Night Lights 2012 - Preview

Will be meeting Tuan to check out the night festival tomorrow after work.
Hopefully I can knock off on time.

Looking forward to snap nice pictures :)

TV Drama Review #362 - I Need Romance 2012 需要浪漫2012

No.of Eps: 16
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/tvN
Cast:
Jung Yoo Mi ~ Joo Yeol Mae
Lee Jin Wook ~ Yoon Suk Hyun
Kim Ji Suk ~ Shin Ji Hoon
Synopsis: (from Soompi)
Joo Yeol Mae gets entangled in a love triangle between her long term boyfriend, Yoon Suk Hyun, and a new love interest, Shin Ji Hoon. 
Review:
After watching "I Need Romance", I believed most of us would have high expectations for the sequel. It's difficult not to compare the 2. Both dramas are not linked and have different cast. Personally I felt that even the vibe and direction of both dramas are different. On the high level, both dramas focused on a group of girl friends and their relationships. Both the female leads had issues with their long time boyfriends, and they found someone new after breaking up with their bfs. However, how the 2 women handled their love affair were very different. As for their buddies, I preferred "INR" girlfriends. I thought their stories were much more interesting than their counterparts in "INR2".
Main reason for watching this drama was mainly the cast. It was a long awaited comeback for all 3 leads, JYM, LJW & KJS.
I last saw JYM in "Que Sera Sera" and she still left me with a deep impression. Joo Yeol Mae was not my favourite character, probably I was a little frustrated with her "toying" the guys. Lolz! JYM is a good actress, but Yeol Mae tend to bore me after sometime. Her on screen chemistry with the guys were great, but I preferred Yeol Mae & Ji Hoon couple. They got more sparks.
LJW is still the same, in terms of looks. His previous works always gave me the impression that the guy needs a better role, or he still has some gaps here and there. I thought LJW nailed his character very well this time round, even better than JYM. Suk Hyun had many emotional scenes, and LJW did not overdid with his acting.
Kim Ji Suk finally returned after a 2 years hiatus. He definitely looked better after serving his nation. Lolz! Ji Hoon was really hot...in his own ways. I guessed hardly any cafe owners could execute such charisma. Lolz! While Yeol Mae & Suk Hyun's r/s went downhill and started to become stale, Yeol Mae & Ji Hoon's r/s was the total opposite. There was sparks, excitement, anticipation....and I really did not understand why Yeol Mae chose to end it. She clearly had feelings for Ji Hoon, but perhaps she loved Suk Hyun more. Like LJW, KJS lacked a solid role which can build up his career. I believed he could deliver more, but Ji Hoon is not the role to help him.
The support cast was not bad, but the girlfriends's stories did not interest me much.
OST has a couple of nice tracks as well.

PC woes

I am using 2 PCs side by side now.
It's an agony when I can't surf web with my own PC.

When can I use my PC again??? sobbzz...

NATAS Fair

Went to my 1st NATAS Fair with KH.
It was not really crowded, so we managed to check out all the booths within 2 hours.
The Japanese and Taiwanese booth were rather impressive, with lots of maps and information.

Had our lunch at 3pm plus, and I am glad that our Japan trip's plan is at least 60% done. There are alot of fine details to add on, but on the high level, we're more or less settled with the places we wanna visit.

4 more months to go!

荷包大出血

I think no english phrase can describe how I spent my money today. Haha!

We started the day at Song Huat Bak Kut Teh. It's one of the best Teochew style BKT I've ever tried, though my personal preference is still the Hokkien style.

Went to shop at Bugis+. It's my first visit there and the shops are totally different.
Bought a laced top from Pull & Bear, a pair of legging pants from Uniqlo, 1 blazer from Shana, 2 T-shirts & an irony bracelet from Lacquar (the clothes are from Korea). Checked out Lowrys Farm as well, but their price tags stopped me from buying. Lolz! Our last stop was at Feb29 and E.W bought a leather belt for Mr. Chean.

