The moment on the plane (Miri to KK)

I am drinking juice from this plastic cup in the plane.

Oopps. Finished.

Using my lips to feel the cup. 

Eeeiii. What is that? 

Let me taste it.

Yucks! Salted peanut packaging, with pointed ends too. 

I still prefer this plastic cup. 

The tip of the cup is rounded, a bit sharp too. 

Trying to chew it off.

It is transparent!

Mum, why are you laughing?

This is a cup. Plastic cup. Cup. Cup. Cup.

Look, I can use one hand to hold the cup and drink.  ^^

p/s: We bring our girl to travel for minimum once a month. She is a frequent flyer like her parents. These are the pictures taken when we were on our way to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. In order to keep her busy, we let her explored many things. We are glad that this plastic cup can kept her occupied for a long time. However, she managed to crush the whole cup before the plane landed. (WARNING, broken plastic cup is very sharp and dangerous for children to play with.) So she did make a big fuss after we took away the broken cup. 
In the end, we have to use our secret weapon ~ iPod Touch. iPod Touch is always our last secret weapon to keep her happy & quiet. So far never fail since she was an infant. ^^ 
(16-month-old)

Brush my teeth

Hello, boys & girls. I am 16-month-old now. I can brush my teeth myself. 

You have to open your mouth wide to brush the upper & lower case of your teeth before you sleep.

Hey, mum, do I look good in the pictures? (This is called multi-tasking, not recommended to new beginners.)

Oh! Don't forget the inner part of your teeth. Brush brush brush. Wonderful habit sharing to you!

Saints & Soldiers

The movie is based on actual historic events.

Plot

Based on actual WWII events, the award-winning "Saints and Soldier" tells the dramatic story of a small band of Allied soldiers trapped behind enemy lines with information that could save thousands of allied lives. Out-gunned and ill-equipped, they must now battle a frigid wilderness and roving German troops to smuggle the critical intelligence back to allied territory. 

In mid-December 1944, Hitler's Army charges through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, initiating the offensive that will come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The German soldiers open fire on the unarmed prisoners, in the tragic event now known as the Malmedy Massacre. 

Corporal Nathan "Deacon" Greer, his friend Gordon Gunderson and a handful of others survive the massacre by playing dead and escaping into the nearby woods. The small band of soldiers come across stranded British intelligence officer Oberon Winley, who has valuable information to be delivered to Allied forces, increasing the urgency of their already desperate situation. The group forms a fragile bond as they begin to trust each other. But the constant threat of capture, as well as mounting suspicions of a German sympathizer within the group, threaten to tear them apart. 

Now with few weapons, no food and a strained camaraderie, this tiny band must take on the unforgiving winter and a forest filled with enemy troops to fight their way back to Allied occupied territory.

Very good acting. Interesting to see each character develop and to see how their individual views on themselves and their enemies change as circumstances become more and more complex. The movie delivers a clear message: in war, as in life, stuff happens and there is not always a clear line between right and wrong, between humane and inhumane. Though “Saints and Soldiers” is a rather low budget movie without the luxury of cool special effects like in “Thin Red Line”, “Saving Private Ryan” and a number of movies in the same style like “Flags of our fathers” and “Battle of Iwo jima”, so they had to compensate with good acting and good story, though a rather simple one.

By now the movie has won 14 “Best Picture” awards. It is well crafted, thought provoking and moving picture. Photography is excellent. A lot of attention is paid to smallest details, which makes the movie very believable. Then again, a lot of modern war movies do that. For all the deficiencies, the movie is worth watching for its humanitarian message. (copied & edited from maximovie)

Traitor

Traitor is a 2008 American spy thriller film, based on an idea by Steve Martin who is also an executive producer. Written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the film stars Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce in the lead roles.

Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is an Arabic-speaking Sudanese-American and devout Muslim. His Sudanese Druze father was killed by a car bomb when he was a child. As an adult, Horn is first seen operating as an arms dealer. While negotiating a deal with Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui) in Yemen he is arrested and thrown into a Yemeni jail. Later, Samir and Omar become friends and when Omar's people arrange an escape, he takes Samir with them.

