if it's of any consolation (to us), it's that we watched it in on an imax 3d screen (beat that!).
top moments/lines (now that the world has watched it and half the population has watched it twice and a quarter more than twice, there will be no need to put any spoiler alert:
1. loki taking out a few agents at the beginning and showing the range of his physical prowess. the power to bring people under his control makes him even cooler.
2. black widow (scarlett johansson) in an interrogation scene with agent coulson just listening in to the fight.
3. bw bringing in banner. intense for all hulk fans waiting in vain for an early appearance by the green behemoth.
4. coulson's admission to cap that is his hero. no chance for a bromance here though since cap is a straight-edged guy from the 40s.
5. shield helicarrier.
6. cap's fight with loki in germany and then iron man stepping in.
7. cap: stark, we need a plan of attack.
iron man: i have a plan - attack.
8. thor vs iron man, then vs cap. it's already established here that thor is the most powerful, iron man has the most bravado while cap is the voice of reason.
9. stark's conversation with banner establishing the natural chemistry between 2 scientific minds.
10. bw's interrogation with loki.
11. the implosion of the pseudo team when shield's real purpose of research of the tessaract is exposed and the underlying contempt the members have regarding each other is laid bare.
12. hulk's first appearance. first bw is threatened. then thor can barely hold his own against the hulk.
13. iron man and cap working together to repair one of the turbines.
14. stark using mark vii suit without prior testing, especially since he was thrown out of stark tower by loki and the suit followed him by the bracelets he was wearing.
15. iron man trying to stop the initial onslaught of the chitauri. his assortment of weapons is just insane.
16. banner arriving on a beat up bike to the avengers.
17. and then transforming into the hulk and promptly taking out one of the enemies' leviathans.
18. cap: dr. banner, i think you need to be angry right now.
banner: you don't understand, i'm always angry.
19. cap giving the avengers instructions and when it came to hulk, it was just "hulk, smash". fanboy moment: i wished i could say that!
20. and smash hulk did.
21. hulk saving iron man.
22. hulk letting out a loud roar that woke stark up.
23. who asked if anyone tried to kiss him while he was out.
24. and letting out a tepid "yeah" when told by cap that they won.
25. loki woke up to find himself surrounded by the avengers.
that's about it. and cool that we managed to pick up designer jeans. i'm out like loki after being bullied by hulk.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Sunday, May 06, 2012
recommended gp
i have developed a greater appreciation for people in the medical profession, particularly nurses. staying in the hospital enabled me to see so many incidents where patients need assistance from nurses. it's not a very manly thing to require help when you have to pee. and worst of all, nurses sometimes have to deal with patients with dementia and the families of these patients sometimes make things more difficult for these nurses.
now my gp is dr. kwong kum hoong. his clinic is princeton family clinic located at fajar shopping centre. a real fantastic doctor who has a holistic approach towards the practice. every patient can be assured of a comprehensive consultation with him. i highly recommend him to everyone living in fajar and segar. besides, the shopping centre has 2 coffeeshops, a few bakeries, atms (posb and ocbc), axs, a supermarket and mcdonald's so you can run errands if you are accompanying someone to the doctor.
i'm recovering from cellulitis. people who look at the photos i take everytime i change my dressing thinks there's not much improvement; but i guess i know best. i am able to take a few steps everyday now. the 2 big wounds are recovering well with the healthy tissue emerging. the small wound is pretty deep but i can see a bit of the tissue now.
and hopefully, i recover fast enough to watch the avengers with my fam. i've been so hyped for this movie since it was announced and what bitter irony it would be if i missed it. i have watched almost all the clips, the trailers and some bootleg clips (on youtube) too. definitely a big fan and looking forward to the performace of the hulk.
the good thing about my respite is i get to spend more time with joaquin who's grown a lot more attached to me.
i don't get why so many people are diving into the car market. the rise and fall of coe has always been a cyclical affair. right now, there's a possibility that there will be a slowdown in reducing the supply of the coes. but instead of mitigating car prices, the objective is definitely to reduce inflation to temper a few ruffled feathers. the government can't introduce any measures to control the property market further at this point so the car market is the next best choice.
i'm going to wait.
notes: my new york knicks going out to heat... i just want them to win 1 game... is it so hard? i mean, carmelo can drop 70+ points right... lakers didn't sweep... okc did though... against the mavs, last year's champs... instagram, instagram, instagram...
now my gp is dr. kwong kum hoong. his clinic is princeton family clinic located at fajar shopping centre. a real fantastic doctor who has a holistic approach towards the practice. every patient can be assured of a comprehensive consultation with him. i highly recommend him to everyone living in fajar and segar. besides, the shopping centre has 2 coffeeshops, a few bakeries, atms (posb and ocbc), axs, a supermarket and mcdonald's so you can run errands if you are accompanying someone to the doctor.
