特别的日子

今天。。2月29日。。。是我爸妈的结婚周年纪念日。
没有庆祝。。
不过，阿清会永远记得。。。
四年再见了！

P.S: 刚才问了太后，才发现他们的结婚周年纪念日是从行华人婚礼那天开始。。不是ROM的日期喔。。那。。就不可以用2月29日来算了咯。。哈哈！
摆了个大乌龙。

Out for awhile

--Afternoon--
I know I should be studying..haha! Anyway, went to the Career & Edu Fair with E.W just now. Motive? to help Tuan find info for China unis. In the end? Can't find any. Haiz...disappointed. There's lots of local private schools, plus many Aus unis..and some from Europe. Kinda crappy la...didnt check out the career stuffs also...(I'm wondering why pri & sec sch kids are gg to the fair? Relevant for them?)
Went to shop awhile at Suntec...bought a top from Giordano, and a pair of "Ipanema Gisele Bundchen" sandals from Novo.
--JLPT--
Haiz...as expected. I didn't make it for level 3. I flunked my listening section la. Haiz...why is the passing mark at 60%???!! Well, planning to retake again...butta the listening section is really a prob for me now. I am satisfied with the grammar & vocab section, but cld have done way better for reading & comprehension. On the side note, wanna congrat SH for passing her lvl 4. Omedeto!

TV Drama Review #122 - Que Sera Sera 顺其自然

How long? 17 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007/MBC
Who's in?
Eric Moon Jung Hyuk (Shinhwa) ~ Kang Tae Joo
Jung Yoo Mi ~ Han Eun Soo
Lee Kyu Han ~ Shin Joon Hyuk
Yoon Ji Hye ~ Cha Hye Rin
What's it abt?
Kang Tae Joo, a casanova returns home to find a strange girl sleeping outside his apartment. Tae Joo thought she's some crazy beggar while the girl, Han Eun Soo, thought he is the man who's living with her younger sister Ji Soo. It turns out that Eun Soo has made a mistake. Ji Soo stays at another unit, without paying the rent. Tae Joo works in an event planning company and bumps into Cha Hye Rin one fine day at a hotel. Hye Rin, the owner of a boutique "Chat Chat", is there for her match-making session. She's also the daughter of the head of World Department Store. Hye Rin still lingers for her "brother" Shin Joon Hyuk. Joon Hyuk is her dad's adopted son, but he has been keeping a distance from Hye Rin due to some unknown reasons. Joon Hyuk returns from the States and becomes the CEO of WDS, while Eun Soo is employed as a worker at WDS, and Tae Joo is working on a fashion show for "Chat Chat" at WDS. Tae Joo and Eun Soo finally get on terms after sometime, and Eun Soo has a crush on Tae Joo. Both of them finally dated each other, but not for long. Tae Joo has agreed to be Hye Rin's "fake" boyfriend and Eun Soo was hurt. Eun Soo later saved Joon Hyuk during an incident and both of them got to know each other officially. Tae Joo quitted his job and worked at WDS, and he bumped into Eun Soo who's working there. Later, Joon Hyuk falls for Eun Soo, while Tae Joo and Hye Rin are keeping their eyes on them. Finally, during their trip to Singapore, Tae Joo reconfirms his love for Eun Soo and they got back together. This time round, Hye Rin and Joon Hyuk got hurt. Ji Soo is going for an operation, but her family has financial problems. Upon hearing this, Tae Joo decided to help them, and he initiate break up again. Tae Joo returns to Hye Rin and they got engaged, while Joon Hyuk and Eun Soo get married later. Tae Joo is shocked to know Eun Soo is pregnant, while Joon Hyuk finally know what really happened to his real father....
Love & Hates:
Plot-This is another drama which I thought I wouldn't be interested in. So, I decided to give it a try, and I continued to watch all the way. Honestly, I think I wld regret now if I hadn't watch the drama. It's hard to say if I like the storyline or not. On one hand, I find it silly to see these 4 fella's relationships-Somehow, I felt that Tae Joo & Eun Soo were being "used" by Joon Hyuk & Hye Rin, but on the other hand, the love b/w Tae Joo & Eun Soo seemed so strong that the other 2 couldn't even step in. What makes me like this drama is the whole feeling of the storyline...I don't know how to describe it...you may think Tae Joo is a jerk, but you can't detest him afterall. U may think Hye Rin is annoying throughout the drama, but she's actually a sad character and u can see her growing and learning through the show. The theme and presentation of the drama are slightly different from the norm, rather refresing and bold. I was rather curious on how Tae Joo wld react when he sees Eun Soo & Joon Hyuk together. His reactions are interesting, and clearly we know he loves Eun Soo alot. Another interesting part was to see Hye Rin sort of "forgets" her feelings for JH & starts falling for Tae Joo. "Ri Jiu Sheng Qing" makes sense huh? Actually, the plot itself seems plain, because this drama focused alot more on the developments of characters. Each character has depth and you can clearly see their layers of development as the drama continues.
Cast-I have never seen Eric's previous dramas, neither did I like him as the leader of kpop band "Shinhwa". But, his performance in QSS is not bad...he has impressed me lo! Honestly, at the start of QSS, I thought he's only capable to portray the casanova image of KTJ. He did pretty well in that, but I got to see his displays of hidden emotions, and open emotions as the story progressed. Butta, he cld do better for his crying scenes.
I didn't like the image of Jung Yoo Mi initially. Her curly hair and weird clothing combis didnt impressed me. However, she finally had a change-neater and nicer hair, plus nicer outfits! She's just abit different from typical Korean actress. There's this "innocence" in her. Actually, I don't know if I really like Eun Soo-coz' she seemed pretty cui ruo in facing her emotions, and relationship. Butta, I think JYM's performance was good enough for me. Her chemistry with Eric is not bad, especially after their 1st break up...haha!
Lee Kyu Han! The ex-boyfriend of Sam Soon! haha..his image is so nice now until i can't humptump him. Hahaha! Honestly, he's like a gentleman most of the time here, until the part when he conspired with some baddies. Actually, I can't really feel his love for Eun Soo, perhaps there's love but not very deep. After marriage, it seems like he wanna control Eun Soo, like his possession. He's performance here was better than in Sam Soon la, not much happy expressions from him...but at least..he's not woody.
I didn't quite like Yoon Ji Hye, or her character Hye Rin. She's not pretty, and I find her way of walking abit weird. Though she's a designer in the show, I didn't like her dresses lo..dunno why...trying to be stylish but it's not pretty at all.
OST-The OST is great! Love the theme by W & Whale and the other songs by Alex and Horan of Clazziquai...reminds me of "Sam Soon"'s OST...great tracks!
Worth watching?
It's either u like or dislike this drama. Wld recommend to u guys though. The director is the same fella for Sam Soon. I love his way of filming sia.

