静界~青州佛像之宝

--Peranakan Museum--
What a nice day to see the buddhist artifacts from Qingzhou! Went to visit the Peranakan Museum with E.W & Tuan. I think I am not supposed to post any pics of the main galleries on websites, but I shall just put a few? Anyway, the tix was just 8 bucks to visit both the main galleries and the Qingzhou buddhist artifacts.
The museum.
The entrance.
The ACM cat.
The main galleries. It's quite interesting to know that Peranakans are not just from Malacca...they can come from Penang and Indonesia. In the Malay-speaking parts of SEA, the term "Peranakan" means "child of" or "born of" and is used to refer to people of mixed ethnic origins. Besides Chinese Peranakans, there are also Jawi Peranakan (Indian Muslim) and Chitty Melaka (Indian).
One of the antique chairs in front of the desk counter.
A cute wedding portrait at the Wedding section. Peranakan wedding can last for 12 days eh! Lolz!
The one on the left side is Singapore/Malacca wedding jewellery. The one on the right is Penang wedding jewellery.
Three-tiered wedding basket (Bakol Siah).
Wedding pagodas.
The Sam Kai Alter. It's dedicated for the Jade Emperor. "Sam Kai" means San Jie in Chinese, and it refers to Heaven, Earth & Man. The altar is erected on special occasions, for wedding rites like chiu tau (comb hair) and Jade Emperor's birthday.
Furnitures of the Peranakans.
Well, other sections were quite interesting too. I didn't bother to take pics, in case kena caught. But I read the visitor guide that it's ok to take pics without flash in the main galleries. Actually, I thought the Peranakan culture is more traditional than mainstream Chinese. They really follow lots of Chinese traditions for many occasions, from wedding to furneral etc. But I guess nowadays most SG peranakans are Christians liao, they don't follow many traditions like worshipping ancestors etc, which is actually quite taoist.
--静界~青州佛像之宝 @ Dr. Tan Tsze Chor & Upper Annex Gallery--
Can't take pics la. There were 35 buddhist statues altogether, and most of them were sort of damaged (lots of missing hands etc..) Well, it's quite amazing to see such "un-chinese styled" buddha statues from China. Those from Nothern Qi dynasty were heavily influenced by Indian-styled Statues during Gupta dynasty. Also, the Northern Qi statues were more "human-liked". There was a video showing the excavation of the statues on the site in 1996. Saw the statues coming out from the soil....imagined they were buried for 800 yrs. Many were badly damaged...and the reason for their burial was unknown.
Well, it's interesting to see how culture can fused together and these buddha statues were gd examples. Looking at the statues...made me feel like visiting the grottoes in China sia! They are super magnificant eh! They wld be in my tour destination list! Hehe!
--Marina Square--
Went over to MS for some shopping. Had "high-tea" @ Secret Recipe...and they didn't have my Chocolate Banana! Tuan had her Hazel nut Latte & Chicken Cornish, while I ate Marble Cheesecake & drank Ice Mocha. E.W leh? Drank her Camomile tea lo...hehe!
Tuan & me bought shirts from TRF at Zara. The shirts were made from organic cotton wor. Hehehe! Looks like i shld check out TRF in the future. Then, we bought 2 pairs of D.P jeans at 69 bucks! I think as long as I buy girly shirts, E.W wldn't stop me from buying them. Lolz...And now no need to hunt for CNY clothes le, so easy to find nice ones! Haizz...

