On the topic of movies…

Movies – literally projected pictures that move – changed the scape of entertainment as well the shape of our civilisation. They elevated a hitherto obscure and much maligned art form to an almost godlike status and presence.

In times of traveling performers and small, underpaid troupes of actors, acting itself was not seen as a decent occupation for respectable folks. Indeed, one could watch a performance and then pay a little extra afterwards for a private performance, if you know what I mean.

Not so today. Far removed and aloof actors and actresses move in realms inaccessible to ordinary mortals.

And this is where my gripe lies. I do love movies and the entertainment they bring. But the people in the movies are actors and actresses, not gods. These people are not curing cancer or busy solving the world food crisis. They act. Period.

And get paid unbelievable amounts of money.

This tiny point is just another signpost of our civilisations steady decline into irrelevance and obscurity.

“You are putting the wrong em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LA-ble.”

Indeed, we are.

Dinner in Singapore

We ate at Vivo City, upstairs in Foodrepublic. If you have not been to a Foodrepublic, you must go! The variety is excellent and the quality is superb. It is sort of Hawker Food for beginners. After Foodrepublic venture out and sample the street food all around Singapore.

I have been eating in Singapore on many trips over the years and not once did I get ill or encounter bad food.

This particular night I enjoyed some very local morsels…

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Live long and prosper! (Spoiler alert – do not read if you have not watched Into Darkness)

Yes (surprise, surprise), I am a Trekker, not the derisive and belittling Trekkie, but a dyed-in-the-wool, self-proclaimed, die hard Trekker.

Starfleet, come and sign me up.

On that note, the much dreaded reboot of the franchise did not suck, nor did the sequel – the lovingly crafted Into Darkness, with many a nod to people like me, referencing constantly the almost infinite Star Trek Universe.

My brother astutely observed that the new Trek movies are following the pattern of the old ones. So, this installment really was the Wrath of Khan – and what a Khan we now have!

(In case you were wondering, the actor portraying Khan is also portraying Sherlock Holmes in the British modernisation of Doyle’s classic.)

My favourite scene in the movie was Spock crying out:” KHAAAAAAAN!” Much like Kirk did in the original Wrath of Khan, and then having Kirk expire. After all, it is new timeline.

What is next then? The search for Kirk? Well, no, as Kirk was not jettisoned into a planet that was just about to undergo Genesis. Hmmm, maybe Khan’s blood alters Kirk and it will be -> The search for Kirk, the Freudian vector, with our protagonist spending hours on the couch searching for his true self.

Probably not though.

One thing is for certain, I am enjoying the new franchise and look forward to the next installment of a future I hope humanity will have.

Singapore Day 2

Breakfast at the hotel.

The entire hotel seems to be stuck in the twillight zone, straddling the space between the 70s and the 80s.

Unless, of course, it was meant to be retro-chic.

Well, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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The rice porridge,and condiments – pickles, century egg, fried shallots etc – were delicious.

Coffee came out of a machine – with very little human intervention – Verdict: Atrocious.

Yes…

Flight, soaring through rushing strato vales and nimbus peaks

Elation beyond all comprehension

Leaves you

Breathless

Wanting more – the rush gone too soon

heart beating catching up to readjusted reality

How to live now in anonymous monotony?

How to exist in grey silence?

Once tasted technicolor life is the only fruit

Singapore

First night in Singapore.

Rain and thunder, but the rain is warm. A warm torrent. Welcome to the equator.

Dinner: La Viva -> Tapas (in the Chijmes complex)

Yes, all the way to Singapore for Tapas – LOL!

Spanish music is playing in the background of a cantina style restaurant.

Afterwards we had a surprisingly nice coffee. Jen, Phil, Adam and I chatted for some time , soaking in the sights, sounds and smells of a rain laden tropical Singapore night.

 

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong is crowded – period. It is also amazing, Bladerunneresque, diverse, full of intense flavours and smells, not all of them pleasant, and busy – everybody is rushing. Somewhere.

The one clean spot, affording fresh air was Kowloon Park. A true oasis in a concrete jungle, even more so than Central Parn in New York or Hyde Park in London.

I will go back, simply because even though we did our best to experience all, we only scratched the surface in five days.

The Peak, The Buddha, The Harbour and so much more…ImageImage

Take your time to explore Hong Kong, walk it, taste it, smell it and let it wash over you. People are everywhere…so many people…

Look at the pics we took and feel transported, as I was transformed by being there.ImageImageImage