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DianaTan.net Weblog on Diana’s musings, rants, photos and more




Mamma Mia (2008)

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary, Entertainment, YouTube Saturday Sep 27,2008

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Mamma Mia! Does the mention of anything Abba send you cringing to a corner? Or are you already joining in and dancing on the tabletops? Maybe another few drinks . . .

In short, if you are not allergic to Abba, book your tickets now. If you are, why would you be reading this? At a pinch, it is worth seeing for Meryl Streep alone, who not only throws herself headlong into every refrain with unashamed gusto, but adds a touch of class and nuance to what otherwise could be a one-dimensional adaptation. Streep vacillates engagingly between playing herself and not taking herself too seriously. Pierce Brosnan just about keeps up, and manages more expressions than he ever did as James Bond. Colin Firth and Julie Waters trail behind somewhat. Yet Mama Mia! is a roller coaster of emotion, careering colourfully from the blue waters of the Adriatic, bursting ‘like Aphrodite’s Fountain’ into the lives of Donna (Meryl) , her lovers and friends, and her soon-to-be-wed daughter. It is the party spirit that says kick your shoes off and sing silly cheesy songs. Altogether now.

And yes – there’s a story. Donna’s daughter Sophie is getting married. To the buff-looking Sky. Only – where’s her dad? She’s never met him. A sneak-peek at Mom’s diary shows Mom had three lovers before Sophie was born and Sophie secretly invites all of them. This is a film of threesomes. Three past lovers (Sam, Bill and Harry). Three close friends (Donna and two best pals). And, not to be outdone, Sophie meets up with two other young girls at the start of the film.

The breakneck pace still allows for brilliantly put together shots. Like Streep doing a ‘Titanic’ with drapes blowing in the wind. Or a pier-load of young hunky stag night crew doing a dance in trunks and deep-dive flippers. Moonlit boats and beaches to “I Have a Dream.” Filmed on location, the views won’t disappoint. And like a favourite song whose ending we know, the drama is in the details and execution.

I am of a generation that can remember Abba-mania. The records would shoot to number one. Yet even then few people would admit to buying them. I used to manage a night club, and Abba was great music to ask a girl up to dance. My entire chat-up repertoire at that time consisted of, “Would you like to dance?” and “Do you want to come back for a coffee?” But girls would be so happy dancing to Mamma Mia they’d say yes anyway. I’d fall in love with a new girl each week. Ah, those were the days! Now there’s a new generation of Abba fans who have no need to ‘come out of a closet’. Abba is retro-chique. Even Madonna segued an Abba riff into one of her songs. From karaoke to hen nights. From ’70s’ nights to gay dance-floors. Dress up. Camp it up. Sing it up. Get sassy and cheesy. Or, if you’re old enough to remember, fly back in time to wonderful memories.

Mamma Mia!, whatever detractors might say, has been one of the most successful stage shows of recent times. Supported by the same director and original band members, the movie may well reach the similar fan bases. Or just the party spirit in all of us.


Busy with Work

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary Tuesday Sep 23,2008

Today, I woke up early at 6:00am to check on my emails and company emails. Each day, I have several emails on work opportunities plus replying company mails. I guess I am addicted to the computer. I also emailed out several company quotations this morning after doing the calculations. Just yesterday, I had to draw a recreation park for a client in Penang using Autocad Architectural Desktop 2005. I had to use this old version as it comes with 3 CDs which I only know how to install. If you give me newer Autocad versions, there may be new steps and new sub programs to install before it can execute properly. The important thing is that I can deliver a computer drawing regardless of the Autocad versions. And it runs without problems with Windows XP.


Windows XP is more stable than Vista

Author: Diana | Filed under: Rants Tuesday Sep 16,2008

I am using Windows XP on my desktop and Windows Vista on my new laptop. After 2 months, I still prefer Windows XP as my operating system as I can also install other applications like Autocad Architectural Desktop 2005, WS-FTP, WinZip plus a host of other programs which I cannot install using Windows Vista. In fact, installing such programs gave me some problems with Vista. Though Vista is newer with better graphics, it can only run on newer high end computers and yet it is not as robust as Windows XP. My only guess is that whoever programmed Vista, did a hurried job without checking all the functionalities and stability of the previous OS like Windows XP and there are many bugs that come with Vista. In the name of making more money and ‘improvement’, Vista is very much worse off than Windows XP and I will continue to use XP for a long time.


Cutting Corners

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary Tuesday Sep 9,2008

With the spiralling price of fuel and food, people are tightening their belts and cutting corners to face the challenges of increasing cost of living every day. Gone are the days when I buy things impromptu without bargaining much. Now I have to watch my spendings which amount to zilch each month from now onwards. I have whatever I need and more would be an excess. I don’t need extra space to keep the excess stuffs. My cupboard is already full of my clothes which I only wear a favourite few leaving the rest almost untouch. And to have more funds for my retirement, I am planning to sell of things that I hardly used.


