The Slog Reviews: 10/10. This show is a MUST-WATCH! I didn't go in with much expectations, you could say even reluctantly but the visuals (this was 3d), the storyline, the exploration of the relationship between son and father, the growth of a young man who finds the courage to stand up against what his people had always believed in, the witty lines (Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!), they made the 116mins spent watching this show worth it.
The storyline is deceptively simple. The story of the chief viking's son, Hiccup, is set in a time where the vikings and dragons are sworn enemies. Hiccup is shown to be a scrawny thing compared with the other hunky vikings and he is not allowed to fight a dragon. However, he devises a contraption and during a raid by the dragons, uses it and brings down the rarest dragon of all. He finds the dragon and releases it instead of killing it. He also brings the dragon food (fishes) and develops a relationship with it to the extent that the dragon allows him to strap a sort of tail wing to the dragon's lopsided tail. in the meantime, his father decides finally to allow Hiccup to take part in dragon training while the father goes searching for the dragons' nest. Hiccup uses what he knows from his pet dragon he names "toothless" to tame the dragons brought out for training. He wins the admiration and adoration of his fellow students and the other villages. The girl he likes, Astrid, discovers Toothless when she spies on Hiccup in her attempt to finish first at the dragon training course. Hiccup takes Astrid on a ride on Toothless and Toothless leads them to the dragon's nest on an island. There, a monstrously large dragon is shown to rise out of the pit eating the other normal sized dragons. It becomes clear that the normal sized dragons have been raiding the vikings' villages for food to feed this monster dragon (otherwise they would become food themselves) When the father gets back, Hiccup finishes first in the dragon training and the reward is that he gets to kill the first dragon. However, Hiccup refuses to kill the dragon in front of the whole community in an attempt to show them that dragons are not ferocious. His father is enraged and humilated and strikes the bars of the cage, scaring the dragon which reacts by breathing out fire at Hiccup. Toothless hears Hiccup's cries for help and flies to his aid, only to be captured by the rest of Hiccup's father. Hiccup when begging for the release of Toothless inadvertantly reveals that he knows where the dragon's nest is. The father rounds up the viking army and set sail for the island with a bound Toothless showing the way on his ship. They reach the island with the dragon's nest and attack. The monstrous dragon makes a fiery appearance, igniting all the vikings' ships. Hiccup, Astrid and the other students in the training course set free those dragons used in their training and ride them to the island to fight the monster. Of course, in the end, Hiccup and Toothless (whom the father eventually sets free) prevail, leading the monster dragon up into the stratosphere and descending rapidly, causing the monster dragon to catch fire. The really unexpected and I thought unnecessary twist to the show was the ending where Hiccup is shown to have lost half of one leg (a metal stick is fitted on). However, the vikings and dragons are shown to coexist peacefully at the end too.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
I doubt I have the ability to summarise or condense this book - my mind is still spinning from the terminology used - ludic fallacy, epilogism, epistemic opacity, epistemic arrogance, mediocristan, platonicity, retrospective distortion and statistical regress argument. Nevermind the glossary page at the end.
The Slog Reviews: 9/10 and a must-read (well, for those who have a certain amount of faith in their intellectual and reading abilities)
Some bits which I thought worth typing out and referring to:
1. The lesson for the small is : be human! Just be a fool in the right places. Avoid unnecessary dependence on large-scale harmful predictions - those and only those. Avoid the big subjects that may hurt your future: be fooed in smal matters, not in the large. Do not listen to economic forecasters or to predictors in social science. Know how to rank beliefs not according to their plausibility but by the harm they may cause.
2. If you shed the idea of full predictability, there are plenty of things to do provided you remain conscious of their lmiits. Knowing that you cannot predict does not mean that you cannot predict from unpredictability. The bottom line: be prepared! Be prepared for all relevant eventualities.
3. Be open minded to let luck play a role. Maximise the serendipity around you. Trial and error means trying a lot. You need to love to lose.
4. People are often ashmed of losses so they engage in strategies that produce very little volatility but contain the risk of a large loss.
5. Barbell strategy - if you accept most risk measures are flawed, because of the Black Swan, then the straegy is to be hyperconservative and hyperaggresive instead of being midly aggresive or conservative. Instead of putting your money in medium risk investments, you need to put a portion, say 85 to 90 percent in extremely safe instruments, like Treasury Bills. The remaining 10 to 15 percent you put in extremely speculative bets, as leverages as possible (like options), preferably venture capital style portfolios.
6. Make a distinction between positive contingencies and negative ones. Distinguish between those human undertakings in which the lack of predictability can be (or has been) extremely beneficial and those where the failure to understand the future caused harm. In positive black sawn busineeses, you have to lose small to make big. You have little to lose per book and for completely unexpected reasons, one may take off. And you fare best if you know where your ignorance lies. This is different from collecting lottery tickets as these do not have a scalable payoff: there is a known upper limit to what they can deliver. The ludic fallacy applies here. Also, lottery tickets have known rules and laboratory style well presented possibilites.
7. Don't look for the precise and the local - chance favors the prepared. U do not have to look for something particular every morning but work hard to let contingency enter your working life. You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there. Invest in preparedness and not in prediction. REmember that infinite vigilance is not possible.
8. Seize any opportunity or anything that looks like oppty. They are rare, much rarer than you think. Positive black swans have a necessary first step: you need to be expcosed to them. Collect as many free nonlottery tickets as you can and once they start paying off, do not discard them. Work hard, not in grunt work, but in chasing such opportunies and maximizing exposure to them. This makes living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters.
9. Beware of precise plans by government. U need to keep a vigilant eye on the side effects.
10. All these recommendations have one point in common: asymmetry. Put yourself in situations where the favourable consequences are much larger than unfavorable ones. The notion of asymmetric outcomes is the central idea of the book. This idea that in order to make a decision you need to focus on the consequences (which you can known) rather than probability (which you can't know) is the central idea of uncertainty. You can build an overall theory of decision making on this idea. All you have to do is mitigate the consequences.
The Slog Reviews: 9/10 and a must-read (well, for those who have a certain amount of faith in their intellectual and reading abilities)
Some bits which I thought worth typing out and referring to:
1. The lesson for the small is : be human! Just be a fool in the right places. Avoid unnecessary dependence on large-scale harmful predictions - those and only those. Avoid the big subjects that may hurt your future: be fooed in smal matters, not in the large. Do not listen to economic forecasters or to predictors in social science. Know how to rank beliefs not according to their plausibility but by the harm they may cause.
2. If you shed the idea of full predictability, there are plenty of things to do provided you remain conscious of their lmiits. Knowing that you cannot predict does not mean that you cannot predict from unpredictability. The bottom line: be prepared! Be prepared for all relevant eventualities.
3. Be open minded to let luck play a role. Maximise the serendipity around you. Trial and error means trying a lot. You need to love to lose.
4. People are often ashmed of losses so they engage in strategies that produce very little volatility but contain the risk of a large loss.
5. Barbell strategy - if you accept most risk measures are flawed, because of the Black Swan, then the straegy is to be hyperconservative and hyperaggresive instead of being midly aggresive or conservative. Instead of putting your money in medium risk investments, you need to put a portion, say 85 to 90 percent in extremely safe instruments, like Treasury Bills. The remaining 10 to 15 percent you put in extremely speculative bets, as leverages as possible (like options), preferably venture capital style portfolios.
6. Make a distinction between positive contingencies and negative ones. Distinguish between those human undertakings in which the lack of predictability can be (or has been) extremely beneficial and those where the failure to understand the future caused harm. In positive black sawn busineeses, you have to lose small to make big. You have little to lose per book and for completely unexpected reasons, one may take off. And you fare best if you know where your ignorance lies. This is different from collecting lottery tickets as these do not have a scalable payoff: there is a known upper limit to what they can deliver. The ludic fallacy applies here. Also, lottery tickets have known rules and laboratory style well presented possibilites.
7. Don't look for the precise and the local - chance favors the prepared. U do not have to look for something particular every morning but work hard to let contingency enter your working life. You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there. Invest in preparedness and not in prediction. REmember that infinite vigilance is not possible.
8. Seize any opportunity or anything that looks like oppty. They are rare, much rarer than you think. Positive black swans have a necessary first step: you need to be expcosed to them. Collect as many free nonlottery tickets as you can and once they start paying off, do not discard them. Work hard, not in grunt work, but in chasing such opportunies and maximizing exposure to them. This makes living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters.
9. Beware of precise plans by government. U need to keep a vigilant eye on the side effects.
10. All these recommendations have one point in common: asymmetry. Put yourself in situations where the favourable consequences are much larger than unfavorable ones. The notion of asymmetric outcomes is the central idea of the book. This idea that in order to make a decision you need to focus on the consequences (which you can known) rather than probability (which you can't know) is the central idea of uncertainty. You can build an overall theory of decision making on this idea. All you have to do is mitigate the consequences.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Soon Heng Restaurant
Our dept has been going to this place for lunch a couple of years and I even brought my mum here once but I never knew the name of the restaurant until I made an effort to look out for it today. This place is rather popular I must say - while we were eating, a chartered bus dropped off about 20 Japanese folks at the restaurant. There is the the air-conditioned area and the al fresco dining area if one wishes to take a puff or bake in the sun.
Having the curry fish head is a must if you go to this place apparently. However, my taste-buds have been corrupted with the curry fish head that I absolutely love at JB and the curry fish head here pales in comparison. However, the stall specialises in more than just that and one has a wide range of freshly-cooked food items to choose from (see the pic below). The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10 all in all except for the prawns which I would give a 5/10 for being mushy and not too fresh tasting. If I had to recommend any dish, it would be the wildly popular ikam bilis (fried fish and nuts) which one can order to take away (SGD 5 per pack) as a snack. The cost of the dishes below (it was half a fish-head only) and a plate of curry liver (which hadnt come at the time of the pic) as well as 8 glasses of lime juice and 7 plates of rice was about SGD 16 per person (almost SGD 100 for 6 of us). I think that's really quite expensive honestly and would only visit this restaurant if the dept goes.
The address is: 39 Kinta Road, Singapore 219108. Tel No: 6294 7343 / 6294 6561.
They also have an outlet at Hyde Park Cafe located at 76 Prinsep Street Tel No: 63360983
If you wanna read more about them click here to go to their website which has the history, menu and maps (they do catering apparently).
Having the curry fish head is a must if you go to this place apparently. However, my taste-buds have been corrupted with the curry fish head that I absolutely love at JB and the curry fish head here pales in comparison. However, the stall specialises in more than just that and one has a wide range of freshly-cooked food items to choose from (see the pic below). The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10 all in all except for the prawns which I would give a 5/10 for being mushy and not too fresh tasting. If I had to recommend any dish, it would be the wildly popular ikam bilis (fried fish and nuts) which one can order to take away (SGD 5 per pack) as a snack. The cost of the dishes below (it was half a fish-head only) and a plate of curry liver (which hadnt come at the time of the pic) as well as 8 glasses of lime juice and 7 plates of rice was about SGD 16 per person (almost SGD 100 for 6 of us). I think that's really quite expensive honestly and would only visit this restaurant if the dept goes.
The address is: 39 Kinta Road, Singapore 219108. Tel No: 6294 7343 / 6294 6561.They also have an outlet at Hyde Park Cafe located at 76 Prinsep Street Tel No: 63360983
If you wanna read more about them click here to go to their website which has the history, menu and maps (they do catering apparently).
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Food Center at 10/5 Permas Jaya
One of the things I really like going into JB for when I go in for gas, is their hawker (food center)'s food which is a fraction of the prices we pay here in Singapore and almost always equally good.
