Make Your Move movie review

I love dance. I love the movement, the rhythm and beat of the song. I love how it makes me feel when my body can keep up with the choreography and how creative and expressive it lets me be, as corny as that sounds. I am, by my own admission, not that good a dancer but I have danced with and have been taught by several really talented dancers and we all share the same love and passion for it.

However of late, I find myself distracted with the many running races I've been taking part in and my passion of dance waning. For a month, dance took a backseat in my hobbies and when I resumed classes, I found myself lacking inspiration and have gotten rusty in it.

I need to find a good kick to remind me why I had initially gotten into dancing. A dance movie was just the perfect fix I needed. Although not up to the hype and caliber of the Step Up franchise, the dance move of 2013 was Make Your Move.


Gist
With a Romeo and Juliet storyline, this independent movie stars K-pop singer, BoA and Dancing with the Stars ballroom dancer, Derek Hough. Although both stars are fairly new to the big screen, directing their debut movie is Duane Adler who is no stranger to dance films having scripted Save the Last Dance and the first Step Up movie. Some of routines in the movie were choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo from So You Think You can Dance.

Aya (BoA) is an aspiring Taiko/tap/contemporary dancer trying to make it in America without the assistance of her overprotective brother and club owner, Kaz (Will Yun Lee). Tap specialist Donny (Derek Hough) hails from New Orleans and skips out on parole to join his foster brother, Nick (Wesley Jonathan) in running the hottest underground club in Manhattan. Both young dancers are quickly caught in their respective brothers' feud over competing night clubs and as the story of Romeo and Juliet goes, are drawn to one another after a dance off on a bar.

Japan: Osaka Flight & Hotel package

You would think that with the Internet, it would be so much easier to just do the reservation yourself from airlines to hotes bookings. But sometimes if you know when and where to look, travel agencies can help you save a bundle as well as the hassle of doing the research and making the booking, especially with a vacation destination that you have never been to before. 

For my recent trip to Osaka, Japan, I used a travel voucher that I won from my Alma mater, Taylor's University College which allowed me to pick any deal or package I fancied with Holiday Tours and Travels. 

For days I stalked their website and Facebook for Japan packages and finally, one fine day, I saw that they were offering a 4D3Ns flight and accommodation package for Osaka for only RM1899 per person. I instantly emailed them on the package and got  an almost-immediate response from an agent, Ray Lee. My booking was made over the next day or two.  My flight itinerary and hotel bookings were delivered to me the following week.

Runners' Racing Pet Peeves

Today I am going to talk/educate/nag/rant about the many pet peeves I have seen, heard and encountered before, during and after a running race. Disclaimer: This is by no means just my opinion alone but a compilation of opinions that I got from fellow runners, off and on the Internet.

 Let us begin. 

1. Selfies/Camwhoring
Yes, I get that this run is your first....or tenth. Yes, I get that the view and buildings are nice. Yes, I get that you just need to take a photo with your besties to commemorate this moment at the start line. But you are also the reason why the Hong Kong Marathon organisers has issued a ban on runners from taking selfies at a race (source) 

"The restriction is a result of a runner pile-up during last year’s event when a woman stopped at the beginning of the race to take a picture of herself, which triggered a domino-like effect as other participants crashed into her" according to the report. That could happen to you, cam-whorers and worst, others will be hurt because you couldn't stop to think to just step off the road first and out of the way of runners. Shame on you.

Collision in 3, 2,1....
credit to i.huffpost.com

Yuen Buffet Steamboat, Sunway Mentari

Updated 18 Jan 2014: Yuen Steamboat has moved to Zenith Corporate Park, Kelana Jaya as of 15 Jan 2014. For more information, check out www.yuenbuffetsteamboat.com.my.
 
I am a huge fan of buffet steamboat with emphasis on the words: huge and buffet and Yuen Steamboat in Sunway Mentari has been my favourite steamboat indulging spot since my college days. And judging from the numerous blogs that have reviewed this place and the endless scores of people queuing outside at dinner time each time I am there, Yuen is a popular choice of many others too despite being located in the steamboat hot spot that is Sunway Mentari. I guess it pays to be a pioneer of something in this case.  

Yuen Steamboat boasts a wide range of fresh seafood, vegetables, fish balls and meat selection that makes it a popular choice for buffet goers. The crabs and prawns are big and ample and many eaters often go for those to quickly earn their money back. Depleted ingredients are quickly replenished by the ever attentive staffs.

