The Original "Journey To The West"

Finally I found it! I have been looking for this for ages and I finally found it today! Furthermore it is going at a very good price! I am talking about the original DVD set of the original "Journey To The West" drama series, broadcasted around the mid-eighties. I did not watch all the show, but I did watch the reruns and little snippets of it, and I remember getting really captivated and impressed by this show. This is the show that got me interested in the whole story.

 

Since then no other "Journey To The West" versions can exceed this version. This is still the best version, and the guy who played the Monkey God really did that to perfection! I really did not expect to find this set, but since it is still popular amongst many people, I guess there is still the demand. Thank goodness for that!

 

However, when I started watching the show again, somehow I did not feel as captivated as before. Maybe because I was so excited and had my hopes up so high, that the show did not meet up to all the hype. Or maybe because I am now much older and have seen my fair share of shows, I actually find the special effects so fake and lame.

 

Still, it was not a total disappointment. I still enjoy seeing the whiny monk thinking too good of himself and that he could do without his disciples simply because they tried to get rid of demons for him. The whole series is still pretty good in general, although certain parts can be too draggy. At least now that I have the set, I can take my time to watch as and when I like!

K-12

Wonder what that is? No, it is not a submarine or a children's education module. Rather, it is the set of Korean historical dramas that I am recently hooked onto. I have started watching Korean shows off and on since Winter Sonata came out. The shows are touching, sappy and romantic, and made me cry after watching.

 

But it was only after I watched Jewel In The Palace that I started to really like Korean historical dramas. Since then, I prefer watching Korean historical dramas instead of the modern dramas, because I get to learn so much history and culture from the shows!

 

Since Jewel In The Palace came out, I started researching on Korean history, partly due to the influence of the show, and partly because history is one of my passions too. I found out that Korean history is similar to Chinese history, as in the culture is similar in that there is the Confucian way of thought that men rule and women are subjugated, which is still happening in Korea now. Korean history also go by dynasty rules and the king ruled together with some trusted ministers, with a regent when the king was still young.

 

Amazing what one can find out if only one bothers! I found out that Korea also had a period of Three Kingdoms, and the Three Kingdoms were in peace until later on when some ambitious ruler wanted to conquer all, so there was a period of war, until one of the kingdoms managed to conquer the other two and made it a unifed state. The Three Kingdoms were Gogoryeo, founded by Go Jumong (whose descendants still bear the surname Go), Baekje (founded by Jumong's son or step-son), and Silla. Later on Silla conquered both Gogoryeo and Baekje and called itself Unified Silla.

 

Then there was another period where another kingdom conquered the unified state, only to be conquered by the longest serving dynasty in Korean history. That kingdom was Goryeo (the old name from which South Korea is derived), who conquered Unified Silla, and later on to be conquered by the Joseon or Chosun Dynasty (from which the Chinese name of North Korea is derived), whose kings and royal family bear the surname Lee or Yi. The Joseon Dynasty would last almost six hundred years until the early twentieth century when the Japanese conqured Korea and abolished the monarchy.

 

The parallels of Korea and Chinese history are that during the era of the Three Kingdoms in Korea, it was during the Han Dynasty of China. Hence the Korean Three Kingdoms era happened even before the Three Kingdoms era of China. When Unifed Silla was founded, it was already in the Tang Dynasty, and when Goryeo was founded, it was already the Song and Yuan Dynasty.

 

The reason the Joseon Dynasty was founded was because some of the people were against the alliance with the Mongol rulers of China. In any case, when the Joseon Dynasty was founded, it was already the Ming Dynasty, and they would last throughout the Qing Dynasty and fell around the same time China became a Republic.

 

Hence, the customs, culture, dressing and even politics and management of the Joseon era were very similar to the Ming Dynasty of China. And that is why the historical dramas of Korea were so captivating because it really talked about the power struggle between the people in the royal family, the king who wanted to rule absolutely but was always overruled by his ministers, and the jealousy and infighting amongst the queen and concubines.

 

Hence I started collecting Korean historical dramas and arranged them in chronological order to watch. The first was Jumong, the founder of Gogoryeo, the biggest of the Three Kingdoms. The second was The Legend, incidentally starring my favourite Korean guy Bae Yong Joon. This took place around the middle part of the Gogoryeo dynasty.

 

The third was Queen Seondeok, the first female ruler of the Silla Kingdom. Silla came to an end two rulers after her, and was absorbed into Unified Silla. The fourth is Ballad Of The Prince, chronologically around the same time as Queen Seondeok, as it was on Queen Seondeok's (when she was still a princess) youngest sister who later married the king of Baekje, and he was the second last king of Baekje before it was absorbed into Unified Silla.

 

After this, the chronology went on to the Joseon Dynasty. The first show I have is The Great King Sejong, the fourth and probably the greatest king of the Joseon Dynasty. This was followed by the Princess Man, on King Sejong's granddaughter. Her father was the second son of King Sejong. The throne was of course passed to his elder brother King Munjong, who passed away after ruling for two years. The throne was then passed to his young son King Danjong, but King Munjong's younger brother seized the throne from his nephew and instilled himself as King Sejo.

 

Princess Man is on the daughter of King Sejo who was caught in the power struggle between her father, her cousin, and the son of the minister who remained faithful to King Munjong. Around the same chronological time, there is the show Queen Insoo. This is a relatively new show, the first production from a new television station.

Queen Insoo was the eldest daughter-in-law of King Sejo. When King Sejo seized the throne, his eldest son became Crown Prince, but he died early, leaving behind his widow and two young sons. His younger brother then became Crown Prince and later on ruled as King Yejong. But King Yejong died early, and his nephew (the son of the previous Crown Prince) then became King Seongjong, so his mother became Queen Insoo upon his ascension to the throne.

 

Another one along the same chronological time is the show The King and I, about King Seongjong and his concubine turned Queen, who was later deposed and forced to drink poison. Her son the Crown Prince became king Yeonsangun upon his father's death, but became one of the worst kings in Korean history, culminating in a coup to overthrow him and his younger brother became King Jungjong.

 

After The King and I, the next drama in the chronology is Jewel of the Palace, where the beginning showed the poisoning of the deposed queen, when her son Yeonsangun became king he went on a rampage and killed everyone involved in his mother's death, and then he was overthrown and his brother King Jungjong took the throne. The drama is mostly centred on King Jungjong's time, and later on briefly his eldest son King Injong, who also died early, and the throne then went on to his younger brother King Myeongjong.

