Okay here are the details for the upcoming guys night.
Shown below is the map which shows Orchard Central, where we will be having dinner at Ootoya (Japanese Restaurant)
Following which, we will take a short walk to Bar Stop (as shown by the red line and circle)... if you are joining us later and driving, it is just beside the SPC along Killiney Road, hidden by some trees/plants.
For parking, you could park around Orchard Central, 313, or if you are joining later, there are road-side lots along Devonshire Road outside Bar Stop. There is also Valet parking at Bar Stop, but at $8 =/
The most epic L4D2 trailer to date. Period.
And for those who intend to get it, L4D2 is going for USD$6.79 on STEAM for New Year's Eve only ^^x
I've been chronically ill for quite some time with what Western medicine defines at IBS =S... been on TCM for awhile, and yeah, am gradually improving... ^^x
Just read an article on Channel News Asia that gave me a shock. But after reading on... I realised that I didn't had a crucial symptom... thus the relief =3
but still.. it is shocking news... Lemierre's syndrome is a rare disease, with only 10 in the past 10 years in Singapore... but already 2 reported cases in the last month.
Symptoms include:
- Painful sore throat
- Swelling of neck/face
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Recurring spiked fevers
- Headache/ Giddiness
- Jaundice
- Rigor (Tightened muscles)
""The common bacteria that we have in our oral cavity usually causes this disease...some of these bacteria for one reason or another becomes pathogenic, meaning they invade, and become a cause of the disease."
"What it does is the bacteria, apart from causing local problems like gum disease or local cavities...it can actually spread through the tissues in the oral cavity into the neck...the bacteria that causes this infection actually causes inflammation in the surrounding vessels of the neck.
"And the bacteria can actually seep to other organs like the lung, liver, kidneys, spleen. And if the infection is not controlled or treated aggressively, upfront, this can cause organ failure and death."
Thankx Nick for the intro! I'm just so behind in the music industry =P
yeah, its quite a meaningful song, deep in a way, with lots of metaphors, but love the overall feel, and how he's always in the centre, suppressed, in this video... adds depth to the lyrics.
"... And the sun will shine again.
Are you looking for a sign?
Or are you caught up in the lie..."
Spent christmas this year at Francis' new flat ^^x... here's some of the memorable moments
Food was potluck as usual~ Sudden realisation that we all are eating less each year =S
Somehow managed to rush out my christmas shopping despite ending exams 2 days before christmas... decided to be different this year and wrapped my presents in exam papers~ oh the horror they had when they received their exam scripts =3
The weirdest gift I have ever received... its from Kenji.. and its a lamp with a balloon attached to it.. you had to blow up the balloon...
and the inflated balloon acts as the lamp.. unique I would say =3
and the most appropriate/lol gift ever... without prior notice... Ah Shaun got me a black umbrella shaped like a samurai sword... and I got Ah Shaun mini samurai chopsticks... lol'ed the look on his face when he realised the irony was priceless =3
and yes... the super duper uber long game of World of Warcraft that we played from dusk to dawn =/
but overall, another memorable night ^^x its a different feel really being over at your friend's own home... thankx Francis for the memories ^^x and congrats and well wishes for your wedding in the new year!!
When I got home recently after the exams for christmas, I noticed that my parents themselves have also jumped on the healthfood bandwagon =/ Spent an hour sharing with them why they shouldn't be paying more for some products, and thought I would share them here.
Firstly, both Vitagen and Fruit Tree Fresh now have products containing jelly-like collagen. Yes, collagen is an important part of the extra cellular matrix and helps to keep skin firm. Loss of collagen with age results in wrinkles.
So yeah, where you would want more collagen is in your skin. Thus, the many face masks that include collagen, claiming it can pass through the epidermis of your skin, and under it. But including collagen in your food? Firstly, proteins are digested/broken down in your stomach to the amino acid building blocks. So really, eating collagen wouldn't really help. And next, collagen is also present in the fibrils, tendons, skin, gut, cartilage of animals that you eat. If it were true, you would get better skin from eating kway chap and pork trotters. That's how ridiculous it is. So really, no point spending more on these products, unless you are using them for something else besides drinking.
Next is the addition of sterols into milk and being shown to reduce cholesterol.
Sterols are found in plants, and have been shown, when ingested in humans, to be able to block cholesterol uptake by the human intestine. So yes, when taken with your meals, they help to reduce cholesterol. Sterols are mainly found in food like brown rice, peas, seeds, broccoli, tomatoes, blueberries and such. However, these aren't exactly the tastiest of foods.
So companies have also added Sterols as an additive to fortify food stuff. This is great for juices and all, but milk? Do you really drink a glass of milk during each meal? I probably only have it for breakfast. So yeah, maybe it is great if I have a fried big breakfast, but not so great if I'm having cornflakes =/
Great value for money? I guess it decides on your lifestyle and meals.
Managed to catch the documentary House of Numbers online, and I gotta agree with the review, that it is an interesting piece.
As a virology student, there are quite a number of facts that are mentioned suggestively that could create misunderstandings... but also some fresh findings.