We were looking for pekin restaurant near stulang laut and permas jaya but in the end, I lost my way even with the GPS and we ended up at Permas Jaya. We thought of eating at Nijyumaru but it was impossible to get parking near and around the restaurant. In our bid to find a space to park, we ended up driving right to the end of the road where the open-air food center was. Hungry (it was about 8+), we ended up eating there instead and ended up ordering too much.
The Slog Reviews: 8/10 for the bak kut teh soup which is really popular (almost all the tables had a bowl). The portion for 2 below, with 2 bowls of rice cost RM 15 (rice at RM1) and the soup which had mushrooms, tau kee and tender meat was tasty though just a bit too salty. The dish at the far end is the Mongolian pork ribs which my fishing shifu introduced me to and comes from the same stall as the sambal kangkong (the store nearest the fishing tackle shop sells such tze char items). The pork ribs sauce was very much like satay sauce but the meat was thick and juicy. As for the kangkong, it wasn't too spicy but then I hadn't asked for it to be extra spicy. Both are worth a try. However, the sambal bbq fish was a disappointment. At RM 16, it tasted bland with the sambal sauce a tasteless watery mash - not that the dish was inedible but it was sub-par even for hawker standards. A far cry from the one I had at this other food center in JB (click here). The address of the place is Jalan Permas Jaya 10/5, just next to Fishingline tackle shop.
We were looking for pekin restaurant near stulang laut and permas jaya but in the end, I lost my way even with the GPS and we ended up at Permas Jaya. We thought of eating at Nijyumaru but it was impossible to get parking near and around the restaurant. In our bid to find a space to park, we ended up driving right to the end of the road where the open-air food center was. Hungry (it was about 8+), we ended up eating there instead and ended up ordering too much.
The Slog Reviews: 8/10 for the bak kut teh soup which is really popular (almost all the tables had a bowl). The portion for 2 below, with 2 bowls of rice cost RM 15 (rice at RM1) and the soup which had mushrooms, tau kee and tender meat was tasty though just a bit too salty. The dish at the far end is the Mongolian pork ribs which my fishing shifu introduced me to and comes from the same stall as the sambal kangkong (the store nearest the fishing tackle shop sells such tze char items). The pork ribs sauce was very much like satay sauce but the meat was thick and juicy. As for the kangkong, it wasn't too spicy but then I hadn't asked for it to be extra spicy. Both are worth a try. However, the sambal bbq fish was a disappointment. At RM 16, it tasted bland with the sambal sauce a tasteless watery mash - not that the dish was inedible but it was sub-par even for hawker standards. A far cry from the one I had at this other food center in JB (click here). The address of the place is Jalan Permas Jaya 10/5, just next to Fishingline tackle shop.
Green Zone (2010) Movie
When we saw the trailer for this movie, we thought it was linked somehow to the successful Bourne series given the fast-paced action and same lead actor (handsome Matt Damon). Of course, the title of the movie "Green Zone" gave us a hint that it wasn't and a far cry the movie turned out to be from the Bourne movies
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. My movie companion and I fell asleep during parts of the show - maybe it was the day and hour we were watching the same ( 8 - 10pm on a Mon night) but I suspect it's probably due to the awfully predictable storyline and the blurry fast-paced action. The plot summary can be done here. The story comes down really to just one thing - there are no weapons of mass destructions (WMDs) and the invasion of iraq was for really for another purpose (oil fields?). The ending was a bit of a twist though - I thought that Al Rawi put be brought in and tell the world the truth (that there were no WMDs) and until now I can't really fathom why Freddie shot and killed him even though there was a scene where Freddie told Miller (Matt Damon's character) that Freddie was helping the Americans for the sake of Iraq. Maybe Freddie figured having Al Rawi around would not be good for Iraq and if Al Rawi told the world the truth, the American troops would be forced to pull out and there would be no re-building of Iraq.
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. My movie companion and I fell asleep during parts of the show - maybe it was the day and hour we were watching the same ( 8 - 10pm on a Mon night) but I suspect it's probably due to the awfully predictable storyline and the blurry fast-paced action. The plot summary can be done here. The story comes down really to just one thing - there are no weapons of mass destructions (WMDs) and the invasion of iraq was for really for another purpose (oil fields?). The ending was a bit of a twist though - I thought that Al Rawi put be brought in and tell the world the truth (that there were no WMDs) and until now I can't really fathom why Freddie shot and killed him even though there was a scene where Freddie told Miller (Matt Damon's character) that Freddie was helping the Americans for the sake of Iraq. Maybe Freddie figured having Al Rawi around would not be good for Iraq and if Al Rawi told the world the truth, the American troops would be forced to pull out and there would be no re-building of Iraq.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Alice in Wonderland (2010) Movie
A good plot summary of the movie can be found here
Besides, right after watching the movie and even letting a couple of days pass before writing this review, I hardly felt inspired to write about it, much less summarise the same.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. The graphics was great (but they almost always are nowadays what with technology) but despite that, the exciting trailer and all the hype, the movie was, as my new-found movie kaki put it, "linear". It didn't put one to sleep of course - the plot was easy enough to follow and Johnny played his role as the mad hatter excellently. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the target audience. I think kids may like this show (viewed as a fairytale/fantasy tale) much more than adult would.
Besides, right after watching the movie and even letting a couple of days pass before writing this review, I hardly felt inspired to write about it, much less summarise the same.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. The graphics was great (but they almost always are nowadays what with technology) but despite that, the exciting trailer and all the hype, the movie was, as my new-found movie kaki put it, "linear". It didn't put one to sleep of course - the plot was easy enough to follow and Johnny played his role as the mad hatter excellently. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the target audience. I think kids may like this show (viewed as a fairytale/fantasy tale) much more than adult would.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Yoshimaru Ramen Bar
The plan was to go Chomp Chomp for porridge and I even left work on the dot to get there so that I would be assured of a parking lot (parking is a challenge!). I found my lot, parked and waited for 15 mins in the car (I was early), only for the phone to ring and my friend tell me that he had just parked at his home and would be late by half an hour. He suggested I go home first and wait for him to pick me up instead. Thankfully I hadn't tore the coupon yet so I drove back, changed and waited. And waited some more.
Yeah, he was apologetic when he finally came by and I thought we were headed for Chomp Chomp but he was in a mood for something different (men!) and being the driver and therefore in charge of the wheel and our destinies, he drove to East Coast Lagoon area instead. Talk about a complete departure from what was originally planned!
He was lucky enough to find free parking along the side of the road. We weren't exactly spoilt for food choices so we ended up at Yoshimaru Ramen Bar and snagged the last available table there. The people just 2 steps behind us had to wait.
Again, we weren't spoilt for choice when we opened the menu - less than 15 (or 10?) ramen dishes to choose from ranging from SGD 11 to SGD 15. He had the Tan Tan Ramen while I had the seaweed ramen. If I remember rightly, the "selling point" for this restaurant was that the ramen was "original hokkaido ramen".
The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. After ordering, one is given a small bowl of sesame and a "pounder" to pound the sesame before the ramen arrives. The ramen, as seen from the picture, is decently sized with a reasonable amount of ingredients. The only thing really delish about the ramen was the egg. It was so good that my best friend ordered another egg for an extra dollar. As for the place, no complaints about the asthetics except that there is no privacy (open space restaurant with no partition and tables rather close to each other). And one more thing, one has to queue up at the cashier to pay - it makes me wonder why I'm paying the same amt of service charge then as other restaurants where they bring the bill to one's table!
Yeah, he was apologetic when he finally came by and I thought we were headed for Chomp Chomp but he was in a mood for something different (men!) and being the driver and therefore in charge of the wheel and our destinies, he drove to East Coast Lagoon area instead. Talk about a complete departure from what was originally planned!
He was lucky enough to find free parking along the side of the road. We weren't exactly spoilt for food choices so we ended up at Yoshimaru Ramen Bar and snagged the last available table there. The people just 2 steps behind us had to wait.
Again, we weren't spoilt for choice when we opened the menu - less than 15 (or 10?) ramen dishes to choose from ranging from SGD 11 to SGD 15. He had the Tan Tan Ramen while I had the seaweed ramen. If I remember rightly, the "selling point" for this restaurant was that the ramen was "original hokkaido ramen".
The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. After ordering, one is given a small bowl of sesame and a "pounder" to pound the sesame before the ramen arrives. The ramen, as seen from the picture, is decently sized with a reasonable amount of ingredients. The only thing really delish about the ramen was the egg. It was so good that my best friend ordered another egg for an extra dollar. As for the place, no complaints about the asthetics except that there is no privacy (open space restaurant with no partition and tables rather close to each other). And one more thing, one has to queue up at the cashier to pay - it makes me wonder why I'm paying the same amt of service charge then as other restaurants where they bring the bill to one's table!
One minute for yourself - Spencer Johnson
I'm not sure why I left this book untouched (despite renewing it once) until the due date was over - maybe I was distracted by other fiction books along the way, and even, freakconomics, or probably that I have been travelling out of the country the past 2 weekends. In any case, I managed to finish this book a couple of days ago.
The Slog Reviews: 10/10. The book isn't thick, is easy to read and understand and gives one hope that things can be turned around with a few tricks. The cynics will scoff that it is far too simplistic but I'll say that unless they've tried the few tricks, they shouldn't be so quick to write off the book. The author is the one who wrote Peaks & Valleys and Who moved my cheese which I'd reviewed earlier.
Here are some extracts which I thought was worth writing down and referring back to once in a while, esp when one is down and out.
1) Finding your inner success is the best, easiest, and in fact, the only way to achieve and enjoy everything else in life.
2) Workaholics think they are happy. That's because they kid themselves. Workaholics in fact, lose themselves in their work so that they never have to look at themselves. Other people do this by filling their life with activities. They confuse activity is productivity. The deception is they think they are accomplishing a lot because they are busy. In reality, they never deal with what's important.
3) In 1 quiet minute with myself, I can first become aware of what I am doing and then I can choose to see a better way. I simply stop and quietly ask "Is there a better way right now for me to take good care of Me?" Just stopping and looking prevents you from running into something and hurting yourself. I stop, look, and see that I have a choice: to proceed ahead, or change directions, or do whatever I see is best for me. The truth is we each know what is best, if we will stop long enough to see it.
4) It doesn't matter what I do. It's the little things that make a big difference. 1 thing I do when I feel rushed, overwhelmed and lose my perspective is to ask myself another simple question "Ten years from now, how much difference is this going to make?" Another thing I do for myself is to laugh at myself and with myself. Other than the little things, there is something more important - I treat myself the way I want others to treat me.
5) ...So I avoid setting myself up wiht rigid expectations and comparing me to what I think ought to be. Now I simply appreciate what happens instead of comparing it to what I think ought to happen. I've learnt that my personal pain comes from the difference between what is happening and what I think ought to be happening. Letting go of what I think is missing from the fantasy and appreciating what is already good about the reality.
6) I take care of me by looking at what I want versus what I need. A need is something we require for our well being a want is something we hope will make us happy. I feel successful when I get what I want but I feel happy when I want what I get. Again, I see things more clearly when I stop and look at what I am pursuing. We can never never get enough of what we don't need eg money.
7) How do you know what you need? By spending time lokoing at what really makes me happy. When I take a min to ask "Do I really need what I am chasing?" Also, never look at where you don't want to go.
8) A quick way to reduce stress is to uncomplicate life - cut away more and more until I find the core of what makes me happy. Play is for the body what a good attitude is for the mind.
9) Attitude is the name of the game. How you look at life is the single best way to take care of yourself. You have a perspective that either beats you up or builds you up. And we can choose our attitudes. In one minute you can change your attitude and in that minute, you can change your entire day.
10)...It seems there are really only 2 basic emotions in life. Love (positive) and Fear (negative) . One is the absence of the other. Another way of taking care of myself is by giving away part of my time and my money because when I give away some of my money or my time, it reminds me that I am not afraid. I believe I will always have enough to share with others.
