Finally…
2 years after it was done filming and after many “false alarm” release news, the 22-episode (now 44 episodes for Hong Kong) mythical fantasy costume drama Legend of the Demigods is at last going to be released officially in August 2008. This time it’s for real and 100% confirmed. Honestly speaking, I was scared that TVB might never release it and it would become the first “never released” series since TVB kept on releasing newer series filmed later than Legend.

Beginning August 25, 2008 TVB will air Legend in the the 8:00-8:30 PM time slot (the time slot for TVB’s weeknight sitcom). Thus, each episode will only be 21-22 minutes (half the length of a typical TVB episode) and thus in Hong Kong, the series will total at 44 episodes. I am not sure whether TVB will release the overseas version as 22 episodes or 44 episodes. I have a feeling that TVB may release it as 44 overseas as well simply to save them from doing multiple editing and ending credits.

I’m so happy! I’ve been waiting for this series for 2 years now for reasons stated here and here. I have a lot of faith it will be a good and entertaining series.

I’m not hoping it will be a “hit” like past mythical series such as Journey to the West or Gods of Honour. I just want it to be a good series since it’s been way too long since TVB has done this genre. I’m very excited to see Linda’s performance. It won’t be as great as her acting is now ala A Journey Called Life, but it should be decent.

27 days until the Moonlight
It is always a possibility that Moonlight Resonance will disappoint. It is always a possibility that it will not live up to Heart of Greed in terms of popularity and success. However, I have faith in this production. I believe in the cast, the writer, and the producer. This series is by far the most attractive grand production TVB has done since The Gem of Life. The cast cannot be beat and it has the makings to be a classic.

It will be a few weeks before we see the finalized official poster, but thanks to Vincent Wan’s blog (he acts as the youngest brother Gam Wing Chung in Moonlight) we have a glimpse at what to expect. I really like how it is reminiscent of the Heart poster (which was very well-done). It looks so grand. Check out his blog for more exclusive, never-before-seen behind-the-scenes pictures.

Susanna Kwan is singing the themesong and for now, only Raymond Lam is confirmed to be singing a subsong, but there is a rumor that Moonlight will have four subsongs. One sung by Raymond, Linda Chung, Moses Chan, and a duet by Ha Yu & Lee See Kei. I really, really hope the rumor is true. More subsongs are always better!

A new road, a new chapter
In 2007, Linda announced her interest and plans to break into the music industry. This year, she is realizing this dream. Linda wants to be a multi-talented artist. She has already found success in TVB and movies and established herself as a credible actress. Her next step is the music industry. Linda has a musical background; her music teacher is ex-Hong Kong pop diva Lau Fung Ping.

Linda’s CD will hit stores on August 20, 2008 [my birthday!]. There will be 10 songs.

Linda has already recorded 3 songs and she says that she’ll plug a new song at her official blog some time next week. She’s hard at work recording for her album and in the past few weeks in-between filming Moonlight, she was undergoing vocal training to strengthen her voice.

The next two months should be a very exciting time for Linda as Moonlight releases (followed by Legend) and she breaks into the music industry. I can’t wait! I should have plenty to update on and lots to be excited and happy about. Linda probably won’t be filming any new TVB series for a while since she wants to focus on her music career. However, Linda has stated that TVB will remain her #1 priority — she’s not going anywhere. The poor girl has been filming non-stop since 2004, so it’s a good thing for her to “slow down”, take a break from acting, and recuperate.

More news to come in the upcoming weeks!

What I’m watching, what I’m gonna watch
I’m up to episode 640 of A Kindred Spirit now and I’m loving the series all over again [I watched 39 episodes in just a few days!]. I will most likely blog about episodes 601-650 next week. I have so much to say — so much to praise.

I’m on episode 88 of ATV’s classic epic of a drama The Good Old Days. There are only 18 episodes left (the series ends on episode 106)… and I’m kind of sad. It’s been a long, long ride, but a very fruitful and entertaining ride. I can’t wait to blog about it. It is probably my most favorite 1920’s drama. I’m going to miss this series. Hopefully there are some ATV/Days fans and/or people who have watched this excellent series around.

I haven’t watched any more of Forensic Heroes II since the last time I blogged about it (episode 10). As I’ve said, I have no interest to continue yet. I will probably watch it again next week. I am not giving up on it and will definitely finish it. Hopefully my “break” from it will give me a “refreshing” feeling when I pick up the series again.

I’m rewatching TVB’s classic Journey to the West (part 1 with Dicky Cheung). I’m on episode 20 [10 episodes to go!]. I probably won’t rewatch part 2 immediately afterwards. It is such a classic with an awesome cast and great acting. It is a very fun series to watch.

Reviews for The Silver Chamber of Sorrows and A Recipe for the Heart are coming up.

Since some of you are curious about my “pending” playlist, here’s a glimpse…

ATV’s classic 40-episode 1996 grand production I Have a Date with Spring starring Sheren Tang, Kwong Wah, Joey Meng, Kiki Sheung, etc. It is based on an award-winning stage play, which was then adapted into a movie. ATV’s series is the third adaptation of this famous story. It’s a nostalgic look at the HK music world in the past. Apparently it’s a great show and received a lot of acclaim.

TVB’s 45-episode classic 1996 adaptation of Jin Yong’s The Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils with a very big and impressive cast consisting of Felix Wong, Benny Chan, Carmen Lee, and so on. I actually don’t really know what the story is about, but many people praise this series.

TVB’s 20-episode classic 1995 production Plain Love starring Kathy Chow and Gallen Lo. I absolutely love these type of series and I am a big fan of Plain Love II (with the amazing Maggie Cheung and Gordon Lam) and Country Spirit (Charmaine Sheh’s breakthrough work with Gordon). It’s kind of funny how I watched the franchise in reverse. In general, people say that in a franchise, the original piece is always the “best”… let’s see if that still applies if one watches the “sequels” first.

24-episode massively successful epic drama Princess Returning Pearl (aka Huan Zhu Ge Ge) that spawned many new stars and a very successful franchise. A joint production between Taiwan and mainland China, this classic series stars Vicki Zhao, Ruby Lin, Alec Su, etc. I watched this series 10 years back and loved it, but I didn’t really understand or appreciate it much. Hopefully I will love the series all over again!

TVB’s 40-episode 2001 grand production On The Track or Off from producer Amy Wong (Under the Canopy of Love, Burning Flames) starring Steven Ma, Ada Choi, Bondy Chiu, Frankie Lam, Shek Sau, etc. I’m not a fan of horse racing series and I heard this series is somewhat dragging, but I want to watch this series for Bondy’s [love Ah Lo!] excellent performance as a villain. Plus, I’m a fan of Steven & Ada. I hope it will be a good one. Minus Ada, it’s a pre-Virtues of Harmony reunion.

I’ve said I’m going to watch The Gentle Crackdown II and I will watch it — I just don’t know when yet. I have too many other series I’d rather watch before it. I’m not going to watch Once Upon a Time in Shanghai yet simply because I’m sick of 1930’s drama at the moment and the series is also long (at 40 episodes). Also, I’m not too “excited” about watching it anymore for some reason. However, I will watch it some time in the future because the cast is far too grand and contains so many people that I like.

ATV’s Coincidentally has also been pushed back on my pending playlist.

After these batch of series, I have other series I’m going to watch, but as to not overwhelm you guys (and myself), I won’t list them yet.

Of course, I will be watching Moonlight Resonance and Legend of the Demigods and continue with watching A Kindred Spirit.

For those who have seen the above-mentioned series, any particular recommendations on the order of which I should watch the series? Which series did you like the best? Which one did you like the least? Although I’m going to watch all of them, reviews and opinions would be greatly appreciated!

TVB Series A Kindred Spirit (Episodes 553 - 600) - 75 captures

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Episodes 553-600

The A Kindred Spirit that I used to know and love so many episodes back seems to be regaining focus and heading down the right path in these episodes. Gone are the days of extensive amounts of “filler” episodes and pointless and nonsensical subplots.

For starters, the Auntie Yung (Tam Sin Hung) that I loved and adored way back when is finally back! Money changed her into a very unlikable character as I’ve said previously. For the past 150 episodes or so, I felt very annoyed with her and no longer liked watching her. I am so happy that she has finally woken up and regained some sense. The fortune teller tells her that her fate is to be a “maid”. If she lives a luxurious life, she won’t be able to enjoy the love that children bring. If she’s a maid, she will be able to enjoy kinship. In one of the best storylines since Tsz Ho (Cheng Tse Sing) deceived Siu Man (Winnie Yeung) and married May May (Celine Ma), Auntie Yung decides to “revert”.

She gives up all of her riches and money. She tricks Tsz Ho and gives all of his money (the amount that he borrowed when the house he bought for investment got burned) back to Ah Hoi’s (Ben Wong) family. Auntie Yung wanted to teach Tsz Ho a lesson. She also wanted to test his “love” for her. Sadly, he failed (and what’s sadder is that he doesn’t even care that he failed). He was so angry that he cut all ties with her. As I’ve wondered previously, would Tsz Ho still have accepted Auntie Yung as his mom if she was a maid from so many episodes ago? I was surprised that the writers answered this question and very directly too. Tsz Ho cold-heartedly answered a resounding “No.” Poor Auntie Yung was listening and became very heartbroken.

Honestly, I feel sorry for Auntie Yung. She had so much hope towards her son that she was delusional. I think she wanted to fool herself into thinking that he was still the good and filial son that she had when he was a little kid. Besides, no mother would ever admit (or want to admit) that her son is a monster. However, the Tsz Ho of today is not the same kid. He will use everything he has at his disposal to get what he wants. Auntie Yung realized this when she discovered that Tsz Ho deceived Ah King (Kingdom Yuen) into being with an old man just so he could buy stocks and earn millions. She could no longer deny Tsz Ho was what he is — a greedy and selfish man who has no love towards anyone but himself.

Tsz Ho scares me. He’s planning on something really “big” to make Ah Hoi and the rest of the Li family suffer financially. It is his revenge to them for making him “lose face” (there was a tabloid published about the horrible way he treats Auntie Yung). He plans on making them think their good luck is running in and then at a pivotal moment, he will take it all away. They will lose big. He smiles sinisterly. I’m excited to see this plotline develop. The characters have taken financial blows before (most notably Ah Wah’s (Lau Siu Gwan) family in one of the best-scripted Kindred plots in which Maggie Cheung had guest starred) so I know they will survive this one. Tsz Ho fails to realize that “love” can conquer all.

Auntie Yung’s biggest goal in life now is to make Tsz Ho return to the “right path”. She wants to stop him from continuing to go down the wrong direction. She still cares and loves him a lot, even though he treats her like trash and doesn’t give her any regard. A mother’s love is truly grand. Auntie Yung’s aspiration is hopeless (and I think deep down she suspects this), but she won’t stop until the very end.

