The story is about how a young man dreamed of building an Opera house in the jungles of Peru. He encountered many difficulties and even had to drag a streamboat across a mountain in the process!
Had a pleasant surprise initially when I saw that Claudia Cardinale was the lead actress but realised that it had been almost twenty years since she acted in Fellini's "8 1/2" and Visconti's "The Leopard". She still looked beautiful but not as young as before. Liked the nice jungle adventure and the great acting by Klaus Kinski!
Internet Movie Database Link
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Decalogue
This is a 10 1-hour episode TV series made in Poland that is loosely based on the Catholic Ten Commandments.
Liked the excellent script and the modern interpretation of the commandments! It is interesting to see how each character is placed in a situation where he or she has to make a moral choice where there is no clear right or wrong! Episodes 2, 3 and 8 are the most boring while episode 10 is the most funny! Episodes 4, 5 and 7 are pretty good but my favorites would be episodes 1, 6 and 9!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the excellent script and the modern interpretation of the commandments! It is interesting to see how each character is placed in a situation where he or she has to make a moral choice where there is no clear right or wrong! Episodes 2, 3 and 8 are the most boring while episode 10 is the most funny! Episodes 4, 5 and 7 are pretty good but my favorites would be episodes 1, 6 and 9!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, September 06, 2008
PSTAR Scrabble Games 2008
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 on 6th Sep 2008 from 10am to 5pm. A total of 38 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.
Chew Chuah helped to draw our first pairings for MINDEF 1 and it was against the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) team 1. MINDEF 2 played against the all girls team from CPF 2. I saw that Peng Kee was really happy with his draw!
Game 1: MEWR 1
Had a bye as my opponent could not make it on time. Played a friendly game with Linda from Ngee Ann Polytechnic instead. My luck was pretty good! I bingoed with TEARIES*(74) and AILERON(73). What are the 2 anagrams for AEEIRST ?[1] I also guessed correctly the "C" front hook for OFF and scored with CHAIN(59) by hitting the triple word cell. Linda could only bingo with BARTENDED(75). If only this was an actual game where it really mattered!
Our team won the match by 3-0.
Next game was against IRAS 2.
Game 2: IRAS 2
I played against Chris who was from the same reservist camp as me! It was a closed board with no bingos from either of us. I scored big when he opened up the triple word score lane with WaRNS(40) and JET(39) by capitalising on the double letter score. Was lucky to be able to play my Z late in the game with ZETA(23). If not, the score line could have gone the other way round.
Won 310-280. Our team won convincingly with 3-0.
Had free lunch catered for us after our second game and it was delicious!
Our third game was against CPF 1. Hmm, I remembered our third game at last year's PSTAR games was against them too!
Game 3: CPF 1
I played against Chee Keong, the same player whom I played last year. JP and CC had a switch of opponent from last year. Missed my opponent's opening phoney HINE*. He bingoed with SWaYERS(88) and scored big with sEZ(64) and OX(38). My only big scores were OATH(44) across the triple word lane and PEAK(35). Maybe I should have blocked when my opponent played OVER with the O hovering underneath the triple letter cell. Didn't realise he had the Z!
Lost 324-403. Our team won with 2-1.
After 3 rounds, MINDEF 1 was placed in the top category that consisted of the top 6 teams: HDB 1, HDB 2, LTA 1, MINDEF 1, MOE 1 and NP 1.
Our final game is against HDB 2.
Game 4: HDB 2
I played against David. Our scores were neck-in-neck after both of us scored one bingo each. I had SoRRIES*(74) while he had InTRUDE(68). What are the 2 anagrams for EIORRSS ?[2] I was leading slightly towards the end until he scored with JOBS(37) to pull ahead.
Lost 375-391. Our team lost narrowly with 1-2.
In the end, MINDEF 1 came in 4th placing among the top category teams. We beat MOE 1 and HDB 1 who both lost 1-2 in terms of spread. LTA 1 came in 1st, NP 1 came in 2nd and HDB 2 came in 3rd. MINDEF 2 had a pretty good showing too with 2 wins and 2 losses! Had fun seeing so many familiar faces! Hope we could do even better next year!
Quiz answers (highlight to see clearly)
[1] AERIEST, SERIATE
[2] ORRISES, ROSIERS
Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.
Chew Chuah helped to draw our first pairings for MINDEF 1 and it was against the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) team 1. MINDEF 2 played against the all girls team from CPF 2. I saw that Peng Kee was really happy with his draw!
