Memorable Sad Endings

Not everyone likes sad endings because it would defeat the purpose of them wanting to see their favorite on-screen couple to end up together. Not to mention no one dies in fairy tales, right? Everyone wants to see a happy ever after ending or if there are conflicts, they would be resolved in the end, allowing a satisfying ending, right? I was one of those people once upon a time but I’ve become accepting of those endings over the years, having been more in touch with reality. I don’t have to like it but I’ve become more understanding of the creators’ intention.

As I was listening to Van Fan’s Listen With Your Heart once again for the umpteenth time on my mp3 player, I once again recall of the final scenes from Sound of Colors when Wallace’s character, Yun Xiang, died in the hospital after seeing Ruby’s character, Jing Jing, for the last time. Being a Wallace fan, I must admit I did not want that kind of ending. Though I’ve known of it beforehand from various articles of it during the filming process, I was still hopeful of the ending. I wished for some incident like the script-writers changing the details of it to give us viewers a more favorable outcome. In the end, it was like the news had reported it as. I was disappointed for a while. However, I come to accept it more after several days. I also gave it a good thought of how the whole story was crafted and how the events had led to such an ending. In the end, it has become one of my favorite endings ever – even if it was really sad and tragic.

Perhaps a big clue of the ending was how Yun Xiang had tried to stop the doctors from taking his mother’s eyes for Jing Jing when his mother died. He was only a kid and knew only to protect his mother from being touched by others after her death. However, it was a big hint after they’ve met again and how he became aware of the incident that took place years ago. It was a twist of fate – as the writers crafted the story. It was also a whole new journey he was going on as he entered Jing Jing’s world. She was a blind girl yet she was still optimistic about life, learning to be independent and having a job to support herself – though unnecessary since she has an older protective sister, Ming Ming (Hao Lei), who was willing to take care of her no matter what. Jing Jing’s optimistic nature has affected Yun Xiang, making him see the better of life and to let go of his past, forgiving people who could possibly hurt him – accidentally or on purpose. Maybe Jing Jing was an angel sent to him to open his eyes up and see the better of this world – though she was the one who did not have a sight of her own.

To get back to the scenes leading to the ending, I must confess that I cried the whole time during the last few scenes of the drama. It was that sad. Jing Jing never knew about Yun Xiang’s disease – even through the time that he had to go into surgery. It was only to the very last minute that they knew Yun Xiang won’t make it that Ming Ming, Fan Yang (Huang Meng) – aka Ming Ming’s boyfriend and Yun Xiang’s step brother – and the others decided to tell Jing Jing. It was her last chance in seeing him. Jing Jing received the call while she was at the radio station. She was beyond shocked upon hearing the news from her Voicemail, dropped her cell phone and rushed outside – though she could not see or know of which direction she should have taken. She only knew that she must go to Yun Xiang’s side. Fan Yang arrived on time and drove her to the hospital. As soon as she stepped out of the car, she took a tumble since she was beyond herself at that point. Allowing herself to be led by Fan Yang, they finally made it to the waiting area where the others were waiting for news of Yun Xiang.

A touching scene unfolded as soon as Ming Ming rushed to Jing Jing’s side, trying to calm her down. Jing Jing lashed out and asked why the others did not tell her until Yun Xiang was almost dead. She was furious, hating the others for not telling her earlier. However, she did not meant that  but it was because she wished she knew before. Being the one in the dark (no pun intended) was not a good feeling. I think that part was one of Ruby’s most emotional scenes in portraying Jing Jing and this role had allowed her to act out various emotions, showing her capabilities and proving to others that she was not just a pretty face who was trying too hard to be cute.

Anyway, a doctor finally stepped and told them of the condition. After he left, Jing Jing rushed into Yun Xiang’s room (since she probably heard where he was stepping out from) and tripped on a chair since she did not know of its existence. Ming Ming helped Jing Jing up and guided her over to the bed where Yun Xiang was laying – with tubes in him. He was still unconscious but was soon awoken by her heart-breaking words, asking why he did not tell her, not allowing her to face the obstacles with him. Yun Xiang, who was quite weak by now, was only able to summon whatever was left of his energy to trace out his words on her hand, apologizing for his actions. She tearfully told him that she did not want his apologies and only wanted him to be well and be with her. The final words breaking through everyone’s heart who was present were, “Why is Heaven so unfair? I’m already blind and now I’m losing you as well.”

The fact that Van Fan’s ‘Listen With Your Heart’ was playing the whole time while the scenes were unfolding was not helping much either. It made it hard not to shed a few tears for what was happening.

