Leaving for Korea

Hello Hello!!!
Ah Ching now at T2 Departure hall waiting to board plane~
Haiz....plane seat at the back leh...sian~
Will be back next sun night.
Annyeong~!!!

TV Drama Review #190 - Catch Me Now 原来爱上贼

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Damian Lau ~ Gao Zhe Jack
Joe Ma ~ Jiang Yang
Idy Chan ~ Bao Rong Rong
Fala Chen ~ Hong Mei Li Minnie
Johnson Lee ~ Tan Bin (BT)
Sharon Chan ~ Jiang Qiao
Synopsis: (edited from K for TVB)
A sum of drug money triggers a battle of wits between Jiang Yang and Gao Zhe, a thief. Yang gradually discovers the true identity of Zhe as a mob chief who uses the restaurant business to cover his illegal activities. Despite all efforts, Yang lacks sufficient evidence to support allegations against Zhe. Nevertheless Yang keeps a close eye on Zhe and believes in the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Yang’s devotion to his work sours his relationship with his wife Mei Li. Fortunately, Li is given support and encouragement by her best friend Rong Rong. Zhe is deeply attracted to Rong’s kind-hearted personality. He even risks exposing his secret identity to save her life. On the other hand, Zhe's cousin BT falls for Yang's sister, Qiao.
Slacker's review:
"Catch Me Now" is not the typical type of detective drama. Throughout the whole drama, it's about Jiang Yang vs Gao Zhe, and their common enemy-the baddie Zhao Jun Hao (Evergreen Mak). It might seem boring as the whole drama was just about them, but the developments of the drama was not too bad. The drama had some minor problems, like the scenes didn't flow very well. I wondered if it's a technical prob or the storyline problem. It's kinda sudden to see scene A jumped into scene B without any connections. But well, I liked both the original and alternate endings. It's rare for me to say that, since TVB drama's endings were crap most of the time. The ending was quite action-packed in the first half of the drama, but it didn't seemed rush to me. Well, I preferred the original ending, but I guessed many wld preferred the 2nd one (not so sad mah~).
Damian Lau's acting was great...he looked so different from "The Drive of Life". He's more youthful & energetic here. I liked how Gao Zhe showed his arrogance and confidence when he's against Jiang Yang. I liked the chemistry b/w Zhe & his team (Racer, BT, Keyman & Long-legged crab). His romance with Rong Rong was bittersweet la, and Damian got nice chemistry with Idy wor.
Joe was Damian's top enemy in"TDOL", but in "CMW", they're more like co-operating and competing with each other at the same time. Interesting ne! Chemistry with Fala was not too bad, but not the best. Jiang Yang's character was full of contradictions, but that's what made his character more "alive". I think Joe handled his scenes well, but his expressions didn't improve much. May be this type of character is nothing new for him...need some change lo.
"CMW" was Idy's comeback drama. Most ppl wld knew her most famous drama to date, and tt is "The Return of the Condor Heroes" with Andy Lau. Honestly, Idy looked very shi nai (cantonese for housewife) to me. Hahaha! I thought Idy portrayed her character well. There's lots of developments for Rong Rong, from a blur queen shi nai, to a working woman, and later she found her new love, and lastly, how she handled her life in the end.
Fala finally got a meaty role in a drama. Minnie was a character with developments too. She's a typical woman who had to balance her life between family and work. Later, she found out that she had difficulties getting pregnant and Yang thought she had an affair with Zhao. And she went to steal in order to get Yang's attention.
The second person to grab my attention here was BT!!! Dunno why, but I really enjoyed Johnson's performance! First of all, BT's image was pleasing, perhaps it's Johnson's most handsome roles ever? Lolz! Secondly, BT was such a funny guy. I liked how he interact with everybody! He's quite "naughty" with the way he talked or behaved, but that's towards his team mates. Haha! BT's romance with Qiao was interesting too, though I didn't like how it developed towards the end. The sad thing was....the screenwriter let BT die....sobbbzzz! Why no 2nd ending for him? Hahaha!
Nice to see Sharon again. Jiang Qiao was an alright character, nothing much besides her romance with BT. But too bad, the couple was unable to rekindle their romance before BT died.
There's no theme song for this drama.

