And The Oscar goes to…

Once again, the Oscars are amongst us. This year, the 79th Annual Academy Awards proves to be the most exciting and most even yet, with all nominations quite balanced and all strong contenders for their awards.

And since http://fineattitude.blogspot.com is such a wonderful blog, I bring to you once more the *drumrolls* ALL-SEEING EYE!

Of course, my all-seeing eye returns just for this one time, to see through this year’s Oscars. Who should win? Who *quote someone in my class* WIN ALREADY?!

Oscar: Best Cinematography
The Nominees Are:
- The Black Dahlia
- The Illusionist
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Children of Men
- The Prestige

And The Oscar goes to…
THE PRESTIGE

Why: The Prestige, a marvelous film featuring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, is extremely well-shot. The images span fast, moving from scene to scene in a snap fashion, making sure the action doesnt let down and no scene is wasted. The beauty of it is that the “magic tricks” are well-captured, in angular shots that make us see everything.
Anyone Else: The Illusionist comes close, but if we’re talking a contender, Pan’s Labyrinth has to be the one. Utterly frightening and psychotic, the scenes are horrifying and the camera doesn’t let out on the horror. Erk.
The Real Winner: Pan’s Labyrinth
Score for The All-Seeing Eye: 1/2

Oscar: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Nominees Are:
- Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
- Children of Men
- The Departed
- Little Children
- Notes on a Scandal

And the Oscar goes to…
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Why: Judi Dench’s character is excellently written. I wonder who could possibly be the one who could think up such a sick, sick, twisted, absolutely mad woman. I do mean that literally. Judi Dench’s completely psycho, crazy and delusional lesbian character is written with so much depth that it’s hard to ignore the entirety of this character and how she fits with the plot and the other characters. Notes on a Scandal, definitely.
Anyone Else: Borat may be one for fighting for this award, but it’s quite weird, considering there wasn’t much writing at all, save for Borat’s weird, weird and more weird lines (some even borderline disgusting, like taking out and using your mother’s tit milk). So if I were to choose another, it would have to be The Departed. Though an adaptation from Infernal Affairs, it is still marvelous and nice to watch.
The Real Winner: The Departed
Score For The All-Seeing Eye: 1/2

Oscar: Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Nominees Are:
- Babel
- Letters From Iwo Jima
- The Queen
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Pan’s Labyrinth

And The Oscar goes to…
BABEL

Why: Babel is excellent. I congratulate the writer for being able to so wonderfully craft four different stories, set in four different countries, nationalities and languages. And then able to string together ALL four of the stories in one chain, linking them up so flawlessly and creating a story so saddening and emotional that it’s hard not to feel for the characters.
Anyone else: No one, really, comes close. But another good one would be Pan’s Labyrinth, who I think may surprise. The whole nightmarish/fantasy element and the freakshow characters are quite unique and creative in its own right, and achieves a level of otherworldly fascination.
The Real Winner: Pan’s Labyrinth
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 1/2

Oscar: Best Costume Design
The Nominees Are:
- Curse of the Golden Flower
- Dreamgirls
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Marie Antoinette
- The Queen

And The Oscar goes to…
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER

Why: I’m a big fan of ancient costumes. Costumes that were set in ancient times, filled with colour and luscious lines. Marie Antoinette’s Victorian/aristocratic designs were good, but nothing beats the Chinese wartime armor and dresses in Curse of The Golden Flower. Plus, Gong Li’s boobs were spilling over. Good design indeed.
Anyone else: Dreamgirls is a good contender, with their Motown 70’s outfits striking up chords. Wigs, glitter and a whole lot of attitude make for excellent costumes.
The Real Winner: Marie Antoinette
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 0

Oscar: Best Supporting Actress
The Nominees Are:
- Adriana Barraza (Babel)
- Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
- Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
- Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
- Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)

And The Oscar goes to…
JENNIFER HUDSON (Dreamgirls)

Why: Is there even a reason NOT to give her the Oscar? One of the best actresses that I have EVER seen (granted, it’s only her DEBUT), Jennifer Hudson brings in her own unique style to Dreamgirls. Supersized body, voice and attitude, she portrays the heartbroken and betrayed character of Effie White so dastardly GOOD that it’s hard not to feel for her when she’s belting out ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ on the bar stage all alone. The power in her voice and soul is so strong, that it practically rips at the roof of the theatre you’re in and threatens to bring in the angels from the skies to play her music.
Anyone else: This one’s tough. I would put down money for Cate Blanchett, as her portrayal of the kind, easy-to-trick, vulnerable Sheba Hart is VERY convincing, and done expertly. I wouldn’t rule out Rinko Kikuchi yet, because of her portrayal as the protagonist in the Japan part of Babel’s storyline is one of the best, and Abigail Breslin, for all her 10 years of age, is impressive enough. But it would be hard for any of them to beat the powerhouse that is Jennifer Hudson.
The Real Winner: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 1

