Just when I was about to give up on Hong Kong movies, along came a spectacular box office hit that totally blew me away. The Protege is possibly one of the best movies to come out from Hong Kong in a long, long time. As much as I hate the tired and overused good-cop-working-undercover-against-evil-gang-members formula, I must say this is one show I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.
Andy Lau was brilliant as the weak but wild-tempered drug lord, and the little girl in the movie is just too cute. Underlying the movie is a serious message warning the audiences about how drugs ruin lives.
“Where the f**k did I leave my car keys?”
One actor irritates me to no end though – Daniel Wu.
If Daniel Wu is supposed to be some tough-ass undercover police, then how come he screamed like a pussy when he spotted a dead body?
C’mon! When is the last time you saw a guy covering his mouth when he screams? That’s not the kind of reaction you would expect from an undercover police!
That’s the kind of reaction you would expect from an Ah Kua from Bangkok who just underwent surgery to remove his pair of ping-pong balls.
As part of an initiative to make the city more favourable towards tourists, a series of state-of-the-art automated public toilets were recently introduced at several tourist hot spots around KL city.
These new public toilets came to light not without some controversy. Some people like them, some people think those money can be better spent somewhere else. At RM400,000 a pop, these toilets are even more expensive than the houses most of us live in.
But hey, it’s not like the authorities care anyway. The toilets have been built already and if you don’t like them, you can go shit sit somewhere else.
Our country’s top officials are obviously proud of these toilets. On the toilets’ opening ceremony, even our Deputy Prime Minister came along in his sleek black limo to officiate the opening.
When it comes to opening ceremonies, people always like to perform a symbolic action to mark its opening. Some people cut ribbons, others plant trees or hit gongs.
You gotta wonder, what symbolic action our Deputy Prime Minister did to make the opening of these toilets official? Did he urinate to officiate?
These toilets cost 20 cents to use. In other words, they need at least 2 million people to piss in each of these toilets just to breakeven financially.
There’s a coin slot by door for you to put the money in. These are pretty similar to those soft drink vending machines. Except with vending machines, you put in the coin in and stuff comes out of it – for you.
With these toilets, you put the coin in and stuff comes out of you.
The inside of the public toilets look mighty impressive. Unlike the public toilets we are used to, these ones are extremely clean. They are so clean, they make our hawker food stalls look dirty.
Only in Malaysia can you find places you shit cleaner than the places you eat.
I mean, there’s even an aircond inside the toilet! Finally, someone has acknowledged that chucking a shit is actually pretty tough work.
The most amusing of all, must be the warning signboard inside the RM400,000 toilet.
There’s this symbol that says “No Diving Allowed.”
Then there’s the standard “No Eating and Drinking Allowed”
I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure about the kinda food they serve in public toilets. Chocolate cakes, anyone?
But one thing that caught my attention though, was this warning.
Heh.
The last thing you wanna happen when you’re happily taking a dump, is for the door to automatically open and have the busy crowd at Bukit Bintang catch an eyeful of you.
Doing this.
That’d be kinda awkward.
I’ve been having a string of bad lucks when it comes to digital cameras.
First, I had my one-year-old pocket-sized Sony T9 stolen. At least I thought it was stolen.
Actually I had carelessly misplaced the camera and couldn’t find it for a month. By the time I found it, I had already stupidly forked out cash for a Sony T10 to replace it. D’oh! So I ended up having two similar Sony cameras side by side.
I had plans to sell off my old T9, but then my brand new Sony T10 was stolen.
It was New Year’s Eve and I was out partying in crowded places. My camera was clipped on to my belt. One moment I was happily snapping photos of my buddies, next moment, it was gone. 🙁
It sucks bad enough that your camera is stolen. but when your 2-month-old baby is stolen – damn, that sucks even worse than an Electrolux vacuum cleaner.
I couldn’t get over the fact that I lost a new camera. My impulse told me to immediately get another Sony T10 to fix my broken heart. But then I have a slim camera in my arsenal already, so why add another similar one to it?
After a bit of research, I decided to spend a bit more to jack up my weapon to a larger digital SLR instead.
This is the Nikon D40 dSLR camera I bought for myself a few weeks ago.
I went for a Nikon because almost everyone I know who are serious about their photography uses a Nikon. Even the people who depends on their camera to fed them like Joyce Wong, Kid Chan, and Alvin Leong all shoot with a Nikon.
The camera isn’t yet available in Kuching. I got mine from a shop at Sungai Wang Plaza in KL, and even then many shops there have already sold out the Nikon D40. Some even jacked up their prices unreasonably high just to piss potential customers off. Dammit I hate people like that.