The sun is setting

--Sunset @ 28/5--
The sun was so red and big yday evening. Ah Ching gotta full zoom to get this pic using sunset mode.
The sun getting smaller at 6.59pm.
Switch to natural light mode...
I think there's no diff b/w natural light mode & no scene mode. The sunset didn't look that "amazing" compared to the first two la.

Just a thought

Saw my cousin's post on her blog just now.
Reminds me of how one can be a good pal for a period, and the next day, she could be the person whom you don't want to see.
Well, that's why I never believe in this term "best friend". (There's a story behind it though..ha!)
I don't rank my friends, neither do i rank our friendship.
What we wrote on autographs were total crap, but we're forgiven for that foolish thought.
It's a lesson all of us might have been through, when your friend is not a friend anymore.
But don't worry, coz' they are just passerby in your life.
Time will show you who your real friends are.

End of Exams

Last paper down.
Da Slacker is changing to "tvholic" mode now...
Gotta catch up with the dramas!!!


P.S: T0 the 3 gals (KH, PF, SC). Please let me know when u gals wanna go to the Southern Ridges hor. Thx!

Macro shot

Alright, I shall name this the "orange orchird"? Haha! Pardon me for my lack of knowledge of orchird species. Hehe~ I like how the orange & pink blend on the petals.

PF's belated birthday celebration

--Saizeriya @ Liang Court--
Met the gals at Clarke Quay before walking over to Liang Court. Initially, we sort of decided to go "Tampopo" for lunch, but we went to walk ard first...and found "Saizeriya", a Japanese chain- Italian restaurant which offered very cheap meals! The main courses all cost ard 7+sgd only eh! Amazing la.
Entrance of the restaurant.
PF's hamberg steak with mushroom sauce.
My hamberg steak with cheese & tomato. I thought the portion was bigger than "Ma Maison", and the steak was quite delicious, though it's kinda salty.
ML's prawn gratin.
ML's fried chicken.
Mussels with special topping (which I had forgotten the name). The mussels were delicious, but I didn't like eating the toppings alone...
ML's omelette with ham and potato wedges. The cheese was too strong for me, and the omelette hardly tasted of egg. Haha! Didn't quite like it la.
We can get free flow of drinks at just 2.58 bucks each. They served the food quite quickly, and the restaurant was flooded with families (lots of Japanese wor~). So, it's quite noisy la....haha!
--Partyworld--
Finally I got to sing K le! This was my first time visiting Partyworld la, basically the rooms and equipments were not bad. Got tambourine & other stuffs to "play" with, and the LCD screens were good. Song collection wise, not too bad, though there's a lack of Jeff Chang's older songs. Disappointed ne~ It's so much easier to find Japanese songs too, had fun singing them. Hehe!
--PF--
Hope u like your gift la, must make use of it soon ah!

P.S: Was talking to Tuan about "Saizeriya" just now, and that's the restaurant where she ate calm spaghs at 10rmb!!!! Wah seh, it's still so much cheaper to eat in China la! Sobbzz...

Sunset

The sky at 7.02pm.
Sky darkens at 7.04p.m.

Night at the Museum 2

--Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian @ PS--
It was an impromptu decision to go out today, and I had no plans to catch this movie too. Butta, gotta help Aunt Jo clear her Dome Cafe vouchers la. Haha! Didn't watch "NATM", though I sort of know what had happened in that movie. Anyway, this movie was damn hilarious, though the plot was pretty lame. Those actors acting as the "new exhibits" were damn funny la. Imagine the Pahraoh, Kahmunrah speaking in accented english, and commanded his soldiers in "fake Egyptian". Then, we got to see Ivan the Terrible, who's the tsar of Russia & Napoleon speaking in accented english too. Hahaha! The other gang of "exhibits", who were friends of Larry was great too, and i like to see the "miniature" ones in action. It was also fun to see the museum alive at night, with all the exhibits, paintings and statues moving here & there. The scenes b/w Larry & Amelia Earhart were nice too. E.W preferred the first movie, as it's more spooky, while the sequel was meant to be a adventure comedy. As for me, it's fine to watch "silly" movies once in a while...hehe!
--Dome Cafe @ Park Mall--
It has been quite sometime since I last stepped into Dome. As usual, loved the ambience of the cafe. Took a pic of the counter...hehe!
My usual drink, "Iced Mocha with Gelato".
The "Munchy Combi" was great! It consisted of Calamari, Wing Zing, Breaded Prawn & Potato Wedges. In the background, that's Aunt Jo's Squid Ink Linguine. Err... I couldn't remember which pasta she ordered though.
My Beef Lasagne! It's really delicious, though the lasagne was rather soft.

