Topics this week; Johor state election, last four in the World Cup and NDP rehearsal!

Posted on July 12, 2026 by vincentloy

There’s so much things to share about for the various happenings that took place over the week in general. Let’s go one by one. Will start with the Johor state election which occurred yesterday. I am not a Johorean (so I couldn’t vote) but like many Malaysians, I do still follow closely on this state election as many sees it as a prelude to the general election scheduled to happen latest next year. Before the voting, I expected that it would be a tight race between BN and PH coalitions and my preference would be the latter.

I was wrong and felt disappointed. BN secured very comfortable majority and this time claiming even more seats. Anwar-led PH did well on the federal level over the past few years but that failed to translate into votes in Johor state. Johor remains a stronghold for BN’s UMNO, and I’m surprised with support returning to MCA and MIC as well. MCA’s return in particular remains a mystery to me. What are these people thinking though? Anyway, for Malaysia’s future, I do hope all Malaysians do vote wisely in the coming general election (although that would be hard due to majority of them still stuck in race-based mindset).

Okay…no more writing on politics for now. We all move on like what Prime Minister Anwar said in his Facebook post after the state election’s outcome. Let’s go on to the latest update on the FIFA World Cup. We are now left with only 4 countries, France, Argentina, Spain and England heading into the semi-finals. Out of the four, I’m tired to see Argentina again. Urrgghh…and it’s also a bit devastating not to see Norway getting into their first ever semi-final. Haaland is superb and he is so popular now in social medias. Sorry Argentina’s fans, I would like to see either one of the other three nations to win 2026 World Cup. You have just won it in last edition.

Last evening, I was actually at around the National Stadium area to see the fireworks in conjunction with the National Day Parade’s rehearsal (which will take place every Saturday now until the actual National Day on 9th August). I also witnessed the presidential salute whereby 21 guns were fired off from the Kallang Basin. It was so loud! The park around there is usually empty (that’s my place to go for routine cycling too) but it will be packed now on every Saturday with heavy police presence and crowd control measures.

I saw the first burst of fireworks at around 7.40pm (lasted less than 10 seconds only) and then I left the place afterward due to downpour and strong wind. Hence, I didn’t get to see the final burst of fireworks (which is the major part) at around 8.20pm. Well, I didn’t expect the organizer proceeded with the fireworks despite the bad weather. Will try to catch it again next Saturday!

I did cycled around here on last Friday too, and went all the way to Marina Bay as usual. Took a lovely shot during the ride (see pic below) of the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay revealing behind some unlit common trees complete with the towering Marina Bay Sands skyscraper further at the background. Looks cool right!

Would like to end the post with another beautiful shot of a newly built hotel at Orchard area that I walked by in one of the weekdays after work. After a quick online search, it is the NoMad Hilton Singapore and it is set to open in early 2027. Designed by WOHA Architects (kind of obvious), the building will feature a 15-storey cascading waterfall and a verdant, cliff-like facade. What’s catching my eyes that evening are those gazebo-like structures that appear like hanging colourful lanterns on one side of the tower. One-night stay in this upcoming luxurious hotel would be costly.

In KL to feast on durian and an unexpected trip to the hospital.

Posted on July 5, 2026 by vincentloy

I have returned to KL this weekend and it is the perfect timing to feast on durians! It’s durian season now where huge pile or baskets of the king of fruits are on sale everywhere from market, outdoor food court or even just at the side of a road in Malaysia. The prices also dropped significantly this time around (only around RM<20 per kg for ‘Musang King’ variety) due to large yield and stiff competition with abundant of sellers. I also do felt like there is now quite a number of durian seasons per year though.

Most part of my brief stay in KL this time was actually being in a hospital unexpectedly. I was accompanying my sister who is experiencing serious migraine for 4 consecutive days to the emergency department. Usual symptoms kick in (numbness to more parts of the body including both hands, eyesight affected, headache, nausea) but in a more severe and prolonged level. Poor her. Fortunately, no major issue after the MRI scan and review by a neurologist but she still ended up having to spend a night in a ward for rest and comprehensive monitoring. Speedy recovery to my sister!

