Size Matters Not

An Xiang Ep. 11

2009-12-20T09:08:16Z

I wish my Chinese were good enough to understand all the business-related talk in this drama because at the moment, I pretty much have only a gist of what's going on with Cheng Enterprises. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the company does. I know earlier in the drama, Cheng Yuan mentioned the phone Omnia, but what that has to do with the current situation, I have no clue about.

Still fascinated by Huang Xiaoming's eyes, but that's to be expected. There was a really beautiful scene between his and Wang Luodan's characters in this episode, where Wu Yue wasn't her usual perky self, and Cheng Yuan was trying to lighten her mood. I don't think his attempts really worked, but she got around to explaining her feelings a bit, and he looked at her with this look of absolute, genuine concern. I thought it was quite beautiful. Not to mention he looked really good in what he was wearing. Heh.

On a somewhat unrelated note, throwing cake in someone's face looks like fun.

Edit: Because I mention Huang Xiaoming's eyes so much, I figured I should put up a photo to show them off. The picture is from here, although you might not want to navigate there because there appear to be spoilers. In screencap form.

Anyhoo, doesn't it look like he has no idea how to type on a computer? Haha. (I think he admitted something like that in a vid I saw on YouTube.) At least he's giving off that intense stare that I love so much.

Cheng Yuan: Who says company chairmen need to know how to type? :P

Despite the beefs I have with some of the HP films...

2009-12-10T19:03:14Z

I'm also going to be really sad when Part II of Deathly Hallows comes out.

Obviously, I won't quite be as sad as the actors and other people involved in the movie, but I'll be sad nonetheless.

Also, Dan, Rupert, and Emma were soooooo cute in the first film.

Drama-related plans for Christmas break

2009-12-10T09:34:25Z

Since I have 4+ weeks of Christmas break (thaaank you, UC Berkeley), I'm going to be spending a large chunk of it catching up on dramas. Because hey, what better way to spend a break, right? Anyway, just so I don't forget, here's a list of what I'm planning to accomplish over break:

1. Finish watching An Xiang. I finished watching episode 10, which means I have 23 more to go. Since I haven't had a consistent schedule for watching it (just little spurts here and there), I'm afraid there'll be plot points that I'll be completely lost about, but it's a good enough drama that I want to see it through to the end. Also, Huang Xiaoming = ♥

2. Rewatch Fated to Love You with my little sister. Hey, she brought up the idea, not me. And of course I'm not against it. C: This is totally my guilty-pleasure drama, as I'm often very cynical about these kinds of ridiculous dramas, but FTLY has just crept its way into my heart. I know most people hate Xinyi because she can be such a doormat, but she really inspires me to become a better person.

3. Fill in episodes I missed of Black & White (maybe with my cousin). Sooo... my timeline of watching this drama was all over the place. I checked out the first few episodes by myself while at college and then watched the end of the drama while at home (because it was airing on TV). I have to say, the ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I think Zai Zai is cute enough to warrant me filling in all the episodes in between that I missed.

4. Start watching Autumn's Concerto. I don't know exactly what made me want to watch this drama, especially since it doesn't seem like a drama I would normally watch, but I really want to check it out. And if it's good, I'll watch all the episodes that are currently out and catch each new episode as it airs. I usually hate doing that because cliffhangers suck, but oh well.

5. Count off the days until March in anticipation of Summer's Bubble/Desire. I'm still bitter about the March release date because I previously heard that it was coming out in late 2009 -- and it is currently December 2009, which I think is just about as late as you can get. But no, I have to wait three months. :C If this drama sucks, I'm going to be so disappointed. And normally, I wouldn't pay any attention to this sort of drama (orphans? car accident? amnesia? WUT), but again, HXM = ♥

5D's 88

2009-12-09T23:53:24Z

WHAT IN THE...

I want a Saiga comeback plz. He'd fit right in.

Also, if someone ever makes an MV of Yusei, Kiryu, and company mining along to that one song from Pocahontas, I will be extremely thrilled. I'd do it myself, but I'm far too lazy.

I spy bromance next episode. And everyone knows bromance in 5D's involves punching each other.

Random thoughts on An Xiang

2009-12-07T01:23:09Z

Since it's cold and miserable today in Berkeley, I felt like stuffing myself in a blanket and watching a cheesy movie. Unfortunately, I have neither blankets nor movies, so I settled for the next best thing: YouTube. It's been a while since I've watched an episode of An Xiang and I figured one episode wouldn't be too time-consuming. Too bad episode 9 has a cliffhanger ending. Ha ha ha. This always happens to me.

Anyway, before I continue on to episode 10, I wanted to ramble a bit about Huang Xiaoming's character, Cheng Yuan. I'm pretty sure I've already said Xiaoming does a great job with the acting in this drama, but that's not the only reason I'm fascinated with Cheng Yuan. What interests me about him is that I can relate to him.

Okay yeah, he's rich and I'm not, and he speaks perfect Chinese and I don't, but I can understand his situation. Sent to America when he was little and then suddenly brought back to China to take over the family business, he's understandably a bit overwhelmed with all that he has to do and learn.

If I understood the conversation correctly, he even has to learn how to use chopsticks, which his niece has been teaching him. (By the way, I am incredibly jealous of this niece because of the sheer amount of cute time she gets to spend with him.) I can use chopsticks fine, but I guess the reason this struck me was because it was such a simple, yet forceful, way to show how American-ized Cheng Yuan is. I don't know if this was a theme the writers were going for, but it definitely stood out to me.

Of course, his American-ness would be a bit more convincing if his English had been dubbed. I know I mention this a lot, but HXM's English is really nowhere near fluent. He has a cute accent, and it's great that he's trying, but his character is supposed to be fluent. In episode 9, he shoved Wu Yue out of his way and said something to her. The subtitles said “丟臉” (if I remember correctly) but since there were too many syllables, I figured he was speaking English. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out what the hell he was saying. After replying it a few times, I think he might have been saying "Out of my face," but I'm still not sure. And why he spoke English to her is a bit of a mystery because her character's from Beijing, not America. But oh well.

On the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom

2009-12-05T10:28:11Z

I was initially very cheered up by an entry at playthedamncard about the new trailer for the Yu-Gi-Oh! 10th anniversary movie, but reading some of the comments left a rather unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. Since it's a crack community, I expect most PTDC comments to be characterized by zany fangirling/fanboying -- not too much "srs bsns." But of course, because people are allowed to voice opinions, and there are always going to be differing opinions, conflict is somewhat inevitable.

Just because conflict is bound to happen, however, doesn't mean I have to like it. Maybe I'm just particularly averse to people fighting (unless it occurs in martial arts films/dramas), but I hate seeing people tear each other down on the Internet. It's just like... why? What's the point? There are ways to get your view across without resorting to tearing someone else apart.

