Review: Clash of the Titans (2010)

Bradley Farless8 Comments

Clash of the Titans is an exciting movie that delivered exactly what I expected: an action packed, special effects extravaganza that kept me entertained from start to finish.  If you haven’t seen the movie yet, it would be a mistake going into it thinking you’re going to walk away with any deep revelations about the mysteries of life, or leave with some profound new sense of well being.  That’s not what Clash of the Titans is about.  This really isn’t as serious a movie as I thought it would be.  It felt more like Scorpion King, where you’re meant to focus on the fun and action, rather than the storyline.

I really enjoyed that the movie didn’t try to be something it wasn’t.  The movie was all about action, and they kept the dialogue light, with lots of wit and humor thrown in to keep the audience engaged.  The only time the story veered from that style was at the end, when Perseus had to deal with the main antagonist, which is fitting.  It can’t all be fun and games.

I’ve always been a sword & sorcery fan and enjoyed reading about Greek mythology as a kid, so it was very cool to see the mythological characters and stories I’d read about come alive on the big screen.  I’ll definitely be adding this movie to my collection, to be re-watched when I want to see fast paced action and get a thrill.

It also didn’t hurt that the main female characters were all pretty hot:

Princess Andromeda

Io, cursed with agelessness for refusing the advances of a god.

Also, the boatman who ferries souls across the River Styx was pretty cool too.  Looking at this guy, and his boat, really makes you feel like you’re on your way to hell.

Update: We watched the 2D version, because the 3D effects reportedly suck pretty hard. The movie wasn’t filmed in 3D like Avatar was. It was done through rushed post-processing to try to capitalize on people’s excitement over 3D.

Review: Hei Sushi @ Downtown East

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Hei Sushi at Downtown East

After having a great time watching Clash of the Titans my wife and I walked down to the lower level of Downtown East to look around and decide on dinner.  We hadn’t eaten at Hei Sushi before and the conveyor belt full of sushi looked pretty appealing, so we got in line and waited to be seated.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hei Sushi but the entire experience was more than a little under-whelming.  There’s a restaurant by the pool and gym in Tampines (that I can’t remember the name of) that sells sushi off a conveyor belt and their selection is impressive.  The taste and quality is impressive as well.  I’d expected the same thing from Hei Sushi. We’d eaten a heavy lunch and we weren’t that hungry so the idea of just getting a few items from the conveyor belt is what roped us in.  The place also has an interesting method for ordering items: an interactive computer screen complete with an optical mouse on your table.  I was excited to play with it!

Computer Ordering Screen

The table we were seated at was near the front of one of the conveyor belts, so I was sure we’d get the best pick from the items coming out of the kitchen.  That would have been true, I’m sure, but no items were actually being added to the conveyor belt the entire 30 minutes we sat there.  Not that I could tell anyway.  Plates with the same, six or seven varieties, of sad looking pieces of sushi with wilted fish kept going round and round.

We initially took a few plates to try them, but after sitting for 30 minutes and realizing that they weren’t going to add anything new, we turned to the menu in disappointment.  After looking through the menu for a while we settled on an item we could both enjoy, the ika teriyaki (squid).  So, my wife took the mouse and tried to place the order.  She couldn’t get it to work, so I tried it.  The screen was frozen.  Left click, right click, it all resulted in no click.

Hei Sushi Sitting Area

At this point we were both disappointed with the place and decided to leave.  A meal is supposed to be a relaxing experience.  I shouldn’t have to face technical difficulties after already being disappointed by the small selection of choices on the conveyor belt, which, by the way, were barely a fraction of what their menu said was supposed to be available.  We were supposed to call for our bill by clicking a button on the computer screen, but that didn’t work so I had to flag down a waitress who seemed rather surprised that we were leaving after only eating 6 plates from the conveyor belt.

Speaking of those plates, they’re also overpriced.  That restaurant by the pool (wish I knew it’s name) had set the price at 1 dollar for two pieces of sushi on a plate.  Hei Sushi had the price set at 2.18 per plate, not including GST.

Now for my final complaint.  We were charged a 10% service fee.  10%!  And for what?  Being shown to a table?  Being presented with our bill?  We were never given any service to have to pay for it.  We picked up everything ourselves off of the conveyor belt.  I understand the concept behind a service fee, and I’m willing to pay it, but only when I’ve received service, and good service at that.  Hei Sushi’s service staff were pleasant, but they didn’t actually do anything for us to warrant a 10% service charge.

Hei Sushi isn’t a terrible place by any means, but we won’t be returning simply because there are better options where we can get better food at a better value.

