Love Exchange

The Cast/Characters - 4/5

Michael Miu as Yiu Lap Tin 饒立天 (Mike)
Anita Yuen as Sit Tze Yiu 薛子瑤 (Zita)
Crystal Tin as Ching Ngo Yee 程傲兒 (Jackie)
Power Chan as Tsui Yuet Yu 徐若愚 (Anson)
Tracy Yip as Tung Sze Ting 董詩婷 (Sophie)
Mandy Cho as Yu Siu Long 佘小龍 (Nikita)
Wilson Tsui as Kam Sum 金森

Even though the members of the cast are not high profile and I am not too familiar with them, I think they were well chosen. The chemistry between Mike and Zita built quickly and though it wasn't romantic or anything, it was quite funny to see them. The comedy between all the characters helped to relieve the seriousness and the intensity of the subject. Perhaps the acting skills of the newer actors/actresses could have been better.

The Story - 4/5

The theme of this series is 'love affairs' and this theme affects much of the story, even the small side ones. I usually don't like it when affairs happen in series, but this series adds an interesting twist to it. The story was fairly confusing at first, I think I had to re-watch the first episode to be sure of what was going on. The audience is immediately thrown into this mysterious death of Dick and Bonnie which appears to be suicide. Clues lead Mike and Zita closer and closer to the truth. Some clues lead to false conclusions and when we as the audience and the characters begin to accept that as the truth, another piece of evidence comes up and pushes everything back to square one. The series was really a game and it kept me guessing what the truth is. Of course this type of story is extremely hypothetical, but it was none the less entertaining.

The Ending - 4/5

I see this series on very close terms with The Brink of Law where the mystery isn't revealed until the very end and I mean the very end. Near the end of the series, when it was determined that Dick and Bonnie were definitely murdered, I had guessed it was Jackie because I had guessed that she had an affair with Dick (and from their dialogue, Anson wasn't aware of it) and when Dick tried to leave her, she killed him so that nobody could have him if she couldn't. I didn't think it was Anson because I thought he was all about the money and power and wouldn't risk himself when he would eventually get the big corporation anyways. Then the evidence of 'black money' was found on the SD card and Anson became the most suspicious. It was obvious that Jackie was injured by Anson when the news broke out. Anson was the first to admit that he was the one who murdered Dick and Bonnie, kind of like Michelle Yim in Brink of Law. At first I wasn't sure if Anson died, but I guess he did cut his own throat and committed suicide. When we thought the mystery was completely solved, we then find out that it was Jackie who committed the final act. She failed to save them and shut the car door on them and let suffocate. She was arrested but like Mike, I really don't know what to feel about it. She went through a lot and she knows what she did was very wrong, but she should still receive penalty and lose her best friend Zita. As for Mike and Zita's relationship, they were right, no one is able to differentiate whether it is a love relationship or a companion. Giving each other some time, 2 years in Vietnam, was a good idea so that they could have time to forget about Dick and Bonnie. I just wished that they could spare a couple of minutes and do a '2 years later scene'.

Overall - 4/5

Mac PhotoBooth

Images taken with PhotoBooth effects...(from top to bottom) Pop Art, Coloured Pencil, Comic, and Glow.

The Four

Well, summer is quickly coming to an end and I still didn't have the time to watch the Four, so I decided to convert it into an audiobook and play it on my iPod during work. I finished listening to the series in about 2.5 days and it is time to rate it.

The Cast/Characters - 4/5

The Constables ---- Raymond Lam, Kenneth Ma, Ron Ng, Sammul Chan
Other notable cast members ----- Selena Li, Kate Tsui, Dominic Lam

Of course I knew which actors played the four constables but I was surprised that I was able to make out even the voices of the supporting and small roles as well. The only two voices I didn't recognize was Kenneth's Sister and the daughter of the 'evil' martial artist who was killed by his own son. I can't comment too much on the acting, as almost everything was based on just vocals.

Each constable had his own unique character and I thought they pretty well played/casted and complemented each other way. The four made up for each others short comings. They went from being strangers to buddies, although the focus of the transition was written into Raymond's Character. That didn't bother me too much because I'm a fan of him. After Raymond, I would say Kenneth's character was the next biggest, in terms of character development. Sammul and Ron's roles were somewhat boring in comparison. I adored Selena's character and Kate had played a bitter-sweet character. It was definitely better than her character in Moonlight Resonance. I don't hate her but compared to Selena, I prefer Selena. I watched some parts in video format and the ladies outfits were good looking and made even Kate (who hasn't always been the prettiest Miss HK) beautiful. As a side note, there were no TRIANGLE relationships in this series!

The Story - 3.75/5

The series is an ancient series which I'm not that big of a fan of, however, this series was better written than I expected. The pace was just right, though the story did sort of see-saw back and forth near the end. The tone was neither too serious to the point of boredom and it wasn't too goofy or superstitious. The comedy came out of the character and not out of the dialogue. It was nothing too outstanding but it kept me entertained at work. On the other hand, there were really no surprises. I wasn't shocked when Kate was the spy, it was leaked and I knew it was coming. The storyline was fairly predictable.

The Ending - 2.5/5

First of all, the fight scene was fairly short lived and ended without too much excitement. It also lacked the grandeur of say War and Beauty. The antagonist was dead not even half way into the last episode. The remaining time was spent tying in the loose ends of the relationships which could've been a good thing. It would've just meant that they wanted to emphasize romance over slaughtering. However, I was very displeased with the way everything ended, NO BODY ended up with the one they loved. Selena finally regained her vision but decided to return to head the martial arts academy rather than marrying Kenneth. Kenneth's sister left to go somewhere to learn a craft or something and left Sammul who never liked to marry and be bound but I think he was just 'saying that'. Ron's admirer became a nun when it was clear that Ron had developed feelings for her but was reluctant to say something to stop her. Raymond finally found Kate, and she was still alive but just let her leave him without anything else. If they wanted to emphasize the importance of relationships and romance, I think the constables should have given up their jobs and live as ordinary citizens for the rest of their lives with their loved ones. The very last scene implies that the four constables die in the fight against the Mongols in attempt to protect Southern Sung. This ending makes the series feel like it was all for nothing, nobody gets a happily ever after and the constables die, the only thing they did right somewhat was to stay true to history...

Overall - 3.4/5

Under the Canopy of Love

I finished Under the Canopy of Love today at work, 10 episodes a day. When I watched it a couple of years ago, I didn't rate series as carefully as I do now. I have somewhat of a rubric, Cast (includes acting), Characters, Story, and Ending, to say the least. Sometimes there will be additional areas that are specific to the series.

Cast/Characters - 4/5

Kevin Cheng --- Alan

Niki Chow ------ Si

Bosco Wong ---- Nick

The cast is very very similar to The Seventh Day. Kevin, Niki, Bosco, and even Natalie are on my preferred list of actors and actresses. Much like the Seventh Day, Bosco and Kevin have opposite characteristics and their roles are somewhat reversed. Initially, Kevin (like Bosco initially in the Seventh Day) valued fortune and power as important as Si. He believed in connections and wanted to become wealthy. Bosco is an ambition-less, loyal friend and lover who is happy with whatever he has. Niki in UTCOL is pretty close to The Seventh Day. She is innocent and unlike her older sister doesn't value wealth when choosing her boyfriend. After seeing the perfect chemistry between Kevin and Niki in the Seventh Day, the chemistry here is still strong but inferior to the Seventh Day. The way the actors/actresses behave around one another is stiffer and more restricted.

Story - 4/5

The story is romantic but rather simple and lacks an on going development between the characters. The story is less focused than the Seventh Day because there is a quartet relationship between Karen, Alan, Nick, and Si. In addition, there are the relationships of Si's sisters with Martin and that rich photographer. It really depends what you are after, UTCOL provides a variety of love stories while The Seventh Day explores two extreme relationships in depth from beginning, middle to end. We are able to see the changes that occur within for each other in the Seventh Day. I prefer depth a little more, but that is just a personal preference. Having said that, New Breath of Love was more successful than UTCOL, satisfying both worlds because the story includes four relationships but still emphasizes Tsui Hoi (Raymond) and Jing Wei (Tammy)'s relationship.

