Past Layouts

As I create new banners, I will most likely change the layout look and color. Sometimes, it'll be little and small things. Sometimes, it'll be major changes, or maybe even a complete makeover. For the times when that will happen, I've created this page specially to take a look at how TVB Interaction has evolved.

Stephen & Elaine - August 3 - September 2009

The Stephen and Elaine banner is the first banner I ever created. The layout colors were default and did not match that well with the banner. At the time I didn't know anything about HTML so I didn't know how to change the colors yet. I was still satisfied with the layout and banner though as I had been afraid I would have a default banner forever.

I don't have a screen capture of this layout. I might create a backup blog where I can test out different things. Then I can insert the banner and default layout as well. :)

Smile! - Late August - October 25, 2009

It was after creating my second banner 'Smile!' that I started to learn more about html. I looked for tutorials and instructions, then used them to experiment on my own blog. After becoming a bit more knowledgeable about this, I changed the colors of my template to match my banner more. I was able to pick the colors I wanted for once. Not only that, but I managed to create tabs for easy locating through posts. This layout is a major breakthrough for me and TVB Interaction because it represents how far I've come from the default layout and banner I had 3 months ago when I knew absolutely nothing about HTML. I think the light purple and blue colors match the pink of the banner nicely. It's a little girly, and gives off a 'princess' feel, but I'm satisfied anyway.

Macy Chan - October 25 - November 24, 2009

After almost two months, a new banner is finally made, this time featuring Macy Chan. To go with the yellow banner, the tabs are changed to a bright yellow as well. I wanted a new feel, so I changed the post background and sidebar colors. The violet and green compliment nicely don't they? :) I really like this layout, it gives me a fresh spring feel. Even though it was fall during the time this layout was up. While this banner was up though, the layout colors were changed numerous times.



Missing Our Favorite Fungs - Late December 2009 - February 2010
The banner of Sammul and Raymond was put up on November 24th with the previous layout. In late December though, it experienced a template change, giving TVB Interaction a refreshing feel. I'm very fond of the lilac and yellow color scheme. Although the background color is now a raspberry pink color (to match the banner), it was initially a pale gray.


Fala Chen - February - April 2010
Dang it, I forgot to take a screen capture of this layout!  This layout was the one with the banner of Fala.  However, I do remember that I used a dark purple and red color for this particular one.  I quite liked this one as well.  The contrast of the purple and red was bright and refreshing.

Suspects in Love, Him & Mandy - April - August 2010

I love this soft green dominated layout.  It's colorful while still easy on the eyes.  (I noticed the spring layout with Macy, although colorful, appeared too bright on some computers.  That's the reason the site underwent so many layout color changes while that specific banner was up.)  This banner was put up right before "Suspects in Love" started airing, and I immediately warmed up to the idea of Him and Mandy as a couple.  The word "Wanted" on the banner is a play on the word "Suspects" in "Suspects in Love".

Wordpress - August 2010 - January 2011

This was the layout of TVB Interaction the whole time it was on WordPress.  It is the first (and hopefully only) non TVB layout.  This was due to my inexperience with WordPress and lack of time to experiment with it.  While the default banner is peaceful looking, this is easily my least favorite layout.  I miss the colors.

Nancy Wu and Vincent Wong - January 26, 2011 - November 27, 2011
First layout back on Blogger!  The banner is a collage of pictures of my favorite onscreen couple of 2010, Carson (Vincent Wong) & Ah Sze (Nancy Wu) from Gun Metal Grey!  TVB Interaction has had many bright layouts and a pastel layout, so I thought that a deep colored one would be refreshing and easy on the eyes.  Due to neglecting the blog in general, I had this layout up for almost a year without realizing it.

TVB Interaction's Favorite Artiste, Ruco Chan - November 27, 2011 - February 11, 2012

After having neglected TVB Interaction for the vast majority of 2011, I've returned to the blogging scene to make more consistent updates.  As much as I loved the Nancy and Vincent layout, it was time for a new one.  I thought, who better to feature this time than my all time favorite artiste?  It's great timing too, as this year has been a breakthrough for him.  I had a hard time thinking of a color scheme, and ended up deciding to be playful and different by using contrasting but appealing colors.  The dark purple contrasts well with the light yellow, and the hints of green give it a little pop!

