The Ranting Cynic

Week 4, 2012 - Dragon year, and being a year older

2012-01-29T01:33:00.000+08:00

Another birthday this CNY week - celebrated with the extended family because it's the day my parents decided to have the CNY family dinner (maternal side, at Pantai Seafood) and the subsequent low stakes gambling (20 cents low, I kid you not) with the cousins. Won some money there and also got some last minute double angpaus from some of the relatives who were caught off guard by my birthday. All the while I was still coughing to the point of near reverse peristalsis and depleting the tissue and serviette supply with the nose-blowing.

Kicked off the week with the commencement of the year of the water dragon.
Hit some malls with the excellent empty roads in town.
Went to the clinic for the THIRD TIME this month; was finally prescribed antibiotics for the lingering post-nasal drip and cough.
Redeemed a free drink, bought a couple of drinks as well as redeem a couple slices of (free) cake from Starbucks this week. Luckily cakes at Starbucks are dependably edible.
Trying out endless.com by buying a pair of clogs that I've been wanting to get but didn't want to pay nearly RM500 for here. They're coming by DHL, so I can't complain - they're expected to be here Monday.
Found out first hand that parking at IPC has gone up RM1 - so it's RM2 for weekdays and RM3 for weekends and public holidays. D'OH... either I won't be parking there ever again, or hope that I actually have something to buy at IKEA.
Kanna Curry House (the one in PJ, anyway) has now switched from actual banana leaf to faux paper banana "leaves". Allegedly because the supply of actual banana leaves is getting scarce (really?), but just as well - I know banana leaves are not an endless resource, but still.

CNY so far

2012-01-26T00:10:00.001+08:00

I'm not the most traditional person on the planet, so unlike some people who can't avoid getting asked the awkward questions when they go round visiting - I get enough of them the rest of the year, I don't need them during the festive season - I skip the visiting and do my own thing during CNY, the collected angpau and goodwill is barely worth the awkwardness. Besides, there's hardly anyone to visit as everyone else is not in town. On the plus side, I am loving the ghost town state the Klang Valley gets at least twice a year.

Plus, feeling the blahs about CNY in general + time of the month + residual post nasal drip AND cough = not in celebratory mood, save for the snacking on CNY treats like love letters, etc.

First day: Didn't see the 'rents until later in the day, but they came home bearing seafood and other stuff. Went to Pavilion in the afternoon. Bought Bernice Chauly's Growing Up with Ghosts with the birthday voucher at Times Bookstore. Bought Ochado pop egg bubble tea and a slice of Hokkaido mille crepe at Tokyo Street. Fish porridge for dinner.

Second day: KLCC, along with the foreign workers (who are busy posing for pictures with the store windows and CNY decor) and other mall rats. Steamboat at home for dinner.

Third day: Midvalley/The Gardens, just because I can. Line at the GSC there was crazy long, but I wasn't there for a movie. Parts of PJ still resemble a ghost town. Home made chicken rice for dinner - if only it wasn't ayam kampung pencen... yeah, I'll let you figure that out.

Week 3, 2012

2012-01-23T22:41:00.000+08:00

Still with the post-nasal drip and slight cough.

Recovered enough to haul myself to the post office to mail the giveaway prizes. I heard back from one person who already received their prize.
Saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Got the A-England nail polishes in the mail before the long CNY holiday - sweet!
Also received the books I got from Bookmooch before the long weekend - yay.
Bought a black Starbucks logo mug with a 10% discount with the Borders card, AND I got the pink Starbucks angpau packets at the Bangsar Village II store (since they're allegedly all out in PJ). Funny - I got the previous year's packets from a Bangsar store as well.
Reunion dinner on Sunday. Nothing to write home about. Was just glad to be able to go home pretty soon after... even though we made a pitstop at the SS2 McDs before actually going home. What's sad is that they had a water supply disruption and they can't dispense the Coke.

Malaysia Social Media Week 2012

2012-01-21T21:23:00.000+08:00

Got an invitation this week to the 2012 Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) trailer event tomorrow afternoon at Berjaya Times Square, but I'm not feeling up to it. But good to know MSMW is only next month.

