First Two Weeks

Well, our first two weeks in Melbourne have flew by blazingly quick. Can’t believe it’s already been two weeks!! Things have slowly settled in, and Jenny and I are finding our way around Melbourne much easier (partly thanks to our new TomTom GO 1050 World GPS hehe).

Last Thursday (2nd June 2011) also marked the first movie we’ve seen in a movie theatre, AND also the first movie we’ve seen in a movie theatre in Melbourne. I’ve been dying to see the new Fast and the Furious movie (“Fast and Furious 5″, or simply “Fast 5″), so Jenny kindly gave in and watched it with me. The movie was fantastic. Great car scenes, one particularly good fight scene between series newcomer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel, funny one-liners, and it was also awesome to see all the main and supporting characters together in one movie (minus Sean from “Tokyo Drift”, because timeline-wise, Tokyo hasn’t happened yet). Storyline-wise, it has to be the best of the five. However, I felt that “Fast 5″ was more of a heist movie than a pure racing one like its predecessors. Nice and welcoming change though. Most importantly, Jenny thoroughly enjoyed it too, which was great

“Fast and Furious 5″ overal rating: 8 out of 10

Just Less Than One Week Left

Exactly six days to go before Bobo and I leave New Zealand for Australia. Still feels a bit surreal. Have already written up a list on what to bring. Need to start packing them into my luggage lol.

In other news, Smallville officially ended this week. A very bittersweet ending indeed. Clark Kent finally mans up, realises the hero he was destined be, finally dons the red and blue and takes to the skies for the first time in 10 seasons. A very fitting end to a show I’ve followed quite religiously all the way back since high school in 2001. Hearing John William’s classic “Superman Theme” at the end sent chills down my spine too. Definitely going to miss it

Smallville Series Finale Rating: 10/10

LensHero.com

While checking out SnapSort.com for the first time ever earlier this evening, the LensHero.com advert on the main page caught my eye. I’ve been Googling for weeks trying to figure out what lens to get next for my Canon EOS 40D, and quite frankly, it was a MISSION, navigating through all the different websites just to find what I wanted to know…

If only I found out about LensHero.com earlier… After having a pretty thorough look into the general layout, I realised that if I had found this site a few days earlier, my search for my new lens would have been less labour-intensive!!

The site is efficiently laid out, giving users the choice of selecting the D-SLR they own, and their rough budget. Then the site gives users a choice of choosing the type of lens they’re typically after (wide angle, low light, macro, telephoto, etc.), with clever sample photos to further simplify the explanations of each lens type. I found this aspect very, very useful.

Once you’ve entered your camera and preference details, you’re greeted with a wide range of possible lens matches; with the site cleverly ranking the results from #1, #2, #3 and so on, with #1 being the most suitable (according to the information you entered earlier). From here, you can further refine the search results with filters such as lens brand, price, aperture, etc.

When you click on a specific search result, you are then presented with specific details regarding the lens you picked out. One thing I should stress again here is that from the main page onwards, the site is laid out in a very simplistic and easy-to-use way, making navigation extremely easy. Moreover, the information/specifications for each lens is short and to the point, which I also found welcoming. Too many photography sites throw in a truckload of technical terms, and I found myself Googling the terms to better understand them. Didn’t have to do that here!!

Overall, the site is genius. I would highly recommend it to anyone who, like me, are on the hunt for their next camera lens!! I’ve been on the hunt for a Canon prime lens for my 40D, and after a few weeks of research, finally narrowed it down to the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM, the Canon 35mm f/2.8 lens. I ultimately settled for the f/1.4 L USM due to the L-branding, great low light performance, superior depth of field, and the excellent build quality. I decided to input my preferences and give the LensHero.com search engine a go, and I’m glad to announce that unlike most search/filter engines, the one at LensHero.com actually works!! Listing the 35mm f/1.4 L USM as the #1 lens choice for me

Check the site out for yourself guys: www.LensHero.com

First Week Impressions

Just got home from a long day at work(s). Had my final day at Life Pharmacy Pakuranga for my externship, and then my usual shift at Newmarket. It’s been a week since I bought my new Nokia N95 8GB cellphone/smartphone from Expert Infotech from all the way over the ‘Shore, and I thought it was a nice time to express my first week impressions!