i'm recovering from cellulitis. people who look at the photos i take everytime i change my dressing thinks there's not much improvement; but i guess i know best. i am able to take a few steps everyday now. the 2 big wounds are recovering well with the healthy tissue emerging. the small wound is pretty deep but i can see a bit of the tissue now.
and hopefully, i recover fast enough to watch the avengers with my fam. i've been so hyped for this movie since it was announced and what bitter irony it would be if i missed it. i have watched almost all the clips, the trailers and some bootleg clips (on youtube) too. definitely a big fan and looking forward to the performace of the hulk.
the good thing about my respite is i get to spend more time with joaquin who's grown a lot more attached to me.
i don't get why so many people are diving into the car market. the rise and fall of coe has always been a cyclical affair. right now, there's a possibility that there will be a slowdown in reducing the supply of the coes. but instead of mitigating car prices, the objective is definitely to reduce inflation to temper a few ruffled feathers. the government can't introduce any measures to control the property market further at this point so the car market is the next best choice.
i'm going to wait.
notes: my new york knicks going out to heat... i just want them to win 1 game... is it so hard? i mean, carmelo can drop 70+ points right... lakers didn't sweep... okc did though... against the mavs, last year's champs... instagram, instagram, instagram...
Friday, April 27, 2012
me vs cellulitis
on the drip for 15 days. lying on the bed for the same amount of time. needing assistance just to do simple things like brushing my teeth, having meals, going from the shower to the basin.
mobility is something that i do not take for granted, having suffered gout for he last few years. but this bout with cellulitis is a painful, stark reminder of how important mobility is. first time in my life i had to use crutches.
the uncertainty of whether i would make a full recovery was a heavy burden on my mind for the past 2 weeks. i was so despondent and the threat of surgery to remove dead tissue from my foot was always around the corner; whenever the nurse or doctor examine the wounds.
thankfully i had support from my baby, mum and dad. joaquin was also a source of motivation to me to keep fighting.
i managed to stand today for 5 seconds. it was good while it lasted. at least now i know i was recovering. I will continue to rehabilitate and regain the use of the muscle tissue.
another problem is the dry skin around my entire body. i had dry skin just around the affected area at first but now it's spread to my entire body (and by entire body it includes my posterior). it's getting irritating and kind of hurts now.
going to change dressing tomorrow. hopefully the wounds are getting better.
mobility is something that i do not take for granted, having suffered gout for he last few years. but this bout with cellulitis is a painful, stark reminder of how important mobility is. first time in my life i had to use crutches.
the uncertainty of whether i would make a full recovery was a heavy burden on my mind for the past 2 weeks. i was so despondent and the threat of surgery to remove dead tissue from my foot was always around the corner; whenever the nurse or doctor examine the wounds.
thankfully i had support from my baby, mum and dad. joaquin was also a source of motivation to me to keep fighting.
i managed to stand today for 5 seconds. it was good while it lasted. at least now i know i was recovering. I will continue to rehabilitate and regain the use of the muscle tissue.
another problem is the dry skin around my entire body. i had dry skin just around the affected area at first but now it's spread to my entire body (and by entire body it includes my posterior). it's getting irritating and kind of hurts now.
going to change dressing tomorrow. hopefully the wounds are getting better.
Friday, April 20, 2012
best of me
"but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.”
- marilyn monroe
and that's why, baby and joaquin deserve the best from me cause they have just seen the worst of me.
- marilyn monroe
and that's why, baby and joaquin deserve the best from me cause they have just seen the worst of me.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
ktph
it's strange; i haven't blogged in months and the first time i do so is on a hospital bed. currently sidelined by an infection that affected my foot and (possibly) liver. i had symptoms of jaundice, bouts of vomitting, an obstinate fever and a foot infested with blisters angry with pus. in short: i was in pretty bad shape.
that was last week though and with the help of the nice medical staff from khoo teck puat hospital and my supportive family (especially my wife, mum and dad), i'm on the mend. wish i could add 'strong willpower' to that list but i'm not that strong.
these few months have been crazy and i have been lazy so just to highlight some of the major changes:
i'm feeling like we need a short trip.
that was last week though and with the help of the nice medical staff from khoo teck puat hospital and my supportive family (especially my wife, mum and dad), i'm on the mend. wish i could add 'strong willpower' to that list but i'm not that strong.
these few months have been crazy and i have been lazy so just to highlight some of the major changes:
- baby changed jobs.
- my office has shifted.