Ending - 4/5

The ending was a happy one, and like New Breath of Love, it was suspenseful up until the last minute. When it ended, it left me wanting more, a feeling that isn't always good because it feels like the story hasn't ended yet though the movie has, or the movie has ended in a rush. The ending of the Seventh Day was predictable and inevitable but still the script writers threw in a couple nice finishing touches and brought the story to a COMPLETE end. Another pet-peeve that I have is Si's decision to accept Nick's adoration even though she knew that she did not love him. Sure at first she thought that Alan chose Karen and she felt sorry for rejecting him but after realizing that she did not have that same feeling as she did with Alan, she should have told him that it be best they remain as friends. Si was really using Nick to try to forget Alan, as a lifeboat. Over time, Nick's affection towards Si increased until he could not live without her which led to the events leading up to the ending.

Overall - 4/5

The Seventh Day VS Under the Canopy of Love

I got tired of listening to music at work so I've been listening to series' recently on my iPod. Of course, they were meant to be viewed and not solely listened to, but because I have seen the series before, I can picture exactly what is happening. Last week, I've listened from start to end, New Breath of Love and The Seventh Day. This week I'm starting Under the Canopy of Love. It's been a couple of years since I saw it. It was produced in 2006 (my friend was watching it in Chinese School in Grade 12) but I probably saw it on TV in spring 2007. I remember the storyline but I don't remember many of the details. As I'm listening to Under the Canopy of Love, I've noticed interesting things between it and The Seventh Day.

• UTCOL is narrated by Kevin while 7th Day is narrated by Niki - both tell the story from their point of view and their views of life.
  
• Kevin loses his PDA in UTCOL and Jack takes his cell phone in 7th Day. Niki finds Kevin's lost possession in both series and returns it to him.
• Niki initially avoids Kevin in both series. In UTCOL, the tarot card tells Niki that she will put Kevin in danger. In 7th Day, Niki mistakes Kevin as a gang member/pimp.

Kevin and Niki date earlier and earlier in the series. In their first collaboration, Hard Fate, I remember Kevin falling for Flora Chan :S initially and dates Niki in the latter part of the series. In UTCOL, Kevin and Niki begin when Vivian finally let's go of Kevin after being rejected by him. In episode 8, they begin by chatting on the phone and by playing the violin in the park. In episode 9, he asks her out. Finally, in the 7th Day, there is no guessing, virtually no time is wasted and they immediately fall deeply in love for one another by episode 5. The reason why I like The Seventh Day the best is because a lot of time was devoted to Kevin and Niki specifically after they fall for each other. At first everyone saw them as people from two different worlds encountering many problems but it was love that brought them stronger together. They trusted each other, changed for one another and overcame obstacles. This never happened in UTCOL, which was a VERY TYPICAL TVB triangle relationship.

In some ways I can see The 7th Day as a prequel to UTCOL. I can see Hai Yu in UTCOL as Kevin in 7th Day because they are single fathers. Niki in UTCOL plays the baby daughter of herself in 7th Day. Plus, Niki in 7th Day hoped that her daughter would find someone as good as her dad as her boyfriend/husband. Then in UTCOL, Ha Yu made the comment of how much Niki acted like her mother when she was playing the violin. Of course NOT all the details work out, especially the siblings, but the two series are related nonetheless.

Passport and Credit Card Came

Today's mail was all for me! I got an Xpresspost envelope and I couldn't even think of what it could possibly be, well 'passport' certainly didn't come to mind. It arrived earlier than I expected. It could have taken up to 10 business days, which would be this Thursday but it arrived 3 days early! Also my Sears Mastercard arrived. I applied last weekend in order to save $10 off our purchase. I don't know what the credit limit is but it'll say on the statement when it comes.

61 x 57

This is the book 61 x 57 by Wang Wen Hua 王文華 that New Breath of Love 愛情新呼吸 (AKA Love Multiplication) was based on. Too bad it is only available in simplified Chinese or else it would be cool to compare the book to the series remake. It is selling on Amazon.cn (China's Amazon Store) for only ¥17.20 which works out to be $2.72 CDN. That is super cheap, but I wonder how much is shipping and handling to get it across the Pacific Ocean? Even translated American novels such as the Twilight Series is extremely cheap, the books sell for less than $5 CDN.

