Why Keen?

October 26, 2006

ICT Day Two : Day at the Range, Leadership in the SAF

Spent the whole day at the range.

Interesting new format now, makes the whole shoot feel more like an arcade game. It just got harder to get Marksman now.

Anyway, got a call from Chye Kwang to tell me everything is smooth in office. Glad to know that everything is ok, even though Teck Yew is on leave too.

Just got home. Its 10.30pm by the time I reached. I stay within 15 mins bus ride away from the camp. I can’t imagine the others.

Tomorrow book in again at 7.00 a.m.

Anyway, I noticed something in the range opposite to ours today. Another company was having a shoot. A 2LT officer was arguing with a Staff Sergeant over something to do with ops.

Watching from a distance, of course, I could not really figure out what they were talking about. However, this triggered an insight I got from watching commanders lead in my years of the NS experience. Being of the rank of a corporal, I could, obviously, watch everything, and just pass judgement… but I have seen some really bad commanders in my NS cycle.

The kind of commander that totally sucks is a combination of

one who cannot say no to the superiors, and is “super siao on” at trying to impress

one who cannot admit that he does not have as much experience in certain areas as, say, a NCO, who could have been in service for more years than he, and could have a better approach to do things, or have an insight on situations.

The problem with this combination is that, on one hand, while trying to impress his superiors, he could fall flat on his face because he might not be realistic when setting a task, and his subordinates fail at achieving the unrealistic targets that he promised. On the other hand, he would also lose any respect that the subordinates originally had of him.

So? Complete failure…

Of course, in the Army, subordinates cannot leave his charge so easily, neither could they disobey his orders directly, so things would go on looking fine on the surface.

In the long run, the net result would be inefficiency. You would have people who cannot lead at all, in leadership positions. These people would not leave, since they know that they are inefficient, and would not survive in the real world. Instead, they would serve long and well in their positions and depend on their ranks to lead.

Result?

Inefficient SAF.
Fucked up person who will be ill equipped for the real world when age finally catches up and he has to leave the forces. His only skill? Managing people, which we know he can’t do very well anyway.

By the way, I am not really passing any judgement on such leaders. By the sixth one I meet, I have already gone past that. I just find it kind of sad?

There are a lot of personnel stuck in these kinds of position. The whole problem is… many of them might not even realise the truth, since they are sheltered by the system.

Thankfully its not like I am in the Army. It is much better in the ‘real world’.

October 25, 2006

"The Departed" VS "Infernal Affairs"

Infernal Affairs

I started out doing a review for “The Departed” … but I think any comparisons with “Infernal Affairs” would be inevitable, since I’ve watched both.

On its own, “The Departed” is a great movie. The movie is worth
S$8.00
Movies in Singapore are from a range of S$6.50 to S$9.00 depending on the day and time you watch it on.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, an Irish American who goes undercover into the Boston mob.

Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, groomed by Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello into becoming an informer for him.

Nicholson is a contained nuclear reactor as Costello. On the verge of blowing up, keeping the audience guessing as to when he is going to blow. This relationship keeps the tension on Costigan as he goes through close shave after close shave. Reminds me of The Joker in the original Batman movie.

In comparison with the Hong Kong original, “The Departed” departed on what drives the two main characters’ actions. The timeline is different, for one. This accounts for the difference since in the Infernal Affairs movie, both characters started going undercover at around the same time, and the movie starts at least 8-10 years after they’ve been undercover.

Leonardo DiCaprio was great at portraying the role of Costigan. Always in constant danger, his internal conflicts are barely below the surface. However at times, I am a little lost on what drives Costigan. Tony Leung’s character, the undercover cop, wants to be a cop… and faces an identity crisis, and internal conflict for not being able to say that he is one. He’s been in the triads for 9 years. And there are plenty of opportunities for him to show that he really wants to be a cop. Costigan has been undercover in the mafia, for over 2 years? And he wants to quit the force after that. It is a little difficult to empathise with Costigan’s pain.

Similarly for the role of the informer. I felt that the motives for Sullivan were too vaguely shown, and hence I could not really feel for the character. Matt Damon did a good job at whatever material he had, playing the two-faced character pretty well. But what the movie lacked, again, was what drives Sullivan? Andy Lau’s character was more well developed in that as the audience, throughout the film, you understand that he really wants to be a ‘good guy’ too, and had been forced to be in the position he is in.

It could be due to a difference between the American and Asian culture, but I would say that I derived more tension from Scorsese’s “The Departed”, because Boston is portrayed as a grittier, more violent place as compared to Hong Kong. The locations and sets the movie was filmed in was dirtier, granier, closer to reality.

Andrew Lau’s “Infernal Affairs” portrayed a less gritty Hong Kong, the locations and sets are cleaner, neater. The costumes and make up for the actors also leave a clean, cool feel on screen.

In my opinion, the latter allows the story to be told, whereas I found the grittiness a distraction in the former, especially in the dealing of the movie’s main characters.

