Salted Egg Crabs@Pangkor Village Seafood

So recently my family and I wanted try out the supposedly famous Fatty Crab restaurant in Taman Megah. Unfortunately it was an impromptu decision made at 8pm that day and by the time we got there, a long line had gathered. No matter because we really wanted to eat crab that day so we joined the line as well.

And waited...

And waited...

And waited.

After half an hour, no one attended to us! Argh! There was an auntie (who for lack of a better word, was a real bitch) barking out orders at customers to wait for her to get to them. My mom tried to get her attention but she downright brushed past my mom to attend to a bigger group that arrived later than us. My mom was pissed.

Then I proposed heading over to the less-crowded restaurant opposite the road, Pangkor Village Seafood restaurant. Hungry and irritated, the family agreed and within two minutes, we were seated without any fuss. Every table in the restaurant was filled with people, which I guess, was like us. Unable to deal to Fatty Crab's shitty front service.

Unlike Fatty Crab which has a limited menu to deal with the overwhelming customers, Pangkor Village Seafood's range of dishes is much wider. That night, we ordered five dishes to try.

Fried steamed buns

To start off, we had the Fried Mantau Bun (RM2.50/5pcs) Expectedly, it was soaked in oil. Nothing a little tissue paper can't solve. From the first bite, it was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Good stuff. Just wished it came with something to dip it in but it was fine for a starter.

Clam soup with white wine and wolfberry.

Next up was the lala soup (RM18), a family favourite. With white wine and wolfberry for favour and kick, the amount of clams in the broth is a lot. It was a nice way to wash down the other dishes we had.

I <3Taufu!

Aside from that, we also had the Vege Beancurd (RM13) and steam Green Dragon Beansprout (RM15). Those were pretty much average but goes well with the main star of the night, the Salted Egg Crabs (RM74).

Delicious salted eggs crabs

The crabs were fresh and the salted eggs were marinated so well through the shell and into the flesh that it has me sucking everything clean. They gave us a generous portion of the pinchers which was a real fun to break open in order to reach the fleshy goodness inside. All use of utensils were immediately abandoned as soon as the crabs came. By the end of the night, let's just say we all embraced our inner food neanderthals.

The total damage came up to RM134, taking into account a pot of tea, tidbits and rice. Overall it was a satisfying experience and I would definitely go back to Pangkor Village Seafood again for their Mantau Buns and Salted Egg Crabs.

As for Fatty Crabs, it will be a while before I will attempt to try that place again. Until then, I hope they come up with a much more efficient and unbiased seating system that isn't handled by an old lady who thinks bigger groups means more ka-ching...

Address:
59, Jalan SS24/8,
Taman Megah,
47801 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.Tel: 03 7803 6577
Hours: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm.

Maldives Part 2 - Waking Dream Resort

First impression of Maldives...

"Holy crap! That is a lot of blue!" *I'm blue da ba dee da ba die*

After disembarking from our flight, our first class treatment continued as we exited the immigration hall and found the resort representatives waiting for us with welcoming smiles. From there, they relieved us of our suitcases and guided us to the airport jetty. While my sister and I were gawking at the boat and the clear blue Indian Ocean, we were given face towels to freshen up after a long flight and refreshing cold coconut water.

Water taxi

The boat ride to Huvafen Fushi took approximately 25 minutes which flew by in a flash because we were too mesmerised by the sight of endless blue water, interrupted only to isolated island resorts. For those without sea-legs, anti-nausea wristbands are available onboard.


Huvafen Fushi

Soon Huvafen Fushi loomed into view and we were greeted by the General Manager himself, Marco and our Thukuru, Ali and Nahu (personal butlers). Ali drove us to our Lagoon Bungalow in a buggy and gave us the tour of our home for the next four days.


Pathway to the water bungalows

We have a stunning view of the blue blue ocean from our awesome bathroom and also from our bedroom/living room/kitchen. The patio opened up to a day bed, our private swimming pool and a deck leading down to the sea.


