Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Movie

The trailer for this movie looked thrilling enough to make this movie a "must-see" for me so I did and found it enjoyable enough (the special effects!) not to leave my seat once (although I thought I had to) at all during the show. I can't find a decent plot summary anywhere at all on the web - the one on wiki seems off and lots of details are missing.

Here is my plot summary / plot synopsis of the movie Percy Jackson based on my recollectoin of the movie:
The movie starts with the greek God Poseidon striding out of the sea. monstrously large (taller than buildings etc) and then assuming human form. He goes to the Empire State Building where his brother Zeus is and Zeus accuses Poseidon's son, Percy, of stealing his lighning rod and tells Poseidon that Percy has 10-12 days to return the same, failing which there will be war. Cut to Percy who is shown to have a reading disorder in school. When he gets home, his stepfather orders his mum about, smacks her butt in front of Percy and reminds Percy roughly whose home it is. Percy has a best friend in school Grover who appears to rely on crutches to ambulate about. Percy and Grover go on a school trip to a museum when his teacher asks Percy to step aside. She turns into a really hideous looking demon with wings, a fury, and demands the lightning bolt. Percy and Grover are saved from the demon by Chiron who is in a wheelchair when he walks amongst men. Chiron gives Percy a pen which he instructs Percy to use only in the most desperate of times. Anyway, Grover reveals that hs is Percy's protector and they rush back home where Grover knocks the stepfather out (stepfather was aggresive) and Percy, Grover and Percy's mum get into the car and drive for camp half-blood. On the way there, the car is over-turned by a minotaur and the trio have to make for the camp by foot. Sadly, Percy's mother cannot go through the door of the camp, being human and is seized by the minotaur and vanishes. Percy pulls out his pen and it becomes a sword and he fights the minotaur and kills it. However, Percy gets knocked unconscious and when he wakes up he is in the hospital ward of the camp. First person he sees is Grover who takes him to see Chiron. I couldn't recognise Pierce Brosman beneath all that hair and his horse's ass. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena in the camp who is practising her sword play catches Percy's eye too. Chiron organises a game Capture the Flag and the campers are divided in 2 groups - red and blue. Luke, son of Hermes welcomes Percy to join their group. Percy makes it through all the fighting to the flag. Annabeth stops him from taking it and wallops him hard (even kicking him). He crawls like a slug to the stream and his wounds are healed. He is also revitalised and manages to beat some of the other red campers and Annabeth and takes the flag. That night in the camp when the campers are feasting and celebrating, Hades makes an appearance in a hideous fire form and starts throwing fireballs about while yelling for Percy to show himself and give up the lightning rod. When it is revealed that Hades has Percy's mother, Percy steps forward but denies he has the rod. Chiron tells Percy that the way to save his mother is to go to Olympus and convince the Gods there that Percy is not the thief. However, Percy doesn't listen and in the night, tries to sneak off. Grover catches him and insists on following and so does Annabeth. They have no idea at all how to go to the Underworld. Annabeth thinks Luke may have an idea so they look for Luke who supplies Percy with a shield, a pair of shoes with wings and a map on how to get to the underworld. According to Luke, they need to find 3 Pearls laid by Persephone and finding each pearl will mark the way to the next pearl and then to the underworld.

The first destination they have to go to is this garden somewhere. They drive there in a beat up truck to find many stone statues in a large garden. To find the pearl, they separate from each other. Grover finds a statue that looks a lot like his uncle down to the mole and realises something is wrong. Annabeth is seized by an old lady who jabbers on about someone turning people to stone. Annabeth and the old lady are confronted by Medusa whose hair is initially in a bun. Medusa then persuades the old lady to open her eyes and turns her to stone. Annabeth refuses to succumb and Percy distracts Medusa. Annabeth manages to break free and with Grover, use their old truck to ram Medusa down. Anyhow, in the end, Percy uses his pen/sword and slices off her head. Grover uses his shirt to wrap it up and take it along with them. The pearl was on a bracelet on Medusa's arm and indicates the next destination is some museum in Nashville.

The trio make their way there and hide in the toilets till the mueseum closes because they easily spot the pearl on the crown of a very large/tall statue of Athena and plan to use the sneakers with wings to fly up and take it. Annabeth uses her crossbow to shoot the 6 night cleaners and render them unconscious. Just as about Percy is about to take the pearl, the night cleaners appear and speak in a uniform voice demanding the return of the lightning rod. They then transform into a hideous large multi-headed monster breathing fire. The pearl is dropped and Percy tries in vain to get it. He slashes off all the heads of the monster but then two heads grow in its place. As the trio run towards the door which is locked, Grover has an idea and uses Medusa's head to turn the monster to stone. The pearl then indicates the next place they have to go is to Las Vegas Lotus Casino.

The trio get there and are tempted by the free food, lotus flower which looks like sushi. They start speaking slowly and forget why they are at the casino and start having a good time. Grover even gets his hoofs painted and dances around. Percy however hears the voice of his father warning him and he wisens up. He spots the pearl on the roulette table and refuses to eat any more lotus flowers which alerts the security guards who know he is percy. Percy gets Annabeth and Grover who are enjoying themselves and then grabs the pearl. The trio get into the lucky draw sports car and drive off. The pearl shows them that the final place they have to go to is hollywood.

