And here we go.....

Finally, some news about the 3rd (and final?) installment of the Christopher Nolan "Batman Trilogy" - The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR).

This post is way behind time. Initially, I had wanted to post this but I just didn't find the time to.

Now, I can't even remember which was the first piece of news about TDKR. But I believe, it was Tom Hardy as Bane. Then it was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle @ Catwoman.

Anne Hathaway - my oh my .....

I believe everyone would at least have an idea who Catwoman is.

So, what was the big deal with Bane?

IGN screencap

Well, for those who are not comic-geeks like me, Bane was the guy who.....

Yup - broke Batman's spine. And left Batman/Bruce Wayne crippled (for sometime) in the comics.

We've actually seen Bane once on the big screen in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin.

That movie is without a shadow of a doubt, THE MOST HATED Batman movie-ever. Some fan go as far as to even deny its existence.

Once again, the Marketing Team at Warner Bros. had some fancy ideas. Apparently, the official website was launched with nothing but a looping chant (I personally wouldn't have known what it said but it's kind of creepy). Some so-called genius(es) apparently decided robust some audio-software to listen to the audio file and found the following Twitter hashtag.

#TheFireRises

I'm not a tweeter and won't pretend to know what I'm talking about but accessing/following that hashtag adds the tweeter's profile picture to a large mosaic on the official site.

http://thedarkknightrises.warnerbros.com/

Ideally, the giant jigsaw puzzle would reveal the image over time, but someone managed to extract the final image and it was a photo of.....

Tom Hardy as Bane!

Yeah, that's right - Christopher Nolan is all about realism.

I won't deny that I'm super pumped (heh, geddit?) for this movie! Can't wait for 20th July 2012!

And then, the Hot Toys figures that come after ..... my oh my .....

What? Blogging from a Smartphone?

Yeah, I know. Who would've thought that I'd be blogging from my iPhone 4? Everything will be default as blogging from a Smartphone isn't the most effective way to blog.

2010 - where did that go? It was the year that I didn't blog on a single topic. Was I was abducted by aliens and was recently returned back?
No. Blame it on work & other commitments etc.

Maybe 2011 will be different.

21st March 2011 marks my 1st day in a new organization. The last 9 months of my life was a living hell, thanks to a certain bitch (initials JK).

Thanks to an ex-colleague and an ex-boss, I escaped being unemployed. Not many people would quit their jobs before securing another one. Come to think of it, I didn't even have a bullet-proof backup plan! My saviours - those 2 people are.

2010 wasn't kind to me - not only was my career affected, my luck was probably at an all-time low. My house was broken into and I lost more than RM 10,000 in cash & belongings. Including a 3-month old 40-inch SONY BRAVIA LCD, my beloved PS3 along with about original 10 Blu-Ray games and movies, a fairly new PC with a 23-inch LCD monitor, printer, portable hard disk with my movie and TV-series collection, a mobile phone, digital camera, cash in foreign currency and last but not least, my favorite Hot Toys MMS DX-02 The Dark Knight figure :(

But - what's past is past and thank god no one was harmed in anyway (other than my bank account).

Here's to better times ahead and more interesting reading!

Cheers!

Stop and stare, you start wonder why you're here not there.....

On 1st September 2008, this was what I posted:

It looks like a 6-day working week will be the norm if I want to get my stuff finished. I found extra hours ie. going early, leaving late isn't really as productive. We'll see what happens as I start the 6:00 pm - 3:00 am shift today.

And now, here we are, 5th October 2008. What a crazy month it has been. In addition to packing in 14 hour days, I worked Saturday's as well.

So much has been happening, it isn't funny and I didn't have time to blog.

I'm behind on my regular TV fix. The series that I need to catch up on:

a) Supernatural - Season 3
b) Prison Break - Season 3
c) The Batman - Season 5
d) Heroes - First 3 episodes of Season 3
e) Knight Rider 2008 - Episode 1

There were things that happened at work and I was gobsmacked! The changes came like a tsunami, we didn't see it coming. And there was no time to recover when the next bit of news came.

