Lost No More

The curtain has finally fallen after 6 roller-coaster years. But not before giving the chance for almost all the characters to take a final bow with many-a-bittersweet moments.

Things weren't always how they were perceived to be. Not everything made perfect sense.

There was drama, there were surprises, shocks. Mostly there were a lot of tears.

And I'm glad it ended the way it did. Because if this is where we all are headed, then The End might not be so bad afterall...

P/S: Now just let The Vampire Diaries, etc start back already!

Playlist on a rainy Saturday morning

1. Dong Yu Zhe - Ai Yu Bu Ai
2. Zhang Hao - qi shi wo ye bu zhi dao (xing guang da dao)
3. Timbaland (feat. Katy Perry) - If We Ever Meet Again
4. Sam Tsui - Run
5. Glee - Total Eclipse of the Heart
6. Lee Shen Jie - Bu Wan Mei
7. Zhou Hua Jian - Rang Wo Huan Xi Rang Wo Yu
8. lee shen jie - yan di xin kung
9. Su Da Lv - xiao qing ge
10. Lisa Wang - man sui qin shan zhong shi cheng
11. Jay Chou - Pu Gong Ying De Yue Ding
12. Fish Leong - hui hu xi de tong
13. lee shen jie - zhui jin
14. Boyzone - Love Is A Hurricane

A white lie a day, takes you a long way

Read an article in the papers this morning and found it rather interesting :)

Folks are divided when it comes to white lies. Some say it is still a lie, and lying is never good. Others said it's called a white lie (instead of blue/red) in the first place because of its purity - to benefit others. To avoid upsetting people or hurting someone's feelings.

Now who hasn't told a white lie before? I would be lying (and mind you, it will not be white) if I said I've never told one. Sometimes the circumstances call for it. To avoid any unpleasant/awkward situations. To be polite especially when the other party is a not-so-close acquaintance. As long as it not some life or death thingy or could lead to something reckless and utterly dangerous, right?

During the festive season, people tend to ask: "Do I look pretty in my new dress?" or "Like my new shirt?" Some people might not look good in certain clothes, but because everyone is in a joyous mood, why spoil it by saying something nasty. Naturally, we'll say: "It looks nice on you."

What about to friends? Are you not a true friend if you tell a white lie to a close friend? I've read a lot about how a real friend is someone who is honest with you. and who will not hesitate to correct you. But I believe you can't just go blaring your opinion especially not in the presence of others. So if you happen to be in a situation in a public place, you might just have to resort to a little white lie, don't you think?

I'd rather tell white lies than end up having more enemies than friends with my brutal honesty about everything under the sun.

What if it happens to you? Would you rather hear a white lie or get the uncut/uncensored honesty regardless how bad it might be? Remember not everyone are good with words so they can't be giving you constructive criticism i.e. give you a less-stingy version all the time. I don't have a definite side for this. I guess for me it'll have to be case by case basis. 

And my personal belief: Don't ever go asking people whether your outfit looks good or not.  (lol!)

So the question is, would you lie if it can do more good than harm?

I see light

It's sights like these that made walking on foot across Rome oh-so-worthy..

The Pantheon - The temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings

Ip Man 2

I reviewed the first (recap here) so how can I not review the second. Truth be told, I'd become a fan after the first hence I do not need to think twice about watching the sequel in  the cinema. And indeed, Ip Man does not disappoint.

The 2nd installment picks up where the first left off i.e Ip Man escaped the Japanese occupation  and fled to Hong Kong. Still believing in his passion to spread the awareness for Chinese culture through the art of Wing Chun, Ip Man decides to open up a martial art school there. However in a mostly poverty-stricken Hong Kong back in the days under the ruling of the British empire, everything goes smoothly only when there are money exchanging hands. Being a man of principles, you can bet Ip Man does not bow to such intimidations (also because he's broke to the core, practically giving free lessons to his disciples!)

It's not an action movie if there are no fight scenes involved. Once again the fight scenes are great, the humors are not out of place, the plot engaging, the scenes - happiness, sadness, laughter, tears, loss, triumph - moving and well captured. Best of all the final fight is so much more satisfying this time around. The soundtrack is mesmerizing and goes well with the story too.

