Coffee Prince

I love it!


Ok, it must have been too long since I last watched any drama. Thanks to CE for introducing it to me. We watched some of the middle episodes at her place after my exams, she being already hooked on it and didn't want to watch anything else while I was glad to just bum around.


Not that I'd watched many kdramas before *and usually don't like some enough to finish the series*. The more popular ones tend to be typical - much like how Taiwan dramas are in comparison to Hong Kong ones. But Korean ones have definitely surpassed the cliche-soap-opera league, and taken it to an entirely new level. *not to mention that kdramas don't usually rely on just eye candy for leading roles*

Or maybe it's just so easy for me to forgive the cheesy/corny/teary/flaky-fake-laugh-y/cliche-y bits of the story when it comes gift-wrapped with such drool-worthy soundtracks to aid one's obsession.

Great music not only sets the ambience, but allows one to relive the passion and emotions long after 'the end'. Especially if the soundtrack sounds as though it has been put together with a lot of tlc just for it *like Ouran* ^_^ Just remember to avoid listening to a famous soundtrack before watching the show itself as it's more than likely to impair your enjoyment of the scene *made that mistake with Noir, which I still haven't finish the rest of the series -_-* Then again, it's just me who's distracted by such trivial background stuff... Oh, and eye candy's always a plus.


One thing about Coffee Prince *and probably why I like it best* is that it's so refreshing. This could be because I've been deprived of good entertainment all this while. But really, it's absolutely unpretentious, the story's not exaggerated, doesn't make one feel like pulling one's hair in frustration and wondering why one's still watching *they might have dragged the 'not-telling-him' part a teeny bit too much, but at least things don't get blown so out-of-proportion that it takes more than 1 episode to resolve*, leaves you feeling happy *even after sad scenes*, beautiful compilation of songs, ... most of all, great chemistry within the cast.

Seriously, all 4 main characters were great for their roles. This is the first time I've watched Yoon Eun Hye *yes, I have not watched Goong* and her acting is brilliant here as the 1st heroine. Cute, sincere, endearing, and it never once felt strange to see her acting against the other 3 more mature cast. She was just... so natural. Makes me want to watch Goong *though I'm betting she's not as good there*. I think the only reason why I never once cried during the whole thing is because she does it so well that I'm just happy to watch o.O

1st hero Gong Yoo didn't interest me at first (he kept reminding me of some HK actor whom I couldn't remember at first while watching it at CE's place, but now that I've finished it I realised it was Lui Fong *a taller-lankier-cheekier version :p wonder if Dodo Cheng's seen Gong Yoo*). I definitely preferred the 2nd hero Lee Sun Gyun (who's more good-looking, with a nice deep voice, and really looks like Francis Ng when he's got his specs on) *yours truly: one-who-watches-too-many-tvb-dramas-and-doesn't-meet-enough-people-in-real-life*, paired perfectly with the 2nd heroine Chae Jung Ahn (who was beautiful, smart, successful, and surprisingly not irritating *kdramas too often have a prettier-but-bitchier female 2nd lead and I'm glad that there's no villain here for once*).

The 1st hero did steal most of the limelight towards the end *the later episodes didn't give much scope for the 1st heroine to shine anyway* where he's got more chances to be cheeky as well as adorably jealous and impatient. There'll never be someone like his character in real life, but I'm pretty sure I'll melt if I so much as overhear any guy singing Norul Saranghae like that to any other girl from now on +_+ *this song has officially made the list of my top favourite love songs ever - actually, I can't remember ever having a favourite love song until now...*


Gong Yoo *voice's not bad* and Yoon Eun Hye *previous professional singer* should do a duet version of that song, it would definitely sell ;) Their characters are made for each other *she being not girlie, he being an obnoxious softie* and they're just too adorable together *even all the kissing were natural*. And the perfect 2nd couple completes the set, looking fabulous together. Out of the 4, I think Gong Yoo will definitely have the hardest time in future if he tries to play another good-guy cheeky character as people will remember him for this role instead. The other 3 seem more versatile to me, especially Yoon Eun Hye *looking forward to her next leading role*.


And manager Hong was a riot all by himself. *he's got a good singing voice too*


This is definitely one show that I can watch again and again, that I would't mind collecting it. Did I already mention the great collection of songs used in the series? ^_^ Now, if only I can find some sheet music for piano.


And another fix =(



... craving for kim chi fried rice.

... ralphie 'n' mj ...

Decided last weekend that I'd let myself take one day for shopping and checking out the summer sales. So went out on Sun.


And all I ended up buying was some basic briefs and a small giraffe soft toy -_-

...ralphie...

Yes, I don't need one. But aw... tell me it ain't cute ^_^

...yes, it does seem to be modeled from a cow...

*I'm not returning you xx*

* * *

Met up with DX for dinner today, Nandos again. I do think Nandos here is so much better than that available back home although one tends to get more burnt wings over here, but I guess it depends on the branch *wings not even on menu when I was back home anyway*.


Before dinner, we dropped by the New Look nearby for a browse and I bought a pair of killer heels o.O They're totally high at roughly 4 inches from the floor *3 inches in heels since 1 inch's due to the platform bit* with chunky wooden platforms that have holes in them. The fact that they're called 'chopper' should be more than enough to understand what I mean by killer...

...front/top view...


...side view...

*there's actually another see-through slit underneath the toe side of the platform :p*

Yes, I know. I definitely don't need them. No reason to wear them, nowhere to go in them too. I'm more likely to sprain an ankle and break a leg if there's an emergency, after falling down first *shrugs* though they could be quite a handy tool for defense if it comes to that. Not to mention effective weights for exercising and toning of legs. Plus they were on sale and I must say, it was a very quick buy for someone as usually indecisive as me. *I took ages to decide on the giraffe soft toy, although it's a quarter of the price of these funky killers* I just love the petal-shaped gap in those heel-cum-platforms which makes them look not as chunky as the usual selections over here. But there's no way I'll get to wear them here, and definitely not in KL. *unless I'm ever likely to be chauffered driven everywhere*


So, should I return the choppers? =(

* * *

Coming home, my landlady's daughter told me the latest news - Michael Jackson's gone! :'( Seriously, my normal routine *i.e. not in touch with any news* would usually mean I'd found out about something as big as this at least a month after *didn't knew we had a new PM until he's all sworn in and settling his cabinet -_-;*.


