Hello my lovely readers!
First off, don't get scared. I'm not ditching TVB Interaction again, not permanently at least. I just wanted to post an update of what I've been up to and the future of my blogging journey.
I'm not giving up on TVB Interaction...but I will be posting whenever I want. I won't update because I feel the need to, but because I want to. If I get inspiration, I most certainly will click on the "New Post" button and deliver the best post possible. If I don't want to though, I won't pressure myself. This way, I'll sustain my passion for this blog and stay motivated, instead of treating it as a chore. Each post I've written since my comeback, I genuinely enjoyed writing them. That's the way I want to keep it. No pressure, just passion.
So what have I been up to lately? The obvious answer is, I've been busy with school. I've also become a major music fanatic again, substituting the beauty of music as my savior and escape instead of today's mediocre TVB dramas. Also, my blogging presence is still very strong.
For the last two months, my awesome best friend Niki and I have been working hard to develop our blog Asian Entertainment Experience. I'm very proud of what we've done and how close we've come to achieving the vision we had: a website offering writings about all things Asian entertainment. This project means a lot to me. It allows me so much more freedom as to what I can write about, and I get to do it with one of my most favorite people in the world. Together, we've regained and developed a love for writing, music, and dramas. It's allowed me to further develop my writing skills and love for entertainment. TVB Interaction will continue, but I am putting my focus towards AE Experience.
The only thing missing...is readers. I'm not greedy, but hope AE Experience can reach a wider audience and get more feedback as we try to offer something for everyone. This is where I'm putting my passion, and where I'll be updating most.
As I embark onto a new chapter of my life as a blogger, writer, entertainment junkie, and person, I hope everyone will continue to support and follow me to http://ae-experience.blogspot.com/ for reviews, spotlights, analysis, and special features on all types of Asian music and dramas.
As always, thank you for all the support, views, and sweet words. You all make this more worthwhile. :)
Love,
Iris
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
"L'Escargot" Review
As the series that managed to both bore and aggravate me, I'm not sure how I managed to finish "L'Escargot". Either way, I'm thrilled that I finally got it done with and due to being busy with school, extracurriculars, and AE Experience, I almost passed up writing a review for it. Then again, I needed some way to vent my feelings for all the irritation this mediocrity caused me. As a result, I will take a more informal and sarcastic take for this specific review.
This series was supposed to show the hardships of the working class and buying a house right? And yet, I felt more hardship trying to sit through all the aggravating relationships and love lines.
Before I start getting too cynical (I'm the one who made myself finish it), I will add that "L'Escargot" had a lot of potential. It could've been easy to relate with due to the premise of hardships the working class go through in society. Due to a poorly written script and set of characters though, it becomes near impossible to connect with any of them. A majority of the characters were unlikable and wishy-washy. How can I relate to a person's hardship if I feel like they brought it upon themselves, or even worse, don't even understand their thinking or actions?
Character Analyzations and Performances
Let's start with the main couple, Kwan Ka On (Michael Miu) and Long Kiu (Sonija Kwok). Ah On bothered me to no end with how selfless he was towards his family, to the point he always sacrificed his wife's happiness. It's one thing that he puts his family in front of himself, it's another thing that he doesn't even seem to care about his wife's feelings. It wasn't until Long Kiu started spending an increased amount of time with Paul that he even seem to use any brain power thinking about her.
Long Kiu is one of the characters I'm neutral against. She was a bit naive, but not to the point she was stupid. Unlike everyone else, I felt slight pity for her. She chose Ah On over the much more thoughtful and financially stable Paul because she loved him. Despite not being the practical decision, she followed her heart. Unfortunately, that did not result in happiness at all, but rather, more hardship.
As a veteran actor and good friend of Michael Miu, Felix Wong critiqued Michael's performance as his breakthrough upon returning to TVB. Like Felix said, Michael did something he has not done in past performances. He shed his usual onscreen charisma and took on the role of a lower middle class and rugged man with ease. At the same time, I was not able to enjoy Michael's performance or his character. I hope to see him play better characters, ones that both show his acting skills and are likable.
Sonija Kwok has little problem speaking her lines with the right amount of emotion, but her motions and physical presence continue to feel awkward and unnatural to me. She doesn't seem to know what to do with the rest of her body, yet she delivers her dialogue adequately. Despite being quite likable, Sonija has been getting uninteresting characters.
And then we have Kwan Ka Lok (Linda Chung) and Jim (Michael Tse). Oh dear. I have never been fond of the two in the first place, so seeing them portraying terrible characters AND act as a couple was too much. Once again, this plot line could have been done more gracefully, or at least decently. There was a huge lack of logic in the character's thinking and actions.
Jim has a beautiful, smart, and capable wife, Man Wah (Joyce Tang), and yet he went running to a little girl like Ka Lok. He basically found himself a perfect wife that he was unworthy of, and he cheats on her. Not only that, his love for Ka Lok bordered on insane as opposed to genuine love. I was literally waiting for some announcement that he was mentally unstable.
Society suffers from having double standards on cheating. They think it's more despicable for a woman to cheat, yet find it typical for a man to do so. For Ka Lok, I didn't hate her just because she cheated. I hated why she cheated. There was no reason why. Like Man Wah said in her confrontation with Ka Lok, it wouldn't have been so bad if she was a gold digger or wanted to climb higher on the corporate ladder. It wouldn't have been as bad if she really was in love with Jim. While cheating is despicable, at least then Ka Lok would've had justification as to why she cheated. It wasn't for love, it wasn't for money, it wasn't for a promotion. She was youthful, bright, and had a great boyfriend. And she cheated on him with another man. But for what? Ka Lok was weak, naive, and had no idea why she was doing what she was doing, even at the end. Words can not even begin to explain how endlessly annoyed, irritated, and aggravated I was with her. Linda isn't a bad actress, but she has been cast in so many low profile series in such unlikable characters. I feel sorry for her, as it feels like she has to cry every day she goes to work.
The love story between Ka Lok and Jim was not between two people who genuinely loved each other despite already having wonderful partners. It was the sloppy and messed up story of two very, very foolish people.