Game 1: MEWR 1
Had a bye as my opponent could not make it on time. Played a friendly game with Linda from Ngee Ann Polytechnic instead. My luck was pretty good! I bingoed with TEARIES*(74) and AILERON(73). What are the 2 anagrams for AEEIRST ?[1] I also guessed correctly the "C" front hook for OFF and scored with CHAIN(59) by hitting the triple word cell. Linda could only bingo with BARTENDED(75). If only this was an actual game where it really mattered!
Our team won the match by 3-0.
Next game was against IRAS 2.
Game 2: IRAS 2
I played against Chris who was from the same reservist camp as me! It was a closed board with no bingos from either of us. I scored big when he opened up the triple word score lane with WaRNS(40) and JET(39) by capitalising on the double letter score. Was lucky to be able to play my Z late in the game with ZETA(23). If not, the score line could have gone the other way round.
Won 310-280. Our team won convincingly with 3-0.
Had free lunch catered for us after our second game and it was delicious!
Our third game was against CPF 1. Hmm, I remembered our third game at last year's PSTAR games was against them too!
Game 3: CPF 1
I played against Chee Keong, the same player whom I played last year. JP and CC had a switch of opponent from last year. Missed my opponent's opening phoney HINE*. He bingoed with SWaYERS(88) and scored big with sEZ(64) and OX(38). My only big scores were OATH(44) across the triple word lane and PEAK(35). Maybe I should have blocked when my opponent played OVER with the O hovering underneath the triple letter cell. Didn't realise he had the Z!
Lost 324-403. Our team won with 2-1.
After 3 rounds, MINDEF 1 was placed in the top category that consisted of the top 6 teams: HDB 1, HDB 2, LTA 1, MINDEF 1, MOE 1 and NP 1.
Our final game is against HDB 2.
Game 4: HDB 2
I played against David. Our scores were neck-in-neck after both of us scored one bingo each. I had SoRRIES*(74) while he had InTRUDE(68). What are the 2 anagrams for EIORRSS ?[2] I was leading slightly towards the end until he scored with JOBS(37) to pull ahead.
Lost 375-391. Our team lost narrowly with 1-2.
In the end, MINDEF 1 came in 4th placing among the top category teams. We beat MOE 1 and HDB 1 who both lost 1-2 in terms of spread. LTA 1 came in 1st, NP 1 came in 2nd and HDB 2 came in 3rd. MINDEF 2 had a pretty good showing too with 2 wins and 2 losses! Had fun seeing so many familiar faces! Hope we could do even better next year!
Quiz answers (highlight to see clearly)
[1] AERIEST, SERIATE
[2] ORRISES, ROSIERS
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sakuran
This film is adapted from a Japanese manga and it is about a girl growing up in a brothel and becoming the top prostitute.
Liked the colorful kimonos and the nice soundtrack! The lead actress, Anna Tsuchiya, was a pretty interesting character too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the colorful kimonos and the nice soundtrack! The lead actress, Anna Tsuchiya, was a pretty interesting character too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Pathos
This is a follow up to "Broken Blossoms" and it is a documentary about the director's role as a woman, a wife and a mother.
Liked the last segment best as I thought the director's daughter was very cute! It was also interesting to see how a midwife clinic worked!
Liked the last segment best as I thought the director's daughter was very cute! It was also interesting to see how a midwife clinic worked!
Broken Blossom
This is a documentary about the impact of the director's miscarriage on her.
Liked the scene where the director talked about her feelings towards the miscarriage! I also learnt a bit more about her during the Q&A session later!
Liked the scene where the director talked about her feelings towards the miscarriage! I also learnt a bit more about her during the Q&A session later!
Birth / Mother
This is a documentary about the director's grandmother and how she gave birth to a baby son.
Liked the reality TV style with the extreme close up shots!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the reality TV style with the extreme close up shots!
Internet Movie Database Link
The Banishment
The story is about what happens when a gangster went to stay in the countryside with his family that consists of his wife, his son and his daughter. Their peaceful lives were disrupted by a bunch of unexpected events.
The countryside scenery was beautiful and the portrayal of the husband-wife relationship was interesting! Didn't quite understand the last bit of the flashback towards the end though so I was not as moved as I thought I would be.
Internet Movie Database Link
The countryside scenery was beautiful and the portrayal of the husband-wife relationship was interesting! Didn't quite understand the last bit of the flashback towards the end though so I was not as moved as I thought I would be.
Internet Movie Database Link
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Eternal Breasts
The story is about the life of a female poet who died at an early age due to breast cancer.
The pacing was slow and I thought the story could have been condensed! One thing that puzzled me was the relationship between the poet and the reporter towards the end.
