Went for salsa last night...Another brilliant session...music was bad though...Spanish covers of Enrique Iglesias songs. Horribly tacky and cheesy. I realise that the salsa gals have a really bad habit. When they want the guys to hold them close, they always say, " Don't be afraid, I won't bite..." Everybody says it, so after a while it gets irritating! I mean, of course I know you wouldn't bite me. I am not some ignorant one-year old child. Neither do I suffer from an irrational phobia of human teeth. The reason why I am refraining from being too close to you is:

a) You need to brush your teeth.

b) You give off static...and it is making the tiny hairs on my arm stand ( don't laugh, this actually happens)

c) I am really uncomfortable because your boyfriend is watching us, and I can't make it seem like I am enjoying our dance, even if I am...)

d) You are too tall and if I am too close to you, my nose will be touching your boobs (applicable to my Caucasian dance partners.)

Anyway, something embarassing happened. I was really reluctant to dance with this gal who had a paikia bf...I guess my body language showed it...I was so tense and stiff during the dance. After one round, her bf turned and asked me jokingly, " Why? 我的公主不够美啊?" The whole class erupted in laughter.

Went to watch 小孩不笨2 with my Mum and Dad. We did not like it because it was too didactic and suffered from clumsy direction. I believe that Jack Neo is trying too hard to milk sentimentality and patois from his audience. Jack Neo's films are getting increasingly shallow and formulaic, and rely too heavily on suspension of disbelief. Not funny.

In contrast, I found Woody Allen's "Matchpoint" excellent. I went to catch it with Huiwen before she flew back to Australia. The story is about a sordid affair between a man and the woman who was to become his sister-in-law...It was a chilling portrayal of obsession and corruption. In the beginning, the protagonist, Chris , is full of noble ambitions and seeks to "make a contribution to society". However, he is trapped in a romantic entanglement with the sensual but dangerous Nola (played by the HOT Scarlett Johannasen). He is thus caught in a downward spiral that culminates in two tragic murders. I shall not spoil the ending:)

I believe that Matchpoint's strength lies in the intelligent script, which is redolent with irony and sardonic bleakness. The naunced performances of the cast imbued the film with deeper layers of complexity...Most of the cast were relative unknowns, but they managed a superb portrayal of the human condition. Scarlett J. was a stand out as the temperamental yet vulnerable Nola. The sombre backdrop of opera pieces infused the film with a deep and brooding atmosphere. The tone was dark, but Woody Allen ensured that it was finely balanced by spontaneous bursts of black humour. I found the torrid love scenes to be searing in their intensity...decadent, hedonistic and steeped in blind lust.

When comparing "Matchpoint" with 小孩不笨, I was struck by the enormous disparity in standards. The former was a sensitive film-noir with psychological depth while the latter was a clumsily assembled diatribe against our society's flaws. Having said that, I believe that 黄毅梁 gave a wonderful performance as an alienated ex-convict who struggles for acceptance, especially from his psychologically-enstranged son.

Voices in our community encourage us to support local films...but when you look at something as good as "Matchpoint", it is clear that we have a long way to go.

Went to shoot pool with Steph, Yinghua and Christine. It was fun hanging out with these cool and beautiful people...even though I got trounced by them so many times.

Currently reading Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis..an allegory on alienation and isolation...