Fury

Actually caught this with my dad. What a rare occasion!

1) Best Since SPR
It's already been touted as one of the best war movies since Saving Private Ryan, so I was quite pumped up for it. For me personally, the movie was, 'better than good'. It did not have the scale and expanse of Saving Private Ryan, but instead it was intimate, yet capturing all there was that war was supposed to be. I think I will watch it once more.

2) All That Gore
As with my above comment about this movie capturing all there was that war was supposed to be, the movie sure didn't save on the gore factor. That war is merciless, relentless and emotionless, this movie showed it in all its glory. Exploding body parts, the suffering of impending death, you name it. That being said, there was a very realistic aspect to all this gore that sent shivers down the viewers' spines.

3) Tank Warfare Masterclass
One of the key attributes that made the movie so highly acclaimed was the fact that it was one of the first movies ever made to specially focus on tank maneuvers, formations and warfare. Many a war movie always focused on infantry, naval or air warfare but few have ever attempted to focus solely on the tankies. This movie did it and did it good. The two best scenes were during the armoured battalion's advance on a town that was heavily fortified by the Germans, and another depicting the fight between four American M1 Abrams against one superior German Panzer. A tactical masterclass.

4) The Wonderful Cast
No good movie can survive without a good cast, and Brad Pitt and company sure gave a wonderful performance alright. Brad Pitt is particular I have always liked his acting and he did not disappoint once again.

Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1

9 games in and we're already 10pts behind a very, very strong Chelsea. So to be honest, I was quite convinced that they would beat us even on our own patch. So much so and that I layed $5 on them. Who would've thought RVP would pop up at the last minute, which made me so damn happy.

1) Fellaini The Revelation
He was definitely my MOTM today. Much has been said of how lousy he's been since his overpriced transfer in the David Moyes era. And it was only until the last game against West Brom that he started showing up. Last night he was in spectacular form, winning alot of tackles and tracking back to help out in D time and again. It was also his goalbound header that was saved before RVP swept into goal. It is almost as though he's becoming that box-to-box midfielder we all thought he wasn't! Glad that he's picking up form and I hope he has a successful career with us.

2) Strong Attack On Paper Only
Even without Falcao and Rooney, you would think that an attacking lineup comprising RVP, Mata, Januzaj and ADM would strike fear in any opponent. Yet throughout the game, we kept falling short. ADM was definitely not himself for the 2nd consecutive game. RVP was slated by me all game. He really seems to have lost alot since the 12-13 season and the just-ended World Cup. Mata was the most ineffective, and he was rightly taken off on 68". Januzaj is still too young and his inexperience showed against stronger opposition (last night was against Ivanovic or Luis Felipe). That said, there is something new to the team compared to last season when we continued to attack all the way into Fergie time. And that was well rewarded but RVP's 94th min goal.

3) Defence Still Could Be Better
Last night's Smalling-Rojo CB combo is yet another new CB pairing combo this season and it shows how bad the situation is for us in defence. With Rafael and Shaw showing much better form now, the leaky defence is just shy of a very good CB pairing that can stay off the injury list for at least two weekends. We have improved, but we still have a long way to go. Daley Blind is the one unsung hero who has been helping the back four shore up and mop up so many threats. I find it amazing that he doesn't receive more credit for the work he has done. DDG was at his usual best as well. When #davesaves, we are very difficult to beat.

4) Chelski Deserve Credit
Well they haven't lost a single game in 9 outings and are currently 4pts ahead of the closest 2nd-placed team. That really says something. Without Diego Costa up front, they were still a scary threat with Drogba, William, Oscar and Hazard up front. Yet the trully scary part was their indomitable (almost) defensive four of Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry and Luis. they really can close out a game. Well, almost. In midfield they have Fabregas and Matic who're one of the best out there. And in goal they have Cortois who's almost as good as DDG. So a draw really isn't so bad.