There’s a reason for this camera’s popularity. The Nikon D40 is the smallest and lightest digital SLR camera on the market. It is also the most affordable, which is good for cheapskates like me.
Previously, if you want a dSLR you gotta be prepared to pay a starting price of around RM3,000. The Nikon D40 comes with a price tag of less than RM2,200 and comes bundled with a camera bag and a 1GB SD card.
Look at how good the camera is. This shot is taken with a Sony T9.
Compare that with a similar shot taken blow with the Nikon D40.
There’s really no comparison between the two. The dSLR is in a whole different league of its own. Image quality-wise, the Nikon D40 is leaps and bounds ahead of any camera I have ever owned.
I especially like its ability to focus so quick and so good.
On the downside, the Nikon D40 is so freaking humungous that I cannot possibly carry it around everywhere I go.
Where am I gonna hide this camera, man? In my pocket?
Still, I’m taking this baby whenever I can and learning it slowly. Right now, there are too many manual controls that a casual photographer like me are clueless of and would have to take time to figure out.
What “shutter speed” what “aperature priority”? I catch no ball.
It’s an expensive hobby lah, this whole photography thing. I don’t even have aspirations to be a professional photographer. I just wanna take better pictures than I currently do.
The good this about having a SLR is that when my photography skillz go from n00b to l33t, the option to upgrade the camera is there.
I can even zhng my camera with different types of lens!
Here are a few more reasons why an SLR camera kicks bigger arse than a normal digital camera. 1. An SLR camera takes a lot better pictures.
In Malaysia, ‘Dilarang Membuang Sampah’ means ‘You’re welcome to chuck your rubbish here anyhow you like’
Even a rubbish dump looks good when it’s taken with an SLR camera.
You don’t see professional photographers for magazines or weddings going around snapping photos with pissy Sony T10s. They all use big black cameras. The BIGGER the camera, the BETTER. And if you’re not using your BIG camera to take pictures, you can always use it to hit people.
2. You look way cooler holding an SLR camera.
And chicks are gonna dig you.
Why? Because an SLR camera is big. And chicks dig guys who carry around a big equipment.
3. You can go to concerts or events for free by dressing up as a reporter.
The security aren’t gonna know diddly squat about cameras. They’ll just think people who hold small cameras are fanboys trying to harrass the celebrities and those who hold big cameras are reporters trying to do their jobs. Instead of getting chased away by angry burly men, you can sneak into the restricted zones and take up-close photos of the celebrities as much as you like. After all, you’re just a reporter “doing your job”, right? 😉 Hur hur hur. (Disclaimer: kennysia.com does not encourage sneaking into concerts. Please seek your mommy’s permission before you do so. kennysia.com will not be held liable for any damages, including damages done to your face when you’re caught by security)
4. Finally, your subjects are happier if you take pictures of them with an SLR camera.
Last time, if you use a normal camera to shoot them, they would say NO.
Now, if you use an SLR camera to shoot them, they pose for you!
Such is the power of a dSLR camera.
Previously in Prepaid Wars, we arrived at a cliffhanger ending when our three competing telcos tied up with three points each in their round-of-six battle for supremacy.
I got a few things to say after reading the comments from my last entry. The first is that for “normal” users, you’re not gonna find much differences in the call rates across all three prepaid telcos. That’s why I only focus on the extras provided by the telcos.
The second is that I can’t measure network coverage. Sure, I can put three different SIM cards in three different phones and drive up from Kuching to Tawau then swim to Kuala Lumpur, but signal strength is affected by many other factors like phone design and surrounding environment.
From what many people are saying: Celcom has the best coverage, Maxis is moving on par with Celcom and Digi’s coverage sucks the most. My friend Jojo uses DiGi Prepaid and lives in the popular residential area of Batu Kawa. It’s tough to get in touch with her because the poor girl can only get a signal in her kitchen and not in her bedroom. So much for their so-called “wide coverage”.
In any case, it’s an intense toss-up between three bloodsworn enemies as we arrive to the finale of another episode of…
Round Four: The Kiasu Marathon Caller
You are a Kiasu Marathon Caller if you send lots of SMS or talk on the phone for more than say, 20 minutes a day.
I knew a guy once who could talk on the phone with his girlfriend for 7 hours straight. That’s pretty impressive considering most guys I know don’t have an attention span of more than 10 minutes, unless it involves sex.
If your girl is the weird kind who finds long-windedness in a sensitive new age guy desirable, then this is for you.
