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Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

 

 

Project 365 - Photo #151

My feisty sister, Judith managed to grab this handbag at a warehouse sale in Serdang while making her way through a crowd of ajumma*. :P

*ajumma = aunties in the Korean language

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YouTube: Lightsaber Wielding by David Alan Bates

This video was taken during the lightsaber wielding competition at Star Wars Toys Carnival: "The Empire Strikes Back" 30th Anniversary Celebration @ Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara, 29 May 2010.



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Lui Cha @ S10, Oasis Food Court, Mid Valley

Lui Cha lovers will get a kick out of this dish served at Oasis Food Court, Mid Valley. Look out for Stall No. 10 (S10). :)

Here are two previous links that I found on my blog about Lui Cha:
 
Eat for the sake of health
Crazy over some kind of Hakka RICE...


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Movie: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

It's Not A Diary, It's A Movie

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) is a partly animated adaptation of Jeff Kinney's illustrated novel about a junior high school student, 11-year old Greg Heffley.

Greg is adamant that he'll become a famous person one day, but for now he's stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons. At home, he's bullied by his older brother, Rodrick. At middle school, he strives to become the school's most popular kid. For that to happen, he has to deal with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, whose dorky personality always get them into trouble.

Not only so, he's also facing Angie, the nosy school newspaper reporter; Patty, his arch-enemy since preschool; and Fregley, the school's most uncool kid.


This is a cool movie targeted at kids moving up to secondary school. I watched it because David and I have two free passes to watch any movie distributed by 20th Century Fox. :P

So, what's good about this movie? First, the characters are well acted by young actors. Some are hilarious and some are downright annoying. Second, a valuable lesson is learned: Be yourself. It's quite a strong message about dealing with the pressure of trying to fit in or to stand out. Third, it's a light movie with enough humor to crack you up almost every minute. That's a good way to end a long weekend. ;)
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Project 365 - Photo #150

Has anyone read these books?

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Project 365 - Photo #149

Star Wars Toys Carnival: "The Empire Strikes Back" 30th Anniversary Celebration @ Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara (29-30 May 2010).

More photos from my Facebook album.

Check out David's lightsaber wielding skills from a video I took. :)

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Laksam Terengganu & other local delicacies

Laksam is one of Terengganu's delicious, mouth-watering local delicacies. It's a different kind of laksa compared to Penang Assam Laksa, Laksa Sarawak or any other kind of laksa from other states in Malaysia.

Here's Laksam from a local stall in Chabang Tiga, Kuala Terengganu.

Before mixing
 
After mixing
 
Here's Laksam's recipe from David's grandma.

Ingredients for dough: 500 gm rice flour, 1 cup overnight rice, 1 tbsp corn flour, 1/2 tbsp sago flour, sufficient water, pinch of salt, oil for greasing.

Method:

1. Blend ingredients and strain. The consistency of the dough must be thick enough to steam and doesn't break, similar to pancake texture.

2. Grease Corningware dinner plate and steam until hot. When it's hot, pour dough from step 1 into it. Return the plate with dough to steam for 10 minutes.

3. Once cooked, remove plate from heat. Then, roll the cooked dough and cut at a slanted position into required sizes.

Ingredients for Kuah Laksam (Laksam Gravy): 1 big coconut, 100 gm grilled pounded fish meat, pounded ingredients (6 shallots, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 inch bruised ginger, 1 asam keping, salt and sugar to taste)

Method:

 
1. Grate coconut. Add a little lukewarm water and extract (by squeezing) 1 liter coconut milk.

2. Add ingredients into coconut milk and cook over slow heat.

3. Turn off heat when it starts to boil and season to taste.


Laksam is served with this gravy, ulam-ulam or raw vegetables (bean sprouts, shredded cucumber, sliced kesum leaves, sliced basil leaves, long beans, sliced torched ginger), ground fresh chillies, belacan, and lime juice.

Now, let's take a look at other Terengganu local delicacies.
 
This is Nasi Dagang - rice steamed in coconut milk and served with fish curry.

This is Nasi Minyak - colorful rice served with beef curry.

This is Pulut Lepa - sweet and savory glutinous rice rolls with pounded fish meat fillings.


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Weekend DVD: Jack and the Beanstalk (2010)

An adventure of gigantic proportions

Jack and the Beanstalk (2010) is a family movie based on the classic fairy-tale that most of us would have read during our childhood days.

Jack must perform a heroic deed; if he fails, he won't become a hero. As he seeks for ways to do so, he trades his most valuable possession for a handful of magical beans and a book that records his adventures.

