Inglourious Law Abiding Ponyo has a Hangover

it's movie time with syigim yet again! i really had fun with these movies - a satire war movie about hunting down nazis, a drama about an avenging smart sociopath, an adorable japanese anime, and a whodunit (or rather, 'where-is-he') comedy.

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i prefer not to watch movies that worries and saddens me, and this include disaster movies, and war movies. however, 'inglourious basterds' is hard to ignore when you have quentin tarantino helming it, with the genius acting of brad pitt, and a couple of french and german talents!

the movie begins with this line "once upon a time, in nazi occupied france.." upon a black screen. and you know it's gonna be a little quirkier for a war movie. a small group of americans headed by capt aldo raine (brad pitt) call themselves 'the inglourious basterds' vow to kill any nazis they encounter.

it's weird - this movie seems to be in slow pace but it never has a dull moment, right from the first scene. suspens rule the screen each time! i can't keep my eyes off, especially with the determine capt aldo raine and the cunning colonel landa, the jew hunter in it. its dark comedy is smart, with just a 'dash' of violence - 'a dash' a la quentin tarantino, that is!

even when things seem to be normal and the characters speaking politely - you knew somehow, at any minute, something violent is going to take place.

brad pitt is really a character actor. with a frown in his eyebrow, and a crooked smirk, coupled with a smart-ass attitude, he brought capt aldo raine to life. i LOVE him! he's super sexy AND super talented!

'inglourious basterds' is highly recommended!

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don't mess with a father's rage.

movies like 'taken' starring liam neeson, and 'death sentence' starring kevin bacon both share this message, and this third movie i watched shouts the same - 'law abiding citizen' starring cool jamie foxx and the oh, so sexy gerard butler (from 'p.s. i love you).

you dads out there, imagine if you witness your wife being raped and killed, and your little daughter dead too, while you're on the floor stabbed, helpless to do anything - how would you feel? you think that's worst? imagine if one of the two murderers walked free - just because of a flawed 'justice' system?

i didn't watch the macho gerard butler in 300, and in beowulf he was creepily animated, so the first and only time i watch gerard butler was in the sappy sweet 'p.s. i love you' in which he was this super-romantic guy, even after death! it was light, and it was sweet - so i was kind off sceptical knowing he's in this heavy drama. and yet, a good actor can thrive in any genre - and so was he in 'law abiding citizen'. his performance was believeable - sad, hopeless and helpless at the beginning, turned ruthless and conniving towards the end.

equally excellent performance from jamie foxx as the attorney involved in his case. a case of this avenging father who seemed to be organizing a highly-skilled killing spree on those involved in the trial that made his family's murderer got away - despite already being behind bars! how is it possible?

great acting, great storyline, great movie. a must-watch. even just for gerard butler's abs!

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i think anime drawings are awesome, and some are downright bright-eye cute, but i'm just not a fan of anime. i'm more of a disney kid, and now a disney mom.

however, when disney brought 'ponyo' all the way from japan, i say it must be worth the watch. cate blanchett, liam neeson and matt damon all lent their voiced to the US version, but i'm glad to report that i watched the original version - completely in japanese, with english subtitles.

'ponyo' by world-renowned jap animation, hayao miyazaki is said to be adapted from the classic fairy-tale 'the little mermaid'. only in in this anime, 'ariel' is named 'ponyo', and she's not a sexy mermaid, but an adorable weird sting-ray like red sea-creature that's supposed to be a goldfish! she wants to be human, and befriended a 5-yr old boy who lives on the cliff by the sea.

their friendship is so adorable and amusing to watch. you know how japanese kid voices are adorably shrill and sounds excited most of the time - it's cute! i don't care much about the storyline itself, though - very magical, and jap-folksy. sorry, i tried but i'm still not into anime!

cute, but not my cup of tea. khaleef didn't even stay to watch till the end!

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'hangover' just won the golden globes for best comedy, with mixed reactions. to me, it's not that great to win awards, but it is a heck of an entertaining ride.

one of the actors described the movie as 'saving private ryan, the comedy' - since the storyline revolves around four guys looking for their missing buddy who is also the future-groom, after spending a wild bachelor night in vegas - and they were probably too drunk the night before, that they had no idea what happened - they simply cannot remember what they did!

so it was interesting just to watch the 'mystery' unravels as the rest of the guys tried hard to re-trace their steps from last night's adventure, that probably lead them to find the missing groom, who's getting married the next day!

half of the casts are unknown to me, but they have great chemistry together, and it works out well for the comedy and provided laughter all around. if you want something fun and silly to pass the time, i suggest watching 'hangover'!