If you’re a moderate user, it doesn’t matter which telco you choose because at the end of the day the their rates are pretty much the same. If you’re a heavy user, both Hotlink Total and Digi Prepaid offer better discounts if you spend more than a certain amount.
Without needing to spend a minimum amount, Xpax is already 38c/min if you call to other Celcom numbers. Xpax is however, more expensive if you call to other networks. DiGi’s rate starts off at 48c/min but drops to 38c/min if you spend more than RM30 a month. If you spend less than RM6 a day, Hotlink is just slightly more expensive than the rest.
But what I like about Hotlink’s Total Plan is that on days which you don’t feel like spending much, you can choose to call less or not to call anyone at all. On the days that you wanna make more calls, you can do that and save up to 50% compared to the rest once you spend more than RM6 in a day. Unlike Digi, you don’t have to wait until you hit RM30 in a month before you qualify for a lower rate. Out of the three, only Hotlink gives you that sorta flexibility.
For the winner of Round 4, my pick is simple.
Round Five: The Eager Freeloader
You are an Eager Freeloader if you sign up for a new prepaid number just to enjoy the privileges and benefits that comes along with it. There are some crazy people who sign up with all three telcos just so they could get special treatment to the events these telco sponsored.
Celcom Xpax’s starter pack is the cheapest. At RM5 per pack, it comes with RM2 free airtime.
They don’t seem to sponsor a lot of notable concerts in the past. But if you’re a movie buff, you should be happy with their range of movie memorabilia from Casino Royale, King Kong and that Matrix knockoff from Bollywood called Don.
You don’t get a lot of benefits like discounts and privileges as Xpax subscribers apart from movie posters, ringtones and stuff.
Digi Prepaid Pack costs RM8.50. It includes RM5 free airtime each month for 4 months if you top up every month, and 50% extra airtime on your first reload. I guess that’s their way of enticing their customers to actually use their product.
Digi does sponsor a fair bit of concerts, though unfortunately they’re mostly from B-grade South-East Asian artistes like Tata Young and Denise Ho. However, Digi deserves some credit for supporting local indie acts like at the recent Digi Streetblast and the Malaysian Idol-inspired singing contest called Digi Celebriteen.
Hotlink Total Plan’s Starter Pack costs the most among the three at RM8.80 per pack, but it gets you started with RM4 credit and a whopping 500 SMSes to any Maxis number.
And when it comes to concerts, hohoho… Hotlink has got all the big names covered. We’re talking about international A-listers like David Tao, Pussycat Dolls, Eason Chen, Twins, Justin Lo and so much more.
It’s enough to make any fat pimply teenage girl cream her panties.
This one, is a no-brainer.
Round Six: The Diehard Loyal
They say its easier to keep an existing customer than to recruit a new one. In a market where the fight for that elusive slice of pie is intense as this one, all three telcos are doing all they can to reward their long-serving customers. Celcom Xpax‘s loyalty benefit is whereby the longer you stay with them, the more free credits you’ll get. Digi Rewards is based on how much you topped up over the period of 4 months. The more money you spend on reloads, the more free credits you’ll get. Digi also has this cool deal where you can get 50% extra credit if you top-up on your bithday. Hotlink’s Club Rewards is based on points system. 100 Reward Points can be redeemed for either RM1 airtime or 50 free SMSes. Every RM1 top up earns you 2 points. That’s 1 free SMS.
Just a few weeks ago, Hotlink unveiled an even more unique way of earning points. They call it the Call-Me Bonus, and you can earn points just by answering your calls. The longer you stay on the line, the more reward points you get.
If only scoring points is that easy. Those freeloaders don’t even have to spend a single cent to collect points and redeem free airtime and SMSes.
Next time I get a missed call from a 012 number, I’ll know got ulterior motives one.
When it comes to dishing out rewards, it is Hotlink’s package that stood out brilliantly from the rest. With Celcom and Digi, you gotta wait at least 5 months before you could redeem anything. With Hotlink, their rewards are almost instantaneous.
It’s hard to argue with this one.
Final Thoughts
It is true that not one telco provides the best plan to suit all different kinds of user.
What’s clear to me is this. If you call Celcom or fixed line numbers often, Xpax suits you best. If you call outstation numbers often, Digi suits you best – though I must admit I have been hearing too much complaints from Digi customers about this telco’s spotty coverage.
Hotlink’s pricing structure is so complicated, I’m surprised they don’t offer a bachelor’s degree program on it at our local universities. No wonder Digi’s One Low Flat Rate campaign is gonna win over the average customers confused with Hotlink’s complicated pricing structure.
