Movie Review: Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter

My review of the final installment: Resident Evil 6 (R.E.6): The Final Chapter

Spoilers Ahead! 

Thumbs up: 

Wrapping up the storyline: R.E.6 The Final Chapter worked hard to wrap up the story line than purely an adventure on the go action/effects movie.

Another side of Alice: Rather than showing Alice being good at fighting, a portion of the screen time was used on showing she is good with strategy.

Lee Joon Gi's short appearance but refreshing character: Lee Joon Gi stood out a lot. The only refreshing character which could be put to bigger use to bring more impact to the movie. His character certainly stood out among the many characters despite having minimal scene time.


Disappointment Factor 1: No action pack battle and replaced with narration

After years of waiting, the final movie is finally released. At the end of Resident Evil 5: Retribution, looked like a big battle between Alice and zombies + dragons? BUT at the start of Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter only showed the end of the battle. (Sigh) Not surprised they chose to do it with a narration by Alice (which is the typical opening of R.E.) 

Disappointment Factor 2: Alice Identity (What about the previous red queen?)

When I saw the resemblance of Alice and the red queen, I suspected about Alice origin being the same person as the red queen. It would also explain why Alice could bond with the T-virus without becoming a zombie. BUT the kid which the red queen copied was featured in the R.E. Part 2 so I quickly dismissed the possibility. This is one part I am puzzled with. Does it mean that the kid in part 2 is just a clone or the entire part 2 movie was one of the Umbrella Corporation's simulated environment? 

Disappointment Factor 3: Budget for other scenes... perhaps?

I find the scenes where Isaac and Alice were predicting about their attacks on each other... initially nice.. but when it goes on to attempt 2 and 3 etc, it was too repetitive. 

Disappointment Factor 4: Weak in refreshing characters, the new assembled team didn't have much time to make an impression

1. The 48 hours restrictions to save mankind didn't gave Alice enough time to bond with the team except Claire Redfields (Ali Carter) and Abigail (Ruby Rose) .
2. Alice have yet another group of travelling companions BUT was killed off one by one, which saved much time for Alice to solve the mystery on the undercover identity.
3. Reprising her role as Claire Redfields (Ali Carter), it was fortunate Claire wasn't killed off but her character in this last chapter didn't seemed to bring bigger impact as compared the previous movies.
3. 2 of the rescued survivors from Umbrella corporation volunteered to join Alice in a pursue to the Hive. Seemed like they were up to something, BUT... they were just one of the first few to be killed.

Overall:

The focus was upon Alice, Issac, Wesley and the Red Queen which seemed lacking in the WOW factor. Apart from the character showing themselves to be the original version of themselves, the clothes were new? the style was cool black BUT weak on the element to make me go WOW as these characters has been seen repeatedly in the R.E series.

Verdict: 

Only for those seeking for a closure to the entire R.E. movies. Glad that they didn't save on the budget for the actions and effect and Alice is still portrayed by the Milla Jovovich.

Almond Sugee Cookie

Ingredients
(yields approx 160 circle, love, star and flower shaped cookies (0.5 - 0.7cm thickness * 2 - 4 cm diameter)

400g Ghee (clarified butter)
700g all-purpose/plain flour
pinch of salt (1/2 tsp salt)
1 tsp baking powder
280g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g blanched almond (super fine powder)

Methods
1. In a bowl, sift all-purpose/plain flour
2. Add in salt and baking powder and stir to mix well and left aside till step 5
3. In another mixing bowl, cream Ghee with icing sugar till pale yellow (should look lighter than original butter yellow) and smooth texture (no lumpy sugar
4. Add in vanilla essence and mix well
5. Add in sifted flour portion by portion, till well mixed
6. Add in blanched almond and mixed thoroughly and formed a dough
7. On a plastic/cling wrap, shaped the dough to a long cylinder shape and wrap it.
8. Refrigerate the dough for 30 mins
9. After 30 mins, preheat oven @ 180 Celsius
10. Remove dough from fridge and cut the dough evenly and shape to the desired shape.
11. On a baking tray, place the shaped dough around 0.5~1 cm apart
12. Bake @ 180 Celsius for 15~20 minutes till shaped dough is completely cooked and is slightly brown.

