Reviving a franchise with a brand new day

Second time enjoying Senior privilege at the movies. It was really gratifying that at 1610 hrs, the hall was packed! Cinemas have recently been complaining about a lack of audience, but Marvel/Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" seems to have brought back the crowd. It wasn't all old fogies like me. Young adults, teens and little kids were out in force to watch Spidey battle an unseen menace in his (Spidey's) 4th MCU outing as the titular hero.

From the trailers, it looked like a Sinister Six kind of set up, but I'm glad the focus fell on only a few of the pantheon that was promised. I especially loved Frank "Punisher" Castle's portrayal. Normally unhinged and trigger-happy -- still is here -- he turns out to be a very good friend to Spider-Man and has his back all the way, well, maybe except for that one oops moment, 'nuff said.

Banner is here too presumably as a technical consultant for some new tech Spidey is building. This new tech foreshadows something dark in the future, although the tech already exists in rudimentary form which we've already seen Damage Control using elsewhere. But Banner is also here to help Spidey see that they both have monsters inside of them that they must keep under control, or the consequences will be devastating. Carrying the weight of the world on lone shoulders will do that to a guy.

Ned and MJ are Spidey's only humanizing force, especially now that Aunt May is physically gone. But because of Dr Strange's final spell in "No Way Home", they don't remember Peter. It was a clever choice to let all three characters age up. Through Ned's TikTok posts, we see time pass from when they were freshmen at MIT to graduation, to returning to New York -- which is about the length of time it took to make this movie. Chronologically, we're all caught up. Frank still calls Spidey 'kid' though, the old fart. But Peter can't decide if breaking Strange's Forget spell is the right thing to do, so circumstance decides for him.

Circumstance comes in the form of an identifiable character from the X-Men, making their MCU debut. Speculation about Sadie Sink's character is now confirmed. She plays 616's version of Jean Grey, telepath and telekinetic extraordinaire. But she is in her pre-X-Men state, needing guidance for both her psychological trauma and training in the control of her abilities which are quite terrifying. Which leads to the question: does Xavier's school already exist in the 616 timeline, and if the X-Men in the Doomsday trailer are native to 616 or yet another timeline -- like maybe the one Monica Rambeau ended up in, in 'The Marvels'. Yes, overlapping lore can be confusing, but so rich in universe-building potential.

And Damage Control, ever the representatives of everything that has gone wrong under the current political administration of the USA today. No spoilers here. Despite their friendly facade, we already know from past movies and TV series what the DODC are all about. Every time they involve themselves, everything gets worse. Apart from that one voice of reason in the 'Ms Marvel' TV series, Damage Control is usually bad news.

So, Brand New Day mission brief: Spidey has to solve the mystery of the attacks on DOCD, make the reacquaintance of old friends, control the monster he could become, survive a resurgent Hulk, and keep Frank from killing too many people. And make friends with a young, rageful, terrifyingly powerful mutant this universe hasn't -- overtly -- identified as a potential threat to humankind yet.

Overall, this is one movie that needs to be watched on the big screen. Though, easy for me to say on a $5 ticket. Grandpa flex.

Old man watches an old man and a baby

Another historic first: buying a cinema ticket at the senior citizen's rate of $5! And what did I watch? "The Mandalorean and Grogu". For a Star Wars spinoff, this one was a silly fun ride. Outside of the Skywalker circle, the galaxy feels gritty and street-level. The stakes are personal. Single dad, blue-collar work, getting down and dirty required. The mission is kill or capture (preferably capture) ex-Imperial officers who are hoping to one day revive the Empire while currently running their own criminal empires.

Mando gets into some amazing action sequences, adept as he is in hand-to hand, blaster, arial and space combat. So while the scale of the conflict is comparatively small, the size of the explosions are still franchise-worthy. And a lot of animal cruelty is par for the course for Mando, granted they are all trying to eat him first.

But it wouldn't be "The Mando... and Grogu" if the 50 year-old baby didn't get to take centrestage for an adventure of his own -- with Babu Frik and his workshop crew assisting. It's funny that Grogu wants so much to fight like his Dad, but his assets have more to do with the make friends and influence people persuasion.

Little of what happens in this movie has much to do with the greater conflict. Mando is a contractor with the New Republic, which trusts him enough to replace his previously destroyed Razor Crest with a beautifully restored stock model -- which he immediately guts for speed and functionality. He's clearly not about to flip it for coin.

But that's just it. The plot didn't have to be even set in the Star Wars universe to be engaging. But the fact that it does gives it a huge lift. That AT-AT walkers are frantically blasting and stomping at Mando as he zips among their quadruped legs, causing mayhem; the thrill of an x-wing squadron swooping in along with that swell of William's theme, no lightsabers, and the recurrence of later characters like Rebels' Zeb, that old guy from Kim's Convenience, and Sigourney Weaver finally making an appearance, dealing with aliens she can at least negotiate with... it's a lot of fan service and great vibes all around.

5 bucks gets you quite a bit of happiness when you're old.