Not only is the old Auntie Yung back, but Lap Sang (Marco Lo) is back as well! After 100+ episodes, he is released from jail. The scene in which he reunites with Auntie Ho (Nancy Sit) outside of the prison is touching. The rain is pouring down, presumably to wash away all of his bad luck. Auntie Ho is the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. Although she often smiles, this time, I can believe in her smile — it is genuine. Truly, she loves her son so much.

It is devastating to watch Lap Sang in his first days out of jail. He has given up on himself. He’s no longer the doctor that commands respect. He walks around with a limp. His record is now tainted with a jail sentence. He cannot associate with people he used to know. He feels like all of his years of education have gone to waste. He thinks he can never be a “good” person again. Lap Sang holds himself in high regards. To know that he cannot be the same person he used to be makes it unbearable for him to live. He cannot face his family. In fact, he cannot even face himself.

He feels he has fallen so low that he only deserves to live in the streets and eat from the trash. He refuses to come home. Auntie Ho does something very smart. She decides to live with him in the streets and be a “beggar” like him. I really like the scene in which she gives him a good lecture. She tells him how hard she tried to abort him (when he was in her womb), but the heavens made her keep him. Therefore, she knows she can never abandon him. She cannot watch him destroy himself. Her happiness belongs to him. Lap Sang is crushed to see his mom like that and to hear her words, so he is touched and decides to come home. He hugs her and cries.

Lap Sang decided to start his life anew; I’m very happy to see him clean himself up and try to get back on the right track. He’s making amends and working hard to be a filial son to the mom who sacrifices her all for him. Unfortunately, he refuses to be a doctor again. He won’t even discuss the issue. I think he is consciously suppressing himself from this career because he feels he is not worthy of it anymore. He feels ashamed. Doctors command respect and with everything that he did with Rebecca (Mok Hor Yan) and Ah Suet (Joyce Tang), he thinks he doesn’t deserve respect.

He is fated to be a doctor. His path crosses with famous Dr. Hong Jin Wai (late veteran Bao Fang), the adopted father of Ah Jing (Wallis Pang). Lap Sang rewets his taste for being a doctor after helping Dr. Hong at his clinic and has renewed his license. I look forward to seeing Lap Sang continue to rebuild his life.

I’ve always doubted Lap Sang’s love for Ah Suet. I knew from the start he would never love her as much as she loves him. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he really does love Ah Suet. He carries their wedding picture around and misses her a lot. It’s very sweet to watch him take out their picture and just stare happily and longingly at it. He regrets the way he treated her. He finally knows now what a fool he was not appreciating her love and valuing her when he had her.

Lap Sang learns of Ah Suet’s engagement to (ironically) a medical student. He rushes out to the US to see her one last time. He wants her to know that he did love her. He doesn’t care that she can’t remember him. He doesn’t wish for anything between them. He only wants to offer her his blessings for having hurt her so much. I thought this action by him was quite touching. Lap Sang is pained to see Ah Suet happy with another man, but there is nothing he can do. He decides to buy her a heart-shaped diamond ring that she really liked. Ah Suet was told that only a man who loves her would buy it for her.

Lap Sang rushed to the US on a whim without anything, so he didn’t have money to buy the ring. He calls Ah Jing to bring money for him. At first resistant, Ah Jing eventually flies out and brings Lap Sang the money. He actually fell sick (he was watching Ah Suet in the rain) so she had to nurture him back to health. They go and buy the ring and give it to Ah Suet’s parents to give to Ah Suet. Lap Sang feels that his mind can finally be at ease. Sadly, Ah Suet already has the same ring on her finger; her fiancé bought it for her already. The ring is returned to Lap Sang…

Ah Jing convinces Lap Sang that this ring represents the love he has for Ah Suet, so he definitely cannot part with the ring. He decides to hold on to it.

Obviously, the story between Ah Suet and Lap Sang is not over yet. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead. I hope the resolution will be fitting. It’s really nice to see Ah Suet again as a character and not just on the screen because she is the daughter of her parents (which was her main purpose in the random appearances she made previously after she lost her memories and left HK). I miss Lap Sang & Ah Suet. Thinking back, they were very sweet (even though I know their relationship was partially faked on Lap Sang’s side for the most part).

Where do I begin with Lap Sang & Ah Jing?

Let me start off by saying that Ah Jing is a refreshing new character. I like her strong personality because it’s different from other female characters in the show. She is a tough cookie and very independent. She’s frank and not out to purposely please anyone. She treats people genuinely. She’s spicy and not the typical demure good girl. I like her. She’s smart and has character. She’s not dull and “too good” like Siu Man. For a newcomer, Wailis’ acting is quite good. I don’t think she’s particularly pretty, but I enjoy watching her performance. I was looking forward to her appearing on the show and I can say I was not disappointed.

I was anticipating the relationship between Lap Sang & Ah Jing because I know they become the “final” pairing and this couple had a large fan base. Disappointingly, I don’t feel the “love” between them. The characters (and writers) are trying way too hard to push them together. It’s awkward and embarrassing. Furthermore, I absolutely cannot stand the horrible way Lap Sang treats her. He calls her when he needs help. She willingly helps him with all of her heart every time. How does he repay her? He plays jokes on her (even throwing her into the ocean once!) and criticizes or teases her constantly; he’s all-around very mean towards Ah Jing. He’s totally using her. I really don’t understand why Ah Jing takes the abuse. I’m quite frankly annoyed and have taken a slight dislike towards Lap Sang because of how he treats Ah Jing.

Marco and Wailis look compatible and there are scenes where they “look” sweet, but aside from the superficial, there’s nothing sweet about this relationship so far. It’s abusive. It’s mean. There’s no love. I do think that Ah Jing loves Lap Sang. It’s clear — there’s no other reason why she would help him so much. As for Lap Sang, I don’t know. There’s a saying that if a guy doesn’t “tease” a girl, then it means he’s not interested in her romantically. However, Lap Sang goes way too far. There’s no reason for him to treat her the way he does!

I do hope this relationship improves. There must be a reason why so many people love Lap Sang & Ah Jing… Therefore, I’m not giving up on this couple yet since their story has barely even begun. So far, their interactions have just been about helping Lap Sang. It’s very one-sided. I look forward to seeing further developments down the road.

After 100+ episodes, Siu Mooi (Yvonne Lam) gets a love storyline of her own in the form of Lam Muk Chuen (Yeung Ying Wai). Siu Mooi loves him whole-heartedly, but I don’t feel that Muk Chuen loves her. They got together because of responsibility. Siu Mooi was crying about how she was alone; to comfort her, Muk Chuen promised her that she won’t be because she has him. Then, they slept together. It’s clear that Siu Mooi is not the woman Muk Chuen imagined he would be with and it’s sad. Siu Mooi does so much for him. Like Lap Sang, I think he’s using Siu Mooi. I do hope he falls in love with her for real. Siu Mooi should get a happy ending. I was actually surprised they got together so fast. As a character, I’m not too annoyed with Mok Chuen, so I don’t mind his scenes that much, but I’m don’t look forward to them either. I like Siu Mooi, but I remain indifferent about her.

Ah King is very “muddy” in her relationships. She has feelings for Dai Lik (Wai Ka Hung), but she cannot bring herself to accept him. I was thinking it was because she only loved Ah Loi (Lui Fong), but I was surprised to learn that was only partially the case. It was a surprising, long-awaited, and honest revelation. Like others, Ah King looked down upon Dai Lik. She thought he was “dumb”. Therefore, she did not want to be with someone like that. It turns out that she admires Ah Loi, but she feels he may be too “above” her. She, at long last, has made the first step in seeking out answers in regards to her relationship with Ah Loi. She recorded a tape for him expressing her feelings. I’m looking forward to hearing Ah Loi’s reply and to find out what exactly she said to him. Dai Lik has departed Hong Kong to work in the mainland, so right now, both of the potential men for Ah King are not by her side.

I like Sophie (Poon Bing Seung) quite a lot. This character is very funny and sweet. I like how she entered the work force (even though she’s working mostly for leisure and to “kill time”). I was not surprised to learn that May May is not Gwai Na-Duk’s (Chor Yuen) birth daughter. The writers implied this early on in the Ah King and May May kidnap storyline. Her story is quite sad. For now, Ah Nam (Mark Kwok) has vowed to keep her secret (about May May’s real identity), but I know for sure this will leak sooner or later since he said that he would reveal everything if Tsz Ho or May May tries to harm his family. It should be very exciting to watch. I really look forward to seeing that storyline unfold because as of now May May still doesn’t have her own storylines.

I like the new themevideo. It’s refreshing to see it after so many episodes of the themevideo they used for the last around 300 episodes. I wish there was a nice family shot that they filmed specifically for the themevideo, but it only contains clips from the series.

At the end of episode 600, A Kindred Spirit is mostly much-improved, more watch-able and entertaining, and back on track. While there are still some annoying and boring scenes and stories, the series no longer feels utterly ridiculous or nonsensical to me. I’m not groaning about how “stupid” it is or rolling my eyes. I’m interested in the storylines again and want to watch more to see what is in store for the characters.

[Kam Family Apartment, Gam & Ying Gei's Bedroom]

“Gam Gam, I’m ready, ” Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) says. She bent over at the edge of the bed and stuck her bottom up in the air.

“You sure you’re ready? It’s a big one,” Gam (Louis Yuen) confirms.

“I’ve had it before for all these months. It doesn’t hurt,” Ying Gei reassures. “Now, just hurry up and put it in me.”

“Okay.” Gam held up a long needle and gave Ying Gei a shot in her bottom.

She lets out a suppressed yelp.

[Flashback]

Gam and Ying Gei sat before Doctor Chow’s (Anne Heung) desk in the Fertility Clinic to await the results of Gam’s latest sperm count test. He had been taking the medication that Dr. Chow prescribed for him in hopes of raising his sperm count. They hold their breath waiting for the doctor to open her mouth.

At long last, Dr. Chow opens her mouth and says, “I’m sorry. It seems like Mr. Lau’s body isn’t responding to the medication. His sperm count is still very low.”

Gam and Ying Gei frown. They are obviously very disappointed.

“Doctor, what does this mean then?” Ying Gei asks.

“Mr. Lau, have you been taking the medication exactly as I instructed?”

Gam nods his head quickly. “Yes!”

“Since there is still no progress on your sperm count up until now, we-”

“Doctor, does this mean I can never have a baby?!” Ying Gei interrupts and asks.

“Mrs. Lau, nothing is ever ‘never’ or ‘always’.”

“But if Gam Gam’s sperm count is so low, then it’s very hard for my egg to become fertilized.”

