The Hodgepodge of 'Bodyguards and Assassins'

I am not a movie puff.

I know it does not sound right when I headed for for another movie just two days after Avatar (See Avatar - An Epic of a New Kind). This time, from a futuristic high-tech epic, I moved on to a period blood-and-flesh type.


So, what do you get when you fit heavyweight artistes Tony Leung, Fan Bing Bing, Leon Lai, Jacky Cheung, Eric Tsang, Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse and Donnie Yen into one single movie?

The answer is "Bodyguards and Assassins".

"Bodyguards and Assassins" (十月围城) is a 140-minute Mandarin movie directed by Teddy Chen with a budget of $23mil. In a nutshell, the movie is, err...well, about "bodyguards" and "assassins". What else?

If you may allow me to elaborate (spoiler alert), "Bodyguards and Assassins" tells a story 105 years ago in Hong Kong. The center of the story is the famous Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) who is known as Sun Wen in the movie. He was the Chinese revolutionary leader who played an instrumental role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in Oct 1911.


The storyline is actually very straightforward: the bodyguards and the assassins have the same target ie. Sun Wen. One group wants him dead badly and the other dies to keep him alive. In between, you have the indifferent Hong Kong police force who works for the British colonial master.

In 1905, Sun Wen has to attend an important meeting in Hong Kong. He needs to gather support for a revolution against the corrupt Qing rulers. Empress Dowager Cixi sends a group of assassins to kill him while another group of supporters in Hong Kong bands together to fight against the assassins.

All the actions take place over a few days before the meeting and climax on that fateful day, 15 Oct. Within that short span of time, many people die. I would want to caution that the movie is rather violent, just in case you are misguided by the mild Singapore "PG" rating. I understand that it is rated "18SG" in Malaysia and "R16" in New Zealand.

Sun Wen is a well known historical figure but his presence in the movie is very brief. Surely I can accept that because the title is "Bodyguards and Assassins" and not "Sun Wen and His Bodyguards".


After many rounds of intensive fighting, the scene turns calm towards the end of the movie. Sun Wen wraps up his meeting by sharing his revolution philosophy with his supporters. He has said it movingly but not enough to justify all the dramatic deaths of so many.

After 140 minutes, I was unable to feel the calling of the brave bodyguards who fight (to me, mindlessly) to protect Sun Wen.

As a historical fiction, the storyline cannot possibly stray too far. However, if you are a stickler for historical accuracies, this movie might just have what it takes to irritate you.

If you are a Chinese kungfu fanatic, do not expect any Jacky Chan or Jet Li geeks. However, if you enjoy violent heroism, you will get a good dose of gore.


If you are a fan of Tony Leung, Leon Lai, Jacky Cheung, Eric Tsang, Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse, Donnie Yen and many more, you will get your value for money seeing them being featured in turn like in a talent show.

If you love drama, this movie does not offer much. There are some intended emotional moments but my nerves hardly responded to them.

To wrap up, this movie is a hodgepodge of action, drama and history, with a generous dosage of superstars. You may not like everything but quite likely, you would like something. The official site and official trailer will tell you more.

Verdict: Go watch it but do not take the content too seriously.

“欲求文明之幸福，不得不经文明之痛苦。这痛苦，就是革命。”
~Sun Wen's line in "Bodyguard and Assassins"~

Dating My TV #17

See "Dating My TV #16".

At the beginning of this series, I had intended to try out watching TV programs on my mobile phone. It has been about two months now and I am beginning to feel attached to the idea.

Do not get me wrong. I am still complaining about the reception problem. My complain will not go away until something is done to smoothen the streaming.


The number of channels for Starhub's "TV on Mobile" has grown to 17 now and my favorite so far is the "National Geographic Channel" (NGC) which was added on 9 Dec 09.

Just like watching any programs on the regular TV, I tend to stick to just a few channels. Besides NGC, the "Channel News Asia" is another of my regulars. Being a soccer idiot, I naturally avoided all the soccer channels.


