HECK, I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT I CAN.

You wake up this morning in a state of delirium,

Because the night before you could hardly sleep,

Worse, during the day you couldn’t even settle for forty winks.

You check your disheveled face in the mirror for tell-tale signs.

And what do you see?

A poker face staring back at you in bewilderment?

Friend, then you don’t like yourself very much.

Because mirrors don’t lie …..

For most of us, stress is a facet of life.

So how are we going to confront and not confound the issue?

Everybody knows:

You can’t be all things to all people.

You can’t do all things at once.

You can’t do all things equally well.

You can’t do all things better than everyone else.

Your humanity is showing just like everyone else’s.

So:

You have to find out who you are, and be that.

You have to decide what comes first, and do that.

You have to discover your strengths, and use them.

You have to learn not to compete with others,

Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.

You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.

You will have learned to live with your limitations.

You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.

And you’ll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:

That you are a wonderful, unique person.

That you are a once-in-all-history event.

That it’s more than a right, it’s your duty, to be who you are.

That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.

And you’ll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN as what JULIE ANDREWS sang in the SOUND OF MUSIC?

Heck, I really like to believe that I CAN.

GROWN UPS Movie Review. Those were the Days, my Friend.

GROWN UPS Press Preview

FACT

Call me mushy if you must. I kinda dig friendship movies.

As a testimony, this Reviewer has borrowed a couple of liners from a 1968 MARY HOPKINS’ hit “THOSE WERE THE DAYS”:

“Those were the days, my friend
We thought they’d never end
We’d sing and dance forever and a day
We’d live the life we choose
We’d fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way ….”

Yes, like the song’s lyrics, there’d always be a real time in our lives when we’ll all look back over

our formative years in wonderment …..

longing to relive those moments again when we were young.

The passage of time has weaned us.

It’s nostalgic to take a walk down memory lane.

It’s great to rekindle old ties.

FRIENDSHIPS may end,

or drift apart if you allow them to do so.

It’s therapeutic to embrace old friendships,

and to know how our buddies are faring,

Are they happy?

Are they successful in their careers?

Memories are made of these,

Let these grow and glow.

Let them fill you up inside …..

Time and Tide wait for no man,

So what are we waiting for?

Let’s go!

Get set for the journey.

FICTION

So does the MOVIE match up?

No, GROWN UPS ain’t any emotional journey.

Maybe the producers should have dressed up GROWN UPS as a christmassy comedy about a warm reunion of old chums.

Unfortunately this was not the case.

The script is bland, one that exudes witless humor, and is co-written by none other than actor ADAM SANDLER.

For all intent and purpose, it could have meant to be a sweet film about kid bonding, of growing up wise, leaving town to make it big and returning again if the occasion arises, to perk everyone back home on what you’ve accomplished.

The A-lister line-up in GROWN UPS shouldn’t possibly go wrong, but then, why are these actors wasted spouting dumb lines and over-acting in many key scenes?

For bawling out loud, director DENNIS DUGAN has to shoulder the blame for his shoddy treatment.

The comedic cast includes a Hollywood agent (Adam Sandler), his fashion designer wife (Salma Hayek) with their three spoiled brats, a henpecked house-husband (Chris Rock), a pretentious salesman (Kevin James), a self-declared playboy bachelor (David Spade), and a new-age mystic (Rob Schneider) with a wife who’s old enough to be his mother.

They are the ensemble of a championship-winning 1978 junior high basketball team when they were teenagers.

This group reunites 30 years later to pay tribute to their deceased coach

in a lakeside cabin where they celebrated their many victories a long time ago.

Here, some 3 decades later, they finally let their hair down, throw caution to the four winds and ”relive” the good old days of being teenagers again.

Here, the men behave and react like ….. hmmm …. old farts in their second childhood.

Some may argue that GROWN UPS is a movie, essentially, about a bunch of aging comics, who may have once represented cutting age youth, showing that their shtick has gotten rusty, and so have they.

Maybe the guys did have a rollicking good time with all the camaraderie.

We do know that the lessons of friendship can be just as transformative as does meditation and the words of gurus.

Modern living is swarmed with hazards and stress.

We go to the movies to be entertained, what else?

In GROWN UPS, we are treated to all kinds of mindless spoofs.

One character has his face pushed twice into doggy-doo. Funny?

Then there’s this silly mother who’s breast feeding her 4 year old son, and in doing so,unwittingly squirts the milk here and there. Notwithstanding our five heroes urinating in the public pool.

More slapsticks follow.

If these actors can go all the way out to render themselves ridiculous by expounding on mindless gags and banter to make us feel good, then they are trying to make us forget the day’s stress and enjoy ourselves.

And why shouldn’t we let them?

THE DESCENT: PART 2 FILM REVIEW. A DESCENT into the FLAMES of HELL.

