Swordsman Online: Gem Embedding

So, you are finally level 60 and started thinking, "I should probably get some gems in my gears and weapon for some overall much needed boost." But how do you go about doing it? Here's a simple guide to aid you along.

When you first open up your Character interface (accessible by pressing on the letter C on your keyboard), you should see something similar like the image above. Looks confusing? Actually, it really isn't, especially if you're playing MMOs released by PWE, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. In short, the gears and weapon you have equipped on you can be sorted according to the left side and right side of your Character tab. But first, let's take a look at which gems are for what piece of gears below.

Basically, different classes have different requirements on the types of gems they should embed in their gears and weapon. Truthfully, I am actually following what I see on the Swordsman Online forum over at Arc, so I think those are actually pretty nice and decent guide on the types of gems you should consider embedding

If you were to look at the image just right above, all the gears on the left side of your Character tab and the 2 charms on the right side of your Character tab should have the same type of gems embedded. In this case, I used:

• 1st Sockets: Full Tenacity gems (Cave Coral gems) on all first sockets
• 2nd Sockets: Full HP gems (Rainbow gems) on all second sockets
• 3rd Sockets: A mixture of Mitigation (Azurestone) and Evasion (Aventurine) gems on all third sockets

And now, if you were to look at the image just right above, the first 5 equipped gears on the right side of your Character tab, namely: Weapon, Amulet, Pendant and Rings should all be equipped with the same type of gems. In this case, I used:

• 1st Sockets: Full Endo-attack gems (Sapphire gems)
• 2nd Sockets: Full Fire-damage gems (Garnet gems), but I slot in a Poison-damage gem (Amethyst gem since I am low on Garnet gems)
• 3rd Sockets: Full Critical Chance gems (Black Pearl gems)

In the event you are just starting out on using gems to embed into your weapon and gears and don't know where to start, here's a little recommendation I can offer you. You can actually start from Level 60 onwards in terms of gem embedding since it is relatively way too easy, fast and quick to go from Level 1 to Level 59, so it really is a waste of time and effort to think about having gems embedded into your gears before you reached Level 60. For a moment, try to picture this scenario: You just reached Level 50 and have all your gears and weapon fully embedded with gems and then less than 2 weeks later, BAM! You reached Level 60. Now, you have to either farm Mirage Cavern or buy straight from either other players or from the Market Place (a.k.a Cash Shop) to get all the stuffs needed to remove your gems, socket your weapon and gears and to re-embed everything into your new set of gears. It's rather frustrating to just even remotely think about it.

From Level 60, just start with between Level 2 to Level 4 gems first. If you are really not into charging real money into Sycee at all, you can first start with your weapon and your head piece first. These 2 pieces of gear will actually help to serve as a guideline on what gems you need to embed into the rest of your gears. For example, if you can only afford a Level 2 or Level 3 gem for the moment, don't worry too much about it. Just go ahead and embed it into the right piece of gear. Once you get your hands on the next level gem, just swap it out with a low level gem that you already previously embedded, so on and so forth.

Gem embedding isn't exactly a one-off thing you do in-game for your equipped gears. As you gained another 10 more levels, you will want even higher level gems. And trust me, it can get pretty costly and expensive over time. So, don't rush too much or over-stress about it. Just do what you can for now and slowly build up the level of your gems. Personally, I'm waiting for the day I can actually have full Level 6 gems on my gears :D

Feline Friday #19: 1 July 2016

When I was young, I never once though that cats and dogs can live or even be alongside each other without breaking into a cat-and-dog fight. But over the years, the Internet has showned and proven that different species can definitely cohabit together, no special reason needed. The video below shows friendship between species, or as we can see, a cat and a dog. Seems like the glass partition won't separate these 2 besties no matter how :D

Source: Facebook

P/S: Awaiting BurntFoodDude's plugin for this Meme :D

Awww... Mondays: 27 June 2016

Image Source: sakurai_energy

As much as I believe in the phrase "Let sleeping dogs lie", sometimes it does make you wonder, just what on earth inspired a dog to sleep like that and what on earth will said dog be dreaming about in doggy lala land? Take for instance this dog here, splayed out on it's stomach, oblivious to whatever is going on in the real world as it goes on an epic adventure on it's own.

While imagining what his own pooch could possible be dreaming about, it's owner who goes by the twitter username sakurai_energy posted a few creations and asked fellow twitter users which dream world they thought the pooch was in. But at the same time, this pooch also became an instant twitter meme over at Japan though.

たぶんうちの犬はこのうちのどれかの夢を見ている pic.twitter.com/GZzNaiRy7N

— 櫻井えねるぎー土曜日 東地区 Ａ-81a (@sakurai_energy) June 12, 2016

Anyway, some of the comments which I have numbered, are shown below for reference:

#1. “My vote is for the sea angels!”
#2. “More than a sea angel, he could be an actual angel”
#3. “They’re all magnificent dreams. He might be in any one of them.”
#4. “Is this a dog? It looks like a polar bear”
#5. “I think those forelegs make him look like a roast chicken”
#6. “Won’t he wake up with a sore neck after lying in that position?”

Anyway, it turns out that this three-month-old golden retriever was actually cooling it's fluffy belly on a hot and humid night and wasn't in this seemingly uncomfortable position for too long.

NOTE: Article first appeared over at RocketNews 24 and I do not claim copyright nor ownership of the original article. Full credits goes to the original writer, I just only rephrased everything so it doesn't look like I am just blindly copying everything from start to finish.

P/S: My humble apologies to the owners of Awww... Mondays and Feline Fridays for the lack of participation for the past couple of weeks, was busy running around for job interviews and was simply too tired from the midday sun to want to continue sitting up. The sun sure does it's "damage" on me in the form of bad headaches D:

Ex-Workplaces & Rude Customers Examples : Colleagues Edition

Warning:
Long-ass and long-winded post that brings out the profanity and violence in me as I talk about my past.
If there's any mention of ex-colleagues, names are not changed so you can be alerted to this person who is in your workplace and that you should be careful and wary of them.
You've been warned!

Well, I've been contemplating since forever if I should even do this post. But thinking back on how I always resigned from my previous workplaces due to rude customers makes me resolute in posting this up finally. This includes a history of my almost all of my previous workplaces and the kinds of rude customers I've encountered along the way. I never once believed in the phrase "Customers are always right" or "Customers are kings", I solely believed in that one true phrase instead, and that is "Customers are fucked-up idiots who think retail staffs aren't human enough to be given a little more respect". Yes, you heard it right. If you've ever worked in retail at least once in your life or is still in retail, I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to convey here. And for those of you who are so "blessed" to never have to work in retail ever, instead being just a little smart to have a desk job all your lives, here's one thing from me: Grow some brains and appreciate the retail staff serving your rude ass. It doesn't hurt to show just a little appreciation in the form of a friendly greeting such as "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening" or a "Good Day" and end it with a "Thank you".

Let's face it, I have a short temper and that is probably part of the reason why I always managed to survive at any workplace for a good 2 years only. You heard me right this time round, I only work 2 years at any retail place, the max is 2.5 years before I call it quits with the rude customers. Sure, I would have to have a long-term career at least one retail place and I'm not being greedy, but being able to say I've worked at XX or YY for 5 years at the very least is somewhat like a lifelong goal in my retail workplace bucket list. But sadly, I'm just saddened by the monstrosity and atrocity that rude customers can go just to wreck someone else's rice bowl just because they needed someone to vent their frustration on. What better way to vent one's frustration than on a helpless retail staff who is fucking tired from 12-hour shifts for the past 2 days already?

Yes, you jerks and bitches whom I am talking about "anonymously", you know who you are!

~Image Source: 9GAG~

#1. KFC

Ah~ Who can forget KFC? My first workplace as a part-timer when I was still in Secondary School. I think I was around 14 or 15 years old, I was still in Secondary 3 and the KFC outlet I applied to was at Lot 1 Shopper's Mall located just beside Choa Chu Kang MRT Station. I forgot how much I was paid hourly, but I remember I only worked on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 8pm. The only times I worked till 10pm was when the store manager asked me to work an additional overtime 2 hours because there was a sudden influx of customers and they were short of staffs. And nobody, and I meant NOBODY taught me what to do, what I should do, what to do if a problem occurs and so on and so forth with that shit!

