Movies To Watch from 2007

After browsing through a general overview of the film releases in 2007 (in America to date), I have made a list of the movies that I want to watch. A number of them have yet to appear in cinemas in Singapore.

Yet to Open in Singapore (if ever):
Atonement [seen]
Michael Clayton [seen]
Into the Wild [seen - DVD]
Eastern Promises [seen]
No Country for Old Men [seen]
The Assassination of Jesse James
Juno [seen]
There Will Be Blood [seen]
Sweeney Todd [seen]
In the Shadow of the Moon
This Movie Is Not Yet Rated (mid Jan)

Movies I missed in Theatres:
Flag of Our Fathers
Letters from Iwo Jima [seen - DVD]
The Lives of Others [seen - DVD]
Death at the Funeral
Hairspray
The Simpson's Movie [seen - DVD]
Becoming Jane
Sicko
Broken English
Deathproof and Planet Terror (Grindhouse)
Hot Fuzz [seen - DVD]

Last Updates June 2009

The Three Best Movies I Watched in 2007:
Pan's Labyrinth
Ratatouille
The Wind that Shakes the Barley

The Holiday

I must admit surprise that I actually willingly sat through the whole of The Holiday when it showed on HBO today. Holiday movies and romantic comedies are not my usual thing and this movie was both - in spades. I am often told I am a killjoy about the holiday season (but seriously, there are the crowds, the endless muzak versions of popular Christmas songs etc.) which really puts my watching this movie into perspective.

The premise of the movie is your run of the mill deux ex machina romantic comedy. Cameron Diaz's character dumps her boyfriend after she discovers that he cheated on her. Kate Winslett's winter descends into one of discontent (apologies to Richard III here) and desolation when her colleague at the newspaper where she works, with whom she has been madly in love for the last three years, announces his engagement to the girl from circulation (her rival in love).

Seeing the need to get away from it all, they contrive to swap houses (tiny rural English cottage for enormous Hollywood mansion) and in the roundabout fashion that is necessary for any romantic comedy of decent length, they contrive to fall in love as well. Cameron with Kate's brother, a widower; Kate with record producer Jack Black. There is a nice subplot about an old time Hollywood scriptwriter whom Kate stumbles upon (he's a neighbour) with plenty of nostalgia for the good old days and how Hollywood used to be.

The movie was enjoyable enough, but I guess personally it just reached a point for me when I just felt so blatantly emotionally manipulated that I just couldn't get round to enjoying the movie as much as I should. I guess the whole point of a romantic comedy is the suspension of disbelief - you know at the end of the day everyone is going to end up getting together so your job is to sit there and enjoy the ride.

The performances were appealing enough. Kate Winslett was charming and delightful as always, Jack Black was funny in a more subdued way than he usually is (which actually works better for me), and Jude Law does the whole sensitive new-age British guy and father of two widower with aplomb. Even Cameroon Diaz, whom I normally find annoying, was well-suited to her part as an obsessive go-getter unable to relax.

I guess I really didn't mind the movie so much. If only the script writers weren't doing their utmost to recycle every trick in the book to tug at my emotional heart strings.

Orwell on Writing Well

I am currently reading a number of books on the usage (and abusage) of the English language, including Between You and I by James Cochrane and Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson not to mention browsing through the bible on language usage that is Fowler's Modern English Usage. The former two are amusing A-Z lists of the most common mistakes in usage, spelling and punctuation.

Perhaps nobody has summarized things as well as George Orwell, in his essay titled "Politics and the English Language" (included as an appendix in Cochrane). He memorably "translates" a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes (King James Version) into modern English. The original passage read:

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Orwell suggests that in modern English the same passage might well read:

Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.

Orwell readily admits that the above was an exaggeration, but anyone who has encountered modern business and management speak, or legal jargon, would wince in sympathy. He also believes that sloppy, unclear language is not only representative of sloppy and unclear thinking, but that it leads to more imprecise thinking.

At the core of bad writing, according to Orwell, is staleness of imagery and lack of precision. Bad writing is characterised by two things: the writer is unable to express his meaning or inadvertently means something different to what he has written; or the writer is indifferent to whether his words mean anything at all.

The first of the two is due to sloppiness and can be corrected. The second, in my opinion, is by far the more dangerous and pernicious, and can be seen in the management and business speak that is growing increasingly pervasive today. It is stale, imprecise and incomprehensible precisely because its writers have nothing to say to begin with.

While we might bemoan the fact that the English language is in a bad way (people are almost perpetually doing so, and are thus honoured with the title of pedant), is there anything that we can do about it? Orwell suggests the following six simple rules that govern clear language:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print (i.e avoid cliches)
2. Never use a long word where a short word will do (i.e. avoid pretentiousness)
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out (i.e. avoid longwindedness)
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent (i.e. avoid jargon)
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

That I reckon is pretty good advice. I hope to bear it in mind in the entries ahead.

Book Buying Binge

Borders sent me a 35% off coupon by email (with an additional 10% off for Borders privilege members) so the inevitable happened: I went home with a whole load of books and a $400 odd hole in my pocket.

Zea recommended the Wine Bible as a comprehensive yet accessible book. I have been meaning to learn more about wine recently, prompted partly by Zea's interest as well as my own love of plonk. Given my love of facts and details, I think it was a good decision to buy the Wine Bible instead of some beginner's guide to wine.

15003 Trivia Facts was advertised at the back of Brainiac which I recently completed and I noticed a copy in Borders. It is an A-Z compendium of some of the most random, useless, fascinating and strange (often all at once) facts you will ever need (or more likely not need) to know. It was steep at $52.00 tag price but I relented and bought it given the fact I would get it at 45% off.

I had read a few Andre Norton novels as a teenager and remember her writing with a certain fondness. Norton is probably the queen of the teenage fantasy/science fiction novel. She writes in both fields and some of her novels are hybrids of the two. As a teenage, I read repeatedly that she was chiefly known for her Witchworld novels, but I never did manage to read them as they were long out of print. The Gates of Witchworld handily collects the first three Witchworld novels in one single volume. I was hesitant to buy it given it was a bit pricey and due to fears that I had outgrown Norton (I most definitely have!) but succumbed to a spate of nostalgic sentimentality.

Fowler's Modern English Usage has long been consider one of the final authorities on good English - and is known to be witty to boot. I have been meaning to try and improve my general understanding of the building blocks of english (grammar and other such boring stuff) and Fowler's seemed like a fun way to do that, besides being considered by those in the know to be an essential reference book. I snatched at the discount to buy a copy.

While browsing in Borders a week or so earlier, I chanced upon Edward Trencom's Nose and finished the first 50 or so pages at Borders. It seemed delightful enough as a tale about cheeses, the namesake nose, and a deep dark family secret. All told, irresistible. I have enjoyed (or rather appreciated - I am not sure one can truly enjoy Greene) the novels of Graham Greene for some time now, so The Honorary Consul is yet another of his myriad works.

Greek Mythology has been an area I have been meaning to find out more about (the list of things I mean to find out more about it truly endless). My sister, in particular has been quite interested in Mythology and it is due to her that the family possesses copies of Bulfinch's Mythology and Edith Hamilton's study of the subject. Robert Graves bringing his brilliant literary style (not to mention his own education in the Classics) to bear on an outline of the whole of Greek myth - simply essential.

I realised while browsing in the Science Fiction and Fantasy section that I never owned a copy of Dune, one of the seminal Science Fiction novels, and more importantly seminal to my interest in the genre after I read a battered paperback copy borrowed from the school library when I was thirteen. I decided to rectify this deficiency (and also resolved to re-read Dune again). On a sidenote, I noticed Cliff the resident regular reader at the Old Brown Shoe reading one of the Dune prequels just last week which probably inspired the purchase.

No less a figure than David Crystal, doyen of books on the English Language, recommended Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson as a engaging introduction of how the English Language evolved. That Bryson is witty and engaging there is little doubt. A perfect way to ease myself into yet another topic I have resolved to learn more about. Along those lines I also bought Speak which promised itself to be a short history of languages. It seemed accessible and interesting, so I bought it.

I have a constant love affair with football. As any Italian can tell you, a man is more faithful to his Football Club that any woman. Well, the Italians are fanatical about their football as John Foot points out in Calcio his paen to the Italian game. I decided to buy Brilliant Orange which is about Dutch football to accompany it. These two books can be added to Those Feet which is about English football (written by the same man who wrote Brilliant Orange) as well as How Football Explains the World by Franklin Foer. Next on the list The Ball Is Round by David Golblatt which promises to be a global history of Football. Am I the only one crazy enough to intellectualise my interest in football?