TV Drama Review #173 - General Hospital 2 综合医院2

No.of Epis: 17
Year/TV Station: 2008-2009/MBC
Cast:
Lee Jae Ryong ~ Kim Do Hoon
Cha Tae Hyun ~ Choi Jin Sang
Kim Jung Eun ~ Jung Ha Yoon
Ryu Jin ~ Baek Hyun Woo
Lee Jong Won ~ Han Ki Tae
Go Joon Hee ~ Kang Eun Ji
Do Ji Won ~ Song Hye Soo
Synopsis:
Ha Yoon passed the bar examination so that she could become a lawyer who helps patients in malpractice cases. She decides to join a residency after she completes her internship. She meets Choi Jin Sang, who's famous for creating trouble. Though Jin Sang lacks in every way as a doctor, he makes the effort to help his patients. Hyun Woo is the total opposite of Jin Sang. He's the top student in medical school, and Prof Han recruited him to join his medical research team. He's mature and understanding, while Jin Sang is childish and can be annoying at times. Ha Yoon also created lots of problems as she has been critical towards doctors who compromised their values.
Eun Ji is Jin Sang's good friend and she has a crush on him. Later on, she starts to worry as Jin Sang and Ha Yoon keep getting into petty arguments. Do Hoon and Ki Tae are the staff docs in General Surgery dept. Ki Tae seems to be glamourous as he's famous while Do Hoon is more down-to-earth. Both of them do not seem to work quite well with each other, as they think and do things differently. And, Ki Tae used to like Dr. Song, the E.R dept staff, who has been in love with Kim for 10 yrs.
Slacker's review:
GS 2 is the sequel of "General Hospital" which was aired 14 yrs ago. I didn't watch GS, but the sequel's plot was not linked to it. The veteran cast like Lee Jae Ryong and some other support cast were from GS though. I haven't enjoyed a medical series after "Surgeon BDH", and I thought GS 2 was not bad, though romance was nt the big focus here. The main plot focused on individual struggles of the interns/docs. We got to see the resident docs overcoming their problems, like the minor errors which cld worsen the condition of the patients, deaths of patients etc. Also, the plot also touched on individual stories of the patients. Plus, the position of hospital/docs vs patients & families. That's typically the main plot of every medical drama. I didn't like how they let Kim kena cancer towards the end of the drama. Ya he didn't die, but the concept was overused. (We need more creativity)
So, what's interesting was KJE's Ha Yoon. She shld be a lawyer focusing on medical malpractice, thus her position and background really let her caused lots of problems here. U might find Ha Yoon annoying as she always stood from the patients' pt of view, but sometimes she didn't know that "justice" can backfire too. I like her scenes with Jin Sang & Hyun Woo. They were like the "3 musketeers" in the dept. Hahaha. Of coz, many ppl wld think that Jin Sang wld end up with Ha Yoon....err...That's nt the case here. Ha Yoon ended up with Hyun Woo!!! Yeahh! Finally Ryu Jin's character got the girl! lolz! I really like this couple...Hyun Woo was always there for Ha Yoon...he supported and trusted her. Jin Sang was actually quite a nice guy too, but he's always slower than Hyun Woo la. I liked how Ha Yoon always called Jin Sang "Tehji" (pig in korean)....it was just so cute for Ha Yoon to do that. So, how's KJE's performance??? I really liked it! She's no longer the "sha da jie" in her previous dramas. She looked younger here, more professional and serious. Ha Yoon is a character who changed slowly and realised her passion to become a doctor; she used to hate docs becoz' of the incident of her dad but now she has decided to be a doc to prevent such things to happen again.
CTH is not a young lad anymore, but he looked so chubby and young here! His scenes brought me lots of laughter, and of coz...lots of worries as he kept getting into trouble. Lolz! So, u know how proud he was when he was the 1st resident doc to complete a surgery at the end of the show. Hehehe! I missed his cow mooing ringtone and seeing him drinking his milk. Haha!
Very glad to see RJ, who's quite underrated in a fairly impt character. I guessed the biggest obstacle for Hyun Woo was Prof Han. Hyun Woo is nt a fella who simply follow orders, though he seemed to be more obedient as compared to Ha Yoon and Jin Sang. Luckily the screenwriter didn't make him into a proud and arrogant fella. HW was interested in Ha Yoon from the start of the drama, and I was hoping for more developments b/w them. But, that only happened in the last few epis...too little la! And Ha Yoon seemed to like Prof Kim...but it's not really obvious. Maybe the "liking" has nothing to do with romace...and Ha Yoon also knew that Dr. Song liked Kim...no chance ne.
It's a pity tt Go Joon Hee didn't get much scenes, as compared to other support cast. I thought that they shld developed abit more on Eun Ji's r/s with Jin Sang. There's no scene to show that the two were together, but I think Jin Sang was probably fine with the idea. Lolz!
The other cast like LJR, LJW, DJW etc did a gd job in portraying senior doctors and their professionalism. Of coz...handling the rookies wasn't an easy task. Lolz. I like the "wedding" scene of Prof Kim and Dr. Song...it was really a touching moment.
OST was alright, nice insert songs like "Pastel Smile" by Song Hee Ran & Kim Bum Soo's "Desire".
I think they are clearing the old characters from GS to make way for new cast for the upcoming GS 3 in yrs time. Hopefully I wld get to see the current cast in the next sequel too.

E.W Birthday Part 2

Today is E.W's chinese birthday. I think only ppl born during CNY wld enjoy "extended birthdays" ba...provided the timing is right. Anyway, Aunt Jo baked a pure 100% Choco cake for her. There's no butter and no milk...coz 100% cocoa, so E.W can eat. Lolz...E.W long time didn't eat birthday cake lo...but she still complained abt the presentation of the cake. Faints...
Well, I wanna eat la but i got toothache again. Sickening!
Later how to eat dinner with my relatives???? Win liao lo!

Gotta spend money again....

Thanks to my tooth.

Happy CNY Day 1 & 2

--Yday--
Stayed at home while my cousins' family came to visit us. Played a few rounds of Mahjong and I was the winner! Yeah!!! Went to have Pastamania for dinner...their meal portion was really pathetic. Looks like I wld only eat at their PS branch.
--Today--
My usual bai nian-ing. "Highlight" of the day was at my aunt's house. Well, something unpleasant happened....and some of us learnt something "interesting" too. Shall not mention here....in case I pissed off again. Lolz!
--Happy Birthday--
Also, today is E.W's big day! Happy Birthday Mum!!!

