My 10 Most Satisfying Results and Correct Predictions from The Oscars 2013

Academy Awards 2013

• Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway interview

• Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence's interview after she received the Oscar for Best Actress

• Best Picture: Argo

Very emotional acceptance speech by Ben Affleck.....

• Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis

• Best Documentary: Innocente

Innocente the Trailer - Such a great touching story of an artist.....

• Best Original Song: Skyfall

• Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay: Argo

Argo the Trailer

• Best Production Design: Lincoln

Lincoln the Trailer

• Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Amour (Love) the Trailer.....

• Best Sound Mixing: Les Miserables

My Canadian Rockies Tour Itinerary (May 4 - 7, 2011)

I would like to share my Canadian Rockies Tour Itinerary (May 4 - 7, 2011). If you live in Vancouver, you might find this itinerary helpful...... This is basically how I did my road trip to the Canadian Rockies in 2011......

Participants: Boenawan, Resza; Hartanto, Diana ; Thany, Priscilla; Wijaya, Ferry

Wed, May 4
6:00am - 7:00am Vancouver Breakfast at McDonalds or the any other choice

7:00am - 11:00am Vancouver - Kamloops On the road fromVancouver (Joyce / Brentwood) to Kamloops

11:00am - noon Kamloops Lunch OR if not hungry we can continue to Salmon Arm to have lunch at Boston Pizza
noon - 1:30pm Kamloops - Salmon Arm We can have lunch at Boston Pizza, Joey's Restaurant (http://joeys.ca/ourmenu/specials/joeysfeature.html), or McDonald's

1:30pm - 4:50pm Salmon Arm - Golden On the road (POIs in between include: Canyon Hot Springs, Rogers Pass

4:50pm - 5:00pm Golden Take a rest, visit toilet, buy snacks, or fill up gas

5:00pm - 6:30pm Golden - Lake Louise On the road (POIs in between include: Faeder Lake - Yoho Nat'l Park, Wapta Falls, Emerald Lake, Welcome to Alberta Sign)

6:30pm - 9:00pm Lake Louise Dinner, take pictures, enjoy sunset, etc

9:00pm - 10pm Lake louise - Banff On the road to hotel / inn

10:00pm - end Banff Take a shower, sleep, poo, whatever you wanna do, etc
(Hotel: Irwin's Mountain Inn, 429 Banff Avenue, Banff)

Thurs, May 5
8:00am - 9:00am Banff Breakfast and get ready

9:00am - noon Banff - Drumheller On the road (POIs in between include: Peyto Lake)

noon - 3:00pm Drumheller (Dinosaur Valley) Lunch and sightseeing (Dinosaur Trail, World's Largest Dinosaur, Horseshoe Canyon, Hoodoo, Midland prov. Park)

3:00pm - 5:00pm Drumheller - Calgary On the road

5:00pm - 8:00pm Calgary Dinner and city tour

8:30pm - 10:00pm Calgary - Banff On the road

10:00pm - end Banff Take a shower, sleep, poo, whatever you wanna do, etc
(Hotel: Irwin's Mountain Inn, 429 Banff Avenue, Banff)

Fri, May 6
8:00am - 9:00am Banff Breakfast and get ready

9:00am - noon Banff Explore the Banff Village and Lunch

noon - 2:30pm Banff - Columbia Icefield (Latitude 52° N and Longitude 117° W) On the road (POIs include: Hector Lake, Bow Lake, Moraine Lake, Mistaya Canyon, Mount Wilson)

2:30pm - 4:00pm Columbia Icefield Tour Icefield Glacier Adventure (Operating Hours: 9am - 5pm; $49.95 per person; Tours last for 1.5 hours) http://www.explorerockies.com/sightseeing-tours/Icefield-Glacier-Adventure-Ticket-Only--15-hours-10951-N.aspx

4:00pm - 5:30pm Columbia Icefield - Jasper On the road (POIs include: Athabasca Falls)

5:30pm - 8:00pm Jasper Dinner and explore the town

8:00pm - end Jasper Take a shower, sleep, poo, whatever you wanna do, etc
(Hotel: Marmot Lodge, 86 Connaught Drive, Jasper)

Sat, May 7
8:00am - 9:00am Jasper Breakfast and get ready

9:00am - 2:00pm Jasper - Kamloops On the road

2:00pm - 3:00pm Kamloops Lunch in Kamloops

3:00pm - 7:00pm Kamloops - Vancouver On the road

7:00pm - end Vancouver Home Sweet Home! Time to recover our energy….. I hope you enjoyed the tour! :p

Hotel Review: The Haven Bali Seminyak

My most recent stay at February 20 - 22, 2013

The room I stayed in: Suite Room (1 bedroom with livingroom)

What do I have to say about the hotel?

