I don’t think I’ve ever watched so many movies in a row before. In my 14 hours flight, I watched more movies than I did in 2007. Here’s a quick run-down with my armchair review:

Michael Clayton – The role seems to be written with George Clooney in mind, and I don’t think it’s always a good thing. It’s like casting Jet Li whenever you need an Asian kung fu character. Michael Clayton IS George Clooney. I mean, he pulled off the role well and credible, but really how hard is it to act as you? Nonetheless, it’s a good film, executed well and definitely a good watch.

The Kingdom – Jamie Fox is intense, Jennifer Garner is sexy decked in kakis, Jason Bateman adds the comic touch and Michael Cooper tops off the stellar cast as the credible FBI inspector. Does it get better than this? Yes, if one of the white guys died with a dozen bullets pumped into him. But no, this is as gritty as an action film gets. I love the Call of Duty 4 moments when they shoot baddies through walls and RPG-7s gets fired all over the place.

The Last King of Scotland – Forrest Whitaker is brilliant, capturing the unabashed intensity of President Amin of Uganda. Good pacing, well-acted and had some brilliant moments, which is hard to find in a historical/biography piece. Highly recommended.

3:10 to Yuma – This is intense Christian Bale as the good guy versus charismatic Russell Crowe as the bad guy. This is one of the classic western remakes which is so well done that you won’t compare to the original. On the surface, it’s a classic dichotomy of good versus bad, right versus wrong but by the end of the film, you can’t help but feel the lines blur and feel awful when one of them had a dozen bullets pumped into him. Oops, did I spoil it for you?

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Cate Blanchett in one of her most comfortable genres and there’s nothing to dislike about her performance. She switches between strength and vulnerability with ease, and she holds the audience in her hand with every line and gestures she delivers. Personally, I still prefer the first Elizabeth.

Good night, and Good luck – Every journalism or media student could use this as a case study. It questions how the media is considered the fourth estate, or watch-dog of society. Where is the line you draw between reporting and getting involved with politics? I personally love the fact that in the 1950s, everyone in the television industry smokes, even the talk-show presenter on air.

Also, I had time to squeeze in a two TV shows:

Bionic Woman – Ugh, I’m not hot on this one. I didn’t see the original, but this is one show I’m happy to miss. The characters feel very 2-dimensional, and has all the predictable TV stereotypes; from the disgruntled Asian bad guy to the angsty younger sister to the young professor who tries to hard to be charming. Although its only a pilot, but it doesn’t feel like there’s anything more than this.

Cooking in the Danger Zone – This one is well-produced, and has a charming host with exotic locations. This episode features cooking in the Chernobyl zone of exclusion, and in the end, I was hoping to watch more episodes. Highly recommended if you’re into travelogues. If you’ve played Call of Duty 4, this episodes shows scenes of the Ferris Wheel in Pripyet, and that hotel where you sniped that dude’s arm off.

Back to London.

I had a quick dinner last night, then was off to bed by about 8pm (4am Singapore time), as you can imagine, I didn’t sleep a wink on the flight so that wasn’t too hard. The best part of last night was a nice warm soak in the tub before that. Simply divine.

This morning, I nearly killed myself with a full English breakfast. First, about half a dozen toast and pastries came. Then came a pot of freshly brewed coffee, and a big glass of orange juice. Following which, a big bowl of oat and barley porridge, which is really lovely with honey. Lastly, came the real thing – sausages, two sunny-sides-up, black pudding, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms and back bacon. Needless to say, I lay motionless for a while on the bed after that.

Lunch was at the oldest pub in London – Gordon’s wine and bar, by Villier’s Street. Dark and dingy, but has the most charmingly rustic atmosphere.

Now at 6:18 pm, I’m back in my hotel room, still full of food writing this post documenting my first 24 hours in London. My trip is off to a great start, and I’m wondering what else lies in store in the next 8 days to come.

I came back from my trip to Chiang Mai for about two weeks now. Chiang Mai is a beautiful place, and we had an absolutely fantastic time there. It’s not too commercialised like many of the islands off Thailand (read: too many caucasian tourists), neither is it so backwards that I can’t connect to the internet via wifi in my hotel room. And since I’m not a big fan of beaches, sun and sea, this sleepy little place is perfect for me.

This was a chill out trip for us, unlike what we did for New Zealand and France. We just wanted to chill and do some thing rather than cover hundreds of km a day.

Quick mention before I get to my point. If you’re thinking of taking a cooking class while in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend A Lot of Thai Cooking Class. I’m very impressed with Yui (owner, chef, instructor) and how she showered us with good ol’ Thai hospitality. And her cooking class is a whole lotta fun too!

Now, the real highlight of the trip was when we visted the Elephant Nature Park. This place doesn’t provide all the elephant trekking and shows which most tourists are used to. In fact, we did nothing but feed and bathe the elephants. This park in fact, rescues elephants who have suffered largely due to the booming tourist industry and the demand to see Elephants do silly tricks. As you can see from the pics, we had a great time just spending time with the elephants and really never needed to ride the elephant or see if do silly tricks.

You see, today’s Mahouts are driven by economic pressure since the boom of tourism. And because it now seems lucrative being a mahout and owning an elephant that can work for him, the bond of friendship and trust is becoming a contract of slavery and bondage for the elephant. And because in Thailand, an elephant is categorized as “livestock”, anyone can pay for a livestock licence and own one and exploit it to make money for the tourist trade. There’s an allegedly “traditional” way for man to tame the animal. It’s called the Phaajaan and it works on the simple premise that an elephant is tamed by physically and emotionally abusing it.

You can read more about it at helpthaielephants.com, and I’ve posted a little clip I found from the PETA website on YouTube.

I don’t believe that as tourists, we need to spend money on people or industries that continue with this practice. It’s unethical and certainly by any standards, cruel. Next time you go to Chiang Mai or any parts of Thailand and someone starts selling you an elephant ride or show, don’t go. Every cent you give will contribute to more elephants suffering. For a nation whose very history dates back to man’s relationship with Elephants for over 4000 years, it’s now in the hands of tourists and visitors to help preserve this once-sacred partnership between man and beast.

It’s monday, 8:43pm. I’m still staring at my PC (bleah) and trying to make some sense of what I’m staring at (and also why I’m still here).

I need a break.

The last trip I went was to Paris but that was more than 6 months ago. Wanderlust is setting in real fast. But this year is tough.. lots of credit card bills and stuff to pay off so financially it’ll be really tight. But hey, not all trips have to be far and expensive right? OK, here’s where I’m thinking of for a short break… if you have any better suggestions (Sentosa doesn’t count!), please feel free to leave a comment.

1. Bali – Sarah was talking about taking me to Ubud for a weekend. A nice quiet retreat from busy urban life since I’m not really a beach person so Kuta is out for me.

2. KL – Yup, all urban but hey, the food is good so who’s complaining? If I can eat 6 good (streetside) meals a day, I’m a happy man.

3. Hong Kong – No Disneyland please. Not that I have anything against Mickey but surely time could be better spent eating. Everytime I go there, I eat until I feel like throwing up. Oh yes, and there’s shopping too.

Speaking about holidays, there’s this beautiful wildlife sanctuary at the Eastern cape of South Africa which I’ll love to go visit. The place is called Shamwari Game Reserve and it’s really gorgeous. To be there watching the sunrise over the Savannah is one of the moments I have added to the “Things to do before I die” list. Oh, it’s Malaria-free so no worries. I found out about this place because Animal Planet is organizing a really exciting search for the next wildlife filmmaker thingey which I’ll share more about once the press release goes out. Damn, how did I end up talking about work again?

I seriously need a break.