11) One of the best ways you can help other people is to encourage them to take better care of themselves and to reward them when they do.
12) You can get some very important needs met in a relationship - like romance and tenderness and belonging. But you cannot get your primary needs met - like becoming happier. You must do that yourelf. The min any of us looks to a relationship to satisfy our basic needs, we begin to experience pain. And we believe it's the other person's fault. When I feel no one else is nurturing me, I nuture myself by doing some silly little thing for myself that makes me feel good. The point is, I don't ask someone else to nuture me all the time. I do what I can myself. I also nuture myself by creating a beautiful environment because my environment affects me. But I nuture myself most when I create a beautiful internal environment - even more important than my being loved is loving.
13) The truth is, people are eventually going to do what they want to do anyway. so why kid ourselves. If you give up and do what the other person wants against our own best interests, sooner or later, you are going to become resentful. And then it is only a qn of time before you, consciously or subconsciously find a way to get back at the other person. ... should communicate and negotiate to help both of us get what we want. The whole idea is first to feel good yourself - even if it doesn't totally please the other person at the moment. And then, as you feel happy and peaceful, go on to feel good about the other person. And the important thing is, when you feel good about the other person, show it. It will be in their best interests. And that is what they are interested in.
14) The key to a good relationship is balance. That means we don't insist the other person be thinking of us all the time. The key is to hae a great relationship with yourself first. Start by liking yourself, with small steps. Only when you stop doing what doesn't work can things get better.
15) Getting in touch with our best self (that part of us that knows what we need) is like giving ourselves the perfect hug. We can have a wonderful relationship together when I have one with me and you have one with you. One good way of taking care of yourself is not to run away from yourself. We can help ourselves and each other by askin g"HAve u hugged yourself today"
The Slog Reviews: 10/10. The book isn't thick, is easy to read and understand and gives one hope that things can be turned around with a few tricks. The cynics will scoff that it is far too simplistic but I'll say that unless they've tried the few tricks, they shouldn't be so quick to write off the book. The author is the one who wrote Peaks & Valleys and Who moved my cheese which I'd reviewed earlier.
Here are some extracts which I thought was worth writing down and referring back to once in a while, esp when one is down and out.
1) Finding your inner success is the best, easiest, and in fact, the only way to achieve and enjoy everything else in life.
2) Workaholics think they are happy. That's because they kid themselves. Workaholics in fact, lose themselves in their work so that they never have to look at themselves. Other people do this by filling their life with activities. They confuse activity is productivity. The deception is they think they are accomplishing a lot because they are busy. In reality, they never deal with what's important.
3) In 1 quiet minute with myself, I can first become aware of what I am doing and then I can choose to see a better way. I simply stop and quietly ask "Is there a better way right now for me to take good care of Me?" Just stopping and looking prevents you from running into something and hurting yourself. I stop, look, and see that I have a choice: to proceed ahead, or change directions, or do whatever I see is best for me. The truth is we each know what is best, if we will stop long enough to see it.
4) It doesn't matter what I do. It's the little things that make a big difference. 1 thing I do when I feel rushed, overwhelmed and lose my perspective is to ask myself another simple question "Ten years from now, how much difference is this going to make?" Another thing I do for myself is to laugh at myself and with myself. Other than the little things, there is something more important - I treat myself the way I want others to treat me.
5) ...So I avoid setting myself up wiht rigid expectations and comparing me to what I think ought to be. Now I simply appreciate what happens instead of comparing it to what I think ought to happen. I've learnt that my personal pain comes from the difference between what is happening and what I think ought to be happening. Letting go of what I think is missing from the fantasy and appreciating what is already good about the reality.
6) I take care of me by looking at what I want versus what I need. A need is something we require for our well being a want is something we hope will make us happy. I feel successful when I get what I want but I feel happy when I want what I get. Again, I see things more clearly when I stop and look at what I am pursuing. We can never never get enough of what we don't need eg money.
7) How do you know what you need? By spending time lokoing at what really makes me happy. When I take a min to ask "Do I really need what I am chasing?" Also, never look at where you don't want to go.
8) A quick way to reduce stress is to uncomplicate life - cut away more and more until I find the core of what makes me happy. Play is for the body what a good attitude is for the mind.
9) Attitude is the name of the game. How you look at life is the single best way to take care of yourself. You have a perspective that either beats you up or builds you up. And we can choose our attitudes. In one minute you can change your attitude and in that minute, you can change your entire day.
10)...It seems there are really only 2 basic emotions in life. Love (positive) and Fear (negative) . One is the absence of the other. Another way of taking care of myself is by giving away part of my time and my money because when I give away some of my money or my time, it reminds me that I am not afraid. I believe I will always have enough to share with others.
11) One of the best ways you can help other people is to encourage them to take better care of themselves and to reward them when they do.
12) You can get some very important needs met in a relationship - like romance and tenderness and belonging. But you cannot get your primary needs met - like becoming happier. You must do that yourelf. The min any of us looks to a relationship to satisfy our basic needs, we begin to experience pain. And we believe it's the other person's fault. When I feel no one else is nurturing me, I nuture myself by doing some silly little thing for myself that makes me feel good. The point is, I don't ask someone else to nuture me all the time. I do what I can myself. I also nuture myself by creating a beautiful environment because my environment affects me. But I nuture myself most when I create a beautiful internal environment - even more important than my being loved is loving.
13) The truth is, people are eventually going to do what they want to do anyway. so why kid ourselves. If you give up and do what the other person wants against our own best interests, sooner or later, you are going to become resentful. And then it is only a qn of time before you, consciously or subconsciously find a way to get back at the other person. ... should communicate and negotiate to help both of us get what we want. The whole idea is first to feel good yourself - even if it doesn't totally please the other person at the moment. And then, as you feel happy and peaceful, go on to feel good about the other person. And the important thing is, when you feel good about the other person, show it. It will be in their best interests. And that is what they are interested in.
14) The key to a good relationship is balance. That means we don't insist the other person be thinking of us all the time. The key is to hae a great relationship with yourself first. Start by liking yourself, with small steps. Only when you stop doing what doesn't work can things get better.
15) Getting in touch with our best self (that part of us that knows what we need) is like giving ourselves the perfect hug. We can have a wonderful relationship together when I have one with me and you have one with you. One good way of taking care of yourself is not to run away from yourself. We can help ourselves and each other by askin g"HAve u hugged yourself today"
Monday, March 08, 2010
Kyo-Nichi Japanese Ramen (Collagen Ramen)
One of my favourite ramen places in Singapore - Kyo-Nichi Japanese Ramen. I've been a regular patron there since 2004/5, primarily because I'm female and "Woman, Vanity is Thy Name". Their selling point as compared to other ramen restaurants here would be the collagen in the soup. I always opt for the "thick" version where there is supposedly more collagen but as I've no idea how collagen would taste like, I wouldn't be able to tell the diff between the "thick" and "standard", only that I'm paying a buck or 2 more. In fact, I wouldn't be able to tell even if there is any collagen in the soup!
Well, giving the restaurant the benefit of doubt (on whether they really do add collagen in the soup and in what sort of quantities), I would recommend ordering the set menus (Set A or Set B) instead of a la carte bowls of ramen. One gets a drink and an appetiser of one's choice of a certain value and a bowl of ramen for SGD 15 or SGD 18 (you can choose a more expensive drink, appetiser and bowl of ramen) before service charge and tax.
I ordered the seafood ramen (asked them not to include squid) and chose char siew as an appetiser. My companion had a bowl of char siew ramen and had the marinated fish as his appetiser. The Slog Reviews: 8/10 for the prompt service and delicious food. The ramen could use more ingredients though but the char siew was really "porkyliciously" good and tender.
I wasn't aware that this restaurant had other outlets in Singapore until I saw the pic below on their menu. All the outlets are in the city/business district and rightly so I should think. Lots of women would believe/do anything to stay young and that includes paying just a tad more for collagen in a rather satisying meal.
Well, giving the restaurant the benefit of doubt (on whether they really do add collagen in the soup and in what sort of quantities), I would recommend ordering the set menus (Set A or Set B) instead of a la carte bowls of ramen. One gets a drink and an appetiser of one's choice of a certain value and a bowl of ramen for SGD 15 or SGD 18 (you can choose a more expensive drink, appetiser and bowl of ramen) before service charge and tax.
I ordered the seafood ramen (asked them not to include squid) and chose char siew as an appetiser. My companion had a bowl of char siew ramen and had the marinated fish as his appetiser. The Slog Reviews: 8/10 for the prompt service and delicious food. The ramen could use more ingredients though but the char siew was really "porkyliciously" good and tender.
I wasn't aware that this restaurant had other outlets in Singapore until I saw the pic below on their menu. All the outlets are in the city/business district and rightly so I should think. Lots of women would believe/do anything to stay young and that includes paying just a tad more for collagen in a rather satisying meal.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Kushin Bo at Suntec
I had Kushin-Bo's 60 minutes lunch with my best friend a couple of weeks ago (hence the plate of Yu Sheng in the pic). That lunch cost SGD 20.90++ per pax and is only available from Mon to Fri. During that 60 mins, one can eat as much of the spread as one can. However, rushing to eat as much as possible really spoils the fun of eating so we had the 60 mins lunch only because our dictated lunch hour is one hour anyway.
The soup is a must of course, and there's fresh salmon and tuna sashimi as well as chawan mushi, tempura, sushi and other cooked dishes. Everything is pretty good. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. A tad expensive (the bill came to SGD 50+) for a 60 mins lunch. However, Japanese food lovers won't be disappointed by the wide spread of Jap food available.
If one doesn't want to have to rush, the cost would be SGD 26.90++ per pax from Mon - Fri and sGD 28.90 on Sat, Sun and Public Holiday. Dinner is even more expensive at SGD 35.90 and sGD 39.90 respectively. Children (Below 1.4m) have to pay SGD 16.90++ to enjoy the feast though and senior critizens aged 55 and below get 10% off the bill.
There is only one outlet apparently at 3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City 1 #03-002
The operation hours are 11.30am to 3pm (last round 2.30pm) and 5.30pm to 10pm (last round 9.30pm). For reservations: 6238 7088 (Advance booking is advisable).
The soup is a must of course, and there's fresh salmon and tuna sashimi as well as chawan mushi, tempura, sushi and other cooked dishes. Everything is pretty good. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. A tad expensive (the bill came to SGD 50+) for a 60 mins lunch. However, Japanese food lovers won't be disappointed by the wide spread of Jap food available.
If one doesn't want to have to rush, the cost would be SGD 26.90++ per pax from Mon - Fri and sGD 28.90 on Sat, Sun and Public Holiday. Dinner is even more expensive at SGD 35.90 and sGD 39.90 respectively. Children (Below 1.4m) have to pay SGD 16.90++ to enjoy the feast though and senior critizens aged 55 and below get 10% off the bill.
There is only one outlet apparently at 3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City 1 #03-002The operation hours are 11.30am to 3pm (last round 2.30pm) and 5.30pm to 10pm (last round 9.30pm). For reservations: 6238 7088 (Advance booking is advisable).
Porridge and Satay at Chomp Chomp
I think I'm going to go to Chomp Chomp tonight after I finish work which will be, very late. Nevermind the flight out tomorrow morning for a really short trip to Kuching! The urge to have their most delicious, warm, soothing, full of ingredients porridge has overwhelmed me, rendering quite unable to think of anything else. This is the stall that sells such great porridge.
It was only a week ago that I had the pork porridge with century egg (with an additional ordinary egg thrown in) while my companion had porridge with liver which he proclaimed was the best. Here's a picture of my late night supper when it was served.
