Shaolin (2011) movie

I prefer not watching Chinese movies so I never do on my own accord. And I'm glad a friend suggested watching "Shaolin" this evening out of the blue and that I didn't disagree. We both came away with different takes on what the movie was about, driven of course by our individual paramount thoughts/feelings and circumstances. Our consensus though was that this was a great shows. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Worth the 2 and 1/2 hours of your life spent watching.

I thought the movie was about the humbling of a man - how it takes losing the person one loves the most before one is brought to one's knees. About how wealth and power are not everything at the end of the day, even though these are what most of us strive for on a daily basis. And how really, life isn't just about experiences (even a dog can experience fear or anger), but also about lessons and trials （人生要有经验和磨练）. If one has not been baptized by the fires of loss, hardship and trial to emerge stronger and better, but has always taken the safe and easy way out, one's character reminds undeveloped, stuck in a cycle of selfishness and self-centredness. Sometimes to win, you have to lose.

Summary

The movie starts with a scene of carnage and shaolin monks burying the dead and rescuing the injured. 1 of the injured turns out to be someone of great importance of the city that has just been leveled by the lead character, a warlord named Hou Jie. Cao Man, Hou Jie's second in command whom he addresses as younger brother, goes to Shaolin Temple to demand that the monks give up this injured character and pulls a gun on the abbott when denied. Hou Jie appears then and the injured character begs for his life and offers a treasure map if spared. Hou Jie takes the treasure map and walks away before turning around abruptly to shoot and kill. As a final insult, Hou Jie writes on the door plague (which had fallen off during a fight with the monks), no big deal. As they ride away to meet Tiger Sou who is Hou Jie's sworn brother, Hou Jie advises Cao Man to always show no mercy when one has gained the upper hand.

Tiger Sou is shown to be a brute whom Hou Jie shows deference to. Tiger Sou suggests a marriage between his young son and Hou Jie's little 7 year old daughter (Sheng Nan). It is obvious that Hou Jie and his wife dotes on their adorable little daughter and Hou Jie wonders why Tiger Sou did not ask him about the treasure map. He concludes that Tiger Sou wants the entire spoils of the city and decides to kill him before Tiger Sou can move first against him. The arrangement with his wife is that if he hits the table, she is to get up and go with their daughter to the toilet. The movie then depicts the relationship between Cao Man and Hou Jie where Cao Man is testing out arms marketed by the Russians and is tempted to accept the Russian's offer to supply the arms free of charge in exchange for support to build a railroad. Hou Jie rejects the offer as he believes the Russians want Chinese land and when Cao Man tries to speak up for the Russians, Hou Jie slams him into a wall, squeezes his neck and face until Cao Man concedes Hou Jie's superiority. Also, when Cao Man questions why Hou Jie allows Tiger Sou to bully him, Hou Jie shouts at Cao Man that it is his not his place to question this. In any case, Hou Jie trusts Cao Man enough to inform him of his plans to kill Tiger Sou at the restaurant where they are to meet to discuss the upcoming wedding and this is when Cao Man takes the chance to betray Hou Jie by sending a note informing Tiger Sou of the plan. midway during the meal.

Tiger Sou is enraged and Hou Jie has no choice but to kill Tiger Sou (who reveals during the meal that he doesn't want any part of the spoils of the city which Hou Jie leveled as Hou Jie would be leaving it to his daughter who would in turn share the same with Tiger Sou's son). In the meantime, Cao Man's men start hacking to death Tiger Sou's and Hou Jie's men with axes. Hou Jie's wife gets knocked unconscious while trying to fend off attackers from Sheng Nan. Hou Jie makes it out of the restaurant only to find his daughter running away from a group of attackers. He runs after them but is too slow/late to reach his daughter who runs into a path of a horse-drawn chariot. Hou Jie loads his wounded daughter in a chariot and an exciting chariot chase ensues. Hou Jie is badly wounded during the chase and loses control of his daughter's chariot. He manages to grab her before the chariot goes off a cliff and they both tumble and roll down the side of a slope. They then huddle in the dark and cold behind some rocks while the attackers search for them.

The horse's hoofs and then the tumbling around proved too much for the little girl. Hou Jie bursts into the Shaolin temple cradling his daughter and begging the monks to save them. They try but she dies in the presence of Hou Jie and his wife who was also rescued by the monks. Hou Jie is bersek in his grief while his wife weeps and blames him for all his evil deeds. Hou Jie is eventually subdued by the monks and when he awakes, his wife is gone, leaving him to settle Sheng Nan's funeral. He stumbles around outside and ends up falling in a boar pit dug by the temple's cook. The cook eventually becomes friends with Hou Jie who decides to cut off all his hair and join Shaolin as a monk after his daughter's cremation. The abbott takes Hou Jie in despite the other monks' protests and Hou Jie learns to do good deeds like dish out food to the poor, and to train with the other monks. He learns repentance and to let go.

In the meantime, Cao Man who had betrayed Hou Jie is a ruthless warload and allows the Russians to build their railroad in exchange for China's unearthed treasures. He kills those who oppose him without any mercy and even the laborers who dig up the treasures so they cannot breathe a word of his deeds. Hou Jie's cover/location is blown when one day he frees some of the laborers. Cao Man comes after Hou Jie with his men and Hou Jie goes with Cao Man to buy time for the other monks to free the other laborers and recover the treasure. But I should mention here that Hou Jie greets Cao Man with a face-turning slap which he says was for his daughter. Whatever happened to true forgiveness and letting go? Anyway, I suppose that was given at the ending of the movie when Hou Jie saves Cao Man's life not once but twice. The second time was fatal as it meant pushing Cao Man out of the way of a falling beam in the temple. The beam crushes Hou Jie so badly he dies wordlessly. A second blow to the temple (the Russians were bombing the place) dislodged the beam such that Hou Jie's lifeless body falls into the hands of the Buddha statue. Cao Man is then shown to go out of the temple wracked with remorse (Hou Jie keeps telling him to repent), esp when he sees the carnage around.

