little miss may

I’ve been the regular Pirate Queen the last couple of months, downloading movies whenever I get my hands on a clear, almost DVD-quality copy. Despite the streaming services available now as mentioned by angel, I’d still prefer to keep them after I’ve watched my share, just in case… well, in case I get bored and want to watch again lah. Which might probably be never, but never say never! Hor?

Inspired by velverse and her 28 in ONE movie review post, and also by this and this, I thought I’d share with you some of the better movies I’ve seen in my Movie Marathon Madness for this month:

40 Year Old Virgin [2005]
Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener
Director: Judd Apatow
Rating: 8/10

The first time I heard the name of the movie, I thought it was some cheesy, cheapskate flick. But oh, on the contrary, it was one of the funniest ones I’ve seen about how a man was still a virgin at 40, and his colleagues / buddies were trying to get him laid. Share this with your kids who are old enough to understand the topic of sex - it ain’t all that bad saving yourself for that someone special!

Atonement [2007]
Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightly
Director: Joe Wright
Rating: 8/10

It’s no wonder that this movie is a Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture and nominated in 7 categories for the Oscars — the cinematography and art direction will just take your breath away. A sister tries to put right a terrible wrong she did when she was younger, though alas it was only words in a book that she could fulfill her promise. Put aside your dislike for the lead actress if you aren’t a fan of hers; the story will grab you more than the stunning green gown she wore.

Fracture [2007]
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Rating: 7/10

Though somewhat highly rated in other sites, I found it a little weak compared to the other thrillers in which Anthony Hopkins had acted in. Nevertheless his performance as a jealous husband who kills his wife and almost getting away with it, is worth one watch at least, even if it’s on a smaller screen.

I Am Legend [2007]
Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga
Director: Francis Lawrence
Rating: 6.5/10

Maybe it’s one too many Will Smith movies, maybe the story bored me, maybe I thought he over-acted in this one. Whatever it was, I wasn’t too impressed with flick except for the cool effects of how they transformed New York City to a desolate, deserted place where the hero goes in search for survivors of a biochemical disease. Zombies, zombies everywhere…

The Illusionist [2006]
Cast: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel
Director: Neil Burger
Rating: 8/10

This movie came out slightly after (or was it before?) The Prestige, and I thought it was one of those copycats which tried to steal the limelight from the latter. I was so wrong — I have to admit that the mysterious tale of a magician who uses his powers to set free the woman he loves was absolutely… enchanting. Loved the tricks. Loved the illusions. How on earth did that orange tree grow in front of our eyes?

The Namesake [2006]
Cast: Irfan Khan, Tabu, Kal Penn
Director: Mira Nair
Rating: 9/10

Have you ever wondered what your name means, or why it was given to you? From the director who brought us Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake is a definite Must See™. Watch for the beautiful costumes, breathtaking scenes and sweet filial tale which make this film a magnificent watch. No Bollywood song and dance in this one, but at least they still had the voluptuous women in saris!

The Notebook [2004]
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Rating: 7.5/10

I bawled my eyes out on this one, only because it’s such an apt, sentimental chick flick about everlasting love. Some say it was over-done with too many heart-wrenching scenes and soggy performances, but you just can’t deny a good love story that warms the cockles of your heart. The older actors, Gena Rowlands and James Garner, were the icing on the cake.

Paris, Je T’Aime [2006]
Cast: Various
Director: Various
Rating: 8/10

Paris, “Pah-ree”, je t’aime. 18 directors made 1 short film each, all taking place in the City of Lights at different times and corners, celebrating the language of love in different ways. Almost like Love Actually, yet not quite, since not all the stories come together in the end. This, by the way, was my inspiration to the script I wrote for my second short film. Shooting that in February, woo-hoo!

Stranger Than Fiction [2006]
Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson
Director: Marc Forster
Rating: 8/10

I’ve always wanted to watch this when I first saw the trailer. What would you do to turn off that voice in your head, especially when it’s telling you that you’ll die an untimely death very soon? Life’s more than just counting brush strokes, or summing up large numbers in your head, or even taxes, as Harold Crick found out. Quite a gem and a keeper.

Sunshine [2007]
Cast: Cliff Curtis, Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh
Director: Danny Boyle
Rating: 6.5/10

They said it was a good movie, I thought it was so-so. Think Armageddon but with less testosterone, and of course with our Michelle Yeoh as one of the crew who tries to re-ignite a dying star. A rather interesting situation to ponder upon, though — will we really have to do this in the future, when the Sun really starts to wane?

