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A peek into the twisted mind of a Natural Born Geek! Learn the shocking truth ! Run away crying in agony ! Gasp at the horror! Showing nationwide in all respectable cinema outlets.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Pre-MENstrual Tension

I'm in a *funky* (somber) mood today.

I woke up to the sounds of Damien Rice's The Blower's Daughter playing in my mind.

For those not in the know, it's this hauntingly, achingly, slow accoustic song played at the start of the movie CLOSER (starring Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and the *scrumptious* Natalie Portman)....

The movie opens with a slo-mo shot of a crowd of people walking down a street in London (the camera shows them peeps from the frontal view)...and on one end we have the scruffily handsome Jude Law on his way to work. While on the other end of the road we have Natalie 'sexy imp' Portman walking down the road in a red-hot short punkish hairdo. Slowly they start noticing each other and smiling / flirting...

As an accoustic guitar accompanies the following vocals :

"The Blowers Daughter"

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes...

And so it is
Just like you said it should be
We'll both forget the breeze
Most of the time
And so it is
The colder water
The blower's daughter
The pupil in denial

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes...

Did I say that I loathe you?
Did I say that I want to
Leave it all behind?

I can't take my mind off of you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind off of you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind off you
I can't take my mind...
My mind...my mind...
'Til I find somebody new


*Sigh*

That'll teach me to stop watching depressing rom-coms on a boring day-off ever again!


I gotta get myself out of this funky PMS mood 'cos it sure ain't helping when it comes to charmin' the ladies. Nothing says 'desperate and gagging for it' more than my current PMS mood.


Maybe I should go get some Chocolate Chip Ice Cream...mmmm...sugar-high!


;-p

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Sentosa Isle Resort

The business trip over the weekend on Sentosa Isle, Singapore turned out to be exquisite and exciting after all !

The resort looked threadbare and normal from the front entrance but the deeper I explored the grounds the more beautiful it got.

The first thing that greeted me after the regular hotel lobby was this huge Lotus pond with a tree islet in the middle flanked by walkways on the left and right and orchid pots. This let onto an open-air bar-cum-lounge where huge rattan easy chairs and small coffee tables just begged for passers-by to relax and enjoy the scenery before heading to their respective rooms.

Lotus Terrace Posted by Hello


The next morning as I did some exploring in between the boring corporate meetings, I realised that the grounds also had domesticated peacocks which aren't afraid of tourists coming up to them to take pics.

Trio of (Pea)Cocks Posted by Hello



Continuing the cool tropical architecture was this poolside attraction. It's not clear in the picture, but the grey-black walls behind the stone-grill are actually cascading waterwalls which falls onto the pool upon whic the stone grill is set upon.
Exquisite !

Cascading Waterwall Stone-Grill Posted by Hello



And finally, the low lighting and open air concept for the Terrace Cafe where most meals were had set an intimate atmosphere perfect for wining and dining with beautiful strangers.

Terrace Cafe Posted by Hello


In summary, I'm glad I actually went for the trip (despite my belly-aching in earlier posts) because I managed to get exposed to such beauty on Sentosa.

P.S. the timetable was SO packed that I unfortunately didn't have enough time for shopping in Orchard Road nor enjoy the topless sunbathers and body-beautiful people on Siloso Beach.

Ah well...there's always future business trips in the future to look forward to then!

;-p

Friday, June 24, 2005

Incommunicado

No blogging over the weekend fer me peeps!

I'll be away for the weekend on a business trip on the Isle of Sentosa, Singapore.

Damn how I wish it wasn't for business but pleasure instead!

Imagine being so close to the white sandy beaches, cool tropical waters, and a bevy of fine Sporean & Ah-Mo chicks sunbathing (hopefully topless) nearby.....

Yet I'd be stuck in a hotel suite all weekend as I listen to top management drone on and on about corporate strategies and the way forward for our newly merged corporation.

Oh well....at least I'll still be on Sentosa!

;-p

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Seven Days

Murphy’s Law: “EVERYTHING that can go wrong, WILL go wrong, ALL at the SAME time.”

My boss called me up on Monday for a chat.
Turns out I wasn’t performing at work and if I don’t buck up in two weeks I’d be without a job in 2 weeks time. Out in the cold with nowhere to go and bills to pay!

Slept in the office overnight on Tuesday to catch up on work.
The hard office floor *sure* is an interesting experience compared to my warm, comfy bed at home.

Had a surprise encounter during lunch on Wednesday.
One of my favourite women to tease in my ‘harem’ is going out with one of my best friends.In retrospect it COULD be platonic and I’m way TOO paranoid / over-imaginative for my own good.Oh well...there’s more women in the world.....Next!

On Thursday, I had a disciplinary hearing with Human Resource over my non-performance.My implicit assertions that I’ve learnt my lesson and am turning over a new leaf was just met with blank stares of disbelief. I guess I should have laid off the begging and crying act then....

Tomorrow’s Friday and I’m behind on deadlines DESPITE sleeping in the office for the past 2 nights! My manager’s going to kill me for missing the deadline for a SECOND time.

Scheduled for a business trip to Singapore over the weekend with office mates.I wish it was for pleasure instead, ‘cos being stuck in an air-conditioned hotel suite on Sentosa Isle as the CEO and CFO drones on and on about corporate strategy SURE is exciting.

