I confess.  I find watching House of Commons question time quite interesting.
There's a lot of energy, a good display of dry British humour, subtle sarcasm and raucous shouts of "hear, hear!".  The Conservative Shadow cabinet sit opposite the Labour bigwigs (more than two sword-lengths apart, no less and no more!  This was made as such way back when gentlement wore swords as part of their daily dress - they didn't want any accidents resulting from heated debate!)Lively, debate on policies, and issues relevant to MPs across the country and the constitutuents they recommend.  It's a display of organized chaos.  The speakers fire questions in rapid sucession, often at Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is rather good at fielding them.  Blair is a very good orator, I think - clear, confident, and crisp.

Frankfurt. The closest comparison that I could come up with is it is like Singapore. Clean, efficient, functional.  And of course, rebuilt nearly from scratch, post World War II when every 1 building in 3 was left standing. I need to scan a postcard I bought: an amazingly detailed, black and white of the rubble that was Frankfurt am Main in 1945.  It's a chilling, sombre photo yet gorgeous in its astounding level of detail.

Today,whatever suriving buildings are interspersed with modern architecture's glass-chrome-metal cafe's, museums, buildings - much like Wheelock Place (Borders Bookstore) on Orchard Road, in Singapore.

With quiet determination, things get going again.

Movies watched:

• Star Wars III  - (deadpans: noooo. Or: oh annie oh padme oh annie repeat ad nauseum. Worst. Scripting. Ever.)
• Alexander - (Hmmmm) (Leto. Man in eyeliner. Never looked SO GOOD.   Colin Farrell: I say again, Most Unconvincing Blonde. Ever.)
  Mr. & Mrs. Smith - (Me: I'm going to model my marriage on this. J: What, shoot a lot of men in black dead then have lots of sex with Brad Pitt? Me: Hmm, you have a point. Not with Brad Pitt then..)
• Batman Begins
• The Merchant of Venice
• Closer
• Fight Club - (Everyone should own this DVD)
  
• Thin Red Line - (Jared Leto's in this too.  But he dies. Quickly.)
  
• Devil's Advocate - (l33t. Al Pacino. Keanu.)
  
• Star Wars: Clone Wars (animated) - (Really fun! The makers took liberties with the Jedi superpowers, but for the better! They must be fans, they picked up so many of the Star Wars-style camera angles)
• Alexander, Alexander, Alexander - (I'll explain this one, I promise.  Explanation contains historical bent.  For now, I'll just quote Mr. Leto:  "...such incredible warriors. They were compassionate, tough and educated by Aristotle. They could talk about Plato then slit your fucking throat. Today's leaders have nothing on them.")
  

Books read:

• Dan Brown - Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Digital Fortress, Deception Point (booooring.  Each of these takes about 5hrs of very light reading, try and stick with it despite the writing style that at times, is painfully slow and/or obvious.  Angels & Demons read like a tour of all the places in Rome that I know and love.  Everything else is written like a movie script.)
  
• Notes on a Scandal (Quality writing.  Booker prize short-listed)
• The Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw