I wanted to believe...

I went to see "X-files: I want to Believe" today. I pretty much went for sentimental reasons so I didn't have high expectations. I wouldn't say that the movie was a disappointment (that honor goes to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") but I will say that lowering my expectations was a wise choice.

The movie felt more like an episode-of-the-week rather than a full blown movie. The ending didn't have much of a payoff and the overall story really didn't try to be anything other than filler material. Honestly, if you took Mulder and Scully out of the equation, the movie would have zero appeal.

Of course, it didn't help that I saw the movie at UA Times Square. I hate this place (sadly, didn't have a choice because of my post-movie dinner arrangements). What kind of idiot designs a theatre where the screen is lower than the seats? As long as the person sitting in front of you is head and shoulders above the back of the seat, you're guaranteed to be blocked from seeing the entire screen.

No gain? Much pain!

In light of my recent gastronomic adventures, I felt the need to burn some calories this weekend. So after a light breakfast, I went wakeboarding on Saturday morning. The water and weather were kind of choppy, but it was still great to get out on the water again.

Still can't get the hang of the Fakie yet. Everytime I try pulling a left-foot-forward pose, it feels awkward and unbalanced; I can't get my left hip to steer the same way that my right hip can. Feels kind of stupid that I can ollie a bit but can't even pull off a Fakie.

My failed attempts

Anyways, after the waterworks yesterday, I hit the gym this morning trying out a new regimen that I read about: the Dreaded 500. Basically, it consists of completing a circuit of 500 reps over several sets of exercises. The circuit I tried today was:

Upper Pec Cable pulls (10 reps x 5 sets)
Lower Pec Cable pulls (10 x 5)
Dumbbell bench press (10 x 5)

Lateral dumbbell raises (10 x 5)
Front dumbbell raises (10 x 5)
Seated dumbbell press (10 x 5)

Preacher curl bench (10 x 5)
Tricep pulldown (10 x 5)
Standing dumbbell curls (25 x 4)

And just for good measure, I threw in an extra 500+ of situps (30 x 17).

I was ready to inhale an entire pizza after this workout...except for the fact that my arms were so sore that I couldn't even lift a slice. It's 5 hours later and it still hurts to type.

Such is the price we pay...

Yummy stuff

Just some shots of recent yummies.

The spaghetti bun featured at the Yata Foodcourt in Shatin. This has been out for a while now but I didn't get to try it out until recently. Comes in lots of flavors; pictured below is the chicken yakitori with dried seaweed flavored spaghetti.

After 2 failed attempts, finally managed to get a seat at Burgeroom. First off, Breaded Mozzarella Sticks:

Mmmm...chewy....

Looks like a yummy buger...

...but it's actually a dreaded Portobello Mushroom burger! Ugh, such blasphemy! A horrible piece of fungus posing as a juicy patty. My friend, being a mushroom lover, said it was quite tasty. She let me take a whiff (claiming it didn't have any mushroom smell) and I nearly reproduced my recently digested Mozzarella sticks.

Now THIS is more like it. The awesome Foie Gras Beef Burger.

Look at the size of that Foie Gras. Fatty liver + juicy beef smothered in cheese...if you're going to do something so wrong, make sure you do it right.

Next, on to the sweets. Both of the following are currently being offered at Starbucks. Here's the Crunchy Chiffon cake (super light cake + crunchy toffee)


and on the flip side, the heavy Chocolate Molten cake. Kind of like a souffle but so much better.

Mmmm....gooey chocolate center...

Believe the hype

In my experience, more often than not a movie never lives up to its hype. The higher the expectation, the harder the disappointment (the Matrix sequels, the Star Wars prequels…). So with all the hoopla surrounding "The Dark Knight", I couldn't help but feel a little trepidation. But considering the amazing job Christopher Nolan and company did on "Batman Begins", I was cautiously optimistic.

I never should have doubted Nolan.

The beauty of "The Dark Knight" is that it doesn't play out like a comic book movie. The drama, the tragedy, the themes; it's a fantastic movie that just happens to feature a man in a bat suit. And the acting…Batman may be the star of the movie, but the hear and soul all go to this man:

The way Heath Ledger loses himself in the role is amazing. The mannerisms - like sucking at his cheek wounds or walking with a strange limp - seem like so little but add so much to the performance. And dare I say it, his take on the Joker not only honors to the comic role; it surpasses it. Instead of the insane criminal that we're used to seeing, this Joker is downright scary. He's a true anarchist with no motives besides creating chaos and mayhem. Calling him insane is a disservice because the fact is that he sees things on a totally different level than most; a mind without filters. Every one of his little speeches contain a truth that's just scary for being so true. And pay attention to the way he tells a different story each time he talks about his facial scars (just goes to show how unbridled his thinking is).

One thing that crossed my mind during the scenes shot in Hong Kong: isn't it ironic how it takes a "foreigner" to shoot HK in such a fresh and original way. I don't recall HK being so exotic looking in any locally made films.

I hate spoilers so I won't go into much detail about the movie. Just go see it. Oh, just one minor thing: the way the Batpod is introduced? Totally kickass…I was giddy during the entire sequence.

Thanks for listening!

Gee, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday it was pouring, and this morning:

Mother Nature; she is a fickle woman. Not that I'm complaining!