Lagoon Bungalow No. 19 - Our home away from home

The resort had also prepared a complimentary bottle of champagne and a serving of bread, olive, ham and cheese. That was a nice touch!



Complimentary champagne and coffee

Seaside view from the toilet and bedroom.

The ocean is our pool!

After our luggage were delivered to our room, we Superman-changed into our swimsuits and was taken on a resort tour via buggy. Wheee!


A waking dream indeed.

The island itself isn't really that big and everything is within walking distance with sandy pathways leading to every corner of the island resort.  The pathways are shaded by strategically planted trees and bushes that also provide privacy for the Beach Bungalow residents. The best parts about the beach bungalow are that you literally have a beach in your backyard and everything else is just a stone's throw away. All together, the resort has 44 bungalows consisting of the beach bungalows, ocean and lagoon bungalows as well as the beach and ocean pavilions for bigger groups.



Salt & Raw (top), Fogliani's, UMBar (left) & Celsius.

There are four main restaurants that specialises in different cuisine types; Celsius, Raw, Salt and Fogliani's as well as a bar (UMBar) and an underground wine cellar, Vinum where you can wine and dine to your heart's content. More about the resort food offerings in the next Maldives post (yup, as a typical Malaysian, I am dedicating one post to food).


The Lair!

Right next to the swimming pool and restaurants, Huvafen Fushi has a library/entertainment lounge called The Lair. Bright, homey and spacious, guests can rent DVDs, borrow books and surf on the computers. They also have XBox and PlayStation 3 console sets for the kids, teens and young adults. Coffee and tea are available at hand for guest's consumption free of charge.


World's first underwater spa


Huvafen Fushi holds bragging rights for having the first underwater spa in the world called Lime. Apart from the usual relaxing body and facial treatments at above-sea level, guests can also have their massage or body scrubs in treatment rooms several meters underwater. We asked to see the underwater spa and the resort was more than happy to accommodate us in the afternoon. Nahu showed us the spa at night and boy, was it a different world in the glow of the underwater spotlights.

Under the sea. 

After showing us around, we were taken to the water sports center, Float, where we were fitted with our snorkeling equipments by its jolly manager, Peter. Peter then took us through the house rules when swimming around the house reefs to ensure that we don't accidentally step on them or hurt ourselves. They offer parasailing, jetskiing and many other motorised water sports for a fee. Non-motorised sports like snorkeling and kayaking are complimentary although some will require licenses to prove your qualification. For the exercise nuts, there is also a gym (Pump) and a yoga pavilion that overlook the ocean that comes fully equipped with water bottles and towels.

Over the following four days, my sister and I were treated to a relaxing and heavenly lifestyle, a far cry from the KL life we were used to.  Time slowed down to a crawl as we filled our time with a variety of activities at our own leisure (things to do there, coming soon in Maldives Part 4!).

The staffs there were friendly and approachable, greeting us along the pathways and going out of their way to ensure that everything was okay for us. The management even extended our checkout time from 12pm to 8pm simply because our return flight was near midnight! Now that's I call superb treatment!

The stunning Maldivian sunset

It's no wonder that the resort name, Huvafen Fushi means 'dream island' in their national language of Dhivehi. It definitely felt as though we were living the dream.

Continued in Maldives Part 3.

Bed and breakfast prices start at USD1450 per night as stated on their official website. Alternatively, you can also make your booking via Agoda or Atollparadise for special offers.

Supercars for a Supercause

Do you like cars?

Are you a fan of movies like Fast and Furious?

Or games like Need for Speed?

Or shows like Top Gear?

Are you usually the one flooring the accelerator on the highway?

Do you know what RPM stands for?

Do you also like to help people in your own little way?

Or do you want to contribute and help but don't know how?

If you've answered YES to all, then have I got a treat for you!

