Top 10 Searches (All Categories)

1. Singapore Budget
   If you remember, we have dug into our own reserves for the first time. Job Credit Scheme was also introduced.
2. H1N1
   Can someone tell me again, how did this eventually died down?
3. Michael Jackson
   I think the biggest Pop sensation ever in the music industry. Who touched and changed the lives of many.
4. F1 Singapore
   2nd year in the running. Almost a flop this year with more than 50% tickets unsold just a month away from the event.
5. David Widjaja
   Famous NTU Student, who’s life still remains a mystery.
6. Manohara Odelia Pinot
   Another scandalous affair, between a 17year old model, and a Malaysian Prince.
7. Mas Selamat
   Convict who escaped, sold Ramli Burgers in Malaysia, caught by Malaysian Police, but credits went to Singapore
8. Ris Low
   Miss Singapore, who loss her crown, and then, created her own “American wanna be” English slang.
9. Aware
   I still don’t really know what this is about. A bunch of ladies publicizing their views?
10. The Little Nyonya
    The Mediacorp show that I think helped Malaysia Tourism Board by re-igniting the Malacca as a tourist attraction.

Some other popular searches includes:

Fann Wong & Christopher Lee’s wedding. As always, Singaporeans are love celebrity gossips. What’s more this is probably the biggest wedding in the entire history of the local media industry.

Geylang Serai Food Poisoning. The one that had problems with the Rojaks or something.

Jamie Yeo (goibg public about her sex life, divorcing with Glenn Ong), Zhang Ziyi (sexy beach photos), Michelle Chia (2nd biggest marriage after Fann and Chris), Fiona Xie (Quitting Mediacorp), Joanne Peh (Winning Best Actress), Andy Lau (admitting he is married), were among the top Celebrity searches.

Some interesting questions that were being searched include:

Does Ris Low deserve to represent Singapore in the upcoming Miss World pageant? (like duh~)

Tissue Chopping is it curteous? (you tell me!)

Should I tell the truth during a job interview?

And finally, Pizzas was the topped searched item in the food category. An interesting fact though was that the searches peaked during the long weekend, especially during National Day. Seems like Singaporeans still prefer Pizza Hut to Macdonalds when it comes to home delivery.

Full list can be found here

We managed to watch A Christmas Carol in 3D yet again. And till now, we have not regretted our decision. Indeed, this film is not only visual candy but also an exhilarating experience of flying mastery. In short, the audiences are in for a ride of the season and it being 3D is added bonus.

During the Christmas of 2004, we are sure some of you had caught the movie, The Polar Express, also directed by Zemeckis. A Christmas Carol is a lot more advanced in plot, story, visual imagery and even technology. The improvements are made and today, we get more from this age old classic.

The film started with Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) attending the funeral of his friend and co-partner of his firm, Jacob Marley (Christopher Lloyd). In this creepy scene, the film manages to make the audiences want to laugh about the frugality of Scrooge, wanting to keep even a single coin placed on the deceased eyes in a funeral ritual. This miserly curmudgeon, Scrooge is then visited by 4 ghosts on Christmas eve with the first being his business partner’s soul returning to warn him about his fate if he continued the way he is and tries to help him redeem his Christmas cheer by reliving his past and allowing him to understand how and why he became what he is today.

And so, the visual candy begins when the various ghosts appear – Marley’s ghost, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Zemeckis have been faithful to the book, the original text and also the dialogues of the characters. Children would either feel that this film is extremely cool or, be forewarned, extremely afraid of the ghostly effects and sequences. The animation is awesome but the scene of Marley’s ghost coming back to haunt Scrooge is enough to even make some adults jump out of their seats due to the sudden clinging of chains and crates flying towards you (thanks to the 3D glasses).

Old English is sometimes used in the conversations between the characters so some research into that would be helpful. While facing his oncoming demise, Scrooge pleaded for mercy and is somewhat strange and chilling because of his sudden high-pitched voice. All in all, an astonishing film full of surprises, detailing of the various locations, characters’ emotions and expressions and also, the complete understanding of Ebenezer Scrooge is fulfilling.

So make a date and catch it in cinemas now. But as mentioned above, beware of the spirits and if you are bringing children, make sure that they are mentally prepared as you have been warned and also, do not label this as a “Disney bomb”. It is a timeless classic on its own, by its own way. And always remember, this was written back then as a ghost story of Christmas and its essence that was first written by Charles Dickens have been retained mostly in this film by Robert Zemeckis. Check your beds this Christmas, children, as you might see the silhouette of death lingering before you with a bony finger.

