Ice Kacang Puppy Love vs. Love in Disguise

Both movies were directed by directors who were originally singers, and probably will remain singers.
Both directors were also the main lead in the movie.
Both movies can be considered as romantic comedies.
Both movies were released in 2010.
Those are most likely the only commonality both movies have.

初恋红豆冰 (Ice Kacang Puppy Love) grossed USD1,344,496 and 恋爱通告 (Love in Disguise) grossed USD8,665,577 according to Box Office Mojo. Although there's a considerably difference in the numbers for both movies, both were great success in their respective country. 初恋红豆冰 has one of the highest local production box office records in Malaysia and 恋爱通告 broke the highest box office records in China for a first-time director.

In terms of numbers, 恋爱通告 no doubt owned 初恋红豆冰. But in terms of plot, acting and the movie as a whole, 初恋红豆冰 totally beats 恋爱通告 in my opinion.

初恋红豆冰 set in retro Malaysia with small little details like the Indian roti-man gave it a lot of kampung feel, which I really like because it feels more homey =) The characters were all really cute, jolly and funny which is always good to have in a feel good movie =D  Being a Malaysian-made movie, of course it had food in it, like the fried kuay teow, Hainan coffee, and the most important ice kacang =P If you know me, any movie that touch on food can't be terrible XD It also featured art, as in drawings which I'm also a sucker for. So 初恋红豆冰 really hit all the right notes for me. The storyline, despite not having your typical type of happy ending, was really nice. It not only managed to captured the feeling of puppy love which is fleeting and sweet, yet unforgettable. It also showed how we must work towards our dreams and goals because it won't just happen. I simply love this movie. The best Chinese local production by far! It's sad how such a good movie is finding it difficult to break-even though most of the actors/actresses got little pay in support of 阿牛 and the local film industry =(

恋爱通告 set in modern time Shanghai didn't really connect with me despite having stayed in China for nearly 5 years. It's probably due to the fact that it was too metropolitan in 杜明汉's world and the traditional folk music and Chinese art university which made up 阿得's world isn't really my thing. I feel the characters didn't really grow and develop in the movie, unlike in 初恋红豆冰. I didn't like the female lead; she was a bit stupid and lame compared to 打架鱼 in 初恋红豆冰 which I reckon has more personality and character. The plot was boring and predictable, and the bad CGIs just made it worst =S You'd have imagine with the money from all those in-your-face product placement, they'd hire better graphics designers -_-'' The only reason I can think of for why the movie is such a huge success is because 王力宏 is in it =.= I swear all those zoom ups on his face are on purpose (I don't deny I didn't enjoy them XD). He seemed like a pretty good kisser too in the last scene *LOL* However, the presence of the few lines alluding to how he might be gay is really questionable. I wonder if that's why I didn't feel the chemistry between him and the girl. It would also explain why he kept singing 多的是, 你不知道的事 and he always 需要人陪 *hahaha*

Umami Steamboat (甜味火锅放题)

It's very seldom and rare that the full set of OMEs get to gather. This time around we even got two new members to join us — Tze Mien who came back from the land down under and Sandy the exchange student from the land down there too XD

We had our first OMEs outing of the semester at Umami Steamboat (甜味火锅放题). I find the place quite okay as they have a rather wide variety of shellfish and enough variety of seafood, which was basically the only stuff I ate other than all the different mushrooms and a few other stuff *LOL* I especially love the scallops ♥ They have pretty nice beef and lamb too, though I find them a bit reluctant when it comes to giving it out, so if you are a big meat eater I'd recommend Chong Qing Steamboat Buffet (重庆麻辣自助生锅). They have a BBQ and grill outside as well, but the variety is lesser than 口味锅 Tasty Pot Restaurant (which has nice BBQ lamb and bad everything else -_-'') and only the satay was nice. It tasted sweet (the sweetness is different from the usual satay sweetness) and the meat was tender. One important piece of information: DO NOT GET THEIR CHICKEN WING! They probably have the worst chicken wing I've ever tasted. It was super dry and just *blargh*

If you are a fan of all those usual fish ball and steamboat-whatnots, they have a pretty large variety of those. Sandy was so amazed by all the colorful stuff she almost couldn't bare to eat them *LOL*