I recognize that it's difficult to keep your cool about an opinion when you've had to express or defend said opinion countless times because people just can't seem to get the message. Arguably one of the most common remarks seen in the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom is about the incredible lameness of the spinoff series...s (what's the plural for "series"?). About half the time (rough estimate here), these remarks are completely unfounded because they're made by people who haven't even watched GX or 5D's but just assume neither series can possibly be better than DM. These remarks are among the most annoying because hey, give something a chance before blowing it off. I mean, I forced myself to read Twilight before I felt eligible to bash it.

There are, of course, people who have formed educated opinions on GX and/or 5D's (i.e., watched the series and decided that they disliked it for whatever reasons), and I really have nothing against that. I mean, yeah, if I met someone who disliked 5D's, I'd probably try to convince them to watch it -- especially if their opinion is based on the dub episodes -- but for the most part, I'd respect their opinion. This is the Internet, after all. Respect can get you a long way.

When I see people jumping down other people's throats because of their opinions, however, it makes me sad. I mean, even if someone says, "Eww they're going to pollute it with the crappiness of GX and 5Ds?," does that really mean we have to be equally snarky back? There were some polite (and even funny!) replies, for which I'm very thankful, but there were also some replies that could have been a bit nicer. I don't know anything about the original commenter -- maybe s/he regularly voices opinions like this and people are just tired of it, maybe not -- but whether or not s/he has watched GX/5Ds is really not the point I'm trying to get at here.

The point I am trying to make is this: Can't we be a bit nicer to our fellow Yu-Gi-Oh! fans? I mean, this is the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom. Friendship is the whole theme of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. I understand that we can't all be friends, and that friends don't always get along, but if we're going to argue, isn't there some way we can put our bickering behind us and just have civil and decent arguments?

Maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist, but I do hope we'll be able to reach that stage one day.

In the upcoming tenth anniversary movie, Yugi Moto (left), Yusei Fudo (center), and Jaden Yuki (right) take a stand together against their enemy, Paradox.

The many smiles of Huang Xiaoming

2009-11-20T20:42:47Z

Maybe it's because he's an actor, but Huang Xiaoming has a lot of different facial expressions that he likes to pull out during special events. My favorite expression by far is his smile, because of how disarmingly charming he looks with a grin on his face. ♥ He had quite a few reasons to smile at the 9th Global Chinese Music Awards, winning Most Popular Male Singer (with four other singers), Best Duet (with two other duets), and Most Multi-Talented Performer (and more). Let's take a look at some of 'em.

This is what I call his "Hello everyone" smile because...I swear, every time he makes a speech, he starts off looking exactly like this. “大家好，我是黃曉明。”

Whether he's making a joke or expressing his overwhelming thanks, this is the smile he gives during all of his speeches. Easygoing but purposeful, and it really makes whatever he says sound genuine.

Also known as "the grin." This is part of the reason why it's hard to believe he's 32. He looks about 13 here.

Xiaoming's elated smile, as if he can't believe he's up there.

This smile is so huge that he has to duck his head in embarrassment. One of his cutest smiles, even though you can't really even see it.

The slightly vacant look, the "automatic" smile -- it looks exactly like what I imagine he would look like if he were to pose for a school picture.

Yeah. Just look at this and try to tell me he's not smexy. Can't do it, right? Haha.

I've saved the best for last...

Dontcha just wanna pinch his cheeks? So. Adorable. ♥

Who determines the English names for dramas?

2009-11-10T04:55:06Z

That's what went through my mind when I was looking at information about Vanness Wu and Ady An's new drama¹. I saw the Chinese title, 下一站，幸福, and thought, "Oh, what a cute name. This sounds interesting." Then I went to its DramaWiki page and discovered its English name.

Autumn's Concerto!?

Okay, so it's not really that bad of a name. Definitely has a charming ring to it, what with the "ch" sound in "concerto." But it has absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese name! Where's the happiness? Where's the next stop? How do you even know this drama is taking place in the autumn? Are there concertos in this drama?

Same thing with 這裡發現愛; how did that turn into "Wish to See You Again"?

I've always been very impressed with whoever decided to call 命中注定我愛你 "Fated to Love You" because 1) it's an actual translation, and 2) it actually works as an English name. In other words, I can imagine watching an American drama called "Fated to Love You." On the other hand, I can't imagine an American drama called "Wish to See You Again."

"Black & White" is another drama name I'm impressed with. Even though it's not a literal translation of 痞子英雄, it definitely works. It captures how Chen Zaitian and Wu Yingxiong are complete opposites, and would probably bring to mind the phrase "as different as black and white" or "as different as night and day."

¹ Which is one of the two dramas I'm thinking of checking out, provided I get around to finishing An Xiang and Black & White. The other drama I want to see is Summer's Bubble/Desire (even though Huang Xiaoming's wig is...weird), which I don't think has aired yet, but I'm still anticipating it. Speaking of which, what's up with all these seasonal names?

Thoughts While Watching The Message (Feng Sheng 風聲)

2009-11-07T11:01:50Z

This is mainly for my own amusement. In other words, you probably won't want to read this, and if you do, beware of spoilers. And much Huang Xiaoming fangirling.