Along with Supercar Charity Challenge (SCC), the Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan (YOKUK) is organising the YOKUK Supercar Rides 4Charity! YOKUK is an organisation for disabled children and adults and their aim is to raise RM200,000 in order to form a multi-discipline Palliative Care Unit to offer the right nursing and medical care for terminally ill adults and children in their homes or when needed. 
 
So help them achieve their target by grabbing this opportunity to ride in one of 40 super-freaking-cars at just RM100 per ride! Cars that will be lined for up for your view or riding pleasure are:  

Lamborghini Countach S

Lamborghini Diablo

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Stradale

Lamborghini Aventador

Aston Martin DB 9

Ferrari GTO

Ferrari 458

Porsche 997 GT3RS 4.0

 

But wait! At only RM150, you get to pick the car that you want to ride in! That can be a dream come true for you! Gosh, I am drooling just thinking about those cars... Evidently I answered 'yes' to all the questions above.

 

I am torn between the Ferrari and Aston Martin....first world problem much?

 

But wait! There's more!

If you are not a car enthusiast, fret not because there are other things to do and see (and buy) there as well!  

• An information booth by YOKUK about their services
• A makeover session by Kanebo Cosmetics Malaysia
• A photoshoot with Bugatti Veyron by Canon Marketing Malaysia
• Booths by various organisations with items for sale
• A comedy show by Comedy Kao Kao, and many more!

 

And the best part is, all proceeds of sales will go to YOKUK!

 

So mark the details below and come over for a va-va-zoom and exciting day white doing your part for a good cause!

Date: 7- 8 December

Time: 12noon onwards

Venue: White Box, MAP, Publika, Solaris Dutamas.

 

For further information, log on to www.yokuk.org or the SCC Fb page.

 

Hope to see you there!

Maldives Part 1 - Getting There

The opportunity to travel to Maldives landed on my lap over a year ago through during a lucky draw lottery at my company dinner. I had won a 4D3N accommodation for two at the award-winning Huvafen Fushi resort and I was thrilled (who wouldn't be?)

I am eternally grateful to God (and Blu Inc Media and Lady Luck) for this opportunity. As everyone knows, Maldives was expensive, what with everything being in USD for tourists! If it wasn't for the lucky draw prize, it would be another 50 years before I will have enough saved up for Maldives and by then it would be known as the next Atlantis thanks to global warming.

To me, the journey is just as important as the destination especially if it involves a long flight. So I was particularly picky with my flight choice; timing and services and so on. I opted to fly by Singapore Airlines (SIA) because other airlines flew only by night and SIA's timing to depart in the morning made more sense despite having to transfer at Changi Airport.



An ACTUAL Boarding Pass!!

Maldives is three hours behind Malaysia by the way so the best way to beat jet-lag would be to fly there in the morning and back at night so that you can sleep on the ride back (not that I got much sleep on the way back anyway)

He weighs 5kgs...

My 20kg check-in luggage allowance was taken up by snacks, tidbits, 3 swimsuits and bikini, 4 sets of clothes, sun block, toiletries, camera and phone chargers and an extra pair of flip flops. (I only ended up bringing 8kg worth of things...wasted 12 kgs...)

Because I did online check-in the night before, all I had to do upon reaching the airport was to just check-in my luggage, verify my printed out boarding pass and passport and collect my official boarding pass to Singapore. Because it was only 6am, things progressed smoothly as there was no queue.

Admit it: As a child, you thought the
plane can become a playground.

For a 4-5 hours flight, SIA was very comfortable. A pillow and a blanket was provided for everyone and each seat came with its own inflight entertainment system. You are given individual headsets and can play games, watch the latest movies and series or listen to music on it in order to kill time onboard. I spent the entire flight watching Big Bang Theory, Rurouni Kenshin and Ted. Rurouni Kenshin was especially a difficult movie to find online so I was pleasantly surprised to find that SIA offered it on their entertainment system with english subtitles. You can read my review of that movie here.