And so, in sum, I have absolutely no excuse for the splurging and shall hasten to declare this an early Christmas present for myself. One scary thought: the Borders offer is still on until the middle of next week. More damage to follow.
___________________________________________

Here is a complete list of the damage:

• The Story of Wine and Wine Atlas of the World by Hugh Johnson (present for Zea)
• The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil
• Edward Trencom's Nose by Giles Milton
• The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene
• In Search of Superstrings by John Gribbin
• 1001 Movies You Should Watch Before You Die
• Fowler's Modern English Usage
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Gates of Witch World by Andre Norton
• 15003 Trivia Facts (amazing trivia book)
• Blair: The Biography by Anthony Seldon
• Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
• The Complete Greek Myths by Robert Graves
• The Stillborn God by Mark Zilla(On Religion and Politics)
• The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
• Brilliant Orange: The Story of Dutch Football by David Winner
• Calcio: A History of Italian Football by John Foot
• Speak by Tore Jansson
• Blood Music by Greg Bear

Some Recent Reads

I decided to write a brief post on some of the books that I have been reading recently. Given my current unemployed status, it has been refreshing to once again have more time to devote to reading.

I chanced upon Brainiac written by Ken Jennings, who set the quiz world alight by winning around 70 consecutive episodes of Jeopardy in 2001, while browsing in a bookstore on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. I remember hearing about the book from Rob Linham, who highlighted the fact that he rated a mention in the book (even if that mention is embarrassingly associated with Viagra - read the book for the full details).

Brainiac is far from just a tell-all account of Jennings' time on Jeopardy, though that obviously features in the book, but details "adventures in the curious, competitive, compulsive world of trivia buffs" as its subtitle clearly states. Jennings examines everything from the obsessively scary world of serious academic quizzing (such as NAQT University tournaments), to America's trivia obsession in the 60s culminating in the famous quiz show scandals (which were chronicled in the Robert Redford movie Quiz Show).

Jennings even manages to take us on fascinating sideshows like the town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin that gets taken over by a radio trivia marathon every year, not to mention the background and popularity of the trivia board game Trivial Pursuit. Ultimately, as a trivia buff myself, I couldn't help but enjoy the book tremendously. But I have no doubt that Brainiac would make an accessible and entertaining read for the once a year pub quiz player as much as the quiz fanatic. This is aided by the fact that Jennings is a very funny and charming writer who possesses a dry, self-depreciating humour. Brainiac is a delightful read and one that is highly recommended.

In addition, I also purchased a copy of Why is Sex Fun? by Jared Diamond while browsing at a Bangkok branch of Books Kinokuniya. I had previously read his brilliant Guns, Germs and Steel and its follow up volume Collapse and marveled at Diamond's ability to synthesize complex ideas and explain them in elegant and lucid prose. Why is Sex Fun? is no different in this respect as it sets out to examine the evolutionary origins of human sexuality.

Among the topics that Diamond examines are the battle of the sexes within human reproduction itself. As a defence to all males who are endlessly accused of doing much less work in terms of child rearing, Diamond points out that a male would only logically hang around to help rear a child if doing so would give me an increased likelihood of passing on his own genes (it would be more profitable, at first glance, for the man to just abandon the female and head off to try to impregnate as many other females as he can). Humans are actually rare among mammals in terms of the amount of care the male gives to offspring.

Other fascinating questions Diamond examines through the lens of evolutionary biology include why men don't lactate, the development of concealed ovulation (and sex for pleasure), the evolutionary bizarre fact of menopause, and the "truth in advertising" or evolution of body signals (there has to be a reason why the human male pecker is on average 4-5 times larger than the similar appendage in our evolutionarily close relative the Chimpanzee).

On piece of analysis I greatly enjoyed was the chapter entitled "what are men good for", examining the "evolution of men's roles". In a damning indictment to men, a study of aboriginal peoples actually showed that typically, the females provide equal or greater calorie resources in an average month compared to a typical male (the women by gathering grains, fruits etc, the men by hunting). Why then, Diamond asks, do the men persist in hunting when it would be more efficient to gather food?

The short answer: prestige. Women tend to choose to mate with the victorious hunter and not the wimpy food gatherer. Men are constantly chided by woman that "it isn't all about sex" (usually when they want to cuddle and find their guy snoring away). Diamond, in his book, proves convincingly otherwise.

I also had the opportunity to re-read two books recently. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is still a uproariously amusing read and a wonderful reminder of the innocence and zest of youth. Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris is a delightful little collection of essays on books and reading that it an absolute must for any book lover. She is that rare writer that is erudite, tender, wise and witty in equal measure. Ex Libris is and will no doubt continue to be a source of pleasure and comfort to me.

Vita Brevis

There was a fatal accident involving a motorcyclist last night in close proximity to my house. The motorcyclist was lain out, covered with a standard issue police bodybag a mere metre or so from the bus stop right below my flat, his motorcycle lying on its side, forlornly, just ahead from him. I passed the scene as I made my way to buy myself dinner.

It was the usual tableau to be found in such situations - the scene of the accident, fronted by stationary police cars, sirens flashing but silent, a growing crowd thronging the sidewalk, though in this situation the onlookers were spared the discomfort of observing the next-of-kin carry out their private grieving on all too public a stage.

Staring, gawking crowds in such a situation, with their pointed fingers and equally pointed whispers (voices lowered in respect as befits a church or soon to be funeral) are easy targets for criticism. Why can't these people leave well alone, why must they be such kapos (busybodies)?

Personally, I believe that there is a powerful poignancy when, in the course of your everyday activity, you come across the reality of unexpected mortality. Joggers paused, disrupting their relentless pace, families stopped and stared. I even saw a motorcycle slow and come to a halt just beyond the fallen motorcycle, a salute of sorts to a fallen brethren.

Scenes like the above are an all too powerful reminder of our very own mortality, of the fact that vita brevis or life is short. In the middle ages, it was common for the rich and powerful to hang memento mori (literally reminder of mortality) paintings in their homes. These paintings would show riches and ostentatious food, but also always a skull (representing eventual death) and often a timepiece (representing the unceasing passage of time) and served as a reminder in Thomas Gray's famous words that:

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power
and all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
await alike the inevitable hour,
the paths of glory lead but to the grave.

And so we stop and we gawk and stare, unbidden. Not merely due to some innate morbidity but because in such a scene we are confronted with the possibility of the shortness of our own lives. Of course we do realise that we cannot live forever, but if we were to be honest we can hardly contemplate our own mortality. It is an absurdity to us, death is - both fascinating and repulsive at the same time.

But traffic accidents force us to contemplate, whether we wish it or not, the inherent transiency of life. It is the memento mori of the industrial age. A reminder that life is short.

Brave Scotland's Dreams Dashed

For nine months now, fuelled by a double win over France and a superbly fought campaign, the Scots believed. After finding themselves drawn in the group of death with the two World Cup finalists, after going through the football wilderness under ex-coach Bertie Vogts, when everyone else had written them off, the Scots never lost faith.

Even after the worst of all possible starts tonight, conceding in the 2nd minute, the Scots didn't allow themselves to be disheartened. Instead, they fought and equalised, and there was a palpable sense of destiny, of inevitability, when the Scots proceeded to put world champions Italy under the kosh for the last half an hour. Surely now, it was the turn of the hard luck Scots to win their glory in European Championship qualification.

Instead, on a pouring night at Hampden Park, we find ourselves taking the usual cliches out of the drawer - brave Scotland, who fought tooth and nail to the end, only to find their dreams dashed in the cruelest of circumstances.

The mathematics for Scotland were simple - win, and qualify for Euro 2008, draw and they would require help in the form of a Ukrainian victory over France for qualification (or the mother of all upsets when the Faroe Islands meet Italy), lose and their dreams of Euro qualification would be dashed.

They couldn't have planned a worse start to the match. The Scottish defence fell asleep as Di Natale was left unmarked in the box to receive an Italian throw-in. He quickly swiveled and played a square ball across the box where Luca Toni showed his great predatory instincts to come across his defender and poke the ball past a hapless Craig Gordon. Scotland's nervy start was only underlined when Toni cracked another shot into the side netting.

The Scots re-grouped though and soon put the Italian goal under pressure, chiefly through their dominance of the set-piece. The set piece was always going to be crucial for the Scots as any team would expect a paucity of chances against the mean Italian defence (admittedly missing regulars Nesta, Materazzi and Grosso), and the Scots utilised it to the fullest extent. First Lee McCulloch and then Barry Ferguson missed the target when corner kicks were cleared to them at the edge of the area.

It was no surprise then that their two closest chances came from corners. First, Alain Hutton headed inches wide of the right hand post from another fantastic James McFadden delivery. Then, the Scots were left ruing their luck at the stroke of half time when elder statesman David Weir rose highest and arrowed his header towards goal, only to see it headed off the line. The Scots did ride their luck on occasion though, as Gordon made an excellent save from a fierce Ambrosini drive, and the Italians were very unfortunate that Di Natale's follow up was incorrectly ruled offside. 0-1 at halftime then, with qualification hanging by a thread.

The Scots needed a massive performance in the second half, and the Hampden crowded were determined to do their part in the proceedings. They came onto the pitch to a deafening roar, with the crowd chanting "freedom" (inspired by an excerpt from Braveheart played over the loudspeaker system). The Italians sauntered out in their wake, their vastly experienced players seemingly unfazed by all the noise.

