Mini CC Gang Gathering

--Seoul Yummy @ The Central--
Wanted to eat Japanese food, but ended up having lunch at a new Korean restaurant. Seoul Yummy is not an authentic Korean restaurant, as they serve fusion spaghetti, Korean curry rice, and other Korean food with some twist. I saw quite a lot of dishes which are "copied" over from the Japanese cuisine. Ha! Anyway, all of us still chose the traditional Korean stuff la.
Our side dishes, which are a little different from the traditional...
CH's individual set A side dish, Crispy Fish. Quite delicious.
My individual set B side dish, steamed kimchi pork dumplings. Err...can't taste any kimchi leh.
HM's individual set A side dish, Korean pancake. A little plain to me~
My main course, Spicy Octopus rice in hotplate. Loved the octopus...haha!
CH's Bibimbap with Chicken. Looked delicious too...HM had a similar main course with Pork.
KH's individual set A side dish, Crispy Chicken. I did not like it.
KH's main course...Spicy Buckwheat Noodle. I nearly ordered this too, but I guessed I still love my octopus. Haha!
--Ion Orchard--
After some shopping, we decided to take a rest and have some drinks at B4. Tried Happy Lemon's Tea Latte with black pearl sago. The drink was not too bad, but I did not like the mini pearls.
Well, had a good chat with the gals, especially on our upcoming trip. It's a pity that the rest cld not join us.
2 more wks to go....damn fast!

TV Drama Review #264 - Mischievous Kiss 恶作剧之吻

No.of Epis: 16
Year/TV Stn: 2010/MBC
Cast:
Kim Hyun Joong ~ Baek Seung Jo
Jung So Min ~ Oh Ha Ni
Lee Tae Sung ~ Bong Joon Gu
Lee Si Young ~ Yoon He Ra
Synopsis: (from dramawiki)
Based on the popular manga, Oh Ha Ni is a clumsy student who falls for the perfectionist, Baek Seung Jo. However, Seung Jo is indifferent towards her and rejects her love. When Ha Ni's house collapses, she and her father moves into his long-time friend's house. It turns out that Seung Jo is the friend's son and Ha Ni is given the opportunity to be near the guy she loves. Will she be able to move Seung Jo's heart?
Slacker's review:
You shld realised that I did not bother to rewrite the synopsis as most people wld be quite familiar with the story by now. I had watched the Japanese & Taiwanese version, so I guessed comparing them with MK is fair enough. MK's plot covered all the way till the couple got married, had their honeymoon, and worked towards their common goal (Seung Jo to become a doc & Ha Ni to become a nurse). Among the 3 versions, TW's ISWAK was the most detailed in terms of plot, and the main leads had the best chemistry. However, I used to be a die-hard fan of the Japanese version, so somehow MK did not appeal to me too much. I thought MK's plot development was kinda disconnected somehow. The story did not flow too well, but it got better later on. There were Korean elements in the drama, but MK still stood out from the traditional Korean plot. (well, it's from a Jap manga...lol!) Each episode ends with teddy bears which are similar to Goong. I thought they shld have tried something new instead of repeating the same stuff.
The drama was shortened to 16 eps due to poor ratings, and it's really bad. Thus, they have to shorten the story and dropped some characters in order to squeeze everything in 16 eps . There were only a few kissing scenes in the drama, and that's kinda boring! Lolz!!! Koreans are so conservative meh?? Haha!
The cast was not the most ideal. I am skeptical about Kim Hyun Joong's acting, and though he has improved quite a bit, he failed to capture the coolness of Naoki. The Korean Seung Jo was not that cool & nonchalant, and his temper was not very good. Seung Jo was quite expressive in his feelings somehow, as jealousy & concern for Ha Ni were obvious from the start of the drama. KHJ looked quite tired throughout the drama, and his curly hair in the later part of the drama did not make him look better. Joe Cheng is not a very gd actor as well, but he was so much better in TKA, while my all time fav is still Kashiwabara Takashi. Lol!
Jung So Min is very new in the K drama world. MK is her 2nd drama, and I initially wondered why the chose her. Surprisingly, I enjoyed her performance, and she's rather good. Ha Ni is the smartest Kotoko among the 3 versions. She's not so dumb & silly in the Korean version, and I kinda like it. However, Ha Ni tends to dream too much. Haha! I always find Sato Aiko's Kotoko too loud, while Ariel looked kinda dumb (though her acting was quite gd).
Lee Tae Sung's Joon Gu was so...old sch. Lolz! I cld not stand his Busan accent plus image! He was just too retro~! Thank goodness they decided to change his hairstyle and dressing. Ha!
As for Lee Si Young, she's not too bad, but my impression of her acting was still the same.
OST was alright. There are songs from G.NA, Kim Hyun Joong & SISTAR.