E.W's "Vegetarian Tortilla Wrap". Looked interesting yeah? It's soft spinach flat bread wrap with roasted eggplant, zucchini, red capsicum, fresh lettuce & basil pesto, plus salad and chips as sides. I left for home after that, while the two ladies went to Chinatown for the upcoming trip's briefing session. Ah Ching let out a sigh of relief after knowing which hotels we're gg to stay in Kr. Haha! It's within my expectations la. Actually I am not worried about it, but after hearing some negative reviews abt Kr hotels & resorts, I was worried that what the agency promised us wld be different after we reach there. Lolz! There's a "not-so-good" news about the tour grp though, there wld be 8 kiddos in the grp!!!! My first reaction was..."WTH?" Hahaha! Ok, Ah Ching is old liao, dun like too many kids to "spoil" the trip. Heard from E.W that one of the kid was attention seeking...jialat ah. Gotta pray for the best lo~~~

Updates

--Exams--
2 papers down. Left one more to go. Haiz~
--Mr.Chean--
My dad hardly took MCs, but he finally gotta "surrender" as he's down with flu.
So, my friends, do take care of yourselves hor!

TV Drama Review #189 - D.I.E. 古灵精探

No.of Epis: 25
Year/TV Station: 2008/TVB
Cast:
Roger Kwok ~ Yu Zi Lang
Sonija Kwok ~ Xing Jing Jing
Margie Tsang ~ Yu Zi Qing
Kenneth Ma ~ Cheng Jia Jun
Derek Kwok ~ Zhang Zheng Yi
Synopsis: (edited from tvb.com.au)
The “Death Investigation Extension (D.I.E.)” in the police force was established to accommodate those who have been sent away by their supervisors. As everybody knows, members of the Extension are to investigate unsolved cold cases. Yu Zi Lang, who has cracked a large number of difficult cases by extrasensory means, is assigned to the D.I.E. believing that he will get promoted soon. New appointee Xing Jing Jing is a good-looking girl but she acts tough and sassy in front of others. She takes an uncompromising stand over every case she deals with, which leads her into constant quarrels with Lang. The relationship between the pair is deteriorating day after day.
Lang's sister Zi Qing has been living with him. While investigating an old case, Lang gets to find his long-lost father Yu Da Hai. Through close collaboration with Lang, Jing Jing has gradually developed affection for him. While she is still torn between Lang and her two-timing boyfriend Jia Jun, Lang starts to avoid her for no reason. Feeling so confused about what is happening, Jing Jing decides to do some probing and is shocked to discover that Lang has been dogged by a female ghost...
Slacker's review:
"D.I.E." tried to stand out from the typical police/mystery dramas. The concept of "cracking cases through some non-mainstream method" was not new, but it's still quite interesting to see how the little clues helped the police to nail down the criminals. Plot was not bad, though the cases seemed to drag compared to the norm. I wld prefer them to add more cases or create more twists and turns, rather than dragging one case, while trying to focus on other aspects like romance etc. The last case turned out to be exceptionally long, but I thought the development was good. Ending was an unexpected one for me, but the 2nd ending was total crap, though Bobby Au Yeung made a cameo. (I seriously don't understand why they want to show Jing Jing having a child in the end, it's just too sudden.)
Roger Kwok was good as usual, though sometimes he wld still remind me of "Ah Wang". Haha! Zi Lang was not a one-dimensional character. He bore a grudge against his father; was an overprotective brother (so his sis still not married~); he had his own way of solving crimes (thus he clashed with Jing Jing); and he was willing to sacrifice his love when he knew that Jing Jing wld be in danger. Zi Lang was also a detective-manga fan too, I think he spent more of his time reading his manga..lolz! I thought Roger handled his role well, and I liked his chemistry with the cast, though somehow he didn't seemed to match Sonija. Haha! I liked the scenes when he talked to Pierre, the pathologist in the drama.
I hardly watched Sonija's drama, and was neither impressed by her acting. Jing Jing was not an adorable character, she's quite tomboy-ish and rashed. Just count the number of times she wanted to catch "Ma Ying" (a criminal) and landed herself in trouble. (However, it was funny when to see Ying kena chased by Jing all the time..haha!) Sonija handled her emotional scenes well when Jia Jun broke up with her. Her scenes with Roger were not too bad, but they lacked some kind of chemistry. Well, I wld not mind Sonija trying out other "unglam" roles in the future. Hehe!
I'm kinda sad to see Kenneth Ma as the 2nd lead here. He had lots of dramas in 2008, but I think I won't be sick of seeing him yet. Haha! Kenneth's role Jia Jun was quite ordinary, so there's nothing special la. Most ppl wld hate him for breaking Jing Jing's heart, but Jing neglected him too much la, so she's partly responsible for the outcome too. Well, perhaps tvb shld let Jia Jun end up with someone too...
Margie Tsang & Derek Kwok's combi was cute & funny. Derek looked really young here, and there's some focus on Derek's role Zheng Yi towards the end of the drama. It's sad to see how his real mum treated him. As for Margie, this drama marked her long come-back after n years.
Other support cast was great...and I wondered how Mei Yun ended up with Pierre??!!! They didn't even show how they knew each other and the next second, they were a couple! Aiyo~
Theme song: "Hua Yang Qi An" by Roger Kwok.

