Counselling is...

an adventure! :P

Adventure and Game

Heard of escape adventure games that have been appearing all over the island. Apparently they are real-life escape adventure games where for each game, a team of 2-10 players are locked in a room and must work together to escape from the room. There are many themes to choose from for the adventure games. Sounds like major fun. I can't wait to try one! :)

Seeing Stars

I am seeing stars with Interstellar which is a sci-fiction adventure movie! Lol :) For the geek in me, it is a pretty awesome movie and all seems really believable and possible! :) Wormhole, black hole, space travel, time (fourth dimension), gravity (fifth dimension), ... Can be pretty mind-boggling with all the science/ physics talk but really entertaining as well. If you are a sci-fi fan, you shouldn't miss Interstellar! 

Interstellar official trailer 3 (uploaded by Inerstellar Movie)

New Adventures Needed

I need new adventures! To read!! :)
I finished reading 8 books in the Event Group Adventure series by David Goleman in one and a half month. There is a 9th Event Group book but I can anticipate that I will finish it no time. I need to find other thriller/ adventure series to read. Ok, James Rollins has a new book out, The 6th Extinction but I still need new series to read so that I can be occupied while waiting for the new release(s) from my favourite series. :P

Recap

James Rollins' new book "The Eye of God", which is the latest in the Sigma Force series, was released in June. However, I cannot recall what had happened in "Bloodline" which was the previous novel in the Sigma Force series. No harm reading Bloodline again to recap so that I can read "The Eye of God". :)

Movie Time

The girls and I went to watch a movie as I promised to bring them to one during the school holidays. The girls initially wanted to watch "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" but they realised that it is PG13. So in the end, they chose to watch "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters". It is a nice family movie - there is enough action and humour to entice the children without being too violent. We enjoyed the movie, especially me because I have always loved Greek mythology. In fact, I love mythology of any kind - Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese, Scottish, Norse, Persian, Babylonian, Celtic, Welsh, ... :) 

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters trailer (uploaded by CieonMovies)

The Croods

My girls and I went to watch The Croods on Wednesday. It is a story about a prehistoric family whose only home they knew, "the cave" was destroyed and they had to embark on a journey to search for a new home across unfamiliar land, with an intelligent and innovative caveboy in tow. Besides lots of funny moments, there are educational moments as well as a sad moment or two. But don't worry, it is a cheerful movie. The Croods is a movie for everyone, regardless of age! :) It is entertaining, educational, funny, and ... Just Go and SEE IT! You won't regret it. :) 

The Croods trailer (uploaded by DreamworksAnimation)

The Croods official trailer 2 (uploaded by DreamworksAnimation)

The Croods official trailer 3 (uploaded by DreamworksAnimation)

The Blood Gospel by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell

I finally got my hands on The Blood Gospel, the first-ever collaboration between James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell. It is the first novel in The Order of the Sanguines series and only released recently on 8 January 2013! I better make sure my Kindle is fully charged so that I read through the night! Lol :)

The "An Unexpected Journey" is An Unexpected Thrill!

Just in case, the Mayan prediction came true, I went to watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D on IMAX yesterday. The Hobbit is just epic!! It blew my mind away. The duration of the movie was 2 hours and 50 minutes but it didn't feel that long. In fact, I wanted more!! 
I have heard of complaints about the movie being in 48fps (high frame rate) IMAX 3D, saying it's like watching tv. However, I beg to differ. I thought every image looks sharper and the details are amazing! Now I can't wait for the 2nd and 3rd installments of The Hobbit! 

 The Hobbit trailer 2 (uploaded by StreamingTrailer)

Here is also the other posts about The Hobbit that I have posted on 23 December 2011 and on 20 September 2012

The Hobbit II

I posted about The Hobbit and its trailer way back on 23 December 2011. Since then, there has been a change. Now, instead of two parts, The Hobbit will now be a trilogy - An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and There and Back Again (2014)! :) It is good that the movie will now last longer but the waiting would be painful too lol. What's also exciting is that a second trailer for The Hobbit has been released!! It coincides with Tolkien Week - the 75th anniversary of the release of JRR Tolkein's The Hobbit. :) 

 The Hobbit trailer 2 (uploaded by PromotingFilms)

I can't wait for The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey (part 1) to be released in December 2012!

