Movies of 2006

My rankings of movies I have watched this year:

1. The Prestige (4.5/5)

Amazing storytelling, about two magicians who got involved into a rivalry and in the process sacrificed a lot for the sake of art. Directed by Christopher Nolan.

2. The Departed (4/5)

Hollywood's version of Infernal Affairs. Good acting by Leonardo DiCaprio. Directed by Martin Scorcese.

3. Inside Man (4/5)

A bank robbery planned to perfection, but the robbers had no plans to steal any money. Starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen.

4. Monster House (4/5)

Cartoon produced by Steven Spielberg.

5. Superman Returns (3.5/5)
6. X Men: The Last Stand (3/5)
7. Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest (3/5)
8. Mission Impossible 3 (3/5)
9. Night at the museum (3/5)
10. Scoop (2.5/5)
11. The Banquet (2/5)
12. Date Movie (1.5/5)
12. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (1/5)
14. Scary Movie 4 (1/5)

May have forgotten some movies. If I had the chance, I would have watched Flags of our Fathers, and Casino Royale.

Full House

Because both Young Jae (Rain) and Ji Eun (Song Hye Kyo) dare not confess their feelings for each other, comical scenes result.

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*Young Jae about to leave with Hye Won*

Ji Eun: Please don't leave me.
Young Jae: ...
Ji Eun: If you leave...
Young Jae: ...
Ji Eun: If you leave... no dinner for you!

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*Ji Eun about to leave with Min Hyuk*

Young Jae: Don't go!
Ji Eun: ...
Young Jae: You.. You.. You have to clean today!
Ji Eun: What?
Young Jae: You can't go, you have to do cleaning.
Ji Eun: I'll get it done afterwards.
Young Jae: Don't go! If you go now..
*10 seconds silence*
Young Jae: How am I supposed to eat?

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Hilarious stuff.

Together


By The Raconteurs
You and me forever
We belong together
And we'll always endeavor
Throughout any type of weather

You want everything to be just like
The stories that you read but never write
You gotta learn to live and live and learn
You gotta learn to give and wait your turn
Or you'll get burned

You wrote our names down on the sidewalk
The rain came and washed 'em off
So we should write 'em again on wet cement
So maybe people a long time from now will know what we meant

You want every morning to be just like
The stories that you read but never write
You gotta learn to live and live and learn
You gotta learn to give and wait your turn
My only concern

I'm adding something new to the mixture
So there's a different hue to your picture
A different ending to this fairytale
When the sunset into which we sail

You want everything to be just like
The stories that you read but you can't write
You gotta learn to live and live and learn
You gotta learn to give and wait your turn
Or you'll get burned

Me of little faith.

Sometimes I look at people around me, and I wonder if I could have that unshakable faith that they have.

Prison Break

Michael: Why are you so cynical?

Dr. Tancredi: Michael, I think there's cynicism and there's realism.

Michael: And there's optimism... hope... faith...

Dr. Tancredi: This coming from a guy locked away in a penitentiary.


I think Michael (Wentworth Miller) looks like Joel Boon. The reason why he always speaks as if he could escape the prison is because, well, he could.

The Last Hope

I feel quite empty yesterday night and today. Empty not in the sense that all hope has left me, but empty in the sense that there is this feeling you feel when you lost something you possessed, and have completely given up hope finding it back, and in the process find yourself having to re-adjust for the sake of it.

And it becomes even more empty when it is someone you have lost. I felt the same way when Grandma passed away too, even more so than now. But I know the feeling will soon pass away. I think it is not just me. But perhaps most of my relatives would feel the same. That we should mourn for those three or four days and after that to resume our normal lives would make us feel quite uncomfortable. It will take us some time to readjust. That we are expected to suddenly forget Grandpa and move on so quickly makes us feel uneasy.

They say time heals everything. I think that is nonsense. It is desires, or attractions, or some kind of other hopes that heals everything. For me, it is God. For others, it might be that there is some other hope or comforts lingering around, like their children who are still alive, or their parents who are still alive. Or their careers which they must return to. Or when they think about some future ahead it gives some hope. There is always something to return to. It is not time that heals. If God were to give you an eternity to get over someone precious that you have lost, but in the process remove all other hopes which you might possess, you will find that you will never get away from that state of feeling empty. You will feel empty forever. So it is not time that heal. When the Christian says that 'God heals', he means it in every sense of the word. For the one who believes in God, and also for the one who doesn't. What heals you is what God provides, be it your children, your future, or any other kinds of temporal hope that you might possess.

One day these hopes will be gone. Your children will be gone. Your parents will be gone. Your careers, your wife, your husband, your close friends will be gone. Sometimes they all go before you. And when they are gone, what else is there to provide the Last Hope?

Hope

The Christian says, 'Creatures are born not with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.'

