AV Feast

My ongoing "retirement" has resulted in having a bit more sofa time, so here's some movie reviews...

American Gangster - 7/10. Tries hard to be an epic in the Godfather mould, but Denzel is not convincing enough as a real BAD guy.

Juno - 1/10. I gave up after 10mins without giving it much of a chance. Not interesting, despite the claims of its "intelligent humour".

No Country For Old Men - 8/10. Good acting, but some seemingly pointless scenes with Tommy Lee Jones. Violent. Excellent tense scene where the psychopathic assassin forces an elderly petrol station owner to put his life on the toss of a coin. No typical Hollywood ending.

Michael Clayton - Better than average legal drama. Clooney pretty good as usual. Tilda is good as the conglomerate's chief legal counsel.

Alvin & The Chipmunks - 0/10 (if you're over 12), 9/10 (under 12's)

All DVD's RM10 from Digital Mall in PJ! - and they are cinema quality.

On another subject, I recently discovered tuneid.com (to help one identify unknown songs) and posted a message that went something like "1990 House tune with James Brown sample and some trumpets and bleeps" and within 12hours I had a link to the song on YouTube - wow! Here it is...my current favourite track (notice I don't call it a "song") -

Sick

I was beginning to feel a bit dodgy on Tuesday evening and felt like I was on the verge of a cold, thus explaining my tiredness and early night the evening before. Still, I managed to get up at 3.45am to see if the Gunners could pull off a result against AC Milan in Italy. And they didn't disappoint - a great game well worth the early rise, with Absolutely Fabregas scoring in the final 10 mins.

I took Wednesday off work, to sort out a variety of personal matters. Unfortunately it wasn't a very nice day as I'd come in for a bit of a cold, but I still managed to go from place to place and deal with quite a few matters. However I was pretty ill (tired, headache, swollen throat) so missed my swim lesson, and took Thursday off too.

Up early on Thursday to take Lucas to school but then back to bed until 1.30pm! By the evening I was feeling better and did my duty as Shimizu's English-speaking PR Officer by turning up for an evening dinner with some fellow-Brits from our client's consultants.

Still not well on Friday, so I took another day off (which must have appeared a bit strange considering I made it out for the meal), and was in bed until 1pm again. Still tired though. The only bonus was I was able to get stuck into some DVD's I bought on Wednesday.

I managed to get Juno, Michael Clayton, American Gangster, Hot Fuzz and No Country For Old Men. So far I've got as far as Hot Fuzz - it's quite amusing.

Saturday - well enough to work but still not 100%. I really hope to be ok tomorrow morning for the 3rd KLIM training run, but it's not looking good at the moment.

Paris-Nice live on Europsort tomorrow!

Beginning to think about an April holiday - possibly Rajasthan in India.

Monday Blues

We had a nice weekend but didn't do anything particularly exciting. I had a bit of a lie-in and went for a later than usual run. I hadn't run all week so felt like I must get one in, and I knew that if I left it later in the day - it would not happen. So I did a really easy Double Hill in 1h06m. I saw Ngae in the Bukit Aman car-park and he told me about his off-course Ironman swim where he took 30mins longer than planned!

Later Lucas & I had a nice lunch in Bukhara in KLCC while J had her hair done. Then we took him to the playground and for a swim at home in the evening.

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The posters for Horton Hears A Who are up now and I'm more excited about it than Lucas! This story is one of his favourites and I've read it to him in bed a million times - on 13 March it'll be time to see the full-action technicolour movie version!

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Not a great Monday. I thought I'd cheer myself up with a likely 5km run PB, so I headed off to KLCC after work and was duly rewarded.

6:50-6:54-6:54-6:48 = 27:26 (5.2km). New PB by 56secs.

5k time was 26:24.

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I'm taking Wednesday off work as I have one million personal matters to sort out, which can only be done M-F 9-5.

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Shimizu (and other bidders) will be submitting their bids for the Pahang Selangor Water Transfer Tunnel by midday today. I hope that the upcoming election, and change of KTAK Minister, doesn't delay the bid appraisal and award process too much!

Before Bond

Another good movie...

