Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Superman Returns (2006)




After a long visit to the lost remains of the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel returns to earth to become the people's saviour once again and reclaim the love of Lois Lane.

It was okay. I dare say that it's the best of the franchise yet. Not that I'm a fan.

Rating: 1.5/5.

Homemade Feast

Homemade lamb chop with light black pepper sauce and coleslaw

Chicken chop with light black pepper sauce and coleslaw

Pandan chicken (fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves), a Thai dish.

Sambal belacan, a multipurpose spicy condiment made of shallots, fresh chillies, dried shrimp paste, tamarind concentrate, sugar and salt. Some may add durian paste for an extra 'kick'.


Mixed tomyam soup, served in a homegrown coconut.

Mixed tomyam soup with rice

Bihun goreng (stirfried vermicelli)

Pisang berangan

Sambal sotong (squid sambal)

Squid sambal with rice

Ayam masak halia (stirfried chicken in ginger sauce)

Daging salai masak lemak cili padi (Malaystyle roast beef in fiery hot sauce). This Negeri Sembilan dish calls for bird's eye chillies, turmeric, lemongrass, coconut milk and tiny sour carambola/starfruits (optional).

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Wanted (2008)




A frustrated accounts manager learns that he is a son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's extraordinary abilities.

If you want to watch a bad film with not one, but two Academy Award winners in it, then watch this. The only interesting but, albeit far
fetched and farstretched at times; is the curved bullet trail. Luckily, I didn't pay a single sen to watch this.

Rating: 1/5.

The Fountain (2006)




Spanning over 1000 years and three parallel stories, this is a story of love, death, spirituality and the fragility of our existence in this world.

One word: Odd.

Rating: 0.5/5.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wedding

Little sweetie in her cheongsam before the wedding

The venue


One of the bouquets near the entrance

One of the tables for guests

The newlyweds

Wedding Cakes

The wedding cakes, newlyweds, bestman and maid of honour on the dais

The wedding cakes and bridal table


The wedding cakes

Wedding Favours


Sliced yummy moist chocolate almond cake wrapped in a box as favours for the guests

A pouch to hold some wedding gifts for the guests

Sweetmeats, mostly traditional, as favours


Miniature cutlery sets as favours

Wedding Gifts

Sirih junjung, a must in Malay weddings

Bunga telur for the wedding dias and to be given away to guests

Some fragrance

Some traditional sweetmeats; kuih bangkit and biskut makmur. Sweetmeats are customary gifts from the bride to the groom.

Biskut Makmur

More sweetmeats

Rolled pineapple tarts in purple

Kain pelekat or sarong

My family and I visited some relatives just minutes after we reached home from Alor Star. A male relative had just tied the knot and these were some of the wedding gifts from the bride to the groom.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Honey & Cinnamon Remedy

Pure Middle Eastern honey

I am a big fan of honey. Here's an informative article on honey that I received in 2001. Don't know who wrote this, as I received it by e
mail.

Honey & Cinnamon


It is found that a mixture of honey & cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in many countries. Ayurvedic as well as Yunani medicine have been using honey as a vital medicine for centuries. Scientists of today also accept honey as a Ram Ban (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Today's science says that although honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as medicine, it doesn't harm diabetic patients even. A magazine named Weekly World News
published in Canada dated 19 Jan 1995 has given a list of diseases that can be cured by honey & cinnamon as researched by Western scientists.

ARTHRITIS
: Take 1 part honey to 2 parts of luke warm water & add a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Make a paste & massage it on the itching part of the body slowly. It is noticed that the pain recedes within a minute or two. Arthritis patients may, morning and night daily, take 1 cup of warm water with 2 spoons of honey & 1 small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If drunk regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research done at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of honey & 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week out of the 200 people so treated practically, 73 patients were totally relieved of pain and within a month, mostly all patients who couldn't walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.


BAD BREATH
: People of South America gargle with 1 teaspoon of honey & cinnamon powder mixed in warm water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.


BLADDER INFECTIONS
: Take 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder & 1 teaspoon of honey in a glass of luke warm water and drink it. It destroys the germs of the bladder.


CANCER
: Recent research in Japan & Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should take 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder for 1 month 3 times a day.