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...ah, and i still have tons of movies to watch! yay!

Yes, We're Expecting The Third Kay!

okay. i'll clear things up once and for all.

for those of you looking at my pictures and wondering - no, i'm not fat. well, not THAT fat. well, yes - baby-fat. oh, heck - i'm expecting!

funny when most of my dubai friends had just found out about this during the recent birthday bash for kahfi. some noticed my tummy, and some found out when chit-chatting with mr. khairul's mom - when she said she'd be coming again in april for the pantang, they were all surprise - pantang apanye? la...pregnant?!

since this is already our third baby kay, we were just having fun keeping it on the hush hush all this while!

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terlebih excited first-time mommy pregnant with khaleef

it was a blast when i was pregnant with khaleef - i had absolutely no morning sickness, no wek-wek at any time of the day, and just slightly woozy occasionally. my sugar level and blood pressure was okay and there were no swelling of the feet or cheek. (or rather, any 'swellingness' detected on my cheek are a natural part of my chubbyness!)

my only crave was satay ayam. it was satay, satay, satay all the time. and also, everyday - and i mean, everyday i would take lauk ikan keli with my nasi bungkus. every single day at work.

i would explain my cravings as a sudden need to eat one particular food, and nothing else. but my craving wasn't so cronic - some mommies-to-be MUST have a particular food simply because they CANNOT eat any other food or they'll vomit!

oh, but i do remember always getting very sleepy for a large portion of the day...

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pregnant with kahfi, in dubai with best pal niraku when she visited

having kahfi was an entirely different adventure! not only did i experience my first, and really bad series of 'morning, day and night' sickness - but during my 5th month onwards i was left alone with my first-born khaleef as mr. khairul flew to dubai first to settle our visa, housing and such in preparation before we follow.

i remember having the most painful backpain (i almost thought i had lost the baby!) in the middle of the night, for more than an hour - with noone around but little khaleef who was just 2 years old.

with kahfi, i craved for indian food. curries. mamak fried chicken. popadom. the works. haha. it's weird that he turns out to have a very chinese look! hihi.

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latest shot of the fat lady - third time's the charm!

with khaleef i didn't have morning sickness, while with kahfi that's all i had - and it was bad! however, during this third pregnancy, i experienced just a lil bit of morning sickness - so it was kind off in the middle ground.

since i'm in dubai, the word 'craving' itself doesn't mean much - because when you're away in another country, far from the nasi lemak, goreng pisang, char kuey teow, roti canai and durian - you'd be craving no matter what!

i guess during the last raya i had an 'urge' to eat laksa. i will put this as craving, because normally, i don't even care for laksa. not much of a fan. so when i suddenly feel like eating laksa - i guess it must be the baby! alhamdulillah, the very next day i remember two invites to open house - and the hostess made laksa! so two laksa meals on the same day - memang rezeki baby!

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khaleef, then kahfi - and now our third kay is coming soon. heck, 'soon' IS the word! no need to remind us that! but everything happens for a reason, and we just thank Allah for this huge rezeki that we're being given.

maybe dubai is the place for us to build our family, before coming home to malaysia for good and settling down...

Charcoal Grilled Chicken @ Chalet, Jumeirah

this was the day i truly realized there's grilled chicken, and then there's charcoal grilled chicken! the difference is, the latter uses normal oven-like appliance where the chicken is grilled - not at its best!

however, charcoal grilled chicken is made using actual burnt charcoal - giving it a more juicy, authentic taste! come over to the 'chalet restaurant' at jumeirah beach road for the best charcoal grilled chicken in dubai!

recommended by a 9-year veteran in dubai, radha, we came here after a tiring walk at the dubai global village.


it looks like a small wooden hut at one corner of the road, with tables and chairs set up front. it's dimly lit, with some help from the roadside lights. there's a reasonably ample parking space right beside so we parked there.

other than the 'famous' charcoal grilled chicken, the chalet also offers a variety of food - from chinese dishes to indian cuisine, and burgers and hotdogs too! so we also orderd grilled fish along with the main grilled chicken.

waiting to taste charcoal grilled chicken by the roadside

we sat outside, taking advantage of the cool weather. the seats are right on the walkway, giving us immediate view of the jumeirah beach road and the traffic passing by.

if you're thinking calm ambiance - nope! occasionally you'd be fed with the blazing sound of a speeding ducati or a maserati passing by! don't get me wrong - it's not noisy all the time - however, you have been warned that there will be occasional zing and zang once in a while!

well, mr. khairul seemed excited pointing out the posh cars to his lil bro asrar...