The hunger controversy

While Lee Shulin isn't getting cancelled when she remarked how employers prefer to let go Singaporeans over foreign hires because the latter are 'hungrier', it was the trigger for a much needed conversation about the job market and matching talent with needs.

A lot of the vitriol came from the misunderstanding of what Lee meant by 'hunger', and to be fair, she did not define it either. Possible, she made an off-the-cuff utterance, but it was enough to become the focal point of the larger discussion that was on CNA.

'Not hungry enough' is a triggering phrase. Especially for young job hunters looking for first time employment, they see themselves as being at the bottom of a grand hierarchy, being paid the minimum of wages to do the maximum amount of labour. After all, that's what starting at the bottom means. To suggest that they aren't hungry enough sparks the response: 'I'm already doing so much--what more do you expect me to do? And you're not paying me enough to boot!'

I appreciate the Singaporean work ethic. I see it in the classroom all the time. They will work their butts off on a graded assignment. Full concentration, busy, and most tellingly, silent. But it's an entirely transactional kind of engagement. Non-graded assignments are f-all, minimum effort, distracted and lower quality than they can actually deliver.

What we have here is an employee mindset. Will do whatever you tell them to, but only if it is directly paired with commensurate reward. I suppose it's realistic. Young workers have expenses and if they spend too much time at the office and being paid scraps for the effort, and barely paying off their personal bills, it's hard to think of a future when they'll need to pay for dates, a wedding and support a family later in life.

Thinking this way, Singaporeans are always going to be hungry, always subsisting on not enough. So, when a job recruiter says they're not hungry enough, wow. Cue torches and pitchforks.

But that's not the hunger Lee is talking about. It's not about the work. The employee only does what they're told, however unreasonable, as long as the reward follows. Finish the job, get paid, go home, enjoy what little work-life balance there is left to enjoy. But ask them what the work meant, and most would not be able to say. The paycheck was the objective, nothing more.

If the money is all they are working for, then they are completely replaceable.  Not to mention foreigners, AI already is a hugely viable substitute. Like the Singaporean employee, AI does what it's told, but does it faster, mostly accurately, doesn't complain, and doesn't even need to be paid. And most like the Singaporean employee, AI doesn't really know what it's doing other than executing a set of instructions, and doesn't care what effect or impact the work has on the business as a whole. At the end of the string of instructions is the end of the day and the only difference is that the Singaporean employee has to go home for a few hours before they're ready to start the next day all over again. That's not hunger, that's routine with a trigger-warning.

Perhaps Lee used the wrong vocabulary when she said 'hunger'. I believe she meant 'ownership'. Like you understand the business well enough, and own the job to the extent that you don't require instructions from a supervisor to perform what is needed. You're observant, constantly thinking of the processes that keep the business flowing, and you're already there where things have slowed down before a bottleneck occurs. You're constantly thinking of new and better ways to keep the flow going. Most importantly, the objective isn't the paycheck, but the person at the end of the line who is delighted with the product or service they received that you, in your own little way, helped to deliver.

Singaporean employees seek work, but start at the wrong end. If the money is the most important thing, then they're prepared to suck it up, get the job done for the paycheck--and complain later over coffee and Reddit. Their work ethic is admirable, but since so many are like that, their employers will be searching for viable replacements at the earliest opportunity.

What's the right end, then? It's fit. To know yourself well enough to develop your own weird and wonderful way rather than blindly follow the crowd. Create a niche for yourself with definable, yet flexible borders so that you can offer more than just 'I'll do whatever you tell me'. Rather, offer a role that will both meet the business objectives by performing your particular set of skills, while simultaneously learning the business by practicing its routines. And care about the end-user. You and the organisation you work for exist only because someone needs you to.

Hunger isn't about personal survival. The hunger is for organisational survival. When you have this hunger, you are no longer a rogue cell easily sloughed off when you've outlived your usefulness. Instead, you've become an integral part of the overall structure. Who knows, mitosis could possibly happen, when you've outgrown the business and are ready to branch out on your own.

Launch day

So much has gone on that it's difficult to catch my breath. Anyway, PPP has launched as an e-book on Amazon worldwide. Thanks to my marketing campaign and lots of love and trust from friends and family, it broke #1 Best Seller in several social policy and sociology categories.

For the record, I note my official response to that achievement as follows:

"It's not a harvest. It signifies a successful seeding of the field. It means that my book is in the hands of people who know, love and trust me and they get to read what I have written. The real test is whether the seeds will grow. It depends a lot on how my readers like what they read and if they would recommend it to others... and so on. Even if the seeds don't take root, they are still people I can ask for honest feedback about what they didn't like, and what I could have done better. And that will put me in a stronger position to write another book -- which I'm already starting to think about."

In the meantime, based on the fact that I have actually got some people to pay for something of mine, I've taken my first baby steps as an entrepreneur. Most importantly, I have a product I believe in that I'm proud to sell, and maybe that makes all the difference.

And now I'm working on my print book launch with a lot of help from the fam. Have to brace myself 'cos while I asked for it, I'm also scared of being the centre of attention, a position I've been avoiding for decades. Childhood trauma of constantly going 'look at me!!!', then realising there was nothing worth looking at after all.

