A Day In The Life Of An Oblivious Ape.: March 2009

So I did that whole walking thing just now.

And it is SO FUCKED UP that I had to stop just before I reached the Singapore Expo.

Here's what happened:

Right after I passed the flyover leading into Simei, I felt this burn right at the back of my heel, like rope-burn actually.

Stopped for a bit to check it out. Turns out there was this piece of hard plastic sticking out of the inside of my shoe that had chewed its way into my sock and was scraping the skin off the back of my heel.

I was literally being flayed alive by my very foot support system! So the pain was getting pretty unbearable towards the junction and I decided to take the bus back home.

Urrgh, I'm pissed. -_-"

Today, I guess I'm gonna try out that whole long distance walking thing Ian suggested. Although, that huge breakfast I just had is starting to sink in...

NO, Hafeez! Stick to the fucking plan, man!

*groan*

Oh well, Pasir Ris to Tanah Merah following the bus 12 route, anyone? LOL.

Now, I know I've had this as my MSN display pic for quite some time now, but I still can't believe none of you guys have posted this up yet!

Shame on you. Hmph.

Look at that.

Doesn't that just scream 'boyband album cover'?

Awesome shiz. (That's me in the back, by the way. Yeah, that's right: the poseur.)

Watch out for us: Time Codes and Colour Bars. Hitting a music scene near you.

Then again, maybe not. Heheh. =S

Oh brilliant.

Just an hour ago, the sun was screaming hot over the plains of Pasir Ris. But here they are now, teh evil black rain clouds brought forth as part of a cataclysmic event known as the Earth Hour. Or at least, I think it was. Bleh. Don't even get me started. I think I even could; the day just seeeeemsss soooooo derrrr-rrraaaiinnniiinggg.

*Flumph*

*One hour later*

.....Bwuh? Oh right. Post. Yeah.

Finally got a hold of Hilamony, the album by The Zozi from Shafiq. Listening to Coffee at Fullerton right now. LOL.

Urrgh, blogging mood not up to speed right now...need regular movie fix...must wait...till....MONDAY.

GAH.

*Flumph*

I've been wondering who The Zozi were for quite some time now. The name rings a bell, and with Shafiq reciting lyrics almost all of the time I see him, they seem like a pretty hilarious band.

So, with Suzie bringing up the subject just a few minutes ago, curiousity got the better of me and I went to look for their MySpace.

There I was, listening to the playlist they had on their page, when suddenly the song Mat Rempit comes on.

I thought, 'Hey, this tune seems familiar... It's catchy, and I definitely remember any catchy tune I've heard.'

'The song's hilarious, and not many local bands make funny lyrics nowadays; well, unless you count Thambi-K-Seaow.' LOL.

And then it comes to me.

They were at frackin' Tapestry '08 at Clarke Quay! The gig Bloco was playing at too! So that's where I heard 'em before...

Sorry for putting you through that whole thought process there. They're were just so frickin' hilarious!

Interested? Give 'em a listen here: The Zozi.

It'll be worth it, I assure you. XD

Today marks the first day ever the Ape went shopping at Bugis Street...on his own.

That's right. If you do the math:

FatAss + Hot day + Beautiful people probably more fashion-savvy than said FatAss + shopping street that's probably running short in stock of Size FatAss = PRETTY FUCKING AWKWARD FATASS.

But I did manage to get my shopping done in the end, Got a white-blue rasta-themed shirt as well as a pair of black drawstring pants for the Orchard Hotel gig on Friday. Tried to get a pair of printed berms, but they didn't stock my size. :(

Although the stuff there's pretty cheap, I think I'll stick to my all-time fav, MIZ 29, thanks. You just can't beat that customer-shopkeeper relationship that's been established. Plus, a discount's almost always possible over there. =P

I think it's time I got myself a pair of running shoes. Sigh.

Almost a week, babe. Gosh, I want us to meet soon.

One of those personality things again. Curse thee, creator of the all-knowing personality test. Bleaargh.

