Movie Review: Final Destination 4

If you are a fan and have been following all the FD movies, you got the picture. Everyone will die but what keeps up going throughout the movie is, how? How are they going to die and who will be next.

I've watched FD from its 1st movie to this - the 4th one. Although, I couldn't actually remember the detail story but I do know this movie is horrid, violent, gruesome and horrifying all at the same time. It's the chill of it that keeps most of the audiences coming back to the same FD show.

I'm definitely, definitely not a fan of Violence. I just happen to see such movies because I think it's only fair that I follow my boyfriend to the movies that he enjoys since he did the same for mine.

Okay, about the movie, it started with the scene where one of the 4 friends (Nick) has a vision that all of them at the Car Race are going to die horribly at the track during the race. The vision came to live but they managed to escaped from it. Out of the 6 survivors of the incident, each one of them die eventually in sequence of death that was shown in Nick's vision earlier. Following the chain of it, they (survivors) tried their best to save each other from death since it's been approaching to each one of them one-by-one. I won't go into details on how and who dies. But, if you are going for this movie, you should be expecting to see some very horrible scenes with the substances of blood, pieces of human flash, bloodied headless body, a girl rolled up live by a faulty escalator, a guy's hand nailed onto the wall, and many more.

I think both Bobby Campo (as Nick) and Shantel VanSanten (as Lori) are such sweethearts.

WARNING: Have your meal before watching the movie, NOT during and NOT after.

99 Things About Me

It took me awhile to think whether I really want to do this. I have been posting about Movies and Books but not really anything that seems to capture who I am and what I'm like. So, I came up with 99 Things Bout Me, which would basically sum up pretty much about my life.

1. In real life, I have a little black book (cover + sheets of pages are in black) where I would write when I feel something really strong inside but not feeling like telling anyone. No one would get to read that except myself.

2. I’ve never owned a dog, a cat or any other pets except a pair of turtles that stint big time, a bunny that bites TV remote control and a hamster that likes to bite my toes. I let loose of the bunny in the park and the turtles in the reservoir. The hamster died quietly in its cage and found it when I came back home from work. I called my boyfriend and cried but didn’t dare touching that fragile little body.

3. I love sipping coffee while reading book on a rainy day in the bed by the window. It feels like heaven to me.

4. Only at age 20 do I realize that my favourite colour is ‘Green’. Previously, I had none.

5. I don’t like food that is too sweet.

6. I don’t like chocolate.

7. Pizza vs Pasta. Always the pasta for me.

8. Love flowers, have never received one.

9. I have a brother who loves me but never told me once that he loves me.

10. At grade 4, I wet my pants during the class while singing national anthem cuz I have been holding it for sometime since the class is going to be over after singing the anthem. Lucky that we were all released right after that.

11. When we were in primary school, there is a fat boy who hits on me and will do stupid things just to get my attention. No, he didn’t become my boyfriend.

12. I’ve read a love letter from a boy when I was 11 in the school’s toilet, cuz I think it’s very embarrassing to read it in front of my friends.

13. When I was 14, a guy who’s going out with my close friend at that time, once bumped into me on the bridge to school, told me that he would have chosen me over the girl he’s going out with, if only my eyes were bigger. I didn’t get him. He’s just weird.

14. I helped my bro send his love letter to the girl he’s hitting on when I was 12. No, nothing happened between the two.

15. There’s a boy who told his parent that he wants to marry me, he was only 11 and I, 9. The parent promised him that they would help to ask my dad for my hand if he manages to pass the exams with flying colors. He failed 4 of them.

16. I ride my own bicycle to school which was a mile away from my house together with my bro since I was 8.

17. I came home crying one day from school cuz I lost my bicycle and had a hard time telling the story while sobbing real hard to my dad and mom during the meal. Later that day, my dad followed me to school only to know that my bicycle was kept by the headmistress since I didn’t lock it up. She did it for the keepsake for everyone to lock their vehicles.

18. I envied others when I see them riding a motorbike to school and hoped that my parent could buy one for me. Sadly, they weren’t rich enough. (Riding underage was allowed in my small town. People don’t give a damn about the license.)

19. I got into an accident while pillion riding on a friend’s bike and got a scar on my forefeet that will last a lifetime.

20. I shop like a guy. I’m hard to please when it comes to choosing my own clothes / bags / shoes. I don’t just buy anything. I don’t keep trying if I think that I might not be buying it.

21. I can’t follow my girl friends to shop. It just tires me out.

22. When it comes to shopping for books, I got lost in the bookshop. My boyfriend can’t stand this. He tries his best to keep me away from bookstores.

23. I’m sentimental and I keep all the past things that hold a great deal of memories to me, until now.

24. My dad was a doctor. I used to help my dad at his clinic and had a kick out of collecting money from the patients. I realize now that, that wasn't very nice of me to feel that way.

25. When I donate or give, I do it with all my heart without expecting anything back in return. I believe it’s only right to do so.

26. I was born in a small town and grew up in an even smaller town where everyone knows each other.

27. When there’s event at school in my hometown, I’m one of the first whom the teachers would pick to make me perform on stage. Not because I’m good at dancing and stuffs, just because they are very sure that my dad would be willing to fork out budget since he’s the most respectable doctor in town.

28. I started to sleep on a separate bed from my parent since I started my grade 1, unlike my brother who’s 2 years older and he slept with my parent till he’s about 8.