Ip Man 叶问

I am curious how nice this film is....so finally, I went to check it out yday. So, the movie was up to my expectations, and I really liked the scenes when Donnie Yen fighted with his competitors - swift, accurate and powerful strokes of the Yong Chun martial arts. The movie background went into the Japanese occupation era, and the mood was more serious and saddening. Many martial arts experts went to work in the coal mines and went to challenge the Japs for just a packet of rice. Plus, they might not even walk out of the place.
Back to Yong Chun Quan, it's a martial arts where I hardly see big movements, and the defence techniques were really top-notch. U cld only see Donnie's hand moving very quickly and just in front of his body..and he wld punched super fast when the competitor fell down. Cool!
Other cast like Simon Yam, Lynn Hung and Lam Ka Tung gave a nice performance, though only LKT had more scenes. It's nice to see him again, but I really think tt he shld return to TVB.
Now I cld understand why this HK movie did so well in box office. I think there wld be a sequel soon? Maybe I will catch it in cinemas till then.

Happy CNY! 新年快乐!

Gosa

What a great day to start with a Korean horror flick? Gosa is a high-sch horror movie starring Lee Bum Soo, Yoon Jung Hee, Nam Gyu Ri & Kim Bum. Actually I thought it's another ordinary K-style horror film, but it did seemed to be slightly different. The top 6 students were killed one by one as the rest of the classmates & teachers couldn't give the correct ans, or they were too slow to get the right ans. The way the students were killed were really very gruesome and bloody. If i watched in the cinema I think i buay tahan also. Lolz...Imagined ppl drowned in a big tank...killed by dripping hot wax...dumped into the washing machine etc...and the correct ans were carved onto their bodies. (Feel like puking? Hahaha!)
Anyway, the ghost of the dead student "Ji Won" were the prime suspect for all these murders...but the murderers were actually her parents. It's interesting to know who killed Ji Won....and it turned out to be her teacher, Hwang, who was bribed to give away exam qns to the parents of the top 6 students. But the best twist was....Ji Won's dad turned out to be the security officer!! So well, u know what happened to teacher Hwang in the end la. I was sad that Kim Bum's Kang Hyun was killed also...not by the murderers, but by another student who saw what happened when Ji Won was killed. (He went insane...)
Well...ending was somehow standard...Yi Na now tops the class...but we saw Ji Won's face on her..(so Ji Won's ghost in her body now? Duh....)
Kudos to Lee Bum Soo....this was his 1st horror movie and I think his performance was great.
Though there were flaws in the plot, I thought it's quite interesting to watch. It's just that, though the truth was sad, the method the parents took revenge was just....crazy!!!

With the teachers

--Hg Mall--
Met up with PF & ML for lunch at Ichiban Sushi. Later, the gals went to my hse to visit Mr. Momo. ML left for her appointment while PF stayed for some round of Mahjong. Finally, we concluded that we wld be suay if Mr. Momo is ard. Lolz....
--Prelims--
SIM high-tech liao ah. Now we got this thing call ePrelims. Lolz! Basically I only need to go down for my ME prelim exam liao lo. The other 2 I gotta do online...ha!
I'm gg to try the system out with my HRM test later on....sianz.
--CNY--
It's coming too fast!!! Got uninvited guest coming for reunion dinner tmr. Bengz..