THE DESCENT: PART 2 PRESS PREVIEW

Eeeeek!

Isn’t this promotional poster a tad creepy, showing a grotesque mouth displaying fangs behind that screaming lass with dilated pupils?

It wouldn’t be the kind of art you would want to appraise on a dark lonesome night, in the quiet of your room.

Trust me, she is going to be eaten alive, judging from the squirmy picture.

Yet maybe, help is at hand.

It sets the mood and tone of a disturbing tale where you might you might want to curl up close to your loved one in the theatre and hear the sound of each other’s heart-beat pounding against the mounting eerie sound track.

Die!

Because THE DESCENT: PART 2 is very much, a brain teaser blend with the supernatural and the psychotic.

It takes you on a horrific journey into the unknown, charting where DESCENT 1 has left off, challenging your sanity as more secrets are unraveled along the way.

BE PREPARED for one screamish, bumpy ride.

Tarry not.

THE DESCENT: PART 2 may appear to start off at a snail’s pace, but the brutal butchering will keep you on your toes as well as at the edge of your seat as the story unfolds.

The FIRST film was a commercial and critical success, thereby spawning this SEQUEL.

Expect MORE spills and chills as THE DESCENT: PART 2 continues after the deadly events depicted in DESCENT 1.

Sarah (Shauna MacDonald), emerges alone and shaken from the abyss following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains.

Injured and covered with blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and cowering with fear.

But a skeptical Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves with a rescue assembly in the hope of recovering her missing friends.

Trapped by dangerous falling rocks, the rescue party is driven further into the caverns, and as one after another perishes when the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her own deepest fears.

Things start to go awry as they often will, as the rescue team fights for their dear lives against the bone-chilling crawlers …..

Then an unexpected survivor looms from the dead.

But this is only the beginning of the spills.

The movie’s mounting tension and claustrophobia, along with its ability to jolt the audience with quick glimpses of the subterranean creatures, added up to an experience that was both emotionally satisfying and viscerally thrilling.

THE DESCENT: PART 2 is a commendable follow-up to the original DESCENT, a grim tale largely enjoyed for all its blood and gore.

And boy, there’s a lot of bloody mayhem in this sequel!

The film is aptly directed by Jon Harris (film editor on “Snatch”, “Stardust” and “Kick-Ass”) in his directorial debut.

He was an editor for “The Descent,” which was directed by Neil Marshall.

Marshall is now the executive producer of “The Descent: Part 2″.

It is a BRITISH film.

Dark. Gruesome. Sinister.

If these unflattering adjectives titillate your inner senses and bring forth the goosebumps, then THE DESCENT: PART 2 is one spooky thriller you should never miss.

TREAD WITH CAUTION THOUGH.

TEKKEN Movie Review. From VIDEO GAME to one swashbuckling BIG SCREEN Adventure.

TEKKEN Movie Press Preview

Movie buffs these days are spoilt rotten for choice.

Mind you, this is the techno age.

Emerging technologies are breeding new ways in the art of film making.

We are experiencing powerful and relentless waves of sweeping change in the industry.

Consumer expectations, going beyond the dollars and cents, are rapidly rollercoasting.

We are all at once swarmed with an influx of the 3D cinematic offerings and movie re-makes. Even converting popular video games or comics into big screen adventures is fast becoming a worldwide fad.

Just take your pick.

Everybody’s jumping onto the bandwagon.

The list goes on …. and on.

TEKKEN falls under one such genre.

Here’s how the story begins.

In futuristic year 2039, the globe is in a state of chaos.

The world wars had destroyed most of the civilization on earth, the remaining territories of which are no longer controlled by governments.

Instead they have been usurped by treacherous corporations and one of these is TEKKEN where our story hits off.

In order to keep the masses down and in place, TEKKEN sponsors the IRON FIST TOURNAMENT where greedy fighters fight to the death for overnight riches and stardom.

Directed by DWIGHT LITTLE, it’s touted as another action thriller derived from a NAMCO video game, depicting a handsome street fighter called JIN KAZAMA (JON FOO) who’s out to avenge his mother’s death.

But in order to vanquish the enemy, JIN must first earn the trust of KAZUYA (estranged father since birth) and grandfather HEIHACHI MISHIMA – both devious organizers of the IRON FIST TOURNAMENT. He must therefore compete in this Tournament to defeat the elite line-up of fighters from all over the world.

It’s not just a fight for personal glory, but also one of redemption.

Because JIN possesses this mysterious dark streak in him, a gene of power that he has unknowingly inherited from KAZUYA MISHIMA, the father he despises.

And in order to achieve his task, he has to confront his inner demons, as well as to win at the Tournament, whatever the risks.

But the Tournament is not apparent, given that every participant harbors his or her own secret agenda. Even undercover police and assassins are banding together in the hope of unearthing the underlying truth.