I will be wrapping up the series soon and I shall make it a point to try out other channels as well.

See earlier "Dating My TV" posts.

Avatar - An Epic of a New Kind

Avatar has hit the cinema screens like a meteor, it seems.

Since the movie was released here on 17 Dec, I have had everyone around me raving about it. Unlike other movies, I have yet to come across a disappointed viewer. I knew I had to check it out first hand.

I just did.


This sci-fi movie is a $237 million production by James Cameron. He is the very same filmmaker for the 'Titanic' movie which leaves Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" still haunting me till today.

The storyline of Avatar is simple. However, with a little imagination, you can extend it to cover some hidden political, sexual, environmental and racial messages. (See "Is blue the new black? Why some people think Avatar is racist" by BBC).

Very briefly, Avatar is about an ex-marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who finds himself on another planet, known as Pandora. The story is set in 2154 and the planet is 4.4 light years away from earth.


Pandora is inhibited by the Na'vi, the indigenous natives of the planet with blue glow-in-the-dark skin. The atmosphere on the planet is too toxic for human to hang around for long. So, human scientists have created human-Na’vi hybrids called avatars. These avatars are controlled by designated human operators in what seems to me like a very advanced way of playing video games.

Jake is sent to Pandora to learn more about the Na'vi natives. His mission is to help relocate them so that human can take over their land to mine a precious metal known as unobtanium.


During his stay there, he grows close to Neytiri, a female Na'vi. In some way, the story is a little like 'Pocahontas'. (You don't think so? Read this ) .

The 160-minute movie did not make my face turn blue. In fact, at some point, I felt my face turning red as the characters stir up emotions.


Avatar is indeed a visual extravaganza. The Na'vi people are created entirely out of computer graphics and the special effects are simply awesome. The computer-generated images are so tactile as if they are played by real human. I have chosen to watch it in 3D and that further enhanced my viewing experience.

For 2 hours and 40 minutes, I basked myself in eye-popping stunning visual and momentarily felt that I was in Pandora. For those who plan to watch the movie later on computer or TV screens, you are making a big mistake. This modern epic has almost nothing else to offer except spectacular visual treats on big screens.


James Cameron had wanted to make this film right after 'Titanic' (1997). However, the technology then was unable to achieve the level of sophistication demanded by his creative imagination. I am glad that he had waited for the technology to catch up.

Two sequels to the film have been planned. Looking at the success of this movie, I believe I can expect Avatar II and III to follow suit.


You might want to check out its official website or watch the official trailer.

Verdict: Stunning visual with a juvenile storyline. Go watch it and watch it in 3D.

Caution: I have read that some people experienced motion sickness and had difficulties sitting through the 3D version.

"Animation is not the art of drawings that move
but the art of movements that are drawn.
~Norman McLaren~

Dating My TV #16

See "Dating My TV #15".

I have just watched Avatar in 3D and I will write more about it shortly.

After 160 minutes of 3D visual sensation, I had to find a place to feed myself and re-orientate my boggled mind. Having a meal on a crowded Saturday afternoon means lots of waiting. As usual, I whipped out my mobile phone and started catching some news on the "Channel News Asia".

It was a very strange feeling adjusting myself from a 3D big screen full visual impact movie to a 2D 3.7" straight-to-the-point news broadcasting. I cannot describe that feeling. It was a little surreal or something. Perhaps my mind was still stuck in Pandora (the planet in the Avatar movie).

I was just wondering what might be the future of TV/movie viewing on mobile phones now that Avatar has redefined the meaning of visual media entertainment.

Still wondering.

See earlier "Dating My TV" posts.

Hi! 2010

It is that time of the year again.

Every year, many people will pump in their greatest enthusiasm and make a promise to themselves on the first day of the year. What do they call it?

"New Year Resolution", of course.

