Such wicked merchandise

What can I say about Wicked that hasn't already been said? It's a very succinct summary of Maguire's Oz story reboot from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, giving her more purpose and personality than the original's mere embodiment of random malevolence. Though I loved the musical as much as everyone else, I couldn't fork out the expense for souvenirs from the merchandise store. One item did catch my eye -- see the low cut green ladies' tee on the back shelf immediately under the 'W'? The print says 'Defying gravity'. On a buxom wearer, it would be overstating the obvious; on one less well-endowed it would just be ironic. Now, that's wicked!

Leggo my Lego

This here is June's festive project, a Lego Christmas diorama. I loved Lego when I was younger, and it has evolved a lot since then. Today, there are lots of fiddly little parts that snap together to build complex structures like the bake shop in the background. In the last couple of days, June's been noticing that a few tiny bits have gone missing. Our first suspicions were on faulty industrial packaging practices resulting in a shortfall of inventory. But that couldn't possibly account for so many lost pieces, right? Then, only last night, we discovered the real culprit: Q-tip!!! To say more about the discovery itself and the retrieval process of only two (latest update: five) of the lost pieces would be providing too much information. If I told you, you would have to kill me.

Goin' easy in Skyrim

Having returned from Thailand, I've been continuing my travels in lovely Skyrim. The going was tough at first. so many people looking for a hero to get things done for them that it's easy to get overwhelmed. Find this, fetch this, bring this, kill this... the demands are endless and your quest journal fills up with a laundry list of things to do. and while you're trudging the main map, there's more locations to be found, more wild things to defend against, more dungeons to go spelunking in 'cos the opportunity to venture is too good to pass up and just because they're there.

First, the landscape in Skyrim is just beautiful. No sunny, tropical locales with swaying palm trees and hula girls, but hard, cold Northlands, sweeping vistas and open plains. Day transitions into night seamlessly as does the weather which changes at random, though logically according to the terrain. There is no load time between regions so it's rewarding to hoof it between locations just to see the variety of countryside. But because the map is so huge, we're also grateful for the fast travel ability between known points on the map.

Things have become a lot easier since I could afford a travelling companion and a horse. Two swords are better at taking out the nasties and the crazy horse lends a couple of fighting hooves too when we're attacked outdoors (poor Frost, how did you end up dead? I only left you for a moment). Recently I picked up a dog who is both a boon and a bane. In battle, the dog is an excellent tank: he draws nearly all enemy attention 'cos he can only melee attack, he's tough, heals fast, and while they're all wailing on him, I and my partner can pick them off one-by-one with arrows, flame, ice or lightning as the situation merits. Oh, and he's a bane because he tends to walk so close to you that he often pushes you away from what you are examining, or he traps you in a corner, and if you're not careful he might accidentally push you over a cliff out of affection. Stupid dog.

Life in Skyrim is manageable once you figure out that selecting quests in the journal often puts a marker on the map or person you need to go to for this or that. There are so many ways to make money too, so whether you want to just sell loot; or craft potions; or smith/enchant arms, armour or jewellery you'll soon have more moolah than you know what to do with. In between quests, there's also flower picking and food gathering along the way for your inner chef to express himself. Get in good with the local Jarl in the eight cities and you'll soon be spending money on some local real estate, and furnish it to look more respectable than the yokels. Also great for storing your hoard of souvenirs collected from your travels.

The game adjusts itself to your preferences. The more you use a skill, the faster it levels up. That makes choosing perks a lot easier since each perk augments the skills you like to use most. There are lots of skill options, so try everything first. Eventually, your gameplay style will become evident and you can tune up your character accordingly.

With so many side quests, it's easy to forget why we're in Skyrim in the first place: Dragons. 'nuff said. XD

I brake for log cake

With M-i-L's arm in a sling, her annual fruitcake baking schedule has been temporarily disrupted. So instead of getting the usual this year, we got my mom a log cake from Wheat Baumkuchen in Toa Payoh which I collected today. The cake was really pretty, though it got boxed before I could snap a shot; but this entry isn't about that.

To get into Toa Payoh, there's a new exit into Braddell Road from the CTE (northbound) that's just recently been opened. That and the other new egresses into the PIE have really eased congestion along this main traffic artery. Our tax dollars well spent, I was thinking at the time. This Braddell exit turned out to be very dangerous when merging into Braddell Road. The merge lane splits into two and I was on the leftmost lane. The road in front looked clear and I was about to slip into Braddell proper when I noticed the car on my right had come to a stop. Logic took over from instinct -- I stopped too. If I hadn't, I would have caught a bus -- right in the face. The scary thing was that in order to have seen the bus coming, I would have had to swivel my head almost 180°, far beyond what we normally extend to check our blind spot. New exit with a potentially deadly design flaw. Be freakin' careful when you're driving out that way.