Despite starting nervously, the Scots soon found the lifeline they needed. Hutton made yet another of his surging runs from right back and was fouled on the edge of the box. McFadden's freekick fell kindly to Lee McCullogh who shot weakly in the six yard box. Buffon contrived to spill the ball though, much to the delight of Scottish captain Barry Ferguson who slid Scotland level.

Scottish manager Alex McLeish showed his intentions to win the match by bringing on Kenny Miller to partner McFadden upfront in an attacking move. A wonderful passing move from Scotland soon afterwards found McFadden in the area but he lashed wide where a cross to Miller might have been the better option. Minutes later, McFadden wasted a superb chance to put Scotland ahead - Scotland cut Italy open again, and Miller played a wonderful ball across the goal to McFadden only for him to scythe wide with the goal gaping.

By then, Italy looked nervous and settled into their defensive shell, content to secure the draw they needed (with help from their usual repertoire of time-wasting tactics). The Scots themselves, having given it everything, began to tire, making it even harder to find the needed breakthrough. The Italians did show some attacking intentions in the final stages, Panucci escaping Fletcher and heading wide from a cross from which he really should have scored.

As the clock ran down, Scotland still had a mathematical chance of qualification, and even better, still a chance to snatch glory. They were then robbed in the cruelest fashion. Alain Hutton had controlled the ball near to his own touchline when he was cynically bundled over by Italian substitute Chellini only for the referee to inexplicably give the Italians a free kick. As befitting the last act of a Greek tragedy, Pirlo curled in an excellent ball and Panucci didn't miss a second opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net.

It was horrendously cruel on Scotland who had fought bravely throughout the match and yet another addition to their catalogue of brave failures and near misses. But to lose in injury time, to a completely ludicrous refereeing decision must be particularly galling.

There has been much to take heart from the Scottish Euro 2008 qualification campaign - wonderful performances against more skilled teams and a clutch of talented young players breaking into the side in particular. It should not have had to end in bitter disappoint at Hampden as it did tonight; with yet another Scottish case of what might have been.

Addendum: News filtered through just half an hour later from Israel that Israel had defeated Russia, meaning that England only need a draw against Croatia at Wembley to qualify. Scotland can only curse the fact that their southern neighbours could have such a poor qualifying campaign only to have things fall in their favour while being so ill-favoured by fortune yet again.

The Secret

One of the recent publishing phenomenons has been a book, printed with pages designed to look like faded vellum and enigmatically titled The Secret. In the foreward, the author promises to reveal "The Great Secret - The Secret to life" claiming that it was known to Plato, Shakespeare, Newton, Beethoven, Lincoln, Edison and Einstein (among others).

Far from these great thinkers, inventors and composers, the author does liberally sprinkle her novels with quotes - from a plethora of self-help gurus both past and present. But I get ahead of myself. I had borrowed The Secret from a friend, thinking it a work of fiction, on which point I was sorely mistaken. I begin with this disclaimer: I am not a fan of self help books. In fact, I consider the entire genre to be rather disingenuously named - after all if you truly wanted to help yourself, you would not be seeking the valued advice of all these other writers on everything from how to get yourself hitched to how to make more money.

I decided to read the book, mainly due to curiousity about what made it so popular. However, what grated immediately was the author adopting a style of writing that I must, somewhat tongue in cheek, term the "British person overseas" style. A British person overseas, faced with a foreigner who, somewhat bafflingly, cannot speak English, has a tendency to repeat himself, usually speaking slower and louder, until comprehension is achieved. So too, the author of The Secret shows a faith in the idea that by repeating her key point, often with minimal variation, supported with quotations from various self help gurus basically saying the same thing, would lead the reader to acceptance rather than annoyance.

However, this rather simplifies my task in summarizing the ideas behind The Secret (which are anyhow contained in the handy end of chapter summaries - no point reading the rest of it, really). Basically, the Secret it founded on the Law of Attraction - we attract what we think back to ourselves. What we think about will come back to us. Our thoughts become things. I am sure you get the point by now.

So, if we think negative things, we attract negative things to us. If we feel bad, we attract bad things. So how do we use the law of attraction? We only have to ask, believe and then we will receive. To believe, we must think as if we already have received what we are asking for. If we do so, we will receive it. So, if you want to "lose weight" don't think about having to lose 20kg. Instead, just tell yourself "I am 52kg" (even if you are really 72kg). Once you feel that you are your perfect weight you will become it. Visualising what you want, and feeling a constant gratitude for what you already have will speed up the process, apparently.

The author then helpfully outlines how you can apply the Secret to Money, Relationships, Health and the World. Stop now, and read through the summary above and try for yourself how to apply this to any of the above categories. Let me use money as an example. Wait a minute, you might say, so growing rich just involves focusing on wealth (remember: you should never focus on bills or debt as you will just attract more of that negative stuff), imagining that you already have the money that you want, visualising the money (or any idea that you have that will make you all that moolah), and of course giving money away and feeling gratitude and generosity in doing so, as it will catalyze the process. Isn't that all a bit easy? But of course, that is the point! The Secret is amazingly simple and easy!

In fact, you can join the many people who have already utilised the Secret to find wealth, happiness in relationships and good health. It really is that easy! The author liberally cites examples ranging from a person visualising herself owning a copy of a DVD copy of The Secret (and then winning it in a special online contest) to the members of Belize Natural Exploration Limited who used the method in combination with a determination to find oil and natural gas (against the advice of trained geologists) and struck it rich. The Secret is after all quite versatile since the law of attraction permeates everything. You can use The Secret to attain everything from a dream house, a perfect life partner or a parking space.

Given the obvious cynicism I have employed in writing about the book thus far, you would think that I found it a complete waste of time. That isn't necessarily the case. It does suggest that there is merit in thinking positively, rather than negatively. In fact, thinking positively might just change your life. That is a self-help staple and a piece of age old wisdom that you don't need to spend another $30 to learn. As Bobby McFerrin sang, "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Dionysian Delights: Wine For Asia

I attended Wine for Asia 2007, which was touted as "Asia's most comprehensive wine exhibition", at the recommendation of Zea, a keen wine enthusiast. Not that I needed much encouragement to go, considering my own love of plonk and attempts at pretending to understand wine. Wine for Asia 2007 marked my first large scale wine exhibition and tasting, my only previous similar experience being an ale festival organised by the Oxford Union in my undergraduate days of which I have rosy (but somewhat befuddled) memories.

The event was indeed comprehensive with representatives from France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa of course, but also more exotic wine growing locales such as Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary (which produces Tokay which would be familiar to readers of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials triology). My strategy was very simple if not exactly following the classic "spit and swallow" routine of the expert wine tasters - grab a glass and drink. Simple, effective and fun.

I made a beeline first for the Italian wines. I had grown fond of Italian wines, particularly from Toscana or Tuscany, after backpacking there during one summer break from Oxford. The classic wine from the Tuscan region remains their famous Chianti made from the Sangiovese grape. A Chianti (Classico and Superiore being the higher quality labels) has to be produced with at least 70% Sangiovese.

To me at least, a Chianti is dark and richly flavoured. The current practice of making a Chianti from a mixture of Sangiovese and classic old world grapes such as the Cabarnet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot (in the past only other Italian grape varietals could be used) has added to the richness and texture of the wine. The classic Chiantis also often incorporate a white grape (up to 10-15%) in the wine, adding to the aroma and making its flavour even more intriguing.

It was also wonderful to see a fine selection of different wines from the Piedmont region, probably second only to Toscana in terms of reknown in Italy for wine production. I had little previous tasting experience of the various Piedmont wines, so it was with some enthusiasm that I tried what was one offer. My only regret was that I couldn't try more of them. I have often bemoaned the fact that it is hard to obtain quality Italian wines in Singapore - particularly Chiantis and the various Piedmont wines, and I fervently hope that some of the wineries who attended Wine for Asia find local distributors soon.

At that point, I was dragged off by Zea to the German wine section where she specifically wanted to find a nice Riesling. She loves her Rieslings because they make wonderfully fruity and aromatic wines. I was less enthused, preferring my whites to be more on the dry side, though I find a fruity white enjoyable as long as it is finely balanced. A young Riesling's fruity flavour and floral fragrance means that it is popular among those who are not regular wine drinkers. I can't recall if Zea managed to find an Auslese which she was also keen on trying.

Among other highlights of the festival, I had a chance to try some high quality Chilean wine and some of the Hungarian Tokay (Zea was far more enthused - too sweet for my inclinations). It was also nice to see the marketing representative from the Cellar Door (a restaurant/bistro just down from my regular pub the Old Brown Shoe) with a selection from their fine stock of New Zealand wines. Zea was also quite taken with Bulgarian wines, admittedly in a large part due to the very charismatic man running the booth who tried to ensnare passerbyes with the well worn line "do you want to try the best wine here?" which was effective not so much for its worn cliche but the enthusiasm with which it was said.

