This Blog Have Moved

This blog have found a better home. Or at least it seemed like it. Decisions are not final. But for now, this blog will no longer be updated here. It will, instead, be updated at tjhinn.wordpress.com

The First One Not-Late

Finally, I got it done on time for the first time ever! I have to admit however, that this is not quite done yet. Nevertheless, I don't foresee myself being able to work on it in the next few days so. Better submit it while I still can.

Tired seems to be the recurring theme carrying on from last week. But on another note, I've finally moved to Punggol! Will be interesting, but will definitely miss how easy it was to just go find ppl to east supper with. And Joo Chiat. And Katong. And Dunman. Cr*&^#$!!

An Extremely Shameless Plug

Dear David,

I recently found out about your graphic design blog from - guess what - another graphic design blog. I have to say I'm very impressed (and at the same time envious) at the ease with which you managed to generate traffic, design logos and brochures and the likes, debate about design and blog, design sleek websites, all at the same time. That's a lot of hat. Like, really a lot.

Anyway, this post right here is to talk about your recent contest, which I would really really like to win. I can really use professional help in almost everything, cause my knowledge as it is are limited to designing for print (maybe a wee bit of web design here and there, but not much).

Well, since I really really want to win your prizes (any one of it would be great), here's where I list your sponsors, hopefully in creative enough ways. Let's talk about the many things I can benefit, as a person, through winning your prizes.

First off, I get custom logo from you! That would be a great honor, tho if you don't mind I would really like to get involved in the design process also, me being a designer and all that. Still it would be interesting to do a collaborative work on a corporate identity design, don't you think? Usually collaborations are only done on artsy stuff like Illustration and Posters.

I also get a WordPress theme design. Which I will definitely need, seeing as to how I'm still using blogger's template. You know I actually tried my hand at doing a custom blog design template. I really did. I even hosted it up at my site and had it up and running. However, I was having trouble managing my blog easily through blogspot, and with archiving, user comments and the likes. In short, I sucked. I didn't follow through. I hate giving reasons, but I do have one. I don't have nobody to turn to for help. Google was being a bitch. Yahoo! was, well being himself - not much help.

A personal marketing/advertising plan~? Oh what~? Gee, I'm not sure about that. That sounds too good to be true. I mean, who in the world advertises their own personal site? Okay, all right. I guess you do. And a lot of other experts and the rest of the professionals in the world wide web. But you see, I'm still very much in the learning stages. Still, I'd take it with open arms *wink*

One year's worth of hosting and blog setup! Right on! I get to free myself from the shackles of blogspot! Yee ha! John, if I do win, I really have to apologize because the time you will have to kindly donate to help me set my new custom blog would probably be quite substantial, to say the least. But hmm, my portfolio site is already on Media Temple. Maybe we can join it up and the likes. *shrug*

Signed copy of Blogging Tips also sounds amazing. I'll probably read it in like, a week. I'm very proud to say that I finished Harry's latest adventures in about two days. I bought it on Sunday, took MC on Monday and finished it right away. Of course, I went right back in and enjoyed all the little things for the next two weeks or so too, but you get my drift. And once I'm done I can sell it! It's signed so that's at least an extra $1000! Much needed capital to pump into my excellent marketing/advertising plan!

Oh dear.

I thought I'm done with the prizes, but it turns out thats just the very first category!

Uhm, I'll just zip through the rest cause its really getting quite late now. But it's amazing how some of the 2nd and 3rd prize are actually things I really can do with also. SEO consultation for example, is something I would really like to know more about. Did you know that in this 'supposedly advanced' tiny island of Singapore, there are still many government and huge commercial sites that are not done properly? No SEO consultation and proper website design/layout. An example would be my mobile phone service provider. After I signed up with them I tried browsing around for new mobile phones on their site and I ended up crying instead. I lost my way and refuses to come near that site ever again.

An email interview also sounds nice. That should bring traffic, no? But then again my site's not really ready for a lot of traffic anyway, seeing as to how raw it is. Well, we all has got to start somewhere *shrug*

Free money! Who doesn't want free money? Gayla is hot and she knows it.

