Macarons Smacarons

By its Wiki definition;

A macaron is a confectionery whose name is derived from an Italian word “maccarone” or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaron differs from other macarons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the exotic (truffle, matcha tea)

The most famous one is of course the luxurious Laduree Macaron. As quoted from its website; these small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are made every morning in Ladurée’s "laboratory". The Laduree tea salons can be found at Champs Elysees, Royale, Le Printemps and Bonaparte in Paris; at Harrods and Burlington Arcade in London, as well as in Switzerland, Monaco and Tokyo.

Picture from here

They look so pleasing to the eyes with the vibrant colours and so sinfully tasty, don't they? Their permanently available flavours consist of: Chocolate - Bitter Chocolate - Vanilla - Coffee - Rose - Pistachio - Raspberry - Blackcurrant Violet - Caramel with salted butter - Red Fruits - Orange Blossom - Liquorice - Lemon.

So, yes, I have secretly been longing to try some macarons. More specifically, the Laduree macarons, to be eaten with my Inche Azrul at the Champs Elysees cafe.

Pictures from here

How very dreamy, right? Jom ah, @azrulx.

*snap*snap* Back to reality. Seeing that Paris is sooo far away and what with the volcanic ash and everything else, *cheh konon* this longing has remained a longing until an opportunity opened up just recently. :)

mimpimurni was looking for Malaysian made macarons and in her quest she had found RainDough. To top it up, they are having a promotion on Nutella Macarons, more fondly called the Nutte-rons. It is going at RM35 per 16 pieces. I jumped at the offer and ordered mine yesterday. :)

I got them lot this morning , after a self-pickup from RainDough's house in PJ. Tested them with Inche Azrul in the morning (our dessert). It was crispy, crunchy at the outside and soft and lumpy in the inside. Reminds me a little bit like a crispy but gooey brownie and a little like Ferrero Roche (must be the nutella) So sedap.. From that 16 pieces, let's just say there's 11 left and I am tying the pretty pink ribbon back before it all vanishes. Need to keep them for my kids, pulak. These people at the office are monsters, lah! (Cheh, padahal, dia sendiri dah makan 2!)

Hurry, girls. The orders close today. Email Raindough@gmail.com for the details. (Ordering info can also be found on their blogshoppe and they are also on twitter - follow / reply to @RainDough)

-dillz blogging out-

I am the Foursquare Mayor of Marmalade Cafe, BV II (for now)

Just caught the foursquare bug a fortnight ago and here's my stats this morning.

After 15 nights out, adalah dimaklumkan Dilla Z. dah maju... Not bad, eh??? :) hihihihihi Woot! Woot!

So what the heck is foursquare? To me, it is an interactive explorer game that I enjoy on my Berry. Yes, you would need some kind of smartphone, I think - either Berry or iPhone, just pick your poison. What you would need to do is download the foursquare (or 4sq) application on your phone, register a username and you could check-in straight away.

Check-in? Check-in? What's that? You check-in(to) a place when you are in the vacinity. (Can not lie one, the phone got GPS maaa) For every check-in, you will be given points. Higher points if it is the first time you checked into that location. If you can't find the location, then you could even add the venue on 4sq. (and get some extra points while at it) Points are not thaaat exciting.

The thing is, is you check-in enough times at the specific location, you might even be crowned as the Mayor of that venue. At some locations, look out for the "special deal". A Mayor could even be eligible for special discounts, you know. I was told by @inaleem, true story this, that one Kopitiam in Bangi gives out free ommellette for its 4sq Mayor. Exciting stuff that! I am proud to be the (current) 4sq Mayor of 5 venues :

• Marmalade Cafe
  
• Carrefour Market @ The Sphere
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Damansara
• Level 9 S, Menara TM
  
• Pondok Azlul
  

The other thing that I am interested at is in collecting badges. It makes me feel like a pengakap trying to collect as many as possible. hihihihihihihi. Here are some of mine.

The full list of known badges could be obtained via TonyFelice's list or from IwasAround.

What fun is a game without having friends to play them with, right? Connecting your friends couldn't be any simpler. You could connect your 4sq account to your twitter and/or facebook accounts and the contacts will be linked automatically. Just add the ones you wish. There are also options for you to send your location / achievements to the said twitter / facebook accounts. In a way, it is also like the friend-finder application. However, there are some cool privacy settings too. Uncheck the "Tell my friends" box, and your location will be kept a secret. They could only see "Dilla Z. @ [off the grid] Checked in, but hiding their whereabouts". This is especially useful if you don't want stalkers to know where you are at any precise moment.

Just to get up to speed with what this foursquare thingy is all about, please read this 4sq review

In the mean time, lemme explore and work on those School badge - need to check-in after 3am on a school night, SuperMayor badge - must have mayorship of 10 places at a time, GymRat - 10 checkins into a gym in a month and Jobs-three checkins into an Apple store. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

Valentine's Day vs Percy Jackson

Spent a good portion of the long, loong weekend at home and my mom's place, vegetating. Thus explaining the lack of updates in the blog. hihihihi.. At other times, I was at the movies, spending some quality time with the other half. Dulu, waktu berchenta pun, going to the movies has always been one of the main agenda. This time, we managed to watch TWO movies. :)

Valentine's Day

picture from here

A star-studded film - Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, McDreamy, McSteamy, Taylor Swift, Taylor Laudner, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx - macam-macam ada.. So it was definitely pleasing on the eye! :)

The story line pun boleh tahan. It's a story of love in its many, many forms. One good lesson to be learnt by all is that you need to accept your other half in totality - the good parts as well as the bad part. To stand by their mistake and to celebrate their succcess. Gitulah lebih kurang. (Eh, movie pun ada moral of the story? Ini sudah bagus..)