They get to the place where the word Hollywood is spelt out on a hill. A hole opens indicating that that woudl be the way to the underworld. They go in and meet the boatman. The guy who ferries the dead across (can't remember his name). Grover gives him cash because the boatman wants souls and on each cash bill is the face of a president. The boatman burns it all. Percy is inspired and gives him the coins that he took from Medusa garden and the three get a ride in the boat. They end up at Persephone's and Hade's palace where they are first met by Persephone's hellhounds (ugly huge beasts). Persephone is attracted to Grover but they are summoned by Hades before she can do anything. Percy asks for his mother back. Hades summons back Percy's mum but Percy admits that he does not have the lightning rod to trade. During the ensuing scuffle, he drops the shield that Luke gave him and there, the lightning rod is revealed to be hidden. Delighted, Hade seizes it and orders Persephone to send the three to the lost souls. However, Persephone uses the rod to knock Hades out explaining that it is because he is a cruel person etc. As there are only 3 pearls and 4 of them, Grover volunteers to stay behind.

Percy, his mum and Annabeth then step on a pearl and end up at the empire state building.They are about to step into the doorway which would take them up to Olympus but Luke appears. He admits that he stole the lightning rod and tried to frame Percy. Percy and Luke fight then and Percy summons his powers as a demigod to use water and flush Luke away. Percy, his mum and Annabeth then make their way through the doorway to a lift that takes them to Olympus. Percy's mum cannot get out of the lift because she is mortal so only Percy and Annabeth enter the hall of the Gods.

The Greek Gods sit around ready for war at the stroke of midnight (by going to the Lotus Casino, 5 days passed by although Percy thought that they had been there just a few hours). Percy returns the lightning bolt to Zeus and tells Zeus who the thief was. War is therefore averted. Poseidon asks for permission to speak to Percy and he explains to Percy that he was forbidden to have contact with Percy after becoming too human by being with Percy. Percy is seen to shrug Poseidon off and not embrace him warmly the way he later embraces his mother.

The show ends back at the camp where Annabeth and Percy meet up and kiss. And the show ends.

The Slog Reviews: 8/10. An entertaining enough teenage/children movie with great special effects and the opportunity to see James Bond with a horse's ass.

Sing Ho Hainan Chicken Rice

I had dinner at my mother's favourite chicken rice place. The shop is located at 266 Middle Road a few steps down from the famous Rochor Beancurd and is open from 11am to 11pm.

As you can see from the picture above, the shop set-up is that of a rather aesthetically challenged coffeeshop. By the time I got there about 9.30pm, there was only white chicken left (the stall does sell roasted meat too). On the stall-front are an assortment of newspaper articles and food "awards" given to the stall for its achievement(s) in the chicken rice arena. However, the stall does sell other types of local dishes such as fried beancurd, vegetables (sambal kangkong, kailan etc), wanton, chicken noodles, laksa etc. The stall is operated mostly by PRCs who are able to speak limited English.

The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. The chicken is thickly (but not too thickly) sliced, tender and tasty with just the thinnest layer of skin. The kangkong isn't spicy and rather cheap at SGD 3 only. The cold beancurd with floss however is rather bland-tasting (the sauce is rather thin and tasteless) and not worth trying (SGD 4). The chilli is hot enough but nothing very special. However, unlike Hainanese Delights, one can pay for the food after one has eaten and one can walk the few steps down to Rochor Beancurd for some dessert after.

NB: This restaurant has been closed since end Aug 2010

MPH sale extended till 26 Feb 2010

I was informed by a colleague yesterday that MPH at City Hall was still having a sale. Per my previous post, the sale was supposed to be till 31 Jan 2010 only but it apparently has been extended until 26 Feb 2010. The sale this time, is even better than before. There are books sold at SGD 3, 6 and 12 and for all other items, there is a huge discount on the books. For eg. Books priced at less than SGD 25 (ie between SGD 1 to SGD 24.99) are only sold for SGD 6. Definitely worth a trip there. However, be warned that travel books and most languages books have been snapped up and all the books are mixed/jumbled on the shelves. The only visible separation between the books are between children and adult books.

Anyhow, I bought another 3 books today, one of which was Being Beautiful, the book that I'd wanted to buy last month but hesitated. Ended up saving SGD6. The other two are self-improvement books with attention-grabbing titles. I'm not sure when I'm going to read them, much less write about them here given that to date, I'm at least 4 issues behind my Time magazines which sit on my desk waiting to be read, still have yet to finish my 3 library books (Fooled by Randomness, Black Swan, One Min Manager), owe 1 of my best friend 2 books (Blink (which I've finished) and The Lost Symbol) and am 7/8 through What the Dog Saw. Oh yeah, and all the books I bought the last time from MPH? I haven't read a single one yet. Go me. And there I was, feeling bored. Hah.

Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant at Johor Bahru

So as I was running low on gas last Thursday before going to Langkawi, I decided to go to Johor Bahru for dinner at the same time. By the way, white cards are required again (started yesterday apparently) by the Msia customs and the new white cards are different from the old ones. I also learnt today that all Touch N Go Cards have an expiry date of 10 years. The cost of one card is RM20 with a stored value of RM10.

I had been wanting to have dinner at Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant for some time after reading on someone's blog that it is supposed to be one of the best Japanese restaurants in Johor Bahru. The address is at No 24 Jalan Permas 10/5 Bandar Baru Permas Jaya 81750 Johor Bahru, Malaysia and the telephone number is 607-388-9813. If you drive in from JB using the Permas Jaya Bridge, you will pass the BP station on your left and take the first left turn after the station, drive all the way to the end and turn right. They have another outlet at Taman Sutera, Skudai next to Sutera Mall at the row of shophouses near the restoran pekin side of the mall.