CC Gang Gathering : Night Safari

--Yday @ Night Safari--
Met the girls for dinner @ AMK Hub's Pepper Lunch. Nv eat there before, ordered Japanese Curry Hamburger...my beef steak cut into 3 pieces...very giam. Curry was nice though. I think it's more worthwhile to eat their salmon or pepper chicken rice sets..ha!
Took 138 and we reached Night Safari at around 7pm.
Entrance to Night Safari!
Well, there were lots of tourists today...and we went to go for our tram ride right away. There goes my 10 bucks. It's quite fun though...travelling around the park with those misty kind of feeling...and later the park started to get pitch dark (with faint lights..). Haha! We queued up for the animal show....not as nice as the Zoo. And, though the presenter was quite funny throughout the show, I think she could be more polite to the kid la. Usage of words is impt ne! We continued to walk on the various trails..."Forest Giant", "Lepoard", and "Fishing Cat"...i thought the "Bridge of Suspense" wld be shiok, but it's too stable la...hahaha! Now I know who are the ones who are afraid of dark...lolz!
The feeling of visiting a zoo at night is really quite different from the daytime. Personally, I still prefer to visit the Zoo la...coz' I think most animals are quite active during the day somehow. Haha!
Wanna thank CH for the discounted admission tixs lo!
--Prelims--
1st paper starting on Monday, while the rest wld be on the following week. Haiz...very sianz now

CONGRATULATIONS!

SG finally has won the bid for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics!
It's great to see the crowd cheering at Padang just now!
A good chance to show the world that SG can host such important events!
Majulah Singapura!

