Bond Trivia #1 The First Bond

For the last few days, I have been busy with my research work at home. My enthusiasm with work is plunging as I review countless sheets of paper filled with numbers and gibberish. The only thing that got me going was my Bond soundtrack playlist playing from my computer. Now I am taking a short rest from my paper work to express my love for my favourite franchise of all time, 007 James Bond legacy.

Let's start with a trivia that will win you drinks in a bar, or at least that was what I heard.

Who was the first actor to play James Bond?

As most of you may know, there were a total of 25 James Bond movies, 23 produced by Eon Productions and 2 non-Eon. The most famous "first" James Bond is obviously Sir Sean Connery who starred in 7 Bond films between 1962-1983. But was he the first actor to play James Bond? Apparently not... In 1954, there was a CBS television series called Climax! that acquired the rights to Ian Fleming's first book Casino Royale. They made it into a one hour episode titled "Card Sense" and starred Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond.

The episode followed the book very loosely and reversed the role of James Bond and Felix Leiter, Bond being the American "Combined Intelligence" agent and Felix "Clarence" Leiter being the British agent. So he is one of the two non-British actors to play James Bond, the other being George Lazenby.

The actor playing Jimmy Bond, Barry Nelson is no stranger to American television. However he was better known for his works on broadway. Another thing to note about this episode was that at the point of airing, Casino Royale was the only Bond novel in existence. Ian Fleming went on to write 13 more novels and expended the character and world of James Bond until his demise in 1964. Who could have predicted that a television adaptation of a mere British spy novel in 1954 would become an artifact of a legacy that is still going strong.

There will be another Bond trivia coming soon...

lalanandaFRY

22/6/13

O.M.G

I miss those days when I can just take a stroll around the city to enjoy the scenery whenever I want regardless of the time or weather.

I miss those days when I could just run to the nearby supermarket to grab groceries without starting the car engine.

I miss those days when I walk to the dinning hall at some random time and always be greeted by my buddies who share our happy and unhappy moments together.

I miss those days when my housemates and I march to and from our lecture theaters to face those dreadful hours together.

I miss Glasgow so much!

It hasn't been long since I last been to Glasgow, yet it feels like I haven't been there for a long long time. I think I miss the place not for its beauty but for the memories I have had for the year I was studying there. It is definitely a stretch to say that Glasgow is even close to beautiful.

The first impression of my room, Rubbish Dump!

I remember not liking anything about Glasgow during the first week there. It was at that time when my mentor told me about how much he loved the city and how I would appreciate my life there but obviously my mind was preoccupied by the thought of getting rid of the stench in my tiny room. Hey bro, I get it now! You were totally right! My first time of merely walking around the city was an entirely new experience to me because I have never walked around the city center without breaking a sweat... damn KL is hot!

We only have each other!

The experience of being foreigner for a long period was also a fond one. I remember one day I went out to get groceries with a group of housemates at the supermarket and we saw a lady wearing tudung with her child. Our first instinct as Malaysians was that she was Malay and we had the crazy idea to test whether she was Malaysian. So we stood in a row and started singing Negaraku when the lady walked past. That was just one of the many ridiculous things we do in Glasgow.

I put all all my effort in making my own chicken soup for dinner.

And obviously I won't forget how much I miss cooking. Getting ready in the kitchen was like an adventure everyday. I had a bunch of culinary experiments throughout the year, mostly recreating Malaysian dishes I felt like eating. During festive seasons like CNY, we had our own "reunion dinner". We filled the table with all the amazing dishes we could make with whatever resources we had and eat till our stomachs gave up.

Not forgetting the game that brought us together almost every night when we had nothing to do, Mahjong! Before going to Glasgow, I had no idea how to play with those labelled tiles whatsoever. But all the guys in our house learned how to play it by the time we left Glasgow. It was the muhibbah moment when Malay, Chinese and Indian play 3 player Mahjong on the same table. Awesome!

