New Moon - Review

I'm taking a break recounting those memories of my travels and write out my thought on the movie, New Moon, follow-up to last year hit, Twilight, which I watched last Saturday night. Watching it reminded me of Twilight. I watched Twilight without reading the book. While I knew the gist of the story and the main idea of it, I was not prepared for the slowness of the movie. Being a vampire movie, the lack of actions in it was very disappointing and the notion of the movie winning 'Best Fight' at the 2009 MTV Movie Award was so shocking. Shocking, but not unforseen.


So, after watching the movie, I was curious to see if the movie did any justice to the source of adaptation, so I looked for the book and read it. Upon reading it only I truly understand how come the movie was like this. The pace; the tone; the mood; everything in the movie was a match to the pace of the book. A truly successful adaptation, I would said.

I had the second book with me for quite a long time without touching it as I was mostly too lazy to enter the world of Twilight. Maybe now that I had watched the movie, I might pick it up and read it.

back to the review. Like I had said, New Moon is very much like Twilight, only this time, Jacob the werewolf had more screen times compared to Edward the vampire. Edward decided to leave Forks when he realized the presence of him put Bella in danger. Bella seek out Jacob to cure her broken heart and started to develop a liking for those adrenaline-filled activities. When Edward mistakenly thought that Bella was dead, he too wished to end his life. A very Romeo-&-Juliet, I would said.

You will not like the movie if you were looking for an action-packed film. This is a hormone-filled movie served with shirtless men, catered especially for ladies. But, if you like me who can tahan (stand) the pacing of Twilight, you will most likely find it acceptable. Though the final scene of the movie, which was supposed to be a cliffhanger, I found it very television-ish, like those cliffhangers found in some random episodes of any TV series.

So, my final verdict, watch it if you are a Twihead. For other, I suggest you go download the TV series, The Vampire Diaries, and watch it. Almost like Twilight, but better.

ps - For pictures of the Ipoh - Taiping trip, click here.

Seremban - Malacca Trip (Part 1)

20 Nov 09
Reached Ipoh around 0015++ from the bus ride, first, from Malacca to KL, then from KL to Ipoh. Rest was required for the day as I will be heading to Seremban the next day for almost 6 days!

21 Nov 09
Around 1++ pm, my friends had finally arrived from USM to Ipoh so I can tag along her car ride back to Seremban. Since all of us were rather hungry, I brought them to Kong Heng Kopitiam at Old Town for lunch, a place I for sure will bring those non-Ipohans to eat the Kai Si Hor Fun (Noodle with Chicken Floss) and the popiahs. Then, a quick tour before we began our journeys to Seremban.

It was a really long ride, almost 4 hours, I believe. Throughout the journey, I either dozed off or talked or simply just stared at the view. That day, the weather were rather strange, with sporatic rain and sudden sunlight for the whole 4 hours.

When we reached Seremban, our tour guide, Xiang Yi, had to leave us with two friends of hers as she had to attend her friend's bachelor party. Her friend's getting married...at the age of 21!!! And it's not 'mai dai son sai' ('accident') type of wedding. His family asked him to get married and, tadah, married he is!

Her friends were quite nice to talk to. They brought us to Restaurant Hock Hee (I think that's the name) for dinner. After dinner, we went back to fetch our tour guide and they brought us to a recreational park which was too dark to take any photos or did sight-seeing. We just walked around, trying the hanging bridge, and listened as the three of them talked about their old days. Interesting. Before we head back to rest, we went yum cha at a rather fancy place (again, name I totally forgot about it).

To be continued - Our trip to Malacca, my second in a week!!!

Segamat - Malacca Trip

After traveling for almost a week already, finally, I'm home-bound at last. With the amount of free time, it's time to mind my blog again which I leaved unattended for so long already. First, let me recount back my trip to Segamat, Johor, to visit my coursemate, on the 18th and 19th of November 2009.

Day 1
We took the night bus on 17th Nov 2009 and reached approximately around 9 in the morning. Chi Fang brought us back to her house first to refresh ourselves before bringing us for breakfast, a local favourite where it was famous for its roti canai (Indian pancake). What's so special about the roti canai, you wonder? Well, it was made by Chinese instead of Indian, and it was really crispy. Beside that, their sardine toast was also good. Simple delicacies, but delicious, nonetheless.