First Breakthroughs of 2012 : Mandy Wong & Oscar Leung - February 12, 2012 - March 16, 2012

To celebrate Mandy and Oscar's shoot to stardom during the broadcast of "L'Escargot", I made this banner.  After doing multiple bright and contrasting layouts, I decided to do things a bit differently with this one by using light colors.  I'm very fond of this layout, since it is simplistic yet calming and easy on the eyes.

Goodbye Steven Ma - March 16, 2012 - April 27, 2012

As a tribute to Steven, who officially left TVB in March, I dedicated this spring time feel layout to him, which also features his female co-stars.  This layout uses the two colors I love using, green and yellow. It was up during the whole broadcast of "Daddy Good Deeds", his final TVB series as a managed artist.

Modern Women, featuring Fala Chen, Myolie Wu, Kate Tsui - April 27, 2012 - June 24, 2012

Acting aside, Fala, Myolie, and Kate are three of my favorite female artists for their personality.   They are what I think great representations of modern women.   This is a dedication to these three lovely ladies, and the purple and pink matches the femininity of the banner, while the pale blue softens the other two colors out.

TVB Interaction's 3rd Anniversary, featuring Ruco Chan, Kate Tsui, Myolie Wu, Raymond Wong, Mandy Wong, Edwin Siu, Ron Ng, and Nancy Wu - June 24, 2012 - January 7, 2013

Matthew Ko's STEPSTAGE - January 7, 2013 - December 25, 2014

Life's more fun with a partner in crime, featuring Priscilla Wong and Tony Hung - December 25, 2014 - Present

In Their Face #3

While browsing through my blog in the shoes of a visitor, I saw that I haven't posted a new "In Their Face" in almost a month. Feedback for the feature has been good, and I enjoy writing it. So, please enjoy the newest issue of returning feature In Their Face! :)

Bernice Liu

With her not too skinny yet not overweight appearance, Bernice boosts a unique and sexy image that other fa dans don't have. She is one of the fa dans who can actually pull off 'sexy' without making herself look promiscuous or overly suggestive. While I'm not a big fan of Bernice's acting, and probably never will be, I have instantly fallen in love with her personality. The TVB actress is an active Tweeter and all her tweets drip with her loving off screen personality. She is a happy go lucky optimist. She's one of those people who love life and won't let an obstacle keep her down and will be positive no matter what. It's no wonder too, because although Bernice has been in the entertainment industry for almost 10 years fighting off criticisms and rumors, she is still here as beautiful as ever with a big fan base.

Steven Ma

Steven has been with TVB for quite a while, and receives many lead roles. He is very hardworking, and doesn't mind sacrificing for his career. (He's shaved his head 4 or 5 times to film costume series, which is why he is usually sporting a buzz cut.) He is currently 37 years old, and yet he doesn't look like it. Steven is slightly dorky. In pictures, he's always flashing a sometimes goofy smile. His slightly dorky and youthful spirit give off the impression he is younger than he really is. Unlike a majority of the men today, Steven is quite the gentlemen. He cares for his co-stars, particularly his female co-stars, posing as their 'big brother.' He has been there to comfort Linda as well as Fala. He also seems to be shy.

Patrick Tang

Unlike TVB siu sangs like Raymond Lam and Ron Ng, Patrick is not handsome. However, I think he's cute and has a certain charm. It's hard to believe the guy's 35 years old, as he looks the same age as all the other artistes. When Patrick smiles wide, he can look very goofy. Like Steven, he also gives off the 'slightly dorky' vibe, maybe even more so than Steven. It just proves even more though that Patrick is a big kid that does not look like his age. Along with being dorky, which also makes him seem shy, he appears to be serious about his work. Over the years, Patrick has always classified himself as mainly a singer and it seems that music is what he's more passionate about. Unlike other TVB actors/actresses turned singers, he's also a music composer, and writes some of the songs he's released. Patrick took a two year break from TVB to find better opportunity for himself as a singer, proving that he's serious about what he does and wants to make the best out of everything.