TV Drama Review #172 - The Ultimate Crime Fighter 通天干探

No.of Epis: 37
Year/TV Station: 2007/TVB
Cast:
Moses Chan ~ Wei Jin Long
Yuen Biao ~ Yuan Huo Xin
Gigi Lai ~ Huang Jing Ying
Yoyo Mung ~ Jiang Ya Ru
Kevin Cheng ~ Zhuang Wen Xi
Maggie Siu ~ Lin Chu Yu
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Famous for his unparalleled kung-fu skills, Huo Xin has cracked a large number of difficult cases, which makes him very popular within the police force. Despite the recognition he has achieved, Huo Xin quits his job to become a monk. But later, as luck would have it, he gets back to Hong Kong again, where he experiences a series of mysterious, supernatural events.
With the assistance of Huo Xin, Wei Jin Long, an undercover police officer, manages to solve a big case. Later, Long returns to his police inspector position. Xin believes that there is a special bond between him and Long. Long dates Jing Ying, whom he used to bicker with. However, Long and his bosom friend Ya Ru have been very close to each other. Feeling upset, Jing Ying starts going out with her boss Zhuang Wen Xi, which leads her to the point of no return…
To seek revenge, Long has shown his complete disregard for law and order. He is ready to sacrifice himself and even Huo Xin to reach his goal. Things are happening as Huo Xin predicts.
Meanwhile, Huo Xin knows what will happen to him and decides to push Chu Yu back to her husband.
Slacker's review: This drama was actually quite nice to watch initially. The cases were linked with supernatural events, thus it seemed to be rather unique compared to other case-solving dramas. Plus, Huo Xin can know what happens before an event actually occurs. However, this plot did not continue for long. It was skewed towards Jing Ying's death case and it simply dragged too long for the case to be solved. Seriously, there's no need for 37 epis. (I think 25~30 is enough.) After a case ended, it was not continued with another new case straight away. The storyline spent 2-3 epis to let the characters built up chemistry. That's good actually, but then the drama lost the excitement between cases. So, the storyline was rather inconsistent to the previous part, as we didn't get to see any more supernatural stuff, and Jing Ying's case turned out to be Jin Long's revenge show.
Moses's acting was really good, and his character gave him lots of chances to show his acting skills. He was so funny when he acted as the Thai gigolo. I like how Moses was back in his suit and he's all serious during work. He did pretty well with his "couldn't-be-bothered" attitude & expression to JY too. Then, JL finally realised he loved JY all along...but JY was with WX. (Jealousy and anger were all written on his face...) Though I didn't like how JL's character changed after JY died, Moses's performance after JY died was excellent. He's kinda like a "living dead", thinking only about revenge, and forgot his principles as a law enforcer. He went literally "crazy", threatening his colleagues and even his friends. JL actually became WX as he continued to do the wrong thing...hunting down WX's bro WK,who witnessed him killing WX. This is one of the most "developed" character I have ever seen in TVB dramas.
As compared to Moses, Yuen Biao's performance seemed to be average. As a kungfu action actor, I didn't blame him la. He did well for his character...a super righteous guy. Though I find HX's romance with CY kinda awkward, i think his chemistry with Maggie wasn't bad. However, YB's chemistry with Moses was the best. Haha!
Gigi Lai looked so different here. E.W kept saying that JY was so ugly. Yes...our pretty Gigi gotta act such a character. So, she's not those "can only act pretty" actress. JY is quite a "dreamy" person, and she got jealous too easily, and she's too nice. I was very sad when JY had to die. Without her, the drama seemed to be missing something. Butta, together with other characters (except JL), JY was pretty one-dimensional.
Yoyo's YR was her usual "boyish" character. I think Yoyo's performance was not bad, but nothing new. She's another righteous fella, but becoz' of love, she's willing to sacrifice her career for JL.
ZWX..this kind of character normally wld get a B lister to act, so dunno what happened to Kevin ah...offended mgt ah? (Joking...) Anyway, it has been sometime to see Kevin in such a role. Though he's nt a male lead, his character was one of the main characters in the back part of the drama. Kevin's acting always bothers me. He's alright, but not exceptionally good. He was evil in the drama, but I thought his acting didn't bring the best out of him, as compared to Moses. Kevin really needs to buck up in his expressions.
As for other cast like Maggie and Nat Tong...they were not bad. I really like JY's dad..though he's ridiculous at times. Hahaha..
Ending theme "Ci Wo Yi Si" by Moses Chan.
Overall, I think "TUCF" is still quite a gd drama to watch, despite its flaws. It's not the mainstream police dramas which focused only on the cases & romances. There are lots of Buddhist philosophies in the drama. For e.g. the life cycle of the tree is one classic illustration of 轮回.

生日礼物

--背包--
老妹的新背包，越看越好看。哈哈！而且我超喜欢它的material。
所以，阿清也想要同一个包包。
原本打算放在birthday present list 的，看谁好心买一个给我。。哈哈！
谁知道王太后说：“到三月的时候可能已经找不到了。”
过后她又加了一句，“干脆我买给你好了。。。”
太好了！乘老妹还在的时候先跟她拗个礼物也不错。呵呵！
非常开心的阿清。。。正等着礼物的到来。
老妹！你快点回来吧！！！

Coming up in Feb

--Plans--
Lots of things coming up, making my feb schedule seemed rather busy. Besides the gatherings plus Tuan leaving for Shanghai, lots of movies are coming too!!!
Let me see...I am going to watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Valkyrie" for sure. Not sure about "The Reader" yet.
Anybody wanna watch Kaneshiro Takeshi's "K-20: The Legend of the Mask" or Leon Lai's "Mei Lan Fang"? (Though MLF's review wasn't tt good, but still watchable ba.)
Well, I have decided to give up watching Hua Yi Fest's "The Village" theatre performance. Shall save the money up for the movies..lolz!
And....prelim exams are coming too. Haiz!

Life after May

It's only Jan, but there are already people asking me if I have start hunting for jobs. Lolz!
I know local uni students are doing that now, but Ah Ching hasn't even start thinking about it.
I think I will start finding after I grad la, and probably after my overseas trip, if there's one. Honestly, I have no idea what I wanna do. You know slackers are aimless folks..lolz! It wld be tough for me to find jobs by that time, but well, I am staying positive in the mean time. Hopefully I can find a nice job by then lo.

With my family

--Cousin's hse--
Initially we didn't plan to stay there for very long, but aunt has prepared our lunch la. Nice catching up with HL, and WT is now the "chalet girl". (She went for her 3rd chalet gathering just now...lol!) Anyway, she did very well for her Os...gratz!
--OG @ Chinatown--
Mr Chean bought a pair of short pants while Tuan bought her flats from Tracce. E.W still can't find any new clothes...poor mum! Didn't walk to the 年货市场 as we didn't like to be in the crowd, so only Mr Chean went and he bought so many muachis and jellies. Aiyo~!
--E.W--
So, she found a top from Mozo & a pair of pants from Sense later @ Hg Mall. Hehe!

