Reebok showcase

The first Reebok|CrossFit Enduro Box is opened in Singapore
Experience the revolutionary strength and conditioning programme
at a gym that is called a Box.

Last week, Little India saw a flurry of activities in one of
the unassuming shophouse units. Many media friends came together to celebrate the
opening of a gym with a difference – the Reebok|CrossFit Enduro Box, a no-nonsense,
boot camp-like set-up that offers the revolutionary strength and conditioning
programme. As Jek Long, General Manager of Sports Division of RSH (Singapore) Pte
Ltd, announced: “The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived.”

The new Reebok|CrossFit Enduro Box will join the global
network of more than 3,000 CrossFit boxes in 57 countries
that provide people of all ages and fitness levels with the opportunity to
change the way they experience fitness.

Located at Syed Alwi Road, the Reebok|CrossFit Enduro Box opportunity
to become part of the global CrossFit community and join CrossFitters
around the world who are forging elite fitness.

At the event, Mr Jek Long shared with friends from media on the synergistic collaboration between Reebok and CrossFit on several fronts, including the Reebok CrossFit Games – the search for the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth and opening of new Boxes around the world.

Ms Juria Maree, coach and co-owner of Reebok|CrossFit Enduro Box, then presented more details on “What is CrossFit?” – from the essence and benefit of a CrossFit programme, the scalability of the programme to cater to people of different fitness levels, to the community project of the Box.

The event ended on a high with five CrossFit athletes who put up a high-energy, adrenaline-pumping demonstration which awed and impressed all the guests at the event.

Check out the commercial of Reebok|CrossFit

 

When was the last time you worked out?

Movie Review - A Simple Life （桃姐）

Attended the movie preview of A Simple Life （桃姐）

A SIMPLE LIFE is a major award winner at numerous International Film Awards, including the 48th Taipei Golden Horse Awards (Nov, 2011) where it bagged the Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress awards all at once.

Starring Andy Lau and Deanie Ip

This movie portrays the simple life of ordinary people living in Hong Kong. Accompanied with a balanced of humor and touching scenes. Brilliant work of Director Ann Hui who shows her ideas of being 'old' and how staying in the old folks home would be like. Especially the hypocrisy of how the government bodies treat the old folks at their visits to the old folks home.

The movie is that simple, that realistic and that touching.

Remarkable acting skills for Deanie Ip i felt. This movie also starred alot of big shot actors. Even if it was just a few seconds of on screen time.

I recommend everybody to take some time off their busy schedules to watch this heart warming movie. Learn to appreciate the daily yet simple things in life. Especially filial piety. Treat our elders with respect even though we might be distant away from each other given the technology we have available to us. We are so consumed in our 21st century fast paced society.

Movie Rating: 4.5/5
A SIMPLE LIFE will be released in Singapore on 9 March 2012.
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Synopsis:
Based on real people and events, CHUNG Chun Tao, or Ah Tao, was born in Taishan, China. Her foster-father died during the Japanese Occupation and her foster-mother sent her to work as a servant for the Leung family. She has been in service there for 4 generations lasting 60 years. During this time, some members of the Leung family passed away and some emigrated. For the past decade, Ah Tao lived with Roger, the only family member left in Hong Kong.

Since her teenage years, CHUNG Chun-Tao has worked as an amah – a servant – for the Leung family. Known as Ah Tao, she witnessed every aspect of the family’s life. Now, after 60 years of service, she is looking after Roger, who works in the film industry and is the only member of the family still resident in Hong Kong. One day Roger comes home from work to find that Ah Tao has suffered a stroke. He rushes her to hospital, where she announces that she wants to quit her job and move into a nursing home.

Roger researches the possibilities and finds her a room in an establishment run by an old friend. Ah Tao moves in and begins acquainting herself with a new ‘family’: the brisk but fundamentally kindly supervisor Ms Choi and a motley crew of elderly residents, including the dapper Uncle Kin, the jealous Auntie Kam, the erudite ‘Headmaster’ and the good-hearted dialysis patient Mui Gu. Giving ever more time and attention to Ah Tao’s needs and pleasures, Roger comes to realise how much she means to him. Roger’s mother visits from California and suggests reclaiming an apartment building the family owns to provide Ah Tao with a final home of her own.

Movie Review - The Descendants

Attended the movie preview of The Descendants.

On the eve of a big land deal, in which Matt King (George Clooney) is the trustee, his wife has a boating accident, that puts her in a coma. Essentially brain-dead, she's going to be taken off life-support, and before she dies, Matt wants his two daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) to make peace with their mother. However, it turns out that Matt has a peace of his own to make, when he discovers his wife has been carrying on a long-term affair.

Director Alexander Payne is a master story teller. He understands that we are not perfect. His characters go through painful and tragic journeys to become better people.

