Transformers Midnight Launch@ Forum Gallery

It's been one helluva night/ early morning launch party, with the hype and anticipation running high amongst fanboy and children alike at the official TRANSFORMERS MIDNIGHT LAUNCH @ FORUM Gallery Toys R Us. I must admit i'm pleasantly suprised to see, not the number of fellow collectors out there but their spouses who actually tagged along! pretty awesome IMHO to have a partner who actually supports your hobby!

that aside, the queue for this midnight launch was all the way from the fifth floor where the Toys R Us was situated till the basement level...sure was one long queue.

Best part of it all was the countdown. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2..1...

I do believe that Ken Moo is somewhere in this picture considering the fact that i've spotted myself in his video. on this link

Freezeframe 1.04min. Along the ''walkway'' I'm the bloke in white in front of the lady in red. and i'm luggin' my guitar and bagpack of guitar pedals.

wish i had met you Ken! would be awesome. Though i don't quite know how you look like =D

Tags were distributed accordingly in batches for crowd control, and when it was my turn to get the TAG, and get up the long awaited escalator! hallujuah baby! and yes, i'm no. 1 of my batch!

The $20 discount coupon that comes you get to use if you're a star card member or UOB member!

Hauled in 2 Leader class Optimus Primes and 1 Ironhide. The extra prime's for a Ken Cheong, who needed the favour because he couldn't turn up for the event.

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My parents swung by towards the end so i could hitch a ride (with all the bulky guitar and gear i brought along from my jam session) and also spend some quality family time with them after the event, with things pretty packed out for the week, i've sure got to balance work, study, play and family time together....

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Best of all, i met a fellow collector, Stephen aka Stephenus Prime, whom came up to me at the entrance to Toys R Us when i was about to leave after completing my haul of the week. i've spoken to him a number of times online, but never met in person. And it truly is a pleasure to finally meet you in person bro, i do hope we do meet again, then we could perhaps go to LIM KOPI like you said!

and congrats on your huge haul which costed a bomb and do post up your pictures too!!!

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in total i spent $231.70 on my haul today, and i'm sure it would last me a long time. ( wallets have a rather slow regeneration time) up till the release of REVENGE OF THE FALLEN!

i would review my haul asap, but now, its time for me to hit the sack. 4.20am and i'm tired from all the fun and action.

Terminator Salvation: Movie Review Coming Soon

Caught Terminator Salvation yesterday, and will post a review of it by 2am tomorrow, because i'd be geekin' out at forum gallery's transformers launch.

must add that i was a tad dissapointed in the film. strong introduction, weak and flimsy end. been having high hopes of it being the geekdom film of the year.

now i guess Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be the fanboy film of the year...

Transformers Midnight Launch@ Toys R Us

If you didn't know yet....

yes folks, transformers midnight launch on 30th May, 12.01am, basically a minute past friday night and a minute into saturday morning. =D

see you all there!

My Prediction for Terminator: Salvation

With Terminator Salvation already hitting silver screens in america, it's pretty antagonizing that asia has to wait for it to reach us one week later. Not to mention, most would have already reviewed the film, which is an additional excruciating factor to resist reading.

though i peeked at a few reviews online doing my best to force and peel my eyes away from potentially plot spoilers and just reading the comments only.

to my disappointment, the reviews going about online have been rather poor, and mostly stating that terminator salvation has fallen below the expectations set and being unable to substantiate the substance for it's over the top effects.

i was hoping that it'd get some huge critically acclaimed mention so it'd hype me up further. though it wont' dampen my spirit to watch this film i've waited *god knows how many years* long. T3 was a huge joke of a movie by the way. Hopefully T:S does better. I wont' judge it till i've watched it that's as far as i'd say. but i do hope this film lives up to my expectations! god....its THE movie event of the year for me and i'd hate for it to sink...

in the meantime i'm pretty preoccupied with things i'm doing though i still do my best to check out forums for updates on when Hot Toy's terminator figs will hit us. Heard it's out in HK already.