- joaquin has started nursery, albeit in the pm session which we are not too fond of. he doesn't get enough sleep nowadays.
i'm feeling like we need a short trip.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
world-class? my foot.
i shudder to think what will happen if i were on one of those trains that were stuck on thursday. maybe i would have been a hero since i would try to force open the door. there are 2 camps here: one believes that the transport operator should not be blamed since these are one-off (contradictory in itself) incidents. the other believes that the transport operator should be censured and i belong to this camp.
first of all, the proponents of the 'forgive and forget' camp were probably a) not on the trains and b) never had to take the train. in today's business times, a housewife (?!) commented that singaporeans should forget the incident and move on. i wonder how many times she has to take the train and why did the paper even interview her. train rides are getting increasingly crowded despite so-call changes made to improve efficiency. trains are supposed to arrive 3 - 4 minutes apart but there have been lapses.
fortunately, perhaps, there were not any pregnant women about to give birth or old people susceptible to heart attacks. there was another disruption to services today (which explains the jam on stevens road). so that's 2 major disruptions in 3 days. a minor hiccup? considering that these happen during the busiest time belts (evening on thursday and morning on saturday) of the week, i think some interesting statistics will turn up if someone (not me, but maybe the transport minister or the ceo of the transport operator) does the maths of the economic impact of lost man-hours.
let's face it: public transport in singapore is not world class, not by any measure.
the powers that be have been issuing cautious statements that can be written by a journalism student straight out of school. no mentions of accountability. it will be interesting to see the fine meted out to the transport operator this time.
on the economic front, things are happening. at last.
first of all, the proponents of the 'forgive and forget' camp were probably a) not on the trains and b) never had to take the train. in today's business times, a housewife (?!) commented that singaporeans should forget the incident and move on. i wonder how many times she has to take the train and why did the paper even interview her. train rides are getting increasingly crowded despite so-call changes made to improve efficiency. trains are supposed to arrive 3 - 4 minutes apart but there have been lapses.
fortunately, perhaps, there were not any pregnant women about to give birth or old people susceptible to heart attacks. there was another disruption to services today (which explains the jam on stevens road). so that's 2 major disruptions in 3 days. a minor hiccup? considering that these happen during the busiest time belts (evening on thursday and morning on saturday) of the week, i think some interesting statistics will turn up if someone (not me, but maybe the transport minister or the ceo of the transport operator) does the maths of the economic impact of lost man-hours.
let's face it: public transport in singapore is not world class, not by any measure.
the powers that be have been issuing cautious statements that can be written by a journalism student straight out of school. no mentions of accountability. it will be interesting to see the fine meted out to the transport operator this time.
on the economic front, things are happening. at last.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
1-month hiatus
november passed and i didn't post anything in that month. wow. anyway, was kind of busy with 2 trips (philippines and hong kong).
work - 1 colleague just left, another's leaving, 2 new ones have joined. there's probably going to be a slight change in office dynamics so let's see how that pans out. had 2 pretty good trips and hong kong was really rocking. our development there has been fantastic over the past few months and the people there are really kicking it up a few gears. very happy with what i saw and heard. also, managed to see more of hong kong this time when they brought me around. it's funny how differently you view hong kong as a tourist and then as a tourist with a local guide.
another fantastic piece of news is that as a region, the portfolio under my care is growing by leaps and bounds (almost twice that of last year). far be it for me to claim credit but it feels good to be part of this achievement.
and oh yeah, christmas is approaching since this is december with chinese new year not far behind. have many photos to add but i guess those can wait.
work - 1 colleague just left, another's leaving, 2 new ones have joined. there's probably going to be a slight change in office dynamics so let's see how that pans out. had 2 pretty good trips and hong kong was really rocking. our development there has been fantastic over the past few months and the people there are really kicking it up a few gears. very happy with what i saw and heard. also, managed to see more of hong kong this time when they brought me around. it's funny how differently you view hong kong as a tourist and then as a tourist with a local guide.
another fantastic piece of news is that as a region, the portfolio under my care is growing by leaps and bounds (almost twice that of last year). far be it for me to claim credit but it feels good to be part of this achievement.
and oh yeah, christmas is approaching since this is december with chinese new year not far behind. have many photos to add but i guess those can wait.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
iphone causes bruising
baby's new job has been stressful to say the least. right now, as i'm writing this, she's pounding furiously at the keyboard trying to make sense of the statistics. sometimes i think she raises the bar too high for herself. it's always good to find out what the expectations of others are before diving into work. the problem though, as i see, is the communication process in her case.