Dr. Chow nods her head, “Yes, the chance is much lower than normal. But, what matters most is quality, not quantity. I’ve looked at Mr. Lau’s sperm and they appear to be healthy and functional. This is good news for the two of you.”

Ying Gei’s face lights up. “This means I can get pregnant?!” she is ecstatic.

“There is always a ‘chance’,” Dr. Chow says, “we have to look at other methods.”

“What methods, Doctor?” Gam asks.

“In-vitro fertilization,” Dr. Chow answers.

“In-vitro?! I thought fertilizations were done in the vagina!” Ying Gei is confused.

“Aiya! Einstein, let the doctor talk,” Gam scolds.

Ying Gei blushes.

“Actually, Mrs. Lau, fertilization doesn’t happen in the vagina, but that’s beside the point. With in-vitro fertilization, we will take several eggs from you and then fertilize them in the lab with Mr. Lau’s sperm. Then, we’ll transfer the viable ones into your cervix. If we’re lucky, at least one of them will successfully implant into the wall of your uterus and you will be pregnant. This treatment has worked for some infertile couples. It might be able to help you two as well.”

Ying Gei gasps. “I can become pregnant!”

Dr. Chow explains the process in detail to the couple, who listen intently.

[End of Flashback]

Ying Gei lies on Gam’s chest. “This is the third cycle,” she says quietly.

She remembers how happy she was when Dr. Chow first told her that IVF could help them get pregnant months ago. They were very excited and hopeful. They thought it would be a one-time thing even though the doctor told them it may take several tries and perhaps may not work at all for them. Still, Gam and Ying Gei were hopeful.

“Let’s hope it’s not like the first and second cycle.”

The first time, not one zygote implanted itself into the uterus. The second time, they got an implantation. Gam and Ying Gei were so happy and were sure that that time they could become parents in nine months. Sadly, Ying Gei’s body spontaneously aborted the pregnancy.

“Do you regret trying it again?” Ying Gei asks.

“They say third time is the charm. This time for sure we’ll have a baby,” Gam assures.

The couple had debated for some time whether or not to try IVF again. Gam did not want to put his wife through the pain of the hormone injections, extractions, and insertions again. He also didn’t want them to become hopeful and then disappointed.

“I hope so…” Ying Gei says softly. “Gam Gam, do you ever think we might not have a baby?”

“Nonsense! We will.”

“It’s been so long and we’ve tried so hard… yet…”

“The heavens won’t be so cruel.”

“I hope so…”

Deep down, Ying Gei had begun to lose hope. She was tired of the injections. She was tired of the process. “It shouldn’t be this hard to conceive. I didn’t see Ah Lo doing all of this and she has four kids! Four! That’s four fertilizations! How does she do it?”

“She’s over ten years younger than you, Einstein.”

Ying Gei gets up and looks at Gam sternly. “This is not my fault! My eggs are still fine! It’s you who doesn’t produce enough sperm!”

“Quiet! Do you want everyone to know?”

“It’s very painful hiding all of this,” Ying Gei says.

“We can’t let anyone know.”

Ying Gei sighs.

(The next day)

[Hallway]

“Foon Foon! Hei Hei! Stop running!” Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) calls after them. The two toddlers open the door to Gam and Ying Gei’s bedroom. “Aiya! Don’t go in there! Why did you two grow up so fast? I wish you two could be like Fu jai and Gwai mui and stay where I put you!” Ah Lo sighs.

She walks into the bedroom to get her boys.

They were huddling around the trash can that stood beside a dresser.

“Aiya! Foon Foon, Hei Hei, that’s dirty! Get away!” Ah Lo scolds.

Hei Hei waves a needle in the air.

Ah Lo gasps and covers her mouth. “Hei Hei! Put that down. That’s dangerous! You can hurt yourself! Foon Foon! Don’t touch that! Hei Hei!” She tries to pull the syringe from Hei Hei’s hand, but she’s afraid that the needle tip may prick her.

She runs out into the doorway and yells, “Ah Yuet! Mother-in-law! Someone! Help!”

Nim Chi (Nancy Sit), Ah Yuet (Michael Tse), Ah Yat (Joyce Chen), and Ah Hong (Johnny Tang) run up to Ah Lo.

“Hei Hei has a needle!” Ah Lo exclaims.

“Oh my god! How did he get it?” Nim Chi asks.

“Don’t know! All I know is that we have to take it away from him before he hurts himself!”

Everyone enters the room.

“Hei Hei! It’s time for grandma to tell one of her stories from her policewoman days! Come here,” Nim Chi beckons.

Hei Hei sticks out his tongue.

“Aiya! Mother-in-law, he doesn’t like to hear those stories. He wants to be a doctor,” Ah Lo says.

“Hei Hei, I have pretty fabric in my room! It’s shiny! Don’t you want to come with me and see it?” Ah Hong asks.

“Aiya! Do you want my son to become effeminate like you? I won’t stand to have a son like that!” Ah Lo hisses.

“Hei Hei, want to go with auntie to TVB studios? You can become a child star! Wouldn’t you like that?” Ah Yat inquires.

“Aiya! My son will not enter the entertainment industry! It’s corrupted and dark.”

Ah Yat rolls her eyes.

“Hei Hei! Look what Daddy has.” Ah Yuet holds up a shiny transformer.

Seeing the toy, Hei Hei drops the needle onto the ground and runs towards Ah Yuet. Foon Foon follows suit.

Ah Lo grabs the needle from the ground meanwhile.

Ah Yuet hugs his boys. “Good.” When they make a grab for his transformer, he stands up and waves his finger back and forth. “No. This is Daddy’s toy. It’s worth a lot of money.”

Foon Foon and Hei Hei start to cry.

“Aiya! Give them that stupid toy!” Ah Lo scolds. She grabs it from Ah Yuet and hands it to the boys.

“Honey! That cost me a fourth of my month’s pay!” Ah Yuet whines.

“A fourth?! You dare to withhold money from me?!” Ah Lo glares.

[Living Room]

The needle that was found in Gam and Ying Gei’s bedroom lay on the coffee table in a plastic bag. Nim Chi, Ah Yuet, Ah Lo, Ah Yat, and Ah Hong sat on the couch staring at the syringe.

“I can’t believe we’re living with another druggie,” Ah Lo says finally.

“Huh? Another one?” Ah Yuet questions.

“Did you forget Foon Foon and Hei Hei inhaled cocaine because of Rose?!” Ah Lo demands.

“Oh… right.”

“Maybe it’s not drugs,” Ah Yat suggests.

Ah Yuet nods his head, “I’m sure Uncle and Auntie-in-law aren’t druggies!”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Ah Lo says.

“From my observations of IV drug abusers during my glorious days as a policewoman, Ah Gam and Ah Gei do not show any signs of doing intravenous drug abuse,” Nim Chi says.

“Mother-in-law, how many IV drug abusers have you seen?”

“Enough to know that they aren’t using it,” Nim Chi’s voice is annoyed.

“Then why do they have so many used syringes in the trash?”

“What? It’s not just this one?” Ah Yat asks.

“No. I took a peak into their trashcan. I saw several others.”

“Oh my…” Ah Hong covers his mouth.

“Can you still tell me they are not using heroin?” Ah Lo demands.

“It isn’t necessarily drugs that they are injecting!” Ah Yat defends.

“Then what are they injecting? Smart fluid for Sister OK? Manners and integrity fluid for H5N1?” Ah Lo rolls her eyes.

“It could be insulin!” Ah Yat suggests. “Perhaps Uncle is diabetic.”

“Are you stupid? Insulin has to be kept in the refrigerator! Do you see any in there?”

“Oh…” Ah Yat grows quiet.

“Come to think of it, they’ve been acting weird the past few months,” Ah Yuet says. “They’ve been disappearing some days for a long period of time without telling us where they went. Plus, they seem to like hiding in their room a lot.”

“Auntie-in-law seems very tired lately,” Ah Yat agrees.

“I knew it was drug abuse! I knew it! No wonder Sister OK is getting dumber by the day,” Ah Lo declares.

“Uncle is really bad for introducing sister OK to heroin.” Ah Yat frowns.

“We don’t know anything for sure,” Nim Chi warns.

“Mother-in-law, there are several used needles in their room. What else can they be injecting? It has to be drugs!” Ah Lo is convinced. She gasps suddenly. “Foon Foon! Hei Hei! I can’t let them go in that evil room anymore.” She gets up and runs to her bedroom to take a look at her boys.

Nim Chi, Ah Yuet, Ah Yat, and Ah Hong look at each other and then at the needle on the table. They couldn’t deny that Ah Lo had a point to her argument this time.

Episodes 01-10

I enjoyed watching Forensic Heroes a whole lot in 2006, so I was looking forward to watching the sequel to see what lay ahead for our favorite characters. For 4 episodes, I was treated to the reunion of the “original 4″ — Bobby Au-Yeung, Yoyo Mung, Frankie Lam, and Linda Chung. These characters (in particular the trio of Bobby, Yoyo, and Frankie) made Forensic the series that I know and love.

It was very nice seeing Tim Sir (Bobby), Siu Yau (Yoyo), Sam (Frankie), and Ding Ding (Linda) back together. The chemistry was still there and the bonds between the four characters were very evident. I really enjoyed watching them just “hang out”. They are the characters that I care about.

The tragedy of Sam and Ding Ding was too “blown up”. It wasn’t as tragic or emotional as I was anticipating. In fact, I failed to feel much watching Ding Ding die in the explosion. I must admit that I felt a great loss in seeing her character go, making Sam and Ding Ding’s “happy ever after” thrown out the window. I was disappointed. I thought there would be an explosion on the wedding day. I thought it would be something very “big” and tragic. I thought Linda would have challenging scenes to act. I thought she would have a “death” scene to portray. Sadly, there was none of that. Ding Ding never got to say any “last” words. She didn’t “die beautifully”. She just died in the explosion after screaming, “There’s a bomb!”… and that was that.

What was sad to watch was Sam’s response to losing Ding Ding. Frankie nailed his emotional scenes. They could not have been done any better. His tears were genuine and heartfelt. Truly, you could see how much he loved Ding Ding and how hurt he was. By far, the crying scenes he did in episode 5 were the best crying he had done in a long time. I’ve always said that Dr. Koo Chak Sam is Frankie’s “breakthrough” role and it remains true. Frankie failed to impress me as an actor (I liked him, but thought his performances were usually bland and boring) until Forensic.

The scene with Sam and Ding Ding at the funeral was well-done. In fact, the chemistry with Frankie and Linda was better this time than last. I really enjoyed all of their sweet scenes. They were such an adorable couple!