29. I stole a note from my mom’s pulse to get myself a snack and got caught. She didn’t scold me but made me realize my wrongdoing and assured me I could tell her if I want to get something for myself, she’ll get it for me. I’ve never done that again since then.

30. My dad hates eating junk food and doesn’t like us (family members) to eat too.

31. He’s very health conscious but passed away at the age of 50.

32. That was the first time I saw someone die right in front of my eyes.

33. I left my house when I was 13 to pursue a higher education in the big city while staying with my aunt.

34. Until I saw a photo album filled with my bro’s and my childhood pictures on the side stand of my parent bed, I didn’t realize that staying apart from us was such a painful thing for them and that they love and miss us dearly.

35. When I was 12, my dad has once made me embarrassed in front of the whole school. That’s when he was having a health talk in a big hall at school while the students and the lecturer were listening. The topic was about AIDS, he told the audience that ‘Having a daughter myself, I’m going to make sure my future son-in-law to be disease free before getting married to her.’ Friends besides me look at me in unity. I hang my head low from the neck and didn’t know where to put my face.

36. The day before he passed away, he slept beside me with his arm wrapping on my shoulder and told me that he hasn’t been able to stay this way for a long time since I left the house at 13.

37. I used to be a brave kid but the bravery has since been deteriorating. Now, I can’t even watch horror shows without having to think about it the 3 months after.

38. How brave I was? Let me tell you. In my hometown, the bathroom-attached bedroom was way beyond our reach. The toilet is separated from the main house, no electricity at night, I didn’t mind going there alone. When my bro needs to visit toilet during the night, I’d bring him there although he’s 2 yrs senior.

39. When it comes to relationships and stuffs, I did more of the listening than talking. I love lending my ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever my close friends need me.

40. I used to give advices relating to the relationship and stuffs, not because I’ve experienced the cheatings/breakups, etc. just because I used to read a lot about these stuffs.

41. I sometimes wonder if I’d ever get along well with my own sister, if I have one. Girls can be mysterious at times.

42. I got a boyfriend when I was 16 and still with the same guy for 8 years now. No, we’re still not getting married soon.

43. I love reading books and watching movies. But I can’t sit through political movies. They just plainly bore me.

44. I don’t like my favorite actors/actresses for long. My liking changes all the time.

45. I once lived in the obsession of twilight. The vampire stuffs really excite me.

46. I admire pretty/sexy actresses. No, I’m not a les.

47. I put up a strong willed character on the outside but sometimes I cry alone in the room when no one’s around.

48. I can’t get angry for long and I don’t bear grudges.

49. I don’t believe in violence. I can’t stand it when a guy uses his physical force to abuse a girl; the same goes for a girl to a guy.

50. My heart aches when I see strayed cats on the roadside with injuries and blood caused by those heartless people.

51. Cats amuse me sometimes, but I don’t love them enough to keep them at home.

52. Babies are adorable creatures to me until they grow up to talk back to the elders.

53. I love giving more than receiving; I’m generous in giving gifts to someone whom I really love.

54. There’s only one wish that I've been consistently wishing for when praying, that is for my mom to be blessed with good health so that she could spend a longer life with us till she gets to see her grandchildren grow up.

55. I love my cousins although I hardly know some of them because they stay far away from us.

56. I couldn’t open a normal staff account to credit my pay when I get my first job because I was below the age limit of 21.

57. 3 other friends and I once went up to the restricted rooftop of my friend’s condo to take pictures when I was 15.

58. When it comes to the New Year water festival, I was never allowed to go out of the house.

59. When I go shopping, it has to be with someone else from home. I was never allowed to go out alone when I was with my aunt.

60. I used to have long hair (reaching towards the thighs) before shaving it off to be a nun for 17 days – where I had to stay at the monastery eating a meal a day in the morning and meditate throughout the day coupling with the teachings for Buddhism. After which, I’ve fainted back at home due to malnutrition.

61. I have my little cousin who remembers our childhood better than I do. She’s a year (or 2?) younger than me.

62. I thought that I’d never fit in when I first came to Singapore. Now, I have no problem fitting in but I still have my confidence disappeared with a ‘poof’ whenever I speak to someone superior, in terms of level, status, or even a higher level of language skills.

63. I miss my dad very often and frequently had dreams of getting him back to life.

64. My mom is a cancer survivor of 6 years, still going strong, or at least, I’d very much like to hope so for many more years to come.

65. I once got scolded by an elderly woman (old enough to be my grandma) in dialect for overtaking her on a small lane while grocery shopping. I turned to say sorry (but I don’t think she understands) and walked away as fast as I could.

66. There were exactly 2 significant times that I felt so small and cried to bed during my working life.

67. I once hit (punched) a wall and got bruises on my knuckles when I got into a fight with my boyfriend. I don’t believe in violence, so I didn’t hit him but the wall instead. That was the only way to vent my frustration.

68. I didn’t look at my dad’s funeral pictures more than twice since he's passed cuz every time I see them, they made me shudder.

69. Numbers of house I lived in, 7 in total, that’s just alone in Singapore.

70. The first time I stood up like an adult is only 2 years back when my boyfriend got into a bike accident and I was the first person he could think of during emergency.