Today is Merdeka Day

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary Sunday Aug 31,2008

Today is the 51st anniversary of Merdeka. We have been independant for 51 years. We have seen progress in terms of more mosques being built and Malays getting richer by the day while the Chinese and other races are left out in taking a slice of the cake. Our own churches have to be self funded while the government spent public money to built big mosques for their own kind. We are governed by a racist government who promotes the well being of their own race calling themselves bumiputeras while marginalising other races as Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew mentioned. The Chinese are marginalized because they are hard working, diligent and rich. The only hope for our non-Malay kids is to send them overseas as there are hardly any place in the local universities for them. But then, not everyone has the financial means to send their kids overseas for studies. Even I had to take a bank loan to finance my tertiary studies in Singapore for 4 years. Not smart enough for a scholarship then.


scan on the go

There is a software or identity theft protection card that protects your computer from adware, viruses, etc. It has won an award recently as shown above. Just click on the embedded video to see the features and securities of the nifty card. This is a great solution for you using the scan on the go card. Basically, it protects users from viruses where ever they go to use a computer, such as a personal computer or those in the cyber cafe. Always feel safe with this identity theft protection card ! Easy to use just - plug it in and go!

It is so convenient to use this identity theft protection card. Just keep it in your handbag or even a wallet and use it where ever you travel. Its portable and compact form allows you to store it in a small place such as your hand bag and won’t take up much space. It is not bulky and can be found easily. For the users, they get 10 dollars off when they use this code: KASALES5. Buy scan on the go on amazon to use the discount code.

When you purchase the card, it comes packed in a nice box with instruction sets that are easy to follow. If you like to know more, simply click on Scan on the go. This is a tool that you cannot do without especially when using the computer.


Wall-E 2008

Author: Diana | Filed under: Entertainment, YouTube Sunday Aug 24,2008

What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?

Academy Award®-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL•E.

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL•E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

Joining WALL•E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

Filled with surprises, action, humor and heart, WALL•E was written and directed by Andrew Stanton, produced by Jim Morris, co-produced by Lindsey Collins and features original and innovative sound design by Academy Award®-winner Ben Burtt.


Travelling in the Plane

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary, Products Wednesday Aug 20,2008

Cabin_cuddler

Travelling can be boring sitting in the same seat for long hours without much movement. Some people have been known to suffer jet lag or muscle stiffness travelling in a plane for long hours with limited space for the legs. In budget airlines, the space can be very limited leaving hardly any area for the legs to move and get the blood flow running smoothly. Even in the car, you need to stretch your legs now and then and make pit stops to the washrooms. You cannot afford to be travelling and driving for 8 hours straight without stopping for a rest for at least half an hour.

That’s why it is good to use a Cabin Cuddler to make your travel more comfortable. Look at it as using a miniature bolster when you go to sleep. It makes the travelling much more relaxing, cozy and snazzy. You can also use a travel blanket in tandem with the cabin cuddler. Most airlines will provide you with a blanket for long haul trips. My youngest sister travels now and then for business, paid for by her company to USA, China and Japan to visit clients and attend to their complaints. It is not easy travelling long distances on board the air craft for long hours without any form of comfort such as blankets for warmth and cabin cuddler to snuggle with.

Sponsored by Cabin Cuddler


The result of not wearing underwear

Author: Diana | Filed under: Entertainment Tuesday Aug 19,2008

not wearing underwear
Wah lau! This photo taken with Queen Elizabeth is very embarassing with the man without his underwear! Looks like Caucasions are very liberal in this matter and prefer to get free flow of wind in their bottoms than to wear a decent cover up. The photos were sent to me by a friend and it is an eye opener of foreign culture that so readily embrace nudism. There were pictures of nude body art sent to me in a set earlier but I hessitate to put them up for fear of backlash from Adsense.

Here is another one of the 10 photos that I got.
kid laughing


How long does it take you to write a blog post?

Author: Diana | Filed under: Diana's Diary Thursday Aug 14,2008

I used to blog efficiently when there were paid posts to take. I can write a 150-200 words post in 2-3 minutes or so. Now, there is hardly any paid posts to take up and even if there are offers, they will be taken up so quickly that there is no money left. Usually these bloggers have emails linked to their phone and sms so that when there is an offer from the paid posts, they will be the first to be notified and quickly login to blog on the offer with their empire of blogs. Pity me. How then I can take up such offer if they are quickly snapped up like crocodiles eating a life chicken? I have been following closely to some blogs and they continue to prosper taking up so many sponsored posts like nobody’s business for such a long time. It is good to earn some money from USA, isn’t it?