Burning Flame 3 - Post-Ending Thoughts

The Cast and Characters - 4/5
Kevin Cheng --- Rex
Wong Hei ------ Sing
Bosco Wong ---- Encore
Myolie Wu ------ Ying
Aimee Chan ---- Easy

Well there are five main characters and so each character/cast is worth 1 point. I really have no complaints on the characters Rex and Ying. I thought they were well written and played well...so 1/1 for each! Easy and Encore's pairing was really interesting and entertaining until they got married and I found their arguments revolving the baby a bit draggy. It was just a pacing problem...it just seemed like the script writer just ran out of ideas and their story would have better fit a 25 episode series. Therefore, I give them each 0.75/1. Finally, Sing's character is the character that I'm on the fence about. Generally he is a loyal, faithful, strong and positive one because of his persistence, but his persistence also brings harm upon himself and others around him and it got annoying after a while, so I'm going leave it at 0.5/1....1+1+0.75+0.75+0.5=4

The Story - 3.75/5
I don't really remember the story or characters of part one (1998) at all besides the presence of Wong Hei because he's in all three. After doing research, Esther Kwan and Louis Koo were also in it. I remember a bit more in the second one (2002), I remember Wong Hei, Maggie Cheung and Kevin Cheng. Though it was Kevin's debut/comeback series and he had a very small role, he was sort of the villain and the older brother of Wong Hei. Wong Hei's girlfriend was Maggie and he also had a daughter. I remember that in the end, Wong Hei dies in the fire and Maggie takes care of his daughter for him...

I don't remember very much about the other two installments so I'm not going to compare BF3 to them. I'm glad they kept the series at this length of 32 episodes, it was long enough to cover the prologue, build up, climax, and follow through. It is the shortest of the Burning Flame series (though none really relate), the others were 43(I) and 35(II) episodes, but it was a bit draggy at times. A lot of the screen time was spent on the complex (triangle) relationships between the characters giving it a proper development and follow through. However, I wished they could have emphasized something else in addition to just the love/romance, I would have liked it more if they kept the romance part simpler and gave the screen time to the fire fighting. I don't mind strictly romance series if there's a lot of chemistry, but I don't think anything can top Kevin/Niki and that is what made The Seventh Day work for me.

The Ending - 4.5/5
Well it turned out to be another classic TVB ending! I'm really glad they got the messed up relationships figured out earlier on in the 31st episode because I was pretty annoyed by the 30th episode at how things developed. It was nice to see Sing finally see through and repair relationships. I was quite surprised that Rex, Ying and Sing found each other so easily at the airport. The fact that Rex left his phone at home sort of foreshadowed that he wasn't going to be able to catch up with Ying. I thought she was going to fly away to China and maybe come back after or during the final blaze. Usually, there is at least a chase inside the airport, but I'm glad they quickly jumped to the main course without the appetizer(s).

Easy and Encore were able to get back together with the help of Sing. He staged an event to allow Encore to see inside Easy's heart. He used 8 restrictions to remind Easy of what Encore has given her, in particular, family. Aside from resolving the misunderstanding, Sing made them both realize their own wrongs. Being able to find 'Ka-poon' (the dog that Easy caused Encore to lose) again was sweet and nicely finished their story. The other pair, Mun (Rex's sister) and Lam (Ying's brother) was entertaining and funny too. I've noticed that they've collaborated several time already, either as couples or siblings in A Journey Called Life and Speech of Silence, the pair does have some chemistry.

There were a lot of false foreshadows in the last two episodes. First Rex's phone, but then after everything seemed to be settled, Sing's actions (will, bank account, getting up a night, and buying a home for his father) and things he said (a firefighter should die in a fire) sort of implied that he was still suicidal. This gave me second thoughts about him, but I'm glad he wasn't and it was just a misunderstanding. I really thought Sing was going to drown or die in the blaze just like in BF2, but I was so happy and emotionally touched when he regained his conscience, I was right there with the rest of them during that scene. I'm so glad that he finally accepted June after seeing flashbacks of her before becoming unconscious, which officially made it clear that he has moved on.