Stressed and Scared

High school used to feel so far away. It used to be something my family, friends, and I refered to as 'something in the future.' Sometimes, my dad will take out an old shirt and say I'll be able to wear it when I'm in high school. (Btw, it's less than a year away and they still look big on me...xD) Something that felt so unreal is finally coming near. It felt like not long ago me and my buddy since first grade were graduating from elementary school. Of course, the new school year is still a pretty large amount of time from now. I'm still in my first month of school. Preparation though is always good, especially in my case, and all the brighter students who go to my school. Prepare for what you may ask? Applying for Thomas Jefferson High School. No, you most definitely don't have to 'apply' to get into high school where I live. Thomas Jefferson High School (which I'll just refer to as TJ from now on), is one of the top public high schools (twice ranked #1)in the US specializing in Science and Technology. Acceptance into the school is based on admission tests and previous academic achievement. The whole application process takes about 5 months.

The Test

One out of two main things people will be looking at for applications is how well they do on the TJ Admission Test. The following paragraph is an excerpt from my TJ information booklet: "The test contains 95 test items- 45 verbal reasoning/reading and 50 math questions. Verbal questions include scrambled paragraphs, logical reasoning, and reading comprehension. The math items include word and computational problems. The math items include some algebra and geometry questions related to material covered in fifth through seventh grade mathematics." A sample test is on the school's admission website, and I've looked through it briefly today. Very briefly in fact, since I didn't have time as I had to finish my homework. I've looked at a couple questions from each section. While the questions on the sample test made me reread and think a lot, I found the questions to be alright. Challenging yes, and they require careful and thorough thinking. Ridiculously hard? No. The test is one of my main worries for how hard it supposedly is. After looking through though, some of my stress about it is relieved. Thanks to the sample test though. It gives me an idea of what it is like, and what I should study and practice.

Reading, although not my best subject, has always been an 'okay' thing for me. I find I have much more interest and ability in writing though. For the most part, I'm pretty good at reading skills. My scores for reading exams have never been the best, but they are still passed advanced. My logic is pretty good as well (I'm a realist) which can help guide me through the logical reasoning part.

I guess I'm mostly worried about the math part. Though it used to be my best subject, I struggled with it in the 6th grade. We learned at a fast pace, since we had to learn 2 years (7th and 8th grade math) worth of math in one school year. The teacher's grading scale was particularly hard that year as well, making a huge impact on my final grade. While I used to be able to sustain all A's before, that year's math made me drop to AB. The final grade I got that year was a B. Since finishing 6th grade though, my math has gone back to being good. It's no longer my best subject, but I still handle well. Going into algebra this year though does make me worried. It can still challenge and confuse me sometimes. I hope I'll do well on the algebra and geometry questions! Better make sure I study up!

Essays - Writing Sample

"Students also write two one-page essays at the time of testing in December. One essay focuses on real-world problem solving, often with an ethical component. The other essay requires self-assessment or self-reflection by the applicant."

Shouldn't be a problem. Like I said, my interest and ability lies mostly in writing. The writing prompt is the only exam I ever managed to get a perfect score on (though I'm not sure how to this day).

Academic Achievement

The problem here is that they're mostly looking at the grades of our 7th grade year and the first two quarters of our 8th grade year. I managed to get all A's for two quarters of the 7th grade (equalling a semester) but got slightly off and into AB when receiving one B+ each time.

I've always been considered 'academically talented' by teachers, and got very good grades in elementary. Although my grades in middle weren't as high as they could've been, they were still much above average. I hope that the academic achievement part of my application will look good enough for such a school!

Why I Want to Go to TJ

It's always been hard to get into a good college/university. With the economy crisis and increases in money exchange, it's become even harder. A good college application is key to getting into a good college. It can lead you to be accepted, maybe even on a scholarship if you're particularly good at something. There is nothing I'm extremely good at, for I'm mostly just book smart. Good academics and grades is mostly all I can rely on at this point to help get me into a good university. I know that for me to go to TJ will look very impressive on a college application. After a lot of thinking, I've come to the conclusion (tell me if you think something else) that getting A's and B's at a top and prestigious, advanced high school is better than getting all A's in a regular high school.

