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The price of the petrol will be obtained where the demand (D) curve as a downward sloping intersect the supply (S) curve as upward sloping. In few years ago, the quantity of the petrol the consumers use and price of the petrol the consumer pay were given. Briefly for the sake of classification of two certain questions you probably thought of, 1) the demand force is determined by the consumers who want a certain product and the reason why the demand curve is downward sloping is that the higher the price of the product, the less quantity of the product will be bought by the consumers (opposite of it show that the lower the price of the product, the higher the quantity of the product) and 2) the supply force is determined by the firms who produce this certain product and the reason why the supply curve is upward sloping is that the more quantity of the product the firm supply, the higher the price of the product the firm can sell at. This can be easily understood if you imaginatively draw the two diagrams (in your brain) like the above but one curve which is demand and supply curves respectively in two different diagrams and then draw the broken lines from top to bottom on the vertical axis which is the price of the product.
Today, the population of the world has grown and more people demand for petrol. If you understood the explaination above, the result is obvious which imply that the demand curve will shift to the right until it intersect the supply curve at Q2(Q2-Q1= an increase in the number of people demand for petrol). As a result, the price increase from P1 to P2. Probably some of you wonder why supply curve don't shift. It is because of the underlying assumption that there is no changes in the number of petrol firms in the world.
On paper, most economists, world leaders(e.g. president of a country), and oil manufacturers fear the problem that cause by shortage. Most of the people should remember the chemistry stuff that was taught in their secondary schools. Oil manfacturers took advantage of distillation by using refinery to separate and extract different type of oil namely petrol,kerosene,diesel oil, fuel oil and etc. They will be used to provide electricity, transportation via vehicles, and many other stuffs that constantly used by the people in the world. Continuing the second picture of the diagram, Q3 is the point where the people in the world want to buy but the oil manufacturers do not have the ability to produce Q3 due to the scarity of oil which is the non-renewable resource, technology to drill and intertemporal analysis whether to drill today or to drill the next year in order to earn profit(this intertemporal analysis is somewhat complex and it is covered in undergraduate microeconomics and environmental economics). In other word, oil firms can only produce up to Q2 and are unable to meet the demand made by people which is Q3.
It is somewhat fitting to your understanding why the price of the petrol increase so fast. But i suspect that this analysis may be oversimplification but it is still useful for your understanding.
During the conversation about cars, I remarked to Mike that there is a need to have more petrol stations to offer CNG refill since there are only 3 stations that offer CNG in Singapore. Mike said with the utmost confidence that one of 3 stations is within, say, 10-20minutes to refill his new car that has CNG equipment. It sound great news for him. But if you bother to think deeper and use the first two pictures of the diagrams, you will have the idea that it will defeat the purpose of reducing car expenses when there are more cars with CNG and there is only 3 petrol stations that offer CNG refill facilities. According to 'The News Paper', it said that CNG is peg with petrol. Therefore, it is better to hope that there will be more petrol stations that can offer CNG refill facilities. For those who don't know CNG, you can read it via http://www.cng.com.sg/
Not to forget to mention about price bubble, there is another school of thought suggesting that the price of the oil is rising because of speculation due to derivative trading. It is not known whether it is price bubble or demand issue.
Looking back the UOL examination i did during the middle of the May until end of may, it was priceless experience.
This picture tell a lot. At top right of the paper i need to bring for verification of my identity, the chilled bottle of chrysanthemum tea was spilt on it. I didn't know that the bottle cover was not fully closed!
PSLE, 'N' Levels,'O' Levels, ITE, diploma papers are like kicking the ball in S-league whereas UOL papers are like kicking the ball in English Premire League. I am trying to imply that players in EPL kick the ball fast but the quality teams will always able to think fast within seconds before kicking. Analogous to this, no matter how fast you write, it is important to think fast which formula to fit in for the given question or which concept is the appropriate to write.
Every decision you make in the exam hall is all or nothing kind because there is not even time to check whether you get it wrong and then rewrite. I feel that degree programs do give the distinction to tell how much knowledge your lecturer has.
Microeconomics Row 33 Table 1810
POA Row 53 Table 2915
CF Row 23 1252
PBF Row 33 1810
I never forgot the days going to expo for these papers!POA is the paper the highest number of UOL candidates in Singapore took.