The picture below is of one of the walls of the restaurant which my table was facing ( I had to take off my shoes to step on the platform). The decor of the restaurant is very well done by JB restaurant standards and there are partitions for seperate side rooms (without a door) located off the main dining area. It is advisable to make reservations because I was asked if I had made one upon entering and was apparently only given a table because of the lateness of the hour.

The restaurant has a pretty comprehensive menu with a page dedicated for lunch specials which are cheaper than the other set meal options. There is also a large range of Japanese wine offered together with various types of ramen ranging from RM 13 to RM 16. There is a set meal named after the restaurant which is about RM 38. There are sushi and sashimi options on the menu too which are priced almost similarly to that of a decent Jap restaurant in Singapore. This restaurant isn't the sushi conveyor belt kind of restaurant. Anyway, I ordered the Unagi Tempura set meal per the picture below. The cost was less than RM 30 (I can't remember because I didn't pay). Other than the tempura and unagi, the set meal came with miso soup, 2 small slices of watermelon, tuna and some greens. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Nothing impressive, nothing remarkable unfortunately. The unagi sauce was a tad too salty and the tempura consisted of one prawn and two pcs of veg.

However, I did like the "Sharkfin" Chawan Mushi (RM 10) per the picture below which was chockful of ingredients - mushrooms, pcs of meat, crab stick and "sharkfin". The Slog Reviews: 8/10.
The total cost of the meal for 2 pp was about RM 60 which is SGD 24 at the current exchange rate. It would not be possible to have a meal for the price in a restaurant like Nijyumaru in Singapore so if one happens to be in JB and one likes Japanese food, this could be a restaurant to go to. However,I wouldn't deliberately go to Permas Jaya just for this restaurant, much less drive up to JB for a meal here.

Pocketful of Sunshine :D

The song Pocketful of Sunshine describes perfectly how I'm feeling today - definitely upbeat, cheerful, optimstic and just a tad hyper.



Maybe it's to do with the fact that I'm going on a holiday tomorrow.

Ooooo....(per the chorus of the song)

"Take me away
A secret place
A sweet escape
Take me away
Take me away
To better days
Take me away
A hiding place"

Bee Cheng Hiang's Mini EZ Cheese Bak Kwa

I can't stop myself from eating these. Despite my resolutions for 2010, I had four (4!!!) of the mini ez cheese bak kwa in the past fifteen mins. Go me. My boss introduced these little snacks to us a couple of years ago. She, like the stuff she introduces, is good stuff. The Slog Reviews: 10/10 - oh sin, glorious sin. The bak kwa in each packet is oily, succulent and tender. Coupled with cheese, rich yellow melted cheese - how can one possibly resist these calorie-laden delights? The perfect Singapore gift to give to friends overseas (provided these friends are not vegan, vegetarian, halal or weight-conscious haha).

Anyway, I bought the most recent 500gm packet from JB a week ago from the Bee Cheng Hiang outlet at the Sutera Mall. With the current exchange rate, it is about SGD 2 cheaper than in Singapore. So far, I am only aware of the outlets at Jln Wong Ah Fook and at Sutera Mall in Johor. However, I remember that back in Feb 2008 when the China project started and I was in Shenzhen for the first time, I came across a small little outlet along Hua Qiang Bei Lu (near the ParknShop supermarket). I remember feeling this swell of pride that our little red dot had made its mark in China, that Singapore was in China. Sounds a little ridiculous typing this but I have to confess that I am one of those proud of one own's country, government and leaders.

Edge of darkness (2010) movie

I caught the Edge of Darkness.

The Slog Reviews: 6/10. I've found a review on the net that describes exactly how I feel about the whole show. Click here. A show not worth the ticket price IMHO. It wasn't that I expected more from Mel Gibson since this is first movie in at least 5 years but the plot was nothing really novel - govt cover-up/conspiracy and all the baddies die in the movie. Oh, Mel Gibson dies in the show too at the end, having being poisoned by his daughter's employer, who runs the research and development center which deals with nukes and dirty bombs. One scene stays in my mind though - when his daughter is blasted in the middle with a shot gun and flies backwards through the door. Woah, talk about impact and nasty irreversible damage.

Hainanese Delights at Capitol Building

Hainanese Delights located at Capitol Building (along the same stretch as Breadtalk is) is always very packed during lunch time and after work. Even as late as 8.30pm on a Wed night, quite a number of the tables were taken when I went there for dinner.

The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. This is one of my favourite places in Singapore for chicken rice (both white and roasted meat are good) because as we all know, it is the chilli that makes or breaks the dish and this place makes mighty good chilli sauce. Fiery spicy chilli sauce that starts a nice warm flame in one's tummy and a sauce which isn't too watery or too sweet, definitely a place for chicken rice chilli lovers to try out.



The cost of my chicken rice dish above is SGD 3.50. The egg, a mere 50 cents. The dish also comes with the obligatory cucumber slices, some pickles and a bowl of soup. The soup isn't the oily or thin-tasting "drop a chicken cube in it" kind of soup but a hearty home-cooked version with beans. I don't know whether the store charges more for an extra bowl of soup (they didn't charge me but they behaved like it was a favour they were doing). The stall sells sugarcane and lime juice (about SGD 1+), all of which are tasty and fresh. There are other items on the menu such as assam fish and fried bean curd but I'll say, save your money. The assam fish tastes nothing of assam but of a weak tomato paste and the fish looks shrunken. The bean curd does not only look unappealing, it is so unremarkable I won't even start on it.