The Admission Process

I've always thought that I'd have the a majority of the school year to prepare for this. After receiving the info booklet today though, I've realized I was wrong. My application form (which is simply asking for your name and basic information) is due in a couple weeks. I'll be taking the test and essay on December 5. January 2010 determines the semifinalists. Test scores and grade point average are used to determine which students will continue on with the admission process. We'll be notified at the end of January to find out whether or not we make it on. When February 2010 comes and you've made it into the semifinals, we need to obtain teacher recommendations and complete another application form. March comes the selection committee review. That is when the selection committee members evaluate our application packets. Notifications for the final decision on who will be offered admission release 2010. What a long process...if you make it to the next round, you could be eliminated at anytime! Think positive...

Statistics

About 480 students are offered admission to the freshmen class a year. 18% of applicants actually make it in. An average 7 students who apply make it in.

Last Thoughts

The next few months will require all my attention, effort, and focus. I'll need to prepare myself and do everything I can so that I can do the best on the test and essay. After that, mostly all I will be able to do is get good word of mouth from my teachers with those recommendations. In order words, I'll be pretty busy for the next few months. Sorry, TVB Interaction. :(

Updates 9/23/09

Haven't posted in a couple days, but that doesn't mean I haven't been here! For the last couple nights, I've been doing some serious Googling and HTML editing. By now, I think you've noticed some notable changes, like the layout colors, and the TABS! I'm so happy I was able to create tabs! Being the very organized person I am, I'm glad I can actually categorize my posts now. Tabs are a lot nicer than the plain links I had up a couple days earlier, and much more pretty. :D

Regarding my search for a host, I'm still searching, and haven't had any luck so far. I'm open to anyone who is willing, but for now I'm staying here on Blogger. If someone approaches me who's willing to be my host, then I'll give it thought. Now that I have more knowledge of HTML, and realized that I can do quite a couple things right here on Blogger if I try hard and do research, I'm ok if I just stay right where I am now. I'm quite content with the layout I have now.

Also, I've reached more than 2,000 views now! Wow, so happy! There are seriously people visiting now??? I'm aware I give myself a lot of page views from when I edit, answer messages, and etc but I know not 2,000. xD

I've got tons of ideas for posts, about TVB, personal life, and music. When I have time, I'll draft them and post them! Stay tuned everyone! :)

Moving to WordPress, Looking for a Host!

After much consideration, thought, and a little research, I've decided I will be moving to WordPress. (Thanks to Liling for answering my questions!) I want to have more options, most notably add additional pages such as 'about me' and etc. Call me 'greedy' or whatnot, I can't control what you think. :P I've been using Blogger for several months now, even before opening TVB Interaciton and while I love the simplicity and easiness of it all, I'd like to try out WordPress. I want to expand so that it will feel more like my own space.

I've done some Googling today, and while the two website hosting sites (Blogger and WordPress) have both advantages and disadvantages the other doesn't have, the advantages on WordPress catch my eye more. They fit more what I want to do. However, a free WordPress site is quite limited, and won't let me do what I planned on doing, which would defeat the purpose of me even moving. After having Liling answer my questions, I do feel as though a hosted WordPress site will be a lot better. It's free, but you get to do more. I don't mind not having my own domain name, as long as 'TVB Interaction' is somewhere in there. I will be looking for a kind TVB blogger to host me for the next couple weeks.

If after importing my posts to the WordPress blog, TVB Interaction on Blogger still exists, I will leave it up. I want to keep it to leave it as a 'memory.' TVB Interaction is my first site that I've ever been commited to and contain my best interest in. After a year in blogging, this is my best work to date. In a couple years from now when I am a much better blogger with more knowledge of Photoshop and HTML and etc, I want to look back on this and see how far I've gone. I hope everyone will continue reading and follow me to my future WordPress site. :)

HOST WANTED. :D

Satire: Guide to Creating a TVB Series, What to Include?

I randomly started thinking today about the cliched things of TVB series, as well as thinking of what to post. I've always planned on doing a post for all these cliched things, but couldn't think of how. While browsing through some blogs, I finally got an inspiration: Satire! I could write a satire 'how to' guide! I ended up writing, and this is what I got. It's my first time at attempting to write a piece of satire, so be truthful but not too harsh. xD





The 'How to Guide to Creating a TVB Series'! Are you an ambitious writer who wants to make it big by writing screenplays for TVB? No problem! With TVB Interaction's simple guide, you can be on your way to writing for Asia's most cliched television company, at the same time as not needing to put forth any extra effort!