The movie ends with a scene between Hou Jie and his wife which is before the Shaolin temple is bombed to bits - he gives her Sheng Nan's ashes in a vase and the wife tells him that she likes him better now although she knows and accepts that they can never be together again. Closure.

Tuai Pui Curry Mee / Da Fei Ka Li Mien @ Penang

In addition to Penang Laksa, one of the "must-eats" in Penang is the curry mee. Mentioned on Penang's food trail brochure (available at the airport) was Tuai Pui Curry Mee located at Weld Quay. Since it was easy enough to get to the Quay with the free city shuttle service, I set my mind (and stomach) on having curry mee for brunch on our last day there.

This is how the stall looked like. From the bus interchange at the quay, we walked in the hot merciless heat down the road looking for the curry mee stall which we figured would be a prominent large coffee shop or at least a decently sized stall. However, Tuai Pui is nothing more than just a small stall which one would most easily bypassed if one wasn't looking out and asking around for it. The stall is about 5 mins walk away from the bus interchange on the opposite side of the road and near a large foodcourt that offers free wifi.

The curry mee is prepared by 1 of 2 brothers and there are all of 4 wooden tables set out under some large multi-colored umbrellas. The picture below should give one a better idea of the surroundings and set up of Tuai Pui Curry Mee. It certainly isn't a place which can accommodate a large group and really is nothing more than a roadside store. The kind that I wouldn't dare to eat at without risking a major stomachache.

However, since we had come so far and there was nothing else to be had, we decided to have the curry mee. Tired, hot and hungry, I didn't pay attention to what ingredients there were laid out at the stall and told the store uncle that I would have whatever he recommended. As a result, we both had a bowl of curry mee that came with congealed pig's blood. You can't get curry mee with blocks of congealed pig's blood anymore in Singapore according to my mother for whom this dish brought back memories of her childhood.

Of course, I didn't eat the pig's blood at all, or the pig's innards that came with the bowl of noodles but the curry was so delicious that I ordered another bowl of curry mee. However, this time, I chose the ingredients carefully - fishball noodles and chicken meat only. At RM 5 only, this bowl of curry mee was worth every calorie it contained.

There were only home-made drinks available at Tuai Pui so we headed to the open-air foodcourt a few steps down for drinks which might be safer on the stomach. I ordered the 3 colored tea which turned out to be a frighteningly sweet combination.

The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10 for Tuai Pui Curry Mee. Despite the oily flavorful richness of the gravy, it really isn't worth making an effort to go to Weld Road just for the curry mee. The curry mee is good, no denying that but the setup, surroundings and accessibility of the place (esp given the weather in Penang) are quite deterring factors.

Hotel D'99 at Muar

A couple of weeks back, I was hit by a really bad craving for fried fish eggs from my favourite restaurant at Muar and so we decided to spend the weekend at Muar with the intention of popping by Melaka. As this was a January weekend, I figured that my favourite hotel in Muar -Streetview Hotel - would have rooms available and didn't bother making any reservations. Unfortunately, I was proved wrong when we tried to get a room about 12+pm and so my CEB suggested that we try one of the hotels that we had driven past called Hotel D'99. Here is a pic of the hotel he took while we were driving back across the bridge from the Giant hypermart.

This hotel is a far different cry from the boutique smallish type of hotel like Streetview Hotel as evidenced by the size of its lobby. The Chinese male receptionist was very fluent in English and most efficient during the check-in process. We were of course delighted that the price of the room was more than affordable at RM113 inclusive of breakfast.

Here is a picture of the room with its queen-sized bed and extremely basic furnishing. There is a safe in the clothes cabinet, a mini-fridge, a water dispenser and a small lcd tv that comes with cable TV. All of these in the room work just fine but the flush of the W.C in the toilet was spoilt.

I wanted to change rooms but my CEB was in favour of staying in the current room because of the river view from the windows per the picture below. The bridge in the pic across the river is the bridge which leads to the highway (Highway 5 and not the NS highway where one has to pay toll) to Melaka. I conceded to him only because he could flush the W.C by pulling something within the system beneath the lid. Like he says, Msia hotels are usually pretty ill-maintained.

Breakfast was on the first floor of the hotel and no surprise what the spread (which was decent enough given the price paid) consisted of - nasi lemak. I suppose this is to cater to the large number of Malay guests staying at the hotel which we had originally assumed was catering to the Chinese crowd because of the KTV/lounge/bar on its 7th floor.

For dinner, we ended up at the Delifrance restaurant in the same building as the hotel. This is the first and only Delifrance Bistro in Johor and it has a surprisingly wide variety of items on its menu ranging from soups to ice-creams. That is my CEB(on his iphone as always) with the Delifrance trademark logo behind him and 1 of their ice-blended drinks in front of him

We both each had a bowl of the lobster bisque which was priced at RM9.90 and let me tell ya, ya can't get lobster bisque soup this good at less than SGD5 per bowl anywhere in Singapore. Although it didn't have that much meat, it was warm, creamy and most satisfying.

I have been on a croissant binge recently and compared to the SGD6.90 I paid for the same croissant from Delifrance across my office, the croissant below only cost RM9.90. However, the chicken did not taste like chicken but more like tuna. The Slog Reviews: 7/10.

My CEB did better than I did with his cheesy baked seafood rice which looked and tasted pretty good.

My CEB and I concurred that Hotel D'99 is a viable alternative to staying at Streetview Hotel so if one is en route to Melaka and needs a place to crash for the night, one can swing by Hotel D'99 at No 173 Jln Abdullah 84000, Muar.

Euro Rich Hotel @ Bukit Indah

Pariss Hotel was fully booked during the December school holidays so we decided to try Euro Rich Hotel for one of our weekend getaways. According to Agoda which I usually use to make hotel reservations, the room I booked was the last room available for that Dec weekend. So, while I thought we were lucky to get a room, I had my doubts if that was really the last room. Well, when we checked in, we were told that indeed it was the last room. However, the room wasn't ready so we waited at the hotel lobby which was very simply done up as a waiting area without provision for refreshments to be purchased ie no bar/restaurant/cafe at all.

