IFT - Whole grain cereals, popcorn rich in antioxidants
8/24/2009-At the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on Aug. 18, scientists reported that snack foods like popcorn and many popular breakfast cereals contain “surprisingly large” amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called “polyphenols.” Polyphenols are a major reason why fruits and vegetables—and foods like chocolate, wine, coffee, and tea—have become renowned for their potential role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Until now, however, no one knew that commercial hot and cold whole grain cereals—regarded as healthful for their fiber content—and snack foods also were a source of polyphenols. “Early researchers thought the fiber was the active ingredient for these benefits in whole grains, the reason why they may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease,” said Joe Vinson, study leader and chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. “But recently, polyphenols emerged as potentially more important. Breakfast cereals, pasta, crackers, and salty snacks constitute over 66% of whole grain intake in the U.S. diet.” The researchers found that whole grain products have comparable antioxidants per gram to fruits and vegetables. The whole grain cereal with the most antioxidants are made with wheat, with corn, oats, and rice cereals following in descending order, according to Vinson. He also noted that raisin bran has the highest amount of antioxidants per serving, primarily due to the raisins.
Bran cereals made from wheat overall do not have more antioxidants than wheat cereals, though they do have more fiber, he said. In other findings, he said that whole grain flours are very high in antioxidants; whole grain snacks have slightly lower levels of antioxidants than cereals; of snacks, popcorn has the highest level of antioxidants; and there is a wide variation in the amount of antioxidants in each class of cold cereal. ACS press release
Nutritional psychologist Marc David, MA, says we don’t have enough vitamin P — pleasure, that is — in our diets. And he’s not just talking about recreational enjoyment. The level of enjoyment we experience in eating our food has very real biochemical consequences that directly affect our metabolism and digestion, says David, founder of The Institute for the Psychology of Eating and the author of The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy and Weight Loss (Healing Arts Press, 2005). “Half of nutrition is what you eat,” he explains, “but the other half is how you eat.” In this, the first of a five-part series of interviews with David, we asked him to elaborate on the role that pleasure and appreciation play in creating a healthy relationship with food.
Why is eating for pleasure so important? We are all programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. It’s the most primitive part of the human nervous system. So, when you eat, you are seeking the pleasure of food, and you are avoiding the pain of hunger. But here’s the trick: You can’t receive pleasure unless you are aware that you are engaging in it. So, if you’re eating food and you’re not paying attention — if you’re watching TV, talking too much, rushing or reading — you will potentially miss the experience of pleasure. And, if you do not get the pleasure that you seek, the brain often interprets that missed experience of pleasure as hunger. You’ll want more food, so then you’ll be wondering: Do I have a willpower problem? But there’s no willpower problem — the problem is we are not entirely there when we eat. We’re not getting the full experience, and so we are left feeling hungry.
So, what we think of as overeating is actually about underappreciating? Yes, this thing we’ve called overeating is really a product of our culture, which has us moving too fast. And the faster you go, the less your brain and digestive physiology can actually experience what’s going on with food. It takes the brain about 20 minutes to realize when we’re full. This raises a simple but very important point: When it comes to properly registering both the nutrition and satisfaction inherent in the food we’re taking in, the body needs time and focus to figure out what’s going on. That’s just how we’re wired.
And the link between pleasure and your metabolism? Pleasure catalyzes a relaxation response, and the same switch in your brain that turns on relaxation — the parasympathetic nervous system — also turns on full, healthy digestion and assimilation. Conversely, the same switch in your brain that turns on stress, anxiety and fear — the sympathetic nervous system — turns off digestion and assimilation. So, there is a direct biochemical connection between eating with pleasure and our digestion and long-term calorie-burning metabolism.
You could be eating your favorite ice cream cone, but if you’re miserable and stressed-out and guilty while you’re eating it, you are not receiving that pleasure. Also, you’re actually shifting yourself into a stress response, which will put you in a mild degree of digestive shutdown, which means you’re excreting nutrients and not absorbing them fully, and you’re increasing your output of cortisol and of insulin, which will signal your body to store fat.
