Old Romances

This is a sequel to "Old Places" and it is about old places in Singapore, some of which are not around any more.

Liked the nice voice over narration as well as the interesting people and places featured in the film! Might visit some of them when I have the time!

Catherine Listening to the Rain

The story is about the relationship between a mother and a daughter. Both had husbands who neglected them and both of them described their plights through fairy tales that they passed down to their daughters.

Liked the parallels drawn between the two generations and how Catherine managed to change the ending of the story in the end!

Child's Play

The story is about how an only child who lived with his step mother coped with his loneliness by playing with an imaginary friend.

Liked the suspense and the portrayal of the psychological impact of a broken family to a child in the film! Great acting by the step mother!

The Man in the Cupboard

The story is about how a couple met each other and got married but slowly drifted further apart. The man hid in a cupboard in an attempt to murder his wife.

Liked the interesting dating sequences and how the husband tried to cover his tracks! Nice quote from "Heart of Darkness"!

The Fiend of Athens

The story is about how the life of a bank clerk changed after he was mistaken for a wanted serial killer.

Liked the interesting story and the beautiful lead actress who sang well too! The actor looked a bit like Tom Hanks in my opinion.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Women from the Lake of Scented Souls

The story is about the sad fate of two women in a Chinese village who were married to men with some form of disability. One was crippled and the other was mentally retarded.

Liked the nice cinematography and the interesting drama!

Internet Movie Database Link

Oktobertilefest Scrabblemini 2012

This is my first time taking part in the inaugural Oktobertilefest Scrabblemini organised by Tony Sim at his clubhouse in Tanah Merah. A total of 18 people took part in this one day event. We played 10 games from 12pm to 10pm with 10 in div A and 8 in div B. The environment was quite nice as we could see people swimming and jogging while we play.

Game 1: vs Rajeev Batra
Had an easy first game as I was paired with a newcomer. Won by having a bingo and challenging off his phoney.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: ANTLIAE(87) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: BIDER*
My High Moves: BIKERS(37), POST(40), FUM(36) Opp High Moves: JOUST(66), ZEE(31)
W 397-298, +99. 1W 0L (Accum spread +99).

Game 2: vs Eden Choo Jing Yu
I was trailing most of the game until I decided to try SEQUOIA hooking the S to an existing FEW on the board. Didn't have hope that FEWS was good when Eden challenged but it happened to be good! Then I followed up with a high scoring ZO(64) and maintained my lead to the end of the game.

New words learnt: FEWS, RAWIN
My Bingos: VOICERS(81), SEQUOIA(112) Opp Bingos: ANNULETS(64), RECOPIES(68)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: ZO(64) Opp High Moves: JEU(39), FEW(30), RAWIN(36)
W 449-401, +48. 2W 0L (Accum spread +147).

Game 3: vs Dylan Sharma
Lost badly as Dylan had one bingo and made many high scoring moves.

New words learnt: DOONA, DISE
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: RECLINE(67)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: RECLININGS*
My High Moves: BRIBE(30) Opp High Moves: GANES(36), FIVE(38), ZESTY(70), FEWER(33), NEWT(31), JAR(35)
L 288-460, -172. 2W 1L (Accum spread -25).

Game 4: vs Quek Sim Ho
Lost badly as Quek had four bingos.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: RESEEDS(79), FOXIEST(125), REVUIST(89), CLONERS(81)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: JOW(44), TAW(38), PAT(30), GYM(34), ZEK(32) Opp High Moves: SUQ(32)
L 274-589, -315. 2W 2L (Accum spread -340).

Game 5: vs Seow Kai Yuan
Lost as I had one bingo while Kai Yuan had three bingos.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: READINGS(74) Opp Bingos: IDEALIST(69), DEFINING(61), ESTRONE(71)
My Phoneys: RECUE* Opp Phoneys: BREADINGS*
My High Moves: JO(34), FORAY(44), CHIVE(51), WINGS(39) Opp High Moves: ZO(36), KAT(41), YEW(42)
L 396-468, -72. 2W 3L (Accum spread -412).

Game 6: vs Jethro Prudencio
Lost narrowly as Jethro scored well with SQUARE(48) towards the end and finished first. Would have won if I did not challenge BUTTY and RAIA.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: SINGLET(74) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: SNEDDERS*
My High Moves: NERTZ(36), GABY(30) Opp High Moves: MOCK(36), BUTTY(33), VEEPS(30), SQUARE(48)
L 336-345, -9. 2W 4L (Accum spread -421).

Game 7: vs Shahrul Kamal
Lost as we had one bingo each but Shahrul had many more high scoring moves.