Blog review, WordPress themes, Expert WordPress blog help and the likes! Oh wow, even the bonus prizes sounds like a worthy contender for 1st prize. Coaching consultations sounds interesting. I've always wanted to go to these 'coaching seminars' and what not but at the rate I'm getting paid, I can't afford to go just yet. And business growth consultations! That sounds great, although I'm really not sure yet if I want to go full freelance by myself or with a team. Still, I will not refuse knowledge. Thats a cardinal sin to me.

Tammy's tele-coaching also sounds like some much needed help from above. I've always had the worst time ever negotiating over a contract and or pay. Challenging clients I deal with all the time, but a tip or two won't hurt.

Whee~! Art books! Design books! Branding books! I get to stuff my shelves silly! I approve with the largest possible grin.

Oooh, banner ad on a well-trafficked blog forum. But I'm a bit shy about advertising my blog. Maybe with all the help you folks are giving me with blog design, blog review, writing consultations and tele-coachings, I can have a properly managed blog that I can be proud of, yeah?

And even more online ads and banner advertisings! Okay! If I only win these advertising prizes, I sure hope I can keep it for future usage! I reckon it'll take me a few weeks or even months to really do up my site proper without professional help.

Amongst all the designers I'm probably one of the most thick-skinned one. I can't care much tho. I just hope I win something *evil laugh*

Thank you for reading this David. I love you!

The Dissapointing Showdown

Watching Rogue Assassin made me want to go to Film School and actually learn a thing or two about basic, proper and entertaining film direction. Unfortunately, it (the movie, Rogue Assassin) did so in a very unflattering way. It showed me all the things you should not do if you want to keep your viewers' interest to the film. Ah yes, time for the review—lots of space to grumble later on.

The premise of Rogue Assassin is to have Jason Statham squares of with Jet Li in an action-packed fight scenes too cool to be true. Sounds like a great combination–Li's beautiful martial arts brilliance and Statham's street-cool charisma. Unfortunately, someone forgot to properly inform the scriptwriter about this, and off they go writing a lame thriller-spoof that failed on all accounts of believability, thrill, deception and most importantly – cool factor.

Not to mention the horrendous dialogue. Like how in the middle of the movie, Statham's character suddenly felt a touch of family love and opened up to his wife about how scared he is. Or the dialogue he had with Jet as they faced off close-up for the first time. Ah yes, the review!

Statham plays Jack Crawford, an FBI agent whose partner and family was apparently brutally killed by a famed assassin Rogue (Jet Li). Three years later, clues to Rogue's presence resurfaced and Statham's world unraveled into a vortex of killings, killings and more killings. Mayhem erupted between the Yakuza and the Triads, with the mysterious Rogue seemingly at the epicenter of it all. It soon becomes clear that Rogue is playing both sides against each other, and it's up to Statham to find out why and stop him. Towards the end of it, the plot becomes a lot more complicated that it should and it simply did not deliver on all the promises it had.

Allow me to elaborate further as to why this simple movie disappointed me so much. Jason Statham has actually grown to be one of the largest action brand in the past few years. Combining his bare-knuckled, ultra-violent smack-downs with a unique bleed of style and street roughness, Statham has delivered in movies like The Transporter Doubles and the utterly out-of-control and ultimately extremely-entertaining Crank. Rogue Assassin unfortunately was way off the target. In this not-so action-packed movie, Statham barely flexes his muscle in a single sequence in a Japanese teahouse.

Jet Li fared no better. His martial arts brilliance, which he so often demonstrated in the likes of Heroes and Fearless, were wasted here. His only memorable sequence was sword-fighting several Yakuza assassins but even that ended far too soon. In the end, the long-awaited showdown between Li and Statham also failed to deliver, ending in a short 30 second forgettable half hearted duel.

The movie lacks visual punch and I was left wondering about the action scenes. Was it well done? Beautifully coreo-graphed? I can't claim to know cause the director decided to zoom in on them far too often, and I can barely tell who's kicking whose butts. The pace falters, instead of getting down to the action it spends a lot more time untwisting the knot it got itself into. It tried too hard to be cool, and slipped down towards cheesy instead.

What else is there to say? I was utterly disappointed. This showdown held so much promise, yet delivered so little. Jason, come Crank me up man! And Li, show me how Fearless you are! Next time yeah?