After we had lugged our bags up the large flight of stairs to the second floor (the hotel has a total of 3 floors with the rooms occupying the 2nd and 3rd level) and to our allocated room, we were rather dismayed to find that the room was not only windowless but tasteless and tiny. The Slog Reviews: 2/10. Don't ever book a night's stay at Euro Rich Hotel. Pariss Hotel in the same area is just SGD15-20 more and is like, a million times better (as I'd reviewed earlier). Euro Rich Hotel is not within walking distance of the hypermarts (it is located amongst shophouses which have nothing very much) and the cramped rooms are dismal without windows. The design of the bathroom is ridiculous with a shower head placed in between the toilet bowl and the sink. If one takes a bath, it means the toilet seat and the basin area where one's toiletries are laid out would get wet. The whole affair is just horrid and the rating of 2 is for the lcd tv which has cable tv. This is definitely more like a low end motel than a hotel. The layout it such as to maximise the most number of rooms that would fit in the building and without consideration of aesthetics. Not a good place to spend one's time. Ugh.

The best Penang Laksa and Restoran Nasi Kandar Line Clear @ Penang

One should not ever miss out eating the famous penang laksa slightly off Jalan Penang. And that is where I brought my good old Mama despite her protests about how sour the laksa would be. I've blogged about it before so I won't go in to too much detail save that it is THE best laksa. We tried the penang laksa at Gurney Drive (the hawker food there is really dismal) and some other local coffeeshop but nothing comes close.


However, do not make the mistake of ordering chendul/chendol from this coffeeshop - the one outside where many stand slurping down the chendul is way better. The 50cents to bring that chendol into the coffeeshop is well spent as compared to ordering the overly sweet and sticky chendul from this coffeeshop. As mama was hungry, we ordered fried kway teoh too. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. The two prawns that came with the small plate (RM4) were succulent and fresh and the kway teoh was fried to perfection - not too oily and no burnt bits.

Good old mama didn't stop there though - she ordered the fried ngoh hiang which I am not a fan of but hey wow, the Slog Reviews: 8/10. The fried tofu was really good and the meat thingy was stuffed full of meat. I was impressed with how warm, soft and fresh the inside of the tofu was. The sauces that came with the dish were pretty delectable too. Not to be missed if 1 is there.

While walking down Jalan Penang in the direction of Cititel, we also passed by the famous Line Clear Nasi Kandar place - the entrance to the place looks like this. I remember the last time my CEB and I were there, the queue was so ridiculously long that as much as we wanted to try the food, we could not imagine joining the queue.

However, at 3.45pm in the afternoon, there was no queue whatsoever so despite being stuffed from the penang laksa, fried kway teoh etc, we waddled in the narrow alleyway to check out the offerings. On the left side of the wall were some cheery testimonies to the stall's popularity.

The prices of the items however were displayed after the offerings. :D Notice though that the prices of the prawns were not set out...and with good reason, one prawn was RM10!

So, the offerings - a mind-boggling display of pots and plates heaped full of various appetising food which assaulted not just the eyes but the nose. The guy in the picture appeared, or at least behaved like the owner of the place when he decided for mama and me how we should have our food packed for take-away. When I told him how long the queue was the last time and how glad I was to finally be able to try his famous food, he appeared rather pleased & promised me tt he would remember me. And, give me a "cut-the-queue" pass the next time(s).

We ordered chicken, 2 prawns and some veg out of the offerings (consisting of sotongs) below because these were, according to him, the items which would keep for dinner. We just couldn't put any more into our bellies at that time. The bill came to RM27 because 2 prawns = RM20!

In the night, we fell upon the packed food and it tasted as fresh as ever despite being left in packets for 3 hours. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Like Shakira's song "Hips don't lie" in this case here, the queues don't lie!

Golden Sands Resort @ Penang

Per my last post on Traders Hotel @ Penang, there is a daily free shuttle service to their sister hotel located at Batu Ferringhi which is essentially, Penang's most famous beach. The trip takes about 30-40mins and is almost always full so do remember to make reservations at the hotel concierge. I think the reason is that the room rates at Golden Sands Resort are twice that of Traders Hotel and most of the shops along Batu Ferringhi are closed in the day. However, as the well-known Chinese saying goes "Yi Fen Qian, Yi Fen Hou" ie what you pay is what you get and Golden Sands appears to be a far nicer place to stay at than Traders. Esp so if one likes the resort-style type of hotel, and if one has a family with small children. The grounds and concept of the hotel is much like Singapore's Rasa Sentosa as you will see from the pics.

The pools here are really lovely and family-friendly. It's all very nice really - right from the reception area to the paths down to the pool and then further on to the rather clean and well-kept stretch of beach. I took the picture below standing on the beach and I bet you'll agree with me that the resemblance to our Rasa Sentosa is undeniable! The picture also shows the famed Penang restaurant called Sigi's which opens right to the beach. Mum and I are not fans of alfresco dining given the stifling heat and murderous sun rays but the view from the outdoor tables at Sigi's was simply far too lovely to resist. So sat outside we did taking in the view of tall coconut trees, white sands and blue seas. And it wasn't hot because they turned on the ceiling fan and there was the cool fresh ocean breeze. Ah bliss!

Sigi's has a lunch time menu which means that plenty of items are not available in the day, in particular seafood like scallops and all.

If you know me, I'm allergic to chicken because it triggers my anger mgt issues (okay, I know how lame that sounds but it's better than not having an answer when questioned about this alleged allergy). However, my mum likes chicken so I decided to surprise her. The Slog Reviews: 8.5/10. The cook did such a great job of tenderising the chicken meat that my mum thought it was fish meat (as I didn't tell her I'd ordered the chicken). And with the melted cheese which lends a very nice twang to the meat, even I who hate chicken would recommend this dish to a friend! Definitely do not miss eating at Sigi's if you are at Batu Ferringhi!

