"Now You See Her"

Last Sunday, we were at Giant Hypermart at Tampines and realized that it was having a small book fair beside the main Hypermart itself. All of the books were sold at $5.00. A pity we did not take note of the dates when the sale would end. 

"Now You See Her" was one of the books that we bought. It is a suspense thriller novel written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

What first attracted me to this book was its cover. Yes, I do judge a book by its cover first. Hee! hee! Next was the storyline itself. The blurb at the back of the book sure got me and Lynn interested enough to consider getting the book.

Next would be the font size of the words. Lynn and I did not like to get books with small font size. We did not want to strain our eyes while reading. The font size looked okay and words were well spaced. 

At $5.00, it was a bargain. I don't buy or read books just because they were written by famous authors.

Upon reading this book, I noticed that all of the chapters were short, usually less than 6 pages, which made it an easy read. 

This novel was very exciting. I did not want to stop once I started reading it. There were many moments of suspense. I finished reading it a few days ago. Now, it's off to Lynn.

Peppa Pig Figures

Sera had wanted to get the Peppa Pig figures for quite some time but we were not able to find it in any of the toy stores that we had visited.

Today, she finally found the Peppa Pig figures in the toy department of Metro. It seemed that these were new arrivals. The figures were sold in sets of two and there were many different combination sold: Peppa Pig and George Pig, Mummy Pig and Peppa Pig, Daddy Pig and George Pig, Peppa Pig and Zoe Zebra, Peppa Pig and Danny Dog, Peppa Pig and Candy Cat, Peppa Pig and Pedro Pony. Peppa Pig and Rebecca Rabbit as well as Peppa Pig and Suzy Sheep. She chose the set that contained Peppa Pig and George Pig figures.

She was very happy with her purchase :) .

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Quotes from Episode 14 of 《球在你脚下》("World at Your Feet")

《球在你脚下》("World at Your Feet") is a MediaCorp production and is currently airing on Channel 8, from Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

I like these lines from last night's episode (episode 14).

梅仁信: 其实人生就像喝这杯茶一样，会苦一阵子，可绝对不会苦一辈子。

叶来香: 因为会越冲越淡。

梅仁信: 淡一点好啊！人生就是要简单，太浓的东西对人生不好。

Which can be translated as:

 Mei Ren Xin: Life is like this cup of tea. It may taste bitter for a while but it won't be bitter forever.

Ye Lai Xiang: The more water you add, the more bland it becomes.

Mei Ren Xin: The more bland, the better! Life should be simple. It's no good if it gets too complicated. 

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3-in-1 Tea

At times, I like to drink milk tea. By this, I meant the type found in Ya Kun Kaya Toast and coffee shops. I particularly like the one in Ya Kun Kaya Toast as the standard of the milk tea is consistent. 

One day, I had the chance to try Max Tea Tarikk. The flavour and aroma of tea was quite strong. In fact, a bit too bitter for me. With a teaspoon of condensed milk added, it was quite good. I was quite happy to be able to find this. I could finally enjoy a good cup of milk tea at home.

Some time last year, NTUC had an offer on Old Town White Coffee products and we bought 1 packet of Old Town White Coffee 3-in-1 (White Milk Tea). We were glad we bought it. We just needed to add hot water to it and the taste was just right. The taste of this milk tea was different from Max Tea milk tea. Nevertheless, both were good enough for us.

So for now, these two brands of 3-in-1 tea are my favourite. The only problem was, not all NTUC supermarkets sell them.

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Western Tea

In the previous post, I talked about the brands of 3-in-1 coffee and 3-in-1 white coffee that I liked. In this post, I shall talk about the brands of western tea that my family liked. Our children, especially Lynn, loved to drink tea too. 

For tea bags, we usually drink Dilmah Ceylon Tea. 

At times when Lynn wanted hot beverages at night, she would drink decaffeinated tea. Sera would also drink them occasionally on some nights. The decaffeinated tea we had was Tetley Decaffeinated Tea Cup Bags which we only managed to find in Mustafa Shopping Centre. 

We have tried another brand of decaffeinated tea bought from a different supermarket but the taste was too bland - it does not taste like tea (in Lynn's own words). Other brands were too expensive. We were quite glad that we found Tetley Decaffeinated Tea Cup Bags at Mustafa Shopping Centre and we can have tea at night too.

For tea leaves, we liked English breakfast tea. When all of us wanted to drink tea in the afternoon, we would make a pot of tea using just 1 to 2 teaspoons of the tea leaves. This makes more economic sense. 

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3-in-1 Coffee and 3-in-1 White Coffee

Previously， I seldom drank coffee. However, after I gave birth to Lynn, I started to drink either coffee or tea in the morning. With all the late nights taking care of baby and lack of sleep, I was very much in need of some caffeine to perk me up in the morning.

For coffee, I started off with Super 3-in-1 Coffee (Regular). Throughout the years, I have tried different brands for the different taste but still find that Super 3-in-1 Coffee suits me best.

Then some years ago, 3-in-1 white coffee came into the picture. It supposedly had a milkier taste. I tried a few brands and the ones I liked were: Owl 3-in-1 White Coffee (Gula Melaka), Old Town 3-in-1 Cane Sugar White Coffee and Super 3-in-1 White Coffee (Brown Sugar). 

When Ah Huat 3-in-1 white Coffee first came out, what caught my attention was the advertisement jingle sung by “阿牛” 陈庆祥。Subsequently, NTUC had promoters to let the customers try the coffee. However, for some reasons, I did not get to try it. Finally one day, I had the chance to try one of the flavours - the one in dark blue packaging. It was good. I did not buy immediately though as I had stocked up too much 3-in-1 coffee. After a few weeks, we finally bought the Ah Huat 3-in-1 White Coffee. Ardon liked it too. The coffee flavour and aroma was stronger than another brand which we had previously bought. The taste was just right.

The only problem with 3-in-1 white coffee, of course, was the price. It was more expensive than the normal 3-in-1 coffee. 

I will still stick to my Super 3-in-1 Coffee and alternate between Ah Huat 3-in-1 White Coffee, Owl 3-in-1 White Coffee (Gula Melaka),  Old Town 3-in-1 Cane Sugar White Coffee and Super 3-in-1 White Coffee (Brown Sugar).

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Sera Singing "Let It Go"

On Saturday, we felt like having a karaoke session at home. Initially, we just sang some of the songs we had from our VCD/DVD collection. Then I had the idea of using the videos from Youtube to sing those songs that we didn't have.

Sera really loved to sing the song "Let It Go". So, Lynn helped her to find the song from Youtube. Then, Sera started to sing the song with the microphone on the sofa. She was probably too lazy to hold the microphone in her hands. LOL!

And yes, that was Andy Lau's music video VCD on the sofa. : )

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《细水长流》"Youthful Aspirations" on TesTube

I happened to see the Trailer on 《细水长流》"Youthful Aspirations" yesterday afternoon. What drew my attention to the trailer was, of course, the song 《细水长流》, which was one of my favourite songs. I had no idea what type of show and what TesTube were all about then. So I watched the telecast on Channel 8 last night at 10.30 pm.

I realized that《细水长流》"Youthful Aspirations" is a TV musical drama with Romeo Tan （陈罗密欧）, Rebecca Lim （林慧玲）, Xu Bin （徐彬）and Julie Tan（陈欣淇）as the main cast. TesTube is a brand new showcase of content where the audience gets to influence what goes on television, the Internet and social media. Viewers can watch, rate and vote for the drama of their choice. We were told at the end of the 30 minutes telecast that we could go to meclub.sg or xinmsn.com/Testube to cast our votes so that MediaCorp will decide whether they would make it into a drama serial.

I think this is something different/fresh for the local Chinese drama serial scene. I have always liked musical plays so I really welcome the idea of making《细水长流》"Youthful Aspirations" into a musical drama serial and incorporate 新谣 into the drama.  I also liked the pairing of Romeo Tan （陈罗密欧） and Rebecca Lim （林慧玲）, Xu Bin （徐彬）  and Julie Tan （陈欣淇） too. 

What sets a musical play apart from a drama serial would be the difference in the backdrop used and the duration/length of the story. In the case of a musical play, it's performed on a live stage so the backdrop would be limited and not as real as a drama serial which can be filmed outdoors with many different places as the backdrop. With more time, a drama serial can also develop the story further.

If you liked this show, remember to cast your vote at xinmsn.com so that we can see this made into a drama serial soon.