Linda’s acting has truly improved by leaps and bounds. She is so much more natural and comfortable on-screen. Gone is the Ding Ding that was sometimes aggravatingly annoying with her numerous questions and hyperactive self, which wasn’t helped any by Linda’s bad acting [then] consisting of exaggerated expressions and shouting (especially in the first half of Forensic). This time around, Linda acts Ding Ding much, much better. You can still tell she is Ding Ding because the traits that make the character are still there, but her acting is so natural this time and much cuter. It helps that Ding Ding has matured a lot as well, but she is still the cute and child-like girl we know and adore.

Aside from being disappointed about Sam and Ding Ding’s tragedy, I was very upset by the way the writers handled Ding Ding’s passing. It seemed like no one else was greatly affected by her death beside Sam, Siu Yau, and her sister Pui Pui (Astrid Chan). If I couldn’t see a grand wedding, then I want to see a grand funeral. Yet, they did not give us that. The forensic team did not come out in big numbers to see Ding Ding off. Wasn’t she great friends with everyone? They just casually mentioned that Ding Ding died. Even Tim Sir did not seem to be that affected besides one scene in which he says to Sam that he felt it was a “loss” to the forensic team that Ding Ding died.

Ding Ding was never a “crucial” character to Forensic. Her only purpose was to be Sam’s significant other and be the rookie on the forensic team [representing the audience that doesn't know much about forensics]. She lightens up the “serious” environment of Forensic. Her character in Forensic II pretty much was irrelevant. Her limited scenes mostly consisted of preparing for her wedding, bragging about how “happy” she was, or being sweet with Sam. She rarely had scenes dealing with the cases. She collected clues once. She was in the forensics lab twice (and both times contributed little of anything). She did not help to solve any cases. She did not contribute much at all, which was disappointing. Linda really did not have much to do and her role was not challenging. Therefore, I’m glad she decided to focus on The Gem of Life instead because her role there is more important and much more challenging.

As with Frankie & Linda, Bobby & Yoyo maintain their great chemistry. I really love watching Tim Sir and Siu Yau. It was very disappointing that Siu Yau walked out on Tim Sir in episode 4 just when he about to propose to her. Then, she mistook his proposal in episode 7 as a token of “sympathy” and not truly wanting to marry her. Siu Yau’s breakdown in episode 7 was well-acted by Yoyo and very emotional and “real”. I think it’s one of the best crying scenes Yoyo has done to date. She has come a long way in her emotional scenes since her wooden days of The ‘W’ Files. She released everything she was feeling and was completely honest with Tim Sir.

Siu Yau suffered a great blow as a result of the explosion (the same one which took Ding Ding’s life) and now her future as a cop is uncertain. Her hearing is impaired in one ear and one of her hand is hurt. I really miss seeing Madam Leung in action. I miss her leading her team. I miss her working with Tim Sir and Sam to solve cases. I really hope she can overcome this huge obstacle. I’m glad she no longer just feels sorry for herself beginning in episode 8. She’s finally taking action, hoping to climb back up — becoming the Siu Yau that we know, love, and root for once more.

I can’t wait to see Siu Yau’s road to recovery and long for the day in which Madam Leung will lead her team once more.

I am so very disappointed by Tim Sir’s much diminished screen time compared to the last series. Bobby is the star of Forensic. His character is the brain behind cracking the toughest cases. While he is still given his moments to “shine” and lead, they are not as great or abundant as I would like. I hope he has more scenes later.

Perhaps I am too biased for the “original 4″, but as of now I’m not too fond of Madam Ma (Charmaine Sheh) and Ivan (Kevin Cheng) and don’t care about them. Their characters are nothing special. I’m kind of annoyed by how the other characters frequently praise them as being so “smart” and “capable”. I don’t like how TVB shoves two new leading characters into our faces and expects us to accept them. I don’t feel the same chemistry between them and the original cast members as I did with the original cast. I don’t admire or like them as I did Tim Sir, Siu Yau, and Sam. I don’t like how they are on-screen so much in place of Tim Sir and Siu Yau. I don’t enjoy their scenes.

I do hope that with time I can grow to accept them after some further developments in their characterizations. I also don’t like the new supporting characters such as Jason Chan, Matthew Ko, and Macy Chan.

My most favorite part of Forensic II thus far besides Sam & Ding Ding and Tim Sir & Siu Yau’s scenes was the small story of Pui Pui & Matt (Savio Tsang). For the limited time that they gave this couple, the writers effectively made it quite emotional and touching. Unlike the death of Ding Ding, I was shocked and saddened by Matt’s passing because it was so unexpected. From the first series to the second, Pui Pui remains a tragic character. She parted romantically with Tim in the first series (after finding out that losing him in the first place was due to a selfish act by Tim’s wife) and in this series, she loses her younger sister and husband both within a month. I enjoyed seeing Astrid again because it was reminiscent of the first series.

At the beginning, I was enjoying Forensic II. I found it interesting how they integrated a whole new branch — the Narcotics Bureau — into the picture. It was quite exciting to watch them solve the first few cases, which were interlinking. I also found it refreshing to watch the “Forensic” brand again after waiting so long for it and I loved seeing my beloved “original 4″ again.

Sadly, my enjoyment of the series suddenly ended at the beginning of episode 9.

Forensic II’s biggest fault is in the badly constructed cases. Even when I was “enjoying” the series at the beginning, I thought the cases were ridiculous and too easily and conveniently solved. Whatever “evidence” they needed were founded almost instantly. There are no elaborate, involved, smartly-constructed, and edge-of-the-seat-gripping cases that made up the fantastic first series. Instead, Forensic II offers “quick” cases that do not excite and certainly don’t intrigue. I’m not drawn into the cases at all. I don’t feel the mystery. In fact, I’m almost bored.

The worst case thus far was the case in episode 9-10 about the woman being run over. Could they have dragged that one any longer?! The “explanations” were so drawn-out and I just couldn’t understand why they were so “involved” with it. It was a dumb case and so predictable. The other case I hated was the absurd and random “murder” of Matt.

The case set up towards the end of episode 10 with the skeleton found in the woods initially seemed promising. However, I was instantly disappointed when the murder victim “shockingly” turned out to be someone Sam and Ivan knew. The world is small, but… seriously? It’s really farfetched.

In the first series, I was impressed by how “smart” the series was and I thoroughly enjoyed learning what the series had to offer. While Forensic II tries to continue this and offers some “facts” and explanations for the audience, I feel that they are forced and not subtle. I also sometimes think the series preaches the law a whole lot. I don’t like how the characters praise each other so often for their work. There was none of this in the original series (if there was, it was subtle and I was not bothered by it).

There are too many conveniences in Forensic II. The cases are lazily-written and poorly constructed and insult the audience’s intelligence. I just can’t understand why the writers who brought us the awesome cases of the first series cannot bring us similar cases for this sequel. Why is everything being solved so fast? Why isn’t there a “big scheme” behind the murders? Why aren’t the evidence harder to find?

I’m disappointed. Episodes 1-8 was rather entertaining mostly because it contained traces of the original series (in particular, the original characters), but in 9-10, I was bored. The cases suck and I don’t like watching the new characters. I have no interest to continue. However, I will for the sake of Tim Sir, Siu Yau, and Sam. I can only hope that the future cases — and therefore series — are better (this is a must otherwise Forensic II will have truly failed to live up to its predecessor) and that I can somehow grow to accept the new cast members later on.

For my disappointment, I mainly blame the not-so-good script. TVB should have invested more time towards this production. However, I will not make any final judgments on the series until after I finish it.

[Outside of "Tung Mat Yuen" Café]

“Mom, Dad,” Dak Dak Dei (Moses Chan) calls as he looks down at Sek Dai Chuen (Johnny Ngan) and Chan Kiu (Helen Ma). He smiles at them.

“We hit it rich this time, Stupid Woman!” Dai Chuen snickers to Kiu.

“We bagged a rich idiot, Stupid Man! We out-did your stupid brother and his even stupider wife. Who needs a child to be ‘filial’? As long as they give their parents money, that’s all that matters! It will be many, many years before that adopted daughter of theirs will give them a penny.” Kiu laughs slyly.

“Let’s go home,” Dak Dak Dei says to the two of them.

Dai Chuen and Kiu let go of him and nod their heads eagerly. They couldn’t wait to meet the $600 million fortune.

Dak Dak Dei smiles innocently from ear to ear.

Kiu and Dai Chuen were so busy daydreaming about their “rich and fabulous” future life all thanks to their newly adopted son that they did not notice that he took out a big fake abalone.

“Yes, yes, let’s go,” Dai Chuen grabs Dak Dak Dei’s arm, so engrossed in dollar bills.

Dak Dak Dei hits Dai Chuen and Kiu on the head with the abalone, knocking them back into reality. They hold onto their heads in pain.

“My good son, what are you doing?” Kiu demands.

“Serving you two abalone.” Dak Dak Dei answers like a little kid. “Want a second helping?” He held the fake abalone up.

“Stupid Woman, run!” Dai Chuen yells as he jolts. “He’s crazy!”

Kiu lets out a scream before she starts running for her life as she curses, “You useless Stupid Man!”

“Mom! Dad!” Dak Dak Dei calls as he runs after them with the fake abalone. “Eat more abalone!”

Dai Chuen and Kiu scream their heads off.

People walking on the streets dodge the running couple and the crazy man with the fake abalone chasing them.

Ah Biu (Raymond Lam) was patrolling the streets from the other side when he noticed the strange sight. He and his patrolling partner immediately cross the street and start running after the screaming trio. Ah Biu calls for back-up. “Police! Police! Stop!” he yells.

“Help! Help!” Kiu screams.

Dai Chuen was running out of breath. “I can’t run anymore!” he pants. He stops dead in his tracks, causing Kiu to run right into him. The two of them fall onto the ground, panting and sweating.

“Stupid Man! Now I can’t get up and run anymore!” Kiu scolds.

“We’re in our 50’s now. We can’t deny our age,” Dai Chuen says.

“50? Maybe you are!”

“Mom, Dad.” Dak Dak Dei smiles as he looks down at them still holding the abalone.

Dai Chuen and Kiu scream, but they could not find the energy to get up and run. They close their eyes, expecting the worst — a big blow to the head.

Suddenly, they hear the sound of the fake abalone dropping to the ground. They look up to discover Dak Dak Dei being arrested by the police. Ah Biu helps the two of them up. “Are you two all right?” he asks.

Dai Chuen and Kiu were so shaken that they could only nod their heads.

[Police Station]

After taking their statements, Ah Biu leads Dai Chuen and Kiu outside of the room. “That man escaped from the mental hospital. It seems he was watching too much of ‘Heart of Giving’,” Ah Biu explains.

“He really is crazy,” Dai Chuen remarks.

