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Showing posts from December, 2011

First Glimpse at Sealed a Kiss Miniseries!

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I couldn't refrain my excitement and wait a little longer for more to come out before I post this picture. Zheng Long, the actor who plays Mo Shaoqian's young assistant (Wen Long), just uploaded this picture of Tong Xue and him on his microblog. We can see there's an improvement in Tong Xue's wardrobe. Is it just the lighting or does it feel like Tong Xue's eye make is too heavy? Based on her pink luggage, it seems like Tong Xue just came back from her study abroad trip and somehow Wen Long went to see Tong Xue for Mo Shaoqian's sake??? Now, I really want to see Mo Shaoqian's new look. I'm liking this new look of Tong Xue! It's sooo much more stylish than any of her previous outfits.

Actress Zhang Ran drops out of Sealed with a Kiss mini-movie sequel + Hawick Lau's Bald Head

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Due scheduling conflict, Zhang Ran, who played Tong Xue's best friend, will not be able to reprise her role as Liu Yueying in the mini-movie sequel, which will begin to shoot tomorrow. I'm not quite sure who will replace Zhang Ran, but I heard the production team just cast a new young actress named Wen Mengxiang. There is no official announcement yet about the character she will play. Many Chinese netizens speculate she will be take over Zhang Ran's character.

Sealed with a Kiss MV - "Thousand Mountains" + Long Trailer

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I just discovered this nice fanmade MV dedicated to Tong Xue and Mo Shaoqian. It's beautifully made and the editing looks really professional. The scenes chosen are great too. The song used in this MV is the original main theme song "Thousand Mountains," sang by Hawick Lau. All fans of the drama should check it out!

Mini-sequel for Sealed with a Kiss Confirmed!

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I previously posted about news of a potential sequel to Sealed with a Kiss, and now we have a detailed confirmation from the actors/actresses themselves. According to Ying'er and Liu Kenan, actor who plays Zhao Gaoxing, shooting will commence on January 1 in Hangzhou and lasting several days. Hawick Lau should still have the most screen time. YAY! The mini-movie should be longer than 40 minutes. Another YAY! Xiao Shan will be back. NOOO! Okay, he's essential to the story, so we can't exterminate him from the drama yet. Supposedly, if reception to the mini-movie is good, the production companies are contemplating about making a TV series sequel. Hmmm....

❂Taiwanese Drama❂ Skip-Beat/ Extravagant Challenge

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Title: Skip-Beat/ Extravagant Challenge/ 华丽的挑战/ 華麗的挑戰 / Hua Li De Tiao Zhan # Episode : 14 Genre :Comedy, Modern Romance Release date : December, 2011 currently airing weekly Broadcasting Company: GTV Cast: Ivy Chen as Gong Xi, Choi Siwon as Dun He Lian, Lee Donghae as Bu Puo Shang

Pix Spam: BTS Photos of Sealed with a Kiss

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☃ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥MERRY CHRISTMAS! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ☃ I wish you all have a very very fun-filled joyful Christmas and get a TON of presents that you like! I must also thank everyone who has been following/reading my blog and leaving comments for me. I love to read what you all have to say and try to reply as much as I can. For those of you wondering what happened to  my translation project, I'm still working on it and not giving up yet. The same goes for drama recaps. In the meantime, I put together these photos to let Sealed with a Kiss fans take a look at the cast and crew during the filming process. Behind the Scene:

Potential Mini-Sequel for Sealed with a Kiss

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I just read on Sina weibo that Sohu TV and Xing Sheng Yuan Entertainment Company are collaborating to produce a mini-movie sequel to Sealed with a Kiss drama. Can I scream "OH MY GOSH!"? How long is a mini-movie? I heard it ranges from 5 to 20 minutes. Anyway, I'm so excited!! Guo Baoxian, the original scriptwriter, will not be doing the writing anymore. FANS WILL! Sohu TV is currently holding a writing competition, which will last till January 31, 2012, and encourages fans to write a creative sequel for the mini-movie. The winner will not only get to see his/her creation depicted onscreen, but receive an monetary prize and some Sealed with a Kiss memorabilia. Most importantly, the original cast and production team should return for this mini-sequel.