It's the thought

What to get for someone who 1) knows the price of everything in the market, and 2) doesn't have time to enjoy  a gift that is supposed to be leisurely indulged in?

My initial thought was to get something to make the office environment more comfortable and relaxing, knowing how much time gets devoted to the office cubicle, but I don't want to create the impression that I'm encouraging long hours at work. Pretty baubles are hardly worn since we don't engage in such circles, decorative objects gather dust and become one more knick-knack to clean -- and besides, we have cats so we can't possibly have nice things. Electronics are more my thing, so devices with push-button operations aren't likely to warm the cockles of the heart.

There's a lot of mall pounding these days to see what inspiration strikes... but so far, the malls have been a let down.

Wet market -- literally

Among the other things to do in Phuket is to go look at the weekend night market in Phuket Town. The ride by taxi is up and down a really steep gradient that separates Patong Beach from the rest of the island. It's 500B from the Jungceylon where we're staying to Phuket Town, but 400B back. How does that work out? Anyway, if you've already seen Chatuchak in BKK, this night market is similar, though the merchandise is more generic, tourist pleasing stuff. And, of course, while we were there, the skies opened up and blessed us with a brief but tempestuous shower. Thank goodness for Crocs (TM).

On to Patong Beach

Now, for a change of pace, we're in downtown Patong Beach. So busy, so many tourists here... lots of shopping to do. So it's time for me to get to work again. No more lazing about by the pool. Sigh.

Totally R&R

Phuket (Naka Island)
Welcome to pretty Naka Island, where there is nothing to do but relax and get pampered all day. Sit by the beach, read in your private gazebo, or dip in your private pool? So spoiled for choice we are. XD

Vacation interrupted

Interrupted my vacation in Skyrim to take a vacation on Naka Island, Phuket. Beautiful resort environment, everyone's charmingly polite and obliging here. Hmm, a bit hard to type here 'cos it's dark in the free wi-fi area and I can't see the keys properly without straining. More updates in a while... when it's brighter. Tomorrow.

La luna

A couple of views of tonight's lunar eclipse. But we didn't have to go all the way to Marina Bay or wherever. We looked out of our bedroom window, and there it was. How obliging!

In other news, I went to get my eyes checked because I've been having trouble reading with my contacts on and I wondered if my prescription was correct. Turns out there's nothing wrong with my prescription; what I need are reading glasses! So I ordered a pair to be made and shared between June and I 'cos we're both getting there. :p

Polar bear rug

The other thing that Q-tip does in the living room is this polar bear rug impression.

And like polar bears, always alert for opportunities for nom.

 Is there a chance for a snack over here?

Meanwhile, Kaiser looks down disdainfully at the goings-on at ground level.

Sorry, no food here. Back to your game of "I am Nanook! Fear me!"

You can't handle the truth

Why only now that the Northern neighbours have declared their distaste for LKY's "Hard Truths" nine months after publication? Because it's a bloody long book and they've only just finished reading it.

Rollin' right along

Am I addicted to sweat and adrenaline? The day I take off from the fitness centre is the day I end up feeling sick as a dog (no offense, Q-tip!). That was yesterday. Today, I drag my sorry carcass back to the irons and all my aches, pains and general nausea are gone. It's my body punishing me for being lazy, I just know it!

Did a little Christmas shopping on my own. Thought it would be nice to try out some muscle relaxing devices for people who spend too long sitting in their office chairs (no, obviously not me). Sampled a thumping from Osim's uPapa Music Sync thingy and got my back rolled with a uRelax. Do. Not. Like.

Sorry, but though the staff were very accommodating, showing me how to work the controls for myself, I could not find a setting I enjoyed on either product. The rollers were knobbly and hard; the thumpers were, for want of a better word, intrusive; and the vibrations made my skin itch.

I don't know how Andy Lau gets such a kick out of being ensconced in an egg that agitates its embryo so much. Maybe because he's endorsing a much more expensive product? But for me, using the darned things made me feel...old. I'll be looking elsewhere for a suitable gift.

There's a Q-tip in the living room!

Something's up with Q-tip. Lately, she's been looking like a much perkier dog. She has been pottering about the house more, and seems not as stiff-jointed as before. Even more surprising, she is actually behaving more sociably -- instead of hiding in her room so much, she is now sitting with us in the living room, just out of reach but physically present. Last night, she even dared to bark at the stranger at the door, who turned out to be June coming home from work. I wonder if this new behaviour has anything to do with the daily dose of salmon oil, which is the only recent change in routine for her; or if she somehow senses the approach of Christmas and isn't taking any chances with Santa's Naughty-and-Nice list?