Be happy this season, and be rewarded!

This film by Glen Goei is one of the best “local” movies in Singapore. However, since it is categorised under Singapore/Malaysia in reference to the mixed cast from both nationalities, I would leave it as that. Glen Goei’s last movie was Forever Fever which was screened some 11 years ago so The Blue Mansion is actually a strong and powerful return of Glen Goei and his vivid imagination. Listed under mystery/murder/comedy, this film is masterpiece interlocking a satire weaved with clever touches of dark humour.

The movie is mostly shot at one of the UNESCO World Heritage site in Penang, the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion, recognisable by the brilliant indigo colour of its front walls. Waking up from the dead with a pure gold pineapple ornament and walking stick by your side is not exactly a good way to leave this world in peace. Especially when you have such a huge empire that you have built from scratch and your later generations are just not interested in your funeral.

As we slowly attempt to strip down the various characters, we notice that they render such close resemblance to a certain family in Singapore, the Lees. The cast was carefully picked and put together be it by chance or by a way of comparison. The children of Wee Bak Chuan (Patrick Teoh), consist of two sons and a daughter. All of them have a dark secret which they hide just like the house they live in, beautiful yet shrouded in mystery. Following certain hints being dropped along the way in the film, the audience would slowly find out that one of the sons has an extra-marital affair, one is a gay, and the daughter is an alcoholic!

The vast similarities between the two families in question, kind of hold the whole movie together. The ways of a family patriarch, the rules in a nanny state which moulds our mentalities. It fully depicts our last actions where we are not allowed to defy orders and follow instructions which are for our own benefits. As a Singaporean, we can all easily relate to this film, and more so, by seeing ourselves in each character that each of the siblings portray.

The wife of the pineapple king is a smart woman who can singlehandedly hold up his empire. However, she also slipped into a serious illness and pass away not long after her husband.

This movie is similar to the one which Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen explored in Singapore Dreaming back in 2006. They looked into the psyche of Singaporeans and why we act the way we do. Wee Bak Chuan, the pineapple king built his empire from nothing and we see deeper into the calm facade of the characters. Various issues are being touched upon like favouritism to rivalry like the wandering thoughts of the various visitors to our country.

And so, we come to the funeral rites of the pineapple king and his wife and how he views racial differences during his days wandering as a spirit around his home. Then comes the funny part but we would not spoil it for you – imagine seeing your own wife’s funeral. Go watch it. It is good and highly recommended.

We, at lakopi.net have also been on the floor of the F1 happenings during the three day event. So now, let us take you down memory lane plus we will bring you tips on what to do if you are (well) planning ahead of time to attend the event next year. All these added together, we are quite sure that you will want to remember all these memorable moments involving the F1 history of Singapore, visitors and locals alike. Trust us.

We saw…

Old Supreme Court
This is one of the major landmarks of Singapore which we could truly call magnificent. Imagine all the cases being fought in there before and how it lights up Singapore’s skyline in colonial style architecture, this is what we saw and will never forget. A picture perfect moment!

Anderson Bridge
We saw many cars driving on this bridge and we agree when they say this is a spectacular sight. Reminisce slow-moving Singapore on a leisurely day and now, a synthesis of fast cars in addition to that dreamy landscape, the sight is priceless.

Fullerton Hotel
An old Post Office transformed into a luxurious hotel is what the Fullerton is all about. It is one of Singapore’s top of the line range of hotels with cozy rooms and delicious cuisines. And for the ultimate F1 experience, there is none other than watching it from the top of the hotel or even just in the comfort of your own room.

Merlion
Need we explain further? The iconic Merlion of Singapore is decked in F1 fervor and well, it is just doing its own thing of throwing out water from its mouth. No wait! Maybe it is vomiting instead!

We heard…

Aston Martins
Although not as fast as the F1 cars, these cars, the Aston Martins are also worth looking at, given its grandeur and fierce sounds, it is in a league of its own. Brrrrrooom!

Porshes
Instead of seeing and drooling over them when they are on the regular roads in Singapore, not at their optimized speed, why not give yourself a treat by looking at them at their finest?