Then, she brought us tour around Segamat. Segamat is a rather small town, like many small towns in Malaysia. While there's development on the town, it still has the small town buildings and feels in it. According to our tour guide, Segamat mostly consists of retirees and old peoples as well as those still in schools as most of the youths would either migrate to Johor Bharu or KL to work. So, not much activities in the town.

After the mini tour, we went to have our lunch at a restaurant of name I had forgotten about it. As it was famous for wan tan mee, all of us had the same thing. While it was nice, I still prefer the one at Medan Selera near stadium in Ipoh. Hehe. By that time, all of us were bloated and rather tired from the night bus plus the rain, we went back to her house for a quick rest.


Before dinner, she brought us to taste the famous coffee at the Nam Yong Kopitiam. I like it, sweet and milky. Then, we went back home for some home-cooked food. Delicious for sure!!! Then, we went to have supper + tong shuis with her mother and friends when dinner still being digested. We went to bed with round bellies.

Day 2
Before we went to Malacca with Chi Fang and her friends, we went to have breakfast about 30 minutes drives from the town area. A really hearty breakfast to start the say as we went to have something that taste like bak kut teh but milder in taste. No idea what the name of the dish, though. Then, on we went to Malacca.

When we reached there, the first stop was the Eye on Malaysia. I did not know there is an Eye on Malaysia here on Malacca. I thought it was another replica of the Eye on Malaysia at Titiwangsa until I was told later by my friends on the second trip to Malacca (to be continued). After that, we went to Donald and Lily's to have some nyonya delights. Delicious!

Then, we went to the Museum of Malacca Sultanate (roughly like this, the name, I think) to look at the historical displays during the Malacca Sultanate time. After that, we went to A' Famosa Fort to get more upclose and personal with our history. The next stop was Jonker Walk which was famous for its handicrafts and local delicacies. We stopped by at a food stall and had chendols and assam laksa. It was so nice that when I went back to Malacca for the second time (to be continued), I had the same things again!

Before I went back Ipoh that night, we had the famous satay celup for dinner. With the chendol and assam laksa barely sinked in my stomach, again we had the next meal. I can't stomach much but just a few sticks. An unique local food which I will go for it again the next time.

It was such a lovely and stomach-filling trip with my fellow friends. I will for sure go again next time. Thanks, Chi Fang!!! Now, time to get ride of the extra kilos from the trip.

ps - Finally, pictures of the Ipoh - Taiping trip had been uploaded. For the pictures of day one, click here. For the entry, click here.

Penang One Day Tour

*I feel like hentam that STUPID Streamyx modem on the wall...uploading pictures took ages and it won't even complete!!! Macam challenge I to potong the subscription...aiyar, sleep first le...next time only upload la...*

I'm back! At least for a day before heading south again. Anyway, an update of sort, to begin with.

17 Nov 2009
So, after the last of the last paper, like I had mentioned before in the last post, I went with my friends to explore sides of Penang that we had yet to visit. The first stop was at Fort Cornwallis near Esplanade. While I been to Esplanade before when I went to Bon Odori, I did not realize there was a fort. According to the brochure, soon after took possession of the island, Francis Light erected a fort of nibong palms at the tip of the cape which called Fort Point and named it after the Governor-General in Bengal - Charles Cornwallis. It was later reconstructed in the same size, shape and layout in bricks for 67,000 Spanish Dollars in 1793. With an entrance fee of RM 3 per person, it was a tour filled with exhibitions and galleries showcasing the artifacts found at the site.

There's gun for you to pose with Francis Light...

Later after the historic experience, we went to Esplanade for lunch. We had mee soto and coconut milkshake. Delightful treats. Then, we went to Khoo Kongsi, a famous site at Penang. A popular tourist site especially during Chinese New Year where everyone gathered around to celebrate Chinese New Year (or so said my friend), it is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented arthitecture, a mark of Chinese dorminant in Penang. Wikipedia said so. It was an eye-opening for us all.

Then, we went to have cendols (Delicious!!!) near Burma Road (I think so) before heading to Toy Museum near Tanjung Tokong. The toy musuem claimed to be the world largest of its kind, but all I could see was the certificate from Malaysia Book of Record, proving it was the largest in Malaysia. Where's the Guiness Book of Record? While there are truly a lot of toys on exhibits, those from the latest cartoons such as Ben 10 were almost non-existent. Nevertheless, for me, it's feel like a walk back to my childhood.