Superbad [2007]
Cast: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Director: Greg Mottola
Rating: 8/10

This Super Bad movie is Super FUN to watch! At first I was rather taken aback by the amount of times these young actors say f**k in this movie, but oh it’s so hilarious the way the story went! If you were ever the nerd or “outcast” in school and tried everything you could possibly do to be cool, this is your flick to watch.

Waitress [2007]
Cast: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion
Director: Adrienne Shelly
Rating: 7/10

No, I didn’t watch it because of the pies she baked. Or the funny names she gave them. It came quite highly rated on some sites and I thought I’d give it a go, and I’m glad I did. Everyone deserves a second chance to start fresh, with a little bit of help from good friends. Put some money in my piggy bank, anyone?

And that concludes my 12-in-1 movie review, folks! Not quite half of velverse’s, but quite an achievement for me already. What’s next for February? Any recommendations?

Another busy week gone.

Spent the whole of yesterday cleaning up the unit. Though it’s not really in a mess, it was time for a good vacuum and scrubbing at least. Back breaking, aitelyu… Where is Ah Boy when you need him to help lick up the leftovers?

Better get going on a tag while I still have the energy! The hearing of my answers to Chen’s Blog Blop Bloq.. Blurp is now in session. All rise…

I had dinner with my relatives and extended family last night, and my cousin-in-law’s cousin gave us some homemade yam cake. YUM!

What is your blogging name?
may. or ahmay. or mayflower. or Concubine M.

When did you start blogging, exact date?
28 August 2005.

What was your first blogpost title?
OMG, I’m a blogger!

Which post do you feel is the best so far?
Honestly, I don’t have any favourites. Some shit ones could be the best to some, the ones I think are thought-provoking may be boring to others. So I’d say all and none.

Pan fried yam cake with a bit of Lingham’s chili sauce and green tea — the perfect weekend breakfast!

Who promotes / is the source of inspiration for you to blog?
A few bloggers whose blogs I frequented a few years ago. They were living their lives in the UK — lots of gossip, heaps of rants, so many heartbreaking stories. I thought, “Might as well join the bandwagon!”

When do you usually post entries?
At night when I still have energy and haven’t crawled into bed yet. Otherwise it’d be any time of the day on weekends. Like now. Why, are you planning your chups?

Have you met other bloggers? Who?
In alphabetical order:
Ah Boy, Ah Nel, Ah Tak, Ally, Angel, Beerbrat, Ben, Bookworm, _Butt, Carcar, Chen, Cocka, CutiePie, Cynthia, Ehon, Emily, Fantasyflier, Fishtail, Helen, iJun, JKN, JL, JoMel, Kat, Kenny, King’s Wife, LaundryAmah, LB, Liucas, Marita Paige, Mistipurple, Monk[+]icon, Moz, Nine3Nine3, Nyonya Penang, Pink Cotton, Poison, Sam, Samm, SCB, Seefei, Selby, Sengkor, Tok3Tok4, Will, Wingz, Winn, Zara’s & Zaria’s Mama, Zeroimpact… ok I’m sure I missed out a few, sorry — my memory isn’t all that great these days!

And a healthy finish — some nectarines and peaches. No “kam” though…

How many entries do you make a month?
I’m very inconsistent these days. Could be four, could be twenty four. Does it really matter?

Would you reveal your face or family in your blog? Why?
I would and I have. Nothing to hide as long as I don’t leak out the juicy, scandalous bits.

Would you promote the concept of blogging to your friends? Why?
I would have 2 years ago. Now I’ve just run out of steam. This tag made me run of out of steam. *p-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t…*

Would you feel restless / guilty conscience / incomplete if you didn’t blog for a month?
Restless, no. Incomplete, only if I have no one to share my stories with. Guilty conscience, maybe, especially when I get comments like “Woi, one week liao, new post faitik!!”

I’ll be kind and spare all of you this very mou-liu, sampat, ocipala tag…

Ok, offf to yumcha! Whee!

Late one Saturday night, almost closing in to midnight, I felt rather peckish after a very long day of film shoot. I spied Dr. Chen online…

And so we got down to business. Kenot waste time wan! When hunger strikes and you want some piping hot yellow worms in your tummy, you just get out the pot and get the fire going.

