Archives for August 2010

Kids are probably going to talk to their pillows after watching the episodes of the newly released drama “A Pillow Case of Mystery II.” This drama has been broadcasted in Hong Kong by TVB from July 12 to August 6 and has been internationally viewed by audiences on Youtube.com. Starring Bobby Au-Yeung, Jessica Hsuan, Joel Chan, Leila Tong and Johnson Lee, the drama is hilarious yet extraordinary.

“A Pillow Case of Mystery II” is a 21-episode Chinese drama with English subtitles. Each episode could work as a stand-alone show. Combined of comedy, romance, fantasy, and mystery, it adds a fresh taste of mixed genres to the existing series.

Sze Sai-Lun (Bobby Au-Yeung), the protagonist, comes across a pillow that follows him everywhere he goes. The pillow contains a spirit who gives him hints and clues to solve mysterious cases that occur in the village. While solving cases, he gradually falls in love with his enemy. He and his new wife, Ng Kwan-Yau (Jessica Hsuan) unite to solve the challenging mysteries ahead.

Though the chemistry between Sai-Lun and Kwan-Yau melts the hearts of the audience, creating touching scenes, Ting Mei-Yan (Leila Tong) and So Ying Tsun (Joel Chan) express a light-hearted love story as well.

The spirit in the pillow is played by Lee, a wise choice for Director Lam Chi Wah. Lee has been funny before in the “Poker Face” show, but now he is more entertaining when mimicking people, a skill put to good use in this series.

It is difficult to stop laughing scene after scene because Lee dresses up in bizarre costumes. In episode two, he is mesmerizing as a mermaid. Lee wears a shimmering sequined caramel-colored tail fin. The golden seashells on his chest thrust outward while his long, luminous blond hair tosses in the air. From the back, he looks like a gorgeous, stunning mermaid but the trick is on the audience when he turns around to reveal Ngau Tai Lik – the pillow spirit.

A high-quality drama makes its audience watch episode after episode without going to the bathroom or sleeping because it’s so riveting that people don’t want to miss anything. In “A Pillow Case of Mystery II,” each case has its own breathtaking moments where the audience can solve along on the side.

“A Pillow Case of Mystery I” has won the “Best Drama” award at the 39th TVB Anniversary Awards in 2006. In 2010, the sequel to “A Pillow Case of Mystery I” might win the awards again at the upcoming 40th TVB Anniversary Awards.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from the three Korean fried chicken restaurants between 32nd and 33rd streets.

Bon Chon Chicken, a franchise restaurant sandwiched nicely between Kyochon Chicken and Mad for Chicken on 5th Avenue near Korean row, just opened in August. The store adds to existing locations in Manhattan, Flushing, New Jersey, California, Virginia, Massachusetts, and South Korea. The new restaurant, however, strays away from the original Bon Chon image.

The solid, white walls, the shiny, black tables and the unique silhouette design point to the ubiquitous Bon Chon style. But unlike the other restaurants, the new location doesn’t keep the original splash of red to create that bright modern look. It maintains some of sleek modern look but incorporates new elements like dimmed ceiling lights, mahogany pillars, tall black tables, high brown stools and beer taps to create a jazzy bar theme.

The new Bon Chon also introduces some tech savvy. Customers can view the menu on three big monitors above the front counter. While customers wait for their orders, they are invited to sit down and watch music videos, news or sports that are projected on walls from the ceiling-mounted projectors.

The new restaurant will be serving similar dishes to the original Bon Chon. Appetizers will include zucchini fries, pot stickers, and popcorn chicken, and entrees such as bulgogi (Korean BBQ) taco, Korean scallion pancake, Pork cutlet, will be offered. Currently, the only dish available is the star of the restaurant: Korean Fried Chicken.

The Bon Chon chicken is not like Kentucky Fried Chicken. There’s plenty of garlic in the soy garlic chicken, but it is not overpowering. It balances nicely with the salty and sweetness from the soy sauce. The best feature of the Bon Chon chicken is the texture. The crunchy crust balances the moist tender meat to create a crispy, pleasant chicken.

And there is no mess. The sauce isn’t so sticky that it’s everywhere. It mainly sticks to the fingertips. And the chicken is light. No oil stains, no puddles, no splotches—just a few pieces of that crispy skin on the plate.

At Kyochon Chicken, next door, customers pay $8.99 for five wings, a side dish and beverage. Four drumsticks cost another $8.99, while they cost $7.95 in the nearby Mad for Chicken. But in Bon Chon, six wings, five pieces of white meat, or four drumsticks, mixed with either soy garlic or soy garlic hot sauce cost $6.99. The meal also includes pickled radishes, side dish and drink of their choice. Although the chicken order in Bon Chon is a great deal, the other dishes are a bit pricey. But when unique foods like bulgogi taco and zucchini fries are on the menu, it’s worth trying out.

