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Genre: Comedy caper
Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe, Casey Affleck, Stephen Henderson, Judd Hirsch, Michael Peña and Alan Alda
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Writers: Adam Cooper & Bill Collage, Russell Gewirtz, Rawson Marshall Thurber, Ted Griffin, Leslie Dixon,
Noah Baumbach, Jeff Nathanson
Produced by: Brian Grazer, Eddie Murphy
Executive Producers: Kim Roth, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Bill Carraro

Movie Synopsis:

Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in Tower Heist, a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them.

Queens native Josh Kovacs (Stiller) has managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured residences in New York City for more than a decade. Under his watchful eye, nothing goes undetected. In the swankiest unit atop Josh’s building, Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) is under house arrest after being caught stealing two billion from his investors. The hardest hit among those he defrauded? The tower staffers whose pensions he was entrusted to manage.

With only days before Arthur gets away with the perfect crime, Josh’s crew turns to petty crook Slide (Murphy) to plan the nearly impossible…to steal what they are sure is hidden in Arthur’s guarded condo. Though amateurs, these rookie thieves know the building better than anyone. Turns out they’ve been casing the place for years, they just didn’t know it.

Movie Review:

Tower Heist looks set to be promising by starring two comedy titans, Ben Stiller (Josh Kovaks) and Eddie Murphy (Slide), but the movie falls a little short of expectations. The plot is dull in the beginning and picks up the momentum when Josh starts laying out his plans to steal back the embezzled money. Together with the rest of the gang of ‘thieves’, including Slide, the exciting part is watching them steal a Ferrari sports car made out of gold, from Arthur Shaw’s apartment. With some humour injected throughout the movie, Tower Heist is the movie to watch if you’ve got some spare cash in your pocket.

Thanks UIP Singapore and omy.sg for the movie invite!

Dear friends and readers, Singapore Food and Fun blog, missuschewy, is taking part in the DELISHED Food Blogger Award 2011 contest!

If you have been following my blog closely and enjoy what you read in my regular reviews and updates, please vote for missuschewy here! You might need to ‘Like’ Delished’s facebook page first to get started. All I need is just ONE vote from each of you and I promise it will not take up more than one minute of your time! Voting ends on 13 November. Thanks for supporting, everyone! Muackz! 😀

With a total of 126 featured writers lined up to participate in 177 programmes guided by the overarching Transaction theme, Singapore Writers Festival 2011 (SWF) is ready to add a bustle of literary activity to the vibrant Bras Basah arts district. Organised by the National Arts Council, this year’s edition of the festival will take place from 22nd to 30th October 2011 and aims to reach out to a broad and diverse audience.

SWF 2011 Programme Line-Up
To reach out to broad audiences, the SWF 2011 programme line-up comprises Festival Pass events, ticketed and free events.

Festival Pass Events
At $15 each, the newly-introduced Festival Pass grants access to close to 90 Panel discussions, In Conversation With, as well as Meet-the-Author, Screenwriter events and the Musee d’Orsay Readings.

Panel topics range from serious dialogues on the art of political biography by Irene Ng, Ooi Kee Beng and Asad Latif; politics and society with Andrey Kurkov, Yang Lian and Catherine Lim; to light-hearted subjects such as humour in writing by Tom Cho and Neil Humphreys; writing as therapy with Francois Lelord and Joe Haldeman as well as those focused on the literary craft such as writing across cultures with Kunal Basu, Meira Chand, Justin Hill and Dawn Farnham; and a closer look at the short story form with F Sionil Jose, Dave Chua and Jeffrey Lim. One highlight panel is “You can write too” featuring television celebrities Jeanette Aw and Edmund Chen, with reformed gangster Joshua Foo and creativity guru Fredrik Haren.

Other topics tabled for discussion include a celebration of contemporary poetry by Marc Nair, Chris Mooney-Singh and Cheran; trends in Chinese Fiction writing by Murong Xuecun and Xi Ni’Er (Chia Hwee Pheng); Singapore’s literary heritage with Robert Yeo and Andrew Koh; writing about China with Frank Dikotter, Yang Lian and Chong Yuan Chien; and measuring happiness with Kari Nars, Francois Lelord and Nattavudh Powdthavee.

In Conversation With presents the pairing of two authors for more intimate discussion sessions. These include, one of Singapore’s literary pioneers Edwin Thumboo and England’s former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion on writing poetry; Noor Hasnah Adam in conversation with Fira Basuki on what inspires the two young female writers writing in Malay and Indonesian; and the curious pairing of Brian Thacker, a humorous travel writer, in conversation with popular philosopher, Julian Baggini.

