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I think I’m in love… with the most devastatingly charming prince of all.

I kinda hate when that happens, cos it means I’m going to have to buy the Blu-ray once it’s out, just so I can watch it multiple times.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is an epic blockbuster that is truly epic. It has epic actors, epic costumes, epic set designs, epic music, epic action and it gave me an epic crush on Prince Dastan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).

At the start, he’s just another good-looking character so it was like, okay cool.

But as the story unfolds, a girl can’t help but be swept away by his mischievous smile and floppy hair. He is at the same time goofy and charming, all the while sporting deadly muscles that glisten in the ever-present sun.

The movie originates from a popular classic videogame series of the same name, so the plot will be roughly familiar to gamers who have played it, although they shouldn’t expect the movie to be faithful to the game. Changes had to be made for the screen adaptation.

The movie follows the successful formula of a typical romantic adventure story. There’s action, there’s romance, there’s conflict, there’s humour, all well-executed.

In the mystical land of Persia, dashing Prince Dastan meets enchanting Princess Tamina (played by the gorgeous Gemma Arteton) as a rival but is forced to be her ally against a greater enemy: a cataclysmic disaster that would spell the end of the world.

At the heart of it all is the magical Dagger of Time, an exquisitely carved dagger that holds all the powers of the universe, allowing its bearer to control and reverse time itself.

I couldn’t recommend this movie enough. There is not one boring moment, I swear. I was riveted the entire two hours.

Well, don’t expect a Pulitzer prize-winning plot. It’s a Disney movie, after all, not an art-house film. The aim is for the audience to feel good and I felt good after watching it, especially when it’s spiced with a liberal dose of humour, which kept a smile on my face throughout.

(Except during one instance when Nanny Wen screamed in shock, causing the smile to be shocked off my face. But only for a while because laughter at her soon followed.)

There’s a lot to marvel at in the movie. The sets are gorgeous and the scenery breathtaking. The action is heart-stopping. As in my heart almost stopped at the sight of Jake Gyllenhaal’s muscles rippling as he leaps off tall buildings or plunges swords into villains.

The discipline of parkour (navigating obstacles by adapting one’s movements to the environment), which has been so beloved in the game series, is faithfully represented in the movie. Expect an abundance of nail-biting stunts as the characters tear through a busy city full of walls and buildings.

The CG is amazing. CG is getting so good these days it makes me glad I live in this era. The awesome, shimmery effect that happens when the Dagger of Time is activated is pure candy for the eyes.

Wanting to gawk at more pictures from the movie, I poked around in the Prince of Persia website and discovered some fun things to do, such as this photobooth:

Haha. You can put your face on Princess Tamina’s or Prince Dastan’s body. There are also couple shots where you can upload you and your partner’s photos!

1) Use the photobooth here.

Also, try the video jigsaw. It’s SUPER COOL. You have to fit the pieces together while the images in the pieces are moving!

I really enjoyed that.

2) Play the video jigsaw here.

I love the movie so much I’ve downloaded a Prince of Persia wallpaper. This is my favourite!

3) Download cool wallpapers here.

I’ve also “liked” the Disney Studios Facebook fan page. I’ve really enjoyed all the Disney movies that I’ve watched, and I’ve watched many!

4) Like Disney’s Facebook Fan Page here.

One more thing. Twitter!

Yay, Twitter! Here’s where you can learn all the trivia behind Disney movies, with Prince of Persia being the focus right now, of course.

5) Enjoy interesting trivia on Twitter.

Gosh, I don’t think I can wait for the Blu-ray. I must catch it again in the cinema! Soooooon!

I know the hardcore tech geeks are going to have a fit when they learn what I’m naming my new Alienware M11x.

Introducing… Fluffy Prime!

(I already did an unboxing of this gadget when the Goonfather got his, so I shan’t do it again.)

Fluffy Prime is the successor of Fluffy, my pink MSI Wind.

I had planned to name the Alienware Fluffy, too, because I knew I was going to miss the original Fluffy very much. But there were many objections to the name, one of which came from Kerrondor, who said, “You should name it something more alienish, like Optimus Prime. Or Fluffy Prime.”

Of course, he was joking about Fluffy Prime, but I LOVED it and so decided to adopt it, to Kerr’s horror. He was, like, “I WAS JOKING.”

Too bad. Fluffy Prime it is!

I received more than just the laptop today. I has many boxes!

I also bought a set of Alienware TactX keyboard and mouse for home use, to replace my current set before my Microsoft Reclusa really becomes an ant nest.

I feel kinda sad cos I think the Reclusa is the prettiest keyboard ever made, techy enough to suit my gaming needs and girly enough to suit my bimbo needs!

But I shall love my new arrivals.

The mouse comes in a pretty Alienware box, with the log faintly embossed on it.

Alien sticker on the package!

It’s a gaming mouse which buttons glow when it’s on. But I don’t have time to set it up now because I need to finish this blog quickly and go out for an event. So, pictures next time!

The keyboard similarly comes in a sleek black box with a faint Alienware logo embossed on it but Dell had decided to paste big ugly stickers on my box. O_o

More alien stickers on the back.

Gaming keyboard! It also glows in the dark. Show you next time, okay?

Can’t wait to use them! But now, I need to go out.

Nooooooooooooo!

I just had a revelation. Actually, I had this revelation a long time ago but let’s not be pedantic over chronology. It came to me one day as I was sitting at my computer, blurry-eyed from lack of sleep.

The message came to me in a sort of vision-ish way, if you would indulge my theatrics for a moment. It said to me in a wispy, ethereal voice as I grinned stupidly at my monitor: “Playing games through the night is so fun.”

