Category Archives: reviews

Despicable Me

I last posted something about the Father’s love. Want to add on to that by sharing my thoughts after I watched the movie “Despicable Me” recently. I know it’s quite an old movie already, but I’ve only just watched it on HBO.

So the show starts off by introducing our main Villain, Gru. Or Dr. Gru, if u prefer. His plans of evil villainy involve getting hold of sth called a “shrink ray”. He steals it from some top secret facility in Asia, but his plans are thwarted when the ray is stolen in transit, by up-and-coming rival Vector.

So Gru tries to get the Shrink Ray back from Vector’s fortress. His motive is fame, fortune, to commit the ultimate act of villainy (shrink the Moon and steal it). But then, Vector’s in-built defences prove too much for Gru. He can’t get pass all the sharks, heat seeking missiles, and other defences that Vector has put in place.

But later on in the show, he adopts 3 girls from the nearby orphanage, to use them to gain entry into Vector’s fortress. Along the way, he grows to love them, but doesn’t realise it.

Towards the end, the girls are kidnapped by Vector, and when Gru found out, he immediately stormed to Vector’s fortress. He was willing to hand over the very thing he worked so hard to get (the shrunken moon), and easily got through all Vector’s defences he couldn’t get through previously.

Motivated by love for the 3 girls, he easily dodged missiles, battled sharks, and whatnot to be able to get his girls back. Whereas earlier, when he was motivated by fame and fortune, he was not able to get past any of those defences.

Point being: the power of love, especially a parent’s love for his kids, enables him to do much more than what he was able to do before. To be willing, and able. Reminds me of my God, my Jesus, how Jesus loved us and endured the suffering on the cross, His love that kept him from calling out to his angels. His love that kept him on that cross, until he cried out “It is finished!”

Giving from the heart

“Why do you think it’s so important for me to hear other people’s problems? Don’t I have enough pain and suffering of my own?

“Of course I do. But giving to other people is what makes me feel alive. not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I give my time, when I can make someone smile after they were feeling sad, it’s as close to healthy as I ever feel.

“Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won’t be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things. On the contrary, you’ll be overwhelmed with what comes back.”

–Morrie Schwartz, from Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

berlin #1

Sachsenhausen concentration camp: (pics may come after i’ve cooked them)

On the first day in Berlin, we decided to join a free tour to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It’s provided by a tour company called Vive berlin, and runs on tues, thurs and sunday, at least for their summer schedule. Our tour guide, Dennis, was a uni student 27 years old, studying history. Native Berliner but not native English speaker. Nevertheless, his English was pretty good and I loved to hear the tone of his voice, explaining to us and engaging us in German history.

Group was about 16 people. He started out by intro-ing this character, Martin Niemoller, a pastor who was imprisoned in this particular concentration camp. He actually voted for and supported the nazis initially, but after Hitler reneged on his two promises to Martin (1. don’t interfere with the church, 2. treat the jews in a humane manner), he started to speak out against Hitler and was eventually imprisoned as Hitler’s personal enemy.

The tour was really something. Our tour guide, Dennis, really knew his stuff, and being a history student, he could add little extra tidbits like extracts from diaries written during that time and stuff like that. He gave a very objective recount of the events, but also added in his personal comments (telling us that it was his opinion).

He ended the tour by telling us his feelings as a native German about the atrocities commited during the war and in Sachsenhausen itself. He said that even though all this happened before his time (about 60 years ago, in fact), it’s something that’s in the mind/soul of every German, whether they were around during that time or not.

He also mentioned about the guilt he felt[1], as a German and knowing that his country was involved in all these things. To him, giving this free tours is like his “penance”, to give back to the community? And another thing he said that really struck me, was that what happened in the past should always be remembered, if not the nazis would have “won” and achieved their aim. By forgetting the past crimes and putting it behind them, it would be as if all these prisoners, all these jews, everyone who had ever passed through the concentration camp as a prisoner, had never existed. And that was the aim of the nazis. To totally eliminate the jews, till the extent that no one knows they exist anymore. Therefore, even though it’s not something to be proud of in German history, yet it must be still preserved and remembered, as a way to rebel/oppose the objective of the nazis.

