Ongoing December Splurges

So I got a little crazy today. I purchased a whole bunch of cute items. And by cute, I do mean cute. Kawaii cute. Heh.

Cute, yes? Leng recommended this shop, Sunflower, at City Square Mall. They even personalise bags, pouches etc for you. All you have to do is to choose a design from a catalogue. I spent a good hour in the shop! There were so many cute things to look at!

From top: bunny hp pouch ($18.90), pink wristlet -for my portable hard drive ($22), iPhone pouch - since I don't own one, I'm using it for my iTouch ($18.90)

From bottom: hair ribbon - for the fun of :p ($7.90), pearl earrings ($8), blue angel hp strap - for Mum ($10)

I spent $85.70 in total. I thought it was pretty awesome that quite a number of the items in the shop are hand made and therefore unique. Yes, I have succumbed to cute-ness.

Meet Up with the SR / TK Girls

After a very long time, Raudha, Noraida and I, met up. And I'm truly glad we did. We were good back then and the times we spent together were nothing less than awesome!

Our first stop was this place, Strictly Pancakes, which serves delicious pancakes with everything delicious that you can think of.

Raudha's Potatoes Leeking Cheese.

My Beef Me Up.

Noraida's Garlic Buttered Prawns.

Not only are the dishes delicious, but I love their presentation of each dish as well. Not bad for a quaint, barely noticeable eatery.

We then headed to Ion for some stationary and make-up shopping. Next stop was Haji Lane for obvious reasons of course, more shopping.

My new travel companion.

I love how stunning this colour is! A steal at $35!

Till the next time girls! I love ya'll much much!

Narnia 3 Review

I've had a major (over)dose of fantasy these past couple of months. In eager anticipation of Harry Potter 7 Part 1, I had to catch up by watching the other movies. The Goblet of Fire is still my absolute favourite of the lot, with The Order of the Phoenix coming a close second. For The Chronicles of Narnia 3, I had but to watch the first two movies to catch up with the latest installment. How else would anything make any sense? I've not read the books nor do I intend to, so I had to rely on the movies to follow the sequence of events.

Now that Harry Potter will be old news sometime mid of next year, I'm guessing the Narnia series will take over the throne unless of course some other fantasy flick / series reveals itself. There's like what, 4 or 5 to go?

The Narnia series has a pretty simplistic plot and is easy to follow. The difficulty, without compromising the plot, is that it has way too many characters and it takes you a while to keep up. I love the special effects for this one. My favourite CGI would be Aslan, of course. He has such an aura about him and you cannot but hold your breath to try to absorb all which he says. And AND there's a dragon! A fire-breathing dragon! The richness of the effects astounded me, I'm sure you can tell.

The only flaw, but not a major one, is that very quickly the pace of the action scenes quickens and you find yourself darting your eyes to keep up. Somewhere near the end or 3/4 way through, things slow down and you can digest what had passed and what's to come.

My favourite character would have to be the annoying, whiny, rather spoiled Eustace. The actor who played him, Will Poulter, in my opinion, played the role to perfection without over-acting one bit. He made the movie, without a doubt as he played a very valuable character in a good portion of the films. New guy, doubts himself, but finds courage and saves the day. It's such a pity that he dies in the series. I would love to see how his character develops.

My verdict? A must see.

Meats and Sweets

Today was spectacular. Well, after school was spectacular, not during. We didn't have Contact Time (Yippee!) but we were told to organise our own interest groups. A colleague and I needed to head down to the Concourse to get some traditional games for RHD and the rest of them wanted to eat. So I suggested for us to make our way to Arab Street since I had plans to go to the Concourse. We coined that, our "Learning More About Arab Culture" interest group. Yea. We are so full of it!!

I absolutely love this place, Amirah's Grill. They know how to prepare their meats. Every meat dish served has been absolutely delicious and the portions are sufficient to fill you up, but not too much. I love their lamb dishes the best but I would avoid the saffron rice. If you're a meat-lover like I am, you must go to this joint.

Not sure if you can see from the pic, but this place is also Egyptian-themed! And Nefertiti is on the entrance as well as on their business cards!! Mere coincidence that I absolutely love this place! True story.