But I digress.

I thank God that i STILL have a corporate job (despite having to sacrifice my LIFE for the next 3-6 months in order to catch up enough with the office pace to start performing at the firm’s level of expectations) and am not one of the million unemployed oversea graduates.

Life’s full of hard knocks. When you get knocked down...rise again and knock back harder!!!


;-p

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Batman Begins

I managed to catch a showing of this much awaited summer blockbuster (much awaited AFTER Episode III of course) last Friday night.

Bats in Batcave Posted by Hello


Well...let's break the movie down to my regular The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, eh ?

The Good
Christopher Nolan, the director, is a genius!

He has managed to rejuvenate the ailing bat-franchise by showing us HIS vision of Batman.

If Tim Burton who did the first two movies had a darkly gothic view of Gotham and its denizens with homages to 1940s architecture, clothing and design; Nolan on the other hand takes the opposite approach and makes Gotham as modernly realistic as possible!

Gotham looks like a cross of New York, Chicago and some lite-gothic elements.

It truly is weird to see Batman in a truly modern surrounding (with skyscrapers, subways and light railway trains which snake across Gotham's skyline) at first, after being SO used to Tim Burton's gothic vision. But after awhile, I got used to it and truly enjoy Nolan anchoring Batman to reality.

From his suit to his Batmobile, to the Bat Cave...everything is realistic and believeable..as if, if some millionaire playboy REALLY wanted to go out and fight crime...these are the kind of weaponary and science that he'd use.

I also loved the fact that Nolan used a different colour scheme compared to Burton's black and blue gothic themes. Nolan's use of Sephia and Dark Orange tones ala' the dark sky colour u get at sunset was refreshing and set a difference.


Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman truly gives a breathtaking performance to enjoy. When he goes into Bruce Wayne mode, you TRULY believe he is putting THIS facade on.

You see the problem with all previous Batman movies is...it's Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire who has the alter-ego Batman which he puts on when he goes out at night to fight crime.

When in truth...Bruce Wayne IS the alter-ego Batman puts on when he goes out in the daylight....he is at ALL times Batman...and only slips into the Bruce Wayne facade WHEN the situation calls for it (birthday party, dinner with Board, Board meeting, etc.)

The STRONG supporting cast of Liam Neeson (DuCard), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Gary Oldman (Lieutenant Gordon), and Michael Caine (Alfred the Butler) ensures the movie stays watertight and every beat is pure cinematic gold.

Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow) also gives a truly terrifying performance as the upstart Arkham psychologist masquerading on the side as Scarecrow. His smug face which shows superiority and nonchalance to everyone he talks to truly captures the characteristics of one of Batman's rogues gallery.

The Bad
I wanted to HATE Katie Holmes' performance before I even set foot into the cinema.

All this hoo-ha with Tom Cruise (him acting like a loverlorn monkey on the set of Oprah didn't really help either--what a fcukin lovesick wuss!) ISN'T helping this movie.

And she partly gave me a reason to hate her performance with the lame tacked on romance at the end followed by the pre-requisite kiss written in the guidebook on how to write Hollywood action movies.

But she also gave an o.k. performance.

I actually believed she GREW up as the time passed by.

Her dressing and mannerism when she was in college as teenage Bruce Wayne came back from Princeton for the hearing of Joe Chill looked SO different from her poise and dressing as an adult District Attorney (D.A.) when Bruce finally comes back to Gotham.

The way she wore her hair, her poise, and her diction...it felt real. Like u could see her maturing right in front of ur eyes !

Despite her o.k. performance, I still felt her character was wasted.

In the comic books, Boss Falcone was tried in the courts by Harvey Dent, Gotham's STAR D.A. On the last day of the hearing in court, when it was apparent Boss Falcone would lose and be put into jail forever; he did the unthinkable and splashed some acid on Harvey's face. Changing Harvey Dent forever into a schizophernic Arkham Asylum inmate with dual personalities and one of Batman's deadliest rogues also known as Two-Face.

Yet...because they wanted to write in a love interest angle for Bats, they did away with the Harvey Dent/Two Face character and had Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes character instead.

In my opinion, Bats DOESN'T need a female lead / love interest in EVERY movie.

This IS after all, his origin / first year as Batman. When ur putting ur life on the line each and every night, I doubt there'd be time for u to fall in love innit, Bats.

But then I digress too much.

The Ugly
Despite my gushing earlier of Christopher Nolan's directing skills, I have to say that he CAN'T direct fight scenes even if his life depended on it.

Every fight scene in the movie was a mass of limbs moving chaotic-ly because the camera was focusing too near to the limbs instead of panning out to show who was throwing which punch or getting their ass handed to them.

You can't really fault Nolan for this though because his previous outputs have all been independent crime-thrillers like Memento & Insomnia... NOT really chockful with fight scenes either.

I really hope Nolan picks up a second director of photography like Bill Pope (of the Matrix fame) or even a fight choreographer like Yuen Wo Ping (also of the Matrix fame) so that the fight scenes in the next two Batman movies wouldn't be SO hard to follow or confusing.