What I forgot to mention is that, this was my very first part-time job as a student. And as every retail staff who works in the F&B should know, one should thoroughly teach, educate and impart the knowledge and skills needed to survive at their very first workplace. But sadly, KFC wasn't that place. Basically, there was this rude Chinese boy who is also a part-time staff who always mans one of the cash counters and a rude Malay lady who is a manager. I think they both schemed to make my part-time job as miserable as can be whenever I am on shift there. That rude Chinese boy is apparently a star staff, meaning he's one of the best staffs there, or whatever shit that means since I have no idea what a star staff means. But now I know better, star staff means someone who knows their job nd can run it well is given authority to bully new staffs.

Every single time, this little fucker always find an opportunity to give me a thrashing for something that I did and for things I didn't do. Instead of giving guidance, this little fucker just thinks he's the creme of the crop at KFC, but sad to say this dude, I hope your real stuck-up attitude shows and shines through when you have girlfriends because that is not a kind way to treat a girl who knows nothing for the 3 months she was working there.

And let's not forget about the rude Malaya female manager there, every single time she lays eyes on me, she like that rude Chinese little fuck-boy is also constantly trying to find things to blame me with. Always giving me that retarded attitude when she can't even clearly says what she wants, and she is supposed to be a fucking manager for god's sake. And the butch manager? God, I now realized I hate butches with a passion from the depths of my black little heart. Little thing is always trying to be the coolest person at that outlet, but we all know how butches came to be. Obviously, there's something missing in them that's why their boyfriend dicthed them which in turned made them go butch so that they can be on the other hand of the stick and reject a girl because well, karma is like that for these type of people. "What you do to me, I can do it to another female as soon as I go butch".

Pay-wise, my first month salary was exactly $100, no more and no less despite doing a few days of overtime on weekends. Then on the second month, my pay was exactly $90, no more and no less despite doing slightly more overtime hours as compared to the first month. Then on the third month, my pay suddenly shrank to $80, nothing more nothing less, exactly $80 and I did overtime as well, just so you know. By then, I knew something wrong was with KFC. My part-time salary was getting $10 short per month and I suspected that I would get even less if I were to stick with them. And shortly after looking at the miserable amount of salary I got, I stopped showing up for work instead choosing to stay at home and do nothing.

Few months later while going window-shopping at Lot 1 again, I chanced upon my store manager from KFC and he said that I should return my uniform if I longer have any intention of working there anymore. I think that was pretty much what I wanted to hear from him tell me so I can leave in peace without any hard feelings.

But thankfully, customers aren't that rude. Or more like, those 2 idiots: namely the chinese fuck-boy and the malay fuck-bitch kept throwing me to do the floor a.k.a clear tables and throw trash and customers can't be bothered as long as I cleared the tables timely so they can sit down and stuff their faces with dead chicken flesh and powdered mash potatoes. In fact, I have the good luck to not encounter any rude customers at all throughout the miserable 3 months I was there. The only 1 customer I remembered like as if it was yesterday was this old lady thanking me: "Thank You Uncle" despite clearly having C-cup boobs, but it was unfortunate my haircut was short like a boy, so yea LOL

Bottom line: I have no respect for KFC staffs and managers alike, even if they are all smiles when I am a customer as I've personally been through the phase where nobody have the courtesy of being patient or explain the ropes to me.

#2 McDonald's

Less than 6 months after my miserable stint at KFC, I was poached by my ex-BFF (who is now my arch-enemy whom I honestly hope married a lousy guy who beats her up, seriously, she is one messed-up girl even despite the times I've stuck with her for so freaking long) to go work at her work-place a.k.a McDonald's. I still remember the day I was there for my orientation really clearly. The manager who was in-charge of my orientation was patient with explaining everything I needed to know. I think it was around 1996 or 1997 back then, but my hourly wage at McDonald's for working part-time was $4.50 per hour and I was sworn to secrecy by the manager as I later found out that my ex-BFF who introduced me there was being paid $3.80 per hour as she transferred from Yew Tee McDonald's to Takashimaya McDonald's, so apparently, they were paying her the hourly wage for Yew Tee McDonald's instead of Takashimaya McDonald's. Well, lucky me then LMAO

I was even asked/instructed to watch a orientation video which was pretty much meant for new staffs, part-time or full-time at McDonald's and the manager even sat through the video with me, pausing every now and then and asking if I am able to follow and proceed with explanations if I have any doubts. I even got a free drink on the house to make me feel welcome, despite the fact that we were having an orientation in a squeezy room that doubles up as a eating place for the staffs on break.

Right after the video orientation, I was given a short tour of my workplace, where the burger flipping action happens, where the annoying as hell customers order for their food as if Hungry Ghost Festival is upon us but for infinity instead of the traditional 1 month long activity. The location of the stock-room, which conveniently is right at the back of the store only, where to throw the trash if I am ever on floor duty, so on and so forth. And each time, the manager patiently explained whatever he thinks is of use to me as a new staff working there. A stark irony to my KFC days when nobody told me anything at all, just expecting me to miraculously know what I am supposed to do right on my first day of work.

My orientation concluded in under 2 hours time, and all the while, the manager was still patient and even wished me well on my journey home and told me he's looking forward to me starting my first day at work on Friday. Thanks Mr Patrick, you're the world's nicest and most patient manager I've ever encountered in my fast-food part-time life ever!

On days of actual working at McDonald's, the staff who's on the same duty as me is just as patient, but in their own "auntie" ways as they impart secret knowledge on how to wash a toilet successfully withough having customers trying to barge in. Let's face it, customers are still blind at that point, what with the numerous chairs blocking the entrance to the toilet. They can simply choose not to see, force their way through and then look surprised at the sight of 2 McDonald's employee trying to wash a frigging toilet in peace. Seriously? You think McDonald's never wash their toilets is it? Little mindless fuckers....

However, I learned another lesson after I stopped working at McDonald's. Apparently, my ex-BFB who offered me a cigarette back then when we were trying to do underage smoking was considered a saint there when I lamented about her behaviour and how she betrayed me. The aunties actually scolded me threateningly and suddenly, me who stupidly accepted that cigarette is the Devil. Well done! Seems like only the managers are the actual humans who have eyes there. The aunties there, well, they choose to believe in their own version of who's right and who's wrong. It's just disappointing.

I've had my fair share of nice and rude customers. But surprisingly, it's the Singaporean customers who are rude, they have no hesitation in throwing money on the counter when being asked for payment. Angry? Yes, definitely. I'm not a slave or a beggar, you are queueing at my counter asking a favour when you buy the food my workplace offers and I demand a little more respect when it comes to paying. So yea, I also throw their change back at them, but discreetly. I just ensure that I fling my arm out violently with my fingers slightly opened so that the coins will fly out of my hands and onto the floor, thereby making them pick their money off the dirty floor. And while doing so, I just gently slammed their remaining change on the counter and call the next customer. So, who's the beggar and slave now, huh?

Bottom line: Have some pity for the staffs there, to be honest. They been brainwashed by their McDonald's management that when you asked for extra chilli, they literally give only 1 packet. But once they no longer work there, they think the same as us normal folks. "What on earth was I doing there?"

#3 Sun Moulin Yamazaki

My first full-time job after I was done with my O Levels and to be honest, I was brainwashed into entering the baking industry by a relative who was insistent I know the fundamentals of baking so she can open her own bakery while I slave away and sweat by the ovens. My buddy for the first 3 months there, surprisingly, a butch as well. But one of the nicest butch I've never met, encountered and worked with. She also patiently coached me on how to work, what are our duties, what we are supposed to do. I was literally the baby chick following the mama chicken for the first 3 months of my life there.

It was tiring, to be brutally honest, working in a bakery that sells baked goods. Machiam like Four Leaves you can see in your neighborhood air-con shopping centre, it is fucking tiring, baking and baking and baking and having to have to prepare the ingredients that goes in baked goods that has them. Think, for example, Mushroom and Ham Bun. The bun is practically easy as pie as it's almost the same for every bun they have to sell, but the Mushroom and Ham part that goes in have to be prepared in advance and stored so you can have them on hand when you need to get that bun baked and sold.

But because my butch senior knows how to make things fun, for example chatting about nonsense stuffs while working can actually make the chore less tiring. Suddenly bursting into song but without the awkward dancing when making a huge pot full of custard or chicken curry. She really made the day enjoyable for me since I have a feeling that she knows what and how it's like to be working full-time for the very first time as a fresh-faced O Level student. There was never a dull day at all, and she even showed me the staff canteen inside Isetan (the one that is opposite Wheelock Place) and boy, there were some cheap but tasty economical rice there. Our company is always the noisiest when it's on break time, that I assure you.