We also shared a plate of satay which I'd reviewed before so I won't say anymore except that it tastes as good as it looks below! There is a min order of the no of sticks of satay which is common at all satay stalls of course but the stuff below cost less than SGD 5 as well.
It was only a week ago that I had the pork porridge with century egg (with an additional ordinary egg thrown in) while my companion had porridge with liver which he proclaimed was the best. Here's a picture of my late night supper when it was served.
And a pic of it later, with all the ingredients (pork, century egg, egg) mixed well. The Slog Reviews: 9/10! For that much ingredients and a warm soothing tasty mash - each bowl cost less than SGD5. Go enjoy!
We also shared a plate of satay which I'd reviewed before so I won't say anymore except that it tastes as good as it looks below! There is a min order of the no of sticks of satay which is common at all satay stalls of course but the stuff below cost less than SGD 5 as well.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
The Accidental Husband (2008) Movie
As per the plot summary on Wiki which can be found here, this is a romantic commedy with a fairy-tale ending and lots of crap (IMHO) words of wisdom about love.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. It's all-nice to indulge in a wee-bit of fantasy of course which I would have done if I had been watching the show by myself. As it was, my attention was captured by the person next to me who grew more and more incensed as the show progressed along. I had to hear "What an honourable man" a few times when poor Richard gave Uma's character time to think whether she wanted to proceed with the wedding and when he even helped her escape on the wedding day itself. I also had to hear "See, don't say things that you don't mean." "Don't agree to commit if you can't keep to it" and near the end of the movie which showed everyone being happy that Uma had dumped her fiance Richard at the order because she had fallen for Patrick, that same person went on a mini rant about how our present culture applauds self-interest and getting what one wants at the expense of others "Always about what u want".
He hasn't been in Richard's shoes as far as I am aware (being dumped or having his fiancee fall for someone else), that unpleasant honor is reserved for the POSAN that I know and POSAN well deserved it having neither the generosity nor humor displayed by Richard's character in the movie. But that's a movie I guess. And the reality is much harsher. Ah well. To conclude, after watching my companion's fury at the movie, I'll only watch to this movie if you haven't any emotional baggage or have blocked most of it aside.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. It's all-nice to indulge in a wee-bit of fantasy of course which I would have done if I had been watching the show by myself. As it was, my attention was captured by the person next to me who grew more and more incensed as the show progressed along. I had to hear "What an honourable man" a few times when poor Richard gave Uma's character time to think whether she wanted to proceed with the wedding and when he even helped her escape on the wedding day itself. I also had to hear "See, don't say things that you don't mean." "Don't agree to commit if you can't keep to it" and near the end of the movie which showed everyone being happy that Uma had dumped her fiance Richard at the order because she had fallen for Patrick, that same person went on a mini rant about how our present culture applauds self-interest and getting what one wants at the expense of others "Always about what u want".
He hasn't been in Richard's shoes as far as I am aware (being dumped or having his fiancee fall for someone else), that unpleasant honor is reserved for the POSAN that I know and POSAN well deserved it having neither the generosity nor humor displayed by Richard's character in the movie. But that's a movie I guess. And the reality is much harsher. Ah well. To conclude, after watching my companion's fury at the movie, I'll only watch to this movie if you haven't any emotional baggage or have blocked most of it aside.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Jurong Hill Prawn Fishing
I haven't been prawn fishing since Ebi Culture closed early Dec last year. As I was in the West, it was either Jurong Hill or Westlake's prawn fishing venues. I decided on Jurong Hill primarily as it was nearer to where I was and I could fill my tummy there as well.
This is a picture of the prawn fishing venue located off the side of the restaurants at The Village (the prawn fishing venue shares the same carpark as the restaurants). There are 4 ponds, 3 of which are operational (2 small ones,1 larger deeper ones). Do note that the depths of each pond varies so you will have to measure first and then adjust your float accordingly. The rates are pretty standard: SGD 15 for 1 hr, 25 for 2 hrs and 30 for 3hrs. Take my advice and buy the 3hrs package if you are not sure whether you really want to stay for the whole 3 hrs. Firstly, you can come back and "finish" the unused mins. Secondly, you don't want to end up like me where I bought 1 hour first to try, and when I wanted to extend another hour, I was asked to pay another SGD 15 for that extra hour instead of SGD 25 for 2 hours. Apparently, or according to the guy operating the counter, he isn't allowed to amend what is keyed into the system. There are bbq facilities at the prawning venue as well as fridges with soft drinks cans for sale (rather pricy at SGD 1.80). Chicken liver is provided FOC and earthworms sold at SGD 4 (a bit pricy but if you are paying so much to go prawn fishing anyway, you might as well take the "better" bait).
Here are some of the prawns that my mum cooked for dinner. My mum is a really good cook and the prawns were great! :D I'm going prawning again soon! Time to check out new places :D
This is a picture of the prawn fishing venue located off the side of the restaurants at The Village (the prawn fishing venue shares the same carpark as the restaurants). There are 4 ponds, 3 of which are operational (2 small ones,1 larger deeper ones). Do note that the depths of each pond varies so you will have to measure first and then adjust your float accordingly. The rates are pretty standard: SGD 15 for 1 hr, 25 for 2 hrs and 30 for 3hrs. Take my advice and buy the 3hrs package if you are not sure whether you really want to stay for the whole 3 hrs. Firstly, you can come back and "finish" the unused mins. Secondly, you don't want to end up like me where I bought 1 hour first to try, and when I wanted to extend another hour, I was asked to pay another SGD 15 for that extra hour instead of SGD 25 for 2 hours. Apparently, or according to the guy operating the counter, he isn't allowed to amend what is keyed into the system. There are bbq facilities at the prawning venue as well as fridges with soft drinks cans for sale (rather pricy at SGD 1.80). Chicken liver is provided FOC and earthworms sold at SGD 4 (a bit pricy but if you are paying so much to go prawn fishing anyway, you might as well take the "better" bait).
The Slog Reviews: Again, using Ebi Culture as a basis for comparison, I would rate this place a 8.5/10. The pp prawn fishing as well as the server where I had lunch (Su Korean Cuisine), spoke well of Jurong Hill Prawn Fishing. I got my first prawn within the first 5 mins and another one in the next 10 mins. The bite rate (about 8-10 an hour) and catch rate (6 to 10 on average) was excellent but then again it was probably because there were few rods out when I went. I heard from a regular there that the place can get very crowded in the evenings and esp on weekends. The rods are decent although you should specifically request for an extendable rod or a long one (I wasn't given either) if you intend to go prawn fishing in the larger pond in the middle. Be warned though that there are many little fishes in the water which eat one's bait and I even hooked up a tiny fish at one point.
AND, LOOK AT MY HAUL! Okay, about 1/3 was mine only and the other 2/3 was given to me by one of the regulars, a nice old man who prawn fished like a pro (a prawn every 5-10mins). He had his own gear box, rod, hook and even bait! He said he had already so many prawns at home (and I should think so watching him prawn fish) and insisted on pouring his netful of prawns into my plastic bag. Oh yes, and one thing about the prawns, they are of fairly decent size but not really impressively big-big although I did note one pair of very large orange claws left on the ground. Maybe there are monster-sized prawns there, I don't know. I pulled off all the claws of each prawn before I unhooked each prawn (bring a pair of pliers/nailclippers if you don't wanna use fingers) which is why the prawns poured out in my kitchen sink look the way they do.
And here is a close up of the prawns which I put in a kitchen basket (note the depth) - I do think they weigh in total about a kilo and there was one with egg (orange) even! I can't wait to eat them tonight! :D I really can't see why anyone wouldn't love prawn fishing at all - one gets to meet new friends, test one's patience and have the thrill of catching edible fresh seafood.
Here are some of the prawns that my mum cooked for dinner. My mum is a really good cook and the prawns were great! :D I'm going prawning again soon! Time to check out new places :D
From Paris With Love (2010) Movie
From the title of the movie (which reminded me of the book "To Sir With Love"), I thought that this was going to be a romance or foreign movie. As it turned out, the movie was filled with pimps, terrorists, crack, blood and guns.
The plot of the movie can be found here.
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. Although this movie is an unrealistic (all the baddies go down bullet-ridden but the two heros are unscathed) no-brainer with no memorable quotes or message for the audience, it was an entertaining watch filled with almost non-stop gun action. Nothing spectacular or memorable in my humble opinion.
The plot of the movie can be found here.
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. Although this movie is an unrealistic (all the baddies go down bullet-ridden but the two heros are unscathed) no-brainer with no memorable quotes or message for the audience, it was an entertaining watch filled with almost non-stop gun action. Nothing spectacular or memorable in my humble opinion.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Su Korean Cuisine
Because of a meeting I had at the end of the west of our island (I'd never been to this part of Singapore before and was amazed at the flat lands and massive factories), I ended up having lunch at The Village. Parking was free (although the sign at the entrance of the carpark said it was S$2/entry during work hours) and despite the rather deserted appearance of the place (there were about 20-30 cars max parked near the eateries), I decided to check out the restaurants there. I would have gone for Ah Yat but being just one person, I opted for the daily set lunch at Su Korean Cuisine Restaurant instead.
As is typical of the better Korean restaurants, appetisers were served. I don't eat Kimchi so I can't comment on the dish at the bottom right but the potato (top right), beancurd (top left) and veg (bottom left) weren't anything exceptional - the potato was in fact quite tasteless but the veg and salted fish with it was pretty tasty. The server removed the Kimchi which I hadn't touched and voluntarily returned to her, but didn't give me another appetiser to replace it. Bah.
As is typical of the better Korean restaurants, appetisers were served. I don't eat Kimchi so I can't comment on the dish at the bottom right but the potato (top right), beancurd (top left) and veg (bottom left) weren't anything exceptional - the potato was in fact quite tasteless but the veg and salted fish with it was pretty tasty. The server removed the Kimchi which I hadn't touched and voluntarily returned to her, but didn't give me another appetiser to replace it. Bah.
There are 8 options for the daily set lunch priced at SGD 11.90 and I opted for the beef short ribs. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Total cost of the set lunch and korean tea (SGD 1) with taxes amounted to SGD 15+ . A very healthy meal with lots of greens. Each slice of the beef short rib was thick but just a tad too chewy so that it didn't melt-in-the-mouth. The sauce for the beef had mostly dried up/stuck to the pan but whatever was left of it tasted fine, nothing special but nothing to complain about.
The restaurant was empty when I walked in although it was lunch hour. A couple came in about half an hour later but that was it. The friendly server informed me that in the evenings and on weekends, the place is far more crowded. The menu is pretty comprehensive so if I'm ever around the area again, I'll probably try something diff like the Korean Ginseng Soup which is just SGD 16 on Mondays (as opposed to other days).
Thursday, February 25, 2010
It's Complicated (2009) movie
After yesterday's lunch with a certain someone, I was quite in the mood for a romantic comedy movie in the evening so I ended up watching this movie. The title reminds me of one of the options for one's current status (single, married, in a r/s etc) that one can have on FB - so far, most pp using that status are those who have or are undergoing a seperation/divorce.
Anyway, you can read the plot summary here but I'll say this summary misses the only truely funny bit of the movie which is where the ex-husband Jacob/Jake lies in front of the laptop which his ex-wife, Jane, played by Meryl Streep (which my movie companion said is rather beautiful) was using to have a web cam chat with the architect that she was starting to see.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. Realistic enough movie with an appropriate predictable ending which seems targeted at those in their 40s - 50s. Alec Baldwin has grown large and pudgy though with his head and hair, he still looks like a fine dignified large lion. I wasn't too comfortable with the movie plot though - the "juggling" of two men, an affair with the same man who cheated on you, nah, I don't like stuff like that. Acting by Meryl and Alec superb, plot too realistic and therefore unenjoyable.