TV Drama Review #121 - Bad Love 坏爱情

How long? 20 epis
When & which tv stn? 2007-2008/KBS
Who's in?
Kwon Sang Woo ~ Kang Yong Gi
Lee Yo Won ~ Na In Jung
Kim Sung Soo ~ Lee Soo Hwan
Kim Ga Yun ~ Kang Joo Ran
Cha Re Yeon ~ Jo Ann/Park Shin Yeong
What's it abt?
Na In Jung, a cellist, fell in love with businessman Lee Soo Hwan, without knowing he's a married man. When In Jung realised she's the 3rd party, she found herself pregnant with his child. Soo Hwan's wife Joo Ran hurt In Jung's hands, which stopped her from playing the cello, and she lost her child and mum.
In Jung first met Kang Yong Gi when he threw a can and hit her head. Yong Gi was an artist then, and with his first love Jo Ann. However, they didn't know each other until they meet 5 yrs later, at a small fishing village. In Jung sold fried chicken, while Yong Gi returned from US with Jo Ann's ashes. Soon, the two fell in love with each other. However, unknown to each other, Yong Gi didn't know In Jung was the woman who came b/w his half sister Joo Ran & Soo Hwan's marriage. In Jung, on the other hand, didn't know that Yong Gi was Soo Hwan's brother-in-law.
Soo Hwan aimed to become the CEO of the company, but his father-in-law has been waiting for Yong Gi to return and succeed the company. Soo Hwan felt that his efforts was wasted and decided to plot something against the company. On the other hand, Joo Ran has an affair with Soo Hwan's friend cum chauffeur, and Soo Hwan finally met In Jung. He found out that In Jung is dating Yong Gi, and wanted them to break up. Yong Gi's father passed away, and he has to return to the company. In Jung decided to disappear to somewhere so as to avoid Yong Gi. Yong Gi decided to "plot" a revenge on In Jung as she kept avoiding & giving up on their relationship. Just then, things didn't go well for Yong Gi, and he has to ask Soo Hwan to help the co...A Jo Ann lookalike woman appeared before Yong Gi and her motives were unclear.
Soo Hwan was suffering from an illness and he knew he would not last any longer....
Love & Hates:
Plot-An anticipated come back for Kwon Sang Woo, but the drama didn't make him proud. Ratings suffered as "Bad Love" competes with the other 2 sagueks...and the plot has to be partly responsible for the result. Honestly, I didn't know why I could finish this clasic melodrama without much complaints. I won't consider that I was addicted with "Bad Love", but I was rather curious what wld Yong Gi do to make In Jung return to him. The drama's pace was quite fast initially, fast until many things seemed too unrealistic to happen in such a fast pace. For e.g. In Jung slept with Soo Hwan, after knowing him for a few days only. With her background, I couldn't understand why she's so "easy" on this. The storyline started to slow down when Yong Gi and In Jung met and fell in love. I wouldn't say the drama starts to get boring, but some things are rather unrealistic again. Yong Gi loved Jo Ann so much, that he's still suffering his wound after she committed suicide. Suddenly, he decided to move on and crazily fell in love with In Jung. Honestly, Yong Gi loved In Jung 200%, but In Jung seemed unwilling to give her heart totally to him. Some ppl also said there's no proper kissing scene in this drama...it's hard to imagine a couple so in loved only just hugged. Hahah...I am fine with this though...not many kisses won't die. I wasn't satisfied with the Jo Ann lookalike woman coming into the pic...the love triangle did bored me abit....but Soo Hwan's character started to pick up...So, overall...the plot is still acceptable for me, but it can be cut short to 16 epis. Ending was alright....but abit too "peaceful"...may be they cld end off with a kiss la...hahahaha! (So, u shld be able to guess if the ending is a gd or bad one lo~)
Cast-Mr Kwon-the prince of tears, image and character seemed to be rather similar to his character in "Stairways to Heaven". "Chi Qing Nan" image was very strong. Didn't like his "too short" hairdo though....but generally, his performance was not bad. He cld be very sentimental at one time, very cheeky at one time, and can be rather cold sometimes...Expressions are vivid...and of coz' how can i not mention his tears?! Hahaha!
Lee Yo Won...loved her so much in "Surgeon Bong", but her performance here was rather average. Too woody le. I gotta mention In Jung is a very depressed character, so depressed that her expressions are sad and still...even her smile doesn't seem to be really happy...I think she did well for that, but then...her expressions cld be more vivid la...Didn't like her hairdo and clothings...made her looked older than Mr Kwon. Lolz....
Kim Sung Soo, still rmbed him in "Full House". He's older than Mr. Kwon btw, but he really has that dashing look. Even if he's a not-very-gd character, I still can't detest him that much...hahaha! Honestly, Lee Soo Hwan is a pathetic fella here. He has to "sell himself off" to clear his mum's debt, get married with a woman he don't love, and worked so hard for a saviour, who's waiting for his son all the time. He finally can be himself by loving someone he really like, but he let that woman suffered so much, yet he cld do nothing to help her. He loved her all these yrs, but what he get in the end? Perhaps, that ending for him can save him from suffering somemore...it's too tiring. I think KSS's performance was not bad too, though he's another one with little expressions. (Another depressed fella...) Butta, I think this character has developments....and KSS did well enough to bring out Lee Soo Hwan.
I finally realised Kim Ga Yun was in "Queen of the Game" too...hate her for 3/4 of the show...haha! Her hairdo is weird, and she's really a super spoilt woman. I don't like her way of speaking, and definitely hate her for hurting our In Jung. Butta, she's another poor fella too. Her husband hardly talks to her, hardly looks at her...so cold to her. They adopted a girl Mi Soo...perhaps she's the only joy to her...I can understand her hatred for In Jung. Which woman wld like a 3rd party? Her change in the end was sort of expected...I think Joo Ran "grew up" overnight. She no longer disliked her half bro, and I cld feel her love for Lee Soo Hwan.
I think Cha Rae Yeon is a newbie, but her perf is not bad. Most of her scenes are with the identity "Park Shin Yeong", a realistic woman who fell for someone she shldn't love. In the end, she only hurts herself....Wld be glad to see her in new roles soon. (Though I don't like Park Shin Yeong...hahaha!)
OST-didnt create a big impression on me...I only liked the theme song sang by Tei.
Worth watching?
Wld only recommend to ppl who like Korean melodramas.

