And so I had a week of birthday treats from family and friends. Honestly, its a rare thing for me to even have a birthday celebration. But nonetheless I am now thirty! Damn it, that's scary! Then again, its exciting.

New phase in my life; lots of things going on. Career, romance, social and recreational life all making a turn around the bend just enough to see a brand new horizon. I lurve it!

Here are some photos for you to oggle at:

Duck.

Seafood Soup.

Angel Hair Pasta with Baby Tomatos.

White Wine (Napa Valley. circa 1993)

Pork Shank. (Apologies for the badly taken photo. It was the only one I had)

Chocolate Cake (See how thick it is? Sinful I tell ya! Sinful!)

Generally people get fat when they eat too much. Me? I just look like this...

Rainbow Sushi. From another birthday dinner treat.

Tuna Bowl.

BTW, MJ died on my birthday. Was so shocked when i saw the news on CNA in the morning. He was such an icon to me and my peers growing up. We all wanted to moonwalk and dance like him... Haiz... Well, such is the fragility of life. He was a great performer and an even more talented singer. He is a legend on many levels. God bless and comfort the Jackson family, and may this music legend aka the King of Pop, Rest In Peace.

With some free time this week, I took the opportunity to do some "upgrading".

Emmy Award Winning Editor Kris Trexler was in town to give a an editing lecture. He talked quite a bit about working on sitcoms, workflows, shared his 35 years of experience and what it is like to be an Editor working in Hollywood.

Kris and me in the FSV Preview Theatre.

I'll have you know that Kris is a huge fan of our island state (just like Zoe Saldana, who is dying to come over btw). He loves the food and goes on and on about how awesome Singapore is. It is refreshing to sometimes have a differnent perspective.

I learnt so much from from Kris. If anything, i found it very encouraging. He was a man with valuable lessons to share. He had a positive energy and a great professional attitude that any young industry professional would be "silly" to not adopt.

Here I have a Survivor China T-shirt that I won in one of the Raffle (Lucky Draw). Not much compared to the big prize - An Avid Media Composer software. Ooooo. Everyone had their eyes on it. I was thinking... IF I had won, it would be a good reason to get a Macbook? no? :)

I hosted the MINDEF PRIDE day this year. Thanks to MDC, I am back in a place all so familiar yet so remote. Nonetheless it was great to be hosting again. :)

Nat Ho was the special guest at this year's Pride Day. Both of us were "doing our part for the country". ;)

Thanks Sherman for the great pics! That company indented Canon 40D ain't too bad afterall.

I just got word yesterday that When We Were Bengs is now available on indieflix.com. Woohoo! That means you can watch it online or purchase a dvd copy of the film.

My film is part of a selection of Singaporean works distributed by Objectifs Films, to introduce North American audiences to an alternative range of films. This would be the first time indieflix is collaborating with a Southeast Asian Company. When We were Bengs is located in the "East Asian Indies" section.

Check it out - http://www.indieflix.com/Films/WhenWeWereBengs 

Alrighty. Its the one where I blog about the big day - Meeting the Cast & Director of Paramount's latest blockbuster STAR TREK. So I put on my Starfleet uniform and beamed out to meet the Stars. 

Below is my Starfleet Command General Pass. ;) Hehehe...

But before meeting the stars, I got to watch the movie before the rest of the world. I must say, as a fan of TNG, I absolutely loved it. I never really appreciated the original series (before my time mah. hehe), but this movie gave a whole different FEEL to it that just made it so relevant. In my humble opinion, I think non-fans who watched it would also enjoy it! :)

This is the junket location, the Park Hyatt Hotel. This is where it all happens.

So first on the agenda, I met with Inter-galactic Language & Communications Prodigy, Ensign Nyota Uhura aka ZOE SALDANA. She was such a pleasure to meet, and to talk to. She reminds me of Angela Hutchinson, whom I worked with when I was in LA. She's got a very warm personality. I also got the chance to ask her who she would personally like to date, Kirk or Spock? For her answer, you've gotta watch the Star Trek Interstitials on Channel 5! :) 

She wants to visit Singapore by the way, and from her expressions, VERY MUCH. She obviously doesn't know what "hot & humid" means. :S Well, the invitation has been open, and if she shows up somewhere in the Lion City, Tourism Board can send me a nice fatty cheque... no? Dammit!

The next two gentlemen were great conversationalists. Meet James Kirk and Spock aka CHRIS PINE and ZACHARY QUINTO. They were pretty fun too, especially Zach. Who would have guessed that this guy who plays heavy-handed characters like Sylar (Heroes) and Spock would have such a good sense of humour? Also, (not that I want to blow this guy's trumpet, but i'm just stating the facts here) how many actors can actually say there are 2 figurines from 2 seperate shows modeled after him? Good stuff, cannot bluff! 

In the 5 minutes that I spent with them, we talked about the movie, their roles, working with JJ Abrams, joked around a bit, took some photos, went for coffee, played some XBox, I asked if they would act in a Singapore movie for free, they agreed... OK the last couple of things i made up. But anyway, it was a thrill to meet these two very very talented actors, who did a fantastic job in the movie by the way.

Next up, I met ERIC BANA aka Nero in the movie. He plays the main villian. Of all the actors he was probably the most veteran and the most famous. I never really thought much about him until I watched Chopper. Gawd, I was blown away! This man is a acting genius! And he has never failed to bring a sensible tone to all the characters that he plays. From Munich to Troy, from the Hulk to Black Hawk Down and now Nero in Star Trek. This guy has done them all. So you can imagine how jittery I was when i went into the room. So much so, I forgot to ask the man for his picture. :P He was good to talk to though. No airs whatsoever.  

And now, the highlight of the day! Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet the legendary JJ Abrams! Director and Producer for Star Trek. WIth such films as "Mission Impossible 3" and "Cloverfield" under his belt, you can be sure Star Trek will not just be another Sci-fi movie for the geeks and freaks (pardon me, i was referring to myself :s). Bringing an emotional essence to the screen is a trademark of every JJ Abrams movie. He certainly has a knack it and he's good at it too.

So anyway, JJ is very down-to-earth. He's personable and somewhat animated. According to the cast, he's like "an overgrown kid" on the set, which I believe would have made it very fun. I wished I was on the set too!!! He was a joy to talk to as he gave an overall perspective to the film. It was inspiring for me because I am a filmmaker too. I only wished I had more time to pick his brains.

So there ya have it. My encounter with the Stars.

Wrapping up the trip, I decided to go have some authentic French Cuisine. I invited Mr Ling along but he declined. So off I went, to the Auberge St Roch. A little boutique restaurant in the middle the Rue St Roch, which is close to the Pyramides metro station.

Crayfish Salad for appetizers. Duck in (dunno-what) Sauce (but it sure was yummy) for mains. And the ultimate dessert - 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice-Cream sandwiched between large Macaron Bisuits and covered in Chocolate Sauce! Wah lao ey, Nearly fainted!

Full and satisfied, I made my way back to the hotel. I have never seen the hotel at night, and a nice view greeted me as I strolled back from the metro. What a nice parting shot it would be, I thought. So here it is, the good 'ol Scribe right in the heart of Paris.

Le Scribe.