Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Ennui

Holiday really sucks for me because I'm stuck at home. In my world, ennui is synonymous with holiday. Ok, well, depends on what holiday. Long holiday like year-end holiday usually makes me bored and therefore prompts me to do something I've never intended or ever crossed my mind. For instance, I actually searched for computer games to play! It's is thrilled to hook on computer games, having adrenalin pumped and heart racing are really something exciting to experience, but if I'm addicted then my study will drop (not that I care much) and all my efforts will be swept down the drain.

I've been watching House MD recently. I really like medicine a lot, but the notion of becoming a doctor often terrifies me. First, I've a shaky hand. I've no idea why my hand is shaky, but it sometimes bothers me, and I'm pretty sure no patients will confide in or consult a doctor who has a shaky hand. Doctors need firm hands, or else risk plunging into the wrong blood vessel and the result will be very nasty. Either get fired or sued. Either one sounds frighteningly bad. But if I have a choice I'd rather chose the latter. Second, medicine encompasses too much knowledge and it really needs endurance and perseverance to study all. Imagine these: you have 100+ microorganisms to study, medicines and its side effects, operations and bla bla bla. God!

Let's change a topic.

I wanna learn to drive a car! My birthday falls on January 20, so it shouldn't be impossible for me to learn it now, go and listen the tedious and useless undang-undang and then go for a test. Seriously, what's the point of having undang-undang? Do they really expect us to follow the rules pedantically (which is one preposterous expectation) and do every thing in black and white? What? Studying makes perfect now? Since when a new idiom has been invented? Stupid.

So now my friend has invited me to go to Gua Tempurung on December 11. I haven't decided yet because this is one tough decision to make. He has invited a lot of people, so I guess it'll be chaotic and the situation will definitely go out of control. My first instinct is a 'no', but then ennui prompts me to think otherwise. Whatever. The decision has yet to be made, and I might surprisingly say yes.

And for those who does have facebook, go play Word Search! I challenge you all. And Jeff, stop gloating and wipe that smirk off your face, because you know I can't beat you, and I do not intend to overthrow your thrown. But beware! I'm trying to do it now! Hahaha xD

Saturday, 27 November 2010

Health effects of....

Like to eat instant noodles? Well, I'm going to tell you effects of the chemicals in instant noodles to our body. The idea of researching just came to me suddenly. Anyway, I'm sharing my research here. Sources are reliable.

These chemicals are found in Ibumie Mi Goreng: Perisa Thai Tom Yam





Noodle:


Guar Gam: Water-soluble fibre that acts as a laxative, effective in promoting bowel movement. Help in weight loss. Increased absorption of calcium. Improve dietary glucose intolerance. But it reduces the absorbability of dietary minerals (other than calcium).

Sodium Polyphosphate: Extremely harmful if swallowed or inhaled, and in contact with the skin. But I've no idea if the amount of this chemical in the noodles is strong enough to cause this severity in humans.

Potassium Carbonate: Cause irratation in gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. May have moderate toxic effects if consumed in large quantities.

Sodium Carbonate: Not very toxic in small amount. If small amounts are swallowed, drink a cup of water and milk. If taken in large amounts it causes nausea, vomiting and difficulty swallowing.


Seasoning Powder:
Do I have to say anything about the health effects of salt and chilli powder?


Monosodium Glutamate: Labelled as 'safe' by FDA, but it may cause headache, flushing, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, chest pain, nausea and weakness. Avoid if possible.

Flavour Enhancer (E631) - Disodium Inosinate: Side effects including sensation of burning to the skin. Numbness around the mouth area. Profuse sweating. And it is a chemical that may trigger allergic reaction.



Seasoning Sauce:
What to say about soybean, sugar, salt, flour and brown sugar? I'm pretty sure most people know the effects already.

Caramel: Cannot find anything. I'll post it if I find anything about caramel.

Benzoic Acid: Large oral doses can cause abdominal pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting.



Seasoning Oil:
I can find nothing related to palm Olein.

Shallot: It's a type of onion, so I guess it's safe to consume. I cannot find anything about its health effect, but I'll post it here once I find one.


Chilli Sauce:
The sound of the sauce sounds simple, but it contains chilli, water, sugar, salt, garlic and acetic acid.

Acetic acid: Also known as ethanoic acid. Acetic acid in foods never reaches dangerous or unhealthy level. But in high concentration, it cause corrosion to the skin.





After I finished this research, I'm pretty sure I'll try to avoid instant noodles, or at least try tobecause the damn MSG is a pretty strong additive. Anyway, bear in mind, eating too much instant noodles harms the body.

Thursday, 25 November 2010

Primary School Reunion

21 November 2010

6.00pm

I was the first one to arrive the destination. I guess I'll always be. The second one was Sim Le. Yiet Hean, Chee Yee, Phui Ling and Hong Chyng came together and they marked the third. It really frustrated me that people now didn't know the word 'punctual'. So did my sister. She nearly went berserk when her friends weren't punctual. She didn't yell at them, but she said they might have known that she wasn't happy because her face was black, very very black.

We all walked to Seoul Garden then. KPL had seven tables booked, and we all sat on one. It was only 6.10pm, and some of us were famished. Decided not to wait for the others, we took our respective plates and went to get our foods. It was my first time there, so being a newbie made me ignorant to anything there. I had my hands off everything and let the pros do the job. Only then I realised the meal was more or less like BBQ, only no charcoal was needed.

Jun Jie was the fourth to reach, and Bing Xin the fifth, and the others began to trickle in later. We were already half way through our meal, and I was indulging myself in the meat. They tasted great. Really. Although some were severely charred. And for the first time in my life, I tasted mutton.

7.00pm

I was sure we were hated by all customers in the shop because we were making noises there. The restaurant was in complete chaos - thanks to us - and we were chortling and yelling and frolicking around. And after Chee Yee's hat was taken away he became the source of merriment. (But seriously, your hair wasn't ugly. It looked different, but not abysmal.)

Everybody was looking dapper. I was wearing simple. I had a purple shirt (a new one, and the shirt was shockingly small) and a pants. I looked a little unkempt actually. The others were wearing sparkling t-shirts, jeans, and fabulous attires. Some people were taking photos. They snapped here and there. An unexpected guest arrived. And bla bla bla we continued eating. I enjoyed the prawns and the meat, but then I realised my diet was unbalanced so I took some vegetables too.

8.00-10.00pm

Most of the guest had arrived. Even our primary school's teacher had arrived. It's good to see her still fit. She ate only a little, but she did look happy. I needed to pay RM38 for the meal, so I decided to eat until I was certain no more foods could be shoved down. So I ate (and no, I do not have binge eating disorder) more and more until I finally gave up. I took a walk with Yun Hong and while strolling along the street, we had a chat.

The conversation wasn't pertinent to what I'm going to write. So I omit it here. After we went back to Seoul Garden I took another scoop of ice-cream. The ice-cream tasted awesome. Not as good as Baskin Robbins, but it definitely beat RM6 ice-cream in Kimfar. Not many choices of drinks were given there, so I randomly chose some. Thanks to my arbitrariness I realised the drinks there sucked. No wonder not many people drank.

After taking a photograph, my mother came and picked me up. Yen Jeek actually said hi to my mother (she was his teacher) but Wooi Ying avoided my mother. After the hearty meal, I went home with satisfaction and a bloated stomach. And I was wondering how my mother would react when I told her the price of my dinner because our money was a little tight at the moment.

Most of my friends had changed. Both in appearance and character. Some of their voices had changed owing to puberty. Most of them looked mature, although frighteningly emaciated (for instance, Chin Kaie). But still, I enjoyed this gathering a lot.

Friday, 19 November 2010

Outing

I went out with Wee Chin, Jyh Ruey, Song Wei, Phui Ling and another girl whose name escapes me (sorry...) yesterday. My ultimate motive was to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a movie which I had reviewed on my previous post. At first we had 6 confirmed friends, but then Zheng Jia said he couldn't attend, reasons unknown. Derrick said he might attend. Of what I'd heard, he wanted to join us, but he didn't have transport. Pity.

Before we had our lunch we went to play some games in the...umm...叮叮店 (is it written correctly?). I like the shooting game!

Lunch was a total waste. They ate a lot! One big pizza, two seafood lasagne, mushroom soup, salads.........We had an extremely expensive and unbalanced meal.

Lunch cost us RM18 each!

Then after we watched Harry Potter, Wee Chin and I shared a cake (Secret Recipe's cake). The others went to buy Ice Cream.

After that we went to Petrosains. It was about dinasour, and I hate to say that exhibition was extremely boring. But I guess it's fine because it was built for naive small kids.

After that we left JUSCO. Sorry this post is short, I'm kinda rush right now. If I've time I'll elaborate this post.

Oh, and I bought McDonald's french fries to do some experiment. I wanna see how long it takes to rot. Today marks the second day.

Pictures will be uploaded later.

Thursday, 18 November 2010

My Review on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1


I was a fan of Harry Potter when I was around the age of 12. But then after I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, my interest begins to ebb away. Not because the movie is less interesting, but because the story is too long and it has lost its charm that makes the film a commercial success. Nevertheless the films still manage to gain popularity. You know why? Most people, especially after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, do not watch the movies because the movies are interesting, but to satisfy their curiosity and watch the ending of the movie.

I'm not going to say much about the film, because frankly there aren't many to say. The synopsis of the film is the same as the synopsis of the book. There are some difference. For instance, the scenes where Harry talks to Dursleys are removed, and I don't recall seeing Dudley either. But I didn't expect much. If this movie follows the book pedantically then the movie will be boring in a way that it lacks creativity.

Most people want to know where this part of movie ends, right? Well, the movie ends with a cliffhanger - as suggested by the title - where Voldermort steals the Elder Wand that is attached to the late Dumbledore's body.

This movie is by far the best trilogy in the series. 60% of the movies are action scenes. First, the Ministers of Magic try to bring the eponymous character away from his house to a safe house where he will be well protected by scores of sophisticated wizards and witches. While they are fleeing the place they are suddenly ambushed by Death Eaters. As most people know, Mad Eye Moody dies (sadly) and George's ear is severed by a stray curse. This marks the beginning of the movie.There are many more action scenes after that, and it ends with the scene where Bellatrix tortures Hermione and Dobby saves them.

This movie is also hilarious, probably contains the most jokes in the series so far. I like how George watches Harry and Ginny kissing silently and then pretends to be ignorant to what they do. I like how Harry freaks out when he sees his curse goes haywire. I like how Dobby tries to deny his doing with pathetic sincerity. I also like the scene where they disguise themselves and infiltrate the Ministry of Magic.


But there's a scene in the movie that bugs me. After they escape from the Ministry of Magic, they land on somewhere (I didn't know where) and Hermione puts on the protective charm. And during the night when Hermione sees someone lurking around, she panics, but her protective charm protects them from being discovered, but the 'someone' smells her perfume. So here's the problem: why would Hermione bother to spray perfume on her body in the time of emergency?

And the scene where the fake Harry wears a bra is choking me on laughter.

The storyline is great from the start to the end, it manages to keep us spellbound. I give it an A. The director definitely did a great job in directing because I never felt impressed before. I give it another solid A. The action scenes are superb, I like it, another A. But the cliffhanger isn't strong and if I only watch the last 5 minutes of the movie, I don't think I'll watch the second part, so I give it a measly C.

The ticket price for the movie is RM11, but if you are a student, remember to bring your student card. Flash it to them and your ticket price will drop to RM6. Save your money!


Tuesday, 16 November 2010

Playing Truant

Today is the last day of school day. But so what? I never like 4S3. Realise I use the present tense? It isn't a grammatical error, it is written that way intentionally. I will never like 4S3.

For the first time this year, I decided to play truant. I'm pretty sure the school doesn't bother. And Facebook is frighteningly quiet in the morning.

Next year I'll be in 5S3. I hope it'll be much better than 4S3, because honestly, even though my life in 4S3 has just ended, I still loathe 4S3, as strong as I despise this class before I entered the class in January (a little stronger now, but marginally).

Monday, 15 November 2010

House Quotes (4)

Dr. Wilson: You stole my patient.
House: You stole my guitar.
Dr. Wilson: Give him back.
House: Only when you give her back.
Dr. Wilson: It's a she?
House: Well, it's certainly not a dude.
Dr. Wilson: It's a guitar! You took a human being!
House: Now who doesn't have a sense of humor?

House: Can't take the case. I don't have a team.
Dr. Cuddy: So hire a team!
House: What for? I don't have a case!

House: And you didn't stop him. Means either you thought it was a chance worth taking, making you a hypocrite or you thought he will fail, making you a cutthroat little pixie.

House: The rest of you, 8.00am sharp. I'll be in sometime between 10 and 3.

House: You ladies have the honor to give the patient a feeding tube, discharge him, and show up for work tomorrow. The rest of you, you're a disappointment. You make me want to stop dangling.

House: Why does his lungs thing his throat is his stomach?

House: Without competition we'd all be single-cell organisms.

House: I'm going to fire the next person who asks who I'm going to fire.

Dr. Cuddy: How advanced is the pneumonia?
House: It's taking college courses.

House: Big love, have I humiliated you in the last half hour?
Cole: No.
House: Check your e-mail.

House: Have you guys heard any of my metaphors yet? Well come on, sit on grandpa's laps as I tell you how infections are criminals; immume system's the police. Seriously, Grumpy, get up here, it'll make us both happy.

House: Someone's gonna be miserable sometime. Accept it. That's how I stay so happy.

House: War doesn't end until Foreman's gone.
Dr. Cuddy: Foreman's not going anywhere.
House: And I know when my Vicodin isn't Vicodin. Do you know when your birth control pills are birth control pills?

Dr. Wilson: I was wondering when you'd grow bored of avoiding my calls.
House: Oh, I can never grow bored of ignoring you.

Dr. Terzi: John hasn't vomited in six hours.
House: What's to vomit? I'm eating his lunch.

Dr. Wilson: Of course you're type AB. Universal recipient. You take from anybody.
House: Course, you're type O, Universal donor. No wonder you're paying three alimonies.

House: Listing all the possibles causes is only impressive if you can do it reverse alphabetically.

Thirteen: Wouldn't 'no' have been a shorter answer?
House: Wouldn't you not talking make this a shorter conversation.


Saturday, 13 November 2010

Lacklustre life

My life has been lacklustre recently, the chief reason is probably because I have no interest in involving myself in some addictive computer games.

I'm involved in the Graduation Magazine. Surprise? Don't worry. I've not told anyone this. Not because I'm ashamed of joining them, I just find no reason to tell anyone.

I realise I have been isolating myself from some people recently. As for why I don't know. When I see someone, and I shall not say who, I instinctively cringe away, and I don't know why. And don't say I'm in love, because I shun both boys and girls, who are not intimately close to me.

Is it because I'm lazy to say a simple 'hello'? It's probable, considering that I know many people in school and I've no strength to wave and say 'hi' to everybody I know.

I'm having phobia recently, probably due to the involvement in the graduation magazine. I'm sentimental, easily influence by emotions around me. Anger, depression, frustration, despondent and many more emotions. Negative emotions have some bearing on me, and I can't formulate a word how.

