Will be leaving for the airport in 2 hours time.
It's going to be a long and tiring trip.
I won't expect everything to be smooth sailing, but at least no big problems like missing in some unknown place etc.
I hope our near 1 year of planning would make this trip a fruitful one.
Will be back in 2 weeks time :)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
CC Gang Gathering
Met up the gang at Bugis+ for dinner just now.
Asian Kitchen sells delicious roasted duck!
HM is leaving for Melbourne next month, will work there for 2 months, so she will miss our X'mas gathering.
Had a good catch up with the gals, and we shall meet again for our X'mas exchange!
Thinking what to buy now...hehe!
Asian Kitchen sells delicious roasted duck!
HM is leaving for Melbourne next month, will work there for 2 months, so she will miss our X'mas gathering.
Had a good catch up with the gals, and we shall meet again for our X'mas exchange!
Thinking what to buy now...hehe!
TV Drama Review #379 - Five Fingers 五根手指
No.of Eps: 30
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
Chae Si Ra ~ Chae Young Rang
Joo Ji Hoon ~ Yoo Ji Ho
Ji Chang Wook ~ Yoo In Ha
Jin Se Yun ~ Hong Da Mi
Synopsis:
Yoo Ji Ho is gifted in music since young, but his half brother In Ha has to train hard to become a good pianist. In Ha is jealous of Ji Ho as his parents doted Ji Ho more than him. A fire made the boys lost their father, and their mum Young Rang takes over the company and plans for her revenge. Ji Ho is later framed for crimes he did not commit, and he found out that the ones who framed him are the people he treasured the most...
Review:
"Five Fingers" is not in my watching list as I did not like revenge themes, but once I started I did not regret my choice, though the plot has its flaws. Basically the plot can be in 2 parts, revenge by Young Rang & In Ha, and revenge by Ji Ho and Da Mi. Nobody won the game as they ended up suffering from the truths they uncovered. There are lots of twists & turns but they are not too surprising for me, all within expectations. I enjoyed Ji Ho's revenge as it made the drama exciting and I could not wait to see Young Rang and In Ha losing everything they had. Lolz!
It has been a long time since I last saw Chae Si Ra and her acting nailed every aspect of Young Rang perfectly. Young Rang's hatred towards Ji Hoon made me disliked her so much, but I can't deny that the actress is good.
Joo Ji Hoon finally returns after army and he's in good shape. While I liked his performance, I thought Ji Chang Wook's acting outshone him somehow. Perhaps In Ha is a more complicated person in the first place, thus JCW got more opportunities to display a wide range of expressions. JJH's Ji Ho was a nice guy in first half of the drama, so nice until I found him stupid coz' he was so slow to find out who sabotaged him.
Jin Se Yun replaced Ham Eun Jung of T-ara for the role of Da Mi. Actually I expected Da Mi to play her revenge games like Ji Ho, but she turned out to be a nice person throughout....nothing too exciting about her. Jin Se Yun's acting was not bad, but can't leave me with a deep impression.
The support cast was equally outstanding, even the baddies. OST was surprisingly boring to me. Kept hearing the same instrumentals, and I thought such dramas shld have more piano pieces.
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
Chae Si Ra ~ Chae Young Rang
Joo Ji Hoon ~ Yoo Ji Ho
Ji Chang Wook ~ Yoo In Ha
Jin Se Yun ~ Hong Da Mi
Synopsis:
Yoo Ji Ho is gifted in music since young, but his half brother In Ha has to train hard to become a good pianist. In Ha is jealous of Ji Ho as his parents doted Ji Ho more than him. A fire made the boys lost their father, and their mum Young Rang takes over the company and plans for her revenge. Ji Ho is later framed for crimes he did not commit, and he found out that the ones who framed him are the people he treasured the most...
Review:
"Five Fingers" is not in my watching list as I did not like revenge themes, but once I started I did not regret my choice, though the plot has its flaws. Basically the plot can be in 2 parts, revenge by Young Rang & In Ha, and revenge by Ji Ho and Da Mi. Nobody won the game as they ended up suffering from the truths they uncovered. There are lots of twists & turns but they are not too surprising for me, all within expectations. I enjoyed Ji Ho's revenge as it made the drama exciting and I could not wait to see Young Rang and In Ha losing everything they had. Lolz!
It has been a long time since I last saw Chae Si Ra and her acting nailed every aspect of Young Rang perfectly. Young Rang's hatred towards Ji Hoon made me disliked her so much, but I can't deny that the actress is good.
Joo Ji Hoon finally returns after army and he's in good shape. While I liked his performance, I thought Ji Chang Wook's acting outshone him somehow. Perhaps In Ha is a more complicated person in the first place, thus JCW got more opportunities to display a wide range of expressions. JJH's Ji Ho was a nice guy in first half of the drama, so nice until I found him stupid coz' he was so slow to find out who sabotaged him.
Jin Se Yun replaced Ham Eun Jung of T-ara for the role of Da Mi. Actually I expected Da Mi to play her revenge games like Ji Ho, but she turned out to be a nice person throughout....nothing too exciting about her. Jin Se Yun's acting was not bad, but can't leave me with a deep impression.
The support cast was equally outstanding, even the baddies. OST was surprisingly boring to me. Kept hearing the same instrumentals, and I thought such dramas shld have more piano pieces.
Labels:
Korean Drama 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Panic! Panic!
3 more days to my trip, and the itinerary is not ready yet!
First time so last minute...haha!
First time so last minute...haha!