Delicious Ddeokbokki

It has been a long time since I last eaten Ddeokbokki. E.W bought this from Square 2. Super chewy and spicy! Hehe! Nomu mashisoyo~!!!

--Overseas Trip--

Some info for my upcoming South Korea trip.
Date: 31/5/09-7/6/09
Flight info: Night flight to Seoul & afternoon flight back to Sg via Korean Air
Type of tour: Group
Agency: Five Stars

TV Drama Review #188 - ToGetHer 爱就宅一起

No.of Epis: 12
Year/TV Station: 2009/CTV & GTV
Cast:
Rainie Yang ~ Chen Mo Mo
Jiro Wang ~ Zhuang Jun Nan Mars
George Hu ~ Wei Jia Sen
Linda Liao ~ Chen Chu Chu
Tiffany Xu ~ Yan Shi Jia Ivy
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Mars is a superstar whose popularity went downhill after a series of negative publicity. His finances went into red alert and he has to find a new place to stay. He ends up renting a place from Mo Mo, who's also his classmate. Mo Mo has a childhood friend Jia Sen, a swimming captain with the intelligence of an 8-year-old. Mars and Mo Mo starts to befriend each other, though they're at odds initially. Jia Sen, on the other hand, is getting jealous...
Slacker's review:
This drama was not on my list initially, but I gave it a try anyway. Surprisingly, I didn't feel bored watching it. The storyline was simple, but the developments of the drama was cliched. The drama was exceptionally short, so it didn't drag, which was good. I liked how the plot built up the romance b/w Mo Mo & Mars, and how each character was given depth for development. Ending was interesting, and that's something which I didn't expect.
Rainie impressed me again with her character Mo Mo. It was a 180 degrees change from her previous role in "Miss No Good". Rainie's acting has matured alot and her performance was really natural and convincing in "TGH". Finally, I cld enjoy her non-exaggerated performance. Mo Mo was not the usual idol character too, she's the typical "zhai nv" who fantasised "Prince Casaba", and she's quite nonchalant to people around her. However, when she fell for Mars, we got to see a different side of her- a little girl who gave her all to the person she loved.
Jiro was one of the reason why I thought "TGH" would not be nice initially, but luckily he proved me wrong. Haha! Mars was a "fallen" superstar to start with, at least we saw how he climbed back to his fame from epi 1. There's lots of chances to see Mars getting emotional as he struggled with his career, his mum's death, and his relationship with Mo Mo. I liked how he made his feelings known to Mo Mo, and how he persisted on his stand against his manager Tony etc. Jiro's chemistry with Rainie was really good, and the most memorable scene of them was their kissing scene in the middle of the lake. Hoho! (That's one of the best kissing scenes I have even seen on TW dramas.) Though Fahrenheit didn't impress me with their songs, Jiro have at least showed improvements in his acting.
George's acting was not bad, though I didn't like Jia Sen as he's irritating! I gotta say his character was not easy to act as he gotta be convincing to act as a person whose intelligence was lower than average.
Other support cast like Linda & Tiffany were alright, though Tiff's acting was kinda stiff and unconvincing as a superstar in US. Haha!
Theme songs "Yue Lai Yue Ai" & "Mo Mo" by Fahrenheit. "Mo Mo" is such a nice song~