1. Use different shots of Hong Kong itself as the first scene of a series. It gives us a way to open the first episode without needing to scratch our heads giving it extra thought. Plus, you get to show off all the tall buildings they have in Hong Kong!

2. Always make the main couple "rival lovers." Instead of properly developing the couple's relationship, we can just have them at each other's throats yelling and screaming until the last one or two episodes. Then, we can let them suddenly 'fall in love' with each other and live happily ever after.

3. Toss in a love triangle, the more annoying and ridiculous the better! Give them a lot of screen time, no matter how irritating or unnecessary it is to the plot. If that gets to the point of being pathetic even to TVB, spice things up a bit by making it a love quadrangle!

4. Always have the elevator break down in the middle of a situation. No, elevators don't have that many malfunctions when trying to get people from floor to floor, otherwise the people of Hong Kong would be suing like crazy. However, it is a simply and silly way of trapping two people.

5. Don't bother keeping things 'fresh' by pairing up new couples or cast ensembles. If they like the Linda and Steven pairing, pair them up: again, and again, and again. If they like the Heart of Greed cast, recast them in every other grand production!

6. Promote a talentless but pretty faced newbie and give them every lead role possible. Yes, they suck at acting, but it's just because they're new! But almost everyone can improve. That's why we want to make them work like crazy by casting them in every series possible: so we can speed the process up a bit.

7. Remember, no matter how evil a person is, they have to turn into good again. There is no such thing as a 100% evil person. Just look the villians from Heart of Greed and Moonlight Resonance. Was there a logical reason for Sau Kam, Ah Hung, or Ka Mei turning 'good' again? No, but in TV land, everyone and everything has to have a happy ending.

8. No matter how good (or bad) the series is, the ending has to be bad (or worse). Make it as atrocious as you can. There are 3 options:

a) Make it a happy, unrealistic, and rushed ending. It doesn't matter how many things have gone wrong, because everything will be ok again somehow and we'll have a happy ending in the last 10 minutes or so!

b) Kill someone off, and make it as sad as possible. Always kill a major and beloved character, that'll bring in ratings and make the audience shed buckets of tears. Do this every so often so that everyone will stop complaining about 'happy endings.'

c) Who cares how you end it? Just write down anything! The audience will get over it, but if the complaints start to overflow TVB City, you can just film an alternate ending like D.I.E.! It may cause confusion, but so what?!

In Their Face #2

Linda Chung

Linda's image is commonly referred to as 'jade girl.' Completely the opposite of Kate Tsui, she uses a pure and wholesome good girl image, which is perfect for Linda. Her sweet smile and charm shows her innocence and good intentions in everything she does. However, with most modest and innocent people, they tend to be harsh on themselves. Linda is no exception. In the end though, it may be a good thing, because it makes the hardworking Linda aim harder, making her into a future fa dan.




Sammul Chan


Sammul is a very clean person and careful of his personal appearance and hygiene. This makes him rather different from other siu sangs. He has clear skin and is always cleanly shaved, even off screen. While other actors have pictures of themselves on the internet unshaven (which I find disgusting as well as annoying), Sammul is always shaved and clean. His attitude towards his personal appearance and hygiene shows that he is an organized person. His baby-like smile and face shows that he is a shy person, which is probably why he appears 'cold' with his female co-stars. Unfortunately, precisely because he likes to take care of himself and that he doesn't have rumors about him dating female costars, people think he is 'gay.' And what kind of society do we live in if a guy can't even want to take care of his personal appearance and hygiene, without being suspected to be gay?






Kenneth Ma

Kenneth is a shy person. Something about the way he smiles just says so. Most shy people though are nice and sweet, and Kenneth also appears to be so. He is a 'big kid' (literally) because he is very tall and yet very playful. Behind the scenes pictures show that Kenneth likes to have fun and reveal the child in himself. Of course, it doesn't mean he's immature. Working with TVB for 10 years and appearing in way more series than the average artiste, Kenneth has matured into a good actor with many improvements, at the same time never letting the kid in him die away.

Banner #2: Smile!

After much thinking about what to do for my next banner, I finally got a theme: smiles. Many TVB fa dans have very pretty smiles, which makes them look even prettier. While looking through pictures for my next banner, the theme of smiles shot into my mind.