Monday, November 26, 2012
TV Drama Review #378 - Vampire Prosecutor 2 吸血鬼檢察官2
No.of Eps: 11
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/OCN
Cast:
Yun Jung Hoon as Min Tae Yeon
Lee Young Ah as Yoo Jung In
Lee Won Jong as Hwang Soon Bum
Lee Kyung Young as Jo Jung Hyun
Yoshitaka Yuriko as Luna
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Min Tae Yeon isn’t your typical vampire or prosecutor. Rather than drinking blood from innocent strangers, he opts for blood sold on the black market in the posh bars of Seoul. He also has the uncanny ability to tell where the victim of his cases died, and how they died based on their blood’s smell and taste. The only person who knows his secret ability is Detective Hwang Soon Bum, and both end up working together in a new joint department between police and prosecutors solving murder cases. Joining them are rookie prosecutor Yoo Jung In and intern Choi Dong Man. Together, they solve murder cases, and each time Tae Yeon uses his “powers” to find leads on cases that seem unsolvable. But the one thing he can’t solve is: who was the vampire/serial killer that turned him seven years ago? And what happens when Jung In becomes suspicious of Tae Yeon’s “questionable” tactics in solving cases…
Review:
Finally, VP returns with a 2nd series. We're given more insights of issues which are not explained in season 1. This season was filled with lots of actions, more vampires, more blood and gore. Ha! I personally enjoyed this season, though there's nothing happening b/w Tae Yeon and Jung In again :(
Mr Yun's best role to date - Vampire MTY continues to shine in the drama, though there are 2 people who stole his scenes, one is Dr.Jo and the other, Vampire L. Tae Yeon seemed to be become a little helpless towards the end of the drama, perhaps he found out new secrets from his "brother", and L is a very strong competitor.
Lee Young Ah's Jung In is pretty much the same, though the lady is more feminine this season. I'm not sure if the last episode marks a new beginning from Jung In, as we do not know what happened to her in the end (can't divulge too much here). I hope she will have more meaty roles in the next season.
Stunning performance from veteran Lee Won Jong, especially in the last case. I nearly thought they killed him! Phew~
Lee Kyung Young's Dr. Jo is a new character in this season, but they finished him as well. I liked this character has he's well layered and he was turned into vampire under circumstances. Outstanding performance from the actor.
Nice to see Yoshitaka in 3 episodes. She's very natural, despite speaking Japanese while the cast speaks Korean. Luna is mysterious and Yoshitaka fits her role well. It's a pity Luna was killed by L too :(
Waiting for the next season....still got many unsolved mysteries!
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/OCN
Cast:
Yun Jung Hoon as Min Tae Yeon
Lee Young Ah as Yoo Jung In
Lee Won Jong as Hwang Soon Bum
Lee Kyung Young as Jo Jung Hyun
Yoshitaka Yuriko as Luna
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Min Tae Yeon isn’t your typical vampire or prosecutor. Rather than drinking blood from innocent strangers, he opts for blood sold on the black market in the posh bars of Seoul. He also has the uncanny ability to tell where the victim of his cases died, and how they died based on their blood’s smell and taste. The only person who knows his secret ability is Detective Hwang Soon Bum, and both end up working together in a new joint department between police and prosecutors solving murder cases. Joining them are rookie prosecutor Yoo Jung In and intern Choi Dong Man. Together, they solve murder cases, and each time Tae Yeon uses his “powers” to find leads on cases that seem unsolvable. But the one thing he can’t solve is: who was the vampire/serial killer that turned him seven years ago? And what happens when Jung In becomes suspicious of Tae Yeon’s “questionable” tactics in solving cases…
Review:
Finally, VP returns with a 2nd series. We're given more insights of issues which are not explained in season 1. This season was filled with lots of actions, more vampires, more blood and gore. Ha! I personally enjoyed this season, though there's nothing happening b/w Tae Yeon and Jung In again :(
Mr Yun's best role to date - Vampire MTY continues to shine in the drama, though there are 2 people who stole his scenes, one is Dr.Jo and the other, Vampire L. Tae Yeon seemed to be become a little helpless towards the end of the drama, perhaps he found out new secrets from his "brother", and L is a very strong competitor.
Lee Young Ah's Jung In is pretty much the same, though the lady is more feminine this season. I'm not sure if the last episode marks a new beginning from Jung In, as we do not know what happened to her in the end (can't divulge too much here). I hope she will have more meaty roles in the next season.
Stunning performance from veteran Lee Won Jong, especially in the last case. I nearly thought they killed him! Phew~
Lee Kyung Young's Dr. Jo is a new character in this season, but they finished him as well. I liked this character has he's well layered and he was turned into vampire under circumstances. Outstanding performance from the actor.
Nice to see Yoshitaka in 3 episodes. She's very natural, despite speaking Japanese while the cast speaks Korean. Luna is mysterious and Yoshitaka fits her role well. It's a pity Luna was killed by L too :(
Waiting for the next season....still got many unsolved mysteries!
Labels:
Korean Drama 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
TV Drama Review #377 - The Queen of SOP 胜女的代价
No.of Eps: 33
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/Hunan TV,FTV,GTV
Cast:
Zhang Han ~ Tang Jun / Tom
Chen Qiao En ~ Lin Xiao Jie
Godfrey Gao ~ Gao Zi Qi
Zhang Meng ~ Zeng Chu Chu
Coco Jiang ~ Bai Ji Qing
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
After a failed relationship with her former boss and ex-boyfriend Gao Zi Qi, Lin Xiao Jie decides to start her new career in Shanghai's Huanghai dept store with the support of her internet pal Tom. When she finds out that one of her employees, Tang Jun, is actually Tom, and that he's the heir of Huanghai, she begins to doubt his intentions, resulting in a series of misunderstandings.
Review:
It has been a long time since I last watched a China-Taiwan production.The director is Taiwanese hence the whole drama is quite "Taiwanese". Haha! The plot is the usual idol-styled plot between a commoner and wealthy boys' love story, coupled with lots of corporate issues.
The cast are all quite well known. Qiao En used to be TW idol drama queen, Godfrey is well- known as a model-turned-actor in TW, but I am not familiar with his previous works. Zhang Han is famous for his role as Dao Ming Si in China's version of "Hana Yori Dango". Zhang Meng is an uprising Chinese actress while Coco is a well-known host-model-actress.
Qiao En has been missing from TW drama scene, but I think her acting is getting better after working in Chinese productions for the past few years. Xiao Jie is a plain character because nearly every idol drama has such a female lead. She's not a weakling as she mustered her courage to solve her problems, and she's competent in her work. Qiao En is older than Zhang Han, but I liked their chemistry, very natural. On the other hand, I felt that her chemistry with Godfrey was kinda missing.
First time watching Zhang Han and his acting was not too bad, though still got room for improvement. Tang Jun is the usual super nice guy who willing does everything for the woman he loves without any returns. Nothing too special again. It's the chemistry b/w QE and him that made the drama watachable.
