Powerful Sunset Pics

East Coast Parkway, Singapore

Bedroom window

-Mack

'Cause our December Sun is setting

Philosphy That'll Change Your Life

Wrong. Is not an opinion, answer or view.

Is someone who refuses to accept help when he or she needs it.

Sometime in your life someone may reach out to you and offer help, with a sincere aim to make a positive impact in your life. Do yourself a favor.

1) Don't push them away. In this day and age, we keep a lot of distance between each other. When someone takes the courage to break that distance and reach out to you, hear them out. You owe them the right to have your attention.

If you do push them away, you risk permanently erecting a barrier with them, jeopardizing that relationship. They will numb themselves from you and your life, which means stop caring. You will be reduced to "Facebook friend" status.

2) Their advice may not always be right. They themselves may be misguided. Problem with people is, when they get into a debate/argument, they focus on their side of the story and mentally categorize the other guy's view as INCORRECT.

Isn't it possible that the guy giving you advice isn't thinking properly? Wait. Isn't it possible YOU'RE not thinking properly? Both are possible. The only way to find out is to give others a chance.

The following phrases mean you don't care for finding out what is the right view: whatever, shut-up, mind your business, this is MY problem...

Don't insult people when they care.

XD.

-Mack

Sightseeing In Singapore II

Let me take you around The Civic District of Singapore.

Or see Part I first, although it's unrelated:

http://poolside-ana.blogspot.com/2008/05/tourist-in-my-own-country_11.html

First place I took pics of was colonial-style Raffles Hotel, circa 1887, built by a quartet of Armenian brothers. The hotel is patronized by nobility, both the real and the soidisant. Queen Elizabeth II, Ava Gardner and Rudy Jiuliani have all checked in before.

Trivia: Singapore's last tiger was shot and made extinct here...

Next, I popped by St. Andrew's Cathedral. 1862, Anglican, Gothic and Awesome.

The first Cathedral was closed because of 2 (not 1) lightning strikes to the building!

I went inside. The Nave is grand. Visitors are welcome and thye have guided tours.

Singapore effortlessly blends its the old and the fresh. Glass corporate towers and colonial monuments share control of The Civic District.

We end with the old Supreme Court. The new building, unfortunately, is modern and stale. The old one is flanked by massive pillars, adorned by statutes and oozes authority.

The Civic District. Home to governments, former and present; corporate empires and architecture lost to this age.

XD.

-Mack

And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings

Movie Reviews: What Happens In Vegas; Made of Honor

It's a good movie if you enjoyed it.

What Happpens In Vegas. 4 stars.

Sometimes I feel that the critics are up in their own towers of pretense. This is a good movie, unfairly blasted by movie critics. This isn't your standard romantic comedy. The jokes are actually funny, the plot isn't half bad and the actors- Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher- are a refreshing break from the whiny, weepy regulars that infest the rom-com genre.

So the movie is in the romantic comedy genre. It promises both comedy and romance.

The comedy is genuinely good. It is not (limited to) the standard off-colour fart-humour you'd expect from an Ashton Kutcher movie. There is a decent amount of (laugh-out-loud variety) wit.

The romance here is administered in healthy doses- something dudes can appreciate (tolerate?). It isn't too mushy and it's more teen-like, which I like.

The movie will make you happy.


Made of Honor. 2 stars.

It's just like My Best Friend's Wedding, except gender-reversal. And maybe more fun to watch. But this rom-com was disappointing.

The storyline was sickeningly cliched and ridicuolously unrealistic. Highly predictable.

The comedy was stale, like in Two Weeks Notice. Worse still it was desperate comedy. Think jabs at fat people and bespectacled dorks. Not funny.

Like I said, the predictable and fairy-tale-like plot disappoints too much to provide any warm fuzzy feeling a rom-com might provide.

I have to add: Starbucks and Scotland Tourism went all out in getting themselves advertised in this movie. Lots of frappucino sipping in this movie, and the Starbucks logo always prominently on display. Half of the movie is also set in Scotland, with prominent focus on scenery, nightlife and people. But it truly is a beutiful country and watching the Scottish countryside feature so prominently was enjoyable.

The movie is time-pass.

XD.