Batman in Twilight Posted by Hello



Summary
In closing, I was dreading watching this movie because I was afraid Christopher Nolan's indie heritage would result in another boring, pretentious superhero movie ala' Ang Lee's The Hulk.


Well, color me relieved, 'cos Batman Begins is one hell of a ride and a great introduction to new fans of what good Batman comics are like.


Here's to MORE great hits from DC Comics in the future (Bryan Singer's Superman Lives in Summer 2006 should be a movie to look out for) after a decade of silence. Give Marvel Comics a run for their money guys, especially since their recent output (like Elektra, Punisher and Fantastic Four) are crap attempts at trying to cash in on the back of real hits such as Spiderman and X-Men.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

An Ode To Father

On this day of days where fathers worldwide are commemerated,

I'd like to take this opportunity to gush on one man,

who has taught me so much (yet not explicitly nor directly),

in his own special way: on how to be a MAN,

My father.

My Dear Da' : Dr. Nik Isahak Posted by Hello


We share a special bond him and I.

For without him, there would not be me.

But besides the genetic bond we share, my relationship with my father is a special thing indeed.

For like every other MAN's Man, he doesn't know how to emote his feelings,

Therefore he instructs me in the ways of being a man by ACTION instead,

We've shared so much happy adventures and memories as I was growing up,

From climbing the highest peak of South East Asia (Mt. Kinabalu),

to exploring the deep sea of West Coast Malaysia (The Isle of Tioman, Redang, Langkawi),

to learning how to ride horses together, or exploring the labyrinth of Chateau Du Versailles,

I've done it all.

And he's been there by my side all the way.

Da' & Us Posted by Hello


Dad,

I appreciate everything that u've done for me all this while,

and since I'm not good at emoting feelings as well (guess where I learnt that from?),

this card is a token of how much u mean to me.

Happy Father's Day, Pa !



From,
Ru

(Taken from the Father's Day card I gave today)

Saturday, June 18, 2005

My Guilty Pleasure

I've been too busy to type this out when it was supposed to go to press, but read it in the context of it being written the day before Star Wars Episode Three gets released for public consumption 'k.
---------------------------

I have something to confess.

Previous installments of this series (My Guilty Pleasure) has touched on my love of reality tv; my inexplicable affection for tv shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy & The O.C.; my lifelong dependence on geeky hobbies like comic books and Magic:the Gathering; my deep attraction to the cinematic artform....

Now... I have to confess.... to being....
C3PO Wannabe Posted by Hello


A Star Wars Geek !


As you can see from the picture above, my affair with Star Wars has been an ongoing one indeed. Being a child of the 80's, I was inundated with images from a long, long, time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.....

After weaning off the fork and spoons that my parents used to give to me as childhood playthings (they were a struggling young couple u see) I remember my first actual toy to be an X-Wing.


Boy was I glad to finally have a real toy.


I brought it everywhere I went and did everything with it. Watched Star Wars together, went out on walks together, slept with it clutched in my hand. I was basically a Star Wars kid growing up. ( I reckon u can guess that already from my C3PO pose up there).


Then when I hit 10 yrs old (or was it 9...my memory is failing me), one of my best friends from primary school had the jackpot. The mother of all booty for a Star Wars kids growing up:

A copy of all three Original Trilogy movies on VHS !

Being the manipulative, naughty kid that I was, I of course managed to *borrow* all three video cassettes from him and until this day, I have yet to return it to him. He still asks for it whenever we meet up this days (Sorry Radzif...I'll make it up to you by buying u a pirated copy of all 6 movies in one HUGE boxed set o.k. ? ) :-p



So there I was, the 10 yr old version of me, watching the Star Wars Original trilogy, day in, day out...until I could memorize every line and remember every scene (SUCH an unhealthy habit to have in retrospect, but hey...i WAS a KID after all)...much to the amazement of my kid friends at school.



Neways, my childhood fandom survived into adulthood and I must say, a shiver of excitement passes thru me whenever the thought of Star Wars runs through my mind.


George Luces however has been a money-making bustard and trampled & pissed on my childhood memories by making the Prequel Trilogy.


Episode One was a childish CGI train ride and was only saved by the best lightsaber duel in all 6 movies (Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon was superb!).

Episode Two was CGI overload again with too many droid battles that looked too fake to be move the viewers. And damn if he didn't paraphrase any Hindustani movies by including those *choke* lame romance scenes going on between Ani & Padme.

Both movies also spent TOO much time on political intrigues of Palpatine (Darth Sidious) instead of focusing on what jedi's know how to do best : kick ass and keep the galaxy peaceful.

I don't know how Episode Three will turn out, but dear God I hope Lucas has learnt his lesson and will make Episode Three the best installment out of the Prequel !

OT Triptych Posted by Hello

Revenge of the Sith Premiere

I was lucky enough to have contacts who has contacts with tickets to the first showing of Star Wars Episode Three in Malaysia to the public (12:01 AM, Wed night/Thurs morning).

SW Ep III Premiere Posted by Hello


So there I was pumped up as hell, not caring that I was going to have to be in the office tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM sharp.

This is it man.


24 years of being a lifelong fan and this is it.


The end of a journey.


The last Star Wars movie.