Watching Rurouni Kenshin onboard

For brunch, I went with the Ikan Rica Rica, an Indonesian dish that was so delicious! The fish was fresh and marinated well with spicy lemongrass sauce. My sister said it looked and tasted better than her fried chicken with noodle. With the sides of salad, bread roll, cheese and cracker, ice cream for dessert and coffee or tea, needless to say, by the time we landed at Maldives International Airport, we were stuffed.

Dining with a view and entertainment.



On the flight back to Singapore however, I was a little disappointed with their pan fried chicken with mashed potato because the chicken was dry. Then again, it was a late supper and we were too tired to eat. For dessert, they gave us a yummy chocolate cake with coffee sauce which we enjoyed. Wonder if I can order it to my house somehow...

Inflight cuisine.

Furthermore, SIA passengers can order all the wine, booze, cocktail, soft drinks, coffee, tea and juice that they want onboard since it was inclusive of the flight ticket. But as I didn't want to start or end my Maldives vacation with a hangover, I refrained from going overboard with the drinks (Hah! Plane joke!) Just coke and coffee for me, thank you!

My sister is pleased there is ice-cream.

As the plane prepared to land, we were treated to a preview of the pristine blue ocean waters from our seat windows and all the cameras were out in a flash (...must resist urge to do...lame camera joke....). Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, North of Male was an island of its own and to get to and forth from it, one would need to take a boat or an air-taxi.

Approaching Maldives.

Seaside airport. 

The resort had two representatives waiting for us at the airport and along with four other people, we were quickly whisked away to our holiday island resort by a luxury speed boat.




Our taxi is here.



First glimpse of Huvafen Fushi.

To be continued in Maldives Part 2.

10 Things I am Thankful For

I was going to post something else but then I got some really awesome news to round up my already awesome month. So I am going to share 10 things I am grateful for since November is also Thanksgiving Month.

So it goes:
1. My dad coming home from a 2 year job stint in Bangkok
Never thought I'd say this but I am sort of glad he's back. Even it means no more monthly shopping trips to Bangkok. It just means more food outings for me and the family in Malaysia! Yay!

2. Completing Sem 2 of my Masters
Writing features and lifestyle stories are a piece of cake compared to theoretical essays and assignments for Masters but I survived. As much as I miss having a steady income, having worked in a hectic industry has allowed me to appreciate student life so much more. Now with just one more semester to go next year, soon I'll be back in the working world.

3. Friends who share my love for dancing
Finding people who share the same passion for something isn't easy. That's why I am glad for all my friends and teachers at Sole to Soul Dance studio. In between all our classes and practises, I enjoy the camraderie, the laughter and fun times we have. We are like one big happy family of dancing lunatics!

One big happy crazy family

4. Travelling to Maldives
I owe this one to my former company, Blu Inc Media and to Lady Luck for giving me this opportunity. Maldives is sinking, no thanks to global warming and I am glad to be able to have visited it before it became the next Atlantis. My island resort, Huvafen Fushi was gorgeous and the people there were just wonderful! *UPDATED: Maldives series is up. Start here*

Here's preview of the post to come.

5. My Blog
I was initially hesitant to start blogging again but because I enjoy writing as much as I love dancing, I did. Taking up blogging once more has allowed me to write for an audience again and in doing so, made me focus on the positive and good things in my life like watching movies, eating good food, meeting new people and so on. Things that we take for granted on a daily basis. Never mind the fact that blogging has also opened up my sphere to a whole new experience of writing, free movie screenings and new friends.

6. Youtube Vbloggers
This is a funny thing to be grateful for but I am glad for people like Ryan Higa, KevJumba, Jenna Marbles and Wong Fu Productions for coming up with videos to entertain us, make us laugh or potentially change our perspectives in life (as corny as that sounds...). They are the ones who voice out the things you don't see or hear in mainstream media and sometimes the things closest to us. They do this to connect with their viewers much like how writers and bloggers reach out to their readers. Teehee!