Dai Ding (Ron Ng) started off as the ideal boyfriend. He was sweet, romantic, capable, handsome, and had a good job. It made me want to slap Ka Lok for not appreciating all that she had, a family and a boyfriend who couldn't love her more. I pitied him, and was cheering for him to get together with Joyce (JJ Jia) instead. Unfortunately, by the last few episodes, even his behavior became questionable and he slowly fell into the inevitable fate of most TVB characters these days: he became stupid and irritating. Performance wise, Ron did a decent job and improved in his emotional scenes. However, I have no idea why Ron loved this role and series so much. Except for his one crying scene, this character was only yet another character that failed to show his improvements as an actor. As a result, I'm still waiting for a true follow up performance to his portrayal of "Chung Lap Man" in "E.U.".
JJ Jia was quite likable and sweet as the incredibly shy and somewhat slow Joyce. Her acting needs a lot of work, but next to Ka Lok, I didn't care and was just happy to see a more likable and cute character.
Mandy Wong is the year's first breakthrough as her portrayal of "Kwan Yee So" generated buzz and headlines through out "L'Escargot"'s whole airing. This praise is nothing short of deserving. Despite her young age, she completely morphed into the role of a loud mouthed, obnoxious, and greedy housewife, right down to the small motions like pointing with her chopsticks. I found myself amazed at how convincing she was. Also, Mandy's performance reminds me so much of Iris Wong in "The Threshold of a Persona". The way they spoke and acted as housewives is very similar. At certain angles, they even resemble each other a bit!
Oscar Leung finally gets the delayed recognition he deserves as one of the best young supporting actors in TVB. Usually known and loved for his cute and comedic roles, Oscar also completely morphed into the useless and depressed Kwan Ka Hong.
Kwan Ka Wing (Him Law) and Booking (Yoyo Chen) ended up being my favorite couple to watch as well as my favorite characters. Sadly, their storyline was extremely rushed and didn't have much screen time. They brought badly needed comic relief and were very cute together. Known for portraying bitchy roles, Yoyo Chen was surprisingly endearing and adorable as Booking. I hope to see her in more of these likable roles! Although my like for Him continues to dwindle, he is rather natural in his acting and very cute in these little brother roles. The two were very fun to watch, and it was so sweet when they finally reconciled and realized they genuinely love and care about each other.
The Four P's - Premise, Potential, Plot, and Pacing
The premise was decent and had potential. The plot itself was beyond poorly written. The aggravating relationships overshadowed what I assumed what the point of the series was, to show the hardships of the working class. The pacing was ridiculous. After watching half the series, I felt like nothing had happened yet. The title "L'Escargot" is supposed to compare the hardship a snail and a human goes through. Yet, it was more reflective of the series' slow and snail like pace.
Ending
*Spoilers*
A very unexpected and atypical ending for TVB, but once again not realistic or too reasonable. I was surprised to see that instead of Ka Lok, Dai Ding, and Joyce being alone or Ka Lok and Dai Ding reuniting, Dai Ding and Joyce ended up together. While I initially cheered for the two of them get together, Dai Ding was obviously still in love with Ka Lok and would never genuinely love Joyce. The biggest shocker though, was probably Jim turning himself in and going to jail.
Overall
I hope that the high ratings the series received during the finale will not inspire TVB to do more series like this. Due to its length, pace, and poor script, it was extremely hard for me to sit through. It conquered what is usually a hard feat to do: be boring and aggravating to watch. "L'Escargot" was a waste of a great cast. At the least, it finally got Mandy and Oscar the recognition they deserve. Other than that, I'm glad to have written this review for it and finally put it behind me.
Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
"Wish and Switch" Review
Characters and Performances
In an ensemble with familiar supporting faces yet headed completely by the younger generation, everyone did pretty well.
"Suk Heung" was rather foolish and silly at times, annoying me the later episodes. Her character was not smart and even stupid at times, but Myolie still makes it works. However, it wasn't without irritating me.
Johnson Lee has been one of my most well liked supporting actors since "Catch Me Now". He always manages to be funny and stand out. Unfortuntately, his first male lead role "Ko Ka Yan" fails to reflect that . While I admit he portrays the useless husband in a very convincing fashion, he was still unlikable.
"Ka Yan" was one messed up character. He started off as a dorky and uncharismatic yet loyal and sweet man. I wasn't fond of him, but didn't hate him. Then, he unexpectedly becomes the main villain. This change was so out of character, unrealistic, and completely illogical. The evilness of the character was so cartoon like and unjustified it was almost laughable.
Although Vincent Wong isn't a great actor, he is decent and has a likable factor about him.
Though intriguing, "Wayne" was not developed to his full potential. He became an interesting and likable character after the revelation of the true reason for his actions, but had little screen time.
Vincent and Selena were so cute and sweet together. Their story was different, and I was rooting for them to reunite. Sadly, they didn't share many scenes and I was never satisfied with how much they got. They were my favorite part about what was otherwise a mediocre drama.
Ram Tseung was hilarious and once again proves how valuable of a supporting actor he is. His switching back and forth between a male and female voice was effortless and cracked me up.
The beginning of the series focused mainly on Suk Heung and her family. While there were some funny bits, it aggravated me how annoying her family was and why she worked so hard to take care of them.
The middle when Suk Heung and Hailey switched identities was enjoyable. It was fun seeing the two adjusting to each other's lives, and some hilarious scenarios occurred.
However, it becomes dragyy and ridiculous by the last few episodes. After the girls switched back, there is nothing but illogical and irritating drama.
Overall, "Wish and Switch" was a major victim of poor scriptwriting. The last five episodes screwed up a decent series. It was like the scriptwriters just threw in the towel and made stuff up. At the least, it was enjoyable to watch Selena and have her finally show her acting capabilities again. On the other hand, I hope Myolie doesn't take up any more of these housewife roles.
Rating: 2 3/4 stars
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Possible Breakthroughs of 2012
There are a couple TVB actors each year that reach a breakthrough in their career, whether it's with an outstanding character, performance, or both. As a result, they experience massive jumps in popularity and their career goes to new heights. Here are a couple actors I think will have a breakthrough in 2012...
Mandy Wong
Upcoming Series: Tiger Cubs, The Hippocratic Crush, Policewomen's Battlefield of Love
After losing out on Most Improved Actress at 2011's Anniversary Awards, 2012 looks like it could be a career changing year for the young actress. Arguably the most talented of the new generation, it seems Mandy is getting more diverse and difficult roles to show it.