Expect a potpourri of death defying maneuvers, bone-crunching and rib cracking action combining global fight styles along the line of the Hong Kong’s Kung Fu and other martial arts flicks.

You get a hazy bit of this and a glorious bit of that.

And this remains the focus of the story.

The story line is predictably shallow, with nameless characters careening in and out of the big picture without explanation, and the plot existing only to set a series of mind-blowing, perfectly choreographed fight stunts.

Of course JIN takes on his opponents by snapping the limbs of each and everyone.

And naturally every hero has his “down” moments but the most annoying part here is, the spirit of JIN’s dead mother will always fill up the screen in flashbacks whenever JIN is brutally beaten and “almost” looks like losing, admonishing him to “stand up and fight back”!

Such scenes are cliched.

In terms of acting credits, rookie martial arts actor JON FOO is a new action hunk to watch, with his poster boy looks.

He did a cameo in TONY JAA’s TOM YAM GOONG years ago and that short scene remains memorable enough for the producers of TEKKEN to cast him as a lead in this one.

For fans of the martial arts movies, TEKKEN can do no wrong as the taut fight choreography, helmed by CYRIL RAFFAELLI (Kiss of the Dragon, The Incredible Hulk) will keep you happily entertained.

Go watch it with a suspension of belief.

RUI EN 芮恩 Singapore Actress. "HEAR Me? I AM what I AM."

RUI EN 芮恩

Singapore Actress

She has her legion of loyalist fans, this much I am sure.

There were a few die-hards whom I had met on facebook way back then, and they had often implored that I write an online article about RUI EN, to celebrate her years of being a popular, much-sought-after SINGAPORE television actress.

“We absolutely adore her,” they chimed. “She’s diligent and she’s so different from the others.”

How different? I put across.

Let’s say that, from all accounts and reports, and from artistes that I have known who had worked with her, she’s known not to be an easy person.

Nor is she approachable by any means, we can go on reading.

A feisty attitude? Perhaps.

She is steely cool, a demeanor that can put anyone mildly off.

Some nickamed as her Miss Snooty.

She has this aloof attitude that both press and acquaintances can find so exasperating.

No, she’s not endearing, she has no reason to be,

and she has every intention not to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Not even in a fledging industry like Singapore where there’re more television dramas than films on the roll, so hey, what’s the big deal?

But in this entertainment arena of falsitudes, she has clearly shown us that “all that glitter are not gold”.

She is a chameleon that shocks you in the light, yet glows warmly in the dark.

This is RUI EN, Singapore’s comely actress.

She is indeed one of a kind, take it or leave it, please.

Her persona has come a long way and Miss RUI EN now has weathered the storm and establishes herself as a gem, a solid one as that.

She is showing all and sundry that her patience and diligence have eventually paid off.

And for this, we salute her in this timely tribute.

Unlike ZOE TAY and FANN WONG who were fashion icons when they first started out, RUI EN has never been labeled as a glamor puss.

In fact, from the drama series that she appeared in a few years back, her facial shape appeared obviously roundish and her teeth looked a little less than perfect.

But she stood by her stance, carrying on with her career in her own dedication with a don’t mess-around-with-me attitude.

Does this demeanor remind you of Asian diva FAYE WONG?

In the last couple of years, she has come clean with a new look, an olive shaped face that has added radiance to her looks.

Did she sculp her face? It’s your guess and everybody’s.

But one thing’s for sure. She’s a lot slimmer and her fierce determination to stay focused as an actress may have instilled in her a compact exercise regime such as running and a wise, healthy choice of foods, perhaps to cut on less sugar, salt and carbohydrates?

For those of us who are overweight, we should take this cue from her.

No pain, no gain and if nothing’s ventured, nothing is gained.

Her last drama series called WITH YOU where she played a hapless role as a young housewife whose husband (CHEN HAN WEI) had suddenly perished in a motorbike accident is an emotionally charged one that demanded a gamut of real tears, anguish and angst.

I have never been her fan, but this is a heart-wrenching part albeit a matured one that RUI EN has carried off admirably.

Finally she had me and many others sit up and take notice.

I like her long flowing hair that has given her an alluring look, but guess it should be a wig.

Nonetheless, this is an award winning role

that should pitch her as a favourite contender for the 2011STAR AWARDS for BEST ACTRESS.

For all that she is now, she deserves kudos for “being the person she is” and does not bow down to ridiculous pressures expected of her.

Carpe diem, RUI EN, you have come thus far and even succeeded to convince a skeptic like me.

And to her wonderful fans out there on Facebook and RBKD (RUI EN FAN CLUB), here it is, finally – the piece that you all have always wanted that has taken me some time.

But I had done my homework,

and glad I finished this article.

HAPPILY.