For dessert, I took my colleagues 2 shops down the row for some good old-fashioned baklava and apple tea. I love the ambience and the decor at Alaturka. That was THE life that we were having right at that moment and I'm glad they enjoyed the places I recommended. It's totally an Indian thing to want to feed and satisfy the masses!

I never tried any of their main dishes as I solely reserved this spot for my desserts. Amanda was hungry so we shared a dish. This minced lamb and beef with Turkish bread was extremely delicious. It was like chomping into a really well-herbed hamburger. It made me recall the scene from HIMYM where Marshall was on the search for the Best Burger in New York. As I was savouring each bite, I felt as if everything about me was in slow motion. Another true story.

So there you have it. A very satisfied bunch of women who love their meats and sweets.

Starhub - First Bangla Channel In Singapore

You won't believe what I received in my inbox this morning. It infuriated me and further proved that the world is full of morons.

First Bangla Channel in Singapore. Seriously? This is how you want to advertise the channel? Are you out of your mind?! Bangla is the official language of Bangladesh and Bengali but do they not know that the word is more commonly used as a racial slur / insult. I can't wait till it blows up in the forums. Then we shall see how Starhub does damage control.

Quality of food is dependent on service and company

Today was spectacular. Spectacularly full of food, that is. I am such a glutton, I scare myself sometimes.

Dinner was with the cousins at Newton Circus. Tons of people say that the place is over-rated and over-priced. But I honestly do not mind spending a little more for a comfy environment and for good service.

There wasn't excessive touting except for this one stall. It's a month old and it prides on serving "different" food from the other stalls. How different is this place? Nasi Lemak, Nasi Padang and the likes. Like seriously? People come here to get their fingers and hands dirty eating seafood, shellfish and the likes. Why would anyone want to travel all the way there just to eat something ordinary and which can be found cheaper elsewhere? I was very annoyed with how pushy the stall owner was. It was bordering on pain-in-the-ass and desperation. You could see it on his face.

I like Goodman. Always tasty food and always efficient service. Plus, the dude has tons of stories and jokes to share! We truly enjoyed ourselves and stuffed ourselves silly as well.

Location Matters

Jayne took me out to lunch today and it was nice to meet up with her again. She's such a wonderful person to be around and she is so full of life! What else to eat, but our favourite sushi! Come to think of it, we always have sushi when we meet up. I dislike Sakae a whole lot. If you want terrible tasting overpriced Jap food, Sakae is the place to go. Plus, the service is terrible. I have only tried Ichiban twice but I have to say the service is efficient and the food is tasty. But the outlet's always crowded!

Beauty and the Beast - What a let-down

Guna, Sharon and myself saw the above pantomime last night and it was unanimous that it was a disappointment. Considering last year's Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs was a massive hit, we had high hopes for this one. Alas, we left feeling unsatisfied. Personally, I was geared up to be intellectually stimulated but there were minimal jokes and the few jokes that were incorporated into the script, were Ris Low-themed. I felt it was overdone especially since the jokes have been done and re-done in YouTube and where ever else. I expected something more or at the very least, something different. We ALL know the blunders Ris made, so what? Why rehash them? Still, those jokes garnered quite a few laughs from the audience.

Unfortunately, the sisters stole the show away from both the Beauty and the Beast characters. They were drag... so their characters were exaggerated... even more so than what a pantomime would entail. I still think drag is overdone in local theatre. You see a drag character come on stage, you know what to expect. Again, so what? I want to see something different. It is a pity though, that the leads did not have the chemistry needed to tighten the show and the numbers that they did together. They could sing, I have to give them that. However, that's about all that they could do. The sisters, couldn't sing but they were very animated and kept the audience engaged and entertained. All the other characters were forgettable. Pity.

I felt like I was watching Beauty and the Beast. The original version, with not much change to the plot. In other words, the pantomime was not creative nor was it a memorable one. The songs were not catchy, smart, thought-provoking or well-written at all. The lines were very cliche, I felt. Any amateur could have written them, not trying to sound arrogant here but truthfully speaking. Also, the whole playing on racial stereotypes is also overdone - the accents, the mannerisms... it was all too predictable... and some were used in Snow White as well. Thus adding to the lack of creativity in the latter script.