Note:
-> At Step 5, the dough can be left as a whole ball shape and cover with a plastic wrap or cloth and refrigerate.
-> At Step 8, can opt to roll out the dough and use a cookie/shape cutter to cut the required shape. But the thickness is advised to be at least 0.5cm thickness but not more than 1 cm thickness. If it's too thin, the baked piece will be less melty, while a thicker version will required a longer baking time.
-> If to roll out the dough, can use the plastic/cling wrap to cover the dough and roll with the roller. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the roller and also remove the need for flouring the roller/dough.
-> Icing sugar can be reduce slightly by 30g to the recipe above for a less sweet version.
-> If you prefer better melting texture and/of almond fragrance, have an additional 50g blanched almond to the recipe above.

Pineapple Tarts Revisited

After a few years of not making pineapple tarts, this year I tried again. This time round, I added something to my original recipe here to make the pastry softer, Ghee. 

I made almond sugee cookie days ago and felt in love with the soft melting pastry. After browsing through the website on several other pineapple tarts recipe that used ghee, it seemed that just having an additional 2 tablespoons of Ghee with an increased amount of flour will make the pastry softer.

So this is it, my revised recipe with Ghee:

Ingredients 
(yields approx 65~70 pineapple tarts balls - 2cm diameter)

Pineapple Tarts
250g unsalted butter
470g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder (Optional, in my case, I did not have it so I did not add any in)
1/2 tsp salt
50g icing sugar (Can be lesser than 50, around 48g/49g)
2 eggs (separate egg yolk with egg white into two different bowls)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
500g (1/2 pack of a 1 kg) pineapple preserve filling paste (bought the redman premium grade from phoon huat)

Glazing
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp condensed milk
1/2 ~ 1 tsp vegetable oil

Methods
1. Sift all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and icing sugar into a big bowl)

2. Add butter and ghee with the dry ingredient and rub in till breadcrumb-like.
Note: Cut the butter using a platter knife into cubes and stir with the dry ingredients until it becomes easier to rub in the flour with butter with your fingertips.

3. Add in the eggs yolks (with the vanilla essence) and knead to become a dough.

4. Leave in fridge for 20mins (or less than 40 mins else the dough will harden and you will not be able to roll out the dough immediately)

5. Take 1/2 pack of the 1 kg pineapple preserve filling paste (which I believe is still more than enough) and make them into small balls shaped(size depends on your need, the bigger the ball, the more dough will be used to make 1 pineapple tarts. That would also mean a lesser quantity produced.)

6. After removing the dough from fridge, roll out dough on a rolling board and fold the dough for a few times.

7. From the dough, take a small portion and roll into a ball shape around 2 cm diameter. Then press it down for a flatten round shaped dough and place the pineapple ball in the center.

8.Wrap the pineapple with the round shaped dough until it has covered the entire pineapple, remove some of the dough if it looks too thick.

9. Preheat oven at 180 Celsius.

10. Mixed all the ingredients listed under "Glazing" and glaze ONLY the top of ball shaped pineapple tarts.

11. Bake for 20 mins @180 Celsius

Notes:

-> I preheated my oven ONLY when I am done at step 8. For I used microwave oven, the preheat stage required a minimal time. The norm is to preheat the oven at the start (as a step 1) before anything begin. 

-> For those who don't like a softer pastry, do try the recipe from here.

Braised Chicken with Carrot, Potato and Onions

Braised Chicken with Carrot, Potato and Onions

Ingredients

a. 8 ~10 pcs small chicken drumlets

b. 2 tsps light soy sauce

c. 1 tsp seasame oil

d. 1 level tblsp sugar

e. a dash of black pepper

f. 3 potatoes

g. 1 carrot

h. 1 yellow onion

i. 1 leek

j. 2 cloves of garlic

Preparation Part 1: Marinate chicken

Step 1: Place chicken in a bowl.

Step 2: Combine the ingredient from label b. to e. with the chicken and mixed well.

Step 3: Using cling wrap, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or over night (for better taste)

Preparation Part 2: Prepare the remaining ingredients

Step 4: Remove skin on the onion, potatoes and carrots and cut into desired shape. Rinse to remove any dirt.

Step 5: Rinse leek and sliced finely.

Step 6: Remove the skin on the garlic and chopped finely.

