TV Drama Review #58 - Life Made Simple 阿旺新传

Episodes: 32
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2005/TVB
Main Cast:
Roger Kwok ~ Ding Chang Wang
Jessica Hsuan ~ Huang Qi Feng
Bosco Wong ~ Zhong Zi Cong
Leila Tong ~ An Qi
Angela Tong ~ Li Xiao Hao
Raymond Cho ~ Luo Qu Cheng
Summary: Ah Wang is a thirty-year-old man with an IQ of a little boy. However, he seems to finds ways to make everyone around him happy. When Ah Wang was in school, nobody wanted to play with him because they thought he was stupid, but Qi Feng accepted him. Ah Wang remembered playing "jia jia jiu" with her. He would always play the father and she would play the mother. Thus, the name "Lao Po Zai"/"Xiao Xi Fer" was born!
Many years had passed, the 2 of them are still very close. Feng used Ah Wang's golden coins to pay her school fees and left for US to complete her studies.
Feng met An Qi in US and happened to go to the same company Jone's Intl for interview. Feng met Zi Cong, who was frequently rumoured to date stars and was known to be a playboy. On the other hand, An Qi liked Zi Cong and tried to sarbotage Feng, but this did not stop Zi Cong from falling for Feng. Ah Wang later got a job in Jone's with the help of the chairmain of Jone's, without knowing Zi Cong's dad, Zhong Jin Rong, was actually his own dad too. During an incident, Ah Wang was shot by a bullet and had to do a brain operation. Feng decided to marry him so that he would have the spirit to fight on. Finally, Ah Wang's wish came true by marrying Feng, but life didnt go easy on him. Qu Cheng also fell for Feng while Feng decided to give a shot for her career by working overseas. Ah Wang created a "Lao Po Tang Wan" to remember Feng and carved out his career. Feng finally gave him a call...
Comments: Let's forget about "Square Pegs", then u will not be that disappointed la. Anyway, there's no links between the 2 also. Plot wise, the first few epis were considered boring to me, coz' it didnt give me the drive to continue watching it. It started to pick up after Feng returned from US ba, and i was kinda rooting for Feng & Zi Cong, but not for long. Plot began to go downhill again when Feng decided to leave Ah Wang & did all those "silly stuffs" to make Wang let go of her. Haiz....i really dont like that part of the drama, Ah Wang was pitiful, though he's quite a nuisance at times. So overall, you must have the patience to view the lousy parts first before watching the happy ones. Lolz!
Acting wise, had to give Roger credits la. Not every actor is suitable or is able to act such a role. Though i dun like his hairstyle, he's really the soul person in the drama. Jessica was alright la, but dunno why she looked kinda old in the drama. Bosco's character was much serious than his usual roles, a good try but I think he's not suitable for such roles la. Thank goodness he accepted Ah Wang towards the end of the drama, or else i may end up disliking Zi Cong lo. Leila Tong's performance was good actually, tho she's not the sweet girl la. My impression of her changed as she could really be quite "evil", tt means gd acting. Hope to see her more often in TVB dramas lo. The other support cast plus Angela Tong did a good job, without them i guessed the drama wld be more boring. Like to see Bro Rui & Ah Lian (Wang's mum) together, funny couple. Hehe!
Ratings: 7.5/10 (If only the plot is better lah, and i hope TVB wont have so many sequels which are super worse than the original ones. )

Many things to say

[Wedding Dinner] Attended my cousin's wedding at Orchard Parade Hotel yday la, met with a horrible slow traffic at CTE, was bloodly late when we reached there lo, lucky havent start. Food was quite delicious, but the service was nt very good. During the pour champagne ceremony, the waitor toppled some of the glasses lo...very unauspicious sia. Think there's this particular waiter who was very "chor lor" sia...sianz! Met my cousins who are in their 30s...and saw some distant relatives from M'sia..they only know E.W la..lolz! Tried to make myself comfortable lor. Our table was just next to the VIP table and stage...scary sia! Lolz...Anyway, was rather disgusted with some of my cuz's frenz who made a scene after some of them got drunk..and one gal vomitted...super noisy sia. Haiz...
[Hell Week] Finally it's here...super bloody week...sianz. This wk kenna 5 days of sch..and 2 lects on fri lor! Evening class....damn! Plus 2 more wks of Fri evening class.......haiz!
[HM] To CC Gang...HM is coming back on Valentine's day Night...shall meet up huh? Had a video conferencing with her just now...she went to Shen Zhen lor..even got the cheek to say we will get 1 piece of "Lao Po Bing" each, nt even a box. Lolz!
[Future] How come so many ppl are leaving me huh? HM went HK..coming up my cuz HL also leaving for US for the work and holiday thingy in may...and sept, my dearest Tuan. Feelin' sianz sia...

Under the canopy of love

Yesh! I found the remaining epis at another site..will update on my review when i finished it! So Happy!!!

Shopping again

[Bugis] Met up with sc to accomplish two tasks. Firstly, visited the Mario Korean restaurant which we are planning to go next wk to check if it's open during lunch hours. Had our lunch at the Causeway Bay HK cafe ard that area too...set lunch was cheap..mine was 5 bucks while SC's costed 7 bucks inclusive of drinks lo.
Our Iced Lemon juice...surprised that they used the containers lo..i also have this at home..from Ikea.
My Char Siew Noodles.
SC's fish filet and cheese baked rice...
[Task 2] Actually spotted something nice at Seiyu, so asked SC to go along and check'em out. Good deal sia..hehe! (paiseh cant say what i bought here..lol) Went up to my fav shop to see the hello kitty stuffs...Aiya! Why all the stuffs so pretty???? Hahahah! Bought another accessory from Mueeya (spelling like incorrect). Hehehe! Went to another shop and saw some suitable gifts to give to Tuan and erhem...some gals. Lolz...Happy trip tdy!
[Chinatown] Met up with E.W and Tuan at Is counter...ended up E.W didnt bought the top she fancied earlier on while Tuan bought a nice top for herself..lolz! E.W was kinda sianz coz' she cant find any nice clothes while Tuan hunted a short cardigan at one of the shops above the hawker centre. Lucky gal...Went to Happy Realm Veg. restaurant to eat with E.W as an advance celebration for her big day tmr.
[Sense] Returned to Hg Mall..was suaning E.W tt she wld end up buying clothes at home..and I am very right..lolz! Passed by Sense and found some nice top..so asked her to go in and c c la. So ended up..she bought 3 tops and 2 pants..costed abt 200+ and got a lifelong membership..wahahhaha! Really "hua qian bu zha yan"...but the quality of the clothes are gd la, esp. the pants..which are the ex ones.
[Tmr] Mr Chean & E.W going to my uncle's hse for the tea ceremony ba...shall update tmr.

