~ Come Rayne Or Shine ~

Stephen Rahman Hughes

2012-01-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

I have been a fan of Stephen Rahman Hughes since I first saw him as Hang Tuah in Puteri Gunung Ledang - The Musical (Season 1) way back in 2006....not only because he has a handsome face, but his voice can melt any girl's heart (Yes, even mine...heh!)

The most recent performance of his that I attended was April last year, where he performed with Ramin Karimloo and Simon Bailey for "West End Stars in Concert". SUPER amazing, and everyone was so swoon-worthy...*sighs*

Okay, back to reality a bit...LOL! SO...during that concert, Stephen sang a BM song that he says is going to be in his new album (YAYYY!) and the song is SOOO pretty! LOVED it to bits and made me anxious for his album to be out...I mean, with HIS voice and songs similar to that one which he performed, I figured it's going to be a KILLER album!

Well, the album is FINALLY out =) A self-titled album, Stephen's album consists of 8 songs...all in Bahasa Malaysia. Bit of a dampener considering he's more British than Malaysian (even though he IS half-Malaysian!), but it's quite nice to see that he's trying his hardest to please his Malaysian fans. I couldn't find a copy until I read his fan FB page stating which stores carry his album and I got there JUST in time to get the last copy of the album at the store...hehe! So, what's my 'verdict'?

I guess I am on the fence with his album.....while I do admit that the songs do kind of cater to his range, I very much prefer him singing slow, ballad-y songs compared to uptempo or even mid-tempo songs. Unfortunately, the album cuts right in the middle with the number of slow and uptempo songs....and I'm not too sure who arranged the sequence of the songs, but there is the typical 'fast song followed by slow song' formula which is a little irksome, if you ask me.

The highlight for me is definitely the song that he sang in the concert - "Bertemu Di Syurga". For lack of a better word, it is very 'pretty'....with the piano intro, strings and big chorus, it's a lovely song that one dedicates to their loved ones =) Still, I find it a little bit 'overproduced' in the sense that there are too many things going on as the background music. I so much preferred the way they arranged the music during the concert...gives a much better flow to the song. Watch the song performed here (I recorded it with my phone, so excuse the bad quality!):

However, there are some other songs which I find grew on me with a few more listens...need I say more that they are ballads as well? =P "Hati Berbisik" is a lovely duet with Jaclyn Victor, though I have to say that Jac's voice is featured so little here! Still, the song is cool =) "Cinta Masih Ada" is another song that grows on you...it's a song about sacrifices that people make for their loved ones, and above it all, there. is. love. And my second most favourite song is "Ku Lepas". Another pretty song with a big chorus and soft ending...but I think what spoke to me most were the lyrics, where it talks about letting go for the best of both parties. =')

My only 'complaint' with this is the emo-Malay Rock song that is "Ekspresi". I don't know what it is, but I didn't like it one bit...even after a few listens. LOL! It JUST doesn't fit with Stephen's voice and I guess I am biased, but the jiwang rock thing is just....weird. I find it a bit wasteful to put this up in the album, but I guess the rocker fans might enjoy it. *shrugs* So yup, there is my two cents' worth. I like it, but I can't say I'm absolutely thrilled with this album....let's hope he comes up with another one soon where he sings material that really gel with his voice and style =)

Contraband

2012-01-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

con·tra·band/ˈkäntrəˌband/

Noun:

Goods that have been imported or exported illegally.

Adjective:

Imported or exported illegally, either in defiance of a total ban or without payment of duty.

Yup, as the film title suggests it is about smuggling! Not a really unique premise, but it is a rather cool movie with some rather ingenious 'ideas' on how (really) good smugglers do their work.

Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg, looking quite buff here) is a smuggler-turned-legit alarm installer with a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) and two cute boys. Back in the day, he was a very well-known smuggler who manages to pull off the coolest smuggles from different places. His brother-in-law wasn't that good though and botches a 'run', forcing Chris to 'go back' into smuggling for one last time before the henchmen get to his wife and kids.

Mark Wahlberg does quite a good job as the tough, previously-a-smuggler guy who dotes on his family a lot. He makes it quite believable that his character is a very street smart guy who has turned over a new leaf. Can't say the same thing about Kate Beckinsale though, as I feel the film makers are just using her famous name to pull in audiences. Her character is a little pointless as all she does is just be pretty or get beaten up by thugs to threaten Chris. A little sad, coz she is quite a good actress.

While the story is nothing much to shout about (It does start off rather slow as the characters are introduced), the action pretty much makes up for it...especially when Chris puts his plans into action. There are quite a few cool ideas on how to hide stuff in a confined space...though I'm not too sure if they have been actually used before, but cool ideas nonetheless. Think 'Prison Break' cool, except that they use those ideas for smuggling! And while there are some parts where it feels a little TOO easy for the characters to get to where they are, it is still rather interesting as the pace picks up exponentially towards the end. There are car chases, explosions, shootings, the works! My favorite scene would probably be the last few minutes of the film, where they really bring a new perspective to the term 'a sea full of money'! Watch it and you'll get what I mean. *grins*

All in all, it is quite a clever little movie....though not a big blockbuster like the big titles coming out this summer, it does deliver enough wit, action, and humor to keep your attention until the very end. Not bad to start off a new year *wink*

Khuntai Restaurant

2012-01-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

Khuntai Restaurant had been around for quite some time now....if memory serves me right, the last time I've been there was a few years ago. Alas, no photos of the food I had then. This time around, the family mentioned that they would like to go back again to sample their famous tom yum. And they did not disappoint *grins*

Getting to the restaurant is rather easy as it is located just off Jalan Gasing. I went Googling to look for a map, and it turns out they have their own website! Check it out here. They open everyday, so no qualms about whether they will be closed should you head there for dinner *wink* On to the food, shall we?

Appetizer! This is called Miaeng Kam (I hope I spelled it right!) The little bowls contain condiments like dried prawns, slivers of roasted coconut, peanuts, ginger, lime and cili padi. Small portions are placed onto a leaf, drizzled with the sauce above, wrapped and enjoyed. The last time I had this, I didn't really know how to appreciate the taste of this dish. This time around though, I find I rather enjoy it...the combination is quirky but unique and tasty; It's a little sour, sweet and savory, but also has a little 'green' taste from the leaf...combined with the crunch of the peanuts and dried prawns, it's definitely something one should try at least once =)

We ordered the pandan chicken too...chunks of chicken marinated, wrapped in pandan leaves and subsequently fried. It wasn't as fragrant as I expected, but the meat was juicy and tender. A so-so experience with this, but non-spicy lovers might enjoy this.

Next, came their famous tom yum...there are quite a few variations at Khuntai. This was the 'normal' tom yum, but they also have something called 'white tom yum' where the soup is clear and not red like this one here. We had the seafood, and it was splendid. I find it a wee bit too spicy, but I'm the one who can't take much spicy food compared with my family. They all said it was just the right combination of spicy and sourness. The broth was also rather thick and full of flavor, which is hard to find in a lot of restaurants these days. The seafood portion also is not bad...this pot served all 5 of us fine =)

Another dish that we ordered was this minced chicken dish. I can't recall the exact name of this, but I initially thought this dish was minced chicken cooked with some fragrant basil leaves. Unfortunately, it wasn't...this was just minced chicken with some red and spring onions. The taste was not bad, but it wasn't exactly what we thought it was. Still, it was a good dish to 'counter' the spiciness of the chillies and tom yum.

Khuntai is also quite famous with their BBQ seafood, but we didn't manage to try that. Instead, we ordered their BBQ cockles....it was so good that my parents ordered another plate of these after we finished it. The cockles used are really huge ones compared to the usual kind that we find at hawker stalls selling boiled cockles. These are then served with two different chili sauces which go very well together. My only 'complaint' is that the cockles were roasted a little too long, making them dry and chewy. If they could cook it just a little less, I think it would be perfect....oh well, one can't please everybody at the same time I guess. It IS still an enjoyable dish though...I see almost every table will order this dish, so it's testament to how good it was *grins*

So yup, it was a good 'makan' session with the family that day =) Price-wise, it wasn't too bad...all of the above with another plate of vegetables, a big pot of rice and a pot of jasmine tea amounts to about RM98 for 5 people. Not bad...not bad at all.

Hokano - Must Try!!

2011-11-23T22:28:00.001-08:00

I have to say...although I've been working in Damansara Uptown for more than a year now, when it comes to eating places there aren't that many choices, especially for cheap and tasty food. Most tasty foods don't come cheap in that area, and sadly cheap foods are not all that tasty. *Sigh*

Yet, there are still a few 'gems' that we can find every now and then - all thanks to some savvy colleagues who are more familiar with the area than me! Case in point, Hokano restaurant...tucked away quietly just a few shops away from the Maybank in Damansara Uptown, Hokano serves REALLY good Japanese food at quite affordable prices (considering how expensive Japanese food can be!). Let's move on to some photos. Heh!

Forgot to take photos of the restaurant itself, but the set up is quite simple and unassuming....so much so that one might think the food is not up to par coz it doesn't look chic or posh like most Japanese restaurants. DO NOT let that fool you!

I came here with some colleagues for a farewell lunch with another colleague. We've read good reviews about the place in some blogs, so we'd decided to try it out =) Started off with some Ocha (green tea). Quite thick but not overwhelming...me likes! I think I'm becoming a sucker for most things green tea...hahaha!

Then our food arrived! Hokano has some really cool lunch sets so I ordered this: The Sashimi lunch set. How AWESOME is this??? There's ample cuts of sashimi, rice, chawanmushi, miso soup, salad, a small appetizer and cuts of fruit! And all these for only - wait for it - RM23.50!

Close up on my sashimi...I've not been a big fan of sashimi before, but recently I've come to acquire a liking for it. These delicious cuts really are scrumptious. The white fish is a little on the thick side, but so fresh that all is forgiven when you bite into it when dipped with a bit of soy sauce and wasabi. It all just melts into your mouth like butter....MMMMMM! My favorite is still the long slice of salmon belly in the front here...smooth and silky, I wish there were more instead of just one slice!

Some other highlights of my meal. I'm assuming this is the appetizer for the day, but this small plate of stir-fried brinjals really packs a punch. Goes down REALLY well with the rice (which, by the way I finished the whole thing...I know, carbs are evil but these carbs are so good I can't stop. LOL!) and the texture was JUST right; not too soggy or too hard *grins*

Ah yes, another favorite of mine! This is also a recent acquired liking...chawanmushi! I've never given thought to it before....it was like normal steamed egg with some pieces of meat inside, but now I've come to appreciate the slight hint of smokiness; the creaminess of the egg that can only be acquired with lots of skill (it's SO easy to oversteam egg 'custards' like this). Plus, the marinated pieces of meat hidden inside are just nicely done and made a nice 'surprise' when you reach the bottom of the cup.

Some other photos of my colleagues' orders...this is the Salmon Teriyaki set (RM21.90). Also comes with the same sides.

I really like this glossiness of the well done salmon belly. Look at the sheer size of it! Think I might just try this set the next time I'm there...heh!

The Saba Surioyaki set (RM17.50). Same sides too =)

Was told this is a type of mackerel, but look at that crispy skin! Yummers!

Of course, one can always choose from the a la carte menu there but the lunch sets are really quite worth the buck if you like the selections that they offer =) Hokano also offers other kinds of Japanese fare like sushi, noodles, and rice dishes...it's definitely a must try!

The Drive

2011-11-17T18:14:00.001-08:00

I have an...affinity with ghost 'stuff', if you can call it that. While I'm not a big fan of these things, somehow or other I get quite a few opportunities to catch horror movies and the like. Some I'd come to enjoy and appreciate, while some made me cringe and laugh.

Yesterday, however was quite an eye-opener...quite literally too! LOL! I had the chance to catch a friend of mine performing in a play called "The Drive" at The Actor's Studio in Lot 10 (which by the way, was a very cool place to have a performance studio! Loved the rooftop there!) I have to shamefully admit that I didn't really give much thought to the description of the play before I attended the performance. All I knew was my friend is going to be one of the main cast and I'm there to support her :) What I came away with at the end of the performance was a mind-blown, awe-struck experience and the impression that theater in Malaysia can be quite cool with the right people...so much so that I HAD to blog about this ASAP!

The main 'frame' of the story is about these 3 guys on a drive out to hunt for ghosts as fodder for their growing blog readership. On the way, what better way to fuel their imagination than to tell each other ghost stories? And so, we're taken into these stories and boy, they are kind of scary! Yes, even coming from me...the one who had to watch quite a few horror movies (not by choice) and had gotten quite immune to these things. I don't want to spoil the plot so much for those who are planning to catch it so please go and watch it to experience it all.

You'd probably think I am biased because I went there to catch my friend performing....that's true in a way. I was there to just see how good she did in the play, but after it all ended, I admired a lot of the other cast as well....so much talent in the cast! From the goofiness of the three guys, the intensity of the scenes brought on by the characters, the comedic timing breaking the tension at times, to the creepiness in the stories that I can only just say kudos for a job well done!

What really impressed me also was the synchronization of the sound effects and lighting with the timing of the actors...although it is a scripted play, I do think that to synchronize everything down to a T takes quite a bit of effort and LOADS of practice. The lighting, sound effects and even the songs used during the transitions really made it so believable that for some time, I was immersed into the whole experience. Probably that's what made it quite scary for me...even though the actors are playing characters, but because they're in the flesh and so upclose (I had front row seats) that creepiness just intensifies that much.

At the end of it all, it really was loads of fun to catch awesome plays like these....do catch it if you can! The run of the shows are only until THIS SUNDAY, so go catch it quick! Ticketing information can be found at The Actors' Studio's website here (click) or you can even check out the Facebook page that they created for the play! (click) Here's a preview video of the play in case you're wondering...*grins*

Real Steel

2011-10-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hugh Jackman...that alone should be a crowd-puller to watch this movie. The man who immortalized Wolverine (for the guys); the one who melted countless women's hearts in "Kate & Leopold" is now a washed up, has-been boxer who does robot boxing in his latest offering "Real Steel".

Watching the trailer, I had anticipated to catch the movie since it had Hugh Jackman, cool-looking robots (ALMOST reminiscent of "Transformers", though not as high-tech of yet) and subsequent bashing of robots in a brawl that's a little like Iron Man beating the pulp out of those clone-bots! Action, grit, cute lead actor...yup, good combination! And it didn't disappoint *grins*

Initially, I had thought of the movie as a full-on, action-packed movie that pulls the punches from the get go and doesn't require a story. Just have robots kill each other via remote controls by the humans! But it surprised me with a very decent storyline (albeit a little Disney-ish if I do say so myself).

Hugh Jackman is Charlie Kenton, a guy who tries to make some money via his robots doing robot boxing. Unfortunately, his robots are sort of washed up like he was, and needless to say, they got served very badly (as did he!). Enter his estranged son, Max (played by a very adorable Dakota Goyo) who came into his care when his mom passed. The two make a very unassuming find in the form of an old robot while scouring for parts at a metal junkyard, and find that hey, this little robot might just be something else entirely.

Noisy Boy with his 'handlers'...LOL!

Yup, the story is about family, with a little tearjerker towards the end...but don't let that stop you from catching this movie! It offers loads of action, brawn and flair in the form of the robot fights. Yes, you'll get to watch quite a few robots go head to head WWF-style, only with boxing. From underground fights to the big leagues of a world championship match, "Real Steel" delivers the excitement and atmosphere very well with great use of music, intricate camera work and impressive CG!

Like I mentioned before, the robots are pretty amazing. While not as high-tech as "Transformers", they do a pretty decent job as 'fighters' in place of real humans. Watch out for the scenes with a bot called Noisy Boy...when it first came on, there was an audible gasp seeing how cool it was! And yes, even the main robot Atom, is a joy to watch =) Old and unassuming as it may be, Atom will warm your heart as it takes hit after hit from the opponents. It doesn't speak at all, but it says quite a bit through its movements. Kinda reminds me of Wall-E, but this bot sports a mean punch as well as a few slick dance moves too! *wink*

Charlie teaching Atom how to box...awww!

Special mention should be given to the actors as well. Hugh Jackman's performance as a reluctant father and doesn't-think-before-he-acts persona plays off Dakota Goyo's kid-who-lacks-a-father-figure-in-his-life character really well. While Goyo can be a bit annoying at times, their banter with each other is hilarious, especially at a scene where Atom faces off another robot at "The Zoo". Evangeline Lilly is also very cool as Bailey, the love interest of Charlie and nerdy girl-next-door. The chemistry between Jackman and Lilly is palpable, which says a lot given that it's a family-oriented film *wink*

"Real Steel" is quite an enjoyable watch...give this a go if you like robots, boxing or just looking for a feel-good movie that - quite literally - packs a punch =) If you can, watch it in 2D. No, not the 3D one where you wear the glasses...the 2D version as mentioned in some bigger cinemas is actually a high-definition version of the movie! *grins*

In Perfect Harmony

2011-10-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

I first heard of "In Perfect Harmony" (IPH) from my friend, Freida, who told me that she will be performing in it as one of the ensemble. Of course, I was delighted for her and told her that I would support her by going to see her performance =) All I know of the Dama Orchestra at the time was that it was an organization that does a lot of Chinese music and musicals. And from what I've read in the promo material for IPH, it's a musical journey from the 70's to the present. I figured, it MIGHT not be my cup of tea, but meh...I'm there to see my friend perform anyways, so why not?

