A Series of Violent Movies

Totally not on purpose! It was just when I was thinking for a title for this post, it triggers me! All three of these movies I recently watched are with a lot of violent! Very light ones, though, luckily... Phew~!

Gangster Squad

Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, etc (being totally fair by not putting Sean Penn's name first :p)
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Synopsis: Inspired by true story, the movie was set in the 1940s' and 1950s'. It talks about the Los Angeles Police Department formed a 'Gangster Squad' unit with an aim to bring down the biggest gangster, Mickey Cohen who dictated almost everything in the city.
The Thumb-Up(s): The violence and the occasional humour  in the movie serve as a good entertainment, while the pretty costumes and settings are quite attractive (though not as amazing as The Great Gatsby). Sean Penn, while not given a lot of screen time since he plays the villain roles, is to me, still the best performer of the entire movie. 
The Thumb-Down(s): The movie started great but honestly, ended really suckily. I totally hate the ending! I also think most of the characters were not well-developed, which makes such a great cast a waste for the movie. I mean, I'm sure some of you would be watching this because of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone but I have to tell you, their characters, and their romance in the movie are a waste of time and totally unnecessary. I don't blame them though, it's the writing of the movie that screws things up. 
Verdict: If you are a true fan of violent movie, this is still a movie for you, as long as you know you are expected to be disappointed at the end of the movie. Otherwise, you can save your energy, time and movie. (Gosh, How can I say such thing about movie by one of my favourite actors???)
2.5 out of 5

World War Z
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox, etc
Director: Marc Forster
Synopsis: Based on a novel, the movie talks about Gerry Lane, a retired UN employee who is asked to resume work to travel the world to find a way to stop the zombie-like pandemic.
The Thumb-Up(s): Unlike the usual zombie movies, this one has zombies that run and climb real fast, giving you the thrill you need in a movie. It is also not as surface (just zombies-killing) and not as bloody. So in stead of loads of gun-shots, you see people act smartly like some FBI or something to solve the problem. In fact, the story is a fresh change to the recent strings of apocalyptic movies made in Hollywood. 
And yes, as much as I hate to say this, Brad Pitt looks hot in the movie.
The Thumb-Down(s): Okay, I get it that this is a movie produced by Brad Pitt, but I didn't like how he makes himself so heroic in the movie. Worst, he chose Mireille Enos to play his wife in the movie which make them look more like maybe mother and son! I think this is secretly Angelina Jolie's idea of getting a not-so attractive and old-looking woman to play Brad's wife because she feels insecure! Ha! 
Verdict: Story line is something new and smart, action-packed and thrilling enough.
4 out of 5

The Heat
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Paul Feig (he did the fantastic Bridesmaids too!)
Synopsis: FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn(what a last name, LOL!) met Boston Detective Shannon Mullins in Boston and both can't stand each other. They must however, work together to take down a Russian mobster.
The Thumb-Up(s): Once again, Melissa McCarthy was super duper hilarious! And Sandra Bullock too, delivers as a usual her, which was great! I think the movie owes a lot to the insanely funny and vulgar lines. It is a true entertainment which will definitely cheer you up if you are down because of something in life. 
The Thumb-Downs(s): Not entirely logical, not entirely fantastic in terms of action, predictable story line... But then again, this is a freaking comedy, who cares about all these, huh?
Verdict: You will enjoy the movie with loads of laughter! 
4 out of 5

I'm a Sucker for Coloured Wedding Gowns

Yes, a real big sucker for coloured wedding gowns!
Ever since I started looking for ideas and inspirations for my wedding gowns, I knew it has to be non-white. Reason being, I already have my white gowns from the bridal house so if I'm going to spend extra on another piece of gown, it should be something totally different. Something you won't normally find in the bridal houses around town.

My recent obsession... 

As I've mentioned earlier, my gown is a Vera Wang inspired gown and of course, it is not white! While I'm not sure if it is her who started the trend of non-white bridal gowns (cos she does have a lot of non-white bridal gowns in her collections), I'm damn sure that wearing non-white to walk down the isle isn't something new. I think especially in Europe or in the States the ang moh brides love wearing coloured gowns for their weddings, especially when it is garden theme wedding. 

Last year, Jessica Biel married Justin Timberlake in a Giambattista Valli's full pink gown. While it was not too bad a dress, I think it would be a bit too sweet for someone like me.

Everybody was talking about the pink gown when this cover was out!