Time flies...and CNY is coming next wk! That also means Jan is ending soon.....omg!

TV Drama Review #171 - Iljimae 一枝梅

No.of epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Lee Jun Ki ~ Iljimae / Yong / Lee Geom
Han Hyo Joo ~ Byun Eun Chae
Lee Young Ah ~ Bong Soon
Park Shi Hoo ~ Byun Shi Hoo / Ja Dol
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Yong is a useless gangster in the marketplace by day but at night he is a chivalrous robber who robs corrupt government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery he leaves behind a painting of a wooden branch from a plum tree at the site. The poor citizens only know him as Iljimae. Bong Soon is a hilarious girl with good martial art skills and lives as a swindler. She only loves Yong and sacrifices her whole life for him. Eun Chae is government official Byun Shik's daughter and is good in nature and usually helps miserable people. She meets Iljimae once by chance, and their sweet love story begins. However, her love puts Iljimae in a dangerous situation as Shi Hoo, her half-brother and imperial guard, decides to catch Iljimae by himself.
Slacker's review:
Actually I had no plans to catch "Iljimae" at all. So I thought why not just give it a try? The first few epis when the characters were kids were really exciting. (Surprised...) I was very curious what wld happen to Lee Geom etc. But as soon as Lee Jun Ki appeared, the excitement just died out. Lolz...it's not that LJK's acting sucks, but as Yong became a gangster, the usual storyline sets in and it's back to a typical korean sageuk drama. SBS's version of "Iljimae" was a made-up plot. (MBC's upcoming "The Return of Iljimae" is based on the manhwa version.) Also, Chinese has her own version of "Yi Zhi Mei", so I am quite curious which is the real version. Haha! Back to "Iljimae", development of the drama was pretty predictable. One big attraction for me was to catch Park Shi Hoo. (Hehehe...) Shi Hoo's parents adopted Yong, who actually was Shi Hoo's blood-related half brother. Their relationship seemed complicated, but I thought that was interesting as this unknown relationship wld determine their fates later on. Meanwhile, Bong Soon was raised up by the killer who murdered her family. Bong Soon thought Geom was dead, but later on she realised Yong was Geom! Before that she used to bicker with Yong alot, but once she knew his real identity, her feelings for Yong changed. (I am sad she didn't end up with him in the end, as she couldn't face her "father" anymore.) I always wondered if Shi Hoo liked Eun Chae as a woman. He's always concerned abt her safety, and was even willing to cut his own little finger instead of Eun Chae's. But somehow, I didn't feel his intense feeling for her. (It seemed that he treated her more like his sister and he didn't even say gdbye to her before she left for Jeju. ) As for Yong and Eun Chae, they were just not meant to be la...(and actually they didn't share lots of scenes together...this is a guys' show afterall.)
Lee Jun Ki...he's not bad, but I didn't like his gangster scenes, as he's quite exaggerating & lame. Hahaha! (Just boring to me...let me see him in action will do.) He did really well in his emotional scenes though...like when his sis was hanged in public. Yong felt so helpless, but he couldn't let others know he's her bro. He gotta control his tears, and he had tried very hard...and finally, he burst into tears in a safer place. Also, other scenes like when he finally regained his memory-he rmbed how his father was killed and how his mum was humiliated in public; when his adoptive father was killed due to torture etc. As for when he's Iljimae, I think he's quite good in his action scenes too.
Park Shi Hoo's acting skills definitely needs to polish up. He seemed to be expressionless most of the time, but I believed it's becoz Shi Hoo (the character) himself was a pathetic fella. He grew up being bullied by his "half-bro" all the time, and his stepparents were not nice to him. Only Eun Chae viewed him as a family member. He's hatred for his birth-mum was understandable. I liked his scenes with his "birth-dad", though they hardly talked much. His action scenes were nicely done though...and I really liked how he killed the baddie in a single and powerful stroke.
Lee Young Ah!!! She's just so cheerful here. Finally she cld speak normally as I had heard too much of her accented korean in "Golden Bride". Hahaha! Well, I wouldn't say her chemistry with LJK was great, but with Bong Soon ard, the mood wld just lighten up.
First time watching Han Hyo Joo, the female lead here. Her performance was pretty gd, though nothing challenging for her to act as a official's daughter. Liked her scenes with LJK...they had gd chemistry. Just see them sitting on the plum tree branch..hehe! Though Eun Chae was very kind-hearted and graceful, I liked how she stood up for the poor and worked against her father & supported Iljimae. I am wondering if Eun Chae knew Yong was Iljimae...I am not quite sure myself, but I think she knew Iljimae is Geom...
There were some flaws towards the end of the drama...the last epi was actually rather rushed. Yong didn't meet his birth mum...and the emperor just went crazy ah. (He shld be killed man!)
Though in the end the 4 characters didn't end up with anyone, I was still quite fine with the ending.
Park Hyo Shin's "Hwashin (Flower Letters)" was really a nice song. Instrumentals were nice too...like the main title "we ro oon bal ja kook" (the strong instrumental opening/ending) & "maehwa" etc.