How can we learn to eat with more pleasure and awareness? First and foremost, we need to slow down and notice, as well as savor and receive. The only way to eat with pleasure is to notice if there’s any pleasure to be had. So be attentive, take your time, and delight in your food. You may find you don’t actually enjoy certain foods as much as you think you do, or that it doesn’t take nearly as much to satisfy you. I once asked a client to slow down and really savor the Big Macs he felt compelled to eat daily, and when he started fully experiencing them — flavor, aroma, texture — he found himself completely repulsed.
You recommend doing a “Forbidden Foods Inventory” of foods we love but feel we “shouldn’t” eat. Why? Doing an inventory of all the foods that give us pleasure allows us to play with our “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts.” And once you’ve got your list, you can figure out how to include those foods in moderation in a way that works for you.
Let’s say pancakes are on your “Forbidden” list. You might decide that Sunday morning is when you’re going to have a couple pancakes and really enjoy them. Are you going to have unlimited pancakes seven days a week? That’s probably not the best thing for you. But conscious doses of pleasure throughout the day and the week put us in a place where we’re honoring our desires and at the same time nourishing our bodies in a thoughtful way.
Orange: This color of luxury and pleasure appeals to the flamboyant and fun-loving person who likes a lively social round. Orange people may be inclined to dramatize a bit, and people notice them, but they are generally good-natured and popular. They can be a little fickle and vacillating, but on the whole they try hard to be agreeable. Orange is the color of youth, strength, fearlessness, curiosity and restlessness.
JC and Sec
Blue: Soft, soothing, compassionate and caring, Blue is the color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and duty. Patient, persevering, conscientious, sensitive and self-controlled, Blues like to be admired for their steady character and wisdom. They are faithful, but are often worriers with somewhat inflexible beliefs and can be too cautious, and suspicious of flamboyant behavior.
Pri
Yellow: The color of happiness, wisdom and imagination, Yellow is chosen by the mentally adventurous, searching for novelty and self-fulfillment. Yellow usually goes with a sunny and shrewd personality, with a good business head and a strong sense of humor. It is the color of intellectuality and all things to do with the mind. Yellow folks are usually clear and precise thinkers who have a good opinion of their own mental capacities and who have lofty ideals. They may at times tend to shun responsibility, preferring freedom of thought and action. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/favorite-color-personality.html
Just want to leave a note that I'm happy and glad that I've got each and everyone of my dearest friends.
And I'm so happy and excited for Kaiyun who's going to Scotland to present her FYP and plaY for a week! Wheeee~
edited to add: I just read some of my previous posts. and I'm so glad I did blogging cos I don't even remember having blogged about most those stuff or that their contents even occurred. sad to say I stopped blogging for one and a half years since that meant those written records of my past thoughts missing...
I just thought I should write something about my whole USA Work and Travel Summer 2009 experience.
Wells. As I have told several people, it's the best summer I've had. Now thinking back, I really love the entire experience, regardless of the bad events that occurred. It's probably good to summarise the key events. Hmms. The good ones first :)
Gosh. I haven't blogged in almost one and a half years. And that's how long I hadn't thought to myself in typing. Now I remember how much I blogged at some periods in time. Whoops. heh. My old bad habit again - sidetracking.
Alrights. From the photos (I wish I could do it from memory but as my memory goes, I could have missed out on important stuff), one of the most special nights was our last night on Mt. Rainier. There was a party for us (it wasn't planned at all but wells I guess it should be expected - we had parties for the others from SG before they left), where we had a belly dancing show by our super hospitable supervisor who has became our friend; drank, got drunk and started hugging and pretending to kiss one another; and had lots of photos taken (including one with 7 of us on the top bunk of a double decker bed and 2 below in danger heh). I was the most drunk (being the most easily drunk) and got put to bed - fortunately the party was held in our room.