《隱形的翅膀》 ("Invisible Wings")

《隱形的翅膀》 ("Invisible Wings") was a song sung by 张韶涵 (Angela Chang).  Angela Chang sounds and looks very sweet.

I find this song very motivating. It's about having a pair of invisible wings that helped her overcome all difficulties. Finally, her dreams came true.

隐形的翅膀

作词：王雅君  作曲：王雅君

每一次都在徘徊孤单中坚强

每一次就算很受伤也不闪泪光
我知道我一直有双隐形的翅膀

带我飞 飞过绝望

不去想他们拥有美丽的太阳

我看见每天的夕阳也会有变化
我知道我一直有双隐形的翅膀

带我飞给我希望

我终于看到所有梦想都开花

追逐的年轻歌声多嘹亮
我终于翱翔用心凝望不害怕

哪里会有风就飞多远吧

隐形的翅膀让梦恒久比天长

留一个愿望让自己想像

which can be translated as:

Every time I always become stronger when wandering in loneliness.

Every time even if it hurts, I will not cry

I know I always had a pair of invisible wings

that helped me fly over despair

I will not think of their beautiful sun

I see that there will be changes in the sunset every day

I know I always had a pair of invisible wings

that gave me hope

I finally see all my dreams come true

Pursuing youthful voice singing loud and clear

I finally soared, stare intently and not be afraid 

Fly as far as the wind takes me.

Invisible Wings let dreams last forever

leaving a wish to imagine.

Note: As the lyrics were more abstract, I translated it in the way that I interpreted it.

Last Episode of 《千金》("Precious")

The last episode of《千金》("Precious") (Episode 34) was shown on 28 Feb 2014, MediaCorp Channel 8.

In this episode, Qianjin (played by Jeanette Aw) finally figured out that the An family's secret prescription could be in the sandalwood beads that her mum had already given her. She used a chair's leg to smash the beads and found a small note with an address in Beiping on it. She passed the note to Li Chuanzong (her boyfriend, the adopted grandson of Li Dahai) to find out more about it. 

Qianjin and her cousin, Ling Zhichu (played by Dai Xiangyu) then went on to confront Li Dahai, the person who killed Qianjin's maternal grandmother, An Tianlan and was also responsible for the deaths of An Tianlan's maternal family and husband. Qianjin told Li Dahai she had already found the secret prescription but she would not give it to him. 

Li Dahai then grabbed hold of Qianjin as a hostage to get them to give him the secret prescription. Ling Zhichu, in the process of trying to save Qianjin, accidentally killed Li Dahai. Ling Zhichu then instructed Qianjin to tell the police and other people that he was the one who killed Li Dahai. He would hide in the mountains and continue his work with the guerrillas. 

Xinyi, the adopted granddaughter of Huang Yuena, was upset that Ling Zhichu and Li Chuanzong both did not want to marry her. She hated Qianjin, so she put a lethal poison in the ginseng soup that Qianjin made for Huang Yuena. She was thinking of killing two birds with one stone. She could kill Huang Yuena and put the blame on Qianjin. She would never have thought that Xinrui (Xinyi's sister) would be the one who drank the soup, was poisoned, vomitted blood and died. She came in too late to stop Xinrui from drinking the soup. Xinyi was extremely upset, went crazy and stabbed Qianjin. Huang Yuena shouted for help and her servants came in to catch Xinyi. Huang Yuena ordered the servants to kill Xinyi but Qianjin, in her weakened state, still pleaded with Huang Yuena to let Xinyi go. 

The next scene, Qianjin went to visit Li Chuanzong. Li Chuanzong told her he had gone to find the address she had given him. It was a treasure trove of the An family. There was no secret prescription. Qianjin gave the treasure to Li Chuanzong to help them fight against the Japanese and said she would wait for him. 

The show ended in the modern day (2011) with a group of tourists visiting "千金汤"，a shop that served herbal soup which was opened by Li Chuanzong and Qianjin before Li Chuanzong went off to fight the Japanese. In the group of tourists, there was a guy who looked like Ling Chaoyan (Qianjin's father, played by 霍震谚).

