The Passing of a Pop Icon: Michael Jackson, An Eulogy

An Eulogy: Michael Jackson

29th August 1958 - 25th June 2009

Today marks a passing of one of history's most indelible Pop Culture Icons, Michael Jackson.

For four decades, he has entertained the world. Be it his adorable youthful voice as a child singer in Jackson Five, or his solo career with the unforgettable trademark moves, from the moonwalk in Billie Jean to the gravity defying leans in Smooth Criminal, to the distinct screams and yowls peppering his songs.

Rightly dubbed the ''King of Pop'', having hit multiple platinums for his hit singles and albums, and snagging 13 grammies, having being awarded 7 in one year. And not to mention, being honored at the Hollywood walk of Fame twice. These are proof enough of the impact he has made in his 50 years in this world.

and through his work, he has broken racial barriers for other fellow artists into the music industry and inspired generations to come.

with relation to that, i remember fondly the times where i would groove to the catchy tunes of 'beat it' and 'black or white', amongst many others. These two songs are distinctively a part of my memory, having grown up listening to them, recalling the youthful defiance McCaulay Culkin in the music video of ''Black or White'' to the sheer cool dance moves of ''Beat it'' and how he actually managed to make a shirt with a piano keyboard print actually look cool. (having grown up playing the piano since childhood, i never thought it would actually be cool playing the piano till i saw Michael Jackson wearing that shirt in Beat It )

and years later, i still must confess that his music has been a great influence to me still, with me playing BEAT IT instrumentally as a soundcheck during both my practice and stage performances with my band. Whilst the english language falls short to describe the riffs and solos of that song, i will say, his legacy will carry on strong, for generations to come.


and with that I end my personal eulogy to Michael Jackson. Thank you for all that you have given this world.

Rest In Peace


With Regards,
Joshua Lim

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Review & Exclusive Figure

Caught Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen today. And i must say, this movie is a must for those who love the franchise/toy and or cartoon, and also those who're just hanging around for the movie kicks.

i feel strongly that this show was based on a fast paced, dynamic action movie, with extremely breathtaking aesthetic graphics, namely the robots be it autobots or decepticons. Though i must add that whilst this year boosts a hell lot of heavyweight titles in terms of franchises and movies, as yet they've all been pretty much action movie no brainers. Apart from Watchmen perhaps?

there a a few plotholes or rather small questions left unanswered likewise with the first film but i doubt one would pick on such nitty gritty details when the film just blows you away in terms of visual appeal. From frame to frame, be prepared to be wowed at the COOL FACTOR of the robots. Transforming, to fighting to dying to disguising. Loved the cinematic dramatising of Optimus' defeat and (PLOT SPOILER, HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW) -DEATH. but he gets resurrected- Spoilers end here.

There is a general plot ongoing though, this film drives hard on its action and i'd give it a 5/5 star rating with consideration that one watches it solely to be entertained, action, big explosions, visual appeal and plain geek fandom! It's a one of the better films by far to hit the box office so far, with Terminator Salvation being a huge downer.

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That aside, i've got a nice figure for you to peek.

just get the popcorn and drink combo and you'd get to choose one of three 3' inch figures, of Optimus Prime, Megatron or Bumblebee. Looks pretty sweet IMHO. though the combo special comes at a stiffling price of $9.90... and i got it mainly for this figure...

whisking this figure off to my shelve display!

that aside the plastic cup for the drink is reusable, and has a very nice design of transformer's Optimus on it. Will feature it here when i've scrubbed it clean.

Hot Toys Announcement Updates - X-Men Origins Wolverine & Marcus Wright Improved Headsculpt

After a much anticipated wait, Hot Toys has finally unveiled their next blockbuster product lineup, X-Men Origins: Wolverine figure...namely, the titicular character...

However hyped i am, i must admit i'm not impressed, YET. The Hugh Jackman likeness has a long way to go to look like him. Not a fan of the hair sculpt either, though the clothes look rather fantastic. But knowing HOT TOYS, they'd soon announce a new and improved headscupt so i wont ' worry much.

