I watched Ultraviolet today. It may sound like a "save the earth" kinda movie (UV rays and all), but really its about a superhero/mutant/"experiment gone wrong" chick called Violet, hence Ultra-Violet. Ultraviolet's full of fast pace action and violence, kinda like a cross between Kill Bill and Run Lola Run, with some fantastic matrix style fighting, though YK was right to point out that some parts were copied right out of The Matrix. It went a little to fast to catch the full story, and the show lasted less than an hour an a half. Didn't help too much that the superhero's a vampire of some sorts (had enough of that in Underworld Evolutions) and appears to be all too invincible. But otherwise an enjoyable movie for a Sunday afternoon with discounted tickets! ;)
Lesson 1 for villians: Don't encircle your enemy in a circle and then try to shoot her, 'cos if she ducks u'll be shooting at your own comrades!
Lesson 2 for villians: If Violet says you're all dead, better start running away!

Yeah it's just a show, but the way Violet starts killing a whole room of baddies it's almost like a reflex action for her. Like she doesn't need to think. Brushing my teeth is almost like a reflex action too. I almost don't need to think. Couple of days ago, however, I realised that I've unwittingly been slacking off and brushing a few strokes less! I guess all that "doing without thinking" just inadvertantly to slacking off huh? Does this happen to doctors in the ER? After many shifts of nightwork doing CPR, do chest compressions seem so much like a reflex action that they skip a step without knowing it? Maybe if you have a sense of purpose and you know something more important is at stake your reflex thinking won't subconciously start to slack off. Or maybe not...

A foreign visitor would naturally concur that Singaporean's aren't a very happy bunch. A ride on public transport is often greeted with disenchanted looks and pushing/shoving to get up the bus/train. Some say it's just the result of being in an overpopulated overcrowded city. But is that really so? San Francisco is pretty overcrowded. There may not be that many people living there, but certainly the number of commuters by rail, car or bicycle is astounding! Just look at the Friday evening jam up the Bay Bridge! I know of commuters who go straight to the bars/restaurants till late night on Fridays just because of avoiding the jam. But San Franciscans (Is that what you call it? sounds like the monks...) seem a much more happy lot...

I think the lack of cheer is largely attributed to diet. Most Singaporean food sold in the hawker centers/foodcourts is unhealthy, no matter how much we swear by the taste! All that salt increases our blood pressure, and all that grease brings up our cholesterol to obscene levels! I see so many young people in the office who have high blood pressure and cholestorol. This is exacerbated by poor working conditions (overworked and underpaid, no time for exercise), super hot weather, and of course the crowded city effect. Which is what accounts for the unhappy outlook. So why do I care? If you look at all those factors above, we can do something about it (except for the crowded bit, which is not so important from the SF example), so we are not doomed to being an unhappy bunch!

Another thing that disturbs me a lot is the "herd mentality". Peer pressure is about people wanting you to conform to their idea of what's cool and what's not. And I must say we have reached the pinnacle of "herd mentality"! Anyone disagrees? Just talk a walk down Shenton Way during lunch time what will you see? See what colour pants all the locals are wearing? All black. How about the shirts? For bankers, mostly white long sleeves with some patterns. Non bankers, standard one tone pastel or dark (for the flashy, but u stick out like a sore thumb in the office). In fact, people in the office are telling me how I should comb my hair, what type of glasses I should wear. If we all follow the same advice won't we just be a bunch of drones? Just take a walk down Wall Street or Market Street, and you'll see what it means to show your true personality, be it dreadlocks in a suit, or grey suit with striped shirt and pink tie, or guys with tied back long hair (and suit). How about that professor who used to skateboard to work at Cal (though skateboarding is now banned on campus)? That's what I'm talking about.