Hannah Montana the Movie

Synopsis: Miley Cyrus struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret popstar persona. But when Hannah Montana's soaring popularity threatens to take over her life - she just might let it. So her father, Billy Ray Cyrus takes the teen home to Crowley Corners, Tennesse, for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn't imagine. [Source: Yahoo! Singapore Movies]

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Typical "celebrity kick back to reality" plot, where Hannah gets a dose of being an average joe where no one recognise her as she withdrew from the limelight to go back to her traditional hometown where commercialism is much resisted by the townfolks. To spice things up a bit, the director inserted some romance scene for Hannah to find during her short stay in the town. No doubt, the movie did contains some nice songs that are quite nice. I would recommend this movie for the songs aired but definitely not for the plot.

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Rate: 3.5/5

Angels and Demons

Synopsis: Adapted from the novel "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown, the film follows the story of Robert Langdon, a well-known Harvard symbologist investigating a murder victim, branded with the Illuminati ambigram. Following his investigation, he soon discovers that a cult group is on a trail to murder four cardinals and destroy the St. Peter's Basilica during a papal gathering. [Source: Yahoo! Singapore Movies]

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Suspense, thriller, mystery and excitement, you named it, you have it. Just as exciting as the book itself, Dan Brown has managed to work around history and religion once more to craft out this exciting plot. If you have not read the book before, you will probably love this movie. However if you have, there will not be much of suspense and mystery as you would have already knew the ending. What the show can offer is the view of nice churches and scenery around Italy's Rome and the Vatican City. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

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Rate: 3.5/5

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Synopsis: Ben Stiller returns to the role of the unfortunate night watchman, Larry Daley who continues to encounter the living and breathing museum exhibits. This adventure takes the action to Washington D.C., where things at the Smithsonian aren't quite as quiet as one might think. [Source: Yahoo! Singapore Movies]

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Ben Stiller continues his encounter with the living museum exhibits in this second installation of the series. Though the humor is still there, however, I feel that the whole movie is in need of a new direction. Capitalizing on the same concept again and again is not going to draw the audience to part with their money to watch the show. Unless the producers decides to bring in fresh ideas, a third series (if there is) is doom to fail. An average movie at best to pass your time.

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Rate: 3/5

Australia Day 8 - Free & Easy Day

Day 8 - I and *mds* second last day in Australia. We decided to tour around the places that we had miss out the day before when Joanne and Wei Khoon was showing us around. Our first stop was a visit to their LG Imax for some 3D actions!! With that experience on hand, Ice Age 3 now seem like a good try to catch it in 3D in Singapore. =)Next up was a visit to the Sydney Fish Market, where the daily catches are sold directly to the public. This is the place where the seafood are the freshest and the arrays of different types and kinds of sea creatures you can ever imagine can be found here!! Most of the food sold are either deep fried in oil or oven baked with cheese. Although they are super unhealthy, but, they are nice!

Next up was a visit to the Paddy's market to shop for some local produces and souvenirs. All the items on display here are considered to be relatively cheap compared to other places in Sydney. So...if you want to have some good deals, you will know where to look. An interesting shop that we came across that are selling only abalones, which are really gigantic!!!

All in all, we had fun in Australia, with the theme park in Gold Coast and the beautiful places in Sydney. If the weather is kind enough, it would be better. Thanks again Joanne and wei Khoon for giving us a ride to the airport~ =)

Australia Day 7 - Sydney Tour

*mds* and I woke up to a chilly morning to meet up with Joanne and Wei Khoon for a 1 day tour around Sydney. As our hotel (Y Hyde Park Hotel) is conveniently located in the central Sydney area such that most of the attractions are all within walking distance, we decided to start our exploration by foot. First stop: Circular Quay and The Rocks. Below is a map showing the Central Sydney and the attractions that we are possibly going to explore!
The Sydney Opera House across the mini channel

This is the Farmer's market where the farmers around Sydney gather every weekend to sell their products. Some of the items on sale include wines, jams, bread and handicrafts. I have expected the shops available in the market to be on a bigger scale, possibly around the ones I have seen in USA where there are around thirty to forty shops, unlike here, where there is only around 15 shops available. We finished grossing though the whole place in less than half an hour.

A tour around where the immigrants are housed during the pre-history of Australia in 1800s.

Our lunch of the day: Pancakes on the Rock

Hot pancakes mixed with heavenly chocolate ice-cream and specially in-house maple syrup! Delicious =)

After lunch, we proceed to explore around the Sydney CBD area. The picture above is taken inside the Queen Victoria Building, where all the high scale boutiques are located.

I forgot what this building is called, it is either the Town Hall or St Andrew Cathedral.

I speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil. =)

The Market City, where the Paddy Market is located. In there, you can find all the things that you need. Souvenirs, local products, towels, jackets and even nuts all at bargain price!