On another note, Sam Worthington's likeness here as Marcus Wright is now finally, SPOT ON! The jaw to the nose and ears now resemble the iconic Terminator he played in Terminator Salvation, though i honestly missed the intense stare he had from the first sculpt.

To note, they also improved his hairsculpt which is growing on me slowly, wasn't really blown away by it at first but now, its looks better the longer i stare at it. ( self comforting )

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that aside, Iron Man Mark I is due to hit stores end June, and boy...i sure am broke.

as yet my preorders are as follows

T-600 Endoskeleton

John Connor

Marcus Wright

DX-Joker

Chris Redfield

Sheva Alomar

may have to pass on the Resident Evil line to get the other figures i am also interested in, namely

Mark I Iron Man
Dutch Schaffener
John Connor 2nd Variant
T-600 with rubber facemask

but with so many variants to keep up with, there would come a point that i have to choose between one. And hell, this year sure is one helluva year for collectors. With multiple lines being announced and churned, and not just that, Terminator Salvation's packing a truckload of figures to collect. Making this year awesome, and terribly expensive.

though i predict the yet unannounced figures that i'm interested which will soon grace the shelves of Hot Toys are

Rorschach of Watchmen
Wolverine
Deadpool
DX batman

now i ponder on what we'd have next year.

Hot Toys Terminator Salvation T-700 Endoskeleton

Finally got around opening this figure and taking him out.

as you can see, Hot Toys has changed its standard use of cardboard boxes to house figures and went for a stylised styrofoam instead. For the whole rough metallic look. Aesthetically pleasing though i must say it would be a pain to upkeep in the long run.

Front Design on styrofoam. Reminiscent of the endo's chest plate.

and the back, that of the spinal column.

Incredible detailing and shoulder plates which can be opened to peer into the wires and intricate servos/hydrolics

The endo with its diorama stand.

Picked up my predator last week and will feature it up soon, when i do take it out of the box.

Green Day's 21 Guns Music Video

Green Day's 2nd music single, 21 Guns is officially out as of 22nd June 12am.

though its still yet to be released around our region, with sufficient digging, i've come up with this link to the video.

http://www.nme.com/home

its under the featured videos of the week. Enjoy

Hot Toys T-600 with rubberized facial mask

as yet pictures from TOYSDAILY.

the T-600 with rubberized facial mask...

T-600 Infiltrator Unit rubberized face mask and ripped human clothing.

As yet the circulating pictures of a probable release of the T-600 infiltrator unit. Having a screentime of under 3 minutes, its a marvel they're making it into a toy. Not that it won't be good or something, but the rate Hot Toys are churning out toys from the same licence, and how they don't announce these things till customers have ordered the earlier annoucements, does make the whole experience rather fouled up.

just like the whole batman and rerelease for a DX version ''hooha''...or say the joker DX release hooha.

can't trust a toy company that's out to make the most of a licence to play it straight and at least give consumers the benefit of knowing what's coming up in the line, to allow us a chance to choose the better of the two similiar products. this whole ''delaying of announcements till customers have ordered'' tactic before unveiling a somewhat similiar variant is just plaintively low and cheap. point of a variety is to allow freedom of choice. Seems like collecting is now mainly for the completists. Hot Toys seem to force collects down that expensive route.

and in case you don't yet know, there's also gonna be a John Connor variant. no difference in the headsculpt as far as i'm aware.

hell and when they're done with this, why don't they just throw in a DX marcus...? go ahead and milk the damn fucking licence...and suck us dry.

New Updated Headsculpt of Marcus Wright

I still can't quite make out the likness of Sam Worthington from this picture, and i shan't judge just yet till they get different angled shots of this new headsculpt. Kudos to Wookster over at Mediworld Forums for the picture.

meanwhile i've run completely, yes, COMPLETELY dry on resources and funds after spending on Jack bauer, T-700 and Predator this year, so far. but at least it leaves me with the following left on my list

-Marcus Wright

-John Connor

-T-600

-DX Joker

-Sheva Alomar

-Chris Redfield

and yeah its a stretch for 6 toys when you're broke, meanwhile i'm drooling and at the same time regretting over cancelling my preorder for DUTCH. looks damn fine IMHO from all the pictures i've seen.

pictures of t700 are coming...