A Trip To the US Embassy in Singapore

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Yesterday I had the opportunity, or really a need, to go down to the US Embassy here in Singapore.  This was my second trip there since being in Singapore.  I remember the first time I went I was really impressed with the whole idea of being in an embassy, because how many Americans actually get to do that?  That’s something I’ve mentioned to my wife before.  Most Americans will never leave the United States.  In fact, some Americans don’t even leave their home state for the entire lives.  That last group isn’t that big, but it’s true.  Traveling is a rare thing in the US, and traveling abroad is even more rare.  I suppose it has something to do with how big the US is, and how expensive it is to get anywhere interesting.  Here in Asia, you can hop on a plane for a short flight to any number of countries and it’s really cheap.  In the US, unless you want to go to Canada or Mexico, you’re looking at paying quite a bit of money to make that hop over the Atlantic of the Pacific.

Anyhow, the first time I went to the embassy I was expecting to see a heavily fortified building with lots of guards.  I wasn’t entirely disappointed.  The building is imposing and there did happen to be guards patrolling the street out front.  Oddly enough, though, they weren’t the US Marines I was expecting.  It was Singapore police, carrying rifles and wearing blue uniforms with maroon berets.  The entrance check-point wasn’t guarded by Marines either.  The guys appeared to be a contracted local security outfit.  Not that that’s a bad thing.  I just had a different image of how regal the embassy would look.  I suppose in a country like Singapore, having Marines guarding the doors isn’t necessary.

So, my idea of what the embassy would look like, based on movies I’d seen, was entirely shattered.  It was a sort of comforting experience, though, being surrounded by a lot of people speaking English with an American accent.  I don’t run into too many Americans here in Singapore.

It was also comforting in another way, both times, but more in a ‘familiar process’ way, than an actual ‘I feel good being here’ kinda way.  I spent 8 years in the US Army, and one of the catch-phrases that you’ll often hear associated with getting anything done in the Army is “Hurry up and wait.”  I could go into that quite a bit, but suffice it to say that with most things the Army does, you rush to get somewhere and then stand around for hours on end waiting for the actual event to occur.  This is never so true as it is with paperwork, and the US Embassy excelled at conveying that old familiar feeling to me.

On this trip, my wife and I went down there to get a document notarized.  There were six people ahead of us in line waiting for consular services.  I expected to be in and out in about 20 minutes tops, but I kid you not, we sat there for an hour.  I suppose you could say this is a reflection of all government related paperwork and processes though.  Things take a LOT of time to get done, unless it involves the government taking your money of course.  They’re pretty quick on that one.

Anyhow, it wasn’t a completely unpleasant experience.  Again, it was nice to be surrounded by native English speakers and the staff were all pleasant.  Still, I hope I don’t have to go back down there again any time soon.

Singapore is Blooming!

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Over the weekend while my wife and I were on the MRT green line we noticed that the trees are starting to bloom with large white and pink blossoms.  You can see it especially well between Pasir Ris and Tampines MRT stations.  It’s definitely no sakura blossom viewing event, but it’s still attractive.  I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time to take photos of the trees along the train line, but I did take photos of some of the trees around my neighborhood.

This photo was taken on a different day from the first two.  Those are the same two trees, but from across the street.  You can see Loyang Secondary School behind them, as well as two women below them taking photos of the trees just like I was the day before.

These trees are planted down the middle of some of the roadways here in Pasir Ris.  It’s really nice to look at.  I’m going to take a walk down to Pasir Ris Park sometime this week, if I have time, to see if the trees there are blooming and to try to get some better photos.

Preparing the Cats for Immunization

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With my upcoming move, I’m working on getting my cats ready for export.  It’s a long and annoying process that’s adding stress to an already stressful situation, but luckily things are working out fairly well for us so far on that front.

First off, some kind people were willing to donate funds towards helping my wife and I cover our expenses.  That’s really a great boon, given how much the whole process is going to cost.  We’ve pretty much got our plan down as to how to ship them over to the Philippines with minimal impact to our budget. I’m going to create a ‘How-To’ guide on moving cats from Singapore to the Philippines once we manage to get it done successfully ourselves, that way, hopefully, others who are in the same situation won’t have to stress out about visiting multiple sites to figure out what they need to do.

When I take them to a vet to get a health certificate I’ll be getting them their rabies shots, but first I’m going to get them current on their other shots and make sure that they have a shot record that also annotates their receiving dosages of heart worm and de-worming medication.  I don’t want any hang-ups when we arrive at NAIA in Manila.

I’m planning on doing that this week, but I ran into an issue.  I was short one cat carrier.  So, I messaged someone I know in a local cat advocate group called Mettacats, and they were kind enough to give me a loaner.  It’s a good thing I asked them about it too, because they let me know that the carriers required on planes are a bit different than the regular type and I would’ve wasted money buying another one.  I need to research that some more so I can make sure they’re ‘packaged’ appropriately for transport.