When someone is having a birthday, promotion or something, they actually made sure to invite everyone they can within the company so that no one feels left-out. And honestly, what more can you ask for in a working environment? From the cashiers who run the counters maniacally to the senior bakers at the level 1 bakery to the cafe staffs at the level 3 cafe, everyone has been a joy to work with. However, that happiness didn't last long.

But sadly, the store manager decided to shift a cake staff to my section while my senior goes back to the level 1 bakery. And on top of that, he also shifted some cafe duties to my department, which in turn meant that the cake staff who was transferred to my department is solely doing only cafe duties while I solo slave away in my department. Like seriously? Initially, I tried to make up for it by making certain pastry fillings up to half a week in advance so that I need not have to work a 9am to 10pm shift daily. And get this, when I started working here, my working hours was only 9am to 5pm. Sure, I was getting close to $2,000 per month in my salary despite my starting salary as being $1,300, but it was bloody tiring. Wake up, cried a little, off to work. Off duty at 10pm, go home and lament about being tired and cried some more.

Less than a year later, I left without regrets. I don't need to be so tired just for the sake of earning a salary. The staffs are always great, but it's just so tiring all the time. I never once felt alive at all, I felt like a mindless drone and belong long, I just lost all interest in baking and I don't even want to have anything more with baking. It just sucks the life out of me, and to quote J.LO, "Ain't your mama". I'm not going to work to the point where I don't feel alive anymore.

Customers wise, because I get to hide inside kitchen all day long, I need not have to see nor put up with annoying customers. Yay for the win!

Bottom line: Baking industry is only for the strong-willed, who only see is as their destiny to bake. Basically, if you're someone who is into baking, intend to make baking a life-long career and something you want to do for life, go for it. If not, just don't. It's tiring as hell.

#4 Books Kinokuniya

After sitting on my butt for a few months, I decided to go try out an interview with Books Kinokuniya as I saw an ad for their recruitment. Apparently, they send staffs to different locations based on their attitude and behavior, but in a good way though. The outspoken ones who have their own views are sent to the main branch at Takashimaya, while the quiet ones are sent to Bugis or Liang Court, that was what I assumed. Since I've been to the Bugis and Liang Court outlets and the staffs there weren't that talkative and boisterous like the ones I've encountered at Takashimaya.

The sucky thing is that each department likes to form their own cliques. For example, the cashiers only mixed with the cashiers, the English book department mixed with their own, Chinese and Japanese book with their own, Stationary staffs with their own, so on and so forth. By mixed with their own, I literally meant it as it is. When they chat during break or when they eat during break, they stick to the colleagues in their own department. Which I think is a shame, it's a big company but people are only mixing among their own crowds, based on the school qualifications they possess.

Reason why English book department staffs only hang and chill out with their own? They have diplomas, are undergraduates, so on and their monthly salary is in the $2,000 and above range, so it makes sense to hang out with their own crowd to feel slightly superior, I guess? The cashiers and Stationary department tend to hang around often, partly because we mostly have N or O Level certificates at best, and the rest think we are a crass bunch who talks loud and the fact that some of our English isn't so good. But luckily, not everyone behaves the same.

I have a cigarette friend in the English Book department (we sometimes encounter each other when we go for smoke breaks) who always have a smile whenever we passed by each other during work, and we do make small polite chat. Something that other English Book department staffs don't usually do when they encounter staff from another department. There's also another staff at the Chinese/Japanese Book department, she doesn't smoke. But she also have a kind smile on her face whenever we passed by each other and we also make polite chit chat if we do encounter each other outside our workplace.

Customers wise, well, the rude ones are aplenty, needless to say the least. Allow me to recount this rude bastard I encountered while on duty. I was chatting witha female cashier colleague and somehow the coversation drifted to how we give back customers change. I mentioned that I tend to place the change on the counter as some customers aren't really that comfortable with that kind of skinship going on. This bastard who walked up to pay suddenly ask, "So tell me, why do you not give the customers their change back in their hands?" Like seriously? You eavesdropped on 2 women's conversation and decided to butt in? Best part? Fucker complained as loud as he possibly can while going on about how he "introduced everyone he knows to this place, from his friends to his family, blah blah shit and so on"

Anyway, I got reprimanded for it and the little fucking bastard got to walk away with a $50 book voucher for being a douche. Well done, if you're reading this, you eavesdropping bastard. Hope you sleep well for the rest of your life. Retarded customers like these are just one of the many retarded cases I encountered on an almost daily occurence. I won't even go into detail about how Sylvia Toh Paik Choo showed up when we had our 20% store-wide discount coupon promotion going on, complained about how she can't get a 20% discount on all her purchases because she can't be bothered to go get her own coupons which in turn, I had to pay for a fucking copy of 8 Days magazine out of my own pocket to give her the discount that she is supposedly entitled to. Just because she recommended some books from Kinokuniya.

Bottom line: Unless you are really fond of books to the point you can ignore and still smile at rude customers, Kinokuniya isn't really the place I'd also recommend working at based on the cliques they formed within their own departments. Don't even get me started on that Sylvia Toh Paik Choo case also, just disappointing that a locally-only famous column writer can act like she deserved a discount despite not having a discount coupon in the first place.

#5 Comics Connection

Sat on my bum for around 2 years before deciding to try and ask for a job at Comics Connection. If I had know it was a family-run business, I wouldn't have went there in the first place. I'm sure most of you would have read about their closure online and probably in the newspaper and thinking "Wah! The boss looks nice sia!" Well, you've all been tricked. They all love to be ass-kissed, all by the same useless staff who goes by the name of Jenni. I'm not changing her name to protect her, in fact, I adamantly used her real name with the exception of including her surname so you all can be wary and alert to this girl. If you want to know how she looks like, search for the post titled "What the Bitch" I have made many years ago where I berated and voiced out my utmost displeasure regarding her.

When she first came in, she was supposed to be my assistance while I was to be made in-charge of the tidbit and knick-knack department. But little bitch decided to sugar her way into this position and the boss wife said that she felt that young immature and sugar-coating Jenni is more mature to do that role, as opposed to older me who isn't mature at all. And suddenly, I became her fucking assistance. And boy, did this useless Jenni fucked up big time. Never did overtime but insisted on copying our overtime sheet so she can also claim overtime pay. Left early because she was something on, and that something on is just sitting at home while the rest of us can't leave early despite clearly having real problems that insist that we can't stay.

And the boss wife even let her be in charge of the stocks to the point that her access code can literally do anything and everything, similar access privileges as the bosses themselves, to say it plainly. So if stocks don't tally up, she go forth and change it to the way she felt it should be. 6 months later, the boss was upset cos some of the stocks on hand doesn't even tally but refused to confront Jenni because she "sayang" Jenni so much she couldn't bear to do it. Partly because if she do so, Jenni won't ass-kiss her anymore so she would prefer Jenni to continuously ass-kiss her as long as Jenni is still in the company.

I went from a manga and anime hardcore fan to someone who hates that industry all because of a useless Jenni who couldn't care less about anime nor manga in the first place. I was finally asked to leave one fine day some time around 4ish in the afternoon. And even after leaving, this Jenni won't even leave me alone. She hacked into one of my old Yahoo accounts, changed the text on a layout I was doing, print out the text and bring it to the boss wife. Then claimed I was the one who wrote it. Like wow! Little bitch sure don't give up after she indirectly caused me to lose my job at Comics Connection.

The saddest and most disappointing moment is when the boss wife still believes this lazy bum and even call up my house to demand to know the truth. The truth? Your beloved ass-kissing Jenni did all that, aunti Monica. You've been the worst boss I've ever encountered and although I shouldn't be happy about Comics Connection being gone. But I am truthfully happy your company died out, all because you kept a useless lying and thieving bum at your side, while me who loves the anime and manga industry was kicked out. Yea! Damn right I'm happy your company died. This is called Karma, that took 11 years to happen. Thank you God!

Anyway, it took me close to 10 years before I could bear to read another manga or watch another anime again. That courage I took, courage I used to have which is all destroyed by a single person by the name of Jenni.

Customer wise, as I was working most times in the office, the time that I got to spent with customers is zero. I wouldn't recommend trying for Toys or Games a.k.a "T.O.G" as it's a newly released version of Comics Connection. Tried sending a job application to T.O.G, but I presumed the new boss probably asked the boss of Comics Connection and maybe that's why they never contacted me for a job interview. Goes to see that Comics Connection is still closely linked to T.O.G. Comics Connection never really died, it just got reincarnated as T.O.G to fool the masses.

