Eats, Reads & other Bits: 2023

Friday, December 29, 2023

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2023 is finally back

After waiting for almost a year since the last one, the Bid Bad Wolf Book Sale is finally back. But this time, they had moved to the Tropicana Gardens Mall (near IKEA) instead of the MINES Convention Centre.

Personally, I really like the new location as is it a lot cleaner, better organised and we get clean toilets inside the mall. We can also take a break anytime and go for some food & drinks inside the mall.

The Graphic Novels Section is especially good as is is much better organised. All the books are individually shrink-wrapped and easy to find as they are placed vertically instead of stacked up horizontally.

I went on Day 1 and entered their Book Haul Competition. I won a RM50 voucher and so went back for round 2 during the 2nd week.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

What I'd watched recently

These are the movies/films/content that I'd consumed in the last couple of months.

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (2011)

A very interesting series with 6 experts who go thru videos and photographs they received and then do in-depth investigations & extensive methods to recreate the videos/photos to see if they are real or hoaxes. Recommended.

Greenland (2020) Gerard Butler

This is a story about a planet-killer-sized comet that is about to hit Earth. The various governments of the world had prepared for such an event but they can only save a handful of people to ensure the survival of the human species.

The movie focuses on John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his wife and young son's journey to the sanctuary in Greenland.

Despite being very predictable, I really enjoyed watching it and would watch it again.

The Why Files on YouTube

This is my favorite discovery this year as it has consistently high-quality content. Looks like the Why Files Team does extensive research for every video they produce. Moreover, the Host - AJ, is a great orator who manages to hold the viewers' attention. The ONLY element that I don't like about it is their talking fish mascot - Heckle Fish.

Highly Recommended!

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

What I'd watched recently

These are the movies/films/content that I'd consumed in the last few weeks.

Ant-Man 3 Quantumania (2023)

OK, I admit I'm biased as I love Paul Rudd, and Kang as a character. So despite it being panned, I'm going to watch it again sometime in the future.

65 (2023)

This started off strong but somehow ended up as meh. However, I have to say that the cinematography is visually stunning.

Gerald's Game (2017)

This was a total disappointment despite a very interesting premise.

A Simple Favor (2018)

This movie pleasantly surprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. In fact, I'd want to watch this again.

Avatar 2: The Way of Water (2023)

OK, we'd waited 13-14 years for this and it's finally here. Sure, it looks great, the world-building is really fleshed-out + thorough and detailed and the CGI is top-notch. But for me, it doesn't cause the sense of wonder and amazement of the 1st movie. It's lost its magic. Still, it is a very good movie.

Black Adam (2022)

Despite being a huge fan of Black Adam, The Rock and the JSA, especially Hawkman and Dr Fate, somehow, this film didn't really hit the spot for me. I was really rooting for its success. Anyhow, as I'd said, being a fan, I'd most likely watch it again sometime in the future.

Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods (2023)

Almost similar to Black Adam, I'm also a huge Shazam fan. I loved the 1st movie but again, this sequel didn't really hit the spot for me. If I could sum it up, my biggest gripe would be the 3 villains.

Andor (2023)

Yes, I'm a Star Wars fan. Of course I was going to watch Andor. However, the first 5 episodes made me feel like I wasn't watching Star Wars as this series looked and felt significantly different from other Star Wars material. But if you can make it beyond Episode 5, you'd get a massive payoff.