Akan Datang: First Daughter of the Lim Family

While my niece is still happily cooing in the warmth of my sister-in-law's tummy, everyone else here in Columbus/Dublin OH are on full alert!!!

Heheh... we like to joke around that over the past week or so, everyone is more anxious than the Momma herself... haiyoh what to do!

I, for one, can't wait to see my niece - baby Eleanor - and tickle her toes for making all of us wait! This little princess is overdue, since Saturday! Hahahah... she is a DEFINITE true-blood Singaporean! Always Fashionably Late!

Javajavajavajavajavajava

Ahhh... there's nuthin' like a nice warm cuppa in the morning to pep me up!

And now, I've even more reason to do so... hee... Kopi-Oh Gao Gao!!! (Coffee Black Extra Strong!) That's right all you kopi-sians (coffee addicts/lovers) out there, coffee - in moderation - does help, just like red wine and cheese!

Remember - in MODERATION = No binging!

Fwd: 10 Worst BJ Mistakes

Hahah... normally I'd expect to see an article like this appearing on BoingBoing or Fleshbot, but lo and behold, it appears on Tomorrow.SG!

A fist-to-face article with a slightly cheeky tinge (and hopefully, educational for our fellow female counterparts ;) , but you just cannot deny the truth behind the words! Read it to believe it...

** WARNING : Not recommended for minors aged 18 and under **

There, I've said it (disclaimer), so go check it out: Direct Link

Have fun! :)

Initial D: The Live Action Movie (HK) Rant

After some consideration, I decided to give the "Initial D" live action movie - adapted from the much-revered Japanese manga/anime series by Shuuichi Shigeno - a try, and being a fan, my expectations were understandably quite high [for the movie to do the original series justice]. Let's just say I was not impressed with the movie although I must give some credit to the stunt drivers for some of the racing scenes... NOTE: I watched the Mandarin-dubbed version, so I did not experience the original Cantonese speech. Here's my quick rant of some actors' performances/directions, followed by general comments about the adaptation:

- Jay Chou, playing Fujiwara Takumi, our lead protagonist. Jay worked hard to capture that "bo-chup" (simply don't care) and "blur" look that made Takumi so famous while he negotiates the bends of Mt. Akina. BUT he sometimes just comes across as trying too hard, and he seems to be a little uncomfortable (which is understandable for the Taiwanese singer in his first leading role, and this movie is shot entirely in Cantonese dialogue!)... More to be said about his chemistry with actress Anne Suzuki later.

- Anthony Wong, playing Fujiwara Bunta, the supposed "God of Mt. Akina's curves". In the anime, Bunta was the strong and silent driving force behind Takumi's skill and abilities. He smokes, quietly makes his Tofu (their family's main source of income) and gives Takumi advice whenever he observes something new about driving or cars. Why... WHY did they decide to make Bunta's character a drunk/alcoholic and child beater?! I still wonder what went on in the minds of the two moronic directors (Alan and Andrew f--kin' something)... You... DO NOT... MESS with BUNTA! Once I saw Anthony passed out on the floor in the first Bunta scene, I was like, "Oh frickin' gawd... they did NOT do this!" The movie just started, and I was ALREADY pissed and disappointed. Movie gets major negative points for this totally uncalled for change of character dynamics.

- Anne Suzuki plays Natsuki Mogi, Takumi's love interest and part-time Enjo Kosai escort. Acting wise, she does the cute thing just fine. But there was little chemistry between Jay and Anne, aside from some indications of puppy love, I felt nothing deeper. Plus, in the anime/manga, it was never clearly stated how far (sexually) she went with her "Papa" (Mr Benz ;) ... the readers/viewers were expected to draw their own conclusions. But in the movie the directors decided to make the decision for us, and so -ba-da-bing- Mogi is a whore. Rrright. Let's see if there is (Gawd forbid) a sequel to this Live movie, how would they recover from this fiasco.