The last request that Yun Xiang had was for Jing Jing to be able to see this world with her own eyes as how he’d seen it in the first place – maybe even more. Of course that meant that he was giving up his eyes to her, which made sense of his last words to her: “I will never leave you. I’ll always be by your side.” The others were not aware of his wish either until Fan Yang found out from their father (his step-father and Yun Xiang’s father) of Yan Xiang’s plan – having already prepared a signed paper saying that he will donate his eyes to Jing Jing if anything were to happen to him. Of course Jing Jing did not accept with the current state she was in, stating that there was no need to see this world anymore since she already lost Yun Xiang. Another set of touching words came out from Jing Jing – though it might be from her unwilling to let go of Yun Xiang: “Heaven could take away my light, my happiness, and even my future. But don’t tell me to take away Yun Xiang’s eyes. If you guys love me, please love my Yun Xiang as well. Don’t be so cruel to us.”

It was not until one of Yun Xiang’s good friend brought out a present from Yun Xiang, saying that Yun Xiang wanted Jing Jing to see its contents that she finally agreed because it would fulfill Yun Xiang’s last wish.

The scene skipped to the part where Jing Jing was watching the clip Yun Xiang had prepared while he was still alive for her. Her operation had been successful, allowing her to finally see the person she loved so much and also allowing her to see the world. There was also the painting that he had created for her with them standing next to each other, waiting for the sun to rise and watching the rainbow overhead. It was also a sign that he will always watch over her.

Jing Jing came back to work at the radio station after two months of recovering from the operation and having explored the world around her to which she had missed most of her life. She finally accepted what happened and encouraged her listeners to cherish what they have around them because what one has at the moment might not be there forever. An inspirational message sent through the airwave while we see the last scenes of the drama unfolding with everyone moving on with their life. Ming Ming and Fan Yang were preparing for their wedding while Yun Xiang’s two best friends got together. Chen Gao and Tan Li Na (Jing Jing’s colleagues) were seen happily together as well with Chen Gao’s daughter like one family. Perhaps the other person suffering the most – among them all – was Yun Xiang’s father since he was still seen as mourning after his son’s death. The song ‘In Your Eyes’ sang by Rebecca Hsu guided the final scenes of the drama and helped it closed on a memorable note.

Final thoughts? It was memorable without trying to be like some other dramas. It was a success though it was not perfect. Maybe that was what made it nice in the first place.

*The first three images were collected from various places around the net, therefore, belonging to their rightful owner. The rest were captured by DTLCT.

 

Li Wei Lian – A Prince’s Tale

Source: Dat Mui Cuoi Tuan

Article Link: http://www.baoanhdatmui.vn/vcms/html/news_detail.php?nid=5430

Written by: Nghi Tran

Based upon his poise and suave image, people think that Li Wei Lian must have come from a wealthy family, but it is not the case at all…

Li Wei Lian’s Youth
When he was five years old, his father left home, forcing his mother to take on two jobs in order to support both children’s education. During his childhood, Li Wei Lian was a very shy and quiet kid thus leading to him not having many friends. In order to help her son becoming more outgoing, his mother took him to a modeling agency when he was 17 to learn social and communication skills and self-confidence. After 8 years of performing on Catwalks, he won the title of ‘World’s Top Model’ in 2001, steering his career into a different path…

Prince’s Attraction
Since acting in Heaven’s Wedding Gown, Lu Zi Hao’s sophisticated look and the Veston attires had become the trademark for his image. However, he only likes to wear simple and comfortable clothes in real life.

In regard to colors, Li Wei Lian likes purple the most. The majority of his wardrobe consisted of purple attires. He even chose purple for his sofa. According to Li Wei Lian, purple represents romantic, creativity, and mystery, causing him to stare at it without being bored of its presence: “Someone told me that men who like purple are independent, mysterious, and attractive. But I think that if a man wants to impress a friend of the opposite sex, he would have to appear polite and clean. That’s why each time when I go out, I would pay attention to my hair and clothes. There is always a chapstick in my pocket because my lips dry up easily.”

A Traditional Prince
In 2006, Li Wei Lian went to Mainland China for the first time to film Fly With Me, he was often homesick but he could not ask to take leave so he could return to Singapore to visit his mother. Understanding her son’s feelings, his mother visited Mainland to meet up with him. In the days when she was there, his mother often cooked his favorite dish, Singapore’s curry. Having his mother by his side, Li Wei Lian became extremely happy and worked even harder.

Li Wei Lian is someone who highly values his family. If he were to choose between his career or his family, he would choose his family because of: “There is only one family, but many jobs. Losing one job, there would be others out there. Family and friends are the most important in my life, I always cherish the times I spend with them.”