All in all, it was a mediocre production in my opinion. We're catching Animal Farm next year. That promises to be brilliant. So I can't wait!

The Saddest Movie Ever

It's in Tamil but damn, for an old film, it's one of the best I've seen from Indian Cinema. It's based on The Godfather so you're torn apart morally and can't decide if the protagonist is a good guy or a bad guy. It's tragic and yet so touching. I cried throughout the whole bloody film. Trust me when I say it's tragic. The hero dies in the end in one of the most "poetic justice" scenes I've ever seen. The scenes are decently choreographed and the dialogue exchanges are poignant and quote-worthy.

It grossed $12 million in the box office and it made it into TIME's top 100 movies along with Lord of the Rings, Schindler's List, Star Wars etc... so you know it's bloody good.

Nayagan (Tamil pronounciation but spelled as Nayakan). Check it out.

I'm still sniffing and blowing my nose :(

Fujifilm Cheki Instax Mini 7S White

I've a new toy! It's so easy to use and not to mention so fun as well! I might just be trigger happy :)

Mummy was sporting enough to pose for my first ever polaroid shot.

To give you a perspective on Athena's size. She's just 7 months but look at her!!

Of course Athena-baby will be my main subject ;)

I love how old school it looks.

Yea. That's her on the fridge. Don't ask me why or how. I still don't know.

I Fall In Love Way Too Quickly

Have recently gone on a Cheap Trick weekend-er (you know allnight-er... so weekend-er). I can't seem to find their albums so I had to resort to YouTube but what can I say, I've fallen in love with the band again. They were my guilty pleasure like 2-3 years back. Whenever I had the blues, I'd pop in one of their albums and just lose myself in their lyrics, melodies and wicked solos.

I've been playing Voices on repeat. It just makes me want to jump onto the table, grab the remote control and croon along... no, screech along! I deny all accusations of doing any of that!!

Check out these songs:

• Dream Police
• Surrender
• I Want You To Want Me
• Flame

I must MUST buy their albums.

The Reader

One of the most beautiful movies that I have ever seen in a very long time. Apart from the multiple sex scenes, which were actually very tastefully done, the dialogue was well-crafted and it was well cast-ed.

I like how the writers did not try to explain the Holocaust or try to make the guards out to be monsters, like how all the other movies / documentaries would. This one showed that even the most ordinary of people under unfamiliar circumstances can perform the most dreadful of acts.

Because her character is illiterate, she does not comprehend the magnitude of her confession and thus gets sentenced to life imprisonment. After about 20 years, she teaches herself to read and write and when she attains this literacy, she understands her situation a bit more. I'm not sure if it's guilt or regret that causes her to take her own life but there was such beauty in the way the movie ended. It was sad but beautiful how she took her life just when she could finally read and write at age 56.

Now I must look for the book.

I Have A New Favourite Song

And it is loads better than Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. I have to thank Donnie Darko though. The soundtrack is brilliant, giving the movie a very psychedelic feel. The movie transported me to this different world, I almost felt like I was Donnie and could believe the reality which he created for himself. Hmmm... that made me sound psychotic. See, he sees this huge bunny that somehow convinces him to commit all these crimes; vandalism etc. You would think he had lost it - it's not even a cute bunny; it was a disfigured bunny. Something from your nightmare. The hook in the movie is his obsession with time travel and how that concept made the movie elliptical. Man, I so badly want to own the movie and the soundtrack. Plus, Jake Gyllenhal is absolutely delicious. There, that proves my fatal attraction to the twisted characters.

Back to the song, Tears for Fears' Head Over Heels. I've listened to it religiously everyday and I literally am lost in the song. It's so 80's sounding and when you listen to it, you will probably find it familiar. Only because SO many recent songs out there have similar melodies. Pirates. Tsk. A good example is that song from Music and Lyrics, what is it... Way Back Into Love... similar melody and that's why the song is so catchy.

Just realised this further proves how old school I am... hahaha...

I Am A Convert

Ever since I can remember, I have been using Herbal Essences. I have loved it up till quite recently. I was using the one for oily hair and it made my hair dry. Then I changed to the one for dry hair and it made my hair... yea you guessed it, oily. I was getting frustrated.

