Joy 'N' Escapade

Project: Reflect 52 #8 - Hit the pins or roll in the drain?

2012-02-25T14:42:00.003+08:00

The colleagues (team) organized a mini team building last Friday. We did bowling at UBowl, One Utama.

The bowling alleys and the ten pins at the end of each alley gave me some sort of inspiration about life's journey. For newbie bowlers like me, if I'm lucky, I could knock down 9 out of 10 pins. Most of the time, only 4 or less pins were down. Sometimes, the ball would roll into either the left or right "drain" alongside the bowling alley, without much effort. Hahaha!

You see, life's journey is not a smooth one. Along the way we meet "the pins" (obstacles, problems, setbacks, etc). Sometimes, we "knock down the pins or strike" (face and deal with those difficult situations). Sometimes, we choose to avoid them by "going down the drain" (running away from difficulties).

Whatever method we choose, we will have to face the consequences. "Knocking down the pins" might be painful, but issues are resolved. "Going down the drain" might be less painful, but it is usually a temporary solution and the real fundamental issues could show its ugly head again sooner or later.

Nevertheless, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger (What Doesn't Kill You, Kelly Clarkson).

Love life and live life to the fullest! :)

Movie: The Woman in Black (2012)

2012-02-24T12:03:00.002+08:00

Fear her curse

The Woman in Black (2012) is a horror thriller movie based on Susan Hill's 1983 novel of the same name.

Synopsis: Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to a remote village in England to sort out some legal paperwork of a house belonged to a deceased Mrs. Drablow. What is supposed to be a simple 3-day job becomes a nightmare when Kipps starts to be haunted by supernatural appearances of dead children and a sinister woman in black.

Horror movies with sinister ghosts hungry for revenge are always very good to watch. This movie has its story set in the late 19th century and its main focus is a huge, dilapidated, and creepy mansion. The mansion is extremely isolated from the rest of the village, thus adding extra chills to the movie's already dark mood.

I really like the following comment:

The mood is perfect (emphasized by extreme isolation), the sustained dread is gut-wrenching, and the anticipation is a killer. Although this is a ghost story with the standard dilapidated, abandoned mansion as the central location for trepidation, it presents several very unique ideas for old-fashioned hauntings.

The use of demonic-looking toy contraptions and unnerving dolls is nothing new. Nor are the expected, manipulative jump scares fueled by loud thuds, screeches, and jarring sound effects (and a pesky crow), or the sudden appearances of otherworldly imagery coupled with crescendo-favoring musical accompaniment. But the evil spirit itself is wonderfully singular in its ability to scare through subtle materialization (coming into sight in alarming manner, with slower paced emergence more traumatizing than the rapid ones), its targeting of children and pattern of avoiding physical harm to adults, and most of all in its vengeful mission that cannot be appeased, calmed or quelled. She's a wronged poltergeist of legendary ill-omen stature, foreshadowing doom; she's not meant to be satisfied but rather endured. [source]

Seriously, if you're a hardcore fan of old-fashioned horror movie, you must watch this movie.

In Moments Like These

2012-02-23T09:13:00.000+08:00

In moments like these I sing out a song
I sing out a love song to Jesus
In moments like these I lift up my hands
I lift up my hands to the Lord

Singing, I love You, Lord
Singing, I love You, Lord
Singing, I love You, Lord
I love You

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I really, really want this hymn for our church wedding ceremony.

Movie: Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon (2011)

2012-02-22T14:30:00.000+08:00

1 second to spot the enemy
0.1 second to aim at the enemy
0.01 second to pierce the heart

Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon (2011) is a South Korean historical action movie set during the second Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636. According to history, nearly half-a-million people of the Joseon Dynasty had been taken captive by the Qing Dynasty (Manchurian) of China during this period.

Synopsis: During the second Manchu invasion of Korea, Seo-goon (Kim Mu-Yeol) and Ja-in (Moon Chae-won) are kidnapped by the Manchurian army on their wedding day from a village in Joseon Korea. Ja-in's brother Nam-yi (Park Hae-il), a skillful archer sets out to save her and other victims by hunting down the elite troop led by Jyu Shin-ta (Ryoo Seung-yong), a fierce Manchurian warrior. A fierce battle between two of the finest warriors from the Joseon Dynasty and Qing Dynasty unfolds.