As a films student, there is a great use of snip editing, and piecing together, to build up on the notion from the producer's perspective. While this helps in giving quick contrast on topics, you do start to question if the speakers were going to carry on and say more, to substantiate their point, or a "this is like this, but there is also..."... with the second part snipped out.
In a world where the public is into conspiracy theories and skeptical of scientists working for huge profit making pharmaceutical companies, its easy to see how this movie appeals to the masses. Interestingly, there are a number of journalists and chemists and even physicists giving their take on their expert "biological" views of HIV and AIDS. These even included Christine Maggiore, an AIDS denialist, who coincidentally died from AIDS-related symptoms.
Personally, I must say that the movie does bring across the startling message that few people can actually tell apart HIV and AIDS. By definition:
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (The pathogen)
Infection: Invasion and multiplication of a pathogen within the host that might result in disease
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (The disease)
Thus, unlike what the movie challenges as "bad science", it is not true to say that HIV only results in AIDS, and AIDS is only caused by HIV. Disease and pathogen are not a simple direct cause and effect for most cases as there might be complications. Take the common cold, it could be caused by either Corona virus (as in SARS-CoV) or Influenza virus (H1N1). Take the Varicella zoster virus, it causes chicken pox and also shingles in later life. It is just more likely that if you have a cold, you are down with Influenza, and if you have Varicella zoster virus, you will get chicken pox, but that does not limit it.
As the movie cites, its true that Poppers (alkyl nitrites) does wreck the immune system, and thus the user might manifest a weakened immune system, and even show symptoms of AIDS. But, just because they do, you can't correlate and say that oh, that must be the only cause of AIDS, HIV is a myth. What about all the non-Popper users who have a retro-virus infection and manifest AIDS? Are they now the outliers?
.... If you wanna read on about my review of the movie Click here ^^x...
Okay, I normally, don't do reviews boardgames, as I feel that there are already many great reviews out there... but for this one, I will make an exception.
Personally, I have read quite a few rave reviews about the World of Warcraft Board Game, and even considered buying it to add to my collection... but never really had the chance to get my hands on it... but finally this Christmas, we had to pleasure of gathering at a friend's place that had the game ^^x Thankx Francis for hosting us, more pix on the night when Huiling uploads them I guess =3
Okay, first up about the game, it is not a simple game. Reviews have placed it at 3 hours for a game, which is pretty darn long for any game. However, on our try, it lasted for almost half a day. So yes, it is a pretty darn long game.
So you might ask, why does it take so long? Well, for starters, it is too well made. Unlike games like Last Night on Earth, there are just too many parts. Personally, we felt that the game could just have done way with a separate counter for everything, and just opted for generic counters. You had a counter for hp, for mana, for gold, for turns, for level, for xp, for quests, for bosses, for combat status, for damage, for defense, and even for recording if you had taken your turn. That results in alot of small cardboard pieces that you have to sort out in the box when packing, and give out before starting. Since you each already have a character sheet, the game should have just opted for manual records like that of a simplified D&D character sheet, and maybe a modified character token, be it a 2 sided token, to show stunned and cursed, or rotatable bases like Mage Knights figurines as shown below.
Another aspect that its too well done, is that there is a monster figurine for each monster type. There are more than 10 different types, and each type comes in 3 colours. So yeah, its alot like a small scale Warhammer game. Even though each figurine is different, they are quite similar, and its hard to tell them apart at a glance. So one has to separate them into many different boxes during packing, and when setting up. You might also have to get them hand painted as below to differentiate them. Takes alot of love like that of investing in Warhammer games. Personally, we spent more time finding the right figurine for the portion of the board, then actually killing them.
Another aspect is the characters themselves. To make each character unique, the game gives each character its own class deck. In truth, they do make your character unique and tailored, but its really takes up so much table space. A better way around it instead of separate cards, would been to have a skill tree printed on a card, or a larger card containing all the skills, on which the player could keep track of their skills, it would have really saved up on table space and the sorting.
An aspect that is nice about the game is the use of different weapon types, quests and loots. It allows the game to be replayable, and you don't get to explore the entire game in one session. However, it can also be frustrating, as there are just too many items in the deck. By the end of the game, we only managed to pull out 1 trinket... and had 5 other characters with empty trinket slots.
Personally, I feel that the game is well-made, it is really intricate. However, it is too-well made, resulting in frustration when setting up, and packing... making it one of those games that you will rarely play, unless you have a group of die-hard hard-core fans. It is too long of a game to be played in a leisure gaming session.. and yet, lacks the flexibility and dimension to be a long playing game lasting days, like a paper and pen D&D session.
After trying it out, I must say, I am disappointed and will be striking it off my wishlist. Playing it once, was enough =(
Just watched the movie An Inconvenient Truth... and even as a science geek, there are info in it that is fresh and new to me.
anyway, in case you're wondering about the weird spiral in the movie poster... its a satellite image of a hurricane... much like the urban legend, a factory emission in the US, could cause a hurricane in the South Atlantic.
"In 2004, for the first time in recorded history, there was a hurricane in the South Atlantic."