In this year’s Meet-the-Author sessions, the audience will have the opportunity to hear from popular Indonesian author Putu Wijaya discussing the secret of writing across several genres, Chong Wing Hong on the trials and triumphs of writing in Chinese in modern Singapore, Nicholas Hasluck’s reflection on his literary and legal careers, Kari Nars about greed and the world’s greatest fraudsters’ ploys, and award-winning author and diplomat Vikas Swarup on writing Q&A, the novel that was adapted into the blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire.

The Musee d’Orsay Readings are two special evenings of literary performances at the National Museum of Singapore. Set against the best impressionist art from the Musee d’Orsay which rarely leave France, the two evenings promise to leave you marvelling at the beauty of words and visual arts.

Finally, showcasing how words are transformed into film is a number of Screenwriter events featuring Lee Shinho, Bi Feiyu, Hao Yu-Hsiang, Michael Chabon and Prabda Yoon.

Other Ticketed Events
In addition to the previously announced SWF Publishing Symposium, a two-day seminar on the world of publishing and writing, as well as the newly-introduced SWF Lectures series with Steven Levitt, Bi Feiyu and Michael Chabon, a number of other affordable ticketed events will form part of this year’s festival.

Workshops & Master Classes
Budding authors should sharpen their pencils in anticipation of Workshops and Master Classes by established writers from a spectrum of disciplines. For example, screenwriting buffs can learn about the importance of plot, characters, research, pacing, and dramatic effectiveness from Lee Shinho, while Grandmaster of Science Fiction writing, Joe Haldeman, will share the fundamentals of writing a compelling science fiction novel.

Literary Meals
The Literary Meals programme offers a rare opportunity to dine with your favourite authors – distinguished poet and writer, Andrew Motion; author of Q&A, Vikas Swarup; food memoir writer Cheryl Tan; contemporary Chinese author Yang Lian; and British philosopher Julian Baggini – in an intimate group setting at The Arts House restaurants.

Literary Tours
Set against the backdrop of The National Museum of Singapore’s History Gallery exhibition areas, Literary Tours are a visual and literary feast that will connect audiences with Singapore’s history through readings and performances of poems and literary works by famous Singapore writers of yesteryear and today including Edwin Thumboo, Robert Yeo, Alvin Pang, Ting Kheng Siong, and Mohamed Latiff Mohamed.

Free Events
Finally, many SWF activities remain available for all to enjoy without charge. To cultivate the next generation of readers, a series of Little Lit! activities have been catered specifically to kids and families. These range from a hands-on session with Singaporean authors Adeline Foo and Eliza Teoh, who will share tips on how to write interesting diary entries, to a Mandarin reading by celebrity and Chinese children’s book author Edmund Chen on the importance of being eco-aware.

SWF 2011 will also show its support for the industry by opening itself as a platform for authors to launch new titles. Brand New Books will see the launch of A Daughter Remembers by Ho Minfong, a memoir by her late mother, Li Lienfung; and Coast, a mono-titular anthology from indie bookshop and publisher BooksActually.

In addition, Off the Page features programmes that cross disciplines such as an exhibition of literary-themed art installations by Donna Ong, Vertical Submarine and Thai artist Torlarp Larpjaroensook at various sites in and around the Singapore Art Museum. Off the Page will also see diverse outdoor performances at SMU’s Big Steps amphitheatre. They include poetry slams, tongue-in-cheek readings, showcases of Singapore songwriters and original music, an exhibition debating match between students from Singapore Management University (SMU) and Nanyang Technological University as well as story-telling sessions.

Finally, one special collaboration in SWF2011 is ‘PasSAGES’ – a unique community project which matched eight Singapore writers with residents in a hospice and old-age home to unearth personal stories that would have otherwise gone unheard. The project will culminate in a reading and sharing session during the Festival with selected short stories published online on the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore.

Festival passes and tickets are available for purchase at www.sistic.com.sg (Literary Meals tickets may be purchased at The Arts House or on www.bytes.sg). For regular updates on Festival programmes and ticketing details, literature fans and interested public can visit the Festival website at www.singaporewritersfestival.com.

Click here to ‘Like’ SWF’s facebook page! 🙂

Since young, I have always enjoyed eating wanton noodles apart from other local favorites such as chicken rice and hokkien mee. The then boyfriend introduced Fei Fei Wanton Mee King to me sometime in June this year when we were looking around for a place to have supper. He was appalled that I had not tried Fei Fei, which is his favorite, and insisted that I should give it a try. So is Fei Fei the BEST in Singapore? You know, the word ‘best’ is really subjected to individual taste preferences and in my books, Fei Fei is indeed the best of all the wanton noodles that I have eaten.

