Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (Part I)

You're hearing this from an avid Harry Potter fan's point of view: The movie is forgettable!

Yes, I am a little disappointed with latest installment in the HP series. I'm pretty sure the tickets for most shows are still selling hot like pancakes, but luckily for me I pre-ordered my pair a week before it was released. Heh. Still upset that I didn't have any way to get preview tickets!

Although the movie was more of a yawn fest for me than a magical ride, nevertheless I'm still captivated by the excellent graphics and brilliant (UK-influence you see) actors. Absolutely adore Snape! Did you notice that Harry have got a sense of humour now too?

Why is it forgettable? I read it in the F*** magazine, where they was an interview with Rupert Grint and they were discussing about a particular make-out scene between Ron and Hermione, but I cannot recall it at al!! All I'm getting is (SPOILER): When Ron attempts to destroy the Horcrux (necklace), he saw the vision of Harry and Hermione kissing, both topless.

Admittedly, tears strolled down my cheeks uncontrollably when Dobby died (is not spoiler because you should have read it in the book!)!! Don't you just hate movies where the directors cleverly plant a extremely touching scene at the end - leaving you in tears - and then the theatre lights up, leaving your tear-stained face in full view?! It doesn't help when the person sitting next to you starts laughing at you. :/

No matter what, I'll still want to experience and collect anything that is HP-related! I heard that GV is giving out EZ-link card decal with every 2 tickets purchased! Dang, I watched it in Cathay.

I have been asking around on my social media platform on how to get the movie poster. Though I tried to pull a few strings, word has it that it is almost impossible to get one. :(

 So if you have any unwanted HP stuff, please throw them this way! :D


In conjunction to the the movie, look what I found when I was snooping around in tumblr:

Super-mega-awesomest cake EVER!!! This is my dream cake, complete with The Sorting Hat, Nimbus 2000 and Hedwig!


A quick tracing of who and where I can get my hands on these lovelies...

In PERTH. :.(

Any local bakeries/baker you know can recreate something like this?

 -

The biggest news today has got to be North Korea - South Korea border firing, resulting in at least 2 deaths and 16 injured marines. Imagine if NK successfully create and misuse the nuclear bomb, it'll wipe Singapore and Johor Bahru off with one big mushroom left handing over our heads.

Amidst this gloom,  Porcupine sure knows how to cheer me up. So this is for you:

:3

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Let's Bin It : Design-A-Bin Winners' Showcase

On Sunday, I went down to Sengkang Square for the showcase of the winning entries in Design-A-Bin contest, organised by the National Environmental Agency (NEA). Apparently there was a series of activities going on but I didn't manage to tour all of them!

The event actually marks the launch of Clean & Green Singapore 2011 Launch & Carnival. This is in conjunction to encourage youth participation in keeping our country litter-free. Thus, the “Design-A-Bin” contest was introduced to attract young talents.

Entrance of CGC 2011

 The contest attracted more than 2,000 entries and there are 7 winners as voted by the people. The winning designs showcased the creativity and the environmental messages that they wish to send.

After the prize presentation, I had the opportunity to talk to Tess Moh, the Gold Prize winner for this contest: 

In short, her black and white bin aimed to convey the message that an empty is as dull and mundane as B/W and it finds its usefulness only when it is filled with colourful rubbish. I like that concept.

Picture with Tess, love her shoes btw.

The bin a little out of shape coz' she sat on it for photography purposes! Haha.

Also, meet Abu Bakar Bin Othman, who is the youngest winner (15yo) of the "Design-A-Bin" contest:

 His bin has a personality, where by relishing the bin with a pair of hungry-looking eyes and dirty lips, he has designed a "litter maniac" who is always hungry for litter! He seemed a little overwhelmed when I talked to him, he was just smiling non-stop, even to himself. :D

With Mdm Toh

Then, I talked to Mdm Toh Chiow Tee, who is the oldest winner (55yo) of the contest. She wants to make use of the bright colours to capture the attention and spread the joy of responsible littering. 

Top two winners went home with an iPad each! See what the rest of the winners got to take home with them:

Even got digital camera!