Some of the most awesome views I had included of course those on Mt. Rainier - the mountain range along the way on the shuttle van up to Paradise Inn (I especially liked a particular spot when it was covered by snow, I think it's called the Nisqually Valley, and the view of the mountain range when the sun was setting) and Comet Falls; the aerial view of Longmire (impressed me probably cos I hiked to get to the point); the Grand Canyon and the sunset and sunrise there; the Venetian in Las Vegas; Niagara Falls; New York City at night from the top of the Empire State Building. Oh ya! I had actually forgotten about the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! These were really must-sees.
The places which made me feel really good were the Old Town in San Diego (a place where I would love to take my time to relax quietly in, take little walks around hand-in-hand in the morning or evening or night with the love of my life - unfortunately I don't have one at the moment - or simply to explore with a few good friends); and Hualapai Ranch in Grand Canyon West Rim (a place which is wonderful for a relaxing short stay - short cos it's hot when the sun is out so evening to next morning would be ideal). The second I did had the opportunity to experience but for the first we had merely less than an hour we didn't even get to properly see muhc so it's still a dream. Oh. I'm surprised I have a dream for once. Whee. Rarely have I ever had things I dreamt of doing. There are things I want to do e.g. drive, but I don't remember dreaming of doing stuff. Whee. This is nice.
Mmm a list of the nice/memorable/fun/funny things that I did for the first time in my life. Been on an active volcano, such a pretty one at that. Experienced snowing, lay on the snow, made a snowball - combined to form a little snowman, wrote my name on snow, left my handprints and shoeprints on snow, left my footsteps on a slightly snowed road. Warmed myself at a fireplace. Hiked on snow cover trails. Saw so many waterfalls. Saw deers, chipmunks, foxes, raccoon. Slid about three storeys down a snow slope sitting on a trash bag several times until my feet were freezing from the snow that got in. Stood in the middle of a mountain road to have a silly-looking photo of me looking up taken. Stood at the side of the mountain road to have silly-looking photos of me pretending to be falling off the mountain taken. "Rock-climbed" on a mountain. Put a giant acorn in my mouth. Made a wish and blew at a dandelion parachute ball. Been in a mobile home, especially one that's so fully equipped with a luxurious living room and master bedroom (both with toilets attached). Played games with senior Americans. Stood on a fallen tree trunk more than 10 metres long. Sat on the fallen tree trunk at a spot that's my height off the ground. Played Clue, Jenga in the middle of a hotel lobby in the middle of the night. Hitched rides from all sorts of Americans - young couple, nurse with a nephew, young woman who smoked, couple in the 30s with one of their moms, and two female working adults (one in Golden Gate Park and one in downtown LA who looked Japanese). Hitched rides from wonderful fellow Mt. Rainier employees whom we didn't really know - one of the chefs from Paradise Inn in his 30s and an elderly female retail assistant. Saw llamas. Saw hailstones falling. Fed birds directly while sitting on a big rock on the mountain. Hiked so high that I could see the aerial view of all the buildings at where I started. Played Monkey with my supervisors and co-workers on an outing. Saw and took photos (many of them) of my friends getting carried away and thrown into a freezing lake. Played dominoes. Saw heart-shaped leaves. Had a series of photos of me and an Indian friend (holding a black umbrella in front of her) walking heel to toe taken. Walked along a backroad on the mountain and singing. Helped an Indian friend to wrap her face with her thick scarf such that she looked like a terrorist. Had friends stop a guy from leaving the girls' room and forcing him to drink more. Was stopped by a friend from leaving her room after she got high from beer. Got super high from playing table football. Saw several parked vintage cars and had photos taken with them. Called home in a dorm that's 15 hours time difference away from home. Posed with a banana. Treated my supervisor/friend to dinner. Crossed a freaking cold stream barefooted. Had a shopping trip made successful by hitchhiking. Had my hair braided. Celebrated Father's Day for our supervisor/friend, making him cry and got kissed on the cheeks by him. Shared 2 USA-made Nissin cup noodles with lots of ham and onion added, with 5 other girls. Experienced snowing again on the official second day into the summer season. Crossed a suspension bridge more than 15 metres long that had a sign saying "recommended one person on bridge at a time". Hugged a thousand year old Cedar tree which had a trunk that needed at least 5 of me to hug around it fully. Went white-water rafting. Was driven along a US road with blasting music. Had a Chinese/Singaporean meal prepared by a Chinese friend as lead chef aided by 7 others in an American mobile home and outside it with an