Cooking time

Step 7: Heat 1~2 tblsp oil in a pot
Step 8: Add in marinated chicken and stir fry till golden brown and remove from pot
Step 9: Using the same pot with medium heat, add in the another tblsp of oil and fry the garlic till golden brown.
Step 10: Add in potato and stir fry till cooked.
Step 11: Add in carrot and stir fry till cooked.
Step 12: Add in chicken, onion and leek and fill with water enough to cover at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the dish.
Step 13: When water started to boil, cover the pot with lid and reduce heat to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes

Sidenote:
1. Leek is optional. Happened to have it in my fridge so I just added it in.
2. If using big size drumstick, might want to check if it is well-cooked during step 8. Alternatively, maybe can increase the simmer duration to 40 minutes in step 13 so that the meat will be tender and the inside is cooked completely.

Encountered the "User profile service failed the logon" error!!

Got this error and googled for help.

a. On 1 occasion, I performed the below steps:

1. Upon power up the system, I keep pressing (as in press and release) F8 button upon power up my PC till I finally get into the list with the Safe Mode selection.

2. Select "Repair Your Computer"

3. Select "System Restore"

4. Select any of the restore point and click "Next" and follow through the process on screen. The restoration process failed or have error.

5. Restart my PC and and back to the list of selection by pressing (press and release) F8 button till the list of startup selection appears.
6. Select "Last Known Good Configuration" and follow through the process on screen and Ta-da! It worked!

b. On another occasion, I performed the below steps:

1. Upon power up the system, I keep pressing (as in press and release) F8 button upon power up my PC till I finally get into the list with the Safe Mode selection.
2. Select "Last Known Good Configuration" and follow through the process on screen. But it failed to fixed the problem.
3. Restart my PC and and back to the list of selection by pressing (press and release) F8 button till the list of startup selection appears.
4. Select "Repair Your Computer"
5. Select "System Restore"
6. Select any of the restore point and click "Next" and follow through the process on screen and Ta-da! It worked!

The error haven't pop up again till not but not sure if this is the proper way to fix it. Just a workaround way but better than nothing.

Short Getaway 3D2N KL Day 3 - MY > SG

Day 1: SG - KL (via Lapan Lapan) > Berjaya Time Square Hotel > Melia > Low Yat Plaza > Jalan Bintang > Parkson Sungei Wang Plaza
Day 2: Central Flea Market > Chinatown > Berjaya Time Square


Day 3: KL > SG

After a good night rest, it was time for breakfast in the hotel before we get ready to check out. We requested for late checkout @ 1pm instead of the usual 12pm. (Requested the day before and it was fortunately it was granted so we can rest longer before we head out to wait for our coach)

What we had before we head for the coach
-> Late breakfast in the hotel (Breakfast started from 6.30am till 10.30am)
-> Krispy Kreme

For the coach ride back to SG, there were 2 stopovers before reaching MY custom.

1 is for toilet and snacking break (10mins)

1 is for refilling the petrol @ the petrol station (20mins)

Both were quite short duration with the refilling petrol slightly longer than our toilet break.

At the MY custom, only need to bring our passport along

AT SG custom, everything need to be brought down for scanning before entry to SG

Was able to drop off at the bustop near Taman Jurong which allowed us to get home faster.

Looking forward for our next short getaway trip!

Short Getaway 3D2N KL Day 2 - Central Flea Market > Chinatown > Berjaya Time Square

Day 1: SG - KL (via Lapan Lapan) > Berjaya Time Square Hotel > Melia > Low Yat Plaza > Jalan Bintang > Parkson Sungei Wang Plaza

Day 2: Central Flea Market > Chinatown > Berjaya Time Square

Day 3: KL > SG

Day 2

Breakfast was catered for in the hotel and there was a huge variety to choose from. Still suffering from pain, I kickstarted my day with warm porridge, an oozing omelette, toasted bread with salad and bake beans with a cup of hot tea. After breakfast, it was time for more shopping and touring.

Breakfast Spread @ at hotel

With reference from trip advisor on the places to visit, we picked Central Flea Market. Out of the hotel, we went to the taxi stand counter to grab a cab. There was an admin fee to be paid to the taxi counter and they directed us to our designated cab. We boarded a blue color cab on a meter charge. Clean, neat and air conditioned, the taxi uncle readily shared with us on the nearby area which we can go to.

However, we only engaged his service for a one way trip to Central Flea Market as we wanted leisure browsing. 

From Central Flea Market, it was just a short walking distance to Chinatown. We walked for roughly 5-10 minutes. It would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't under the hot sun.

1. Central Flea Market
-> Clothes, Accessories, Tibits and Snacks, Art Corner, Souvenirs
2. Chinatown 
-> Mainly Purses, Bags, Wallet, Apparels, Sunglasses, Pen, Food
3. Kota Raya Complex

- Shopping mall

Because of the hot weather, we mingled around Chinatown for a short while before we went to the nearby shopping mall, Kota Raya Complex for aircon and a short break before heading back to Berjaya Time Square. 

Cab counter was readily available just at the entrance of Kota Raya Complex (admin fee applied). 

Berjaya Times Square is very big shopping mall which we got lost on our first day. We went back again to explore and we found the theme park. However, we only stood at the outside for some photos before heading off somewhere else.

1. Berjaya Time Square West and East Wing
-> Yuki Sou, reminds me of Mini Sou.

2. Berjaya Times Square Theme Park
-> An indoor amusement park for both kids and adults

3. A food corner and kueh corner within the shopping mall

Within the shopping mall, there were plenty of food to choose from. From snacks to a full course meal, you name it, you find it. The only obstacle would be to locate the actual location. 

Our Lunch and Dinner

- Ramen @ Shopping mall

- Delicious Kueh made from fresh coconut

- Indonesia Cuisine @ Shopping mall

After food and shopping, we head back to our hotel where our room at the non-smoking zone is ready for us to check in. The bed were firm and with (finally bought) panadol, I got a good night sleep throughout.

Short Getaway 3D2N KL Day 1 SG - KL via Lapan Lapan

Our Short and Last Minute Getaway 3D2N to KL

Day 1: SG - KL (via Lapan Lapan) > Berjaya Time Square Hotel > Melia > Low Yat Plaza > Jalan Bintang > Parkson Sungei Wang Plaza

Day 2: Central Flea Market > Chinatown > Berjaya Time Square
Day 3: KL > SG

Transport: Coach via Starmart, booked by our tour agent Lapan Lapan.

The whole journey after clearing SG and MY custom was approximate 4 hours + only! (I remembered it was around 3 hours + but all my friends whom I spoke to had insisted it couldn't be that fast, so I add another hour to give a better reference)

Package Cost: We paid around SGD $395 for a 3D2N stay at Berjaya Time Square Hotel (with breakfast included) with bus coach to and fro for 2 pax.



Day 1
Arrived around time for check-in @ Berjaya Time Square Hotel, it took longer than what we expected to get our room. Main reason being... there wasn't any non-smoking room available at the time of check-in. The staff was quick to propose alternative: stay for a night before changing to a non-smoking room the next day. We went with her suggestion since upgrading room was an expensive choice.

Berjaya Time Square Hotel

After quickly settled into our hotel room, we did minimal packing and quickly head out for late lunch. Although we were in KL, we couldn't resist the Taiwan eatery at the shopping mall so yes, we have Taiwan Cuisine for our late lunch before we proceed to walk around the nearby shopping mall.

We covered only a few shopping places that were conveniently located from Berjaya Time Square Hotel which were Melia, Low Yat Plaza (remind me of Funan IT Mall. Full of electronic stores, from Laptop, PC, Printer to mobile phone), the street of Jalan Bintang (with bar, restaurant, food. We were there in the late afternoon hours), Parkson Sungei Wang Plaza (where i found Daiso!).

After the short touring, we headed back to Berjaya Time Square Hotel to make full use of the facilities (swimming pool to be exact!) before heading to dine at the shopping mall restaurant and then back to hotel again.

Hard to forget... Although it's a king size bed, it was a nightmare for me. I am uncertain if it's due to the bed which sagged into the middle due to my body weight that contributed to my stiff muscle pain/body ache in the middle of the night, I woke up with pain all over my shoulder, back and neck. With zero anti-pain medication at hand, I struggled for 2 hours of no sleep. Fortunately fatigue caught me and I positioned myself to the very corner of the bed (where the bed is firm-er) and finally went back to dreamland.

Kimchi

Kimchi

Ingredients

1/2 cup Sea Salt

4 tablespoons Hot Red Pepper Paste

1 tsp grated Young Ginger

1 Napa Cabbage 

1 Scallion - Wash, dried and cut into 1 1/2 inch long

1 Carrot Wash, dried and cut into 1 1/2 inch long

8 cloves of garlic, cut in half

1 big bowl

Airtight (preferably glass) container

Steps

1. Wash cabbage

2. Cut cabbage into small pieces

3. In a large bowl, rub salt to each cabbage piece.

4. Fill up the bowl with water enough to over the cabbage and let it submerge for an hour. (This is to soften the cabbage. Submerge in water longer till cabbage is soften.)

