ngthatsme

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      21 Dec 2009

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      Amazing. Simply amazing. We should put more faith in Mr Cameron. Afterall, he did give us Aliens, Terminator, and The Abyss. The man is a sci-fi visionary.

      I must admit I went into Avatar with low expectations but I was excited, so excited that I showed up 50 min early to an empty theatre. I also bought popcorn, something I don't usually do if I'm taking a movie seriously but I stopped eating about 10 min into the film.

      The story itself was basic, a different take on the Pocahontas legend, or as my brother puts it 'Dances with Smurfs' - essentially 'white man goes native'. A message about the environment was also nicely packaged within as well as the downfall of the human race - greed and power.

      But what impressed me wasn't the story or the message. It was the amazing visuals. Damn, James Cameron has vision. The detail, the vivid colors, the landscape, the creatures...it made me feel that they had actually gone to Pandora to shoot the film.

      And the 3D effects weren't overused, rather they 'enhanced' the experience. Objects weren't obtrusively sticking out of the screen into your face. Instead 3D was used to bring depth to the space, subtly - looking through glass doors felt real, the inward depth of a room, futuristic 3D computer monitors hanging in mid air. Impressive.

      I was also amazed at how much emotion came across through the CGI characters. That's no mean feat. I actually cried during one scene, although I won't say which as it's a bit of a spoiler (and it's kind of embarassing).

      Anyway, overall I think Cameron's done it again. And he's been smart to go into the detail of naming all the plants, creatures, weapons, explaining the ecosystem, deities/religion, cultural rituals, language etc. Essentially he's building the franchise. And one thing I will say he's got over George Lucas...is a much better use of dialogue.

      Not sure how I feel about a sequel. Right now I like it as a standalone. A sequel feels like it may cheapen it. But we will see. Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars.

      Media_httpblogpressw1_xlygz

      ~ Sent from my iPhone

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      16 Dec 2009

      How much is that doggie in the window?

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      Met this awesome dog last night. It's owner was taking it on it's nightly walk. Friendliest personality. Very playful and puppylike but she is 8 yrs old. She was adorable and almost human the way she interacted with everyone, jumping up and pawing at us.

      Unfortunately I can't remember the breed. Some kind of sheep dog but not a sheep dog. All I know is I wanted to steal her, badly.


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      ~ Sent from my iPhone
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      12 Dec 2009

      SantaCon NYC

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      My friend and I were wondering why we saw so many people dressed as
      Santa today. It a little too early we thought. But this is why...
      Check out the rules. I love the rules.

      http://nycsantacon.com/

      Rule 4: Don't fuck with Santa. Haha.


      Sent from my iPhone

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      7 Dec 2009

      Rays fries

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      My friends have been telling me I eat fries 4 or 5 times a week which I of course thought was ridiculous.

      But I counted last week and I had fries, well 5 times (once twice in one day). I mean that's not all I'm eating - the fries might be a side together with a burger or wrap - but I do acknowledge 5 times in one week is pretty bad.

      So I'm going to try and cut down over the next few weeks and then make it a new years resolution to eat more healthy, although I do believe I make the same resolution every year.

      Anyway, in the meantime wanted to give a shout out to Rays. Rays is a little late night food shop in the East Village on 7th and Ave A. Ray, who owns and works there, seems to know everyone in the neighbourhood so the shop has a very homely feel. He does smoothies, milkshakes, burgers, and best of all fries! His fries are seriously on par with Pomme Frites. And, you get much more for a lot less.

      So go check out Rays! I love it (I think it also helps that he does Obama burgers and Obama shakes. Even the ATM there is graffitied Obama ATM!).


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      ~ Sent from my iPhone

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      2 Dec 2009

      December already!

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      This year has flown. And each passing year feels shorter. What's with that and getting old?

      My theory is that as we get older we have more structure in our lives. Work, schedules, targets and goals to work toward make the days, weeks and months fly by. What do you think?

      I wish I was young again. Kids are great. They just don't give a shit about anything and go with the flow. I need to do that more.

      Resolution for 2010 #1 Go with the flow.


      ~ Sent from my iPhone

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      29 Nov 2009

      Perfect Sunday brunch

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      Love the spontaneous Sunday brunches.

      Got a text from Geet (my lovely neighbour) this morning saying 'quick brunch?' and 20 min later we were walking down to Esperanto, one of my favorite bar restaurants in the Village.

      It was cold and crisp out but the sun was shining and we were both hungover and starving so everything was perfect.

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      Also came across this arty graffitied wall which seemed to match Geet's outfit perfectly. Wish I'd had a better cam to take some cooler pics.

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      ~ Sent from my iPhone
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      28 Nov 2009

      Happy Thanksgiving!

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      Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

      Although I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving, being in the States you do feel compelled to do something to mark the occasion, so all of us 'internationals' had a bit of a 'family' gathering of our own.

      I give thanks to the fact that all my friends are excellent cooks :)

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      25 Nov 2009

      Back in NYC

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      Sorry for lack of updates. Lost momentum a bit since getting back to NY.

      It's been a whirlwind. Got back from India trip last Tues night and went straight back to work on Wednesday. Really, I should have known, those days are gone. I'm getting old(er). Can't do that sort of thing anymore! Need rest!

      Will update with pics etc over the next few days. It's Thanksgiving here on Thursday so everythings wrapping up a little. Short week.

      ~ Sent from my iPhone

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      14 Nov 2009

      Trains and the Taj...

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      On train back from seeing the Taj Mahal. It was breathtaking.

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      Makes up for having to sit 6hrs on this lovely train.

      But actually I've been quite lucky... My ticket (the only one available) basically got me a seat in the 'dog house' ie a carriage where people are literally sitting on top of each other - everyones really pushy and packed like sardines. I tried going in there and thought I was going to get killed.

      Lucky for me the security guard on the train took a liking to me so at this very moment I'm sitting on a food crate in between carriages. Far from the maddening crowds. I'm in the corner and the guard is sort of hiding/shielding me from the conductors walking past. He even shooed away one of them when they were asking what I was doing. Restores my faith in humanity. I think he knew I wouldn't make it in the 'dog house'!!!

      Pic of the carriage below.

      Media_httpblogpressw1_ergns

      ~ Sent from my iPhone
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      13 Nov 2009

      Child labor

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      In Mumbai, I was impressed with the number of children I saw in school uniform. Even many children from the slums attend.

      In Goa however it's a completely different story. Child labor is huge there. Disgraceful. I actually told some parents off I was so annoyed. I'm talking kids as young as 3 or 4yrs old.

      One example is when I went to get a massage on the beach in Palolem. As I went into the massage 'area' I was surprised that both the mother AND child had followed me in. I got undressed and laid on the table but when I turned around the mother had left. Turns out the 10yr old was going to give me a massage. WTF? Bless her - she did a pretty good job for a 10yr old - but I had to ask her to stop after she started massaging my front/chest. So wrong. Uggh.

      Of course after that the parents come back in asking what the problem was. And I told them off big time.

      Another example was a women who kept moving up and down the beach making her two children, I'm guessing 3 and 5yrs old, perform on a make shift tightrope. After that the kids would run around to people nearby to beg for money.

      It's as if parent in Goa see their kids as a means to earn money. They should stop exploiting them and give them an education. Then maybe they'll grow up, get a decent job, and earn enough money to take care of themselves and their family.

      ~ Sent from my iPhone

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  • ngthatsme

    Sometimes geek, sometimes chic. I'm a third culture kid - born in Malaysia, grew up in Australia, worked in London and am now in NYC. I love traveling to places strange and unknown and having unforgettable random adventures.

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