Godfrey has good looks, but his acting is still quite raw. Zi Qi is actually quite a silly guy despite being smart and rich. He gave in too much to his ex gf Ji Qing, but does not know how to break up with her thorougly. Unlike Xiao Jie, he seemed to be quite weak in handling relationship issues.
Zhang Meng's character is meant to be hated coz' she could not get her guy and took revenge of his company. Typical evil role.
Coco is pretty but her acting was not convincing. I could not stand her high-pitched voice either, especially when she quarelled with Zi Qi. It's irritating!
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/Hunan TV,FTV,GTV
Cast:
Zhang Han ~ Tang Jun / Tom
Chen Qiao En ~ Lin Xiao Jie
Godfrey Gao ~ Gao Zi Qi
Zhang Meng ~ Zeng Chu Chu
Coco Jiang ~ Bai Ji Qing
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
After a failed relationship with her former boss and ex-boyfriend Gao Zi Qi, Lin Xiao Jie decides to start her new career in Shanghai's Huanghai dept store with the support of her internet pal Tom. When she finds out that one of her employees, Tang Jun, is actually Tom, and that he's the heir of Huanghai, she begins to doubt his intentions, resulting in a series of misunderstandings.
Review:
It has been a long time since I last watched a China-Taiwan production.The director is Taiwanese hence the whole drama is quite "Taiwanese". Haha! The plot is the usual idol-styled plot between a commoner and wealthy boys' love story, coupled with lots of corporate issues.
The cast are all quite well known. Qiao En used to be TW idol drama queen, Godfrey is well- known as a model-turned-actor in TW, but I am not familiar with his previous works. Zhang Han is famous for his role as Dao Ming Si in China's version of "Hana Yori Dango". Zhang Meng is an uprising Chinese actress while Coco is a well-known host-model-actress.
Qiao En has been missing from TW drama scene, but I think her acting is getting better after working in Chinese productions for the past few years. Xiao Jie is a plain character because nearly every idol drama has such a female lead. She's not a weakling as she mustered her courage to solve her problems, and she's competent in her work. Qiao En is older than Zhang Han, but I liked their chemistry, very natural. On the other hand, I felt that her chemistry with Godfrey was kinda missing.
First time watching Zhang Han and his acting was not too bad, though still got room for improvement. Tang Jun is the usual super nice guy who willing does everything for the woman he loves without any returns. Nothing too special again. It's the chemistry b/w QE and him that made the drama watachable.
Godfrey has good looks, but his acting is still quite raw. Zi Qi is actually quite a silly guy despite being smart and rich. He gave in too much to his ex gf Ji Qing, but does not know how to break up with her thorougly. Unlike Xiao Jie, he seemed to be quite weak in handling relationship issues.
Zhang Meng's character is meant to be hated coz' she could not get her guy and took revenge of his company. Typical evil role.
Coco is pretty but her acting was not convincing. I could not stand her high-pitched voice either, especially when she quarelled with Zi Qi. It's irritating!
Labels:
Chinese Drama 2012,
Taiwanese Drama 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
TV Drama Review #376 - Nice Guy 善良的男人
No.of Eps: 20
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/KBS
Cast:
Song Joong Ki ~ Kang Ma Roo
Moon Chae Won ~ Seo Eun Gi
Park Si Yeon ~ Han Jae Hee
Lee Kwang Soo ~ Park Jae Gil
Lee Sang Yeob ~ Park Joon Ha
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Kang Ma Roo gave up everything for Han Jae Hee, whom he loves, but he was betrayed by her. To get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, he uses her step-daughter and successor to Taesang Group, Seo Eun Gi. Unfortunately, she suffers from brain damage and loss of memory after a car accident, and now Kang Ma Roo works to fix everything that went awry because of his blind sighted revenge and ends up falling in love with Seo Eun Gi.
Review:
"Nice Guy" is a melodrama with a heavy plot, so if you dislike revenge theme, then this is not for you. To be honest, I am not a melodrama fan, but the plot was interestng enough for me to give it a chance, plus I am curious to see Moon Chae Won's role.
The plot have a few twists & turns, but nothing too surprising for me. The 3 main leads ended up playing their own revenge games but nobody succeed. The drama kept a good balance between revenge, romance, and character development. Ending was a great one, though many things are left unexplained, but I guessed it's not that important.
First time watching Song Joong Ki, and I thought his boyish looks would affect his performance as his face is too pretty to act as a guy who have too much hatred. Luckily Mr Song proved that he could deliver more than just a pretty face. His acting was not too convincing initally but he hitted the right notes as the story progresses. Lots of mixed emotions from Ma Roo and we saw a determined man protecting Eun Gi later on.
Moon Chae Won's Eun Gi is a complicated character who suffered from several memory loss, and has to fake one in order to plot her revenge. Actually her life is too tiring and she has been acting strong for too long. MCW's acting is always convincing and Eun Gi gave her lots of opportunity to prove that she can act in more complex roles. Chemistry with SJK was not bad.
Park Si Yeon returns to dramaland with a very interesting character. I am glad she's up for the challenge. Jae Hee actually drives the whole story. Without her, Ma Roo and Eun Gi need not suffer. Even though MCW is the main female lead, I felt that PSY's Jae Hee was more like the main character in the drama. I guessed this is one of the best performance I've seen from PSY.
I am familiar with Running Man Kwang Soo, but actor Kwang Soo is the first time. I think he's alright here, acting was natural but character was kinda plain.
Lee Sang Yeob is a new face to me as well, but apparently he was in many dramas which I watched before. Joon Ha is always there for Eun Gi, but it's a pity that his sacrifice did not get him much returns.
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/KBS
Cast:
Song Joong Ki ~ Kang Ma Roo
Moon Chae Won ~ Seo Eun Gi
Park Si Yeon ~ Han Jae Hee
Lee Kwang Soo ~ Park Jae Gil
Lee Sang Yeob ~ Park Joon Ha
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Kang Ma Roo gave up everything for Han Jae Hee, whom he loves, but he was betrayed by her. To get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, he uses her step-daughter and successor to Taesang Group, Seo Eun Gi. Unfortunately, she suffers from brain damage and loss of memory after a car accident, and now Kang Ma Roo works to fix everything that went awry because of his blind sighted revenge and ends up falling in love with Seo Eun Gi.