Shopping Day 3

--Vivocity--
Ha! Finally I bought another long-sleeve shirt from Zara! E.W also bought a knitted sleeveless top too! Lolz! Looks like Zara has become our fav brand sia...I had went to their 3 different outlets in a week....bengz! Miss Tuan continue to have her luck in shopping. Bought her backpack from Zinc, very nice lo! Also, she found another dress from thirtyseven degrees. (I think I wld look like a clown next to her...wahaha!) But the gal still can't find her shoes...hoho! (Think her luggage wld be fully packed when she returns to Shanghai next mth...lolz!)
I was thinking if I can get any blouse from River Island. They seemed to look nice on the web, but when I saw them in real, most of them just seemed to be too filmsy...and expensive! It costed abt 24 pounds plus minus for a blouse on the web, but convert to SGD....it's 70-80 plus for one leh! Haiz...out of my budget le. Sobbbzzz...It's even harder to find a casual blouse sia.
I think I am sick of shopping liao. Have been going out too often this week, super tiring. Going to Chinatown again tmr....it just seems terrible to be in the crowds ah.

赤壁之决战天下

--Orchard Lido--
所谓好戏在后头，赤壁下集果然没让我失望。吴宇森还是保持了一贯的幽默，让此片轻松了不少。重头戏当然是赤壁之战啦！筹备战争的部分还挺不错的，也加重了赵薇的戏份。不过真的开始宣战的时候，赤壁在排场上可以说是壮观。。有"好莱坞"的架势。这次金城武和梁朝伟的对手戏依然精彩。不过，张丰毅和林志玲的表现也非常不错。配了音的“小乔”听起来绝对不“刺耳”，声音很符合林志玲的形象。哈哈！当然我知道小乔其实并不是什么重要人物，能让曹操为了喝茶而误了大事也挺夸张的。不过，如果不增加她的戏份，那林志玲可真是个拿来宣传的花瓶了。其他角色倒是中归中矩，没有特别是突出的表现。我觉得张震的孙权没有机会好好发挥，太浪费了啦！应该让他有更多武打场面。最后，中村狮童的角色壮烈牺牲，好可惜呀！曹操的大军最后只剩下３个人。。那场面挺惨的。总的来说，赤壁上下两集是近期中文片中表现在水准之上的戏。希望以后可以再看到吴宇森的中文片。
--逛街--
阿清终于买到衣服了！咳～！买了一件Zara的上衣。。希望明天还能买多一两件。。太后不让我买T-shirt，可是我连一件好看的都没看到。真惨！老妹就幸运了！在Iora“完成任务”，衣服都挺好看的。逛街可真是件累人的事情啊！！
明天请祝我好运咯！

Doing Well

--Results--
Very happy to see Tuan's first sem results just now. Initially I thought she might faced problems with Chinese-style of exam formats and some other technical stuffs. Anyway, she did pretty well for her first sem...and she's one of the top in her fac now. Still got one more result not yet released, hopefully she can remain in Top 5!
U can slp tonight liao Tuan...wahahah! Congrats!

Unlucky Day

--Bishamon Express @ Taka--
Met up with E.W & Tuan today for shopping. Had our lunch at the Taka food court. First time trying Bishamon's food ah...think they're specialised in ramen & curry rice? Hehe..
Tuan's Spicy Miso Ramen.
My Tempura Curry Rice. The Japanese curry was very delicious, but not the tempuras...coz' they were not fried on the spot. (They were already fried and placed out there without keeping warm...so the tempura skin was not crispy lo.)
--Shopping--
After walking down Orchard Road, the three women didn't find anything for CNY ah. Faints! Tuan managed to buy a cardigan at Zara. Lots of nice cardigans and jackets there, and quite cheap. But I can't wear la! Haiz..Then she also bought some socks, while our beds got new "clothings" instead. Lolz! I really believe in never find clothes when CNY is approaching! Why I didn't shop during Xmas???!!!! Nvm...I still got some time to find 2 tops before CNY comes. Wahahaha....Hopefully I won't end up wearing old clothes ah~
--Exam Fees--
Besides unable to find CNY clothes, received a call from RELC...they couldn't receive my payment..got prob with cheque. Tmr gotta go down to pay again! And kena "fine" 50 bucks for dishonoured cheque...wah lao eh. First time kena such thing! Why so suay ah me???! My beautiful Wed kena destroyed by RELC!!! (and no car for me to drive!!!) Haiz~~~
--Update--
Code Blue Special review is up! Search "Tags", then click on "JP Fujitv".