When this Ling Chaoyan look-alike was looking at a stick of candy, there was a flashback of Ling Chaoyan and Xiruo (Qianjin's mother, also played by Jeanette Aw). Then a girl who looked like Xiruo came, took the stick of candy from the guy and commented that the stick of candy looked interesting. She then introduced herself as Huang Peishan and was in the same tour group as him. He then introduced himself as Ling Yiran. This whole scene was similar to how Ling Chaoyan and Xiruo got to know each other except that this time round, it was the girl who took the initiative to talk to the guy (it is 2011, after all).

Presumably Ling Yiran and Huang Peishan should be the descendants of Ling Zhichu and Qianjin respectively. There was no mention of their actual identities, so I could only guess this much. Perhaps those flashbacks of Ling Chaoyan and Xiruo was to hint to viewers that Ling Yiran and Huang Peishan were the reincarnations of Ling Chaoyan and Xiruo, respectively? 

Below are just some of my thoughts on this drama:

1. Huang Yuena had known that her son, Yakun, had been secretly visiting Xiruo and helping her. When Huang Yuena got someone to burn Xiruo's house, I don't understand why she told the person to do it as soon as possible. Shouldn't she tell the person to make sure Yakun was not at Xiruo's house before doing it? In the end, Yakun was burnt to death in the fire while saving Xiruo and her unborn daughter.

2. It was very sad that such a nice girl like Xinrui should die in such a manner - poisoned to death.

3. There was no mention of what happened to Xinyi later. Was she arrested for murder? 

4. We were also not sure what happened to Ling Zhichu and Li Chuanzong. Did they survive the war? 

5. Did Qianjin ever get married and to whom? 

6. Why should Qianjin visit Li Dahai just to tell him she had found the secret prescription but she would not give it to him? 

7. The An family's secret prescription which Li Dahai kept harping on, turned out to be just a treasure trove. Why in the world would someone claim to have a secret prescription and run the risk of having the whole family killed for it when it did not even exist?

Nevertheless, it was still an interesting drama to watch. Apart from the fact that Xiruo is a mute girl just like Juxiang in 《小娘惹》"The Little Nonya", there were very little similarities between the plot of 《千金》("Precious") and《小娘惹》"The Little Nonya"

Bird's Nest

Ardon was coughing badly a few weeks ago. He had seen the doctor and took a few doses of the cough mixture given. However, he still had phlegm in his throat and was not able to get it out completely. The cough mixture would cause drowsiness, so he was reluctant to continue taking it as it would interfere with his daily activities. 

Then, I remembered bird's nest had worked wonders for him when he was a child. Since he had been coughing for about 2 weeks, I thought we should give the bird's nest a try again. 

Bird's nest is known to contain many antioxidants, amino acids, collagen, protein and many other nutrients. It can help to boost immunity.

So I began my search for more information on bird's nest and here's what I had found:

1. The best time to take bird's nest is in the morning before food or night time before sleeping (helps us to sleep better too). Next would be 2 hours between meals. 

2. The quantity of bird's nest to consume every day should be between 1 to 5 g. Below 1 g, it is ineffective. If we consume more than 5 g, the human body cannot absorb that much and hence, would be wasted.

After doing all the research, we went to Hock Hua Tonic. After checking with the staff on the different bird's nest options and efficacy, we decided on a set that contains 2 g of bird's nest in each bottle.  

After drinking 2 bottles on two consecutive mornings, Ardon said he felt that the phlegm had turned thinner and was easier to cough out. He drank another bottle two days later and, since then, he had recovered. 

Personally, I feel that bird's nest is one of those few tonics that are not bitter. They are usually double boiled with rock sugar which makes it even more palatable. It's a good choice to start for taking tonics. However, be careful not to "overdose". As with all food, eat tonics in moderation too (unless you have a prescription).

[S$89.00][HOCKHUA]HOCKHUA TONIC|金牛特级冰糖/泡参洞燕(配套)|Golden Cow Special Grade Birdnest with Rock Sugar and Ginseng Set|6 Bot x 150g|Store Pickup Available|

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Yam Paste Dessert (Orh Nee)

I had about 200 g of yam left after using some to cook yam rice. So I decided to try and make some Yam Paste Dessert (Orh Nee) from the yam that I had left.

Ingredients:

200 g yam (cut into slices or cubes)
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
75 ml of coconut milk (I used the "kara" brand)
70 g of sugar


Steps:

1. Put the yam cubes on a steamer rack together with some pandan leaves and steam for about 15 min until the yam cubes turn soft. 