New words learnt: BENI
My Bingos: RENDERS(75) Opp Bingos: HOTCAKES(83)
My Phoneys: RETINGED* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: YAR(32) Opp High Moves: BENI(32), VITAE(35), MIZ(56), SCAW(31), MARES(35), BAPS(37), BENJ(36)
L 348-460, -112. 2W 5L (Accum spread -533).

After 7 games of round robin, we were divided into two sub-groups. The top half were Eden, Dylan, Quek and Sky. I was in the bottom half with Shahrul, Jethro and Rajeev.

Game 8: vs Shahrul Kamal
Had a rematch with Shahrul and I played better this time round. Won as I had two bingos against Shahrul's one bingo. It also helped that his attempt to try to find a bingo towards the end of the game was unsuccessful.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: HASTIER(67), DELATING(67) Opp Bingos: TROOLIE(66)
My Phoneys: BENJI* Opp Phoneys: TRAPMEN*, UNGRIPS*, SPRUNGS*
My High Moves: - Opp High Moves: RIZ(41), OX(36), QAID(34), MEAT(36)
W 429-332, +97. 3W 5L (Accum spread -436).

Game 9: vs Jethro Prudencio
Had a rematch with Jethro and I didn't give him any chances this time round as I beat him convincingly with two bingos to one and a series of high score moves.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: LINTIES(75), ANTIDOTE(66) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: GAUNTERS*, REELIER*, TEH*, HIER*
My High Moves: GAUZE(34), FAX(60), OW(31), CHATTERS(44) Opp High Moves: FROWNS(40), VIRES(41), QI(33)
W 522-247, +275. 4W 5L (Accum spread -161).

Game 10: vs Rajeev Batra
Had a rematch with Rajeev and had a closer game this time round. Won due to my opponent's phonies and I was able to hit most of the triple word score cells with my S and blank.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: TIB*, MIT*
My High Moves: JOBS(39), PIQUE(41), SOZ(46), REX(33) Opp High Moves: JIHAD(59), BROILS(45), NICE(31)
W 373-333, +40. 5W 5L (Accum spread -121).

Won half of games and had the rare opportunity to play with Masters players like Dylan and Quek. Had fun and I hope to do better if I take part next year!

Lourdes

The story is about how a wheelchair bound young woman visited Lourdes as part of a package tour in the hope of a miracle recovery.

Liked the interesting characters and the beautiful countryside scenery!

Internet Movie Database Link

Wolf Children

The story is about how a woman fell in love with a man who had wolf genes in his ancestry, had two children and raised them in a countryside after the father died.

Liked how the kids transformed into wolves in different situations! The music was nice too! The film reminds me a bit of "Only Yesterday" by Isao Takahata.

Internet Movie Database Link

Demons

The story is about how a samurai was robbed of his hard earned money and sought for revenge.

Liked the interesting plot and how the director described the psychology of each character!

Internet Movie Database Link

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

This is a documentary about Jiro who is a famous Sushi master chef in Japan.

Liked the interesting look into the sushi-making tradition and the interviews with the different people who contributed to the success of making a delicious sushi!

Internet Movie Database Link

Scrabble Nationals 2012 (Day Two)

Game 9: vs Eugene Kok
Our scores were pretty close after we each had a bingo at the same turn. I pulled ahead after scoring well with the Z and the X, while he scored well with the J.

New words learnt: AIRDATE
My Bingos: ETESIAN(73) Opp Bingos: AIRDATE(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: TEAZING(41), XU(52) Opp High Moves: JONES(45)
W 377-319, +58. 6W 3L (Accum spread +358).

Game 10: vs Jia Jun
I managed to edge out my opponent from Marsiling Secondary School despite being out-bingoed two to one by having several high scoring moves.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: DOLTINGS(61) Opp Bingos: GENUINE(83), REWRITE(84)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: INE*
My High Moves: FIZ(45), EEK(30), MISER(34), YEH(34) Opp High Moves: OX(52)
W 435-407, +28. 7W 3L (Accum spread +386).

Game 11: vs Jeyaseelan
I was beaten convincingly by this up and coming Scrabble player from NTU as I was out-bingoed three to one.

New words learnt: EATCHES, ARSIEST
My Bingos: INTERNS(80) Opp Bingos: EATCHES(83), ATONIES(66), ARSIEST(76)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: HAJ(38) Opp High Moves: ZONE(45), VAIL(38), FUEL(30)
L 317-491, -174. 7W 4L (Accum spread +212).