Review:
"Nice Guy" is a melodrama with a heavy plot, so if you dislike revenge theme, then this is not for you. To be honest, I am not a melodrama fan, but the plot was interestng enough for me to give it a chance, plus I am curious to see Moon Chae Won's role.
The plot have a few twists & turns, but nothing too surprising for me. The 3 main leads ended up playing their own revenge games but nobody succeed. The drama kept a good balance between revenge, romance, and character development. Ending was a great one, though many things are left unexplained, but I guessed it's not that important.
First time watching Song Joong Ki, and I thought his boyish looks would affect his performance as his face is too pretty to act as a guy who have too much hatred. Luckily Mr Song proved that he could deliver more than just a pretty face. His acting was not too convincing initally but he hitted the right notes as the story progresses. Lots of mixed emotions from Ma Roo and we saw a determined man protecting Eun Gi later on.
Moon Chae Won's Eun Gi is a complicated character who suffered from several memory loss, and has to fake one in order to plot her revenge. Actually her life is too tiring and she has been acting strong for too long. MCW's acting is always convincing and Eun Gi gave her lots of opportunity to prove that she can act in more complex roles. Chemistry with SJK was not bad.
Park Si Yeon returns to dramaland with a very interesting character. I am glad she's up for the challenge. Jae Hee actually drives the whole story. Without her, Ma Roo and Eun Gi need not suffer. Even though MCW is the main female lead, I felt that PSY's Jae Hee was more like the main character in the drama. I guessed this is one of the best performance I've seen from PSY.
I am familiar with Running Man Kwang Soo, but actor Kwang Soo is the first time. I think he's alright here, acting was natural but character was kinda plain.
Lee Sang Yeob is a new face to me as well, but apparently he was in many dramas which I watched before. Joon Ha is always there for Eun Gi, but it's a pity that his sacrifice did not get him much returns.
Labels:
Korean Drama 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
TV Drama Review #375 - What is Love 花是爱
No.of Eps: 16
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TTV
Cast:
Chou You Ting ~ Li Yi Hua
Chris Wu ~ Bai Zong You
Duncan Lai ~ Zhang Shao Qian
Kimi Hsia ~ Wu Xiao Lu
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
A woman, who is a stickler for romantic love and in hope of a monogamous marry life, meets a philanderer who loves to woo and break women's hearts. In their battle for love, will she surrender her principle and become one of his conquest, or will she succeed in making him a loyal husband? Review:
I am quite disappointed with the drama, because the plot and acting failed to meet my expectations. Initially the drama was quite interesting as Bai Zong You kept on thinking of how to get hold of Li Yi Hua, and when Shao Qian came into the picture, the love triangle became more exciting. However, as the plot moves on, Shao Qian admited defeat and "disappeared" from the drama, Yi Hua and Zong You are together but their romance bored me! The final twist at the last episode was really unnecessary, and I am not even happy about the happy ending. Haha!
I enjoyed Chris' performance when he was the support lead in his older dramas, but I began to doubt his acting when he leads a drama. This is not the first drama with him as the lead actor, but I found his acting to be exaggerated, and typical idol-styled expressions.
First time watching Chou You Ting, who used to act in TW hokkien dramas. Her acting was better than Chris, but Yi Hua was not a perfect character. To be honest, she's quite boring. I liked You Ting's scenes with Duncan more as the couple got more chemistry.
Duncan is missing from the TW drama scene for a few years, but he returned looking more matured and manly now. Noted that he's a Hong Konger, his mandarin was kind of unnatural, though accurate. Shao Qian is rather low-key and reserved, hence I can accept Duncan's rather stiff acting. Too bad, they did not made full use of Shao Qian's character by giving him more storyline.
Support cast like Kimi was okay, not much memorable scenes from them.
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TTV
Cast:
Chou You Ting ~ Li Yi Hua
Chris Wu ~ Bai Zong You
Duncan Lai ~ Zhang Shao Qian
Kimi Hsia ~ Wu Xiao Lu
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
A woman, who is a stickler for romantic love and in hope of a monogamous marry life, meets a philanderer who loves to woo and break women's hearts. In their battle for love, will she surrender her principle and become one of his conquest, or will she succeed in making him a loyal husband? Review:
I am quite disappointed with the drama, because the plot and acting failed to meet my expectations. Initially the drama was quite interesting as Bai Zong You kept on thinking of how to get hold of Li Yi Hua, and when Shao Qian came into the picture, the love triangle became more exciting. However, as the plot moves on, Shao Qian admited defeat and "disappeared" from the drama, Yi Hua and Zong You are together but their romance bored me! The final twist at the last episode was really unnecessary, and I am not even happy about the happy ending. Haha!
I enjoyed Chris' performance when he was the support lead in his older dramas, but I began to doubt his acting when he leads a drama. This is not the first drama with him as the lead actor, but I found his acting to be exaggerated, and typical idol-styled expressions.
First time watching Chou You Ting, who used to act in TW hokkien dramas. Her acting was better than Chris, but Yi Hua was not a perfect character. To be honest, she's quite boring. I liked You Ting's scenes with Duncan more as the couple got more chemistry.
Duncan is missing from the TW drama scene for a few years, but he returned looking more matured and manly now. Noted that he's a Hong Konger, his mandarin was kind of unnatural, though accurate. Shao Qian is rather low-key and reserved, hence I can accept Duncan's rather stiff acting. Too bad, they did not made full use of Shao Qian's character by giving him more storyline.
Support cast like Kimi was okay, not much memorable scenes from them.
Labels:
Taiwanese Drama 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sri Lanka next year?
Yeah I know my Japan trip has not even started...but plans for next year has began! Hahaha!
Just found out that from this year onwards, Sgporeans do not need e-visa to visit Sri Lanka for 30 days! Wow! That's good news!
The next question is....when am I going?
Just found out that from this year onwards, Sgporeans do not need e-visa to visit Sri Lanka for 30 days! Wow! That's good news!
The next question is....when am I going?