She will be the second female lead in both "The Hippocratic Crush" and "Policewomen's Battlefield of Love". In "The Hippocratic Crush", she will play a hot-headed intern who always wants to be better than her older sister, Tavia. Even more interestingly enough, in "Policewomen's Battlefield", she plays a rough female inspector with the nickname "Madam Kill". Just the nickname catches my attention!
Although I'm not looking forward to the two series themselves much, I can't wait to see her in these roles. I've always been able to imagine her playing such ambitious and tough characters, and I'm glad she's finally getting the chance to shine!
Oscar Leung
Upcoming Series: Queens of Diamonds and Hearts, Flying Tigers, The Dazzling Dance of Chang'an, The Great Eunuch, Policewomen's Battlefield of Love (Guest star)
Even though he is one of the most solid young supporting actors, Oscar has always been underrated. He received a much larger role in "The Season of Fate" back in 2010 and was even pegged to win Most Improved Actor, but ended up not even being nominated. Since then, he's returned to minor supporting roles.
After getting a moderate amount of attention from "L'Escargot", it's starting to seem likely this will finally be his breakout year. He has a whooping five other series slated to air this year. In "The Great Eunuch", he will be portraying the emperor. While I think he doesn't look the role, his acting chops and talent lets me know it will be interesting.
You are truly not a good actor unless each of your performances leaves a good impression, no matter what the character. Oscar always manages to turn in a great and memorable performance. He can provide wonderful comic relief as well as do emotional scenes. I hope that 2012 will be the breakthrough he and fans have been waiting for!
Nancy Wu
Upcoming Series: Boxing Champion, Daddy Good Deeds, The Great Eunuch
Nancy is another talented and young supporting actress who always leaves a good impression. She always manages to shine in her roles, no matter how small. While she has portrayed many interesting and memorable characters ("Ah Sze" in Gun Metal Grey and "Eva" in "Forensic Heroes 3" are recent examples), 2012 looks like it will bring yet another breakthrough for her as an actress.
Portraying a mute and deaf professional boxer in "Boxing Champion", the role has "potential breakthrough" written all over it. She is the second female lead in the series as well. If "Boxing Champion" is successful and her performance gets positive reception, perhaps she will finally be promoted to leading actress? My only reservation about this is that she may lose her appeal if this happens.
Tavia Yeung gave countless memorable performances as a supporting actress, but became dull and received very boring roles after being promoted to lead. As one of my favorite actresses, I'd hate Nancy to go down that road and prefer to see her in these supporting roles that allow her to shine.
Eric Li
Upcoming Series: Dangerous Protection, The Great Eunuch
I'm not sure what Eric's role in "Dangerous Protection" and "The Great Eunuch" is, as he's once again only has a small supporting role. However, he reached a breakthrough as the funny and loyal "Lo Yat" in "Bottled Passion" as the character and performance garnered him praise and recognition.
Like Oscar, Eric leaves a good impression with each of his performances. From the creepy bald rapist in "A Fistful of Stances" to the driver and robber in "Catch Me Now" to the hilariously mean hotel manager in "7 Days in Life", whether it's playing good or bad, he is always memorable.
While it is too early in the year and "Lo Yat" was too small of a role for him to win Best Supporting Actor, Eric's future looks a little brighter. I think now, he will be cast in more series. Perhaps if Producer Lee Tim Sing wasn't retiring, he could promote Eric the way he promoted Raymond Wong. Considering they play buddies in his production "Bottled Passion", wouldn't that just be amazing?
Edwin Siu
Upcoming Series: Boxing Champion, Daddy Good Deeds, Steps to Heaven, The Great Eunuch
Edwin has improved greatly since his "Aqua Heroes" days, while retaining his cuteness. He is lively and enjoyable to watch onscreen, and it seems he is slowly being more promoted. One day, I think he will be first supporting actor. Overtime, he could even be a lead.
Unfortunately, his only more major role from his four upcoming series is "Daddy Good Deeds", which looks cheesy and ridiculous. Perhaps his pairing with Linda will be fun and make some noise? I'm hoping he gets a decent amount of screen time in the other three series. Saying he will get a breakthrough this year is a bit of a stretch, but I'm too fond of him to put him on this list and hope for the best anyway.
Him Law
Upcoming Series: Tiger Cubs, The Hippocratic Crush
Following "Your Class or Mine", I started really liking Him and thought he had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the story of him hitting girlfriend Theresa Fu was exposed permanently damaged my impression of him. His personal life aside, I'm not too fond of his recent "muscle man" image and much prefer him when he exerts more cute and boyish charm. I guess that contradicts his real life personality too much?
While his real life personality seems a little worrying, his acting career seems to be improving. He is second male lead in "The Hippocratic Crush", and his character actually seems interesting. Seeing him in a professional role will be new. The press has also been blowing Him and Tavia's real life friendship out of proportion, so it will be interesting to see how they will play out onscreen. I still like him as solely an actor and still believe he has potential. However, Him is the only actor here who I don't also like in real life.
These six are the ones I think are most likely to reach a breakthrough in their career this year. Overall, I think Mandy is most likely to reach new career heights, and I couldn't be happier. I will be keeping a close eye on these six! Let's hope for the best for this talented bunch!
Mandy Wong
Upcoming Series: Tiger Cubs, The Hippocratic Crush, Policewomen's Battlefield of Love
After losing out on Most Improved Actress at 2011's Anniversary Awards, 2012 looks like it could be a career changing year for the young actress. Arguably the most talented of the new generation, it seems Mandy is getting more diverse and difficult roles to show it.
She will be the second female lead in both "The Hippocratic Crush" and "Policewomen's Battlefield of Love". In "The Hippocratic Crush", she will play a hot-headed intern who always wants to be better than her older sister, Tavia. Even more interestingly enough, in "Policewomen's Battlefield", she plays a rough female inspector with the nickname "Madam Kill". Just the nickname catches my attention!
Although I'm not looking forward to the two series themselves much, I can't wait to see her in these roles. I've always been able to imagine her playing such ambitious and tough characters, and I'm glad she's finally getting the chance to shine!