I must stress that anyone who want to enrol any degree program must learn everything that are expected because there is no telling which topics will appear in the exam. The worse scenario is when you can't do the exam just because some topics you choose to study did not appear!Your so-called hard work go down to the drain. Someone told me the situation like this scenario on one of the most easiest UOL papers(that is what many people perceive it to be). *shake head*
Well, i wish that every lecturer is like James Kwan making lessons tough and pushing me to do a lot of questions!In fact I don't mind doing thousand questions!It is nothing compared to working overnight which I have done it few years ago back.
I feel that i underperform during the exam but my performance in final papers is definately better than the one i did for mock papers.
After studying all 4 subjects, Welfare economics, Game Theory(especially John Nash and Nash Equilibrium), chapter 6 to 9 of Corporate Finance (Modigliani-Miller Theorem, Dividend policy, Merger and Acquisition) and asymmetric information impressed me the most. I find that it is a pity that a lot of people are not willing to study more chapters especially the 'easy' level ones.
Long long time ago, there were very few people getting degree but now, almost everybody hold degree. I feel that degree is not the ticket to high pay but increase the chance of being employed. For instance, you can be employed for common job which one with 'O' level or diploma can apply as well as jobs with skills that mostly taught in degree programs. Sigh, the myth - degree offer you high paying job - is the thing running everybody mind, if not all.
The evolution of people life in the world is fast changing. You can see the distant difference between the people behaviour in 90s and the ones in 00s. I wonder what store for the change in the next decade.
The day i went to buy speaker cable, i went a particular store which people highly recommend. After negotiating with a gentleman who kindly recommend a certain speaker cable that suit my need, i paid in cash and asked for the receipt. The another gentleman who was in charge as a cashier told me that if i want receipt, i should pay7% which was GST charge. I was stunned and decided not to ask for receipt. Somehow, i saved about $5 plus for GST charge. It was amazing and it is the first time i experience.I have nothing but respect with this shop.
Respect is something earned by a certain behaviour and it should not be asked by someone. It is always like this case. If one attempt to ask for respect, there will be a result of disgust because respect is the mutual thing in the first place. Look at Warren E Buffet. Everybody respect him so highly because of his good ethic and the behaviour. At one time, Buffet who took over CEO of the Salomon Brother in order to prevent his investment of Salomon Brother becoming failure asked top managers to call him if they found any further evidence of dishonest. On top of that, he told the Treasury department that he will turn Salomon Brother upside down until it is squeeky clean. Based on this action, the public respect him and for every annual meeting held at Berkshire Hathaway, a lot of people, probably thousands are queuing up to get good seats or get the chance to ask the question to Buffet because only 8 people get the chance(That is what i read from someone blog). If you happen to ask for respect, you have failed to understand the principle of respect.
I am now believer and supporter of Libertarianism. productivity principle is my framework in my whole life. I discover productivity principle when studying Welfare Economics and feel in love the concept of this. Productivity principle implies that each of us ought to receive the monetary equivalent of what we have individually produced from our human resources (or labour) ad our nonhuman resources(or property). In simple context, you reap what you sow. In other word, the harder you work, the more you will product - and the larger your market reward ought to be.
When come to compare talent and non-talent, it fit in nicely. It goes like 'market reward scarity'. Input 1 is scarcer relative to input 2 and thus, the price paid per unit went up. Let input 1 be David Beckham. He has the talent to cross the ball that travel fast while rotating in clockwise direction beatifully. As the result, most of his crosses become goal-opportunity as his team mates in turn put the ball behind the net upon receciving his cross. That is one thing about him. Another thing is his facial appearance - in other words handsome. Input 2 can be anyone who try hard to imitate beckham. Input 2 can never achieve it and therefore, input 1 will earn a large market share. If everybody can play and is handsome like beckham, then nobody will have a large market share at all! It is really brillant concept to underline it!
I think the period before UOL mock exam, i watched a Korean movie about Kwangju Massacre which is somewhat similar to what happened in Myanmar few years ago back. It greatly distrubed me a lot and i decide to read seriously on 'The Road to Serfdom' written by Hayek. Now, I understand why politics is like this.
Everybody in the world has so much freedom to do anything but the limitation of each action can be very costly. You are free to do anything but once you have done, you will pay a price for doing this action, let it be good or bad one. Even you want to do for greater good, you still have to pay the price in order to do achieve it. It will be pretty naive to think that the new president or prime minister whom you believe that he/she will change the situation for better. If you believe, one thing for sure is that you will have to give up for that movement the new president or prime minister will do. Last Saturday, a friend's friend told me that if Obama take over, everything will be solved as in all bad problems that is apparent in US right now will disappear. Well, it is really uneducated comment but he may be not learning this much. Nothing wrong with this opinion. The accurate thing is that you need to know that one decision/plan to reform the country must involve many people, not only president. If no ministers(SG) or senators(US) support president by doing something in action, the plan will never work. In nutshell, the plan will work if every condition of this plan is met (but nobody knew what conditions are needed to be done). Time will tell and reveal the price of the plan.