5) A Draw That Feels Like A Win
Weird isn't it? I was elated when we equalized and some haters have been saying that that's the level we MU fans have dropped down to when we're celebrating a draw at home. Here's the thing: we've come off a season where we've ended 7th, got beaten senseless but the entire top-6 last season, and worst of all, played with zero conviction, tactical acumen, drive nor solidarity. It was a season which just got worse and worse as it wore on. Now we have one of the master tacticians of the modern game, we have our team spirit back, we have a philosophy that is exciting to watch, and we have a team that's willing to fight till the end. This one game last night probably summed up our revival away from the David Moyes era. We are not completely revived yet, but LVG has us all believing we will get there, and winning trophies again. And that, feels like a total win for me.

GGMU!!!

Catching Fish

Rocking out at Lower Pierce reservoir with the kids. Pretty good haul of 5 snails, 4 prawns and 1 tiny fish. Kids're totally knackered now.

ACL Rehab Day #116

Completed yet another >5km jog last night.

I can jog for a longer period compared to the first time where there was alot of stop-start on the back half stretch.

The physio went through my jogging motions the other day and recorded my jogging patterns in slow-mo. Turns out that I'm jogging with my right leg slanted to compensate for my weaker calf and thigh muscles. That is something I will need to continue working on.

Still on track for recovery.

Local Thai Food

Meanwhile on the streets of Bangkok...

We had pig's trotters, large intestines, roasted pork knuckles and tom yum goong.

Mmm delicious!

Halloween Horror Nights 4

Was there with the wifey last night.

Great fun!

Here's five takeaways:

1) 4 Haunted Houses

Overall, I think RWS and USS did a great job with the place and setup. It was really quite scary and the props and actors were quite well made-up. The 4 haunted houses were the key attractions. For $50, this was quite a good deal. There was a theme for each house, The L.A.B. (aliens), Mati Camp (army ghosts), Jing's Revenge (school ghosts) and Jack's 3-Dementia (clowns). The best was probably Jing's Revenge because they did up the whole place like an old secondary school called 华信中学 with props and decor absolutely reminding me of the old Dunman High premises somewhat. There was also the traumatic scream from one of the ghouls at the wifey, “是你逼我的！”.

2) 4 Scare Zones

These were like free areas where no queuing was required and the ghouls and monsters just roamed about the elaborate props scary whoever. There was Scary Tales (fairy tale scaries), Canyon of the Cursed (cowboy and indians scaries), Demoncracy (ghouls invading city) and Bogeyman (child ghoulies). A few good scares here and there but these weren't all that scary due to the crowds.

3) Beware The Long Queues

Speaking of crowds, the one big drawback is the fact that it wa very, very crowded. For the haunted houses, one of them we even had to queue for an hour just for a five minute walk through. Even the Tranformers ride we had to queue for a good twenty minutes. And because it was so crowded, you sometimes miss the scares because the people in front got the 'pop out' scares already.

4) Good Clean Fun

I like the fact that the actors do not touch you. It actually prevents us and them from suffering any potential injuries or mishaps. Maybe some might feel that it decreases the scare factor, but with so many visitors milling through the haunted houses, here would bound to be a few manly types who would be more than eager to lay hurt on any effective scarers. Similarly the scares could potential cause visitors to fall if it turned physical. Kudos to USS, I noticed staff at many places inside the park and in the rides/houses. Queuing took quite long but were well organized and turnover was quite fast. In the end if it's good, clean and safe fun you want with a few good scares thrown in, then this is probably a good event for you. 

5) Pack Some Alcohol

I have to admit that knocking back a few beers definitely reduces the tension and jitters. I had heard tales of people leaving the theme park after one haunted house visit. But when you're at a good high, either you don't pay that much attention to the scares and sudden boos, or you're more chilled such that they just don't scare you as much. It sure helps when you have a scared wifey beside you. Plus you need buff and strong biceps of steel to withstand the infamous female deathgrip that is bound to cause bruises.