Anyway, you can read the plot summary here but I'll say this summary misses the only truely funny bit of the movie which is where the ex-husband Jacob/Jake lies in front of the laptop which his ex-wife, Jane, played by Meryl Streep (which my movie companion said is rather beautiful) was using to have a web cam chat with the architect that she was starting to see.
The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. Realistic enough movie with an appropriate predictable ending which seems targeted at those in their 40s - 50s. Alec Baldwin has grown large and pudgy though with his head and hair, he still looks like a fine dignified large lion. I wasn't too comfortable with the movie plot though - the "juggling" of two men, an affair with the same man who cheated on you, nah, I don't like stuff like that. Acting by Meryl and Alec superb, plot too realistic and therefore unenjoyable.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Yoshinoya in Singapore and its beef bowls.
Despite the rather negative reviews on the web, I for one, love the fast food chain, Yoshinoya's beef bowls.
According to the Yoshinoya Hong Kong website, "Yoshinoya, founded in 1899, is a famous Japanese beef bowl (Gyudon) specialist with a well-established history of over a century. Its first store opened in Nihohbashi Fish Market in Japan. The market moved to Tsukiji due to an earthquake and Yoshinoya followed. After over a hundred years' continuous development, Yoshinoya now has over 1100 branches around the globe, spanning from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore to California, US and Malaysia etc., and continues to provide Japanese style quality food and services to customers around the world. "
The website further goes on to state that "Gyudon (beef bowls) are Yoshinoya's speciality. Prepared with premium beef and our special stock, over a steamy bowl of pearl rice."
While I wouldn't go far as to agree 100% with the above, I don't agree with the negative reviews either. It really depends on which outlet and chef you have a bowl of beef bowl at. And, one negative experience, while a turn-off, doesn't mean that the brand and all the food is bad. I did have some beef bowls which had meat that was tasteless and even rubbery and yet I had some beef bowls where I let the beef sit in my mouth while slowly munching at the tender meat and letting the juice just ooze out. So. I guess it boils down to the law of randomness and luck where you have your beef bowl at.
I had mine at Marina Sq for one of my lunches last week. This is a pic of the spicy beef bowl meal consisting of a bowl with rice, beef, onions and some chilli flakes sprinkled on top as well as a bowl of miso soup. Total cost: SGD 6.30. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Here's a tip: Ask for more gravy for the rice which can get rather dry beneath the top layer (of rice) that the beef is on. Decent enough both price-wise and quality for Japanese fast food.
According to the Yoshinoya Hong Kong website, "Yoshinoya, founded in 1899, is a famous Japanese beef bowl (Gyudon) specialist with a well-established history of over a century. Its first store opened in Nihohbashi Fish Market in Japan. The market moved to Tsukiji due to an earthquake and Yoshinoya followed. After over a hundred years' continuous development, Yoshinoya now has over 1100 branches around the globe, spanning from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore to California, US and Malaysia etc., and continues to provide Japanese style quality food and services to customers around the world. "
The website further goes on to state that "Gyudon (beef bowls) are Yoshinoya's speciality. Prepared with premium beef and our special stock, over a steamy bowl of pearl rice."
While I wouldn't go far as to agree 100% with the above, I don't agree with the negative reviews either. It really depends on which outlet and chef you have a bowl of beef bowl at. And, one negative experience, while a turn-off, doesn't mean that the brand and all the food is bad. I did have some beef bowls which had meat that was tasteless and even rubbery and yet I had some beef bowls where I let the beef sit in my mouth while slowly munching at the tender meat and letting the juice just ooze out. So. I guess it boils down to the law of randomness and luck where you have your beef bowl at.
I had mine at Marina Sq for one of my lunches last week. This is a pic of the spicy beef bowl meal consisting of a bowl with rice, beef, onions and some chilli flakes sprinkled on top as well as a bowl of miso soup. Total cost: SGD 6.30. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Here's a tip: Ask for more gravy for the rice which can get rather dry beneath the top layer (of rice) that the beef is on. Decent enough both price-wise and quality for Japanese fast food.
Yoshinoya is apparently one of Wing Tai's holdings. Click here for a list of the outlets in Singapore and their latest promotions.
Wimbledon (2004) Movie
A friend borrowed the dvd from the national library and invited me to watch it.
A decent plot summary can be found here.
The Slog Reviews: 6/10. A predictable and highly improbable movie (yeah, I know, that's the stuff movies are made of and yeah, I am reading fooled by randomness too). All I can say is that Paul Bettany is/was such eye candy 6 years ago! Talk about hot body, hot smile, hot everything! :D And the sense of humor that his character had added to the light-hearted fluff of the movie. I had been pretty tired after running 3km in the gym after work but after watching the movie, I'm inspired to go run another 3km today!
A decent plot summary can be found here.
The Slog Reviews: 6/10. A predictable and highly improbable movie (yeah, I know, that's the stuff movies are made of and yeah, I am reading fooled by randomness too). All I can say is that Paul Bettany is/was such eye candy 6 years ago! Talk about hot body, hot smile, hot everything! :D And the sense of humor that his character had added to the light-hearted fluff of the movie. I had been pretty tired after running 3km in the gym after work but after watching the movie, I'm inspired to go run another 3km today!
Restoran / Restaurant Pekin @ Sutera Utama
Last week, I had dinner at the famous restoran / restaurant Pekin located at Sutera Mall. We didn't make reservations of course, given that it was an impromptu decision to drive to the Tmn Sutera area, but the restaurant was a really large one (much like the banquet halls of our hotels) and we had no problem being shown to a table and served very promptly and politely by the Chinese speaking staff. This is afterall, a Chinese restaurant and a higher-end one at that.
The menus and even the wet towels looked pretty classy (hard-cover menus and towel packets imprinted with the name of the restaurant) and the servers were able to recommend several dishes to us. Of course, the prices there are double the normal prices of similar items served at coffee shops in JB. The restaurant also sells Sharkfin and Abalone dishes which are priced in the hundreds.
The menus and even the wet towels looked pretty classy (hard-cover menus and towel packets imprinted with the name of the restaurant) and the servers were able to recommend several dishes to us. Of course, the prices there are double the normal prices of similar items served at coffee shops in JB. The restaurant also sells Sharkfin and Abalone dishes which are priced in the hundreds.
We ordered from the chef's recommendation list on the first page of the menu:
(1) Goose Liver Scallops Fried Rice (RM 18 per pax) [ Top left pic]
(2) Veg with Home-made Beancurd (RM 7.50 per pax) [Bottom left pic]
(3) Twin Combinations Beancurd (RM 5 per pax) [Bottom right pic]
We also had the BBQ pork which was priced at RM 15 for a medium-sized portion [top right pic]. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10 for (1) because while we could find bits of scallops, we didn't find any goose liver at all in the rice (probably all mashed up). The dish however is rather filling as it should be since it is about SGD 8 for one portion. AS for items (2) and (3), I would give them 5.5/10. (3) is slightly worse than (2) which is at least unique, having bits of veg blended with the toufu. (3) is just a really normal toufu dish which doesn't taste the least bit special.
What however, made up for the lacklustre dishes above was the egg dish we ordered on impulse. I can't remember the exact name of the dish which is found under the "egg" section of the menu but it consists of 3 types of eggs. The medium portion which we shared cost RM 15. The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. For the price (SGD 7), this dish is quite filling and very tasty and full of ingredients like mushrooms etc other than the eggs. A should-try really.
Total cost of the meal above consisting of the goose liver scallops rice and 4 side dishes was just RM 87 which is less than SGD 40! With that kind of price, service and environment, I would say that Restoran Pekin at Sutera Mall is a place to go if one has a craving for Chinese food if one is in JB. The Contact Number of the restaurant is: :607-557 3899, 607-5561768, 551818 and the address is , No 1 Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Sutera Utamabiz Centre, Taman Sutera Utama 81300 Skudai.
Monday, February 22, 2010
500 Days of Summer (2009) Movie
Upfront, I'll say that I LOVED this show. So, upfront, The Slog Reviews: 10/10. A must-watch movie! I'd heard so much positive stuff about this movie (it came up some time after The Ugly Truth) and I'd missed it in the theatres. So, when the DVD came out, I got it right away. If you haven't watched it and aren't too old at heart for a movie that hypes itself as"Not a love story but a story about love", you just have to watch this!
I've found a plot summary of the movie here but it doesn't do justice to the movie. AND, I know I've had a few stabs at plot summaries before, but I really can't do one for this movie - primarily because the 500 days of Tom and Summer's romance is told in a non-linear sequence. Of course, there are the scenes where she catches his eyes, how they first go out, the warning signs that she isn't into him as much as he is into her (she tells him she is not ready for a relationship, she refuses to be labelled as his gf although they are intimate), and of his ectasy of falling in love and then his despair when he breaks up with her the first time. Of course, the despair cannot be matched by his depression when he "finds" her again after the break-up when they both end up on the same train to a co-worker's wedding only to be invited by her to a party where a friend is shown admiring her engagement ring. The movie shows her marrying someone else while he goes into a tailspin, quits his job and pursues his ambition (he wanted to be an architect but worked as a greeting card writer). About the 498 day (I can't rem the exact date), he goes to the place where he brought her before and she is there. He is still obviously pained from the answer he gives when she asks him how he is - and she explains to him that she married someone who asked her about a book she was reading at a cafe, and ponders what if she had chosen not to go to the cafe that day, or if she was just 10 mins late. She tells him that she hadn't expected to marry but her husband gave her the feeling that she never had with Tom. She said with Tom, she wasn't sure while Tom had always believed she was The One. Tom manages to find the heart to wish her all the best as she is leaving. The narrator of the movie states in a solemn tone something along the line about how life is just about co-incidences, not so much fate. The movie ends with Tom going for an interview for a job and meeting someone co-incidentally named, Autumn, which is the season after Summer has passed.
I think those who are or have been in or are between relationships would be able to relate to this movie. And those who like me, find the likes of Zooey Deschanel lovely would find the movie all the more entertaining. I've loved Zooey since her acting in Yes Man (which incidentally is one of my top ten favourite movies too) from her deep husky voice to her wide unique-colored eyes. I also love her sister, Emily Deschanel incidentally and the show she stares in, Bones.
I've found a plot summary of the movie here but it doesn't do justice to the movie. AND, I know I've had a few stabs at plot summaries before, but I really can't do one for this movie - primarily because the 500 days of Tom and Summer's romance is told in a non-linear sequence. Of course, there are the scenes where she catches his eyes, how they first go out, the warning signs that she isn't into him as much as he is into her (she tells him she is not ready for a relationship, she refuses to be labelled as his gf although they are intimate), and of his ectasy of falling in love and then his despair when he breaks up with her the first time. Of course, the despair cannot be matched by his depression when he "finds" her again after the break-up when they both end up on the same train to a co-worker's wedding only to be invited by her to a party where a friend is shown admiring her engagement ring. The movie shows her marrying someone else while he goes into a tailspin, quits his job and pursues his ambition (he wanted to be an architect but worked as a greeting card writer). About the 498 day (I can't rem the exact date), he goes to the place where he brought her before and she is there. He is still obviously pained from the answer he gives when she asks him how he is - and she explains to him that she married someone who asked her about a book she was reading at a cafe, and ponders what if she had chosen not to go to the cafe that day, or if she was just 10 mins late. She tells him that she hadn't expected to marry but her husband gave her the feeling that she never had with Tom. She said with Tom, she wasn't sure while Tom had always believed she was The One. Tom manages to find the heart to wish her all the best as she is leaving. The narrator of the movie states in a solemn tone something along the line about how life is just about co-incidences, not so much fate. The movie ends with Tom going for an interview for a job and meeting someone co-incidentally named, Autumn, which is the season after Summer has passed.