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Winter trip shoppng
Went out with family and KH to buy winter clothings for our upcoming trip in 2 weeks time. Uniqlo is definitely the store to go as they got the best winter range.
I bought a fleece turtle neck, 2 pairs of socks and a pair of leggings. Tuan has some other tops to lend me so I have a few more thicker clothing for the trip, can save some money. Hehe!
I hope I am ready for winter!!!
I bought a fleece turtle neck, 2 pairs of socks and a pair of leggings. Tuan has some other tops to lend me so I have a few more thicker clothing for the trip, can save some money. Hehe!
I hope I am ready for winter!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
TV Drama Review #374 - Sergeant Tabloid 女警爱作战
No.of Eps: 21
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TVB
Cast:
Niki Chow ~ Lv Fei Xia
Michael Tse ~ Lan Yi Yi
Mandy Wong ~ Situ Jiao
Matthew Ko ~ Wang Zi Chuan
Oceane Zhu ~ Lan Ai Ai
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Lv Fei Xia is a thirty-one year old Emergency Unit sergeant of the Hong Kong Police Force, who has been let down in love many times; so when she finds her perfect man Dong Zhao Liang (Vincent Wong), she jumps at the opportunity, never suspecting that he is a drug baron until she arrests him. To make things worse their relationship hits the headlines when tabloid reporter Lan Yi Yi stumbles upon it while following another story. Fei Xia and Yi Yi's paths continue to cross when pursuing duties and stories, sometimes co-operating and sometimes as enemies, sometimes saving the other and at other times the target of each others practical jokes. A mother goose to her section, Fei Xia comes into conflict with her new commanding officer Situ Jiao, nicknamed by her subordinates as Madam Kill as she demands perfection of her section. Before long Fei Xia finds herself falling in love with new recruit Wang Zi Chuan), but it turns out that he's Yi Yi's cousin. Pushed to her limits both at work and in love, Lui Hap has no choice but to fight back in the name of love.
Review:
This is one of the "warehouse" dramas which is not broadcast in HK, but only to overseas viewers. Sometimes I wonder how TVB make this decision. Anyway, "Sergeant Tabloid" is another police- themed dramas which focused on sisterhood and the main couple Fei Xia and Yi Yi. There is a good mix of actions and romance, and I pretty enjoyed the lead couple's performance. Ending episode was quite crappy as Fei Xia's ex turned out to be an undercop. What the heck? I rather they gave me a simple and straightforward ending rather than a rushed and nonsensical one.
I haven't watch Niki's dramas for sometime and sad to say her acting was the same all thesewhile. I wished she could try some different roles as I am quite sick of her image as the nice girl. Fei Xia is pretty dull as a female lead because she did all the right things. I thought Mandy's Situ Jiao was more interesting than Niki's role. Luckily, Niki's chemistry with Michael was not bad and I enjoyed their scenes together.
Michael still can't shed his Laughing image, but Yi Yi is different from Laughing. Yi Yi has a "split" personality - he's ruthless when he's a reporter, but he's a very caring son to his family. He's not a playboy as he only loved one woman all thesewhile but that woman took him as a spare tyre. Quite silly isn't he?
Mandy Wong is all over the place! I am not sure if I liked Jiao, but Mandy's acting was not too bad as she portrayed Jiao differently. Her romance scenes with Matthew was alright, not much chemistry. Their romance lines are pretty boring as Jiao's father came in between them. Jiao became a "weak" woman as she chose to be a filial daughter and gave up Zi Chuan.
Oceane Zhu did a good job as Yi Yi's half sister. Her acting was quite convincing and natural.
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TVB
Cast:
Niki Chow ~ Lv Fei Xia
Michael Tse ~ Lan Yi Yi
Mandy Wong ~ Situ Jiao
Matthew Ko ~ Wang Zi Chuan
Oceane Zhu ~ Lan Ai Ai
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Lv Fei Xia is a thirty-one year old Emergency Unit sergeant of the Hong Kong Police Force, who has been let down in love many times; so when she finds her perfect man Dong Zhao Liang (Vincent Wong), she jumps at the opportunity, never suspecting that he is a drug baron until she arrests him. To make things worse their relationship hits the headlines when tabloid reporter Lan Yi Yi stumbles upon it while following another story. Fei Xia and Yi Yi's paths continue to cross when pursuing duties and stories, sometimes co-operating and sometimes as enemies, sometimes saving the other and at other times the target of each others practical jokes. A mother goose to her section, Fei Xia comes into conflict with her new commanding officer Situ Jiao, nicknamed by her subordinates as Madam Kill as she demands perfection of her section. Before long Fei Xia finds herself falling in love with new recruit Wang Zi Chuan), but it turns out that he's Yi Yi's cousin. Pushed to her limits both at work and in love, Lui Hap has no choice but to fight back in the name of love.
Review:
This is one of the "warehouse" dramas which is not broadcast in HK, but only to overseas viewers. Sometimes I wonder how TVB make this decision. Anyway, "Sergeant Tabloid" is another police- themed dramas which focused on sisterhood and the main couple Fei Xia and Yi Yi. There is a good mix of actions and romance, and I pretty enjoyed the lead couple's performance. Ending episode was quite crappy as Fei Xia's ex turned out to be an undercop. What the heck? I rather they gave me a simple and straightforward ending rather than a rushed and nonsensical one.
I haven't watch Niki's dramas for sometime and sad to say her acting was the same all thesewhile. I wished she could try some different roles as I am quite sick of her image as the nice girl. Fei Xia is pretty dull as a female lead because she did all the right things. I thought Mandy's Situ Jiao was more interesting than Niki's role. Luckily, Niki's chemistry with Michael was not bad and I enjoyed their scenes together.
Michael still can't shed his Laughing image, but Yi Yi is different from Laughing. Yi Yi has a "split" personality - he's ruthless when he's a reporter, but he's a very caring son to his family. He's not a playboy as he only loved one woman all thesewhile but that woman took him as a spare tyre. Quite silly isn't he?
Mandy Wong is all over the place! I am not sure if I liked Jiao, but Mandy's acting was not too bad as she portrayed Jiao differently. Her romance scenes with Matthew was alright, not much chemistry. Their romance lines are pretty boring as Jiao's father came in between them. Jiao became a "weak" woman as she chose to be a filial daughter and gave up Zi Chuan.