A time when the ‘Prince’ turns wild
Li Wei Lian is a Leo, which possesses the personalities of not acting out of feelings and is a rash person; these predictions prove contradictory to Li Wei Lian’s calm and mature behaviors. However, he confided: “When I was 17 and just started modeling, I would participate actively in various fun parties, screaming until my throat hurts.” Since becoming a model, Li Wei Lian’s personalities have changed drastically. He is livelier and would not keep his feelings inside anymore. When encountering hardships, he would confide with his mother or friends to take away stress.

Wanting Change
From a Top Male Model to a TV Series Idol, was it by chance or by choice? He said: “Being a model for over 10 years, I’ve experienced fame along with its bitter flavors. Therefore, switching to acting was not by chance but it was inevitable.”

From Heaven’s Wedding Gown to Green Forest, My Home and My Lucky Star, Li Wei Lian appeared as a high class, successful businessman. Being type-casted with such roles, Li Wei Lian said: “Even if my outer appearance reflects a certain type of roles, but I still want to try out different roles, like a villainous role as the leader of a gang… ”

In My Lucky Star
In My Lucky Star, Li Wei Lian only appeared as a guest star, so the space available for his acting was just 5 episodes. Before accepting this role, Li Wei Lian’s contract with SETTV already ended, but the company still gave him special treatments. In the drama, there were only two leading men, who were Lin Zhi Ying and Lee Wei, but Producer Chen Yu San strongly stressed that there were three leading men, including Li Wei Lian.

Li Wei Lian’s role in My Lucky Star was Zhong Tian Jun, the heir of E.Shine. Since young, Tian Jun was well behaved and obedient to his parents’ commands. Tian Jun could be considered as a filial child comparing to his brother, Tian Qi, who is known as the trouble-maker, always disobeying his parents. Tian Jun’s personalities really suit Li Wei Lian’s personalities, because he has been always been an obedient and filial child to his mother.

Translations by: DTLCT

Translation Date: Friday, September 4^th, 2009

 

Chinese Paladin III: Episode 1

Finally have a little time to watch although I already purchased the DVD set. Not bad at all actually for the first episode. I actually like the fast pace of it so far although there were some nonsense about it. It can’t be helped though since it was only the first episode.

I think everyone could recognize the familiar symbol that has transferred over to this one with the difference of the five colorful pearls surrounding the sides. Anyway, that was supposed to represent the theme of this story, which I won’t say much until they actually mention it. But want to see something else familiar?

Yes, a very familiar scene for ‘Chinese Paladin’ fans, except for the custome. What was even funnier was the main character, Jing Tian, was doing the same thing that Li Xiao Yao was doing when he was on the sword. Dreaming, of course, what else? Then he got woke up and lost his opportunity to make a fortune! So much for it, huh? But don’t worry about the similarity or be mistaken of the situation. This was supposed to be a prequel like I mentioned in my other post, so this was actually 50 years before the first ‘Chinese Paladin’.

What was kind of interesting this time around was there was this commentary person, narrating for us and introducing the characters as they appear. So it was sort of like the game, where they stop to tell you who the characters were – without you having to click into the character, like this one:

So what happened after Jing Tian woke up? A scolding marathon. Poor Mao Mao since he didn’t know that his ‘Lao Da’ was about to make a fortune in just seconds – if he haven’t disturbed the dream. But Jing Tian should know better than that. It was only a dream after all. How could he just meet one of the gods and get his wish of having a great fortune? Or could he really get that wish? Because while he was arguing with Mao Mao and He Bi Ping, a meteor shower began, drawing their attention to the night sky.

After following the myth of spinning around three times to make a wish, He Bi Ping was about to shout out his wish when he realized that Jing Tian was still spinning. When inquired, Jing Tian told them that he wanted as many wishes as he could. Mao Mao continued to spin as well, reassuring Jing Tian that if Jing Tian did not have enough wishes, there would still be some from his own spins. We could see from Mao Mao’s actions that he would be Jing Tian’s loyal friend throughout the story.

Perhaps someone up there wanted to send the guys a message about greed because they took a tumble after spinning around for so long. (No, I lied, they got dizzy from spinning too many times.)

Anyway, after the guys make a wish and laughed among themselves about their possible change of luck, Jing Tian realized a strange red-orangish dot coming their way from the sky. Jumping up from his place, he could see the dot getting bigger and forming into a shot of flame. Reaching out his hand, the object obediently rested on it, changing its form into a jade piece.

