It’s nice to know that despite not having a computer at home (both PC and laptop have gone to the dogs in the past week - Mac users can smirk in silence), I’m not really suffering from cold turkey syndromes. Sure, I haven’t been totally bereft of Internet use, thanks to certain trips to NTU, but it must be said that I am rather pleased with my ability to appreciate life away from the PC.

Since the last post, several pretty cool things have happened. The gang went out to watch Mirrormask over a week ago on Sunday. I absolutely enjoyed the movie, and despite criticisms from a couple of the others for its overtly simple plot, it was probably the fairytale story that I liked best. kakita bob derided its use of the “it was all a dream” plot device and to be fair, it was probably because as children, we were specifically told never to use it for our compositions. I dunno. After all, Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz were just two of a dozen examples of classic childrens’ tales that use the “dream” device wonderfully. I guess I just saw Mirromask as an updating of the Wizard of Oz - balancing between being a spoof/tribute and an original work in itself. I’m content with knowing I loved it.

Another wonderful experience that I had that Sunday was attending my first Faith Community Baptist Church service at the Expo. I guess I could say I felt called to attend it, but really, it was more of a snap decision and the fact that I was relatively free that afternoon. Nonetheless, I was really moved by the whole service. It’s easy to see why teens all over Singapore are attracted to such mega-churches. The message was easy to remember (Perception, Purity and Power) and touched the teenage heart in an intimate and powerful way. I myself was overcome with emotion when I saw a whole group of youth down on their knees at the altar call. This is what the Catholic Church needs - a clear and present sign to hard-hearted teenage hearts that God is Wonderful, Almighty and Eternal. I think what brought me to tears, though, was being prayed over by Direcow - a friend who’s only beginning to discover his faith ministering to me who’s made the Catholic faith his trademark. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.

In other news, I bought the VCD version of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather on Monday, deciding not to wait to save up for the DVD collection. Whoa. It’s easy to see why users on IMDb consider it the best movie of all time. There’s depth, pathos and sheer machismo in abundance with each second. The pace is steady without feeling rushed or draggy. While I do think Marlon Brando’s Oscar win is only due to the fact that Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall were relative unknowns back in 1972, nonetheless, the acting prowess of all four men is a combination that was unfortunately never to be repeated again. True, it did glorify organised crime, but that is a small setback in an otherwise intrinsically crafted masterpiece. I’m thinking a “Godfather”-themed wedding might sit a little better with my friends and family than a “Star Trek”-themed one. Not that I’m ever going to get married at the rate I’m going… heh.