71. It warmed my heart, when he told me that ‘How can I ever be not careful when you’re with me on my bike? I’d never put you in any kind of danger, much more than I’d take care of myself, I’d take care of you’.

72. He isn’t very good with showing public affection, but I know how people treat each other when they are really in love.

73. I believe in true love, but I also believe that happy ending doesn’t always happen.

74. Sometimes, I have this thought that the shorter than average people like me, don’t really fit in and respect from other people is a hard thing to earn.

75. I have a gay friend and I have nothing against them.

76. Once a close friend of mine disappeared on me with no message left behind. Few months later, we were in contact again and she seems to act as nothing’s ever happened. It hurts sometimes when you know the friends you love are using you.

77. I still feel jealous of those girls who have better look/body than me. Oh well, I’m only a girl.

78. The thought of writing a diary always occurs to me, I’d start a few pages and nothing after that. I’ve never consistently written a diary like my dad.

79. I’m not familiar with rejection. When I have one, I took it very hard.

80. I work in a bank, but I have problem managing my finance. Yet, I’m still better than my boyfriend. Can you imagine?

81. I’m often mistaken to be a Chinese.

82. I can swim but I don’t know how to thread water.

83. I don’t kill any kind of bugs/insects, except cockroaches. They bite all my stuffs and I hate them.

84. I try not to tell lies, unless it’s really necessary for the sake of other people and only if it’s a white lie.

85. I’m trying to loose some weights, but still failing to do so.

86. I don’t like anyone talking bad about my loved ones.

87. My brother always stands up to protect me since young and didn’t give his friends a chance to talk to me or even talk about me.

88. During the matriculation class, a few of my private classmates polled together to sack an economics teacher because she didn’t teach us well. No, I'm not proud of it. That's actually not a nice thing to do.

89. A mathematics teacher of ours took my workbook after the academic year ended, he told me
that he would like to keep that as the model book for his next year’s class. I’m deeply flattered and thought to myself that I should have written nicer.

90. I was so proud to have a distinction on native language during my matriculation examination cuz I thought I suck big time.

91. The first time I learnt about ‘liquid paper/correction pen’ was when my close friend used it in a letter that was posted to me. I was fascinated.

92. I don’t snore during sleep, but I burble.

93. I don’t close my eyes more than 2 secs when I wash my face when I’m scared and have an imagination of having a ghost in my bathroom.

94. I’m very decisive in what I want.

95. The first time my boyfriend sings to me over the phone, it melted my heart.

96. I’ve caused a pan on fire while frying egg and went out abruptly to attend to a call.

97. I can’t keep new clothes in the wardrobe for long; I just have to wear them immediately.

98. I don’t particularly like to cook but I enjoy cooking for my boyfriend.

99. My biggest dream right now is to own a house, a car, build a family and live happy ever after.

There I said it. I was thinking if it's too revealing. Anyway, if this makes you know me better, I'll be happy that my effort of writing this out won't be wasted.

Book Review: He's just not that into you

I've watched the movie before reading this book and liked it. I've expected the book to be the reiteration of the movie but it proves me otherwise. The book is actually in the form of many short chapters with the relationship questions and answers type of stuffs. The authors of the book Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo took turns to have their say in the book but Greg is primarily the person who answers the questions. The stories featured in the book were based on some real stories for certain one and there are some stories that were made up by the authors as well. The whole book revolves around the following topics (as the book title goes)

He's just not that into you if
1. He's Not Asking You Out
2. He's Not Calling You
3. He's Not Dating You
4. He's Not Having Sex with You
5. He's Having Sex with Someone Else
6. He Only Wants to See You When He's Drunk
7. He Doesn't Want to Marry You
8. He's Breaking Up with You
9. He's Disappeared on You
10. He's Married (and Other Insane Variations of Being Unavailable)
11. He's a Selfish Jerk, a Bully, or a Really Big Freak

There are really good lines that I picked out from the book and could actually relate to some of them in terms of my personal encounters or those who around me.

This book is sort of like a self-help book to realize what kind of actions/behaviors of a guy should be translated into. As much as I don't agree with some of the things Greg mentioned in the book, I do realize that most of them are painful but damn true.

Here's some that I would definitely like to share with you.

If a man likes you, he will ask you out. Men find it very satisfying to get what they want. If we want you, we will find you. If you don't think you gave him enough time to notice you, take the time it took you to notice him and divide it by half.

If a guy truly likes you, but for personal reasons he needs to take things slow, he will let you know that immediately. He won't keep you guessing, because he'll want to make sure you don't get frustrated and go away. - A friend of mine is definitely facing this problem.

As a man, we like taking a break from our generally mundane day to talk to someone we like. It makes us happy. And we like to be happy. Just like you. If I were into you, you would be the bright spot in my horribly busy day. Which would be a day that I would never be too busy to call you. The word 'Busy' is the relationship Weapon of Mass Destruction. It seems like a good excuse, but in fact, in every silo you uncover, all you're going to find is a man who didn't care enough to call. Remember: Men are never too busy to get what they want. - Don't we have this excuse being used on us all the time?

If he creates expectations for you, and then doesn't follow through on little things, he will do the same for big things, be aware of this and realize that he's okay with disappointing you.

Don't be with someone who doesn't do what they say they're going to do.

