Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008

When I was browsing through a forum, I noticed a thread with the heading "Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008". Curious, I clicked on it.

I read about 10 posts or so on that thread and it said that Heath Ledger was dead. I couldn't believe it.

I then checked other news websites, and it was confirmed. Initial investigations suspect he had died of an overdose of sleeping pills. Some of the online news sites reported that he actually suffered from insomnia (self induced?) to mentally prepare or to get into character for his role as The Joker.

I still can't believe it.

I think one of the reasons that got me so hyped up about "The Dark Knight" is his performance as The Joker in the short trailer that was released recently. Perhaps even more than the fact that this is a "Batman Begins" sequel.

Heath Ledger was that damn impressive.

It looks like "The Dark Knight" will be his final film.

R.I.P Heath Ledger

In The Blink Of An Eye.....

Before you know it, the end of January is almost upon us. How time flies.

The entire family (that's all 6 of us) watched "Cloverfield" at Cineleisure last night.

All of them didn't really like it - I guess the same could be said from the other patrons at the cinema when the credits started rolling and the lights turned on.

I enjoyed the movie - but this is one of those movies with a "WTF?!?!? That was it?!" kind of ending. There wasn't an explanation on the monster's origins but reading some forums online, there's a scene right at the end. It's a kind of "blink and you'll miss it" kind of scene. It gives some sort of hint on where the monster came from. But, I missed it because - I think I blinked.

But if you'd ask me to rate this movie against the last movie I watched, I'd say I liked "I Am Legend" much more.

I've been reading reviews on international forums and generally, they gave "Cloverfield" good reviews. Other articles have said that this is not a monster movie, instead, its about the people/characters. So, its actually a drama (?) about what happens during a monster attack.

There were 2 movies that I was really looking forward to in 2008. At least I got that over and done with, bring on "The Dark Knight" I say! I'm certain I will not be disappointed!

Some relatives will be going back to Perth soon and they wanted to meet up for Dim Sum. Woke up early (by my standards and usual routine) at about 11:30am or so. Had a late night, watching a few episodes of "Lost - Season 3" until about 4:00 am in the morning.

I thought it was going to be somewhere in KL City. Thank god it was close by at Tai Thong Restaurant in Damansara. The relatives wanted to go check out the new house after that, so me and Ryan left.

Stopped by Ultimate Toys in Amcorp to collect this:

Don't know who this is, not anyone I can think of right off the top of my head.

These are really hard to come by these days (since they came out some time ago), and the one with the David Beckham head is impossible to find now. From the looks of it - I might need as many as I can get! Not a good sign!

Stopped by at A&W's (again!) for some Root Beer and Waffles with ice-cream. I don't know why but I ended up ordering a Mozza Burger combo as well!

I read a Michael Bay interview somewhere which confirmed that "Transformers 2" would be released sometime in 2009. And he mentioned that there will be more "new and unique" robots. Shit - that means more toys coming out. Even before the new movie is out, new versions of the old toys are being released.

Stealth Bumblebee



Battle-Ready Bumblebee (with Battle Mask) and Final Battle Optimus Prime (new headsculpt and energy blade)

I think it's no big loss to give Stealth Bumblebee a miss, but the Battle-Ready Bumblebee looks good (but I have 3 of him now - no Battle Mask though) and Optimus Prime with what looks like movie-accurate headsculpt plus an energy blade (instead of the gun) that came with the first release.

There's also a Premium Optimus Prime coming out (I think its the Final Battle version) and a Metallic Leader Class Megatron that has metallic paint. Damn.....

Then there's the TAKARA versions of the Transformers Classics.

Classics Grimlock - with some chromed bits



Classics Astrotrain and Hot Rod (Rodimus)

Most of these are going to get some slight paint differences, especially TAKARA Classics Megatron above - which is more like the G1-cartoon accurate colours. I think its much better than the HASBRO (American) version below:

And then, there this:

As much as I love the TV-series, I'm not going to be getting these.

There are also some "The Dark Knight" figures scheduled to be released. These are the Mattel-line, more for kids, hence, the cartoony (horrible) colours on some of the suits, especially the last, neon-yellow suit!

There will also be a slightly bigger (6-inch) for the "collectors". I'm not so sure about this, the old Collector's Edition was pretty good but this one.....

The figure looks ok, but I don't like the soft vinyl/rubber cape though. They should make it cloth.