This is probably the first celebrity orbituary that I can relate to, the first mega star whose death would engendered more than the distant sadness. Before this, couldn't really connect as much with those of Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung because I'd never listen much to their songs *any song by any artist, for that matter* and especially so since I'm a certified hermit when it comes to the latest entertainment.


But if I'd grew up to any artist's hits, it'll be Michael Jackson's - from remembering the original music videos *Beat It, Black or White, the moonwalker one on the moon* being shown on TV when I was a small child to staging a Thriller show for Everybody's Day in school *the only time I'd gotten to wear a proper costume ^_^*. The moonwalk was all the rage *and still is, in my opinion*. Those hits would always be part of my favourite list, including the classic Heal The World *I used to memorise the lyrics for We Are The World, but it lacks the touching impact when compared to Heal The World*. His later works weren't really my cup of tea, but I still appreciated the message from his Earth Song *the video's pretty cool, though a bit too much stamping and yowling*. Even with all the controversy and eccentricity which came later, he was good. Very talented. Besides, that keeps him thriving in the background of the entertainment world anyway. And he was about to stage his last show too... *we'll be hearing more of him pretty soon*



Guess that just goes to show I'm definitely getting older.




... this is it.

... manga ...

Running out of fuel...



Anyone feel like recommending some mangas or books to read? ^_^;



Seeing as the only way I can refuel is through online manga *miraculously still have access to* and library books *definitely exhausted much of the Terry Pratchett variety*, I have been going through them like chocolate since. Well, much more than chocolate. Some of my latest read, briefly :p


Fruits Basket

It's good. Really! *as if you need telling*

Always knew that it's supposed to be good, but I was still afraid that I might be expecting too much and being let down all too often. The graphics in particular was very pleasing to the eye ^_^ and the pacing was well-planned, although the storyline did get a bit draggy past the halfway mark. I love the way the mangaka managed to portray all those emotions and deep character development *just love Kyo and Hatsuharu!*. Absolutely can't wait to watch the anime now! *anyone know where I can get my hands on a copy?*

For some reason, I had somehow know all along that the original manga is better than the anime although I can't recall where I read it or who it was who told me that *sorry!*. I only remember telling others that the manga is supposed to be loads better than the anime, at a time where I've obviously haven't seen either *yeah, I'm unfortunately arrogant like that*. Although I haven't watch the anime yet, I know I won't regret reading the manga first and I doubt the anime would let me down later, judging from it's popularity... Hm, I should probably wait a while before doing so. Wouldn't want leftover feelings from the manga to influence my enjoyment of the anime :p Now, if only I can get my hands on a copy...


Vampire Knight

This was ok.

Good premise of plot *I'm quite the fan of the twisted dark deep destiny variety* and creation of characters *love Zero's character background but the introduction midway of the twin brother / hunter-family-twins-curse-thingy was definitely laying it on too thick*.

But I still think it's overhyped. There were so many parts of the story which showed promise and potential, but not exploited enough or lack of follow through. Read up to the current volume, which was just as well since the main arc just ended and hopefully not many fillers ahead. The anime's out last year and I haven't watch it yet, but I have a feeling I'm gonna enjoy it more than the manga. At least, I can readily imagine the anime producers improving on those bits which are underdeveloped... Also, is it just me or the Kaien character's supposed to be that blatant a tribute to Abel Nightroad from Trinity Blood?


Liar Game

Frankly, I have not heard of this until SK and WS were watching the apparently immensely popular Japanese drama version. The way the characters were illustrated grated on my nerves a bit *especially Nao's expressions in the first chapters -_-*, though I have to admit that they were quite accurate depictions of reality *Akiyama's, in particular, seem to remind me of someone possibly resembling Eason Chan o.O*. The intelligent plots were definitely interesting *another type which I enjoy immensely, especially Death Note (which was better and the first series I completed to the end)* although low-IQ-old-me can't seem to follow the more clever twists in the plots, giving up entirely on trying to keep up with the contestants's score during the 3rd round. This I also read to the latest available at that time which was the end of round 3, so it was a fitting place to stop and wait until more volumes are out.

Too bad I don't know any more manga of this kind other than Death Note... =(


Ayashi no Ceres

Given that I started reading this in a favourable light because the anime was one of my favourites *of the few I've watched, at least :p*, the manga didn't disappoint me. In fact, the anime had done a very good job staying through to the manga and condensing the main storylines into 24 episodes, although my one big gripe was that Shuro's character wasn't given much air time... The manga was longer *perhaps only from the perspective of one who's watched the anime* but has a lot more comedic parts and speculations of the tennyo legends. Supposed that's to be expected of the famous mangaka, who also did Fushigi Yugi *yet another one which I would love to get my hands on the anime or manga*. Still, I would definitely recommend the anime first over the manga for this one ^_^ it's got cool music, for one thing!


xxxHolic

Ok, definitely not the first manga one should read from the famous Clamp. My mistake -_- One should have read preferably Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle first. At least, before attempting xxxHolic. Otherwise, the storyline is too ambiguous for the uninitiated. Or maybe they just haven't gotten to the gist of the story yet, even after 170+ chapters...



Wow, that's quite a lot in a short span of time *i.e. within the last month* and I did read up to the end or latest chapter available for each one *even read 75% of Fruits Basket twice -_-;*. I must have been destined to be an otaku, though this has yet to manifest due to prevailing circumstances *being born in the wrong country, for a start*... *grumble grumble grumble*

I've read most of the ones I know *mostly because of the animes - one can always bank on a manga to be remotely interesting if it's got a well known anime version* and could feasibly obtain access by now, including FMA *didn't finish this one yet, interesting story but not as gripping after the first 70+ chapters - maybe because I've done the anime first*, Nana *ah, so beautiful... So addictive!*, Ouran *ranted before*, School Rumble *great comedy and surprisingly sweet at the same time*, ... Others like FMP, Trinity Blood, or Haruhi Suzumiya I've avoided because I'm still holding on to the hope that I can read the original short novels *though fat chance I would learn to read Japanese in my lifetime* before moving on to the manga franchise. And some others I've been setting aside for a rainy day either because it's very long and still ongoing *Bleach, Naruto, Detective Conan,...* or because I' m expecting it to be really good and thus saving for desserts *Nodame Cantabile, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle,...?*. But mostly because I can't or don't know where to find them =(


Oh, and I think I'm spoiling myself too much by reading the great and beautiful works first *Nana, Fruits Basket,...*, so much so that I am very easily put off by less eye-candy ones *One Piece, Dragon Ball, Hana Yori Dango, the cover of Nodame Cantabile, and even first few chapters of Liar Game*. This despite the fact that I can't draw at all *sigh, how can I make my own manga?*.