- Chapman To takes on the resident clown role, as Itsuki Takeuchi. This casting choice hit hard on several aspects. (1) Chapman is way too old to play the loud and goofy Itsuki... I mean, LOSE THE DAMN SHADES! Those things were in fashion during the 70s! He came across as smart-ass cocky and just irritating to watch. (2) They got rid of Iketani and threw the reins of the Akina Speedstars into Itsuki's hands, who thinks he's the "God of Driving"! What about our "Lonely Drivers?!" (3) WORST crime of all: They decided to cast the Itsuki character as the gas station manager Yuuichi Tachibana's (played by Kenny Bee, who wasn't too bad) SON. I kid you not. I have no other words for this type of shitty/lazy writing and casting.

There were quite a number of other issues I had, but I'll narrow down to a few major ones, including: the total exclusion of Keisuke Takahashi and his beautiful competition yellow FD RX-7. I mean, come on! The main reason behind Takumi's rise as a racer was the Takahashi bros' discovery of this mysterious AE86 running in the narrow Mt. Akina streets! WTF?

The painfully brief inclusion of the Emperor Team (Mitsu Evo drivers). If you have watched the entire anime or read the entire manga series to date, you will know that the Emperor Team had a far greater agenda! Jordan Chan played his role as the #1 Emperor driver (however briefly) as well as he could, but I can't blame him for the bad adaptation of his character.

So, in conclusion, I really wished the directors + producers planned ahead and signed up the cast for a trilogy or at least a sequel, so that they can stretch out the material a bit and allow more room for their characters to develop. Sure, this whole story line has been covered on print and on TV, but what about those who have heard about Initial D but have not had the pleasure of catching the original series? They would think that all that bullcrap plot alterations are the real deal! So I blame the failure (not commercial, just the interllectual and spiritual) of this movie to the writers, the directors and the producers for being so damn blind to the fact that this movie should have been MORE than JUST about the cars and driving. >:(

Final Pip: They should have left some of the AvexTrax Euro-beat/trance music (esp. those by Move) in the race sequences.

Blair gets sucker-punched. Bush sends condolences.

Issit not just a coincidence that U.K. gets hit with a systematic and coordinated attack not long before the G8 summit and right after the 2012 Olympics announcement? Tis a sad day...

Beauty at the eyes of the beholder

Just trying to look like I understand something in the canvas...

Back from D.C. ... Movin' in!

Ahhh... what a great Independance Day weekend! Drove down with my family to the nation's capital to say hello to ol' Prez Bush, and did managed to see him overhead... hee... check out his chopper landing at the White House:

Back to work today... w00t! The janitors' gotten my new office floor stripped and waxed and I'm ready to move in! Yaayyyy!

Web courses and Working!

Aaahhh... I've just started on my first day of distance learning/web-based/online courses at the local Community College, and let's just say that right now, I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of information to take in... wooooo woo wooo...

PANIC ATTACK!!!
*grabs temples and shakes head violently side-to-side*
Huu ... huuu ... huuu ...
*Deep breaths*
Oooooohkay. Ground's stopped moving. Great.

Gotta remember to print out the TON of materials (Syllabus, Assignments, Readings etc etc) that are listed on the web site later today. *trying to convince /self* It's gonna be FUN FUN FUN! Hoo hoo hoo! Aren't we all glad?!

A BIG piece of good news is that I've been accepted to take a position as the System Specialist in the Elec. & Computer Engineering Dept! Yaayyyyy... It's been a good 2 years since i joined the team in the ECE department (then known as just EE), and I've loved every minute of it! Couldn't ask for a better bunch of people to work with... Oooo YEAH! *Egyptian head nod... and spin... and moonwalk!*

Better get some shuteye soon... I've got a pack of Oscar Meyer "Bun-size" Weiners to return to Meijer first thing tomorrow morning, coz they just got a "Buy 1 get 2 free" offer on their Ball Park franks. Yummy!

*Yawn* *stretch*
G'nite, mates!

Long, Hot Days

Whew! What a start of Summer it's been! We've been having, like, the LONGEST days here in Ohio... and lately temperatures have been skyrocketing up to the 90s (Fahrenheit)! Not only that, we've just had 11 days of continuous sunny days... not a single drop of rain. Some cities/towns have started imposing Watering Restrictions (where residents are told to only water their plants and stuff on certain days).