ABOUT Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW)

Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) is a national event connecting people, content and conversations around emerging trends in social and mobile media. Delivered through a network of creative conferences and streamed online through social media, SMW reaches an extensive network of people including C-level executives, entrepreneurs, journalists, bloggers, brand managers, social media strategists, students, artists, activists and the technology/media specialist), connecting and communicating ideas and experiences to advance our understanding of social media's role in society.

Social Media Week brings hundreds of thousands of people together through learning experiences that aim to advance our understanding of social media's role in society.

It's happening at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) from 13-17th February, 2012.

Anyone else going?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2012-01-18T11:33:00.000+08:00

Me and the cough (yep, still dry coughing up a storm) finally had it of being home and finally caught Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows for free with the birthday voucher. Happy birthday to me (though not for another 8 days or so..). Cinema was also strangely crowded for a movie that's been in the cinema for over a month now (it was less than half, but definitely more than I thought).

While I can believe Stephen Fry as Mycroft, but not that he's related to Robert Downey Jr. It's just how it is.
Nude Stephen Fry was gratuitous, but other people might find it too long. The scene, that is.
The nickname "Sherly" cracked me up.
With the angle new Mrs Watson hit the water at that height, wouldn't she get hurt?
Jude Law's Watson seemed to have lost his limp at times in this movie.
A red-headed Moriarty? Huh.
Not that sad about Irene Adler.
Nice to see the dog again.

I am not sure why other people crap on Guy Ritchie's style, but I don't mind it that much.

This movie is like a Bond movie for me - the action is better than the actual plot, even if it's very loosely based on The Final Problem.

Even though I have relatively little to say about it, I actually like the movie.

Week 2, 2012

2012-01-15T09:57:00.000+08:00

First proper bout of flu of the year - hoping it'll be the first and last, but one can always hope... Also, pretty cloudy this week. Nice. Has anyone started their pre-CNY spring cleaning?

Huge group meetup at TGI Friday's (Gardens outlet) Monday night.
Saw Relationship Status at Pyramid Tuesday night.
Comedy Kao Kao Wednesday night.
Been mostly at home since from post nasal drip

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Giveaway winners!!

2012-01-13T19:52:00.001+08:00

Okay, so I finally got round to drawing the names for the first ever giveaway on here, and the winners are...

*drum roll*

1. Mabel Lai - choice of multi-pack + 3-count
2. Small Kucing - (packer's choice)
3. Julian - (packer's choice)

Congratulations - will contact you all for your mailing address and I'll try to get them out ASAP.

Thanks for the support!

Comedy Kao Kao

2012-01-12T13:25:00.000+08:00

Despite the raging sore throat, slight fever, etc, I managed to drag myself to the January edition of Comedy Kao Kao at The Bee in Publika. Or rather, since I already bought a ticket back on New Year's Eve and I am too cheap to burn them, so might as well.

Entrance

Stage

It was a good thing I already had dinner before leaving, because The Bee didn't have their full menu that night - it was burgers, sharing plates and whatever desserts they got in the display case. Didn't get to try the churros, but I decided to have a slice of red velvet cake (which, if I'm not wrong, is a Fat Boy Bakes creation). Despite my crap palate, I thought I tasted actual cocoa in the cake as opposed to whatever people use in their red velvet cakes.

Mmm, sweet red velvet

It was packed inside and for someone like me that came by their lonesome, it was standing room only. Found a spot along the wall to watch the show without obstructing other people's view. I managed to snag a empty chair to sit in the last third of the night because I was getting tired from standing for so long. I shared the standing space (and later, the chair) with someone who says that Douglas was her teacher way back when, which can only mean...

she was a junior. At least I think so - I'm so loopy from the medication and raging sore throat I can't remember straight. I probably should've disclosed that I was under the weather and how I shouldn't be shaking hands...

