Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Just FYI, I did not watch any of the previous installments of the Mission: Impossible movies, but this one I went to watch in in IMAX, which is like fuyoh~!
Ghost Protocol is in deed a cool action movie. I mean, those 'impossible' technologies aside (you know I'm realistic enough to not buy that kinda crap, right?), the action was really impressive that Deardo said it was the best out of all the Mission: Impossible series of movies. My favourite is of course the Burj Hotel part, which I think most of you guys would agree with me too. Such kan cheong, entertaining, yet funny scene of the movie! As an action movie, I do not think it's the best action movie I've ever seen. As a drama, this is not even up to my level. But to me, it's slow in terms of story, but action wise, surely worth watching.
I'm  not a fan of Tom Cruise, not especially ever since he jumped on Oprah's couch. So Tom Cruise aside, I find the rest of the IMF team quite good. Simon Pegg (come on! Everybody loves him), Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner all played some lovable roles in the movie, even though I sure think Jeremy Renner needs to work on his acting and body before he can play Bourne (yes, he will take over from Matt Damon). I also love Anil Kapoor's appearance in the movie, it's simply something different for an Indian actor to play in a Hollywood movie.
I found guys finding the movie a bit too slow and too little action. So I guess 'average' should be the right word to describe it lar. But to me, not the best but worth-watching!

My New Year...

So how was you new year and the long weekend?

Well as usual, I didn't send myself into those crazy countdown crowd in the city but I must admit I had quite a crazy day out with Karen on new year's eve. It was just quite a normal catch-up with food and movies and we bought ourselves some crazy (can be useless) stuff like...I know! I'm not even a kitty fan but these glasses are just too cute to resist!!! I can't help but bought 3 pairs of them but if I have more money to spend I'll probably buy more lor!!! Ish cute gila babi!!!
You know, sometimes you really need friends whom you would just do crazy stuff together, who will not say no to you when you ask "should I buy this? Even if I won't really use it?", friends who listen to you mumble about life, even if that means very private stuff... And we cried and laughed together too that day... At the cinema...
Okay, let's prepare our hearts for the following movie review... :p

New Year's Eve
Yeap, we actually watched New Year's Eve on a new year's eve and I'm very glad that I watched it on that day too cos it made me think and reflect on life and got myself excited and prepared for the brand new year!
Like Valentine's Day (which is also from the same director), the movie is made up of a few different stories. It is somewhat very cliche but I actually like this one more than Valentine's Day. I think the reason is simple, because this is not just a romance movie with some very cheesy until you beh tahan's lines and scenes. New Year's Eve does have some love stories, but there are also stories which reminds you of your mum, your dad and how you should open yourself up more and try new things! I definitely love the whole idea! I mean, although it is not a very fantastic movie, but I'm loving the idea and the messages it carries!
In fact, my favourite story has to be the Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer's part where the latter played a middle-aged woman who just decided to be rebellious in her life and complete a whole list of new year resolutions before the new year comes and Zac Efron helped her in completing the task! My least favourite? The Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michelle's part. It's just a bit too cheesy and... And... I don't know, maybe it's just because I never liked her singing, thus I'm annoyed whenever she sings and she has to sing from Glee to New Year's Eve! *Truly annoyed~*
I am super glad to see Russell Peters in the movie but why did they leave him out of the poster? Bloody hell! And Sofia Vergara is funny in the movie!
While I leave it to you to decide whether to watch this movie, which I personally think is entertaining, I shall leave you a quote, or a speech to be exact from the movie, which is definitely the most unforgettable moment of the movie and has surely inspired me to be a better person (although I know I'm nice already... Ah hem...).

"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the New Year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps - our promises made, and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures - or closed ourselves down, for fear of getting hurt. Because that's what New Year's is all about: getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about 'what if' and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight - and it will drop - let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."~Claire Morgan (Hillary Swank) gives this heartfelt speech when the famed ball in Times Square has a bit of a malfunction.