What can I say? I’m still speechless from how satisfied I am with this cellphone! Features-wise, it is by far the most jam-packed cellphone I’ve ever owned (Wi-Fi, 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus camera, built-in GPS, 8GB of memory, just to name a few of the countless functions!), not to mention how sexy the phone looks! It looks so manly. The epitome of what a man’s phone should look/feel like! What’s more, 95% of the time, it performs extraordinarily well. Why only 95%, you ask? Well, being a perfectionist, there are a couple of very minor niggles/bugs that I’m not too fond of:

- First off, it appears that all Symbian-based Nokia phones have this bug, where text messages in the inbox are shown surname first. So for example, if I receive a text from “Mariano Rivera”, the inbox shows I have a text from “Rivera Mariano”. This one doesn’t bug me as much as the next bug;
- After I flashed the phone to Taiwan firmware (the phone was originally for the Bulgarian region), I discovered that the firmware has trouble showing the names of texts I receive from 9-digit numbers (EG: 021-123456), and showing the names of calls (caller ID) I receive from 10-digit numbers (EG: +6421-123456). This bothered me the most, as a lot of my friends were on plan, and hence had phone numbers that length.

So after a few days of trying to live with these problems and trying to find solutions online, I decided to try my luck with the N95-2′s Hong Kong firmware (as Raymond updated his N82 to the newest firmware just a few days ago, and doesn’t have the dodgy 9/10-digit caller ID problem). Turns out luck was on my side. I now don’t have this problem, but at the same time, I desperately hope Nokia fix this bug in the Taiwan firmware for future updates (I much prefer having Taiwan firmware than Hong Kong).

N95 8GB (N95-2) Review:
Looks/Design: 9.5/10 (the slider’s a little wobbly, but still extremely solid. I just hope it doesn’t get any looser. But you can’t argue how sexy yet manly the phone looks!)
Functions/Features: 9/10 (if only the camera had the N82′s xenon flash, then this would’ve easily been a 10/10)
Ease of Use: 8.5/10 (here’s where my K800i might have the upper hand [it was soooo easy to use], but then again, maybe it’s because I’m a total noob to Symbian)
Overall (not an average): 9/10 (easily the best phone I’ve ever owned)

I also just finished my 5-day community pharmacy externship placement at Life Pharmacy Pakuranga. What a drag… The staff there were great, and it was a pretty good experience overall. However, I didn’t particularly like the efficiency of the dispensary. Their so-called “double-checking” system didn’t work well at all (even with 5 pharmacists on duty simultaneously!), and I found that patients had to wait much longer than they needed to for their scripts. But all in all, a nice experience!

Ok, I think it’s off to bed for me! 8am start at Superclinic! XD

Movies Galore

Man I’ve seen quite a few movies since my exams finished! Thought I’d a quick review for each of them!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (aka Transformers 2)
Overview: The sequel to 2007′s “Transformers” blew me away even more so than the first one. The special effects/CGI is still there and I think it’s safe to say they’re better than before. The plot’s kind of weak and predictable, but the action more than makes up for it. The robots all get more screen time, but the best part of this sequel is that Optimus Prime is BAD ASS in this one (he was useless in the first one)!
Rating: 8/10
Bottom line: Awesome action, CGI, soundtrack. Weak plot doesn’t make this anymore unwatchable.

Terminator Salvation (aka Transformers 4)
Overview: McG, the second director after the legendary James Cameron to attempt to revive one of my favourite film franchises of all-time, does a pretty decent job at doing just that. This is by no means better than the original two Terminator films (I don’t think anyone can top what Cameron did with the first two), but in my honest opinion, far better than Jonathan Mostow’s attempt (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”). Christian Bale is great as saviour of mankind John Connor (it was to be expected, considering he has virtually unlimited talent), but the one who steals the show is Sam Worthington as the “deathrow-inmate-turned-Terminator-who-doesn’t-know-he’s-a-Terminator” Marcus Wright.
Rating: 8.5/10
Bottom line: Weak plot with obvious contradictions to the previous hurts this one a bit, but Bale and Worthington help pick this one up. CGI-Arnie cameo brought a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart.

