Merry Christmas people!

Looking back, here’s 8 things that happened in my life in 2008:

1. Band of Hamsters animation
   



The most successful and best animation project I was involved in. It has gotten Silver for Direction, Bronze for Editing and 3D Animation in this year’s Crowbar Awards. Also, it was screened in the Singapore Showcase on 30 Oct at Esplanade as part of the Animation Nation 2008 event. The production process was tiring but memorable. I miss those days!

2. Graduated from DMD



I didn’t cry on that day lol. I wouldn’t mind staying in DMD as a student forever with my friends too, but.. luckily we all still managed to graduate. Hahaha.

3. Working at Editude Pictures



( This picture was taken after we jogged from our company to the top of Mount Faber and back to our company again. For the sake of art in this photo, I pretended to look very very exhausted. ) I have gained 3 months of valuable experience and friendship from this company before I got enlisted into the army. Totally grateful for everything. =)

4. Serving the nation



First time shaving bald. First time sleeping in jungle. First time handling weapons. Uncountable amount of first times. Now I am faster and stronger. In the army, you also really get to encounter ALL kinds of guys. The smelliest-for-the-longest-time, the baddest-in-the-most-unbelievable-way, the smartest, the fastest-in-swallowing-food, etc.

5. Designed a T-shirt for sale



If you have bought the T-shirt, thank you! If you haven’t, why haven’t you?

6. Had a girlfriend



We started and ended it in less than half a year. Things just didn’t work out too well for us, so we’ve decided to remain as friends. Her next boyfriend in the future better love her and treat her better + more than I do, or else….. *roar*

7. Donated blood



That was my first time. It felt like a huge amount of ’something’ got drained out from my body rapidly, haha.

8. Planned pretty good birthday celebrations, heh
   



For Mr Lai, Miss Huang and Miss Tan. Also planned smaller scale ones for Mr Zhou and Mr Hum, lol. Planning celebrations (indoor and outdoor) like these are very challenging and at the same time thrilling. I love surprises, so I love giving people around me surprises too. Celebrations like these are also an excuse for everyone to gather and have fun. ^^

Those are the 8 things I did in 2008. Am looking forward to create a better year ahead in 2009!

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2 movies I’ve caught recently:

Yes Man

A feel-good comedy that tries to deliver a positive message. Jim Carrey’s character, Carl, totally reminds me of myself when he goes for unusual random adventures around the city with his girlfriend Allison. It may not make you laugh every single minute, but it will definitely entertain and provide a wacky enjoyable experience for all.

8 / 10

Twilight

Girls usually automatically go ga-ga over the vampire character (ie the male lead), Edward, in this show. I do admit Edward is cute and romantic at times, even though his acting is quite stiff sometimes. =x The vampires inside are way cooler than what most people will think of. They don’t have sharp vampire teeth, they glister under the sun, they look cool and are vegetarian.

Overall the movie is alright, but has no real ending at the end of it, because the second movie is coming up soon.

7 / 10

When shopping for presents during end of year festive season, what’s the first place that pops up in your mind? Bugis? City Hall? Orchard Road?

How about Chinatown?

If you think this place is only for shopping for Chinese New Year goods, you are so terribly wrong! Let’s see what we can find among the shophouses..

Trolley

Introducing Trolley, a quaint little shop at 20 Amoy Street, which is just opposite Far East Square and next to Killiney Kopitiam. It was officially opened around September this year, and sells mostly furniture, home and personal accessories.

The products available are imported from various countries all over the world, and I heard they only sell items which cannot be found anywhere else in Singapore, therefore, things you find in this shop are definitely unique!

As you enter the shop, you will be greeted by many weird products in different shapes as sizes. From portable speakers as small as a dice to large electronic mirrors that spells words like ‘Mirror mirror on the wall’, every discovery of the creatively designed products never fails to surprise.

Some products are so unusual looking you don’t even know what they are for. I remember seeing something that shapes like a hand grenade - turns out that it is actually an eco-friendly reusable shopping bag kept and packed into a small pouch. Lol.

I shall not spill too much to spoil further surprises or shocks this shop might give you, you gotta trolley down and experience them for yourself. Heh.

Strangelets

Further down the street at 87 Amoy Street, there’s a shop called Strangelets. The shop name looks strange huh?

This more or less sums up what this lifestyle retail shop is about. Some of the things they sell are quite nice, lol. -_-

Opened in May this year, in this quirky store you can find many clever decorative items, household products and luxurious furnishings brought in by a collective of interior designers and architects. Some of the items I found interesting are bags made of fabric with sizes and labels of international paper sizes (A2 to A4), and notepads made completely with outdated German maps.

However, be prepared to burn a big hole in your pocket when you enter the shop, especially impulsive buyers!

Books Actually

Okay, so not everyone wants a brand new furniture in their homes. How about getting some great books or cute moleskine notepads?

At 5 Ann Siang Road, you will find Books Actually, a 3 year old cosy independent bookstore offering vintage notebooks, handmade poetry books, small farm animals and colourful old typewriters. Oh, they even have a facebook account!

This shop offers the kind of comfort and warmth which is rarely found in mega bookstores in crowded shopping malls. Kinda makes you want to spend the whole weekend afternoon away reading and relaxing, with some light music playing in the background.

Books Actually holds many literary events, such as book launches and poetry readings. The latest event going on right now is ‘The Saddest Place On Earth‘ exhibition, a collaborative effort between Mimipong’s line of tear dolls together with international and local creative professional writers. The writers – selected from a diverse range of backgrounds – were invited to pen their unique interpretations of sadness on the dolls’ cloth tags.

Reading some of the tales of sadness sometimes reminded me of my own, heh.

This exhibition ends on 12 January 2009, so hop down (or up? lol) to Ann Siang hill now and have a look!

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3 movies I’ve watched recently..

Cape No. 7

One of the best movies I’ve seen this year. It tells two nearly non-related storylines side by side, and yet fortunately never confuses the viewer even once. All I can say about this movie is: It’s beautiful, touching, sad, romantic and funny.

The 7 letters written and read out in the movie are so sweet and melancholic at the same time, I cried like a baby because of that.

Another thing that worked is the excellent soundtrack, which is a combination of various country, rock and pop songs.

Must watch and must listen. =)

9 / 10

Bolt

Highly entertaining and action packed from start to finish, even the typical Disney ‘family-friendly’ storyline becomes enjoyable to watch.

I like how many of the backgrounds are rendered to look like paintings, and once again, the animation is top-notch.

8 / 10

The Sky Crawlers

Even though the message that the director tried to bring across in this movie is quite meaningful, I didn’t like the movie that much.

The sorrowful piano soundtrack and realistic visuals are nice, but the rest of the movie just failed to generate interest in me to pay attention to what’s going on in it.

It takes its time to reveal the story and mysteries bit by bit, and eventually I got bored. Haha. -_-

5 / 10