If you ask me, I actually prefer Anne Hathaway's Valentino wedding gown with just a small dash of pink at the bottom. Oh my, that gown takes my breath away! 

This looks so romantic!!! 

Oh yes, doing research on wedding gowns has made me into a true fashion freak. I got to know some good designers who design super gorgeous gowns, be it for weddings or for the red carpets. So much so that sometimes I look at a dress or a gown, I can actually guess who's the designer judging from the styles! So here are some designers that I couldn't help keeping myself busy checking out their collections every now and then:

Vera Wang

Vera Wang's Spring 2013 wedding collection focuses on red gowns.

Her latest Fall Collection is back to white colour but check out how details are the pleats! 

To me, Vera Wang is still the god of wedding gown designs. There might be a lot of designers out there making some really good work, but Vera Wang's designs are always very 'distinctively Vera'. The pleats, the circle of flowers, the details in the tailoring... Once you look at it, you will know it is Vera Wang. So far, there isn't any of her bridal design yet that I would say I hate. Seriously, all of them look fabulous, colourful yet manage to remain classy!

Lazaro

Oh my god!!! Pretty die me~!!!

Not long after I've confirmed my gown design with my tailor, I saw this piece of artwork in a bridal magazine and my jaw-dropped, literally! I was like oh man only if I've seen this slightly earlier!!! While he keeps the traditional white for the gown, he manages to incorporate the bubble gum colours into the boring white gown and it looks simply gorgeous!!! You know sometimes colourful stuff can make things a little la-la and trashy, but this piece of gown to me, is the best interpretation of perfect colourful gown! 

Oscar de la Renta

Amy Adams, Lea Michelle and Emma Watson are fans of  Oscar de la Renta. 

I have fallen in love with Oscar de la Renta without knowing it for a while. His works have been worn by numerous celebrities to several red carpets and they have caught my eyes so many times! His work are often very fluffy, detailed and grand-looking! 

Super super gorgeous!!!

One of his latest bridal collection with a twist of pastel blue are just sooooo my cup of tea! 

Reem Acra

Some of Reem Acra's bridal collection this year that I really love! 

While Reem Acra's bridal designs are still widely white in colour, I'm still a fan of her because of the unique ideas she has on her gowns. Her collection this year especially, look so modern and one-of-its-kind! Love them love them love them!!! 

The first time I saw and fell in love with a Reem Acra piece was at the Emmy Awards 2012 when Zooey Deschanel was donning her ice blue gown! 

Tell me you weren't amaze looking at Kate Hudson in this Reem Acra pastel mint dress! 

Olivia Wilde in a sweet pastel purple Reem Acra dress.

Though I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift, I am definitely a fan of her fashion. Guess what? She is a fan of Reem Acra too!

Of course, I know her earlier through some celebrities too as her evening gown (which in this case, to me, can me wedding gowns too) are often seen on the red carpets! And without a doubt, her works are always in the 'Best Dress' list of those red carpet events!

I really love wedding gowns or dresses with colours, or a dash of colours in a plain white piece. What about you? 

Would you wear something non-white at your wedding?

You know sometimes, looking at these beautiful dresses and gowns, it really makes me feel like turning time back to high school time when I chose to do journalism rather than fashion design! Look, these are nice dresses and gowns from designers which I cannot afford buying them. So how cool would it be if I know the skills to design and make them myself? 

Okay, I can't turn back time and yes, I have never regretted studying journalism anyway. I do however, recently have a thinking of a career change into fashion, although I don't know how or where or what can I do. But I realised that the passion in me for fashion may be good for a career in fashion. Well urm, let's see how!

Other updates on my coming wedding... Invitations are driving me nuts!

I mean, my invitation cards are not even done yet but the planning has to be done earlier because our wedding is going to be a small affair so seats are quite limited due to the size of the location. 

On one hand I want to include everyone in my department but there is just one person whom I would be lying if I tell you I love to see him on the happiest day of my life. You get what I mean, right? Yet, on the other hand people are telling me it's not right to do so, to just leave one guy out! And then came the special request from Mamo who wanted to include a far relative in my wedding in KL. She is that far that by looking at my name on the invitation card, she would have zero idea who is it that is getting married. Yet, it's a request from your dearest mother, no way you can say no to that, can you?

Do you guys face this kinda problem during your wedding preparation? I mean, it is making me damn stressed out! Should I listen to people telling me what to do or should I go with my heart? Is this my wedding or someone else's wedding???