"New Year Resolutions" can be ambitious, such as, "I must have a book published by the end of this year" or it can be simply "I must find sometime to clear up that mess in the back yard".


Whatever they may be, most "New Year Resolutions" never live long enough to celebrate the next new year. In fact, many would wear off soon after the new year party is over. A study has found that only 12% of those who made "New Year Resolutions" actually achieved their goals.

Despite the 'low success rate', many people would somehow find the same enthusiasm 365 days later and the same ritual is cyclically followed year after year.

It seems odd to me that few are bothered by their own broken promises, time and again.


I do not understand the purpose of having a "New Year Resolution". It is no different from any other goal-setting we do at any other time of the year. Why do we have to set a yearly goal at the beginning of the year? Is it just because we will be starting to use a new table calendar on that day?

If the "New Year Resolution" is to stop smoking, it makes no sense to me to 'ceremonially' wait till the first day of the year to embark on it.

My advice is that we should give no special significance to "New Year Resolution". All "resolutions" made at any other time of the year are important in their own way.

However, for some reasons, if the "New Year Resolution" ritual is really, really important to you, then here are some simple tips to avoid making empty promises to yourself.



1. Be Realistic

Make only one resolution. Make a good one and focus your energy to follow it through. You would need a plan or a schedule.

2. Plan Ahead

If you are only thinking about "New Year Resolution" now, forget it. Do allow yourself time to think about what is the one thing that you might want to set out to do next. (try again next year).

3. Be Specific

Instead of saying "I want to live a healthier lifestyle", tell yourself that you will "visit the gym on Mondays and Thursdays" or "drink only on Saturdays".


The study also revealed that men and women have different ways to 'keep their promises".

For men:

Set a SMART target (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time based). In the study, 22% more men achieved their resolution when they do goal-setting.

For women:

You would be more successful if you tell your friends or family about your resolution. In the study, 10% more women achieved their goals after 'going public'. If you are a blogger like me, tell all your readers about it.


For me, there shall be no "New Year Resolution". Rather, I have been making a series of "New Resolutions" from time to time and I will continue to do so.

My life is a continuum (yours too).


Get "5 Keys to Successful New Year’s Resolutions" by Vin miller

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions,
not the year's."
~Henry Moore~

Dating My TV #15

See "Dating My TV #14".

Want to watch Starhub's "TV on Mobile" FOC? Here's how.

1. You must have the right handset

If you are one of the thousands of people with iPhone, you are in. Otherwise, check the list of compatible handsets which are capable of receiving TV programs on mobile phones.

2. You must be a subscriber

If you are currently subscribing to SingTel or M1 Mobile service. You are out.


3. It must be a "Happy Monday"

Why Monday?

Seriously, I don't know. Perhaps it is Starhub's way to beat your Monday blues.

Give it a shot. There are altogether 17 channels to choose from. All free.

See earlier "Dating my TV" posts.

No Chewing? Fine.

This is a holiday season in Singapore.

We get our longest break from school in the last 8 weeks of the year (and it is ending soon). Being cooped-up in this tiny 710 km² (274 mi²) island state, working and studying hard, the people here cannot wait to get out and do some traveling during this time.


One of the things that Singaporeans flock to enjoy while they are out of this place is 'chewing gum'. This is because it is not available back home. It is quite unthinkable to see people with an estimated (2008) per capita income of US$52,000 being deprived of simple joy like that.

Chewing gum was sold commercially since the 1800s. It is a source of enjoyment for many and it is also a source of nuisance when spent gum is improperly disposed.


Singapore was not immune to this form of public nuisance either.

In 1983, the Minister for National Development was sick and tired of seeing chewing gum stuck in the lift buttons, stairways and pavement of public housing flats. He suggested to Lee Kwan Yew (Prime Minister then) that the substance be banned. Lee thought it was a move too drastic and nothing was done.