Yummy Lunch + Yummy High-tea

--Domani @ NAC--
Yes! It's Domani again! Met E.W & Aunt Jo for lunch today. Had a nice set lunch, and thanks to the voucher, it's 1 for 1!
Today's soup, Pumpkin soup.
My main dish, Beef Stew Fettuccine. The noodles were delicious, and the beef was so tender.
The set lunch came with a drink too. I picked Rose & Jasmine tea, but decided to swop with E.W's "Summer Sunrise".
--"High-Tea" @ office--
Bought some Cedele cakes for my colleagues and we had our "high-tea" at 5 plus, which was rather late. Haha! I think we have been eating cakes quite often this month, and I'm not sure if we are going to have another session again next week. Hohoho~~

TV Drama Review #263 - In the Eye of the Beholder 秋香怒点唐伯虎

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Stn: 2010/TVB
Cast:
Moses Chan ~ Tang Bo Hu
Myolie Wu ~ Qiu Xiang
Johnson Lee ~ Qu Ji
Elaine Yiu ~ Shi Liu
Ha Yu ~ Hua Hong Shan
Fala Chen ~ Zhu Ting Yu
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Multi-talented scholar Tang Bo Hu is traveling around the country with his good friend Qu Ji. Tang Bo Hu is trying to find the last beauty to complete his 'Nine Beauties Painting'. During his journey he falls in love with Qiu Xiang, a maid from the Hua family, and decides to paint her to complete his painting. In order to get close to her, he becomes a servant of the Hua family. Initially, Bo Hu is regarded as a talentless person by Qiu Xiang, but things get messier as several difficulties arise that only Bo Hu can solve. With different views about life, Bo Hu & Qiu Xiang seem to be incompatible. Spoilt Princess Ting Yu makes things harder as she bullies Bo Hu and others constantly, but falls in love with Bo Hu later. To complicate things, Bo Hu gets involved in a power struggle among the Emperor, Prince Ling and Heaven & Earth sect.
Slacker's review:
This drama changed the original story of "唐伯虎点秋香", and the whole drama is rather "无理头". Plot wise, not much comment as they modified the whole story & added many modern elements. Haha! Ending of the drama was super crappy, and I believed the scriptwriter cld have given us a better ending!
I enjoyed Moses doing comedic roles, and I think he's gd at handling serious or funny roles. Tang Bo Hu is quite a lame guy in this drama, but you wld just enjoy watching him solving all the problems in his witty ways. Moses chemistry with Johnson was perfect, while there's something lacking b/w Myolie & him...
Sorry Myolie, I did not like Qiu Xiang's image. It's just too weird to have an edgy look in a period drama. I thought Myolie's performance was alright, but definitely not her best.
Johnson Lee was terrific in his role, and with him as the supporting lead, you'll nv find the drama boring. Haha!
Elaine Yiu was not too bad in her role as well, but her character cld not stand out la.
As for Fala Chen, I thought she acted pretty well as the spoilt princess. You just feel like smacking her a few times. Hahaha!
Theme song is "秋香怒點唐伯虎" by Wong Cho Lam and MC Jin.

Month of Farewells

--Tmr--
Big boss's last day, and we are going to have a buffet dinner at rooftop.
I've only worked under him for 4 months.
4 mths seem to be pretty short, but I felt that I have learnt something from him.
Last but not least, he's not that scary & fierce as I thought. (provided you don't commit serious mistakes)

Well, I guess everyone is wondering when the new guy will come in.
Will things change drastically? What's his mgt style?

I hate all these question marks.

Dinner with the ladies

--Kichn @ Albert Court--
Had our first ever dept dinner with CY, YJ & YW this evening at Kichn. It's a small restaurant with alfresco dining.
Their menu is in "newspaper" format, and their way of ordering food was very creative as well. We used colour pencils to fill up what we wanted.
That's their kitchen space.
My Peach blend, which only costed 3 bucks if I ordered a main. Cheap!
My Seafood spaghetti with tomato sauce. I sort of regret for not choosing chili crab sauce! It tasted delicious! Haha!
Had a nice chat with the ladies before we headed for home.
Too bad Kichn is closed during lunch hours, or else I wld frequent them.

ILCs vs High End Compacts

I'm thinking of buying a high end compact next yr, but it seems that the upcoming ILCs' prices are about the same...

I'm looking at several models now.