But the smarter consumers would realise that it is that same complicated pricing structure that gives Hotlink unrivalled flexibility to kick Digi and Celcom’s collective arses. Top off Hotlink’s flexible rates with great coverage, world-class concerts, an impressive rewards programme and the Call-Me Bonus, even the fiercest critics must agree that Digi and Celcom has got NOTHING on them to fight Hotlink.
I have made my verdict. The public poll in my last entry confirms it. With a score of 9-6-3, the undisputed champion of the Prepaid Wars is… Maxis Hotlink.
No questions about that.
Previously, I wrote about the outrageous battles of publicity between our three telco operators.
It is a never-ending war that has conquered almost every single aspect of our lives. From newspapers, to TV, to the Internet, to cinemas, to billboards, to even the lamp posts on our streets, it is becoming almost impossible to get through a single day without encountering an ad for either one of Maxis, Digi or Celcom.
In a war where everyone is claiming they are the best, who exactly is the best?
No one seems to have a definite answer.
Which is why I decided that kennysia.com is gonna do something good for the people, and put an end to this bitter rivalry, once and for all.
I am a Celcom Postpaid user, which makes me somewhat of a neutral observer in this war between Prepaids. I am not endorsing anyone. In fact I have little to gain even if Xpax decided to grace me with sponsorship, simply because I have a phone allowance and my bills are already taken care of by my employer. Besides, it’s just too much of a hassle for me to switch numbers.
In the interest of finding out which telco has the better prepaid plan, I purchased four different SIM packs over the Christmas break. After extensive research, sleepless nights and countless cups of caffeine, I am putting Maxis Hotlink, Digi Prepaid and Celcom Xpax in the ring for a head-to-head triple threat, round-of-six prizefight.
And here are the results. Round 1: The Cheapskate User
You are a cheapskate user if you own a phone mainly to let people call you.
You’re not the kind who make a lot of phone calls yourself. When you do, it’s just to say “Ma, I finish school already. Come pick me up liaw.” or “Ah boy ah, are you coming home to eat tonight?” If you wanna talk for longer, you’ll probably do that bloody annoying thing of making a miss call, then expect the person to call you back.
Sounds familiar? Then cheapskates like you should be looking at the low usage plans by the three operators on offer.
Call rates between the three are very similar. But the difference-maker here is that Hotlink’s credits last longer and expire later.
Say you spend RM15 a month, a RM30 reload would last you 2 whole months on Hotlink, compared to just 1 month on either Celcom or Digi. That makes Hotlink’s Easy Plan the clear winner this round.
Round 2: The Interstate Lover
You are an Interstate Lover if you often call to numbers all throughout Malaysia.
You don’t have a lot of friends locally, which is why you have to always call outstation to harrass people from another state. Most people would find you a freaking weirdo, because unless you’re a businessman how often do you make phone calls to people from another state?
Digi’s one flat rate nationwide comes in handy here. The only time Digi is more expensive is if you call outstation Celcom numbers extensively. Xpax would turn out cheaper in that case since you don’t have to wait till you hit RM30 a month to get 38c/min.
Round 3: The Clique Member
You are a Clique Member if you and your friends are like The Stellars. Or EPL football players.
Everything you do, die die must do together.
You go out for lunch together, you pose for the cameras together, you wear the same clothes together. Heck, you probably even share the same boyfriends together. (Ewww…)
In which case, I’m sure you have no problems sharing the same telco together.
If you and your bunch of friends are shopping for new prepaid lines together, Xpax is best.
All three telcos offer special low rates for your list of special numbers. But Hotlink Total’s Activ5 and Digi’s F&F only allow numbers belonging to their own network to be on the list.
With Xpax’s 8pax, you can add not just Celcom numbers but also TM fixed lines to the list and enjoy the low rates for up to eight assigned numbers. It’s a cool deal that even Hotlink’s super cheap 10c/min off-peak dwarfs in comparison.
With each of our big three neck-and-neck with three points each under their belt, just who will emerge victorious as the winner in the battle of prepaids?
Stay tuned for the conclusion, in the next episode of… Prepaid Wars!
I am fat.
I have always been fat. I never denied that.
I have been fat since I was 9. And no matter how much weight I gained or lost, I am still fat.
People used it as a weapon against me all the time. Whenever anyone wanna attack or insult me, the first thing they would do is say that I’m fat.
It didn’t do my self-esteem a lot of good, even way back when I was in high school. I was quiet. I did not have a lot of friends because I did not fit in the “popular crowd”. I was bullied because I was fat.
I was like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
All of the other reindeers, used to laugh and call me names. They never let poor Kenny, play in any reindeer games.