Internet Movie Database Link
The pacing was slow and I thought the story could have been condensed! One thing that puzzled me was the relationship between the poet and the reporter towards the end.
Internet Movie Database Link
Love Letter
The story is about the plight of Japanese women who served the US soldiers during the second World War. After the war, they had to pay someone who knew English to write love letters to their former lovers to ask for money to survive.
Considering that it was a debut effort by Tanaka Kinuyo, it was not too bad! Thought it could be improved by deleting unimportant scenes which did not contribute to the main storyline.
Internet Movie Database Link
Considering that it was a debut effort by Tanaka Kinuyo, it was not too bad! Thought it could be improved by deleting unimportant scenes which did not contribute to the main storyline.
Internet Movie Database Link
Wordplay
This is a documentary about the world of crossword puzzles.
Pretty comprehensive! Learnt a bit about the creators of the puzzles as well as the interesting people who do the puzzles both as a recreation and competitively! Didn't know that Bill Clinton liked to do crossword puzzles too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Pretty comprehensive! Learnt a bit about the creators of the puzzles as well as the interesting people who do the puzzles both as a recreation and competitively! Didn't know that Bill Clinton liked to do crossword puzzles too!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wanderer's Notebook
The story is about how a woman called Fumiko struggles to survive and eventually becomes a successful writer.
Liked the sequence where Fumiko tried to find a job but was rejected repeatedly. Some parts were really funny!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the sequence where Fumiko tried to find a job but was rejected repeatedly. Some parts were really funny!
Internet Movie Database Link
Ginza Cosmetics
The story is about the life of a middle aged bar hostess who has to support her young son.
Felt that this was like a precursor to "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs" which was made 9 years later! Thought the director has improved on his story telling skills in WWAS by presenting just the core ideas that he wanted to transmit to the audience.
Internet Movie Database Link
Felt that this was like a precursor to "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs" which was made 9 years later! Thought the director has improved on his story telling skills in WWAS by presenting just the core ideas that he wanted to transmit to the audience.
Internet Movie Database Link
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sandakan No. 8
The story is about the plight of poor Japanese girls who were sent overseas to work as prostitutes in the early 20th century. This is told through flashbacks from an old Japanese woman to a researcher whom she befriended.
Liked the friendship forged between the researcher and the old Japanese woman! Nice story and the use of silence during two key scenes were pretty effective!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the friendship forged between the researcher and the old Japanese woman! Nice story and the use of silence during two key scenes were pretty effective!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Mad about English
This is a documentary on how the people from China learned English in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. These included an elderly man who wanted to be an Olympics volunteer, a taxi driver who wanted to converse well with tourists, a young student who wanted a better future, an English tutor who wanted to spread his teachings and a foreigner who wanted to get rid of every wrongly translated signs.
It was interesting to see how enthusiastic the people were about learning English! I thought the multi-lingual police was quite funny when he imitated the New York accent! The sales people at the Silk Market were pretty good too!
It was interesting to see how enthusiastic the people were about learning English! I thought the multi-lingual police was quite funny when he imitated the New York accent! The sales people at the Silk Market were pretty good too!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
The Spirit Compendium
The story centers around a special book that is able to provide answers to your queries. A guy used this book to solve a few problems faced by him and his house mates during the hungry ghost festival.
The cast was pretty good looking and the outdoor scenes looked beautiful! I also liked the songs and the special sound effects used whenever something supernatural was encountered!
The cast was pretty good looking and the outdoor scenes looked beautiful! I also liked the songs and the special sound effects used whenever something supernatural was encountered!
My Dad is a Priest
The story is about the relationship of a father and a son. The son is still studying in school while the father is a priest who is slowly losing his memory because of a recently diagnosed alzheimer's disease.
Liked the simple storyline and the close father-son relationship depicted! Thought the father acted really well when he showed the effects of alzheimer's disease!
Liked the simple storyline and the close father-son relationship depicted! Thought the father acted really well when he showed the effects of alzheimer's disease!
La bete humaine
The story is about the dark side of human nature shown through the encounters of a worker at a railway station.
Liked the nice country side view during the train rides and the in-depth study of the psychology of the characters!
Internet Movie Database Link
Liked the nice country side view during the train rides and the in-depth study of the psychology of the characters!
Internet Movie Database Link
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Juno
The story is about what happened after a high school student discovered that she was pregnant. She decided to go through the pregnancy and got someone to adopt her baby.
The plot is straight forward but the director captured the relationship among Juno, her parents, her friends and the adoptive parents pretty well! Minus point would be that it was a little bit too wordy and the teenagers used some slang that was difficult to understand.
