Chipmunks and then Some.

It's quite an event when me and my sis go out for an outing; just the two of us, no watchful Mom (which, unfortunately, also means no credit card) and no disgruntled male counterparts (brother, boyfriend, dad) and no money. Ahem. No la. Mom was feeling generous and handed us some rare-occurence cash. Told us to enjoy ourselves and then (in the same breath) to come home by 5 pm because it's not safe after dark.



I mean, I am an adult and my sis, a 19-year-old.



Sure. We're gonna accept candy from some stranger and follow him home. Uh huh.



So, here goes, a list of WHAT WE DID IN ONE UTAMA TODAY.

Watched Alvin and the Chipmunks

I must admit that environmental factors are often very strong factors. Like, air-conditioning is waaay too cold. Or if the seats are lousy. Maybe even a loud-chewer or a motor-mouth or two. These things add up to an unpleasant movie-experience.

I only had motor-mouths, children (noisy), adults (inconsiderate and stupid) and loud chewers. Quite lucky.

Then there was the movie. Which started out unbelievably adorable. Three chipmunks on a tree, singing Bad Day. Cute. A pun joke or two. Adorable.

Then they suddenly went to the city. (God, I can't even remember which city!) Then they suddenly move in with this guy called Dave. Enters love interest. Exits love interest. Hello loser who lost his job, hello melodious chipmunks, goodbye movie.

W-w-wait a minute, you say. Why goodbye movie? Losers+chipmunks = totally awesome cuteness man!

Sorry.

Losers-who-act-poorly + chipmunks who should have stolen the show but were exploited by greedy humans + little to no character development + random love interest = BLEARGH.

I don't usually make a point of pointing out acting except if it was fantastic, but I am horrified. The very funny Jason Lee has been reduced to a speck of nothing. He did not connect, he was rather unconvincing, he was in NO way interesting or distinctive and frankly, he just doesn't pull off the 'ALLLVVIIINNNNN!!!' Not a chance.

I am very disappointed, actually. It was fairly amusing, oh, no doubt. The chipmunks were adorable and frankly speaking, better actors than all of the REAL people put together. Also, it had its chuckle-worthy moments and some sweet moments.

But other than that, ZIP. There is nothing else good about this movie. I was losing attention halfway through. It was paced poorly, written for kids (and for patient parents) and for those who want to be kids only. If, like me, you prefer to spend your RM 6 on a movie like I am Legend, or heck, even National Treasure, do so. If no, wait for Sweeney Todd. And if, like me, you prefer something less child-orientated, then give this a miss. At best: C.

Harsh, I know, but since my sister enjoyed it immensely, maybe it was just me being grumpy from lack of sleep due to a Nayang Memorably.

Hah. Speaking of Manyang Memorably, my family have been on an Old Town Kopitiam spree. Eating there waaay too often. But when the food is quite decent and the prices fair and the ambience is good, hey, why not?

Shoe Shopping

Dismal. Despite my best efforts at finding a pair of flats to replace my old brown butterfly ones, the perfect pair remains elusive. Despite trying Vincci, Padini Concept store, Voir Shoez, Nose and even the upper-crust like Eclipse and Salabianca, the pair of flats remain elusive. My sister, however, did find a lovely pair of two-inch black strappy heels with a gold glittery ribbon detail. I found my dream wedges, but unfortunately, they were NOT on sale and I was not hunting for wedges. So I decided to give it a miss, for now.

I will return during Chinese New Year shopping with a vengeance.

Big Apple Donuts

Is better than J-Co. No, really. At least in many ways.

1) The white chocolate+almonds (Alcapone in J-Co) is much better. For one, the almonds tasted like almonds and not bits of nut that dream of becoming almonds. Not so sweet also. Better.

2) Cheaper. Seriously. In JCo you pay according to what type of donut you take, but in Big Apple, its a flat fee of RM 2 each. RM9.50 for a box of 6's and RM 17 for a box of 12's. Not bad.

3) Shorter (marginally!) lines. The lines at JCo are atrociously looooooong.

However, J-Co wins on

1) Better chocolate filling. Big Apples' chocolate filling tastes kind of starchy, and kind of weird. Not like chocolate at all.

2) More variety. Big Apple has only, like, 15 types, J-Co easily 20+ types.

Verdict? Big Apple if you want good donuts but are not exactly swimming in cash and time. J-Co with friends and with time and cash. XD

I end here.

Goodbye all. Keep safe, keep smart, and call me if you need your weekly dosage of Whale-style jokes.