ironing board as a preparation table and a pump tap for washing. Had an icecream treat from our boss who wanted us to finish a full house early, which we did. Watched a movie (Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen) with 3 new friends/supervisor after work in a cinema more than 2 hours away. Celebrated 4th of July at a Puyallup Fair and got high watching a live outdoor concert with thousands others and waved a small USA flag. Attempted to have jumping shots taken in the middle of the backroad on the mountain with 7 other girls. Got unglamorously drunk on a friend's last night party on the mountain. Used my own credit card for online payment Had a friend play on a 20 year old guitar that looked more like 20 days old. Hanged around in a party (of dance, beer, bit of whiskey, bit of cheerleading stunt) for a Chinese guy in a guys' room with American guys, Turkish guys, Romanian guy, Taiwanese girls and several Chinese guys and girls. Granted a special day off on the Saturday before we were leaving to be brought by a very kind elderly couple to Sunrise (on the other side of Mt. Rainier from Paradise Inn) where the view was so amazingly beautiful and we had such a clear sight of the glaciers on the mountain and the vast forests of pine trees, were treated to a picnic, and were led by the kind driver who's almost thrice our age and went so fast ahead of us on a hike (along a trail splashed with all sorts of pretty flowers on the sides) that so tire us. Ate the best soft serve vanilla icecream I've ever had after the hike. Went to Seattle, Mt. Rainier, Puyallup, Leavenworth, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Washington D.C. and New York. Bought so many things (like more these 3 months than my 3 years prior) I surprised not just my friends but myself as well. Saw beautiful horses close up. Drove on a US highway up to 140.
Other memorable firsts, that weren't so nice heh. Flew halfway across the world from Singapore to the US. Waited more than 6 hours at the airport while being unbearably tired. Tripped on a luggage rack, fell and knocked my forehead against the edge of a door, bleeding all over my face and had a wound 1" by 1/4". Made beds (over 400 times - est), cleaned the bathrooms over 200 times (est) and carried at least 200 really heavy bags filled with either sheets or towels up 3 storeys. Walked one and a half hours along a road under a shining sun in winter coat to get to an icecream shop to use the wi-fi, even stopping and taking photos along the way. Walked 6 hours down a mountain. Snow-shoed, walking like a penguin. Stayed overnight freezing in a fellow Mt. Rainier employee's living room at the foot of the mountain cos we shopped till too late and couldn't get up the mountain. Quarrelled with a friend to the extent of crying. Contributed to the damaging of the zoom function a friend's camera and bought her a new one at more than US$180. Took a 12-hour flight. Took a bus for 22 hours, travelling 943 miles. Rolled and back-flipped down a moving escalator. Got kissed on the cheeks by a random American stranger while posing for a photo outside a Japanese Ramen shop in East Village, New York City. Carried my 50 lb trolley luggage from 1st to 5th storey by a winding steep stairway (after carrying my over 20 lb backpack and some other smaller bags up), and down. Ran to catch a plane.
Rah no time. Gotta go start baking or I'll be late. Hopefully I can continue this soon.
Have Read
'04 year-end holidays (highest number of books read in a long time)
-The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (gd read)
-Princess Diaries: Third Time Lucky by Meg Cabot (fun read)
-Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (must read - inspirational)
-Slab Rat by Ted Heller (full of office politics and R21 stuff - not for kids)
-The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (makes u want to finish it)
-A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks (simple but meaningful)
-The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (can identify with)
-The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (romantic love story with too much R21 stuff)
-Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks (even more R21. ugh)
-The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
-Unstrung Heroes by Franz Lidz (autobiography about his four uncles and father)
-The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (very unique POV of an autistic boy)
-The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (love the breadth of the plot, one of my favourites)
-Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux (alternating between two first persons' view - unique, but don't like e plot)
-Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (philosophy tb in a story; gets abit dry though plot saved)
-forgot what i read...-
-Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan (story of an urban planner)
-Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (impressive intelligence with bits of great humour)
-Just between Us by Cathy Kelly (thickest bk i've ever read-600+pg, too long for me but not bad)
ha, started a few bks but didn't enjoy them enough to read more.