I'm scared of losing friends, especially when I lose my friends by me unintentionally, or deliberately, drive them away. I know I'm being pessimistic, but I'm feeling this way now. Not that I despise being optimistic, but I've got to face that now or later. I choose to deal with it later, but my subconscious keeps bugging me. What should I do?

I just have two random things to talk about:
a) If you a fan of House MD, you must be intrigued by the medicine in the show. Here's an advice: if you want to learn medicine, watch season 1-3. From season 4 onwards the medicine has declined and is sloppy. Season 6 and season 7 have medicine that are almost absurd. (review by doctor)

b) I'll still finish my previous post.

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

A Story

Actually I have written this a long time ago, when I didn't have the internet service and TELECOM'S tardy action actually gave me some time to write a short story. I didn't finish it, but I intend to finish it now. It sounds and looks lame, but I'm no professional, so please tolerate with the uninspiring and uninteresting story. It's full with banalities, but........here goes.

Story inspired by Derrick Tan (concussion), NLL (still hospitalised), CCS (broken arm) and LJX (broken ankle) and House MD. If you know me (actually not many people know) you should know I love medicine. That's why I love 'House MD' so much.

If you want me to write a story about you, just give me something about the incident and I'll try my best to write.

====================================================================

1 January 2010

I wake up bright and early, photosensitived, and realised I'm in a room I'm not familiar with. I squint and saw somebody standing beside me. I pull myself up and realise two doctors are staring at me. They amble towards me, and throw me a series of questions that never seem to end. I'm still blurry, a bit queasy, and I've no idea where I am, what is the place or when was I brought there. Eventually I answer a few questions that I manage to answer, the rest came to me a surprise. I am told I was hurt but I can remember nothing but celebrating New Year last night. The clock points 6 sharp and I realise it is evening. Sunlight shines weakly and it begins to sink.

I try very hard to remember what happened, but I am told I have short term amnesia. I shake every thing off and subdue the pain. I grimace and ask for my parents, but the doctors say visitors are not allowed. Then one of them, Dr. Lee, says I need to rest and I'm given anesthesia to rest. I then feel listless and dropped off.

2 January 2010

I've been called by someone and the voice sounds vaguely familiar. Then it hit me it was my father, and I jump out like a kid just wake up after a night terror. I am so happy to see them and they are likewise. They tell me I got hurt when the firecrackers that were supposed to lit burst into flames, and that's how I got third-degree burn. When I fell, I banged my head on the door and hence I have this nasty headache and blocked memories.

We chat a little and the bell rings, telling visitors to leave. They look disappointed, but they have to leave. They promise they'll visit me again, and I say I'll be waiting, although deep down in my heart I wish they'll never leave me alone here, abandoned and terrified.

It is 2.00pm and everyone gets back to their respective bed. I'm in a ward. I can see eight beds from my view, including mine. I'm on bed number 10. The beds are arranged accordingly, and of course everybody is a guy. The patient next to me, an Indian, seems to have experienced a very nasty accident. Everything on him looks ominous, and I suddenly feel glad to have burns and concussion. Bed 11, 13, 15 and 16 are not occupied. The boy in bed 12 looks weak. Lassitude makes him sleep for almost all day. The guy in bed 13 looks surprisingly old for a 26-year-old man (I know his age through eavesdropping) and he is a volatile man. He vociferates and always goes ballistics when he's wish is not satisfied. He always asks for painkillers. I've no idea what he suffers from and I'm not a doctor, but I do know too much painkillers is deleterious.

The day just drags on, and a nurse later administers something into my system and tells me to rest more. Feeling weak, I dozed off.


3 January 2010

It has been only two days, but I have begun to be claustrophobic. I've been moved to another bed, where another boy of about my same age is my only companion. The other beds are not occupied, making him the only person I can talk to. He says he has been in the hospital for a month, and the doctor has not had a clue about what's wrong with him. His symptoms have the doctor stumped. At that time I'm feeling a little bit worried. What if what he has is infectious? If it is environmental and toxic I guess I can relax a little, but if it is infectious I'll be terrified.

But then, why would a doctor place a patient in a same ward with a patient with infectious disease? Surely they have ruled out infection. I kind of pity him. He has tubes all over his body, and he even wears a oxygen mask. He said his lungs collapsed, and even though it's fine now the doctors are still taking precautions just to make sure the history doesn't repeat itself.

I'm still bored and I take the book my mother brought to me. I plough through the book for a few hours. It's very difficult to read when the ward is silently noisy and my intermittent pain keeps kicking in. Then I heard beeping. I notice it comes from the another boy in the ward. The doctors rush in. The suddenly the doctor has his Eureka! moment and diagnoses him with something jargonic. If I'm not mistaken I think I heard him saying something calls Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. The crux is, the boy is allergic to light.

Another day just drags on. Another day has just gone.


4 January 2010

I dislike laying on the bed. It makes me look weak, although I know I look wan, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. It was 9.00am, I wandered my hands on the desk beside me and I manage to grab a magazine. The magazine is full with gossips that are highly appreciated by fans but vociferously despised by most stars. Gossips beget pressure to the stars, and if I'm one of the stars I'll shun paparazzi with every fibre of my being.

After I have taken an insipid lunch, I bring myself to a wheelchair and have a nurse push me around in the lawn outside. This place isn't fully planted with trees, but the colour of the grass is definitely pleasing to the eyes. There are many interesting people around. A 60-year-old man, possibly diagnosed with lung cancer, trying to abstain himself from smoking but his poor-spirited will is overwhelmed by the urge to smoke, and he begins to smoke, much to the doctors' dismay. His stained teeth and emaciated body show that he is a chain-smoker. Then I saw an old lady, possibly suffers from Alzheimer's, keeps wringling her hands and her daughter looks extremely tired. Taking care an Alzheimer's patient needs a tremendous patience and I couldn't imagine what happen if this trouble weighs on me later.

The air was cool - a little biting - since it has been raining recently. I'm still weak, but I feel invigorated to be around people. Some look sicker than me. I bumped into a boy around my age, and he has one of his legs amputated. I choked on my fear but I didn't let out a scream. Whatever he went through was much terrible than mine. So instead of feeling pity to myself, I realise I have to be strong, because they are hundreds of people out there suffering from a long-time illness that impact their lives in a way they wish they were never born.

5 January 2010

I have been to a new ward to be monitored. If I'm fine today I'll be sent home to recuperate. Every activites on my time table has been cancelled - much to my annoyance - for my own good. A boy is laid upon beside me. The doctor told me he had a cardiac arrest and a fractured arm. I have no doubt he plays basketball. I try to talk to him whenever he wakes up (he's still weak), and he appears to be too weak to talk. I let him rest, and decide to give myself a rest, until an annoyingly loud alarm sends me off guard. It appears that an emergency has happened and all doctors are required in the ER.

I don't know much, but I do know something very, very nasty has occured. As a practised eavesdropper I try to get something from the nurses. Turns out a bus has overturned, and all 28 passengers in the bus are badly mangled. Some died on the spot, some are maimed, some survives but not for long, some has their lives relied on the machines. Families are sobbing, friends are wailing, doctors are busy, nurse are overwhelmed with heavy work. I feel sad for them. Truly. Again, I feel like my life is much better than I had thought.

6 January 2010

The day I've been waiting for. My parents come early today and bring me out of the hospital. I pack my things eagerly, wave goodbye to the boy beside me although I ain't sure whether he sees me or not, and listen to the doctors kind-hearted advice. I thank the doctor profusely and on my way out I look at the ER. Parents are still flooding the room, nurses are still running around sending charts and picking up calls. It hurts me to watch, so with heavy steps, I try to run away from this place, which will forever be embedded in my mind.



End of story. The story sucks, but I just love to write.