Ahhhhh, it was a truly good midnight snack! I didn’t have Ah Boy begging for some in my part of the world though. I would’ve given him a few noodles to slurp on, and some “sang choy” for fibre. Might’ve even thrown in a sausage or two to make things interesting…

Chen of course, finished eating way faster than me, and even had time to twiddle her thumbs and rub her tummy while I was slurping up the last of my noodles.

Then came the inevitable…

Oops, I almost did it again, didn’t I? Away from my blog for almost a week, and I haven’t even made it to some of yours to say hello! I feel bad, but between being stacked at work and preparing a script for my next shoot in February, I didn’t have much time to even scratch my nose and pick my butt…

No no, I mean, pick my nose and scratch my butt.

Anyway.

The Spin Doctor Rinnah tagged me on New Year’s resolutions. Though I’m not one to make any — I believe that if I really need to put something in action, I ain’t waiting for a new calendar year to begin — I do have a few items on my TO DO list for the year.

Here’s my Top 10 “get it on” for 2008:
01. Keep my greens alive, the latest addition being a cute chili plant
02. Take the driving test and get my full driver’s licence
03. Sponsor a less fortunate child
04. Finish reading 2 books, cover to cover
05. Cross my fingers, apply for a Resident Return Visa and hope they approve it
06. Keep in touch with some old friends, even if it’s just 1 email a year
07. Buy a new battery for my beloved MacBook which now dies in 20 minutes unplugged
08. Get me some wheels, maybe
09. Remember, less is more (less stress, more salt)
10. To dream the impossible dream…

This arrived in my postbox yesterday — thank you for the postcard, Chen! Makes me feel like going on an adventure with Lara Croft!

*checks out the ruins*

Okay, I think I’ve slacked off long enough. Two weeks of no blogging, no blog reading, and no commenting is quite a feat for an ex-regular. It was a bit of lazy-titis (as JL would put it), coupled with glorious Summer days, lots of Uncle Joe movies and a visit from my childhood friend Reena that made me lay off the online world for awhile. And by laying off I really meant staying away from the computer except for some important emails and whatever work beckoned me to do. Hmmm, this almost reminds me of the 2 Summer months that LB has a lull in his online presence too. I wonder if it should be renamed to Summer-titis instead?

I’m way behind in posting THHC™ results, tags and other what-nots, and very slowly catching up, getting back into the rhythm again. So forgive me if I don’t comment on your past posts in my attempt at getting up to speed. I’ll pop in over the next week or so to say hi, ya?

Winn commented some time ago that she missed seeing all the baking posts I used to do. I miss them too — it’s quite a bit of a dilemma where I’d love to try out some of the recipes I’ve come across, but if I do, there’s no one I could give them to except to stuff myself silly after that, thus putting me off baking for long periods of time. Sure, there are my colleagues to feed but because there are more than 30 of them, it’s not quite enough to go around hence I tend to keep it all to myself instead to avoid that situation. Less men more share, right? Hor?

There’s this recipe for a rich and buttery cake that looked fairly simple, and I was dying for a bite into one. And since this month we’re celebrating quite a few birthdays, it was just so apt that I baked and “shared” it!

Yoghurt, honey and chocolate cake

INGREDIENTS:
130g plain flour
130g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pouring salt
2 eggs
140g honey
280g butter, melted
170g plain yoghurt
110g raw sugar
150g good-quality dark chocolate buttons
1 vanilla bean, sliced finely on the diagonal

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC fan-forced (200ºC conventional).
• Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then add honey, butter, yoghurt and sugar.
• Whisk well, then fold in flour mixture and chocolate buttons.
• Pour mixture into a greased and paper-lined 24cm springform cake tin and sprinkle the vanilla bean over the top.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

The smell is absolutely HEAVEN! Very vanilla, though you can’t quite taste that flavour. The taste, oh if only there was a “downloadable sample” I could put up just for you to try. With every bite you could taste all the different flavours at the same time — the silky chocolate, the sweet honey, the sour yoghurt, and the rich butter. Quite amazing, aitelyu…

Cue the birthday song!

Many Happy Returns to:

• Magda (5 Jan)
• Sheryl Alexis (9 Jan)
• Maria (12 Jan)
• Jemima & Jason (13 Jan)
• my brother Shaun (16 Jan)
• Laundry Amah (23 Jan)
• Veronica (24 Jan)
• Simmie (25 Jan)
• Rinnah (28 Jan)
• Kelgan (29 Jan)
• Faris (30 Jan)

* O P E N V E R Y W I D E *