By the way, this quick return trip to KL was actually arranged previously due to a planned meet up with two of my ex-colleagues who have returned on the semester break from their respective postgraduate study overseas. One came back from Australia and another one came back all the way from Italy. We met up at the KL airport this morning for breakfast and a quick catch-up before I go on my return flight back to Singapore just now. Good to see them doing well so far and wishing them the best for the remainder of their studies. It’s no easy for Master of Architecture course which I have completed way back in 2017 in Curtin University at Perth, Australia.

Over the past week, I have watched two new movies. The first one is ‘Obsession’, a horror film which is a critical and commercial success now. The film revolves around a music store employee (portrayed by Michael Johnston) who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki (portrayed by Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him, resulting in horrific consequences. What a great movie it is and it was made with a budget of only USD$ 750 000! I was completely immersed by the creepy, tense and unsettling scenes and situations, impressive performances by the two leads, eerie score and fitting cinematography. This is by far the best horror film this year. My rating; definitely five out of five! No doubt on that.

The other movie is the ‘Minions & Monsters’. This is the third installment in the ‘Minions’ prequel film series and the 7th film overall in the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise. These fictional cute little yellow creatures we first saw 16 years ago (from the very first ‘Despicable Me’ film) are still so likable and funny to watch including in this latest film. However, there isn’t anything exceptional though but that is not expected of these movies in the first place. This premise is just meant to deliver some light-hearted and fun moments with these adorable characters and ‘Minions & Monsters’ remains to be delivering that nicely. Out of 5 stars, I would give it a three and a half.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

Half of 2026 is gone?!

Posted on June 28, 2026 by vincentloy

Yes indeed. In three more days, we will be welcoming the month of July and the first half of the year will be officially over. Time passed so quickly. The FIFA World Cup 2026 had just commenced not long ago and now we already entering into the knockout stages with 32 nations left. The final match will be taking place just about three weeks from now and right after it ends, we will see the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opens on 23rd July 2026.

Let’s move on from the sporting events and get right away to my very short review of a very short TVB drama that I have completed recently. It is ‘The Airport Diary 2’, a 10-episode drama revolving on the daily life of staff working in various departments in Hong Kong International Airport, continuing on from the first series back in 2024. This new series starred Kenneth Ma, Kalok Chow, Tony Hung, Samantha Ko, Tiffany Lau, Brian Chu, Rosita Kwok, Ricco Ng, Joey Thye, Aska Cheung, Tsui Wing, etc.

A lot of junior actors and actresses, and I think this series is a good platform for them to gain experience and take on more important roles in the future. Nothing extraordinary or fantastic from this sequel though, but I do find it slightly better than the first one. Out of 10, I rate this series a 6.9. This drama do gave us a good insight that it is no easy feat to run an airport and a lot of teams from different agencies or departments are involved in ensuring smooth operation and safe flight for all passengers.

Just over last week, I have watched four new movies and they were all generally quite good. They are ‘Deep Water’ (survivor film; a flight crashed onto the ocean and survivors have to work to survive a group of sharks), ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ (a martial arts dark fantasy film with a lot of nice action/fight sequences but I can hardly remember much details from its predecessor film), ‘Hungry’ (another survival horror film; this one about vacationers on a bayou boat tour being terrorized by a ferocious hippopotamus) and lastly ‘The Sheep Detectives’ (a good mystery comedy film about the sheep helping a police officer solving the case of the murder of their shepherd).

Just a quick status reporting that in the first half of the year, I have already watched over 40 films (that are released this year). Just throw me some more good 2026 movies! I’m ready for them. Besides than movies and exploring the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve over the weekend (as elaborated in my previous blog post…go have a read below if you haven’t), I also spent the weekend returning to play a bit of The Sims 4 PC game (I have not played the game for about a year already). Had a sudden urge to build a nice house (with cheat code in place for unlimited money of course) and manage a Sims family in whatever way I like (usually going on a crazy route…haha).