5. In another large bowl, prepare the paste by adding in the Hot Red Pepper Paste, grated young ginger, scallion, carrot, garlic and mix well. 

6. Back to the cabbage after it has soften. Drain the salt water from the cabbage and rinse with water (3 times min) and squeeze out the water in the cabbage.

7. Slowly add in portion by portion of cabbage into the mixed paste and mix well.

8. After all the cabbage has been combined and well mixed, packed it into container. Ensure the water level cover the top of the kimchi. If water from kimchi is not enough, top up with water.

9. Leave it at room temperature for 1 day and use a spoon to press the kimchi downwards to compress and remove the air bubbles.

10. Refrigerate kimchi and serve when required.

Fridge the kimchi and serve as required

Note: 

> There are various recipes on the web. This is my own version as I didn't have the complete ingredients. For example, daikon/radish, self-made paste for the kimchi and spring water are used/recommended in other recipes. 

> The time to leave the kimchi varies with the room temperature.

> Sterilize glass bottles before canning.

Baked Blooming Onion

Baked Blooming Onion

Recipe
1 onion
3 eggs
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 tablespoon Turmeric
1 tablespoon Garlic Flakes
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt

Steps

1. In a bowl, beat the 3 eggs.

2. In another bowl, mix well the all the spices and salt 

3. From the top, cut 1/4 of the onion. Do not remove the root (yet)

4. Turned the onion 180 degree, where the cut portion laid flat at the chopping board.

5. Around 0.5~1cm away from root, cut straight downwards into the onions into 4 sections

6. In between the each section, further cut straight downwards into the onion to divide each section into 4 portion. Will arrive at 16 sections in total.

7. Slice off the root, be careful not to slick too much or the sections will fall apart.

8. Turn the onion 180 degree, where the root section now laid flat at the chopping board.

9. Gently open the petals so they spread out. Remove any petals or the middle portion IF it is detached from the onion.

10. Preheat oven at between either 180~200 degree celsius.

11. Prepare a baking tray with a baking sheet and lightly greased the baking sheet.

12. Bring the blooming onion to the bowl with the spices and sprinkle each petal with the spices.

13. Bring the blooming onion to the bowl with egg mixture and coat each petal with the spices.

14. Once again, bring the blooming onion back to the bowl with the spices and sprinkle each petal with the spices.

15. Lay  the blooming onion onto the baking sheet and cover the top with an aluminum sheet

16. Bake for 30 mins @ 180~200 degree celsius (I tried mine at 200 degree celsius)

17. Remove the aluminum sheet and bake another 10~15 mins @ 180 degree celsius. (I baked for 15 mins)

The onion

The mixed spices and salt

Beaten Eggs

 The cut onion

Note: 

> For the spice, have to top up more in volume if it's not sufficient enough for sprinkle on the all the petals. 

> In other recipe, there is variation in the spices used. I only have the above listed. Can explore around and try add in other spices.

Source: Got the recipe instructions from http://paleogrubs.com/baked-blooming-onion

Train to Busan Movie Review

Spoiler ahead! 

Please don't read on if you don't want to know about the movie details yet... (And if you haven't watch the movie, you might not be able to relate to the below too.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Summary

The title says it all, the ultimate destination is to Busan and via train. But no...it's not that simple. Because the journey to Busan is filled with zombies (main obstacles) and human selfish and selfless acts.

The trailer gave a deja vu of the movie World War Z. But the zombies rely more on the human-zombie actors than the special effect. The part where the zombies piled up within the train cabin is like World War Z style.

Being a zombie film fans, the trailer got me so interested that I finally step foot into the theater after so many titles failed to do so.

The movie setting started from a regular office, to a normal home to the train and train station. The main lead who is a super busy workaholic who bought his daughter the same presents twice and wanted to make up to his daughter. So he took time off to accompany his daughter to take the train to Busan to meet up with his wife which turned out to be their last journey together.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I think stood out most is the totality of the story line and one action can lead to a positive/negative outcome.

In the movie, the main actor didn't want to save anyone but his daughter. When the couple (pregnant lady and husband) saved his daughter and the main actor, the main actor become a selfless person and managed to put on his heroic spirit and save the homeless man.
But what goes around comes around. They were met with a group of survivors who was all for themselves and refused to let the remaining survivors (with possible infection) to go enter their carriage. (Which is like the beginning scene where the main actor closed the door on the couple.)

