Bangkok, Steak, And A Whole Lotta Shia!

I missed those weekends when I’d hang with my family on either a Saturday or Sunday, enjoying lunch out and enjoy a movie or two over popcorn and soda. We haven’t been going out much after mom’s surgery since she had to take some huge resting time at home to help her post-surgery recuperation, which meant weekends were usually spent at home. Good thing this weekend was a whole lot better, because mom had been fully recovered and me and my family were now ready to roll and make up for the previous ho-hum weekends. ^_^

First on the agenda: movies! We haven’t seen a movie on the big screen for quite some time now, so the first thing we did was to check whatever’s showing at the box office this week and the screening times as well. Bangkok Dangerous and Eagle Eye were on our top list. Dad wanted to see Bangkok Dangerous for the obvious reason: hardcore action. I, on the other hand, preferred Eagle Eye since it’s being top-billed by two of my favourite Hollywood celebrities these days – Michelle Monaghan and Shia LaBeouf – the latter being my ultimate crush ever since I saw the movie Transformers with friends. To solve our dilemma, we decided to just check out both movies. Wow, talk about an action-packed Saturday!

We saw Eagle Eye first, and may I be biased in saying that Shia’s performance was very becoming, plus the light trace of moustache and beard was well suited for him, at least as far as the role is concerned. Michelle Monaghan was just as oozing with appeal as she was when I first saw her in The Heartbreak Kid and Made of Honor. Only this time, her role deviated from that girl-next-door sweetheart in which she portrayed in her recent flicks. Still, she was able to pull it off pretty well. I haven’t read any reviews on the movie as I don’t want any spoilers coming my way prior to watching the flick. Overall, it was a pretty good movie with a surprising twist towards the middle part, especially that part where you get to know who the villain is. I give it a four-star rating, considering the actors, overall visual effects, and the originality of the storyline. Oh, and did I mention that I have this huge crush on Shia? (Yeah, I think I did. Hahaha!)

We had lunch in-between movies, and the menu for today is American. My family and I were craving for steak and Caesar salad, so we headed to T.G.I. Friday’s in SM Mall of Asia for lunch. We ordered for a well-done New York Strip Steak with Rice Pilaf and Dried Tomato Pesto, Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (Served with additional bacon and cheese! Yummy! ^_^ ), Tortilla Crusted Chicken Fillet, Broccoli Cheese Soup, and a couple of fruit shakes for our beverage – Tropical Runner (Fresh banana, pineapple and piña colada mix frozen crushed ice decorated with cherry.), Strawberry Surprise (A strawberry-pineapple-papaya-apple juice combo, all in one soda), and Grape Freeze. What’s the verdict? Well, there was never a time when I’d leave ANY branch of T.G.I. Friday’s without having satisfied my palate. I must say that ever since I’ve had a taste of their Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad sometime a few years back for the first time, not even Antonio’s Foie Gras could come close. (No offense to all Antonio’s patrons, though; I’m a patron myself but I guess I prefer a lot more simplicity and a very cheesy and bacon-y taste when it comes to salads – something T.G.I. Friday’s has achieved with perfection, in my opinion.). The steak was just the right taste and serving. As for their customer service, they were very attentive to the customers’ needs – something which has become a signature of their every branch. I’ve been coming back to Friday’s countless times already, and I’ll probably never get tired of it.

For the next movie, it was my dad’s turn to get excited over the movie. I, on the other hand, was kind of timid to see the flick since I never liked Nicholas Cage anyway. Although I must admit he’s a very good actor ever since. But as far as Bangkok Dangerous is concerned, it seemed like Cage’s facial expression was tied to one – gloomy! (Oh yeah, and I wish he’d screw the terrible hair he had on the movie! Geez!!!) Moviewise, it was pretty boring for an action flick. Good thing there were ample sceneries of Bangkok in it, plus the action scenes were ok except that it wasn’t at all very edgy. Overall, it’s a two-star for me, simply because there were lots of elements in the movie that do a lot more workup.

After the movie, mom had to do an impromptu shopping for some shoes and stuff she needed at home while I played chaperon and carried her shopping bags. We left around 6:00 p.m. and headed home just in time for home-cooked dinner. ^_^