Green tea Kit Kat from Japan

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FA Cup the non-conventional way

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Review: iPod, Therefore I Am

iPod, Therefore I Am by Dylan Jones


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is not so much about the iPod, but about music, how the device changes the music listening experience, and also the author's personal journey through music and pop culture. If music is a big part of your life, this book is enjoyable and you can probably find the compulsive music collector and listener in the pages to be familiar.

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Review: Spider-Man: Blue

Spider-Man: Blue by Jeph Loeb


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy story has always been my fave tragic love story in comics. There's just something about the tragedy that moved me. Spider-Man: Blue is a retelling of that tragic story, but one that does not goes into the specifics of what happened. Instead, it focuses on Parker's reminiscing how he got together with the love of his life, and the other one whom he eventually married. The storytelling, together with the bold colourful art style, comes together to form a bittersweet tale that is beautiful and sad. By the time I reached the final pages, I am not ashamed to say that tears were welling up in my eyes. Lovely, brilliant, read it.

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Review: The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An epic retelling of the Arthurian story from female perspectives. Due to its length, it took me a while to finish the book. What struck me about this book is how Bradley manages to tie in all the snippets of the Arthurian legends and makes it her own. Unlike the knightly romance versions, this is a more down-to-earth retelling. In truth, none of the characters are truly good or evil, but they are just doing what they feel is right, which makes this retelling refreshing. This version is also about the struggle between paganism and Christianity and coming to terms of both sides. A truly satisfying read.

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Ooooh, a surprise!

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Milk candy with mint

Milk candy with mint
Originally uploaded by Gremlink.

Colleague bought this from Shanghai. Interesting to say the least.

Lisa Ono belts out bossa, jazz, Asian folk standards in an enjoyable set

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Review: The Waiting Place

The Waiting Place by Sean McKeever


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
About a group of teens growing up in a small suburban town. Starts off rather confusingly, but gets better when you know the characters. A tale about relationships, longing, heartbreaks, friendship, sprinkled with doses of pop culture references from the 90s.

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A Nintendo DS Mini

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My poor attempt at papercraft. This thing is so tiny that it is pretty hard to do. Also had to cheat a bit to get the two screens to stick together. The original version is suppose to have a hinge that allows the two screens to swivel... and I didn't manage to do that.

Leaf

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Review: Epileptic

Epileptic by David B.


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Epileptic is David B's chronicle of his life and dealing with his brother's epilepsy. Intense and deeply personal, the book plunges deep into the author's psyche and the art reflects the wild and sometimes primitive rumblings in his mind. It is not really an easy book to read through due to the melancholic nature of the story which permeates through the black and white panels filled with surrealistic and raw pictures. Still, one cannot deny that this memoir is a remarkable and highly imaginative graphic tour de force.

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Behind a train of tricycles

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So wrong, yet so right

This photo is something for posterity, and says it all. After the extra-time winner by Paul Scholes over Man City in the ever fiercely contested derby, Gary Neville planted a smacker on Scholesy. While the commentator on Guardian thinks that this is so wrong, I am just glad that ManYoo can still rely on the ginger-headed boy to score. "Paul Scholes, he score goals!"

Bebel Gilberto in concert

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Song About Caroline

Last Saturday, I went to see The Oddfellows live at the Esplanade as part of the +65 Indie Underground gig to promote the CD of the same name. The last song on the set was Song About Caroline, and I managed to record it. It was one of The Oddies' earlier tunes and also was probably one of the most requested song, judging by the fans, many who were shouting for the song to be played.

The song also held a special place in my heart. I first heard the song on the New School Rock CD which was released by BigO magazine many many years back. I was in JC and was starting to discover the world of local music as chronicled in BigO. I remembered when I got the CD, I couldn't listen to it because I don't have the luxury of owning a CD player at that time. So to listen to it, I had to ask my piano teacher to help me copy the songs to a cassette. When the bassline floated from the stereo speakers during the copy session, I was hooked. Funny thing though, my piano teacher heard it and remarked that the bass was out of tune! Regardless, the raw energy and the 'devil-may-care' attitude of the song just ignited something in me. Since then, The Oddfellows is still one of my most fave local band. If anything, this song marked my journey of discovery of local music, which eventually led to me writing for BigO for a while.

