0 Pirates of the Caribbean

"Tickets have all been sold out", my colleague informed me. No way, I thought. I have to watch the movie this week itself ! Call it kiasu, if you like ;) Sunday afternoon, my partner and I made our way to Cineleisure but detoured to Times Square when all the car parks were FULL.

At GSC Times Square, all the tickets were sold out for the day! *horror*. No wonder the ticket counters were empty*double horror*. We crossed our fingers and headed where we knew / hoped not many would go - Digi's Imax Theatre on the 10th floor. Largest screen in South East Asia here we come. After all, it only costs RM4 extra per ticket. Lucky us got great seats at the back.

The movie itself was a great adventure to me. It was a look at the darker side of many characters (including Jack, Will and Elizabeth) who each had their own interests at heart when they embarked on a journey together to save the pirate world. Each did what it took to achieve their personal goals along the way.

I never thought I'd find Jack Sparrow irresistable but he was, even in his untidy state. Oh and Elizabeth Swann's legs - long, smooth and sexy. I especially love the way little bits of humour are thrown into the movie.

Other than that, don't expect a great plot. I was a little disappointed that Calypso's character wasn't explored further but I'd still watch this movie over and over again because it's a great way to unwind after any lousy day.

0 Blades Of Glory

I’m never one for gross comedy (Think : Hong Kong movies). Therefore, I always think twice before deciding to watch a comedy on the big screen but Blades Of Glory took away my trepidation.

It was light and funny especially Will Ferrell who played Chazz Michael Michaels. Hehhee…imagine that - a big hairy manly character in a body hugging costume doing twists and turns on skates. I didn’t know whether to feel disgusted or to take in the hilarity of it but it was too hard to resist and I ended up laughing all the way.

The movie’s about two male rival figure skaters who hate each other and had to team up to join the pairs figure skating competition after they were banned for life from participating in the singles competition.

This is a good Sunday movie – not exactly great fare for children though since Chazz is a sex maniac ;)

0 The Malay Mail Big Walk 2007

I took part in the Malay Mail fun walk recently (Apr 30). Only 3KM, but for someone who lacks exercise, it was a tiring affair....tiring? I was flat out. The weather was cool and wet, thanks to rain earlier in the wee hours of the morning which had stopped by the time the walk started.

I was accompanied by my partner and Jen. Jen, my best friend, was more busy looking at that kid with braces from the reality show One In A Million (can't recall his name). She was gushing,"He's soooo cute !!". I'm like, "Dudette, he's a kid. We're almost mid-thirties.." (Eyes rolling) I'd rather look at Faizal...hehehehe.

We all crossed the muddied line together in 45 minutes. Yay ! we got our certs. I thought the fun was just beginning but it was downhill after that.

"Let's go get our goodie bags!", we shouted excitedly. An hour and a half later and squeaking weakly, "Let's...go..get...our..goodie..bags...". The queue was horrendously slow moving. We were squashed like sardines, sweat to sweat, old and young. Pity the grandmas and grandpas who had to endure it because they didn't have a line for senior citizens.

Jen and I cheered up a bit when my man offered to take on the crowd himself and get the goodie bags on our behalf. I was so touched by his actions.

But all was not lost, we had the lucky draw to look forward to, didn't we? Jen and I walked to the main stage..."huh? the draw has started?!..we didn't even hear a thing!!" Sad to say, some deserving winners did not turn up to collect their gifts. They were probably still queueing for their goodie bags :>p

We left shortly after that because we were starving ..Here's an event with no food served or sold...except for cereal which were all gone by the time we arrived. Unlucky?

Well, this won't stop me from joining the biggie next year. I had great fun walking with two people I love. It's just that after crossing the finishing line, I won't be be staying around for the goodies next time.

0 Spiderman 3 on the BIG screen

We (My BF and I) took the opportunity to watch Spiderman 3 in Digi's Imax Theatre since we knew there was a high chance that tickets would be sold out in the other cinemas. It was after all only the second day of screening. Tickets cost RM15 each but it was worth it.

Being the kiasu fella that I was, I smsed my mum and aunts, "In a few moments, I will be watching Spiderman 3 on the largest screen in South East Asia! What will you be doing..?"

Replies ranged from,"You don't be naughty" to "At homelar!". They weren't moviegoers nor were they keen on Spiderman. Oh well.

The screen was so large, I didn't want seats at a far end corner because I knew it would strain my neck. Instead, I chose seats in the middle of the 4th row (not to say that I had a lot to choose from). I thought it would be the perfect spot.

Entering the cinema, I patted myself on the back for the brilliant choice I made. My partner and I walked excitedly to our seats. The movie started shortly.