You can read more about Niemoller [2], but anyway suffice to say that he survived the concentration camps and reestablished the church in Germany after WW2. He also became a peace activist and spoke often of a “guilt” that German people should feel towards not having done anything to stop the atrocities happening.

One of his most famous quotes is “First they came” [3], when he was asked why he himself didn’t do anything to prevent Hitler’s rise to power and all that was happening. It goes:

They came first for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

According to Dennis, one of the results of the war was that Germans became very diplomatic and peace loving, and try to have a “love your neighbour” principle. Apparently, the quote above is taught to every German kid in school, with the moral being that if u want your rights to be protected, u need to care about the rights of others as well.

Suffice to say I was really moved after the tour. And looking around Berlin, knowing that this city was once what it was, and yet now rebuilt into what it is, to see its people face their history head on and bare what they know to the world, it’s just amazing. Looking at all that, I can’t help but think of another country involved in the war, Japan. If Japan could be so open about what they did, and just bare themselves to the world, forgiveness will come much more easily, I think.

As u can tell, I’m super impacted but what I saw and heard today. I doubt I can remember everything Dennis said (I admit that I was hanging on to his every word), but I bring u what I can. For the full 100% impact of it, check out the free tour (and maybe their other tours as well), on their website.

Other points to note: if G was here, maybe he’ll have appreciated being at the very site of all that history he was learning!

Also, if I had a history teacher like Dennis, omg I can’t imagine.. maybe i’d be in a different field instead of chemistry. 😉

[1] See Stuttgart declaration of guilt

[2] Wiki link – Martin Niemoller

[3] Wiki link – “First they came”

Next up in Berlin series: Berlin wall/checkpoint charlie

Verve Pizzeria

This new pizza place opened up Really Near my house, so yesterday mum and I decided to check it out during lunch time. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera so images in this post are sourced from the web.

Okay. The place was pretty empty, which is somewhat expected considering that it just opened a week or so ago, and it’s in a pretty ulu place. Service was alright, the waiters are friendly and helpful enough. Actually, I was a bit surprised at the price range of the items there. An entree can range from about $16 for a small pizza to $36 for some kinda meat dish (i forgot what). Pasta is about $20 and fish and chips is $24. Too atas for me actually, but since mum is treating…

We decide to be a bit more cheapskate and order their daily set lunch. They have 2 versions – a “quick” set lunch, about $14, which is some asian dish of the day (wok-fried beef with rice for that day) and a drink. The normal set lunch is $20, comes with soup of the day, choice of a main course from a selection of 2 dishes, a scoop of gelato (any flavour) plus a drink. We took one of each type of set lunch. I was asked to choose between spaghetti primavera or chicken mushroom something or the other. I choose the chicken cos I didn’t feel like taking tomatoes.

Unfortunately, choice of drink was limited to only coke/sprite. Mum and I asked if we could change it to coffee/tea/ice lemon tea, but after the waiter went in to check with management, it was still a ‘no’. Anyone who knows me enough should know that I don’t take carbonated drinks, so mum and I rather stick to warm water. After about 5 minutes or so the waiter did come back and offer us ice lemon tea for 50 cents more, but.. the moment had passed already.

Just a quick aside, I thought their water tasted funny, sorta like the glass never wash properly that kind, but mum couldn’t taste anything weird, and I couldn’t decide if mum’s water tasted weird too.

Okay. Back to food. Soup was potato soup. Slightly too saltish for our palettes, but otherwise not too bad. Presentation is alright, they give u one shallow dish with large surface area. My chicken came, 2 pieces of chicken breast covered with what looks like spaghetti sauce but thicker (I suspect they use the same sauce for the spaghetti also), and I can’t really see any mushrooms. Came with thick cut fries (can’t go wrong with those, can u?) and a side salad. They also gave me a small saucer with ketchup, as if there isn’t enough tomato-ey goodness in the chicken sauce already.