- Didn't know this was possible, but it's barely three minutes in, and I'm already captivated. And nothing has happened, except for the credits and some opening expository info. I think this is a good sign. :)
- This guy's voice is reeaaally creepy. I wish I could be more specific, but I know nothing about him, except that his voice is really creepy.
- Oh wait, I can pinpoint who he is. He's the one who got shot. LOL.
- I appreciate the subtitles, but it's really hard to read white on beige. I like the newspaper-headlines effect, though.
- Holy shit, is that an axe in the back of someone's head?
- Down, doggy, down! (read: Maybe it was a bad idea to watch this movie at midnight?)
- OMG OMG OMG IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS!?!?
- Yeeeee, it is! *squeeee* Why'd they have to dub his voice, though? D:
- LOL, "Feelings are for women, Takeda."
- So although I feel bad for Xiaoming because he was working so hard on his Japanese for this film, I guess getting a Japanese guy to say his lines does add to his role's credibility. Still feel bad for him, though, but at least I get to see his pretty face. *_*
- ...I don't even want to know what happened to that poor girl. :(
- Why does Xiaoming look constipated in this shot? Oh. He sneezed. ROFL.
- Daaang, the voice of the person they got to dub Xiaoming is sexy. Even his accented Chinese. I mean, I love Xiaoming's deep resonant voice, but this guy's totally has the "bad guy feel" down.
- OMG HI ZHOU XUN.
- Wait wait wait, how did that secret message thing work?
- LOL at how unconservative Zhou Xun's dancing is compared to everyone else's. And this scene kind of reminds me of something out of Shanghai Bund. Smoking, dancing, drinking...
- Hahaha, I already love Zhou Xun's character. “我要回家。” Love the tone of voice.
- Did Xiaoming throw that?
- Yeeeee yes he did. Yay for more close-ups of his face!
- Li Bingbing, YOU GO GIRL. Way to show all the men uselessly standing around (except Xiaoming, of course, who is sitting ;D).
- Wait, whaaaat? I don't understand. So: "We set a trap -- a telegram with false summons to a meeting with Tsukeda. The mole in our office took the bait and sent this to their co-conspirators." "You five are the only ones who had any contact with the original message, which is to say -- one of you is the mole." How the hell would they know that these five people were the only ones who had contact with the original message?
- By the way, Xiaoming is really hot in this shot. HIS EYES. That smug expression. *_*
- Why'd they make Xiaoming blow his nose?
- LOL Zhou Xun, why are you laughing? You make me laugh even though I don't know why.
- Haha, I thought the designs on that guy's pillow were streams of blood. Maybe this is foreshadowing.
- Aw, I really hope neither Li Bingbing nor Zhou Xun is the mole. Their interactions are so cute.
- Who. Is. Singing?
- NOOO don't ask him to sing more! D:
- Whooo, people are listening in on this conversation. How predictable.
- Xiaoming, if you have Korean Drama Disease, I'm going to be very upset. Please stop blowing your nose. :P
- Hehe, oh how I love you, Zhou Xun. Miss Manipulator. Her voice is just perfect for this role. I wonder if this was the almost-wardrobe malfunction scene?
- LOL, Li Bingbing gave Xiaoming the cold shoulder.
- Xiaoming has somehow managed to make his eyes look absolutely soul-less in this film, rather like what Guo Jingming's eyes look like in all the photos I've seen of him. I guess this is appropriate for the role of Takeda, but man is it creepy.
- ROFL "I shake my finger at you." Aw man, I love the women in this show; they're so kickass. They make the men look like wusses.
- imo, it's easy to tell who they grabbed. There's only one male there with such a high voice.
- WTF at how the guy is screaming his head off and Xiaoming is just sitting at his desk all peacefully. Oh wait, he got up.
- Aw man, Xiaoming does the evil look soooo well.
- No one in this place ever sleeps, huh? Why do those singers just keep singing?
- Dammit Xiaoming, stop smiling! It looks too cute.
- Daaaang Li Bingbing's emotions were absolutely heartwrenching in that scene. And I had no idea this scene was that... short. I guess that's why people are hoping for the 3-hour release. :D
- Xiaoming always looks particularly hot when people are yelling at him and he just ignores them. :3
- Ohmygaaaawd, did I really just see what I thought I saw? *rewinds*
- WTH, Xiaoming leaped onto the table and stabbed something in that guy's cheek! o_O
- Mmmhmm, smexy Xiaoming is thinking.
- YES Xiaoming is wearing a suit instead of his usual clothing. That man looks so fine in suits.
- OMG Xiaoming is so cute when he's trying to light his cigarette while Li Bingbing is throwing dinnerware around.
- Takeda is such a smart guy, what with the whole "deliberately ignoring the cripple" logic. Hooray for intelligent villains.
- LOL "the door is jammed." You guys suck. I swear, Takeda is the only credible villain here.
- Xiaoming's presence instantly makes all the scenes two times more interesting.
- Eh? What did Zhou Xun just tape up?
- e_e; I don't even want to know what they're doing to Captain Wu.
- LOL "OMG we better send Captain Wu to the doctors quick!" "Don't look at me, I didn't know it was a bad idea to poke people with needles!"
- Xiaoming should wear caps more often. How cute. :3
- ROFL "How can you protect my family? You're probably going to get court-martialed."
- Yes, Xiaoming, you look very smexy with that intense stare, but if I were you, I'd protect my ears.
- WHAT DID I TELL YOU. But you still looked smexy delivering your line, don't worry.
- LOL did Takeda just fall asleep in the car?
- WTF at the conversation? The guy isn't even answering you, Xiaoming. Stop talking to him.
- OH SHIT. I did not see that coming. What the heck. Whaaat the heeeeck. I've seen three of Xiaoming's movies now, and he dies in every. single. one of them. ;__;
- Falling in the mud, how symbolic.
- Huh. This reminds me of V.F.D. All the intricacies. Interesting how they chose to explain away the movie like this, but I kinda like it.
- The concept of Chinese Morse Code still blows my mind.

Verdict: This movie was AMAZING.

Oh wait, I do know a little bit about Ireland...

2009-11-05T04:46:00Z

We've reached the Irish American section in my Gender in American Culture class. Unlike the other two sections (African American and Chinese American) that the class is focusing on, I've never really learned anything about Irish Americans or Ireland, so I've been a bit lost.

Today my teacher pointed out this little snippet about fairies in a book we'd read (The Parish and the Hill)) and explained that even though the Irish referred to them as "the gentle folk" and stuff, fairies weren't actually gentle. She went on to say something about how fairies were those who lived in Ireland before the humans came and then they went to live underground, and at that point I stopped listening because I was too busy spazzing because I was going, "Hey, this sounds really familiar -- OMG it's because I've read Artemis Fowl!"

I love it when fandom is educational.

5D's 83

2009-11-05T02:21:22Z

OMG. JACK.

;______;

BRB sobbing.

Oh, nostalgia :3

2009-10-29T03:33:26Z

For some reason, the preview for next week's episode of 5D's (Jack vs. Jack!) reminded me of that one Sailor Moon episode where Zoisite disguised herself as Sailor Moon to trick Tuxedo Mask, so I just had to go search for the episode on YouTube and watch it. And then I couldn't help watching the episode following that one. It felt so goooood. I grew up on this stuff, and it just made me feel so happy and bubbly inside. Even those lame "Sailor Says" things at the end of the episodes.

Anyway, I'm willing to bet Darien was my first fictional crush. Now that I'm older, I can actually appreciate the romance between him and Serena, not to mention seriously appreciate that he's the quiet, introverted sort of guy. Most of my fictional crushes are jerks (but endearing jerks), but Darien is different. :3 Serena's such a lucky girl.

Mer, now I want to rewatch the entire series. And maybe get my hands on the manga, which I've never even seen, though I remember scouring the library bookshelves for the anime adaptations when I was a kid.