Everything was fine until......Oh...did you see him? ! Where'd Spidey go?! oh there! left screen..no..no..all the way right...no..up..! down! ..ok..ok...my eyes rolled and zipped all the way to the left, then to right and back again trying to catch the spider in action. The screen was so huge, I couldn't focus. I soon realised that my eyes couldn't take in the entire screen and sitting on the 4th row was a bad idea.

Adding to the excitement were 2 hyperactive children sitting beside us, who enhanced our cinematic experience with their bouncing. They bounced up and down their seats many times excitedly cheering Spidey on.

At the end of the movie, I walked out quietly assuming that I'd been the only one who got crossed eyed that day.

My take on the movie? It was fantastic ! But you should never ask me because I'm a sucker for superhero stuff.

0 Eye On Malaysia - April Fool?

Tasik Titiwangsa. It's a beautiful place to visit. My partner and I went to Tasik Titiwangsa on April Fools' Day for a romantic walk in the evening. The "Eye on Malaysia" ferris wheel was a wonderful sight to behold. There were many people queuing to get a ride.

At 9.00PM, there was a water show with cool water skiing stunts and fireworks. I was enthralled by the friendly performers. A short video clip was projected on a screen of spraying water. It was so unique, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

The night was simply magical until we all heard a loud "clang" from the "Eye on Malaysia". I was shocked to see that one of the bars had come undone and was dangling from the wheel. They had stopped the wheel and within minutes, an engineer climbed up to retrieve the dangling piece. Luckily, there were no casualties.

The wheel started moving again but as you can see from the photo we took, the missing piece was not replaced. April Fool?

0 What's in a popcorn

I love going to the movies and having my popcorn. Not just any popcorn but GSC Midvalley's popcorn.

I love turning up at 10am on a Saturday and being one of those who'll be first. Aaahh..the first show of the day is always the best. Peaceful and quiet, I take a leisurely walk in with a box of popcorn in hand.

I wasn't always a big cinema fan. In the past, I used to sit in front of a small TV recording copies for video rental. Those were my childhood days, watching every wrestling videotape that my dad ordered. I was only 7 or 8 then but I knew every wrestler like I was born into it.

When Gremlins arrived, it was one of the greatest moments of my childhood. I watched it 8 times in just a couple of days. I lied to my parents about homework and studying. God knows why I was obssessed with the movie. And who could forget Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

My dad insisted on doing business the right way. Every tape was licensed. One day, competition arrived in the form of piracy. Who'd want to rent at my dad's when they could easily buy a pirated copy from the shop downstairs. The CD era was upon us. It was downhill from there save for some lovely souls who felt supporting piracy was wrong. They were my dad's loyal customers.

After my dad closed shop, I rarely watched movies because I wasn't comfortable paying so much for an original or buying pirated copies. Until today, my dad just refuses to watch any pirated movie.

It was only when I came to KL that I started enjoying the cinema experience. Well, my partner started it. He loves going to the movies. I tagged along and soon I was hooked. If you were to ask me to watch a movie on a 21 inch TV these days, I'd rather skip. Nothing beats surround sound, a huge screen and good popcorn.

0 Sports and Me

A sports fan? Hahahahaha ! :D That's a laugh. I've never been into sports in a big way but after being left out by my partner a few times, I decided to take a 'little' interest by reading the sports pages daily and listening to what my partner had to say.

Gradually, I was able to have a fairly decent conversation with the guys in the office about sports. I soon started doing what I'd never thought I'd do..... sit through a football match, watch our squash queen play, curse our badminton players, drool over Roger Federer. I actually survived without falling asleep on the chair. That's good enough for me.

When the World Cup Finals were on last year, my partner and I painted our faces before we stepped out to book the best seat at the mamak (sigh..no astro). We didn't have face paint but we were adamant about doing it so we used my eyeliner and lipstick to do the job...seriously.

We painted one side of our cheek with France's flag and the other, Italy. Deep inside, we were both rooting for France...hehehe....they didn't win.

When the match ended, those who saw the side of our cheeks with the Italian flag cheered us and those who saw the other side, offered their sympathies. We bonded with everyone. Awwww...don't you just love sports?

0 The Reunion Dinner

We decided to start a tradition in our home this Lunar New Year. For the past 5 years or so, the eve was spent waiting until midnight for the fireworks and firecrackers to go off.

This year, we decided to prepare the reunion dinner in remembrance of our childhood and to keep tradition going. Of course, we didn't know how to start. Daevid and I had to call our mums to hand down the recipes. I even called my aunt and she decided that she will write a cookbook just for us young ones (at 30-something, I'm glad I'm still her little girl).