Don't understand how people can wait weeks or months for the next chapter to be released. Perhaps it's to preserve one's sanity and not get too lost from reality. I would much prefer to wait for the whole series and devour it in one go, to get the maximum addiction reaction perhaps ^_^ even if it's ages after that when everyone else' already gotten over it and no one's so outdated as myself to entertain my rants and raves... But that's me.



... hm, what next?

... birthday dinner ...

We went to Satay House.



Well, originally planned this dinner to be CNY-birthday-cum-farewell *had I failed the resit*. And also to introduce to some batchmates at work what Malay food is about ;) Ok, 4-in-1 then.

So after asking around, I decided to try out Satay House that was quite authentic *according to reports* and not too dowdy to bring guests to *bearable decor and pricy menus*.



Firstly, it took me more than 20 minutes just to find the place from the nearest tube station *was looking for Praed Street which was indicated in all the maps but somehow I found every other street for the next 5 blocks instead*. Which meant I was late. And they almost didn't give me the table I reserved for. Even though the restaurant was less than half full.

Secondly, while I was waiting for the table and the others to arrive, a couple of walk-in potential customers came in and asked for a table for 2. The head waitress straightaway told them that there were none available until 9pm when they said they didn't have a reservation, passing them a card and telling them to reserve for next time. All this transacted in front of me. With a couple of empty tables visible to all on the ground floor. I mean, just because there isn't a table for exactly 2 people doesn't mean they can't be seated elsewhere. And believe me, Satay House is nowhere near as posh to justify that kind of service and snobby waitresses *in case you're wondering, the nicest waitress there was a junior one and the only Malaysian*.

Then while the head waitress showed me to our table, I took the opportunity to ask where Praed Street was. I knew I shouldn't have bothered.



ZL and I finally sat down. Ordered some satay and teh tariks while waiting for YG to arrive. For their presumedly signature dish, the chicken ones were relatively ok but the lamb was tasteless. Not to mention hard to chew off the skewer. Ok, it did come served with some rice cubes *which were nasi impit instead of ketupat*, onions and cucumbers. But the peanut sauce was definitely lacking.

For main dishes, they left me to do the ordering since the dish names were Malay with english descriptions included, even after I warned them that everything I order would be spicy. Which to me, anything that looks nice on the menu would be spicy ^_^ So we had the beef rendang *hey, ordered for them to try (1 of our signature dishes, after all) and I only tasted the sauce a bit :p - quite tasty, but slightly too sweet/soury than original*, sambal tumis sotong *nicely hot but a bit watery than normal*, and belacan kangkung *which they called morning glorys on the menu o.O - but the best dish of the lot*. It was a cosy dinner with only 3 of us, hence no point going all out on the dishes.

And we chatted more over desserts, which was probably all the hot selections available on the menu. Bubur pulut hitam *not sweet enough*, sago gula melaka *with a huge lump of sago floating in not enough sauce*, and bubur kacang hijau *surprisingly good and thick, best dessert* - all came in small square-ish bowls which looked more like the decorative glass bowls that houses floating candles/flowers on restaurant tables elsewhere.



Oh, and the teh tarik was mamak-style authentic enough, but could definitely do better with more foam. Or even sugar.
*yes, I'm very fussy when it comes to food criticism - but I still eat too much of everything =(*


Still, it was a nice dinner overall and probably best available place to go for an introduction to proper Malay cuisine. Perhaps the lighting can be improved so people can actually see what they're eating *unless that's their strategy o.O* and service should be less uppity *entirely not reflective of what culture there is that the restaurant purports to represent*.



At least, I've tried it.

...a birthday present...

Thanks, guys!





So now I'm 24, but still act and feel like I'm 19, not to mention dressing and looking like I'm 15. Hm...

... chinatown CNY ...

Last Tuesday, finally got the chance to shop at Westfield London. It's what we Malaysians would call a shopping mall - with modern designs, wide open spaces, and nice seating areas to relax in. Finally, somewhere to shop which reminds you of home. Well, slightly reminiscent of Pavillion, at the very least. But despite its size, was disappointed by the number of shops available. Best was the designer village, but it's not exactly my cup of tea *or bowl of rice, for that matter* on a 'shopping' experience. So, although it is a nice place and all, I'd much prefer Oxford Street or Covent Garden any day. Not to mention closer at hand.

...interesting shop displays...


...the food court 'n' some curry puffs look-alike...

Started work on Wednesday, and it's been pretty busy since. Peak season's getting well under way for me.

Today, went out to see what the Chinatown celebrations are like this year. Didn't really make it last year since I was too lazy to go down on my own, but got CE to teman this year ^_^ And man, was it crowded. Not the usual chinese crowd, mind you. But loads of non-chinese milling around, who are of course, always taller than yours truly. With kids on their shoulders. Net result was I not only have to push my way along the street while trying not to lose sight of CE, but attempting to see my way without visibly jumping and dodging little children's feet from swinging right into my face...

...promotional stalls 'n' cute oxen souvenirs...

And me being jakun me ^_^ I bought one of those souvenir paper dragons!

Hahaha... I must be the only chinese holding something so obviously a gimmick in the middle of chinatown during their official day of celebrations. There were several stalls selling quite good quality chinese souvenirs *what can I say, I'm a real sucker for souvenirs*, lion dance *nothing quite as grand as the ones we have back home*, and even a stall for TVB channel subscriptions *hm, wonder which network they'll piggyback*.

...tvb or teletubby?...

*though of MF when taking this pic, btw*

Some people were giving out flyers and gold coin chocolates *nice!*, and we met a God of Wealth distributing red packets *mainly to non-chinese anyway, so don't need to speculate what's inside*. There's even supposed to be some food stalls, but we didn't attempt to push our way through the crowd much. Besides, from the colour of the paus that we saw some others eating in their hands, we probably wouldn't have bothered to try.

