhammapada Chapter 23 : Nàga Vagga)

Existence

"What the individial creates is an expresion of the individual, just as the individual is the expression of its genes."
If the essence of life is the information that spreads through genes, society and culture are also nothing but huge memory systems. The city becomes the huge external memory device.

The doubt over that which looks alive is actually alive. The doubt that things without life might be alive
Science, which attempted to explain the phenomenon called 'life' played a role in producing this fear
The belief that nature can be calculated leads to the conclusion that humans can be broken down to simple machinery
"The human body is a machine which winds its own springs. It is the living image of perpetual movement"

"Most people are neither as happy or as unhappy as they imagine. What is important is not to get fed up with living and lose hope"

"The mirror is not a tool for realizing the truth, but for obscuring it"

Snapshots of Forever

I've picked up a budding interest while on my new job, Photography. Yup, it's not something I would have usually bothered about. I've written before I'm not the artistic type. I treat the camera as something to point and click. The intricacies of "Manual" photography is something to be locked up in a dark corner and never explored. However, I now have to actually take photographs on the job, something which is not on the jobscope.. and believe you me, I had the toughest time.

I was so afraid I'd break something just by touching it. The studio lamps, flashes, expecially the cameras. I'm somewhat more comfortable now with the surroundings and I'm starting to try and move and adjust the lighting and sets to my liking. I'm also *gulp* learning about Spot Metering, Shutter Speeds, ISO Sensitivity, Aperture. Manually adjusting white balance, saturation, exposure. At least I don't have to retake my shots 3-4 times before it comes out right.... You don't know how much time is wasted just because it's a little dark or the focus is slightly off at the peripheries. Some things even Paint Shop Pro can't fix......

I still don't dare use the more expensive cameras though (there is a Nikon D70 digital SLR around the place), I feel like a total idiot using them, a rookie who does not deserve the prize.......yet!

This however sparked an interest and I feel like getting myself a good digital camera. I actually already own one, which I bought on impulse a few years ago. Not that it doesn't work, but it's the basic auto focus.. auto everything kind. It still takes good shots or so I thought...I'm starting to uncover a mountain and I'm just dusting off the surface.

When You Really Love Someone

Love you when you're right
Love you when you're wrong
Love you when you're weak
Love you when you're strong
Take you higher when the world got you feeling low
He's giving you his last, cause he’s thinking of you first
Giving comfort when he's thinking that you're hurt
That's what's done when you really love someone

Love you when you're right
Love you when you're wrong
Love you when you're weak
Love you when you're strong
Take you higher when the world got you feeling low
She's giving you her best, even when you’re at your worse
Giving comfort when she's thinking that you're hurt
That's what's done when you really love someone

Sometimes you're gonna argue, sometimes you're gonna fight
Sometimes it's gonna feel like it'll never be right
But something so strong keeps you hold’n on
It don't make sense but it makes a good song

So True!
Boy Do I regret missing the concert now.....

The SOURCE is With You

I have been harping about CS:Source for a very long time and how good it is, but there seems to be a general lack of enthusiasm among most of the people I know. I JUST found out why.....Many people are eagerly anticipating Half-Life2 and it seems that alot of people don't really know what it means or what it entails.

Many of us are jaded CS players, and people seem to go "So a new version of CS... why is this guy going on and on and on".
Even the namesake given CS:Source does not ring a bell. "You already have Half-life, why are you paying for the Silver package just to get Half-life again???".....After the fourth or fifth person asking the same questions. I decided to write this.

Source is the codename given for the Engine behind Half-Life2. So CS:Source, DoD:Source and even Half-Life 1:Source will mean that all these games are totally overhauled with the new Source engine.

Think of games like Mohaa, Jedi Knight, RTCW.. and all the rest of the games which are made based on Quake3 engine..Same concept.

What makes a game? Story and Gameplay packaged around some Graphics engine.
- Half-Life was a hit because of a great story
- CS was a hit because of the multi-player gameplay
So what happens when you totally remake the above games with the latest graphics engines? Full-Life!