The film is beautifully shot in the picturesque islands of Hawaii. Matched with very soothing music in the background playing. I am so going to Hawaii after seeing this film cause it is too beautiful!

It's probably one of the best performance I've seen from George Clooney. Clooney’s performance is so compelling in ‘The Descendants.’ He moves through feelings of love, frustration, anger, and happiness so effortlessly. Throughout the show, it left me with those emotions too. We want him to get closer to his daughters. We want him to make the right decision about the land. We want him to overcome these challenges in his life to be happy again. And that’s why I enjoyed this film. I recommend everybody to see!

But if you are the kind of audience who do not like slow paced films, I'm sure you won't fancy this type of movie.

Movie Rating: 4.5/5
Rating: NC16 - Some Coarse Language and Sexual References
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Synopsis:
From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar®-winning SIDEWAYS, THE DESCENDANTS is set in Hawaii and follows the unpredictable journey of an American family at a crossroads. Matt King (George Clooney), a husband and father of two girls, must re-examine his past and navigate his future when his wife is in a boating accident off Waikiki. He awkwardly attempts to repair his relationship with his daughters - 10 year-old precocious Scottie (Amara Miller) and rebellious 17 year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) - while wrestling with a decision to sell his family’s land. Handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries, the Kings own some of the last priceless virgin parcels of tropical beach in the islands.

When Alexandra drops the bombshell that her mother was in the midst of a romantic fling at the time of the accident, Matt has to take a whole new look at his life, not to mention his legacy, during a week of momentous decisions. With his girls in tow, he embarks on a haphazard search for his wife’s lover. Along the way, in encounters alternately funny, troublesome and transcendent, he realizes he’s finally on course toward rebuilding his life and family.

Updates!

Hi everybody! Been away for quite some time because I was holding a holiday job and was busy with other events and stuffs.

But anyway I've decided to do up a quick update of myself!

Not long ago, I did a test drive on a Lamborghini Gallardo Sypder on the F1 tracks and the ECP highway! I wrote up a review on the car performances and the whole driving experience like an episode of top gear. It's part of IXUS new experience by IXUS Canon. Soon it would be available on Canon's online magazine which i will share with you guys. Please watch this space!

The Ferrari F430 F1 Spider

Next up, Atelier Royale 2011 is coming soon! With new additions of 5 new butlers, namely Ren, Shou, Hikaru, Takeshi and Yuu. Not forgetting the pioneers of Atelier Royale, Yutaki, Hiroshi and me (Haru). The 8 of us will be serving you once again in the coming AFA 2011. Which will be on 11/11/11! This year's theme is Wonderland! Can you guess which character is who already?


We just finished our videoshoot last week. Will be doing our photoshoot this week, and pictures will be out soon!

Lastly, I'm back as a student now! It's my last year of studies in my university. Going back to school feels good. Hitting my books soon. Yea right, not before alot of parties and parties and parties! Wooooooo!

Till the next time!

Movie Review - The Change Up

Been recently invited by omy.sg to the movie preview of The Change Up.

At one point or another, I think most of us would've looked someone else's lifestyle and secretly hoped that "Man, I hope I had his/her life". Well, be careful what you wish for, cos you just might get it!

Coming at you from the director of Wedding Crashers, writers of The Hangover, and producer of Click, The Change-Up is a comedy that takes the traditional body-switching movie, ties it up tightly and throws it off a cliff!

Probably we've seen many movies or tv dramas where cases of identity switch takes place. And I thought to myself, probably this movie would be just another boring plot but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I adored this mean spirited and riotous comedy!

I just can't get enough of these mean M-18 comedies, that really take advantage of their rating. This particular film is by far the dirtiest film of the summer as it holds no bars having Jason Bateman spitting out 'F-words' every ten seconds or having a large quantity of nudity throughout, which doesn't mean the kind of nudity you would expect from a gut M-rated comedy.

It was funny seeing Ryan Reynolds and Bateman playing their opposites. In pretty much all of Bateman's films and specific roles in shows, he's always portraying the shy man, not a real ladies man, the fatherly figure where on the other hand, Reynolds always plays a ladies man. For Bateman's character in Reynold's body, he hilariously portrays a nice, quiet man who doesn't have much control over things. Vice versa, we have a swearing, tough talking lawyer who doesn't have any idea what it means to be crossing the line. Aside from our two leads, we have an always funny Leslie Mann, the new and beautiful Olivia Wilde, who is as stunning as ever.

I do think that the movie is abit long, which is one of the fallback, they could have cut at least twenty minutes from the film and still have it be perfectly acceptable. 'The Change-Up' is a great summer romp, but it is certainly not for the squeamish or the easily offended.