It was close to 20 years ago since I first heard this song. Hearing it live at the Esplanade was nostalgic and brings back memories. Many things in my life have changed, many things have happened, but tunes like this still live on. The version played at the gig did not have the running 'out-of-tune' bassline that I heard on the CD. But the DIY punk attitude, the ironic lyrics, were all still the same. Even though the song was sung without the word "Asshole", it didn't matter. The crowd helped to filled in the blank of this "up yours" song.

And it was still as memorable and fun as the first time I heard it.

Review: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun Home is an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up and discovery. In seven chapters, Bechdel digs into her childhood and teenage memories of her own life and her relationship with her dad. The result is a touching and intensely personal journey. It is also affecting in the way which she handles the discovery of her dad's homosexuality, and eventually her own. The literary approach also makes this book a truly intellectual achievement.

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Natalie Merchant singing old poems

I've always admired Natalie Merchant ever since I first heard her in 10,000 Maniacs. I remembered reading about 10,000 Maniacs and only managed to hear their stuff when I started working at the CD shop Gramophone, where I got the chance to sample the Maniacs' folksy tunes, in particular the album 'In My Tribe'. But what struck me more than the modern folk stylings was Merchant's voice. It was a powerful voice that carried with it a soulful quality. Her voice was soothing but it had an edge to it. I was a fan.

When she left 10,000 Maniacs, I followed her solo venture and in fact, found Tigerlily to be one of my faves. After her last album 'The House Carpenter's Daughter' in 2003, she sort of went silent and I never thought that I'll hear from her again. Now, she's back and releasing a two disc album called 'Leave Your Sleep'. It's a collection of Brit and American poetry from the 19th and 20th century set to music. So it seems that she's been busy researching poetry while she was away, nice!

I've embedded her performance at TED, filmed in February this year. It's a sublime performance that's touching and soulful at the same time. She even manage to rouse the TED audience and literally brought them to their feet! It's a beautiful half hour gig and I'm certainly looking forward to getting my hands on the album.

Review: Essex County

The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lemire is a great story teller and Essex County is perhaps one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. It reminds me of Craig Thompson's Blankets with its black and white art style and heart-wrenching story. In Essex County, the focus is on a number of individuals who're in some ways related to one another. It is a collection of memories and tales about the human emotion at its most simple and raw. Lost, love, family, regret, pain, grief, joy... all these are rendered in a minimalistic manner that tags at your heartstrings. Simply brilliant.

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Review: Wonderland

Wonderland by Tommy Kovac


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A surreal romp through Wonderland. Instead of a typical Alice story, this graphic novel centers on Mary Ann, a housemaid whom Alice wad mistaken for in the original story. The story jumps all over the place, perhaps as it should given the mad nature of Wonderland. Standout is the beautiful artwork and you can certainly see the cute 'manga' styling of Mary Ann in many of the panels. A delightful read.

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Review: The Nobody

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Touching tale of the Invisible Man as a drifter appearing in a small town. It is also about a girl who discovers herself from the encounter. Lemire's style has a calming quality to it and that perfectly blends the desolate small town and the sad story of a man who has become a Nobody.

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Spent a whole morning at this place

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Link's in focus

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Graphic novels haul from the library

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Waiting for Maggie Goreng

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Upgrading to the Harmony One is pretty painless. Quite impressed with the way the transition was handled!

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Old iPod's alive again with a battery swap

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Quest for Immortality-Visiting the National Museum

Took a trip down to the Singapore National Museum today for the "Quest for Immortality-The World of Ancient Egypt" exhibition. A nice chance to get out of the humid weather and who would miss a chance to see mummies? Went on a guided tour before striking out on my own. The exhibition is not exactly large, but there's enough artifacts of substance that it is worth the half price of admission (half due to discount from credit card purchase).