Botanicula on Steam

I finished The Tiny Bang Story HD in less than 4 days lol. I found another game to play, Botanicula on Steam. It is a point and click kind of exploration game - a group of five friends (an acorn look-alike, a mushroom/ toadstool, a flying insect, etc) on a journey trying to save the last seed. My girls thought the characters are really adorable! :) I can't help smiling to myself whenever I play Botanicula lol.

 Botanicula trailer (uploaded by jdamanita)

Bloodline - Read!

I have finished reading Bloodline by James Rollins! It has only been less than 48 hours since I got the e-book and it was in between work, having meals and sleeping when I could read it. Rollins, as usual, has written another page-turner book that compels you to finish it. 

It is the usual team from the Sigma Force, with the addition of two new characters, a former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane. What's really interesting and unusual are the depth of these two new characters and the POV sections from Kane. Tucker and Kane definitely brought another new dimension to the novel. I hope to see more of them in future Sigma Force novels. :)

Bloodline is a non-stop thrill ride that just leaves you wanting more. Gosh, it is going to be such a LONG WAIT before the next Sigma Force book. That is the consequence of reading Rollins' books too quickly!

Bloodline by James Rollins

James Rollins has a new thriller out, Bloodline. It is the latest book in the SIGMA series. I can't wait to start reading it!! :)

Catching Up

I have been catching up with my reading. Haven't read a fiction book for ages. Took over six James Rollins books that my friend wanted to give away. Although I have my Kindle, nothing beats having a physical book in my hands and turning the pages eagerly one by one to find out what's next, especially adventure thrillers by James Rollins lol. Although I have read all of Rollins' thrillers, they still hold the same excitement as when I first read them.  I am having such a field day re-reading Rollins' thrillers! :) 

Buffy and Angel

We were at 313 Somerset for some dessert after our movie on Saturday. We happened to see Harris Planerds having a sale - 2 items get 20% off, 3 items get 30% off, ..., 6 items and more 60% off. That can be quite a substantial saving, especially when graphic novels and comics are not cheap. The girls and I went into the store to have a browse. I happened to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 and Angel Season 6 comics. Pretty thrilled to see the continuation of both series in comics after the end of their tv run. :) Oh, Jess Whedon was involved in the writing of both Buffy and Angel comics too. :) I bought the collected editions volumes 1-3, 5-7 of Buffy Season 8 and collected editions volumes 1-4 of Angel Season 6. It was a huge saving! Lol. However, I am still missing Buffy Season 8 volume 4 and 8 as well as Angel Season 6 volume 5. Hopefully Planerds will restock the missing volumes. :)

The Avengers 2012

WARNING: Contains spoilers for The Avengers. DO NOT READ if you haven't watched The Avengers and intend to do so. 

As promised, I brought my girls to watch The Avengers after Marieann's exams. It was a reward for the hard work put in by Marieann for her exams. We had an early lunch at 11am before watching the 11:50am show at Lido. We decided to just go for the digital version rather than the 3D version. Armed with sweet popcorn and a drink, we watched a wonderfully exciting 143 minutes of The Avengers! Jess Whedon is a genius! I have always loved the shows that he directed such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Angel (1999-2004), and Serenity (2005). Jess Whedon's brand of humour is definitely evident throughout the movie! :) 

We absolutely loved The Avengers! After the movie, the girls and I talked about the various scenes that we loved or found funny. There were plenty! The scene where Black Widow had a phone call while being "interrogated" by Russian general, the scene where Thor unwittingly gave Ironman 400% of energy, the scene where Thor defended his brother, Loki and then changed his mind to say Loki was adopted, the scene where the Black Widow got information out of Loki without him realising, the scene where Loki pointed his spear(?) against Tony Stark's chest and nothing happened, the scene where the police questioned Capt America's authority to give orders, the scene where the Hulk threw Loki around like a ragdoll, the scene where Capt America told the Hulk to smash, the scene where the Hulk roared and woke Ironman up, just to name a few lol. :P 

