Happy Birthday Peeps... And Me!

After reading a few friends and bloggers' talking about their birthday in their blogs, I suddenly realised I totally forgot to do a birthday post for myself! So, Happy Belated Birthday to all of you September and early October babies! And like most of you, I've also turned 28 about two weeks ago!

Having a bunch of fun colleagues can be really fun but they can give you real headache too when it is your big day...

First thing I saw in the morning as I reached office...

Look! Who's birthday it is???

Well that wasn't the first time they did this to anybody in the department but I really thought I was safe since there weren't any of these posters when I checked-in to work but after a morning meeting, those posters were everywhere! And by that I mean in every cubicle in the washrooms!!! ==|||

.... Ok lar, I admit I really love what they did to me... Prank or not, I thank them for the effort and to make me feel like hey they remembered my birthday! LOL!

About two weeks before my birthday, I've received early birthday gifts from Deardo, one upon my request, one was something he knew I've been wanting for quite some time. And and and... They were shipped in all the way from the U.S.A! Thank you Deardo Wong! *muaks~*

Package all the way from the States! :)

Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, favourite birthday prezzie this year!

My favourite movie of all time in the 45th Anniversary Blu-Ray Edition.

I gotta say I'm seriously enjoying Chris Colfer's book which I'm almost done reading! Will share more with you guys once I'm done.

It was a great birthday where we decided to go to Jogoya (again) for my birthday dinner and we were lucky to find out they were having the ladies 50% promotion! Yay!

 

A series of camwhoring while enjoying my birthday treat!

Everything was great until a day after when both Deardo and I fell sick of food poisoning... Such terrible aftermath for a birthday celebration! Aaaarrrrhhhh....

Anywayz, I'm one year older and one year wiser! I don't feel much difference unless if you want me to think of stepping into a whole new level of life next year! But I do pray for a great year ahead in all things in my life! :D

Outdated Movie Reviews

Sorry guys, been really busy at work and am demotivated to blog even when I'm at home doing nothing. Always just wanna lie on the sofa and do nothing...

Anywayz, managed to catch some movies, which are not exactly new but I still want to share out of anality. LOL

What to Expect When You Are Expecting

Didn't have high hopes for this movie but I watched it anywayz I think perhaps because of the entertaining cast list!
The title said it all, it's all about what to expect when you are expecting, both to the mother and father. The storyline is very normal although it tried really hard in the end to make me cry, which I teared a bit, but actually it could have been done way better than that. I think the problem is the presentation of the stories and the not-so-fantastic acting from the all-star cast. I won't say it is lousy, but seriously it can be much better, funnier and touching-er. Ah, my favourite part: the part where JLo went to adopt her son... That was the best and most beautiful part of the entire movie. :)
All-star cast but not the best actors, I must say. Most of them just in there for the entertainment lar. But I love Elizabeth Bank's performance in the movie, so willing to make herself ugly and all for the role she plays.I think Anna Kendrink wasted her time doing this movie. That girl should be doing better movies than this one! 
I strongly do not recommend this one.

Shame

Honestly, I really watched this out of curiousity and because I'm in love with Michael Fassbender (Magneto, anyone?).
The movie talks about Brandon (played by Michael Fassbender of course), a guy with a VERY SERIOUS sex addiction problem. It went around showing how he struggles, how he wished to control himself but often, failed. In the end, his addiction almost caused him his sister's life... There is no proper ending or an explanation of what happen to him in the end... It's like a bit of an artsy movie.
Sexy body aside, Michael Fassbender gave a really good performance in the movie. I kinda feel his pain and struggles (although I don't have sex addiction issue, woi!). It is no wonder he has been winning awards for his performance in this movie! Another notable one must be Carey Mulligan (eh hem, I love her too) who was flawless too playing Brandon's sister who is herself a bit of a psycho too.
I know, I know, it's a movie full of sex scenes but honestly, the acting in this movie is something that you should learn to appreciate too! Not too bad a movie!