The last prequel.


The one that's gonna show how Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader. The one that charts the Jedi Council's downfall and the rise of the Sith. Emperor Palpatine's ascension and the destruction of the Galactic Republic as we know it.


But then I digress too much.


My main hope going into this premiere is:

PLEASE DON'T SUCK! PLEASE DON'T SUCK!! PLEASE DON'T SUCK!!!


*Enters movie theater with bated breath and a lifelong of expectations*
--------------------


Well....long story short...it was O.K. for a Prequel finale.


It's not the best out of all 6 Star Wars movies, but i would definitely rate it as the best out of all three Star Wars prequels.

On my first sitting, I have to say I can overlook the clunky dialogue here and there and focus on the superb action instead.

From the opening trail of the Alpha-versions of the Star Destroyers (reminiscent of Episode 4's opening trail) 'til the end with the duel on Mustafar between Obi-Wan and Anakin; I was entranced.


It hurt me inside when I realised the final good bye exchanged between Obi-Wan and Anakin at the space port before Obi-Wan left on a mission to hunt Grievious would be the last time they would part as friends.


The next time they would meet would be under different circumstances. On the planet Mustafar, one pitted against the other; to the death.


It was like watching a tragic accident and you as the viewer was powerless to stop it. All you could do was watch as the events unfolded slowly in front of your eyes in horrifying detail and clarity.

And my god...there was WOOKIES !

I nearly stood up in the cinema and bellowed out a Wookie War-cry myself (Arroooo!) when the Battle Leader came on screen and motivated his fellow wookies into battle with a resoundingly loud Wookie roar.

It was only the fact that I was watching the premiere with local celebs sitting in front of me (Linda Jasmine from Akademi Fantasia fame and Jeslina 'Britney Spears Malaysia' Hashim) that stopped me from acting out my inner geek.

There was less political wranglings by Palpatine, the Ani & Padme love scenes are STILL hammy and forced, but there was SHETLOADS of lightsaber duels this time around.

And Thank God (!) for the last 20 minutes of the movie.

Lucas ended the trilogy with a superb note by retro-actively making the scenes and set more in line with the Original trilogy. From the crappier technology and settings reminiscent to Lucas' budget in the 70's (the panels and computer screens looked SO fake and plastic) to that last shot of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen holding Baby Luke amongst the backdrop of the Tattoine farm and the twin sunsets.

It moved me so much and reminded me of tha first time we get to meet 19 yr old Luke in Episode Four, on the same farm, during a similiar twin-sunset looking of into the distance as though realising that his destiny is going to be far bigger than this dusty, arid planet.

Damn I can't wait to go see Episode III again...and again...and again !

Movie Review

I saw Episode III again for the second time around during the same time all the lil' people get to watch it for the first time. (Thursday, 19th May)



Episode III Posted by Hello


Despite already watching it early this morning, I can't help but a be a Star Wars geek and watch it again tonight.

Before I start on my review, a quick shout out to Ed, for driving me back home to Subang on time so I can catch my movie. Relax and take it easy the next time ur driving, girl... just 'cos u have me in the car doesn't mean u have to get all nervous and start swerving left, right, and center! ;-p


Back to the topic in question!

Dear God...how could I have been SO blind yesterday ??

Despite all the great action and lightsaber duels...it can't make up for ONE important fact:

George Lucas CAN'T write even if his life depended on it.

I was BORED to tears listening to the drivel that he passes off as dialogue. Every scene Padme Amidala had was BAD with a capital B. Natalie Portman's lines were SO bad that I cringed whenever her scene came up.

The worst was the following exchange b/w Ani & Padme:

Padme Amidala is combing her hair on the balcony of their Coruscant apartment as Anakin looks on from the shifting double-panelled glass doorway.

Ani: You look beautiful tonight.

Padme: Only because I'm SO in love with you.

Ani: *Smiles* No, no... I'M SO in love with you....

Followed by silence in the whole cinema theater as everyone pukes on themselves and a few desperate fans take a gun to their heads and press the trigger. God(!), suicide is preferrable compared to listening to this drivel which Lucas is attempting to pass off as dialogue !

Go get urself a woman Lucas so u'd learn how to speak to women better or enter into a scriptwriting class again to pick up the skills of writing effective dialogue !!

It's so SAD that good actors like Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson and Ewan McGregor had to make do with lines so crap that even their Oscar-worthy talents go to waste.

Ian McDiarmid however stole the show with his turn as Chancellor Palpatine / The Emperor.

Every line he spoke in that croaky, eerie, chilly voice of his was superb in my opinion and gave pathos and direction to an otherwise sadly lacking script.

If it wasn't for Ian McDiarmid's performance, the Wookies (Arrrooooo!!!), and the superb last 20 minutes....I would NOT have sat thru my second viewing of Episode III.

I take back what I said yesterday.

You can pay me no matter how much you want...and I would NOT want to sit through that movie again!

Sigh...I guess I still have the pirated copies of the Original Trilogy boxed set available the next time I wanna get some Star Wars fix for my addiction.

;-p

Friday, June 17, 2005

Much Better Than Buying Her Dinner

I'm really fcukin busy these days and for the forseeable future as well...so my blogposts in the next few weeks would be impersonal and just cut+paste from other sources.