Oceane Zhu did a good job as Yi Yi's half sister. Her acting was quite convincing and natural.
Labels:
TVB Drama 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
SKYFALL
Watched the movie with our old James Bond fan Mr. Chean and Tuan at Shaw Nex just now. Many of my friends who watched the movie commented that it was not good, perhaps due to the weak plotline and the lack of the mega actions towards the end of the movie. I do agree to some extent that the movie has several shortcomings:-
The last major showdown was held at Bond's childhood place, in the wilderness of Scotland. It's just a simple old house, and that means Bond could not use high-tech stuffs to kill the villians. That's why throughout the movie, they kept emphasising that "traditional ways are good at times". Now I got it...hahaha! Saying about this, the Aston Martin featured in the movie was old as well! The only high-tech stuffs are his gun and wireless radio.
Next, they made the villian sound like a very smart guy as he hacked into M's laptop and blew up M16 HQ. However, he was not too smart during the final showdown. Despite throwing so many dynamites into the old house, he could not kill Bond. But Bond could blaze the old house up with two gas cylinders. Hahaha!
This is probably the first 007 movie whereby the Bond girl was killed in a jiffy. There's not even a bed scene! Hahaha! Personally I felt that the Bond girl in "Skyfall" is actually M, who is appearing for the last time. The new "M" is gonna be a guy, and he's the actor who acted as "Lord Voldemort" in Harry Potter series. Interesting huh?
This is Daniel Craig's 3rd bond movie and he did a good job to portray a different side and style of Bond. To be honest, he is not the best guy to act as James Bond. My favourite is still Pierce Brosnan as he got the English gentleman aura. Nonetheless, Daniel has shaped a brand new James Bond through his 3 movies and I am looking forward to his 4th movie.
It took me sometime to like Adele's "Skyfall". When I first heard the song, I felt it's too boring, even though the music is like the classic James Bond theme. Now I think it fit the movie pretty well...They should get more UK singers to sing the theme song!
The last major showdown was held at Bond's childhood place, in the wilderness of Scotland. It's just a simple old house, and that means Bond could not use high-tech stuffs to kill the villians. That's why throughout the movie, they kept emphasising that "traditional ways are good at times". Now I got it...hahaha! Saying about this, the Aston Martin featured in the movie was old as well! The only high-tech stuffs are his gun and wireless radio.
Next, they made the villian sound like a very smart guy as he hacked into M's laptop and blew up M16 HQ. However, he was not too smart during the final showdown. Despite throwing so many dynamites into the old house, he could not kill Bond. But Bond could blaze the old house up with two gas cylinders. Hahaha!
This is probably the first 007 movie whereby the Bond girl was killed in a jiffy. There's not even a bed scene! Hahaha! Personally I felt that the Bond girl in "Skyfall" is actually M, who is appearing for the last time. The new "M" is gonna be a guy, and he's the actor who acted as "Lord Voldemort" in Harry Potter series. Interesting huh?
This is Daniel Craig's 3rd bond movie and he did a good job to portray a different side and style of Bond. To be honest, he is not the best guy to act as James Bond. My favourite is still Pierce Brosnan as he got the English gentleman aura. Nonetheless, Daniel has shaped a brand new James Bond through his 3 movies and I am looking forward to his 4th movie.
It took me sometime to like Adele's "Skyfall". When I first heard the song, I felt it's too boring, even though the music is like the classic James Bond theme. Now I think it fit the movie pretty well...They should get more UK singers to sing the theme song!
Monday, November 12, 2012
TV Drama Review #373 - Faith 信义
No.of Eps: 24
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
Lee Min Ho ~ Choi Young
Kim Hee Sun ~ Yoo Eun Soo
Yoo Oh Sung ~ Gi Chul
Lee Philip ~ Jang Bin
Sung Hoon ~ Chun Eum Ja
Ryu Duk Hwan ~ King Gong Min
Park Se Young ~ Princess Noh Gook / Queen In Deok
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
In the mid-1300s, approximately 1351, Choi Young is a bodyguard to King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty. He’s 29 years old and has no regrets in life, no ambition for women or money, and his hobby is sleeping. Because he lives a life of no regret and gave up on love to be an unflinching warrior, he’s not afraid of death. He is a brave general of the Woodalchi warriors and loyal to the king. Yoo Eun-soo is a 33-year old plastic surgeon in the year 2012. She was originally a general surgeon, but quickly found that it was an overworked, under-paid profession and jumped ship to plastic surgery. Her dream is to someday open her own practice. But one day a strange man she thinks is dressed as a drama extra kidnaps her... and takes her back to the Goryeo era
Review:
It has been a long wait to watch "Faith" as the male lead changed from Lee Jun Ki to Kang Ji Hwan and finally, Lee Min Ho. I am not a die-hard Kim Hee Sun fan, but without her I doubt I would finish the drama. Haha! "Faith" does not have a very strong storyline as they wasted too much time circling around the same issue. I would prefer a much faster paced plot with a solid ending. (That also means I am not pleased with the ending episode, though I am fine with Eun Soo & Choi Young's ending) It's also a pity to see them killing off Lee Philip's character as the actor was injured.
Lee Min Ho has matured alot with his acting and he has been acting in manly roles thesedays. One might wonder if he can match with Kim Hee Sun as he's much younger, but fear not, they looked compatible. I liked how Eun Soo changed Choi Young into a different man and Lee Min Ho did pretty well to reflect on the changes of the general.
I am glad that I did not find Kim Hee Sun's acting exaggerating as this 2012 woman was transported to the past. Eun Soo did sound abit bimbo initially but she adapted to the new environment quickly and started to solve the "mystery". Actually Eun Soo is the most important character here as all the events are related to her time travelling. The sequence of her time travelling could be confusing but that's also the fun part in the drama. I still hope there are more scenes b/w Eun Soo and Choi Young as most of their scenes were pretty serious. Lolz!
Yoo Oh Sung and Sun Hoon acted as the baddies in the drama. Without Gi Chul, the drama would be freaking boring huh?
