Summer Movie Rants

I always enjoyed summer season. Lots of blockbuster movies and awesome box-office breaking shows. However, as much as i enjoyed 'Indiana Jones:Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' thoroughly, Robert Downey as 'Ironman' was excellent! and the fact that 'The Dark Knight' removed the myth that sequels aren't as good as its predecessor (Loved the Bats and Two face but joker stole the show!!). I guess after the last few summers of 'Transformers' , 'X-Men' , 'Spiderman' , '300' , 'Live Free or Die Hard' , 'Pirates of Caribbean' ....the list goes on and on and on, you can see why i feel like something has been missing this summer season. Not that im knocking the movies of summer 2008, i just feel like there arent ENOUGH of those types of 'blow you out of your mind' and 'stuck to your chair' kind of movies this year.

However, some movies have caught my attention and these future shows will hopefully wet my appetite in the months to come.

1) 'GI Joe' tops my list! Can't wait til Snake Eyes appears in his full black ninja armour glory. Just hope the story matches up to the characters to do them justice.

2) 'Watchmen'. Alan Moore's amazingly written comicbook comes to life. 3) 'Quantum of Solace'. Bond is back and the trailer looks great.
4) 'Terminator Salvation' Christian Bale as John Connor kicking cyborg @ss. Alright, that's it for now. I can't wait for my week off. Going to use it to plan for my next vacation :)

The Return of the Dark Knight

I haven't been current in my movie updates due to my busy training schedule the past month. Ive only recently come back home and got the chance to update this blog now. Its been a hectic but fun June and July which saw me going on training to East Malaysia and taking a short trip to Kuala Lumpur for a bit of shopping and partying! Going back to the daily grind of work wasn't something i was looking forward to. Alright, on to the movie review.

Managed to only catch 'Get Smart' last month but i made sure i wouldn't miss the 2nd instalmentof Batman helmed by Christopher Nolan. 'The Dark Knight' has been one of the movies i have been waiting for this summer and it did not disappoint. Creepy, dark and at times a tad psychotic, whatwith the Joker running amok, it proved to be an excellent sequel for Christian Bale's reprise as the world's greatest superhero detective.

The story proved to be a strong one, bringing to light the elements of what made Batman great in the comics. An ordinary man (billionaire in this case) haunted by his past striving to bring justice in a world gone mad, that even in the worst of times, the best in people can still arise from the darkness. The regular supporting cast of Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) was excellent but what surprised me was Aaron Eckharts's turn as Harvey Dent. I always liked Eckhart's work and his turn as Two face proved to be even better than i would have expected.

Last but not least is the late, great Heath Ledger's role as the Joker. He portrayed the Joker as madman lunatic with more than a hint of genuis that proved more than a match at times for Batman. Good vs evil. Morals and decency versus anarchy and chaos. The 2.5hrs movie flew by without me realising the time. Strong acting on all fronts, together with a smart and thought provoking story is making the Dark Knight the frontrunner for best movie this summer.

The Dark Knight Official Movie Site

Taiwan Trip Part 3 - Kaosiong

Its been tooooo long since i updated this blog...work, work and more work interspersed with studying has wreacked havoc upon my schedule, so thought i'd put in a little update once i had the time.

So before continuing with my normal musings, it's better if i wrapped up my Taiwan trip. The last venue of my vacation was the city of Kaosiong. Famous for its river (pic below), it provides a serene landscape cutting through the bustle of the city streets. Kaosiong was relatively calmer compared to Taipei but i found that i enjoyed it just as much.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the island formerly known as Formosa and definately would make it there again in the near future.

Taiwan Trip Part 2 - Keelung, Wulai and Taichung

Nearby to Taipei is the port city of Keelung. I went there for a short day visit to look at its harbour, bay area and the various rock formations (pictured right) for which it is famous for. Apparently, these were formed from the erosion caused by the battering of the seas and waves. There were also an abundance of restaurants and stalls selling a variety of seafood near the area.