 

The next drama in the chronology is The Moon Embracing The Son, on the son of King Seonjo, the successor to King Myeongjong. After that comes Jewel In The Crown, more commonly known as Dong Yi. The choronology now goes on a few more kings until the era of King Sungjong, Dong Yi's husband. Dong Yi later had a son who would later rule as King Yeongjo.

 

Finally, the last show in the chronology is Wind of the Palace, better known as Yi San, on King Yeongjo's grandson, who became King Jeongjo. It was around this time that Catholicism was being widespread, and outlawed by King Yeongjo as being against tradition and as an evil practise, so those Koreans who have converted to Catholicism had to practise secretly. Many Catholic priests were persecuted. Yet Catholicism managed to flourish and is now one of the biggest Christian groups in South Korea.

 

This is my chronology of Korean historical series so far. I believe there should be more coming, and if the storyline is interesting enough, I may add them to my collection too. Which is why I enjoy watching these because I really get to learn a lot, and the plot and actors are not bad too!

Back To Drama Serials

I am starting to watch Hong Kong drama serials again. I used to watch them on and off when they were showing here, but because of my studies then work, I have not managed to watch any shows on television for a long time now.

 

Few years back, I started buying some of my favourite Hong Kong serials. Somehow the older shows are much better than the newer ones. New faces do not necessarily make for better quality. Hence, for the past few years, I stopped watching.

 

Furthermore, I find the drama sets very expensive. It used to be S$30.00 a set, and two sets for a thirty-episode serial because there is only one episode per VCD. Hence, I would need to spend an average of S$60.00 per serial. After a while, it just got too expensive, for VCD sets! DVD sets cost S$100.00 or thereabouts.

 

However, a few weeks back when I stepped into a video store, I was surprised to see the cost of DVDs have gone down a lot. Now it is one set per serial, even if it is an eighty-episode serial. There are several episodes per DVD, so the whole set is now much smaller and more compressed. Instead of getting two per serial, it is now one per serial, and the price is much lower, averaging around S$40.00 for a DVD set and not a VCD set. It is getting more worth it to get the serials!

 

But still, I did not get any as I feel that the newer dramas can never be compared to the older ones. Recently, due to the recommendation of my friend who lent me some of the newer serials, I started watching again. Not only that, I started writing reviews on this website featuring reviews of shows too. It is really a good avenue to write in whatever way, why did I even stop, I wonder? Must have been too cooped up with myself to stop writing, and look what happened? Things went wrong and I almost could not cope with my own emotions.

 

In any case, some of the newer serials are pretty good. The best news is that the video shop near my office is having a massive one-for-one sale, so I can get some of the more interesting recent serials at a very good price, as compared to in the past.

 

Guess there will be lots of new dramas to watch this year. Hopefully those live up to the hype as what I read and expected!

Everybody Loves Raymond

Recently I started watching this old sitcom called "Everybody Loves Raymond", courtesy of my youngest brother who copied the whole show into my computer. I know of this show when it was first shown, but did not get a chance to watch it as American sitcoms were always shown during odd hours where my family members preferred to watch other kinds of shows, ie local Chinese news and dramas.

 

The drama centred on a "dysfunctional" American family. Raymond is the head of the house with his wife Debra, who is a stay-at-home mum, with three children, and his parents live across the street from them, who takes every opportunity to go over many times a day without knocking or informing in advance, and often caught them in the most embarrassing situations.

 

Raymond is not only chauvinistic, but he is also insecure and a mummy's boy, the worst combination I can think of for a man. Debra comes from a rich family, but once she married Raymond, she gave up the things she liked, like Reading Club, travelling around, and learnt how to be a housewife, even though she is still not up to the expectations of her mother-in-law.

 

Raymond's mother Marie is the archtypical housewife. She served her husband and sons, with Raymond being her favourite, so still fusses over him in front of Debra and often puts her down in front of him. Whenever Debra and Marie has any tension, Raymond will always take his mother's side, much to Debra's chagrin.

 

Marie is always going into their house and interfering with how Debra cooks, cleans, teaches the children and treatment of Raymond, which Marie feels Debra is not a "good enough" wife simply because she refuses to fuss over Raymond like how Marie does. And whenever there is tension between Raymond and Debra, Marie will always automatically assumes it is Debra's fault as no one can ever blame her precious son.

 

The sitcom is funny, but to me, it is more of a sitcom, it is real life. I have personally experienced a family like that. I, too, was with a guy whose entire family revolves around him, To his parents, he can do no wrong. So if I so much as ask him to stop scattering his food when he ate or rinse the dishes properly so that there would be no detergent left on the dishes, his parents blamed me for "controlling" their son.

 

There was one episode when Debra wanted to go back to work, and Raymond's whole family objected. Debra scolded Raymond, saying that the reason he refused to let her go back to work was because he would have to help out more around the house, which he has otherwise taken for granted. When Marie knew, she said that the house is already in a mess, why must she go back to work, and that couldn't Raymond support her? But Debra's reasoning of going back to work was because she wanted to spend some time out of the house, but to Raymond's intrusive family, it is taboo for a woman to be career-minded and feminist.

 

Same goes for me. When I was with that guy, his family also thought why should I go on a business trip without asking him along, and that why must I care about my career and progress further on? They even assumed I would not be a good wife or mother because of that, as to them, a woman's place is in the house and she should listen to what the man says and not counter.

 

Hence while watching Raymond, I think a lot about my own experiences, and start to really admire Debra for being able to put up with all those situations. I know I can never tolerate the way she does, and she must have loved Raymond very much indeed, even though he always think she prefers someone else just because she praised some other guys at times.

 

The same thing happened to me too. I was not only dating a mummy's boy with no stand of his own, but he let his parents control everything we do. For instance, when I so much as said something nice of a guy friend, he would start thinking I prefer my that guy friend to him, and even said if I prefer someone else then go with that person. Seriously, can men not understand we are with them because we love them no matter what they are like, instead of thinking we always prefer someone else when we already made our choice? And it did not help that his parents said we would not last because I would sure dump him for someone better.

 

I am now in the middle of the fifth season, with three more seasons to go before the end of the series. The more I watched this, the more enjoyable I found the show, and the more I thought about my situation, and that I should know how to better prepare myself if I ever find a guy like that again. On the other hand, the type of guy I prefer is someone who can stand up and be a man instead of a wuss. So I guess the show is really entertaining and enriching for me. I only wish I managed to watch this when it first came here!

