confessions of a drama addict…

ok, i have a confession to make. i’m a drama addict. i spend a lot of my time in front of the laptop (coz i’ve no tv here), watching dramas… all sorts of them, in all sorts of genre and in various languages…

anyway, i just finished watching the tvb drama series, no regrets and i LOVE it to bits! the story line is good and the love between the two protagonists so intense that i sorta suffered from a withdrawal syndrome after i finished the last episode! mind you, there wasn’t any intimate moments in the drama, but one can feel the love between kau mui and lau sing just oozing from the gazes and glances they gave each other. the expression of love thru mere looks and selfless acts… sigh…

one of my favourite scenes… and the ONLY hugging scene in the whole drama!

i was so into this drama that i began to start reading the forums and websites dedicated to it, and subsequently got to know the actress who acted the part of kau mui, sheren tang, a little bit more. and boy, i think i’ve found my new idol! lol, i know, idolizing actors and actress at a ripe old age of 30+? but my kind of admiration for sheren is unlike those of teenage girls’. i just find that her values and outlook in life is quite similar to mine, and that she dares to be different.

at 40+ years old, she’s been leading a single life for 10 years! what i admire most about her is, she believes that a girl can still live a happy, joyful and fulfilled life even if she’s single. yeah, most people would say, “cheh, of course lar. she’s single now, so of course must say like that lar!” but the more i read up on her and watch/listen to the various interviews she gave, the more i feel that she’s actually a very down-to-earth girl, and the reason she’s single is because she’s not found her true soul mate yet. of course, every girl will hope to eventually get married and lead a happy family life, and sheren is no different. but to get married for the sake of marrying? just because everyone around her is married or with a partner, it doesn’t mean that she should follow suit too. and while she’s searching for her soul mate, she’s very appreciative of what she currently has, living a happy and purposeful life. this is my sentiment exactly! i feel like she’s spoken what’s inside my heart!

anyway, i digressed. back to no regrets. i’m so addicted to this particular drama, that i’m crazy enough to watch it all over again! now that i’ve read and watched so many forums, talk shows and interviews about this drama, and knowing about the actors’ and actresses’ feelings and opinions as well as the things that happened off-camera, i’m really watching this drama again with a different impression and emotion. and also, i can’t get enough of the love between the 2 protagonists. this is how i imagine true love to be. to love a person wholeheartedly and unconditionally without expecting anything in return. and loving someone doesn’t mean possessing someone. but of course, i love it too that they were finally able to be together in the end, after more than 30 years of waiting! big sigh……

oh, and i’ve not been wasting time just watching dramas. i’ve been keeping busy too! click over to my craft page and you’ll understand! ;)

found bubble pearl tea in sandland!

i was at the mall last weekend and was just walking around at the food court looking for dinner when i spotted the "panda chinese restaurant" in one of the stalls. i remembered that i read somewhere that they have bubble tea, so i promptly made a bee-line towards it. hehe...

 

boba-bubble pearl tea with chicken noodles at dhs 13…

 

some of my close friends will know that i’m a lover of bubble pearl teas! so i just had to try the variety here, to see if they’re anywhere near as good as those we get in m’sia. well, this panda chinese restaurant only has one flavour, that is the original flavour (and it’s not even white like the original flavour in m’sia!), but taste wise, they’re pretty close! yums!! one thing though, the “pearls” (for those who don’t know, it’s those black little jelly-like balls in the drink) are a bit too hard… i guess they don’t make the pearls fresh, but import it in like so many things here.

as for the chicken noodles, the taste is a bit bland. could do with some cut chili in soy sauce, but when i turned to look at the counter to see if they have any, it’s swarmed with people! i’d say it’s the busiest stall in the food court that day. it seems to be quite popular with non-chinese wanting a taste of “chinese food”. but for us chinese, it’s nothing great, really.

 

the reason i was at the mall last sunday…

 

while i was at the mall, i did a bit of shopping, some of the stuff as shown in my previous post. on my way to dinner with my trolley full of stuff, it’s really a relief to discovery this:

trolley holding area!

 

will this work in m’sia? or would all our purchases be missing from our trolleys when we come back to claim them, coz they were stolen by the very person who’s supposed to be watching them (read: the guard)? one thing good about sandland is that petty crime rate is very low. this is because tolerance for crime is low here, so most of the people here would not wanna risk loosing their jobs or worse, being deported back to their country, just for a few rolls of toilet paper or some woman’s clothes that may not even fit their wives/girlfriends!