2. Once the yam cubes are soft, switch off the fire and mash the yam cubes.

3. Add cooking oil, coconut milk and sugar to the mashed yam. Place this mixture in a small slow cooker and brew it for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This is also a good way to keep the yam paste warm. 

I prefer my orh nee to have some yam cubes in it for the texture, so I didn't bother to blend the mixture.

Orh Nee in slow cooker

Above is a picture of the Orh Nee with half the amount left in the slow cooker.

Tasted good. Maybe next time, I can add pumpkin :) .

Note: Most recipes require that we put cooking oil, the mashed yam, sugar and coconut milk in a cooking pan and stir the mixture constantly. I was too lazy to keep an eye on the fire and stir constantly. So I used the slow cooker instead. Using the slow cooker also means it takes longer to cook to the required consistency. 

Related post:

Yam Paste Dessert (Orh Nee) - Alternative Method

Cast of 《信约：动荡的年代》"The Journey : Tumultuous Times"

The names of the actors and actresses who will be cast in 《信约：动荡的年代》"The Journey: Tumultuous Times" were released yesterday on xinmsn.com.

Jeanette Aw will be acting as Hong Ming Hui and Andie Chen will be acting as Hong Dang Yong - the children of Hong Shi and Yazi. Romeo Tan will be acting as Zhang Yan, the son of Zhang Tianpeng and Mingzhu. Felicia Chin will be acting as Zhang Min, the adopted daughter of the Zhang Tianying and Huiniang. The actor to portray the son of Zhang Tianying and Huiniang has yet to be confirmed. Click here for details.

As what I have expected, the story of《信约：动荡的年代》"The Journey : Tumultuous Times" will revolve around the children of the three couples ( Hong Shitou and Yazi, Zhang Tianying and Huiniang, Zhang Tianpeng and Mingzhu).

Tumultuous Times will be set in Singapore during the 1940s to 1960s and slated for a year-end broadcast in November this year. 

Looking forward to it. 

Related posts:

《信约：动荡的年代》"The Journey : Tumultuous Times"
Episodes 29 and 30 of 《信约：动荡的年代》"The Journey : Tumultuous Times" (Last Two Episodes)
Quotes from Episode 18 of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"
Episode 30 of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"
Last Episode of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"

 (Last Two Episodes)

《潜行狙击》 ("Lives of Omission")

《潜行狙击》("Lives of Omission") is a 2011 Hong Kong television drama produced by TVB that is currently airing on MediaCorp Channel U at 10 pm, every Mondays to Fridays.

One of the main characters in the drama was "Laughing Sir" (played by Michael Tse 谢天华). This character was a spin off from the TVB's successful television crime drama 学警狙击 (Emergency Unit), another drama that I had enjoyed watching.

In 《潜行狙击》("Lives of Omission"), "Laughing Sir" was an experienced undercover officer and had returned to the Hong Kong Police Force force working as station sergeant of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau (CIB).

It was very interesting and exciting to watch the police officers going undercover, how they went about busting those crime syndicates and catching the criminals. 

Last night, Tarzan (a drug dealer) and his triad members were caught by the police just when Lajiang (a leader and member of the Yee Fung triad, played by Ben Wong 黄智贤 ) was leaving Tarzan's territory after striking a deal with Tarzan. In the meantime, Michael (played by Bosco Wong 黄宗泽), Laughing's informant, burnt the warehouse of Tarzan which contained the drug Ketamine. I had thought it was Michael who called the police to get rid of Lajiang. We were in for a surprise. 

The next scene, Harry Kung (played by Damian Lau 刘松仁), the senior superintendent of CIB, came into the interrogation room. Lajiang told Harry Kung that he just happened to go there to relief himself. Harry claimed that Lajiang's acting skills were too lousy. Lajiang further said that he was sent by Harry to go undercover in the Yee Fung triad for many years and nobody had ever suspected him. That was quite unexpected. Interesting! 

We wondered how many more undercover officers were there in Yee Fung triad that were not made known to us yet? We shall see... 

River Hongbao 2014 and City Square Mall

It's been a long time since I last went to the River Hongbao.