-Mack

A meaningless movement... A movie script ending...

Goeie Dag

Whoa, Mack! Third post in 2 days... Awesome stuff...

Naw, I was just scrolling through ANA's SiteMeter when I saw that we have our first visitor from the Dark Continent. From South Africa. I got excited.

Now it's just South America that hasn't experienced ANA. But you guys are still kewl.

-Mack

There are roads left in both of our shoes

Feeding Humans vs. Fueling Cars

It is heralded as the next big thing, languished and slathered in praise by the gurus, environmentalists, politicians, magazines and celebrities. A wonderfully clever way to make nation's energy needs greener, sustainable and domestically supplied.

Corn becomes ethanol is fuel. Very clever.

No, not really. Fact: the corn required to distill enough ethanol to fill your tank just once could instead feed someone for a year. Trees versus Human Beings. Save the human being or save the world. At this point, I'd like to refer you to my post "Tree Hugger Are Morons".

It is morally depraved to fuel a car at the expense of feeding a human being. It's a vital factor in global hyperinflation in food prices. I say hyperinflation because that's what you call a 25% rise in the price of wheat. Rice is at its highest price in 20 years.

I'm all for renewable energy, but let's get our priorities straight. There are more efficient ways to produce clean and renewable fuel. Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal are all excellent ways to go. Pick one.

XD

-Mack

Misguided by the 405 'cause it led me to an alcoholic summer

Hello, Korean

So I'm checking out the blog's SiteMeter and I see that we get a number of visitors from Seoul, Korea. Not sure why that is. Does ANA mean somehting in Korean maybe? Anyway, I just wanted to say "Sup" to our Korean readers. Also, I love Kimchi (bet you get that ALL THE TIME, eh?).

No, I'm not really culturally ignorant. XD.

Back from camp, hence this post. Right now I'm chilling to MTV with Lemonfruit. Here's a thought to the 9 people (on average) who visit poolside-ana.blogspot.com daily: Add a comment on what you're doing right now.

Anyway, I'm running out of things to say. I don't get newspapers at Boot Camp (no politics), there aren't any girls there (or girls) and I'm hacking tired.

-Mack

I wish we could open our eyes and see in all directions at the same time

Sightseeing In Singapore

I had a university interview yesterday at SMU. My parents dropped me there and on the way while passing Stamford Road, I was taken by the sight of Stamford House's Venetian Reneissance facade.

So I went on a history trip today and collected some pics of Singapore's colonial heritage.

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And after that I went straight to check out the Armenian Church on Coleman Street. It is an immensely beautiful church with somewhat simple architecture. The Armenian community is now too small so the church is used by the Coptic Christian community.

After the church, I took this pic of Central Fire Station's Italian-looking building. It was built in the early 1800s in reponse to a devastating fire in the area, which was the British government's administrative centre. See how I spell "centre"? That's their legacy...
Next I ventured into Fort Canning, an old British fort intended to defend Singapore from an invasion, which they concluded would invariably come as a maritime invasion from the south. The fort never helped when the Japanese invaded from the north... But it makes for a pretty awesome picture... That there below be "The Gothic Gate".
I ended my trip with the Singapore History Museum. The building oozes this stately, imperial vibe that's sooo good to soak up.

Wierd how you can be a tourist in your own country...

XD

-Mack

I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere when the water filled every hole...

Dabblings With Heavy Metal

I'm an indie person. But Black Sabbath is some good shit...

Thats right. Although I normally listen to dreamy, lyrical, AWESOME indie, I also rock to Ronnie James Dio and company...

It's not just Black Sabbath. Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Delain and Motley Crue score pretty high on my iPod.

It's prolly cos I enjoy something HEAVY and LOUD and freaking out of control to balance the sweet indie.

But mostly cos my high school/secondary school friends are heavy metal nuts who feed me the stuff and I've joined the dark side...

Sleep with the devil and then you must pay...

XD

-Mack

Beach by Starlight

I'm an average guy. I'm disdainful of emo songs and emo observations, I prefer actiities to personal reflection and I don't care for tranquility and peace and yada yada yada...

Yet I had an awesome time with Pubis and Lemonfruit at the beach tonight.