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ War of Desire/Phoenix Totem

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Title:   War of Desire/ Phoenix Totem/ 凰图腾/Huang Tu Teng # Episode : 50 Genre : Period Drama/ Court Intrigue Release date : December, 2011 currently airing daily Broadcasting Company: Hunan TV Cast: Bai Bing as Mu Feiyan, Zhang Han as Zhan Xinghan, Zheng Shuang as Xing Yingdie

Ying'er's Interview @Youku Award

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I just watched a 1-minute interview ( HERE ) with Ying'er and Hawick Lau after their Youku Award Ceremony. During this interview, Ying'er talked mostly about the relationship between Tong Xue and Mo Shaoqian in Sealed with a Kiss. Toward the end, however, a reporter asked her, "Are you and Hawick more loving toward each other off-screen than on-screen ?"

[Translation] Chapter 2(5) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

      我点点头。 I nodded my head 他似乎停了几秒钟,最后说:“那就这样吧,我搭地铁回去。” He paused for a few seconds and said, “Okay then, I’ll take the subway home.” “那我也走了。” “I’m going to go then.” “再见!” “Goodbye!”

[Translation] Chapter 2(4) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

      我怕舅妈不高兴,很少把家里电话告诉人。所以不知道是谁会在除夕的早晨打电话给我,忐忑中却听到萧山的声音,他说:“你的电话可真难找啊,问了老班才知道。” I was afraid that uncle’s wife wouldn’t be happy, so I rarely gave others my home phone number and didn’t have a clue who would give me a call on New Year’s Eve.  When I nervously answered the phone, I heard Xiao Shan’s voice, “Man, your phone number is so hard to locate. I had to ask our class president for it.” 舅妈就在旁边的沙发上,有意无意地看着我,因为从来没有男同学打电话到家里来,我怕她误会什么,连忙问:“今天不是不排练吗?” Uncle’s wife sat on the sofa next to me, seemingly throwing me an inadvertently look but also gave a stare intentionally sometimes. I never had a male classmate called my house before. I was afraid she would misunderstand, so I rushed to ask, “I thought we didn’t have to rehearse today?”

❀ Hong Kong Drama ❀ Bottled Passion

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Title: Bottled Passion/ My Cruel Lover/ My Lying Lover/ 我的如意狼君 # Episode : 21 Genre : Period Drama/ Revenge Release date : December, 2011 currently airing Monday to Friday Broadcasting Company: TVB Cast: Niki Chow as Tsui Sum, Raymond Wong as Tung Bun Sin, Joel Chan as Ko Yi Tai

Hawick Lau and Ying'er win "Best Onscreen Couple" from Youku

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Youku, one of China's largest streaming sites, just hosted their annual TV Series Award Ceremony in Beijing. Hawick Lau attended the star-studded ceremony with Ying'er to receive their "Best Onscreen Couple" award with the highest statistics for their roles as Mo Shaoqian and Tong Xue in Sealed with a Kiss. Other winners included Wallace Huo, Hu Ge, Ruby Lin, Liu Shishi, Ariel Lin, Tong Liya, Peter Ho, Wallace Chung and etc.

