Movie: Eight Below

This is a must watch! For dog lovers, non-dog lovers, kids, anyone. Finally a movie to honour dogs, among the other working dogs. Dog lovers will probably shed tears while watching it, non-dog lovers should start to appreciate dogs after watching this and kids should start loving dogs after watching this.

Why do I like this movie? It showcases friendship, courage, survival, honour the work that many working dogs have done, sacrifices they make and of course, how much we owe it to them. Ok maybe it sounds kinda confusing. But dogs have done a lot for humans throughout the centuries. Let's take a look.

During the war, military dogs accompany, sense for their owners, track down stuff and even protect them, is used to deliver messages across dangerous areas that no human would wanna pass, deliver bombs (i kinda forgot), and of course lots of war dogs die in the course of their work. And often, they are forgotten by humans (not uncluding their handlers though). I once heard of a story retold by an old soldier, of his dog that sacrificed its life for him. Basically while lying down and firing shots at the enemy & vice versa, in a very dangerous situation, he was in a position where he could be killed, and actually will be killed if not for his dog. The dog, sensing that its master was in danger as bullets were flying past his head, slowly crept on his body and laid its head on his helmet. Shortly after lying there, it took a bullet for him. Yup, it died, saving its master's life. And you should see the tears in a man's eye as he retold the story. ah, there're many more of such. Stories of contributions by war dogs are aplenty.

Next, we have guide dogs (for the blind & handicapped), sled dogs(like those in this movie), sheepdogs(great tireless workers for shepherds and protectors), rescue dogs (that's where the great saint bernard comes in, at the mountains, or others that rescue drowning people, lost people, trapped people) and police dogs (sniff for drugs, go on patrol, and attack escaping criminals if necessary). See, the roles that they play, not mentioning as great companions too.

Maybe after this movie, people will wake up and realise that dogs are in such important roles huh. Seriously, if u r injured or handicapped, the one u find beside u, working for u, everyday for years may probably not be that pretty babe walking on the street, the handsome or funny guy, even frdz can't do it everyday, but a guide dog. They are the ones who will help these people along the way up the lift, across the road, go buy stuff at the convenience store, alert u to the door bell or ringing phone, 24hrs/7 etc. Visit patients in hospitals, etc. (Yes I saw all these on tv and real life)

I think I should change my nick to- Dogs are Man's Best Friends. Respect, Honour, Appreciate & Learn from them. I sound so dog fanatic lol.. but oh well, I used to be more of a fanatic than now. After years of learning about them, u just can't help but admire them. Cheers.

*This movie is recommended, I can even watch it again.
Visit http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/8below/index_main.html for more.

KUISHIN-BO BUFFET!!!

I just went for CMB's chairperson treat at Kuishin-Bo, Suntec City today. waaaaa... it was great... Actually for the past week at least, my appetite had been diminishing, and I was getting bored of normal food. Was craving for really nice and tasty food. This evening, my appetite was finally back! back! after one week of torture (feels horrible when i dun hav appetite)......

Anyway, the type of food they had there was Japanese. There were, potato salad (don't underestimate it although itz potato salad, it's nice.. and not those sad boring kind. I think it beats the potato salad in any western restaurant), then tempura section, all sorts of tempura, got tofu too, then comes teppanyaki section, then the paper steamboat section(got chicken, seafood and vegetarian)- the soup is very sweet, should try this. They also have the soba section, cha soba, zaru soba and sesame type noodles. yummy... I like cha soba! Then HOHO! soup section! got miso soup, got seafood soup (taste a bit like sharks fin but itz not), and the daikon soup! wah piang..... I just whack the daikon as I have been craving for it.... Daikon is nice.... Next up is the sushi and sashimi section. Actually I never pay much attention to this section because I was busy with the other sections. lol.... But they got quite a wide variety of sushis, sashimi- salmon, tuna, yellowtail? Following that would be the SNOW CRAB. whoa man, they have long legs baby.... lol.... anyway, there's like so much juice in it, and the meat is soo sweet! It's meaty too, just like eating crabstick, only that now u're eating the REAL THING. lol.. i don't know how many I ate, I got addicted. It's so nice. chilled too. Desserts- oreo cheesecake, cream puff (nice!), green tea ice cream, etc. But the best part is............. *drum rolls* The Kuishin-Bo specials!!! wait till the music stops, and then comes the announcement! Run for it! Lobsters in cheese, black pepper and mayonnaise! all at different times of the night. I think the mayo Lobster is the best. really good..... not only that, they also have mochi ice cream, candy floss for specials. Just take note of it and be fast! coz itz limited to first 20 customers for example. hahaha... we had such a great time rushing for it today. Fun time, so much laughter and team work too. Wonderful! Thanks for the treat...

Ok that's about it. yup, this buffet costs about $36 bucks, but I think it's definitely worth it. Whee~ ok gtg, will post the pictures here next time. ;)

Today

Earlier today, I was feeling restless once again. Well, there're periods of time when I will feel like that. I'm a german shepherd or a bird that cannot be caged. If there is nothing for me to do, I'll get destructive. And if I wanna do something but can't do it, I'll feel very restrained and restricted. Needless to say, I dislike being restricted. Now, I wanna do something that isn't passive, something that is different from simply watching movies or tv series or whatever. I wanna swim, I wanna run, I wanna bowl, I wanna go up to Mount Faber for some snacks & quiet moments at night(yes sounds crazy but this was indeed my thought tonight), wanna go out and walk around a bit. But of course, I didn't get what I wished for again, one of the many things that happen in life. Sometimes u just can't get what you want, for many reasons. Maybe your schedule, or maybe the schedule of others (afterall, u need the right people to do the right stuff with).