Of course I spent the new year's eve at home with Deardo and his dad drinking beer, eating peanuts and Thai Durian Chips as the countdown and fireworks happened outside...Seriously can't live without the glasses eh?

And on the next next day, I got myself a new year gift!!!Which one do you like? Black frame? White frame?
I'm loving the book, Two Asian Kitchens by Adam Liaw so much that only by flipping through the book I'm already so inspired to cook and to be creative in my cooking! Yumzzzz... Can't wait to try out some of the recipes! :D

I hope you had a good new year celebration too! Be prepared, 2012 is certainly going to be a GOOD one!!!
Cheers~! :D

HAPPY 2012!!! :)

As the curtain closes down for the year 2011 (trying to be very gempak with my words now...) and before I go off for a long new year weekend which I hope would be exciting-er than expected, let's do a quick New Year's blog post!Check out my new hairstyle and new hair colour! I'm definitely loving it RED!

A summary of my year 2011...
1) I'm glad because I'm growing to love my job and some of my colleagues more.

2) I'm happy because everyone in the family are healthy.

3) I'm excited because Deardo and I have officially bought a house and are expecting to get the key by next year. *fingers crossed~*

4) I'm not very happy that I have not cut down weight (in fact I might have put on some weight).

5) I'm a little sad because there isn't any overseas trip with my Deardo...

So, the year 2012, although rumoured to be the end of the world, should be a more exciting year that I'm looking forward to very much! Especially our Perth trip! Wooohoooo~~~!!!Eating nice and fancy-looking food is part of my job! See, there is a reason why I put on weight! Arrrhhh...

Of course, I intend to make the year 2012 a fantastic one by setting these new year resolutions...
1) Stop shopping so much and save enough for the renovations of our house.

2) Work harder towards investing in stuff like properties to earn more money.

3) Work harder in terms of ideas at work so that I can earn increment and more bonus(tell you, people are often motivated by the BONUS!!!)!

4) Be braver at work!

5) Be braver in life (some of you should know what I'm talking about...)

6) Cook more healthy and varieties of food when we have our own kitchen (seriously can't wait!)!

7) Try harder to get a balance between work, love and blogging (oh yes for blog's sake!)!

8) Be nice and nicer to my parents.

9) Ok lar I'll TRY to tell you when is the big day coming (which is obviously not too soon lar of course) but it really depends on someone you know, the someone who needs to propose you see... *hint~~hint~~~*(very beh pai seh...)

10) VERY IMPORTANT: LOSE WEIGHT!!! Targeting at least down to 55kg(yes I am heavier than that, bloody hell)!

Even typing these make me so damn happy, for some unknown reasons!
2011 was good, but 2012 should be better!!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

We Bought a Zoo

Being a super fan of Matt Damon, I wouldn't want to miss this movie, not especially when the trailer was already good enough to make me tear!
Based on a true story, We Bought a Zoo talks about Benjamin Mee (played by who else if not the extraordinary Matt Damon?), a middle-aged man with some middle-aged crisis in life and decided to start fresh by buying an unwanted zoo and how he managed to overcome all kinda obstacles to actually successfully opened and managed the zoo.
Well the story itself is inspiring enough, especially when it actually happened in real life. But what made the movie more worthwhile to watch are the added 'spices'... The touching and sad love stories, the father-son relationships, the animals love, the fun of dealing with animals... These elements made me cry and smile throughout the movie. Such real and nice movie, especially to share with your loved one and family during this festive season!
Benjamin Mee isn't so much a challenging role for Matt Damon, but I see no other people more suitable than him to play the role. I've read that Ben Stiller was once considered for that role and I totally can't relate him to Benjamin Mee. Ben Stiller probably better off playing the main guy in Zookeeper. Matt shows his versatile acting skills from what you know of him as a young man in Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan till the action guy you see in the Bourne series, till now a loving father (of course also because of age lar). I definitely love him in this movie as he seems to be into the character so comfortably! Scarlett Johansson also made it so believable as a country girl in the movie, which surprises me a lot! And you'll be in love with the other casts too, trust me!
I have absolutely no bad comments about the movie seriously! Although it wasn't a super fantastic blockbuster movie, it is certainly one of the most inspiring movies seen recently! And for this movie, I beg you to visit the cinema to watch it!!!

