蛋糕配红酒 第一章第一幕 Red Wine and Christmas Cake 1.1:林颖夕

那件事已经是四,五年前的事了吧。

星期六早上六点钟,新加坡国家美术馆。

这是City Hall 周围还能听见小鸟叫声的时分。还离新加坡国家美术馆营业时间三个小时,但是正厅里和艺廊却已经有好多人在忙着。有好几名艺术家在布置他们的作品,也有管理人员匆匆忙忙地走来走去。

明天是新加坡与日本欢庆友谊50周年艺术周和艺术展的开幕仪式。今年的艺术周展出的是新加坡与日本友谊的作品。

明天也可以算是林颖夕换了工作的第六天。

“让开让开!对不起,借过!” 颖夕右手提着一幅长型的画像框,左手又拿着两盒箱子。很冲忙地跑进了艺术馆的正厅,边喊着。

“颖夕!这里!这里!真不好意思!太谢谢你了!” Sarah,颖夕的新同事向颖夕招招手。

“你人忙,晚上又有节目。我都说我可以应付的。” Sarah继续说。

“没关系,反正我也想来看明天的安排。这两天節目又多,你们也都很忙了。我是应该出份力。”

颖夕提的是一些Sarah大意留在office重要的东西。颖夕把箱子搬到了柜台、面向她的是Sarah带着一副不好意思的样子。

颖夕虽然不习惯早出门,不过为了最近转到的新部门正准备一个很重要的活动,便特意来到了艺术馆。

三十多岁的颖夕,没爱情,一名政府部门的公务员。为了新的工作,努力奋斗,一心不想出任何差错。平平淡淡地过日子。

“今天8点以前,作品就要呈现好,on schedule 吧?哦,我想应该有一个 walkthrough比较好吧?” 颖夕拿起平面图和行程表,翻了翻行程表。

“好的,不如我叫美术馆的负责人先带我们走一圈。” Sarah有一点不习惯被监督,可是却没办法拒绝。

两人上了梯级。

新加坡国家美术馆是一个历史悠久并附有新加坡历史性的建筑。它前世是雄伟的法庭。刚重新装璜、但还没有正式营业。

“颖夕!怎么会是你!”颖夕的面前出现了一位二十五岁左右的俊男。柯政是出展的其中一名年轻有为的艺术家。Sarah想不出为什么颖夕会认识柯政。

“好久不见!你也有出展吗?怎么样,一切还顺利吗?”

“一切还好。应该赶得来。真没想到会在这里看到你。”柯政回应。

颖夕好像看到了什么,眉头皱了一下,便转头对Sarah问她是否可以叫美术馆的负责人来。

“没想到会在这里遇到你。你不是在卫生部工作的吗?怎么会来到这里?“柯政继续问道。

”我上一个星期才正式调来了文化部,刚好他们在主办艺术周。这是我的同事,Sarah。他们缺人手,我只是来帮忙。不谈我了。你今年的作品是什么?“

柯政的嘴角笑了,说:”我来介绍我的作品!“

柯政带着颖夕看他的作品,也顺便介绍其他的展览品。颖夕一边走着,一边却皱起眉头。

负责人和Sarah 到了之后。颖夕便把自己的意见和要求解释了一番。

“来艺术会馆的,都会希望有一个独特的体验,仿佛到了另一个世界的体验。首先,我要各空间再狭窄一些,空间与空间之间的鲜明度要提升。各房间的故事要明显可是也要给到访的有一个惊喜。我们要吸引的不止是会赏识艺术的人。我们要小孩子,年幼老少都能深受体验,能enjoy的展览。前面的画调低,后面的调高些。”