Game 12: vs Joseph Tan
I probably should have closed the bingo lane at the bottom but luckily my opponent was not able to bingo out with a AEPRSX? rack and an existing E on the bottom left hand corner to overtake me. He tried EXPERiAS* but it was challenged off.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: DIATRON(64), SCATTED(81) Opp Bingos: DUALITY(82)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: EXPERiAS*
My High Moves: BIKE(34) Opp High Moves: -
W 448-349, +99. 8W 4L (Accum spread +311).

Game 13: vs Mahendra Morghan
I think I had even better luck than the game against Shahrul. Won easily as I out-bingoed my opponent four to one.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: PLAINER(68), SOUTANE(72), LETTERs(69), WEAVERS(75) Opp Bingos: GRADINS(80)
My Phoneys: HOCS* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: SEZ(41), HO(33) Opp High Moves: FAB(32), KOALA(36), OX(36)
W 547-346, +201. 9W 4L (Accum spread +512).

Game 14: vs zzBye

W 175-100, +75. 10W 4L (Accum spread +587).

Game 15: vs Aloysius
Was trailing my opponent by about 80 points before I gained back the lead by bingoing with a four-timer LAKESIDE(98) and followed up with PAX(58) as the "I" was just underneath the triple letter score.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: LAKESIDE(98) Opp Bingos: FORgETS(69)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: PON*, OZONED*
My High Moves: PAX(58), ZONED(39), BOTT(31) Opp High Moves: JOIN(37), PEEING(30)
W 466-320, +146. 11W 4L (Accum spread +733).

Game 16: vs Jeyaseelan
My most feared opponent and I had to meet him again in the King of the Hill segment. This time my losing margin was much smaller and I think I could have won if I had not challenged so many of his valid words.

New words learnt: DANNIES, EOLITH
My Bingos: IRRITATE(68) Opp Bingos: DANNIES(73), NEGROID(79)
My Phoneys: LATES* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: ONY(33), KEF(35), VAC(32), ZEROS(50) Opp High Moves: DOPY(46)
L 387-398, -11. 11W 5L (Accum spread +722).

Finished the tournament with 11 wins and 3rd position. Hope to do better next year!

Scrabble Nationals 2012 (Day One)

This year's Nationals is held at Bishan CC and it is the first time that division B had to play 16 games. I met Bee Tiang, Aloysius and Valli at the food court for a drink before the actual registration.

Game 1: vs Catherine Tong
Catherine was the only female player in division B and I was quite impressed by how she could multi-task by reading a Chinese novel in between moves! Lost to her even though she was not fully paying attention to our game.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: TINDERS(70) Opp Bingos: STEWING(82), REaLIsED(74)
My Phoneys: PERTY* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: - Opp High Moves: HODS(36)
L 333-439, -106. 0W 1L (Accum spread -106).

Game 2: vs Gabriel Cheang
I could have won if I knew the bingo to a ADEIMT? rack that had to end with "TED". Decided to try MIrATED* but I should have known that it was the anagram for READMIT that had no other anagrams.

New words learnt: MIcATED
My Bingos: GIDDIES(92) Opp Bingos: TREASON(71), CANNIER(84)
My Phoneys: MIrATED* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: JAB(31), XU(31) Opp High Moves: ZAIRE(58), QIS(40)
L 327-426, -99. 0W 2L (Accum spread -205).

Game 3: vs Winston Gwee
Had two blanks early in the game and was able to bingo with CoIFfED(76). The scores might have been closer if Winston did not phoney twice.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: CoIFfED(76) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: PRIVE*, FYE*
My High Moves: QUA(32), ZINC(30) Opp High Moves: GRAPE(43), LASH(42)
W 363-285, +78. 1W 2L (Accum spread -127).

Game 4: vs Neo Wei Sheng
Wei Sheng had superb bingo power! Would have lost even more if he did not also phoney a lot to offset the overall margin.

New words learnt: ORIOLES
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: URINATE(85), ORIOLES(75), SOUTANE(73)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: TRIAGER*, UNTRAIN*
My High Moves: HIKES(36), LEY(34), XU(50), FATWA(38) Opp High Moves: ZOL(36)
L 350-449, -99. 1W 3L (Accum spread -226).

It was around 1.30pm when I finally had time to go for lunch with Winston and Valli. The food court was just across the street and was much more convenient than at Toa Payoh West CC! Heard that there was a famous Chicken Rice stall but did not try as it had a very long queue.

Game 5: vs Shahrul
This was a bingo pack game where both of us had three bingos each! Won as I scored well with the J and the X and gained 34 points with his GLITZES when he tried in vain to bingo out.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: MODERATE(69), OUTLIER(72), ISATINE(74) Opp Bingos: SOREDIA, BOUNCED(77), CLEARING(82)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: SOREDIAS*, GIPE*
My High Moves: JAP(41), WEX(51), POM(31) Opp High Moves: KAB(30)
W 538-372, +166. 2W 3L (Accum spread -60).

