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Adrian's Nook will be on hiatus for a bit. You'll know why when I resume blogging. Adios amigos :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JJ!!!

JJ's our Control & Instrumentation Engineer over here in Abu Dhabi and yesterday, the guy celebrated his b'day. He turned 26 years young. The ice cream cake was from Baskin Robbins and it was DELISH. Simply perfect to be enjoyed on a warm summer night.

Coincidentally, I was just chatting with wifey before that and mentioned how I was craving for some Baskin Robbins ice cream. Lo and behold ... sometimes you do get what you wish for huh. Let's hope my lifelong yearning to hit the lottery jackpot will be a reality too :p

Happy Many Returns buddy. Go have a good one!

She's Out Of My League

Another 'revenge of the nerd' kinda movie where your typical skinny nerdy, looking guy, Kirk (Jay Baruchel) ends up with the hot chick (Alicia Eve). The noticable difference is that the girl actually fell for the guy first. She dumped the typical jock who cheated on her and then went for a safer bet with Kirk since she assumed that falling for a loser wouldn't allow her to get hurt.

Although Kirk initally appears to be one of the many geeks on the block ... but as the audience gets to know him better ... he does somehow emanate a certain sense of goofy warmth that you can't help but to like the dude. How often do you get a guy who confesses to a girl that he prematurely ejaculated while they're in the midst of making out and the girl's parents and sister just so happen to walk in on them. And then there's his family and buddies who constantly talk down to him resulting in this geek having self esteem problems.


It's a good watch ... a movie that'll make those who have never found love realize what they're missing out on. Bless those who have found and lost love ... a hope that there's indeed someone for everyone and finally, cause those who are already in love to miss their love ones. I know I do ...


A word of advice ... avoid watching it in the local cinema where all the vulgar words and actions are 'beeped' by the good people working in the cencorship board. Don't they just suck the fun out of everything. Get the director's cut on blu-ray, cuddle up with your partner on the sofa and share a tub of Ben n Jerry's. Enjoy ...

I love it when a RIDICULOUS plan comes together!!!

Being a Project Planner, naturally I'm paid to plan ... ensuring the progress matches the schedule and within the allocated budget.

But no way in hell I could've come up with plans like the ones showcased in this year's 80s remake of ... The A-Team. From the get go, this action packed flick fills the audiences with an adrenaline overdose with over-the-top helicopter chase scenes, wild explosions, crazy bust ups and oh yea ... loads of ammo action. OH WHAT A RUSH!!!

Simply listening to the original theme tune reminisced a silly grin from this blogger's face. Too bad the iconic bad-ass van only made a cameo appearence before being 'pan-caked' as what Baracus a.k.a Mr.T mentioned in the film. Pity the fool! Haha.

The Alpha Team, led by Col. John 'Hannibal' Smith (Liam Neeson) exuded an electrifying sense of cool and macho at the same time. Liam was zen-ed in Star Wars, then blinged in Clash of The Titans ... but here ... this is where I think he played his best ever role for as long as I can remember. A deadly combination of brain and brawn ... I like!

Bradley Cooper from The Hangover re-lived the role of Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck. The 'eye candy' of the movie, Brad certainly put in impressive effort in buffing up his physique for the camera. Am sure the ladies will appreciate it. :p

Bosco A. Baracus was played by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. The producers certainly are keeping it real by casting a UFC fighter for this role. I couldn't stand it though when B.A. turned his intimidating mohawk into a sissi-ed afro. Luckily that didn't last too long. Haha.

Finally, Sharlto Copley is 'Howling Mad' Murdock ... the literally insane aviation specialist ... from flying choppers to Hercules ... it ain't a problem for this lunatic pilot.

Oh and then there's Jessica Biel as Capt. Charisa Sosa ... also the love interest of Faceman and the baddies in question are Agent Lynch, the double crossing CIA agent (Patrick Wilson from Watchmen) and Col. Pike of the Black Forest platoon (Brian Bloom).