#6 Pacific Coffee Company

No idea why I went there, but anyways the 2 Hong Kong ladies who were in charge of managing the Singapore outlets of Pacific Coffee apparently dislike me to the point of hating me. No idea why either, it was only when Amy, another store manager told me that I know about it. Not that I care anyways, the managers pretty much sucked there. They promote staffs who ass-kissed to be management trainees. My salary was a miserable $800 per month, and if a mananger fucked up at counting the sales, the staffs have to pay for the shortages. Hmm... perfect when you're already drawing a small amount of salary and your manager decided that the blame should always be pushed to the staffs instead.

Allow me to recount a perfect example of this ass-kissing. There was this new girl who previously worked at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. She never once throw any trash, instead prefering to stay inside the counter for fear of god who knows what? But anyone and everyone could tell she was scheming. Less than 2 months after joining us, she was a management trainee all of a sudden. I worked and slaved away like a fucking idiot, getting burnt, scalded, cut, bleed, fell and hurt my back all for a good 1 year and my useless pinoy manager decided that he prefer to be ass-kissed by a new staff who pretty much didn't do anything except to run the cashier counter.

Needless to say, I cannot tolerate anymore of this bullshit. I managed to stay on for another year since I was getting transferred to the Vivo City outlet, which sadly no longer exists. I finally left when another manager, let's call her Yani since that's her real name, called me at 7am to ask me to go to Red Dot Pacific Coffee to collect a carton of milk and still expect me to reach my workplace by 7:30am. At the time, my bus was already on the express way and it will take 20 to 30 minutes to reach the first bus-stop along Stevens Road/Bukit Timah Road since the expressway is always crowded around that time. And get this, I do not have any cash on me at that time since I didn't withdraw any from the ATM. But she expect me to miraculously hail a taxi and pay with cash. So, where's the cash going to come from since I don't have any on me? And you think the taxi is the magic cat bus from Studio Gihbli?

I was already frustrated with my colleagues and managers for being jerk-asses and now this? I promptly broke down on the spot right in the train station at the seats where you can sit down and wait for the train's arrival while calling Amy, who by now is the Operation Executive (She was a Store Manager when I just joined in 2 years ago). The few office workers who came up to me and ask if I was okay and the many stares I got while crying my eyes out inside Raffles train station, I never forgot that moment when I was so done with bullshitting and ass-kissing that I always and continuously encountered at every workplace led me to voice out whatever was on my mind to my Operations Executive while tears were streaming down my face.

I think that was the most pathetic and saddest moment of my life I simply couldn't find a reason to stay at Pacific Coffee anymore. I'm just done! I went back to my workplace and Yani decided that she needed to pick an argument with me as soon as I stepped in. I simply picked up my bag and walked out of my workplace, with tears still streaming down my face and calling my mother that I am coming home and that I'm never going back to work at that hell hole anymore.

Customers wise, it's a 50-50 percentage between nice and nasty customers. Worst ones are the regulars who worked above my first outlet at Raffles Link. Yep, this place doesn't exist anymore. But be aware when working in a cafe line, it can be good and it can be bad, that's all I can say.

Bottom line: Everyone seemed nice at first, but seems like it's all a facade anyways. Never have I encountered so much ass-kissing going on, and right in my face no less. So, I'm not joking whenever I said "I left my previous workplace because of the ass-kissing". I wish I was lying when I said that line, but that is precisely what I encountered and had to go through while being passed over for a promotion whenever this happens to me.

For now, I am done with these 6 ex-workplaces, there's actually still 2 more. But since I know most of the people at these 2 places, and what with some of them being friends on Facebook with me. I feel it is good manners to not drag them into this at all. Maybe in 10 years time if I am still blogging and working or still alive from all the bullshit and ass-kissing, I will continue from #7 and #8 and so on.

No blog updates until 18th May 2016

My apologies, I'm not feeling well and won't be able to commit 100% here. Life sucks a little for females every month due to this natural occurrence called Menstruation and mine is always the heavy and painful variety and the pain always lasts for exactly almost 1 week in all. However, if the pains do slowly subside, I'll resume blogging at the earliest convenience. Meanwhile, posts will be limited to only Facebook posts related to sampling redemption. Have a wonderful weekend and stay positive :)

Awww...Mondays: 9 May 2016

When TV Asahi decided that baby nipples are going to cause major distraction to their TV program, cause traffic jams and maybe human jams, I think it's making us look at the baby nipple pasties even more than usual.

Over at Japan, 5 May is a national holiday for kids, called Children's Day. TV Asahi thought it would be nice to air a program highlighting the life of a married couple who are raising 4 adorable babies, or what the linguistically people like to say, a set of quadruplets. However, TV Asahi feel that some sort of modesty should be reserved for babies as well and decide to take matters into their hands to censor nudity at it's "discretion".

During a particular segment where the babies were given their mandatory baths, as do babies all over the world need to, TV Asahi decided to add in baby-chicks as temporary nipple pasties for all the babies. I mean, personally, I don't mind baby nipples but I draw the line at adult nipples since it's way over the top for normal humans to think about. TV Asahi thought that by censoring baby nipples, viewers would be less focused on the anatomy in question. However, it seems that viewers are even much more focused on that part of the babies anatomy instead. Or in other words, the digital baby nipple pasties are the highlight of the TV show instead of the actual program in question.

On the other hand, 7pm is probably the time when most families in Japan gather together either for dinner or watch some family TV program post-dinner and it might be best to spare some young minds from being corrupted with baby nipples O_o

Although I am much more concerned on another issue: When these 4 babies grow up into teenagers, for example, and found old videos of themselves as babies on national television with those digital pasties, what would they think though? Would it be a case of "Aww.. that's so sweet" or "Ack! What were those television people thinking?"

今のテレビは赤ちゃんの乳首も隠すのね。
逆に気になるわ。 pic.twitter.com/BJBGaOAFG4

— 榎並マクアードル大豆郎 (@purimart) May 5, 2016

Tag: Riaru Onigokko [J-Wave Movie Review]

Warning! Spoilers ahead!

I do not claim copyright to the images shown in this post. All images are copyrighted to and sourced from the movie itself, except for the movie poster from Google

Movie Info

Movie: TAG

Romaji: Tag (Riaru Onigokko)

Japanese: リアル鬼ごっこ

Director: Sion Sono [園子温]

Writer: Yusuke Yamada [山田悠介] (novel), Sion Sono [園子温]

Release Date: 11 July 2015

Runtime/Episodes: 1 hour 25 minutes

Genre: Suspense, Action, Horror

Distributor: Shochiku, Asmik Ace Entertainment, Universal Studios

Language: Japanese

Country: Japan

Music Tracks:

• Real Onigokko [performed by GLIM SPANKY]
• The Last Dawn [performed by MONO]
• Pure As Snow (Trails Of The Winter Storm) [performed by MONO]
• The Land Between Tides [performed by MONO]

Movie Synopsis

A quiet high school girl named Mitsuko survives a gust of wind which slices through her school bus, bisecting everyone onboard. She manages to escape the gust of wind, which chases her and kills all the other girls she comes into contact with. Dazed, and surrounded by numerous other dead high school girls, she cleans herself off and changes into another girl's school uniform and stumbles onto a different high school campus. She is greeted by her friends Aki, Sur (short for "Surreal") and Taeko. Not knowing who they are, Mitsuko confesses to Aki in private that she cannot remember if she ever attended this school and believes she had a nightmare about girls being killed by a gust of wind. Aki reassures her that it was just a nightmare and proposes that they all cut class and go to the woods to cheer her up.

In the woods, the girls muse about whether destiny is truly predetermined and whether there are multiple realities with multiple versions of themselves. Sur illustrates predetermination with a white feather, stating that it would mean the time it takes for the feather to fall and where it will land are all decided already. Mitsuko wonders if there is nothing she can do to escape destiny, but Sur suggests that fate can be tricked by simply doing something one would never normally do, thus changing the outcome. The girls happily return to school. Aki and Mitsuko's homeroom teacher begins class, but suddenly brandishes a machine gun and opens fire, killing all the girls except Mitsuko. Before she can fire another round, Sur and Taeko burst in, grab Mitsuko, and the three hide. Another homeroom teacher, who has just killed her own entire class, finds and kills Taeko and Sur. Mitsuko and the remaining girls flee the grounds, running for their lives as they are gunned down. One of the girls recognizes Mitsuko and pleads for her to do something and think about why this is happening. The remaining girls are then sliced apart by a gust of wind.