One of the most intriguing finds I made at Wine for Asia wasn't a wine at all but actually an Australian Whisky named Sullivan's Cove and distilled in Tasmania. Before I chanced upon their stall, I would never imagine that there would be a Whisky distillery in Tasmania. They actually had three different ranges of Whisky on offer. The first was a single malt (40% ALC) with two wood types used in the maturation process - bourbon and port oak. Two others that were offered for tasting were rated as "cask strength" or 60% ALC - which is strong for a Whisky. The came matured in oak Bourbon casks and another in Port casks.

Having tasted all three, I was sorely tempted to buy one to bring home. I was intrigued by what Patrick at Azhang would have to say about it - especially the cask strength oak Bourbon matured one which was their trademark Whisky (particularly after getting a 95% rating from Whisky guru Jim Murray). However, their prices were quite steep with their normal single malt setting me back $120 and their cask strength ones priced at around $270. At those prices I could buy a good 18 year old Single malt scotch. I decided that I couldn't, in all consciousness, spend that much money for the sake of curiousity.

I definitely had a fantastic time at Wine for Asia 2007. There were so many wines on offer to be tasted that it would have been impossible to have a taste at every stall (let alone every wine) even if one had attended all three days of the event (and there were those that did). Suffice to say, Zea and myself left the event suffused in a warm glow of happiness.

Another Pub Quiz Night

It was my usual Wednesday night routine, which over the past couple of months has been embodied by the pub quiz at the Old Brown Shoe. It was the core team of Dave Sowden, Keith Prince and myself together for the first time in 2 weeks. The previous week, Keith and myself had managed to scrape a win on our own in spite of some bad guesses (the North Sea was formerly known as the German sea apparently, and Weiner Schnitzel is made from Veal) and the quizmaster being incredibly anal (he insisted that O2 was not the acceptable answer to a question seeking the chemical symbol for Oxygen even though I pointed out that technically a single Oxygen atom cannot exist on its own but is always in binary form).

With the main team back together again, things definitely went swimmingly as we racked up a score of 57 out of a possible 60 points, tying our previous best record. At this rate, it is quite possible that we will achieve that elusive perfect score one of these days. Also, it was great to see Justin (whom I had met at the Shoe previously) taking part in the quiz with his friend Pam. They were sporting participants despite coming in dead last!

It was also wonderful that Zea decided to come down to the Shoe, in part because she was intrigued by the notion of a pub quiz and my seeming fascination with the concept. Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, we were running through the last few questions of the quiz. That was no matter though, as there are many other ways to be entertained in the pub - namely alcohol and excellent company. These two are always in abundant supply at the Old Brown Shoe.

Dinner at Giraffe

My Sister, the Girlfriend and her sis took me out to dinner at the Giraffe, a new trendy fusion style restaurant to celebrate my birthday. The restaurant is situated directly opposite Plaza Singapore and the Istana in a modernist glass building. It certainly looked like an attractive place to dine situated as it was right next (and even on) the large public fountain on Istana Green (bedecked with pennants for National Day).

After we were seated (and the other three had passed the staff my birthday cake) we were each given a colourful, nicely decorated menu. What I had initially assumed to just be the dining menu (with seperate drinks menu) turned out to be a combination of both. Flipping through the pages, I was quite startled at the paucity of choices that were available. There were effectively only ten or so main courses to choose from, optimistically divided between pizza, pasta/noodles or seafood. Seafood in effect consisted of two items to choose from - both salmon, one done italian style the other Japanese.

We ordered a selection of 4 starters (from the ten available) and 3 mains in the end, though I must say that I was rather shocked that any self-respecting upmarket restaurant could survive on such thin offerings from the kitchen. For the starters, none of us were than inclined towards the house salad which had a strange tangy wasabi infused dressing mixed with greens and soft shell crab, while the calamari while acceptable, could have been better, especially the batter.

The mains weren't a vast improvement - the salmon while done decently wasn't really all that tasty and their chicken schnitzel was really nothing more than an ostentatious form of chicken cutlet that you could find at any western stall in a coffeeshop (though to be fair, that is more fundamentally due to the nature of the dish than the way it was cooked).

The service and ambiance did go quite some way towards making up for the limited menu and generally uninspiring food. The restaurant itself was created with a kind of semi-alfresco concept in mind, the building set in the midst of greenery and water. The entrance to the restaurant itself was set on a raised glass platform beneath which flowed water from the fountain set in Istana Park. If they were attempting to portray themselves as a little oasis in the city, Giraffe certainly succeeded.

I was genuinely impressed with the service - the staff were generally attentive and prompt with our requests but more importantly, they were all polite and quite friendly. There was, however, an unfortunate mix up where they brought us the wrong birthday cake which necessitated a long wait while the poor manager went around desperately hunting for spare candles. Overall though, they did enough to win me over service wise.

Final Verdict: Giraffe occupies a nice setting on Istana green and I enjoyed the open, spacious dining concept. Their service was prompt and more importantly the staff were friendly. However, there are serious limitations in terms of the menu and the food could at best, be termed adequate. I would recommend this as a place to come for a cocktail or two over finger food, or for a light meal. Not a venue for a full dinner.

My Harry Potter Mission

I decided to embark on my own Harry Potter quest of sorts before the release of the seventh and final book of the series - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - on 21 July 2007. Inspite (or perhaps because) of the enormous popular appeal of the Harry Potter series, I have only ever finished reading the first book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone although I have seen all the five movies. As is often the case though, movies are often a poor substitute for books in terms of wealth of detail and character development.

The goal was to attempt to finish the first six Harry Potter books before the release of the seventh and final book, enabling me to join in the mass fervour, excitement and speculation (or to sum it up generally - mass hysteria) over how the series would end. Considering the fact that I only had a week to the launch of Deathly Hallows, this necessitated reading a book a day up to the launch date.

The going was relatively smooth to begin with, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were completed in two days flat. However, from that point onwards the books stopped resembling normal paperback novels and started to resemble massive printed doorstops (with the capability in hardcover form to do serious damage to one's foot). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire still raced along quite nicely - I particularly loved the excitement of the Quidditch World Cup, but I definitely found the Order of the Phoenix far too indulgent and long winded. In the end I failed in my task - I was still at the beginning stages of the Half Blood Prince when Saturday the 21st swung around.

I dutifully bought the Deathly Hallows on the evening (as opposed to the morning) of the 21st, not wanting to join in the mayhem of overnight queues and squalling children. I dutifully resisted the temptation to even glance at it while I laboured through the remainder of the Half Blood Prince. Admittedly, the sixth book got more exciting as it went along, and its conclusion was quite a cliffhanger.

What I should have counted on was my sister coming by my house and asking to borrow the Deathly Hallows first, so she could read it. As I was still part way through the Half Blood Prince I decided to give in to the pressure and pass it to her. However, my sister in her usual fashion, didn't have much time to read the book (but decided she still wanted to have it anyway) and by the Tuesday afterwards had barely gone through 100 pages.

I had completed the Half Blood Prince by then and built up a considerable head of steam and was by then desperate to read the Deathly Hallows - the entire point of the Harry Potter enterprise being to read the first six books in anticipation of the final one. I at first resorted to reading the majority of the novel in Borders. To this day I still haven't seen the hardcover copy of the Harry Potter that I had purchased.

Being very conscious of the fact that the great appeal of the Harry Potter series lies in the intricate plotting and fully formed characters (it certainly isn't the brilliance of Rowling's prose) I won't give any details of the plot away here. Suffice to comment that the Deathly Hallows definitely picks up the pace, and does a pretty good job of tying up loose ends, bringing together numerous plot details hinted at in the earlier novels. It is proof, if ever it were needed, that the entire series was conceived as a unified whole, and testament to Rowling's ability to create such a richly detailed imagined world.

Dinner at Rang Mahal

Knowing that she enjoys Indian cuisine, I booked dinner for two at the Rang Mahal, located at the Pan Pacific Hotel for the ex-Girlfriend on the eve of her birthday. The Rang Mahal is reputed to be one of the premiere Indian restaurants in Singapore, serving up not just Indian food mind you, but "haute Indian cuisine" and boasts of "legendary fine dining" on its website.

The restaurant boasted a wide variety of choices from its selection of pan-Indian cuisine, particularly North Indian delicacies. Being spoiled for choice I settled for their Thali platter of the day. This involved a soup and starter which was followed by a main, two curries and basmati rice served on a lovely glass platter. If this sounded like it was all impossible to finish, I assure you that it was not. This really was haute cuisine - small, slightly larger than bite size portions, especially the curries. The food was wonderfully flavoured from the lentils to my main course of lamb. A generous helping of naan bread and a fresh salad rounded the Thali set off. Definitely something to savour. For those who are interested the Rang also boasts a comprehensive (and award winning) wine menu.