'06
-Life of Pi by Yann Martel (novel based on true story; a lot to learn from the book - animals, religions,
survival, appreciation of simplicity; marvelous descriptions of both the tangible and the intangible,
such that I could feel their realness; bits of very enjoyable humour; a must read)
-The Complete Analects of Confucius, Volume 1 - Asiapac Comic Series (some good teachings.
didn't read everything though)
-The Parable of the Pipeline by Burke Hedges (lent to me by Shujun; like she said, its a short version
of Rich Dad Poor Dad - good financial tips)
-The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (simple story with deep meaning)
-Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
(hai, doesn't seem to be working for me - cos im not applying..)
-haven't been updating from Jun'06 to Jul'07-
'07
-Take a Chance by Sarah Webb (very interesting twist towards the end)
'08
-A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (very saddening. made me realise how significant family is in how a child behaves)
-Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden (refreshing book with many pics)
-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Rui Zafon (amazing how people can think of so much plot to pack into one book, wld b a gd tv series)
-The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (the story is interesting but i think the ending cld hv been better written)
-This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes (a bit thought-provoking on relationships but i didnt like e abrupt ending)
-Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (gd knowledge but partly qte repetitive)
-For One More Day by Mitch Albom
-The C Words by Mark Mason (made me keep wanting to read on. light & funny)
'09
-Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux (another good read from Deveraux)
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (gosh such vivid descriptions! very well written book. i liked d theme of friendship and the realness of the story)
'10
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (a must-read!! i love the expressed thoughts of the protagonist, esp those about friendships, and the writing style - it seems like she's telling me her story specifically to me)
How to Save Your Own Life by Michael Gates Gill (an inspiring read, for emotional liberation and greater joy in life)
Reading
on hold
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
Waiting for chance to get hold of
The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
My Left Foot by Christy Brown
Gotai Fumanzoku or An Unsatisfactory Body (Translated into English as No One's Perfect) by Hirotada Otatake
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Other Recommended Readings by Marc
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin – Few books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of humankind.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological changes. Specifically, he analyzes “the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.”
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – This is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to one’s emotional and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against “the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined heart.”
Lolita – This is the kind of book that blows your mind wide open to conflicting feelings of life, love and corruption… and at times makes you deeply question your own perceptions of each. The story is as devious as it is beautiful.
Getting Things Done by David Allen – The quintessential guide to organizing your life and getting things done. Nuff said.
How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman – 900 pages of simple instructions on how to cook everything you could ever dream of eating. Pretty much the greatest cookbook ever written. Get through a few recipes each week, and you’ll be a master chef by the time you’re 30.
Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner – Franz Wisner had it all… a great job and a beautiful fiancée. Life was good. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss basically fired him. So he dragged his younger brother to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon and they never turned back… around the world they went for two full years. This is a fun, heartfelt adventure story about life, relationships, and self discovery.
Self-note: Tip for my future business =D
give employees reasonably high pay to keep them- otherwise they are unlikely to stay loyal.
treat employees not according to how well they treat me but how conscientious they are at work
(of course, musn't expect them to only do work throughout the entire working hours -
give some breathing space too, we are humans, not machines) Movies watched(listing started on 6jan08)
in cinema from VCD/DVD
1Sep07: "Hairspray" w TK, GH & SH
14Sep07: "Ratatouille" w mom & extended family
28Dec07: "The Pianist" w Jus & Pam (heartbreaking but good lessons; i recommend!)
2Jan08: "I Am Legend" w Sherm (scary! but good acting; thought provoking; i recommend!)
5-6Jan08: "A Good Year" alone (excellent show! i like the acting; funny; good lessons; touches my heart; i recommend!)