Bite Hopping: Telawi, Bangsar Part 1

Bite Hopping is my new cafe-hopping series that will feature a few F&B places that I have visited within a specific location and where else better than to start than in food haven, Telawi Bangsar.

So on a recent Friday afternoon, I met up with my childhood friend who was finally back in Malaysia for good after years studying overseas and we decided to catch up over brunch and coffee. Our first stop was Nutmeg in Bangsar Village II.

The restaurant was in front of the Haagen Dazs stall and at first glance, it looked like any other modern day restaurant with low lighting and a cake and dessert display. But what really caught my attention was the back wall of hanging potted plants where natural sunlight was streaming through the window. Naturally we opted to sit there.

Having read a review from Drops of Contentment on this place, I ordered the Nutmeg Big Breakfast. The dish comes with two eggs made any way you like, confit mushrooms, lamb sausage, toasted brioche, roasted garlic tomatoes, hash potatoes or fried macaroni and cheese and house-cured salmon or salted beef.

Simpang Duck Egg Char Kuey Teow, Taiping, Perak

My parents always made it a point to drop by this place to get their Char Kuey Teow fix. On my recent trip back to Taiping, I too made it a point to visit the famous Char Kuey Teow stall. Located along the Simpang main road, the stall is right just across the road from the new Simpang McDonald's drive-thru and is next to a mini market. There is no obvious sign so it would be best to go slow as soon as you see the McDonald's on your right.

Simple stall with only one dish.

I was there at 730pm with my grandparents and shortly after we reached, a couple of cars and motorbikes too pulled up to wait for the stall to open. The old uncle manning the stall only starts frying his signature kuey teow at 8pm, no earlier, no later and during the wait, more people came and another old man had to jolt down the orders as the uncle set about making fireworks with his wok and charcoal.

Japan: Osaka Day 4 - The Last Day and also, Momofuku Ramen Museum

It was our last day in Osaka and as our flight was near midnight, mom and I figured we still had half a day left to spend in Japan and decided to take a train down to Ikeda, a town in the outskirts of Osaka to visit the lesser known Momofuku Instant Ramen Museum. To get there from Namba, we utilised the Osaka Unlimited Pass to get to the Umeda station from which we walked a short distance to the Umeda Hankyu station to buy a train ticket to Ikeda. 

Hello, Mr. Momofuku

Finding the museum from the train station can be a bit tricky. You need to take the staircase near a Starbucks to get down to the streets and head left. You will pass a row of shops and turn right at the Daily Yamazaki into a long road. The museum was located in a quiet little neighbourhood about five minutes from the station but it was impossible to miss especially with the statue of the Father of Instant Noodle in front of the building. There was no charge to enter the building and you can rent a recorded guide from the reception with a deposit of 2000yen. 

Right for history lesson, left for the wall of ramen.

Animangaki 2013

So last month on 24th and 25th August 2013, Animangaki 2013 took place at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in its fifth year and saw over 8000 anime, manga and gaming fans. By the way, for those don't know what it stands for, Animangaki is a combination word of Anime, Manga and Gaki, as in brat in Japanese because we are all anime and manga brats bought together by a common love.

Japan: Osaka Day 3 - A Day in the City

So many things to see and do. So little time. What do you do when you only have a few days to spend in Osaka? You make the most out of it and visit the absolute must visit places that are unique to this extraordinary city. That was what I do for my short 4D3N trip in June 2013 and for one entire day, I dedicated everything to the lovely city.

1. Osaka Castle
A castle in the middle of the city is not to be missed, especially for first time visitors to Osaka. To find out how to get to the castle, read my previous post on transportation means. As this famous tourist attraction is right smack in the middle of the park in the middle of the city, it took us a while to stroll through the park (famous too for cherry blossom viewing in spring) before we eventually reached the main entrance. If uncertain, just follow the signs or the hoards of tourists groups.

I was there relatively quite early at 10am and thankfully there were no tourist groups present although there was a very colorful Chinese group of friends. A steady drizzle of rain drove everyone inside the castle for cover and to the food stores that surrounded the main open space where the entrance was.

Osaka entrance view

Upstairs Cafe, Subang Jaya review

I first learned of this place when it and its brownies was featured on Capital TV. Then one fine day, I had to swing by Holiday Villa for an interview just before lunch and decided it was the perfect chance to give Upstairs Cafe a try since it was just a stone's throwaway.

Look at all that yummy desserts!