Updating my Jianghu site

Geez, I haven't updated my update ^_^ for almost 1.5 months! Anyway, I have a (lame?) joke about what people brought during travelling in the Jianghu era vs what we bring these days here. Then I made the episode summary of United We Stand eps 7-9 and eps 10-12 (many people like them!). Then I updated the Runaway Dragon fan fiction (the Foundation) for Part 3 and Part 4. Last but not least, I have uploaded Barbara Yung's letters that mentioned the Foundation 1984 series here.

Enjoy!

Updating my Jianghu site

Lots of updates this month. I wrote a one shot fanfiction of the Foundation, basically a "deleted scene" after Li Sai Man and Chun Sik Sik had a row. Then I posted Barbara's letters about LOCH 1983, then I translated an interview of Michael Miu about LOCH 2017. Then I wrote two more TF fanfictions, which would be an installment of at least three (or more). The title is "Runaway Dragon and Missing Phoenix" (part 1, part 2). I wrote another Chor Lau Heung fanfiction here ('A Capital Mistake'), then finally today I posted the summary of 'United We Stand' (生繡橋王)from Episode 1 to 7 6.

Again, please visit my Jianghu site for the regular updates, for I try to post an article per week, and I won't post updates that often here. Thanks!

Xuan Zhang 2016

Xuan Zhang 2016 is not your usual “Journey to the West” movie. You won’t find flying monkeys there. Instead, you’ll find a realistic journey of an amazing Tang monk across the treacherous deserts, who spoke fluent Hindi when he was already in India and addressed the Indian monks/gurus as “Acharya” in such a respectful way. Copied to my Jianghu blog because it relates to Li Shimin (Tang Dynasty) and it gave me a thought about LOCH 2017.

I found Xuan Zhang when I was on board Singapore Airlines from Hong Kong to Singapore (part of my lag from Washington DC to Jakarta). The good thing about flying with SIA is that you’d be guaranteed to have a wide array of Asian movies to watch. This journey was not an exception. I was weighing between Xuan Zhang and another Asian movie, and in the end, boy I’m glad that I watched Xuan Zhang.

The Chinese-Indian movie was directed by Huo Jianqi, produced by Wong Kar-wai (that name I know!) and starring Huang Xiaoming as the titular character. Never seen HXM in action before, but I was very impressed with his performance as Xuan Zhang that he’s one of my favourite Mainland actors now. HXM made me thought that he was actually channelling Xuan Zhang in the movie; his serene face and wisdom were so palpable, I wondered if he actually set aside time to meditate every day before filming. Actually, I would be glad to just sit next to him, listening to him chanting the sutras...

Sloppy updating of the Jianghu site

Well, I did say in early August that I'd announce the update of my Rivers and Lakes site here irregularly... and apparently I went overboard! It's 8 weeks already when I realised that I had not announced my updates for a while here. So yes, dear readers, for the Jianghu updates, just head on to my Realm of Rivers and Lakes. I try to post something new every weekend, and usually I can do that. If not, then I usually would post in the midst of the following week...

Anyway, since writing an article about me visiting Barbara Yung's grave (I still miss her...), I've written a post on Yang's Saga, made a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV with Faye Wong's "Eyes on Me" as the BG music, wrote two impressions of the Legend of Condor Heroes 2008 (first and final), wrote a review on Michael Miu's 2014 Line Walker, review Barbara's letters about Chor Lau Heung (she seemed to like the series), and last but not least, writing another fan-fiction about CLH and Song Siu Ching.

Phew! Can't say I haven't been busy... and that's on top of my real-life work and agenda...sigh...

Baigan and bhindi masala

I forgot to take a photo cos the dish tasted so good, hence the bad photo.
Will change the photo when I make the dish again and I remember to take photo!

This recipe is using my two favourite vegetables: eggplant (brinjal/baigan) and okra (bhindi). Original recipe from Yummy Tummy Aarthi.com, I alter it quite a bit and I also omit water, but since I used her spice suggestions, I still put her link here. I've experimented with several baigan masala recipe before, but it never really got close to the baigan masala that I love from Bayleaf/Mint in Townsville. This one though is good enough for me to be proud as the chef!