CC Gang Gathering: CH belated birthday + L: Change the World

--Lunch--
Met up with the girls at Somerset, and we headed to Cine's Sakae Teppanyaki for lunch. It's my first time there..there wasn't much for offer...set lunch,set dinner,rice/noodle or ala carte. I chose the "Sakae set", which included rice, miso soup, tofu steak, salmon steak, duck meat, assorted mushroom and chawanmushi with onion. It's about 13 plus...shld be just nice for most ppl, but I wasn't really full after having my meal. Hahaha! Then the girls started to attack me as I kept mentioning that I cld go for 2nd round...lolz! GC was late, so she had lunch at KFC. Gotta find some place to sit down and chat...and we "landed" at Swensens after roaming Heeren...ha! Didn't know that Swensen branch is operating 24 Hours...ho! Had our dessert session, and wanna thank PY for the treat. I had "Mint-in-the-coffee"...not a bad combination.
--L:Change the World--
Decided to catch the preview last minute, coz' I wld be rather busy from next wk onwards. I was glad to watch it anyway, I'm sure the girls enjoyed the movie too. Well, the movie was a Death Note spin off....starting of the show was alright..intro of a maths genius through F, who was killed in Thailand. The next character I gotta mention was Professor Nikkaido, and the other impt person of the movie, his daughter Maki-chan. I didn't read the manga...so I didn't know Make wld be the character M la. I only know "Near", who was the maths genius...and the name was given by L. Plot wise, abit "out of the world". How to say? Try to cleanse the Earth by getting rid of the ever increasing humans. Method? Some deadly virus. And what went on? Trying to get the antidote. What's more ridiculous? Trying to hijack a plane in order to spread the virus "worldwide". In the end? They got the antitode and was caught. Hmm....may be it seemed pretty ok when I was watching it, but come to think of it now, I think the plot was abit silly. Hahaha! But then, by just watching L wld be enough. OMG! L was really so much interesting than Lighto. He squatted on chairs; hopped down from chairs; typed with his forefingers (with big movements); spoke rather decent english (Matsuyama must have worked hard on his pronounciation); endless eating of sweet stuffs; dunno what to do with the kids-he offered them with his sweets,but both turned him down and he ended up eating them; his funny stares at the maths genius; his "dunno what to do look" when Maki lay her head on his shoulders; his stylo pink "Angel Crepe" lorry-with food and IT equipped and watching him trying to walk without hunching his back..hahaha! Enough reasons to watch this movie? Ya...of coz! It's sad to see him "die" again after 23 days, and I am glad that though the plot was kinda unrealistic, L and the characters made the movie fun and interesting. The only "scary" part was when Pro Nikkaido sacrificed himself and kena "burn" in the lab...quite a scary scene...ho!
Death Note fans....don't miss this movie!