Vesak Day

--莲池阁寺--
Went to the temple with my family for chanting session in the morning. We were there early, so Ah Ching went to take pics la~ Today's pics were taken by my new "partner" Samsung Pixon. The pics turned out to be really good in quality! (U can click the pics to see the them in original sizes.)
The grape pics were taken by E.W, who climbed up the stool to help me take. Haha! Thanks mum!
Feel like eating them?
One of the grapes was turning red!
Not sure what's the name of this flower, but E.W said it was poisonous.
Another unknown plant.
Lotus flower!
Wah I loved this pic so much! The pink colour petals were so nice, and the pic was super sharp!
Nice coloured leaves.
Errr..another unknown flower.
Small little purple flower~
凤仙花.
4 Lotus Seed Pods. (pic was blurred.)
Water drops on the lotus leaf.
Initially, I took pics of the small Bodhi tree, but the pics turned out to be blur too. So, left this Bodhi leaf la!
--Maple Story--
Tuan's account was hacked, and both E.W and her character were "robbed". E.W very pissed off now. Haiz...

Vesak Day Special #3 - Paradox of Similarities & Differences in Friendship

While one's immediate friend is 'oneself', one's best friend is always the Dharma,
which leads to freedom from one's 'self'. - stonepeace

There is a paradox about friendship. While we revel in many similarities found between good friends, if there is nothing but similarities, the friendship would be lifeless. What would be the point of being with someone who is exactly like you? Wouldn't it be like hanging out with your cloned mirror image? Is it narcissistic too? What can we learn from one who is always agreeable with us because he or she thinks just like us? As such, we should also cherish the differences found between friends, for it is the differences that makes friendship with the less familiar stimulating. In fact, learning from these differences and making peace with them helps both parties to grow. It's like the mutual-polishing away of each other's rough edges!

Though a spiritual friend to all he came across, even the Buddha was not always agreeable to some he befriended. This however, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the Budddha, since he personifies the best of friends, suffused with perfect compassion and wisdom for all - whether his friendliness is reciprocated or not. Those who missed the golden karmic opportunity to befriend the Buddha simply didn't know what they missed! If you are truly mindful of the Buddha's teachings, there should be aspects of his teachings not immediately agreeable to you too. If not, we would all be perfectly "synchronised" Buddhas already! These "differences" challenge us to get further in sync with our Buddha-nature.

However, to seek only differences would be lopsided and potentially conflicting. We need a Middle Path of friendship - for focusing on neither similarities nor differences in excess. For instance, when the Buddha befriends someone, he seldom points out that person's misgivings all at once. Instead, he connects through the familiar (or similar) first, before sharing the Dharma. Skilful means at work! The Buddha advised, "Should a seeker not find a companion who is one's better or equal, let one resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with a fool." Of course, if we are sufficiently wise, we should spiritually befriend fools too. If we are not wise enough yet, it is wisest to hang with the wise! - Shen Shi'an

Your best friend is the one who urges you to be the best friend to all. - stonepeace

Credits: TheDailyEnlightenment.com Weekly 18.09.08

昙花终于“一现”

--昙花一现--
日期：2009年5月4日~2009年5月5日
地点：阿清的家
晚上10点半。
晚上11点半。
晚上11点53分。
晚上11点54分。从正面看昙花。
凌晨12点08分。
越来越大朵了！
凌晨12点34分。
凌晨1点钟。
昙花盛开！
今天早上7点53分。昙花快收工了。
早上10点17分。昙花小姐“功成身退”。不知何时再开工~

Samsung Pixon

--M1 Shop--
Went to Compass Point just now to change my handset. Quite happy that I do not have to wait for 22 months to change hp liao! Yeah!!! Changed my hp to Samsung Pixon la, my 3rd Samsung phone. Very satisfied with the hp now, and the hp is easy to use. Hoho! (May be becoz' I had tried with Tuan's F480.) Anyway, the phone costed $288 after hp trade-in la.
--Suffering--
Ah Ching suffering from muscle pain now....as expected.