Why didn't I know about this contest earlier? :(

All the winners with their designs

The doggy bin in the foreground won the most creative design.

Did you noticed Joanna and I attempted to be environmental-friendly? ;3

Joanna went to the event with me and she told me about the Litter Munchers experience at Holland Village. >>

The NEA had launched its Litter Munchers earlier this year to promote the same campaign. This online contest had drawn many public participation and Sunday was the showcase of the winners' designs.

I am in full support for similar activities because it doesn't stifle the creativity of young people, and allow them to do something that they are actually passionate about. On top of that, because these bins now look so attractive, it is a constant reminder for me to always bin it now!

Local celebrity Edmund Chen is the Cleanliness Ambassador  was present as well and he, along with the contest winners, designed the bins. 

Here, Edmund Chen and the rest of the winners add the finishing touches to their designs, and these bins will be laced at Punggol Secondary School community indoor sports hall, which is a littering hotspot. 

Youths are seen hanging around that area very often and this anti-litter message bins will motivate them to bin their rubbish.

Edmund Chen, as part of the highlight of the show and prize presenter, was delighted to be part of this meaningful campaign. He elaborated more on the concept of his bin design:

Translated, he hopes that our environment will be cleaner, such that the grass/pastures remain green and luscious, the sky to be very blue, lined with white fluffy clouds and bunnies hopping around. 

Did you know that Edmund Chen is also a self-taught artist and illustrator? His artworks has gone into five commercial children's books!

Found a little girl standing next to me, shy but expresses her admiration towards Edmund Chen and also her love for the environment (check out her tattoo).

HP, Joanna, Taqinah, Don, Thiang!

 Other than the showcase of the bins, they have meaningful booths set up by various corporations to inform the public, lucky draw and even games for the children.

I rather like that idea, it's like a mini maze of its own.

The performances and lucky draw drew the largest crowd next to the bin showcase. 

Finally, I went to Iluma for project rehearsal after viewing all the bin designs again:

"Colouring one's life"; "Gold Mine"; and "Litter Maniac"

"Bin Boy"; "Doggie Bin" and "Clean & Green Singapore"

"Joy Bin"; "Burp"; and "Bin Boy"

Which one is your favourite?

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Tron Night 2010

Tron Night was a blast at Cathay Cineileisure last Thursday as we were invited to Tron Night. As one of the first viewers to get a sneak peek at the movie, I feel really honoured.

Unfortunately, I arrived slightly late and so I sat alone at the corner! The security clearance was pretty tight too. But I managed to catch the entire preview. :D

Come December 16, we will all be able to catch Tron: Legacy, and I can't wait for the full version release!

At Tron Night, we were first greeted with a personal message  written to the people in the theatre, and that was really refreshing.

In the first scene, which was shown in 2D, we got to take a closer look at Sam Flynn's apartment. His uncle (if I'm not mistaken) showed up at his loft to pass him the keys to the old Flynn arcade. Initially adamant about checking out the old arcade, Sam became curious as to who sent the pager message to him (Sam's father, Kevin had gone missing for 20 years) and we were cut to the next scene where he checked out the dusty place.

I like this particular scene because it showcases an awesome classic hit, Sweet Dreams Are Made of These, while Sam explores the arcade. The machines looked vintage and awesome; he approached the one in the centre and attempted playing the game (it was the classic version of Tron Bike). It was then he realised the secret doorway that led him  into The Grid.

We were cut to the next scene where Sam was captured and installed with a memory disk before he engage in his first game - Disc Wars.

Did I mention too that Siren in Tron is SUPER HOT in her suit and style?

My favourite scene from the preview would be the Light Bike scene.

Just in case you don't know what the bike game is all about, it is an addictive game where you have to force your opponent to be trapped or knocked out from the game. Players ride in their own motorbicycles and each trail created are marked. This means that the players are unable to take the same route again. Here's a video clip to illustrate:

The preview ended with Sam finally meeting his father with the help of Quorra.

Outside, the bloggers were busy taking pictures and HP was so silly, he refused to come in the the picture-taking before he fixed his faulty camera! 

HP Fail #1

HP Fail #2

Finally!