”这些都需要吗?跟原本的图不一样。我们也只有两个半小时,也许不够时间呀。“可是Sarah不太同意,插了嘴说。

“我觉得颖夕的提议都很好。”柯政点了点头。

颖夕很有自信地转向Sarah。

“没关系,基本的先做。我们不是有设计了印章卡和感想卡吗?觉得这里有个印章角落可以让小孩们盖印章,年轻人写感想也不错。这个呢,就让美术馆setup吧。“

颖夕很有规划地提点,艺术馆的负责人忙着在小小的笔记簿上记下了颖夕的建议。

走着走着,她们走到了最顶层有露出小拱顶的空间。

”明天,部长是在正厅演讲吧。我觉得那个角落太狭窄了,我要他能与各出展的艺术家合照。就在这里吧。我要你们帮我安排。就这样。“

颖夕说完之后,就开始帮艺术馆的人把一切都调了。

~过了两个小时~

颖夕坐在正厅,手上拿了一封草稿,在修改。

Sarah拿了一杯水给颖夕。

“颖夕,忙了一个早上,喝一杯水吧。你在帮忙修改部长明天要演讲的草稿?”

“嗯,差不多要好了。现在不修好,今晚也许不会有时间的。”颖夕想到她家里的两个小鬼。

“好了。你看我修改的部分这么样。”颖夕把搞交给了Sarah。Sarah接过了稿子,傲慢地心想,她新来的什么都不会的,不要把她太当真。

颖夕收到了一着信息。

》你还在艺术馆吗?要迟到了!别离开艺术馆,我这就来接你。

原来是已爱在催。

啊,差一点就忘了机场接芝曼的事了!

》10 more min.

颖夕回应。这里的工作也做的七七八八了。

Sarah读了之后发现颖夕改了不少。再仔细读,颖夕加了许多关于艺术家创作感人肺腑的致词, 改的不错。

颖夕收拾了包包,提醒了“记得明天来宾会不少,警卫和车的安排也要照着我说的办。还有展览厅的柱子要绑好,不然会倒的。”

Sarah愣了愣。“嗯,知道了。”

》我到门口了。快出来!

“今天是星期六,工作办好了就早一点回去吧。明天见!”

颖夕便出了美术馆,上车离开。

这时的颖夕还不知道六年前改变了她人生的人,会再次出现在她的面前。再次扰乱她的人生。

For the next chapter, click here.

For other chapters to this story, click here!

Zeni no Sensou 銭の戦争 (2015)

Unfortunately, the only reason why I watched this show was purely because of SMAP’s 草彅剛. And the turnaway would have been Oshima Yuko.

This show started with a good message: do not borrow but it also brings across another message that money lending and borrowing is a necessary business. In any case, I hope this show helps to bring across that one should always think about the possible consequences and the burden that you may put on your family if you borrow. For that I recommend this show. Due to problems accessing the show, it took me a while to continue the show having stopped mid-way. I might not be giving due justice to the show…

Rating: ❤︎❤︎

Actors/actresses to watch for: Kusanagi Tsuyoshi

I’m Home アイムホーム (2015)

Just finished watching SMAP 木村拓哉’s latest drama, I’m Home. Given that I am partly biased, I will recommend this show.

Story’s about an ambitious but good-hearted man, Ieji Hisashi’s journey to recover his memory after an accident. He learns about his past self, recovering from a heartless man to who he should have been, uncovering his true inner self of one who was in fact self-less and loves his wife very much.

This show was generally quite intriguing, mysterious and gripping enough to want to watch on and learn about what actually happened. Makes one think if we are fighting too hard to earn money where at the end of the day, what are most important are your family and your own conscience. The ending was somewhat unsurprising though, maybe slightly on the anti-climatic side.

Rating: ❤︎❤︎

Actors/actresses to watch for: Kimura Takuya

Prince of Lan Ling 兰陵王 (2013)

Story timeline ~564-577AD (Northern Qi-Northern Zhou)

One of my most skipped dramas. The scenes with bad guys were unbearable, so I literally skipped through all of it. I think even though I did that, I caught enough story to remain entertained – probably only caught one-third of the show but that would suffice for now. Having said what I said, I still liked the show, no regrets watching it, and have lots to comment on this show.

First on plot. Some spoilers ahead.

This drama is about Lan Ling Wang – or Gao Chang gong, who was a general and prince of Northern Qi known for being one of four best looking man in Chinese history and a witty general. It starts right before his famous battle of having led only 500 men and defeated the enemy’s troop of 100,000. The plot is built on the premise that he will be killed soon but his fate was changed after he met a heavenly girl Yang Xue Wu.

There were some references to history and got me interested to know more about Lan Ling Wang. He apparently had been a great leader, and warrior, loved his people and soldiers. Only took one wife… (not sure how true) When he knew that he getting a lot of attention and support (he had a war dance named after him!), he took bribes on purpose to make himself look bad. But because of jealously, he was poisoned to death. (This story takes place when Gao Zhan was emperor I think, Gao Zhan is Lan Ling Wang’s uncle.)

In this drama, Lan Ling Wang did not die fortunately. But Yang Xue Wu did in the end! After I learnt that it was not a happy ending, it took me a while before I decided to complete the show. But why did she have to die? Even after completing the show, I still am not too sure why they could not have a happy ending at the end. So this show has a terrible ending. Btw, costumes were weird but bearable.

Next, on casting and characters. I chanced upon this drama and started watching but stopped at episode 2 or 3 because of the scene where Yang Xue Wu first met Lan Ling Wang and mistook him as a girl. 太勉强了!I thought. Feng Shao Feng did not look like a pretty boy who could be mistaken as a girl. Of course, he looked good – like any good-looking Chinese general should be. But perhaps not the legendary ancient pretty-man Lan Ling Wang, who was said to be so pretty that he had to wear a mask when fighting a war to look fearsome. While watching the show, Feng Shao Feng as Lan Ling Wang started to appeal to me. In fact, over time he was the only one who I thought worth watching. He was suave and quite cute at times. Especially in the scenes with Yang Xue Wu.

Now, Yang Xue Wu or Ariel Lin was very natural, as well as entertaining but it felt like her character was from another era, it felt like I was watching a Taiwan idol drama rather than a Chinese period drama. I would have preferred a different Yang Xue Wu. Daniel Chan was surprisingly good but for some reason he had a discoloured forehead throughout the whole show. Wu Ye is quite cute too.

I have to add that the songs were good!

All in all, I do not mind rewatching this show, but it would only be for Lan Ling Wang (Feng Shao Feng).

Rating: ❤︎❤︎

Actors/actresses to watch for: Feng Shao Feng

Bitter Blood (2014)

Ever since 刑事侦缉档案, I have not liked many detective shows. Find them too similar in plot progression. Watched Bitter Blood purely because of Takeru Sato as I have taken to like his shows recently. Even though his expressions can be quite monotonous at times, he is rather cute when he smiles.

Bitter Blood added an element of father-son-having-to-work-together-even-after-being-separated-for-a-long-time to the new-kids-on-the-block theme. So, part of the plot is about how the father-son buddy pair solves crimes and repair their relationship. Both father and son were funny and worth watching. Unfortunately, the cases are somewhat forgettable and the rookie plot line is somewhat outdated.

All in all, Watabe, Satoh Takeru, Kutsuna Shiori, are pleasant to watch. Recommended if you have nothing else to watch and need some lighthearted show, this is for you.

Rating: ❤︎❤︎

Actors/actresses to watch for: Satoh Takeru

Nobunaga Concerto 信長協奏曲 (2014)

I generally like period dramas, regardless of the country origin. I like the historical and cultural references and enjoy researching, seeking historical accuracies while watching. Sometimes I will have Chrome up and be searching away while watching. Add a dash of romance, wit and cast I like, the drama will not be far from the top of my favourites list.