Jack is accompanied by Grayson (formerly a goose). Together, they climb the magical beanstalk to recover Destiny's Harp from the evil Giant in the sky.

Along their way, they meet Jillian, a fearless young girl who seems to be very earnest to help them but who just may have a hidden agenda.

The most interesting "revelation" of this movie is that Jillian is played by Chloë Grace Moretz. She's Mindy Macready or Hit Girl in Kick Ass (2010). In Jack and the Beanstalk, she's showing off her martial arts skills as well, but only for 5 minutes and with comical effects because this is supposed to be a family movie. :)
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Project 365 - Photo #148


Nasi Minyak with Beef Curry - today's brunch at Kuala Terengganu before heading back to KL. :)


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Project 365 - Photo #147


These antlers are over 70 years old.


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Project 365 - Photo #146


A beautiful, breezy evening at the river mouth of Kuala Terengganu.


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Project 365 - Photo #145


Snorkeling, then camwhoring at Pulau Kapas, Terengganu.


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Project 365 - Photo #144


Good kayaking trip is good. :)

More photos from my Facebook album.



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Project 365 - Photo #143


Holiday at Pulau Kapas, Terengganu - 23-25 May 2010. We stay at Mak Cik Gemuk Beach Resort.

More photos from my Facebook album.


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Project 365 - Photo #142


I've arrived at Kuala Terengganu. :)


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Project 365 - Photo #141

Dinner meet-up with girlfriends at The Spaghetti Farm, Lot 049 & 050, LG Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, KL. Thanks David for being our cameraman. :)

I find this place quite interesting. You can get a decent bowl of pasta averages from RM8.80 to RM11.80. Add another RM3.50 to get a soft drink and a bowl of soup (Asparagus, Chicken, Mushroom, Tomato).

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Movie: The Bounty Hunter (2010)

It's a job, it isn't personal. Well, maybe a little...

The Bounty Hunter (2010) is an action-romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler as Milo Boyd, a bounty hunter and Jennifer Aniston as Nicole Hurley, a news reporter.

Gerard Butler: Milo Boyd, ex-detective, ex-husband, bounty hunter, and possessing a sarcastic sense of humor that drives his ex-wife mad.

Jennifer Aniston: Nicole Hurley, ex-wife, news reporter working on a murder cover-up, strong, and independent.

One common trait: They dated for 6 months, wedded for 9 months and still, they're always at at odds in almost everything.

The plot is very simple: Nicole jumps bail, Milo is paid to catch her, both fight along the way and almost get themselves killed by one of the bad guys. Then, after much sweat, trouble, and adventure, both confess their feelings for each other. The end.

The most memorable quote from the movie: That's true love. Two people who know all each other's faults and weaknesses and they just love each other all the more.

Well, most rom-coms have happy endings. So does The Bounty Hunter. Most importantly, I always appreciate lessons about relationship from rom-coms. From The Bounty Hunter, I see that marriage requires maturity to deal with every single thing you do with your spouse, especially the willingness to admit your mistakes, no matter how hard it is for you to utter, "I'm sorry."

It's kinda refreshing to watch Jennifer Aniston on the big screen again. Her last movie that I watched was Marley & Me. She's a tough woman. Check out some of her memorable quotes (not from The Bounty Hunter).

- The best smell in the world is that man that you love.
- There are no regrets in life, just lessons.
- I love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special.
- The greater your capacity to love, the greater your capacity to feel the pain.
- I always say don't make plans, make options.
- Once you figure out who you are and what you love about yourself, I think it all kinda falls into place.
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Sunbeam

 
This photo quote is dedicated to my darling. The sunbeam was captured with my camera phone while he was driving this morning.
Yes David, I think you're gonna sing "You are my sunshine, my bloody sunshine..." XD

Looking forward to the trip soon. :)


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Project 365 - Photo #140

The sunroof of the Renault Espace.

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Project 365 - Photo #139

Iron Man & War Machine from Marvel Comics 'resting' on a Homing Spider Droid from Star Wars. My colleagues are comically insane. XD

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CarAds - Test Driven Cars - May 2010

CarAds Magazine's May 2010 Issue

This is Impul Grand Livina, the rebellious-looking sporty MPV from Nissan.

This is BMW 320d, the diesel-powered bimmer that my boyfriend drove for our weekend trip to Melaka. :)

Follow this label - CarAds to view previous entries. :)
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Project 365 - Photo #138

Tomatoes! Supper time!

