薄荷绿茶

Friday, July 27, 2007

27th July 2007 Friday

Promised not to be a spoiler when it comes to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but I guess it wouldn't hurt to quote a paragraph from that book that I loved very very much. And I guess it kind of made me like Luna Lovegood even better:-

Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same: Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be fine golden chains wove around the pictures, linking them together but after examining them for a minute or so, Harry realised that the chains were actually one word, repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends ... friends ... friends ...

27th July 2007 Friday

Have you ever looked back at the one thing or that someone that you thought you couldn't live without? Have you ever looked back and come to realise that perhaps nothing and no one is indispensable? How the world continues to spin without that one thing or that someone? How you continued to breathe breath after breath even though you were once sure that you would die from losing the thing or that someone? Have you ever looked back and realise that hurt like all things diminish with the one thing called time? And how memories are less everlasting than you once thought and would have loved it to be?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

24th July 2007 Tuesday

Just did two wonderful things over the past two weeks. Finished watching a brilliant Japanese serial drama during the last week and finished reading the last instalment of the Harry Potter series half an hour ago. Both are brilliant but I would not say anything about the book here just in case you (if any of you are around here) are in the midst of reading it and it becomes a spoiler for you. So let's introduce the brilliant Japanese serial drama - Taiyou No Uta (A Song to the Sun).
Brilliant and touching show of how a girl held on to her beliefs and dreams even in the face of gradually loss of physical capabilities. Those capabilities such as the simple act of pressing the chord of the guitars that we so often took for granted. It was acted by the same actress who acted 1 litre of tears. Don't really know how to put her name in English so thought I'd add a picture of her below.
Pretty right? And she sang the theme song of the show very well. Didn't know she was half a singer until I watched this show. This show isn't as sad as 1 litre of tears but gives more inspiration than the preceding. I don't know but it gave me a feeling of hope. Watch it and maybe you would agree with me. Nice show. My favourite quote of the show - "Would you rather pursue your dreams and die? Or live a longer life to look back in regret?" Which would you choose?

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

18th July 2007 Wednesday

Watched Harry Potter 5 when it sneaked last week but have yet to blog about it. Well, I guess now that the last and final book will be released this Saturday and the whole world is talking about you know who world, I guess it is about time I blogged a little about the movie. No spoilers though. Just a couple of my personal (and maybe biased) opinion.

Firstly, kudos to.........
The actress who acted Dolores Jane Umbridge for making the girlish giggle from the book come alive on screen. But due to the fact that she acted the bad guy so well, I couldn't bring myself to like her.

Introducing my favourite character in the show....... The actress portraying our beloved Luna Lovegood for her perfect portrayal of the dreamy look and the perfect ease with which she spoke about "Nargles", even though no one in the wide world believed in them. The only sad part - she had too little scenes and they didn't really place emphasis on her buttercork necklace and radish earrings. And what happened to the Quibbler - the magazine that her father runs? And what happened to the exclusive interview that Harry is supposed to give to the Quibbler? I guess the movie was just too short to fill in such details huh?

Oh by the way, simply loved a scene towards the end of the show when she had such a line on her script - "What we lose have a way of coming back to us..... Though not in ways that we expect them to". Feels kind of sad huh? And apparently, she and Neville Longbottom are the ones who missed the DA meetings the most in book 6. And she went with Harry to Slughorn's party in book 6. I am hoping they put more of her into the sixth movie. She is a very interesting character.

Okie. And now, my choice of the lousiest actor in the show for the consecutive last three Harry Potter movies......

The actor who portrayed the character Albus Dumbledore - the Albus Dumbledore who grabbed Harry in the fourth movie and demanded to know if he put his name into the goblet of fire and the Albus Dumbledore who shouted at the least thing. Think he is really lousy. Since when did Albus Dumbledore distrusted Harry? He'd trust Harry with his life. Just take a look at book six and you will know. Since when did Albus Dumbledore look impatient and anxious at every moment? And what about those cool blue eyes that Harry always felt could look through him like X-ray? He just didn't portray enough of the calmness of Dumbledore as well as the show of power at times required. He seemed more of an impatient person that would jump at everything and look absolutely unpowerful. Albus Dumbledore is one who maintains his composure with only polite sacarsm when taunted. Realised I didn't hate him as much in the third movie but then I realised that is because he had the least scenes in the third movie compared to the rest. Still prefer this Dumbledore....The actor who portrayed Albus Dumbledore in the first two movies. Just look at the way he acted when the Quirrel announced a troll in the dungeons in the first movie. Or the way he acted when he explained why Quirrel could not stand Harry's touch towards the end of the first movie. Or the way he acted when he was talking to Harry after Harry killed the Basilisk in the second movie. Gosh. That is what I called good portrayal of what Albus Dumbledore really is. Too bad he is already dead. Sigh. Else I would call that a perfect cast.

Now another long wait to the sixth movie. Hope they do not change the cast except you know who. Now another not so long wait to the seventh and final book. Which two main characters will die in this book I wonder.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

14th July 2007 Saturday

Finally fulfilled my dream of going to Taiwan last week. Well, not the whole Taiwan but did spend a good deal of days in Taipei. Have wanted to go to Taiwan ever since I was in Junior College. And I even planned it to be my Junior College graduation trip. But it didn't manifest. Then I planned it for my University graduation trip but ended up procrastinating again. So finally after one year into the working society, I finally went. Here are some photos that I (or rather, my sis) took over at Taipei.
A sight taken from the plane on my way to Taipei. Brilliant isn't it? Like a sea of clouds with the sun shining brilliantly on them. Wonder if this is what heaven looks like. Are there angels out there? Hello. Any of you out there?
This is the famous Ah Zong Mian Xian in Ximending that we ate during our first night in Taipei. If you were wondering why those people are standing, that is because they don't offer seats to their customers so for those having the food there, you need to stand to have it. Despite this, the queue was ever so long. The Mee Sua was so nice that we went back for it on our last night in Taipei. Singapore's Mee Sua is nothing compared to the real thing. For those of you who are going to Taipei, be sure to catch it. It is a turn left when you see 101 Ximending and the big KFC in Ximending.
The pie that Doraemon used to eat are sold quite widely in Taiwan. Comes in all sorts of fillings including ice cream fillings which tasted marvellous in the hot weather over there. And the best part, they had Doraemon's face printed on the pie. Cute right?
We stopped to have desserts at this shop which was supposedly owned by Jacky Wu. Didn't really see Jacky Wu's face over there so couldn't confirm if he is the boss but this restaurant is definitely fanchised from Hong Kong. Oh and by the way, the words on the signboard was written by Jin Yong, the writer who wrote Condor Heroes and stuff. Cool! And the desserts that we had are below.
Before eating - Cool delicious Tau Huey with loads of pearls.
After eating - See? Told you it was delicious.
This is a view of Kee Lung that my sis took from Jiu Fen. It is an hour's ride from Taipei and that is where we bought quite a few packets of Mua Chees. Nice right? Luckily it didn't rain when we were there else we wouldn't have captured this nice view.
Sandwiches from OLE Cafe recommended by my favourite singer - Fish Leong (For those who are protesting that she is my favourite singer, to clarify - SHE is my favourite band. Fish Leong is my favourite singer). Caught a couple of cups painted by her over there and apparently, she celebrated her last birthday there. Nice cool place to chill out on a hot afternoon and read a book or two over there.
Taipei 101 - The supposed tallest building in the world after the Twin Towers collapsed. But our tour guide said that China is supposedly building a taller one. Oh, and this building is supposed to be built for Feng Shui reasons too as it overlooks Ma Ying Jiu's (Contender of the next presidency of Taiwan) office. Cool. But we didn't go up as it costs as much as SGD17 just to sit the elevator up and no phototaking is allowed.
Partyworld - Yup. The same partyworld that you sing KTV at in Singapore. But in Taipei, they don't come in shops but come as a whole building. Cool right? A whole building full of KTV rooms!
Had lunch at Yu Wo in Ximending. Cool place where they had swings as seats. And the ambience is perfect. You can also scribble on their walls. Left my signature on one of those walls, just for remembrance. The statue like guard in front of Zong Lie Ci. And I mean they are really statue like because they do not move unless they change shift. Something like our guards in front of Istana. Oh, and their change shift drill is cool. And they do those drills when they change shift every hour. The studs on their boots made long marks on the cement floor due to the frequency of their drills. Oh and the tour guide said they are supposed to stand there even if there is typhoon or rain. I don't know about typhoons but the weather was real hot when we were there and they were sweating like mad. But they are not moving. Tough training huh?
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall - Didn't dwell long here so nothing much to say.
Loads of convenience stalls over at Taipei. You can probably see one at every street corner and they have loads of street corners. Best part about them, you can see my favourite SHE in every 7-11 stall. Kawaii right - my favourite band!
A rather cool poster that I caught on their Metro trains. Probably Singapore should have them too to minimize those "jump-rail" suiciders huh? Maybe they should make it in poster size and hang them around the station? Oh, and I must mention that their Metro train system is much more advanced than Singapore with countdowns of train arrival accurate to the nearest 5 seconds. And their people are much more disciplined than us - all obeying the rules to stay in line and wait for others to alight from the train before boarding. Made me a little ashamed of us Singaporeans. And they do really keep right (Taipei's rule is to keep right) on the escalators when they are not climbing the escalators. Sigh. When will Singaporeans learn such manners?
Taoyuan International Airport - our last view of Taipei before our plane back home took off.