In truth, there are steps taken worldwide to try to curb the situation... we have more solar powered machines and even electric cars/cycles... but i guess, these will take awhile... frankly, Man is not really motivated by long term goals... especially one that can only be seen in your grandchildren's generation... most people just do it at luxury, and if they have the allowance... but as a mandatory act? I guess few are as dedicated as my friend, Chong Pang... he's one of those that uses as much of natural sunlight as possible, and even unplugs sockets before sleeping... most are just motivated monetarily, to cut down on their monthly PUB expenses... but yeah... its interesting to ponder over it.
If Greenland breaks up, Singapore will probably sink like Atlantis. But that's in the future... so... do you care about it?
Found this documentary really interesting.
Personally, I do agree more with the concept of multiple intelligence... my feel is that species evolve to naturally select what better suits the environment, same with humans and the current society of literary excellence... its sad that we often neglect the everyday geniuses around us that are the best at what they do.
and something every gangster in Singapore needs in his/her wallet these days =x
its so much cooler than a swiss army knife or a chopper =3
Order from Iain Sinclair's website (£15)
Finally done with exams in NTU... like woah... after 2.5 years... dang... really getting old for this... lol'ed..
But on hindsight this sem's exams have really been the hardest.. not really in the case of information or difficulty... but healthwise... was so worried days back that I couldn't make it through... was suffering what doctors suspect to be IBS... but there's no confirmatory symptom for it.. so just a speculation =S
So... after...
5 x exams
4 x was later due toilet detour before paper
3 x LS'ed during exams
2 x left during exams to eat
1 x stomach growled so loud that other students heard it 
but yeah, now its over, and it's frantic Christmas Shopping for the next 2 days ^^x
Cheers to all~!
600th Post. Never really expected to hit this number of posts on this blog. Thanks for all who have been reading it thus far... I hope you peepx enjoy reading it as much as I love finding and posting them =3
So much has really changed since I started this blog. Guess during this holidays I will be going through the posts from the start... to sort out some of the tags.. and yeah relive the memories.
And yeah, well, to mark the 600th post. Here's a great song I listened to quite some time back. It's just one of those songs that strike a chord within me, so yeah, enjoy it ^^x
and honestly, the song does have a different feel to it, from a girl's perspective =3
"... Cause I want to learn,
Can you save yourself?
For someone who will love,
You for you.
So many times we,
Just give it away, to someone who,
Couldn't even remember your name...
Could you save yourself for someone who,
Loves you for you,
Loves me for me
Give it away to someone who, someone who will
Cherish your name..."
Timeless song from 1991 that still means so much... epic revival of the mandolin... and no... its nothing religious... the phrase "losing my religion"... is actually a slang for "losing one's temper", or "at one's limit" =3
"... Try, Cry, Why Try?... "
Two more papers then its Christmas ^^x Push on!
Honestly, I feel that this is a great idea! It'll be cool to look back at the end of the year and see how you spent your life in the past year... gonna do an online version on my blog to keep track, might have interesting results ^^x
Life Calendar: How was your day? (€9.95)
Life Calendars is a series of a different calendars which highlights an aspect of life.
"How was your day?" is the first of the series. The 365 days are represented by an emoticon that you have to draw as the day has gone (very good, good, regular, bad, very bad).
Just noticed... that this famous Japanese candy... is suspiciously named and looking alot like a colon...
Chocolate-flavoured Kway Chap anyone?
I'm a great fan of compounded gadgets in a minimalistic way, and this is really something I would get. Though must say, with all the gang slashing going around in Singapore at the moment, having a detachable shank might be the thing =x
Fiskars: Cuts+More™ Scissors (9") (USD$19.90)
Features
* High-quality blades are ideal for cutting a wide variety of household, office and garden materials
* Ergonomically sculpted handles provide comfortable use and cutting control
* Power notch cuts light rope
* Wire cutter makes cutting wire without damaging the blades quick and easy
* Twine cutter cuts twine cleanly and quickly
* Pointed awl tip is perfect for piercing small holes in cardboard, leather and more
* Bottle opener makes it easy to open bottles
* Take-apart design offers a titanium-coated knife that is three times harder than steel for general cutting needs
* Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
* Sheath protects blades, sharpens scissors and includes a tape cutter for opening boxes
* Length: 9"
* Lifetime warranty
If I was working already, I would totally splurge on this item for Christmas. Such a classic ^^x
Restoration Hardware - Vintage Games (USD$159)
So, as the year comes to an end... it's time for reflection... frankly this year was great for movies, with Inception, Despicable Me, The Social Network, Shutter Island, Alice in Wonderland, Eat Pray Love, Harry Potter... and some flops too... like The Last Airbender, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, A-team...
but yeah, just when you thought you've seen it all... nahx.. that's just the tip of the ice-berg... here's a video of almost all the movies that 2010 had to offer... and a hint.. there's 270 in total =3
Studying for my Literature paper tomorrow... and one of the films in it is Ingmar Bergman's 1966 Persona... and one of the images that really burned in my mind, was the immolation of Thích Quảng Đức..
You can read about the incident on Wiki... and yeah.. to me.. its really the ultimate show of protest.. dying for your beliefs...