That’s alright. I am fat. People call me fat and I deserve it.
It’s not like I have anyone to blame it on.
Who can I blame? My parents for giving me bad genes?
Some people can eat like a horse, drink like a fish, don’t exercise and still remain slim.
I have to watch what I eat strictly and workout 6 times a week like mad just to prevent myself from getting too fat. If I fail to follow that routine for even just one week, I will gain fat. That’s how sensitive my body is.
But that’s ok.
I recognise it as my disability. It is a curse I have to live with. But it doesn’t bother me.
All it means is I have to work extra hard to be on the same level with everyone else.
So be it.
This time last year I made myself a list of New Year’s Resolutions.
One of the items on the list, is to shed 10kg off my body weight.
And so I started exercising regularly. For the past few months I have been hitting the gym almost without fail 3 times a week immediately after work. On top of that, I am alternating between jogging and swimming 45 minutes in the pool everyday.
I began eating all the healthy stuff. Friends who went out with me before would vouch for my strict draconian diet. I gave up a lot of my favourite Kuching food, like kolo mee and laksa. I took the Kenko Diet Plums I got from Cheesie. At the peak of my desperation, I was eating an apple for lunch.
It has been 12 months since I made that resolution.
I was 86kg then.
I am 78kg now.
Just 2kg shy of my target.
Of course, I am still fat lah. I know that I’ll probably never ever be considered slim. Still fat, but just less fat.
Knowing how stubborn my body is, losing the 8kg over the period of 12 months wasn’t that easy.
Without a doubt, the most significant turning point in 2006 was when I did the 42km KL International Marathon. Of all the participants present that day at the starting line, I was definitely the most out of place. I was like the Jack Black among all the Johnny Depps and Angelina Jolies.
And yet I did it, even when it meant limping and literally DRAGGING my two numb legs for the remaining 12km of the race.
I felt like a brand new person when I crossed the finishing line. It wasn’t just because I had achieved a seemingly inhumane feat. It was also the people I meet along the way, like a 73-year-old who finished the race 1.5 hour ahead of me, that inspired me and gave me unlimited confidence boost.
Completing the 42km made me truly believe that nothing is impossible.
Soon after the marathon, I noticed my body underwent serious transformation. Within a month, 4kg worth of fat melted right off my body.
A lot of people e-mailed in asking if I’m participating in future marathons.
Yes, I am.
I can’t lie. I miss the trance I went into after reaching the human threshold 30km into the race. I miss the hit of natural high when I crossed the finishing line. The fact is, I cannot wait to compete in my next marathon. I’m addicted to it.
One of my new year resolutions is take up distance running seriously next year.
I have already started training for my next marathon.
But the shoes I wore for my last one was completely obliterated. I wasn’t ready to replace them since I only had those shoes for less than 2 years.
I did helplessly try to superglue the soles of the shoes back together but the damn thing couldn’t even hold on for a few days before opening its mouth again.
I was walking around in the adidas store at 1 Utama during my last trip to KL and learnt about their ‘Test Run 28’ campaign which I thought was real interesting concept.
If you’re not satisfied for any reason at all within 28 days, the shop will exchange them for another brand new pair from the ‘Test Run 28’ range, no questions asked.
That’s real important because good running shoes always costs so bloody much. Most people don’t know if the shoes really suit them or not until they tried them out in the real world.
It’s been ages since I bought new sports shoes, so I was like a kid in a candy store going through all the choices.
I spotted the adidas Supernova Control and fell in love with it as soon as I slipped them on. It is their latest in their popular Supernova series which has been getting rave reviews from the runners community. A pair of those costs RM499 . That’s the price to pay to get their top-of-the-line technical running shoes.
RM499… that’s like, RM249.50 for each foot. :/
The difference between a RM499 technical shoe and a RM49 one you can get from Bata is that the more expensive adidas is fitted with all the high-end technology a normal person couldn’t care less.
Technology like the Ortholite for its antimicrobial moisture wicking sock lining, 3D Torsion System for mid-foot integerity, Quickstrike for light-weight flexibility, adiWEAR for durable outsoles, adiPRENE for shock absorption and adiPRENE+ for efficient forefoot propulsion.
Oh sorry, did I make you read through all those? 😉
Heh, I wouldn’t even adiBOTHER to adiSTAND all those adiTERMS, adiWISE I will get an adiHEADACHE+ and then I’ll say adiOS.
Still, can’t deny that the new shoes look cool though. 😛 I just love the silver and metallic blue colour combo. It looks darn futuristic.