If "NFS: The Run" were real

Aw, man! A timely reminder to keep the fast, reckless driving confined to NFS: The Run; and not bring it to real life on the roads. Not even NBS could cause this much damage, eh?

Wiped out

The weather for the past couple of days has been great for the above activity, or rather, the lack thereof.

As for why no one greeted me at the door when I came home tonight, well, there's your answer. Hello, you all think I feed you for free, izzit?

Edit 01:
Parking at Sunday service is going to bankrupt me. Since they installed this new parking gantry system, it now costs $7 and hour (or part thereof) when we're so used to FOC all day. Wonder if  there is sufficient grounds to argue for this amount to be deductible from the monthly tithe?

The cat, the other cat, and the egg

Although Puss spins off from the Shrek franchise, the look and feel of the movie starring the feline in the floppy footwear is very different from that of Far, Far Away. Here, we have the origin backstory of the unlikely partnership between Puss and misfit egghead, Humpty Alexander Dumpty. It's a childhood bonding taking the two through a story of crime, duplicity, betrayal and vengeance -- though not necessarily in that order. And a quest for redemption is in there too, holding the whole narrative together.

Where Puss hails from is realistic: people are people, not fantasy backdrops. It's a place where magic doesn't occur on a regular basis; but of course a talking cat with stylish skillz and a walking egg are bound to bring their own fantastic elements with them wherever they go. Magic beans, giant beanstalk, stolen golden egg-laying golden gosling are all part of this Mother Goose mashup, though the stoic residents of San Ricardo accept it all unquestioningly.

Overall, quite a fun romp, though not quite as laugh-out-loud in humour as Shrek. Despite the logic, the fairy-tale elements feel awkward in this mix, and rather than accepting them as natural, there is more effort taken to explain the connections than it's worth. And in the case of Kitty Softpaws, there is no fantasy precedent at all but a sad morality tale about how inhumane it is to declaw your cat. Nevertheless, the story is just about clever and engaging enough to follow through its twists and turns to the end.

M2 amidst the exotics

Took M2 for his 40k servicing at the new service centre in Ubi. Was a bit worried about the staff I knew since Mazda got bought over by Eurokars. Would they have survived the shuffle? Happy to know that SR, Rosie, and Anna the cashier are still around. Oh, the reason for the pix (above) is that the new place also houses the dealership for Porsche and the basement parking lot is full of these pristine still wrapped in plastic beauties. Yummy!

Sweet auto-pimped rides on The Run

The premise for "NFS: The Run" is a coast-to-coast race across the USA over the varying types of terrain therein. Story mode is straightforward: having pissed off the mob, your character takes the offer of a 10% cut of a $25m purse if he can cross the finish line first ahead of 200+ other racers.

It would have been nice to drive continuously from SF to NY, overtaking expensive cars as you go, but the whole sequence is broken up into race segments where you take on a handful of racers at a time. Occasionally, the cops are there to try spoil things for you, running interference and setting roadblocks while you are busy concentrating on being #1 badass authoriTAH of the asphalt.

What's a big innovation from previous versions of NFS is that each race is now broken up into checkpoints so when you wreck, get busted or fall so far behind there's no hope of catching up, you can reset to the last checkpoint and just drive better, rather than restart the race all over again. The higher the difficulty setting, the fewer the checkpoints, of course.

The Run also removes the ability to customize your own ride. If you want fancier wheels and finer tuning, you have to earn them by defeating Challenges.

So, the story is just to get the player's feet wet. The real meat-and-potatoes of the Run is Challenge mode in which the driver not only has to finish first, but also beat the clock to unlock rewards. For the more sociable gamer, there's Multiplayer mode too -- beat real people, win more stuff. Bragging rights go without saying.

There are some annoyances, like keyboard controls reverting to default after customization, and sometimes the screen locks up and crashes back to Windows. Time to install more RAM, perhaps?

Slowly working my way through single player. It'll still be a while yet before I'm feeling sociable enough to take my show on the information superhighway.

Shopping for loans

Time to think about options for refinancing my home loan. With my 3-year lock in period having expired, the bank is now offering me a generous new rate of 4.08% per annum. While that doesn't sound like much under normal, everyday circumstances, when applied to a 6-figure principal, it's a whopping extra bushel of dosh every year -- I don't gross enough a month to cover the interest alone!

Good thing is, the bank's current refinancing package offers a rate that is actually lower than the initial rate. Still shopping around for better deals, though. I know they're out there.