Till then, will try to update more often! *wink~*

My Fake Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Deardo's mum left us some pieces of pork chops and it bothered me for a while as I wanted to do a western-styled pork chops dish but I have zero idea what kind of gravy should I make! I had bad experience using those powder-based gravy and I knew from beginning I have to find some recipe to make my own sauce. I wanted to do the Hainanese sauce but I have no HP Sauce or Worcester Sauce so in the end I trusted no one but myself to create a super simple fake mushroom sauce out of Oyster Sauce!

So here's what you need: 1 or 1 1/2 medium size onions, sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh), water, cornflour, oil, oyster sauce and black pepper to taste.

What to do:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a deep pan or a pot.

2) Add in the onion and simmer till they turned brown.

3) Add in the mushrooms and fry until they are slightly cooked.

4) Now add in some amount of water, depending on how many servings are you making for.

5) Add in enough oyster sauce (taste your gravy until you get the right taste).

6) As the water starts to boil, pour in the cornflour and water to thicken the sauce, continue to stir.

7) Add in some Coarse Black Pepper and you are done!

Pour the gravy over pork chop, chicken chop or even steak or pasta! Although it doesn't taste so much like the real western-styled mushroom sauce, this Chinese infused mushroom sauce actually tastes pretty good! The onion added a very nice scent to the gravy and the gravy was flavourful enough even when I only added some salt when pan-grilling the pork chop!

My pork chop dish is looking good!

Deardo and Deardo's sister enjoyed the Pork Chops with Fake Mushrooms Sauce, served with Stir-fried Baby French Beans and Potato, Eggs and Japanese Cucumber Salad a lot! I must say I'm also quite proud of my spontaneous try!:p

Phew~ At least my 'customers' were okay with the dish!

About a month ago, I have cooked my first dinner for our guests at our house when 4e said she wanted to pay a visit to my (not-so-completed) house. I don't see it as a house warming meal at all. Just a simple dinner for 4e, Uncle Mike, Ah Ma and also Ducum. I made everything that I've done before, just to be safe. But hey, these are dishes that they have never tried before!

Dinner is served! And oh... That ugly table is officially gone now! Hurray!

Very simple but delicious Shirlexia's signature dish Stir-fry Shrimps with Garlic and Lime Leaves! Deardo is madly in love with this dish.

Couscous to replace rice or pasta. Similar recipe here.

Oven Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Nando's Marinate.

Chicpeas with Chorizo for a Spanish twist to our dinner. Recipe here.

I'm really glad my cooking the other night satisfied them all, except for Ah Ma probably, who isn't used to eating couscous.... I'm not sure yet when will we have a house-warming or will we even have one? But I'm still in a mood to cook for my guests even though it can be quite tiring lar!

So cheers~ For more cooking adventures to come! :)

Another Pork Outing @ S.Wine, B.I.G, Publika

Deardo and I are surely a fan of the BIG Group not so much of their food, but the owner's daring move in starting his businesses all over KL just in a few blinks time. We didn't even know S.Wine existed until Deardo's sis asked us to go lunch together one weekend.

Oink Oink~!

Hidden in the BIG Independent Grocers at Publika, S.Wine's location is more like a dark room hidden in a corner with a black curtain settings. The deco is pretty much very the BIG signature deco, simple yet artsy. I love it! And I think I must be quite outdated as there were already such big crowd there before 12pm!
True to its name, the restaurant serve PORK, PORK and PORK. Their breakfasts seems to be quite a hit but none of us order that probably because it was really a bit too late for breakfast? So here are what we had that day...

Warm Pork Confit, Watermelon and Lychee Salad, RM24

Pork Satay with Pineapple Peanuts Sauce, RM24.

Deardo's sis's Hainanese Pork Chops, RM26.

Deardo's BIL's Sausage and Bacon Chunks Pasta, RM26.

My Chorizo Burger, RM26.

Deardo's Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops with rice, RM unknown.

