Cabin in the Woods (2012) Movie

Even when we were friends, my CEB would take a certain perverse delight in terrifying me. He once booked the movie "Legion" when we were supposed to watch "Citizen Kane" and I had nasty nightmares for weeks after that. Even today, I can't forget the scene with the ice-cream man elongating to a spider and the scene with the child monster climbing on the wall.

Well, this time my CEB told me he would buying tickets for the movie "Lockout" and only after lunch with my family when I was confirming the show with him did he sheepishly admit that he had bought tickets for "Cabin in the Woods"

Me "Oy! U know how I hate horror movies"

My CEB "Yah, but no other shows at the timing we want"

Me "Then can don't watch what"

My CEB *big grin and starts to make scary noises till I punch him in the arm. Hard. The noises coming out of him stop abruptly,

Anyway, I'd seen the trailer for Cabin and was prepared for 2 hours of squeezing my eyes shut, or peeping out through squinted eyes (The smaller the better so I can close them faster, right?). I was of course most unhappy because at my age, the goal is not to get wrinkles in a hurry. My CEB seems to be doing everything contrary to that - tickling me when I have a clay mask on, booking horror movie tickets...ugh!

Well, I hadn't read any of the reviews before watching the movie so if you have not watched the movie...you need to stop reading. Now. Spoiler ahead.

The Slog Reviews: ?/10. After we came out of the movie, we both turned to each other and said it was 1 of the crappiest shows ever. However, I couldn't get the movie out of my head for days after and 1 review I wrapped summed up how I felt. The movie was insanely genius. I thought we were in for a Slasher Type or Evil Ghost Type of Movie but no, oh no. This was way way WAY more than this. End of the world anyone? A combination of famous horror movies in the most creative way and no, I don't mean parody. Throw in female front nudity, lots and seriously lots of blood, a ballerina with a hole in the face, the Hellraiser's Lazarus Box...you've got an unforgettable movie going. A must watch. Esp for horror fans.

Latin Aerobics Kicks Ass

Despite the weather as well as entreaties and diversions from my CEB and good friend, I proudly make it to my weekly Latin Aerobics class. There have been flashes of lightning across the sky so I park as near as I can to the community club and this effort to find a good lot comes with a hefty price - I'm late for the class. My friend is already there dancing to the music. She has taken salsa classes in University and it shows. I make my way to stand near her but the instructor has a better idea - she waves me to a position across my friend on the other side of the room. I think she figures that if we do not stand together, we will not be disruptive for the class. The problem with my spot is that I am behind 3 other ladies and I can barely see past them to the instructor who has on a pair of pants with tassels on the ass and knees. However, since I have made it there, I am determined to get the most I can out of the lesson. For the first time, the teacher incorporates jumping steps in the routine. The kind that you jump and fold your knees behind you. A lot of the ladies are unable to keep up, but to be fair, they are in their 50s to 60s. I get great delight in jumping as high and as much as the instructor does. That will show them! Those ladies go to the back of the room and sit on those chairs to watch the rest of us. I know they have a clear view of me since I am at the back so I do my best to do myself proud. Lunge, I lunge. Twirl, I twirl. Flex my biceps, I flex. Shake my upper back fats, I wobble like a firmly set jelly-o. Jump in the air, oh my, hear me land. Then the instructor does some sort of mass dance move, the kind I did in my secondary school days. She thrusts out both arms and bends her knee backwards and up. I am so caught up in the routine that I follow her without thinking. The heels of my too-big track shoes find themselves each a nesting place in my ass. Whomp Whomp one after the other. I yelp with surprise. I hear the bwahahaha above the laughter from the old ladies sitting behind. Shouldn't my friend be watching the instructor?! I tell you, Latin Aerobics kicks ass - literally.

The Flasher at Latin Aerobics

I used to believe in the power of willpower, that nothing within my control was impossible if I set my mind to it. As my good friend once told me "U Gotta Hit It with Your Mind".

Armed with sheer determination, I told myself that THIS time, yes, this time, it would be different. My friend texted me she would be late so I made my way to the class first. Despite my being slightly early, there were already 7 ladies there so I could not take the prime spots just behind the instructor, nor could I see myself clearly in the mirror. Especially since I'd left my glasses (for driving) in the car.

The music starts and I find myself jumping and hopping to the right and to the left like a drunk one-legged toad with my hands held up in front of my face and the other knee crocked at a ninety degree. The instructor on the other hand looks really cool and I figure that I am just being too harsh on myself. I study her back as intently as I can - she is wearing a muscle-back shirt and I can see the flesh on her upper back wobbling.