This week OSU is holding Orientation for students, bloody car parks are packed with visitors... sigh... my student parking pass holds no value. All the lots have been gobbled up by the time i get to work, and I'm too much of a lazy a$$ to get up earlier. So a little more exercise for me this week as i scrounge for space in the parking areas a couple of blocks further down.

Mighty hot. Sunset only comes at 9:30pm...
"Wah! Jin-Zua!" *fans self*

Nihon-Go: Enjo Kosai

Ever watched Initial D, the anime... esp the episodes with Takumi's girlfriend and her "Papa"? Or basically any Japanese TV series that involve teenage girl(s) who have no money to spend?

I'm pointing to "Compensated Dating" - or more blatantly, "Teenaged Whoring". I can't remember the first time i heard about this, but this has been a widely-discussed issue within the strict/face-saving Japanese Society. Basically every Tom, Dick and Harriet knows that this happens... A LOT. And what's even more fascinating, it's totally consensual. The girls know what they are doing. They know that guys want sex (esp in their sailor school outfits). They know they need the money to maintain their shopping habits (and need to fit in). And they know that these guys (salarymen, mostly in their 30s or older) can give'em the dough. So bam-bam-boom, a deal is sealed. Into the Love Hotel for a night of "service" (it doesn't always involve sex) for cash. Up till 1999, in Japan it's legal to have sex with a person who is 14 and up. Then a new law was erected to prevent sex until a person is 18.
Like that helps. Rrrrright.

Anyway, I'm not one to complain, it's just an interesting phenomenon that's afflicted a largely traditional society still struggling to find a balance between progressive economy and social morality. Just based on what the media's been reporting and what you can find off the web, you'll see that Japan is in no way behind the times when it comes to the sex industry. They've got pretty lewd stuff (aside from the usual obsession with young schoolgirls) that i believe even the adult entertainment industry in Europe and the US would find strange.

I can go on and on... there are tons of articles about how the sex industry is able to thrive and grow in this traditionally reserved country... For those of you still interested to read about this, check out my sources of this post:
Time Asia - She's only a little schoolgirl
Enjo Kosai - Adventures in a Love Hotel
A Written Record - Compass Online
Japan for the Uninvited: Enjo Kosai

My brother once visited Japan for a business trip, and he was told that as schoolgirls progressed from one academic level to the next, their skirts lengthen. Fascinating.

<Edit - some factual corrections... i made some assumptions that clearly showed my lack of research... Sumimasen, Thomas-san!>

2001 Civic For Sale

Btw, anyone who is within the vicinity of Columbus, OH and is looking for a ride, might wanna consider buying this Honda Civic Coupe from a friend of mine... it's a pretty sweet ride, and is well-cared for. Lady driver, first owner! :)

Check it out at my Forever For Sale site...

Here's a sneak peek:

Rant of the Day

Why doesn't anybody flush the damn toilets after they use them? Gawd damned them to hell... smells up the damn place. And what's worse, some of those fellas who don't wash their damn hands!
UGH! Pooey! Ptui! Ptui!

Excuses...

It's Finals Week. I'm already burnt out.

So I'm not expecting to post much until next week blows over.

I still have an interview and a doctor's appointment next Friday.

Argh.

Interlude

What a weekend!

Just attended a Gaming convention on Saturday held in Downtown Columbus with some friends. Saw some interesting Star Wars promotional "mascots" (pictures will be posted tomorrow - I'm too tired to do clean up now) ...

Drove up today to Utica to attend the Velvet's Ice Cream Festival/Carnival. There was a classic/muscle car show and an arts-n-crafts market... not too bad... saw some pretty mean wheels!

Well, tomorrow is rest/homework day... so better get some sleep and be up early... *yawn*

TBC (to be continued)...

Roll at a corner

Ever wondered why some things are at some places? On my way out of my office today I saw this in the lift (elevator car):

I found myself staring at it travelling the whole six storeys down. Didn't really know what to make of it, so i thot i'll just take a quick shot of it.