Oscar Leung
Upcoming Series: Queens of Diamonds and Hearts, Flying Tigers, The Dazzling Dance of Chang'an, The Great Eunuch, Policewomen's Battlefield of Love (Guest star)
Even though he is one of the most solid young supporting actors, Oscar has always been underrated. He received a much larger role in "The Season of Fate" back in 2010 and was even pegged to win Most Improved Actor, but ended up not even being nominated. Since then, he's returned to minor supporting roles.
After getting a moderate amount of attention from "L'Escargot", it's starting to seem likely this will finally be his breakout year. He has a whooping five other series slated to air this year. In "The Great Eunuch", he will be portraying the emperor. While I think he doesn't look the role, his acting chops and talent lets me know it will be interesting.
You are truly not a good actor unless each of your performances leaves a good impression, no matter what the character. Oscar always manages to turn in a great and memorable performance. He can provide wonderful comic relief as well as do emotional scenes. I hope that 2012 will be the breakthrough he and fans have been waiting for!
Nancy Wu
Upcoming Series: Boxing Champion, Daddy Good Deeds, The Great Eunuch
Nancy is another talented and young supporting actress who always leaves a good impression. She always manages to shine in her roles, no matter how small. While she has portrayed many interesting and memorable characters ("Ah Sze" in Gun Metal Grey and "Eva" in "Forensic Heroes 3" are recent examples), 2012 looks like it will bring yet another breakthrough for her as an actress.
Portraying a mute and deaf professional boxer in "Boxing Champion", the role has "potential breakthrough" written all over it. She is the second female lead in the series as well. If "Boxing Champion" is successful and her performance gets positive reception, perhaps she will finally be promoted to leading actress? My only reservation about this is that she may lose her appeal if this happens.
Tavia Yeung gave countless memorable performances as a supporting actress, but became dull and received very boring roles after being promoted to lead. As one of my favorite actresses, I'd hate Nancy to go down that road and prefer to see her in these supporting roles that allow her to shine.
Eric Li
Upcoming Series: Dangerous Protection, The Great Eunuch
I'm not sure what Eric's role in "Dangerous Protection" and "The Great Eunuch" is, as he's once again only has a small supporting role. However, he reached a breakthrough as the funny and loyal "Lo Yat" in "Bottled Passion" as the character and performance garnered him praise and recognition.
Like Oscar, Eric leaves a good impression with each of his performances. From the creepy bald rapist in "A Fistful of Stances" to the driver and robber in "Catch Me Now" to the hilariously mean hotel manager in "7 Days in Life", whether it's playing good or bad, he is always memorable.
While it is too early in the year and "Lo Yat" was too small of a role for him to win Best Supporting Actor, Eric's future looks a little brighter. I think now, he will be cast in more series. Perhaps if Producer Lee Tim Sing wasn't retiring, he could promote Eric the way he promoted Raymond Wong. Considering they play buddies in his production "Bottled Passion", wouldn't that just be amazing?
Edwin Siu
Upcoming Series: Boxing Champion, Daddy Good Deeds, Steps to Heaven, The Great Eunuch
Edwin has improved greatly since his "Aqua Heroes" days, while retaining his cuteness. He is lively and enjoyable to watch onscreen, and it seems he is slowly being more promoted. One day, I think he will be first supporting actor. Overtime, he could even be a lead.
Unfortunately, his only more major role from his four upcoming series is "Daddy Good Deeds", which looks cheesy and ridiculous. Perhaps his pairing with Linda will be fun and make some noise? I'm hoping he gets a decent amount of screen time in the other three series. Saying he will get a breakthrough this year is a bit of a stretch, but I'm too fond of him to put him on this list and hope for the best anyway.
Him Law
Upcoming Series: Tiger Cubs, The Hippocratic Crush
Following "Your Class or Mine", I started really liking Him and thought he had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the story of him hitting girlfriend Theresa Fu was exposed permanently damaged my impression of him. His personal life aside, I'm not too fond of his recent "muscle man" image and much prefer him when he exerts more cute and boyish charm. I guess that contradicts his real life personality too much?
While his real life personality seems a little worrying, his acting career seems to be improving. He is second male lead in "The Hippocratic Crush", and his character actually seems interesting. Seeing him in a professional role will be new. The press has also been blowing Him and Tavia's real life friendship out of proportion, so it will be interesting to see how they will play out onscreen. I still like him as solely an actor and still believe he has potential. However, Him is the only actor here who I don't also like in real life.
These six are the ones I think are most likely to reach a breakthrough in their career this year. Overall, I think Mandy is most likely to reach new career heights, and I couldn't be happier. I will be keeping a close eye on these six! Let's hope for the best for this talented bunch!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ruco Chan & Grace Wong Perform @ Citywalk
First off, happy belated Chinese New Year to all my wonderful readers! You can find my wishes for everyone here. Normally, I don't share videos or do short posts, but wanted to for this occasion.
For this year's Citywalk event, Ruco Chan and Grace Wong performed a dance to Ne-Yo's "Closer".
I've always enjoyed Grace's dancing and was excited to see Ruco dance for the first time. The outcome was fantastic, especially considering Ruco said they had to do it so last minute and squeeze it into their schedules.
Grace looked stunning and is such a talented dancer. She wasn't too showy, but still showed her abilities.
Ruco did much better than I expected he would. He nailed all the moves and transitioned well. Even when he got on the floor, he didn't fall behind and continued on smoothly.
The two were very in sync the whole time and appeared very into it. They looked great and performed great as well. They created chemistry and overall did wonderfully. Great job, Ruco and Grace!
*Clap clap clap clap* :D
Saturday, January 21, 2012
"Finding Life's Sweetness" Chapter 6
It was Friday night again, a time for working people everywhere to relax.
Simon was tending to his bar when Ethan walked in. "Ethan, good to see you! What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I wanted a drink, and who better to patronize than my old friend?" Ethan replied. "One beer please."
"Coming right up", Simon said, and decided to spark up another conversation. "So how are you and Ella?" he questioned.
"Pretty good. We're going to the beach to watch the sunrise tomorrow", Ethan told him. "Hopefully she doesn't fall asleep or get bored", he added a bit nervously.