It is just interesting that the same plot (most of the plot keypoints are there) can be treated with such a vast difference. So what we have here are essentially two movies, both great, and both worth watching for different reasons, however, if I have to make a choice, it will have to be “Infernal Affairs” on any given day.

October 25, 2006

ICT Day One

1313 hrs

Just hours into my ICT, and I remember why I hate this so much. Procedures and protocol… Time-wasting… Procedures and protocol… Time-wasting…

Very annoying.

I guess I will not be able to furnish too much details about my training, but i’ll do my best to give sketchy details without sensitive information.

Oh, and I might not be able to bring my pda into camp, so I don’t even know if I can even blog.

1922 hrs

Confirmed. Though the official word is sketchy at best, and the only certain order is that no CAMERA phones are allowed. In general, everyone gets jittery when I bring a pda into camp.

Bah… I shall do without one then. I shall do things the old way… pen and paper.

Anyway… long day tomorrow…

Range.

October 24, 2006

Death Note Movie Review

, the movie is based on a highly popular Japanese Manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata of the same name.

Good? Quite…
Worth
S$9.00
Movies in Singapore are from a range of S$6.50 to S$9.00 depending on the day and time you watch it on.

In order to enjoy this movie, you have to suspend your logic, and just enjoy the plot.

The story, in a nutshell, is about a note book, labelled ‘Death Note’. Death Notes (I can only assume there are many) are used by Death Gods (Shinigamis) (again, I assume there are more than one). If a name is written on it, the person whose name is on it shall die. The ‘Death Note’, comes with instructions rules on how to use it… in English…

Ermm… (like I said… suspend your logic…)

The book was dropped by a Shinigami, Ryuk, and intended for Raito (Light) Yagami to pick it up. He was skeptical about the book, but eventually uses it to start on a mission to cleanse all evil from the world as Kira, his alter-ego on the Internet.

L (Eru), an eccentric, top rated detective is the one who was tasked on the job to find Kira. There are other characters that come into the plot, like Light’s father, who happens to be the captain of the investigative team looking for Kira, Light’s girlfriend, L’s helper, and a cute teenage TV starlet Misa Amane, whom I suspect will have a major role in the following sequels.

Because I have not read the manga series, I am unable to compare between the two mediums, but I say that as a movie, Death Note was well made.

The movie starts with a high tempo, showing one mysterious death after another, then explaining the reason in flashbacks. The pacing for the plot was good, giving enough time for character building, and tension building. The use of silence, which I observed in many Japanese anime and films. as a tool story telling was not too excessive but was very effectively placed.

CG animation was not too excessive. According to my friend, the animation for the Shinigami Ryuk, was done exactly as how he was drawn in the manga series. Even his love of apples had been faithfully depicted.

Tatsuya Fujiwara was very convincing in the role of Light Yagami. Kenichi Matsuyama was also excellent as L. Portraying the odd quirks and mannerisms without over-acting must be a very difficult job. Supported by the rest of the cast, they have managed to make the incredible premise of the film, plausible, at least.

A sidenote… but I think Shunji Fujiwara, the actor in the role of L’s helper Watari, really looks like the late Singaporean comedian Wang Sa.

Without revealing the plot too much, I think the movie was very well made to have made me change allegiance within the duration of the movie.

The end of the movie is but the beginning of the next. So don’t expect the story to end with this one… this is only part one.

But I can’t wait for part two. It is slated to be released in November of this year. Don’t know when it will be released to Singapore, since the first one took 4 months to come, but I can’t wait… 🙂

October 22, 2006

Incredible Weekend

Pic from Far East Website
Spent an incredible weekend with Hwei Min at the Far East Plaza Service Apartments.

Had thought of having another barbeque at the balcony, but thought otherwise because we had a heavy buffet lunch at Goodwood Park Hotel with my parents.

Madeline and Tony came over to join us for a game of Cashflow 101. Tony chose to sit out of the game. While Madeline played with us, he took a nap. We played a standard two hour game, first half, and second half. Tried to explain the game mechanics, and the underlying implications to our everyday lives. I think she understands a little, but not too sure if she really got it.

Madeline said that we were two friends that Tony ‘approved’ of, and was willing to join us for a get-together. Quite a nice feeling, that.

I sincerely hope, and Hwei Min does too… that Tony would eventually be able to listen to some of the financial literacy stuff that we are talking about, and Madeline is just getting the hang of now. I think it is great that Madeline wants to find out, but it will be great if the both of them are in this together.

That’s one big reason why I love Hwei Min so much. She has her faults, she might falter a little in our path, heck, I do too sometimes. But we are both on the same path, and if what our friends say is true, this kind of partnership is worth millions.

We watched a total of two movies this weekend. “Deathnote”, and “The Departed”. I’ll be coming up with the reviews shortly, a little too much for the week. I will get down to the other two movies that I’ve watched soon. Watched “Rob-B-Hood” on Tuesday, and “Talladega Nights : The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” on Wednesday.

Note to myself … blog on the day things happen, not after!!!