We stumbled upon this on the hotel's grounds, as I said, this is a very family-oriented hotel and there are no lack of activities for one to engage in and at pretty affordable prices too! Traders Hotel's guests are entitled to use the facilities here as well free of charge but not the facilities at the Rasa Shangrila Hotel located next door. If Golden Sands is this impressive (for Penangs' standards), I wonder how good Penang's Shang is given the rates are double Golden Sand's! The sign above isn't to be taken lightly - there ARE jellyfish in the seas. However, the water sports like para sailing, jet skiing are so affordably priced that it would be a pity to miss these while holidaying at Golden Sands. There is also a reflexology/massage shop by the beach. Here is a picture of the Batu Ferringhi beach taken from Golden Sands' grounds. In the short time we were there, there were at least 3 brightly colored para sailing folks up in the air! I wish we had brought our swim suits because even my mum was tempted to go para-sailing. She has been a really good sport recently, having gone white water rafting in Australia with us just a few months back and I reckon I will bring good old mama for some para-sailing some day!

Traders Hotel @ Penang

For our mother-daughter trip to Penang, the choice of hotel was easy - Traders Hotel. Not only because of its superb location but also cos one should not bring one's mama to stay at digs less than decent. In any case, I figured I could use my Golden Circle membership which I'd acquired in 2008 staying at HongKong's Shang when travelling for work. The orangy card is my membership card and the reddish card is the special room keycard given to GC members only. And guess what, it does nothing more than an ordinary room keycard - bah.

Given that we were in Penang so near to the festive Chinese New Year period, the hotel lobby was decorated (rather garishly I felt) with lots of red. I'm not sure how the hotel lobby looks like on an ordinary day but I would think it doesn't quite look like tt with lots of dragons & lanterns.

No luck for a free upgrade to a club room despite the GC membership so a deluxe room (as I'd booked) on the 12th floor it was. I know that this isn't the Shang (although before it was re-named Traders it was called Shangrila) but I was quite surprised that this hotel was quite so old and old-fashioned. I didn't like the corridors of the 12th floor which were dark with thread-bare carpets and as for the room, well, how many hotel rooms these days still have CRT TVs! Even budget hotels have LCD TVs. And don't get me started on the limited cable channels. There was complimentary broadband service but no free wifi. The only thing I really dug about were the beds and beddings which were so plushy - it was so easy to fall sound asleep and a real struggle to get out of 'em in the morning.

We had a view of the city from our room - a view that reminded us of the blazing sun and merciless heat outside. According to a local, it hadn't rained for a month and this is the monsoon season we are talking about!

We didn't use any of the hotel facilities such as the pool but we had dinner at Island Cafe. The prices of the food are ridiculously cheap, esp for a Shang group hotel - RM25 nett for a large steaming pot of salmon fish head curry. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. Spicy definitely (esp if you eat the chilli in the pot) and more than enough meat for 2 adults to share because an entire fish head was used. However, sweet pink salmon meat doesn't really go so well with curry (or maybe I'm not used to that) so this dish isn't a must-try.

Now, when I say superb location of the hotel, I meant the hotel's accessibility to one of the bigger shopping malls in Penang - Pranglin Mall which spans two atriums. It has a Parkson at one of the atriums as well as a Giant supermarket, Watsons, Guardian and all sorts of local clothes and shoes shops. Nothing high street like Mng, Zara much less, Bebe or LV. There is also a cinema on the top floor of Pranglin Mall.

And right next to Pranglin Mall is the new shopping centre called First Avenue. It appears to be very new with a (not-yet-opened) covered linkway to Traders Hotel. There is supposed to be a supermarket here but it isn't opened and the shops look slightly higher-end (there is supposed to be a Coach store soon) but that remains to be seen as the place isn't fully tenanted.

The Slog Reviews: I'll rate a stay at Traders Hotel Penang 8/10. While you should not expect to be blown away or even the least bit impressed with the rooms or the state of the hotel because of its Shang branding, the location (shopping) and accessibility (not just to public transport but to all the famous eating places at Jln Penang / Jln Burma) makes it a viable hotel option. There is also a free daily (11.30, 2.30 and 4.30pm)shuttle bus ride to and fro Golden Sands Resort (also under the Shang group) which one has to register for early due to the limited seats (lots of Japanese tourists stay at Traders and use this facility).

Because Traders Hotel is right next to Komtar, one can take the public bus 401E from the airport to Komtar and walk the 2min walk to the hotel. The bus ride costs only RM2 per pax as opposed to taking a taxi from the airport to Komtar at RM44+. However, I should mention here that I had waited 45mins at Komtar for the 401E to get to the airport on the last day and it never showed - the taxi driver we used in the end mentioned that there is only one bus and well, if that bus gets stuck in the a traffic jam (which Penang is famous for) or breaks down, one could wait a really really long time...like more than an hour!

Double Bay Australian Dining & Bar

Just like nothing beats a piping hot chocolate drink on a cold rainy day, nothing warms the soul more than a friend who takes the effort to show care and concern. As you may guess from the pic below, I had both today.

I'd been shivering and miserable the entire morning in the office because of the weather and my doubts about well, certain decisions and people. A friend of mine decided to relieve me of both by taking me out for lunch to a restaurant I'd never been before - Double Bay. He said a change of scenary would cheer me up and so we sat outside in the non-smoking alfresco dining area with a full view of Raffles Hotel's majestic architecture, sipping hot chocolate, talking and watching the world (rain and people) go by. The Slog Reviews: 9/10 for the hot chocolate - it was really warm, sweet and frothy. And bitter at the end bits which is a sign apparently, of a good quality chocolate drink. Best antidote for a rainy day.

Because Australia is famous for its pies, we decided to order the first pie on the pie list (I forgot the name) which was big enough for 2 pp to split. The Slog Reviews: 6/10. Would not recommend this pie to those who do not like vegetables or fish. The fish baked in the pie - sea bass - tasted very fresh but very fishy - and I have to say the chunks of fish were far from plentiful, making this pie a very over priced item indeed (it was more than 20 bucks I recall).