TV Drama Review #57 - Nodame Cantabile 交响情人梦

Episodes: 11 + 2 nites special
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2006/FujiTV
Main Cast:
Tamaki Hiroshi ~ Chiaki Shinichi
Ueno Juri ~ Noda Megumi
Eita ~ Mine Ryutaro
Takenaka Naoto ~ Stresemann
Mizukawa Asami ~ Kiyora Miki
Summary: (edited, credits to wikipedia)
Shinichi Chiaki is the top piano student at his university and an excellent violinist, but he doesn't care about playing these instruments as much as he dreams of being a conductor. However, Chiaki has deeply rooted fears about traveling, found himself "trapped" in Japan. Because he's trapped, Chiaki starts to question exactly how far he can possibly go in music. Recently dumped by his girlfriend for a "sausage" looking fellow, passed a chance to go overseas, removed from his star spot in the piano competition because he walked out on his piano instructor; Chiaki is at his limit. This is when he meets Nodame (Megumi's nick). Nodame is a free spirit who reminds Chiaki that music can be fun. She reminds him what drew him to be a conductor in the first place and, in learning how to deal with Nodame, Chiaki learns how to deal with others. Chiaki begins to realise what is possible for him, even within the country of Japan.
For Nodame, Chiaki is everything she isn't. Clean, neat, dedicated, studious and inherently arrogant about his accomplishments and capabilities. Chiaki constantly bullies her into being more serious about life. He sees potential in her and her abilities as a pianist which she doesn't cares about. She loves Chiaki and wants to be with him, but, because she's not serious about her piano studies nor her personal hygiene, Chiaki denies her affections again and again.
But Chiaki and Nodame complete each other in ways no other can, a musical compliment that neither of them can completely escape entirely. Watching them grow as people and musicians, and even as a couple, is an interesting ride
Comments: My favourite J-dorama of the year! Omg! How could u miss it?! Nodame is actually adopted from the manga, up till vol.9. The storyline itself was simply interesting. Firstly, how Chiaki conquered his ultimate fears of taking a plane, how he find a meaning to do music in Japan, the people he met in Special Oke and the most impt Nodame!!! Next, the plot showed how some "weirdos" & other "so so" musicians in the uni could form an orchestra. I loved their performance lo, so different from the A Oke la (more professional). Well, their first performance was great, they cld play music not just by sitting, but stood up and created movements! 2nd performance was unique as usual, esp. their kimono outfits...perfect! U may find Chiaki couldnt fit into that grp, but it's really fun to see ppl crazy over him. Lolz! I liked every scene of Chiaki & Nodame together, his life was affected by her bit by bit, and she became more impt to him bit by bit too. Wow! I like their chemistry! Of coz, how cld i miss out the "manga effects" in the drama leh? Super exaggerating butta u wont hate it la. Somehow the plot itself was rather "high class", becoz' of the mentioning of various music pieces by different famous composers. U kinda get to know more classical music la...gd right? Also like some side-plots, like some guys crazy over Chiaki..erhem..Chiaki has Nodame le hor! Mine & Kiyori's romance was cute too, Nodame & her piano teacher...haha! simply interesting!
Character wise, Nodame really stood out of the crowd. I couldnt stop laughing when i saw her "rubbish dumping ground" home & how Chiaki cleared her hse, cooked her food & asked her to bathe. Lolz! Ueno Juri was simply a kawaii actress..and mind u she's same age as me lo! I didnt notice her till i realised she acted in "Swing Girls" & in "Engine" ah..ha! so different! Nodame was really the weirdo sia, she liked to compose new music or played by her own pace, played piano without knowing how to read scores etc.
Chiaki was equally good, liked his expressions when he buay tahan Nodame & friends. Lolz! He simply cant handle them la. Tamaki was already quite famous le, though i didnt watch his other projects yet. He acted in "Waterboys" movie version wor.
The other cast was simply great! Ha..must mention Stresemann by Takenaka. Lolz! It's hard for a Japanese to act "ang moh" right..some more a famous musician. Takenaka had to slang his japanese to a very westernised tone and he made Stresemann such a "colour wolf"..lolz! U may not like him initially, but u will get to know him better as the drama progress. Hehe!
Final episode was simply touching! Finally Chiaki said those words to his dear Nodame le, and his final performance with the RS Oke. Splendid!
Wondering if there wld be any special lo....**pray hard**. Havent check out the OST yet, bet it wld be full of classical music la. Hehe!
Ratings: 10/10 (Recommend to all folks, even those who dont like J-dorama. It's very different from other dramas on earth, must check it out!)

04/01/08-05/01/08
Nodame Cantabile 2 nites New year special in Europe. The special focused on Chiaki on the 1st nite and on Nodame on the 2nd nite. Well, the special was funny as usual, and I was so happy that Chiaki had finally "do something" to his love Nodame...So touching ah! Hahaha! Lots of classical music showcases through out the drama, and occasional appearance of the rest of the cast. New faces include Wentz Eiji, member of WaT & Becky, who were another 2 crazy fellas to me...and singer Yamada Yu, who cameo as Song Rui in the 2nd nite. I loved to see the interaction b/w Chiaki and Stresemann....that old fella still as dirty as ever...wahahha! Chiaki was so funny when he got jealous...and I was sad when Nodame was feeling down before her successful performance. Ha..
Wishing for a sequel...

