Finally had my yummy Dominoes for dinner today! Satisfied. Muahaha.

And i'd better start going swimming to lose that tyre.

Anyway, as Erline and i were walking to Dominoes just now, we had our usual talk about how inconvenient it is without having a car here and our conversation led us back again to the topic of how 2 of our classmates (these ordinary looking but bloody wealthy China kids), Yan and Katy, each bought a 2nd hand car for (AUD)$14k (yup, thats $14,000).

Firstly, for $14k, they could have bought a brand new Honda Jazz or Hyundai Getz instead of a 2nd hand sedan. Erline said they probably got a Jag or something but hello....i'd take the brand new Jazz over a used Jag anytime man!!! (Fyi, the Jazz is the 3rd on my most-wanted list after the Mazda MX-5 and RX-8).

Secondly, for $14k (yes, i have to emphasise that again), their cars are terribly under-utilitsed. The thought of hearing how they only use it to switch on the engine and turn on the stereo every Sunday for an hour or so gives me such a heartache. O, did i also mention that they dont even have a valid driving license at all? Yup, the car's just for them to practise their driving. Geez man. I was telling Erline how i should probably start hanging out with them more often so they'll lend me their cars once in a while.

Okok, call me desperate and jealous, but hey, im still human! Who wants to wait one hour for the bus?!

Grr, today's my off day but still had to wake up early to go to uni to do editing. So sleepy now. I swear i hate editing since it's so tedious, yet at the same time, I can just go on and on doing it cos it gives me such satisfaction and room for creativity. Man, it's such a love-hate relationship. I wish we could move on from film to tv studio productions. I wanna be the vision mixer!!! Ahh i bet that's even more challenging since it live "editing". Sweet.

Woah, finally had a good meal today boy. Was craving for Dominoes the past few days (hellooo!!! $5.95 for a regular!!!) but was too hungry to take a bus to Vic Park just now so ended up at KFC with Yessy. Yum yum. So satisfying.

Anyway, i think im seriously addicted to The OC man. Even Zul calls me the OC fan. Quite ironically however, I totally dissed the show when it first aired on Channel 5 last year. Hmm. Well, as much as i have to agree that the 2nd season is getting crappier with all the inter-relationships and incest, i have to admit that im hooked on it. Erline and i just have to have our weekly critiquing session where we trash Lindsay and slam the lame plots. But anyhow, i still love Seth Cohen, or Adam Brody, or Seth Cohen or, both. Omg, he's soooo cute and preppy!!! Not to mention that he makes such a great couple with Summer slash Rachel Bilson as well. Sigh. Ooh, next week's ep is gonna be hot man. There's finally gonna be the girl-on-girl action that Erline's been waiting for. Hmm.

Meet our new family member. Isnt she cute?!?! Her name's Bounce (dont ask me why, my sis named it). My sis adopted her and brought it back home yesterday (without asking my parents of course). She's only 2 months! I cant wait to fly back to play with her! Hopefully my dad doesnt secretly send her away when my sis isnt home!
















awww...

No need for cuts this time

The upcoming Singapore International Film Festival may showcase movies from around the world, but local film-makers are vying for the spotlight too. JILL LIM (jilllim@sph.com.sg) susses out what three of them have to offer

DIRECTOR Sam Loh is back for the Singapore International Film Festival (Siff) - but this time, there's no controversy.

None that he expects, anyway.

Last year, his first feature film, Outsiders, was withdrawn from the festival at the last minute because of cuts that the Board of Film Censors (BFC) wanted made.

The film had a necrophilia and serial killer storyline and would have been rated R(A) even after the cuts.

Siff's policy is not to screen censored films.

But this year, Sam is on safer ground.

His short film, Malice, is about two dissatisfied couples whose lives get entangled.

The 22-minute piece stars Lim Kay Tong and Amy Cheng as a bored married couple, and Timothy Nga and Agnes Wong as an engaged couple.

Amy and Timothy's characters have an affair.

Made for 'a few thousand dollars' and shot over four days last November, Malice is rated a relatively safe PG.

But he is not giving up on Outsiders - or edgy films.

Said Sam, who has been in the business for 12 years and a freelance director for the past six: 'Of course, I'd like to see Outsiders screened in a cinema.

'I haven't (offered) it to a distributor yet. Perhaps after I complete my second film (which he is now conceptualising), I may package them together like a doublebill.'

He has directed three seasons of Arts Central's The Ways Of The Matriarch and will do the fourth season next month. He has also directed episodes for Arts Central's From Stage To Screen series, Channel i's Singapore Line is overdrawn Shakes series and two Kids Central programmes.

As for the cuts required by BFC for the Outsiders, which showed the protagonist having sex with his dead victims, Sam said: 'Cutting those scenes would remove the motivation for the killings. He gets sexually aroused after he kills them. That's why he kills.

'The scenes are not really graphic. You can see him doing it, but from far. They mainly show his expression.

'But that's the main problem for me. Without the scenes, it seems as if he's just killing senselessly.'

He also said that he had been told about the required cuts a week before the scheduled screening date, which wasn't enough time for him to re-edit the film.

'I thought, 'Move on, do other films.' But if it's for general release, I might try to see how I can re-edit it.'

Outsiders, which cost about $50,000 to make, had been self-funded.

Added the mild-mannered Sam, who is married with a daughter, Sharlize, 4: 'The authorities shouldn't decide the fate of films for audiences.

'We need to grow in terms of our thinking and viewing habits.

'They cannot always protect us.

'We should look at other things than just Jack Neo films.

'Movies that are somewhere between indie and commercial, like Lost in Translation or American Beauty, is a good direction for Singapore.'