In any case, if I don't go back to Double Bay for its food any time soon, I'll certainly remember it as the place where I was struck by my friend's willing expenditure of his precious time, money and brain cells just to make me a rainy lousy day just that bit less gloomy for me. He impresses me - what good is all this talk about caring, or even loving if there is no effort shown indeed? And worse, what is the point of sweet words when one directs/uses one's effort and time to do things that do not build the relationship that one claims matters?

So, if you want to be where I was when I had all these mind-numbing relevations or just want some pick me up hot chocolate, you need to make your way to 252 North Bridge Road #01-22A Raffles City Shopping Centre. The telephone number is 65-6334 6530

Meet the Parents: Little Fockers (2010) movie

No surprise for guessing where we spent the New Year - in JB! I'd booked our favorite getaway place there for the weekend (Thistle) in anticipation of the overnight fishing we would be doing on New Yr's Eve but because of the bad weather, that was cancelled. So my CEB and I ended up shopping at NEX before gg back to my place to watch the DVD he had bought at Nex. There is more I want to say, but anyway, yeah...what a way to welcome the New Year. Heh.

The next day, we were at Jusco with the express purpose of changing monies but we ended up checking the movie timings at the cinema and buying tickets for the comedy. The Slog Reviews: 6.5/10. Jessica Alba appears to be in better shape than ever in her role as a well, temptress. The jokes in this movie are a tad re-cycled - you know, the 2 fingers pointing at the eyes "I'm watching you", "yeah I'm watching you watching me" but if one is out looking for a laugh, there are plenty to be had in the movie. Slap stick verbal humor mostly - think "Fockerised" and "Godfocker" but the rap during the credits is worth staying for. My humble opinion is that this movie should be watched on DVD rather than on the big screen since there is nothing remarkable about the movie or effects.

2010 - Travel for the year in pictures

Unlike 2009 where I was flying constantly for work, there was absolutely no work-related travel in 2010. So with the support of my boss without whom all this would not be possible, I had my own little escapes out of the country with family, friends and my CEB. The photos are in the hundreds per trip so I decided to pick 1 of the ones that I like best for each trip. 

 

1 Dec 2009 to 4 January 2010 (Kota Kinabalu) - Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (The marine park is an experience not to be missed indeed if one goes to KK. And so is feasting on seafood at Sedco Square - this trip was memorable because of the New Year fireworks at Jesselton Square, and the fishing competition I almost won. Not too shabby a start for 2010)

16 to 17 January 2010 (Ho Chi Minh) - Greyhound racing track @ Vung Tau ( Again, an experience that should not be missed, esp if one loves punting. This trip was slightly different from the norm F&E trips because I was with 1 of my closest friends, The Slug, whose family (well half of) resides in Vietnam - From Hyatt to Hovel indeed! Thank u!) 5 to 8 February 2010 (Langkawi) - 1st grouper on lure @ Datai Bay (After the numerous fishless sessions with my fishing shifu, I finally caught my first fish on lure, this grouper is the 2nd/3rd fish caught on lure but at least I broke the fishing curse! I also fell in love with the island of Langkawi after this trip which was probably 1 of the best ones I had - renting a car, feasting on fish that we had caught from the ocean, perfecting my casting skills (lures), being amazed by the beauty of the Andaman Sea from the sky cable car) 6 to 7 March 2010 (Kuching) - Cat Museum (This trip was 1 of the worst - it sucked eggs so big time and probably marked the beginning of the end of whatever that might have been with this travel companion. What was supposed to be a fun weekend getaway turned out to be a nightmare from the moment we landed. "Men" who shout and sulk ought to be shot.)

27 t0 30 May 2010 (Bali) - Family @ Besakih Temple

(This was the first holiday where I was running a fever all of the trip and also lost my voice. Which was terrible because it was one of the few F&E family trips (my mum tends to favor the package tours) and one which I had pre-booked...nothing. This trip didnt turn out too badly though because my little sister stepped up and made sure all went well with all the day tours I booked the moment we landed (b4 I lost my voice). Packed everything worth seeing in this trip - dinner at Jimbaran Bay, Tanah Lot, Kintamani volcano, Fire Dance etc)

2 to 7 July 2010 (Shenzhen and Hongkong) - Hyatt Hotel @ ShaTin

If you asked my CEB which hotel room is his favourite after all the hotels we've stayed, he would swear it is this one - me thinks it is because of the memories we have here.)

5 to 10 August 2010 (Cambodia) -Family @ Angkor Wat

(This was a great F&E trip where with the help of the great hotel we stayed in - The Kool Hotel - we went on customised day trips to all the sights (many temples!) worth seeing. We also went to the museum and shook those fortune telling sticks. My sis's lot was the best (not just literally) but mine was pretty decent too. It was a fantastic family bonding trip with lots of beautiful pictures and memories - I miss the amok fish from The Kool Hotel now!)

21 to 23 August 2010 (Ho Chi Minh) - My birthday @ New York Steakhouse (Another holiday when I was sick! And so was my poor CEB whom I must have passed my cough to. We both were so sick the first and second nights that we couldn't enjoy the fab hotel I'd booked to celebrate my birthday in - Majestic Hotel. I broke a glass in the toilet the first night in my fevered haze and despite me wanting to keep my CEB out, he insisted on helping me clear the mess. And he was the one who got up to boil some drinks for two of us sick pp. :P By the third day we were better and had overpriced steak followed by his lucky streak at the hotel's casino where he won $ with my $.)

8 to 12 September 2010 (Australia) - Family rafting down Barron River @ Cairns

(This was the yearly "big" trip for the family. In 2008 we did USA (the Grand Canyon), in 2009, Central Europe and UK and in 2010, I decided that I had to see the Great Barrier Reef and so off we went to sunny Cairns. We went to the Kuranda Rainforest which was truely majestic, snorkelling over the Great Barrier Reef and then white water rafting as a family. We also did loads of shopping for macademia nuts and gifts for the folks back home - and Cairns Central is where my current sleeping companion hails from - my nua nua buaya toy!)