CHOLESTEROL
: 2 tablespoons of honey & 3 teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, if given to a cholesterol patient, it reduces the cholesterol level in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. As mentioned for arthritis patients, if taken 3 times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. As per the info received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complains of cholesterol.


COLDS
: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder in a glass of warm water daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold & clear the sinuses.


FATIGUE
: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful than detrimental to the body strength. Senior citizens who take honey & cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert & flexible. Dr. Milton who has done research says that 1/2 tablespoon of honey taken in 1 glass of water & sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing & in the afternoon at about 3p.m. when the vitality of the body starts decreasing, increases the body's vitality within a week.


GAS
: According to the studies done in India & Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.


HAIR LOSS
: Those suffering from hair loss or baldness may apply a paste of hot olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey & 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder before bath and keep it for approximately 15 minutes and then wash the hair. It was found very effective if left for 5 minutes also.


HEARING LOSS
: Daily morning and night, honey & cinnamon powder taken in equal parts restores hearing.


HEART DISEASES
: Make a paste of honey & cinnamon powder, apply on bread or chappati instead of jelly & jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries & saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath & strengthens the heart beat. In America & Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully & have found that due to the increasing age, the arteries & veins which lose their flexibility & get clogged are revitalised.


IMMUNE SYSTEM
: Daily use of honey & cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system & protects the body from bacteria & viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins & irons in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria & viral diseases.


INDIGESTION
: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on 2 tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity & digests the heaviest of meals.


INFERTILITY
: Yunani & Ayurvedic have been using honey for years in medicine to strengthen men's semen. If impotent men take 2 tablespoon of honey regularly before sleeping, their problem will be solved. In Asia, women who don't conceive & to strengthen their uterus, have been taking cinnamon powder for centuries. Women who can't conceive may take a pinch of cinnamon powder in 1/2 teaspoon of honey & apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day, so that it slowly mixes with the saliva & enters the body. A couple in Maryland, America had no children for 14 years & had lost hope of having a child of their own. When told about this process, husband & wife started taking honey & cinnamon as stated above. The wife conceived after a few months & had twins at full term.


INFLUENZA
: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient which kills the influenza germs & saves the patient from flu.


LONGEVITY
: Tea made with honey & cinnamon powder, when taken regularly arrests the ravages of old age. Take 4 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of cinnamon powder & 3 cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, 3
4 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh & soft and arrests old age. Life span also increases & even a 100yearold person can perform the chores of a 20yearold.

PIMPLES
: 3 tablespoons of honey & 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping & wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for 2 weeks, it removes pimples from the root.


SKIN INFECTIONS
: Eczema, ringworm & all types of skin infections are cured by applying honey & cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts.


UPSET STOMACH
: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache & also clears stomach ulcers from the root.


WEIGHT LOSS
: Daily in the morning, 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach & at night before sleeping, drink 1 cup of warm water with honey & cinnamon powder. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also drinking of this mixture regularly doesn't allow the fat to accumulate in the body although the person may eat a high calorie diet.


*******

Pure Honey: How Can You Tell?

There are a few methods, but the one below is the best.


I learnt this trick a few years ago from bee farm owners/beekeepers. Pour a drop of honey in the middle of a clear, round white plate/bowl. Pour in some water gently and ensure that it covers the honey. Slowly rotate the plate in a circle and if the honey is indeed pure, you'll see the outlines of honeycombs becoming more and more apparent. If it doesn't, then you know it isn't genuine. I've used this trick many times and was amazed by the results! Give it a try.


Beekeepers also told me that you should only use plastic spoons for honey as metal spoons destroy the properties in honey. Honey should not be kept in the fridge or drank with boiling hot water as the intense heat will also destroy the properties in honey. Ants usually do not swarm around pure honey. You may place the bottle of honey in a container filled with some salted water if you like.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Fracture (2007)




A district attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he's trying to prosecute.


A strong cast does this film a favour. The mind games between the two main characters, Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) and Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) are rather engaging. I think Rosamund Pike's character, Nikki Gardner, is pointless.


If you're look
ing for a light psychological thriller, then watch this.

Rating: 2/5.