the arabic bread, and a plate of hummus, diced onion & tomato, and garlic sauce

we started with the appetizer - soft arabic bread and yummy hummus dip. hummus is the one that looks like peanut butter, which is a dip made from mashed chickpeas blended with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic among others.

the trick is to spread a spoonful of hummus on your arabic bread, place a pinch of the tomato and onion slices, with garlic sauce - fold the arabic bread like you'd fold a carpet, and it's ready to be eaten!


soon, our most anticipated charcoal grilled chicken arrived, along with bowls of garlic fried rice. the garlic fried rice went very well with the grilled chicken, albeit a little oily.

the charcoal grilled chicken, was, as 'promoted' by radha - the best! charcoal-y crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. once in your mouth and touching your taste buds, you can feel the marinated juice enveloping your palate!

i could eat a whole chicken!

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i also ordered a glass of honey dew juice. oh, and in dubai, when you order juice, you'd be sure to get real authentic mashed fruit in a little milk, crushed ice and water. it's really rich with the fruit bits and worth the dirham spent!


ah, i can't talk enough about the yummy charcoal grilled chicken!

eat it on its own, with the rice or fold the chicken bits into your arabic bread and dip it into the hummus - it's as good anyway you eat it!


if you like grilled chicken, and dining outdoors amidst occasional twang of superbikes and posh cars; you will like 'the chalet'. we're definitely coming here again for our fix of charcoal grilled chicken!

Kids' Hand-Band @ Dubai Global Village

dubai global village opens its doors once a year, from nov to feb, 4pm onwards when the weather is at its best. it's the best place to be for wannabe-travellers who have not quite yet leave their home - because here in dubai global village, you can be in 'rwanda', 'china' or 'pakistan' - all in one day!

i LOVE the concept because it's not only a place to buy stuff, food and souvenirs from all sorts of countries, but it also exposes locals, expats and tourists to the myriads of culture, items and food unique to each country. it's not just a huge shopping spot, it's some sort of a museum too!

check out our first trip there, here!

being there a few times already, my favorite pavillion is 'egypt' for its colorful jubah, 'africa' for its most interesting display and 'yemen' for its honey and friendly store people!

more pictures on the country pavilions and the items on sale and displays? check out this posting here, for the time we brought my sisters to the dubai global village.

layout of the grounds of dubai global village

dubai global iillage also provides top-notch facilities for all:

• 2 mosques
• 20 restaurants - which includes kfc, indian restaurants and many more!
  
• 29 restrooms - free for all, but there are a few where you pay dhs4! (tapi sebenanye yang free tu pun okay je. takpayah pegi yg bayar tu!)
  
• 6 ATM machines
• 3 money exchange stalls
• ambulances, lost & found department, services for the disabled
• a huge parking area that can accommodate almost 16,500 vehicles! (datang awal kalo nak park dekat dengan entrance!
  

click the picture above and you can imagine how magnificently huge this place is! now imagine if a child gets lost in the midst of the crowd, big pavilions and extensive grounds?

tak boleh bayangkan!

so my dubai friends, if you go to dubai global village, to get a special hand-band for your kiddos, like the one posed by my khaleef in the picture below!


you can request for the hand-band when you purchase your entry tickets. it doesn't cost a thing, and god willing, you'd be keeping your kid safe in case the unimaginable happens, like your kid getting lost!

how would people know the lost kid is yours? you write your kids' name and your mobile number on the hand-band. it's durable and not easily torn. please do get one for your kid when you come here!

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oh yes, we're here again at dubai global village, bringing mr. khairul's family. we went together with mr. khairul's right hand dude, radha and wife sreeja, kid rahul and baby rajsree.

i never get tired or bored being here because i love the diversity of culture - so many things to see, so many things to buy!

the culture show ongoing in the background

looks like mr. khairul's family enjoyed the culture show very much - especially mr. khairul's youngest sis who loves to boogey to a good song! add in her nephew khaleef - then you really got a crazy duo shaking and bobbing to the beat!

there are two big stages in the middle of the dubai global village grounds - the community stage, and the world culture stage.

while we're there, we managed to catch a few shows - one of them obviously from the african continent - unique, irresistably catchy and entertaining. another one is the energetic 'bounce trampoline stunt show' where a few guys in red jumped and sommersoulted to the disco beat on a trampoline, and onto a white window-like built-up on stage. amusing!

the spunky sofia even boogeyed with a friendly african store person at the rwanda pavillion, complete with their unique handmade noise-maker! ca ca cah!