Potato soup looks like that, but in a shallower bowl.

Texture of the chicken breasts were OK, but chicken itself was too saltish. Sauce was also a bit too overwhelming though, especially with the chicken itself being so flavourful. It reminded me of the one time I tried to make spaghetti sauce at KL’s old place – we used a can of Prego and a whole capsicum, along with other odds and ends. Just like that spaghetti sauce, this chicken sauce tasted very strongly of capsicum. I’m really not sure if there’re any mushrooms at all in my dish, which was.. weird.

Okay. On to mum’s main course. Wok-fried beef with rice. Looks like what you’d get if u went to a zhi char stall and ordered black pepper beef with rice, just that the zhi char stall will probably give u more, and charge u 30% of the price. Mum’s beef was also too salty (do they marinate the meats in salt or what??) and she suspects that it was full of MSG (but we can’t be sure). Rice is normal.

Mum's dish looked about as tasty as this one.

We were all rather dissatisfied with the food (especially considering what we had to fork out for it), but there was still gelato. The waiter rattled off a whole list of flavours, and I chose the Wild Raspberry (or equivalent). It came in a small cute cocktail glass-like cup, with 2 mini-scoops of gelato inside. But very small leh. I’d estimate that the 2 mini-scoops equate to about half of a normal scoop. Gelato itself was alright. Consistency bordered more towards a sorbet than a gelato though.

The gelato looked something like that

Overall, i’m still reserving judgement on Verve Pizzeria, since we didn’t try their pizza. Hm, and their website isn’t updated… PLUS, I’ve a feeling the staff there might’ve been just anal (or totally unsure), cos their website says set lunch comes with coffee/tea or soft drink! Huh! I feel so cheated…

Ohh, and I didn’t know that they have other outlets in SG too. Hmm, and they still get good reviews? Is the new outlet like an imposter or sth?

Foood

Starting a list of food I wanna eat before I fly off isn’t exactly a good idea at 2.45 in the morning – it does funny things to my stomach. Very Pavlovian, but if your food list looks anything like mine, you’d surely be drooling also!

As I look at my calendar, the date just seems closer and closer. When I compare it to my list of food to eat (i’ll post a photo, I think*), I can only think, “NO TIME!” Hahaha.

*okay, forget it. My list disappeared among the general desk clutter…

Am getting slowly but quietly excited about the trip, but also apprehensive. How will school be like without the usual bunch? Will my experiments in cooking succeed? (As much as I’d rather experiment at home, I just can’t bring myself to do it. ‘Sides, I get nervous if I cook around my parents =X) Will I be able to find a suitable church to attend while in York? What CCA shall I join? Where shall we go for Christmas break? How’s the timetable? The lecturers? The climate?

How will I continue to keep myself in Christ, amidst the new environment, with all these ‘distractions’, and with no one there to be accountable to?

Today was miracle seed Sunday, where there’s a special collection (offering) for my church building fund. It feels great to know that I’ve a part (no matter how small) in the building of the new building. I feel great to be able to contribute. I feel blessed to have a senior pastor who doesn’t force his congregation to give, but rather tries to prevent people from giving if they don’t want to.

Went for baybeats to watch Celina’s performance at the esplanade library. Jio-ed SY and G along to watch – good things must share with good friends mah 🙂 Haha after her set, all I can say is that I feel honoured to know someone as talented and as humble as Celina.

Celina at Esplanade Concourse, baybeats 2010. Ahh! Not a very good shot =X

Had dinner with G afterwords. Decided to try The Hand Burger at Raffles City basement. Okay, this one I really have pics, so I’ll put it up. FB quality only though. Hm.. I dunno issit cos we ordered the more cheapo dishes, but I didn’t find the food all that great.