Taxi 4 (French Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from wiki.com:
A Belgian criminal, wanted all over Europe for his crimes, is in the custody of the Police Department of Marseille to be watched for a few hours before transfer to a prison in Congo. Unfortunately Émilien (Frédéric Diefenthal) is tricked by the villain and convinced to let the prisoner go. After these events he's fired but luckily for him his friend Daniel (Samy Naceri) helps him one more time telling him the location where the criminal is located, having been the taxi driver who drove him after he left the police station, not knowing he was a criminal. After this Émilien gets his old job back by telling the commissioner where to retrieve the criminal. He's then captured and taken to jail.
Opinion:
I only discover this movie when someone asked if anyone see this movie before. I am so speechless that it is not well-advised. I didn't know that there will be part 4 in that year!!I feel that things are getting stale when you want to merchandise a certain famous product. Sigh!
Rating 5/10
Alien vs Predator Requiem (Hollywood Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
A little town in the hills of Colorado will become the battleground between two of the deadliest extra-terrestrial lifeforms - the Alien and the Predator. When a Predator scout ship crash-lands in the hills outside the town, Alien facehuggers are released in the crash, and an even more evil creature - a hybrid Alien/Predator - is also released. A man & his son hunting in the forests near the crash site soon become the first victims of the facehuggers, and when a Predator receives data about the crash on his home planet, he comes to Earth. One at a time, the inhabitants of the town become targets of the Aliens and the Predator, including the local sheriff, a young female soldier recently returned from Iraq, and several teens. Though the National Guard is called in, they are unable to stop the deadly creatures, and a plan is set in motion to destroy the town with a nuclear device.
Rating:5/10
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon(Hong Kong Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
His country torn asunder by civil war, Zhao, a common man heeds the call of duty and from the humblest of roots rises through the ranks on wings of courage and cunning to command an army charged with liberating the land from an evil warlord. Inspiring by action, honor and a dream of unifying his divided nation, Zhao's heroism becomes legend, but as the years pass and the throne changes hands the war still rages on. When a newly enthroned king decides peace can only be achieved by defeating the warlords once and for all, the aging Zhao embarks on his final and greatest campaign, a road to adventure that will crown his name in glory for all time.
Rating 6/10
Bonuses: Zhao Zilong's life story is quite worthwhile looking at despite the story being deviated away from the actual the romance of the three kingdoms.
National Treasure 2 Book of Secret (Hollywood Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
While Ben is presenting new information about John Wilkes Booth and the 18 pages missing from Booth's diary, one man stands up and presents a missing page of John Wilkes Booth's diary. Thomas Gates, Ben's great-grandfather, is mentioned in the page. It shows that Ben's great-grandfather could have been involved with Abraham Lincoln's murder. When doing more research, the conspiracy takes Ben, Abigail, and Riley to Buckingham Palace (which they break into). It takes them to a book in the White House (which they break into also) and they even steal a page from the book. But in order to see more from the book, their choice is either get elected president or kidnap the President of the United States. Which do they choose? It's obvious. The conspiracy then crosses to Mount Rushmore and they even mention the JFK conspiracy. Can Ben clear his family's name? Or will his family be linked to the murder of Abraham Lincoln?
Rating:7/10
Bonuses:1)the storyline is surprisingly decent for this movie. 2)ingenious way to find the treasure.