Ingredients

1 large brinjal/baigan/eggplant, chop small

A handful of bhindi/okra, sliced

4 tbsp ghee

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 bayleaf

5-6 curry leaves

1 onion chopped

Green chili chopped

Updating my Jianghu blog

I usually just do bulk updates these days, so wuxia readers better off to my Jianghu blog for regular updates there. Anyway, since the last update, I have posted two episode guides of the Legend of Dik Ching 1986 (Eps 1-10 and Eps 11-20), one visitor statistics, the second part of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 1986 summary (Eps 23-40), and more photos of Michael Miu as Huang Yaoshi. I plan to make an MV of Michael as HYS later, so just go to my Jianghu blog for quicker updates...

Update 3 August 2016: I posted the MV of Michael Miu as Huang Yaoshi on 26 July using the third theme song of the Legend of Condor Heroes 1983. And yesterday (2 August), I posted an article about my visit to Barbara's grave in Cambridge UK on Thursday 28 July last week. It was a very special visit for me, hope you like reading it.

Updating my Rivers and Lakes

First post last Sunday was a fan-fiction; a cross-over between Nirvana in Fire and Chor Lau Heung 1984. Second post was last night, a Michael/Barbara wuxia MV. Enjoy!

Also, I injured my left wrist yesterday afternoon, but I hope I can make another MV for this weekend cos Saturday 18 June is Michael's 58th birthday!!!

Edit 18 June: the MV for Michael's 58th birthday is here.

Edit 26 June: I made another Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV with Danny Chan's oldies ballad "Ripples" for the song. Also uploaded my first Legend of Condor Heroes 1983 MV, on Wong Yung versus Yeung Hong (!!) here.

Edit 3 July: I wrote about Huang Yaoshi's characters based on the LOCH novel here, wrote a review on the 1986 Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre series here and made a Michael/Barbara wuxia MV for YouTube etc here (the song is Olivia Ong's L-O-V-E).

Updating my Rivers and Lakes

Two updates since Sunday: The first one is the review of Langya Bang (Nirvana in Fire) 2015 starring Hu Ge, Liu Tao, Wang Kai, Chen Long, Jin Dong, Victor Huang, etc. The second one is the historical accuracy of the 1980s wuxia costumes. 

Enjoy!

Updating Rivers and Lakes

Two updates this Sunday afternoon: a new fan-fiction for The Foundation 1984 featuring Li Sai Man and his sister Li Lok Wan (dedicated to Tamuyen Truong) and more of the Behind the Scenes GIFs of Michael and Barbara.

Enjoy!

Oreo-based espresso ganache tart

The Oreo-espresso-chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream and boiled quince

I love coffee-infused chocolate dessert, and when it's accompanied with an Oreo cookies base, it's double true love coming true! This recipe is not mine, but I changed it slightly by changing the base to Oreos instead of Nabisco, omitting the sugar, and freezing the base instead of baking it. I took the original recipe from the amazing site of the View from the Great Island, who in turn adapted it from Epicurious. I just put it here for my collection. 

The crust:

250 grams of Oreo cookies, crushed

5 tablespoons (75 grams) of unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

Another update for my Jianghu site

I thought I'd be able to produce a fanfiction and an MV this weekend, but not a chance... Hence this weekend I only uploaded one MV of Chor Lau Heung 1984. The MV is titled "Kindred Spirit". 

Music is "Strange Species" or 異類的同類 (Yìlèi de tónglèi) from Tanya Chua's Aphasia (蔡健雅, 失語者) album. That's her latest album, and I love the techno tracks in it. Enjoy!

Edit: in the excitement of the upcoming LOCH 2017, I posted the OSTs of the Legend of Condor Heroes 1982 1983 here.  And I made two new gifs of MB at the LOCH 1983 BTS. 

Remembering Barbara Yung

I wrote a post about a remembrance for Barbara Yung, for today, 31 years ago, she left us...