The next interesting couple is Gong Min-Noh Gook. Seriously, Park Se Young looked awesome here! She's actually quite young but her acting was really natural. This couple took up lots of scenes as well and their love story was equally touching.
Overall, this is not the first time travelling saguek, and it won't be the last. However, the plot differs from other time travelling sagueks, so do check it out.
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
Lee Min Ho ~ Choi Young
Kim Hee Sun ~ Yoo Eun Soo
Yoo Oh Sung ~ Gi Chul
Lee Philip ~ Jang Bin
Sung Hoon ~ Chun Eum Ja
Ryu Duk Hwan ~ King Gong Min
Park Se Young ~ Princess Noh Gook / Queen In Deok
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
In the mid-1300s, approximately 1351, Choi Young is a bodyguard to King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty. He’s 29 years old and has no regrets in life, no ambition for women or money, and his hobby is sleeping. Because he lives a life of no regret and gave up on love to be an unflinching warrior, he’s not afraid of death. He is a brave general of the Woodalchi warriors and loyal to the king. Yoo Eun-soo is a 33-year old plastic surgeon in the year 2012. She was originally a general surgeon, but quickly found that it was an overworked, under-paid profession and jumped ship to plastic surgery. Her dream is to someday open her own practice. But one day a strange man she thinks is dressed as a drama extra kidnaps her... and takes her back to the Goryeo era
Review:
It has been a long wait to watch "Faith" as the male lead changed from Lee Jun Ki to Kang Ji Hwan and finally, Lee Min Ho. I am not a die-hard Kim Hee Sun fan, but without her I doubt I would finish the drama. Haha! "Faith" does not have a very strong storyline as they wasted too much time circling around the same issue. I would prefer a much faster paced plot with a solid ending. (That also means I am not pleased with the ending episode, though I am fine with Eun Soo & Choi Young's ending) It's also a pity to see them killing off Lee Philip's character as the actor was injured.
Lee Min Ho has matured alot with his acting and he has been acting in manly roles thesedays. One might wonder if he can match with Kim Hee Sun as he's much younger, but fear not, they looked compatible. I liked how Eun Soo changed Choi Young into a different man and Lee Min Ho did pretty well to reflect on the changes of the general.
I am glad that I did not find Kim Hee Sun's acting exaggerating as this 2012 woman was transported to the past. Eun Soo did sound abit bimbo initially but she adapted to the new environment quickly and started to solve the "mystery". Actually Eun Soo is the most important character here as all the events are related to her time travelling. The sequence of her time travelling could be confusing but that's also the fun part in the drama. I still hope there are more scenes b/w Eun Soo and Choi Young as most of their scenes were pretty serious. Lolz!
Yoo Oh Sung and Sun Hoon acted as the baddies in the drama. Without Gi Chul, the drama would be freaking boring huh?
The next interesting couple is Gong Min-Noh Gook. Seriously, Park Se Young looked awesome here! She's actually quite young but her acting was really natural. This couple took up lots of scenes as well and their love story was equally touching.
Overall, this is not the first time travelling saguek, and it won't be the last. However, the plot differs from other time travelling sagueks, so do check it out.
Labels:
Korean Drama 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Gmarket
Finally my first Gmarket order reached me today, but I realised that I ordered the wrong casing for my handphone! Arrgghh....
Can only blame myself for not reading carefully :(
Can only blame myself for not reading carefully :(
Thursday, November 08, 2012
TV Drama Review #372 - Double Face
Double Face ~ Sennyuu Sousa-hen 潜入搜查篇
No.of Eps: 1
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TBS
Cast:
Hidetoshi Nishijima - Jun Moriya
Teruyuki Kagawa - Ryosuke Takayama
Emi Wakui - Naoko Nishida
Atsushi Ito - Hiroshi
Fumiyo Kohinata - Taisei Oda
Synopsis: (edited from Asianwiki)
Two men, a detective and a gang member, infiltrate each other's organization. Soon they find their fates intertwined. Undercover cop Jun Moriya has climbed the ranks of a criminal organization and he has developed a relationship with gang member Hiroshi like a real brother. When his handler was murdered, nobody in the police force will ever know Jun's real identity.
Double Face - Giso Keisatsu Hen 伪装警察篇
No.of Eps: 1
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/WOWOW TV
Cast:
Hidetoshi Nishijima - Jun Moriya
Teruyuki Kagawa - Ryosuke Takayama
Emi Wakui - Naoko Nishida
Yu Aoi - Mari Suenaga
Fumiyo Kohinata - Taisei Oda
Synopsis: (edited from Asianwiki)
When Ryosuke Takayama was younger, he was taken under the wings of Oda, the leader of a criminal gang. Since then, Ryosuke Takayama was raised like a real son by Oda. Ryosuke Takayama then follows orders from Oda and becomes a detective. He rises through the police organization, while leaking information to Oda's gang. Following Oda's order, Ryosuke Takayama approaches Mari Suenaga, who is the daughter of a powerful politician. Meanwhile, Ryosuke begins to have disgust his double life and wants to end his relationship with Oda. Jun Moriya is an undercover police officer that has long infiltrated the criminal gang led by Oda. After many clashes with the gang and police, Jun Moriya wonders where his true loyalties lie. The only person that seems to understand him is Doctor Naoko. Ryosuke Takayama then contacts to Jun Moriya, who he believes is an undercover cop. Ryosuke wants to work with Jun to get rid of his double life and start anew. The two men, with double faces, begin to fight for the meaning of their existences and their lives.
Review:
"Double Face" is the Japanese version of "Infernal Affairs" and even though the plot is identical, the vibe of the movie is very Japanese. I would say that this is a good remake of the classic HK movie, but it's a pity that "Double Face" is not a movie.
Nishijima and Kagawa are veteran actors with solid acting. I am quite a fan of Nishijima and watching his undercover role is somewhat refreshing. Actually the 2 actors did not have lots of screentimes together as each episode focused on their individual stories. However, their characters are still very much connected. The ladies in the dramas are obviously flower vases, but I felt the chemistry between Nishijima and Wakui.
Another important character is Kohinata's Oda. Kohinata nailed his character very well and he's such a sly old fox.
