[Movie Review] Skyfall (2012)

by Daniel Chiam

Back to Basic ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

Skyfall marked the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond series which started back in 1962 with Dr. No. It is also the 3rd installment for Daniel Craig to reprise the role as James Bond and in my opinion, Skyfall is the best Bond installment ever if compared to previous Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

This time, rather than an international crisis that's threatening the MI6, the threats were much more personal for the villain -  Raoul Silva/Tiago Rodriguez (Javier Bardem) torward the head of MI6 - M (Judi Dench). In order to keep M safe from Silva, Bond revisit his past in Scotland - Skyfall, Bond's childhood home.

Everything was stripped to the core for Skyfall and it was genuinely a bold direction for a Bond movie to be made as such. No fancy gadgets, no overly expensive car with crazy weapons, no seductive female co-star, no crazy stunts and it was truly an original non-over exaggerate Bond movie. I love it.

Even without all those that made Bond of who he is the last time, it is still an actions filled and entertaining movie to watch. Skyfall really reinvented James Bond with much more character, charisma and charm. You will be extremely delighted with it (I hope, haha). 

The 143 minutes movie prove to be worthy of watching. It's original. It doesn't overdo. It's stay true to Bond's capabilities and charm. Skyfall really brings something very fresh to the famous franchise and instead of serving the expected treat, you are in for something ecstatic this time.

Thanks to Sony Pictures Malaysia and Nuffnang for the invite.

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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How to Tell Real Leather from Fake Leather

by Max Law from MaxMayo.com

If you're not a fan of leather goods, most of the time you can't tell the difference between a real and a fake leather.

In general, fake leather (or synthetic, artificial, human-made leather) is made of plastic compound and its identity is naturally reflected in the price tag.

You may have already known this:

         

                    Genuine Leather is never cheap.

However, there are times when a premium priced leather good may appear dubious.

For example, a new or a relatively unknown label that claims to use genuine leather in their bags. A "Made in Italy" or a "Genuine Leather" tag inside the bag can't really guarantee their statement.

Before you seek for the advice of experts, here are a few quick tips you can try:

• Real Leather Doesn't Smell Like Plastic

Real leather is made of real animal skin. It should smell like a skin, and it never smell like a plastic, even when it's still a new bag.

• Real Leather Looks Like Skin

Scrutinize the leather and if you see uneven pattern on the leather, it's most likely a real leather. Real skin is not perfect.

Real skin has pores, and the texture varies on different spot of the fabric, just like your skin.

A fake leather will look "too perfect" in comparison. You should be able to notice almost identical pattern and texture across the surface.

Faux vs Genuine Leather. Which is which?

• Real Leather Feels Like Skin

Touch and feel the leather with your hands. The smoothness should be very pleasant, as if you're touching a skin.

Related to the previous point, the texture on the leather should feel natural, not "bumpy".

• Real Leather Wrinkles

Try to flex or pinch the leather. Real leather should wrinkle according to your pressure, while fake leather will stay the same. Fake leather is similar to Botox-injected faces: they won't wrinkle naturally when they smile.

Wrinkles appear when pressed = Genuine Leather

No wrinkle = Faux Leather

So now, let's do a test:

By looking at the texture, can you tell if this leather below is genuine or faux? Let me know your answer at the comment below and do tell me why.

[Click to enlarge]

Ending this post with an informative video on how genuine leathers are made. The tedious process explains why genuine leather is much more expensive than faux:

Hope you find this post helpful.

Source: Image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Checkout Max at MaxMayo.com and follow him on twitter @maxmayo for more updates and fashion tips!

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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[Upcoming Movie] A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

by Daniel Chiam 

I guess Bruce Willis is really hard to die, or will it be any different when it is A Good Day to Die Hard? Haha, most likely no. If you are a die hard fan of the series you will roughly know what to expect in Die Hard 5; explosions (lots of it), jumping off somewhere, falling off somewhere, lots of shooting and of course an epic escape from all the bad situations by John McClane. 

This time, everything will take place in Moscow, Russia, and from the second trailer released, John is kicking butts with his son Jack (Jai Courtney). I was thinking that the introduction of Jack could create the possibility that he might be the one to continue the Die Hard saga after this. Then again, it is still too soon to tell.

Anyway, if you've watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand, you will recognized Jai Courtney as Varro, a close friend of Spartacus in the series. Jai who also star along side Tom Cruise in the movie Jack Reacher (2012), could be another action hero in the making, and hopefully Hollywood will give this Australian actor the opportunity to shine even more.

A Good Day to Die Hard is expect to be released in the United States on 14 February 2013, and might be earlier for some other countries. So marked down your calendar cause this is one Valentine's Day date that you don't want to miss!

Photo source: 1, 2

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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My Breast Cancer Story: Just Suntin

by Just Suntin from Just 2 Story


It’s the month for Breast Cancer Awareness! It's the month of pink!