Vesak Day Special #2 - Walk to the End of the Cloud

If rain and shine are equally crucial for nourishing life, why dread either? - stonepeace

Have you ever walked to the end of a cloud? What do I mean by this? Surely, on some rainy days, you must had walked or drove in the rain - be it a heavy downpour or a slight drizzle. At one point, the rain stops falling. You look at the semi wet and dry ground and see the very line that separates where it is still raining from where it no longer rains. This line forms the boundary of the raincloud. Try this. When caught in the rain, walk straight in any direction. If the rain doesn't stop while you do that, you will eventually walk out of the rain itself.

What am I trying to say? Sometimes, there is no need to wait out the karmic passing of the "foul" elements of life. Sometimes, you can just walk away. That said, the foul weather of life will end eventually - even if you do walk away from it. It's a matter of time - but why wait? Yes, there is no concept of eternal hell in Buddhism. After all, there is only so much negative karma you can accumulate and experience the results of - in a single lifetime. Even down and out cartoon characters on TV don't have a dark cloud hovering over them forever!

Consider it a consolation then, that suffering will end - even if you do nothing to end it. It will be a recurring "curse" though, if it is not truly ended via the realisation of enlightenment. If both rain and shine are impermanent, why dread the coming or passing of either? Why let your moods be swayed by the weather, by taking it too seriously? The fickle elements offer no refuge. They are change itself, the embodiment of impermanence. When the weather turns wrathful, it wrecks lives - a reminder of the urgency to practise the Dharma well. - Shen Shi'an

The "elements" represent the fickleness of matter, not its stability. - stonepeace

Credits: TheDailyEnlightenment.com Weekly 04.09.08

New Handphone

May be I can change a new one soon! Samsung Pixon's price has dropped! Hooray!

三步一拜

--后港体育场--
傍晚5点多，阿清和太后参加了由“新加坡佛教福利协会”所举办的卫塞节活动-三步一拜。这是阿清第一次参加此活动，老实说有点担心自己的体力不行。哈哈！到了7点半，三步一拜的仪式正式开始。原本以为绕体育场一两圈应该不会很难，不过这个想法真是大错特错！
两个半小时候，阿清和太后终于“完成任务”！虽然阿清的四肢没有破皮的现象，不过手掌，手臂下方和膝盖都泛红啦。我看明天起床的时候，就会感到肌肉酸痛。哈哈！
现在回想一下，其实整个过程并不辛苦，但是需要一点耐力。
阿清对自己的表现还算满意啦，有点小成就感。呵呵！

劳动节

--购物--
Hello! 今天难得是公定假日，你们有没有出去玩啊？阿清基本上都呆在家里啦。今天是 "打扫日"。哈哈！Anyway, 下午陪太后到后港坊买东西。首先，我们去 Sports Link买 track pants。然后，我们去 "The Flip Flop Shop" 找拖鞋，可惜没有我喜欢的款式啦。不过，还是有意外收获喔！看到了一双很好看的 Surfers Paradise walking shoes，而且价钱才$29.90!! 太棒了！呵呵！
--Macro Shots--
阿清又拿我们家的植物来"做实验"了。
薄荷叶。
仙人掌。
再看清楚一点~
木炭。
昙花快"一现"了。
--晚餐--
跟家人和Aunt Jo一起去 Kovan吃"汕头市鲳鱼头炉"。听说这间店很出名哦~ 不过，住这一带这么久了，这可是我第一次吃喔！
这是鲳鱼(肉)炉和马来西亚风光。食客也可以选择鱼头炉。
蟹肉煎蛋。没吃到蟹肉！
还好我们去得早，还坐不到一活儿，就有很多家庭来这里用餐。看来这间店的口碑还真不错呢！
--明天--
明天是四月初八，既是佛诞日。好友阿芳明天会皈依，成为正式的佛教徒/三宝弟子。在这里，祝福好友福慧双修, 法喜充满。