TV Drama Review #170 - SCANDAL

No.of Epis: 10
Year/TV Station: 2008/TBS
Cast:
Suzuki Kyoka ~ Takayanagi Takako
Hasegawa Kyoko ~ Kawai Hitomi
Fukiishi Kazue ~ Samejima Mayuko
Momoi Kaori ~ Shindo Tamaki
Toda Naho ~ Shiraishi Risako
Synopsis:
Risako invited four of her friends to her wedding with pianist Kukita. Then, she invited them to a bar where they played a game, the last person to return wld have to treat everyone. In the end, Risako didn't return and she disappeared. The four friends, who didn't know each other beforehand, became friends while searching for Risako. Later, it turns out that Risako knows their husbands and together with Kukita, they are trying to hide something from the the four women.
Slacker's review:
The web says "SCANDAL" is the Japanese version of "Desperate Housewives". I didn't watch "DH", but I don't think the drama is similar to "DH" at all. This drama isn't what it seems to be on surface. Well, we did have insights of the four women and their families. But then, the real plot was the missing Risako, the mystery part of the drama. It's interesting to see how two different themes can mix together. Initially, I wasn't impress with the development of the plot. It's quite boring to see 4 housewives having arguments with their "secretive" husbands. Also, to see Hitomi and Mayuko having some "affairs" behind their husbands were also quite predictable (and nothing really happened in the end). But what kept me continue watching was where the earth Risako was, and her husband Kukita was one mysterious guy. I wished the drama cld move faster, coz it's rather boring when the plot focused on their indiv families. The plot did a gd job in building up the "mystery" factor and the development of the story got better at the last few epis. I was wondering how were the four husbands connected to Risako and of coz' I was anticipating for the secret to be revealed. The secret was quite interesting, but the most surprising part was that Risako was actually hiding in the Shindo's hse all the while. Another fishy part which I still couldn't figure out was, did Kukita liked Takako? (I think he still loved his wife afterall...) Well, I think it's nice to see the husbands included in the big mystery. (Or else they wld really be "vase" liao.)
Cast was great, though we didn't get to see any young idol guys or gals. Hasegawa and Suzuki were also the main reason why I watched "SCANDAL". Interestingly, the two happened to be in the cast of "Karei Naru Ichizouku" too. I was a little sad that Hasegawa looked so unglam in the drama, the housewife role seemed to make her old. (though she's nt tt young..) Suzuki was great as usual, I enjoyed her performance here. Also, the four female leads had nice chemistry...haha! The guys were alright, but I thought Kato Toranosuke, who acted as Kukita, gave a nice performance too. The atmosphere ard him was always kinda mysterious. I liked his scenes with Suzuki too..hehe! And finally, Toda did pretty well too, though her scenes were not alot actually. (Lots of repeated scenes when Risako went MIA..)
Themesong "LOVE ~winter song~" by Fukuhara Miho is a very xmas-y song.
Well, I'm quite glad that I didn't give up this drama, though the 1st few epis were really average for me. It's nice to see a fusion of themes in japanese dramas thesedays and this drama is quite worth watching.

Shopping

--Chinatown--
Went to have my fish porridge with Tuan first. Then met up with E.W, Aunt Jo & May Leng lao shi to shop ard the place. Chinatown was flooded with ppl...aiyo! Walked ard OG, but nothing caught my eyes. Tuan bought a pair of sandals though.
Will be gg to shop again this coming wk...wkends are flooded with ppl. Just see the queues at the fitting room & cashier...and u'll faint.
--Hua Yi Festival--
Checked out the programmes...Wanna watch "戏曲动画" but I got something on on 7th Feb. "宝岛一村" seems interesting too...but I can't cfm my schedule on the 8th! Aiyo~~~ Looks like I gotta give it a miss. Haiz..
Maybe I shld just check out other concerts/performance on other months..hehe!

接机

--樟宜机场T1--
等一会儿会去机场接老妹回来。今天早上知道她在上海的班机延误了，还好她还有时间搭下午国泰的那趟班机。哈哈！

TV Drama Review #169 - Team Batista no Eiko Batista团队的光荣

No.of Epis: 11
Year/TV Station: 2008/KTV & FujiTV
Cast:
Ito Atsushi ~ Taguchi Kohei
Nakamura Toru ~ Shiratori Keisuke
Shirota Yu ~ Himuro Koichiro
Shaku Yumiko ~ Otomo Naomi
Ihara Tsuyoshi ~ Kiryu Kyoichi
Synopsis: (from Dramawiki)
There exists a legendary team of surgical experts in Tojo University Hospital that specializes in the Batista procedure - one of the most difficult cardiac surgeries with the survival rate only at 60%. Ever since its formation, this team has shocked the country by having 27 consecutive post-operative successes, virtually unheard of in the medical community. They basked in the glory until three of the most recent procedures resulted in consecutive deaths on the operating table. Taguchi, a psychosomatic medicine specialist, has been entrusted with the investigation but is in over his head because of his soft nature and having to deal with skills beyond his realm of expertise. Then arrives Shiratori, a cocky Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare investigator. He not only labels Taguchi naive, but speaks with confidence that this is a murder, and the murderer is within this team of elites.
Slacker's review:
It's about Batista again, seems quite boring as I had already seen enough of it through "Iryu" series. Well, so why did i watch this drama? It's a mystery drama in a hospital setting, which is quite uncommon. I thought the drama was alright, but it didn't get me excited enough to know who the killer was until the first person died. Haha! "Team Batista" cld be rather boring as the two lead tried to figure out what's gg on while the secret msgs and hints didn't even intensify the mysterious atmosphere. In regards to who the killer or killers involved, the plot was unpredictable as we couldn't get much hints beforehand. Well, at least they didn't try to make the guessing game easy la (which I really disliked..coz' there's no fun.) Also, when the truth started to unfold, it was quite surprising for me. Totally unexpected. There were a few "truths" to be told la, which wld lead to the reason for murder. So, though the drama tend to be quite dry, the development of the plot was still quite interesting.
Cast wise, most of them are very experienced..I like the chemistry b/w Ito and Nakamura! It's so fun to see Nakamura making fun of Ito each time. The other more well-known cast like Shirota and Shaku were only the support cast la, but performance wise...I think they're not too bad.
Themesong "Mamoritai Mono" by Aoyama Thelma is really quite a nice song.
Overall, it's still quite a gd production by KTV. However, not everybody will like such a theme. So, if you have the time, do give "Team Batista no Eiko" a try.