The next day we took the underground metro and bus to the small town of Wulai which is famous for its hot spring resorts, waterfall and serene surroundings. It was a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable experience and allowed a laidback atmosphere vastly different from the bustle of Taipei city. A hot spring bath is definately something which should not be missed.

Scenes from Wulai

Next up was Taichung city which would be our embarkation point to visit the famous 'Sun Moon Lake' (pictured below). It took about an hour and half drive from Taichung to the lake area. Various resorts dotted the coastal area of the lake and one could just about spend the whole day walking around and taking in the scenery. Boat rides, hiking trails, spa resorts and even a tea plantation are some of the points of interest which can be undertaken while on a visit there.

My attempt at a panaromic view of Sun Moon Lake

Taiwan Trip Part 1 - Taipei

Just got back from Taiwan a couple of weeks ago and i have to say, it's really changed since i was there last. Very metropolitan and yet retains some old traditional charms at the same time. My trip began in Taipei where i proceeded to go south to Kaosiong and stopped at Taichung on the way. Taipei is in many ways a typical big city. Lots of shopping to be done and i was quite impressed with the Taipei 101 building (Pictured left). Weather was approximately 16 to 19 degrees Celsius so it was quite cooling heading towards springtime.

One thing to note about Taiwan is the abundance of night markets spread throughout the city. Stalls selling everything from clothes to toys and various knickknacks. Food stalls also crowd the area with desserts, noodles and the everpungent smelly tofu (which I still did not feign to try :p)

Scenes from the night markets

Mostly spent my time in Taipei going around to the various famous landmarks dotted throughout the city. Also made time for some shopping which is actually quite good here. Lots of places selling new and trendy clothes. I also found the locals very polite and accomodating. The manners of the Taiwanese people are top notch and i really felt at home in the friendly atmosphere.

Scenes from some of the places in Taipei

Life Size Gundams...way cool!

Updates...

Hmm....its nearly 3 weeks into the new year now. Feel like i should make a list for what i want to get done in the year. Time flies by so fast that i sometimes lose track of what is to be accomplished. Must get that done...before its February!

Just celebrated my b'day last week. It was a lot of fun welcoming another milestone in life and the ever approach of old age :( far be it for me to be so morbid. Thanks for my family and friends for making it so memorable! New Yr Resolution Number 2....'have as much fun as possible'! haha. My new yr resolution number 1 is a bit harder to maintain (Be more tolerant and patient....pretty sure that i've broken that resolution already ;p)

Next up is my trip to Taiwan. I have not been there since I was 'single digits' years old. I assume a lot has changed since then. Well...what better way to start off my leave than with a vacation :)

New Year's Trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Happy happy new year 2008, everyone! Been a bit lag in posting because i just got back from my trip to Kota Kinabalu. Long drive from Brunei...tiring but good fun! Just a brief summary on the trip. Took about 8hrs to get there, there was a bit of a queue at both immigrations and the ferries respectively but otherwise, it was a good drive with relatively nice overcast cloudy weather.

KK really has changed in recent years. While its always been a nice haven for resort enthusiasts, island trekkers and scuba divers, its also now also an alternative venue to shop and enjoy the ambience of its waterfront bars, restaurants and pubs not to mention the variety of seafood restaurants. Visited shopping centres like Centrepoint, Warisan Square, etc but i wont go into detail on those since shopping centres are basically the same everywhere.hehe. I didnt shop much at all there. Just basically went there to relax, eat and of course party for the new year :)

I took the time out to go visit the Gaya Open air market in the city. This market only opens on Sundays so might be good to plan a trip around that day to just have a feel for the hustle and bustle of a sunday market. Also took some time to enjoy the local delicacies available there. One example is the beef noodles (pictured on the left).

Random Gaya Market Pics

New Year's Eve. Main reason to come to KK was to have the countdown here. Met up with some riends and headed over to one of the local clubs here. Was surprised at how crowded it was. The band was good and i had a great time partying down to the wee hours of the morning while ushering in the new year of 2008. A good start to the new year. Hope the rest of the year will be great as well. One thing i'm not looking forward to, is the lack of sleep before heading back to Brunei.