1st movie in sandland...

i went for my first movie in sandland today - harry potter and the deathly hallows, part 1. even though the cinemas here are damn expensive, i can't possibly miss harry potter! and since i'm not working today, i might as well get it out of my system, rather than letting it sit at the back of my mind...


today i also went on my first metro ride, thinking that i'd be able to save some money from the taxi. so i took a cab to the nearest metro station from my accommodation, then take the metro to deira city centre. but as it turned out, the total fare came to be about the same... :(

30 dirhams = RM25.50 per person!

but even more expensive are their popcorn and coke... a standard size popcorn and standard size coke (both bigger than the regular sizes in m'sia) came up to 34 dirhams = RM28.90! that's like nearly RM60 per person for a freaking movie! good grief, i'd better start smuggling in my own snacks from now on. and to think that coke is so cheap in the market... :(

the little (bit of) nyonya in me...

i've been parking myself in front of the tv a lot lately, going thru the latest dvd set i managed to borrow from my godma on my recent trip back home. the drama series "the little nyonya" was produced by singaporean mediacorp, and is said to be the series with the highest production cost in the history of mediacorp.

tho' it's not a perfect production, in the sense that it did not really give an accurate portrayal of the peranakan chinese, what had me hooked was the drama!we all love our little dramas... hehe...

firstly, let me load off some rants abt the series...
1) the peranakans, esp. those of the older generations, do not speak mandarin (singapore mandarin some more!). they speak in baba-malay and/or english with a mix of hokkien

2) ok, even if the singaporean actors and actresses don't speak malay, the least the production team can do is make them practice the few malay words (that inevitably cropped up) over and over again to make them sound more convincing, rather than sounding so pelat (malay for "accented"). only pierre png gave an acceptable portrayal of the baba, where the language goes.

3) the baba and nyonya entertainment was referred to as "sing the pantun". eh hello, it's called dondang sayang lar!

4) the interior of huang family's ancestral home, set in heeren street, m'ca, seems so big. while the exterior is just of a normal sized, pre-war 2 storey shophouse that line heeren street and the various streets adjacent to it, the interior looks like that of a huge mansion! hello, u think harry potter story meh?? it will take at least 3 lots of shophouses to make up the interior of the huang family house. i know, coz dad grew up in one such houses (on heeren street itself!) and used to bring bro and i to visit our late ah mah when we were young.

5) the character, ah tao or tao jie, is supposed to be an amah or ma-jie. these domestic helpers belong to a group of "black-and-white sisterhood" that are not your regular maids or servants of the olden days. while maids and servants are the property of the family they are serving and normally do not get paid, an amah is an independent wage earner. sought after for their professional services, the amahs do not take crap from their employers. they can just pack up and leave and the employers will be ones suffering the greater loss. but in this series, this ah tao is punished, tortured and abused freely by the huangs. so not accurate! such a disrespect to the spirit and principle behind the sisterhood!

6) since when is there a railway track or railway station in modern day m'ca town?? the nearest (and the one and only) would be in alor gajah, and that's quite far away from heeren street. but the drama series made it seemed so near that their characters can just traipse over there on foot in mere minutes.


ok, enough ranting! hehehe... now on the drama. like i said, i'm hooked by the drama and plot of this series. sure, like any family drama about the olden days, it's full of the usuals. filial peity, the duty to procreate and carry on the family lineage, the virtues of women, the chastity of unmarried girls, ancestor worship, opression of the women, arranged marriage, marriage as a kind of business deal, etc etc. but more than that, it's because of the peranakan theme. very few ppl know this abt me, but i'm actually a half nyonya. a quarter nyonya, to be more accurate.

you see, popo was sort of a mistress to a baba. i said "sort of" because the said baba (technically my maternal grandfather) did not really support the livelihood of popo nor the 2 children they had together. so tho' i've met this 'grandfather' of mine a few times when i was young, he wasn't very 'grandfatherly' nor played an important role in my life, but that's another post for another time :)

i grew up in a hokkien (dad) and hakka (mom/popo) environment. not that we abide strictly to the rules and conventions of the clans... with both my parents being the youngest among their siblings and bro and i one of the youngest among all our cousins, ah mah and popo have mellowed out some by the time we came along and were quite liberal with our upbringing, as opposed to some of my older cousins' times.

so anyway, even though i have a whole army of baba half uncles, nyonya half aunties and half cousins, who have made an effort to have some family ties with us after my baba grandfather's (and their nyonya mother's) passing, i've never considered myself as a nyonya. maybe when someone commented that i don't look like a pure chinese (which happened a few times when i went to hk/china. i guess the locals here are used to these looks to really notice it in me?), i'd just make a passing remark that my maternal grandfather was a baba.

but watching this drama series has raised a kind of curiosity in me towards that (quarter) part of my ancestry. not that i'd suddenly start to take up cooking classes in nyonya dishes and kuih, and make bead-embroidered slippers, the two main skills the family matriarch look for in future daughters-in-law (which if is still practiced today, i'd surely die an anak dara tua [malay for "old maid"]), or start donning the kebaya, speak baba malay and chew betel nut leaves while playing cheki. instead, it has had me thinking about my baba nyonya nenek moyang (malay for "ancestors"), of what trade they went into in the olden days, if they were rich and influential (as most olden peranakan families were) and if the women folk were indeed embroiled in so much conniving, jealousy, domestic violence and drama.