He’s Just Not That Into You
Overview: I wasn’t too interested in this one, but Jenny’s been bugging me to watch it with her since it came out at the movies. This one is jam-packed with Hollywood stars, but with a highly predictable plot, you can’t help but rate this one low. Ginnifer Goodwin (who plays Gigi in the movie) has been praised for her acting in this, but I thought she was hideous (and that’s not just her mediocre looks). And as a guy watching the movie, even I thought she made all women look desperate and ridiculously useless.
Rating: 5/10
Bottom line: Star-studded cast + predictable plot = watchable romantic comedy, but by no means Oscar-worthy.

The Haunting in Connecticut
Overview: Loosely based on a true story, this is one of the few horror/thriller films that actually made my heart jump from fright/fear (and that’s saying something). More than a few “now-you-see-the-dead-guy/ghost-now-you-don’t” scenes. Pretty decent plot, combined with solid acting from the main protagonist/antagonist (which one is he? Lol) make this horror/thriller an enjoyable one to watch, although the ending felt a bit rushed.
Rating: 7/10
Bottom line: Add Smallville’s Bart Allen/The Flash, Kyle Gallner, does a great job as cancer-stricken boy who can see the dead (because he’s on the “brink of death”) to a decent plot, and the result is a good fright flick.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Overview: Definitely one of the weaker comedies from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions company. The plot is weak and predictable, and there really wasn’t many funny parts at all. Kevin James, however, does a decent job with what he’s been given as overweight, hypoglycaemic mall cop. You can’t help but feel sorry for his character in more than a few situations.
Rating: 6/10
Bottom line: Kevin James makes this film watchable to the end, but definitely download material. Not worth buying/renting the DVD.

Smallville Season 8 Finale

“Smallville” has come a long, long way since Season 1. I took a break from it during the fifth season because it was getting too slow and repetitive. I picked it up again when season 6 rolled along, and found renewed interest.

I was always skeptical about not having Lex Luthor in the picture, because as far as I know, Lex Luthor is to Superman/Clark Kent like what The Joker is to Batman/Bruce Wayne. You can’t have a decent Superman storyline without good ol’ Lex. What I found, however, was that most of season 8 worked reasonably well, partly thanks to the introduction of villain Doomsday (who’s also Davis Bloome, a paramedic).

The season finale however, was in one word (or is it two?), a SHITSTORM (or SHIT-STORM, which would be two words). The climactic battle between Clark and Doomsday, which I’m sure many of the Smallville faithful were eagerly awaiting, was mediocre; not to mention it only lasted around two minutes. He’s also dead by the time two minutes is up. Isn’t Superman supposed to be killed by Doomsday, and not the other way around?

Now I know this is only a TV show, and not a big-budget movie, but when we finally get a good look at Doomsday up close and personal, he’s pretty damn disappointing. He’s basically a muscle man in a rubber suit with horny/bony appendages, who drools a lot. The whole idea of Clark blaming himself for Jimmy Olsen’s death (yes, Jimmy is killed of by a super-jealous Davis Bloome, and dies in Chloe’s arms after the two rekindle their love. But not before he impales and kills Davis too) is a bit silly, and the fact that he acknowledges that “Clark Kent is dead” is completely out of place.

Season finales usually leave you hanging high and dry, eagerly awaiting the next season. Unfortunately for “Smallville”, this season finale blew it, and I’m not exactly looking forward to season 9. Even if it means General Zod is the new villain.

Smallville season 8 finale: 6/10

On other TV series news, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” has officially been canned and won’t return for a third season… *sniff sniff* I was looking forward to it returning…

Prison Break Season 4 Finale

Just watched the season finale (and final ever episode) of  “Prison Break” last night, and wow. What a ride it’s been since the very first episode! I’m glad to say that 95% of the episodes have been awesome, thrilling and suspense-filled. Not to mention the never-ending plot twists!