I mean, I went in with no expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised at the end. The bad guys ended up alone, the good guys get companions. A real feel good, heart warming movie this one.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians : The Lighting Thief

picture from here

Truthfully, I thought Percy Jackson was the American version of Harry Potter. Only that the boy can't act as well as Daniel Radcliffe. hihihihihi So kayu , he reminds me of Anakin Skywalker in Episode 1.

The story was adventurous enough to my liking and the sidekicks were pretty awesome. The villains are even more awesome - Uma Thurman as Medusa. So stunning. *literally* There's also other hotshots like Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson and Melina Kanakaredes (The CSI lady - susahnya nak eja nama). I loved Hades in the Mick Jagger persona - hilarious! And that Persephone is so gatal! Rosario nailed her perfectly! hihihihihi :)

Despite the great CGI and story-line, I personally feel that in the duel between the two, I proclaim Valentine's Day as the winner! Woo-hoo!!! I am a sappy romantic underneath after all.. :)

Excuse my ignorance, but I have never heard of this dude Percy Jackson before. But, it did make me google him a little more. So this is what I found.

There's a whole series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians - in writing by Rick Riordan. The series include:

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan's Curse
• the Battle of Labyrinth
• The Last of the Olympian

I have only this to say, "That Percy Jackson Hardcover Boxed Set sure looks yummy." hihihihi

Picture from here

-dillz blogging out-

My New Toy Is A BB

Waited for it for a while now. I think the waiting game began since December 2009. So I was really overjoyed when this baby was waiting for me at home last Friday. :)

Inche Azrul charged it up and did the initial setting up and such. Nothing fancy; just my email, BlackBerry Messaging (BBM), twitter and facebook applications. Then, I was good to go. :)

Aduiiii.. Berhantulah BB ini...

• BBM

I was hooked to BBM instantly. It's basically instant massaging gone amok, if I may say so myself. Of course you need to have people to talk to first,lah. And for that you'd need to get your friend / contact's BB Pin. This is a special ID unique to each BB, ala-ala MAC addressla gitu.. I don't know what the BBetiquette is, really, but I was broadcasting my BB PIN like nobody's business. If you are my friend on facebook or my follower on twitter, you would know. :) Don't see the harm in it coz you could easily Decline a contact's request. Say if you TER-add them, you could Ignore them later anyways. So, in a way, it was safer than broadcasting your mobile number, kan? :)

The BBM application itself is superb coz you get the response instantly. Plus, you can even conference chat! Most my family members are already BB owners - Inche Azrul, Ewa, Ema, Illa, Nazz. So, we had a whale of a time conferencing last weekend. (Ziezi, go get onelah! Loser betul!) To top it all off, it's FREE too. I just hooked up with a long lost A-level friend living in Nigeria via BBM just last weekend. It really does make it feel like she's just next beside you, you know. (Hi Hadjara Dikko! *waves*) I really think this is the application that will eventually lead to BB's invasion of the world. *okay, exeggerating a little. but so necessary for the drama, kan?* Unless iPhone has a reply to BBM, world invasion is almost certain! Just look at how they are accepting BB in Indonesia. There's even a term coined - "BB Autis" - for the way the locals are behaving when they are actually meeting their friends for coffee. Everybody is busy drinking coffee and layaning their own BB. Hello? Tak de orang bercakap sesama sendiri ke? *serious*

Also, I had a little competition going on with Inche Azrul. He has 79 contacts in his BB to date. My target is to surpass that number (in an undisclosed timeframe). This morning, I already have 44. hihihihihi.. Be afraid, Inche Azrul, be very afraid...

• Uber Twitter

Tweeting has never been simpler with Uber Twitter. Senang nak Reply and Retweet. Plus, I am able to upload a picture conveniently taken by the BlackBerry phone onto TweetPhoto to accompany my tweets. Sungguh jaki dengan orang yang able to do that on the move before. Previously, my E71 kena email the photo to a dedicated addresslah apalah - which I was too lazy to figure out. In the end I just do it on my lappy - top when it was already obsolete. Now I can tweet with photo too. :)

• Facebook application for BB
  

Yeay! Enough said! :)

The other thing that I learnt really quickly was : When in doubt, just press the BB key. :)

(Picture from here)

This key is the keeper of all things wonderful - if you :

• Were at the BB Home, you'll be able to access all the controls and applications on your BB - Messages, SMS and MMS, Browser, Contacts, Clock, Calendar, Media, etc etc
• Were at the call log, you'd be able to Call / SMS / MMS the contact and set any special "treatment" to the contact (Speed Dial, Ring Tone), etc etc
  
• Were writing a message on the BBM, say, you'd be able to Select, Copy, Paste, Check Spelling, Add Smiley etc
  
• Were at Uber Twitter, it would allow you to send New Tweet, Refresh, View, Reply , etc etc.
• Were on Facebook for Blackberry, it would allow you to Share, Refresh, View your Profile, View news Feed, View Status Updates, etc etc
  

So, use it often that BlackBerry key. It will serve you well!

Terima Kasih, Inche Azrul. :) I love it loads.

Now I just need a COACH phone lanyard to distinguish between His and Hers.
hihihihihihi *sempat lagi tu..*

-dillz blogging out-

My *one-time* Facial at Lancome Beauty institute

Dan sebenarnya, (Eeh, ter-Yuna pulak) going to facials has not been on top of my priority list and I have been neglecting my face somewhat.

It so happened that at the time I was thinking, "Hey, must do something about my skinlah", I read a review by madam toughcookie on her own experience at this swanky place in BV2. Hmmm... Bangsar Village? My playground tuh.. So, I decided to give it a try.

I had an appointment for a skin analysis and facial at Lancome Beauty Institute on 27 October 2009. So, yes, I guess this cerita is basi already. Tapi, nak jugak cerita. Nak jugak-jugak..

Aaanyways, the first stop was a thorough skin analysis done by the therapist - it was fully computerized with various types of probes to check my hydration level, apparent "age" of my skin, elasticity, firmness, any pigmentation / brown spots, etc.