Show started pretty much on time - the open mike-rs did alright for themselves (the way the house lights blink to keep time was anything but subtle). I could barely make out what the opening act (Augustin Dennis) was saying but that might just be me. Did not hear anything terribly new from the host, featured performer (Papi Zak, who's quitting his radio gig to do stand up full time?) and headliner (Douglas Lim), but again, it's just me. But the "sneak peek" of the upcoming MACC show Douglas Lim shared to close his set was HILARIOUS - he did a spoof of Adele's Someone Like You.

Not sure if I would go again personally, but see how it goes.

Relationship Status

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000+08:00

The "support the local movie" bit started early this year when I drove in the pouring rain and braved the horrendous parking system at Pyramid, to pay RM12 (with a RM2 voucher from Panasonic - fat load of good being a member did me, and after the warranty on the camera petered out) to watch Khairil M. Bahar's Relationship Status.

The basic premise...

Based on the numerous options available on social networking sites, Relationship Status tells the story of a number of KL-ites from all walks of life whose relationships are created, changed and sometimes even ruined by the way we communicate in the 21st century.

With a poster like this..

One would think monster ensemble movies like Love Actually, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, etc (the only one that I actually saw was Love Actually, but I digress); while The Social Network is about the early days of Facebook (and how well Jesse Eisenberg potrays Mark Z as a douchebag), Relationship Status is about the impact Facebook has on the relationships in the movie.

If you're familiar with the local entertainment scene, then the faces would be very familiar to you. Even if you're not, it's okay - you can still watch this. It stars Gavin Yap, Davina Goh, Tony Eusoff, Daphne Iking, Baki Zainal, Ruzana Ibrahim, Amanda Ang, Benji Lim, Adeline Ong, Susan Lankester.

You have most of those relationship status options on Facebook (you know the ones) covered in this movie: Single (check), In a Relationship (check), Engaged (check), Married (check), Widowed, Seperated, Divorced, and of course, "It's Complicated" (double, triple check).

Casting was pretty spot on - I could definitely believe that Will Quah is Susan Lankester's on-screen son, and Baki Zainal as the very Malay married Melayu man.
Director Khairil M. Bahar is also a character in the movie as Gavin Yap's newly-single housemate.
Recognised some of the locations in the movie like Hartamas, Bandar Utama, and Taman Tun...
Daphne Iking plays a woman who got a divorce when she found out her (ex) husband (Tony Eusoff) was cheating on her with Davina Goh's character through Facebook. Erm, reliving her own (distant) past much? (The part about divorcing from the cheating husband, that is; not the Facebook part in it)
I know it's an indie flick, but stuffing a ball under a woman's shirt ≠ pregnant.
There's some Hokkien in this movie, but don't worry - there's the very spot on subtitles to help you along.
There are some goofs in this movie - but I'll leave it to you to spot them for yourselves.

Not every storyline in the movie was nicely wrapped up with a nice big bow on top, but you can pretty much guess what happens.

Conclusion: Like it very much. It's ahead of the curve. Go watch. Seriously.

As this movie is in selected TGV Cinemas (in the Klang Valley - only at KLCC and Sunway Pyramid) for a limited run, I would suggest catching this as soon as possible.

Week 1, 2012

2012-01-08T00:47:00.000+08:00

Down with the sniffles today. And I have a job interview and a meet up to go for tomorrow. Should I just sleep on it and hope for the best?

'Rents gone off on a short cruise on New Year's Day. Needed the peace and quiet.
Second trip to JPO New Year's Day. Bought bubkes. Only thing I bought was Nadeje mille crepes in Malacca on the way home.
Saw Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol on IMAX at Pyramid.
Having my first ever giveaway - you have until next Friday to participate. If you don't, you just make my work easier :P
Received the new Starbucks Thailand planner in the mail this week - yay!

Is it MasterChef Malaysia final already?

2012-01-07T01:57:00.000+08:00

By the time you read this, it's probably about 24 hours before the MasterChef Malaysia final showdown between Ezani the dentist and Wahidan the farmer on Sunday night. I will honestly say I did not anticipate these two to be in the finals, ever. So bravo to them.