Now ask yourselves this..."If I've never played the original Half-Life before, what will Half-Life:Source mean to me?"

HOLY CRAPOLA! MORE DOOOOM!

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- id Software(TM) and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI - News) will unleash an all-new assault on humanity with DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil(TM), the official expansion pack to the fastest selling PC first- person action game ever in the U.S., according to NPD Techworld. Co-developed by Nerve Software and id Software, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the terrifying and intense action of the already classic DOOM 3, which Maxim and Computer Gaming World awarded "five out of five stars" and the Associated Press called "one of the scariest games ever made." Through the discovery of a timeless and evil artifact you now hold the powers of Hell in your hands, and the demons have come to hunt you down and take it back. Following the events of DOOM 3 and featuring new locations, characters and weapons, including the return of the double-barreled shotgun, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil expands the terrifying action that fans and critics have been raving about. The title will require the full retail version of DOOM 3, and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

"DOOM 3 defines first-person cinematic action, and the expansion pack continues right where we left off -- with a terrifying atmosphere, a new story and one of the most classic weapons ever, the double-barreled shotgun," states Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. "Now that fans have survived the horrors and edge of your seat action of the original, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil delivers players deeper into the heart of the UAC to uncover new secrets and technology used to destroy the demon force that's Hell-bent on destroying you."

Building on the most advanced game engine ever created, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the frightening and gripping single player experience of the blockbuster original. The title also features even more multiplayer action with support for up to eight players in all new maps.

Days of Being Wild

I watched 2046.


I am conflicted to judge if it is good or bad. You will have to see it yourself. It's very very slow though.....

A theme of the movie struck an emotional chord and I began to relate to parts of it personally, so I'm slightly sad and down at the moment. Thats all I'm willing to say........

PLEASE.... watch the original release and not the DUBBED shit in Singapore. The movie seem to have Japanese, Cantonese AND Mandarin. Idiots dubbed the Cantonese to Mandarin and in those parts the words and mouth movements do not sync anymore. I HATE that. Foreign movies are all intact.... Korean, Japanese, Thai, French... etc. etc... but any and all Cantonese movies are dubbed to Mandarin, mostly by horrible actors. Cantonese is a part of the Chinese language. Over the years I've been living here, I still cannot understand why the FUCK do they have to dub out Cantonese while allowing crude street Hokkien on screen.

Winging It

With the pace my life has been thrown in the past 3 weeks, I nearly forgotten this gem of a moment. A group of friends an I decided to go watch the New Police Story during opening night. The thing is, the person who was supposed to be buying the tickets called the cinema up and was told the midnght show was already full.... at 10am. So we made other plans for the night. One of my buddies was telling of his 'Winging It' experiences and it got us fired up. Now there were 5 of us, on an opening night of a show which has already been fully booked in the morning.

We arrived at the cinema around 15 minutes before the show started and began putting the charm on the counter girl. We needed 5 tickets now... and LO! not only she had 5 tickets, she had 5 middle row tickets which have still been unclaimed. Woohoo, if the poor bastards came 10 minutes later well... life's a bitch anyway...

The tickets we got by 'Winging It' were even better than those we would normally have gotten for such an opening (Note that the Ipoh TGV sadly does not have internet booking, so there is no way to 'choose' booking seats).

When they say that they'll open up tickets for sale 30 minutes before screening if you don't collect, it seems like they actually mean business. Next time I think I'll just book and collect earlier in case some fool comes and 'wing' my ticket from me......

Ahhhh the Life!

It's 1:35am and I havent even bathed... well I'm going to now which is why I stopped to write this piece. Stopped from what you say? Stopped from Counter Strike Source. Yes, my addiction has now upped the ante with double dosage per shot. Guess I'd grow old and die with CS in my veins. Oh Well.....