Anyway, I worn the shoes for a few days now and they feel fantastic. No wonder seasoned runners love these. My ankles don’t hurt as much after running and that’s a good thing if I plan to improve my marathon time in 3 months time.
When you’re running religiously everyday, simple purchases like this can make your feet really happy.
Unlike Hollywood, us simple Kuching folks don’t get a lot of movie premieres over here.
When it comes to hosting red-carpeted movie gala events, Kuching is probably the least considered venue among filmmakers. We don’t have a lot here to attract stars and celebrities. In fact, we are so insignificant that people always think Kuching is part of Sabah.
But just last week, our humble little town was transformed into Tinseltown as the cast and crew of the movie The Possessed descended here and made their presence felt in our backyard.
Smyth Wong, Alan Yun, Steve Yap, Amber Chia, Bjarne Wong, Manolet Garcia
If it weren’t for Bjarne Wong, people are probably still gonna think that Kuching is located inside Sabah.
Bjarne is a Kuching-born film director who made the movie “The Possessed”. It is Bjarne’s second movie after “The Legend of the Red Curse” which was widely considered a disastrous cinematic flop.
With director Bjarne Wong
I actually watched “Legend of the Red Curse” together with the Bjarne, Linus Chung and Mei Ling* at Bjarne’s house in his bedroom that one fateful night.
Four grown men in one bedroom must be every gay man’s fantasy. But don’t worry ladies, my anal virginity has escaped the experience unscathed.
Props from “Legend of the Red Curse”
The first movie “Legend of the Red Curse” was one of those movies that is so bad, it’s good. It’s so bad it even had people sending death threats to the director. That is alright, because it was not just Bjarne but everyone’s first attempt at directing a feature-length movie.
Knowing how bad the first movie was, I didn’t have much expectations walking into the cinema for his second piece of work. So it came as a surprise that I actually… enjoyed it. The Possessed stars my longtime sweetheart Amber Chia. It is a “horror flick” featuring actors from in and out of Malaysia, and is filmed entirely in Kuching. I used the term “horror flick” loosely here because as I found out later, the movie actually isn’t really that scary at all.
Senso bar at Hilton
Sure, glaringly obvious plot holes are all over the place and the quality of acting left a lot to be desired. But watching the director putting Kuching onto the silver screen is a surreal feeling. Our humble little city was shot beautifully. Next time I pass by those places that appeared in the movie, can feel their status different already.
For a Kuching boy like me, it is a lot of fun guessing where each scene was shot. When friends we hang out with regularly suddenly appeared on the big screen as keh-leh-feh (supporting cast) speaking Cantonese, everyone bursted out laughing.
Click to watch the trailer for Possessed
Of course, it is a unfair to compare The Possessed with other big-budgeted Hollywood horror movies such as The Sixth Sense, The Village and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.
After all, our movie-making resources and budget here is very limited.
So limited in fact that in the fight scenes, you can see the actors fighting so carefully to make sure that they don’t break any of the furniture around.
Another major MAJOR gripe I have with the movie is that all the dialogue is in Cantonese. I suspect that this decision has more to do with the marketability of the movie overseas rather than staying true to the roots of the de facto Kuching dialect. Not a lot of mainland Chinese or Hong Kong movie goers would be interested to watch the movie if it’s Hokkien right?
On the good side, Amber Chia’s acting has improved tremendously since we last saw her. The most memorable scene undoubtedly was watching Amber getting possessed by the demon.
At first, it looks like she’s trying to scratch an annoying pimple her back as she awkwardly bends here and there. Then she puts herself upside down and spins around like she’s doing ballet with her head.
Amber gets possessed. Decides to mop floor with her head.
Damn, that girl should be in Doha training our gymnasts for the 15th Asian Games.
Apart from seasoned actress Sharifah Amani, another cast member whose acting stands out from the rest is Filipino architect Manolet Garcia.
The Filipino plays a psycho who’s obsessed with Amber Chia’s character. There’s one hilarious scene in the movie where he was drooling over Amber’s photos on the wall, one hand touching her photos disgustingly, the other hand was reaching down to… almost touching his you-know-what. Jojo was laughing so much in the cinema we thought she was possessed.
I reckon Bjarne might have better luck finding his niche making comedies instead of horror flicks.
Overall, I say the movie is very much worth watching, especially if you’re from Kuching and you’d like to see how your hometown was projected onto the big screen. For the rest, it’s best to watch this movie without too much expectations. It’s not to say that “The Possessed” is bad. It is just a lot better than most plotless B-grade Korean horror flicks.
Best of all, you get to see Amber Chia doing ballet on her head.