Nature walk at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve today.

Posted on June 28, 2026 by vincentloy

Earlier today, I spent over one and a half hour just to get to a nature park that I have not visited before on the northwestern side of Singapore by public transport. It is the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. With area spanning over 13 hectares, it was listed as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003 and is one of the four nature reserves in the country (the others are Labrador Nature Reserve, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve).

This vast area of wetland is a popular destination for visitors to spot a variety of migratory birds as it is a key stopover point for these birds and the site is included in the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network. Besides that, the reserve is very much visited for high encounters with free roaming wildlife (not in captivity) such as monitor lizards, saltwater crocodiles, squirrels, storks, etc. In fact, I saw all these during my first visit earlier today. How fortunate!

Sometimes, you don’t even to be very observant or have extremely good eyesight to spot them. Once you see a group of people stopping by at a point along the pathway, then you are in for a wildlife encounter. Some locals would even be very friendly and helpful and immediately point to you the exact location of the animal in case you are still searching for it from a distance. That’s exactly what I have been through today.

The highlight of my visit was of course the sighting of a resting crocodile just three metres away from the pathway lined with small defenseless guard rail. The crocodile is not too massive (about 2m long) but still look magnificent and terrorizing. Besides than these animals, there are also mudskippers, horseshoe crabs, smooth otters, reticulated pythons and variety of other wildlife calling the reserve their home. There are quite a number of designated spots for wildlife observation including a viewing tower where you can also get breathtaking view over to Johor side too across the strait. Other than that, there’s proper pathways, boardwalks and many signages around to guide visitors while exploring the park.

There is also a Mangrove Gallery and a Nature Gallery located at the two main entry points to the wetland reserve. I gained a bit more understanding and knowledge of mangrove ecosystem and some of the closely associated floras and faunas after a brief visit of these two small galleries. I had a good time exploring the wetland reserve (spent a little over 2 hours there) that made me felt that the long travelling was worth it. The experience also felt like going to a zoo but without any admission fee required.

Spent my Sunday visiting Plaza Singapura, Istana Park and the House of Tan Yeok Nee.

Posted on June 21, 2026 by vincentloy

Looks like I’m super active in blogging for this weekend as I have published 4 posts in these two days alone including this one which highlights the places I have been to earlier today including visit to a gallery. Right after having my lunch, I made my way to Plaza Singapura mall first to browse through the Pop Mart store. This particular store had just reopened after a revamp but I saw that there’s not much changes to the store though.

By the way, I was actually looking to purchase the Hirono x Kodak bear plush doll pendant which was recently released but it was sold out unfortunately in this store. This figurine is looking adorable and cool at the same time and I would like to have one. I went to few other Pop Mart stores across Singapore too for the past weeks to find it but to no luck. I guess I have to wait for a while for this highly sought after product to be restocked.

I then crossed over the road to walk around the Istana Park. Had just a very brief walk around this city park as it is quite small and the weather has been intensely warm recently. Next, I crossed over another road and now I arrived at the House of Tan Yeok Nee. This is basically the main place I would like to visit today. It is a historical complex which was once a mansion for Tan Yeok Nee, a wealthy Teochew businessman and his family. Believed to be built between year 1882 to 1885, the house was constructed by Chinese craftsmen adhering to feng shui principles and is now a designated national monument.

The design of the house follows traditional Teochew architecture as seen from the gentle curved roof ridges and other uniquely Teochew features such as timber corbel in a form of a dragon fish, timber strut in a form of a lion, etc. Further to that, the house has underwent various phases throughout its 140 years of history. From 1906 to 1938, the house was turned into Saint Mary’s Home, a girl’s orphanage. Then from 1938 to 1991, the house served as a base for the Salvation Army. From 1999 to early 2020s, it was adaptive reused into an education institution.