Some thoughts about this season of MasterChef Malaysia...

The use of the contestants' nama glamour in the opening credits was redundant, given that they've been addressed by their names proper throughout the competition.
Boot camp where they had to do coconut milk from scratch with actual halved coconuts and scraper? Very Malaysian (at least). At least they didn't have to crack their own coconuts open as well..
I was watching to see how far Ary Malik would go... And yes, I actually know her from TV way back when. She did quite okay considering.
Chef Riz looking like a cross between MasterChef Australia judge Matt Preston and Bond villain at some point. Couldn't quite put my finger on the close resemblance to Preston until just now.
Maggi? Really, MasterChef Malaysia, MAGGI? I know they're a sponsor, but still..whole challenges where they had to use the noodle and/or the flavouring? Really? At least it's quintessentially Malaysian...
Felix - the guy who won a challenge with a plate of maggi mee goreng. D'OH!
I say Felix and Imelda should've gotten the boot long before they got to Top 6. I know she makes for great TV with her crying and fanning herself; Felix... not so much. Brian the vegetarian auditor is not-too-bad TV fodder.
I can't be the only one that doesn't know who half (at least) the so-called "celebrity chefs" are everytime they're brought on for the Celebrity Chef Challenge.
I have to give the non-Malay contestants props for speaking as much Malay as they could and not sounding too pelat doing so.
Don't quite understand why only the Masterclass episodes were on STARWORLD to begin with. But I understood why they had to switch the speaking language to English about half way in. Was a little awkward hearing the older judges/mentors speak English as a second language - I was fine with subtitles.
Glad I can't remember the Jaya Grocer jingle at the moment.
Wasn't really expecting Adam Liaw (MasterChef Australia Season 2 winner) to show up to judge in the penultimate episode. But the timing might be coincidental as he was also in town to promote his holiday Guinness-infused menu, so..

I can't say it was good, but it wasn't all that crappy, either. I'd say it was craptastic at best.

PS. You can catch up on whole episodes on YouTube, though I'm not sure who would actually do that.

Starbucks Thailand 2012 planner

2012-01-06T13:41:00.000+08:00

Saw a Twitpic from someone in Thailand who was willing to send the new 2012 Starbucks planner overseas for shipping. Which was fair enough because it beats spending over RM200 (thereabouts) to get a Thai Starbucks Card, reloading 2,000 Baht and also get a drink. And I'm not going there anytime soon. Postage was relatively cheap, so no complaints.

So I hit the person up and long story short, here it is...!

Book Darts and my first ever giveaway

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000+08:00

I have been wanting to get Book Darts for years, but none of the bookstores in the Klang Valley are selling them, period. You can use Book Darts to mark lines that you like in your favourite books or texts instead of highlighting, underlining, etc. They are not safe for children, so you have been warned.

I finally found the opportunity to get more of them at a discount when they had their holiday sale last month, so I got a 100-count loose pack because buying them in tins not really worth it for me.

I had tried ordering previously awhile ago, but they didn't take debit card, so I tried again and it took! Yay! Never mind that the international shipping costs had risen since ($5.50 for orders outside the US), but at least they did not get lost in transit, which would suck royally.

Here they are, about 4 weeks later. Yay...!

So keeping the stamps

I also got a nice surprise when they also included a couple of 12-count stainless steel packs, a 15-count mixed multi pack and also a small trio sampler with my actual order (thank you!!).

Suh-weet!

As much as I would like to keep ALL the envelopes, I know I could try to give them away at some point (yes, I am doing this of my own volition), so this is me attempting my first giveaway on here, like EVER. Since I don't get that many visitors or commentors here, the odds of winning is pretty high. If there are no takers or winners or this giveaway craps out at the end, then I get to keep and use them. Only fair, right? So I'll try to keep this simple not just for me, but also for everyone else involved.