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Movie: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Never Sleep Again.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) is the remake of Wes Craven's 1984 movie of the same name. Razor-fingered serial-killer Freddy Krueger is back, stalking and killing high school kids in their dreams, resulting in their real-life death.


In this 2010 remake, Freddy Krueger's no longer just a child murderer in Wes Craven's 1984 movie. He was a pedophile who abused young kids physically and sexually at Badham Preschool years ago before he was burned to death by their vengeful parents.

Now as a horrible supernatural nightmare phenomenon for these kids who are now in high school, Freddy murders them one by one...

Here's the nursery rhyme being chanted by the kids from the 1984 version:

One, two, Freddy's coming for you.
Three, four, better lock your door.
Five, six, grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten, never sleep again.


This chant gives you a knotty feeling in your guts, sort of like telling you, "Freddy's got sharp fingers. Don't fall asleep, sweetheart... Or Freddy's gonna cut you up..." :S

In a nutshell, this movie is gloomy and creepy. Slow-brewing suspense hovers over the entire movie that gives you some kind queasy and unsettling feeling. 


Well, if you're not into horror movies that toy with nightmares and kids as the main plot, I'd advice you against watching it. :)

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Project 365 - Photo #137

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Project 365 - Photo #136

Signboard on the grass: Kenderaan Anggota TM Sahaja (For TM Employees' Cars Only)
On the wall: Pelanggan TMPoint (TMPoint Customers)

So, can I (non-TM employee) park here? Weird.

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Weekend DVD 3: The Losers (2010)

Anyone Else Would Be Dead By Now.

The Losers (2010) is an action movie adapted from the Vertigo comic book series of the same name. The movie's plot is about double-crossing and revenge that centers upon five members of an elite United States Special Forces team.

During a search and destroy mission in the Bolivian jungle, the team members - Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Columbus Short), Jensen (Chris Evans), and Cougar (Óscar Jaenada) are betrayed by Max, an unseen and ruthless enemy.

Presumed dead, the group has to stay in Bolivia. When a mysterious woman, Aisha (Zoe Saldana) offers them the chance to go back to the United States in exchange of Max, they take the risk to work with her despite doubting her real intentions.

This movie is comic booky enough for action comic book lovers to watch. The main selling point is each character with their distinctive personality and skills.

* Colonel Clay - Operational Control (Super cool team leader.)

* Cougar - Long-range Eliminations (Superb sniper!)

* Jensen - Comms & Tech (Team's brain.)

* Pooch - Transpo & Heavy Weps (Happy-go-lucky dude.)

* Roque - Demo & Tactical (Self-centered idiot.)

* Aisha - Search & Destroy (Ass-kicking chick. Zoe Saldana is Aisha - Neytiri in Avatar.)

It's a fun movie, neither dreadfully satire nor comical, so you won't find yourself watching a somber movie with gruesome killings all the time.

Check out these funny conversation liners.

*After Pooch was shot...
Jensen: Can you stand?
Pooch: I've been shot in *both* of my legs. What kind of dumb-ass question is that, really?
Jensen: So now we're Mister Grumpy-pants? You know, you're not the only one who got shot today.

*Not long after that...
Clay: Pooch, can you stand?
Pooch: Oh. Oh, this is Stupid Question Day. This is Stupid Question Day, and nobody decided to tell me! Naw, that's cool. It's all good.
Jensen: Come on, Legless Pooch, I got ya.

Catch this movie on DVD if you haven't watch it on the big screens. :)
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Weekend DVD 2: *batteries not included (1987)

Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.

From the producers of E.T. Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, comes
*batteries not included, a 1987 delightful family science fiction movie.

A group of poor tenants on New York's Lower East Side have nothing more than sheer determination to stop the destruction of their homes. This feisty group of five are delighted when a few 'visitors' from the outer space drop by to help them out...

Filled with dazzling special effects, this amusing fantasy of intergalactic warmth stars the acclaimed husband-wife team of Hume Cronyn (as Frank Riley) and Jessica Tandy (as Faye Riley) as two long-term tenants whose faith is rewarded in ways they never would have expected.


Faye calls these visitors, the tiny spaceships as "Fix-Its" because they fix things in their soon-to-be torn down building. Frank calls them spaceships "from a very small planet... very small."

The best thing about this movie is the warm, 'symbiotic' relationship between the spaceships and the human beings. Initially there's only a pair of spaceships, a male and a female. They 'feed' themselves with electric and metal pieces. Then, the female spaceship gives birth to three little fellas. I know this sounds weird but that's the main plot of this movie.