Ironically the inverse is highlighted in MCR's "Na Na Na"... the sad truth of today's world...
"Everybody wanna change the world.
Everybody wanna change the world.
But no one,
No one wants to die."
In reality, this breakthrough is a huge wow in genetics.
In mice, it might help the study of paternal/X-linked mutations that would otherwise be harder to study in the presence of the maternal X chromosome.
However, it's still a long way to go before gay couples can say that they can finally have kids of their own.
In short, the process is like this:
1% of Father-1 (XY) stem cells lose Y chromosome: XO cells
XO cells give rise to XO mice (female)
XO mice mate with Father-2 (XY) to give normal female/male mice (XX/XY)
So yes, you still need an intermediate, and if you put it in human perspective, its incest. To top it off, in humans, XO individuals display Turner Syndrome which results in females with lots of health complications and likely to be sterile. So yeah =/
Panic Attacks are very real, and can appear in everyday situations when you least expect it...
As onlookers, normally, we'll just give that person some room and space to calm down... but what if something like the following happens?
Frankly, there has been alot of debate if abortions should be legal or not, mainly pro-life and pro-choice on each side...
Some protester believe that abortion should be illegal, but that women who have undergone it, should be sheltered with love from the community, to show them the error of their ways and allowed to repent.
However, our law states that killing of born children, be it infants or teenagers, is a crime.
Which leads to an interesting paradox.
If abortion is seen by society as killing a life, it should be illegal.
If so, is it amounting to murder/manslaughter?
If so, and abortion is illegal, then should the women caught doing these illegal abortions suffer jail-time/caning or even the death penalty?
Just food for thought, sometimes the situation is just bigger than it seems, and solving the immediate, might have repercussions.
Is "it" an item - part of the mother, like a limb...
or an identity, a life, that should be protected by law.
Finally changed my FB profile pic... temporary one.. but yeah.. its a change.
Stop and Stare? Or Moving on? Guess time will tell.
"From now till Dec 7, change your profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood. The objective of this, is not to see any human faces on Facebook but an invasion of memories for the fight against Violence to Children. Remember, we were once kids too..."
For those hardcore moments, when you are stuck on an Island, say sister island, and you gotta cook (for some unknown reason) in the raging storm.
Sells for USD $5.50 at REI's Online Shop
Great goals.
But even greater commentary. Totally Epic.
"... the weather conditions played their part...
... look how he magnetizes the ball with his one-touch...
... his kaleidoscope vision...
... Madrid defenders have broke their antenna...
... then Valdes comes out and splits the mood, like Mussolini at the balcony...
... this is a goal of orgasmic proportions... a mirage of magic...
... again David Villa's got fire in him... like a pedigree falcon that guy... so uncontainable... but he's got alot of company in the programmer shirts...
... Casillas looking down saying... can we plug these rabbit hole attacks?...
... but on the pitch, Barcelona is taking it to another level, and its one that Madrid doesn't have the elevator key to...
...Real Madrid defense spread out like spandex on Miami beach, and Casillas is left naked...
... and the precise square of the pass... that opens the white shirts up... like a fresh fish...
... but here you see David Villa disappear like a ghost into the fog...
... its like playing poker with a witch... you're gonna lose...
... he doesn't need 2 touches, he doesn't need to control it... because this piece of orgasmic passing is perfection...
... its an impeccable pass on the run... this kid can bend light if he needed to...
... but Bojan Krkic is absolutely a weapon of mass destruction...
... impeccably and audaciously, we are absolutely in seventh heaven...
... Puyol screaming blood and thunder... remember these men are all brothers in arms... bathed in champagne... would cut each other's wrists for each other...
... that's a nasty kick from Sergio Ramos... he absolutely blade through little Messi with a full machete and he should get 2 red cards... that's beyond malicious, beyond vindictive and savage...
... and that's what El Classico is all about... national team-mates being flushed down the toilet by Sergio Ramos... "
Since we're on the topic of anime openings, just wanted to share my thoughts on this one...
Translated, it means "Melody of the Wild Dance"... the lyrics of the song is not really deep... so I won't dwell on it.. but if you're interested, you can read it here
As for the cinematic style, well, lets say its an interesting approach... firstly the entire clip has an old film look.. very much like sepia on a 35mm film projector.. giving it a unique memory look..
There is also the olden style of overlaying, in which the image is just burned/superimposed into the background, rather then blended... this is seen numerous times in the clip, at first with Aizen, showing the eminent destruction... but in the last part of the clip, from 1:10 onwards, you have an overlay of Ichigo in bankai, upside-down.
Interesting to note, is that, that is the portion on the clip in which, the sequence of events start running backwards, all the way to the start of the anime, with Inoue's brother as a hollow, and the girl spirit he was trying to save at the start.
Not going into spoilers as to what it means, if you keep up with the manga, you'll get the hint. But yeah, interesting how, this opening does away with the usual fight scenes of Ichigo, but still packs the same amount of tension and easter eggs of what is to come... definitely not exactly like your usual opening =3
And on a side note, I love the symbolism of having Inoue with the Tree of Life at 0:42
As quoted from Sankaku Complex...