Looks familiar? Yes, it was the same jade piece from the first part. It was actually a half of the original piece. It was the same one that the legend told of in the first part with two people who possess two halves were fated to be together. (Or were they?)

So if this half found its way to Jing Tian, then where was the other half? The answer came to them the next day when Jing Tian and Mao Mao were out in the market, browsing several stalls after witnessing a bride’s carriage passed by them.

But the unfortunate event that followed was the powerful force that wanted to pull the two pieces together, reuniting both pieces into one.

The consequence?

Yes, a disaster. (You just have to watch it to see how they ended up there.)  This was a very good reason why Jing Tian fled after the jade pieces finally released them from one another. This memorable incident was also the reason why Jing Tian became Xue Jian’s most hated person. (How could she live down the embarrassment of it all, right?)

Another unfortunate incident happened after that because a mysterious character appeared out of nowhere and stole Jing Tian’s jade piece. Not to mention that his luck turned again since he was captured and brought back to the Tang Manor to be killed. However, with his clever words, he managed to stall for time long enough that he was given an opportunity to save Xue Jian – who wanted to commit suicide.

Claiming to help her, Jing Tian did just the opposite. He even took on the role of an adviser, trying to help her find a better way to end her life, telling her that her method was not effective.

Misunderstood of his real intention, he was pulled by back one of the men. However, he was released again to resume his task after explaining the details of his plan. So what was his bright idea in introducing a more effective way?

That was effective all right since she no longer wanted to die after more of his harebrain ideas. So his effort was not wasted after all since he got released from the Tang Manor and returned home while Tang Kun confided with Xue Jian about the secret of the jade pieces.

As fate has it, that was not the last encounter between Jing Tian and Xue Jian. When night fell, Jing Tian was busy trying to think. He suddenly thought of a new way to get rich, waking up Mao Mao and He Bi Ping – who were too sleepy to care for his harebrain ideas. Disappointed, he left them to conjure up another plan again. However, while he was working by oil light, he saw a shadow zooming past his room. Suspecting thief, he dashed into the direction where the shadow disappeared seconds ago with a wooden stick as his weapon. As coincidentally as it was, who else was there to greet him but Xue Jian? (Who just got her hands crushed because Jing Tian had slammed the box shut.)

But Jing Tian had every right to be suspicious of her behaviors, right? Since what would she be doing in the middle of the night, sneaking around? Her explanation? She needed to find the materials and tools to patch up a broken tea lid. He just had to investigate since he was forced to help her patch it up. (But not forgetting to play some tricks on her first.)

So after a few hours (more or less) of recreating the lid, it was ready for the oven. While they were sitting and waiting for the result, a very strange incident occurred, causing Xue Jian to run for cover after threatening Jing Tian not to tell anyone of it.

Wishing to never cross path again, they bumped into each other once more on another night in the woods and not Jing Tian’s place this time around. What were they doing in the middle of the night in the woods then? Apparently, Jing Tian was looking for another meteor shower to save his luck and Xue Jian was searching for medicine to cure her grandfather.

After straightening out the misunderstanding and seeing no conflicts, Jing Tian decided to sit aside and mind his own business – until they both heard a strange noise. What was the cause of the noise then if it was not them trying to scare each other with eerie sounds?

This would be the very first time that Jing Tian and Xue Jian would stand so close to each other – minus that one time when their jade halves were trying to reunite. It could not be helped, right? They were surrounded by some type of demon. Where to run now? No need to worry because who else but Chang Qing appeared out of nowhere and saved them just in time.

And that was the end of episode 1. Stay tune for more next time.

*All images were captured by DTLCT

 

Dare to Love

I became a fan of Hu Ge after watching ‘Strange Tales of Liao Zhai’ and surprisingly not ‘Chinese Paladin I’ since I dropped it after its dragginess in the middle. However, I wanted to try again after reading some reviews regarding different types of relationship in ‘Chinese Paladin I’, especially the friendships between the guys in there. (Not to mention the story between Xiao Yao and Yue Ru.)

Anyway, I think that he’s one of those that could actually act and sing – and be good at it. Maybe it is because he puts in all his efforts and feelings to it.

Here’s a song that I really like although it’s really sad.

Uploaded by: nhuocy

And I just realize that the girl in the MV is Liu Shi Shi. Maybe it’s because I never really watched anything of hers before until ‘Chinese Paladin III’.

Okay, this is going to be a short one since my last long post. Maybe more on Hu Ge next time.

*All images were scanned by DTLCT

 

An Gong Zhu

I think she’s one of those actresses that I still have faith in to act in whatever role that is given to her.

