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like, what is legit anymore?

Wonder Woman

Jun
16

It’s been ages since I did a movie review, partly because of the greatly reduced number of movies since #dadding, and partly because there are chores to be done, instead of whimsically going over the movie details, plot and stuff.

But I watched WonderWoman, and it will be a disservice not to document it. The DCEU movies have been known to be grim, dark and depressing, with marked changes to characters’ very core personality and beliefs.

So it’s a refreshing change of pace to see Wonder Woman having a pretty decent dose of humour. Gal Gadot is perfectly cast as Princess Diana, something we already knew in BvS but reaffirmed with aplomb here.

The film is bookended in the present day, but all of the action really takes place in WWI era, and kickstarted when Steve Trevor’s (Chris Pine) plane crash lands in Themyscira, a hidden island inhabited by the Amazonians, a race of warrior women created by Zeus to protect and guide Mankind.

Told about the ongoing War, Diana decides to follow Steve back to the real world to help stop the war from escalating by stopping Chief Chemist Isabel Maru from developing a new and deadlier form of mustard gas for the German forces.

Steve rounds up a ragtag group of friends and off they go on Wonder Woman’s maiden adventure. It’s a fun ride, and definitely a very worthy addition to the superhero film basket.

Rating: 8/10 

Wonder Woman Got Your Back, But You Still Probably Shouldn’t Try This At Home (Or at a Prom)

Now, in one of the scenes, Wonder Woman had to infiltrate a ball to try and kill General Ludendorff. But she was wearing a dress, so there wasn’t a lot of space to hide her sword. But she improvised well.Wonder-Woman-Sword-In-Back-Wallpaper-05338

This scene has since inspired (and probably seriously injured) a whole bunch of ladies to try the same thing, together with the hastag #WWgotyourback.

Seriously, look at this:

wwgotyourback

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No treadmill required

May
08

Sometimes, a little creativity is required to get that boy to exercise.

New photo by Richard Tan / Google Photos

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3’s a crowd but 4’s a hoot

Apr
28

So I haven’t really updated much since the arrival of Jubes, so here’s a little peek at what we’ve been up to as a foursome.

New video by Richard Tan / Google Photos

Needless to say, it’s been tiring, frustrating, endless clearing of shit, sleepless nights, and thoroughly rewarding.

To anyone still on the sidelines about having kids, jump in, I say. You’ll love it.

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Oli loves to dance

Mar
29

A lot.

As evidenced by this.

New photo by Richard Tan / Google Photos

I hope he always finds the simple joys in life, and never stops dancing.

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Happy Father’s Day Part II: One more Tan

Mar
20

Julian Tan was introduced to the world on 13 Jan 2017, our second little bundle of joy, and yes, it took me more than 2 months to document this, because it’s been a crazy 2 months!!

New photo by Richard Tan / Google Photos

 

New photo by Richard Tan / Google Photos

And we’re quite glad to report that big brother Oliver is taking to the new addition pretty well!

New photo by Richard Tan / Google Photos

Stay tuned for more adventures of the brothers Tan!

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Singapore’s next Presidential Election 2017

Nov
21

singapore

So recently, it’s been made known, that Singapore’s next President shall be Malay. Before this election, nobody’s actually raised the issue of race representation in the Presidency (which is a symbolic one anyway, and one that does not wield any power).

Interestingly, the internet was actually talking about who the next Prime Minister might be, and the people’s choice seemed to be DPM Tharman. In fact, it made so much noise that he had to come out and rule himself out of the PM race.

Then out of nowhere, this race representation in the Presidency came up, and conveniently swept the important debate (the Prime Minister position) under the rug.

CNA then came up with this article: Singapore’s next President: A look at potential candidates.

A Dr Norshahril Saat, Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute said the following:

The purpose of having a President is not as a check and balance to Parliament. So I think one issue that the candidates should avoid is to act as if they can check the Government. They can’t because they’re largely symbolic even though they have custodial powers.

That makes sense. We all know the President’s role, in terms of affecting government, as largely non-existent.

He then follows that up (in the same article!) with this:

You must ensure that every vote counts. You must ensure that citizens feel that their vote counts. Candidates must come out very strongly and tell voters that they’re voting for the future of Singapore.

So, just to recap: You’re asking us to vote for someone, acknowledging that he will have no real power, to sit in a role full of symbolism and pay him S$1.54m a year.

You then say that they should then try convincing us that we’re actually voting for the future of Singapore?