Possibly the movie that brought Daniel Craig to the attention of the James Bond people. Another typical British gangster flick, with plenty of bad language, graphic violence, a bit of sex and plenty of references to drugs!! Lovely! ...similar to Madonna's hubbies movies and miles better than typical Holly wood fare.

Showtime

These are two of my fave films...as recommended to my Sis when in London recently. If you've been in Malaysia for the last 2 years you might have missed these. V for Vendetta was shown but wasn't advertised much, and Sideways wasn't shown I think.

In Sideways the acting is so good you won't think they're acting...

V for Vendetta is based on comics, and is by the Wasckckckckowski Bros. (Matrix guys). Portman gets her hair shaved and does a reasonable English accent...

Mid-Valley Madness

After my Subang heroics I went to Mid-Valley with Jackie and Lucas. Normally I avoid that place like the plague - especially on a Sunday - but as I got back from my run early I didn't mind risking it on this rare occasion. I was happy to get a parking spot quickly and the Mall wasn't too busy.

We queued for tickets to see Ratatouille (even though Lucas had already sat through a fake DVD of it) and had an early lunch while we waited for it to start. After the movie (with amazingly realistic graphics) ....we unsuccessfully shopped for navy Converse shoes for the little fella...successfully found him a nice smart light blue shirt for his Auntie's wedding...I got a strap to help me lug my bike around Singapore next weekend.. had a coffee and cake in the Coffee Bean...then more naughtiness (ice creams from Mickey D's).

For the first time ever Lucas then pestered me to accompany him while he rode his bike (normally it's the other way round). He's got the hang of riding on 2 wheels now, but he's not too good with the brakes yet! I had a go on his mate's BMX, prompting cries of "race!" from Lucas. I told him I wanted him to experience a proper fall before he got carried away with racing!

Soon I had my "wish" and Lucas was sprawled on the floor next to his bike after a medium-speed total loss of steering control. No tears and no blood worth mentioning - and Lucas' first official fall had finally happened.

In case you were wondering (Mum) - he was wearing his helmet.

Tour Fever

8 July PD Tri Clinic photos of the swim start and the bike ride are here! i have photos of simon (rear half only - he was going too fast! - eugene, zebets, kim possible, adzim, arif, may senn, dicky and a few others, but they're not great so don't get too excited.

Sunday

An unusual day. No training (doc's orders). Still feeling a bit spaced out from the sulbutiamine I took yesterday.

I drove to PD with Lucas early in the a.m. , bumped into a few triathlete buddies and played on the beach with the little fella while the swim was on.

Swim start - Cross and Zebralini in action

Such a lovely face - hope the wind doesn't change!

A while after they'd left for the bike ride Lucas & I waited at the roadside to snap a few photos. He was keen to go home then so we drove off and managed to get there in good time. This was lucky as from what I've read from Adzim & Simon there was an accident shortly afterwards that caused a massive jam.

I really do wonder how so many people manage to have accidents. On the way to PD we saw a crane setting up at the side of the highway where the barrier had been mowed down. On the way back it was lifting what looked like coffee-beans from the point where the truck (i assume) had come to rest in a deep cutting next to the road. Shortly after this it began to rain and almost immediately, on the southbound side - 4 cars shunted each other. I have seen this (shunting accidents within minutes of rain starting) many times now.

Having done my fatherly bit in the morning I became a couch potato for the rest of the day. I watched the wonderful The Usual Suspects, most of the mediocre Next, then the F1 and the Tour De France. My hero (and fantasy team member) of the day Robbie McEwen somehow managing to easily win the stage despite being out of the main bunch with only 5km to go.

Monday

Still feeling more "alive" today so I decided to give the sulbutiamine (with the "this may become habit forming if used excessively" warning on the packet!!) a miss. Evening = super couch potato due to Tour highlights on TV from 6 until 8.30pm - but then no Stage 2 live coverage?!?!?

Tuesday

I slept at 9am last night so I feel a bit better today. Glands still swollen though. Still not taking any pills though (they're not for the glands anyway).