No surprises, but the verdict was: muka ku teruk sekali. It's dried on the upper dermis but underneath it is very oily -> thus the breakouts that I have been experiencing. There were also brown spots and pigmentation showing as a result of me not using any sunscreen. The only good news is on my ketuaan -> my skin is more bouncy than normal and not many fine lines are showing just yet.

What do you expect, kan? Berapa tahun tak pergi facial and my current skin care regime has been basically reduced to "Do it if you want to and leave it if you don't feel like it" due to my HHTA syndrome. (Yes, please blame it on that disease)

Don't wanna be redundant , so please read the very elaborate review by madam toughcookie on the matter.

Personally, though, I thought:

• I liked the chair. Like a lot. Pretty cool gadget, that.
  
• The extraction did not hurt that much, despite the amount of gunk I had on my face.
  
• I didn't quite like the scents too much - it was too perfume-y (if you get what I mean) for my liking.
  
• Overall rating was OKlah.

A few weeks later, I made an appointment kat Sothys pulak. Nantikan reviewnya pula, ya?
*ala-ala sinetron / daytime soap, ni.. baru nak climax, dia bagi "to be continued" hihihihihihihi*

-dillz blogging out-

It's Idol Time

It's January and it's Idol time!

American Idol is back yet again for its 9th season and the first audition in Boston was premiered last night on Astro's Star World. 9,000 hopefuls turned up despite the rain from wee hours in the morning for a chance to prove that they are the next American Idol in front of a Paula-less panel of judges. Yup, Paula threw down the towel at the wrap up of the 8th season and it has also been confirmed that this would be Simon Cowell's last tenure on the hit reality series. It was also confirmed that witty Ellen de Generes would be the substitue judge for this season. In the mean time, the fourth judge is made up of 8 guest judges - yesterday it was Madam Posh Beckham.

Let it be known that I love American Idol, for the bitter realism of Simon, for the evolution and betterment of the talents that do progress week by week BUT mainly for the doofs unearthed during the audition phase. hihihihihihihihi.. Seriously, leave me a comment in the comment box if you have not heard of Willian Hung. :)~~ For yesterday's show, however, I really think this Emo Boy takes the cake home. Serious emo , okay!!! *sheesh*

(Pictures from : here , here , here)

Do catch the American Idol Season 9 auditions on Wednesdays and Thursdays on Star World at 6pm, 8pm or 12am. If you could not catch those airing time, it will also be playing on 8TV on Thursdays and Fridays at 10pm.

Can't wait for tonight's episode!

-dillz blogging out-

Hard Rock Hotel, Penang : The Azrul Clan Review

Our highlight of the previous school holidays had to be our stay at the newly opened Hard Rock Hotel, Penang. About a month prior, I tried to secure an online booking through the HRH Penang's website coz we heard that the place was fully booked till April 2010. Alhamdulillah, through sheer hard work, determination and perseverance menekan dan menerai staying dates within the week as opposed to the weekends, we were able to reserve a 4 days, 3 nights tenure! Yeay!

Double yeay coz we got the Opening Promotion package where the Seaview Deluxe room was going at RM418++ . To really rock it like a rockstar, we also opted the King's Lounge Access for an additional RM120 nett. Kids and parents alike were super excited to finally go for a holiday. :)

The check-in was on a Sunday and went by rather uneventful-ly. Just that I thought that there were just way too many people there. Like seriously. I had a peek at the swimming pool area and it really felt like I was at a theme park on a holiday weekend.

Anyways, the room was of an OK size. We got ourselves a baby cot as well 'coz the king-sized bed could not accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (plus 1 toddler) comfortably. The cot was intended for Khaleeda, but Khadra ended up sleeping in it three nights in a row! :) Really nice deco and our room gave a great view of the swimming pool, the beach and the beautiful horizon. I thought they used the space in the shower/loo area pretty cleverly too. It was a little bit cramped but there were sliding mirror doors that separated the bath and the bedroom.

Khadra said: The room is cool and I can see through the door at the toilet.

Memorabilia all over the hotel is expectedlah, of course. So, we didn't miss the chance to pose when we could. *So, typically touristy!* There were many Beatles around - mural tiles, paintings, statues, even the Logo type mega figurines! :) A special mention also for the statue of the late King of Pop sitting prettily at the entrance to the HR Cafe.

Khadra: I like the Micheal Jackson and the three pictures at the bottom the best!

The other item worth mentioning is of course the food! :) hihihihi... For the King's Club access that we paid for, we got to enter the King's Club located at Level 6 for tea, cocktails as well as all-day drinks. The best part was that we also had our breakfast there. No queue-ing up on the buffet spread and we could even order what we wanted! I was very appreciative of this perk as we have 3 very active toddlers that would just drive me craaaaazy in a chaotic condition. *Seriously* The breakfast menu was just heavenly - especially the french toast with caramelized banana and the blueberry pancakes. Khaleeda loved the scrambled organic eggs. Nak mintak nasi lemak ke, mee goreng ke, Milo ais ke, pun boleh! :)

The Pizzeria serves the thin-crusted original oven baked pizza ala Italia. When you are lucky, the chef would boast his tossing skills. The pepperoni toppings adalah besar gabak, 'yo! Sodappp!!! I would also recommend the Carbonara pasta! Creamy and yummy! We also tried the Starz Diner and the Hard Rock Cafe. Makanan adalah besar portionnya and that rib was so damn huge I felt almost like a cannibal. There were also kid's meal sets and you get to bring back the reuseable glass if you upgrade their drinks to milkshake / malt! (we already have 4) :) We did not try the Room Service though, but a Srikandi friend of mine whom I bumped into *Hi Kerol!* had a really bad experience with it that she made an appointment to see the General Manager to complain the next day. As compensation, they were given free ordered in full-meals throughout her stay! :) Best kan? hihihihihi

Khadra said: I like to eat the pizza a lot. And the hotdog. And when I was eating a hotdog, the Uncle at Lil' Rock said;"Hurry up and eat the hotdog before the hotdog eats you." hihihihihihihi

Khaleeq said: I like the pizza but they don't sell roti cay-nai!