'Hanging out' is not dating. So many gray, murky areas of vagueness, mystery, and no questions asked. Dudes love this time because that's when they get to pretend they're not really dating you. Then they also get to pretend they're not really responsible for your feelings. - Sadly it's true. A friend one mine is in such situation for a long time.

If you don't know where the relationship is going, it's okay to pull over and ask.

If he's really into you, he will want to tell everyone that he's your boyfriend. - I would like that.

There's no excuse for cheating. Cheating is Cheating. It doesn't matter whom it was with or how many times it happened. Cheating gets easier every time it's done. It's only hard the first time, when one feels the sting of morality and the guilt of betraying some one's trust.

There will never be a good time, financially to get married. But somehow, people manage. If your man is using money as an excuse not to marry you, it's your relationship that's insecure, not his bank account.

If he breaks up with you and call you everyday. Don't be flattered that he misses you. He should miss you. You're deeply missable. However, he's still the same person who just broke up with you. Remember, the only reason he can miss you is because he's choosing, every day, not to be with you.

It's very tempting when you really want to be with someone to settle for much, much less - even a vague, pathetic facsimile of less-than you would have ever imagined. Ladies, please keep your eye on the prize. Remember always what you set out to get, and please don't settle for less. If you can't do it for you, do it for everyone else: these guys are able to exist because there are a lot of women out there who allow them to.

He doesn't need to be reminded that you're great. You are not easily forgotten. Let him find you when he's ready.

If a guy is yelling out about his ex-wife or crying over his last girlfriend, try to find someone else to take you to the movies.

"He's got so much good in him. he really does. I just wish he wouldn't tell me to shut up all the time.". Yeah, that's a problem. Try not to ignore it. I know "he's got so many other great qualities." That's why you fell in love with him in the first place. I know you wouldn't fall in love with an asshole. But here's the trick: Forget about him and his good qualities. Even forget about his bad ones. Forget about all his excuses and what he promises. Ask yourself one question only: Is he making you happy? Does he make it clear in his actions everyday that your happiness is important to him? If the answer is no, cut him loose and go find a man with a higher 'good count'.

There's lots of behavior that can be considered abusive that doesn't include being beaten about the head and neck. That includes getting yelled at, being publicly humiliated, or being made to feel fat and unattractive. It's hard to feel worthy of love when someone is going of their way to make you feel worthless. Being told to get out of these relationships may not work for you. Knowing that you're better than these relationships is the place to start. You are better than these relationships.

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, What's next?

Midnight Sun!! That's right, you heard me. Stephenie Meyer is working on this book 'Midnight Sun' which is the extension of the Twilight Saga, based on Edward's point of view of the whole story. This is very exciting. Being a fan, reading her books is never enough. Even ending the series at the last published book 'Breaking Dawn' is quite sad cuz I haven't had enough. =) Apparently, the draft copy of Midnight Sun was being leaked out on the internet, so, Stephenie Meyer has decided to put it up for all readers on her official website.

Click here to read the partial draft copy of Midnight Sun.

Book Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is the book written by the Author of Twilight Series, Stephenie Meyer. As much as I have my passion on the books, when I review the books on this blog, I write it with full respects to the authors. Particularly for the books by SM, I love her style of writing, how she could describe every little details on how the characters were feeling emotionally - which I think is THE hardest part of writing.

My First read from SM was the Twilight series, which I will post the reviews on a later time. That's my love attached to her twilight series which brought me the interest in reading this other book from her, The Host. I was so blinded that I don't even know what this book is all about. Usually, when I walk in to any bookstores, I'd see the best sellers on the special shelf that is visible even to the people loitering around the bookshop. The books like twilight, new moon aren't quite hard to find. Well, this book, The Host attracted my attention being right next to the Twilight Saga special pack. It doesn't have to be some bestseller, just because it's SM's book, I thought that I'm so going to read that no matter what.

So then, I started reading it without even looking at the teaser at the back cover of the book. According to her, it's a science fiction which is intended to the non-sci-fi lovers. Like I said, I had no idea it was a science fiction. To tell you the truth, I wasn't really a fan of sci-fi. But as I continue to read the book, it caught me so hooked on to it that I just have to continue reading it all the time, at home, on the train, getting past my usual bed time. SM was so good with the trilling excitements and loving romance, both at the same time. I get a kick out of reading the special 'names' in this book.

While I wonder how is it going to be like to turn this into a movie, the characters from the Twilight flashes my mind. It is so going to be an interesting one on screen.

Go get a copy for yourself here, you won't regret it.

Movie Review: The Proposal

Just came back from the movie and as usual, I had to write something about it here. Prior to watching it, I knew from many others who have watched it, it is going to be a great movie. So, I think it's a little unfair to write a review now after all that high expectations have been set. I don't usually like to do that because it somehow affect and hence alter my honest opinion on the movie. That's usually the case with the movies that was based on the book and I happened to have read the book before the movie. Visuals could hardly beat a good book cuz first of all, movies have a window of 2 hours to get the whole story out to the audiences, second of all, it could never elaborate just like the book always does and third of all, you are watching the images of the book through the movie's director's set of eyes - which usually does not correspond to a set of your own.