...the crowd at chinatown...

So, after pushing a bit and taking a few of the required pics, we decided not to break through the main street of Chinatown (Gerrard Street) and left instead. At least now I can say that I know what it's like to be there ;)



Headed for Malaysian Hall next, as there's supposed to be a CNY open house that day and CE hasn't been there before. We arrived after the stated time and as usual, people had to wait outside in the freezing cold *it was even snowing a bit in the morning* for the minister to arrive and start some speech or ceremony *cue eye rolling*. They even had a lion dance scheduled, but had chosen the Manchurian type instead which definitely lacked any sort of impact. We hung around until we couldn't wait anymore, and went for waffles instead. Think I was outdoors too long without enough preparation, 'cos the blood in my hands were so frozen that I had no idea how I managed to still hold the takeaway box and made it into the nearest heated shopping center, which was Whiteleys. Even then, it was some time before I could start feeling my fingers again and actually start eating my waffle properly. Which was a chocolate covered one with fresh fruit ^_^ and was delicious.

...lion dances at Queensway...

Ended up buying more stuff at Whiteleys rather than Westfield. And did you know there's even a WOFS branch in London? Sigh, globalisation continues...

...lilian too's feng shui working for her...



...nice advertisement 'n' decor all in one...

Then we shopped a bit and hung around, before I met up with L for dinner at Four Seasons. Yup, apparently she doesn't like roast duck back home and wanted to have more of Four Seasons' version before going back o.O
edit: Apparently, there's a Four Seasons branch back home too -_- Prefer our local road side stall roast duck any day!





By the way, HL went back for good at the beginning of the year, and now L is going too.





Oh, and it started snowing again during dinner, right on into the night.

...updated cny corner...

... one down, one more to hurdle ...

Guess what?


I passed! :D


Unbelievable, right? Seriously, it still hasn't settled in yet - even though the results came out yesterday, I double check the website a couple of times, and the letter came in the post today... Well, good news is, I'll still be around at least until summer ^_^



My department was also having some brief get-together yesterday and since it's going to be at the Somerset House skating rink this time (not to mention that I need to be around people I know for the news to fully sink in), I went out to join in the fun. Didn't skate in the end. Not that I'm any good at all, plus there's always the added torture of embarassing oneself in front of work colleagues who aren't really that close to you anyway but will nevertheless know that short girl falling around everywhere would be from their department. So I watched others skate instead :p

...somerset house ice skating rink...
*nicest rink in London, especially with the huge decorated tree they put up in the middle during christmas*

After that, we went for dinner at a small Italian place where the front door was tucked away in some very narrow back lane near Covent Garden. The atmosphere was excellent - dimly lit by candle light, pictures in frames covering every wall *including a bill signed by somebody or other*, and nice operatic music as accompaniment. Given the hefty prices *for some reason, a glass of their normal wine costs more than 2/3 of the price of 1 bottle of special wine on their menu* and simple parchment-paper menus *the owner who was trying too much to play the role of the temperamental Italian head waiter / host, in my opinion*, the food was a major letdown indeed. I wonder if they would just let me sit there and order a coffee with dessert for the whole evening instead, since the atmosphere is really nice. Though I doubt their desserts will be any good, judging from their main courses.

...the italian place...

Today, I followed my plan and went for lunch in Chinatown, so that I can get some essential preparing-for-CNY grocery shopping done before going home to spring clean my room. And as all my plans inevitably do, I ended up way behind schedule -_- Right now, I still haven't clear my room yet!


Really, it's just as well that I've been given a second chance or all this junk I've accumulated here will surely be of no use *not that it isn't going to end up as clutter anyway*. Man, I should stop collecting stuff.


At least, until I hopefully finish my contract and get a good payrise so that I can afford to rent a bigger room.



Still a long way to go...

...chinatown full of lanterns...

By the way, I only truly felt estatic at having scraped through this round when I sat down for lunch at this new Malaysian restaurant called Rasa Sayang in Chinatown today, and they were playing nice loud CNY songs! *the food was average, but they have this CNY only menu which I'm really looking forward to trying ^_^ looks quite promising with yu sang and a few choice selections of tai chau style dishes, including chilli crabs!* The other places were as silent as any other day, except that it was super crowded and a nightmare to queue to pay for just 1 bottle of red bean curd. Really, must be a Malaysian thing. When we celebrate, we celebrate indeed ^_^

... the old kingdom ...

Apart from Discworld, I've only managed to venture into Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series during my current reading craze...



I've seen his name on the shelves quite a bit *most likely for his other works rather than the Old Kingdom series*, so decided to try it once and for all when I spotted the complete trilogy in my library. For some reason, they would insist on putting good books with wide appeal in the children's section *including the Artemis Fowl series, even those which no under 13 should reasonably be able to appreciate such as Roald Dahl's more twisting ones and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy*. That was partly why I was disappointed at the fantasy section when I first joined the library *what with Terry Pratchett catalogued as humour and I have yet to discover where Piers Anthony is, if there's any*.


Anyway, it all started with Sabriel, which was originally meant to be a standalone. After its success and a lengthy break, it was followed by Lirael and its sequal Abhorsen. Having just finished the last one, I must say that Lirael would probably be the best written one out of the 3 *curiously, not such a rare phenomenon as one would have thought*. Sabriel provided a brief but good introduction to the world with the Old Kingdom, a satisfying read which was short and sweet. No overload of the senses here, but the style was very descriptive yet nicely put in concise, easy to understand language. Lirael had a much stronger story though, perhaps because the author having a bigger opportunity to develop since the first one was a success. And ended with the Abhorsen, though towards the last pages, there were sufficiently slight hints here and there to suggest that there could be more coming ^_^ *indeed, Wikipedia states that at least 2 other books have been signed on - though I think they will be entirely different stories but set within the same world*

To me, it wasn't as thought-provoking as some other fantasy works *also usually those which non-fans tend to give up on due to length of the sentences, whole paragraphs given over to narrative description, or it's just too heavy / long to be bothered*, but it's got a adequately gripping plot and a fair amount of the essential elements, not to mention absolutely lyrical names that just sounds so pronounce-able to believe *Sabriel (I'd thought it up before as a name, doesn't it just sound grand? :p), Lirael, Ancelstierre, Sindlewood, Astarael, Saraneth, Kibeth, Ranna, ...*. Even the author's name sounds exactly like a fantasy writer! *it's his real name, by the way, and not a pen name as I've always presumed*

Oh, and I like the simple covers on the UK editions - plain uni-colour covers with a single charter mark, the title, and Garth Nix's name in a box (you can check them out on his official website if you're interested :p). Would have been more meaningful if each showed in turn the silver keys of the Abhorsen, golden stars of the Clayr, and the trowel of the Wallmaker, instead of just chartermarks. But then again, one can't ask for too much.