Nobunaga Concerto definitely satisfied these criteria. At first glance, one may associate the title with manga titles like Nodame Cantabile. But the story is very different. It’s about a high school boy who time slipped back to the warring states era and took Oda Nobunaga’s identity. A historic background with Oguri Shun, and Mukai Osamu was definitely enough to get me started.

While it is not quite true to historical events, it retains key events in history, characters, the alliances and betrayals. It weaves in a modern character and ideas of present society and draws laughter in the audience through the witty conversations and plot twists.

Rating: ❤︎❤︎❤︎

Actors/actresses to watch for: Oguri Shun, Osamu Mukai

The Smiling, Proud Wanderer 笑傲江湖 (2013)

Watched this drama some time ago, but in my effort to document the dramas I have watched, I decided to make some quick comments:

While I think no one can beat Lin Ching Hsia as Dong Fang Bu Bai, Chen Qiao En did make a convincing pitch, given that in this version, the writers decided to change the story – Dong Fang Bu Bai was actually a woman but was disguised as a man. Chen Qiao En makes effort to fulfil her role as Dong Fang Bu Bai, and I commend her for her effort. The writers also did a good job in pairing Chen Qiao En with Wallace Huo (they were a good pair) plus Chen Qiao En was loveable as Dong Fang Bu Bai. I was rooting for them!

On the other hand, it was unfortunate that Ren Ying Ying was not as loveable. So when I realised that Dong Fang Bu Bai was not meant to be with Ling Hu Chong, I literally skipped the last maybe ten episodes and watched the final episode.

Surprise factor: Chen Xiao as Ling Ping Zhi

Rating: ♥♥

Actors/Actresses to watch for: Wallace Huo, Chen Qiao En

Ouroboros ウロボロス (2015)

In my last day of leave, I decided to watch another Japanese drama. Flipping through a list of latest dramas, I decided on Ouroboros played by Oguri Shun, Ueno Juri, and Toma Ikuta. Didn’t have high expectations but it turned out to be great.

Gripping mystery plot with a largely acceptable ending. Gripping enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen and finish the whole series in a day. I thought the script was well paced to sustain tension throughout the series and was even able to show character development within the 10 episodes. A little overboard with the anti-police theme, but why bother? It’s just a story. Though as I had expected, it was spun out of an existing manga. Great acting by the actors and actresses and Cool moves by Ikuta Toma and Oguri Shun.

Highly recommended. ♥♥♥♥

Actors/actresses to watch for: Ueno Juri, Toma Ikuta, Oguri Shun and Ryoko Hirosue

Date デート (2015)

This show takes 2 characters of opposing types (career woman vs a hikikomori NEET) and tries to tell a story on what love is and that marriage is not just a contract but about two people who are in love. I take that the drama tries to respond to the societal need to encourage more men and women to get married. Unfortunately, the drama does not quite inspire and there is little development between the two.

Rating: ♥

Actors/Actresses: Anne, Hasegawa Hiroki

Worth watching: Nakajima Yuto

Loved in the Purple 紫钗奇缘 (2013)

Watched

Story timeline ~Tang Dynasty (618-907)

For a long-time closet fan of Raymond Lam and Michelle Yip, I am utterly disappointed with the show 紫钗奇缘.

To be fair, I should start with the merits of the show. It tried to bring in elements of dance and music and portray life back in the Tang dynasty. Lots of colour, lots of glamour. Of course, the other merits of this show is the reunion of Raymond and Michelle in another drama. I still like the couple, but I fell out of love with the show.

I think that sums up the merits of this show. All in all, I probably only enjoyed one-tenth of the time spent and mostly was in the first half.

Of course, the ending was terrible for a fan like me, but all in all I thought the plot was very distracted. It was not clear if it was trying to be a romance-based drama or not. The plot and transitions were badly stitched, to the point that it was confusing. I was somewhat lost and bored after a while. The plot and progression did not do justice to all who have acted in this show. Too much tears in the show but not out in the audience I think.

Rating: ♥

Actors/Actresses: Michelle Ye, Raymond Lam