Joining the Islamic Brotherhood, Samir uses the skills he learned as an 18C engineer staff sergeant with the U.S. Army Special Forces to bomb the U.S. consulate in Nice, France. The group then devises a plot to place suicide bombers on 50 buses in the U.S. duringThanksgiving. Meanwhile, in London, the Islamic Brotherhood finds out Fareed is being targeted by the FBI and he escapes by a source in the FBI headquarters. It is revealed that Samir is working under deep cover for an intelligence contractor, Carter (Jeff Daniels), with the United States government against terrorism. The FBI agents pursuing him don't know this, and Carter is killed by Omar.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) pursues Samir through numerous countries, resulting in their final confrontation in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. While on board a cargo ship to Marseille, France, Samir learns the identity of Nathir and kills Nathir, Fareed, and when Omar is about to kill him, he tells that he switched the bombers' emails and he placed them all on the same bus and all of them die. Canadian police, with the FBI, breaks in and kills Omar and injures Samir.

Later, under an El bridge in Chicago, Samir tells Agent Clayton he feels guilty for killing innocent people. Samir tells Clayton that the Qur'an says that to kill an innocent person is to kill all mankind. Clayton responds by noting that the Qur'an also says that by saving an innocent person, you have saved all mankind, and tells Samir he is a hero. The movie ends with Samir praying at a mosque. (copied from Wikipedia)

Another nice movie to recommend to you. The story is a bit different and the acting is so well. A big relief at the end of the story. ^^

Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer.

Do you like Russell Crowe? He acted as James J. Braddock in this movie!


Plot 

James J. Braddock is a hard-nosed, Irish-American boxer from New Jersey, formerly a light heavyweight contender, who is forced to give up boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. This is both a relief and an upset to his wife, Mae: she cannot bring herself to watch the violence of his chosen profession, yet knows they will have no good income without him boxing.

He is a loving husband.

As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock does manual labor as a longshoreman to support his family, even after badly breaking his hand. Unfortunately, he cannot get work every day. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock's longtime manager and friend, Joe Gould, offers him a chance to fill in for just this one night and make a little money. The fight is against the number-two contender in the world, Corn Griffin, and Braddock is seen as little more than a convenient punching bag.

He is also a loving father of 3 lovely children.

Braddock, however, stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third-round knockout of his formidable opponent. He believes that because his hand is now healed, he is fit to fight. Against his wife's wishes, Braddock takes up Gould's offer to return to the ring. Mae resents this attempt by Gould to profit from her husband's dangerous livelihood, until she discovers that Gould and his wife also have been devastated by hard times.

With a shot at the heavyweight championship held by Max Baer a possibility, Braddock continues to win. Out of a sense of pride, he uses a portion of his prize money to pay back money to the government given to him while unemployed. When his rags to riches story gets out, the sportswriter Damon Runyon dubs him "The Cinderella Man," and before long Braddock comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public struggling with the Depression.

Max Baer 

A title fight against Baer comes his way. Braddock is a 10-to-1 underdog. Mae is terrified because Baer, the champ, is a vicious man who reportedly has killed at least two men in the ring. He is so destructive that the fight's promoter, James Johnston, forces both Braddock and Gould to watch a film of Baer in action, just so he can maintain later that he warned them what Braddock was up against.

Braddock, the heavyweight champion of the world in 1935.

Braddock demonstrates no fear. The arrogant Baer attempts to intimidate him, even taunting Mae in public that her man might not survive. When he says this, she becomes so angry that she throws a drink at him. She cannot bring herself to attend the fight at the Madison Square Garden Bowl or even to listen to it on the radio.

On June 13, 1935, in one of the biggest achievements in boxing history, Braddock defeats the seemingly invincible Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

A graphic at the end of the film reveals that Braddock worked on the building of the Verrazano Bridge, and that he later owned and operated heavy machinery on the docks where he worked during the Depression. Also, he and Mae used the winnings to buy a house, in which they spent the rest of their lives.
(copied from Wikipedia)

James J. Braddock

James J. Braddock in action.

James J. Braddock with family.

James J. Braddock and Max Baer. 

Max Baer 

Charming Max.

I love this movie. It is a nice, motivation movie. Very exciting too! I feel the 'pain' when the boxers were punching each other. Not sure it was the air-conditioner problem or the movie was too exciting, I kept having sweaty palm and couldn't get my eyes off the screen. Highly recommended! 

Remember Me (2010)

Remember Me is a 2010 American romantic coming of age drama film directed by Allen Coulter, and screenplay by Will Fetters. It stars Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, and Pierce Brosnan.

Plot

In New York City in 1991, an 11-year-old girl named Alyssa "Ally" Craig witnesses the murder of her mother on a New York City Subway platform, on the F Line at 18th Avenue and McDonald Avenue elevated station in Brooklyn. Ten years later, Ally (Emilie De Ravin) is a student at New York University. She lives at home with her overprotective detective father, Neil (Chris Cooper).

Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson), a moody, directionless 21-year-old, is auditing classes at NYU and working in a bookstore. He has had a strained relationship with his businessman father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan) since his brother Michael's suicide. Charles appears to ignore his youngest child, Caroline (Ruby Jerins), to whom Tyler is very close.

One night, Tyler and his roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) find themselves in trouble with Neil. Later, Aidan sees Neil dropping Ally off at NYU. He decides to retaliate against the detective by persuading Tyler to sleep with and ultimately dump Ally. Tyler reluctantly agrees to meet her. After spending some time together, Ally and Tyler bond over the losses in their lives and begin to fall in love. 

After Ally sleeps over at Tyler's house, she and her father have a fight, ending with Neil hitting her. Ally then moves in with Tyler and Aidan. Neil's friend, a cop, recognizes Tyler with Ally on a train coming from a beach holiday with his family. Neil breaks into Tyler's apartment and confronts Tyler. Tyler provokes Neil by confessing to Aidan's plan and his initial reason for meeting Ally, which in turn forces Tyler to confess everything to Ally. She leaves him angrily and returns to her father's home. The couple remain alienated until Aidan visits her to explain that only he is to blame, and that Tyler was sincerely in love with her. They are then shown to be back together, as they walk with Caroline in the park.

Before this reunion, Caroline is bullied by a group of classmates at a birthday party; they cut her hair off, and when they tease her in front of Tyler, he turns violent and ends up in jail again. Charles is impressed that Tyler stood up for his sister, and they begin to reconnect.

Later, Charles asks Tyler to meet with him and his lawyers at his office. Charles takes Caroline to school and is late, so Tyler waits in his office, where he sees, on Charles's computer, a screensaver of pictures of Tyler, Michael, and Caroline when they were younger.

Caroline is then shown in class and the teacher draws her attention to the board, where the date is revealed as September 11, 2001. Tyler looks out at Manhattan from the window of his father's office — which is located in the World Trade Center. Once the 9/11 terrorist attacks begin, the rest of the family rushes to the site, only to see all that is left of Tyler — his journal — in the rubble.

Some time later, Caroline and Charles seem to have a healthy father-daughter relationship. Aidan, who has since gotten a tattoo of Tyler's name on his arm, is working hard in school and Ally is finally taking the subway again, after having avoided it since her mother's death. (copied from Wikipedia)

This movie is very unique. (Well, I like Pierce Brosnan, no matter what role he acts, he always look good. Haha!) The ending is pretty sad. I thought they all can live happily ever after like other love story but this is totally unexpected. It reminds me of the 9/11 terrorist attack, the feelings of the people who lost their love ones are devastated. A well-made movie.

Free shows for PE teacher

These days, newspapers have news about school girls being molested by their own male teacher. I am not sure all these cases just increased in recent years or many victims chose to keep quiet for all the past decade?

I remember when I was 13 years old, we had a weird PE teacher at SMK Kuching Town (I believe those who studied there will know who is that weird teacher). He warned us not to wear short leggings during PE as such clothing is 'bad' for girls during exercise. So we were forced to wear those 'loose' shorts else he will punish us by running 400meter during the PE session.

This type of short legging is bad for health? 

Only this type of shorts is suitable for sports?

All the girls will line up at the front line whereas the boys will be behind. Before we started any sports, this teacher will make us sit down on the ground to do some warm-up exercises. The warm-up exercises were always legs stretching. Yes. He make everyone of us open our legs to stretch and he will be sitting in front of us 'watching'. Any female who wore tights 'secretly' under the loose pants will get caught. That time my friends and I were wondering, if he didn't see what is underneath our shorts, how did he know so well?

Tights under our shorts are not allowed too. 

In order to 'pass' his test', he has to make sure underneath our loose shorts are panties. If we happened to use our hands to cover the side of the shorts, prevent being seen, he will make us change position or scolded us for not being concentrate.

We knew something was wrong about this teacher but we dare not tell our parents because he is our teacher. Luckily he didn't molest us but just enjoyed free show for so many years. (There were only 2 PE teachers for the entire school, my goodness.) I am glad that I only studied in that school for 1 year. Now when I recalled back, I realized that there were many victims who chose to keep quiet (never tell our parents) for all these years, that includes me.

Signs

Signs is a 2002 American science fiction thriller film directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was adapted from a screenplay also written by Shyamalan. Executive producers for the film comprised, Shyamalan, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, and Sam Mercer. 


The story focuses on a former priest named Graham Hess, who discovers a series of crop circles in his cornfield. Hess slowly becomes convinced that the phenomena is a result of extraterrestrial life. Veteran actors Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin star in principal roles. Signs explores faith, kinship and extraterrestrial life.