On a happier note, Michael Miu is going to play Huang Yaoshi in the 2017 remake of the Legend of Condor Heroes. Click here for the news.

Have a nice weekend. All is well.

Updating my jianghu blog for Barbara Yung's birthday

Barbara Yung (7 May 1959 - 14 May 1985)

Today (7 May 2016) would be Barbara's 57th birthday had she not died young. I made three posts for her birthday at my Rivers and Lakes blog. The first one is some of Barbara's hair styles she had in her series, the second one is some LOCH 1982 BTS screen shots with Michael Miu, and the ultimate birthday post is an MV for Barbara. I uploaded it to YouTube and will also upload it to Dailymotion and Vimeo as well just in case YouTube ask me to delete it.

Happy birthday, Barbara. We miss you...

The Seven Daughters of Eve

I finished this book in two nights...

A friend of mine asked me years ago (perhaps almost ten years ago) whether I had read a book called “The Seven Daughters of Eve”. I said, I haven’t. And apparently, I would still not read it had I not visited a small second hand bookshop in Devonport, north of Auckland, last weekend. I love second hand bookshops; you’ll never know what treasure you find in such a shop. Two Christmases ago I found “Ashoka” by... in such a shop in Hobart Tasmania; I finished the book during the year end holiday. This time, I finished The Seven Daughters of Eve in two nights. I got vertigo afterwards; a combination of holiday flu and reading in poorly-lit environment inside the airplane (not a good thing for my eyesight...). But despite all that, I certainly cannot ignore the a swirling notion of DNA, mtDNA, Y-chromosome, anthropogenesis, Ice Age and so on and so forth. Despite my hammering vertigo, I cannot shake off the notion that The Seven Daughters of Eve (or 7DE) truly woke me up of my very long ignorant sleep about the origin of humans. Or Homo sapiens, as we know it. And why I should respect the early explorers, the “Out of Africa” bands who traveled where no one had gone before.

Stir-fried okra Chinese style

This was my lunch today

I love simple dishes. They are easy to make, yet always manage to warm my heart and hearth. Nigella Lawson's mushroom, garlic, thyme and lemon pasta is one of them. Or just a simple spaghetti with lightly-coated pomodoro sauce (I haven't nailed the perfect sauce yet, but I will, one day). Or, when I want a touch of Orient, the stir-fried okra Chinese style.

Okra is a vegetable that you either hate or love. I'm in the love team, and I love the Indian-style okra (bhindi masala, they call it). Recently, I tried the Chinese style okra as well, and I love it too. The recipe below is not mine; it's from The Big Fat Noodle. I love it so much tho that I decide to copy it here, so it's easier if I want to check the ingredients before cooking it. Instead of eating it with onion rice, this afternoon I opted for brown rice and quinoa. Love it!

Updating my Rivers and Lakes

Beautiful art I used for the MV, by Xuedaixun, Deviant Art

Two Three posts: one is my final impressions for Return of Condor Heroes 1983 here. Don't read it if you're an avid fan of Yeung Gor/Dragon Girl...

Two: Made another CLH MV titled "The Wandering Life Before You", this time without Siu Ching for the majority of the scenes. She only appeared in the last scene. The song is from the 1979 CLH sung by Adam Cheng. Hope you like the new MV!

Three: Posted a review on The Academy 2005 starring Michael Miu. Not a wuxia series, but it's Michael, so it's there...

Updating my Jianghu blog

I have found the third OST of Chor Lau Heung 1984. It's a beautiful song titled 情到濃時休說痴 (Love Makes a Fool of None), performed by Liza Wang. I have accordingly made an MV based on that OST; the MV can be viewed here. 

I have also posted my second interim impression of ROCH 1983 here.

Drop me some thoughts in my River and Lake blog please!

Updates on my Jianghu blog

Beautiful magnolias by Ella Saridi, Etsy (I used two of her arts in the new MV)

I just uploaded a new MV for Chor Lau Heung 1984 using "Undying Love", one of the OSTs for Return of Condor Heroes (ROCH) 1983. You can listen to and watch the MV here. 