Ambiance-wise, Hainanese Delights really isn't much to look at, very much like a coffee-shop and there is even a long horizontal table against the wall so one can sit eating facing the wall. And, one thing about this place which never fails to irk me is that they ask for payment upfront right after you order your dish and drink. If one is seated when ordering, one has to get up and go to the counter and pay before one is served.

Unless one is a chicken rice chilli lover, I wouldn't recommend going all the way to this place for a meal.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) Movie

I watched this movie on DVD. The solemnity and tragedy in this movie totally extinguished the joy and merriment from the earlier two movies which I watched before this one. Before the movie, I had been grinning at the TV and even rolling around the couch laughing at some scenes. After this movie, I trudged off to bed with heavy feet.

The Slog Reviews: 10/10. A good summary of the plot can be found here. However, as well-written as it is, it cannot capture the superb acting (especially by the young child actors) and the emotions that this powerful show invokes. The director captures the deviousness and the innocence of a child (the lead, Bruno), the simplicity and generosity of a child's heart (Bruno lets down Shmuel, the Jewish child prisoner, and despite a brutal beating, Shmuel forgives Bruno unconditionally and immediately upon Bruno's apology) and the complexity, tragedy and cruelty of the holocaust (doctors become potato peelers, watchmakers mend boots, jews are gassed like animals, all made to strip and packed together standing in a small crammed chamber). Some scenes are particularly painful to watch, like watching Pavel, the kindly old jew prisoner (once a doctor) being beaten (to death presumably for he never appears again and the maid is seen scrubbing the floor where he was beaten) because he split some red wine during the dinner, Shmuel playing checkers with Bruno through a barbed fence by directing Bruno where to move the pieces, Shmuel with a wheel-barrow and striped pyjamas with a serial number stitched on starving for food while Bruno of the same age is a child of privilege because his father is herr kommander of the extermination camp. Bruno is taught by his tutor that Jews are evil and the cause of the German people's suffering but the kindness and gentleness he experiences from Pavel and what he learns from Shmuel cannot be reconciled with what he is taught. This difference is all the more apparent when he watches his parents quarrel (his mother does not agree with the Reich) and sees the way his father right-hand man abuses Pavel. The ending was totally unexpected, I had expected Shmuel to die of course and Bruno be left pondering and mourning his absence but instead, both Shmuel and Bruno die, accidental victims of Bruno's father's death camp.

Rochor Beancurd

Rochor Beancurd is one of the most famous beancurd stalls in Singapore. It has been operating for more than 40 years and was featured in the media, most notably because of the family feud between the siblings making and selling beancurd. 1-2 of the siblings eventually set up a stall next to Rochor Beancurd which is located at Short Street and as of the date of this post, that stall is still in operation there.

My CEO and my boss swear by Rochor beancurd but secretly, I personally prefer the beancurd from the stall next to it. Sometimes after a department lunch, my boss will suggest having beancurd from Short Street for dessert and because I am sadly, a crowd-pleaser by nature, I end up eating from the Rochor Beancurd stall. And that is why today, even though I was alone and I had parked in front of the other stall, my legs automatically took to me to Rochor Beancurd stall.



The picture above is a picture of one of the tubs which I polished off today. The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. It took me less than 20 mouthfuls to finish the entire bowl of the silky smooth beancurd. Each scoop brought up soft quivering white mounds of beancurd which slid down one's throat smoothly without a cloying sweet after-taste. A good place to bring one's overseas friends for dessert. However, do note the stall is not air conditioned and can be extremely crowded in the night(even weekday nights).

Durian Road Trip to Segamat on 28 June 2009

Durian season in Johor is usually in June and July. Last year, during one of the few weekends I was back in Singapore from the China project, we decided to go on a "road trip" to Segamat which is known to be famous for its durians. As with most Malaysian towns, a structure representing what the town is known for is usually erected prominently near the town center/en route to the town. Segamat is obviously no exception to the rule.

To get to Segamat, one has to drive through Muar and then Tangkak. If one choses to take the North South Highway, one can choose to exit at the Tangkak exit then drive upwards to Segamat. The journey from Singapore to Segamat is about 3+hours assuming there is no jam at the customs. During the durian season, there are plenty of stalls along the road-side where one can pull up and park by the road side to eat and/or buy durians from the durian-sellers. This was the first stall that we stopped at.

Durians, during the durian season, are sold as cheaply as RM2 for one small durian. I didn't try any of those because I figured if I had driven 3 whole hours to get there, it would be more worth my while to have the better quality ones. This is one of the durians we had sold at RM6/kg.

Yeah, that's me holding on to one of nature's great blessings - a thick and creamy durian seed. By the way, one durian seed is estimated to be about 120 calories. Go me, your garden variety food guzzling Singaporean. :D

When entering the town of Segamat, we came across this large impressive-looking temple and decided to stop for some photos.

While I love fishing, I don't like rearing/keeping fishes at all (unless to use as bait for fishing). However, this temple houses an impressive collection of expensive koi fishes. This picture doesn't even begin to capture the number of kois swimming in the temple's ponds. One should definitely stop by this temple if one likes kois. There were white, black, orange and gold kois, some of which had grown to quite an impressive size.

We had dinner at this restaurant Liong Hong located at Segamat. This restaurant is popular among the locals and as was the previous time I was there, the restaurant got pretty crowded about 7+pm. It opens about 6pm in the night.