After that, we went to a Burmese Buddhist temple near Jalan Kelawei. It has quite a large standing Buddha status in it. Then, we went to a temple of location I can't be quite sure where it is famous for the lifting Buddha. Rumours had it that if you wish from the Buddha, if you can lift it for the first time but can't for the second time, your wish will come true. How true is it, you have to do it for yourself to find out about it. Then, we headed for dinner before embark to our next trip, Segamat, Johor.

It was a nice tour around Penang. Instead of the usual Queensbay/Gurney Plaza, we got to see the more historical side of Penang. Thanks, 永升.

Another Blog Is Born!

Now with my new compact camera, I can finally take pictures of families and friends and of places I visited. So, here's a thought. Why not create a blog just to upload the photos? While it's definitely amateurish, it's still presentable, I hope. So, please visit http://sengaikchuah.blogspot.com. Oh yea, photos of the Ipoh-Taiping trip will be posted on the new blog. Now, I have another blog to manage.

I'm Officially A Free Man!

Finally, the wait is over! Holiday has begun! With the last of the last paper for me is behind me, I'm now free to enjoy myself without any restraints (not that these last few days were any less enjoyable what with the trip and all...). Gonna pack up the remaining stuffs resting in my hostel room later before going out to explore sides of Penang that I've yet to visit later in the afternoon with my coursemates. Then, at night, the five of us gonna take a bus ride to Segamat, Johor and have a blast! After Johor, I'm gonna visit Seremban and enjoys myself for few days before heading back to my hometown. Hopefully, I can land myself some works to sustain my spendings. Therefore, at least for the upcoming days, my blog will be rather lifeless. But don't la desert it. Come by and conteng my chatbox or leave comments. Haha.

So, see ya later!

Ipoh-Taiping Trip

So, like I said yesterday, I just came back from my tour guide duty last weekend to my 10 fellow coursemates. It was a nice experience.

13 Nov 2009
We began the day with the ride back Ipoh. The five of us went in Xin Hao's car while the rest took bus to Ipoh. When I reached my house, I went to the bus station with my car to fetch them. Then, we went to Dai Shu Tao (or Big Tree Head for literal translation) for lunch. It's been so long since the last time I went there. Then, the standard visit to Sam Poh Tong temple and beside it, the Nam Thian Tong temple. Almost deserted of people, we went to just have a brief tour and paid our respects.

After that, we drove all the way to Batu Gajah for the famous Kellie's Castle. Like my friends, it's my first time going there and I did got lost for a moment, making a wrong turn. When you made the right turn, there was almost no sign left for the building is quite large till you can spot it on its own. We spent a whole good hour there, taking photos and all.

Then, back we went to Ipoh for the famous Ngar Choi Kai (Beansprout and Chicken) before we headed to pasar malam (night market) at First Garden. Going to pasar malam required me to make a few calls for I did not know of the direction, but after few minutes of detour, we finally reached the destination. A tiny rain forced us to head back home for resting, and also to celebrate our friend's birthday. Happy birthday, Ginael!

Before we said goodnight, we went to Tong Sui Khai (Dessert Street, again, literal translation) for Tong Suis. Then, a quick tour to train station. That's the first day.

14 Nov 2009
We woke up quite early for Foh San dim sum, but, only when we reached that we found out that it was closed for renovation. Well, we turned to the next available restaurant, Yoke Fook Moon. Not as nice as Foh San, or so said my friend.

Then, we drove for almost 45 minutes to Gua Tempurung to spend some time with nature. There's four type of tours, 2 dry and 2 wet, but since the wet tour really all wet, we opted for the longest dry tour. The interior was really beautiful and all and at one moment, the air was chill. But I have to say, I really don't like the management. Poor guide and terrible management.

Since we were so near Kampar, we went to have Kampar's famous Roti Ayam (Bread Chicken) where there's curry chicken wrapped inside the bread. It's quite delicious but the curry needed for a little spicy, in my opinion. Then, we went to uni-crash UTAR, or just the lake outside UTAR, West Lake. At least their lake was way much cleaner than the Aman Lake or Fajar Lake at USM. Ours got iguanas resting in it.

Next, we headed back Ipoh for a quick look at the Lost World of Tambun before bringing them to buy some souvenirs and having some snack at Kong Heng Kopitiam. Nothing much to eat since it's their closing time. Then, a quick rest at home before bringing them for dinner at Same Taste Restaurant near my house. After that, we sent the 6 of them back Penang while the remaining 5 of us stayed on for tomorrow at Taiping.