And so, I bought a ticket and went in without much thought into how they're going to gel everything together. But boy, was I in for a very pleasant surprise! IPH was AMAZING!

Okay, first things first....due to my 'overestimation' of time, traffic and my own kooky sense of direction, I was late for the show(!!!!! Epic fail) and missed out on the opening number as well as a couple of songs after that. To make it worse, my seat was right smack in the middle...about 4 rows from the stage! LOL! It was seriously hard to get there and I thought my seat was taken by someone else. Didn't want to make a scene since I was late myself, the usher kindly let me sit at an empty seat further up so that I could at least watch the show. During the intermission however, they found out that my seat wasn't actually taken (it's only my blur self who can't see. LOL!), so I went and got my money's worth in the second Act. YAYY!

Patrick Teoh & Douglas Lim! Heart their performances (Photo credit: The Star)

There is no real 'story' in IPH...rather, we were treated to a lovely amalgamation of songs from the 70's up until the present. And instead of just international songs from the West, there are also a mixture of Malay, Chinese, Hindi and even a popular Korean song thrown in! As we go through memory lane, we are guided by a wonderful narration of none other than the legendary Patrick Teoh! Seriously, it's one thing to listen to him on the radio or on television....but to hear him live it's astounding! The flow of words, his diction, intonation....I want to learn English speaking with him! *grins* Anyways, all gushing aside, the narration inserts lovely bits of trivia and facts in the particular era...as well as some well-injected puns and digs at some of the funny things that happen in our country at the time. Big, big kudos to the playwrights for their great sense of humour!

Also amazing was the performance of Douglas Lim who plays a DJ that introduces the songs in the musical through his 'radio shows'....his lines coupled with his perfect comedic timing are superb! Never failed to generate laughs whenever he comes on *grins*

There were also guest artistes that come to perform at the different dates of the show. When I went, Sean Ghazi was the guest artiste, and he did not disappoint with his smooth crooning of "Lagenda" and the ever famous Theresa Teng's song! Yes, he sang in Chinese! And it was with good diction too...how cool is that??!

The 3 lead singers...loved their voices! (Photo credit: The Star)

As for the songs itself, they were splendidly done! The Dama Orchestra did not disappoint with their world class musicians behind the music, and the lead singers (consisting of Tan Soo Suan, Chang Fang Chyi and Tria Aziz) were AMAZING! Each singer brought their own style and flavor to the songs (Fang Chyi brings a soulful, jazz-y feel; Soo Suan has an AMAZING range and classical tone; while Tria blows me away with her strong and heartfelt voice!), which is pretty impressive seeing that the songs are very well-known songs throughout the decades! Just to name a few, "Lagenda", "I Will Always Love You", "Dancing Queen", "Getaran Jiwa", "YMCA" are some of the timeless classics you will hear in the musical. Popular music now would be like "Bad Romance", "Thriller", "You Raise Me Up" and "Gemilang"! I recognize a lot of Chinese songs too, but I don't know how to write them here...LOL!

The ensemble is not to be pushed aside as mere backup vocals though! True to their title, everybody worked really in harmony and as a team....and almost everyone had their moments / solo parts to sing, which I think is SO cool since most musicals usually focus on the main cast! I would say the energy radiating from the whole cast is very infectious....if in the beginning, one would be kinda reserved and not feeling the jive, by the end of it all, that same person would have been standing on his / her feet to give a standing ovation or at the very least clapping as hard as one can! It's really, really something to watch =)

The stage sets were quite cool too! Though not as complicated and grand as "The Secret Life of Nora", they also employ the clever use of two curved stairs to suit the scenes that they are portraying, and it's quite fun to watch...especially during a certain Hindi song that will make you giggle and sing along at the same time!

Me with Tria (far right) and Freida (far left)....YAYY!

In short, IPH is a well worth your money spent....you will be taken back in time and forget all your worries for a good 2 hours while the cast entertains you with their cool dance moves, harmonious voices and witty narration! And as it ends, you'll even feel like you don't want it to end because it was SO. MUCH. FUN! *grins* IPH is still running now, and as I hear they are extending their shows to the 24th and 25th as well! So, go grab your tickets now before they are sold out! The show that I went to was a full house, and I've heard that some even went more than once....that's how good it was =)

The Secret Life of Nora

2011-10-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

I managed to catch this new musical production by Enfiniti on the 14th...and I'm glad I did because when it was first announced that they would do a musical based on the '60s era and it's regarding spies, all I could think about was James Bond. And I didn't like the James Bond franchise, no matter how hot the actors are...LOL!

But as time passed by, little bits and pieces of promo materials were published by Enfiniti and it got me interested in catching it, so I bought a ticket and didn't regret it =) "The Secret Life Of Nora" (TSLON) is very grand, to say the least....no expense is spared on the stage sets, props and costumes to make the experience memorable. And while there are misses every now and then, I would say TSLON is quite a cool production....Kudos to Enfiniti for their hard work!

TSLON tells the story of Nora (played by Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina), a showgirl who is being recruited as a female spy to infiltrate a new entertainment company run by a Mr. J (played by Aznil Nawawi). She is trained by a renowned female spy trainer, Roger Foss (played by Ryan Silverman) and as the story goes, she goes into the 'spy scene' in just a matter of 3 weeks. Did she succeed? Well, you'd have to watch it to enjoy the whole experience yourself *wink*

Most of the main cast in TSLON

Loved the cast in TSLON....Tiara Jacquelina is GORGEOUS (as always) and she fits the role of Nora very well. Watch out for the scene where she undergoes training with Roger...her expressions of being overwhelmed followed by her enthusiasm in the training is awesome to watch! Ryan Silverman as Roger Foss is also spot on! When he first appears on stage, audible gasps can be heard around me as he cuts a really dashing figure in a shiny and glamorous suit *wink*

But, the show won't be a success without the help of the AMAZING supporting cast =) Special mention should be made to Adibah Noor (oh gosh, I love her acting!) for her turn as Khatijah, Nora's best friend / manager...her witty comebacks and one-liners are just hilarious with her fun character!

Amazing stage set!

The other aspect that I love about the musical is the stage sets! As I said before, no expense was spared, so there's the cool, gadget-filled Agent Farouk's(played by Tony Eusoff...also spectacular in his turn!) home, the pretty setting of Nora's changing room, as well as the over-the-top-but-oh-so-amazing set of Mr. J's building...all this put up on their main stage prop thingy which on the outside, looks like the frame that they use in construction sites, but flip it over and you get a different scene. Flip another side over, there's yet another setting! Genius!

Betty sings her solo...so pretty!

What's a musical without us talking about the songs right? For TSLON, there are mostly original songs written for the musical. While some songs are really lovely (my favorite was Betty's solo), it kinda feels like they're not that memorable enough. Probably it's because the songs are too 'diverse'...as with most musicals I've seen, the songs become memorable because they are often kinda similar in tone / melodies throughout the show. If I had to compare (which I do!), PGLM follows this musical 'formula' for songs, and they really do work to create memorable songs that stick in your head after the show! With TSLON however, it felt like they were trying to fit in so many things together that the songs don't really gel with each other. Some of the songs' lyrics are also so jam-packed it's hard to pick up what they're trying to sing about in the song!

Another thing that I find that's a little jarring is the singing...while I loved the supporting casts' voices (especially Stephanie van Driesen, who plays Betty...her velvety voice is so soothing and beautiful!), I can't help but say this: me thinks Tiara's voice as the lead leaves much to be desired. While she can sing, her range and depth doesn't seem to measure up to her co-stars, especially since she's the lead and she sings quite a lot through out the show. Pity really =( Also, I feel that Ryan Silverman's voice and range are not utilized as much as they should. The songs which he sang in doesn't really showcase his strong voice =(

Mr. J and Nora in a scene...quite hilarious!

Character development for some of the characters (like Betty or even Mr. J) did not happen too...which is a little disappointing as I find their characters pretty interesting. Also, I felt that Act 2 was a little too rushed in the pace....the pace was so good for Act 1 where they took the time to introduce the characters and all, but as they moved on to Act 2, it somehow felt like they realized they have run out of time, so let's just patch things up quickly. Throw in some big fireworks, big bangs, and voila! Unfortunately, that didn't quite do it for me...

Yes, I guess I've probably mentioned too many cons compared to pros here, but all in all I DID really enjoy the musical. There were many laughs to be had, especially from Mr. J - the OTT villain who is also adorable with his funny lisp - and Khatijah; many grand scenes that take your breath away; and even a magic trick or two up the actors' sleeves!

For a local production, it is great to see that there are so many talented people and the arts industry in Malaysia is slowly emerging and polishing itself to be the best it can be. As grandiose as it was, there is definitely still room for improvement....=) Good job though to Enfiniti for venturing out and bringing some original stories and flair to the local scene!

They are extending the shows from 20th - 22nd, so if you can still score some tickets, do go catch it! It's quite fun, especially if you've not seen a musical before =)

Photo credits: Enfiniti Vision Media

Temple Grandin

2011-10-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

I 'stumbled' upon this movie when I saw my sister watching it the other day and was intrigued when she told me that Claire Danes was in it, and she is portraying a lady who is autistic. Yes, I watched these movies to see how the actors / actresses play a difficult role...don't we all? But, as the movie progresses along, what caught my attention was not just Claire Danes' acting, but the whole story about a woman who is just brilliant at what she does, and yet is always ostracized by society because she is different.

This movie is based on the real life of Temple Grandin, a high-functioning autistic woman who works in animal science (and has a PhD to prove it!) and her struggles in coping with our 'normal' society, from her school days to eventually her degrees in animal science and how she influenced humane slaughterhouses. It is really fascinating to see the world from her eyes as she really does see things so differently....some are very literal, while her attention to details and visuals are astounding. The film also talks about her 'quirks' like not liking touches or hugs from other people and how she copes with it. Watch out for a scene where she finds an alternative to being soothed and calmed...while a little eccentric, the effect on her just makes you go, 'Wow!'

While at times some of the things portrayed is kind of stereotypical of the autism spectrum, kudos should also be given to the film makers in their interpretation of Temple's thought process. Thoughts can be so abstract at times, not to mention coming from someone who doesn't really get the puns and sayings thrown at them...and the film makers did a great job in not making it look ridiculous. Rather, it's quite artistic with a little sense of humour injected into it. One has to watch it to believe it!

Another thing that I really like is the side story of how Temple designed a system that is more efficient and humane for slaughterhouses to dip and lead the cattle to slaughter. Her insight into animal welfare is amazing, especially so because her autism enables her to view things so differently from a normal human. One of her greatest lines that I respect reads:

"I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animals respect."

Claire Danes with the realTemple Grandin!

Of course, special mention needs to be given to Claire Danes who portrays Temple so realistically you can't really recognize her until someone mentions to you that it's Claire Danes. Definitely not just a pretty face as she earns award nominations for her portrayal of Temple...and yet it's funny that it takes a movie like this to let people know that she is a serious actress instead of being taken seriously from the get go. All because she was blessed with good genes! Life is as such, isn't it? Anyway, I digress...

All in all, "Temple Grandin" is a must watch. Don't think that it'll be showing in cinemas here, so if you're smart you'll know where to look. *wink* This movie also got me Googling for Temple and the work that she does for animal science and autism. Really liked one of her speeches in TED regarding different kinds of minds...check it out if you can!

Bali Trip - Barong Dance, "Turtle Island", Spa & Jimbaran Seafood

2011-09-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

Day 4 starts the earliest as we covered a lot of ground...heh! We left the hotel at about 8.00 am to head to a cultural center for a performance of the Barong Dance!

The cultural center which we went to. It was packed, as usual....Peter said there are about 6 cultural centers in this part of Bali alone, and they are almost always packed with visitors every day! How cool is that for tourism in Bali?

The bored-looking musicians waiting for the performance to start...I don't know if it's really because they were bored of playing the same thing over and over again every day, or it's just being bored of waiting to start performing. Either way, it's a big turn off to see their faces like that because they're right in front of the audience! Pfft!

The photo on the left is the whole stage and backdrop...cool isn't it? And when the performance started, it was quite interesting to hear the traditional music and stories of Bali. The Barong dance is basically about the fight between good and evil that are represented by the Barong and Rangda respectively. It's a bit long to share the story, and quite hard to explain unless seen in its entirety, so if you're in Bali, go catch a performance! While not as entertaining as say, a movie or any other musicals we have here, it's quite fun to see the antics of the actors (who can be hilarious) as well as the costumes and props that they use to portray the Barong and Rangda.

My favorite actor of the whole cast...he really portrayed the monkey to the T! Granted, he had the monkey mask on, but his mannerisms and what not make us forget that he is an actor playing a monkey! (Yes, that's how good he was)

The whole cast taking a bow after the performance =)

We had lunch after that...we had some local fare again (nasi campur!) but silly me forgot to take photos. LOL! After that we headed to Nusa Dua where we were greeted with the sights of this! Yup, this is the place where water sports are big. Now thinking back, I wish I had tried this parasailing instead of the Turtle Island tour thingy....oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself! We were told by Peter that he would bring us to go see the fishes in the sea via a boat with a glass bottom earlier on, so I was quite stoked....until we reached here. Even then, I was still a bit psyched coz I thought there would really be fishes and we're heading out further into sea, away from the sports fanatics. Little did I know -_-"

We had paid for the fishes sighting as well as a visit to their "Turtle Island". Old naive me thought it's a natural island where turtles hang out...until the boat captain took us to this place! Let's not mention that the fish sighting thingy was a complete disaster...the water was so murky it's hard to see anything, and because there were so many friggin' boats going up and down they scared off all the fishes. *sigh* This is what happens when there is TOO much tourists...and we are being some of them! LOL!

Okay, back to the Turtle Island thingy...it's actually a small patch of land which was cordoned off to have cages and tanks which contain many turtles and other animals for the tourists to look and take photos of. It was a terrible experience for me to say the least.

Case in point: This huge pretty turtle kept trying to get back into the cool waters, but the guides kept dragging it back by the front fins to the hot sand because there are tourists wanting to have a look at the turtle. And these guides kept pushing us to take photos with it! I felt so SO sorry for the turtle...but can't really do much =(

Again, same thing here...see the pretty baby turtle? I didn't want to touch it coz there were people picking them up every few mins from the tank to take photos. Bleh, I felt like a hypocrite typing this out. Suffice to say, while I am smiling, inside it's very disheartening to see the turtles like that.

More turtles at the place...

They even have reptiles too...and again, this was put on me so suddenly I had no time to freak out. But then, after the snake was on my shoulders I saw that its mouth was taped loosely...enough for it to breathe with the tongue, but not loose enough to open the mouth and bite, so it was of some consolation. Yet, the snake felt hot to the touch! Yes, that's how hot it was, and the poor snake was passed around to almost every tourist passing by.

Other exotic animals in their enclosures. This was the only place where I didn't really have fun at, but it was quite an eye opener to see as well the downside of having too many tourists. I don't recommend the Turtle Island tour, but if you would like to try anyways, be forewarned...it's pricey and not really worth the money.

After an exhausting time there, Peter told us that there's a good spa in Kuta area where we can get a one and a half hour's spa at a really cheap rate, so we jumped at it again! This was the name of the spa!

It's quite the pretty building, with a rather eccentric and colorful roof =)

The inside of the reception area...prettily decorated too! It was really invigorating and relaxing to have all the tension massaged out of your system, followed by a body scrub and milk bath after! I think I'm starting to get why people love going for massages and spas....too bad the rates in Malaysia are so high!

After the amazing spa experience, we headed to Jimbaran for dinner! Look at the whole stretch! This whole beach stretch housed many restaurants...all serving seafood with a great view of the sea.

THIS was the view we were presented with when we sat down! How awesome is this??

We were asked to go and choose our choice of food for dinner, so me and my sis went to check it out. No, we didn't have lobster (though I SO wish we did! LOL!) but the cook was nice enough to let us have a look at this gorgeous specimen!

After choosing the seafood and how we would like it to be prepared, we waited for the food to arrive, and enjoyed some snacks like boiled peanuts and grilled corn! There was actually a vendor with a small kiosk selling these, so we grabbed some....they were yummy! Peanuts by the seaside are amazing =) Wash that down with some Teh botol, it's bliss!