Speaking of ROCH 1983, I started watching the series last week. I decided not to make episode summaries for this series, but I will (and have) post my interim and final impressions. The first interim impression was posted here. 

Enjoy!

New updates for my Jianghu blog

Wong Yung's gorgeous bright yellow tunic, Ep 50

I have added some screen shots of the last episodes of LOCH 1982 from ep 55 to 59, particularly during the Yeung Gor/Yang Guo baby naming scene. Might add more screen shots for other episodes too and will keep you posted if I do.

I posted a new article on the costumes worn by Michael Miu and Barbara Yung in Legend of Condor Heroes 1982.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Updates for my River and Lake blog

First update: I posted a series of sketches of Chor Lau Heung and Song Siu Ching here and sketches of Wong Yung and Yeung Hong here (thanks Cynthia from the MB Forum for the new sketches!).

Second update: I finished an LOCH fan-fiction (The Dragon's Repentance) with the following snippet:

What if Yeung Hong managed to escape death... at least until Yeung Gor was born? 

Inspired by the 2008 LOCH which gave YK the chance to be with his son and wife for a few months... and born of my wish of Yeung Hong having a closure with Wong Yung... 

I've also linked individual Michael/Barbara wuxia posts here to their counterpart posts in the River and Lake Realm. I haven't finished all of them, but I hopefully will during the weekend. 

Enjoy and see you at the River and Lake!

My new Jianghu blog

Let me know if you
know the artist's identity

Dear readers, to accommodate the growing wuxia/jianghu posts I have on this blog, today I just published my new blogspot specifically for that topic. Called 'The Realm of Rivers and Lakes', with the blog address RiverAndLakeRealm, the blog is specifically for wuxia, jianghu or wulin posts, in particular those featuring Michael Miu Kiu Wai and Barbara Yung Mei Ling. As such, I have copied all Michael/Barbara related posts to my "Realm of River and Lakes" blog site. All comments have been imported there too. 

The summary of new wuxia posts will still be posted here if they are Michael/Barbara related, but the full article will only be at the new Realm of Rivers and Lakes blog. Non MB posts (e.g., if I do want to write a summary on Return of Condor Heroes 1983) will only be posted in the Realm of Rivers and Lakes. Hence, I do recommend that my regular wuxia/jianghu readers subscribe to my new blog to get the regular updates of new posts.

Note to those new with the 'Jianghu (江湖)', the literal translation is 'rivers and lakes', usually to convey the world explored by martial artisans. There is a very interesting article by Helena Yuen Wai from the University of Hong Kong that explored this matter. Click here for said article. Abstract is below the break. I've read the paper; it was a very informative read.

Thank you for visiting my new site!

Yang Kang's demise (LOCH 1982 screen caps)

Below are the screen caps of the final scene of Yang Kang where he finally accepted his demise. It's a total tearjerker for me that I delayed it for two weeks since I saw this ep 52, but I feel like I owe myself and MB/LOCH fans the screen caps. The screen caps started from the moment Guo Jing found the poisoned Yang Kang inside the Iron Spear Temple. Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

GJ trying to save YK but the latter knew he had no hope

LOCH 1982 episode guides (eps 50-59) and final impression

The followings are the episode guides of the last 10 episodes of LOCH 1982. More screen caps will be posted later (still haven't really gotten over Yang Kang's death...). Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

The Quanzhen Sect's Tiangang Beidou Formation Ep 50

Ep 50: Wong Yung kidnapped First Freak Master Ke to ask him about the Peach Blossom Island massacre. GJ intervened, and Master Ke hit WY instead, and she was imprisoned. GJ asked Hong Qigong and Old Imp’s help to release WY; she was released. The three of them then went to the inn where Huang Yaoshi and Quanzhen Sect were about to have their duel (must be an expensive venue...). Master Ke and GJ also went to the same inn to side with Quanzhen. Yet, across that inn, we saw Wanyan Honglie and Ouyang Feng observing the inn.