2 to 3 October 2010 (KL) - Weekend escape @ Sheraton Imperial Hotel's clubroom (This trip was the 1 where my tiger airways flight was cancelled the night b4 and I flew silkair instead in the morning bcos the room and my CEB's coach ride up were already paid for. My CEB booked Jogoya for Sun lunch and I outate him at what must be 1 of the largest buffet spreads in KL. Hah. We were upgraded to a clubroom at the hotel which mean a really lovely and spacious hotel room which we both thoroughly enjoyed. That's my CEB taking a photo of us in the room's mirror and though it is erm, slanted and all, I like this pic because it shows the level of casual comfort we have reached by our 3rd month as a couple.)

15 to 18 October 2010 (Phuket) - His Birthday @ Maya Beach

(There was a jetstar promotion in July and since the price was right (SGD70 for a return ticket per pax), we spent his birthday in Phuket. We rented a car and spent some time at Patong Beach where we stayed at Millenium Hotel. On the day of his birthday, we booked a day trip to Maya Beach and Khai Noi. The weather was perfect that day when the day b4 it was raining non-stop. We did some shopping arnd the hotel, followed by a day of beach-hopping where we drove to Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Mai Khao etc. We also visited the Great Buddha statue at Chalong Bay and the Promthep Cape which was where the motorcycle accident happened. Waiting for the ambulance, directing traffic down the bend in the rain, gg to the police station - an unforgettable experience that we shared as a couple.)

27 to 31 October 2010 (Bangkok) - The 12th barra on lure @ Boon Mar Lake

(A "mother-daughter" time trip where mum and I enjoyed not just some pampering moments together - spa, facial, shopping, eating - but also where I brought mum fishing! Like the year before when I brought her to BSR, she had a swell time breathing in the country air, taking in the sights so different from that in Singapore, and taking photos of me and the catch.)

3 to 8 November 2010 (Penang & Langkawi) - Kek Lok Si Temple @ Penang

(I've never been to Penang before - 1 of the few states in Msia that I haven't visted - and managed to persuade my CEB to go along with me although he had been there b4. The first time where we both were told there were no rooms at the hotel despite our reservation. We stayed in Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion instead which I enjoyed but not my CEB. My friend from Penang met us there and was kind enough to drive us around. And not only that, she introduced us to the best salt-baked prawns and crabs we ever had. We also gorged on Penang Laksa and chendol as well as visited the famous Kek Lok Si Temple.)

3 to 8 November 2010 (Penang & Langkawi) - Eagle Square @ Langkawi (The idea was to go to just Penang but my CEB had seen a pic of Dataran Lang on the back of a bus and he suggested going to Langkawi for a couple of days which turned out to be the best travel idea he had- we stayed at The Datai - 1 of the best (and most exp) hotels there andwe also rented a car to drive around - we ended up at the largest man-made waterfall, eating power laksa at the roadside, waking up early to stroll along Pantai Cenang, dining at The Loaf and taking the Langkawi Cable Car ride. We even went to Eagle Sq per the pic below which was afterall, the inspiration for us being here)

And so that was all the flight-related travel I had for 2010 - many short and enjoyable trips to countries not too far away. What a difference from 2009 where we went on a 18 day tour of Europe and UK and 2008 where we spent 14 days at USA's West Coast. I wonder what sorta travel 2011 will bring!

The Tourist (2010) Movie

I am a die-hard Angelina Jolie fan and instead of catching Gulliver's Travel this evening, I bought tickets for The Tourist instead. A not very detailed summary of the plot can be found here but why read it if you are going to watch the movie which has just opened in Singapore. The twist is right at the very end, but I'd guessed who Pierce was when the Inspector revealed that Jolie was a secret agent to him. Jolie is more lovely and stunning than ever - the epitome of classy chic and sexy with her slender shapely legs, tiny waist, womanly hips and oh so damn seductive walk. Her glorious mane, full luscious lips, clear wide eyes and high cheekbones are testimony to God's work.

Oh wait, I was suppose to be reviewing the movie and not the woman. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. No heavy stuff in this movie which is a really light-hearted and entertaining watch for a couple of hours. Jolie is beautiful in every single outfit she dons in this movie and....okay, I better stop here before I go off on her again. :P

Fishing - Mersing Tragedy and Nenasi Fishing on 14 Aug 2010

I've stopped fishing offshore since the middle of August last year - we couldn't make it for the last offshore trip for the year which was scheduled on my CEB's birthday in October because we were in Phuket holidaying. And then there were no further offshore fishing trips arranged because most of the weekend slots in Nov had been booked by others targeting sailfish and it was also the monsoon season (late Nov to Feb).

I have had fishing trips cancelled because the boatman refused to go out to sea due to the choppy weather, and that wasn't even during the monsoon season. So it was with great sadness that I read about the deaths of 4 Singaporeans who drowned when the boat they were in capsized off Mersing where they had gone for a fishing trip this month. To compound matters, there were insufficient life jackets on board and the boat was loaded past capacity. Talk about sheer irresponsibility on the part of the boatman. May their souls rest in peace. The sea is an unforgiving master, and seeks to exact its toll on those who take from it.

And that is what I intend to do in a couple of days time. Like the past 2 years where I welcome the new year abroad, this year I will not be in Singapore again. Well, at least not on the island. We are going fishing (Singapore waters) and will be on a boat to catch the fireworks before heading for the wreck to get some monster groupers ("gaos"). More fun, chicken wings and beer than serious fishing, according to my fishing kaki who was the organiser of my last offshore fishing trip of 2010 in Nenasi. Yup, the picture below shows my first catch on that fishing trip. A bright chermin. Caught it on the bradmis which has brought me incredible luck this year and a wide variety of fishes. The fight was thrilling but too short - I wasn't targetting chermins this size but GTs so this fish was no match at all for my 40lbs leader.