The Mettacats member has a clinic in Pasir Ris that’s close to where I live so I walked up there this afternoon to collect the carrier.  She was busy but had left instructions with her staff to get it out of the storeroom for me when I dropped by.

On the way back, I got a lot of interesting reactions.  The carrier was empty, but just the prospect of seeing a pet brought smiles to people’s faces.  It’s interesting, walking down the street and having kids and adults leaning close to peer into the carrier.  Too bad there was nothing interesting to show them, but maybe it’s lucky my cat Thumper wasn’t in there.  She looks sort of like a monkey-bat-cat.

Anyhow, I’m looking forward to getting this step in the process out of the way and I’ll update again, with pictures of them suffering at the vet, after the trip!

Yamazaki @ Tampines 1 Mall

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With all of the times we’ve walked right by this place I can’t imagine why we never poked our head in to look around.  I guess it was the really fancy cakes they had in the display cases facing out towards the mall walkway.  Tampines 1 isn’t really the place I’d think of when I want good, but reasonably priced, baked goods.

However, with my time in Singapore fast coming to an end, I got curious and looked around inside.  I was surprised to see great prices and a great variety of sweet baked items.  There were things with chocolate cream, custard fillings and apple pies and it was all completely affordable.

We quickly loaded up a tray to take home with us.  We’re gonna have to go on some long runs this week to burn off these calories, but they were definitely worth it!

The custard was better than I’d hoped, the waffle was sweet and tasted like it’d go great in a bowl of vanilla ice cream, and the apple pie my wife picked out was incredible!

If you’re looking for some good quality pastry type items for a good price, I recommend this place.  You can even get some Japanese milk tea or cafe au lait from the cooler to wash down your pastry.

Triple Homicide At Tampines 1

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When we walked into Tampines 1 earlier this evening, there was a large crowd gathered around the opening on the first level, looking across to the other side.  We were curious to see what was going on, so my wife and I quickly joined the crowd.

On the other side of the opening there was a crime scene, cordoned off with yellow tape.  Three bodies were on the floor, surrounded by tape to mark their positions on the floor while a photographer was taking pictures and people in Crime Scene Investigation vests were examining the area.

It only took a few moments to realize the whole thing was staged.  The large speaker playing club music to draw attention was, of course, the main giveaway, but there was no blood or signs of trauma on the bodies.  Plus, they were uncovered.

Later, while walking through the other end of the mall we saw that there was a similar scene being set up with a different group of people, one of which was a fairly attractive woman who had her legs cocked open, offering a scandalous view up her skirt.

What I’d like to know is what the point of the whole thing was.  Unless I was really being unobservant, I couldn’t see any signs for obvious branding, other than the Crime Scene Investigation vests.  I suppose it’s possible that it was a hip new recruiting technique spearheaded by Singapore’s police force, but I didn’t see anyone handing out flyers either.  My wife suggested that it might be for a fashion magazine, which makes a lot of sense.

I took a few photos of the first ‘scene’.  Sorry, no upskirt porn!

Does anyone know what was really going on here?  And how much does a person get paid to take naps on the floor all day?

On another note, the center area in the bottom floor by cold storage is completely closed off.  You can see the green barrier in some of these photos that’s hiding it from viewing from above.  I’m curious to know what they’re going to open there, and whether or not it’ll be done before I bid Singapore adieu.  The area was previously used for seating and also held an upside-down Christmas tree over the holiday season.

Singaporean Funeral Procession

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Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at the kopitiam near where I live and I heard music, so I turned and looked up the road.  I saw what I thought was a parade and, being curious, I started taking photos.  I quickly finished my coffee and then moved down to the road where I could have a better view.

The decorations were very interesting and I thought the two guys wearing the costumes were very cool.

As another set of vehicles approached I noticed the music playing was more somber and mournful.  The music playing from the lead vehicle had been cheerful and lively sounding by comparison.  I then realized that the group of people following the vehicle were carrying an ornate wooden coffin above them, draped with flowers.  I didn’t take a photo of them, or the coffin, out of respect for the recently deceased.

The smile quickly faded from my face and I waited respectfully as the funeral procession passed before walking back home.  I guess not everything coming down the road playing music in Singapore marks a happy occasion.

The procession was similar to funeral processions in the US, but only vaguely.  In the US a procession is usually led by two police on motorcycles, followed by a cavalcade of vehicles with the hearse at the tail end followed by two more police on motorcycles.  It’s common courtesy and tradition (if not illegal to not do so) to pull over to the side of the road and wait for the procession to pass completely, before continuing down the road.  By comparison, traffic on the road around the procession here in Singapore couldn’t have cared less from what I saw.  One vehicle almost ran over some of the people walking while quickly turning onto a side road.