We settled on mixed vege with fatt choy (the fatt choy being a must), roast chicken and pork leg soup. Well, of course the pic is too small for anyone to see anything but I can tell you that it was delicious...hahahaha..self praise !

We realised the importance of keeping traditions alive because we felt that should we have kids, we'd want them to have what we had...the reunion dinner, the cheesy songs and decorations, firecrackers, lion dance and the works.

We played some small hand wielding fireworks that night..God knows what it's called. The next few days were spent visiting friends and collecting ang pows ....phew..it's tough being at this age. You get fired for not accepting ang pows.

We made sure the radio was tuned into a Chinese channel too. It's been our tradition from the first CNY we've been together.

2 The Fuji Xerox Printer

It was pure Chinese New Year luck.

My partner and I went to Cineleisure Damansara on the second day. I've always disliked the movie atmosphere there. I complain constantly about the state of their popcorn, the dangerous gap between the seats, the booking system and even the fact that it was the talk of the town that this was supposed to be the place to go for movies. GSC would have a competitor to match or so I thought. I was never a fan.

Perhaps God thought that I needed to be bribed a little. ..we walked into the cinema to watch Ghost Rider and I wondered silently to myself , "why here?". Before the start of the movie, there was the usual show of advertisements. Suddenly, a congratulatory message popped up going something like this, "Congratulations to the winner of the day". I was like duh..now what's this.

The lights turned on and a verbal announcement was made, "Congratulations to the winner sitting in seat no. J5!"..my heart dropped. I turned around to check my seat number twice..it was me!! Gosh, I need to hide!..I snuggled myself lower where no one would see me. With the lights on, it seemed futile.

The show started after that but I was too excited by then. My cheeks were glowing with joy. My partner was as excited. The minute the show ended, we went straight to collect the prize. Service was slow and disappointing but the organisers were courteous. I hate to admit it but I allowed myself to be totally bribed into forgetting all their shortcomings..how weak was that ! All of a sudden, I was a fan..pathetic..I know.

They took a photo of me with the prize..some smart aleck in the background said, "The cost of the ink cartridge will kill you". It probably will but who cares :)

1 Port Dickson, here we come !

The day had finally arrived. After months of cancelling out on each other, 7 of us finally got together for a trip to Port Dickson.Phew !

It was my second stay at the Tanjung Biru (Blue Lagoon) Condo. The first time was when everyone cancelled out leaving my charismatic partner of 5 years to volunteer to go with me. Yes, just the two of us in a 2-room apartment with beds for 5 people.
Anyway, 7 of us ended up in an ostrich farm not far from the blue lagoon beach having the time of our life riding the ostrich, eating ostrich satay, getting our hands snapped in the feeding frenzy and playing with other animals in the farm (rabbits, crocs, parrots). We also watched the monkey show and had our photo taken with the really funny and friendly monkey. One of us even had our hair messed up by the monkey.

If we had time, we would have bowled coconuts and tried out the blowpipes. Unfortunately, we had to rush to check in because we brought fresh meat for a BBQ dinner!!

Gosh...the 2-room apartment had more beds than the first one I stayed. It could fit 7 people. Unfortunately, the 2 guys in our gang of 7 had to stay in a hotel within walking distance because we had a Muslim girl with us and it was innapropriate for them to sleep over..hahaha.. :D
The afternoon was spent frolicking at the beach and going for canoe rides. We had an hour and 30 minutes with the canoes but in just less than half an hour, I wondered why everyone was paddling back. I gave it a try after much persuasion. My canoeing partner was hilarious. She was the perfect canoe instructor, shouting "left! left! paddle left!! whenever a wave was coming or "right! right 3 times!" After one round, my arms were aching :p Darn..no wonder.

BBQ night was fairly romantic. It was a starless night with a soft breeze. Everyone was nicely hungry and tired out. We managed to squeeze in a game of cards before calling it a night :p

Early next morning, the guys showed off their culinary skills and threatened us with diarrhoea. I was hungry. Who cares.

By noon and after a final walk at the beach, it was sayonara blue lagoon and back to KL we go.

3 Open your mouth and say "aaaah....."

I haven't been to the dentist in years. That's right, I'd rather go through that toothache than have my teeth checked. It's no wonder I have bad teeth. No sane man will fall for a girl with teeth like mine.

I just have this thing about people sticking things into my mouth. I always feel like throwing up, hence the bad teeth. If I had a dentist friend, I'd feel so much more comfortable but I don't. Sigh.....when will I grow up.

Aching Tooth

Aching tooth that tortures me

Give me peace

I beg you please

Sleepless nights, a restless body

One panadol to soothe my pain

Two if it starts all over again

What can I do, what can I do

I hope it all blows over

Before I fall over ...