Ryan Higa...or is it Regina Higa...

7. My pets
As much as I want to strangle them sometimes for the mess they make, I adore my cats and dogs. They give me the simplest joy everyday that keeps me from going on a murderous rampage at certain people's stupidity and ignorance. *ah, strokes the cat*

8. Bootcamp
Oh glorious sweat, mud, aching muscles. How I love thee... Thank you, Original Bootcamp for giving me an appreciation for having a perfectly healthy body. I am not your average sized Asian girl but having to work to get in shape has made me love my physical self for the way God has intended it to be.

Free mud body treatment!

9. My viewers
Fans, haters, fellow bloggers or just plain-I-got-nothing-to-do-but-read-blogs-all-day, I don't care. I am grateful to all of you! (for contributing to my stats). This blog is just only over a month old but so far, the number of pageviews has been beyond my expectations. I sort of only expected 4 views per post. From my parents, sister and my cat sleeping on the F5 button. Thank you all!

And if you think that this post is rather corny or is a way for me to blow my own trumpet, then feel free to hit Ctrl+W. I thank you nonetheless for dropping by (and contributing to my pageviews).

10. Getting a MPA Merit Award *This is the great news that inspired this post!*
Another thing I am grateful to my ex-company for. Without Blu Inc, I wouldn't have had my stories published at all. As a writer, all I want was to write stories and have people read them. But to actually receive a merit award from MPA is just mindblowing. I certainly did not expect this news at all because I have left the magazine line for months now. My former editor and boss deserves a special thanks in this for guiding and sharpening my writing skills. It's nice having my work recognised.
(MPA: Magazine Publishers Association)

Thanks to Zara for snapping the picture.

It goes without say (I am saying it anyway), I am thankful for my family and friends for putting up with my madness and to God for giving me this positive outlook in life. I believe we all have things to be thankful for. You just have to see it.

Now let's carve open that turkey! Or chicken, since Malaysia doesn't have turkey....

Happy Thanksgiving-or-not-because-December-is-Here!

The Life of Pi Movie Review

A big thanks to Nuffnang for the invites for the premiere screening of Life of Pi.

My mom has been looking forward to Life of Pi since she read the book and heard they were making a movie out of it. So naturally when Nuffnang announced the contest to win movie passes, I jammed on my creative thinking cap and answered their question with gusto! (I did this for you, mom -_-)

If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island, what would be the 3 things that you will take with you?
If I was shipwrecked on a deserted island, I would bring:
1. a lightsaber to use as a torchlight, to cut things and to kill animals for food. (yes, the force is strong with me)
2. First Aid kit to tend to myself and other survivors. (nothing else matters if we were dead right? Unless this was the world of the walking dead...)
3. a smartphone with Tony Stark technology and JARVIS to broadcast a SOS into satellite signals worldwide. (apparently I live in the Marvel-universe)

But as the movie goes, having a terribly overactive imagination isn't not bad thing.

Have you ever heard a story so unbelievable that you would much rather believe it more than anything else?

Gist
Life of Pi is one such a story of a boy shipwrecked and forced to survive on a boat with only a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker as his companion based on Yann Martel's novel. Director Ang Lee was the mastermind behind this visually stunning novel-turned-movie with clever and magical use of the 3D effect to enhance the experience all together.

Verdict
Usually I am not one for 3D effects but this movie sold me on it once more, thanks to Ang Lee's ability to inject it into the places and scenes rather than the action part which were few. The depiction of the ocean world, above and underwater was just stunning. But the most memorable was this sinking ship scene as seen from Pi's point of view which is said to rival the epic Titanic scene for all its emotional glory.

Not the animals!

While we may be taken on a magical adventure, the reality faced by its characters still remain intact. Richard Parker still remains a wild Bengal tiger that cannot be tamed like a house cat and the fear, desperation and hopefulness of the titular character can be felt throughout his unusually situation out at sea with a tiger.

