Our own Margherita pizza!

Our Margherita pizza, proudly home-made!

After visiting Rome June last year and tasting a pizza ai funghi at Aquila Nera nearby the Termini Station, I realised what I’ve been missing here. A really good, authentic pizza. I’ve dreamt of that pizza for months now. A few nights ago, we wanted to have a Margherita pizza, hence I browsed for a good recipe for that. I found this. What attracted me to the recipe wasn’t really about the topping, but it’s about the dough. Hence, Round Two for the pizza recipe on this blog (ignore the old post, that dough doesn’t work for me anymore).

BBC Food’s pizza dough

300 gr strong bread flour (we use Caputo Red "00" pizza flour)

1 tsp (teaspoon) instant yeast

1 tsp (teaspoon) salt

1 tbsp (tablespoon) olive oil

200 ml warm water (note 31.03.16: these days I just use 170 ml)

"Heart Break" - The Foundation 1984 MV

There's a reason I have only produced one The Foundation 1984 MV (well, actually 1/3, cos the MV was combined with CLH and FD as well). The story is just downright too sad. However, as I've stated in another post, I can't shake off my love towards Li Sai Man and Chun Sik Sik, despite what he did to her later. I can only 'blame' Michael Miu and Barbara Yung for that. So at times, I'd just watch the MVs found over the internet, mostly from YouTube. However, I still want to see an MV that shows LSM's regret after what he did to Sik Sik. Since I found practically none (perhaps because I didn't browse enough), I decided to make one myself. Hence this MV, bearing Dave Wong's aptly titled "Heart Break" song. The MV shows Li Sai Man's regret over what he had done to Sik Sik; all for the throne. Hence the opening is the lonely coronation scene where the new Emperor was not happy despite being the new ruler of the Tang Dynasty. 

The Foundation 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong; no copyright infringement intended. Song lyric is below the break. I obtained the translation using an Indonesian translation I found at YouTube, combined with Google Translator (hence feel free to point out my mistakes). Pinyin is from the Chinese Lyrics. Uploaded to both Dailymotion and Vimeo. I have a happier MV of The Foundation down the pipeline, but for now, I hope you can still enjoy this (very) sad MV... (if "enjoy" is the right word for that). Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog.

"Heart Break" - The Foundation 1984 MV by icha74

"Turning" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV

I always wanted to do a CLH 1984 MV with a new age piece as the music background, but I doubted whether it would fit the series. But when I found out about "Turning" by Italian-American Suzanne Ciani and Taiwanese Chyi Yu (Qi Yu), I considered it would fit Siu Ching's feelings to Chor Lau Heung. Of course, the "someone else is in [his] eyes"in this context was not a woman; rather, it was his own free wandering life that made him left the Palace and the girl he loved. To me, this song fits Siu Ching's original wish that Chor Lau Heung would leave the wandering life in favour of a royal life, but eventually the girl realised what was truly important, and dashed towards CLH's boat to be with him. 

 "The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung" 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong; no copyright infringement intended. The MV is uploaded only to Vimeo. The beautiful winter snapshot was taken from Pinterest. Click this to watch this MV at my new Jianghu blog.

The "Turning" lyrics and the beautiful original MV featuring Suzanne and Chyi Yu are below the break. I can't believe I wasn't aware of Suzanne Ciani and Chyi Yu until a few days ago! Palm/face! Chyi Yu's angelic voice lent some ethereal ambiance to "Turning". The fact that she is from Taiwan (although she sang an English song here) also made me think "Yeah, this piece should fit". 

I hope you like this piece. Have a nice weekend! 

"Turning" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV from Icha74 on Vimeo.

(PS: I edited the video a few hours after I posted it. You might want to refresh your browser to get the updated MV).

"At Least I Have You" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV

This CLH Heung 1984 MV starts with some scenes from Ep 11. The MV mostly focuses on how CLH would sacrifice himself to protect Song Siu Ching because he loved her so, and how he was so scared to lose her (or got worried whenever she was upset). Several versions of "At Least I Have You" (Zhi Shao Hai You Ni) exist, and I do love some of them (Alan Tam's and Sandy Lam's in particular). But I picked Leslie Cheung's version because the tone  somehow fits with the MV theme. "The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung" 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong; no copyright infringement intended. Dedicated to Michael Miu, Barbara Yung, and Leslie Cheung...

I've uploaded the MV to both Vimeo and Dailymotion, both with high res and lower res (higher res tends to be difficult to stream). Hope they remain there. Pinyin and English translation of the lyrics are below the break. The English translation was obtained from Diana S from YouTube. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog. Enjoy!

   
"At Least I Have You" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV from Icha74 on Vimeo.

'Childhood acquaintance' - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 fanfiction

A boy rescued a little girl when she fell into a rabbit hole. Dedicated to all things fluffy and happy in the world (I think I need this after Alan Rickman’s death yesterday). Also dedicated to Michael Miu and Barbara Yung, of course... The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong. No copyright infringement intended. Click this to read this fan-fiction at my new Jianghu blog.

Can't find a pix, so I stole from Kaguyahime Monogatari (Little Kaguya and Sutemaru)

Childhood acquaintance 

The boy watched as the rich-looking little girl stumbled over and fell into the hole. He gasped and then screamed "Idiot!!" before he ran towards the rabbit hole. Lucky for the little girl, the hole wasn't a deep one. Still, the fall would hurt her.

"Are you okay?" He peeked through the hole. The afternoon sunlight illuminated the hole slightly, such that he could see her little face crying from shock. "Don't cry. I told you not to chase the rabbit, but you still did that. Idiot."

