Monday, January 30, 2012
Indo Padang Restaurant at Cathay
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Fishing Season 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Sibu Island Resort - our first holiday for 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
CNY Reunion Dinner 2012 at Grand Copthorne
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Viral Factor (2012) Movie
I have watched a lot of movies between now and the last time I blogged about a movie. However, I have not been compelled to blog about any of them, good, mediocre or bad.
I do now. Here is the Slog's Review of Viral Factor: (scream!!!!) VIRAL FACTOR SUCK EGGS!
Okay, great I've got this out of my system. I foolishly noted an acquaintance's post about how great Viral Factor was and insisted my CEB and I watch it on Chinese New Year's Eve. Instead of Journey 2 (which was no great shakes but which I would have happily watched twice on hindsight).The movie is like a 150 year old vegetable that won’t just quit despite being senile, incapacitated and annoying. The characters in the movie are worse – they get shot with bullets, front, back, centre and side and yet can run with the best of them and kick the baddies’ ass.
The opening scenes were shot in Jordan but there were only Chinese actors/actresses which made the whole thing seem rather unrealistic. The good cop lead actor played by Jay Chou was part of a team tasked to protect a scientist who was able to make a deadly virus. His girlfriend called Ice (what a name) gets killed in the shootout and Jay’s character gets a bullet in the head. He is told he will die in 2 weeks/months. His character’s mother then chooses to disclose that he has a father and brother. I hate the mum’s character – she is incredibly full of self-pity and sheds endless tears at every scene when talking about the past or when embracing the present. The tears are all for herself of course…ugh. Ugh ugh. Okay, so Jay takes an AirAsia plane (one would have thought he would fly by a better airline given his limited lifespan) to KL where his character’s dad and elder brother are. On board, he meets a doctor played by an actress who has been beat about the head with an ugly stick. She tells the pilot to fly at a lower altitude (is that even possible?) so that Jay’s headaches will ease. They part at the airport and incredibly, she just happens to be the one scientist that the baddies target to kidnap and work on the virus because the scientist got killed running away. Oh yes, a huge part of the movie is shot in Malaysia of all places (one is treated to repeated scenes of the twin towers ugh). Jay sees her being kidnapped and saves her from his bad ass elder brother.
In the evening, he susses out his good for nothing gambler of a father and what do you know, the first time he finds his father, the father is being pummeled for failure to pay his debts. What a family reunion. At this point of the movie, I find myself feeling genuinely sorry for Jay. He has been given short and bad lines which he delivers in a stilted stuffed monotonous voice. And sorry for his character too. With a mother like that and a father…and a bullet in the head. He gets the second prize pity ticket. He founds out he his a niece who is the only likable character in the movie. Nicholas Tse isn’t too bad either – he gets the first prize pity ticket because of the troubles in his personal life. Good acting despite the lousy script and lines.
I’m not going to waste anymore time reviewing the movie except that it is predicable. Jay with the bullet in his head sacrifices his life for the brother when they take down the baddie. The little girl gets saved and is reunited with the grandmother (the most annoying character who of course cries tears of self pity and stupidly asks for Jay – I mean, come on, how could she not have known). Nicholas’s character does time of course and the baddies are all killed by the superbionic brothers.
This has to be one of the worst movies ever.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Food.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Ramen Champion at Iluma - Ikkousha
At my friend's recommendation, I had Ikkousha's version of Hakata Ajitama Ramen, which he said was the most popular of the 6 ramen stalls here. The lady at the stall persuaded me to opt for the ramen bowl which had 7 slices of fatty pork meat and cost a hefty SGD17+ a bowl (regular version). The Slog Reviews: 6/10. The broth was so darn salty that finishing the soup base was not possible, and I was thankful to have my cup of bubble tea which I'd bought earlier with me to clean out my mouth between each bite. The noodles were firm and springy, no complaints but the meat had loads of fat, and being soaked in salty broth did nothing to improve the taste of the meat. I wouldn't go back to this stall again.
My friend on the other hand chose Bario, because he was starving. I understood what he meant when he carried his bowl of ramen to the table - a veritable mountain of ramen indeed! I think I'll try Bario the next time I go back!
When I complained to him about the saltiness of the Ikkousha ramen, he said I should try the Sappora Ramen because that had corn in it and would be sweeter.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday Brunch at Ku De Ta at Marina Bay Sands
Xu in Ho Chi Minh Vietnam - 1 of the best fine dining experience I've ever had
Saturday, December 17, 2011
One Bite Puff from Taste Better at Jusco Bukit Indah
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
La Jolie Hotel & Spa in Vietnam Ho Chi MInh
Hard Rock Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Paitan Ramen at Men-Ichi Ramen Restaurant
Nantsuttei ramen at Parco Marina Bay
We were given counter seats so we had a bird's eye view of how the noodles were prepared. And the chefs in the kitchen appeared to be actually Japanese and not locals. I ordered a bowl of the original Nantsuttei Ramen which cost SGD12. The egg cost an additional SGD 1. As you can tell from the picture below, there is unfortunately, only 1 slice of char siew in the bowl of noodles but the entire meal was flavorful with just the right amount of roasted garlic oil that did not leave a greasy film on the lips.
My CEB on the other hand, ordered a bowl of the hot/spicy ramen with a "hotness" level of 4. Apparently, someone actually ordered a bowl with a "hotness" level of 10 before and lived to tell the tale. My CEB however declined to challenge that record claiming he was here to enjoy a meal and not suffer. Oh well, in any case, by the time he was done, he was perspiring but well satiated.
The Slog Reviews: Definitely good authentic ramen with great noodles texture and slurp-worthy soup :)
Tel: +65 6337 7166
Monday, December 12, 2011
An extremely popular restaurant in Muar Shee Yan (Xi Yan Lou)
And so, after a heart-stopping incident at the Singapore causeway (the first fuel check I'd been subject to in 3 years ), we found ourselves in what my CEB termed, the "boring little town". Although it was the school holidays and the wedding season, we managed to snag the last superior room with a queen bed in Streetview hotel, 1 of the newer hotels in Muar.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
From Five Stars to No Star
No different this trip. I am in some strangely named hotel which is a hole in the wall in Hanoi. After spending two nights at Sheraton Hanoi. The cost of this room is the cheapest I have ever paid for any hotel room - about SGD13.62, which is less than 1/10th of the cost of 1 night at Sheraton Hanoi. Hah.
I am running a low grade fever from walking in the rain the past few days though - the last time I was in Hanoi, it was blazing hot and I called this place Hanoi Hell. The past few days though it has been raining non stop here and that is just another form of hell. Imagine lugging the heavy suitcases in the rain and not being able to take any nice photos. Ugh. I can't wait to be home.