Fancy Pan Mee @ Pan Mee HaHa笑, Bandar Puchong Jaya

Pan Mee HaHa笑 Restaurant (No. 43-01, Jalan Kenari 19A, Bandar Puchong Jaya) has a rather funky way in selling their pan mee.

Here's our lunch last Sunday (also the 15th day of this year's Chinese New Year).

Hubby chose Chili Pan Mee - the purplish noodles contain beetroot.

I chose Spicy Chicken Feet Pan Mee (Dry) - the yellowish noodles contain pumpkin.

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Here's the chart of their color pan mee.

Photo source

Traditional, pumpkin, coriander, brown rice, purple cabbage, spinach, and beetroot.

I don't mind going back to try the rest of the colors. :D

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Current pursuit: Freedom & fire

Photo source

~ Freedom ~

Freedom is not about doing what you like to do;
freedom is about not doing what you don't like to do.


~ Fire ~

Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys

Oh..... we got our feet on the ground
And we're burning it down
Oh..... got our head in the clouds
And we're not coming down


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One day, I won't need to do what I don't like to do. Now, it's time to lay the foundation. Later, it's time to reap the fruits. 

Wait and see. :)

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Movie: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Like father. Like son. Like hell!

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) is the fifth movie in the Die Hard movie series.

Synopsis: John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies to Moscow to help his seemingly wayward son Jack (Jai Courtney) in a Russian prison, but discovers that Jack is a CIA operative out to stop a nuclear weapons heist. Now father and son are forced to put aside their differences and battle the Russian underground forces to stop a war.

I couldn't recall how Bruce Willis was like in his previous Die Hard movies as John McClane. I guess he must be quite a memorable character. However, in this fifth movie, I don't really see an impressive McClane in terms of character development.

But, if you're looking for really bad-ass action sequences and stunts, you'll get what you're looking for. In fact, the factors that save this movie from getting too monotonous are the super high-octane actions after actions, be it high-speed car chases, gun fights, and bombings; and a lot of double-crossings and unexpected triple-crossings. 

Then, get ready to listen to cheesy lines between father and son and lots of asinine family bits as they struggle to work together as a team. I guess in the next Die Hard (if there is), we'll see junior McClane replacing senior McClane? I don't know. 

In the end, A Good Day to Die Hard is just another adrenaline-pumping action flick with two heroes who could survive all sorts of accidents, [minor spoiler] including one that involves a burning helicopter.

Having said that, if you're a Bruce Willis fan, you won't want to miss seeing him in action at this age. :)

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2013 Lunar New Year: We're now eligible to give ang pows :)

Ang pows

 

Yup, the ang pows we packed to give away. This is our first Lunar New Year that we're eligible (or rather, obliged :P) to give away ang pows.

Huattt ahhh!!!

Here are some nice photos of rare Lunar New Year food stuff.

Steamed fresh Udang Ketak

Udang Ketak is Thenus Orientalis or Flathead Lobster or Slipper Lobster or Moreton Bay Bug. Whatever name you call, these steamed fresh "monsters" are delicious!

Garlic Tiger Prawns

My mother-in-law's garlic tiger prawns (they are huge!) are the best in town! :D

Homemade ais kacang

This is an annual tradition - make your own ais kacang. More photos taken in 2011.

Fortune cookies

And of course, don't forget to crack a fortune cookie! Mine said, "There are big changes ahead for you. They will be good ones!"

Onnnggg ahhh!!!

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Movie: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Classic Tale New Twist

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) is an action-horror-fantasy movie with a twist from the original folk fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel".

Synopsis: Witch hunters Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) are in the village of Augsburg where children are abducted by wicked witches. Grand witch Muriel (Famke Janssen) needs the children during the Blood Moon to carry our her evil plan. Hansel and Gretel have to stop her before it's too late.

Let's hear what director Tommy Wirkola has to say: [via] 

"Blood and gore and action, all the stuff that I love... It's definitely an R-rated movie, the first draft has a lot of blood and guts. First and foremost, it's an action movie, I think, with horror elements. And of course some dark humor as well. But the action and horror are the most important feelings I want."

"I loved fairy tales growing up. I used to listen to them on tapes and 'Hansel & Gretel' scared the hell out of me and it always stayed in the back of my head. I always wondered what happened to those characters."

"I have a strong memory from my childhood of just how dark and gruesome their tale was and I wondered what would have happened to the two of them when they grew up? They had this dark past and this intense hatred of witches. So as I thought about it, it made sense to me that of course they would be fated to become great witch hunters. We wanted it to feel like this could be happening 300 years ago but at the same time, there is a modern spin on all the action, characters and weaponry. It was a fun way to make a classical world feel fresh."

Well, in my opinion, there's not much of a storyline to talk about. Almost every scene is about intense action, swearing, hunting down and killing those bloody witches in one way or another. But the visual effects are really fantastic though.

At the end of the movie, my deepest impression is how Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton run everywhere in some steam-punk-ish clothes while toting sinister-looking weapons. 

Not too bad if you enjoy every bit of the action parts. Apart from that, sad to say, there's nothing much to shout about.

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Movie: The Apparition (2012)

Once you believe, you die

The Apparition (2012) is a supernatural horror movie.

Synopsis: When frightening events start to occur in their home, young couple Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) discover they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural, Patrick (Tom Felton), but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force.

You know what? There are so-called horror movies that are hilariously not scary at all. This is one of them. But there are big names - Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen from the Twilight Saga series) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series). It's kinda like a "playground" for young rising stars or something. 

The movie starts off with a grayish 1970s seance experiment scene about conjuring a spirit back into this world. The shooting style reminds me of Paranormal Activity or any of those found-footage horror movies. Nothing revolutionary here. Then, it continues to the plot where three parapsychology students - Patrick, Ben, and Lydia - are trying to replicate the same experiment before whatever written in the synopsis above transpires.

There's not much scare factor but a whole chunk of scientific explanations about spirits, purgatory, supernatural world, so on and so forth. I think director Todd Lincoln wants this to be an intelligent horror movie with scientific twist to differentiate itself from mainstream scary horror movie.

To be honest, if you're not a fan of horror movies but you want to give the horror genre a try, you might be able to stomach this one. Compared to Mama (2013) and Sinister (2012), this movie is nowhere near those two super horror movies. Good luck!

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My Archetype with ArchetypeMe

I have taken this quiz by ArchetypeMe.

What's an Archetype?

An archetype is a pattern of behavior. It explains who you are and how you engage with the world around you.

Archetypes

Creative, Athlete, Rebel, Caregiver, Visionary, Queen/Executive, Spiritual, Fashionista, Advocate, Intellectual

Meet my Archetype

39% Caregiver: Lives to give and needs to be useful.

21% Intellectual: Always seeking knowledge and wisdom.

20% Spiritual: Drawn to questions of faith and are concerned with consciousness.

LOL! Interesting.

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BM Yam Rice @ E.A.T. Food Village, Publika Solaris Dutamas

Two sets of Yam Rice - Yam Rice with Stewed Pork (Pork in Soy Sauce) + Yam Rice with Loh Bak. Each set comes with a small bowl of braised tofu and egg.

We are quite happy with the generous amount of fresh Chinese coriander leaves sprinkled in the bowls of stewed pork and clear pork broth. The condiments - chili sauce and dark soy sauce - are pretty good.

The tender chunks of stewed pork are really flavorful. The salty, fragrant, and delicious gravy mixes perfectly with the yam rice. We could polish off the entire bowl of yam rice within minutes!

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