LG makes sexy phones, and one of the latest additions to the Korean’s bevy of beauties is the LG KG810 Chocolate phone.
I was sent a review unit of the new KG810, and this one truly knocks my socks off. The KG810 retains much of its specifications from its predecessor, just that instead of sliding out, this one flips open. The change in design allows the KG810 to be slimmer and lighter compared to the original, making it no thicker than a bar of chocolate.
Presentation obviously matters a lot to LG.
Even the box packaging that the phone comes with is constructed exquisitely with a magnetic lock. It actually looks more like a gift box than the packaging of a phone. This is in stark contrast with the packaging from most other phone manufacturers, which looks like they’re made from egg carton boxes.
As mentioned earlier, the KG810 is a fashion phone. It is made to appeal to fashionistas who are style conscious and want to be seen out and about holding a luxurious phone. It is not made for geeks who want full-featured phone, camera, camcorder, laptop computer, toaster and fax machine all combined into one FAT BULKY package.
Which of these would you rather be seen in the club with?
There are phones out there made for those (they cost about RM3,000 a piece and look like a glorified bar of soap), but the KG810 is not it. You don’t wear a pair of Ferragamos to a construction site and complain when a nail pierced through your soles, because it is not made for that. Which is why I don’t understand why critics are whining about the Chocolate’s 1.3MP camera not having an expandable memory slot.
Frankly speaking 1.3MP camera and 128MB of internal memory is more than enough for a majority of people. I even took some test shots with the phone’s built-in camera.
Unedited photo taken with the LG KG810, and without the model‘s permission
And the results turn out pretty good!
The phone’s got pretty good connectivity too. If I forget to bring my camera when I’m out, I can easily Bluetooth incriminating photos taken with my phone over to my laptop, then GPRS them up the Internet.
If you have the habit of listening to MP3s on your phone, then you’ll love the KG810. The external LCD and red touch-sensitive interface, modelled after the original Chocolate, is built exactly for that purpose. Hook it up with the included earphones and you can even tune into your favourite FM radios. What I love about the LG KG810:
The buttons on the keypad are smooth and velvety to touch. It gets ridiculously addictive just rolling my thumb around keypad for fun.
The sleek form factor and the elegant design (really, that’s the whole point of a fashion phone isn’t it?)
Its big big LCD screen. That makes watching famous clips like the Police Nude Squat video, Miri Schoolgirl Fight video and Tammy NYP all the more exciting.
The external LCD screen and touch-sensitive buttons that remain hidden unless activated.
Zoo Zoo Club and Sudoku. The default games comes in especially handy during my extended toilet session, now that I’m on detox.
It passes the kennysia.com Drop Test™. Don’t you hate the feeling when you dropped a new phone? Despite how thin it is, the KG810 is solidly built. I accidentally dropped it from a staircase once, but when I rushed to pick it up it is still working fine. There’s not even a scratch on its glossy exterior.
What the LG KG810 can improve upon:
The user interface can get quite a bit of getting used to.
The predictive text input for SMS-ing is not very good at predicting.
Although the built-in camera takes decent pics, its performance is a bit too sluggish for my liking. There’s a delay of about 1 second between pressing the shutter button and actually taking the photo.
If you can overlook these shortcomings like I can, then what you have is a great-looking phone to compliment your fashionable lifestyle. The LG KG810 retails for an affordable RM1,299.
I simply enjoy taking this phone for my night-outs. There’s no denying that a beauty like the KG810 looks a lot more in place in a swanky high end bar than my ugly PDA phone. I particularly love the envious look on my friends’ faces as I slip the phone out from my pocket to answer a call.
Everytime I do that, all the girls would be asking to play with my new phone afterwards.
If only I could say the same about my coconuts.
Remember that delicious LG Chocolate I reviewed a while back?
Hot off the success of the original Black Temptation series slider phone, LG has added two new flavours to their highly popular Chocolate line-up. If black is not your poison, you now have the option of showing off your LG Chocolate in a stunning iPod-esque white or the girly baby pink.
The new White and Pink Chocolate phones retain the same design and functionality as their predecessor, including its minimalistic ultra-slim design, glossy smooth finish and that signature smouldering red navigation touch pad which made the LG Chocolate so popular in the first place. Imagine how many heads you’re gonna turn with this phone in your hot little hand.
Do you want it?
Because I have one LG White Chocolate to give away.
It’s an LG Chocolate. It is white. White represents virginity.
Yes, after photobooks, concert tickets and Croc shoes, kennysia.com is giving away one brand new LG White Chocolate fashion phone, especially for you.
It doesn’t get any better than this.