Oh yes, we even spotted a couple doing a photoshoot for their wedding photos....I wonder what it feels like for them to be doing their poses while so many people looked on. It would be super intimidating for me though...hehe!

And then our food arrived! Since it was our very last day in Bali, we all decided we'd be a little bit more indulgent than usual and had a huge feast...we had prawns (BBQ-ed and served with a spicy and sour Indonesian sauce! Yum!!), fried calamari, (also super yum!)

water spinach (this was complimentary with the fish that we ordered below, but it was good too! The sambal was superb), mussels (also BBQ-ed and served with another spicy sauce)

Grilled fish - we were told this fish is native to Bali only - that is basted with a sweet sauce (also super yum! It's very fresh, and the meat goes very well with the sauce!) and last but not least, grilled calamari =) Yes, I know I've probably put on 3kg just looking at the food now, but it's SO worth it! Jimbaran seafood is a must have when you're in Bali =)

And yes, we also managed to catch the sun setting in Jimbaran...picturesque is all I can say!

We had our dinner at this place...Bali Sea Cafe. Lovely place, but be prepared to fork out quite a lot as the price for the food here is very steep. Kind of like dining in a posh restaurant in Malaysia, but the quality of the food and the view pretty much make it worthwhile =)

After dinner, we were still not that satisfied yet...I still crave for bakso one more time, so on our way to the hotel, we bought another pack of bakso for supper. Heh! This was from yet another stall (the pasar malam was closed that day so we couldn't try the food again from last night =( ). Not as nice as the day before's, but satisfied the craving for bakso. YAY!

And that is all for my AMAZING trip to Bali! The next morning we headed to the airport SUPER early (think 6am early!) and this is what I caught. As we headed back home to the busy-ness that is KL and Malaysia, I will look back on this trip and reminisce about this lovely, peaceful island that has touched so many hearts. Here's to hoping I will make it there again in the future for more adventures =)

Bali Trip - Babi Guling, Tanah Lot & Local Delicacies

2011-09-28T02:25:00.000-07:00

Day 3 continues! So, we were hungry after visiting the two temples. Peter mentioned Babi Guling (translated from Malay, it means 'rolled pork' or something to that extent, but in Bali, it means roasted suckling pig) for lunch. YAYY! I heard about Ibu Oka from bloggers and what not, but Peter said there's one place that's nearer to Ulun Danu Beratan which is equally (if not better) that Ibu Oka....so of course we jumped at the chance! We ended up at:

Andi Jaya! I tried to capture the whole banner, but EPIC FAIL...LOL!

Do not be fooled by its simple outlook. What entails next is sheer bliss! We were greeted with a counter that shows all the different dishes that make up Babi Guling. After taking our seats and placing our orders, we waited for the waiters to bring our food out =)

Voila! That little bowl of soup on the left looks unassuming, but it has the richest taste. Containing pork bits and fresh coriander leaves, it's AMAZEBALLS! The plate on the right is the famous Babi Guling! Basically, we have pieces of roasted pork (taken from various parts of course), served with some delicious sambals, sauces and a serving of piping hot rice. Yum! Just thinking about it makes me drool already...yes, it's THAT good! One JUST has to try it when in Bali =)

After lunch, we headed down to Tanah Lot (which was quite far away if I remember correctly). We reached Tanah Lot at about 3pm after having lunch at about 12-ish! This is another famous temple in Bali, which I believe EVERYONE would have been to coz it has the most amazing view =) Anyways, just as we were entering the temple, we spotted these kids doing a Barong dance and collecting alms for it. Super cute!

At the entrance of Tanah Lot...love the intricate decor on the gate. And the statues along the pathways inside are also decorated with the Galungan dan Kuningan colors. =)

And the famous view! We didn't actually go down to that area coz it was super packed with tourists and pilgrims heading to do their prayers in the temple. Peter told us that people can only access the temple by foot during low tide. So, you can imagine what it looks like in high tide =)

This spot here is also very famous for photo taking...so, who could resist right?

One final shot of the view...I heart the waves sweeping in on the rocks below. The sound of waves and the breeze blowing lightly are always calming for me =) Peter mentioned that the sunset view here is also amazing, so we decided (well, more like I demanded! LOL!) to stay till sunset! There was a bazaar place inside the grounds itself, so we took our time to look at some souvenirs, knick knacks and what not to buy. We got quite a few things at a bargain too, all thanks to Mom's aggressive bargaining skills! LOL!

This was the view from where we watched the sun set....how pretty is that??!

I call this "The Light Of God Shining Through" =) So SO very pretty! And the next few shots are the sun setting....I actually have a ton more, but I took the few nicest ones =)

All these happened in the span of 10-15 minutes! But it's so worth it...definitely MUST come here too if only to be mesmerized by the splendor of our Maker's creation.

For dinner, we told Peter that we would like to sample local food...literally! Not the tourist-y places that he always bring people to, but somewhere where the local people usually eat =) He mentioned that there is a night market near our hotel, so off we headed! Their night market is a bit like the pasar malam in Malaysia, only they have more food stalls than other kinds of stalls. We went buying all sorts of food...and they were SUPER cheap! We bought stuff like fried glass noodles (nothing special to shout about...only, the lady who sold it to us asked us if we would like rice with it! LOL!), satay, (which were really good! The sauce goes VERY well with the marinated meat!)

Assorted fried snacks (these were things like tempe, bananas, and other local kuihs that we couldn't recognize. But quite tasty nonetheless!)

And the famous BAKSO! We bought these from two different stalls. One was chicken and one was beef...can't really remember which was which, but both were DEFINITELY great! Looks very simple as you can see, but the taste is also very rich with the sauce that they incorporated into the soup! The meatballs included were lovely too...lots of bite and flavor! It has become my favorite dish from Bali...heh!

For dessert, we bought an apam kuih...unlike the ones we have in Malaysia (with peanuts or corn), this had chocolate paste in it. Which I think was kinda nice, as it does go well with the bits of peanut in it =)

Another local drink that we found delicious...Teh Botol! It has a taste very similar to jasmine tea...best served ice cold! Yum!

And that's about it for Day 3! We called it a night at about 9pm...LOL! But most places are already closed at the time (unless you're in the city area like Kuta), so we just lazed around in our room, watched some DVDs and rested for Day 4. Stay tuned!

Bali Trip - Taman Alun & Ulun Danu Beratan

2011-09-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it has been AGES since my ever amazing trip to Bali, but I am determined to finish blogging it all, dang it! LOL! So, without further ado....Day 3!

Day 3 is all about temples! We started the day by heading to a place called Taman Ayun (which if translated to Malay would be called Beautiful Garden...quite apt really!) and as with all the temples in Bali, we were greeted with pretty statues at the entrance =)

I don't know what fascinated me about this...the sheer size of this roof probably. Looks rather primitive and uninteresting but seen in real life, it gave me a sense of whoa...people made this by hand!

Again, we were not allowed into the actual prayer courtyard, but we hung around outside, and I managed to snap photos of the altars inside. =)

More photos....they kinda look run-down with the moss growing on it, but it also adds a little timeless feel to it, in my opinion. Zen-like, almost!

I heart this small altars with their 'mushroom'-like rooftops! So cute =)

And there were also many pagoda-like altars...I wanted to capture the different heights, but the angle seem kinda wrong I guess. Caption was supposed to be "Do re mi..." Oh well, you get the idea *wink*

Close up =)

On the way out, I couldn't resist snapping this. At first glance, it didn't look like much, but I remember from afar I spotted this tree and it looked deceivingly like a heart shape. See if you can see the shape...heh!

And a few more shots before we headed to our next destination...

Next stop: Ulun Danu Beratan. We were told that this temple was the very same one featured on a Balinese banknote! Of course there were throngs of people there, tourists and locals going for a prayer ceremony alike...but we enjoyed our time there. I spotted pretty trees, as you can see here =)

The entrance to the temple....see, it's decorated with pretty umbrellas for the Galungan & Kuningan festival!

Sis wanted to buy one of these pretty umbrellas to bring home...until Peter told us that these umbrellas are only used for prayers. One doesn't buy them from stores. =\

Some more photos at the outer courtyard. There were so many god statues out for display and one can't help but stare at the gorgeous colors! Some were menacing and some were very serene and friendly-looking...

These two were very cool statues of the Barong and Rangda...Gods of good and evil respectively that were featured in the Barong dance that we got to watch in Day 4. I love the finishings that were made from those paddy plants....rustic, but pretty and amazing at the same time!

And we arrive at the famous temple! It's really pretty (my photos do it no justice!) and the weather was really nice...breezy and not too hot with some fluffy clouds hovering above. The temple is built on the lake, so it looked like it's floating on water. Gorgeous! There were also boats that offer rides for people who wants to go around the lake and admire the temple sort of up close, but we didn't go as there were too many people hanging about =\

I took the liberty of playing around on my iPhone again with this photo =)

Some more pretty trees at the other side of the lake!

This was another shot that I took of the other side of the lake....I love this effect on the colors. Makes it look like rolling hills near a lake right? I heart it =)

After too many a photos, we decided to head back. I couldn't resist taking this photo of the really tall trees outlining the path out....it reminded me of one of those Korean drama scenes where the couple walks happily off into the sunset (yes, how cheesy that I would watch Korean dramas right? I have since stopped. LOL!)

There were also plenty of pretty flowers around, but I just adore this little white flower amidst a background of green. Doesn't really quite do it justice....so I tried another and got:

This =) A little over saturated some might say, but I like it for some weird reason. Heh!

Infinity Blade...Epic Cool!

2011-08-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not a hardcore gamer as some of my friends are...but I do enjoy PC / PS / Wii / DS games whenever I can. Especially when certain games pique my interest...to which I will be playing in earnest SOMEWHAT like a hardcore gamer (play non-stop for few hours / until I feel sick, eat, then continue playing until I finish it or I get bored with it. LOL!)

Recently though, my sis has been rather obsessed with her iPad 2 (and with good reason...I mean, who WOULDN'T be obsessed when they have an iPad 2 right??!) and I noticed that she's been playing this game rather religiously. So, curious I asked her about it...and decided that hey, I would go download the game and play it myself on my iPhone. And omigosh, it's so addictive that I find myself writing this entry JUST to say how epic it is! LOL!

The very cool intro screen of Infinity Blade

A little intro on the game itself...Infinity Blade is an RPG created by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. We play a character who is in pursuit of the 'God King' to seek revenge for killing his father. At the start of the introductory cut scenes, the story is that this God King killed the father and started a bloodline for his magical weapon. From then on, every descendant from this family who goes up against the God King (and subsequently slain) will create a new bloodline...hence the photo above.

Hello big brute of a monster!

What I really, REALLY loved about the game is the very cool graphics especially with the HD retina display feature on the iPhone 4 and iPad! Not only is it realistic looking, but the details to the characters and the surroundings are astounding. Even on my iPhone 4 - with its small screen - it is a joy to watch the cut scenes and also play; let me tell you that the gameplay graphics are exactly the same as the cut scenes! I'm probably going out on a limb here to say that this game's graphics is on par with those on the PS3. Not bad for a tablet / phone game right?? I thought so too *wink*

Uh oh...he's going in for the kill!

The gameplay is rather simple, I would venture....since it is made for the touch screen, controls are based on taps and swipes that we make on the screen. We explore the castle by tapping on the areas highlighted on the screen, from which we could collect items like gold, weapons or healing potions. But of course the main game-playing is through the battles with the thugs in the castle. When we face the enemy, there will be 'buttons' on the bottom of the screen to make your character dodge or block the incoming attacks. At the top of the screen (just below the life meters) are buttons for the character's super power and magic skills to help you defeat the enemy. Attacking and parrying comes from the swipes we make on the screen...and the character really does follow the direction of the finger swipes, so different directions = different kinds of attacks / combos. With the magic button, there are also 'symbols' to draw in order to activate said spell, so it is quite hectic especially when the attacks are coming in real time!

My character at Level 8

What is game playing without level-ups and customization right? With the gold collected from your exploration, we get to buy sword, armor, magic rings and helmets to help us fight better in battles. Each item bought has a mastery level, from which we fill it up with XP points gained by defeating said thugs in the castle. When an item has been mastered, it will be of a better value should we wish to sell it later in the game. XP points also levels up the character and with each level up, we can use it to gain extra points for either the health, attack, shield, or magic levels (as seen in the photo above).

Facing the God King again...at level 8, when he's at Level 50! WTF!

Of course, nothing is all perfect. This game has some downsides to it as well...for one, the whole premise of the game is rather small. It doesn't take much to explore the whole of the castle as the highlighted areas available for us to tap on are rather limited. Hence, you'll probably find yourself facing the God King in no time....like me, I was only at Level 3 when I reached the God King! And the funniest thing was, there is no other choice BUT to fight the God King (you can't move away as the only available place to tap and move forward is towards him. *rolls eyes*) So, needless to say, I got killed off just like that *snaps fingers* and it's the end for the character.

But wait! Just when I thought I had to start ALL over again like some arcade game, I find that my character has re-spawned into another descendant (hence Bloodline 2), and while I start again from the outside of the castle, I remain at the current level that I was when I 'died', and with my items all intact too! YAYY! The only thing that changes is that the thugs' levels are also subsequently higher, so it gets progressively more difficult to get in to the God King. And here's where it'll probably get boring (for the hardcore gamers I guess): you'll have to keep fighting almost the same beasts over and over again just to level up and buy enough items to be able to FINALLY face the God King. But meantime, because the castle is so damn friggin' small, you'll also be slain time and time again by the God King and start all over with the bloodlines. I am currently at Level 9 and have already faced the God King twice...LOL!

My character facing the 'Wood Jester'....dang hard to defeat this one. Just looking at the height difference makes you feel like a Chihuahua trying to fight a Rottweiler. LOL!

The other thing that kind of kills (pardon the pun) is the sheer size of the app. Infinity Blade is a whopping 500+ MB game! It is understandable I guess, considering the hardcore graphics in the game. So, be sure to have enough space in your iPhone as it takes up more than half a gig of space in it! But other than those few points, it's quite the addictive game *grins*

Close up on the Wood Jester...I heart the graphics!

So, if you are looking for an iPhone / iPad game with some really awesome graphics and some rather addictive gameplay, give Infinity Blade a go. It will not disappoint! It seems that quite a few gaming sites have also given the thumbs up for this cool game, so it's definitely worth a try even if it's just to gawk at how well they utilize the iOS 4 =) It's in the App Store now for USD5.99, and hey since it's an app, there is bound to be updates so I can't wait to see what else they would put in for this already cool game! I'm still playing it at the moment to see how far I can get before becoming bored of looking at the same faces, or if I can stay motivated enough to keep playing to level up....LOL!

Horrible Bosses....When Do They Ever Stop, Right?

2011-08-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you thought you have a terrible boss at work, this movie is definitely one to watch! It will either:

a) Make you feel grateful that your boss is not THAT bad (even though it could possibly be the worst for you)....OR

b) Provide you with some 'ingenious' ideas as to how to get back on your boss!

When I first laid eyes on the trailer a few months back, it was rather hilarious to see how these bosses treat their employees and I thought it would be a nice film to sit and chill as we empathize with the employees who got bullied by their superiors. Well, it certainly delivered the laughs, and a little more! *wink*

While the premise of the film is simple enough (3 different bosses who treats their employees as how the poster described the bosses...the psycho who works his employee to the bone and dangling a prospective promotion in front of him; the maneater boss who probably is the kind of person that sexual harassment laws are made; and the boss who is just a friggin' dumb-ass tool! Watch the movie and you'll get what it means), the little twist a midst all that fun makes this movie even more hilarious! If you've not heard about it on the radio by now, Nick, Dale and Kurt hate their bosses so much that what was intended to be just a 'hypothetical' thought of killing their bosses to make their lives easier became something that they thought they can do. LOLL!

"The three musketeers" meeting with their so-called hitman. LOL!

To add to the quirkiness of the movie, the movie makers have brought in some rather big names to star in the film...let's see, there's Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston just to name a few! All these stars and their perfect comedic timing add even more spice and hilarity to the movie! Case in point, watch the scene where Jamie Foxx's character (Motherfucker Jones....can you believe it???!!!) explains how he got his name...if you didn't at least giggle, you have NO sense of humour at all. LOL!

The poster says it all...haha!

Other noteworthy mentions include Jason Bateman for his turn as Nick, whose boss is the epitome of emotional abuse at the workplace! Somehow I'm sure there are people who can identify with his situation...even if it's not as extreme as Nick's case. While not straying very far from his "Arrested Development" character, his casting as Nick is spot on. The best lines from the movie though mostly comes from Charlie Day (who plays Dale), and he did not disappoint in his delivery as a dental assistant who gets harassed by his boss (a very sexy Jennifer Aniston!) daily....to most guys, I guess it wouldn't be called harassment at all, especially when your boss is as hot as Jennifer Aniston! But Dale does not like the attention and that's where it gets seriously funny.