The reasons why you should watch this movie:

1. Powerful main characters & cast [source]

Nam-yi: He is willing to do everything in his power to save his sister Ja-in from harm. Forced to take up his bow in an incredible fight against the enemies, his archery skills is put to its ultimate test.
Ja-in: On her wedding day, her village is demolished by the Qing troops and she is taken captive. Amidst life-threatening situations, she is able to stand strong with her intelligence and unwillingness to sacrifice her dignity before the enemies.
Jyu Shin-ta: He is the leader of the elite troop, Niru who regards his troop members as his own brothers. He is also a fierce warrior and a master in archery.
The entire cast gives solid performance that will definitely blow you away.

2. The philosophy behind the arrows [source]

Nam-yi's arrows: Only 1/3 of the traditional arrow size and weight, making it superior in velocity, force, and range. His arrows make it hard to detect the shooter's location, thus ideal for an ambush.
Jyu Shin-ta's arrows: 24 times heavier than the traditional arrow, tearing apart targets with just one shot.
The bow-and-arrows in action scenes will keep you in awe and you will have that heart-in-throat kind of feeling throughout the entire movie.

3. The usage of the Manchu language [source]

Director Kim Han-min introduces the Manchu language in order to portray a more realistic historical depiction of the 'Manchu War of 1636'.
Due to constant practice and learning, the actors were able to speak Manchu at a level not seen since the actual days of the Qing Dynasty. The heavy, masculine tone that the Manchu language exudes is especially well-carried out by Ryoo Seung-yong who acts as Jyu Shin-ta, a Manchu warrior.
The persistent efforts that both actors and film crew alike made to stay true to the Manchu language surely lends in favor of the movie's overall depiction of this period in history.

You really, really must watch this movie. Its impressive action sequences and historical details plus the few factors listed above will make you feel like you have stepped back in time to witness history for yourselves.

How to have a great housewarming party

2012-02-21T15:11:00.001+08:00

Photo Source

The most important element is FOOD! Food, glorious food! Indeed, we had a wonderful selection of food at Cheryl's housewarming party last Saturday.

Top (left to right): A chunk of pple pie with vanilla ice-cream; melted chocolate & marshmallows
Bottom (left to right): Pickled baby cucumbers (since April 2011); a giant bottle of apple cider

Top: Rainbow cake with Nutella frosting; rice with feta cheese dressing & baby tomatoes
Bottom: Beef meatloaf

There are much more food without photos: Doritos, cheese fondue, mashed potatoes, pizza, salad, fortune cookies, lemonade with mint leaves, ice-cream, etc.

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Not forgetting these too:

The crowd - Great friends make a big difference to the atmosphere. The more the merrier. In this case, too many cooks don't really spoil the broth.
The music - Not too punk or rock, not too slow either. It all depends on the mood of you want to set.
The games - Good to have boardgames to kill time and to keep your guests away from stuffing themselves with too much food. :P
The house - Give your guests a good map. You won't want them to end up in Holland. Make sure your house is de-cluttered too. You gotta make space for your guests to sit or just stand around.
Disposable plates, forks and spoons, cups - Prepare in abundance. However, if you're against using too much of these green-unfriendly disposable stuff, you might want to remind your guests beforehand not to throw away their plates and cups too frequently.
Dustbins - Do prepare a few and put them at prominent places, not just under the sink in the kitchen.
Tissue paper - This is a must-have item. Prepare in abundance as well.

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Finally, a word of caution. Be prepared to become dead tired at the end of everything. :P

Baked Pear in Red Wine

2012-02-20T16:28:00.001+08:00

Our belated Valentine's Day dessert was Baked Pear in Red Wine at Casa del Cocco, Taman Danau Desa.

The moment the "glorious" pear was served, both of us almost laughed out heads off. It looked like a lump of poop, right? So, here's to a "shitty" Valentine's Day! :P

Don't be fooled by its inferior outlook. This poor-looking pear was very, very delicious!

The pear's succulent middle was stuffed with grated lemon rind and juice. Caramelized sugar was drizzled generously over the pear. A few chunks of walnut and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder gave this dessert an unforgettable appearance and taste.

Note: Casa del Cocco is a new outlet replacing Cafe Libre.

Project: Reflect 52 #7 - 5 lovelies of the week

2012-02-19T09:00:00.000+08:00

Vintage necklace
Bought this lovely vintage necklace with a yellow rose from the flea market at Amcorp Mall.