“What a shame. I guess he’s not ‘Dak Dak Dei’ after all, but ‘Kong Kong Dei’ (crazy),” Kiu shakes her head.

“You two are lucky you were out in public. What if you bought him home? He could have killed you two! It’s very dangerous to interact with strangers, especially to just invite a random person to become your adopted child. There are all sorts of people out there.”

“Ah Sir, aren’t you a stranger?” Kiu asks. “Shouldn’t I be afraid of you?”

Ah Biu stares at her, dumbfounded.

Dai Chuen nods his head, “We’re all people and essentially we’re all strangers. You cannot label people as ‘dangerous’ like that. Ah Sir, your breath still smells of milk. We have seen more people than you. We know how to be safe.”

“Stupid Man, let’s go home.”

Kiu and Dai Chuen walk away from Ah Biu. He scratches his head. He had never met anyone like the two of them.

“Chan Kiu and Sek Dai Chuen again?” a female colleague asks Ah Biu.

He nods his head.

“Those two…” the female colleague shakes her head. “They come here every couple of days filing complaints about the other and then fight in the station. They are so troublesome. What did they come in here today for? Did he try to poison her? Or did she try to cut off his ‘buddy’?”

“Are you serious?”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

“Oh… no, this time was different. A mental hospital patient escaped and was chasing them down the streets with a fake abalone. They just came to give their statements,” Ah Biu explains.

“A mental hospital patient? Is it their friend?”

“No. They were planning on adopting him as their son.”

“Did they know him?”

“No. He was a complete stranger. They set up an ‘Adopt-a-Parent’ booth.”

“Oh god…” the female colleague rolls her eyes. “They probably drove the poor guy crazy. I’d die if I had parents like them.”

“No kidding,” Ah Biu agrees.

[Sek Family Apartment, Dai Chuen & Kiu's Bedroom]

“So much for adopting…” Dai Chuen sighs.

“So much for that,” Kiu nods her head.

“Kids are troublesome anyways. We already have one and spent a million dollars raising her. Why take on another? Isn’t it great just to have it be the two of us?” Dai Chuen asks. He tries to hug her.

“Back off!” Kiu barks. She hits him and pushes him away. “You’re not going to get me pregnant!”

Dai Chuen lets out a big laugh. “Pregnant? You? Do you think you can be an old oyster producing a pearl at this age? You’re post-menopausal now!”

“Oh! So you want to go out and get a young mistress from the mainland to bear you a son?!” Kiu grabs Dai Chuen’s ear. She glares at him.

“Wouldn’t think of it! Let go, Stupid Woman. I’m tired of talking to you. Time for bed.” He pulls the covers over his body.

Remembering her meeting with her little sister Chan Hung (Sheren Tang) the other day and the topic of sons, Kiu sighs. She rests her head on the backboard of their bed.

“A son…” Kiu whispers silently. “28 years ago, we had a son…”

[Flashback]

A young Kiu stood before a young Hung holding two babies. One was wrapped in a blue blanket while the other was wrapped in a pink blanket.

Kiu was in tears. “Little sister, please help me. Dai Chuen is being held captive by the loan sharks in Macau. If I don’t bring the money to them, who knows what they might do to him? Ah Mei and Ah Biu need their father. Please, little sister.”

Hung folds her arms. “I told you what I want.”

“Ah Hung, please don’t do this,” Kiu begs.

“Do you want your husband or not?”

“Ah Hung…” Kiu’s tears drop onto the faces of her two babies. They start to cry. “Hush, don’t cry. Ah Biu, Ah Mei, be good.”

“Your husband will never know.”

Kiu shakes her head slowly. “I can’t do this.”

“Then I guess you’ll be raising two babies on your own.” Hung slams the door on Kiu’s face.

Kiu stood outside. The rain was starting to pour down. She looks at her two babies and cries bitterly. Her babies were crying along with her. “Ah Mei… Ah Biu… mommy loves you two so much.” She holds them close to her body and kisses them.

She closes her eyes and inhales deeply before knocking loudly on the door.

Hung opened the door.

“Ah Hung, please help me.”

“I’ll help you once you help me. That’s my final answer.”

“It’s so cruel to separate Ah Biu and Ah Mei. They are a dragon-phoenix pair of twins.” Kiu smiles at her babies before turning to look at Hung, “Why don’t you just tell your husband you’ve been faking a pregnancy for all these months?”

Hung’s eyes suddenly well up with tears. “The doctor says I’m infertile!”

Kiu gasps. “Are you sure?”

“I went to multiple doctors. They all said the same thing.” She strokes her fake stomach. “I want a baby. It is the one thing I cannot give him. I faked a pregnancy… but now it’s approaching my supposed ‘due date’ and there’s no baby inside of me. What will my husband think if I have no baby to give him? He doesn’t know… I don’t have a choice. I need a baby.”

“But Ah Hung…”

“Big sister, please. You have two children. Think about me. I don’t have any and I can never have any.” Hung cries. “I don’t want to lose my husband.”

“If he loves you, he will understand.”

Hung shakes her head. “At the beginning, he treated me like a princess. We were so in love. But when the months passed and I wasn’t pregnant yet, he started to get frustrated and grew cold towards me. It wasn’t until I faked a pregnancy that he started to be warm towards me again. I have to have a baby. This baby is the only thing that can save us.”

“Ah Hung…” Kiu frowns at her little sister.

“You can have your husband back and you can help me save my marriage… all you have to do is give up your baby boy,” Hung says slowly.

“My son?” Kiu holds baby Ah Biu closer to her. “But Dai Chuen wants a son so badly. We need an heir. I can’t give him up.”

“My husband’s surname is also Sek. He will still carry your husband’s blood and surname.”

“I love him so much.”

“I will love him. I will take good care of him. Big sister, you know very well your living situation. You and your husband barely make enough to feed yourselves. How can you afford to feed two more? Think about the costs of two babies. Furthermore, can you send two kids to school? Can you afford to find tutors for them? Can you send them to special classes like swimming and music? I can give him a good home. I can raise him and make sure he meets his full potential,” Hung assures. She strokes baby Ah Biu’s cheeks. “Don’t you think he deserves that? He will be well-fed and well-taught. He will receive the best in everything. He will grow up into a very bright young man. If he stays with you, what future will he have?”

Kiu cries listening to Hung’s words.

“Even worse, what if he takes after his father’s bad habits? What if he grows up to be a gambler? I can promise you he won’t have that fate if he lives with me. Big sister, I can give him everything that you can’t.”

“Ah Biu… Ah Biu…” Kiu frowns at her baby boy. She holds him closer to her body and says, “I’m sorry that mommy and daddy are useless. You deserve better than us.” Without another thought, Kiu hands the baby to Hung. The tears continue to drop from her face as she looks away. “Ah Hung, please give me the money. I need to go save Dai Chuen.”

“Big sister, do you want to take one last look at him?”

Kiu shakes her head. “I can’t… Just hurry. Please.”

Baby Ah Biu starts to cry. Hung tends to the baby as she closes the door to go inside and get the money for Kiu.

Kiu turns around and looks at the closed door. She can still hear her son’s cries from inside. “I’m so sorry, Ah Biu. It’s not that mommy doesn’t want you. If things were different, we would never part. I love you…”

Baby Ah Mei starts to cry as well. Kiu cuddles her remaining baby girl. “Ah Mei, I know you miss your brother. I do too.” Kiu drops to the ground and cries helplessly.

[End of Flashback]

The tears fall from Kiu’s eyes as she recalls the events of that one night 28 years ago so vividly. She looks at the sleeping Dai Chuen.

“If it wasn’t because of you, we would still have him. My son, our son…”

Issue #10 featuring Wars of In-Laws II

[ "Tung Mat Yuen" Café ]

In the papers the next morning was an ad for “Adopt-A-Parent” made by Sek Dai Chuen (Johnny Ngan) and Chan Kiu (Helen Ma). Ah Yuet (Michael Tse), Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu), Gam (Louis Yuen), Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam), Ah Yat (Joyce Chen), Ah Hong (Johnny Tang), Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen), and Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) were sitting around reading the ad in amusement.

“In their golden years, billionaire daughter of Sir Chan, Chan Kiu, and her entrepreneur-minded husband Sek Dai Chuen are looking to adopt a child to share their lives,” Ah Yuet starts off.

“The candidate can be male or female,” Ah Lo continues.

“But must be above 30 with a stable career and income,” Ah Yat reads on.

“The person must not have any debt or bad track record,” Ah Hong states.

“Background checks will be done,” Ying Gei reads.

“The candidate must be a good person with a big heart, willing to fulfill duties as a filial son or daughter,” Gam carries on.

“If interested, please come to the booth set in front of ‘Tung Mat Yuen’,” Nim Chi finishes with a shock.

Everyone gets up to run outside. Sure enough, Dai Chuen and Kiu were setting up a table directly in front of ‘Tung Mat Yuen’. They had a big home-made sign that read “Adopt-A-Parent” with Dai Chuen’s horrible, almost illegible, child-like writing.

“What are you two doing?!” Nim Chi demands.

“Get to work!” Sa Sa orders.

“We want a personal day,” Kiu says.

“Ah Wong (Tony Lam) has got it under control,” Dai Chuen argues.

“You two are distracting the customers! Stop the nonsense!” Nim Chi hisses. “If you don’t go to work, I will fire you two!”

“Auntie Chi, this is our life-long happiness we’re talking about here. We have to become adopted parents!” Dai Chuen pleads.

“Oh please. Do you think anyone will read that nonsense and show up?” Gam rolls his eyes.

Kiu flashes her fake jewelry and golden qipao. “I’m the daughter of Sir Chan. Of course people will show up.”

“You were 30 years ago! You two are estranged now,” Nim Chi says.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I am still his biological daughter!”

“And Uncle Chuen is an entrepreneur?” Ah Yat laughs mockingly. “If you call working for a low wage as a cook at a family-owned café a business man, then homeless people must have a house.”

“He’s business-minded! He invests our money…” Kiu defends.

“Into horse races and gambling! Yes, that’s smart investing all right,” Ah Yat retorts.

“So you can’t get Ah Yuet to adopt you so now you go to the press, make an ad, and set up a booth?!” Nim Chi is exasperated.

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Kiu and Dai Chuen smile. “Hong Kong is a free land.” They sit down behind their table and wait for “customers”. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re waiting for our son or daughter to show up now.”

Nim Chi just shakes her head in disgust. Everyone goes back inside “Tung Mat Yuen”.

“There is surely something we can do?” Sa Sa asks.

“Uncle and auntie have really gone too far,” Ah Hong agrees.

“With them at ‘Tung Mat Yuen’s’ door looking like they do, no one will come in!” Ah Yat says.