Haul of the Month...(Great Singapore Sale)

As promised, here goes my Hauls thus far. The Great Singapore sale truly encourages consumers to spend and keeping the cycle of cashflow in the economy moving. With that, i've taken the liberty to actually SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! broke!!!!

Be it toys, accessories, fashion here they all go!

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on the top of the shelve, yet to be reviewed and opened....

zooming in....the T-700 Endoskeleton

The Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown Official T-shirt i bought off HMV @ $39.90

Love the whole design and graffiti feel.

My midnight haul from Toys R Us @ Forum Gallery..

its pretty awesome to tilt his head back and hear him go ''I AM OPTIMUS PRIME!!!'' lights up too!!!

Ironhide

ELECTRIC shades that i hauled for $239. Pretty good coverage from the sun considering its wide lens, shielding the harmful rays and enclosing the sides and cheeks. The model's Killowatt. And its polarized too! helps block off not only direct UV rays but also rays from reflected surfaces!

And after much researching, considering, price hunting, model hunting and patience...i got myself a digital watch from G-Shock. A new change from my usual dress watches from Omega, Longines, or the functional and yet durable Swiss Army.

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I had always wanted a digital watch since i was young, as i only had analog watches all my life. And with the sports that i take up and rough tough tumbling that my previous watches had endured through my biking trips, snowboarding trips, etc the logical option now was to find something tough, durable and one that packed as much functions as possible.

Be it rain or shine, mud, dirt or swimming by the east coast, fishing to snowboard, i needn't fret about dirting my watch's strap or causing it to rot ( previous watches had leather straps which stank after drenching, was a pain to clean, cost alot to replace) And now i needn't worry about battery replacement either.

Packed in a flashy box, encased in a metal tin, and surrounded with foam. Sweet.

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Inspired by those who challenge high altitudes, the G-Shock RISEMAN features a unique three-layer structured twin sensor to measure altitude, barometric pressure as well as temperature. Add in solar power and atomic timekeeping technology and you’ve got non-stop, self-adjusting performance that is the RISEMAN.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Hourly Time Signal
Auto-Calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099)
Daily Alarm 5 (1 with snooze)
Thermometer
Module 3147
Memory 20 records
Atomic Timekeeping (US, UK, Germany, Japan, China)
Battery 9 months on full charge (without further exposure to light)
Power Saving Function
Countdown Timer
Shock Resist
Backlight Auto EL Backlight with Afterglow
Water Resistant Up to 200M
12/24-Hour Formats
Accuracy +/-15 seconds per month (with no signal calibration)
Time Zone 29 times zones (33 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off
World Time
Battery Power Indicator
Stopwatch 1/100 second
Atomic Timekeeping (US, UK, Germany, Japan, China)
Altimeter
Thermometer
Water Resistant Up to 200M
Backlight Auto EL Backlight with Afterglow
Countdown Timer
Stopwatch 1/100 second
Auto-Calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099)
Daily Alarm 5 (1 with snooze)
Module 3147
Battery 9 months on full charge (without further exposure to light)
Power Saving Function
Solar Powered
Shock Resist
12/24-Hour Formats
Accuracy +/-15 seconds per month (with no signal calibration)
Time Zone 29 times zones (33 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off
World Time
Battery Power Indicator

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I tried to write out its functions but it was way too many so i just nicked this all right off the official G-shock site.

looks pretty good worn and i simply love it. though i have yet to learn how to use all of its functions. Was originally going for $289. The Great Singapore Sale has helped alleviate the burn on my pocket for this watch, got to check my NETS receipt to check the final price.

Got RISK: Reinvention from Takashimaya today. Was going for $49.90 after its 20% discount and came with a promotional gift of Game of Life Express, only @ Taka. Was going round toys r us and paragon to find the best deals before settling to purchase from Taka. The Great Singapore Sale truly gives consumers a good chance to haul in stuff at a good price.

had been hooked to this game since playing it at the Library's Pavillion with my friends. World domination never was this fun before.