While lacking in quality script writing ... it more than makes up for it in sufficient humourous punchlines. I mean you can't really expect to appreciate Shakespearean mumbo jumbo admist all the explosions no? :p Come on!!! ... it's all about the CRASH BOOM BANG bebeh.


To put it simply, our heroes are celebrated war soldiers who were set-up, betrayed and court marshalled. They broke out of prison with the help of the baddie (who of course have their personal agenda) and set out to clear their good names. Oh and have I mentioned that certain scenes were bordering the absurd???!!! I mean have you ever seen someone 'flying' a tank?! Anyways ... after firing countless amounts of ammo and blowing up enough explosives to make the Gulf War look like a sad New Year fireworks display ... the baddies were either caught or annihilated BUT ... our heroes were arrested again *Boo Hoo* ... and ... the broke out AGAIN!!! Haha ... let the good times roll yo!

Thumbs up ... 7.5/10.


The original ...

Not a good day ...

Just one of those days where nothing falls into place and you end up with a crazy urge to slam and bury your head into the wall.

Expectations ... I still can't handle them well. Being sucked helplessly into it and then being tormented by it. This emotional turmoil has blinded my eyes so I'm lost in the dark. It gagged my mouth so I couldn't call out for help. And it binded my hands and feet so I couldn't run away.

Let's hope I'll wake up to a better day ...

I Bought A HARLEY DAVIDSON!!!

Ok, so it may not be what you had in mind ... but I wasn't bluffing :p

Hehe ... my first Harley ...


I needed it cause my current pair is going into retirement ... the frame was chipped, the colour is fading in patches and most importantly ... my power increased a tiny bit. Sighhh ...

Also hor, wifey complained that my current pair's design is too 'fancy' ... very Ah Beng-ish were her exact words. Let's hope she approve this one. :p

Have you found your knight?

I'm a fan! :)

This is one sad family

First off, let me just say this ... if you want to watch a movie that'll make you laugh till the the fizzies ooze out of your nostrils, then you simply must set a date for Death At A Funeral.

Headed by a galore of big Tinsletown stars, this remake of the 2007 movie by the same name had this blogger in stitches from beginning till the very end. We have Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Regina Hall, James Marsden and Zoe Saldana just to name a few. Now isn't the cast list impressive enough for you to shut off your com ... like right now ... and head on to catch this 'dramedy'???

Aaron (Chris Rock) is your average hardworking day to day tax accountant whose father happen to passed on. So as the eldest in the family, he took it upon himself to arrange a proper funeral for his ol' man at the family home and to deliver the eulogy. You then have Ryan (Martin Lawrence), Aaron's younger brother (by 9 months to be exact) ... a successful author who flies in first class with his LV suitcases and blings. As the 'writer' in the family, everyone looks up to him despite him having massive character flaws ... an all around scumbag who tries to get his elder brother to pay for everything but yet hogging the limelight whenever possible. *Hmmm ... I do know of certain individuals sharing these same lousy traits but that's a story for another day :p*


Loretta playing the grieving widow is constantly giving stick to her daughter-in-law (Regina Hall) for not giving her any grandchildren as yet. Elaine (Zoe Saldana) is Aaron's cousin and she is bringing her nervous boyfriend (James Marsden) to this funeral to announce their marriage to her father who just happen to dislike the white boy to the core. To calm his anxiety, she fed him with acid mistaking it for valium causing the poor guy to go on a hallucinating high. I must add that James was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS in his role. I swear I split my spleen each time he comes on screen. :D


Danny Glover is the wheel-chair-bound-eternally-pissed-off-grumpy brother of the deceased while the perpetually annoying Derek (Luke Wilson) has a mad crush on Elaine and wouldn't stop pursuing her. Tracy Morgan is a family friend who ended up with Danny Glover's faeces all over his hands and face. That was one of the funniest part of the movie *LOL*

Who else have I missed out??? Oh and there's a dwarf who appeared at the funeral to blackmail both Aaron and Ryan for a cool 30,000 dollars. The reason for his actions ... well, it's best you watch it for yourself to find out ... wouldn't wanna spoil it for you eh. :p


Reminiscing the movie is forcing uncontrollable chukcles outta me as I'm typing out this entry. A word of advise though ... skip watching this at the local theater. Get the uncut version on DVD because the language is most colourful but it's this boorish script-writing that made the movie so uproariously funny. So what are you waiting for???!!! GO ALREADY!!!