11Jan08: "Le Grand Chef" w WLing, JT & Irene (good! funny, very touching, :) nice; watch if like humour+meaning+food)
7Feb08 (CNY 初一): "Ah Long Pte Ltd" w parents (pretty hilarious - but u gotta understand dialects, some teary parts. wells typical of jack neo movies but with diff content)
11Mar08: "The Leap Year" w Sherm (so sweet! :) and apart from couple relationship it touches the theme of mother-daughter and best friends too)
6Jun08: "P.S. I Love You" w Sherm (don't know if its coz we watched it on laptop, coz it didn't impress me as much as it did for him in cinema)
8Jun08: "The Forbidden Kingdom" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (ums..guess i'm really not into kungfu)
8Jun08: "What Happens in Vegas" w Lisa, Karen & Sandy (simple,relaxing show)
7Jul08: "我和狗狗的10个约定" w Sherm, his ma & sisters (very simple,touching but actually not my type of show)
10Jul08: "Before Sunrise" w Sherm (hmm maybe watchg on laptop really affects appreciatn of movies..)
30Sep08: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" w Sherm (i didn't like it as much as i thought i wld when i saw the ads)
31Dec08: "Yes Man" w Mom (inspiring and funny)
11Feb08: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" w Mom (not as impressive as i thought it wld be)
1Jul09: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" w Yumei, YY & Matt (the best thing was the soundtrack. heh.)
14Aug09: "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra" w Joyce (it was awesome! best action movie i've ever watched)
17Aug09: "Food, Inc." w SYL & RuiQ (learnt some stuff abt the American food industry but it was a bit boring and not worth the $10)
22Sep09: "The Time Traveller's Wife" w WB, VanD, WLing, CHL, Irene, VanQ, Mf, Pg (i liked it. having read the book really helps w udsg)
21Nov09: "Gokusen" w Mf, Eva, Tony, Sarah (funny inspirational movie)
24Dec09: "十月围城" w Tony, WLing, VanQ (action action and a bit funny? tony criticised the plot. my fav scene was the running n jumping through the crowd along the five-foot ways w/o cuts)
30Dec09: "Sherlock Holmes" w Irene, Tony, Sweetee (my favourite genre of books made into a movie - what else can be more cool? acting effects humour excitement suspense all in)
12Jan10: "Avatar 3D" w Mom (didn't appreciate the digital effects which everyone wowed about. content etc was so-so. cathay's 3D glasses were too heavy for me)
8Feb10: "The Truman Show" w Ky n sis n Yuhshin (a must-watch. very thought-provoking, funny. reminder to be spontaneous and create your life the way you want, instead of falling into a typical routine
14Feb10: "New York, I Love You" w Mom (I loved it! a good couple movie with meaningful pointers to keep it going. but i think some stories could be more developed)
16Feb10: rewatched "The Pianist" (still find it good, tho i still feel first viewings are the best)
17Feb10: "Valentine's Day" w CHL n WB (laughed throughout - a feel-good movie; liked the fact that the various stories binded tog so well with the little surprises here and there, vs NY ILU in which each story was separate)
20Feb10: "赤壁二" w Addy, Karen, Sharon, SJ (should have watched the first one first cos i ended up not knowing who's who and what's happening and had to keep asking :/ and couldn't pay attn.. if not i think it should be a pretty good movie..)
4Mar10: "Alice in Wonderland 3D" w Mf (i found the 3D effects of this @ CCK Shaw SO much better than Avatar @ The Cathay =/ and the movie was much more enjoyable too! - cheered a sad me up :)) favourite quote - the Mad Hatter: “You used to be much muchier before. ... You have lost your muchness.”)