Got the link off Aisyah's blog yesterday. Blog-hopping and such; you know how it is. Don't ask why I took a screenshot; I don't need a reason to. For the benefit of those who wouldn't rather click on it to see the full picture, here's what it says about me:
____________________________________________________

Your view on yourself:

You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy.

How do you view success:

Success in your career is not the most important thing in life. You are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
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Just to clear things up:

1st, 2nd, and 9th point: I'd like to think so.
3rd and 4th point: I think I kinda give off that impression. That doesn't make me seem desperate...does it? =S
5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th point: Totally true.

Sorry ah, copy format sikit. =P

Well, it seems I forgot about another movie to review as part of my previous post.

Hafeez: But it wasn't on a weekend, so it didn't really count!

...Anyway, here it is, the most underrated movie of the year (at least, in my list of movies) : Marley and Me.

Straight off the bat, the poster screamed both 'Chick Flick' and 'Another Phail Movie About A Dog Who Can Do Something He Couldn't Possibly Be Doing As A Dog'. I've had my fair share and believe me, I did NOT want to put myself through that torture again.

However, ever since I officially became a member of the BGR Club, I figured, "Hey, maybe this experience might turn out differently if you watch it with that one special person you love." And - and I kid you not - I actually gave this movie a shot. So there.

I must say, this dramedy about, and I quote, 'Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog', is pretty endearing. You've got Owen Wilson as the eponymous author of the book of which this movie was based upon, John Grogan; while Jennifer Aniston plays his wife Jenny. While there is no obvious lack of talent in this movie, I was pretty skeptical about how both of them could pull this off as a couple, but pull it off they did. They come across as two very realistic but still very much loving individuals who decide that, yeah, this marriage probably wouldn't be complete if they didn't buy themselves a dog.

Enter Marley, the film's true star. And honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a dog that's as much of a loose cannon and undisciplined as Marley is. I gotta give the animal handlers props for that. I can't remember much of the movie now, but what I do remember is how much of a chemistry there was between Marley and the Grogans that still endures throughout the different stages of their lives.

I'm man enough to admit when I was wrong, and I definitely was wrong in my opinion of this film. Heart-warming in its delivery of a relationship between man and man's best friend, it's definitely a must-watch on those feel-good days. And for added theater experience, have that special someone sit beside you while you're both watching it. =)

LOL.

Well, since I really really REALLY have nothing better to do on this unusually warm Monday, I decided I probably should do some write-ups on a couple of movies I caught over the weekend.

First off, let's review Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Seeing Kevin James on the poster as well as watching the really promising trailer really made Suzie and me decide that yeah, this is probably a movie worth watching. After all, would anyone doubt the likeability and humor value of an actor whose various acting stints include Hitch and King of Queens?

And worth watching, it was.

Fat jokes aside, Paul Blart is quite the relatable character. Granted, hypoglycemia, of which he suffers from, isn't quite the disorder one would readily link to the fat and overweight. However, this is a guy who has the passion for whatever it is that he does, be it his job as a security officer (Yes, security OFFICER, not security GUARD.) at the local mall or...well, his job as a security officer at the local mall. So the dude's basically gotta get a life. =S

Enter Amy, a kiosk store owner in the mall played by Jayma Mays. You might remember her from Epic Movie as Lucy. Paul gets infatuated, tries to woo her one way or another bla bla bla...moving on.

A plot to rob the mall slowly unfurls about halfway through the movie, initiated by none other than Veck, a security officer trainee whom Paul is tasked to. And, I have to tell you, Veck is one of the most deadpan and uninspiring villians to have ever hit the silver screen. His sarcasm falls flat on its face everytime he tries it, although I do give him props for staging such an elaborate robbery (which ultimately was a PHAIL. EKKK.).

Nevertheless, if you're looking for laughs, this movie does not disappoint; although much of it is achieved at the expense of Kevin's dignity. Oh well, who ever said comedy was easy, right?

Next up on the list is Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li. *groan*

What can I say about this movie that ISN'T bad? Hmm, let me see...nope, nothing's coming up.