Please note that Fei Fei is situated along Joo Chiat Place and not Joo Chiat Road. It can get pretty frustrating if you end up at the wrong place, especially when you are taking a public transport and have to walk in. Also, another interesting point to note is that there is also another Fei Fei just across the street! Can somebody enlighten me on this?

Wanton Noodles ($2.50 – small, $3.50 – big)

The noodles are remarkably different from the usual mee kia. Appearance wise, they are relatively lighter in color. The egg noodles are dry and I suggest dribbling a spoonful of soup all over before stirring. Some people say that the treasures are hidden below the noodles (yup all you see is just noodles when they serve it to you) but I think otherwise. The wantons are quite miserable, being on the puny side but I say that the springy, chewy noodles make up for this. They are thin and have a very good bite which is similar to most types of ramen noodles. A spoonful of red chilli sauce gives the noodles an extra kick, not exactly in a very spicy way but it was enough to add flavor to the noodles. Nowadays I find myself craving for Fei Fei’s wanton noodles.

Fei Fei Wanton Mee King
72 Joo Chiat Place
Tel: 6440 5013

Opening Hours:
24 hours daily except Thursdays

This August, KU DÉ TA Singapore launches a campaign to engage brides-to-be for a night out, KU DÉ TA style.

KU DÉ TA Singapore is looking for a lucky winner to win an exclusive Bachelorette Party experience at KU DÉ TA for each month.

Stand to win:
…o Dedicated E-invite created by the KU DÉ TA creative team.
o VIP Table at SkyDeck for a party of up to 20 ladies.
o Complimentary Louis Roederer Brut Premier magnum.
o Complimentary tray of apple shooters.
o Bachelorette Party sweet treats with compliments from Chef Jerry Bastien, Pastry Chef KU DÉ TA.
o Customised KU DÉ TA Bachelorette Party favours.

To enter, brides-to-be are invited to submit a picture with their party group and a short comment about the group, theme and why it’ll be fun to have a party at KU DÉ TA.

Winners will be chosen from the 3 entries with the most likes, brides-to-be are encouraged to campaign for “likes” for their entry to win the ultimate Bachelorette Party experience. The draw for winning group will be conducted at the end of the month.

E-mail all entries to rsvp@kudeta.com.sg, announcement of winner will be on 31 Aug, 12noon.

On Saturday, I was invited to a special preview of the latest horror action comedy TWISTED (撞鬼) , starring local actor/comedian Mark Lee (李国煌), veteran actress Mimi Chu (朱咪咪), and Taiwanese singer/actor Linda Liao (廖语晴), including many others. I was even lucky enough to be the last person to have my photo taken with Mark Lee the man himself before the preview started! OMG! OMG! OMG! 😀

Cast: Mark Lee, Candy Lim, Zhu Mimi
Director: Chai Yee Wai
Genre:Horror/ Comedy
Rating: NC16
Language: Mandarin
Release Date:28 July 2011

Movie Synopsis:

The story of TWISTED revolves around a drug dealer who impregnated a girl, a pair of conmen who wants to turn over a new leaf and 4 cabin crews whose lives were turned upside down over a fateful night of drugs and booze.

Credit: www.sindieonly.blogspot.com

Guan (starring Mark Lee) is a flashy, womanizing drug dealer. It was during one of his many flings that he’d knocked up Mimi (starring Candy Lim), who turned obsessive in getting his attention which led to a fatal end. Guan’s ruthless way unknowingly unleashed the devil in Mimi…

Credit: www.sonsation.com

Through Guan, two horny cabin crew, Cavin and Randall (starring Cavin Soh, Randall Tan) got their hands on some drugs. Their game plan was to spike the drinks of their colleagues, Linda and Tracy (starring Linda Liao, Tracy Lee) during a night out at the club. Anxious to get fresh of the girls, the eager duo stumbled upon a freak accident. The incident soon snowballed and led to a series of unfortunate happenings, bringing about a display of animalistic survival instinct.

Credit: www.sinema.sg

Fa (starring Zhu Mimi) and her daughter, Yi Ning (starring Joey Leong) were victims of her abusive husband. Unable to tolerate the abuse and traumas, Fa killed her husband. The vengeful spirit of her husband swiftly possessed Yi Ning to create harvoc. To save her daughter, she seeks the help of two mediums, who further complicate the issue.

Among these seemingly unrelated characters, their paths crossed and intertwined… Somehow, ill-luck seems to transcend the characters.