Oscar: Best Supporting Actor
The Nominees Are:
- Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
- Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
- Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)
- Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
- Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)

And The Oscar goes to…
EDDIE MURPHY (Dreamgirls)

Why: It’s been a long time since Eddie took home an Oscar, and he shows he still has what it takes to make it in the good stuff. His acting is first-rate (what else did you expect from EDDIE MURPHY) and he plays James “Thunder” Early so well that it becomes more than a supporting role and something more. From the first appearance playing the piano with the Dreamettes to his final song, dropping his pants on stage to a James Brown song, to his vengeful, hurt and resigned look (all AT THE SAME TIME) toward the end of the show, he gives the character dimension.
Anyone Else: I didn’t watch Blood Diamond at all, so I have no idea what Hounsou did. So maybe it’s not fair for me to judge this one. But if I had to choose one, Mark Wahlberg would make a good pick. Nothing like him in The Departed to remind us of the controversials of good and evil, and the fine line between them.
The Real Winner: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 0

Oscar: Best Actress
The Nominees Are:
- Helen Mirren (The Queen)
- Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
- Kate Winslet (Little Children)
- Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
- Penelope Cruz (Volver)

And the Oscar goes to…
HELEN MIRREN (The Queen)

Why: Prim, proper and powerful. Words to describe Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Helen Mirren is wonderful in her role as the monarch, calm, gentle, yet at the same time saddened by the death around her. Her face is properly placed, politically pleasing but when one looks into her eyes (as the camera so efficiently zooms in) one can see the sadness and truth that lurks within. A resounding character, made even more real by Mirren.
Anyone Else: I didn’t watch Volver either. So sue me. I would say, however, that I rather liked Meryl Streep’s performance as Miranda Priestly. I blogged about The Devil Wears Prada a while ago (go find it in my archives) and I mentioned that one of the reasons why the movie is so good is because Streep, America’s Greatest Living Actress, makes the character seem so perfect and at the same time so flawed. Her cold features, her unforgiving steely glare, are all so perfectly contoured, and at the end when she smiles, the heart in your chest just warms, giving you a sense of her character’s completion.
The Real Winner: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 1

Oscar: Best Actor
The Nominees Are…
- Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
- Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
- Peter O’ Toole (Venus)
- Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)

And the Oscar goes to…
NO ONE!
(I’m joking. I’m abstaining from this guess cos I have NOT watched ANY of the 5 movies mentioned above. The Pursuit of Happyness is coming into Singapore theatres sometime though, so there’s my chance.)
The Real Winner: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)

Oscar: Best Director
The Nominees Are:
- Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
- Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima)
- Paul Greengrass (United 93)
- Stephen Frears (The Queen)

And the Oscar goes to…
MARTIN SCORSESE (The Departed)

Why: Besides lending his creative intelligence to this remake of Infernal Affairs and exploding it to proportions more magnificent than anyone could dispute with, Martin Scorsese thins the line between good and evil, and makes both sides tempting and equally absorbing.
Anyone else: All eyes are on Clint Eastwood, and are expecting a replay of 2005’s Oscars, where Eastwood’s Million-Dollar Baby and Scorsese’s The Aviator squared off. Only this time, instead of Eastwood scoring top honours Scorsese might take it from under him. However, I think a dark horse here everyone overlooked is Paul Greengrass, captain (figuratively) of United 93. Meaningfully done, Greengrass did not compromise the emotion and the realness of that situation to form a wonderful, heartwarming and inspiring (albeit VERY sad) story of the doomed flight United 93.
The Real Winner: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Score for the All-Seeing Eye: 1

Oscar: Best Picture
The Nominees Are:
- Babel
- The Departed
- Letters From Iwo Jima
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen

And the Oscar goes to…
BABEL!!!!!