Oh wedding preparation aren't easy! 

Shrimps & Avocado Sandwich

Bought this awesome Japan-made sandwich maker from Aeon and have so far enjoy making awesome breakie with it to start my days. There was a little booklet that comes with it which has some recipes in it and I found this Shrimps & Avocado Sandwich very interesting, hence I tried making it one day.

What you need: Pre-boiled small or medium size shrimps, avocado, cheese slices, alfalfa or lettuce, butter and breads of your choice.
What to do:
1) Spread butter onto the breads.

2) Lay the shrimps over one slice of the bread.

3) Cut the avocado out into small slices and lay them over the shrimps (I used only half an avocado for two sandwiches). 

4) Now lay the cheese over the shrimps and avocado.

5) Add on the alfalfa or lettuce before covering the other side of the bread over everything. 

6) Carefully put the sandwich on the sandwich maker, close the lid and start toasting it with small fire over the stove.

7) After about 2 minutes each side, remove the sandwich from the sandwich maker and the sandwich is ready to be served! :)

Because I always do the same old sandwich, either fried egg with ham or egg mayo, this Shrimps & Avocado Sandwich was definitely a change, a real yummy change in fact. Love how surprisingly good the combination of avocado and shrimps can taste like! And with the melted cheese, everything just tastes so creamy and yummy! Love every bit of this awesome sandwich! :D

Looks awesome, isn't it? 

Must try making this whenever you feel like breakie is boring! LOL!  

Cool Purchases for our House

Ever since we started our wedding-planning end of last year, progress of our house have been slowed down quite a bit. I think until the day we got married, our house isn't completely fix yet. Nonetheless, we have stay in the house for more than a year now and are surviving well with whatever we have at home! :)

Our lovely dining area - Extendable Dining Set was a gift from Deardo's Ah Ma (from Ikea), side table and Billy book cabinet from Ikea as well, picture on the wall from Kaison. 

Remember I made a list of stuff to get for the house here? Let's have a quick look at what we have done and what are still in the list, after a year time! Phew, time flies too fast!
TOP OF THE LIST:
1) Sofa set
2) Built-in wardrobe
3) Shoe cabinet

THE REST OF THE LIST:
1) Master bedroom's bed+mattress
2) Master bedroom's make-up table
3) TV
4) TV table (cabinet)
5) Dining table set
6) Refrigerator
7) Kitchen work table
8) Curtain(s)
9) Chair(s) for entrance (so that we can sit and wear shoes)
10) Aluminum gate for front entrance gate
11) Steel window gate (may ignore this forever)
12) Lights
13) Glass display cabinet
14) Coffee table 
15) Sliding door for kitchen entrance (decided not to have)
16) Sliding door for back toilet
17) Cupboard for keeping of documents, books and etc

Looks like we have done quite a lot! In fact, looking at the list, most of the leftovers require a lot of money to buy, e.g. refrigerator and curtains, which is easy to understand why we have to keep them aside at the moment.

Our kicthen side table from Ikea. 

I think we were lucky enough that we have gotten some freebies from relatives. For in stance, we got our dining table set from Deardo's Ah Ma and our Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine from 4e. We also 'sort of' got our Panasonic rice cooker for free as we redeemed it with our credit card points! Planning to redeem more with our points soon cos I think that's the smartest way to make full use of the points! :p
While we got most of our furniture from Ikea, I also got a lot of decor items from Kaison (oh I love their canvas pictures that we have three of them in our house!), I also got some country home theme-matching decors from mostly online shops. So today, I would like to share some of my good buys!

In the kitchen...

I bet you can guess what's this cute and white little squirrel is doing on our kitchen table? It is a rice scoop I got from White.my. I love it because it is not only functional as a standing rice scoop (so you can leave it standing in stead of leaving it on a plate after scooping rice), it serves well too as a little decor in our kitchen! Best of all, it's RM6 only! I also bought a very good lid holder at RM 5 from them and I must say their stuff are often so creative yet affordable! :)

This 3-in-1 cling wrap-aluminium foil-kitchen roll dispenser is by far one of my favourite buys! I bought it from an on-line shop which unfortunately shut down not long after I received this from them. It was slightly over RM100 but it is a German made product with one year warranty! It works extremely well to me because then I don't need to find extra spaces for the three items in my kitchen cabinet because they are now all mounted on the wall. The blade also cut off the cling wrap and aluminium foil perfectly so no messy cuts! Best of all, they made the top dispenser for the cling wrap removable so you can actually take it up to wrap whatever you want then put it back! How smart! Love it! :D

Hidden in the drawer is this cute vintage box I got from CountryVictoria Decor, I've shared with you guys before as I got my bridal bouquet for my pre-wed shoot from them as well! I bought it because of the compartments where I can store my tea bags in it for easy viewing, especially when there are guests in our house! Yeap, just like how you see them in the hotels! *wink~*

In the living room and our room (duh, that's all in my house man. LOL!)...