I caught a couple of greasy groupers but they were only 2kg+ each which meant no one scrambled to take any photos at all. And I left my trusty Sony Ericsson behind which was a huge mistake because to get photos from pp generally is a tough process. The rest of the fishing trip was rather quiet for those who were doing bottom fishing so I switched to jigging for squids. It was sotong season besides. With the triangle technique I'd learnt from my fishing shifu, I landed about 7 sotongs in all - the first one fell off the barbed end of the cheap jig while waiting for my CEB to go get the camera. So i changed jig and after 3 casts, I landed this decent sized sotong which ended up as bait for those bottom fishing.

So although I don't eat sotongs and one doesn't really pay good money to go squidding on an offshore trip, I spent about 2 hours jigging for squids - cast retrieve in triangle fashion until one feels a tug, then the dead weight at the end of the line which means either a catch or....a lost jig (sungkot)...nothing beats the thrill of fishing and wondering what the hell is on the other end.

Well anyway, after realising that most of my sotongs had been butchered by the anglers on board to be used as bait (their prawns weren't working), I decided to go after my dream catch. Yeah, it's nothing much - a parrot fish. It helps that the meat of a parrot fish is even more tender/delicious than a normal greasy grouper of course, but no, I chase the parrot fish not for its meat but because I've never had the luck to land one.

See this beauty I'm holding? It isn't mine. There I was using the same bait (prawns) as the guy on the other side of the boat who was using a handline and this 4kg+ parrot fish took his bait and not mine. He let me pose with a picture of his fish (which he packed back to HKG) - only the borga used to grip its mouth, and the bradmis behind in the picture belong to me. And that is the thing about fishing - it reminds me that as in life, there are many things beyond our control and sheer will (or force of will) is insufficient - there are many times when we have to surrender to a higher power/forces greater than us. May the good Lord deem it fit to bless me with a parrot fish and many other fishes in the coming 2011!

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury

I picked this book up by chance at the National Library and it is one of the best books that I've ever had the good fortune to stumble upon. This book has made a difference to my life, and came in extremely handy, especially over the past few weeks. The Slog Reviews: Off the charts. Anyone, everyone, should pick a copy up and start reading! As always, I'll set out below the parts I would like to share and, well, remember:

1. The game of negotiation takes place at 2 levels. At 1 level, negotiation addresses the substance, at another, it focuses on the procedure for dealing with the substance. Instead of positional bargaining (taking positions), an alternative would be principled negotiations. This can be boiled down to 4 basic points:

People: Separate the people from the problem. Be soft on the people, hard on the problem. Proceed independent of trust.

Interests: Focus on the interests, not positions. Avoid having a bottom line

Options: Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do - before trying to reach agreement, invent options for mutual gain.

Criteria: Insist that the result be based on some objective standard. Try to reach a result based on standards independent of will. Reason and be open to reason; Yield to principle, not pressure.

2. Failing to deal with others sensitively as human beings prone to human reactions can be disastrous for a negotiation. Always ask "Am I paying enough attention to the people problem?" It is useful to think in terms of 3 basic categories: perception, emotion and communication.

Perception - The other side's thinking is the problem. Put yourselves in their shoes. The ability to see the situation as the other side sees it, as difficult as it may be, is one of the most important skills that a negotiator can possess. You should withhold judgment for a while as you "try on" their views. Don't blame them for your problem - separate the symptoms from the person with whom you are talking. Discuss perceptions in a frank honest manner and look for opportunities to act inconsistently with their perception. Also, give them a stake in the outcome by making sure they participate in the process - agreement becomes much easier if both parties feel ownership of the ideas. Get the other side involved early, ask their advice, give credit generously for ideas wherever possible, don't take credit for yourself. Make your proposals consistent with their values - if the substance can be phrased or conceptualized differently so that it seems a fair outcome, they will then accept it. Face-saving involves reconciling an agreement with principle and with the self-image of the negotiators.

Emotion - Talk with the people on the other side about their emotions. Talk about your own. Allow the other side to let off steam. Listen quietly without responding to their attacks and occasionally to ask the speaker to continue until he has spoken his last word. Use symbolic gesture - often an apology can defuse emotions effectively even when you do not acknowledge personal responsibility for the action or admit an intention to harm.

Communication - Listen actively and acknowledge what is being said. If you pay attention and interrupt occasionally to say "Did I understand correctly that you are saying that...?" Make it your task not to phrase a response but to understand them as they see themselves. As you repeat what you have understood them to have said, phrase it positively from their point of view, making the strength of their case clear. understanding is not agreeing. Speak to be understood - It is clearly unpersuasive to blame the other party for the problem, to engage in name-calling or to raise your voice. It is more persuasive to describe a problem in terms of its impact on you than in terms of what they did or why. Before making a significant statement, know what ou want to communicate or find out and know what purpose this information will serve.

3. Prevention works best - build a working relationship. The time to develop this is before the negotiations starts. Face the problem, not the people. A more effective way for the parties to think of themselves is as partners in a hardheaded side by side search for a fair agreement advantageous to each. To help the other side change from a face to face orientation to side by side, you might raise the issue with them explicitly "Look, we are both lawyers. Unless we try to satisfy your interests, we are hardly likely to reach an agreement that satisfies mine and vice versa. Let's look together at the problem of how to satisfy our collective interests." It helps to sit side by side on the same side of a table and to have in fron to you the contract or whatever else depicts the problem.