It is a romantic comedy which would keep you smiling, laughing and loving it throughout the movie with the great acting by both Sandra Bullock (as Margaret) and Ryan Reynolds (as Andrew). Despite her age, Sandra Bullock is still as stunning and natural as usual. Ryan Reynolds (his recent movie - Definitely, May be) did a great job putting on the wat's-going-on/i'm-in-a-deep-shit look. You just can't don't love the both of them when watching it, it's funny, at times touching and heartwarming all at the same time.

A short summary of the movie would be, Margaret - a famous Editor of a leading company in NY aka the lady boss who is being addressed as a 'witch' by her subordinates, came from Canada and now work in NY. Andrew - assistant Editor aka the secretary of Margaret had no idea of his misfortune coming on his way and got himself into the scam to work around the immigration issue that Margaret was facing. Being an American citizen, Andrew was dragged into the forged engagement with Margaret and gotten himself spending the weekends with Margaret and his family at his hometown. It focuses on the events that happen during the weekends with Andrew's family, showing the unity of the family and the bonding among the family members and how Margaret came to realize how awful it is to break the heart of the family members who has no idea about the scam engagement. Will Margret and Andrew fall in love with each other? Oh well, you will have to find out for yourself. :) I don't want to be the spoiler.

Oh, and you will see quite a bit of familiar faces in the show. Throughout the show, I was trying to recall who Gertrude (Andrew's ex girlfriend) was in some other movies cuz she looks very much familiar but I couldn't name any of the movie.



Remember the the girl from the watchmen who wears yellow and a bit of black costume? Well, that's her - Malin Akerman. A little low key profile for her in this movie thou.

Click here for the full Synopsis from IMDB.

Facebook, a Lame Book?

Recently, I've heard of many scandals happened on the Facebook, some of them funny, some rather scary. It is indeed a dangerous social website for those who are not careful with their accounts or those who are incompetent when it comes to using computers or non-tech-savvy folks. FB could turn really scary for those unfortunates.

Check out this website Lamebook.com which reveals many of the FB incidences.

Here is a scary lesson one could end up with. Poor lady who has no idea FB is public or she's so unfortunate that somebody hacked her account to put up such status messages, I don't know, seriously.

I'm so not going to log in to FB using public computers.

Book Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I got my hands on this book purely based on the curiosity that this book was recently turned into a movie. I've never read a book before from Sophie Kinsella although I did know that she has published many books on the Shopaholics and it didn't get the least of my interest until I found out that this book was turned into a movie. See how powerful it is to draw the readers attentions when Hollywood decides to shoot a movie out of the book? After all, the publicity and advertisement were essential in this world.

It is an easy-to-read book. The story of this book revolves around a girl named Rebecca Bloomwoods who constantly fails to get herself away from the urge to shopping and attempts to cut the expenditures or to save up. It was scary how she spends her credits from so many different banks and tries to get away from all the credit card bills reminders and many constant letters from the banks. I could actually feel the chill at the back of my spine when I know she has no where to go yet has to avoid the manager from the bank cuz she wasn't able to pay back. I'm sure everyone if not almost all of us know how it feels like to have no cash or the bank statement that is drying up at some points of our lives. We did experienced the urge of buying things just because they are of that great brands and that they are on sales. No matter whether you need it or not, you'd think it's 'worth it' to just buy now since you might need it in future, didn't we? The book touches on how younger generations should take responsibility in any actions they do (which I think is quite educational) the romance life of Rebecca although she has mistaken herself that all she's after is money, hence only look up to millionaires. I think Luke Brandon (the guy whom she met and couldn't get along) is a sweet guy. I won't reveal anymore story on this book, you've got to read it yourself. :)

The author, Sophie has got a cute webbie of her own. Click here to visit her webpage.

Get this book yourself here.

Movie Review: I Love You, Man

Official Plot Summary from IMDB: Peter Klaven's world revolves around his real estate work and Zooey, his soon-to-be fiancée. After he pops the question, she calls her best friends and they go into wedding planning mode. Peter has no male friends and that poses problems: will he turn out to be a clingy guy, and who will be his best man? Zooey, her friends, and Peter's brother Robbie offer help that results in awkward moments. Then, at an open house Peter's hosting, he meets Sydney, an amiable, low-key guy. They trade business cards, and Peter calls him to meet for drinks. A friendship develops that's great at first but then threatens Peter's engagement and career. Can guys be friends and couples be in love?

Paul Rudd (his other recent movie - Role Model) acts as the friendless guy Peter Klaven who is about to get married to his girlfriend Zoey but yet to find a best man for the wedding. In an attempt to find a guy friend whom he could call a 'close friend', he got himself into the gay world. Eventually he met a new friend named Sydney Fife (played by Jason Segel - his other recent movie - Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and the movie captures how they met each other, how the friendship was developed, etc. Since Paul didn't have close guy friends all his life, it was difficult and awkward for him to suddenly look for a new guy friends without being able to differentiate the straight man from the gay man. I love the honesty of Paul that the movie is trying to capture. Although it's a little crude and not suitable for the teenagers, after all the movie is able to tell us how 'good friends' should treat each other.

Book Review: One Fifth Avenue by Candice Bushnell

I’ve always been a fan of Candace Bushnell and have been following almost all of the books that she’s published. However, I’m not going to claim myself as a true fan of hers because I have yet to read her renown book “Sex and The City”.