Location: 8.5/10

I think the location is pretty good since it's located in Kuta Legian where the crowd is at in Bali. But for some people, this place is getting increasingly more crowded, hence, some people choose not to stay at this area.

Value to Price: 9/10
I think the price is suitable for the quality that we get. It's not too expensive and considerably cheap according to my point of view.

Rooms: 9/10

The room is quite big especially the living room area (if you book the unit with a livingroom). It's clean, tidy, and comfortable. The living room has flat TV with cable and dining area and also a clean kitchen with a fridge. Interestingly, the bathroom in my room didn't have any curtain and you can see through inside if you peek through the patterned-shade glass window. The room also has balcony along the window and it's pretty wide and spacey therefore you can hangout at the balcony in the morning.

Facility: 9.5/10

This hotel has facilities such as FREE wi-fi service even in every room, quite big swimming pools, 2 lobbies and reception area (at the front and at the back), cozy restaurants and bar area. The hotel is located in a long rectangular area and hence it's a pretty long hotel if you walk from the front to the back of the hotel, but the layout is not very wide.

Hotel Staff: 10/10

Like usual in Bali, the hotel staffs are very friendly and pretty helpful in attending to all your needs.

Would I recommend this hotel to others?

Absolutely YES. I would even like to come back here to stay next time I am in Bali.
This hotel is also great if you are traveling with families with children.

Hotel Review: The Beach House Resort Gili Trawangan

The Beach House Resort Gili Trawangan

Website: http://www.beachhousegilit.com/


What do I have to say about my experience at this hotel?
I stayed with 5 other friends in a two bedroom villa at this resort.

Villa Quality: 9/10
I had the best time here at Gili Trawangan including my time enjoying the villa. The villa had one small private swimming pool that is pretty clean. The villa also has half-open bathrooms that feel very close to nature.

Price: 8.5/10
The two bedroom villa that I stayed in was priced at Rp 2.500.000 per night and I think it's a pretty acceptable price for the quality of my stay.

Quality of Stay: 9.5/10
I had the best time staying at this hotel and given that the island itself is like a heaven to me.

Location: 10/10
The Beach House Resort Gili Trawangan is located at the heart of the island so it's a very strategic hotel where the crowds, cafes, bars, and restaurants are located.
One strong point of this hotel is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Breakfast: 9/10
What can surpass the feeling of having breakfast in the morning by the beach with some good breakfast meals on the island?

Hotel Staff: 10/10
The hotel staffs are generally helpful and informative. You can ask a lot of information about the island including where the best snorkeling spot is, where to rent a bike, where can I party at night, etc....


However, on one negative note (and probably it's pretty common for all the hotels in this island), the water is pretty salty and when we needed to tak a shower, the hotel ran out of water and we needed to wait for them to "refill their water tank"......

Overall: 9.5/10
Overall, I had a great great stay here at the resort and would come back again to stay at this resort when I visit Gili Trawangan again. Would I recommend this hotel to everyone? Definitely YES.


For more reviews:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g664666-d595962-Reviews-The_Beach_House_Resort-Gili_Trawangan_Gili_Islands_Lombok_West_Nusa_Tenggara.html

Hotel Review: Hotel Sahid Jaya Jakarta

Hotel Information:

Website: http://www.grandsahidjaya.com/
Rooms: http://www.grandsahidjaya.com/facilities.html
Facilities: http://www.grandsahidjaya.com/facilities.html

What do I have to say about this hotel?

Price: 9/10
The price of the hotel is acceptable and pretty decent. It's not too pricy considering the location in the heart of Jakarta (Jalan Sudirman).

Room: 7/10
I think this is a pretty old hotel and the rooms feel quite old and the technology is not updated (Read: the rooms are opened using keys instead of cards)

Hotel Staffs: 8/10
The staffs are very friendly and helpful.

Location: 9.5/10
It is located in the heart of Jakarta. So if you are on a business trip that require you to go to places in the Central Business District (CBD) Sudirman, this might be a great place to stay.

Views: 8/10
Views are OK, the city view of Jakarta.

Overall: 8/10

Overall, I had an OK experience staying at this hotel despite the hotel being old and you can feel it. Would I recommend this hotel to you? Yes, if you got a promotional rate. :)

For others' reviews, please check:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294229-d309113-r112999906-Hotel_Sahid_Jaya-Jakarta_Java.html

Movie Review: 21 Jump Street (2012)

Movie Rating: 87/100

Genre: Comedy, Action, Crime
Casts: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
My Comments:

• This movie is a feel good movie that can and will release you from stress.
• 21 Jump Street movie is very funny and memorable in a way and it's a kind of movies that I would love to watch it over again.
• The chemistry between Tatum and Hill is great and they make a great comedic pair.
• It might be one of the best comedy in 2012.

