And while I’m blogging again, here’s something I was supposed to mention a month ago.

I have a Sony DSC-T30 (T30) for sale. It’s maybe three and a half months old and in perfect condition with a good, solid screen protector put on. It comes with a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card (Sony brand), the original box and everything else, along with a Sony carrying case I bought for it.

Tech specs:
– 7.2 megapixel CCD (3072 x 2304).
– 3x optical zoom.
– Continuous video recording (640 x 480) in MPEG-4 format, with zooming.
– Mechanical/Optical Image Stabilization (Sony Super Steadyshot).
– Very pretty.
– High sensitivity up to ISO1000.
– Sliding lens cover.
– Ultra closeup macro mode (1cm).
– OMG IT’S BEAUTIFUL!
– f3.5/f4.3 min aperture.
– Very long battery life (440 shots CIPA rated).
– Exposure bracketing mode.
– You can’t stop looking at it.
– Only 169g in weight.
– That’s less than most phones.
– What, are you certain?
– Which phone are you using?
– You must be kidding.
– I’d get a real phone if I were you.

Recommended Retail Price: SGD$799

My Awesome, Loss-Leading, Faith-in-Humanity-Restoring, Sanitarium-Official-Visit-Inspiring, One-Time-One-Piece-Only sale price: SGD$599

Write me an email or leave a comment if you’re interested. Singapore buyers preferred because the post office is ohhhhhh soooooooo farrrrrr away from me.

I bought Steve Wozniak’s autobiography, iWoz (or I, Woz), last night from Borders at the exorbitant price of SGD$34 dollars. Please be smarter than I was and buy it off Amazon from the link above. USD$14! Even with postage, it’ll be significantly cheaper. And you’ll be helping me recoup some of my losses. Thanks.

I haven’t started reading it yet because I’m still halfway through iCon, the book on Steve Jobs’ second coming. Although I’ve just learnt about the existence of a book actually titled The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, which I’ll undoubtedly have to read now.

From Peishan. Sounds like hell.

Crash Victim Saved by Breast Implants

Once again, an article has been written about Singapore’s culinary scene. This time, in the New York Times.

Singapore: A Repressed City-State? Not in its kitchens

I take issue with the (culturally imperialistic!) distinction made between “street food” and restaurants though. Not exactly the fairest thing, although an understandable perspective given the publication. For most Singaporeans, for the longest time, those “street food” vendors constituted the activity of eating out. Which is what restaurants are.

Anyhow. Charlie Trotter is opening a place here? I’ve only just discovered his cooking show on Ch.69.

3:51:30 PM stuart: prepare to be amazed
3:51:43 PM stuart: the legend is back

He wasn’t kidding, either.

Last night at 10, I was seized by the irrational urge to own a good notebook (preferably leather) and kickstart some useful writing. I should mention that I was seized at 7 by a corresponding urge to protect my new iPod in a preferably leather case, but managed to fight it off. So I ran out and took a cab down to town, all the while debating the differences between Moleskines, Ciaks, and Miquelriuses. It’s not an easy snap decision!

Long story short, I ended up with (not settled for, mind you) 2 handsome pocket-sized black leather Ciak Notos. I’m convinced they’re better than Moleskines for several reasons, but I can’t yet be sure. But strongly in their favour: 1) Italian leather bound, 2) flexible covers, 3) horizontal elastic (holds pens), 4) thicker paper, 5) more of it.

See for yourself: Ciak

Fans of Hayao Miyazaki (director of most Studio Ghibli films, including Spirited Away & Princess Mononoke) don’t always know about his first feature-length animation: The Castle of Cagliostro. The 1979 movie features a master thief known as Lupin (the third), which translates to ‘Wolf’. The name Lupin III will be familiar to anyone who’s ever trawled an anime fansite or read a book on the history of the form, but I had never seen any Lupin prior to this film and it didn’t hurt my enjoyment of it.

Here’s a brief synopsis:
After raiding a casino and making off with 5 billion (dollars?), Lupin and his accomplice discover that the notes are counterfeit. So well made that even the casino was unaware. They decide to go to the source of the money, a small Monaco-like country called Cagliostro (Cal-ee-os-tro). There, they get tangled up in a web of political intrigue and a quest for hidden treasure that can only be unlocked by the fabled union of “light and shadow”.

Well. It’s a little over-the-top, a little crazy, a little Indiana Jonesish. But it’s fantastic. It’s a riveting and astonishingly well-animated movie that defies its place on the timetime. Looking at my review copy of Manga Entertainment’s recent Special Edition DVD release, I couldn’t see any signs of it having been made 27 years ago (apart from the drawing style). The colors are rich and vibrant, there’s no film noise or sign of ageing, and the sound has been remastered into a new 5.1 soundtrack. It’s the anime equivalent of Star Wars’ Special Editions, without the new CGI ‘enhancements’. See the full-sized view of the above comparison for an example of how much sharper and brighter it is now.

Animation aside, the story is the best thing about CoC. A printed blurb on the box says that Steven Spielberg has called it “one of the greatest adventure movies of all time”. There are sources online which claim this quote has been misattributed, but even so, I don’t think Steve would mind because it really is that good. It’s a high point for the entire adventure genre, animated or not. It’s the perfect movie for satisfying all your campy ’60s spy movie needs, along with your Jewel of the Nile treasure-hunting itches, your madcap Woody Allenesque physical comedy aches, and your Studio Ghibli shakes to boot. And yes, it is unquestionably a Miyazaki film, despite its early positioning in the canon. It’s funny and charming, just like its lead character, always thrilling, and there’s a sense of exoticized atmosphere about the country of Cagliostro (a mishmash of Western European cultures with the mystery of old world Morocco) that keeps things interesting.

I have yet to check out the special features, but they are listed as such:

• Interview with Animation Director Yasuo Ohtsuka.
• Complete Animatic – Storyboards with Feature Soundtrack;
• Imagery from Original Storyboard
• Original Character and Set Drawings;
• Fans Gallery;
• Trailers

At the RRP listed above, I don’t think you could ask more of such a meticulously crafted special edition. It’s a pity that Manga doesn’t have the rights to produce one of these for Nausicaa, which now belongs to Disney.

I’ve been receiving some emails and comments about the missing Pocketmod Powerpack on this site, in an old blog post. I haven’t used a Pocketmod in a long time because I’m always glued to my desk, and I tend to scribble things on lots of loose papers which then get typed up into a note database.

But since some readers have been good enough to remind me that I once made 7 Pocketmod templates customized for every need and situation, I may yet give it a go. I’ve also uploaded the missing files again, at the aforementioned page, so if you’ve been wanting them, there you go.