Mitsuko continues to run, and then finds herself in increasingly surreal situations where her identity and appearance change: first, as a bride named Keiko on her wedding day, who is forced to marry a grotesque groom with a boar's head while her guests (all girls from the previous school) jeer at her, then later as a student named Izumi in the middle of a marathon, flanked by her friends and well-wishers (again, made up of the girls from the school and wedding ceremony). In each scenario, she is supported by a version of her friend Aki, who either readies her for combat or distracts her attackers, made up of the groom and the two homeroom teachers from before. In every scenario, she must flee while the surrounding girls are slaughtered in various ways.

After encountering a group of revenant girls who try to kill her after stating that so long as she lives, they all will continue to die, she is once again rescued by Aki. Aki tells her to focus and remember that although she is both Keiko and Izumi in these scenarios, she is ultimately Mitsuko. After returning to her original appearance as Mitsuko, Aki tells her that the two of them and all the girls are in a fictional world being observed by "someone" and that they will continue to hunt Mitsuko down and try to kill her while slaughtering the other girls unless Mitsuko, as the "main character", does something to change it. Each of the scenarios she encountered is a different world, and to reach the final one, Aki tells her that Mitsuko must brutally kill her. Urged on by Aki, Mitsuko reluctantly kills her and a portal opens up before her.

She finds herself in a lewd dingy city called "Men's World" filled with only men who pervertedly enjoy a poster advertisement for a "legendary" violent 3-D survival horror video game called "Tag", depicting Mitsuko, Keiko, and Izumi as playable characters. She passes out and awakens in a temple where all the girls from the various scenarios are showcased like mannequins. She arrives at a room where a decrepit old man is playing the game on his TV, showing the various trials she went through. Mitsuko is horrified to see full-size models of herself, Keiko, Izumi, Aki, Sur, and Taeko behind a glass display case. The man tells her that she is in the future and that 150 years ago, she was a girl he had admired as a fellow student. When she died, he managed to take her DNA and that of all her friends and make clones for his 3-D game. A younger version of the old man appears beside a bed and strips down, beckoning her to come to bed with him. The old man tells her that the final stage is the fulfillment of his deepest wish and he tells her to succumb to her destiny. Instead, Mitsuko attacks the younger man, screaming at him to stop playing with girls like toys. She rips one of the pillows, showering the room with feathers. Remembering what Sur said about tricking fate, she then commits suicide by stabbing herself, to the shock of both the old man and his younger self. Finding herself once again in the beginning of each of the three game scenarios, she simultaneously commits suicide on the bus, at the wedding chapel, and during the marathon before any of the violent scenarios can begin. Mitsuko then awakens alone in a field of white snow, gets up, and runs away, realizing that "it's over now."

TAG Recurring Characters

The sole survivor of a high school trip calamity is Mitsuko, who dodges a murderous airstream that killed her classmates. She flees to a town where, somehow, students she doesn't know acknowledge her as a longtime friend and classmate. In actual reality Mitsuko was the one dying inside, she felt alone and she felt different. And she realized she wanted an ending to this loneliness that surrounds her. As you can see in Chapter 1, all her classmates in the bus were talking and enjoying themselves, but Mitsuko is the only one who is "alone" despite not being in a lonely situation.

Keiko, a 25-year-old woman readying for her wedding, where the happy smiles and well-wishing guests soon melt away as she is rushed down the aisle toward a potentially purgatory-like future. This was the view of how Keiko view herself. Where everyone was so happy for her but in actual fact, that was all front for something else much more sinister. She knows that behind those smiles and words of congratulations, that's not what most of them think of her. The groom is sort of an escape from reality from something that is holding her back while at the same time, the groom represents lust itself.

A marathon in which the runner Izumi competes against villains and monsters bursting onto the scene from the previous chapters. From the various scenes that we can see, Izumi was a top athlete who is very much adored by everyone. But what was wrong with it? She was actually pressured and everyone was expecting too much of her. She was also pushing herself to the limit where she was no longer happy and at the point where she thinks that she can no longer lose or everyone will think differently of her can see her as a fake.

Aki, Mitsuko's friend in all 3 of Mitsuko's different characters. Despite being a friend, she somehow acts more like Mitsuko's subconsciousness personified as a human female by the name of Aki as we do not see the existence of "Aki" at all when Mitsuko had to run for her life to survive in the very first chapter. In actuality and reality, she plays the biggest role in the movie and I am absolutely convinced at this point that she doesn't really exist at all. She was the one deciding on what actions they should do, the next course of action, is it fight or is it a flight impulse action or a.k.a the mind/subconscious when Mitsuko forgets what she needs to do to stay alive.

My review...

Although this movie was supposed to be based on a novel, Sion Sono himself has pretty much never read a single page of it instead using it as an entry point to his own unique creation. Purists of manga/novel live action movies might feel upset that sometimes the live action itself doesn't much follow-up to the original story itself, however, I felt that because Sion Sono is a maestro of JK (Joushi Kousei, a.k.a High School Girls in Japanese terms) horror, his touch simply turned a movie into solid gold. I also feel that Mitsuko gives a real sense of fear and helplessness in the chapters she was in. Confusion, fear, despair, hope, all rolled into a single character. When we first saw Mitsuko, she was lost in her own world of poems on a school bus while her classmates were having the time of their life chatting and monkeying around. But all that instantly changes when a cataclysmic event occurs and changes the lives of Mitsuko and others around her forever. Surreal, scary and strange things happen to the point where the rules of living have been bent, and shocking bouts of violence are repeatedly brought forth suddenly and this all occurs exclusively to all the females in the entire movie.

Pretty sure that is what every school teacher in the world dreamed of doing when dealing with obnoxious students

When we see Mitsuko as Keiko again, she was being rushed to a wedding that she has no clue of. A groom that she has not even met before, but seemingly approved of by everyone around her. Initially in the beginning, we see all the females surrounding her and wishing her well. But apparently, that isn't the case. Notice how when Mitsuko stumbled into a peaceful town devoid of males and the only male in sight is her supposed "groom" that she has no knowledge of. But as soon as she reached the church as Keiko, Aki informs Keiko that she is in fact Mitsuko and that she is being hunted down and the only way out is to fight her way out of the marriage ceremony. Fast forward to when Keiko approaches the wedding altar, all the female guests started disrobing into their undergarments and hurriedly pushing her towards the altar while making a mockery out of her. This time round, Keiko is being pushed into the arms of lust itself, almost without having a choice to. It's either surrender to lust or fight her way out of it.

Marrying a guy is great, but marrying a guy represented by a pig is pretty much bad luck

And towards the second last chapter of the story, she changes into Izumi, a top athlete who is adored by everyone around her. Confusion sets in once again, and her "friends" in her running team kept constantly reassuring Izumi about her school days where she runs faster than everyone else and that her competence as an athlete is readily confirmed by everyone who saw and knew her. But all that changes when she is once again pursued by the groom in the previous chapter, or as I say it, lust refuses to leave her alone and constantly hunting her down.

Turns out Mitsuko is just being used for fun as a "toy" in a male-dominated world

In short, the story could be interpreted of a gender-based social oppression as seen by a woman undergoing rituals of adolescence and adulthood from the constant flashes of white objects, such as the white bra Mitsuko is wearing when she changes from her bloody uniform in Chapter 1 to a clean uniform, a white pillow, fluttering white feathers, flashes of white panties and so on. The violent interventions break up long scenes of solidarity in a world without men, the sense of optimism and freedom vividly captured by drone filming. When at the final chapter of the movie, all truths are revealed about the nature of the 3 different protagonists reason of existence and the only way they can break out of this misogynistic vicious cycle - through their own deaths.

My thoughts...

Throughout the entire movie, we keep seeing everyone around Mitsuko dying. But in fact, it is really Mitsuko trying to find escape in a world where women plays second fiddle to men, where women are just sex toys and sex objects in the eyes of men, existing only for the sole pleasure of men only. And to escape this life, the only way out is by dying. I'll give it a 7/10 as I find the ending a little beyond my comprehension. Just because a female is being treated like a second fiddle doesn'nt mean she needs to be the one to die.