"Wherever you look, all our games and anime are just cutting and pasting the same things over and over.
Fortunately, all major anime have access to at least 8 hair colours, 2 genders and 5 different costumes to help make the cutting and pasting a little less noticeable."
But still, as a self-learning film/theater/literature student, I gotta say that it does play some part in the limitations of cinematic styles.
Sea = Peace
Hawk = A new beginning, powerful beast of protection
Backs facing screen = Resolve
Turning around = Belief that it will work out, hope.
Hand extended downwards = Support
Lone Characters = Shouldering hardships that no one can understand.
2 Characters = to draw comparison, if they are mirroring each other, they are equals either as foes in combat, or 2 sides affecting the story, if foreground/background, one is the hero, the other supports or waits for him/her
Running = normally done from right to left (shows running towards something, opposed to running from left to right, which subconsciously signifies escaping from something, since the entrance > exit is normally left > right)
But unless you are a big anime buff like me, I doubt you will recognise half of the openings here =P...
.... Still, if you ever wanna know the list of animes that went into it, Click here ^^x...
Anime involved: 009-1
Ah! My Goddess
Ai Yori Aoshi
Angelic Layer
Asu no Yoichi
Azumanga Daioh
Berserk
Big O
Black Lagoon
Bleach
Blood+
Blue Dragon
Burst Angel
Cardcaptor Sakura
Chrono Crusade
City Hunter
Clannad
Claymore
Cobra
Code Geass
Cowboy Bebop
D. Gray Man
Death Note
Diebuster
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball Z
H2O Footprints in the Sand
Eureka Seven
FateStay Night
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic The 2nd Raid
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fushigi Yuugi
GaoGaiGar
Genshiken
Ghost Stories
Girls Bravo
Gokusen
Golgo 13
Gosyusho sama Ninomiya-kun
GTO
Gundam 00
Gundam Wing
Gurren Lagann
Hajime no Ippo
Hellsing
Hikaru no Go
Ikki Tousen
Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny
Inu Yasha
K-On!
Kanokon
Kare Kano
Kaze no Stigma
Last Exile
Love Hina
Love Hina Again
Mahoromatic
Mai Hime
Mai Otome
Martian Successor Nadesico
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Midori Days
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
Nadia -- The Secret of Blue Water
Nana
Nanatsuiro Drops
One Piece
Planetes
Rahxephon
Ranma 1/2
Read or Die OAV
Ruin Explorer
Sailor Moon
Samurai Deeper Kyo
School Days
School Rumble
Shakugan no Shana
Strawberry Panic
Strike Witches
Tenchi Muyo Universe
Third -- the Girl with the Blue Eye
To Aru Majutsu no Index
Toward the Terra
True Tears
Tsukihime
Utawarerumono
Welcome to the NHK
Wolf's Rain
X-Men
Yu Yu Hakusho
Months back, I posted up about the Kinetic Sculptures by Theo Jansen... which were basically robots, made from simplistic material, and powered by nature...
Well, the original sculpture is something like this. And can be powered by the wind..
Now, a robotics expert, has made one for his son.
"I made this just for my son (2 years old), because he told me "Dad! I wand to ride on a robot". This is just a toy for my son."
LCX was designed to allow 360kg static weight and able to locomote with 90kg(tested). It is controlled by both wired remote controller and center of weight sensor. It's power sorce is 7.2V Ni-H battery that is used to RC and locomote 45min with human ride...
All I can say is, dang, what a cool dad and a lucky son =3
Some of the greatest introductions, pick-up lines in movie history =3
.... And if you ever wanna know the list of movies that went into it, Click here ^^x...
Introductions taken from the following movies (in order):
Rambo III, Batman, Iron Man, Batman Returns, Kick-Ass, Mortal Kombat, The Matrix Revolutions, Star Trek, Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Toy Story, Death to Smoochy, Child's Play, Labyrinth, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Spartacus, Superbad, Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Grindhouse: Planet Terror, National Lampoon's Animal House, Spaceballs, Beowulf, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Rocketeer, Die Hard, Back to the Future, The Matrix, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Young Einstein, Misery, Beetlejuice, Army of Darkness, The Departed, Wayne's World 2, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Warriors, Rocky IV, The Devil's Advocate, Ghostbusters, Spawn, The Rock, Tron, Ed Wood, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Hook, Wayne's World, Gross Pointe Blank, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Last Action Hero, Tombstone, Shoot 'Em Up, The Shawshank Redemption, Tropic Thunder, Judge Dredd, Alien: Resurrection, Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Santa Clause, WALL-E, RoboCop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Howard the Duck, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, xXx, First Blood, The Goonies, UHF, The Fifth Element, Edward Scissorhands, Superman: The Movie, Clash of the Titans, Super Mario Bros., Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Rocky, The Sandlot, Planet of the Apes, The Princess Bride, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, The Neverending Story, Disney's Hercules; Me, Myself, & Irene; The Pest, Gladiator, Transformers, Monster Squad, The Godfather, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Sixteen Candles, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Forrest Gump, Goldfinger, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Glengary Glen Ross, Raising Arizona, Batman Forever, V For Vendetta, Snatch, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Escape From L.A., The Punisher, Machete (Grindhouse trailer), In the Heat of the Night, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Black Dynamite, Little Shop of Horrors, Kung Fu Panda, Ocean's Twelve, The Big Lebowski, Addams Family Values, Almost Famous, Billy Madison, Groundhog Day, Titanic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Galaxy Quest, The Breakfast Club, Network, ¡Three Amigos!, Mystery Men, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Hangover, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Blues Brothers, Men in Black, Sneakers, The Running Man (TV static)
Quoted from the site from Pistachio Pictures
A film about a war photographer facing the ultimate dilemma of her profession. She is forced to ask herself; if a person is in mortal danger, do you continue to do your job by taking a photograph rather than getting involved and helping?