This is what we had for dinner - the restaurant's signature fried toufu, the omelette, kangkong and a patin fish. Now, everyone knows that most freshwater fishes don't taste very good (taste quite muddy etc) which is why they are sold so cheaply in supermarkets and restaurants (think tilapia etc). However, this restaurant does a superb and in my opinion, unparalleled job of cooking the patin fish which tastes not only fresh and fishy (no muddy taste) but the meat is also so tender, white and just slides off the bones and skin of the fish. And the sauce, the sauce it comes in, that's the kind of sauce one could pour over one's rice and eat it plain. That good, it was. You can't go this restaurant and not ask for a steamed patin as one of your dishes. The Slog reviews: 9/10.

The next day on the way back from Segamat, we decided to go to the little town of Sakil and this is where, I found durian heaven at a family-run stall by the side of the road in front of a fruit-shop. Home-grown XO durians for RM10/kg. When I took one bite of the whitish creamy soft meat which dripped off the seed (not in the too-ripe way) and flowed into my mouth, I swear that I was in ecstasy and life didn't seem all too bad afterall. Hah, yes, one may laugh at my description but then one probably has never felt like one has tasted elixir on earth. And this humble XO durian is my elixir. If I go missing-in-action every single weekend of June, you can be sure that I will be at Sakil gorging myself silly with these durians. It's worth the 6 hours drive up and down, worth the customs jams, worth the weight-gain (erm, kind of).

The durians were so good that I even brought some of them back home in a container. Look, look at the folds of the thin skin, the softness and "creaminess" of the flesh on the seeds. The flesh isn't the firm thick creamy but the oozing milky creamy which floods one's mouth with a slightly pleasant bitter alcohol taste. Typing this makes me want to have a durian right now, but I can't. These durians are only available once a year during June-July unfortunately!
We had a late lunch at our favourite restaurant in Muar. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Looking at this picture makes me salivate. No, I am not joking. This restaurant is famous for its assam fish head curry and Muar Otah. I'll let the picture below speak for itself. The kangkong is fresh and cooked to just the right texture - not too soggy and not too raw, the otah melts in one's mouth (I am already checking my calendar for a date to drive to Muar) and the last dish of fish eggs which is not shown in the picture is awesome as well. The name of this restaurant is Shee Yan.

The Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard and Peacock Bass at a secret spot

I had lunch with my galfriends at The Marmalade Pantry located at Unit 03-22 Ion Orchard 2. Determined to find a place with some really good risotto since my experience at Al Borgo last week, I ordered the Truffled Field Mushroom Risotto (SGD 22).

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. THIS, is really good stuff. The grains are cooked just right - not too mushy or too hard and the truffled field mushrooms mixed with the risotto and some sort of cream results in a flavorful combination. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this dish. Excuse the quality of the picture but I had to take the photo discreetly with my camera phone (99% of the other food pics on this blog are brought to you courtesy of my Sony Ericsson W995). And, I took the pic after I had a couple of bites when no one was looking because I didn't want my friends and the other guests looking at me funny. This place isn't the "take-photos-of-one's food-as if-one-has-never-eaten-such-good-stuff" kinda place if you know what I mean. Even for lunch (1-2pm), there was a queue so it is most advisable to make reservations in advance.

In the evening, I went fishing at someone's secret spot with that someone and his friend. This was our only catch the whole evening. It was exciting to watch the peacock bass (pb) take the bait so close to the shore, I could see the pb swimming up to the bait and then swallowing it. Count to 10, strike. I have never fought a PB before Sat and man, it does put up a good fight, esp on light tackle (6pnds line). The fighting style is very similar to that of the pacu with the head tossing to try to rid itself of the hook and because the fight took place so close to the shore, I could see the PB diving and going for a run. I was terrified of losing the fish since losing my prize-winning patin so close to shore at sabah in the fishing competition early this month but as usual, when it didn't matter (like there being no competition), I managed to land the fish. Here is a pic of me holding the lucky chap (catch and release of course because this isn't exactly a table-food fish).

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

I read the book “The Gift” for the first time in the Starbucks section of a bookshop in Bangkok somewhere back in November 2009. I remember tearing up at the end of the book and going out of the shop with a lump in my throat. This is the second time I’ve read the book and it still has exactly the same effect.

The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. The story in short is about a man, Lou, who is a very busy man trying to do two things simultaneously at every single moment. 1 of the two things is always work-related where he is trying to get ahead. “Lou had spent so many years moving so quickly through the minutes, hours and days, through the moments, that he’d stopped noticing life. The looks, gestures and emotions of other people had since stopped being important or visible to him. Passion had driven him at first, and then, while on his way to the somewhere he wanted to be, he’d left it behind.” Anyway, on impulse, he gives a job to a “man” named Gabe who is homeless. Through Gabe, he learns how to make time for his family and slow down just a bit. Gabe also gives him a pill which is supposed to allow him to be in two places at a time. Anyway, Lou dies in the end in a car crash, but is given the last of the pill by a police-woman who arrives at the scene which allows him to be with his family for one last night where he asks for forgiveness and tells them how much they mean to him.

I like these parts of the book:

1. The lesson of the story. Appreciating your loved ones. Acknowledging all the special people in your life. Concentrate on what’s important.

2 Time is more precious than money, more precious than anything. Because you can never earn more time. Once an hour goes by, a week, a month, a year, you’ll never get them back. Lou was running out of time and Gabe gave him more, to help tie things up, to finish things properly. That’s the gift. So we should fix things before it’s too late.

