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Friday, September 11, 2009

On September 11:

1816 German lens maker Carl Zeiss was born.
1862 USA author O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) was born.
1885 English writer D. H (David Herbert Richards) Lawrence was born.
1917 English writer Jessica Mitford was born.
1928 The first Trans-Tasman flight took place.
1961 the World Wildlife Fund was formed.
1973 Chilean President Salvador Allende was killed in a revolt.
1997 Scotland voted in a referendum to form a devlolved parliament within the United Kingdom .
2001 The September 11 suicide attacks took place in the USA.

Vincent Chua @ 0850, Singapore

8:49 AM

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

hi people, writing a short note cause the cca teacher hadn't come yet.. Firstly, there's no homework today right??? haha.. I'm lame, i know... Just watched GI Joe.. it's a wonderful thriller... You all should watch it... The original plan was to watch harry potter but then the tickets went out already... Sad right?? Yes!! Anyway, the teacher is here... I shant say too much about the movie lest it spoils your appetite to watch the movie.. I know my English sucks!! Byebye...

2:41 PM

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hey people, I am so excited that Harry Potter and the half blood prince is almost out in cinemas soon, and guess what?? I'm going to watch it with some of my friends...

Early in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" young wizard-in-training and prophesied chosen one Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, is magically transported to a small house by his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Michael Gambon. Dumbledore says, "Harry, I suppose you must be wondering why I've brought you here." Harry replies, "Actually, sir, after all these years I just sort of go with it." And in that brief moment, it also reflects how the audience feels: We've spent years with the creators and actors behind this series (currently in its sixth film, with only a two-film adaptation of the final book to go). And we, like Harry, trust the people taking us on this journey, because we've come to know them as worthy stewards of our interest in the past. And with "Half-Blood Prince," they continue to earn that trust with what may be the best film in the series.

Directed by David Yates (who also directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" isn't great family entertainment -- it's great entertainment, period, a blockbuster with true heart and real humanity alongside the high-stakes struggles and brilliant effects. One of the great pleasures of this series has been the rare chance to watch actors, characters and a franchise grow and mature with the passing of time. Gone are the playful high jinks and mild peril of the early films. Now, the world is in the balance, and so are the fates of characters we've come to care about, and it's testament to the work director Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves (whose adaptations of J.K. Rowling's novels have become more and more adept at trimming the bulk from the books without cutting the soul from the stories) that we care as much as we do.

"Half-Blood Prince," the next-to-last book in the series, has a lot of setup -- more about the past of series nemesis Lord Voldemort and the drawing of the battle lines before the final clash. But "Half-Blood Prince" never feels draggy or dreary, and while it may be two hours and 20 minutes long, it moves like a greased cat. The "Potter" series has always mixed the mighty blows and blasts of its magic alongside the everyday triumphs and tragedies of normal teen life. And the too-long hugs and sidelong glances of adolescent affection are in full play here; it's a minor miracle of a balancing act that the soap opera-style romantic material never feels bloodlessly shy or heartlessly cheap.

The film's success is in no small part thanks to the army of great actors giving small parts their all. Alan Rickman's velvet croak, with those glacial ... pauses ... is still purring threats, and this time they're delivered on. Gambon, as Dumbledore, is still the kind father Harry never had. Rupert Grint, as Harry's best friend Ron, still provides great comic relief alongside Emma Watson's heroic faithfulness as Hermione. Radcliffe even gets to swing for the fences here with an unexpected -- and unexpectedly funny -- bit in which Harry, benefiting from a "liquid luck" potion, is jazzed and jaunty in a way we've never seen him before. Radcliffe sells the scene with ace comedy timing ("I just have a really good feeling about going to Hagrid's. ...") and yet never lets us doubt we're watching Harry.

The technical accomplishments and effects are great, as ever, with amazing cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel making the fantastic real and the real fantastic. It should also be noted that "Half-Blood Prince" confirms that you could watch the "Potter" series in order and not only witness the best in special effects but the best use of judgment in when and how to use them. Yes, there's a Quiddich game in "Prince" -- the broomstick-football wizard's workout sporting game of the series -- but it not only looks amazing, it's also entirely about who these characters are, what they mean to each other, and where the series is going.

And the series is going to dark places. Harry, entering adulthood, has to make choices here, between losing badly and losing very, very badly, and we watch his plight with interest and sympathy. The forces against him are mighty, and yet the allies he has are strong. This is the true wonder of the Potter series: How it expresses not simply the fantasy that in our time of need we might have magical miraculous powers but, rather, the real hope that in our time of need we might have the miracle of true friendship. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is great, rousing summertime movie adventure, and satisfies on every level even as it makes you eagerly await the finale of the series. After all these years, we just sort of go with it, gladly, and the cast and crew of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" have worked hard to make sure the going is good.

4:29 PM

Friday, June 12, 2009

To Those Who Were Offended On Plurk:

That person who were on plurk saying all those things, like you all already know, it's not me... Cause I'm like an angel right?? Alright, shuddup!! Anyway, I'm saying sorry on behalf on that hacker, even though I dont know who is he (should be a 'he' right?)... Once more, I am sorry...

12:50 PM

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hey People, giant news.. Maybe you all have already discovered this but read the following article which I've found.

Bing me. Bing it. It's time to Bing and decide. Prepare yourself as Microsoft wages its all-out advertising assault on Web-surfing lingo.

Last week, the software giant launched its new online search engine, Bing. It's spending an estimated $80 million to $100 million on a campaign to shape Bing.com as a "decision engine" for consumers.

What will you find there?
Bing focuses on four experiences: making a purchase, planning a trip, researching a health condition and finding a local business.
Like Google, Bing also provides tools to search videos, images, news and maps updated with real-time traffic info.

Bing enters a search engine landscape dominated by Google, which holds more than 81 percent of the global market, according to statistics by Market Share. Yahoo, in second, garners a little more than 9 percent.

Will Bing's consumer focus win people over?
Dewey Davis-Thompson, who owns Internet Adept Inc., a St. Petersburg Web design service, said he hasn't seen anything beyond Bing's glossy interface to capture his attention.
"They may catch up with Google, but I don't know about surpassing it," he said. "Google is a word like Coke — like Kleenex or Trojan.
"People don't use a search engine. They Google."
Will they also Bing?

PS. Reading My Family and Other Natural Disasters by Josephine Feeney right now.

10:31 AM

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Yesterday, I went out with a couple of friends (names not to be mentioned) to Woodlands. We met up at Jurong East Library and did our homework until around 1400. Before we decided to go to Woodlands, we didnt know where to go and we were like sitting in the Mrt (Mass Rapid Transport) Train and we travelled to like Bishan (NS17)... After we've decided on Woodlands (NS9), we took the train all the way back to Woodlands.

We went into Causeway Point and have our lunch first because someone complained about being very hungry.. After eating, we went into Timezone™ and played for a while.. It's really a while only for we only played one game...

We came out of Causeway Point and because it's still very early, we went to the Woodlands Regional Library™ and stayed there for a while, reading books, playing PSP and handphones. That's what happened yesterday...

10:01 AM

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Hi... This is the new blogskin that I've created and the one that you all have been waiting for, and the one that I've been constructing for so long... Is it nice??? Hope I didnt disappoint you all.. Anyway, will be putting up the tag board at a later date cause I'm now in the school library and the library is closing soon.. haha!!!

4:45 PM