Game 6: vs Ng Ming Wei
I managed to keep my lead after scoring one bingo as my opponent phonied several times.

New words learnt: FAERIE
My Bingos: INTERNS(69) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: VIZ*, DINTY*
My High Moves: JOTS(32) Opp High Moves: TUX(30)
W 376-260, +116. 3W 3L (Accum spread +56).

Game 7: vs Tan Wei Jie
I out-bingoed my opponent two to one and won rather easily. I think he made a similar mistake as Shahrul when he tried to finish first but ended up phoneying and allowing me to finish first instead.

New words learnt: SORBATE
My Bingos: GROANED(73), LINTERS(65) Opp Bingos: SORBATE(77)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: SORBATED*, GLINTERS*
My High Moves: CUZ(35), KIN(35), WAI(30), CAB(32) Opp High Moves: HEATY(30), EREV(31)
W 466-303, +163. 4W 3L (Accum spread +219).

Game 8: vs Low Bee Tiang
I could have won by a bigger margin if I had not tried to prevent Bee Tiang from bingoing but ended up letting him score big with the Q and the Z instead.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: GODETIA(77), KARITES(89), AWNIEST(88) Opp Bingos: TOASTING(68)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: JA(38) Opp High Moves: HOE(31), QAID(47), LUZ(47)
W 481-400, +81. 5W 3L (Accum spread +300).

Finished day 1 with 5 wins and 3 losses. I won all my games after lunch! Hope I could maintain such good form for the second day!

The Pornographers

The story is about how a man who made pornographic films struggled to provide for his family.

Liked the anthropological study on the ordinary people and society in general!

Internet Movie Database Link

About The Pink Sky

The story is about what happened after a young girl found a wallet filled with money. She lent some of the money to an old friend and started a newspaper with the wallet's owner and her three friends.

Liked the nice black and white cinematography! The young girl looked quite cute too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Nishi Ginza Station

The story is about the adventures of a hen pecked husband when his wife went on a holiday.

Liked the interesting fantasy sequences on the island! The stationery shop girl looked quite cute too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Jurong Green CC Mind Sports Day

The Mind Sports Day had Scrabble players and Weiqi players competing in the same venue and it was interesting to see how the two different tournaments were conducted! Scrabble announcements were made in English while those from Weiqi were made in Mandarin. The Weiqi judges also had big name tags written in Chinese clearly pinned on their clothes to specify their role and they looked quite cool!

Game 1: vs Eugene
Eugene is from the Ministry of Trade and Industry. I have beaten him twice before, so I thought it will be an easy game but it turned out to be a very close game. Both of us opened with a bingo and added the second bingo during the game. I caught his BDTV in the end for 20 points when I finished first but it was not enough to beat him.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: RUINATES(61), METRICS(67) Opp Bingos: LEOTARD(68), ERASION(84)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ANNOUCED*, UI*(10)
My High Moves: QADI(34), FAT(35), CRAZE(32) Opp High Moves: HELP(37), YOURS(37), VEX(32), MOP(31)
L 405-416, -11. 0W 1L (Accum spread -11).

Game 2: vs Zainudin
Zainudin is from Ngee Ann Poly. He had two blanks at the start but phoneyed with SPOUNGE* that was challenged off and this allowed me to score with CREEK(32). He bingoed later but I was able to score consistently to beat him.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: ENDITES(83) Opp Bingos: SPONGED(83)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: SPOUNGE*, GRAIT*(24), HAI*
My High Moves: CREEK(32), AX(52), QUIST(53), ERA(31) Opp High Moves: ZO(35), WOED(32)
W 469-341, +128. 1W 1L (Accum spread +117).

Game 3: vs Winston
Winston is from Ngee Ann Poly. I had a few places to put my bingo TESTERS but chose a place that allowed my opponent to score big with EXITS(50) in his next move. Later, I also played a move that allowed him to score big with ZEE(49). Maybe I could have won if I didn't make these two mistakes.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: TESTERS(76) Opp Bingos: SOGGIER(74)
My Phoneys: BOYR*, UNSURGE* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: BROWN(32) Opp High Moves: EXITS(58), ZEE(49)
L 335-402, -67. 1W 2L (Accum spread +50).

Game 4: vs Catherine
Catherine is from HDB. I had one bingo and she had none but she scored very consistently to win.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: UGLIEST(69) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: LUN* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: WYES(38), ABLER(33) Opp High Moves: TAX(33), DENS(34), JEW(38), GAILS(30)
L 326-361, -35. 1W 3L (Accum spread +15).