A quick stop at Toys R Us the other day before work, saw this interesting "Batman: Ultimate Collection" set going for RM 149.95.

It has each Batman figure from all the different lines - all of them different interpretations of the same character, from the cartoon series, to the "Batman Begins" version. Cool!

'Twas A Good Day.....

I honestly can't remember when I last felt like I did today.

I'm normally hyper/excited about something, or upset, or pissed. Maybe you'll probably label me "emo". But today, none of that nonsense.

I had to send Ryan out for tuition as the folks and family are in China for a holiday - no problem.

We left the house earlier than last week, it was a nice, slow drive. I managed to enjoy the music. I didn't have to speed like a maniac to get him there on time like the week before. It was all good.

After dropping him off, I stopped by at Atria. Thought I could kill a couple of hours there while waiting for Ryan to finish. It would be a waste of time to go home, take a rest only to come out again an hour later.

I haven't been there in ages - and what a place it has become. You know there's a problem with a shopping mall, if you think the most interesting shop is SPEEDY Video! I was was "window-shopping", looked at books and basically covered the entire Atria and the old Parkson Grand building within 30 mins or so.

There were cheap books at the Big Bookshop Clearance, but not what I wanted, and books that I did want are either:

a) already have it (Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code")
b) didn't have what I wanted for cheap (Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons")
c) interesting books, but torn covers/sleeves (visual guides for "Batman Begins" and "Superman Returns"

After going to all the shops that I wanted to visit, I did what I did many years ago, back when I was in college.

I bought some food and drinks, and sat at KFC - waiting. It used to be a daily routine way back then.

Atria is such a boring place, I spent about 30 - 40 minutes playing games and listening to my music on my phone before it was time to pick Ryan up. Initially, I was thinking of bringing my laptop with me and go to a place like Starbucks in Uptown with Internet access. Maybe next time, I should do that.

After picking Ryan up, decided to head down to Cineleisure because, my Hot Toys Superman/Clark Kent has arrived! Yay!

We checked out what movies were showing, and decided that we might watch"I Am Legend" since "Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem" was rated 18-PL and Ryan was making a fuss about not being able to enter.

We went back down to Shiok Toys where I got the Superman, then went to the basement to put it in the car, then went back up to the cinema again.

We managed to get tickets for the 7:50 pm show. Then on the way to TESCO, we stopped by Borders and I found "Angels And Demons" going for RM 34.90.

Borders were also selling the "Transformers Steelbook Limited Edition" but when I checked the casing, it looked like there were some tiny scratches on it. Since I already spent quite abit on the Superman, I thought I'd postpone this purchase.

The DVDs (and other boxsets and limited editions) were stored in a locked glass case, and they had to get a supervisor from the Ground Floor to come up to open it up for me. The excuse that I gave the guy was that it was slightly damaged and that I would checked the Times Square branch instead.

Proceeded to TESCO to get some stuff, then went back to The Curve and had dinner at Kim Gary's before the movie. Of course, it was the cheese-baked rice again for me.

I love cheese - I really do.....

Basically, we went from one end to the other (Cineleisure to The Curve and TESCO, then back to The Curve and Cineleisure again!) about 2 or 3 times today.

Finally, after dumping the groceries we got back in the car (which was parked at Cineleisure), we went up to catch our movie.

"I Am Legend" was enjoyable - but I found the movie to be really "quiet" at times. I guess that fits into the mood the movie's plot, which is about the last man on Earth after an outbreak of a virus.

I read somewhere in the newspapers the other day, an article about Will Smith being the most "bankable" (I believe that was the word used) movie star whose movies reaches people of all ages, races or something like that.

It was a long, tiring day - but enjoyable. Managed to snap some pics of the Hot Toys Superman, but lighting wasn't good and I had to use the flash. Maybe I'll take more tomorrow. And I'll probably need to take a pic of it with the TAKARA Batman.....

New Outer Sleeve



Old Outer Sleeve

I'm very happy with this Hot Toys Superman Returns. It looks exactly like the prototype pictures so I'm not disappointed with the head.

While he doesn't really look like Brandon Routh (some pics make him look like Tom Cruise!), I like it more than the previous headsculpt.

First Release



Re-release


Brandon Routh

He's so fun to pose, that I didn't even have time to dress up the extra Clark Kent head with the suit on the spare body I have yet. Maybe tomorrow.....