On the whole, I was suitably impressed by the service. The staff were attentive, well-trained and generally polished. They did the small things well, and then some - such as a waiter using a cloth to dab at a spot on the carpet where the ex-Girlfriend nearly tripped. The overall service experience was only marred by the fact that it took a short while to get a waiter's attention for the bill. Also not to sound too snobbish, it would have been useful if the front of house and reservations person could speak slightly better English. It was definitely interesting to be informed that there was no reservation under my name on arrival at the restaurant (I had called to book earlier) only to find that she had written my name down as "Caleboo" (and after I had explicitly spelled it out in its entirety for her). It provided amusement for the ex-Girlfriend at the very least.

The restaurant was very tastefully designed. We were seated just within the entrance in a kind of walkway or pavilion leading to the main dining hall. Tables were divided by wonderful decorative screens affording us plenty of privacy. I also loved a small stone fountain set into the ground, lit by a series of small candlelit table lamps. The restaurant as a whole featured lovely wood and stone decorations on an Indian theme. Overall, I would have said that the ambiance and setting was perfect but for one drawback - the live music from the atrium lounge could be readily heard from our table by the entrance and often threatened to drown out the soft traditional Indian classical music that was being played.

Final Verdict: The Rang is one of the standard bearers for Indian fine dining in Singapore. If you love Indian food, this is a must try especially given the high quality setting and attentive service.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I spent quite a bit of time over the past couple of days ensconced in Borders ostensibly in an attempt to take advantage of their latest coupon offering 30% off of your total bill if you purchase three of more books. On Tuesday, I began reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, got hooked and finished the entire book at one sitting in Borders itself. On Thursday night I spent most of my time browsing around, eventually purchasing How We Survived Communism and Learned to Laugh by Slavenka Drakulic, At Large and At Small: Essays by Anne Fadiman and The Devil in Amber by Mark Gatiss.

The protagonist of the Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez, hails from Pakistan. He manages to win a scholarship to Princeton and subsequently goes on to work for a highly selective and top notch New York corporate firm, Underwood Samsom, which specializes in the appraisal and valuation of companies that are the subject of hostile takeover bids. However, we first meet Changez in a very different setting - a restaurant and tea house in an old district of Lahore in Pakistan where he finds an American wandering the streets, invites him to the tea house and begins to tell him (and the reader) his story.

The story is fundamentally about a person first enticed by then disillusioned and disenchanted with America. The crucial turning point for both the protagonist and America is the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. Despite him having attended an American University and pursuing the American dream, Changez's immediate reaction to the twin towers falling is a momentary thrill and a sense that America deserved it. He is initially ashamed by this reaction but he is sent down a relentless path of questioning his relationship with America even as he observes the sudden upsurge of patriotism (in a flag bedecked New York) and suspicion against foreigners (when he starts to grow a beard). This is compounded as America invades Pakistan's near neighbour Afghanistan and his homeland is involved in a deadly nuclear standoff with India in which America is determined to stay neutral in order to avoid having to choose between two allies in their war on terror.

Hamid, a Pakistani who himself studied at an Ivy League university and worked on Wall Street, writes a novel that is both powerfully allegorical yet still remains very accessible and personal due to the easy and familiar tone of the narrator. September 11 is the fulcrum of the story because it initiates the changes in both the protagonist (whose name Changez is hardly subtle) and in the American psyche itself. In many ways, however, Hamid turns our expectation on its head. The fundamentalism in the title is as much the American corporate variety (Changez's firm repeatedly tells them to "keep to the fundamentals") as it's Islamic counterpart.

Another allegorical turn involves Changez's relationship with Erica, a rich, well-connected WASP New Yorker whom he falls for while on a post-graduation holiday (paid for by his signing on bonus). However, his relationship with Erica is as fragile and ephemeral as his relationship with America. Erica is caught up and cannot let go of the past, specifically her relationship with a close childhood friend turned lover who died of cancer. It is certainly no coincidence that Erica is a shortened form of (Am)Erica.

Final Verdict: This was definitely a very engaging novel. Hamid is able to create a powerful sense of drama and tension out of his premise, and the sense of one man questioning his pursuit of what may be a chimerical dream and questioning of his adopted values is often captivating. That said, Hamid's use of irony is often completely unsubtle to say the least as is his overall contention that America - and not the Islamists are the real fundamentalists. Ultimately, a hugely enjoyable read.

The Ladies Night Debate

There has been considerable debate over a recent incident at a local nightclub, The Powerhouse, which was reported in the press. A lady in her 50s was denied the usual 5 free drinks upon entry for Ladies Night at the club and was instead given spa vouchers. She was informed that it was club policy to only issue free drinks to women who were 35 or younger. This soon led to widespread condemnation of this policy as being ageist and discriminatory. Many were further insulted when the club chose to enforce the policy by checking identity cards upon entry.

When asked to explain its policy, Powerhouse, part of the St James group of clubs stated that there were "specific business reasons behind the policy". According to their Chief Operating Officer, "the allure of Ladies' Night for men is that they want to see young, pretty women. We are responding to their expectations." The club also noted that it had the right to set the rules and regulations governing promotions.

While I understand the antagonism surrounding this policy, I must grudgingly support the club in this instance. They are absolutely correct in saying that they have the right to set any specific rules and regulations governing promotional privileges and entry provided that they are clearly stated. This would include a policy of only giving free drinks to ladies under the age of 35, even if we find the objective - that of attracting younger and prettier clientele which would in turn attract more high spending male clientele - worthy of criticism.

The simple fact is that ladies night privileges are specially given by the club, at their own expense. They thus have the right to decide who they want to award these privileges to. I find my sympathy waning for the women who gripe at no receiving the additional drinks free, considering that lady's night is in itself a form of thinly disguised discrimination. Why do the men not complain about the fact that they are being discriminated against on the basis of sex seeing that women are so blatantly having their cover charge waived?

It would have been quite a different story if the club, instead of barring these older women from the free drinks (and to be fair they did receive a substitute free gift), had barred them from entering the club altogether on the grounds that they are too old. That would certainly raise a hue and cry, and deservedly so in my opinion.

This brings me to the crux of this post, for such blatant discrimination on the grounds of age in terms of barring individuals from entering a club already exists. Almost every club in Singapore set different minimum ages limits for entry for males and females. Many, such as St James set a minimum age limit for men at 23 or even 25. They have no grounds for this blatant discrimination other than stating this is "club policy". Basically, clubs can let in anybody they want as long as they are above the legal drinking age of 18 years old.

Given what I just said, isn't it a bit ridiculous that there has been such a hullabaloo about discrimination, ageism, unfairness etc. in the case of these women not being given 5 free promotional drinks given that they still had the right to enter the premises and had their cover waived to boot? Let us put things into perspective. If you really want proof of ageism and discrimination, just look towards all those young men, serving their country as full time national servicemen, barred from having a night on the town for the simple reason they are deemed too young in the eyes of the club.

What I Have Read - So Far

I thought that this would be a good chance to put up a list of all the books I have finished reading in the first half of the year, as well as choosing my highlights for the year to date. Anyhow here is the complete list:

1. Table for Three: More Tales of Saffy and Amanda by Jason Hahn
2. The Iraq War by John Keegan
3. Lyra’s Oxford by Phillip Pullman (Young Adult)
4. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
5. All The Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer
6. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
7. Imperium by Robert Harris
8. Platform by Michel Houellebecq
9. The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford
10. The Epiplectic Bicycle by Edward Gorey (Illustrated Short Story)
11. Twelve Books that Changed the World by Melvyn Bragg
12. The Secret Goldfish and Other Follies by Tan Teck Howe
13. Those Feet: A Sensual History of English Football by David Winner
14. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
15. Crispin: Cross of Lead by Avi (Young Adult)
16. Dreamers by Knut Hamsun
17. The Making of a Philosopher by Colin McGinn
18. Slow Waltz on Cedar Bend by Robert James Waller
19. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Got Singapore by Richard Lim
21. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima
22. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer
23. The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky
24. Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
25. Nothing But the Truth by Avi (Young Adult)
26. Lanzarote by Michel Houellebecq
27. Frameshift by Robert Sawyer
28. Alien Asian: A Singaporean in America by Simon Tay
29. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
30. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
31. How To Read A Novel: A User’s Guide by John Sutherland
32. The Courage Consort by Michel Faber
33. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
34. The Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
35. The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq by Patrick Cockburn
36. Six (Genesis) by Jim Crace
37. An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire by Arundhati Roy
38. Among the Dead Cities by A.C Grayling
39. Marley and Me by John Grogan
40. Continue to Pester, Nag and Bite: Churchill’s War Leadership by Martin Gilbert
41. The Sensation of Independence: A Biography of David Marshall by Chan Heng Chee
42. Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Young Adult)
43. Everyman by Phillip Roth
44. The Eternals by Neil Gaiman (Graphic Novel)
45. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
46. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
47. Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
48. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R Tolkien
49. Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
50. The Quarry by Damon Galgut
51. The Glamour by Christopher Priest
52. Shadowmancer by G.P Taylor

Titles in Bold are highly recommended, titles in Italics are recommended. I have limited myself to recommending 10 titles in total (out of the 52). All in all, the main factor governing my reading so far was that I tended to go for novels that were short (less than three hundred pages). This was due to the fact that I have had less time to read since starting work, and was generally only being able to complete a book over a number of sittings.