All in all, a satisfyingly good read and likely to appeal to all. Very recommendable, if you're giving the genre a try or attempting to introduce others into the world of fantasy books ^_^

Edward Scissorhands

Went to watch a dance performance at the famous Sadler's Wells theatre for my first time ^_^


Ok, would have preferred if it was one of the classic ballets or even a highly artistic but successful contemporary abstract dance movement. But a dance retelling of the classic movie Edward Scissorhands works as well!


For half price tickets on a Sun matinee *the 2nd last performance of the season*, the seats we got weren't that bad despite my fears as seat numbers wasn't known at booking, until we collect the tickets. Had to strain quite a bit for the 2nd half though, since some tall *ok, taller, at least* woman came and sat in the seat right in front of me after the intermission...

Apparently, it was a moderate success when it first came out and even did a world tour *surely not that much of the planet*. Must admit, the show was quite good, except that those who's not seen the much nicer movie *that's where Johnny Depp got noticed, by the way :p* and do not appreciate dance would find it boring indeed. Which, of course, begs the question of why they would go and see it in the first place.

The dancers were good and able, not to mention adequately expressive for their roles. Choreography was nice, with fitting gestures incorporated in the movement, though perhaps a too-trying attempt to inject humour. Sets and props were impressive, minimal but adequate. Especially liked the set inside the mansion when the hero was being created. Unfortunately, it was brief and they didn't revisit the setting later.

There is definitely still room for improvement - for instance, there's so much more one can do with scissor blades ;) Also, some audience interaction would give it aided attraction *say, having a bewildered Edward Scissorhands pop out in the middle of the audience just before the 2nd half began would be a great touch ^_^* since there's no singing and the music wasn''t quite up to par at keeping them interested *it was really good that they used similar scores to the movie, but there was an obvious lack of timing between the orchestral accompaniments and the dancers on stage - though can't really blame them for the score wasn't exciting enough to warrant good rhythmic sense suited for making an impact*.

Overall, it was quite a good production. Fans of the movie would have enjoyed it especially. But perhaps it would have been better if they hadn't dragged on a tad too long about him trying to fit into the community *perhaps they needed to fill up the 1st half before intermission?*, though there was absolutely no need for the ridiculous scene where visions of cheerleaders are helping him to sleep *with pink pom-poms in an all-pink room*. I remember thinking during the ending scene that it would be more effective if they had snowed into the audience *not to mention, more effects needed around the hero's sillhouette in the background* and which would have been so much more moving... though I was placated somewhat when they did snow a bit, but only when the curtains were closing after the performers have taken their bows. My favourite bit was where the lead dancer came out to take his bow by shuffling out of the wings, looking suitably bewildered and totally in character :)


Hm, I feel like watching the movie once more... A classic!


The movie, I mean. But I was glad I went for something outside the usual ones anyway.




... ah, only 1 week more to CNY!
*totally forgot - so much to do, must buck up soon*



p/s: By the way, was reminded again by YG on how much I apparently have in common with her bf, while we were chatting over something and waiting for our lunch before the show. She'd said that since we first knew each other... Weird. Probably why we got on so well :p

... 2009 ...

A new year...



Debated last night whether to try to pop down to London Eye for some fireworks sighting *or rather, some squeezing-attempted-jumping-to-see-over-shoulders-of-towering-Londoners*. After all, it's very likely to be my only chance to, well, see the new year being brought into London in celebration. Plus, public transport is free from 11.45pm to 4.30am on New Year's Eve *smart move to reduce over-congestion*.


And as usual, lazy old me backed out in the end. To be exact, the winning argument was determined by the fact that I had forgotten to bring the book I was currently reading and couldn't really be bothered to go home and fetch it.

Well, it was so as to have something to do so that one wouldn't mind being stucked on board a double decker bus in the jam for the hours on both side of countdown time. That was the proposed plan.


Anyways, visited CE at her new place and we had dinner together while watching one of her landlady's nice collection of dvds *the choice was Nanny Mcphee, not a movie I might recommend anyone else after this - ah, Mary Poppins was certainly better despite beng made decades ago*. Pretty much chatted and did some catching up 'til almost 2am *no countdowns, but we did wished each other :p*, and her place really was as cold as she said it was. Even I couldn't stand it, dunno how she managed.


And now I'm back. I know I should be sleeping. But will probably continue reading before finally turning in. Very much looking forward to potluck tonight at HL and L's apartment. Hopefully, some more chor dai di as well.


Not exactly the ideal start I'd wanted, but at least a hopeful improvement for 2009 ^_^



... Happy New Year!



p/s: Been having a reading craving lately, so am making a steady progress through Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Done The Colour of Magic *a good first book to start the series*, Equal Rites *so-so*, The Light Fantastic *absolutely fantastic sequel to Colour of Magic*, Thud! *quite good*, Small Gods *definitely not one to read again*, and will probably borrow a couple more although there's Sabriel still waiting on hand *well, Garth Nix seemed to be quite hyped about after all, but I'm rather into the light fantasy satirical humour that only Terry Pratchett can provide at the moment*.

... first day of winter ...

Having just recently started on Moonlight Resonance, it has been surprisingly so far so good.


Or maybe my standards are just dropping o.O


Perhaps because the storyline is better scripted, the cast had better chemistry this time round *at least the 'happy family' scenes don't look ridiculously fake*, Raymond Lam had much more deserved screen time in this indirect sequel *a big fan like me can't even survive 6 episodes of the supposedly immensely popular Heart of Greed -_- gave up before his character even appeared later*, or Linda Chung is less irritating here *definitely an improvement*.