There were definitely loads of things to do there. For the kids, there were Lil' Rock, Teens Club, and of course the pool and beachfront for some fun in the sun. For the adults, there was the Rock Spa and some night entertainment in the HRCafe and the lobby. But since we had kids and toddler in tow, no live bands for us! Lain kali lah, agaknya.. hihihihihihi (Alah, bukan luak pun...)

• Lil' Rock
  

The best thing about Lil' Rock for me is the fact that we could check in the two elder kids from as early as 10am till as late as 10pm. Kids of younger ages could use the facilities, tapi tak leh ditinggalkan. (Though the hotel does offer babysitting services upon advanced bookings) Aaaanyways, that gave us some leeway on doing what we wanted for once and those times were used to hunt for a nice Nasi Kandaq place. (which turned out rather disastrously, by the way) They had the whole day planned out for the kids with activities ranging from cupcake decorations, movies, Splash time, etc etc. They also got to play with other kids who were staying at the hotel. Suffice to say Khadra adored the place and Khaleeq was just so-so about it. I guess it does depend a lot on the crowd that checks in on the day.

Khadra said: Lil' Rock is awesome and I like to make new friends like Tania and Adam. I love decorating the cupcakes and putting toppings on it.

Khaleeq said: I like to watch Kungfu Panda.

• Fun In the Sun
  

The main activity throughout our stay there had to be swimming in the awesomeness that was the free-form swimming pool surrounded by white sands. Add to that the giant slides and the water playground that included the incredible carwash. :) Swimming time was once in the morning and once again in the evening. Khadra was going on all the slides (even the highest purple one) coz she is quite the water baby. Khaleeq almost drowned once down the slides coz he didn't know that it was pretty deep at one end. Thank Goodness for the efficient lifeguard on duty. After that incident, he kept close to the sides and only ventured to the deeper end with Ibu or Dad in tow. Khaleeda was practically independent seeing that she is snugly kept buoyant by her two arm floats. She so adored the slides and imitates her Kakak on the styles going down it. Yes, Superman included! :)

We also took some time to enjoy the beachfront. There were loads of activities there, ATV, pony ride, paragliding, jetski, etc but they are run by a 3rd party operator. We just took out our digging tools and tried to play with some sand. Diorang tak nak pun, saya paksa jugak-jugak sebab I already lugged it over how many hundreds of km, kan? But truthfully, I've seen better bitches beaches.

Khadra said: I like the big slide (that is the purple one). I love the carwash! I like making sandcastles but mommy won't let me swim in the sea because there were jellyfish!

Khaleeq said: I like the swimming pool but I don't like the beach. That is so bad!

Khaleeda said: Khaleeda.swim.

• Teens Club
  

Then, there's also the Teen Club. Foosball, Pool, PS3, Wii (I think), PCs for surfing and also bike hire. When we went over, the attendant was playing "What's going on" by 4Non Blondes on his guitar kapok. Yes, he was that cool. We practically hogged the games area and this was where I witnessed my only boy got pi$$ed off with his Dad, shouting, "Die!Die!Die!" while playing Pro Wrestling on the PS3. hahahahahahahahahahaha Soooo funny!

Khadra said: I like to use the computer and watch youtube sometimes. And I like to let Khaleeda watch you tube and I like to play Chowder games.

Khaleeq said: I like the game coz I can beat Dad. But Daddy cheat me!

• Rock Spa
  

The Rock Spa was located in a tiny bungalow by the pool. They offer a variety of services from body massages, menicure /pedicure, facials and foot reflexology. They would be offering these services in a private cabana by the beach in the near future, but while we were there, the cabanas have yet to arrive. There were also services for the little princesses - meni/pedi and chocolate facials. Best kan? Why didn't they have this when I was growing up? :) Anyhoots, I just had to try out the full body Hard Rock massage and it turned out to be quite relaxing. Azrul did the foot reflexology thingy.

Sekianlah laporan daripada keluarga kami.

-dillz blogging out-

And The Winner Is...

The annual Anugerah Juara Lagu had always had a special spot in my heart. I guess, even when the likes of Francesca Peters, Zaiton Sameon and Ramlah Ram dominated the airways; it was truly one of those events that defined the year.

I remember preparing to run (with a band of girls, of course) from our classroom at the end of the preparatory class all the way to our designated Common Room. Lengan baju kurung dah singsing, kain dah tarik baeekkk punya. As soon as that bell rang, off we went. Masa kecik-kecik tu, terima je la kalau kakak-kakak senior dah conquer the centre stage. Bukan untuk dia sorang.. No sir-ree! Untuk mereka dan keluarga mafia mereka. There we were, left standing near the door, at the end of the rooms, some ceruk-ceruk or worse still peering into the Common Room through the Nako glass. Oh those were the days.... What we would have done for a glimpse of the reigning Kings and Queens of those times..