15 Nov 2009
After breakfast, we headed to Taiping, with Mei Ling as our tour guide. After dropping some of her stuffs at her house, we went straight to Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill). Even I've been to Taiping countless time, it's my first time going up that hill. Of course, we took the jeep up instead of climbing it. We were really a bunch of lazy people. And also lack of time. We spent 3 hours absorbing the beauty of nature and the cold air up there. Then, we went to have lunch (or more like high tea) at pasar (market). I like their Oo Tao Kou (Yam Cake), really delicious. Before we headed back USM, our tour guide brought us around Taiping, showing us her schools and those famous schools around Taiping. Due to rain and tiredness, we just headed back USM and aborted all the planned visit to Bukit Tambun and all. True to its name, Taiping really rain non stop.

Hope everyone have a blast in the trip. I know I did.

p/s Photos will be uploaded when I went back home using my laptop and when I got back my memory card.

2012

Just came back from 3D/2N Ipoh-Taiping trip, or more precisely, being the host/tour guide to my bunch of Uni friends for the second time this year, and dare I say it? I think I had improved at least a little bit from my first time. Haha, self-praising. More on the trip later.

Now, does anyone believe the end of the world? Apocalypse? Judgment Day? The Mayan civilization had predicted that at 21-12-2012, we have to say goodbye to mankind and mother earth. How true is that, I have no idea, but Hollywood has chunked out its vision on how the world will end on that fateful day by the disaster-flick director, Roland Emmerich.

Watching 2012 at its first 10-20 minutes will remind you of another movie of his, The Day After Tomorrow, one which I quite like. Both revolved around destruction on Earth. Both featured famous landmarks being destroyed. Both movies told from the point of view of a man trying to save his family. Therefore, there's a feeling of repetition on my behalf.

What's the story about, you were asking? Well, the end of the world, of course. Honestly, you really went for the story? I admitted that I spent RM 6 for purely the special effects and the effects alone worth all of it. It was so real that you feel like the world really went ka-boom in front of you. The scene where the statue of Jesus Christ at Brazil collapsing and the giant earthquake at Los Angeles, it were truly amazing and heart-pumping.

So, what's my verdict? I think B would be suffice. I mean, the effects were awesome and all, but how many destruction flicks can I stomach before realizing there's not any differences from one another, especially by the same director. There must be a saturation point and it's getting closer for me. Don't get me wrong, I still love such big-budget popcorn flicks but the urge to watch might evaporate slowly.

11/11/2009

It was a day worth the celebration. Finally, exam's over and holidays were ahead of us. So, after my paper, we headed out to Batu Feringghi for some fun time. We went to James' Steak House (or something like that) near Tanjung Tokong for some cheap Western foods. I had a grilled salmon steak for RM 13.00. It's simply delicious.

My grilled salmon steak...

The four of us...

Then, next stop, Gurney Plaza. Since it's still early to go Hard Rock Cafe, we decided to watch a movie first. Not much selection since I basically watched quite a few movies on my own and 2012 was not on yet, so, Poker King it was. It's a typical Hong Kong comedy, very mou lui tau (nonsensical comedy). A bit laugh here and there. Even 2012, which I watched this afternoon, was not really up to my expectation (more about it later...).


After the movie, there's a feeling of emptiness inside our stomachs so we went to a mamak stall for supper. Then, finally, the highlight of the night, Hard Rock Cafe! We shared a bottle of Bacardi among us three (since we're just students and practically moneyless) and drank till it's empty and the the cafe closed. Reached room with a little bit dizziness in my head.

My cup...
One of the many decos there...

Such a fun night.

Slightly Drunk

Current status: Slightly dizzy but still conscious...
What I drank: Bacardi mixed with juice and Sprite
Where: Hard Rock Cafe

Currently my head too dizzy so I'm gonna sleep now and update my blog tomorrow morning or late evening but honestly, I never thought I can be so easily drunk. Must train my alcohol tolerance then...

Further update when I'm fully sober...おやすみなさい。。。

It's Over!

Well, technically, not really, but the last paper pretty much can screw it. And to celebrate my freedom, me and my friends are gonna go to Hard Rock Cafe for some rocking good time! Gonna get myself drunk, well, as drunk as my wallet allows me. And it'll be my baby's first public appearance! OK, not really again but I'm gonna treat it as my first anyway.

Anyway, gotta go now.

5.00 AM

5.00 am. That's the time I went to sleep these few days. Some days were spent studying with friends at some mamak stalls, some were spent hanging out, relaxing and went yum cha, those qualities time with friends. More or less the same bunch of peoples.