The film is a reminder of the horror behind the images of war that face us in the media every day.
“One becomes so immune to them, and yet behind them is something real and true, terrifying and inhumane.”
One Hundredth of a Second is the fourth short
Quoting from The Straits Times
SINGAPORE'S water polo team at the 2010 Asian Games are raising eyebrows here thanks to their custom-made swimming trunks which feature the Singapore flag's crescent moon and stars near the groin area.
It is courting controversy now as the self-designed trunks feature the Singapore flag displayed prominently on the front.
Previously, the water polo team would wear plain black trunks.
When asked whether they had sought approval for the design, team manager Samuel Wong told The New Paper, 'No need.'
However, the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act states that approval must be sought from the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts to use the flag as part of any costume or attire, provided there is 'no disrespect'.
Anyone found guilty of misusing the flag can be fined up to a maximum of $1,000.
When contacted, a spokesman from the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts said they were preparing a statement. (Please check back on the Straits Times website later on Wednesday to see their reply)
Hmm... my comments?... erm... Big Crescent -_^x
Personally, I don't feel that this title by Razor Tv is even appropriate.. I'm no Carl Lightman.. but even I can tell that he doesn't look remorseful in this interview... if anything, its more like he's enjoying all the media attention.
Love this response by Ronald, "facapalm of a thousand suns" =3
indeed, facepalm at the fact that the exam hall was breached and that the questions were leaked?
or facepalm at the fact that the media is following up on this attention whore, and giving him precisely what he wants.
Edit: Frankly, after listening to it with my headphones, I gotta say, the experience is different. The way the beats build up, its like classic progressive trance, with 5-6 layers, just sick intoxication ^^x... really adds to the clock/time-bomb ticking and the epic slow-mo heartbeats you have in such dramatic situations =3
Hmm, been hesitating to post this up for a few weeks... frankly.. I agree with most that it is an experimental drift away from the electronical rock they began with... but honestly, I don't think its a bad think... like Green Day's drift, I guess it just shows maturity.
According to an interview, the video is:
"... about what it would be like if mankind had to accept their fate in a time of despair..."
Personally, I love the direction and style of the video. The sense of uncertainty and coldness of the world, is portrayed well with Mike as an uncaring faceless man in a hoodie... by the fog, in which the band members are all isolated.. the monochrome scene, a city in ruins, and widespread panic.... possibly a mimic of the scene of destruction in Hiroshima (which I will explain below)... that agony is portrayed throughout the video..
the takes of Chester partially submerged in water.. with only his face exposed, does remind me of Lucifer in "Dante's Inferno", who for his sins, was to be encased in ice, with only his face exposed for all eternity... are we still threading to stay afloat in our effort to remain humane, or are we have we slowly sunk to the likes of the Devil?
On a sidenote, the clothes and hair here look great, got that V for Vendetta Victorian look... and Mike really look like a scene from Assassin's Creed =3
"God bless us everyone.
We're a broken people living under loaded gun.
And it can't be outfoght.
It can't be outdone.
It can't out matched.
It can't be outrun.
No!
And when I close my eyes tonight,
To symphonies of blinding light.
Like memories in cold decay,
Transmissions echoing away.
Far from the world of you and I,
Where oceans bleed into the sky.
God save us everyone,
Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?
For the sins of our hand.
The sins of our tongue.
The sins of our father.
The sins of our young.
No!
Lift me up,
Let me go."
.... Click Here to read on about my take on "The Catalyst" ^^x...
As a song, the lyrics are deep. Rarely do you find a song, in which almost every verse is filled with puns and metaphors.. really moving towards Muse and Thrice style.. which to a Literature geek is intoxicating =3
To me, the song sparks one to question about life as it is. Thus, functioning as a "Catalyst" in ones life, which is:
"A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process."
Indeed, this short song tries to encapsulate the happenings of reality: Domination and Morality.
The world today, with its nuclear, military and social power, is indeed "broken" in its fundamental human relationships... and to an extent is working under the threat of a "loaded gun" to function. No matter how much you hate it, against the bigger powers..
It can't be outfought.
You can't win by out-muscle them with force.
It can't be outdone.
You can't win by out-doing them and being better
It can't be outmatched.
You can't even draw with them
It can't be outrun.
You can't even escape after losing to them
No!
