Movie log: The Love Guru

The Love Guru (2008) - 2.5 stars

A mildly dissapointing Mike Myers effort

Phrase Of The Day

"When you think you can't, you can."

Movie log: Doomsday

Doomsday (2008) - 2.75 stars

The trailer gave me the impression that this was a cross between Resident Evil and Escape From New York. Post killer plague semi-futuristic Britain looks grim and dirty. Action sequences are good, quick, and gory. All in all, an entertaining movie.

Note: Star Trek alum Alexander Siddig stars as the British Prime Minister

Men's Health/Shape Magazine Run '08

After some work colleagues decided to drop out of the run (except Samantha), I got Mei Su & Soon Min aka Ethan to take up the empty spots and join the run. It's actually the first 'marathon' I've participated in.

5 kms is the distance in the 'fun run' category (with our runner's number starting with 'F'). Took me about a month plus in the gym training for this and it really paid off. I finished the course just below 30 mins and came in as one of the first twenty. =D

Freebies, 'super yummy' Milo in a truck, finishing the course in due time, and 1901 Hot Dogs as post running food made it a really fun morning.

I wonder when the next marathon thingy will be. :)

All the "F"-atty fun runners (including myself behind the camera) getting ready for the rolling start

Soon Min aka Ethan getting some facial tips from a Lab Series semi-dude

'Kaki Sampai Mati' of the Nokia Wireless Adventure 07 fame

Some tourists helping their bus driver by lifting a Proton Wira off the ground to avoid scraping the hell out of it. I believe it got dented anyway. (My car was metres away!)

Movie log: WALL.E

WALL.E (2008) - 3.25 stars

Cute tale about the Earth's near future and it's consequences

Pushmore Fitness Centre Boot Camp Day

My first ever boot camp score sheet. I got 2nd place! =)

http://www.pushmore.com.my

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What is Boot Camp?
BootCamp comprehensive fitness training program that runs for a period of 3 months with two or three workouts per week. Our class structure is based on simple yet effective functional movements aimed at improving and maximizing a participant's physical levels.

The program is intense but not impossible. Whether you are a seasoned exerciser or completely new, BootCamp will reveal you inner athlete, both physically and mentally. Be ready for amazing results!

What you can expect from a BootCamp class:

Total Fitness Workout: The class is structured to train and target every aspect of you fitness - cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. The workout will have a combination of gymnastics, weightlifting and metabolic conditioning. Your entire body will be challenged!
Comprehensive Coaching: Good movement equals good results. Our coaches will ensure that you are moving effectively and safely during the session.
Group Dynamics: Working out as a group has never been better. Motivate and support each other in the group as all of you journey towards your goals.
Scalability: Anyone can take part in the BootCamp class. The workouts and exercises are fully scalable to individual fitness capabilities.

Movie log: L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential (1997) - 4.5 stars

An intricate tale on crime, corruption, and glamour in America's 1950s era. A must-watch.

Movie log: The Mummy - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor

The Mummy - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008) - 2.25 stars

With high hopes came dissapointment. Lack of fun and grandness makes this entry only average. Maria Bello did a good job with Rachel Weisz's English accent but doesn't come close to the real character. Even Brendan Fraser seems tiresome.

Movie log: You Don't Mess With The Zohan

You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008) - 2.75 stars

A hit-and-miss slapstick Sandler summer fun :)

Movie log: Munich

Munich (2005) - 2.5 stars

I didn't enjoy this

Movie log: Evolusi KL Drift

Evolusi KL Drift (2008) - 2.25 stars

Cliche, lame characters, OK cars. The anticlimactic ending was a bigger buzzkill. At least it was entertaining.

Velvet Sky

My current fav pro-wrestling female. Velvet Sky of TNA Wrestling.

Weekend recap

Line of the weekend: "How many carats are those?" said Chermaine Poo while pointing to my earring

8)

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Friday Night - STYLO Singapore Grand Prix

The former 'STYLO' gang @ the STYLO Singapore Grand Prix thingy.

Sigh. Where's AhNeh, AH Yap, and Adri.

Saturday - Bleh~

Saturday was such a bummer. A failed attempt to the MTV Asia Awards and a cruddy night with the boys at the annual Kiara Jazz Fest. The night's main highlight was us singing 'With Or WIthout You' in the car whilst driving home.

Sunday - Late mass service /1Utama window shopping

After shopping at 1Utama, I found Kara mingling with her sister from Johor. :)

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Thinking of headin' to city centre next weekend. Hmm..

