skyetzk: hints

Well, an attempt to make the blog post title interesting can sometimes make it misleading. And eventually totally irrelevant to the content. And I've succeeded in this one!

For the movie lovers who need their monthly fix of big screen entertainment before the official arrival of this year's major block busters, when the cinemas get flooded even before the weekends arrive, here are three movies I've recently caught, and think that you yourself should too!

The Croods

Everyone I know loves and talks about The Croods, well at least I think its trailer has captured the child in all those around me! A must-watch for Families, The Croods is an animated story that talks about family, movie, change and perhaps how we've all come about.

I hate spoilers so I won't ruin it for you either. But if you need a little convincing, then watch the trailer below! But if you trust the kid in you to love a little animated adventure, go watch it without seeing the trailer, cause the trailer already shows quite a bit of comedic highlights, kindda expected the funny parts when they were coming.

Side Effects
Don't watch Side Effects for Channing Tatum. Watch it for Jude Law and Catherine Zeta Jones!

I watched it because everyone who've caught it says it shouldn't be missed! Quite much like how I would recommend Argo to those who love Military, Action and Suspense! If you like a good witty movie that comes with a twist, watch Side Effects without watching the Trailer as well!

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Saving General Yang
This movie is an embodiment of the word, over accessorised, no one would watch Saving General Yang for smart military intelligence that is akin to the movie Red Cliff. I was seated for the star studded cast and my love for ancient and dynasty movies. The director's ability to repeatedly break your celebrity fanatic heart and immerse you in a pool of war-related destructions, consequences and emotions seemed to have caught my attention as well!

Being someone whose work is quite movie-related, I thought of some tips to make sure your big screen experience is one that does not disappoint.

Tips when watching a movie in a cinema

1. Know the Cinema
If you love big screens, then make sure the cinema you're watching at has the screen size you want. You have to choose either between Screen Size or Movie Timing.

Most of the time you'll be able to tell which Hall you're in depending on the configuration/number of seats. Unless of course the Cinema you're watching at indicates it online. So usually Many Seats = Big Screen

I love the middle seats that are within 3-4 rows from the back in a big cineplex.

2. Get your tickets early
To avoid getting bad seats, get your tickets early! Most Cinemas allow you to buy their tickets 3-4 days in advance. You can make an advance on-site purchase if you want to save on online-bookings surcharges. Most card payments are entitled to discounts as well! But usually for on-site and non-feature films.

3. Know your body's cinema behaviours
I can't drink soft drinks / fluids when I'm watching a movie. I have to go to the toilet within an hour of non-mobile activity. So know your body well. Release that pool of toxins before the movie begins.

Some people start getting a headache after 45minutes of a 3D movie. If you're that kind, watch your movie in Digital/2D unless the movie was entirely made for a 3D experience.

4. Bring your identification passes - if you're watching an R21 movie, you have a baby face even though you're already 40, your friend has a baby face, you're watching with a bunch of people whose age are like that of the stock market (get them to all bring theirs).

5. Walk out of the Cinema of a film that is not properly shown - within 30 mins of the show if you realise the movie being screened is faulty because of recurring bad display of subtitles, bad graphics, obvious errors, bad audio and you may be entitled to a complimentary session for the same movie. If you finish the entire movie, the Cinema is most likely not going to give you a refund. Some films have been known to obviously mute certain portions of their conversations to pass censorship with the visuals still showing, and in that case, you'll not get a refund because it's not a screening error, but rather, it's the film as-is. Any concerns will have to be directed at the distributors, not the Cinemas.

6. Be a good customer
Good customers deserves good services, and bad customers deserve bad services as well. Be an objective customer, if you feel your movie experience has been compromised, raise it to the service staff and they should be more than glad to assist. Speak to the Theatre Managers and decide if you want to give a Feedback or a Compensation if you have obvious, reasonable and justified grounds. If you wanna scream and shout it out loud, you're gonna get a pop-corn slap. Asshole. And a pair of movie tickets to your ill behaviour at the staff in the security room.

7. Watch at Cathay Cineplexes
So everyone in the company I'm in is happy and maybe we'll get more bonus afterall #kthxbye

Well lookie here! Guess who went to Guang Zhou "alone". Technically I was alone lah, though I did have dinner with my Uncle and his friends in the evening.

So you must be wondering, who goes to Guang Zhou or anywhere in China for a holiday? Well, I did! I didn't want a typical trip in Thailand, Taiwan or Japan (although I'm really looking forward to one). Those places are so touristy I'll probably be a little too caught up shopping to be taking a real break.

This trip was really meant to unwind and see if I can survive China. Before going there, I had this impression that there were big chances of me being robbed or slain in the middle of the streets and not a soul would bother about except to spit at me. :'( With so much hearsay online about the locals of China being unsympathetic or humane about so many things, I guess I can only be the judge when I'm there.