You can watch this movie on my channel via Dailymotion in 3 parts via playlist/x4ghfi_riih-pu-niao_tag-riaru-onigokko/1#video=x47q9bq or watch the embedded movie below:

Part 1: Tag Riaru Onigokko Movie [English Subbed]

Tag (Riaru Onigokko) - Part 1 by riih-pu-niao

Part 2: Tag Riaru Onigokko Movie [English Subbed]

Tag (Riaru Onigokko) - Part 2 by riih-pu-niao

Part 3: Tag Riaru Onigokko Movie [English Subbed]

Tag (Riaru Onigokko) - Part 3 by riih-pu-niao

Feline Friday #18: 06 May 2016

The world of pop music is rather fickle, judging from the many different acts that goes from superstardom during my schooling years to obscurity in my early twenties when I started working. The life of boy bands and girl bands are even shorter, if you would actually look at Spice Girls as an example. They used to be that one thing everyone talked about in school, but now, mention Spice Girls and half the people in the group you are chatting to will just cringe right where they stand or sit.

However, cat-pop boy bands might just save the world's boy bands and girls bands from fading into complete oblivion!!

~~Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/shinyan.jp/

These 5 cats are the cat-version of popular K-pop boy band SHINee, known as SHINyan. The cat-pop boy band is comprised of: MINONyan (named after Minho), TEAMINyan (named after Taemin), JONGNyan (named after Jonghyun), ONEWNyan (named after Onew and is the leader of SHINyan) and lastly KEYNyan (named after Key).

The music was mixed specifically to attract the attention of real cats — according to the record label, they were able to get six cats (out of six) to “look around” in testing. In addition to the meows you can clearly hear in the song, samples of paper bags crinkling are included as well as high-pitched sounds out of human range that cats should be able to hear have been mixed in at at 180 bpm. They claim these sounds will put your cat in a good mood.

If you have a feline at home, be sure to try playing this song for your kitty and see how it responds! We should note that smartphone speakers may not be able to reproduce the high-pitched frequencies, so you may need to bust out a pair of quality speakers to see any results.

Disclaimer: Half the article does not belong to me, my mind went blank. But full credit still goes to RocketNews 24 though :D

Movie Synopsis: 05 May 2016

Before I Wake [在我醒来之前]

Title [電影名]: Before I Wake [在我醒来之前]

Alternate Title: Somnia

Director [導演]: Mike Flanagan [迈克·弗拉纳根]

Writer [筆者]: Mike Flanagan [迈克·弗拉纳根], Jeff Howard

Release Date [上映日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型]: Drama, Fantasy, Thriller

Rating [等級]: PG13 [13歲及以上有家長指引]

Language [語言]: English [英語]

Runtime [時間]: 97 minutes [97 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Kate Bosworth [凯特·波茨沃斯], Thomas Jane [托马斯·简], Annabeth Gish [安娜贝丝·吉什], Dash Mihok [达什·米霍克], Scottie Thompson [斯考蒂·汤姆森], Jay Karnes [杰·卡尔内斯], Jacob Tremblay [雅各布·特瑞布雷], Lance E. Nichols [兰斯E·尼科尔斯]...

English Movie Synopsis: In this creepy and terrifying thriller, Cody's new foster parents Jessie and Mark can't wait to welcome the special little boy into their home. Once he settles in, Jessie and Mark soon discover Cody has a very unique gift - his vibrant and imaginative dreams come to life all around him while he is sleeping. When the curious new parents begin to cultivate this strange phenomenon by lulling Cody into deep sleep, they find that the creatures of his darkest nightmares will also come alive, wrecking havoc in the night.

電影簡介: 片中一个男孩的梦境化为现实，成了养父养母的惊魂梦魇。杰茜与丈夫马克，在自己的儿子肖恩意外去世后，决定领养一个可爱的八岁男孩科迪。然而科迪却不知为何总是不肯乖乖就寝，一到上床时间就惊恐万状。起初，他们以为这是之前的寄养家庭带给男孩的心灵创伤，可不久就发现了真正的原因：科迪入睡的时候，他的梦境会化为现实。夫妇两人随着科迪的梦境，时而被美妙的想象包围，时而又陷入令人毛骨悚然的噩梦之中。为了挽救自己的家庭，杰茜与马克决心探究造成科迪神秘梦境的真正原因。预告片中并无太多直截了当的恐怖画面，而是着力营造气氛，描摹情感波澜，杰茜与马克随着科迪的梦境，邂逅美丽的蓝色蝴蝶，甚至还与已经去世的亲生儿子肖恩重逢。

Before I Wake [在我醒来之前] Movie Trailer

Pelé : Birth of a Legend [贝利：传奇的诞生]

Title [電影名]: Pelé : Birth of a Legend [贝利：传奇的诞生]

Alternate Title: Pelé [贝利]

Director [導演]: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist

Writer [筆者]: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist

Release Date [發布日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型] Biography, Drama, Sport

Rating [等級]: PG [沒有年齡限制, 有家長指引]

Language [語言]: English [英語]

Subtitles [字幕]: --

Runtime [時間]: 107 minutes [107 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Vincent D'Onofrio [文森特·多诺费奥], Rodrigo Santoro [迪耶戈·博内塔], Diego Boneta [迪耶戈·博内塔]...

English Movie Synopsis: PELÉ tells the miraculous story of the legendary soccer player’s rise to glory from a young boy, to the 17 year old who scored the winning goal in Brazil’s first ever World Cup victory in 1958. From a life full of disadvantages and an impoverished youth in Brazil, Pelé used his unorthodox yet authentic style of play and his unbeatable spirit to overcome all odds, find greatness and inspire a country that he changed forever.

電影簡介: 《贝利：传奇的诞生》讲述了球王贝利从一个普通的巴西贫民靠自己的努力，成为足球世界的最强者的故事。

Pelé : Birth of a Legend [贝利：传奇的诞生] Movie Trailer

Mother's Day [母亲节]

Title [電影名]: Mother's Day [母亲节]

Alternate Title: 幸福百分百

Director [導演]: Garry Marshall [盖瑞·马歇尔]

Writer [筆者]: Tom Hines, Lily Hollander

Release Date [上映日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型]: Comedy, Drama

Rating [等級]: M18 [18歲及以上年齡]

Language [語言]: English [英語]

Runtime [時間]: 118 minutes [118 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Jennifer Aniston [詹妮弗·安妮斯顿], Julia Roberts [朱莉娅·罗伯茨], Kate Hudson [凯特·哈德森], Jason Sudeikis [杰森·苏戴奇斯], Brittany Robertson [布丽特妮·罗伯森], Timonthy Olyphant [蒂莫西·奥利芬特]...

English Movie Synopsis: Jennifer Aniston (We’re the Millers, “Friends”), Kate Hudson (Raising Helen, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman), Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses, We’re the Millers) and Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland, The Longest Ride) star in interwoven stories about a group of women with one important thing in common- mothers. Expectant moms, single moms, stepmoms, gay moms, estranged moms, long-lost moms and mothers of all kinds get their due in an emotional tribute to the tie that can’t be broken. In the week before the one day of the year when Mom comes first, the lives of a group of strong, loving and wildly imperfect women, from a divorced mother dealing with her kids’ new stepmom to a young mom trying find her own birth mother, provide an emotional and humorous reminder that every mom is her own kind of hero. As Mother’s Day approaches, each of them is about to prove the power of the maternal bond in sweet, smart, sassy and sexy celebration of mothers everywhere.