Marriage ... Give it your best shot!!!

Let's get straight to it ... sweet innocent girl (Katherine Heigl) just got dumped by her nerdy boyfriend and went on vacation with her parents played by Mr. Moustache from Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara who's paired with some sorta booze in EVERY scene she's in. In scenic Nice, our heroine meets hunky hunk, Spencer (Mr. Demi Moore a.k.a Ashton Kutcher). They fell in love, badabingbadabang ... it all led to a very swift marriage. The happy couple went on to have 3 kids, a Golden Retriever and everyone lived happily ever after ... NOT!!!

As it turns out, Mr.Perfect isn't exactly a consultant as he claims to be but a professional hired assasin for some government agency. Anyways, since he's got a wife now, our hero decided to quit his job and happily plant his roots. He went on to be an actual building consultant ... yea, one of those white collared guys going around with huge drawing plans of houses / buildings etc.

For three years, they lived the perfect couple's life settling down in a very family oriented suburban neighbourhood where picket fences and block parties are all the rage. He drives a pick-up and she ... a Volvo convertible. Ahhh blissssss ...


As the saying goes, everything good has to come to an end and that day started with Spencer getting a call from his former boss bout another 'job'. He duly declined and soon began to have everyone he knew trying to blow his head off. These included his colleagues, neighbours, the delivery guy, his wife's best friend etc. Kinda absurd when you think about it ... cause all these people are supposedly hired killers as well and have been keeping a close tab on this couple for the past 3 years or so. And now .. with a 20 million dollars bounty on Spencer's head, it's time for them to act. Loads of gun action for the adrenaline junkie. Bang bang bang!!! Oh and Usher had a 2 minute cameo as a K-Mart employee. :p

I enjoyed the hilarious bits inserted here and there as the couple dodge bullets while discovering the truth that had been hidden before. I'm not going divulge bout the ending as it may spoil it for those who are intending to go watch this. I'm just nice like that! :)

So there you go, a comedy about a couple who try to save their marriage and at the same time ... their lives. It's this kinda flick that this blogger enjoy on his day off. Now shoo!!!

The night run ...

I stared at my runners ... still soaked from yesterday’s sweat, I hesitated putting them on. The body is exhausted … every fibre of every muscle screaming for some much needed R & R. The mind’s utterly chaotic. Countless thoughts zig-zagging in a crazy frenzy ... none of em’ pleasant.

I strapped on what used to be a pair of lightning blue NB ... now mostly grey from months of unwashed dirt, dust and perspiration. By the time I double knotted the laces, my fresh pair of socks had already started to soak up that putrid dampness. Oh how I despise summertime in the desert.

It has been hours since the moon was peaking high amongst the clouds and yet the surrounding exuded an intense humidity ... burdening the lungs to circulate air at an uncomfortable rate. I stretched ... lengthening my limbs until I feel the familiar ‘click’ of the joints. Elongating the neck, first to the right, then left, then down and finally up ... I spotted night moths fluttering rapidly around the nearest streetlight.

I thumbed the center button on my Ipod and it took 2 seconds before the opening of Sweet Child O Mine started blaring on my headphones. Beads of sweat started forming on my forehead as I heaved a heavy sigh and began my run.

The trashing of the guitars and the crashing of the percussions was deafening and yet they complimented the frantic on-goings in my head well. The music helped possess my legs and paced my strides. As usual, I tried to adopt a tunnel vision ... picking out a certain object in front of me as a target for me to reach. Once there, I simply pick another one ahead. Usually, it’s either a palm tree or a traffic light. This time however, it was a pedestrian, an obese local Arab in a red t-shirt. For reasons unexplained, a loathsome sentiment towards this individual, unknown to me surged out of nowhere. The pedestrian pathway was narrow, barely able to accommodate two regular sized passing people, let alone one who is obese. I dashed ahead and at the very last minute, the local moved aside ... allowing me to pass by.