Featured in this banner: Selena Li, Aimee Chan, Leila Tong, and Fala Chen

These four have beautiful smiles that express different things..

Selena's smile reveals the innocence and gentleness of her cute and youthful smile.

Aimee is pretty in every series she's in, despite the extremely short hairstyle she has in series. Why? Because she has a very sweet smile that just seems to brighten up her whole face. I've always loved this picture of her because of the way she's just smiling so widely like she couldn't be any happier.

Leila has a 'baby face' like Sammul Chan, and along with her sweet and pure smile, she looks like the ultimate 'wholesome yet beautiful' beauty.

Fala's smile tends to show off her maturity and elegance. She looks beautiful and elegant in this picture with her updo, necklace, and of course, smile.

I did this banner almost entirely in Picnik. This banner looks much more clean than the Stephen and Elaine one. It's also less crowded. At the same time though, it is rather plain. However, I like it. It looks very nice.

'Burning Flame 3' Favorite Character Poll Results

It's been a while since Burning Flame 3 ended and I have no wish to continue or go back to watch the parts I missed. My Burning Flame 3 favorite character poll has been up for some time, so I've closed it. The results are in, and there are a total of 24 votes.

Who is your favorite character in 'Burning Flame 3?'

Chung Yau-Shing (Wong He) : 1 vote / 4%

Cheuk Pak-Yue/Rex (Kevin Cheng) : 9 votes / 38% <----------

Ko Wai-Ying (Myolie Wu) : 3 votes / 13%

Fong Lei-On/Encore (Bosco Wong) : 9 votes / 38% <---------

Yung Siu-Yee/Easy (Aimee Chan) : 0 votes / 0%

Ko Ho-Nam (Stephen Wong) : 1 vote / 4%

Cheuk-Man (Elaine Yiu) : 1 vote / 4%

The title of TVB Interaction's 'Burning Flame 3' Favorite Character is a tie between Cheuk Pak-Yue/Rex and Fong Lei-On/Encore.

The results don't surprise me, though I thought Easy would've gotten at least one vote. (Poor Easy) I was ok with Rex and Encore was what brought some badly needed comical relief, but I still like Ah Nam the most. What a shame he only got one vote...:(

TVB Interaction Reaches Over 1,000 Views! Contact Me!

After a summer on the web, TVB Interaction has developed a decent base. Over the weekend, TVB Interaction has officially reached over 1,000 views! Yay, I'm so happy! Thank you for reading everyone!

I've come into contact with many other fellow bloggers recently, even making friends with some of them. I enjoy talking to lynne of TVB Horizon and jessica of My Only Myolie Network. After recieving a request to be friends on Facebook from a reader, I decided to make another email. I will be using this email especially for keeping in contact with everyone here. If you have comments or questions, or you just wanna talk, feel free to send me an email!

Email me at: tvbinteraction@gmail.com

Also, remember to follow me on Twitter! Drop me a tweet too! I'll be sure to reply. :)

Thanks for the hits,
~Iris

New Feature: "In Their Face" #1

TVB Interaction presents it's first feature: "In Their Face.

Every person has their own personality, as well as their own attitude and more. Now, did you know that you can sometimes tell these things by just looking at them? Of course, you shouldn't simply judge a book by its cover. However, examining specific factors such as their facial features, appearance, and style, we can get a general impression of that person, or the impression they give off.

Please comment and give feedback! I will continue this feature if the response is good. :)



Tavia Yeung

With 10 years of experience with TVB under her belt, she has matured into a fine actress. Her facial features themselves make her appear more mature than her colleagues, despite being around the same age. A certain serenity is seen in her and her eyes. She has elegance, something other twenty something fa dans are usually missing.



Selena Li


One of the prettiest/cutest of the pageant participate bunch, Selena is a wholesome beauty. She is rarely seen revealing large amounts of skin. The sweet smile she loves to wear shows the youth and inner child in her. Her eyes give off a friendly and gentle feeling, which is like her personality in real life.

Kate Tsui

Her narrow shaped eyes give off a "mean" look, which is probably why she's been given villain roles recently. She is aggressive as opposed to Selena's gentleness. Her style and look tells that she is bold and daring in terms of sexuality and life. Kate has defined herself from other 'good girl' fa dans with her personality, attracting more criticism than praise.