BMWs
One of our favourite cars if we had a choice to choose, BMWs have always been the mark of status and ferocity. Give it 80 percent class, 20 percent wildness.

F1 Cars
Vroom vroom! That is all that is needed to make you remember the F1 race, isn’t it?

Loud cheering
As usual, people from all over the world, all walks of life come together and experience the race. And what do they do when they are excited? They cheer loudly, albeit the already loud background noises (can the F1 drivers feel our passion?).

We did…

Drink beer
Beer! Lots of beer and we drank till the cows came home. Well, not quite. But you would remember the F1-themed cups that they served the beers in and you know what we did? We said “cheers” and drank our hearts out every single lap a car makes!

F1 simulator
There’s one in Marina Square and there is one in the compounds of the F1 event itself. For every Singtel PrePaid card you buy, you get a chance in it. Alternative cockpit anyone?

Grandstands
Huge grandstands line our roads in seats of primary colours, making the view vibrant. We wonder what they would do to the seats when the event is over though. Because they look new, so do not attempt to tell us that they reuse it the next year.

Survival kits
Same old, same old because the survival kits this year are the exact same package as last year. But it well does its purpose at only S$2. For charity!

And so, we now leave the scene of the 2009 Singapore F1 Grand Prix behind, with memories of unique thoughts – to each their own.

The team is led by a guinea pig named Darwin (Sam Rockwell) and consists of three more members. The members include two more guinea pigs named Blaster (Tracey Morgan) and Juarez (Penelope Cruz), including a mole called Speckles (Nicolas Cage). Speckles the mole is the brain child in the film where he possess completely out of this world knowledge in technology and coding. Blaster is good at navigating through those driving computer games and Juarez is reminiscent of the animal version of G.I. Joe!

The two main humans in the film, Ben (Zach Galifianakis) and Marcie (Kelli Garner) are the people behind these “genetically engineered” guinea pigs. Their project being funded by the FBI means that they have more modernized technology at their fingertips. The main goal is to train these guinea pigs to be FBI special agents and perform certain missions on behalf of humans. However, the FBI suddenly did not want to continue funding this project after the failure of completing the mission involving household appliance magnate, Saber (Bill Nighy).

And so, even as the FBI ceased funding, Darwin continued on this mission, sure about the plans of Saber. Never did anyone know that it was Speckles who is the real mastermind and bad guy of the movie. Although this whole idea may sound ridiculous to you, but G-Force is still pretty entertaining. The graphics are cool and although no objects are flung towards you (in 3D of course), they are as realistic as any other 3D movie could be and get.

Imagine seeing guinea pigs rappelling on ropes and other special gears only known to serve men, and a mole that is so knowledgeable and even able to come up with such an ingenious plan because of his family’s past, makes you wonder what the world could be in the future. Will moles be replacing humans in coding? Maybe not so soon, but it might be an alternative process which is plausible. Children will learn and know more technical jargons after watching the film while adults may enjoy the fantasy world for now which is only reached in films. Envision hamster balls being made into transport equipments, parachutes so small that it could be used by the guinea pigs and the intricate details of such a tiny flight simulator.

In my view, I would say G-Force is fun and technical all at the same time. You have the usual stereotype of humans being seen in the guinea pigs where there is a funny guy, with a decent and down to earth guy, a smart one and a lady for all the other reasons. Do not ask me why I am even describing the rodents but I assume that the people behind it would have done much research before landing on this idea so it’s normal to acknowledge what they have done right?

And lastly, for tech lovers, you might be glad to know that hamsters and ferrets are not included even if you wanted to install it in Ubuntu for your Nvidia G-Force cards. Cheerios!

According ST Online, Zeppelin Airship World (ZAW), started by German permanent resident Armin Spenninger, has clinched a deal to ‘assemble, operate, market and distribute’ the new Zeppelin NT airships in Singapore and Malaysia. Here’s an artist’s impression on how it would look like

Blimp Over Sentosa

Don’t be too happy yet though, as there are many conditions yet to be ironed out. One of which is that the huge blimp would need a large plot of area to land and take off. STB is still trying to resolve the issues.

Having said that, have you ever thought of Singapore’s very own notorious list? Who are those that are famous, but in a negative way? Well, here’s a list that I’ve compiled from Hardwarezone

TT DURAI
I’m sure everyone would remember this ex-NKF Chairman, and the entire saga. Though working for a charitable organisation, but he draws a salary of $600K a year, takes First class air ticket and even installed a gold-plated tap in his toilet.