A real man does carpentry in the house
So proud with the fiance! He does wonders with wood, nails, and stuff like that. *beams* Well, we're practicing frugality and practicality. When things are broken, fix them rather than buying new ones! :D

Pit droid
This fella, especially the way he stands, makes me smile. He has just joined our family of astromech droids and other Star Wars stuff. :)

The fiance's Valentine's Day pressie
Gotten him a Star Wars novel. Happy Valentine's Day!

Gorgeous sunflowers
Every time I see sunflowers, my heart soars. The fiance knows, so every time he sees sunflowers, he takes a shot and sends a virtual bouquet to me. :P

Our wedding motto: with hand and heart

2012-02-18T17:22:00.000+08:00

This is our wedding motto: with hand and heart

Inspired by our engagement story.

♥

Movie: Puss in Boots (2011)

2012-02-17T17:24:00.000+08:00

Looking good never looked so good.

Puss in Boots (2011) is a computer-animated movie, that follows the character of Puss in Boots on his adventures before his first appearance in Shrek.

Synopsis: Years before meeting Shrek and Donkey, the adorable but tricky Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) must clear his name from all charges making him a wanted fugitive. While trying to steal magic beans from the infamous criminals Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris), he crosses paths with his female match, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), who leads him to his old friend, but now enemy, Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis).

Memories of friendship and betrayal enlarges Puss' doubt, but he eventually agrees to help the egg get the magic beans. Together, the three plan to steal the beans, get to the Giant's castle, nab the golden goose, and clear Puss' name.

I'd say there's nothing revolutionary about this movie but if you're a fan of the Shrek series and Puss, you might find it entertaining. I do quite like the story's pace, Antonio Banderas' voice as Puss, and the surprising twist of Humpty Dumpty's character.

So there, if you want something light to watch, this movie will do you some good.

Movie: The Big Year (2011)

2012-02-16T12:18:00.000+08:00

Everyone is searching for something

The Big Year (2011) is a comedy movie based on the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession written by Mark Obmascik. It introduces bird-watching in depth, or "birding" for serious bird lovers.

Synopsis: Brad Harris (Jack Black) follows his dreams to compete in the "Big Year" in a year's time. Along the way, he meets other talented birders including defending champion Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) and semi-retiree Stu Preissler (Steve Martin). As the three desperately try to outdo each other to win the title, they find themselves struggling with priorities and what is important in their life.

This is a really heart-warming movie. First of all, the plot is minimalist but with great storyline. The entire movie is about birding and that takes us the audience to almost everywhere in the U.S. - from Attu Island in Alaska to Brownsville, the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, and everywhere in between.

Secondly, the characters are good. Owen Wilson plays Kenny Bostick, the defending champion of the "Big Year" who has trouble deciding between his obsession and spending more time with his wife, Jessica (Rosamund Pike). As the world's greatest birder, he does everything he could to thwart his competitors' chances of winning.

Steve Martin plays Stu Preissler, a businessman on the verge of retirement who decides to pursue his long-time dream to spend a year birding, but he faces strong resistance from his employees. Jack Black is Brad Harris, the youngest of the lot. As aimless as he seems to be, his passion in birds is priceless. Along his journey, he finds friendship and love.

In short, it's really enjoyable watching these three actors with performances beyond their usual comedy shtick.

Again I would say, this is a really heart-warming movie. There are funny moments here and there, but as the movie ends, you might have started thinking about your own priorities and dreams in life, as the tagline says, "Everyone is searching for something."

Do watch it if you need some inspiration at this point of time.

Movie: Chronicle (2012)

2012-02-14T18:22:00.002+08:00

It's all fun and games until everybody gets hurt

Chronicle (2012) is a sci-fi movie that chronicles what happened to three teenagers and the scenes are shot primarily with various video recording devices, particularly hand-held camcorders.

Synopsis: Three high school friends, Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), his cousin Matt Garetty (Alex Russell), and their fellow schoolmate Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) stumble upon an unknown underground object and gain telekinetic abilities. They become the best of friends and use their new-found abilities mainly for personal gains. Their friendship is soon tested when Andrew begins to use them to harm and hurt others.

I'd say this is the best line to summarize this entire movie: "From the deceptively ordinary beginning, Josh Trank's Chronicle grows into an uncommonly entertaining movie that involves elements of a superhero origin story, a science-fiction fantasy and a drama about a disturbed teenager." (Roger Ebert)

There are many found-footage movies these days - The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity - to name a few. Chronicle stands out with its engaging, fast-paced storyline and great performances from the three young, talented cast.

If you're watching this movie, do pay attention to Andrew the character. He's the key to the entire movie. Being a disturbed teenager who possesses superhero abilities, he becomes a very dangerous entity because he doesn't know how to control himself.