Movie log: Hellraiser - Hellworld

Hellraiser - Hellworld (2005) - 1.5 stars

Directed by the same guy who did the horrible one before this, 'Hellworld' is almost as bad and throws the original Hellraiser concept to the rubbish bin. The tagline states "Evil Goes Online". That in itself already tell what crap we're about to witness. Full of clichè scenes, characters and unnecesary nudity.

Trivia: The script was adapted from a treatment titled "Dark Can't Breathe," which was unrelated to the Hellraiser series.



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"Hellworld"'s lead actress Katheryn Winnick (top) shares a big resemblace to Gossip Girl's Blake Lively (bottom) don't you think?

Serving time, whether guilty or not

An interesting read.

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Serving time, whether guilty or not
by Desmond Ho

The legal maxim that one is innocent until proven guilty does not seem to favour foreign workers who have no relatives in Malaysia and who do not have the money to make bail.

I REMEMBER being intrigued with the phrase “the new poor” used by a Jesuit priest in one of his sharings with me. The new poor refer to those who are destitute, those with needs, those who are suffering.

They are the new poor because only recently are we recognising and beginning to be aware of their existence.

In reality, they have been poor for a long time. It is difficult for society to see and recognise them as the new poor due to the clichéd definition of being poor.

I am amused when friends want to contribute to charity for the poor and immediately think of the financially destitute but are oblivious to the new poor – the migrant workers that they meet every day, whether in the market or down the street.

The plights of migrant workers are numerous but I wish to highlight what may actually happen when a migrant worker is arrested and charged in court for a criminal offence.

The following is an account based on my personal experience in court. (Some particulars however have been changed to protect the migrant worker’s identity.)

Nguyen Thanh Dan (not his real name), a Vietnamese migrant worker, was arrested just after Chinese New Year in February over a fight that occurred in the middle of the night with some Indonesian migrant workers outside his employer’s apartment, where the workers resided, allegedly over some derogatory statements he made about them.

He was immediately charged under section 148 of the Penal Code for possessing weapons or missiles at a riot.

He claimed he was the victim as he was outnumbered and that he merely grabbed a stick to defend himself. He therefore pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. But he had no legal representation. He could not afford one on his meagre salary of RM450 a month.

His employer immediately terminated his employment contract despite him not having been convicted yet, and refused to pay the bail amount of RM5,000.

He has a dilemma at hand now. Either he remains in prison waiting for his trial to complete, which may take six months to a year before a decision is delivered, or plead guilty and leave his mitigated sentence at the mercy of the magistrate.

Even if he waits for his trial to complete and is found innocent and set free, he would have languished in prison and wasted months.

This scenario is all too familiar with lawyers assisting migrant workers charged in court for a criminal offence. That he is a migrant worker necessitates the magistrate imposing a high bail amount to ensure his appearance in court.

Yet the legal maxim that one is innocent until proven guilty does not seem to favour foreign workers who have no relatives in Malaysia and who do not have the money to make bail.

The further requirement of a Malaysian surety makes it even more difficult for him. This forces the unwilling migrant worker to remain in prison.

Therefore, there is the high possibility that even after he is found innocent after a full trial he would have already served six months to a year in prison waiting, which would have been his full sentence if he were found guilty at the end of the trial.

To add to his misery, time is not in his favour as there would be postponements of his trial due to the absence of material witnesses, or unforeseen circumstances.

Every time the trial is delayed, he waits agonisingly to be set free, not knowing he has already been effectively “sentenced” and is serving time. The difficulty of getting a foreign interpreter compounds the delay.

Hence, Malaysians should not so quickly forget the case of Nepalese worker Mangal Bahadur Gurung, who was wrongfully imprisoned in 2006 for 51 days and given one stroke of the rotan after having been mistakenly convicted of entering the country illegally.

For that, he was offered a paltry compensation of RM8,340 by the Government. He has since returned home to his old job as a trekking guide, but is reported to still suffer nightmares whenever he looks back on his days as a migrant worker here.

In fact, the migrant worker comes to work in Malaysia because he sees in this country a greener pasture where he can earn a better living, and hopefully send some money back home.

The unfortunate chance of being arrested and charged in court would effectively lead to the scenario of serving time before being sentenced, and paint a gloomy picture of our country.

I would agree that the migrant workers should go through the same legal system as Malaysians.

However, due to the circumstances that they are in, it is my sincere hope that Malaysians will be able to see and recognise migrant workers as the new poor and assist in any way possible.

When we Malaysians travel abroad to work, are we not also migrant workers susceptible to the laws of a foreign land, and pray for our disadvantages to be recognised, and for justice to be meted out accordingly?