Thursday, 4 November 2010

4th November, 2010

I woke up around 9.30am. Flabbergasted, I pulled myself away from the bed and literally dragged myself to the dining room to eat breakfast. Breakfast was way too simple and I was still feeling hungry after that. I suppressed the urge to ransack the kitchen for foods and went to the toilet to brush my teeth until they scintillated. I wasn't exaggerating. The white bubbles formed actually scintillated.

Then I switched on the computer and oddly the first thing I did was opening Plurk. Then I logon to Facebook and began to roll the mouse impatiently. Facebook is recently choked with people confessing their loves, people saying how 'sienz' their lives are (like my live isn't 'sienz'....), people writing didactic sentences which inevitably ignored by most people, people uploading picture showing how silly or how gracious they looked and bla bla bla....

Then I watch Jit Sin Wars again. I'm not interested with the why and the wherefore they made the video. The deliberate lousy acting somehow lightened the viewers' mood and the directory is superbly done. But the story is.........lame. But I like it. Honestly.

What I did then? Oh! Right! My mother and I went to BM library, and I saw was few racks of bookshelves. I found no books to my liking, so we left and went to PRAI library, and again I got nothing. All books were torn and outdated. Don't ever go there!

Then we went to Carrefour. The air-conditioner seriously needed repairment. I went to search for new shirts to buy. Most of the shirts there looked cheap, I guess it was understandable since some were imitation. I found some shirts I liked and I tested them. M size is a little too small for me, but L size is way too long. So I bought M instead, and I don't know if I will regret. In retrospect, I shouldn't have bought them.

Then we went back home, I surfed the net again. Then I went to my room reading, and they I had my dinner, and then I went to bath, and then I made a cup of coffee and sipping it slowly while reading True Singapore Ghost Stories. And then I tried to finish reading my storybook and then here I am, writing this post droning on how my day is wasted.

Next year, I vowed to make sure my life is no longer miserable.

Oops, I have written too long a post, as is my wont.

Wednesday, 3 November 2010

My Review on 'Death Place'


I'm not a profesional writer, so don't expect a good review on me. But here's my review anyway:

I'm floored to know the movie is only about to be released tomorrow. I watched this movie few months ago and now only most cinemas in Malaysia will start screening.

Also known as Taihong, Still and Die a Violent Death, this chilling movie is made up of 4 different stories directed by 4 different directors. All stories are based on true events that became the hot news in Thailand. But of course, the stories in this movie will be strongly exaggerated and widely elaborated. The show is somehow similar to Phobia, a succesful horror movie that hit Thailand and Malaysia with commersial success. A sequal was made, Phobia 2, and it again topped the box office in both Thailand and Malaysia.

Let's review one by one:



THE BLAZE



New Year is something very exciting for all people. It's the beginning of a brand new year, where everything -- well, mostly -- will begin all over again. School kids begin their new school life, workers make new plans and budgets and whatnot. The eve of New Year usually draws people to pubs to celebrate.

A man decides to count down with his friends and girlfriends. But on doing that he inevitably ignores his girlfriend, making his girlfriend feels abandoned and incongrous. She feels sad and runs to the bathroom only to be killed by a violent fire caused by reckless bartenders. The boyfriend survives, but his life begins to deteriorate. He is always sombre, avoiding contact with others, refusing to accept the truth.

This sapiently directed 30-minutes short film is about love. It might have some terrifying scenes that'll make your hairs stand, but it is deserved to be praised as the audience are able to feel the romance and horror simultaneously. However, it is not a great start for this movie.


My rating: B-



IMPRISON



How will you feel when you are put in a haunted prison? I'll be living in horror every day.

A man is being put in a gaol. He has no friends, only some lonely old guys sitting around staring at him. Later he begins to sense something. He encounters weird incidents. Each incidents get weirder and weirder until finally his curiosity gets the better of him as he uncovers the mystery that lies behind.

This part is probably the worst part of all. The scenes, to me, aren't scary and the story is sloppy and haphazardly planned. No actual stories are being delivered. Only some random scares and stories that don't add up.