and as a spoiler: t-800 is featured in the film (above) and hot toys did display a t-800 figure as part of the T:S figure releases line up at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, perhaps that'd be our 5th figure. Marcus wright and helena bonaham carter's character are terminators...and they used to be human...Arnie is back (digitally)...and bale's performance was said to be somewhat dry and one dimensional? (hopefully not when i watch it)

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown Album Review

Album Cover

Track Listing
CD art
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Originally meant for this post to be up by Friday, 15th May 09' but with unforseen schedule clashes in the teaching schedule @ Marymount Convent Primary, had me scurrying around rearranging timeslots, timetables etc. And now, to the long awaited review of Green Day's highly anticipated Album, also MTV's artist of the month! 21st Century Breakdown.

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For starters, this isn't your regular ''Green Day'' album. It ain't no American Idiot, ain't no Dookie, Kerplunk or anything you've heard before. This is one album where Green Day stretches its repertoire of fast beating good ol' school rock & roll for more melodious tunes and dramatically poetic lyrics.

Yes, expect to be pleasantly surpised or dissapointed fans, as Green Day take a twist with Stadium rockish vocals and mass hand waving sing-a-long styled songs, for example, Last Night On Earth. And for the first time, you will be able to distinctively hear piano intros in these Green Day songs. While not all a bad thing, it is somewhat new approach and most would still be grasping the concept with the change in tune or rather genre as Green Day moves past their American Idiot success.

The album is divided into 3 acts, Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, Horseshoes and Handgrenades, and follows two antagonists, Gloria and Christian, through the struggles of coping with the ongoing chaos of the world around them which they're living in.

While in my honest opinion, 21st Century Breakdown is a breakaway of Green Day from sounds which they're very distinctively know for, it is a refreshing turn as the lyrics wrench out the most poetic styles as yet seen by Green Day. With a distinctive line that goes

'' Oh dream, America dream.

Can't leave and see from rainstorms 'til dawn.

Oh bleed, America bleed.

Believe what you read from heroes and cons"

Whilst relatively mild in terms of politically fused rock as opposed to American Idiot, it still does contain lines and references to songs they've done before, songs like American Idiot are mildly referenced with respect to the previous president, and working class hero is referred in the song "21st Century Breakdown"...

the more definitve and distinct Green Day sounds are still around, in songs like ¡Viva La Gloria! and East Jesus Nowhere, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Fast, raw and punchy. most definitely songs most would be able to relate to.

Diehard Green Day fans would be able to distinct nips and bits of their previous ''experimental sounds'' put into play from their previous band projects like THE NETWORK and THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS. New wave sounds and 60's style recordings before songs seen in those experiment albums can be found in songs such as East Jesus Nowhere (radio background noises etc 60's style intro) seen in Foxoboro hot tubs songs, and in Christian's Inferno by the distorted screaming styles from The Network.

All in all, this album experimental as it may sound, would be a staple for musicians and listeners around and has the lyrical depth for all to sink their teeth into. While it may not be on par as that of American Idiot, it still never fails to deliver the punchline at every end of curtain call. Green Day while they didn't deliver the album we hoped or expected, sure did pitch us one helluvan album to keep us pacified for a long time to come.

in the meantime i'm headthumpin' to horseshoes and handgrenades and lighter waving' over Last night on Earth. 5 years for this album, and i'm sure as hell gonna devour it. Now i wonder how long they'd take for the next album. Another 5?

p.s. this album's 18 songs long....

Haul of the Day: Hot Toys Men's Suits

Been so busy of late and could only collect this on tuesday night. Will bash Tony when the narrowed shoulders come around!

Haul of the Day: Green Day's Official Merchandise

My latest haul @ HMV citylink mall.

Hauled it in at $39.95 as it just hit shelves today. Green Day's Official Merhandised Shirt. Featuring the artwork off Know Your Enemy, the first single off Green Day's latest album 21st Century Breakdown.

Will update with pictures of the shirt when it gets out from washing...