Apparently, the Peach Blossom massacre had Wanyan Honglie et al’s fingerprints on it. Ouyang Feng wanted wuxia supremation, hence if Huang Yaoshi and Quanzhen were at loggerheads, then Ouyang would be the supreme master.  Plus YK knew the Baigu claw, hence we know that he was behind this too, that bastard!  Based on Ouyang Feng’s instruction, YK had stationed lanterns with poisonous gas outside the inn as another layer of trap.

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (a.k.a. The Rise of WonderBat)

Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Batman (Ben Affleck) at BvS

So I watched this highly-anticipated movie last night: Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Tho I feel like I want to post the last summary of LOCH 1982, but I will defer it until tonight cos I want to get this one out of my head first. Not a lot of spoilers; more of character discussion. And remember: this is a DC movie. This is NOT a Marvel movie.

Now, BvS (Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice) has been a long-anticipated movie and it’s always been the case of “whether DC will outdo Marvel” this time. To me, it’s never been about that. It’s about whether Warner Bros finally got it right to set up the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) for there are so many stories to tell from DC (and I mean the pre-new 52 DC which has our lovely Trinity acting as themselves, not the current hoohaa in the new 52 that I cannot recognise (okay, I love Azzarello’s Wonder Woman despite many of you not liking that version, but I hate the Finch’s WW to the core. The Finches just don’t get Diana). So when I came to the cinema, I tried not to hope that I would see a Marvel movie. The premiere goers have stated that this is a DC movie, not a Marvel movie, so I wasn’t expecting a lot of humour.  However, I was indeed hoping for a movie that stays true to the core characters of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and lo and behold, I wasn’t disappointed.

My recent trip to Sri Lanka

In which I talked about visiting Buddhist temples, food and saree in Sri Lanka

Purple waterlilies sold outside the Dalaga Maligawa

Yesterday (19 March) was my birthday. Since I made up my mind to go to at least one place I've never been before (Star Trek really) once a year, I want to make a post on my recent trip that I really love. Last February, I had the blessings of going to Sri Lanka for a meeting. The meeting has been covered in my professional blog, so I won't cover it here. What I want to present below is instead my personal trip before and after the meeting. Sri Lanka is a truly beautiful country, and I wish I had more time to explore the island. I will definitely come again one day (hopefully for another meeting, but also with extended holiday afterwards). I fell in love with the island, and I certainly am grateful for the few friends that I knew before coming to the island (because they truly welcomed me with open arms), and also for the new friends I've made during my short one week visit in Sri Lanka.

Below are thus a series of photographs that I took during my trip. It covers my visit to the Dalaga Maligawa (Temple of Tooth Relic) in Kandy, some food fest (God, those delicious SL dishes!) and a bit of saree spree... Oh, and a bit about the traffic in Colombo, tho you can't truly "appreciate" the chaos until you set foot in Colombo. Enjoy!

LOCH 1982 episode guides (eps 40-49) and interim impressions

Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

Yang Kang tried to usurp Kaypang, Ep 41

Ep 40: Wong Yung et al arrived at the main Kaypang town with the first task at hand: facilitating the enmities between two main Kaypang sects. Later, as the new leader, WY downgraded the ranks of four elders (one of them was Elder Peng) due to their unwise past management decisions. Satisfied that the new leader was wise despite her young age, Hong Qigong and Old Imp departed elsewhere to prepare for the Huashan tournament. Former Elder Peng (“Guardian” Peng now) was furious. Yang Kang knew about this, hence he captured Peng and offered him a chance to be the new Kaypang leader (as long as he became loyal to the Jins). Peng agreed, hence they made a drama later that resulted in the murder of several other elders. Peng, Wong Yung, Guo Jing and Elder Lu then departed to Youzhou soon after. Meanwhile, YK told the nth lie to Mu Nianci, saying that he also had to go to Youzhou (with Nianci) because Qigong had agreed to take him as a student, as long as he repented, and that he went to YZ for a mission.