Long time Sunday

[Dharma class] Received my notes for the lesson, rather disappointed that it wld be on Buddha's life again. Ya...coz' i had been doing so for the past yrs...super sianz. The best part is, the contents and topics covered are very brief, even lesser than those I did in youth class. Anyway, a little stress up when Ven. Hao Yi requested us to write an intro for abt 200 words...and there will be test after every 2 or 3 topics...bengx! I felt a little weird with the qns my classmates asked during lesson, qns which i never question why or what. Lolz! Didnt agree with one particular ans which Ven. Hao Yi answered. Firstly, her ans was out of point. 2ndly, the ans she gave wasnt correct, but i just assumed she didnt want to complicate matters coz' there wld be a longer explanation needed..and many of them are newbies, clueless about buddhism. Well, let's see what happens next wk.
[Shopping] Today's mission was to hunt clothes with Mr Chean & E.W. Being a fussy fella, really had some trouble finding clothes for dad...lolz! Anyway, he had bought his stuffs le. E.W is another fussy mum with gd taste...lolz...finally found a nice top @ Is, but dont have her size! Aiya..think gotta go to OG Orchard next time le. Was waiting for Tuan to meet us, and E.W spotted a nice top from Dorathy Perkins for me. Quality was super good (very soft) and price was reasonable..(after discount lo). Very happy with it la...and it's my first D.P top. Hehehe!
Tuan bought another top @ one of the push-carts above the hawker centre..what's tt building called? Anyway, many women shopping there...it's the far east @ Chinatown la. (too bad I got ugly legs, or else can buy some nice bottoms le....sobbzz)
Had my usual guo ties for lunch...and i had BBQ food for dinner! Yummy stingray and sotongs!!! Too bad my fish porridge stall was closed today..missed it so much!

TV Drama Review #56 - Hwang Jini 黄真伊

Episodes: 24
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2006/KBS
Main Cast:
Ha Ji Won ~~ Hwang Jini/Myeongwol
Kim Young Ae ~~ Baek Mu
Yoon Tae Joon ~~ Byeok Tae Soo
Wang Bit Na ~~ Buyoung
Jang Geun Suk ~~ Kim Eun Ho
Kim Jae Won ~~ Kim Jung Han
Lee In Hye ~~ Dan Shim
Summary: Hwang Jini, also known by her Gisaeng name Myeongwol ("shining moon"), was among the most famous kisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She was the child of an aristocratic man in Gaeseong; accounts of her mother vary, but many indicate that she was a blind woman named Hyeon Hak Geum. Jini grew up at the temple, and acknowledged her Gisaeng mum, who did not want her to follow her footsteps. Jini was talented and became Gisaeng soon after that, but she has to go through lots of training and tests. She quickly rose to fame thanks to her beauty, intellect, and preternatural talent in playing the geomungo.
"Hwang Jini" is not just a tale abt her, it also showed the Gisaeng life during that era & a few romances of Jini.
Comments: I gave up watching "Jumong" coz' it's too long & i lost interest. Epic dramas tend to be draggy la, but I am glad that I carried on watching Hwang Jini even there's no subs. That also means I didnt understand most of the conversations la, just a rough concept what happened. Nvm! It's a pretty good drama. Plot focused on Jini's life and on her romances with her first love Eun Ho & the 2nd guy in her life...Jung Han. These scenes were all touching la, especially tt one with Eun Ho in the coffin...very sad. Another focus was on Jini & her teacher Baek Mu...they were kinda like enemy lah, butta Jini finally realised her teacher's efforts la. I like Kim Young Ae & Ha Ji Won's chemistry. As for the other 2 guys, though Jang Geun Suk looked relatively younger than Ji Won, they looked compatible la. Kim Jae Won...great improvement from his previous works. He finally showed his potential liao! However, i felt that his chemistry with Ji Won was still a little lacking... Storyline was good but the pace was not very fast, but the gd thing was...u wont get bored la.
The whole cast gave a good performance, though many was kinda new to me. Another attraction were the dances and performances by the Gisaengs. How can i miss out the beautiful Hanboks wore by them? Very colourful and different from traditional Hanboks la. However, their head gear was abit "redundant" to me..haha!
Finally, wanna congrat Ji Won for winning the Daesang @ KBS Drama awards. Also, for winning the "best couple award" with Jang Geun Suk.
Ratings: 8/10 (If you know their Japanese counterparts-Geishas, you may wanna give the Gisaengs a try. They may seem to be similar in terms of job, butta there's whole lot of differences.)