Dr. Julia trying to get some action from Dale....LOL!

Of course, it wouldn't be possible to talk about this movie without mentioning Jennifer Aniston, who was superb in this movie. Totally derailing from the sweet characters that she plays in her other movies, she is now a sex-crazed lady boss who will go through any lengths or depths (pardon the pun) to get what she wants from poor ol' Dale...and wow, she slips into that character flawlessly. LOL!

All in all, a much recommended movie to watch and recount of how good (or bad) your bosses treat you =) However, do be aware that should you catch this in the cinema, you will encounter a lot of frustrated groans and sighs from everybody watching it as our beloved Censorship Board has been very snip-happy with the scenes. You know, what with the sexual innuendos, scenes and swear words that are so frequent throughout the movie (even though the movie is rated as 18! Pfft!). You have been warned!

Les Misérables - 25th Anniversary In Concert

2011-08-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

A quick break from my trip blogs *wink* I can't believe I have not blogged about this amazing concert when I had watched this previously! Watching it again a few days ago still gives me goosebumps and I feel that I HAD to blog about this amazing DVD.

Les Misérables (or more fondly known as Les Mis to fans) is no stranger to anybody who likes / loves the theatre / musicals. Actually, even if you aren't a fan of the theatre / musicals, there are still many songs that are covered by many contemporary artists here these days. I'm pretty sure many have heard Susan Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream"...or even if you live under a shell until today, perhaps even the ever popular TV series Glee's rendition of it (and some other songs from the musical too!).

The musical is set in France in the 1800's, a time where the poor are plenty and many are oppressed. Prisoners are worked hard like slaves, justice by the police is kinda weird, business owners are not as honest as they seem, and ladies with nowhere to go end up selling their own hair and bodies to stay alive; just to name a few of the scenes you will see in the musical. Then in the second act, there is drama as zealous young men rise to the occasion and fought against the injustice of the government to try and free the people from poverty. Quite a sombre musical, but very inspirational and touching as we also see the strength of the human spirit when put against the odds!

This DVD though is not a full-on musical. Rather, it is a concert (as the title mentions), where the cast stand in front of microphones and sing the musical numbers. Everyone is dressed in costume though, and there are some props used in the scenes as well as sound effects that are well-timed to bring out the feel and atmosphere of the time.

While at first I was put off by the idea of the actors just standing there and singing, by the second song I was hooked and couldn't take my eyes of the screen as I was swept into the whole experience. This, I believe, is due to the excellent casting...they really brought out the emotions of the characters and making you feel as if you're in the moment with them! For the 25th anniversary concert, they have roped in some of West End / Broadway's biggest names like Lea Salonga (best known for her role in Miss Saigon), Ramin Karimloo (the current Phantom in Love Never Dies!), and Norm Lewis (who originated the role of King Triton in the musical version of The Little Mermaid).

(Left to right): Norm Lewis as Inspector Javert...LOVED his interpretation of the character! His deep voice just brings something to Javert; Lea Salonga as Fantine....although her voice has changed a bit since her Miss Saigon days, she still brings a lot of depth to Fantine. Her rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" really brought tears to my eyes as she sings of what she had lost.

Ramin Karimloo!! ♥ He was superb as Enjolras...the leader of all the young men who fought for their freedom! I first wanted to watch the concert after hearing about him being in it after seeing him perform live when he was in KL with Stephen Rahman-Hughes, and he did not disappoint in his turn as Enjolras =)

The biggest surprise for me was Alfie Boe, cast as Jean Valjean (the protagonist). I have no idea who he was at the time, but his voice is amazing and OMG there's something about his eyes...I don't know, I guess I'm a sucker for guys with lovely eyes. Whenever he sings, there is always a twinkle; so much kindness in his eyes, which really befits the character he plays...a doting father to his daughter and a man with a really big heart. The biggest solo for Jean Valjean just tugs at the heartstrings when he sings and prays about bringing Marius safely home from the war. Couldn't stop listening to it! Video is below...watch and you'll see what I mean *wink*

Ah yes, forgot to mention about Nick Jonas as well! He was another surprise...cast as Marius, he actually held his own quite well even though his voice was not as strong and not really made for theatre. Not bad for a teen pop star =)

And just when you thought the end of the concert was amazing enough (I was tearing and smiling as the audience rose to their feet applauding the cast), there is yet another surprise! For the encore, they brought out the ORIGINAL 1985 cast of London who proceeds to perform some of the numbers....words can't describe it! Especially the performance of "Bring Him Home" by the Jean Valjean Quartet - which are the 4 gentlemen who have played Jean Valjean throughout the years, including Alfie Boe....listen to the oldest Jean Valjean (Colm Wilkinson). I was absolutely gobsmacked that he can still pull those notes even at his age (though I shouldn't be surprised since he IS a performer)!

A highly recommended DVD to watch especially if you're a big fan of musicals or just music in general....just remember to have some tissue at hand =) Now, if they could bring this musical over to Malaysia that would be just AWESOME! Or, I could go to London...even better idea! LOL!

Bali Trip - Mt. Batur, Luwak Coffee & Dirty Duck Diner

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 continues! *grins* We next were driven to the famous active volcano, Mt. Batur. We had our lunch at one of the restaurants there. Should have taken a photo of what the restaurants look like, but I forgot. LOL! But imagine restaurants built right on the edge of a cliff....the 'balcony' looks like it's suspended on air =)

The view from the place where we sat at. If we looked down, it's like a 20-feet free fall down into the trees below. o.O" But the view is spectacular...and the breeze blowing at you while you bask in the splendor of the mountain just completes it.

This is the view I'm talking about...doesn't really do it justice though coz it was REALLY breath-taking when we first laid eyes on it.

I played around with my phone apps....look what it produced! I heart the second photo A LOT =)

Lunch...it was a buffet lunch. Nothing to shout about as it was kind of standard fare...though I did enjoy the sate and noodles there. The view more than makes up for the average food!

After lunch we headed down Kintamani where Peter said he will bring us for some coffee. We passed by some more fruit stalls...I love the colors here. Gorgeous!

Coffee turned out to be a coffee plantation....it was so much fun to go through and look at all the different plants that these spices came from. Left photo: Vanilla! I was so excited coz I wanted to get some fresh vanilla pods to try out in my baking! Right photo: Cocoa...SOOO many of them!

Left: Cinnamon tree. Right: Bunga kantan...a type of flower used typically in Tom yum dishes. The flowers are at the bottom actually...the branches look a little like bamboo from afar =P

Banana...*sings the Banana-fana song*

Before we reached the processing part of the plantation, we came across a cage with these animals. They're called luwak and Luwak Coffee is very famous in Bali. More on that later *wink*

From there, we proceeded to the processing area. There were trays and trays of samples for us to see. Left: Unprocessed Luwak Coffee. Right: Dried vanilla bean pods. Was so disappointed that they didn't sell the fresh vanilla pods...=( There goes my hope of getting some to try in my baking. Oh well..

More trays...this was unprocessed cocoa pods...don't know why they have so many other stuff surrounding it though. *shrugs*

And coffee...this was already dried, before they are roasted...

To become THIS =)

There was a local doing some roasting of the coffee beans the traditional way...the aroma was so tempting!

That's Peter there (don't know why I snapped the photo cutting his head off...LOL!) showing us the traditional way of pounding the roasted coffee beans into powder which is then ready for consumption.

There were also other fruits for sale like this 'Snake Skin Fruit' or Buah Salak as the locals call it....the skin of the fruit really does kind of resemble a snake's scales! Little weird so I didn't try it...but I was told that it's a little sour like soursop. Hmmm..

After the explanation, we were treated to some samples of the coffees and teas sold there! Look at the array of drinks! There was (from the top): Luwak coffee, Balinese coffee, hot chocolate, ginger coffee, ginseng coffee, ginger tea, lemongrass tea and rosella tea. Yum yum! All had their distinctive tastes and it was such a nice experience getting to taste these different kinds of teas and coffees even though I'm no connoisseur of coffee / tea. My favourites were the Luwak coffee, hot chocolate, ginger tea and the ginger coffee *grins*

Close up on the Luwak coffee...this small little cup was not a free sample. And the cup was not cheap either....it costed 50,000 Rps which amounts to almost RM20 for this small espresso cup. o.O" But it is SO worth it, as the coffee is really tasty. It has a very rich, full-bodied texture and a nutty, chocolate-y aftertaste. The photo next to it is an explanation of how Luwak coffee came about. As disgusting as to how the beans were obtained, the taste is unforgettable (no pun intended)...in a good way =)

And so, we finished our tour in the plantations. As we headed to our next destination, this was the view from our car....throughout the trip, this scenic view greeted us almost 80% of the time. How can one not feel relaxed looking at all the green and peacefulness around here?

As it was festival time, there were quite a few locals (especially ladies) 'transporting' a lot of offerings to the temples or their houses...it's so amazing to see some even doing this without any hands supporting the baskets! Even young girls can do it...and never breaks a sweat. Eat your heart out, beauty pageant girls! LOL!

More pretty poles decorating the streets! This is what we see at every stretch of road with houses.

As we were heading down, we passed by this terraced paddy fields. It was also a famous tourist spot, but there were just too many people stopping here and no parking spots available that we told Peter to just go slower so we can enjoy the view from our car. This time around, the paddy had already been harvested so the fields look a little bare...if there had been paddy, the terraces would be a majestic golden yellow =)

Balinese people are very creative, as I was told...the amount of craft shops that we passed by is astounding! There are paintings, wood carvings, stone carvings, clay plates with ceramic mosaic decorations, batik, etc etc. You name it, they probably have it! Fascinating to watch even as we drive by...if we were to walk, I think we would have never left. LOL!

Believe it or not, this was an ornament in the middle of a road...how elaborate is that? Another thing that is quite different from Malaysia is the traffic. 'City roads' in areas like Kuta are a little similar to KL in the sense that there's always a traffic jam. But in smaller areas like Ubud, the roads are seriously narrow (imagine a two-lane road that can barely fit two sedan cars side by side...and it's a two-way road! O.O). And yet, drivers drive like they're on the highway there; people use the horns to tell the other drivers that they're passing by / overtaking your vehicle (hence you hear a LOT of honking!); and the hazard lights are put on in a crossroad to signal that you're GOING STRAIGHT....o.O" A little freaky but hey, it's the way they drive no? And Peter says there are hardly any road accidents in Bali...amazing!

Our next stop...a spa session! This was a little spa tucked away in between some shops at Jalan Monkey Forest (I kid you not, that is the name of the street! LOL!) where a one-and-a-half hour massage session only costs 150,000 Rps which amounts to about RM50! It was my first time at a spa and I'm a little miffed as to why I wasn't introduced earlier. LOL! It was such a relief to the tired muscles and so SO relaxing to have a full body massage....<3 <3

After our amazing massage session, we headed to this famous restaurant! Peter told me he's never stepped into the place before but he said that everybody that he's taken around Bali has heard of this diner and he brings them here every time. I had heard about this diner too from other famous bloggers so it was a no-brainer to go try it =)

From the outside, the diner looks like a normal restaurant, but the minute we stepped inside, it was like a 180 degrees change! Everything looks posh and pretty....no sign of a dirty duck running around the diner. LOL!

The lovely decorations around the diner. Pardon the lack of light...it was evening after all, and the sun had already set.

Dinner time! Food here is quite pricey (no surprise) so be prepared to burn a little hole in the wallet. We had to have of course their specialty, the crispy duck. The duck is rather similar to the Ayam Tulang Lunak. The whole duck can be eaten (even the bones) and the exterior is really crispy and tasty. It's served with rice and some sauces that really enhances the taste of the duck. Without it, it can be a little bit dry as the duck was fried really to a crisp ("Crisp"-y duck...geddit, geddit? LOL!)

This was another recommended dish...the Nasi Campur. Basically rice served with many different side dishes. Can you believe this serves one??!! We shared it amongst the 3 of us and we couldn't really finish it all...but it was splendid! The rendang, sate lilit and ulam vegetables are great complements to the fluffy white rice.

Mom said there was a shortage of vegetables in our meal (the ever health nut that she is!) so she ordered this dish called Gado-gado. It's different kinds of vegetables that are steamed / boiled, served with some tofu and (the thing that makes it different)....peanut sauce! Yes, believe it or not, it was served with a plate of peanut sauce not unlike the satay sauce we have in Malaysia. Love the little twist on it. The sauce goes very well with the vegetables =) All in all, quite a satisfying meal!

As we headed out to wait for Peter to come pick us, I spotted this basin of flowers....so pretty! These are fresh flowers floating in the water. Lovely end to the night as we headed back to our hotel. The nights in Bali start very early while we were there...all the shops in Ubud close at about 8-9pm and the sky is pitch black like it was already midnight in KL. Sometimes it feels a little weird that we're very tired and want to head to bed, but the clock shows it's only 8pm! O.O" Thank goodness for DVDs in the hotel room =)

So, that's about it for Day 2....stay tuned for Day 3! *grins*

Bali Trip - Ayam Tulang Lunak & Pura Ulun Batur

2011-08-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

Finally got my butt in gear to blog about the most amazing trip I had so far...so here goes! Warning though...This will be a long, LONG post; photos are in abundance and don't be surprised to read lots of adjectives like 'amazing', 'fabulous' or 'incredible' every few words...LOL!

Our trip started none too smoothly...I had previously booked the tickets for myself and Mom almost 8 months prior. Sis decided to join us but she's taking a different flight from us. Her flight was just slightly later than ours so the plan was we'd arrive in Bali and wait for her with the driver before heading to the hotel. Turns out that our flight was delayed for more than 2 friggin' hours, and we arrived much MUCH later than expected. It was a good thing that Peter (our driver / tour guide for the whole trip) checks his email very frequently. I'd emailed him prior to us boarding the flight and letting him know that Sis is arriving earlier than us and to get him to look for her first....=) And so, we kind of wasted almost half a day's worth because of 'technical issues' with the plane...bleh, what can be done right?

Anyways, when we'd arrived, we met up with Peter and Sis and headed off for the hotel...but Mom wanted to have dinner early as we had not taken our lunch prior to the flight. Plus, the hotel was almost one and a half hour's drive from the airport, so Peter dropped us at this restaurant:

For those not in the know, "Ayam Tulang Lunak" means "soft-boned chicken". I'd heard about this delicacy from a colleague who had previously been here, so I thought we'd give it a try...=) Basically, like what the sign says, the chicken is pressure-cooked until the bones are very soft and edible. It is then fried and served with different sauces.

For drinks, I asked the waitress what is their special drink and she pointed to a drink called "Soda gembira" which means "Happy Soda". LOL! What it was was a bottle of soda (I think this was Sprite / 7-Up) that is poured into the glass that's pre-filled with condensed milk and pink syrup. What you get (second photo on the right) is a drink that's akin to a fizzy bandung drink, which is quite nice!

Our main dishes came soon after...of course, we had to have the Ayam Tulang Lunak. In fact, we over estimated the size of the chicken (no thanks to the waitress' clever ploy of 'size estimation'!) and ordered 2 halves for 3 people. >.<" The first is their recommended salted egg sauce, and the other is the 'ayam penyet' version. I much preferred the salted egg one as it has better texture and taste. The other one was only spicy, spicy and MORE spicy! Only attempt that if you have strong taste buds...LOL!

This peculiar-looking dish was named "Tauhu Telur" which translated means egg tofu. While the Chinese have actually tofu made from eggs, this particular dish is nowhere like that. It's actually an omelette that's topped with a peanut sauce. I think because of the way the omelette was shaped, it looked like tofu? But the taste was scrumptious! It has just the right blend of savory, spicy and sweet in it. This was polished off real fast by the three of us =)

Sis LOVES kangkung (or water spinach, according to Wikipedia) so she ordered the pechal kangkung which is simple blanched vegetables with the chillies on top. Kinda like the ulam thingy we have in Malaysia, but the sambal featured here is amazing! Mouth-watering and very appetizing, we couldn't stop having this with the rice that was served *grins*

So, that was about it for Day One...we headed back to the hotel after dinner, and rested for the night. We stayed at the Raffles Holiday Hotel in Ubud....well, it wasn't exactly in the heart of Ubud, but more like the far north of Ubud, so we're pretty far away from the tourist-y places. On the one hand, it's very nice and peaceful but on the other, because it's so far from those places, it's hard for us to go anywhere without Peter. So, if you're the kind who likes to go around to shop, this is not really the place to go. But if you're looking for a getaway from the busy-ness of the city, this is one of the more affordable yet cool places to stay at =)

Some views of the hotel...it's a small-ish hotel. The one we stayed at was called a Royal Suite. The first photo is the outside of our room....the other is a photo of the other suites opposite ours. =)

View of the swimming pool (which we never did get to swim in....we were too busy going around! By the time we got back, we're too tired. LOL!)