"Mirror" – an LOCH 1982/CLH 1984 fanfiction

Chor Lau Heung (Michael Miu) vs Wong Yung (Barbara Yung)

What if Wong Yung meets Chor Lau Heung? This fanfiction takes place before the Peach Blossom Island massacre which eventually led to Yeung Hong's (Yang Kang) death. I wasn’t going to post this today, but after watching Yeung Hong’s death this afternoon, I feel like I need something to cheer myself up (yes, I cried a bucket when YK died, despite him being a creature full of mistakes...). Legend of Condor Heroes 1982 and the New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984 are the properties of Louis Cha, Gu Long and TVB Hong Kong, no copyright infringement intended. Dedicated to Michael Miu and Barbara Yung. Romanisation are mainly Yale Cantonese. Click this to read this fan-fiction at my new Jianghu blog.

Mirror

Wong Yung screamed as she felt her body crashed with the large mirror. She was expecting a sharp hit, followed by a headache. However, unexpectedly, she felt like she hit a giant block of tofu, which later sucked her even deeper. Panic, she stretched her arms toward Kwok Ching who was blocking Lama Ling Zhi's continuous attacks. She saw Ching gor-gor's utter concern as she was sucked into a golden vortex. A weird, golden vortex with tofu-like consistency. The consistency became more liquid-like, then suddenly she felt like swimming in a golden liquid. The next thing she knew, she tumbled over the mirror and crashed to the hard cold floor, back first. 

Gasping, she used her arms to wobbly rise from the floor and checked the surroundings. The room was totally different from the dilapidated temple room she, Kwok Ching, North Beggar Hung Tsat Kung, and Old Imp Chow Pak Tung were trapped a while ago. This room was well-kept and was full of weapons and antiquities. Still wobbly, she stood and turned back to the golden mirror that just ejected her. She saw herself, Wong Yung, in the pink floral tunic she donned this morning. Her voluminous hair was a bit messy, but that was to be expected from a fight with Yeung Hong and his cronies. She then realised that she wasn't the only person in the room. Two men were standing behind her with incredulous looks on their countenance. She gasped when she realised who one of them was. She turned to see Yeung Hong looking flabbergasted. She was agog too, for she just realised that Mr Luk Sing Fung, the Lord of the Cloud Manor was standing next to the wretched Yeung Hong. Had her Peach Blossom Island senior sided with the Jurchens now?? Yet, she didn't feel like asking. Instead, she attacked Yeung Hong with the Carefree Fist Style Hung Tsat Kung taught her. Yet, to her utter surprise, Yeung Hong easily defeated her. He blocked her strikes, and four moves later immobilised her.

"Siu Ching, are you mad?!" Yeung Hong glared at her in disbelief. 

LOCH 1982 episode guides (eps 31-39) and interim impressions

Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

Hong Qigong made Wong Yung the 19th Leader of Kaypang (Ep 33)

Ep 31: Old Heretic rescued Guo Jing and Wong Yung from Ouyang Feng’s attack, but this process disturbed his attempt to heal Wong Yung’s mother. Finally accepting that his wife was truly dead, Huang Yaoshi carried his wife to a boat he’d been preparing for their final journey. Before embarking on the boat, Zhou Botong blurted out that Guo Jing knew the Jinyun Manual inside out, hence he won the contest. Old Herectic was livid, for the Manual was the cause of his wife’s death (actually, it was his own greed, not the manual, that caused it). He confronted Guo Jing, who only then realised that a piece of human skin that he took from Mei Chaofeng was actually the copy of the Manual Vol 2. Huang Yaoshi burned Vol 2, and Botong then burned Vol 1, for he saw how the Manual had created so many miseries. Huang Yaoshi told Guo Jing to get out of the island; Hong Qigong and Zhou Botong followed suit. Yaoshi provided them with the boat he was about to use himself, knowing that the boat was actually faulty and would definitely sink in the open sea. Old Heretic immobilised Wong Yung inside her own room. WY later unblocked the accupoints and went to her dad to make leave. Yaoshi let WY saw her mother for the first time. WY then realised that her mother had been dead for 18 years, the day she gave birth to her.