High end Compacts:

Panasonic DMC-LX 5

Samsung EX 1

Fujifilm X100

ILC (Interchangeable Lens Camera):

Samsung NX 100

Sony NEX 5 is out as it seems to be a complicated cam. Lolz~

As an existing Fujifilm user, I'm more inclined to get the X100. One big draw of X100 is the hybrid viewfinder (optical & electronic), plus I like the retro body. However, it seems that X100 may cost more than the other high end compacts. Oh my~~
I'm quite lazy, that's why DSLRs are out for me. Thus, I'm not sure if I want to get an ILC. Buying an ILC means I need to buy the accessory kit, and that means my pocket will burn a bigger hole.

Hmm...I shall wait for X100's release then.
One thing to note, and that is I'm rather impressed by Samsung's cameras. Most ppl wld still think the Koreans are not good in making cameras. Pls do your research. Samsung has already come out with cams which are comparable to other brands lo! (Just that the designs are still kinda boring to me)

After 4 yrs

Today marks the last lesson for my adult Dharma class.
What's left now is the performance for the graduation ceremony.
Most of my classmates will continue to study in the "sutra" class next yr.
As for me, I've decided to give myself a break...to do other things.

TV Drama Review #262 - My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox 我的女友是九尾狐

No.of Epis: 16
Year/TV Stn: 2010/SBS
Cast:
Lee Seung Gi ~ Cha Dae Woong
Shin Min Ah ~ Gumiho
No Min Woo ~ Park Dong Joo
Park Soo Jin ~ Eun Hye In
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Cha Dae Woong accidentally releases a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails that eats the livers of humans. When he finds out that she is a gumiho, he ends up doing crazy things to prevent the girl from eating his liver. On the other hand, a mysterious man, Park Dong Joo, follows Gumiho & Dae Woong closely...
Slacker's review:
This is a classic romance-comedy. The drama is light-hearted, though as the drama progressed, the mood became more serious & sad. Nonetheless, it's a drama which you don't have to crack you brain to think about. I liked the little twist towards the end....don't worry, it's a nice one.
I am neither a big fan of LSG & SMA, but this combo was good enough to draw eyeballs. Their interactions were very refreshing, and I had a good laugh watching them.
Previously watched LSG in his classic hit "Brilliant Legacy", and though Dae Woong was not as snobbish as Hwan, I preferred his portrayal of Hwan more. Lolz~~(we love bad boys huh?) Dae Woong was not someone whom one will like instantly, but his gradual change in character wld made us like him more. From naive, gutless and a little snobbish boy to a responsibile, sensible and willing to sacrifice man. I liked the progress nature of the character.
But but, Shin Min Ah totally stole the show. Her "miho" was just so different from the typical 9 tailed fox portrayal, and I've never seen such a bubbly SMA! (Yeah, most of her characters were pretty serious & dark) I bet everyone who loved miho ok?! There were so many lol scenes of miho looking for meat, and how she tried to behave like a human. Haha! Nice performance from the actress.
I cld not believed No Min Woo was in "Pasta"! He just looked so diff here! (like those idol singers) Ha! Anyway, it seemed like he's getting more attention than before (from those unknown support cast to supporting male lead). Dong Joo was quite mysterious, and he was made a bad guy most of the time. However, he also learnt from the human-fox couple and finally learnt to let go. NMW's acting was average though, as he's pretty expressionless.
Park Soo Jin's character was just plain annoying. Can't stand her!
Another interesting side plot was the romance b/w the director and Dae Woong's aunt. They were quite funny too, though I did not pay too much attention to them.
Do check out the OST. Nice songs from Lee Sun Hee, Shin Min Ah, Lee Seung Gi, No Min Woo etc.

Happy Little Moments

Forgot to blog about the little celebration we had in office yday.
Celebrated YW's birthday, and CY also bought a small little cake to celebrate my 1st yr anni in co.
It was a nice gathering at the pantry...haha!
Well, going to have another one soon.
It's CY's turn~

一年了

今天是我踏入社会一周年的日子。
还是在忙碌中度过。
这一年我学了很多东西，也体会了很多东西。
最难得的是认识了很多很棒的同事，还有几位很好的上司。
虽然接下来的日子有很多“炸弹”等待引爆，但是我也不太害怕。
因为天塌下来有老板挡。。。哈！
明年四月我的合约就到期了。
老实说，留下来的意愿不大。
不要问原因啦。。。太多了！哈！