B&W Episode 1

2009-10-26T05:01:28Z

Again, I show bad judgment as I check out the first episode of Vic Zhou's new drama, Black & White (Pi Zi Ying Xiong). The person who recommended this drama to me was actually...my mom. HAHAHA. Bet you weren't expecting that, huh? But yes, I saw her watching the drama and tried to watch with her but couldn't understand much because it was halfway through the show and my Chinese isn't quite up to par. So I had to start from episode 1. And find subtitles.

From the first episode, I'm already impressed by Zai Zai and Mark Zhao's acting. Very solid performances from them both. Except watching Chen Zaitian (Zai Zai's character) is kind of throwing me off because Zai Zai looks exactly like his character did in Wish to See You Again (Zhe Li Fa Xian Ai) but their personalities are almost polar opposites. He's still cute, though. :3 Kind of an arrogant prick, but he pulls it off in such an endearing way you can't really get annoyed with him. Some highlights were when he was chatting it up with Jack the skull and Mary the teeth. Oh, and also when he "accidentally memorized" the license plate number of the car they were chasing (especially since he attributed it to his tendency to memorize the phone numbers of hot chicks).

Mark Zhao is apparently a newcomer, according to his DramaWiki page, but he's already pretty good at what he does. He doesn't quite have Zai Zai's cuteness, and I wouldn't exactly call him handsome, but he's not a bad looker. Then again, my standards are outrageously high (see Huang Xiaoming). His character, Wu Yingxiong, isn't too bad, either. A typical hero, but not terribly cliche. He had an extremely touching moment in this episode, which I won't reveal because I guess it's kind of a spoiler.

Seeing Kingone Wang in here was kind of a shocker, since he played such an easygoing nice friendly guy in Wish to See You Again (who also happened to be Zai Zai's character's best friend hahaha) but is playing one of the baddies in Black & White. He looks... interesting, for lack of a better word. Definitely the brooding type, and he certainly looks more evil. Sometimes it seems a bit overdone, but it might just be because I still think of him as Xiao Ma / Xiao Lao Ban. While I'm still on this topic, does anyone know how to pronounce his English name? Is it King-gone? King-one? Kin-gone? King-gun? I've been saying King-gone because it flows off the tongue better, but judging from his Chinese name, I'm guessing he was trying to match it with King-one.

The girls in this show need to develop personalities. Fast. I know Zai Zai and Mark Zhao are probably supposed to be the main focuses of this drama, but I would like some interesting girl characters plzkthx.

On an ending note, I was kind of interested in recapping this show because it's just that interesting, but other people have done it, so I'm not going to bother. Plus I should be focusing on NaNoWriMo. Heh.

5D's 80

2009-10-16T23:29:11Z

The animation for this episode was so sloppy it was almost funny. I'm getting sick of filler episodes, but it's slightly better if it's humorous filler -- which episode 80 definitely was. Funny faces, jealousy, chibi simulation duels -- what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, the plot. Haha.

By the way, Jeager totally fails at stealing stuff. If you're going to steal computer data, just steal it and run. Don't hang around eating ramen. Especially if you have to steal the ramen too. And if you must insist on eating ramen, throw your trash out elsewhere! And why didn't he erase his data from Sector Security's database? That seems like the smart thing to do. :P

Oh well. Next episode looks like it'll be lulzy. Hehe.

An Xiang Ep. 6&7

2009-10-16T08:09:56Z

Finally got around to continuing watching An Xiang. I kind of told myself I wouldn't get hooked on a drama during college (for obvious reasons), so I've been trying to stay away, but I'm home this weekend (birthday yay!) and have some free time, so I've been catching up.

I didn't notice this in the previous three episodes, but watching Huang Xiaoming act out a "bad boy"/flirt is soooo funny. Why? Because in real life, he's such a nice person. I remember reading this article once on AF that had a badly translated (or deliberately intending to mislead) headline about how Xiaoming made an actress he was working with cry, and I honestly laughed out loud when I read it.

Anyway, watching him act like a jerk is seriously hilarious. I still wish they'd stop making him speak English, though. I love him for wanting to learn the language, but shouldn't his character be near-fluent? His accent is cute, but it doesn't fit his character at all.

Also, pleeeease stop making him wear sunglasses? I know that actually does fit his character, since sunglasses lend to the cool factor and all, but I'd rather see his eyes. :( Oh well. I'll settle for the few scenes when he doesn't have to act like Mr. Big Shot.

On a different note, although Wang Luodan's character is still kind of annoying, she is a really good actress. Yay for good acting.

~~OMG that girl acting out Cheng Yuan's niece is so freakin' lucky, getting to sit in his lap and stare adoringly up at him like that.~~

And YES, Cheng Yuan slapped Pipi. YES! God, I hate that kid. Even better is that Xiaoming stares intensely out the window after this scene. Excuse me while I squee over his smoldering eyes. You know, this drama is going to take me forever to finish because I keep rewinding scenes to watch Xiaoming. :P

Aw man, this episode had a cliffhanger ending. Booo. This always happens.

Huang Xiaoming: Catching Up with Good Times, Part 1

2009-09-27T08:15:29Z

It seems like it'd almost be a crime to not share all these cute pictures of Huang Xiaoming. In addition to sharing, I'm also going to try my hand at translating the captions that go along with them. Let's see how well I can pull this off. Heh.

My commentary, if I have any, will be at the end of each section.

1. This is my 100-day-old picture.

This picture was taken when I was 100 days old; I was already quite pretty, like a little girl. When I was first born, however, I gave my grandmother quite a fright: "This child is too ugly; his nose and mouth are too big!"

I think his prettiness as a 100-day-old contributed to his prettiness as a 31-year-old. Also, I would really like to see pictures of newborn Xiaoming, haha. I have noticed that his nose is bigger than most noses, but it doesn't make him ugly in the least bit.

2. When I was young, I rather resembled a girl.

This picture [of me] is particularly like a little girl. Also, I was well-behaved, so at that time, [something about his reputation], and many people were impressed by my reputation and would come tour. (?) Because of this, my mom often sighs, "Actually Mingming was prettier as a child than he is now."

Sorry for the fail translation, haha. I've never even heard these terms before (which is not saying much, but I can usually figure out what phrases mean once I find out the pinyin and tones because I've heard my parents say them). I totally disagree with his mom, though. Xiaoming is pretty enough now. If he were prettier, he'd be dragged into one of those Japanese boybands. I like his mix of prettiness and handsomeness. :)

3. My 3-member family liked to watch TV here.

This was the joy of my entire 3-member family; we would often sit here and watch TV. At that time, to me, the performers were all "people inside the television set" and were very far from me.

The funny thing is that in the picture, they're not even looking at a TV. But whatever. Xiaoming is still adorable. I also think it's cute how he mentions the performers because I'm sure that's how some people see him now.