3. One thing of great importance can affect a small number of people Equally so, a thing of little importance can affect a multitude. Either way, a happening – big or small – can affect an entire string of people. Occurrences can join us all together. You see, we’ll all made up of the same stuff. When something happens, it triggers something inside us that connects us to a situation, connects us to other people…A lesson finds the common denominator and links us all together like a chain. AT the end of that chain dangles a clock…enough time leaves us warm; when our time is gone, it too leaves us cold.

4. Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or valuable treasures. It is time we do not have enough of, it is time that causes the war within our hearts, and so we must spend it wisely. Time can’t be given. But it can be shared.

Have a little faith by Mitch Albom

Reading this book made me ask myself some pretty hard questions about my own life, questions which I would not have otherwise asked. Some parts of the book gave me hope, some parts made me sad about the state of things as they stand now. I guess how one reacts to a book is largely dependent on one’s state of life/mind. While the story is simple (the author is asked to do the eulogy for his rabbi and the author gets involved in a church set up by an ex-con), it captures the author’s search for what he feels truly matters in life. The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. You won’t feel that the short time taken to read this book is wasted and it is likely that the reflections of the author in the book will stay with you after you have turned the last page.

Some parts of the book which I liked:

1. (Part of a sermon by the Rabbi) “My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of I could have and I should have. We can sleep in a storm and when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.

2. Much of what we called “depression” was really dissatisfaction, a result of setting a bar impossibly high or expecting treasures that we weren’t willing to work for. I knew people whose unbearable source of misery was their weight, their baldness, their lack of advancement in the workplace, or their inability to find the perfect mate, even if they themselves did not behave like one. To these people, unhappiness was a condition, an intolerable state of affairs. If pills could help, pills were taken. But pills were not going to change the fundamental problem in the construction. Wanting what you can’t have. Looking for self-worth in the mirror. Layering work on top of work and still wondering why you weren’t satisfied – before working some more.

3. He loved to smile. He avoided anger. He was never haunted by “Why am I here?” He knew why he was here, he said: to give to others, to celebrate God and to enjoy and honor the world he was put in. His morning prayers began with “Thank you Lord, for returning my soul to me” When you start that way, the rest of the day is a bonus.

4. Having more does not keep you from wanting more. When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched…because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything to say “The whole world is mine” But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hands open. Why? Because he has learnt the lesson... “We can take nothing with us.

5. The secret of happiness. Be satisfied. Be grateful. For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you. That’s it.

6. Can you predict which marriages will survive? Sometimes. If they’re communicating well, they have a good chance. If they have a similar belief system, similar values, they have a good chance. Love they should always have. But love changes. A love is proven through actions, not words. The kind (of love) you realise you already have by the life you’ve created together – that’s the kind of love that lasts.

7. The Reb once did a sermon on how the same things in life can be good or evil, depending on what, with free will, we do with them…But nowhere in the story of Creation, do we read the word “bad”. God did not create bad things. God leaves it to us…Why doesn’t he eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive? Because, from the beginning, God said, I’m going to put this world into your hands. If I run everything, then that’s not you. So we were created with a piece of divinity inside us, but with this thing called free will.

8. (Casey). But it’s not me against the other guy. It’s God measuring you against you. Maybe all you get are chances to do good, and what little bad you do ain’t much bad at all. But because God has put you in the position where you can always do good, when you do something bad, it’s like you let God down. And maybe people who only get chances to do bad, always around bad things, like us, when they finally make something good out of it. God’s happy.

9. (Reb to Mitch). It does no good to be angry or carry grudges. It churns you up inside. It does you more harm than the object of your anger. Let it go or don’t let it get started in the first place…Nothing haunts like the things we don’t say.

Korean Garden Club Restaurant at Johor Bahru

A few months ago, I was introduced to the Korean Garden Club Restaurant which is situated en route to the Danga Bay area along the road parallel to the Johor Straits. The restaurant is on the right side of the road if you are travelling towards Danga Bay from City Square at Pusat Bandaraya/customs area so one has to look out for its large red signboard to turn in (across traffic in the opposite direction) and go up a small slope to a white bungalow where the restaurant is situated. Parking is free on the bungalow's premises and there is indoor (there is a tv and air-conditioning) and outdoor (one can see the waters of the straits) seating. The address is No. 20, Jalan Skudai, Straits View, Johor Bahru, Johor 80200 Tel: 07-2244733 and the restaurant is opened from 12noon to 11pm.

This time round when I went back, I opted for the set meal for 2-3person priced at RM110. As with most Korean meals, the complimentary side dishes came first. There were 9 side dishes ranging from kimchi, cockles, bean sprouts, mashed potato salad, mushrooms, seaweed, anchoives, green veg and boiled eggs in brown sauce. We could find absolutely no fault with any of the 9 simple side dishes.

There is a cooking area in the middle of each table where the meat is cooked in front of one's eyes by the servers in the restaurants (no, this is not a diy restaurant). And, the meat isn't cooked by the conventional gas flames but by the flames from a charcoal pot. The bottom of the steel pan can be removed and a pot of lit charcoal is placed in the hollow. The picture below is of the first main course we had which was sliced ox tongue. Each piece was so thin and delicate and the server cooking the meat for us cooked each slice to perfection despite the roaring flames from the charcoal pot below.