Strange enough, my favourite dish of the day was the salad! The pork belly, which is basically Siu Yok was chunky but really crispy I would have wanted them all by myself if it wasn't a dish to share. I also love the fact that it has refreshing fruits like watermelon and lychee in it! Such unique and tasty dish! The pork satay was so-so but I'm truly a fan of the peanuts and pineapple sauce! It was really yummy with a generous amount of peanuts!

I mustn't say the rest of the dishes are bad, they are just a little forgettable lar. I actually hope they can try to be more creative especially in terms of their sides. For instance, more greens for the Hainanese Pork Chop and the Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop. Good thing is, they actually have both Western and Asian Cuisines so it is an ideal place for family makan session! :)

Us still busy snapping photos...

Little Yue Yue wanting to sleep~! :(

Overall, not bad a dining experience with interesting pork dishes, especially when you know you are sitting right in a huge supermarket that have a huge variety of imported groceries! Don't you love to see those fancy stuff that can't be found easily in Malaysia? They even have a (very smelly) cheese room! Okay, running away from the topic already... The bill came up to almost RM200 which I think is quite decent for four mains and two dishes to share, plus the drinks.

I would go back once in a while just to try out some other dishes. The famous breakfast, perhaps?

S. Wine
Big Independent Grocers
Lot 1A 83 - 95 Level UG 1
Publika Solaris Dutamas
Jalan Dutamas 1
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6209 1700

The Amazing Chris Colfer

Well, the last time I got really crazy about an actor was Yoon Sang Hyun. I even went all out to learn Korean language and it went into the drain now... LOL! I still love him nonetheless, just that I think he just disappeared and I don't get to support him as much as I do now for my current favourite actor, Chris Colfer!

It all started when I got a free ticket to the premiere of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie last year. I already like Chris Colfer (who plays Kurt Hummel in Glee) just by watching the movie. I guess it is no surprise at all that I've fallen deeply in love with this young and inspiring actor after completing the three seasons of Glee. The only difference is, the love for Chris is slightly different because I can never fantasise anything to happen between us two. I will never have a chance, neither do any other girls who are crazy about him, for one reason... He's gay.

Chris singing Not the Boy Next Door, one of my favourite songs in Glee!

Well that is where the inspiring story comes in. Chris is openly gay and was bullied at school all the time just because of his sexual preference. That basically only made him a stronger person.

Chris's really cute Glee audition. :)

When he was 17, he auditioned for Glee and with his great voice he was cast as Kurt Hummel, a new character created by the producers just for him because they just love him too much. I always thought I would hate Glee because I thought it would be another damn cheesy High School Musical. But Glee surprised me as it has this really strong story line that often involve very sensitive issues that teenagers face and daringly put them all on TV. The extraordinary story line saw them talking about high school kids having sex, getting pregnant, being gays or lesbians and most importantly being called 'losers' and being bullied just because they are in the Glee Club (show choir they call it). I love it because I can sort of relate to them because I think I was quite a loser with a very low self-esteem too when I was in secondary school and don't tell me you never make some silly ghost-alike noises when you walk past a choir practice room where I was in there too! And the fact that the series shows how these underdogs manage to climb their way up is simply inspiring and too great for me to not love it. Besides, I always love movies or series that has something that is real or realistic! :)

Here's a cute duet of Kurt and Blaine in Let it Snow! 

As for Chris, he brought some of his experiences into Kurt Hummel in Glee and made such a huge difference in people's life. People who are bullied in school, people who are gay and are still shameful of being different found new hopes in Kurt and Chris. Both Kurt and Chris changed things quite a lot in the very world that we live in where bullies simply rule the school and you can't do anything about it. The same cruel world that in some European country you have news that a gay guy just got burnt till death for being gay. It's stupid, disgusting and awful!

Right there, under the 'M', Chris Colfer, Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World! 

Chris winning the Golden Globe and his inspiring speech! 