I think those who are or have been in or are between relationships would be able to relate to this movie. And those who like me, find the likes of Zooey Deschanel lovely would find the movie all the more entertaining. I've loved Zooey since her acting in Yes Man (which incidentally is one of my top ten favourite movies too) from her deep husky voice to her wide unique-colored eyes. I also love her sister, Emily Deschanel incidentally and the show she stares in, Bones.
Imagine That (2009) Movie
I had no idea whatsoever that Eddie Murphy was so slim. My impression of the actor was that he was a rather well-built chap in The Nutty Professor movies but he seems to have lost more weight in Imagine That.
Here's my attempt at a plot summary/ plot synopsis of the show: The show opens with Eddie's character, Evan Danielson acting all crazy about wanting his "goo-gaa" while being turned out of a house. It turns out the "goo-gaa" is the blanket which his daughter had used to transport them to an imaginary land where 3 princesses and a their queen, Qwali (note that throughout the movie we never see these characters and only his daughter is able to "hear" them) answer Evan's questions about what shares to buy or sell. Evan who works as a fund manager/analyst/banker for an investment co investing client's monies has grown dependent on imaginary world for providing him the answers for his work and when his boss pits him against his upcoming colleague/competitor Whitefeather, (the reward is the boss's position as the boss intends to retire) giving him 17 hours to come up with a proposal, Evan goes nearly crazy trying to get hold of the goo-gaa which will transport him to the imaginary land - he shows up at his daughter's friend's house where she is having her sleepover, creeps into the room with the sleeping little girls and steal their blankets which are knotted together. He also, prior to that, sneaks into his daughter's friend's birthday party and tries to bribe a little boy to get his daughter to come out of the kids-only room so he can take her blanket. Anyway, his daughter gives him the blanket in the end but he does not use it. Instead he depends on his pure hard work and skills to come up with the proposal working through the night. His competitor, Whitefeather on the other hand, eaten by jealousy at Evan's past successes which he attributes to the blanket after spying on Evan, goes to an Indian Shaman to buy a blanket for 6000 dollars, wraps it around his son and forces his son to dance around a fire and tell him whether to buy or sell each company. The day of the assessment by the Big Boss who flies in from China, the big boss tells Whitefeather that all Whitefeather has said is just a pile of poop. Before Evan presents though, he sees the goo-gaa at the bottom of his briefcase and remembering that his daughter has a singing concert, walks out of the meeting and rushes to go the concert. His daugther who appears to be having stage-fright and unable to sing, manages to sing after Evan bursts into the hall wearing a ridiculous costume. They then use the blanket and say good bye to the imaginary kingdom. The Big Boss goes looking for Evan at the school and offers him the coveted post, remarking sadly that he hadn't seen his own daughter for years. He wants to discuss the proposal with Evan but Evan tells him that it is Saturday and they agree to do it on Monday.
The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. There was great acting from Eddie but I'll be amazed if he doesn't have a million facial wrinkles from all the facial contortions he did during the movie. It got tiring at some stage though having to watch him distort his natural good looks into some grosteque parody. I didn't find the movie funny as in haha-funny (unlike the movie which I watched before it which I fell off my seat laughing) the way it was advertised to be. The movie reminds one of the importance of family (spending time with family) over money (earning money) and because I'm reading the book "Fooled by Randomness" now, I could relate to the unpredictablity and randomness of stock-picking and money making in the stock market.
Here's my attempt at a plot summary/ plot synopsis of the show: The show opens with Eddie's character, Evan Danielson acting all crazy about wanting his "goo-gaa" while being turned out of a house. It turns out the "goo-gaa" is the blanket which his daughter had used to transport them to an imaginary land where 3 princesses and a their queen, Qwali (note that throughout the movie we never see these characters and only his daughter is able to "hear" them) answer Evan's questions about what shares to buy or sell. Evan who works as a fund manager/analyst/banker for an investment co investing client's monies has grown dependent on imaginary world for providing him the answers for his work and when his boss pits him against his upcoming colleague/competitor Whitefeather, (the reward is the boss's position as the boss intends to retire) giving him 17 hours to come up with a proposal, Evan goes nearly crazy trying to get hold of the goo-gaa which will transport him to the imaginary land - he shows up at his daughter's friend's house where she is having her sleepover, creeps into the room with the sleeping little girls and steal their blankets which are knotted together. He also, prior to that, sneaks into his daughter's friend's birthday party and tries to bribe a little boy to get his daughter to come out of the kids-only room so he can take her blanket. Anyway, his daughter gives him the blanket in the end but he does not use it. Instead he depends on his pure hard work and skills to come up with the proposal working through the night. His competitor, Whitefeather on the other hand, eaten by jealousy at Evan's past successes which he attributes to the blanket after spying on Evan, goes to an Indian Shaman to buy a blanket for 6000 dollars, wraps it around his son and forces his son to dance around a fire and tell him whether to buy or sell each company. The day of the assessment by the Big Boss who flies in from China, the big boss tells Whitefeather that all Whitefeather has said is just a pile of poop. Before Evan presents though, he sees the goo-gaa at the bottom of his briefcase and remembering that his daughter has a singing concert, walks out of the meeting and rushes to go the concert. His daugther who appears to be having stage-fright and unable to sing, manages to sing after Evan bursts into the hall wearing a ridiculous costume. They then use the blanket and say good bye to the imaginary kingdom. The Big Boss goes looking for Evan at the school and offers him the coveted post, remarking sadly that he hadn't seen his own daughter for years. He wants to discuss the proposal with Evan but Evan tells him that it is Saturday and they agree to do it on Monday.
The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. There was great acting from Eddie but I'll be amazed if he doesn't have a million facial wrinkles from all the facial contortions he did during the movie. It got tiring at some stage though having to watch him distort his natural good looks into some grosteque parody. I didn't find the movie funny as in haha-funny (unlike the movie which I watched before it which I fell off my seat laughing) the way it was advertised to be. The movie reminds one of the importance of family (spending time with family) over money (earning money) and because I'm reading the book "Fooled by Randomness" now, I could relate to the unpredictablity and randomness of stock-picking and money making in the stock market.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
It was a bad idea picking up this book to read at 12 midnight after a long day and two seafood meals at JB. What made it worse was that I had to get up at 8.30am today for church. Guess what, I ended up sleeping close to 4am because I just could not put down the book.
One thing about Dan Brown's books - never ever read any of his books backwards ie don't flip to the back few chapters and read the ending. The whole idea is to read the book from the front, or else, all the impact, the journey the book takes you on, the suspense it puts you through and the many false surprises.premises that the writer has planted along the way will be for naught.
The Slog Reviews: 8/10. Brilliantly researched and written and the reader will find interesting nuggets of information (history, religion, language). The storyline remains much the same as Dan Brown's other books with the hero Langdon sent on a chase (around the world or country) and emerging victorious and unmaimed at all in the end.
One thing about Dan Brown's books - never ever read any of his books backwards ie don't flip to the back few chapters and read the ending. The whole idea is to read the book from the front, or else, all the impact, the journey the book takes you on, the suspense it puts you through and the many false surprises.premises that the writer has planted along the way will be for naught.
The Slog Reviews: 8/10. Brilliantly researched and written and the reader will find interesting nuggets of information (history, religion, language). The storyline remains much the same as Dan Brown's other books with the hero Langdon sent on a chase (around the world or country) and emerging victorious and unmaimed at all in the end.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Little Big Soldier (2009) Movie
Yes, another Chinese movie. As I said earlier, there are quite a number of these in the cinemas because of the festive season. Again, it wasn't my intention to catch this show but by a twist of fate, I ended up spending two hours in a darkened cinema watching it. It wasn't as half bad as I feared it would be despite its flimsy story plot which I can most easily summarise.
Show opens with an explanation how China was divided into different territories such as Qin, Liang, Wei etc. Next, the scene of a battlefield where about at least 2000 soldiers from Liang lie dead, the result of an ambush. Jackie Chan plays a farmer turned soldier who pretended to be shot (fake arrow) and he captures a "general" from Wei. They are pursued by the prince of wei and his bald bodyguard. Turns out the "general" is the crown prince. The prince of wei who is shown to be sadistic (shooting pp with a little hand bow) ends up killing himself. A group of savages/tribal people are involved too somehow when their paths and the two soldiers meet. Anyway, Jackie Chan's character manages to get the crown prince to Liang but decides to let him go in the end. Jackie Chan's character is killed thereafter by Qin soldiers who have invaded Liang. The story ends with a post note that the crown prince surrendered to Qin which succeeded in unifying China.
The Slog Reviews: 6/10. Good for laughs at some parts if one appreciates slap stick comedy but there are far better shows out there to be occupying one's time with.
Show opens with an explanation how China was divided into different territories such as Qin, Liang, Wei etc. Next, the scene of a battlefield where about at least 2000 soldiers from Liang lie dead, the result of an ambush. Jackie Chan plays a farmer turned soldier who pretended to be shot (fake arrow) and he captures a "general" from Wei. They are pursued by the prince of wei and his bald bodyguard. Turns out the "general" is the crown prince. The prince of wei who is shown to be sadistic (shooting pp with a little hand bow) ends up killing himself. A group of savages/tribal people are involved too somehow when their paths and the two soldiers meet. Anyway, Jackie Chan's character manages to get the crown prince to Liang but decides to let him go in the end. Jackie Chan's character is killed thereafter by Qin soldiers who have invaded Liang. The story ends with a post note that the crown prince surrendered to Qin which succeeded in unifying China.
The Slog Reviews: 6/10. Good for laughs at some parts if one appreciates slap stick comedy but there are far better shows out there to be occupying one's time with.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
True Legend (2009) Movie
Never a fan of Chinese movies, and I usually refuse to pay good money to watch such movies in the theatres but at the persuasion of a friend who bought the tickets and the influx of Chinese movies in our theatres given the festive season, I ended up watching True Legend.
There is a review of the movie here on Wiki, but it isn't very good. I've just watched another movie today and a DVD over the weekend so I don't think I can do a really good plot review/synopsis of a thoroughly unmemorable movie but I'll try.