This year, we did most of our house visiting on the first day of the Lunar New Year. So on the second day, we only needed to visit one relative's place for a lunchtime gathering. After the lunchtime gathering, we went to the River Hongbao.

Thee moment we reached the River Hongbao, we saw some rides available in the sheltered part of it. However, those rides seemed to be for smaller kids which was not suitable for bigger kids like Lynn. Anyway, Sera also wanted to ride on the bigger carousel, so we went to the open area. Before we found the carousel, we took some pictures along the way.

Surprisingly, there was no queue at the carousel ride, so the kids could start the ride almost immediately. The horses and sea horses were too high for them, so the staff helped to carry the kids up to the rides.

Next, the kids wanted to take the bumper car ride. There was a short queue there. So we waited for a short while before the kids could get on the ride.

After those rides, we just wandered around to take some pictures.

The good thing about going in the afternoon was the lighting was good for photo taking. The bad thing, of course, was the scorching heat from the sun. Sera couldn't stand the heat so she used an umbrella to cover her face even during phototaking, lol!

Later in the day, we went to City Square Mall. We were surprised to find these Chinese New Year decorations. There were pictures of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs and the outlook for each zodiac sign in the year of the horse. Sera posed with all the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. Here are just some of the photos we took of her posing with the signs.

Many shops were closed at City Square Mall on 1 Feb 2014. However, there were some books and shoes on sale on the first floor. We managed to find some items that we liked. :)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year!



祝大家:

龙马精神，

马到成功，

马上有钱！

《千金》("Precious")

《千金》("Precious") is a TV drama that started airing on MediaCorp Channel 8 from 10 Jan 2014, at 11 pm on weekdays. 

I have read from somewhere that this drama serial was supposed to be the remake of 《小娘惹》( "Little Nonya") but was heavily edited to suit the Chinese context for viewers in China, with Jeanette Aw and Dai Xiangyu (previously known as Dai Yangtian) as two of the drama cast. I was quite eager to watch it even though I don't usually watch TV shows at this time slot.

When I first saw the shots on TV, I thought the setting of the drama was in the Republic of China (中华民国) era. However, when I watched the first episode, I was surprised to see the actors and actresses dressed in Qing dynasty costumes. As I watched further, I realized that 《千金》("Precious") was set in the period of the late Qing to the Republic of China (中华民国). 

千金 usually refers to girls born into rich families. However, in episode 3, I learnt that in Xicheng, only girls who were born into rich families with some form of disability were referred to as 千金  (at least that was what they said in the show). 

Up till now, I find that the similarities between 《千金》("Precious") and《小娘惹》( "Little Nonya") were not that apparent. It was like an entirely different story. If I have never read about it being the Chinese version of 《小娘惹》( "Little Nonya"), I probably would not notice any linkage between the two dramas.

So far, so good...

Chinese New Year 2014

We will be celebrating Chinese New Year, the beginning of the year of the horse, in another 5 days' time. We went to Chinatown to take some photos of the Chinese New Year street decorations and do some shopping.

The Chinatown street decorations consisted mainly of sculptures of horses and coins. 

Below were pictures of the street decorations taken at Chinatown.

I preferred this year's street decorations at Chinatown to last year's. Perhaps it was because I have always liked images of horses :) .

Last Episode of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"

In the last Episode of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage", Mingzhu found out that Dong-en had been coughing out blood and urged him to see a doctor. Dong-en then told her he was actually poisoned and there was no cure for that. He also told her about his plans to cancel his engagement with his bride-to-be from China and that he had already made a will to ensure that his business would have a successor and that his grandmother, Mingzhu, Huiniang as well as Xiuxiang would be well provided for even after he passed away.

Zhang Tianying, Huiniang and Zhang Tianpeng managed to sell their ointment to some shops on consignment basis and also used the ointment to help the poor people. 

Zhang Tianpeng managed to find Hong Shi and persuaded him to go back to his wife and son. Hong Shi told him that he was very much perturbed by the fact the Yazi had previously allowed Heilong to carry her on the street without any struggles and ate the porridge that Heilong bought for her. Zhang Tianpeng went to look for Yazi and asked her about this matter. Yazi explained to him that at that time, she was near starvation and ate some wild mushrooms which happened to be poisonous. Heilong managed to save her in time but she was already very weak. She had no strength to struggle and she ate the porridge because she wanted to keep the baby (Hong Shi's child) in her alive. She said she believed that Hong Shi was still alive. She was willing to wait for him to return, even if it meant a lifetime. She was even willing to wait for him in her next life if he did not come back in this lifetime.