The ending, being the climax of the movie, is rather sad but inevitable.

Here's the question: What would you do if you possess telekinetic abilities?

Do watch this movie if you like found-footage movies.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-14T13:19:00.000+08:00

I kept this tag from Valentine's Day 2011. Now it's time to use it for Valentine's Day 2012.

Love with practicality prevails.

^_^\/

Project: Reflect 52 #6 - Shopping with future kids

2012-02-12T11:58:00.001+08:00

We were in IKEA, hunting for wedding decor stuff. While lining up at the cashier, we saw a couple with two kids - one boy, one girl. In fact, throughout the time spent in IKEA, I've noticed quite a number of families and most of them have shopping trolleys with kids. Some kids were sleeping, some were chatting away happily, some were wailing, and some were dashing here and there.

I realize that we'll be joining the crowd, soon. I can envision us pushing a shopping trolley in a mall with our kids either standing in it or trailing behind us, asking questions non-stop, pestering us to buy this and that. Maybe we'll have one boy and one girl, or one boy and two girls. :)

Until that happens, let me get on with my wedding planning. :)

Movie: The Viral Factor (2012)

2012-02-09T18:24:00.000+08:00

The Viral Factor (2012) is a Hong Kong action movie directed by Dante Lam who's well-known for his big-budgeted crooks-versus-cops action thrillers. This movie assembles actors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Malaysia. Almost 80% of the movie is shot in Kuala Lumpur.

Synopsis: Jon Man (Jay Chou), an agent with the International Security Affairs is on a mission to protect a criminal scientist in escort when his team leader Sean (Andy On) betrays the team. Jon is injured and told to have only two weeks to live. He goes back to Beijing to spend his remaining days with his mother who later tells him about his long-lost brother, Man Yeung (Nicholas Tse) whom she left behind with his father, Man Tin (Liu Kai-chi) more than 20 years ago.

Jon arrives in Malaysia and discovers that Yeung is a wanted criminal and is somehow involved in Sean's plan. Jon is drawn into the conflict with the hope to stop Yeung from continuing his crooked path and to thwart Sean's criminal plan.

With more than two hours of intense action right from the very beginning, I find myself very lethargic. I think the movie fares better if it's a tad shorter, say 20 minutes.

Beginning with gunfight scenes in Jordan, action continues with Dante Lam's signature directions, i.e. jumping from tall buildings, car chases, extensive gun shootings, bomb blasts, helicopter chase, brutal murder, kidnapping, one-on-one combat, etc. I wonder if Dante Lam wants to be Michael Bay or something like that. This movie seems to be very ambitious because it crams in all sorts of possible action scenes.

By the way, it's really interesting to watch our Malaysian police force in action. And also when Man Yeung drives a Perodua Myvi. Hahaha!

Overall, it's a good action thriller, one that can rival some of Hollywood's movies of the same genre. With big names like Nicholas Tse and Jay Chou, and with almost 80% of the movie shot in KL, how could you miss this movie?

Movie: Johnny English Reborn (2011)

2012-02-07T14:59:00.000+08:00

One man. One mission. No chance.

Johnny English Reborn (2011) is a British spy comedy movie, the sequel to Johnny English (2003). Rowan Atkinson reprises his role as Johnny English.

Synopsis: MI7 spy Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is in exile in a Tibetan monastery since his screw-up in Mozambique. When MI7 boss Pegasus (Gillian Anderson) knows about an attempt to assassinate the Chinese premier Xian Ping, she has to bring English back into action. Given a young sidekick named Tucker (Daniel Kaluuva) and with the help from another MI7 field agent whom he "worships", Simon Ambrose (Dominic West), and psychologist Kate Sumner (Rosamund Pike), English has to find out the mole in MI7 before it's too late.

I just got to know that Johnny English, debuting in 2003 is a spy movie parodying James Bond. Having seen Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean", I expect Johnny English to be a funny, no-brainer movie, i.e. a half-stupid-half-smart movie that gives you a lot of laughs. True that, it's just another movie "exploiting" Atkinson's comedic talent.

The character that I like the most is the "Killer Cleaner" old lady. She carries around unassuming-looking gadgets that could be assembled into awesome killing machines in each of her "assignment" to finish off English. Cool beans! She's a limelight stealer!