Game 5: vs Linda
Linda is from Ngee Ann Poly. She bingoed late in the game to beat me as I did not close up the board earlier on when I was leading.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: SCOWLER(104)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: AUN*
My High Moves: ZEE(40) Opp High Moves: -
L 296-383, -87. 1W 4L (Accum spread -72).

Game 6: vs Zainudin
Zainudin is from Ngee Ann Poly. None of us had a bingo but I was able to score more consistently to win.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: THYE*
My High Moves: SHONE(41), ADS(35), STARK(34) Opp High Moves: -
W 338-263, +75. 2W 4L (Accum spread +3).

Game 7: vs Chew Chuah
Chew Chuah is my colleague and he has already won the tournament by winning all his games in the previous rounds. Our scores were very close until he decided to play CURVE with the E next to the TWS lane and I had ADENUW? on my rack. I saw UNsAWED but was not sure of it and played DAWN instead for 44 points instead. Later, I bingoed with NUTRIENT(74) and maintained my lead to win.

New words learnt: MOUE
My Bingos: NUTRIENT(74) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: SLIB*
My High Moves: PEW(30), DAWN(44), LOVER(32), FAXED(46) Opp High Moves: MOUE(33), ZOO(32), GUESTS(330, YEA(30)
W 424-348, +76. 3W 4L (Accum spread +79).

Finished the tournament with 3 wins and 7th position. Thought I could have done much better but it was fun playing with old friends. Hope to see more new players in the upcoming Nationals!

PSTAR Scrabble Games 2012

The PSTAR Scrabble games is an annual event for organisations in the civil service to take part in a friendly game of Scrabble. It was held at the Civil Service Club (Bukit Batok) on 26th May 2012 from 10am to 5pm. A total of 30 teams took part. MINDEF had two teams taking part this year.

Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.

Game 1: LTA 1
My first game was against Jimmy from LTA 1 whom I lost before in the 2009 PSTAR games. Learnt a few new words like JUICER and PAVIOR. I also realised that ORAS* was a phoney as it was challenged off when I tried to back hook my SITZ to an existing ORA on the board. Won easily with two bingos CADENZAS(91) and ETIOLIN(77) while he had none. My team mate lost narrowly as he realised that the tile bag had an extra T but a missing Q only after the game was over.

Won 416-312. Our team lost 1-2.

Game 2: CPF 1
My second opponent was against Boon Khee from CPF 1 whom I have played many years ago in a previous PSTAR game. He bingoed with LATTICE(73) but I scored well with XIS(41), ENEW(33) and IZAR(42) to overtake him and win in the end. I got away with a phoney GOW* when I played ENEW.

Won 409-367. Our team won 3-0.

Game 3: CAAS 2
My third opponent was against Shi Han from CAAS 2 who was the only guy in his team. He phoneyed with ABRUPTED* but bingoed twice with SCoRNED(74) and SURGERY(73) to win. Might have won if I had not chickened out of VINAL early in the game.

Lost 356-367. Our team won 2-1.

Game 4: HDB 2
Was hoping to play with at least one girl, so I sort of got my wish when I played against Serene from HDB 2 although it was not exactly what I had in mind. Was thrashed by her as I allowed her to score with a four-timer bingo HISSERS(111) by back hooking the S to WOMAN. I could have taken the same spot with a CEIRST? rack if I had played the anagram whose third letter is an S.[1]

Lost 329-460. Our team won 2-1.

MOE 1, MHA 3, MOE 2 and LTA 1 were the top 4 teams. HDB and CPF received consolation prizes for coming in first in the second and third tier respectively. The MINDEF teams did not win any prizes but we had a really fun time! Hope we could do better next year!

Quiz answers (highlight to see clearly)

[1] CISTERN

Let the Wind Carry Me

This is a documentary on Mark Lee Ping Bing who is a famous cinematographer.

Liked the film clips and the nice song towards the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Illusion Travels by Streetcar

The story is about how two employees secretly took a de-commissioned streetcar out for a ride for one day.

Liked the interesting play about Adam and Eve as well as the adventure in the streets!

Internet Movie Database Link

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

The story is about how an ex-police chief got away with murder as his staff ignored obvious clues and tried to find other scapegoats.

Liked the weird soundtrack and the actor who played the charismatic ex-police chief! Nice black comedy!

Internet Movie Database Link

A Small Act

This is a documentary about how a small act by one person could have a big impact on someone else's life. A Swedish teacher's donations helped to sponsor the secondary school education of a young boy from Kenya. He studied law at the Harvard University, worked at the United Nations and started a fund to give scholarships to more needy children from Kenya.