“One look at their faces will make people’s appetite go away,” Ah Lo agrees with Ah Yat for once.

“Why don’t we just call the police?” Ying Gei suggests.

“The police?” Nim Chi shakes her head. “I don’t want to arrest them. Yes, they are really outrageous this time, but they are still our family, friends, employees, and neighbors. I can’t do that to them.”

“Aiya, mother-in-law, who cares? They’re distracting our business! Just arrest them,” Ah Lo urges.

“I can’t… it’s wrong.”

“Wrong? Mother-in-law, they went too far first!”

“Ah!” Gam suddenly exclaims, “Auntie Chi, you used to be the beauty pageant policewoman who was so popular. I’m sure you can ask one of your friends to just scare them.”

“Scaring them is a good idea… but that was 30 years ago…” Nim Chi sighs.

“So much for ‘connections’,” Ah Lo rolls her eyes.

Nim Chi suddenly gasps. “I do have a connection!”

“Who?” Everyone turns to look at her.

“Joey’s (Bernice Liu) friend, Sek Biu (Raymond Lam)!” Nim Chi smiles widely.

“Who’s he and how can he help?”

“Ah!” Nim Chi recalls that no one else had met him yet. “He’s serving the Hong Kong Police Force. He’s a great young man.”

“Then call him to help us!”

“I will!” Nim Chi goes through her phonebook on her cell phone only to realize that she never got Ah Biu’s number. “Oops… I don’t have his number.”

“Joey does! Call her!”

“Oh! Right.” Nim Chi laughs sheepishly. “Hello, Joey.”

“Auntie Chi, how are you?” Joey answers on the other line.

“Good, good.”

“What’s up? Is something wrong?”

“Oh no! Everything’s fine. I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Do you remember your police friend?”

“Police friend? Who’s that?”

“That young man you introduced me to a few months back… Sek Biu.”

“Ah… um, what about him?”

“Do you think you can give me his number? I have a favor to ask.”

“Um… I deleted his number already.”

Nim Chi gasps. “What? But I thought you two were friends!”

“Um…”

“So you have no way to contact him at all?”

“I’m sorry, Auntie Chi.”

“Oh, that’s all right. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

Nim Chi hangs up the phone with a sigh.

[Outside "Tung Mat Yuen" Café]

Dai Chuen and Kiu, dressed up in their fake finest clothes and jewelries, waited excited.

“Do you think our adopted child will be like Ling-ling?” Dai Chuen wonders.

“He or she will be even better! We won’t have to worry about raising him or her physically or financially since he or she will already be a grown man or woman,” Kiu answers with a smile.

Dai Chuen and Kiu give each other high five’s. “We’re so smart!”

The people who walked by gave them weird looks, whispered, and laughed. No one approached the “Adopt-a-Parent” booth… that is, until a tall man (Moses Chan) dressed in a suit holding a briefcase walked up.

Dai Chuen and Kiu’s eyes widen.

“Hello, is this the booth to adopt Mr. and Mrs. Sek?” the man asks.

Dai Chuen and Kiu perk up, nodding their head eagerly. “Sit down! Sit down!”

The man smiles. “I’m so glad I’m at the right place.”

“What is your name?” Kiu asks.

“Everyone calls me ‘Dak Dak Dei’, so you can too,” he grins. “With me around, anything is possible!”

“So, Dak Dak Dei, why are you interested in adopting us?” Dai Chuen inquires.

“Both of my parents have passed away.”

Kiu pretends to be empathetic, “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“I miss them.”

“So you want us to fill the void left by them?” Dai Chuen asks.

“Yes… you two remind me of them.”

“Really?”

Dak Dak Dei nods his head with an innocent smile on his face. “Yes, and it’s very tiring to look over my family’s abalone business.”

Dai Chuen and Kiu’s eyes light up. Greedy thoughts filled their mind. They no longer saw Dak Dak Dei’s face; they only saw a bag full of gold.

Seeing their dazed eyes, he waves his hands back and forth.

“Oh! Sorry about that,” Kiu apologizes. “I was still feeling bad about you being an orphan.”

“I know I’m silly, but I’m a very family-oriented man. Even though I have a wife, four siblings, an uncle, an aunt, and a step-mom, I feel like I need parents to feel complete.”

“Ohh…” Dai Chuen says.

“I think we can fill in that gap and fit right into your home,” Kiu smiles.

“I do think so too since you are the daughter of Sir Chan. By the way you are dressed I know you are accustomed to the high-end lifestyle. You’ll be right at home. My family has a fortune of $600 million, you know.”

Kiu starts salivating.

Dai Chuen jumps up excited.

This Dak Dak Dei was truly “capable”. He was like a dream come true for them. They knew an adopted son would not get any better than him. He was the one. He was the god-send that they were looking for. They get up and hug him from both sides. They start fake crying. “Our son! Our son!”

Dak Dak Dei smiles as he looks at them.

English Title: Speech of Silence
Chinese Title: 甜言蜜語
Cantonese Title: Tim Yin Mat Yue
Vietnamese Title: N/A
Casts: Kate Tsui, Kenneth Ma, Claire Yiu, Lai Lok Yi, etc.
Length: 20 episodes (Cantonese) // 15 tapes (Vietnamese)
Release Date: June 2008 (Canto) // July 2008 (Viet)
Genre: Modern Drama/Romance/Enlightenment

Synopsis:
Taste the bittersweet, breathe the love
Read my mind between silence and sound

Tong Tong (Kate Tsui Tsz Shan) loses part of her hearing in an accident but she has a positive attitude towards life and she knows how to take good care of others. With the support of her mentor Ko Ming (Yu Yeung), Tong becomes a voice-over talent by utilizing her lip reading ability and she meets another voice talent Leung Kai Yin (Kenneth Ma Kwok Ming), who also has keen interest in the industry. Yin is fond of the leading voice actress Yuen Siu Na (Claire Yiu Ka Nei) and he asks Tong to be his matchmaker. Tong suffers from a lack of confidence to exhibit her love to Yin, so she prefers to help achieve his wish.

Yin and Tong soon become the famous couple of the industry and their career grows swiftly. However, Tong’s younger sister Chai Ka Yee (Elaine Yiu Tze Ling) suddenly commits suicide after losing her love. In order to rescue Yee, Tong loses her hearing completely. Yee is deeply ashamed for causing the tragedy and Cheung Yau (Lai Lok Yi) consoles her whole-heartedly. After the trauma, Tong abandons herself completely and she hides away from everybody including Yin. During the time, Ming’s voice-over team suddenly breaks up and Yin is the only person staying behind. Ming is helpless and urges Tong to return.

Credits: Astro On Demand

English Title: Love Exchange
Chinese Title: 疑情別戀
Cantonese Title: Yi Ching Bit Luen
Vietnamese Title: N/A
Casts: Michael Miu, Anita Yuen, Power Chan, Crystal Tin, etc.
Length: 20 episodes (Cantonese) // 15 tapes (Vietnamese)
Release Date: June 2008 (Canto) // July 2008 (Viet)
Genre: Modern Drama/Mystery

Synopsis:
When romance is dead, everything turns terrible and destructive

A man and a woman are found dead inside a car. Sit Chi Yiu (Anita Yuen Wing Yi) learns that the man is her husband, Ling Ho Leung (Eddie Kwan Lai Kit), and the woman is called Fong Cheuk Ling (Angela Tong Ying Ying). While Yiu is devastated by her husband’s death, she is also heartbroken to come to know that he had an affair. Yiu Lap Tin (Michael Miu Kiu Wai), a friend of Leung’s from school, shows up out of the blue and he cares a great deal about her. Later, Yiu discovers that Tin, who works for a security firm, is in fact Ling’s husband and that he is not a friend of Leung in the least.

No one brings home the bacon since Leung died. Fortunately, Leung’s boss, Tsu Yeuk Yue (Power Chan Kwok Bong), has found Yiu a job at the insurance company they work at. Although her supervisor, Ching Ngo Yee (Crystal Tin Yui Nei), means to make things difficult for her, Yiu takes it all. This makes Yee change her view on Yiu and the two have become good friends. Yiu wants to get over her pain and stand on her own two feet, but Tin is determined to find out about the truth of Leung and Ling’s deaths. Yiu has no choice but to give him a hand. However, the deeper they dig into the case, the more mysterious they find it. Yiu cannot even judge who is friend and who is foe.

Credits: Astro On Demand

Forensic Heroes II opens up 2 years after the final episode of the last series. Tim (Bobby Au-Yeung), Siu Yau (Yoyo), Sam (Frankie Lam), and Ding Ding (Linda Chung) are still the great friends and co-workers that we last saw. Their bonds of friendship and the love between these two couples have grown stronger with time.

Sam and Ding Ding have been engaged for two years and will finally get married in a month. Ding Ding is busy arranging everything for the grand wedding that everyone wants to see for them. The two are as sweet and happy as they can be. Their wedding portraits are even being displayed in the window of the bridal boutique where Ding Ding is getting her “white dream” dress for her beautiful big white wedding. Ding Ding is learning how to cook in order to be a good wife. Two years ago, the couple tried to cook crabs and ended up making a mess, ordering pizza instead. This time around, both of them have been working hard so they can cook for each other. It seems everything is set and all they have to do is wait for the big day. Indeed, everything is going so well for them and they are so in love.

The child-like Ding Ding has trouble wearing high-heels, so Sam decides that they are going to have the first and only “sneaker” wedding. Their wedding will be the “Sneaker Wedding of the Century”. He doesn’t want his wife to suffer on their wedding day. He can’t bear to see her pushing herself and having her feet be swollen and bruised. He wants her to be as comfortable as she can be. This notion is based on their “love item” — the famous pair of sneaker keychains that marked the start of their relationship.

They find a perfect pair of “Princess” sneakers studded with crystals for Ding Ding to wear on their wedding, making the two of them very happy. Unfortunately, the shoe store doesn’t have her size and it would be too late to special order a pair for her. This leaves Ding Ding disappointed, but she hides it. Sam decides to make a set of “Princess” sneakers for Ding Ding himself. He goes and buys small crystals and stays up late at night to glue the pieces together on a white pair of Converses.

Unbeknown to him, Ding Ding is also working on a project herself; she is also gluing crystals to a sneaker, but it is to his sneaker keychain.

It is 5 days before their big day.

Ding Ding leaves her gift for Sam (the studded sneaker keychain) at his apartment while Sam is about to surprise Ding Ding with the pair of “Princess” sneakers that she longs for. He’s convinced that she will be so moved that she will cry. Ding Ding is making her way to meet Sam. The couple talk on the phone before they are about to meet. Sam waits in anticipation for Ding Ding. Sadly, life takes unexpected and tragic turns.