3 years ago, when I walked into a small bookshop that allows you to rent or buy books from them. How it works is that, they tag 2 prices on each of the book that they carry at their shop, the 1st price being the amount that you are gonna pay for getting hold of the book. The 2nd price is the amount you’d get back once you come back to return the book at any of their outlets. They usually give about 1 or 2 months of grace period for you to consider if you want to own the book or to return it back in the original condition when you first rented. The period varies according to the popularity and the on-the-shelf age of the book. I love this idea because I am given a choice whether or not I want to buy it, unlike buying from the bookshops like borders, MPH and popular at a higher price and there is no turning back if you happen to not enjoy the book you've bought.

While I started to read the famous books recommended by friends and colleagues, I’ve explored more on different authors. That's when I came across Candice Bushnell’s books. I knew there was a Sitcom ‘Sex and The City (SATC)’ but I was never interested to watch it. When I saw the book written by the same author, I though of trying out her books. So then I started reading '4 Blonds', followed by 'Trading Up' and the 'Lipstick Jungle'. That’s when I realise that I like her writing styles and admire her ability to be always able to capture the glamorous lifestyles of residents in New York City and able to make me feel as if I’m part of the story.

Recently, I’ve read another book from her – ‘One Fifth Avenue’. After a long period of time I have not been reading her books, this book brought me back to the older days. This is the kind of book that if you try to transform into a movie, the movie might seem too shallow. This book is based on a simple but an interesting story of the residents of One Fifth apartment at the One Fifth Avenue in the NY city. How they take pride to be staying at the apartment since there are high requirements (besides high price) in selecting residents for the apartment, the scandals among the residents and their individual encounters in their lives. Although it is something we might not experience is this country, there are similarities in all of us as human beings when it comes to reacting, responding and retaliating to certain events that occur under certain circumstances. So, I could relate to the characters in the book and understand why they did certain things that they did.

I’m giving a 4 stars to this book cuz I truly enjoyed its company throughout the reading journey.

Movie Review: Up

Official Plot Summary from IMDB: A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However he has a stowaway aboard. An 8 year old boy named Russell, whose trying to get an assisting the elderly badge. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin.

Giving this movie 5 stars, and all of it should go to the meaningfulness of the plot. From the teaser, it only looked like the man with the rectangular spectacles is a grumpy old man, but the first 10-15 minutes of the movie opposed to it. Just be warned that NOT all the scenes capture funny moments.

Go experience it for yourself. Although it's not too practical to have invested a floating house in the air with hundreds of air balloons, c'mon, you've gotta have some imagination to appreciate such movies. It's funny and heartwarming at the same time.

This movie is available in 3-D but I caught the normal one. The glasses used for 3-D movies give me giddiness somehow. The next possible movie I'm gonna watch is The proposal. The review coming up soon!. =)

Movie Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Read official synopsis from IMDB here.

I'm very happy to have caught this movie today and giving it 5 stars cuz it truly deserves it. Although I'm not really a action movies fan, I enjoyed every bit of G.I. Joe. From the first 5 mins to the last few mins, the show was action packed. No draggy parts in between, the casts were great. The machines, gadgets and technology used in the show were beyond imagination.

Didn't know the Korean actor Byung-hun Lee could speak English that well with very minimal korean accent. The movie portrayed the love between Channing Tatum (as Duke) and Sienna Miller (as Anna) although they are of from different sides of the goods and the bads. Channing Tatum acted previously in the Step Up movie, and he is my friend Kay's favourite. =) Sienna has got her look in this movie and I couldn't recall that she acted in Stardust as Victoria.

G.I. Joe is still showing in Cinemas now and you definitely might not want to miss it. The awesomeness I mentioned in here, you should go witness it with your own set of eyes. =)

Happy Watching!!

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Official Plot Summary from the IMDB: In the sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and in both wizard and muggle worlds Lord Volemort and his henchmen are increasingly active. With vacancies to fill at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledor persuades Horace Slughorn, back from retirement to become the potions teacher, while Professor Snape receives long awaited news. Harry Potter, together with Dumbledore, must face treacherous tasks to defeat his evil nemesis.

I am a fan of J.K. Rowling and have read all her Harry Potter books quite some time back and considering of re-reading them again to refresh my memory of Harry Potter. I was anticipating this movie to be out initial part of the year 2009. However, was rather disappointed after watching the show when it's really out showing. Most of the thrilling actions written in the books were being cut off, this makes the movie look boring with too much talking. The casts have grown up, Hermione Granger played by Emma Watson has grown up to be a babe.

For this movie, I think reading the book would have given you more information and thrills that you usually would look for in HP movies. Rent a DVD rather than watching it at the cinema.

Movie Review: The Hangover

Official Plot Summary from IMDB: Angelenos Doug Billings and Tracy Garner are about to get married. Two days before the wedding, the four men in the wedding party - Doug, Doug's two best buddies Phil Wenneck and Stu Price, and Tracy's brother Alan Garner - hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party to Las Vegas. Phil, a married high school teacher, has the same maturity level as his students when he's with his pals. Stu, a dentist, is worried about everything, especially what his controlling girlfriend Melissa thinks. Because she disapproves of traditional male bonding rituals, Stu has to lie to her about the stag, he telling her that they are going on a wine tasting tour in the Napa Valley. Regardless, he intends on eventually marrying her, against the advice and wishes of his friends. And Alan seems to be unaware of what are considered the social graces of the western world. The morning after their arrival in Las Vegas, they awaken in their hotel suite each with the worst hangover. None remembers what happened in the past twelve or so hours. The suite is in shambles. And certain things are in the suite that shouldn't be, and certain things that should be in the suite are missing. Probably the most important in the latter category is Doug. As Phil, Stu and Alan try to find Doug using only what little pieces of information they have at hand, they go on a journey of discovery of how certain things got into the suite and what happened to the missing items. However they are on a race for time as if they can't find Doug in the next few hours, they are going to have to explain to Tracy why they are not yet back in Los Angeles. And even worse, they may not find Doug at all before the wedding.