Boeing Boeing

Finally I got a chance to watch this play after missing it the last two times it was playing. The first time it played was in 2002 or 2003 and I found out too late to watch it. The second time it played was in 2005, and that period of time, I was having intensive rehearsals for the "Madame Butterfly" performance, so missed that again.

This time round when it was running, I told myself I had to watch it. Just as well, because the tickets were almost all sold out! As it was, we could not make the evening show anymore, and could only watch the matinee. So we went to the Drama Centre to watch the play.

It was hilarious! I almost could not stop laughing! The actors, humour and the way the characters were portrayed were so funny! "Boeing Boeing" was actually adapted from a London play and subsequently a movie, except with an Asian twist in this adaptation.

The story goes that the central character, Bernard, was living every bachelor's dream - he had his own apartment, a high-paying job, a full-time housekeeper, and three girlfriends who did not know each other existed. Not just any girl, but all three are air stewardesses, from different airlines. He managed in such a way that all three have different schedules so they would not be around at the same time. In this way, he could see one off, then fetch another one, and so on.

In comes his friend from England, Robert, whom he invited to stay with him and shared about his girlfriends. When Robert arrived, the Singapore Airlines stewardess was just about to go off and would not be back until three days later. Then the Cathay Pacific stewardess arrived and was supposed to leave in a few hours' time . The Japan Airlines stewardess would be arriving later on in the night when the Cathay Pacific stewardess had gone off.

This had been Bernard's style all along, until all three stewardesses requested for a transfer to the new Boeing flight which would allow them to travel faster and return home faster and spend more time with him. But he did not take into account strikes, cancellations, delays and natural disasters.

The Cathay Pacific stewardess arrived. Due to a flight delay, she would not be due back to work until the next morning. Just then, the Japan Airlines stewardess called and said her flight would be delayed, hence she could only arrive the next morning. Bernard thought his life was so perfect - that he could spend a night with one girlfriend and then pick another one up the next day.

He went out with Miss Cathay Pacific. Robert stayed in the apartment, and then Miss Japan Airlines arrived. Apparently she took an earlier flight, but because she wanted to surprise Bernard, she called and told him she would be late! She was surprised to see Robert and he told her Bernard was away for a business meeting.

Bernard and Miss Cathay Pacific returned. Robert spent all his effort preventing Miss Cathay Pacific into entering the room. She had no choice but to use the other bedroom. Bernard was annoyed and wanted to confront Robert, until Robert told him Miss Japan Airlines was in the main bedroom.

Bernard then panicked and he asked Robert to keep Miss Japan Airlines company while he brought Miss Cathay Pacific out to Sentosa island to spend the night. Initially she was reluctant as she just wanted to rest at home, but after much persuading from the two men, she agreed to go.

However, Bernard and Miss Japan Airlines started having a growing attraction to each other. To clear her mind, she decided to go out for a walk. Just then, Bernard came back without Miss Cathay Pacific, having quarrelled with her. He started asking Robert how to solve the problem. To make things worse, Miss Singapore Airlines returned, as her flight was delayed due to some volcanic eruption somewhere. The two men were starting to really panic.

After much persuasion, they convinced Miss Singapore Airlines to take the housekeeper's room and the housekeeper to take the study. Then Miss Cathay Pacific returned in a fury. She told Bernard that she just stepped out for a while and he disappeared. The two men then soothed her and asked her to rest and shower. While Miss Cathay Pacific was in the shower, and Miss Singapore Airlines in one of the rooms, Miss Japan Airlines returned.

Now all his three girlfriends are in the same house! Miss Japan Airlines then confessed that she liked Robert better, which caused both men to feel relieved. Bernard then said, okay, in that case, both of them should get together. Miss Japan Airlines was so surprised at Bernard's magnanimity, but only the two men knew the truth behind that.

Just then, Miss Cathay Pacific came out and saw Miss Japan Airlines. The two men panicked at the two women meeting each other, but Bernard quickly said Miss Japan Airlines was Robert's girlfriend. Miss Cathay Pacific then said she was Bernard's girlfriend, to which Miss Japan Airlines was confused and angry, but Bernard soothed the situation by saying since she and Robert were now together, did it matter? He then told Miss Cathay Pacific that Miss Japan Airlines was his girlfriend before he met her, and she is now Robert's girlfriend.

They then decided to let things be. When the two women retired to their rooms, Miss Singapore Airlines came out. She had received a letter from a suitor in United States, who is richer and more established than Bernard. So she told him she is leaving him and marrying that suitor from the United States.

In the end, Bernard lost his Singapore girl and his Japan girl, and only the Hong Kong girl remained. He decided that he would never want to go through another day like that again, and decided to just settle down once and for all. Robert got his Japan girl and decided to be with her once and for all too.

I can see why this play is so popular that it was in its third run! It is really funny and everyone was laughing so hard! I hope this play will rerun again, as I will definitely watch it again!

The Threat Of Love (Part One)

Another Christmas (soon anyway). Christmas is the time to love. Like what is featured in “Love Actually”, at Christmas, you tell the truth. At Christmas, you just want to try and see if the person loves you back. And this Christmas, all I want for Christmas is …. Last year I got my Christmas wish only to be let down a day later, so this year, I am not going to wish for anything at Christmas, just hoping for a happy and peaceful Christmas ahead.

I always re-watch “Love Actually” during Christmas because it is such a heartwarming show, on love of all aspects. Being a movie, things seem so easy to click into place, which can never happen in real life, but still, it is good to watch a movie that deals with the different aspects of love (be it fulfilled or unfulfilled, self-sacrificing and lust) instead of the normal action and violent shows we have.

Lately, I have been re-watching a drama series called “The Threat Of Love”, both parts. This series features twenty short stories on the different aspects of love as well. The first part is more heart-warming as compared to the more humourous second part. Love in a cosmopolitan context and how people deal with it.

In Part One, the first story was about how a playboy pilot got a lady pregnant after a one night’s stand. She got dumped by her boyfriend who went overseas to work and got involved with a girl, so she regretted that she did not get pregnant so as to keep him by her side. Then when she really got pregnant after the one night stand, she told her ex-boyfriend and made it sound like it was his kid, but he made her terminate the pregnancy and she then dumped him there and then.

She decided to keep the baby because she said men will let her down, but her own child truly belongs to her. Somehow she met the pilot again and he found out about her pregnancy. So he moved into her place and said to bring the baby for a DNA test after he was born to ensure he really fathered the child. After moving in, he realized that it was not too bad living with her, and even though she disliked his irritating and irresponsible ways, somehow she started treating him as part of her family. At the end, after she gave birth, he realized he wanted to settle down and he said the words, “I love you” to both the mother and child.