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." - Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo.

Extraordinary Christmas!

This year's Christmas was a very unique one. Nothing to do with any fancy Christmas celebration of Christmas dinner or whatever, it was perhaps, more meaningful than that. I'm loving the colour of my Baju Kurung I bought this Raya!
Yeap, one of the three musketeers got hitched on Christmas this year! It was Lina's engagement party! I think Rev and I were pretty excited about not only because it was Lina's engagement party, but also because it was our first Malay engagement party (well if I'm not mistaken, I've attended one before too but I was very late when I arrived at that person's house). Lina's bride's kebaya was wooohoo gorgeous and sexay~!
One with the bride before the ceremony starts~!
After a while accompanying Lina in her room, we went down to join the crowd as the ceremony started. Urm... Quite an eye-opening, really... We both thought it would be a very religiously done ceremony with loads of praying and stuff, but it turned out to be both sides sort of having a chat over the offering (hantaran). It actually sounded more like having a sit-down comedy. Well we kinda enjoyed it you see. :pWe were sitting right in front of these people who joked about the engagement... Hahaha...
Very modern, and very Lina's set-up. I love it a lot too!
The hantaran...
Lina and her mother-in-law!!!
How? How's my wedding photography skills? :p
The couple!
Lina and her lovely family...
The ceremony was done in a blink, surprisingly! What we got to bring home as a souvenir is this cute little cookie with a polka doted ribbon!
Of course, during the ceremony Rev actually told me about her guy whom she is planning to wed in 2013! Woohoo~ Absolutely exciting and I'm really happy for her too! :DBride's best friends also need to touch-up, okay?
After lunch, we managed to grab the bride and groom to snap some pictures with us before leaving Lina's house...Here we go~!
Our usual 1Malaysia picture, but this one even more meaningful than that stupid slogan lar!
With the happy bride!
Honestly, I have not attended any close friends wedding (eh ehm... Because they all refuse to get married yet! Hello??? Guys???) yet, until Lina's engagement party (her wedding is to be followed in June next year). Because the ceremony was a bit shockingly short, so I've not have much feeling about how touching and how sweet the party was. But deep in my heart, I know I'm really happy for Lina (and Rev too in a way)! I couldn't wait any longer to attend my other friends' wedding! Can't wait to play 'Ji Mui' for the first time and torture the guys! Bring it on guys! Kekekekeke...

P/S: I didn't have a special Christmas with romantic dinner like you will expect me to have but I did get a Christmas prezzie from Deardo Wong!Bling bling bling blingzzzzzzzzzz... :D

C & N lunch @ Truffles Restaurant

One thing that keeps me moving at work is when my students win awards or medals at competitions. Although I'm not the one who train them, there is always a sense of pride when I see them winning stuff. Deardo always say I'm so patriotic about my company, but the truth is, I'm actually very proud of the students, not the company.
So I've decided to tell you guys about this very interesting lunch date I had with some colleagues from other departments the other day. It was a lunch at Truffles Restaurant, the usual restaurant where the students cook and serve their customers like us. But that day we went because it was the Advanced Diploma class, which means these students are the ones who concentrate in cooking a lot, which also means food they serve should be better than the rest lar! Basically I jumped into the opportunity once I heard there were lobster served that day! :p
Let's see the dishes on the menu...Our appetizer which I forgot what they are called...
The Garlic Soup.
Deconstructed Lobster Thermidor with Nicoise Salad.
Beef Wellington, Vegetable with Confit Garlic Bernaise Sauce and Beef Juice.
Ocean Trout in Butter Sauce with Polenta and Confit Onion.
Apple Sorbet with Brittany Prune Castard.
Basically the class has a theme where the meal was inspired Chef Paul Bacuse, a French Master Chef. So obviously those were French dishes, which you and I might not really used to. I mean, first thing I saw in the menu... Garlic Soup? Er... Wouldn't it be very smelly? Well surprisingly it doesn't give you any bad breath at all! It was really smooth and comforting to the stomach! Then the lobster salad really blew me off! Ignore the green salad at the side (which was quite a normal salad), the baked lobster was surprisingly fresh and tastes really mama mia~!!! :D Then we were given a choice of beef or salmon as our main course in which I had the salmon, which was yummy but a little oily. I can actually see them enjoyed the beef more actually, although I can see some of them are a bit overcooked... Hey they are students lar, they are allowed to do mistakes, okay? As for dessert, I love the apple sorbet but I'm definitely not a fan of the prune custard... Er simply because I'm not a fan of prune perhaps?Macaroons to go with tea and coffee.
And then we had macaroons to go with tea and coffee! For your information, our own Chef Karam is the one chef who is super famous with his macaroons! And that day the pistachio macaroons really drove me crazy! Not only the texture remains chewy yet not sticky to the teeth (which is basically my perfect standard of macaroons), they weren't too sweet to my liking too! NICE~! :DSay hi to Evelyn who likes to do funny stunts and Vivien who looks at her awkwardly...
The ladies who enjoyed their lunch.
Even for the Advanced Diploma class, we only need to pay RM10 for all that amount of food!!! How cool is that, right? And I'm seriously not promoting the hospitality, tourism and culinary arts school here in my blog because the restaurant isn't open to the public yet and I actually gave my honest thought about the food. I'm just sharing my extraordinary experience of having such fine-dining lunch with you guys! Of course, if you are dropping by to visit me one day and want to try-out our students' work, I'm more than happy to have lunch with you at the restaurants too! Advanced reservation is a must though!!! :)

Comedies...

I've not stepped into a cinema for a long long time, perhaps the longest time ever since I know how to visit the cinema myself! While I still have some hopes to catch some Christmas and New Year movies, I've watched these movies at home...

Our Idiot Brother
The title tells it all, the movie talks about a brother who always create disasters because of his good intention to help people around him. Well of course, he ruined his three sisters' life indirectly and they all disowned him at one point before finally realising how important the brother is to them!
Well I love the entire idea of the movie. It is funny yet full of meaning and lessons of life. But I will have to be picky on how the movie presented the part where the sisters finally realised how important their brother is to them. To me, it was a little too rush and you know... Like you can't really feel them yet! So yea, not touching enough lar. Love the soundtrack too!
I must say it's quite a complete perfect cast too! Paul Judd as the idiot brother, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer as the three sisters were quite good in their performances respectively.
It's the kinda light movie you wanna watch for relaxing purposes, although it doesn't really leaves a very huge impact in your memory...

The Change-Up
Another comedy about two friends exchanging bodies. They used to admire and prefer each other lives, until they switched bodies... It's all about growing into a better person too through other people's life. But it is also not a fresh idea anymore, especially in comedies.
I thought the movie reached its objective of telling people a lesson of life but then in a very normal and boring way because this isn't the first time we've seen movies with such body-switching idea. I actually like Jason Bateman a lot ever since Horrible Bosses but I think both him and Ryan Reynolds weren't allow to show their real talents in the movie, which is sad...
I did enjoy the movie as a comedy but the creator could have done a better job in presenting the entire movie, maybe in a different way.