This is a good weekend movie. I'm not too sure where you can get this DVD. David got it from a toy warehouse sale. :)
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Weekend DVD 1: Kick-Ass (2010)

I can't read your mind. But I can kick your ass.

If there's one recent superhero movie based on a comic book that you wanna watch, it's gotta be Kick-Ass (2010), directed by Matthew Vaughn and co-produced by Brad Pitt.

Judging from the movie's poster that features four masked characters in green, red, purple, and black suits respectively, you might think this is another no-brainer slapstick. Hell NO! This movie is fantastic! Well, fantastic is a severe understatement. :)

I'd like to elaborate further that Kick-Ass is not your common superhero movie. Its style reminds me Zombieland and Inglorious Basterds - narrative, graphical, gruesome. :)

Remember these four characters - Kick-Ass, Big Daddy, Hit Girl, and Red Mist but pay extra attention to Hit Girl. She's the most awesome character in the entire movie.

How does the storyline go? Here's the zest. The first half of the movie focuses on Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), an average teenager who wonders why no one has ever decided to become a real-life superhero like those in the comic books. He decides to become a real-life superhero after being mugged. He buys a scuba suit and becomes a masked crime fighter, Kick-Ass even though he has no superpowers and he hasn't been trained before.

The second half of the movie focuses on how Dave/Kick-Ass gets entangled in serious fights in real life when he meets Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a former cop who, in his quest to bring down Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), has trained his 11-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz).

According to a number reviews on the Internet, Kick-Ass has generated controversies due to extreme loads of profanities and violence. This is particularly true in relation to the 11-year old character of Hit Girl. She's heavily armed and in full combat mode in the entire movie. I'd say Scarlett Johansson's fight sequence in Iron Man 2 seems to be less professional compared to this ass-kicking little girl. :)

I wonder how did this movie manage to make its way through the Malaysian censorship a month ago. Anyway, catch it on DVD if you haven't gotten the chance to watch in on the big screens. You're gonna love every single ass-kicking moment of this movie!
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Project 365 - Photo #135

This is a Sandcrawler - the Jawas' mobile home on Tatooine.

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Project 365 - Photo #134

1. R5-X2
2. R5-J2
3. R5-M2
4. R5-D4
5. R4-M9
6. R4-I9
7. R4-C7
8. R4-P17
9. R4-G9
10. R2-Q5
11. Whistler (R2 unit)
12. R3-M3
13. R2-X2
14. R2-B1
15. R2-D2

Special guest appearance by R2-D2 from the Clone Wars in a Power Harness :P

More photos on my Facebook album.

Latest photo.

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Project 365 - Photo #133

Two R2-D2! :D

More photos on my Facebook album.

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Movie: Womb Ghosts (2010)

Womb Ghost / 恶胎 (2010) is the latest low-budget horror movie in Hong Kong's movie industry.

Basically, this movie's main plot consists of a few stand-alone yet subtly interconnected sub-plots. The first 45 minutes or so could be quite confusing as the sub-plots roll out one by one. Each sub-plot features different characters. It takes some time to figure out the difference of every character.

Sub-plot #1: Winnie and Zoe are strangers to one another, yet their lives are somehow interrelated by events of fate. Winnie is facing marital problems with her doctor husband, Joseph. To make things worse, her latest pregnancy ends tragically with a miscarriage.

Sub-plot #2: Zoe is having an affair with Joseph, Winnie's husband. She works as a nurse at the hospital where Joseph works.

Sub-plot #3: Zoe's father works as a sorcerer who keeps a young ghost in captivity to help his fortune-telling business by cheating unsuspecting customers.

Sub-plot #4: Zoe begins to be tormented by strange visions of young, sinister she-ghosts.

Honestly speaking, the way the sub-plots are arranged and related to present the big picture could be done better. The story is pretty straightforward but the way it's presented lacks momentum, draggy, and confuses viewers at certain crucial junctures.

One more point, the young actresses who act as nurses somehow have similar looks and it's hard to differentiate the lead (Zoe) from the extras. The confusing sub-plot arrangement doesn't help to make things better.

All in all, it could be done better. Catch it on DVD if you want to watch a mild Hong Kong horror movie.

Read a review here.
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DiGi Business: H1N1 Advisory

Original article.

Dear DiGi Business fans,

You would have heard of H1N1 cases via the newspapers and websites as well. Please do take precaution so that we can all help to stop the spread.