First lesson : loving a person means wanting to settle down with her.

The second story was on a couple of migrants. The lady was raped on the way, and the guy, in order to protect her, was beaten up. Because they were migrants, they were not able to find proper jobs, so she ended up being a waitress, later a masseuse, and he ended up being a security guard, later a loan shark. However he still kept looking out for her.

She wanted to start over a new life, so accepted a matchmaker’s introduction to this foreigner who was looking for a wife, although it seemed more like he wanted a slave than a wife. When the loan shark found out, he gave her the money to offset the amount paid to the guy so she could redeem herself, but she refused. On the day of departure, she finally realized how much he meant to her and turned back, but unfortunately, he was beaten to death by a rival loan shark. She then lamented about how late it was for her anymore.

Second lesson : Love means always being there for the person, no matter what happens, especially when in need. Love means never having to say goodbye, and to cherish it when it is around, not regret when it is gone.

The third story was about how a henpecked pair of father and son-in-law won the lottery and did not let their wives know. Their wives controlled the purse strings so they did not have much money to spend, thus when they won the lottery, they quit their jobs and started spending in lavish, all the time not letting on.

However, their wives (the mother and daughter pair) misunderstood that they were fired from their jobs, so decided to pool out their savings to let them run a business. The men then felt guilty as they felt it was even rarer for a woman to give them money than for a man to give the money. So they decided to tell them the truth. Unfortunately, before they even said anything, the father was kidnapped and the ransom the total amount of the money won.

The son-in-law thus had no choice but to spill the beans. After paying the ransom, they found the father in a box, but turned out he talked and nagged so much that the kidnappers got so irritated that they let him go before the family paid the ransom. Needless to say, he hit the roof when he found out that his family paid the ransom, and in the end, both had to go back to work again.

The message of love was not that obvious here. The men thought their wives did not love them thus controlled them, but in the end, it was their wives who helped them out when they thought they were in trouble.

Third lesson : Love is not the passionate kind shown during happy times, but the support and commitment shown during tough times.

The fourth story is actually my personal favourite, on how a conservative father who favours his sons over his daughter, finally came to terms that not just one, but both his sons, are gays. The story also shows a close aspect of a homosexual relationship, that even though both are of the same gender, the love they show each other may be even deeper and better than the love between two persons of opposite gender. Even though they may never have kids, but they were willing to sponsor and adopt kids, and buy life insurance for each other to protect each other in the event one of them leaves the world earlier.

Fourth lesson : Love transcends genders, cultures and race.

The fifth story is on a mother, who gave her life for her children, only to raise three selfish and ungrateful children. They were supposed to have a stepfather, but he was thrown out of the house by the eldest girl, who hated him for horning into her family. The mother got struck with senile dementia, yet the children refused to believe and thought she was just gaining attention, until one day, she could not remember the way home.

It was only then that the eldest daughter went to find the mother’s old flame and begged him to come back and take care of the mother. He never did forget her as he still sent her birthday cards every year and still displayed her photos in his room, but the mother, in order to let him forget her, lied to him that she was re-marrying. It was only when the eldest daughter told the truth that he came back to see the mother in the end.

Fifth lesson : Loving someone does not mean needing to be with the person, but looking out for the person and wishing blessings and happiness on the person.

The sixth story is on a couple, after having been married for seven years, the husband was starting to itch. So when he met a young, bubbly, whiny girl, he felt on top of the world, because she made him feel needed. Hmmm… is that men’s ego for you, that he wants someone to want him? Yet why do men then dump a girl who is too clingy?

The wife suspected of course, because he has a sudden change in attitude towards her. She chose to remain silent about it until one day, when it was raining heavily and he was supposed to pick her up, he called to cancel because that little girl wanted him to pick her up. The wife caught the girl and her husband together in the car being rather close. Then the girl changed her mind and got out of the car and the husband then called the wife, saying he could pick her up after all.

When she got into the car, he apologized and gave the excuse that he was held up at work, but she just kept quiet. When she leaned over to him in the same position the girl did, he only remarked how wet she was and seemed rather irritated. The next day, the wife found the girl in their house, with her wrists slit. At the hospital, it was discovered that the girl was making use of the husband to get back at her ex, and she attempted suicide because of him too. So the husband realized he had been made a fool, and started being so loving to the wife, but she decided to wage a cold war on him until the end.

Sixth lesson : Maybe it takes a momentary diversion for someone to realize how much his spouse means to him? Love itself withstands everything, even momentary diversions. Love means forgiveness, that even if you suspect your partner is cheating on you, you still take him back in the end.

The seventh story touches on the aspects of a May-November romance, between an older lady and a younger man. She has an established career, money, her own place and car, whereas he is just starting out as a chef. To her, she takes the relationship very seriously, and she is not able to handle all the finger-pointing on why she is running around with a “little boy”.

So she started treating him coldly, hurting his feelings in the process. But he could not get over her, so started visiting her again. This time, they talked things through and he asked why did she not tell him all her fears? Somehow he managed to convince her he was true to her and she agreed to go with him overseas for a better job prospect.

Seventh lesson : Love transcends all ages and boundaries.

The eighth story touches more on true friendship and relationship between parents and children. The main character of the story is not a down-to-earth person. Instead of working and slogging his life away, he rather gets involved in “get rich quick” schemes, and takes chances on gambling and betting, except he never gets rich. Instead, he got into even more debt. His best friend normally has to bail him out and be his guarantor for loans, to the displeasure of his wife. His parents have to continue working and running a store to help him out.

One day, he went on board a ship and gambled, and won with a very lucky hand. So he managed to clear off all his debts, and just when he was about to gamble even more, his parents took away his credit cards and filed for bankruptcy on his behalf, so he had no choice but to help his parents out in their store until he paid back every single cent. The conclusion of the story is that perhaps, it is better to be down-to-earth and live a simple life, instead of thinking how to get rich quick.

Eighth lesson : Love can also be between friends, ie true friends will love you and be there for you no matter what happens.

The ninth story is also a rather touching one. A lady was bored with her marriage life as her husband is just a simple man without any romantic streak in him. She went on a business trip and met a photographer, who got inspired by her and started taking her portrait. They felt attracted to each other and started dining and dancing together. Then she had to go back home and told him the had to face reality and would never see each other again. When she went home, she went back to her mundane life, but was thinking of him all the time.