Interesting combination of sound and light in the next verse, "To symphonies of blinding light"... indeed, in the urban jungle, headlights, lamplights, and lightings inside buildings, highlight the landscape... this is especially true in Singapore, in which its even coined as being "The city skylight". Just adds to the cold nature of our concrete jungles.
In this "cold" world, where we shun from human relationships, all that is left of the better times are "memories" which too have "decay[ed]" with time. With the rise of the social network... its seems that we use such network "transmissions" more than physical speech... so ironic how a group of people can meet for supper, each physically silent, but all actively engaged to each other through the social network... has speech/small talk really fallen to be that cheap that it is worthless?
the song even cleverly puts it, that in our world of self-isolation, a "world" consisting of "you and I", is as far out as a completely separate world. Thus the metaphor that its "far" beyond the ends of the world, and plays on the idea that if the Earth was flat, the ends of the oceans would end in a waterfall, which would "bleed into the sky".
the next verse is another clever one... "will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns" ... if you're looking at the typical hell, yeah, its a fiery end... but if you are looking at hell under "Dante's Inferno".. sinners burnt were those guilty of fraud (individual flames) or violence (boiling blood and fire)... which are appropriate sins for today's world... another take at it is that there is a book called "Fire of a thousand suns"... and it an eye-witness account of the tail-gunner on the B-29 that dropped the 1st Atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Indeed, what will we be paying for?
For the sins of our hand.
Our violent or uncaring actions?
The sins of our tongue
Or our inhumane words?
The sins of our father
Is this lack of understanding, a result of what our fore-fathers did?
The sins of our young
Or are we just as guilty ourselves for living it, not changing, and possibly passing the same values to our kids?
Something else that is not shown clearly in the movie, is the body's response to infection, and the effects of HIV. I feel that this is important for the public to get an idea of the impact and effects of the testing, and symptoms.
So, here is a simplified overview of the process... in a normal infection, the virus is picked up by dendritic cells (innate immunity), which gets activated and presents the virus to the B and T cells (both are types of white blood cell), thus activating them.
2 things can then occur... the activated T cell can then kill the infected cell directly (CD8/NK T cells), or the activated B cells can produce antibodies that hinder the virus and promote its degradation.. there is also an important group of CD4 T cells that help activate both pathways (CD8/NK T cells + B cells).
So, what happens when you have a HIV infection? Recent papers in Nature have showed that HIV is able to hijack dendritic cells and prevent them from recognizing the virus. Thus, the virus is picked up by the dendritic cells, but it does not activate them. The virus hides within the dendritic cells, until it comes in contact with T cells. It then transfers over to the unactivated T cell and infects it, especially the CD4 T cells. In addition, unlike other viruses that rapidly replicate and lyse cells, HIV is able to integrate its DNA into the human DNA, and lay dormant.
The result? There is a long period of dormancy, in which the virus hides within the CD4 T cells, before being reactivated, and thus slowly killing them 1 by 1 (this explains why the mathematical model doesn't fit). Such replication methods, have been well studied in the lytic and lysogenic cycles of bacteriophages, the viruses that attack bacterias. Thus, its not hard to imagine that a similar process might be adopted by HIV.
At such low levels, the virus is almost undetectable and the patient looks normal and healthy. However, in reality, the CD4 T cell count is decreasing. As mentioned earlier, CD4 T cells play a crucial role in activating both pathways to remove infection. Thus, finally after a number of years, the patient reaches a low in CD4 T cells and this results in the immune deficiency. The patient then suffers from various rare diseases that would have otherwise been easily cleared by a healthy immune system.
Understanding this, you should now realise why it is misleading to say that HIV testing is inaccurate, because HIV positive patients are healthy and fine 10-20 years after their diagnosis. The virus is a time-bomb, slowly eating away at your CD4 T cells, it is only after many years, at the end stages of infection, when the T cell count is low, will one finally see the symptoms. In the early stages, patients will look perfectly healthy. The latency period also means that there is few HIV virus free floating in the blood, thus why it is possible for a HIV positive person to have sex with another and not transmit the disease. The complicated relationship of dendritic cells and T cells, also highlight the reason why initially scientists have found it hard to replicate the virus in cell cultures.
Next, is the sensitivity and specificity of the tests. Indeed, a rapid test kit is a cheap and fast way to get a diagnosis, but it shouldn't be taken as a confirmation. It was not made to be 100% perfect. It is like a pregnancy test kit, cheap and fast, but prone to false positives, it is not perfect. Just like how you would have an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy, further tests should be done for HIV.
So, is there a way to confirm it? Pregnancy can be confirmed through the visualization of the fetus. So what about viral infections? For more infectious pathogens, you could detect them visually in the blood, like SARS-CoV and malaria. However, for HIV, as the virus stays latent and dormant, it is hard to do such visual confirmation.
So what does the ELISA test do? In ELISA, we are detecting the antibodies produced by the patient against HIV antigens (different parts of the virus). This is based on the theory that antibody will only be produced if the patient is exposed to the HIV virus. It should be noted that this is the same theory as the rapid test kits.