Before travelling to Glasgow, I have always wanted to experience snow since I have only scene them in movies. During my stay there, there was a period of heatwave during summer when I doubt that I would ever have the chance to see snow. After multiple predictions for snow by BBC, it finally happened in 5th December 2011 just before midnight. It was glorious to run out in shorts and slippers to throw snowballs at each other, to slide down slopes of snow with our makeshift sledge. I never knew snow was so fun at the start and yet dreaded for the next couple of days. Just the thought of walking on slippery "black ice" reminds me of how much I disliked walking during winter.

Of course the main reason for being in Glasgow was to get a degree. Those months were the toughest we have ever experienced in the whole university life. We had to settle into that new environment and jump across hurdles after hurdles that felt like they were never going to end. I believe the worst period was between February and May 2012. That was the time when assignments, assessments and the research project were like bombs waiting to explode one at a time. Then even after all that, there was the finals. I have no idea how I got through all that without catching a break.

After all that hard work and sleepless night, I have finally got what I went to pursue. Looking back at those times now overwhelms me with the sense of adventure in a way that I survived months of punishment and  managed to find refuge in the company of extraordinary friends. We made it!

Before I end this, I just want to emphasize the title

Oh

Magnificent

GLASGOW!

I am not going to forget those times I spent there. I really hope that I have a chance to return to this city once more... maybe in a distant future!

lalanandaFRY
1/6/2013

SS Botany Bay

I went to watch Star Trek Into Darkness on Wednesday and it got me thinking, where did the idea of peaceful exploration of space go? Star Trek movies through the past two decades were mostly a bunch of explosions and senseless action. I am not saying that action is not entertaining, I love the intense battles from First Contact, but the Star Trek I knew growing up was more about diplomacy and discovering new ways to solve difficult situations.

The title of this post is dedicated to the greatest Star Trek film and a big contender for my favourite film of all time,

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

I shall not spoil the movie for everyone who has not seen it, so all I can say is this movie brings balance to all that is great in Star Trek. The movie deals a lot with core human qualities including vengeance, sacrifice and fear while incorporating chilling battle sequences. It has many of Star Trek's most memorable moments including the infamous meme of Kirk screaming Khan's name out of anger.

Notice that little starship with the Enterprise? That is SS Botany Bay from the TOS episode Space Seed.

Star Trek II was released in 1982 with a significantly reduced budget compared to the first motion picture. Due to cost saving measures, the movie had to incorporate many effects from the first film while changing the tone and approach to be more like a space opera. It was written and directed by Nicholas Meyer as a sequel, not to the first movie, but to an episode from the TV series known as Space Seed. Although this movie holds itself very well as a stand alone film, it is always nice to watch the episode to see the events leading to the movie.

Space battles in the movie are fueled by tactics and counter tactics from the hero and the villain instead of just blasting a colourful light show and explosion sounds. Combining those battles with strong literature references from famous books like Moby Dick, King Lear and Paradise Lost is like a match made in heaven. So do not be deceived by the outdated visual effects and dull computer graphics from the trailer, the key to a movie is the story and it is where this movie excels. It was a successful film in a time when legendary films like Return of the Jedi, E.T. and Blade Runner were released. In a way, this movie saved the Star Trek franchise, which lived on for another 30 years and is still going strong till today.

Cumberbatch did an excellent job as the villain!

On a side note, I was super excited about the new Star Trek movie that I went to see it at the first screening at the local cinema, which somehow shows the movie on the 15th instead of the 16th. It was a fun movie to watch and had many scenes that referenced older Star Trek episodes and movies like the 2009 film (sometimes too much!). This is one movie that is difficult to review without spoilers, so I shall not spoil it anymore, enjoy the movie!

lalanandaFRY
18/5/2013

Closer To The Sky

Let me confess, I am not a hiker or climber. I have horrible stamina and I don't have any fancy equipment for hiking, not even a decent shoe. Despite being a noob, I have challenged myself again and again at 3-4 occasions to get a better view from a higher ground.

Disclaimer: To all hikers out there, don't be offended when I show my ridiculous footwear.

I remember my first climbing experience was when I went with a bunch of friends to Bukit Broga. It was a new experience for me to be holding a flash light with one hand and a tree branch with the other while the surrounding was pitch black. Every checkpoint we reached gave a sense of achievement I have yet to experience then.