Hopped over to Bugis Juntion and walked passed Yacht 21. Their clothes are nice too, but their largest size is M! That means only E.W can wear their stuff. What the heck...lolz! Anyway, it's difficult for E.W to buy clothes, but she managed to buy 3 tops from the shop. Pretty amazing huh?!
Walked to G2000 and their latest collection is here! I liked their summer collection, more bright colours are used, and I liked the materials as well. Tuan bought her blazer and a nice blue top, while I had to go over to Plaza Singapura to get my black top.

I think the Chean women have never bought so many clothes at one go...broke record. Haha!
Luckily we don't have time to look at shoes....lol! 

TV Drama Review #361 - Ghost

No.of Eps: 20
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
So Ji Sub ~ Kim Woo Hyun
Lee Yeon Hee ~ Yoo Kang Mi
Uhm Ki Joon ~ Jo Hyun Min
Kwak Do Won ~ Kwon Hyuk Joo
Daniel Choi ~ Park Ki Young
Synopsis: (edited from Asianwiki)
Kim Woo Hyun leads the cyber investigation team and works to take down an illegal international gambling website. When Kim Woo Hyun and his team raid the location of the site, the data is destroyed by a program set up by Hades. Meanwhile, an online rumor spreads about a sex scandal involving popular actress Shin Hyo Jung. Shin Hyo Jung leaves the message "I want to die" on her twitter account and then kills herself by jumping out of her apartment. Woo Hyun and Detective Yoo Kang Mi, still following the path of Hades, arrives at the actresses apartment and takes her laptop, which Hades hacked. In the basement parking lot, Kang Mi runs into Reporter Park Ki Young...
Kang Mi later checks the actress's laptop and discovers that the tweet was not posted from her laptop. The cyber investigation team now believes another person may have been there when the actress died. Meanwhile, Detective Kwon Hyuk Joo also investigates the death of actress Shin Hyo Jung.
A TV video feed cuts to actress Shin Hyo-Jung falling out of her apartment. Woo Hyun, using his computer near a large building, chases Hades who cut into the TV announcement video feed. Finally, Woo Hyun catches Hades on the subway. Woo Hyun is shocked when he learns that Hades is his ex-roommate at the police academy, Park Ki Young!
As Woo Hyun continue to investigate the case, he finds himself chasing after another man, Jo Hyun Min.
Review:
"Ghost" is one of the rare detective drama which I chose to watch. I am not a fan of Korean detective dramas as their plots are too serious. "Ghost" is very serious as well, but the twists & turns of the drama made it exciting & interesting to watch. As for romance, it's nearly 0%. It's funny they paired up someone for Hyuk Joo, but not our Woo Hyun :( There are hints of romance b/w Woo Hyun & Kang Mi, but you'll understand why nothing happened in the end. (I don't wanna spoil the fun).
There are 3 big plots in the drama. First is the identity of Hades, second is the identity of Woo Hyun and lastly, the murderer of Shin Hyo Jung. There is also the fun part of guessing who are the spies hidden within the cyber investigation team. The drama's plot is well-paced and character development for the main leads were great, except for Kang Mi, whom is really more like a flower vase here.
I am glad to see Mr So's return to the small screen. Woo Hyun is quite a boring guy, in terms of expressions. Throughout the drama, we only get to see So Ji Sub's stern and serious face. Actually his acting was okay, but it was his character who "saved" him.
Glad to see Lee Yeon Hee too, and she has improved. Kang Mi played a more important role of hiding Woo Hyun's identity, but other than that, she's more like a supporting character. It's a pity she could not give us more in the drama.
Uhm Ki Joon is awesome! Without him, this drama would be dead boring. I liked his scenes with So Ji Sub, as you can really see how these 2 guys compete in the cat-chase-mouse race. There are no secrets b/w them as they are both very smart. Mr Uhm, hope you can lead a drama next time.
Kwak Do Won's Hyuk Joo is the next important guy after Woo Hyun & Jae Min. Hyuk Joo's character had 2 main duties - 1. Find out Woo Hyun's identity 2. Nab Jo Hyun Min. A brief romance line was also tagged to him as he ended up with the young reporter. Lucky guy! Lolz! Nice chemistry with So Ji Sub as well. I liked their scenes, from enemies with tensions, to a team who co-operated and trusted each other.
Last but not least, Daniel Choi cameo-ed as Park Ki Young, who controlled the whole drama (actually). I am not going to spill the beans, or else there's no fun. It's something new to me as I see Daniel with a more serious role.