Red Bomb

[Today] Went back home at 1pm..and saw a pair of unfamiliar shoes outside my hse. Walked closer...saw a "long time no see" relative of mine, then E.W said he's here to give us "red bomb". So my "never seen before" cousin is getting married, and we gotta attend his wedding on E.W's birthday. Hahaha! Long long time didnt attend wedding dinner liao, after siamming 1 or 2 of them last yr. Anyway, shall update on that dinner later...this month.
[21st Bdae Gathering] Read ML's blog..and kinda reminded me abt my own bdae gathering..probably the first and the last party in my life. Hahahah! Anyway, venue nt confirmed yet...but already got somebody kept asking for "Mahjong Challenge". Ha! The only thing i can confirm is...it wont be in a chalet. I am still thinking about my guest list..as in friends. Family side shall leave it to E.W. Will send out my invitations by early feb ba, but just to let my close pals know...keep your Sunday free...around my birthday that wk. Ok, shall update again when i got new stuffs to tell ur.

茶舞

[Dinner] Met up with PF @ Somerset. Had dinner at Mong Kok HK cafe. Wanted to eat century egg porridge initially but they dont have, so changed to fish porridge. PF had her cha siew noodles while i read her compo...hahaha!
My "not-cheap" fish porridge.
Gyozas...my all-time favourite. Ordered Iced Coffee "Macau" style too...abit too bitter.
[One Last Dance] Was prepared to come out blur after watching it...hahaa! The movie turned out to be quite interesting, but confusing also. The plot sequence was not in order, just like the poster we saw...jigsaw puzzle. Gotta use brains to figure it out la...still wondering who's the real mastermind. Read some reviews...but still no clue...think Ti Lung's character is not the mastermind leh PF. Haha! The movie was beautifully taken too...the feeling is different when u see other SG films. It's like HK film with SG as background...all thanks to the director. Hehe! Francis Ng's performance was good....excellent...what else can i say? Tho Vivian Hsu was a "flower vase" in the movie, I still think she's nt tt bad lah...Saw many local faces too...and many ppl laughed..me too. That guy who acted as Ko...was superb...entertained us all the while till he disappeared. The movie was NC 16...quite vulgar...even the subs too. The dubbed mandarin spoilt the mood too...pronounciation of "fax" was weird and the woman voice for Vivi's character just dont suit her. The Director Max. M's filming was rather unique as well..like one part with Ko filrting with gals @ a pub...was all done using photos...very interesting. Overall, it's really a cool movie, nvm if u cant understand it. It's just abt a gunman's tale...sad song.
[Aftermath] Went back home and PF was kinda siao when we were in NEL. I dont know if she wld blog abt this part but she's super lame...product of NIE. Anyway, it's gd to have some lamers to brighten my day...wahahaha!
[Finally....to ML] Err...dont follow Chair and played such prank calls....coz' i dont like to entertain such stuffs anymore. Dont worry i am not angry lah, but u know that "Lang lai le" story right? Hahahaha! Ur compo is good...