Anyway, my point is that I am randomly reminded of how much bigger a fan I was of Julian Cheung :p Oh, I finally managed to find a full no-MV-voice-over version of Raymond Lam's subtheme for The Drive of Life! *I swear, I am moved everytime the opening sequence plays, which has nothing to do with the drama* Now, if only I can get my hands on some good sheet music...



More to the point, today is the first day of this year's winter *usually on Dec 22nd of each year, but this year's is apparently earlier 1 day because it's a leap year*. What we called tung chit.


And of course, bought myself some tong yuen ^_^

...glutinous rice balls with black sesame filling...

*prefer plain pink 'n' white ones with brown sugar, but one makes do with what one can*

Wouldn't mind making some from scratch, just that I don't know where to buy the flour and have no one to make it for...



By the way, Cha Cha Moon has raised its prices =( oh well, at least my favourite dish there is still the same price.

...pan-fried taro cake...

British Museum & Korean Kitchen

CE suddenly said she's going to Portobello market today, but we changed plans as not sure if it's open on Sundays.


So instead, we hopped round to the nearby British Museum for a quick glance through.
*actually, I kinda dragged her there :p since I've always wanted to go*



Well, didn't really see much as most of the Asia rooms were closed and we weren't in the interested mood overall. So took the chance to try out a few pics on the new c702 phone...

... one of the few I took and the only one which turned out good...

After getting a mini calendar and a gold coin which says "happiness" in cuneiform as souvenirs, we headed off to find a cafe or some other nice spot for tea *as usual, she doesn't eat any breakfast or lunch and I just had brunch, so we ended up having tea-cum-early dinner*.



Walked a bit to Covent Garden, visited a few shops, but no likely places that looks nice and is still open on a Sun afternoon. So I took her to Korean Kitchen instead. Had no idea that it was only 5pm then when we walked in, and I was even surprised that the place wasn't crowded. It wasn't officially opened but the nice people let us sit down anyway. So we were the first customers ^_^


We ordered 2 appetisers of stir fried rice cake and kim chi pancakes, plus a bibimbap. Like before, the appetisers are big portions *they're normal sized dishes really, just seems a bit large for something listed under 'appetisers' in the menu* and we were quite stuffed after the meal. Service was good, even though I was being super jakun by talking loudly and taking pictures of the food :p

... kim chi 'n' stir-fried rice cakes...


...kim chi jeon 'n' dolsat bibimbap...


*yes, there were carved radish figurines as decorations*

Hm, the camera isn't that bad. But for a Cybershot, it might be a bit lacking. Mostly because I'm not familiar with how to use it yet.



Still prefer my old w300.





p/s: And now I'm hungry again.

Malaysian Kopitiam 2.0 & Red Cliff

Man, this has got to be the place I blogged most about here...
*how sad am I?*


Met up with DX for yum cha yesterday after work. Initially planned to go Cafe de Hong Kong, but since the Malaysian Kopitiam has resurfaced *the saga continues...*, I sort of end up dragging her there...
*been bugging her too much lately =( well, it won't be for long anymore*


Anyway, the new one is bigger and combined with some Thai cuisine *the new location must used to be a Thai restaurant*. The whole place had a bit of the karaoke lounge feel to it, but in an ok way *unlike C&R*. Wider selections were available on the menu, which included things like chicken feet kerabu and Hokkien mee.

Although it was supposed to be only tea time, we ended up ordering a roti canai *came with a curry laksa type of sauce and too pancake-ish for me, but at least it was crispy*, fried chicken wings, and a small chinese mushrooms and chicken feet dish *which I must say, has a sufficiently strong taste and the chicken feet was cooked well enough ^_^*.


It was a much better experience this time round :) foodwise, of course.
*still can't forgive them for displaying a huge Malaysian flag on their banner*



Woke up late today *around 11, but only got out of bed at 1.30* and mulled around doing nothing. Only thing I did was watched Red Cliff.


Which was probably the best ancient China war movie made so far.
*Hero's still better for me, but that doesn't count as a 'war' movie*


Based on The Three Kingdoms, there was nothing much which can be original about the storyline and Tony Leung was just not suitable for this type of role *not to say he was bad, but he doesn't have that look to go with it*. The war sequences were cool, not too much action and not gory, with some slightly emotional not-at-all-draggy scenes incorporated. Especially liked the way they portrayed the fighting of the warriors Zhao Yun *so bergaya!* and Guan Yu *ok, his was a bit draggy*. Well, as expected of John Woo ^_^

Screenplay was actually good. My favourite scenes included the part where the battalion knelt uncommanded and the way Cao Cao was introduced during the opening scenes at the Han royal court. Of course, there were some usual cliche scenes of communicating through music, hunting tigers as metaphors, and stubborn misbehaving princesses but then again, they need to cater to Western audiences who haven't seen enough good ones to get bored yet.

The casting was a bit wanting for me. I supposed I still can't get over the fact that the out-of-place looking guy leading the army is actually Tony Leung o.O *apparently he was originally chosen for Zhuge Liang, which would be much more apt - but Takeshi Kaneshiro isn't bad (albeit trying to smile knowingly all too often)* And that was supposed to be one of the most beautiful women?

Still, a rather impressive movie overall, and I haven't seen one in a long time.
*makes me wish once again that I can read the originals in Chinese*


Can't wait for Part 2 :)


Makes me wonder how are they gonna condense the whole thing into just 1 movie for release outside Asia. Hope the final thing will still end up as good though.



Re-watched certain parts of it, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep around 7pm. Forced myself awake after 8, lest a nap like that ruin the rest of the night's sleep.





Then again, that's the best bit of sleep I've gotten in a long time...

Hairspray

Last Mon, I sat for the paper again.


And I know I failed it.
*you don't have to wait more than a month for results to confirm what one knows best about oneself*


You know, I never learn.


It's always too late.


Nothing one can do now but accept the fact and enjoy my last days here *estimate I'll still be hanging around London 'til Feb before I had to pack my bags and kick my sorry ass back to KL*, with the axe hovering above for most of it until the results are out.



Which brings my attention to the fact that I haven't done anything at all, after being here 1 year and a half. Man, this is gonna be a long long list of things I need to do before end of Feb. And no more holidays to boot apart from Christmas.



Sigh.