Giveaway prizes

It's open to anyone with a Malaysian mailing address just because I say so. The giveaway closes at 6 p.m. (local time, GMT+8) on January, Friday the 13th, 2012 (13/1/2012). It's plenty of time, and with my attention span, just as well. How I choose the winners depends on the reception, but it's most likely the "draw names out of a bag" method. Hey, I told you this is my first attempt at a giveaway. Winners (if any) will be announced within 24 hours after closing.

Winners get...

One person gets their choice of either one (1) stainless steel envelopes or the mixed metals envelope (not both), plus the mixed metal 3-count envelope (let's face it - no point giving someone just that, right?)
Two winners would get packer's choice (in this case: yours truly) of one (1) of the remaining envelope packs each.

Here's what you have to do:

Like The Ranting Cynic if you're on Facebook; a plus if you add the Google+ page to your circles. And leave a comment here saying that you've done so. Counts as one entry.
Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment that you've done so. Counts as one entry.
Of course you can also leave a comment at this blog post. Counts as one entry.
Do items 1-3 = more entries
Please leave an email address when commenting so that I can contact you should you win.

That should be it, I think. Good luck.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (IMAX)

2012-01-03T18:26:00.001+08:00

So today I paid RM14 more than I normally would to watch Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol on IMAX at the newly opened IMAX hall in Sunway Pyramid, mostly because I've never seen an IMAX movie before. So what the heck. I'm not about to go at night or during weekends and holidays - that's a massive headache waiting to happen.

Bought the tickets online the night before, but waited for what seemed to be forever to collect them on a work day. Fortunately, the actual online purchasing experience was not too bad, so can't complain about that. But I have no idea what the difference is between the normal IMAX seats (RM20) and the premium IMAX seats (RM22) - anyone?

Anyhow, have to give Tom Cruise props for doing his own stunts (which you can tell because you actually see his face and not the back of the stunt double's head) - is his wife not worried? - particularly when scaling the Burj. His running still cracks me up a little. His hair looks unusually good even when he's at his worst...didn't put two and two together until I saw his hairstylist listed in the credits. D'OH.

I liked the movie fine, but I didn't understand the IMAX hype. So it's just a huge screen and it's SUPER clear. And? But at least I can check that off the list now. Go watch it on IMAX if you haven't.

New Year's Day 2012

2012-01-02T22:37:00.001+08:00

Instead of going out and getting drunk on New Year's Eve, I went to bed with little sleep because I was supposed to wake up in a few short hours for a roadtrip down to Johor Premium Outlets with a couple of people from high school. But not before seeing the 'rents off at home as they're about to go on a short cruise from Penang to Thailand. Fortunately for everyone, I wasn't driving.

Long story short: didn't buy anything there. Between the crowd and the understocked shelves, there's not much choice, basically.

Also had a less-than-pleasant experience at the George and Dragon Cafe there: our drinks (much needed source of caffeine) came long after we were done eating (WTF), and they refuse to honour the offer stated in the VIP coupon book (15% discount on purchase over RM100). Being an actual practicing lawyer, one of the companions took the matter up with the people at the information centre, who offered to settle the matter for us, but we were too pissed to pursue by then.

We left about 2 something, just as it was starting to get really busy, as one of us wanted to stop by Malacca to buy slices of mille crepe from Nadeje, so I thought I might as well since I didn't blow a lot of money at JPO. After enduring the traffic of KL proportions in downtown Malacca (eek) with most of the other cars on the road not bearing Malacca plates, we finally got to the mall outlet. Not much left by the time we got there (beggars can't be choosers), but I ended up with a slice of the mocha and also the Malaccan (basically with gula melaka), which was packed with ice for the drive back.

Got home about 8 something in the evening.

First impressions: Publika, Solaris Dutamas

2011-12-31T17:22:00.000+08:00

Finally checked out Publika at Solaris Dutamas during the day. I say that because the few times I've been there prior was for night shows, leaving me with little time to check out the rest of the place. And there weren't that many shops open before til now.

I am still confuzzled by the parking, but that's just me, I'll get the hang of it... eventually.