希望接下来这几个月能顺顺利利，平平安安地过。
不过，不太可能会实现。
哈哈！

I Love You Phillip Morris

--Lunch @ Domani--
Had my Sambal Seafood Marinara again. Food was good, but service was not as good. E.W & I had to wait for at 5-10 mins before we can grab the waitress attention. Cold water was not served to my table, but it's ok. They also forgot to give me another small plate for my spaghetti (to put the shells etc).
--Movie @ Cineleisure--
Synopsis: The story begins with Russell (Jim Carrey), on his deathbed recalling the events of his life that led him there. He begins with his life in Virginia Beach as a happily married police officer who plays the organ at church, has sex every night with his wife (Leslie Mann) and spends his off hours searching for his biological mother who gave him up as a child. But after a violent car crash, Russell leaves his life and family behind be his true self, which is a gay man. He moves to Miami, finds a boyfriend (Rodrigo Santoro) and begins living a luxurious gay lifestyle. He realizes quickly though, that a life of luxury is expensive, leading this resourceful former cop to turn to a life as a conman. But when his con work finally catches up with him, Russell is sent to prison where he meets, and almost instantly falls in love with Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). From there it becomes a story of a forlorn lover who cannot bear to be separated from his soul-mate. He will go to any lengths to be with Phillip, including but not limited to walking out of jail pretending to be a doctor, after stealing a badge and painting his clothing, ordering his release pretending to be a judge, impersonating Morris's lawyer and fraudulently becoming the CFO of a major corporation. He also simulates suffering from AIDS, and forges records to indicate that he died from it.
Slacker's review: One word for Steven Russell, and that is MADNESS! Hahaha! You must be wondering why Ah Ching wld watch this movie. (seriously, I wld never watch it if i was given a choice) But well, I decided to accompany E.W, who's interested in the movie. This movie was surprisingly entertaining, super comedic, and interesting. You just cld not stop laughing ok?! Haha! I seriously cld nt believe this is based on a true story. Hey, tt Russell guy must be blood pro to con so many ppl.
Jim & Ewan's acting were terrific, though I cld nt stand both of them acting gay. Lolz! Got quite a few erhem scenes, but besides the 2 guys kissing, you don't get to see much. A lot of vulgarities used in the movie...kept hearing F there F here. Ha!
This is a R21 movie....and KH! I suddenly thought of you when I walked out from the cinema. Somehow I cld imagine your laughter sia....hahahahah! (Hey go n watch!)
--PS--
Went to Swatch to change watch straps, and after n years, I bought myself another Swatch watch! It's from the New Gent Collection, and it's called "Brown Rebel".

交渉人 THE MOVIE〜タイムリミット高度10,000mの頭脳戦〜

Synopsis: ¥ 260,000,000 is stolen from armored vehicle. The criminals escape into a crowded shopping mall and take over 50 hostages. Reiko Usagi (Ryoko Yonekura) and the SIT members are called in to break the stand-off. When Reiko goes into the shopping mall to negotiate, an explosion suddenly occurs. The hostages panic and run, while the criminals are able to blend into crowd of people and escape.
A few weeks later, Reiko is at Haneda Airport to go on a vacation. She then spots Yusuke Kimoto (Kento Hayashi), a man who was one of the hostages at the shopping mall. Reiko remembers Yusuke's bizarre behavior and her instinct starts kicking in. She decides to follow the man and boards the airplane that Yusuke is taking. Shortly after take-off her instincts prove correct. The airplane is hijacked (from asianmediawiki)
Slacker's review: The movie version is more like an action movie rather than seeing the team using negotiating tactics. But well, I can understand you can't be negotiating much with a grp of "mad guys". Haha! Anyway, plot was pretty standard, and Yonekura was simply good in her role. New cast include Sorimachi Takashi, who appeared in the special version, and Narimiya Hiroki, who acted as a rich guy (but saved the whole plane later on).
Ending was interesting. I thought Reiko was dead....but she appeared in front of Mariya (Shirota Yu) again.
If you've been following the Koshonin series, then watch the movie for a complete closure.

No respect?

Just checked my email and was surprised to see his email targeted at my team.
There's one sentence in bold & highlighted in red, and it simply stated that we did not have the basic courtesy & respect for him as he's nt kept in the loop.

Conclusion: I shld nt kpo and helped my colleague forward that email. Now, I kena shoot. Ho!