I've been given an offer - something which might work out for the better. And I've given my response. Now to see what and when it happens.

I lost my Credit Card at TGIF's last weekend. I passed it to the waiter got the slip back but failed to notice that they didn't give the card back. I managed to block the card before further transactions were made.

I sent an email via the website as well as to the email address printed on the receipt and I didn't get a response until 2 days later. The GM said that they were busy due to the Hari Raya holidays. He/she apologized and promised me some vouchers. Let's see what happens.

Because of the Hari Raya holidays as well, my card will be sent to me, but delayed of course.

I decided to give Carl's Jr. another go a couple of weeks back. And this confirms it, I was conned the first time around:

This is what Chilli Cheese Fries are supposed to look like!

They forgot my cheese the first time I ordered my Chilli Cheese Fries. The combo of a Double Western Burger, Chilli Cheese Fries and a medium drink was abit too much for me to stomach. Or was it?

Maybe I should go for a 2nd round to see if its really too much. I guess the Chilli Cheese Fries is best shared but no one else at home consumes beef so.....

In between all that's been happening, I was at the launch party of the official Malaysian SONY Playstation 3 release. I want one too!

Because I was rushing to catch the bus to work, I couldn't take more photos. There were some Cosplay girls, competitions and the queue to be the first 3 in line started 2 days before! It was even out in The Star newspaper.

The bus stop


The launch party "area"

I'd love to have a SONY Playstation 3 too. Maybe when "The Dark Knight" Blu-Ray is released later this year.

2-Disc Blu-Ray Limited Edition!

In the meantime, more info about the official Malaysian SONY Playstation 3 here.

The new Honda Civic is due out later this year. I've seen some photos online, pretty nice. A lot better than the old/current design.

Honda City with Modulo Bodykit


Side profile similar to Big Brother, the current-gen Honda Civic

I've also did some changes to my Hot Toys Joker. Smudged the makeup a little bit more, resulting in a look that's less "panda-eyed":

Before

1st Attempt


2nd Attempt

And finally, "The Dark Knight" figure is out! Some stores have already received their shipment. I should be getting mine within the next few weeks if Rey gets his shipment in.

Hot Toys The Dark Knight suit and Batman Begins suit

It's gorgeous. But some people complain that its still too bulky and Christian Bale in suit was slim in the movie.

Some guy actually modified the body by removing excess plastic and came up with the results below. Beautifully done.

Not only that, She Predator Machiko is expected to arrive this month as well:

Can you say OUCH 2 times, really, really loudly?

Do you wanna know.....how I got these scars? Hmm?

I was beginning to feel the effects of the extra hours and days I put in at work. Working straight since 25th August - 6th September 2008 was no joke. During my shift on Saturday, I felt the effects of a flu coming. I don't think I could've pushed myself any further. I needed my rest.

I was supposed to take Sunday off, to recuperate but there was much to do.

• Collect the Hot Toys Joker
• Get new power adapter for the DELL notebook
• Bank in cheque (Income tax returns. YEAH!)

I replaced someone and worked a normal shift on Saturday, and got today off, so it was kinda like a regular weekend.

Rey sent me a message to inform me that my Hot Toys Joker finally arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I told him I could only pick it up during the weekends. Most of the places had it the same time when they got their shipment of Batman. But, in the end, its the item in hand that matters.

The original plan was to stop by Shiok Toys to collect the Joker, then stop at the bank to deposit a cheque, then pick Weng and head down to Midvalley to check out the DELL store. However, I got delayed so I headed straight to Midvalley with Weng after collecting the Joker.

I spent abit more time than I intended to at Shiok Toys and I ended up placing a pre-order for the Hot Toys Hot Angels: She-Predator Machiko. I'm guessing this is going to sell out. And besides, its a unique piece.

VERY NICE

I hope I can afford all this shit! With everything spaced out to come out at intervals of a few months in between I "should" be fine. I just hope this doesn't come out the same time as the Hot Toys TDK Suit Batman.

A few months ago, I got a refurbished DELL power adapter for the laptop from Lowyat. The shop was owned by some Middle Eastern dude who had the whole family working at the store as well. I asked to test the first unit he brought me, and there was some weird shit going on with the mouse cursor after I plugged in the power adapter.