As a bonus, there's a "The Bag" exhibit which looks at paper bags in Singapore. Sort of nostalgic and retro at the same time looking at those paper bags. A certain reflection of how consumerism and life has changed in just the span of 50 years.

Head to Flickr for more pix of the exhibits.

Owen against former club

Owen walks the ball into the goal.

EA Sports: Liverpool 1 - 4 Manchester Utd

Nani scores!

Nani scores from a freekick which hits the bar.

EA Sports: Liverpool 1 - 3 Manchester Utd

Power of the Force figures (SOLD)

Update: These babies have found a new home.

Jango and Boba (SOLD)

Gonna let go of this at $5. Interested?

Letting go of some Star Wars figures (SOLD)

Update: Items sold.

I've some Star Wars figures that I want to sell. Mainly from Episode 1, all are still carded. You can also name me your best price.



- EP1: Darth Maul - $3
- EP1: Qui-Gon Jinn - $3



- EP1: Anakin Skywalker - $3
- EP1: Obi-Wan Kenobi - $3



- EP1: Queen Amidala - $3
- EP1: Jar Jar Binks - $3



- EP1: Ody Mandrell - $3
- EP1: Deluxe Darth Maul - $5



- EP1: Deluxe Obi-Wan Kenobi - $5
- EP1: Deluxe Qui-Gon Jinn - $5



- Shadow of the Empire: Prince Xizor vs. Darth Vader (Comics Book included) - $8
- Shadow of the Empire: Boba Fett vs. IG-88 (Comics Book included) - $8

Giving away these Beanie Babies

I'm giving away these Beanie Babies. Let me know if you want them for your kids, nieces/nephews, etc.
- Purple Bear
- Red Dog
- Beaver

Update: These babies have found a new home.

Daemon for the geeks and gamers

Daemon by Daniel Suarez


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A book that's more about scenarios than about characters. Using the theme of technology gone rogue, this is a gripping read. Just when you think that the story has gone over-the-top, the next chapter tops itself. Great reading for geeks and gamers alike.

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First trophy in the bag for this season

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Humpback Oak's Oaksongs Box Set

Went down to pick up Humpback Oak's Oaksongs Box set. What can I say about it? It's really beautiful and is certainly a labour of love. When you open the box, you get a diorama of a bedroom with Humpback Oak memorabilia strewn around the place. When you open up the bed, there're tiny booklets, a bundle of lyric sheets, a guitar pick, and small photo cards of the band. The CDs are wrapped in paper with lyrics written on them, and I don't think I can bear to unwrap these. For me, the box is a little trip down memory lane of one of Singapore's best band.

Books I want to give away

I'm clearing my bookshelf, so I'm putting up these books for adoption. Let me know if you want these books.

- The Last Days of William Shakespeare - Vlady Kociancich
- Cal - Bernard Mac Laverty
- Lamb - Bernard Mac Laverty
- Babyhood - Paul Reiser
- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins
- Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson
- e-mail: A Love Story - Stephanie D Fletcher
- Come Together - Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees
- 1985 - Anthony Burgess
- Naked Beneath My Clothes - Rita Rudner

- The Moonstone - Wilke Collins
- Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
- Hard Times - Charles Dickens
- A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
- Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
- Nostromo - Joseph Conrad
- The White Company - Arthur Conan Doyle
- Stories for Summer (Collection of 14 short stories by F Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, etc)
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
- Sons and Lovers - D H Lawrence
- Lady Chatterley's Lover - D H Lawrence

3 Volumes of The Complete Sherlock Holmes
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Return of SHerlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Portal reference in Dragon Age!

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Can't remember the last time since I had a Slurpee!

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Trying out Ping.fm

This Ping.fm thingy is rather useful, but confusing. Confusing because I'm wondering if there'll be multi-postings that ends up all over the place. That will be really annoying.

LEGO minifig got hold of my Macbook's heart. Sweet!

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Geez! Bread's mouldy before expiry date. Where's the quality control?

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