To watch and stream this movie, you can go to:

http://www.solarmovie.so/watch-21-jump-street-2012.html

Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Movie Rating: 45/100
Casts: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
My Comments:

• I am sorry to say that this movie ain't my kind of movie.
• Kathryn Bigelow impressed me so much with The Hurt Locker. But this one, I couldn't even stand to finish watching it.
• Jessica Chastain of course is brilliant as usual. Her character is a very strong one and she acted so well in this movie.
• The theme of this movie doesn't suit my taste and I feel it's to heavy and dark. It's also very slow paced and lack intense moments.
• Again, I am sure this is just my opinion and other people might have different opinions. :)

Movie Review: Hit & Run (2012)

Movie Rating: 70/100
Casts: Bradley Cooper, Dax Shepard, Kristin Chenoweth, Kristen Bell
My Comments:

• The movie is pretty funny in my opinion.
• It exceeded my expectation since I actually finished watching it from beginning to the end. I was just checking out what movies to see, but I ended up watching if full.
• It is also quite enjoyable to watch during your spare time.
• The best acting performance in this movie goes to Bradley Cooper. He is hilarious in this movie and such a badass. It proves that Bradley Cooper is an acting force in Hollywood to be reckoned with.
• Some funny scenes and conversations are greatly placed.
• Dax Shepard is funny as usual and surprisingly he did direct this movie.

Hotel Review: Nikko Hotel Osaka

Hotel Information:

Website: http://www.jalhotels.com/domestic/kansai/osaka/

What do I have to say about this hotel?

Price: 8/10
It's a pricy hotel that is suitable for business men having a trip to Osaka, Japan.

Room: 8.5/10
The room is quite decent although I feel that this hotel has been around for quite a long time thus it feels a bit old. When I visited this hotel, the hotel was undergoing some maintenance on the elevators.

Hotel Staffs: 10/10
The hotel staffs are quite friendly and helpful in general. In fact, I was traveling with children (my cousins) and two of them got sick and needed to be taken to a children hospital in the middle of the night. One of the hotel staffs was kind enough to accompany my uncle to the hospital and helped with the language barrier. So, I will give them a great amount of credits for them! Kudos! :)

Location: (10/10)
This hotel is located near the most important entertainment and shopping area in Osaka, Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and Dotonbori. So, it's only a walking distance from the hotel to the most entertatining area in Osaka. This hotel is also built above the subway system, Shinsaibashi Station.

Views: (8/10)
The view from the hotel is just the view of many skyscrapers surrounding the area.

Overall: (8.5/10)

Overall, I would recommend this hotel if you are not on a tight budget. The location is great, the hotel staffs are friendly and helpful, and the hotel rooms are pretty decent.

For others' reviews, please check:

TripAdvisor

Hotel Review: Lakeland Hotel Mizunosato

Hotel Information:

Website: http://www.mizunosato.jp/english/index.htm

What do I have to say about this hotel?

Price: 9/10
I think the hotel gives out pretty reasonable price since I had the best Japanese cultural experience in this hotel. The facility, the restaurant, the food, the Japanese style hotel room, the yukata, the view, the public bath, the massage chairs...... Perfection!

Me wearing yukata inside a public bath shower......

Room: 9.5/10
The Japanese style hotek room! Perfect Japanese experience..... Sleeping on a mattress in a heated room on a wooden floor enclosed by wooden Japanese door...... Well, except the super tiny bathroom that I didn't feel comfortable to take shower it.... It's TOO small! But, it's still acceptable. The experience made up for it.....

The tiny Japanese Style Hotel Room

The super duper tiny bathroom..... I didn't take shower here... I went to the public bath instead to take a shower....... It's more convenient....

Hotel Staffs: 10/10
The hotel staffs are very friendly and helpful. Very respectful and well mannered...... But of course like many other Japanese, they don't speak English that well (especially the servers at dinner).

The awesome massage chairs make you relax......

Location: (10/10)
This hotel is located right beside the Lake Kawaguchi.....

A very Japanese Dinner at Lakeland Hotel Mizunosato..... Awesome!

Views: (10/10)
Great view of Lake Kawaguchi can be seen from the front of the hotel or the hotel restaurant "Hanamizuki".

At the front of the hotel

Mount Fuji through the window

Lake Kawaguchi through My Hotel Room Window

For others' reviews, please check:
TripAdvisor

My Visit to Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海), Japan

Oshino Hakkai is the eight springs located in Oshino, Yamanashi. The spring water at Oshino Hakkai is underground water from Mount Fuji. 

The water which is basically melted snow from Mount Fuji travels through the underground of Mount Fuji and is filtered by rocks of lava. The water takes over 80 years to finally spring at Oshino Hakkai.

This is one of the eight ponds at Oshino Hakkai.... I think this pond is the most crowded since the market is built around this pond.

The food market..... One of the first vendors you would find when you step inside the market building. I tried this green mochi and it tasted pretty damn good.... :)

The market also sells different kinds of Japanese hand-made crafts.....

Cute sumo little figurines.....

One of the water fountain that you can directly take the fresh water of Mount Fuji from.....

One of the clearest and most beautiful (especially the color) ponds that I have ever seen...... It's very clear and it reflects the sun beautifully........

The eight ponds you can find at Oshino Hakkai are Deguchi Pond, Okama Pond, Sokonuke Pond, Choshi Pond, Waku Pond, Nigori Pond, Kagami Pond, and Shobu Pond.....

Because Mount Fuji is believed as spiritual mountain, the water of Oshino Hakkai is called "The Spring of God". Now, Oshino Hakkai is one of the National Treasure of Japan and 100 Best Water of Japan.

Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

Lake Kawaguchi in One Morning - taken in front of Lakeland Mizunosato Hotel

Lake Kawaguchi is one of the Fuji five lakes located in Fujikawaguchiko, southern Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan. It's the second largest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of the surface area, and is located at the lowest elevation.

Lake Kawaguchi is the most popular of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of tourists, and has the most developed tourist infrastucture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mount Fuji - Fujiyama - Fuji San, as the backdrop of the hotel I stayed in...... Taken from the hotel...

Mount Fuji is very iconic for Japan. When you think of Japan, you might right aways think of Mount Fuji. It's famous for its perfectly cones shape.....
The freshwater from Mount Fuji is very fresh and drinkable. (I did try drinking the water. It's supposed to be bought for a price, but when the Japanese vendor realized I was a foreigner, she just gave it to me for free.)

Mount Fuji has been regarded by the Japanese as a sacred mountain since the earliest recorded history on the archipelago.

Movie Review: The Words (2012)

Movie Rating: 56/100
Casts: Bradley Cooper, Zoe Zaldana, Dennis Quaid, Jeremy Irons, Olivia Wilde
My Comments:

• The movie is kinda mediocre.
• It's not as smart or as deep as I thought it would be.
• The story line is a bit predictable.
• If you think this movie is a heavy drama, you would be wrong. For some people who don't like heavy and time dragging drama, you might like it. But for some critics, this movie might get on your nerves.
• Actually, I like Bradley Cooper's performance in this movie.

Movie Review: The Impossible (2012)

Movie Rating: 85/100
Casts: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor
Directed By: Juan Antonio Bayona
My Comments:

• This is one of the best drama movies in 2012.
• Performances by the Naomi Watts and Ewan mcGregor deserve the award nominations they've got so far.
• The child actor who plays the eldest son is very inspiring.
• The picture is very nice and the screenplay is very intense at some points in the film.
• I personally enjoyed the movie very much.
• Some pictures are disturbing but help convey the essence of the story and how somebody will go to a survival mode in situations like that.
• I highly recommend this movie for everyone to watch.

Movie Review: Life of Pi

Movie Rating: 69/100
Casts: Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan
Directed By: Ang Lee
My Comments:

• The movie is a great fantasy movie, which is different from what I expected. I came into the theatre actually expecting a real life movie based on some true story. I ended up being a bit disappointed leaving the theatre.
• However, I learnt that the movie is a fantasy movie BASED on a NOVEL. Well, now that makes sense. haha......
• It's a drama movie in a sort. So if you don't like drama and too much talking and expect some actions, then this movie is not for you.
• I agree that Life of Pi has some amazing breathtaking views. The screenplay is also quite good.
• Ang Lee did a pretty good job directing the movie.
• The main actor also has enough charisma as Dr. Pi Patel.

Movie Review: Gangster Squad (2013)

Gangster Squad (2013)

My Movie Rating: 68/100

Casts: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Goslin, Michael Pena, Emma Stone

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

My Comments:

• This is just an OK movie.
• Sean Penn is great acting as a villain in this movie. Emma Stone is hot in this movie.
• It's quite an entertaining movie if you are in the mood for some intense action but for sure not an award winning movie.
• The film is sloppy in some parts and missed some important details.
• Thinking back about this movie, I am not as excited as when I left the movie theatre. I was actually quite satisfied after watching this movie since I already had quite low expectation before watching it.