and don't this kebaya look simply yummy? wonder how i'd look in one! :P

Departures (おくりびと)

me: N, this movie highly recommended by M. she said very good wor...
N: oh? what is it about?
me: it's abt a cellist who became jobless when the orchestra he was playing for in tokyo was disbanded. so he moved back to his hometown with his wife. one day, he came across a recruitment ad and he mistook it for a travel agent. it was only when he went for his interview that he realized that it was actually a company offering "encoffinment services" to the deceased. due to the high pay, he decided to try the job out. and even though his family and friends are strongly against him doing this 'filthy' job, he realized that this is actually a form of art in itself and found gratification in the process of assisting the deceased in their transition to the 'other side'.
N: so... what has this movie got to do with cello?
me: nothing lar...
N: but u stressed on the word "cellist" right from the beginning wor!
me: hehe... just to grab your attention mar...
N: =_='''

-------------

hehe... actually, there are some parts with the main actor playing the cello lar. not entirely cello-free... and the song is very nice! of course lar... composed by joe hisaishi mar! keke...

anyway, this movie really opens up our eyes to the ceremony of cleansing the corpse before resting it into the coffin. i find this part about the japanese culture very beautiful. the whole family will be present during the cleansing, and the noukanshi (encoffiner) performs the rite in a graceful and respectful manner, with measured movements and and expertise.

this is so different from the chinese culture, where it's considered bad luck (or whatever) to look at our deceased family members going through this process.

the movie also portrayed the protagonist's journey from being grossed out by the thoughts of handling a corpse to his full understanding and acceptance that death is just another part of life.

there is nothing gory or scary about this movie. on the contrary, the whole movie was filmed beautifully, with deep respects for the dignity and soul of the departed and their family.

for those who've not watched it, go catch it! but be warned... you'll need at least one packet of tissue with u! :)

visit the official english website here.



read also:
1) movie: 10 promises to my dog
2) august rush

what i've been up to lately...

hmm... what have i been up to ar? mostly work, work and more work... cny coming, so need to get all the pending job out before the long break. i hope i won't need to turn on my notebook once during the whole duration. keke... fat hopes lar!

other than work, been ingesting the latest and hottest TVB drama series --> the gem of life. blame it all on N for getting me hooked! coz she's my official supplier lar.

but even though i'm watching so much of drama series lately, my hands were not idle ok? i've been crocheting! hehe... lately i've been itching to pick up the hook again. so watch this space for my latest project, ya!

oh, and i've been bz with practices... first was for the new year performance. then immediately after that, we started practicing for a performance for this coming sunday --> klpac open day. so we've been practicing hard, even tho' it's so near cny and all other gakkai activities have stopped.

ok, just a short 'report' for now... gotta get back to the grind!

movie: 10 promises to my dog

actually, this is a movie i watched a few weeks back with M, N, and N's 2 little nieces. and gosh, how we cried like mad! in fact, the whole cinema was crying!

i think for anyone who loves dogs and who has ever had a dog in their life, or any pet for that matter, would totally understand and relate to this movie.

this is basically a simple enough movie, dealing with a girl's journey through life and her little companion by her side. actually, i think it's the other way round... a dog's journey through life with his/her owner (i just realized that we don't know if Socks is a male or a female!).

anyway, this really reminded me of my chewie, and made me miss her sssooooo SO much! and of all the promises to her that i broke... :'( i cried so hard in that cinema that i had a headache afterwards! and it's so hard watching sad movies in the cinemas coz we have to tahan ourselves so as not to cry too loud and disturb other ppl! haha... halfway through the movie, i wanted to stand up and shout to M and N, "haiya! next time don't watch this kinda movie in the cinema lar!!" :P

read also:
1) august rush
2) mama mia! fever!
3) spring waltz

august rush: a painfully beautiful movie

actually i saw this movie a couple of months back and fell in love with it. it was a borrowed pirated copy of yw's and have been looking to buy my own copy in all the shops since... but seems like it's not such a popular movie, coz even pasar malam dun sell it!

then saw it in speedy video last week, so i bought it immediately. and watched it again last night... can't get enough if it!

the movie practically oozes with romance in a fairy tale fantasy kinda way, so it's not so logical in real life. but it's really painfully beautiful. and the music! the mix of rock and roll and classical music is simply amazing!

go get a copy of august rush and watch it! and pls support original... it's only RM16.90 in speedy video!

"i believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales"

read also:
1) mama mia! fever!
2) spring waltz

mama mia! fever!