Hong Shi then appeared in front of Yazi. While I expected Yazi to be overcome with joy and run to Hong Shi, it seemed that she nearly fainted. Heilong suddenly appeared and wanted to shoot both Zhang Tianpeng and Hong Shi. The three of them started fighting. Somehow, Heilong and Hong Shi slid over the edge of a cliff with Heilong pulling/holding onto Hong Shi's feet. Zhang Tianpeng managed to grab hold of Hong Shi's hands in time. Yazi then took a big rock and threw it at Heilong, causing Heilong to fall to his death.

Before Dong-en set off to China, he paid a visit to Huiniang in Singapore. He also bethrothed Huiniang to Zhang Tianying. After Dong-en left for China, Huiniang dreamt of him telling her that he had left and would not be able to see her children. Huiniang woke up feeling very upset. Then, we were shown a scene of Dong-en lying on the floor motionless followed by a scene of a ship. It seemed that he died on the ship. I was actually quite sad to see that a good person like Dong-en should die in this manner -poisoned to death and died on board a ship.

Throughout the show, Xiuxiang had mentioned several times that the Zhang's (Dong-en's) ancestors had done many evil deeds and this caused them to have no descendants. At the end of this drama, with the demise of Dong-en, they had no more descendants. Maybe this was to prepare us for this eventuality? But more importantly, this was caused by Zhang Guangda! 

I was glad that at the end of the drama, Mingzhu finally ended up with Zhang Tianpeng and they both had a son. Zhang Tianying and Huiniang had a son and a daughter. Yazi and Hong Shi subsequently had another daughter.

《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage" was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy planned by MediaCorp. I wonder if the second part of "The Journey" would revolved around the children of the three couples mentioned above? We shall see...

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Episode 30 of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"

Last night was the second last episode of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage". Zhang Guangda (played by Terence Cao) wanted to beat his concubine, Mingzhu to death. Dong-en (played by Elvin Ng) tried to stop him but was not his match. Zhang Tianpeng (played by Li Nanxing) came to their house in time to save Mingzhu (played by Chris Tong) and brought her to the hospital. Dong-en was held captive by Guangda and was fed mercury laden poison for refusing to reveal the true location of the tin granary. According to Guangda, this would not kill Dong-en immediately but his health will go downhill day by day.

Zhang Tianpeng went back to Dong-en's place but was arrested by the police. At this point, I was wondering who else could save Dong-en. Ardon then said must be Heilong (played by Pierre Png) - you need a baddie to deal with baddie. True enough, Zhang Guang Da was killed by Heilong. Incidentally, Charlie Zhang happened to see Heilong walked out from the crime scene and he too was shot dead by Heilong. So Heilong indirectly saved Zhang Tianpeng and Dong-en.

All this while, Huiniang (Dong-en sister, played by Joanne Peh) was in Singapore with Tianying. Dong-en had entrusted her with the task of passing the documents containing details of the new tin granary to their granduncle in Singapore. Huiniang was also the one who informed Zhang Tianpeng about Zhang Guangda's intention to kill Mingzhu. While Zhang Tianpeng went to Malaysia to save Mingzhu, Huiniang stayed behind in Singapore and helped Zhang Tianying produced a new ointment. 

After Zhang Guangda's death, Zhang Tianpeng told Mingzhu that he would wait for her as he knew Mingzhu would want to stay behind to look after her mother-in-law who got stroke. Mingzhu told him she would not leave even if her mother-in-law passed away. She wanted to be in control of her destiny. Zhang Tianpeng told her he too, wanted to be in control of his own destiny, so he would continue to wait for her.

Tonight is the last episode of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage". Will Mingzhu end up with Zhang Tianpeng? Who will Huiniang end up with? Will Hong Shi be able to kick his opium addiction and reunite with his wife, Yazi (played by Jeannette Aw)?  What will be the ending for a bad guy like Heilong? We shall see tonight, at 9 pm on Channel 8.


Related Posts:

Quotes from Episode 18 of 《信约：唐山到南洋》"The Journey: A Voyage"
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Happy New Year!

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