Internet Movie Database Link
The plot is straight forward but the director captured the relationship among Juno, her parents, her friends and the adoptive parents pretty well! Minus point would be that it was a little bit too wordy and the teenagers used some slang that was difficult to understand.
Internet Movie Database Link
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Scrabble Nationals 2008 (Day Two)
There were a few casualties at the start of day two. Kum Zi Peng and Gan Cher Siong dropped out from div A, Lester Phong, Dinna Lim and Low Bee Theang dropped out from div B. This tested the skill of the tournament director to do a proper pairing so that those who were absent would meet each other. The proper pairings was eventually done with the help of Tony and Wei Bin. If there was a TD handbook, this should probably be one of the FAQ.
Game 5: vs Shahrul
Managed to close up the gap to about 18 points after my opponent scored his second bingo but he extended his lead further with AKE(30) and HEXING(39) towards the end of the game and I lost.
New words learnt: INDOLES, HEXING
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: CHARRING(76), INDOLES(65)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ABE*
My High Moves: QI(46), FILTH(36), ZIT(35) Opp High Moves: BEES(30), AKE(30), HEXING(39)
L 409-364, -45. 2W 3L (Accum spread -92).
Game 6: vs Timothy Tan
Played badly at the start as I had lots of vowels and I played them for very few points while allowing my opponent to score big. Improved a little bit towards the end as I managed to score big with some of my tiles but couldn't catch up by then.
New words learnt: MOULDERS
My Bingos: DESIRES(70), LANTERNS(74) Opp Bingos: MOULDERS(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: XI(34), CUBIT(30), WRIT(39), HENRY(34) Opp High Moves: KI(33), QADI(72)
L 390-416, -26. 2W 4L (Accum spread -118).
Had a birthday celebration for the tournament director after our second game and everyone in both division A and B were given a slice of cake each. I happened to be queueing after Serene and Yen Nee. Heard Serene requesting to have a small piece while Yen Nee wanted an extra large piece. Hmm, thought it should have been the other way round to balance things up?
Game 7: vs Eden Choo
Close game! Managed to edge out a win despite being outbingoed two to one.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: TARDIER(82) Opp Bingos: DILUTES(66), INSTEAD(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: COEDITS*
My High Moves: QATS(33), TWIRLED(45), VAU(31), FY(31), WINCE(39) Opp High Moves: WHIZ(43), TAK(31), OX(50), SIDE(32)
W 447-438, +9. 3W 4L (Accum spread -109).
After our 3rd game, I went to a nearby food center together with Winston, Victor and Timothy for lunch.
Game 8: vs Khamis
Khamis played the same phoney "ABE" as Shahrul in an earlier game. Think this must be one of the more common three letter phoneys played. Lost as I was outbingoed two to none.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: ENTAILED(61), FIGURES(72)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ABE*
My High Moves: JOLLY(46), HUB(32), YON(42), PAN(32) Opp High Moves: AXE(36), WHET(37), FUNS(33)
L 343-393, -50. 3W 5L (Accum spread -159).
Game 9: vs Soo Yi Wei
Had a comfortable lead after the first few moves and I extended my lead further towards the end with DITZ(47).
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: RIOTERS(70) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: AF*
My High Moves: CRAFT(32), FY(38), WAIST(34), WE(36), DITZ(47) Opp High Moves: -
W 463-210, +253. 4W 5L (Accum spread +94).
Game 10: vs Ruby Sim
Had a comfortable lead after I scored two bingos early in the game. I maintained my lead with a bit of help from Ruby who phonied twice and changed her tiles several times.
New words learnt: CARL
My Bingos: BEARING(63), TAINTED(73) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ZIENS*, UVO*
My High Moves: - Opp High Moves: WOWS(40), ZA(37), AD(30), VIES(36)
W 449-322, +127. 5W 5L (Accum spread +221).
Game 11: vs Eden Choo
Played Eden once again in this KOTH round. Realised that I was really rusty when I took a long time to think of a bingo with a AEINTT? rack. Wanted the blank to be an S and in the 3rd position so that I could have a double double. Eden scored big in the middle of the game and extended his lead with a late bingo in the game.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: INSTATE(80) Opp Bingos: GLINTED(74)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QIS(42) Opp High Moves: DJINS(33), JEE(32), ORAD(30), WIZ(42)
L 347-428, -81. 5W 6L (Accum spread +140).