The new Bon Chon is very welcoming. Waiters immediately greet people at the door and send their farewells to those leaving. Waiters also check often on customers sitting at tables, offering refreshments or service.

Unlike the 45-minute wait in the other Bon Chon restaurants, the new store actually finishes and delivers the order to the table in 15 minutes. Waiters make sure that everyone gets their order quickly by frequently checking in the kitchen.

The new Bon Chon went up a level. With its new looks, better service, and tasty chicken, the 32nd street Bon Chon may be better than its franchise counterparts and up for competition with the other Korean fried chicken contenders.

It is hard to believe Director Feng Xiaogang (“Assembly”, “If You Are the One”) could direct an emotional and serious movie, since he mostly writes and directs comedy movies. 

The movie “Aftershock” opens with an epic, tragic and realistic recreation of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed more than 240,000 people and left the village with nothing.

With cranes falling, buildings rumbling and collapsing and blood-spattered ground, this movie keeps you in suspense, wondering what will happen next throughout the movie.

After the earthquake, Li Yuan Ni [Xu Fan] finds out her twin son and daughter have been buried beneath a concrete slab, and she must decide which one to save.  Lifting the concrete slab will potentially kill both.  Under pressure, Li chose to save her son, Da Feng (Zhang Jiajun), leaving her daughter, Fang Deng (Zhang Zifeng) under the concrete to die.  But, Fang Deng astoundingly lived without her mother knowing and leaving her alone with a painful memory that haunts her forever.

The director, Feng Xiaogang did a great job portraying the idea of how important things are when they are gone.

Zhang Jingchu does an excellent job depicting the older Fang Deng by capturing the essence of a girl struggling through adulthood.  Also, actress Xu Fan, who plays Li Yuanni, does a brilliant job as a mother compared to other movies she was in.  In other movies, Xu Fan plays more of a funny person than an emotional person, which captivates the audience’s emotions in this movie.

But despite having strong actors that seize people’s attention, the plot was confusing. It left the audience hanging by a cliff when some dramatic things happen in the twin lives. The director gave too little information about the struggle the twins had to go through in their life, which left the audience baffled to know what will happen to them.  Instead of explaining, they just go into more details about the future of the twin’s life. Other than a confusing plot, the way the director recreated the scene of the Tangshan earthquake was remarkable because the scene was lively and authentic. 

Despite his background in comedy, Feng Xiaogang did a wonderful job directing this emotional and serious movie.  He kept it surreal and vigorous, without needing to push it too emotional. This movie is out of the ordinary and compelling and the English subtitles will keep you going without realizing you are watching a Chinese movie. 

I finally turned eighteen just in time for the primary election. As a first time voter and a teenager, I question why there were no letters send to me about the upcoming election. The red and white letter that explained where to go to vote and who is running, only my sister got it in my family.

Was all the responsibilities put on to me because “I should be an active citizen”? Was I supposed to research all the information regarding this upcoming election without a clear understanding of how the election actually works?

No, it shouldn’t be. High school students should be educated about how the election works. Aside from the presidential elections, I have no idea how the other elections work.

I have registered many of the Chinese citizens before the 2008 presidential election. I have the knowledge of how to register people to vote but I have no exposure of the candidate’s ideas of this year’s election.

“I am going to vote,” I said days before my eighteen birthday. I have always wanted to vote and I regret not being able to vote in the 2008 election. I registered others to vote as my way of evolving myself in the election.

Now that I have turned eighteen, I have no idea who to vote for. After the presidential election, all the other local elections seem to be hidden to the constituents.

President Obama uncovered the voting potentials of the young adults ages 18 and up. A great sum of young adults started to vote not because they wanted to vote but because someone [Obama] gave their votes a much greater value.

With this new angle aimed at the young voters, young voters like me need to be well exposed and educated about all elections in order for us to make a well thought out vote.

Do you have any talent?  Talent is such a broad word.  Talent doesn’t have to be only from singing and acting; there are all sorts of talent.  When I look up the word “Talent” in the thesaurus, it gave me: aptitude, flair, gift, bent, capacity, ability, genius, etc.  Talent comes from different age groups or different types of acts. 

Talent is what makes people self-conscious because they believe they cannot do anything, but I believe everyone has talent no matter what they do.  Talent can be hobbies they have or what they are good at.  Even though people discourage you and say that you are not good at something, you are good inside your heart.  Everyone has a talent; you just have to see if it is a natural gift or not.