[Translation] Chapter 2(3) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

      我对排练的那段日子念念不忘,一多半是因为姥姥对我好,她对我真是太好了。 I would never forget the days we spent rehearsing our play, largely due to the kindness that Xiao Shan’s grandmother showed me. She was really too good to me.  快到春节时我们已经把台词倒背如流,有一天排完之后时间还早,不知是谁提议去溜冰。我是南方人,根本就不会溜。但排练到如今,可以说我们小组几个人已经是铁板一块,那友情比铁还硬,比钢还强。几个同学死活都拉我一块儿去,萧山也说:“有我们在,摔不着你。” When Spring Festival almost approached, we already had our lines memorized inside out. One day when our rehearsal ended early, I forgot whose idea it was, but someone suggested that we go ice skating. I was southerner so I had no idea how to ice skate.  Ever since we started to rehearse for our play, our small group had developed into an extremely close-knitted clique; our friendship became more unbreakable than metal, stronger than steel. Several of them even relentlessly insisted that I tagged along. Xiao Shao also said, “We’ll be there, so you won’t fall.”

[Translation] Chapter 2(2) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

真正跟萧山熟起来是在寒假,英国老太太给我们布置的寒假作业就是分组排一幕莎士比亚的剧。全班按座次被分成若干个小组,有的小组选了《罗密欧与朱丽叶》,有的小组选了《仲夏夜之梦》,有的小组选了《哈姆雷特》……我和萧山被分在一组,我们这组选了《威尼斯商人》。等春节过了,每个小组都要在班上公演,然后分别评分。 I only got to know Xiao Shan better during winter break. The English old lady split the class into small groups to act out a scene in a Shakespearean play as our homework assignment for winter break. Each person was assigned into a group was according to our seating arrangement.  One group chose Romeo and Juliet , another chose A Midsummer Night’s Dream , and another chose Hamlet … Xiao Shan and I were assigned to the same group, and we chose Merchant of Venice .  At the end of the Spring Festival [10], every group had to perform in front of the whole class and rated the performance of the other groups. [10] Also known as Chinese Lunar New Year when everyone goes home to reunite with his/her family. 

[Translation] Chapter 2(1) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

           高二上学期我才转学进的附中,本来附中一般不收转学生,尤其是外地的。是舅舅托了关系费了好大的劲,才把我弄进去。我自己也努了点力,面试那天教导主任拿了套卷子来考我,我刚做完数学卷,他就把余下的化学物理卷都收起来了,说:“行了,不用考了,下午来上课吧。”                 During my sophomore year in high school, I transferred to a laboratory high school [9]. Laboratory schools normally do not accept transfer students, especially non-local ones. It was my maternal uncle who exhausted all his social resources to get my foot in the door. I put some effort into the process as well. On the day of the interview, the Director of Educational Instruction brought a stack of exams to test me.  When I just finished the mathematical exam, he put away the remaining chemistry and physics exams and said, “It’s fine. We don’t need to test you anymore. Come to class this afternoon.” 

[Translation] Chapter 1(5) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

最好他喜新厌旧又彻底嫌弃我的不知趣,摔出张支票来让我滚蛋。 It’s best that he falls madly in love with the new and loathe the old. Then gets completely fret up by my disinterested attitude and throws me a fat check to tell me to get lost.  这种梦没得做,莫绍谦很快转移话题:“昨天买了什么衣服?” Unfortunately, such a dream isn’t going to happen as Mo Shaoqian quickly changes the topic. “What did you buy yesterday?” 我就知道他要问,所以我看都没看就拎了两件回来,真是有先见之明。于是兴高采烈告诉他:“米兰的当季新款,不过现在太热了,还不能穿给你看。” I knew he was going to ask. That’s why I didn’t even bother to look at what I bought and just decided to bring back two items. I really have foresight. In ecstatically cheerful tone, I tell him, “Milan’s newest design for the season. But it’s too hot right now, so I can’t wear it for you to see.”

"Love of Kangmei" MV Starring Li Bingbing

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Title: "Love of Kangmei" 康美之恋 Singer: Tan Jing 谭晶 If you like the "Love of Jiangnan" MV I previously posted, you may like this one even more due to the breathtaking rustic scenery filmed in Guangxi Province. The Jiangnan MV is more "picturesque" and painted, while karst mountainous backdrop in this video is definitely more raw and real .  The immensely popular Li Bingbing (from Forbidden Kingdom and the upcoming Resident Evil movie) co-starred with her college buddy from Shanghai Drama Institute, Ren Quan, to tell a simple idyllic love story in rural China.