Chris Colfer, with his portrayal of Kurt, is being called the 'overnight star' of Glee by many in the industry. He is very different... A gay with a high pitch voice, which makes it really easy to understand why people just love to make fun of him. Having to said that, his singing and acting talent is undeniably brilliant. He has won a Golden Globe for his role in Glee and has been nominated twice for the Emmy Award, the Oscar of TV shows. Last year, at the age of 21, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World! This year, his writing talent is on showcase with his young adult book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell topping New York Times List for two weeks in a row and his debut screenwriting, Stuck by Lightning will be coming out in December. These achievements probably means nothing to some of you, but to him and the gay community, he is a true role model and great inspiration. His story is like a real life underdog turned superstar kinda thing, telling you not to underestimate one's capabilities!

Me loving a gay icon? So you have a problem with it? I call myself a Klainer too (note: Kurt and Blaine are called Klaine by their fans, who call themselves Klainers)!

Personally, I love Chris Colfer because in Glee, Kurt's story is always the one that made me cry. Those scenes with him telling his dad that he is gay, when his dad got ill and crushed him, when he got bullied at school up till when he found his love in Blaine (played by another talented and cute guy, Darren Criss) and etc. I'm so not gay but man those stories and Chris's detailed and heart-breaking acting touched me so much! He also has such a great voice that I love a lot! And besides, Kurt is a fashionista and aren't afraid to show that off, which is another true inspiration! Of course, his acting and singing aside, his real life story is something that makes me really love him. Also, if you dig out his interviews in Youtube, he is quite a funny person too! I just simply love the fact that he is so optimistic and enthusiastic!

If you remember, I have him at my workstation too, his quote inspires me whenever I'm down at work. 

So yes, because he is too young and that he's gay, I cannot be loving him the way I go crazy for other actors or singers. But I just love him very very much that I can only hope for the very best for him because seriously, 22 years old is very young! I hope that he would continue his good work in the entertainment industry and to succeed in whatever he does, as well as continuing his good work in helping people with differences making a difference in their lives.

I LOVE YOU, CHRIS COLFER!!! :D

Steamed Egg with Pork and Cuttlefish

Deardo and I sure have been enjoying our new kitchen a lot so far! We are loving the fact that we are most of the time eating more healthily at home and saving some RMs by doing so. I haven't been too adventurous though, making only the usual dishes I've done before most of the time. But it is a promise to myself that I will work on that more now that I've actually bought more recipe books recently! :)

The Steamed Egg with Pork and Cuttlefish is my all-time favourite home-cooked dish. I think Ducum would agree with me that this dish was like heaven to us when we were kids. We can simply just eat this with rice with nothing else! There are a few different version such as steamed pork with egg alone, then you can add the cuttlefish or you can add salted eggs and century eggs in it.
My favourite one is with cuttlefish. I love how the cuttlefish gives the dish an extra flavour  and fragrance and it is always fun to chew them when eating this dish. It's super easy to make actually! 

What you need: minced pork (preferably with a bit of fat) marinated with soya sauce and pepper, two to three eggs, Cuttlefish cut into bits, water and more soya sauce or salt to taste.

If you ever wonder what on earth is cuttlefish, this is it! You can easily find them  at the dried food isle!  I got mine from Taiping though. :p

Very simple ingredients isn't it? Simple to make too! Here you go...1. In a deep bowl, those that you can use to steam under high temperature, lay the minced pork which has been marinated earlier into it.

2. Add the cuttlefish and mix them up. 

3. Break the eggs onto it and whisk them together with the minced pork.

4. When you are done, add plenty of water. I measure it as about two times the content of the egg and pork mix.Stir them up a little. Add a little more salt or soya sauce to taste. 

5. Put the bowl into a steamer or a wok with some pre-boiled water. Steam for at least 20 minutes or until the dish is cooked and the texture of the eggs are harden... And you are done! :)

Well of course, I've seen or eaten harder steamed egg that are without so much of water but as a family tradition, I love my steamed egg to have the smooth texture and that I can have those flavourful gravy to go with my rice or porridge. So it's really up to your own liking, really.