But, yesterday when I was watching “America’s Got Talent” a girl’s talent surpassed me of what I original thought of her.  She was only 10 years old, but her voice is a voice of a grown-up opera singer.  Her name is Jackie Evancho and she only started singing at the age of 8.  She has a natural talent and that is a gift from heaven because it is hard to have a natural talent that will stun the entire world.

You don’t have to be expert on things to have talent because talent comes from your heart and your inner mind.  Also, talent is about expressing your feelings through what you are good at.  Personally, I never thought I had talent because I grew up thinking that I am not good at anything.  But I believe if I am passionate about something that will be my own talent because it is what I like to do.  People may tell me I have no talent or I am not good at something, I will tell them they are wrong because I do have a talent that I enjoy doing.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of the handball hitting the wall and the roar of the crowd cheers on the sidelines filled the aggressive atmosphere of Seward Park during OCA’s Handball Tournament.

On August 6, the Organization for Chinese Americans (OCA), hosted its first Handball Doubles Tournament to spark prevention and awareness of hate crimes. Before the tournament started, the participants had to visit an art gallery, which displayed teen-produced artworks against hate crimes.

Each of the 10 games in the tournament was a fierce battle but the semi-final game between Team Rocket and Team BCG was more exciting than even the final match. Barely anything got past Alan Yaung (Team Rocket) on power-side, the side that returns most of the ball. His teammate, Steven Zhu, added to the duo’s power with kill-shots that were virtually unreturnable. This outstanding partnership helped them win first place in OCA’s tournament.

The semi-final match had been close throughout with neither teams getting more than a two-point lead. Toward the end of the match, Team Rocket took the lead making it 24-18.

Just when the crowd lost faith in Team BCG, they countered, closing the lead at a nail-biting 24-23. Team Rocket ultimately prevailed, ending the game with the score of 25-23.

The final match between Team Rocket and Team Win was less dramatic, ending at 25-15.

Overall the tournament was fairly small but well-organized for its first time. Two referees were assigned to each match and each kept close attention to the short line and long line boundaries, which is a rare instance in handball tournaments.

OCA is still deciding whether to host another tournament, but if they do, expect a fair and organized tournament with a great deal of skill from the players.

On opening day, it was hard not to notice the long line outside of Zam Zam, a new restaurant on Starling Avenue in the Bronx. The atmosphere in the store and the smell quickly overcame me. There were golden-colored wall sheets that added an air of fashion and luxury.

In the back of the restaurant, the chef was busy serving and cooking for the customers, since only three people were working in the restaurant. He is a well-known chef who commutes from Mitali restaurant in Queens to work at Zam Zam. Though there are two more Indian restaurants along Starling Avenue and competition is an issue, his presence plays a key role in Zam Zam’s success.

The desert column has sweets that come in many flavors such as coconut, mango and more. They also serve a rice pudding that includes coconut, rice and cream on the top to match its flavor for only $4. They serve mango lassi that is specially made with yogurt, honey and mangos to bring out its taste for $2.50. The all-you can eat buffet on Fridays is a true value for $5. Customers are allowed to make your own dishes and it’s a lunch special that you cannot miss.

The curry dishes all have different taste. Some are spicy while others are sweet, but all includethe naan and rice of your choice. Cream and sauces are provided on the side for customers’ use.

The best part of the selection is the Chef’s Special, which includes four chicken dishes. Chicken kurma has this creamy and sour taste that fills the mouth with delight. It also includes two beef specials. One was korai and the other was dupiaza. It is freshly made with minced garlic, green chilli, garam masala, tomatoes, whipping cream, fresh cilantro and small pieces of meat.

The combo dishes are very inexpensive at Zam Zam, compared to restaurants nearby.For $12.45, patrons can get a dish of chicken tandoori, beef bhuna, naan, mango lassi and fried rice. The tandoori chicken is excellent. It is spicy on the outside and once you bite into the meat, you will realize that it is well cooked inside. The portion size is also pretty good as it was plenty enough for me to take home and share it with my family.

If you’re roaming around Parkchester and you are looking to eat at an Indian restaurant, Zam Zam restaurant is your stop. The foods are prepared by a well-known chief at reasonable price. You will not be disappointed if you or your buddies decide to come here to eat lunch or dinner.

Working with kids is a great opportunity to challenge oneself and to gain experience as well. It takes plenty of patience to understand the kids and to make them feel safe and comfortable when they are with you. Kids are like plants; you nurture it with care and love, they grow up tall and strong in return. Seeing the process of kids growing and being along with them makes anyone feel accomplished.