On the bright side, there was a beautiful full moon last night (attempts to take photos came out horrible), and the weather on my way back today was great. Lovely thick fluffy clouds... and it was like, 7:30pm when i took this shot - summer weather indeed! :)

Lit'l fluffy clouds

A blanket of angry-looking storm clouds floated dangerously over campus today, just as i was about leave for home. But as I walked across the car park (parking lot), the clouds had moved on... and I was bathed in a warm glow, while a cool breeze rippled across the surface of my arms, caressing my face. I stood by the side of my wagon, letting my body absorb the mild ultraviolet beams and the soft, soothing winds.

The weather continued to look up during my drive back home. And I got a few shots of the clouds as they parted to let some rays of sunlight shine through.

Lovely.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head...

Wet day today... rain came pouring down around 2pm or so, in the middle of my Geological Sciences midterm... yeesh. Thankfully i wrapped my bicycle seat with a plastic bag, so I didn't have to sit on a wet sponge. Yup, nothing worse than sitting on a water-logged foam-based bicycle seat. SPLUT.

Also, I've learned today the true inspirations for the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Apparently there are two famous religious/philosophical speakers during the 16th and 17th centuries going by the names John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, and it does seem like they contributed to C & H's often cynical (and sometimes thoughtful) expressions in the strips.

I was speaking to one of my team-mates (for a mini-presentation of John Calvin's writings and "Calvinism" in general), and I realized that she is a business major, and is already a licensed real estate agent. Cool. I think it's time for me to seriously consider alternative branches of office, aside from IT, that is...

Hmmm... perhaps I could consider teaching something.

Dum-dum-dum dum-da-dum dum-da-dum...

Tonight's the night! Star Wars Ep. III opens... but I'll just catch a matinee next week... not exactly a SW fanatic... just a fan. So I'm not planning to fight the crowd. Ha.

Mr Clean... Mr Clean...

Ever wondered if there is a good way to keep the ugly mold and mildew off your bathroom tiles? Well, now there is a way! And only using simple household cleaners that you probably already have in your home!

Firstly, you need:

• A spray bottle (usually found in gardening or general household departments)
• Bleach
• Liquid dish-washing soap (Not for dishwasher!)
• Tap for water
• Small hand towel (or rag)

Then, you mix 25% Bleach, 75% water and drop in a tablespoon or two of dishwashing soap (juz guesstimate) into the spray bottle. Give it a shake until you see the dishwashing soap is mixed in... well, more or less.

Now you have your magic spray cleaner, you just need to make it a habit that after every shower:

1. You will use the towel/rag to wipe off any remaining water puddles on the edges of your bathtub (if you use a shower stall, you can ignore this step) - but don't dry off the tiles!
   
2. Once you've dried off the edges, you can spray the cleaner horizontally across the highest level/height of the tiled walls in your shower area.
   
3. If you want to be more thorough, spray another round somewhere along the middle height of the walls.
4. Let it just do its work. The bleach smell will probably be quite strong, so you might wanna leave your ventilation fan powered up or crack open a window.
5. I had to do this after every shower, every day, for a little over 2 months before i saw the blackish areas around my bathtub start to fade away... so far so good, no yucky mold or mildew on my tiles ever since i started on the "treatment"!

Yayyyy...

Remember, your results may vary depending on the climate (esp. humidity levels), as well as the ventilation available in your bathroom. Oh and the amount of stuff you have in your shower area too. Try to remove as many bottles or stuff that can cause water to accumulate/stagnate around the edges of your bathtub/stall.

Good luck!
btw, magic concoction is courtesy of a fellow Singaporean's mom! Thanks Mrs Yue!

Birthday wishes

A special wish to my elder brother! May you have special blessings in the years to come, especially with your baby girl's birth in around 3 months time! (And to my dear readers, expect a plethora of baby pics to come! ;)

Also, a shout out to my buddy from Singapore Polytechnic. One of my first acquintances in SP, Anson Tan has been one of my most steady brudders during the course of my educational lifespan in Singapore, and I hope he is doing well back home, with a girl in his arm and a beer in his hand.

Here's a toast to you guys!