I first discovered Ady after watching ‘Chinese Paladin I’. I must admit that I was not a fan of Lin Yue Ru at first because of how loud and spoiled she was. However, my views changed after the plot moved further with unfolding all these types of details about her. I really like Yue Ru after seeing how she stopped the wedding from happening when seeing how persistent Xiao Yao was and did not want to force him into it. I admired her for her bravery of going against her father’s wish and defended Xiao Yao. Though there was this mixed feeling whether she should had ran away with him or not, but I guessed I like it better that way since she came to learn many things outside the comfort of her home. We learned that she, like Xiao Yao, lost her mother since little. (Though it was a different case for Xiao Yao since we did not know if his mother died or not.) She learned to adapt to the hardship of traveling and not torture her cousin – and others around her – anymore with her unreasonable requests. It was not only that.

Aside from Yue Ru’s spoiled nature, she was very righteous in her actions, always willing to help others and have a kind heart overall. Perhaps it was a better story written and developed for Yue Ru since I could not help but like Ady for it as well.

During the time when I abandoned ‘Chinese Paladin I’ because of the draggy plots with some matters (which I won’t elaborate because of its irrelevancy for this post), I hunted down for Ady’s other dramas, hoping to find a more desirable drama to follow. That was when I found ‘The Outsiders’ and it was another beginning for a new obsession because of Dylan, Ady, Blue, and Michael. I know the whole idea behind ‘good girls like bad guys’ had been done to the point of overkilled already but I still like to watch that one because of how different it was with the gang related matter. After just watching a few episodes, I realized that Ady is really good. I meant she was able to portray both the nice girl character (with soft spoken words and gentle gestures) Pei Yu Yan along with the extremely aggressive and lively Lin Yue Ru.

Somehow along the way, I stumbled myself back into watching ‘Chinese Paladin I’ because of the good reviews I read about Yue Ru’s character. Although I have been spoiled of her tragic ending but I was still anxious to watch her parts because of the lively descriptions written by a member from this one forum. I went back and patiently watched all parts, picking up where I left off. I did not regret watching every single bit of it and how Xiao Yao appreciated Yue Ru’s friendship and/or companionship, leading to his love for her – which I felt was deeper and more meaningful through time and things they’ve been through.

Perhaps it was the tie that Xiao Yao and Yue Ru shared that made her death even more tragic and heart-wrecking than anything seen in the series. (Although I must admit other deaths were equally traumatizing, except for someone’s that I could not sympathize for as much.) It was so brief yet memorable. The last words spoken to Xiao Yao was, “I didn’t realize that I’ve gone old that fast.” She was talking about their promise of “eating and playing till they grow old”, which was broken by his past coming back to haunt him after he regained his memory. The first thing Xiao Yao uttered out after waking up was, “Where is Yue Ru?” – which many still denied as his love for her, surpassing his reasoning to think of other essential matters. (As far as I could see it, he seemed to want to save Yue Ru more than anything when risking his journey to the past. Yes, he wanted to undo everything from happening and protecting the person that needed the most protecting, but he had stressed that IF he had not been running after his dream of wanting to go on adventures and learning martial arts, nothing would happen and Yue Ru wouldn’t die. It was partially guilt but most of all, he did not want Yue Ru to leave him.) The last that we could see of Yue Ru was from Xiao Yao’s imagination when he was holding her special accessory and remembering back to the days they were together, practicing their sword skills and much more. He even acted out the swordplay for the last time before taking on responsibilities again.

To get back to Ady, it is undeniable that my favorite character of her is Lin Yue Ru because that was when I first know of her (like I mentioned at the beginning of the post) and it was an excellent character that was crafted out. The second favorite character must be Xiao Yan Zi from ‘The Outsiders’ but it might change since I have not watched every single series of her yet. (Another memorable mention is her portrayal of Fan Li Sha from ‘Love Multiplication’ with Alex Fong,  Raymond Lam, and Tammy Chen.) One thing that’s for sure is I can’t wait to see her portrayal of Zhao Min in the upcoming ‘Yi Tian Tu Long Ji’ (and I know it has been done to the point of madness but this is the one that I’m really looking forward to for once since I’m not a fan of this as much as the other two stories in the Condor trilogy). Another one to be looking forward to is ‘Next Station, Happiness’ with Vanness Wu, which has been confirmed and will be a new interesting collaboration.

Anyone wants to stalk her blog, here’s the link: http://blog.sina.com.cn/anyixuan

*All images were collected throughout the years from the Net so if you are the owner and want me to take it out, please leave a message.