Plot

Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former priest. His wife Colleen (Patricia Kalember), was killed in a traffic accident caused by Ray Reddy. The accident left Graham embittered and caused him to lose his faith in God, causing him to quit the priesthood. Graham's younger brother Merrill, a former baseball player, helps run the family farm and care for Graham's kids, Morgan, and Bo. Bo has a habit of leaving dozens of glasses of water around the house because it "tastes funny" to her.

Things are uneventful until a mysterious crop circle is found in his cornfield. Graham thinks it's a hoax, while Morgan and Bo thinks it was made by aliens. One night, Bo wakes Graham up and tells him there's a monster outside her room. Sleepily, Graham tucks her back into bed, but when he looks out Bo's window he sees a black silhouette standing on the roof of the barn. Alarmed, he and Merrill try to scare away the figure, believing it's Lionel Pritchard, a known prankster. The brothers run screaming around the house. Both see the shadow of the running figure, but it's too fast.

The next day, Sheriff Caroline Paski stops by to investigate the incident. She admits that unless Graham has a clear description of the perpetrator, she can't help him in finding the culprit. That evening, Graham goes outside to feed the dog and hears a clicking sound out in the cornfield. After entering the cornfield, Graham spots a thin green leg sticking out among the cornrows, and he runs back to the house in fear. The family later watches television coverage of crop circles appearing all around the world.

Later Graham tells Merrill how he lost his faith in God. He dismisses Merrill's belief that they won't be harmed as reliance on signs and miracles, all evidence of some higher power. The following morning, Graham receives a phone call from Ray Reddy, the man who killed his wife, and goes over to his office to meet with him. Meanwhile, Merrill watches the television which shows amateur footage depicting an alien walking by a child's birthday party in Brazil. Graham finds Ray outside his office, sitting in his car with blood stains on his shirt. Before driving off, Ray apologizes for the accident that occurred with Graham's wife and tells him that he has trapped one of the aliens in his home. Investigating, Graham uses a kitchen knife to see reflection of the alien under a pantry door. Suddenly, a green clawed hand reaches out causing Graham to slash off some of its fingers in self defense.

Back in his home, Graham boards up the windows and doors, moving the family into the basement to hide and barricade themselves. The aliens are heard moving around upstairs and even try to get into the basement. One of the aliens comes in through a coal shaft and grabs Morgan, causing him to have an asthma attack. Although the creature is repelled, Graham realizes that he has left Morgan's inhaler upstairs and Morgan slowly passes out. 

The next morning, they hear on the radio that a way to fight the aliens has been discovered and they are retreating. Graham and his family head back upstairs but are ambushed by an alien who takes the comatose Morgan hostage. Graham notices two of its fingers are missing, making it the alien from Reddy's pantry. Graham tells Merrill to grab his baseball bat and attack the alien. However, the alien sprays a gas into Morgan's face. Merrill swings his bat at the alien, knocking it down and causing one of Bo's water glasses to splash on it, which acts like acid on the alien's skin. Merrill starts smashing all of the glasses, soaking the alien and killing it.
Morgan soon recovers having been saved from the alien's gas when his throat closed during another asthma attack. A grateful Graham comes to believe that many of the seemingly random and tragic events of his life were in fact designed to save Morgan and his family in this moment. In the future, with his religious faith restored, Graham is seen getting dressed in his clerical garb and go back to church.  (copied from Wikipedia)

Some of the crop circles samples.

This movie reminds me of the crop circles that happen all around the world. Until now we still cannot find out the cause of the crop circles. Who did all this? It's kind of freaky, doesn't it? 
Today your crop is still 'normal', next day when you woke up in the morning, there is a crop circle in front of you. It just happened over 1 night. Who has such time, energy or I should say super power to do such thing on earth?
However, some people thinks that crop circles are done by aliens who are trying to communicate with us (human on the earth). It is like giving us signs, warn us from things that might happen to us. Do you believe in this? 

First bun experience ~ 2

After 'torturing' the bun for quite some time, my hubby decided to let her taste it.

Daddy is feeding me.

Choked! What is that! So dry. Yucks!

Let me try again. 

Yucks!

I don't give up so easily.

Hmm...not that bad actually.

Why do we need to eat this?

Ok. I know there are lots of people starving out there so I should treasure my food. 

Hmm.....chew chew.

Feed myself again.

Getting better.

Let's get another smaller piece.

Something stuck in between my teeth....

Mummy, look. I can feed myself with this not so yummy bun.

Daddy, are we done yet? Let's get out of here.