Question is, how much do you want it? How far would you go to have this sleek little gadget couriered to your door steps? How desperate are you to win this prize?
The naughty side of me was thinking of making people do outrageous stunts to win this prize, like writing “I LOVE KENNYSIA.COM” with a red marker on their forehead and then storm through shopping malls naked. But let’s make it easier and less traumatic lah. To be in the running, all you need to do is post a comment below answering this question. “Is there a desperate addict in your life?”
What I am looking for are real life stories of crazy things desperate people do to win a boy or a girl’s heart.
This contest idea is inspired by Cheesie’s marriage proposal from that weirdo John, who was so desperate for her he printed Cheesie’s photos off her blog and place it next to the Bible.
Do you know someone who did something outrageous, bizarre, stalkish or even “borderline criminal” to try to impress you? Who knows, maybe you are a desperate addict yourself? Tell us all!
Most hilarious story wins the prize.
Contest closes 11:59pm Friday 17th November and you must include your valid email address when posting your comment. Note that prizes will be mailed out to Malaysian addresses ONLY.
Careful, if you win this LG White Chocolate, everyone is gonna envy you and you’re gonna end up with MORE desperate addicts around you.
Crocs is a brand of footwear that seems to be all the rage right now.
They aren’t that big in Malaysia yet, but these odd-looking shoes are everywhere in Hong Kong and Singapore.
It’s hard to miss them, what with their bright in-your-face colours and all. The only thing weirder than their designs is how the heck something not quite a shoe, not quite a sandal, not quite a clog became so damn popular. Even A-list celebrities from Matt Damon to Faith Hill were heard singing praises about them.
Crocs Malaysia has given me a pair of Crocs Beach to try out without any obligations to review them on kennysia.com.
My immediate reaction when I first laid eyes on them was “what the hell is this funny-looking thing”? Then I showed them to Cheesie and she went “Hey, that looks like cheese!”
Cheesie: “It’s yellow and holey!”
Let’s face it, this is probably not the kinda footwear you’d see in the latest issue of Vogue or GQ Magazine. Crocs is the latest fashion trend as well as the greatest injustice to both the words “fashion” and “trend”.
I won’t say that it’s ugly. Let’s be diplomatic and just say that it’s “an acquired taste” and “take some getting used to”. 😛
It actually took me a bit of courage to start wearing the Crocs Beach around town. Crocs are not yet released in Kuching (though we do have some big hungry ones in our rivers), so my footwear has been getting quite a lot of attention here. So far I’ve got all sorts of comments from “OMG WHAT IS THAT?!” to “Hey that looks so cool and funky!”
Crocs aren’t the best looking shoes, but I gotta admit it grows on me after a while. I especially love it when I’m at a friend’s place and see my cheese-yellow Crocs stand up among the boring black leather shoes and brown sandals at the door steps.
Sure, it’s chunky, oversized and make me look like a clown, but I’d be lying if I said Crocs is not the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever put my foot in. A lot of credit goes to the resilient foam-like material the shoes are made of, which moulds into the shape of my soles with the aid of body heat. There are also ventilation holes on the top and sides of the shoes to keep the feet cool.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Nikes, but I can walk all day, step through rainwater, wriggle my toes in my Crocs, and not end up with smelly feet at the end of the day. CAN YOUR NIKES DO THAT?
That’s probably the reason why it’s so popular. You won’t know how soft it is until you try. Crayon-coloured clogs might top of the list of fashion faux pas, but only time will tell whether or not Crocs will suffer the same fate as fashion fads like platform shoes, transparent bra straps and dyed blonde hair.
In the meantime, you’ll definitely see me wearing this around a lot more often.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. I’ve spoken to Crocs Malaysia, and they’ve agreed to give out their flagship Crocs Beach shoes to FIVE lucky readers (thanks, KV!). If you want it, you could have it.
Since Crocs is such a favourite among celebrities, all you gotta do is leave a comment below answering this question. “Do you or someone you know have an interesting encounter with a celebrity?”
I’m NOT talking about you buying a ticket to watch Pussycat Dolls in concert, neither am I talking scandals or smear campaigns like you sleeping with Michael Jackson as a child. It could just be something simple, like maybe someone you know have David Tao on MSN. Or maybe you bought a drink for WWE wrestler Nidia and got a kiss from her in return (which actually happened to me before).
The juicier it is, the better.
Anyway, the contest closes 11:59pm Friday 1st September and you must include your valid email address, so I could e-mail to get your shoe size and postal address. Crocs will mail out the prizes to Malaysian addresses ONLY.
It’s so good to be a kennysia.com reader hor. Got free things one.