4. 4 years old. This was taken at my grandma's house; I wasn't even as tall as the door lock. My younger aunt's husband took this picture.

This picture of me in glasses made everyone say I look like Harry Potter. At that time, my wish was to be a scientist and be able to automatically turn into those types of super-strong machine police (?).

Maybe it's just how I've translated it, but he certainly had weird wishes, haha. I have to admit, he does look a lot like Harry Potter in the picture. This picture also makes me wonder if present-day Xiaoming wears contacts or did he get eye surgery or what? 'Cause he clearly goes around without glasses. I've only seen a few pictures of him with glasses, and most of them were fake ones for photoshoots.

5. 5 years old. I was very envious of soldiers.

All little boys have a "soldier complex;" I was no exception. Even until now, whenever I act out a knight, a hero, or a soldier in the People's Liberation Army, I am still able to remember that type of mood.

This is my favorite "little Xiaoming" picture. You can just tell that he's going to grow up to a total heartthrob. Speaking of which, I'm totally tempted to contrast this picture with the one of him saluting in Fit Lover, haha. Speaking of which, I need to watch that movie (for the Xiaoming scenes, that is. ;D)
Okay, I couldn't resist. Look:

6. 9 years old. An aunt who dances in an art troupe made me enter into a contest for youth to play the lead in a movie.

That year, there was a contest for youth to play the lead in a movie, and my aunt who dances in an art troupe made me enter. But at that time, I was really too shy and I didn't even dare to raise my head to look at people.

Honestly, I don't really like this picture of him (the previous one is so much cuter), but the story is quite cute. I remember hearing him talk about this in an interview on a TV show, and he said that he kept his hands covering his face the entire time. But the director said he was a very good-looking young boy -- to which the TV show hosts were like "How did he see your face?" Hahaha.

7. High school. With my year's classmates on a spring outing.

Huh, no caption for this one. Oh well. It's kind of hard to tell, but I think he's the one on the very right. ...Interesting haircut, I must say. I'm glad his sense of hair fashion has improved, haha.

8. That year's "four kings of heaven." (?)

A few of my year's "brothers" and I were collectively known as the "four kings of heaven." During college [something about being happy], and we frequently went out to play together.

Oh gosh, the sunglasses. How unfashionable, haha. I bet his eyes were still gorgeous, though. Sorry again about the not-very-good translation. :\

9. 1996. [Something about those who successfully tested into the Beijing Film Academy, military service, and a group photo.]

Through luck, I tested into the Beijing Film Academy, which never went to Qingdao [Xiaoming's hometown] to recruit students. From then on, I walked on a very different path. On the first day of school, I met Vicki Zhao (Zhao Wei); her big eyes left on me a very deep impression, and I immediately started liking this lady. I never imagined that after some time, my first small work (?) would be with her.

Haha, I have never been aware of Xiaoming having collaborated with Vicki on anything, except that one song -- 好人卡 -- which I honestly think would have sounded better with a different girl, but oh well. (Vicki Zhao is a good actress, but she still has a long way to go when it comes to singing.) On a random note, I have big eyes too. xD

10. After 2 years (?), I began to film advertisements. This is my and Rebecca Wang's (Wang Yan) first advertisement.

At that time, she [Rebecca Wang] was still Qingdao's beautiful dancer; I was but one of Beijing Film Academy's commonplace students. Such a romantic scene -- can you guess what kind of ad this is? It was for an insecticide! (Hahaha.) In the future when we were filming "Princess Returning Pearl (Huan Zhu Ge Ge)," we recalled this experience and both thought it was extremely unforgettable.

I'm sorry. This is so hilarious. I love how he has such a blank look on his face.

11. This is a group photo of the entire class on the day of our graduation.

At this time, Vicki Zhao was already somewhat famous, and one after another, everyone began to accept acting roles. I was unfortunate and got into a car accident, and during this time, my fathered feared that I would lose heart and become depressed and thus was always encouraging me. ([Something about Xiaoming recognizing each of his classmates -- presumably in the photo.])

12. This is the first role that I accepted, in a show called "Love is not a game."

At that time, I was always working with my classmates. Look at that time's hairstyle. But looking back, I was very immature and there was not much to be said about my acting ability.

I don't think Xiaoming's acting was really impressive until he filmed Shanghai Bund, actually. And yes, this is coming from a major Huang Xiaoming fan.

13. Me during "Da Han Tian Zi"

In 2001, Huang Xiaoming was in "Da Han Tian Zi" as Han Wu Di. The director was Liang Ben Xi.

LOL. This picture is hilarious. I very much dislike the hairstyle they gave him.

14. Me during "Da Han Tian Zi"

In 2001, 2003, and 2005, Huang Xiaoming was in "Da Han Tian Zi"'s three seasons.

Again, not really digging the look they gave him.

15. A still from "Long Piao"

In 2004, Huang Xiaoming was in "Long Piao" as Qi Ji Zun.

Y'know, I hope Xiaoming never grows a mustache in real life. He looks best clean-shaven, although I will admit that a little stubble looks good on him too.

16. A still from "Return of the Condor Heroes (Shen Diao Xia Lü)," with Crystal Liu (Liu Yifei)

In 2006, Huang Xiaoming was in "Return of the Condor Heroes (Shen Diao Xia Lü)" as Yang Guo.

Ah, now this is the first drama I saw Xiaoming in. I can't say his acting was particularly noteworthy (except maybe when he was acting out older Yang Guo), but I have to say that this is probably the role where his chiseled good looks started getting attention. Loving the classic-Zhang-Jizhong "hair blowing in the wind" look here.

17. A still from "Return of the Condor Heroes (Shen Diao Xia Lü)."

In 2006, Huang Xiaoming was in "Return of the Condor Heroes (Shen Diao Xia Lü)" as Yang Guo.

I'm still not sure why they decided to give Yang Guo highlights in his hair.

18. A still from "Royal Tramp, aka Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji)."

In 2006, Huang Xiaoming played the part of Wei Xiaobao in director Zhang Jizhong's "Royal Tramp, aka Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji)." [Something about it being relaxing, funny, and a boost to Xiaoming's reputation.]

Uh. I like how they totally skipped Shanghai Bund here, haha. Talk about omitting his finest performance (that I've seen, at least).

19. A still from "Royal Tramp, aka Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji)."

In 2006, Huang Xiaoming played the part of Wei Xiaobao in director Zhang Jizhong's "Royal Tramp, aka Duke of Mount Deer (Lu Ding Ji)." [Something about it being relaxing, funny, and a boost to Xiaoming's reputation.]

This was a cute drama, though it certainly got draggy after a while (50 episodes!?). I had to admire the relationship between Wallace Chung and Xiaoming's characters, though. They did a good job.