A Beautiful Chinese MV - "Love of Jiangnan"

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Song Title : "Love of Jiangnan" 江南之恋 Singer : Tan Jing 谭晶 By chance, I discovered this gorgeous MV on YouTube and absolutely fell in love with the breathtaking dreamy theme that the director/artistic team managed to convey in the video. I heard it took a year for the production team to produce this music video.  Mandy Lieu, a Hong Kong supermodel, and Tong Dawei, a renown Mainland Chinese actor, were cast as the lead roles of a foreign-born girl living in China before the outbreak of World War II and a young soldier respectively. They fall in love before the war and get separated for 8 years before reuniting in matrimony. The former soldier then takes his bride to meet his family in the Jiangnan region.

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Great Tang's Female General: Fan Lihua/ Da Tang Nü Jiang Fan Li Hua

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Title: Great Tang's Female General: Fan Lihua/ 大唐女将樊梨花/  Da Tang Nü Jiang Fan Li Hua # Episode : 36 Genre : Historical Fantasy Directors : Jin Aoxun, Huang Zuquan, Shao Jin Release date : August, 2011 Cast: Qin Lan as Fan Lihua, Hawick Lau as Xue Dingshan, Wang Yansu as Chen Jinding, TAE as Yang Fan

[Translation] Chapter 1(4) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

香秀牵着可爱来了,可爱是条萨摩耶,今年已经两岁,雪白的毛一尘不染,笑起来可比我高贵。香秀是专门负责它的菲佣,为人非常耐心踏实,一心一意侍候可爱,对可爱跟对自己孩子似的,教会了可爱很多东西,比如握手啊,坐下啊……每次莫绍谦来了,香秀总要把可爱带出来让他看看。 Xiangxiu came with Loveable on a leash. Loveable is a two year old Samoyed dog with a full body of dense fluffy coat purer than white snow. When he smiles, he looks even nobler than me. As for Xiangxiu, she's the domestic worker of Filipino descent purposely hired to take care of Loveable.  Extremely patient and dependable, she put her heart and soul in caring for him. She treats him as if he’s her child, teaching him to perform countless tricks such as handshake, sit, etc. Whenever Mo Shaoqian comes back, Xiangxiu would always take Loveable to see him.  我一点儿也不喜欢狗,可爱也不怎么喜欢我,我一次也没遛过它,香秀偶尔带着它进来,它还冲我汪汪乱叫,气得我几次想偷偷把这狗送人。但这事上头我压根没发言权,可爱是莫绍谦买的,香秀是莫绍谦请的,这房子是莫绍谦的,连我也是莫绍谦养的。 I don’t like dogs at all. Loveable doesn’t like me either. 

[Translation] Chapter 1(3) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

【第一部分】 第一章( 3 ) 【 Part 1 】 Chapter 1(3) 他是吻技高手,唇齿缠绵间我就意乱情迷,熟悉而霸道的气息侵占了全部的呼吸。他不耐地啮咬有细微的疼痛,我勾着他的脖子,有意回应他。两个月不见大概还真“距离产生美”,所以他很快被我糊弄住了,胳膊一弯就把我打横抱了上楼。 He’s skilled in kissing techniques. As our lips and teeth locked, I begin to submerge into an incoherent state of subconsciousness [5]. His familiar commanding breath is overwhelming as it swallows my breathing completely. I feel a slight sting of pain when he impatiently nibbles on my lips, so I swing my arms around his neck to show my reciprocation.  [5] Tong Xue uses a Chinese phase yi luan qing mi which translates as a “confused state of mind and absorbed in the sensation of love.” This phase is often used to describe people who are head over heels in love and cannot think coherently. Perhaps our two-month long separation has some magical effect. Didn’t someone say “there’s beauty in being apart for a long time”? Anyway, he seems to have quickly fallen into my deception, wrapping his arms around me to carry me across