All in all it was a really fun event and I'd encourage everyone to go at least once. Could do with a smaller crowd though.

Quote Of The Day Rebirth II

Following the hilarious QOTDR I posted earlier, here's a few extra updates that are GOLD.

Same guy.
___________________________________________

"...whiskgar..." (wanted to say "whisky and cigar")

“Wow, this cup can withstand temperature of up to 100%!” (100 degrees)

“Sushi Tei cannot reserve one. It’s First In First Out."

Someone else: “Release the Kraken!”
Our man: “The dragon is released out of the cage”

“The peanut is very addicting.”

ACL Rehab Day #101

Achievement unlocked.

Clocked my first >5km slow jog in more than 6mths. That's slightly more than 3mths after I had my ACL reconstruction.

The jog itself felt quite ok on the knee as I was conscious enough to try and not take large strides so that there is less impact when my foot hits the ground.

This morning there is a kind of muscle soreness on my leg muscles and knee that I haven't felt in a very long time. I hope it is a good thing, although a part of me is afraid that this feeling is like the same feeling prior to my ACL completely snapping while I happened to be having an innocent lunch 6mths ago, a day after the major collision at football.

Hoping for a good recovery.

8 Years In The Same Company

Last Thursday, a few of us colleagues celebrated our 8th year anniversary.

From the original 25 of us who joined when the Singapore office first began, we're now down to 5.

How the time flies and how we've all grown alot older and not sure whether we're any the wiser (for staying in the same company for so long).

4 of us celebrated by having a feast at Hai Di Lao. Chinese hotpot!

There is little to regret in my case. And I have much to be thankful for I guess.

Thank you Saxo.

Mummy The Closet Railroad Whiz

Managing to use all the Thomas railroad tracks to form this very impressive track sequence.

Who would've thought mummy was a railroad track whiz!

Manchester United 2 Everton 1

Statement of intent! Two wins on the trot!

1) David de Gea Is My MOTM

Saves a penalty at the stroke of halftime, then 4 saves in the final 10mins including two almost certain goals. Today, this boy was in beast mode, no doubt about that. Literally earned the three points for us today.

2) Our Attack Is Scary

Even without Rooney, our front four of ADM, Mata, Falcao and RVP is scarily good. ADM and Falcao gets on the scoresheet, Mata with an assist and RVP beig a better captain than Rooney ever was. If only he was more prolific. At least he lead by example and fought hard, which is more than I can say whenever Rooney wears the armband.

3) Defence Is Coming Together

For the second game in a row, our defence put in a very good shift. Young Paddy McNair did well partnering Rojo to shut out Lukaku, Rafael was at his inspirational best, and Shaw was passable. Even when Shaw limped off, Blackett, who covered for him did a decent job at LB. We're getting better and when we do reach the level we expect, this team will be very difficult to score against. Just see the youngsters and it makes me so proud.

4) Daley Blind - Perhaps Our Most Important Player That No One Gives Enough Credit To

Funny how no one gives much credit to the people doing the dirty work, much less doing it so well and so efficiently. I'm just a HUGE fan of Blind because hats he type of player I am. He mops up, pressures and protects everything that comes near our defence and is the primary reason why we can transition from defence to attack and vice versa so easily. A joy to watch him and he is the true 'first name on the team sheet', not Rooney.

5) Climbing Up The Table

With this win, we're now fourth on the table. Had we not lost to Leicester in that stupid game, we would've been at an even sweeter cemented position. Next up is WBA followed by a tough run of Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea. Yet seeing today's win, I'm far more optimistic now compared to last year. LVG has done a fantastic job and I have no doubts that we will continue to improve.

GGMU!!!

Fav Boxers

The wifey sewed back my fav seven year-old boxers! Thanks dear!

Remembering Our Playgrounds

In time, this place will be a memory. For me, and for the kids.

Just like all the other playgrounds I've played in.