My wheels have arrived at KLIA!! I've also managed to pick up a yellow Selle Italia Flite Titanium saddle and a pair of Look Keo Carbon pedals on eBay a bit cheaper than I've been quoted here - trying to shave some cost of my new ride.

The excitement of the PD and OSIM Tri's is building! Today the OSIM guys finally confirmed the route.

I'm fairly happy with my Tour fantasy team's performance so far - apart from this plonker...

Daniele Bennati is supposed to be a sprinting green jersey contender but has finished the last 2 flat stages well back with all the GC and mountains boys! What is he doing!?!?!?!?

Quiet

Mmmmm.... been a bit quiet in the last 5 days or so.

After last Wednesday's swim I didn't do any training for the next 2 days, but made up for it on Saturday by getting up early enough for a 34km ride to work. A lunch swim was ruled out by a hearty Thai lunch with my work team chums and ex-secretary, which was burned off nicely by a 15km run after work that more than made up for 2 days inactivity.

That was my longest ever training run and I'm quite proud of myself too!! I did exactly the same route as the Pacesetters 15km run that I missed in May. My time was 1:38:something which is 7 minutes faster than my 2006 run, and with a 5% lower HR (151 average compared to 159 in 2006). I took it quite easy throughout the run.

The lovely runner's high kicked in at just over an hour. This makes me think that doing 1-hour 10km runs is a waste as I stop running just at the point where the "reward" is just round the corner.

For the first time in a long long time I did nothing on Sunday. I'd planned to do 1500m at Uniten Pool but was too lazy. In the end I went for a Fathers Day lunch at the Eurasian Club with Lucas, Dad-in-law and various uncles, and then took Lucas to watch Surf's Up.


Evening - MotoGP (my man Stoner winning again) and the most excellent V For Vendetta!

My 1-day weekend is over and it's back to work....I'll do my postponed 1500m swim tonight after work. This will be my first benchmark for a continuous 1500m front-crawl pool swim. 40mins or less would be pleasing...I'll keep you posted.

Spooky!

Despite only reading one review (a bad one), I went to see the movie "The Number 23" - click on the title to see what it's all about. After I got home I read Lucas some goodnight stories (The Sneetches & Other Stories) including "Too Many Daves".

And do you know how many Dave's there are???

...23!!!!!!!!!

Spooky!!!!

But I just went to the kitchen and noticed Dominos Pizza vouchers on the noticeboard - RM20 and RM25 - NOT 23 - so I'm no longer spooked!

Meet The Robinson Boys

Lucas was feeling creative this morning (while I was feeling like having a lie-in) and insisted on painting part of his bedroom wall...

Lucas & Mihir hip-hoppin' on the way to the cinema...

F1 fever is here in KL! 8 days to go...


Posing with "Tiny"...

But first, ice cream and a driving lesson...


Who'd like to see Lucas' tonsils?...

Post-cinema lunchtime quiz...

Tasty fries and chicken...

Laughing about bums and willies! Not encouraged but unavoidable with 5-yr old boys...

Of Lakes & Lions

KLIM Circuit Run 3 - I managed 8 x 2.3km early morning laps of Lake Gardens, KL, in 1:54:26. This was my second longest run ever, behind the Pacesetters 20k in January.

I really struggled on the last 3 laps and gave up on my idea of squeezing half of a ninth lap into the 2 hours. I weighed a paltry 78kg after that run - my lightest yet (since records began in early '06!), but was back up to 81kg+ in the evening! There weren't too many people I know there except Ronnie See & Nezz, but I did see the elusive Lizi Lim, who I am keen to get signed up for the PCC Time Trial. Anyone with a Cervelo bike and HED aero wheels cannot expect to get away without taking part.

This is early on in the run...


About halfway and still looking cheerful!...


Still smiling!...

This must have been lap 4 or 5 as I was pretty miserable for the last 3 laps!!...



In the afternoon, after a few lazy hours at home, Lucas' persistence directed us to "The Chicken Rice Shop" in Great Eastern Mall, for his favourite meal - you've guessed it - chicken rice!! There were 2 lion dance bands doing the rounds, so it was a noisy experience. We were then treated to a Chinese Drum show followed by the World Champion Lion Dance team doing their thing (Lions dancing on poles)...photos to come..