[Translation] Chapter 1(2) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

【第一部分】 第一章( 2 ) 【 Part 1 】 Chapter 1(2) 刚陪悦莹走进试衣间,我的手机就响起来了。很独特的旋律,是《三大纪律八项注意》,革命歌曲铿锵有力地回荡在装潢奢豪的旗舰店里,简直有一种不伦不类的滑稽。我慌慌张张在包里掏手机,越着急越掏不出来,那手机越唱越大声。但名店就是名店,Jack和另一位帅哥店员屈膝半蹲,专心替悦莹扣好最后一颗扣子,仿佛对我包包里稀奇古怪的铃声充耳未闻。 My cell phone's ringtone sounded just when I’m about to step into the fitting room with Yueying, playing a famous People’s Liberation Army’s theme song, “Three Major Rules and Eight Directives [3].”  In the resplendently ornate interior of this high fashion boutique shop, the sonorous music echoes loudly. A communist revolutionary theme song resonating in every corner of this luxury shop, the quintessence of material extravagance and capitalism, is just ironically comical. [3] It's really interesting that Tong Xue chose such a ringtone for Mo Shaoqian. It subconsciously implies that Tong Xue sees him as her military commander, a man of high authority that provokes fear. In his presence, she must constantly remind herself to carefully tread his path and not accidentally

[Translation] Chapter 1(1) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

Since I've been asked a few times to translate the Sealed with a Kiss novel, I've decided to go ahead with this project. It's going to be a monumental task for me. I can't guarantee my command of the Chinese language will be good enough to do justice to the tone of Tong Xue's narration and the writing style in this novel, but I'll do my best. Be warned. This translation process will be very slow and tedious, so please be patient with me. Comments will always be appreciated. =D And if ANYONE who knows Chinese and would like to contribute in the translation - no matter big or small - please don't hesitate to let me know. Even if your translation is rough, I'll be more than happy to edit it for you.

✿ Chinese Drama ✿ Inner Palace: Zhen Huan Biography/Hou Gong: Zhen Huan Zhuan

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  Title: Hou Gong: Zhen Huan Zhuan/ 后宫·甄嬛传/Inner Palace: Zhen Huan Biography/ Empresses in the Palace/ Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan # Episode : 76 Genre : Women Court Politics, Romance, Personal Struggle, Qing Dynasty, Feminism Director : Zheng Xiaolong Writer(s): Liu Lianzi and Wang Xiaoping Release date : November 21, 2011 Cast: (Betty) Sun Li as Zhen Huan, Ada Choi as the Empress, Chen Jianbin as the Emperor (Yongzheng), Li Dongxue as Prince Guo (17th Prince/Yinli) Original novel written by Liu Lianzi Discussion Forum

Episode 5 Recap of Sealed with a Kiss

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Since Mu Zhenfei had offered to help his sister dig out Mo Shaoqian’s dalliances, Yongfei calls him to check on the progress on of his investigation. Mu Zhenfei, who is fully aware of his sister’s erratic and uninhibited behavior, cautions her not to go too far.  He fears his sister will do something crazy and hurt another innocent woman like Su Shanshan. He warns, “The more you pressure a man, the more he will resist you. Your tactic won’t work.” Ignoring Zhenfei's advice, Mu Yongfei shoots back saying that after their father suspended his hospital construction project, Mo Shaoqian has been a very “good husband” recently and has even moved back home to spend more time with her.

Wallpapers for Sealed with a Kiss

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Recently, I've been absorbed in playing with Photoshop and making some Sealed with a Kiss banners for this blog. And I thought maybe I should share what I've done and convert some of the banners into high resolution wallpapers. If you have a particular banner that you really like and want it in wallpaper format, please let me know! Size : 1600 x 1200 pixels ♦♦ Peachy Theme ♦♦ ♦♦ Blue Night Theme ♦♦