I felt small and spiritual and awed by looking at the stars that adorn the sky that drapes the space above us.









I'm an asshole of an arrogant debater. But looking at the endless sea and feeling its waves lap at your feet threateningly is very humbling and daunting.

Ooooh mannnn there is nothing like lying on the cool beach sand at night, listening to the waves lapping and hearing Soul Meets Body (Death cab For Cutie).

Wtf. This post doesn't sound like me.

Maybe when I surf through this blog again, I'll cringe at the whiny tone of this post and delete it...

I think I'm so stressed and tired from boot camp (P and LF from exams) that this natural setting just hit the spot.

Seriously, if you're reading this, next time you're thinking of what to do on a night, go to the beach.

Or get outta your landlocked country. XD.

-Mack.

And Labour Day Came And Went...

I know I haven't posted in a while. I had stuff on.

Thursday was labour day/may day/whatever the hell its called in your country. So I was off from camp for a day. I feel like calling us back on thursday (still a public holiday) has gotta be unconstitutional or smth... It was like an oasis in my week. And it came and went...

Today is Friday. Tmr I go back for a physical fitness test. They're encroaching on my weekend. I can't tell you how much I don't appreciate that. I have a family and friends and LIFE to catch up with on my weekend.

Ah well. Duty calls.

I thought I'd talk about music.

I am a huge Death Cab For Cutie fan. My obsession started (I'll admit) the O.C. on which the band was featured. the O.C. basically opened the door for me into the indie music world, where I currently reside, while making the occasional visit to the Heavy Metal world.

Other indie bands score my approval. See: Stars, Nada Surf, The Decemberists, The Format.

I introduced DCFC and indie into ana-poolside and now Pubis and Lemonfruit like them A LOT too. XD.

I shan't tell you about the partay. Atleast not now.

-Mack

tree-huggers are morons

Yesterday in Borders book store I saw a book titled "How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint". Omg. This whole Hollywood-soaked environmental shit is a pretensious irritant.

I'll tell you what I dislike about it.

1) Bigger issues. The environmnent is NOT the issue of our generation. Not when there are still HUMAN BEINGS dying of hunger... What pisses me off the most is when people expect developing nations to consider the environment. Retards.

2) Pretense. It's celebrity-infused bullshit. The environment is now everyone's conscience appeaser. Feel like your life is meaningless? Get behind a cause! Celebrities and others looking to feel good or companies and governments looking to look good. Hot button.



To more important matters, yesterday I went out with friends for my birthday. It was not a very big group but it was a lot of fun. I seem ot prefer smaller groups. Lunch was good. Hookah followed. Strawberry smoke. Then at night I went out with other group of friends to Georges but didn't really drink. Don't feel like it. Also, kinda pissed they forgot to wish me even though I have chipped in for all their presents this year. AH well, too many kewl people have remembered for me to focus on those who didn't...




More fun though was playing RISK with Pubis and Lemonfruit. Awesome stuff. Won 1, Lost 1.


XD


-Mack

On the night you left I came over
And we peeled the freckled from our shoulders

first post

Yeah i know this is the third post of the blog, but its the first post by me- mack. Pubis already posted the first two. Lemonfuit still has to. Reason I haven't yet is bootcamp.

I have 2 years obligatory national service to serve so I'll be serving the nation till March 2010. Then university I guess.I just finished junior college/ high school. Bootcamp is tough. Very tough. I just look forward to weekends when I can come home and just chill.

I'd rather not talk more about bootcamp cos today is Saturday and Saturdays are for good thoughts.

More about me... Hmmm lets see. I'm 19 as of recently. Very recently. Do give me a belated "comment"...

More: Male, Single. Keep going: enjoys tennis and swimming (only when sunny). I'm a debater too. I really enjoy debating. I'm a light smoker, and dislike getting lectured for it. I'm fairly studious but hate the "nerd" label cos I'm friggin kewl.

See how I spell cool as kewl? That's kewl.

Right now I'm deciding on a future career and trying to survive bootcamp. I go back sunday night. Maybe another post before then. Or maybe next week.

XD

-Mack

PS: I dont really enjoy usage of XD as net lingo. my usage of the word is ironic. Duh.