Left Hand Column: Book and Film Reviews

Cupid Love is a 1995 Singapore telemovie deeply rooted in its time, not just as a romance, but as a snapshot of local television at its most sincere.  Starring the beautiful Athena Chu and handsome Chen Hanwei, it combines romance, illness, family feeling, and a touch of Hungry Ghost Festival atmosphere in a way that still feels memorable today. Plot summary The plot follows a getai singer, played by Athena Chu, who falls in love with her American pen pal, only to find out that he is the son of a wealthy man and is suffering from a terminal illness.  That premise alone gives the telemovie a bittersweet core, turning it from a simple romance into something more emotional and tragic. One of the film’s more distinctive features is its getai setting. Because the heroine is a getai singer, and her family is connected to that world as well, the telemovie offers viewers a glimpse into local getai culture and the atmosphere surrounding the seventh lunar month. That gives the story a r...

Predator: Badlands is a refreshing entry in the franchise that does more than rely on action and spectacle.  While it delivers the tension and combat expected of a Predator film, what stood out to me is that I genuinely enjoyed the plot beyond just the fighting scenes. The story has enough structure, character focus, and small twists to keep things engaging. Plot summary Predator: Badlands follows Dek, a young Predator navigating survival, identity, and the need to prove himself by hunting an apex predator within a dangerous and unfamiliar environment.  Rather than focusing purely on humans being hunted, the film shifts perspective and gives more attention to Predator culture, hierarchy, and internal dynamics. A key element in the story is the Kalisk, a powerful and feared creature that adds another layer of danger. Its presence expands the stakes and makes the world feel larger, moving the film beyond a simple hunter versus prey setup. It is a hunter looking for an even bigge...

My boss asked me to read this book, and so I faithfully did. This is my reflection on it.   In The Road to Character , author David Brooks offers reflections on what it means to live a meaningful life. The book challenges the tendency to focus on achievement, recognition, and success. Brooks argues that while accomplishments do matter, the deeper purpose of life should be the cultivation of character. At the heart of this book is Brooks’s distinction between “résumé virtues” and “eulogy virtues.”  Résumé virtues are skills, achievements, and successes that appear on a résumé. They include professional accomplishments, awards, titles, and public recognition.  Eulogy virtues, by contrast, are qualities people remember when a life is over. These include kindness, integrity, courage, humility, and the ability to place others before oneself.  Broadly speaking, Brooks’s central argument could be summarised as: while modern culture celebrates résumé virtues far more th...