joaquin's behaviour has been ranging from poor to excellent and he co-operates most noticeably, whenever we threaten him with the prospect of staying home with his dull parents instead of exploring glitzy parts of the (expensive) island. so far, we've been to the shopping district that is known as orchard, visited h&m for the first time (where joaquin forced baby into buying him a superman sweatshirt), ion, takashimaya, loyang tua pek kong temple, airport, bugis junction and even the national libray last night (yes, you run out of options very quickly when you are poor here in singapore).
poor boy just got a bruise on his head, courtesy of his dad who was so into his game on iphone (hey, in my defence, it was zombie highway). didn't notice he was sitting on the edge of the bed and a slight shift in weight, down he went. the thud was pretty loud too. took me, baby and ah ma to kiss and make it better.
end of the month. which means pay day is here! woohoo! see ya.
joaquin's behaviour has been ranging from poor to excellent and he co-operates most noticeably, whenever we threaten him with the prospect of staying home with his dull parents instead of exploring glitzy parts of the (expensive) island. so far, we've been to the shopping district that is known as orchard, visited h&m for the first time (where joaquin forced baby into buying him a superman sweatshirt), ion, takashimaya, loyang tua pek kong temple, airport, bugis junction and even the national libray last night (yes, you run out of options very quickly when you are poor here in singapore).
poor boy just got a bruise on his head, courtesy of his dad who was so into his game on iphone (hey, in my defence, it was zombie highway). didn't notice he was sitting on the edge of the bed and a slight shift in weight, down he went. the thud was pretty loud too. took me, baby and ah ma to kiss and make it better.
end of the month. which means pay day is here! woohoo! see ya.
photos of joaquin's birthday bash in school
photos from joaquin's pre-birthday celebration at school.
now let me tell you girls about the time i beat a whole contingent of alien monsters...
homage to his hero.
yes, the cost of the goodie bags = gdp of a third world country.
superboy needs help inserting the straw.
hey! who snuffed my candles?!
order is restored.
mummy saves the day. superboy can't handle a knife.
superboy taking a rest from signing autographs.
aspiring superboy wannabe on left.
yes, superboy always gets the girl.
ok, is there something above my head?
superboy recruiting the justice league.
photo proving again that superboy gets the girls. always.
superboy obliges his fans with a group photo.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Friday, October 07, 2011
first night at festive hotel
it's been a great start to our staycation. everyone is happy and joaquin got to do his thing: swimming. took lots of great photos too so will be posting them soon.
night!
night!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
when customer service sucks, this happens
so far, we have bought all our statues from a certain toy store with branches located in plaza singapura, raffles place and suntec city. and the experience sucks.
the bosses must be paying the staff peanuts because they all look as though the customers owe them money and don't seem to be very keen to render any sort of service unless spoken to. even then, questions are answered in a very curt manner and i guess they presume everybody knows everything there is to know about collecting toys. i tried the branch at plaza singapura. only the dude with shoulder length hair was mildly interested in serving me. today, i went down to the raffles place bunch and all 3 people (all over 30, maybe even 40 - i'm guessing) were busy pottering over their own matters than serving 2 customers (me and another person) in the store.
seriously, this chain wouldn't win any service awards even if superman was working in there. i have never felt indignant at spending some serious dough. looking for other alternatives and even though it's expensive to purchase online due to shipping charges, i'm seriously considering that option as well. i don't need to pay and feel aggrieved.
i read on the blog that the store does not condone ill treatment towards its staff... but you have to wonder was the ill treatment warranted in whichever instance that triggered the post. with service like that, there will definitely be customers with short fuses who will take it up with the staff.
so if anyone knows of any other stores with a comprehensive catalogue, please let me know!
currently, i'm a fan of bowen designs, kotobukiya and sideshow collectibles.
the bosses must be paying the staff peanuts because they all look as though the customers owe them money and don't seem to be very keen to render any sort of service unless spoken to. even then, questions are answered in a very curt manner and i guess they presume everybody knows everything there is to know about collecting toys. i tried the branch at plaza singapura. only the dude with shoulder length hair was mildly interested in serving me. today, i went down to the raffles place bunch and all 3 people (all over 30, maybe even 40 - i'm guessing) were busy pottering over their own matters than serving 2 customers (me and another person) in the store.
seriously, this chain wouldn't win any service awards even if superman was working in there. i have never felt indignant at spending some serious dough. looking for other alternatives and even though it's expensive to purchase online due to shipping charges, i'm seriously considering that option as well. i don't need to pay and feel aggrieved.
i read on the blog that the store does not condone ill treatment towards its staff... but you have to wonder was the ill treatment warranted in whichever instance that triggered the post. with service like that, there will definitely be customers with short fuses who will take it up with the staff.