The second main course we had was the marinated short ribs beef. The steel pan with the ox tongue was removed and replaced with a steel pan containing the short ribs. There are no bones to this thing by the way - it's a large slab of absolutely mouth-wateringly orgasmic slab of beef meat. The server cooked the meat again to just the right tenderness and sliced it into bite-sized portions which he put on a vegetable leaf for us to eat at leisure from.

The next 2 items on the set meal which we ordered were stonepot rice and toufu soup. Another server brought over the two items which came in the black traditional korean stonepots and set it on a foldable table next to our table. Both items were sizzling hot and she mixed/stirred both items in front of us before distributing it evenly in the two bowls.

A close up picture of the toufu soup and stonepot rice in the picture below. The toufu soup was so good that we drained the bowl to the last drop. It was full of veg, mushrooms and soft fresh toufu. The soft toufu contrasted nicely with the heat of the spicy soup in one's mouth and it was a most satisfying soup which did not leave one feeling thirsty. The stonepot rice was so-so.

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. If you are in Johor and if you want to enjoy a good meal of bbq korean food, this should be the place to go. Good customer service, clean premises and a beef lover's delight. For all of the above and 2 cups of aloe vera juice (1 cup is RM4), the bill came to RM 130+ (SGD 50+) only.

Bishan Prawn Fishing at Sin Ming Avenue

I had some sort of a course on Friday afternoon at bishan area which ended early about 5pm so I decided to check out the popular prawn fishing place at Sin Ming Ave. The prawn fishing place is next to the golf academy and parking at the open-air carpark is free. There are two ponds of similar size - the picture below is of one of the ponds whcih I took from where I was sitting.

As usual, I did not pay to go prawn fishing right away but asked for permission to sit and observe the catch-rate, bite-rate, crowd, facilities, rods etc. The counter was manned by a youngish Chinese-speaking lady who was friendly enough and the rods for rent were decent enough. There are a couple of vending machines for drinks on the premises and the connecting hawker centre sells beer and food like satay and chicken wings (someone walks around taking orders) to the pp prawn fishing. Unlike Ebi Culture which catered for the English-speaking crowd, this place is for the Chinese-speaking crowd. What would have been a nice peaceful silence is filled instead with loud Chinese songs (love ones esp) and bustling ah sohs, aunties, ah peks and uncles all speaking at the top of their voices in dialect and Chinese. There are also resident cats and dogs on the premises which is rather clean. The catch rate and bite rate were pretty decent. About 2 bites every 15 mins or so and the prawns ranged from decent-sized to rather large specimens. I was very tempted to rent a rod and go prawning myself :D

The Slog Reviews: 8/10. A good enough place to go prawning if there is one. Can't compare with my beloved ebi culture of course which played English music, had a younger crowd, and was quiet enough (not so many pp) but beats punggol prawn fishing hands down.

Update in March 2010: Click here to read about my experience prawn fishing at Bishan Prawn Fishing.

Thanks for the memories by Cecelia Ahern

I finished reading "Thanks for the memories" by Cecelia Ahern some 2 weeks odd ago along with my weekly Time magazine and I just haven't had time to update at all.

Anyway, this book is about a woman age 34 who has been married for some time, finally gets pregnant, rushes to answer a telephone call (from the video rental shop reminding her to return the dvd she borrowed) falls down the stairs and receives a blood transfusion in the hospital. She lost her baby in the fall, and she decides to separate from her husband because the love has long gone out of the marriage. Moves back in with her elderly dad (her mother died sometime back) and starts dreaming again and again of a little girl and a red-haired woman. She also starts learning how to speak in a language she has never learnt and to find out she knows stuff now that she never knew before. Her path starts crossing with a divorced gentleman from the States but somehow or other, they keep missing the chance to really know each other. Turns out that this gentleman had donated blood and she was the receipient of his blood.

The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Plot was simple and makes for a light entertaining read.

Some parts of the book worth remembering:

1. Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim (Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you)

2. It occurs to me how happiness and sadness are so closely knitted together. Such a thin line, a threadlike divide. In the midst of emotions, it trembles, blurring the territory of exact opposites. The movement is minute, like the thin string of a spider's web that quivers under a raindrop....at your weakest, you end up showing more strength; at your lowest, you are suddenly lifted higher than you've ever been. They all border one another, these opposites, and show how quickly we can be altered. Despair can be altered by one simple smile offered by a stranger...everything is on the verge, always brimming the surface, with only a slight shake or tremble to send things toppling.

3. A veil hangs between the two opposites, a mere slip of a thing too transparent to warn us or comfort us. You hate now, but look through this veil and see the possibility of love; you're said, but look through to the other side and see happiness. Absolute composure shifting to a complete mess - it happens so quickly, all in the blink of an eye.

Arashi Shabu Shabu Restaurant at Jusco Tebrau City

I had lunch at Arashi Shabu Shabu Japanese Restaurant at Johor Bahru's Jusco Tebrau City some time ago. The restaurant is fairly new and it is evident that a lot of thought has gone into the decor of the place to make it look more upmarket.


According to the materials on each table, what makes Arashi unique is its sauce bar which a customer having a shabu shabu meal can help oneself to (or pay RM2 if one isn't having a shabu shabu meal). The customer can mix and match the various types of sauces which consist of satay sauce, special sauce, devil sauce, sesame sauce, chinese parsley, tonkatsu sauce, teriyaki sauce, mala sauce and miso sauce.