Why: Although all eyes are on the battle between Scorsese and Eastwood, Babel scores top honours for being one of the most intricately weaved stories of this year’s Oscars (2006). Babel is magnificent, conjoining stories across the globe, and getting a real message across. The miscommuncation and terrorism fears are real, and the misunderstandings can lead to a huge climax that may rock the world. Babel explores this scenario and the result is a breathtaking, whirlwind 2 hours. From start to finish, there is no space for rest or intermediate scenes. It is action and emotion at its best, all-out, demanding and excellent.
Anyone else: This is where Letters From Iwo Jima and The Departed have a chance to face off. But with Babel taking top spot most likely, there ain’t gonna be another. It won’t matter.
The Real Winner: The Departed
Score For The All-Seeing Eye: 1/2

Take your pick, make your guess.

It’s all coming down to Monday 26th February, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Host will be Ellen DeGeneres (Love her, love her love her) and it’s time to make it in Movie’s Biggest Night! Catch it on Channel 5 live at 9 am!

Let’s see if the All-Seeing Eye can still See.
(UPDATE!: Yes it still can! 5 points out of a maximum 9 which I posted here! Pass lah, pass lah!)

Keep it real! =)

P.S For more info go to the official website of the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

The hectic rush after CNY

WONDERFUL WONDERFUL CNY!!!

Of course not because of my ang pao money, which, compared to Louis, Shawn and Alaric is like super darn little.

It’s because I finally had a break. WHEW!

All that rush in school. Completely draining me. I’ve been racking up some helluva sleep debt.

In any case, Weeks 9 and 10 is gonna be even worse, with Bio, Chem, SS and HCL tests. Not to forget crappy results from my Maths test. I need to (quote Tim Gunn) *make it work!*

Finally the CNY break allowed me to catch up with family and friends (photos coming up soon!) and take a long well-deserved break.

Up next, 3rd March — FALLOUT BOY CONCERT!

Wooooooo!!!! =)

FINALLY, some good Drama

For faithful readers of my blog, you probably know that I have a big gripe about the quality of Mediacorp-produced dramas. Not to be all elitist or anti-media, but the fact is that our channel 8 dramas so far have been quite crap.

Recently, my HCL teacher Mr Tan Puay Hock (who was an ex-SBC scriptwriter) enlightened us that there was some ‘template’ scriptwriters use, especially for Lian Xu Ju (serial dramas). The antagonist, the love story, etc etc, all ARE recycled. The only diff is where it’s set in.

Hence for some past few months we’ve had some very very BORING dramas about lawyers, engineers, baby disputes and the such. Million-Dollar Baby (Bai Wan Bao, not the Academy-award winning movie) came close to a score because of the phenomenal acting of both Li Nanxing and Zoe Tay, along with the always-delectable Felicia Chin.

FINALLY, a new concept came into the picture.

Showing on Channel 8 9 pm now, is a new drama called The New Immortals, and it is this dramedy that is funny, serious, dark and action-packed. It becomes a mixture of real and fiction, and done so expertly that I am inclined to forgot about the crappy dramas produced in the past.

Fwoar!

Secondly, Heroes, showing on Wednesday Star World, is ANOTHER marvelous show. Greg Grunberg (Alias, Felicity) and Ali Larter (Final Destination 1 & 2, Legally Blonde) are in the drama, and it gets so cool and amazingly scripted that I am tempted to just buy the DVD SOMEHOW and just watch the entire thing at one swoop.

Thirdly, reality TV is heating up. Amazing-Race Asia just ended, with the pretty girls winning. Amazing Race All Stars coming back end of the month, with my favorite team Charla and Mirna returning, and Survivor: Fiji is proving to be good with a marvelous start! The Dance Floor is also not too bad, with Vas and Pris impressing so much last week, and Gaia and Styles From Beyond keeping the bar high. Frankly speaking I was rooting for Gaia. Those two ladies can SHAKE BUTT! Their hips didnt lie as they wiggled and tiggled to the beat!

Rock on ladies!

And rock on Mediacorp and Starworld for such marvelous shows! Keep em coming, and keep me entertained!

Goodbye Mrs Tay

Note: I was searching through my blog posts one day and found one post that never saw the daylight. Coincidentally I was trying to find some photos to post up and these were some that you never got to see!

Date: Somewhere in Term 4 2006

Goodbye Mrs Tay…

Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye…

She’s going Dunman High High High High High High…

Rhymes doesn’t it? High and bye. I found out only during today’s nonsense farewell party to Mrs Tay Boon Eng, our long-time teacher-in-charge. Cos I was singing High and Dry and it was like, Bye and Dry. Ask Woon Hian. I kept singing High School Musical showtunes on top of it.