Simon laughed at the remark and handed him a beer. "That sounds like something she would enjoy. She needs the relaxation", he said.
Ethan nodded. "I think the peace and serenity should be great", he noted. "Also, if things go along like I hope, we might spend the whole day together."
"Sounds interesting", Simon replied. "What are you going to do and where are you going?"
"I don't know yet", Ethan shrugged. "I want to plan it as we go, see what she'd like to do."
"Aw, if I was a girl I'd be so swooned by your thoughtfulness", Simon joked, poking fun at his friend.
"Har har", Ethan replied, sarcastically.
"So what's going on in the great Simon Ng's love life?" he moved on.
"Like a desert experiencing an extreme drought", Simon replied.
Ethan wrinkled his eyebrows. "Really? A young good looking guy with a lot of money who's surprisingly not a jerk isn't getting any love? What's wrong with this picture?" he made fun of Simon. "Maybe your magnetic attraction force that seems to surround every rich young guy is broken", he added with a laugh.
"Very funny", Simon sarcastically replied.
"Here's a weird story though", he started. "I am currently the fake boyfriend of someone", he straightforwardly said.
Ethan choked on his beer. "I'm sorry, what? What made you agree to do that?" he asked, curiously.
Simon shrugged. "I'm doing it as a favor to her", he replied.
"You must like her if you're willing to do that", Ethan smiled. "So who's the special girl?" he probed.
"Kristy, the assistant manager at my dad's agency. And I find her interesting, I don't exactly like her", he defended.
"Come on, Simon. We're adults now. If you like someone, just say it. We're not kids anymore", Ethan teased.
"I'm not even supposed to tell you about this", Simon replied, but then his face softened.
"She's different though. Ambitious, tough, intelligent, and a feisty and fiery spirit unlike any other girl I've met", he talked about her fondly. "Very stubborn though", he added with a chuckle.
Ethan started pointing at Simon. "I've never heard you talk about a girl like this, you are definitely in love with her", he said.
Simon laughed. "I guess I am", he replied.
"Be careful though, she sounds like a potential heartbreaker", Ethan warned, jokingly.
"We'll see about that", Simon said.
Quinn and Vince entered the bar in commotion.
"Why did you drag me here?" Vince complained.
"So you can have a little fun! You've been so boring lately!" Quinn complained back in a huff.
Simon and Ethan looked up and caught sight of the two. "Quinn, hey!" Simon called.
"Hey, Simon!" she yelled. She nudged Vince. "That's the handsome son of the owner of the agency I was telling you about", she told him and skipped over to him.
Vince followed Quinn over to the two guys and took a good look at Simon. "Hmph, what's so special about him? I'm just as handsome as him", he thought to himself.
Simon pointed to Vince. "Your boyfriend?" he asked Quinn in a friendly tone.
Quinn looked appalled. "He wishes! This is Vince, my good friend and flat mate", she introduced.
"Nice to meet you", Simon and Ethan said to Vince and shook his hand, who appeared annoyed at the "He wishes" comment.
"So what are you two talking about?" Quinn asked, enthusiastically.
"Our love lives. Or in my case, lack of it", Simon joked.
"Interesting", she replied, intrigued. "I still find it hard to believe you wouldn't have a girlfriend", she pondered.
"That's the same thing I said to him", Ethan agreed.
"How hard is it to believe? You've made several of my girlfriends run away", Vince teased her.
"Whoa, Quinn, what did you do?" Simon asked in deep interest.
"Nothing! Girls just don't like the presence of another girl at their boyfriend's place", she replied, defensively.
"I can see how that would cause some problems", Ethan laughed.
A guy from the other side of the bar came over beside Quinn. "Hi there, what's your name?" he asked, flirtatiously. Clearly, it didn't take him long to take a liking to her cute and fun personality.
Simon and Ethan watched without much reaction, but Vince's nose flared. What was this chump doing talking to Quinn? Looking for a quick hook up?
"Quinn, what's your name?" she replied with a smile.
"Johnny. May I buy you a drink?" he shot Quinn a smile.
"Sure!" she said with her usual enthusiasm.
Another guy came over, ready to sweep Quinn off her feet as well. "I'm Daniel, I couldn't help but noticing your cute face from over there", he said with a smile.
Vince's eyes widened. Another guy?! he yelled to himself.
He reached over and put an arm on a grinning Quinn's shoulder. "Hey, Daniel, can't you see she's with me?" he told the guy.
Not wanting to pick a fight, the guys simply left.
"Huh, cheap and undetermined", Vince said about them, satisfied.
Quinn threw his arm off her shoulder and yelled "What did you do that for?"
"They were obviously trying to hook up with you!" Vince replied.
"So? I wasn't going to follow any of them to a hotel room!" she said, angrily. "They offered me a free drink!"
"If it really means that much to you, I'll pay for your drink", Vince offered.
"That's not the point!" Quinn screamed. "But you can definitely pay for my drink", she added.
"Ok then, everything's fine", Vince said.
"No, everything's not fine! Why did you ruin my fun?" Quinn whined.
"Nothing good was going to come out of that! Who knew what those guys were really like?" Vince claimed.
Quinn groaned. "Who are you to say that? I know you've picked up girls at bars before. I've seen you do that once, and it was not much different from what they did!" she said.
"Yeah, but you know me and what I'm like", he answered.
"I wasn't trying to find a boyfriend here, Vince. I only wanted to mingle a bit", Quinn rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to go to the restroom", she said, and left in a huff.
Vince bit his lip. Ok, maybe that was too much, he thought. But who knows what they could've done to Quinn?
Simon and Ethan had been observing the two's bickering in amusement the whole time.
"So what's up with you and Quinn?" Simon asked, curiously.
"We told you. We're friends and flatmates", Vince repeated.
"That didn't just look like an argument between two friends", Ethan said.
Simon nodded. "Somebody seemed jealous", he noted.
"Rich boy, what are you talking about?" Vince grumbled.
"It's pretty obvious. Why else would you have such a big reaction?" Ethan questioned.
"She's my friend! I have to look out for her", Vince said.
"Even if you're just looking out for a friend, you don't have to look like your eyes are going to pop out of your head at the sight of her with another guy do you?" Simon joked. Simon and Ethan both burst into laughter.