Places to check out at Publika:

B.I.G (Ben's Independent Grocer) - They have stuff there that you don't expect to see, or even buy :P They have cool stuff but prices might be astronomical for some. Great for actual and aspiring yuppies and foodies. They have their other properties on site like Plan b and Ben's General Food Store, so if you find the ones in Bangsar a little congested, you might want to try there instead. Can't vouch for the food and service as it's not a place to go by yourself.
EAT Food Village - Non-halal foodcourt, much like Lot 10's Hutong with the heritage stalls setting up shop. There's Kin Kin chilli pan mee (which I've not had til today; tis edible), and Lorong Seratus Tahun, etc. Will have to bookmark the hokkien mee, et al for next time. Of course there's also everyone's favourite bubble tea place, Chatime :P
Lexy - It appears to sell Korean stuff: clothes, shoes, stationery...
kaleidoscope - sells a mix of clothes and knick knacks.
Artwork scattered around not just Publika, but MAP too - like the White Box, which is also an art gallery...

Not a place to drive out to specifically for unless you're bored/passing by/already there for something else.

View Larger Map

2011 Roundup

2011-12-31T11:10:00.000+08:00

How was 2011 for me? Well....

Saw a couple of plays this year.
Saw a bunch of movies this year.
Donated blood for the first time.
Attended a couple of friend weddings.
First time I've driven out of state myself with only a GPS and a kaki who rarely drives and vaguely remembers how to get there for company.
Much as I wouldn't mind the event swag and trying stuff out, but beauty blogger territory is not for me.
Checked out some events.
First and last time I go for a musical at Sunway Lagoon.
STOMP! at Plenary Hall in KLCC.
First time attending a show at said Plenary Hall.
Blogger Summit at PWTC.
Very brief trip to Jakarta.
Got a bunch of freebies.
Bought a bunch of stuff.
New born kittens. Several dead kittens.
Bought an accumulated stack of books which I'm slowly going through.
Got swept up a little by the bubble tea craze this last year.

Happy New Year, everyone.

STEAMCREAM: The Pseudo Review

2011-12-27T23:22:00.001+08:00

Bought a tin of STEAMCREAM back in June because it was on sale and I finally finished the tin at long last, which was just as well because the expiry date was last week (there's a sticker on the bottom).

It's a UK product, imported locally by Serendipity: Cult Beauty Discoveries (which by the way, is a great site to check out) from RM60 each.

From the Facebook page...

STEAMCREAM represents the latest concept in skincare. A longer lasting, intensive and effective moisturiser that is suitable for all skin-types and can be used on face, body & hands.

Natural and revitalising, STEAMCREAM is the ultimate multi-tasking moisture injection. Our unique STEAM process blends fresh, natural and traceable vegan ingredients for a deeper-reaching all-in-one cream.

STEAMCREAM breaks down immediately on contact with the skin, dispersing each ingredient directly to the area it’s designed to benefit. Plant extracts including oatmeal, orange flower water, organic jojoba and lavender oils can reach where they are needed instantly.

One Moisturiser – Many Designs.
STEAMCREAM comes packaged in a Japanese designed, flushed-lid, aluminium tin.Once sold out each eye-catching and constantly changing limited edition tin becomes a collectible and usable piece of art. Handy sized tin for on-the-go lifestyles at an affordable price.

Designed to suit today’s busy lifestyles – convenient to slip in your bag, take to work, the gym, on holidays or just keep at home. And its hand-luggage friendly at just 75g.

While they say it can be used on both face and body, I mainly bought it to use as a face moisturiser. It was a tad too greasy for my own face, so to finish it I've been using it on my body after showering whenever I remember to since, which absorbed way better than my face did. By that extension, it also works great on hands.

I liked the packaging, but I'm not about to start collecting the cute tins. The smell I'm okay with. Not too sure I want to spend over RM50 for a small tin (75ml) of body moisturiser when there are more reasonably priced ones in local drugstores, if you know what I'm saying. Odds of me spending my own money on this again: pretty slim. Not a must have for me, but if you can get it cheap, try it.