I'm giving this movie a 4 and half star because it managed to keep me entertained and kept me laughing throughout the show. Initially, I wasn't keen on watching it at the cinema because I think that the movie is such a lame cheap flick with the typical storyline about the night at the Vegas. Boy, was I wrong! The 2 (not good looking) guys that I think might know really know how to act proved me wrong. The guy with the big belly (Alan) was the funniest in the show. Although, he and his look are insignificant, he was THE funniest. Funny in his own weird natural way. Heather Graham acted as the stripper in the show and she is one pretty babe. This movie has got its own interesting parts and definitely not the typical Vegas night kinda show.

I'm totally recommending the movie, you should go watch it. You'll love it and I'd like to hear your view of it. =)

Day 3 at Bangkok

11 August 2009
The last day in Bangkok, kinda sad but knowing that the flight schedule is at night, we decided to go for the full day activities at Dreamworld Theme Park.

9:00Am Bangkok Local Time
After the usual breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, we waited for the van that would bring us to the Dreamworld. The van arrived on time and it took us about 45 mins ride to the park. It was outside the city, after getting past a few traffic jams, we were on our smooth route to the park.

The sun was glaring hot. Good thing we brought a cap and a pair of shades. We stopped at many lovely places to take pictures. Tried every ride that were available in the package, as well as the additional ones that we wanted to try and topped up the cash for trying them.

12:30Pm Bangkok Local Time
We thought of skipping the lunch cuz we were engrossed in playing but the lady who brought us to the park - Sophie - found us on the way and dragged us to have lunch at the foodcourt like place in the park. They served buffet of the local food including the salad, mains and desserts. We ate a bit just for the sake of eating something and continued with the haunting house and few other places for the pictures. We didn't take any more rides after lunch cuz we're worried we might throw up.

3:00Pm Bangkok Local Time
Meeting point at the 3pm, that's what Sophie has told us and we were there on time after enjoying all the fun in the park. We were quite beat after all the activities and most of us fall asleep on the van, on the way back to town. We requested Sophie to drop us at the BIG C Supermarket and also fixed another van with her to bring us to to the airport at night cuz we do not want to take any separate cabs for 6 of us.

4:30Pm Bangkok Local Time
We did our last minute shopping at the BIG C, bought a pair of berms and a t-shirt for my bro, and other porridge, instant noodles, local tom yam local pastes, local crackers and snacks for my house. Although, it was a short while, it was worth going to the BIG C cuz I bought most of the stuffs there and happy that I did.

5:30Pm Bangkok Local Time
We were back at the hotel, all of us take shower 1 by 1 in 1 hotel room cuz the other 2 rooms were already checked out. We cut the cakes for K and BB in the room while having dinner. We were all set just on time.

7:30Pm Bangkok Local Time
Arrived at the airport, Jessie was sweet enough to personally fetch us to the airport. We did tipped her handsomely (I think) =). We were all glad that we made it to the airport nicely on time, although the traffic to the airport wasn't that smooth. Did some window shopping at the BKK airport duty free shops.

1:00Am Singapore Local Time
Touched down to SG airport, felt like home but the heart was heavy just thinking of going to work the next sunrise. hummpphh. Few of my friends took urgent leave cuz they were too exhausted to go to work. Strangely, I woke up at 7am to be just on time to leave for work. So, I did go to work. =)

It was a fun and a very fast-paced trip for all of us. It sure is a memorable one.

Day 2 at Bangkok

10 August 2009
Day 1 was activities filled. Day 2 wasn't any lesser. It was such a short trip and we were too greedy with our itinerary - blame it on Jetstar for not letting us book a day earlier with the promo price or blame it on our companies that give us limited number of days for leave? =D

8:00Am Bangkok Local Time
All of us met at the restaurant just beside the hotel for our free breakfast buffet provided from the hotel. Oh well, it's not really free, it's just that our room rates include the breakfast. The food was average but able to filled us up before starting another day with full of activities.

9:00Am Bangkok Local Time
The van that we requested for arrived at the hotel together with the 'tour guide' - the guy who will bring us around at the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. The TG was quite poor in English, we had difficulties understanding him. He was unable to explain what was all the places about and most of the time, when we went further in to look at the details, he would stand around and wait for us outside. But, when we come out of the place, we had to look for him to go to the next stop. Wasn't it such an easy money to make, being a Tour Guide in BKK without needing to speak. I don't mind doing that business myself.

11:00Am Bangkok Local Time
After the trip back from the Grand Palace without knowing which places has what history, we asked the van to drop us at the Siam Paragon to visit Ocean World.