Neways, here's the latest David Deangelo mailing I received:
-----------------------

I want to share an interesting story about a conversation I had this evening.

I was talking with, of all people, my MOM about the topic of "men paying for things for women" and it was fascinating to me to hear her perspective.

Without hesitation, she said that she believes that men should pay for everything, and if they really like a woman that they should SUPPORT her as well.

Of course, I burst out with "YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!"

After we shared a laugh, she said "No, I'm not kidding." And she wasn't kidding, either.

My own mother believes that it's just part of being a "gentleman and good suitor" to pay for dinners, gifts, and even shelter for the woman he desires.

I immediately replied with [paraphrased]: "This kind of sounds to me like you believe that men should pay women to give them attention, affection and sex." At this point I think she remembered that I write books about this kind of thing and she gave up.

But the thing that really got my attention was that she REALLY BELIEVES THAT MEN SHOULD PAY FOR EVERYTHING. IN FACT, SHE BELIEVES IT AT THE "WELL OF COURSE! THAT'S JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO" LEVEL!

Heavy man, heavy.

No wonder I was such a loser before with women.

OK, I love my mom and mean no disrespect towards her... But let's talk about the real world for a second. Here are a few things that I believe about how things work in general when it comes to women and dating:

1) People in general, MALE OR FEMALE intuitively know when they are being "pursued". As soon as we know that we have something that someone else wants, the price starts to go up. Economics 101.

2) When the price starts going up (translation: she realizes that you really like her and she starts playing hard to get, making you "prove" yourself, etc.) you start to LOSE CONTROL RAPIDLY.

3) When you lose control, you have a couple of basic ways you can respond:
A) Pursue her harder, giving her even MORE control OR
B) Giving up. (Neither of these options sounds very good to me.)

4) An alternative is to NEVER START GIVING UP CONTROL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

5) One way to do that is to stay away from things that put a woman into the "courting" mode of thinking and behavior.

6) Asking a woman to dinner and then buying is probably the absolute most certain way to put a woman in the state of mind that she is being "pursued" (with the possible exception of stalking her, which I strongly discourage).


By the way, I'm not opposed to the idea of buying dinner for a woman.

I'm opposed to the mindset that you put her into when you buy it. Make sense?

Before I tell you what to do instead, let me share what I'm thinking when I first meet an attractive woman (I like unusually beautiful women personally, so this might reflect a bit of a bias):

"She seems nice, but in my experience you never know what a person is like until you get to know them better. I'm willing to take the time to have a cup of tea with her to find out more." Get it?

I'M GOING TO GIVE HER THE CHANCE TO PROVE TO ME THAT SHE'S MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE.

I never think EVEN FOR A SECOND that I need to buy her dinner so she'll sit and talk to me.

No way.

Incidentally, or not so incidentally, having an attitude that you need something other than yourself in order for a woman to like you is UNATTRACTIVE to women. They can smell this kind of attitude and lack of self worth.

Bad, bad, bad. OK, so you get that I'm not real big on the idea of starting off paying for dinners and gifts.

"What should you do instead?" I thought you'd never ask...

Well, first off, if you ABSOLUTELY CAN'T HELP YOURSELF and you just HAVE to take a woman to dinner, at least frame it as "I want to go out to this favorite restaurant of mine, and if you'd like to go you're welcome to join me." Then if you decide to pay it can be something you were doing for yourself, and you were being POLITE by paying for hers.

If you do this, make it clear that you're there because you want to go there, and it's not to court her!

A much better idea is to be creative and avoid all of the things that scream "I'm willing to spend money to have your attention" (and therefore driving the price of that attention up).

Why not a walk in the park?

Going to an art show?

Going window shopping in an interesting part of town?

Taking her with you to run errands?

Taking her to a party that friends are throwing?

Here's a hint: DO SOMETHING THAT HAS INTERESTING CONVERSATION AND EXCITEMENT BUILT IN.

Sitting at a dinner table ALONE with someone that YOU DON'T KNOW is hardly "interesting conversation built in" anyway.

Think about it.

Take a moment right now and think of 10 things you could do with a woman that cost little or no money, but have all kinds of interesting conversation, adventure, excitement BUILT RIGHT IN. Then, just do some of those things!

Don't advertise the fact that you're not "taking her out to dinner", just DON'T DO IT.

Hey, this is great... you get to have fun, not look like a wuss, not put her in "courting" mode, and have interesting conversation built right in.

Added bonus: You save $$$. Nice.

What I'm really trying to say here is don't set up the idea that you're paying for her attention. Just don't do it.

By the way, I have no problem with the idea of having a woman cook for you. Just remember that if she does YOU NEED TO PLAY HARD TO GET!

Wait a minute; you NEED to do that anyway...
;-p

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Music to My Life

My life has changed eversince I bought an I Pod.


Now, wherever I go, I tend to have a theme music to my life.


Early in the morning I'm Rock & Roll to hype myself up for work.


Midday I'm Chillout techno or Classical music as my metabolism slows down.


After hours, I'm usually Latin Jazz or R&B as I work late into the night.


In between there's always the generic Hip Hop R&B and Pop music of course but buying an I Pod has forced me to explore my creative boundaries and taste other genres of music.