Week 52, 2011 - Happy holidays

2011-12-25T22:05:00.001+08:00

Cloudy and rainy this last week. Nothing new as far as monsoon season is concerned. Hail storm would be a different story. Yay, long weekend.

Managed to check out the Benefit Cosmetics warehouse sale (held over the 2 work days - shrewd) after skipping the last few times. At least it's not being held upstairs in their tiny break room, but downstairs near the underground parking lot. Finally came away with something I had been wanting to try but didn't want to pay retail price for.
Kind of started the CNY shopping. Just because.
Second home early Christmas eve.
Seen more Jamie Oliver (Christmas specials) on TV this week than I have all year.
Christmas is barely over and already some shops here are playing Chinese New Year music.
Simulated snow and snowflakes on Google and YouTube. Fun - snow sans cold. Nice.
Still trying to finish The Omnivore's Dilemma so that I could send it on to the next person. Good news is that I'm in the last section now.

E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef finale (SPOILER :P)

2011-12-21T23:00:00.001+08:00

[If you don't know what I'm rambling about, please skip this entry. Thank you.]

Okay, so I didn't watch the first half hour of AFC's Next Celebrity Chef two hour finale (as Masterchef Malaysia was also trimming their own fat on Astro RIA), but I did saw the rest of it.

Last 30 minutes of Hour 1 - the final four cheftestants are supposed to cater to the very different dining needs of different groups of people scattered around the hotel: Dino got a mother and daughter pair, Diane got an old married couple, Stanley got a young dating couple and Shinith got a three top in a business meal. They were supposedly making "dinner" but it was so bright outside, I found it hard to believe. Long story short, Shinith and Stanley got the boot, leaving Diane and Dino to compete in the finale.

To be fair, I didn't really see Shinith and Stanley making it to the end, based on their screen test challenge in the previous episode - Shinith was a little ridiculous (to put it mildly), and Stanley was droning on, even though his technical skills are above par. My mother thought Stanley would win based on his skill, but it's a celebrity chef search, not a chef chef search - you need to be a bit personable on screen, and the dude didn't really have it.

Hour 2 was the final showdown between Dino and Diane, who were summoned to the kitchens of the E&O Hotel in Penang. They were told to make their signature dish. Dino makes a salmon dish with white chocolate and wasabi sauce, which looked more complicated than how I'm describing it (trust me). Diane does her own version of that classic dish, Beef Wellington. Instead of the usual judges (Saxon and Chef Bruce) tucking into the food, they're brought out of the kitchen, leaving the finalists confused. We then see 10 other chefs (with their very tall and impressive white chef hats and decorated chef jackets), who are actually Penang's big wig chefs for a blind taste test. They tasted both dishes (how do you split four dishes between 10 people?) and after giving their opinions on both dishes, proceeded to guess whether a lady or a man cooked which dish. They were eerily accurate; if bets were made, some money would be made.

Post feedback, the finalists go back to the kitchens to see that it's getting ready for a big event. They then get the bombshell from the judges (which includes the Chef in Black, who's back) that they will be making food for 300 people in a charity gala dinner for the Performing Arts Centre of Penang, where their signature dish would be the main course of the meal. I'm sure Dino might've wished he came up with something simpler had they known they were going to cater to 300 people right after that.

(More...)

The Woman in Black (Trailer)

2011-12-21T13:58:00.000+08:00

After reading what I can about The Woman in Black on Wikipedia - if it ever does make an appearance in Malaysia (which I highly doubt) - I don't think I actually want to watch this. Even if it's Daniel Radcliffe's first (major) post-Potter movie. And it's not out until next February.

Why? I don't have the stomach for the genre. But I did managed to sit through the trailer. Just don't think I could sit through the movie.

If anyone has seen it (preview/test screenings and what not), let me know if it's any good. Kthnxbai.

2011 Read and Heard

2011-12-20T23:09:00.000+08:00

Currently attempting to finish The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, but at the rate I'm going it's most likely going to be included in next year's list...