Liked the intimate exploration of life in both Sweden and Kenya as well as the use of flashbacks and news clips to explain the relationship to the outside world.

Internet Movie Database Link

A Poet

The story is about how Sukarno systematically eliminated pro-communists in Indonesia in the mid 1960s by locking them up in prison cells to be executed. One of them was a poet from Aceh and he was famous for composing traditional folk songs called the Didong.

Liked the nice songs and how everything was filmed inside the prison cell behind bars to highlight the situation of the people then.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Long March

The story is about what a soldier had to go through in his fight for the Independence of Indonesia in the late 1940s.

Learnt a little bit more about Indonesian history from this film. The nurse looked quite pretty with her big round eyes!

Internet Movie Database Link

Melancholia

The story is about how two sisters coped with the stress of getting married and the impending crash of a giant planet named "Melancholia" towards earth.

Liked the pretty cinematography in the prologue, the interesting special effects and the great acting by the two actresses!

Internet Movie Database Link

Jurong Green CC Cup 2012 (Day Two)

Game 6: vs Sundram Pillai
Sundram is an ex-colleague of Bee Tiang. Was leading quite comfortably when I opened up for my opponent for him to put HEALERS(91) down the triple word lane. I still managed to win by a small margin but now I realised that having a good rack leave becomes less important as the game progresses.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: ScENTED(82) Opp Bingos: HEALERS(91)
My Phoneys: TEP* Opp Phoneys: VOA*, UNcARES*
My High Moves: YEX(39) Opp High Moves: QUIMS(52), ZA(31)
W 381-375, +6. 3W 3L (Accum spread -116).

Game 7: vs Steven Surya
Steven Surya is a student from Indonesia. I played with him three times during the 2011 Causeway Cup and lost twice. Lost to him again as we each had two bingos but he scored very well with his power tiles. Missed STORMIER down the triple score lane with an EIMORST rack and an existing R on the board.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: BENDERS(82), MOISTER(76) Opp Bingos: LATINAS(76), NEATENS(80)
My Phoneys: Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QIS(39) Opp High Moves: FIX(54), JOW(38), PING(34), WILE(33), LEAZE(77)
L 385-538, -153. 3W 4L (Accum spread -269).

Game 8: vs Low Bee Tiang
Thought I would have an easy game with Bee Tiang but it was not to be. He had a bingo early in the game and I phonied at a crucial point of the game to give him a second bingo for him to seal the game.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: WRESTED(101), UNVEILS(76)
My Phoneys: YADI* Opp Phoneys: cLARIOUS*
My High Moves: EF(30), WHIPS(34), DETAIL(32), DAB(36), PI(30), CIVE(36) Opp High Moves: REX(31), SQUIZ(56)
L 389-438, -49. 3W 5L (Accum spread -318).

Game 9: vs Mary Morgan
Mary Morgan was a friendly old lady from Ireland. We had one bingo each and I got away with DES* while both LUB* and PELK* were taken off the board. It was a close game and I just pipped her for a win

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: ANEROID(73) Opp Bingos: NETTLES(74)
My Phoneys: DES*, LUB* Opp Phoneys: PELK*
My High Moves: WE(31), OYS(30) Opp High Moves: GAZE(34), PRONG(35), JOT(31), HOX(31)
W 381-371, +10. 4W 5L (Accum spread -308).

Game 10: vs Neo Wei Sheng
Wei Sheng is Jeremy's school mate from Raffles Institution. Had close to zero chance of meeting Jeremy now at this King of the Hill stage as he is on top of the leader board while I was close to the bottom. Our scores were pretty close until he bingoed with TaNGELo(77) using two blanks and scored well with REX(40) two moves later for him to seal the game.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: TaNGELo(77)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: MIRTH(39), UNDID(34), AHIS(38), ECAD(31) Opp High Moves: ZIP(37), REX(40)
L 315-409, -94. 4W 6L (Accum spread -412).

Game 11: vs Harryadi
Harryadi was the third Indonesian player that I played. Hendy Yohanes was the only Indonesian player that I didn't play with . We had one bingo each but he scored well late in the game with AMNESIA(30) across the triple word score lane to maintain a 20 point lead to win.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: PERVeRT(76) Opp Bingos: rOARIEST(74)
My Phoneys: Opp Phoneys: NOP*
My High Moves: KEN(30), PLOY(33), AMNESIA(30) Opp High Moves: ZORI(36)
L 350-374, -24. 4W 7L (Accum spread -436).