I've somehow learnt to appreciate other genres which I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole until only recently.


I guess as I mature, pre-fabricated rock, pop and rap tunes doesn't float my boat anymore.


Currently on my favourite playlist are Original Movie Soundtracks. (OST)


If you're the downloading-music kind, go to Bit Torrent or E-Mule and start d/l these superb OSTs : Ocean's Eleven & Twelve, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1 & 2.


They all source music from the 50's to the 70's right up to the 80's and I gotta say it's damn refreshing compared to today's same 'ol, same 'ol format-radio offerings.


I *feel* as if I'm in a bank heist myself when I'm cruising down the highway as the Ocean's 11 OST blares on in the background. And Quentin Tarantino sure does have an eclectic taste in music 'cos his OST has every genre and shuffling that feels like listening to a time warp.


Good times!


:-)

Sunday, June 12, 2005

David Deangelo : Love Guru

Okay....okay...I admit it.

I've harped a lot about this guy in the last few posts... TOO MUCH perhaps that it seems as tho' I can't talk about anything else.

Truthfully, it's 'cos AMAZINGLY his ideas works somehow or someway (I can tell this from personal experience 'cos i WAS a wussy UNTIL 3 mths ago) even tho' it sounds SO far out and illogical to us men who's been brought up by our mothers to be the *perfect gentleman* and make good husband candidates (in other words : emasculated men a.k.a EMO)

Neways, here's the LATEST word from the *Love Guru* himself : David Deangelo.
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If you listen to women talk about men, you'll often hear them use the word "ANNOYING" to describe certain men and certain things that some men DO.

Now, as you can probably guess, it's not usually a good thing when a woman uses this particular word to describe a guy...

And, as you can ALSO probably guess, when a woman uses this particular word, it's not usually about guys who she is ATTRACTED to (although this isn't always true).

Now, it's taken me a few years of paying attention to really get a handle on what women are talking about when they say "He's annoying" or "It's so annoying when he does that".

And guess what I realized was at the ROOT of women finding a guy or his behavior annoying?

IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS WUSSY BEHAVIOR!

AHHHH!

THINGS THAT ANNOY WOMEN...

Here are some of the things that many women consider to be "annoying":

- Calling her too often

- Telling her that you have "feelings" for her too early

- Giving away your power to her and making her the boss

- Always asking a woman what she wants instead of leading

- Acting submissive and weak

- Accepting her demands, bossy-ness, and manipulative requests

- Being her doormat and putting your own needs aside

"WHAT?" you say.

"HOW COULD THIS BE?"... you might be thinking.

How is it possible that demonstrating your affection for a woman by calling her, telling her how you feel, letting her make the decisions, and putting her first could be considered ANNOYING, of all things?

Well guess what?

IT IS.

Women, and ESPECIALLY the most ATTRACTIVE and desirable women usually consider the above things to be VERY annoying.

Of course, the reason for this is because no matter how good these kinds of behaviors seem on the surface, there's only one conclusion that can be drawn from them:

THE MAN DOING THEM IS A BONAFIDE, 100% CERTIFIABLE WUSSY!

AND WOMEN AREN'T ATTRACTED TO WUSSIES.

NEVER.

Now, do I really, really, REALLY mean that women are NEVER, EVER attracted to Wussies?

I mean, isn't that an over-generalization?

Nothing is always true, right?

Well, this one IS.

Actually, what I MEAN is...

As far as generalizations go, this particular one is as close to being true all the time as they get.

And just in case I haven't said this enough, let me say it one more time... just to make sure it's clear:

WOMEN AREN'T ATTRACTED TO WUSSIES.

So, now you understand why all of the "nice" things that you've done for women seem to always result in the woman pulling away.

It's because she finds your nice-guy "Wuss" behaviors to be ANNOYING.

AND IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE...

To further confuse things, you'll often hear a woman say something to the effect of...

"I want a STRONG guy who is also SENSITIVE..."

...or...

"He needs to have his own life, his own interests, and his own friends, but also be
totally focused on me..."

I see things like this in women's personal ads all the time. I'm sure you've seen things like this yourself.

Women often talk about wanting a combination of things in a man that just don't seem to fit...

So what's going on here?

Are women crazy? (Yes.) ;-p

But seriously, what are they talking about?

How is it that women seem to always talk about wanting men who have these qualities that don't fit together?

I know that I personally used to hear this stuff and then say to myself "OK, well I've got the sensitive part covered so I guess I need to start acting a little bit stronger".

I thought that maybe this came down to getting my lazy ass to the gym and working out. You know, to become "stronger".

No, I'm serious.

Well, here's the BIG REALIZATION that I had...

I've now realized that I had it all wrong.

Instead of thinking to myself that I was a nice, sensitive guy that needed to become a little stronger, what I really needed was to become a strong guy who could also act sensitive on occasion.

The difference seems almost like word-play, but it's not. NOT AT ALL.

You see, when a woman says that she wants a "strong guy who's also sensitive", that's what she MEANS.

She wants a guy who's STRONG. The sensitive part is far more "optional" than the STRONG part.