I love it smooth and tender! *wink~*

While Deardo isn't quite a fan of the dish mainly because I think this dish is more to a Hokkien dish and not a Cantonese dish or perhaps it's too healthy and plain for his taste buds? I myself thought as a first timer, it was quite a successful try! Love the texture, love the taste and love how I can now make my favourite food when I was a kid in my own kitchen! 

We completed our wholesome dinner with some Ginseng Chicken Soup and Stir-fry Broccoli. 

Hopefully I will have more time for more of the kitchen adventure and more time to share with you guys here, very soon! Meanwhile, happy trying! :) 

Movies... Hoping for more posts to come!

Happy Belated Raya guys!

I have been unbelievably busy just because of one bloody project! Guess what? Still a lot more to come! But it has also been a good long weekend as I finally managed to catch-up with some movies, old and new ones as I think it has been months I haven't even step into a cinema until last week.

So here are the three movies I watched and wish to share some of my thought even though some of them are already considered old...

The Hunger Games

Reviews for this movie has been pretty good so I was curious.

Well, story wise, it is quite an interesting storyline involving some reality show, PR and marketing elements. So my type! Ha! While I do love the story a lot, there are details that they did not explain in the movie, such as why is there such hunger games? I only got to know by reading the plot from Wikipedia! I also think the movie can be cut shorter, especially near ending. Seriously, the winning interview and the guy getting into the room to see the poison cherries were redundant. Also, please don't expect it to be a kick-ass action movie, it is not! I think the best thing about the movie is the meaning behind it, it's the humanity that matters most!

I always like Jennifer Lawrence. I think Katniss isn't a very challenging role for her to play but still, she is as hot as always! :) I wish I could see more of Liam Hemsworth but the minor role disappoint me. It is no wonder he needs to marry Miley Cyrus to get himself a 'promotion' in the industry! I'm also amazed at how Elizabeth Banks carries the role of Effie so well! Good one, Elizabeth!

As Deardo said, the movie is too overrated. It is not a superb movie, but to me, worth a watch! I rate this 3.5 out of 5.

Real Steel

Real Steel is certainly my type of movie... The inspiring story of an underdog rising up and the father and son relationship. I was expecting myself to finish up a box of tissue paper watching the movie but it didn't happen... LOL! Anyway, I still think it's a cool and inspiring movie, just not the best one I've seen. Action wise, not as good too. I love seeing how the cool Atom can follow human's shadow to fight but at the same time as realistic I am, I do not buy the idea of machine fighting machine at all.

Acting wise, nothing to shout about.

I rate this 2.5 out of 5.

The Dark Knight Rises

Thanks to Karen, we managed to catch the movie, possibly right before they take it off the cinema.

Well, just an intro, I've only seen the first batman and did not watch the magical second one which everyone went crazy about how fantastic Heath Ledger was in the movie. So I went into the cinema just to see how cool the story and the action can be without knowing what happened earlier.

For a superhero movie, The Dark Knight Rises uses the same old story... The superhero gave up on saving the world, then suddenly realised he needs to make a comeback blah blah blah. And as usual, it's a very dark story, which I don't really prefer. There are cool parts of the movie especially when those batman vehicles come out but that's it. I basically think Batman sucks as a superhero compared to Ironman or even Captain America, who has much more super power. I mean, I'm not used to all these comic stuff but why does he has a cloth hanging on him but he can't fly? Figure that out for me please! And gosh I hate it that superhero lost or died because of a woman. So old-fashioned and lame!

That aside, I love the really strong cast! Christian Bale is as fantastic as always, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are as lovable as always, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so cute, Anne Hathaway added coolness to her beauty and great acting, Marion Courtillard is really a class above all... I think the cast is the best thing the movie can offer, really!

Not so good as a movie, but to get such a great cast in a movie isn't easy as well. :) I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.