Rambo 4 (Hollywood Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
Vietnam veteran John Rambo has survived many harrowing ordeals in his lifetime and has since withdrawn into a simple and secluded existence in Thailand, where he spends his time capturing snakes for local entertainers, and chauffeuring locals in his old PT boat. Even though he is looking to avoid trouble, trouble has a way of finding him: a group of Christian human rights missionaries, led by Michael Burnett and Sarah Miller, approach Rambo with the desire to rent his boat to travel up the river to Burma. For over fifty years, Burma has been a war zone. The Karen people of the region, who consist of peasants and farmers, have endured brutally oppressive rule from the murderous Burmese military and have been struggling for survival every single day. After some inner contemplation, Rambo accepts the offer and takes Michael, Sarah, and the rest of the missionaries up the river. When the missionaries finally arrive at the Karen village, they find themselves part of a raid by the sadistic Major Pa Tee Tint and a slew of Burmese army men. A portion of the villagers and missionaries are tortured and viciously murdered, while Tint and his men hold the remainder captive. Concerned by their disappearance, the minister in charge of the mission gathers a group of mercenaries and pleas Rambo transport them with his boat, since he knows their last exact location. But Rambo can't stay behind: he joins the team where he belongs, to liberate the survivors from the clutches of Major Tint in what may be one of his deadliest missions ever
Rating: 7/10
Bonuses: 1)gun-shots and explosions! 2)probably less individual rambo action in this movie as comapared to its previous three installations
Muay Thai Chaiya(Thailand Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from
Phao is a young muay thai fighter living in a small town and training in a fighting camp. Though muay thai is the center of his life, it is not appreciated by everyone around him, except his closest friends, Piak and Samaw, who are also young fighters. One day, his long-lost father returns and trains the trio as the last group of fighters to take on the best.
Rating: 7/10
Bonuses: 1) It depicts nicely why life is not that easy to attain such a dream. 2)Sorrows is the price to be paid for such opportunity.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone ( Japanese Animation Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from wiki.org:
The plot is for largely a point-for-point adaptation of episodes 1 through 6 of the original Evangelion series. While some events are portrayed in exactly the same way, often using the same storyboards from the television show, albeit newly redrawn; other events unfold differently, using new storyboards and/or 3D computer animation. Most notably, the fifth angel Ramiel (now renumbered as the sixth Angel), and the fight against it, has gone through a complete redesign.
Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-3, sent for by his father Gendo. As he wanders about town, he is caught in the crossfire between the U.N. army and the fourth Angel (third in the original version), Sachiel. Rescued by Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi, Shinji is brought to NERV Headquarters and is guilted by Gendo, who turns out to be Supreme Commander of NERV, into piloting Evangelion Unit-01 against Sachiel when its primary pilot, the mysterious Rei Ayanami, is too injured to pilot. After the initial fight, Shinji is taken in by Misato as her new housemate and enrolled in middle school. The film portrays Shinji's attempts to "settle in" with his newfound life alongside Misato, Rei and the other characters while continuing to defend Tokyo-3 and the world from the coming Angels as the new pilot of Unit-01.
In the final scene, a naked Kaworu Nagisa is awakened by SEELE on the surface of the Moon, which is visibly stained with a streak of blood, cryptically saying that "the third one" hasn't changed at all and that he looks forward to meeting Shinji.
Rating:8/10
Bonuses: 1)quite impressive 'mecha' animation movie 2)a mixture of feelings such as sorrows, sadness and etc and evil 3)is it end of the world?
Golden Compass (Hollywood Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com
It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford's motley streets on mad quests for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. Microscopic in size, the magical dust- found only in the vast Artic expanse of the North -was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes. But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it. Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from clans, gyptians, and formidable armored bears. And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle...
Rating:8/10
Bonuses: 1)good-looking child acting as Lyra is doing quite good job as a main lead character in this movie. 2)this fantasy type story seem to have some potential for mass entertainment 3)pretty good graphics work.
Venus and Mars (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net
This is mostly how Ji-na and Sang-min spend their time together. But they decide to overcome their clashing characters and vow for forever love.However, their vow is short-lived and their life of "happily ever-after" seems to be an unattainable fairy tale. Sang-min is the nation’s number one indifferent husband. Although unintended, he always seems to aggravate Ji-na. Ji-na is his wife. After putting up with Sang-min's distasteful attitude, she has become a scrawny, tense, and violent wife. While their grudges against one another are still left unhandled, they decide to split up. They clash on every issue and a psychological warfare begins. What began as verbal fights lead on to physical fight and they fight as if they are going to kill each other. There’s no room for patience and understanding to these two ex-lovers. They enter a merciless face-off. A fight leads on to another then another and the cycle continues.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)Kim Tae Hee performed in this movie very well. She deserved to be A-listed actress 2)Pretty interesting love story.
CJ7(Hong Kong Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from moviexclusive.com
A comedy about a poor laborer father (Stephen Chow) and his young son. When a fascinating and strange new pet enters their lives, they learn a poignant lesson about the true nature of family and the things money can't buy.
Rating: 6/10
Bonus: nice and cute alien!