Oh wait, there's that hawt Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li. Oh right, it's Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li. -_-" Ba-dump-pssh.

Seriously, the movie is riddled with failed homages to the franchise, absolutely disgusting B-grade acting and KRISTIN KREUK AS CHUN-LI. Can somebody get that casting guy some glasses please?!

Really. Gosh.

And the biggest gripe I have about this movie, especially as a non-Mandarin speaking individual, is the LACK of subtitles for the Mandarin dialogue. Seriously, if a quarter of the scenes in your movie has your characters speaking in Mandarin, you might wanna think of putting in some frackin' subtitles for the benefit of the general audience. DUH.

And it's a pity, 'cos the movie has some pretty good veterans in the industry acting in it: Neil McDonough (I remember him most from his role in Minority Report and, more recently, Desperate Housewives. Don't ask.) and Michael Clarke Duncan (That big heffa from The Green Mile. Gotta love a huge black guy in a movie.).

I really can't say anymore 'cos the more I think about it, the harder it gets to keep that puke down. A good idea for a movie disfigured by bad directing and even worse scripting, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li does not redeem itself in any way.

Kudos to Ian for the link. It's quite a refreshing take, I think, on the idea of a relationship that transcends beyond physical contact.

It feels wonderful, doesn't it? To have lived such a mundane existence before, going through each day just 'cause; only through some miraculous coincidence did you find some form of meaning to your existence.

Something, or SOMEONE, to live for.

That, I feel, is the true beauty of life.

I Miss You by Blink 182.

The perfect song to describe what I'm feeling at the moment in the most concise way possible.

Old skool, I know. But they're the best example of it yet. =D

Gosh, I wish I could see you now.
_____________________________________________

"I Miss You"

(I miss you, I miss you)
Hello there, the angel from my nightmare
The shadow in the background of the morgue
The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want
Where you can always find me
We'll have Halloween on Christmas
And in the night we'll wish this never ends
We'll wish this never ends

(I miss you, I miss you)
(I miss you, I miss you)

Where are you and I'm so sorry
I cannot sleep I cannot dream tonight
I need somebody and always
This sick strange darkness
Comes creeping on so haunting every time
And as I stared I counted
Webs from all the spiders
Catching things and eating their insides
Like indecision to call you
and hear your voice of treason
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight
Stop this pain tonight

Don't waste your time on me you're already
The voice inside my head (I miss you, I miss you)
Don't waste your time on me you're already
The voice inside my head (I miss you, I miss you)

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That thing they say
about absence
and
the heart:
It's true.

OMG in like 4 more hours, it would officially be the longest time I have actually stayed at home for in a single day (excluding sleep time).

SHIT! 0_0

Haiz.

I bet the gang's having the awesumest fun in JB over at Uan's house right about now. Boy, I'd like to go but...something tells me my mum ain't gonna let me out of the country ALONE anytime soon. -_-

And with dear Suzie down with stomach flu, I guess there's only two other people I can hang out with in the meantime.

Meet Ardini Qistina:

And her sister, Ayuni Qiyanah:

Not quite what you expected, were they? =P

They're the sweetest little nieces on good days, and nightmares on the worst. Oh well. =S

As for music, I've been going back to that old skool hip hop flava; you know, the one that wasn't peppered with talk about drugs, sex and money on every verse. I'm hooked onto Q-Tip, actually.

Ever since he made an appearance on The Ellen Show performing We Fight/We Love from his latest album The Renaissance, I've been checking it out. Turns out his East Coast Hip Hop rhythms are exactly what I've been looking for: that old skool vibe that you don't really hear much of nowadays. We Fight/We Love is definitely one of my favourites, together with Life is Better on which he collaborated Norah Jones. Another track, Believe featuring D'Angelo, is pretty okay to listen to, save for the partially-annoying intro. The record makes for some easy-listening yet soulful music, and with Q-Tip's unorthodox rapping style (I find it unorthodox, at least), it's no wonder it got such positive reviews from several music publications, as well as Metacritic. Definitely worth a listen.