CC Gang Gathering: PY Belated Birthday

[Today] Went for my Dharma class early in the morning. Not quite used to it coz' I had been taking afternoon classes last time. Anyway, saw my teacher...Ven. Hao Yi. Quite a candid teacher la...and most of my classmates are adults lo...not 20+ type...so also felt abit weird la. Lucky got PF and YN with me sia. Hehehe!
[Billy Bomber] SC & GC were late today, and the zhu jiao PY was the earliest....abit paiseh to let her wait..lol! Went to Billy Bomber and we were confused by the coupon thing. End up I gotta spend something more than 10 bucks to get free soup/dessert or the cheese fries...very pian ren de lor! So in the end, GC & SC had that roast chicken set while I ordered "Lost World".
The burger has beef or chicken patty...I took the beef one and u could choose well done or half done la. Got tomatoes, onion rings, cheese & fries...tasted nice...haha! The gals' roast chicken, suprisingly were not in big portion, so to those who cant eat alot, can go try la. PY had her choc cookie cake (forgot that term...hot choc cake with ice cream)...that one was nice too, though i still prefer to eat cold chocs...lol! Anyway, had a nice chat with the gals, plus the restaurant was kinda "cold" la..haha! Went to Taka then walked all the way down to PS direction. Completed our "mission" @ OG...quite pleased with it. Hehehe! Ended our gathering with phototaking session @ Douby Goht MRT...super lame. Had a nice day with u gals...shall meet up again soon.

TV Drama Review #55 - Maiden's Vow 凤凰四重奏

Episodes: 30
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2006/TVB
Main cast: Joe Ma & Charmaine Sheh (shall intro them in the summary)
Brief Summary: Joe and Charmaine will play four characters each spanning four generations, illustrating the evolution of a family of women and their relationships.
First Generation~Qing Dynasty 1900's
Wei Yu Feng (Charmaine) was a well-versed lady from a rich family. She had known their kitchen cook Yu C2ni since young and both of them liked each other. Yu Feng's family met with problems and she was forced to marry Wang Yu Ling (Sammul Chan). Yu Ling is a "good-for-nothing" son who only knew how to gamble and play. Soon, he ruined his family business and Feng had to sell the "Phoenix Jade Chopsticks". She opened the "Feng Huang Lou" and Ci was the master Cook of the restaurant. Soon, the Wang family gained fortune and Yu Ling started to go back to his old behaviour. Feng & Ci died when the train exploded and only left the "Feng Huang Lou" & Feng's child, Wang Zi Jun.
2nd Generation~May 4th event (1919)
Wang Zi Jun was the successor of "Feng Huang Lou". Zi Jun was a cheeful high school student and she was secretly in love with her teacher Li Ji Xiang. Ji Xiang had a fiancee but Zi Jun did not want to follow her mum's footstep. So, she tried many ways and finally touched Ji Xiang's heart. They eloped and went to Tianjin. Soon, "honeymoon" period was over, the couple was poor and quarelled over small stuffs. They parted soon after that; Jun returned to Beijing and found that her mum's restaurant had closed down while Xiang became a revolutionist. The two finally met each other and found that they still loved each other. However, Xiang had to accomplished his mission while Jun had his child. Jun waited for Xiang's return while her child grew up.
3rd Generation~1960's
Zi Jun's great-grand daughter Bai Hui Zhen was married to the egoistic Dai Li Ren, who thought that woman after marriage shld become housewife. Hui Zhen worked secretly but found her way to become Ren's boss. The two also faced problems as Zhen's boss liked her very much and kept framing Ren. Zhen and Ren received a project to promo "Feng Huang Lou", which was facing a closure. Though the couple couldnt save the restaurant, they saved their relationship. Later, they emigrated to San Francisco with the un-born Dai Si Jia and died in an earthquake.
4th Generation~Present Day
The narrator of the drama, Si Jia, was a beer girl who was independent and did not believe in marriage. She dated Fang Jia An after the guy was dumped during his wedding. An was an accountant & a perfectionist. The couple cohibited and An started to control Jia's life. Jia was frustrated and the two broke up, after An saw Jia staying over at her ex-boyfriend Ji (Sammul Chan)'s house. Jia became mature and took her great-great grandmother's receipe and kept finding investors to re-open "Feng Huang Lou". An was glad to see Jia's achievement, but unknown to Jia, he actually put in money to invest in her restaurant. Jia gave birth to An's child while Ji, who was homosexual, was fond of An. Finally, in a cooking competition, Ji & Jia won and got back the missing "Phoenix Jade Chopstick". Ji left HK while An wanted to acknowledge his son. Will the two get married finally?
Comments: Given the 4 plots, this is one of the most interesting drama from TVB last yr. If the plots became an individual drama, then it wld be boring butta, i like this creativity la. I dunno if i cld say this butta this drama is like specially designed for Charmaine, who won the best actress with this drama. She definitely deserved this award! 1st & 2nd Gen's story was acceptable, but nothing new to me. However, Sammul Chan's performance in the 1st Gen was great, very different from his past roles. Good improvement wor! Joe and Charmaine were alright here, nothing new la.
I like the 3rd Gen best coz' the whole storyline was simply funny and interesting! Firstly, the hairdo, costume, and the way they spoke Cantonese was funny. Next, the supporting cast was terrific! If they are missing, then the leads cant work out magic liao. Joe's performance was way better than his previous ones. He was more exaggerating here, with his expressions and movements. I laughed at his hairdo too...super 'Elvis' style. Charmaine was equally good here, i really like to see her being smart la. The chemistry was the best in this plot and i couldnt stand the couple when they were so sweet to each other...rang wo qi ji pi ge da wor!
4th Gen started out alright, Joe was back to his suave look while Charmaine's beer gal was refreshing. This proved that she's suitable for a wide range of characters. Her way of talking was rather rough, but suddenly she sounded so refine after she opened the restaurant. Err..that part abit fake la. The change was kinda drastic la. As for Joe leh, his character was so so here, but i still like Jia An, compared to his characters in the 1st & 2nd Gen. As for Sammul, he looked very different here too...mainly coz' he acted as gay ba. Honestly, he gave me surprises and i think he's actually better than Ron Ng or to some extent, Raymond Lam. Pls return to TVB dramas soon. Hehe!
Themesong & ending song were all sung by Charmaine, but it's ordinary to me.
Ratings: 10/10 (They might be flaws here & there, but it's definitely worth the watch!)