The Man Of The Vineyard (Korean Drama 2006)
Synopsis extracted from wiki.d-addicts.com
In this romantic-comedy, (an adaptation of the book The Vineyard Man by Kim Rang), Yoon Eun Hye plays Lee Ji Hyun, a clothing designer in Seoul, who reluctantly leaves home for one year to work at her grand uncle’s vineyard in a small village. However when arriving in the country, she reunites with a Jang Taek Gi Oh Man Suk, a local resident who had been wrongfully arrested in Seoul by police after Ji Hyun reported having a dress-which she had designed-had been stolen. The two clash frequently as Ji Hyun has a difficult time adjusting to life in the country and working with Taek Gi. However, after many twists and turns Ji Hyun adapts to rustic life while falling in love with Taek Gi.
Rating:9/10
Bonuses: 1)Plenty of laughes 2)Interesting way to like someone whom you often curse for one's shortcoming 3)See the process how the organic grapes grow in the vineyard 4)Yoon Eun Hye acting is getting better. Her expression is something that you enjoy looking at.
27 Dresses (Hollywood Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
Two things about Jane: she's never says no to her friends (she's been a bridesmaid 27times and selflessly plans friends' weddings), and she's in love with her boss, nurturing dreams of a lovely, romantic wedding of her own. She meets Kevin, a cynical writer who finds her attractive, and that same week, her younger, flirtatious sister Tess comes to town. Jane silently watches the man she loves fall for Tess. Worse, Jane may be called upon to plan their wedding. Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Jane's attention and has an idea that may advance his career. Can Jane uncork her feelings? Then what?
Ratings: 7/10
Bonuses: 1)emotional psychological dating game 2)Always place your trust on the ones who say realistic truth that definitely is something you don't like to hear.
Prison Break Season 3 (American Drama 2007-08)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
Season 3 consists of 13 episodes, and continues from the second season finale, where most of the main characters ended up in Panama. While Lincoln Burrows is exonerated from his alleged crimes, Michael Scofield is imprisoned at Sona Federal Prison facing a homicide charge. Alexander Mahone, Theodore Bagwell, and Brad Bellick have also been incarcerated at Sona for various crimes in Panama. Michael and Lincoln are coerced by The Company into helping fellow convict James Whistler escape in exchange for the release of Sara and LJ. After a few failed attempts, Michael finally manages to break Whistler out of Sona (along with Mahone and friend, Luis Gallego). Though Lechero, Bagwell, and Bellick were in on the escape, they didn't make it out. The season ends with LJ being traded for Whistler, Sucre being thrown in Sona, and Michael wanting to get revenge of Sara's death. Series creator Paul Scheuring has stated the overall theme of it is "redemption".[4] Season 3 was originally scheduled to consist of 22 episodes, however due to the WGA strike this was cut short to 13
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)Once again, Michael Scofield broke yet another prison that is what seem to be impossible to escape. 2)There is a nice twist in the midst of the escape plan initiated by Michael
Heroes Season 2
Synopsis extracted from wikipedia:
The second season begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli, and Sylar have all survived the events of the season one finale, and are trying to return to ordinary lives despite their extraordinary abilities, with the exception of Sylar, who is on a quest to regain the use of his abilities. The main plot arc of "Generations" deals with the Company and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus on The Haitian, Niki Sanders, Sylar, and others. An amnesiac Peter Petrelli observes the potential devastation of the virus in a future New York City. The "heroes" ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic.
Interwoven with the main plot are several secondary plots. These include Nathan Petrelli's recovery following the events at Kirby Plaza; the journey of new characters Maya and Alejandro from Honduras to the United States, and their interaction with a powerless Sylar; Claire and Noah Bennet and their family adapting to a new life in southern California; Claire's relationship with her boyfriend West; Monica Dawson discovering her powers in New Orleans, with the help of her cousin Micah; Matt Parkman's reunion with his estranged father, leading to discovery of new abilities; the Company's manipulation of Mohinder Suresh; Ando Masahashi trying to piece together what happened to Hiro Nakamura; and Hiro's journey to Feudal Japan, where he meets his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei.
Rating:8/10
Bonuses: 1)there is nice twists in some episodes that probably raise our eyes wide. 2)new interesting characters added in this show making it slightly exciting while following the storyline as we slowly watch each episode. 3)persuasive element(s)crash your belief of a certain character's story as if you can not believe that it is really in this case.