I guess I really could have used my reading time better: Slow Waltz on Cedar Bend and The Horse Whisperer were definitely inexcusable. But reading is for enjoyment and relaxation and you sometimes what you really need is 300 pages full of brainless crap. [I promise a more detailed write up on specific titles soonish whenever I have time - in other words don't count on it]

Refurnishings and Reunions

I agreed to meet The Sister at Ikea, as she desperately needed to get new furniture, a bookshelf and a desk in particular, and I've been meaning to get some replacement bookshelves for my room. I also wanted a storage unit that could be placed under my built in tabletop. It was an excuse to get some shopping done before heading over for a class reunion dinner at Corduroy and Finch on Bukit Timah Road.

Ikea was less crowded than we expected it to be, given that it was the final day before the GST hike and given the perennial dollar pinching, bargain hunting psyche of Singaporeans. In the end, I settled on some three relatively simple bookshelves and decided against putting doors on them as there would only be a rather narrow space between the bookshelves and my bed. Besides, the bookshelves would be placed against the wall facing away from the windows and out of direct sunlight.

Afterwards I headed over to Corduroy and Finch for dinner with my classmates from 2AH in ACJC. Quite stunning to think that it has been six and a half years since the whole lot of us were in JC together. In the end, eight of us showed up: Xinyi, Steph, Joy, Sam, Brian, Babs, Victor and myself. It was fantastic catching up for the first time since September last year. I arrived rather late thanks to the horrendous taxi queue at Ikea which I half innocently managed to jump (don't ask - I know I shall be consigned to a special hell for those people jumping long taxi queues let alone queues with people pushing trolleys full of huge bulky items).

It was certainly good to catch up. Victor, we learned, had just returned from a 6 month exchange in Japan, the lucky boy. XY was working as a psychiatrist, Babs and Joy of course were teaching and Brian was about to start at my sister's alma mater no less. I think that the general agreement was that nobody had changed all that much personality and character wise. I was especially pleased to see XY, whom I hadn't had a chance to meet up with since my JC days. I was pleasantly surprised to learn she was keen on salsa dancing; she more so when I told her my parents danced salsa often!

On the whole, Corduroy and Finch was a great place in terms of decor - I love the two tiered seating and the movie screen playing scenes from old Charlie Chaplin and James Bond movies. The food was decent but unspectacular and overpriced in my opinion, with the menu featuring an eclectic mix of Italian, French and British cuisine. It certainly seems like a place trying to be hip and trendy and "fusion" but not in any particularly exciting, innovative or interesting way.

Afterwards, the group repaired to The Old Brown Shoe for drinks since it was relatively nearby. This was when Sandhu made her grand appearance and brought the house down as usual. The rest of us were left bewildered, stunned and quite amused by her descriptions of shopping for a new toilet bowl with her family and her invitation to head over to her place to try the wonderful new Japanese made model (it even washes your bum for you!) once it was installed. That was followed by a seemingly endless stream of good natured chatter and gossip despite her protestations at being "tired". It is good to know that some things are destined never to change.

Transformers

I managed to catch Transformers on friday night with the Girlfriend at Lido. Just in case you were wondering, she agreed to watch it of her own volition and was actually quite keen to see it. She was amused by but declined my offer to watch Nancy Drew with her in exchange (she wasn't interested).

Having watched the cartoon and played with the toys as a kid, I was definitely looking forward to the movie. All in all it was definitely great fun, with fantastic special effects, particularly the seamless blending of live action and CGI. Gone are the clunky block like shapes of the cartoons - these transformers look frighteningly real. There were of course the usual plot holes but overall the movie did itself a favour by not trying to take itself too seriously. That provided lots of laugh out loud moments particularly one involving the Transformers trying to hide themselves from a teenage boy's parents (despite being over 10 metres tall) by secreting themselves around various parts of his house. There were also numerous digs at the internet age, eBay and your usual awkward adolescent jock vs geek moments.

Purists will complain about the fact that Bumblebee is not a Volkswagen Beetle (due to sponsorship deals between the studio and car manufacturers no doubt) and Optimus Prime seems to mysteriously have lost his trailer. But then again, MI6 seems to provide James Bond with a different car each time, depending on which car manufacturer bids the highest. Besides, the original transformers cartoon was a thinly disguised excuse for Hasbro to sell toys. All in all, this was good brainless entertainment, which is what you would expect from a summer blockbuster. In that sense, it does follow the spirit of the original cartoon to the letter.

I also had the chance to meet up with Tim and Vanessa for dinner (along with the Sister), although I made the big mistake of suggesting Orchard Road on the last day of the Great Singapore Sale. I tried booking a table at Ichiban Boshi at Wisma, but they refused reservations. In the end, after waiting for half an hour, we gave up and tried Wheelock Place where the queues were even longer.

The Sister suggested Far East Plaza, where after a short detour to Sunny where I bought the latest sequel in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series and I bought Murakami's latest novel along with Mark Haddon's (of The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time fame) latest for the Sister. We soon found almost every restaurant completely full, including the random kopitiam style eateries on the fifth floor. In the end, half starved, we found a random Thai place and I finished dinner just in time to make my 9.45pm movie (this after meeting at 7.30pm for dinner).

The First Pub Quiz

I managed to leave the office relatively early due to a farewell party organized for two departing colleagues leaving on overseas postings (going to London and Riyadh respectively). There was excellent otak, chee kueh and char siew food wise bought from Tiong Bahru market. Should definitely go back and buy the otak in bulk when I next have a gathering at my place/pot luck to attend.

I was hoping to head over to the Old Brown Shoe early to find a team to join. I was hanging about the bar counter when I rather fortuitously bumped into an expat teacher that I recognized from my time spent relief teaching at ACJC. He agreed to "give me a go" on their team subject to the agreement of his mates. After I had told him about my quizzing and gameshow experience, he decided that I was a 'ringer' and that it was vital that I was recruited for his team so I wouldn't end up with the opposition!

The format of this quiz was quite simple. 5 rounds of 10 questions each, with the first round usually set on what was "in the news" and the final round being "pot luck". An interesting additional element is that each team had a Wild Card which enabled them to double their score in any given category, but they had to choose which category to nominate before the start of the quiz. Obviously, the choice of wildcard could well prove crucial in deciding the winning team.

The round for the evening were: In the news, Myths and Legends, What Happened in 2005, On the Playlist (45 seconds of a tune from the Brown Shoe iPod) and Pot Luck. The rest of my teammates decided to play our wildcard on Pot Luck after reacting adversely to much of the other categories.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well we did over the first few rounds. We scored 9,10 and 10 in the first three categories respectively. I was especially surprised by how easy the Mythology questions were: stuff like who were the founders of Rome, what Jason and his Argonauts were after, is pretty much common knowledge, one would think. Still, a number of teams struggled on those questions.

In the end it was pretty much a two horse race with another team. The entire team surprised themselves by scoring a 9 on the music round. We went into the Pot Luck need a score of around 7 in order to be sure of the win. The questions were quite random, which was always the danger in any pot luck round but we scored 8 in the end to win quite comfortable (and getting 46 out of 50 questions correct with a total score of 54 points.

The best part about winning was the fact that we took home the entire pot of cash which worked out to slightly over $50 per person. However, that more or less disappeared after I paid my bill for 3 pints of beer and a burger (with my taxi fare home not included). Still, that meant that I had a evening of good beer and fun quizzing completely free of charge. Certainly can't complain about that. I promised to return next week as we attempt to defend our title and I must say that I'm definitely keen for more quizzing.

Afternote: I stayed quite late at the bar chatting. I also overheard a Norwegian bloke mentioning that he was negotiating a deal with Keppel Fels, which was the company that Vic's dad had a senior position in. Things surprisingly deteriorated however, with one of the Norwegians accusing me of initiating the conversation just to show off, and that it was unwise to go around tossing names of acquaintances of acquaintances. It was certainly quite bizarre as that had not been my intention at all. Besides which, I have known Vic and his family for more than 10 years now (including teaching his brother GP at ACJC!). I guess it must seem quite bizarre to have some random young guy claim to know someone who is a senior executive in a big company, but that is part of what Singapore is like. Everybody knows someone who knows someone else. It is best never to take that for granted.

Wimbledon Predictions

I can't see anybody touching Roger Federer at his favourite tournament and on his favourite surface. It is now going on 4 years since anybody has managed to defeat him on grass and I don't see that trend changing. Andy Roddick, the next biggest threat to Federer on grass isn't at his best form at the moment. Nadal despite his positive comments before the tournament is not truly at home on grass and will be happy to repeat last year's fantastic run to the final.