Game 12: vs Kok Eugene
Was very lucky in this game as I had both blanks, all the power tiles and three S to win easily.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: STuDIES(64), MEANINg(65) Opp Bingos:
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: COGENT(40), ZINS(44), OAF(30) Opp High Moves: WITE(33)
W 488-257, +231. 5W 7L (Accum spread -205).

Finished with 5 wins and 7 losses. Was a little bit disappointed as I had expected to win at least half the games but it was an interesting experience to play with so many new faces at a local competition!

Jurong Green CC Cup 2012 (Day One)

This is my first time visiting Jurong Green CC after its renovation and it looked brand new! At least five overseas players were participating in division B: four from Indonesia and one from Ireland. Went for lunch with the Indonesian players before coming back for the first game.

Game 1: vs Gabriel
Gabriel is an NTU Scrabble player. I challenged three times unsuccessfully while he challenged off my TOYA*. I have mixed it up with HOYA and TOYO. We had one bingo each but he was able to score much better than me most of the time to win.

New words learnt: TOWY, ALOW, ECOS
My Bingos: NAILERS(61) Opp Bingos: RIOTING(79)
My Phoneys: TOYA*, GRIMS*(39) Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: GRIMS*(39), JOHN(30), VIRL(30), KI(41) Opp High Moves: ALOW(44), FEMS(50), TEX(31), EQUID(30), ROJI(36)
L 352-453, -101. 0W 1L (Accum spread -101).

Game 2: vs Reynaldo
Reynaldo was another Scrabble player from NTU. Had better luck this time round. I had two bingos against my opponent's one and was able to score better most of the time to win.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: DARLINGS(61), PANIERS(66) Opp Bingos: GLUEING(81)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: TAJS*
My High Moves: BOWER(38), FY(32) Opp High Moves: VIBE(39)
W 436-329, +107. 1W 1L (Accum spread +6).

Game 3: vs Shahrul
Shahrul was working in Singapore Polytechnic. I was trashed by him as he had four bingos versus one from me.

New words learnt: RESOLING
My Bingos: CREATIN(76) Opp Bingos: BASInET(75), TRIAGES(69), PLAINEST(64), RESOLING(75)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: JAR(30), ZETA(33) Opp High Moves: MAFIA(35), YEA(34), TUX(32)
L 382-475, -93. 1W 2L (Accum spread -87).

Game 4: vs Eugene Kok
Eugene was the third NTU Scrabble player that I played. I had very good tiles to bingo three times to win but he scored well with the KQXZ tiles to stay not far behind.

New words learnt: STIRK
My Bingos: PREVENT(80), CENTERED(63), SODAINE(66) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: STRINK*
My High Moves: DOC(30) Opp High Moves: ZITS(39), QIN(32), DEX(33), SKIRT(36)
W 464-343, +121. 2W 2L (Accum spread +34).

Game 5: vs Albert Martono
Albert was the first Indonesian player that I played. He had very good tiles but I also gave many points to him as I took some risks to open up the board for myself. Think I may have given him the high game of the day.

New words learnt: POINDER
My Bingos: UNITERS(66), CLINGERS(72) Opp Bingos: GUINEAS(79), INeArTH(87), POINDER(100)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: rT*
My High Moves: OB(31) Opp High Moves: FOX(38), ITA(47), YEVE(36)
L 367-523, -156. 2W 3L (Accum spread -122).

Finished day 1 with 2 wins and 3 losses.

Village People Radio Show

The story is about the lives of ex-Malayan Communist Party members who ended up staying in Thailand.

Liked how the image relates to the narration like the ant procession, the chained monkey and the play about the abandoned baby!

Internet Movie Database Link

DSTA Inter-PC Scrabble

This is the first time DSTA is organising an inter-PC Scrabble competition and six people from various PCs took part: Chew Chuah, myself, Hung Peng, Seow Kie, Yew Hang and Peng Kee. We played a total of 3 games in straight King-of-the-Hill format.

Game 1 vs Seow Kie
I had ALIENED(76) and scored well with MAKE(40), ZAG(38), TRAYS(32) and JILT(36) while her UNCITE* was taken off the board. My TRAYS(32) was formed by front hooking the S to an existing CAP but she did not challenge SCAP* and I win easily by 434 to 225.

Game 2 vs Chew Chuah
I have not played Chew Chuah for a long time already and I knew he was a formidable opponent! He had WRONGED(81) and IONISED(67) while I had SHERIAT(96). I phonied with RAKIEST* and ETICS* which were taken off the board and I lost by 363 to 447. Missed the two anagrams for AEIKRST!