Moving house...for the 4TH TIME!

Should be moving back to my 35th floor office next week.
I think my dept is quite "privileged" as we shld be the only dept to be moving offices for 4 times within 2 years.
I am simply amazed with my company for wasting lots of money renovating my offices. Haha!
Btw, my 5th time is coming soon, as my office will move to Mounbatten.

This is really crappy.

Waste too much money and lack planning.

AND WASTE MY TIME!

TV Drama Review #360 - Tiger Cubs 飞虎

No.of Eps: 13
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TVB
Cast:
Joe Ma ~ Zhan Han Tao
Jessica Hsuan ~ Zhuang Zhuo Hua
Oscar Leung ~ Zhuang Zhuo Yuan
Vincent Wong ~ Qiu Jun Xuan
Him Law ~ Yu Xue Li
Mandy Wong ~ Su Wen Qiang
Synopsis: (edited from just-tvb.blogspot.sg)
Serving on the Special Duties Unit (SDU) for many years, "devil" instructor Zhan Han Tao is seen as a hero in the hearts of his subordinates. His style is strict, serious and has high expectations on his subordinates, especially the two new SDU members Qiu Jun Xuan & Yu Xue Li. However when he's off-duty, Tao is actually a very caring big brother. Tao thinks of Zhuang Zhuo Yuan as his best partner at work and a good brother, but to his surprise, his girlfriend falls in love with the optimistic Yuan and wants to break up with him. To maintain the brotherhood, Yuan asked his colleague Su Wen Qiang to pretend to be his girlfriend, which begins a mess in the relationships. Meanwhile, the police were informed that the king of thieves is planning a large-scale robbery of the treasury. Tao and OCTB inspector Zhuang Zhuo Hua jointly sets up an operation to capture him. Hua is Yuan's elder sister and has a snobby personality. She only cares about her work day and night because she cannot forget the pain of her boyfriend's murder. As Tao gets to know Hua, he slowly realizes that he and Hua are actually similar people, and his feelings starts growing...
Review:
It's a pity that this drama cannot be shown on the prime time slot, because both leads, Joe and Jessica had left TVB. It's the usual "punishment" TVB does for actors who left the company. Despite being shown on the wkend slot, "Tiger Cubs" did well in HK. I like this drama as well, as it got a solid production, not the usual way of drama filming (more like a movie-drama), and the plot was interesting. Each episode has one special guest, with the exception of Kenneth Ma, who acted as the king of thieves, appearing in the first and final episode.
Joe was an ex-G4 member, so he definitely fitted the role. Jessica returned with a very serious role. Both of them are not new with their characters, so there's nothing too special about their acting. However, I do like their chemistry as their romance blossoms. It's a pity it happened mostly in epi 12. Ha!
The other main cast, Oscar, Vincent & Him had their fair share of the episodes as they faced with their own problems. Not much romance for the guys, except for Oscar. I hardly bothered with Oscar as he mainly acted in smaller roles, but he did a great job as Yuan.
Nice performance from Mandy as well. I think she might be the upcoming rising star in the future. Ha!
Thankful that SCV managed to show this drama on the same day as HK. One of the best police dramas I have seen recently :)

Conquest of the Temples

I am back, suffering from sunburn and muscle aches. Ha!
Wonder how can I work long hours tomorrow...haiz~

Anyway, the trip was good, quite relaxed and I am happy to finish visiting the major temples!

As for the trip report, need to wait la :)