Just for my own reference and peningkatan ilmu pengetahuan in general, the following is the list of past winners of Anugerah Juara Lagu or what was formerly known as Muzik-Muzik: (Oh, I am sounding so much like an auditor right now)

1. Sekadar di Pinggiran - Francesca Peters - 1986
   
2. Menaruh Harapan - Zaiton Sameon - 1987
   
3. Kau Kunci Cintaku di dalam Hatimu - Ramlah Ram - 1988
   
4. Isabella - Search -1989
   
5. Janji Manismu - Aishah - 1990
   
6. Takdir dan Waktu - Mega - 1991
   
7. Pada Syurga di Wajahmu - Nash - 1992
   
8. Teratai Layu di Tasik Madu - Fauziah Latiff - 1993
   
9. Tanya Sama itu Hud-Hud - M.Nasir - 1994
   
10. Cinta Beralih Arah - Aishah - 1995
    
11. Jerat Percintaan - Siti Nurhaliza - 1996
    
12. Ghazal untuk Rabiah - M.Nasir & Jamal Abdillah - 1997
    
13. Cindai - Siti Nurhaliza - 1998
    
14. Andalusia - M.Nasir -1999
    
15. Balqis - Siti Nurhaliza - 2000
    
16. Mimpi Laila - Yassin - 2001
    
17. Keliru - Nurul & Ajai - 2002
    
18. Bunga-bunga Cinta - Misha Omar - 2003
    
19. Relaku Pujuk - Spider -2004
    
20. Gemilang - Jaclyn Victor - 2005
21. Terlalu Istimewa - Adibah Noor -2006
    
22. Itu Kamu - Estranged - 2007
23. Lagu Untukmu - Meet Uncle Hussein - 2008

Looking back through the list, I have realized that I kinda lost interest in the local music scene somewhere between Aishah's Cinta Beralih Arah in 1995 right through Adibah Noor's Terlalu Istimewa in 2006. There were a variety of reasons, of course.

One: I was away from the country for a while. The LIVE show did not broadcast to our lonely boarding school / college thus resulting to having to wait for the VHS copy of the stuff that came much much later and was subject to a relative / friend coming over from Malaysia. (Mana ada youtube and live streaming masa tu)

Two: I was too engrossed in having to study and redeem myself for my past failure that it felt very irrelevant to my life. Apa kes tengok Muzik-Muzik?? Study lagi berfaedah, kan?

Three: I was enjoying my freedom and independence and I had other things to do than watch Juara Lagu. In any case, asyik lagu lemah gemalai and Siti je menang, kan? Boring...

Now that I am older and wiser and mellow-er.. We (my husband and I) watched the said event from start to finish last night. (after the kids have gone to sleep, of course). Suffice to say that I was very impressed. :)

The performances this year were of, dare I say it, world class. Sangat impressive. Previously, only those contending in the Ethnik Kreatif / Irama Malaysia would go all out with their band of dancers filling up the stage, kan? Tidak lagi. They went category-less this year, and I could see that each performer took the extra effort to win the best performance award.

Did you notice the influx of reality series born entertainers? Akademi Fantasia, Mentor, Malaysian Idol, what-have-yous. So, I guess these series are also adding flavour to the local music industries, no?

Only that, I just had had had to comment on Misha Omar's costume, though. What was that monstrosity? So unflattering on her body, lah. She looked more like a dugong than a duyong! :( Dato' Siti, on the other hand was so chic in her tight-pants, boots and tudung. (OK, that somehow did not come out right) But still, stylolah Dato' - macam anime character. :) I loike.

So, anyhoots, for AJL 24, the winners were:

He's the guy who was in Mentor, the reality show by TV3. His mentor was Mas Idayu. (Notice the cheek kissing when he was announced the winner, yo!) One thing I can say about that guy, "Man, you can really reach those high notes, bro!" Truly a rock kapak King in the making. Watch out brother Amy! *He also sang with Meet-Uncle-Hussein-minus-Lan for the finale later*

At the end of the night, the RM10,000 loot for the Best Performance title was won by Aizat with his rendition of Kau dan Aku with a group of school going kids. That chubby lad that mirrored him was especially cute. :)

Oh, the drama that went along with this lad... He was substituted by Shila during the Semi-Finals due to a lung infection *or something* but turned up in all his glory gory for the Finals last night. Donned in a somewhat creepy Micheal Jackson lookalike outfit complete with the initials FT at the collars. Apakah? Adoiiiai!! The song itself was so-so only, I thought. But since the judging was 70% based on previous stages (Preliminary, Quarter and Semi) , I guess that's why he managed to bag the title. With that , he brought home RM12,000 to be split with the composer, Audi Mok. Since he wrote the lyrics himself, he'd be getting two-thirds of the winnings, I guess.

What can I say about this soon to be lawyer? Another singing lawyer in the making, you think? Well, she definitely has all the potentials! The arrangement was heavenly. She started playing on a mini piano that most of us have while we were kids, and add to that an intro of Dan Sebenarnya which echoes on and on before the band kicks in. Aahhh.. sooo sedap!!! She truly is magicallah that kid. :) Good on you, Yuna! So sempoi with her tudung and such a like-able persona. Me likey! Likey! Likey! Tahun depan masuk lagi, ya dik? She brought home RM15,000 that she'd have to split (not necessarily 4-ways) with Paan, Efry and Adil.

The winner for this year is Aizat with Pergi. It's actually the soundtrack for the movie Talentime (which I have yet to watch!) and his rendition last night was truly 1Malaysia. There was an Indian lady doing the intro with some classical Indian adlibs , Aizat singing in both Malay and English as well as a tudung-clad girl playing a classical Chinese instrument. It couldn't get any more majmuk than that! :) They took it as a tribute to the Malaysian legends we have lost throughout the years. I caught a glimpse of Yasmin Ahmad, Sudirman and Mokhtar Dahari in the clip that was running at the background. Aptly, also , the Peter Teo representative dedicated the win to Allahyarhamah Yasmin Ahmad. The loot is bigger here, with RM35,000 to split between Aizat, Peter Teo and Amran Omar.

(Pictures from: here)

So, congratulations winners.. Here's to the local music industry! Can't wait for next years AJL!

-dillz blogging out-

Doomsday in 2012

I forgot that 2012 was showing last week. It didn't even register in my overworked brain until my other half mentioned a possible Gold Class treat for it. (Seeing that it was about 2 hours and 45 minutes long) Ya, kami kiasu.. nak Gold Class mestilah berbaloi dari segi mutu cerita dan how long the movie is! Seems like this particular movie fits the bill to the tee... :)

(picture from: here)

Lemme tell you that it was worth it!!! Serious!!!