Anyway, in the morning, I woke up late and feeling real good. You know why? COS I DIDN’T HAVE DMP! And DMP was ending!

Wah shiok. DMP sucks I tell you. Very horrible timing (no DMP means no need come school, so when NEED to come to school I very rush) and now it feels so much better.

So anyways, today was a slack day, until later part. Woke up at 10 am, then watched a bit TV (I have never watched Primetime Morning before!) while eating own-made breakfast, then lifted some weights, then watched more TV, then I went Heartland Mall to have lunch and to buy gifts for Mrs Tay. My search didn’t end at Heartland Mall. I went all the way to Orchard, and I settled on a pair of sunglasses, a clock and a pendant with the name ‘Jennifer’ on it.

Now, a clock.

A clock.

For the Chinese AND the superstitious, you would know this. I gave Mrs Tay a clock. I ’song zhong’ (send death in Mandarin) and I didn’t know it until Daniel pointed it out to me halfway through dinner.

Yikes. But Mrs Tay gave me a wry smile and accepted it anyway. It wasn’t the first time, I quote, that she’s ‘received a clock’. Well, anyways, following the shopping I went to RI, met Mrs Tay and the lot of them in Mac Lab watching some stupid soccer video on YouTube, before we all took MRT to Orchard and ate at Seoul Garden.

Now here are some photos.

The entire Sec 4 EXCO. From left, Kia Boon, Li Zheng, Elton, Kennedy and Woonie.

And for our teachers…

I sincerely believe she was happy in receiving the sunglasses and clock. At least, I hope so. Besides the clock was really cute okay. A darn cute dog with a waggy tail and all. Alaric would have approved. Plus I wrapped the presents up myself. I REALLY hope she enjoyed the presents.

Anyway…

There we have Miss Jennifer Koh, our current teacher-in-charge. Mr Otto Fong became TIC 2 this year.

Jeremy is enthralled by Daniel’s expert deshelling of the crab/egg.

The (cue Flintstones) beeeeeautiful Tay Boon Eng. I love her smile! Heehee!

Jeremy got to try his own version of de-shelling. He thoroughly enjoyed it until the piece of shell flew off somewhere and nearly hit a man on his head.

Yummy Yummy soup! It was marvelous. In the end we got so full we couldn’t even leave our seats!

Also, no thanks to Daniel, who tossed lots of crap into the soup and made it look like some swampwater thing. But all in all, good stuff! Thanks to Mrs Tay who paid for us! =)))

We’ll miss you Mrs Tay! Have a great life! =)

Regrets

Sometimes in life, there are some things you wish you had done. Sometimes in life there are just things you wish you didn’t pass up on, or things that you wish had happened differently.

Regrets. We all have them.

It’s such a pity that we actually have regrets. Some things in life are just too real, too genuine, too wasted to actually be worth regretting. And it’s sad. If there weren’t such things as regrets, life would be so much more easier.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say so-and-so likes this girl. He loves her a lot. He wants to go out with her. But because he is too shy to talk to her, to admit his feelings, she doesn’t know. And she won’t wait. Why should she? Who knows how many guys out there that she can find?

And hence, eventually, he misses his opportunity as she goes for someone else. It’s sad. And he regrets not doing it.

Sounds like a drama mama, but this is actually all too real.

Regretting is a process someone WILL go through when he or she did not do something. It’s completely understandable. No one, or rarely anyone, will regret DOING something. Most of the time people regret NOT doing something.

It’s a “What-IF?” sorta thing. It’s hard for someone to imagine, WHAT IF I HAD DONE THIS? Would life had turned out differently?

What if so-and-so had asked the girl out before she left? Would they be going out? Maybe they would have broken up. But he would at least know that he tried, that he tried to make it work before the inevitable happened. It would be better than not trying at all, not knowing if it COULD have worked.

It’s all too painful when a person just does not know what to do. Whether or not he should take the leap. He is afraid of being hurt, shy, afraid of the repercussions. He would contemplate doing it, but in the end he would not do it because he is so embarrassed and fearful.

It’s so marvelous, this process of regret. It’s so condemning, so strong, that we base our actions, our decisions, our daily life, on regrets.

In American Idol, this dude who quit in Season 5 returned to try out Season 6 because he decided that he didn’t want to live not knowing what could have happened if he DIDN’T quit. If he didn’t quit would Taylor Hicks be runner-up?