But yet because of this selfish survivors' act, it triggered the old lady to open the door for the zombies (as a retribution to the selfish guys.)

Towards the end of the movie, the main actor was bitten and turned to zombie by that very selfish guy. (Once again, the main actor originally was a selfish man, and is similar to that of the selfish man. And in the end he got bitten by this selfish man? Ironic?)

--------------------------------------------------

Just a thought

Sad that almost the entire main cast was gone by the end. They could have had more than just 2 survivors although this is way better than the norm 1 person survivor in other movies.

Surprisingly there were no stabbing of brains/cutting off the heads as compared to other zombie movies. Good and bad. They fought hard with their fist, which could be a bit far-stretch since zombie can bite just any parts of the body.

But definitely give them thumbs up for the idea that the zombies is blind when in dark place and react only to noise. In other zombie movies, they were attracted to bright lights/fire instead.

Question is... if the homeless man knew that it was possible to blind the zombie with his cloth, why they didn't thought about just covering their vision to avoid being seen?

Anyway, words had it that there will be a sequel and the husband of the pregnant lady will be returning (as a zombie) for the sequel!! Looking forward to the sequel!! 

Korean Drama Review Beautiful Gong Shim

Cast ^[1]

Namgoong Min as Ahn Dan-tae / Seok Joon-pyo

Bang Minah (Girl's Day) as Gong Shim

On Joo-wan as Seok Joon-soo

Seo Hyo-rim as Gong Mi

Initially it was titled as "Yasoowa Minyeo" ("The Beast and The Beauty") but subsequently changed to Beautiful Gong Shim.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Girl's Day Minah as Gong Shim

When I looked at the title, I wondered if the story will be more focused on the female lead. I like Minah a lot, but this is a heavy responsibility. Almost towards the middle of the drama, it was obvious the focus was onto the 2 brothers than Gong Shim. (I really like Minah but) it's undeniable that the 2 brothers' story line was more exciting to watch. 

This isn't Minah first film. Previously, she had a lead role in the movie "Holly" and also acted in other movies. More recently, she appeared in the drama "The Savage Family" but Beautiful Gong Shim marked her first lead role in drama.

I came to know as Minah as part of Girl's Day and she always looked beautiful on stage apart from being a very good vocalist.

When I first saw Gong Shim (with her wig), I wasn't used to her appearance. In the beginning, it felt distant. After 2 or 3 episode down the road, the wig helped much more than I thought. It made me forgot about Girl's Day Minah and looked at Minah as Gong Shim. I really looked forward for her future films!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Namgoong Min as Ahn Dan Tae

It was really a wise choice to cast Namgoong Min as the male lead. Having acted in so many villain character for his previous films, this is the first time he shed off the fearful and scary side of him and showed the audience a complete different self.

The nature of Ahn Dan Tae is a bright and cheeky guy and Namgoong Min portrayed him well with his flexible acting skill. At some points of the show, I was reminded of him in "We Got Married".  Namgoong Min certainly looked comfortable in his role.

When the storyline moved on to where Ahn Dan Tae was trying to uncover the truth behind Joon Pyo's kidnapping, the transition in his emotion was well portrayed.

When he sobbed upon seeing Gong Shim's home-cook food for him, its really a superb acting!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beautiful Gong Shim [3]

About the story
The trailer portrayed how Gong Shim's older sister, Gong Mi, is always the focus of the family and getting the best of everything while Gong Shim is having a terrible life.

Gong Shim ^[2]

The drama started off with a brief idea how things are not going towards Gong Shim's way and she let out her frustration on her family and how they looked down upon her. She was looked down upon, but not mistreated by her family. She had to give up/give in on things for the sake of her family. She had a complete family, who was greedy for the rich but they cared for her. The bad luck and hardships Gong Shim encountered seemed to lead her to positive rewards.

Gifted in arts, Gong Shim is pretty skilled in many areas from her various part time jobs especially her character seemed to portray her as a keen and fast learner. All she really need is luck.

Although Gong Mi's despicable acts caused Gong Shim to lose out on opportunities to be closer with Joon Soo, Gong Shim eventually realize it was Ahn Dan Tae she had feelings for.
And Gong Shim became the key to help Ahn Dae Tae neutralize his pain with her smile and her sweet love.


Ahn Dan Tae ^[2]

Ahn Dae Tae's foster dad went MIA and he, himself, was framed when young. All that cultivated him to become strike to become a better man and better of all, a lawyer. It was a tough life for anyone. But he had the will to remain positive and fight for what he believe in.