So I try to shake as hard as she does to make my own back fats move in time too. It does not require great effort, having a great deal of them. Then the instructor lets out an insane cackle of laughter and starts skipping around. This makes me very excited. I want to prance too, like a pony, like a kid, oh watch me, I am young again!

Between prancing and making sure I shake every bit of me the way the instructor does, AND with my view of myself in the mirror obstructed, I forget how I look. I want to hit this with my mind, so my attention is focused fully on the person I must mimic.

When we do a side move and I get a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I am horrified. The waistband of my too-small shorts has rolled down to below my lower belly to expose my bright red panties. It is the action of moving my knees upwards to my belly that has caused this. I roll up the waist band of the shorts over my panties quickly.

I want to believe that the instructor bears me no ill will. But the next few moves involves bending over, wiping the ground and again my waist band rolls down when I bend down. I cannot concentrate any more, I cannot hit it with my mind anymore. The universe seems to be conspiring against me. How can I draw flowers in the eye or draw an imaginary violin when 1 hand has to keep rolling up the waist band of my shorts.

I tell you - it has to be a conspiracy of sorts to keep me from being the star of this show.

Hilton at Petaling Jaya

I know it looks as if I have changed loyalty but the Hilton's Gold Membership Promotion for the first quarter (click here to read) was too attractive to pass up. And hence, we have been trying to clock the 4 stays before 31 May 2012 so as to qualify for the 40,000 HHonors Points.

Now, as we all know, hotel rates in Singapore are the most expensive in South East Asia. So, paying over SGD 200 to stay in an ordinary room in Hilton Orchard isn't the most ideal way of racking up the stays. KL on the other hand, offers more attractive options for Hilton hotels and the cheapest would be Hilton at Petaling Jaya. And it was cheap (I'm talking about SGD120+ per night inclusive of 2 breakfasts and an upgrade to a room with executive lounge access) with good reason. Getting there by public transport (without a car) was a hassle. To get to Hilton PJ from the airport by train, one has to take the shuttle bus (RM9) from KLIA/LCCT to KL Sentral. There, one has to buy a ticket/token for the Kelana Jaya Line and take the train service all the way up to either the Taman Jaya Station or Asia Jaya Station. I prefer to get off the Taman Jaya Station Line BUT it is a lonely road leading to the back of the hotel and we all know that KL isn't the safest place in the world. Getting to Asia Jaya Station though is more of a hassle because it involves trying to cross more main roads and there aren't well, properly defined crossings but loads of broken pavement. Still, at least it is on the main road so one is that much safer.

Anyway, the hotel was under renovation. And all the executive rooms and the lounge were being ungraded. However, we were given 1 of the newly renovated rooms on the second floor facing the pool. So per the picture below, the furnishings and furniture and all were spanking new.

However, as with Double Trees Hilton, there was no bathtub in the room. The toiletries in the hotel were extremely well-packaged (see the pic below) but I assure you that once one removes the boxes, the contents are most ordinary. Disappointingly ordinary in fact.

Well as I mentioned, the executive lounge was under renovation so we were given access to another lounge. Needless to say, it was a far cry from the one at Double Tree. The selection of drinks and food was really limited and ordinary and although there was internet access, everything in the place was run-down, old and shabby.

The hotel provides a shuttle bus at 12noon to 1Utama but without the return service. Hence, we decided to go to 1Utama on our own for dinner. We walked the broken pavements to Asia Jaya Station and paid RM1.30 each to get to the end of the line - Kelana Jaya station. I had read that 1Utama provides free shuttle buses to the mall so we asked around and were told to cross a overhead bridge and wait at the bus stop in front of a row of shophouses (see pic of station and the overhead bridge we crossed).

After waiting about 20 mins, there was no sign of the bus so we took a cab instead. It cost RM8 one way. 1Utama was huge and had many shops including Coach. We thought of taking the complimentary shuttle back to the train station in the evening but found out that the shuttle service was only for 1Utama Card Members. The cost of being a member would be RM10 each. And even though we offered to pay a nominal fee to the bus driver to take us to the station, he refused unless we became 1 Utama Card members. So much for "complimentary" bus svc!

