TV Drama Review #342 - Inborn Pair 真爱找麻烦

No.of Eps: 84
Yr/TV Stn: 2011/SETTV
Cast:
Chris Wang as Ke Wei Xiang
Annie Chen as Song Yi Jie
Xie Kun Da as Ke Wei Cheng
Wang Si Ping as Luo Yun
Guo Xue Fu as Li Er
Jennifer Hong as Ke Yan Ni
Chris Lee as Wang Ke Fan
Chris Wu as Zhao Dong Yang
Synopsis: (from Dramawiki)
Two strangers, who never have much luck in the love arena, found themselves betrothed by their families. Figuring they will never find true love, they agreed to the arranged marriage. They bickered throughout their marriage. But bickering slowly gave way to genuine fondness for one another. In the end, the couple discovered that true love is not to be found but has to be cultivated.
Why watch?
I had no intention to watch this drama, but I got addicted. Thanks to Chris Wang and Annie Chen. The drama's plot was typical, and even the developments were expected. However, Chris and Annie's chemistry was simply awesome! It's fun to see how the couple changed their opinions of each other, started to feel jealous and then fall in love with each other.
This is probably Chris's first lead role, and his acting was not too bad, though got room for improvement. Annie's acting was slightly weaker, but I closed one eye about it. Their first long kissing scene was bloody damn long...i think broke TW drama records already. Hahaha! (but viewers like it :D)
Why skip?
The drama was sort quite draggy, and like what I mentioned earlier on, the plot was typical Taiwanese family drama. The other couples - Wei Cheng/Li Er & Yan Ni/Ke Fan had typical plot developments and I was not interested to see them.
The "love triangles" of the main couple, Dong Yang & Luo Yun cld be quite irritating as well, though they gave up chasing their loved ones in the end.
Btw, the kiddo (Mini Bin) could not really act. I thought his brother is better. Ha!

Katong Trip

--Lunch @ Famous 49 Katong Laksa--

Went to Katong & Marine Parade this afternoon with Mr. Chean and E.W. We decided to have laksa for lunch, and we chose Famous 49 instead of its more famous neighbour 328 laksa. It's the first time I ate noodles without using chopsticks. I don't think there is much difference b/w Katong and normal laksas. To conclude, Katong laksa is not too bad, but the taste is similar to other laksas.
--112 Katong--
Checked out the new mall. It's small but cramped with many shops and restaurants. Saw "Dr.Cafe" and had a cup of Iced Caramel Mocha.
--Parkway Parade--
Spotted a small Japanese food fair organised by Isetan. Check out what we bought!

Hotate Hamani!!!

Super soft Taro Sakura Yaki!!!

Ika Yaki!!! It's delicious without any gravy.

The super cheap BBQ Black Pepper Chicken from Cold Storage. Awesome!

TV Drama Review #341 - Renai NEET~Wasureta Koi no Hajimekata~ 恋爱NEET

No.of Eps: 9
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TBS
Cast:
Nakama Yukie ~ Kinoshita Rin
Sasaki Kuranosuke ~ Matsumoto Naoya
Ichikawa Mikako ~ Watanabe Miho
Nagayama Kento ~ Makino Shunpei
Ryo ~ Aizawa Nanako
Tanaka Yuji ~ Tada Kota  
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Rin works at a publishing company and is someone who has not dated in 8 years. She has been too busy working and looking after her siblings after their parents passed away. Her colleagues and boss consider her "difficult" to handle because of her strong-willed personality. One day, she goes to her best friend’s "divorce celebration" with Nanako, who lives in the same apartment. There, she meets Matsumoto, a dentist, Tada, a researcher at a food manufacturing company, and Shunpei, a part time worker. Few days after the party, all three of them contact her but she has been out of the dating market for so long, she does not know what to do...
Why watch?
One type of Jap styled romance dramas is to start off with a group of friends, each with their own story to tell. "Renai Neet" is no exception, and this concept is really boring. However, the characters made it up for the typical plot.
"Renai Neet" is an interesting term to describe people who does not fall in love, and surprisingly, the 3 guys are part of this gang!
FINALLY! Nakama is in a romance drama! I am getting sick of her acting in detective or other strong woman roles. Nakama definitely got more to offer, and I really liked her character here! It's good to see Rin loving and be loved by someone.
Sasaki is not young and handsome, and sometimes you might think how he can be a male lead? Well, he did not get the girl in his previous drama with Kim Tae Hee, but finally he was given a chance to do so! I liked Matsumoto and Rin. They are an interesting couple, and both of them actually feared about being in love. Thanks to Nagayama's Shunpei, who's the 3rd link of the romance, the storyline was not too boring as the young lad tried to fight for Rin's love.
Ryo and Tanaka pair is alright as I did not pay much attention to them. 
Why skip?
If you prefer a younger cast, then probably this not for you. 