We even had a crazy music video shoot at the third checkpoint where there were huge insects flying everywhere and some unusual rock formations. To get to the 4th and final checkpoint, we had to get up a path that was close to vertical with a conveniently placed rope. Then there was the thought, how do I get down from here?

I think the next time I climbed or hiked was at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. It hardly counts as a hike the path, with exception of the final stretch, were fairly gentle. It was new year's eve that time, it was freezing cold at 3-4°C and there was evidence of near gale winds for days all around Scotland. I started climbing the moment I arrived at Edinburgh from Glasgow, with minimal luggage. I did not feel any discomfort although I was wearing my worn out Fila shoes and one layer of windbreaker. The climb was very nice from the start till 3/4 of the journey, when strong wind was blowing against me and the temperature made me gasp for warm air like an asthmatic patient. I was lucky I chose the best time to climb because the sky was clear that day and the view was phenomenal.

Then after my finals, I went for a trip to Isle of Skye where there were tonnes of lovely places to hike. The guided tour brought me to a place called Bioda Buidhe, a hill around the north east portion of Skye. After watching so many documentaries about the natural wonders of Skye and seeing amazing sights like the Old Man of Storr, hiking up Bioda Buidhe was a dream come true. The air was fresher than anywhere I have been and the view was breathtaking. The hike was quite gentle also, though there some parts that were steeper. The biggest problem was avoiding sheep stool that may seem easy but they are everywhere.

Perhaps the most difficult climb I have ever experienced was at Bukit Tabur (Klang Gate). This limestone ridge along the corner of Kuala Lumpur also has one of the best panorama of the Klang Gate Dam as well as the city at certain points of the climb. My friend who lives around Taman Melawati guided us along the steep and slippery paths while telling us how dangerous the climb was. We did not actually reach the peak or some check point at the very top but I was personally satisfied with the view I captured with my camera. I think the hardest part of the climb was not going up but going back down. Climbing up had its own issues like getting hold of branches and balancing on narrow walkways. But the climb down goes with the flow of gravity and simple tasks like finding a safe and stable rock to lower our feet becomes much more important. It was much more tiring than other hikes but company of friends makes it much more rewarding.

Well climbing is always a lot of fun. I heard there is a nice jungle trekking area around Kuantan near Telok Cempedak. One day I'll give it a try...

lalanandaFRY
28/4/13

H&N: Tough Life

This afternoon during lunch, my friend told me something so apparent I fail to care... I have been a PRP for over 4 freaking months!!! I have one comment about this, working life is definitely not what I expected when during my university days.

May you rest in peace, my friend!

Last few weeks have been tough for some reason. It all started when my handphone just died for some reason. My cute little phone that I bought in Glasgow for £99 traveled with me wherever I went for the past 1.5 years. Looking at the "carcass" of my old friend brings back all those memories of my trips and how much I enjoyed a tiny gadget that doubles as my MP3 player and map. I mentioned before in my solo travelling post that my phone fed me with sweet Kpop compiled into a playlist which accompanied me throughout all my journeys, kept me sane at times and gave me strength to continue walking. I just bought a new phone which has a much bigger screen, better OS and smoother graphics, but things just aren't the same without my faithful friend.

Then I was greeted with "wonderful" news that we PRPs at the hospital had to do research despite protests (thanks to some complains from other hospitals). Initially it was definitely stressful but our group has many really enthusiastic members and good guidance from our preceptor, who is equally, if not more enthusiastic. Things were rough at the start as expected, we had to meet many times, gather and read a bunch of journals and complete a proposal in order to get approval of our plan. Based on our current progress, I would say we are on the right track thus far. Hopefully things will go smoothly throughout, I can't bear anymore troubles coming at me...

And yes, PRP life is tough as the title implies. My day goes by like Lego blocks, fixed up then bashed apart, then fixed up again to start the new day and the cycle goes on. Not sure whether you get that metaphor... In a way, it made me work harder to find out about my job, try my very best not to screw things up and make my day go by as swiftly as possible. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Yet I have the feeling that I am totally incompetent, maybe just not suitable to be working in an environment like this. Hopefully I find what I really enjoy doing.

lalanandaFRY
12/4/13