I had the normal, cheapest beef burger, which was about $8 i think (i forgot what it’s called). The beef patty reminds me of pepper lunch’s hamburger beef patty. I like the bbq sauce, but felt they could’ve put more. The tomato looks very unappetising though, cos it’s very pale (refer to pic).

what I ate

G had some caesar chicken thing, which I didn’t really get a good shot of (lazy to turn it to a better angle). The one mouthful I tried was OK lor, but it didn’t go BOOMZ. He topped up his meal with a side of very delish onion rings, and a pale imitation of ice lemon tea.

What G ate, w/o onion rings

Will I recommend? No. I’ll go eat food court at raffles city instead. =P

Shopaholic et al.

So I was reviewing the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella some posts back. Today I finally finished reading the series! I’d already read all the books (in a jumbled-up, read-whatever-I-can-find-in-the-library manner) except for Shopaholic Ties the Knot, which is the book where Becky marries Luke.

IMO, this is probably the best book of the whole series so far. It’s funny, it has its fair share of romantic moments (yay!), there’s conflict and resolution (both very plausible scenarios), character development… Mmm, very good. [and no sex! hoho.]

Aiyah, basically it’s a feel-good book.

I’ve always found the character of the Shopaholic, Becky, very li pu (outrageous). Could such a person ever exist? I feel that a good book should yes, have artistic license and all that, but still be on the point of believability. Which is why I don’t really like some of the other novels in the series. Yeah, I read anything and everything. Road signs, posters, adverts, nutritional content, ingredients on food items… Hm. And I’m not really sure what this paragraph is trying to lead on to. (*I think I wanted to say something along the lines of me needing to have a preference for reading material despite the fact that i read everything, and that sometimes one must be more discerning.)

Which is why I shouldn’t blog at 3.42am no matter how much I feel that I’ve JUST got to jot this thought down for public scrutiny! Also, blogging at this hour (or just typing/writing maybe) wrecks havoc with your spelling ability. Of course, since I am DNA polymerase 2 (or was it 1? or 3?) and possess innate self-correcting abilities (but clearly not a photographic memory), these spelling mistakes should not be prevalent at all. Those that remain will be the mutations, I guess.

Suddenly I’m reminded of a ridiculous conversation I had with my sis when I got back home at night. I’d just been in the kitchen, and the squeeze bottle of honey my mum placed on the counter for 2 days was still sitting there. Thing is, the honey had been in the fridge for months and was still normal, til one day me and my mum realised that it had solidified! Then my mum promptly took it out of the fridge in hopes that it’ll melt and liquify again, just that after 2 days, it’s still solid.

So I asked my sis, the brilliant scientist, why that bottle of honey would’ve suddenly solidified in the fridge. After ascertaining that it’s the same bottle of honey we’ve had in the fridge for months and months (from the time when it was just both of us living tgt, in fact), this was our ensuing conservation.
Sis: Er… Maybe… maybe it was Medusa!
Me: *trying to think of the difference between the old place and the new place and decided that it’s my brother, who never really went to the old place at all* Okay, so who’s Medusa? I know! It must be Colin!
Sis: Yes! Clearly it must be Colin!
Me: We should confront him about it!
Sis: Yes! We should! Why don’t you do it?
Me: But.. but.. I might be turned into a solid! That won’t be good!
Sis: But maybe it only works on honey..
Me: You’d never know! When’s the last time u really looked into Colin’s eyes?
Sis: Er..
Me: I guess I could er.. just stare fixatedly at some other part of his body when I talk to him like er.. his knee, or sth.
Sis: You should look at his big toe, cos it’s the furthest from his eyes.

And dun worry lar, we’re all talking nonsense, and laughing/giggling while doing so. Just the normal way things are in my crazy family. =P

Also, i remarked to my mum, who was in the room listening in to our conservation, that this is the hypothesis of our resident scientist. That Medusa (who might probably be my bro), turned the honey in the fridge solid.

Hm.. Talk about outrageous characters… Maybe I do know a few, and they’re closer to home than I ever realised! Hm… Indeed.