Ace Venture When Nature Call(Hollywood Movie 1995)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
Ace Ventura, emerging from self-imposed exile in a remote Himalayan hideaway, travels to Africa with explorer Fulton Greenwall to find a sacred bat which is told will avert a war between with Wachootoo and Wachati tribes. Of course, when Ace gets involved, all hell breaks loose...
Rating:6/10
Bonus:Expressive faces made by first class comedy actor named Jim Carrey
Lost Season 3
Synopsis extracted from wikipedia:
The third season featured numerous recurring guest stars. M. C. Gainey plays the Other Tom.[23] Tania Raymonde plays Alex, while Mira Furlan plays her mother Danielle Rousseau, who meets Alex for the first time since she was born.
Andrew Divoff acts as the eye-patched Other Mikhail Bakunin and Nestor Carbonell acts as the ageless Other Richard Alpert. Marsha Thomason's character Naomi Dorrit parachutes onto the island.Blake Bashoff plays Alex's boyfriend Karl. Michael Bowen portrays the vengeful Other Pickett and William Mapother portrays the late Other, Ethan Rom. Sonya Walger plays Desmond's off-island girlfriend Penny Widmore. Brian Goodman plays the Other Ryan Pryce. L. Scott Caldwell and Sam Anderson briefly return as Flight 815 married couple Rose Henderson and Bernard Nadler.
Special guest stars are actors and actresses who were once given star billing, but due to a character's death or escape from the island, now appear on occasion. First season main cast member Ian Somerhalder reprised his role in hallucinations and flashbacks as Boone Carlyle, as did his step-sister Shannon Rutherford, played by Maggie Grace. Malcolm David Kelley returned for a single scene as ten-year old Walt Lloyd.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses:1)Exciting few last episodes with unbelievable twists of the story 2)As usual, new characters are added to make the story convincing as the past explain the present.
Ah Long Pte Ltd (Singaporean Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from wikipedia:
Chen Jun (played by Richard Low) is the leader of Shao He Triad. He is retiring from the triad and money-lending business. He was succeeded by a young lady, Wang Li Hua (played by Fann Wong), who tries to restructure the "Ah Long (money-lenders) system" as much as possible to dismiss the use of violence to make money-borrowers pay them back.
Li Hua and several of her subordinates (played by KK Wong and Daniel Tan) start implementing a series of creative methods to attract people to borrow money. They also practice hilarious methods to pressure the money-borrowers to repay in a way that is not violent. However, this restructuring was met with opposition from the majority of the "elders" in both her own and rival triad.
Li Hua was pressurised by her mother to get married. Li Hua decides to force Mr. Fang (played by Mark Lee) to marry her. Mr. Fang is a dance instructor who appears sissy. Mr. Fang agrees to the propose, wanting to prove his masculinity. Subsequently, Mr. Fang offers to help Li Hua out by introducing creative ways to reduce violent methods of debt collection.
Rating:5/10
The Machine Girl (Japanese Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from twitchfilm.net:
Good things come to those who wait, or so they say, and our patience has just been rewarded with an exclusive first look at the trailer for Noboru Igushi’s Machine Girl. We’ve covered this one extensively over the past couple months, and for good reason. It brings together many of the key behind the scenes talents involved with cult Japanese titles like Death Trance and Meatball Machine and turns them loose on a revenge story revolving around a Japanese schoolgirl seeking revenge against the gang that tortured her brother to death and cost her her own arm. But no worries ... that arm has now been replaced by a high powered machine gun. A rough trailer was shown to visitors of the American Film Market but that cut wasn’t quite polished enough in the minds of the producers and so was never made available to the public. The first proper trailer was completed just yesterday and you’ll find it in the Twitch Video Player, embedded just below the break!
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)it has some traits of nichi the killer (a movie that exhibits gruesome killing) 2)it is nice dream to stop bullying acts (which is very typical stuffs from which you can easily find in most of japanese movies during 90s-00s)
Bunt(Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
Filling the cups of classmates with a kettle is the only work 11-year-old Dong-ku, who is mentally retarded, can do in his school life. However, even this small connection with the outside world breaks as one day a new water purifier replaces the kettle in his classroom. Disappointed badly by losing his only hope to survive in a regular school, he finds that every freshman in the junior baseball team is required to supply drinking water to other members with a kettle. Though knows nothing about baseball, Dong-ku decides to join the team while his father, Jin-kyu, is struggling to save his kid’s only shelter, their chicken bar.