The cost of a shabu shabu meal starts from RM 16.90 and one has a choice of miso broth or japanese broth. To have the kimuchi or tom yam broth, one would have to add a further RM2. There are no refills for the broth. The types of shabu shabu meals are ostrich meat, beef, seafood scallop, tempura etc. If one does not want shabu shabu, one can choose from the set meal page. The prices for the set meals from RM 19.90 to RM 28.90. We shared one ostrich meat shabu shabu ramen set and one beef shabu shabu ramen set with 2 cups of iced green tea which came in total to about RM 43.

The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. While the ambiance of the restaurant and service level were above average, the portion of the food served for the price paid could be a tad too little - especially for a restaurant which isn't considered fine-dining. The sauces at the sauce bar are also far from exceptional save for the variety which is more than the norm and the ability for one to mix and match the sauces to a combination that one might enjoy.

Invictus (2009) movie and Lao Goh Teochew Fried Carrot Cake

Nothing beats watching a movie in gold class with an unlimited supply of food and drinks from the menu, all for free. If I had the $, I would watch every single movie I've watched in the soft plush gold class recliner seats all snuggled up in a blanket. As it is, I estimate that this wonderful experience has been limited to 20 or so movies...ah well, such is the life of a slog.

Anyhow, it was a company event that I had been invited to. There was some really good food provided to the guests at the gold class lounge and I had only one round because everyone else was standing around busy networking near the buffet table. To get to the food again, I would have to break through the little groups of people and that would not be very nice given that everyone else was not eating.

So, the movie, Invictus. A good plot summary of the movie can be found here. The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. The acting by Morgan Freeman (esp) and Matt Damon was superb. And it was brilliant that a sport could bring together, and to its feet, a nation torn apart for years by racism and poverty. Invictus is the name of a poem and the last 2 lines in particular are easy to remember - "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." According to Mandela in the movie, this poem inspired him to stand when all he wanted to do was to lie down - 27 years in a prison cell Mandela spent, freedom, privacy, human contact/bonding all stripped from him. I would be tempted to lie down too if I had to spent a great part of my life like that.

For starters, I wouldn't be able to have, as I did after watching Invictus, a plate of sinful fried carrot cake from Lau Goh Teochew Chye Thow Kway at #01-26 Zion Rd Riverside Food Centre.

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. This stall is THE stall in Singapore to have chye thow kway from. It deserves all the rave reviews that it has gotten so far and I am hard-pressed to think of another stall that sells better fried carrot cake than this one.

Al Borgo Italian Restaurant

My friend whom I hadn't met for over a year introduced me to an Italian restaurant named Al Borgo Italian Restaurant where we had our dinner tonight. Al Borgo is located at 383 Bukit Timah Road #01-92 Alocassia Apartments which is on Robin Lane just off Bukit Timah Road. For a weekday night (Wed night), there were quite a number of diners (mostly caucasians) and the seating capacity of the restaurant isn't very large (say about 50max). Therefore, one is advised to make reservations. The telephone number for Al Borgo is 6737 3546.

Al Borgo has quite a comprehensive wine list and offers everything italian from pasta dishes to pizzas to rissotto to meat (veal, beef etc) and seafood (crayfish) main courses. There is of course a range of italian dessert and drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, juices etc) The appetisers (cold and hot) alone take up two pages of the menu. Iced/warm water as well as bread and the bread's olive oil dip is complimentary and served shortly after the menu is provided to a diner. One should note that it is wise to ask the service staff for recommendations as there are dishes which are not listed on the menu.

My friend and I had one hot appetiser - a cheesy something (the names of the dishes are in Italian with the descriptions of the fishes in English). The Slog Reviews: 8/10. The cost of this dish was more than SGD 10 and there were only 3 pieces of the cheesy stufff. I mean, there were 2 of us and it would have been nicer if they had served 4 pieces of the bite-sized cheesy portions instead (given the price and the size of each portion, that shouldn't have been a problem). The stuff in the middle is mushrooms.

We also decided to share a cold appetiser - parma ham with melon. The cost of this dish was SGD 16.50. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. The ham was "saltishly" good but again, there were only 3 pieces to be shared by 2 pp. The melon was very sweet and went well with the parma ham. Definitely worth trying but I'll say the price is really steep for 3 thin pieces of parma ham only.

I ordered the risotto with mushrooms and cheese. This is how the dish looked like - not very impressive for SGD 22.50. The Slog Reviews: 7/10. I had risotto at La Braceria about a month back and that was really good stuff. What I had tonight I am afraid, doesn't come close. If you like eating hard individual grains of rice, then maybe you might like this dish.

I ended the meal with the lava chocolate cake for dessert.The cake in a dish is set in front of you, some sort of fluid poured over the top of the cake and the waiter lights up the same with a lighter. The result: a flaming (the blue flames flare up pretty high) chocolate cake. The fire goes out after a min and the cake becames a molten oozing chocolate mass beneath a fine crust of chocolate The Slog Reviews:8/10. This dessert was SGD 9+ which was pretty reasonable.
I heard from my friend that Al Borgo doesn't advertise itself much but depends on regulars and word-of-mouth business. Judging from the crowd (which appeared to be very well-heeled from the luxury cars they were driving) that night, this restaurant appears to be doing pretty well catering to those with deeper pockets and a taste for finer dining. The head waiter is really friendly and keeps coming around to ask how the dishes are. We are of course polite and tell them everything is great because he appears sincerely concerned about our dining experience. The italian chef himself came out to ask us how the food was too. Well worth a visit at least once for the superb service and wide selection of genuine italian food cooked by italian chefs.