Sue Townsend - Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years
Frank Miller - The Dark Knight Returns
Robert Sutton - The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
Justin Halpern - Shit My Dad Says
Andrea Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz - The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Discoveries and Pastimes
Andrea Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz - The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Adventures and Pursuits
Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography, Making History
Ha Jin - War Trash: A Novel
Chelsea Handler - Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Sam Gosling - Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You
Tina Fey - Bossypants
Cecil Adams - Straight Dope
Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant - The World of Karl Pilkington
Julie Powell - Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
Mrs Stephen Fry - Mrs Fry's Diary
Jeff Dunham - All by My Selves
Jimmy Fallon and the Writers of Late Night - Thank You Notes
MAD's Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions
Jon Ronson - The Psychopath Test
Alton Brown - Good Eats: The Early Years
Timothy Ferriss - The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich, The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
Andy Riley - Great Lies to Tell Small Kids, Dawn of the Bunny Suicides, Roasted: A Cartoon Strip about Stuff
Demetri Martin - This is a Book
Alan Lazar, Dan Karlan & Jeremy Salter - The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived
Olivia Munn - Suck It, Wonder Woman!: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek
Russell Lee - True Singapore Ghost Stories #21
John Lindsay - Emails from an Asshole: Real People Being Stupid
Neil Strauss - Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
The AV Club - Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists
Sarah Silverman - The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee
Tim Phillips - Knockoff: The Deadly Trade in Counterfeit Goods
Chuck Palahniuk - Damned
Jennifer 8 Lee - The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
Michael Ruhlman - The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America
Patrick Suskind - On Love and Death

Total - 38... mostly because I had been a little lazy when it comes to reading and my Mount TBR is crazy piling up.

2011 Movie Roundup

2011-12-19T10:39:00.000+08:00

Was holding out for one last movie before I get this out, but at this rate, I highly doubt that I'll watch anything now (even the new Mission: Impossible movie). I'm thinking of reserving the Sherlock Holmes sequel for use with GSC's birthday voucher next month.

Saw a bunch of movies for free this year - while they're not all gems, I can't complain as I didn't hand over money for tickets to watch these. But I am glad to be able to catch a couple of Oscar nominated movies before the Oscars, like The King's Speech and Black Swan.

The few that I DID pay for... mostly because there weren't any free preview screenings for them or I missed the boat completely, or some other reason.

The Mechanic
Love and Other Drugs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Captain America: The First Avenger
Nasi Lemak 2.0
The Three Musketeers
Killer Elite

They were mostly alright, but no clear favourite movie this year.

Week 51, 2011

2011-12-18T18:46:00.000+08:00

Mostly cloudy weather this week. Christmas is next weekend.

Holiday on Monday. Took the chance to go to KLCC and Pavilion :P
Covered, air conditioned walkway from KL Convention Centre to Pavilion is still a work in progress. Otherwise it's still doable without, just dustier, warmer and more dangerous :p
Agong relay was also this week, next one not due til 2016.
Went to Markets at Jaya One on Saturday. All I bought was cookies, a fudge (no nut) brownie and bubble tea from the recently-opened Share Tea. Yep, another one.
IMAX cinema opened at TGV Sunway Pyramid. Prices are from RM22 to RM25 for 2D and RM26 to RM29 for 3D. I already hate the Sunway Pyramid parking system, let alone brave the LDP traffic to watch a movie there. I didn't even know the one at Berjaya Times Square had gone away...
Transformers attraction opened at Sentosa. Don't care for it. I would only bother if it was Harry Potter.
Bought a RM16 bag of Garrett Popcorn's Chicago Mix. Not bad, but not something to be had too often.
New hawker centre also opened in my neck of the woods. So far it's mostly its previous tenants and then some new ones previously unheard of. Traffic hasn't improved.
Got my Etsy purchase in the mail.
Got a much needed shoulder massage. Still not into massage as a form of relaxation.

Free Starbucks coffee on Friday

2011-12-13T15:14:00.000+08:00

Never mind that it's drip and that it's in Malaysia, but free's free, right? It's always a little chaotic whenever this happens...