Rating:8/10
Bonuses: 1)it teach you that you are taking your own life and things for granted 2)To achieve things what you wanted, you need a lot of patience and strong belief (that things will work that way) 3)When things are about to change (because it is beyond your control to stop it changing), you need to think again until you find ways to guide your beloved ones.
The Forbidden Kingdom (Hollywood Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King
Rating:6/10
Bonus:Two well-known kung-fu actors named Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
Small Town Rivals (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from beyondhollywood.com:
The film begins with small town farmer Cho Choon Sam (Cha Seung Won, who played the title role in Jang’s “My Teacher, Mr. Kim” and who recently featured in “My Son”) being made village chief, mainly since nobody else wants to do the job. However, the lazy man is spurred into action when a former classmate of his called Noh Dae Gyu (Yu Hae Jin, also in the excellent “Tazza: The High Rollers”) is elected local magistrate, stirring up old feelings of jealousy. Although things start in a friendly enough fashion the two soon run into trouble, with Choon Sam trying to make his mark by preventing Dae Gyu’s plans to build a nuclear waste disposal facility nearby. Needless to say, things spiral rapidly out of control, leading to a number of crazy and increasingly high stakes confrontations.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)Interesting confrontation between two childhood friends over political issue 2)an insight to see how magistrates(korean's MP) do their own work.
The Cut (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
In a cold dark shaded anatomy classn room, 6 student prosectors are taking part in anatomy class Sun-hwa, Ki-bum, Joong-suk, Eun-joo, Ji-young and Kyung-min are smart medical college freshmen in the same anatomy class. Sun-hwa smart and confident; Ki-bum born to be a team leader full of confidence, Joong-suk son a hospital owner; Kyung-min too weak to be a doctor; Ji-young sexy and haughty but poor at study, Eun-joo studious nerd. They are competing with each other to be the best surgeon, but are strongly tied with fellowship as a team. In the first class, they try to suppress their fear and approach the cadaver that is waiting for them…. The first meeting with a deadly beautiful cadaver, and their nightmare begins. The cadaver is assigned to them, right after the first class. They suffer from ghosts and hallucinations. After several accidents and death of some team members, they start to realize something horrible is coming for them. They do their best to survive and find one clue: these accidents all have something to do with the female cadaver.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses:1)Finally, that is what horror movie should be: a series of puzzle followed by a truth that you can never figure right from the start of the movie. 2)The movie probably taught us how medical science progress from one of these research ways.
Attack On The Pin-Up Boys (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
A plot is underway to terrorize and bring down every well-known pretty boy in local high schools, and three popular boys compete to become the next victim for the sake of fame. 12 and over. 81 minutes.
Rating:6/10
Bonus:It bring you back the memories of school days.
Dororo (Japanese Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
A female warrior (Shibasaki) who was raised as a man joins a young samurai's quest to recover his body parts from demons and restore his dad's natural form
Rating:9/10
Rating:1)Coined from 60s Japanese comic or manga in Japanese, the story is surprisingly good 2)the interaction between male lead and female lead is pretty good 3)This show was filmed at New Zealand and it was so convincing that any viewers would have thought that it was really like feudal Japan land. 4)Greed and power have its price to pay for.
Never Forever (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
Sophie, a young Caucasian woman, and Andrew, a successful Korean-American professional, have been suffering from infertility. The medical probability of Sophie bearing Andrew's child is near zero. At the infertility clinic Sophie encounters Jihah, a poor, recent immigrant from Korea. Sophie notices that he bears a striking resemblance to her husband. Sophie initiates a sexual relationship with Jihah for the hope of getting pregnant to keep her family.
Rating:6/10
Bonus:It is a sad love story with the ending summing up the price the female lead character has paid for.
Boys of tomorrow (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
Earning a living as a driver for rental cars, Ki-su lives in a basement studio. When he feels trapped, he maintains hope by playing the drums. Out of guilt that he might have done wrong to Jong-dae who was sexually harassed during their younger days, Ki-su acts more as Jong-dae’s guardian than merely his friend. Jong-dae’s dream is to keep a revolver that can make him stronger than the small-time gangsters in town. One day Ki-su’s older brother shows up and leaves his son Yo-han to Ki-su’s care.