Anyway, went to see Hairspray last week when CE got a couple of tickets from work. I've only heard about the movie so far *the one with John Travolta cross-dressing* and decided not to check out the synopsis to avoid spoiling it.

Which was kinda a mistake, since it's hard to make out every word they're singing when you don't already know the rough storyline beforehand. Overall, it wasn't that bad. Think the best thing going for it is the funny parts, mainly provided by the mother and played by a guy. Other than that, the set and props were minimal and the dance moves were a tad disappointing. It's a bit hard to believe the heroine's supposed to be on a dance tv show when the choreography *if any effort was involved* was lacking and the dancing sequences mediocre at best. Maybe it's to fit the early '60s setting and not stress the singers much?

At the end of it, it's smart that they end with a song which they can encourage the audience to stand up, for it inadvertantly provided an impromptu standing ovation. But not catchy enough, as I was already struggling to remember any of the songs from the musical on my walk home alone.



Fame was definitely better.

... meals 'n' shows ...

Had my first work meal ever last Wed. Says just about everything when after working for more than 1½ years, the first so-called reward I ever had was because of a short job organised by another department.


So much for mine.


The meal and food was ok, at a small restaurant near the office. Majority arrived late as they went for drinks beforehand. Both the starter and the dessert was nothing like what I expected from its description, and the best dish was the main course of roast cod *how can one roast fish? grill is more like it...*

Yesterday, went to La Tasca as we celebrated YG's birthday early. Got lost a bit even though it was within walking distance of my place, mainly because I didn't know that there were 2 La Tasca's in the area. Anyway, turned out that I wasn't the latest :p Food wasn't that good (chicken was definitely over-salted), but think it's because it's the party menu. Best thing was the sangria which someone ordered 2 jugs of, and looks like some kind of fruit drink with a very mild taste of alcohol *turned out to be very expensive*.



What with the resit costs and all, one would think I should stop overspending this much. Didn't even feel a bit guilty for all that shopping after work on Thurs. Well, I had to get a birthday gift after all and they were having early Christmas promos with 20% off here and there ^_^ But really, I should stop spending...
*did I mention that I also bought 5 balls of yarn for 2 knitting experiments?*



Other than that, nothing much been happening. And I literally mean nothing, didn't do any studying at all... Instead, been watching a couple of TVB shows that I had taken note of earlier.


Been waiting since early this year to watch The Four, so finished that soon after being back. Pretty good overall, especially since there's Raymond Lam *he's best in costume epics ^_^*, and Kenneth Ma really had the chance to shine here *although Selena Li was also very good, and Kate Tsui was unexpectedly not-so-annoying in her first costume show*.


When A Dog Loves A Cat was next, which was Gallen Lo's comeback show. An entertaining watch overall, but got a bit ridiculous in the 2nd half. Still, it was probably scripted entirely for Gallen, his character being written as though they were going all out for Best Actor award. Seriously, he went through fussy-blunt-stubborn-man-with-a-sad-past-but-comedic-and-quietly-helping-while-watching-over-heroine-then-terminally-ill-angry-desperate-accepting-hiding-his-feelings-and-even-pretending-to-be-dead-running-away-and-finally-dead, all in just 20 episodes o.O Best thing was, the dog and cat were so cute!
*yes, even the cat was cute*


Then I finally completed Safe Guards, another one which I've been wanting to see since it got such rave reviews back in 2006. And now I understand why ^_^ In fact, it's actually a better show than La Femme Desperado (which won Best Drama for that year), well worth watching. The cast has loads of talented more senior kelefes with big roles all around and *unusually for TVB* only 1 main heroine *Elaine Yiu is good, much better than some other new actresses and definitely loads less irritating than Fala Chen or Kate Tsui - too bad TVB doesn't seem to be promoting her anytime soon*. On top of that, the plot is really well-written and I suppose the worst thing I can comment on is Chris Lai's character (which could as well have been non-existent and the show can still go on - yet he was included a fair bit in the clips).

My favourite bit was where upon hearing the good news that their venture had finally succeeded after all the trials and tribulations, the hero disappeared while everyone was celebrating and later found to be kneeling in front of the ancestors, quietly crying. 'Tis not often one sees such a well-written scene, meaningful even without any dialogue.




Oh well, there goes another week.



Probably the only productive thing I did since coming back is to clear out the foodstuff from my luggage and put it away nicely, 3 weeks ago.

...cupboard full of goodies...

Small sense of accomplishment, but slight satisfaction nevertheless.

... it's a small world ...

The world is your oyster...





Been a pretty busy week. Meeting up with people after work and for dinner, seeing everyone *the few people I know here in UK can be done in less than 5 dinners* since I came back. If I do fail the resit, at least I've met with everyone....


Other than Cha Cha Moon, tried another couple of new restaurants which had good food overall - Ten Ten Tei on Wed *pretty hard to find, bit pricy for its setting* and Korean Kitchen on Fri *nice big portions for its price*. So am staying in the whole day today, to give my wallet a well-deserved rest.

Edit: By the way, DX pointed out to me the new location of the Malaysian Kopitiam, originally thought to have disappeared for good (last I saw it, the place was wholly taken over by the handphone shop with just the restaurant's name left on the glass window) but which has now resurfaced at a different spot around Chinatown. And it had the nerve to display a huge Malaysian flag on its banner o.O See how long it will last this time. The saga continues...



Did I mentioned that it's a small world?



Coincidences have never been a big thing in my life, seeing as I don't know that many people in the first place to pass that lonely planet 6 degrees of separation thingy. But when I was back in KL, had a spot of trouble with finding a good dentist and I ended up trying one which my relatives mentioned *with slight sniggerings, as though there's an inside joke o.O*.


The dentist turned out to be an avid Christian, has a son doing accountancy and working with a big 4.

Who also happened to be currently working in London.

And as it was, he turned out to be an ex-colleague of mine.

*the son, I mean*


Major coincidence? Not only were we in the same peer group *albeit, never actually working together on a job*, we left at differing times and somehow both ended up in London. In fact, I had nearly forgotten who he was and had to use the entire visit at the dentist's to jog my memory.


Oh, and there's a 2nd son also in London, who lost his job from the recent US financial crisis, got an immediate offer for a new job in a couple of days, and was contemplating another 2 more job offers within the same week.