電影簡介: 少根筋的单亲妈咪珊蒂(詹妮弗·安妮斯顿饰)，独力抚养两个儿子，总期盼着与前夫破镜重圆，没想到他却娶了一个20岁的小萝莉；单亲奶爸布莱德利(杰森苏戴西斯饰)，身兼父母两职辛苦拉拔女儿长大，却不知如何与青春期女儿的相处；八百年没见老妈的大龄女子洁西(凯特·哈德森饰)，藏着不欲人知的小秘密，不料远在百哩外的老爸老妈却意外来访；单身的事业女强人米兰达(朱莉亚·罗伯茨饰)，忙到没时间谈恋爱，却在新书发表会上遇见了生命中唯一的缺憾…每个人总有不能说的秘密，母亲节那天，一场热闹的庆祝派对，将彼此的心重新凝聚在一起。其实，生活学会加减乘除，就能拥有百分百的幸福！

Mother's Day [母亲节] Movie Trailer

Grace [網絡驚魂]

Title [電影名]: Grace [網絡驚魂]

Alternate Title: --

Director [導演]: Pun Homchuen, Onusa Donsawai

Writer [筆者]: --

Release Date [上映日期]:

Genre [類型]: Horror

Rating [等級]: NC16 [16歲及以上年齡]

Language [語言]: Thai [泰國語]

Runtime [時間]: 97 minutes [97 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Nuttasit Kotimanuswanich

English Movie Synopsis: PLE is an ordinary high school student who loves spending quality time with her best friend, CARE, who is popular for being cute. Together, they create a Facebook page for Care to share her personal photos and videos to garner 'Likes' from the public, in hope of becoming a popular internet idol. GRACE, who used to be a famous internet idol, and JACK, who is Care's number one crazy fan, follow Care's personal life closely on Facebook. The two use Care's publicly available personal information to plot a kidnap plan. Grace then later shows Care that the world is not a bed of roses, and how the internet can wreck her world havoc, and attempts to ruin Care's life forever…

電影簡介: Ple和Care情同姐妹，总是“黏”在一起。因为甜美可爱的外表，Care在学校非常受欢迎。于是，Ple决定帮忙好姐妹提升知名度！两人在脸书建立粉丝页面，让Care通过网络平台分享自己的照片和视频，成功取得高点阅率。慢慢的，Care成为了新一代网络红人。殊不知，却因此受到过期网络红人Grace的注意！Grace嫉妒心重，找了自称是对方一号粉丝的Jack。两人预谋绑架Care，要毁掉她的一生… Grace的奸计会不会得逞？Care的遭遇有多凄惨？Ple去了哪里？

Trailer: Not available.

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising [邻居大战2：姐妹会崛起]

Title [電影名]: Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising [邻居大战2：姐妹会崛起]

Alternate Title: --

Director [導演]: Nicholas Stoller [尼古拉斯·斯托勒]

Writer [筆者]: Evan Goldberg [埃文·戈登伯格], Seth Rogen [塞斯·罗根], Nicholas Stoller [尼古拉斯·斯托勒], Andrew J. Cohen

Release Date [上映日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型]: Comedy

Rating [等級]: R21 [21歲及以上年齡]

Language [語言]: English [英語]

Runtime [時間]: 93 minutes [93 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Seth Rogen [塞斯·罗根], Zac Efron [扎克·埃夫隆], Rose Byrne [萝丝·拜恩], Chloe Grace Moretz [科洛·格蕾斯·莫瑞兹], Carla Gallo [卡拉·盖洛], Ike Barinholtz [艾克·拜瑞豪兹], Dave Franco [戴夫·弗兰科]...

English Movie Synopsis: Returning stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne are joined by Chloë Grace Moretz for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the follow-up to 2014’s most popular original comedy. Nicholas Stoller again directs in a film that follows what happens when the will of parenthood goes against the bonds of sisterhood. Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.

電影簡介: 《邻居大战》续集将上演“性别大置换”。在首部曲中，罗根与拜恩饰演一对拥有新生女儿的年轻夫妻，与隔壁新搬来的吵闹的大学兄弟会年轻人展开激烈大战，但在续集中他们将面对的新邻居是一群有过之而无不及的大学姐妹会的女学生。在几轮交锋之后，小夫妻感到力不从心，于是他们请来了外援，这就是在第一部中与他们从敌到友——由恶魔兄弟会会长“从良”为A&F花样男模的扎克·埃夫隆。

Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising [邻居大战2：姐妹会崛起] Movie Trailer

Mon Roi [我的国王]

Title [電影名]: Mon Roi [我的国王]

Alternate Title: My King [我的国王]

Director [導演]: Maïwenn Le Besco [麦温·勒·贝斯柯]

Writer [筆者]: Maïwenn Le Besco [麦温·勒·贝斯柯], Etienne Comar

Release Date [上映日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型]: Drama, Romance

Rating [等級]: M18 [18歲及以上年齡]

Language [語言]: French [法語]

Runtime [時間]: 128 minutes [128 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Vincent Cassel [文森·卡索], Emmanuelle Bercot [艾玛纽尔·贝克特], Louis Garrel [路易斯·加瑞尔], Isild Le Besco [伊希尔·勒·贝斯柯]...

English Movie Synopsis: Tony is admitted to a rehabilitation center after a serious ski accident. Dependent on the medical staff and pain relievers, she takes time to look back on a turbulent relationship that she experienced with Georgio. Why did they love each other? Who is this man that she loved so deeply? How did she allow herself to submit to this suffocating and destructive passion? For Tony, a difficult process of healing is in front of her, physical work may finally set her free…

電影簡介: 女律师汤妮（Emmanuelle Bercot饰）滑雪受伤疗养时，回忆起她曾经历过的一段刻骨铭心爱情。她爱上了迷人的餐厅经理乔治欧（Vincent Cassel饰），两人从相互吸引、陷入热恋、甜蜜闪婚到天翻地覆的疯狂毁灭…。而她的疗伤过程，也不断地与这些感情经历相互对映，让观众彷彿置身其中、感同身受，前一秒才纵情欢笑、干柴烈火，下一秒却忌恨争执、甚至大打出手。当爱情从热恋跨向婚姻，究竟该是浓郁的幸福？抑或是烦苦的羁绊？

Mon Roi [我的国王] Movie Trailer

Finding Mr Right [北京遇上西雅图之不二情书]

Title [電影名]: Finding Mr Right [北京遇上西雅图之不二情书]

Alternate Title: Beijing Meets Seattle II: Book of Love [北京會見西雅圖II：愛之書]

Director [導演]: Xiao Lu Xue [薛晓路]

Writer [筆者]: Xue Xiao Lu [薛晓路], Jiao Huajing [焦华静]

Release Date [上映日期]: 05 May 2016

Genre [類型]: Comedy

Rating [等級]: PG13 [13歲及以上有家長指引]

Language [語言]: Mandarin [普通話]

Runtime [時間]: 131 minutes [131 分鐘]

Cast [演員]: Tang Wei [汤唯], Wu Xiubo [吴秀波], Paul Chun [秦沛]...

English Movie Synopsis: Jiao (Tang Wei) is a happy-go-lucky casino hostess living in Macau. Her know-how on statistical logic and gambling theory is her trump card, making all her clients leaving the table happily with stacks of chips. But her tumultuous past and carefree style always get in the way when it comes to finding true love. Meanwhile, hotshot realtor Daniel (Wu Xiubo) smooth-talks his wealthy Chinese clients into buying house after house. While people look to him as an example of success, no one realizes that his heart is as empty as an open house. Fate comes into play when Jiao and Daniel stumble upon the book 84 Charing Cross Road.Is it destiny that brings people together, or is it accident?

電影簡介: 姣爷（汤唯饰）15岁就随父亲移民到澳门，从此在赌城安家，并成为赌场公关。Daniel（吴秀波饰）则生活在洛杉矶，是一位房地产经纪人。正像“千百次错过，终遇上一见钟情”所说，两人最终携手漫步在伦敦街头，演绎一段“澳门遇上洛杉矶”的跨国爱情故事。姣爷分别与学霸（陆毅饰）、富豪（王志文饰）和诗人（祖峰饰）开展一段无果的感情。Daniel则与两名外国女子谈情，并惨遭抛弃。最后这对“绝配”终于奇妙遇上。

Finding Mr Right [北京遇上西雅图之不二情书] Movie Trailer

Awww...Mondays: 2 May 2016

~Image Source: DonutOperator~

Good long-term partners are hard to find, especially ones as cute as this little orange tabby which he has named Squirt.

A mustachioed cop who goes by the name DonutOperator on Instagram and BaconOpinion on Reddit took home an adorable orange tabby kitten when another officer found it under a dumpster while on the job.

My new partner is kind of a puss. #kitten #kittensofinstagram #cute #awesome #copcat #rescue

A photo posted by Donut Operator (@donutoperator) on May 1, 2016 at 1:50pm PDT

Read the rest of the story at Mashable Asia. All in all, a precious little kitten that is sure to brighten up a cop's day at work :D

Feline Friday #17: 29 April 2016

We've pretty much seen cats doing their usual tricks, maybe even pretending to be humans sometimes. But this cat is taking Japan by storm recently. This real-life kitty is "modeled" after the famed cat of the manga by the title of Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, which author is Hiroyuki Takei.

Below is the image of the actual Samurai Cat of the famed manga.

This is how the plot summary of the manga goes:

In medieval Japan, a bell hanging on the collar is a sign that a cat has a master. Norachiyo's bell hangs from his katana sheath, but he is nonetheless a stray—a ronin. This one-eyed cat samurai travels across a dishonest world, cutting through pretense and deception with his blade.