One night, her husband brought home a guest, and it happened to be the photographer. They used to be classmates. She panicked and could hardly concentrate the whole night. He requested for her to walk him down to hitch a cab, and he confessed how he hoped she would divorce her husband and go away with him. She then told him that they had a beautiful time, and even though he is so much better than her husband in every aspect, still, it was her husband who had been there for her through thick and thin, it was her husband who had shown his love in his own way, it was her husband who took care of her family. So even though she would always keep him in her mind, she could not leave her husband and forsake her whole family.

At the end, she chose her family over the guy she loved, and he went away, upset and alone. A year later, in an interview regarding one of his works, he said he had only loved one woman in his life, but unfortunately they met each other too late. The story ended off with her reading the article, listening to the song they danced to, and then she looked at her husband and smiled.

Ninth lesson : Memories of love are more than enough. Being committed means staying with the person, even if there is someone else better, because in the end, it takes more than love to sustain a marriage.

The last story is quite funny. It talks about how women go to extremes to stop a man’s roving eye. This lady’s husband had been teasing her about her boyish figure, thus she went ahead to get a boob job. However, her plan backfired because her husband, instead of being more attracted to her, actually got turned off, as he said she is not the wife he is used to, and it felt as if he is sleeping with a stranger. In the end, she re-did the operation and went back to normal.

Tenth lesson : If the man really loves you, he will accept you for who you are and not want you to change any part. Men look at voluptuous girls just like how women look at hunky guys, but the one they married will always be their one true love.

Carried Away ....

When I was younger, my parents used to restrict me from watching television. So in order to keep myself updated with sitcoms and serials, I had to beg my friends to help tape down the shows I liked. Like almost any typical person, I grow up on American serials.

My favourite program back in my primary school days was "Sesame Street", like just any kid around the world. Those puppets were really cute and endearing! Who can forget Oscar, Cookie Monster, Elmo (my personal favourite), Big Bird and that elephant (whom I can never remember the name), not to mention that tomato and banana who were staying together.

Then more American shows started coming. There was "Party of Five", "Dharma and Greg", "Mad About You", "Dawson's Creek", but I was not that interested in these shows. The ones my classmates were raving about were "Twin Peaks", "Northern Exposure", "Melrose Place", "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", "Beverly Hills 90210" and the most famous cartoon series of all time, "The Simpsons".

90210 was the hottest craze then. It spawned a series of clothing line and books. I felt left out whenever my classmates were talking about the show, so I sneaked a peek whenever I could. I started liking that show too, because I was envious over why school students in America could have so much freedom whereas I felt like a prisoner then. I had my classmate tape for me whenever she watched the show. And I read all the books in the series.

Later, I had more chances of watching television, because I could always go over to my ex's place to watch. He and I liked the same kind of shows, so he would always tape "The X-Files", "ER" and "Ally McBeal", then we would just hang out at his place, snacking and watching the tapes at the same time.

After that in my adulthood, there was a period of time when reality TV was the craze. So I tried to catch every season of Amazing Race and American Idol whenever I could. Not to mention "Charmed". In recent years, there are "Desperate Housewives" and "Heroes", which I never had the chance to watch, but plan to get the VCDs once they are out.

It was also in later years that I fell in love with "FRIENDS" (still my ultimate favourite) and "Sex And The City", the former because my youngest brother bought the entire set of all ten seasons, the latter was introduced by my mum's cousin who loves the show. I had watched "Sex And The City" on and off during the years they were showing, but it was after my relative who lent me the DVD of the entire first season that I started to really like the show.

So I plan to get the VCD of the entire series of all the seasons for "Sex And The City". What is there not to like about the show? Some may argue that it is a somewhat bimbotic show where the women talk about nothing but fashion and men, but honestly, that is what typical girls will talk about. Just like typical guys talking about army and girls.

The situations are really real. Problems in love, friendships that survive through ups and downs. The movie did justice to the series. It is a somewhat continuation of the series, yet at the same time bringing the entire show to a closure, with a feel-good feeling.

Not to mention the beautiful wedding that was supposed to be held at the New York Public Library building, the to-die-for Vivienne Westwood gown, and the book entitled "Love Letters Of Great Men", which convinces me to find and get that book, especially after Carrie read out the excerpt from Beethoven (and I always thought he was only capable of writing intense music!).

My favourite part of the show is the wedding with Mr Big right at the end. It was really a simple wedding, just an exchange of vows at City Hall with only the two of them, no one else. She had on just a business suit as her wedding gown. And then lunch with her closest friends. But that was also the most beautiful and touching part of the show, because after everything, they really wanted to be together. So who said one needs a big wedding bash to make things beautiful?

My favourite character is Charlotte. She is someone simple, traditional and just wants a complete family, someone who is faithful to her loved one and her friends. Somehow I can relate to that. My second favourite character is Carrie, who, despite being modern, independent and smart, all her rationality gets thrown out in the face of love. And that is how loving someone should be like - the ability to forgive and start over, despite hurts and disappointments.

Loving You, 我爱你

Chinese New Year is coming, and I am busy cleaning the house again. I used to hate cleaning the house because I am not a neat freak, but in recent years, it gives me great pleasure to keep my room clean and tidy (although I should clean it more often).

Afterall, if I get my own place next time, I should make the effort to keep it clean and neat, is it not? My own room is a good place to start, although that is nothing compared to cleaning the whole house.

Which is why I really appreciate my maid, for helping us keep the house clean all throughout the year. That is why I can never understand why some tend to ill-treat or abuse their domestic help. These girls leave their hometowns in a bid to earn a better living for themselves and their families back home.

They probably get homesick during the first few months or so. Some of them may not be educated and can hardly speak a word of English. Instead of caring for them and helping them adjust, some just treat them as non-existent and hurl verbal and even physical abuse at them! Is it wonder why some maids fight back, and take revenge on the children?

If I am to go overseas to work, I will also like to be well-treated and made to feel like home. But then overseas or not, as long as they are humans (or even animals), they should be accorded the proper respect and treatment, and not abuse. There is no excuse treating anyone or anything in a “lesser” way without basic courtesy.

My new Legal Counsel will be coming in tomorrow and due to lack of space, I have now been shifted to around the middle of the office, in front of the Business Development department, where everyone can see me, instead of a small cosy corner. Not really a good place, in my opinion, as all the more I will be arrowed for just about everything and anything now. :-( But what to do? A small fry like me tends to get bounced anywhere according to others' fancies.

Just now during lunch my colleague and I were discussing about the movie Lust, Caution. Its written by this author called Zhang Ai Ling, who writes rather thought-provoking stories on the different aspects of love.