Game 12: vs Ganapathy
Would have wanted to win the last game so that I could at least have an equal number of wins and losses but I really had no form in this game and lost badly.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: STARTED(74), STAPLED(75)
My Phoneys: WAM* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: IWI(30), OOM(30) Opp High Moves: FAX(34), FURY(42), ZEE(32), ROUND(31)
L 287-479, -192. 5W 7L (Accum spread -52).
Finished the tournament with 5 wins and out of top 10. Hope to do better next year!
Game 5: vs Shahrul
Managed to close up the gap to about 18 points after my opponent scored his second bingo but he extended his lead further with AKE(30) and HEXING(39) towards the end of the game and I lost.
New words learnt: INDOLES, HEXING
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: CHARRING(76), INDOLES(65)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ABE*
My High Moves: QI(46), FILTH(36), ZIT(35) Opp High Moves: BEES(30), AKE(30), HEXING(39)
L 409-364, -45. 2W 3L (Accum spread -92).
Game 6: vs Timothy Tan
Played badly at the start as I had lots of vowels and I played them for very few points while allowing my opponent to score big. Improved a little bit towards the end as I managed to score big with some of my tiles but couldn't catch up by then.
New words learnt: MOULDERS
My Bingos: DESIRES(70), LANTERNS(74) Opp Bingos: MOULDERS(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: XI(34), CUBIT(30), WRIT(39), HENRY(34) Opp High Moves: KI(33), QADI(72)
L 390-416, -26. 2W 4L (Accum spread -118).
Had a birthday celebration for the tournament director after our second game and everyone in both division A and B were given a slice of cake each. I happened to be queueing after Serene and Yen Nee. Heard Serene requesting to have a small piece while Yen Nee wanted an extra large piece. Hmm, thought it should have been the other way round to balance things up?
Game 7: vs Eden Choo
Close game! Managed to edge out a win despite being outbingoed two to one.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: TARDIER(82) Opp Bingos: DILUTES(66), INSTEAD(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: COEDITS*
My High Moves: QATS(33), TWIRLED(45), VAU(31), FY(31), WINCE(39) Opp High Moves: WHIZ(43), TAK(31), OX(50), SIDE(32)
W 447-438, +9. 3W 4L (Accum spread -109).
After our 3rd game, I went to a nearby food center together with Winston, Victor and Timothy for lunch.
Game 8: vs Khamis
Khamis played the same phoney "ABE" as Shahrul in an earlier game. Think this must be one of the more common three letter phoneys played. Lost as I was outbingoed two to none.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: ENTAILED(61), FIGURES(72)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ABE*
My High Moves: JOLLY(46), HUB(32), YON(42), PAN(32) Opp High Moves: AXE(36), WHET(37), FUNS(33)
L 343-393, -50. 3W 5L (Accum spread -159).
Game 9: vs Soo Yi Wei
Had a comfortable lead after the first few moves and I extended my lead further towards the end with DITZ(47).
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: RIOTERS(70) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: AF*
My High Moves: CRAFT(32), FY(38), WAIST(34), WE(36), DITZ(47) Opp High Moves: -
W 463-210, +253. 4W 5L (Accum spread +94).
Game 10: vs Ruby Sim
Had a comfortable lead after I scored two bingos early in the game. I maintained my lead with a bit of help from Ruby who phonied twice and changed her tiles several times.
New words learnt: CARL
My Bingos: BEARING(63), TAINTED(73) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: ZIENS*, UVO*
My High Moves: - Opp High Moves: WOWS(40), ZA(37), AD(30), VIES(36)
W 449-322, +127. 5W 5L (Accum spread +221).
Game 11: vs Eden Choo
Played Eden once again in this KOTH round. Realised that I was really rusty when I took a long time to think of a bingo with a AEINTT? rack. Wanted the blank to be an S and in the 3rd position so that I could have a double double. Eden scored big in the middle of the game and extended his lead with a late bingo in the game.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: INSTATE(80) Opp Bingos: GLINTED(74)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QIS(42) Opp High Moves: DJINS(33), JEE(32), ORAD(30), WIZ(42)
L 347-428, -81. 5W 6L (Accum spread +140).
Game 12: vs Ganapathy
Would have wanted to win the last game so that I could at least have an equal number of wins and losses but I really had no form in this game and lost badly.
New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: STARTED(74), STAPLED(75)
My Phoneys: WAM* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: IWI(30), OOM(30) Opp High Moves: FAX(34), FURY(42), ZEE(32), ROUND(31)
L 287-479, -192. 5W 7L (Accum spread -52).
Finished the tournament with 5 wins and out of top 10. Hope to do better next year!
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