As I tried to suppress the agitation that was beginning to build up from within, there was silence as the song ended. I hear the familiar whoosh of fleeting vehicles as a Chevy zoomed by, inches away from me. A silent curse escaped from my lips just as the Teriyaki Boys began pounding my ears with the ever catchy Tokyo Drift.

I can literally feel the immense beatings of my heart as if it’s trying to break free from its dungeon that is my ribcage. Working in overload, it sole duty is to pump crimson fluid to every part of my body but its hypnotic pulsations also serve as how a metronome would benefit a pianist.

My attire completely drenched, it wasn’t long before sweat started stinging my eyes. I squeezed my eyelids tight in the hope of expelling the swelter that’s causing this excruciating twinge. It took a while before the hurt went away. Soon after, the familiar ache on my left knee started to disrupt my running tempo. I upped the music’s volume and stubbornly pushed harder. My logic is to simply use one pain to cancel out the other.

36 minutes later, I reached my finish line. I was panting furiously ... naturally practicing open mouthed breathing to inhale in as much oxygen as I possibly could.

Slugging myself to the makeshift ‘gym’ in the villa, I lay down on my Weider Crunch Trainer ... pausing a few moments to recollect myself. I gain a sense of satisfaction as I see sweat being emanated from its glands. Better out than in as Shrek would have said. I proceeded with my crunches with the aim of gaining the prized washboard abs ... the very same ones I lost when I stopped teaching classes in the gym years ago. The only motivation I had was from LL Cool J’s Control Myself.

With that done, I positioned both palms solidly on the marble floor and using my body as natural weights, I did my push ups. On the 40th effort, I allowed myself to slam onto the floor as I remained in such a state for the next 1 minute or so.

As I stood, I picked up two dumbbells weighing 5 kilos each. They belonged to a colleague who appreciated them no more. So it’s up to me to ensure they don’t go lying around collecting dust. I did 75 reps ... alternating between both arms. By the time I was done, the popping bicep vein was most prominent. This is my reward.

I abide by the teaching that we must lengthen after we strengthen. So despite being on the verge of collapsing there and then, I performed my regular stretches before hitting the shower.

To feel the highly pressurised water droplets beating on your back ... it is a 'massage' of sorts I appreciatively savour after each run. I imagine it washing away all of my fatigue into the bath tub’s drain hole ... it’s a silly yet refreshing thought I reserve for myself.

And you know what, I'd do the whole thing again tomorrow just as I have been doing it everyday for the past 2 years. Try and catch up ... if you can.

Biting the hand that feeds you ...

As a general rule of thumb, we were taught never to bite the hand that feeds you. Doing so would invoke unendearing terms casted upon oneself such as ungrateful, non appreciative yada yada yada ...

My question is what happens when the hand that feeds you is also the very same hand that drives the knife into your back?

It really is very exhausting to fight and fight and fight for the company only to see the company turning around to take what is rightfully belongs to you. It's akin to a soldier coming back from battle only to have salt poured into its wounds. I don't expect rewards of any kind apart from what was contractually agreed upon but coming in to rob me of my dues after all the effort I put in???!!! ... now that's hitting below the belt and this blogger would not tolerate it.

It's kinda pathetic when I think about it ... utilizing my resources to fight the company instead of fighting for it.

Many might disagree with my actions ... you may say I'm selfish or even silly but being where I am now ... I am all I have ... it's every man for himself in every sense of the word. So it's going to be an all out war. The guns are all ablazing ... now I just need to pull the trigger.

I want to ... I need to!!!

ARGHHHH ... I so badly wanted to rant bout this a**hole. So many things I wished I could say to his face and my language would be most colourful too. Sighhh ... still thinking if I should. The nerve he has to be THIS BLOODY INCONSIDERATE!!! *PULLS HAIR IN FRUSTRATION!!!*

I can now so relate to those trigger happy sickos who goes on a shooting rampage. I'd relish the satisfaction in emptying the entire magazine of bullets on his face. *BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!*