Monday, July 27, 2009

The End

Boy, am I glad to rid myself of Human Resource Management!

Few more weeks and I'll have burst.

Whee! I'm done with PBL 2 and I can only hope that the marks this time round will be a B. I think PBL is an improvement. We seem to have learnt our lessons. However, I have no idea if our project will be marked as late or not. We slightly toed the time... Crossing fingers.

Tomorrow will be the role-play on discipline and then I'll be truly be free. I'm glad.

Handed up my TNS reflective journal. Apparently, the country that suits me best is Belgium. All I know is Belgium chocolates are absolutely divine!

Really, countries which I'm interested in like UK, US, Australia don't match what I'm looking for. But of course, this is just a perception. It doesn't mean that if a country is more on the neutral side, all the people will be neutral.

So, the TNS teacher told me that he will be organising a 3-day stay in the Glocal Village in school right after exams. Hmmm, I don't wish to go. It's the holidays! I should be doing the things I want. Then again, if my friends are going, I reckon I'll go.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Something fun




This is the Slytherin tie. Isn't it lovely? I would just like to want one to wear it.

More HP thoughts

So, it got me thinking, if only the script-writer and/or director of Half-Blood Prince put in more details, the movie will be even more awesome.

They don’t have to put in scenes, sentences will be enough.

For example, in the film, Dumbledore didn’t show Harry the other memories concerning the other Horcruxs.

Besides from putting in the memories scenes, they could let Dumbledore tell Harry that he believe Voldermort has his Horcruxs in Hufflepuff’s cup, Nagini, Slytherin’s locket, something Ravenclaw/Gryffindor. Furthermore, Dumbledore never confirmed with Harry that he thinks that there is 7 Horcruxs.

This will set the plot nicely for Deathly Hallows.

The 2 crucial scenes that are missing are the funeral and battle of Hogwarts. It will be nice to show that Fenrir is a werewolf and maybe let him slashed Bill.

Harry should break up with Ginny.

The Apparition test scene should be included. How will they explain how in the world can Hermione, Ron and Harry suddenly know how to Apparate. Besides, apparition is the main form of transport in Deathly Hallows.

Good news, it seems like the wedding scene between Fleur and Bill is on. Angelica Mandy who played Gabrielle Delacour in GoF is confirmed coming back to DH. She played the bridesmaid for Fleur. Other than that, Stanislav Ianevski who played Viktor Krum has also signed on, giving further evidence that the wedding scene is on. I’m looking forward to the scene where Hermione is dancing with “dear Vicky”.

Still, I don't know what's happening to Blogger. I can't upload pictures, or put in colours...

*Holy crap, it's all Singtel's fault that all the tabs went missing. I do a series of checks and it seems that some people who are SingNet users also experience this problem. Anyway, it's back to normal, thanks to a self-help.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Update

I have no idea what happen to Blogger, the posting blank is all weird. I can't do spell-check, put colours...

Anyway, TNS is over! Hooray! No more late nights in school and no more going to school on Saturday mornings! However, I do feel kind of sad leaving my new friends. I can't say that TNS haven't been a good experience to have. I even felt regretful that we didn't get to stay in the Glocal Village in the school because of H1N1.

The powerpoint presentation went quite well. I can only hope that my teacher will be lenient to us since we were the first group to present. Seriously, we seemed to miss out on things after the other groups presented theirs. Oh no... This presentation was liked quite rushed because we only had a week to do it.

I hope that I can get an A for TNS.

Cross-Cultural Psychology test is one big mess. I really did not know how to study for it. I hate this subject! Hoping to pass the paper... I can comfort myself that it's 20%, this means that the other components must be good enough to cover up this blunder.

Soon, exams will be upon us... and holidays will be here! This is the final leg to the end. 2 more projects to hand up and I'll be done with the loathsome Human Resource Management and MBS.

*Pardon for any spelling mistakes. All components are not working at all, they are not even visible!*

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Harry Potter HBP movie review

Can't resist putting this
Totally awesome!
The official poster

A French poster

One of the posters

The number of seats occupied as of Friday afternoon.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Verdict

Green for not-so-good stuff, blue for good stuff for the top potion of this post.

Spoilers ahead! Don't read this scene-by-scene rundown of the HBP film if you don't want to be spoilt.

Right, here goes, I'm trying my best to remember all of the scenes in the film.

Overall, it's the best 'Potter' film yet! Kudos to David Yates who has improved since OotP.

Tom Felton as Draco is wow! He can really achieved that scared teenager within who is chosen to carry out a dark and difficult deed to save his family pride. It doesn't help that I have a soft spot for him since 8 years ago. The scene when he was breaking down in the bathroom is great!

Evanna Lynch as Luna is hilarious! She captured the wide-eyed girl so well. Love her dreamy voice!