While on her way to meet Sam, Ding Ding gets pushed down by some gangsters and a bomb (which was intended to kill the gangsters) explodes. Siu Yau tries to grab Ding Ding, but she grabs her scarf instead. Poor Ding Ding is left behind, near the explosion…

Hearing the explosion, Sam rushes to the scene. He drops the heart-shaped box containing the “Princess” sneakers that Ding Ding was supposed to wear on their wedding day. He’s shocked to discover his fiancée’s body lying unconscious on the ground…

Ding Ding and Siu Yau are rushed to the hospital. The doctors could revive Siu Yau, but Ding Ding is not so lucky. Sam is devastated. He breaks down at the hospital. When he comes home, he finds the present that Ding Ding left for him before she died. It was the studded sneaker keychain that she was working on the same nights he was working on her “Princess” sneakers.

There is a card from Ding Ding. It reads: “I made this crystal sneaker keychain. Every crystal stands for a blessing for you and me. This crystal sneaker and I will walk through every road with you in a bright and beautiful life.”

Sam cries. “Without you, how can life be bright and beautiful?”

Sam goes to Ding Ding’s apartment and starts gluing crystals onto her sneaker keychain. However, he’s so overcome with emotions as he remembers the time that he spent with her that he cannot continue.

Ding Ding lays on a bed of white roses in her white wedding gown, but it is not the “white dream” wedding that she or Sam were so looking forward to. Sam, dressed in the white tuxedo he was going to marry Ding Ding in, stands beside Ding Ding holding the pair of “Princess” sneakers he worked so hard to make for her.

“I’ve finished making this pair of crystal sneakers. I glued the crystals onto it one by one. There’s nothing I can do now besides helping you put on this pair of sneakers. Thank you for walking through each and every road with me. The time with you were the happiest in my life. I will always remember them.”


He puts the sneakers on Ding Ding’s feet. He cries tragically and looks up towards the heavens demanding, “But why? Why so cruel? Why are you taken away? Why? Can you tell me why you’ve taken Ding Ding away?” Sam places the newly-upgraded heart-shaped diamond ring that he bought Ding Ding and gives her one last kiss.

Farewell, farewell…

This was not the event everyone was looking forward to. This was not the “happy ever after” that Sam and Ding Ding thought they were going to get. This was a tragedy, a true mishap of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like that, the innocent Ding Ding lost it all… and she left Sam.

Sam and Ding Ding were supposed to have a big white wedding. They were supposed to be so happy. They were supposed to be a loving pair of husband and wife. They were supposed to be… but it’s all too late. Fate has been decided. The pair of now crystal-studded sneaker keychains that symbolize their relationship will always be together, but poor Sam and Ding Ding are forever torn apart. He can only keep her in his heart along with their beautiful memories.

Although Ding Ding has passed away, Sam is convinced that she remains by his side, looking after him. For her, he won’t let himself go. He won’t be a grieving mess. He will continue to live life the best he can without her and work hard to investigate for innocent victims such as Ding Ding. He will continue to fulfill the life aspiration they both have (but the one she can no longer carry out): to fight for justice and uncover the truth. Still, he cannot help but miss her terribly.

Gone are the smiles and laughter she used to bring to his life.

2008 TVB Series Forensic Heroes II - 60 Captures

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Capturing the final days between Sam and Ding Ding — this very sweet and cute couple. They were so happy about to be married… until the tragic and fateful accident which took Ding Ding away broke them apart…

[Sek Family Apartment]

“Mommy, I want to help you clear and wash the dishes,” Ling-ling says to Sa Sa (Kingdom Yuen).

Sa Sa smiles at her daughter. “Thanks honey.”

Chan Kiu (Helen Ma), Sek Dai Chuen (Johnny Ngan), and 11th brother (Lee Kwok Lun) were watching TV in the living room when they overheard the conversation from the dining room.

11th brother grins proudly at Ling-ling.

After helping Sa Sa with the dishes, Ling-ling walks from the kitchen and brings 11th brother a cold can of beer. “Here you go, Daddy, something to help you unwind.”

11th brother strokes his daughter’s head warmly. “Thanks honey.”

“How was work today? Was it very tiring? Did you have to work with those newbies who NG a million times?”

He laughs, “Not exactly a million, but I would say 999,999 times is close enough, huh?”

“I would say so too!”

The father and daughter laugh.

“How was your test?”

“Good! I can’t wait to show you the results when I get it back.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. You’re really smart, honey.”

“I’ll say she is,” Sa Sa chimes in. “Thank god she doesn’t need us to help her with her homework like other kids. I don’t know a thing!”

“Of course you don’t. You’re not exactly the brightest.” Kiu smirks.

Sa Sa ignores her.

Ling-ling stands behind 11th brother and starts massaging his shoulders.

“Ling-ling, what are you doing honey?”

“You’re tired, Daddy. I want to help loosen your muscles.”

11th brother and Sa Sa are touched by their well-behaved, considerate, and ever-loving adopted daughter.

Dai Chuen and Kiu watch in disgust.

“Please, can we stop watching ‘Untrue Feelings’? It’s making me sick!” Dai Chuen comments.

“Big brother, you can’t be jealous of these things. I remember when Ah Mei (Cutie Mui) was a little girl. She did the same things that Ling-ling is doing now. You two had your share.”

“Ah Mei… that bad girl,” Kiu says. “She left out of nowhere to go study fashion designing 4 years ago overseas and she’s still not back.”

“Poor us, her parents who worked so hard to raise her. Doesn’t she think about us?” Dai Chuen whines.

“Raise her? Big brother and big sister-in-law, forgive me, but it’s more like she took care of you two. If one of you wasn’t gambling, then it was both of you. Ah Mei had to be very independent from the start.”

“Who are you to judge parenting? What about Ah Hong (Johnny Tang)? You were often filming until the wee hours. Who was it that tucked him into bed? Not his father, that’s for sure,” Dai Chuen retorts.

“Yes, well… we all make mistakes. The most important thing is to not make the same mistake again.” 11th brother kisses Ling-ling on the forehead.

Kiu and Dai Chuen look bitterly at 11th brother, Sa Sa, and Ling-ling — this family of 3.

[Dai Chuen & Kiu's Bedroom]

“Aiya! That Ah Mei is so bad. She won’t answer my calls,” Kiu rants.

“I blame caller ID. Who would answer knowing it’s their mom?” Dai Chuen asks.

“She hasn’t called in so long! Why does she make us worry all of the time?”

“She calls when she feels like it. She’s a grown woman. We can’t have her on a leash.”

Kiu sighs. “I wish I had someone right now.”

“I’m not ’someone’?”

“You know what I mean. Your damn brother and his stupid wife, what did they do to get such a good daughter? They didn’t even give birth to her! They didn’t have to listen to her crying at all hours of the night. They didn’t have to feed her milk bottles at just the right temperature. They didn’t change her diapers. They didn’t… They don’t even have to raise her! She’s so well-behaved and smart thanks to her birth parents.”

“Yes, that’s the thing about ‘adopted’ children; you don’t have to do all of the messy labor like raising your own child. You can take a short-cut and ‘pass’ on some of those years. Remember how much we suffered bringing Ah Mei up? I had to sacrifice so many horse race bets!”

“And I… all of those mah-jong matches and my beauty sleep.”

Kiu and Dai Chuen both sigh.

“That bad girl isn’t even around for us to use now!” Dai Chuen exclaims.

“They do say children are born looking for pay-back from parents…”

“Haven’t we paid enough? We’re in our old age right now. This is the time when a child is supposed to repay and take care of his or her parents. But that bad girl? She’s off who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. This is so unfair! The heavens don’t have eyes.”

“Old age?” Kiu laughs. “You may be, but not me!”

Dai Chuen rolls his eyes. “Stupid Woman, you’re only a few years younger than me. We’re ‘about the same’.”

“Stupid Man, a ‘few’ years makes a difference.” Kiu sighs again. “Why can’t we have an adopted daughter like Ling-ling?!”

Dai Chuen gasps.

“Stupid Man, are you okay?”

Dai Chuen snaps his fingers. “You’re on to something!”

“What? What?”

“Adopted kids!”

Kiu’s eyes grow big and brighten. “You’re right! Adopted kids offer the same benefits as birth kids without the trouble and hassle of bringing up.”

“We can use them as we like too!”

“Yeah!” Dai Chuen and Kiu slap each other’s hands happily. “We’re adopting!”

[ "Tung Mat Yuen" Café ]

Dai Chuen gives Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) a cheesy smile as he brings him a cup of his famous milk tea.

Ah Yuet raises his eyebrow at Dai Chuen.

Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) folds her arms and looks at Dai Chuen suspiciously. “Uncle Chuen, what do you want?”

“What? I know Ah Yuet likes to drink milk tea!”

“Yes, and I like to eat abalone. How come I don’t see you bringing me a plate?” Ah Lo demands.

“That’s because I’m not working for the Tong family from ‘Heart of Giving’. ‘Tung Mat Yuen’ specializes in egg tarts and milk tea, not abalone.” Dai Chuen asks Ah Yuet, “Do you like it?”

Ah Yuet nods his head nervously. “Yes… thank you.”

“Oh! It’s my pleasure.”

Kiu sets a piping hot breakfast A on the table in front of Ah Yuet.

“Hey! Where’s our food?” Gam (Louis Yuen) demands.

“You haven’t ordered yet.”

“Ah Yuet didn’t either! How come he has a plate of food and a beverage?” Ying Gei (Yvonne Lam) asks.

“Food’s coming right up!” Sa Sa assures.

Ah Yuet looks at the plate of food and at his milk tea and then turns to look at the beaming Dai Chuen and Kiu with their cheesy smiles. “Um… what did you two do with this breakfast and milk tea?”

Kiu gasps. “What?”

“Uncle Chuen, Auntie Chuen, to be blunt, if you did not drop this plate on the floor or spit in the milk tea, then something else has to be wrong with it. There’s no other reason why I would be receiving such five-star service.”

“We’re five-star people! That’s why!” Dai Chuen gives him a peace sign making a “V” with his index and middle fingers.

Ah Lo laughs loudly. “Is that in the negative direction?”

“We’ve been faithful and valuable employees of ‘Tung Mat Yuen’ for 30 years!” Kiu and Dai Chuen go and hug Nim Chi (Nancy Sit). “Isn’t that right?”

Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) sarcastically says, “If you consider being late, taking off multiple days, stealing electricity, being lazy, and all around doing a not-so-good job, then yes, ‘Tung Mat Yuen’ is blessed to have you two.” She rolls her eyes.

Kiu clears her throat. “In any case, we are wonderful parents! Look at how well-behaved and respectable Ah Mei turned out!”