Also got this very pretty vintage dustbin (yes, dustbin also needs to be vintage okay) from CountryVictoria Decor and it sits right next to the couch and our coffee table! Lovely, isn't it?

This is another cool item I got from White.my, which is urm, probably not so country home kinda stuff cos it looks kinda modern. This pink (at least the colour is still pastel colour) tissue box comes with small compartments on top (me love compartments) where we can use them to store small items too! How useful, right?

It was really easy when I wanted to look for a basket to put our keys right beside the entrance. I got this cute basket with a polka dots cover from Daiso for of course, 5 bucks! :)

I've purchased quite a lot of stuff from Typo, the brand under Cotton On. I love their stuff because they are often super funky, cool and old school. Unfortunately their stuff aren't very cheap but I couldn't help... :p This mint colour mails holder to me, was a great buy as I absolutely love the colour and it is seriously functional! Flowers at the back from Kaison.

I've forgotten to snap a picture of my hanging clock from Kaison which is really pretty and cheap too. But here are my two table clocks for the living room and master bedroom also from Typo. Just the right old school clocks for our house! :)

Unlike Deardo, I always look for aesthetics more than functionality. I need my stuff to look nice, really. Which explains why I have to make sure most of the decors and furniture are strictly theme-matching to the house's country home concept! Ha! Just me lar, har! Do you like my cool buys too? 

Movieeeessss!

Fast & Furious 6
*Note: This is only the second Fast series that I've watched after Fast 5.

Cast: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Sung Kang, Elsa Pataky, Gal Gadot, etc
Director: Justin Lin
Synopsis: The gang went on another mission chasing after some Russian gang (seriously? Can people stop making Russians the bad guys? LOL!) with damn hi-tech cars and engines, which include a bloody HUGE tank. Sadly someone died in the movie and I didn't agree with some part of the story but according to Deardo, that's because it has to go back to the original story, which I have no idea what is it all about. :p
The Thumb-Up(s): For a sequel, the movie has done extremely good because there are improvements. I mean, hey this is the 6th one, so you gotta give me something good or I'm not watching it anymore, right? So this time around the cars chasing has got tanks and an air plane, so it was a real good upgrade. It was also very entertaining and action packed, which is essential to a movie like this. Sung Kang and Gal Gadot's story line, to me personally was something different and I like the fact that they have more screen time.
The Thumb-Down(s): Er... The scene where Dominic flew over the other side of the road to save Letty, landed safely without any injury... Ngo jip sau ng tou lor (no way I'm accepting that)! So fake and ridiculous! And yea, some cheesy scenes too. And sorry, no good acting for you to watch as well. But well, that's expected.
I'm a fan of Elsa Pataky and Gal Gadot, hence if you have watched this movie, you will understand that I'm sad with the ending for both the characters they played.
Verdict: Better than Fast 5 and to Deardo, it's the best of all the Fast & Furious sequels. I would say it is still one of the 'must-watch' summer movies.
3.5 out of 5

Finding Mr. Right 北京遇上西雅图
Cast: 汤唯、吴秀波、金燕玲等

Synopsis: 身为小三的文佳佳被送到西雅图待产，从任性、霸道、无理取闹到慢慢学习珍惜和独立。也因为在西雅图遇上Frank而改变了她的人生。
The Thumb-Up(s): 不像一般温馨爱情喜剧，电影里的剧情从一开始就让人觉得很新鲜了。再看下去，原来除了爱情的部分，更感人的是看着主人翁佳佳的改变，还有她在待产中心里和其他妈妈的相处，为电影添加了不少温馨画面。我承认，这部电影让我有一股冲动要怀孕。哈哈，放心，冲动已经过去了！总之电影要带出的message也带得非常到位！
非常喜欢里头的搞笑对白，更觉得汤唯演起喜剧演得实在太好、太自然了！
另外，很惊喜地看到金燕玲和久违的李绮虹！
The Thumb-Down(s): 想了20秒，想不到耶！
Verdict: 电影的故事很写实，没有天马行空的浪漫爱情故事，却有凡人都可能遇上的生活故事。演员们都演得很赞，感人又好笑的剧情和对白让人看了又笑又哭！真的是佳作！:)
5 out of 5

Lazy Saturday's Crap

Hello there!