I wrote before during the beta testing stage and I was soo fustrated with the all the people let in, but things have changed. The 'final' is here and what sweet nectar it is. Not only is everything updated gorgeously, every map seems 'Fun' now. Yes the mapcycle runs through all the maps even de_piranesi and it was FULL of people. Now anyone playing CS in Singapore or Malaysia will know that has NEVER happened before, even when those maps were released for 'Vanilla' CS, no one ever played maps like piranesi and cheateu. Maps I thought I knew like the back of my palm gave me some suprises. Areas now seem larger and not so cramped in, more interaction with the environment. You will be suprised what 'adding a door here, or adding an extra pillar there' can do for a map.

Yes, yes, I understand after the first customary run through the maps and finding out whats all thats changed, people might bet bored back, but as long as the 'spankin new' feeling is still around, it's all good.

I've been through several forums and I can't really understand all the bitching thats going on. Some people just can't be satisfied. I found that the 'lag' issue with the netcode, which was very apparent during the beta stage was totally gone. My entire game, even through maps like aztec was smooth as silk.

de_dust is still..... de_dust. I personally think that nothing can save it....

cs_office is probably the map with the most easter eggs. It was a great place to run around and look at stuff. Valve's sense of humor is intact I see. Here are some select quotes you can find through the map. I took the liberty to take some screenshots

Camping - Doing unto others before they do unto you


Ping - Being the scapegoat for your inadequacies since 1974


Spamming - What you lack in quality, you can make up in quantity


I left the last two intact to show how 'pretty' things are now. Notice the detail, you can see the PC is a Dell PC with a Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Microsoft Optical Mouse. If you zoom in closer to the LCD, you can even make out the words and icons. Theres even a Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow on that PC. Hmmmm, someones skiving off work...I think I'll go interrogate some of the hostages after my bath.

Headshot - Those who can, Do. Those who can't, Complain


Sniping - Feel like a player without actually joining the game

The 2nd Coming

I'm Back.... Again....
Finally my Broadband is re-connected. I'm now on a 1.5Mbit ADSL. YES YES YES! I'm ecstatic Woooha! I'm gonna be taking some time to download all my stuff, especially HL2 and CS:S since i wasn't online, I've already missed a couple of Steam updates and phases, it's gonna take a while, but I promise I'll be updating as per usual now.

Not to leave empty handed, today is the 18th Oct. I started my McDonald's French Fries experiment on the 10th. Well lookie here! It looks all shriveled up AND it started to mold yesterday. 1 Week, not bad. Well there goes to show that McDonald's Fries are still safe to eat. Hooray!

Movie Mania

I was on a sort of movie marathon last week having watched the following shows, 3 on DVD and 3 in the cinema.

Super Model - Cantonese Zoolander rip-off that's damned funny. Actually, the direct translation of the chinese title is "I want to be a model".
Super-Size Me - The McHating I wrote about previously
The Ladykillers - Incredibly.....BORING (and to think I was looking forward to it). Tom Hanks can play dumb eccentric people very well, but he seems to Bomb playing a "smart" eccentric charcter.
New Police Story - Not bad but no cigar. Some of the young actors just plain suck.

And here we go on two the highlights. The following "Guy Flicks" proudly holds up and even surpases my expectations. Needless to say I watched both back to back in the cinema and came out a very happy "Guy".

Resident Evil : Apocalypse
Zombies - check, Monsters - check, Guns - check, Gore - check, Hot Chicks - check, Hot Chicks Kicking Ass - check, Hot Chick Nudity - check. I don't really have to go on do I? If you watched the first movie, you would know at the very last scene, the heroine Alice, wakes up from a medical facility to find the whole town in chaos. Well basically it just continues from there. As with the games, the location is Racoon City, and the Umbrella Corp's T-Virus has been leaked out and infected the whole city. So instead of the small underground facility in the first movie, we now move on to a large city area. You can imagine that would mean 3 times the zombies, 3 times the action and the directors opted to provide us with 3 times the hot chicks too. Yes, besides the gorgeous Milla "Muulti-Pass" Jovovich as Alice, we have a tough cop chick Jill Vatenline (character from the game) and tag along journalist chick (don't know name). Of course, there is your "Resident" black guy LJ providing us with some pimped out humor. No he doesn't die, some Other Black guy dies. Go Figure! The central storyline actually builds the background for Milla's character and even sets it up for another installment. As long as they follow the same formula. I will watch it AND I will like it.