March/April terror

Looking at my erev now, I think nobody will be as sianz as me liao. Even though this yr didnt kena evening class....my weekends are gone. 3 full weekend (sat&sun) classes and 3 sat mornings gone. That means....I have to go to school during all my sats in April and the last 2 in March. Crazy right? This is the sacrifice I have to made lo....haiz~

长江7号

--昨天--
好久没有全家人一起去看电影了。 在去之前，已经有人跟我说此片不好看。不过，三套贺岁片之中，我家只对周星驰有兴趣。哈！看完了之后，有一种结论--It's either you like it or you don't. 其实CJ7还真的是挺好笑的一部片子。搞笑之余也有温馨和教育的一面。当然，也有让大家觉得难过的画面啦。故事剧情处理得还不错。不过，夸张的部分。。是有点over啦。像小狄的那位胖妞同学（她应该是男生吧。。。）和另外一个胖子互打的场面，终觉得没什么意思。还有，另外一个超好脸的男生。。说话装大人而且表情不自然。。感觉怪怪的。很喜欢小狄和他爸爸在破旧的房子里玩“游戏”--压死很多蟑螂。。虽然恶心，不过还是觉得挺窝心的。超爱“七仔”。。表情和动作都太可爱了！！ 徐娇年纪轻轻，演技倒很不错。周星驰的演技则终归终局。那位老师（名字忘记了。。），戏份不多，表现还不错。学校里的老师都得穿旗袍eh..身材超好的。。哈哈！我不太喜欢故事的结尾。。。又让我想起早期“无理头”港片的ending...不过，还是超喜欢“七仔”和它的家族。。哈哈！
现在，很多人都挺期待周导的电影，不过这也意味着大家对他的要求也提高了。所以，CJ7难免会让很多人失望。剧情太简单或单调了，没有周导的招牌武打剧情。这套戏也被一些人归类成“无理头”的片子，其实没那么无聊啦！
阿清没有想太多啦，我觉得CJ7并没有那么差。。喜欢温馨和搞笑片子的人，不要错过CJ7喔。
对了。。主题歌是"Sunny" by Boney M。可惜，没能听到S.H.E所演唱的华语版本。
--晚餐--
第一次去吃在Heeren的Sakae。。。菜单跟别家的不太一样。。不过，食物并没有特别好吃。大家还是比较喜欢Ichiban Sushi。。哈！
过后，回学校等待傍晚的课。。。累死了。

TV Drama Review #120 - Glittering Days 东方之珠

How long? 30 epis
When & which tv stn? 2006/TVB
Who's in?
Liza Wang ~ Jin Yan
Roger Kwok ~ Ling Feng
Charmaine Sheh ~ Zhu Yu Lan
Susanna Kwan ~ Zhu Xiao Qiao
Chris Lai ~ Xu Yong Kang
Sharon Chan ~ Chang Mei Li Carol
What's it abt?
Jin Yan is the manager of Xia Fei troupe and she's one of the "3 Golden Flowers" back in Shanghai. After the world war, she couldn't find her son zai zai and left for HK with Qiao & others. Qiao's brother Zhu Da Ji took their money and disappeared, thus Xia Fei didn't do very well. Unfortunately, fate has brought her in conflict with Ling Feng, a well known singer who 1st sing at "Li De", and then at "Pearl of Orient". Ling Feng comes from a small village and worked his way up to stardom. Despite his arrogance in front of his colleagues, he is good to his brother Wei and others whom he is indebted to. His childhood friend, Xiao Lan, has problems to speak properly and has a crush on him. After an incident, Lan could speak properly again, while Jin Yan trains her up for the contest at "Pearl of Orient". Things started to go hay-wired for Ling Feng. Due to Wei's greediness, Ling Feng was involved with Inspector Hua's wife's suicide and he lost his fame and career.
On the other hand, Qiao's only son Kang wants to pursue a singing career, despite his mum's strong objections. He and Carol became good friends, though they disliked each other initially.
Jin Yan finally realises that Ling Feng is her long lost son after she heard a track sang by Ling. Though she wants to acknowledge her son, her relationship with Ling now was very bad and Ling wouldn't believe that she's his mum.
Xiao Lan became the famous Xun Lan at "Pearl of Orient" and has to work with Wei, who wants to court her but failed.
Jin Yan and Ling Feng finally acknowledged each other, while Ling Feng finally grabbed his courage and stopped Lan from leaving again.
Love & Hates:
Plot-The background and theme of the drama make this drama unique. Lots of chances to listen to chinese pop of the 60s & 70s. But of coz, most of them sang the songs over a few times, so kinda bored la. For eg, Ling Feng's classic hits are "Xun Meng Yuan", "Mei Lan Mei Lan Wo Ai Ni" & "Bai Yun Tian". Storyline was standard, with expected twists la.
Cast-Roger Kwok seemed to be like Ah Wang at certain angle..and there's really a "Ah Wang" in the drama though. May be Roger's image of Ah Wang was too strong and the guy who did the mandarin dubbing was the same for "Ah Wang". Ha! Anyway, Roger's performance was not too bad-he gotta act arrogant when Ling Feng was still famous, and he started to pick himself up after he lost everything and became a sugarcane seller. Ling Feng is a character full of developments, and Roger did well to portray them. It's a pity that most of his songs in mandarin weren't sang by himself.
Liza Wang was alright to me...didn't really impressed me too much leh. May be Jin Yan was kinda annoying somehow, so I didnt really like her.
Charmaine's performance was good, esp. when Xiao Lan was still a village girl. Hahaha! Her transformation into Xun Lan was pretty good too...and she sang most of her songs by herself. Not too bad...However, her chemistry with Roger was so so to me...may be becoz' they didn't really have alot of interaction when Ling Feng went MIA. So, not much sparks.
The other cast are ok, gotta mention the few baddies like Chang Sheng, Inspector Hua, Fei Fei & Luo Wei....without them, this drama wld be definitely boring. But i really disliked them to core, esp. Luo Wei...really wanna throw eggs at him. Lolz!
Songs-It's rare to have a TVB drama with so many classic songs. Not sure if there's an ost for it. Themesong "Pearl of Orient" is sang by Liza Wang in both Canto & Mandarin versions. Butta, I didn't really like the song, may be becoz' the melody and the lyrics didnt flow very well. Personally, I like "Bai Yun Tian", though the song doesn't sound 60s or 70s.
Worth watching?
A must-watch for TVB fans.

