Dare to dream,Live the dream

Teddy Bear Fashion Show

Thursday, August 29, 2013 | 5:00 pm | 0 comments

1 Bear, 2 Cloths, 10 Looks

There were more, but the maximum collage frames available were 9.

Here are some of a few classic looks that I particularly loved, and went on to decorate with all the wonderful iPhone photo apps.

Behold!!

Labels: Aug2013, Lifestyle

My Week With Marilyn

Saturday, August 24, 2013 | 12:45 pm | 0 comments

I thought this was one hell of a film that showcased Marilyn Monroe's life in just two hours.

Enchanting, absolutely enchanting.

Michelle Williams really captured the sexy, seductive yet girlish side of Monroe.

A single glance, a single smile and one single action is able to transform her from sexy to playful, from shy to seductive. Amazinggggg. It's tough enough to have to portray such a classic icon, but to do it so flawlessly is in itself an amazing feat.

It's a very light-hearted movie and I definitely enjoyed it.

Verdict: 3.5/5

Labels: Aug2013, Movies

Homemade Granola Bar

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 | 6:57 pm | 0 comments

I've always wanted to try making my own healthy version of Granola Bars.

This is 90% organic, the remaining 10% goes to my nuts and berries haha, those are not organic.

To be honest, I didn't set out to make it an organic dish.

It just happened that the ingredients were all found in the organic section of the supermarket.

This is really unexpectedly yummy, tasted better than your commercial granola bars.

You can add any kind of nuts or dried fruits.

For me, I added baked cashew nuts and dried cranberries.

Have fun baking your own Granola Bars!

Labels: Aug2013, Baked

Wolverine

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 | 4:37 pm | 0 comments

This entry is a little late, but I finally caught Wolverine last week!

Haven't really gone out and done something interesting for a looong time and that feeling just sucks.

So here we go, Wolverine!

Lots of people had really bad reviews about it but that's not going to deter me.

Photo Credit: HERE

Wolverine's gone to Japan this time to fight it out with another mutant.

It's plenty exciting and action-packed.

Something different from the first Wolverine movie, but it's a continuation of Logan's story after X-Men: The Last Stand. Alot of the scenes show Logan fighting his emotions and finding the will to live on after all his loved ones have died. Not many people enjoyed it cuz the pace and the whole set-up is not your usual Marvel/X-Men plot, but I'm cool with it.

Photo Credit: HERE

There are a few new characters being introduced into the movie this time round, and Viper is one of them.

I swear the effects team was awesome, cuz even though I know snakes shed skin, it's still hard to see the same effect on a human being despite knowing she's like..a snake/human mutant.

Photo Credit: HERE

I quite like this new addition into the movie too. She's a very spunky girl and while she's not your average beauty, I like that her features are very interesting and somehow you just don't mind seeing more of her.

Also, I think her hair colour is plenty cool, the whole style is a little Emily the Strange gothic but in a very Japanese teenage chic-street kinda way.

Photo Credit: HERE

And there are ninjas in the movie!

Very stealthy and cool I have to admit, and fighting in the snow? Artistic license number 1 definitely.

The snowy backdrop contrasted with the inky black warriors was impressive indeed.

Verdict: 4/5

While it's not as spectacular as the first Wolverine movie, it did live up to my expectations of a Marvel movie. Albeit different from the usual, but satisfying nonetheless.

Labels: Aug2013, Movies

500 Days of Summer

Thursday, August 08, 2013 | 8:00 pm | 0 comments

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master…” ―Elizabeth Gilbert

This above quote is what I thought of immediately after I watched 500 Days of Summer.

The narrator was right, this is NOT a love story, but this is a story about love.

As similar as it sounds, there really is a stark difference between the two.

Summer and Tom, I really think they're soulmates.
But they're not meant to be together.
Summer broke down his defenses, reignited his passion for architecture; while Tom broke down her emotional barriers, and made her rethink love.

There are a few things that I really love about this film.
The music is really fantastic, the soundtrack is amazing. I love the oldies and the mood it brought to the whole film. Secondly, I love the whole film presentation, how it shows you snippets of their 500 days together, the whole compare and contrast thing is a pretty refreshing take that I enjoyed greatly.