LOCH 1982 episode guides (eps 20-30) and interim impressions

Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

Wong Yung bored to death listening to Yuewen's poem recital, Ep 20

Ep 20: The start of LOCH part II. Naughty Wong Yung and innocent Guo Jing went exploring around a city inside the Song region and met Hong Qigong (Hung Tsat Kung; played by Lau Dan, who also played as Supreme Master in Fearless Duo) and Yuewen. Unknown to WY and GJ, Ouyang Ke was also looking for Yuewen. WJ/GJ warned Yuewen and Hong Qigong, not knowing that the latter was actually the leader of Kaypang (the Beggar Clan). Yuewen explained that the Jurchens might be looking for the Book of Wu Mu, a book that Yang Kang was telling Mu Nianci about (so Yang Kang wasn’t really lying back then when he said that the book was very important?). Ouyang Ke et al attacked the hut WY et al was in, but then they were met with the Beggar Clans. WJ and GJ fell into a trap, but it actually saved them from the fight. Yuewen died beaten by a poisonous snake, but Hong Qigong retrieved the Book of Wu Mu from him. Qigong then asked WY/GJ to escort him to deliver the book to the Song govt.

LOCH 1982 episode guides (ep 11-19) and interim impressions

Click this for other episode summaries of LOCH 1982. More screen shots to be posted in due course. Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

First meeting between Yang Kang (Michael Miu) & Mu Nianci (Sharon Yang), Ep 11

Ep 11: I understand Mu Nianci. I understand why she couldn’t leave Yang Kang. His voice, the way he stared at her, the way he made her thinks that she was the queen of his world when they first met. I also recognised that voice. His voice when he was fighting a commoner on the street, even before the viewers see his face. It’s him... it’s Michael Miu’s voice as Yang Kang (Yeung Hong, Cantonese). And I was as mesmerised as Mu Nianci was when he accidentally bumped her during the fight. And I smiled a smile that cracked my face in two when he flirted with Nianci. I smiled when she blushed, for he had that effect to almost any girls... I then went “ooohhh...” as we saw Yang Kang conversing with his mother Bao Xiruo, for I was like watching Li Sai Man (The Foundation 1984) joking with his sister or an ever more spoiled Szeto Man Mo (Fearless Duo) conversing with his mother. I understand why Xiruo doted on him. I understand why Mu Nianci loved him and found it so difficult to leave him...

Legend of Condor Heroes 1982: first impressions and Ep 1-10 guides

Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

Guo Jing (Felix Wong), Huang Rong/Wong Yung (Barbara Yung),
Mu Nianci (Sharon Yang), and Yang Kang/Yeung Hong (Michael Miu), LOCH 1982)

I’ve started watching the Legend of Condor Heroes 1982 since yesterday. Only 33 years later, why not... I’m not sure I will be able to finish all the episodes, cos 60 eps is a lot for me to watch. But I do want to watch it, particularly because I want to see Michael Miu’s portrayal as Yang Kang and Barbara Yung’s portrayal as Wong Yung. The two have been considered widely as the best Yang Kang and Wong Yung ever (like, ever), thus I want to know how this conclusion was achieved. Also, it’s interesting for me that Yang Kang and Wong Yung are nemesis in LOCH, but TVB had later given Michael and Barbara four additional series where they were lovers. I mean, surely there was something in their bitter-rival chemistry in LOCH that was spot-on that made the fans and TVB rooted for them?

Inner Sanctum - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 fanfiction

What if Chor Lau Heung was indeed hit with an extremely poisoned dart/batarang during his fight with the Bat Prince when the latter held Siu Ching hostage in exchange of Ting Fung? Extension of the temple scene at Ep 36. The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong, no copyright infringement intended. Click this to read this fan-fiction at my new Jianghu blog.