20. "The Banquet (Ye Yan)"

After Return of the Condor Heroes, Huang Xiaoming turned to the movie screen and was cast in director Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet (Ye Yan)." [Something about him lacking the certainty of an award?]

This was a rather strange movie; the only reason I watched it was because it had Huang Xiaoming and Zhou Xun. Xiaoming didn't appear enough in this movie, imo. Though... he does look decent with a mustache here, but maybe it's because of that giant hood.

I would do more, but I'm dead tired and should get some sleep. ;) We're almost to present day anyhow. In fact, #21 is Xiaoming's most recent drama (not counting Summer's Bubble). If I find time tomorrow, I might finish up the rest, but for now, I've done my job in delivering the cuteness. :)

5D's 75

2009-09-12T22:56:05Z

Sooo I haven't spazzed over YuseixAki in a while (because I really really really really love Scoopshipping), but 5D's 75 was pretty much just YuseixAki fanservice, so I freely squeed over it. n_n Especially when they were roller blading, because that was just cute. Although I'm not sure how that was supposed to teach Aki how to ride a D-Wheel backward. Next week seems like it's going to be awesome too because of CAAAAARLY. ♥

I've never seen a movie summary as accurate at this one

2009-09-04T08:38:21Z

Or as funny. My hat is off to that guy with the glasses. Or it would be, if I wore a hat.

I believe in love

2009-08-19T09:09:11Z

Just finished watching this drama called Wish to See You Again (這裡發現愛). A very strange drama, to tell you the truth. I love it, but if you asked me why I did, I wouldn't be able to tell you. There's just something about it that captivates you. I must say, I was very pleased with the last episode -- a very satisfying ending -- and although there are some "slow" episodes, it's a truly inspiring tale.

What impresses me most is the characterization of the main character, Xu Le, who is an author struggling to find inspiration. I may be biased because I'm a writer myself and naturally empathize with writers more easily, but I absolutely love how Vic Zhou portrayed him. Although his writing is very touching, he finds it difficult to have conversations with people -- a feeling I can totally relate to. I love how they didn't make him someone who waxed poetic in everything he uttered because, even for a writer, that's just not possible. Actually, I shouldn't say "even for a writer." More like "especially for a writer" because it's a writer who will notice the need to balance rhetoric and eloquence.

Anyway, this drama has quickly jumped into my top 5 list (sorry Shanghai Bund, but you were too depressing too often), although it's not one that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Maybe just the writers. And F4 fans.

36 Huang Xiaoming icons

2009-08-04T02:07:08Z

These were made for enderwiggin24 (who provided the pictures), but anyone who wants them can use them. Credit is appreciated but not required. :) Textures are from Feel Resources.

01-26 Shanghai Bund
27-34 Various photoshoots
35-36 Pepsi promotion

001	002	003


004	005	006


007	008	009


010	011	012


013	014	015


016	017	018


019	020	021


022	023	024


025	026	027


028	029	030


031	032	033


034	035	036

Created with angelamaria's Icon Table Generator @ Bauble

As you might be able to tell, several of the Shanghai Bund icons were influenced by the coloring used in the drama's opening theme -- a bit of sepia, a bit of color, etc. I usually like bright, clear images (like what I used in the two Pepsi icons), but this type of coloring worked so well with the Shanghai Bund screenshots I just couldn't resist.

Personal favorites from this batch: 002, 005, 006, 015, 020, 023, 035, and 036.

An Xiang / Bei Ai Fang Zhu

2009-08-03T07:55:56Z

I was planning to watch An Xiang 暗香 as cfensi recapped new episodes, since she did such a wonderful job with the first two, but I really can't resist watching another HXM drama. Thank you to whoever uploaded the entire series to YouTube, by the way. Appreciate it. :)

It was the third episode that got me hooked. Fell in love with Xiaoming's character (Cheng Yuan) instantly, as is to be expected, even though he seems like the bad boy type. Then again, when have I ever stayed away from the bad boy type?

I'm guessing this is the drama in which Xiaoming really starts to shine as an actor. I admit that I wasn't particularly moved by him in ROCH (although that was the series during which I started liking him), and even though he was amusing in Royal Tramp, his acting wasn't notably impressive. Shanghai Bund (which he actually did before Royal Tramp) was his best series yet, in terms of acting, but he can't stick with that type of role forever. Already in An Xiang I've seen him as two different characters, and he gets both of them down pat. :)

Anyhow, I've already replayed several scenes in episode 3 because I love how Xiaoming delivers his lines. Not just how he says them, but his facial expressions, his hand movements, and his eyes. This might sound creepy, but I absolutely adore his eyes. They're so lively and expressive. Hence why I hate it when he wears sunglasses.

Getting back on topic, the only problem I have with Xiaoming is that Cheng Yuan is supposed to be fluent in English, and Xiaoming....well...isn't. Not that his attempts to speak English aren't cute; they're just sometimes not understandable. I applaud him for trying, though. Such a hard worker. Another reason why I love him.

In other news, the female lead (I think her name is Wu Yue, acted out by Wang Luodan) is already irritating me. Part of it is because she doesn't pronounce her words clearly, so it's difficult for me to look up phrases I don't understand because I can't tell what the heck she's saying. But I don't like her character much either. This doesn't bode well for the next thirty episodes.

To end, I have no idea what to tag this post as because this drama has several names: An Xiang (which translates as Secret Scent or Hidden Fragrance or even Dark Fragrance) and Bei Ai Fang Zhu (Exiled By Love). I don't even know which one is most used in fandom because there hasn't been much promotion for this drama. So I'm just tagging it "an xiang" because that's what I call it.

Top 5 Current Drama Recommendations

2009-08-01T22:24:11Z

5. Shanghai Bund 新上海灘
Featuring: Huang Xiaoming, Sun Li
Pros:
+ Huang Xiaoming. In a suit. And in one of his best performances to date (imho).
+ Beautiful music.
+ Good use of the camera throughout.
+ Decent fight scenes. (Most of them are gunfights, which are usually boring, but there is some hand-to-hand combat.)
Cons:
- Depressing ending. Actually, the whole drama is lacking in lighthearted moments.
- Not enough chemistry between Xiaoming and Sun Li.
- The timing of the drama is weird; some less important subplots are dragged out, and the one involving the Japanese (which is rather important) seems rushed.
- Everyone smokes.
Watch it if: you're a fan of Huang Xiaoming. He's the only thing that will get you through all the depressingness.