Movie Rating: 3.5/5
This is a rated M-18 movie (Mild nudity, coarse language)

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Synopsis:
Growing up together, Mitch (Reynolds) and Dave (Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they've slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked.

To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. To Dave, living Mitch's stress free life without obligation or consequence would be a dream come true. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies and proceed to freak the &*#@ out. Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave's sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde), and Mitch's estranged father (Alan Arkin).

With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other's lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

Cast:
Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, Green Lantern), Jason Bateman (Hancock, Horrible Bosses), Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin

Bangkok! volume 1

Sawadee Krap!

It's been a long time since i last update my blog. Had been feeling bad about it. But nevertheless, I went to Bangkok recently and went for a mega shopping! Bought alot of nice clothes, shoes, accessories and gifts.

For people who are planning to go to Bangkok for shopping trip, i hope this post helps!

Staying in Bangokok

Probably one of the toughest decision to make, where exactly to stay! Alot of hotels are strategically located near popular shopping places. But the good thing is, accommodation in Bangkok is pretty cheap! So it's actually not much of a worry to choose which hotel to stay in as long as they are all located near the heart of the city. A friend introduced me to this hotel called Bangkok City Hotel which i stayed in and i find it pretty good!

Bangkok City Hotel is newly opened in 14 Dec 2010. That explains why everything is almost new and comfortable. This 3.5 star hotel is only sg$40 per night with breakfast provided every morning, comes with free internet wifi and indoor swimming pool! Cheap right! Except for the breakfast, it's almost the same every morning with minor changes only to the menu. But considering the price, it's all worth it!



For more info or bookings with the hotel, you can visit:
http://www.bangkokcityhotel.com/index.html

Shopping in Bangkok

Within walking distance from my hotel are Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon shopping centre where they are both located side by side. From a sporty yellow Ferrari to a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes straight from the set of Sex and the City, Siam Paragon is a shopping mall without rival in Southeast Asia when it comes to luxury goods. A place where you can get your Gucci, LV, Dior, etc. Siam Discovery has nothing much except for some restaurants and a wax museum which i did not visit.

If you are not out for some expensive shopping, you might want to look out for shops/stalls outside the shopping mall. They sell very trendy and nice clothes! I had a mad time there buying what i want. It's usually around the evening time the shops are opened and alot of people will be roaming around the shops making it difficult to walk through.

Short-named MBK, the multi-storey Mah Boon Krong is probably Bangkok's most legendary shopping mall, popular with both tourists and locals. Eight floors packed with 2,000 shops that sell everything from clothing, fashion accessories, handbags, leather products and luggage to furniture, mobile phones, electric appliances, cameras, stationery and DVD's. Probably because it's a shopping mall, items there are harder to get discounts. MBK is just a crossover bridge from Siam Discovery and Paragon.

The market of all markets, Chatuchak Weekend Market is the ultimate. It only operates on Saturday and Sunday. Its sheer size and diverse collections of merchandise will bring any seasoned shoppers to their knees – this is where you can literally shop ‘till you drop’. There are so many and i really meant MANY shops around that i need to do 'carpet sweeping' style of shopping to comb every shop to make sure i do not get lost inside and miss out some great shops. There are alot of things for the ladies to buy there. It is actually a bermuda triangle in there. If you are there over the weekends, please make time for this weekend market. I guarantee it will never be a disappointment.

The streets are numbered so it is easy for tourist to navigate through
Some random angmoh taking a picture of me -.-

Thailand's ice milk tea is a must try!

Coconut ice cream <3

I went to the weekend market for 2 days, cause it's almost impossible to finish shopping there in a day. Please go to lane 2 and 3 if you want to find more fashionable clothes. But of course, the prices of the clothes are slightly higher. Anyway it's still cheaper than buying in Singapore and Taiwan. Other than shopping stuffs, you can find good food around too. So it's eat and shop, eat and shop as you go. Don't be surprised, they do sell pets there too! A puppy cost about 10,000 baht. Which is about sg$400+.


Spotted: an incredibly cute dog riding a bike with its owner
Captain Jack Sparrow selling accessories? Thai version.
Caught on cam. This is how you try the pants when the shop does not have its own changing room

A relatively new shopping center in the Petchburi area, Platinum Fashion Mall caters especially to wholesale clothing, selling a similar range of clothing to the Pratunam Market across the street, except in air-conditioned comfort.

The mall has six floors which are filled with small outlets - most of them specialising in women's clothing and fashion accessories. Since this is a wholesale mall, you can get items at very reasonable prices - provided you buy larger quantities, usually three items and up. The price you pay will be about 30% lower per piece. I suggested everybody to go with more friends here. There's a big food court at the top level of the mall.



And the saga continues in the next volume of Bangkok trip!

Spidermen