Since 2025, the house has been turned into a conserved heritage site with a gallery that is opened to the public. The small gallery offers visitors a closer look at the house for the first time, showcasing its architecture, craftsmanship, and cultural journey through multimedia displays and representations of artefacts. I completed the gallery in less than an hour and then I walked around to admire its captivating traditional architecture and particularly the intricate and meticulous details of the roof structure. So many things to look at when I raise up my head.

Besides than the gallery, the mansion now also contains a restaurant, a bar and an event space. Unfortunately, only a small portion of the mansion is open to the public while the rest is reserved for the staff and restaurant/bar/event patrons only. Still worth a visit especially when you are passing by. It’s very rare to find a beautifully conserved old Chinese mansion especially in a modern city like Singapore.

The on-going FIFA World Cup 2026 and my brief review to TVB series ‘The Map Of Truth’.

Posted on June 21, 2026 by vincentloy

It’s definitely the football fever season now as the FIFA World Cup 2026 is currently taking place, 4 years after its previous run in Qatar. This 23rd edition of the international football competition will run from 11th June to 19th July this year and is co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament is the first in FIFA World Cup’s history to be hosted by 3 nations and the first to include 48 teams, an expansion from the previous 32-team format. More matches to look forward to for all the football fans.

I am not very enthusiastic on this sport but I do follow closely on the result especially after it reaches the last 8 (quarterfinals). The 2022 World Cup trophy was won by Argentina after defeating France in the final. I wonder which countries will be getting into the final this time. Looking from the statistics online, some of the heavyweight nations or crowd favourites would be Portugal, Argentina, Spain, France, England, Brazil, Germany and Italy. Not a single Asian country is being looked forward to to win the cup. Hmm…is it genetic that Asians are poorer in football? I hope to see in my lifetime, an Asian country winning the World Cup!

Let’s move on to the next topic. Today I will be sharing my short review of a 20-episode TVB drama I completed last week. The series is titled ‘The Map Of Truth’ and it starred Wayne Lai, Katy Kung, Karl Ting, Carmen Ngai, Danny Hung, Andrew Yuen, etc. The series centers oround a Feng Shui master and a debunker as they investigate spooky urban legends and mysteries around Hong Kong. TVB seldom produces paranormal-themed drama and hence I’m giving this series a try.

I’m giving this drama a 6.8 out of 10. It is a forgettable drama with mediocre acting performances and a plot of various different story arcs that isn’t engaging or leaving any moving/memorable impact to the audiences. The young artists are good though especially Carmen and Karl. Carmen could have a shot for the most improved female artist award for this year. Can TVB make better-quality paranormal series like they did in the past as seen from series like ‘The Exorcist’s Meter’ and ‘Barrack O’Karma’?

Before ending the post, would like to wish a belated Happy Dragon Boat Festival to the Chinese communities. Observed on last Friday (19th June) this year, the festival is also known as Duanwu Festival or Double Fifth Festival (as it is celebrated on 5th day of 5th lunar month in Chinese calendar). I didn’t get to eat any sticky rice dumpling for the day though which is very much associated with this festival. Last but not least, it’s Father’s Day today hence, Happy Father’s Day to my beloved dad!

Visited the rebranded Rainforest Wild Adventure after the opening of its new East zone.

Posted on June 20, 2026 by vincentloy

Rainforest Wild Adventure is Mandai Wildlife Reserve’s fifth and latest zoo. This park is in fact being advertised as Asia’s first adventure-based zoological park which made it stood out from the rest of its wildlife attractions; Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and Bird Paradise. Hence, while the animals remain an important feature of the park, the variety of adventurous activities offered in Rainforest Wild Adventure is the focal or selling point that sets it apart from a traditional zoo.