Song Siu Ching (Barbara Yung) dressing Chor Lau Heung's (Michael Miu) wound, Ep 36

Inner Sanctum

"This is important, please do as I told you," said Chor Lau Heung after whispering his instructions to Song Siu Ching. The girl only needed a few seconds to decide that his suggestions were worth following. She nodded, collected her Jade Sword and implored that Chor tai-gor took care of himself; what with his new injury from the golden batarang. When he smiled and nodded, she smiled back and made to leave. She was just reaching the doorway of the abandoned temple when she heard a gasp behind her. Alarmed, she swiftly turned to see her Chor tai-gor holding his injured arm. His face was pale blue, as if he was asphyxiated. He dropped on his knees, choking his own neck and gasped for air before falling on the floor with a thud.

'Escape from the Bat Palace' - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 fan-fiction

Premise: what if Yat Dim Hung delivered Song Siu Ching to the Bats instead of leaving her in the dilapidated temple to later be found by Chor Lau Heung? Special thanks to Tamuyen for giving me this idea. This fan-fiction is for you, my dear friend, and also for all MB fans out there. “The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung” 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong. I own nothing but my love for the series and Michael Miu and Barbara Yung. Click this to read this fan-fiction at my new Jianghu blog.

Fell Cut trying to deliver Siu Ching to the Bats, Ep 17

Escape from the Bat Palace

"You...!!"

Wu Tit Fa had to do a double take to confirm that it was truly his old friend Chor Lau Heung who just screamed. Yes, it was the King of Thieves, alright. So uncharacteristic of him, Lingering Fragrance lost his control a moment ago as he slammed Chuen Yung Yat Dim Hung to the wall. Fell Cut, on his part, surprisingly did nothing. He just winced slightly as Lau Heung accidentally hit the hematoma he got from the last fight with the Bat Prince, but the assassin didn't flinch when Lau Heung prepared a punch.

"Mate, stop it!" Wu Tit Fa yelled in surprise. Chor Lau Heung never manhandled someone like that, let alone in a totally alpha-male, non-kung fu style. Wu's warning came a second too late though, for Lau Heung's fist already hit the target... 

Lovely when annoying: CLH ep 11 screen shots

On Wednesday, I'm going for an overseas trip until the end of Feb. I originally hadn't planned for another post until later the week when I hopefully finish a fan-fiction originating from Tammy's idea. However, I have always wanted to do screen shots of ep 11 of CLH 1984 when Chor tai-gor said to Siu Ching that she was lovely when she was being annoying (and touching her nose gently at that, twice!). Hence, below are screen shots of that total saccharine scene, and the following scene where CLH learned that the annoying but lovely girl had gone. I also wrote a fan-fiction a while ago based on this scene; click here for that fan-fiction. Click this to read this post at my new Jianghu blog.

"At Least I Have You" - Fearless Duo version

Apparently, I love Zhi Shao Hai You Ni (At Least I Have You) so much that one MV with this song is not enough. Turned out, Alam Tam also sang this song with the amazing Teresa Carpio. Since Alan Tam sang the Fearless Duo memorable theme song as well, I find it befitting to have Alan's and Teresa's version of At Least I Have You for the Fearless Duo MV. Lyrics and Pinyin are below the break. I uploaded the MVs to Dailymotion and Vimeo. "Fearless Duo" 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong, no copyright infringement intended. 

Hope you enjoy this version too with Szeto Man Mo and Lam Chor Yin! Click this one for the Chor Lau Heung 1984 version. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog.

"At Least I Have You" - a Fearless Duo 1984 MV by icha74

"Days of Happy Laughters" - happy MV of The Foundation part 2

I promised I would post a happier MV of The Foundation 1984, and here it is. I found that Michelle Pau's "Days of Happy Laughters" as the most suitable song, hence I used the songs but embedded different scenes of TF here. Click this post to see the original scenes of Ep 4 with the song as the background. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog.

"The Foundation 1984" is the property of TVB Hong Kong, no copyright infringement intended. Lyrics are below the break. I have posted the MV on both Dailymotion and Vimeo. Tamuyen has inspired yet another happy The Foundation MV; we just need to find the music. Oh, and the MV below has a bit of Lok Wan as well, so hope you like it, Tammy!

Meanwhile, enjoy!

"Days of Happy Laughters" - The Foundation MV by icha74