Kids are easy to understand once you listen to their hearts. Although kids may seem annoying and wild but they are actually naïve. They are trying to catch adults’ attention because they don’t want to be alone in the darkness. If kids are wild when they are with you, it’s a good sign. Kids get hyper easily and they just want to play with you and have fun. Maybe when they grow up, they won’t recognize you however; it’s such a precious memory to keep.

You actually grow with the kids during the process. You have taken responsibility and developed leadership and communication skill. At first, kids may view you as a stranger because they don’t know who you are. When you come often and play with them, they would gradually feel the tender care and attention you are giving them. It’s difficult to make kids talk to you more but once you chime in with their conversations, they will talk to you continuously. It’s a practice to learn more about them and learn how to communicate with kids or even adults. A kid that doesn’t listen to you at first listens to you now shows that you have leadership skills. You have influenced them and made him/her aware that they have to listen to you as a teacher. In order to influence kids, you have to be a good role model in front of them. A good role model does the right thing and grows as in improving oneself.

My love and curiosity for cooking is what motivates me to learn about the foods of other cultures, which vary from the traditional flavors of Hispanic foods I’m accustomed to. Luckily for me, my downstairs neighbors, the Bissessar family, are friendly natives from Guyana, a country in the upper region of South America. Chaitram Bissessar constantly offered to show me how to cook the delicious foods that he once greeted my family with nine years ago when we first moved in.

As a welcoming gesture, Bissessar showed up at our door with a bright yellow-orange plump pumpkin pie, a bowl of tossed spinach salad filled with many healthy greens, a spicy bowl of dark brown jerk chicken and a luscious mountain of creamy potatoes. All of those foods gave off distinct scents that stimulated my imagination, causing a mouth-watering world of wonderment. However, the smell didn’t captivate me as much as the kind gesture did.

A lot of Bissessar’s foods are influenced by the West Indies, also known as the Caribbean Islands, and Asian cuisines. One of my favorites is a Guyanese-style chicken chow mein. I became his apprentice one evening so he could show me how to make this dish. The meal takes 45-50 minutes to cook so we first put the water to boil for the noodles and used that time to prep the rest of the ingredients.

He washed all the vegetables and chopped up the ginger, a small hot pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, cilantro, half of a yellow onion and the bottom of a bunch of scallions. We saved the top of the scallions, along with the green and red peppers he diced, to give a crunchy texture at the end. He also defrosted diced carrots and peas which were added during the final stages.

We mixed all the ingredients in a large pot with a thin layer of olive oil. As soon as it started to simmer we added salt, black pepper and square chunks of chicken that I had diced. Once the chicken became tender, Bissessar added a lot of a dark brown spicy liquid labeled Chinese Sauce, a little bit of water and dark thick sauce called Cassareep, which he explained to me was a spice that was used a lot in Guyana and gives the chicken a dark brown color and its flavor.

The Lam’s chow mein noodles were put to boil for five to six minutes. We had to watch the time closely because nobody likes soggy noodles. After I strained the noodles, I mixed them with the rest of the ingredients in the pot.  After stirring it all together I added the final touches and topped it with the peppers, scallion, peas and carrots. Our masterpiece was colorful, with voluptuous pieces of dark chicken, long tender yellow noodles and scattered bits of orange squares. 

I let it flavors combine for a few minutes before digging in. I’m happy to report that it was a delightful success.

When you see hooks flying back and forth in the water, smell the salty ocean and fish guts, be warned, its fishing season. A fun out door activity to do in the summer is fishing. Fishing lets you be more manly and allows bonds to happen. When I go fishing with my father on Sundays, I learn a lot or we both do. Taking the bait and learning how to cut it and placing it on the hook in a special way is fun and important to catch a fish.

Some people would rather go picnicking, or dinner out in town. But fishing to me is a quality time a kid gets to spend with their parents, especially if you’re a guy. When a son and a father fish together, you have that bond of learning and quality time. The summer is the best time to fish because the weather is warm, traveling is fun and the best catch is during the summer.

Finding a location to fish is a difficult, yet you have to be patient while fishing. Fishing runs by temperature, tides, and where people are the most. The best time to fish in the summer is early in the morning like 5 am and in the afternoon when the place is cool.

Catching a big or small fish is all up to the day you’re fishing on. When I went fishing with my father last week Sunday, we caught only five small fishes. The place was too hot and fishes hate extreme hot weather. When you got the perfect day to fish, you have a lot of fun. Then sometimes you have a day when fishes feel not to come out.

Fishing during the summer is very exciting and it’s good to spend quality with friends or family. If you want something to do during the summer, then go fishing. I am sure you would enjoy yourself and it will give you something to do rather than staying home.