Wednesday, February 17, 2010

CNY Part 2

15th February 2010:

Hooray! Today was the day we were to watch Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief in the evening. I booked the seats about 3 days ago. And when I checked it today, the whole theatre was already 4/5th full.


I can hardly wait for the movie showing, because I had waited for it for a very long time. Probably since I was in Sec 3 when I first read the book.
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In the morning, we went to my maternal big aunt’s house to visit before proceeding to my paternal great-uncle’s (grandfather’s brother) house. The family usually go there on the first day but this year, we wanted a change and it is so much more fun if we meet up with my uncle and auntie’s families.
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In truth, we had so much fun there. The teenagers and the adults. So much of loud talking and laughing! So many goodies to enjoy! Well, it’s a good thing I am able to understand dialect so I know what they are talking about.
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After that, the family went to my maternal second aunt’s house at Ang Mo Kio. Stayed for a while and we went to bathe before going to Marina Square.
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Woohoo! We were lucky enough to find a carpark lot since the carpark was full of cars looking for spaces.
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Ate at Long John Silver and my father went to collect the pre-booked tickets. After reserving seats for a few times, I can’t stand having to queue for tickets for the seats which I am not pleased about. Guess with the ease of reserving your favourite and best seats online, I have pampered myself. Anyway, it’s not like it is not a good deal. I just have to pay $1 extra for one transaction. So, the more seats I booked, the less that dollar is proportioned.


13 tickets again! When I have the picture, I will put it up.
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I booked 2 rows on the right side. One for the adults and one for the teenagers. This time, we were not late for the trailers.
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I enjoyed the movie very, very much. Perhaps, it was due to I went in with no expectations on my part. I mean, it had been a long time since I read the book and I do not complete the series. So, practically, I can’t compare it page by page.
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I think I know what other fans meant when they say that to enjoy a movie adaptation, one have to go in with low or no expectations and be open-minded. Obviously, it is easier said than done.
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If that book is beloved, normal fans can hardly stand it when it got plummeted and made into something without containing the essence of the book.
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Kudos to Chris Columbus! Is it an irony that he too directed Harry Potter SS and CoS? I don’t like how people compared these 2 book series. Sure, there are some similarities. However, to quote Chris Columbus, fantasy books often have similarities. I think as long as authors are not outright copying other authors’ work, it is alright.
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Percy Jackson is about Greek myths and gods in the 21st century. I distinctly remembered that I felt that it was a breath of fresh air reading about the books because it was just so original. Zeus and the other gods and goddesses holding their counsel in the Empire State building? Wow, that is so cool!
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Also, it must have kick-start my passion and interest for Greek Mythology. I went online and searched more on the wide range of Greek Myths and stories of gods and goddesses. Or was it the other way round? I had an interest in myths and tales before Sec 3 and finding Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan was something special.
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Either way, I did not complete the series because it was a long wait for me and I moved on to other genres. However, after watching this movie, my interest perks again. This time, I will complete the series. It still remain to be seen if I will buy the books or to borrow it.
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Meanwhile, moving on to the actors and the cinematography of the film.
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Logan Lerman who played Percy Jackson is set to be the rising star to come. He portrayed the character very well indeed. It doesn’t help that he is good looking as well. The adult secondary cast were all chosen well, a trait that Chris Columbus takes with him from his HP days.
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The CGI and special effects were brilliant! The backgrounds were very well-done!
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Overall, I love the movie despite the understanding that it differs quite a lot from the book. As I said, I went in there with no expectations and I enjoyed it. It wasn’t really my top favourite book series so I can accept some changes.
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I can’t wait for the sequel which I heard is due in 2012.
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16th January 2010:
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The last day of the Lunar New Year holidays before everything goes back to normal. I'll miss these days.
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In the morning, my brothers had to do their school work and in the afternoon, we joined my cousin’s family and the grandparents at Wheelock Place’s Sakae Sushi for lunch. My aunt came along too. One table for the adults and another for the teenagers.
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There weren’t many plates of sushi going round because I think the chefs were not all back or something. Anyway, we had fun, eating and chatting away. Lots of plates of sushi and sashimi were ordered at the adults’ table.
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We went for a walk at Ion Orchard. Boy, was there crowded. But, it seemed like everyone was just aimlessly walking up and down, as if there was nothing to do. Well, who are we to say others, right? We were walking aimlessly too.
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Went for coffee at TCC opposite. I didn’t really like TCC so I didn’t order anything. There was no space for us in the air-conditioned area so we were made to sit outside. It will be good if the weather eased up a little. It is no secret that one of my wishes is to enjoy a cuppa at an outdoor pavilion with gentle breeze or cooler air about, obviously in an overseas setting.
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We parted our ways at about 4 plus. I then went on to Borders to find some books but I didn’t buy any because I forgot the author’s name and the books I wanted weren’t available. Anyway, I plan to go down to Orchard next week.
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And so, the long weekend ended without much fanfare.
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This Lunar New Year had been tremendously great and fun. I enjoyed myself very much. Spending it with the family and close relatives, what more could we wished for? I just want this to last for many years to come.
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These past days had me sleeping very, very late, sometimes at 1am in the morning.
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Furthermore, I am disappointed again by Mediacorp. What!? No full coverage of Vancouver Winter Games 2010? It is my favourite Olympics games! The sports are far better and superior than the Summer games, at least in my opinion.
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It’s time to ease up and rewind myself. Against my better judgement, I signed myself up for 4 days of work per week. Originally, I was going to say that I’ll be only working for 3 days. I need the time for myself, alright?
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Holidays are for me to relax and just chill. I’m not someone with no life who work all day long. For goodness sake, I even feel guilty about spending my hard-earn money! What logic is that?
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Well, well, I’m that person now, aren’t I?
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But, I am determined to water-paint and make my countdown clock soon. Of course, not forgetting my beloved books waiting to be read.
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Adieu for now

