June 27, 2005

It's back...again!!

Dateline 27th June 2005, Kuala Lumpur. The city is shrouded again in a thick blanket of haze. As in the last post on the haze, Malaysia's pride and joy, the Petronas Twin Towers is erm..missing again. No, this isn't the work of Al-Qaeda. The annual return of this lung choking smoke has left the citizens err..fuming. Seems like there's an early harvest in Indonesia or is it? Are we absolutely sure this haze is not from local sources? No official report as yet in the papers.

June 26, 2005

Ancasa All-suites Resorts Port Dickson

It can't be denied that the beaches at Port Dickson is one of the most polluted in the country. However, there are still gem like the Avillion Village Resort. Of course, that would be at the high end of any budget. For something simpler and less attractive, there's the Ancasa All-suites Resorts. Situated at the popular beach stretch of Teluk Kemang, the "all-suites" in this instance doesn't mean it's the bona fide suite one tends to find at hotels. "Suite" in the sense that it's actually one to three rooms apartments. With price ranging from RM200 to RM500, it's quite an affordable accomodation albeit basic facilities. Sure, there are the usual swimming pool, restaurants, pub etc but it's nice to note that the management has devoted a large area for recreational activities.

A tropical garden, beach activities area (you don't have to go to the dirty Teluk Kemang beach), children's playground, 2 swimming pools etc, all in Balinese style. If you're looking for a quick affordable weekend getaway, Ancasa can be the perfect choice. If you don't mind the sometime faulty air-conditioning units that is.

June 25, 2005

CD Player Repeat Mode (Week 1)

A bit old this but purchased recently from HMV Online on a bargain. Great set of mix including those by Benny Benassi, Basement Jaxx, Deepest Blue etc. A great release by the Ministry of Sound


Lovely lovely stuff from the erm..thin one. On heavy rotation after being "found" again! Looks like this was a week of "rediscovery". What's up with her lately BTW?

June 23, 2005

New Look

I've finally got around to change the appearance of this blog. It's fitting in a way because this blog has been around for a year and it's time to change (some of you complained about the plain look). Blue is my favourite colour so this is quite appropriate. Something tells me I still need to tweak this blog. If I only know what to do and HOW to do it. Changing this took me nearly a whole day! I hope there are some beautiful and intelligent women out there who can guide me to tweak my blog. Wishing thinking perhaps. Anyway, let me end this post with one of my favourite quotes...

"I should like to elbow aside the established pieties and raise my martini glass in salute to the mortal arts of pleasure"

Bob Shacochis

June 22, 2005

Movie Review

Normally I wouldn't do this but lately I've been going cinema crazy. I've watched just about everything the cineplexes have to offer. Obviously, I didn't miss any of the recent summer blockbusters. Here are a few of them and my own short little review of each.


Revenge Of The Sith

STAR WARS : EPISODE 3 REVENGE OF THE SITH

All the hype leading to this release, all the loose end that needs to be tied up in this trilogy prequel. It's all here, I guess. Witness how Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader. However, I must admit and without being a spoiler to those who haven't seen this movie, that the reason for Anakin's eventual transformation was rather err..lame. I've expected more and didn't get any. Still, it was a sight to behold the moment Darth Vader reappears again with that familiar scary breathing. 28 years is a long time and George Lucas did a fine job (despite criticism of Episodes 1 & 2). For me, I can't wait for the DVD release of Episode 3 so that I can watch both set of trilogies at one go! Still, it would be funny to listen to Obi Wan Kenobi explaining to Luke Skywalker in Episode 6 of how he first met Luke's father, Anakin. Something Lucas didn't fix.

Rating : ****


Yucks!

MR.& MRS.SMITH

This has to be one of the worst movie I've ever seen. OK, there's 2 beautiful people starring in this movie. And I'm afraid that's just about it! Sitting through 1 hour and 55 minutes (less in Malaysian cinemas due to censorship) of this movie was in a word, torturing. I nearly walked out of this movie if not for a certain person. Enough said.

Rating : * (the sole star only for the casting)


Yummy!

THE INTERPRETER

They say fine wine gets better with age. I'll say the same thing about Nicole Kidman. She just look amazing in this movie and her chemistry with co-star Sean Penn was absolutely sizzling. Even more than the supposed chemistry between a certain Mr.Pitt and Ms.Jolie. And oh...the movie itself? One of the best movie of the year so far. There's enough twist and turn, adequate action sequence, thrills and spills. Highly recommended (even if you don't like the movie, Ms.Kidman is enough reason to spend your money on this movie).

Rating : ****


The return of the caped crusader

BATMAN BEGINS

I gave up on the Batman series after the first sequel. However, with new director and casts and the promise of a much darker version, I had to see it. And surprise surprise, it didn't disappoint. There wasn't any timeline mentioned though from the looks of it, it could be the present or a not so distant future. Which creates a problem if 'Batman Begins' is supposed to be the prequel to the first Batman starring Michael Keaton. In the latter, the scenes looks more retro. It's irrelevant I guess because Gotham City looks completely different from the previous Batmans. Go watch this with an open mind if the previous Batmans has corrupted it. The mention of a future villain at the end of this movie was a nice touch.

Rating : ***


Delicious soon to be Mrs.Cruise

LADY BOSS

OK..I didn't see this one! :) Is there any reason (Ning Baizura could be one) to see it? Answer on the usual address please.

June 15, 2005

The importance of blogging

Yes, I am back and running after a self-imposed excile of err...a few months. That's the time when I managed to reflect on the going-ons of my own life and hopefully re-emerged a better man *sic*. Actually, it's a miracle that through the months of non-blogging, the hit counter below this page has gone up consistently meaning there are still people out there who regularly visits this page. And I thank you very much for it. People from as far as Mexico, Morocco, United States etc and that's where it hits me....blogging is important! Here we are, representative of our own country, so it's either a hit or miss in the promotion of your country. I'm sure many people around the world still has misconception or are ignorant of the facts about Malaysia. No country is perfect of course and my policy is not to make this as another tourism related page (where everything is rosy). You can of course check out blogs by fellow Malaysians at the links provided on the right. Meanwhile, here are some sampling of what Malaysia has to offer. More to follow soon...

And err...did I mention this is my blog's FIRST ANNIVERSARY?


Faces of past & present Prime Ministers carved with sand at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka


Cowboy town at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka


KL Bird Park


Cool waterfall


Sunway Lagoon Theme Park


World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park