An overly cheerful acting or one who is too reserve will make the character lost its balance. Namgoong Min's acting certainly give a boost to the character's will.

However, if not for the few scenes of him at the court, it would really make forgot about his lawyer profession and remembered him as a relief chauffeur.

Unlike other dramas where the secret goes down with one person and that one person only, Ahn Dae Tae had the best person to back him up upon confirming his identity, his Grandma.

There were certainly some parts towards the end of the drama the story plot felt heavy at heart but the sweet love between Ahn Dae Tae and Gong Shim quickly balanced it off.

Throughout the drama, it was clear that Ahn Dae Tae is good at analyzing, but when he almost got the wrong person, Seok Joon Soo, in trouble, it was difficult not to get mad.


Seok Joon Soo^[2]

Seok Joon Soo seemed to be the most pitiful character of all. I wonder how he hasn't gone bad or crack with all the negative aura from his Grandma.

Despite being the most sought after bachelor, he somehow had eyes on Gong Shim. Even after he was rejected and found out Gong Shim liked Ahn Dae Tae, he still had eyes on Gong Shim only.

Hopefully the drama gave him another partner as Gong Shim had eyes on Ahn Dan Tae. 

Unless the scriptwriter decided to end the drama with an open ended ending?






Gong Mi ^[2]

Gong Mi took on the family's debt and wanted a better life. While the family gave in to her demands, Gong Mi seemed to be never satisfied with what she have.

Although one can sympathize her situation, having to provide for the family, it seemed she is never satisfied with what she have and what she can get with her current self.

Her despicable acts towards Gong Shim seemed like envy and jealousy.

Fortunately, these acts in the drama were kept to a minimal. We know there is bound to be karma and for her, it having to hide her family almost throughout the show.

If only she was less self-conscious, she won't have the pressure to hide and fear.



The Gong's family ^[4]

What a pity the storyline of both fathers (Gong Mi/Gong Shim's father and Joon Soo's father) came in so late.

I had a good laugh when they met up for the karaoke session. It's a filler in between the main storyline but yet totally worth the time.

If they had shown more of the fathers' interaction than the mothers'...

But who would forget the scene where Gong Mi/Gong Shim's mother threw Joon Soo's mother.. It was epic!

On the whole, the chemistry of the entire casts was great. It would definitely be fun if they could show more of the behind the scenes footage!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Gong_Shim
[2] http://la18.tv/ko/korean-prog/pretty-ugly/
[3] http://www.koreandrama.org/beautiful-gong-shim/
[4] http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/05/namgoong-min-minah-are-all-smiles-for-beautiful-gong-shim/

Foodie Times: McDonald New Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger with Salt & Pepper Crab flavored Twister Fries and Banana Pie

Cost: $9 

- Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger 

- Salt & Pepper Crab flavored Twister Fries 

- Banana Pie 

- Coke 

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger (Burger Bread View)

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger (Salted Egg Yolk View)

By the time I get to eat it, the salted egg yolk was a bit dried up. The taste of the salted egg yolk was still surprisingly obvious (as I had the Manhattan Salted Egg Yolk Dory Fish and the salted egg yolk paste was quite flat). Chicken was crispy, plenty of vegetable, bread was bread. After the first few bites, I found it a bit too plain and I added in the MacDonald's Garlic Chilli Sauce. Although it tasted better but the salted egg yolk was covered up by the chilli. For those who prefer salted egg yolk, don't add in other sauce.

Salt & Pepper Crab flavoured Twister Fries 

Sorry, no photo as I was too focus on the burger and the banana pie. 

The twister fries always make my day (unless I got a packet of real cold or soggy fries)  I always give this a thumbsup. Just the lady who packed my meal forgot to give me the shaker bag so I can only dip the Fries with Salt & Pepper Crab powder instead of 'coating them'.  With the powder, the twister fries original taste was further enhanced. 

Banana Pie

For those who thought the banana pie is something towards our local snack, fried banana pisang goreng, please DON'T!

When I took the first bite, the crust, just like the apple pie, was crispy but the filling... Pardon my limited taste for banana but I thought it doesn't seemed like the pisang goreng banana taste. It's is nice fragrant and with small chunks of banana, BUT it is not what I have expected. 

I would choose to have the apple pie instead.

Go for the burger and the twister fries!!