Going Solo

--RELC--
Went to RELC to pay my exam fees. This yr's system quite sianz..gotta queue up to check the stuffs before I can drop off my cheque at the drop box or go wait and get receipt. Haiz...Didn't choose the shortcut (drop box) though, since I had waited for sometime, might as well get my receipt on the spot.
--PS--
Went over to PS...It's quite weird that I didn't have the mood to shop for CNY clothes this yr. The clothes looked boring to me. Hopefully can get two new tops next wk. Now I don't even bother to buy new pants or jeans. Just wear old ones..lolz!
--Lunch--
It's the first time I eat alone in a restaurant. Lolz...Alright, luckily not alot of ppl, or else I wld feel uncomfortable. Long time didn't go Pastamania liao, food was alright, but I found prawn shell in my spagh....errr.
My Marinana...

Da Slacker Talk #12

--Taken for Granted--

“Being taken for granted can be a compliment. It means that you've become a comfortable, trusted element in another person's life.” --Dr. Joyce Brothers

I know it's not nice to start the year with such a thought.
But sometimes, I am tired of it.
I tried hard to get things done, but ended up..nothing is done.
Instead, I think i had troubled everyone.
I am not asking anyone to give my little effort any compliments,
but no initiatives to help me out is pretty bad.
That quote is rather true, but "taken for granted" is a double-edged sword.
Maybe I should just wait and see if anyone bothers.
I have realised....being efficient is not always good after all.

TV Drama Review #168 - Celeb to Binbo Taro 公主与青蛙

No.of Epis: 11
Year/TV Station: 2008/FujiTV
Cast:
Ueto Aya ~ Mitazono Alice
Kamiji Yusuke ~ Sato Taro
Kuninaka Ryoko ~ Yasuda Sachiko
Kashiwabara Takashi ~ Gotoda Tsukasa
Synopsis:
Alice, a wealthy daughter of a hotel chain magnate meets Taro, a poor widowed father of three. Alice later hires him as her driver while she works in her own fashion line "Love Alice". Her evil stepmum returns and wants her to marry to her ex-boyfriend Gotoda, who's now rich and powerful. To avoid the marriage, Alice gets Taro to act as her boyfriend...
Slacker's review:
This drama is probably one of the most standard romance-comedy we have this autumn season. Get to see Ueto again, with a Paris Hilton inspired character Alice. Ueto's performance was not too bad, but the character itself was not challenging. So, we already know from day 1 what wld happen to her and who she wld end up with. Ueto must be lucky to dress into different outfits and wigs each time. She definitely looked very posh and stylo, and that created a huge contrast with our male lead Kamiji. Kamiji is not a handsome and young actor to start with, but he was pretty ok in his role. (though I didn't find his acting stunning). I like Taro's interaction with his 3 kids, seeing them sharing their meals and living in that small pathetic house.
Happy to see Kashiwabara in a bigger role this time, but sadly, he turned out to be a bad guy. Haiz...Anyway, I like how he portrayed Gotoda. Gotoda is definitely nt a nice guy to start with, but somehow I thought he was turning good.....I was wrong. It didn't happen in the end. Hahaha! This is one character whom we didn't really know what was his motive till the last few epis.
Kuninaka is as usual, the support female lead...Sachiko was really kind-hearted, but can't get the attention of Taro la. I once though she might end up with Gotoda, but luckily that didn't happen as well. Lolz! (how can she end up with a bad guy right?)
The other support cast was alright, but they tend to be very exaggerating, especially the staffs working for Alice. Also, the drama cld be rather unrealistic, coz they made Alice like some goddess like that, so many ppl went crazy for her. Hahaha! Oh ya, forgot to mention Alice's annoying stepmum...she's really irritating, though she treated Alice better after they lost their fortune. (Can't stand her english too..lolz!)
Themesong "Kimagure Romantic" by Ikimono Gakari. Quite an ordinary song to me..
Well, if you are very bored with mysteries or theme-based dramas, can watch "Celeb" for some heart-warming, funny and silly moments.

Happy New Year!