so if anyone knows of any other stores with a comprehensive catalogue, please let me know!
currently, i'm a fan of bowen designs, kotobukiya and sideshow collectibles.
the post that was supposed to be published last week
just went to the hdb office to reconfigure our housing loan installments. the new installment is not very hefty from our old one but it shaves off another few years off our repayment period. always a good thing so that you don't end up not being able to retire. having said that though, i will be paying for the apartment right into my 50s. yeah, it's that sad.
there's nothing for us on the horizon since baby's starting her new job (which also means we won't be able to travel since her probation period is pretty long). but we are planning a staycation (a vacation in your own country) at resorts world and a day trip at universal studios is definitely on the cards. should be fun and everybody can act like kids again for that day.
going to manilanext week (well this was typed last week) in 2 days. will be hosting a seminar and then there will be a trade expo. i'm excited because i'm going (fingers crossed) to make a new purchase (if i can find what i like) at the airport.
the "face-the-wall" punishment is proving to be very effective indeed. when joaquin acts up, you just have to roll your eyes at him and threaten him with the punishment and immediately he recoils into a shell. i heard our neighbour below us administer the same to her kid but she told her kid to stand at the balcony. it's strange because it's not a very comfortable position to stand at, although you don't want the child to be too comfortable. heard the kid protesting the entire time... and he's about the same age as joaquin!
sometimes we do remind each other (baby and me) how lucky we are to have joaquin and in fact, he's a pretty good lamb. in school, he's the meekest boy you see. a bit of jekyll and hyde if you ask me, not dissimilar to my sister back then.
the front grille of white boy just got yanked out. not sure if it was theft or an act of mischief but it bled us. had to replace and chartis, being the good insurance company that it is, had the sense not to let this incident which is of no fault of mine (unless living in a hdb estate is in itself, a flaw) affect my ncd or premium. i'm not sure if all insurance companies do this but the fact that the person on the other line at chartis assured me quickly made it less of an emotional wreck for me, after witnessing 3 open cavities at the front of my car. trust me, it affects the appearance of any vehicle quite dramatically. photo after i edit out the car plate number and also when flickr finally gives me back my monthly upload limit.
we picked up a new hobby over the weekend. i say we because all 3 of us are into it. we are collecting a series of superheroes/villains statues. yeah, those 12" tall type... not your plastic action figure that goes snap when you twist a limb too hard. photos? yeah... later... you know the drill.
ciao.
there's nothing for us on the horizon since baby's starting her new job (which also means we won't be able to travel since her probation period is pretty long). but we are planning a staycation (a vacation in your own country) at resorts world and a day trip at universal studios is definitely on the cards. should be fun and everybody can act like kids again for that day.
going to manila
the "face-the-wall" punishment is proving to be very effective indeed. when joaquin acts up, you just have to roll your eyes at him and threaten him with the punishment and immediately he recoils into a shell. i heard our neighbour below us administer the same to her kid but she told her kid to stand at the balcony. it's strange because it's not a very comfortable position to stand at, although you don't want the child to be too comfortable. heard the kid protesting the entire time... and he's about the same age as joaquin!
sometimes we do remind each other (baby and me) how lucky we are to have joaquin and in fact, he's a pretty good lamb. in school, he's the meekest boy you see. a bit of jekyll and hyde if you ask me, not dissimilar to my sister back then.
the front grille of white boy just got yanked out. not sure if it was theft or an act of mischief but it bled us. had to replace and chartis, being the good insurance company that it is, had the sense not to let this incident which is of no fault of mine (unless living in a hdb estate is in itself, a flaw) affect my ncd or premium. i'm not sure if all insurance companies do this but the fact that the person on the other line at chartis assured me quickly made it less of an emotional wreck for me, after witnessing 3 open cavities at the front of my car. trust me, it affects the appearance of any vehicle quite dramatically. photo after i edit out the car plate number and also when flickr finally gives me back my monthly upload limit.
we picked up a new hobby over the weekend. i say we because all 3 of us are into it. we are collecting a series of superheroes/villains statues. yeah, those 12" tall type... not your plastic action figure that goes snap when you twist a limb too hard. photos? yeah... later... you know the drill.
ciao.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
i m lovin it
if this looks familiar, it's the mcdonald's featured in the recent tvc starring 3 guys (chinese version ends off referring the guys as 哥儿们; weird since it's a term largely used in china).
it's a pretty cool restaurant except there are no power points. parking is free if you have no scruples and park at the car park intended for park visitors.
it's a pretty cool restaurant except there are no power points. parking is free if you have no scruples and park at the car park intended for park visitors.
edit: this is opposite jurong point.
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