From C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity

Glorification

I think glorification is a very frightening and magnificent idea, partly because I do not know much about it, but mainly because we would have lived and accustomed all our lives in imperfection but we would soon be made perfect. Imagine that the process of salvation were to end there and then, and finally you are able to call yourself Saved to Completion by God's faithfulness. We would receive a perfect body. How do I even begin to imagine what a perfect body looks like? C.S. Lewis did some description of it in The Great Divorce, and it was kind of similar to my idea of an 'ageless' one, having both the characteristics of infancy and maturity. But to describe anything to do with glorification is to romanticize glorification, and it would be hardly true. I don't think anyone can describe glorification when we are imperfect still any more than we can describe timelessness when we are bounded by time.

But give me the opportunity to romanticize, and glorification would seem like this. One would be sinless, and when we talk about being sinless, we are saying that one is infinitely less sinful than we now are. Comparative language does not make sense any more. Because the state one is in is infinity, and hence uncomparable. You can take someone who has already passed away and glorified. And suddenly it dawns upon you (in a frightful manner) that they are now sinless. They are incapable of sinning. While on earth you might think of them as being more sinful than you are, or you living a more righteous life than they did, or them doing nasty things to people but once they pass away and God made them perfect in that instant, you become infinitely more sinful and infinitely nastier compared to them. You become the Devil, and they, the Angels. Over there, they still retain their free will, but all they would choose is goodness, and nothing else. This is nothing like you, while you are still on earth, imperfect, constantly in a struggle to choose good from evil.

I shall stop here. Like I said, I am merely romanticizing it. The real thing, the real glorification, will be so much more wonderful and magnificent. And for that, no language can describe it.

Christian Reality

My relatives have a curious idea that they should see Grandpa just before he dies. Now there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, it is a very nice thing to do. But I do not believe one should feel guilty for not seeing him breathe his last, as some of them were. What is the point? Some of them even called themselves 'lucky' to have been able to see his last moment on earth. May I ask, what is the difference between his last breath and the one he breathed 5 years ago? Call me unsentimental or overly rational, but there is really no difference. In fact, if you had seen him 5 years ago instead of now, he might have been happier to see you. Why were you not there? Why are you here only now? Because 5 years ago he would have heard the words you say to him, he would have responded back to you, he would have smiled at you, he would still have the strength to walk with you to the park. But see him now, and it would be a little bit too late. He may not even know you are there.

Now to Christian reality. It is in Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality. If you are a Christian you would believe from the moment of conversion, Grandpa has always been with God. He has a special relationship with God the Father. He enters into mystical union with the Son. He has been indewelt with the Holy Ghost. Now I am sure Grandpa does not understand all these theologies. It did not matter because it is the reality and it happened. If one understands this, one knows that God has never left him. Not when he was breathing years ago, not when he was breathing his last. And certainly not even now, where he is with God.

My point is, there is no need to be sad, or guilty about not seeing him one last time. But I think this only applies to the Christian. If one has fulfilled his responsibility as a son, or as grandson, or as a family member, no guilt should be felt. If you had treated him well when he was still well and alive, no guilt should find you. It is really pointless to desire to meet him just before his death when he no longer has any mental capacity to recognise your love. Your love should have been felt way before he was dying.

Grandpa just passed away

12 Dec 2006. 2348 hours.

That was around 3 hours ago. I was there. Saw how he breathed his last few breaths. And then he stopped breathing. Just lay there motionless. I didn't cry. I only cry when I see other people crying. I cry because I feel the sadness in other people.

I'm not numb to death. I'm terribly afraid of it. Just that I know of Some One who can overcome it, and Some Better Place after it happens. And then maybe you will no longer feel afraid anymore.

When your Reality is Heaven, I don't think you will feel sad at all. You may feel sad at first. But later you would rejoice. Despair will not have a permanent hold on you.

I remember how quickly Grandpa's condition got worse. I didn't get to see him for a few weeks when I was in army. Sometimes I would come home for the weekend, and probably only see him a few times, because normally he would be sleeping. And one day, I suddenly saw how skinny he has become. He was emaciated. He was sickly. He was wasting away slowly. And then I had to go for the Exercise trip to Australia for 3 more weeks. I came back, and this time his condition worsened still. But I got to see him one last time. He couldn't respond properly. He couldn't speak. But I think he knew there were people around him, and perhaps this comforted him. Maybe he knew I was there. Maybe he didn't. It didn't matter.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.." John 11:25

Exercise Wallaby in Numbers

Number of Kangeroos in Australia: 40 million
Number of Kangeroos spotted: 1
Number of movies watched in plane, during exercise, and after: 10+
Number of people participating in Exercise Wallaby '06: 400+
Number of people in 128 Squadron: 78
Number of nice people in 128 Squadron: 78
Number of times 3 SIG CO said 'If you ask me...': countless
Number of times CSMs tried to please CO: countless
Number of baths average soldier outfield took during 14- day exercise: 1 or 2
Number of baths I took during 14-day exercise: 14
Number of platoon mates who got drunk: 3
Cost of mineral water in Singapore: 60 cents
Cost of mineral water in Australia: $2.60
Number of times greeted with 'Good Day, Mates!': 3
Number of times I felt homesick: 0