Early last year, the west zone of this particular park is opened to the public and is named ‘Rainforest Wild Asia’ back then. This section houses animals originating from Asia continent. I visited this place back in March last year not long after its official opening date if I recalled correctly. Then, in May 2026 (just last month), the east zone is officially opened as well. Originally called ‘Rainforest Wild Africa’ as this section houses animals originating from Africa continent, Mandai Wildlife Reserve decided to rebrand the two zones into its current official name ‘Rainforest Wild Adventure’.

The entire park is now finally completed and opened to the public. Its two zones are separated but can be visited under a single admission ticket and reachable between each other via free shuttle bus, car or just by walking via a 800m long sheltered walkway. I arrived at the new East zone at almost noon and was surprised by the lesser-than-expected number of visitors. Without the crowd, the experience of walking and exploring the park is actually even better with quieter surrounding and ample of empty viewing spots to see and photograph the animals.

A plus point of this East zone is that all of its elevated walkway is sheltered which makes this park walkable under any weather condition. No problem to tour the park come rain or shine. There are also some very easy forest trails underneath on the ground level for visitors who wanted a different experience or a closer look to the animals. Some of the animals I saw during my visit include okapi (also known as zebra giraffe), otters, Diana monkeys, pygmy hippos, tortoises, estuarine crocodile, ring-tailed and red-ruffed lemurs, yellow-billed storks, red river hogs, etc.

There is also this Mandai Wildlife Centre located within the East zone but it will only be opened by end of this month. It is a purpose-built centre to care for rescued wildlife by providing veterinary treatment and rehabilitation. Once deemed fit to survive independently, these animals will be safely released back into the wild. Good effort there!

The admission fee to the rebranded park also includes access to the Adventure+ activities (9 during weekdays and 5 during weekends). I only played the Canopy Glider though. It is a fun and relaxing 500m glide high up the air and enables visitors to soak in the views and spot different animals roaming below. I also had a good lunch at the Rangers Retreat Restaurant before exiting the East zone.

Prior heading to the West zone (the Asia’s section), I also manage to take a brief 10-minute visit to the Mandai Gallery, a small indoor gallery presenting a bit of the history of the development of this entire wildlife reserve. The management should have places more informative displays or exhibits in this gallery which is currently underwhelming and skippable. After that, I took the shuttle bus which brought me to the West zone. I covered this zone by brisk-walking (fast-paced) as I have already visited it before last year as mentioned earlier. I finally completed my visit by 5pm after spending a little over 5 hours exploring the East zone, West zone and also the Mandai Gallery.

Out of the 5 parks, I find that the Rainforest Wild Adventure is the least exciting with much lesser animals that visitors will be able to see. However, I must say that each habitat enclosures here are thoughtfully designed and very spacious although some of the structures are looking very man-made rather than appearing naturalistic. So now, I have only the Exploria (an indoor nature-themed multimedia attraction) and the outdoor Mandai Boardwalk that I have yet to explore within this protected nature reserve.

Watched two major new film releases; ‘Toy Story 5’ and ‘Disclosure Day’ for the past week.

Posted on June 20, 2026 by vincentloy

‘Toy Story 5’ was finally released to the cinemas here last Thursday and I quickly went ahead to watch it on its opening day right after my work. It’s one of my most anticipated films this year and it turned out great and awesome as expected! In this latest animated sequel, Jessie is now the main lead and she is accompanied by Woody, Buzz and some new toys throughout her adventure in attempt to help Bonnie make friends after the latter gotten a new electronic pad.

The movie is heartwarming, nostalgic (brought back a lot of memories of watching this film series from a kid to an adult now), educational (carry some thoughtful life lessons especially in regards to the use of technology among the children nowadays), hilarious and entertaining. There’s still magic in this group of toys after over three decades (the first Toy Story movie was released back in 1995 when I was only 4 years old! Now look how old we are!).