Alan Rickman as Snape is great too. Although, he didn't have too big a role here.

Rupert Grint as Ron is too funny! Most of the funny parts stick close to the book and he did a good job in portraying Ron.

Daniel RadCliffe and Emma Watson both are good too. They really captured the teenager moments well.

Helena Carter as Bellatrix is just spectacular! I love the way she acted and skipped around taunting Harry. "I killed Sirius Black", insert *evil laughter*.

Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn is delightful. So is Michael Gambon as Dumbledore.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin did well as young but 'different' Tom Riddle. It is one of the best scenes in the film.

The first scene showing the Death Eaters wreaking havoc in the Muggle World is quite lovely. The effects are just spectacular. All those Muggles screaming...

Details are aplenty in this movie which is to my taste. Arnold the pygmy puff sitting on Ginny's shoulder, Aragog the giant spider being dead, etc.

I love how Dumbledore took Harry to pay a visit to Horace Slughorn and his house is a disarray state. The magic used is wonderful and Horace is a delightful man.

Things that I don't quite like;

I've this big issue about why underage wizards like Harry and Ginny can use spells outside of Hogwarts when it is clear that it is not allowed. This is the biggest mistake made by the director/script-writer.

There is no appearance of Bill or Fleur! Another peeve of mine. I love this couple, especially towards the end when Bill got slashed by Fenrir and Fleur will stick with him. I hope that this couple will appear in DH because they are having a wedding scene.

I don't like how Tonks called Lupin "Honey". Tonks is supposed to be sad because Lupin won't accept her. It just speeds up their relationship.

The Burrow burnt by Bellatrix! The Burrow is only supposed to be burnt down in Deathly Hallows, I think.

There is no funeral for Dumbledore! Why?! That is supposed to be the saddest part in the story yet they scrapped it.

The scene where Snape called for Harry to be quiet before he killed Dumbledore is just weird and awkward. How many people "shushed" a person before killing someone. Snape should just Petrify Harry. Better still, stick to the book and have Dumbledore Petrify him.

Narcissa looks older than Bellatrix when Bellatrix should be the older sister. Also, Narcissa didn't break down in front of Snape.

No moaning Mytle comforting Draco! That scene is crucial because it shows that Draco is still someone with feelings.

Only 2 memories are shown to Harry by Dumbledore. No Dobby or Kreacher. No battle in Hogwarts.

Moving on;

I got teary-eyed at some parts and those are some of the best parts ever.

When Slughorn was telling the tale about how Lily gave him something magical and one day, the fish went missing and so he knew that Lily was gone. *Cries* That is so touching!

When Dumbledore was dead and Minerva started to pull out her wand and everyone followed to dispel the Dark Mark.

The one scene that scared me most was when the Inferi grabbed Harry's hand in the cave. Plain scary!

Love the Quidditch scene! The effects and graphics are really cool! It makes me feel nostalgic about the cool Quidditch scenes in previous films. Weasley is the King!

The awkward teenager moments featuring Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione are fun.

I do hope I cover most things here. I'll update once my brain in working again.

The green parts may be more than the blue parts but seriously, this is so much better than PoA, GoF and OotP put together.

However, for people who don't read the books, I doubt that they will understand some of the plot in here. The pace is fast for non-readers and non-fans.

It is only going to get worst in Deathly Hallows because there is no way they will spend the time to review the plot-lines when there are greater things to be done. "For the greater good" as Dumbledore puts it.

I can't wait for next year Deathly Hallows Part 1! Next year, I'll be more than ready for the movie.

I'm thinking that since it will be 2 hours plus for each part, there will be more than enough time to include some of the so called "not-so-important" scenes in the films.

What I'm looking forward the most are the Epilogue (19 years later), The Prince's Tale and the final battle at Hogwarts.

I'm going to cry like a baby when all the misunderstandings are finally cleared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since my project meeting finished early, I went home instead of going straight to Marina Square.
We reached Marina Square at about 4.30 and collected the tickets. My cousin was already there. It was weird that they don't allow us to go into the theater before 5pm when the movie was supposed to start at 5.10pm.

The whole theater was almost full. See? For a major movie like this, the only way to get good seats is to do advance booking, preferably 1 week before the movie came out.

After the movie, we went for dinner at Long John's Silver and brought my cousin home.

Good day and a wonderful night. Reached home and I quickly updated my facebook page and the Lex forums.

Friday, July 17, 2009

400th post

400th Post!
*Throws confetti and set off Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes fireworks*
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This entry is dedicated to the Harry Potter franchise! Cheers!
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Harry Potter series, ahh, the experience of first love!
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Nearly 8 years of my life spent being obsessed about the characters, Hogwarts and everything that has to do with this Universe. I'd be really sad to see the movie franchise end.
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Right, the movie.
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Today is the day of reckoning! It's the day where I've been waiting since last year. More than 7 months, spent waiting, complaining, and threatening to boycott (I still remember the anger of the fans when Warner Brothers decided to shift the release date)...
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But, the opening of Harry Potter HBP movie still managed to take me by surprise. I'm baffled by this.
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Before I watch a movie, I'll want to re-read the book to refresh my memory.
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However, this time, time is not on my side and I end up going to watch the movie without the facts in my head. Really. I'm surprised by the number of characters and plot-lines I can't remember when I was trying my best to finish the book.
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So, the bottom line is, I have not finished even half of the book.
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Well, well, we shall see about that.
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The ratings seems pretty good at the moment. Yes! I've been disappointed since PoA movie came out.
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Is this the movie for David Yates to redeem himself after the "mess" that is OofP?
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True to be told, I nearly gave up on the movie franchise. I truly hope that this movie is the redemption that most fans are waiting for.
-On the other hand, there are also ratings that this movie is not that good. I have not read the full reviews because I'm easily corrupted. I won't get spoilt by unnecessary spoilers!
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My opinion will have to wait until tonight. I'll be giving a scene-by-scene rundown of the movie in the next entry, just like what I did for Twilight the movie.
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I'm not ready for this year, but next year, I'll be prepared for Deathly Hallows part 1!
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My nails are freshly painted in a shade of silver and since I don't have clothes that are green, I'll just be wearing my green necklace. Slytherin Pride!
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Let's see. Who do I most look forward in the movie? "Tom Felton on a platter", to quote a fellow Twilighter. I will have a full-blown grin on my face when Tom Felton makes his appearance. Alan Rickman too.
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Ooooh, I can't wait! It's too bad I've a last-minute project meeting today. I was still thinking of scanning through HBP.
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Will end here now, and looking forward to seeing 'my loveys".
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Got to suppress that squeal...
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Good results

Hooray! I'm in a good mood today, thus the updating.

I received my Business Finance results today. Yes, my friend told me that the last 2 MCQs answers were not what most people thought it was. Needless to say, I fell for the trick questions, so that's 2 marks gone.

Nonetheless, I got 17/20 for this test. So, that's 40% of A for my overall marks. Got to work hard for the end-semester exam!

What made my day, or rather night was the fact that I received the Transnational Studies test results. I barely spent time on it since I had Business Finance test that day too.

On Saturday, the teacher was telling me that I did well for the test and I was sceptical about it.

Eeek! I really did do well. 29/30! I was grinning when I saw the marks. I did wish he would show us the papers though, I need to see where I got wrong.

This TNS session had been great, given that it's the second last lesson. The powerpoint is looking good.

I've found a kindred spirit in one of my new friends. It's really surprising to find someone who share the same interests as me. And amazingly, I have no qualms about revealing what I like. I usually don't share what I like or is passionate about with others. Haha, it makes me laugh when I think about it.

So, overall, today has been a wonderful day.

Oh yes, this will be the 399 post, which means that the next entry will be the 400th! Should I wait till Friday to mark this significant "event"? Maybe I should.

Till Friday then~

Monday, July 13, 2009

Tick Tock

Ahh, well, I felt guilty about not keeping to my promise. Pictures will have to wait, again.

This is almost like the final leg to the end.

One last week before the Transnational Studies end and then it's hello to going home early again. I do feel a twinge of reluctance to leave my newly-made friends behind. I may complain but the sessions are actually quite cool.

Access Test has been great. I've been practicing the mock test so many times and doing trial-and-error for the report. At last, my efforts paid off. I got 14/15 for the paper!

Last Saturday, I had 2 tests; Business Finance and TNS. No wonder I didn't have time to update because I was doing last minute studying again. I barely touched TNS. All my attentions were focused on Business Finance.

I booked tickets to Harry Potter HBP! Eeek! I'm so excited over it! 4 more days!

It's really too bad that my cousin can't come along. I really want to watch it with her. Never mind, there's still New Moon the movie and it's during the holidays. I really hope she can make it to the first screening.

So, now, I'm watching with my family and my other cousin. I booked what I considered the "best seats " in the theater. It's at Marina Square.

No spoilers for me until I've watch it. That's particularly one reason why I don't want to wait. By then, spoilers and critics will be out and unless I hide myself in a hole, I can't get away from the media. I'm going to be the one giving my opinion about the movie instead of the other way round. I don't want my mind to be "polluted".

The other reason is to bask in the excitement surrounding the franchise.

Which brings me to another point. I'm jealous at the fans who get a chance to be at the Harry Potter HBP premier in New York and London. That is the place I want to go! I may not like crowds but what I would give to be at the premier...

The life in Singapore is just so mundane and "back". Without the internet, we are basically living in the yesterday's news.