So anyway, the main female character (played by the actress Tang Wei) was actually in love with her senior in school (played by Wang Lee Hom), but when she had to seduce Tony Leung as a spy, she really fell for him in the end. My colleague was saying that in the book, the ending words are “A woman will always be a woman”, as in a woman treats love and relationships very seriously.

Quite true, is it not? It is almost impossible to ask a woman (a typical woman, not those wanton types) to have a physical relationship with a guy she has no feelings for, or never been in a relationship with. Which is why I can never understand how come guys can have one night stands or ask for sex all the time, even with strangers.

For a typical woman, she can never do that. It is almost impossible for a woman to sleep with a man then just treat it as if nothing happens. Just like it is almost impossible for a woman to start liking a man, then suddenly switch off like that and treat it as if nothing has happened.

Zhang Ai Ling wrote a few more books. There was one that was also made into a movie of sorts, called “Red Rose, White Rose”. My colleague was narrating to me the story, about this guy dating both girls, one called Red Rose, the other called White Rose. Half the book is on a first scenario, the other half on the second scenario, something like the Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie “Sliding Doors”.

The first scenario was when he chose Red Rose and married her, yet kept thinking of White Rose and what could have been. The second scenario was the other way round - he chose and married White Rose, yet kept thinking of Red Rose and what could have been.

At the end of the story, the message is that a guy may claim he loves this girl and marries her, but at the end of the day, he will forever be thinking of the one he did not choose, because in life sometimes, the one you like may be one person, but the one you end up marrying and have children with may be another person.

How true! Actually girls also behave this way. But for me, I can never agree to marry someone I do not love, wholly and totally, with all my heart because it will be only unfair to the guy if I agree to be with him and marry him, yet cannot reciprocate the love he shows me.

Because to me marriage is for life, so even though I do hope to get married some time within the next few years or so, at the same time I will not just settle down with anyone. The one I settle down with is someone whom I really love with all my heart, and vice versa of course. Someone I really want to be with and live with, carve a future with.

I am not sure if guys are like that, but one thing about girls, especially a highly emotionally strung one like myself, if we really like a guy very much, we will try to do things to show our care and concern, to make him happy, and even if he has no response or just a little response, it will make our day.

However, if it is someone we have no feelings for, no matter how much the guy does for us, we will somehow not be touched. Unfair I know, but such is the complexity of feelings. One can give so much to someone who never appreciates you, but yet not accept the one who truly appreciates you.

There was also another story by the same author, where the ending sentence is something like “The furthest distance is not how far apart two people are, but how close they are to each other, yet never know how much they love each other.” In the original text, it is “人与人最远的距离不是分开多久，而是在你身边，却不知道他有多么的爱你.” Beautiful!

A few weeks back, I was watching this Hong Kong series called “The Threat Of Love”. It has two series of 10 episodes each, a total of 20 episodes. Each episode is one story, but all the stories touch on the different aspects of love, between parents and children, siblings, friends, couples, homosexuals, etc.

A very heartwarming show. The first series is better though, more touching, the second is funnier. This is something like the movie “Love, Actually”, where in this society when one thinks people are incapable of love, they look around and find that love actually is all around them.

Let's hope I will have better luck this year when it comes to love! :-p

Shine On You

Currently I am hooked on the Hong Kong series "Shine On You". It is a show on teachers and the education system. Come to think of it, our lives are rather similar to those in Hong Kong. Wonder if it is because the two countries used to be under the same ruler?

The show appeals to me because it is on the relationship between teachers and students. I can really relate to that! Students are just as difficult, parents are just as demanding, the principal and management is just as uncooperative, teachers are just as overworked and underpaid. These are the reasons why I chose to leave.

However, come to think of it, by moulding someone's life, and the kid later comes to you and says you have created an impact in his / her life, this is a real fulfilling reward, something which no money can ever buy, no matter how much. Just like the former student I met on the bus the other day. He still recognises me, and he still tells me the things in school, although he is now out of the school and at a higher level.

That is essentially what a teacher hopes for. No matter how troublesome kids can be, a teacher will hope to make a difference in their lives, and see them going on the right track and not turn bad. So in a way, I feel rather happy I managed to achieve a little of this, even though I only taught him for half a year.

Reel Versus Real

People say life is like a movie. Some others say drama serials reflect real life. At times I think real life is more dramatic than reel life. But however "realistic" drama serials are, there are certain bloopers that make them seem unreal.

1. The hair and makeup still looks so fresh even after the person had been lying unconscious in the hospital. Now, if only my hair and makeup can be immaculate the whole day, I need not worry about spending too much time grooming before stepping out of the house.

2. The person stepped out to answer the doorbell and came back with a totally new set of clothes. How I wish I can change that fast!

3. The roads always seem to be empty whenever the person speeds. How I wish it can be so lucky all the time, then accidents will not happen already!

4. People dress to the nines even at home. Do they not wear ordinary casual wear or house dresses while at home, instead of looking so immaculate from head to toe? Afterall, do people really bother to dress up when they are lazing about at home? Chances are they dress down.

5. No matter what job you are holding, you can afford an expensive place and car. Now this is something I wish can be true in real life.

6. People can spend money without any limit despite not working. Where did all the cash come from?

7. Your family and friends will always get you out of scrapes. Again, I wish life is that easy.

8. The house is always so neat and tidy, despite how busy the person is, with no domestic help. Now this is something I really wish can happen to me! That my room will always be neat and tidy even when I have no time to really clean it properly!

Sometimes I wonder, does drama really reflect real life? Or is life really a stage, where everyone plays a part? Then I wish my life can be simpler and easier.

Jewel In The Palace

Currently, I am hooked on the Korean show "Jewel In The Palace". Perhaps people may think I am a loser for watching this type of show, but this show did not generate excellent reviews for nothing. Everything from the plot to the cast to the acting to the sets is excellent!

Actually my parents and relatives watched the show last year on DVD, and they wanted t0 get me interested too, but at that point in time, the only Korean show I ever watched is "Winter Sonata". Recently, to satisfy my curiosity on why the Jewel show caused such a hype, I started watching it.

I have only watched twenty episodes so far, and already I am hooked! The show is excellent from the start! It is so captivating that one wants to keep going! And I get to learn good tips in cooking and the different types of Korean cuisine.

Now I know what makes a good cook. Although it is a show, but what the supervisor said to the kitchen maid was really useful. She said that there are two qualities that determine a good cook.

One, to be able to feel the taste from your fingers. Some are born with this natural ability, some achieve it only through lots of trial and error. When the food goes through your hands, you must be able to know which food goes with which so as to bring out the taste.