That, of course, wasn’t the whole of the message – I haven’t completely bonkered out on my games yet.

The next part of the message came while I was sticking the pointy end into a nasty goblin: “Think how much money you’ve saved staying home gaming.”

There’s the crux of the message. When I find a worthy game, for instance, EverQuest II, I’d rather play it than go shopping. Or clubbing. Or eat a buffet or buy a private jet, and so on.

I have saved hundreds, even thousands, of dollars a month by choosing EQ2 over any number of popular entertainment choices. My bank statements accounting for those months during which I was not subscribed to EQ2 are solid proof.

Here’s a survey: If you had a kid, would you rather he be attached to an online game at home where you can watch him, or would you rather he go out and “get a life”, where he could potentially drink/smoke/spend all your money away?

Okay, I kind of lied about the revelation part. There wasn’t really a wispy, ethereal voice. It was all me. Sorry.

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This column was probably first published in Stuff Magazine, June 2010.

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By the way, World Cup at Star Blog this week.

Find out our thoughts on this mad phenomenon and share yours!

The only image of me attempting to kick a toy soccer ball.

I was chatting with my friends in EverQuest II just the other day when the Goonfather said, “Hey, let’s go somewhere during the Vesak Day long weekend.”

Everyone got excited and starting talking at once, making plans. It’s very easy to get Club Morte excited, especially about long weekends.

It was hard for me to get a word in and be heard, since we were virtual voice chatting, hence getting attention via waving of arms was an impossibility. The only recourse was to be a broken record.

I was, like, “Wait wait wait!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait.”

There was finally a moment in which I could interject: “I’m not free on May 29!”

There was a shocked silence as if I had just told them that the server was going to come down in 10 minutes.

I said, “I’m attending a charity event! Who wants to come?”

“What stupid event are you attending again?” said the Goonfather, half his bubble burst.

“It’s a carnival and car wash for Operation Smile,” I said. “You can come have your car washed.”

“Zzzz,” he said.

“Your car will be washed by JC girls,” I added innocently.

“KELL, LET’S GO FOR THE CAR WASH.”

I know exactly how to pull his strings.

Anyway, this event is really happening and I am appealing for everyone to support it with your attendance!

Operation Smile is a charity dedicated to helping children and young adults born with deformed lips and palates in third world countries who otherwise have no resources for seeking treatment.

Read my blog about it here.

On May 29, 2010, the Hwa Chong Institution Operation Smile Student Chapter will be holding a fun fundraising event suitable for family and friends. All proceeds will go to Operation Smile!

I will be there to live blog and help with the car washing.

Besides the car wash, there will be food and drinks, games and rides, and performances by local artistes. There will also be a vintage car drive for cleft lip patients and a dunking machine (not to dunk patients but to dunk Hwa Chong luminaries).

Student volunteers will wash your car for $10, using US-imported materials sponsored by 3M. For $2 more, you can opt to receive an extra gloss enhancer.

In case you have disabled images and can’t see the posters, here are the details:

Family Carnival and Carwash @ Dempsey Hill
May 29, 2010
11 am till 6 pm
Demsey Hill Blocks 8 and 9 carpark

For more information, check out the website. And Facebook!

Hope to see you there cos it’s gonna be fun!

Club Morte will be there. On pain of death.

Advertorial

I have prepared a feast for your eyes. Behold, a ton of awesome photos of me!

Okay, actually, it’s not about me. It’s about the latest baby from Nokia. So, behold, the hip and happening Nokia X6!

Of course, I’m not showing you just pictures of the camera. How boring would that be? I have put myself in the photos as well, just to be the ornament, you know.

A thing of beauty like the Nokia X6 requires some decoration around the edges, does it not?

So (once again), behold and feast your eyes on the ultra trendy Nokia X6 presented by ornamental Sheylara!

I know you want to touch the X6, I know you do.

A thing of beauty, sleek and pretty, the X6 wants you too!

More space, more space, we always need more space!

“Yes!” says the X6, “I GIVE YOU PLENTY!”

Nokia X6 Comes With Music! Really! You can download them all free!

Millions!

Listen to music anywhere, everywhere!

Just remember to pay attention to your surroundings too. In case a handsome hunk or gorgeous babe winks at you from a distance.

“Gaaaaaaaaaames! Yessssssss, gaaaaaaaaaaames,” says Sheylara.

Last we heard, Sheylara has been gaming too much so she’s gone a bit off her rocker.

Just a bit, though.

We think we could persuade Sheylara to get off her games for a bit by enticing her with videos.

She’s quite impressionable and excitable so it might work.

You won’t know if you don’t try.

You like photos, yes?

We like photos, too!

The X6 says, “I take nice photos of you!”

HOLY MACARONI GIVE ME.

NOW.

Please.

You know what’s the meaning of life?

The answer is games and applications. Lots and lots of them!

Because the answer “42″ is quite passé already, you know.

While we’re on the subject of questions and answers, this little baby is the answer to all our entertainment and social needs.

Because we like to stay connected to everything fun and friendly. And trendy. And happening. And cool. And hip. And awesome. And fabulous.

You get the picture.

Music videos are quite fun to make.

Of course, they are also very hard work.

I think the X6 can help me make it fast and fun.

What’s your favourite blog?

“Sheylara.com!!!” roars the crowd with love and enthusiasm.

Awwww, so sweet lah you all.

Gib you a kiss! Mwaks!

Thank you very much, Nokia X6.

You have been a joy to work with.

Also, thank you, Mr Justyn Olby, for taking these awesome photos. The Nokia X6 loves you! Sheylara also.

Say cheese!

Let’s lead vibrant and exciting lives now, shall we?

Yes!