Everywhere, there is regret. It’s so much worse when the regret is like a worm, eating away at your heart. The jealousy that stems from not doing something while others have… the constant thought of the possibilities if he had taken that decisive leap forward… it all eats away at your heart, poisoning your thoughts and striking your days with so much darkness and envy.

It’s no joke.

Another example.

Let’s say a guy joins a competition. A highly-televised competition, which he is actually good at. But due to his own incapability of handling the stress of the competition, said guy quits. He quits the competition and sadly watches as his teammates go on television and battle it out. He supports them, sure, but of course he asks himself: “What If I didn’t quit? Would the team be different? Would the outcome be different?” Eventually he just doesn’t care. Supporting his teammates seems so pointless and taunting.

It’s a trivial thing, but it is a significance of the greater worlds around us.

Out there, everywhere, regret is abound. The love that a person never took the chance to admit. The job that a person never took the chance to try out for. The future that a person never took the chance to envision. The child that a person never took the time to embrace.

People regret because they missed out on things. I read, in Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, that regret is such a powerful feeling because people feel an emptyness in their hearts when they miss out on something. Be it missing out on a party, an event, an outing, a trip to Pulau Ubin (Alaric knows), or bigger stuff… It’s all about regret.

Don’t miss out on anything. You probably already experienced regret. You may know regret inside out. But take solace in the fact that there are always so many things in life, and you just can’t have everything. Don’t miss out on the important things.

If you like her, tell her.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

What I Love (And Don’t) About Singapore

What I love about Singapore…

1) A small little area called Serangoon Gardens and Serangoon North Ave 1. The entire stretch is so marvelous. I love it to little itsy bitses! The 24-hour Malay restaurant a little before Serangoon Swimming Complex is great. Not to mention the Complex itself, as well as the place called Maju Mall which I frequent ever so often for Coffee Bean, Jollibean and Cafe Cartel fix. As for Serangoon North, Readme Rental is so cool, with the 3 sisters running it. As well as Rainbow Hair Salon. I miss old Mel’s, and everytime he cut my hair I felt a shiver go up my spine. It was THAT good. And Bus 315 is one of my favorite buses of all time.

2) The people are so warm and friendly! Pregnant ladies smiling all around, old ladies smiling all around, and cute little Terriers yapping endlessly. =)

3) The FOOD! Oh my God, I need a whole other post to talk about food. You know how delicious Donut Factory donuts are? I’m sure they don’t need any more publicity, but Donut Factory donuts are cheap, good and SMACKERILICIOUS! Throw in octopus balls, laksa, bagettes and Singapore is a hub of good food.

What I Don’t Love…

1) No Taxis. In fact, this entire post was meant to criticize how MANY taxis we have and yet how LITTLE we see of them! I do mean it.

The other day I was waiting for taxis at 6.30 in the morning, and to my horror I waited for HALF A WHOLE HOUR and there was not a single taxi in sight. WHAT NONSENSE lah. Lucky that day no flag-raising.

Seriously. I know the whole talk is that “It’s hard to find a taxi early in the morning.”

What does that mean. That means that

1) There are not enough taxis early in the morning
2) There are more people wanting to take taxis than taxis available.

Nope, surely, not either of them. Go to Orchard District and you hell sure can find a whole bunch of taxi cabs grouped together like some Federation Union of Cabs (FUC). So the problem here lies in why the hell so many taxis would want to go to city district and not go to Serangoon to cater to poor late students like me.

1) Because got more money to earn?
2) Because there are more people in Orchard District.

Both. That makes the City area so much more appealing to cabbies.

So what is the solution?

HAVE MORE CABS!

More cabs, however, will still end up in Orchard district. Hence there must be a rule that too many cabs in city area will result in fine of drivers or some punishment or some really cruel monetary doom. Let’s see who suay lah. Who still dare group around Mandarin Hotel.

In the morning, the heartland areas have enough traffic and business one. Try going to the 156 bus stop and wait lah!

Hah. 156 bus. A total crowded bitch of a bus. one of my favorite buses when it’s not full to the brim like some can of sardines. Why SBS doesn’t make it double-decker, I don’t know. In the morning, all students have to squish like some Rolly Polly the Jelly Belly and pack themselves into one 10 m tin can. Not just students, though, adults and old folks alike.

SO there are two conclusions.

1) Students are just not treated right in Singapore.
2) The transportation system in Singapore has some glitches…

Definitely not 1).

What is it then?