4. Legend of the Condor Heroes 2003 射鵰英雄傳
Featuring: Li Yapeng, Zhou Xun, Zhou Jie, Shui Ling
Pros:
+ Strong performances from Zhou Xun and Shui Ling.
+ Beautiful music. The opening and ending pieces are notably gorgeous.
+ Excellent fight scenes.
+ Beautiful landscape shots. Especially ones involving horses.
+ Dancer Yang Liping did a really good job as Mei Chaofeng. I was actually able to sympathize with her, despite the creepiness of her kung fu. Also, I was very impressed by the way she acted out blindness with her eyes open.
Cons:
- Li Yapeng's portrayal of Guo Jing's stupidity/naivety takes quite a while to get used to.
- Several instances of poorly done CGI.
- Zhou Jie is nowhere near handsome enough to portray Yang Kang. (Yes, I'm being shallow here. Especially since in the sequel, his son is played by Huang Xiaoming, who is the hottest actor I've seen.)
Watch it if: you're an wuxia and/or Jin Yong fan.

3. The Switch 偷龍轉鳳
Featuring: Vincent Jiao, Zhang Ting
Pros:
+ Very very very funny.
+ Great chemistry between Vincent Jiao and Zhang Ting, both of whom play their roles very well.
+ Decent fight scenes.
+ Even the minor characters are lovable.
Cons:
- Several draggy subplots.
- As adorable as Zhang Ting is, sometimes it's unbelievable how just about everyone falls in love with her.
- A certain female is very jealous and very annoying.
- There's a certain section where all the comedy flies out the window. I realize that there has to be some serious moments, but this one was so serious it seemed out of place.
Watch it if: you like comedies.

2. Fated to Love You 命中注定我愛你
Featuring: Chen Qiaoen, Ethan Ruan, Baron Chen
Pros:
+ Perfect mix of romantic drama and ironic humor.
+ The actresses who act out protagonist Chen Xinyi's mother and sisters are excellent.
+ Good chemistry between Qiaoen and Ethan (for the most part).
+ Family relationships are very touching.
+ Cameo from Jam Hsiao.
+ Cute dog.
+ Inspiring.
Cons:
- Deplorable lack of male eyecandy. (Baron Chen counts, until he changes his hairstyle halfway through the show.)
- Ethan Ruan's acting is lacking at times (but I think he does an acceptable job for the most part).
- Xinyi cries. Sometimes a lot.
Watch it if: you like romantic dramas that really push on the suspension of disbelief but give you a nice bubbly feeling inside.

1. Xiao Shiyi Lang 蕭十一郎
Featuring: Nicky Wu, Athena Chu, Yu Bo
Pros:
+ Nicky Wu acts perfectly throughout the whole thing, as does Yu Bo.
+ Ma Yashu is very convincing.
+ Good music. The opening piece is stunning.
+ Great fight scenes, except for the very last one.
+ Good chemistry between Nicky and Athena.
+ Believable characters we can sympathize with and motives we can understand.
Cons:
- Since Athena doesn't speak Mandarin, her voice is dubbed and it gets kind of annoying when her mouth doesn't match her voice.
- Some of the female characters can get really, really, really irritating. Especially those who only know a smidgen of martial arts.
- Weak to decent acting from Yang Junyi (Ling Jiu) and Max Zhang (Xue Ying).
- CGI sucks, as do the fashion choices of certain characters.
Watch it if: you like Nicky Wu or wuxia (unless you're looking for a superfaithful adaption of Gu Long's novel, in which case treat this drama as something slightly different).
On a related note, I am attempting to recap this particular drama, so check out the Xiao Shiyi Lang tag. I haven't gotten much done yet, but I'm hoping to one day complete all forty episodes.

5D's 69

2009-07-29T19:17:45Z

Yeah, so I had no idea what was going on during the duel, but it had JACK and CARLY so I'm happy. Also, Carly running into Jack and pretty much just bouncing off was PRICELESS. ^_^

Can't wait for this episode to be subbed.

5D's 68

2009-07-24T02:48:59Z

Well, it was cheesy, but I really liked it for some reason. :D Martha! Saiga! Orphan kids!

Of course, what excites me more is that the next episode is allll about Jack. And there's Carly. Oh, Carly, I've missed you so. <3

Xiao Shiyi Lang 蕭十一郎 Episode 2

2009-07-20T03:31:32Z

Shiyi Lang returns to Siniang's cabin to fetch the Ge Lu Dao but, unfortunately, meets up with her as he's about to leave. She fawns over it but can't pull it out of its sheath, so Shiyi Lang does it instead. The Ge Lu Dao turns out to be an extremely rusty broadsword. Talk about anti-climactic.

The inscription on the sword says it's the Ge Lu Dao, but Siniang isn't convinced and tries it out by swinging it into a tree... which causes it to snap in half. Oops. Shiyi Lang guesses that the Shen family created a fake sword to trick thieves (like him). As Siniang returns into the cabin, he examines the broken sword, which reforges itself and then snaps back into the sheath. Whoa. So it turns out this rusty old thing really is the Ge Lu Dao.

Siniang comes back out as Shiyi Lang's about to leave, and then Kaitai randomly turns up. He, of course, recognizes Shiyi Lang as the person he's been chasing for the past night and day. Siniang forces the Ge Lu Dao out of Shiyi Lang's hands and orders him to pour a cup of tea of Mister Yang (i.e. Kaitai). Then she goes on a stroll with Kaitai, where she spins a sorrowful tale of how the Ge Lu Dao is the only thing left of what her father left behind, and also how her little brother (Shiyi Lang) suffers from some incurable disease.

Kaitai offers her some money (10,000+ taels), and she gives him the sword in exchange. Shiyi Lang then runs up and demands to know where the Ge Lu Dao is. Kaitai, taking pity on him because he thinks he has some disease, calls him "Brother Feng," gives the sword back, and tells him to take care of his health, leaving Shiyi Lang extremely confused.

Shiyi Lang returns to his own house, where he sees Bijun playing near the waterfall -- even though he specifically told her in the first episode to stay away from water. I thought she was supposed to be obedient. She asks him how he found such a beautiful place to live; "while running for my life," he replies. Ooh. Sounds interesting.

He escorts her back to the Shen home with the Ge Lu Dao, and she asks him what his name is. Before he gets to answer, the two old men (who are called Bai Yang and Lü Liu) run up to attack him. Bijun shields him, and then Shiyi Lang grabs her and hops the roof.

The guards go on a pointless trek to find them, even though Shiyi Lang and Bijun are just hiding in the garden. Gotta love the complete uselessness of the security guards in every Chinese home. Bijun thanks Shiyi Lang because before today, she had never felt so happy. I guess she thinks it's fun to be kidnapped and rescued. Personally, I would hate to always be the damsel in distress, but if Shiyi Lang were my rescuer, maybe I'd reconsider.