The LG IMAX, a 3D experience that you have never experience before.

This is the Pyrmont Bridge located in the Cockle Bay inside the Darling Harbour. The day that we came, they are celebrating the Darling Harbour 21st Anniversary. Expect lots of fireworks and nice performances starting in the evening.

Do you believe if I say that this is supposed to be a bowling alley + pool entertainment center? Looks like they are throwing a party here, where beer and chips are everywhere. If only Singapore has such services. Hah.

Our dinner for the day: pork and lamb ribs at the Hurricane Grill. Guaranteed 100% full if you managed to finish the whole stack of ribs!

The night scene of Darling Harbour

And the celebration of Darling Harbour 21st Anniversary is underway! =)

Thank you again to Joanne and Wei khoon for sparing their time to show us around the wonderful Sydney~ =)

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Australia Day 6 - To the suburb: Homebush!!

It was rise and shine again early in the morning to catch the train to go to the factory outlet located in Homebush. As the shops in Australia closed rather early in the day (10am - 7pm), no time must be lost if we ever wanted to visit all the shops located in the outlet. Based on our past experiences in USA, this will probably take up a whole day. A picture of the Homebush train platform. It was simple and equipped with just the bare minimum facilities. Even the time where they announced the arrival of the train was all done by turning the minute and hour hands of the clock by hand!!

Believe it or not, there was no gantry located in this station, so literally, you can ride the train for free, unless you are caught by the train inspector or you found yourself stuck behind the gantry at your destination. =p

A plan view of all the shops located in the factory outlets. At last, this outlet have a shop that sells some decent food that is really Chinese!

One interesting fact: Although Giordano is considered the average apparel brand in Singapore, but in Australia, they are branded!! However, sadly, most of the branded shops that we went into sell clothes that we considered are really not that cheap (unlike USA, they can be rather cheap, going as low as US$10 a piece, but no such thing here...) Even the Ralph Lauren only sells polo tees that are plain!! Where is their strips?? At the end of the day, my only haul is a long sleeve shirt from Timberland at AUD$50.

Australia Day 5 - Back to Sydney

After 2 days of thrilling adventures exploring Gold Coast, it is time again to pack our luggage to head back to Sydney. Since Gold Coast is widely known for their beautiful beaches and the sea, my *mds* and I decided to head down to the beach nearest to our hotel to catch a sunrise before our return flight. Too bad that we did not manage to see the sun slowly rising due to the clouds at the horizon, but nevertheless, the view present before us was beautiful. If the weather had not been so cold in the morning and if that incident did not happened, I think we would have enjoy the experience more.

The Coolangatta Airport. (It looks extremely alike to our budget terminal right??) In addition, there is no eateries inside the airport!! =(

The Jetstar plane carrying us back to Sydney. Now with the recent Brazil air disaster, better check the model of the plane you are boarding.....

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The ANZAC War Memorial

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Archibald Fountain

New South Wales State Library

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The iconic Sydney Opera House

Circular Quay

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When one has reached the Sydney Opera House, how can one walked away without catching a show in the opera house? After reviewing all the available options, my *mds* and I decided to catch this drama entitled: "When the Rain Stops Falling". Below is the Synopsis of the drama:

"2039. Fish are a rarity, almost extinct. Rainfall is incessant. The planet has been ravaged by generations of abuse. The scars left by our ancestors are deep, marking the environment and humanity itself.
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Crossing continents and spanning four generations of one family, When The Rain Stops Falling delves into the past and reaches into the future, bringing to light the enduring impact of collective and individual actions.
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It starts with a phone call. Gabriel York’s estranged son, Andrew, has contacted him. He wants to visit. He wants to know his father; to discover why he abandoned his own son. Andrew will not find the answers to his questions but as the stories of his ancestors are played out, the terrible history of his family unravels.
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In this epic play, Andrew Bovell (Lantana, Scenes from a Separation, Holy Day) weaves a complex web of secrets, lies, misplaced loyalty and betrayal. This work re-affirms Bovell’s place as a remarkable chronicler of the Australian experience and one of our greatest story tellers.
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When The Rain Stops Falling was acclaimed as the theatrical hit of last year’s Adelaide Festival, bewitching audiences with its intelligence and multi-layered brilliance. Sydney Theatre Company proudly presents this astonishing Brink production in the Drama Theatre of Sydney Opera House for a strictly limited season from 7 May 2009. "

We managed to get the ticket at AUD30 each because the two of us are considered to be students!! How nice of the counter salesperson!!

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By the time the drama ended, it was already quite late. We hastily walked back to our hotel as the streets in Sydney (to me) are not very safe. You can see people high on alcohol, blabbering nonsense and doing obscene acts (urinating on the streets). As we get ready to rest for the night, tomorrow will be an adventure to the Direct Factory Outlet at Homebush for more shopping actions at cheap price!! =)