Two, the ability to mix and match ingredients. Not many people have this ability. This means that without even tasting, the person somehow know what ingredients are used to prepare the food, and which things will make the food taste better.

For instance, most people will choose to use plain water to prepare soup, but someone gifted in the second ability will know how to use spring or mineral water instead, as that tastes sweeter. Essentially, cooking goes with one's own gut feeling on which are the best ingredients to use to prepare a certain type of food, and some people are just able to feel it better than others.

And from this show, I have another idol - Officer Min aka Ji Jin Hee!

And this is what he looks like in real life.

Not forgetting my other idols :

And of course, my ultimate favourite - the one and only Yong-sama!

Hong Kong Television Serials

I had a super long weekend. My company gave everyone an off day on Monday to tie in with the two public holidays, which accounts for the accumulation of work the past few days.

I have been so bored lately. Now that my salsa classes have ended, with the next stage starting in December, I have taken a break from school and singing, and my social life is almost non-existent with most of my friends busy or dating or married or preparing for marriage, I am lacking of something to do.

So I started being hooked on Hong Kong television series. Not the new ones; those that were filmed around the eighties and nineties. I prefer the older actors to the newer ones as somehow I feel they have more substance, and I enjoy watching their shows! A lot of the newer stars only look good.

There have been lots of drama serials produced in Hong Kong, from period dramas to family to crime thriller. I always go for my favourite genres - crime and justice. Thus, I managed to get the entire File of Justice series (I - V), by far the longest running series from 1991 to 1995.

I also got the Detective Investigation Files series (I - IV). Only the first three are continuous. The fourth series is a totally different story with different actors, but since it is also a police and thief type of show, the producers used back the same name.

The oldest one I have is Return of the Condor Heros. I remember when that was shown on television almost two decades ago, my classmates were all going ga-ga over Andy Lau. At that point in time, he was really handsome and muscular.

The newer series I got is Armed Reaction (I - IV). Plus some of the older shows like Duke of Mount Deer (with the young Tony Leong and Andy Lau) and Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Somehow our local series never attain the standard of Hong Kong shows. The plot, storyline, portrayal of characters are all so real. I think the reason why a lot of people like these drama series can be because the characters reflect anyone of us, ie the things that happened to them can happen to anyone of us.

One can be a high-flyer, but totally messed up in personal and love life. One can be married but still have an affair outside as he / she is not able to find the warmth and love from the spouse. One can give up love just for family and friends.

And not all have happy endings. Not every show has the fairytale ending that the two main characters end up together. The main characters may have to go through lots of trials and upheavels where their relationships are concerned, and still not be together.

There is love and lost, painful breakups, pining for someone, the ache of missing someone. All these can happen to just anyone. Which is why I enjoy watching these shows, as from the story and the various characters, I can relate myself to several of them.

What Will You Do If Your Loved One Dies?

Does love ends when a person dies? What do you do if your loved one dies? Do you hold on, keep the memories alive and never get over him / her, or do you let go and move on with your life? Will you feel devastated and lost for the rest of your life, or will you be happy and get on with life?

If you really love someone, his / her death will be a big blow to you. The pain of losing a loved one, knowing all the dreams of the future and things to come will never be fulfilled. How does one continue living? Perhaps they only survive and not really live.

How does Juliet feel when Romeo died in front of her? So devastated that she killed herself. How does Ophelia feel when Hamlet was slain? How does Cleopatra feel when Antony was killed? And how does Rose feel when Jack drowned?

Years ago, I feared my then-boyfriend would die in a plane crash during one of his flights. I remember feeling I would never be able to get on with my life if that really happened. Then when I was in such a messed-up state when he dumped me, I remember hoping he would really just die in a plane crash and release me from my misery. Pretty mean and evil of me, I know, and I am not proud that I even thought of that.

Perhaps I am just a sucker for sappy love stories, but in the books I have read and movies I have seen, when two lovers are to be separated due to death in whatever circumstances, the one who is dying will always tell the partner to go on with life.

Jack told Rose to live on, get married, have kids, grow old and die a happy old woman, and made her promise never to let go of this promise. She promised him not to let go, and watched him sink into the ocean before she got herself rescued. She continued living life to the fullest, getting her dreams fulfilled, got married, have kids and did die a happy old woman.

In "Winter Sonata", JS had to go for an operation which might cost him his life, and told his brother XH to take care of his love YJ. He told YJ to forget about him and go on with her life, continue to fulfil her dreams, which she did.

In the Japanese movie "Crying Out Love At The Centre Of The World", Aki's last message to Saku was to scatter her ashes in the Australian desert, then go on with his life, get a good job and settle down.

So if our loved one dies, perhaps we should just move on and be happy. It will probably be what the late love wanted of us. Will he / she rest in peace if we never let go of the past and blow our chances at happiness again?

Of course, ideally, girls will want guys to be like Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights", where he remained faithful to his true love Catherine even after she died. But he became a ghost of a man, just continue living day after day without really living.

If I am dying, I will want my loved one to go on with his life. It will be sweet to hold on to me, to my memory, but I would not wish him to waste his life away just like that. I would want him to find a new love and have another chance at happiness, the love and happiness which I would never ever be able to provide.

But what would I do if my loved one dies? Honestly, I do not know. I believe it is possible to love a person for eternity. Perhaps I may just love him, and keep his memory alive for life, or perhaps I may settle down with someone else if I can ever find one who can trigger off strong feelings in me again. Or perhaps I may even do a Juliet and be buried together with him.

"ROME" On HBO

Positive : Finally there is a good show premiering which you really want to watch.

Negative : The timing of the show clashes with the time your parents normally watch the news.

Double Negative : In the end it does not matter anyway because you do not even have the required channel. :-/

Now I have to find a kind soul who is willing to tape the entire duration of the show for me.... Either that, or I must ask my dad to subscribe to more cable channels, which is highly unlikely since it costs a bomb to tune to the required channels for my place.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

This may sound really funny, but I just started to watch "Friends" seriously the past few days. I have watched snippets and a few episodes here and there, but this is the first time I am actually watching all the way from Season One onwards. My youngest brother is a huge fan of that show, and he actually bought the entire VCD compilation of all the seasons, thus I am starting to watch from the beginning, especially since the TODAY newspaper of yesterday had a review on the series.