Rating (overall score for the entire series): 9/10
Rating (season finale): 8.5/10

In the season finale, General Krantz and The Company are finally taken down with the assistance of an ex-Company enemy-turned-ally in Paul Kellerman, Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell is thrown back into Fox River, Michael and Sarah have a boy (Michael Jr.), Lincoln and Sofia hook up, Mahone has begun a relationship with FBI agent Lang, Sucre finally gets to settle down with his daughter, who’s now around 4-5 years old, and C-Note becomes a UPS postman.

The biggest shock however, is at the very end. Set four years later, Michael has most probably succumbed to his previous illness, and has passed away… The remaining characters, Sarah, Lincoln, Michael Jr., Mahone and Sucre visit Michael’s grave as the show comes to a conclusion.

Along with Mahone and Brad Bellick (season 4), Michael was one of my favourite characters by far, and his passing shocked me deeply.

Rest in Peace, Michael J. Scofield

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

I’ll admit. I’m a HUUUGE fan of the Terminator franchise. The whole concept of “travelling back in time to alter history”, “Judgment Day”, “computers (Skynet) taking over the world and nearly annihilating the human race” etc. has always fascinated me. What’s more, the fact that the first two Terminator flicks, “The Terminator” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day“, were BRILLIANT, and will always be up there as two of the best sci-fi films in history.

I remember watching “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” with a couple of my mates, Calvin and Morgan, after our UMAT exam back in 7th form, and came out feeling a bit disappointed. Sure it had Arnie (Arnold Schwarzenegger) reprise his role as the unstoppable T-800 (this time a T-850), but it lacked the plot. Not to mention they made John Connor a whiney little bitch.

Because of my mediocre impression on T3, when a TV series, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (I’ll abbreviate at as SCC from now on), was announced, I was both very excited and wary. It would be the first major Terminator production without Arnie, so I wasn’t sure if it would work.

I’m glad to say that I’ve quite enjoyed SCC ever since the first pilot episode (Summer Glau is fantastic as the first ever female terminator lead, AND great eye candy ). It’s quite different to the films, and some might say that it’s a cheap copy of the films. This is why I reckon only dedicated Terminator fans will appreciate the series. The first season was cut short because of the writers’ strike, which was a pity. The second season, however, picked up from where season 1 left off remarkably well, and continued to improve (albeit a few useless and confusing episodes of which I hated). The last two or three episodes (season finale included) were terrific, and has left me wanting more. Easy 8 out of 10 (8/10) for the series so far!

So to the creators/producers etc., PLEASE GIVE THE GREEN LIGHT TO SEASON 3, AND CERTAINLY DON’T STOP SCC!!

What’s more, “Terminator Salvation” (starring Christian Bale) will be out early June too! Can’t wait!

Another Update, Some Purchases & Reviews :)

Time flies when you’re busy with something. Especially if it’s uni work. My FOURTH week, I repeat, my FOURTH week has just come to an end. The first four weeks sure went by fast! Uni will definitely get more and more busier, with dissertation slowly picking up steam, and the assignments for each paper are rolling in too.

It also seems like when Mum and Dad are gone, Dill and I tend to go on an internet shopping spree lol. Dill just got his two Batman belt buckles in the mail today, and to his disappointment, they were not as big as he thought they would be. What’s more, one of them had a huge scratch on it lol… Luckily, the seller was pretty cool, and he’s sending Dill some replacements.

I on the other hand have gotten a Freddie Mercury t-shirt from the UK, and an iPod dock/stereo from 1day LOL. Pictures to follow. The Freddie Mercury t-shirt was from the official Queen website, and it’s bright yellow (just like Freddie’s Wembley jacket), and part of the profit goes towards the AIDS foundation that was started after his untimely death, the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

The iPod dock/stereo I bought off 1day is an Altec Lansing inMotion iM7 stereo, which is very impressive considering it’s smallish size. The bass it pumps out is simply amazing. I got it for $149.99, whereas shops sell them for around $399.99, so even though it was quite an impulse buy, it was a steal nonetheless. 9/10 (good price, charges the iPod, and excellent sound quality + build quality, but it would’ve been nice to be able to see what level of bass/treble I was at).

It’s also been just over two weeks since Mum left for Taiwan. Dill and I have been surviving well, I reckon haha. Then again, it’s not the first time we’ve had to look after ourselves!