It is quite stunning to think of Federer matching Bjorn Borg's record of 5 consecutive titles and beating Sampras' 4 straight victories. It would be fitting as well, as Federer was the man that ended Sampras' streak, beating him in the fourth round in 2001. For me, that was the defining moment for Federer - elevating him from merely being a very talented player to the perennial champion he is today. If Federer is to win his fifth consecutive title, he will have to work for it. A tough match against Marat Safin - one of the few players on tour with the capacity to beat Federer on his day - beckons in the third round with James Blake and Andy Roddick to follow.

The women's draw is far more open with any of 10 players standing a good chance of winning it. Serena Williams with her power is always a threat here, as it Maria Sharapova. I have been very impressed by Jelena Jankovic of late, but she is too much of a baseliner and lacks the all-round game necessary to win the title. The defending champion Amelie Mauresmo remains a big threat if she can play consistently and hold her confidence together. Such is the depth of the women's game now that you cannot rule out a great run from any of Ivanovic, Chakvetadze, Safina or Vaidasova. However, I will go with my heart rather than my head (which leans towards another Williams win) and plump for Justine Henin to complete the career grand slam. It has been a tumultous year for her and winning Wimbledon would be just rewards for the determination she has shown.

One other thing I would love to see at this Wimbledon is a good run from Tim Henman. Ironically, what may just help his cause is the fact that there hasn't been a huge fanfare over his chances at the tournament this year. He faces a tough opening match against Carlos Moya but what follows is a relatively safe passage through to the fourth round. If Henman can build confidence and form over the course of the tournament, he may well find himself in the thick of another run at Wimbledon. Hopefully, he can cause more of a stir that last year where he was absolutely hammered by Federer in the second round. A good run would be just brilliant for Henman who has stuck with it despite having a terrible year so far.

Update: Federer did indeed win the title though it was a mightily close fought thing against Nadal in the final. My head (as opposed to my heart) triumphed and Venus Williams did take the title. One of the many outsiders did fight their way through to the final in the form of Marion Bartoli (defeating my beloved Justine in the process).

An Issue of Equality at Wimbledon

This year's Wimbledon championships are about to begin at the All England Club. The news thus far has centered around the organizers decision to award equal prize money to men and women players, finally caving in to protests and pressure from many of the leading women on tour. They are also introducing the hawkeye system allowing players to challenge line calls after its success at last year's US Open and this year's Australian Open (the system is redundant at the Roland Garros because of ballmarks left on clay).

I can't say that I fully support the decision to award equal prize money (a statement which is liable to provoke the fury of the feminists out there). This stems from my general unease with the feminist movement's attempts to obtain "equality" for women in all areas. To begin with, the very fact remains that the men play best of five set matches and the women play only best of three. So perhaps one could justify the fact that the men were given more prize money by the simple fact that on average, they spent a lot more time on court.

A friend of mine argued that this was an unfair argument to make, given the physical differences between the two sexes. Since men have greater stamina and endurance, it is natural that their matches can go on for longer, and in any professional sport the aim is to test the athletes to their limits which differs for men and women. Once this goal is attained, we should reward both sexes equally.

I accept that in principle, but I can simply point out that we do discriminate based on naturally occurring characteristics. People who are naturally more intelligent tend to get rewarded in society with higher salaries (which come after they get into elite academic institutions that purport to discriminate on intelligence). The great failure of the communist and socialist system was their attempt to apply the principle of equality in a way where everyone was rewarded equally for working to the best of their ability. Nobody is going to remotely reach their maximum potential without some incentive to do so, especially if you are not going to taste the fruits of your additional hard work or talent.

My great uneasiness lies in the fact that the feminist movement has trumped everything with their pressure based on political correctness. It isn't so much a debate on equality anymore insofar as it is one of fairness. It just isn't fair that women earn less than men at Wimbledon because they women are equal to men. To suggest otherwise would be to risk severe social censure. I wonder how fair it is that a small group of individuals have decided that they have a monopoly on determining what is fair and what is not.

Sidenote: A similar debate has surfaced in Golf, with the participation of women in PGA tour events. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club recently amended its regulations allowing for women to take part in the Open Championship if they qualified. Why is it only deemed fair if women have the opportunity to take part in the men's tour (and in their majors such as the Masters and the Open) and decidedly unfair if men were to demand the same for women's events? Perhaps it is because it is perceived that men would have an unfair physical advantage over women at Golf? In other words, that they are unequal?

Oblivion Defeated

I spent quite a big portion of the weekend playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion. I finally decided to cut to the chase, and instead of getting distracted by the myriad assortment of side quests, to go ahead and complete the game by moving the main quest forward. I guess the fact that I have hardly felt the urge to complete the main storyline is testament to (a) the fantastically addictive game play mechanics of exploration, looting and levelling up; and (b) my obsessive compulsive nature.

So, I finally went ahead and recovered the Amulet of Kings and closed the oblivion gates, only to find that though the main quest had been completed, the game had not, in fact ended. Instead it operated on an open-ended concept where you could continue to explore, loot, finish side quests, and wait 2 weeks for a specially commissioned set of Imperial Dragon Armour to be finished. So I had saved the day, and stopped the forces of Oblivion, but there are still so many caves and ruins to explore, places to visit, and my horde of 200,000 gold to add to.

Dragonfly

I finally managed to catch up with Ariel yesterday, when we hightailed it down to Dragonfly at St James Powerhouse. I rang her quite late in the afternoon, and managed to organize the whole evening at short notice. It was also a chance for her to meet up with her old friends from Devil's Bar days Ice and Stephanie who are both working at St James now.

It turned out to be a far later night than I had planned - got back past 3am, and of course had to wake up for work the next morning. It was kind of a very addictive let loose kind of evening, with classic 80s retro hits interspersed with the wonderful sets that Dragonfly is known for, complete with lots of over the top costumes. That helped to offset the fact that I couldn't understand more than half the songs, especially those sung in Cantonese.

My parents have definitely embraced the clubbing lifestyle and it's easy to see the appeal in the drinking and partying. There is a kind of abandon that can be found beneath the pounding beat and bright lights that makes it an ideal escape from reality. However, I have also learned that it is a lifestyle replete with its own politics and complications and issues.

Everyone sometimes needs a chance to drink and forget. But ultimately, you don't want to be hit even harder by reality when you wake up the next morning.

Spurs NBA Champions Again

The San Antonio Spurs are now the NBA champions for the fourth time after completing a 4-0 sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals. In winning their fourth title, the Spurs join the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls as the only teams in NBA history with four or more titles.

Of course, this being the Spurs, they did it with stifling defence, good ball movement and teamwork on offence, and a style of play that has been characterised as efficient, professional and effective by some and dull, boring and detrimental to the popularity of the NBA by others. Not that the Spurs will care. As far as they are concerned they have clinched the trophy yet again and gotten the job done.

Sadly, I didn't manage to catch any of the games live on television, as all four of them took place on weekday mornings (Singapore time). I was reduced to following proceedings on Yahoo Gamechannel, and watching the replays in the evenings. The naysayers did have a point. It got ugly watching Cleveland miss jumper after jumper and shoot 40% or less from the field for the whole series.

It was also unfortunate that Lebron James had such a poor series - he was one player who could have really lifted things up with a spectacular night. It's easy to forget that James is still all of 23 years old. The experience of being in the NBA finals will definitely stand him in good stead in the future and he remains one of the top talents the NBA has to offer.

Singapore's King of Swing

I was privileged to catch Jeremy Monteiro at the Esplanade in a concert celebrating his thirty years as a jazz entertainer. Jeremy Monteiro performed with "jazz luminaries" Jay Anderson (bass), Bob Shepard (saxophone and clarinet), Jimmy Cobb (drums) and Roberta Gambarini (vocals). The programme itself featured arrangements and compositions from Jeremy and his guests.

All in all it was a great evening of jazz. It was especially a pleasure and honour to see Jimmy Cobb, a true jazz legend, in action. Cobb has recorded with many of the greats of Jazz, most famously as part of the Miles Davis quintet that recorded Kind of Blue. He belied his age with some strenuous and energetic drumming. Gambarini only came on stage for the second half of the concert and proved a very technically skilled singer, particular in terms of her scat singing (which often formed the majority of her vocals during any given song). I wasn't certain enamored with her overall tone though, but there is no denying she is very talented and skilled.

I last saw Jeremy when he performed with the legendary late Toots Thielmans in 2005 and Singapore is truly privileged to have such a reknown proponent of jazz in our midst especially when he is able to lure such talent to our shores to perform with him. It's been 30 years since he started out, but I am sure I am not alone in the conviction that Jeremy is still Singapore's King of Swing and that there is much more to come from him in the years ahead.