Vince faked laughter. "Har, har, har, are you two done laughing at me yet?" he asked, annoyed.
"Ok, sorry, Vince. We aren't trying to make fun of you", Simon apologized after he managed to stop his laughter.
"Yeah, sure you didn't", Vince rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go to the restroom", he said and left the two guys.
He turned the corner to where the restrooms are and saw Quinn standing there talking to...another guy?! Seriously?
He hit his head against the wall. Come on, Vince, why do you care? he thought to himself, extremely annoyed.
Aw, poor Vince! He seems to be in denial that he loves Quinn, doesn't he? :P I love writing their scenes, hehe.
Preview of what's coming up: Ethan and Ella go on their first real "date".
Simon was tending to his bar when Ethan walked in. "Ethan, good to see you! What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I wanted a drink, and who better to patronize than my old friend?" Ethan replied. "One beer please."
"Coming right up", Simon said, and decided to spark up another conversation. "So how are you and Ella?" he questioned.
"Pretty good. We're going to the beach to watch the sunrise tomorrow", Ethan told him. "Hopefully she doesn't fall asleep or get bored", he added a bit nervously.
Simon laughed at the remark and handed him a beer. "That sounds like something she would enjoy. She needs the relaxation", he said.
Ethan nodded. "I think the peace and serenity should be great", he noted. "Also, if things go along like I hope, we might spend the whole day together."
"Sounds interesting", Simon replied. "What are you going to do and where are you going?"
"I don't know yet", Ethan shrugged. "I want to plan it as we go, see what she'd like to do."
"Aw, if I was a girl I'd be so swooned by your thoughtfulness", Simon joked, poking fun at his friend.
"Har har", Ethan replied, sarcastically.
"So what's going on in the great Simon Ng's love life?" he moved on.
"Like a desert experiencing an extreme drought", Simon replied.
Ethan wrinkled his eyebrows. "Really? A young good looking guy with a lot of money who's surprisingly not a jerk isn't getting any love? What's wrong with this picture?" he made fun of Simon. "Maybe your magnetic attraction force that seems to surround every rich young guy is broken", he added with a laugh.
"Very funny", Simon sarcastically replied.
"Here's a weird story though", he started. "I am currently the fake boyfriend of someone", he straightforwardly said.
Ethan choked on his beer. "I'm sorry, what? What made you agree to do that?" he asked, curiously.
Simon shrugged. "I'm doing it as a favor to her", he replied.
"You must like her if you're willing to do that", Ethan smiled. "So who's the special girl?" he probed.
"Kristy, the assistant manager at my dad's agency. And I find her interesting, I don't exactly like her", he defended.
"Come on, Simon. We're adults now. If you like someone, just say it. We're not kids anymore", Ethan teased.
"I'm not even supposed to tell you about this", Simon replied, but then his face softened.
"She's different though. Ambitious, tough, intelligent, and a feisty and fiery spirit unlike any other girl I've met", he talked about her fondly. "Very stubborn though", he added with a chuckle.
Ethan started pointing at Simon. "I've never heard you talk about a girl like this, you are definitely in love with her", he said.
Simon laughed. "I guess I am", he replied.
"Be careful though, she sounds like a potential heartbreaker", Ethan warned, jokingly.
"We'll see about that", Simon said.
Quinn and Vince entered the bar in commotion.
"Why did you drag me here?" Vince complained.
"So you can have a little fun! You've been so boring lately!" Quinn complained back in a huff.
Simon and Ethan looked up and caught sight of the two. "Quinn, hey!" Simon called.
"Hey, Simon!" she yelled. She nudged Vince. "That's the handsome son of the owner of the agency I was telling you about", she told him and skipped over to him.
Vince followed Quinn over to the two guys and took a good look at Simon. "Hmph, what's so special about him? I'm just as handsome as him", he thought to himself.
Simon pointed to Vince. "Your boyfriend?" he asked Quinn in a friendly tone.
Quinn looked appalled. "He wishes! This is Vince, my good friend and flat mate", she introduced.
"Nice to meet you", Simon and Ethan said to Vince and shook his hand, who appeared annoyed at the "He wishes" comment.
"So what are you two talking about?" Quinn asked, enthusiastically.
"Our love lives. Or in my case, lack of it", Simon joked.
"Interesting", she replied, intrigued. "I still find it hard to believe you wouldn't have a girlfriend", she pondered.
"That's the same thing I said to him", Ethan agreed.
"How hard is it to believe? You've made several of my girlfriends run away", Vince teased her.
"Whoa, Quinn, what did you do?" Simon asked in deep interest.
"Nothing! Girls just don't like the presence of another girl at their boyfriend's place", she replied, defensively.
"I can see how that would cause some problems", Ethan laughed.
A guy from the other side of the bar came over beside Quinn. "Hi there, what's your name?" he asked, flirtatiously. Clearly, it didn't take him long to take a liking to her cute and fun personality.
Simon and Ethan watched without much reaction, but Vince's nose flared. What was this chump doing talking to Quinn? Looking for a quick hook up?
"Quinn, what's your name?" she replied with a smile.
"Johnny. May I buy you a drink?" he shot Quinn a smile.
"Sure!" she said with her usual enthusiasm.
Another guy came over, ready to sweep Quinn off her feet as well. "I'm Daniel, I couldn't help but noticing your cute face from over there", he said with a smile.
Vince's eyes widened. Another guy?! he yelled to himself.
He reached over and put an arm on a grinning Quinn's shoulder. "Hey, Daniel, can't you see she's with me?" he told the guy.
Not wanting to pick a fight, the guys simply left.
"Huh, cheap and undetermined", Vince said about them, satisfied.
Quinn threw his arm off her shoulder and yelled "What did you do that for?"
"They were obviously trying to hook up with you!" Vince replied.
"So? I wasn't going to follow any of them to a hotel room!" she said, angrily. "They offered me a free drink!"
"If it really means that much to you, I'll pay for your drink", Vince offered.
"That's not the point!" Quinn screamed. "But you can definitely pay for my drink", she added.
"Ok then, everything's fine", Vince said.
"No, everything's not fine! Why did you ruin my fun?" Quinn whined.