*Cries* I really want to see the actors/actresses up front and wear colours or shirts to support. This is the sort of thing I would do, if there are others who do it too.

I'm thinking, for the movie event, I'm going to wear something green to show the Slytherin pride. How sad that I don't have shirts that is green. The best would be to paint my nails silver and green, expect that nobody will know what that respresent...

Nevertheless, I'm already planning for next year's Deathly Hallows part 1 movie. I'm so going to paint my nails in Slytherin colours if I didn't do it this year.

I watched the Harry Potter HBP London premier and I wished I could be there. Love the interviews about the actors/actresses!

Till then~

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Harry Potter rules!

I'm back from the dead, apparently.

These weeks, (or was it days?) had been hectic. I'm been toeing the deadlines for many things.

Since that things have more or less settle down, my plans is to post those long-overdue photos from Sydney and updates on my life on Friday.

The reason I'm making this post is partly because I'm so hyped-up over the upcoming movie event of the year: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Oh gods, I've never felt this way since Twilight the movie during 2008.

Adrenaline is pumping through my blood and I'm really jumpy, in a good way. I've to calm down though.

Was it because HBP is long-overdue since last year? Or was it because there are my favourite stars in it? Was it because I have this good feeling about the latest installment after being let-down by the last 3 movies? Could it be that aside from New Moon the movie which won't be released until December, HBP is the only movie that I look forward to?

With all the reasons combine together, it is enough to make me feel great and passionate and optimistic to last me through the school days.

The 2 minutes plus HBP trailer really rocks! I get these tingles whenever I watch it. Ooooh yes!

Draco has a really important part in this installment and I really look forward to Tom Felton's portrayal. Draco is this vulnerable character who got forced into big shoes he can't possibly fill. What makes me love this character is that Tom Felton portrays him and that the world isn't just black and white.

Yes, I admit I got attracted by the attractiveness. What can I say, I'm a girl.

Severus Snape is another character that I love with a passion. The love just got stronger when I started reading this really well-written fan-fic about the snarky professor.

At the beginning, I feel the same as Hermione does about Snape. I can see that he's not meant to be an evil character. However, the plot surrounds him became worst and at a time, I lost faith in him. After all, he did kill Dumbledore.

During the story on the Prince's Tale in Deathly Hallows, I cried. Snape is just this wonderfully tragic character whose love is so strong that he sacrifices his soul and self to aid his love's son.

I will surely get teary-eyed in the movie when DH is released, but that's another tale for another day.

That doesn't mean that I don't love the other characters. Hermione, Ron and Harry and many others are much loved too.

I have to start to read HBP before the movie comes! The plots must be in my head by the time I watch it.

I'm going to watch it on 16th/17th July 2009. I don't care. I'm going to share this glorious moment with my cousins and brothers. I'm going to watch it on the big screen at VivoCity or Marina Square.

This proves to be a problem because my brothers and cousins may have things on the days since it's school days.

Gah! I told my brother that he should skip his remedial and tell his teacher that he's going to watch Harry Potter. Of course, Harry Potter is more important than school.

I can't wait! There's just about a week left. I'm literally rubbing my hands in glee. From today onwards, I'm logging onto Mugglenet to view the latest news.

I realised that I like England side of perspective more. I don't know; maybe the British actors/actresses are more matured and sensible. The way they talk certainly put things into perspective.

Or maybe it's because the USA actors/actresses are always portray in the bad light or in the tabloids for doing something bad...

Will stop here now. Most probably, the next post will be up on Friday.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Insanity & oh well

Oh gods, I'm really losing my sanity.

I know that I said 3 weeks will pass quickly, but when you live by the day, it just seems like a long way.

This week is completely insane. I don't get proper dinners. I don't have time to do my things. I don't have the rest I needed. I'm wore out.

I start each day early and end each day late. I reached home in the night everyday! Even the working people don't have it that tough.

I eat muesli/chocolate bars for dinner. I'm pathetic and feel pathetic. I can't enjoy the fun times I have online. I don't have time to go to the forums, read other fanfics... The book I borrowed has yet to be read.

However, it's the little things that keep me sane and make my day. My favourite fanfics are updated and I had a great time reading them. I get to spend some time with my friends.

I'm kind of regretting joining TNS. Yes, it will be a good experience, but it just saps my energy.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get into the Director's Honour List.

I wasn't expecting to get in in the first place since I don't know of it. But then, my friends whose GPA are slightly higher than me got in and I didn't. Well, I really want to get in because I feel that my GPA of 3.63 is still within my standards...

That feeling is something like "what you didn't know of, that's ok. But, when you know of something and it didn't happen to you, the disappointment comes."

I'll really try my best to get in this year. Things aren't looking quite good at the moment, what's with the projects and all. And even if I didn't get in, at least my GPA must be maintained.