We managed to see the first post credit scene where the villain, Thanos for The Avengers 2 was revealed. Unfortunately I did not see the 2nd post credit scene even though I stayed till the end of the movie. Apparently, that scene is hilarious. The digital version doesn't have the 2nd post credit scene. Wonder if the 2D and the 3D versions have it. Maybe I should watch The Avengers again in 2D and 3D! I really don't mind haha. :P 

The Avengers is a great movie, full of action and adventure as well as humour. It doesn't matter if you are not a Marvel comic fan. The Avengers is entertainment for everyone.

Marvel's The Avengers Trailer (uploaded by MARVEL)

Marvel's The Avengers Trailer 2 (uploaded by MARVEL)

John Carter

We spoke to my nephews via Skype much earlier than usual today. Reason being my brother is taking them to the movies. They are going to watch "John Carter". Hey, that is one movie I am interested in watching. Boys, remember to tell 姑妈 if "John Carter" is good, ok? Maybe I will bring your cousins to watch it too. :)

(uploaded by DisneyMovieTrailers)

The Joe Ledger Trilogy by Jonathan Maberry

At the moment, I am reading a new trilogy by Jonathan Maberry. This is the first time I am reading his books and it is a blast reading Maberry's Joe Ledger novels! :) Both Patient Zero (Book 1) and The Dragon Factory (Book 2) are fast moving, gripping and intense with lots of action and excitement. His books kept me on the edge and made me just want to read on and on and on until the end. :)

Maybe while waiting for the 3rd book for this Joe Ledger trilogy, I will read Maberry's The Pine Deep trilogy. :)

Alice in Wonderland

The girls have been bugging me since the start of the March break to bring them to see "Alice in Wonderland". I finally brought them to see the movie this evening at Lido cinema.

We went for the 7pm show in 3D. The girls were thrilled as they had to put on the glasses to enjoy the 3D effect and also because I finally relented and bought them sweet popcorn. The girls were really good and sat through the 110 minutes movie. :) I think the 3D effects, the stunning visuals and the vivid colours all helped to capture their attention lol.

"Alice in Wonderland" gives a childhood story we are all familiar with, an imaginative and enchanting twist. It is set 13 years after Alice first fell into the rabbit hole. After Alice fell into the rabbit hole again, she met up with her friends - White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Her magical adventure begins as Alice finds a way to end the Red Queen's reign of terror along with finding her true destiny.

"Alice in Wonderland" is a delightful adventure, fantasy movie that is for everyone. We left the cinema with big smiles on our faces.

Here's the trailer for "Alice in Wonderland".

Alice In Wonderland - Theatrical Trailer #2 Movies & TV SPIKE.com

The girls like the song "Alice" by Avril Lavigne while I like the song "The Technicolour Phase" by Owl City from the movie.

Xena's Mama

The girls received toys with their MacDonald's Happy meals, a Sonic saucer which can be played like a Frisbee. Juliane has been playing with hers and the extra she got from Marieann's friend. She would throw them out like Xena's chakrams (the round killing things) with a loud war cry and followed by an announcement. After two day of this, I got fed up.

Juliane: Ahhh. I am Xena, Warrior Princess.
Marieann: Mama, she hit me.
Me: Want to see Xena's mama go after Xena with a cane?
Juliane: Got? Afterwards on TV at 4pm, is it?
Marieann: (Howling with laughter)
Juliane: (puzzled) Why is Jie Jie laughing?
Me: (to Juliane) You Xena?
Juliane: Yes, I am Xena, Warrior Princess.
Me: So I am Xena's MAMA!
Juliane: Hahaha!
Me: So want to see Xena's mama go after Xena with a cane?
Juliane: OH! NOooooooooooooooo! (ran off)

I think she has gotten the idea and hopefully she stops pretending to be Xena lol.

PS I think I am quite happy that the girls have similar tastes as I do. We won't have to fight over what to watch. They are now both watching the re-runs of Buffy, Charmed and Xena. Hahaha. :P