Anyway, this is a good tea-time movie on a sunny afternoon. :)

Project: Reflect 52 #5 - 4 months to our wedding

2012-02-05T09:51:00.001+08:00

It's four months to our wedding and I've started to feel panicky and anxious. I'm finding it hard to stay calm amidst situations whereby some decisions couldn't be made yet due to insufficient information.

There's this relationship advice that I heard somewhere, some time ago. It goes somewhat like this: Wedding is a major event in a couple's journey in life together. The preparation for this major event is an important test. With this couple, the test strengthens their bond. With another couple, the test weakens their bond and brings out unresolved underlying issues.

Being in a serious relationship that heads towards marriage is not an easy-peasy experience. You (as a couple) gotta make it works no matter how. Wedding preparation is one of the many hows.

Four months to go. The groundwork has been done. The blueprint is ready. The challenge now is to fill in the details. That's the hardest part because some details will not be able to be finalized until one month or so before the actual wedding day itself.

Well, let's see how things gonna roll in the next four months!

Movie: White: The Melody of the Curse (2011)

2012-02-03T23:57:00.002+08:00

White: The Melody of the Curse (2011) is a South Korean horror movie.

Synopsis: A girl group known as Pink Dolls is struggling to make a name in the music industry. When the girls - lead singer Jen-ni (Jin Se-yeon), pretty girl Ah-rang (Choi Ah-ra), former backup dancer Eun-joo (Ham Eun-jeong), and rapper Sin-ji (Maydoni Kim) - release their new single with the title "White" - a remake from an untitled music video found in their studio, they become instant sensation.

Soon, strange things begin to happen. As suspicious and gruesome incidents happen to Jen-n-, Ah-rang, and Sin-ji, Eun-Joo suspects that the happenings are related to the music video. She begins to look into the mystery behind it with her best friend, Soon-ye (Hwang Woo-seul-hye). In the end, she too falls victim to the cursed song.

Most mainstream Asian horror movies still won't veer away from portraying a main vengeful ghost. There's a black-haired Sadako in the Japanese Ringu and now you have another similar character in this Korean movie. There are scary moments but those are sort of expected and not that memorable.

The interesting thing about this movie is that you get to spend almost half the time watching K-pop music video. Guys would be happy to watch these sweet young things doing their sexy dance moves.

And, the "White" song is pretty catchy too.

If you're a K-pop fan, I'm not sure whether you'll like this movie or not but it's a different kind of experience watching haunted girl groups. Haha.

Reading The Time Traveler's Wife

2012-01-31T18:50:00.001+08:00

Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveler's Wife".

Synopsis:

This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Have you watched the movie?

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Another Audrey Niffenegger's novel:
Her Fearful Symmetry

Project: Reflect 52 #4 - Homemade bread with bread-maker

2012-01-29T10:17:00.000+08:00

The future father-in-law makes really delicious homemade bread with the bread-maker. I keep on telling everyone in the family that the bread-maker is a must-have appliance in my kitchen next time. :P

Here's how a bread-maker looks like.

And here's how you make your own homemade bread.

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
3 cups of flour (normal or wheat)
1 teaspoon of yeast
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of margarine / butter
2 tablespoons of milk powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Raisins, dried cranberries, assorted nuts (optional)

How:
Mix everything together and place the dough in the bread-maker. There are a few program buttons on the bread-maker. You can choose the type of bread you want to make by pressing the buttons. It's similar to operating the microwave oven. So, just follow the manual to find out how long does it take to make a loaf of bread.

Note:
No preservatives are used. You will need to refrigerate leftover bread if any.

Homestyle Tom Yum Beehoon

2012-01-26T14:10:00.001+08:00

This is a recipe from the future mom-in-law. The kitchen has become my favorite spot in the house for the past few days. :P

Ingredients:

Cabbage (sliced)
Limau purut (kaffir lime) leaves (chopped)
Lemongrass (preferably chopped)
Carrot (sliced)
Chicken / pork
Prawns (de-skinned)
Onion (chopped)
Garlic (chopped)
Tom yum paste
Water
Beehoon (blanched in hot water)

Yummy! Second helping is guaranteed. :D

Happy Lunar New Year 2012!!!

2012-01-23T14:46:00.008+08:00

Kitty the house cat wishes everyone...

Happy Lunar New Year 2012!!!

Project: Reflect 52 #3 - The first major scratch

2012-01-22T12:00:00.001+08:00

My heart bled. My poor WUQkie (my car) got its virgin major scratch. That bloody scratch was so ugly that I felt so bad. But, it wasn't my fault.