Shirlexia goes Spanish - Chickpeas with Chorizo

As you may already know, I've started to loan books from the company's library and damn I love the selections of recipe books in there! So much of varieties!!! Getting ready to Spanish it up~! Uno Dos Tres!
So the other day I got this recipe book which talks about nothing but Spanish dishes and tried out one of the recipes in there which looked very tantalising in the book! And that was really my first try at Spanish food!
So what you need are...Canned chickpeas, Chorizo sausages (Spanish pork sausages, you should be able to find them at Cold Storage or Jaya Grocer, not cheap though >< ) cut into cubes or chunks, tomatoes, canned button mushrooms (this wasn't in the recipe, I added in just because there was a can of them sitting in the kitchen), chopped English parsley, chopped garlic and red onions. Salt and black peppers to taste(I didn't follow the exact amount of ingredients stated in the book too, just go according to my liking. :p

How to make this interesting dish...
1) Obviously in the book they use this Spanish pan or something to cook the dish, but I only have a non-stick wok so wok it is!!! Heat it up and then heat up some olive oil too.
2) Stir-fry the garlic and onions until they are a little brownish.3) Then add in the Chorizo sausages and fry them a little.4) Until the sausages are almost done, add in the parsley and tomatoes. Smash the tomatoes a bit to let the gravy flows into the dish.5) Next, add in the chickpeas and stir.6) Throw in the mushrooms and add in sufficient amount of salt and ground black peppers to taste.And that's it!

The wholesome dish tastes really delicious because of the Chorizo sausages which have Paparika in it and that spices up the dish a lot! We had the dish as the only dish for dinner and it filled us right and I was very happy with my very first try on Spanish food! :) According to the recipe book, chickpeas has fibre and iron while tomatoes has Vitamin C that helps in the absorption of the iron! That means this dish has a balance of everything=healthy but also tastes fantastic!!! Oooohhh yeah!!!Our super yummy Spanish dinner!!! Salivating yet???

Little note: Do not defrost the sausages too much. In my case they became very soft and it was really hard to cut as all the meat just came out of the tube. But I'm not all sure too cos the Chorizo I got from the supermarket don't look exactly the same as the ones in the book. So good thing to figure out when I try my luck on getting them from other supermarkets next time. *wink~~*

Didn't I just shared a recipe that you can possibly try out for the coming Christmas dinner?

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! :D

German dinner @ TJ Haus

I had a short catch-up dinner with Yve Vonn few weeks back and knowing that I love to eat and I blog about food, she brought me to a new place called TJ Haus, a restaurant specialised in German food.
Located at second floor of a shoplot unit, the restaurant looks pretty small, with very European homey feel decorations. I especially love the small flower pots they put on each tables. According to Yve Vonn, the owner cum chef of the restaurant is a German origin who opened the restaurant with his Malaysian partner.
(I'm sorry for forgetting to snap a pic of the exterior of the restaurant because it was too dark and late at night when we came out from the shop it wasn't safe to stand and take a picture)The interior of the restaurant looks more like you are dining in a German family house.
We ordered most of the dishes which were specially recommended by Yve Vonn. So here's what we had that night...Prawn Cocktail to start. RM13.
Cordon Bleu served with rice and poached vege. RM24.
German Crispy Duck with Purple Cabbage and Potatoes. RM 26.
The prawn cocktail was certainly refreshing as a light starter before we proceeded into our main courses. I had the Crispy Duck and I thought it was just average. It could be better if it wasn't so dry I think. I tried the Cordon Bleu too and I think I'm in love with it, very much! Unlike other Cordon Bleu you see outside, this one comes with a special gravy which tastes a bit like curry plus cream. That gravy is simply to-die-for! And unlike other stuffing you get outside, this one comes with squid! How cool is that? Next time I visit this place, I will surely order this!!!Homemade Cheese Cake. RM12.
We also had the Homemade Cheese Cake highly recommended by Yve Vonn as dessert. The cake was not too bad but perhaps because I was too fulled, I didn't really enjoy it so much... Loads of updates and gossips were done over the catch-up dinner with my ex-college mate! :)
It was quite a nice and satisfying dinner with very reasonable price!!! I mean, where in KL can you find real German food at that kinda price??? Thanks for the recommendation Yve Vonn! Will definitely go back one day!

TJ Haus
27, 1st Floor,
SS18/1B,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 03-5636 4508