Here I am, proudly declaring that I am one of the breast cancer survivor, who has just completed the whole required treatments 3 months ago.

I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer Stage 2B just a year ago exactly on this date (25 October)! How could I forget? It was me and my husband's 8th year Anniversary as a couple and we were supposed to celebrate it happily with our pre-ordered cake. 

I first found out about the unusual lumps on my right breast two weeks earlier. I managed to stay calm yet worried at the same time. Then I went for an ultrasound and mammogram at the hospital, and thereafter I proceed with a biopsy.

I burst into tears when the doctor break the news to me! It broke my heart even more when the doctor suggested that I should go with mastectomy (removal of whole breast). I know its not the end of the world yet, but it was not easy to accept what's happening at that time. I was only 32 years old back then!

That night all of us (my husband and my mom) was sadden by the news. Somehow, my husband and I still manage to cut our 8th Anniversary cake.

Eventually, I didn't proceed with mastectomy. I went for a second opinion and was glad that Dr. Patricia Gomez, a Breast Cancer Specialist from Hospital Pantai KL (Bangsar) advised me to proceed with lumpectomy (a surgical procedure to remove the lump) instead of mastectomy.

So I went with the lumpectomy surgery.

Still can smile couple hours after the surgery! Not bad huh!

I was asked to rest for a month after the lumpectomy surgery before I get to start with the scariest treatment – chemotherapy. I Googled on others experiences to prepare myself and at least, I know what to expect. I was concern about losing all my hair. Experiencing hair falls and being bald is the last thing that every woman want in their life!

Then again, I was blessed when I was found negative for HER2 receptor, a much more aggressive type of breast cancer if compared with the rest.

I started my first cycle of chemotherapy on 3rd of December 2011. I had to go through 2 parts of chemotherapy. Part 1 consists of 4 cycles of chemotherapy and Part 2 consists of 12 cycles of chemotherapy. A standard cycle is 6! 

The chemotherapy

Even though Part 1 was quite tough, I am glad that I don’t really experience all the side-effect such as nausea, vomit, constipation, sleeping problems, extreme lack of appetite, etc. The strong dosage of drugs only made me feel fatigue for couple of days after each cycle. Other than that, I hate it when I was infected with flu and cough. That was when I feel very ill cause it will takes 2-3 weeks for me to recover.

Balding

My hair started to fall tremendously 2 weeks after the 1st cycle. To my surprise, for the first time in my life, I can’t wait to be bald! Well, it was actually better than seeing your hair on your pillow every time when you wake up in the morning. Wait till you see all the hairs on the bathroom’s floor! 

Being bald and enjoy at the same time! Positive!!

My kids were asking why am I bald. So, we explained that mommy is not well. Mommy is sick and I am really glad to have them around because they are my source of strength to fight this decease positively!

Covering baldness! 

Guess what? Hubby and I even made it to Universal Studio Singapore when I was still on my chemotherapy treatments. The flight tickets was purchased months before and we were already excited for the 1-night trip. So yeah... why not!

Radiotherapy

Upon the completion of my chemotherapy, I started my 25+8 daily sessions of radiotherapy in June. It didn't really cause me any problems. It was a very quick 3-minutes-laying-down-process with minor side effects.  

Today, it has been 3 months since I completed all my treatments. I feel really good and my hair is growing back too! Yay!! 

I just want to the opportunity here to thank my company for taking care of my medical bills. In fact, I was on paid MC for 9 months! 

Me, myself and I! Photo taken on 21/10/2012

It was a long journey yet I am so bless to have great people around me especially my husband, my mom and my lovely kids.  You all had helped me to get through a very difficult time in my life.

Last but not least, my advice to all woman, please perform BSE (Breast Self-Examination) regularly and do go for ultrasound or mammogram if you are already above 40. Breast cancer can happen to anyone regardless of their age, and early detection is always better.

Do visit Just's blog to read all her cancer story in details.

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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The Sexily Exotic Mila Kunis

by Daniel Chiam 

Not long ago, Mila Kunis was named as the sexiest woman alive by Esquire magazine. I mean what took them so long?! She's always the hottest one in That 70s Show, and I always thought that she's somewhere from the middle east because of her exotic eyes.

Turns out she's from Ukraine and it just made it to my must-visit-countries-list. Another thing that I didn't know is that she's the voice of Meg Griffin from the animated television series Family Guy since 1999. I used to watch Family Guy a lot because of the ridiculous humor. That explains why she's in Seth MacFarlane's motion picture "Ted".

So far, I only like her acting in the movie Black Swan. Perhaps it was because of the character given is much more serious if compared to her characters in Friends with Benefits (romantic comedy) and Ted (fantasy comedy).

Kunis will be playing the witch, Theodora in the up coming 2013 movie; Oz The Great and Powerful, along side James Franco. I hope to see more of Kunis in the silver screen. This 29 year old babe is really easy on the eyes :D 

"Seize the day, Caper Diem"

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