The Evening

--The Evening Sun--

Sunset @ 7.28pm, taken by E.W.
--Dinner--

 Mr.Chean bought the famous Punggol Nasi Lemak for dinner! Despite living in Hg for so long, this is my first try and I am convinced why people queued for it. The fish and chicken wings are delicious! The lady fingers and chewy as well! The chili sauce is not spicy, so Mr.Chean did not like it, while I found it to be ok.
If you've not tried it, perhaps you shld consider joining the queue :)

TV Drama Review #340 - Lives of Omission 潜行狙击

No.of Eps: 30
Yr/TV Stn: 2011/TVB
Cast:
Michael Tse ~ Laughing Liang Xiao Tang
Bosco Wong ~ Michael Su Xing Bo
Fala Chen ~ Jodie Zhou Wang Qing
Kate Tsui ~ Paris Yao Ke Ke
Damian Lau ~ Harry Gong Jia Pei
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
After Laughing successfully completes a long term undercover mission in Mainland China, CIB Director Superintendent Harry recruits Laughing into his department to coach new recruits. On Laughing's first day of work, he encounters a woman that greatly resembles his former lover, Karen; she is Laughing's new boss and second lead in CIB, Senior Inspector Jodie. Together, their assignment is to recruit and train rookies in the art of undercover.
For years, the CIB has been trying to crack down the one of Hong Kong's largest triads, Yee Fung. Laughing chooses to work with Michael, a crippled low-level gangster in Yee Fung. Seeing his ambition, Laughing and Michael have a mutual manipulative relationship to help each other benefit in their own situation. In the process, Michael raises within the ranks of Yee Fung and gains notoriety.
Laughing agrees to become an undercover agent for a fourth time. Using his frustration over his rookie's demise as a ploy, Laughing creates a situation where his behavior could no longer be tolerated by the Police Force and have him kicked out and even sent to jail. Mo Yi Lie, head of Yee Fung, notices Laughing's talents and recruites him as his new star member. In between undercover work, Laughing and Jodie become romantically involved.
Michael gets rid of Mo Yi Lie and soon suspects that Laughing is an undercover....
Why watch?
TVB hardly disappoints us with its detective dramas. "Laughing gor" did it again! "Lives of Omission" is a spin-off from "The Academy" and it's sort of a continuation from movie "Turning Point", which Laughing led as the main character. The plot was full of twists and turns, and the developments were churned out well. There is no one moment I find the drama boring.
The characters are well-layered, each with their own struggles and problems. It's not easy to see well-balanced characters in TVB productions.
Michael is great as usual, though there's nothing new from Laughing as he is already well established from "E.U" period. Bosco's performance was equally convincing, and he proved that he could act well. Michael can be very smart and cunning, but another side of him is very different - his love for Paris.
Fala is the rising star in TVB, and I liked Jodie. Normally TVB couples do not have much chemistry, but I felt the chemistry between Laughing and Jodie :D
I never liked Kate, and I did not like Paris. Paris kept contradicts herself, and I sort of despised her for her choice - using her law knowledge to help the baddies. She did many sacrifices for Michael, but I did not pity her.
Damian Lau's character is quite interesting as well. Everybody made mistakes, so is our superintendent. I liked to see Gong sir worked against Spicy Ginger...great scenes.
The supporting cast was great as well, be it the new cops or the gangsters.
Why skip?
No way! It's a must-watch!!