18Mar10: "Nodame Cantabile" w Irene, Mf (i thoroughly enjoyed some of the orchestra pieces - SO impressive! the expressions of the actors were really amusing :D)
23Apr10: "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" w Mom (funny, touching and meaningful - about love between friends and family. i cried 3 tissues! cos some touching parts i could really understand the feelings of the characters involved)
Inception
Letters to God (very simple Christian movie)
22Nov10: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" w Ame, Irene (they loved it. pretty good, i guess the main problem i had was that im not familiar with HP :X)
13Dec10: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" w Sj (not bad, could follow the story unlike HP. like the meaningful teachings, too long - in a post)
2Mar11: "The King's Speech" w Ame (hilarious, inspirational, tho it doesn't impress me that much to understand why it's the Oscar winner)
Mar11: "10 Things I Hate About You" very funny. silly sweet high school romance. just right for having breaks in between doing homework
23May11: "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" w Wb Yl Ame Pg (pretty good - scenery, freakish parts, fighting scenes, dressing, humour, bits of Christianity like when the Spanish said "only God gives life")
6Jun11: "Xmen First Class" w Wb Ame Pg (i was very keen on watching it and it was really good! intellectual, makes sense, cool action, some humour)
9Jun11: "Legally Blonde 2" w Irene (seems like some dumb blonde movie but kind of meaningful too - speaking up for yourself and what you stand for)
17Jun11: "Something Borrowed" w Sandy Lisa (quite funny, somewhat meaningful wrt friendships. they didn't like the lack of sense for one part tho)
16Jul11: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" w Irene, Sweetee, Kw (not bad. i didn't understand some parts again but the humour and effects were pretty good)
Aug11 "Horrible Bosses" w Ma (she fell asleep! gosh. the movie was very crude i must say but there was the humour)
25Oct11: "The Three Musketeers" w H (i would rate it 3.5 for humour/intellectual language and 4 for action. it's by the same producer or director as Sherlock! but a bit less awesome albeit a good chill out movie)
5Nov11: "Real Steel" w Hl (action packed but not too hardcore for me. i liked that there was the father and son element and how the father eventually softened his heart and especially the part when charlie was having trouble telling max sth and max was so understanding saying "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." touching and demonstrates true fighting spirit)
12Dec11: "50/50" w L (adopting her words - a heavy topic put across in a lighthearted way, but not taking away d meaning. most of it was rather hollywood-ish trashiness but there were a couple of punch lines "u can't change ur parents, but u can change d way u respond to them.")
25Dec11: "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" w KY (ultimate action packed! super tense almost throughout the movie, and interesting Tom Cruise made it such that not everything happened smoothly - he would jump and misland and get all sorts of injuries..it's really the courage to jump without hesitation even though you are not sure you'll be alive after that. KY loved d movie and said she would watch it again!)
3Jan12: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" w KY (i love mystery (: and the witty sarcastic dialogues. good level of excitement with the action. didn't understand some parts as usual. i like Holmes and Watson they depict such a true pair of buddies ;D)
23Jan12: "You are the Apple of My Eye" w mom (now i understand why guys like this movie so much - the anxiety of chasing after a girl and the acts schoolboys do to get the girl's attention and hopefully affection. the initial fluttering and the subsequent quarrelling)
22Mar12: "The Iron Lady" w KY (really love Thatcher's sharp words. inspiring and thought-provoking, tho i was still left uncertain of what to do with my life, the movie is definitely an encouraging one)
29Mar12: "Barney's Version" w SJ (a funny movie of a screwed up life of a man who had 3 wives, smoked and drank but very heartwarming at the same time, the relationships with the dad and the 3th wife - quotable quotes!)
27Apr12: "The Hunger Games" w Mom
4May12" "Avengers" w MF n PS (funny, action-packed)
7Jul12: "The Amazing Spiderman"
21Jul12: "The Dark Knight Rises" (fantastic depth, loved the twists)
20Aug12: "ParaNorman" w Mom (simple funny animated movie, heartwarming support)
Performances watched (listing started on 25Apr10)
20Jan10: Patrick Marber's Closer by outoftheBLUE, NUS Science w Pam (
13Mar10: The Rain Came Down Like Pearls the Night I Died... The New Musical - Sing & Tell by Mark Chan w Addy & Jy
21Mar10: Quintessence by NUSCO w CHL