Back in the day.

I can't fathom what girls see in Justin Bieber, K-pop boy bands or the whole Twilight craze, to be honest. And just when I start to get all grown-uppy about it, I think about MY bout of teenagerism:

New Kids On The Block

oh my god, I would have given my left arm to meet them (ok maybe my right arm because I'm left handed). Before N'Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Super Junior (did i get that right?), they were THE boy bands of boy bands. Left to right, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight and Joey McIntyre. I was a 'Donnie Wahlberg' girl. He was the 'bad boy' I suppose. I can't explain the attraction - He just did it for me. And yes, I can still sing to all their songs word for word.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Helllloooo, Captain Planet anyone? "When the five powers combine, I am CAPTAIN PLANET!" Lemme see...It was,"Earth, Fire, Wind, Water...Heart!" I think the 'Heart' bit was just thrown in cuz they didn't know what to do with the Latino kid. I was always rooting for the Asian chick, naturally.

Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul before American Idol. Waaaay before. "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Opposites Attract" with Mc Skat Kat and "Rush Rush" - The video had Keanu Reeves in it, yum. She was a solid dancer, no doubt. Not the best vocals but she had fantastic screen presence. She gets so much bad press with American Idol but I bet there's a whole generation out there who can't appreciate her for the performer she was.

And last but not least....


Beverly Hills 90210 baybeh! Not the super glitzy one you see today (although,as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I am a not-so-closet fan of the next generation version). I remember having to record some episodes on videotape - yes VIDEOtape - because I was homework-bound and not allowed to watch TV at 8:30pm (TV2 no less). The Walsh twins were played by Shannen Doherty and the very-cute Jason Priestly. The girls loved Luke Perry's character, Dylan McKay, but I was very much the Brandon Walsh kinda girl (I think i had graduated from liking bad-boys ala Donnie Wahlberg at this point...hmm). It was a fantastic show until they started bringing in new characters and the old ones started to disappear, as it happens in most long-running series.

Oh, to be 14 again.

Worry.

At this rate, I am going to worry myself to death.

About things that might happen.

Things that might not.

Things that should. Or should not.

Even things that have.

I worry that I worry too much.

Jolly.

A year ago, I bid farewell to my six-year stint as a magazine editor and senior publicity executive to pursue my freelancing dream. Now I'm a creature of habit kinda girl and 'routine' is my safety net. I get nervous ordering anything other than 'lemon teh ping' at the coffee shop. So yes, my life is a constant ball of 'excitement' as you can see. Saying goodbye to a steady monthly income and benefits filled me with trepidation but turning 30, I knew it was now or never. I didn't want to be 60 and saying, "Maybe I should resign..."

Do I regret it? Hell, no. Has it been easy? Of course not. I'd be lying to myself if I said I didn't have to make some lifestyle changes. It didn't help that I had a wedding to pay for, a house to renovate and a year-end trip to Canada to budget for but hey, how can I complain? Not having my thrice-weekly happy hour drinks or buying another pair of pink pumps are small sacrifices to meet the greater need (er like getting married and moving into our own place. You think?). For sure, there are things I miss about the corporate life - like getting ready for work in the morning (for real!), socialising during after-work drinks to bitch about the boss and cool perks when travelling and reviewing for the magazine.

That said, in turn I DO love being able to wake up slow (as Jack Johnson recommends), work as and when I please and having the creative liberty with my craft. And although I don't recommend it for everyone, I quite enjoy teaming up with my husband for work. Makes good economic sense: We worked well back in our former office, why not do the same now? And it's great that we both understand each other's financial stand given the circumstances. So we've agreed that we have to let go of the bigger luxuries for now (his dream Celica, my trip to Greece) and settle on the simpler things (a weekend trip to Watsons to buy shampoo, buying DVDs - buy 5 free 1!).



Yang penting, jolly.

It's spelled Piranha not Pirahna.

*warning: Spoilers ahead!

Seeing that the selection of movies at the KK cinemas leave much to be desired in the last 30 days or so, Haw and I were left with either the latest installation of Resident Evil or a remake of the classic Piranha (which I have been misspelling all this while until I took a good look at the poster. Nuff said). Zombies or killer fishies? Hmm. Good thing it's me because I swing both ways, baby! But we took the road less taken (and risky perhaps) and opted for Piranha 3D - which is completely misleading because it's NOT being screened as 3D in KK as I write this. Boo.

It's been a while since I've been inspired to 'review' a movie (I would never claim to be a professionale but here's my two cents anyway) and my oh my did this movie inspire me. Bearing in mind it's an Alexandro Aja film -the mind that brought you P2, The Hills Have Eyes and Mirrors - I was quite excited to see what his twisted mind had in store. I remember watching the 1978 version when I was a kid and it freaked me out for a while. All grown-up but still afraid of the dark, I knew the 2010 adaptation would not disappoint.

Fluff aside, the story tells of a scientific anomaly where there's a shift in the ground that releases prehistoric flesh-eating piranhas into the lake where, but of course, hundreds of teenagers are spending their much-anticipated spring break. Four words: Worst. Spring. Break. EVER.

Nobody pays attention to the Sheriff (played by Elisabeth Shue), of course ,and all hell breaks loose. "I am the Sheriff. Check out my biceps!" - Elisabeth Shue pulling a Linda Hamilton

There are some great lines in the movie. A kid yells, "SHARK!" at the first attack and someone actually retorts, "Who yells Shark! at a lake?". Ya, sempat lagi bah kan. Anyway about 70 percent - no, 75 - revolves around bikinis, boys, beer and boobs. Oh and this:

Yep, a wet t-shirt competition. I think it was scenes like these that gave the movie the 18 rating and not so much the blood and gore. I could almost hear 50 wet dreams happening at the same time in the cinema.
The other protagonist in the movie was a scientist played by the unimaginatively named Adam Scott. It was hard to take him seriously at first because I kept picturing him as the obnoxious 'Derek' from Stepbrothers (i love that movie).

And before you brush off Piranha as another B-grade movie, there were some notable faces, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames AND Christopher Lloyd - the paranoid Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

Ok so this movie isn't going to win a Golden Globe. Probably not even a Razzie. But it is pure horror cult classic blood-guts-and-gore genius - IN 3D! (note: eventhough I didn't get to watch in 3D, this movie was built for the 3D effect which, i am sure, would've made the movie even more enjoyable. Sekian dimaklumkan).

"Look Bob, our main dish has arrived!"

And the build-up is worth the wait. Halfway through the movie, you can't help but WANT the hormone-raged annoying teenagers to just die already. They did not disappoint:

I never cheered so loudly in the cinema. Love it or hate it, you cannot deny the artistic genius in the way these kids are mauled, ravaged, eaten, bitten, maimed and just finished off. Be warned: It is not for the faint-hearted. I love my gore so this was like an alcoholic being in a brewery.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie for several reasons. I love the simplicity of this genre, which is almost textbook yet never fails to attract an audience. Classic. I was also pleasantly surprised at the quality of dialogue and selection of cast - the script is at times sharp and witty. And finally, every now and then, I need to watch a movie that doesn't leave me pondering on the meaning of life as the credits roll. And it's okay if Kate Winslet or Al Pacino aren't in it.

So how does it end? It ends predictably unpredictably. You'll just have to watch it to see what I mean.