Yesterday night, about 11.30 pm, we again went out to mamak stall, armed with books for today's paper, slaving our asses with past year papers and tutorials while munching our supper. There's MU versus Chelsea playing on TV and the air were filled with cheers of the supporters, but we were in our own little haven, or more like hell, our attentions were fixated towards the course.

With just less than 15 hours, we were trying to absorb as much as we can. With that 15 hours, we were hoping to learn what the lecturer took almost a semester to teach us. Well, the 'us' didn't really include me since his lectures were so snooze-filled that even aliens would turn away and leave should they came into his classes.

Now, with just about 8 hours remaining, I totally resolve to fate as usual. Fate and luck. So far, it has done me quite good. Therefore, hopefully, this time around, I can still rely on you. おやすみなさい。

Phobia

Karma. Do you believe in them? I think I do. Like Justin's song, I think that 'what goes around comes back around...'. Therefore, don't ever do something that you gonna regret with the rest of your lives. Why the sudden deep thinking, you ask? Well, I just came back watching 'Phobia 2' with my fellow friends and out of the five stories in the movie, three of them revolve around karma.

'Phobia 2' is a Thai horror movie where there are five stand-alone short films in it and boys, what a ride this movie is. Let us go one by one, shall we?


Novice
The first story of the movie tells the tale of a young monk trying to escape his past but even being a Buddhist novice, he can't run away from the crime he committed. For me, out of the five stories, this is the scariest of them all for it is the most realistic. It makes you realize that you can't ever turn your back away from your past deeds and you will have to pay for it. I strongly feel for the novice especially at the final scene where karma finally caught him and he tried to ask forgiveness from his mother who he treated badly, to no avail.

Ward
The second story is more of a tale of wrong place at a wrong time. A teenager was hospitalized due to an accident and was in the same ward with a brain-dead old man. At night, events started to occur that made him think how 'alone' is he truly is. Not a bad addition to the movie but for me, the least important of them all.

Backpackers
Karma returns again and this time, his victims are the food of the undeads. It's a zombie flick and quite a nice one. It talks about human and drug trafficking and how evil is it. After watching this movie, any thoughts about going backpacking simply evaporated from my mind.

Salvages
Never ever buy a second hand car. You have no idea what the stories behind the car. And such stories come to haunt the salewoman and her son. Again, there's a feeling that karma is behind this.

In The End
The best of them all, 'In The End' is a hilarious yet spooky story about a couple of film crews in the making of a horror movie. There's a lot of funny moments in this movie that make you laugh out loud and when the twist was revealed, you can't help but laugh along with it. Really the best of it.

In short, this is a great horror movie that scares and makes you laugh. While watching this movie, I laughed more than I was scared because I was watching it with my coursemates and they're goofballs. They kept shielding their eyes and when there's scary moments, their reactions were hilarious. Must drag them along again whenever a horror movie is on air. To make it better, watch it in midnight and it'll double the thrill. Haha.

My exams weeks were filled with night outings so much that I don't feel like I was in the middle of examinations. Everywhere I go around campus, there are people reading or studying, revising for their papers. Me, on the other hand, watch TV shows in my laptop and went yum cha every night. I'm so gonna miss it when I'm back Ipoh. Haiz...

Halfway Done

I just said goodbye to two papers and now, waiting for me next week, are the remaining two more. Both of the papers were within expectations in term of the toughness and all. While one of them was pretty much secured (not being cocky here), the paper I had this afternoon was not as well-performed as the first one. Like I said, it's not tough, just that my rusty skills are to blame. Lack of practices, I was not able to do as well as I wanted to, costing me my grade. Haiz.

Anyway, let's bygone be bygone and let's look forward to the remaining papers. Must really outdo the expectations I set for these papers in order to achieve final goal of the semester. Therefore, must really work hard for what I deem my lousiest performances for the semester. Must dig back up the study mode in me so that I could turn these two papers into my saving graces.

Engine starts roaring...tomorrow!

Good Luck!

Today marks the end of the study week and the battle will begin tomorrow. Unfortunately for me, I'll be on the front line with the rest of my coursemates for the battle tomorrow with the first paper in the morning. What we had studied for the semester will be tested beginning tomorrow and will dread for three weeks.

To those facing exams tomorrow or will be facing them later, best of luck I will upon all of you. All the best to me as well since I didn't really study anything during study week. 加油！！！