We got the tom yum and chicken soup base for our steamboat. The chicken soup one is just okay, but I really like the tom yum one as it wasn't too sour or spicy that you can keep drinking it *hehe* ^_^ They also have a D-I-Y 沙茶酱 (shacha sauce) station that I find pretty cool. I've never tried 沙茶 before and actually don't know what it is, so I just simply mixed a few of the ingredients together. I don't know whether what I made was really 沙茶酱, but it was really yummy *hehe* =P

Unlike most steamboat places at Sunway Mentari, they don't have round tables at Umami. We had to merge two separate tables together and had two different pots. I was actually quite glad we had two different pots since those at the other table just threw everything and absolutely anything into their pot till it resembled a mess of something I can't even begin to describe =S

They also stopped eating while we were just about halfway through and started camwhoring =_=

After dinner, it was of course time for dessert! Their ice cream was really nice. It didn't taste like the cheap ice creams you usually get for buffet, and they were colorful! *hehe* ^_^ When our tummies started to ache from too much food, we played Truth with the chopsticks and laughed till our tummies ached even more XD It was really good to finally have all the OMEs together again =)

All pictures courtesy of Tze Mien =)

许愿

许愿: to make a wish

所愿成就

Forever Young

永远快乐

^_^

Summer Books

Other than going out, I finally found some time to catch up on my reading as well during the summer. I've already blogged about The Zahir, so here are two other books I've managed to read.

"I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream — I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of madiaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal — to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal, it may be. But the bravest man amongst us is afraid of himself. The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self-denial that mars our lives. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us. The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful. It has been said that the great events of the world take place in the brain. It is in the brain, and the brain only, that the great sins of the world take place also. You, Mr Gray, you yourself, with your rose-red youth and your rose-white boyhood, you have had passions that have made you afraid, thoughts that have filled you with terror, day-dreams and sleeping dreams whose mere memory might stain you cheek with shame —"

The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
   To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.
   The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of  beautiful things.
   The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography.
   Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.
   Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.
   They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty.
   There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.
   The nineteenth century dislike of Realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.
   The nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass.
   The moral life of a man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the mortality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium.
   No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are true can be proved.
   No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style.
   No artist is ever morbid. The artist can express everything.
   Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art.
   Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art.
   From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician. From the point of view of feeling, the actor's craft is the type.
   All art is at once surface and symbol.
   Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.
   Those who read the symbol do so at their peril.
   It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.
   Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital.
   When critics disagree the artist is in accord with himself.
   We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
   All art is quite useless.

— Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde is definitely gay, but did he really depicted Dorian Gray to be as gay as the critics say he did?

Haven't read any chick-lits in a while, so when I saw this book at Bookalicious! (a newfound bookstore selling cheap books at Summit), I decided to get it straight away XD You can never go wrong with chocolate + gossip *haha* It was a nice read with lots of hot and sexy chocolatey descriptions ^_^ Going to try to get my hands on The Chocolate Lovers' Diet next *hehe*

Summer Fun

It's the end of Week 2 today, and what better way to motivate/depress (I know I'm being ambivalent >_<) myself than blog about all the awesome happenings during the summer that I left out XD

My Chinese New Year was pretty much really boring this year back in hometown. I have no idea why, but I just wasn't in the CNY mood pretty much the entire time I was back =( The feeling was just so different, and I felt like such a stranger in that town this year =S Some say it's because I've grown up, and things like growing up kind of does this thing to you whereby you stop enjoying festivals and holidays you once loved. But I beg to disagree, because after I got back to KL, it felt so much more like CNY with all the visiting etc.

One of my very few reunion dinner that I had this year at Cubes courtesy of Mr. Chew =)

I really don't know what happened, but this year is the year where I had the least CNY dinners *sigh*

First visiting stop at Shu Shan place, and my first gambling session of the year believe it or not =.=

Second stop at Han Yin's amazing house of mirrors *LOL* and Michelle's place.

Third was June's surprise birthday at her place thanks to all the Oscar-winning actors/actresses *wakakaka*

My place was next ^_^

Then Shu Shan's farewell came =(
We all had food literally up to our throats at Bumbu Bali,
and it was the last time most of the Leo family gathered together with her at Weng Howe's place.

♥ MISSING YOU MUCH!!

Last stop at Brandon's house with his eyes on the TV as usual when there's a Liverpool match going on =P

photo by Audrey

Celebrating May Ling's belated birthday at Audrey's cool museum house
before the semester started for good the next day >_<


all other photos by Brian