Everyone I know is raving about the show. It started during the time I was in upper secondary and ended only last year. A full decade, really an achievement! Even other favourites like "Ally McBeal" which I used to catch snippets of did not last that long. My parents were very strict with television time, so when I was in school, I was not allowed to watch any television programmes in the evenings, and after I left school when I could watch anything I liked at anytime I liked, I got too busy to really sit down in front of a television set and watch a programme.

The few episodes I watched, plus the first few episodes I had been watching lately make me figure out why it is such a popular show. Friends hanging out at a coffee joint trading gossips. The themes are on friendship, love, relationships, career problems, family problems, finding one's true love, married life, having kids.... things which someone like me can relate to. These are very real issues which occur to anyone. Problems which can occur to me. I can totally relate - Rachel's need to be independant of her parents, Monica's mum favouring Ross over her, the depression one gets when the object of one's affection likes someone else, the seeking of someone who really loves you, the decision to make a major career change, the problem of conceiving and childbirth for married couples. (Well, not the last one, but at least that is a real issue for most married couples).

And the characters are so colourful. The innocence and sweetness of Rachel who had been so sheltered, the intellect and idiocy of Ross, the controlling and obsession of Monica, the lame and sarcastic Chandler, the simple-minded but lovable Joey, and the loyalty and selflessness of Phoebe. All these characters are as real as any of us. The complicated issues they have to deal with are also real albeit exaggerated - Ross's lesbian ex-wife, Rachel getting pregnant with Ross's child after a one-night stand, Monica and Chandler finally falling in love with each other in London, Phoebe finding her true love, and Joey? Still the simple-minded lovable fellow.

Which is why the show is so endearing to everyone who watched it. Which is also why most of my friends love the show so much, and love every character in the show. Me? I am going back to the time when I was still sixteen and catch up on the lost years by watching the entire series from the beginning to the end.

Winter Sonata

I am finally done with the "Winter Sonata" marathon, which started at 9:00pm Friday night and just ended about half an hour ago, with an eight hour siesta in between for sleeping, eating and cleaning. This is the third time I watched the series, and I still cry over the show.

BYJ is still the most suave, charming, gentlemanly and sensitive screen persona I have seen. Oh, if he can only look at me that way, I will not mind doing anything for him. The actress Choi Ji Woo is definitely the luckiest girl, able to hold his hand and share kisses together. And the scenery.... it is so beautiful and picturesque, directly out of a landscaped painting. Oh, why did I go to Korea so early? If only we had waited a couple more years, we could have gone to Korea and went along the "Winter Sonata" trail - the actual places where the series was filmed.

And the way she fussed over him when he was unconscious in the hospital. How I wish there is someone for me to take care of, or better still, how I wish I have someone to take care of me day and night when I was in the hospital. True love really exists. Everything she did was for him, and everything he did was for her. If you really love someone, you will want the best for the person, sometimes even to the extent of making a painful decision to leave the person and never return.

I still remember the most touching line in the show, where they were in a church and he said, "Dear God, there is a woman I love deeply. I want to be with her and take care and protect her forever. I want to have children with her and be a good husband and father. I want to be their protector, their hands and legs to warm them up forever. I want to be always there for her, to love her and cherish her. Please let me be with this woman I love so deeply." And he turned to her and asked, "Will you marry me?" Yes, I will definitely marry you........

After watching the show for the first time, I got so into turtleneck sweaters that I made use of the end-of-year sale to buy turtlenecks (both long and short-sleeved) from G2000, Mango, Zara and Iora. I specially chose colours like white, green, mustard and pink, as featured in the show. I also went into the long winter coat phase. I bought a fur-lined jacket (fake fur of course!) from Mango (which incidentally, was the exact same one Monica was wearing in FRIENDS - I got a big shock when I saw the jacket she was wearing, but that proves I have good taste!), a white trench coat from Wanko, and a fur-lined pea coat from This Fashion (a very big bargain - nice and cheap!). Needless to say I have not used any of the coats yet, since I am still waiting for the day I can save up enough to travel to somewhere cold, or else wait for someone willing to sponsor me a trip to somewhere cold. :-D

I also scoured the entire island for the "Polaris" necklace, the necklace which he gave her as a Christmas gift. I finally found it at a jewellery shop at Tiong Bahru Plaza. Although it cost a bomb and set me back a big sum, I was so happy to be able to own the necklace. It is so precious to me that I wear it only for very special occasions.

Meanwhile, I am finally turning in, hopefully with sweet and pleasant dreams of BYJ!

Television / Movie Fest!

I had a VCD / DVD Marathon earlier on. It is such a bliss staying home with nothing to do sometimes. Finally I can catch up on all the shows and movies I have been accumulating but have not had the time to watch. I started to indulge in TV and VCD watching to get my mind off the frustrations and worries of the past few days. Thus I turned into a couch potato and started snacking on durian chips and finished up half a box of Ferrero Rochers as well.

First on my list was the Hong Kong serial "Angels of Mission", which I started watching on Friday. It was a twenty-parter. I wanted to stay up the whole night to finish, but by the time it was 5:00am on Sunday morning, my eyes finally closed and I had to finish watching the last four episodes in the afternoon. The show is on the Counter-Terrorist Unit (CTU) of HKSAR Police Force. The main characters are three female police officers who have to deal with terrorists, bomb threats and cope with their own tumultuous love lives at the same time.

Next was "Sleepless in Seattle". I have been wanting to watch this show for ages after I heard the song, and when I realise it is starring Tom Hanks. I first watched this show when my friend taped for me on cable back in 1999 or so, and now that I am watching it again, it still brings tears in my eyes, especially what Tom Hanks said about "You know the feelings are real, as they come just like magic." I love the part especially when they met each other at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day at the end of the show. Such a tear-jerking moment. This is what love should be - magic. I know too well the feelings just come all of a sudden without warning.

The third show was "Untold Scandal", a Korean period movie on dangerous liaisons. I get to drool at my idol Bae Yong Jun on screen the whole time throughout! Although I still prefer him with the golden streaks in his floppy hair, spectacles and long winter coat in "Winter Sonata". He is just so suave and charming! He still looks better in contemporary gear rather than period costumes. Now I cannot wait for his new movie to start screening in October.

I wanted to watch "Shall We Dance?" as well, starring the ever-suave Richard Gere, but my eyes cannot take it anymore. I need to sleep since my eyes are watering already. My body is probably telling me something. Thus I have to save Richard Gere to tomorrow (hopefully I will not be too shagged from work).

Meanwhile, I will sleep with hopefully nice dreams of my idol Bae Yong Jun. A bout of Brad Pitt, Legolas or Christian Bale in his batsuit will not matter too. :-p Good night!