This is why women often date jerks and guys who are emotionally unavailable, and don't date us "nice guys" who would do anything for them.

Remember, ATTRACTION ISN'T A CHOICE.

Women do not sit down and make a list of the qualities that a particular guy has, then think it over for a few days, then DECIDE whether or not to FEEL ATTRACTION.

NO WAY.

It happens in an INSTANT, and it happens for all kinds of "illogical" reasons... reasons that even the woman who is feeling it can't usually describe.

So what's the answer here?

The answer here is to realize that many of the things you do when you're around women that you feel attracted to, are considered ANNOYING by those women.

You must understand that you sometimes have to do things that SEEM to be "inconsiderate" in order to give a woman what she REALLY wants (which is a man who is in control of himself, the situation, and often her).

Raise your right hand, and repeat after me...

"I will stop being a Wussy around women."

"I will stop being a Wussy around women."

"I will stop being a Wussy around women."

Stop doing things that say "I'm a Wussy", because those are the very things that women find ANNOYING.

And START doing the things that you're learning here.

Lean back. Act Cocky & Funny around women. Bust on them and give them a hard time. And LEAD the way, don't follow.

Now, one of the problems that a lot of guys run into is "putting together" different personality traits that don't seem to go together.

Women say that they want guys who are funny...but also strong.

Many of the things women SAY they want seem like they CONFLICT with each other.

What's a guy to do?

Well, THE FIRST thing a guy should do is learn what WORKS.

Not what SOUNDS like it might work.

Not what SHOULD work.

And not what is SUPPOSED to work.

LEARN WHAT WORKS.

I personally spent several years trying to figure out what "works". Why did it take me so long?

Because, as it turns out, I started out with a HUGE disadvantage.

And I'm not talking about a disadvantage like a big nose (which I have).

I'm talking about a disadvantage like BAD PROGRAMMING.

I had a "map" in my mind... of how I thought I should behave around women... and it turned out to be THE WRONG MAP.

The most frustrating part was that when I did the things that SHOULD work, they made women UN-interested.

It was as if the world wasn't working right.

I would be sweet and nice, and a woman would not want to talk to me.

I would call often and share my feelings with her, and she would fall for the rude jerk who could care less about treating her well.

Well, as you might already know, sometimes I'm a "glutton for punishment".

Translation: I stuck with it anyway. I kept trying to figure out what works... even though the things I was doing WEREN'T working.

The magic "breakthrough" came ONLY after I started making friends with and watching guys who were VERY successful with women... then putting what I knew about psychology and behavior together with the NEW stuff I was learning "in the field".

What I discovered was literally SHOCKING to me.

I can remember slapping myself on the forehead, shaking my noggin, and laughing to myself... as I watched some of my new friends who were good with women... doing things that just plain SHOULDN'T work... but that DID work.

Here's one of the lessons I learned:

BODY Language is MORE important than WORD language.

In fact, you can have the smoothest "pick up lines" in the world... but if you don't understand Body Language, the woman you're talking to CAN'T feel ATTRACTION for you.

Here's another one:

Doing "nice" things for a woman doesn't make her any more likely to feel ATTRACTION for you. In fact, most of these things BACKFIRE... and wind up pushing her AWAY.

Here's a third lesson I learned:

Even though "jerks" and "bad boys" don't treat women well, doesn't mean that women don't feel ATTRACTION for them.

In fact, women often report feeling INCREDIBLY attracted to these kinds of men... so powerfully, in fact, that they can't CONTROL these feelings...

As I was learning these interesting and "counter intuitive" lessons, I also began
documenting the specific things that the guys who were "naturals" with women did... in order to attract women.

One of my BIGGEST realizations was that literally ANY guy can attract women... if he just understands how ATTRACTION works.

And any guy can use the secrets that "jerks" and "bad boys" have discovered and used... WITHOUT being abusive or mean.

In fact, if you LEAVE OUT the meanness or abuse, a woman will be FAR more likely to STAY around.

Recently, I've released two educational programs that teach two very important aspects of how to attract women.

The first one is called "Body Language For Success With Women And Dating".

In this program, I will show you how to transform yourself from a "nice, sweet, annoying WUSSY" into a guy who women feel ATTRACTION for... by transforming your BODY
LANGUAGE alone.

Like I said, if you don't know how to use BODY LANGUAGE to communicate with and attract women, then the WORDS you say DON'T MATTER.

I want you to go right now and watch some video clips from this program HERE:

http://www.DoubleYourDatingProducts.com/e/10000/BodyLanguage/

The SECOND important program I've released recently is called "Cocky Comedy". In this program I, and my special guests, spend several hours teaching you how to master the technique that I like to call "Cocky & Funny".

This is one of the interesting SECRET techniques that the guys who are NATURALLY good with women use.

It's a special mix of humor and arrogance...that really switches on the "chemistry" with a woman.

There is no other program in the world like this one... and I'd like you to go and watch some of the preview video clips so you get the idea:

http://DoubleYourDatingAdvice.com/e/10000/CockyComedy/

Oh, and if you haven't taken the time to download my latest eBook "Attraction Isn't A Choice", then you really need to go and do that right now.

You can go and download it right now, and be reading it within a few minutes. Download it here:

http://www.DoubleYourDatingProducts.com/e/10000/AttractionBook/

I'll talk to you again soon.