Unexpected

I cld never imagine myself talking to my big boss for 1.5 hrs, and it's not about serious work. Haha!
Anyway, my precious time was not wasted as my "mission" had accomplished.
Well, at least my big boss accepted our explanation. I nearly thought there wld not be an outcome since there's no reply to my email for 2 days.
I happened to know many insider stories by chance too. Big boss was quite opened to share some stuffs with me, though I don't even need to know.
Finally, he mentioned abt converting my colleague & I to perm for the 2nd or 3rd time. But as usual, I don't take him seriously la. You'll never know if they say for fun or what.
Not sure about this time though...he's leaving our co this mth.
Haiz~

TV Drama Review #261 - I Am Legend 我是传说

No.of Epis: 16
Yr/TV Stn: 2010/SBS
Cast:
Kim Jung Eun ~ Jun Seol Hee
Lee Joon Hyuk ~ Jang Tae Hyun
Kim Seung Soo ~ Cha Ji Wook
Jang Young Nam ~ Oh Seung Hye
Jang Shin Young ~ Kang Soo In
Hong Ji Min ~ Lee Hwa Ja
Hyun Jyu Ni ~ Yang Ah Reum
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Jun Seol Hee recently files for a divorce after realizing that she deserved to be treated better by her high-flying lawyer husband, Cha Ji Wook, and his arrogant family. Determined to get her life back on track, she returns to her rock band roots, and become the leader of the Comeback Madonna Band. Her band mates are fellow 'ahjummas' who have personal problems of their own, and together they search for happiness and personal fulfillment through music.
Slacker's review:
I'm Legend is not just a simple story of 4 'ahjummas' who form a rock band and became famous. It's a mix of the rock band story plus Seol Hee's personal feud against Ji Wook & his family. The plot seemed to be interesting initially, but a lot of time was wasted on the divorce issue. I wished they cld have focused more on Comeback Madonna Band. Even after Seol Hee got a divorce, she still need to face her ex-husband and mistress at work (Seol Hee became an assistant in a small law firm, and she was involved in a court case, which Ji Wook & Seung Hye were the defense lawyers). Seol Hee really seemed to be pitiful, and my initial thought of this character was she shld be a strong woman. Well, after the court case, the drama was back on Comeback Madonna band, but well, the band did not last long. Ending was nicely done, and Seol Hee did not end up with anyone, though I think she wld end up with Tae Hyun.....haha!
Kim Jung Eun was nt the 1st choice for Seol Hee, but I thought she's more suitable than Kim Sun Ah. After finishing the drama, I was a little disappointed, as the plot did not turn out like what I expected. It's like a story of how 4 aunties chased their dreams and finally decide to return to their own lives, and keep their interest as a hobby. (I was expecting a little more~~lolz!) KJE's acting has not changed very much, but you cld not fault her much for her portrayal of Seol Hee. I liked how the woman enjoyed herself when she's singing & performing in front of the audience. I liked how she heal herself when she's sad by strumming a guitar and sang a song to herself. I liked how she persisted in her work and willing to sacrifice herself to help her clients.
I think Lee Joon Hyuk is the male lead, but it seems like Kim Seung Soo got more scenes than him, and the bond b/w Ji Wook & Seol Hee was much stronger. I thought this drama did not do LJH justice. Tae Hyun was more of a supporting character, and besides helping Comeback Madonna band, he did not do much. Romance development was not always evident b/w Tae Hyun & Seol Hee. There was something gg on b/w them, but they did not take it further. (It's normal as Seol Hee was nt someone who can start a new r/s so soon after her divorce) Scenes b/w Tae Hyun & Seung Hye were more....sad. I guessed their only topic was the custody of their son. I seriously disliked this woman...I guessed the ending for Seung Hye was a good one. She did not get her child, neither did Ji Wook stayed with her. Ho!
Kim Seung Soo is a veteran, but his previous roles did not leave me a deep impression. I was quite impressed with his character and performance in this drama. I thought Ji Wook was a downright jerk. But well, I thought he really regretted his decisions after Seol Hee's speech in the court. He was so affected by her there after, and he actually did things which he wld never do previously (like helping Seol Hee to get a crucial evidence, trying to ask her go away so that she wld not get hurt etc). In the ending epi, Ji Wook came to see Comeback Madonna's performance for the very 1st time, and his eyes were filled with tears as he watched Seol Hee. That scene was totally sad yet touching, and KSS controlled his emotions well.
The rest of the Comeback Madonna ladies were great. They too had their own problems, and thanks to them, the drama was much more light-hearted.
I guessed the OST is a must-listen. Lots of nice tracks by Comeback Madonna. I loved their version of "Genie" (by SNSD), theme song "Comeback Madonna", "You" (there are 3 versions of this song) etc.

New PC?

Looks like my PC can't tahan me for long.
May be it's time to buy a new one...myself.
Haiz~

Miserable

Why my CPU always "bully" me and make my life miserable?
My keyboard cld not be connected to CPU and after changing another few kbs, conclusion is something is wrong with the CPU connector.
So, I'm clicking one word at a time using on-screen keyboard! Total madness.
HAIZ~~