The Slog Reviews: 7/10. This hotel is really cheap by KL stations and for the Hilton brand but it is with good reason. I would suggest waiting till the renovation is complete before booking a stay there. And it would be advisable to rent a car or drive up from SG because this Hilton hotel is the most inaccessible of the lot.

Latin Aerobics - I will be back.

I missed the last class (the third one) because I was holidaying in Kota Kinabalu with my CEB the weekend before the Easter weekend.

If not for the fact that my friend had signed up for the class and was counting on me to turn up, I would have skipped the class yesterday as well. Having an exercise buddy really does help to keep one on the exercise track!

Fresh from the "success" of preparing dinner on Sunday for my FIL and CEB (which I shall blog about next), I decided to steam the fish slice that my MIL had given me for dinner before the aerobics class. Steaming the fish with lots of ginger slices (to kill the fishy smell), salted vegetables ( to lend taste) and some chili padi slices on the top was a fast and healthy option that required little preparation between the time I reached home from work and the class at 7.30pm.

As we were walking to the CC, my friend shared that last week's class was the toughest yet. And to my delight, I found out that she had the song "Move it like a freak" stuck in her head too since the last class. With the healthy dinner in my tummy and my spirits boosted by our little chat before class, I entered the dance studio brimming with good cheer.

We were slightly late so we had to stand near the back of the class and it was difficult to see the instructor past the girl in front of me. And once the music started, it became abundantly clear that missing one session hadn't done me any favors. I seemed to have two, no make it three, left feet that wouldn't co-operate and my movements were all out of time and not coordinated.

Midway through the class, a middle-aged man with a board comes in. He nods to the instructor and walks to the back of the class. It is impossible to watch the instructor and dance while watching him at the same time but I do my best. He appears to be taking notes and even a recording. I guess he could be short-listing dancers to take part in some parade or event. I also guess that he could be noting the class's attendance and instructor's performance.

When he leaves, the instructor comments that she does not know why he is there. I tell my friend that maybe he is there to take a video to post on YouTube, or there to find the world's worst dancer which would be yours truly. She starts to laugh her bwahahaha laugh and soon I follow. The instructor glares at us.

And as if to punish us, she puts on a really fast routine and I find myself twirling around, and making ridiculous motions with my hands such as mock-wiping my bum. She does not look silly doing it but I do. I figure that if I follow her exactly, I will not look silly too. So I resolve to shake every part of the body that she shakes and move as fast as her.

I concentrate so hard on mimicking her that I do not notice the distance between my friend and me. I twirl, shake, draw flowers in the air with my hands and poke her somewhere I have no business poking. She lets out a donkey bray of surprise and laugh the bwahahaha. I am totally unable to concentrate any more on the instructor. We stand there like two clowns chortling at our own jokes. The rest of the class is serious, all trying to mimic the grace of the instructor who is now scowling at us. It was an accident, mdm! An accident.

I do not fit in. But I will be back.

A weekend at Hilton Double Tree at KL

It seems like not too long ago when I spent a weekend with my good ole mama at Hilton Double Tree at KL. The reason for the trip was to clock 1 out of the 4 Hilton Stays before 31 May 2012 so as to qualify for the 40,000 HH Points (Visa Infinite Card Promotion) and although Hilton at Petaling Jaya was the cheapest of the 3 Hilton hotels at KL, Double Tree was more accessible.

So, from the LCCT, we took the Sky Bus to KL Sentral where we then took the Kelena Jaya line to Ampang Park LRT Station. The cost of the train ride was just RM2 per person from KL Sentral. However, the overhead bridge from Ampang Mall to the hotel was under construction so we had to scamper across the wide busy roads.

Check-in took some time because the hotel was staffed with trainees. However, we were upgraded to a room on the executive floor, thanks to the Hilton Gold membership. And given two large warm biscuits to boot.

This was the welcome platter which greeted us in the room - fruits and miniature cakes. The cookies were from the reception.

And as you can tell, my good ole mama was more than delighted with all the complimentary food. Even though she was pretty stuffed from all the eating at the Rainforest Lounge earlier (thanks to the priority pass), she still managed to put away quite a bit of the pastries.

I'll give the decor of the room an 8/10. Like The Intercontinental Hotel in Melbourne, Double Tree rooms do not come with a bath tub. I think it is to do with the conservation of water, you know, eco-friendly.

After I'd managed to pry my good old mama away from the complimentary platter, we went to the executive lounge just across the lift lobby of the same floor about 5pm which was the scheduled tea time.