So how do false positives occur? Well, your body might produce antibodies that recognize something similar to the antigens and cross react with it. This is commonly seen in auto-immune diseases whereby antibodies produced wrongfully recognize host cells. It is also very dependent on the washing steps to remove unspecific binding.
What about Western blots? Similarly, it also detects the presence of antibodies against the viral antigen. Thus, it also suffers from the same possibility of a false positive, although it doesn't involve washing and thus is more specific and sensitive. Another issue with antibodies is that they normally take days after the initial infection to be formed. Thus, during this window, there are no antibodies produced. Antibody levels also decrease with time, that why you need booster shots for your vaccines. Thus, over time, you might turn from a positive into a negative.
So, are there better tests? Yes. There are now Viral load tests and Nucleic acid-based tests... both of which tries to detect the virus directly. However, as with any test, they are not 100% perfect. Even the best tests are only 99.99% sensitive or specific. There is always a chance that the virus might be missed or the components might not detect it. Viruses are always mutating, they are not constant.
The only sure way would be to physically detect the virus, but this involves electron microscopes and is too costly. The virus also lacks distinct morphology, that allows it to be easily recognised. So, its true that we do lack a undisputed testing method. The best we can do at the moment, is a compromise. By using detection methods based on different principles, we can reduce the chances of a false positive or negative. A rapid test, followed by ELISA and Western blot, is a bad idea, as all 3 methods work on the same principle of antibody detection. Viral load and Nucleic acid-based tests, detect the virus directly, but are only most useful during initial infection, when the virus has not gone into latency.
So yes, we do need better methods of testing, since diagnosing HIV-positive is like giving a death sentence. But that's the limitation, even for modern science. Even now, for most diseases, we don't usually diagnose by definitively saying what the causative agent is. Usually its diagnose by the symptoms, like a runny nose or pox. But the problem with HIV infection is that, the infection itself doesn't kill you. You don't die from immune deficiency. You die from diseases that occur because you have immune deficiency.
Thus, that is why there is a long list of diseases linked to AIDS. It is not true to say that when you have AIDS, you will sequentially have the other diseases. If you are in a clean room, you could avoid most of them. But, by having AIDS, your body is so weakened that you literally could get anything under the sun. Thus, the long list of rare diseases that a normal immune system would have no problem fighting off.
This does not mean that the list is useless. It is useful, since you only expect those diseases in the aged or chronically ill, and not in otherwise healthy young adults. By having those rare diseases, it is indicative that there is a defect in your immune system, likely due to AIDS. In areas where modern tests are not available, this is useful in a way. Although usually such patients would be in late stage AIDS and you can't save him/her, this knowledge could allow you to take more precautions and try to curb the spread of infection.
An interesting remark made commonly in the movie is that after 20+ years, no cure has been found for AIDS, and that is because the causative agent has not been found. Well, if you consider malaria and TB, the causative pathogens has been known for years, and yet, due to the unique life cycle of the pathogens, no cures have been found too. Should we now start to doubt the literature behind those diseases too?
The first treatment for HIV infection, AZT (a nucleoside inhibitor), is a chemotherapy that works by disrupting DNA synthesis. However, as DNA is also present in host cells, side effects are expected. Such damaging effects are also seen in cancer chemotherapy, whereby the host cells are also affected. The idea is that virus replicates faster than host cells, thus hopefully the drug will have more damage on the virus.
The downside is that, AZT treatment doesn't kill the virus outright, it just slows it down. To eradicate the virus completely, you would have to give a lethal dose that would disrupt all DNA synthesis, including that of the host, thus killing the patient. Over time, through natural selective pressure, HIV can mutate and become resistant to AZT, thus AZT treatment would just do more harm than good.
Today, we have other options like Protease inhibitors. These are targeted at the viral's unique machinery and thus have less side effects to the host. We also have fusion inhibitors. However, through natural selection, the virus could also become resistant to it over time. The main problem with viral treatment, is that viruses hijack the host's machinery, so by targeting the virus, you could easily end up targeting the host cells.
So, are we always going to fight a losing battle? Well, it is possible that mankind too will evolve and mutate to outwit the virus. It has been identified in both mice and people that a mutated CCR5 receptor, the receptor used by HIV to bind to human cells, results in a milder version of infection, or even conferred immunity.
Recently, it has also been showed that the immune system itself, if manipulated, is able to keep HIV in check. Thus, in the end, one's immunity might be the best weapon against the virus, provided the virus doesn't wipe it out first. That's what it is meant at the end of the movie, that a stronger immune system could help, and that solving poverty will improve their standard of living.
It should be noted, that poverty correlates not only with AIDS but also malaria and TB. Correlation is not causative. True, without poverty, the poor would be better fed, and have better immune systems, and probably survive better against these diseases. However, as mentioned, poverty alone doesn't explain the occurrence of AIDS patients in developed countries.
In all, the movie is good as it allows us to reflect upon the depth of our understanding about the issue. However, the sad point about the movie is that it confuses you, before leaving you hanging there, without showing you the possible answers, rather suggesting that there are no answers. As the saying goes "alittle knowledge is a dangerous thing". One should look beyond for answers, and clarify on the facts. Not everything is as bleak or without answers, as the movie suggests.