Game 3 vs Yew Hang
I had LATTICE(79) and he had TOURING(74). I also scored well with KAM(30), YIP(30), LOW(36), TUX(30) and DEATH(63) to win by 434 to 309. We had one phoney each and they were both challenged off. I had UNAILED* while he had ZOE*. Missed the two anagrams for ADEILNU!

In the end, Chew Chuah won first position with 3 wins. I won second position by having a slightly better spread than Hung Peng who won third position. It was fun but a little bit distracting to be the organiser at the same time. Would probably consider hiring an external tournament director the next time round.

A Separation

The story is about how an Iranian couple's decision to separate affected their lives. The father had to employ a maid and an incident led to a legal dispute between the two families.

Liked the interesting plot and how the director slowly revealed what actually happened from different perspectives!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Naked Island

The story is about how a poor Japanese family lived on a small island despite the difficult environmental conditions.

Liked the director's deliberate attempt to take away the dialogue and let the family's action speak for itself!

Internet Movie Database Link

Mother Joan of the Angels

The story is about how a priest helped to exorcise a possessed nun in a convent.

Great acting by the actress who acted as Mother Joan! I also liked the nice choral music! Felt that the nun's uniform in "Black Narcissus" looked prettier though.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Thin Red Line

The story is about how a group of American soldiers felt when they went to fight in a small Pacific Island with the Japanese during Second Word War.

Liked the nice philosophical voice over narration and the interesting flashbacks!

Internet Movie Database Link

Hugo

The story is about how a young boy whose father died came to live in the train station and came to know an eccentric old man who is a toy shop owner.

Liked the nice black and white old movie clips shown and the nice cinematography!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

This animation is based on a short story of the same title by Dostoevsky. A man's attempted suicide was interrupted by a young girl in the street and he had a dream about utopia when he went home to sleep.

Liked the beautiful painting style and the interesting plot that painted a vision for the future of mankind!

Internet Movie Database Link

Happy Thank You More Please

The story is about how six young adults living in New York juggle love, friendship and the responsibilities of adulthood.

Liked the nice folk music soundtrack!

Internet Movie Database Link

Happy End

The story is about how a man was given the death sentence for killing his wife and lover told in reverse chronological order.

Liked the interesting concept but the special effects of eating, talking and walking in reverse got tiresome after a while.

Internet Movie Database Link

Ways of the Sea

The story is about people who illegally travelled from the Phillipines to Sabah by boat to look for work.

Liked the docu-drama approach and the nice song in the film! Great acting by the little girl!

Internet Movie Database Link

In Two Minds

The story is based on a folk tale about how a new bride spent a few years with a ghost that took the form of her husband while he was away on business and what happened after he returned.

Liked the colorful cinematography, the innovative use of static shots and the beautiful music! The plot was interesting too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sunflower

The story is about the relationship between a father and his son over a period of thirty years from the late sixties to the late nineties in China.

Nice paintings at the art exhibition and liked how the father and son reconciled towards the end! Thought the director could have condensed the plot a little bit more though.

Internet Movie Database Link

City Lights

The story is about a tramp's relationships with a blind girl and a rich man.

Liked the interesting plot and the nice ending!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sita Sings the Blues

The story is based on an Indian epic, the Ramayana, that described the ups and downs in the relationship between prince Rama and his wife Sita after they were banished to the forest.

Liked how the director weaved her own story into the film and used different ways to tell the same story! It was refreshing to learn the plot through the discussion among the three narrators! The songs were appropriate and nice too!

Internet Movie Database Link

My Magic

The story is about the relationship between an alcoholic father who used to be a magician and his son who was cared for mainly by his grandmother.

Liked the quiet scenes such as the one where the train passed by in the background. Didn't really like the magic shows which were too extreme in my opinion.

Internet Movie Database Link

Thirst for Love

The story is about how a young widow became her father-in-law's lover but secretly had a desire for the apathetic gardener.

Liked the interesting psychological study into the different characters! Great acting by the lead actress!

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Margin Call

The story is about how a group of traders discovered the real risk of mortgage based securities in 2008 and the boss of the company decided to sell everything off the next day.

Great acting by Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons! Hoped they could explain a little bit more on some of the financial terms though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Black Sun

The story is about how a jazz loving Japanese encountered an injured black American soldier who was wanted for murder and carried a machine gun.

Liked how the friendship grew between the Japanese and the American despite their difficulty to communicate with each other!

Internet Movie Database Link

I Hate But Love

The story is about the love-hate relationship between a well known DJ and his manager cum lover.

Liked the nice little journey across Japan on the old jeep! Both the DJ's girlfriend and the jeep owner looked quite pretty!

Internet Movie Database Link