There is one new toy that stood out to me which is the Smarty Pants. It is an electronic potty-training toy voiced over by Conan O’Brien and he was excellent in it. This character is so funny. Do stay after the Taylor Swift’s song ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ playing at the end of the movie as there is a mid-credit scene. This ‘Toy Story 5’ is real good and out of five stars, I would rate it four and a half. Go watch it if you haven’t. This film is going to be massive in the box office and is almost certain to gross over USD$1 billion, just like its two recent predecessors.

Another new film that I have watched over the week is ‘Disclosure Day’. Directed by acclaimed director, Steven Spielberg, the film starred Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, etc. This sci-fi thriller movie follows a weather news reporter and a cybersecurity engineer who were on a run from a shadow organization that has suppressed the existence of aliens on Earth since decades ago. They then work to broadcast the truth to the entire world.

*(Image source: Cineversehastings.co.nz)*

If you are looking for an action-packed movie with aliens causing destruction, then this movie isn’t for you. It is more of a drama film that follow closely to the two main characters, particularly the female reporter portrayed by Emily Blunt. Her performance in this film is phenomenal and deserves a best actress nomination. Colin Firth is good too in his supporting role here as the antagonist. The rest of the movie was just fairly decent except that I felt the runtime is slightly too long and that the ending is a bit disappointing. I would rate ‘Disclosure Day’ three and a half star.

Other films that I have watched recently include ‘Michael’ (the biopic on the King of Pop, Michael Jackson; this movie is expected to cross the 1-billion milestone too), ‘Hokum’ (a horror film sets in a haunted hotel) and ‘Slanted’ (a body horror film on a Chinese-American teenager attempting to fit into her school and the society by undergoing a surgery to turn into a white person). Won’t be giving any review for these films (please wait till the end of the year for the summary of all 2026 films I watched and my personal rating to each of them).

Returned to Batam for budget-friendly shopping, massage and seafood meals!

Posted on June 14, 2026 by vincentloy

Hi there! I have just returned from a short 3 days 2 nights trip with a friend of mine to Batam island, Indonesia which is approximately only an hour away from Singapore by ferry. A weekend getaway to Batam is always on top of the radar for people in Singapore due to the convenience, short distance away and it being a very affordable destination (especially with the Indonesian currency dropping so much lately). This is my fourth trip to this island and by now, I have visited all the mainstream touristy places there.

My mission for this particular trip is just to go chill, feast on mouth-watering seafood meals, get a relaxing massage and shopping for casual wear and sport shoes. I finished my work early on last Friday’s afternoon and then I immediately rushed my way to Harbourfront Centre to meet up with my friend and board the ferry departing to Batam Centre Ferry Terminal at 5.20pm (after clearing the quick immigration check).

I chose the same hotel where I previously stayed for my previous two trips; Harris Hotel Batam Centre. It is located right next to the ferry terminal which is very convenient. After checking in, me and my friend went to Harbour Bay Seafood Restaurant for a savory dinner accompanied with the no-so-good live music (I almost wanted to say I sing better than the performer that evening). After that, we went to Grand Batam Mall to walk around before returning to the hotel after a long day.

On Saturday, we kickstarted the beautiful day with a breakfast in the hotel. I was disappointed by the dropping standard of the breakfast buffet served by the hotel though. We first made our way to Golden City area to view the Go-Kart attraction (we didn’t play though) and the Cheng Ho Mosque, a unique small red-painted mosque with design resembling a traditional Chinese temple. At first, I thought of visiting the Batam Miniature Houses’ Park nearby (which I visited before) but it was already demolished now. This attraction is no longer present.

Next, we went to Nagoya Hill Mall. I managed to purchase a casual shirt and a discounted sport shoes here. We then go for dim sum lunch at Si Fang Yuan Restaurant. This is my go-to place for lunch every time I am in Batam. I am in love with the steamed tofu with prawn paste dish from this restaurant. After that, we returned to our hotel for a brief rest and to avoid the extreme afternoon heat outside.