Important #nowyouknow

Power: The general voltage in China is 220V so you can charge your gadgets there, remember to bring your converters, the two flat pin kind, resembling “ | | ”
Fashion: MOST, not all, but most of the locals just throw on something and hit the road, so someone who dresses well stands out almost immediately. So if you want to blend in, just grab any and everything and hit the streets, you should do fine. The locals usually avoid shorts because of the chilly weather. So I was like a sore thumb, you'll see why later
Language: The locals speak Mandarin that sound like Taiwanese Mandarin, they speak Cantoneses as well, so if you're fluent in both, you should do just fine. Not like myself, look like a Potato and speak like a potato, okay a rotten one
Traffic: The vehicles are on left side drive, so just imagine the roads as a complete reversal of Singapore's. When crossing the road, the vehicle is ALWAYS the biggest, so please, when in doubt, just cross like the locals. There was this once I was crossing and I was thinking to myself “Someone's gonna die, omgomgomgomg, but we all lived, tyvmomfgicantbelieveisurvivethat” moving on
Conversations: The locals like to speak loudly, in an arguement whoever speaks louder wins. Thankgawdforarmy
Missles: People spit any where and everywhere check
Exchange Rate: SGD1 to RMB5
Washrooms: They don't provide toilet papers like the Singaporean toilets, so it's really important to bring your own! Remember, packet tissues and wet wipes can be a life saver! Ifyaknowwadimean
Security: I survived, so I guess it's okay, just remember, don't stand out for no reason, I kept my camera in the camera bag unless I really wanna take a photo of something. If you feel uncomfortable or anything just approach a uniformed personnel. They seem to be everywhere!
Navigating: Turn on your Goggle Maps there, it works like a charm! You can “make offline” a selected area of the region you'll be in
Night Life: Check out SOHO and 1886 near Pearl River, drinks are priced at affordable rates, but the most awesome stuff is still their drinking snacks! I had cucumber stickers and wasabi tinted soy sauce dips! LGBT night is on Friday

Haggling: Slice the price by at least half before going on. The way I see it, as long as I think it's a reasonable price in SGD, I'll pay for it. I took my luggage from RMB260 to RMB190, sometimes can't do half, but almost there!

Milktea Lovers: 58DegreesCelcius sells the best Milktea, Dakasi and Banana Milktea is not bad. GongCha there is a joke

Guang Zhou is like... Hong Kong! Almost alike in terms of Weather, Language

Interesting Sights

#1 – Here comes the Police

Peddlers line and litter the streets with their makeshift mats, legal or not, nobody knows. But there was this once when everyone started to pack their wares and run. So apparently, the Police do do their work!

#2 – Coarse Language and Swearing starts young

I nearly witnessed an accident thanks to the reckless driving by a taxi driver at a zebra crossing, the car almost hit a little girl who was crossing with her family. The dad started swearing at the driver but the driver just replied with watch how you cross, then the dad insisted they had the right on the zebra crossing, everything was building up and out of no where, the little girl, who looked around the age of 8, started to scream and swear at the driver, I was like wtfomfgbanana looks like these things really start young. Maybe the mother was like, goodjobdaughteryou'velearntwell. Shrugs

#3 – Ni Hao Sir, Ni Yao Se Mo?

Being really over joyed when chancing upon a GongCha outlet in Comic Mall, I went over and said in English “Hi, can I get a cup of Earl Grey Deluxe Milktea?” and the cashier was like, “WTFBANANA What is he saying?” in Cantonese, and I'm like lololollipop. So anyway, another guy came over and tried to converse with me in English and Sign Language, I'm fluent with both so we did well. I enjoyed the whole thing. I really wanted to “I can speak Mandarin” in Mandarin, but I was pretty sure they'll hate me and shoot pearls at me, so no.

A little test shot before flying

Catching the bus to city area

Getting a cab is like a cockfight

Sights out of the Hotel Window

Almost a world of a difference

They hold events in a garden smack in the middle of the city

Lottery anyone?

Comic Mall!

Yup, an international brand!

Singapore's tastes better

I like the architecture that seems to have a mix of modern and oriental

Some buses still use the electrical cable

I like the big wide lanes that seem to wonder to no where

A costume shop! They seem to have costumes from many movies

Oversize vehicle?

With the strong population, even a kindergarten has to be 6 levels high!

So I'm here to find my routes, being a Tan/Chen at the Chen Family Clan

RMB5 per entry. SGD1 nia...

A well preserved piece of history

It's like you stepped in to one of those dynasty movies

So much effort goes into preserving this place

Doors after doors after doors

I can't explain how intricate these crafts are!

Well, so apparently Lychee was a nourishing fruit

Oriental paper cutting

Does this remind you of the period of reform?

It's like the things in the textbooks came alive

Ivory crafts

Look at how intricate the details are! The craftsmen are probably national treasures

Almost like a filming set. The ancestral tablet

Guess what these are!

Yeap, fabric weaving!

I was in awe!

Fear not, Garlic Chill is an international sauce too! ;)

Their uniforms look way cooler man

I like how the streets look so cosy and worth getting lost in

Here a shot of the Jade market, where people just wait for others to buy

A church!

A toy mall, that mass sells toys!

You can't rob him now, can't you

When you hit Tian He, it's where all the sky scrapers are. You can spot lots of foreign talents here as well!

The computer mall, machiam Sim Lim and Funan lump together

KFC on a rainy day

Looks like lohyehmohyeh if you'd ask me

Steal of the day! 20 bucks for a 11600mah YooBao Charger

Dinner time!

There's a University for Traditional Chinese Medicine!

On my way up Bai Yun Shan, which is the White Cloud Mountain, but known as Bai Yun Mountain

It was 16-19 degrees on a Saturday and I was in shorts and double cardigan plus a top. #sosingaporean #challenge accepted, LOLS

I needed to look out for these wherever I was going since the temperature made the bowels slightly more irritable

How do these roots grow in a vertical manner?

Almost at the peak!

Macdonalds on the mountain, I wonder how do people get to work every day

Teahouse with a killer view

Ring the bell the number of times to get what they've stated there!

Mo Xing Summit is the highest part of the entire Bai Yun Shan, and I made it!

Love locks! Well, I'll feel weird if I locked my love somewhere. But at least it reminds me to brave rain and shine!

A little mountain climbing in the middle of the trip to burn all those calories. This mountain was also dubbed the lungs of Guang Zhou, no doubt nature must be doing a lot to keep the air fresh and crisp!