Asian Spaghetti

This recipe originally appeared on Taste of Home and the original recipe yields 5 servings. I do not claim ownership of this recipe

Ingredients:

• 226g uncooked angel hair pasta
• 220g sliced fresh mushrooms
• 220g fresh snow peas
• 227g shredded carrots
• 4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsps reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Ingredients Notes:

• You can substitute angel hair pasta with any other types of pasta of your choice
• You can used canned button mushrooms if you do not have any fresh mushrooms on hand
• Don't like snow peas? Swap it out to another green color vegetable of your favorite choice
• Too much onions? Just reduced the amount of green onions used, if you want to
• Switch out the canola oil to another healthy choice of cooking oil if you preferred to
• You can substitute fresh garlic clove to those pre-prepared bottles of minced garlic
• If halfway through cooking and you realized it tastes a little too salty, just add a splash of water to slightly dilute the saltiness of the soy sauce
• You can omit sesame seeds to another vegetable garnish of your choice if you're not a fan of sesame seeds

Cooking Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, snow peas, carrots and onions in oil until crisp-tender
• Add minced garlic; cook 1 minute longer
• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar and cayenne.
• Drain pasta
• Add pasta and soy sauce mixture to skillet and toss to coat and heat through
• Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Cooking Direction Notes:

• If you had prepared the ingredients before hand, you can start cooking the ingredients as soon as you toss the pasta into the boiling water to cook as it does take a while to saute the various vegetables
• Alternatively, you can place a lid onto the skillet and let the heat take care of the saute-ing, if you prefer
• I normally cook my pasta to almost to the point of al dente and switched off the fire. The heat from the boiling water will slowly further cook the pasta to al dente
• Accidentally added too much cayenne pepper? Fret not! Just add a splash of water or tip in a small teaspoon of sugar to tone down the spiciness. Although I used quite a lot, it wasn't that spicy for me
• Be sure not to add the salted water used for cooking pasta as a substitue for the soy sauce mixture, just trust me on this. The level of saltiness is different

Tada~ Your Asian Spaghetti is now done. Enjoy~

Quickie Review #1: White Musk Libertine Eau De Toilette

White Musk Libertine feat. Bun & Skip

Q: So tell us, what's the notes for this particular Eau De Toilette?

A: It's is a fragrance with vegetable musk note in the top, middle and the base note. The composition also includes Turkish delight (rose, almond, honey) and whipped cream. We just love vegetables also, it is so healthy and hearty for small furry folks like us ❤❤

Q: What does this Eau De Toilette reminds you of?

A: *sniffs* It smells like Burberry Brit EDT's younger, and much more shy sibling and a little bit sweet~

Q: How long does the Eau De Toilette lasts after spraying?

A: The scent is strong at first, smoky and heavy with a rose scent at the beginning, but then slowly dries down to a cozy sweet musk of cream and honey that lasts quite long ❤❤❤ Omigosh!! Sweet cream and honey!!

Q: Is this Eau De Toilette good for the climate in Singapore?

A: As woodland creatures, we know the 4 seasons very well. We even know where to gather berries and nuts when winter is nearing. During winter, this scent seems to be only just a pleasant light sweet musk, nothing too heavy-headed. But now that it's getting really warm recently, we can smell every single note! And this is the first time we noticed how soft, sweet and creamy it smells. ❤❤ Definitely a must-have for months when the weather is slightly warmer.

Q: How would you rate this Eau De Toilette as a whole?

A: This is a really versatile scent no matter the scenario, weather or location. Reminds us of running freely in the woods, dreaming of cream and honey ❤❤❤

Q: How many points would you guys rate this Eau De Toilette, out of say, 100 points?

A: 90 points!!! We love the cream and honey ❤❤

~ The End ~

Awww...Mondays: 25 April 2016

~Image Source: @mumitan~

I don't know much about rabbit breeds, but this mega adorable Holland Lop by the name of PuiPui is living a lavishly fashionable life and sharing all these delightful photos on the Instagram thanks to @mumitan.

* "Hang in there, and you can do it" きみならできるぉ。 がんばってくれたまえぉ( •̀ .̫ •́ ) * #部長ぷいぷいシリーズ * *

A photo posted by mumitan (@mumitan) on Apr 17, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

But what I can say is that, this bunny sure looks more fashionable than frumpy me, on a another level. Perhaps it's over level 9000.

Talents versus Looks

Spoiler Alert: Some parts of this post is dedicated to dissing Korean pop stars. You've been warned!

Previously while browsing around the Internet while looking for more songs to download into my iPod, I came across this blog about utaite's looks and how disapppointed when they realize said singer doesn't live up to their expectations at all. (utaite a.k.a 歌い手, a Japanese term for people who cover previously released songs and post them on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube under the utattemita category. The term "utaite" is unique to Nico Nico Douga singers, making it different from Kashu (歌手), which means "singer" in general.)

Generally, utaite do cover songs for VOCALOID original songs, anime and game related songs, and J-Pop. They also do parodies with different lyrics for popular songs, intended for amusement. Most utaite exclusively cover songs and upload under the utattemita section, but some of them have doujin circles and release original music/drama CDs during events like Comic Market and VOCALOID M@ster, frequently referred to as Comiket and VoMas respectively. A few utaite also have become partly or wholly professional singers and have released/will release their albums under official labels. Some examples are Valshe, Piko, clear, 96Neko, and Lon.

Just to just quote 2 of my personal favorite utaite turned professional musicians: ナノ (Nano) and Glutamine. An image of them as avatars on the Utaite Wiki prior to being famous:

~Image Source: Utaite Wiki~

Now, another image of ナノ (Nano) and Glutamine in front of the cameras for their music videos:

~Image Source: Google~

Well, sadly in our current world and the social media influences we live in, looks are pretty much everything. Back in the 1990s, there was this male Taiwanese or Hong Kong singer who never once revealed his real face on his CD Album cover art finally showed his face for the first time. Oh boy, were all his female fans disappointed sorely. He was wasn't what the female fans expected him to look like based on their imagination. Needless to say, his popularity went from high to an all time low. Fast forward to 2016 now, looks are practically everything and nothing can escape the fans when they're dedicated to uncovering a person's looks in real life.

But personally, I pretty much have enough of this kind of bullshit. Do their looks even really matter when they can sing, dance or even act? If they look all so pretty, like the current K-crap stars from all your favorite boy-bands and girl-bands, but ended up being a factory molded pop group with no distinct personalities or whatsoever. It doesn't even remotely help that Korea is the capital of plastic surgery, with some stars such as So-young Park even conveniently forgetting she had plastic surgery and still look shocked and unsure until she was busted on National TV whereby she admitted to having a slew of other plastic surgeries for aesthetic enhancement.

Not saying the Japanese entertainment side doesn't have their fair share of plastic surgery tales, although, in Japan, I doubt plastic surgery really took off there. But at what cost do we have to focus on our looks, to the point where having plastic surgery is the equivalent of an afternoon tea and money being spent on these surgeries can probably be used to buy a home or a car? I blame social media and maybe China for it. Coming up with ridiculous methods to prove that one has the ideal body type and so on. Just exactly when did we stop focusing on one's abilities to focus on how hot, pretty and young one can look.

Sure, no one looks like they've stepped out of fairytale with prince charming or princess looks, but isn't it okay to overlook the fact that some people aren't born exactly the way they want but to focus on what they can bring to us on a whole? Take for instance the case of Sia, we all know her famous song Chandelier that instantly propel her to fame. Good song, good music video, but she hides her face under wigs and hats. Sia for one knows that talent or the ability to carry out a tune, or even write a song is more important than how she actually looks in real life. Personally, I don't care if Sia looks like a goblin in real life, as her songs speaks volumes for itself. Even ナノ (Nano) ensures her face is covered enough in her album art and in her music videos, we'll probably be able to see how she actually looks like in real life if we go to a ナノ (Nano) concert.

Honestly, I don't really care how current pop stars or rock stars looks like anymore, as long as they give me a wonderful time listening to their music, watching their videos and knowing that they took the time and effort into writing out a song that means something instead of using all that time to look perfect because social media demands so. Because in the end, as we age, looks will go. It's impossible to look like a 20-something when you're already in your 70s. Therefore, looks aren't that important. What's important is the "talent" your favorite celebrity has that makes them endearing to you and makes you look up to them. On the contrary, Piko looks utterly blah with that haircut that he claims "is dedicated to his mother". He doesn't look that bad, but that girly hairstyle just gives me the creeps sometimes :/