Game of life set inculdes: Dice, score sheets, and a rulebook all in a nicely packed container

Updates on upcoming posts

Been hauling alot of figures of late, from ROTF during the opening launch, to HOT TOYS' T-700 which just arrived in TFH yesterday. Got myself a few other stuff along the week and will be posting up my week's haul in the next post, when i get back later.

As for now, i'm just trying to calm and centre my nerves for a gig at 3pm later.
it's gonna be one helluva ride and boy i'm glad for this opportunity.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

A good dose of something that reminds me of my roots, and its highly infectious to non Star Wars fans, and also alluring to light side users.

Caution before proceeding.


I compare its awesomeness to be better than both trilogies by a gazillion times. WoW fanboys, MMORPG lovers, behold the power of the DARK SIDE....

Splinter Cell: Conviction

With this being the fifth title off Ubisoft's Iconic Splinter Cell series, expectations and hopes run high for this instalment.

Having being stuck in some sort of development hell, as it was being scheduled for release in 2007, and i had been waiting since then till now, it's a sigh of relief that it's going to be out finally.
what i found most pleasing was the fact that Sam Fisher has evolved and grown as a character through the series and years, from one who takes orders without questions through his subdermals and executes his orders, to a gradual lingering moral conflict. where he upholds his morality and struggles to do his job for his country. And often seen were his sacarstic and ironic humor used in dialogue, on deeper insight, a way for Sam Fisher to maintain his stress.


Now with no holds barred, and having left the NSA, he is now a fugitive and renegade by all means, having ended the last instalment's Double Agent as a convict and fugitive working for the terrorist, which was part of a cover he was supposed to keep being a splinter cell. One which only his handler, lambert, knew.


Sam Fisher is out for revenge and justice beyond one that the system that keeps this country running can satiate. he is out for blood. With nothing to lose, and no orders to take but his own. Hell, Sam Fisher's gonna be one kickass of a character.

oh, and watching the trailer, the moves and character development of fisher since the last instalment, he sure reminds me of good old jack bauer, with the interrogation methods, killing styles and all...only more lethal and agile. And one thing to note, Sam ain't that calm no more, he's pissed, and bad ass! Three cheers to that!


links to the gameplay video here.

http://splintercell.uk.ubi.com/conviction/#/gameplay_reveal_video/

Hot Toys Terminator Salvation: Endoskeleton T-600 (Martin Laing Signature Version)

The conceptual art realization of Terminator Salvation's T-600 Endoskeleton. Seems pretty much the same endoskeleton to the movie version, apart from its somewhat different shoulderblades and absence of a ammunition bagpack. The gattling cannon is held differently and slightly bigger too.

seems an unneccessary variant to milk the license really....

but still looks awesome IMHO...

base comes with some really nice t600 skulls...like a factory line tray..

Singapore Art Museum's Toy Carnival

Singapore Art Museum will be holding its first Toy Carnival Event on the 5th of July 09'


and with singapore's 501st garrison of stormtroopers, SGcollect, MovieMania, and many other forums of collectors, fanboys, etc participating in this event, it sure would be one to catch.

well, i'd await eagerly for this event to come...



you can head down to the official website of S.A.M by clicking the banner.



kudos to TFH for the mail updates on this event.

Hot Toys Watchmen Teaser: Silk Spectre II

What can i say, holy $%^&, with so many lines and hot toys busy churning out all the lines, i was crestfallen when they didn't announce WATCHMEN past their hints. And boy i am glad now they dropped the bombshell on us collectors with Silk Spectre, and hell, i was pretty dubious seeing the thumbnail of the picture till i opened it, and it sure looks real.

keeping' my fingers crossed for a Rorschach... Please Rorschach!!!!!!!!!! i want, need, crave, for a Rorschach 12' inch by hot toys.

The Falcon's Hanger Upgraded E-Shop

i'm not quite sure if fellow collectors based in SG are yet aware, but TFH has just upgraded their services to serve us better with their new online E-shop.

pretty cool.

Just follow the link to preview it...http://eshop.tfh.com.sg/index.php