In 1987, Singapore had the new multi-billion Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system. It was the biggest public project at that time and naturally the Singapore government was excited about it.


Unfortunately, the chewing gum vandals did not spare the MRT. The last straw that broke the camel's back came when gum stuck on the train door sensors prevented the doors from closing properly. That in turn disrupted train services. Even though such events were not common, the government had zero tolerance towards them.

In 1992, chewing gum was banned.

Since then, anyone bringing in chewing gum will risk being slapped with a fine and/or a jail term. If caught chewing it, offenders may face a fine of US$500-US$1000. Repeat offenders will get a heftier fine plus an assignment of a "Corrective Work Order". This means that the authorities will make the gum chewers sweep the beaches or pick up litters on public pavement.

Yes, it is not funny at all. Gum chewing in Singapore can bring shame to your family. In the official website of 'The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority' (ICA), chewing gum is listed as one of the 'prohibited goods' alongside other items such as 'controlled drugs' and 'obscene articles'.


In 2004, as part of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the ban was partially lifted. Now, you can get chewing gum but only in pharmacies with a doctor's prescription. This is because the law was relaxed enough only to allow the sale of chewing gum considered to have health benefits. (Smokers, go and get your Nicorette gum from the nearest Pharmacy)

After the ban in 1992, Singaporeans continue to love chewing gum. The only difference is that they would chew in their neighbors' house leaving their own pristine and gum-free.

I believe Singapore is the only place where chewing gum is banned. The ban is found in travel guides as well as in various compilation of 'weird laws'. Since the ban took effect, there has been no lack of criticism on the imposition of such a regulation. Strangely, most of these comments come from outside Singapore. The usually whiny Singaporeans are often preoccupied with other complaints.


I do miss chewing those gum balls a little but I certainly do not miss stepping or sitting on a sticky splat of spent gum.

Didn't they say Singapore is a 'fine' city?

"Where you find the laws most numerous,
there you will find also the greatest injustice."
~Aristotle~

Dating My TV #14

See "Dating My TV #13".

I have been using Starhub's "TV on Mobile" since early November. Just to recap, I have set off this "Dating My TV" series with the hope to rekindle my bond with TV (See "Dating My TV #1).

So far, my 'dating' experience has been marred by two things:

1) Smoothness of Streaming

Almost none of the TV programs I have watched was not interrupted with 'dropped line'. Sometimes, it got reconnected within a few seconds. However, there are times when the reconnection took too long, I simply switched off the TV with frustration.

Watching video clips on the Internet can be a problem when the streaming is laggy. Usually, users overcome it by buffering or simply downloading the video. In the case of "TV on Mobile", I am getting live streaming and I cannot do the same.


2) Screen Size

This is a given.

Watching TV programs on mobile phones means that I can only have a small screen. I am using OMNIA II which has a respectable 3.7 inch screen. However, it is nowhere near a normal 42 inch TV at home.

I believe the first problem can be overcome, although I am not sure how. It is potentially one of the items to be included in Starhub's 2010 'TO DO" list.

The second problem is actually not a problem. Rather, I see it as a trade-off between viewing pleasure and mobility.

See earlier "Dating My TV" posts.

Unwrapping The "2004 Boxing Day"

Today is boxing day.

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas and traditionally, it was the day to open the Christmas Box to share the contents with the poor. In places such as UK, Australia, Germany and Hong Kong, it is a public holiday (but not in Singapore).

Exactly five years ago, much pain was inflicted to the world on this day.


On that fateful day, at 00:58:53 UTC (Singapore 08:58:53 local time), the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake hit the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in a ferocious way. The impact was so great that it resulted in devastating tsunami killing nearly 230,000 people in 11 countries (above). Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were the hardest hit.

That was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

Historically, natural disasters have swept away lives by the thousands. Regrettably, earthquake, has been one of the main culprits.