The Police have been cracking down on pirated DVD sales in town, and my usual source has closed, but I recently found a place in PJ that sells them so a few days ago I got True Romance, American Beauty, Midnight Cowboy, Gandhi and ? one more. Yesterday I finished off Romance and watched American Beauty, then my new favourite BBC show Judge John Deed.

14km SMART tunnel run next Sunday - and the start of the MotoGP season! Go Capirossi!!

The Departed

Jackie and I went to see 'The Departed' (Scorsese film with 'Leo' and Nicholson in it) at the cinema last night.

Unfortunately, and despite an 18 rating, the film appeared to have been sent to the local kindergarten to have most of the swearing dubbed over or edited out. Some of the dialogue was so messed up by the dubbing and cutting that I could't actually follow the conversation.

I give them 9/10 and a 'Good Effort' for editing out the F word (they missed a couple) but for the even worse C word they score a miserable 0/10! (maybe they don't know what it means or how offensive it is!!).

Funnily enough, the numerous (10 or so) graphic scenes of people being shot in the head or savagely beaten (complete with realistic quantities of blood being projected onto surrounding walls) were not censored at all!

Film 2006

I have watched quite a few movies recently...

Derailed (Clive Owen & Jennifer 'Friends' Aniston) - Average acting, but interesting story with a twist. Worth watching.

Rabbit-proof Fence (Branagh) - Brits who think they know best splitting up half-caste Aussie families)

Lucky Number Slevin (Kinglsey,Freeman, Willis) - Surprisingly good. Tarantino-esque.

North Country (Theron, Harrelson) - interesting enough to keep watching but a bit predictable.

Snow White (White, Dwarfs, Queen, Prince) - the thing that amazed me about this 70 year old film is the absolutely spot-on animation of body and clothing movement when Snow White dances, without the help of computers.

M:I - 3 (Cruise) - typically good standard Hollywood action fare.

Fun With Dick And Jane (Carrey) - satisfyingly amusing.

...very much looking forward to watching The Departed and Casino Royale soon.

A Lazy Sunday For a Change!

I finished off watching the film "Munich" last week. It was quite good, but a bit long. Eric Bana was good. I've now moved on to Brokeback Mountain and am about halfway through. I cycled to work as usual on Saturday morning, taking in a longer route than usual, through a bit of the very posh Kenny Hills or Bukit Tunku (Kings Hill) area. 'Twas an easy ride and as usual my HRM went crazy as I cycled alongside the railway tracks, so I won't go that way again. From now on I'll try to leave the house at 6.30am which gives me an hour to do about 25km on nicer roads. The final 30mins before 8 gives me time to stop sweating profusely and have a shower.

That night we went to a surprise birthday party for Sasha held by one of her mates. Sasha was blindfolded on the way. It was quite a good party - I talked to Marco, Jackie's Cuban salsa teacher and all-round entertainer, an exchange student from Ghana, a Philippino architect, a German exchange student....quite a mixed bunch. Unfortunately after I started drinking gin & tonic, someone must have offered me a cigar in the wee hours, which hasn't done my health any good. Anyway I'll make up for it tonight when I go out for another crazy 25km night bike ride with the Pedalphiles.

Consequently I felt awful on Sunday and didn't rise 'till 11am+. I dragged myself and Lucas out to see the Mens Elite race of the KL Mountain Bike Carnival (photos coming soon).

In the evening I watched the Czech MotoGP with Lucas, then a bit of the Man U match, then to bed. The next MotoGP is in 3 weeks and it is in.....Malaysia.....hooray!!

Movies

I finished watching "V For Vendetta" last night. All I knew about it was that it was a low-key cinema release here a few months ago, Natalie Portman had her hair shaved off, and the guy in the mask was from an 80's comic. It was surprisingly good - recommended viewing. Reminded me of 1984 by Orwell. Miss Portman is very good at crying, just like in Leon when she was about 9 years old. Next DVD's to watch are Munich and Brokeback Mountain - all from BB Plaza for about gbp1.50 each - bargain! I also watched Crash recently - that was pretty good too.