--Turning Point 2--
The movie is the real finale of the drama. The story continued from the ending of the drama version. Laughing went to jail but he was on mission again, and the baddie this time is Francis Ng. The movie also explained who killed Michael. (surprise surprise!) Actually they added a few more characters who did not appeared in the drama. Hence, it's abit "no head no tail". Kate Tsui was featured in the movie as well, but her role was quite minor.
So you might think they finally "killed off" Laughing, but I guessed the ending showed otherwise. (I don't think he's dead....)
Overall, the movie did cleared up some mysteries, but I guessed it's because they wanna extend Laughing's role, hence the additional explanation and characters. I don't think the movie did justice to the whole Laughing franchise. Francis Ng stole Michael Tse's limelight, and you cld really tell the difference in acting. Francis' character is very calm and noble on the outside, but deep down he was like a "revolutionist".
If the police can't do the job, what makes you think you can? Nobody can play god (my thoughts)

CC Gang Gathering + Family Dinner

--CC Gang Gathering @ MBS TCC--
Met up the girls at TCC for lunch. Got my Longchamp bag from CH & she also gave us lots of souvenirs from her Europe trip.
Check out my lunch below!

 My Raspberry and Orange Iced Tea.

 Spicy Yuzu Sauce with Teriyaki Salmon Spaghetti.
--Chomp Chomp @ Serangoon Gardens--
Had my dinner with E.W & Mr Chean. I have not been to Serangoon Gdns for many years, and I have never tried the food at Chomp Chomp before. Can't believe right?
Finally, I got the chance to eat BBQ seafood and chicken wings!!!

--Sunset--

Super orangey sunset this evening at 7.16pm.

Department Gathering - Universal Studios

We had our first department outing earlier on.
Had lots of fun today, and I am very tired as well.

I finally got to check out Transformers and the ride was awesome. Madagascar ride is meant for kids, so kinda boring though. The other rides are great as usual, though I was disappointed that the Human Battlestar Galactica is "safer" now as they changed their seats. Hence, "Cyclone" is the scarier ride of the 2.

Had dinner with colleagues at USS Loui's Signature Pizza. The food is expensive and the pizzas were not very delicious, despite looking delicious. The Chicken Tandoori in the foreground was better than the Hawaiian pizza though.

Travelling plans

Will I get to travel thrice this year??

Besides my upcoming Shanghai-Nanjing trip, Cambodia and Egypt have also appeared in the upcoming travel list too! I might be travelling like every 2 mths??? Oh man!

Late Jun-July: China
Early Aug: Cambodia
Late Oct-Nov: Egypt

Crazy schedule? but it seems fun...lol!

As for my highly anticipated Japan trip, gotta postpone to next year as the radiation issue is still a concern.

Be strong!

To my dear friends out there, no matter what difficulties you are facing right now, please be strong and stay positive.

I am most willing to lend you my ears if you need them :)

Take care, my friends!

Dinner

--Thohirah Restaurant--

An impromptu visit to Jalan Kayu just now. Had roti prata, masala and teh tarik for dinner.
The curry and food were delicious, but the teh tarik was too sweet for me.
Bought some satays home as well. The chicken satay is better than the beef ones. Too bad they don't have my favourite ketupat.

Shall bring Tuan to eat when she comes back next time.

Paintball in the rain

The highly anticipated dept paintball match started and ended in the rain.
I was disappointed with my performance, but I know I can't blame myself for the bad weather.
The fog in the mask made it very difficult for me to see and shoot, and the fields were muddy!
It's so tough to run in the field!!!

Well, it's still fun despite not shooting much today!