One thing I learned though, females are more resistant to deadly zombie viruses. If they do get infected, they still maintain their looks and body without horrible grosteque growths or mutations. Guys are basically screwed right off the bat.

I'm going to watch this shit again before it's taken off the cinema.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
While Resident Evil would appeal to the "Man" in you, Sky Captain will stir your inner "Child". This movie is a 30s/40s science fiction comic book dream come true. Think blocky square robots and bubble ray guns. You will see radio waves when it's been transmitted and map overviews when travelling, references to Wizard of Oz, Superman, Indiana Jones, Doc Savage, King Kong...etc. Theres even a Jedi. It's a homage to the Golden Age and even the cinematography reflects this. The whole movie has a musty look to it that really takes you back in time and is expecially apparent in the metropolis areas during the beginning.

The story is pretty basic, character development is minimal. Kinda like picking up "Squidman #253 Double Sized Special" out of the blue. You're thrown right into the fray and it's up to you to figure out the connections. In Sky Captain, top scientists have been abducted, wierd machines appear to be attacking all over the world. It's now up to our charming, cool, composed hero who can still belt out witty repertoire with a straight face under extreme duress (see I couldn't even keep a straight face writing that line) to find out who is behind these attacks, what they want and save the world from immenant destruction. The acting isn't much. I mean, it's one of those entirely blue screen things some people might be put off with. I wasn't really paying much attention though, vaguely following the plot since I was having too much fun with everything else. I liked how they ended the film too, it kept with the mood of the movie.

Of course, no Guy Flick would be complete without some hot chicks. Here we have Gwyneth Paltrow, Bai Ling (you'll see) and Heaven.....uh I mean Angelina Jolie... Jolie get's too little screen time if you ask me but she has the BEST equipment. "Alert the Amphibious Squadron!" Just plain kickass.

Sky Captain is tricked-out to the brim with outlandish gizmos and eye candy that will make the nerd in you have an orgasmic fit every 5 minutes. I have one word for you, "WHOA!" I probably uttered that expression 20 times throughout show. I felt like a kid again getting my very first "Laser blaster with 50 different sound effects. Lights up when you fire!"......."WHOA!!!" There you go, I Loved it and I'm not ashamed of it. I'd go see it again even if the whole demographic is 8 year olds.

Now I'm off to see Exorcist The Beginning and Wimbledon. Two shows I did not plan to see in the beginning but hey, I saw the trailers and I'm intrigued.

McDonald's is G00D!

I watched Super-Size Me. Well what can I say, it's one man being stupid and eating McDonald's 3 meals a day for 1 month. Not only that, unless McDonald's sells the product, he can't have it. Which means he can't even eat an apple or drink water unless McD sells it.

So how much damage can 90 meals of McD do to you in one month? The guy could have died. So what was he trying to prove? The AFI (America Fatso Index) is going through the roof because of fastfood eating.

This was actually an entertaining docu-movie and I enjoyed it, though I can't say it had the desired effect on me. I actually eat quite a lot of McD, at least 3-4 times a week. I've been back in Singapore 5 days now and I've already eaten McD twice. I'm thin, and I consider myself healthy. I exercise occasionally, I don't get sick often and I have none of the symptoms described in the show.

There was one special feature in the DVD which Really caught my attention though, and I believe that one 10 minute featurette would have more impact than the whole show. What he did was buy the whole range of McD burgers and a pack of Fries. Then he bought "Normal" street side burgers (made with real meat patties) and "Normal" potato wedges (made with real potatoes). They then dumped all these items into individual canisters and watch them "process" naturally. This little experiment supposedly took 10 weeks before they threw everything out due to the smell.

SO! The normal Burger and Fries began getting moldy within the first week and the McD burgers slighty longer, but nothing of importance. Now, pay attention here. The McDonald's French Fries lasted 10 weeks, which is 2 and a half months WITHOUT decomposing. Not a single mold or fungus grew on them. Is that Real Food?????