XiaXue
Our very own local blogger that shot to fame with her bitchy attitude and open-mindedness.

Tammy
Singapore’s very own Paris Hilton. What more do I need to say?

Steven Lim
Shot to fame during the Singapore Idol audition, all for the wrong reasons. He supposedly danced in his briefs and even stripped himself naked while on national TV.

Ms Ris Low
Miss Singapore 2009, but who has a diploma in Hokkien. You can find her clip on Youtube.

Tan Yong Soon
Civil servant who earns $50k a month during the current recession. Went on to splurgeon a french cooking trip with his family. Best part, he announces it to the entire Singapore.

Anymore to add?

As said in an earlier review, I am a Tim Burton fan. But I will still look at this with a neutral point of view. So fans of Tim Burton, you will watch the movie anyway. Tim Burton, one of the producers in 9 worked with Shane Acker and we have this beautiful and detailed animated science fiction of an alternate reality. The film revolves around the character, 9 (hence the film was named), voiced by Elijah Wood, who is a machine created by a scientist and resembles a tattered ragdoll (officially known as “Stitchpunks” as named by Shane Acker). And so, in the whole feature film, there are nine stitchpunks, aptly named 1 – 9.

The visual candy started when 9 woke up in the scientist’s room in an apocalyptic world where humans are a thing of the past and machines are the ones who survived the war and reign. Humans have created these machines and suddenly one fine day, the machines started to revolt and the massacre began. As expected of a Tim Burton production, this film is dark and barren yet again. The stitchpunks are intricately yet oddly designed by somewhat random items which linked them together tightly, except for the occasional stitches due to tear. However, after watching the film, you would be able to remember all nine of them distinctly due to their mysteriously wonderful characteristics. 9 is the daredevil of the pack easily identified by a huge zipper lining his front body. The others have buttons or buckles or even just one eye.

Before I digress, I urge people of all ages to go watch this movie. The visuals are good. The story is fantastic so what more would you ask for? The animated stitchpunks are the best attraction in years and each one having their own story to tell. Epitomizing specific qualities of the scientist himself, it portrays human feelings, both the good and the bad. Not to miss also is the machine aptly named B.R.A.I.N (Binary Reactive Artificially Intelligent Neurocircuit) funded by the Chancellor. This is also the very machine which brought forward the annihilation of humans.

And so, the stitchpunks started fighting for their very survival. Embedded throughout the story is the involvement of a fascist government. Although a film for the whole family, this is good enough for adults to want to watch it. Voiced by various stars including Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly, this is an adventure not to be missed, especially the female warrior!

One moral to take away from this movie is that even for “objects” aka the stitchpunks, they are subjected to rules where the leader rules and protects the pack while the weak goes out and faces unfair circumstances. What are you waiting for? Go… watch it!

1. Ng Teng Fong (Age 81) – US$8 billion
   Far East Organisation & Hong Kong’s Sino Group
2. Khoo Family – US$5.5 bullion
   Goodwood Group of Hotels
3. Kuok Khoon Hong (60) – US$3.5 billion
   Wilmar International
4. Kwee Brothers – US$3.2 billion
   Pontiac Land
5. Wee Cho Yaw (80) -  US$ 3.1 billion
   United Overseas Bank
6. Zhong Sheng Jian (49) – US$2 billion
   Yanlord Land
7. Peter Lim (56) – US$1.5 billion
   Wilmar
8. Kwek Leng Beng (68) – US$1.2 billion
   Hong Leong Group, City Developments
9. Lee Seng Wee (78) – US$800 million
   OCBC Bank
10. Ong Beng Seng (65), Christina Ong (61) – US$700 million
    Hotel Properties, Club 21

Below is the full list of the richest people in Singapore

Top 10

Top 11 – 40

• An electronic day licence (e-Day licence) to replace the current paper licence.
  • Licence can be purchased after being driven out during the restricted hours,
  • But must be before 11.59pm the next day
• Unrestricted usage on Saturdays and on the eves of five public holidays.
  • New Year, Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali, Christmas
  • An additional fee of $100 must be paid to be eligible for this
• Cash rebates for conversion of normal cars to the new Off Peak Car Scheme
  • Up to $1,100 for every six months’ registration as an Off Peak Car
  • Until the car reaches 10 years old

More information can be found here