Well, I really hope PPP is something to look at. If not, I'll have to learn and write something better next time.

The Merch has arrived!

We are looking at my very first consignment of books. Not just any book, but my book, People, Peace and Power ups: A Singaporean Retrospective. 200 copies to put on direct sales and give away at my discretion. It's a milestone also for me being an entrepreneur instead of just a paid employee. Of course I'm not giving up my day job yet, but being realistic, I know it's not a job that will last forever. So here's to new directions, and new adventures!

Final proof

A milestone day. My book finally arrived in solid form for a final proofing. I've been through the first third of the content and so far so good. If all goes well, I should be releasing it for purchase on Amazon in a week's time.

So, why do I have two copies when I only should have one? Because one is the reprint to make up for the mistake made in the first delivery. The other is the one my publisher ordered on their expense, to expedite rectifying the printer's error. So happened both arrived on the same day with the same delivery.

I am a published author now. This book is my calling card.

Wonder Man 1x4: Identity and Function

Marvel has a thing for starting in the middle, then revealing how it all began mid-season. Episode 4 is the play within the play. It’s presented like a classic black-and-white movie, complete with classic title fonts, although the time period is contemporary. It introduces “Doorman” Davis (Byron Bowers), the reason people with powers are literally gatekept from working in Hollywood — Simon’s biggest hurdle in getting a major role. Under that kind of spotlight, Simon would be hard-pressed to hide his abilities, but that doesn’t stop him from aiming high anyway. Although the events in Episode 4 happened recently, the Doorman Clause is a black-and-white dealbreaker law, and for Simon, it might as well be a long-established canon event — hence the black-and-white presentation.

This episode is all about Doorman, a name Davis is called because of his function as a doorman at a popular Hollywood bar where ordinary patrons get to rub shoulders with the stars. Josh Gad, as himself, drops by in person and entertains the crowd with his rendition of Olaf’s song about a snow-person’s expectations of chilling out on a summer vacation. So timeline-wise, we are in the post-Frozen era.

After hours, Doorman has a heart-to-heart talk with his boss, who asks whether he has any ambitions beyond being a doorman at her bar. Doorman shares that despite his low-wage position, he is happy doing his job, in which his identity and function align perfectly. That night changes everything. The ever-present Roxxon company negligently causes an industrial accident that empowers Doorman by turning him into a literal walking, talking, human-shaped door. A bit like the Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but non-multiversal and less malignant. Now Doorman’s identity and function are totally fused into each other.

The very next day, Doorman becomes a hero, saving the patrons — and Josh Gad — from a fire in the bar. A grateful Josh immediately employs Doorman as his personal assistant, mainly for quick escapes from uncomfortable social encounters. Later, Josh convinces him to play a side character in his heist movie, telling him that all he needs to do is say a line and otherwise be himself — as a door. Trevor would cringe at such advice on acting, but Doorman follows it and becomes an instant success.

From this point, Doorman is on an upward trajectory of fame, wealth, and social clout. But the star he becomes is far removed from what made him happy in the first place. His identity and function are now split between how his audience sees him and how he sees himself. He realises he has zero talent for acting and that he only gets jobs because of his unique ability to become a door on command. He makes up a catchphrase — “Ding, Dong” — which makes him instantly identifiable and endearing at first. However, his fans grow tired of hearing it, so he takes acting lessons. He falls flat when he tries to show off his new skills on a talk show, attempting some serious Shakespeare, but knowing he cannot finish the line with conviction, he falls back on “Ding, Dong” to make the audience laugh instead. As a star, Doorman is just a one-trick pony.

Doorman’s downward spiral is just as rapid. From no longer getting job offers to addiction and poverty, Doorman’s identity and function completely separate. Doorman the doorman: alignment was bliss. Doorman the Hollywood star: a personal disaster rolled into an identity crisis. At this point, Josh Gad returns to offer Doorman a chance at a comeback — reprising his role in a sequel to the heist movie that made him a star. In the meta, it’s a comment on milking a formula by making a sequel in hopes of recapturing lightning in a bottle. The scenario is the same as before: master thief Josh Gad needs a quick exit; Doorman is there to provide one. But this time it doesn’t work.

At a critical juncture, Doorman loses his function as a door, and Josh doesn’t reappear on the other side. Earth-616’s Josh Gad variant, for all intents and purposes, vanishes from the world — perhaps stuck in the non-space that exists between an egress and its exit. Ironically, Josh Gad mirrors what would have happened to his Frozen alter ego had he persisted in enjoying the summer.

With this single catastrophic incident, Doorman is taken into DoDC custody. Superpowers are deemed too dangerous to have a place in moviemaking, and so the Doorman Clause takes effect, ostensibly barring Simon from being employed at all, let alone becoming the big star he dreams of being.

The irony is stark in this episode. Fame is fickle. Fans latch onto a simple thing — like a dumb catchphrase — and someone with no real talent rockets to stardom. Meanwhile, truly talented people who are absolutely dedicated to the craft, like Trevor, spend years in the industry and, despite perhaps one or two career high points, are still looking for their big break.