TV Drama Review #359 - Can You Hear My Heart 你能听到我的心吗

No.of Eps: 30
Yr/TV Stn: 2011/MBC
Cast:
Kim Jae Won as Cha Dong Joo
Hwang Jung Eum as Bong Woo Ri
Nam Goong Min as Jang Joon Ha/Bong Ma Ru
Go Joon Hee as Kang Min Soo
Lee Kyu Han as Lee Seung Chul
Synopsis: (edited from AsianWiki)
Bong Woo Ri was a bright 9-year-old girl, but she didn't have a name or a father. Her mother was also deaf. Nevertheless, there were good people around her like Bong Young Gyu - a man who loved her mother and was also mentally deficient. Young Gyu lived with his elderly mother and his son Bong Ma Ru. Ma Ru was a student who was insecure about his foul-mouthed grandmother and his mentally deficient father. To make matters worse, his father married a woman who was deaf. Tragedy soon struck when a fire occurred in a factory where their deaf mother worked. Their mother died in the fire and their father was taken into police custody because of a frame-up . Ma Ru left his sister and said he would come back. Now, Woo Ri, her grandmother and father awaited his return.
Meanwhile, Dong Joo lived with his grandfather, mother and stepfather. His grandfather owned the company "Yoo-Kyung," but the company was run by the step-father due to the grandfather's bad health. By chance, Dong Joo met Woo Ri. He promised to teach her how to play the piano. To keep his promise, Dong Joo attempted to sneak out at night once. During this time, he saw his step-father attempting to murder his grandfather. An accident then occurred that resulted in Dong Joo permanently losing his hearing. At the funeral for his grandfather, Dong Joo's mother learned that her husband cheated on her and even fathered another child. Dong Joo's mother also learned that the other child was Ma Ru. Dong Joo's mother hid the truth about her son's loss of hearing and took him to live overseas. For revenge, Dong Joo's mother took Ma Ru with them.
While living overseas, Ma Ru changed his name to Jang Joon Ha. Dong Joo also learned how to read lips and, because of this, could act as someone with normal hearing. The three of them returned to South Korea and Dong Joo now attempts to return the company to his mother and exact revenge upon his stepfather ....
Review:
CYHMH is a typical korean family drama with the usual birth secrets and revenge plots. It's is slow paced from the start, but the story got better as the secrets uncovered one by one. It's exciting to see how Joon Ha planned his revenge against his Dong Joo's mother and his own parents. The drama could be better if it has less episodes, but I think it also gave other supporting characters a chance to tell their stories. Overall, it's a heartwarming and touching drama, despite the plot being revengeful most of the time.
KJW returned to the small screen through this drama, and I thought this is one of the best performance he ever had. Dong Joo is rather independent and know exactly what he wanted. I liked his close bonds with his brother, Joon Ha, though they are not blood-related. I bet many people like this "Bromance" huh? Haha!
First time watching Hwang Jung Eum, and I know her usual image is not as innocent as Woo Ri. Hahaha! I only started Woo Ri after she grew up, and most of the touching moments are around here. Nice chemistry with Mr Kim and Mr Nam, though HJE and NGM got more "sparks" somehow.
Nam Goong Min returned with another "not-so-good" character. Actually Joon Ha himself is far more interesting than Dong Joo. Lots of developments as we see this guy struggled from young to adulthood. He is actually a kind-hearted person despite being very cold to people, and we saw how he turned revengeful and blamed others for his ill-fated life. Actually he's really pitiful, but I am glad he had a good ending.
Lee Kyu Han did not have many chances to lead a drama, but I think he's capable of being one. Seung Chul is a supporting cast, but thanks to him we did have some funny moments from him.
I have seen Go Joon Hee too, another actress who has yet to make it big. Min Soo is ok, but falls into the typical support role category.
I must mention the veteran actors who acted as Ma Ru's dad and grandma. They are actually very important characters in the drama too! Spectacular acting!

Family Outing: The Dark Knight Rises

--IMAX @ Shaw Lido--

"Dark Knight Rises" marked the final sequel of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. I am quite pleased to watch the movie in IMAX theatre. The screen was great and the images were sharp! My favourite superhero did not disappoint me. The movie was a little lengthy, but packed with lots of actions, storylines and a good twist. The movie ended on a great note, and I was happy to see Robin's entrance. I believe the next Batman film will feature him, either as Robin or the new Batman. As for Catwoman, I would want to see her again as....she won't end up with Batman. Haha!
$20 is rather expensive for a movie, but I think it's ok for great action films. Mr Bond, I will reserve my next IMAX experience for you :D
--Collect Point @ Isetan Wisma--
Actually there was nothing much to see recently as most shops are clearing old stocks. A random suggestion to check out Isetan's new Japanese brand Collect Point turned out to be good. Finally some of their clothings were on sale! 
To be honest, their brands' price range is around or more expensive than Zara. I would not spend $70 on a T-shirt, though the material is very good. Haha!
All of us bought from Jeanasis, and it's a pity that Lowrys Farm's clothings got little discount. I like their collection lo!
Will check them out when I visit Japan this year end. Doubt I would buy anything though..hahaha!