Overall - 4.1/5

Burning Flames 3 - Pre-Ending Thoughts

Okay so after watching BF3 for more than a month...everything has been okay...I find Encore (Bosco Wong) and Easy (Aimee Chan) kind of enjoyable and funny to watch. Easy is not your average girl, she's an orphan and grew up alone so she is tough and violent. Encore grew up in a sheltered and protected environment so it took him some time to find his lifelong goal. I liked Dexter the dog, too bad he's seemed to have disappeared. A lot of time was spent on character development in this series, and I appreciate that because it shows the why and how a person came to be. The problem between Ah Sing (Wong He) and Ah Ying (Myolie Wu) was evident from the beginning and I liked how Rex (Kevin Cheng) and Ying got together after Sing fell into a coma. Their 'love song' was just a bit too heavily promoted in this series, lol. I appreciate Rex's 'ye hay' to cover up for Sing's mistake and how he stood up for his sister against Pang Sir. Everything was going really well UNTIL...Sing woke up...

I did want him to wake up of course, I didn't want him to just die. However, before the accident, I thought he had already 'accepted' the fact that Ying had left him...I understand the amnesia part of his recovery but the car chase which lead to the amputation of his right leg was a little over board. YET, EVEN AFTER that he still HAS NOT given up on the girl. I know that he's supposed to be the persistent and stubborn one, but sorry it is getting to point where I find his character down right ANNOYING! Willing to try to change himself initially for Ying before they officially broke was what anyone would do, but trying to take your own life because of this girl who doesn't like you anymore is kind of mental and retarded. Give up Ying and go for June already and quit being such a baby sore loser! (I wasn't this pissed at Sing until I started writing this)...At this point, he has caused Rex and Ying to break up and cancel their marriage but he thinks it is Rex's fault and his irresponsibility. I think that Rex and Ying are 'over-reacting' to the situation. Ying is over-reacting to Sing's depression by post-poning their marriage and Rex is over-reacting to her request by breaking up with her....I don't see the point...

Back to Encore and Easy, their baby-sitting situation has gone too far...perhaps their story should have ended a few episodes ago. It been a few episodes and their problem has still not yet been resolved...it is getting annoying. Encore's 'big-man' character really came out of nowhere and has me scratching my head. I think he should show more understanding towards Easy's determination in becoming a CID because he was once asked to quit being a firefighter by his own mother but he persisted. At this point, they've both signed the separation agreement...

I know that tomorrow is the 2 hour finale and all, but TVB is setting themselves up for the finale while wiping out what it had built over the first 29 episodes. It better be good because what is happening now is ruining the series in my opinion...

Burning Flames 3

Well I'm watching episode 25 and now I'm finally caught up with the series airing in Hong Kong. The series is picking up and will end next Saturday with a 2 episode finale. I've noticed some similarities between the casting of BF3 and the Seventh Day. It could be because both series were produced by the same producer, Amy Wong. She also produced the first two Burning Flame series. Since BF2 was Kevin's first series, she clearly 'discovered' him and gave him his first major role in Hard Fate. With the exception of My Family 甜孫爺爺, all her series produced after Hard Fate included Kevin. Aside from casting Kevin and Bosco, others such as Elaine Yiu (Niki's cousin in 7th Day is now Kevin's sister in BF3), Bosco's 2 buddies in 7th day are firemen, and Kevin's buddy in the 7th Day is another fireman.

Passport Application Submitted

I finally got around to submitting the damn forms this afternoon after work! It was not as bad as I thought it would be. There was virtually no line-up, parking was fairly easy (for my mom). I've re-directed many to 433 Main Street, the Civic credit union building, but this time I was going there. I saw the same Public Works calendar I have and I probably would've said something IF I was still @ CBSA. I should get it in 10 business days (hopefully).

New Car

After spending the weekend looking at some new Honda Civics over the weekend we sat down with a sales associate yesterday for the entire evening. We went for a few test drives, an auto and a manual. I test drove the exact car (graphite w/ sunroof) that we were interested in on Sunday, and we were the first, technically the sales associate was the first driver. Then, he showed me the basics of driving 'stick' and off we went. LOL that was a JOKE, I stalled the car half a dozen times...yea, it is a little more work than I expected. I couldn't get the clutch to release slowly, it seemed stiff and I had to train my left foot, it was like learning how to drive again. After our test drives...we tried to sit down to talk about pricing...but they increased the price rather than reducing it and they were pretty far from the MSRP and were quite firm. Nine o'clock came around and it was time shut the place down...