Really, I kid not. Sigh, to reach a point in life where one gets 3 job offers right after one is retrenched. During a recession, what's more. And apparently, he's only been working a year plus, fresh out of college. Here I am, facing nothing more but a resit...


Yup, all this info, during the first visit, just to get an idea of the fillings I need.


By the 2nd visit (to actually get the fillings done), the dentist asked me to pass a book to his son *which costs only £3 (but I supposed, nothing equivalent to having it crossing seas to reach you from the hands of your parents) -_- plus a few booklets of Christian teachings for yours truly (somehow, I must have the 'come-forth-and-convert-me-into-a-Christian' look)*, which I finally did last Thurs.



Never truly realised how small this world can be.





... but the pearl is never me.

Cha Cha Moon

Since I've been back *and that's like, what, 3 weeks only?*, at least 4 different people have mentioned this new restaurant to me.


Well, I finally got to try it today together with DX, who's also going for the first time on someone's recommendation.


If she wasn't with me, I would never have found the place so easily on my own. Not only was it tucked away in the middle of some buildings, its sign was hardly recognisable and looks more like Y Y moon to me.

The setting was a bit like Wagamama's but with narrower aisles, nicer lighting, and less stuffy. Servers were in casual purple t-shirts and service was so efficient that one feels rushed. Well, at £3.50 per dish *^_^* turnover's got to be fast. Portions are reasonable for that kind of price and they do get their profits from the price of drinks anyway.

We tried some jasmine tea smoked chicken with roe noodles *which is like roast supermarket chicken noodle and can only taste the roe bit*, the fujian udon *which surprisingly, isn't that bad for Hokkien mee outside M'sia*, and some guotie *which was quite nice, but not as worth it as the other main dishes since they're all priced the same*.

It seems really popular among Asians and non-Asians alike, judging from the crowd that's there, most likely because it's relatively new and dshes are cheap. Along with the way the tables are placed, it looks quite noisy - but it wasn't that much harder to make oneself heard once seated.


Overall, it's quite a nice place what with the food being so affordable. Not to mention that the coat guy at the entrance was overly dressed up in an all black suit, looking more like a bouncer and adding a somewhat classier feel to the place.



Oh, and both of us agreed that the owner could be Singaporean - based on the fact that 'Singaporean' was the only nation credited in the names of dishes and also that the receipt stated 'M'sian fujian' although the menu clearly chose to omit that fact...



At least now there's a place to go for bearable Hokkien mee :)





p/s: The owner is apparently from HK =( but still think that he has definitely got some sort of Singaporean influence...

Carluccio's

Yup. Went to Carluccio's again.


This time, at Covent Garden instead. And to celebrate CE getting her top choice job, it's her treat ^_^ *thanks!*



First things first, the decor at Covent Garden seems slightly better as it was more of a restaurant feel, while the one at Brunswick Centre was more the minimal fuss open-air-sidewalk thing.
*actually, CE's been wanting to try the Carluccio's at Brunswick since seeing their setting and delicious-looking deli, and I've been having some craving for pasta for a while*


Ordered pasta again :p Well, the pasta's supposed to be really good - everything else doesn't sound filling enough, not to mention more expensive. Tried the spaghetti this time *the Brunswick one looked slightly better* and CE ordered their special penne *the Brunswick one tasted slightly better*. Maybe it was the larger sized penne and spinach balls, but the portions here definitely appear larger than the other Carluccio's I tried.

...penne giardiniera 'n' spaghetti alle vongole in bianco...

But the pastry selections were kinda pathetic *or maybe Sunday night isn't the best time to visit their deli*, so we ended up with gelati ice cream *menu said it's 'traditionally' made with 'intense flavours' but the strawberry one I got tasted like normal ice cream -_-* and tiramisu *because they have to make this on the spot and not just grab one of those lonely tarts on display down at the deli*. I must say, the pastry / dessert selection at the Brunswick one did look a lot more scrumptious.

...gelati ice cream 'n' tiramisu...

Needless to say, we were pretty stuffed even without the focaccia as a starter which the waiter forgot to bring, and the windy walk home was rather necessary to feel less bloated.



Oh, and CE tried this tiny expresso cup of chocolate as her drink, which was really thick and really really good.

...cioccolata fiorentina...

... rhythm 'n' keys 2.0 ...

Saw this cute *albeit slightly fat* minipod player the other day on EL's blog...




And here I thought, finally, a playlist with controls that doesn't look half bad :) So been spending some time searching and adding songs, and here it is - a playlist that you can stop / navigate anytime you want.


*of course, it's still a very limited and low quality list =( do let me know if any songs are cut off!*


Any suggestions?




Updated as of 5 July 2008:

• pearlcolor ni yurete
• i will
• kesenai tsumi
• melissa
• bratja
• shell
• alumina
• the world
• mirai no eve
• koufuku no zouhei
• your place
• solitude by the window
• romance
• kirei no kanjou
• little wing
• itsumo gawa ni
• tsumetai yoru
• kanau nara
• mata ashita
• fukisusabu kaze no naka de
• don't look back again
• wild rock
• mistumeteitai
• id
• tightrope
• still time
• open up your mind
• alone
• kimi ni fuku kaze
• sore ga ai deshou
• karenai hana
• arekara
• kimi no yume
• soredemo, aitsu to
• shizuku
• last piece
• one (day-break)
• cross my heart
• scarlet
• apostle
• apologize
• memory
• adieu
• words that we couldn't say
• gravity
• rinne no hate ni
• you are my love
• wind
• lonely in gorgeous
• no junjou na kanjou
• half
• it's gonna rain
• starless
• departure
• kodoku no kakera
• uchuu
• ye qu
• qing tian
• leslie cheung
• ru guo ai
• in the mood for love
• 2046
• love letter to myself
• i don't love
• winter sonata
• i was born to love you
• when she loved me
• once upon a december
• cosy in the rocket
• one (magnolia)
• when you say nothing at all
• more than words
• words
• how deep is your love
• sleeping child
• where is the love
• heal the world
• change the world
• tears in heaven
• to where you are
• someplace good
• born
• you were meant for me
• selfish
• complicated
• my happy ending
• so yesterday
• the day you went away
• fallin'
• emotions
• hero
• i will always love you
• we will rock you

... currently on jukebox.