The movie starts off with a great fighting scene. 2 soldiers lead the charge to free a general. 1 of them is Su Can and the other Yuen Lie. The general offers to give the post of governor to Su but Su wants to marry Yuen Lie's little sister, Xiao Ying and offers the post to Yuen Lie instead. Yuen Lie appears bitter to always have what Su doesn't want. The show cuts to 5 years later showing Su happily married to Xiao Ying. They have a son called Feng Er. Su's father visits them and lets Su know that his brother, Yuen Lie is coming back. He ponders if Yuen Lie has forgiven him for killing his father. Yuen Lie obviously hasn't because the moment he is back he makes a beeline for Su's father and uses the venemous palms method to kill him and then behead him. He then captures Feng and Xiao Ying. Su who is opening his martial arts school is informed of the news and rushes back to find his father's headless body. He is attacked by the iron twins and chases them where they retreat to where Yuen Lie is with Su's father's head, XiaoYing and Feng Er. Su attacks Yuen Lie for revenge and Yuen Lie bears his chest to reveal that he has iron metal plates sewn into his skin. He also uses the venomous palms method to poison Su and then cast Su into the rapids after Xiao Ying begs for Su's life. XiaoYing jumps in after Su and is washed away. Yuen Lie howls in grief, orders his men to save her and when they decline because the river is too fast, he kills them all. Amazingly neither Su nor XiaoYing is killed but are washed up on the bank. XiaoYing constructs a litter and drags Su who is unconscious from the venom towards civilisation. However, at one point her strength fails, and her bloodied palms let go of the wooden handles of the litter and Su starts to slide to his death off the cliff. Sister Yu saves Su and XiaoYing who passes out after seeing Su saved. Su is revived and purged off the toxin by Sister Yu. His right hand however, is maimed and he despairs. After encouragement by XiaoYing, he trains to recover the use of his hand (over a year or so) and then one day he meets the God of Wushu and the Drunkard Immortal. He tries to beat them at wushu and therefore with practice and all, becomes more proficient at the art of wushu. XiaoYing is told by Sister Yu that there is no one else where they are at so she begins to doubt Su and follows him one day to where he says the God and Drunk are. She sees Su fighting with on one and hitting himself with stones. She confronts Su when he gets back and he denies that he fabricated the God and Drunk, pointing to the wounds on his body. One day he gets back from training and finds Xiao Ying gone. There is a note on the table saying she has gone to rescue Feng Er. Of course, he makes his way after her to where Yuen Lie is. Yuen Lie on the other hand is training with snakes and spiders (for vemon) and keeps Feng Er in ankle shackles to prevent him from escaping. When Xiao Ying goes there, she is reunited with Feng Er and although she asks to leave, Yuen Lie tells his little sister and Feng Er that they can never leave. Su bursts in, killing all the guards and after a hard fight, the Iron Twins. At that point, Yuen Lie orders his guards to bury Xiao Ying alive where no one can find her so that if he is killed by Su, Su will never have Xiao Ying still. As Xiao Ying is dragged off, she makes Feng Er promise never to leave his father. She is put in a casket and buried alive. The guards report to Yuen Lie the deed is done and he slaughters them so no one can reveal where she is. Yuen Lie and Su fight, a terrible fight where Su peals the metal sewn to Yuen Lie's skin away. If you like shows where blood is seen pouring from the mouth, this, THIS is the show to watch. Anyway, Feng Er begs Su not to deliver the killing blow to Yuen Lie who lies mortally injured but Su does not listen and kill Yuen Lie. Feng Er tells Su this is a mistake as they will never find XiaoYing then. Both stumble out and come across one of the almost dead guards who buried her. He tells them she is buried at the forest. They walk around in the rain calling out her name and by pure chance, they come across the hard cover of the chest (the rain must have washed away some of the mud). They dig with their hands to get the chest out and open it but alas, Xiao Ying is quite dead from the lack of air. Later on in the film, Su appears to deteriorate into a drunk, poor beggar with his son leading him about and feeding him. They come across a former general called Ma who served under Su and Su begs Ma to take his son away and take care of him. Ma agrees and Su pushes his son away, putting up a good show of not wanting him. Feng Er however insists on returning to his father while walking away with Ma. Su then cuddles Feng Er from the cold. Later on, Ma brings them to a tournament where Ma is to take part as head of the wushu federation. If he wins, this arena will be closed. The arena is run by Russians and along the Russia-Chinese border. The match starts and Ma is beaten bloody. Su in his drunken haze intervenes and subsequently defeats all the opponents even despite the dirty tricks the Russians engage in. Lots more blood pouring from the mouth scenes. Su rises up and walks away victorious with his son at the end.
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. A rather lengthy drawn out movie filled with the usual tragedy and quest for retribution. The fighting scenes though are worth the watch.
There is a review of the movie here on Wiki, but it isn't very good. I've just watched another movie today and a DVD over the weekend so I don't think I can do a really good plot review/synopsis of a thoroughly unmemorable movie but I'll try.
The movie starts off with a great fighting scene. 2 soldiers lead the charge to free a general. 1 of them is Su Can and the other Yuen Lie. The general offers to give the post of governor to Su but Su wants to marry Yuen Lie's little sister, Xiao Ying and offers the post to Yuen Lie instead. Yuen Lie appears bitter to always have what Su doesn't want. The show cuts to 5 years later showing Su happily married to Xiao Ying. They have a son called Feng Er. Su's father visits them and lets Su know that his brother, Yuen Lie is coming back. He ponders if Yuen Lie has forgiven him for killing his father. Yuen Lie obviously hasn't because the moment he is back he makes a beeline for Su's father and uses the venemous palms method to kill him and then behead him. He then captures Feng and Xiao Ying. Su who is opening his martial arts school is informed of the news and rushes back to find his father's headless body. He is attacked by the iron twins and chases them where they retreat to where Yuen Lie is with Su's father's head, XiaoYing and Feng Er. Su attacks Yuen Lie for revenge and Yuen Lie bears his chest to reveal that he has iron metal plates sewn into his skin. He also uses the venomous palms method to poison Su and then cast Su into the rapids after Xiao Ying begs for Su's life. XiaoYing jumps in after Su and is washed away. Yuen Lie howls in grief, orders his men to save her and when they decline because the river is too fast, he kills them all. Amazingly neither Su nor XiaoYing is killed but are washed up on the bank. XiaoYing constructs a litter and drags Su who is unconscious from the venom towards civilisation. However, at one point her strength fails, and her bloodied palms let go of the wooden handles of the litter and Su starts to slide to his death off the cliff. Sister Yu saves Su and XiaoYing who passes out after seeing Su saved. Su is revived and purged off the toxin by Sister Yu. His right hand however, is maimed and he despairs. After encouragement by XiaoYing, he trains to recover the use of his hand (over a year or so) and then one day he meets the God of Wushu and the Drunkard Immortal. He tries to beat them at wushu and therefore with practice and all, becomes more proficient at the art of wushu. XiaoYing is told by Sister Yu that there is no one else where they are at so she begins to doubt Su and follows him one day to where he says the God and Drunk are. She sees Su fighting with on one and hitting himself with stones. She confronts Su when he gets back and he denies that he fabricated the God and Drunk, pointing to the wounds on his body. One day he gets back from training and finds Xiao Ying gone. There is a note on the table saying she has gone to rescue Feng Er. Of course, he makes his way after her to where Yuen Lie is. Yuen Lie on the other hand is training with snakes and spiders (for vemon) and keeps Feng Er in ankle shackles to prevent him from escaping. When Xiao Ying goes there, she is reunited with Feng Er and although she asks to leave, Yuen Lie tells his little sister and Feng Er that they can never leave. Su bursts in, killing all the guards and after a hard fight, the Iron Twins. At that point, Yuen Lie orders his guards to bury Xiao Ying alive where no one can find her so that if he is killed by Su, Su will never have Xiao Ying still. As Xiao Ying is dragged off, she makes Feng Er promise never to leave his father. She is put in a casket and buried alive. The guards report to Yuen Lie the deed is done and he slaughters them so no one can reveal where she is. Yuen Lie and Su fight, a terrible fight where Su peals the metal sewn to Yuen Lie's skin away. If you like shows where blood is seen pouring from the mouth, this, THIS is the show to watch. Anyway, Feng Er begs Su not to deliver the killing blow to Yuen Lie who lies mortally injured but Su does not listen and kill Yuen Lie. Feng Er tells Su this is a mistake as they will never find XiaoYing then. Both stumble out and come across one of the almost dead guards who buried her. He tells them she is buried at the forest. They walk around in the rain calling out her name and by pure chance, they come across the hard cover of the chest (the rain must have washed away some of the mud). They dig with their hands to get the chest out and open it but alas, Xiao Ying is quite dead from the lack of air. Later on in the film, Su appears to deteriorate into a drunk, poor beggar with his son leading him about and feeding him. They come across a former general called Ma who served under Su and Su begs Ma to take his son away and take care of him. Ma agrees and Su pushes his son away, putting up a good show of not wanting him. Feng Er however insists on returning to his father while walking away with Ma. Su then cuddles Feng Er from the cold. Later on, Ma brings them to a tournament where Ma is to take part as head of the wushu federation. If he wins, this arena will be closed. The arena is run by Russians and along the Russia-Chinese border. The match starts and Ma is beaten bloody. Su in his drunken haze intervenes and subsequently defeats all the opponents even despite the dirty tricks the Russians engage in. Lots more blood pouring from the mouth scenes. Su rises up and walks away victorious with his son at the end.
The Slog Reviews: 7/10. A rather lengthy drawn out movie filled with the usual tragedy and quest for retribution. The fighting scenes though are worth the watch.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Day 4 in Langkawi on 8 Feb 2010 (Part 1) (Cement Factory and Taman Buaya Langkawi)
After checking out of the hotel, the plan was to go straight to Langkawi Cable Car before heading for The Loaf for lunch, then the airport. However, along the winding road (we took the route north from Kuah Town towards Tanjung Rhu) to the Cable Car, the signs on the Crocodile Farm caught our eye and we decided that as it was still early, we could spare an hour or so there.
We also stopped for a shot of the Cement Factory which was along the way. The Cement Factory is apparently the only factory on the island of Langkawi. I'd seen smoke rising from the factory's chimmeys and the barges carrying sand and cement when our fishing boat was at Datai Bay and was curious how old and large this factory was. However, for security reasons, we decided to just take a picture from the main road rather than turn in the small lane leading to the factory.
We also stopped for a shot of the Cement Factory which was along the way. The Cement Factory is apparently the only factory on the island of Langkawi. I'd seen smoke rising from the factory's chimmeys and the barges carrying sand and cement when our fishing boat was at Datai Bay and was curious how old and large this factory was. However, for security reasons, we decided to just take a picture from the main road rather than turn in the small lane leading to the factory.
I also took this picture of the sky when we stopped for the shot above, because I thought it was beautiful. I hardly ever get to see scenes like this given my sleeping and work habits hah.
It took us quite a while to find the crocodile farm even though we had a map provided by the car rental company. We took the right road - which is the road leading towards Datai Bay, however, contrary to what was shown on the map, the distance to the farm is rather far and we started to doubt if we were on the right road or if there was such a farm even. Seriously, the maps of the island are not drawn to scale and one should think long and hard before trying to walk/cycle to the attractions shown on the map. Anyhow, we finally came across a sign board which assured us that we were on the right track and we continued until we came to the lane leading to the crocodile farm. I didn't pay for the tickets so I can't remember the entrance fee but I think it is relatively cheap - about RM 15 max if I am not wrong.
You have to ASK the two folks at the gate for a map of the farm (which they provided after we asked) if you want to know what the attractions are instead of blindly walking in circles. And, I really doubt that there are a thousand crocodiles there as the farm claims, probably in the low hundreds but then again, they may have be counting those baby crocs/crocs in eggs/crocs hidden elsewhere. Anyway, using the map provided, we started off at the Breeding Pond which consisted of pens laid side by side with one or two crocs in each pen. The crocs are apparently at different stages of development. Like this fellow below which I took a shot off because it was missing a tail.
Not too sure why there is a monkey in a pen in the middle of the farm. I don't think it's bred to be fed to the crocs or there would be more monkeys in the pen. This doesn't appear to be a very friendly, attractive or special monkey so not much time was wasted on the creature haha :D
Then there are the large ponds which thankfully do not smell too awful. Crocs sunbathing, crocs in the water, crocs with their mouths open, crocs with their mouths close...u get the idea!
The star attraction of the Crocodile Farm is a deformed crocodile known as the Bujang Kawi and is said to weigh about 1000 lbs. I am not too sure what 500kg looks like but this croc doesn't look that heavy. Maybe crco meat is dense - I'm not sure, but maybe it's the same way this place is said to have 1000 crocs.
A close-up of the deformed crocodile, Bujang Kawi. Even with a snout like that (which I read, contains no teeth), I've never seen eyes as mean as that of a croc save on a snake's and have no wish to get close to this...thing.
The croc below looked particularly frightening so I took a close-up pic of it. I'm not sure if crocs sleep with their eyes wide open and their mouths too - the mouth was open for quite some time and the weather was turning warm which had me wondering how crocs don't get hang jaw or require saliva in the mouth. Reptilian creatures!
Of course, we crossed the bridge over the pond where crocs of all sizes lay around and in the waters. I prayed of course that an earthquake wouldn't hit langkawi when I was crossing the bridge - falling into the water with lots of crocs is low on my list of fun things to do before I die.