*yawn* where has the raya holidays gone to??? *sigh* back to the grindstone...

anyway, still giddy over mama mia! from wed movie outing with some friends! oh, love it love it love it! even tho' abba is not from my generation, but their songs are sorta like my 'childhood songs', coz it's what my parents listened to when i was young, so they're very familiar to me.

and, their songs are so evergreen, they never really go out of style. u can still hear them on the radio, and NOT only in the 'oldies' channels, mind u!

well, actually the story line of this movie is quite simple... some parts are a bit lame... but i really enjoyed the songs, even the bollywood-style dancing! haha... my friends and i were practically singing along to the songs, and i'd have jumped up from my seat to jive along if it weren't for the fact that i was in a cinema full of ppl and also that i'm no dancing queen! ;P

oh, and pierce brosnan is so SO so yummy! i practically swooned when he first appeared on the screen, and was drooling the whole show thru! hehehe... but when he started singing, i went like, "eh?" i think he should just stick to acting and leave the singing to others lar.

all in all, we totally enjoyed the show... ok, "we" as in the 3 gals in our group. the rest of the 8 guys thot it were kinda boring. i think maybe it's because the movie is a chick-flick (is it?) and also, they're all chinese-ed, who did not grow up with these songs.

anyway, i'm definitely gonna catch the musical when they come to kl in dec! having missed broadway's 'beauty & the beast' in june/july, i thot i won't be going for any this year. but woo-hoo! one more musical to my collection, making it a pathetic total of 5 (not including the disney on ice)! hehe...

read also:
1) phantom, finally!
2) i'm going!
3) The Sound of Music
4) Disney on Ice - Princess Classics
5) the phantom strikes!

The Sound of Music

the all time fav of i think almost everyone (except those few who have not even heard of it - can anyone imagine that?!) is in town! i mean the musical lar... and i'm going to it tomorrow! can't wait!

this time, didn't get free tickets lar. no such luck... bought the second cheapest tix, the C category. actually wanted to get the B cat, for a better view, but too bad it was all sold out. hopefully the seat i'll be getting tomorrow won't be so bad. or else i'll kick myself for buying it so late!

anyway, will be going with my good fren N and also my 2 housmates. i managed to persuade them that it'll be worth the RM100++ price! hehehe...

Disney on Ice - Princess Classics

yay! N got free tickets for this sat!!! she's teaching in a private school and those kids' rich parents have lotsa connections... so one fine day, N was just mentioning that she wished to watch it and immediately one of her students said he/she can get free tickets for her! that particular student said last year, his/her mom got the VIP tickets but slept the whole show thru! what a waste! but this year, he/she only can get the free-seating tix (the cheapest - upper tier). nvm lar, it's FREE!!! so happy... can't wait!

anyway, N got 6 tix, and she asked her sister n sis's bf along, but sis got exam. so N was asking me who else to give the extra tix to... and i remembered my housemate saying she really wished to go, but didn't realize the tix are so expensive. so i asked N y not just give 2 to my housemates lar!

woo-hoo, saturday at last!

hehehe... can't contain my joy...

let's see, what will i be doing this weekend? as of now, after i log off, i'm gonna watch some vcds. it's a taiwanese series, 'love on the aegean sea' or 'ching ding ai ching hai'. but there's a korean actress in it, cute Chai Lin (or Chae Rim in korean)from 'all about eve'. she's so slim n pretty now... n cute!

but i'm taking way too long with this series, due to lack of time. i can only steal 2-3 hours per week to watch it... at the rate i'm going, i think i'll need at least 3 months to go thru the 40 episodes! hmm... luckily my cousin is in no hurry to have the series back (it belongs to my sg cousin; she has a large collection of such series, most of them korean).

then tomorrow,... i mean in the morning, i'll be going to the dentist. there's this chip on my front tooth that has been there for i dunno how long. i can't even remember how it got there in the first place! anyway, i've kinda accepted it being that way all these while, until one day a fren mentioned that i can actually get it filled to be whole again! gosh! why didn't anyone tell me that before? and it's not even an expensive procedure! so gonna go do it tomorrow... hehehe...

on sunday, has promised to go for the mph clearance sale with N. it started today (i mean yesterday, friday), but we can't go coz it closes at 7 and i get off work only at 6.30. some more we had ice skating... then can't go on sat coz N has to attend a whole-day seminar. so sunday lor... hopefully there'll still be some good books left for us. last year we went on a sunday too, and even tho the crowd's not so great as compared to the first 2 days, the whole place's a mess! but with patience, we were still able to find 1-2 books to buy. hopefully this year will not be so messy and will have more books on bargain, as there are a few books that i've been wanting to buy.

so that's all for my weekend. oh yeah, i'm on duty this week. so gotta clean house this weekend too... *shucks!