I went home with a L33K PACK and a set of pretty movie postcards courtesy of Disney (& TRON)!

What does the gamer pack contains?

Appealing to the gamers

Oh somebody would love to have this!

I passed the pack and postcards to my unimate, Joshua, because he's a huge fan and the one who introduced me to Tron and explained the wonder of the virtual world. So he deserves to keep it! :)

 

And if you're interested to catch the first Tron that was made in 1982: (Joshua's passing me the first movie too, heh.)

Lastly, you'll be glad to know that Tron is filmed in 3D, so there isn't any lousy post-production experience. Be ready to be impressed by the 3D effects!

I'll leave you with one advice: MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE IN 3D.

See you at The Grid! :3

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The Rebirth of Granado Espada: Renaissance v5.0

Advertorial

Last Wednesday, gamers and bloggers were invited to the Granado Espada Renaissance Ball, which was held at The Lawn at Raffles Hotel. The Ball was organised to commemorate the launch of the fifth version of IAHGames' popular multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMORPG) Granado Espada.

First released in Singapore in 2007, this game attracted many gamers with its beautiful graphics and ability to allow players to control multiple characters concurrently.

The Ball will include a sharing session by Francis Tan, who is a top gamer of Granado Espada.

And here's a picture of Francis Tan sharing his gaming experience, thoughts and feelings about his favourite game!

On the same night, I met up with some members in the high society of the Granado Espada community. These are the same gamers who have spent in excess of about $30,000 in this game! That's what I call commitment!

Some photos I took with fellow bloggers:

Hong Peng of hpility.

HP and his guest-friend

Cute and gentle emcee, Reiko

Night view at The Lawn, Raffles Hotel

Food we nibbled on - Olives & cheese!

Amidst the small talk, wine-sipping and photo-taking (the models and host dressed up as characters from the game), there was a charity auction. Gamers will auction for exclusive in-game items, and donations will go to the Habitat for Humanity Singapore - a non-profit housing organisation with a mission to eliminate poverty housing worldwide.

The seats started to fill up...

The organisers of the Ball had hoped to raise at least $3,000 for Habitat for Humanity Singapore. Would you like to make a guess of how much the auction had garnered? A whooping $7,720! I applaud the contribution by the gamers and organisers for their kindness.

This was the first auction that I've ever attended, and it was an eye-opener. I didn't expect to see so many avid fans auction for rare items (in the game) all in the name to contribute to a good cause. Each successful bidder will too, bring home a pair of limited edition crystal wine glass in appreciation for their support.

The ten auction pieces were:

1. Tiger pet (yellow) - Fastest looting pet
2. Tiger pet (white) - Pure divine protection buff
3. Tiger pet (black) - Sharp claws buff
4. Toshiba Portable External Hard Drive 640GB in Rocket Red
5. Camileo BW10 Full HS Waterproof Camcorder
6. Elite Le Noir (Musketeer)
7. Elite Le Noir (Wizard)
8. Elite Le Noir (Elementalist)
9. Elite Le Noir (Scout)
10. Elite Le Noir (Fighter)
11. ASOKA Collection 
12. Valeria & The Innocentio Stance Book 

Valeria is the newest Recruitable Non-Player Character (RNPC) in the Granado Espada. She's so pretty, I wanna trade for her doe-eyes and flawless skin! She is also the best supporting character due to her formidable healing abilities. It is now possible for players to obtain premium RNPC for free, by completing quests.

The fifth version of Granado Espada  is scheduled to launch TODAY! Some of the new features include a new map called Castilla Island, in-game aesthetics shift from the Baroque era to a more Renaissance-themed style, new quests, and a revamped medal system.

Granado Espada is an award-winning game for its graphics, check it out HERE (I've collated the screenshots and put them in my Flickr) to believe it yourself!

For detailed information on Granado Espada, you can find them HERE.

I've leave you wanting for more with their latest trailer:

PLUS! I'm giving away a Renaissance poster:

The poster looks like this! Looks awesome, no?

Take me home!

The person with the fastest finger will get to bring home this poster. To win, leave a comment on this entry and email your particulars - Name, Contact Number and Email address to sp.thiang@gmail.com!

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