Amongst an impressive international casts of veteran actors, newcomer Suraj Sharma puts up a stellar performance as a 16-year old Pi who lost everything and thus was stripped down to the basic human need to survive and oddly enough the only thing keeping him alive was Richard Parker who would easily kill him just as well. Every event in the movie depicts a turning point in Pi's life and holds a somewhat double meaning to it once you have given it thought.

This movie in a subtle sense speaks of how God (regardless of which religion as Pi himself has embraced Hindu, Christianity and Islam) works in mysterious ways. I remember one of Pi's line that nicely summise up the irony of his situation which goes something like this:

"Taking care of Richard Parker was keeping me alive and my fear of him keeps me alert."

Probably due to time constrain and audience sensitivity, some of the darker and more gruesome parts of the novel have been omitted out. But if you haven't read the book, you won't be at a lost. The main core of the story still remains beautifully heartbreaking and captivating.

Even if you chose to believe that this story is too out of this world, I recommend watching it. In 3D for its visual effects.

Watch it to be taken on an adventure. Watch it for a change in your perspective of life. Or if you're like me, watch it for the tiger.  

Life of Pi hits the big screens tomorrow, 29 Nov nationwide.

Rurouni Kenshin Live Action movie review

When I was a kid, I used to watch this anime called Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X every Saturday on NTV7. Back when RedFM DJ Sarimah was called Kak Sarimah. This anime holds a special place in my heart because it made me embrace my inner anime-nerd.

Himura Kenshin

Now, x number of years later, Warner Bros decided that anime was cool and decided to turn to Rurouni Kenshin into a live action film.

Admittedly despite the promising trailer, I was skeptical at first, no thanks to the disaster anime-turned-movie Dragonball (How can a white kid play Goku?). Usually most attempts to turn anime or games to live action movies often goes down in smoke so you can understand my skepticism. Then I managed to watch it on my flight to Maldives onboard Singapore Airlines and boy, was I glad to be proven wrong.

The movie was awesome!

Gist
Without going overboard with the special effects for the action scenes, the film cleverly combines the plots in the first arc of the anime and brings it to life. Rurouni Kenshin is basically about a former assassin for the Meiji Government known famously as Hitokiri Battosai (Manslayer) who after the war, trades in his killing ways for a reverse-edged sword (which is almost useless for killing) and wanders Japan, aiding those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed. Along the way, he meets a few people who become his friends and allies as well as enemies looking to claim his Battosai title or to destroy the peace he once fought for.

Verdict

The fighting scenes are downright exciting to watch without being too unrealistic. The director has really done a good job here as he has given fans of the anime something akin to the action they are used to while keeping in mind that this is a real life action film and therefore there are certain things that just can't be done in real life. Like jumping 5 meters high and landing on a broad sword held by a man.

Takeru Satoh plays Himura Kenshin right down to the tee from his physical appearances and sword play abilities to his mannerism that can switch from downright clueless and sweet to just cold and emotionless. I am impressed by whatever training Satoh endured just so he could move and fight like how I imagine a samurai would move.



Takeru Satoh as Kenshin.

The rest of the cast depicted their roles well and it was nice to put a person's face to these characters.

Emi Takei as Kamiya Kaoru

Munetaki Aoki as Sanosuke Sagara

Taketo Tanaka as Yahiko Myojin

My main issue is the actress who played Megumi Takani, Yu Aoi who came off as a tad too young to be playing the foxy woman. Her scene where she flirted with Kenshin made me cringe because it looks so wrong. But when the moment called for, she did manage to beautifully project the conflicted side of the doctor, guilt-ridden from creating opium for a drug lord in order to survive.

I would like more scenes of Hajime Saito simply because the actor, Yosuke Eguchi is so cool playing the slick-haired cool cop.

 

If you're a Rurouni Kenshin fan, then I recommend watching this movie because it is exciting to see one of your childhood anime brought to life and have justice done to it. Hunting down the subtitled movie online will be a challenge but it will be worth it!