I’ve also been on a bit of a movie marathon today. First I watched “Quantum of Solace“, then watched “The Strangers“ and “Punisher: War Zone“ with Jenny and Dill.

First up, “Quantum of Solace“. I really don’t know why it’s been copping so much flak ever since it was released, but I found it just as enjoyable as its predecessor, Casino Royale. Sure, the story might have been pretty cloudy and slow at times, but the raw action sequences, the spectacular car chases, the awesome one-liners more than makes up for the shallow, slowish plot. Not to mention that I reckon Daniel Craig is the best Bond, period. The previous Bonds were portrayed as being too perfect and charming to be believable. A very solid 8/10 (same grade as Casino Royale), and I look forward to Bond 23 (it’s yet to be named).

Next we have “The Strangers“. The first 10-15 minutes or so was great. It was shaping up to be a great looking horror/thriller, but after that, the movie went downhill pretty damn fast. What a SHIT-STORM. The three antagonists’ motives are never explained clearly, the suspense was lost, and the ending was downright awful. It didn’t explain anything, and I cannot believe they’re making a sequel… I’d give it a 4/10, and that’s being quite generous.

Finally, there was “Punisher: War Zone“. The violence and gore was brilliant, but that’s about it. Ray Stevenson may look more like Frank Castle than Thomas Jane, but I believe Jane captured the brooding, anti-social, remorseless persona of Castle much better. Stevenson simply had a little bit too much emotion. His build/physique and looks were spot on though! Other than these strong points, the movie was quite a big letdown. The plot was weak, the villian (Jigsaw and his brother Loony Bin Jim) weren’t menacing enough, and Jigsaw’s over-the-top accent pissed me off. But what bugged me the most was that for the most part, the whole movie was really corny and cheesy. Kind of like that other shit-storm from 1990, “Dick Tracy“. It definitely doesn’t suit the Punisher universe. A 6/10 at most (mostly thanks to tbe violence/gore, and Stevenson’s looks).

Bright yellow, Freddie Mercury picture & signature. What more can I ask for?

All for a good cause.

After taking off the delivery wrapping, I'm left with the iM7, still in its new & boxed glory!

Halfway through unpacking!

All setup, ready to go, with my U2 iPod Video 30gb sitting snugly in the iPod dock/cradle!

Shot of the back. Rubber grip/handle for easy moving, nifty little cubbyhole for the remote, S-Video, RCA, power plug, headphone jack, AUX-in plug.

Happy 23rd Birthday To Me :)

Two days ago (12th March 2009), I turned 23 years old. Wow. 23. My age is starting to sound old. In a mere two more years, I will be one quarter of a century years old!

Mum, Dill, Jenny and I went to La Porchetta on Hobson St for dinner on Thursday. It was great. Very nice dinner.

Mum and Dad got my Michelin Pilot Preceda tyres for my new rims about a month ago, and I suggested that the tyres could be my present. Dill got me Queen’s “Live in Wembley Stadium” DVD. I just finished watching it, and all I can say is WHOA. Queen have got to be THE BEST rock band I’ve ever seen. So much charisma, especially from Freddie Mercury (rest in peace)!! The man can SING and WORK THE CROWD!!

There were a few songs that could’ve been included, but I definitely have no qualms.

Sound: 10/10 (excellent quality for a remastered 1986 recording of their concert)
Picture: 8.5/10 (very watchable and reasonable, but some camera angles were a bit fuzzy)
Song Selection: 9/10 (a few could’ve been left out, and similarly, a few were missing)
Extras: n/a (have yet to check out the 2nd extras DVD)
Overall (not an average): An easy 9/10

Dill and I also just took Mum to the airport earlier this morning. She’s going back to Taiwan for a month to visit my grandma and meet up with Dad.

Jenny also kindly shouted me dinner (on the 14th March) at Oh Calcutta in Parnell as a b’day present Dill and Steph also came along, which was great! I must say, besides the fact that we had to leave at 8:30pm (as they had many more customers coming in for a later dinner time), the food was delicious! The butter chicken I had has got to be one of the best I’ve ever tasted!

Thanks so much for the lovely dinner, baby! I know it must’ve been quite expensive, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!