CNY movie review 3

--Samaria--
Another early work by Kim Ki Duk.
Yeo-jin and Jae-yeong are two teenage girls who are trying to earn money for a trip to Europe. To reach this end, Jae-yeong is prostituting herself while Yeo-jin acts as her pimp, setting her up with the clients and staying on guard for the police. Things take a turn for the worse when Yeo-jin gets distracted from her duty and the police raid the motel where Jae-yeong is meeting with a client. To avoid getting caught, Jae-yeong jumps out of a window, fatally injuring herself.
After Jae-yeong's death, Yeo-jin blames herself and to ease her own conscience, sets to return all of the money they earned to the clients while sleeping with them herself. Eventually Yeo-jin's father, a policeman, is devastated when he discovers what she is doing. He starts following her discreetly and confronts her clients with escalatingly violent results. On the last time, he ends up brutally killing a client.
For the rest of its duration, the movie follows the father and daughter on a short trip to the countryside, where they both sense something is wrong with the other, but are unable to confront each other directly. In the end, the law catches up with the father, who hopes to have done enough to prepare Yeo-jin for her life without him. (from Wikipedia)
Looks like Ah Ching likes to watch chim chim movie to get her brain thinking. This movie seems to be easy to understand on surface, but actually, there's more to it. There are some questions after watching the movie, but I don't think I wld be able to find the ans..lolz! Good acting from the two newcomers...and don't worry..you won't get to see too much "erhem" stuffs here. Actually, the theme does deal with moral ethics, and perhaps, with religion such as Buddhism or Christianity (Kim Ki Duk is a Catholic..).
The last scene was sad though....dad taught his daughter a life skill, before leaving her to fend for herself...

Life goes on~

--Ms. mao mao--
One of Tuan's hamster died yday evening....no more pain liao~
--CNY present--
Just found out that I have a evening class on wed! Super sianz....Evening classes never fail to spoil my mood. Sianz.....