Rating:6/10
Bonus: sad and cinematic show ( but i don't know why many people rate it so highly. Probably, it is not my cup of tea)
Muoi: The Legend of a Portrait (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
Yoon-hee, a novelist, desperately seeks for a new story and that’s when she hears from Seo-yeon, her friend in Vietnam, a very tempting story about a legend of Muoi’s portrait. A long time grudge makes Yoon-hee hesitate to go to Vietnam to meet Seo-yeon. However, fascinated by sources of the portrait Seo-yeon incessantly sends her, Yoon-hee heads for Vietnam to unveil a century-long legend of the portrait. Yoon-hee is stunned by Seo-yeon’s dazzling look never seen before but is readily welcomed by her friend. As Yoon-hee unveils the mystery of Muoi, Vietnam, seemingly an exotic place, turns into a setting of a living nightmare, and the secret of Muoi in buried as if never to be revealed.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)the pace of the horror show is quite slow and yet good. 2)the ending is not so abrupt. What you see is a quick chain of revenge.
The Show Must Go On (Korean Movie 2007)
Synopsis extracted from hancinema.net:
In-gu (Song Kang-ho) is a kingpin in a dark world. However, he’s the sweetest husband and dad, full of love for his family. His only goal in life is to build a picturesque house out in the country and live a gracious life with his family. But, there’s a problem. His daughter, going through puberty, is embarrassed about her dad’s job and stays away from him. And his wife nags him constantly to get a stable job. Nonetheless, he tries even harder to keep his syndicate together, thinking that the only way to be a good dad is to work hard and bring home the bacon. However, in reality, family matters get in the way of his business. To make things worse, he faces a power struggle against an ambitious underling.
Rating:8/10
Bonuses: 1)It show you how fathers work hard to feed the family 2)Old fashioned fathers are like this and young people (e.g. teenagers) will be embarassed by then. 3)it is difficult to know what is right and what is wrong.
Desperate Housewives Season 2 and 3(Hollywood Drama)
Synopsis extracted from wikipedia.org:
Season two began airing September 25, 2005 and featured a total of 24 episodes (including a two hour season finale of two episodes) and two clip shows. After discovering Mary Alice's dark secret, the housewives continue to move on with their lives. Bree, whose husband just died, is not coping well with being a widow and is unknowingly dating the man who poisoned her husband to be with her. Susan, still searching for love, after breaking up with Mike, ends up in bed with her ex-husband who is now dating the neighborhood hussy, Edie Britt. Lynette goes back to her career in advertising, as her husband Tom becomes a stay-at-home dad. And, now pregnant, Gabrielle decides to be faithful to her husband Carlos who is now in jail, and just as she starts accepting her upcoming motherhood, she suffers a miscarriage. While managing their busy lives, the women cannot help but notice something suspicious about the new neighbors: Betty (played by Alfre Woodard) and Matthew Applewhite, who moved in during the middle of the night, and are keeping a prisoner held captive in their basement.
Season three began airing September 24, 2006 and features a total of 23 episodes and two clip shows. It has been six months since Orson Hodge deliberately ran Mike over with his car. Gabrielle, who found out Carlos cheated on her with their surrogate maid, refused to take him back, and now they're getting divorced but both want to raise the newborn child. Bree, who has finally put Rex's death behind her, marries Orson. A mysterious woman (played by Laurie Metcalf) accused him of killing his wife at their engagement party, and Bree can't help but wonder if that's true. Lynette, meanwhile, tries to adjust to having another child around the house. Ultimately she quits her job at the advertising agency to start a pizzeria with Tom. Susan who has been waiting for Mike to wake up from his coma is shocked when she finds out her nemesis Edie has been posing as his girlfriend, since he has amnesia. And Edie has her nephew Austin move to Wisteria Lane, after she finds him trying to break into her house.
Rating:7/10
Bonuses: 1)Superb plots between housewives 2)family ties from this show tell you a lot in different ways of patterns.
WarGames: The Dead Code (Hollywood Movie 2008)
Synopsis extracted from imdb.com:
Computer hacker Will Farmer (Lanter) engages a goverment super-computer named Ripley in an online terrorist-attack simulation game. Little does Farmer know that Ripley has been designed to appeal to potential terrorists, and certain glitches have turned made him become paranoid
Rating:7/10
Bonuses:1)same message coming from first installation movie: To win the game is not to play the game 2)wild goose chase make you feel engaged.
Book Title:The Road to Serfdom
Author:F.A. Hayek
Rating:9/10
My opinion:I decide to buy this book to educate myself on politics and i was very impressed upon reading this book by his superb insights on different nature of politics and civilisation. Best of all, he was patient explaining every single thing in simplest terms as possible. It is worth to reread it again.
Tony Del Piero wrote and posted at at 2:57 am