Following that, we proceed to have our tea break session at Itsumo Tart, a very popular cafe (in Penuin area) serving Asian teas and tarts. The cafe is housed in a shop lot with a cool industrial chic architecture.

We then continued the day with a brief visit to Vihara Budhi Bhakti (a Chinese temple that I frequently visit too whenever I am in Batam), A2 foodcourt for yet another seafood dinner (we ordered from ‘I Seafood’ stall and this one was even more affordable to a point that I’m shocked after looking at the bill) and a 1-hour massage (I chose the 5-in-1 massage covering mostly foot along with head, neck, hand and shoulder) at Spring Massage Center. Lastly, we went for dessert at ‘Long Time No See’ cafe nearby before returning to the hotel in the evening.

This morning (Sunday) after our usual breakfast in the hotel, we went to Penuin area again to buy some layer cakes (kueh lapis) as souvenir to take back home. I chose the ‘chempedak’ (jackfruit) flavour out of a variety of flavours available (such as pandan, cheese, prunes, chocolate, original, etc). We then checked out of the hotel, walked over to the nearby Mega Mall Batam Centre for a lunch before heading to the same ferry terminal for returning ride (2pm) to Singapore in the afternoon. There’s the end of my brief vacation to Batam this year. A satisfying and indulging short trip without damaging the wallet and also without the need of taking any leave.

Hype for Toy Story 5 is building up…and many more 2026 films that I’m eager to watch.

Posted on June 7, 2026 by vincentloy

2026 is going to be a great year for blockbuster films. Early this year, we already observed a few films which accomplished successful run in the worldwide box office (and still earning bucks as of today). One of those would be ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ which currently sits on top of the ranking for highest grossing 2026 films with nearly USD1 billion. The movie is going to hit that milestone inevitably latest by the next weekend. Then we have ‘Michael’, a biopic film that follows the early life of superstar, Michael Jackson which made over USD860 million so far in the box office. It is currently the third highest grossing biopic film ever in history.

‘Project Hail Mary’, an outer space film released in March this year exceeded expectations in both box office performance and the critics’ rating. The movie made over USD680 million. Other films going to be released from this month till the end of 2026 and are highly estimated to do well in the box office would be ‘Toy Story 5’, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, ‘Dune: Part Three’, ‘Moana’, ‘The Odyssey’, ‘Minions & Monsters’, ‘Disclosure Day’ and ‘Supergirl’. In fact, the first 3 titles listed earlier are expected to join the elusive 1-billion dollar club too. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’? Likely 2 billion. Won’t be an uphill task for an Avengers movie!

I would love to see all those films too. Besides them, other 2026 to-be-released movies I’m interested in would be ‘The End of Oak Street’, ‘Clayface’, ‘Evil Dead Burn’, ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’, ‘Street Fighter’ and ‘Jumanji: Open World’. There seems to be quite a number of cool horror films this year on top of many that I have already watched so far.

For today, let’s talk about the one highly anticipated film that is coming up in the theatres in less than 2 weeks; ‘Toy Story 5’. Many claimed that the previous ‘Toy Story 4’ would be the end of this iconic film franchise which started with the very first ‘Toy Story’ movie back in 1995 (31 years ago!). But hey…here comes ‘Toy Story 5’! I’m quite excited to see Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the gang back on the big screen with new story.

In fact, during my visit to Vivocity mall earlier today for shopping, there are a number of on-going events, exclusive retail pop-ups, arcade/carnival games and displays featuring those beloved characters to promote this upcoming movie. The huge replica of Woody at the outdoor plaza of the mall is so cool and there’s even ‘Bonnie’ (Woody’s new owner after Andy since end of Toy Story 3) written underneath one of its boots as per the movies. That’s attention to detail right there.

That’s all for my post today. Looking forward to my short weekend trip to Batam this coming weekend and then to the new ‘Toy Story 5’ movie in the following weekend!

Vincent Loy's Online Journal

A blog to fulfill my desire in writing and your passion in reading.