The view inside our room...there's a double bed (Mom and I shared it) and a single bed (for my Sis). At first glance, I thought...Hmm, not too shabby. Basic amenities are there, it's clean and there's no weird smell. For about RM150 a night, it is not bad at all. Up until I heard a commotion coming from the bathroom. My Mom was almost wailing for me to get in there...I thought what weird animal was inside, and then:

THIS was what greeted me...o.O Now we know why it's called a Royal Suite. LOL! I think they got their priorities the other way round though, coz the bathroom was bigger than the room itself. Wahahaha! It would have been awesome for a honeymooning couple though. That jacuzzi just screams 'alone time with my partner / spouse'!

Jokes aside though...the bathroom is really splendid. My only qualm with it was the hot water supply...not sure whether it's a technical glitch or that people never shower with hot water in that area, but the hot water supply is quite inconsistent =( At times when we thought we would soak our tired feet in the jacuzzi, we filled it up about 2 inches deep with warm water only to find that there is no more hot water for us to shower! O.O" If the weather was warm enough, this would be fine but for us we had to get up extra early every morning and shower before we head out for our tours. Imagine taking a cold shower at 6am in the morning (!!!) and the temperature outside was such that we didn't need to turn on the air-conditioning the whole time we were there...>.<" And imagine showering at night when we're all tired and dusty from a whole day of sight-seeing. We ended up never really using the jacuzzi coz we wanted to conserve the precious hot water for our showers =(

Day Two started relatively late...Peter said he would pick us up at about 10am, so we took our time to head for our breakfast at the hotel. When I booked the room, it was written that the breakfasts served would be a Continental breakfast. Works for me, so it was no surprise to see the usual spread: bread (served in cute containers like this), cereal, milk, jam, butter, cheese, juice...

As we were eating, the staff came up serving stacks of what looked like dimsum containers...when we opened the covers, we were told that they serve local food as well for breakfast. First thought was, 'Cool! I get to sample local food too =)' There was (from top, anti clock-wise) kangkung again, some assorted fried snacks, chicken and fried noodles. A little like Malaysian food...until they brought out a pot of rice. o.O" They eat rice in the morning and apparently the noodles are a dish to be taken WITH the rice. Probably not a big deal to other people I guess, but I am a person who doesn't really take rice unless it's for lunch / dinner...and noodles are like rice to me (carbs!), so it was a little culture shock for me.

Dessert for that day...it was a bread pudding / jelly with some guava flavor. Quite unique =)

After breakfast, we headed down to our first destination...Kintamani to see an active volcano! Along the way, there were a lot of these huge decorated poles with ornaments dangling at the roadside. Some were simple, and others were really elaborate. Peter mentioned that it was the festival of Galungan & Kuningan, one of the biggest festivals in Bali and they erect these poles in front of every home. All the poles are handmade by the people themselves, so it's very cool. Every time we pass by a house, it's hard not to marvel at the creativity of the people here.

As we were driving along, Peter asked if we would like to try the mandarin oranges in Bali. It's different from the ones we used to get during Chinese New Year, so of course we stopped to buy some. This little boy was playing on his bike when he spotted our car stopping next to the stall and helped us out...

Fresh mandarin oranges! They are not sweet like the ones from China, but they are very juicy and refreshing as we drove up the hill =)

I heart this photo for some reason...it gives me the feeling of a tranquil forest, though on second look it does kinda look a little creepy. Wahahaha!

Before we went to the volcano, we stopped by here. Pura Ulun Danu Batur is one of the many temples in Bali...we were told that Danu means lake, and Batur is the name of the area. Most of the temples are named after the places here, so it's pretty straightforward.

The entrance of the temple....there were quite a few entrances to go through before you get to the prayer courtyard (which we were not allowed in, but we did get to view the courtyard from the gate entrances) and each entrance is as elaborate as the next. Peter told us that there are 2 different types of gates in the temples here: a 'closed' one like this one here...

And an 'open' one like this one here...all the entrances have very intricate carvings on it, and it was breathtaking to view it all when we first entered it.

This was a bell tower that the monks used as a means of communications as well as to signal the start of a ceremony in the temple.

Of course we had to have our group photo...this was taken by Peter. Everyone had to wear the customary sarong in order to enter the temple. Yes, even the guys need to!

More photos of the entrances in the courtyards...

This was me trying to be 'artistic'. LOL! I loved the blue of the sky contrasted with the entrance's dark shadow. It would be even nicer if I could get a lens glare but meh...I'm not that good yet =P

There were about 2 different courtyards to go through before we reached the prayer courtyard. These were some photos of the buildings inside the courtyards....they look so much like pagodas from afar! Peter explained that the rooftops in the temples are made from the fibers of a certain kind of tree in Bali. Only temples and altars can use the fibers for the roofs, and upclose, the fibers look like human hair! Seriously, does it not look like those neatly trimmed 'bad hairdos' to you? It is pretty incredible though to learn that they last for close to 20 years before being replaced with a new roof =)

Finally, we reached the prayer courtyard, and I peeked from the gates to take a photo. A prayer ceremony was taking place at the time...it was a very quiet and solemn affair, with chimes from bells every now and then. I remember feeling so much at peace there...even though I am not a Hindu (as most Balinese people are), it is so soothing to feel at peace especially when I was in a rather 'odd place' in terms of emotions. Watching them meditate and pray, I said a quick prayer myself that I would be in a better place soon...

Well, that's about it for now....loads more to come as we were there for 4 days *wink* Stay tuned!

Waterlily Cafe: Affordable Balinese Cuisine!

2011-08-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Found a back-dated draft of a post I was supposed to do ages ago. How time flies! This was supposed to be posted a year ago...LOL! Anyways, just for the heck of it (and I don't want to waste the photos =P) here's my take on the Waterlily Cafe.

Originally, the Waterlily Cafe had two branches: one in Puchong (opposite IOI Mall - which is the one I went to here), and the other in Mutiara Tropicana, Damansara. For some reason, the branch in Puchong closed down some time after I've tried the food there, so...I guess the only way to enjoy the food here is to head on down to the Damansara branch =)

The decor in the restaurant...soft lights and a candle in the middle of the table. Romantic, no? *wink* It looked VERY similar to the decor in Bumbu Bali, another Balinese restaurant close by in Bandar Puteri Puchong. Later on, I found out that they (and Ole-Ole Bali, another Balinese restaurant that you can find in Sunway Pyramid / Mont Kiara) were actually owned by the same management....go figure!

Close up on a pretty painting featured on the walls there

I was there with a few of my colleagues there, so it was quite fun catching up and chit chatting while we waited for the food. Our drinks came first...I ordered the jackfruit ice blended, which came as a big surprise. Not only was it just nice on the sweet setting (jackfruit tends to be very sweet), it was creamy and very refreshing! The blend of jackfruit, milk and crushed ice was just perfect...and they topped it off with bits of jackfruit pieces in it too =) Thoroughly enjoyable! Even my colleagues who ordered the other kinds of ice-blended said theirs paled in comparison with this....heh!

Then our food arrived...I ordered the lamb chop here, and it was done very nicely. Tender and juicy, with a good Balinese marinade that you can taste all the way through the meat. If you like lemongrass and spices, this is the one to go to =) My meal was served with some potato wedges, coleslaw and a slice of watermelon for 'dessert'. Oh, the meal also came with a small bowl of brown gravy which you can dip the lamb into. I very much preferred to have the lamb on its own coz it had its distinctive taste there already, but I gave it a try anyways and it wasn't too bad either! All in, a very satisfying meal =)

As a comparison to its more expensive sister restaurants, The Waterlily Cafe is a slightly more affordable Balinese / Western fusion restaurant. The meal that I had above came up to about RM25++, which is a steal compared to Bumbu Bali & Ole-Ole Bali (I've tried those before too, and their meals came up to RM40++ easily per person). So if you're looking to have good affordable food in a cosy setting, head down to the Waterlily Cafe =)

*Note: This was back in 2010, so I'm not sure if the prices have gone up since (I have yet to go there again). Do let me know if prices have risen =)

David Choi - A Definite Surprise!

2011-07-23T02:34:00.000-07:00

"David who?" was the question that I asked when I was first told of David Choi. I am, 'shockingly', not an avid Youtube viewer so I was oblivious to all the famous Youtube personalities. Never heard of David until a friend mentioned him as a very good singer who did great covers, is involved in some videos of Wong Fu Productions AND he was coming to KL for a concert. And I thought, cool...but never really gave much thought about it after.

Up until Wong Fu released one of their latest projects, that is this song:

And I was hooked! Really loved the concept of the video, and the music is oh so...cute, for lack of a better word! The lyrics really captured the essence of finding that someone and wanting to share everything with him/her.

By that time, it was a little too late to catch his concert (silly old me...always missing out on good acts!) but I did manage to find a video on his time here at his website, and it looked like so fun! Wish I was there...=)

No point dwelling on the past I guess, so I went ahead and got both his albums (which you can also listen to on his website!) and I cannot stop listening ever since!

David's first album is titled "Only You". Released back in 2008, it contains 14 of his original compositions. My first impression when I first listened to it was that his style is somewhat like Joshua Payne's second album (raw, very acoustic and intimate, probably cut in his own studio instead of a big studio) mixed with a little bit of Ryan Cabrera (love the guitar riffs and the tone of his songs).

There is something about the lyrics of his songs...they are real, like it could also happen to you and me, and at some points, they really hit home with the feelings described as he sings about love, hurt, etc. Couple that with his uncanny ability to come up with some very catchy tunes and his smooth vocals, it is a joy to listen to! Whether it be a fast-tempo, happy song or a melancholic song that reminisces about lost love, "Only You" is a great debut from this independent singer/songwriter.

Some of my favorites include "Always Hurt" (where he sings about not wanting to go through love again, because he always ended up getting hurt), "Won't Even Start" (his only single released from the album, which did quite well on iTunes and Youtube), "Heart" (about a man who appears to be cold, but actually yearns to be loved by the girl) and "Hold On" (an uplifting song that encourages us to hold on despite the hard times).

Reading about his biography on his website, it is intriguing to learn about how he started and the accolades that he won with his songwriting. Kudos to him for sticking it out as an independent artist and still bringing good music to the masses!

His second album, "By My Side" is a step up from his debut album. While maintaining his style of (mostly) acoustic accompaniments, the album also feels a little bit more polished compared to the first album; not so raw and organic like his debut, but I still like the songs produced =)

This time around, the instruments used in the songs really bring the feel of the song to life and take you back through memory lane. I really loved "By My Side", the titular single. While the video talks about making 'balloons' (sacrifices, promises) for that someone, the lyrics and music brings me back to happier times =) It's whimsical, cute, yet also quite meaningful when you listen to him sing about wanting someone by his side forever.

Other standouts from this album for me include "So Weightless" (LOVE the use of the xylophone-like instrument here! It really evokes the feeling of weightlessness and being amongst the clouds), "Deserve To Be" (quite a melancholic song about a guy telling the girl that she deserves much better than him) and "Amy Ave." (where he reminisces of the times he was back in his neighborhood as a child)

I couldn't stop listening to his albums when I was in Bali...the music is just perfect to listen to as you sit in the car driving by vast green fields, windows down, the wind is in your hair, breathing in fresh air and just...bask in the peacefulness, bliss and tranquility. I don't know...I guess with all the over-processed, too-much-bass-that-it-affects-your-heartbeat songs that we hear on the radio today it is a very welcome change to listen to songs that are just pleasing to the ears and go back to the basics. Sometimes the best things are the most simple ones, in my opinion...=)

So, if you're in the mood for something more simple, yet also having some substance in the music...give David Choi a listen. You won't be disappointed! I hear he's coming out with another album soon too, so I can't wait! *grins*

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-07-07T01:01:00.000-07:00

Remember the animated movie "Happy Feet"? How it caught the world by storm with its infectious songs and dance moves? Well, "Mr. Popper's Penguins" is nowhere like that...in a good way :) Alike in some things (they have the cutest -albeit CG - penguins!!!), but different as well (alliterations anyone?) this movie is a feel-good movie for families.

As you can see from the movie poster, it stars Jim Carrey as Tom Popper, a very successful realtor who so happens to 'inherit' 6 penguins from his father (who travelled a lot during his lifetime). Everything in Popper's life gets turned upside down when he tries to deal with the penguins only to find something else in his life being turned around too =)

Jim Carrey as the titular character is amazing to watch. Granted, he doesn't play those silly characters like in "The Mask" or "Ace Ventura" but he's still got it with his comedic timing and uncanny expressions. Watch out for a scene where he tries to stop a press conference in 'slow motion'...hilarious!

Dining with penguins...gives you a whole new perspective of unwelcome dining guests!

The other actors in the film are very commendable as well. Kudos goes out to Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton who play Janie and Billy Popper respectively...they get along very well with Jim Carrey and their relationship with the penguins is believable. However, my hat is off to Ophelia Lovibond (what a pretty name...'tis rare to hear that kind of a name these days!) who plays Pippi, the assistant to Mr. Popper. Her lines are delivered FLAWLESSLY, which is a really hard thing to do (in my opinion) especially when her lines are almost all alliterations ("Procure a pertuberance, PRONTO!") and has to be delivered in motor-fast speed not unlike a tongue twister. Love it every time she goes on screen!

Tadaaa......let's hear it for the performing penguins!

As the other 'stars' of the show, the animated penguins are cute too. When they first appear on screen, it is a little too obvious that it's an animated animal, but as the movie progresses it's not hard to fall in love with the cute penguins and their funny characteristics...Captain, Lovey, Bitey, Stinky, Loudy and Nimrod will probably make the kids beg their parents for a pet penguin!

"Mr. Popper's Penguins" got mixed reviews from critics...sure, it has a predictable storyline (as with all family movies...what can one do to reinvent the genre?) and of course there is the nonsensical feel to some of the scenes. But if you look past all that, this movie can garner quite a few laughs (or at least some giggles) which is a good thing, in my opinion. In this day and age, we all could use a little laughter to lighten up the world! *wink*

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2011-07-06T00:51:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the most anticipated movie of 2011 is finally here...with (somewhat) new characters, a storyline that still doesn't make much sense and kick-ass CG effects! Personally, I'm not really a huge fan of the franchise, but I do watch the movies for the special effects....they are AMAZEBALLS! (as a friend would put it)

Everybody is just waiting to see if Michael Bay will screw up this last installment since "Transformers 2" kinda bombed (yes, even I thought that...the effects were still great but the other aspects just fell short =\ ). And if you've read the other reviews, you've probably known the answer to the question of whether did Bay redeem himself. When the audience cheers at the sight of a character thought dead, or claps at the end of the movie...you'll know it's a "HELL YEAH"!

The movie started rather strongly with a flashback to the 60's, when Man first walked on the moon. Some pretty clever camera work and video editing makes the footage rather believable as we look at Neil Armstrong's 'actual' top secret mission on the moon. See if you can spot which ones have been doctored *wink*

From then on, it was all systems go (no pun intended) as we get bombarded with action scenes left, right and center. One can really tell that no expenses were spared for these scenes...from the chase scenes to the blowing up and destruction of buildings, everything is executed rather flawlessly. This time around, the details on the robots are much more intricate...up until at certain parts I could tell that the robots are superimposed onto the scene. Don't get me wrong, I still think they look great, but there were certain parts not unlike Peter Jackson's "King Kong" where you can really tell what is CG and what isn't. Thank goodness it was only some parts (or maybe because I was scrutinizing it too much, trying to see if I can spot where the CG starts and ends. LOL!)

Sentinel Prime...the new baddie. Voiced by Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock in the old Star Trek films!!)

Storyline-wise, there is nothing much to say....the action scenes more than make up for the story, which drags a little (I almost fell asleep at parts, can you believe it??!) but suffice to say the Decepticons are out to make Earth their new planet, but instead of using their own resources, they deceived the Autobots (Decepticons' deception...wahahahaha! Sorry, I'm on a roll with puns here!) into getting their own way, and as such the Autobots are banished from Earth. With no big giant robots to help us, will we ever survive this?? Fear not as we have...

Shia Lebouf! *hears crickets chirping* Honestly, I don't see why his character has to be there. As if he's not useless enough, the writers try to fit him into every scene of the movie....which is super annoying! Then again, there are some other new characters which are kind of quirky and hilarious. They bring out the fun in the movie. For one, we have Patrick Dempsey (aka Dr. McDreamy in "Grey's Anatomy") playing a bad guy role(!!!) It's hard to look at his face and imagine him being capable of helping the Decepticons...not a good thing, but it's hilarious to watch nonetheless! Then we have John Turturro playing the ever-funny-but-lovable Agent Seymour Simmons...his wisecracks are legendary!