It's time for another random update post. Shall we start with a sneak peek of our pre-wedding photos?

Pretty or not?

I have another one on my FB which I believe a lot of you have seen it by now. All these are unedited photos actually and judging from the unedited photos, both Deardo and I are pretty happy with them. So I consider ourselves being quite lucky so far for taking up the bridal package with a bridal house which is so far, very satisfying! :)

By the way, love my bouquet? The hydrangea are imported flowers! I got it from CountryVictoria Decor! I have bought a lot of stuff from her, be it functional or deco stuff for the house. Her stuff are very fancy, vintage yet affordable! :)

At work, I congratulated some of my award-winning students for their degree graduation recently. 

From Left: Aaron, Ee Lyn and Thiru, whom I'm very proud of! :)

Upon seeing them graduating from the university, it makes me realised that I've been stuck to the same company for three years now! That's the longest time I've ever stuck to a company! Woot~!!! I see that as an achievement, despite all the crazy workload! :p

Last month was also Deardo's birthday and because we are both quite broke now that a lot of deposits need to be paid for our wedding (trust me, you should really go into make-up, videography or photography business because you may earn big bucks man!), we celebrated it in an economical way.

First, we had lunch at Brotzeit, a German restaurant which normally serves quite expensive food, but their weekday set lunches are quite cheap and delicious! I've personally been there with my colleagues for many times but that was the first time Deardo tried it.

You know he was in a good mood when he bothers to pose for you like that! :p

Then at night, we had our own romantic birthday dinner at home. I made some Chicken Roulette with chicken chops with stir-fried shitake and button mushrooms, almond and rosemary as the stuffing (similar to my Stuffed Chicken recipe). It has two sides - the Brickfields inspired Indian Chickpeas (recipe here) and Kerabu Broccoli and Shrimps (Simply pre-boiled the broccoli and shrimps, then stir up with some lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, sliced onions and  Serai. Similar to my Kerabu Pork Belly recipe!). As for the gravy, I seriously just tried my luck! I simmer the chopped onions, then the two types of mushrooms. I then added in some cooking cream then some chili powder! 

Our birthday dinner went perfectly good with white wine!

My birthday boy! Or man?

Man that was a lot of work! But luckily the birthday boy was very satisfied with the dinner! I thought the dinner was not bad too, it has a mixture of all the different tastes and cultures in it! 

Who love my Voul-au-vent? Well, ever since I made it on Christmas last year, I've continue to try out different recipe with the leftover frozen puff pastry. You've seen it here and I've tried it with the leftover mushrooms from Deardo's birthday dinner!

Deng deng deng deng...

On a healthy night, we had the mushroom voul-au-vent with some greens and a cup of oat krunch shake as dinner.

Let's just call it Mixed Mushroom Voul-au-vent! It was nice and creamy, plus super easy to make! :)

Next up, a short update on little Yue Yue, Deardo's niece! 

Us, few months back.

Us, just last weekend! 

She is already one and a half year-old now and she can already call Deardo 'Kau Fu' in the cutest way you could imagine! Haha!

If you see the photo above, I was happily holding my shopping loot! It was a pair of Aldo shoes which was on half price sales. I love it so much that I've traveled to two malls just to get it and you bet I was super excited to have found it finally! *wink~*

LOVING THE COLOUR OF THE PAIR OF HEELS!!!<3 font="" nbsp="">

I also tried this... In *you guess where* and I really love it! I don't normally wear long sleeves because of our weather, but this one is an exception. It looks really classy and the colour is just striking enough to catch my eyes! Too bad the size doesn't really suit me so... No buy! 

It was a no buy, did I make the right decision?

Last week, I was also very excited to finally found a perfect ring storage box for my rings (me, the rings obsess)! YAY~~!!! I've been looking for it for the longest time ever and I didn't know it can be so hard to find one! So now not only am I really happy that I've bought it for a good price, my rings will also be very happy as they have found comfy cushions to hang-out at! LOL!

I think they are enjoying the comfy cushions!

Till then, more updates soon! :)