CNY part 1


12th February 2010:

Today was the day that disastrous thing happened. But, what can I do? We wanted to do damage control, but the teacher (I should have known) did not want to give us a second chance.

Yes, I was working at this day. After my work, which ended at 10 plus, we made our way to Far East Flora. As per usual, the whole area was jam-packed full of cars since there are no proper parking system.

In the end, my father didn’t make his way down because there was no parking lot available and he had to mind the car.

We were to make the purchases alone. I went to the “Cold Room” alone to see if I can buy some exotic cut flowers. Wow, the whole small area was flooded with people! People can barely walk. The flowers are a plenty but they don’t seem to be of very good quality. Or maybe, I was late. I can’t find the right flowers to complement what I already bought. Besides, the prices are a little too high for me to be comfortable. I mean, they are flowers, not that they could last forever.
We bought narcissus, and another pot of plant.

It was nearly 12 am when we made our way down to McDonalds at Ang Mo Kio as I was hungry.

Surprisingly, the whole place was nearly full. People were still eating and chatting away. There were even some people who were playing card games! Wow, do these people never sleep.

We went home after eating twister fries and chicken wings. Slept at about 1am.

13th February 2010:

Today was the eve of the Lunar New Year, where the reunion dinner took place.

The entire dinner was a fun affair. The whole family sat at the table, enjoying the home-made steam boat. All thanks to my grandmother.

After that, we had plenty of laughter while taking unglamorous pictures, not me, but my brother and cousin.

At 12am, we ushered in the Year of the Tiger.

14th February 2010:

The first day of the New Year!

Woke up early and got ready to go visiting. Actually, for us, there wasn’t much visiting to be done. Just a couple of houses to go to before we headed straight to my cousin’s house. Then, we stayed there for the rest of the day.

Ate steamboat for dinner again with my auntie’s family. Am kind of sick of it now.