That’s like asking us to vote for a Survivor winner without seeing them jump through hoops to earn it, and spinning the most bullshit story on why they deserve it.

Sure, looking forward.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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A race against Time

Nov
16

Time heals a lot of things; broken hearts, wounds, animosity. But time, together with humans, also destroy a lot of things. In fact, I believe it’s only a matter of time before the human race destroys the planet and makes it uninhabitable for us.

Climate change due to human activities and the rapid growth of the human population will doom the planet, and with it, our species.

Unless.

Today, a few groups of people are working actively to make that “Unless” come true. And it’s a race against time. The race against time notion becomes even more apparent if you’re aware of The Fermi Paradox.

The Fermi Paradox asks the question of why – given the huge estimated number of Earth-like planets there are in the Universe – we appear to be alone. And one of the theories is that there is a Great Filter, or an obstacle SO huge that other civilizations and lifeforms just could not overcome, to become an interplanetary species. Waitbutwhy has an incredible article on what some potential Great Filters may be.

If that Great Filter is still ahead of us, then it makes sense for us to diversify (terraform other planets) as soon as we are technologically capable of doing so. So back to the people working on “Unless”…

 

Elon Musk – Interplanetary Champion

elon-musk

You should really slap yourself if you have not heard about Elon by now. This man is almost single handedly pushing on the mission to ensure humanity’s survival.
How? Glad you asked.

First, he is trying to stall for time on Earth meeting an earlier demise with all the carbon emissions it’s inhaling, by working on Tesla, his electric car company. Tes;a is currently working on its 3rd iteration of electric cars, imaginatively called Model 3. This is the first that’s aimed at the masses, costing $35,000 before incentives. Tesla is working on an acquisition of SolarCity, of which he sits as the Chairman. SolarCity is the largest provider of solar energy services in America.

Second, he is also the CEO of SpaceX, where his ultimate mission is to send 1 million people to Mars by 2035, in order to enable a self-sustaining human colony. You can view his Mars project as an insurance policy for humanity in case something terrible happens on Earth.

 

Mark Zuckerberg | Priscilla Chan – Disease Curer Billionaire

zuckerbergchannov2014

Next, we have Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donating $3b via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, in an audacious bid to cure all diseases.

Leonardo DiCaprio – UN Representative on Climate Change

Lastly, we have Actor/Producer/Environmental Activist Leo DiCaprio. He narrates Before the Flood, a documentary distributed by National Geographic detailing the effects climate change is having in various parts of the world.

In order to bring about higher levels of awareness of climate change, the film was distributed free on various platforms, including YouTube, and you can watch the trailer here.

Until these folks succeed on the bigger picture, we as individuals can also do our (small but powerful when done together) part in reducing our carbon footprint.

It doesn’t help that the second biggest contributor of carbon emissions is now being presided by a President Elect who thinks climate change is a fraud.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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The Tans take Perth 2016

Nov
12

Before Trump took the Presidency (I know! I’m having trouble believing this, too), the Tans took Perth. All 3.5 of us packed our bags and headed down under for a leisurely week of not doing much. (That’s what happens when you have a pregnant mum on one hand and a bubbly toddler on the other.

Commencing countdown, engines on / Google Photos

Against all of our fears of a toddler approaching his terrible-two on a 5-hour flight, it was relatively uneventful, thank god. We arrived at Perth, grabbed our rental car, and off we went in search of adventure!

First things first, the hotel. Or rather, the view from the hotel.

Hello, Rendezvous! / Google Photos

After gawking at the view and having a quick rest, it was time for dinner. I can’t remember now what we had for dinner, because look at that view!

Where's that egg yolk going, daddy? / Google Photos

End, Day 1 / Google Photos

We also took the chance to visit the Caversham Wildlife Park, a privately owned and operated petting zoo, where Oli had fun getting up close and personal with the kangaroos, koalas and a bigger than expected wombat.

Caversham Wildlife Park / Google Photos

We heart animals! / Google Photos

We then headed out to the Blue Boat House, an iconic boat shed to visit anytime you’re in Perth. And another major reason for this visit, was also to celebrate this little toddler’s 2nd birthday!

No monday blues here! / Google Photos

Of course, any trip down under should come with some…. wine. 🙂

Alcohol for one, please. / Google Photos

I guess after this, our next family trip will be a trip for four. And we’re greatly looking fourward to that!

Looking Fourward / Google Photos

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