“Yes, I’m sure she loves her parents so much that she just had to get away from them for so many years. Isn’t that right?” Gam shakes his head.

Dai Chuen ignores Gam. “Ah Yuet, you are Ah Mei’s good friend. You two grew up together. Remember how we took you to the movies?”

“Hmm… was that the day after I caught you stealing money from ‘Tung Mat Yuen’?” Ah Yuet ponders.

Dai Chuen’s eyes grow big. “What! No such thing! We took you to the movies out of our good hearts.”

Kiu nods her head, “Yes, we are loving and wonderful people.”

“What do you say about adopting us as your god-parents?”

Dai Chuen and Kiu give Ah Yuet puppy dog eyes.

Ah Yuet spits out the milk tea he was drinking. He looks at them shocked. “What?!”

Dai Chuen and Kiu rest their heads on each side of Ah Yuet’s shoulders. “You know you love us. Think of Ah Mei. We saw you grow up. You can basically count us as your parents already. We did so much for you when you were growing up.”

“Remember how I purchased a pack of cigarettes for you when you wanted to try to smoke?” Dai Chuen asks.

“And when I got some condoms for you when you had your first girlfriend?” Kiu adds.

Nim Chi gasps loudly and goes up to Ah Yuet with a stern look.

Ah Yuet pushes Dai Chuen and Kiu away. His cheeks blush. He defends himself angrily and loudly, “What! There was no such thing! I’m a good boy!”

Ah Lo glares at Ah Yuet. “Is that so?”

“Honey! I don’t know what’s gotten in to them. Maybe they took crazy pills. Ma Chi, you have to believe me,” Ah Yuet pleads.

“Ah Yuet, you know we have plenty more secrets of yours we can tell… so why don’t you just adopt us already?” Dai Chuen rations.

“Adopt you two?! As god-parents?” Ah Yuet is horrified.

Dai Chuen and Kiu pretend to cry pitifully. “Ah Mei has left us. We are alone. We need a child!”

Gam laughs loudly. “And you expect someone to adopt you two as parents?”

They nod their heads.

“Ha! Good luck with that. The only reason someone would ever accept another as his or her parent is for money. Why would anyone take you two as their parents when they can’t get anything out of it? You two are poor and have bad habits. Ah Mei is stuck having you two as parents because you gave birth to her. No one would willing call you two mother and father. Isn’t that right?” Gam shakes his head.

Dai Chuen and Kiu end their fake crying.

“We didn’t want to adopt Ah Yuet anyways! We were just joking around!” Kiu says as she goes back to sweeping.

“That’s right. Who would want to have Ah Yuet as a son anyways? He’s so weak and useless.” Dai Chuen goes back to the kitchen.

As they were working, Kiu and Dai Chuen were thinking about what Gam said.

“People only want to adopt parents if they are rich…”

The 2008 grand production fueled by 2007’s hit Heart of Greed will no longer be living in its predecessor’s shadow. Not only is it dropping its Chinese title of [溏心風暴之家好月圓] and is only officially known as [家好月圓] in Chinese, it is also losing the English title that everyone has come to know as Heart of Greed II.

The official English title for [家好月圓] is Moonlight Resonance.

Now there will be no more confusion and questions about how Alfred came back to life or why the relationships are so “messed up” in this series and not related to the last series. Despite knowing that the two series are not related, the “II” makes people think it is a sequel. I think it’s a very smart idea that TVB is dropping the Heart label that was so attached to this series. The two series are not related, so why keep any traces of the last series in the title?

It will be another month and a half before we can watch Moonlight, but TVB has already begun promoting the series (as if they ever stopped promoting the Heart franchise). Recently in Shanghai, an official trailer lasting 1.5 minutes was shown. Netizen Siu D from Kuangai TVB recorded the trailer and uploaded it for everyone to see.

The clip’s quality is poor and it’s not very audible, but beggars cannot be choosers. At least it offers an idea of what we can expect when we watch the series. It seems Moonlight will have its share of verbal fights, “golden words”, family conflicts, internal struggles, evil plots, and messy love relationships as Heart did last year.

Is it a website? Is it a journal? No! It’s a blog. In recent years, blogging has become the newest fad. Countless of new blogs are born every day. Blogger and WordPress are not only two of the biggest blog services, but also two of the most visited websites in the world. It seems everyone has a blog these days and it is a common phrase for someone to say that he or she will “blog about it”.

The ease and convenience of the blog has made it very popular. Blogs started as a place for people to pen their life thoughts, but the TVB world has transformed blogs into an extensive network full of information and opinions.

The attraction of a blog
Building and maintaining a website requires a lot of work and time. You have to understand HTML and scripts and free hosts are a hassle with all of the advertisements and restrictions. In order to have a great website, you just have to have your own server and be somewhat knowledgeable about website building. This limits a good number of people who are inexperienced.

The big attraction about blogs is that they are so easy to manage and update. You don’t have to be an expert or even have any prior “experience”. Who doesn’t know how to type? Who can’t click a simple button to publish? Blogging hosts make it so easy, fast, and hassle-free for anyone to blog. Furthermore, unlike free servers, blogging hosts aren’t a pain; there aren’t insane pop-ups and ads or a tiring bandwidth limit. Blogs are therefore very appealing for people who want their own little “space” on the Internet but can’t be bothered to have a full-out webpage.

What people blog about
Blogs are designed to be free-form. People are able to post whatever they want onto the Internet. Be it news or thoughts, the contents of a person’s blog is 100% up to that person. There is complete freedom.

Consequently, TVB blogs (or blogs dedicated to a specific TVB artist) utilize this and publish news, media, and reviews. TVB blogs are basically a cross between a TVB fansite and a journal comprised of personal thoughts.

The TVB Blogging World: A Brief History
The earliest TVB blogs were owned by bloggers who translated TVB news. Most renowned was Em’s TVBspace News Roundup.

More diverse and “personalized” TVB blogs with custom posts — which paved the way for all of the future TVB blogs — rather than just news started to appear in 2005.

Sehseh’s Blog was launched in January 2005. Her blog focused mainly on her idol Charmaine Sheh and Charmaine’s series. She is a veteran TVB blogger and her blog is one of the oldest and longest-lasting in the TVB blog world. She continues to provide updates to fans on a constant basis. The longest-running TVB fansite — TVB Square added a blog to her extensive website in February 2005. Gallen Harbour made its debut in March 2005. Like Sehseh, blogger Mimosa provides everything a Gallen Lo fan could want and more.

sere.visions started penning her thoughts on TVB in June 2005. TVB Chinese News Collection debuted in July 2005 and it gathered most of the TVB-related articles published by various Hong Kong newspapers; eventually, it grew to include weekly ratings report and other information and pictures.

One of the most defining and popular blogs in the history of the TVB blogging world, TVB Generation, emerged in October 2005. Blogger Asia wrote many creative and entertaining posts, often dealing with fashion and the “celebrity” side of TVB. She wrote what she felt and her posts were short and to the point. Her frequent blog updates were fun to read. It was like a TVB magazine of sorts — which was what Asia envisioned for her blog. Indeed, TVB Generation was fresh and hip.

RIta’s ToomanysidesofTVB launched in November 2005. Like other bloggers, she posted her views as well as various informative TVB posts.

By the end of 2005, the stage was set for the TVB blogging world to thrive and populate in the years to come.

2006 saw the birth of more blogs such as Entertaining You…, Sidney’s TVB Sidsation which contains translations and random thoughts, MC3’s 阿MO » ALL ABOUT MO remains the #1 source for everything Moses Chan, TVB Cafe, Fairytale Promise, and much more, including TVB Musings.

Powerhouse blog K for TVB said its hello to the world in September of that year and has since grown into one of the biggest TVB blogs around. Blogger KTVB offers episodic summaries and plenty of captures and thoughts on most of the series that she watches.

2007 welcomed blogs such as TVB Index — owned by Anime Master 179002 — which has fast updates and many exclusive content that you cannot get anywhere else, TVB: A Way of Thinking, A Glaze-Over of TVB, qing’s blog, and In Love With TVB.

2008 welcomed TVB Memories, TVBThink, and Simply TVB.

Encoded Thoughts
These days, TVB blogs are abundant. If you search for something about TVB on Google or Yahoo, chances are you’ll get plenty of search results linking to multiple blogs. New blogs are born every day. Sadly, some older blogs are abandoned meanwhile. No matter if the blog is active or not, there will always be visitors.

The blogging world has become a part of the TVB community. It is a very rich source of information and a place for entertainment. Every blog is different and has something unique to offer. Every blogger injects his or her own personality and opinions into his or her postings. It’s very fun to visit and read blogs.

To all bloggers in the past, present, and those that are yet to be born, the TVB community will remember you guys and all you’ve contributed to us and the greater TVB world as a whole. The contemporary online TVB community would not be the same without all of the blogs that exist.

Thank you for taking the time out in your lives to blog for all of us!

TVB Musings’ Episodic Memory
I didn’t really know what a “blog” was for the longest time. I thought the word sounded weird and didn’t really get what it was all about. I didn’t understand the difference between it and an online journal and website. I just visited them like any other site.

I never had any intention on making or owning a blog (now I own two). I thought my website work would end at timeless: the VIRTUES OF HARMONY network after I purchased my own server and domain in late 2005. Call it fate; call it the “right” timing. I started to “lose” all of my favorite hang-out spots leading up to April 11, 2006. TVSF and Winglin were either dying or disappeared into oblivion. I had no place to voice my thoughts on TVB anymore. I considered making a TVB website to house my reviews, but as I’ve come to know very well over the years, maintaining a website is hard work. It takes a lot of time to update and to prepare updates. I just didn’t have the “time” and dedication to put forth that much effort to own a TVB website.

I’m very particular. If I’m not 100% passionate about something, I cannot put my heart behind it. As hard as it was maintaining my Virtues websites sometimes, I enjoyed doing it because my heart was fully behind it. I knew I could never put forth the same dedication and “love” to a TVB website (because I often skip series). I only want to update what I want to update on. A TVB website only focusing on series that I like and/or watched would not be a “true” site.

The idea of having a TVB blog enticed me as I visited more and more TVB blogs and saw how it was becoming increasingly popular. I loved the freedom about it. What most appealed to me was the fact that I could just write and update. I didn’t have to worry about excessive HTML codes just to make an update. I didn’t have to worry about layouts or making sure everything shows up correctly. I could just type and do simple HTML (i.e. image codes). I really have to thank all of the TVB blog veterans for pioneering and paving the road for me and all other bloggers after them.

Aside from wanting to have my own place to “talk” about TVB, my other reason for opening TVB Musings is a selfish one. They say people “forget” easily and only care about the present. Even when the series is long over, I want to keep at least the name Virtues of Harmony alive to the TVB community. With an “active” and