Love in a Puff

This is a love story about two people who met when they were smoking in the smoking box.

Liked the interesting interview segments that were interspersed in the film! The lead actress was pretty charming despite saying swear words occasionally.

Internet Movie Database Link

Stand By Me Doraemon 2

This movie is based on a Japanese manga Doraemon. Doraemon is a robot cat who has travelled from the future to be friends with Nobita to ensure he has found happiness before it can go back. In this sequel, he is intent on fulfilling his grandmother's wish.

The travelling back and forth in time reminded me a bit of "Back to the Future II"! The grandmother is my favorite character! She is not fazed by anything that she sees and hears and also gave excellent advice to Nobita at the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Over the Moon

The story is about a young girl flying to the moon to find Chang E after learning that her widowed dad intends to remarry.

Liked the nice friendly sibling relationship between the young girl and her future step brother! The moon setting looked quite futuristic!

Internet Movie Database Link

Whisper of the Heart

The story is about a girl who is an aspiring writer falling in love with a boy who wants to be a violin maker.

This felt a bit like "Only Yesterday" with only the childhood segments. Both films also have English songs sung in Japanese! I liked the Shizuku character as she felt like a nice girl-next-door character who is trying to find her way in life!

Internet Movie Database Link

Dangal

The story is about a father training her daughters to be world class wrestlers so that they can win medals for India.

Liked the nice songs and the father daughter relationship in the film! Didn't like the parts with the coach who was depicted as evil for no reason. The director also tried too hard to make the match exciting by making it an almost impossible task for Geeta to come from behind.

Internet Movie Database Link

Mulan

The story is about a girl who went to the Army in ancient China to fight against foreign invaders by disguising herself as a man.

Liked the nice songs and the great problem solving skills of Mulan! I also liked the warm father daughter relationship!

Internet Movie Database Link

A Dog's Journey

The story is about a loyal dog that remembers its purpose to protect its owner's granddaughter even after going through several deaths and rebirths as a different dog.

Liked the nice heartwarming plot! The two main characters were really likable too! The evil side characters were a little bit of a caricature though and the part where the granddaughter walked away normally after a car accident didn't quite make sense.

Internet Movie Database Link

Found

This is a documentary about three cousins going back to China to find out more about their past. They were abandoned by their parents in China and adopted by Americans.

Liked the strong bond among the cousins and their journey to search for their identity! The potential sister of Chloe really looked like her! Can't really blame the father from doubting the report!

Internet Movie Database Link

Lovers Are Wet

The story is about how a young man who worked in a cinema at a small town befriended a strange couple.

Liked the folk song sang by the protagonist. The film was a bit abstract for me though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Night of the Felines

The story is about a group of women working in a Turkish Bath in Tokyo, focusing on a love triangle relationship of one of the women.

The film felt a bit like a mix of "Streets of Shame" and "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs". The love triangle relationship was the strangest one that I have ever seen!

Internet Movie Database Link

Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist

This is a documentary on a Japanese animation director, Satoshi Kon. He is well known for blurring the lines of dream and reality in his films.

It was great to hear that so many directors admired him and were influenced by him! Was pretty surprised to learn that the voice actress for Mimi in "Perfect Blue" was a former idol! Would love to catch "Paranoia Agent" if I have the chance!

Internet Movie Database Link

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

This is a story about a young man who loved the sea and two women falling in love with him. One of them is a handicapped woman called Josee.

Liked how Josee modified the mermaid fairy tale to describe her situation in the library! A pretty apt film to watch shortly after the Paralympics games!

Internet Movie Database Link

Misha and the Wolves

This is a documentary about a woman called Misha who recounted a fantastic childhood adventure to her neighbours and friends that later became a bestseller book.

Liked the interesting twists and turns in the documentary! The perspectives from the different experts and friends helped to shed light on the person the protagonist really was!

Internet Movie Database Link

Stand By Me Doraemon

This movie is based on a Japanese manga Doraemon. Doraemon is a robot cat who has travelled from the future to be friends with Nobita to ensure he has found happiness before it can go back.

Was a little bit disturbed over the use of the giant egg gadget to win over Shizuka but I realized that it was meant to set up for what was to come next; Nobita to prove that he is worthy through his own merit. I was moved by his determination to be less dependent on Doraemon towards the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

ciNE65 MMA 2021 (Winning Films)

There were 12 winning films at the ciNE65 movie makers award 2021. They explore and express the Singapore Identity by telling us what Singapore means to us through film with "Stronger Together" as this year's theme.

Liked "Knock Knock!" the best as it shows the nasty and nice encounters of a hearing impaired delivery man! "Siti" comes in a close second as a heartwarming film that describes how the helper knew her employer much better than the employer's daughter and was treated as part of the family in the end. I also liked the light hearted "Ala-mask!", "Little Miss Mischief" and "Whirling Gears"!