This is a story of individuals with fates intertwined and their paths collided. A series of twisted events that is a study on cause and effect and how our actions affect the people around us.

Chewy Charles and I were kinda excited over watching this horror action comedy! Horror movies are always the last on our list. Hahaha we huddled very tightly throughout the movie! And here’s what we have to say…

Movie Review:

No doubt this is a common way of filming a movie, but we like the director’s usage of flashbacks (otherwise known as interjected scenes) when narrating the story. It helps the audience gain a better understanding of what’s happening and also acts as a form of reinforcement. For people like me whose tolerance for horror flicks is extremely low, the funny scenes, although not very funny but it was funny in a Singaporean-style way (you know what I mean) sure provided some lightheartedness for everyone. While it was the humour injected scenes that made Twisted less horrifying, we felt that it was also the splendid sound effects that slowly built up the tension throughout the movie. I have a very short attention span but the movie plot was interesting enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen. In my opinion, all the characters played out their parts well, especially Mark Lee and Zhu Mimi. There are some underlying messages for everyone to ponder about after the movie! And here’s a random question from me: Will you look at bak kut teh the same way again? 😉

Will misterchewy and missuschewy watch another horror movie again? Well.. It’s hard to tell right now but definitely not anytime soon! 😛 Last but not least, we would like to thank omy.sg for the movie invite.

Singapore viewers and fans will be thrilled to know that the Asian Food Channel (AFC) will be premiering a new original production, True Passion – Martin Yan on Wednesday, 13 July at 8.30pm, StarHub Channel 435.

The exciting eight-part series includes one Chinese New Year special and features world-renowned chef, Martin Yan. Filmed in AFC’s own studio kitchen, Chef Yan cooks a range of delicious contemporary Asian dishes and pairs them with his favourite wines from Jacob’s Creek, Australia’s largest wine brand. The series also sees Chef Yan traveling to Barossa Valley in Australia visiting Jacob’s Creek vineyards and learning about the intricate details that go into producing an internationally-acclaimed bottle of wine.

Not only a certified Master Chef but also a highly respected food consultant, cooking instructor and prolific author who has published over 30 cookbooks, Chef Yan delights audiences with his infectious personality and stunning dishes in this series which will be broadcasted regionally across eight countries to over 45 million viewers.

Even after appearing in over 3,000 cooking shows broadcasted worldwide, this AFC production is the first ever series where Chef Yan shares his knowledge of food and wine pairing with viewers. Local viewers will also be pleased to know that Chef Yan takes on some of Singapore’s favourite dishes such as Chili Crab and puts his own special touch on them!

“Chef Yan is a household name when it comes to Asian cuisine and has been an inspiration to many. We knew that filming a production with him meant that we had to come up with a new and innovative concept which we have achieved. I am thrilled that AFC is able to provide our Singaporean viewers with relevant Asian content that has such a unique twist,” said Maria Brown, Co-Founder and Managing Director of AFC.

True Passion – Martin Yan is the second cooking series to be fully filmed and produced by AFC. It follows the great success of Best Wan, which featured a mix of recipes from the East and West by Malaysian Chef Wan, along with other documentary programmes covering topics like the use of palm oil in cooking as well as those that chronicled visits by notable chefs like Chef Daniel Boulud and Chef Robert Rainford.

“With the success of Best Wan and the upcoming premiere of True Passion – Martin Yan, AFC is steadily building its portfolio of self-made programmes, producing shows in HD quality that give viewers an in-depth view into the rich culture and heritage behind popular dishes available to them today,” added Ms. Brown.

In line with the premiere, AFC will be launching a microsite dedicated to the production. The site will complement the series by offering recipes and information so that viewers can easily access details to recreate Chef Yan’s unique dishes in the comfort of their own home. In addition, an online contest where visitors can win exclusive Chef Yan prizes will also be held when the series premieres in July.

Hardly do I ever get excited over buffets. For friends who know me well enough, I never suggest buffet places when planning gatherings or meetups. I dislike the idea of not being able to hold a proper conversation because someone in the group is bound to excuse himself in order to get more food. It’s quite disruptive and annoying when the person comes back and asks, “Why are you all so excited? What’s going on?” And the entire story has to be retold. I’m sure it has happened to most of you right? Apart from that, I don’t like stuffing myself with food. Yes, I do have a choice to eat selectively but hey, this is a buffet that we’re talking about right? 😉 This food blog has more than 100 food reviews and there’s only one buffet post, which is not even written by me! 😛 Ok there’s Chiharu but that’s not counted because it’s an ala-carte buffet. But of course, disliking does not necessarily mean that buffets are an absolute no-no. So here’s MELT The World Cafe at Mandarin Oriental and I’m glad that the buffet experience was a pleasant one. Read on! 🙂

My brother turned 21 at the end of last month. Initially, we wanted to help him throw a birthday party by inviting our relatives and his friends. We consulted, or rather, discussed with him but he preferred a quieter celebration. Apart from a surprise party organized by our mum, which involved his close friends from his secondary school and polytechnic, we decided to give him a buffet treat! Buffet = plenty of food = FEAST! Yes, a feast for the king! On second thought, prince!