I'm going to try this experiment. Probably start this weekend and see if this is true. I'll report as time progresses.

Lapping the Lady and Sprinting the Senior Citizen

Back in Ipoh, it seems my friends have now gone into a swimming craze. We practically went swimming everyday. On the second day, I was introduced to "The Girl". We don't know her but my friends see her everytime they go swimming. So what they tell me is that this girl comes 5 times a week and swims non-stop freestyle laps (not even for a breather, just back forth, back forth) for 2+ hours, gets up and leaves. Her routine is like clockwork and as I was there, I so observed.

SO, as Men, we naturally decided we need to lap her and prove our "Cavemanism". We failed miserably. However, she became a very good lap setter and swimming was just more fun when she was around. Go figure.

Now, I consider myself a pretty good swimmer and I am able to swim endurance. Though after 8 laps or so, I'll stop for a slight breather. This Girl just doesn NOT stop. She doesn't swim fast, in fact she's damned slow but she keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny.

Another phenomenon that put us to shame is the "Old Man". One of the days we were pacing with "The Girl", out of nowhere came "Old Man". "Old Man" does not do endurace. "Old Man" only swims 1 lap and stops for 10 mins. Looking at "Old Man" swim, his movements aren't fast. But "Old Man" glides through the water like a speedboat. He started later and actually sprinted us. WTF!!!! We never saw "Old Man" again after that so a rematch was not possible.

Though we considered our week healty and were managed to get sort of a tan, we were outlapped by "The Girl" and outpaced by "Old Man".

The Good the Bad and the Idols

It was a dark and stormy night.....On the 29th September 2004. I had completed my packing and was about to head out on a trip. At that moment I was tempted by Lucifer to switch on the idiot box. It was that fateful night, I beheld my very first episode of SINGAPORE IDOL! OH! The HORROR

I have always said I wanted to watch, if anything just for the laughter. Let me spell out what I meant. If I saw a stand-up comic tell a joke about my momma, I laugh. If I see a clown make an ass out of himself, I laugh. William Hung, I laugh. Lightsaber boy, I laugh.

What I saw that night was not funny. I was literally Doggy-Styled in both my eyes and ears. In the short ten minutes I finally saw the Abysmal excuse of a talent show. It's not even a popularity contest. It's a mad rush to screw as many people as possible in a few months. Thats right, Not only was I privy to see one of the finalists ("shudder") croak, in the middle of things they bring out those that couldn't even pass the auditions to sing children songs like "ABC" or "Do Re Me". Forget DooM 3, Hell is already on Earth and it IS scary.

During my holiday, I also managed to watch a delayed telecast of the Final 3 in the Malaysian IDOL. My friends were complaining on how it sucks, and armed with me experience a few days before of the Singapore version, I explained to them that there is no way anything could suck harder. So I decided to risk it. Malaysian Idol, Final 3. What did I get? Actually a pretty entertaining show. There were 2 girls and a guy. There were no "fillers" by audition drop outs. The contestants all sang 2 songs each, one in English and one in Malay. I was actually entertained. The Malay girl was good, those large bodied gospel type voice. There was another girl, voice slighty "squeaky" but she still belted out a mean version of Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You", one of my favourite songs so, Respect. The worse of the lot was the chinese guy Vic, not because he couldn't sing, but because he had a strong chinese accent which made him unable to properly pronounce the words in English and Malay so his song renditions come out short. Nohing some speech therapy wouldn't cure.

I just read the above how you must have read it but, OK it isn't as good as what I seem to have potrayed. Maybe it's because of the Singpaore Idol treatment I was given before that makes anything else look great but it was definaltely watchable

The Return of the MaD

I'm back from my little getaway to obscurity. During this time, there has been alot of things which has happened. I believe if I was to post it all now, the last items would just get scrolled out of the page. So I'll try to drip them in. I've also started my new job. It's great and I just found out I can walk all the way to work. Just a short 15 min stroll. Talk about a silver lining.