Different places, different customs.

Heathrow Airport Body Scanner Abused; Employee Takes Picture of Woman’s Scanned Image

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Back in January, when talk of putting body scanners in airports was running at full steam, I posted my opinion on the whole matter, which is, in short that it’s a horrible idea that offers up way too many opportunities for abuse of the system by less than ethical employees and the government.  I pointed out how accurately the body scanners portray people’s forms and how some countries had even banned the use of body scanners on children because it was a violation of child pornography laws that state that nude images of children cannot be created.  Additionally, I pointed out ways in which the images could be removed from the area, and even how simple photo editing could reverse the colors to create accurate color nude images of people.  Here are the example images I posted:

There were a lot of naysayers in that debate, talking about how it could never happen, how there would be preventive measures put in place to keep people from abusing the imaging system.  As with all systems, there are always holes, and the first one just cropped up.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police received an allegation regarding an incident that happened at Heathrow Terminal 5 on March 10. A first-instance harassment warning has been issued to a 25-year-old male.”

The BAA employee took a photo of his co-worker, Jo Margetson, when she inadvertently went through a scanner.

“I can’t bear to think about the body scanner thing,” she told the Sun. “I’m totally traumatised. I’ve spoken to the police about it. I’m in too much of a state to go to work.”

via guardian.co.uk

I’m not going to drag this out, because I’m sure most of you have read both sides of the argument already, but just keep this in mind the next time you’re taking your wife and young daughter through the airport.  One last thing I’d like to reiterate though, is that these body scanners would not have detected the bomb that was used on the December 25th, 2009 attempted airplane bombing that these scanners are being installed as a reaction to.  That’s all of our tax dollars, hard at work buying things that wouldn’t even have solved the original problem.

Update: This is my favorite quote from the news article (linked to from the quote above):

“Air passengers already tolerate a large invasion of their privacy and we do not feel that full-body scanners add greatly to this situation. Privacy concerns should not prevent the deployment of scanners.”

Essentially this guy is saying that because they already violate your privacy, it’s absolutely ok for them to continue violating it. Get ready for invasive probes after the next terrorist hides a bomb inside their rectum or vagina. It’ll be ok, because they’ve already invaded your privacy greatly by virtually strip searching you, so why not go a bit further?

Tapa King in Singapore

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Tapa King Banner

Tapa King is a restaurant that serves a popular Filipino dish called tapsilog.  The restaurant is very popular in the Philippines and has finally opened branches here in Singapore at Lau Pa Sat (same place as where the only Wendy’s in Singapore is) and one at Century Square in Tampines.  There may be other branches but those are the only two I’m aware of.

Anyhow, my wife found out about it because of a person handing out flyers by the Tampines MRT station.  She was a little disappointed at first but then realized she should check the food court.  It wouldn’t make sense for them to hand out flyers there otherwise.  Sure enough, Century Square had a Tapa King outlet:

Tapa King Menu

She was so excited she couldn’t wait to share the experience with me, and I mean that literally.  She went there for lunch and then told me in great detail about how good it was.  Tapa King’s reputation is well known to Filipinos and many of them were lined up, along with curious locals, to get a taste of this great Filipino dish.

Line at Tapa King

She didn’t want me to miss out on the experience so she sent me a copy of the menu so I could choose something for her to bring home with her:

Tapa King:

Tender beef strips marinated in a savory sauce cooked over a griddle, served with fried egg, chopped tomato and garlic fried rice.

Tapa Queen

Tender beef strips marinated in a spicy sweetish sauce cooked over a griddle, served with fried egg, chopped tomato and garlic fried rice.

Tapa Prince

Tender beef strips marinated in sweetish sauce cooked over a griddle, served with fried egg, chopped tomato and garlic fried rice.

Tapa Joe

Tender beef strips cut in small pieces marinated in herbs and spices cooked over a griddle, served with fried egg, chopped tomato and garlic.

They all sounded pretty good, but I went ahead and asked for the Tapa King.  The tapa dishes are their specialty so we didn’t bother with the other dishes.  My wife says the Spicy Tuyo is good, but it’s dried fish and she figured I wouldn’t like that.  Crispy Liempo is a piece of pork, if you’re wondering.

When she got home I eagerly opened the box, ready to dig in:

Tapa King Meal

Tapa King Meal

When I took the first bite, I knew I’d found a new favorite dish.  I literally found myself scraping the container to get the last few bits of garlic rice and wished I’d had a second helping available.  I’m excited to try the other versions the next time I’m in Tampines.

If you’re interested in trying some Filipino cuisine in Singapore, then I highly recommend Tapa King.  You definitely won’t be disappointed!