My rating: D+



REVENGE



A haunted apartment. This is what I'm scared of. If I am residing in an apartment and encounters weird things, my first instinct is to flee.

A girl finds a mute mule to get drugs. She later gets overdose and dies. The mule, instead of reporting her death, hides her body by disposing her into the water tank. Subsequently the water is contaminated, and everybody in the apartment is being supplied with water and body decays.

My favourite part of all. The story doesn't matter. The moral value behind it does, however. It tells us if we do something unpardonable, our guilt will take control of us. Eventually, justice will be served. This part makes me realised I hadn't wasted my time watching this movie.

My rating: A



HAUNTED MOTEL



Similar to 'In The Middle' in 4bia and 'In The End' in Phobia 2, this is a comedy-horror that tells us about a man and his friend. This story begins with hookers lining up at a street and a man and his friend get one for 500 baht (only RM50 for a night with a hooker? More men in this world are losing virginity) and then they go to a motel, where weird things happen.

This story has some kinkiness. The story is a little bit disconcerting, but if you try to fathom the story you'll get a storyline, although poorly constructed. But the fun and the horror are spellbinding enough to make you finish the movie.


My rating: B+

Monday, 1 November 2010

Feng Shui Tak Bagus!!

Has the title caught your attention? Of course it does. It is always spoken by D. Mages, especially when he begins to complain about our class.

This quote is, oddly, like a curse. You know why?

4S3 has lousy Malay and English teachers. MSegara, the infamous slacker, has never seriously taught us anything. LAT is another lazy teacher, but I will prefer to have her as my teacher if I have been given a choice to choose between her and MSegara. And LAT is way too strict in marking.

Chinese teacher? Ordinary. She's not hardworking, but she's not lazy either. I guess she works hard to complete her task, but she never has the motivation to do more than completing her job.

Modern Maths? Oh please, she might teach form 6, but she sucks at teaching Modern Maths. Students from 3A5 should know.

Additional Mathematics? Oh my god. My MTAM teacher supported the quote of 'feng shui tak bagus'. She had a terrible ordeal. She lost her baby. And then later she was discharged from the hospital and spent time recuperating. But as this very moment she is lying in the hospital due to build-up liquids in her lungs. The doctor never seems to find out the underlying cause. The diagnosis is apparently very tricky.

Biology teacher had a horrible fall. She suffered, but gladly not as serious as my MTAM teacher or else Jit Sin is on the brink of hiring another good teacher. She recovered shortly and came back today.

Chemistry teacher? OK, I think she changes the most. She was once a famous teacher in Jit Sin. And now? She is disliked by half of 4S3 students. Students who don't hate her don't show any sign of liking her either. She's too cocky, and she always talks like Chemistry is the only subject we should be concerned about. The other subjects are garbage. In her world, Chemistry is the utmost important. She doesn't even care if we fail other subjects. That's who she is. If she happen to be your Chemistry teacher next year. You better read this:

This is my prediction based on my experience of facing her. For the first three months, she is teaching like an ordinary teacher. Patient. Hard-working. Friendly. After the first class test, especially when she sees your class' results (she never gets satisfied by results), she will begin to change. There'll be a subtle change, just pay attention. She begins to be fussy, cocky. She'll keep borrowing lessons from other teachers. And you'll have at least 3 lessons of Chemistry a week.

After the mid-term examination, you may begin to hate her. Because you'll face her at least 3 times a week, and if she is too hard-working you'll face her 9 lessons a week, which means 9 lessons of Chemistry a week. You think you can handle that many lessons? I thought I could handle too. But only for two weeks. After two weeks you'll grow tired.

Don't be adament and say you can handle her. My experience with my friends tell me otherwise.
Physics? The teacher is simply adorable. Besides her corrupt English she has no flaws at all.

Sejarah? Besides being anti-school I think he has the best notes in the world.

Others are negligible.