Also Donnie Yen brings so much into the character. His expressionless face portrays the hidden pain that his humble character suffers and he lets his actions speak for him. Honestly, I cannot think of any other actor out there who can fill in that shoes. However I just read that Tony Leung is working on a film "The Grand Master" and guess what, he will be playing Ip Man too. For someone without martial arts background but nonetheless a talented/hardworking actor (he broke his arm learning Wing Chun!) I wonder if he will be able to meet the high expectation already set by Yen. We shall have to wait and see...

But Jay Chou playing Bruce Lee in Ip Man 3? That I don't want to be seeing. Regardless how I look  forward to an Ip Man trilogy, I would rather they end it right here and now rather than spoiling it by bringing in Jay Chou just to churn more money. What do you think?

Lastly, compare to the first movie Ip Man 2 is a bit more unrealistic with some gravity-defying stunts though it still manages to have the audience gripping the edge of their seats.

My Rating:

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today

Won this from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways about a month or two back and it was an e-book. Honestly, I hardly read e-books as I prefer the old conventional of holding on to a paperback or hardcover and flipping the pages. Don't even get me started on the joy of getting lost in bookstores..

Anyway, I realize e-book has its advantages too. Now I can read during lunch breaks without the hassle of bringing a book around. Thanks to smartphone apps, I can even save and read it on the go if the storyline ever gets too good to put down. And there you go, finished the book in no time ☺

In Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, an unsolved murder case caught Kris Langley's attention and she felt the need to investigate due to some past guilt of her own. The plot is interesting, the characters believable and the settings realistic. And creatively, Stacy Juba manage to weave Greek myths into the story which was a suprise when I came to it. A pleasant one nonetheless seeing that I am a fan of Greek mythology myself. I like how she relate the discovery of the murderer in the end to the myth. I'm not too fond of the romance part though as it felt too sudden but no major harm done. An enjoyable read throughout.

My Rating:

"Edward Sebenarnya Pontianak"

Stumbled on the article a week ago and I immediately laughed out loud at that sentence. Apparently, Edward-the-sparkly-vampire novels had been translated into the Malay language. Senjakala; that's Twilight for you (New Moon is Cinta Baru.)

In case you don't know, pontianak means a female vampire. In Malay lore, pontianak is a woman who died during childbirth and all the Malay horror movies portray a pontianak as a pretty woman in a kebaya during the day and a creature with long black hair in a long white dress with a hideous face by night.

Bella did not fare any better. Her reference to the Indian reservation was translated as "penempatan masyarakat Red Indian." Sounds so lame, don't you think?

These remind me of the Malay title translations or subtitles for non-Malay movies in the cinema. Some of the title translations are downright hilarious! Sometimes I wonder if they put the text into some translation software and just reuse the results without even a second look. Imagine if you were to hear a handsome character confessing his love to the female protagonist; "I love you with all my heart" being translated into "Saya cinta kamu dengan sepenuh jantungku" ! True , heart literally means jantung but most of the time hati is used to represent the heart (Though this brings us to a similar case of translating from Malay to English - hati means LIVER in English!)

According to the article, Harry Potter series too have been translated into Malay. However at least instead of coming up with some word that did not make sense, a new word was added. An example given was centaur (English) and sentora (Malay).

Ever encounter such funny translations? Share them ;)

Stalked

Lieutenant Jonathan Stride knows his partner Maggie Bei is in trouble when she reports a deadly crime on a bitter winter night.
Maggie's obviously hiding a terrible secret, but she isn't the only one. A seductive young woman has disappeared, leaving behind a trail of lurid fantasies and a cryptic message.

With his lover Serena Dial - a homicide cop turned private investigator - Stride uncovers a sordid web of violence and voyeurism that someone is willing to kill to keep hidden.

But as they hunt for a killer, a predator with a vicious past is hunting them. Now every step they take brings them closer to a showdown amid howling winds and blinding snow. Where survival is measured in seconds. Where crimes can be buried for ever.

Finished reading the book over the long weekend and it did take quite a chunk of time off from my series chasing. When I bought the book, I didn't know it was the 3rd book in his series of Jonathan Stride but good thing was you can read the book like a standalone without knowing the history. A fast-pace page turner. Found myself covering more chapters in a seating than intended.

Overall interesting plot and twists but not so much character development. I didn't find myself attached to the characters perhaps because I did not start from book1. Reading it somehow made me thought of The Lovely Bones - it involves a similar crime. The people you know could be wearing masks and you're horrified when the unthinkable happens.

Kids, be aware of strangers. But when you're an adult, who should you be wary of?

My Ratings: