To The Movies We Will Go.

I'd like to share you some pictures of me doing one of my favourite hobbies (other than gaming, eating and sleep). So bear with me and wait till I visit the blogs of you lot to comment. My update is SO LONG overdue and I feel like kicking myself, neglecting to write. I blame the new PS4 games I religiously play everyday and the added school workload, reaching the end of the year.   

Well, this is on top of my dashboard. A plastic Doraemon, the Japanese cat-like robot (I happen to love and collect Doraemon stuff. My students also give me lots during Teacher's Day). The rubber salamander is a leftover from a Teacher's Day game, this year. 

(A few teachers here do call Doraemon, and I don't really mind. The students are aware of my liking to the character but they are not crazy enough to call me to my face. Do your friends call you a nickname from any cartoons?)

I hate traffic jam. Fortunately after the state upgraded the roads to double lanes, the way to the city is now wider and faster. Still I prefer to go during weekdays to avoid the rush on weekends. When I was younger, I'd ride the bus to go and watch a movie. 

It was really a pain as the public transportation here is not really dependable. But you do excruciating things for the stuff you love eh?

And we have a meal before we do the shopping / movie. If I am feeling generous, I'd go to somewhere fancier but nowadays that kind of money-burning intent has somewhat lessen. (Maybe because of my brand new hobby - saving money in the bank!)

Here you see my housemate (Yes, he lives with me) with a pizza, and I am having an orange brioche (mighty expensive, the pastry, but oh so good!). Usually I do sushi, but the kind I like best was sold out.

And this is us waiting for the movie to start. Usually we arrive two hours earlier so we can do some shopping and eat. I prefer to go back directly after the movie. I am predictable that way. 

The front of the cinema... I use the right entrance, for online purchases. A few years back I had a card for another cinema, and used the card to buy tickets from a machine situated in front of said cinema. When a newer cinema opened (pic) I finally experienced the joy of online purchases.

Sometimes I bought tickets a week in advance. 

This was taken around 1100 pm, after the cinema, on our way to the car. See the cars? The cinema is always full of people. 

I don't park inside the shopping complex area anymore to save money and to avoid the traffic jam of going out of the tight compound. We have to walk further a bit as I parked my car in a nearer shop lots. (This particular shopping mall has the cheapest parking rate ever, RM 1 the whole day, but I am a cheapskate after all.) 

And this unrelated picture is of the spread my sister and I had for our mother. No, it wasn't her birthday or what, sometimes we do stuff like this to amuse ourselves. Usually my sisters do the mommy-entertaining stuff, but as I ordered the whole catalog for dimsum from a friend, I said what the hell, let's do a party. The dimsum was awesome!

That's my niece, Qasrina Sofea. She modeled stuff (jewelry and clothes) for her mom's boutique shop. 

Oh, and I bought the steamboat pot and induction cooker especially for this. I am also an impulsive buyer. (complex me).  

I had this Tefal electric grill for years (I found the brand to be very exceptional, if you buy the premium stuff). Grilling is done outside of course. I do have an actual grilling set at home, and it was such a chore to clean after use :P Having meal with people you love should be a frequent thing. "Do not be stingy when it comes to food with family and friends" I read this earlier this year. How true. 

p.s.

- We watched Ben Hur (the remake) and I was not impressed