Ocean World is the Singapore Sentosa's Underwater World like place in a bigger size and more variety of sea creatures. Only took us the first few minutes of 'excitements' with Woos and Woows, before we know it, we were attacked by a bunch of school kids who came to the same place for school excursion. If only we knew about this earlier, we wouldn't plan to go there on that day. We quickened up our pace to avoid the kids and came back from the place after experiencing the 4-D show and the Glass Bottom boat.

2:00pm Bangkok Local Time
We settled our lunch at the foodcourt at the Siam Paragon. They have the concept of using Card to pay for lunch, the stalls in the foodcourt, they don't accept cash. We split into 3 small groups to share for the food. One thing I realised about the food stalls in BKK foodcourt is that, they use loads of greens and most of the stuffs they show over the counter are fresh, raw vegetables, meats and seafoods. The food quality was good. We tried a few local foods.

After lunch, we walked towards MBK shopping mall and did some shoppings. I bought some local food back for my house. And we head back to the hotel separately from there. Tuk Tuk took us almost 30 mins to get to the hotel due to the heavy traffic and we spent about 110 BHT for tuk tuk.

5:00pm Bangkok Local Time
We've requested for a van to bring us to Lebua Hotel at the State Tower to celebrate my friend Kay's and BB's birthday. When we arrived at the hotel from shopping, it's already 5 and the van would come at 7. So, it's a good thing we had some time to freshen up and take a quick power nap before preparing for the night.

8:00pm Bangkok Local Time
There we are at the Sky Bar at 8. The place is known to have restrictions on the proper attire while going up the Sky Bar. I even experienced it with my own set of eyes that they turned a guy (a westerner) down and did NOT let him go in becuase he's wearing berms and a pair of slippers. He tried to go along with the group of people who were wearing smartly but the greeter ladies at the lobby managed to catch him. For us, ladies were in their dresses and guys in their smart wears. We did prepare beforehand, so we didn't have any problem marching into the bar. We treated ourselves a glass of cocktail, enjoyed the stunning skyline of bkk and head back to hotel.

It was another FUN day.. =)

Day 1 at Bangkok

9 AUG 2009 (Sunday)
It's been a long time since I've gone for a trip that is not office outing. During the period of November last year, while I was looking at a promo price for Jetstar, an idea struck me to plan for a shopping trip to bangkok with friends. And, here we are on the 9th August 09 - while people in Singapore are celebrating their 44th National day, arrived at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International airport. =)

8:30Am Bangkok Local Time
Although we woke up at 4am in the morning to rush out for the flight at the Singapore airport, we are still energised and looked forward to all the fun that we will have in Bangkok. The journey on the flight was okay, it took about 2 hours to reach bkk airport. The landing wasn't very gentle, so all of us kinda blame the pilot for that. Jetstar doesn't provide food for this trip, may be there really is no food provided for the short trips.

10:15Am Bangkok Local Time
After getting past the immigration, custom, collected the baggage and found the transport that was booked beforehand, we arrived at the Ecotel Hotel. After making payments and gotten our own set of keys, we gave ourselves 15mins to get changed an arranged to met at he lobby to head out for lunch.

10:45Am Bangkok Local Time
We are all ready for lunch and I brought my friends to the 'Tom Yum' local restaurant next door from the hotel. Unfortunately we were too early for the lunch hours. Knowing that we HAVE to go to Chuatuchuk weekends market on Sunday, we are all very charged up to head to the market right after lunch. Jessie, the sweet girl at the Tour Desk at the hotel helped us to check with the restaurant owner to see if they are ready to open the store for lunch. We gave her a few marks for going extra miles giving that service although it's not exactly her job to do so. One thing about Jessie is that, she could speak English fluently with a little bit of her local accent, so, there was no problem communicating with her during the whole trip whereas you can't expect local people to understand you speaking in English. Anyway, back to the lunch topic, we made order for our food even before the store was opened. The girls at the store offered us the menu and we chose 3 set lunches for 6 of us. The food were delicious, my friend N liked the local fried fish cake, I liked the deep fried fish that was so tasty and so crispy that I finished almost the whole fish except for the bones.

1:30pm Bangkok Local Time
There were 6 of us and we had difficulties getting metered cab and making sure that both of the cabs drop us at the exact same place. Some of us are on our roaming, but, getting lost in bkk is nothing like one would experience in Singapore. The exact thing happened to us for the journey to CTC market. We split into 2 groups to get 2 different cabs. The driver of the other cab dropped my friends at the entrance and my stupid driver dropped us at the other end away from entrance. We did try to make one round to look for the other group of friends, but realised that the market was too big to loop. So, in the end, we shopped in our own small groups and head back to hotel. Not forgetting that half of the time in the mkt, we were confused as to which block we have visited. It was just too big. I couldn't cover all the stores due to the limited time and the limited energy of my legs as well. I didn't manage to get a bag for myself which I was planning to get before going to BKK. Things were cheap and water was the most delicious liquid in the world for the hot and humid day at CTC market.

5:00Pm Bangkok Local Time
Back to hotel, felt relaxed and refreshed after a cool shower. We were just too tired to go to another place, so, just decided to try the food at the roadside stalls nearby. We had our noodle near 7-11, papaya salad (that was terrible) and roasted corn (yummy~). After dinner, we strolled towards the Platinum shopping mall which was within quite a walkable distance from hotel. Enjoyed the stretch of roadside food/clothes stalls on the way and ended the night with a drinking session in my fren's P's room.