Shanghai Blues - The Musical

In 1930s Shanghai, a man and a woman are brought together amidst war and chaos. Love blossoms between the two but fate wrenches them apart. Years of wistful longing for each other pass. But when they finally meet, they find themselves unwittingly trapped in a love triangle, with a bubbly young lady as the third person.
Will the man continue to wait for his old love? Or will he embark on a new romance? Will the three pass this test of love, friendship and loyalty?
At once bittersweet and humourous, poignant and uplifting, Shanghai Blues takes you back to the glamourous era of old Shanghai in a delightful musical of mesmerising music, sumptuous costumes and endearing characters. (from esplanade site)
Went to the Esplanade theatre this afternoon to catch the musical with Tuan. Overall, the show was not too bad, but there's definitely room for improvement. First of all, I was disappointed with the backdrop. Throughout the whole show, there's only one backdrop (the stairways...). It's not "shanghai" at all leh. I thought there shld be a backdrop such as a 大上海歌厅etc...what a pity.
The live band did a great job today, though they cld distract the audience, since they occupied the middle of the stage, while the actors acted around them. Some of the musicians had to multi-task, like one who plays cello and erhu, while the other played the bass guitar and double bass. Pro sia. It wld be better if they can play and sing the songs in the 1940s style...the whole "Shanghai" feeling wld come out better.
Acting wise, the supporting cast was good. Lead actor William So sang very well....his voice was very powerful, but his acting part was average la. "Not enough"...Perhaps, 他还不够放, 情绪还不够. As for Mindee Ong...she's great, but her voice was kinda weak at the start of the performance. 没有走音, 不过唱高音的时候有点吃力. She got better at the 2nd half of the show...like her duet with William...it's the song by William & Kit Chan "爱得正好”, with some changes in the lyrics. Emma Yong was doing great too...she's funny..haha! I gotta mention the ang moh actor Daniel Jenkins...he's really really funny k....he had some mandarin lines and u know he tried his best to pronounce them. Hahaha....I like his UK accent too..
Mindee and Emma had a rather similar problem with their mandarin pronounciation..dunno if Tuan notice it...sometimes, they tend to speak at a not-so-natural tone. I dunno how to explain in words...it's just not the normal tone..may be they spoke too fast or what. Also, Mindee didn't pronounce certain words accurately...
The biggest problem....was with the plot. Honestly, the ending was too rush. William's "Wen Cong" had too little time to sort out his feelings for Tu Yun (Mindee Ong). Wen Cong detested Yun initially, so when he heard from Dan Lei (Emma Yong) that Yun was the one he has been waiting for...he got up from his seat, "shocked" for awhile...and chiong to stop Yun from leaving. Then...very soon...the show ended. Too rush...Honestly, this reminds me of TVB drama ending..hahah! (The playwright is from HK leh..haha!) Perhaps, in the middle of the show, there cld be more interaction b/w Cong & Yun, and not suddenly, Cong forgot all his detestment for Yun and showed his affection for her at the very last minute.
Although there are quite abit of flaws here & there, I still enjoyed the musical very much. Butta, I still preferred "天冷就回来”. That one is a classic man!
Ah Ching hope that there will be a good musical in the future. Hehe!

Chiong to AMK for my dinner...not as delicious as last yr though...

CNY movie review 2

--Shadows in the Palace--
A maid-in-waiting hangs herself within the palace walls. However, while performing the autopsy, imperial medic Chun-ryung suspects murder and starts an investigation. With a taste for justice and full of wisdom, Chun-ryung bravely uncovers the deceptions. But she is soon confronted with a hidden past kept secret by those with far more power than she could ever imagine. (from wikipedia)
This movie is not a horror flick, but it had some ghostly elements. Pace was slightly slow, kinda like watching a saguek (ancient korean drama) in movie version. Storyline was alright, nothing too scary, but the torture scenes were quite gruesome. I wished that the plot had more twists to it...coz' the ending was sort of expected. It's nice to see ancient background with murder/ghost theme la..but if only they could make it more exciting and scary. Only know Park Jin Hee and some other cast...her performance was ok, but nothing spectacular.
--Just Follow Law--
Ok...I know i am slow..now then watch this movie. So, wont bother to describe the plot la. I found it quite exaggerating or over with the office scenes...arrow here and there...and to get permission for air-con..need 3 working days etc...it's really too over la. Butta, basically, the rest of the storyline was quite true to reality. Gurmit and Fann's performance were not bad leh, I really lolz when i saw their interactions..hahaha! It's nice to hear our Singlish throughout the film, but somehow it gave foreigners an impression that sgporeans cld only speak like that (from what i read in some reviews...Singlish is one big attraction as to why foreigners like to watch sg movies. However, alot of them don't really understand fully what we are saying). Hmm....perhaps Jack Neo shld try to come out with some more serious themes or plots. Or else, it can be boring to see sg style comedy again every yr.

Happy CNY!

--Yday & Tdy--
Didn't expect that I had to go out for 3 consecutive days this yr...ha! Wear old clothes la..lolz! Ah Ching is getting bo chap with the traditions of wearing new stuffs for CNY. No new shoes, only 1 new pants, and 2 "havent wear" new clothes. I even have to lend Tuan one of my "relatively new" clothes. Hahaha!
Usual family visiting....nothing much this yr....and nobody "harass" me with those funny qns. Not bad leh...lolz! Everybody sian liao right? Hahaha!
--Tmr--
Gg to Esplanade to watch "Shanghai Blues", then chiong to aunt's hse for dinner, and chiong back to catch my tv...lolz! Shall update tmr la...

and....havent study for prelims....HAIZ!