TV Drama Review #54 - Under the Canopy of Love 天幕下的恋人

Episodes: 20
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2006/TVB
Main Cast:
Kevin Cheng ~ Alan Shen Lang
Niki Chow ~ Kao Yi Shi
Bosco Wong ~ Nick Quan Li
Natalie Tong ~ Kao Yi Qing
Summary: Alan and Yi Shi first met when they went to school. They lost contact after Alan changed school. Fate brought them together again many years later and both of them fell in love as time passed. Alan met Nick at the gym and after several incidents, he thought Nick was homosexual becoz' of his behaviour.
Nick looks at Alan as his big brother and always wanted to help him out, so he held back his feelings for Shi but when Alan leaves, he expressed his feelings to her.
Comments: Plot was ordinary, and i watched this becoz' of Bosco Wong. Yeah, without him i guessed it would be too boring with just Kevin & Niki la. The on-screen couple does have chemistry since their last drama "Hard Fate", butta I dont see more "fireworks" from them la. Bosco's character really brighten up the drama lo. His behaviour, way of talking and his loyalty to his friends really outshine Kevin's Shen Lang lah. I thought the chemistry b/w the 2 guys are better lo. Especially when Alan just got to know Nick and thought he was gay, all the way till Alan realised that Nick is a normal guy. I really laugh out loud everytime i saw the 2 of them together, with a "scared" Alan & a super friendly Nick.
The other support cast was ok, didnt take much notice of Natalie's side plot with her boyfriend.
This drama does have something different from others, like every epi has a title, which is very Jpn or Twn style. Also, on and off u get to here Kevin's character narrating his views on the society and people. Well, to agree or not is up to individual la.
Themesong is rather nice this time round..haha! Finally, I really dont understand why Kevin can get "best actor award" with this drama, his acting just dont justify lo. I mean he's kinda same with other dramas he acted. At least Bosco Wong's acting & character can be differentiated lo...Haiz~ TVB just wanna "punish" somebody is it? Hahah!
Finally finished watching the rest of the 6 epis le! Hmm....nothing much to add tho, for the ending it's quite predictable la..
Ratings: 7/10 (If u're a Bosco fan, watch for him la. Otherwise, the storyline was kinda weak and plain, not really worth to catch. Btw, it's just better to listen to the Cantonese version! Hehe!)