Your Friend,

David D.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Why Women Test Men

Woah !

Being a wuss-bag all my life, it feels weird to finally "get it".

I now finally SEE a whole different level of communication that goes on between Men & Women.

And dammit if it doesn't make my day-to-day interactions MORE interesting !

I gotta say tho'...I'm STILL a ROOKIE at this *game* so I tend to make mistakes the first time around.(Don't worry honey, I'm a fast learner so look out, look out!)

Yesterday was a lesson in women and how they *test* men.

As I'm still learning how to communicate more effectively, I gotta admit I pretty much FAILED last night. BADLY.

I misread all the signal (glances,leading questions,attempts at making me jealous, etc.) and at the end of the night, I drove home alone while the lady ends up on someone else's arm.

Well...so much for that endeavour then...NEXT (!)

Bring on the women 'cos I'm relishing this experience! :-p

P.S. Here's something David DeAngelo covered on Testing.
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First of all, let's talk about the whole concept of "testing", and why women do it (and, more importantly, how to deal with it when it happens).

In a nutshell, "testing" is a woman's way of QUICKLY finding out a lot of information with a very small investment.

You must remember that beautiful women are being approached ALL THE TIME in one way or another... just about every man they meet tries to pick them up or come on to them.

Women can FEEL this happening, even before it actually starts.

Now, if a woman is "available", she must figure out a way to "separate the men from the boys" so to speak, and figure out if a particular man is going to be worth her time.

Enter the TEST.

Also, if an attractive woman is out on a date with a man, or having a phone conversation, etc. (or anything else that could be perceived as taking things to the next level) she must find out quickly whether this particular guy is:

1) Long-term relationship material
2) Short-term "affair" material
3) Friend material
4) Wuss material
5) The Gimp from Pulp Fiction

Keep in mind, a beautiful woman has LOTS of options.

She's being approached probably 100+ times a month with date offers, etc. and could never hope to spend even a small fraction of her time with all the men who are interested in her.

She must use TESTS to quickly cut to the chase and find out what a particular guy is REALLY all about.

Tests can take many forms.

Here are a few common ones:

1) Canceling plans with little notice, or flaking out entirely without notice

2) Asking for gifts or favors outright

3) Acting snotty, demanding, dramatic, or manipulative to see if you'll put up with it

4) Asking or telling you to change your behavior

5) Threatening to leave or take her attention and give it to someone else if you don't comply with her wishes

...and the list goes on.

As you already know, women often use more SUBTLE tests as well.

For instance, complaining that you don't answer her directly, to see if you will.

Or telling you that what you're doing is annoying to her. If a woman complains because you're being difficult, LAUGH. Pretend you're a bad little boy on the school playground, and you just pulled her hair... and she's upset with you...

What would the little boy do?

He'd laugh... and then snap her bra!

Keep things FUN. Don't let her change your direction or upset your mood.

You absolutely CANNOT turn into a Wuss and start explaining yourself.

There's ALWAYS a better way to do things.

For example...

Let's say you've decided that the woman you're talking to is really starting to get annoyed, and you want to give her a little chunk of info.

Instead of saying "Don't mind me", say "OK, I'm 27 years old, I work for an accounting firm, I pay my own rent, I wear socks that match, and I love my
mom... is that better? How boring is that?"

In other words, TELL HER what she wants to know, but say it in a sarcastic way that also says "Fine, you're boring and since you can't think of anything fun to talk about, I'll answer you... Brat".

Keep in mind... this whole style of communication is VERY different from what most guys do... and it's often surprising to a woman.

When she kicks and screams a bit, it's usually because she's genuinely surprised. But don't mistake her whining for REAL resistance.

If she actually gets upset and doesn't want to talk to you anymore just because you didn't answer her questions, and instead busted her balls a bit, then let her go. You learned something VERY valuable, and you didn't even have to marry her to learn it.

Also, when a woman starts resisting your evasive and humorous comments...

...LAUGH!

Have fun.

You need to learn to enjoy yourself during this process. Don't let this stuff get to you... which is NOT useful.

Often, a woman will test you by RESISTING you, or by telling you that "things are moving too fast" or even by asking you what your intentions are with her long term (when you've only known her a short while, and have no intentions of any kind).

What you need to do is SEE her bet, and then RAISE her.

Call her bluff, basically.

WOMEN LOVE THIS!

It INSTANTLY shifts the power from one side to the other, and totally changes the situation around.

*followed by sales pitch to buy his product*

P.S. I know, i know it sounds preachy and some of his ideas are pretty OUT THERE, but the guy DOES make a few valid point innit, ladies ? :-p

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

On Hiatus

Heyheyhey!
Hey peeps,

I'm sad to say this after putting up an effort to boost readership by increasing my blogging output to 3-4 times per week.

However work deadlines beckons and I doubt I'd be able to write much in the coming month.

So come back from time to time to check whether I'm still alive and keeping on blogging, but don't be mad if there's no updates for the near future.

Looks like real life is taking over and I need to unplug myself from the Matrix for awhile to focus on ensuring I succeed in this endeavour.

Will write to you when I have the time.

;-)