Gotta update my "Wish List".

We Only Want Things We Can't Have.....?

Found these online, nice!

Read an article somewhere that they're going to make a Street Fighter movie. And Smallville's Kristin Kreuk will be playing Chun Li! What?!?!? But then again, Kristin Kreuk is like half something (I believe it was Dutch) and half Chinese.

And it won't be long, the "Cloverfield" monster will be stomping its way to the cinemas. I think its being released in Malaysia in February 2008. US of A gets it on 18th January 2007! I think this is one movie that has to be seen in the theaters!

Finally, after a long wait - my Bumblebee & Optimus Prime 2-pack arrived and I picked it up on Saturday. Funny, I didn't feel THAT excited after getting it. In fact, the last few Transformers purchases are still sealed!

Was it because I was waiting so long for it and the excitement has worn off?

Was it because I already have a Bumblebee from the other 2-pack (although it has the battle-damaged paint scheme) and the Leader-class (which is bigger, and more superior as opposed to the Voyager) Optimus Prime?

Or is it because we only want the things that we can't have? And once we have it in hand, its like "meh, whatever.....".

Could it be, this is what some hunters feel like - its the hunt, and not the kill that matters?

At least now I can say that my Transformers Autobots are truly complete! So, WISH LIST updated!

After picking Ryan from tuition, stopped by Ultimate Toys at Amcorp Mall, where I had previously placed an order for Bumblebee (which never arrived). Jeremy said I had several options. In the end, I opted for a Hot Toys True-Type body.

Why? When my Hot Toys 2-in-1 Superman/Clark Kent figure arrives, I may need the extra body so that I can have Superman AND Clark Kent side by side. Or I can always use the body for some other figure, once I get loose parts of course.

Look at what he can do! All the different posing options!

Doesn't that face just remind you of someone? Think you've seen him somewhere before but can't quite place it?

Why, it's Michael Wong of course!

What these people can do is amazing. For example:

Isn't that David Beckham? Sadly, this figure has sold out, haven't been able to find it anywhere.

How about this one?

Doesn't he look like Russell Crowe?

And I think this is a pretty good likeness for Keira Knightley as well.

I also tried looking for a watch shop but couldn't find one! Is it so difficult to get a replacement battery for a SWATCH?

I went to 2 shops at The Curve the other day and both don't have stocks. I suppose I'll have to go to official SWATCH resellers and get it from them.

Decided to stop by A&W before heading for home. Had the Coney Dog set meal while Ryan had the Chicken Sandwich set meal. I just love the Coney Dog. What makes the Coney Dog so special? I think the secret's in the sauce. And of course, the ice cold Root Beer.

Met up with Terence and his girlfriend today. Decided to meet up before he leaves for Singapore to work.

Originally planned to meet up at 1Utama but they wanted to watch "Atonement" (Keira Knightley, again!) but they were only screening it at Cineleisure. No issues with me.

After having tea at Paddingtons (Thanks for the treat cousin! My turn next time!) they made their move, and once again, I decided to try my luck at Big Apple Donuts.

That's alot of staff for a donut shop

Once again, there was a long queue. Since I had the time to kill, I thought why not? About 25 minutes later (more or less, I didn't have my watch so I wasn't sure if I miscalculated) and RM 17 poorer, I ended up with this:

Ordered:

3 x Chocoholic
3 x Say Cheese
2 x Moonraker (the ones with the Coco Pops)
2 x Cool Blue (Blue berry Topping)
2 x Dark Chocolate something

Saw a sign at the cashier though, a dozen donuts in 1 box costs RM 17.00, but a dozen donuts in 2 separate boxes costs RM 19.00. RM 2.00 for an empty cardboard box?! Or its their way of helping out with the environment?

The dough seems softer than any other donut. The taste isn't too bad either. I like the cheese they used for the Say Cheese. I like cheese.....

Yeah, so I finally tried Big Apple Donuts. The next one would be JCo. for comparison. It's just a matter of when.....

Finally, I stopped by Shiok Toys and had a double dose of good news. Rey told me that he might be able to get the Navy Seal CQB set from his supplier. So I might be able to get it after all!

And then, he also said that the Superman might probably arrive next week! YES!!!!! NO!!!!! I'm happy and I'm not! I'm conflicted!

But it just looks awesome, don't you think?