However, pls don't ask me to play paintball in the rain anymore! It's not worth the money :p

TV Drama Review #339 - Strawberry Night 草莓之夜

No.of Eps: 11
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/FujiTV
Cast:
Takeuchi Yuko as Himekawa Reiko
Nishijima Hidetoshi as Kikuta Kazuo
Koide Keisuke as Hayama Noriyuki
Synopsis: (from Dramawiki)
Based on the best selling mystery novel by Honda Tetsuya which sold over 1.5 million copies. Himekawa Reiko is a police officer working for squad 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. As the only female squad leader in charge of inspecting a crime scene, Reiko uncovers the mystery behind a merciless murder, a man who was found dead covered in a plastic sheet in the bushes near a pond. Reiko realizes that the crime is not an independent incident, but one that had just begun. The code "Strawberry Night" eventually surfaces from the investigations, a word that eventually leads to another police officer, an elite detective.
Why watch?
Takeuchi+Nishijima is a great combi. Normally I focused more on plots, but this time round, it's the actors that matter. I like the scenes of the 2 working together, and they have quite a few scenes which are focused on their personal relationship. They are not just colleagues - more like friends who support each other. I don't expect to see any romance scenes in the drama, but the scriptwriter did give us very little hints on their feelings. Reiko can only show her real emotions in front of Kikuta, though she still tried to act strong in the end. Kikuta is more honest or straightforward with his feelings.
The last few cases did left me with good impression though. The plot developments were convincing and interesting.
Why skip?
The drama itself is pretty standard, typical Japanese detective plots. The cases are kind of boring to me. I prefer cases with suspense elements.
The next thing is how Reiko works. She crack cases using her intuition, which we all know its not enough to solve the mystery (in reality).

Guessing weather

My colleagues and I are forced to take part in guessing the weather game this week as someone treated us as if we're not around.
To be honest, you can emo, but don't make our lives difficult.
I did not show my displeasure up front, but the working atmosphere is affected.
I think the weather today was getting better, but it's still cloudy.
I can't imagine I have to work like this for the entire week.

Like one of my colleagues mentioned, he can't understand why guys can be so emo. (He thought only gals act like that....which is totally untrue! Lolz!)

Haiz....I really can't handle emo people.

Lorong Halus Wetland

Went for a short cycling trip with E.W to Lorong Halus Wetland Park. I was glad to see the water lilies, but I did not bring my long zoom lens!!! Haiz~~ I cld have taken better shots la!
Anyway, enjoy the photos! I simply love the pin-hole art filter.

Spotted a orange dragonfly!

MacRitchie Reservoir Trip

Before I review my trip, gotta apologise to KH for being late. I actually overslept! (First time in my life, I missed an appointment because of this...ha!)
Our trip was "postponed" for a few hours due to heavy rain and thunders.
We had lunch at AMK Hub before heading to the reservoir.
Thank goodness! The weather was great, cool and windy, but it was humid as well.
I have not been to MacRitchie for at least 4 years. The place has changed a lot.

This is the Dam area.

and the view was fantastic!

Added art filters~

The draw-off tower.

The submerged boardwalk is supposed to be submerged in water, but it looked more like flooded boardwalk after the rain. Lolz!

The story of Force 136 during WWII.

Our nation hero, Mr Lim Bo Seng's grave.

Walking towards Chemperai Boardwalk.

Loved the greeny waters.

One of my favourite shots!

Chemperai Boardwalk.

Lots of water insects!

Lovely~

We were damn closed to this monkey, which picked up a torn packet drink.

A yellow insect....

Damselfly from afar~

Damselfly on a tree stick.

and resting on the boardwalk.

Hide tide.

Glad to snap 2 damselflies like this!!!

One tree stick with 3 damselflies.

--Auntie Kim's Korean Restaurant--
We reached Thomson Rd early and waited for nearly an hour for our dinner. This is our first visit to Auntie Kim, and their food was truly authentic.
They do not have many choices on their menu, and the price is not exactly cheap. I think it would be great to  share food with 3-4 ppl.

The side dishes.

KH's Pork Kimchi Fried Rice.

My Beef Kimchi Fried Rice.

The big and yummy seafood pancake! Loved the fragrant dipping sauce!!!