"Nothing good was going to come out of that! Who knew what those guys were really like?" Vince claimed.
Quinn groaned. "Who are you to say that? I know you've picked up girls at bars before. I've seen you do that once, and it was not much different from what they did!" she said.
"Yeah, but you know me and what I'm like", he answered.
"I wasn't trying to find a boyfriend here, Vince. I only wanted to mingle a bit", Quinn rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to go to the restroom", she said, and left in a huff.
Vince bit his lip. Ok, maybe that was too much, he thought. But who knows what they could've done to Quinn?
Simon and Ethan had been observing the two's bickering in amusement the whole time.
"So what's up with you and Quinn?" Simon asked, curiously.
"We told you. We're friends and flatmates", Vince repeated.
"That didn't just look like an argument between two friends", Ethan said.
Simon nodded. "Somebody seemed jealous", he noted.
"Rich boy, what are you talking about?" Vince grumbled.
"It's pretty obvious. Why else would you have such a big reaction?" Ethan questioned.
"She's my friend! I have to look out for her", Vince said.
"Even if you're just looking out for a friend, you don't have to look like your eyes are going to pop out of your head at the sight of her with another guy do you?" Simon joked. Simon and Ethan both burst into laughter.
Vince faked laughter. "Har, har, har, are you two done laughing at me yet?" he asked, annoyed.
"Ok, sorry, Vince. We aren't trying to make fun of you", Simon apologized after he managed to stop his laughter.
"Yeah, sure you didn't", Vince rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go to the restroom", he said and left the two guys.
He turned the corner to where the restrooms are and saw Quinn standing there talking to...another guy?! Seriously?
He hit his head against the wall. Come on, Vince, why do you care? he thought to himself, extremely annoyed.
===================
Comments: A very dialogue driven chapter with several character interactions. I am slowly developing the relationship between Simon, Ethan, Vince, and Quinn. These four will quickly become close friends in the near future, while the three girls will under go more bumps.
It was pretty fun writing lines for Simon and Ethan, as the two are supposed to be good buddies who make fun of each other a lot. :)
Aw, poor Vince! He seems to be in denial that he loves Quinn, doesn't he? :P I love writing their scenes, hehe.
Preview of what's coming up: Ethan and Ella go on their first real "date".
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"Finding Life's Sweetness" Chapter 5
"Excuse me, I have a package for a Ms. Ella Yeung", a delivery man said to Quinn, who was dozed off at her desk.
Quinn jumped up quickly. "What?" she looked up in confusion to see a bouquet of roses infront of her. "Oh, sorry. Ella!" she called.
Ella stepped out of her office. "What are you yelling about Quinn?" she asked and caught sight of the roses.
"Someone sent you roses", Quinn said with a mischievous smile. Ella signed off on the delivery and opened the card that was hidden in the roses. The card simply read "From, Ethan".
Quinn peeked over Ella's shoulder to look at the card. "Is it from the guy who was waiting for you outside the bar the other night?" she asked, curiously.
"Yes", Ella bluntly replied, not sure what else to say.
"Get back to work", she told her, and took the roses into her office. She stared at them as she thought hard. She and Ethan had only met twice, but he had managed to leave a heavy impression on her. He was the only one who had ever challenged her in such a way, and she wasn't sure what to think about that. She agreed that there were some things that she should change in her life, but didn't want to listen to someone so easily. Was he worth listening to? Only time would tell.
Quinn jumped up quickly. "What?" she looked up in confusion to see a bouquet of roses infront of her. "Oh, sorry. Ella!" she called.
Ella stepped out of her office. "What are you yelling about Quinn?" she asked and caught sight of the roses.
"Someone sent you roses", Quinn said with a mischievous smile. Ella signed off on the delivery and opened the card that was hidden in the roses. The card simply read "From, Ethan".
Quinn peeked over Ella's shoulder to look at the card. "Is it from the guy who was waiting for you outside the bar the other night?" she asked, curiously.
"Yes", Ella bluntly replied, not sure what else to say.
"Get back to work", she told her, and took the roses into her office. She stared at them as she thought hard. She and Ethan had only met twice, but he had managed to leave a heavy impression on her. He was the only one who had ever challenged her in such a way, and she wasn't sure what to think about that. She agreed that there were some things that she should change in her life, but didn't want to listen to someone so easily. Was he worth listening to? Only time would tell.
**********
Kristy sat impatiently at her desk. For some reason, she felt...unfulfilled.
Her eyes landed on the plaque sitting on the front of her desk. It read "Kristy Wong - Assistant Manager". All of the sudden, the words seemed to stare at her in the face. She had been working as an assistant manager for about a month, but was already growing impatient and yearning to get higher up. Ella was alright, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she found herself at the top, over Ella.
That wasn't the only thing bothering her though. Her mom had visited her last night. She wasn't nearly as angry as she had been on the phone the other day. Even so, their encounter last night managed to be even more unpleasant than their phone call.
Knock, knock! Kristy ran over to look through the peephole at who was at the door. Who could possibly be looking for her?
She saw her mom (Mary Hon) standing outside and froze. If there was someone who managed to even come close to slightly frightening Kristy, it was her mom. She wasn't intimidating, mean, or scary in anyway. However, Kristy had gotten her bluntness from her mother. Only, she was an entire different kind of bluntness.
"Sweetie, it's so nice to see you!" she said after Kristy hesitatingly opened the door for her.
"Mom, what are you doing here? It's Friday night, how did you know I was home?" Kristy asked, trying to feign politeness.
"Who are you trying to kid, Kristy? You're always home", she answered, making fun of her.
"That's not true, I went to the bar with a couple colleagues a while ago", Kristy attempted to defend herself.
"Oh, a bar isn't the best place to meet men, sweetie", her mom said. She paused and added "Then again, I'm happy you're going out at all."
"I didn't go there to meet men, mom. I just went to blow off some steam", Kristy replied.
"I didn't realize you knew how to do that", her mom laughed. "Anyway, I was just in the neighborhood meeting up with some friends and decided to stop by."
"That's very nice of you, mom", Kristy said, biting her lip to keep herself from saying something rude.