Exams are coming soon, things are gonna get more stressful, people are gonna get busier. Actually all I ask for is a day for me to release all the extra pent up energy before I can sit down like a sedentary animal to do my work. How many days has it been, since I last lived like a proper human being? Come to think of it, actually comm work and hall life do help. When I was doing comm work, I don't feel that bored, because I have stuff to complete. Bored is not only what I will be when I have nothing to do, it is what I'll be when I can't do the things I wanna do. This evening, I was feeling so sick and tired of not having some stuff beside me, and so tired of having to be restricted by stuff. Let me give you an example: I'm very very sick of not having Sydney, my dog with me now that I'm living in school. Seriously, it's not easy to adjust to this. After so many years of having her by my side, never failing to be there for me. Can you imagine me having to live without animals? no more fish, no dog, no plants, nothing! omg.. horrible... and I forgot to add, no more music! cannot play organ also. Gone were the days when I could plant stuff in my free time, go for a stroll with my doggie, watch the fishes (itz relaxing and proven to be good) and play the organ whenever my fingers itch. It's taking a toll on me. I need nature!!!!!!!

Talking about dogs... I was just thinking about Sydney while I was trying to sleep. Why do I love dogs so much? They are loyal, your best friend, forever there for you when you need them, don't hurt you, dont judge you, don't harm or manipulate you, never tired, don't criticise you, nor try to act smart & boast, give you unconditional love, forever stable, the list can go on..... Amazing right? *respect* I really wonder how they do it sometimes. No matter what, when u're having a bad day, they'll always be there, to run to you, cuddle up, wag their tail and sit there to listen to ur complains. For me, I yet to reach that level of perfection yet. Still trying. Cause I'm a human being, remember? Humans are less perfect than dogs.

Anyhow, good news is, I've finally cured myself of that boredommmm.... decided to watch a movie. see how la.. after typing for so long, mayb i can do other stuff. Feel much better now. Guess all the negative stuff I had in my brain can be thrown out of the window now.

So tired.....

Stuff that happened the past few days made me feel kinda tired. Firstly, the fan in my laptop went dead (I expected that to happen one day as it was already making weird noises a while ago). That happened on Monday and I was supposed to send it for repair on Tuesday. But alas, due to the rain and horrible taxi booking system, I couldn't set off earlier and I perpetually failed to successfully book a cab for like about half an hour.(argh! that was seriously frustrating) Moreover, the drop-off centre had a closing time of 5pm. So anyway, I could not send it on Wednesday because my lecture ends at 6pm (past the centre's closing time). Luckily my SMG chair lent me a computer, else life would have been worse. Actually, that was a pretty good aid for me- a private air-con room with 2 desktops with no noise and disturbance in my hall. Perfect place to do your work and study isn't it? Plus it's available 24hrs w/o restrictions. what more could one ask for? That's why I should not be complaining.
Today, Thursday. I planned to send my cheque out (long overdue) and maybe if there's time, send my laptop for repair. But unfortunately, the rain disrupted my plans. Don't be mistaken, I do not dislike the rain. I do like it sometimes as it brings relief to the scorching heat, making the surroundings much cooler. argh! looks like I cannot send my stuff to repair till wkends or something. That's bad. So after 1 week, I still didn't get to doing what I wanted to. Someone said Car is important. *ahem* I strongly agree that it is. W/o one, it is so inconvenient.

Next issue is: the unforgivable Itch. damn... It's been haunting me for the past few days at least, striking at anytime it wills. I feel so irritated by it. When it strikes, I can't get to sleep easily. why O why do I have to go through this torture everyday? arghH... I can't help it but I feel real frustrated sometimes. Can't blame me can you?

So, after not having enough sleep due to itches and stuff, my head feels tired and my spirit is weak. However, the coming exams are pushing me to work hard and focus on what I have to do, which is Good. (esp. after receiving test results) They haven't been too satistfactory I would say. ok la, blame myself. So yea, I am feeling the strong urge to revise and practise like crazy. But I would admit that this is also giving me a certain amount of stress. seriously, STRESS! nevermind, from now onwards, I must Focus, take care of my health so I can study well, and of course, save myself by Studying.

Sometimes stuff will cross my mind, and I will feel so tired... but I guess they are only fleeting images.. Will be gone once I get started with what I need to do. The only way to start feeling great again is to prepare real well and to perform real well. Go girl~!

Freaking nice poem

Ah.. I just read a very nice poem today, written by my gd frd's frd.
It's freaking nice and good, considering itz original and stuff. I can't resist the temptation of putting it a stanza down in here. It's prolly the one that is most general, and that most people out there will understand.

Now and here our paths diverge:
But let us sing not a dirge.
Friends by closest ties we will remain.
If you make an effort, you'll stand to gain.
Fortune any time her wheel may turn,
But these friendships will forever burn.

This stanza models what I wanna say sometimes, exactly.
I think that's my stanza of the Month and so far the best poem I have read this year.