Since Mr Chew over here is going to be part of the family soon *hint hint*, he naturally had to join in the celebration. Not that he was forced to or anything like that. Haha. Oh we both got my brother a nice hamster cage and everything else that a hamster needs. I will probably post photos of the hammies in future! 😀

Seafood Ice Bar – Lobsters, Crabs, Prawns, Blue Mussels & Oysters

We were simply amazed by the presentation of a variety of seafood on top of a large dish of ice. It was definitely a wise idea to place the seafood ice bar right smack in the middle of the restaurant. I mean, that’s what most people are here for right? Besides the lobsters and crabs, my favorite of all was the oysters!

Assortment of Sashimi and Sushi

For more of the cold selection of food, head over to the sashimi and sushi counter. The thickly sliced fresh slices of salmon, maguro (tuna) and hamachi (yellowtail) are quick to satisfy any sushi craving 😉

Salads and cold cuts

Whoever (me!) thinks salads are boring will probably give these a second look. Different types of ham such as parma ham, turkey ham, salami and the like are available.

Freshly made bread in all shapes and sizes

Cheese Selection

Chewy Charles and I stood in front of the cheese selection and marvelled at the variety of cheeses displayed before us. The smell of all the different cheeses combined was mildly pungent (I probably have a high tolerance) and was actually quite tempting.

Mains from all around the world

Like little kids, we each held a plate with both hands and peeked into each and every pot with much eagerness, gleefully scooping a little bit of everything onto our plates. We really thought that the Indian cuisine was pretty amazing. Chewy Charles particularly liked the mutton. You can also choose between rice or naan (or even both) to go along with the different curries and gravies. The tom yam goong from the Thai cuisine section was definitely potent stuff! We enjoyed the roasted duck and roasted potatoes too!

When holidaying, hotel buffet breakfasts are almost unavoidable and the only thing that I look forward to, are food that are cooked on the spot, like sunny side ups or scrambled eggs. I like the fact that the food is cooked to order, upon my request! What about you? 😛

Homemade Pasta Station

Chewy Charles and I were attracted to the homemade pasta station where pastas are cooked ala minute. It wasn’t tough for us to choose from tomato basil sauce, mushroom cream sauce and bolognese sauce.

Seashell shaped pasta & Angel Hair pasta in mushroom cream sauce

I really love the homemade pasta station 🙂

Dazzling array of desserts located near the entrance

Soon, it was time for desserts! There were so many cakes and tarts to choose from! 😀

DIY Ice Kachang

The boy was clearly excited over the DIY Ice Kachang idea. Here’s a step by step ‘guide’!

Step 1: Take an empty bowl and fill the bottom with the red beans, grass jelly cubes and atapchi.

Step 2: Have fun with the shaved ice dispenser.

Step 3: Dribble the different colored syrup all over the ice. Make your ice kachang as colorful as possible! 😀

Tadah! It’s so fun making your very own ice kachang! The ice was a tad coarse though.

Chocolate Fondue fountain and Waffles iron

Both the chocolate fondue and waffles drew many kids and adults to this station. I even witnessed a boy camping next to the fondue fountain and eating his chocolate coated marshmallows there and then! :O

Besides marshmallows, you can even have waffles and fruits like strawberries and grapes to be coated with the luscious chocolate!

Waffle with Tiramisu ice cream, rainbow sprinkles & nutella spread

The waffles iron was really hot that night. And I mean HOT. It was churning out waffles endlessly. Given a selection of ice cream to choose from, we were spoilt for choice and finally settled for tiramisu! We tried decorating our waffle ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and some nutella too 😛

A nice chocolate birthday cake from the hotel!

Birthday boy making a wish.

We were impressed by what the buffet line at MELT had to offer. Chewy Charles and I are already planning a revisit. Haha so much for disliking buffets eh? 😛

Melt – The World Cafe
5 Raffles Avenue
4F
The Oriental Singapore (Mandarin Oriental)
Tel : 6885 3082

Thu to Sat (Buffet Dinner)
6.30pm – 10pm
$78++ per person
$28++ per child (4-7 years)
$38++ per child (8-11 years)