4. The basic problem in a negotiation lies not in conflicting positions, but in the conflict between each side's needs, desires, concerns and fears. To find out their interests is as important as figuring out yours - one basic technique is to put yourself in their shoes and ask "Why?" If you do, make clear you are asking not for justification of the position but for an understanding of the needs, hopes, fears or desires it serves. Ask "Why Not?" Identify the basic decision that those on the other side probably see you asking them for and then to ask yourself why they have not made that decision. If you are trying to change their minds, the starting point is to figure out where their minds are not. Realize each side will have multiple interests. Do not assume each person on the other side has the same interests. The most powerful interests are basic human needs - eg security, economic well-being, a sense of belonging, recognition and control over one's life. To sort out the interests of each side, it helps to write them down as they occur to you. This will not only help you remember them but also enable you to improve the quality of your assessment as you learn new info and place interests in their estimated order of importance. Be specific about your interests. Concrete details make your description credible but also add impact. If you want the other side to appreciate your interests, demonstrate you appreciate theirs. Put the problem before the answer. If you want someone to listen and understand your reasoning, give your interests and reasoning first and your conclusions or proposals later. Look forward, not back. You will satisfy your interests better if you talk about where you would like to go rather than about where you have come from. Be concrete but flexible - to convert your interests to concrete options - ask yourself, if tomorrow the other side agrees to go along with me, what do I now think I would like them to go along with?" Go into a meeting with 1 or more specific options that would meet your legitimate interests but with an open mind. An open mind is not an empty one. Give positive support to the human beings on the other side equal in strength and vigor with which you emphasize the problem.

5. Broaden the options available instead of narrowing the gap between positions, Do not engage in premature judgment, searching for the single answer, assumption of a fixed pie and thinking that solving their problem is their problem. To invent creative options, you will need to separate the act of inventing options from the act of judging them, broaden the options on the table rather than look for a single answer, search for mutual gains and invent ways of making their decisions easier. Change the scope of a proposed agreement -and ask how the subject matter may be enlarged so as to sweeten the pot and make agreement more attractive. Look for mutual gain and identify shared interests. Dovetail differing interests - invent several options all equally acceptable to you and ask the other side what they prefer. You want to know what is preferred and not acceptable. Take that option and work with it some more to come up with 2 or more variants - look for items which are low cost to you and high benefit to them. Few things facilitate a decision as much as precedent. Search for it. Look for a decision or statement that the other side may have made in a similar situation. Instead of threats, concentrate both on making them aware of the consequences they can expect if they do decide as you wish and on improving those consequences from their point of view. A final test of an option is to write it out in the form of a yesable proposition - try to draft a proposal to which their responding with the single word yes would be sufficient realistic and operational.

6. Insist on using objective criteria. Depending on the issue, you may wish to propose that an agreement be based on market value, precedent, scientific judgment, professional standards, efficiency, costs, what a court would decide, moral standards, equal treatment, tradition, reciprocity. Fair procedures - to produce an outcome independent of will, use fair standards for the substantive question or fair procedures for resolving the conflicting interests - eg dividing a cake between 2 children - one cuts and one chooses - neither can complain about an unfair division. A variation is for parties to negotiate what they think is a fair arrangement before they go on to decide their respective roles in it. Other basic means of settling differences - taking turns, drawing lots, letting someone else decide and so on. 3 basic points - 1. frame each issue as a joint search for objective criteria, 2. reason and be open to reason as to which standards are most appropriate and how they should be applied 3. never yield to pressure only to principle. Ask What's your theory, agree first on principles - each standard the other side proposes becomes a lever you can then use to persuade them. In a given case there may be 2 standards which produce different results, but which both parties agree seem equally legitimate - in that case, splitting the difference is perfectly legitimate as the outcome is independent of the will of the parties. Pressure can take many forms - if the other side will not budge and will not advance a persuasive basis for their position, then there is no further negotiation. Take it or leave it. Before you leave it, look to see if you have overlooked some objective standard which makes their offer a fair one.

7. No method can guarantee success if all the leverage lies on the other side. In response to power, the most any method of negotiation can do is to meet 2 objectives: 1st to protect you against making any agreement you should reject and second, to help you make the most of the assets you do have so that any agreement you reach will satisfy your interests as well. Instead of having a bottom line, have a BATNA - Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement. If you have not thought carefully about what you will do if you fail to reach an agreement, you are negotiating with your eyes closed. Although your BATNA is the true measure by which you should judge any proposed agreement, you should have a trip wire which should provide you with something in reserve. The better your BATNA, the greater your power. Spend time developing your BATNA.

Tron: Legacy (2010) Movie

I'd no intention to catch Tron given the extremely stressful past 3 weeks but my CEB had a couple of free tickets to the movie so catch the movie we did last Tuesday.

I've no intention to reproduce a synopsis of the movie here because a most detailed one can be found here. The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. The graphics of the Light Cycle match make this movie a must-watch on the big screen or a large high quality television set. There isn't much substance or memorable quotes in the movie which is set in a dimension and time that has yet to exist. However, it is note-worthy that despite all that and the fancy futuristic feel of the movie, basic human themes like betrayal, ambition and sacrifice are explored.

SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands

I know I seldom blog about places in Singapore although I am a true "born and bred" S'porean. However, I could not NOT share about SkyPark on the 58th floor (highest floor) of Marina Bay Sands and its simply awesome infinity pool.

Now, although one can always purchase a ticket to go to the SkyPark and snap some lovely pictures of Singapore's majestic skyline, the only way to get a picture like the one I took above and below is to go for a swim in the infinity pool (which is open only to hotel guests).

As my CEB and I were there on the day after Xmas which was a Sunday to boot, the pool was horrifyingly crowded with loads of tourists as seen from the picture below. We had quite a tough time finding some deck chairs to put our towels on despite the generous number of deck chairs. Some tourists were suntanning, some were reading, some were using their iPads but almost all of them were taking lots of photographs of the amazing skyline. And yup, that is my CEB heading back for the safety of the deckchairs after I splashed him - buaya in the water! :P

After our swim, we lazed for a bit on the deck chairs - I almost fell asleep because of the cooling breeze (the pool is on the 58th floor) and the balmy weather. My CEB on the other hand was engrossed playing some racing game on his iPhone and sipping the complimentary drinks (for hotel guests). Talk about living the good life :D

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. A definite must visit and must do when in Singapore would be staying at MBS and going to the SkyPark for a swim. It is terribly hard not to be most impressed and times like this makes me feel just a wee bit guilty about spending so much time going to Malaysia instead of appreciating all my own country can offer.