No.of Eps: 1
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/TBS
Cast:
Hidetoshi Nishijima - Jun Moriya
Teruyuki Kagawa - Ryosuke Takayama
Emi Wakui - Naoko Nishida
Atsushi Ito - Hiroshi
Fumiyo Kohinata - Taisei Oda
Synopsis: (edited from Asianwiki)
Two men, a detective and a gang member, infiltrate each other's organization. Soon they find their fates intertwined. Undercover cop Jun Moriya has climbed the ranks of a criminal organization and he has developed a relationship with gang member Hiroshi like a real brother. When his handler was murdered, nobody in the police force will ever know Jun's real identity.
Double Face - Giso Keisatsu Hen 伪装警察篇
No.of Eps: 1
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/WOWOW TV
Cast:
Hidetoshi Nishijima - Jun Moriya
Teruyuki Kagawa - Ryosuke Takayama
Emi Wakui - Naoko Nishida
Yu Aoi - Mari Suenaga
Fumiyo Kohinata - Taisei Oda
Synopsis: (edited from Asianwiki)
When Ryosuke Takayama was younger, he was taken under the wings of Oda, the leader of a criminal gang. Since then, Ryosuke Takayama was raised like a real son by Oda. Ryosuke Takayama then follows orders from Oda and becomes a detective. He rises through the police organization, while leaking information to Oda's gang. Following Oda's order, Ryosuke Takayama approaches Mari Suenaga, who is the daughter of a powerful politician. Meanwhile, Ryosuke begins to have disgust his double life and wants to end his relationship with Oda. Jun Moriya is an undercover police officer that has long infiltrated the criminal gang led by Oda. After many clashes with the gang and police, Jun Moriya wonders where his true loyalties lie. The only person that seems to understand him is Doctor Naoko. Ryosuke Takayama then contacts to Jun Moriya, who he believes is an undercover cop. Ryosuke wants to work with Jun to get rid of his double life and start anew. The two men, with double faces, begin to fight for the meaning of their existences and their lives.
Review:
"Double Face" is the Japanese version of "Infernal Affairs" and even though the plot is identical, the vibe of the movie is very Japanese. I would say that this is a good remake of the classic HK movie, but it's a pity that "Double Face" is not a movie.
Nishijima and Kagawa are veteran actors with solid acting. I am quite a fan of Nishijima and watching his undercover role is somewhat refreshing. Actually the 2 actors did not have lots of screentimes together as each episode focused on their individual stories. However, their characters are still very much connected. The ladies in the dramas are obviously flower vases, but I felt the chemistry between Nishijima and Wakui.
Another important character is Kohinata's Oda. Kohinata nailed his character very well and he's such a sly old fox.
Labels:
Japanese Drama 2012
Sunday, November 04, 2012
CC Gang Gathering: LEGOLAND Malaysia
--Singapore Flyer Tourist Hub--
Met the girls yesterday at Promenade Station. The Sg Flyer tourist hub was quite a distance from the MRT. Found WTS counter and there was a long queue with people heading to Legoland. I think there were at least 5 coaches going to theme park at the same time.
Our coach departed at 9am, and the journey took about 2 hours.
--Lunch @ Tengu Magic Teppan--
We decided to have lunch first so as to avoid the morning crowd. The restaurant concept is like "Pepper Lunch", but I think they have more choices.
My Salmon sizzle rice.
Our soda drinks. I ordered "Golden Right Leg" and it's nice!
--LEGOLAND--
We stepped into the themepark at 12 plus. Actually it's not very crowded. Queues for the popular rides were longer in the afternoon and we spent most of the time at Miniland.
The weather was actually cloudy and humid, but in the afternoon it was really hot and I could feel my face hitting up. The sky turned dark and it rained at 5pm plus. Luckily we managed to finish the more exciting rides like "The Dragon" and "Project X".
Have to skip those water rides as I was not prepared to get myself wet. Lolz!
Thought of buying some keychains back home, but I found the souvenirs expensive. A simple brick keychain costed about 6sgd, a Lego man keychain costed about 8sgd and their poncho costed 7 bucks! That is really ex! Well, we are buying things from a theme park, it's sort of expected la. Lolz!
Overall the theme park is pretty with many interesting zones. However most of the rides are catered to kids. So we should not compare to those exciting rides in USS. The park is still expanding with more water rides options and the hotel would only be ready in 2 years time.
Check out my pictures in Facebook.
LEGOLAND Malaysia 2012
Met the girls yesterday at Promenade Station. The Sg Flyer tourist hub was quite a distance from the MRT. Found WTS counter and there was a long queue with people heading to Legoland. I think there were at least 5 coaches going to theme park at the same time.
Our coach departed at 9am, and the journey took about 2 hours.
--Lunch @ Tengu Magic Teppan--
We decided to have lunch first so as to avoid the morning crowd. The restaurant concept is like "Pepper Lunch", but I think they have more choices.
My Salmon sizzle rice.
Our soda drinks. I ordered "Golden Right Leg" and it's nice!
--LEGOLAND--
We stepped into the themepark at 12 plus. Actually it's not very crowded. Queues for the popular rides were longer in the afternoon and we spent most of the time at Miniland.
The weather was actually cloudy and humid, but in the afternoon it was really hot and I could feel my face hitting up. The sky turned dark and it rained at 5pm plus. Luckily we managed to finish the more exciting rides like "The Dragon" and "Project X".
Have to skip those water rides as I was not prepared to get myself wet. Lolz!
Thought of buying some keychains back home, but I found the souvenirs expensive. A simple brick keychain costed about 6sgd, a Lego man keychain costed about 8sgd and their poncho costed 7 bucks! That is really ex! Well, we are buying things from a theme park, it's sort of expected la. Lolz!
Overall the theme park is pretty with many interesting zones. However most of the rides are catered to kids. So we should not compare to those exciting rides in USS. The park is still expanding with more water rides options and the hotel would only be ready in 2 years time.
Check out my pictures in Facebook.
LEGOLAND Malaysia 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Countdown~!
One more month to my grand Japan trip!
Still need to work on the details for our itinerary...have been slacking too much.
Have to print out the documents, prepare winter wear...what else????
Suddenly so many things to do....:p
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