Ripping the red cloth from the last episode in half, Shiyi Lang wraps part of it around the wound on her hand again and pockets the other half. Then he leaves, returning to Siniang's cabin. The two laugh over Kaitai's stupidity, when -- speak of the devil -- Yang Kaitai turns up at the door to invite Siniang to the Yang family's horse racing competition the next day, which Lian Chengbi will also be attending.

Bijun brings the sword back to her grandmother, who doesn't want anyone to know that the Ge Lu Dao has been found because, if everyone thinks the sword has been stolen from the Shen family, it's clearly safest back with the Shen family. Lao Taijun, Bai Yang and Lü Liu want to blame the theft on a kung fu master, and guess who they pick? Xiao Shiyi Lang.

The scene changes to tomorrow, at the Yang Family Horse Ranch. Siniang enters, with a very bored Shiyi Lang. Since there's nothing else to note, what the hell is Shiyi Lang wearing? It's like some hideous zebra print outfit...or something. Why can't he take a leaf out of Siniang's book and wear attractive clothing? I mean, his outfits don't have to be brightly colored like hers are, but at least wear something not ugly. Kaitai doesn't rate high on the fashion sense meter today, either.

Anyway, Shiyi Lang and Siniang stand around admiring the horse Snowflower, as if they hadn't seen it just one episode ago. Siniang attempts to ride it, but her antics are eclipsed by the arrival of Lao Taijun and Shen Bijun. Everyone runs over to look at the world's most beautiful woman, even though Bijun is wearing a veil over her face and can't really be seen. I guess veils are pretty too. Except the one that Sirius fell through when he died.

Yang Tianzan, Kaitai's dad, comes to greet the Shen family, but nobody really cares because Lian Chengbi is about to arrive, along with his annoying brat of a little sister, Lian Chengjin. It seems to be a rule that everyone should be dressed horribly today (with the exception of Siniang, of course) because Chengbi looks very unattractive with his hair down like that. Is he trying to look like a person who lives in the wild? Because that is honestly the impression that I get from him.

Chengjin gets to the gate first and somehow manages to drive her horse wild, almost running over Bijun. Shiyi Lang yanks her off the horse (lol) and then calms the horse down. For obvious reasons, Chengjin takes an automatic dislike to Shiyi Lang, claiming that he was bullying her. Chengbi reprimands her, saying she's lost enough face already. Ouch. Nothing else of much importance happens in this scene except that Bijun stares at Shiyi Lang.

After that is the horse race, which Chengbi obviously wins, though Kaitai claims that if his dad had not barred him from participating, he would have won instead. I'm not sure what this race was meant to accomplish because it's not like they were competing for Bijun's hand or anything. Shiyi Lang isn't even watching the race, which shows how pointless it is.

Bijun receives Snowflower as a gift, and she goes off on a ride, making Siniang suspicious because Snowflower is supposedly a wild horse and yet becomes quite docile under Bijun's touch. Unfortunately for Bijun, the three baddies from the last episode (the girl is called Xiao Xiao, while the two brothers are called Ling Jiu and Xue Ying) are waiting to kidnap her. They, or at least, their master Xiaoyao Hou, have correctly deduced that if the Shen family hadn't reclaimed the Ge Lu Dao, they wouldn't have gone to the horse race today.

Predictably, Bijun gets kidnapped (again). Elsewhere, Bai Yang and Lü Liu are waiting for Bijun to pass so they can stow her away to give Lao Taijun enough time to give the Ge Lu Dao to Chengbi; instead they see Chengbi's head of security, Jia Xin, who discovers that Bijun's horse never came this way. This spells trouble with a capital T.

The news comes back to Lao Taijun and company, as does Snowflower, bearing a ransom note from Xiaoyao Hou. Lao Taijun wonders why Bai Yang and Lü Liu dragged Xiaoyao Hou into all this (since she doesn't know that Xiaoyao Hou is much more involved in this situation than anyone else). She produces a note of her own, supposedly from Shiyi Lang, stating that he'd taken the Ge Lu Dao.

Chengbi is visibly disturbed that the sword has been lost, and then Yang Tianzan is like "Oh yeah, we'd better not forget to look for Bijun!" Everyone leaves to search, except for Lao Taijun, Chengbi, Kaitai, and Siniang. Siniang, being the only smart one present, finds it suspicious that Snowflower, a supposedly wild horse, was able to find its way back "home."

This (except for Bijun actually getting kidnapped) was obviously all part of Lao Taijun's plan, as she brings Chengbi to a horse. Apparently she wrapped the Ge Lu Dao in horse skin and sewed it to this horse's stomach. Chengbi is impressed and quickly leaves with the sword, promising to take care of anything, sword or person (i.e. the Ge Lu Dao or Shen Bijun), that Lao Taijun has entrusted to him.

Meanwhile, in the fail carriage, Ling Jiu and Xue Ying suck at steering and have driven the wheel into a ditch. To add to the fail, Bijun manages to slip away by walking into a nearby pond. Xiao Xiao sees the ripples and actually uses her brain to deduce that Bijun escaped into the water. Of course, being this drama's Team Rocket, they just walk around the water's edge and look for Bijun in the murky waters. Reaaaal useful.

Back at the Shen home, Bai Yang and Lü Liu report that they've lost Bijun. Ahahaha. Get used to it.

Near the same murky pond Bijun walked into, Shiyi Lang is preparing to wash his face or something. Good to see that he's keeping up with his general hygiene, although I doubt the cleanliness of the brown water. He imagines Bijun's face in the reflection, and then -- guess what! -- she actually surfaces. Shiyi Lang's shocked face ends the episode on a...dramatic note.

- As much as I love Shiyi Lang, I'd probably consider Chengbi the most interesting character on this show. Whoever was in charge of his character development did a really really really good job. I adore him in this episode (with the exception of his fashion choices), especially when he tells Lao Taijun that he'll take care of whatever she entrusts to him. It's a bittersweet line for anyone who's already watched the rest of the drama.

- According to DramaWiki, Lian Chengbi was Yu Bo's first acting role, and I have to say I'm extremely impressed. He portrays all the intricacies of Chengbi's personality so well, and it's really quite easy for the audience to relate to him. A round of applause for Yu Bo, please.

001	002	003


004	005	006


007	008	009


010	011	012


013	014	015


016	017	018


019	020	021


022	023	024


025	026	027


028	029	030


031	032	033


034	035	036

001	002	003


004	005	006


007	008	009


010	011	012


013	014	015


016	017	018


019	020	021


022	023	024


025	026	027


028	029	030


031	032	033


034	035	036

001	002	003


004	005	006


007	008	009


010	011	012


013	014	015


016	017	018


019	020	021


022	023	024


025	026	027


028	029	030


031	032	033


034	035	036