A friend recommended Silkpro and I am loving it!! I've been using it for the past 2 days but I can see, smell and feel the difference! My hair is back to its original fabulous state *grin* Yea, I know, I am vain but I do love my hair very VERY much :)

On a more serious note, it's the exams now. Looking at the results for their English paper, they have improved remarkably, with many meeting my expectations. So that's great. Then again, as for the failures, sigh... SIGH... I did expect them to fail but... a tiny part of me was hoping for miracle. Math tomorrow! Gah!!

My New Baby

Meet my new baby... I am so in love with it *grins*

It's not the latest model but I got a damn good deal for it. Free upgrade to 4GB RAM and free 3 years extended warranty. Sweet deal.

My Very Own Acid Flashback

Note to self: Do not have phone conversations that last till the wee hours of the morning... especially if it's a school day the next day. I am running on 2 hours of sleep. Gah. Everything is moving in slow motion; especially my senses. I feel so light-headed. Ironically, my MP3 player was playing tons of songs from Across the Universe and now I feel so high, dudes. So high.

I could be on the Pineapple Express. Heh. Speaking of which, sadly that wasn't that good a stoner film as I thought it'd be. It was from the producers of Superbad and that movie was super hilarious! But still my favourite stoner film has to be Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle. Can The Big Lebowski be included? The Dude was pretty stoned throughout most of the film anyway.

The Big Lebowski: What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?

The Dude: Dude.

The Big Lebowski: Huh?

The Dude: Uhh... I don't know sir.

The Big Lebowski: Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn't that what makes a man?

The Dude: Hmmm... Sure, that and a pair of testicles.

Classic.

Love-Hate Relationship

I just saw the trailer to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and I have 2 words for it... FREAKING AWESOME!!! Come on, with Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer, it has to be a BIG hit! Repeat after me, "Must watch. Must watch!"

Anyway, I wanted to bitch about my brother. I seriously believe it's a guy thing. All I wanted to do was to rant about work and share with him about a kid I have that cannot count (like seriously). But he had to disagree with every bloody thing I had to say!! Why the hell does he need to take the offensive all the time? I just want him to nod and listen. What is so difficult with that? Why must he criticize and counter all that I had to say?

LISTEN. That's all I wanted from him. To listen. But nooo... he had to be a guy and interject the conversation and it got me even more riled up! Thank goodness mum came in and changed the subject. Gah.

Heard about the latest news? This boy murdered his pregnant stepmother. Horrible, terribly horrible incident but get this, reporters interviewed one of the folks about their opinion on the incident and you would never EVER guess his name!! Michael Myers!! Yea the dude from Halloween! Ok, I admit I can't recall the exact spelling (of the interviewee) but still... talk about irony!

A Bomb or The Bomb?

If it weren't for my brother, I wouldn't have known that Milton's Paradise Lost is in production as of this moment. They started some time in '05 and hope for it to be ready in '10.

Who is so bold as to take this on? Scott Derrickson, director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Hellraiser: Inferno. So he does have some experience of Satanic subject matter but I doubt that that will be enough.

I'm assuming the movie will be mainly in CGI and that it will undoubtedly be awesome to watch the epic battles. Honestly, I have no clue how Milton's imagery can be translated visually especially since about everything is described in simile with most of it juxtaposing itself. That and the fact that throughout most of the book, Adam and Eve are nude right up till before the end. I'm pretty sure the censors will have much to gripe about that with Legendary Pictures who'd be developing the movie, since he plans to make it a big Hollywood blockbuster hit.

I realise I'm completely thrashing the film even before trailers / spoilers / tv spots have been released but if you've read the book, you'll understand where I'm coming from. The transition from print to screen has not been successful for the many who dared to take on the challenge. The written word is meant to titilate and to set your imagination free whereas it becomes limited once it's been directed through the eyes of an individual and the audience is forced to interpret how he interprets those words.

Plus Milton was slightly off-tangent, theologically and it will be interesting to see how the script writers work on that without offending / disappointing any religious groups or even Milton fans. Things like who's going to play Satan, God, Adam & Eve, the fallen Angels etc? Will the dialogue be in Modern English? Will it based or loosely based (like Troy - come on, Archilles was supossed to be DEAD and he appeared to fight!?!?) on the book or will it be an adaptation / snippets of some of the books?

I can't wait!!