Thirdly, I love the movie quotes that spoke volumes about life and love. They are so real, so close to the reality we know, and so amazingly true. Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the film.

Photo Credit: HERE

This really tugged at my heartstrings, because I guess it wasn't just applicable in love but in every aspect of a relationship you had.

Photo Credit: HERE

This one really struck a chord with me, because I guess it's something that I've always grappled to understand. A good friend tried a few times to explain this concept to me, but it was always kinda distant, like I couldn't really understand what he meant. But after watching this film, everything just clicked into place.

I guess I can understand how Summer felt because with love, it's not just about the right person, it's also about the right timing. The timing has to be right before you can have a Summer Epiphany like the one shown in the photo above.

“Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don’t. Now, I think you’re just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I really think you should look again.”

— Rachel Hansen: 500 Days of Summer

And lastly, this quote made by this cute little girl in the film. As with all relationships that ended, we all go into a flashback of all the memories and strangely all that we remember are the good stuff.

There's always been alot of arguments about how people hated Summer for ditching Tom for "no reason at all". But I really love Summer, her courage to be able to end a relationship that is not serving her or growing her at all.

“Perhaps the reason we are unable to love is that we yearn to be loved, that is, we demand something (love) from our partner instead of delivering ourselves up to him demand-free and asking for nothing but his company.” ―Milan Kundera

It's like this quote by this great author Milan Kundera, when you love, you can't expect to be loved.

People think that as long as your love is sincere and true, the other party has to reciprocate. And if they doesn't, they're deemed the bad guy.

Everyone thinks Summer is the bad guy in this film, the weak one escaping commitment.

But ya know what I think?

I think Summer is the brave one, the one with her eyes wide open, the one who knows what she wants.

It's not that she doesn't want to commit, it's because Tom is not the right person for her to commit to.

And it takes real courage to be able to face up to that kind of realization, and to be able to make that kind of decision, especially when she's in love with Tom.

Verdict: 4.5/5

I love this film so much, I think it'll be great to watch it again soon.

I don't have alot of movies that I'll love to watch again and again, but this is definitely on the list.

Labels: Aug2013, Movies

Peperoni Pizzaria

Saturday, August 03, 2013 | 8:00 pm | 0 comments

Yes, you heard me right, we're having a pizza party!!

Where?

Oh that's right, we're partying away at Peperoni Pizzaria becauseeeeee...

they serve up the most authentic

WOOD FIRED PIZZA.

Okay so this is my second time dining at this place because their food is soooo good.

Now let's dig in!

Calamari Fritti ($14)

Deep fried squid rings, with lemon, mayo and arrabbiata sauce.

This is hands down, one of the best calamari I've ever tasted.
You know how calamari tends to become kinda tough after deep frying?
Thankfully, the chefs at Peperoni Pizzaria have the skill to keep the calamari springy!
The batter was sufficiently crispy, it wasn't a super thick coat of flour which is something many restaurants do. This dish comes with 2 types of dipping - Mayo and Arrabbiata sauce.
Personally, I prefer the Arrabiata sauce, because it's slightly spicy and sweet. In addition to that, it's a refreshing change from the ubiquitous mayo.

Lasagna ($21)

Baked flat pasta sheets, minced beef, béchamel and tomato sauce

This is comfort food in a baking dish, and while it's decent, it definitely didn't wow me.

XXL Pizza ($50)

Pancetta: Cured bacon, sliced tomato and soft egg

Suprema: Shitake mushrooms, chicken sausage, onions and red chilli

As I'm typing this up, I'm also swallowing my saliva haha!

I can't decide which one I like better, because both are just soooo damn good.

The first time we came here, we ordered the Pancetta too, but I think they ran out of bacon so they replaced it with something else. The replacement wasn't as good. This time, we managed to snag the real deal.

Bacon and egg are just so ohmygod awesome, an explosion of saltiness and flavour.

I mean, just look at the delicious egg enticing you to eat it! *swoons*

The Suprema is also one of my favourite flavours. Having tried the seafood previously, I really don't think too much of it. But this! This is just amazing. The chicken sausage is slightly spicy and it really adds a certain oomph to the pizza. This flavour has kick.

Verdict: 4/5