For business owners or office workers, here are some simple guides that could help prevent the spread of H1N1 in your office.

Workplace Guidelines:

1) Please do not switch workstations or work areas during this time, remain as much as possible at one location so that you can minimize exposure between employees and ease the tracking of employees with flu like symptoms and H1N1 cases (if you have any in office)

2) Keep meetings small, cancel all meetings with more than 10 people. You could use tele-conferencing, video-conferencing, messaging applications like BlackBerry Messenger, whatsapp between BlackBerry users and iPhone users, MSN Messenger or even Yahoo Messenger. You can also use collaborative tools like Google Docs where you can edit documents as a team in real time and even use the chat function to communicate.

3) Observe good hygiene and please put on a mask if you are having minor flu-like symptoms. Always wash your hands with either soap or the alcohol hand wash. You can get these from pharmacies and the alcohol hand wash come in big, medium and small bottles.

4) Limit your exposure to people with minor flu-like symptoms or you could wear a mask as precaution.

5) If you're exhibiting light flu symptoms (sneezing, running nose, coughing) with no fever or sore throat:
- you can go to work if you're up to it but wear a facial mask at all times
- seek medical treatment if condition worsens

6) If you're exhibiting a combination of flu-like symptoms with High Fever or/and Sore Throat:
- seek medical treatment, take swab test, and remain home quarantined until fever subsides
- keep your supervisor informed of latest condition and recovery progress

7) If you've been in direct F2F (face to face) communication with confirmed H1N1 positive patients or those having been in a same confined space for more than 4 hours i.e. air travel:
- contact your supervisor and inform of condition
- home quarantine for 4 days and perform twice-daily self symptom monitoring (sneezing, running nose, sore throat, fever, headache, muscle ache)
- get medical treatment and PCR (blood) test if any symptoms show up
- keep your supervisor informed of latest condition and recovery progress

8) If you're confirmed either via swab test or PCR (blood) test at a medical facilities to be H1N1 positive:
- contact your supervisor and inform of condition
- identify people in office that have had direct F2F communication/contact with you and let your supervisor know
- observe quarantine requirements by medical professionals
- keep your supervisor informed of latest condition and recovery progress

Ministry of Health have also published a list of high risk groups from H1N1 infection @ http://h1n1.moh.gov.my/highRisk.php

We hope this helps. Share it with your friends, family and colleagues.
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Project 365 - Photo #132

Lunch tweet-up at @SpicyCorner. Twitpic by @SpicyGuy - Fashionably late but beautifully hungry :P @geminianeyes @wind_goddess @joycescapade

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Project 365 - Photo #131

My lunch - only RM2 - from my favorite mamak restaurant near my current workplace at SS6/12, Kelana Jaya.

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How to Wield A Lightsaber

This is a follow-up video about "How to Wield A Lightsaber" after I put up this post. Have fun watching. ;)

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Weekend DVD: Planet 51 (2009)

Something strange is coming to their planet...Us!

Planet 51 (2009) is a family animation comedy and this movie's characters, those green beings remind me of Shrek, the green ogre. :P

Here's what this movie is about: Lem (Justin Long) is a teenager who has just gotten a job at the local planetarium and is trying his best to get close to his long-time crush Neera (Jessica Biel).

One day, a NASA astronaut Captain Charles 'Chuck' Baker (Dwayne Johnson) lands on Lem's planet. There's a little problem. The community on this planet are taught that outer-space beings are brain-eating, zombie-creating monsters, thus causing Baker to run for his life and into Lem's house.

Now, it's up to Lem and his friends to get Baker back to his spaceship before military dictator General Grawl (Gary Oldman) and mad scientist Professor Kipple (John Cleese) exterminate him from their planet.

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy every single detail of this movie on a lazy weekend. Watch out for a cute little dog-like robot called Rover and the grayish alien pet dogs that resemble a mini alien from Aliens versus Predators. Hahaha!
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Project 365 - Photo #130

Panamera Soundtrack - Porsche. Good stuff.

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Project 365 - Photo #129

Chicken stew with carrots, potatoes, onions, and oyster mushroom. That's dinner and supper. Burrpp. Thanks for the kitchen dear. My itch for cooking is finally cured. :P

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Project 365 - Photo #128

Homemade Pancake with Caramelized Bananas, Strawberries and Assorted Nuts @ GAJA Bistro & Cafe, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, KL.

More photos at my Facebook album.

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