CNY movie review

--100 Days with Mr.Arrogant--
A 2004 Korean romance-comedy starring Kim Jae Won & Ha Ji Won (both also co-starred in drama "Hwang Jin Yi"). Well, the plot is actually quite silly, but I enjoyed myself as I LOL at the funny and lame scenes.
After being dumped by her boyfriend just before their 100 day anniversary, Ha-Young meets a college guy named Hyung-Joon when she accidentally kicks a can that hits him in the face and causes him to scratch his Lexus. He demands she pay him $3000 on the spot. She escapes from him, leaving her wallet behind.
Hyung-Joon stalks her, demanding money to pay for his car. Since she is a poor high school student Hyung-Joon writes up a "Enslavement Agreement" for Ha-Young in order to pay for the damage to his car. Ha-Young is thrown into a nightmarish slave life for 100 days, cleaning his house, running his errands, doing his homework and cleaning his car.
By accident she finds out that the damage to Hyung-Joon's car only costs $10! She then takes her revenge. However, before she knows it Hyung-Joon shows up at her house as her new tutor! He once again takes advantage of her, but soon Ha-Young finds herself falling head over heels for Hyung-Joon. (from wikipedia)
Ha Ji Won's performance was quite good actually, though her acting was quite exaggerating and kinda act cute. Lolz! I really like her, coz' she can be very mature or funny in different roles. So, due to her wide range of characters, her acting has to be good to fit well with her roles. Well, her recent movies are not so lame liao la, so if you wanna catch her comical movies, you can check out her other movies such as "Love,So Divine" starring Kwon Sang Woo (Stairways in Heaven), or "Sex is Zero" (don't worry, not an adult movie..lolz!).
Kim Jae Won is more famous with his past dramas such as "Romance" and "My Love Patzzi". I think he had gained weight while filming "100 Days..", so he didnt look great to me leh (esp. the swimming pool scene with him showing his figure...no 6 packs..omg! Lucky I don't see a tummy. Lolz) His performance was ok la, but I was rather disappointed leh. I wished he had better chemistry with Ha Ji Won though.
Wld rec to folks who like romance-comedy, I think you wld enjoy it.
--The Coast Guard--
An earlier work of Director Kim Ki Duk, whose recent film "Breath" was just shown in theatres here (& I did a review on it).
Kang Sang-byeong is a member of the South Korean coast guard who is eager to shoot a North Korean spy. One evening he shoots and kills a South Korean civilian who has strayed into a forbidden zone to have sex with his girlfriend. Kang and the girlfriend of the dead civilian both have mental breakdowns. The woman believes the members of the coast guard are her dead lover, and engages in sexual affairs with them. Though awarded after the shooting, Kang is dismissed from the coast guard. He then returns to kill other members of his troop. (from wikipedia)
Jang Dong Gun's 2002 movie...well, as usual, the plot is not easy to understand from the surface. Perhaps many of us wouldn't know what the movie really wanna to tell us. JDG's performance was not bad, especially his expressions, the crazy soldier...filled with guilt..and particularly, the last scene..his eyes. Park Ji Ah did a gd job too, I felt so bad for her character..haiz...
Well, not a movie for most ppl...and personally, not the best movie from Kim Ki Duk.

新年快乐！

今天是年除夕了。

在此，阿清祝贺大家：

新年快乐！万事如意！

念书的人，学业进步！

工作的人，事业顺心！

恋爱的人，甜甜蜜蜜！

没钱的人，财源广进！

恭喜恭喜！

等一下，有火锅大餐。
新年又可以吃到太后一年一次煮的“罗汉斋”了。哈哈。。。
今年不去牛车水倒数了，决定在家看电视过年！
过年后，要再次冲刺啦！

My Sunday~

Going back to school tmr for lesson. Sianzzz....

and btw, our dear LL has changed her blogskin and updated!
Hey gal...glad to see u alive & kicking..lolz!

Happy Birthday to KH~

--School--
Our birthday girl KH literally shouted at the lecture hall when she received her birthday present from us earlier on. Hahahaha...I bet everybody cld hear her. Lolz! Hope u like the present lo gal!

And btw, Ann is causing a stir in KH's blog....lolz!

--Happy Birthday--
1/2 -KH
2/2-Ade
3/2 -CH, Vivi