Our plans to go out for dinner fell through the moment we saw all that food in the lounge. I mean, the selection was simply awesome. I'm talking about quality and quantity here!

I'll let the pictures do the talking. And yes, those were chicken wings and samosas in the picture above and nice little cuts of roast beef in the picture below.

And tandoori chicken, smoked salmon around asparagus, all beautifully presented. I tell ya, the presentation of the lounge food is among the best I've ever seen.

And let's not forget the desserts.

I have to confess that I helped myself shamelessly to lots of biscuits to kill time while my mother used one of the lounge's computers to play her online game.

Ah yes, the picture below is the last helping of the lounge food I had before they closed the refreshment service at 7.30pm. But even after then, fresh fruit juice and a pot of warm milo for my mum were forthcoming.

We stayed till about 10pm before going back to our room. Hilton has a choice of pillows that a guest can select - contour, bamboo that sort of thing. However, I was too stuffed to think straight and made do with whatever was on the bed.

The next day, we took a train out to KLCC after a filling breakfast at The Executive Lounge. We were too full to have lunch so we decided to head back to The Lounge for the evening's refreshments. Again, the variety of desserts was impressive - strawberries with sugar!

And we did not have to spend a cent for dinner with all that lounge food. The chicken curry was thick and warm, and went very well with the yellow Indian flour thingy.

And from the lounge, we had a great view of the city. I took this picture while the sun was going down.

From the windows on the other end of the lounge, one can get a great picture of the twin towers.

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. A wonderful experience at Hilton Double Tree KL. I would have given the hotel a perfect score if not for the one too many trainees who were unable to assist effectively (at check out etc). Other than that, I'm looking forward to my next visit at Double Tree which is in 2 weeks time!

JetQuay - the Quayside Service at CIP Terminal

This post is long overdue but having experienced the Quayside Arrival service at Changi Airport when we returned from our KK trip today for the third time in 2 months reminded me.

The first time I booked the service through the HSBC Infinite Card butler was when we holidayed in HongKong in February this year. Because we were flying on a budget airline (Jetstar), we could only use their Gateway Departure service without the buggy. However, since parking at CIP terminal was free of charge, we were more than glad to park there and then walk (about 7 mins) to Terminal 2 where we took the skytrain to T1. (This would of course not work as well if we had check in baggage or lots of heavy items to carry.) If we were flying on a non-budget airline, we would have been able to do our check in at the CIP terminal and have the buggy ferry us right to the departure gate (there is an immigration counter at the CIP terminal).

Anyway, when we landed back in Singapore about 12.45am, there was a nice elderly gentleman waiting for us at the aerobridge with a large sign that had my name on it. He asked for the baggage tag for the check in luggage and radio-ed his colleague to retrieve our check-in bags for us while he whisked us off in his buggy to the CIP terminal.

Now, truth be told, before this experience, I never knew that those buggies that go beep beep beep around Changi Airport were for those using the Quayside service, and I never knew that T1 connects to T2 internally and T2 connects internally to the CIP terminal (both connection at the gates area).

However, what I do know was that I was so grateful for that service at almost 1am in the night. We did not have to wait for our bags at the carousel, and we did not have to walk to the immigration counter and queue for our turn. We were the only 2 folks using the immigration counter (there was an officer there) at the CIP terminal. I didn't dare to take a picture of the immigration counter area so I took a picture of the lobby instead.

While waiting for our bags to arrive, we grabbed a drink at the CIP lounge. The selection was very limited, and not just because of the hour we arrived. I had read pretty nasty reviews about the cold food and lack of variety and these reviews were spot on. I would suggest using the normal airline lounges instead (like the Krisflyer one) if one has time to kill before the flight out. However, I'm not complaining too much given that this is the only lounge one can use if one is flying in to SG.

Here is a picture of the lounge I took in Feb, but the lounge was undergoing renovation today. There is a toilet with shower but I couldn't find any towels or, toilet paper for that matter. I think it must be because of the renovation going on, because the last time, there was. In any case, this time round, there was a pot of warm soup.

As we were walking out to the car, my CEB said to me half-seriously that he was prepared to pay the annual fee for the HSBC card the next year given the perks like the unlimited use of the JetQuay service.

I cannot agree more - the jetquay service is a pretty cool service which saves a weary traveler a lot of time (like having to wait to collect the luggage) and footwork (to walk to the immigration counter) at the airport.

Edited to Add: Complimentary parking at Jetquay is no longer available if one uses budget airlines to travel. Bummer.