We went over to the feeding pond at 10.30am which was the scheduled time for the feeding session ( a different time from that stated on the map!). Using a pulley-like devise, the staff strings bunches of fish down the line to a level slightly higher than the pond (see the pic I took below) and the hungry crocs make the way to where the fish dangle above their heads. At first, the crocs didn't even seem to notice there was food so the staff shook the pulley and made some whistling noises. And then the crocs came. No hurry. No fighting. No pushing. Out of the about thirty crocs in the pond, only about 4 came for the food. Each croc circled in the water near the food before rising up magnificantly (do they stand on tails? How do they get the leverage in the water to rise their immense bulk up at such close range) to seize the food. Some of them actually chomped the food with their jaws above the water while others sank back into the water before beginning their feast.
We left after that so we didn't see any man-put-head-in-croc or man-wrestle-with-croc stunts, if these stunts were even performed given the rather dismal state of things at the croc farm, on a weekday at least.
The Slog Reviews: 5/10. This attraction definitely should not be rated high on a must-do or must-see list unless one hasn't seen crocs before (there IS a croc farm in Singapore afterall!). However, the fee for entry is reasonable enough and one can buy croc leather goods at the souvenir shops - be warned though that the prices of the leather products aren't cheap or at least, cheaper than at other places or even in Singapore.
The address of the Crocodile Farm is : Jalan Datai, Kubang Badak Mukim Air Hangat Langkawi 07000 Malaysia and the telephone number: 604 955 2559
Tel: 604 955 2559
Day 4 in Langkawi on 8 Feb 2010 (The Loaf Bakery & Bistro and Field of Burnt Rice)
The last place we had a meal at for this Langkawi trip was The Loaf Bakery & Bistro located at Lot 9C, Perdana Quay, Telagar Harbour Park, Pantai Kok, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia. The restaurant number in case you need to call for directions or make reservations is 04-9594866 and they have a website at www.theloaflangkawi.com. Do note that the shop is opened every day of the week from 8am to 11pm except Thursdays.
I had read about this place on the web and was most adamant that we had to go to this place for lunch after the cable car ride and before we left for the airport. Luckily, the restaurant was only about 10-15mins drive away from the cable car station (both are on the west side of the island and near enough (about 20mins drive) to the airport which is also on the west side).
This is a picture of the bakery portion of The Loaf.
And a close up of the delicious but very pricy (expensive for Malaysia standards) pastries on the table. I bought about RM 25 worth of pastries - they only cost so little because they were new creations (cranberry loaf etc) going at half price! 1 of the pastries was this nut creation thingy at RM 5 (no discount) from the tray behind the table and that was extremely good! However, my mum said "Aiyah, why you support that man when he always attack us (Singapore and its ministers)?" after she learnt that the Loaf was owned by Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Dr M.
I wanted to buy a loaf of the award-winning fragrant raisin loaf (there were only 3 loafs there) but deliberated because of the price (Rm 18). I remember finally making up my mind to buy one loaf just before our meal was served but by the time we were done eating, I had clean forgotten about it (maybe cos of the huge bill I was presented with - RM 147 including the RM 25 worth of pastries). What a pity! However there is a branch at The Pavilion in KL and I may just fly to KL one of these weekends so all is not lost.
It was broiling hot that day (as are most days in Langkawi) so I started off with a chilled "Luxurious Chocolate" cheesecake which I picked from the refrigerated counter near the cashier. The cheesecake was a tiny thing no bigger than the size of my palm. There are other types of similarly-shaped cheesecakes in the refrigerated counter too which aren't listed on the menu such as "Tangy Lemon" so one should walk over to the counter to check these out.
The first course which we shared was an appetiser - the garden salad with cheddar cheese and field mushrooms. While the dish was delicious with the vegetable being fresh and crisp and the cheese adding a tang to the mushroomy taste, I thought this dish was extremely pricy at RM 24 (SGD 10 for a salad!). We finished the dish in about 4 mouthfuls each - don't be fooled by the picture I took below - the veg is all spread out and the plate is flat.
The menu for the main courses are divided in 3 main sections - one for sandwiches, one for pasta and one for meat dishes. After much deliberation (given the no of oppties I would have to eat here), I settled for the Smoked Salmon Twist which is a pasta dish described as norweigian smoked salmon with sauteed broccoli, asparagus, and mushroom in light soy sauce. The Slog Reviews: 9.5/10. The presentation of the dish (see the pic below) was most asthetically pleasant to the eye as was the case for ALL the dishes we had at The Loaf. The smoked salmon wasn't the least bit fishy and melted in my mouth. It went very well with the light soy sauce and pasta. Well worth the price of about RM 34
The other main course was the Southern Cajun Chicken Sandwich (RM 24) which is described as crispy chicken drumstick marinated with cajun spices and oriental bulb mix. And was it good as it looks in the picture? The Slog Reviews: 10/10. A resounding yes! I'm not a fan of sandwiches or chicken for that matter but this dish totally rocked my socks! The spices which the chicken was marinated in lent the chicken such a richness of flavor that the chicken didn't taste of chicken chicken. An absolutely yummy dish!
We shared the Black and White Lava cake for dessert. Described as rich classic and decadent chocolate cake with premium vanilla ice-cream, the dessert below cost RM 18. Again as you will note from the picture I took of the dish, much thought has gone into its presentation. The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. I don't recommend this dessert as it didn't taste very good - the chocolate cake was too heavy and moist instead of being rich and I didn't finish most of it. The ice-cream doesn't taste anything anything so I'm not sure what is meant by premium ice cream.
Here is a picture of (me at) the dining area of The Loaf. Each table has a bottle of red wine (which isn't complimentary) as part of its set-up, and with the white crisp linen cloth on each table, this bistro is definitely a restaurant in the sense of the word and a place you could go to dressed up or to bring a date. There aren't that many tables (but then again, there wasn't much of a crowd on a swelteringly hot Monday afternoon) at the dining area so one should make reservations.
The Loaf is located on the ground level floor of a two storey building and the outer walls of the restaurant are painted yellow. As you can also see from the picture below, there is outdoor and indoor dining. Even if one chooses indoor dining (blessed aircon!), some of the tables still have a view of the harbor and the expensive boats docked there.
There are quite a number of other restaurants such as the USSR restaurant which are located along the quay and facing the harbor too. Therefore, if one chooses not to eat at The Loaf, one still has other food choices without having to leave the quay area.
After our lunch, we made our way to the airport following the signboards along the roads. We happened to pass by the Field of Burnt Rice (we only knew it was the field because of a signboard in English that said so) and although we didn't stop for photos because we were worried we would be late for the flight, I snapped a picture of the rice fields from the car. If the rice really was burnt, I wouldn't be surprised given how merciless the sun is in Langkawi. To all who plan to go, do bring a hat, clothes with spf protection and plenty of sunblock - you wouldn't want to be the Person with Burnt Face/Hair....
I had read about this place on the web and was most adamant that we had to go to this place for lunch after the cable car ride and before we left for the airport. Luckily, the restaurant was only about 10-15mins drive away from the cable car station (both are on the west side of the island and near enough (about 20mins drive) to the airport which is also on the west side).
This is a picture of the bakery portion of The Loaf.
And a close up of the delicious but very pricy (expensive for Malaysia standards) pastries on the table. I bought about RM 25 worth of pastries - they only cost so little because they were new creations (cranberry loaf etc) going at half price! 1 of the pastries was this nut creation thingy at RM 5 (no discount) from the tray behind the table and that was extremely good! However, my mum said "Aiyah, why you support that man when he always attack us (Singapore and its ministers)?" after she learnt that the Loaf was owned by Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Dr M.
I wanted to buy a loaf of the award-winning fragrant raisin loaf (there were only 3 loafs there) but deliberated because of the price (Rm 18). I remember finally making up my mind to buy one loaf just before our meal was served but by the time we were done eating, I had clean forgotten about it (maybe cos of the huge bill I was presented with - RM 147 including the RM 25 worth of pastries). What a pity! However there is a branch at The Pavilion in KL and I may just fly to KL one of these weekends so all is not lost.
It was broiling hot that day (as are most days in Langkawi) so I started off with a chilled "Luxurious Chocolate" cheesecake which I picked from the refrigerated counter near the cashier. The cheesecake was a tiny thing no bigger than the size of my palm. There are other types of similarly-shaped cheesecakes in the refrigerated counter too which aren't listed on the menu such as "Tangy Lemon" so one should walk over to the counter to check these out.
The first course which we shared was an appetiser - the garden salad with cheddar cheese and field mushrooms. While the dish was delicious with the vegetable being fresh and crisp and the cheese adding a tang to the mushroomy taste, I thought this dish was extremely pricy at RM 24 (SGD 10 for a salad!). We finished the dish in about 4 mouthfuls each - don't be fooled by the picture I took below - the veg is all spread out and the plate is flat.
The menu for the main courses are divided in 3 main sections - one for sandwiches, one for pasta and one for meat dishes. After much deliberation (given the no of oppties I would have to eat here), I settled for the Smoked Salmon Twist which is a pasta dish described as norweigian smoked salmon with sauteed broccoli, asparagus, and mushroom in light soy sauce. The Slog Reviews: 9.5/10. The presentation of the dish (see the pic below) was most asthetically pleasant to the eye as was the case for ALL the dishes we had at The Loaf. The smoked salmon wasn't the least bit fishy and melted in my mouth. It went very well with the light soy sauce and pasta. Well worth the price of about RM 34
The other main course was the Southern Cajun Chicken Sandwich (RM 24) which is described as crispy chicken drumstick marinated with cajun spices and oriental bulb mix. And was it good as it looks in the picture? The Slog Reviews: 10/10. A resounding yes! I'm not a fan of sandwiches or chicken for that matter but this dish totally rocked my socks! The spices which the chicken was marinated in lent the chicken such a richness of flavor that the chicken didn't taste of chicken chicken. An absolutely yummy dish!
We shared the Black and White Lava cake for dessert. Described as rich classic and decadent chocolate cake with premium vanilla ice-cream, the dessert below cost RM 18. Again as you will note from the picture I took of the dish, much thought has gone into its presentation. The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. I don't recommend this dessert as it didn't taste very good - the chocolate cake was too heavy and moist instead of being rich and I didn't finish most of it. The ice-cream doesn't taste anything anything so I'm not sure what is meant by premium ice cream.
Here is a picture of (me at) the dining area of The Loaf. Each table has a bottle of red wine (which isn't complimentary) as part of its set-up, and with the white crisp linen cloth on each table, this bistro is definitely a restaurant in the sense of the word and a place you could go to dressed up or to bring a date. There aren't that many tables (but then again, there wasn't much of a crowd on a swelteringly hot Monday afternoon) at the dining area so one should make reservations.
The Loaf is located on the ground level floor of a two storey building and the outer walls of the restaurant are painted yellow. As you can also see from the picture below, there is outdoor and indoor dining. Even if one chooses indoor dining (blessed aircon!), some of the tables still have a view of the harbor and the expensive boats docked there.
There are quite a number of other restaurants such as the USSR restaurant which are located along the quay and facing the harbor too. Therefore, if one chooses not to eat at The Loaf, one still has other food choices without having to leave the quay area.
After our lunch, we made our way to the airport following the signboards along the roads. We happened to pass by the Field of Burnt Rice (we only knew it was the field because of a signboard in English that said so) and although we didn't stop for photos because we were worried we would be late for the flight, I snapped a picture of the rice fields from the car. If the rice really was burnt, I wouldn't be surprised given how merciless the sun is in Langkawi. To all who plan to go, do bring a hat, clothes with spf protection and plenty of sunblock - you wouldn't want to be the Person with Burnt Face/Hair....
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