Today my dad went to another dealership and talked them into a deal that is less than the MSRP! Compared to the other dealership, we're saving $20 per month and compared to the MSRP, we are saving almost $10 per month. He did the paperwork right away and we can expect the car in about 4 days...wow this happened really fast. The decision really only came Saturday...I mean we've been thinking and debated, new versus old, for a while but the decision to buy new only came a few days ago. If I was still unemployed, I would not be so comfortable buying a car just in case I needed more money for school...but I should be fine now.

August Already?

It feels like July 3rd still and not August 3rd...July came and gone without too much excitement...I had the trip to be excited for in May and June. To say the least, the worst part of July was the weather! The best parts were Twilight and my employment! Good thing that both those things kept me inside for much of the day.

It's the end of the long weekend...once again it wasn't long enough...I spent some time catching up on Burning Flames 3 and my dad seems to serious about getting a car this time. We've looked @ some new Civic's over the weekend. The deal is that I'll make the remaining payments when I graduate, but while I'm in school for the next year, my parents will run it. I've warned them that I may continue schooling onto masters (I still don't know yet). It all depends on what is out there and how this next school year goes. I think the plan is still to make the effort to buy it tomorrow. This is all happening really fast. The model I'm interested in is the SPORT model with sunroof and alloy wheels. The DX-G model is more economical but the black door handles and alloy wheels aren't appealing. As for transmission, I'm tempted to buy a manual...but considering that there may be problems with other drivers in the house since no one has experience with the stick except my dad (but it's been years). manual does save gas and $1200 up front, but one wrong move could get you to the repair shop and it may be difficult to install a remote starter.

I watched Twilight over again on Saturday. I saw it once with the commentary and then again in full. The commentary and extended scenes did help me to alleviate the disappointments I had earlier but not all of them. I still can't get over the first few scenes when they first met. After they got together, I thought the movie was very good. I imagined the school to be made up of several separate units that were like trailers, one for each class and students had to walk outside between classes. I thought of it to be very shanty looking. I dunno, I guess there was so much more room for creativity when reading and when something in the movie didn't turn out to be how I imagined it to be, I got disappointed. I'm beginning to appreciate reading more than I used to, that is why I want to read more this summer.

I've also cleared out much of my hard drive, I now have about 108 GB of free space rather than the 50 GB I had earlier. I was hoping to speed up my mac, in particular the boot up speed. Though it is still pretty fast to start up, takes about a minute or two, it is much slower than when I first got it. It started up at under 30 sec, now the cog wheel seems to spin forever, lol. It looks like freeing up harddrive space isn't helping too much. I looked on Apple Support and I've tried a few things but nothing has really solved the problem. There are three more solutions that I haven't tried, two of them involve reinstalling the OSX. I think it may be something to do that because my system and apps folders amount to almost 30 GB. I think there is something wrong with them....because an OS should not take up 20 GB of space. Maybe I'll send a quick email to a friend and compare them. My apps folder is almost 10 GB...I really don't have that much installed...I think CS3 is the largest because it was several DVDs to install. If I reinstall my OS, one way would preserve my user files but I would still have to reinstall the programs and the other would clear everything and start again. The third solution is really a theory...that is that the 'non-apple' RAM isn't quite compatible or isn't functioning properly...I don't know what it is but I hope it isn't that. Besides the capacity, the specs between the old and new ram of my mac is virtually the same. On the Windows side, the VMWare files are quite big...I still can't figure out why the C drive is 14 GB big when I don't have much installed or docs. I think when I add all the folders in the drive, it only amounts to 9 GB. Of course the VMWare file is 18 GB. I've already removed the System Restore points and still nothing. I could try to create a new OS, I'm only afraid that AUTOCAD won't let me reinstall it...I shouldn't have downloaded it this early...I still haven't decided on whether or not to buy added warranty for this macbook pro...it's like $350...for two more years...I dunno...

I've finally completed my passport application forms...I kept on putting it off since April and now it's getting down to the wire. Well, August is here, only a month left. Here is what I still want to accomplish with my remaining summer time.

• Read Gulliver's Travels
• Read Madame Bovary
• Read/Buy Asterios Polyp
• Watch Burning Flames 3 (on episode 18)
  
• Watch It Started with a Kiss (on episode 7)