Bumblebee! My niece's favourite Autobot...love the yellow Camaro he turns into!

Need I mention the stars of the show? The voices of the Autobots and Decepticons are spot on...I like how the characters (especially the new ones...look out for the Wreckers!) are suited to the voices. Even the characteristics are cool...watch the Wrecker robot with a 'pot belly'!

Carly Spencer...love of Sam Witwicky's life. *barfs*

Hmm....yes, the other 'pull' for people (or should I say guys) to throng to the cinemas. Rosie Huntington-Whitely (OMG...what a mouthful for a name!) is definitely a looker. Who wouldn't look when you've got someone like THAT walking around in skimpy outfits and caressing the contours of an expensive car? When she first appeared on screen, audible gasps abound in the cinema *rolls eyes* Oh well, what can I say? I'm jealous of the girl. LOL! Then again, which normal, SANE girl would run around the city (amidst rubble and debris no less!) in heels that are 6 inches high AND still be able to outrun those Decepticon robots? Let's not also forget how perfectly clean and coiffed said girl could be after everything is over...yup, definitely the girl of a man's dreams!

Aside from all the oohs and ahhs about how hot Carly is, the movie is pretty rocking! I didn't catch it in 3D but I'd definitely want to catch it again in 3D...those close ups and slow motion action scenes with bolts flying around definitely scream 3-effin'-D! I just need someone to go with...anyone?

Inception

2010-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

If "Avatar" was THE must-watch movie of 2009, then my friend, "Inception" is THE must-watch movie of 2010 (so far)! And trust me, whatever you have heard from other reviewers, friends or family who have watched it, etc...it's ALL true! The movie will (almost literally) blow your mind away! *grins*

If you have already watched the trailer, it would probably not make much sense to you...how can the mind be the scene of a crime? And they talk about dreams and stealing and, and...well, if I talk about it, it's so much of a spoiler it might turn you off. I myself, however, read the plot of it all in the Wikipedia entry (I actually like spoilers...yes, you've read right! Not that I would intentionally spoil it for you, but I like to see how the movie unveils itself and see how it would wow me, even when I know how the movie ends and all that. It's the process of it, not the destination that matters *wink*) and it STILL didn't make much sense! The whole concept is rather convoluted when put into words, so you WILL have to watch it to really understand what's it about =)

What I CAN tell is that, aside from the brilliant story line, the cinematography and effects are equally (if not more) kick-ass than ever! Since the movie is talking about dreams and the mind, things can get rather abstract right? Sometimes to the point of being utter rubbish (or is it in MY mind only? o.O"). But the film makers portray the inner workings of the mind really, REALLY well...big big kudos to Christopher Nolan for the fantastic scenes and not making it something nonsensical! Not only that, the action in the film is so spot-on and tight, it's a joy to be immersed into it all...you get some slow-mo parts a la "Matrix", some hard hitting scenes like in "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight" and then some! To add to the awesome-ness of it all, there is also drama, romance and quite a bit of humour injected within...how's that for a must-watch movie?

Let's not forget the incredible cast as well...we have the big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, and Marion Cotillard; Leo is rather at his peak I would say...he definitely came a long way from the infamous "Titanic" Jack Dawson, playing the cool and brilliant team leader. But let's not forget the other supporting casts also! They definitely held their own: Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and more. This stellar cast with their strong performances give this movie that edge in its greatness =)

And like everyone says, don't move out of your seat to get popcorn or to go for a toilet break...the story line is so intense that if you missed even a bit of it, you'll find yourself scrambling to understand the bigger picture *wink* It's a rather heavy film, if I may say so myself, but it still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat from the start with the action scenes...even to the very end, when the film cuts to black, you'll groan in either frustration or confusion (as in the audience I was in today); but right after that, you'll definitely go "WOW! That is one. Effin'. AWESOME movie." I think I want to watch it again now....*grins*

The Cove

2010-07-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

When you think about dolphins, what is the first image that comes into mind? For me, it was an image of a dolphin flying up from a water and doing some cool tricks at a show in an aquarium / zoo. Recently, after getting exposed to more shows like Animal Planet & National Geographic (thank you Astro!) I see dolphins swimming happily through the waters of the ocean...that changed after watching "The Cove".

"The Cove" is a documentary expose directed by National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos about dolphins being hunted en masse in a particular cove in Taiji, Japan. Apparently, not many people knew about this horrific practice, so they (the film crew) set up hidden cameras and equipment illegally at the cove to uncover the killings...o.O"

Of course, the movie doesn't start off by delving into those footage...rather, we were given a background (sort of) about how they came about this cove, what other whaling activists were doing prior to the movie and the actual process of them setting up the cameras. It is very interesting to note that some of the film crew involved are special effects experts in the film industry and they have created seriously ingenious ways of hiding the cameras along the cove. There is also a brief appearance by some popular actors-turned-activists in the film...see if you can spot them ;)

I have to say though, that although the film is very educational about dolphin and whale hunting I can't help but feel it's very one-sided in the sense that they're trying to push everything on the Japanese about the killings and what not. In return, the Japanese are saying that it's a very traditional culture and has been practiced for quite some time now. I suppose, in retrospect, dolphins are to the Japanese what normal fish and cattle are to the other nationalities who consume them. Coming from a race that has a reputation for 'weird' foods by the Western standards, it's easy to see where the Japanese stand as well as what the film is advocating.

Don't get me wrong...I don't think that killing dolphins mercilessly in droves every year is good, but there is also another side to that story (which the film makers didn't show...naturally). To me, I see it as a documentary that talks about the food industry...much as it is about dolphins and whales, I can't help but also think about countless other animals that are slaughtered and killed for food every year to meet the demands of - you guessed it right - people. Us. You and me included. And yet, we don't even bat our eyes at the enormous number of cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, fish, etc that are killed for the food industry. They are animals too, no? And yet, we consume them just like any other food...in bulk (myself included). How is that much different from dolphins being killed for their meat in Japan? Is it because it is the norm in other countries to consume other 'normal' kinds of animals that we overlook their suffering too?

And yet, I still do find myself longing for meat dishes almost every day...I have to admit, I'm no vegetarian! But yes, "The Cove" is a very hard-hitting documentary about the dolphins being killed in droves over the years. The footage of the killings itself is not long, but is enough to make you think hard about the consequences of supply and demand. And who do we blame for that? Not just the Japanese, but the human RACE as a whole...

The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner

2010-07-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Riding on the coattails of "Eclipse", it would seem that publishers are wanting to cash in on Stephenie Meyer's success by getting her to publish yet another book in the Twilight series...still, Stephenie is kind enough to donate $1 for every book sold to the American Red Cross. From what I last saw, there are about 1 million books sold already...that's how big the Twilight series have been! o.O"

To be fair, it's noted here that this book is actually a novella (kind of like a short story if you may) and apparently Stephenie Meyer wanted to release it in the official guide for the Twilight series. The story turned out to be too long after typing, so publishers made it into a separate book...all the more reason for Twilight fans to get it for their collection, no?

"The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner" (TSSL) is self-explanatory, I guess...Bree is one of the small characters in "Eclipse"; essentially, she is the newborn who surrenders to the Cullen family, but ultimately met her demise when the Volturi stepped in. Seems not much to go on because "Eclipse" focused so much on Bella (well, she IS the narrator in the books) but TSSL brings a grittier approach to the other side of the battlefield. Here, the narrator is Bree and we take a look into the newborns' side of the story: how she was made, how she survives within a band of always hungry, always angry group of vampires and how Victoria manipulates the army through her sidekick Riley.

Bree is definitely no Bella...in the Twilight series, we see everything through Bella's eyes; often times, it's so focused on Edward and his perfection (not that I'm complaining!) it's quite hard to see past the other things surrounding her in the books. With Bree, she is one hard-pressed girl...everything is nasty and she is always on her toes to stay alive. It definitely paints a different picture compared to the 'perfect' world of the Twilight vampires...it seems darker and more morbid in Bree's eyes, and it gets more interesting when the Volturi also is mentioned here. Still, one does identify with her as she finds out the true meaning behind the creation of the army and tries to get away from it all. Even though her ending is not a happy one, I think it gives a good perspective on both sides of the story.

If you can, read TSSL (sort of) side-by-side with "Eclipse"...it's a clever piece of work by Stephenie Meyer, who weaves the storylines together quite effortlessly and paints a bigger picture of how the big battle between Victoria & the Cullens came about. =) But then, I guess only Twi-hards will appreciate the story...what wouldn't we give for more on the Twilight Saga, right? Yet, for a 'short story', the book is almost 200 pages long! o.O" Go figure. LOL! Now, I'm still waiting for Stephenie to dig out "Midnight Sun" again...heh!

Despicable Me

2010-07-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the animated films that you MUST watch in the cinema...preferably in 3D! I didn't, and it was still quite an experience, which makes me want to go watch it in 3D now =)

Who knew that the word "Despicable" could be a whole new meaning in this context? It's awesomely cute, with great actors as the voices and a rather cool (but kind of predictable) storyline.

The film is basically about Gru (Steve Carell in a voice that doesn't sound like him at all!) who is a 'bad' guy...you know, the evil villain thing? He tries to be the best bad guy ever with his throngs of tiny minions (stealing the Statue Of Liberty....the small one from Las Vegas! *snickers*) but kind of falls short almost always. Still, that doesn't stop him trying and he tries to pull off the biggest heist ever...to steal the moon! In the process, he is thwarted by another bad guy, Vector (Jason Segel) and gets responsible for 3 adorably cute girls!

What I love, love, LOVE about this movie is the actors who voiced the characters...they did such an AWESOME job in bringing the characters to life! Initially I only knew that Steve Carell is the voice of Gru, but then after reading more about the characters, it's a very pleasant surprise to learn this movie has quite the cast! They have Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Will Arnett (Mr. Perkins), Kristen Wiig (Ms. Hattie) and the ever lovely Julie Andrews as Gru's mother! They all don't sound like their normal talking voices, but I think that's a good thing because it might take away from the story when we see a character that sounds like Julie Andrews and then find it weird! (Well, I do anyways)

Gru and his minions in action

Although the characters are amazingly funny in their own way, the ones that steal the show are the minions! Small and 'ugly' in a way, they bring the most laughs by their antics...and they don't have to talk much! When they do, it's mostly gibberish, but the voice is SOOO cute you can't help but giggle when you hear it =) One scene to note is when Gru walks in on the girls playing with the minions who are in charge of them...and the girls blame the minions. LOLL!

Speaking of the girls, they did a great job too with their own brand of humor and fun: Margo, the responsible eldest girl; Edith, the tomboy-ish girl; and Agnes, the sweet youngest girl with a penchant for unicorns and kitty cats! They bring out the best and sometimes the worst out of Gru, which is hilarious with his outrage and bursts of annoyance. Look out for the scene when they go to Funland with Gru and Agnes wants the unicorn toy. It brings a whole new meaning to the words "Knocked Over!" and "Fluffy"!

"It's so FLUFFY I can DIE!!"

All in all, a very enjoyable film to watch with your family...it's been a while since I've had so much fun laughing or giggling at a movie screening before =) Quite a nice getaway from all the horror and gory films lately! *wink*

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

2010-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

I really don't know where to put myself in the "Twilight fan" category...on the one hand, I loved (and still do love) the books. And yet, when the movies are out, they always seem to fall short...but then I still do go watch them every time it opens in cinemas. LOL! Maybe it's the cast (??!!), or maybe I'm just trying to see what the film makers come up with when they interpret the book...either way, I think I'll still be back to watch the movies until the end of the series. LOL!

"Eclipse" was my favourite book in the series, so I went in with a little bit of anticipation - seeing that the trailer for the movie was quite good - and hoping that they don't spoil the book too much!

The opening scene with Riley is quite promising...even though it is a slight deviation from the book, but it set the tone for what was to come towards the end, which is quite good =) New director David Slade certainly brings out better material than "New Moon"'s Chris Weitz (but then again, I suppose "New Moon" itself is not a great book to bring to the silver screen in the first place...too dry & morose!). And what comes later in the film is shot rather nicely, with definite better CG and effects.

Don't think I'll elaborate more on the plot, since everyone already knows what the book is about (if you don't, Google is your best friend! *wink*) but suffice to say that Bella had been proposed to, and she is rather torn between Edward and Jacob, since Edward has come back and Jacob...well, Jacob has his views on who she should love =)

"From now on, I'm Switzerland!" *rolls eyes*

The cast are mostly about the same...we get the Cullen family, the Quileute boys, and some of the Volturi. But there are some other new faces too, like Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones), Seth (Boo Boo Stewart), Riley (Xavier Samuel), and Bree (Jodelle Ferland). Not really big characters, but they are quite memorable, especially Riley. Xavier Samuel is quite a looker and brings the anger to his cute face rather well =) Can't say the same about Victoria though...somehow, I think Bryce Dallas Howard can't pull off the 'scorned vampire whose handsome boyfriend got killed by another handsome vampire' look as well as Rachelle Lefevre. Maybe it's her hair...she had some kind of a bush for hair and it's so distracting (!!), not like Rachelle's natural auburn curls. Still, she is gorgeous as a vampire...her pale face and red lips are just nice!

Can't say the same about some other vampires though...ESPECIALLY the Cullens, with a particular note on Edward since he's the main thing you see throughout the movie. I guess the make up crew didn't get the memo about NOT making vampires being too pale that they stood out from the other 'normal' people in the movie. Some scenes between the cast in the school just makes me go "Edward looks like a zombie instead of a gorgeous vampire trying to blend in amongst humans". And the hair! That perfectly coiffed hair from "Twilight" is gone...*sob* Oh well, people don't come to watch the movie for the make up and wardrobe right (speaking of which, is particularly non-existent for Bella! I doubt that she's THAT poor to not able to get a proper dress for the party...what happened to Alice helping her out?)? I digress...

What I do like about the movie though is the expansion of some of the Cullens' characters in the movie...granted, the book does talk about Rosalie and Jasper's backstories, but it's really nice to see it played out on film. It's almost exactly how I pictured it in my head...which I loved! *wink* The camping scene is also something to watch...I finally found that Kristen Stewart can act cold very convincingly! LOL! That, and some very choice words from Jacob about being "hotter" than Edward just brings it home...=) The big battle between the newborns and the Cullens (together with the wolves) is also something to watch. Although not a very long scene, but it's great to see that they followed through with the vampires being 'hard as marble'. Although the battle between Victoria and Edward wasn't what I expected, but it's still quite a nice thing to watch...gosh, I feel so sadistic saying that I liked people getting killed. LOL!

Wolves and vampires get it on!

In short, it was not bad for an adaptation of the nicest book in the series (for me). Sure, I would miss Edward's nice hair, they could do better with the make up and wardrobe, and there are still cheesy (yet funny that can go both ways) lines; but essentially the story line is good with commendable effort from the film makers in making the movie watchable =) This makes me rather curious too as to what "Breaking Dawn" will offer...it will be directed by yet another director but this guy did "Dreamgirls" previously so I'm hoping it's another step up....and no musical-like qualities in it coz the movie is no musical! Although, it would be rather funny to see Edward & Bella burst into song when Renesmee is born...LOLL! *wicked grin*

Toy Story 3 - Toys Have Never Looked Better!

2010-06-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I still fondly remember reading Enid Blyton's books about toys; how they come alive when we're asleep and we would go on 'adventures' together in my wild imaginative world. Sadly, I grew up. But then, "Toy Story" came along, and I relived all my kiddie days of playing with my toys and imagining them to have all sorts of adventures not unlike Woody & Buzz when I was asleep!

As we all know, "Toy Story 3" is the continuation of the adventures of the toys we came to know and love in the first two installments (minus a few minor characters). The difference is that, this time around Andy - the boy whom the toys all belong to - has all grown up and is heading off to college! What will be the fate of his beloved toys? I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say (especially if you have seen the trailer) they found themselves in a day care center led by an enormously cute and gregarious Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear, and lots of hilarity, drama and amazement at the toys' adventures ensue! *wink*

Andy's all grown up...will he bring Woody or Buzz to college?

If you had noticed the toys have been seriously decreased in numbers, fret not..."Toy Story 3" introduces a whole new host of toys for you to gawk at. Some are plain freaky yet adorable (The Baby) and some are so life like it'll also freak you out (case in point: Barbie & Ken)! I remember my sister remarking that Barbie is the EXACT one that she had when she was younger...the detailing is just remarkable! They got everything down pat, even to her hair! Pixar SO deserve kudos on that!