WUQkie was parked nicely in its own parking spot and I was pretty sure that it didn't obstruct anyone's way. But somehow, an unknown inconsiderate and perhaps stupid driver decided to give my car this sort of harsh "treatment".

Anyway, it's Chinese New Year eve today and I don't feel like cursing anyone. So let's just put stupid things aside.

Have a blessed reunion dinner with your family members. Let's eat, drink, and be merry!

Happy Chinese New Year!

I wanna drive a KIA Forte Koup this Valentine's Day!

2012-01-21T18:29:00.002+08:00

My heart melted the moment I came to know about this contest by KIA Malaysia.

All you need to do is to share your love for KIA on your blog or Twitter or Facebook or YouTube and tell KIA Malaysia about it. If they love it, the winner (ONE ONLY) gets to drive the KIA Forte Koup from 11th February (Saturday) till 15th February (Wednesday) in conjunction with this year's Valentine's Day!

Photo from nazakia.com.my

Love the Forte Koup's tagline:
Leaves you Speechless

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Now, let me tell you why I'd love to have the Forte Koup as my Valentine's Day drive.

In January 2010, I met a motoring journalist at a gathering. He mentioned that he would be giving the KIA Forte a test drive during one of the weekends.

Not a week later, he tweeted that he had gotten the KIA Forte for review. It all started with a simple question of me asking him about the color of the car. And wouldn't you know it! He replied me, asking me out to take a spin in the car with him!

So, destiny had it that the KIA Forte became the first car I was driven around by the editor whom, two years later, is the one I'd be marrying in June this year. As a note, we just got engaged in December 2011. :)

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You see, since the KIA Forte sealed the deal and set the stage two years ago, it'd be lovely to drive a KIA Forte Koup with my fiance this Valentine's Day...

:)

Movie: Underworld: Awakening (2012)

2012-01-20T16:15:00.000+08:00

Vengeance Returns

Underworld: Awakening (2012) is the fourth installment in the Underworld movie series. Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as Selene, the female vampire warrior.

Synopsis from Wikipedia: Six months after the events of Underworld: Evolution, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) was captured by humans. Eventually both government officials and the public learn about the existence of the two immortal species of Vampires and Lycans (Werewolves). A crusade and all-out war has begun: study and eradicate. After being imprisoned in cryogenic suspension for 12 years, Selene manages to escape the facility. During the same time, another suspect has also escaped the same facility that Selene was in. The suspect was Eve (India Eisley), a hybrid who is the key to ending the war.

Surprisingly, I haven't watched the first three movies. Blehhh. So, I find myself in awe as I watch how cool, sleek, and agile Kate Beckinsale is as Selene. Somehow, her character reminds me of Alice from the Resident Evil movie series, starring the equally cool actress, Milla Jovovich.

Since this movie is about the never-ending war between the Vampires and the Lycans, you can expect lots of gruesome fights, dead Vampires, torn-apart Lycans, and blood everywhere. It's really a bloody fest. In fact, the movie's focus is just about fightings, killings, shootings, jumping from buildings, car chases, all sorts of action sequences you could think of.

Therefore there is a lack, you can't really feel the characters, e.g. Eve. Eve is a newly introduced character but there's no emphasis on character development and thus, I find the entire movie devoid of sentiments but just bang bang bang. The end. Well, I guess there's no time for feelings and sentiments because the main focus is the action scenes.

Anyway, if you want to watch Kate Beckinsale kicking some Lycans' backside, you would want to watch this movie.

I WON 1 SHOGUN & SAISAKI Japanese Buffet Restaurant VIP card!

2012-01-20T12:04:00.000+08:00

Earlier this month, I joined the New Year 2012 Giveaway contest by EverydayOnSales.com and here's my entry post.

The moment I found out about this contest, I decided to give it a try. Who knows what the year of the dragon might bring, right? ;)

And seriously, you know what?

I received the following email yesterday.

You have been selected as a winner in Everydayonsales's giveaway. Everydayonsales says: "Hi Joyce Lee, Congratulation! You have been selected as a winner in EverydayOnSales's giveaway..."

I couldn't believe it!

So I checked the giveaway page and here's what I saw!

Wow, they even have a video showing how the lucky winners' names were drawn!

I'm really one of the five lucky winners!!! This is a wonderful Chinese New Year gift!

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Fret not, they have more contests to come in near future. I'm not sure what they are but I believe they must be awesome!

So, do keep yourself updated via their Facebook page and Twitter.

Till then, good luck!