In 1976, Tangshan earthquake (China) took almost 800,000 lives (above). More recently, in 2008, the Sichuan earthquake (China) killed about 70,000 people.

Technically, anywhere on earth is capable of experiencing earthquake. The question is more on the likelihood and the scale of the impact. Most people here believe that Singapore is 'immune' to earthquake. Unfortunately, I think there is no such thing as immunity to earthquake. The only comfort we have is that, based on the present geological make-up, Singapore has very low likelihood of getting an earthquake.

The 2004 Boxing Day earthquake was record at a magnitude of 9.3. In earthquake terms, this number is rather astronomical.


The measurement used to tell the size of earthquake is known as the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS). Before the 1970s, the Ritcher Magniture Scale was commonly used. Both scales are logarithmic. This means that when the earthquake is measured to be one number higher, the impact is many times more powerful. In the case of MMS, an earthquake measured 7.0 is about 31 times more powerful than one at 6.0.


On MMS, the recent Sichuan earthquake in 2008 (above) was recorded as 7.9. Comparatively, the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake measuring 9.3 is more than 31 times stronger.

When I was traveling in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago, I was told that there is an earthquake every other day there. However, most of these earthquakes are mild and can only be detected by instruments. I felt rather assured and I did not give much thought to the matter throughout the week of traveling. One day after I returned to Singapore, an earthquake hit Hualien (East Coast of Taiwan) measuring 6.4 and strong tremor was felt in many parts of Taiwan, including Taipei. I felt lucky and naive at the same time.

The instrument used to record the occurrence and power of earthquake is known as Seismometer. The first Seismometer was invented in year 132 by Zhang Heng (张衡), an astronomer from the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD).


Zhang Heng's instrument (above) was able to determine the direction (out of eight directions) of earthquakes. Since then, the modern Seismometer has grown in sophistication and is able to record earthquakes with greater precision. However, despite years of effort, scientists have yet to find a satisfactory way to foretell the occurrence of earthquakes. For now, they can only make intelligent and calculated guesses.

Until then, mankind can only pray that Mother Earth will keep cool and will not blow her top for as long as possible.

To those who vanished five years ago on this day, RIP.

"Mother Nature doesn't have a bullet with your name on it,
she has millions of bullets
inscribed with 'to whom it may concern'”
~unknown~

Dating My TV #13

See "Dating My TV #12".

In Oct this year, there was a big hoo-haa after a local Telco, SingTel, won the rights to broadcast EPL matches for three years from August 2010. This has shocked many as rival telco, Starhub has reigned this turf for the last 12 years.


There was immediately a huge outrage among the football fans here in Singapore. An avalanche of comments soon poured in by the Netizens and most of them were upset with the switch.

This episode illustrates at least one thing - the football fans community in Singapore takes the broadcasting of major football games very seriously.


I am not a football fan. Naturally, I am the least attracted to the football channels on Starhub's "TV on Mobile". Currently, there are three of such channels - "Football Channel", "Goal TV1" and "Goal TV2".

When I first used "TV on Mobile", I was skeptical about anyone ever wanting to watch football matches on mobile phones. I argued that the tiny screen size on mobile phones would have killed the joy of watching such programs. Nonetheless, I tried watching it once or twice. Even though I was not sure about what was going on, I could imagine the thrill of a die-hard fan watching his favorite match on the go.


According to the Starhub website:

"The Football Channel is all about football, with three of the top four leagues in the world- The Barclays Premier League, the Spanish Primera Liga and the German Bundesliga. It also offers viewers Asian and South American football, with the J-League and the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana."; and

"Goal TV is a dedicated football network with distribution across 14 countries since the launched in 2004. GOAL TV 1 and GOAL TV 2 are two 24-hour channels featuring comprehensive coverage of top clubs Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona FC and Bayern Munich, and live games from major European leagues. "

I would have to leave it to football fans to comment on the quality of the coverage.

See earlier "Dating My TV" posts.