Also, I've been exploring a little of J-Pop and J-Rock; well, J-Music in general. Turns out I was able to get a hold of a sort of Jubeat compilation soundtrack; you know, the GREATEST ARCADE GAME OF ALL TIME. And it really ain't so bad once you really get down to listening to it. And I'm actually surprised at how diverse the genres can be. You got synth-pop, dance, folk, and even SAMBA! *squeals* Then again, I do LOVE anything Jubeat. Heheh.

Well, that does it for this relatively long post. Lol.

Oh yeah, and here's to a month that was as unpredictable and unbelievable as our relationship, and here's hoping for more of those to come. =)

It's a folly to both wish for perfection and hope that it'll actually come true.

But can't a man make plans without something or someone somewhere just coming in and fucking things up?!

Just one perfect day; at least, one that goes according to plan. That's all I ask.

Sigh.

Gosh, I love you.

EDIT: I'm sorry if this post (or anything else I did, for that matter) made you feel the way you did. But really, it ain't your fault. Believe me, it isn't.

R & B.

For when you ain't hangin' out with your friends or that special someone.

God, I love music. =)

Got this off a note of Uan's on his Facebook.

Girls, you think you got us guys down to a science? Think again. =P Although, I'll be the first to say that this does not represent every single member of the male species.

_____________________________________________________________

Did u know girls....

1. Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.

2. Guys are more emotional than you think. If they loved you at one point, it will take them a lot longer than you think to let you go. And it hurts every second that they try.

3. Guys go crazy over a girl's smile. :)

4. A guy who likes you wants to be the only guy you talk to.

5. Giving a guy a hanging message like "You know what? Uhh, nevermind." would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking. And he'll assume he did something wrong. He'll be obsessed about it and will try to figure it out.

6. If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don't need to give an advice.

7. A usual act that proves that a guy likes you is when he teases you.

8. GUYS LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU LOVE THEM.

9. Guys use words like hot or cute to describe girls. They rarely use beautiful or gorgeous. If a guy uses that, he loves you or likes you a lot.

10. If the guy does something stupid in front of the girl, he will think about it for the next couple of days or until the next time he spends time with the girl.

11. If a guy looks unusually calm and laid back, he's probably faking it. And he is really thinking about something.

12. When a guy says he is going crazy about the girl, he really is. Guys rarely say that.

13. When a guy asks you to leave him alone, he's just actually saying, "Please come and listen to me."

14. If a guy starts to talk seriously, listen to him. It doesn't happen that often. So when it does, you know something's up.

15. When a guy looks at you for longer than a second, he's definitely thinking of something.

16. Guys really think that girls are strange and have unpredictable decisions and are mad confusing but somehow are drawn even more to them.

17. A guy would give the world to be able to read a girl's mind for a day.

18. No guy can handle all his problems on his own. He's just too stubborn to admit it.

19. Not all guys are rude. Just because one is rude doesn't mean he represents all of them.

20. WHEN A GUY SACRIFICES HIS SLEEP AND HEALTH JUST TO TALK TO YOU, HE REALLY LIKES YOU AND WANTS TO BE WITH YOU AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

21. Even if you dump a guy months ago and he loved you, he probably still does and if he had one wish it would be you to come back into his life.

_____________________________________________________________

Took a little time to do some self-reflecting today. Had a lot of it on my hands anyway. =S

Don't we find ourselves constantly adapting nowadays? No, I'm not talking about the environment; more in relation to ourselves and our communication with each other. We encounter people from different walks of life on our day to day activities. Some of them become fast and steadfast friends, while others; they're just a passing face in the crowd. The thing about this is that we sometimes change the way we are - make compromises on our usual behaviour - just so that we can accommodate these people into our lives, simply because they are really awesome people and its really awesome to hang out with them.