Effects and great animation aside (that alone should be awesome factors for you to catch the movie!), the storyline of "Toy Story 3" is also great. These days, it's hard to find movies that can score so well on all these levels, but "Toy Story 3" brought it home...It's amazing to see how they gelled all the scenes together, and the story of the toys finding their place in a world where toys get mistreated, abandoned, replaced, etc etc. And that's not all! Not only do you get slapstick humour that the kids will enjoy loads, but there's also jokes that the adults will appreciate (or at least, I did! LOL!). Laughs are abundant, especially in the scene where the toys try to escape, and Mr. Potato plays a huge role in bringing in the laughs! Watch it and you'll know what I mean...you'll never look at Mr. Potato the same way again! *wink*

Andy's toys come out to play...and THEN SOME!

The film makers have also succeeded in making the toys have their moments to shine...if previously we've seen lots of Woody & Buzz in the first two movies, "Toy Story 3" also focuses on the other toys which makes this movie very interesting as all the characters are just awesome! Not only that, we also get to see some touching scenes for some of the toys too =) And as the movie comes to a close, one (okay, me at least. I'm a sucker for touching scenes) can't just help but reach for a Kleenex as we know that this is the last installment for the "Toy Story" franchise. I got ribbed loads by my niece when she saw the state I was in after the movie ended, but hey...I love me some toys! *sob*

This one REALLY has got to be seen in the cinemas to get that feeling (unless you have a life-sized theatre at your home!), and if you could, watch it in 3D! Sure, lots of people might complain that it's nothing much to shout about in terms of things popping out at you, but I actually prefer the subtle dimension effects that they made for "Toy Story". Kind of like "Avatar", but with cute toys =) It's totally worth the ticket price...heck, I might just watch it again. And again. Just to relive my kiddie days as Buzz's famous saying, "To Infinity....AND BEYOND!"

P/S: Oh yes, don't forget to be there early to catch the short animation film that Pixar always shows...it's AWESOME to say the least! They always say the most even when the characters don't talk =) Enjoy!

Betty's Midwest Kitchen - A Must Try!

2010-06-11T01:56:00.000-07:00

Whoa...can't believe it's been literally AGES since I've updated! I guess with Facebook being such an easy way to show people photos and all, I've been slacking and lazy to update my blogs. I shall try very hard to remember to update more often! *nods*

Okay, on to business (so to speak!). Being so bored (and stressed....in a way) at work and all, I went out with a few friends for dinner. Y asked me to bring along my camera, so I knew it would be good food coz she knows her stuff! *wink* We arrived at:

Betty's Midwest Kitchen! American food again...YAYY!

The address:

A-G-40, Jalan PJU 1/43,
Aman Suria Damansara,
47301 Petaling Jaya

They even have a website: http://midwestkitchen.com.my/

Walking into Betty's Midwest Kitchen is like walking into a tribute place for all things American...they have so many mementos and pictures that are either American or symbolizes America. I thought it was a nice touch =) Being a weekend, it was fully packed with people...a sure sign that the food is awesome if not unnaturally good! *wink*

Some more photos of the decor in the restaurant...notice the piggies' photos on the wall? Yes, they serve pork!! YUMMM!! *grins*

Our first order of the day...Ham and Tomato Soup. To me, when I hear the word 'Ham' I automatically think of those breakfast ham slices that we get from the supermarket....and that's what I would find in the soup. How wrong was I! The soup had generous helpings of tomatoes and vegetables (think carrots, celery, parsley, etc etc) as well as chunks of pork in it! Looking up "ham" online, I found out that ham is also cured pork legs or rump....AWESOME! You get this smokey taste from the ham as well as the combined vegetables' tastes in this....*licks lips*

Y's good friend, A ordered this: Baby Back Ribs, one of Betty's signature dishes. Look at them ribs! Grilled until tender and juicy, it's served with fries, coleslaw and a beer-based sauce that is oh-so-GOOD! I had a teensy bit of this, and I have a hankering to come back and order this dish the next time I'm around...YUMM!!

Another signature pork rib dish as well: Grilled Soft Ribs (also served with the beer based sauce). I didn't manage to get a taste of this, but from the looks of it you can already tell that it's AWESOME!!

Somehow the appetizers arrived in the midst of the main course...LOL! But that didn't stop us from nomming every single morsel of this dish! They called this "Pigs In a Blanket"...I found a recipe that is similar, and needless to say, both are drool-worthy! You really can't go wrong with sausages wrapped in bacon and subsequently baked / grilled...*wink* I should also mention that they have many cute names for their dishes...one that I find particularly funny was called "Dog Food". LOL! Nah, it's not actual dog food, but it's fries with gravy and cheese....come to think of it, I think Scottie might just wolf it down! LOLL!

This was a special for the day...can't exactly remember the whole name (it was too long!) but it was something like President Ford's braised steak. Served with greens and mashed potatoes, I think one can't go wrong with this....*grins*

Again, going with the cute names, this was the Braised Boston Butt...LOL! I know, right? It's technically not taken from the pig's butt (it's a pork shoulder), but I guess from the way it's cut and all, it looked like a butt? LOLL! I'm just rambling...but this was done really well! The pork shoulder was grilled JUST RIGHT and the meat just falls away when you slice into it...VERY tasty with the sauce slathered on top!

Finally, this was my order: Pork Chop with Caramelized Apples. When I saw the name, I thought, "Hmm...caramelized apples. That's interesting!" Images of an actual caramel apple (like this) on the pork chop started forming...but when this arrived I was a little disappointed to be honest. LOL! Still, all was forgiven when I took that first bite...the pork chop was smothered in apple sauce not unlike those you can find in apple pies! I know it might sound off-putting, but it actually works! The sauce wasn't as sweet as an apple pie, but when coupled with the marinated pork chop you get this nice combination that just screams 'comfort food'....I can easily see myself eating this whenever I'm feeling upset. Heh! Served with mashed potatoes (which were also AWESOME! Silky and creamy, with just enough gravy to make you go "MMMMM"), caramelized onions and peas, it was a dish I never regretted ordering =)

With that being said, head on down to Betty's if you want to savour good pork dishes or just hearty American food...I definitely heart it! Speaking of it just makes me hungry again...anyone up for a trip there? *wink*

Louisiana - Cajun Food Galore!

2010-04-28T02:09:00.000-07:00

No, I am not in the US of A now (I so wish I am, though! LOL!) but who knew there's a place here in Malaysia that serves great Cajun food? I was introduced to Louisiana by a good friend when she took me out to dinner (and asked me to bring my camera along...heh!). It was such a superb experience that I brought my family out to eat there too a few weeks later! Yes, it was THAT good! Don't believe me? Let's allow the photos to do the 'talking' *wink* I'm no professional photographer, but the food there already look great, so not much editing is needed...heh!

The place itself....it has a nice homey feel to it, but the best seats are outside where it has a great view of the lake next to it! Eating out with a great view and a cool breeze blowing...*sigh of contentment*

Here's the address:

Block D-1-01, Jln SS7/13A

Plaza Kelana, Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-78755230

My feeble attempt at capturing the cool decoration...outside, it's like a rustic Cajun diner that you see in the movies, with the striking red-and-green color banners and the vintage lighting...awesome!

The fountain that comes on during intervals at the lake...pretty, but err...my photography skills aren't. LOL!

Okay, okay...enough talk! Be prepared to feel hungry after this *wink*

For appetizers (both times!!), we had seafood gumbo! Remember the movie "The Princess & The Frog" where the princess would always talk about gumbo and how yummy it is? Well, if the real thing tastes like the one here, I would say "Get me another bowl!" The gumbo is creamy and savory, with plenty of seafood (shrimp, squid, crabmeat), some sausages and vegetables thrown in. Every bite is finger licking good! The dish comes with pieces of garlic bread and it's a great combination! If you thought pairing garlic bread with mushroom soup is great, garlic bread with gumbo is DIVINE!

This was what my good friend, Y had...seafood oglio. Spaghetti tossed with some spices and accompanied by loads of seafood...I had a taste and it was scrumptious! Had a little bite and spiciness to it, but it was mild enough to make you go for more...*grins*

Y's housemate, C had the American burger...look at the ginormous size of it! Love the fries that came with it...they are what fries should be: crispy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside with a bit of bite!

THIS was what I had the first time...Cajun Tossed Crawfish Spaghetti! I had heard of crawfish before, but I never expected it to look like this...they look like teeny lobsters! The spaghetti was done very well...cooked al dente and then tossed with some crawfish stock, herbs and spices. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on it, and you get a yummy experience! Now, to talk about the crawfish: to me it feels like a combination of shrimp and lobster...the shell is a little difficult to get off (Thank goodness they left only one for me to peel! There were quite a few peeled ones in the dish by the way..*grins*) but once you get the shell off, you have this tender but dense meat...kind of like a lobster texture, but it melts in your mouth more. And yet it has a head like a prawn with the nice gooey stuff that the Chinese adore when eating prawns! Cool eh?

This was what my sister ordered the second time I went with my family...Louisiana's Famous Shrimps Scampi. Look at the succulent prawns!! (I can never differentiate between shrimps and prawns...they look the same to me, and so I shall call them prawns. Hah!) It has a citrus-y taste to it, but oh so good! The prawns are cooked just right and was very springy, not like some places where they overcook the prawns...MMMM!

Kids eat for free in Louisiana...isn't that cool? Rachel had this kiddie set called Popeye The Sailor or something like that...the kiddie menu items all had cartoon character names like Mickey Mouse and Winnie-The-Pooh, so it was quite cute!

My Mom, the ever health conscious person that she is, opted for the Salmon Tataki Salad. Kind of a standard salad really, but the difference comes in the salmon atop it...it's seared just right and seasoned with black pepper. Couple that with the vinaigrette dressing, it was delicious! This got polished off real fast...heh!

Dad always had a thing for rice, so he ordered this: Dirty Rice. LOL! Don't be fooled by its name...it's not at all dirty! Rather, it's a whole mix of yummy condiments: liver, seafood, vegetables, chicken strips, etc etc. Kind of like a 'rojak' rice, if you may...but it's SOOO nice! I had a taste, and the first thing that came to mind that it tasted like Tom Yam rice...hahaha! But after a few bites, it doesn't and you taste this awesome "I want to have more" dish...the portion was ginormous! Imagine a mini mountain...o.O" And yet, my dad can finish about three quarters of it! That's the testament to how good it was..*wink*

Meanwhile, I had the rack of lamb...*grins* Sorry for the bad lighting, but this was taken in the evening (with no flash) so the photo doesn't really do it much justice. The lamb was cooked medium rare, so it's tender and juicy...*licks lips* Pair that with a mustardy sauce on the plate and the roasted vegetables (namely potatoes and carrots! My faves!), it's superb!

Another highlight of the day was the Famous Cajun Crawfish Boil! It had 2 serving sizes...half a kg, or one kg. We ordered the half kg one, and it was sublime! Crawfish boiled just right with loads of vegetables in it! The combination of the crawfish 'juices' with the vegetables were SUPER cool! Squeeze a bit of lemon juice and it's a perfect combination of savoury and tangy flavours! *thumbs up* You have to get dirty eating this though, aka using your fingers...but that makes it extra delicious too! *grins*

We were stuffed quite full in the end (the portions were HUGE!), but Rachel wanted a little dessert, so we ordered the Louisiana Mud Pie...gorgeous right? It's like a Molten Lava cake with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream, drizzles of hot chocolate syrup, toppings of nuts, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top. Ooh, I'm salivating as I type this!

So yup, that was my account of the great food at Louisiana! Ooh, another thing to note is the impeccable service from the crew there. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, and I remember they asked us how was the food (which we don't really get in other restaurants...I thought that was really nice! People should do it more!) and even voluntarily brought in bowls of water for us to clean our fingers after our enjoyment of the crawfish (although I would have licked my fingers clean even if they didn't bring it...haha! I know, how unlady-like! =P)! Price-wise, it is a bit on the steep side...expect to fork out at least RM40 per person, but it's so worth it! Treating yourself once in a while is always a good thing, I say...plus, how often do you find a place that has great ambience, great view, great food and awesome service? *wink*

The Losers

2010-04-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

With a title called "The Losers", it's not hard to dismiss this film as being a loser too. But don't let the title put you off!

"The Losers" is based on the comic book of the same name published by DC/Vertigo and apparently, the film makers wanted it (the film) to have the same feel as the comic book...which we see similarities of in the opening sequence! So, what's the story with these 5 dudes and a hot chick? The hot chick comes a bit later, but the 5 dudes are actually military soldiers (I think they're commandos but there was no explanation on what they REALLY are, so my opinion works for me...haha!) who are accused of some murders in Bolivia after their 'job' there got horrendously wrong. They became fugitives after making themselves appear to be deceased in that incident. After a while we learn that they are framed by some weird dude named Max (Jason Patric) and Aisha (Zoe Saldana) gets in to help them exact revenge on Max and clear their names at the same time.

The action in the film is certainly something to look at. From the get go, we already can see lots of explosions, fist fighting, adrenaline pumping racing (cars or humans) and even 'telepathic killing' (which is so cute and funny at the same time, it needs to be watched to be understood!). And it does in a way feel like an action-packed video game (a la Counter Strike if I may say so!) where the characters are all bombarded with 'stuff' they had to do. Plus, the whole bad-guy-good-guy thing works rather well. I mean, it's from the comics, no?

The Losers arriving in the US of A with style!

The cast were quite commendable in their performances. I especially liked Jeffrey Dean Morgan's turn as Clay, the leader of the whole gang. He was more towards the rom-com movies where he played the rough but romantic leading man, but as the tough leader with a soft heart he proved his mettle too! Chris Evans (aka Johnny Storm in "Fantastic Four") also did a great job playing the geeky but every funny Jensen. Even though he's a techie in the group, he is no less of a soldier...watch out for his running and scaling building scenes in the film. Oh, and let's not forget his 'changing in the elevator' scene too, where he boogies and sings to that famous Glee song! *wink* Special mention also is in order for Oscar Jaenada for his solid portrayal of Cougar. Even though he has the least lines amongst the five, he has a great presence and is very likeable as the Latino sniper!

I also liked how the film makers took a dig at some recent 'issues' that we have in the world. One of my favourite quotes from the film (paraphrased):

"....for the 'green' terrorists in the world. Maximum damage, no pollution!"

Some movie critics didn't really like the film that much (read Rotten Tomatoes for it) saying that there is no character development or if there's any logic to the way they get things done in the film. Some even find it suitable only for people with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)! *gasp* Would it mean that I have ADD if I liked the film? For me, I liked how even though it was not the best movie I've ever watched, it kept me entertained. And since it was based on a comic book, what's there to talk about accuracy or logic? Most comic books don't really follow the rules on that...why should the film be? Let's not all be hoity-toity and pretend that we don't enjoy a funny, fast paced movie that doesn't require a lot of digesting in terms of the plot. *wink*

Julie & Julia

2010-04-20T03:07:00.000-07:00

I have recently come to appreciate Meryl Streep's acting more and more...she really does bring so much to each character that she portrays! Add that to a movie about food (French food nonetheless!!), some other cool actors too and you get "Julie & Julia"!

There really isn't much of a continuous plot if you asked me...the film is more on the lives of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and some similarities between these two personalities. Not that they are both alike in any way....Julie is a writer who is also a big fan of Julia Child. In an attempt to spice up her life, she decides to cook through Julia Child's French cookbook and blogging about it (isn't that a great idea?!). The film then sort of intertwines that with Julia Child's life (back in the 50's) when she was struggling to find things to do...and ended up cooking!

It is definitely a wordy film...there's lots of talking involved, but I guess with a movie that is made based on Julie Powell's blog (which is still there!!) and Julia Child's letters to a friend, it has to be talked out. But the talking is made bearable with commendable performances by Amy Adams (I think she was more known as the Princess in Disney's 'Enchanted') and Meryl Streep. The only thing I didn't get was that why Julia had this weird voice when she's talking...only later on did I find out that the real Julia Child actually sounded something like that! And it just goes to show how dedicated one can get with their work...=)

Julia Child & her husband, Paul Child (played by the cool Stanley Tucci)

Stanley Tucci also pulled off a great performance in the film...if we remembered him all too eerily in "The Lovely Bones", here he is affable and rather suave as Julia Child's high-flying husband. These two definitely are great partners in acting!

Even if you aren't too impressed with the talking and all, the visuals just might...the use of color is very cool, especially for Julia's scenes at her homes and Paris...what's not to like about Paris, right? In Julie's scenes, colors are not really striking but the food that she prepares will strike hunger pangs in you *wink* Too many a time I have been 'inspired' (if it can be applied to me!) to go grab a cookbook and start cooking my heart away! It did strike me at one time though that one doesn't really need that many tools to conjure up beautiful dishes as in Julie's case...or maybe it's just what films tell you. After all, the food wasn't actually made on the spot by the actors...they had renowned chefs doing it for them! So, that vision of me doing a Julie Powell goes down the drain pretty quickly. LOL!