Here's the trailer:

Rise of the Guardians movie review

Call it what you will: Childhood Icons Assemble. Avengers Holiday-edition. Pre-teen Avengers. But all similarities to the teaming-up idea aside, I actually enjoyed Rise of the Guardians. Thankfully I managed to watch it the day it came out in the cinemas.

Online reviews have been going on and on about this movie was banking off the superhero team-up concept that was Marvel's Avengers and how it failed to live up to DreamWorks' previous movies such as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda. Perhaps their expectations were sky-rocket high which was why Rise of the Guardians fell short in their books.

But not in mine.

The Gist

Yummy yummy

Told from the point of view of the lesser known (but a very hot) Jack Frost voiced by (the equally hot) Chris Pine, the movie brings together the Big Four childhood mascots; Russian tattooed Santa (Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Australian Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and a mute Sandman. Basically reluctant hero Jack is looped into helping the Guardians protect the children of the world from the Boogeyman (Jude Law) in exchange for finding the purpose to his existance.



Verdict
As predictable as the storyline was (remember that their intended audiences are children), each character has their own quirky appeal. Hugh Jackman as a grumpy sarcastic bunny in all his Aussie accent is a definite treat for his fans. I sort of half expected claws to protrude from Mr Bunny's paws halfway. The banter between Bunny and Jack resembles old frenemy and brings well-timed playful humour to the movie.

 

Russian Santa, North plays the leader of the Guardians and is aided by, not his elves but rather big and furry Yetis to create toys all year round. Alec Baldwin nailed his role with a Russian gusto, offering a somewhat immature but fatherly figure to the dysfunctional family of the Guardians. Obviously the producers and director trusted their guts on throwing in the 30 Rock star.

Despite not uttering a single word throughout the whole movie, Sandman was just a glowing thing to watch out for. One moment, he can be sweet to you, the next you're like a light. Piss him out and he goes all kinky Hulk of Golden Sand on you. You just have to watch to see what I mean.

The Tooth Fairy scenes were my least favourite simply because she looked more like a flying fish rather than a fairy and that comes off as creepy. But I do like Isla Fisher and one of her little helpers - Baby Tooth was just adorable!


Clockwise from top left: Russian mob Santa, Loki-wannabe,

Wolverinny, Sandy and Flying Fish.

But what I really liked about the movie was the interaction between Jack and the villain Pitch. Both myths with different perspectives and reactions to being ignored and forgotten by the children who fuel their existence in favour of the Big Four. It adds in the lesson that a person's greatest enemy is in fact themselves.




Would I watch it again?

Yes. The visuals of the worlds and character designs are colourful and so animated I wished they were real. Even though I caught it in 2D, I have read reviews commenting of how this movie was designed for 3D and therefore is beautifully created to draw you and your kids into this world that all of us once believed in or still do. So I wouldn't mind rewatching it in 3D.

 

Rise of the Guardians is a light-hearted movie that reminds everyone, adults and children alike that it is never too late to keep our imaginations alive as only our bodies grow old but not our minds. Kids will enjoy this movie and adults, you will too if you take it for what it is. A unique, fun-filled storytelling of a childhood we all once had. (In other words, don't go into this movie expecting Inception)

One more thing....
Director Peter Ramsey must be a fan of anime. More specifically, Tite Kubo's Bleach. Why else would the main character of Rise of the Guardians resemble a certain white-haired, green-eyed, ice-wielding captain who is undoubtedly the coolest character in the Bleach-verse in all sense.


Jack versus Hitsugaya. Who will win?

At one point in the movie, I really wanted to Jack shout 'Bankai!' and go all superpowered/dragon-enforced on Pitch but alas, I remembered I wasn't watching Bleach.

Note: I am trying my best to be unbiased in this review but it was tough because I am a sucker for hot guys, fictional or not.