Well, I find myself doing that a lot these days. Now we all know the age-old saying: "Be true to yourself and everything will go just fine." I'm not sure how old it is; I probably got that of some Disney movie crap. We all know that saying is probably bullcrap...most of the time, anyway. But it is inevitable, isn't it? So the question I'm posing to you people is, when does this adaptibility lead to a loss of identity? For how long can we lie to ourselves before we lose a sense of who we really are? I'm not saying that on every relationship-forging occasion, we adapt. And I'm not saying we all will forget who we are in the process of socialization. It's really just...the degree of the adaptation, I guess.

The notion scares me, really.

See, this is why I shouldn't be left alone. I drive myself crazy with thinking. =S

Wokay, it's been ages since my last movie review, and finally I got to making one today.

This time, it's My Bloody Valentine 3D - that's right people, 3 dimensions! *gasp* - which we got to watch at The Cathay. I knew I've heard the film title somewhere before, so I checked it out at Wikipedia and my suspicions were confirmed: My Bloody Valentine 3D is basically a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. So there you go.

At first glance, it seems like your generic horror-slasher flick. But My Bloody Valentine 3D is actually deeper than that. SO the story goes like this: A cave-in occurs at a mine near the town of Harmony, trapping six miners. Only one survives, the antagonist Harry Warden. Turns out he murdered the other five to conserve air. Figures, huh? Then he goes into a coma, of which he wakes up from in a hospital on to go muthafuckin crazy and murderlize everyone in it. Oh, and he goes back to the mine that trapped him. Enter crazy drunk teens looking for a...'different' kind of party venue at the mines.

SO he goes and murderlizes every single one of 'em too. Obviously, a few of them escape, making for your basic hunt-down-all-survivors-of-the-massacre plot.

The ending makes for an interesting climax, actually, and it's nice to see a horror movie deviate from the typical "kill the villian but by some miraculous event he just keeps coming back in the next movie" plot and actually deliver a logical hint to a sequel. Well, a probable sequel anyway.

Watching a slasher flick in 3D is...quite a refreshing experience, I must say. Thrillers never felt so real. Gore is delivered to you in the most upfront way possible and in all its graphic glory. And thank Dolby for a fantabulous surround sound which nearly got me pissing my pants with each killing. Nearly.

Oh, and umm, I take back the 'deeper' comment I made about the movie. That's typically it. Uhuh. Although, you will find yourself checking corners a lot wherever you go after the movie. And, as I said to the fellas at the end of it:

"One word I would use to describe My Bloody Valentine 3D: fuck."

Pickaxes never looked so horrifying. Urgh.

EDIT: Kudos to Adnan for belanja-ing the whole movie outing yesterday. Well, sorta. Hahah. Gotta give a man credit where credit is due, right?

OMG I THINK I JUST EXPERIENCED A MUSICAL EPIPHANY.

See that music player to your right?

Yeah, so I happened to open my blog on two separate tabs on my browser, and you know how the playlist on the player is set to shuffle right?

So on one tab, Eulogy by Ben Kenney was playing, while on the other, It's a Hard Knock Life by Jay-Z was rolling out.

An it just so happened that these two tracks were played at the same time that they actually managed to sync into each other!

LIKE WTF.

The drums on Jay-Z's tracks fell nicely into the rhythms of Ben Kenney, and it felt almost like a frickin mash-up! IT WAS FRICKIN SWEET!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T DISCOVER THIS SOONER.

I'm still in shock. Like whoa. 0_0

Uh, well, if I'd known you were gonna see the post differently than I did, I wouldn't have taken it down. =S

So here it is, word for word (as much as I can recall), just cos I know how much it means to you.

___________________________________________________________

"Well, yesterday was...emotional, to say the least.

Zie, me and my family extend our condolences to yours. I, for one, pretty much know what it's like to lose a father like that.

Well, I didn't really him per se, but, judging by the way you talk about him as well as the concern you have for him the whole time he was in the MICU, I'd say he's a pretty awesome guy, and a very fortunate father to have you and Lia as his daughters."

___________________________________________________________

And, umm, if you read it before it was deleted, you'd know the last part was...pretty irrelevant. Hahah. =)