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kahfi ade macam mongolian baby tak? hihi

during kahfi's first trip here last year, he was so tiny and still on breast milk. kesian kahfi - crying and crying because it was too cold and he wasn't properly covered! i had to take him back to the car, where he immediately slept!

now that we know we need to bungkus him like sushi - we bought him this super-snug, ultra-thick jacket for his second trip here - and yes, it seemed comfy enough that after a bottle of milk and some biscuits, he was out like a lamp! zzz...

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rahul and sofia playing rock, paper, scissors while waiting for the adults to shop!

looked like 8 year old rahul and 9 year old sofia got along well. it's cute seeing them chit-chatting with both of them being so talkative!

...reminds me of myself when i was 8-9...

Kahfi's 1st Belated Birthday Bash

my, my. this is gonna be a pictorial report. lots and lots of pictures, so pardon the short descriptions! oh well, how often do you get to celebrate your FIRST birthday, eh?

birthday boy kahfi with new thomas & friends bday sweater!

it's kahfi's super-belated birthday bash at our home, with more than 70 party people! yah, he actually turned one in december last year but we're only having the party now since mr. khairul's family is here.

the more the merrier!


aunty tina, aunty ya, uncle asrar and even his bapak helped decorating the hall - oh, just a few balloons here and there, and a simple colorful 'happy birthday' signage. asalkan ade rupa nak buat birthday party! hihi.

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and started the ball rolling was bro fudzail's family. kahfi has immediate liking to their teenage son, which is amusing since it's hard for him to get warm up to people. cute.

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then the most awaited guest came - because she brought the birthday cake! i ordered a carrot cream cheese, thomas and friends cake from dubai baker fida. it looked absolutely adorable - with huge picture of kahfi's favorite cartoon character over the cake, bordered by colorful m&ms!

kahfi tak sabar nak touch the cake. he kept on kobek-kobek the box

check out fida's blog for more picture - click here! i highly recommend her cake for our dubai friends who would like one for a special occasion. her cake is not only delicious, it's beautifully decorated too! i specifically ask for a simple decor - one that is suitable for a boy - and she truly delivered the goods!


i really love the cake! sayang nak potong, sayang nak makan, sayang nak habiskan!


kahfi missed his afternoon nap, so it's only understandable why he got cranky by 4pm when we cut the cake. he wriggled, whined and meragam gile. only when the kids got around to sing 'happy birthday' song did he stop to enjoy and clapped his hand.

habis je nyanyi, mengamuk balik!

i cut a couple of slices for the already anticipating kiddos by my side, and went inside to tuck kahfi in. zzz...

kahfi : birthday boy yang cranky gile, grumpy and sleepy!

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be our guest, be our guest!

meanwhile, the guests kept coming, and it didn't look like it'll slow down. it was quite a sight inside our humble abode.

the ladies : chit chat borak-borak sembang-sembang gossip-gossip

thankfully we have mr. khairul's mom and maklong who were always on their toes to top-up the lauk or rice, to fill in the finishing tidbits, to prepare some more drinks for the piling guests, and to generally oversee any other needs.

the men : eat, networking, x-box time, followed by a ciggie time-out up at the pool area

in my zest to welcome guests, i forgot to take pictures of the dishes we served! my mom-in-law cooked yummy nasi lemak and fried bihun, mr. khairul's maklong prepared egg sandwiches, and mr. khairul had ordered our favorite dubai dish - the mandi rice (mestilah!)

top picture : adzlin, kak ziela, me & fairus, lower picture : fairus, me & fida baker, big picture : kak jah (my tukang urut pantang), sheila, kak zaida, me & kak zah

i really have to thank dear fairus for her delicious craved pulut kuning, which we served with sreeja's curry chicken. thank you both! i'd also like to thank a koleq wifey for bringing her perfectly well-made kuih seri muka (excited gile bila nampak!), and kak linda for kopok ikan and her popiah that i tak sempat rasa!

thanks sebab tambahkan menu!

...before we say goodbye!

rumah sesak, but we hope everyone kenyang and had fun! pardon us if we missed to entertain some guests with chit chats as we busied ourselves trying to say hi to everyone!

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special thanks : asrar, tina, sofia, mr. khairul's mom & his maklong

special thanks to mr. khairul's entourage - mr. khairul's mom who cooked and supervised the food provision the whole day, his bapak who entertained the men-guests with his long chats, his maklong who helped out whenever possible, his sister sofia for keeping khaleef and kahfi company watching disney cartoon in my room, sister tina for taking pictures and helping out as well, and lil bro asrar for going up and down, up and down to the basement shop getting ice and garbage bags!

thanks!