"Will you just shut up and help me?!" came the unexpected order from the hole, slightly echoed. The boy chuckled. "I take it you're not injured, then?" He asked her. When she said she didn't know whether she was injured or not, he rolled his eyes heavenwards. Girls! "Try getting up, see if you can stand up." The girl did so and then screamed.

Alan Rickman just died...

Alan Rickman....

I'm so sad that I feel like I'm unintelligible right now. 

But what can I do when one of my favourite actors died just now? Alan Rickman is my definitive Colonel Brandon; he was my ideal man in the Jane Austen world. I used to listen to his voice reading a poem at YouTube a few years back, mesmerised by his voice. I watched him as Col Brandon watching Marianne, youthful Marianne, then reading her poems. I watched him recently as Louis XIV in A Little Chaos, again with Kate Winslet who used to portray Marianne.

It hurts, you know? Separation hurts. And for that... I can only pour my pains here...Well, not just here, but this is one of the outlets I have, so do excuse my sadness...

My Col Brandon just died. My Severus Snape just died. And it hurts so much...

This link provides you with The Guardian's version of 10 best Alan Rickman performances. I posted some Alan Rickman YouTube videos as well below, just because I love him so. Alan, rest in peace. Thank you for providing us with that smile, that humour, that voice... that beauty that is you...

Some of my favourite Alan Rickman scenes/series are below:

Chor Lau Heung, the Detective (a CLH 1984 MV)

Chor Lau Heung and Wu Tit Fa sleuthing the Bat Prince, ep 35

Chor Lau Heung was not just famous for his gravity-defying skills and martial arts. He was first and foremost a great detective. This MV is an attempt to portray some sleuthing scenes in "The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984" series, in particular surrounding the mystery of the Bat Prince and the Viper Sword. The series is the property of TVB Hong Kong; no copyright infringement intended. Music is from my favourite spy/detective series; the BBC "Spooks" opening theme by Jennie Muskett. Also featuring Ying Man Lei (Kwok Fung), Song Siu Ching (Barbara Yung), Wu Tit Fa (Chan Wing Chun) and Yat Dim Hung (Austin Wai) as some of my favourite characters in the series. 

I'm uploading the MV at Vimeo only because I don't want to risk my Dailymotion account being banned, since I'm using a Western music. Hence, MV is under the break. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog. Hope you like it! 

"The Return of the Bat Prince" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 fanfiction

What if Chor Lau Heung didn’t defeat the Bat Prince during the last duel? What if he fell into the cliff instead, presumably dead? What would Siu Ching do? The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung 1984 is the property of Gu Long and TVB Hong Kong, no copyright infringement intended. Dedicated to the ever charming Michael Miu and Barbara Yung. Click this to read this fan-fiction at my new Jianghu blog.

Yuen Tsui Wan (Simon Yam) vs Chor Lau Heung (Michael Miu), ep 40

The Return of the Bat Prince

Princess Wing Ching strode along the corridor towards Emperor Father's chamber; her faithful Jade Sword in her left hand. It was past midnight already, and most likely her father was already asleep. She didn't need to talk to him, though. She just needed to make sure he was alright. She arrived at the door, whispered to the guards not to announce herself for fear of waking His Majesty up, and slowly opened the door. 

Wu Tit Fa and Master Yuen Hung were there accompanying the Crown Prince outside the main chamber. Upon registering her presence, the three men frowned. The Crown Prince spoke first. 

"I Am What I Am" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984

The following MV was inspired by Leslie Cheung's number "I Am What I Am". The song talks about his sexuality, which he decided to openly admit to the public. Here I apply a different context for Chor Lau Heung, in which he was just a normal man who fell in love with an amazing woman, yet their backgrounds were so different. Hence, when he had to choose between staying in the Palace with his love Song Siu Ching or returning to his wandering life despite her absence, he chose the latter. However, after returning to the Fragrant Boat, he still wished she was with him. The last scene depicts his disappointment upon learning that she wasn't coming (or so he thought....). 

Music is "I Am What I Am" by the late Leslie Cheung. "The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung" 1984 is the property of TVB Hong Kong. No copyright infringement intended. Yale romanisation and English translations are below the MVs. I took out the numbers for the MV subtitles, but I retained them here. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog.

"I Am What I Am" - a Chor Lau Heung 1984 MV by icha74

"A Love Before Time" - a Michael Miu/Barbara Yung wuxia MV

Happy New Year again, guys! Was hoping to catch some sleep today, but MB bugged me to produce a new MV. Hence, here's the three MB wuxia series of The Foundation, Chor Lau Heung and Fearless Duo. Music is from my favourite Coco Lee, A Love Before Time (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), composed by Tan Dun, music by Yoyo Ma. I was originally accustomed to the English version, but upon understanding the meaning of the Mandarin version, I love the latter more. I post here the two versions, Mandarin and English. Have uploaded them to Vimeo, and will do that with Dailymotion either soon or tomorrow. Gotta catch some New Year sleep...

The premise is similar to my Karmic Connection fanfiction, which apparently has drawn some good readerships. I have no LOCH footage, and I don't think I can do justice here, hence I only present The Foundation, Chor Lau Heung and Fearless Duo.  The Pinyin and English lyrics are below, in addition to being embedded in the MVs. Click this to watch the MV at my new Jianghu blog.

Mandarin version (updated from 02/1/16):

 
"A Love Before Time" Michael Miu/Barbara Yung wuxia MV (Mandarin ver) from Icha74 on Vimeo.