TV Drama Review #358 - BIG

No.of Eps: 16
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/KBS
Cast:
Gong Yoo as Seo Yoon Jae
Lee Min Jung as Gil Da Ran
Shin Won Ho as Kang Kyung Joon
Suzy as Jang Ma Ri
Jang Hee Jin as Lee Se Young
Synopsis: (edited from Soompi)
After an accident, 18 years old Kang Kyung Joon found himself in the body of 30 years old Seo Yoon Jae. Seo Yoon Jae is a successful doctor and is engaged to high school teacher Gil Da Ran. Gil Da Ran just so happens to be Kyung Joon's teacher.
Jang Ma Ri, who likes Kyung Joon, came to Korea to look for him and found him lying in hospital. She finally learns that Kyung Joon is now Yoon Jae and tried all means to get Kyung Joon back into his body.
On the other hand, Kyung Joon starts to discover his birth secret and Yoon Jae is actually....
Review:
Hong Sisters (the famous Kdrama scriptwriters) returned with a "not-so-Hong Sisters" work. In terms of ratings, "BIG" did not do well, but in terms of creativity, I guessed it's a small breakthrough for them. The drama started out well, but flopped at the ending. Actually I am ok with the ending, but there are too many things left unexplained. Hong Sisters owed us many answers as to the actual swop back of the guys. I mean after all, that's a crucial part as the drama has been revoling around it. In the end, we only heard the swop from Ma Ri's mouth. It's not enough!
"BIG" marked Gong Yoo's comeback after army, and he definitely improved alot! Juggling between two extreme characters isn't easy job, but Gong Yoo managed to do it with his stunning performance. I liked how Gong Yoo acted as KKJ, and we saw how KKJ grew up from a boy to a young man. Gong Yoo is certainly the highlight of the drama.
Glad to see Lee Min Jung again, and I definitely enjoyed her acting here than in "Midas". Many people criticised Da Ran, but I guess nobody is perfect. Da Ran has her struggle; to look forward for Yoon Jae's return, but at the same time she can't help falling for KKJ. Their romance was bound to be ill-fated, but Da Ran fought it with her courage. Gong Yoo and Lee Min Jung had very nice chemistry and they just kept getting better.
Shin Won Ho is an idol from a new group "Cross Gene". Though KKJ is the main character, it was acted out by Gong Yoo most of the time. So we only got to see Shin for a few episodes, and for the rest of the time, he laid on the bed. I think many people wants to see his return after the swop, but you know Shin is not meant to be the lead actor afterall.
Suzy is another idol from "Miss A". She's ok, not that exaggerating, but still quite stiff at times. I did not watch her "Dream High", but I guessed she would get better in the near future.

Crazy Week, Little Thoughts

My crazy week has come to an end.
Suddenly my trip makes a good breakaway from hours of OT.

I need a good rest, but I doubt I can achieve that when I am travelling. Haha!

Hopefully the coming weeks would be less cruel to me.
I need to recover from coughing, and I need to gain more mental strength.

Many people came and left during my 2 years plus stay in the company.
They did not affect me much until recently. Human issues are really tiring.

Life is always a struggle.
Accept the fact and adapt to changes are the way to go.

I am glad I am back on track again.

It's time to look forward to my short little break :)

Happy but tired

Let's start with the happy stuff.

Tuan got her first job at a translating company. It's a contract position but they are giving her perm staff benefits, and they offered a decent salary. Not too bad after all. I am happy for her :)
Next, Team Singapore finally got their 1st medal from Table Tennis. It might only be a bronze medal, but I thanks Feng Tianwei for her good efforts and skills for tonight's match. It's a pity I could not watch the game.

So, I broke my personal record of staying in office till nearly 11pm. (my previous record is 10pm plus)
Really tired now, and I did not even have time to eat dinner. Haiz~

When is this going to end?

Shall end with another happy stuff.

Watching the Dark Knight this weekend at IMAX cinema. Hopefully it's a good one.