The cursor (using the keypad) was just flying all over the place. I've never seen such a thing, and neither had the owner. The 2nd unit (which I took) seemed fine, but it started acting up when I got home. It only works normally when I tried plugging in a USB mouse!

After that incident, I decided I was better off with an original DELL power adapter. Sure, it cost me RM 150 but it worked like a charm. No flying cursor, no issues. Hope this one lasts longer! I guess we just need to take proper care of it and everything should be fine.

We ended up at the Gardens parking and it was my first time there. It's just like any other mall I suppose. Stopped by at the LEGO shop and just had a quick browse through.

They had the LEGO Tumbler (for RM 350) but I thought since I'm getting the Hot Toys version, I don't need a LEGO Tumbler :p

Didn't stay at Gardens for long and we headed over to Midvalley as Weng had another appointment at 7:30 pm. By the time we arrived at Gardens, it was already after 3:00 pm. Without wasting any time, we headed straight to the IT corner and located the DELL shop.

Tested my adapter - it was good to go. Paid for it and I was told they would email me the receipt! Found that weird, but I did get it via email in the end.

Decided to walk around abit, went to Toys R Us, Jusco, checked out the LCD TVs on display there and at the SONY roadshow etc.

Stopped at Comics Mart after that and found "Batman: Dark Victory"! I've been trying to get that via "other means" but it was unsuccessful. Weng offered to pay RM 50 of it as my birthday present while I top up the balance. Thanks Weng!

Birthday present from Weng

It's been a long time since I last bought comics. But this is the sequel to the comic, "Batman: Long Halloween" in which some scenes from "The Dark Knight" is based on. I've read through the first chapter, and there are lines of dialogue in "Dark Victory" that seem to be in parts of "The Dark Knight" too.

There's a loyalty program at Comics Mart where they give you stamps on a card. One stamp for every RM 25 spent. When the card is full, its RM 35 off the next purchase. And they sell comics, t-shirts, board games, collectibles etc. Sounds interesting but I better watch it!

After that, we headed to MPH bookstore. And after months of looking, I finally found it.

Hard to believe but I have had trouble finding this book recently. I bought "The Da Vinci Code" when it got all that hype when it was released 1 or 2 years back. And that was the last book that I bought!

I've heard that "Angels And Demons" is a better story - the movie starring Tom Hanks (back as Robert Langdon) is in the works and I thought the novels will be reprinted in time with the movie's release, I thought I'd wait it out. Since there were 3 copies in good condition, I decided to grab one. I read "The Da Vinci Code" before watching the movie, and the movie was incomplete because so much had to be left out. I'm expecting the same for "Angels And Demons". We'll see.

So, dropped Weng back after that, headed to deposit my cheque, had dinner then came home.

Then, it was time to open up my new toy.

The front of the outer sleeve


The back of the outer sleeve


The front of the box


The back of the box


The contents

I've been reading forums where people were "repainting" the head because it didn't look like Heath Ledger. The makeup around the eyes were very subtle, hell, the black was hardly there!

Fresh out of the box

I thought I'd try a repaint myself. But I'm not a painter. So I thought "why don't I try something else". I found a M.A.C eyeliner pencil at work the other day. Someone must've dropped it but I kept it. At least now, I have a use for it!

Initially, I was thinking of crayons or oil pastels. But those might be permanent, I think makeup can be removed with water..... or makeup remover if needed.

For Attempt # 1, I coloured the black around the eyes but was told it looked "too cartoony" and "looks like a panda".....

Attempt # 1 - was told it looked too cartoony, looks like a panda


Attempt # 2 - Smeared up the black around the eyes abit giving it a more "messy" look

Yes, its the first time I'm deliberately "damaging" my toy, and a RM 450 toy at that! But I think it looks better now! What do you think? =)

Here's some other shots with Hot Toys Batman (before I modified the paint for the 2nd time):

You wanna know, how I got these scars? Hmm.....?


You ..... complete me!


An unstoppable force and an immovable object