Julie throwing a huge dinner party with a splendid looking main course!

Watch this for the gorgeous food shots and the splendid acting from Meryl Streep & Stanley Tucci. Even if you don't cook, you'll be salivating at the sight of them food...makes you want to go dine out at a fine dining restaurant pronto! *grins* Although cooking is not my forte, but this movie definitely sparked more interest in it...it does kind of makes me want to go get a cookbook and start working my way through it. The idea of cooking through a whole cookbook within a certain time frame is quite cool! What an idea for a project! Now, where should I start looking for a cookbook?

Clash Of The Titans

2010-04-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

One of my most anticipated movies for 2010...combining Greek mythology (a favourite of mine to watch & read!), great actors (to name a few: Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, and Sam Worthington!!!) and state-of-the-art special effects, it should be a great movie right?? Yes....and no.

"Clash Of The Titans" is about Perseus (the delicious Sam Worthington) who is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) but raised as a mortal by a fisherman. Something happened and Perseus lost his earthly family. Enraged by this, he sets out to sort of 'set things right' with the gods and embarks on a journey with a gang of rather curious people. Some include the Djinn (watch it, and you'll know what that is!), another beautiful half-mortal (played by Gemma Arterton), an old soldier with mad swordsman skills (Mads Mikkelsen), and a few others. As with all big 'epic' movies, I guess you would have probably known what would be the end of the story...*wink*

Don't get me wrong...there's quite a few things that one is able to enjoy with this cool remake. Most noticeably: the special effects! All the giant monsters and creatures from the Greek mythologies come to life in the movie, and it's pretty awesome given the fact that technology has come such a long way since stop-motion puppetry (a la the 1981 film which this one is a remake of). One of my favourite scenes involving the effects would probably be the desert scene with the giant scorpions. *grins*

The cast certainly were no second rate actors too...Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes did a great job with their godly characters, bringing much presence and aura to them, though one can't help shake the feeling that Hades is kind of similar (if not the exactly the same) as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series...LOL! Still, it's a delight to watch Hades bring on destruction in his own quiet and deceptive manner. Liam Neeson as Zeus is very commendable too...he plays the 'doting father' role really well (I still remember him from the rather cool movie 'Taken'), trying to earn the love of the people for the gods. And yet, when push comes to shove, Zeus is a formidable power as well....only, I didn't quite like the armour thing that the gods had to wear. I mean, wouldn't they be immune to any attack? After all, they are gods, no? *shrugs*

Sam Worthington is - as usual - cool, but I'm not too sure if it's because the movies that he's acted in so far are these action films. Most of his expressions and even the way he delivers the lines to a certain extent are so similar to his 'Avatar' character, it's uncanny! Maybe he needs more roles in other types of films to show his versatility...he's definitely not showing much as of now! My favourite character of all would probably be Mads Mikkelsen as Draco. Although only a supporting character, he is definitely memorable and plays the unsmiling fearless captain with aplomb! Watch out for his 'training session' with Perseus...funny and awesome at the same time!

Although there is much to be liked about the film, the only stumbling block that this movie faces is the storyline...or lack thereof. Perhaps the film makers thought they can throw enough special effects to dissuade the audience from the non-existent storyline....it does have a plot, somewhere, but not enough character development to make people emphatise with the characters. Which is kind of sad really, coz it was almost there....just not quite there yet. LOL!

People who have watched the 1981 film all say that the old version was loads better in terms of the storyline...I have yet to watch the old film in its entirety. The only thing I remember was seeing bits and pieces of the movie as my sister was engrossed by it, and going "Err...why is the monster a puppet? So fake!" So yeah, you get my drift on the special effects of that era.

Difference between the old (top) and the new (bottom) Kraken...

If you have yet to watch the older version, give this one a go for the special effects. Then watch the old version for the storyline, and combine the two in your head for a more ideal movie...*grins*

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

2010-04-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it's been so long since I've updated. Here goes my first attempt at a book review. *grins*

The "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" series actually consists about 4-5 books if I'm not mistaken. I have only read the 3 pictured here thanks to my 7-year-old niece. (I still find it hard to grasp that kids nowadays progress so darn fast! At 7, I think my reading capability was only relegated to maybe nursery rhymes or the "Peter & Jane" books. How times have changed, no?)

Yes, in essence it is kind of a kid's book since it talks about a boy in middle school (which if I remember correctly would be the age around 11 - 14??). Heck, even the writings and illustrations reflect that. But what's great about the books is the humour injected into them. Written in a diary style, we go through the book in the eyes of Greg, who is kind of just a normal kid with the usual stuff that kids get (big brother issues, bullied by other kids, etc etc), only he's kind of a smart aleck too, coming up with 'weird' ideas and smart-but-will-get-you-in-trouble answers. Oh, and let's not forget his big ego when it comes to comparing himself with other kids his age....it's hillarious, especially looking at the way he compares himself to his best friend & sidekick Rowley (my idea of a bumbling but adorable character played to a T! Too cute!)

Accompanying the entries are all these illustrations (also done by the author) that just bring the jokes more humour. Simple as they are, they are effective and summarizes Greg's experiences very well. Somehow, the illustrations remind me a little of Calvin and Hobbes, but this time the main character is 12 and his sidekick is not a stuffed tiger, but a 6-year-old kid stuck in a 12-year-old kid's body. *grins*

One example of the hillarious illustrations in the books

All in all, one cool book that I'm not ashamed to say I've read even though it's a children's book (in a way). And who would have thought kids' books can be so entertaining? I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series...hopefully I'll find more time to do that! The first book is being made into a movie, and tentative release date is in May! Looking at the trailer, it looks about as funny as it was in the books, so I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint!

Brother Yat Restaurant - Sauna Prawns!

2010-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

This one was a little while back...I had previously been here with a few friends for dinner, and it was so good I raved about it to my parents until they wanted to try it too! Heh!

Tucked in a (somewhat) secluded lane in USJ at an industrial area, Brother Yat Restaurant is a bit tricky to locate, but for those who do know how to get there, you'll find that the place is always jam packed especially at dinner time! I didn't manage to get the address, but it is somewhere near The Summit and Giant in USJ....They're famous for their 'Sauna Prawns', and here is why:

Live prawns were put in a pot filled with hot stones, and a small glass of beer was poured in as well. The assistant here demonstrates...

After the beer was put in...steam facial, anyone??

Voila!! The end result! The prawns were still alive and kicking when put into the pot so you can guarantee that it's fresh, and when the beer was poured in, it evaporates quickly and seeps into the prawns (especially the heads), so you get the sweet taste of the prawns and just a little hint of beer...yumm! Yeah, I kind of get that it sounds like animal cruelty, but that's how they were cooked here, so...>.<"

We also had this pork dish which was scrumptious! I don't recall the name of this dish, but it's thinly sliced pork belly meat that's deep fried and then stirred with a delectable gravy that will make you go for seconds every time! So you get this crunchy, 'NOM NOM' feeling with every bite...MMMM!!

Vegetables are a must, especially for my Mom...*grins* This is kangkung stir fried with belacan, the Malaysian favourite! The amount of belacan included is just nice; not too salty or overwhelming like others...whets the appetite VERY well!

And this is a simple stir fried dish with garlic...love the smoky taste to it that one can only get with BIG FIRE at the kitchen! *grins*

This is the XO Sauce tauhu that was ordered as well...don't be fooled by the word "XO" though! It's not made from the XO wine. Rather, it is finely minced dried shrimp, shallots, garlic and a bit of chilly. Not spicy at all, but you get that nice taste...something SIMILAR to belacan I guess, but it's more of a "Chinese" belacan, if you know what I mean...heh! Very nice topping for the golden brown tauhu that's a little crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. *licks lips*

Out of a whim, my sister wanted to order a chicken dish...so we got this Smoked Chicken dish. It certainly lived up to its name! Marinated with Chinese herbs, the chicken is first smoked and then steamed (I think), so you get this nice herbal taste in the chicken as well as the broth that came with it! The smoky taste complements the herbs very well too!

In retrospect, it was quite a good dining experience...my only qualm with it was the location, as we got lost quite a bit along the way. LOL! Pricing was not bad too...we spent about RM100+ for all those dishes with rice and a big pot of tea for 6-7 people. Not bad eh? *grins*

Grilled Fish At The Gift Tilapia Restaurant

2010-03-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have tonnes to post about, so expect more food stuffs coming this way real fast! Heh! For now, I will be posting the latest ones and slowly work my way back. Hopefully I can get all these out quick enough! *crosses fingers* This time around, I went to my uncle's newly opened restaurant in Seremban! It's called "The Gift Tilapia Restaurant" which specializes in - you guessed it right - Tilapia dishes!

The premise of the restaurant. Very simple set up, but don't judge a book by its cover just yet! *wink* The restaurant's address:

No. 11, Lorong Merbok 6/1

Taman Bunga Blossom

70100 Seremban

The menu...very simple dishes as of now, but there will be more to come! For now, let me show you what we had:

Vegetables...standard fare, blanched lettuce with oyster sauce and a little bit of oil. Simple yet yummy!

Stir fried bean sprouts...also another simple dish.

Then comes the highlight of the day! Yummy fish! Remember the green tilapia that I mentioned in this post? Well, this fish is the main attraction in the restaurant! This is the Portugese grilled fish...a whole fish grilled but still tender and spread with a yummy 'secret recipe' chilli paste that will have you adding more and more rice! The dish is topped with fresh lady's fingers.(a MUST in this dish! The chillies go very well with the lady's finger!)

Not to toot my uncle's horn and stuff, but the fish is just finger-licking good! Not only is it fresh, but the meat just falls away from the bone when you take it up (it's THAT tender!) and when you put it in the mouth, it melts away like pudding...yummmmm! Plus, you don't get that earthy taste that we normally get with the Tilapia here, so it's a win-win situation! *grins*

Another variation of the grilled fish...this is a simple, soya sauce version. Topped with sliced ginger and spring onions it's perfect for those who are not fond of spicy food. You can just taste the 'sweetness' of the fish meat in this dish because the sauce brings that out. If the fish is not fresh, you'll never be able to taste that!

Last but not least, we had the salted prawns! My uncle raises prawns in his aquaculture farm too, so these prawns are guaranteed fresh! Seasoned with a generous helping of salt, the prawns are wrapped in an aluminum foil packet and subsequently grilled. When it's done, the packet is ripped open and you get THIS! You'd have to remove the salt of course, since it's just a seasoning, but the prawns are SOOOOO good! Simple concept as it is, you can't beat fresh food cooked the proper way...*grins*

So, if you're ever in the neighborhood, drop by The Gift Tilapia Restaurant! You'll never think the same about tilapia dishes again! *wink*

My Food Journey In Penang!

2010-03-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

I've got to say, even though my so-called interview didn't go well in Penang, I still managed to enjoy myself because of the food! I've definitely heard rave reviews about Penang food, but having tasted just a fraction of the great food there, I'm hooked! Am definitely planning another (longer) trip to Penang and sampling more yummy food soon! Special thanks to Yen for bringing me around the island...she knows the best hawker foods in Penang, I tells ya! Don't believe me? Prepare to be salivating at the end of it all! *wink*

DAY 1:

Arrived in Penang at around 9.30pm after a nice bus ride...we were picked up by Keong, a good friend of Yen's and subsequently headed out for supper at her Mom's place! FYI, Yen's Mom runs a food stall that sells the yummiest Loh Mee that I've tasted so far! Her stall is at Lorong Pulau Tikus for all the Penangites out there! Thick, savoury gravy topped off with sides like egg, pork and the likes; and add a dash of chilli sauce...it's almost like heaven!! (I bought a few packs back to KL for my parents to try, and they said the same thing!)

The oh-so-yummy spread that is 'Lobak'! We had some of the staples, but my favourites were the home made ones...also made by Yen's family! Yum yum...

Wash that off with a cool glass of iced tea...*grins*

DAY 2:

Breakfast started late, because we woke up late...LOL! >.<" But nonetheless, I had a good one! Started off with a type of banana pancake...look at the yummy banana pieces and raisins! Cooked to a soft and fluffy texture, it was also fragrant with a buttery taste...yumm!!

This was what it looks like after we packed it...

I also had a small itsy-bitsy bowl of prawn mee (although it's called "Hokkien Mee" in Penang) made by Yen's Mom again...super delicious with the soup made from fresh prawns!

Yen had this bowl of Penang laksa, which I managed to sneak a few bites of too...it tastes a bit different from the laksa that I'm used to in KL, but still VERY delicious all the same! The curry is just nice with the amount of spices and santan, and topped with prawns, cockles, and pork bits, it's AWESOME!! We also had the Penang version of the 'Chee Cheong Fun'. Instead of the normal sweet-ish gravy that we get in KL, I was treated to a savoury one that had the prawn paste (pronounced as "Ha Kou" in Cantonese) included, and it was scrumptious as well! Sorry, forgot to take the photos of it, but it looks just like the ones we get in KL...only the taste gave it away! *wink*

As you can imagine, we were stuffed full by the time we were done, so lunch was skipped...hehe! After which I had my dratted interview (which I will not mention anymore here), and then Yen took me out to Gurney Drive, where we had:

The famous Penang Char Koey Teow! We had this at the stall named "Cantonment Road Famous Char Koey Teow". Yen had this special one with added succulent prawns...look at the size of them!

My version...I opted for the normal one, with veggies and stuff. The noodles were fried very well, and the taste is just nice with a good amount of spiciness and err...'tastiness'! LOL!

We had this Mochi as well...usually in KL, the mochi is served kind of cold and the peanuts are not crushed so finely like this. This Penang version is served piping hot, and it's texture is soft and springy. The added crushed peanuts and sugar makes this an awesome snack or dessert!

Then I tried this seafood delicacy that got me wondering as we walked past the stalls. It's called 'Siput Duri' in Malay, and although they look intimidating with the thorns and all, they're seriously yummy! The cooking process is too simple: boil the shells in water, and you're done! But the secret (in my opinion) is the chilli sauce (the small plate next to the shells)! The meat itself is quite bland, but coupled with the tangy (with just a hint of spiciness) sauce, it's delicious! The tricky thing to eating this dish though is getting the meat out from the shell....LOL! Many a times I poked until I can't get the meat out and it got stuck at the back of the spirally shell >.<"

Night 2 was quite uneventful, but I did meet up with another good friend of Yen who was going down to KL and offered us a ride! How nice! After chit chatting about our favourite topic (Dogs, what else? *wink*) we headed to a nearby stall for yummy dessert soup. Look at the colors and delicious ingredients inside! Enough said...*grins*

DAY 3:

It's my last day in Penang and I'm heading back to KL in the afternoon! But that didn't stop us from having another good breakfast! Hehe! I can't exactly remember where this was in Penang, but this stall is super busy with orders coming in non-stop for their famous Wantan Mee. Naturally, we ordered some too...*grins*

THIS is what makes the noodles different from the other stalls in Penang, and even in KL! (Sorry, no actual photos of the noodles...we were too busy rushing up and down that I didn't manage to snap them!) The noodles are mixed with the usual black sauce and seasonings, but the extra OOMPH comes from a generous helping of yummy gravy not unlike the 'Cantonese Fried Noodles' that we get. The added sides of mushrooms, chicken pieces and vegetables make this dish a killer combo!!

As we were driving along Lorong Bangkok, Yen said I was in luck!! Because this stall selling the most AMAZING satay is open still...*grins* Yen said we won't find this kind of satay anywhere in Malaysia anymore. It's really one of a kind, and the owner has limited stock available everyday, so it's truly a great treat!

The satay cooking amidst all the smokey charcoal...the uncle selling this is super meticulous, making sure that all the sticks are cooked properly and ensuring that the meat is still tender even after grilling! Now that's great skill! And looking at the satay like that, you'd think it's the normal chicken / beef fare that we get right? WRONG!! It's PORK satay!!

We also ordered this yummy toasted bread with the satay! Imagine big pieces of traditional Kopitiam bread toasted on charcoal, and then spread with the yummy goodness of coconut milk and Kunyit!

Some of the finished satay sticks...we ordered 30, but we managed to finish 20 amongst the both of us(!!!) so we went back to try and order some more. But then the uncle told us it's all sold out because some one called and ordered about 100+ sticks at one go!! That's how good his satays are...

I also ordered some of these Apom...notice the sign that says 'Eggs'? I was quite intrigued, coz we don't get these kind of Apoms in KL...this stall was also very famous. People were queueing up to get some of the yummy pancakes!

What it looks like when cooking...mmmm!

And that was all from my gastronomical journey in Penang! All in all, it was such a wonderful experience I can't wait to go back and sample some more great food! I've been hearing talks about Nasi Kandar, Cendol, ABC and countless other hawker fare that you can only find in Penang...*licks lips*