YouTube Playlist

The Diam Diam Era 2

This is a sequel to "The Diam Diam Era" and it is about how people grew up in Singapore during the 1980s seen through one extended family.

Thought the director didn't paint a very good picture of the opposition parties. Especially didn't like the supposedly English educated chairman. Glad that the cousins made up in the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Diam Diam Era

The story is about how people grew up in Singapore during the 1980s seen through one extended family.

Liked the familiar old Singapore sights and sounds! Really brought back old memories! A little bit sad that the Xinyao singer was just a pretty vase with very little spoken lines.

Internet Movie Database Link

CSC Online Scrabble Competition 2021

The CSC Online Scrabble Competition is an annual event for organisations in the civil service to take part in a friendly game of Scrabble. It was held online on 5th June 2021 from 9.30am to 3.30pm. A total of 34 people from 7 organisations took part including three from MINDEF.

Here's my match report.

Game 1: Choo Kay Wei (HDB)
I scored well with ZOA(38) and QuOTES(51) to win the game but could have scored even more. First, I chickened out from front hooking my S to an existing CAG on the board only to have my opponent play it later. Then I had the chance to play LAITIES but back hooked the S to an existing NE on the board. It got challenged off but I wasn't sure which was the phoney so didn't play LAITIES again when I had another chance to play it.

Won 360-274. 1-0 spread +86

Game 2: Khaili (MHA)
I bingoed with TINNIER(70), OUTSPEED(76) and scored well with QIN(39), CANDY(36), ZOS(36) and KA(40) while he bingoed with SOWABLE(68), SCARIER(72), INNATELY(62) and MALTESE(77) and scored well with HAM(36). Gave my opponent extra 15 points for challenging SOWABLE, GOBO and MALTESE.

Lost 423-469. 1-1 spread +40

Game 3: Daniel Lam (PA)
I bingoed with GREATER(73), SELLERs(68) and scored well with ZAS(46) and VILLA(32) while he scored well with FAYED(33) and HM(40).

Won 413-308. 2-1 spread +145

Game 4: Govinda Ghale (MHA)
I bingoed with OUTSIDER(62) and scored well with SECO(38) while he bingoed with AWAITeD(78), LAUDERS(76) and scored well with QUIZ(48), GOURDY(44), JINGLER(46) and CABs(36). Didn't do well as I also mistakenly front hooked an E to QUIZ instead of S and phoneyed with OARSLINE* hoping that it woud be good.

Lost 308-474. 2-2 spread -21

Game 5: Cecilia Koh (HDB)
I bingoed with AStERIA(70) and scored well with SLAW(34) and PLEDGE(36) while she scored well with EX(38) and ZOs(43). Must be getting a little bit tired as I challenged simple words like HEIR. Thought it should be spelled HIER*.

Won 395-341. 3-2 spread +33

Game 6: Rosan (MHA)
Didn't manage to play with Rosan as he had urgent work to do, so I was given a bye.

Won 150-75. 4-2 spread +108

Game 7: Koh Jing Xuan (MINDEF)
I bingoed with SLeNDER(71), WEARIER(83), OVERlOAD(63) and scored well with AFTER(36), OF(33) and OK(36) while he bingoed with BOTANISE(89) and scored well with QI(31), INJECT(32), ZEST(58) and DIXIE(32).

Won 439-378. 5-2 spread +169

Game 8: Sharon Chia (HDB)
I bingoed with ANnUItY(66) and scored well with FAVOR(30), KART(31) and LUZ(46) while she bingoed with LAPSERS(72), CASTERS(84) and scored well with DEX(37). My phoneys with GOW* and TAUTIER* also got challenged off. Was really lucky as I was trailing my opponent since her first bingo but just overtook her by a little bit by bingoing out.

Won 388-347. 6-2 spread +210

I played with players from HDB, MHA, PA and also with my own team mate! Won all my games with HDB but lost 2 out of 3 games with MHA. Final result was 5th placing out of 34. Not too bad in my opinion considering the number of mistakes I made. Hope next year will be an online competition again so that I can play in the comfort of my home!

Like the Dyer's Hand

This is a documentary of a Chinese literature scholar, Ms Yeh Chia-ying who taught in universities around the world.

Not really a fan of Chinese poetry but the film gave me a peek on the minds of literature scholars! I think writing poetry probably helps to exercise the brain as the protagonist looked very sharp despite her old age.

Internet Movie Database Link

All About ING

The story is about how a family coped with the father's terminal illness of liver cancer.

Liked how the film was told from the perspectives of the mother, the son and the father! Gave me a better understanding of what everybody was thinking about.

Internet Movie Database Link