Pub Quiz

I have finally found a place that does pub quizzes in Singapore! While at Muddy Murphy's a couple of weeks ago, I spoke to the bar staff about whether they ran a regular pub quiz and even volunteered to run one myself. Apparently, they used to have a weekly quiz at the Penny Black, a second outlet at Boat Quay, but it fizzled out due to the lack of interest.

Thankfully, he recommended that I check out the Old Brown Shoe, a little British pub located on Bukit Timah Road, as they had a weekly pub quiz going every Wednesday. In fact, I recall seeing the Old Brown Shoe on a number of occasions whilst being driven down Bukit Timah Road, and commenting more than once that it looked like an interesting establishment that was worth checking out.

Anyhow, through a convoluted process of internet googleing, I managed to obtain the Old Brown Shoe's telephone number. I called the proprietor and was informed that they did have a pub quiz every Wednesday and that the place was "full to bursting" every week. She agreed to reserve me a spot at the bar next Wednesday so that I could take part in the quiz.

I'm definitely well pleased by this. I remember all those wonderful Tuesday evenings at the Turf Tavern in Oxford doing their pub quiz with great fondness. Yes, I'm obsessed. No, I don't need help. Quiz, beer, and a good English pub. Can't wait till Wednesday.

Play: A Video Game Symphony

It was with great anticipation that I attended the concert Play, featuring music from a number of well-known computer games such as Elder Scrolls IV, World of Warcraft, Halo, Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Brothers. I was lucky to get tickets - I happened to be browsing a newly released Singapore Arts Festival booklet and booked tickets on the spot more than two months in advance. By then, almost the entire concert hall had been sold out and I had to settle for seats with a restricted view.

It was definitely wonderful to hear some of this fantastic and under appreciated music being performed by a full orchestra and choir. It was definitely a chance to relive parts of my childhood through Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog and, especially, the encore piece from Shinobi. You could hear the laughter and delight of the audience as they flashed scenes from the various video games on three large screens above the orchestra. There were many retro scenes from the original Super Mario Brothers and Sonic games that definitely brought back memories.

The themes I enjoyed the most were from Halo and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, probably because I have played those games. Final Fantasy VII: One Winged Angel was also a fantastic piece complete with full orchestra, choir and pipe organ. Admittedly, you sometimes did feel that it was a bit of a stretch converting video game scores for full orchestra when they had often been written for guitar, drums and synthesizer.

Still, the reaction of the crowd and the ticket sales attest to the mass appeal that this music has and it is not hard to see why. It clearly has an immediacy that classical music once had, but now lacks. This is the same with cinema music with movie themes such as Star Wars and Harry Potter almost instantaneously recognizable. As a fan of both video game and cinema music, I hope there will be many more concerts like Play in the future.

Catching Up With Old Friends

I had a wonderful chance to meet up with some of my old classmates from my Secondary Four class at ACS(I) for dinner and then drinks at Holland Village. It was a rare chance for Vic, Ted, Enzheng, JK, Ben and Brian as well as myself to meet up. I hadn't seen most of them, other than Vic in the past six or seven years.

To be honest, nobody had changed all that much I think. Personality wise, our individual quirks and characteristics, already visible at 16, remained even given the fact that we had all matured. A number of us were in relatively stable relationships, and we had all already started work (or were about to).

It was interesting meeting up with them again, catching up on old times, and also quite sobering to think that next year, 2008, would mark the 10th Anniversary of our graduation from ACS(I). It will be interesting to see these group of school friends again as the years go by, as we all change, and yet stay the same still. As Robert Browning put it (inspiring our school motto in the process): "Come grow old with me, for the best is yet to be".

Dinner with Sheepie

I finally had a chance to catch up with Sheepie over dinner at NYDC at Wheelock Place. It has been somewhat of a challenge considering that she has been bouncing all over the place. She recently spent a month or so in Istanbul, much to my envy, where she was carrying out research for a paper she is writing. A few days from now, she is heading over to Yemen to learn Arabic. It is really wonderful that we share such a deep interest in the Middle East and much else besides.

Sheepie is always wonderful because she has such a joy for life. She's full of infectious laughter and optimism. That's hard to come by these days in an increasingly cynical world. I find that we can talk about almost anything - relationships, dreams of doing a Phd, books, movies, the Middle East and a mutual love of traveling. I do hope I don't get too carried away sometimes. I joked that ultimately I am a bad influence though - the past two times we've met for lunch/dinner came almost in the immediate aftermath of her getting dumped (in one case without having actually gotten together with anyone!).

To top a nice evening off, we got to share a free mudpie thanks to a DBS card promotion (with more than $30 spent). I absolutely dig mudpies and NYDC desserts. Just the guilty pleasure needed to crown a pleasurable evening of conversation.

Defeating Oblivion

I made a fatal mistake of installing Elder Scrolls Oblivion a few weeks ago, which partly explains both my recent lack of posting on this blog, as well as my having read next to nothing in the month of May. I bought the game sometime in August last year, but didn't have the chance to try it out till now. Suffice to say, it is extremely addictive.

I'm now nearing the end of the game, having taken so long due to the fact that I feel an urge to engage in and complete every quest I can, not to mention explore all the random mines, elven ruins, forts and what have you that are scattered around the realm. It starts getting a bit pointless when you find yourself a Level 30 or so character with a complete set of Daedric Armour (the best in the game) wielding a massive Daedric Warhammer, able to crush pretty much anything in your path.

Admittedly, I lost quite a bit of sleep the first week that I installed the game. I spent a number of nights up till the wee hours of the morning engrossed in my own little fantasy realm.

The game does seem to have quite a bit of replay value due to the plethora of sub-quests that are available to the discerning adventurer. I definitely want to try out a mage based character the next time around, having gone for the typical (boring) hack and slash warrior type character on this occasion.

But I'll have to end the post here. After all, I have a kingdom to save, and an emperor to crown.

World Quizzing Championships

I have been desperate to take part in the World Quizzing Championships, which is an annual event originating in the UK, but now taking place simultaneously in 20 odd countries. It is probably the most difficult test of trivia and knowledge of its kind. I was privileged to take part in last year's UK leg (which took place over the weekend before my final exam paper) and I ranked 180th or so among the 450 plus people who took part.

Taking part in the World Quizzing Championships is really quite a masochistic experience. There are eight categories in total: Culture, Entertainment, Media, Lifestyle, History, Science, Sport & Games and World with 30 questions per category. You have one hour to complete 4 cateogories and a further hour to complete the other 4 categories. That means you have around 30 seconds per question (including reading time) which really isn't a lot of time. The category with the lowest score gets dropped.

Just in case you were wondering, the questions are not easy. You really have to think to get the answer for some of them though they are for the most part generally quite fair. To get even 20 out of 30 for a single category is really quite difficult unless you are an exceptionally good quizzer. Last year, I failed to reach 15 in any of the categories though I did score a 14 and three 12s. This given that I am considered a general knowledge buff by almost everyone I know. Then again, what other kind of person would subject themselves to this kind of torture?

I had heard that there the World Quizzing Championships leg being organized in Singapore which would allow me to take part and was really disappointed when this completely failed to materialise. Thankfully, the organisers decided to allow me to do the quiz individually, by sending the questions directly to an appointed moderator. Hopefully, I can do better than next year. My rought target is to try and attain a score of 100 after managing only 81 last year.

Update: I eventually took the quiz and managed to score close to 100 though I didn't officially submit my results to the organizers.

A Sunny (Bookshop) Sunday

I made a visit to Sunny Bookstore in Lucky Plaza, my first in a long while. I've been buying books from Sunny for more than a decade now and I've developed a close relationship with the staff there, especially Rachel, who is always quick to recommend anything new that has come in which she thinks I may find interesting. Rachel is always a great laugh with her eclectic tastes in fiction, not to mention computer games, anime and much else besides. Quite similar to me in that regard.

Admittedly, I haven't been patronizing Sunny all that much, having been lured away in part by the two mega bookstores Borders and Kinokuniya. It is also difficult to pop by now that I can't go on a weekend evening given that Sunny closes at 7.30pm which is de jure (if not de facto) working hours at MFA. It takes a rare Sunday or so for me to be able to pop in. Buying from Sunny has the advantage of slightly cheaper prices (offset by the discounts offered by the big two) as well as the fact that they plastic wrap the books for you for free.

I guess Sunny is an institution of sorts for me. It is really nice to go up the escalator at Far East Plaza and catch sight of the familiar opening with shelves upon shelves of books. And of course there are the same people there, Rachel and the rest, who have been there year after year. In some strange nostalgic way, I hope Sunny will be around for years to come, a familiar sight amidst the changing landscape of my own life and reading tastes.

Among my purchases today were The Children of Hurin by J.R.R Tolkien in a pretty hardcover edition with lovely illustrations from Alan Lee, Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov which were newly reissued (strange that given my large SF colletion I never owned what is considered one of the classic Science Fiction series) and finally Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury - Bradbury is a brilliant wordsmith and his stories have always thrilled me. I own lots of individual editions but this was too good to pass up, even at 33 bucks.