All this while, I have always been let down by apocalypse / dooms day type movies coz we never actually get to see the destruction/ chaos after. In 2012, however, every single bumi kena telan tanah, tsu-Mawi (OK, sorry, bad joke) , rapturing and burning buildings were shown its all its glory gory. CGI was unbelievably amazing! There is also a few subplots of human stories in it which made it even more watchable.

Kesimpulannya, saya suka and if you get the chance, GO SEE!

-dillz blogging out-

Go watch The Time Traveler's Wife!

Though I was 50 pages shy from completing the novel when I watched the movie, let me go
ahead and give you the review aaaannnyways.. ;)

(Picture from: here)

Was it choppy? Definitely not.
Was the screenplay how it was written in the book? Similar, but not exactly identical. I believe the differences were necessities in order to keep the movie length viewable.
Did I cry? Yes, I did. Not buckets though. Just wimpy tears.
Was it good? NO. It was GREAT!

I was really anticipating this movie 'coz I have heard raving reviews about the book. So, I decided to buy the book and read it for myself. At first it was kinda confusing. Once I figured out how to read it (Waa.. Da Vincci Code, kah?) it was kinda hard to put down. Anyhoots, on the day we were due to watch the movie, I had about 200plus more pages to finish. I tried and tried to, but I didn't manage it by viewing time. So, how Henry actually died was still a surprise when I entered the cinema.

Having Eric Bana as Henry was also a pull factor for me. (Kindly recall his hot bod in 300 Troy) So comel to see the old him saying 'I do' at the altar and the dashing young him again dancing with Clare at the wedding reception. :) I was giving hints to Azrul as the movie progressed but in actual truth it was not really necessary 'coz as soon as your mind starts to question or wonder about something, the answer will come right up in the next scene. :) That Rachel McAdams is also so gorgeous as Clare, kan? I also liked the fact that they tried to keep the plot simple. I mean it is really confusing enough to be travelling back and forth through time without having to showcase every single character in the book. Imagine how complicated it would be if the complexity of Clare's family, Henry's estranged dad and his friendly neighbour/caregiver Kimmy, the fondness that Gomez has for Clare were entwined into the plot. Adalah sangat confuse, okay..

Sudahlah merepeknya... In conclusion, I would rate the movie as a definite must see. Go catch it while it's still showing at the cinemas.

Now, on the silver screen front:
1. I just need to make my way to This Is It. Bila habis showing, ek?
2. I really hope I win the movie preview from nuffnang for New Moon! AAAAminnn..

-dillz blogging out-

Cuci The Musical - Were you there?

I was. And we have pictures to prove it! :)

:)

We went to the 8:30pm show on Tuesday, 3rd of November 2009. It was the last week of the show and the auditorium was pretty full, save for the side seats. I went to the movie screening last year (apparently NOT with hubby - was it with you, Cik Ros?) and as the show went along, I thought they did quite a good job interpreting it into a play for the stage.

They also had English subtitles for the show. So, when you see the subtitles NOT moving, you'd know that there were some pretty funny ad-libs going on. There were times when the casts were laughing themselves to stitches too. I loved the show - it was 3 hours plus of laughing out loud.. They did an awesome job! Afdlin, AC and Awie were great as usual - with the acting AND the singing. Especially liked Awie's character , so unlike his Sembilu days. That man can really laugh at himself! :) Hans was surprisingly good with the singing, plus this is his brainchild. So, well done there! Vanida (I think the original cast was Erra as CJ, right? Ingat-ingat lupa lak) was excellent too and so was Adibah Noor and Harith and Reefa and that Tan Sri guy. BTW, the choreography was by Stephen *Hang Tuah* Rahman-Hughes. Really...

So, to me it was simply the icing on the cake when I got autographs of the main casts (except AC) and also a hug and a pose from Adibah Noor! Yeay!

-dillz blogging out-

Is Someone PiggyBacking on Me?

I woke up at about 2am this morning, opening the door for my hubby's return from a business discussion *iyolah tu..* and was reminded that I have yet to perform my Isya'. My hubby flicked the remote to HBO / STAR Movies (one of those movie channels) and Shutter was playing. Never heard of the movie before, but it looked kinda cool that my sister, Kira, and I ended up watching it till the end.

Damn scary lah! Cerita hantu OK...

Pictures from : here, here, here and here

Snapshot *pun intended* of it:

Photographer had a new bride, got into a tragic accident in Tokyo which may have caused the life of a young woman. (Kot, part ni saya tak tengok, I just gathered the fact from their dialong) They came back home (in another part of Asia, tak tahulah kat Korea ke Jepun ke mana) and the new bride started to realize that the young woman's ghost is starting to stalk her. A series of spooky and creepy incidences ensued. Husband is getting neck pains and effecting his spine. Spine has gone bongkok and his unexplainable weight gain though no excess fat is apparent. Photos are getting damaged by fuzzy fogs and bright light spots and other stuff..

The new bride got a hint that the pictures actually meant something and followed the lead to find the so-called truth:
1. Hantu is husband's supposedly estranged ex-girlfriend.
2. Ex-girlfriend is obsessed with husband and could not get over the fact that their relationship was over.
3. Ex-girlfriend kept stalking husband.
4. Husband's best friends told the ex-girlfriend to buzz off and leave husband alone.

Sometime later, the two bestfriends got killed by the hantu.

With these new developments, the newly-weds went to search the body of the deceased to find out what the hell was going on here. They found her in her mom's house, decomposed and rotten - yet sitting prettily on the swirly chair. She killed herself but the mom asked the police for her to keep her body there coz she could not live without her. Finally, the body would be sent for cremation the next day.

However, the hantu came back to haunt them that night and was shoo-ed off by the bride when she said, "He left you coz he didn't love you!!" Wailing, the hantu left. Case closed, of so they thought.