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and what was the fate of the cake? i cut it out and left a little piece of 'thomas' - sayang betul nak habiskan! the boys are too tired to 'entertain guests' and just lepak in the room watching disney cartoons.

toys, toys and more toys; khakis, jeans and cute tops; chocolates, coloring books and 'dining' set - thank you all!

later that night, when the guests had all left, it's de-boxing time - opening of the presents! (nampaknya aunty sofia yang paling excited nak open presents!) and oh boy were there a lot of presents!

thanks so much, you guys!


on behalf of birthday boy kahfi, big bro khaleef, and bapak birthday boy mr. khairul, i'd like to extend my deepest appreciation for your presence on kahfi's first birthday bash! it was so much fun hosting a party despite the tiredness and overwhelming surge of guests arriving!

next year kita buat lagi for our 3rd pulak! *wink wink*

At the Beach With Aunty Sofia

we went to the beach - khaleef, kahfi, mr. khairul's youngest sis sofia and his maklong. it was quite windy but everyone's snugly wrapped in sweaters and cardigans.

we noticed that the marina walk fun-fair is about to start tonight. boxes of stuffed toys to be won were strewn all over, and some people were seen hanging them up in their stalls. the rides were also just being assembled - ready for the crowd to come play tonight.

* * *

there were scarcely any crowd at the beach - just a couple taking pictures, some joggers and a family who just came to look around. the wind was cool and cozy, even the sand feels cold. the sun was about to set - so the view was gorgeous.

it was a perfect day.

mak long & kahfi on the mat, overlooking khaleef & sofia by the seashore

i set one of our largest towels, a red one on the sand as a picnic mat. mr. khairul's maklong sat there with kahfi munching biscuits, while i took shots of the crazy kiddos who acted as if they discovered the beach-shore for the first time!


what you can do at the beach (or rather, what they did at the beach!) :

• main pasir
• dip feet in sea-water
• look for sea-shells
• write on the sand

mr. khairul's youngest sis, 10 yr old sofia

kahfi has been to the beach numerous times of course, but i think this is the first time i actually let him sit down on his own to play with the beach sand.


...at least for just a few minutes! risau pasir masuk mata! so he spent the rest of the day taking a light stroll with his opah long, while big bro khaleef and their aunty ya still wetting it out at with the waves!


later on, their uncle asrar joined in - walking alone all the way from my condo. asrar has a bandage around his feet, so he can't join the kids near the shore so he just lepak with kahfi.


the sun has set, but the kiddos ain't done yet! 'the little mermaid' and khaleef soaked and splashed one last round before calling it a day.


cold, tired but had fun. the kiddos definitely wanna come back!

New Article, New Blog, New Clothes

i'm not that great of a cook, so when i google recipes, i love the ones with big huge clear pictures of the dishes, with simple ingredients, and tips for it not to turn bad.

i know what i want to see in a blog recipe, so i compiled a list, and before i knew it, a blog post was created. i sent it to mombloggersplanet for my second entry of the month as an MBP contributor.

click on the picture to find out what i want to read in a recipe blog!

* * *

i always believe that it's such a waste living in a whole other country, and not document your adventure there. be it pictorial or textual, you must try and make an effort to capture your day-to-day life overseas, for it is a priceless priviledge that not all can experience!


mr. khairul's sister teh is currently studying dentistry in cairo, and has just started to blog. she claimed to 'hate' writing, but from the looks of it, she has a certain flair and i hope she continues to blog.

she has already put up very interesting pictures of cairo scenes in her facebook, and i suggested for her to just transfer those pictures and write more detailed description of each. she has a good eye on taking one-of-a-kind shots so it's only a matter of expressing those shots into good writing!

you know how young girls like her, on a new place - they'd probably end up taking a lot of shots with their cute little faces against a nice background. but teh took more than that - pictures of the souk scenes of cairo, camels being slaughtered right in the middle of the street, a man selling nan bread on bicycle and many more unique shots that can illustrate the raw life in cairo.

have fun blogging teh, and for my readers, click on picture to visit the 'green monkey'!

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khaleef got a surprise very-belated birthday present yesterday, and kahfi got one too! their aunty tina had a walk to the dubai marina mall which is just walking distance from our place, and got them some new clothes from mothercare (my favorite brand for my kiddos!).


tina got khaleef a pair of blue corduroy pants, and he's really in need of one! the gap jeans that he's been wearing dah singkat! this one that tina bought is slightly gedoboh for khaleef but i like it - boleh pakai lama, and boleh pass-pass kat adik!

kahfi got a chequered sweater that made him look like a harvard graduate! super-cute! thanks to aunty tina for their brand new clothes!


and oh, she also got one mighty-adorable black and white 'cat-suit' for khaleef's and kahfi's baby bro/sis. yeap. what? you didn't know? really? about what?

what?