Kristy's mom proceeded to sit down and pulled a couple of pictures from her purse. "Many of my friends showed me pictures of their sons. Some are quite handsome and seem to have good character", her mom informed her.
Her daughter replied with a groan. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be set up?" Kristy complained.
"You and I both know you're not going to find a boyfriend any other way", her mom stated. Before Kristy could get too offended, she quickly added "It's not because you're not pretty! You just never put yourself out there."
Kristy squirmed in discomfort. Getting a boyfriend wasn't in at all in her interest, but she'd take any opportunity to prove her mom wrong.
"I will find a guy, mom. You'll see", Kristy said. Her mom didn't look too convinced.
Kristy walked into the pantry to pour herself a cup of coffee.
What was she going to do? Even if she could find a boyfriend, she didn't want to deal with having one. Too much baggage, like she needed anything to keep her down. She stood there pondering while slowly sipping her coffee.
"Hello, pretty girl", Simon greeted her as he came in. Kristy cringed at his greeting and suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.
She nudged him and straightforwardly asked "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"
Simon dropped the cup he had been holding, feeling shocked, then smiled. "My charm finally got to you, huh? You really don't beat around the bush do you?" he asked.
"Don't be so flattered", Kristy scoffed. "I'm asking you to be my fake boyfriend to prove to my mom I can find my own", she cleared up.
"So you're using me?" Simon feigned offense.
He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, I'll do it. Then again, technically that means you can't find a boyfriend on your own. A real one anyway", he joked.
"Whatever", Kristy rolled her eyes.
"Fake or real relationship, you will fall for me eventually", Simon stated.
"Yeah, keep thinking that", she replied, sarcastically.
"I have a few conditions", she proposed. "You can not say a word of this to anyone, you may refer to me as your girlfriend, and you most certainly can not touch me when my mom's not around."
"Why don't you just tie strings on me and control me like I'm your puppet?" he joked.
"If everything goes my way, I will be able to do that", Kristy added in a sneaky tone.
Simon looked slightly taken aback. "So...when are we meeting your mom, sweetie?" he asked.
"Don't call me that", Kristy grumbled.
"You said I can't call you my girlfriend", Simon defended. "Well, now you can't call me any other pet name that makes me want to vomit either", she added, and started to walk away.
Her daughter replied with a groan. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be set up?" Kristy complained.
"You and I both know you're not going to find a boyfriend any other way", her mom stated. Before Kristy could get too offended, she quickly added "It's not because you're not pretty! You just never put yourself out there."
Kristy squirmed in discomfort. Getting a boyfriend wasn't in at all in her interest, but she'd take any opportunity to prove her mom wrong.
"I will find a guy, mom. You'll see", Kristy said. Her mom didn't look too convinced.
Kristy walked into the pantry to pour herself a cup of coffee.
What was she going to do? Even if she could find a boyfriend, she didn't want to deal with having one. Too much baggage, like she needed anything to keep her down. She stood there pondering while slowly sipping her coffee.
"Hello, pretty girl", Simon greeted her as he came in. Kristy cringed at his greeting and suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.
She nudged him and straightforwardly asked "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"
Simon dropped the cup he had been holding, feeling shocked, then smiled. "My charm finally got to you, huh? You really don't beat around the bush do you?" he asked.
"Don't be so flattered", Kristy scoffed. "I'm asking you to be my fake boyfriend to prove to my mom I can find my own", she cleared up.
"So you're using me?" Simon feigned offense.
He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, I'll do it. Then again, technically that means you can't find a boyfriend on your own. A real one anyway", he joked.
"Whatever", Kristy rolled her eyes.
"Fake or real relationship, you will fall for me eventually", Simon stated.
"Yeah, keep thinking that", she replied, sarcastically.
"I have a few conditions", she proposed. "You can not say a word of this to anyone, you may refer to me as your girlfriend, and you most certainly can not touch me when my mom's not around."
"Why don't you just tie strings on me and control me like I'm your puppet?" he joked.
"If everything goes my way, I will be able to do that", Kristy added in a sneaky tone.
Simon looked slightly taken aback. "So...when are we meeting your mom, sweetie?" he asked.
"Don't call me that", Kristy grumbled.
"You said I can't call you my girlfriend", Simon defended. "Well, now you can't call me any other pet name that makes me want to vomit either", she added, and started to walk away.
"I'll tell you when we'll meet her", she called out. She said that as if their "relationship" was just another business deal.
Simon admired her as she walked away. Something about her blunt, feisty, and headstrong personality was (to him anyway) very attractive.
"I'll get through to her eventually", he thought to himself. "She's one tough cookie though."
==========
Comments: There was so much more I wanted to include in this chapter, but decided to leave it for the next one to keep the length consistent. It seems a lot more easier and organized to focus on specific characters each chapter as opposed to trying to squeeze in a scene with each person.
We got to see what Kristy's mom is like, and it's rather clear where she got her bluntness from, heh.
I used (attempted to anyway) a couple instances of foreshadowing, especially with Kristy. I'm not too good at it though, so it isn't too clear but I have some of you will be able to catch it.
More of Ella and Ethan soon, I know I haven't focused on them much. I'll do my best to not make it as boring and underdeveloped as it has been.
Preview of what's coming up: Focus on all the guys and Quinn, as well as Quinn and Vince. :D Really looking forward to writing this chapter. Stay tuned!
Simon admired her as she walked away. Something about her blunt, feisty, and headstrong personality was (to him anyway) very attractive.
"I'll get through to her eventually", he thought to himself. "She's one tough cookie though."
==========
Comments: There was so much more I wanted to include in this chapter, but decided to leave it for the next one to keep the length consistent. It seems a lot more easier and organized to focus on specific characters each chapter as opposed to trying to squeeze in a scene with each person.
We got to see what Kristy's mom is like, and it's rather clear where she got her bluntness from, heh.
I used (attempted to anyway) a couple instances of foreshadowing, especially with Kristy. I'm not too good at it though, so it isn't too clear but I have some of you will be able to catch it.
More of Ella and Ethan soon, I know I haven't focused on them much. I'll do my best to not make it as boring and underdeveloped as it has been.
Preview of what's coming up: Focus on all the guys and Quinn, as well as Quinn and Vince. :D Really looking forward to writing this chapter. Stay tuned!
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