Scene baru. The new bride just developed some pictures and the fuzzy photos came back, once again. Flicking it through, she found an old Leica camera and with it the true story of what actually transpired that made the hantu suicidal.

On one Christmas party, the husband gave the ex-girlfriend some drugs and photographed her berfoya-foya with the husbands best-friends. With the intention to use the pictures to threat her to let him go. In the end, she was gang-raped by the two bestfriends.

Wah!! The hantu was actually trying to warn the new bride of this monster of a husband she has, rupanya.. So sweet lah hantu. So, the new bride now left the husband. And the husband used his polaroid camera to search for the hantu in the house. Couldn't find the hantu. He threw the camera and coincidentally tersnap a picture of himself.

Guess what? Jeng jeng jeng..

The hantu is on his shoulder. Macam orang piggyback, tapi kat concert-concert tu.. Wallawei... Patutla, he weighed a tonne. Patutla, his spine dah bengkok! Patutla, his neck is strained.. Hantu dok bertenggek atas bahu rupanya.... Hantu has been there all along... Perggh!!! So, the husband tried to electrocute himself.

Last scene: Rumah orang sakit jiwa. Nurse was reeling in food for husband, and husband looked all droopy and haggard, but not dead. Hantu is still piggybacking on him - patutla bongkok semacam.. Eeee... seram siuts..

I liked the movie. Sampai terbayang-bayang masa nak tido. hihihihihi..

Thing is this morning, my neck pulak strained. Driving was a bitch especially everytime I had to turn my head to the right or left. Ish.. Timing betul.. Janganlah ada apa-apa yang piggyback on me pulak. Ni yang nak kena babap ni..

-dillz blogging out-

Travelog Jakarta 4: What about FUN things to do?

Travelog Jakarta Series | 1:A Quickie | 2:Business Class All The Way | 3:She came, she saw, she bought most everything.. | 4:What about FUN things to do? |5:Ada Apa Dengan Makan(an)?|

Let's see a show of hands for those who thought my Travelog Jakarta (1, 2 and 3 are already posted!) series of posts were done? You are sadly mistaken, my friend.. There's still more from where that came from.. hihihihihihi.. Now, it is time for me to share with you what were some of the fun and/or stoopid things we (almost) did whilst we were over there..

1. KidZania , One Pacific Place

We were at One Pacific Place for dinner one night so we took the opportunity to check the place and its stores for a bit. Our gracious hosts, DZ and Marin, mentioned that there's KidZania on the topmost floor and we were eager to check it out. (for the kids, I mean) Even from the outside, I must say that I was intrigued and impressed! Note that AirAsia aircraft head? Yup, that is the entrance / arrival hall!

KidZania is a world for kids to explore the ways of the world. In this themed park, they would have to get a "job" to earn money to spend in KidZania. There's many jobs to choose from - chef , pilot, construction worker, doctor etc etc.. "It is a kid-sized replica of a real city, with streets, buildings, retail and different vehicles going around the City." You can get more info here: Kidzania, Jakarta I also heard sometime ago that they will be opening up a place here, in Malaysia soon - somewhere in Mutiara Damansara, I believe.. :) Yeay!

It's apparently suitable for kids from 4 - 16 years old. Can't wait to return and bring the kids over to experience KidZania for themselves!

2. Velvet Room @ Blitzmegaplex , One Pacific Place

Boleh percaya tak we watched a movie on a bed in the movie theatre? Serious! All is possible at the Velvet Room @ Blitzmegaplex. The one we went was also in One Pacific Place. (Saya sukalah One Pacific Place nih) The price is also reasonable, Rp 250,000 for a bed. (tak sampai RM90) Reasonable lah, kan? Kat sini, Gold Class kat Signature, The Gardens pun RM60 per pax. Tak dapat tidur, pun.. :) Just for the sake of experiencing it, we watched Public Enemies - a movie I would not have watched at the theatre, kalau tak terpaksa.

pictures from: here , here , here

You are greeted in the special lounge for Velvet Room-ers, whereby you could wait around before your movie screens. Free wi-fi included, of course, and you could order from its special menu (not available from the concession counter outside). Don't worry if you could not finish your meals nor your drinks, they can bring it in and it will be served on a small table-top ala breakfast in bed. :) Best woo.. Serious - an experience you need to try for yourself! Satisfaction, guaranteed!

3. Atmosfear @ FX Mall, Sudirman

First heard about the slides that twists and turns down 7-levels in a shopping mall from my sister, Kira. We were actually looking to get some stuff for the kids and decided to check out FX Mall. There weren't any stores for kids' clothes at the FX Mall, but the Atmosfear was there. :) It really had my name written all over it. The queue was non-existent , I guess it was because it was a Monday morning. The admission was reasonably priced at Rp 50,000 (RM18) per head with a promotion to boot. Buy one admission and get another ride down for free. It wasn't really a question of whether I would slide down the Atmosfear. It was really a question of how many times. hihihihihihi

I was all suited up with the safety helmet, knee-guards and jacket before I climbed up the opening and slipped into the sliding mat. I was given a little instruction on the Dos and Don'ts - you know the usuals, keep your knees closed, body at 30-45degrees inclination, yadda, yadda yadda. The instuctor reminded me one more time, "Whatever you do, keep on holding to the sliding mat handle. Oh, don't forget to scream your lungs out." Yes, maam! They were sound advices, indeed.