HM @ HK e-mail

[Today] Having Socio evening lect later, super sianz...gotta chiong back to catch "Seo Dong Yo". Haiz....
[HM] For CC Gang..some updates abt her in HK la. Basically her lessons havent start, so she was very free and went sight-seeing @ HK tourist attractions la. She met up with Candice also la, and the best part is...she didnt kenna home-sicked. Lolz! She said she is lazy to create blog (expected...lol) and her internet connect was super unstable, so she couldnt go online often la.
Anyway, will update again if she got any new stuffs to share.

Months of Birthdaying

[Today] Went to Bugis with E.W to hunt for 2 gifts. Sometimes it's good to shop with an adult, dunno why...and E.W is the best person. It only took me sometime to search for the gifts eh! Hehehe! So happy..mission accomplished! Bought a pair of sunglasses @ Seiyu for 18 bucks! Hehe! Then after hunting the gifts, went to see if there's anything for E.W to shop....found nothing. Went to OG and bought a Kappa shirt, first time buy "shocking" pink...bengx. Nvm la..something new. Finally, bought a Sui Sui key poach for Tuan.
Gotta hunt for more birthday gifts soon....omg! Got "buy present 恐惧症".

TV Drama Review #53 - A Game About Love 剪刀石头布

Episodes: 27
Yr of telecast/TV Stn: 2006/CTS
Main cast:
Sam Wang ~ Wei Qi Xiang
Joe Chen ~ Ye Duo Li
Zhang Xun Jie~ Chen Ke Luo
Xia Yu Qiao~ Ye Duo Xin
Lin Li Fei ~ Yang Jia Shan
Ah Dan ~ Doff
Summary: (from CTS Web)
「剪刀、石頭、布」恰恰分別代表著三人的個性：銳利、固執與包容，也是他們用來決定愛情的機率遊戲。他們撇開年齡、性別的隔閡，放肆暢懷於一段可愛動人的三角戀情之中，兩個拜把兄弟陳克洛(張勛傑飾)和韋祺祥(王紹偉飾)，同時愛上一個平凡卻善良的女孩-葉朵麗(陳喬恩飾)，卻為了彼此的情誼，雙雙甘願犧牲自己的愛情，成全對方。最後，他們用猜拳的方式，讓機率決定彼此的愛情命運。
Comments: I was rather disappointed with this drama halfway through. The storyline was draggy and predictable. The cast was mature, due to age factor ba and u wont get too exaggerating acting from them. Well, storyline was rather "sian" too. It's not a funny or sweet drama, rather a sad and foolish one. Honestly I think chemistry is lacking between the actors, I dont feel too much emotions from them. Was anticipating Joe & Sam this couple, butta their character just cant create sparks. Really boring la. This "sacrificing for pal" thing is boring....and I dun like what Duo Li was doing also. Xia Yu Qiao's acting was abit "tai", may be becoz' of her character. I liked her better as the drama comes to an end.
Acting wise, I think Sam has improved, butta he could have done more, or perhaps the storyline limited his character development. Joe looked mature with her long hair, and it was a nice try for her to dance flamingo. Zhang Xun Jie is ok lah, havent seen his other works before. I didnt like his character Ke Luo too.
Ending epi actually only lasted for 30mins, the rest was NGs and behind the scenes.
Ratings: 6/10 (I think sad characters arent suitable for Joe leh, i still prefer her acting crazy or happy characters.)

Happy New Year

[Today] What's the best thing to do on new yr's day leh? Spring-cleaning lo. Got a living room to settle later...alamak! Anyway, watched KBS Drama Awards yday after the countdown until 2am. Glad to know the results, butta kinda "fen zhu rou", as in those who come nearly all got something la..abit sian leh, compared to the awards from the Chinese area.
[Happy Birthday] Wanna wish the following a happy birthday..esp when most of you are turning 21 soon la. Opps..i dont want to remind myself & others tho. Soobbzz... Anyway, all the best in the coming year, work hard, play hard & must take gd care of your health ah. Tt's the most impt!
7/1-Val
9/1-PY
23/1-JH
27/1-E.W
P.S: if i miss out anyone pls remind me hor? Hehe!