There was nothing left to do, I just inched my butt and down.. and down.. and down.. I went! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

picture of Atmosfear from: here

How can I adequately describe the feeling? Simply put, it was like AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! going down. There was this one section when the momentum slowed down somewhat and I could feel I was on a conveyor of some sort. Took a little breather and before long it was another round of AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! Landing was pretty smooth, I finished in 13++ seconds the first time down the slides. Pheww! :)

There were two gentlemen standing by at the end of the landing area ready to help me up and take off the helmet + knee-guards + jacket . I got up, and felt a litte giddy with excitement. Somehow, it didn't feel real - I still can't believe I just slid down 7-storeys!! hihihihihi

The landing portion was actually documented by a photographer. He was happily snapping away. He had some pictures of me which I was contemplating of printing and turn into a little photo-book. But, they weren't all that great, though. As soon as I told him that I had another free pass, he followed me up and started snapping my pre-slide photos. (Suiting up included) I managed to better my time somewhat too. 12++seconds. :)

The price of the photo-book was another Rp50,000 and the softcopy version was burnt onto a CD for another Rp25,000. With the additional spending, I could have gone down the Atmosfear for free yet again - but we skipped it 'coz we didn't exactly have that much time left. hihihihi.. Kalau tak, harus TIGA kali turun itu slide!

4. Skin and bling your phone @ Digiskin in Senayan City

Remember my blinged out mobile earlier? We chanced upon this little outlet tucked at the back in Level 4 of Senayan City shopping mall. You basically choose a skin and they would customize it onto your mobile, camera, laptop- whatever. I chose a butterfly motive, purple background with black and white butterfiles. I thought it looked rather sweet. You could also skin it with your own designs or photos, if you want. What I really wanted was to bling it with swarovzki crystals but again, time was our enemy. Tak sempat. :( As is pun, it took the guy some hour and a half to complete my skin.

Cost-wise? Basic skin would cut you back by Rp400,000. (RM130) For minimal swarovzki, add something like Rp120,000 (RM40) more. For a full-blinged out mobile, get ready to pay about Rp3,200,000. (Wah, RM1100 to decorate mobile phone, kah?)

Seronok kan? In a way, I kinda fell in love with Jakarta on this trip. Just felt like staying there forever. Apa-apa pun, am definitely coming back. Insya Allah, this time with the troop in tow. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

The 6th Potter

Have you gone to watch Harry Potter- The Half-Blood Prince? Seeing that I am one of those people who'd pre-order the Harry Potter installments months and months before it's due for release (evidences here and here) , it would just be non-conventional if I hadn't already, right? hihihihihi..

True to the spirit; we watched it nearing midnight on the day it was opened at GSC, The Gardens. (where else?)

Saw on facebook statuses (statii?) that not many people liked it. I thought it had the right tone throughout - sombre as someone significant will die. Laced with loads of happy, funny moments in-betweens. I especially liked Luna - such a looney! We'd see a little teenage romance going on, with Harry and Hermione and Ginny and Won-Won (not in that order, obviously) I guess it is not the typical good vs. evil and good will win type of movie, yet it was very necessary. Just to prep up for the finale. Truth be told, I already forgotten the details of the book coz I read it like yonks ago. So, it was alright,lah.

Verdict: Go watch it nonetheless.

Pictures from: here and here

-dillz blogging out-

8 Days To Go

Only 8 more days left until the 15th of July. What's on the 15th of July, you say? My sister, Ema, will be back from London and we promised her a swell time at Kotak Merah. As preparation, I have been practising my Katy Perrys. :) I love Katy Perry; from her sense of stylo dressing, her songs and the way she sings. I have never been the "mendayu" type of songstress. *songstress konon*Never liked to sing to the Siti Nurhalizas, the Rossas and the Nings. I see myself as an alternative type of singer. My lagu cari makan is of The Cranberries variety. Zombie and Ode to My Family jangan kacaulah - it's mine. :) Dido and Alanis, me love too.

Thing is, it's getting old. Needed to get the variety going in there and I needed some new and fresh lagu cari makans. Tried Taylor Swift's Love Story the other day and it went okay. But the Katy Perrys? Well, that needed more work. Hence, the extra homework I had perscribed myself. I bought me her (not-so) new album over in Damas the other day and imported them into my iTunes. Got the three songs on my "Current Favourite" playlist - Hot and Cold, I Kissed a Girl and Thinking of You. Had a little bonus in the CD too - the three songs' videoclips! I wanted to upload the Hot & Cold video here, but it is taking way too long! :( So, I am making do with this version I got of her performing live on youtube!

But, as usual, the lyrics to my 3 favourite songs follow!

Hot & Cold - Katy Perry

You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes

Yeah you PMS

Like a bitch, I would know

And you overthink

Always speak cryptically

I should know

That you're not good for me

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

We used to be

Just like twins so in sync

The same energy

Now's a dead battery

Used to laugh 'bout nothing

Now you're plain boring

I should you know that you're not gonna change

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

Someone call the doctor

Got a case of a love bi-polar

Stuck on a roller coaster

Can't get off this ride

You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

This was never the way I planned

Not my intention

I got so brave, drink in hand

Lost my discretion

It's not what, I'm used to

Just wanna try you on

I'm curious for you

Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

No, I don't even know your name

It doesn't matter

You're my experimental game

Just human nature

It's not what
Good girls do

Not how they should behave

My head gets so confused

Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Us girls we are so magical

Soft skin, red lips, so kissable

Hard to resist so touchable

Too good to deny it

Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Thinking of You - Katy Perry

Comparisons are easily done

Once you've had a taste of perfection

Like an apple hanging from a tree

I picked the ripest one, I still got the seed

You said move on, where do I go?

I guess second best is all I will know

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into your eyes

You're like an Indian summer in the middle of a winter

Like a hard candy with a surprise center

How do I get better once I've had the best?

You said there's tons of fish in the water, so the waters I will test

He kissed my lips, I taste your mouth, oh!

(Taste your mouth)

He pulled me in, I was disgusted with myself

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into

You're the best, and yes, I do regret

How I could let myself let you go

Now, now the lesson's learned

I touched it, I was burned

Oh, I think you should know!

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into your, your eyes

Looking into your eyes, looking into your eyes

Oh, won't you walk through?

And bust in the door and take me away?

Oh, no more mistakes

'Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay, stay

-dillz blogging out-